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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Romance of the West Indies, by Eugene Sue
+
+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: A Romance of the West Indies
+
+Author: Eugene Sue
+
+Translator: Marian Longfellow
+
+Release Date: September 2, 2009 [EBook #29894]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A ROMANCE OF THE WEST INDIES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was
+produced from scanned images of public domain material
+from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A ROMANCE OF THE WEST INDIES.
+
+TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF
+
+EUGENE SUE.
+
+BY
+
+MARIAN LONGFELLOW.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY,
+
+PUBLISHER.
+LONDON. NEW YORK.
+
+Copyright, 1898,
+
+by
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY,
+
+in
+
+United States
+
+and
+
+Great Britain.
+
+All Rights Reserved.
+
+TO THE MEMORY OF
+WILKIE COLLINS,
+AUTHOR AND ARTIST,
+WHO FIRST DIRECTED MY ATTENTION TO THIS
+WORK AND SUGGESTED ITS TRANSLATION
+INTO ENGLISH,
+I DEDICATE THIS BOOK IN KINDLY REMEMBRANCE.
+THE TRANSLATOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+PART I.
+
+I. The Passenger
+
+II. A Female Blue Beard
+
+III. The Arrival
+
+IV. The Priest's House
+
+V. The Surprise
+
+VI. The Warning
+
+VII. The Cavern
+
+VIII. The Devil's Cliff
+
+IX. Night
+
+X. A Buccaneer
+
+XI. Master Rend-Your-Soul
+
+
+PART II.
+
+XII. The Marriage
+
+XIII. Supper
+
+XIV. True Love
+
+XV. The Envoy from France
+
+XVI. The Storm
+
+XVII. The Surprise
+
+XVIII. My Lord the Duke
+
+XIX. A Second Surprise
+
+XX. The Departure
+
+XXI. The Betrayal
+
+
+PART III.
+
+XXII. The Viceroy of Ireland and Scotland
+
+XXIII. The Arrest
+
+XXIV. The Interview
+
+XXV. Revelations
+
+XXVI. Devotion
+
+XXVII. The Martyr
+
+XXVIII. The Duke Relates the Sacrifice to which He Owes his Life
+
+XXIX. The Departure
+
+
+PART IV.
+
+XXX. Regrets
+
+XXXI. Croustillac Departs
+
+XXXII. The Frigate
+
+XXXIII. The Judgment
+
+XXXIV. The Chase
+
+XXXV. The Return
+
+
+EPILOGUE.
+
+XXXVI. The Abbey
+
+XXXVII. Reunited
+
+
+
+
+A ROMANCE OF THE WEST INDIES.
+
+
+
+
+PART I.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE PASSENGER.
+
+
+Toward the latter part of May, 1690, the three-masted schooner the
+Unicorn sailed from Rochelle for the island of Martinique.
+
+A Captain Daniel commanded this vessel, which was armed with a dozen
+pieces of medium-sized ordnance, a defensive precaution necessary at
+that period. France was at that time at war with England, and the
+Spanish pirates would often cross to the windward of the Antilles, in
+spite of the frequent pursuit of filibusters.
+
+Among the passengers of the Unicorn, few in number, was the Reverend
+Father Griffen, of the Order of the Preaching Brothers. He was returning
+to Martinique to resume his parish duties at Macouba, where he had
+occupied the curacy for some years to the satisfaction of the
+inhabitants and the slaves of that locality.
+
+The exceptional life of the colonies, then almost continually in a state
+of open hostility against the English, the Spanish, and the natives of
+the Antilles, placed the priests of the latter in a peculiar position.
+They were called upon not only to preach, to hear confessions, to
+administer the sacraments to their flocks, but also to aid in defending
+themselves during the frequent inroads of their enemies of all nations
+and all colors.
+
+The priest's house was, as other habitations, alike isolated and
+exposed to deadly surprises. More than once had Father Griffen, assisted
+by his two slaves, intrenched himself securely behind a large gateway of
+mahogany, after having repulsed their assailants by a lively fire.
+
+Formerly a professor of geometry and mathematics, and possessed of
+considerable theoretical knowledge of military architecture, Father
+Griffen had given most excellent advice to the successive governors of
+Martinique on the construction of works of defense.
+
+This priest knew thoroughly the stonecutter's and carpenter's trades;
+learned in agriculture, an excellent gardener, of an inventive spirit,
+full of resources, of rare energy, a determined courage, he was a
+valuable man to the colony, and, above all, to the quarter he inhabited.
+
+The word of the gospel had not, perhaps, in his mouth all the unction to
+be desired; his voice was rough, his exhortations were unpolished; but
+their moral quality was excellent; they abounded in charity. He said the
+mass as rapidly and as forcibly as if he were a buccaneer. One could
+pardon him when one knew that this holy office was often interrupted by
+a raid of the heretical English or the idolatrous Caribbeans; and that
+then Father Griffen, leaping from the pulpit from which he had preached
+"peace and concord," was always one of the first to put himself at the
+head of his flock in order to defend it.
+
+As to the wounded and prisoners, once the engagement was ended, the
+worthy priest ameliorated their situation as far as he could, and with
+the greatest care dressed the wounds which he had himself made.
+
+We will not undertake to prove that the conduct of Father Griffen was in
+all points canonical, nor to solve the question so often debated, "Under
+what circumstances may the clergy go to war?" We do not claim for this
+subject either the authority of Saint Gregory nor that of Leo IV. We
+simply say that this worthy priest did good and combated evil with all
+his might.
+
+Of a loyal and generous character, frank and gay, Father Griffen was
+mischievously hostile and mocking where women were concerned. He was
+continually making jests upon the daughters of Eve; these temptresses,
+these diabolical allies of the Serpent. In justice to Father Griffen, we
+must say that he showed in his railleries, otherwise without malice, a
+little rancor and contempt; he jested lightly on the subject of a
+happiness that he regretted not being able to desire; for, in spite of
+the extreme license of Creole customs, the purity of Father Griffen's
+life was never questioned.
+
+He might have been accused of loving the pleasures of the table; not
+that he abused them (he observed bounds in enjoying the good gifts which
+God bestowed), but he was singularly fond of indulging himself with
+marvelous recipes for dressing game, seasoning fish, or preserving in
+sugar the fragrant fruits of the tropics; at times, even the description
+of his epicurean tastes became contagious, when he would enlarge upon
+certain repasts after the manner of buccaneers, prepared in the depths
+of the forests or on the shore of the island. Between you and me, Father
+Griffen possessed, among others, the secret of cooking a turtle,
+buccaneer-fashion, of which the mere recital was enough to excite
+ravenous hunger on the part of his hearers. In spite of his usually
+formidable appetite, Father Griffen scrupulously observed his fasts,
+which an edict of the pope's decreed should be much less strict at the
+Antilles and in the Indies than in Europe.
+
+It is unnecessary to say here that the worthy priest would abandon the
+most delicate repast in order to fulfill his duties as a priest to a
+poor slave; no one was more pitiful than he--a more charitable or
+prudent manager, regarding the little he possessed as the property of
+the unfortunate.
+
+Never was his consolation or succor lacking to those who suffered; but
+once his Christian task fulfilled, he worked gayly and vigorously in his
+garden, watered his plants, hoed his paths, pruned his trees, and when
+night came he loved to rest after his salutary and rustic labor, and
+enjoy, with an intelligent keenness of palate, the gastronomic riches of
+the country.
+
+His flock never allowed his cellar or his larder to become empty. The
+finest fruit, the best portion from the chase or the rod, was always
+faithfully sent to him. He was beloved--he was blessed. They came to
+him to settle all points of dispute, and his judgment was finally
+accepted on all questions.
+
+The physique of Father Griffen accorded perfectly with the impression
+perhaps formed of him after what has just been said of his character.
+
+He was a man of not more than fifty years, robust, active, though
+perhaps rather too stout; his long robe of white wool and his black cape
+set off his broad shoulders; a felt cap covered his bald crown. His red
+face, his triple chin, his lips thick and crimson, his nose long and
+flat at the end, his small and lively gray eyes, gave him a certain
+resemblance to Rabelais; but what specially characterized Father
+Griffen's physiognomy was a rare mixture of frankness, goodness,
+strength and innocent raillery.
+
+At the commencement of this story, the Preaching Brother stood on the
+stern of the vessel, in conversation with Captain Daniel. The ease with
+which he maintained his equilibrium, in spite of the violent rolling of
+the vessel, proved that Father Griffen had long since found his
+sea-legs.
+
+Captain Daniel was an old sea-dog; once at sea, he left the management
+of his vessel to his mates and pilot, and became intoxicated regularly
+every night. Frequently making the trip from Martinique to Rochelle, he
+had already brought Father Griffen from America. The latter, accustomed
+to the inebriety of the worthy captain, attentively studied the ship's
+management; for without possessing the nautical science of Father
+Fournier, and other of his religious colleagues, he had a sufficiently
+theoretical and practical knowledge of navigation. Often had the priest
+made the passage from Martinique to San Domingo and beyond, on board the
+privateer vessels, which always yielded a tithe of their prizes to the
+churches of the Antilles.
+
+Night approached. Father Griffen inhaled with pleasure the odor of
+supper which was being prepared. The captain's boy came to announce to
+the passengers that the repast was ready; two or three among them, who
+had successfully resisted seasickness, entered the cabin.
+
+Father Griffen said grace; they had hardly seated themselves when the
+door of the cabin opened suddenly, and the following words were
+pronounced with a strong Gascon accent:
+
+"There is, I hope, noble captain, a small place for the Chevalier de
+Croustillac?"
+
+All the guests made a movement of surprise, then strove to read in the
+features of the captain an explanation of this singular apparition. The
+captain remained stupefied, regarding his new guest with an air almost
+of affright.
+
+"Eh, there, who are you? I do not know you. Where the devil did you come
+from, sir?" he finally said.
+
+"If I came from the devil, this good priest," and he kissed the hand of
+Father Griffen, "this good priest would send me back there very quickly,
+by saying, 'Get thee behind me, Satan.'"
+
+"But where _do_ you come from, sir?" cried the captain, stupefied by the
+confident and smiling air of this unexpected guest.
+
+"One does not come thus on board. You are not on my list of passengers.
+You have fallen from the sky, perhaps?"
+
+"A few minutes since it was from the infernal regions; now it is from
+the heavens that I come. Faith! I do not lay claim to an origin so
+divine nor so infernal, worthy captain; I----"
+
+"It matters not as to that," replied the captain. "Tell me, how came you
+here?"
+
+The chevalier assumed a majestic air. "I should be unworthy of belonging
+to the noble house of de Croustillac, one of the oldest in Guienne, if I
+had the slightest hesitation in satisfying the legitimate curiosity of
+the illustrious captain."
+
+"So--this is very lucky," cried the latter.
+
+"Do not say it is lucky, rather say it is right. I fall upon your vessel
+like a bomb; you are astonished; nothing is more natural; you ask me how
+I came on board. This is your right. I explain it to you--that is my
+duty. Completely satisfied by my explanation, you extend to me your hand
+and say, 'This is well, chevalier, place yourself at table with us.' I
+respond to you, 'Captain, I cannot refuse, for I am dying for lack of
+sustenance. Blessed be your benevolent offer.' So saying I slip in
+between these two estimable gentlemen. I make myself small; very small;
+in order not to incommode them; on the contrary, the motion is so
+violent that I wedge----"
+
+So saying, the chevalier put his words into execution; profiting by the
+general surprise, he insinuated himself between two guests and provided
+himself with the glass of one, the plate of another, and the napkin of a
+third. Profound amazement made his neighbors oblivious to the things of
+this world. All this was accomplished with so much quickness, dexterity,
+confidence and boldness that the guests of the illustrious captain of
+the Unicorn and the illustrious captain himself did not dream of more
+than looking with the greatest curiosity and astonishment at the
+Chevalier de Croustillac. The adventurer proudly wore an old waistcoat
+of rateen, once green, but now of a yellowish blue; his frayed breeches
+were of the same shade; his stockings, at one time scarlet, were now a
+faded pink, and seemed in places to be fairly embroidered with white
+thread; a badly worn gray felt hat, an old sword-belt trimmed with
+imitation gold lace, now tarnished, supported a long sword upon which
+the chevalier, on entering, leaned with the air of a grandee.
+Croustillac was a very tall and excessively thin man. He appeared to be
+from thirty-six to forty years of age. His hair, mustache, and eyebrows
+were jet black, his face bony, brown and tanned. He had a long nose,
+small hazel eyes, which were extraordinarily lively, and his mouth was
+very large; his physiognomy betrayed at the same time an imperturbable
+assurance and an excessive vanity.
+
+Croustillac had that overweening belief in himself which one finds only
+among the Gascons. He so exaggerated his merits and natural graces to
+himself that he believed no woman was able to resist him; the list of
+his conquests of every kind had been interminable. In spite of the most
+amazing falsehoods, which cost him little, it cannot be denied that he
+possessed true courage and a certain nobility of character. This
+natural valor, joined to his blind confidence in himself, sometimes
+precipitated him into almost inextricable situations, into which he
+threw himself headlong, and from which he never emerged without hard
+blows--for if he was as adventurous and boastful as a Gascon, he was as
+obstinate and opinionated as a Breton.
+
+Heretofore his life had been very similar to that of his Bohemian
+companions. The younger son of a poor Gascon family of doubtful
+nobility, he had come to seek his fortune at Paris; by turns petty
+officer of a forlorn hope; provost of an academy, bath-keeper, horse
+jockey, peddler of satirical news and Holland gazettes; he had more than
+once pretended to be a Protestant, feigning conversion to the Catholic
+faith in order to secure the fifty crowns that M. Pelisson paid each
+neophyte as the price of conversion. This cheat discovered, the
+chevalier was condemned to the lash and to prison. He suffered the lash,
+escaped from prison, disguised himself by means of an immense shade over
+his eye, girded himself with a formidable sword with which he ambled
+about, then embraced the profession of wheedling country folk for the
+benefit of gambling houses, into which he led those innocent lambs, who
+did not come forth again until completely shorn. It must be said--to the
+chevalier's credit that he took no part himself in these rascalities; as
+he said to himself--if he did bait the hook, he at least did not eat the
+fish.
+
+The laws regarding duels were at that time very severe. One day the
+chevalier encountered a well-known brave named Fontenay-Coup-d'Epee. The
+latter roughly elbowed our adventurer, saying, "Take care! I am Fontenay
+Sword-Thrust." "And I," said the Gascon, "Croustillac Cannon-Ball,"
+whipping out his sword.
+
+Fontenay was killed, and Croustillac obliged to flee in order to escape
+capture.
+
+The chevalier had often heard of the wonderful fortunes to be realized
+in the colonies. Journeying sometimes on foot, sometimes on horse,
+sometimes in a wagon, he went to Rochelle hoping to embark for America.
+Once there, Croustillac found that he not only must pay his passage on
+board a vessel, but must also obtain from the intendant of marine,
+permission to embark for the Antilles.
+
+These two things were equally difficult of accomplishment; the
+emigration of Protestants, which Louis XIV. wished to prevent, made the
+officers of the ports extremely severe, and the voyage to Martinique
+cost no less than eight or nine hundred livres. In all his life the
+adventurer had never been possessed of a tithe of this amount. Arriving
+at Rochelle with ten crowns in his pocket, dressed in a smock frock and
+carrying his clothing on the end of his scabbard, the chevalier went,
+like a journeyman, to lodge at a poor tavern, ordinarily frequented by
+sailors.
+
+There he inquired as to outgoing vessels, and learned that the Unicorn
+would set sail in a few days. Two of the crew of this vessel frequented
+the tavern which the chevalier had selected for the center of his
+operations. It would take too long to tell by what prodigies of
+astuteness and address; by what impudent and fabulous lies; by what mad
+promises Croustillac succeeded in interesting in his behalf the master
+cooper charged with the stowage of the casks of fresh water in the hold;
+it is enough to know that this man consented to hide Croustillac in an
+empty cask and to carry him on board the Unicorn.
+
+According to custom, the intendant's assistants and the admiralty clerks
+carefully examined the vessel at the moment of its departure, in order
+to see that no one had fraudulently embarked. The chevalier kept quiet
+at the bottom of his cask and escaped the careful search of the king's
+servants. His heart bounded freely when he felt the vessel under way; he
+waited some hours before daring to show himself, knowing well that, once
+on the high seas, the captain of the Unicorn would not return to port to
+bring back a contraband passenger.
+
+It had been arranged between the master cooper and the chevalier that
+the latter should never disclose the means whereby he had been smuggled
+on board.
+
+A man less impudent than our adventurer would have timidly kept his
+place among the sailors, waiting with uneasiness the moment when
+Captain Daniel should discover the stowaway. Croustillac, on the
+contrary, went boldly to his end; preferring the captain's table to the
+mess of the crew, he was not a moment in doubt that he would be seated
+at that table--if not rightfully, at least in fact.
+
+We have seen how his audacity served his purpose.
+
+Such was the unexpected visitor at whom the guests of the Unicorn looked
+curiously.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+BLUE BEARD.
+
+
+"Now, sir, explain how you came here!" cried the captain of the Unicorn,
+too impatient to learn the Gascon's secret to send him from the table.
+
+The Chevalier de Croustillac poured out a large glass of wine, stood up,
+and said in a loud tone, "I will first propose to the illustrious
+company to drink the health of one who is dear to us all--that of our
+glorious king, that of Louis the Great, the most adored of princes!"
+
+In that troublous time, it would have been unwise and even dangerous for
+the captain to receive the chevalier's proposition with coolness.
+Captain Daniel and the passengers following his example, responding to
+the toast, repeated in chorus, "To the king's health! to the health of
+Louis the Great!" One person alone remained silent; this was the
+chevalier's neighbor. Croustillac looked at him frowningly.
+
+"By the gods, sir, are you not one of us?" said he; "are you, then, an
+enemy of our beloved king?"
+
+"Not at all, sir; not at all. I love and venerate this great king, but
+how can I drink. You have taken my glass," replied the passenger
+timidly.
+
+"What! gods! Is it for such a trifle as this that you expose yourself to
+passing for a bad Frenchman?" exclaimed the chevalier, shrugging his
+shoulders. "Are there not enough glasses here? Waiter! bring this
+gentleman a glass. My dear friend, good luck. Now stand and let us say,
+'To the king's health--our great king!'"
+
+After this toast all reseated themselves. The chevalier profited by the
+confusion to give a napkin and plate to his neighbor. Then, uncovering a
+dish placed before him, he said boldly to Father Griffen, "Father, may I
+offer you some of this potted pigeon?"
+
+"Zounds, sir," cried the captain, struck by the liberties taken by the
+chevalier, "you put yourself very much at your ease."
+
+The adventurer interrupted the captain and said to him with a solemn
+air, "Captain, I know how to render to each what is due. The clergy is
+the first order of the state; I conduct myself then as a Christian in
+serving at once this reverend father. I shall do more--I shall seize
+this occasion to render homage, in his respectable and holy person, to
+the evangelical virtues which distinguish and always will distinguish
+our church."
+
+So saying, the chevalier served Father Griffen. From this moment it
+became very difficult for the captain to oust the adventurer. He had not
+refused the chevalier's toast, nor prevented him from doing the honors
+of the table. Meanwhile he continued to question him. "Come, sir, you
+are a gentleman, so be it! you are a good Christian, you love the king
+as we all love him--this is very well, but tell me, how the devil came
+you here to eat supper with us?"
+
+"Father," said the chevalier, "I call upon you to bear witness, in the
+presence of this honorable company----"
+
+"To bear witness to what, my son?" replied the priest.
+
+"To bear witness to what the captain has said."
+
+"How? What have I said," exclaimed the captain.
+
+"Captain, you have said, you will remember, in the presence of this
+company, that I am a gentleman."
+
+"I have said so, no doubt, but----"
+
+"That I am a good Christian."
+
+"Yes, but----"
+
+"That I love the king."
+
+"Yes, because----"
+
+"Very well," replied the chevalier. "I again call this illustrious
+company to bear witness that when one is a good Christian, when one is a
+gentleman, when one loves his king, what more can be asked? Father,
+shall I help you to some of this roast?"
+
+"I will take some, my son, for my seasickness takes the form of a robust
+appetite; once on shipboard, my hunger redoubles."
+
+"I am delighted, Father, at this similarity in constitution. I, too,
+have a ravenous appetite."
+
+"Very well, my son; as our good captain has given you the means
+wherewith to satisfy your appetite, I would say, to make use of your own
+words, that it is just because you _are_ a gentleman, a good Christian,
+and well-disposed toward our beloved sovereign, that you ought to answer
+the questions of Captain Daniel as to your extraordinary appearance on
+board his ship."
+
+"Unhappily, that is just what I cannot do, Father."
+
+"How? cannot do?" cried the irritated captain.
+
+The chevalier assumed a solemn air, and replied, as he turned toward the
+priest, "This reverend father can alone hear my confession and my vows;
+this secret is not mine alone; this secret is grave, very grave," he
+added, raising his eyes in contrition to heaven.
+
+"And I--I can force you to speak," cried the captain, "when I cause a
+cannon ball to be tied to each of your feet and ride you on a rail until
+you disclose the truth."
+
+"Captain," answered the chevalier, with imperturbable calm, "I never
+permit any one to threaten me. The motion of an eyelid, a sneer, a
+gesture, a nothing, which seems insulting--but you are king on your own
+ship, and therefore I am in your kingdom and recognize myself to be your
+subject. You have admitted me to your table--I shall continue to be
+worthy of this favor always--but there is no reason to arbitrarily
+inflict upon me such bad treatment. Nevertheless, I shall know how to
+resign myself to it, to support it, unless this good priest, the refuge
+of the feeble against the strong, deigns to intercede with you in my
+behalf," replied the chevalier humbly.
+
+The captain was very much embarrassed, for Father Griffen did not
+hesitate to speak a few words in behalf of the adventurer who had so
+suddenly sought his protection, and who had promised to reveal, under
+the seal of the confessional, the secret of his presence on the Unicorn.
+The anger of the captain was somewhat appeased; the chevalier, at first
+flattering, insinuating, became jovial and comical; for the amusement of
+the passengers he performed all kinds of tricks; he balanced knives on
+his nose; he built up a pyramid of glasses and bottles with wonderful
+ingenuity; he sang new songs; he imitated the cries of various animals.
+In fact, Croustillac knew so well how to amuse the captain of the
+Unicorn, who was not very hard to please, that when supper was concluded
+the latter clapped the Gascon on the shoulder, saying:
+
+"After all, chevalier, you are here on board, there is no way to undo
+that. You are good company, and there will always be a plate for you at
+my table, and we will manage to find some corner in which to swing a
+hammock for you."
+
+The chevalier overwhelmed the captain with thanks and protestations of
+gratitude, and betook himself quickly to the place assigned to him, and
+soon was profoundly sleeping, perfectly satisfied as to his well-being
+during the voyage, although a little humiliated from having had to
+suffer the captain's threats, and from having had to descend to tricks
+to win the good will of one whom he mentally designated a brute and a
+seabear.
+
+The chevalier saw in the colonies a veritable Eldorado. He had heard of
+the magnificent hospitality of the colonists, who were only too happy,
+he had been told, to keep the Europeans who came to see them as guests,
+for months, and he drew this very simple deduction: there are about
+fifty or sixty rich plantations at Martinique and Guadeloupe; their
+proprietors, bored to death, are delighted to keep with them men of wit;
+of gay humor, and of resources. I am essentially one of these; I have
+only, then, to appear to be petted, feted, spoiled; admitting that I
+spend six months at each plantation, one after another--there are fully
+in the neighborhood of sixty--this will give me from twenty-five to
+thirty years of enjoyment and perfectly assured comfortable existence,
+and I count only on the least favorable chances. I am in the full
+maturity of my gifts; I am amiable, witty, I have all kinds of society
+talents; how can one believe that the rich owners of these colonies,
+will be so blind, so stupid, as not to profit by the occasion and secure
+to themselves in this way the most charming husband that a young girl or
+a fascinating widow has ever pictured in sleepless nights.
+
+Such were the hopes of the chevalier; we shall see if they were
+realized.
+
+The following morning Croustillac kept his promise and made his
+confession to Father Griffen.
+
+Although sincere enough, the avowal revealed nothing new as to the
+position of the penitent, which he had very nearly divined. This was, in
+effect the chevalier's confession: He had dissipated his fortune; killed
+a man in a duel; pursued by justice and finding himself without
+resources, he had adopted the dangerous part of going to the West Indies
+to seek his fortune; not having the means of paying for his passage, he
+had had recourse to the compassion of a cooper, who had carried him on
+board and hidden him in an empty cask.
+
+This apparent sincerity caused Father Griffen to look upon the
+adventurer with leniency; but he did not hide from the Gascon that any
+hope of finding a fortune in the colonies was an error; he must bring
+quite an amount of capital with him to obtain even the smallest
+establishment; the climate was deadly; the inhabitants, as a general
+thing, were suspicious of strangers, and all the traditions of generous
+hospitality of the first colonists completely forgotten, as much through
+the egotism of the inhabitants as because of the discomforts following a
+war with England--which had gravely affected their interests. In a word,
+Father Griffen counseled the chevalier to accept the offer which the
+captain made, of taking him back to Rochelle after having touched at
+Martinique. In the priest's opinion, Croustillac could find a thousand
+resources in France, which he could not hope to find in a half-civilized
+country; the condition of the Europeans being such in the colonies that
+never, in consideration of their dignity as whites, could they perform
+menial employment. Father Griffen was ignorant of the fact that the
+chevalier had exhausted the resources of France, and therefore had
+expatriated himself. Under certain circumstances, no one was more easily
+hoodwinked than the good priest; his pity for the unhappy blinding his
+usual penetration. The past life of the chevalier did not appear to have
+been one of immaculate purity; but this man was so careless in his
+distress, so indifferent to the future which menaced him, that Father
+Griffen ended by taking more interest in the adventurer than he
+merited, and he proposed that the latter should stay in his parsonage at
+Macouba, while the Unicorn remained at Martinique; an invitation that
+Croustillac took care not to refuse.
+
+Time went on. Captain Daniel was never tired of praising the wonderful
+talents of the chevalier, in whom he discovered new treasures of
+sleight-of-hand each day. Croustillac had finished by putting into his
+mouth the ends of burning candles, and by swallowing forks. This last
+feat had carried the captain beyond bounds of enthusiasm; he formally
+offered the Gascon a situation for life on board ship if the chevalier
+would promise to charm thus agreeably the tedium of the voyages of the
+Unicorn.
+
+We would say here, in order to explain the success of Croustillac, that
+at sea the hours seem very long; the slightest distractions are
+precious, and one is very glad to have always at one's beck and call a
+species of buffoon endowed with imperturbable good humor. As to the
+chevalier, he hid under a laughing and careless mask, a sad
+preoccupation; the end of his journey drew near; the words of Father
+Griffen had been too sensible, too sincere, too just not to strongly
+impress our adventurer, who had counted upon passing a joyous life at
+the expense of the colonists. The coldness with which many of the
+passengers, returning to Martinique, treated him, completed the ruin of
+his hopes. In spite of the talents which he developed and which amused
+them, none of these colonists made the slightest advance to the
+chevalier, although he repeatedly declared he would be delighted to make
+a long exploration into the interior of the island.
+
+The end of the voyage came; the last illusions of Croustillac were
+destroyed; he saw himself reduced to the deplorable alternative of
+forever traversing the ocean with Captain Daniel, or of returning to
+France to encounter the rigors of the law. Chance suddenly offered to
+the chevalier the most dazzling mirage, and awakened in him the maddest
+hopes.
+
+The Unicorn was not more than two hundred leagues from Martinique when
+they met a French trading vessel coming from that island and sailing
+for France. This vessel lay to and sent a boat to the Unicorn for news
+from Europe. In the colonies all was well for some weeks past; not a
+single English man-of-war had been seen. After exchanging other news,
+the two vessels separated.
+
+"For a vessel of such value (the passengers had estimated her worth at
+about four hundred thousand francs) she is not very well armed," said
+the chevalier, "and would be a good prize for the English."
+
+"Bah!" returned a passenger with an envious air, "Blue Beard can afford
+to lose such a vessel as that."
+
+"Yes, truly; there would still remain enough money to buy and arm
+others."
+
+"Twenty such, if she desired," said the captain.
+
+"Oh, twenty, that is a good many," said another.
+
+"Faith, without counting her magnificent plantation at Anse aux Sables,
+and her mysterious house at Devil's Cliff," returned a third, "do they
+not say she has five or six millions of gold and precious stones hidden
+somewhere?"
+
+"Ah, there it is! hidden no one knows where!" exclaimed Captain Daniel;
+"but one thing sure, she _has_ them, for I have it from old father
+'Wide-awake,' who had once seen Blue Beard's first husband at Devil's
+Cliff (which husband, they say, was young and handsome as an angel). I
+have it from Wide-awake that Blue Beard on this day amused herself by
+measuring in a bowl, diamonds, pearls and emeralds; now, all these
+riches are still in her possession, without counting that her third and
+last husband, as they say, was very rich, and that all his fortune was
+in gold dust."
+
+"People say she is so avaricious that she expends for herself and
+household only ten thousand francs a year," continued a passenger.
+
+"As to that, it is not certain," said Captain Daniel; "no one knows how
+she lives, because she is a stranger in the colony, and not four persons
+have ever put their feet inside Devil's Cliff."
+
+"Truly; and lucky it is so; I am not the one who would have the
+curiosity to go there," said another; "Devil's Cliff does not enjoy a
+very good reputation; they do say that strange things take place there."
+
+"It is certain that it has been struck by lightning three times."
+
+"That does not surprise me; and strange cries, they say, are heard round
+the house."
+
+"It is said that it is built like a fortress, inaccessible, among the
+rocks of the Cabesterre."
+
+"That is natural if Blue Beard has so great a treasure to guard."
+
+Croustillac heard this conversation with great curiosity. These
+treasures, these diamonds, were pictured in his imagination.
+
+"Of whom do you speak, gentlemen?" he said.
+
+"We are speaking of Blue Beard."
+
+"Who is this Blue Beard?"
+
+"Blue Beard? Well, it is--Blue Beard."
+
+"But is this a man or a woman?" said the chevalier.
+
+"Blue Beard?"
+
+"Yes, yes," said Croustillac impatiently.
+
+"'Tis a woman."
+
+"How, a woman? and why, then, call her Blue Beard?"
+
+"Because she gets rid of her husbands as easily as Blue Beard of the old
+story got rid of his wives."
+
+"And she is a widow? She is a widow! Oh," cried the chevalier, clapping
+his hands while his heart beat rapidly, "a widow! rich beyond belief;
+rich enough to make one dizzy only to try to estimate her wealth--a
+widow!"
+
+"A widow; so much of a widow that she is such for a third time in three
+years," said the captain.
+
+"And is she as rich as they say?"
+
+"Yes, that is conceded; all the world knows it," replied the captain.
+
+"Worth millions; rich enough to fit out vessels worth four hundred
+thousand livres; rich enough to have sacks of diamonds and emeralds and
+fine pearls!" cried the Gascon, whose eyes sparkled and nostrils
+dilated, while his hands clinched.
+
+"But I tell you that she is rich enough to buy Martinique and
+Guadeloupe if she were so pleased," said the captain.
+
+"And old? very old?" asked the Gascon, uneasily.
+
+His informer looked at the other passengers with a questioning air.
+"What age should you say Blue Beard was?"
+
+"Faith, I do not know," said one.
+
+"All I know," said another, "is that when I came to the colony two years
+ago she had already had her second husband, and had a third in view, who
+only lived a year."
+
+"As to her third husband, it is said that he is not dead, but has
+disappeared," said a third.
+
+"He is certainly dead, however, because Blue Beard has been seen wearing
+a widow's garb," said a passenger.
+
+"No doubt, no doubt," continued another; "the proof that he is dead is
+that the parish priest of Macouba was instructed, in the absence of
+Father Griffen, to say the mass for the dead, for him."
+
+"And it would not be surprising if he had been assassinated," said
+another.
+
+"Assassinated? by his wife, no doubt?" said still another voice with an
+emphasis that spoke little in favor of Blue Beard.
+
+"Not by his wife!"
+
+"Ah, ah, that is something new!"
+
+"Not by his wife? and by whom, then?"
+
+"By his enemies in the Barbadoes."
+
+"By the English colonists?"
+
+"Yes, by the English, because he was himself English."
+
+"Is it so, then, sir; the third husband is dead, really dead?" asked the
+chevalier anxiously.
+
+"Oh, as to being dead--he is that," exclaimed several in chorus.
+
+Croustillac drew a long breath; a moment's thought, and his hopes
+resumed their audacious flight.
+
+"But the age of Blue Beard?" he persisted.
+
+"Her age--as to that I can satisfy you; she must be anywhere from
+twenty, yes, that is about it, from twenty to sixty years," said Captain
+Daniel.
+
+"Then you have not seen her?" said the Gascon, impatient under this
+raillery.
+
+"Seen her? I? And why the devil should you suppose I had seen Blue
+Beard?" asked the captain. "Are you mad?"
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Listen, my friends," said the captain to his passengers; "he asks me if
+I have seen Blue Beard."
+
+The passengers shrugged their shoulders.
+
+"But," continued Croustillac, "what is there astonishing in my
+question?"
+
+"What is there astonishing?" said the captain.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Hold; you come from Paris, do you not? and is Paris not much smaller
+than Martinique?"
+
+"Without doubt."
+
+"Very well; have you seen the executioner at Paris?"
+
+"The executioner? No, but why such a question?"
+
+"Very well; once for all, understand that no one is any more curious to
+see Blue Beard than to see the executioner, sir. Beside, the house in
+which she lives is situated in the midst of the wilds of Devil's Cliff,
+where one does not care to venture. Then an assassin is not an agreeable
+companion, and Blue Beard has too bad associates."
+
+"Bad associates?" said the chevalier.
+
+"Yes, friends; friends of the heart; not to go into the matter any
+further, it is a saying that it is not well to encounter them by night
+on the plain; by night in the woods; or after sunset under the lee of
+the island," said the captain.
+
+"'Whirlwind'--the filibuster first," said one of the passengers with an
+affrighted air.
+
+"Or 'Rend the Soul'--the buccaneer of Marie-Galande," said another.
+
+"Or 'Youmaeale,' the Caribbean cannibal of the lake of the Caimans,"
+continued a third.
+
+"What?" cried the chevalier, "does Blue Beard coquette at the same time
+with a filibusterer, a buccaneer, and a cannibal? Bah! what a woman!"
+
+"So they say, sir."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+THE ARRIVAL.
+
+
+These singular revelations concerning the morals of Blue Beard made a
+great impression upon the chevalier. After some moments of silence he
+asked the captain, "Who is this man, this filibuster whom they term the
+Whirlwind?"
+
+"A mulatto from San Domingo, they say," replied Captain Daniel, "one of
+the most determined filibusters of the Antilles; he has dwelt in
+Martinique for the past two years, in a solitary house, where he lives
+now like an alderman."
+
+"And you think that this bully is favored by Blue Beard?"
+
+"They say that all the time that he does not pass at his own house, he
+is at Devil's Cliff."
+
+"This proves at least that Blue Beard has never loved sentimental
+swains!" said the chevalier. "Well, but the buccaneer?"
+
+"Faith," cried one of the passengers, "I do not know if I would not
+rather have the Whirlwind for an enemy than the buccaneer
+'Rend-your-soul!'"
+
+"Zounds! there is at least a name which holds possibilities," said
+Croustillac.
+
+"And which fulfills them," said the passenger, "for him I have seen."
+
+"And is he so terrible?"
+
+"He is certainly as ferocious as the wild boars or the bulls which he
+hunts. I will tell you about him. It is now about a year since I was
+going to his ranch in the Great Tari, in the northern part of
+Martinique, to purchase of him some skins of wild cattle. He was alone
+with his pack of twenty hounds who looked as wicked and savage as
+himself. When I arrived he was anointing his face with palm oil, for
+there was not a portion of it that was not blue, yellow, violet or
+purple."
+
+"I have had these irridescent shades from a blow on the eye, but----"
+
+"Exactly, sir. I asked him what had caused this, and this is what he
+told me: 'My hounds, led by my assistant, had flung themselves upon a
+two-year-old bull; he had passed me, and I had sent a ball into his
+shoulder; he bounded into a thicket; the dogs followed. While I was
+reloading, my assistant came up, fired, and missed the bull. My boy,
+seeing himself disarmed, sought to cut at the bull's legs, but it gored
+him and stamped him underfoot. Placed as I was, I could not fire at the
+animal for fear of finishing my man. I took my large buccaneer's knife
+and threw myself between them. I received a blow of its horn which
+ripped up my thigh, a second broke this arm (showing me his left arm,
+which was suspended in a sling); the bull continued to attack me; as
+there remained but the right hand that was of any use, I watched my
+opportunity, and at the instant when the animal lowered his head to rip
+me up, I seized him by the horns and drew him within reach, and seized
+his lip with my teeth, and would no more let go than an English bulldog,
+while my dogs worried his sides.'"
+
+"But this man is a blockhead," said Croustillac, contemptuously. "If he
+has no other means of pleasing--faith, I pity his mistress."
+
+"I have told you that he was a species of savage animal," replied the
+narrator, "but to continue my story. 'Once wounded on the lips,' said
+the buccaneer, 'a bull falls. At the end of five minutes, blinded by the
+loss of blood (for my bullets had done their work), the bull fell on his
+knees and rolled over; my dogs sprang upon him, seized him by the
+throat, and finished him. The struggle had weakened me; I had lost a
+great deal of blood; for the first time in my life I fainted just like a
+girl. And what do you suppose my dogs had been at during my swoon? They
+had amused themselves by devouring my servant! They were so sharp and
+well-trained.' 'How,' said I to Rend-your-soul, terrified, 'because
+your dogs have devoured your servant, does that prove that they are
+well-trained?' I declare, sir," continued the passenger who had related
+this story of the buccaneer to the Gascon, "I looked with considerable
+alarm upon these ferocious animals who walked round and round me and
+smelt at me in a manner far from reassuring."
+
+"The fact is, such customs as these are brutal," said Croustillac, "and
+it would be a mistake to address such a man of the woods in the
+beautiful language of gallantry. But what the devil can he indulge in in
+the way of conversation with Blue Beard?"
+
+"God forbid I should act as eavesdropper," exclaimed the passenger.
+
+"When Rend-your-Soul has said to Blue Beard, 'I have seized a bull on
+the lips, and my dogs have devoured my servants,'" replied the Gascon,
+"the conversation would languish; and zounds! one cannot always be
+feeding a man to the dogs in order to furnish entertainment."
+
+"In faith, one cannot tell," said a listener; "these men are capable of
+anything."
+
+"But," said Croustillac, "such an animal can know nothing about small
+courtesies; flowery language always takes the ladies."
+
+"No, certainly," replied the narrator, whom we suspect of a slight
+exaggeration of the facts, "for he swears enough to sink the island; and
+he has a voice like the bellowing of a bull."
+
+"That is easily accounted for; from frequenting their society he has
+acquired their accent," said the chevalier; "but let us hear the end of
+your story, I beg."
+
+"Here it is. I demanded then of the buccaneer how he dared assert that
+dogs who would devour a man were well trained. 'Doubtless,' replied he,
+'my dogs are trained never to insert a tooth in a bull when he is down,
+for I sell the skins, and they must be intact. Once the bull is dead
+these poor brutes, hungry though they be, have the sense to respect it,
+and to await its being skinned. Now this morning their hunger was
+infernal; my servant was half dead and covered with blood. He was very
+inhuman toward them; they began, no doubt, by licking his wounds; then,
+as it is said the appetite increases with what it is fed on, this made
+the mouths of the poor brutes water. Finally, they did not leave a bone
+of my servant. Had it not been for the bite of a serpent which nipped
+sharply but which was not venomous, I might have remained in my swoon. I
+recovered consciousness; I wrenched the snake from my right leg, round
+which it had coiled itself, I took it by the tail, I whirled it like a
+sling and I crushed its head on the trunk of a guava tree. I examined
+myself; I had a thigh ripped open and an arm broken; I bound the wound
+in my thigh with fresh leaves and secured them by a vine. As to my left
+arm, it was broken between the elbow and the wrist. I cut three little
+sticks and a long creeper and I tied it up like a roll of tobacco. Once
+my wounds dressed, I sought for my servant, for I could not see him. I
+called him, there was no answer. My dogs were crouched at my feet; they
+appeared so innocent, the cunning creatures! and looked at me as they
+wagged their tails as if nothing was wrong. Finally I arose, and what
+should I see at twenty paces distance but the remains of my servant. I
+recognized his powder-horn and the sheath of his knife. That was all
+that remained of him, I tell you this to prove to you that my dogs are
+very snappish and well-trained; for they will not injure a hair on the
+bull's skin.'"
+
+"There, there! the buccaneer exceeds the filibuster," said Croustillac.
+"I can only say that Blue Beard is greatly to be pitied for not having
+had, up to this time, but an alternative of two such brutes." And the
+Gascon continued compassionately, "It is very easy to understand, this
+poor woman has not an idea of what constitutes a gentleman; when one has
+all one's life fed on lard and beans, one cannot conceive of anything as
+fine, as delicate as a pheasant or an ortolan. Zounds! I see it has been
+reserved to me to enlighten Blue Beard on a variety of things, and to
+discover to her a new world. As to the Caribbean, is he worthy of
+figuring at the side of his ferocious rivals?"
+
+"Oh, as to the Caribbean," said one of the passengers, "I can speak from
+knowledge. I made this winter in his canoe the journey from Anse aux
+Sable to Marie-Galande. I was pressed to reach this latter place. The
+Riviere des Saints had overflowed, and I was compelled to make a great
+circuit in order to find a place which could be forded. At the moment
+when I embarked, I saw at the prow of the boat of Youmaeale a kind of
+brown figure. I drew near; what did I see? My God! the head and arms
+dried to that of a mummy, forming the figurehead as an ornament for his
+canoe! We started on our voyage, the Caribbean silent, like the savage
+that he was, paddled without uttering a word. Arriving off the Caribbean
+Island, where a Spanish brigantine had stranded some months previous, I
+asked him, 'Is it not here that the Spanish vessel was wrecked?' The
+Caribbean nodded an assent. It would be as well to say here that on
+board this vessel was the reverend Father Simon of Foreign Missions. His
+reputation for sanctity was such that it had reached even the
+Caribbeans; the brigantine had been wrecked, passengers and cargo--at
+least such was believed to be the case. I said then to the Caribbean,
+'Is it there that Father Simon perished--you have heard of it?' He made
+me another affirmative sign with his head, for these people never speak
+an unnecessary word. 'He was an excellent man,' I continued. 'I have
+eaten him,' replied this wretched idolater, with a kind of ferocious and
+satisfied pride.
+
+"That was one method of enjoying a person," said Croustillac, "and of
+sharing his qualities."
+
+"For a moment," replied the passenger, "I did not understand what this
+horrible cannibal was saying, but when I had compelled him to explain
+himself, I learned that in accordance with I know not what savage
+ceremony, the missionary and two sailors who had escaped to a desert
+island had been surprised by the cannibals and eaten at once! When I
+reproached Youmaeale for this barbarous atrocity, saying that it was
+frightful to have sacrificed these three unhappy Frenchmen to their
+ferocity, he replied, sententiously, and in a tone of approbation, as if
+he would prove to me that he understood the force of my arguments in
+classing, if not to their value, at least according to the flavor of
+three different nationalities. 'You are right: a Spaniard never, a
+Frenchman often, an Englishman always!'"
+
+"This would prove that an Englishman is incomparably more delicate than
+a Frenchman, and that a Spaniard is as tough as the devil," said
+Croustillac; "but this gourmand will finish some day by devouring Blue
+Beard when caressing her. If all this be true----"
+
+"It is true, sir."
+
+"It follows then positively that this young or old widow is not
+insensible to the ferocious attractions of Rend-your-soul and of the
+cannibal?"
+
+"Public opinion accuses her thus."
+
+"Are they often with her?"
+
+"All the time Whirlwind is not engaged in privateering, that
+Rend-your-soul is not hunting, and Youmaeale is not in the woods, they
+pass with Blue Beard."
+
+"Without becoming jealous of each other?"
+
+"It is said that Blue Beard is as despotic as the Sultan of Turkey, and
+she forbids their being jealous."
+
+"Faith! what a seraglio she has! But listen, gentlemen: you know that I
+am a Gascon; that they accuse us of exaggerating and you would
+ridicule----"
+
+But Captain Daniel interposed, with a serious air, which could not be
+feigned, "When we arrive at Martinique ask the first creole whom you
+meet as to this Blue Beard; and may St. John, my patron saint, curse me
+if you will not hear concerning Blue Beard and her three friends the
+same thing."
+
+"And as to her immense wealth, will they also speak to me of that?"
+asked the chevalier.
+
+"They will tell you that the plantation where Devil's Cliff is situated
+is one of the most beautiful in the island, and that Blue Beard
+possesses a counting house at Fort St. Pierre, and that this counting
+house, managed by a man in her employ, sends out each year five or six
+vessels like the one we have just passed."
+
+"I see how it is, then," said the chevalier in raillery. "Blue Beard is
+a woman who is weary of riches and the pleasures of this world; in order
+to distract her thoughts, she is capable of entertaining a buccaneer, a
+filibuster, and even a cannibal, if her heart so dictates."
+
+"That it pleases her is evident in that she is never bored," replied the
+captain.
+
+At this moment Father Griffen mounted to the deck. Croustillac said to
+him, "Father, I have told these gentlemen that we are accused, we
+Gascons, of telling fibs, but is what they say of Blue Beard the truth?"
+
+The face of Father Griffen, ordinarily placid and joyful, took on a
+darker hue at once, and he replied gravely to the adventurer, "My son,
+never breathe the name of this woman."
+
+"But, Father, is it true? She replaces her deceased husbands by a
+filibuster, a buccaneer and a cannibal?"
+
+"Enough, enough, my son," returned the priest, "I pray you do not speak
+of Devil's Cliff and what goes on there."
+
+"But, Father, is this woman as rich as they say?" pursued the Gascon,
+whose eyes were snapping with covetousness; "has she such immense
+treasures? Is she beautiful? Is she young?"
+
+"May heaven defend me from ascertaining!"
+
+"Is it true that her three husbands have been murdered by her, father?
+If this be true, how is it that the law has not punished such crimes?"
+
+"There are crimes that may escape the justice of men, my son, but they
+never escape the justice of God. I do not know, however, if this woman
+is as culpable as they say, but still I say, do not speak of her, my
+son, I implore you," said Father Griffen, whom this interview seemed to
+affect most painfully.
+
+Suddenly the chevalier assumed a resolute attitude, pulled his hat down
+over his forehead, caressed his mustache, balanced himself on his toes
+like a barnyard fowl preparing for combat, and cried with an audacity of
+which a Gascon alone is capable, "Gentlemen, tell me the day of the
+month."
+
+"The 13th of July," replied the captain.
+
+"Well, gentlemen," continued our adventurer, "may I lose the name of De
+Croustillac, may my coat of arms be forever smirched with disgrace, if
+in one month from this very day, in spite of all the buccaneers,
+filibusters or cannibals in Martinique or in the world, Blue Beard is
+not the wife of Polypheme de Croustillac!"
+
+That evening when they went down to the saloon the adventurer was taken
+aside by Father Griffen; he sought by every possible means to ascertain
+if the Gascon knew more than he appeared to, concerning the surroundings
+of Blue Beard. The extraordinary persistence with which Croustillac
+occupied himself with her and the men about her had aroused the
+suspicions of the good priest. After speaking at some length on the
+subject with the chevalier, the priest was almost certain that
+Croustillac had not spoken other than by presumption and vanity.
+
+"It matters not," said Father Griffen, "I'll not lose sight of this
+adventurer; he has the appearance of an empty-headed fool, but traitors
+know how to assume all guises. Alas!" continued he sadly, "this last
+voyage imposes upon me great obligations toward those who dwell at
+Devil's Cliff. Meantime, their secret is, so to speak, mine, but I have
+done what I could; my conscience approves. May they long enjoy the
+happiness they deserve, of escaping from the snares set for them. Ah!
+what dangerous enemies kings are, and one often pays dearly for the
+doubtful honor of being born on the steps of a throne. Alas!" went on
+the priest with a profound sigh, "poor angelic woman, it rends my heart
+to hear her thus spoken of, but it would be impolitic to defend her.
+These rumors are the preservation of the noble creatures in whom I am so
+deeply interested."
+
+After considering awhile Father Griffen said to himself, "I at first
+took this adventurer to be a secret emissary from England, but I am
+doubtless deceived. Nevertheless, I will watch this man. In fact, I will
+offer him the hospitality of my house; thus his movements will not
+escape me. In any case, I will warn my friends at Devil's Cliff to
+redouble their prudence, for, I know not why, the presence of this
+Gascon disturbs me."
+
+We will here hasten to inform the reader that the suspicions of Father
+Griffen, so far as Croustillac was concerned, were without foundation.
+The chevalier was nothing more than the poor devil of an adventurer
+which we have shown him to be. The excellent opinion he held of himself
+was the sole cause of his impertinent wager of espousing Blue Beard
+before the end of the month.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE PRIEST'S HOUSE.
+
+
+The Unicorn had anchored at Martinique three days. Father Griffen,
+having some matters requiring his attention before his return to his
+parish of Macouba, had not as yet quitted Fort St. Pierre.
+
+The Chevalier de Croustillac found himself landed in the colonies with
+but very little money in his pocket. The captain and passengers had
+considered the adventurer's declaration that before a month had passed
+he would be the husband of Blue Beard, as an idle boast. Far from having
+given up the idea, the chevalier persisted in it more and more since his
+arrival in Martinique; he had carefully informed himself as to the
+riches of Blue Beard, and was convinced that, if the life of this
+strange woman was surrounded with the profoundest mystery, and she the
+subject of the wildest exaggeration, it was at least true that she was
+enormously wealthy.
+
+As to her face, age and origin, as no one had on this point as much
+knowledge as Father Griffen, nothing could be affirmed. She was a
+stranger in the colony. Her man of business had come in advance to the
+island in order to purchase a magnificent estate and to build the
+mansion at Devil's Cliff, situated in the northern and most inaccessible
+and wildest portion of Martinique. At the end of several months it
+became known that the new proprietor and his wife had arrived. One or
+two of the colonists, impelled by their curiosity, had penetrated into
+the solitude of Devil's Cliff; they were received with a royal
+hospitality, but they did not see the owners of the place. Six months
+after this visit, news was received of the death of the first husband,
+which occurred during a short visit taken by the couple to Terre-Ferme.
+
+At the end of one year of absence and widowhood, Blue Beard returned to
+Martinique with a second husband. It was said that this latter was
+killed, accidentally, while taking a walk with his wife; his foot
+slipped and he fell into one of those bottomless abysses which are so
+common in the volcanic soil of the Antilles. Such was, at least, the
+explanation that his wife gave concerning his mysterious death.
+
+No one knew anything positive concerning the third husband of Blue Beard
+and his death.
+
+These three deaths, so close together, so mysterious, caused strange
+stories to be circulated regarding this woman, and reached the ears of
+the Governor of Martinique, who was then Chevalier de Crussol; he
+started with an escort for Devil's Cliff; arriving at the foot of the
+thickly-wooded ascent, on the summit of which towered the mansion, he
+found a mulatto who gave him a letter. After reading this letter, the
+governor showed great surprise, and ordering his escort to await his
+return, he followed the slave, alone.
+
+At the expiration of four hours the governor returned with his guide,
+and immediately retraced his steps to St. Pierre. Some of those who
+formed his escort remarked that he was very pale and very much agitated.
+From that moment until the day of his death, which occurred thirteen
+months to the very day after his visit to Devil's Cliff, no one ever
+heard him pronounce the name of Blue Beard. The governor made a long
+confession to Father Griffen, who came to him from Macouba. It was
+observed that in leaving the penitent, Father Griffen appeared to have
+received a great shock.
+
+From that time the kind of fatal and mysterious reputation which had
+attached itself to the name of Blue Beard increased day by day.
+Superstition mingled with the terror which she inspired, until her name
+was never mentioned without terror; it was firmly believed that she had
+assassinated her three husbands, and that she had escaped punishment by
+law only through the power of her wealth, thus purchasing the support of
+the different governors who succeeded each other in turn. No one, then,
+was tempted to trouble Blue Beard with visits to the wild and solitary
+place in which she dwelt, above all since the cannibal, the buccaneer
+and the privateer had come, as they said, to be companions or consolers
+to the widow.
+
+Whether or not these men had ever legally rendered themselves liable for
+any crime, it was asserted that they pursued with an implacable hatred
+and vengeance all who attempted to come near Blue Beard. By reason of
+being repeated and exaggerated, these threats bore their fruit. The
+islanders care little to go, perhaps at the peril of their lives, to
+penetrate into the mysteries of Devil's Cliff. It required the desperate
+audacity of a Gascon in extremity, to attempt to surprise the secret of
+Blue Beard and undertake to espouse her. Such was possibly the fixed
+design of the Chevalier de Croustillac; he was not a man to renounce so
+easily the hope, insane as it was, of marrying a woman worth millions;
+beautiful or plain, young or old, it mattered little to him.
+
+As a means to success, he counted upon his good carriage, his spirit,
+his amiability, and his manner, at the same time gallant and proud--for
+the chevalier had an excellent opinion of himself--but he counted still
+more on his wit, his cunning, and his courage. In fine, a man alert and
+determined, who had nothing to lose and feared nothing, who believed
+implicitly in himself and his star; who could say to himself as did
+Croustillac, "In risking death during a moment--for death can be but a
+moment's agony--I _may_ live in luxury and opulence"--such a man can
+perform miracles above all when he undertakes a project with such a
+grand object and as stimulating as that proposed by Croustillac.
+
+According to his resolve, Father Griffen, after he had brought to a
+close the affairs which detained him at St. Pierre, invited the
+chevalier to accompany him to Macouba, to remain there until the Unicorn
+should sail again for France. Macouba being distant not more than four
+or five leagues from Devil's Cliff, the chevalier, who had spent his
+three crowns and who found himself without resources, accepted the offer
+of the worthy priest, without further enlightening him as to his resolve
+concerning Blue Beard; this he would not reveal until the moment arrived
+to put it into execution.
+
+After taking leave of Captain Daniel, the chevalier and the priest
+embarked in a small boat. Favored by a good wind from the south, they
+set sail for Macouba. Croustillac appeared indifferent to the
+magnificent and novel scenes which were afforded by the coast of
+Martinique, seen from the water; the tropical vegetation whose verdure,
+of a tone almost metallic, outlined on a glowing sky, affected him very
+little.
+
+The adventurer, with his eyes fixed on the scintillating wake which the
+boat left behind her, seemed to see flashing the living rays of Blue
+Beard's diamonds; the little green herbs, standing in relief from the
+submerged meadows which edged the winding shores, pictured to the Gascon
+the emeralds of the widow; while some drops of water sparkled in the sun
+in the fall of the oars made him dream of the sacks of pearls which the
+terrible resident at Devil's Cliff possessed.
+
+Father Griffen was also deeply absorbed; after thinking of his friends
+at Devil's Cliff, he turned his thoughts, with a mixture of disquietude
+and joy, to his little flock at home, his garden, his poor and
+unpretentious church, his house, his favorite horse, his dog, and his
+two slaves who had always given him the most devoted service. And
+then--shall we say it?--he thought of certain preserves which he had
+made some days before his departure, and as to the condition of which he
+was ignorant.
+
+In three hours our travelers arrived at Macouba. Father Griffen had not
+long to wait; the canoe was moored in a little bay, not far from the
+river which watered this section, one of the most fertile of Martinique.
+
+Father Griffen leaned upon the chevalier's arm. After having for a time
+followed the shore where the high and powerful waves of the Caribbean
+Sea rolled on, they reached the village of Macouba, composed of some
+hundred houses built of wood and covered with roses and palms.
+
+The village was built on a semicircular plan which followed the outline
+of the Bay of Macouba, a little port where many canoes and fishing boats
+were built. The church was a long wooden edifice from the center of
+which four beams arose, surmounted by a little belfry in which was hung
+a bell; the church overlooked the village, and was in turn overshadowed
+by immense cliffs, covered by rich vegetation, which made an
+amphitheatre of living green.
+
+The sun was rapidly setting. The priest trod the only street that
+crossed Macouba, and which led to the church. Some small negroes,
+absolutely nude, were rolling in the dust; uttering loud cries; they
+fled at the approach of the priest. A number of creole women, white or
+of mixed blood, dressed in long robes of Indian and madras cloth, in
+striking colors, ran to the doors; recognizing Father Griffen, they
+testified to their surprise and joy; young and old hastened to
+respectfully kiss his hand, and to say in creole, "Blessed is your
+return, good Father; you have been missed in Macouba." Numbers of men
+came out at once and surrounded Father Griffen, with the same tokens of
+attachment and respect.
+
+While the priest talked with the villagers of the events which had taken
+place at Macouba during his absence, and in turn gave them news of
+France, the housewives, fearing that the good father would not find
+sufficient provision at the parsonage, had retired to select, one a fine
+fish, another a beautiful pullet; this one the quarter of a fine fat
+buck, that one some fruits or vegetables, and a number of little negroes
+were ordered to carry to the parsonage these voluntary tithes.
+
+The priest reached his house, situated on one side, at some distance
+from the village, overlooking the sea. Nothing could be more simple than
+this modest wooden house, covered with roses, and of one story. Curtains
+of clear linen dressed the windows and took the place of blinds, which
+were a great luxury in the colonies.
+
+A large room, comprising at the same time parlor and dining room,
+communicated with the kitchen built at the rear; at the left of this
+principal room were the bedroom of Father Griffen, and two other small
+rooms opening into the garden and set apart for strangers or the other
+priests of Martinique who might, at times, ask the hospitality of their
+brother priest.
+
+A henhouse, a stable for the horse, lodgings for two negroes, and
+several sheds, completed this establishment, furnished with a rustic
+simplicity. The garden had been carefully laid out. Four broad paths
+were divided by many beds bordered by thyme, lavender, wild thyme,
+hyssop and other fragrant plants. The four principal beds were
+subdivided into numerous little ones set apart for vegetables or fruits,
+but surrounded by wide borders of fragrant flowers. Between two little
+walls of verdure, covered with Arabian jasmine and odorous creepers,
+could be seen, in the horizon, the sea and the hills of the other
+islands.
+
+No fresher or more charming spot than this garden, in which the most
+beautiful flowers mingled with fruits and magnificent vegetables, could
+be found. Here a bed of melons, of an amber color, was bordered by dwarf
+pomegranates, shaped like a small box and covered at the same time with
+purple blossoms and fruit so heavy and so abundant that it touched the
+earth. A little further on, a branch of Angola wood with its long, green
+husks, and its blue flowers, was surrounded by a line of white and pink
+almonds, sweet with perfume; the carrot plant, sorrel, gimgambo and
+leek, were hidden in a fourfold rank of tuberoses of the richest tints;
+finally, came a square of pineapples which perfumed the air, having a
+row of magnificent cacti for a border, with yellow calix and long silver
+pistils. Behind the house extended an orchard composed of cocoanuts,
+bananas, guava, tamarind, and orange trees, whose branches were weighted
+down to the earth with flowers and fruit.
+
+Father Griffen followed the paths of his garden with unspeakable
+happiness, observing each flower, plant and tree. His two slaves
+attended him; one was called Monsieur, the other Jean. These two good
+creatures, weeping with joy at the sight of their master, could not
+reply to his questions, so much affected were they, and could only say
+one to the other, with hands raised to heaven, "God be praised--he is
+here! he is here!"
+
+The chevalier, indifferent to the joy of the natives, followed the
+priest mechanically; he was consumed with the desire to inquire of his
+host if, through the woods which rose in an amphitheatre, one could see
+the road to Devil's Cliff.
+
+After examining his garden, the good priest went out to inspect his
+horse which he had named Grenadille, and his large English mastiff
+called Snog; as soon as he opened the stable door Snog threw himself
+upon his master and bounded around him. He not only jumped upon him but
+barked with joy, with such evidence of affection that the negro,
+Monsieur, was obliged to take the dog by his collar and could with
+difficulty restrain him, while the priest caressed Grenadille, whose
+glossy coat and well-covered ribs bore testimony to the good care of
+Monsieur, who had charge of the stable.
+
+After this thorough visit through his little domain, Father Griffen
+conducted the chevalier into the bedroom which he had intended for him.
+A bed draped with a mosquito-netting under a linen canopy, a large
+bureau of mahogany wood, and a table, was the furnishing of this room,
+which opened upon the garden. Its only ornament was a crucifix suspended
+from the center of the slightly roughened wainscot.
+
+"You will find here a poor and modest hospitality," said Father Griffen
+to the chevalier, "but it is offered you with a good heart."
+
+"And I accept it with gratitude, Father," said Croustillac.
+
+At this moment Monsieur came to announce that supper was ready, and
+Father Griffen led the way to the dining room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE SURPRISE.
+
+
+A large glass wherein burned a candle of yellow wax, lighted the table;
+the dishes were placed on a table cloth of coarse but very white linen.
+There was no silver; the steel knives, and spoons of maple wood, were of
+great neatness. A bottle of blue glass contained about a pint of canary;
+in a large pewter pot bubbled the _oagou_, a fermented beverage made
+from the grain of sugar cane; a sealed earthen vessel held water, as
+fresh as if it were iced.
+
+A fine dorado grilled in its scales (a Caribbean dish), a roasted
+paroquet of the size of a pheasant, two dishes of sea crabs cooked in
+the shell and served with sauce of the citron juice, and a salad of
+green peas, had been symmetrically placed on the table by the negro
+Jean, around a centerpiece composed of a large basket containing a
+pyramid of fruit, which had at its base a European melon, a watermelon,
+and at its summit a pineapple; there was a side dish of sliced
+palm-cabbage dressed with vinegar, and little whitefish preserved in
+spiced pickle, which would tempt the appetite of the guests or excite
+their thirst.
+
+"You are treating me with royal magnificence, Father," said the
+chevalier to the priest. "This island is the 'promised land,' surely."
+
+"With the exception of the canary wine, which was a gift, my son, all
+this is the product of the garden which I cultivate, or the fishing and
+hunting of my two slaves, for the offerings of my parish are
+superfluous, thanks to the foresight of Monsieur and Jean, who were
+advised of my arrival by a sailor at Fort St. Pierre. Help yourself to
+this paroquet, my son," said the priest to the chevalier, who appeared
+to find the fish very much to his taste.
+
+Croustillac hesitated a moment and looked at the priest in an uncertain
+manner. "I do not know why, but it seems strange to eat a paroquet,"
+said the chevalier.
+
+"Try it, try it," responded the priest, and he placed a wing on his
+plate. "Is a pheasant's flesh more plump or more golden? It is cooked to
+a marvel; and then, did you ever smell anything more appetizing?"
+
+"I should say four spices are employed," said the chevalier, inhaling
+the odor.
+
+"It is claimed that these birds are very fond of the berry of the Indian
+trees which they find in the forest; these trees have at once the taste
+of cinnamon, clove and pepper, and the flesh of the game partakes of the
+scent of this aromatic tree. How this juice is flavored. Add a little of
+the orange sugar, and then tell me if the Lord has not blessed his
+creatures in bestowing such gifts upon them?"
+
+"In all my life I have never eaten anything more tender, more delicate
+or more savory than this," replied the chevalier, with full mouth, and
+half shutting his eyes in sensual enjoyment.
+
+"Is it not good?" said the good priest, who, knife and fork in hand,
+looked at his guest with satisfied pride.
+
+The repast ended, Monsieur placed a pot of tobacco and pipes at the side
+of the bottle of canary, and Father Griffen and Croustillac were then
+left alone.
+
+After filling a glass of wine and passing it to the chevalier, the
+priest said to him, "Your health, my son."
+
+"Thanks, father," said the chevalier, lifting his glass. "Drink also to
+the health of my future bride; it will be a good omen for me."
+
+"How? your future bride?" replied the priest; "what do you mean?"
+
+"I allude to Blue Beard, father."
+
+"Ah--always jesting! Frankly, I believe the men of your province are
+most inventive, my son," said Father Griffen, smiling mischievously, and
+emptying his glass in small doses.
+
+"I never spoke more seriously, father. You heard the vow which I made on
+board the Unicorn?"
+
+"Impossibility nullifies a vow, my son; because you should swear to
+measure the ocean, would you engage to fulfill this oath?"
+
+"How, Father--is the heart of Blue Beard as bottomless as the ocean?"
+gayly exclaimed the chevalier.
+
+"An English poet has said of woman, 'Perfidious as the waves,' my son."
+
+"However perfidious women may be, my worthy host," said the chevalier
+with a self-sufficient air, "we men know how to disarm them, and I shall
+exercise afresh that power in dealing with Blue Beard."
+
+"You will not attempt anything of the kind, my son; I am easy on that
+point."
+
+"Allow me to say, father, that you deceive yourself. To-morrow, at
+daybreak, I shall ask of you a guide to conduct me to Devil's Cliff, and
+I shall confide the course of this adventure to my Star."
+
+The chevalier spoke with so serious an air that Father Griffen hastily
+placed upon the table the glass which he was raising to his lips, and
+regarded the chevalier with as much astonishment as distrust. Until then
+he had really believed the matter to be only a pleasantry or idle boast.
+"Are you sincere in this resolve? This is absolute madness, but----"
+
+"Excuse me, Father, for interrupting you," said the chevalier, "but you
+see before you the younger son of my family, who has tempted every
+fortune, wasted all his resources, and with whom nothing has succeeded.
+Blue Beard is rich, very rich. I have everything to gain, nothing to
+lose."
+
+"Nothing to lose?"
+
+"Life, perhaps, you will say. I make a good bargain; and then, barbarous
+though this country may be, helpless as justice may prove, I do not
+think that Blue Beard will dare treat me, on my arrival, as she treated
+her three husbands; if so, you will know that I have fallen a victim;
+you will demand an account of my death. I risk nothing more than seeing
+my homage rejected. Ah! well, if such be the case, if she repulses me, I
+shall continue to delight Captain Daniel during his trips by swallowing
+lighted candles and balancing bottles on the end of my nose. Certainly
+such an occupation is honorable and amusing, but I prefer another life.
+So, then, no matter what you say, Father, I am resolved to attempt the
+adventure and to go to Devil's Cliff. I cannot tell you what secret
+presentiment tells me I shall succeed, that I am upon the eve of seeing
+my destiny fulfill itself in a most wonderful manner. The future seems
+tinted with rose and gold; I dream only of magnificent palaces, wealth,
+and beauty; it seems to me (excuse the pagan comparison) that Love and
+Fortune have come and taken me by the hands and are saying to me,
+'Polypheme de Croustillac, happiness awaits thee.' You will say,
+perhaps, Father," continued the chevalier, throwing a mocking glance at
+his faded coat, "that I am poorly dressed to present myself in this
+beautiful and brave company of fortune and happiness; but Blue Beard,
+who must be intelligent, will comprehend at once that under this
+outside, the heart of an Amadis, the spirit of a Gascon, and the courage
+of a Caesar dwells."
+
+After a moment's silence the priest, instead of smiling at the
+pleasantries of the chevalier, said to him in a tone that was most
+solemn, "Is your resolve finally taken?"
+
+"Unwaveringly and absolutely taken, Father."
+
+"Hear me then; I heard the confessions of the Chevalier de Crussol, the
+former governor of this island; he who, when the third husband of this
+woman disappeared, went to Devil's Cliff."
+
+"Well, father?"
+
+"While I must respect the secrets of the confessional, I can, I must,
+tell you that if you persist in your insane project, you expose yourself
+to great and unavoidable peril. Without doubt, if you lose your life,
+your death will not remain unpunished; but there will be no means of
+preventing the fatal end upon which you would rush. Who obliges you to
+go to Devil's Cliff? The resident of that place wishes to live in
+solitude; the barriers of that abode are such that you cannot break them
+down without violence; for in every country, and above all in this one,
+he who trespasses upon the property of another exposes himself to grave
+danger--danger the greater that all idea of a union with this widow is
+impossible, even if you were of a princely house."
+
+These words hurt immeasurably the self-esteem of the Gascon, who
+exclaimed, "Father, this woman is but a woman, and _I_ am Croustillac."
+
+"What do you say, my son?"
+
+"That this woman is free; that she has not seen me; that but one look,
+one only, will change entirely her resolve."
+
+"I do not think it."
+
+"Reverend Father, I have the greatest, the blindest confidence in your
+word; I know all its authority; but this concerns the fair sex, and you
+cannot understand the heart of woman as _I_ understand it, you do not
+know what inexplicable caprices they are capable of; you do not know
+that what pleases them to-day displeases them to-morrow; and that they
+wish for to-day, that which they disdained yesterday. With women, my
+reverend sir, one must dare in order to succeed. If it were not for your
+cloth, I would tell you some curious adventures and audacious
+undertakings by which I have been recompensed amorously!"
+
+"My son!"
+
+"I understand your sensitiveness, Father, and to return to Blue Beard:
+once in her presence, I shall treat her not only with effrontery, with
+haughtiness, but as a victor--I dare say it, as a lion who comes proudly
+to carry off his prey."
+
+These remarks of the chevalier were interrupted by an unforeseen
+accident. It was very warm; the door of the dining room which looked on
+the garden was half open. The chevalier, with back turned to this door,
+was seated in an arm chair with a wooden back which was not very high. A
+sharp hissing sound was heard and a quick blow vibrated in the middle of
+the chevalier's chair.
+
+At this sound Father Griffen bounded from his chair, rushed and took his
+gun down from a rack placed in his bedroom, and precipitated himself out
+of doors, crying, "Jean! Monsieur! Take your guns! Follow me, my
+children! follow me! The Caribbeans are upon us!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE WARNING.
+
+
+All this took place so rapidly that the chevalier was dumfounded. "Get
+up! get up!" cried the priest. "The Caribbeans! Look at the back of your
+chair--get out of the light!"
+
+The chevalier rose quickly, and saw an arrow three feet in length fixed
+in the back of his chair. Two inches higher and the chevalier would have
+been pierced through the shoulders. Croustillac seized his sword, which
+he had left on a chair, and hurried after the priest.
+
+Father Griffen, at the head of his two negroes, armed with their guns,
+and preceded by his mastiff, sought for the enemy; unfortunately, the
+door of the dining room opened upon a trellised orchard; the night was
+dark; doubtless the person who had sped the arrow was already far away,
+or well hidden in the top of some thick tree.
+
+Snog bounded hither and thither in the eagerness of his search. Father
+Griffen recalled his two slaves who were too venturesome and would have
+penetrated into the orchard.
+
+"Well, father, where are they?" said the chevalier, brandishing his
+sword: "shall we charge upon them? A lantern--give me a lantern; we will
+visit the orchard and the neighborhood of the house."
+
+"No, no, not a lantern, my son, it would serve to point us out to the
+assailants if there are a number, and you would be too much exposed; you
+would receive an arrow in you. Come, come," said the priest, lowering
+his gun after some moments of attentive scrutiny; "it is but an alarm;
+let us return and thank the Lord for the clumsiness of this cannibal,
+for if he had not blundered, you would not be here, my son. What
+astonishes me, and for which I thank God, is that you have escaped; a
+native so bold as to make such an attempt should have a true eye and a
+sure hand."
+
+"But what harm have you ever done these savages, Father?"
+
+"None! I have often been in their settlement at the Isle des Saintes,
+and have always been properly received; thus I cannot understand the
+object of this attack. But let us look at this arrow--I shall know from
+the feather if it is a native arrow."
+
+"We must keep a good watch, to-night, Father, and to this end confide in
+me," said the Gascon. "You see that it is not only in a love affair that
+I have firmness."
+
+"I do not doubt you, my son, and I accept your offer. I will fasten the
+windows securely against the assassins, and bar the door strongly. Snog
+will act as picket. It will not be the first time this house has stood a
+siege; a dozen English pirates attacked it two years ago, but with my
+slaves and the aid of an official from Cabesterre, who was accidentally
+at my house, we punished the heretics severely."
+
+So saying, Father Griffen entered the dining room, withdrawing with some
+effort the iron-barbed arrow which stuck in the back of the chair, he
+exclaimed with surprise, "There is a paper attached to the feather of
+this arrow!" Then, unfolding it, he read these words, written in a large
+and bold hand: "Warning number one, to the Chevalier de Croustillac."
+
+"To the Rev. Father Griffen, respect and affection."
+
+The priest looked at the chevalier without saying a word. He, in turn,
+took the bit of paper and read it.
+
+"What does this mean?" he exclaimed.
+
+"It means that I have not been deceived in speaking of the sure aim of
+the Caribbeans. The person who shot the arrow could have killed you had
+he so willed. See! this arrow tip is poisoned, doubtless; it entered an
+inch into the back of this chair of hard wood; if it had struck you, you
+would be dead. What skill was displayed in thus guiding this arrow!"
+
+"Zounds, Father! I find it rather more marvelous that I am not touched,"
+said the Gascon. "But what the devil have I done to this savage?"
+
+Father Griffen struck his forehead with his hand. "When I have read you
+this?" he exclaimed.
+
+"Read what, Father?"
+
+"Warning number one, to the Chevalier de Croustillac."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Well! this warning comes from Devil's Cliff."
+
+"You believe it to be so?"
+
+"I am sure of it. They have learned of your project and they desire to
+force you to give it up."
+
+"How can they have learned it?"
+
+"You did not hide it on board the Unicorn. Some of the passengers,
+disembarking three days ago at St. Pierre, have spoken of it; this rumor
+has reached the counting house of Blue Beard and her business manager
+has informed his employer."
+
+"I am forced to confess," replied the chevalier, after a moment's
+reflection, "that Blue Beard has singular means of corresponding with
+one. This is a queer little mail."
+
+"Ah, well, my son, I hope the lesson will profit you," said the priest.
+Then he continued, addressing the two slaves who were carrying in the
+blinds and were about to raise them into place, "It is unnecessary, my
+children, I see there is nothing to fear."
+
+The slaves, accustomed to a blind obedience, took away the impromptu
+defenses.
+
+The chevalier looked at the priest with astonishment.
+
+"Without doubt," said the good father, "the word of the dwellers at
+Devil's Cliff is sacred; I have nothing at present to fear from them,
+nor you either, my son, because you are warned, and you will necessarily
+give up your mad plan."
+
+"I, Father?"
+
+"How----"
+
+"May I become blacker this moment than your two negroes if I renounce
+it."
+
+"What do you say--after such a warning?"
+
+"Well, who is to tell me that this warning comes from Blue Beard? It may
+come from a rival--from the buccaneer, the filibuster, or the cannibal.
+For I have quite a selection among the gallant admirers of the beauty
+of Devil's Cliff."
+
+"Ah, well, what does it signify----"
+
+"How? What does it signify, Father? But I intend to show these would-be
+wits what the blood of a De Croustillac is! Ah! they think to intimidate
+me! They do not know this sword which, look you, would move in its
+scabbard! whose steel would blush with indignation if I were to renounce
+my undertaking!"
+
+"My son, this is madness, sheer madness----"
+
+"And what a coward, what a sheep, would the Chevalier de Croustillac
+appear in the eyes of Blue Beard if he were so pusillanimous as to be
+daunted by so little!"
+
+"By so little! but two inches higher and you would have been killed!"
+
+"But as it was two inches lower, and I was _not_ killed, I will
+consecrate my life to taming the willful heart of Blue Beard and to
+vanquishing my rivals, be they ten, twenty, thirty, one hundred or ten
+thousand," replied the Gascon, with growing enthusiasm.
+
+"But if this act was the order of the mistress of Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"If it was done by her order, she shall see, the cruel one, that I will
+brave the death to which she would send me, in order to reach her heart.
+She is a woman; she will appreciate such valor. I do not know if she is
+a Venus but I know that without wronging the god Mars I Polypheme Amador
+de Croustillac am terribly martial; and from beauty to courage there is
+but a step."
+
+One must imagine the exaggeration and Gascon accent of the chevalier to
+have an idea of this scene.
+
+Father Griffen hardly knew whether to laugh or to be appalled at the
+opinionated resolve of the chevalier. The secret of the confessional
+forbade his speaking, from entering into any details concerning Devil's
+Cliff; he knew not how to induce the chevalier to renounce his fatal
+intention. He had endeavored to do so, but in vain.
+
+"If nothing can withhold you, my son, it cannot be said that I have
+been, even indirectly, an accomplice in your mad enterprise. You are
+ignorant of the position of Devil's Cliff; neither myself, nor my
+slaves, nor, I assure you, any of my parishioners will be your guide. I
+have instructed them to refuse. Beside the reputation of Blue Beard is
+such that no one would care to infringe my orders."
+
+This declaration of the priest's seemed to make the chevalier reflect.
+He bent his head in silence then he began again resolutely: "I know that
+Devil's Cliff is some four leagues from this spot; it is situated in the
+northern part of the island. My heart will serve as a compass to guide
+me to the lady of my thoughts, with the assistance of the sun and the
+moon."
+
+"But, madman," cried the priest, "there is no path through the forests
+which you would traverse; the trees are so thick that they would hide
+from you the position of the sun--you would be lost."
+
+"I shall go right ahead; I shall arrive somewhere. Your island is not so
+large (be it said without disparaging Martinique), Father; then I shall
+retrace my steps, and I shall seek until I find Devil's Cliff."
+
+"But the soil of the forest is often impassable; it is infested with
+serpents of the most dangerous species; I say to you that in what you
+propose, you are courting a thousand deaths."
+
+"Ah, well, Father, 'nothing venture, nothing have.' If there are
+serpents I will get upon stilts after the manner of the natives of my
+country."
+
+"Going to walk on stilts in the midst of creepers, brambles, rocks,
+trees overturned by storms? I tell you, you do not know our forests."
+
+"If one always considered the perils of an undertaking one would never
+accomplish any good. Did you think of the deadly fevers when you tended
+those of your parishioners who were attacked with it?"
+
+"But my object was a pious one; I risked death in the observance of my
+duty; while you rush upon yours out of vanity."
+
+"Vanity, Father! A companion who has sacks filled with diamonds and fine
+pearls, and probably five or six millions more in gold! Zounds! what a
+'vanity!'"
+
+Having seen the futility of overcoming such unparalleled
+opinionativeness, the good priest said no more.
+
+He conducted his guest to the room assigned to him, fully resolved to
+put every difficulty possible in the way of the chevalier the next day.
+
+Inflexible in his resolve, Croustillac slept profoundly. A lively
+curiosity had come to the aid of a natural obstinacy and an
+imperturbable confidence in his destiny; the more this confidence had
+been, till then, disappointed, the more our adventurer believed that the
+promised hour was about to come to him. The following morning, at break
+of day, he arose and went on tiptoe to the door of Father Griffen's
+room. The priest still slept, not thinking for a moment that the
+chevalier would dream of starting off on a journey through an unknown
+country without a guide. He deceived himself.
+
+Croustillac, in order to escape the solicitation and reproaches of his
+host, started at once. He girded on his formidable sword, a weapon very
+inconvenient to travel with through a forest; he jammed his hat well
+down on his head, took a staff in his hand with which to frighten the
+serpents, and with firm tread and nose in the air, though with a heart
+beating rather rapidly, he quitted the hospitable house of the priest of
+Macouba, and directed his steps toward the north, for some time
+following the extremely thick vegetation of the forest. He shortly
+afterward made a circuit of this dense vegetation, which formed an angle
+toward the east, and stretched indefinitely in that direction.
+
+From the moment that the chevalier entered the forest, he did not
+hesitate in the slightest degree. He recalled the wise counsels of
+Father Griffen; he thought of the dangers which he was going to
+encounter; but he also invoked the thought of Blue Beard's treasures; he
+was dazzled by the heaps of gold, pearls, rubies and diamonds which he
+believed he saw sparkling and quivering before his eyes. He pictured to
+himself the owner of Devil's Cliff, a being of perfect beauty. Led on by
+this vision, he entered resolutely the forest, and pushed aside the
+heavy screen of creepers which were suspended from the limbs of the
+trees which they draped.
+
+The chevalier did not forget to beat the bushes with his staff, crying
+out in a loud voice, "Out, ye serpents, out!"
+
+With the exception of the voice of the Gascon, there was not a sound.
+
+The sun rose; the air, freshened by the plenteous dew of the night, and
+by the sea breeze, was impregnated with the aromatic odors of the
+forest, and its tropical flowers. The rest was still plunged in the
+shadow when the chevalier entered it.
+
+For some time the profound silence reigning in this imposing solitude
+was only broken by the blows of the chevalier's staff on the bushes, and
+by his repeated cries, "Out, ye serpents, out!"
+
+Little by little these sounds grew fainter and then ceased all at once.
+
+The gloomy and profound silence which reigned was suddenly broken in
+upon by a kind of savage howl which had in it nothing human. This sound,
+and the first rays of the sun trembling on the horizon, like a sheaf of
+light, appeared to rouse the inhabitants of the great forest. They
+responded one after another until the uproar became infernal. The
+chattering of monkeys; the cry of wildcats; the hissing of serpents; the
+grunts of wild boars; the bellowing of cattle, broke from every
+direction with a frightful chorus; the echoes of the forest and the
+cliffs repeated these discordant sounds; one would have supposed a band
+of demons was responding to a superior demon's call.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE CAVERN.
+
+
+While the chevalier sought a road to Devil's Cliff by which to traverse
+the forest, we will conduct our readers toward the most southern portion
+of the coast of Martinique.
+
+The sea rolled with slow majesty at the foot of large rocks near a peak
+which formed a natural defense to this part of the island, and which
+rose in a perpendicular wall some two hundred feet in height. The
+continued beating of the waves rendered this coast so dangerous that a
+vessel could not touch at this place without being, inevitably, broken
+to pieces.
+
+The site of which we speak had a wild and grand simplicity; a wall of
+barren rocks, of a dull red, was outlined on a sky of sapphire blue;
+their base was swallowed up in a whirl of snowy foam, hidden by the
+incessant shock of enormous mountains of water which broke upon these
+reefs in tones of thunder. The sun with all its strength threw a
+brilliant, torrid light on this mass of granite; there was not a cloud
+in the brazen heavens. On the horizon there appeared through a burning
+vapor the high land of the other Antilles.
+
+At some distance from the coast, where the waves broke, the sea was of a
+somber blue, and as calm as a mirror. An object scarcely perceptible,
+because it offered little surface above the water, approached rapidly
+the portion of this island called Cabesterre.
+
+Little by little, a long, light canoe was to be distinguished, whose
+stern and bow cut the sea evenly; this vessel, without sails, was
+impelled forward by the strength of the waves. On each seat was clearly
+seen a man vigorously rowing. Whether or not the coast was as
+unapproachable at three leagues as at this place, it was evident that
+the canoe was directed toward these rocks.
+
+The object of those who were approaching seemed to be hard to
+understand. Presently the canoe was caught in the midst of the surf
+beating upon these reefs. Had it not been for the marvelous ability of
+its pilot, who avoided these masses of water following the frail bark
+and incessantly menacing it, she would very soon have been swallowed up.
+
+At two gunshots from the rocks, the canoe reversed and rested, and took
+advantage of an interval in the succession of waves, at a moment of
+calm, which occurred periodically after seven or eight waves had broken
+into foam.
+
+The two men, who by their clothing were easily seen to be European
+sailors, pressing their caps more securely on their heads, sprang
+overboard and boldly struck out for the shore while their companions
+turned at the edge of this calm, regained the open, and disappeared
+after having braved anew the fury of the mountainous waves with
+wonderful skill.
+
+During this time the two intrepid swimmers, by turn submerged or cast up
+from the midst of the enormous waves which they adroitly traversed,
+arrived at the foot of the rocks in the center of a sea of foam. They
+appeared to be rushing upon certain death, and it looked as if they
+would be dashed to pieces upon the reefs. Nothing of the sort occurred,
+however. These two men seemed to perfectly understand the coast; they
+directed their course toward a place where the violence of the waves had
+hollowed out a natural grotto.
+
+The waves, engulphing themselves under this roof with a horrible din
+fell back from it in a cataract into a smaller basin, hollow and deep.
+After some heavy undulations, the waves grew feebler; in the center of a
+gigantic cavern formed a little subterranean lake which, when full,
+returned to the sea by some hidden channel.
+
+It required great temerity to so abandon themselves to the impulse of
+these furious waves which precipitated them into the abyss; but this
+momentary submersion was more frightful than dangerous; the mouth of
+the cave was so large that there was no danger of being bruised by the
+rocks, and the cloud of foam threw them into the midst of a peaceful
+pond, surrounded by a fine, sandy beach.
+
+Sifting through the fall of water which bubbled at the entrance of this
+enormous roof, the light was feeble, soft, and bluish like that of the
+moon.
+
+The two swimmers, breathless, deafened and wounded by the shook of the
+waves, emerged from the little lake and stretched themselves on the
+sand, where they rested for some time.
+
+The larger of these two men, though he was dressed like a common sailor,
+was Colonel Rutler, a stanch partisan of the new King of England,
+William of Orange, under whose orders he had served when the son-in-law
+of the unfortunate James II. was only a stadtholder of Holland. Colonel
+Rutler was robust and tall; his face wore an expression of audacity,
+bordering on cruelty; his hair, lying in close, damp meshes, was of a
+deep red; his mustache of the same color hid a large mouth overshadowed
+by a hooked nose, resembling the beak of a bird of prey.
+
+Rutler, a faithful and resolute man, served his master with blind
+devotion. William of Orange had testified his confidence in him by
+intrusting to him a mission as difficult as it was dangerous, the nature
+of which we shall know later on. The sailor who accompanied the colonel
+was slight but vigorous, active and determined.
+
+The colonel said to him in English, after a moment's silence, "Are you
+sure, John, that there is a passage leading from here?"
+
+"The passage exists, colonel, be easy on that score."
+
+"But I do not perceive any----"
+
+"By and by, colonel, when your view shall have become accustomed to this
+half light, like that of the moon, you will lay yourself down flat on
+your stomach, and there, at the right, at the end of a long natural
+passage in which one cannot advance except by crawling, you will
+perceive the light of day which penetrates through a crevasse in the
+rock."
+
+"If the road is sure, it certainly is not easy."
+
+"So far from easy, colonel, that I defy the captain of the brigantine
+who brought you to the Barbadoes, with his great stomach, to enter the
+passage which remains for us to travel. It is as much as I could do
+heretofore to glide through; it is the size of the tunnel of a chimney."
+
+"And it leads?"
+
+"To the bottom of a precipice which forms a defense for Devil's Cliff;
+three sides of this precipice are a peak, and it is as impossible to
+descend as to ascend it; but as to the fourth side, it is not
+inaccessible, and with the help of the jutting rocks one can reach by
+this road the limits of the park of Blue Beard."
+
+"I understand--this subterranean passage will conduct us to the bottom
+of the abyss above which towers Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"Exactly, colonel; it is as if we were at the bottom of a moat, one of
+whose sides is perpendicular and the other sloping. When I say sloping,
+that is simply a figure of speech, for in order to reach the summit of
+the peak, one must more than once hang suspended by some vine between
+heaven and earth. But when there, we find ourselves at the edge of the
+park of Devil's Cliff--once there, we can hide ourselves in some place
+and wait our opportunity----"
+
+"And this opportunity is not far distant; come, come, you, who know so
+much, must, at one time, have been in the service of Blue Beard!"
+
+"I told you, colonel, I came from the coast with her and her first
+husband; at the end of three months, they sent me back; then I left for
+San Domingo. I have heard no further word of them."
+
+"And she--would you know her well?"
+
+"Yes, as to her height and general air, but not her face; for we reached
+the coast at night, and once on shore she was carried in a litter to
+Devil's Cliff. When by chance she walked in the daytime, she wore a
+mask. Some say she is as beautiful as an angel; others, that she is ugly
+as a monster. I cannot say which are in the right, for neither I nor my
+mates ever put foot in the interior of the mansion. Those who perform
+the special attendance and service are mulattresses as mute as fish."
+
+"And he?"
+
+"He is handsome, tall and slender, about thirty-six years old, brown,
+with black hair and mustache, and has an aquiline nose."
+
+"It is certainly he," said the colonel, when John had thus described
+him. "It is thus that he was always described; and it is not positively
+known that he is dead?"
+
+"It is said he died on the voyage, but no one has ever really known."
+
+"And no one doubts that he died?"
+
+"Faith! no, colonel, because Blue Beard has been married twice since
+then."
+
+"And have you seen these two husbands?"
+
+"No, colonel, for when I arrived from San Domingo, only eight days
+since, you engaged me for this expedition, knowing that I could serve
+you. You have promised me fifty guineas if I will introduce you into
+this island, in spite of the French cruisers, which, since the war, do
+not allow any vessels to approach the coast, which is accessible, be it
+understood. Our canoe, however, was not interfered with, for, thanks to
+the sharp rocks of Cabesterre, no one could conceive that we could land
+on this coast of the island, and they have not watched that."
+
+"And then, beside, no one would suspect our presence on the island,
+though, according to what you tell me, Blue Beard has a kind of police
+who keep her informed of the arrival of all strangers."
+
+"At least, colonel, they say that the men who are so employed, at St.
+Pierre and Fort Royal, were on the watch and that a stranger who landed
+at Martinique did not escape their vigilance."
+
+"All that is for the best; you shall have your fifty guineas. But, once
+more, you are very sure about this subterranean passage?"
+
+"Be easy as to that, colonel; I have passed through it, I tell you, with
+a negro who was a pearl-fisher, and he it was who first took me through
+it."
+
+"But you were obliged to climb the precipice in order to reach the park
+of Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"Doubtless, colonel; since it was from curiosity to see this park, in
+which no one was permitted to enter, that I accepted the pearl-fisher's
+offer; being of the household, I knew Blue Beard and her husband were
+absent; I was then sure that I could pass through the garden after
+climbing the precipice; that was what we did, not without the risk of
+breaking our necks, however, a thousand times, but what would you have?
+I was dying with curiosity to see the interior of this place, which had
+been forbidden. It was a perfect paradise. What was most amusing was the
+surprise of the mulattress who guarded the entrance; when she saw us,
+myself and the negro, she could not conceive how we had been able to
+enter. We told her we had escaped her notice. She believed us; she put
+us out as quickly as possible, and she committed suicide rather than be
+punished by her employers."
+
+After a few minutes' silence the colonel said abruptly, "This is not
+all; now there is no retreat, I must tell you everything."
+
+"What then, colonel?"
+
+"Once introduced into Devil's Cliff, we have a man to surprise and
+overcome; whatever he does to defend himself, a hair of his head must
+not be harmed, at least, unless he absolutely forces us to protect our
+lives; then," continued the colonel, with a sinister smile, "then two
+hundred guineas for you, whether we succeed or not."
+
+"A thousand devils! you have waited rather long to say this to me,
+colonel. But, as the wine is drawn, it must be quaffed."
+
+"Come, I did not deceive myself, you are a brave man."
+
+"Ah, as to that, is the man whom you seek also strong and brave?"
+
+"Well," said Rutler, after some minutes of reflection, "consider a
+little the first husband of the widow--a man tall and slender."
+
+"The devil! he was slender, 'tis true; a rod of steel is, also, slender,
+but that does not prevent its being furiously strong. See here, colonel,
+that man was made of iron. He was so strong that I have seen him take an
+insolent negro by the middle and throw him ten feet from him, as if he
+were an infant, though the black was larger and more robust than you.
+So, colonel, if the man you seek resembles that one, we would be unwise
+to bait him--as you say----"
+
+"Less than you believe. I will explain to you----"
+
+"And then," continued John, "if by chance the filibuster, the buccanneer
+or the cannibal who they say frequently visit the widow, should also be
+there, it would become somewhat embarrassing."
+
+"Hear me; after what you have told me is there at the end of the park a
+tree where one could hide?"
+
+"Yes, colonel."
+
+"With the exception of the buccaneer, the filibuster or the cannibal no
+one enters the private habitation of Blue Beard?"
+
+"No one colonel except the mulattresses who wait upon her."
+
+"And except also the man whom I seek, be it remembered; I have my
+reasons for believing we shall find him there."
+
+"Well, colonel?"
+
+"Then nothing is simpler; we will hide ourselves in the thickest tree
+until our man comes to our side."
+
+"That cannot fail to occur colonel because the park is not large and
+when one walks in it he is forced to pass near a marble basin not very
+far from the place where we shall be hidden."
+
+"If our man does not take a walk after night comes, we will wait until
+he has gone to bed, and we will surprise him there."
+
+"This will be easy, colonel, unless he calls one of Blue Beard's
+comforters to his succor."
+
+"Be easy about that; for with your assistance I can place my hand on him
+and then though he were surrounded by a hundred men armed to the teeth
+he is mine; I have a sure means of obliging him to obey me; this
+concerns me. All that I require of you is to conduct me into the ambush
+from which I can spring upon him suddenly."
+
+"This shall be done, colonel."
+
+"Then let us be going," said Rutler, rising from the ground.
+
+"At your orders, colonel; but instead of walking, we must creep. But let
+us see," continued John, bending down, "if we can perceive the daylight.
+Yes, it is there--but how distant it seems. Speaking of that, colonel,
+if, since I came by this road, it should have been stopped up by a
+landslide, we should cut, in such a case, a sorry figure! condemned to
+remain here, and to die of hunger or to eat each other! Impossible to
+get out by the gulf, seeing that one cannot remount a sheet of water as
+a trout ascends a cascade."
+
+"That is true," said Rutler, "you appal me; happily, there is no
+likelihood of this. You have the sack?"
+
+"Yes, colonel; the straps are strong and the skin impervious. We shall
+find our knives, our pistols and our cartridges in it as dry as though
+they came from an armory."
+
+"Then, John, let us be starting; go ahead," said the colonel. "We must
+have time to dry our clothes."
+
+"That will not take long, colonel; once at the foot of the precipice we
+shall be as in an oven; the sun shines full upon it."
+
+John lay down on his face and commenced to glide into the passage, so
+small that he could scarcely enter. The darkness was profound; in the
+distance only, one could distinguish a faint light. The colonel
+followed, dragging himself over a damp and dirty soil.
+
+For some time the two Englishmen advanced in this manner, crawling on
+their knees, on their hands, and on their stomachs, in total darkness.
+All at once John paused suddenly and cried in a frightened voice,
+"Colonel!"
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"Do you not notice a strong odor?"
+
+"Yes, a fetid odor."
+
+"Do not move; it is the serpent--'Fer de lance'--we are lost."
+
+"A serpent!" exclaimed the colonel, with horror.
+
+"We are dead. I dare not advance; the odor is growing stronger and
+stronger," murmured John.
+
+"Be quiet--listen."
+
+In mortal terror the two men held their breath. All at once at some
+little distance they heard a continuous, rapid sound, as if something
+was beating the earth with a flail. The nauseating and penetrating odor
+which exhales from these large serpents became stronger and stronger.
+"The serpent is furious; it is his tail which is beating the earth
+thus," said John in a feeble voice. "Colonel, let us commend our souls
+to God!"
+
+"Let us cry out and terrify the serpent," said Rutler.
+
+"No, no, it would but precipitate itself at once upon us," replied John.
+
+The two men remained for some moments a prey to the most horrible
+suspense. They could neither retreat nor change their position. Their
+chests rested upon the earth; their backs touched the rocks. They dared
+not make a movement of recoil for fear of drawing the reptile in pursuit
+of them. The air, more and more impregnated by the infectious odor of
+the serpent, became suffocating.
+
+"Can you not find a stone at hand in order to throw at it," said the
+colonel in a low tone.
+
+Hardly had he said these words when John uttered the most piercing cries
+and struggled violently, exclaiming, "Help! help! I die!"
+
+Paralyzed with terror, Rutler strove to turn about, but he struck
+himself violently on the head against the side of the passage. Then,
+retreating as rapidly as he could with the assistance of his knees and
+hands, he sought flight by backing out, while John, in extremity with
+the serpent, made the most terrible and pitiful cries of terror and
+suffering. All at once these cries became fainter and inarticulate, as
+if the sailor was strangling. In fact, the enraged serpent, after
+having, in the obscurity, stung John in the hand, the throat and face,
+attempted to introduce its flat and lance-like head into the open mouth
+of the unfortunate man, and stung his lips and tongue; but this last
+assault finished the sailor.
+
+The serpent, having satisfied his rage, withdrew his horrible fangs and
+took to flight. The colonel felt a damp, icy body touch his cheek; he
+remained motionless. The serpent glided rapidly along the side of the
+subterranean passage and escaped.
+
+The danger past, the colonel remained some moments petrified with
+terror; he heard the last struggle of John; his agony was short. Rutler
+heard him make several convulsive shudders and that was all. His
+companion was dead. Then Rutler advanced and seized the sailor's leg.
+The leg was already cold and stiff; for the venom of the serpent works
+rapidly.
+
+A new cause for fear assailed the colonel. The serpent, not finding an
+egress in the cavern, might return the same way it had gone. Rutler
+seemed already to hear a slight noise behind him. He could not proceed
+in advance, because the body of the sailor completely blocked the
+passage; flight by the rear was only to expose himself to an encounter
+with the serpent. In his terror the colonel seized the corpse by the two
+legs, to the end that he might drag it to the entrance of the
+subterranean passage and thus clear the only outlet to the cavern. His
+efforts were in vain. Whether his strength was paralyzed, he being in
+such a cramped position, or whether the poison had already distended the
+body, Rutler could not extricate it.
+
+Not wishing to think that this only and last chance for salvation was
+taken from him, he found a means of detaching his belt and of fastening
+it to the feet of the dead man; he took it between his teeth, and,
+aiding himself by his two hands, pulled with all the energy of despair.
+He could scarcely cause even the slightest movement of the corpse. His
+terror increased; he sought his knife, in the mad idea of cutting up the
+body of the sailor. He saw soon the uselessness of this attempt.
+
+The pistols and ammunition of the colonel were in the sack of skin swung
+over the shoulders of the dead man. He set himself to work to remove the
+sack from his companion; he did so after great difficulty. He then set
+himself anew to retreat to the entrance of the passage.
+
+Once again in the cavern he felt faint, but the air revived him; he
+plunged his head into the cold water and seated himself on the sand. He
+had almost forgotten the serpent. A long hiss caused him to raise his
+head; he saw the reptile balancing itself a few paces above him, half
+coiled up on the rooks which formed the roof of the cavern.
+
+The colonel recovered his coolness at the sight of this danger;
+remaining almost immovable, and using his hands only, he unfastened his
+pouch and drew from it a pistol and cocked it. Happily the charge and
+priming were intact.
+
+At the moment that the serpent, irritated by the movement of Rutler,
+precipitated itself upon him, the latter aimed and fired. The serpent
+fell at his feet with his head crushed. It was of a blue-black, spotted
+with yellow, and some eight or nine feet in length.
+
+Delivered from this enemy, and encouraged by his success the colonel
+made a final effort to clear out the only path by which he could pass.
+He glided anew into the passage, but, in spite of his strength, his
+efforts were in vain--he could not move the corpse of the sailor.
+
+Returning to the cave, he examined it in every direction but could find
+no outlet. He could not hope for help outside; his shouts could not be
+heard. At this terrible thought his eyes fell upon the serpent. Here was
+a momentary resource; he knew that sometimes the famished negroes ate
+this flesh, which, though repulsive, was not poisonous.
+
+Night came, and he found himself in profound darkness. The waves
+murmured and broke at the entrance of the cave; the waterspout
+precipitated itself with a crash into the lower basin.
+
+A new fear took possession of Rutler. He knew that the serpents went in
+pairs and often rejoined each other at night; drawn by the tracks, the
+male or female of the reptile which he had killed would come in search
+of its mate.
+
+The colonel's vigil became frightful. The slightest sound made him
+tremble, in spite of his courageous nature; he asked himself whether, in
+case he came through this horrible situation by a miracle, he should
+continue the enterprise he had commenced. At first he believed that he
+saw, in this adventure, a warning from heaven; then he accused himself
+of cowardice, and attributed his mad fears to the feeble condition in
+which he found himself.
+
+Leaving the colonel in this difficult strait, we will transport our
+reader to Devil's Cliff.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+DEVIL'S CLIFF.
+
+
+The moon, brilliant and pure, shed a light almost as strong as the
+European sun, and enabled one to distinguish perfectly the top of a very
+high rock, and surrounded by woods on all sides of a dwelling built of
+brick, and of peculiar architecture.
+
+One could reach it only by a narrow path, forming a spiral around this
+species of cone. The path was bounded on one side by a mass of
+perpendicular granite; on the other by a precipice of which in the broad
+daylight one could not discover the bottom.
+
+This dangerous road terminated in a platform crossed by a brick wall, of
+great thickness and edged with spikes.
+
+Back of this species of glacis arose the walls surrounding the dwelling,
+into which one entered by a very low oak door. This door communicated
+with a large, square court, occupied by the outbuildings and other
+buildings. This court passed, one discovered a vaulted passageway
+leading to the sanctuary; that is to say, to the pavilion occupied by
+Blue Beard. None of the blacks or mulattoes who formed the large force
+of servants of the house had ever passed the limits of this passageway.
+The serving of Blue Beard was done through the intermediary of a number
+of mulattresses, who alone communicated with their mistress.
+
+The house was built on a slope opposite the one by which access was had
+from the cliff. This slope, much less steep, and laid out in a number of
+natural terraces, was composed of five or six immense steps which, on
+all sides, commanded the precipice.
+
+By a phenomenon frequent in these volcanic islands, a pond of about two
+acres' circumference covered almost all the length of one of the upper
+terraces. Its waters were limpid and pure. Blue Beard's residence was
+separated from this small lake by a narrow path of smooth sand, shining
+like silver. This house was of one story. At the first glance it seems
+to be constructed entirely of trees from which the bark had been
+removed. Its bamboo roof was steeply inclined and overlapped by some
+five or six feet the outer wall, which rested upon the trunks of palm
+trees driven into the ground, and formed a kind of gallery around the
+house.
+
+A little above the level of the lake, in gentle declivity, was a lawn of
+turf as fresh and green as that of the most beautiful English fields;
+this was a rare thing at the Antilles, and was due to underground
+irrigation which flowed from the lake and gave to this park a delightful
+freshness. From this lawn, ornamented by baskets of tropical flowers,
+opened a garden composed of large variegated shrubs, the slope of the
+ground being such that one did not see their trunks, but only their
+enameled tops of the freshest color; then, beyond these trees, on a
+terrace lower still, was a large orange and citron grove covered with
+fruit and flowers. In the daytime, seen thus from above, one would have
+said it was a carpet of perfumed snow strewn with golden balls. At the
+extreme horizon the slender stems of the banana and cocoanut trees,
+formed a splendid retreat and overlooked the precipice at the bottom of
+which was the subterranean passage of which we have spoken, and in which
+Colonel Rutler was then imprisoned.
+
+Meantime, let us enter one of the most remote portions of this mansion.
+There we will find a young woman of from twenty to twenty-three years;
+but her features are so infantile, her figure is so tiny, her freshness
+so youthful, she would easily pass for sixteen. Robed in a muslin gown
+with flowing sleeves, she is reclining on a sofa covered with Indian
+silk, brown in color, embroidered with golden flowers; she leans her
+white forehead on one hand, half-hidden by a wilderness of loose curls
+of reddish blond tint, for the young woman's hair is dressed _a la
+Titus_, a profusion of silky curls falls on her neck, her snowy
+shoulders, and frames her charming little face, rounded, firm and rosy
+as that of a child.
+
+A large book, bound in red morocco, lies at the side of the divan on
+which she is stretched, and is open before her. The young woman reads
+attentively, by the light of three perfumed candles, which rest in a
+little silver gilt candelabra, enriched by exquisite chasing.
+
+The eyelashes of the pretty reader are so long that they threw a slight
+shadow on her cheeks, where are to be seen two charming dimples. Her
+nose is of a rare delicacy; her mouth curved and crimson, and her
+beautiful blue eyes large and expressive; her whole face presents a
+ravishing expression of innocence and candor. From the edge of her
+muslin gown appear two feet like Cinderella's, shod in white silk hose
+and Moorish slippers of cherry satin embroidered with silver, which one
+could hold in the palm of one's hand. The attitude of this young woman
+leaves to the imagination an exquisite whole, in spite of her slight
+figure. Thanks to the width of her sleeve, which has fallen back, one
+can admire the ravishing outline of a rounded arm, polished like ivory,
+and having at the elbow a charming dimple. Her hand which turns the
+leaves of her book is worthy of such an arm; the nails, very long and of
+the transparency of agate. The tips of the fingers shade to a deep rose
+color, such as is imparted by the henna of the Orientals.
+
+The figure of this charming creature recalls the ideal Psyche, the
+lovely realization of a beauty so fleeting that it passes with the first
+flower of youth. Certain organizations retains their first youth a long
+time, and as we have said, in spite of her twenty-three years, Blue
+Beard is of the number of these privileged persons.
+
+For this is Blue Beard. We will no longer hide the name of the inmate of
+Devil's Cliff from our readers, but will say she is called Angela.
+Unfortunately, this celestial name, this candid face, contrasts
+singularly with the diabolical reputation which this widow of three
+husbands possesses; and who it is said has as many consolers as she has
+had husbands. The course of this story will enable us to condemn or
+vindicate Blue Beard.
+
+At a slight sound which she hears in the adjoining room, Angela lifts
+her head suddenly, like a gazelle on the alert, and seats herself on the
+edge of the sofa, throwing back her locks by a graceful movement.
+
+At the moment she rises, exclaiming, "It it he!" a man raises the
+_portiere_ of the room. Not sooner does the iron fly to the magnet than
+does Angela to the newcomer. She throws herself into his arms, and
+twining them about him in a kind of tender fury, covered him with
+caresses and passionate kisses, and joyfully cries, "My tender
+friend--my dear James!"
+
+This first ebullition over, the newcomer takes Angela into his arms as
+if she were a child, and carries his precious burden over to the sofa.
+Then Angela, seated on his knee, takes one of his hands in hers, passes
+her beautiful arm about his neck, draws his head to her, and looked at
+him with eager delight.
+
+Alas! were the scandal-mongers right in suspecting Blue Beard's
+morality?
+
+The man whom she receives with such familiar ardor is of the copper
+color of a mulatto; he is tall and supple, active and robust; his noble
+and fine features show nothing of the negro type; a profusion of jet
+black curls frame his forehead; his eyes are large and of velvety
+blackness; under his thin lips, red and moist, shine the most
+beautifully enameled teeth. This beauty, at once charming and manly,
+this appearance of strength and elegance, resembles the noble
+proportions of an Indian Bacchus or of an Antinous.
+
+The mulatto's costume is such as certain filibusters then generally
+adopt when on shore. He wears a waistcoat of rich maroon velvet, with
+buttons of filigree gold; large Flemish boots of like material and
+ornamented with the same style of button, which extend the length of the
+thigh, being met by a belt of orange silk, in which is stuck a poignard
+richly chased; and, finally, long leggings of white kid embroidered in
+many colored silks after the Mexican style, show a leg of the finest
+outline.
+
+Nothing could be more striking or pretty than the contrast between James
+and Angela thus grouped. On the one hand, blond tresses, alabaster
+tints, rosy cheeks, infantile grace and elegance; on the other, the
+bronze tint, ebony locks, and manner at once assured and manly.
+
+Angela's white dress is outlined on the somber colors of James'
+vestments; and thus the fine and supple figure of Blue Beard is
+accentuated.
+
+Fixing her great blue eyes on the black eyes of the mulatto, the young
+woman amuses herself by turning back the embroidered collar of James'
+shirt, in order to admire the better his sunburned neck, which in color
+and shape rivals the most beautiful Florentine bronze.
+
+After prolonging this unconventional performance, Angela gives the
+mulatto a noisy kiss under his ear, takes his head between her two
+hands, mischievously rumples up his black locks, gives him a little blow
+on the cheek, and says, "That is how I love you, Monsieur Hurricane."
+
+A slight sound is heard behind the tapestry forming the _portiere_, and
+Angela calls, "Is it you, Mirette? what do you wish?"
+
+"Madame, I am coming with the flowers and will arrange them in the
+stand."
+
+"She hears us!" said Angela, making a mysterious signal to the mulatto;
+then she amuses herself laughing madly at and rumpling her lover's hair.
+He takes her little caprices with complaisance, and contemplates her
+with love. Then he says, smilingly,
+
+"Child! because you look only sixteen, you think everything is permitted
+you." Then he adds in a tone of gentle raillery, "and who would think,
+seeing this little rosy, ingenuous face that I hold on my knees the most
+notable scamp of the Antilles?"
+
+"And who would think that this man, who speaks in so sweet a voice, is
+the ferocious Captain Hurricane, the terror of England and Spain?" cried
+Angela, breaking into a laugh. The mulatto and the widow express
+themselves in the purest French, and without the slightest foreign
+accent.
+
+"What matters it," she cries, smilingly, "it is not _I_ whom they call
+Blue Beard."
+
+At these words which appear to call up sad memories, the little widow,
+with a coquettish pout, gave a hardly perceptible tap to the end of
+Captain Hurricane's nose, indicating by a movement of her hand that in
+the neighboring room one can hear him, and says with a mischievous air,
+"That will teach you to speak of trespassing."
+
+"Fie! the monster!" says the captain, breaking into a laugh; "and what
+of remorse, then, madame?"
+
+"Give me a kiss of remorse, then, and I shall----"
+
+"May Lucifer assist me! It takes a woman to be chief of criminals! Ah,
+my dear, you are well named; you make me tremble! Suppose we have
+supper."
+
+Angela touches a bell. The young mulattress who had overheard the above
+conversation enters. She wears a dress of white linen with bright
+stripes, and has silver rings on arms and ankles.
+
+"Mirette, have you arranged the flowers," said Blue Beard.
+
+"Yes, madame."
+
+"You have been listening?"
+
+"No, madame."
+
+"However, it does not matter; when I speak it is that I may be heard.
+Make ready the supper, Mirette."
+
+Then, addressing herself to the captain, "What wine do you prefer?"
+
+"Sherry, but let it be iced; this is a notion of mine."
+
+Mirette goes out for a moment, and shortly reappears and begins to
+prepare the table.
+
+"By the way, I forgot to tell you of a great event," says Blue Beard's
+companion.
+
+"What then? has one of my deceased husbands returned to life?"
+
+"Faith, almost."
+
+"Now? Ah, Master James, Master James, no more of your wicked
+pleasantries," cries Angela, with a frightened air.
+
+"No, it is not a dead man, a ghost, but a very living pretender who
+demands your hand in marriage."
+
+"He wishes to marry me?"
+
+"He wishes to marry you."
+
+"Oh, the unhappy wretch! is he then weary of life?" cried Angela,
+laughing.
+
+Mirette, at these words, makes the sign of the cross while
+superintending the spreading of the board by two other mulattresses who
+are carrying bottles of Bohemian glass, engraved with golden arabesques,
+and plates of the most magnificent Japanese porcelain.
+
+Blue Beard continues, "This lover of mine is not a countryman, then?"
+
+"By no means! for in spite of your wealth, my dear, I defy you to find a
+_fourth_ husband, thanks to your diabolical reputation."
+
+"Where does he come from, this would-be husband, my dear James?"
+
+"From France."
+
+"France! he comes from France to espouse me, the deuce!"
+
+"Angela, you know that I do not like to hear you swear," says the
+mulatto, with pretended seriousness.
+
+"Pardon, Captain Hurricane," replies the young woman, dropping her eyes
+with a hypocritical air. "I only meant to signify that I find your news
+very astonishing. It appears that my reputation has reached Europe."
+
+"Do not be so vain, my dear. It was on board the Unicorn that this
+worthy paladin heard you spoken of, and by the mere mention of your
+riches he has become enamored, yes, madly enamored of you. This, I
+trust, will take down your pride."
+
+"The impertinent fellow! and who is this man, James?"
+
+"The Chevalier de Croustillac."
+
+"Who?"
+
+"The Chevalier de Croustillac."
+
+"This is the name of the pretender to my hand?" And Angela breaks into a
+merry peal of laughter which nothing can arrest, and the mulatto finally
+joins in her merriment.
+
+The two have scarcely subsided when Mirette enters preceded by two other
+mulattresses who carry a table sumptuously set out in gilded dishes. The
+two slaves place the table near the divan; the captain arises to take a
+chair, while Angela, kneeling on the edge of the sofa, uncovers the
+dishes one after another, and examines the table with the air of an
+epicurean kitten.
+
+"Are you hungry, James? As for me, I am famished," says Angela. And as
+if to prove without doubt this assertion, she opens her coral lips and
+shows two rows of ravishing little pearly teeth which she clinches
+twice.
+
+"Angela, my dear, you were certainly badly brought up," said the
+captain, helping her to a portion of dorado, served with ham and an
+appetizing sauce.
+
+"Captain Hurricane, if I receive you at my table, it is not that you may
+scold," said Angela, making an almost imperceptible grimace to the
+mulattress. Then she continues, attacking her fish bravely, and pecking
+at her bread like a bird, "If he scolds me, Mirette, I will not receive
+him again?"
+
+"No, mistress," said Mirette.
+
+"And I will give his place to Rend-your-soul, the buccaneer?"
+
+"Yes, mistress."
+
+"Or to Youmaeale, the cannibal?"
+
+"Yes, mistress."
+
+"You hear that, sir?" said Angela.
+
+"Never mind, my dear, I am not jealous, you know that; beauty is as the
+sun, it shines for all the world."
+
+"Because you are not jealous, then, I will pardon you. Help yourself to
+what is before you. What is that, Mirette?"
+
+"Madame, the roe of fish fried in pigeon's fat."
+
+"Which is not equal to the fat of quail," says the captain, "but it must
+have the juice of a lemon while it is warm."
+
+"See what a glutton! Ah! but my future spouse, I had forgotten him. Pour
+me some wine, Mirette."
+
+The filibuster, corsair as he is, forestalls the mulattress and pours
+out some iced sherry for Angela.
+
+"It must be that I love you, to drink this, I who prefer the wines of
+France." And Blue Beard drinks resolutely three drops of the sherry,
+which puts fresh life into her lips and blue eyes and tinged her cheeks
+a carmine hue.
+
+"But to return to my future spouse. How is he? Is he agreeable? Is he
+worthy to join the others?"
+
+Mirette, in spite of her passive submission, cannot prevent a tremor in
+hearing her mistress speak thus, although the poor slave must be
+accustomed to these atrocious pleasantries, and doubtless many greater
+enormities.
+
+"What ails you, Mirette?"
+
+"Nothing, mistress."
+
+"If you are unwell----"
+
+"No, mistress."
+
+"You would be sorry to see me marry again? I shall not do so for a long
+time. Go, child." Then, addressing Captain Hurricane, "And the Chevalier
+de--de--what did you say was his name?"
+
+"Chevalier de Croustillac."
+
+"Have you seen him?"
+
+"No; but knowing his plans and that he intends, at all hazards, and in
+spite of the efforts of the good Father Griffen, to come here, I begged
+Youmaeale, the cannibal," says the captain, looking at Angela in a
+singular way, "to address a little warning in order to induce him to
+renounce his projects."
+
+"And you did this without letting me know, sir? What if I do not wish to
+rebuff him, this pretender; for, after all, this Croustillac is a
+Gascon, and I never married a Gascon."
+
+"Oh, he is the most famous Gascon that has ever gasconaded on the earth;
+with that, a figure indescribable and assurance unbounded; and as to the
+rest, sufficient courage."
+
+"And Youmaeale's warning?"
+
+"Has accomplished nothing. It glided off the undaunted soul of this man
+as a ball from the scales of a crocodile; he started out this morning
+bravely, at break of day, to traverse the forest, with his pink silk
+hose, his rapier at his side, and a staff to frighten the serpents. He
+is still there, without doubt, at this hour, for the road to Devil's
+Cliff is not known to all the world."
+
+"James, I have an idea!" cries the widow joyfully; "let him come here
+and amuse us; that we may torment him. So, he is in love with my riches
+and not myself! So, he would espouse me, this fine knight errant. We
+will see as to that! Well? You do not laugh at my idea, James. What ails
+you? But moreover, you know, sir, that I will not be thwarted; I will
+make a feast for this Gascon. If he is not devoured by the wildcats or
+killed by the serpents I will have him here to-morrow. You go to sea
+to-morrow; tell the cannibal and Rend-your-soul to bring him to me."
+
+The captain, instead of joining in the gayety of Blue Beard, according
+to his custom, is serious, pensive, and seems to reflect deeply.
+
+"James! James! do you not hear me?" cries Angela, impatiently, tapping
+her foot. "I want this Gascon. I want him."
+
+The mulatto makes no reply; he draws with the forefinger of his right
+hand a circle about his throat, and looks significantly at the young
+woman. She understands this mysterious sign; her face all at once
+expresses both sorrow and distress; she rises suddenly, runs to the
+mulatto, falls on her knees before him and cries in a touching voice,
+"You are right. My God! you are right! I am insane to entertain such a
+thought. I understand you."
+
+"Rise, Angela, calm yourself," says the mulatto. "I do not know if this
+man is to be feared, but he is a stranger, he may come from England or
+France, and----"
+
+"I tell you I was mad! that I was jesting, my dear James! I forgot that
+which I never ought to forget--it is frightful."
+
+The beautiful eyes of the young woman fill with tears; she bends her
+head, and takes the hand of the mulatto, over which she weeps silently
+for some minutes.
+
+Hurricane kisses tenderly the forehead and tresses of Angela, and says
+gently, "I never wish to recall these cruel memories. I should have said
+nothing to you, assured myself that there is no danger in bringing this
+imbecile to you as a plaything, and then----"
+
+"James, my friend," cries Angela sadly, interrupting the mulatto, "my
+love, what do you think then? for a childish caprice that I would expose
+you, you whom I love most dearly in the world?"
+
+"There! there! be calm," replies the mulatto, lifting her up and seating
+her near him; "do not be frightened; Father Griffen has informed himself
+as to the Gascon, he is only ridiculous. In order to be more certain, I
+will go to-morrow and speak with him at Macouba, and then I will tell
+Rend-your-soul, who is fortunately hunting on the coast, to discover
+this poor devil in the forest, where he has, no doubt, lost himself. If
+he is dangerous," says the mulatto, making a sign to Angela (for the
+slaves were still present awaiting the conclusion of supper), "the
+buccaneer will relieve us of him and cure him of the desire to know you;
+if not, as you never have any amusement here, he shall bring him to
+you."
+
+"No, no, I do not wish it," says Angela. "All the thoughts which come to
+me, now are of mortal sadness--my disquietude returns."
+
+Angela, seeing that the mulatto would not eat any more, arose; the
+filibuster imitated her, and says, "Reassure yourself, my Angela, there
+is nothing to fear. Come into the garden, the night is fine, the moon
+magnificent. Tell Mirette to bring my lute; in order to make you forget
+these painful thoughts I will sing you the Scotch ballads you love so."
+
+So saying, the mulatto passes one arm around the figure of Angela, and
+clasping her thus, he descends the few steps leading to the garden. On
+leaving the apartment Blue Beard says to her slave, "Mirette, bring the
+lute into the garden, light the alabaster lamp in my bed-chamber. You
+can go, I shall not need you again to-night. Do not forget to say to
+Cora and to the other mulattresses that to-morrow begins their service."
+Then she disappears, leaning on the arm of the mulatto. This last order
+of Angela was occasioned by a habit she has had, since her last
+widowhood, of alternating every three days the service of her women.
+
+Mirette carries a very beautiful ebony lute incrusted with gold and
+mother of pearl, into the garden. After an interval of some moments, the
+filibuster's voice is heard singing with infinite grace and pathos the
+Scotch ballads which the chief of royalist clans always sang in
+preference during the protectorate of Cromwell. The voice of the mulatto
+is at once sweet, vibrant and melancholy.
+
+Mirette and the two slaves listen with delight during some moments. At
+the last lines, the voice of the filibuster becomes moved, tears seem to
+mingle in it--then the songs cease.
+
+Mirette enters Blue Beard's chamber in order to light the alabaster
+lamp, which throws a soft and veiled light on the surrounding objects.
+This room is splendidly furnished in Indian stuff with white ground
+embroidered with flowers; a mosquito net of muslin, fine as a spider's
+web, envelopes an immense bed of gilded wood with a headboard of
+plate-glass, which appears thus in a slight mist.
+
+After executing the orders of her mistress, Mirette withdraws
+discreetly, and says to the two slaves with a malicious smile, "Mirette
+lights the lamp for the captain, Cora for the buccanneer, and Noun for
+the Caribbean."
+
+The two slaves nod their heads with an intelligent air, and the three go
+out, after carefully closing and locking the door which leads to the
+outbuilding of this special domain of Blue Beard.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+NIGHT.
+
+
+We had left the chevalier when he had penetrated into the forest, which
+was alive with the cries of all the animals which peopled it. For a
+moment stunned by the tumult, the Gascon bravely pursued his course,
+turning his steps ever toward the north, at least toward what he
+believed to be so, thanks to his astronomical knowledge. As the priest
+had foretold, he could not find any path through the forest; decayed
+vegetation, tall shrubs, vines, trunks of trees, an inextricable
+undergrowth, covered the ground; the trees were so thick that the air,
+light and sun, penetrated with difficulty through this veil of foliage,
+among which exhaled a warm moisture almost suffocating produced by the
+fermentation of vegetable matter which to a great extent thickly covered
+the earth.
+
+The heavy perfume of tropical flowers so saturated this suffocating
+atmosphere that the chevalier experienced a kind of intoxication, of
+faintness. He walked with a slower step, he felt his head become heavy,
+exterior objects became indifferent to him. He no longer admired the
+leafy colonades stretching out as far as the eye could see, into the
+shadows of the forest. He cast a careless glance at the sparkling and
+varied plumage of the parrots, birds of paradise and other birds
+joyfully crying out and pursuing the golden-winged insects or snapping
+in their beaks the aromatic woods of the Indies. The gambols of the
+monkeys, balancing themselves on the garlands of passion vines, or
+springing from tree to tree, did not even bring a smile to his lips.
+Completely absorbed, he had strength only to contemplate the end of his
+perilous journey. He thought only of Blue Beard and her treasures.
+
+After some hours' walk, he began to observe that his silk stockings were
+inconvenient for traversing a forest. A large branch of thorny wood had
+made a great hole in his coat; his breeches were not irreproachable by
+any means; and more than once, feeling his long sword embarrass him by
+catching in some plants which obstructed his path, he involuntarily
+turned to chastise the importunate object which took the liberty of
+interfering with his progress.
+
+Either by chance, or thanks to the frequent use of his staff, with which
+he beat the bushes continually, the chevalier had the good fortune not
+to encounter any serpents. Toward noon, worried and fatigued, he paused
+in order to pick some bananas, and climbed a tree in order to breakfast
+at his ease. To his joy and surprise he found that the leaves of this
+tree, rolled into cornucopias, held clear water, fresh and delicious to
+the taste; the chevalier drank several of those, put his remaining
+bananas into his pocket, and continued his journey.
+
+According to his calculation, he must have traveled nearly four leagues,
+and could not be very far from Devil's Cliff. Unhappily the chevalier's
+calculation was not exact, at least, as to the direction in which he
+believed himself to have gone; for he had estimated the distance
+traversed correctly enough, but he was, at midday, a little further from
+Devil's Cliff than he had been when he entered the forest. In order not
+to lose sight of the sun (which he could with difficulty discern through
+the treetops), he had necessarily been obliged to lift his eyes
+frequently to the heavens. Now, the road was almost impenetrable, and he
+was also obliged to be on the watch for serpents; thus, divided between
+the sky and the earth, the attention of the chevalier went somewhat
+astray. However, as it was impossible to believe that he could a second
+time be deceived in his calculations, he took fresh courage, certain of
+reaching the end of his journey.
+
+About three o'clock in the afternoon he commenced to suspect that
+Devil's Cliff receded in proportion to his approach. Croustillac became
+harassed; but the fear of passing the night in the forest spurred him
+on; by means of walking forward steadily he finally reached a kind of
+indentation between two large rocks. The chevalier drew his breath,
+expanding his lungs.
+
+"Faith!" cried he, removing his hat and fanning himself with it, "I am
+then at Devil's Cliff. I seem to recognize it, though I have never seen
+it. I cannot, however, lose myself. I have love for a compass; one can
+follow this in the antipodes without deviating a hair's breadth. It is
+very simple; my heart turns toward wealth and beauty, as the needle to
+the pole! for if Blue Beard is rich, she must be beautiful; and,
+further, a woman who can rid herself so quickly of three husbands must
+love change. I shall prove a new fruit to her--and what a fruit! After
+all, the three men who are dead got what they deserved, because they
+were in my path. What assures me of the physique of Blue Beard is that
+only a very pretty woman could permit herself such irregularities, such
+methods--a little offhand to be sure--of breaking the conjugal chain.
+Zounds! I shall see her, please her, seduce her. Poor woman! She does
+not dream that her conqueror is at hand! If--if--I wager that her little
+heart beats strongly this very moment. She feels my approach, she
+divines it, her presentiment does not deceive her. She will be
+overcome--happiness will arrive on the wings of love!"
+
+Thus saying, the chevalier threw a glance on his toilet. It did not
+escape his notice that it was slightly disordered; his stockings,
+originally purple, then pale pink, had become striped, zebra-fashion,
+with a number of green rays, since his journey in the forest; his coat
+was ornamented with various holes fancifully arranged, but the Gascon
+made this reflection aloud, if not very modest, at least very consoling:
+"Faith! Venus arose from the sea without any covering; Truth had no more
+on when she emerged from the well; and if beauty and truth appeared
+without a veil, I see not why--love--Beside, Blue Beard must be a woman
+who will understand me!"
+
+Completely reassured, the chevalier hastened his steps, climbed the face
+of the rocks, and found himself in an inclosure of the forest, even more
+somber and impenetrable than that which he had quitted. Others would
+have lost courage. Croustillac said to himself, on the contrary "Zounds!
+this is very clever. Hiding her habitation in the most dense forest is a
+woman's idea. I am sure the more I push on into these thickets the
+nearer I approach the house. I consider I have already arrived. Blue
+Beard, Blue Beard, finally I behold thee."
+
+The chevalier cherished this precious illusion while the daylight
+lasted, which was not long; there is little twilight in the tropics.
+Soon the chevalier saw, with astonishment, the summits of the trees
+little by little obscure themselves, and assume a fantastic appearance
+in the great mass of the forest. For some moments there remained a
+half-shade, here and there lighted by the bright reflection of the sun,
+which seemed as red as the fire of a furnace, for he was "making his
+couch in the wind," as they say in the Antilles.
+
+For a moment the vegetation, so brilliantly green, took on a purple
+tint; the chevalier believed that nature was painted a living red, what
+was perceived being a mingling with the tints of the heavens. "Zounds!"
+exclaimed the chevalier, "I did not deceive myself; I am near this
+infernal place, this illumination proves it. Lucifer is without doubt
+making a visit to Blue Beard, who, in order to receive him, is lighting
+the furnaces of her kitchen."
+
+Little by little these warm tints disappeared, they became pale red,
+then violet, and were swallowed up in the amethyst of the evening skies.
+As soon as the shadows wrapped the forest in their arms, the plaintive
+cries of the jackals, the sinister hooting of the owls, proclaimed the
+return of night. The sea breeze, which always rises after the setting of
+the sun, passed like a great sigh over the tops of the trees; the leaves
+shivered. The thousand nameless, vague and distant cries which one hears
+only at night, began to resound from all quarters.
+
+"Of a truth," said the chevalier, "this is a pretty figure to cut! To
+think I am not a hundred steps, perhaps, from Devil's Cliff, and that I
+am compelled to sleep under the stars!"
+
+Croustillac, fearing the serpents, directed himself toward an enormous
+mahogany tree which he had observed; by the aid of the vines which
+enveloped this tree on all sides, he succeeded in reaching a kind of
+fork, formed by two large branches; here he installed himself,
+comfortably, placed his sword between his knees, and commenced a supper
+of the bananas, which fortunately, he had kept in his pockets. He did
+not experience any of the fears which would have assailed many men, even
+the bravest, placed in such a critical situation. Beside, in extreme
+cases the chevalier had all kinds of reasoning for his use; he said:
+"Fate is implacable against me, it chooses well--it cannot
+mistake--instead of addressing itself to some rascal; to some wretch,
+what does it do? It bethinks itself of the Chevalier de Croustillac
+thus: 'Here is my man--he is worthy of struggling with me.'"
+
+In the situation in which he found himself the chevalier saw another
+providential circumstance no less flattering to him. "My good fortune is
+assured," he said: "the treasures of Blue Beard are mine; this is the
+final trial to which the aforesaid Fate subjects me; it would be bad
+grace in me to revolt. A brave man does not complain. I could not merit
+the inestimable recompense which awaits me."
+
+By means of these reflections the chevalier combated sleep with success;
+he feared if he yielded to it he would fall from the tree; he ended by
+being enchanted by the obstacles which he had surmounted in his course
+to Blue Beard. She would know how to value his courage, he thought, and
+be alive to his devotion. In this excess of chivalrous feeling, the
+chevalier regretted even that he has not had a serious enemy to combat
+and not to have had to struggle alone against pitfalls, thorns and the
+trunks of trees. At this moment a strange cry drew the adventurer's
+attention; he listened, and said, "What is that? One would think that
+the cats were holding their Sabbath. I know, now, because of these cats,
+that the house cannot be far distant." But Croustillac deceived himself.
+These were not domestic cats but wildcats, and never were tigers
+fiercer; they continued to make an infernal uproar. In order to quiet
+them, the chevalier took his staff and struck on the tree. The wildcats,
+instead of flying, approached him with furious and redoubled cries. For
+a long time these woods had been infested by these animals, who were not
+inferior to jaguars in size, strength and ferocity; they attacked and
+devoured young kids, goats, and even young mules.
+
+In order to explain the hostile assault of these carnivorous beasts
+which surrounded the chevalier, who had been discovered by their
+powerful sense of scent, we must return to the cavern in which Colonel
+Rutler was immured. We know that the corpse of the sailor John, dead
+from the sting of the serpent, completely obstructed the subterranean
+passage by which Rutler could alone leave the cavern. The wildcats had
+descended the precipice, scented the corpse of John, approached it first
+timidly, then, emboldened, had devoured it. The colonel heard and knew
+not what to think of these ferocious cries. At daybreak, thanks to the
+gluttony of these animals, the obstacle which prevented Rutler from
+leaving the cavern had entirely disappeared. There remained in the
+subterranean passage only the bones of the sailor, and these the colonel
+could easily remove.
+
+After this horrible feast, the wildcats, fed but not appeased by this
+new repast to them, felt a taste for human flesh; they abandoned the
+foot of the precipice, regained the wood, scented the chevalier, and
+their carnivorous ferocity was increased.
+
+For some time fear withheld them, but, encouraged by the immobility of
+Croustillac, one of the boldest and most famished slowly climbed the
+tree, and the Gascon saw, all at once, near him two large, brilliant,
+green eyes, which shone out of the midst of the obscurity. At the same
+instant he felt a vigorous bite at the calf of his leg. He drew back his
+leg abruptly, but the wildcat held on and fastened its claws in his
+flesh, and gave a deep, furious growl which was the signal of attack.
+The assailants climbed up from all sides and the chevalier saw about him
+flaming eyes and felt himself bitten in many places at once.
+
+This attack was so unexpected, the assailants were of such a singular
+kind, that Croustillac, in spite of his courage, remained for a moment
+stupefied; but the bites of the wildcats and, above all, his deep
+indignation at having to combat with such ignoble enemies, aroused his
+fury. He seized the most venturesome by the skin of his back, and in
+spite of several blows from his claws, threw him heavily against the
+trunk of the tree and broke his back. The cat gave some frightful cries.
+The chevalier treated in like manner another of these creatures which
+had leaped upon his back, and had undertaken to devour his cheek.
+
+The band hesitated. Croustillac seized his sword, and using it as a
+poignard, pierced several others, and thus put an end to this attack in
+a novel manner, saying, "Zounds! to think Blue Beard does not know that
+the brave Croustillac has been nearly devoured by wildcats, even as if
+he were but a chicken hanging on a hook of a larder!"
+
+The remainder of the night passed peacefully, the chevalier sleeping but
+little. At daybreak he descended from his tree, and saw extended at his
+feet five of his adversaries of the night. He hastened to quit the scene
+of his exploits, at which he blushed, and, convinced that Devil's Cliff
+could not be far off, he resumed his journey.
+
+After having walked thus vainly, after his vigil, the gnawing of his
+stomach, occasioned by a famished feeling, warned him that it was in the
+neighborhood of noon. His delight may be imagined when the breeze bore
+to him the delicious odor of roasted meat, so fine, so penetrating, and
+so appetizing that the chevalier could not prevent himself from passing
+his tongue across his lips. He redoubled his speed, not doubting, this
+time, that he had arrived at the end of his troubles. However, he saw no
+sign of habitation, and knew not how to reconcile this apparent solitude
+with the exquisite odor which grew more and more tantalizing.
+
+Unobserved himself, and without being heard, and walking rapidly, he
+arrived at a kind of clearing, where he stopped a moment. The sight
+which greeted his eyes was worthy his notice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+A BUCCANEER.
+
+
+In the midst of a close thicket appeared a cleared space forming a long
+square; at one of its extremities was an ajoupa, a kind of hut made of
+branches attached to the trunk of a palm tree, covered with long
+polished leaves of balisier and of cachibou. Under this shelter, which
+guaranteed protection from the rays of the sun to whoever might retire
+therein, a man was stretched upon a bed of leaves; at his feet some
+twenty dogs lay sleeping. These dogs would have been white and orange if
+their original color had not disappeared, owing to the blood which
+covered them. Their heads and breasts were completely stained by reason
+of copious eating.
+
+The chevalier could but indistinctly see the face of the man, half
+hidden in his bed of fresh leaves. Not far from the hut was a covered
+fire where, cooking slowly, after the fashion of buccaneers, was a
+year-old boar. The stove or gridiron was formed by four forks driven
+into the earth, on which were hung cross-pieces, and on these were laid
+small poles, all of green wood.
+
+The boar, still with its hide on, was stretched on its back, the belly
+open and empty; strings attached to its four feet held it in this
+position, which the heat would otherwise have disturbed.
+
+This gridiron was raised above a hole four feet in length, three wide,
+and of great depth, filled with broken charcoal; the boar cooked by the
+equal heat of this steady and concentrated brazier. The cavity of the
+animal was half filled with lemon juice and cut spices, which, combined
+with the fat, which the heat caused to slowly ooze out, formed a kind of
+interior sauce which smelled very appetizing.
+
+This immense roast was nearly cooked; its skin began to frizzle and
+crack; what was visible of the flesh through the gravy was red and
+tempting. Finally, a dozen large yams, of yellow and savory pulp, were
+cooking in the ashes, and exhaled a fine odor.
+
+The chevalier could restrain himself no longer; carried away by his
+appetite, he entered the inclosure, and in so doing broke down some
+branches. One or two of the dogs awoke and ran at him with a menacing
+air. The man, who was dozing, arose abruptly, looked about him with an
+amazed air, while the entire pack of hounds manifested the most hostile
+objection to the entrance of the chevalier, bristling and showing their
+formidable teeth. Croustillac recalled the history of the assistant of
+Rend-your-Soul being devoured by his dogs, but he was not intimidated;
+he raised his staff with a menacing air, and said, "To heel, varlets; to
+heel, varlets!"
+
+This term, imported from the kennels of Europe, made no impression on
+the dogs; they assumed an attitude so menacing that the chevalier struck
+some blows at them with his staff. Their eyes burned with ferocity; they
+would have precipitated themselves upon Croustillac had not the
+buccaneer, coming out of the hut with a gun in his hand, cried in a
+species of dialect, part negro, part French, "Who touches my dogs? Who
+are you that come hither?"
+
+The chavalier bravely put his hand on his sword and replied, "Your dogs
+would devour me, my good fellow, and I foil them. They would employ
+their teeth upon me as I would mine if I had before me a morsel of that
+appetizing boar, for I am lost in the forest since yesterday morning and
+have a most infernal hunger."
+
+The buccaneer, instead of replying to the chevalier, remained stupefied
+at the odd appearance of this man, who, staff in hand, had traversed a
+forest in pink stockings and coat of taffeta and embroidered vest. On
+his side, Croustillac, in spite of his hunger, contemplated the
+buccaneer with no less curiosity. This hunter was of middle height, but
+agile and vigorous; his only clothing, short drawers and a shirt which
+was loose like a blouse. His clothing was so much stained with the
+blood of bulls or boars which the buccaneers skin in order to sell the
+hide and smoke the flesh (the principal branch of their traffic) that
+the linen appeared tarred, it was so black and stiff. A belt of bull's
+hide embellished with its hair confined the shirt about the buccaneer;
+from this belt hung, on one side, a sheath of compartments, revealing
+five or six knives of various lengths and divers shapes; from the other,
+a pouch. The hunter's legs were bare to the knees; his shoes were
+without fastening, and of a single piece, according to a custom there,
+and in use among buccaneers.
+
+After skinning a bull or some large boar, they carefully loosen the skin
+of one of the front extremities, from the breast to the knee, and turn
+it back like a stocking which one pulls off; after having completely
+detached it from the bones, they then put their feet into this supple
+and fresh skin, placing the large toe a little more toward the place
+which covered the knee of the animal. Once shod in this manner they tie
+up with a sinew that portion which extends beyond the end of the foot,
+and cut off the surplus. Then they raise and pull up the remainder of
+the skin halfway up their legs, where they fasten it with a leather
+strap. In drying, this species of boot assumes the shape of the foot,
+remaining perfectly soft, supple, and wearing a long time, it being
+impervious, and proof against the sting of serpents.
+
+The buccaneer looked curiously at Croustillac, leaning on his gun, a
+kind especially used by buccaneers; these guns were made at Dieppe and
+St. Malo. The figure of the hunter was rough and common; he wore a cap
+of boar's skin; his beard was long and bristling; his look ferocious.
+
+Croustillac said resolutely, "Ah, comrade, would you refuse a morsel of
+this roast to a gentleman who is famished?"
+
+"The roast is not mine," said the buccaneer.
+
+"How? to whom, then, does it belong?"
+
+"To Master Rend-your-Soul, who has his depot of skins and buccaneer
+supplies at Caiman's Point."
+
+"This roast belongs to Master Rend-your-Soul," cried the chevalier,
+surprised at the chance which had brought him in contact with one of
+the happy lovers of Blue Beard, if these slanderous stories were true.
+"This roast belongs to Rend-your-Soul," repeated Croustillac.
+
+"It belongs to him," said the man with the long gun, laconically.
+
+At this moment was heard a shot which echoed through the forest. "That
+is the master," said the man.
+
+The dogs recognized, doubtless, the approach of the hunter; for they
+began to bark joyfully, and dashed off through the undergrowth in order
+to reach the buccaneer.
+
+Warned of the return of the master, the man, whom we will call Peter,
+took out one of his largest knives, approached the wild boar, and in
+order the better to moisten the venison, stabbed the flesh several
+times, without injuring the skin, for the plentiful mixture of lemon
+juice, spice and fat which filled the belly of the boar was running out.
+Each of these incisions caused such appetizing odors to rise that the
+chevalier, inhaling this exquisite odor, almost forgot the approach of
+Rend-your-Soul. However, the latter appeared, followed by his dogs,
+jumping and pressing about him.
+
+Master Rend-your-Soul was large and robust. His skin, naturally white,
+was browned by the sun and by the wild life which he led; his thick
+black beard fell on his breast; his features were regular, but severe
+and hard. Although not so poor as that of his servant, his clothing was
+of much the same fashion. Like him, he wore at his waist a case filled
+with a number of knives; his legs, however, in place of being half
+naked, were incased, as far as the knee, by bands of boar-skins tied
+with sinews, and he wore large shoes of untanned leather. His large
+Spanish hat was ornamented with two or three red feathers; and the
+mountings of his buccaneer gun were of silver. Such was the difference
+between the costume and arms of Master Rend-your-Soul and that of his
+servant.
+
+When he entered the clearing, he held his gun under his arm and plucked
+carelessly a wood-pigeon which he had killed; three others were hung at
+his belt by a snare; he threw them to Peter, who immediately began to
+pluck and clean them with wonderful dexterity. These wood-pigeons, of
+the size of a partridge, were plump, fine and round as quails. As fast
+as Peter had one ready, he cut off its head and feet and put it to cook
+in the thick and abundant sauce which filled the boar's belly. When
+Master Rend-your-Soul had finished plucking his, he threw it in also.
+
+Peter said, "Master, shall I close the roast?"
+
+"Close it," replied the master.
+
+Then Peter cut the strings which held the boar; the cavity of the belly
+almost closed and the pigeons began to boil in this novel fashion.
+
+During all these culinary preparations the buccaneer had not appeared to
+perceive the chevalier, who, with foot advanced, nose in the air, and
+hand on the hilt of his sword, was prepared to answer proudly any
+interrogatories which might be made, and even to question in return
+Master Rend-your-Soul. The latter, having cut off the head and feet of
+the pigeon which he was plucking, wiped his knife quietly and replaced
+it in his case.
+
+To explain the indifference of the buccaneer, we must say to the reader
+that nothing was more common than that people should visit the
+buccaneers out of curiosity. The buccaneers were, in their customs, very
+like the Caribbeans. Like them they were proud to accord hospitality;
+like them they allowed any one to come who was hungry and thirsty and
+partake of their repasts; but, like the Caribbeans also, they regarded
+an invitation as a superfluous formality. The feast ready, let eat it
+who would.
+
+After disembarrassing himself of his belt and gun, Rend-your-Soul
+extended himself on the ground, drew a gourd hidden under the fresh
+leaves, and drank some brandy as a preparation for dinner.
+
+Croustillac was still in the same attitude, nose in the air, foot
+advanced, hand on his sword; the color rose to his forehead; nothing
+could have insulted him more than the absolute indifference of
+Rend-your-Soul to his presence.
+
+Had Blue Beard, by the intermediation of the filibustering captain,
+instructed the buccaneer to act in this manner if he should encounter
+the chevalier? Was this hunter's carelessness genuine or feigned? This
+is what we cannot yet tell the reader. The situation of Croustillac was
+none the less delicate and difficult; in spite of his audacity he did
+not know how to begin the conversation. Finally recovering himself, he
+said to the buccaneer, advancing toward him, "Are you blind, comrade?"
+
+"Answer, Peter, some one speaks to you," said Rend-your-Soul,
+carelessly.
+
+"No, it is to you I speak," said the Gascon impatiently.
+
+"No," said the buccaneer.
+
+"How so?" replied the chevalier.
+
+"You said 'comrade;' I am not your comrade; my servant is, perhaps."
+
+"Zounds!"
+
+"I am a master buccaneer; you are not; it is only my brother-hunters who
+are my comrades," said Rend-your-Soul, interrupting Croustillac.
+
+"And how is one to address you in order to have the honor of a reply?"
+said the chevalier, angrily.
+
+"If you come to purchase skins or buccaneer supplies, address me as you
+will; if you come to see the station, look about you; if you are hungry,
+when the boar is cooked, eat."
+
+"They are regular brutes, true savages," thought the chevalier; "it
+would be folly in me to resent their stupidities; I am dying with
+hunger, I am lost; the animal can give me a dinner, and if I carry
+myself wisely will point out to me the road to Devil's Cliff. Let us
+eat." Then, looking at the man, half barbarian that he was, with his
+garments stained with blood, Croustillac said to himself, shrugging his
+shoulders, "And it is to such a boor that they give the beautiful, the
+adorable Blue Beard. Zounds! she must be like him herself."
+
+Peter, finding the boar cooked to a turn, busied himself in removing the
+cover; he placed on the earth, under the trees, a number of large
+leaves, fresh and green, to serve as a tablecloth. He then picked a
+large leaf, made four holes at its edge, and passed a creeper through
+them, and thus formed a species of cup in which he squeezed the juice
+of a number of lemons which he had picked, and with which he mixed salt
+and spices crushed between two stones. The sauce was called pimentade,
+was extremely strong, and was used generally by buccaneers and
+filibusters. Opposite this sauce and in another leaf, he put yams cooked
+in the ashes; their skins, a little burned, had split open and showed a
+pulp yellow as amber.
+
+The chevalier was disturbed as to how he was to drink, for he had a
+burning thirst, but he quickly saw the servant returning with a large
+gourd filled with a pink and limpid liquor. It was the sugar of the
+maple tree, which flowed in abundance from the tree when it was pierced
+deeply. This was a fresh and healthy beverage and tasted like Bordeaux
+wine mixed with sugar and water.
+
+Finally, after placing this gourd on the leaves which served as a
+tablecloth, the servant broke off a large branch of apricots, covered
+with flowers and fruit, and stuck it into the earth in the midst of the
+leaves. These natives are not so stupid as they appear, thought the
+chevalier. Here is a repast which Dame Nature pays for and which would
+satisfy, I am sure, the greatest gourmand. Croustillac waited
+impatiently for the moment to begin. Finally the servant, having
+examined the boar with a critical eye, said to the buccaneer, "Master,
+it is cooked."
+
+"Let us eat," said the master.
+
+By means of a fork cut out of oak, the servant took one of the pigeons,
+put it on a fresh leaf, and offered it to the buccaneer; then, helping
+himself in turn, he left the fork in the venison. The chevalier, seeing
+that no one occupied himself with him, took a pigeon, a yam, seated
+himself near the master and servant buccaneers, and, like them, began to
+eat with the best of appetites.
+
+The pigeon was cooked so deliciously, the yams were perfect, and like
+the most delicious potatoes. The pigeons disposed of, Peter cut long and
+thick slices of the venison for his master. The chevalier followed his
+example and found the flesh exquisite, fat and succulent, of fine flavor
+enhanced the more by the pimentade.
+
+Croustillac frequently quenched his thirst, as did his companions, from
+the gourd of maple sugar, and he finished his repast by eating half a
+dozen apricots of wonderful fragrance and very superior to the European
+species.
+
+Peter brought, then, a gourd of brandy; the master drank and then passed
+it to his servant, who did likewise, then closed it carefully, to the
+great disappointment of the chevalier who had extended his hand for it.
+This was not stupidity on the part of the buccaneers; there is among the
+Caribbeans a great distinction between the natural gifts which cost
+nothing, belonging, so to speak, to everyone, and the articles purchased
+with money, which belong exclusively to those who possess them--brandy,
+powder, bullets, arms, skins, venison prepared after the fashion of the
+buccaneers for sale, being of this number; fruits, game, fish, were
+held, on the contrary, in common.
+
+Nevertheless, the chevalier frowned, rather from pride than gluttony. He
+was on the point of complaining of this lack of respect to the servant,
+but reflecting that, after all, he owed his excellent repast to
+Rend-your-Soul, and that the latter could alone put him on the road to
+Devil's Cliff, he restrained his ill humor, and said to the buccaneer
+with a jovial air, "Faith! sir, do you know you give great and good
+cheer?"
+
+"One eats what he finds; boars and bulls are not wanting in this island,
+and the sale of their skins is good," said the buccaneer, filling his
+pipe.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+MASTER REND-YOUR-SOUL.
+
+
+The more closely the chevalier studied Master Rend-your-Soul, the less
+he was able to believe that this half barbarian was in the good graces
+of Blue Beard. The buccaneer, having lighted his pipe, lay down on his
+back, put his two hands under his head, and smoked, with his eyes fixed
+on the hut, with an appearance of profound beatitude, and said to the
+chevalier, "You have come here in a litter, with your pink stockings?"
+
+"No, my good friend, I have come on foot, and I would have come on my
+head in order to see the most famous buccaneer in all the Antilles,
+whose fame has even reached Europe."
+
+"If you are in need of skins," said the buccaneer in answer, "I have a
+dozen bulls' skins so fine and beautiful that you would suppose them to
+be buffalo. I have also a string of boar's hams such as are not cured in
+any station."
+
+"No, no, my brave friend, I tell you admiration, nothing but admiration
+has guided me. I arrived from France five days since in the Unicorn, and
+my first visit is to you, whose merit I am well aware of."
+
+"Truly?"
+
+"As true as I call myself the Chevalier de Croustillac, for you will not
+be displeased, perhaps, to know with whom you talk. My name is
+Croustillac."
+
+"All names are a matter of indifference to me, except that of
+_purchaser_."
+
+"And admirer, my brave friend, admirer, is that nothing? I, who have
+come from Europe expressly to see you?"
+
+"You knew, then, that you would find me here?"
+
+"Not exactly; but Providence has arranged it; and, thanks to
+Providence, I have met the famous Rend-your-Soul."
+
+"Decidedly he is stupid," thought the chevalier. "I have nothing to
+contend with in such a rival; if the others are no more dangerous, it
+will be very easy for me to make Blue Beard adore me; but I must find
+the road to Devil's Cliff. It will be truly racy to be conducted thither
+by this bear." He spoke: "But, my brave hunter, alas! all glory is
+bought; I wished to see you, I have seen you."
+
+"Very well, go your way, then," said the buccaneer, expelling a cloud of
+tobacco smoke.
+
+"I like your brusque frankness, worthy Nimrod; but in order to go, I
+must learn a road thence, and I know none."
+
+"From whence came you?"
+
+"From Macouba, where I lodged at the house of the Reverend Father
+Griffen."
+
+"You are only two leagues from Macouba; my servant will guide you
+there."
+
+"How! only two leagues!" cried the chevalier. "It is impossible! I have
+walked since daybreak yesterday, until night, and since early morn until
+noon, and have I gone but two leagues?"
+
+"One sometimes sees boars and above all young bulls deceived thus, and
+make many steps almost without changing the inclosure," said the
+buccaneer.
+
+"Your comparison smacks of the art of hunting, and, noble following as
+it is, cannot shock a gentleman; then, admit that I have dodged about,
+even like a young bull, as you say; it does not follow that I wish to
+return to Macouba; and I depend upon you to show me the road I should
+follow."
+
+"Where do you wish to go?"
+
+For a moment the chevalier hesitated, and knew not what reply to make.
+Should he avow frankly his intention of going to Devil's Cliff?
+Croustillac sought refuge in a subterfuge--"I wish to go by the road to
+Devil's Cliff."
+
+"The road to Devil's Cliff only leads to Devil's Cliff, and----"
+
+The buccaneer did not finish his sentence, but his face became menacing.
+
+"And--where does the road to Devil's Cliff lead?"
+
+"It leads sinners to hell, and saints to paradise."
+
+"So, a stranger, a traveler, who has a whim to visit Devil's Cliff----"
+
+"Would never return from thence."
+
+"At least, in that case, one does not risk getting lost on the return,"
+said the chevalier coolly. "'Tis well, my good friend, then show me the
+way."
+
+"We have eaten under the same roof, we have drunk from the same cup; I
+would not willingly cause your death."
+
+"So, in conducting me to Devil's Cliff, you kill me?"
+
+"It will come to the same thing."
+
+"Although your dinner was perfect, and your company very agreeable, my
+brave Nimrod, you almost make me regret it, as this prevents you from
+satisfying my wish. But what danger threatens me, then?"
+
+"All the dangers of death that a man can brave."
+
+"All these dangers--make but one, seeing that one can but die once,"
+said the Gascon carelessly.
+
+The buccaneer scanned the chevalier closely, and appeared impressed by
+his courage as much as by the air of frankness and good humor which
+showed through all his extravagance.
+
+The chevalier continued: "The Chevalier de Croustillac never knows fear
+while he has his sister at his side."
+
+"What sister?"
+
+"This, which, by heavens, is not virgin," cried the Gascon, drawing his
+sword and brandishing it. "The kisses she gives are sharp, and the
+bravest have regretted making her acquaintance."
+
+"Miaow! miaow!" said the servant, who was a witness of this scene. This
+cry made the Gascon start, and recalled to him the exploits of the
+preceding night. He colored with rage, advanced upon the servant with
+the sword's point, in order to chastise him with the flat of his steel;
+but Peter withdrew dexterously and got out of reach, while the buccaneer
+burst into laughter.
+
+This hilarity exasperated the chevalier, who said to Rend-your-Soul,
+"Zounds! if you dare attack a man as you would a bull, beware."
+
+"Look at your sword; the steel is stained with blood and covered with
+the hair of wildcats; it is that which made Peter cry out 'Miaow!'"
+
+"Defend yourself," repeated the chevalier furiously.
+
+"When I have four feet, claws and a tail, I will fight with you," said
+the buccaneer quietly.
+
+"I will mark your face, then," said the chevalier, advancing toward
+Rend-your-Soul.
+
+"Softly, velvet claws, pussy velvet claws," said the buccaneer,
+laughing, and parrying with the muzzle of his gun the furious thrusts
+which the exasperated chevalier bestowed upon him.
+
+The servant would have come to the rescue of his master, but the latter
+forbade.
+
+"Do not stir; I will answer for this redoubtable fellow. 'The burned cat
+dreads cold water,' as they say. I am going to give him a good lesson."
+
+These sarcasms increased the chevalier's rage; he forgot his adversary
+was defending himself with a gun, and he showered some desperate blows
+upon him, while the buccaneer, showing a marvelous address and a rare
+vigor, used his heavy gun like a stick.
+
+During this unequal combat, the buccaneer added to his insolence by
+imitating the cry which cats make when they are angry, when they
+disagree. This last outrage capped the climax; but against his attack he
+found, in the buccaneer, a gladiator of the greatest strength in
+fencing; and he had shortly the chagrin of seeing himself disarmed; his
+sword was struck off some ten paces. The buccaneer threw himself upon
+the Gascon; raised his gun like a club; he seized the chevalier by the
+collar and cried, "Your life is mine; I am going to break your head like
+an eggshell."
+
+Croustillac, looking at him without flinching, said, coldly, "And you
+are trebly right, for I am a triple traitor." The buccaneer recoiled a
+step. "I was hungry--you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me
+drink; you were unarmed and I attacked you. Break my head--Zounds! break
+it, you are right. Croustillac is dishonored."
+
+This was not the language of an assassin or a spy; then, holding out his
+hand to the chevalier, the buccaneer said, with a rough voice, "Come,
+clasp hands; we have been seated under the same roof, we have fought
+together--we are brothers."
+
+The chevalier was about to put his hand in that of the buccaneer, but he
+paused and said gravely, "Frankness for frankness; before giving you my
+hand I must tell you one thing."
+
+"What?"
+
+"I am your rival."
+
+"Rival! how is that?"
+
+"I love Blue Beard, and I am resolved at all hazards to go to her and to
+please her."
+
+"Clasp hands, brother."
+
+"A moment--I must say to you that when Polypheme Croustillac wishes to
+please, he pleases; when he pleases, one loves him; and when one loves
+him, one loves him madly and unto death."
+
+"Clasp hands, brother."
+
+"I will not touch your hand until you tell me if you will accept me
+openly for your rival?"
+
+"And if not?"
+
+"If not, break my head; you will be right in so doing. We are alone;
+your servant will not betray you; but I will never renounce the hope,
+the certainty, of pleasing Blue Beard."
+
+"Ah, this is another matter."
+
+"A last question," continued the chevalier; "You go often to Devil's
+Cliff?"
+
+"I go often to Devil's Cliff."
+
+"You see Blue Beard?"
+
+"I see her."
+
+"You love her?"
+
+"I love her."
+
+"She loves you?"
+
+"She loves me."
+
+"You?"
+
+"Me."
+
+"She loves you?"
+
+"To madness----"
+
+"She has told you so?"
+
+"And--Blue Beard----"
+
+"Is my mistress."
+
+"On the word of a buccaneer?"
+
+"On the word of a buccaneer."
+
+"Then," said the chevalier to himself, "there is no more discretion
+among barbarians than among civilized people. Who would say at the sight
+of such a stupid fellow, that he was a coxcomb?" Then he said aloud,
+"Ah, well, then, I repeat to you, break my head, for if you spare my
+life I shall reach Devil's Cliff; I shall do all I can to please Blue
+Beard, and I _shall_ please her, I warn you. So, then, once more, break
+my head, or resign yourself to seeing in me a rival, shortly a happy
+rival!"
+
+"I say to you, clasp hands, brother."
+
+"How? in spite of what I say?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"It does not alarm you?"
+
+"No."
+
+"It is all the same to you if I go to Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"I will conduct you there, myself."
+
+"Yourself?"
+
+"To-day."
+
+"And I shall see Blue Beard?"
+
+"You shall see her as often as you wish."
+
+The chevalier, moved by the confidence in him which the buccaneer
+testified, did not wish to abuse it; he said in a solemn tone, "Listen,
+buccaneer, you are as generous as a savage; this is not by way of
+offense; but, my worthy friend, my loyal enemy, you are as ignorant as a
+savage. Reared in the midst of the forest, you have no idea what a man
+is who has passed his life in pleasing, seducing; you do not know the
+marvelous resources which such a man finds in his natural attractions;
+you do not know the irresistible influence of a word, a gesture, a
+smile, a look! This poor Blue Beard does not know either; to judge from
+what they say of her three husbands. They were three worthless fellows,
+three vagabonds; she rid herself of them, rightly. Why has she rid
+herself of them? Because she sought an ideal, an unknown being, the
+dream of her dreams. Now, my brave friend, always be it said without
+offense, you cannot deceive yourself to such a degree as to think that
+you realize this dream of Blue Beard; you cannot really take yourself
+for a Celadon--for an Adonis----"
+
+The buccaneer looked at Croustillac with a stupid air and did not appear
+to understand him; he said, pointing to the sun, "The sun is setting; we
+have four leagues to make before we arrive at Devil's Cliff; let us
+start."
+
+"This unhappy man," thought the chevalier, "has not the slightest idea
+of the danger he runs; it is a pity to disabuse his blindness; it is
+like striking a child; it is snaring a sitting pheasant; it is killing a
+sleeping man; on the honor of De Croustillac, it gives me scruples."
+Then aloud, "You do not understand, then, my brave friend, that this man
+as seductive as irresistible of whom I speak is none other than myself?"
+
+"Ah, bah! it is impossible."
+
+"Your surprise is not flattering, brave hunter, but if I speak thus to
+you of myself, it is that honor compels me to tell the truth, the whole
+truth, and nothing but the truth. You do not understand that, once
+having seen me, Blue Beard will love me; and she will not love you any
+more, my poor Rend-your-Soul. Understand, then, that it would be
+cowardly and treasonable on my part not to warn you in advance as to the
+position you hold with Blue Beard. I repeat, from the moment when I put
+foot in Devil's Cliff, from the moment she sees me, when she hears me,
+her love for you is at an end. Meantime, I have warned you, loyally
+warned you; consider if you are willing to risk it."
+
+"Clasp hands, brother," said the buccaneer, seemingly insensible to the
+danger that the chevalier pointed out to him. "Let us be going. We will
+arrive at night at Devil's Cliff; a fall from the precipice would not be
+pleasant at this hour."
+
+"Come on--you are mad--so be it, but I have warned you; it will be open
+war," said the chevalier.
+
+The buccaneer, without making any reply to the chevalier, said to his
+servant, "Shut up the dogs in the house, and have ready two dozen bulls'
+skins, which will be needed to-morrow at Basse-Terre; I shall not
+return to-night."
+
+"It falls aright," said the servant to himself, and with a shrewd air;
+"he sleeps away from the hut one night in every three."
+
+While the buccaneer attached his belt, the chevalier said to himself,
+looking at the hunter with a feeling of pity, "Faith! but he puts the
+rope gayly about his own throat; since he will not heed my warning, let
+him look out for himself. It appears that lovers are, in such cases, no
+wiser than husbands. But as regards Blue Beard--if she is pretty--it
+must be that she is--can she receive such a savage? Poor little thing.
+It is very simple. She does not know the compensation that is reserved
+for her. Hail to the gods. Croustillac, thy star has arisen!" continued
+the chevalier, after some minutes of reflection.
+
+"Come, brother, let us start," said the buccaneer; "but before doing so,
+Peter shall envelop your legs in a piece of skin which he has, for we
+are going to traverse a bad quarter for serpents."
+
+The chevalier thanked the buccaneer, not without shrugging his shoulders
+in pity for him, and said, "Unhappy man! he is shoeing me, but I shall
+put a cap on him!"
+
+This stupid joke was to be fatally punished in Croustillac, who followed
+his guide with renewed ardor, for was he not going to see Blue Beard?
+
+
+
+
+PART II.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE MARRIAGE.
+
+
+After four hours' walk the chevalier and the buccaneer arrived close to
+Devil's Cliff. The road was so difficult and so much incumbered that the
+two companions could scarcely converse. Croustillac became more
+thoughtful the nearer his approach to the dwelling of Blue Beard; in
+spite of the good opinion he had of himself, in spite of his consoling
+reflections regarding the allegorical nudity of Venus and Truth, he
+regretted that his natural advantages were not set off by costly
+garments. He ventured, then, after some hesitation, to tell a falsehood
+to the buccaneer. "I assure you, my true and worthy rival, that my
+servants and trunks are at St. Pierre and I find myself, as you see,
+hardly clothed in a proper fashion to present myself before the queen of
+my thoughts."
+
+"What do you mean?" said the buccaneer.
+
+"What I would say, brave Nimrod, is that I have the appearance of a
+beggar, in that my coat and shoes, which yesterday were almost new, are
+to-day abominably tattered and appear at least six months old."
+
+"Six months? Oh! they are devilishly older than that to all appearances,
+my brother."
+
+"All which proves how torrid your devilish sun is; in one day it has
+faded my clothing which yesterday was the freshest sea-green, the most
+tender and coquettish of colors, until now----"
+
+"They are almost mould-green," said the buccaneer. "It is like your
+shoulder-strap--our devouring sun eats gold until he leave but a red
+thread."
+
+"What signifies the shoulder-strap if the sword is free and strong from
+the scabbard?" said Croustillac proudly. Then softening his tones, he
+continued, "It is just because I am momentarily in an outfit unworthy my
+rank, that I would inquire if I can find garments more suitable at
+Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"Ah, do you think that Blue Beard keeps a second-hand clothing
+establishment?" said the buccaneer.
+
+"Heaven forbid that I should accuse her of such an ignoble traffic! But,
+in fine, it would not be surprising if, as I say, by chance, there had
+been overlooked in some corner of a clothes-press some garments
+belonging to one of the deceased husbands of our charming friend?"
+
+"Ah!" said the buccaneer.
+
+"Well?" replied the chevalier imperturbably, "although it would cost me
+an effort to appear in what did not belong to me, and above all, in what
+could not fit me very well, I would reconcile myself to so doing, in
+default of my fine clothing now at St. Pierre, even at the risk of being
+abominably disfigured, perhaps, by the chance garments," continued he
+disdainfully.
+
+The buccaneer broke into peals of laughter at the singular notion of his
+companion. Croustillac colored with annoyance and said, "Zounds! you are
+very facetious, my friend."
+
+"I laugh because I see I am not alone in the traffic of skins," said
+Rend-your-Soul. "Truly we are brothers! If I despoil the bulls of their
+skins, you are not too proud to despoil one of the husbands of the
+widow. But we are now at the foot of the cliff. Take care, friend, one
+must have a sure foot and a true eye to climb this ascent unharmed! If
+you find it too rough, you need go no further; I will send you a guide
+to conduct you back to Macouba."
+
+"Remain here! at my journey's end, almost! after a thousand
+difficulties! at the moment when I shall see and captivate this
+enchantress, Blue Beard," cried the chevalier. "You have lost your wits.
+Come on, comrade, what you do, I will do," said the chevalier.
+
+Truth to say, thanks to his long legs, his natural agility and his
+coolness, Croustillac followed the buccaneer over the perilous road
+that led to the mansion, across the terrible precipice of Devil's Cliff.
+A signal from the buccaneer and the wall of the platform was scaled,
+and, with his companion, he entered the outer buildings.
+
+Reaching the covered passage which led to the widow's especial suite,
+the buccaneer whispered a word in the ear of the mulattress. She took
+the chevalier's hand and led him to a stairway in the passage.
+Croustillac hesitated a moment to follow the slave. The buccaneer said,
+"Go on, brother, you do not wish to present yourself thus before the
+widow; I have said a word to old Jennette, and she is going to provide
+you with the means to shine like the sun. As for me, I go to announce
+your arrival to Blue Beard."
+
+So saying, the buccaneer disappeared in the covered passage.
+Croustillac, guided by the mulattress, came to a room very elegantly and
+comfortably furnished.
+
+"Zounds!" cried the adventurer, rubbing his hands and taking long
+strides, "this begins well. Provided I can appear to advantage, provided
+that the deceased husbands of the widow had decent figures and that
+their clothes will not disfigure me too much, I shall please--I shall
+captivate the widow; and this animal of a buccaneer, ousted by me from
+the heart of Blue Beard, will return to-morrow--perhaps even to-night,
+to his forest."
+
+Croustillac soon saw a number of negroes enter the room. One of them
+staggered under an enormous parcel; the other carried on a chased silver
+tray a silver gilt dish, wherein smoked a soup of the most appetizing
+odor; two glass carafes, one filled with old Bordeaux, the color of
+rubies, the other with Madeira wine, color of topaz, flanked the dish
+and completed this light refreshment sent to the chevalier by the widow.
+While one of the slaves placed before him a little table of ebony inlaid
+with ivory, the negro bearing the parcel laid upon the bed a costume of
+black velvet ornamented by rich flowers embroidered in gold. What was
+singular about the coat was that the left sleeve was of cherry-colored
+satin; this sleeve closed above the wrist with a broad facing of buffalo
+skin.
+
+For the rest, with the exception of this peculiarity, the coat was
+elegantly cut; stockings of very fine silk, a rhinegrave, or cravat, of
+magnificent lace, a large felt hat adorned with beautiful white plumes
+and a heavy gold cord were to complete the transformation of the
+adventurer.
+
+While the chevalier endeavored to divine why the left sleeve of this
+black velvet coat was of cherry-colored silk, the two negroes prepared a
+bath in a neighboring dressing-room; another slave asked Croustillac in
+quite pure French if he would be shaved and have his hair dressed;
+Croustillac assented. Entirely refreshed and invigorated by an aromatic
+bath, wrapped in a dressing-gown of fine Holland linen which exhaled the
+most exquisite odors, the adventurer lounged on a soft divan while the
+slaves waved enormous fans.
+
+The chevalier, in spite of his blind faith in his destiny, which,
+according to him, was to become as beautiful as it had heretofore been
+miserable, believed himself at times in a dream.
+
+His wildest hopes were surpassed; in casting a complacent glance on the
+rich costume with which he was clothed, and which was to render him
+fatally irresistible, he was seized with a feeling akin to remorse, on
+account of the buccaneer, who had so unwisely given ingress to the wolf
+into this fold in which dwelt his love. The thought of this good fellow
+made Croustillac smile; he was prepared to bewilder Blue Beard by
+language in which he would be victorious over her barbarous adorers.
+
+Suddenly a horrible fear obscured the smiling prospect for the Gascon.
+He began to fear for the first time that Blue Beard might be repulsively
+plain; he had also the modesty to think that perhaps it would be too
+much of him to require of fate that Blue Beard be of an ideal beauty.
+
+Croustillac possessed good qualities. He said to himself with the
+conviction of a man who knew perfectly how to moderate and set bounds to
+his ambition--"Providing the widow be not more than from forty to fifty
+years; that she be not blind or outrageously lame; that she has some
+teeth and hair--faith! her wine is so good, her service so fine, her
+servants so attentive--if she is worth three or four millions, I
+consent to take the risk my predecessors did, and to make the widow
+happy, on the honor of De Croustillac! seeing that I prefer to take the
+consequences of my role as a husband rather than return on board the
+Unicorn and swallow lighted candles for the amusement of that amphibious
+animal, Captain Daniel. Well, then, should Blue Beard be plain, and of
+overripe age, she is still a millionaire, and I will take care of this
+good lady, and will be so very agreeable to her that, far from sending
+me to join the other dead husbands, she will have no desire but that of
+cherishing me dearly, and embellishing my life by all kinds of delicious
+cares. Come, come, Croustillac," said the adventurer, with increased
+exaltation, "I say truly, your star is in the ascendent, and shall shine
+more than in the past it has been overcast! Yes, it is in the
+ascendent."
+
+So saying, the chevalier called one of the blacks who was awaiting his
+orders in a neighboring room, and with his assistance put on the velvet
+dress with the cherry colored sleeve. The Gascon was tall, but bony and
+thin; the garment which he donned was made for a man of the same height,
+but broad-chested and small in the waist; so the vest formed some large
+folds about the body of Croustillac; and his cherry-colored stockings
+draped themselves no less majestically about his long, thin, and nervous
+legs.
+
+The chevalier did not concern himself about these slight imperfections
+of his costume; he threw a final glance at his reflection in the
+Venetian mirror which the slave held up to him, arranged his rough,
+black hair, caressed his long mustache, hung his formidable sword to a
+rich strap of buffalo skin which had been brought to him, proudly put on
+the felt hat with golden cord and white plumes, and, strutting up and
+down the room with a triumphant air, impatiently awaited the moment of
+presentation to the widow. This moment arrived shortly. The aged
+mulattress who had received the adventurer came to seek him, and begging
+him to follow her, ushered him into the retired building which we have
+already seen.
+
+The room in which Croustillac waited some moments was furnished with a
+luxury of which he had heretofore had no idea; superb old paintings,
+magnificent porcelains, curiosities in goldsmith's work, of the most
+costly nature, incumbered the furniture, as valuable on account of its
+material as for its workmanship; a lute and a theorbo, whose ornaments
+of ivory and gold were of a finish most uncommon in carving, attracted
+the attention of Croustillac, who was delighted to think that his future
+wife was a musician.
+
+"Zounds!" cried the chevalier, "is it possible that the mistress of so
+much wealth is as beautiful as the day? No, no, I should be too
+fortunate; although I deserve this happiness."
+
+We may judge of the surprise, not to say the shock, to the Gascon when
+Angela entered. The little widow was radiant in youth, grace, beauty and
+dress; robed in a costume of the fashion of Louis the Fourteenth, she
+wore a dress of sky blue, the long waist of which seemed to be
+embroidered with diamonds, pearls and rubies, though this profusion of
+gems was arranged with taste.
+
+Croustillac, in spite of his audacity, recoiled before such a vision. In
+all his life he had never encountered a woman so ravishingly pretty, so
+royally dressed; he could not believe his eyes; he looked at her with
+bewilderment. We must say, to the chevalier's credit, that he had a
+laudable attack of modesty, but unhappily as fleeting as sincere. He
+thought that so charming a creature might perhaps hesitate to marry an
+adventurer like himself; but he recalled his impertinent and
+vainglorious confidences to the buccaneer; he said to himself that,
+after all, one man was as good as another, and he recovered very rapidly
+his imperturbable assurance.
+
+Croustillac made, one after another, three of the most respectful bows;
+in order to resume his upright attitude and at the same time display the
+nobility of his figure, advancing on one of his long legs, and drawing
+the other a little behind it, he assumed a conquering air, holding his
+hat in the right hand and resting his left hand upon the handle of his
+sword. Doubtless he was about to make some gallant compliment to Blue
+Beard, for he had already placed his hand on his heart, and opened his
+large mouth, when the little widow, who could no longer repress an
+irresistible desire to laugh at the absurd appearance of the chevalier,
+gave free vent to her hilarity. This explosion of gayety shut
+Croustillac's mouth and he endeavored to smile, hoping thus to humor
+Blue Beard.
+
+This polite effort took the form of so grotesque a grimace that Angela
+fell on the sofa, forgetting all rules of politeness, all dignity, and
+abandoned herself to a mad fit of laughter; her beautiful blue eyes,
+always so brilliant, were veiled in tears of amusement; her cheeks
+became crimson and her charming dimples deepened to such an extent that
+the widow could have hidden in their depths the entire end of her rosy
+little finger.
+
+Croustillac, much embarrassed, remained motionless before the pretty
+widow, first contracting his eyebrows with an angry air, then, on the
+contrary, he endeavored to relax his thin long face into a forced smile.
+While these successive expressions did not tend to put an end to Blue
+Beard's mirth, the chevalier said to himself that for a murderess, the
+widow did not have such a gloomy and terrible appearance after all.
+Nevertheless, the vanity of our adventurer could not easily brook the
+singular effect which he had produced. For want of better conclusion he
+ended by saying to himself that above all things he always struck the
+imagination of women keenly; it was necessary at first to astonish them,
+upset them, and that, in this respect, his first interview with Blue
+Beard left nothing to be desired.
+
+When he saw that the widow had become a little calmer, he said
+resolutely, and with superbly bombastic manner, "I am sure you laugh,
+madame, at all the despairing efforts that I make to prevent my poor
+stolen heart from flying quickly to your feet. It is that which has
+brought me here; I could not but follow, in spite of myself; yes,
+madame, in spite of myself. I said to it, 'there, there, softly, softly,
+my heart, it does not suffice, in order to please a divine beauty, to be
+passionately loving,' but my little, or rather my great and rash, heart
+replied ever by drawing me to you with all its strength; as if it had
+been the steel and Devil's Cliff the magnet; my heart, I say, replied to
+me, 'Reassure yourself, master; tender and valiant as you are, the love
+that you feel shall cause the birth of a love which you shall share.'
+But pardon me madame, the language of my heart makes me outrageously
+impertinent--it is doubtless this impertinence which makes you laugh
+anew."
+
+"No, sir, no; your appearance diverts me to this great extent because
+you resemble--ha! ha! ha!--in a strange way, my second husband. You have
+positively the very same nose--ha! ha! ha!--and in seeing you enter, I
+believed I saw his spirit--ha! ha! ha!--coming to reproach me--ha! ha!
+ha!--with his cruel end--ha! ha!"
+
+The laughter of Angela redoubled. The chevalier was not ignorant of the
+antecedents with which Blue Beard might be reproached, but he could not
+conceal his great surprise at hearing this charming little creature
+acknowledge the crime of murder with such incredible audacity.
+Nevertheless, the chevalier recovered his customary coolness and replied
+gallantly, "I am too happy, madame, to recall to you one of your
+deceased husbands; and of reviving by my presence one of your memories,
+whatever it may be. But," continued Croustillac with a gallant manner,
+"there are other resemblances that I would wish to have to the
+deceased--whose memory diverts you so much."
+
+"That is to say, you desire to marry me?" said Blue Beard to him.
+
+The chevalier was stupefied for a moment by this abrupt question.
+
+Angela went on: "I expected it; Rend-your-Soul, whom I call by an
+abbreviation, my little Rendsoul, has informed me of your desires;
+perhaps he wishes to raise false hopes," added the widow, looking
+coquettishly at the chevalier.
+
+Croustillac experienced surprise after surprise. "How," he cried, "the
+buccaneer has told you, madame----"
+
+"That you have come from France for the express purpose of marrying
+me--is it true? See, speak frankly--do not deceive me. Oh, I do not like
+to be thwarted. I warn you, if I have taken it into my head that you
+shall be my husband, you shall be."
+
+"Madame, I beg of you, do not take me for a fool, for a jackanapes, for
+a stupid; if I am dumb, it is with emotion, surprise." And Croustillac
+looked about him uneasily, as if to assure himself he was not the sport
+of a dream. "May I be shot if I expected such a reception."
+
+"Well, there is no need to make so many words over it," replied the
+widow. "I have been told you wish to marry me--is it true?"
+
+"As true as that you are the most dazzling beauty that I have ever met,"
+said the chevalier impetuously, placing his hand on his heart.
+
+"Truly? Truly? You have really decided to marry me?" cried the little
+widow, clapping her hands joyfully.
+
+"I am so decided, adorable widow, that my only fear now is of not seeing
+this desire realized; it is, I avow, an excessive desire, a great dream,
+and----"
+
+"Be quiet, then," said Blue Beard, interrupting the chevalier with
+childlike frankness. "What is the use of these big words? You ask my
+hand--why should I not give it to you?"
+
+"How, madame, can I believe it! Ah, wait, beautiful Islander. I have had
+many triumphs in my life; princesses have avowed their passion for me;
+queens have sighed when looking at me, but never, madame, never have I
+found such a one! Yes, madame, you can congratulate yourself, you can
+boast of having brought to its height my surprise, my joy and my
+gratitude. Repeat, then, I implore you, repeat those charming words--you
+consent to take me for your husband, me, Polypheme de Croustillac?"
+
+"I will repeat it as much as you desire; nothing is simpler; you can
+well understand that I have too much trouble in finding husbands not to
+seize eagerly the offer which you make me."
+
+"Ah, madame," replied the chevalier courteously, "at the risk of passing
+for an impertinent man, I must allow myself to contradict you. Never can
+I believe that you could find it difficult to find a husband. I will say
+more--I am convinced that you have had, since your widowhood only
+embarrassment of choice, but you have simply not wished to select. You
+have too good taste, madame," said Croustillac audaciously, "you
+waited----"
+
+"I might deceive you and allow you to think this, chevalier, but you are
+too brave and gallant a man to be abused--at present," continued Angela,
+with a gracious and confidential manner, "I will tell you all. Listen to
+me. The first time I married, I had but to choose, it is true. O,
+heavens! suitors presented themselves in swarms, and I chose--very well,
+too. Then my second marriage: it was even then not the same thing.
+People had commented on the singular death of my first husband, and
+suitors had already begun to reflect before declaring themselves.
+However, as I am not stupid, thanks to determination, cajolery and
+coquetry, I succeeded in getting a second husband. Alas! it was not
+without trouble. But the third. Oh, you have no idea all the trouble I
+had; truly I was in despair!"
+
+"Ah, madame, why was I not there!"
+
+"Doubtless, but, unhappily, you were not. If they talked about the death
+of my first husband; you can judge what they said about that of my
+second. People began to distrust me," said the widow, shaking her pretty
+little head with an expression of ingenuous melancholy. "What would you
+have? the world is so meddling, so slanderous; men are so strange!"
+
+"The world is stupid and egotistical, foolish," cried Croustillac,
+filled with pity for this victim of calumny. "Men are cowards and fools
+who believe all the gossip which is told them."
+
+"What you say is very true. You are not so, my friend?"
+
+"She calls me her friend," cried Croustillac, in a transport; and he
+answered, "No, certainly not, and I am not so."
+
+"Doubtless," said the widow, "you are very different; you spoil me by
+accepting my proposition so quickly."
+
+"Say, rather, that I am beyond bounds overjoyed at it, madame."
+
+"You spoil me," continued the widow, with an enchanting smile, and
+throwing a tender glance at the chevalier. "I assure you you spoil me;
+you are so easy, so accommodating. Ah! how shall I replace you?"
+
+"Replace me?"
+
+"Yes, after you, friend."
+
+"After me?"
+
+"Yes, certainly, after you."
+
+"Madame, I do not understand you. I do not wish to understand."
+
+"It is very simple; how can I hope to find another like you, who will
+marry me so willingly? Ah, no, such men are rare!"
+
+"How, madame, after me?" cried Croustillac, overcome by this idea. "You
+dream, then, of a successor to me?"
+
+"Yes, friend," replied the widow, with the most touchingly sentimental
+air imaginable; "yes, for when you are no more I must renew my quest,
+seek, ask, and find a fifth husband. Think, then, of the difficulties
+and obstacles to overcome. Perhaps I shall not succeed. Think, then, a
+widow for the fourth time. You forget that; it is a fact, however; my
+friend, after you, I shall be a widow for the fourth time."
+
+"I do not forget it at all, madame," said Croustillac, whose ardor
+became somewhat chilled, and began to ask himself if this affair was not
+madness. "I shall not forget, certainly, in case I have the honor of
+marrying you, that you will be for the fourth time a widow if you lose
+me; but it appears you place a rather short period to my love."
+
+"Alas! yes, my friend," said the widow, in a tender voice, "one year,
+and a year is very short. A year! it passes so quickly when one loves,"
+continued she, casting the glance of a perfect assassin at him.
+
+"A year, madame," cried the chevalier. But then, believing that the
+words of Blue Beard hid perhaps a test, that she wished possibly to
+judge of his courage, he added in a chivalrous tone, "Ah, well, so be
+it, madame; whether my happiness last but a year, a day, an hour, a
+minute--it matters not; I will brave all, if only I can say that I have
+been fortunate enough to obtain your hand."
+
+"You are a true knight," said the widow, charmed. "I expected no less of
+you. That is agreed; only I must forewarn my little Rendsoul, for form's
+sake, understand, for married or not I shall always be to him what I
+have been."
+
+"But, madame," said Croustillac, "is it permitted me, will it be
+indiscreet to ask you what you are to this hunter of wild beasts, and
+what are his relations with you? Or, rather, will you explain to me what
+intimacy it is that you feel obliges you to speak to him of your plans?"
+
+"Certainly; and to whom would I make this statement if not to you, my
+friend? I will confess to you that Rendsoul is one of my lovers."
+
+Here Croustillac made such a singular grimace and coughed two or three
+times in such a manner, that Angela broke into a peal of laughter.
+
+Croustillac, for a moment dumfounded, came to this reflection full of
+wisdom: "I am a fool! Nothing is simpler. She had a kind of fancy for
+this stupid fellow. The sight of me has decided her to sacrifice him;
+unlucky buccaneer that he is! But why the devil does she tell me that at
+the end of a year she must find a successor to me?"
+
+"Wait--here comes my Rendsoul," said the widow. "We will tell him our
+plans, and we will sup together like three friends."
+
+"It matters not to me," said Croustillac, seeing the buccaneer enter.
+"Here is a little woman who wishes to show that she is an original."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE SUPPER.
+
+
+When the buccaneer entered the chevalier hardly knew him. Rend-your-Soul
+had put off his hunter's costume; he wore a coat and nether garment of
+guinea cloth, thickly embroidered with alternate rays of white and deep
+red; his black beard fell upon a shirt of dazzling whiteness, which was
+close like a doublet by a row of small coral buttons; a scarf of red
+silk, hose of the same color, and shoes of doeskin with large
+ribbon-bows, completed a costume most elegant for a buccaneer, and
+showing to advantage his tall and robust figure; in the brilliant light
+of the candles his complexion seemed less brown than in the daytime; his
+black hair, curling naturally, fell carelessly on his shoulders; and
+finally, his hands were beautiful, in spite of his rough following as a
+hunter.
+
+At the sight of the buccaneer, so transformed and almost unrecognizable,
+in spite of the hard character which his thick beard always gave to his
+face, the chevalier said to himself, "I should prefer that this person
+had at least a civilized appearance; it would be too humiliating for
+Polypheme de Croustillac to triumph over a rival so plain as the one
+which he at first sight appeared to be. But, while I do not doubt this
+Nimrod, I must say that Blue Beard has a singular manner of acting.
+Could she not have given him his dismissal in some other way than in my
+presence? I hate to so cruelly use my advantage in crushing a poor
+rival; for, after all, a man is a man! This poor buccaneer is going to
+find himself in a pitiable position. But let me hold firm; and show Blue
+Beard that I am not the dupe of her confidence concerning her deceased
+husbands, and that I am not afraid to die like them."
+
+Croustillac ended this reflection when the pretty widow, indicating the
+adventurer by a triumphant nod of the head, said ingenuously to the
+buccaneer, "This gentleman asks for my hand in marriage. You see you
+were wrong in persisting to me that I would not find a fourth husband.
+So you can imagine I have very quickly accepted the chevalier's
+proposal; it was too good an opportunity to let slip."
+
+The buccaneer did not reply at once. Croustillac mechanically put his
+hand on the hilt of his sword, in order not to be without means of
+defense in case the hunter, exasperated by jealousy, should wish to do
+him an injury. What was his surprise when he heard Rend-your-Soul say,
+after seating himself in a large chair, "I have always said to you, my
+beautiful one, just what that comrade Hurricane said, 'Marry, a thousand
+devils marry! if you desire to, for husbands are rare, for one never
+knows what you will do; but one thing is certain, they never live long.'
+As for me, I do not approve your little proceedings. I have more than
+once seen your little white hands prepare certain beverages----"
+
+"Oh, fie! fie! bad man!" said Angela, shaking her finger at him.
+
+"Nevertheless, it is true," said the buccaneer. "What is the secret of
+that gray powder of which I had only given a pinch to my servant who was
+devoured by my dogs. What infernal concoction was it?"
+
+"Yes, madame, this gray powder--tell us its compounds," said
+Croustillac.
+
+"Oh, you indiscreet man!" said Angela, looking at the buccaneer, with an
+air of annoyance. "The chevalier will take me for a child; how shall I
+appear in his eyes if he thinks I occupy myself with such trifles?"
+
+"Have no fears on that score, madame," said Croustillac; "I am
+delighted, I assure you, to have these new evidences of your youthful
+candor! Well, worthy Nimrod, this gray powder?"
+
+"Truly, I am very much ashamed!" said Angela, hanging her head and
+lowering her eyes, and at the same time making a charming little
+grimace.
+
+"Imagine, then," said the buccaneer, "that I gave my servant just a
+little pinch of powder in a glass of brandy."
+
+"Well?" said Croustillac, with interest.
+
+"Well, for two days he was so gay that he laughed from night till
+morning and morning till night."
+
+"I do not see anything bad in that," said Croustillac.
+
+"But wait!" continued the hunter. "My servant did not do this from
+amusement, he suffered the torments of the damned; his eyes were
+bursting from their sockets, and he said, between his paroxysms of
+laughter, that such torture as he endured was beyond belief. The third
+day he suffered so that he fell as if in a fit, and remained thus a long
+time; all due to the pinch of madame's gray powder. It may not surprise
+you to learn that madame's second husband was as gay as a lark, and that
+he died very joyfully."
+
+"Oh! heavens, as if one could not commit a little mischief without being
+reproached by you," said Angela, like a capricious child.
+
+"Listen, comrade! she calls that a little mischief," said the hunter.
+"Just imagine! her second husband laughed so hard that the blood burst
+from his nose, eyes and ears. But whatever he laughed about, he did so
+as if he had seen the most amusing thing in the world. But that did not
+prevent him from saying, like my servant, that he would rather have been
+burned at a slow fire than suffer such gayety; he also died, laughing to
+the last, and swearing like a devil."
+
+"There! you go too fast," said Blue Beard, shrugging her shoulders.
+Then, whispering to the Gascon, "Friend, do not be afraid--I have lost
+the secret of the gray powder!"
+
+The chevalier, in an attempt to smile, made quite a grimace. He had left
+France at a time when the fearful practice in poisons was at its height,
+and people talked only of the heir's powder, the powder of the aged, and
+the widow's powder. The names, even, of certain poisons were cited with
+fear. Now Blue Beard's laughing powder could not but give rise to the
+most doleful reflections on the part of the chevalier. "So," he said to
+himself, glancing defiantly at Angela, "does this creature deal in
+chemistry and draughts--is this story true?"
+
+"What ails you, brother?" said the buccaneer, struck by Croustillac's
+silence.
+
+"You have made him afraid of me," said the widow.
+
+"No, my beautiful lady, no," said Croustillac, "I was thinking that it
+must be very pleasant to die thus of laughter!"
+
+"Faith, you are right, brother, one had better die so than as the last
+husband died." And the buccaneer shuddered with horror.
+
+"It appears that the death of the latter must have been more terrible
+than the former," said Croustillac, with affected carelessness.
+
+"As to that story, comrade, I will not tell you that, you would be
+afraid."
+
+"I? afraid?" and the Gascon shrugged his shoulders.
+
+Blue Beard leaned over and whispered again to the Gascon, "Let him tell
+it, friend; this tale, at least, is worth the trouble. I am going to
+trap Rendsoul."
+
+Then, addressing herself to the buccaneer, "Well, go on; speak! Why do
+you not speak? Do not pause in the middle of the road. You see the
+chevalier is listening with all his ears--go on, speak. I do not wish
+him to buy, as they say, a 'a cat in a bag.'"
+
+"You should say a tigress in a bag," replied, laughingly, the buccaneer.
+"Ah, well, sir," addressing Croustillac, "Fancy this third husband a
+man, handsome, of dark complexion, thirty-six years of age, a Spaniard
+by birth. We came across him at Havana."
+
+"Heavens! tell it quickly," said the widow, "the chevalier is impatient
+to hear."
+
+"It was not a gray powder that he tasted, this one," replied the
+buccaneer, "but a drop, one drop only, of a pretty green liquid
+contained in the smallest flask I ever saw in my life, for it was made
+of a single hollow ruby."
+
+"That is simple enough," said Angela, "the strength of this liquid was
+such that it would dissolve or break any flask which was not made of a
+ruby or a diamond."
+
+"You can judge, after that, chevalier," said the hunter, "of the
+pleasure which this liquid must have given our third husband. Certainly
+I am neither over-tender nor timid, but, after all, it is difficult to
+become accustomed to seeing a man who looks at you with green eyes,
+luminous, and set so deep in their orbit that they have the effect of a
+glowworm in the depths of a subterranean cave."
+
+"The fact is," said Croustillac, who could not prevent a slight shudder,
+"the fact is that at first this would appear strange."
+
+"That is not all; listen to the rest," said the widow with an air of
+perfect self-satisfaction.
+
+The buccaneer continued: "That was only his usual condition, poor man,
+having eyes like a glowworm, but what was most frightful was when madame
+gave a supper to Hurricane, myself and Youmaeale. She dipped a camel's
+hair brush into the little ruby flask and compelled the unhappy Spaniard
+to approach, and passed this brush over his eyelashes. Then one would
+have said that from the eyelashes of this unhappy man there issued a
+thousand rays; his green eyes, sunken in his head, protruded and rolled
+in their orbit like two globes of fire, and threw such varied and
+continual light that they sufficed to light up our feast, while the
+wretched man stood immovable as a marble statue, saying in a piteous
+voice, 'My head furnishes fuel for the lamps of my eyes!' It was well
+that the poor man could not see the fire," said the buccaneer, bursting
+into laughter at this cruel jest. "And when the supply of oil in the
+lamp failed, the madame's husband went to join his predecessors, in
+order to leave his place open to you."
+
+"What Rendsoul tells you is correct," said Blue Beard. "He is very
+indiscreet, as you see, but he is truthful. And so am I. I have singular
+ideas and caprices, I know; my God! I do not wish to represent myself as
+better than I am. Above all, I would be frank with you and conceal
+nothing. You would ask why my husbands are the only victims of my
+playfulness? I have no power over others. And I always warn them what
+will be their fate. It is that which makes it so difficult for me to
+find a husband. It is on these conditions alone that Satan signs my
+contract, and then this contract, signed by him, acquires a virtue as
+wonderful as mysterious. Alas! my friend, may he soon sign ours. I have
+thought of two preparations which are entirely different from the
+others, and the effects of which are truly magical."
+
+All this time Croustillac experienced a strange sensation, which he
+attributed to the fatigue of the day and the evening; it was as if a
+lethargy possessed his brain and almost took from him the power of
+resisting by use of his reason the impression made by these strange
+tales of the widow and the buccaneer. Without believing these fabulous
+inventions, he was nevertheless frightened by them as one is by a bad
+dream. The chevalier hardly knew whether he was awake or asleep; he
+looked at the buccaneer and the widow by turn, with a stupefied air,
+almost terrified. Finally, being ashamed to show his credulity, he rose
+abruptly and paced up and down a few minutes in the hope that movement
+would dispel the torpor which he felt overwhelming him.
+
+Croustillac did not wish to be a butt for these two persons, and he
+almost regretted having embarked so imprudently in this mad adventure.
+He said to Blue Beard resolutely, "Come, come, you are jesting, madame;
+do not trouble yourself; I comprehend the joke. I do not believe you as
+ferocious or as much of a magician as you wish to appear; to-morrow, I
+am sure I shall learn the secret of this comedy, which to-night, I avow,
+gives me a kind of nightmare."
+
+These words of the chevalier, spoken from no motive but to show the
+dwellers of Devil's Cliff that he did not intend to be their dupe,
+produced on Blue Beard a singular effect. She cast a terrified glance at
+the buccaneer, and said haughtily to Croustillac, "I do not jest, sir;
+you came here with the intention of marrying me; I offer you my hand,
+and I will tell you upon what conditions; if these are agreeable to you,
+we will be married in eight days; there is a chapel here; the reverend
+Father Griffen, of the parish of Macouba, will come hither in order to
+unite us; if my conditions do not meet with your approval, you can quit
+this house, where you never ought to have come."
+
+As Blue Beard proceeded her face lost its look of wicked cajolery; she
+became sad, almost menacing. "A comedy!" she said; "if I thought you
+took all that has been said as such, you should not remain a moment
+longer in this house, sir," she continued, in a changed voice, betraying
+her deep feeling.
+
+"No, the chevalier must not take it all as a jest," said the buccaneer,
+looking steadily at the Gascon.
+
+Croustillac, naturally impatient and vivacious, experienced vexation at
+not being able to discover what was true and what feigned in this
+singular adventure. He cried then, "Well, zounds! madame, what do you
+wish me to think? I encounter a buccaneer in the forest; I impart to him
+my desire to meet you; he informs me abruptly that you will yourself
+tell me that he has the good fortune to be in your good graces."
+
+"And then, sir?"
+
+"Then, madame, though I have warned him, the buccaneer has brought me to
+you, by whom I have been received with the greatest hospitality, I must
+acknowledge; I am introduced to you; informed of my desires, you
+yourself offer me your hand, you inform your friend the bull-hunter of
+my wishes."
+
+"Well, sir?"
+
+"Madame, up to that time all went well; but now the buccaneer wishes to
+inform me, with your consent, that I am reserved for a fourth deceased
+husband, and to succeed a man who laughed himself to death, and one
+whose eyes served as lights for one of your orgies!"
+
+"It is the truth," said the buccaneer.
+
+"How, the truth?" continued Croustillac, recovering his lost vivacity.
+"Are we in the land of dreams? Do you take the Chevalier de Croustillac
+for a simpleton? Do you think I am one of those weak-minded creatures
+who believe in the devil? I am not a goose, and I also ask twenty-four
+hours in which to demolish all these ridiculous stories."
+
+Angela became very pale, and threw a look of agony and indescribable
+fear on the buccaneer, and replied to the chevalier with ill-concealed
+anger, "Ah, who told you, sir, that all that has taken place is natural?
+Do you know why I, young and rich, offer you my hand the first moment I
+see you? Do you know what this union will cost you? You believe yourself
+to have a strong mind; who told you that certain phenomena would not go
+beyond your comprehension? Do you know _who_ I am? Do you know _where_
+you are? Do you know in consequence of what strange mystery I offer you
+my hand? A comedy?" repeated Blue Beard bitterly, regarding the
+buccaneer with an appearance almost of fear; "can you not be made to
+understand that all this is not a play, sir? It is hardly to be believed
+that your good angel brought you here, at least."
+
+"And then, after all, who told you that you would ever go out of this
+place?" said the buccaneer coldly.
+
+The chevalier recoiled a step, trembling, and said:
+
+"Zounds! no violence, at least--or if so----"
+
+"If so, what can you do?" said Blue Beard, with a smile which appeared
+to the Gascon implacably cruel.
+
+Croustillac thought, too late, of the doors he had shut behind him, of
+the difficult road he had had to traverse in order to reach this
+diabolical house; he saw himself at the mercy of the widow, of the
+buccaneer, and of their numerous slaves. He repented heartily and most
+earnestly of having so blindly entered upon such an enterprise. On the
+other hand, Croustillac, in contemplating the enchanting figure of Blue
+Beard, could not believe her capable of such bloodthirsty perfidy.
+Nevertheless, the strange avowals she had made him, the terrible reports
+concerning her, the threats of the buccaneer, began to make some
+impression upon the chevalier. Just then a mulattress came in to
+announce supper.
+
+During the gloomy reflections of the adventurer, Angela had a few
+minutes' conversation with the buccaneer, carried on in a low voice; she
+was, as a result, apparently satisfied and reassured, for, little by
+little, her brow cleared, and the smile again came to her lips. "Come,
+brave knight," said she gayly to the chevalier, "do not be afraid of me
+any more; do not take me for the devil; and do honor to the modest
+supper that a poor widow is only too happy to offer you."
+
+So saying, she graciously offered her hand to Croustillac. The supper
+was served with a sumptuousness, a refinement, which left no doubt in
+the chevalier's mind as to the enormous fortune of the widow. Only, we
+would say to the reader that the silver-gilt service was not engraved
+with the royal arms of England, as were the objects which were placed
+only before Blue Beard.
+
+In spite of the sprightliness and ideal grace of the widow, in spite of
+the witty sallies of the buccaneer, the supper was a gloomy one for
+Croustillac. His habitual assurance had given place to a kind of vague
+inquietude. The more charming Angela seemed to him, the more she
+exercised her fascinations, the greater the luxury which surrounded her,
+the more the adventurer found his distrust increased. In spite of their
+absurdity, the strange tales of the buccaneer kept returning to the
+remembrance of the chevalier--both the tale of the gray powder which
+caused one to die of laughter, and the liquid in the ruby flask which
+changed the eyes into brilliant lamps. While these recitals might not be
+more real than a bad dream past--the Gascon, from dread of some infernal
+dish, could not prevent himself from distrust of the viands and wines
+with which he was served. He observed the widow and the buccaneer
+closely; their manners were perfectly correct. Rendsoul bore himself
+toward Blue Beard with the proper degree of familiarity which a husband
+displays toward his wife before a stranger. "But then," the chevalier
+asked himself, "how does this reserve accord with the cynicism of the
+widow, who declared so cavalierly that the Caribbean and the filibuster
+shared her good graces with the buccaneer, without the latter being
+jealous in the slightest degree?" The Gascon asked himself still further
+what could be the object of Blue Beard in offering her hand to him, and
+what price she would put upon this union. He was too clear-sighted not
+to have noticed the lively emotion, sincere on the part of the widow,
+when she showed such indignation that the adventurer should believe her
+capable of playing a comedy in offering her hand. On this point
+Croustillac had not deceived himself. Blue Beard had been deeply moved;
+she had been in despair on seeing that the Gascon took for a jest or a
+comedy all that had passed at Devil's Cliff. She had been reassured on
+seeing the vague disquietude which the face of the chevalier showed in
+spite of himself. He was lost in vain conjectures. Never had he found
+himself in a situation so strange that the idea of a supernatural
+influence or power should present itself to his mind. In spite of
+himself, he asked himself if there was nothing unnatural in what he had
+seen and heard. The fact that he felt the first heavy agony of a
+superstitious terror struck him most disagreeably. He did not dare to
+acknowledge to himself that more determined men, wiser and more learned
+men than he, had, within the century, and even the latter part of it,
+testified a belief in the existence of a veritable devil. And then,
+finally, the adventurer had been until then much too indifferent in the
+matter of religion not to believe in the devil, sooner or later.
+
+This fear passed rapidly through the mind of the chevalier, but it would
+leave, for the future, an indelible mark; however, he reassured himself,
+little by little, at seeing the pretty widow do honor to the supper; she
+showed herself too fond of the pleasures of the table to be a spirit of
+darkness.
+
+The supper at an end, the three entered the drawing room, and Blue Beard
+said to the chevalier in a solemn voice, "To-morrow I will inform you on
+what conditions I will give you my hand; if you refuse them, you must
+leave Devil's Cliff. In order to give you a proof of my confidence in
+you I consent that you shall pass this night in the interior of this
+house, although I never accord this favor to strangers. Rendsoul will
+show you the rooms reserved for you." Saying this, the widow entered her
+own apartment. Croustillac remained absorbed in thought.
+
+"Ah, well, brother, how do you feel?" said the buccaneer.
+
+"What is your motive in addressing such a question to me? Is it
+sarcasm?" said the chevalier.
+
+"My motive is simply to know how you like our hostess."
+
+"Hum, hum--without wishing to detract from her, you must confess that
+she is a woman very difficult to estimate, at first sight," said
+Croustillac, with some bitterness. "You cannot be surprised if I
+consider the subject before I answer your question. To-morrow I will
+tell you my opinion, if I am able to answer, myself."
+
+"In your place I should not consider the subject," said the buccaneer.
+"I would accept, with eyes closed, all that she offered me, and I would
+wed her; for, by my faith, one cannot tell who will live or who die;
+tastes change with years. The days which succeed each other are
+dissimilar."
+
+"Ah, well, have done with your proverbs and parables," said the Gascon,
+exasperated. "Why do you not marry her yourself?"
+
+"I?"
+
+"Yes, you!"
+
+"Because I do not wish to die of laughter or have my eyes converted into
+lamps."
+
+"And do you think that I wish to do so?"
+
+"You?"
+
+"Yes; why should I more than you wish to see the devil sign my contract,
+as this woman playfully says?"
+
+"Then do not marry her; you are your own master; that is your lookout."
+
+"Certainly, it is my affair, and I will marry her if I choose! _Peste!_"
+exclaimed the chevalier, who began to fear that he was losing his wits
+by reason of this chaos of strange ideas.
+
+"Come, brother, be calm!" said the buccaneer; "do not worry yourself. Do
+you doubt I will keep my word? I have brought you to Devil's Cliff; the
+prettiest woman in the world offers you her hand, her heart and her
+treasures; what more would you have?"
+
+"I would understand all that has taken place, everything that has
+happened to me for the past two days, all that I have seen and heard
+to-night!" cried Croustillac, exasperated beyond bounds. "I would know
+if I am awake or dreaming."
+
+"You must not be too exacting, brother. Perhaps this night will bring
+you a dream which will explain and enlighten you upon these subjects.
+Come--it is late, the day has been hard; follow me." And, saying these
+words, the buccaneer took up a candle and made a sign to the chevalier
+to follow him.
+
+They passed through a number of sumptuously furnished rooms, and a
+little gallery, at the end of which they reached a very elegant
+bed-chamber, whose windows opened on the beautiful garden of which we
+have already spoken.
+
+"You have been a soldier or a sportsman, brother," said the buccaneer,
+"you will know, then, how to get along without a servant. No man, except
+myself, Hurricane, and the Caribbean has ever passed the first door of
+this place; our beautiful hostess has made an exception in your favor,
+but this exception must be the only one. Knowing this, brother, may God
+or the devil keep you in his care." The buccaneer went out, shutting
+Croustillac in by means of a double lock.
+
+The chevalier, much disturbed, opened a window which looked out on the
+little park. It was guarded by a trellis of steel netting which it was
+impossible to break, but which did not hide a view of the beautiful
+garden which the moon illumined with its soft light.
+
+Croustillac, ill at ease, examined the wainscoting and floor of his
+chamber, in order to assure himself that they did not cover any trap; he
+looked under his bed, sounded the ceiling with his sword, but failed to
+discover anything suspicious. Nevertheless, by way of further prudence
+and to make sure, the chevalier laid down in his clothing, after having
+placed his faithful sword at his side, within reach. In spite of his
+resolve not to go to sleep, the fatigue and emotions of his journey
+plunged him quickly into a profound slumber.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Angela, seated in the room of which we have spoken before, said to the
+buccaneer: "Unfortunately, this man is not so stupid and credulous as we
+had thought. Heaven grant he may not be dangerous!"
+
+"No, no; reassure yourself," said the buccaneer. "He has shown good
+stuff, but our two narratives have struck him; he will remember this
+night for a long time, and, what is better, he will talk about it.
+Believe me, all the exaggerations which he will use to embellish his
+recitals will only add to the strange stories afloat concerning Devil's
+Cliff."
+
+"Ah!" cried the widow, still alarmed at the remembrance of the
+adventurer saying that all was a comedy and that he would investigate
+it, "in spite of myself I am terrified."
+
+"There is nothing to be afraid of, I tell you, Madame Blue Beard," said
+the buccaneer gayly, kneeling before Angela, and looking at her
+tenderly. "Your diabolical reputation is too well established to suffer
+the slightest diminution; but acknowledge that I have an imagination,
+and that my gray powder and my green liquid accomplished wonders."
+
+"And my devil who witnesses my contract," said Angela, laughing merrily.
+
+"That is well; I love thus to see you laughing and merry," said the
+buccaneer. "When I see you sad and dreamy I am always afraid our retreat
+bores you."
+
+"Will you please hold your tongue, Monsieur Rendsoul? Have I the
+appearance of wearying near you? Are you jealous of your rivals? Ask
+them if I love them better than I do you. Have you not procured me this
+distraction and the sight of this Gascon, to whom I owe the most
+delightful amusement? I was unreasonable. Except for my stupid fears,
+this evening was charming, because you were here, your eyes on mine, my
+lover. Ah! the moonlight is superb, let us go for a walk in it
+outdoors."
+
+"Beyond the house?"
+
+"Yes; we will walk on the great cliff, you know, where one sees in the
+distance the ocean. On such a beautiful night it will be delicious."
+
+"Come, then, capricious child, take your mantle," said the buccaneer,
+rising.
+
+"Come, Sir Black Beard, take your Spanish sombrero and be ready to carry
+me in your arms, out of reach of stumbling, for I am lazy."
+
+"Come, Madame Blue Beard; but you do not wish to visit our guest?"
+
+"I am sure the poor devil has some horrible dream. Ah, well, to-morrow
+we will give him a guide and send him away."
+
+"No, keep him here another day. I will tell you what Father Griffen
+thinks of it; amusements are rare, he will amuse you."
+
+"Heavens! what a beautiful night," said Angela, opening the blinds of
+the window. "It will make me so happy to take a walk."
+
+Opening the outer doors of Devil's Cliff, the buccaneer and the widow
+left the house.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Contrary to his expectation, Croustillac passed an excellent night. When
+he awoke the following morning the sun was already high in the heavens;
+the blinds which were on his chamber windows had been lowered,
+fortunately, which softened the light. The chevalier had lain down with
+all his clothing on. He arose and went over to the window, and opened
+the blinds partially. What was his astonishment to see, at the end of a
+long walk bordered with tamarinds, that formed a screen almost
+impenetrable to the light, Blue Beard walking, negligently, leaning on
+the arm of a Caribbean of vigorous stature. This Caribbean was entirely
+dyed, according to custom, that is to say, painted with a kind of
+luminous composition of a reddish brown; his hair, black and glossy,
+parted in the center, fell on either side of his cheeks; his beard
+seemed carefully trimmed; his perfectly regular features partook of the
+character of calm severity peculiar to the savage; on his neck shone
+large crescents of carracolis (a kind of metal of which the West Indians
+alone knew the secret, and composed of gold, brass and silver).
+
+These ornaments, of a brilliant red, were curiously chased and incrusted
+with green stones, the color of malachite, and to these the Indians
+attribute all kinds of marvelous virtues. The Caribbean was clad in a
+loose white garment having a border of blue fringe; the large and
+sweeping folds of this costume would have served as a model for the
+drapery of a statue. With the exception of the neck, right arm naked to
+the shoulder, and the left leg, this cotton garment enveloped the
+Caribbean completely; on his wrist he had bracelets of carracolis also
+incrusted with green stones; his leg was half hidden by a kind of sandal
+made of bands of cotton stuff of a vivid color and very picturesque.
+
+Angela and Youmaeale, for this was he, were walking slowly, and came
+directly toward the window from the shadow of which the Gascon watched
+them. A pink girdle about the beautiful figure of the widow confined a
+long robe of white muslin; her blond curls fell around her fresh and
+youthful face, which the adventurer had not seen before by day. He could
+not refrain from admiring her white and clear complexion, her rosy and
+transparent cheeks, her eyes so limpid and blue.
+
+The evening before, Angela had appeared to Croustillac in brilliant
+apparel, and disturbed by the strange confidences of Blue Beard and the
+buccaneer, the admiration of the chevalier was mixed with distrust,
+impatience and fear, and he had been more alarmed than touched by the
+beauty of Angela; but when he saw her in the morning so simply pretty,
+he experienced a profound emotion; he was moved; he forgot Devil's Cliff
+and the cannibal, and thought only of the beautiful creature before him.
+Love, yes, true love took possession suddenly of the chevalier's heart
+just before so little in love. Though the growth of this sudden passion
+was so rapid and instantaneous, it was none the less sincere.
+
+Doubtless the evening before, Croustillac had suffered from too much
+agitation, too sudden astonishment, too strange preoccupations, to
+really appreciate Blue Beard; refreshed by a night's sleep, the past
+seemed like a dream and Angela appeared as if for the first time to him;
+admiring the supple figure outlined by the perfect fit of her white
+muslin robe, he forgot the brocaded dress studded with precious stones
+with which he was so impressed the preceding evening. He sought vainly
+to discover, in the ingenuous and charming features which he now beheld
+the diabolical smiles of the singular woman who had made such sinister
+pleasantries concerning her three deceased husbands. In fact, poor
+Croustillac was in love. Perhaps it was he and not Blue Beard who had
+changed; but with his new love came all kinds of cruel jealousy.
+
+Seeing Angela and Youmaeale walking together so familiarly, the
+adventurer experienced agony and new disquietude increased by an intense
+curiosity. Alas! what a sight for him. At times, Angela dropped the
+Caribbean's arm in order to pursue, with the ardent enjoyment of a
+child, the beautiful gold and blue insects, or to pick some lovely
+fragrant flower; then she would suddenly return to Youmaeale, always
+calm, almost solemn, who seemed to have a feeling of grave and tender
+protection for the young woman.
+
+At times the Caribbean gave his hand to the widow to kiss. Angela, happy
+and proud at this favor, carried the hand to her lips with an air at
+once respectful and passionate; she seemed a Caribbean woman accustomed
+to live a submissive and devoted slave to her master. Youmaeale held a
+magnificent flower which the widow had given him. He let it fall to the
+earth. Angela bent quickly, and picking it up, handed it to him, while
+the savage made no gesture to prevent her, or to thank her for this
+attention.
+
+"Stupid and gross animal!" cried Croustillac indignantly; "would one not
+think he was a sultan? How can that adorable creature bring herself to
+kiss the hand of a cannibal, who had no other way of sounding the
+praises of the good priest Simon than that he had eaten him! Yesterday a
+buccaneer, to-day a cannibal, to-morrow, without doubt, a filibuster.
+But she is a veritable Messalina!" continued Croustillac, at once
+despairing and feeling within himself a victim to a real passion.
+
+The widow and the Caribbean approached nearer and nearer the window
+where Croustillac stood watching them, and he could hear their
+conversation. Youmaeale spoke French with the slight guttural accent
+natural to his race; his words were few and brief. Croustillac overheard
+these words of the conversation:
+
+"Youmaeale," said the little widow, leaning on the arm of the Caribbean
+and looking tenderly at him, "Youmaeale, you are my master, I will obey
+you; is it not my duty, my sweet duty, to obey you?"
+
+"It is thy duty," said the Caribbean, who used that form, but which
+Angela did not. His dignity as the man demanded this.
+
+"Youmaeale, my life is your life, my thoughts are yours," returned
+Angela; "if you should tell me to put to my lips the deadly juice of
+this poisonous apple, I should do it, to show you that I belong to you,
+as your bow, your cabin, your canoe, belong to you."
+
+Saying these words Angela showed the silent Caribbean a yellow fruit
+which she held in her hand, and which contained the most deadly and
+subtle poison. Youmaeale, after subjecting Angela to the most piercing
+scrutiny, made an imperative gesture holding up the forefinger of his
+right hand. At this sign, the widow quickly raised the deadly fruit to
+her lips, and, had it not been for a movement still more rapid on the
+part of the Caribbean she would perhaps have given this fatal proof of
+passive obedience to the slightest caprice of her master. A movement of
+affright as fugitive as lightning, contracted the impassive features of
+the Caribbean as the widow lifted the apple to her lips; but he quickly
+recovered his coolness, lowering the hand of Angela, kissing the young
+woman gravely on the forehead, and saying to her in a sweet and sonorous
+tone, "It is well."
+
+At this moment the two pedestrians were so close to the window of
+Croustillac that the latter, fearing to be discovered eavesdropping,
+withdrew suddenly into his chamber, and said "How she frightened me with
+her poison. And this savage animal, who looks like a lobster, as much
+from the color of his skin as from his movements, says to her, 'It is
+well,' when this adorable woman, at a sign from him, would have poisoned
+herself; for once in love, women are capable of anything." Then, after
+some moments of cruel reflection, the Gascon exclaimed, "It is
+inexplicable that a woman should be in love with a man such as this one
+appears to be; with two, for this is evident; although it is an
+enormity! But it is impossible that she should love three at the same
+time; this descends to monstrosity--it is worthy of the lower regions.
+How! Blue Beard, linked to a buccaneer, and a filibuster, also has a
+frightful fancy for this cannibal who eats missionaries, without taking
+into account in addition that she proposes to me to marry her! Zounds!
+this is enough to make one lose his head. Decidedly I will not remain
+here; no, no, a thousand times, no! What I have seen has made me ill. I
+will not become so stupid as to take this woman; I should lose all my
+advantages. Real love makes one as stupid as a goose; during this last
+hour I have already lost more resolution than since my arrival here. My
+heart has melted; I feel myself inclined to do the most ridiculous
+things. Fly, fly; this is madness, a dream. I was born poor; I have
+always been poor; I will die poor. I will leave this house, I will seek
+out the worthy captain of the Unicorn. After all," said Croustillac,
+with a discouragement singular in a man of his character, "there are
+worse things than swallowing lighted candles to amuse Captain Daniel."
+
+These sad reflections were interrupted by the entrance of the old
+mulattress, who knocked at his door and informed him that the negro who
+had waited upon him in the capacity of valet the previous day was
+waiting for him in the outer building.
+
+Croustillac followed the slave, was dressed, shaved and thus went to
+wait upon Blue Beard in the same room where he had waited the preceding
+night.
+
+The widow shortly appeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+TRUE LOVE.
+
+
+At sight of Blue Beard, in spite of himself, Croustillac blushed like a
+schoolboy.
+
+"I was very disagreeable yesterday, was I not?" said Angela to the
+chevalier, with an enchanting smile. "I gave you a bad opinion of me
+when I permitted Rendsoul to tell all kinds of tricks; but do not let us
+speak of them any more. By the way, Youmaeale, the Caribbean, is here."
+
+"I saw you from my window, madame," said the chevalier bitterly, while
+he thought, "She has not the slightest shame. What a pity, with such an
+adorable face. There, Croustillac, be firm!"
+
+"Is Youmaeale not very handsome?" asked the widow with a triumphant air.
+
+"Humph! he is handsome for a savage," returned the chevalier,
+unwillingly; "but, now that we are alone, madame, explain to me how you
+can in one day (do not be shocked by this question which circumstances
+compel me to ask you), how you can in one day change your lover?"
+
+"Oh, it is simple enough; one comes, the other goes; it is very simple."
+
+"One comes, the other goes--it is very simple from this standpoint, but,
+madame, nature and morality have laws!"
+
+"All three love me truly, why should I not love all three?"
+
+This answer was made with such perfect candor that the chevalier said to
+himself, "It seems as if this unhappy woman must have been raised in
+some desert or cavern. She has not the slightest idea of good and evil;
+one would have to absolutely educate her." He said aloud, with some
+embarrassment, "At the risk of being taken for an indiscreet and
+wearisome person, madame, I would say that this morning, during your
+walk with the Caribbean, I both saw and heard you. How is it that at a
+sign from him you would dare, at the risk of poisoning yourself, lift to
+your lips the deadly fruit of the poisonous apple?"
+
+"If Youmaeale should say to me 'die' I should die," replied the widow.
+
+"But the buccaneer, the filibuster--what would they say if you should
+die for the Caribbean?"
+
+"They would say I had done right."
+
+"And if they demanded that you should die for them?"
+
+"I would die for them."
+
+"As you would for Youmaeale?"
+
+"As for Youmaeale."
+
+"Then you love the three equally?"
+
+"Yes, because all three love me equally."
+
+"She has a rooted idea and no one can dislodge it," thought the Gascon;
+"I lose my trouble. Her accent is too frank to be assumed. It may be
+that evil tongues have slandered a fraternal affection that this young
+woman bears for these three bandits. Though the buccaneer gave me to
+understand--after all, perhaps I misunderstood him and, as I am going to
+leave her, I would much rather believe her more innocent than culpable;
+although she does appear very hard to me to acquit." He went on: "A last
+question, madame. What was the object of the atrocious tales that you
+and the buccaneer related last night concerning two of your deceased
+husbands--that one had died of laughter and the other been used as a
+lamp, thanks to the intervention of Satan who always, according to the
+same story, signs your marriage contract? You must feel, madame, that,
+however polite I may be, it is extremely difficult for me to appear to
+believe such follies as these."
+
+"They are not follies."
+
+"How--you wish me to believe----"
+
+"Oh, you must believe them, and many other things, after you have
+evidence of them," said the widow, with a peculiar tone.
+
+"And when will you explain this mystery to me, madame?"
+
+"When I tell you the price I place upon my hand."
+
+"Ah, she is beginning to jest again," thought the Gascon. "I will appear
+to be duped, in order to see what she will do; I wish she was far
+away--that my stupid fancy were completely extinguished." Then aloud,
+"Was it not to-day that you were to say what price you place upon your
+hand, madame?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"At what hour?"
+
+"This evening, when the moon rises."
+
+"Why not now, madame?"
+
+"That is a secret you will know like others."
+
+"And if I marry you, you will give me but one year to live?"
+
+"Alas! only a year."
+
+"Let me appear duped," said the Gascon to himself; and aloud, "Is it
+your desire that my days should be so few?"
+
+"No, no!" cried the widow.
+
+"Then, personally, you do not dislike me?" said Croustillac.
+
+At this question the face of Blue Beard changed entirely and her
+expression became grave and thoughtful; she raised her head proudly, and
+the chevalier was struck with the air of nobility and goodness which
+overspread her face. "Listen to me," she said, with an affectionate and
+protecting voice. "Because certain circumstances in my life oblige me to
+a conduct often strange; because I perhaps abuse my liberty you must not
+think I have a contempt for men of heart."
+
+Croustillac looked at the widow with surprise. She was not the same
+woman. She appeared like a woman of the world. He was so taken aback
+that he could not speak.
+
+Blue Beard continued: "You ask me if I hate you; we have not yet reached
+the point where such sentiments, good or bad, can attain such extremity;
+but I am far from hating you; you are certainly very vain, very
+boastful, very arrogant----"
+
+"Madame!"
+
+"But you are good, brave, and you would be capable, I am sure, of a
+generous devotion; you are poor, of obscure birth----"
+
+"Madame, the name of Croustillac is as good as any other," cried the
+chevalier, unable to vanquish the demon of pride.
+
+The widow continued as if she had not heard the chevalier. "If you had
+been born rich and powerful, you would have made a noble use of your
+power and your wealth. Want has counseled you to more evil than she has
+made you perform, for you have suffered and endured many privations----"
+
+"But, madame----"
+
+"Poverty finds you careless and resigned; fortune would have found you
+prodigal and generous; in a word, what is of rare occurrence, you have
+not been more hurt by poverty than you would have been by prosperity. If
+the amount of your good qualities has not brought you much more than the
+heedlessness of youth, this house would not have been open to you, be
+certain of that, sir. If the proposition that I shall make you to-night
+is not agreeable to you, I am sure, at least, that you will not carry
+away a disagreeable remembrance of Blue Beard. Will you await me here?"
+she said, smiling, "I am going to take a look at Youmaeale's breakfast,
+for it is customary with the Caribbeans that the women alone take care
+of this, and I wish, in that respect at least, that Youmaeale should feel
+as if in his own cabin."
+
+So saying, the widow left. This interview was, so to speak, a finishing
+touch to the unhappy chevalier. Although the widow had shrewdly summed
+up the character of Croustillac, she had expressed it in a manner full
+of kindness, grace and dignity. She had, in fact, shown herself in a new
+light, which overthrew all the Gascon's suppositions. The simple and
+affectionate words of Angela, the sweet and noble look which accompanied
+them, rendered Croustillac prouder and happier than he would have been
+at the most extravagant compliments. He felt, with a mixture of joy and
+fear, so completely and hopelessly in love with the widow that had she
+been poor and friendless he would have been truly and generously devoted
+to her--the most unmistakable symptom of true love.
+
+The astounding presumption of the chevalier deserted him. He understood
+how ridiculous the part he had played must appear; and, as the property
+of true sentiment is always to make us better, more intelligent and more
+sensible, in spite of the chaos of contradictions which surrounded
+Angela's conduct, the chevalier discerned that these appearances must
+hide a grave mystery; he also said to himself that the intimacy of Blue
+Beard with her lovers, as she called them, covered, without doubt,
+another secret, and that this young woman was, as a consequence,
+slandered in a most unjust manner. He said, further, that the apparent
+ease with which Angela assumed a frightful cynicism before a stranger
+was not without some very pressing reason. In consequence of this
+rehabilitation of Blue Beard in the mind of Croustillac, she became in
+his eyes, completely innocent of the murder of her three husbands.
+Finally, the adventurer began to believe, so much had love metamorphosed
+him, that the solitary inmate of Devil's Cliff wished to mock him; and
+he proposed to clear up his suspicions that same night, when the widow
+should tell him the price she placed upon her hand.
+
+One thing embarrassed Croustillac--how could the widow have informed
+herself of his life so completely? But he remembered, with some
+exceptions, that he had not made any mystery of the greater part of the
+antecedents of his life on board the Unicorn, and that the business
+manager of Blue Beard's affairs at St. Pierre might have discussed the
+passengers with Captain Daniel. Finally, with a wisdom and good sense
+which did credit to the new feeling which animated him, Croustillac put
+these two cases to himself: Either Blue Beard wished to amuse herself,
+and that night would say to him frankly, "Sir, you have been an
+impertinent meddler; blinded by vanity, urged on by cupidity, you have
+made a wager that you would become my husband in a month's time; I have
+wished to torment you a little, and to play the ferocious part
+accredited to me; the buccaneer, the filibuster, and the Caribbean are
+my three servants in whom I have entire confidence; and as I live alone
+in a very isolated locality, each of them comes by turn to watch at
+night. Knowing the absurd stories afloat, I wished to amuse myself at
+the expense of your credulity; this morning, even, I saw from the end of
+the walk that you were spying upon me, and the comedy of the poisonous
+apple was arranged with Youmaeale; as for the kiss he placed upon my
+forehead"--here the chevalier was embarrassed for a moment as to how to
+excuse this part of the role which he supposed played by the widow; but
+he solved the question by saying to himself that, according to Caribbean
+customs, this familiarity was, doubtless, not considered strange.
+
+The chevalier felt that he must be satisfied with this explanation; and
+to do him justice (a little late, in truth) he would renounce his mad
+hopes, beg the widow to forget the conduct of which he had been guilty,
+kiss her hand and ask her to furnish him with a guide, resume his poor
+old garments, of faded green, and pink stockings, and return to a
+happier fate which awaited him in the cabin of the Unicorn's worthy
+captain.
+
+If, on the contrary, the widow had serious views in regard to the
+chevalier (which he found some difficulty in admitting to himself,
+although he was not blind to his own merit), he would repay her with the
+happiness of his life; he would charge himself personally with
+protecting his wife, and banish the buccaneer to his trading-station,
+the Caribbean to his hut, and the filibuster to his occupation; at
+least, if the widow did not prefer to return with him to France to live
+there.
+
+We must say to the honor of poor Croustillac that he hardly dwelt upon
+this last hope; he considered his first interpretation of the conduct of
+the widow as much more probable. Finally, by a natural reaction, of mind
+over matter, the triumphant boasting of the chevalier ceased at the same
+time with his conceit. His face was no longer distorted by grotesque
+vanity; for it expressed the better qualities of the
+chevalier--resolution, courage--we would add loyalty, for it was
+impossible to add more frankness to his conceit than was to be found in
+the Gascon.
+
+While the Chevalier de Croustillac waited with impatience the night of
+this day which promised to be so fertile in developments, because Blue
+Beard intended to signify her final intention, let us conduct the reader
+to Fort Royal, at Martinique, the principal port of the island, where
+the governor resided the greater portion of the time. There had
+transpired a new incident which demands our immediate notice.
+
+The shipyard at St. Pierre, where the Unicorn had touched, was intended
+for the anchorage of merchant vessels, just as the shipyard at Fort
+Royal was for ships-of-war.
+
+About the same time that Youmaeale was walking with Blue Beard, the
+lookout above the governor's house (at Fort Royal) signaled a French
+frigate; the watch sent his assistant to inform the officer of artillery
+commanding the battery at the fort, in order that he might fire a salute
+(as was the custom) to the king's flag, (the custom being to fire a
+salute of ten guns from all the ships-of-war when they came to anchor).
+To the great surprise of the lookout who repented then of having
+dispatched his assistant to the sergeant, he saw the frigate heave to,
+outside the roadstead, and lower a boat; this boat was propelled through
+the waves to the entrance of the port, while the frigate rode at anchor
+and waited for it.
+
+This proceeding was so strange that the lookout reported to the captain
+of the Governor's Guards, and related to him what had occurred, to the
+end that he could countermand the salute from the fort. This order
+given, the captain went at once to inform the governor of this singular
+evolution on the frigate's part.
+
+An hour later, the boat belonging to the French ship arrived at Fort
+Royal, and landed a person dressed like a man of some rank, who was
+accompanied by the lieutenant of the frigate. They went at once to the
+house of the governor, Baron de Rupinelle.
+
+The officer gave a letter from the captain commanding the Fulminante to
+the baron. His vessel was under orders to wait the result of the mission
+with which Monsieur de Chemerant was charged, and to depart at once.
+They had hastily taken on some fresh victuals and fresh water for the
+men on board. The lieutenant went out to attend to matters pertaining to
+reprovisioning the frigate, and Monsieur de Chemerant and the governor
+were alone.
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant was a man of from forty-five to fifty years, of a
+dark olive complexion which gave to his sea-green eyes an added charm;
+he wore a black peruke and a brown coat trimmed with gold braid. His
+features were intellectual, his words few, his eye piercing; his mouth,
+or rather his lips, were altogether too thin and compressed to ever
+smile; if he occasionally gave vent to sarcasm upon what had happened,
+his face became still more serious than usual. He had also very polished
+manners and showed his familiarity with the best society. His courage,
+discretion and coolness were such that Monsieur de Louvois had already
+frequently employed him in missions of the greatest difficulty and
+danger.
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant afforded a striking contrast to the governor,
+Baron de Rupinelle, a large and indolent man, having but one care, that
+of keeping cool; his face was gross, purple and full; his eyes,
+unusually round, gave him a look of perpetual surprise. The baron,
+honest and brave, but a perfect nonentity, owed his position to the
+powerful influence of the Colbert family to which he was related through
+his mother.
+
+In order to receive the lieutenant of the frigate, and Monsieur de
+Chemerant with proper courtesy, the baron had removed, much to his
+regret, a white cotton coat and a hat of Caribbean straw to put on an
+enormous blond wig, squeeze into a coat of a kind of blue uniform
+embroidered with gold braid, and buckled on a heavy shoulder-belt and
+sword. The heat was intense, and the governor anathematized the
+etiquette of which he was the victim.
+
+"Sir," said De Chemerant, who seemed perfectly indifferent to this
+tropical temperature, "can we speak without fear of being overheard?"
+
+"There is no danger on that score, sir; this door opens into my study
+where there is no one, and that one into the gallery which is also
+unoccupied."
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant arose, looked into the two places, and carefully
+shut both doors.
+
+"Pardon, sir," said the governor, "if we remain here with only two
+windows open----"
+
+"You are right, baron," said De Chemerant, interrupting the governor and
+shutting the windows with equal care, "that is more prudent; we might be
+heard from the outside."
+
+"But, sir, if we remain without a current of air we shall suffocate
+here. It will become a perfect oven."
+
+"That which I have the honor to say to you, sir, will not take long; but
+it concerns a state secret of the greatest importance, and the slightest
+indiscretion may jeopardize the success of the mission which has been
+confided to me by the king's command. You must accord me, then, the
+privilege of shutting ourselves in here until the close of our
+interview."
+
+"If it is the king's orders, I must submit, sir," said De Rupinelle,
+with a heavy sigh and wiping his forehead. "I am entirely at your
+service."
+
+"Be so good as to cast your eye upon my credentials from his majesty,"
+said De Chemerant; and he took a paper from a little box which he bore
+with great care and never intrusted to any one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+THE ENVOY FROM FRANCE.
+
+
+While the governor read his dispatch De Chemerant looked with a
+satisfied air at an object within his box and said to himself, "If I
+have occasion to use it, this will be perfect; my idea is excellent."
+
+"This order, sir, is regular; I must execute all the commands you give
+me," said the governor, looking at his visitor with profound
+astonishment. Then he continued, "It is so very warm, sir, that I must
+ask your permission to remove my wig, in spite of proprieties."
+
+"Make yourself comfortable, sir, make yourself comfortable, I beg of
+you."
+
+The governor threw his wig on the table and seemed to breathe more
+easily.
+
+"And now, baron, be so good as to reply to a number of questions which I
+have the honor to put to you." And De Chemerant took from his little box
+some notes wherein was stated, doubtless, what he wished to ask the
+governor.
+
+"There is, not far from the parish of Macouba, in the midst of woods and
+rocks, a kind of fortified mansion called Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"Yes, sir, and this same house does not bear a very good name. Chevalier
+de Crussol, my predecessor, made a visit to the place to learn what
+foundation there was for these rumors, but I have searched in vain for
+papers bearing upon this subject among his correspondence."
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant continued: "This house is occupied by a woman--a
+widow, baron?"
+
+"So thoroughly a widow, sir, that she has been surnamed in the country
+Blue Beard, because of the rapidity with which she has successively made
+way with the three husbands she has had. Might I venture to say that
+this cravat in stifling me, sir?" added the unhappy governor; "we do
+not usually wear them here, and if you will permit me----"
+
+"Take it off, sir, the service of the king will not suffer thereby.
+Chevalier de Crussol, your predecessor, you say, began an investigation
+on the subject of the disappearance of the three husbands of this Blue
+Beard?"
+
+"So they told me, sir, but I have never found any trace of this
+investigation."
+
+"Commander de Saint-Simon, who fulfilled the duties of governor after
+the death of De Crussol, and before your arrival here, did not deliver
+to you, baron, a confidential letter written by De Crussol?"
+
+"Yes--yes, sir," said the governor, looking at De Chemerant with
+profound astonishment.
+
+"This letter was written by De Crussol a short time previous to his
+death?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"This letter relates to the inhabitant of Devil's Cliff; is this not
+true, baron?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said the governor, more and more surprised to find De
+Chemerant so well informed.
+
+"Monsieur de Crussol assured you in this letter, upon his honor, that
+this woman called Blue Beard was innocent of the crimes imputed to her?"
+
+"Yes, sir, but how can you know?"
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant interrupted the governor and said, "Allow me to
+say, sir, that the king ordered me to make inquiries of you, and not
+replies. I have the honor to ask of you if, in this letter, the
+deceased, De Crussol, did not vouch for the entire innocence of the
+widow surnamed Blue Beard?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"He affirmed to you, on the faith of a Christian, and at the moment when
+he was about to appear before his God, also on his word as a gentleman,
+that you could, without prejudice to the service of the king, leave this
+woman at liberty and in peace?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"And that, finally, the Reverend Father Griffen, a man of well-known
+piety and the most honorable character, would be further surety for
+this woman, if you demanded it of him?"
+
+"Yes, sir, and, in truth, in a confidential interview, very special and
+very secret----"
+
+"Which you had with Father Griffen, baron, this religious man confirmed
+to you what De Crussol had stated in his last letter, and you made him,
+in form, a promise not to disturb the aforesaid widow?"
+
+The governor, unable to fathom his being so well informed, gazed at De
+Chemerant in bewilderment. The kind of emotion which this examination,
+joined to the oppressiveness of the air, occasioned, was choking the
+baron. After a short pause he said resolutely to De Chemerant, "Faith,
+sir, one must accommodate oneself to one's situation. I must ask
+permission to take off my coat. This trimming of gold and silver weighs
+a hundred pounds, I believe."
+
+"Take it off, take it off, baron; the coat does not make the governor,"
+he said gravely, with a bow; then he continued: "Thanks to the advice of
+De Crussol and the Reverend Father Griffen, the dweller at Devil's Cliff
+has not been disturbed, baron? You have not visited the place, in spite
+of the strange stories about it?"
+
+"No, sir, I assure you, the recommendation of the persons so respectable
+as Father Griffen and the deceased De Crussol were sufficient. And then
+the road to Devil's Cliff is impassable; the rocks bare and rent; it
+takes two or three hours to climb them; and faith, I assure you, sir, to
+make such a journey under the sun of the tropics," said the baron,
+wiping his forehead, which was perspiring at the mere thought of such a
+climb, "appears to me entirely inadvisable, because, morally, I am
+convinced that the aforesaid stories have no foundation, and I think in
+that I am not wrong."
+
+"Allow me, baron, to ask you some further questions."
+
+"At your service, sir."
+
+"The woman called Blue Beard has a counting house at St. Pierre?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Her business man is empowered to send out her vessels which are always
+destined for France?"
+
+"That, sir, is very easily verified in the clearing books of the
+captains.
+
+"And these registers?"
+
+"Are there in that case."
+
+"Will you take the trouble to look them over, baron, and to select from
+them some dates which I was going to ask of you?"
+
+The governor arose, mounted painfully on a chair, and took down a large
+volume bound in green leather, placing it on his desk; then, as if this
+exertion had redoubled the heat he was suffering from and exhausted his
+strength, he said to De Chemerant: "Sir, you have been, doubtless, a
+soldier; you can understand that we live a little carelessly; for,
+without further parley and asking pardon for the great liberty, I will
+remove my vest, if you please; it is embroidered in cloth and as heavy
+as a cuirass."
+
+"Take it off--take off everything that you wish to," replied De
+Chemerant with impervious gravity; "there is so little left for me to
+say to you that I trust you will not need to remove more of your
+apparel. Can you feel assured, other than from these facts, that the
+vessels loaded with cargoes by our widow have always been sent to
+France?"
+
+"Yes, sir," replied the governor, opening his register; then, following
+with the end of his finger the tables, he read, "'For Rochelle, for
+Rochelle, for Bordeaux, for Bordeaux, for Rochelle, for Rochelle, for
+Havre de Grace.' You see, sir, the vessels have always sailed for
+France."
+
+"That is well, baron. According to the direction, frequent enough, of
+vessels of commerce, which leave the counting-house wharves, it follows
+that Blue Beard (we will adopt the popular surname) can put a vessel to
+sea very quickly."
+
+"Doubtless, sir."
+
+"Has she not a brigantine always ready to put to sea, and which can in
+two hours be at the Creek of Caymans, not far from Devil's Cliff, where
+there is a little harbor," said De Chemerant, consulting his notes once
+more.
+
+"Yes, sir; this brigantine is called the Chameleon; Blue Beard recently
+placed it, very generously, at my service (through the mediation of
+Monsieur Morris, her man of business), to give chase to a Spanish
+pirate, and there is an old filibuster of a captain called Hurricane,
+who commands the vessel----"
+
+"We will speak of this filibuster later, sir, but this pirate----"
+
+"Was sunk in the Riviere des Saints."
+
+"To return to this filibuster, baron; he frequents the house of Blue
+Beard?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"As much so as another bad fellow, a buccaneer by trade?"
+
+"Yes, sir," said the baron in a dry tone, resolved to confine himself to
+the secondary role which De Chemerant imposed upon him.
+
+"A Caribbean also is often there?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"The presence of these men in the island is of how recent date?"
+
+"That I do not know, sir; they were established here at my arrival in
+Martinique. They say that the filibuster formerly pursued his calling on
+the north of the Antilles and the seas of the south. Like many captains
+who have made something by filibustering, he has bought here a little
+dwelling at the point of the island, where he lives alone."
+
+"And the buccaneer, baron?"
+
+"This kind of person is here to-day, gone to-morrow, according to
+whether the hunt is more or less abundant; sometimes he remains away a
+month, and it is the same with the Caribbean."
+
+"This information accords perfectly with that which was given me;
+beside, I do not speak of men of this sort other than by hearsay. They
+are far too unimportant, and too foreign to the mission which I am in
+charge of, to merit their occupying my attention for any length of time.
+They are, at most, passive instruments," continued De Chemerant to
+himself, "and they are probably very indirectly connected with this
+grave matter." Then, after a few minutes' reflection, he said aloud,
+"Now, baron, one more question: have not your secret police notified you
+that the English have tried to introduce themselves into this island
+since the war?"
+
+"Twice, lately, sir, our cruisers have given chase to a suspicious
+vessel coming from the Barbadoes seeking to approach from the windward,
+the only places where one can land in the island; elsewhere the coast is
+too rugged to permit landing."
+
+"Very good," said De Chemerant. After a moment's silence he said, "Tell
+me, baron, how long would it take to go to Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"About eleven hours; the roads are difficult, one could not reach there
+before nightfall."
+
+"Well, then, baron," said De Chemerant, taking out his watch, "in two
+hours from now, that is to say, at one o'clock in the afternoon, you
+will have the goodness to order thirty of your most reliable guards to
+arm themselves, to provide themselves with scaling ladders, one or two
+bombs, and to hold themselves in readiness to follow and obey me as they
+would yourself."
+
+"But, sir, if you wish to go to Devil's Cliff, you must start at once in
+order to arrive by daylight."
+
+"Doubtless baron; but as I desire to arrive in the middle of the night,
+you will see the wisdom of my not starting for two hours."
+
+"That is another thing, sir."
+
+"Can you procure for me a covered litter?"
+
+"Yes, sir, there is mine."
+
+"And can this go to Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"To the foot of the mountain only, not a step further, for they say it
+is impossible for a horse to climb the heaped-up and yawning rocks."
+
+"Very good; will you, then, be so good, baron, as to have this litter
+prepared, as well as a mount for me; I will leave it at the foot of the
+cliff."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"I warn you, baron, that it is of the greatest importance that the
+object of this enterprise be perfectly concealed; all will be lost if
+they are warned of my visit to Devil's Cliff; we shall not inform the
+escort of our destination until outside Fort Royal, and we shall make, I
+hope, as much haste as the roads will permit. In a word, baron,"
+continued the envoy, with a confidential air, which he had not assumed
+until then, "mystery is so much the more indispensable that it concerns
+a state secret and the future of two great nations."
+
+"Because of Blue Beard?" said the governor, questioning with a curious
+glance the cold and grave face of De Chemerant.
+
+"Because of Blue Beard."
+
+"How?" replied the baron. "Blue Beard, then, counts for something in a
+state secret, in the peace of two great nations?"
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant, who did not like repetition, made an affirmative
+sign and continued, "I also beg of you, baron, that you will see that
+the frigate's boat does not leave the wharf, so that I may return on
+board and put to sea without remaining here a second, if, as I hope, my
+mission be successful. Ah! I forgot; the litter must be such that it can
+be entirely closed."
+
+"But, sir, is it, then, a prisoner that you are in search of?"
+
+"Sir," said De Chemerant, rising, "a thousand pardons for repeating to
+you that the king ordered me to make inquiries of you instead of----"
+
+"Good, very good, sir," said the governor. "Then I may open the
+windows?" asked the baron, who was suffocated in this apartment.
+
+"I see nothing to prevent, baron."
+
+The governor arose.
+
+"So, baron," said De Chemerant, "it is understood that you do not inform
+the guide who is to conduct me of my destination, until the moment of
+our departure?"
+
+"But in the meantime, sir, if I send for him, what shall I say to him?"
+
+The visitor seemed astonished at the simplicity of the governor, and
+said to him, "Who is this guide, sir?"
+
+"One of my blacks, who works at the king's house, a good league from
+here. He is an oddity who has run away himself so often that he is more
+familiar with the inaccessible spots of the island than with the open
+roads."
+
+"Is this slave reliable, sir?"
+
+"Entirely, sir; he would have no object in leading you astray; beside, I
+will warn him that if he does, I will have his nose and ears out off."
+
+"It is impossible that he should resist such a consideration, baron. But
+to reply to your objection--how will this negro occupy himself until the
+moment of our departure?"
+
+"An idea!" cried the baron triumphantly; "he can be flogged; that will
+mislead him; he believes that no one summons him here other than for
+that reason."
+
+"That would be, certainly, an excellent means, baron, of working a
+diversion in his ideas, but it will suffice, I think, to keep him shut
+up until the moment of our departure. Ah! I had forgotten another thing,
+baron; I beg you will see that, during my absence, everything that can
+be found in the way of delicacies in fruit, vegetables, game, fine
+wines, confections, etc., etc., be sent on board ship. You need not
+consider expense, I will meet that."
+
+"I understand you, sir; I must collect, in the way of refreshments, all
+that it is possible to keep on board during the first days of the
+voyage, as much so as if it were for the entertainment of a person of
+the greatest distinction," said the governor curiously.
+
+"You understand me marvelously well, baron. But I fancy this black, our
+guide, has viewed, at least from the outside, the habitation at Devil's
+Cliff."
+
+"Yes, sir; and he tells very strange stories about that house and the
+solitudes where it is builded."
+
+"Ah, well, baron; here is a task for this slave; give orders that he be
+brought to me pending the time of our departure, and I will question him
+concerning what I wish to discover."
+
+"I will send in search of him at once," said the governor, going out.
+
+"May God or the devil convey this affair into safe harbor," said De
+Chemerant, when he was alone. "Fortunately, I have no need of the aid of
+this stupid governor; the greatest difficulty is still to be surmounted;
+but no matter, I have faith in my star. The affair of Fabrio-Chigi was a
+much more difficult matter, and then the hope, if not of a crown, at
+least almost of a throne, the ambition to direct the course of a great
+nation, the desire of recovering the good graces of the king, his
+relative, would not there be reasons sufficient to determine the most
+rebellious will? and, moreover, if these reasons were not enough," said
+De Chemerant, after some moments of silence, striking his little box,
+"here is another argument which will be, perhaps, more effectual."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Two hours later De Chemerant started for Devil's Cliff at the head of
+thirty of the Governor's Guards, armed to the teeth. A litter, drawn by
+two mules, followed this little detachment, preceded by the guide. This
+slave had had a long interview with De Chemerant, and, as a consequence,
+he had taken two scaling ladders and petards carried on a pack horse, a
+bundle of stout ropes with grapples of iron, and two axes. Moreover, De
+Chemerant had given orders to the lieutenant of the frigate to send him
+two good sailors chosen from among the fifteen sailors forming the crew
+of the boat which awaited, at the landing at Fort Royal, the result of
+the expedition.
+
+This little company set out, preceded by the guide, who, flanked by the
+two sailors, marched a little in advance of De Chemerant. After having
+followed the coast for a long time, the troop climbed a very high hill,
+and pressed on into the interior of the island.
+
+We will leave De Chemerant advancing slowly toward Devil's Cliff, and
+will rejoin Father Griffen at Macouba, and Colonel Rutler at the bottom
+of the precipice, where he had arrived by way of the subterranean
+passage, after the wildcats, by devouring the corpse of John, had
+removed the obstacle which before had held the English envoy in the
+cavern of the Caraibe.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+THE STORM.
+
+
+Monsieur De Chemerant had scarcely left Fort Royal at the head of his
+escort when a young mulatto of about fifteen, after having followed for
+some time, hiding in the ravines or the swamps, on seeing the troop take
+the road to Devil's Cliff, started with all haste for Macouba.
+
+Thanks to his perfect knowledge of the country and of certain roads not
+open, this slave reached Father Griffen's parish very soon. It was about
+four o'clock in the afternoon; the good priest was taking his afternoon
+nap, comfortably extended in one of the hammocks so ingeniously made of
+rushes by the Caribbeans. The young mulatto had the greatest difficulty
+in persuading one of the priest's two slaves to awaken his master;
+finally Monsieur concluded, after long hesitation, because of the deep
+and peaceful sleep of the priest, to do so.
+
+"What do you want?" said the priest.
+
+"Master, a young mulatto has come in haste from Fort Royal and wishes to
+speak to you at once."
+
+"A mulatto from Fort Royal," said Father Griffen, springing from his
+hammock. "Let him come in quickly. What do you want, my child?"
+continued he, addressing the young slave; "have you come by direction of
+Monsieur Morris?"
+
+"Yes, Father. Here is a letter from him. He told me to follow an escort
+of troops leaving Fort Royal this morning, and directed me, if they took
+the road to Devil's Cliff, to come and tell you, Father. His letter will
+explain the rest."
+
+"Very well, my child, the troop----"
+
+"Plunged into the Goyaviers valley, and took the road to the Black
+Rocks; that leads only to Devil's Cliff."
+
+Father Griffen, much disturbed, broke the seal of the letter and seemed
+overcome at its contents. He re-read it with evidence of the greatest
+surprise, and then said to the mulatto, "Go quickly and find Monsieur."
+
+The mulatto went at once.
+
+"An envoy from France has arrived; he had a long interview with the
+governor, and I fear he has started with armed men for Devil's Cliff, as
+Monsieur Morris believes," said the priest, walking up and down
+agitatedly. "Monsieur Morris does not know, cannot know more. But
+I--I--I tremble to think of the consequences of this visit. Doubtless
+the mystery has been unveiled. And how, how? Who can have put them on
+the scent? Did not the secret die with De Crussol? His letter is my
+guarantee. Did they not quiet the governor and cause him to give up all
+pursuit of this unhappy woman?" Then, referring to Monsieur Morris'
+letter, the priest continued: "'A French frigate which remains at anchor
+outside the roadstead, an envoy who confers for two hours with the
+governor, and who, after this interview, leaves for Devil's Cliff with
+an escort'--there is more than suspicion, there is certainty? They have
+come to carry her off. My God! can it be true? But, the secret--who but
+myself knew it? for I only knew it, oh, yes, I alone, at least unless a
+frightful sacrilege--but no, no!" said the priest, clasping his hands
+with terror. "Such a thought on my part is a crime. No, it is
+impossible. I would rather believe it was indiscretion on the part of
+the only person who has an interest for life or death in the mystery,
+than that it should be the most impious treachery. No, a thousand times
+no; it is impossible! but I must start at once for Devil's Cliff.
+Perhaps I can get the advance of this man who has left Fort Royal with
+an escort. Yes, by hurrying, I may do it. I will find that unlucky
+Gascon; they have nothing to fear there. His extraordinary appearance on
+board made me believe the poor devil, for a time, to be an emissary from
+London or Saint-Germain; but I have, as they say, turned him inside out,
+in every way. I mentioned before him abruptly certain names which, had
+he been in the secret, he would have found it impossible not to betray
+it, however guarded he might be, and he remained impassible. I
+understand men too well to have been deceived by him; the chevalier is
+nothing but a crazy adventurer, a spoiled child, in whom, after all,
+good qualities triumph over the bad ones."
+
+At this moment Monsieur appeared.
+
+"Saddle Grenadille at once."
+
+"Yes, master."
+
+"Unchain Colas."
+
+"Yes, master."
+
+"Do not forget to put my large traveling cloak behind my saddle."
+
+"Yes, master."
+
+The black went out, then returned almost immediately, saying, "Master,
+shall I arm Colas?"
+
+"Certainly, we go through the forest."
+
+While his mare was being saddled, the priest continued to pace up and
+down restlessly. All at once he cried, with fright, as if struck by a
+sudden thought, "But if I have been deceived; if this adventurer, under
+a guise of frivolity, concealed some plan coolly resolved upon--some
+sinister design? But no! no! cunning and dissimulation could not attain
+to such an odious perfection. But what if his errand coincides with that
+of this man who has started out with an escort? And I, I who have
+answered for this adventurer, I who in my letter of yesterday have
+almost approved their decision concerning him, thinking, as they did,
+that this Gascon by repeating the mysterious stories connected with
+Devil's Cliff, would only advance the ends of those who live there. But
+what if I have been deceived? if I have helped introduce a dangerous
+enemy there? But no! he would have taken action before this if he had
+known the secret. And still--no! no! perhaps he waited the arrival of
+this frigate and this emissary before acting? Perhaps he is working with
+him? Oh! I am in terrible uncertainty."
+
+So saying, Father Griffen went out quickly to hasten the preparations
+for his departure. Monsieur was saddling Grenadille and Jean was arming
+Colas.
+
+Some explanation is necessary in order to instruct the reader in regard
+to a new actor of which we have thus far had no occasion to speak. Colas
+was a boar, possessed of marvelous intelligence; this boar always
+accompanied him and went ahead on these excursions. Thanks to their
+long, rough hair, and to their thick coat of fat, which impedes and
+congeals, so to speak, the sting of serpents, boars and even
+domesticated pigs carry on in the colonies a desperate war with these
+reptiles; Colas was one of their most intrepid enemies. His armor
+consisted of a kind of muzzle of iron pierced with little holes, and
+ending in a kind of very sharp crescent. This protected the end of the
+boar's head, its only vulnerable part, and furnished him with a
+formidable weapon against serpents. Colas always preceded Grenadille
+some steps, clearing the road and putting to flight the serpents which
+would have stung the mare.
+
+Father Griffen, if he had known of the abrupt departure of Croustillac
+(the adventurer had, as we know, left the parsonage without any farewell
+to his host), would have offered Colas to the chevalier, when he became
+assured that Croustillac was absolutely determined to penetrate the
+forest. The priest thought that the boar would protect Croustillac from
+some of the dangers to which he would be exposed; but the early flight
+of the latter rendered the thoughtfulness of Father Griffen futile.
+
+After placing the house in charge of the two blacks, on whose
+faithfulness he knew he could count, the priest spurred Grenadille,
+whistled to Colas, who responded with a joyful grunt, and like another
+St. Antony, the good father took the road which would lead him to
+Devil's Cliff, fearful of arriving too late, and also of encountering on
+the way De Chemerant, whom he could with difficulty hope to head off.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The reader will remember that, thanks to the voracity of the wildcats
+which had devoured the corpse of the sailor John, Colonel Rutler had
+been enabled to emerge from the pearl-fisher's cave by way of the
+underground passage. In order to understand the extreme importance and
+difficulty of the expedition which Colonel Rutler had undertaken, we
+must recall to the reader that the park contiguous to Blue Beard's
+mansion ran from north to south, like a kind of isthmus surrounded by
+abysms. On the east and west these abysms were almost without bottom,
+for on these sides the furthermost trees of the garden overhung a peak
+of tremendous height, whose granite face was washed by the deep and
+rapid waters of two torrents. But on the north, the park jutted on a
+steep incline, accessible, though dangerous in the extreme.
+Nevertheless, this side of the garden was sheltered from attack, for in
+order to climb these rocks, less perpendicular than those on the east
+and west, it was necessary to first descend to the bottom of the abyss
+by the opposite side, an undertaking physically impossible to attempt,
+even with the aid of a rope of sufficient length, the face of the rock
+sometimes jutting out and sometimes broken by the angles of the rocks
+projecting or receding.
+
+Colonel Rutler, on the contrary, having passed through the underground
+passage, had at once reached the foot of the precipice; there remained
+for him only to essay the perilous ascent in order that he might gain
+entrance into Devil's Cliff. It would take about an hour to climb these
+rocks; he did not wish to enter the park surrounding the mansion until
+night had fallen; he waited before starting on his road, until the sun
+should be setting. The colonel had thrust the skeleton of John out of
+the passage. It was thus, near these human remains, in a profound and
+wild solitude, in the midst of a veritable chaos of enormous masses of
+granite thrown up by the convulsions of nature, that the emissary of
+William of Orange passed some hours, reclining in a cleft in the rocks
+in order to escape the heat of a tropical sun.
+
+The oppressive silence of this solitary place was now and then
+interrupted by the roar of the sea as it fell upon the beach. Soon the
+golden light of the sun became more rosy; great angles of light outlined
+the face of the rocks where one could discern the further trees of Blue
+Beard's park, becoming fainter, little by little; and dull mists began
+to envelop the bottom of the abyss where Rutler waited. The colonel
+judged it time to depart.
+
+Notwithstanding his rare energy, this man of iron felt himself seized,
+in spite of himself, with a kind of superstitious fear; the horrible
+death of his companion had affected him keenly, the enforced fast to
+which he had been subjected since the preceding evening (he could not
+bring himself to eat the serpent), mounted to his head, causing singular
+and sinister ideas; but, surmounting this weakness, he commenced the
+ascent.
+
+At first Rutler found the points of support allowed him to rapidly climb
+a third of the face of the cliff. Then serious obstacles began to
+present themselves; but with dogged courage he surmounted them. At the
+moment when the sun disappeared suddenly below the horizon, the colonel
+reached the summit of the cliff; broken by fatigue and pain, he fell
+half-fainting at the foot of the further trees of the park at Devil's
+Cliff; happily among these were several cocoanut trees; a large quantity
+of ripe nuts lay on the ground. Rutler opened one with the point of his
+dagger; the fresh liquid inclosed within appeased his thirst, and its
+nourishing pulp his hunger. This unexpected refreshment renewed his
+strength, and the colonel penetrated resolutely into the park; he walked
+with extreme caution, guiding himself by the instructions John had given
+him, in order that he might reach the white marble fountain not far from
+which he wished to conceal himself. After walking some time in this
+obscurity, under a tall forest of orange trees, Rutler heard in the
+distance a slight sound as of a stream of water falling into a basin;
+soon after he reached the border of the orange grove, and by the faint
+light of the stars--for the moon would not rise until later--he saw a
+large vase of white marble, situated in the midst of a circular space,
+on all sides surrounded with trees. The colonel, pushing aside some
+thick shrubs of Indian plants, enormous reeds which grow abundantly in
+that humid soil, hid himself some steps away from the fountain and
+quietly awaited events.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In order to sum up the chances of the safety or danger to which the
+mysterious dwellers at Devil's Cliff were exposed, we must remind the
+reader that De Chemerant had started from Fort Royal in the afternoon,
+and was advancing with all haste; that Father Griffen had hastily left
+Macouba in order to head off the French envoy; and that Colonel Rutler
+had secreted himself in the center of the garden.
+
+We must now relate all that since the morning had passed over the heads
+of Youmaeale, Blue Beard and the Chevalier de Croustillac.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+THE SURPRISE.
+
+
+We left the adventurer under the unexpected attack of a passion as
+sudden as it was sincere, and waiting impatiently the explanation,
+possibly the hope, which Blue Beard was about to give him.
+
+After partaking of a repast respectfully served him by Angela, to the
+despair of the chevalier, the Caribbean gravely withdrew and seated
+himself on the border of a small lake, under the shadow of a mangrove
+tree which grew on its bank; then resting his elbows on his knees and
+his chin in the palms of his hands Youmaeale gazed into space, and
+motionless maintained for a long time the contemplative idleness so dear
+to savage races.
+
+Angela had re-entered the house. The chevalier walked up and down in the
+park, throwing, at intervals, a jealous and angry glance at the
+Caribbean. Impatient at the silence and immobility of his rival, and
+hoping, perhaps, to draw from him some information, Croustillac placed
+himself near Youmaeale, who, however, did not appear to notice him.
+Croustillac moved and coughed; no change on the part of the Caribbean.
+Finally the chevalier, with whom patience was not a favorite virtue,
+touched him lightly on the shoulder and said, "What the devil have you
+been looking at for the past two hours? The sun is nearly setting, and
+you have not moved."
+
+The Caribbean turned his head slowly toward the chevalier, looked
+fixedly at him, still resting his chin on his palms, and then resumed
+his former attitude, without replying.
+
+The adventurer colored angrily, and said, "Zounds! when I speak, I wish
+to be answered."
+
+The Caribbean maintained silence.
+
+"These grand airs do not impress me," cried Croustillac. "I am not one
+of those to be eaten alive!"
+
+No answer.
+
+"Zounds!" continued the chevalier; "do you not know, stupid cannibal
+that you are, I can make you take an involuntary bath in the lake as a
+means to teach you manners, and in order to civilize you, you savage?"
+
+Youmaeale arose gravely, threw a disdainful glance at the chevalier, then
+pointed at an enormous trunk of a mahogany tree with gnarled roots which
+formed the rustic bench upon which he had been sitting.
+
+"Well, what of it?" said the chevalier. "I see that trunk, but I do not
+understand your gesture, unless it signifies that you are as deaf and
+dumb and as stupid as that tree."
+
+Without responding to this, the Caribbean stooped, took the trunk of the
+tree in his muscular arms, and threw it into the lake with a significant
+gesture, which seemed to say, "That is how I could treat you." Then he
+slowly withdrew, without having revealed in his features the slightest
+emotion.
+
+The chevalier was stupefied by this proof of extraordinary strength; for
+the block of mahogany tree appeared to him, and in fact was, so heavy
+that two men could with difficulty have accomplished what the Caribbean
+unaided had done. His surprise having passed, the chevalier hastened
+after the savage, exclaiming, "Do you mean to say that you would have
+thrown me into the lake as you threw that trunk?"
+
+The Caribbean, without pausing in his passage, bent his head
+affirmatively.
+
+"After all," thought Croustillac, halting, "this eater of missionaries
+is not lacking in good sense; I threatened him first with throwing him
+into the water, and after what I have seen I am obliged to confess that
+I should have found it hard to do so, and then it would have been rather
+a dishonorable way in which to dispose of a rival! Ah, the evening is
+slow in coming. Thank God! the sun is setting, the night will soon fall;
+the moon will rise and I shall know my fate; the widow will tell me
+everything, I shall unravel all the profound mystery which is hidden
+from me now. Let me think over the sonnet which I have reserved for a
+grand effect--it is intended to describe the beauty of her eyes. Perhaps
+she has never heard a sonnet--possibly she will be sensible of its
+beauty and spirit; but no, I cannot hope for that happiness."
+
+Pacing the path with long strides, Croustillac began to declaim his
+verses:
+
+    "They are not eyes, they are two gods,
+    Which are robed in power complete.
+    Gods? nay, they are the heavens----"
+
+The adventurer was not to finish his verse, for Mirette came to inform
+him that her mistress was awaiting him at supper. The Caribbean never
+partook of this meal, and Croustillac was to be alone with the widow.
+She seemed dreamy and said little; she started involuntarily and
+frequently.
+
+"What troubles you, madame?" said Croustillac, also preoccupied.
+
+"I do not know; strange presentiments, but I am foolish. It is your
+gloomy face that gives me the blues," she added, with a forced smile.
+"Come, amuse me a little, chevalier. Youmaeale is doubtless at this
+moment worshiping certain stars, and I am surprised at not seeing him;
+but it rests with you to make me forget his absence."
+
+"Here is an excellent opportunity to produce my sonnet," said the Gascon
+to himself. "If I dared, madame, I would recite some little verses which
+might, perhaps, interest you."
+
+"Verses--how? are you a poet, chevalier?"
+
+"All lovers are, madame."
+
+"That is an admission--you are in love, in order to be entitled to be a
+poet?"
+
+"No, madame," said Croustillac sadly. "I am in love by right of
+suffering."
+
+"And to chant your sad martyrdom--let us hear the verses."
+
+"The verses, madame, do all in their power to picture two blue eyes,
+blue and beautiful, like yours; it is a sonnet."
+
+"Let us have this sonnet."
+
+And Croustillac recited the following lines in a languorous and
+impassioned tone:
+
+    "They are not eyes, rather gods are they,
+    They are above kings in power true.
+    Gods, no! they are the heavens of tender blue,
+    And their radiant glance makes kings obey."
+
+"One must choose, chevalier," said Blue Beard; "are they eyes, or gods,
+or the heavens?"
+
+Croustillac's reply was a happy one:
+
+    "The heavens, no! each a radiant sun
+    Whose burning rays but blind the view.
+    Suns? not so, but light so strong, so true,
+    They predict the love but just begun!"
+
+"Really, chevalier, I am curious to know where you will stop. Suns, I
+own, please me; gods also."
+
+Croustillac continued with a languorous softness:
+
+    "Ah! if gods, would they work me ill?
+    If the heavens, would add more sorrow still?
+    Two suns? 'tis false--that orb is one----"
+
+"Ah, heavens, chevalier, you delight me; among all these charming
+comparisons there remains nothing more for me but lightening----"
+
+Croustillac bowed his head:
+
+    "Stars! no, the stars are too many, too clear,
+    Always my meaning shineth still,
+    Eyes, gods, suns, and stars appear."
+
+"How charming; at least, chevalier," said Angela, laughing, "you have
+given me a choice of comparisons, and I have but to select; therefore I
+shall keep them all--gods, heavens, suns and stars."
+
+The adventurer looked at Blue Beard a moment in silence; then he said,
+in a tone the sadness of which was so sincere that the little widow was
+struck by it, "You are right, madame; this sonnet is absurd; you do well
+to mock at it, but what would you have? I am unhappy, I am justly
+punished for my mad presumption, my stupidity."
+
+"Ah, chevalier, chevalier, you forget my request; I told you to divert
+me, to amuse me----"
+
+"And if, in so doing, I suffer? if, in spite of my absurd situation, I
+experience a cruel mortification; how can I play the buffoon?"
+
+The adventurer uttered these words quietly but in a penetrating tone,
+and with considerable emotion. Angela looked at him in astonishment, and
+was almost touched by the expression of the chevalier's face. She
+reproached herself for having played with this man's feelings; after
+all, he lacked neither heart, courage nor goodness; these reflections
+plunged the young woman into the midst of melancholy thoughts. In spite
+of the passing effort which she had made to be gay and to laugh at the
+sonnet of the Gascon, she was a prey to inexplicable forebodings,
+oppressed by vague fears, as if she felt instinctively the dangers that
+were gathering about her.
+
+Croustillac had fallen into a sad reverie. Angela's eyes fell upon him
+and she felt sorry for him; she would no longer prolong the mystery of
+which he was a victim. She rose abruptly from the table and said to him,
+with a serious air, "Come, we will walk in the garden and rejoin
+Youmaeale. His absence worries me. I do not know why, but I am oppressed
+as if a violent tempest were about to break upon this house."
+
+The widow left the room, the chevalier offered her his arm, and they
+descended into the garden, where they sauntered through the different
+paths. The adventurer was so impressed by the anxious frame of mind in
+which he saw Angela that he retained little hope, and hardly dared to
+recall to her the promise which she had made him. Finally he said with
+some embarrassment, "You promised me, madame, to explain the mystery
+of----"
+
+Blue Beard interrupted the chevalier by saying, "Listen to me, sir;
+whether it is owing to timidity or to premonition, I grow more and more
+agitated--it seems to me that misfortune menaces us; on no account would
+I at this time, and in the condition of my spirits, prolong any further
+a jest which has already lasted too long."
+
+"A jest, madame?"
+
+"Yes, sir; but I beg of you, let us descend to the lower terrace. Do you
+see Youmaeale there?"
+
+"No, madame; the night is very clear, but I see no one. You say, then, a
+jest only----"
+
+"Yes, sir; I learned through our friend, Father Griffen, that you
+intended to offer yourself to me; I sent the buccaneer to meet you,
+charging him to bring you here. I received you with the intention, I
+confess, and I beg your pardon, of amusing myself a little at your
+expense."
+
+"But, madame, this evening, even, you intended to explain to me the
+mystery of your triple widowhood--the death of your husbands and the
+presence successively, of the filibuster, the----"
+
+Angela interrupted the Gascon by saying, "Do you not hear a footfall? Is
+it Youmaeale?"
+
+"I hear nothing," said Croustillac, overwhelmed in the view of his
+ruined hopes, though he held himself in readiness for anything, now that
+a true love had extinguished his stupid and foolish vanity.
+
+"Let us go further," said Blue Beard; "the Caribbean is among the orange
+trees by the fountain, perhaps."
+
+"But, madame, this mystery?"
+
+"The mystery," replied Angela, "if it is one, cannot, must not be solved
+by you. My promise to reveal this secret to you to-night was a jest of
+which I am now heartily ashamed, I tell you; and if I kept this foolish
+promise it would be to make you the object of another mystery more
+culpable still."
+
+"Ah, madame," said the chevalier quickly, "this is very cruel."
+
+"What more would you ask, sir? I accuse myself and beg your pardon,"
+said Angela, in a sweet and sad voice. "Forget the folly of what I have
+said; think no longer of my hand, which can belong to no one; but
+sometimes remember the recluse of Devil's Cliff, who is, perhaps, at
+once very culpable and very innocent. And then," she continued
+hesitatingly, "as a remembrance of Blue Beard, you will permit me, will
+you not, to offer you some of the diamonds of which you were so enamored
+before you had seen me."
+
+The chevalier blushed with shame and anger; the pure feeling which he
+felt for Angela made him feel as derogatory an offer which at one time
+would, doubtless, have been accepted without the slightest scruple.
+"Madame," said he, with as much pride as bitterness, "you have accorded
+me hospitality for two days; to-morrow I shall leave; the only request I
+make of you is to give me a guide. As to your offer, it wounds me
+doubly----"
+
+"Sir!"
+
+"Yes, madame, that you should believe me low enough to accept payment
+for the humiliating circumstances----"
+
+"Sir, such was not my idea."
+
+"Madame, I am poor, I am ridiculous and vain; I am what is termed a man
+of expediencies; but even I have my point of honor."
+
+"But, sir----"
+
+"But, madame, that I should barter my pride and will as an exchange for
+the hospitality offered me, would be a bargain like another, worse than
+another, perhaps; so be it; when one places oneself in dependence upon
+another more fortunate than oneself, one must be content with anything.
+I entertained the captain of the Unicorn in exchange for my passage,
+which he gave me on board his vessel. We are quits. I have cut a
+contemptible figure, madame; I know it more fully than any one else, for
+I have known misfortune more fully."
+
+"Poor man!" said the widow, touched by his avowal.
+
+"I do not say this to be pitied, madame," said Croustillac proudly. "I
+only desire to make you understand that if, from necessity, I have been
+compelled to accept the part of a complacent guest, I have never
+received money as a compensation for an insult." Then he continued, in a
+tone of profound emotion, "Can you, madame, be ignorant of the wrong
+which has been done me by this proposition, not so much because it is
+humiliating, as because it was made by you? My God! you wished to amuse
+yourself with me: that I would have endured without complaint; but to
+offer me money to compensate for your raillery--ah! madame, you have
+made me acquainted with a misery of which I was heretofore ignorant."
+After a moment's silence he continued, with added bitterness, "After
+all, why should you have treated me otherwise? Who am I? Under what
+auspices did I come here? Even the clothes I wear are not my own! Why
+concern yourself with me?"
+
+These last words of the poor man had an accent of such sincere grief and
+mortification that the young woman, touched by them, regretted deeply
+the indiscreet proffer she had made him. With bent head she walked
+beside Croustillac. They arrived, thus, near the fountain of white
+marble of which they had spoken.
+
+The young widow still leaned on the adventurer's arm. After a few
+minutes of reflection she said, "You are right; I was wrong. I judged
+you wrongly. The compensation I offered you was almost an insult; but do
+not for a moment think that I wished to humiliate you. Recall what I
+said to you this morning of your courage and the generosity of your
+heart. Well, all this I still think. You say you love me; if this love
+is sincere it cannot offend me; it would be wrong in me to receive so
+flattering a feeling with contempt. So," she continued, with a charming
+air, "is peace declared? Are you still angry with me? Say no, that I may
+ask you to remain here some days as a friend, without fear of your
+refusal."
+
+"Ah, madame," cried Croustillac, with transport "order, dispose of me--I
+am your servant, your slave, your dog. These kind words which you have
+spoken will make me forget all! Your friend! you have called me your
+friend! Ah, madame, why am I only the poor younger son of a Gascon? I
+should be so happy to have it in my power to prove my devotion."
+
+"Who knows but that I have a reparation to make you? Await me here; I
+must go and look for Youmaeale and find something, a present, yes,
+chevalier, a present which I defy you to refuse this time."
+
+"But, madame----"
+
+"You refuse? Ah, heavens! when I think that you desired to be my
+husband! Wait here, I will return." And so saying, Angela, who had
+reached the marble fountain, turned quickly into the path in the park on
+the side of the house.
+
+"What does she wish to say--to do?" asked Croustillac of himself,
+looking mechanically into the fountain. Then he exclaimed, with fervor,
+"It is all the same, I am hers for life and death; she has called me her
+friend. I shall perhaps never see her again, but all the same, I worship
+her; that cannot hurt any one; and I do not know but that it will make
+me a better man. Two days ago I would have accepted the diamonds; to-day
+I would be ashamed to do so. It is wonderful how love changes one."
+
+Croustillac was suddenly interrupted in the midst of his philosophical
+reflections. Colonel Rutler, by the uncertain light of the moon, had
+seen the adventurer walking arm in arm with Blue Beard; he had heard her
+last words--"my husband; wait for me here." Rutler had no doubt that the
+Gascon was the man for whom he was looking; he sprang suddenly from his
+hiding-place, hurled himself upon the chevalier threw a cloak over his
+face, and, profiting by Croustillac's surprise, felled him to the
+ground. Then he passed a rope around his hands and had quickly mastered
+his captive's resistance, thanks to great strength. The chevalier was
+thus overpowered, garroted and captured in less time than it has taken
+to write these words.
+
+This accomplished, the colonel held a dagger at Croustillac's throat,
+and said, "My lord duke, you are dead if you make a movement, or if you
+call Madame the Duchess to your aid. In the name of William of Orange,
+King of England, I arrest you for high treason, and you will follow
+me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+MY LORD DUKE.
+
+
+Suddenly attacked by an adversary of extraordinary strength, Croustillac
+did not even attempt to resist. The cloak which enveloped his head
+almost deprived him of breath. He could hardly utter a few inarticulate
+cries. Rutler leaned over him and said in English, with a strong Dutch
+accent, "My lord duke, I can remove this cloak, but beware, if you call
+for aid you are a dead man; can you feel the point of my dagger?"
+
+The unfortunate Croustillac did not understand English, but he
+understood the dagger's point, and exclaimed, "Speak French!"
+
+"I can understand that your grace, having been brought up in France,
+should prefer that language," replied Rutler, who believed that his
+Dutch accent made his words a little obscure, and he continued, "You
+must pardon me, my lord, if I do not express myself very well in French.
+I have the honor to inform your grace that at the slightest sound from
+you I shall be compelled to kill you. It depends upon you, my lord, to
+preserve your life or not, by preventing madame the duchess, your wife,
+from calling for aid if she returns."
+
+"It is evident that he takes me for some one else," thought the
+chevalier. "In what devil of a network am I entangled? What is this new
+mystery? and who is this brutal Dutchman with his eternal dagger and his
+'my lord duke?' After all, it is gratifying not to be taken for an
+insignificant man. And Blue Beard is a duchess and passes for my wife!"
+
+"Listen, my lord," said Rutler after some moments of silence, "for your
+grace's greater convenience, I can free you from the cloak which enwraps
+you; but, I repeat, at the slightest cry from madame the duchess, the
+slightest indication of a rescue by your slaves, I shall be compelled to
+kill you. I have promised the king, my master, to bring you to him, dead
+or alive."
+
+"I stifle! take off the cloak at once, I will not make any outcry,"
+murmured Croustillac, believing that the colonel would discover his
+error.
+
+Rutler removed the cloak which enveloped the face of the adventurer, who
+saw a man kneeling beside him and threatening him with a dagger. The
+night was clear; the chevalier could distinguish perfectly the features
+of the colonel; they were absolutely unknown to him.
+
+"My lord! remember your promise," said Rutler, who did not evince the
+slightest surprise when the face of the adventurer was seen.
+
+"How! he does not perceive his mistake," thought the astonished
+chevalier.
+
+"Meanwhile, my lord," replied the colonel, assisting Croustillac to seat
+himself as comfortably as he could near the fountain, "meanwhile, my
+lord, pardon the rudeness of my attack, but I was forced to this."
+
+Croustillac made no reply. Divided between fear and curiosity, he was
+burning to know to whom these words were addressed: 'My lord duke.'
+Naturally of an adventurous turn, he could not but be the gainer,
+doubtless by being taken for another, above all, for the husband of Blue
+Beard; and the chevalier resolved to play, as far as he could, the role
+which he had involuntarily assumed, hoping, possibly, to thus learn the
+secret of the dwellers of Devil's Cliff. He answered, however, "Are you
+sure, sir, that it is I whom you are seeking?"
+
+"Your grace need not attempt to deceive me," said Rutler. "It is true
+that I have not had the honor of seeing you before to-day, my lord; but
+I heard your conversation with madame the duchess. Who but you, my lord,
+would be walking with her at this hour? Who but you would be dressed in
+this coat with the red sleeve, as shown by James Syllon, who painted you
+in this costume?"
+
+"And I thought this costume so fantastic," reflected Croustillac.
+
+"It is not for me to express surprise at finding you wearing these
+garments which must often recall memories so cruel," continued Rutler,
+with a gloomy air.
+
+"Cruel memories!" repeated Croustillac.
+
+"My lord," said the colonel, "two years before the fatal day of
+Bridgewater, dressed in this coat, did you not render homage to your
+royal father, when hunting at Lancaster?"
+
+"To my royal father? a falcon?" said the chevalier, astounded.
+
+"I understand your grace's embarrassment, and that you do not wish to
+recall these sad disputes for which you have been so severely and,
+permit me to say it, my lord, so justly punished."
+
+"I will permit you to say anything to me, sir, in fact, I earnestly
+insist upon it without delay," replied the Gascon; and, aside, "perhaps
+I shall learn something in this way."
+
+"Time is precious," said Rutler. "I must hasten to inform your grace
+that I only await your submission to the commands of my master, William
+of Orange, King of England."
+
+"Speak, sir, and do not hesitate to enter into the most minute details."
+
+"In order to make you understand, your grace, what remains for me to
+exact from you, it is very necessary to establish clearly your position,
+my lord, however painful the duty may be."
+
+"Establish it, sir, speak frankly; hold back nothing. We are men and
+soldiers; we should know how to hear all things."
+
+"You acknowledge, then, that from this moment you cannot escape."
+
+"That is true."
+
+"That your life is in my hands."
+
+"That is also true."
+
+"But that, which must be a very great consideration, my lord, is that,
+in attempting to escape, or in refusing to obey the orders which I bear,
+you put me to the hard necessity of killing you."
+
+"A hard necessity for both of us, sir."
+
+"Then your grace will give strict attention to what I have to say," said
+the colonel, emphasizing the following words: "I can with the more
+impunity kill you, my lord, because _you are already dead_--and
+therefore it would not be necessary to render an account for shedding
+your blood."
+
+The chevalier looked at Rutler with a stupefied air, thinking he must
+have heard him wrong. "You say, sir, that you could with the more
+impunity kill me?"
+
+"Since your grace is already dead," said Rutler, with a sinister smile.
+
+Croustillac looked at him more closely, believing he was dealing with a
+madman; then he said, after a moment's silence, "If I understand you
+aright, sir, you wish to make me believe that you could kill me with
+impunity, under the pretext, specious enough, that I am already dead!"
+
+"Exactly, my lord; that is very simple."
+
+"You think that very simple, sir?"
+
+"I do not think you wish to deny, my lord, what is known to all the
+world," said Rutler impatiently.
+
+"It seems to me that, without wishing to pass for a man who has lost his
+head, and who is dominated with a desire to contradict the whole world,
+I must still to a certain extent deny that I am dead."
+
+"I would not have believed, my lord, that you could jest at such a
+moment, you who always carry with you such frightful memories," said the
+colonel, with gloomy surprise.
+
+"Certainly, sir, at such a moment one cannot forget himself. That which
+is more difficult is to retain memory," said Croustillac, smiling.
+
+The colonel could not prevent a gesture of indignation, and cried, "You
+smile! when it is at the price of the noblest blood that you are here!
+Ah, such then will always be the gratitude of princes!"
+
+"I must say to you, sir," impatiently replied Croustillac, "that it is
+not of gratitude or ingratitude that we speak in this matter, and
+that--but," he continued, fearing to make some blunder, "but it seems to
+me that we wander strangely from the question at issue. I prefer to
+speak of something else."
+
+"I can imagine that such a subject would be disagreeable to your grace."
+
+"It is not a lively one, sir, certainly; but return to the motive which
+has brought you hither--what do you wish of me?"
+
+"I am ordered, my lord, to conduct you to the Barbadoes; from there you
+will be transported and incarcerated in the Tower of London, of which
+your grace has retained remembrance."
+
+"Zounds! to prison!" said the Gascon to himself, to whom this prospect
+was not inviting; "to prison--in the Tower of London! I must inform this
+Dutch animal of his mistake; this mistaken identity no longer pleases
+me. The devil! to the Tower of London! this is paying for 'your grace'
+and 'my lord' rather too dearly!"
+
+"It is unnecessary for me to say to you, my lord, that you will be
+treated with the respect due to your misfortunes and your rank. Except
+for liberty, which can never be accorded you, you will be surrounded by
+care and consideration."
+
+"After all," thought Croustillac, "why should I hasten to dissuade this
+northern bear? I have no hope, alas, of interesting Blue Beard in my
+martyrdom. It seems to me that I perceive vaguely that the mistake of
+this Dutchman in my person may serve this adorable little creature. If
+that is so, I shall be delighted. Once having reached England, the
+mistake will be discovered and I set free; and, as it is best, after
+all, that I return to Europe, I should like better if it were possible,
+to return in the character of a great prince, a lord, than as a free
+passenger of Captain Daniel's. I shall not at least be compelled to
+balance forks on the end of my nose nor be reduced to swallowing lighted
+candles."
+
+The colonel, taking the Gascon's silence for despair, said to him, in a
+gentler tone, "I suppose your grace perceives with pain the future
+before you. There is enough occasion for it, it seems to me."
+
+"To be a prisoner always in the Tower of London?"
+
+"Yes, my lord; but you cannot enjoy much liberty here; perhaps this life
+of agony and continual unrest is not so much to be regretted?"
+
+"You wish to gild the pill, as they say, sir; your motive is
+praiseworthy; but you appear very certain of carrying me to Barbadoes,
+and from there to the Tower of London?"
+
+"To accomplish this, my lord, I had brought with me a most determined
+man. He is dead, however--a most frightful death." And Rutler trembled
+in spite of himself at the remembrance of John's death.
+
+"And so, sir, you were reduced to accomplish this expedition yourself?"
+
+"Yes, my lord."
+
+"And you flatter yourself that you can carry me off, unaided?"
+
+"Yes, my lord."
+
+"You are sure of that?"
+
+"Perfectly sure."
+
+"And by means of what miracle?"
+
+"There is no need of a miracle; the thing is very simple, my lord."
+
+"May I know it?"
+
+"You must be informed of it, my lord, because I count principally upon
+your assistance."
+
+"To enable you to carry me off?"
+
+"Yes, my lord."
+
+"The fact is, that, without vanity, I can, under these circumstances, if
+I mix myself in the matter, be of some help to you?"
+
+After a moment's reflection, Rutler said, "Your firmness has not been
+exaggerated, your grace; it would be impossible to show a more resolute
+spirit or more coolness under ill fortune."
+
+"I assure you, sir, that it would be difficult for me to bear it
+otherwise."
+
+"If I have spoken thus my lord, it is because you, being a man of
+coolness and resolution, can understand better than any one what must be
+accepted with coolness and resolution, for I have no choice but to carry
+you away from here."
+
+"Listen, sir; if the expedient is good, I will be the first to
+acknowledge it. One moment, however; you seem to forget that I am not
+here alone."
+
+"I know that, my lord; madame the duchess has but just quitted you, she
+may return any moment."
+
+"And not alone, I warn you of that."
+
+"Were she accompanied by a hundred armed men I should not fear."
+
+"Truly?"
+
+"No, my lord, I will go further; I rather count upon the return of the
+duchess to decide you to follow me in case you still hesitate."
+
+"Sir you speak in riddles."
+
+"I will tell you the word very soon my lord, but first I must inform you
+that almost all is known concerning you since your flight from London."
+
+"In denying this to him I shall force him to speak; and I shall perhaps
+learn something more," said the chevalier to himself. "As to that, sir
+I, cannot believe it; it is not possible."
+
+"Listen to me, my lord; it is now four years since you espoused in
+France the mistress of this house. Whether the marriage be legal or not,
+having been contracted after your execution, and consequently during the
+widowhood of your first wife, does not concern me--that is a matter for
+your conscience and the church."
+
+"Decidedly my friend the duke has placed himself in an exceptional
+position," said Croustillac to himself, "he can be murdered because he
+is dead; and he can remarry because his wife is his widow! I begin to
+have my ideas singularly mixed, for since yesterday very strange things
+have come to my knowledge."
+
+"You see, my lord, that my information is exact."
+
+"Exact--exact--to a certain point. You believe me capable of having
+remarried after my execution; that is rather risky. The devil! sir, one
+must be very sure of his facts, at least, to attribute to men such
+original proceedings."
+
+"Hold, my lord, you doubtless do not believe in my authority, and you
+jest; but your gayety does not surprise me; your grace has kept his
+freedom of spirit in circumstances more serious than this."
+
+"What would you wish, sir? gayety is the wealth of the poor."
+
+"My lord," cried the colonel, in a severe tone, "the king, my master,
+does not merit this reproach."
+
+"What reproach?" said the Gascon, stupefied.
+
+"Your grace said that gayety is the wealth of the poor."
+
+"Well, sir, I do not see what there is to insult your master, the king,
+in that."
+
+"Is it not equivalent to saying, my lord, that because you see yourself
+in the power of my master that you look upon yourself as despoiled of
+everything?"
+
+"You are sensitive, sir. Be assured this reflection was purely
+philosophical and did not have reference to my particular position."
+
+"That is different, my lord; but I am astonished to hear you speak of
+your poverty."
+
+"Zounds! that has often made me bitterly lament," said Croustillac,
+laughing.
+
+"Few fortunes equal yours, sir. The enormous sum you received from the
+sale of a portion of your precious stones will be secured to you and
+yours. William of Orange, my master, is not one of those who enrich
+themselves by confiscating the goods of their political enemies."
+
+"I did not know thou wast so rich, poor Croustillac," said the Gascon to
+himself. "If I had known this, how little would I have swallowed candles
+for the amusement of that brute of a sea captain." Then he continued,
+aloud, "I am aware of the generosity of your master, sir; also of my
+goods and treasures." And the Gascon said to himself, "It does me good
+to say this for once in my life--my goods, my treasures."
+
+"The king, my master, my lord, has directed me to say to you that you
+can charter a vessel to carry your wealth to England."
+
+"Oh, my old pink hose, my old green coat, my felt hat and my old sword!"
+said Croustillac to himself; "those are my real possessions, my real and
+personal estate! It would not take a merchant ship to transport them."
+Then he continued aloud, "But let us return to the motive, sir, which
+brought you here, and to the discoveries which you have made as to my
+past life."
+
+"For the past three years, my lord, you have lived on this island,
+remaining hidden to every one, and causing to be spread by a filibuster
+and others in your pay the strangest stories concerning your house, in
+order to keep the curious away."
+
+"I do not understand this at all," thought Croustillac. "Blue Beard--no,
+the widow, that is to say--no, the duchess or rather the wife of the man
+who is dead, who is a widower--in fact, the wife of no matter whom, is
+not, then, behind the best of them with her three oddities. For I have
+seen with my own eyes her strange familiarity with them. I have
+heard--come, come, if this lasts but a little longer I shall become mad;
+I am beginning to feel stupid and to see an endless succession of Roman
+candles in my head!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+THE SURPRISE.
+
+
+Rutler continued: "The maneuvers of your emissaries were crowned with
+perfect success, my lord, and it was due to the merest chance that your
+existence was revealed to my master, some two months since, and in order
+to inform him that without your knowledge, or without your full consent,
+they would make, my lord, a dangerous instrument of you."
+
+"Of me? an instrument of me? and what kind of an instrument, sir?"
+
+"Your grace knows that as well as I do; the policy of the cabinet at
+Versailles and of the papal court at Saint-Germain recoils before no
+means; it matters little to them that civil war shall lay waste an
+unhappy country provided their plans succeed. I have no need to say
+more, my lord."
+
+"Yes, sir, yes. I desire that you tell me everything; I would see to
+what point your credulity has been abused. Explain, sir."
+
+"The proof that my credulity has not been abused, my lord, is that my
+mission has for its end the ruin of the projects of an emissary from
+France, who, with or without the co-operation of your grace, may arrive
+at any moment at this island."
+
+"I give you my word of honor, sir, that I am ignorant of the arrival of
+this French emissary."
+
+"I must believe you, my lord. However, certain rumors have caused the
+king to think that your grace, forgetting his old resentment against
+James Stuart, your uncle, had written to this dethroned king to offer
+him his services."
+
+"James Stuart, being dethroned," said Croustillac, with an accent full
+of dignity, "changes entirely the face of things, and I should have been
+able to condescend in regard to my uncle to proceedings which my pride
+would never have permitted me before."
+
+"Then, my lord, from your point of view, your resolve would not have
+lacked generosity."
+
+"Doubtless I could perfectly well, without compromitting myself, have
+been reconciled to a dethroned king," replied Croustillac courageously;
+"but I have not done so; I swear it on the honor of a gentleman."
+
+"I believe you, your grace."
+
+"Well, then, your mission has no further object."
+
+"You understand, my lord, that, in spite of this guarantee,
+circumstances may change, and your resolve change with circumstances.
+The hope of ascending the throne of England causes one to forget many
+promises and to evade many agreements. Far be it from me to wish to
+reproach you for the past, but your grace knows what must be sacrificed
+when one lays audacious hands upon the crown of three kingdoms."
+
+"Zounds!" said Croustillac to himself; "it seems that my hand is not
+dead, and that I am, clearly, a courageous fellow to be well caged. If I
+only knew how all this would end I should be very much amused."
+
+"The king can never forget, my lord, that you have your own aspirations
+to the throne."
+
+"Ah, well, that is true," cried Croustillac, with an expression of
+frankness--"it is true, I do not deny. But what would you have?
+ambition, glory, the vigor of youth! But believe me, sir," continued he
+with a sigh and speaking in a melancholy tone, "age robs us of all that
+and makes us wise; with added years, ambition is extinguished and one
+becomes content with very little in one's retreat. Once safely in port,
+we can cast a philosophical glance on the storms of passion and
+cultivate the paternal lands, if one has such, or at least look upon the
+tide of life placidly when about to be swallowed up in the ocean of
+eternity. In a word, you understand, sir, that if in our first youth we
+have let ourselves go at an audacious pace it does not follow that in
+our ripe age we should not realize that all is vanity. I live obscurely
+and peacefully in the bosom of my retreat, with a young and lovely
+wife; loved by those about me and doing some good. Ah, sir, this is the
+only life that I desire; I do not hesitate, then, in confirmation of
+these words, to swear to you that I will never raise the slightest
+pretension to the throne of England; on the word of a gentleman, I have
+not the slightest desire to."
+
+"Unhappily, my lord, I am not at liberty to take your oath; the king,
+alone, could receive it, and accept it if it seemed well to him, as a
+sufficient guarantee against fresh troubles. As for me, I have been
+ordered to conduct your grace to London, and I must fulfill my orders."
+
+"You are very persistent, sir. When you have an idea, you keep to it."
+
+"At whatever cost, my lord, I must carry out the orders given me. You
+can see by the perfectly calm interview between us that I do not doubt
+the success of my undertaking; your grace fully understands the motives
+that influence me; and I do not doubt that you will follow me without
+the slightest resistance."
+
+Croustillac had prolonged this interview as far as he could; he had
+decided either to follow the colonel or to tell him the whole truth. He
+then said to Rutler, "And suppose, sir, that I consent to follow you
+willingly, what will be the order of our march, as they say?"
+
+"Your grace, though your hands are tied, permit me to offer you my left
+arm; I shall hold my dagger in my right hand, ready at any moment to
+plunge it into you, in case of a surprise, and we will proceed to your
+house."
+
+"And then, sir?"
+
+"Once having reached your house, my lord, you will order one of your
+slaves at once to direct your negro fishermen to get their boat in
+readiness; it will suffice to transport us to Barbadoes. In that place
+we will find a man-of-war which awaits us, and on board which, my lord,
+you will be transported to London, and placed in the custody of the
+governor of the Tower."
+
+"And you seriously believe, sir, that I will myself give the order to
+prepare for my own abduction?"
+
+"Yes, my lord, and for a very simple reason; your grace will feel the
+point of this dagger."
+
+"Yes, doubtless; you always go back to that, you repeat it often, sir."
+
+"We Dutchmen have little imagination; what would you have? There is
+nothing more churlish than our manner of acting; but to resume, what is
+more to the point, this blade of steel will suffice, for if you refuse
+to obey my slightest injunction, my lord, I have already said by way of
+warning that I shall kill you without mercy."
+
+"I have also said to you, sir, that your manner of proceeding does not
+lack originality; but I have slaves--friends, sir--and you see that, in
+spite of your bravery----"
+
+"My God! your grace, if I kill you it is evident that I shall be killed
+in turn, either by your slaves or your familiars, the filibuster or the
+buccaneer, or by the French authorities, who would do perfectly right in
+shooting me because I come from England, and I have come to this island,
+which is considered as a stronghold in time of war."
+
+"You perceive, then, sir, that my death will not go unpunished?"
+
+"In accepting this charge I made, in advance, the offering of my life.
+All that I desire, my lord, is that you shall no longer be the source of
+fear to my master, a source of trouble for England. King William does
+not love bloodshed, but he hates civil war. Your perpetual imprisonment
+or your death alone can reassure him; choose, then, my lord, between the
+dagger or prison; it must be one; you must become my prisoner or my
+victim. Moreover, if you were not absolutely in my power I would not say
+to you, at the price of my life, what I will now say."
+
+"Speak, sir."
+
+"This confidence, while showing you the evil which you can do to
+England, my lord, also will show you what interest King William has that
+an enemy like yourself should be rendered powerless to act; the
+companions of your rebellion, who saw you beheaded before their own
+eyes, cherish still for you the dearest memories."
+
+"Truly? This does not surprise me in them, and it is the more
+disinterested in that they all believe that I can never thank them for
+it." Then Croustillac said to himself, "It must be that this Dutchman,
+who otherwise is reasonable enough, has a craze on this point--a fixed
+idea concerning my execution."
+
+The colonel continued, "Ah, my lord, you pay dearly for your influence."
+
+"Very dearly, too dearly, sir, if this be so."
+
+"Why do you wish to deny it, when your enemies remember? when it is
+known that your followers cherish portions of your clothing, stained
+with your blood, as if holy relics, and each day lament your death? What
+would be the result if you should suddenly appear before their eyes?
+What enthusiasm would you not arouse? I repeat to you, my lord, it is
+because your influence might be fatal in these troublous times, that it
+must be neutralized at any cost."
+
+"To stab a man or imprison him for life is what you call _neutralizing
+his influence_," said Croustillac. "Ah, well, this is probably a
+political view of it. After all, I understand the distrust that I
+inspire you with, for I am an incorrigible conspirator. They cut off my
+head before my partisans, believing that thus I will be reformed. Not at
+all! instead of taking warning by this paternal admonition, I conspire
+still further. It is evident that this ends by making your master
+impatient. Ah, well, sir, he is unnecessarily moved; for the last time,
+I solemnly declare, before heaven, that I shall conspire no more; he can
+rest in peace on his throne, and his crown does not excite in me the
+slightest covetousness. Is this plain enough, sir?"
+
+"Very plain, and well put, my lord; but I must carry out the commands of
+the king. When we shall have arrived at your house, I shall have the
+honor to transmit to you an autograph letter of His Majesty King
+William, which will leave you in no doubt as to the purpose and
+authority of the mission with which I am intrusted. Come, my lord,
+resign yourself; it is the fortune of war. Beside, if you hesitate, I
+can count upon a powerful ally."
+
+"And that is----"
+
+"Informed by me of the fate which menaces you, you proceed under the
+touch of my dagger."
+
+"Always his eternal dagger! he is insufferable with his dagger," thought
+Croustillac. "He has but one word on his tongue."
+
+"The duchess," continued Rutler, "would far rather see you a prisoner
+than killed; it is well known how she loves you, how devoted she is to
+you. She would give her life for you. She will aid, then, I am sure, in
+making you face your position wisely. Meanwhile, my lord, choose; either
+summon some of your people, if they can hear you, or show me to your
+house yourself, for your departure must be hastened."
+
+It must be said to Croustillac's credit, that, learning that Blue Beard
+was the wife of an invisible lord whom she loved passionately, and that
+he had been taken for this grand lord, he generously resolved to be of
+some use to this young wife by prolonging as far as possible the
+mistaken identity of which he was the victim, and to allow himself to be
+carried off in place of the unknown duke. Happy at the thought that
+Angela would be under a great obligation, the Gascon resigned himself
+courageously to submit to all the consequences of the position which he
+had accepted, only he did not know in what manner he could leave Devil's
+Cliff without the discovery of his stratagem.
+
+"My lord, I am at your service; it is absolutely imperative that we
+depart at once," said the colonel impatiently.
+
+"It is I who am at your service," replied the chevalier, who viewed with
+some disquiet the approach of the critical moment of this interview.
+
+A brilliant idea struck Croustillac; he saw a means of escaping from
+this danger and of saving the mysterious husband of Blue Beard. "Listen,
+sir," said the adventurer, assuming an impressive manner. "I give you my
+word as a gentleman that I will follow you willingly wherever you lead
+me, but I desire that my wife, the duchess, shall not be informed of my
+arrest until I have gone."
+
+"How, my lord, you are willing to thus abandon your wife without telling
+her of your sad situation?"
+
+"Yes, because of reasons known to me alone, and then I would spare
+myself farewells, which must always be distressing."
+
+"My orders concern you alone, my lord," said the colonel; "you are free
+to act as seems best to yourself, as far as the duchess is concerned.
+Nothing could be easier, it seems to me, than to do what you propose. If
+your wife is astonished at your departure, you can plead the imperative
+necessity of a journey of some days' duration to St. Pierre. As to my
+presence here, you can easily explain that. We will go, and your boat
+will take us to the Barbadoes."
+
+"Doubtless, doubtless," said the embarrassed Gascon, for he saw a number
+of dangers in the proposition which the colonel made. "Doubtless my
+departure might be easily explained so, but to give my orders to the
+negroes, to cause a commotion in the house, would attract my wife's
+attention. She is extremely timid and is alarmed at everything. Your
+presence here would arouse her suspicions, and they would necessarily
+lead up to the painful scene which I would avoid at all cost."
+
+"But, then, my lord, what shall we do?"
+
+"There is a sure way, sir; however dangerous may have been the road by
+which you have arrived, let us follow it; we will leave the island by
+the same method by which you reached it. Once at the Barbadoes I will
+inform my wife of my abduction--the cruel abduction which separates me
+forever from her; and you will swear to me that she shall not be
+disturbed after my departure."
+
+"Unfortunately, my lord, what you propose is impossible."
+
+"How is that?"
+
+"I came by way of the pearl diver's cavern, my lord."
+
+"Well, can we not leave by the pearl diver's cavern?"
+
+"Is it possible that you are ignorant, my lord, of the secret
+communication which exists between this cavern and the abyss which
+surrounds your park?"
+
+"I am entirely ignorant as to it, but if this communication exists, can
+we not use it to leave by?"
+
+"That is impossible, my lord; no one can enter the cavern except by
+allowing the waves to precipitate him to the bottom of a subterranean
+lake, after having descended a cataract."
+
+"And in order to get out of this cavern?"
+
+"You must ascend a waterfall twenty feet in height."
+
+"That is too much for me. So, the vessel that brought you to the outside
+of this cavern----"
+
+"Has already left for the Barbadoes, my lord. It could approach this
+island in spite of the French cruisers only because this coast is
+inaccessible."
+
+"I thought that this road was impenetrable," said the chevalier,
+overcome.
+
+"If you will believe me, my lord, you will limit yourself to announcing
+to madame the duchess that you will be absent for several days only. I
+have faith in your word as a gentleman that you will make no attempt to
+escape from my hands."
+
+"I have given you my word, sir."
+
+"I believe you, my lord, and my dagger answers to me for its
+fulfillment."
+
+"I should have been very much astonished if the dagger had not
+reappeared," thought Croustillac. "He trusts implicitly in my word; that
+does not prevent his trusting as much to his dagger. Zounds! what
+distrust! But that is not what concerns me. What shall I do? The duchess
+is not prepared; the slaves will not obey me if I give them orders. It
+is no use; behold me at the end of my falsehoods."
+
+Croustillac had forced himself to become resigned to his assumption. He
+regretted sincerely that he was not to be permitted to devote himself
+more efficaciously to the service of Blue Beard; for he did not doubt
+that his ruse would be discovered the moment he put foot in the house.
+He had shortly another apprehension. The Caribbean, seeing Croustillac
+return accompanied by a stranger armed to the teeth, would attack the
+colonel. Now, the latter had assured the adventurer that at the first
+attack he would be compelled to kill him without mercy.
+
+The chevalier began to find his role less diverting and to curse the
+stupid curiosity, the imprudent heedlessness which had thrown him into a
+position as complicated as it was dangerous.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+THE DEPARTURE.
+
+
+The spirit of Croustillac was too mercurial and too adventurous to
+remain long under the weight of fear or sadness. He reasoned as follows:
+To-day, as heretofore, I have little or nothing to lose; if I decide to
+go out from this house, I continue to pass for the duke, and I am
+treated like a prince until some one discovers the imposition; then I
+shall become big John as heretofore, and I shall have rendered a great
+service to this pretty little Blue Beard, who has mocked at me, but who
+enchants me, for she interests me more than I wish, more than she merits
+perhaps, for, in spite of her love for this invisible husband, she
+appears to me madly tender with the buccaneer and that other brute, the
+cannibal. Well, what does it matter if it is my caprice to devote myself
+to this little woman? I am surely my own master; yes! but if, on the
+other hand, I do not leave this place? Suppose the Caribbean mixes
+himself in the affair, this would spoil all; it is clear that I shall be
+killed like a dog by this thick-headed Belgian. How, then, can I escape
+such a catastrophe? Say at once to the man with the dagger that I am not
+the duke? This might save me, perhaps, but no! this would be cowardice,
+and useless cowardice; for, to prevent my alarming the house, this
+beer-drinker would dispatch me at once. Yes, yes, in spite of my word as
+a gentleman not to seek to escape, he presses near me. Zounds! this man
+with his dagger is absurd! Bah! his dagger! he can only kill me once,
+after all. Come, then, courage! courage! Croustillac! and above all do
+not deliberate--this brings you sorrow; you never commit greater
+stupidities or more tremendous mistakes than when you deliberate.
+Commend yourself to your lucky star, shut your eyes, as usual, and go
+ahead.
+
+Reassured by this excellent logic, the chevalier said aloud, "Well, sir,
+as we must absolutely pass the house in order to get out of this, let us
+go on."
+
+"Sir," said the colonel, after a moment's reflection, "you have given me
+your word as a gentleman not to escape."
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"But your people will wish to free you?"
+
+"My life is in your hands, sir; you have my word; I can do no more."
+
+"That is true, my lord; but then, in your interest, warn your slaves
+that the slightest act against me, on their part, will cost your life,
+for I have sworn, also, that I will carry you away, dead or living."
+
+"It will not be my fault, sir, if you do not keep your word; come on."
+And the chevalier and the colonel advanced toward the house.
+
+Rutler held the arm of Croustillac under his left arm, and had his hand
+constantly on his dagger; not that he doubted the word of his prisoner,
+but the slaves at Devil's Cliff might wish to rescue their master.
+
+Croustillac and Rutler were not more than a few steps from the house
+when from an obscure path a woman advanced dressed in white. The colonel
+stopped, pressed firmly the arm of his prisoner, and said aloud, "Who is
+this? My lord, warn this woman not to cry out."
+
+"It is Blue Beard! I am lost; she will scream like a peacock, and all
+will be discovered," thought Croustillac. To his great astonishment the
+woman paused and did not speak. The Gascon said, "Who is it, then?"
+
+"Is it so dark that my lord cannot recognize Mirette?" said the
+well-known voice of Blue Beard.
+
+Croustillac was speechless with astonishment. Blue Beard also called him
+my lord, and assumed the name of Mirette! "Zounds!" he said to himself,
+"I understand nothing, nothing at all; all becomes more and more
+obscure; all the same, hold steady and play out the game."
+
+"Who is this woman?" said the colonel, in a low tone.
+
+"She is the confidential maid of my wife," responded the chevalier.
+
+Angela spoke: "My lord, I come to say to your grace that my lady retired
+not feeling very well; but she is asleep now."
+
+"All is in our favor, sir," said the colonel, in a low voice to
+Croustillac. "Madame the duchess is asleep; you can depart without her
+knowing anything about it."
+
+Angela, who had approached, said with a frightened manner, and
+retreating a few steps, "Heavens! your grace is not alone, then?"
+
+"My lord," said the colonel, "if she gives a cry it is all over with
+you."
+
+"Do not be afraid, Mirette," said the chevalier; "while you were with my
+wife this gentleman arrived; he came from Fort Royal on pressing
+business; it is necessary that I should accompany him back."
+
+"So late, my lord, but you must not think of it! I will go and inform
+madame."
+
+"No! no! I forbid it; but I shall have need at once of the negro
+fishermen and their canoe; go and notify them."
+
+"But, my lord----"
+
+"Obey."
+
+"That is not hard; to-morrow morning they fish in the open sea; the
+negroes must be nearly ready to go; in order to be before dawn at the
+Creek of Caymans, where their boat is moored."
+
+"My lord, all favors us; you see it; let us go," said the colonel in a
+low voice.
+
+"It is astonishing how Blue Beard anticipates my demands; and how she
+facilitates my departure," said Croustillac to himself; "there is
+something very strange under this. I was not, perhaps, altogether wrong
+in accusing her of magic or necromancy." Then he continued aloud, "You
+will go and open the outer gates, Mirette, and tell the blacks to
+prepare themselves at once. Well," said Croustillac, seeing the woman
+remain motionless, "did you not hear me?"
+
+"Certainly, my lord, but then your grace is determined----"
+
+"'My lord! your grace!' you have repeatedly called me this before a
+stranger," said the Gascon with a threatening manner, thinking thus to
+make a master stroke. "What would happen if this gentleman were not in
+the secret?"
+
+"Oh, I know well that if this stranger is here at this time, it follows
+that one may speak before him as before your grace and before madame.
+But is it possible, my lord, that you intend to go away?"
+
+"The little fox wishes to have the air of detaining me in order to
+better play her part," thought Croustillac. "But who has informed her?
+who has designed this role for her so well? Decidedly, there must be
+jugglery going on here."
+
+"But, my lord," continued Mirette, "what shall I say to madame?"
+
+"You may say to her," said poor Croustillac, with a tenderness which the
+colonel attributed to most natural regrets, "you may say to this dear
+and good woman not to be afraid, do you hear, Mirette? not to be afraid;
+assure her that the short journey I am going to take is absolutely in
+her interest; tell her to think sometimes of me."
+
+"Sometimes, my lord! why madame thinks of you and will think of you
+always," replied she, in an agitated voice, for she understood the
+hidden sense of Croustillac's words. "Be easy, my lord, madame knows how
+you love her, and she never forgets. But you will be here to-morrow,
+before she awakens, will you not?"
+
+"Yes," said Croustillac, "certainly, to-morrow morning. Come, Mirette,
+hurry and warn the negro fishermen and open the gates; it is necessary
+to leave without delay."
+
+"Yes, my lord, and at the same time I will bring your sword and your
+mantle in the _salon_, because the night is cold in the mountains. Ah! I
+had forgotten; here is your _bonboniere_ which you carry always with
+you, and which you left in madame's room." So saying, Angela gave Gascon
+the box, warmly pressed his hand and left.
+
+"Heaven be praised, my lord duke, that things are turning out better
+than I hoped," said the colonel. "Is the house very far off?"
+
+"No; after we have climbed this last terrace we shall arrive there."
+
+At the end of several minutes, Rutler and his captive entered the
+drawing room; the chevalier found Angela, who had put on a large veil
+and a long cloak which hid her figure; the young woman offered the
+chevalier a cloak which she had placed on a sofa.
+
+"Here are your cloak and sword, my lord," she said to Croustillac,
+giving him a magnificent sword. "Now I will go and see if the slaves are
+ready." So saying she left the room.
+
+The sword of which we have spoken was as rich in workmanship as curious
+in shape; the hilt was of massive gold; the scabbard enameled with the
+coat of arms of England; the hilt bore on it a rampant lion whose head,
+surmounted by a royal crown, served as a handle; the belt of great
+richness, although worn by frequent use, was of red velvet embroidered
+with fine pearls, in the midst of which the letters "C. S." were
+reproduced repeatedly.
+
+Before putting on his sword Croustillac said to the colonel, "I am your
+prisoner, sir; may I retain my sword? I repeat my word not to make any
+use of it against you."
+
+Doubtless this historic weapon was known to the colonel, for he replied,
+"I knew that this royal sword was in the hands of your grace; I have
+been ordered to respect it in case you followed me willingly."
+
+"I understand," said Croustillac to himself. "Blue Beard continues to
+act with consummate cunning. She has decorated me with a part of the
+outfit of this mysterious duke, in order to clinch the error of this
+Flemish bear. My only regret is not knowing my name. I know, it is true,
+that my head was cut off; that is something; but that is not sufficient
+to prove my identity, as the lawyers say. Finally this will last as long
+as God pleases; once I have turned my back, Blue Beard will, doubtless,
+put her husband in some safe place. That is the principal thing.
+Meanwhile, let me put on his cloak and my disguise will be complete."
+
+The mantle was of peculiar cut and was of blue with a kind of cape of
+red cloth trimmed with gold lace; it was easy to see that it had been in
+use a long time.
+
+The colonel said to the chevalier, "You are faithful to the memory of
+the day at Bridgewater, my lord!"
+
+"Hum, hum--faithful--here or there; that depends on the disposition in
+which I find myself."
+
+"Nevertheless, my lord," returned the colonel, "I recognize the mantle
+of the red troops who fought so gallantly under your orders on that
+fatal day."
+
+"That is what I tell you; whether I am cold or warm, I wear this mantle,
+but it is always in commemoration of that battle, when the red troops,
+as you say, fought so valiantly under me." The chevalier had placed the
+snuff box on the table. He took it up and looked at it mechanically; on
+the cover he recognized a very characteristic face which he had several
+times seen reproduced in engravings or paintings. After having searched
+his memory he remembered that the features were those of Charles II. of
+England.
+
+Rutler said, "My lord, may your grace pardon me for recalling you from
+thoughts it is easy to divine on seeing the portrait on that box--but
+time is precious."
+
+Angela entered at this moment and said to Croustillac: "My lord, the
+negroes are waiting with torches to light the way."
+
+"Let us go, sir," said the chevalier, taking his hat from the hands of
+the young woman, who said to him in a low voice, "Next to my husband, it
+is you whom I love most in the world, for you have saved him."
+
+The massive doors of Devil's Cliff closed on the chevalier and the
+colonel, and they at once started on their road, preceded by four blacks
+carrying torches to light the way.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+While the adventurer left Devil's Cliff as Colonel Rutler's prisoner, we
+will introduce the reader into a secret apartment belonging to Blue
+Beard.
+
+This was a large room very simply furnished; here and there, hung on the
+walls, were costly arms. Above a couch was a beautiful portrait of King
+Charles II. of England; beyond this was a miniature representing a woman
+of most enchanting beauty. In an ebony frame were many studies in
+crayon, well designed, and representing always the same people. It was
+easy to see that they were drawn as portraits from memory. The frame was
+supported by a kind of stand in chased silver, representing funeral
+symbols, in the midst of which one might read the date, "July 15, 1685."
+
+This apartment was occupied by a young man in the prime of
+manhood--large, supple and robust. His noble proportions recalled
+vividly the height and figure of Captain Whirlwind, of the buccaneer
+Rend-your-Soul, or of the Caribbean Youmaeale. By coloring the fine
+features of the man of whom we speak to the copper-colored tint of the
+mulatto, the ruddy color of the Caribbean, or by half-concealing them
+under the thick black beard of the buccaneer, one could almost see the
+three individuals in the same person.
+
+We will here say to the reader, who has doubtless penetrated this
+mystery, that the disguises of the buccaneer, the filibuster, and the
+Caribbean, had been successively assumed by the same man, who was none
+other than the natural son of Charles II., James, Duke of Monmouth,
+_executed_ at London, July 15, 1685, as guilty of high treason. All
+historians agree in saying that this prince was very brave, very
+affable, and of a very generous nature and a face beautiful and noble.
+"Such was the end of a prince," says Hume, in (speaking of Monmouth)
+"whose great qualities would have made him an ornament to the court, and
+who was capable of serving well his country. The tenderness which his
+father, the king, bore for him; the praises of a large faction and the
+blind devotion of the populace, drew him into an enterprise beyond his
+strength. The love of the people followed him in all the vicissitudes of
+fortune; even after his execution, his followers cherished the belief
+that they would some day see him at their head."
+
+We will explain later the cause of this singular hope of the prince's
+adherents, and how Monmouth had, in effect, survived his execution.
+
+Having removed his disguise as the Caribbean, and the dye which stained
+his features, Monmouth wore an ample gown of light blue covered with
+orange flowers, and read attentively a large number of papers spread
+before him.
+
+In order to explain the mistake of which the chevalier was the voluntary
+victim, we must explain that Croustillac, without really resembling
+Monmouth, was of the same age, the same height, brown as the other, as
+slender, and that the duke had, in common with the Gascon, a nose
+decidedly prominent, and a strong chin. Others beside Rutler, a Dutch
+officer arrived from the United Provinces in the suite of William of
+Orange, would have fallen into the same error, above all, seeing in the
+hands of Croustillac certain priceless objects known to have belonged to
+the son of Charles II.
+
+As to the choice of Rutler, one must understand that in order to fulfill
+such a mission with all its consequences, it needed a man careful,
+fearless, blindly devoted, and capable of pushing that devotion even to
+assassination. The choice of William of Orange was necessarily
+circumscribed by such exigencies; it would have been probably impossible
+for him to have found a man who knew Monmouth personally who would not
+have recoiled before such terrible extremities as were entailed in this
+perilous and cruel undertaking.
+
+Monmouth was deeply absorbed in reading several English journals. All at
+once the door of his room opened violently, and Angela threw herself on
+his neck, crying, "Saved! saved!"
+
+Then, bursting into tears, laughing and sobbing by turn, kissing his
+hands, his forehead, his eyes, she repeated, in a stifled voice, "Saved!
+my beloved James! Saved! there is no longer any danger for thee, my
+lover, my husband. God be praised, the danger is past! But what terror
+has been mine! Alas! I tremble still!"
+
+Startled by the transports of Angela, Monmouth said to her with infinite
+tenderness, "What is the matter, child? What do you say?"
+
+Without replying to him, Angela cried, "But this is not all; we must
+fly, do you understand? King William of England is on our track;
+to-morrow we must quit this island. All will be ready; I have given the
+order to one of our negro fishermen to go and say to Captain Ralph to
+have the Chameleon ready to set sail; it is anchored at Cayman's Creek;
+and in two hours we shall have left Martinique."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE BETRAYAL.
+
+
+The duke could hardly believe what he heard; he looked at his wife in
+agony. "What do you say?" cried he. "King William knows that I am on
+this island?"
+
+"He knows it. One of his emissaries has obtained entrance here this
+night. But be calm; he has gone; there is no danger," cried Angela,
+seeing Monmouth run to arm himself.
+
+"But this man--this man?"
+
+"He has gone, I tell you; the danger is past. Should I be here if not
+so? No; you have nothing to fear, at present, at least. But do you know
+who has aided me in overcoming this threatening cloud?"
+
+"No; for mercy's sake explain."
+
+"It was the poor adventurer whom we have made our butt."
+
+"Croustillac?"
+
+"Yes, his presence of mind saved us; God be praised, the danger is
+past."
+
+"Truly, Angela, I believe I am dreaming."
+
+"Listen to me, then. It was an hour ago, when you left me to read the
+papers arrived from England. I went into the garden with the chevalier.
+I had a presentiment of our danger and I was sad and thoughtful. I
+wished to get rid of our guest as soon as possible, not caring to amuse
+myself with him longer. I said to him that I could not explain the
+mystery of my three widowhoods; that my hand could belong to no one, and
+that he must leave the house at break of day. Our object was thus
+accomplished. The Gascon, by his exaggerated tales of what he had seen,
+will give more credence still to the stories which have been circulated
+during the past three years on the island, absurd stories but useful,
+and which until now alas! have been our safeguards by so confusing
+events that it has been impossible to separate the true from the false."
+
+"Doubtless, but through what fatality this mystery? Tell me!"
+
+"Having informed the chevalier that he could no longer remain here, I
+told him that we wished, nevertheless, to give him a valuable token of
+his sojourn at Devil's Cliff. To my great surprise he refused with a
+manner so painfully humiliated that I pitied him. Knowing how poor he
+was, and wishing, for the very reason that he showed some delicacy, to
+oblige him to accept a present, I came here to seek a medallion
+surrounded by diamonds on which was my monogram, hoping that the
+chevalier would not refuse that. I returned carrying this token, when in
+approaching the inclosure where I had left him, at the end of the park,
+near the fountain--Ah! my love, I tremble still!" And the young woman
+threw her two arms around James' neck, as if she would protect him
+against this past danger.
+
+"Angela, I beg of you, calm yourself," said Monmouth tenderly. "Finish
+your story."
+
+"Ah, well," she continued, "when I approached the fountain I heard
+voices; frightened, I listened."
+
+"It was this emissary, I presume?"
+
+"Yes, my beloved."
+
+"But how had he effected an entrance? How did he leave? How did he
+confide his designs to the Gascon?"
+
+"He mistook the chevalier for you!"
+
+"He mistook the chevalier for me?" cried Monmouth.
+
+"Yes, James. Doubtless he was deceived by the resemblance in figure, and
+by the suit that the Gascon wore, and which you had had made, in order
+to satisfy one of my caprices in dressing yourself like the portrait of
+which you have told me."
+
+"Oh," said Monmouth, passing his hand across his forehead, "Oh! you do
+not realize the terrible memories that all this awakens in me."
+
+Then, after having heaved a deep sigh and looking sadly at the ebony
+frame encrusted with silver containing the drawing of a portrait, the
+duke resumed: "But what was the result of this strange encounter? What
+did the chevalier say? What did _you_ do? Truly, if your presence and
+your words did not assure me, I should go myself----"
+
+Angela interrupted the duke. "Again, my beloved James, should I be so
+calm if there was anything to fear at this hour?"
+
+"Very well. I hear you, but you can understand my impatience."
+
+"You shall not be in doubt long. From the few words I overheard I
+divined that the chevalier, leaving our enemy in error, did not know how
+to get him out of the place, fearing he would not be obeyed by our
+servants. Counting, with reason, on the Gascon's intelligence, I
+presented myself to him at the moment when he approached the house,
+taking care to warn him, indirectly, that he must take me for Mirette.
+Having seen that the emissary of King William, believing he was
+addressing you, called him 'my lord duke' or 'my lord,' I called him so
+also; I caused the doors to be opened, and, in order to complete the
+illusion, I gave the Gascon your sword, your enameled snuff box, and the
+old cloak to which you are so attached."
+
+"Ah! What have you done, Angela?" cried the duke, "my father's sword,
+the snuff box my mother gave me, and the cloak which belonged to the
+most saintly, the most admirable martyr who ever sacrificed himself to
+friendship."
+
+"James, my love, pardon. I thought I was doing for the best," cried
+Angela, overcome by the expression of bitterness and chagrin which she
+read in the features of James.
+
+"Poor beloved angel," replied Monmouth, taking her hands in his, "I do
+not reproach you, but I have so great a respect for these holy relics
+that it grieves me to see them profaned by a falsehood, even of a few
+moments' duration. I repeat, you do not know the terrible memories which
+are attached to the cloak. Alas! I have not told you all!"
+
+"You have not told me all?" said Angela in surprise. "When you came to
+seek me in France in the name of my second father, my benefactor, dead
+on the field of battle," and Angela sighed sorrowfully, "did you not
+offer to share your life with me, poor orphan that I was, did you not
+say that you loved me? what matters the rest? If it did not concern your
+well-being, your life, should I ever have dreamed of speaking to you of
+your condition, of your birth? I married you proscribed, flying from the
+furious hate of your enemies. We have escaped many dangers, evaded many
+suspicions, thanks to my pretended marriages, and your various
+disguises. Then, what can you have hidden from me? If it is some new
+danger, James, my beloved husband, my lover, I will never forgive you,
+for I must partake all with you, good or bad fortune. Your life is my
+life; your enemies my enemies. Although this attempt happily failed, now
+that they know your retreat, they will continue to seek you with
+increased malignity. You must fly. In two hours the Chameleon will be
+ready to set sail."
+
+Deeply occupied with his thoughts, Monmouth had not heard Angela. He
+walked up and down with long strides, repeating to himself, "There is no
+doubt, they know I am living; but how has William of Orange penetrated
+this secret which was known only to Father Griffen and myself, because
+the holy martyr who carried this secret to the tomb, and De Crussol,
+last governor of this island, are dead. When I think that for greater
+safety I have concealed my real name from my devoted and adored wife,
+who then can have betrayed me? Father Griffen is incapable of such
+sacrilege; for it is under the seal of the confessional that the
+governor made the revelation to him."
+
+After some minutes of silent thought the duke said, "And what means did
+the chevalier employ to discover the designs of the emissary of William
+of Orange?"
+
+"His designs, my love, were not concealed; I heard them; he wished to
+carry you away, dead or alive, to the Tower of London."
+
+"Without doubt. Since the Revolution of 1688 they fear that I may become
+reconciled to the dethroned king; the public prints even announce that
+my old partisans are moving," said Monmouth, speaking to himself. "I
+recognize there the policy of my old friend William of Orange. But by
+what right does he suspect me capable of ambitious designs? Again, who
+has aroused in William these unjust suspicions, these ill-founded
+fears?"
+
+After another silence he said to Angela, "God be praised, my child, the
+storm is past; thanks to thee; thanks to this brave adventurer!
+Nevertheless I am not sure if, in spite of the devotion which he has
+shown on this occasion, I can confide to him a part of the truth;
+perhaps it would be wiser to have him in ignorance and to persuade him
+that the emissary had been misled by false information. What do you
+think, Angela? Dare I appear to the chevalier under any other form than
+that of Youmaeale, or shall I charge you to-night to see and thank this
+brave man? As to recompense, we will find a way to do that without
+wounding his delicacy."
+
+Angela looked at her husband with growing astonishment. Monmouth had not
+understood her; he thought that the Gascon had succeeded in removing
+this emissary of William of Orange from Devil's Cliff; he did not know
+he had accompanied him as a prisoner.
+
+"I do not know when the chevalier will return. He will doubtless make
+this mistake last as long as possible in order to give us time to
+escape."
+
+"The chevalier is no longer here, then?" cried the duke.
+
+"No, he has gone as a prisoner, under your name, with this man. Our
+negro fishermen accompany them to the Cayman's Creek, where the emissary
+will embark for the Barbadoes in one of our boats with the chevalier."
+
+The duke could hardly believe what he heard. "Gone under my name!" cried
+he. "But this emissary, discovering his mistake, will be capable of
+killing the chevalier. By heavens! I cannot allow that! Too much blood,
+oh my God! has already been spilled for me."
+
+"Blood! oh, do not fear that; the chevalier will run no danger. In spite
+of my desire to avert the danger that threatened from ourselves, I would
+never have exposed this generous man to certain destruction."
+
+"But, unhappy woman," cried the duke, "you do not know the terrible
+importance of the secret of state which the chevalier is now possessed
+of?"
+
+"My God! what do you mean?"
+
+"They are capable of killing him."
+
+"Oh, what have I done? Where are you going?" cried the young wife,
+seeing the duke preparing to leave the room.
+
+"I am going to join them and save this unfortunate man. I will take some
+blacks with me. The Gascon has hardly an hour's advance of me."
+
+"James, I implore you, do not expose yourself."
+
+"What! cowardly abandon this man who has devoted himself to me? I give
+him up to the resentment of William's emissary? never! Ah, you do not
+know, unhappy child, that certain sacrifices impose on one gratitude as
+dolorous as remorse. Go, I pray you, tell Mirette to order some slaves
+to be in readiness to follow me at once. Thanks to the tide, the
+chevalier cannot put to sea before daybreak, I can then overtake him."
+
+"But this emissary is capable of anything! if he sees you come to the
+aid of the chevalier, he will understand, perhaps, and then----"
+
+"That it is not James of Monmouth, but the mulatto filibuster, who is on
+his track. Beside, I have faced other dangers than these, I believe."
+
+So saying, the duke entered a small room connected with his apartments.
+There he found all that was necessary for his disguise. Left alone,
+Angela gave herself up to the most cruel regrets. She had not supposed
+that the consequences of the mistake into which the Gascon had led
+Rutler could be so fatal. She feared also that Monmouth would be
+recognized in spite of his disguise. In the midst of her distress she
+heard a sudden violent knock at the outer door of the apartment where
+she was, apparently rigorously closed to all the servants in the house.
+
+Angela ran to this door and saw Mirette. The mulattress, with a
+frightened air, said to Angela that Father Griffen sent an imperative
+request to enter, having the most important matters to confide to her.
+
+The order was given to admit him at once into the reception hall on the
+ground floor. At the same moment Monmouth came out of his room
+completely disguised as the mulatto filibuster.
+
+"My love," said Angela, when the maid had gone, "Father Griffen has just
+arrived, he has things of the utmost importance to say to us. In the
+name of heaven, wait and speak to him."
+
+"Father Griffen!" exclaimed the duke.
+
+"You know he never comes here unless circumstances of the gravest
+importance brings him. I beg you see him," said Angela.
+
+"I must; but each minute of delay may risk the life of this unhappy
+chevalier," said the duke.
+
+He descended with Angela. Father Griffen, pale, agitated, broken with
+fatigue, was in the hall.
+
+"In fifteen minutes they will be here," he cried.
+
+"Who, then, Father," said Monmouth.
+
+"That miserable Gascon," said the priest.
+
+"Oh, James! everything is discovered; you are lost!" said Angela,
+uttering a cry of despair; and she threw herself into the arms of
+Monmouth. "Fly; there is still time."
+
+"Fly, and where? there is but one road to Devil's Cliff, and from it. I
+tell you that they follow me," said the priest; "but be calm, nothing is
+hopeless."
+
+"Explain yourself, Father, what is it? In mercy speak, speak!" said
+Angela.
+
+"Father, you alone knew my secret; I would rather believe the impossible
+than doubt your sacred word," said the duke gravely.
+
+"And you are right not to doubt it, my son. There is some unaccountable
+mystery, which will come to light some day, believe me; but the minutes
+are too precious to seek now for the cause of the misfortune which
+menaces you. I hurried to you, then I have not betrayed you. Let us
+think of what is most pressing. Under this disguise it is impossible
+that you should be recognized," said the priest. "But that is not all;
+your situation has become almost inextricable."
+
+"What do you say?"
+
+"This Gascon is a traitor; a scoundrel. May God pardon me for having
+been so deceived in him and having made you partake of my error. Cursed
+be the hypocrite."
+
+"On the contrary," said Angela, "he is the most generous of men; he has
+voluntarily devoted himself for my husband."
+
+"Yes, he has assumed your name," said the priest to the prince, "but do
+you know for what vile purpose?"
+
+"Tell me, oh, tell me! I am dying of fear," cried Angela.
+
+"Listen, then," said the priest, "for the moments fly and the danger
+approaches. This morning I received at Macouba a letter from Captain
+Morris, of Fort Royal, in compliance with the order he had received from
+you to warn me of all arrivals of vessels and of those whose appearance
+seemed unusual. He sent me a special message to inform me that a French
+frigate had dropped anchor in sight of the harbor, after having sent an
+unknown passenger ashore. This person, after a long conference with the
+governor, started at the head of an escort in the direction of Devil's
+Cliff. In fact, he comes here."
+
+"An agent of France," said Monmouth; "what have I to fear at present,
+even if my secret was known at Versailles? Is not France at war with
+England?"
+
+"My God! my God! have pity on us!" cried Angela.
+
+"Listen! I started with all haste," continued the priest, "in order to
+warn you, hoping to arrive before this man and his escort, in case he
+was really coming here, and, unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps,
+joined him at the foot of the cliff. He recognized my robe; he said to
+me that he was sent by the King of France; that he came to fulfill a
+mission of state, and he begged me to be his guide and to introduce him,
+because I knew the dwellers in this house. I could not refuse to do this
+without arousing suspicions. I remained near him. He told me his name
+was De Chemerant. He began to ask me some very embarrassing questions as
+to you and your wife, my lord, when all at once, at some distance, we
+heard a loud voice cry, 'Who goes there?' 'An agent of France,' replied
+De Chemerant. 'Treason!' continued the voice, and a dull groan reached
+us with these words, 'I am killed!' 'To arms!' cried De Chemerant,
+taking his sword in hand, and running after two of our sailors who
+served as guides. I followed him. We found the Gascon stretched on the
+side of the road, four blacks kneeling, petrified with fear, while our
+two sailors had thrown on the ground, and held there with difficulty, a
+strong man clothed like a mariner."
+
+"And the chevalier?" exclaimed Monmouth, "was he wounded?"
+
+"No, sir; and although this is a very wicked man, we must return thanks
+to heaven for the wonderful chance which saved him. The man dressed as a
+mariner, hearing the noise of our escort, and the words of De Chemerant,
+who had responded 'Agent of the King of France,' believed himself
+betrayed, and led into ambush; he had then given the Gascon such a
+furious blow with his dagger that the unhappy adventurer would have been
+killed if the blade had not broken on his shoulder-belt. Nevertheless,
+thrown down by the violence of the shock, he fell to the ground,
+exclaiming, 'I am killed,' and remained motionless. It was at this
+moment we reached the group. Seeing us the assassin of the Gascon cried
+with a ferocious laugh as he kicked the body of what he supposed his
+victim, 'Mr. Agent of France, your designs have been unmasked, they are
+frustrated. You have come to seek James, Duke of Monmouth, in order to
+raise a standard for sedition; the standard is broken; take up the
+corpse, sir. It is I, Rutler, colonel in the service of King William,
+whom God preserve, who has committed this murder.'"
+
+"'Unhappy man,' exclaimed De Chemerant.
+
+"'I glory in this murder,' replied the colonel. 'Thus have I foiled the
+odious projects of the enemies of my master, the king; thanks to me, the
+sword of Charles II., which James of Monmouth carried at his side, will
+no more be drawn against England.'
+
+"'Colonel, you will be shot in twenty-four hours,' said De Chemerant. 'I
+know my fate,' replied the colonel; 'a traitor is dead. Long live the
+King of England.'"
+
+"But the chevalier?" asked the duke.
+
+"When he heard these words of Rutler's he made a slight movement, and
+heaved a sigh; and while some of the escort held the colonel, who yelled
+with rage at seeing that his victim was not dead, De Chemerant hurried
+to reach the Gascon, to whom he said, 'My lord, are you dangerously
+wounded?' I understood at once, without knowing why, that the chevalier
+was playing a role and had assumed your name; this error would serve
+you--I held my tongue. 'The blow had struck the belt of my father's
+sword,' said the rascal, in a faint voice as they raised him. 'My lord
+duke, lean on me,' replied De Chemerant, 'I come to you in the name of
+the King of France, my master. Mystery is now unnecessary. In two words
+I will tell you, sir, the object of my mission, and you can then judge
+whether or not you will return as quickly as possible to Fort Royal to
+embark with us.' 'I hear you, sir,' said the chevalier, feigning a
+slight English accent, doubtless to better play his part. Then at the
+end of several moments of thought, the Gascon said in a loud voice, 'If
+this be so, sir, I cannot be separated from my wife, and I desire to go
+and seek her at Devil's Cliff. She will accompany me; such is the
+destiny which is reserved for me.'"
+
+"The wretch!" exclaimed Angela.
+
+"Then he continued," said the priest, "'I feel giddy from my fall; I
+will rest here a moment.' 'That shall be as you wish, my lord,' said De
+Chemerant. Then, turning to me, 'Will you be so good, Father, as to go
+and announce to Madame the Duchess of Monmouth that the duke will come
+to seek her to take her away; and request that she make hasty
+preparations, for we must be at Fort Royal at daybreak and set sail the
+same morning.' Now," said the priest to Monmouth, "do you understand the
+plan of this traitor? He abuses the name that he has taken in order to
+carry off your wife, and you will be compelled either to declare who you
+are, or to consent to the departure of madame the duchess."
+
+"Rather a thousand times death!" cried Angela.
+
+"Cursed be the Gascon!" said the priest; "I believed him but a sot and
+an adventurer, and he is a monster of hypocrisy."
+
+"Do not let us despair," said Angela suddenly. "Father, will you return
+to the outer buildings and order Mirette to open the door to the Gascon
+and the French agent when they come. I will take care of the rest."
+
+
+
+
+PART THIRD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+THE VICEROY OF IRELAND AND SCOTLAND.
+
+
+While the Duke of Monmouth and his wife, informed by Father Griffen of
+the infamous treachery of Croustillac, were seeking to escape this new
+danger, we will return to the adventurer, who, carelessly leaning on the
+arm of De Chemerant, climbed the steep ascent of Devil's Cliff.
+
+Colonel Rutler, furious at having been thwarted in his attempt, was led
+away by a guard of two soldiers.
+
+Chemerant did not know Croustillac; not having the slightest doubt as to
+the identity of the Gascon with the Duke of Monmouth, the action and
+words of Rutler confirmed his error. In the colonel's possession was
+found an order from William of Orange for the capture of James, Duke of
+Monmouth. What doubt could he then have when the emissary of King
+William recognized Croustillac as the duke, so fully that he was ready
+to pay with his life for his attempt to assassinate this pretended
+prince.
+
+Seeing the new aspect this adventure was taking, Croustillac felt the
+necessity of being more guarded, so as to complete the illusion which he
+desired in order to accomplish his own ends.
+
+He at least knew, now, the name of the person whom he represented and to
+what country he belonged. These points, however, were not very useful to
+the adventurer as yet, for he was absolutely ignorant as to
+contemporaneous history; but at any rate, the knowledge that the man he
+personated was English led him to endeavor to modify his Gascon
+pronunciation, and he gave it an English accent so strange that De
+Chemerant was far from suspecting that he spoke with a Frenchman.
+
+Croustillac, in order not to compromise the part he was playing, deemed
+it wisest to maintain an extreme reserve; De Chemerant was not
+surprised; he knew the reserved character of the English.
+
+Some words which were exchanged by the two persons who walked at the
+head of the escort will give an idea of the new and embarrassing
+position of the chevalier.
+
+"When we arrive at your house, sir," said De Chemerant, "I shall
+communicate to you the full powers which his majesty has charged me to
+place before the eyes of your highness."
+
+"Highness--the devil!" thought Croustillac: "this man pleases me better
+than the other; beside subjecting me to the inconvenience of his
+everlasting dagger, he called me only my lord or your grace, while this
+one calls me highness. This is progressive. I go on. I touch the
+throne."
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant continued: "I shall also have the honor to hand to
+you, sir, a number of letters from England which will prove to you that
+the moment was never more favorable for an insurrection."
+
+"I know it," said the Gascon, with effrontery, remembering that this was
+what Rutler had said to him; "I know it, sir; my partisans are acting,
+and bestirring themselves greatly."
+
+"Your highness is better informed of affairs in Europe than I had
+thought."
+
+"I have never lost sight of them, sir, never."
+
+"Your highness fills me with joy in speaking thus. It depends on you to
+assure to yourself the brilliant position which is your due, and which
+you will acquire if you obtain a decisive advantage."
+
+"And how, sir?"
+
+"By putting yourself at the head of the partisans of your royal uncle,
+James Stuart; forgetting the dissensions which have heretofore separated
+you, for the king no longer desires to see in you other than his worthy
+nephew."
+
+"And, between us, he is right; it is always necessary to turn to one's
+family. My God, if each one puts in a little of his own, it will end by
+arranging itself."
+
+"Thus, your highness, King James gives you a mark of the highest
+confidence in intrusting to you the defense of his rights and those of
+his young son."[A]
+
+    {[A] The Pretender, born in 1688.}
+
+"My uncle is dethroned; he is unhappy; this makes me overlook much,"
+said Croustillac gravely. "I will not betray his hopes. I will devote
+myself to the defense of his rights and those of his young son, if the
+circumstances permit."
+
+"Your highness need not have the slightest doubt as to the opportunity
+to do so when you will have heard, in this respect, the large number of
+your old companions at arms; of your most enthusiastic followers."
+
+"In fact, they, better than any one, will be able to give certain
+information, but alas! before I can see them, these brave men, these
+loyal and faithful men, much time must, unhappily, elapse."
+
+"I am going to give your highness a very delightful surprise."
+
+"A surprise?"
+
+"Yes, your highness. Several of your partisans, having learned by what
+happy occurrence the life of your highness has been preserved, have
+asked permission of the king to accompany me here."
+
+"To accompany you?" cried the chevalier. "And where are they, then?"
+
+"They are here, aboard the frigate which brought me, your highness."
+
+"Aboard your frigate!" exclaimed Croustillac, with an expression of
+surprise that De Chemerant interpreted in a very favorable manner to
+affectionate memories of the chevalier.
+
+"Yes, your highness. I understand your astonishment, your happiness,
+your joy in the prospect of shortly seeing your old companions-in-arms."
+
+"You have not the slightest idea of the impatience with which I await
+the moment when I shall again see them, sir," said Croustillac.
+
+"And their conduct justifies your eagerness, your highness; they will
+bring you the loyalty of all your English friends; and they will very
+soon put you in touch with the affairs of that country. Who can better
+inform you on these subjects than Dudley and Rothsay?"
+
+"Ah! that dear Rothsay, has he also come?" said the Gascon with an easy
+manner.
+
+"Yes, your highness, but he is suffering so from his old wounds that he
+can hardly walk, still he said, 'It is no matter if I die--if I die at
+the feet of our duke,' for it is thus they speak of you in the
+familiarity of their devotion."
+
+"The poor Rothsay, always the same!" said Croustillac, passing his hand
+across his eyes, with a touching air. "The dear friends."
+
+"And Lord Mortimer, then, your highness; he is as if mad. If it were not
+for the king's orders, which were of the strictest, it would have been
+impossible to have prevented his coming on shore with me."
+
+"Mortimer also--brave Mortimer!"
+
+"And Lord Dudley, your highness."
+
+"Lord Dudley is as wild as the others, I wager?"
+
+"He threatened to swim ashore as the captain had refused to give him a
+boat."
+
+"Such a friend is a true spaniel for fidelity and love of the water!"
+thought Croustillac, very much embarrassed.
+
+"Ah, your highness, and to-morrow?"
+
+"Well, what of to-morrow?"
+
+"What a great day it will be for your highness."
+
+"Yes, superb."
+
+"Ah, your highness, what a touching scene! what a moment for you and for
+those who are so devoted to you. Happy indeed are the princes who find
+such friends in adversity."
+
+"Yes it will be a very touching interview," said Croustillac aloud; then
+he continued, inaudibly, "To the devil with this animal of a Mortimer
+and his companions! _Peste!_ these are very stupid friends; what fly is
+stinging them? They will recognize me, and I shall be lost, now that I
+know De Chemerant's state secret."
+
+"The presence of those valiant nobles," replied De Chemerant, "has yet
+another object. Your highness ought not to be ignorant of it?"
+
+"Speak, sir; they seem to me to have excellent ideas, these dear
+friends."
+
+"Knowing your courage, your resolution, sir, the king, my master, and
+the king, your uncle, have ordered me to make you an overture which you
+cannot fail to accept."
+
+"What is it, sir? this begins excellently."
+
+"Not only are your most courageous partisans on board the frigate, which
+is at anchor, sir, but the ship is filled with arms and ammunition.
+Sentinels have been stationed on the coast of Cornwall; the whole
+country awaits only a signal to rise in your favor. It but remains for
+your highness to disembark at the head of your partisans, and give the
+people the necessary arms. The movement will spread even to London, the
+usurper will be driven from the throne, and you will restore the crown
+to the king, your uncle."
+
+"I will do it, by the gods! I am capable of that. Of a surety here is a
+magnificent project, but there must be contrary chances, and above all,
+I must be careful, very careful of the lives of my partisans and of the
+safety of my uncle's subjects."
+
+"I recognize the habitual generosity of the character of your highness;
+but there are hardly any contrary chances to fear; all is ready, loyalty
+prevails. You will be received with enthusiasm. The remembrance of you
+is so lasting, they say, so ever present to the people of London, that
+they have never believed in your execution, sir, not even those who were
+present. Live, then, for this noble country which has so deeply mourned
+you, and which awaits your coming as they await the day of their
+deliverance."
+
+"Come! he also," thought Croustillac; "he thinks that I have been
+executed; but this man is more reasonable than the other, who wished to
+kill me in the name of the regrets that my death had caused; at least,
+this one desires me to live in the name of these same regrets, and I
+prefer this."
+
+"In a word, sir, set sail from Martinique for the coast of Cornwall, and
+if, as all believe, the English people rise at the sound of your name,
+my master, the king, will support this insurrection with his strong
+forces, and make the movement a success."
+
+"Ah! ah! I see, my good fellow, I see. Although I am not a political
+end," said the Gascon to himself, "in my humble opinion I understand
+that the king, your master and mine, wishes to make use of me as a
+forlorn hope. If I succeed, he will support me; if I do not, he will
+leave me to be captured. All the same this tempts me; my ambition
+awakens. To the devil with the Mortimers, the Rothsays, and my other mad
+friends! Without these rogues I shall be curious to see Polypheme de
+Croustillac revolutionizing Cornwall, driving William of Orange from the
+throne of England, and generously restoring this same throne to King
+James. Without being tempted to seat myself upon it--hum, perhaps I
+shall seat myself a little, to see--there, there, Polypheme, no more of
+that! give the throne to the old man, Polypheme, restore him his throne.
+So be it, I will give it to him, but decidedly, for some time, very
+strange things have happened to me, and the Unicorn which brought me
+here must be an enchanted vessel." The chevalier then spoke, with a
+thoughtful air: "This is a very serious thing, at least, sir; there is
+much to be said for, and also much against it. I am far from wishing to
+temporize too long, but it would be, I think, wisdom to consider more
+fully before giving the signal for this uprising."
+
+"Your highness, permit me to say to you that the conditions are
+pressing; action necessary; the secret projects of the king, my master,
+have been betrayed. William of Orange has deputed Colonel Rutler to
+carry you off, living or dead, so much does he fear to see you the
+leader of an insurrection. Sir, we must strike a quick, decisive blow,
+such as a sudden disembarkment on the coasts of Cornwall. I repeat, this
+expedition made in the name of King James will be received with
+enthusiasm and the all-powerful influence of Louis XIV., will
+consolidate the revolution you will have so gloriously begun; and,
+thanks to you, the rightful King of Great Britain will once more ascend
+his throne."
+
+"This seems to me assured, if my side has the advantage."
+
+"It will have, sir, it will have!"
+
+"Yes, unless it is defeated, and then if I am killed, this time it will
+be without pardon. It is not through unworthy egotism that I make this
+reflection, sir; you can understand that, after the antecedents which
+they attribute to me, I must be thoroughly accustomed to being dead, but
+I would not leave my party orphaned; and then, consider, sir!--to plunge
+this country once more into the horrors of civil war! Ah!" and
+Croustillac heaved a sigh.
+
+"Doubtless, sir, this is a sad thought; but to these passing troubles
+would succeed a most profound calm. Doubtless, war has fatal chances,
+but it has, also, happy ones; and then, what a future awaits you! The
+letters I bring you will show you that the viceroyship of Ireland and
+Scotland is reserved for you, without counting other favors which are
+likewise reserved for you and my master, and James Stuart, your uncle,
+when he is once more on the throne which he will owe to you."
+
+"_Peste!_ Viceroy of Scotland and Ireland!" said Croustillac to himself.
+"With this, husband of Blue Beard, and, in the bargain, son and nephew
+of a king, ah Croustillac, Croustillac, I have well said thy star is in
+the ascendent--it would be too bad that this should be for another. Come
+on, while it lasts!"
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant, seeing the chevalier's hesitation, made use of a
+more powerful means of forcing him to act conformably to the wishes of
+the two kings, and said to him, "There remains, your highness, a last
+communication to make you, and, painful as it is, I must obey my
+master's orders."
+
+"Speak, sir."
+
+"It is almost out of the question to refuse to put yourself at the head
+of the uprising, your highness; your ships are burned!"
+
+"My ships burned?"
+
+"Yes, your highness, that is, figuratively."
+
+"Very well, sir, I understand, the king would compel me to act as he
+desires?"
+
+"Your habitual keensightedness does not allow you to be deceived, your
+highness. In case you do not believe it your duty to follow the
+pressing counsel of my master, the king, in case you thus show his
+majesty King James that you are unwilling to make him forget these sad
+and annoying memories, in devoting yourself to his cause, as he had
+hoped----"
+
+"Well, sir," said the adventurer, becoming cautious, believing he was
+going to see, as is said, the reverse side of the medal.
+
+"Well, your highness, the king, my master, for pressing reasons of
+state, in such a case would see himself, with much regret, obliged to
+possess himself of your person. That is why I have an escort with me."
+
+"Sir! violence?"
+
+"Unfortunately, your highness, my orders are explicit. But I am sure
+your highness will not put me to the hard necessity of carrying them
+out."
+
+This menace caused Croustillac to reflect.
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant continued: "I must add, sir, that prudence demands
+(seeing your execution has taken place) that your features should be
+henceforth concealed, and your face must be covered with a mask that
+will never be removed. In fact, in compliance with the orders of his
+majesty, I shall have the honor of conducting you, sir, at once to the
+Saint Margaret Islands, where you will remain henceforth a prisoner. I
+leave to you to imagine the regrets of your partisans, who have come so
+far in the hope of seeing you once more at their head."
+
+After remaining for a long time in the attitude of a man who was
+thinking deeply and who struggled inwardly against many conflicting
+thoughts, Croustillac raised his head proudly, and said to De Chemerant,
+in a dignified manner, "Upon reflection, sir, I will accept the
+viceroyship of Ireland and Scotland, you have my word. However do not
+think that fear of a perpetual prison forces me thus to act. No, sir,
+no; but after mature reflection, I am convinced that I would be culpable
+not to yield to the wishes of an oppressed people, who are stretching
+out their arms to me, and not to draw my sword for their defense," said
+the adventurer with a heroic air.
+
+"If that is so, your highness," cried De Chemerant, "long live King
+James and his Royal Highness the Duke of Monmouth. Long live the
+Viceroy of Scotland and Ireland."
+
+"I accept the augury," gravely replied the chevalier, while he said to
+himself, "Devil of a man! with his sweet manner, I do not know if I do
+not like the other better in spite of his eternal dagger. This is a
+difficult choice. To go with the Dutchman a prisoner to London Tower,
+that was not difficult; while now my role is complicated and becomes
+diabolical, thanks to my mad friends who like vultures are awaiting me
+on board the frigate. To-morrow, I dare say, all will be discovered. And
+Blue Beard? But I who believed I had made a master stroke in coming to
+seek her at Devil's Cliff? What will happen from all this? Bah! after
+all, what can happen me? Taken prisoner? or hanged? Prisoner?--that
+gives me a future. Hanged?--it is a trifle, the dropping of an eyelid, a
+gasp. Come, come, Croustillac! no cowardice! console yourself by mocking
+at these men, and amuse yourself with the strange adventures the devil
+sends you! It is all the same, cursed be my partisans! except for them
+all would go well. Let us see if there is not some way of sending them
+to love me--elsewhere."
+
+"Tell me, sir," said he, aloud, "are my followers on board many?"
+
+"Your highness, there are eleven."
+
+"That must incommode you; they must be uncomfortable themselves."
+
+"They are soldiers, your highness, they are accustomed to the rough life
+of a camp; beside, the end which they propose to attain is so important,
+so glorious, that they do not dream of privations which the sight of
+your highness will make them quickly forget."
+
+"It is all the same--is there not a means of finding a place elsewhere?
+sending them to another vessel would be infinitely better, that I and my
+wife may accommodate ourselves on the frigate? And then, for reasons
+known to myself, I shall not discover myself to these dear and good
+friends until the moment arrives to disembark in England."
+
+"That is impossible! to be on the same vessel with you, your friends
+will sleep on deck in their clothes."
+
+"It is terrible to inspire such devotion," said Croustillac to himself.
+"Then think no more of it," said he aloud. "I shall be very sorry to
+thwart such faithful partisans. But what accommodations have you for
+myself and wife?"
+
+"They will be very plain, sir, but your highness will deign to be
+indulgent in recognizing the imperative necessity of the case. Beside,
+the well-known attachment of your highness for the duchess," replied De
+Chemerant, smiling, "will make you, I am sure, excuse the smallness of
+the apartment, which is none other than the captain's cabin."
+
+The adventurer could not prevent a smile in return, and answered, "The
+room, sir, will be sufficient."
+
+"Then, your highness, you have fully decided that you will bring madame
+with you?"
+
+"More than ever, sir; when I was the prisoner of Colonel Rutler, when I
+was destined to perish, perhaps, I left her ignorant of my peril, and
+abandoned her without warning her of the fate that awaited me."
+
+"So the duchess is ignorant----"
+
+"Of everything, sir; the poor woman is ignorant of everything. Surprised
+by Colonel Rutler, while she was asleep, I left word in quitting Devil's
+Cliff, that my absence would extend over but a day or two. But
+circumstances have suddenly changed. There are no more dangers that I am
+going to run. I know my wife, sir; glory and danger, she would partake
+all. In going to seek her, to carry her away with me, I am furthering
+her dearest wish."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+THE ARREST.
+
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant and Croustillac walked on in silence for some
+little time toward Devil's Cliff. Meanwhile the guard reached the
+heights of the rocks. From this spot were discerned at a distance the
+platform and the wall of the park surrounding Blue Beard's home.
+
+At the sight of this species of fortification De Chemerant said to the
+chevalier, "This retreat is well chosen, your highness, to keep at a
+distance curious persons; to say nothing of the fact that the reports
+that you have caused to be made by the three fellows in your service,
+are not such as to encourage many visitors."
+
+"You allude, I presume, to the buccaneer, the filibuster and the
+Caribbean?"
+
+"Yes, your highness, it is said that they are devoted to you, for life
+and death."
+
+"They are singularly attached to me. Nevertheless," said Croustillac to
+himself, "I do not yet know what right these three miscreants have to an
+intimacy with the duchess, nor how, in fact, her husband, the Duke of
+Monmouth, can permit such bandits to be so very familiar with his
+wife--speaking tenderly to her and embracing her. The Caribbean, above
+all, with his grave air like a donkey that one has curried--he has above
+all the faculty of setting my nerves on edge. And then, how can the duke
+permit these familiarities? Doubtless it is to mislead people. It saves
+appearances. But, zounds! it seems to me that this misleads a little too
+much. Ah, Croustillac, Croustillac! you are becoming more and more in
+love, my friend; it is jealousy you feel for these bandits. Ah, well, I
+shall unravel this mystery shortly. Meanwhile, I must endeavor to learn
+how it was discovered that the prince was hidden at Devil's Cliff."
+"Sir," continued Croustillac aloud, "I desire to ask you a very
+important question."
+
+"I am all attention, your highness."
+
+"If you are permitted to answer this, tell me how it became known at
+Versailles that I was hidden in Martinique?"
+
+After a moment's silence De Chemerant replied, "In telling you what you
+wish to know, your highness, I do not in any way betray a state secret.
+Neither the king nor his ministers have confided to me anything on this
+point. It is entirely due to a circumstance which it would take too long
+to tell you now, that I had discovered that of which they thought I was
+in ignorance. I can, however, count upon your silence on this subject,
+your highness."
+
+"You may be sure of that, sir."
+
+"Then, I believe, your highness, that the late Governor of Martinique,
+the late Chevalier de Crussol, had known you in Holland, where he owed
+his life to you. At the battle of Saint Denis, where you commanded a
+Scotch regiment in the army of the stadtholder, while the Chevalier de
+Crussol served in the army of the Marshal Luxembourg----"
+
+"This is true in every particular," said Croustillac imperturbably.
+"Proceed."
+
+"I believe, also, your highness, that the late Chevalier de Crussol
+having been, by a combination of events, chosen governor of this colony,
+and, having believed it his duty to inquire into the mysterious
+existence of a young widow called Blue Beard, went to Devil's Cliff,
+entirely ignorant of the fact that you had found refuge there."
+
+"That also is true, sir; you see I am frank," said Croustillac, charmed
+at penetrating, little by little, this mystery.
+
+"Finally, it appears certain that Chevalier de Crussol, recognizing in
+you the prince who had saved his life, swore to you that he would guard
+your secret----"
+
+"He swore it, sir, and if anything surprises me on the part of so
+gallant a man, it is that he failed to keep his word," said the Gascon
+severely.
+
+"Do not be too hasty in accusing Chevalier de Crussol, your highness."
+
+"I will reserve my judgment, then."
+
+"You know, your highness, there were few men more religiously inclined
+than De Crussol?"
+
+"His piety was proverbial; it is that fact which so surprises me at his
+failure to keep his word."
+
+"When dying, your highness, Chevalier de Crussol felt it a point of
+conscience that he had not made known to his master, the king, a state
+secret of such importance. He therefore confessed the truth to Father
+Griffen."
+
+"I know all that, sir; go on," said Croustillac, who did not desire that
+the devouring curiosity with which he listened to De Chemerant should
+appear.
+
+"As for that, your highness, I speak of what occurred then only from
+memory. I shall touch upon certain particulars unknown, I think, to your
+highness. At the point of death, Chevalier de Crussol, wishing so far as
+possible, to continue to you the protection which had surrounded you
+during his life, and, fearing that his successor would begin a search
+against the mysterious residents at Devil's Cliff, he wrote a letter to
+the governor who would succeed him. In this letter he affirmed on his
+guarantee and on that of Father Griffen that the conduct of Blue Beard
+was in no wise to be suspected. It is believed, your highness, that the
+dying governor had warned you that scruples of conscience having
+compelled him to confess all to Father Griffen, under the seal of the
+confessional, he did not consider he had broken the promise that he had
+given you."
+
+"If this is so, sir, this poor man remained until the close of his life
+the pious and loyal gentleman that I always knew him to be," said
+Croustillac, deeply affected; "but must one then, accuse the good Father
+Griffen of a sacrilege? This would be cruel. I can with difficulty
+reconcile myself to that, sir."
+
+After a moment's silence, De Chemerant said to the adventurer:
+
+"Do you know, your highness, the game of the poisoned shoulder-knot?"
+The Gascon looked at the envoy with surprise. "Is this a pleasantry,
+sir?"
+
+"I would not take such a liberty, your highness," said De Chemerant,
+bending his head.
+
+"Then, sir, what connection----"
+
+"Permit me, your highness, to explain to you what this game is, and by
+the aid of this figure, I shall perhaps be able to also explain to your
+highness the fortunes of the state secret.
+
+"Explain this figure, sir."
+
+"Well, the game of the poisoned shoulder-knot consists in this: a circle
+of men and women is made; one man takes one of the shoulder-knots from
+his coat and seeks to slip it into his neighbor's pocket as secretly as
+possible, for the person who is found in possession of it is obliged to
+give a forfeit."
+
+"Very well, sir," said the Gascon, "the skill of the play resolves
+itself into getting rid as soon as possible of the shoulder-knot, by
+passing it, adroitly, on to another."
+
+"There you have it, your highness."
+
+"But I do not see what connection there is between the state secret
+which concerns me and this game."
+
+"Pardon me, sir, to some consciences, at once scrupulous and timid,
+certain confidences, or rather certain confessions, have the same effect
+as the poisoned shoulder-knot in the play of that name; the aforesaid
+consciences think only of getting rid of the secret to a neighboring
+conscience in order to protect themselves from all responsibility."
+
+"Well, sir, I see the analogy; it seems that the game of the poisoned
+shoulder-knot has been played with the confessor of this unhappy
+Chevalier de Crussol."
+
+"That is just what happened, your highness. Father Griffen, seeing
+himself the depository of such an important state secret, found himself
+terribly embarrassed; he feared to commit a culpable action toward his
+sovereign in keeping silent; he feared by speaking to violate the seal
+of the confessional and to ruin you. In this quandary, and desiring to
+quiet his conscience, he resolved to go to France, to confess all to the
+general of his order, and to thus free himself of all responsibility."
+
+"I understand, now, your comparison, sir; but as this secret has been
+noised abroad, it necessarily follows that, in order to carry out your
+comparison, some one has cheated."
+
+"I can assure your highness that it is many months since Father Griffen,
+after his resolution had been taken, arrived in France and confided all
+to the general of the order; he, in turn, took all the responsibility
+upon himself, and completely absolved Father Griffen, recommending to
+him the greatest secrecy."
+
+"And to whom the devil did the general of the order pass the
+shoulder-knot?" said the Gascon, who was much amused by this story.
+
+"Before answering your highness, I must say that the general of the
+order concealed beneath an austere exterior a most unbridled ambition;
+that few men possessed to so high a degree the genius for intrigue; or
+played more audaciously with what the world reveres. Once master of the
+important secret that Father Griffen had confided to him, as his
+spiritual superior, in order to quiet his conscience, the general of the
+order desired to use this secret for his own personal advancement.
+Intimately linked with the confessor of his majesty, King James, Father
+Briars, a cunning Jesuit, who understood perfectly the condition of
+affairs in England, he led the conversation one day to the location of
+this island, and the general of the order asked Father Briars if, in
+case you had been still living, your highness, you would not have many
+opportunities for rallying about you the partisans of the Stuarts, and
+thus placing yourself at the head of a movement against the Prince of
+Orange. Father Briars replied that if you had lived your influence would
+have been immense, if you were sincerely devoted to the cause of King
+James; that this prince had often regretted your death, when thinking of
+the services you could have rendered to the cause of the Stuarts. You
+can imagine, your highness, the joy of the general of the order. The
+secret of the confessional was betrayed, your highness, and your
+existence revealed.
+
+"But this is an abominable man, this general of the order," cried
+Croustillac.
+
+"Doubtless, sir; but he was ambitious to wear the cardinal's hat; and as
+the prime mover of the enterprise, he would be a prince of the church
+if King James, your uncle, ascended the throne of England. It is
+unnecessary to tell you, sir, that once Father Briars was master of this
+secret, he availed himself of it with his royal penitent, and that the
+remainder of the arrangements were converted between Louis XIV. and
+James Stuart."
+
+"All is clear now," said Croustillac to himself. "I am not surprised at
+the uneasiness of Father Griffen when I persisted in going to Devil's
+Cliff. Knowing the secret of the place, he doubtless, believed me to be
+a spy. I can now understand the questions with which he overwhelmed me
+during our journey, and which seemed so absurd."
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant attributed to astonishment the silence of
+Croustillac at this recital, and he said, "Now all should be clear to
+you. Without doubt, the preparations of this enterprise have not been so
+secret that William of Orange has not been kept posted by spies who
+gained entrance into the cabinet at Versailles, and even into the inner
+circle of the lesser court at Saint Germain. In order to baffle the
+projects which rest entirely upon your highness, the usurper has given
+to Colonel Rutler the mission which came so near being fatal to you,
+your highness. You see, then, in all this Father Griffen has been
+perfectly innocent. Some one has abused his confidence most
+sacrilegiously; but, after all, sir, you must exercise forbearance, for
+it is to this discovery that you will have the glory, some day, of
+re-establishing James Stuart upon the throne of England."
+
+Although this confidence had satisfied the adventurer's curiosity, he
+regretted having provoked it; if he was discovered, he would, no doubt,
+be made to pay dearly for his knowledge of this state secret, which he
+had involuntarily surprised; but Croustillac could not retrace his
+steps; he was to become more and more involved in the dangerous way
+wherein he walked. The escort arrived on the plain at the foot of the
+wall of the house. It was agreed that Rutler, still bound, should remain
+outside, and that six soldiers and two sailors should accompany
+Chemerant and Croustillac. On reaching the foot of the wall, the Gascon
+called, resolutely, "Ho, slaves!"
+
+After waiting some moments, the ladder was lowered. The adventurer and
+De Chemerant, followed by their men, entered the house; the arched door
+used exclusively by Blue Beard was opened by Mirette. Chemerant ordered
+the six soldiers to remain outside the arch.
+
+Mirette, instructed by her mistress, as to what she should do and say in
+response to questions, appeared struck with surprise at the sight of the
+Gascon, and exclaimed, "Ah, my lord!"
+
+"You did not expect me? and Father Griffen?"
+
+"What, my lord is it you?"
+
+"Certainly it is I; but where is Father Griffen?"
+
+"Learning that you were going away for some days, madame had ordered me
+to allow no one to enter."
+
+"But the reverend Father, who came here on my account--has he not seen
+your mistress?"
+
+"No, my lord; madame told me to allow no one to enter, so the reverend
+priest has been shown to a room in the outer building."
+
+"Then your mistress is not expecting my return?"
+
+"No, my lord; but----"
+
+"It is well; leave us."
+
+"But, my lord, I will go and inform Madame de----"
+
+"No, it is no matter; I will go myself," said the Gascon, passing before
+Mirette and walking toward the drawing room.
+
+"Your highness, you are about to give a pleasant surprise to the
+duchess, who does not expect you for some days, and will thus change her
+regrets to a very tender joy, since Father Griffen has not yet been able
+to see your wife," said De Chemerant.
+
+"She is always thus, poor dear child, she is very timid; when I am not
+here," said Croustillac, tenderly, "she will not see a human face, not
+even this good priest; my shortest absence causes her sadness,
+desolation and tears; this is what worries me; all this is very simple;
+since I have been condemned to this absolute retirement I have never
+left my wife, and this absence to-day, short as she believes it to be,
+is terribly hard for her, poor, dear soul."
+
+"But then, your highness, what a delightful surprise! If your highness
+will permit me to advise, I will promise to persuade the duchess to
+leave this night, for you know, our enterprise cannot succeed except it
+be by a very rapid move."
+
+"My wish also is to carry away my wife as soon as possible."
+
+"This hasty journey will unfortunately cause the duchess some
+inconveniences."
+
+"She will not think so, sir; it concerns following me," said
+Croustillac, with a triumphant manner.
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant and the adventurer reached the little gallery
+which gave entrance to the drawing room of Blue Beard. As we have said,
+this room was separated from the drawing room only by _portieres_; a
+thick Turkish carpet covered the floor.
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant and Croustillac approached the inner room
+noiselessly, when they suddenly heard peals of laughter. The chevalier
+recognized the voice of Angela, and, seizing the hand of De Chemerant,
+he said in a low voice, "It is my wife--listen."
+
+"The duchess appears to me less overcome than your highness believed."
+
+"Perhaps, sir; there are sobs, you know, which in their violence have
+something of the sound of convulsive laughter. Do not move; I wish to
+surprise her in the abandon of her grief," said the Gascon, making a
+sign to his companion to remain motionless and to keep silent.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE INTERVIEW.
+
+
+In order to explain the confidence of the Gascon, we must say that,
+having heard Mirette address him as master, he was fully persuaded that
+Blue Beard was on her guard, and that Monmouth was securely hidden. In
+spite of what the mulattress said, he was convinced, with reason, that
+Father Griffen had informed Angela that her supposed husband would come
+to see her. The situation was so grave that the priest, knowing all the
+mysteries of Devil's Cliff, could not but have insisted on warning Blue
+Beard of the fresh peril which menaced her.
+
+If Mirette had stated that Father Griffen had not seen Blue Beard, it
+was because it was in accord with her wishes that it should appear that
+he had not communicated with the inhabitants of Devil's Cliff.
+
+This explains at once what will seem contradictory in Croustillac's
+conduct, and will answer the question "if he wished to take advantage of
+the name he had assumed, to carry off Blue Beard, why had he warned
+Father Griffen of his intention?"
+
+Croustillac, having warned De Chemerant to be silent, advanced on
+tiptoe, to the half-drawn _portiere_, and looked into the room, for the
+peals of laughter still continued. He had scarcely cast a glance into
+the room when he quickly turned toward De Chemerant; and with a
+distorted face and outraged manner said, "See and listen, sir! this is
+the reward of surprises. I had a presentiment when I sent Father Griffen
+here. By heavens! prudent husbands should be preceded by an escort of
+cymbals to announce their return!"
+
+In spite of these ironical words, the features of Croustillac were
+convulsed; his whole physiognomy expressed a singular mixture of sorrow,
+anger and hatred.
+
+Rapidly glancing into the room, De Chemerant, in spite of his assurance,
+lowered his eyes, colored, and for some moments remained perfectly
+overwhelmed with confusion.
+
+Let one judge of the spectacle which caused the confusion of De
+Chemerant, and the rage, not feigned but sincere, even cruel, of
+Croustillac, who, as we have said, passionately loved Blue Beard,
+devoted himself generously for her, and was not in the secret of the
+prince's different disguises.
+
+Monmouth, in the disguise of the mulatto filibuster, Whirlwind, was
+negligently extended on a sofa; he was smoking a long pipe, the bowl of
+which rested on a low stand.
+
+Angela, kneeling beside the latter, quickened the flame of the pipe with
+a long golden pin.
+
+"Good! that is all right," said Monmouth, whom we will call Whirlwind,
+during this scene. "My pipe is lighted, now for something to drink."
+
+Angela placed on a table a large Bohemian glass and a crystal _carafe_,
+and, going over to the divan, while the filibuster puffed several
+mouthfuls of tobacco, poured out a brimming glass of Muscatel wine and
+handed it to him with a charmingly graceful air.
+
+The filibuster emptied it at a single draught, after which he kissed her
+roughly, saying, "Wine is good, and the woman is pretty; to the devil
+with the husband!"
+
+Hearing these very significant words, De Chemerant wished to retire.
+Croustillac took hold of him and said, in a low tone, "Remain, sir,
+remain, I desire to surprise, to confound them, the miserable wretches!"
+
+The face of Croustillac clouded more and more. The warning which he had
+given in begging Father Griffen to go and prepare Blue Beard that he was
+about to seek her, concealed a very praiseworthy and generous purpose,
+which we will explain later.
+
+The sight of the filibuster exciting the adventurer's jealousy into rage
+quickly changed his good intentions. He could not understand the
+audacity of this young woman. He could not be blind to the evidence of
+these familiarities on the part of the mulatto whom he had not yet
+seen. He remembered those, no less shocking, of the Caribbean and the
+buccaneer. He believed himself to be the dupe of a frightfully depraved
+creature; he believed that Monmouth, her husband, no longer existed or
+no longer lived at Devil's Cliff; and if Angela had co-operated with
+himself (Croustillac) in his strategy, it was in order to rid herself of
+an awkward witness.
+
+Furious at being thus deceived and played with, deeply wounded in a true
+love, Croustillac resolved to avenge himself without pity, and, this
+time, to really abuse the power his assumed name and the situation which
+he assumed with such honorable motives had given him. He said to De
+Chemerant, in a stifled voice, but with an expression of concentrated
+wrath, which entered admirably into the spirit of his role, "Not a word,
+sir; I wish to hear all, because I wish to punish both without mercy."
+
+"But, your highness----"
+
+An imperious gesture from Croustillac closed De Chemerant's mouth; both
+of them gave an attentive ear to the conversation of Angela, and the
+filibuster, who, we must say, knew perfectly that they were overheard.
+
+"At last, my beautiful child," said Whirlwind, "you are free for a time
+at least."
+
+"If not forever," said Blue Beard, smiling.
+
+"Forever? what do you mean, you little demon," returned the filibuster.
+
+Angela arose and seated herself near the mulatto. While talking to him
+she passed her hand through his hair with a cajoling coquetry which put
+the unhappy Croustillac beside himself.
+
+"Your highness, one word, and my men shall rid you of this scoundrel,"
+said De Chemerant, in an undertone, in pity for the Gascon.
+
+"I shall know well how to avenge myself," said the adventurer sullenly,
+who no longer desired to prolong the scene; and so, turning to De
+Chemerant, continued, "Sir, leave me alone with these two wretches."
+
+"But, your highness, this man appears strong and robust."
+
+"Be easy, I will give a good account of him."
+
+"If you will listen to me, your highness, we will leave at once; you
+will abandon to her remorse, a woman so unhappy as to thus forget her
+duty."
+
+"Leave her? No, my heavens! Willingly or otherwise, she shall follow
+me--that will be my revenge."
+
+"If your highness will permit me a remark: After a disclosure so
+scandalous, the sight of the duchess can only be forever odious to you.
+Let us go; forget such a guilty spouse; glory shall console you."
+
+"Sir, I desire to speak to my wife," said Croustillac impatiently.
+
+"But, your highness, this miserable----"
+
+"Once more, am I a man without courage and without force, that such a
+rascal should intimidate me? Some domestic scenes must be secret. Will
+you await me in the next room? In a quarter of an hour I will be with
+you."
+
+Croustillac said these words with an intonation so imperious, and with
+such an agonized manner, that De Chemerant bowed without persisting
+further. He went into a room the door of which the chevalier had opened,
+and which he immediately closed upon him.
+
+Crossing the drawing room with quick steps, the adventurer entered
+suddenly into the room where the mulatto and Blue Beard were.
+
+"Madame," said the Gascon with sorrowful indignation, "your conduct is
+abominable."
+
+The mulatto, who was extended on the divan, arose quickly; he was about
+to speak; Angela with a glance begged him to do nothing. As much as
+Monmouth had generously desired to prevent the sacrifice of the
+chevalier when he believed this sacrifice disinterested, he was as much
+resolved not to make himself known when he believed the adventurer
+capable of an unworthy betrayal.
+
+"Sir," said Angela coldly, to the Gascon, "the French emissary may still
+overhear us; let us go into another room."
+
+She opened the door of Monmouth's own room, and entered, followed by the
+filibuster and Croustillac. The door once closed, the adventurer cried:
+"I repeat that you have shamefully abused my trust in you."
+
+"I demand an explanation of your disloyal conduct," said Angela proudly.
+"Explain yourself at once."
+
+During this scene, Monmouth, gravely preoccupied, walked up and down the
+room with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on the carpet.
+
+"You desire that I explain myself, madame? Oh, that will not take long!
+First know that, right or wrong, I love you," cried Croustillac, in a
+burst of tenderness and anger.
+
+"That is to say, that you have boasted to your fellow-travelers that you
+would marry the rich widow of Devil's Cliff?"
+
+"So be it, madame; on board the Unicorn my language was impertinent, my
+pretensions absurd, madame; covetous, I admit. But when I spoke thus,
+when I thought thus, I had not seen you."
+
+"The sight of me, sir, has not inspired you with ideas much more
+honorable," said Angela severely, still convinced that Croustillac
+wished to cruelly abuse the position in which he found himself.
+
+"Hear me, madame; I love you truly; that is to say, that I was capable
+of anything to prove to you my love, absurd and stupid as it appears to
+you. Yes, I loved you, because my heart told me I did well to love you;
+because I felt myself better for loving you. You may laugh at this love;
+I was sufficiently repaid by the happiness it gave me. When you have
+said, 'Sir, I mock at you, I use you for a plaything, you are a poor
+devil, I have bestowed charity upon you, and you should be content
+therewith---- '"
+
+"Sir!"
+
+"When you have said all this, do not think that I was humiliated. No,
+that hurt me, hurt me much, but I quickly forgot this injury, when I saw
+that you understood that, poor as I am, I could be touched by something
+else than money. Then you said to me some kind words, you called me your
+friend--your friend! After this I would have thrown myself into the fire
+for you, and that for the sole pleasure of throwing myself into it, for
+I had nothing more to hope for from you; the time of my folly is past; I
+see too clearly into my heart not to recognize that I was a kind of
+mendicant buffoon; I can never have anything in common with a woman as
+beautiful and as young as you. My only ambition--and this can offend no
+one--would have been to devote myself to you. But how to have such
+happiness? I, a vagabond, with nothing but my old sword, my old hat, and
+my pink hose! Ah! well, by a chance which I at first blessed, Colonel
+Rutler to-night mistook me for him they call your husband; this mistake
+might be useful to you. Judge of my joy--I could save the man whom you
+so passionately loved. I should have preferred to save something else,
+but I had no time to choose. I risked all, including the everlasting
+dagger of the colonel. I augmented, by every means possible, his double
+mistake. You came to my assistance; that is, you buried me in the mud up
+to the neck, by means of the bagatelles with which you loaded me. It is
+all the same--I go with all my heart; I am satisfied to do so, and I
+leave this house without hope of ever seeing you again, with the gallows
+or prison in prospect, not to count the everlasting dagger of the
+Dutchman. Ah, well, in spite of all, I repeat, I was content: I said to
+myself, I know not what awaits me, rope or dungeon; but I am sure Blue
+Beard will say, 'It is fortunate, very fortunate for us at least, that
+this eccentric Gascon came here. Poor devil! what has happened to him?'
+There! that was my ambition. But I did not ask even a regret, a
+memory--a memory," said the Gascon, moved in spite of himself.
+
+"Sir," said Angela, "as long as I believed you really generous, my
+gratitude did not fail you."
+
+These words increased the Gascon's wrath; he exclaimed, "Your gratitude,
+madame! Zounds! it is beautiful. But to proceed. We started from this
+place with the Belgian. In descending the hill we met the French
+emissary. Rutler at once believed himself betrayed, and made a furious
+lunge at me with his everlasting dagger. These are the fruits of
+devotion. If the blade had not broken, I should have been killed.
+Nothing is simpler; when one sacrifices oneself for others, it is hardly
+with the expectation of being crowned with roses, or caressed by nymphs
+of the woods. Well, the dagger broke; one of the men throttled Rutler;
+I found myself face to face with the French emissary. I did not lose my
+head. It was a matter touching you and the unhappy exile whom you loved
+passionately. I would rather it had been your father or your uncle, but
+I had no choice. Beside, the idea of being useful to two young and
+interesting people threw my egotism into the background. The greater the
+complications the more my pride incited me to save you. I redoubled my
+audacity and coolness. The great but honest falsehoods I have uttered
+for you should absolve me from those which I have spoken for an unworthy
+cause. The good God took up the cause; I was inspired to the greatest
+falsehoods you can imagine; they were swallowed up as eagerly by the
+French envoy as if it had been manna from on high. I played my role with
+all my might. Monsieur De Chemerant told me in two words the object of
+his mission; an insurrection favored by the King of France was on foot
+in England; if the Duke of Monmouth were to put himself at the head of
+the affair its success was assured."
+
+Monmouth made a movement and stealthily exchanged glances with Angela.
+
+The Gascon continued: "When I was on the way to an English prison with
+the Belgian and his everlasting dagger I did not breathe a word. I was
+well protected from any wish to return here. But when De Chemerant
+confided to me a thing of possible advantage to the prince, I had no
+right to refuse it for him. I therefore accepted in his name all manner
+of viceroyalties. But, if he really desired to take part in this
+uprising, how was I to let him know? Monsieur De Chemerant desired to
+set sail at once. By what means could I return here with the envoy of
+France without exposing the duke, who was ignorant of my last adventure
+and believed me still to be the Belgian's prisoner, thinking, doubtless,
+that he was secure here? An idea seized me. I said to De Chemerant,
+'Things have changed their aspect; I desire to take my wife with me.
+Come, let us return to Devil's Cliff.' Faith, it was the only way in
+which I could manage an interview with you, madame--of warning the
+prince of this proposal. If he accepted it, I would throw off the
+prince; if he refused, I would refuse as before, and he would be saved."
+
+"How, sir!" cried Angela. "Such was your generous intention? You
+would----"
+
+"Oh, wait, madame, wait; do not think me either more stupid or more
+generous than I am," said the Gascon bitterly. "I begged Father Griffen
+to come and prepare you, madame, that I desired to take you with me.
+Chemerant heard me; I could say no more to the priest, but this
+sufficed. One of two things would result: either you would understand
+the situation or you would believe me guilty of infamous intentions; in
+either case, you would be on your guard, and the prince saved; for it
+was my fixed idea----"
+
+"So, sir," cried Angela, looking at him with mingled surprise and
+gratitude, "you did not really intend to abuse----"
+
+The Gascon interrupted her shortly. "No, madame, no. I had then no such
+wicked intentions, though certain particulars of your life appear to me
+inexplicable. I believed you sincerely attached to an unhappy prince,
+and at any cost I would have saved the duke."
+
+"Ah! sir, how I have misjudged you? You are the most generous of men,"
+cried Angela.
+
+The adventurer burst into a sardonic laugh, which stupefied the young
+woman; then he continued with a somber air:
+
+"Thank God, my eyes have been opened. I see now that generosity would be
+stupid, devotion foolish. I shall profit by this lesson. Polypheme de
+Croustillac rarely revenges himself, but when he does, he revenges
+himself well; above all, when the vengeance is as charming as that which
+awaits him."
+
+"You would be revenged, sir," said Angela, "and on whom?"
+
+"On whom, madame? You have the audacity to ask me that?"
+
+"Why, certainly, what have I done; why this hatred?"
+
+The adventurer stamped his foot so violently that the mulatto made a
+step toward him; but Croustillac curbed himself and said to Angela
+shortly, and with ironical bitterness, "Listen to me, madame. It seems
+to me, that without being possessed of colossal pride, I deserved
+something, when for you I threw myself into the midst of the most
+dangerous situations. It seems to me, madame," continued the Gascon, who
+could not contain his indignation, which increased in measure as he
+spoke, "It seems to me that it was not at the moment when, at the risk
+of my life, I was doing all I could to save the husband whom you love so
+passionately, as they say, that it was not at such a time that you
+should forget all modesty----"
+
+"Sir!"
+
+"Yes, madame, forget all modesty, all shame, by throwing yourself into
+the arms of this miserable mulatto, and go to the depth of lighting his
+pipe. Truly, I was very stupid," continued the Gascon with an increase
+of rage. "In my devotion to you I risked my skin for the husband of
+madame! while madame, outrageously mocking her husband and me, abandoned
+herself to orgies with a lot of scamps. I am beside myself! My mother's
+son does not merit having been born in my country and having played all
+manner of pranks, as they say, in the capital of the world, if he cannot
+find something, in his turn, to laugh at in this adventure. In a word,
+madame," he said, sullenly, "you can believe me to entertain the
+wickedest intention in the world, and you will not overstep the reality,
+for I am now as much your enemy as I was your friend. As for the rest, I
+am well pleased; nothing is more wearying than fine sentiments. I should
+have resumed my shepherd songs and my morning sonnets. I shall take good
+care not to do so. I prefer the fashion in which I love you now, rather
+than heretofore," said Croustillac, throwing a glittering look at
+Angela.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+REVELATIONS.
+
+
+The poor Gascon, carried away by anger and jealousy, appeared more
+furious than he was in reality. Unhappily, the Duchess of Monmouth did
+not know him well enough to understand the exaggeration of this
+ferocious appearance.
+
+Angela thought the adventurer seriously regretted having shown a
+generous spirit; in doubting him she naturally hesitated to calm the
+Gascon's jealousy by imparting the disguise of the duke; this avowal
+would ruin everything if the chevalier was not faithful. It was, then,
+prudent to hold this in reserve.
+
+"Sir," said Angela, "you deceive yourself; there is a certain mystery in
+my conduct which I cannot yet explain to you."
+
+These words redoubled Croustillac's irritation; for the past three days
+he had been surrounded by mysteries; therefore he exclaimed, "I have had
+enough mystery; I have had too many concerning yourself. I do not wish
+to be your dupe any longer, madame. I do not know what may await me; I
+do not know how all this will end, but I _swear_ you shall follow me!"
+
+"Sir!"
+
+"Yes, madame, I have all the inconveniences of the role of your
+well-beloved husband; I will at least have its pleasures; as to this
+unworthy scoundrel of a mulatto, who says nothing, but thinks evil and
+would do it, I will deliver him over to De Chemerant, who will give me a
+good account of him. If it was not for soiling the sword of a gentleman
+by dipping it in his slave blood, I myself would take this vengeance."
+
+Angela exchanged glances with Monmouth, whose imperturbability
+exasperated the Gascon. Both of them realized the necessity of calming
+the chevalier; his anger might prove dangerous; he must be quieted at
+once, without betraying the secret of the prince's disguise.
+
+The young woman said to the adventurer, "All will be explained, sir; my
+greatest, my only wrong toward you has been in doubting the generosity
+of your character, and the loyalty of your devotion. Father Griffen,
+although he answered for you, has been, like myself, deceived as to the
+real motive of your intentions; we have believed, and we have been wrong
+in so believing, that you were capable of abusing the name which you
+have taken. In order to escape a fresh danger with which you seemed to
+threaten us, it became necessary to attempt a means, very uncertain,
+doubtless, but which might succeed. I could not escape--that would be
+only to meet you. I gave the necessary orders, then, that you should be
+introduced here with De Chemerant, hoping that you would surprise me,
+suddenly, and thus become a witness of the tender intimacy which linked
+me with the captain----"
+
+"How! did you arrange this agreeable scene for me?" cried the Gascon
+furiously, "and you dare say it to my face? But this is the last degree
+of degradation and shame, madame. And for what purpose, if you please,
+did you wish to prove to me the abominable intimacy which binds you to
+this bandit?"
+
+"To the end that it should be impossible for you to take me with you.
+Monsieur De Chemerant being a witness to my culpable intimacy with
+Captain Whirlwind, you could not, you who are passing as the Duke of
+Monmouth, take with you a woman, who, in the eyes of the French envoy,
+is as culpable as I would appear to him--as culpable as I am."
+
+"You acknowledge it, then, madame?"
+
+"Yes, and again yes, sir! Do not be generous by halves; what does it
+matter to you whom I love--a slave, as you say?"
+
+"How, madame? What does it matter to me? have you then sworn to drive me
+mad? And what does it serve that I play the part of your husband? Does
+he really exist? Is he here, and do you not avail yourself of the
+mistakes of which I am a victim to get rid of me? Is he not already
+safely at a distance, this husband of yours? This is enough to drive one
+mad!" cried the Gascon wildly. "I believe my head is turned; am I or am
+I not for the past two days the sport of an abominable nightmare? Who
+are you? Where am I? Who am I? Am I Croustillac? Am I my lord? Am I the
+prince, am I a viceroy, or even a king? Have I had my throat cut or not?
+How is this to be explained? This thing must stop! If there _is_ a Duke
+of Monmouth, where is he? Show him to me," cried the unhappy adventurer,
+in a state of excitement impossible to describe, but easy to imagine.
+
+Angela, frightened and less ready than ever to tell the Gascon
+everything, said hesitatingly, "Sir, certain mysterious
+circumstances----"
+
+Croustillac did not give her time to go on, but cried, "Still more
+mysteries! I tell you I have had enough mystery. I do not believe my
+brain is weaker than any other, but one hour more of this and I shall be
+a lunatic!"
+
+"Sir, if you could understand----"
+
+"Madame, I do not wish to understand," cried the chevalier, stamping his
+foot in a rage. "It is just because I have wished to understand that my
+head is almost turned."
+
+"Sir," said Angela, "I beg you to be calm and reflect----"
+
+"I do not wish to reflect nor to comprehend," cried Croustillac,
+exasperated afresh. "Right or wrong, I have determined that you
+accompany me, and you _shall_ accompany me. I do not know where your
+husband is and I do not wish to know; what I do know is that you have
+not been obdurate either to Caribbeans, or buccaneers, or mulattoes;
+very well you shall not be obdurate to me. You see that clock--if in
+five minutes you do not consent to accompany me, I will tell De
+Chemerant everything, come of it what will. Decide, then; I shall speak
+no more; I shall be deaf, for my head will burst like a bombshell at the
+slightest word."
+
+Croustillac threw himself into a chair, put his hands over his ears in
+order to hear nothing, and fixed his eyes on the clock.
+
+Monmouth had walked up and down the room incessantly; he, as well as
+Angela, was in terrible perplexity.
+
+"James, perhaps he is an honest man," said Angela in a low tone, "but
+his excitement terrifies me; see how wild his manner is."
+
+"We must risk confiding to his loyalty, otherwise he will speak."
+
+"But if he deceives us--if he tells all?"
+
+"Angela! between two dangers we must choose the least."
+
+"Yes, if he consents to pass for you, you are saved, at least this
+time."
+
+"But in this case I cannot leave him in the power of De Chemerant."
+
+"Oh! it is frightful!"
+
+"Never will I consent to again plunge England into a civil war. I would
+a thousand times prefer prison and death; but to leave you, my God!"
+
+"What shall we do, James? What danger does this man run?"
+
+"Immense! the possessor of such a state secret."
+
+"But then, I must lose you or follow him. Ah, what shall I do? Time
+presses."
+
+After a moment's reflection, Monmouth said, "We must not hesitate. Tell
+him everything. If he then consents to play my role for some hours, I am
+safe, and will have the means to place him beyond the resentment of the
+French envoy."
+
+"James! if this man should be a traitor? Heavens! take care."
+
+At this moment the adventurer, seeing the hand of the clock reach the
+fifth minute, said to Angela, "Well, madame, what have you decided upon?
+Yes or no? For I am incapable of listening to or understanding anything
+beyond. Will you follow me or will you not? Speak."
+
+Monmouth approached him with a grave and imposing air. "I am going, sir,
+to give you a proof of the highest esteem and of----"
+
+"Your esteem, scoundrel," cried Croustillac indignantly, interrupting
+the duke. "Is it, indeed, to me that you dare speak thus? Your
+esteem----"
+
+"But, sir----"
+
+"Not another word," continued Croustillac, turning toward Angela.
+"Madame, will you follow me? Is it yes or no?"
+
+"But listen----"
+
+"Is it yes or no?" exclaimed he, walking toward the door; "answer, or I
+will call De Chemerant."
+
+"But by St. George!" cried Monmouth.
+
+The chevalier was about to open the door when the young woman seized him
+by the hands with such a beseeching air that he paused in spite of
+himself.
+
+"Yes, yes, I will go with you," she said, in a frightened manner.
+
+"At last!" said the Gascon, "so be it. Take my arm and let us go; De
+Chemerant has waited a long time."
+
+"But just a moment--you must know all," said the poor woman hastily.
+"The Caribbean is in reality the filibuster, or rather the buccaneer and
+the Caribbean are----"
+
+"Ah, there you go again; do you wish that I should retain my senses?"
+cried the Gascon, making a desperate effort and running toward the door
+in order to call De Chemerant.
+
+The prince flung himself upon Croustillac, and, seizing his two wrists
+in one hand, placed the other over his mouth at the moment Croustillac
+called "Help, De Chemerant!" then he said, "I am the Duke of Monmouth!"
+
+The prince thought the chevalier would understand everything the moment
+he spoke, but in the exasperation which Croustillac felt, he only saw in
+this statement a new artifice or a new provocation, and he redoubled his
+efforts to escape. Though much less strong than the duke, the chevalier
+was not without energy; he began to struggle violently, when Angela,
+terrified, ran and took up a flask, and, putting on her handkerchief a
+drop of the liquid, rubbed the hand of the prince, removing the stain
+upon it and showing the white skin.
+
+"Do you understand now, sir, that the three persons are one?" said the
+prince, releasing Croustillac and showing him his white hand.
+
+These words were a revelation to Croustillac, and he understood all.
+
+Unfortunately, at the moment when the prince took his hand from the
+mouth of the Gascon, the latter had uttered the words, "Help! De
+Chemerant!"
+
+The sound of the struggle had already attracted the attention of the
+French envoy, and, hearing the cry of Croustillac, he rushed into the
+room, sword in hand. It would be impossible to depict the stupefaction,
+the fright of the three when De Chemerant appeared. The duke put his
+hand upon his sword. Angela fell back into a chair and hid her face in
+her hands. Croustillac looked about him with an agonized air, regretting
+his imprudence, but too late.
+
+Nevertheless, the adventurer's presence of mind returned to him little
+by little; as it needs but a ray of the sun to dispel the thick mist, so
+the moment that the good chevalier had the key to the three disguises of
+the prince, everything became clear to him. His mind, until then so
+sadly agitated, became calm; his unworthy doubt of Blue Beard ceased;
+there only remained his regret at having accused her, and the desire to
+devote himself to her and the prince.
+
+With wonderful quickness of invention (we are familiar enough with the
+Gascon now to say with a marvelous facility for lying) Croustillac
+formed his plan of campaign against De Chemerant, who still, sword in
+hand, stood on the threshold and said for the second time, "What is it,
+your highness? what has happened? I thought I heard a cry and struggle,
+and an appeal for aid."
+
+"You were not deceived, sir," said Croustillac gloomily.
+
+Monmouth and his wife experienced a terrible anxiety. They were ignorant
+of the Gascon's intentions; knowing Monmouth's secret, he was now
+completely master of their fate.
+
+If Angela and her husband had had enough presence of mind to scrutinize
+Croustillac's face, they would have seen a kind of triumphant and
+malignant joy, which betrayed itself in spite of him in the menacing
+frown of his forehead.
+
+Monsieur De Chemerant asked him a third time why he had called.
+
+"I called you, sir," said the chevalier in a dismal voice, and with the
+air of coming out of a deep study, "I called you to my aid----"
+
+"Was it this wretch? your highness," said the envoy, pointing to
+Monmouth, who, standing with arms crossed, remained by the chair where
+Angela had seated herself, ready to defend her and to sell his life
+dearly, for, as we have said, he was ignorant of the adventurer's
+intention. "Speak the word, your highness," continued De Chemerant, "and
+I will hand him over to my guards."
+
+The Gascon shook his head, and answered, "I charge myself with this man;
+this is my affair. It is not against such a creature as this that I
+called you to my assistance, sir, it is against myself."
+
+"What do you say, your highness?"
+
+"I mean that I was afraid that I would allow myself to be softened by
+the tears of his woman, as dangerously hypocritical as she is
+audaciously culpable."
+
+"Your highness, it often takes courage--much courage--to be just."
+
+"You are right, sir; that is why I feared my weakness. I called you in
+order that the sight of you might keep alive my indignation and rekindle
+my wrath, for you have been a witness of my dishonor, sir. So, tell me
+that if I pardon I would be a coward, that I should merit my fate. Is it
+not so, sir?"
+
+"Your highness----"
+
+"I understand you--you are right--yes, by St. George!" Croustillac
+remembered having heard the prince use this oath; "by St. George, I will
+be revenged."
+
+Angela and the duke breathed again. They understood that the chevalier
+wished to save them.
+
+"Your highness," said De Chemerant severely, "I do not hesitate to
+repeat to your highness, before madame, what I had the honor to say to
+you some short time ago, that an insurmountable barrier now separates
+you from a guilty spouse," continued the envoy, with an effort, while
+Angela hid her confusion by covering her face with her handkerchief.
+
+Croustillac raised his head, and cried in a heartbroken tone, "Deceived
+by a mulatto; think of it, sir, a miserable mulatto, a mongrel, a
+copper-colored animal!"
+
+"Your highness----"
+
+"In a word, sir," said Croustillac, turning toward the envoy with an
+indignant and sorrowful manner, "you know why I returned, what my plans
+were; what I would have placed upon the brow of madame. Ah, well, is it
+not a frightful irony of fate that at this very moment a wife--a
+criminal----"
+
+"Your highness," cried De Chemerant, interrupting the Gascon, "at
+present these projects must be a secret from madame."
+
+"I know it; I know it! but then what a horrible surprise! I enter with a
+heart beating with joy, into the home circle, into my peaceful home, and
+what is it that I hear?"
+
+"Your highness----"
+
+"You have heard it as well as I. That is not all--what is it that I
+see?"
+
+"Your highness, calm yourself."
+
+"You have seen, as I have, a mulatto outlaw. But this shall not stop
+here, no, by St. George! Yes, I did well to call you. Now my anger
+boils; the most cruel plans crowd in upon my imagination. Yes, yes, that
+is it;" said Croustillac, with a meditative air. "I have it at last! I
+have found a revenge fitting the offence!"
+
+"Your highness, the contempt----"
+
+"The contempt--that is very easy for you to say, sir, contempt. No, sir,
+there remains another thing; I have found something better, and you
+shall assist me."
+
+"Your highness, anything that depends upon my zeal, without prejudice to
+the orders which I have received, and the success of my mission."
+
+"I renounce and cast off this unworthy woman. From this day, from this
+moment, all is forever at an end between her and me."
+
+"Thank God!" cried De Chemerant, delighted with this resolve; "you could
+not act more wisely."
+
+"To-morrow at daybreak," said the Gascon, in a curt tone, "she and her
+odious accomplice will embark on board of one of my vessels."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+DEVOTION.
+
+
+"Yes, sir!" repeated the Gascon, "to-morrow my wife and this miserable
+wretch shall go aboard one of my vessels. That is all my vengeance,"
+continued he, dwelling on these words with savage irony. "Oh, I know
+what I am doing. Yes, by heaven! She and her guilty accomplice, those
+two, as if they were really husband and wife, the miserable wretches!
+shall embark together. As to the destination of the vessel," said the
+chevalier, with a glance of such horrible ferocity that De Chemerant was
+struck by it, "as to the fate that awaits these guilty ones, I cannot
+tell you, sir; that concerns no one but myself."
+
+Then, taking Angela roughly by the arm, Croustillac exclaimed, "Ah, you
+desire a mulatto for a lover, duchess? very well, you shall have him.
+And you, scoundrel, you must have a white woman, a duchess? very well
+you shall have her. You shall never separate, tender lovers that you
+are, never again; but you do not know at what a terrible price you will
+be reunited."
+
+"Your highness, what do you intend to do?"
+
+"That is my affair; your responsibility will be at an end; the rest will
+take place on neutral ground," returned the Gascon with a smile at once
+mysterious and ferocious; "yes, on a desert island; and since this
+tender couple love one another, love each other to death, there will be
+time for them to prove it--until death."
+
+"I understand you, your highness; I see perfectly; but that will be
+terrible," said De Chemerant, who thought that Croustillac intended to
+starve his wife and the mulatto.
+
+"Terrible! you have said it, sir. All that I ask of you, and as a
+witness of my injury you cannot refuse me, is to give me the necessary
+assistance in order to conduct this guilty pair on board one of my
+ships. I will, myself, place them with the captain and give him his
+orders; orders which, perhaps he would not dare to obey if I did not
+give them in person."
+
+Monsieur de Chemerant, in spite of his cunning, was duped by the seeming
+rage of Croustillac; he said to him respectfully, "Your highness,
+justice is severe, but should not be cruel."
+
+"What do you say, sir?" cried Croustillac proudly, "am I not the sole
+judge of the punishment due this guilty pair? Do you refuse me your
+assistance when it only requires you to take this man and his accomplice
+on board a vessel belonging to me?"
+
+"No, sir, but I would say to your highness that it would be, perhaps,
+more generous----"
+
+Angela, seeing that she must no longer remain inactive, threw herself at
+the feet of Croustillac, crying, "Have mercy!" while Monmouth seemed to
+be wrapped in a deep and sad silence; then, addressing De Chemerant, the
+young woman continued, "Oh, sir, you seem to be sensible and good;
+intercede for me with my dear lord, that he condemn me to less cruel
+pain. I have merited it all, I will suffer all, but that my dear
+lord----"
+
+"I forbid your calling me your 'dear lord,' madame," said Croustillac.
+"I am no longer your dear lord."
+
+"Ah well, your highness, do not send me on board the vessel of which you
+speak."
+
+"And why not, madame?"
+
+"My God! because that the brigantine is the Chameleon, commanded by
+Captain Ralph; your highness, this man is cruel; he succeeded the
+filibuster Whirlwind in this command."
+
+"And that is just why I have chosen the Chameleon, madame; it is just
+because Captain Ralph is the most cruel enemy of your unworthy lover,"
+said Croustillac, who understood perfectly Angela's meaning.
+
+"But, your highness, you know very well that this vessel will be
+anchored to-morrow morning very near here, almost at the foot of the
+cliff in the alligators' cave."
+
+"Yes, madame, I know it."
+
+"Oh, your highness, would you compel me to embark there when nothing in
+the world would make me even approach its banks? My God! have you
+forgotten the frightful memories that this place is connected with in my
+mind?"
+
+"Oh! the cunning creature," thought Croustillac; "she wishes to say,
+what I did not know, that there is a vessel of hers called the
+Chameleon, whose captain is devoted to her, and who will anchor
+to-morrow near here. I have it! This is just her own vessel she had
+prepared hastily to furnish her and the duke a means of escape, when she
+saw me carried off by Colonel Rutler; one of the negro fishermen was
+doubtless sent ahead to deliver her directions."
+
+The Gascon, after some little reflection, said aloud, "Yes, those
+memories are terrible to you, I know it, madame."
+
+"Then, your highness, have you the heart----"
+
+"Yes, yes," cried the chevalier, in an explosion of rage, "yes, no pity
+for the infamous creature who has so unworthily outraged me! All the
+better, my vengeance commences but the sooner. I will show you that you
+have no pity to look for from me; you shall see!" He struck a bell.
+
+"What are you going to do, your highness."
+
+"Your faithful Mirette will come; you shall yourself give her the order
+to send to Captain Ralph to prepare everything on board the Chameleon to
+set sail at daybreak."
+
+"Ah, your highness, it is barbarous to make me give the order, myself."
+
+"Obey, madame, obey."
+
+Mirette appeared. Angela gave the order in a broken voice.
+
+"I have obeyed you, and now your highness, in pity grant me a last favor
+in the name of our past love."
+
+"Oh, yes, by St. George!" cried Croustillac, "past? oh, past,
+decidedly."
+
+"Allow me one moment, your highness, the favor of an interview."
+
+"No, no, never!"
+
+"Do not refuse me; do not be so pitiless?"
+
+"Out of my sight, faithless woman!"
+
+"My lord!" said Angela, clasping her hands.
+
+"Your highness," said De Chemerant, "at the moment of quitting madame
+forever, do not refuse her this last consolation."
+
+"You also, De Chemerant, you also? and though you have been a
+witness?--Ah, well, I consent, madame, but upon one condition."
+
+"You have but to order."
+
+"That your paramour remain during our conversation."
+
+"Really, this is not so bad, I think," said Croustillac to himself; "I
+hope the duchess will understand me and at first refuse."
+
+"But, my dear lord," said Angela; "the last interview that you grant me
+should be between us alone."
+
+"Marvelous! oh, she comprehends a half word," said Croustillac to
+himself; then aloud, "And why, then, should our interview be private?
+Have you something you desire to hide from your best beloved--from the
+lover of your choice?"
+
+"But if I desire to beg your forgiveness, sir?"
+
+"You can do so before your accomplice. The more you accuse yourself, the
+more you depict your conduct as disloyal, infamous, unworthy, the more
+you affirm the lowness of your choice. This will be your punishment and
+this scoundrel's also."
+
+"But, my lord?"
+
+"That is my ultimatum," replied Croustillac.
+
+"Do you not fear the despair of this man?" said De Chemerant in a low
+tone.
+
+"No; traitors are always cowards. Behold this one--what a gloomy,
+downcast air. He does not dare as much as lift his eyes to me. In any
+case, sir, send, I beg, some men of yours to the gallery outside,
+instructed to enter at my first signal." Then, turning with an air of
+reconsidering, and desiring to make a master stroke, Croustillac said,
+"In fact, if you will be present at this interview, Monsieur De
+Chemerant, the punishment of this guilty couple will be complete."
+
+"Oh, sir, in pity do not condemn me to such a depth of shame and
+humiliation," cried Angela, in despairing tones. "And you, sir, have the
+generosity not to consent to this," she said to De Chemerant.
+
+Monsieur De Chemerant had the delicacy to excuse himself to the Gascon;
+he left the room, and left Monmouth, Angela, and the adventurer
+together.
+
+The envoy had hardly left the room before Monmouth, after assuring
+himself that he could not be overheard, held out his hand cordially to
+Croustillac, and said to him, feelingly, "Sir, you are a man of spirit,
+courage, and resolution; accept our thanks, and pardon us for having
+suspected you even for a moment."
+
+"Yes, yes, pardon our unjust suspicions," said Angela, on her part
+taking the Gascon's hand between her own. "We were so disturbed, and
+your manner was so furious, so wild!"
+
+"We all had reason, madame;" said the adventurer, "you had reason to be
+disturbed, because my return was not very reassuring. I had reason to be
+furious, because I supposed the duke to be a bandit. As to my wild
+manner, by heavens! it may be said without offense, you will acknowledge
+that enough strange things have occurred during the last two days, and I
+may be excused for being a little astounded. Fortunately, I recovered my
+self-possession when I saw I had been a fool and had risked everything."
+
+"Brave and excellent man," said Monmouth.
+
+"Bravery is in the blood of the Croustillacs, sir; as to being
+excellent, I do not know about that; if such be the case, it is not my
+fault; it is your wife's work, who has aroused in me the desire to be
+better that I really am. Ah, well, prince, time is precious; everything
+is in train to raise a county of England in your favor; Louis the XIV.
+will support this insurrection. There is offered you the viceroyship of
+Ireland and Scotland, and all kinds of other favors."
+
+"Never will I consent to profit by these offers. Civil wars have cost me
+too dear," cried Monmouth; "and"--looking at Angela, "I no longer have
+ambitions."
+
+"Your highness! reflect well! If your heart counsels remove the bronze
+color from your face, and say to De Chemerant that reasons known only to
+yourself obliged you to guard your secret until now. You will prove to
+him who you are; I will return your duchy to you, and ask your
+permission to go and fight at your side in Cornwall, or elsewhere, in
+order to serve you, as they say, as a living armor. I am sure this will
+please the duchess."
+
+"And we have suspected him," said Angela, looking at her husband.
+
+"He must forgive us," said the duke. "Men like him are so rare that it
+is not unnatural to doubt them when one encounters them."
+
+"Hold on, my lord, you embarrass me. Let us speak of other matters. Do
+you, or do you not, accept the viceroyship? After that, do not think I
+shall press you to speak in order to relieve me from your role; it
+pleases me, it amuses me. I have become quite accustomed to it.
+Nevertheless, it will be somewhat unpleasant to no longer hear myself
+addressed as 'my lord duke,' to say nothing of my laughing in my sleeve
+when I think of all the absurdities which I have made that good De
+Chemerant, with his important air, swallow. If I persist, your highness,
+in praying that you resume your rank, as it seems they are terribly in
+need of you in England in order to secure the happiness of the people in
+general and that of Cornwall in particular; you must know that better
+than I do----"
+
+"Ah! I know only too well the vain pretexts that one offers to
+ambition."
+
+"But, your highness, all appears to be perfectly prepared. The frigate
+which has brought the good De Chemerant is filled with arms and
+ammunition; there is in it enough to arm and revolutionize all the
+Cornishmen in the world; moreover, you can count on a dozen of your
+partisans."
+
+"Of my partisans! and where, then?" cried Monmouth.
+
+"On board Chemerant's frigate. These brave men are waiting for me, that
+is to say, waiting for you, your highness, with great impatience. There
+is above all a madman named Mortimer, whom De Chemerant had the
+greatest difficulty in the world to keep on board, so much was he
+possessed with the desire to embrace me--I would say embrace you, for I
+confound us all the time."
+
+Angela, seeing the troubled manner of her husband, said to him, "My God!
+what ails you?"
+
+"I can no longer hesitate," replied Monmouth, "I must tell De Chemerant
+the whole truth."
+
+"Heavens, James! what are you saying?"
+
+"You wish to be viceroy, your highness?" interposed Croustillac.
+
+"No, sir, I desire to prevent your ruining yourself on my account. My
+gratitude will be no less lasting for the service that you wished to do
+me."
+
+"How, your highness? Is it not, then, to become viceroy that you would
+dispossess me of my principality?"
+
+"My partisans are on board the frigate; if I should accept your generous
+offer, sir, to-morrow you would be known--lost."
+
+"But, your highness----"
+
+"Except for this circumstance which, I repeat, would cause your
+discovery in a moment, I would, perhaps, have excepted your generous
+devotion, the mistake of De Chemerant might have continued for a few
+days, and I could have put you beyond the reach of his resentment; but
+to accept your offer, sir, knowing the presence of my friends on board
+the frigate, would be to expose you to certain danger. I can never
+consent to do that."
+
+"Your highness forgets that it means perpetual imprisonment for you if
+you do not place yourself at the head of this movement?"
+
+"It is because it means for me the escape from a danger that I do not
+choose to sacrifice you, sir. When I learned that you were taken
+prisoner by Rutler I was going to rush to your assistance in order to
+release you."
+
+"My God, James! think of the prison! of eternal confinement! but it is
+not possible! and what will become of me, if I should be forbidden to
+accompany you? No, no! you will not reject the sacrifice which this
+generous man offers to make!"
+
+"Angela!" said the duke, in a tone of reproach; "Angela! and this
+generous man, shall we abandon him shamefully when he is devoted to
+us--to escape imprisonment, shall we condemn him to an eternal
+captivity?"
+
+"Him?"
+
+"Doubtless! is he not the possessor of a state secret? Will not De
+Chemerant be furious at seeing himself tricked. I tell you, he cannot
+escape prison when the trick shall be discovered."
+
+"Confound it! my duke, attend to your own affairs!" cried Croustillac,
+"and do not take the bread out of my mouth, as they say. Prisoner of
+state! that disgusts you, but do you not know that that would be an
+assured retreat for me, a refuge for my old days? To be frank, the life
+of an adventurer palls upon me; there must be an end to it. I would have
+something more sure; judge, then, if that would not suit me? Prisoner of
+state! can I not secure that? I beg of you not to take from me the last
+resource of my old age; do not destroy my future."
+
+"Listen to me, you brave and worthy man," responded Monmouth,
+affectionately pressing his hand. "I am not deceived by your ingenious
+pretenses."
+
+"Your highness, I swear----"
+
+"Listen, I beg of you; when you have heard me you will no longer be
+surprised at my refusal. You will see that I cannot accept your generous
+offer without being doubly culpable. You will understand the sad
+memories, not to say remorse, that your devoted offer and the present
+chain of circumstances awake in me. And you, Angela, my dearly beloved,
+you shall at last learn a secret that until this present moment I have
+hidden from you; it needed circumstances as grave as these in which I am
+now placed to force me to make this sad revelation."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+THE MARTYR.
+
+
+"James! James! what are you saying? you terrify me!" exclaimed Angela,
+as she witnessed the duke's emotion.
+
+"You know," said the duke to Croustillac, "in consequence of what
+political events I was arrested and confined to the Tower of London in
+1685?"
+
+"You will excuse me, your highness, if I know not a word of it; I am as
+ignorant as a fish of contemporaneous history, which, be it said in
+passing, and without boasting, rendered my part outrageously difficult
+to play; for I was always afraid I should make some ridiculous
+statement, and thus compromise, not my reputation as a scholar--I am no
+priest--but your fortune which I so imprudently assumed."
+
+"Very well then," said the duke; "after the death of my father; when the
+Duke of York, my uncle, ascended the throne under the title of James
+II., I entered into a conspiracy against him. I shall not seek to
+justify my conduct; years of reflection have made things clear to me. I
+know now that I was as culpable as I was insane; the young Duke of
+Argyle was the soul in this plot. All this was carried on under the very
+eyes of the Prince of Orange, then a stadtholder, now King of England.
+Argyle knew my views of the Protestant action, my ambition, my
+resentment against James II.; he had no trouble in associating me with
+his plans. At once, owing to my name and influence, I was at the head of
+the conspiracy. I had news from England which only waited my presence
+there to overthrow the throne of the papist king to proclaim me king in
+his place. I departed from the Texel with three vessels transporting
+soldiers whom I had recruited. Argyle, having preceded me in Scotland,
+had paid with his head for the audacity of his attempt. I landed in
+England at the head of a number of devoted partisans. I realized then
+how greatly I had been deceived. Three or four thousand men at the most
+joined the handful of brave men who were pledged to my cause, and among
+others were Mortimer, Rothsay and Dudley. The son of Monck, the young
+Duke of Albemarle, advanced against me at the head of a royal army; and
+I, desiring to bring fortune to the point, made a decisive move. I
+attacked the enemy at Sedgemore, near Bridgewater; I was beaten in spite
+of the prodigies of valor shown by my little army, and, above all, by my
+cavalry, commanded by the brave Lord George Sidney." In pronouncing this
+name, the voice of the prince failed him, and deep emotion was depicted
+upon his face.
+
+"George Sidney! my second father! my benefactor!" cried Angela. "It was
+in fighting for you he was killed! it was at that battle, then, that he
+was killed? This is the secret you have hidden from me?"
+
+The duke bent his head, and after a few minutes' silence, said, "You
+will know all, very soon, child! Our rout was complete. I wandered off
+at hazard; my head had a price upon it. I was seized the day after this
+fatal defeat and conducted to the Tower of London. My case was tried.
+Convicted of high treason, I was condemned to death."
+
+"Oh," cried Angela, throwing herself into the duke's arms; "you deceived
+me; I believed you to be only exiled."
+
+"Be calm, Angela; yet I have hidden this from you, as much that you
+should not be troubled as--." Then, after a moment's hesitation,
+Monmouth continued, "you shall know all; it requires much courage to
+make this revelation."
+
+"Why? What have you to fear?" said Angela.
+
+"Alas! poor child, when you have heard me, perhaps you will regard me
+with horror!"
+
+"You, James? do you believe that I can ever do that?"
+
+"Well," said Monmouth, "whatever the result, I must speak, at the risk,
+perhaps, of separating us forever."
+
+"Never, never!" cried Angela despairingly.
+
+"Zounds! I will sooner throw De Chemerant from these cliffs at the least
+pretense," cried Croustillac. "And, as for that, with your slaves, we
+could furnish him a fine escort. But I think--will you try this method?
+How many slaves can you arm, sir?"
+
+"You forget that De Chemerant's escort is considerable; the negro
+fishermen have gone--there are not more than four or five men here.
+Violent means are impossible. Providence doubtless wills that I shall
+expiate a great crime. I will be resigned."
+
+"A crime, James? guilty of a great crime? I will never believe it!"
+cried Angela.
+
+"If my crime was involuntary, it was none the less horrible. Angela, it
+is now my duty to tell you what I owe to Sidney, your noble relative who
+took such care of you in your infancy, poor orphan! While you were
+receiving your education in France, where he had himself taken you,
+Sidney, whom I had seen in Holland, attached himself to my fortunes; a
+singular similarity of tastes, of principles and thoughts, had drawn us
+together; but he was so proud that I was obliged to make the advances.
+How happy I was at having first pressed his hand! Never was there a
+living soul as beautiful as Sidney's. Never was there a nobler character
+or a more generous and ardent heart! Dreaming of the happiness of the
+people, deceived as I was myself as to the true end of my plans, he
+believed that he was serving the holy cause of humanity, when he was in
+reality only serving the fatal ambition of a man! While the conspiracy
+was organizing, he was my most active emissary and my most intimate
+confidant. To describe to you, my child, the profound, blind attachment
+of Sidney for myself would be impossible; one affection only struggled
+in his heart with that which he had vowed to me; it was his tenderness
+for you--you, his distant relative of whom he had assumed the care. Oh!
+how he cherished you! Through all the agitations, and the perils of his
+life as a soldier and conspirator, he always found some moments in which
+to visit his Angela. There were ever tears in his eyes when he spoke to
+me of you. Yes, this man, of intrepid courage and indomitable energy,
+wept like a child in speaking of your tender grace, the qualities of
+your heart, and your sad and studious youth, poor little abandoned one,
+for you had no one in the world but Sidney. On that fatal day at
+Bridgewater he commanded my cavalry. After prodigies of valor, he was
+left for dead on the battlefield; as for me, carried away in a rush of
+flying troops, grievously wounded, it was impossible for me to find
+him."
+
+"Was not that the day when he died?" said Angela, wiping her eyes.
+
+"Listen, Angela; oh, you do not know how these sad memories break my
+heart!"
+
+"And ours also," said Croustillac. "Brave Sidney! I do not know what it
+is that tells me that he did not die that day at Bridgewater, and that
+we shall hear of him again."
+
+Monmouth trembled, remained silent a moment, and then continued: "I must
+have courage. I will tell you all. Sidney was left for dead on the
+battlefield; I was arrested, condemned to death, and my execution fixed
+for the 15th of July, 1685. When they told me I was to be executed the
+following day, I was alone in my prison.
+
+"In the midst of the terrible thoughts to which I was a prey during
+those dreadful hours that preceded the moment of my execution, I swear
+to you, Angela, before the God that hears me, if I had any sweet and
+consoling thoughts to calm me, they were those I gave to Sidney, in
+recalling the beautiful days of our friendship. I believed him dead and
+I said, 'In a few hours I shall be united to him forever.' All at once
+the door of my cell opened and Sidney appeared!"
+
+"Zounds! so much the better! I was sure he was not dead," exclaimed
+Croustillac.
+
+"No, he was not dead," replied the duke with a sigh. "Would to God he
+had died as a soldier on the field of battle."
+
+Angela and Croustillac looked at Monmouth in astonishment. He continued:
+"At the sight of Sidney I believed myself the dupe of a fancy conjured
+up by my extreme agitation; but I soon felt his tears on my cheek, and
+myself pressed within his arms. 'Saved! you are saved!' he said,
+through his tears. 'Saved?' said I, gazing at him stupidly. 'Saved, yes;
+listen to me,' said he, and this was what he told me: My uncle the king
+could not openly show me mercy; policy forbade; but he did not wish his
+brother's son to perish on the scaffold. Informed by one of his
+courtiers who was, notwithstanding, one of my friends, of the
+resemblance between Sidney and myself, a resemblance which so struck you
+the first time you saw me," said Monmouth to Angela, "King James had
+secretly provided Sidney with means to get into my prison. This devoted
+friend was to assume my clothes, and I to put on his, and go out of the
+Tower by means of this strategy. The next day, learning of my escape and
+the devotion of Sidney remaining prisoner in my stead, the king would
+put him at liberty and give orders to seek me out; but these orders
+would only be in appearance. He favored, secretly, my departure for
+France. I was only to write to the king and give him my word to never
+return to England."
+
+"Ah, well," said Angela, interested to the last degree by this recital;
+"you accepted Sidney's offer, and he remained a prisoner in your stead?"
+
+"Alas! yes, I accepted it, for all that Sidney said to me seemed so
+probable; his presence at that hour in the prison, in spite of the
+severe watch to which I was subjected, made me believe that an
+all-powerful will aided mysteriously in my flight."
+
+"It was not so, then?" cried Angela.
+
+"Nothing could be more naturally arranged, it seems to me," said
+Croustillac.
+
+"In effect," said Monmouth, smiling bitterly, "nothing was more
+naturally arranged; it was only too easy for Sidney to persuade me, to
+turn aside my objections."
+
+"And what objections could you make?" said Angela. "What was there
+astonishing in that King James, not wishing to shed your blood on the
+scaffold, should connive at your escape?"
+
+"And how could Sidney succeed in getting into the prison, sir, without
+the assistance of some powerful influence?" said the adventurer.
+
+"Oh, is it not so?" said the duke with sad satisfaction, "was it not
+that all that Sidney said to me might seem probable, possible? Was I not
+justified in believing him?"
+
+"Undoubtedly," said Angela.
+
+"Was it not," continued Monmouth, "was it not possible to put faith in
+his words without being misled by the fear of death, without being
+influenced by a cowardly, horrible egotism? And still, I swear to you, I
+did not agree to what Sidney said to me. Before accepting life and
+liberty which he came to offer me in the name of my uncle, I asked
+myself what would happen to my friend if James did not keep his promise?
+I said to myself that the greatest punishment that could befall a man
+who was an accomplice in aiding another to escape, was imprisonment in
+turn; thus, admitting this hypothesis, once free, although compelled to
+hide myself, I had sufficient resources at my disposal not to quit
+England before having, in my turn, liberated Sidney. What more can I say
+to you? The instinct of life, the fear of death, doubtless obscured my
+judgment, troubled my discernment. I accepted, for I believed everything
+Sidney said to me. Alas! why was I so insane?"
+
+"Insane? Faith, you would have been insane had you not accepted!" cried
+Croustillac.
+
+"Who, indeed, would have hesitated in your place?" added Angela.
+
+"No, no, I tell you that I should not have accepted; my heart, if not my
+head, should have revolted at this deceptive thought. But what did I
+know. A strange fatality, perhaps a frightful egotism, pushed me on. I
+accepted. I pressed Sidney in my arms, I took his clothes, and I said to
+him, 'To-morrow!' with the conviction that I should see him the
+following day. I left my cell; the jailer escorted me to the gate;
+thanks to my resemblance to Sidney, he noticed nothing wrong, and led me
+in haste by a secret road as far as a door of the Tower. I was free! I
+forgot to tell you that Sidney had informed me of a house in the city
+where I could wait for him safely, for he would return, he said, to me
+the following day, in order to plan our departure. At last I found, at
+this house in the city, the precious stones I had confided to Sidney on
+my departure from Holland, the value of which was enormous. Wrapped up
+in his mantle, a mantle which you wear to-day, and which has remained
+sacred to me, I directed my steps toward the city. I rapped at the door;
+an old woman opened it, and leading me into a secluded chamber, she gave
+into my hands the iron casket, the key of which Sidney had handed me. I
+found there my precious stones. Broken with fatigue, for the sleepless
+hours I had passed were frightful, I fell into a slumber. For the first
+time since my sentence to death, I sought sleep without saying to myself
+that the scaffold awaited me on my awakening. When I arose the following
+day it was broad daylight; a bright sun penetrated between my curtains.
+I raised them; the sky was clear; it was a radiant summer day. Oh! I
+felt such rapturous joy and such inexpressible happiness. I had seen my
+open tomb, and I still lived. I breathed the air in every pore. Seized
+with gratitude, I threw myself upon my knees, and blessed God, the king,
+and Sidney. I waited to see this dear friend from one moment to another.
+I did not doubt, no, I could not doubt, the king's clemency. All at once
+I heard in the distance the criers announcing important events; it
+seemed to me that I heard my name. I thought it was an illusion, but, in
+fact, it was my name. Oh, then, a frightful presentiment seized me; my
+hair stood on end. I remained on my knees. I listened with my heart
+beating violently; the voices came nearer; I still heard my name mingled
+with other words. A ray of joy, as foolish as my presentiment had been
+horrible, changed my terror into hope. Madman! I believed they were
+crying the details of the _escape of the Duke of Monmouth_. In my
+impatience, I descended to the street; I bought the account; I mounted
+again with palpitating heart, holding the paper in my hands."
+
+Saying these words, Monmouth became frightfully pale, and could hardly
+support himself. A cold perspiration bathed his forehead.
+
+"Well?" cried Angela and Croustillac, who experienced a piercing agony.
+
+"Ah," cried the duke despairingly, "it was the details of the _execution
+of the Duke of Monmouth_."[B]
+
+"And Sidney?" cried Angela.
+
+"Sidney had died for me, died a martyr to friendship. His blood, his
+noble blood, had been shed upon the scaffold instead of mine. Now,
+Angela, you see, unhappy child, why I have always hidden this terrible
+secret."
+
+At these words the duke fell back on the sofa, hiding his face in his
+hands. Angela threw herself at his feet, sobbing bitterly.
+
+     {[B] Hume says: "After his execution, his partisans held to the
+     hope of yet seeing him at their head; they flattered themselves
+     that the prisoner who had been beheaded was not the Duke of
+     Monmouth, but one of his friends, who resembled him greatly, and
+     who had had the courage to die in his stead."
+
+     Sainte-Foix, in a letter on the Iron Mask (Amsterdam, 1768), says:
+     "It is true that the report spread through London that an officer
+     of Monmouth's army who greatly resembled the duke, having been
+     taken prisoner, and knowing death to be inevitable, received a
+     proposition to represent the duke with as much joy as if life had
+     been offered him; and hearing this, that a great lady, having
+     bribed those who could open his coffin, and having looked at the
+     form, cried, 'Ah, that is not the Duke of Monmouth.'" Furthermore,
+     Sainte-Foix, who sought to prove that the Iron Mask was no other
+     than the Duke of Monmouth, cited a passage of another English work
+     by Pyms, in which he says: "Count Landy sent to seek Colonel
+     Skelton, who was the ex-lieutenant of the Tower, and whom the
+     Prince of Orange had dismissed to give the place to Lord Lucas."
+     "Skelton," said Count Landy to him the previous evening, in dining
+     with Robert Johnston, "you say that the Duke of Monmouth is living
+     and imprisoned in an English castle?" "I cannot vouch for this,
+     because I do not really know," said Skelton, "but I affirm that the
+     night after the pretended execution of the Duke of Monmouth, the
+     king, accompanied by three men, came himself to the tower and
+     carried the duke away."
+
+     Sainte-Foix cites still another conversation with Father
+     Tournemine, saying, "The Duchess of Portsmouth said to Father
+     Tournemine and to the confessor of King James that she always
+     imputed to that prince the execution of the Duke of Monmouth,
+     because Charles II., at the moment of his death and when about to
+     receive the last communion, had made King James (then Duke of York)
+     promise on the Host, which Huldeston, a Catholic priest, secretly
+     carried, that whatever revolt the Duke of Monmouth might attempt he
+     (James) would never punish him with death; so King James did not
+     put him to death," said Father Sanders.
+
+     We will not multiply citations. We only desire to establish that
+     the foundation of this story is not merely a romantic fiction, and
+     that if it is not based upon a historic certainty, it is at least
+     based upon a likely supposition.}
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+THE DUKE RELATES THE SACRIFICE TO WHICH HE OWES HIS LIFE.
+
+
+The chevalier, profoundly moved by the recital of Monmouth, furtively
+brushed aside his tears, and said, "I understand now what that animal
+Rutler, with his everlasting dagger, meant by speaking to me of my
+execution."
+
+"Angela, Angela, my child," exclaimed the duke, lifting his noble
+countenance bathed in tears, and pressing the young woman to his heart,
+"how can you ever forgive me the murder of Sidney, my friend, my
+brother, your only relative, your only protector."
+
+"Alas! have you not replaced him to me, James? I have bewailed his
+death, believing him killed on the field of battle. Do you believe that
+my regrets will be greater, now that I know that he sacrificed his life
+for you--that he did what I would gladly do for you, James, my lover, my
+husband!"
+
+"Angela! best beloved guardian angel of my life!" cried the duke; "your
+words cannot assuage the violence of my remorse, but at least you know
+what religious gratitude I have always had for Sidney, this holy martyr
+to friendship. What more can I tell you? I passed two days in a state
+bordering on madness; when I returned to myself I found a letter of
+Sidney's. He had arranged that I should not receive it until the evening
+of the day on which he died for me. He explained his pious falsehood; he
+had not seen King James."
+
+"He had not seen him!" exclaimed Angela.
+
+"No; all that he had said to me was false. So you can understand that I
+had reason to forever curse the culpable facility with which I had
+allowed myself to be persuaded. Meanwhile he had died for me; the fable
+which I had believed in now seemed monstrous folly. No, he had not seen
+the king! From the depository of my precious stones, he had subtracted
+wherewith to procure a sum sufficient to gain over one of the officers
+of the Tower, whom he besought to allow him to see me for the last time.
+Was this officer in league with Sidney as to the substitution of some
+one who desired to save me? or was he deceived by the resemblance to
+such an extent that he suspected nothing. I do not know. The following
+day, when they went to seek Sidney, he followed the hangman, but he
+refused to speak for fear his voice would be recognized. The sacrifice
+was accomplished," said Monmouth, wiping his tears away, which had not
+ceased to fall during his recital. "I quitted London secretly and went
+to France under a false name, in order to seek you, Angela. Sidney had
+given me full power to take her away from the persons to whom he had
+confided her," said the duke, addressing Croustillac. "Struck by her
+beauty, her candor, and her other adorable traits, I, believing myself
+worthy and able to fulfill the last wishes of Sidney in making his
+adopted child happy, married this angel. We started for the Spanish
+colonies, where I believed we would be safe. We took the greatest
+precautions not to be recognized. By chance I encountered an English
+captain at Cuba whom I had seen at Amsterdam. I believed myself
+discovered. We left. After a journey of some months, we established
+ourselves here. In order to divert suspicion, to watch over my wife, and
+not wishing to be condemned to an imprisonment which would have been
+fatal to me, I assumed, by turns, the disguises which you are aware of,
+and I could, with impunity, traverse the island. Thanks to my precious
+stones, we were able to purchase a number of small vessels, through the
+good offices of Master Morris, a man of great probity, who knew, without
+being in the secret, what to think of the pretended widowhoods of my
+wife. Not only our commercial vessels increased little by little our
+fortune, which we shall bequeath to our children, but they afford us
+always a means of flight. The Chameleon was built for this very purpose,
+and I have sometimes commanded in the guise of a filibuster, and
+encountered a Spanish pirate, much to the fright of Angela. We were
+living here very happily, almost peacefully, when I learned that the
+Chevalier de Crussol, whose life I had once saved, had become the
+governor of the island. Although he was a man of honor, I feared to tell
+him who I was. My first idea was to quit Martinique with my wife; but I
+then learned of the declaration of war from France to England, Spain and
+Holland, and that certain rumors began to circulate in England as to the
+miraculous manner in which I had been saved. My partisans were
+bestirring themselves, it was said. I could expect no justice from
+William of Orange, and believed myself safer in this colony than
+anywhere else. I remained, therefore, in spite of the presence of De
+Crussol, but redoubled my precautions. The pretended widowhoods of my
+wife, the frequent visits of the filibuster, the Caribbean, and the
+buccaneer, furnished a collection of facts so incomprehensible that it
+was impossible to distinguish the truth, which was in our favor. We
+were, however, much troubled.
+
+"Monsieur de Crussol, curious to know the strange woman of whom such
+different tales were related, came to Devil's Cliff. Fate ordained that
+I should be there, also, in the disguise of the buccaneer. I could not
+avoid meeting the governor, whom we were far from expecting. In spite of
+the thick beard which disguised my features, De Crussol had preserved
+too clear a remembrance of me not to recognize me; but, in order to
+assure himself of the truth, he said to me abruptly, 'You are not what
+you appear.' Fearing that all would be disclosed to Angela, who knew
+that I was a fugitive, but who was ignorant of the dangers to which I
+would be exposed if my existence was known, I said to De Crussol, 'In
+memory of a past service, I ask silence, but I will tell you all;' and I
+did not hide anything from him. He swore on his honor to keep my secret
+and do everything in his power to prevent our being disturbed. He kept
+his promise, but in dying----"
+
+"He told Father Griffen everything from scruples of conscience," said
+Croustillac.
+
+"How do you know that?" said the duke.
+
+Croustillac then told Monmouth how the mystery of Devil's Cliff had been
+revealed to the confessor of King James, and how Father Griffen had
+unintentionally betrayed him.
+
+"Now, chevalier," said Monmouth, "you know at the price of what an
+admirable sacrifice I owe this life which I have sworn to consecrate to
+Angela. I have related to you the frightful remorse which the devotion
+of Sidney causes me. You understand, I hope, that I cannot expose myself
+to new and cruel regrets by causing your destruction."
+
+"Ah, you think, your highness, that what you have told me will take from
+me any desire to devote my life to you? Zounds! you are greatly
+mistaken."
+
+"How?" exclaimed the duke, "you persist?"
+
+"I persist? I persist more than ever, if you please, and for a very
+simple reason. Hold, sir! why should I hide it from you? A short time
+since it was more for the sake of the duchess that I wished to serve
+you, than for interest in you; this is no offense to you, for I did not
+know you; but now, that I see what you are; now, that I see how you
+regret your friends, and how gratefully you remember them, and what they
+do for you, your wife may be a real Blue Beard, she may be the devil in
+person, she may be in love with all the buccaneers and the cannibals of
+the Antilles, but I will do for you all that I would have done for the
+duchess, sir."
+
+"But, chevalier----"
+
+"But, your highness, all I can say to you is that you have inspired me
+with the desire to be a second Sidney to you; that is all. Zounds! it is
+very simple; one never inspires such devotion unless one merits it."
+
+"I wish to believe you, chevalier, but a person is unworthy such
+devotion when he accepts it willingly."
+
+"Zounds, sir; without offense, I must say you are as pig-headed in your
+generosity as that Flemish bear was insupportable with his everlasting
+dagger. Come, let us reason together. What you most desire, is it not,
+is to save me from prison?"
+
+"Doubtless."
+
+"Now I do not think you are very anxious to abandon the duchess. Well,
+by telling De Chemerant who you are, would you save me? I am not much of
+a lawyer but it seems to me that that is the question, is it not,
+madame?"
+
+"He is right, my love," said Angela, looking at her husband
+beseechingly.
+
+"To proceed," said Croustillac proudly. "Now, you say to this good
+Chemerant, 'Sir, I am the Duke of Monmouth, and the chevalier here is
+only a scapegoat.' So be it; so far all goes well. But at this stage the
+good Chemerant will reply, 'Your highness, do you or do you not consent
+to head this insurrection in England?"
+
+"Never! never!" cried the duke.
+
+"Very well, your highness, now I know what insurrection has cost you.
+Now I have the honor of knowing the duchess; like you I say, 'Never!'
+only what will the good Chemerant say to this? The good Chemerant will
+say, 'You are my prisoner,' is it not so?"
+
+"Unhappily it is very likely," said Monmouth.
+
+"Alas! it is only too true!" said Angela.
+
+"'As to this rascal, this schemer,' the good Chemerant will continue,
+addressing himself to me," said Croustillac, "'as to this imposter, this
+sharper, as he has impudently imposed upon me, so that I confided to him
+a half-dozen secrets of state, each more important than the other,
+particularly as to how the confessors of the great kings have played the
+game of the poisoned shoulder-knot with their penitents, he shall be
+treated as he deserved.' Now the said Chemerant, so much the more
+furious that I had caused him to make such a fool of himself, will not
+handle me very gently, and I may consider myself very lucky if he leaves
+me to perish in a dungeon, instead of hanging me quickly (seeing his
+full power), which would be another method of reducing me very
+effectually to silence."
+
+"Oh! do not speak so, the idea is frightful," cried Angela.
+
+"You see well, then, generous madman, the imminent danger to which you
+are exposed," said the duke to him tenderly.
+
+"Now, your highness," said the Gascon with imperturbable calm, "as I
+said a short time ago, to madame, as I believed her madly in love with a
+certain fellow of leathern tint, it is clear that one does not devote
+oneself to people to the sole end of being crowned with roses and
+caressed by sylvan nymphs. It is the danger that constitutes the
+sacrifice. But that is not the question. In delivering yourself up as
+prisoner to the good Chemerant, do you in any way spare me prison or
+scaffold, sir?"
+
+"But, chevalier----"
+
+"But, sir, I shall pursue you constantly with this argument _ad hominum_
+(that is all my Latin), as the Belgian pursued me with his everlasting
+dagger."
+
+"You deceive yourself, my worthy and brave chevalier, in believing that
+your situation is so desperate, when I shall have delivered myself up to
+Chemerant."
+
+"Prove it to me, your highness."
+
+"Without insisting too much upon my rank and my position, they are such
+that one would be always obliged to account for with me. So, when I say
+to De Chemerant, that it is my desire that you be not punished for a
+trait which does you honor, I do not doubt that De Chemerant will be
+eager to please me and put you at liberty."
+
+"Your highness, allow me to say that you are entirely mistaken."
+
+"But what more could he ask? Should I not be in his power? What would
+your capture amount to to him?"
+
+"Your highness, you have been a statesman; you have been a conspirator;
+you are a great nobleman, consequently you must know men; you reason,
+pardon my bluntness, as if you did not know them at all, or rather, your
+generous desires in my behalf blind you."
+
+"No, indeed, sir----"
+
+"Listen to me, your highness. You concede, do you not, that the news
+that comes from England, and the part Louis XIV. has taken in this
+conspiracy, prove the importance of Chemerant's mission?"
+
+"Without doubt."
+
+"You will, therefore, concede, your highness, that Chemerant relies upon
+the success of this mission for his good fortune?"
+
+"That is true."
+
+"Well, your highness, by refusing to take part in this insurrection,
+you leave Chemerant only the part of a jailer; your capture cannot make
+a success of the enterprise in which these two kings have so lively an
+interest. Then, believe me, you will cut a very sorry figure asking
+clemency of Chemerant, above all, at a time when he will be furious at
+seeing his hopes destroyed; above all, when he knows that the man in
+whose favor you intercede has made him see numberless stars at full
+noon. Believe me, then, your highness, by accepting all Chemerant's
+propositions, by seconding the plans of these two kings, you could
+scarcely hope to secure my pardon."
+
+"James! what he says is full of wisdom," said Angela. "I would not
+counsel you to be cowardly or egotistical, but he is right, you cannot
+deny it."
+
+The duke bent his head without answering.
+
+"I indeed believe I am right," said Croustillac. "I am wrong often
+enough once, by chance, to have common sense."
+
+"But, for the love of heaven, at least look things in the face, if I
+accept," said the duke, taking both hands of Croustillac in his own.
+"You must conduct me and my wife on board the Chameleon; we will hoist
+sail and will be saved."
+
+"All right, your highness, that is how I like to hear you speak!"
+
+"Yes, we shall be saved, but you, unhappy man, you will return on the
+frigate with Chemerant, and when you are brought face to face with my
+friends, your ruse will be discovered and you will be lost!"
+
+"Zounds! sir, how you go on! Without offending you, you then look upon
+me as a pitiful fellow; you deprive me of all imagination, of all
+ingenuity. If I am not mistaken, it is some distance to the Cayman's
+Creek, at Fort Royal?"
+
+"About three leagues," said the duke.
+
+"Very well, your highness, in this country three leagues are three
+hours, and in three hours a man like myself has at least six chances of
+escaping. I have long legs and strong as a stag's. The companion of
+Rend-your-Soul has taught me how to walk," replied the Gascon, smiling
+with a malicious air. "Now I swear to you that it will make the good
+Chemerant's escort take some pretty lively strides to keep up with me."
+
+"And you desire that I should allow you to stake your life on a chance
+as doubtful as that of an escape, when thirty soldiers, used to the
+country, would instantly be on your track?" said the duke. "Never!"
+
+"And you desire, your highness, that I place my life, my salvation on a
+chance as uncertain as the clemency of the good Chemerant?"
+
+"At least I should not sacrifice you to a certainty, and the chances are
+equal," said the duke.
+
+"Equal!" cried the adventurer indignantly. "Equal, your highness? Do you
+dare compare yourself with me? Who am I? and what purpose do I serve
+here below if not to carry an old sword at my side, and to live here and
+there according to the whims of humankind? I am nothing, I do nothing, I
+have nothing to care for. To whom is my life of any use? Who interests
+himself about me? Who even knows if Polypheme de Croustillac exists or
+not?"
+
+"Chevalier, you are not right, and----"
+
+"Zounds! your highness, you belong to the duchess, the adopted child of
+Sidney. If he died for you, it is the least you can do to live for her
+whom he loved as his own child! If you reduce her to despair, she may
+die of grief, and you will have two victims instead of one to lament."
+
+"But once more, chevalier----"
+
+"But!" cried Croustillac, with a significant glance at Angela, and
+beginning to talk loudly enough to deafen one, thus drowning the voice
+of the duke, "But you are a miserable wretch! an insolent fellow! to
+speak so to me! Help! help! come to my assistance!"
+
+Then Croustillac said rapidly, and in a low tone, to the duke, "You
+force me to do this, your highness, for I have no alternative." And the
+adventurer began to shout at the top of his lungs.
+
+The duke, paralyzed with surprise, remained motionless and looked at him
+in stupefaction.
+
+At the cry of the Gascon, six men, forming a portion of the escort,
+which De Chemerant had stationed as sentinels in the gallery by the
+request of Croustillac, rushed into the room.
+
+"Gag this rascal! gag him instantly!" cried Croustillac, who trembled at
+the fear that Chemerant might enter at this juncture.
+
+The soldiers obeyed the chevalier's order; they threw themselves upon
+the duke, who cried, as he struggled with them, "I am the prince; I am
+Monmouth."
+
+Happily, these dangerous words were stifled by the loud cries of the
+chevalier, who, from the beginning of this scene, pretended to be a prey
+to the greatest anger, and stamped his foot with rage.
+
+One of the soldiers, with the aid of his scarf, succeeded in gagging the
+duke, who was thus prevented from speaking.
+
+Chemerant, attracted by the noise, entered quickly. He found Angela pale
+and greatly agitated. While she understood the reason of this struggle,
+she could not help being deeply moved.
+
+"What has he done, then? your highness," cried Chemerant.
+
+"That miserable wretch made such abominably insolent propositions to me
+that, in spite of my contempt for him, I was obliged to have him
+gagged."
+
+"Your highness, you were right; but I foresaw that this miserable wretch
+would break his ominous silence!"
+
+"This scene, however," cried Croustillac, "was not without its use. I
+was still hesitating, yes, I avow it, I was weak enough to. Now the die
+is cast; the guilty ones shall suffer for their crime. Let us start at
+once for the Cayman's Cove; I have sent my orders to Captain Ralph; I
+shall not be content until I have seen them embark, under my own eyes;
+then we will return to Fort Royal."
+
+"Do you really wish to be present at this sad scene, your highness?"
+
+"Do I wish to? I would not give up that precious moment for the throne
+of England! I shall go to the vessel, and see these two criminals set
+sail for their destination where the breath of my vengeance will take
+them!"
+
+"It is final, then, that you insist upon this?" said De Chemerant, still
+hesitating.
+
+"It is final," returned Croustillac, in a most imposing and threatening
+voice, all in admirable accord with the part he played; "I expect to be
+obeyed when my orders are just. Make all preparations for the departure,
+I beg of you; if this miserable wretch does not choose to walk, he shall
+be carried; but above all, see that he is securely gagged, for if he
+should offer any further insolence I do not desire to hear it at any
+price."
+
+One of the soldiers assured himself that the gag was securely tied;
+taking the duke, they tied his hands behind his back, and marched him
+off under guard.
+
+"Are you ready, De Chemerant?" said Croustillac.
+
+"Yes, your highness, I have only to give some orders to my men."
+
+"Go, then, I will await you; I also have some orders to give."
+
+The governor saluted and withdrew.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+THE DEPARTURE.
+
+
+Angela and the chevalier were alone.
+
+"Saved! saved by you!" cried Angela.
+
+"I would have wished to use different means, madame, but, without
+reproach to the duke, he is as obstinate as I am. It was impossible to
+do differently. There only remain a few moments now in which we may act.
+Chemerant will return; let us think of what is most pressing. Your
+diamonds--where are they? Go quickly and get them, madame. Take them
+with you. Once all is discovered, beware of confiscation."
+
+"The stones are there, in a secret box, in the duke's apartment."
+
+"Go quickly and get them. I will ring for Mirette to get you some
+clothing."
+
+"Generous friend! But you! Oh God!"
+
+"Be quiet; when I have no longer need to protect you, I will look out
+for myself. But quick! get your diamonds. Chemerant will be here
+shortly; I will ring for Mirette." The chevalier touched the bell.
+
+Angela disappeared through the door leading to the duke's private
+apartments.
+
+Mirette appeared.
+
+"She is very pretty, this little duchess," mused Croustillac to himself,
+"very pretty. Oh, this time I am struck to the heart, I know it only too
+well. I shall never forget her. This is love; yes, this is true love.
+Happily this danger will distract me, or these emotions would make me
+dizzy. Ah! there she comes!"
+
+Angela entered carrying a small box. "We have always kept these stones
+in reserve, in case we should be suddenly compelled to fly," said she to
+Croustillac. "Our fortune is a thousand times assured. Alas! why is it
+that you----"
+
+The young woman paused, fearing to offend the Gascon; then she continued
+sadly, with tears in her eyes, "You must have thought me very ignoble,
+did you not, in accepting without hesitation your noble sacrifice? But
+you will be kind and indulgent. It was necessary in order to save the
+one who is the dearest object in the world to me--the man for whom I
+would give my own life a thousand times over. But wait, this is
+frightful egotism, to speak to you thus, to you whom I owe everything,
+and who are going, perhaps, to death for me. I am mad! Forgive me."
+
+"Not another word on this subject, madame, I beg of you. Here is the
+duke's sword, it was his father's; here also is this little box which
+his mother gave him. These are precious relics; put them all in this
+large basket."
+
+"Good and generous man!" exclaimed Angela, who was deeply moved; "you
+think of everything!"
+
+Croustillac made no reply; he turned his head away in order that the
+duchess should not see the great tears rolling down his cheeks. He
+extended his large, bony hands to the duchess, and said, in a stifled
+voice, "Adieu, forever adieu! You will forget that I am a poor devil of
+a fellow and you will remember me sometimes as----"
+
+"As our best friend, as our brother," said Angela, bursting into tears.
+
+Then she took from her pocket a small medallion containing her cipher,
+and said to Croustillac, "See what I returned to the house to seek this
+evening. I desired to offer you this token of our friendship; it was in
+bringing it to you that I overheard your conversation with Colonel
+Rutler. Accept it, it will be a double souvenir of our friendship and of
+your generosity."
+
+"Give it to me! oh, give it to me!" cried the Gascon, and then, pressing
+it to his lips, he said, "I am more than paid for what I have done for
+you, for the duke----"
+
+"We are not ingrates. As soon as the duke is safe, we shall not leave
+you in the power of Chemerant, and----"
+
+"Here is Mirette; let us resume our role," cried Croustillac,
+interrupting the duchess.
+
+Mirette entered, followed by the slave, carrying in her hand
+Croustillac's old sword; a soldier bore the basket containing the
+clothes.
+
+Angela placed the box of diamonds and Monmouth's sword in the basket.
+
+Chemerant entered the room, saying, "Your highness, all is in
+readiness."
+
+"Offer madame your arm, if you please," said the chevalier to Chemerant,
+with a gloomy manner.
+
+Angela appeared struck with a sudden thought and said to the chevalier,
+"Sir, I wish to say something, privately, to Father Griffen. Do you
+refuse me this last petition?"
+
+"Just now, your highness, the good Father, hearing the noise, came to
+ask if he might speak to madame."
+
+"He is here!" cried Angela, "God be praised!"
+
+"Let him enter," said the Gascon gloomily.
+
+Chemerant bowed and the guard withdrew.
+
+Father Griffen entered. He was grave and sad.
+
+"My Father," said Angela, "can you give me some moments' interview?"
+
+So saying, she entered a room near by, followed by the priest.
+
+"Your highness," said Chemerant, showing a paper to the Gascon, "here is
+a letter which was found on the person of Colonel Rutler; it leaves no
+doubts as to the plots of William of Orange against your highness.
+Rutler will be shot upon our arrival at Fort Royal."
+
+"We will speak of that later, sir, but I lean toward clemency in the
+colonel's case--not through weakness, but from policy. I will explain to
+you another time my reasons for this."
+
+The little bay in which the Chameleon lay at anchor was not very far
+from the residence of Blue Beard. When the escort arrived there the
+horizon was tinged with the first rays of the rising sun. The Chameleon
+was a brigantine, light and swift as a kingfisher, riding gracefully on
+the waves, at her mooring. Not far from the Chameleon was seen one of
+the coast guards who traversed in his rounds the only point of
+Cabesterre which was accessible.
+
+The launch of the Chameleon, commanded by Captain Ralph's first mate,
+waited at the landing; in it were four sailors seated, with oars raised,
+ready to row at the first signal.
+
+The Gascon's heart beat as if it would burst. At the moment of attaining
+the price of his sacrifice, he trembled lest an unlooked-for accident
+should upset the fragile scaffolding of so many stratagems.
+
+The litter in which Monmouth was shut up arrived on the bank, and was
+quickly followed by that containing Angela.
+
+The soldiers ranged themselves along the landing. The Gascon said to
+Angela, in an agitated tone, "Go on board ship, madame, with your
+accomplice; this package (and he put into the hands of the mate a paper)
+will inform Captain Ralph of my final orders. Meanwhile," said the
+chevalier all at once, "wait--I have an idea!"
+
+Chemerant and Angela gazed at Croustillac with surprise.
+
+The adventurer believed he had discovered a means of saving the duke,
+and of himself escaping from Chemerant; he had no doubt of the
+resolution and devotion of the five sailors in the boat; he thought of
+precipitating himself with Angela and Monmouth into the boat and
+ordering the sailors to make all speed over the waves in order to join
+the Chameleon, and to set sail with speed. The soldiers, though thirty
+in number, would be so surprised by this sudden flight that success
+would be possible. A new incident upset this project of the chevalier.
+
+A voice which, though distant, was very powerful, cried, "In the name of
+the king, stop; allow no one to embark!"
+
+Croustillac turned suddenly toward the direction from which the voice
+came, and he saw a marine officer who was coming out of a redoubt
+erected near Cayman's Cove.
+
+"In the name of the king, allow no one to embark," came the voice again.
+
+"Be easy, lieutenant," responded a subordinate, who until then had not
+been perceived, for he was hidden by the piles of the wharf, "I will
+not allow the tender to leave without your orders."
+
+"That is well, Thomas, and beside," replied the officer, firing a shot
+from his gun as a signal, "the coastguard will not permit the brigantine
+to sail."
+
+It would be impossible to paint the frightful agony of the actors in
+this scene. Croustillac saw that his plan for flight was out of the
+question, because the slightest signal from the coastguard would prevent
+the departure of the Chameleon.
+
+The officer who had just appeared stopped in front of Croustillac and
+Chemerant, and said to them, "In the name of the king, I order you to
+tell me who you are and where you are going, gentlemen; by the
+governor's orders no one can sail from here without a permit from him.
+
+"Sir," said Chemerant, "the soldiers who are with me are part of the
+governor's guard; you see, I am acting by his consent."
+
+"An escort, sir! you have an escort!" said the astonished officer.
+
+"There, near the mole, sir," said Croustillac.
+
+"Oh, that is another matter, sir; the light was so feeble that I had not
+noticed the soldiers. I hope you will pardon me, sir."
+
+This man, who seemed extremely talkative, approached the governor's
+guard, examined them a moment, and said with excessive volubility, "My
+orders are simply to prevent persons going toward the wharf, just now
+the Chameleon, and a fine vessel she is, belonging to Blue Beard, and
+which has bravely run down a Spanish pirate--came last night to the
+mooring."
+
+"Sir, I beg you to silence this insupportable babbler," said the
+chevalier to Chemerant, "you must see how painful this scene is to me."
+
+"You see, sir," said Chemerant to the lieutenant of marines, "the
+persons who are going to embark, do so under my personal responsibility.
+I am Chemerant, commissioner extraordinary to the king, and am furnished
+with full powers."
+
+"Sir," said the lieutenant, "it is unnecessary to cite your authority;
+this escort is sufficient guarantee, and----"
+
+"Then, sir, remove the order."
+
+"Nothing is easier, sir; the order being now useless, it is useless to
+maintain it." "Thomas," cried this irrepressible talker to his
+subordinate, "you know the order that I gave you?"
+
+"Which, lieutenant?"
+
+"How! brainless one!"
+
+"Sir, my time is valuable, I must return shortly to Fort Royal," said
+Chemerant.
+
+The lieutenant continued, recklessly, "How! you have forgotten the order
+I gave you?"
+
+"The last one? no, lieutenant."
+
+"No, lieutenant! well, repeat it, then; let us hear the order." Then,
+addressing Chemerant, he said to him, while pointing to his soldier, "He
+hasn't the memory of a gosling! I am not sorry to give him this lesson
+before you, it will profit him."
+
+"Confound it! I am not here to assist in educating your functionaries,"
+said Chemerant.
+
+"Well, Thomas, this order?"
+
+"Lieutenant, it was to let no one embark on the vessel."
+
+"Very well, that is all right; now I remove the embargo."
+
+"Go on board at once, madame," said Croustillac, unable to moderate his
+impatience.
+
+Angela cast a last look at him.
+
+The duke made a despairing effort to break his fetters, but he was
+quickly carried off to the tender by the soldiers.
+
+At a sign from Blue Beard, the sailors dipped their oars into the sea
+and headed for the Chameleon.
+
+"Are you satisfied now, your highness," said Chemerant.
+
+"No, no; not yet, sir. I shall not be content until I see the vessel set
+sail," replied the Gascon in a changed voice.
+
+"The prince is implacable in his hate," thought Chemerant; "he trembles
+still with rage, although his revenge is assured."
+
+All at once the sky was irradiated by the rays of the sun which made
+more somber still the line of azure which the sea formed on the horizon;
+the sun rose majestically, pouring torrents of red upon the water, the
+rocks, and the bay.
+
+At this instant the Chameleon, which had been joined by the small boat,
+flung to the breeze its white sails, and began to draw in its cable, by
+which it was attached to the mooring. The brigantine, with a graceful
+movement, began to tack; during a few seconds it completely hid the disk
+of the sun, and appeared enveloped in a brilliant aureole. Then the
+swift vessel, turning its prow toward Cayman's Cove, began to make
+toward the open sea.
+
+Croustillac remained motionless in sorrowful reverie, with his eyes
+fixed upon the vessel, which was carrying away the woman whom he so
+suddenly and so madly loved.
+
+The adventurer, thanks to his keen sight, could perceive a white
+handkerchief which was waved from the stern of the vessel. It was the
+last farewell of Blue Beard.
+
+Shortly the breeze freshened. The little vessel, with swift movement,
+bent under her sails, and went so rapidly that it was, little by little,
+lost in the midst of the warm mist of the morning. Then it entered into
+a zone of torrid light which the sun threw on the waves.
+
+For some time Croustillac could not follow the Chameleon with his eyes;
+when he saw her again, the brigantine drew nearer and nearer to the
+horizon, appearing but a speck in space. Then, doubling the last point
+of the island, she disappeared all at once.
+
+When the poor chevalier could no longer see the vessel, he experienced a
+profound sorrow. His heart seemed as empty and as solitary as the ocean.
+
+"Now, sir," said Chemerant, "let us go and find the friends who are
+awaiting you so impatiently. In an hour we will be on board the
+frigate."
+
+
+
+
+PART IV.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+REGRETS.
+
+
+As long as Croustillac contemplated his sacrifice; as long as he had
+been exalted by its dangers and upheld by the presence of Angela and
+Monmouth; he had not realized the cruel consequences of his devotion;
+but when he was alone, his thoughts became very painful. Not that he
+feared the danger which menaced him, but he felt keenly the absence of
+Angela, for whom he had braved everything. Under the eye of Angela, he
+had gayly faced the greatest peril; but he would never see her again.
+This was the real reason of his gloomy dejection.
+
+With arms crossed upon his breast, bowed head, fixed gaze and somber
+manner, the adventurer remained silent and motionless. Twice De
+Chemerant addressed him: "Your highness, it is time to go."
+
+Croustillac did not hear him. Chemerant, realizing the uselessness of
+words, touched him lightly on the arm, repeating louder, "Your highness,
+there still remain more than four leagues to travel before arriving at
+Fort Royal."
+
+"Zounds! sir; what do you want?" cried the Gascon, turning impatiently
+toward De Chemerant.
+
+The face of the latter expressed so much surprise at hearing the man
+whom he believed to be the Duke of Monmouth give vent to such a peculiar
+exclamation, that the Gascon realized the imprudence of which he had
+been guilty. He quickly recovered his usual coolness, looked at De
+Chemerant in an abstracted manner; then, as if he had awakened from a
+profound meditation, he said, in a short tone, "Very well, sir, let us
+go." Again mounting his horse, the Gascon took the road to Fort Royal,
+still followed by the escort and accompanied by De Chemerant.
+
+Croustillac was not a man, in spite of his chagrin, to entirely despair
+of the present. Chemerant, recovering from his surprise, attributed the
+somber taciturnity of the Gascon to the painful thoughts which the
+criminal conduct of the Duchess of Monmouth must cause him; while the
+adventurer, summing up the chances of escape which remained to him,
+analyzed the state of his heart, reasoning as follows: "Blue Beard (I
+shall always call her that--it was thus I heard her name for the first
+time, when I thought of her without knowing her), Blue Beard is
+gone--forever gone; I shall never see her again, never, never, it is
+evident. It will be impossible to escape from the memory of her. It is
+absurd, stupid, not to be imagined, but so it is--this proves it that
+this little woman has completely subjugated me. I was gay, careless and
+loquacious as a bird on the bough, but little scrupulous as to delicacy,
+and now behold me, sad, morose, taciturn, and of a delicacy so
+inordinate that I had a horrible fear lest Blue Beard should offer me,
+in parting, some remuneration other than the medallion from which she
+had the generosity to remove the jewels. Alas! from this time forth,
+this memory will be all my happiness--sad happiness! What a change! I,
+who heretofore cared so much the more for bravery of attire since I was
+badly clothed; I, who would have found such happiness in wearing this
+velvet coat garnished with rich gold buttons--I wish for the moment to
+come when I can don my old green garments and my pink hose, proud to say
+'I leave this Potosi, this Devil's Cliff, this diamond mine, as much of
+a beggar as when I entered into it.' Is it not, my faith, very plain
+that before knowing Blue Beard, I had never in my life had such
+thoughts? Now, what remains for me to hope?" said Croustillac, adopting,
+as was his wont, the interrogative form to make what he called his
+"examination of conscience."
+
+"Now, then, be frank, Polypheme, do you care much for life?
+
+"Eh! eh!
+
+"What say you to being hanged?
+
+"H--m, h--m.
+
+"Come, now, frankly?
+
+"Frankly? well, the gallows, strictly speaking, might please me if Blue
+Beard was there to see me hanged. And yet, no, it is an ignoble death, a
+ridiculous death; one's tongue hangs out, one kicks about----
+
+"Polypheme, you are afraid--of being hanged?
+
+"No, faith! but hanged all alone, hanged by myself, hanged like a mad
+dog, hanged without two beautiful eyes looking at you, without a pretty
+mouth smiling at you----
+
+"Polypheme, you are a stupid oaf; do you believe that Her Grace the
+Duchess of Monmouth would come to applaud your last dance? Once more,
+Polypheme, you are tricking, you seek all sorts of evasions. You are
+afraid of being hanged, I tell you."
+
+"So be it--yes, I am afraid of the gallows, I own it; let us speak no
+more of it. Put aside these probabilities, do not admit into our future
+this exaggerated fear. Zounds! one is not hanged for so little, while
+the prison is possible, not to say probable. Let us talk, then, of the
+prison.
+
+"Well, how does the prison seem to you, Polypheme?
+
+"Eh! eh! the prison is devilishly monotonous. I know well that I should
+have the resource of thinking of Blue Beard, but I shall think of her so
+much, I shall think of her even better in the peaceful solitude of the
+woods, in the calm of the paternal valley. The paternal valley! yes,
+decidedly, it is there that I would prefer to finish my days, dreaming
+of Blue Beard. Only, shall I ever find it again, this paternal valley?
+Alas! the mists of our Gavonne are so thick that I shall wander long,
+without doubt, before I find this dear valley again.
+
+"Polypheme, you purposely wander from the subject; you wish to escape
+the prison as well as the gallows, in spite of your philosophical
+bombast.
+
+"Well, yes, zounds! I do want to escape both; to whom should I avow it
+if not to myself? Who will comprehend me if not I, myself?
+
+"That admitted, Polypheme, how will you evade the fate that threatens
+you?
+
+"Just at present this road is hardly favorable for escape, I know; rocks
+on the right hand, on the left the sea, in front of and behind me the
+escort. My horse is not bad; if it was better than that of the good
+Chemerant, I might make a trial of swiftness with him.
+
+"And then, Polypheme?
+
+"And then I would leave good Chemerant on the road.
+
+"And then?
+
+"And then, abandoning my horse, I would conceal myself in some cavern; I
+would climb the rocks; I have long legs and muscles of steel.
+
+"But, Polypheme, you will be sure to find the maroons. You, who are not
+accustomed as they are to a nomadic life, you will be easily found by
+them, at least if you are not devoured by wildcats or killed by
+serpents. Such are your only two chances of escaping the efforts they
+will make to catch you again.
+
+"Yes, but at least I have some chance of escape, while in following the
+good Chemerant, as the sheep follows the butcher who leads it to the
+slaughter-house, I fall full into the hands of my partisans. Mortimer
+will fall on my neck, not to embrace me, but to strangle me, when he
+sees who I am, or rather, whom I am not; while in attempting to escape I
+may succeed, and, who knows? perhaps rejoin Blue Beard. Father Griffen
+is devoted to her; through him I shall learn where she is, if he knows.
+
+"But, Polypheme, you are mad! You love this woman without a ray of hope.
+She is passionately in love with her husband; and, although people have
+complacently taken you for him, he is as handsome, as much of a 'grand
+seigneur,' as interesting, as you are ugly, ridiculous, and
+insignificant, although of ancient race, Polypheme.
+
+"Eh? Zounds! what does it matter? In again beholding Blue Beard I shall
+not be happy, that is true, but I shall be content. Cannot one enjoy a
+beautiful sight, an admirable picture, a magnificent poem, an enchanting
+piece of music, although this sight, this picture, this poem, this
+music, are not one's own? Well, such will be the kind of my content in
+the presence of the divine Blue Beard.
+
+"A last observation, Polypheme. Your rhapsody, happy or not, will it not
+awaken the suspicions of De Chemerant? Will you not thus compromise the
+safety of those whom you have, I must avow, very skillfully rescued?
+
+"There is nothing to fear on that side. The Chameleon flies like an
+albatross--she is already the devil knows where. She will put to their
+wits' ends all the coastguards of the islands to know where she is.
+Thus, then, I see no inconvenience in trying whether my horse goes
+faster than that of the good Chemerant. The good man seems to me plunged
+in meditation just now; the strand is good and straight. If I should
+start----
+
+"Come, then, try--start, Polypheme!"
+
+Scarcely had the adventurer mentally given himself this permission,
+when, giving some touches of his spur to the horse, he set off suddenly
+with great rapidity.
+
+Chemerant, surprised for a moment, gazed after the flying Croustillac;
+then, not comprehending this strange action on the part of the supposed
+duke, he started in pursuit.
+
+Chemerant had been in many wars, and was an excellent rider. His horse,
+without being superior to that of Croustillac, being much better managed
+and trained, immediately regained the distance the adventurer had
+covered. Chemerant closely followed the track of Croustillac, crying,
+"My lord, my lord, where are you going?"
+
+Croustillac, seeing himself so closely pursued, urged his horse forward
+with all his force.
+
+Very soon the adventurer was obliged to stop short; the strand formed an
+elbow in this place, and the Gascon found himself face to face with
+enormous blocks of rock leaving only a narrow and dangerous passage.
+
+Chemerant rejoined his companion. "By all the furies! my lord," he
+cried, "what gnat has bitten your highness? Why this sudden and furious
+gallop?"
+
+The Gascon responded, coolly and boldly, "I am in great haste, sir, to
+rejoin my partisans--this poor Mortimer especially, who awaits me with
+such lively impatience. And then, in spite of me, I am besieged with
+certain vexatious ideas concerning my wife, and I wish to fly from them,
+these ideas, to fly from them by any means," said the Gascon, with a
+dolorous sigh.
+
+"It appears to me, my lord, that morally and physically you fly from
+them with all your might; unfortunately the road forbids your escaping
+them any further."
+
+Chemerant called the guide. "At what distance are we from Fort Royal?"
+he asked him.
+
+"A league at most, sir."
+
+Chemerant pulled out his watch and said to Croustillac, "if the wind is
+good at eleven o'clock, we might be under sail and _en route_ for the
+coast of Cornwall, where glory awaits you, my lord."
+
+"I hope so, sir, without which it would be absurd in me to go there. But
+apropos of our enterprise, it seems to be a bad beginning to inaugurate
+it with a murder."
+
+"What do you mean, your highness?"
+
+"I should see with pain the shooting of Colonel Rutler. I am
+superstitious, sir; this death seems to me a bad omen. The crime was one
+entirely personal to me; I then formally demand from you his pardon."
+
+"Your highness, his crime was flagrant, and----"
+
+"But, sir, the crime has not been committed. I insist that the colonel
+shall not be shot."
+
+"He should, at least your highness, expiate by perpetual imprisonment
+his audacious attempt."
+
+"In prison? so be it; one can get out of it, thank God! or at least, one
+can hope so, which shortens the time infinitely. Beside, the colonel
+might noise abroad my approaching descent into Cornwall, which would be
+truly disastrous."
+
+"What you desire in this case shall be done, your highness?"
+
+"Another thing, sir. I am superstitious, as I have told you. I have
+remarked in my life certain lucky and unlucky days. Now, for nothing in
+this world would I choose to begin an enterprise so important as ours
+under the influence of an hour which I believe to be fatal to me.
+Beside, I am much fatigued; you ought to be able to understand that, in
+thinking of the emotions of all kinds which have beset me since
+yesterday."
+
+"What, then, are your designs, your highness?"
+
+"They will perhaps not agree with yours, but I will credit you with
+doing what I desire, which is not to set sail before to-morrow morning
+at sunrise."
+
+"Your highness!"
+
+"I know, sir, what you are going to say to me, but twenty-four hours,
+more or less, are not of much consequence, and, finally, I have decided
+not to put my foot on board to-day. I should bring upon you the most
+direful fate; I should draw upon your frigate all the tempests of the
+tropics. I will, then, pass the day with the governor, in absolute
+retirement. I have need of being alone," added Croustillac, in a
+melancholy tone; "alone, yes, always alone, and I ought to begin my
+apprenticeship to solitude."
+
+"Solitude? But, my lord, you will not find it among the agitations which
+await you."
+
+"Ah! sir," responded Croustillac philosophically, "the unfortunate finds
+solitude even in the midst of the crowd, when he isolates himself in his
+regrets. A wife whom I loved so much!" added he, with a profound sigh.
+
+"Ah! your highness," said De Chemerant, sighing in order to put himself
+in sympathy with Croustillac, "it is terrible; but time heals the
+deepest wounds."
+
+"You are right, sir, time heals the deepest wounds. I will have courage.
+Well rested, well recovered from my fatigue and my cruel agitations,
+to-morrow I will console myself, I will forget all in embracing my
+partisans."
+
+"Ah! your highness, to-morrow will be a blessed day for all."
+
+The position of the supposed duke demanded too much consideration from
+De Chemerant for him not to give in to the suggestions of his companion;
+he acquiesced, then, though with regret, in the will of Croustillac.
+
+The Gascon, in postponing the hour in which his deception should be
+discovered, hoped to find a chance to escape. He remembered that Blue
+Beard had said to him, "We will not be ungrateful; once the duke is in
+safety, we will not leave you in the power of De Chemerant; only seek to
+gain time."
+
+Although Croustillac did not count much on the promise of his friends,
+knowing all the difficulties which they would have to brave and to
+conquer before they could succor him, he wished in any case not to
+sacrifice this chance of safety, however uncertain it should be.
+
+Thus, as the guide had informed them, they arrived at Fort Royal at the
+end of an hour's march.
+
+The residence of the governor was situated at the extremity of the city,
+on the edge of the savannahs; it was easy to reach it without
+encountering any one.
+
+Chemerant sent one of the guards in all haste to warn the governor of
+the arrival of his two guests.
+
+The baron had replaced his long peruke, and resumed his heavy,
+tight-fitting coat, in order to receive De Chemerant and the supposed
+duke. He regarded the latter with eager curiosity, and was extremely
+puzzled by the black velvet coat with the red sleeve. But, remembering
+that De Chemerant had spoken to him of a state secret in which the
+inhabitants of Devil's Cliff found themselves mixed up, he did not dare
+to meet Croustillac without profound deference.
+
+The governor, profiting by a moment during which the adventurer cast a
+melancholy glance at the window, striving to see whether it would serve
+his purpose, said in a low tone to De Chemerant, "I expected to see a
+lady, sir. This litter that you brought with you----"
+
+"Well, baron, you unfortunately counted without your hostess."
+
+"You must have been much heated by this morning sun," added the baron
+with a careless air, although he was piqued by De Chemerant's answer.
+
+"Very much heated, sir, and your guest also. You should offer him some
+refreshment."
+
+"I have thought of that, sir," replied the baron, "and have ordered
+three covers laid."
+
+"I do not know, baron, whether my lord (indicating Croustillac) will
+deign to admit us to his table."
+
+The governor, stupefied with surprise, regarded Croustillac with a new
+and burning curiosity. "But, sir, is this, then, a great personage?"
+
+"Baron, I am again under the necessity of reminding you that it is my
+mission to ask questions of you and not----"
+
+"Sufficient, sufficient, sir. Will you ask the guest whom I have the
+honor to receive if he will do me the favor to accept this breakfast?"
+
+Chemerant transmitted the invitation of the baron to Croustillac, who,
+pretending fatigue, asked to breakfast alone in his apartment.
+
+Chemerant whispered a few words in the ear of the governor, who
+immediately offered his finest apartment to the supposed great
+personage.
+
+Croustillac prayed the baron to have the pannier, of which one of the
+two guards had taken charge, and which, as we know, contained only
+Croustillac's old garments, brought to his room.
+
+Chemerant was in the room of the Gascon when the pannier was brought in.
+
+"Who would think, to look at this modest pannier, that it contained more
+than three millions' worth of jewels?" said Croustillac negligently.
+
+"What imprudence! your highness!" cried De Chemerant. "These guards are
+trusty, but----"
+
+"They are ignorant of the treasure they carry; there is, then, nothing
+to fear."
+
+"Your highness, I ought to tell you that it is not the intention of the
+king that you should use your personal resources in order to bring this
+enterprise to a successful end. The purser of the frigate has a
+considerable sum destined to the payment of the recruits who are
+embarked, and for necessary expenses, once the debarkation is
+accomplished."
+
+"It does not matter," said Croustillac. "Money is the sinew of war. I
+had not foreseen this disposition of the 'great king,' and I wish to put
+at the service of my royal uncle that which remains to me of blood,
+fortune and influence."
+
+After this sounding peroration, De Chemerant went out.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+CROUSTILLAC DEPARTS.
+
+
+Croustillac seated himself at the table which had been prepared for him,
+ate but little, and then lay down, hoping that sleep would calm him and
+perhaps bring to him some fortunate idea of how to escape. He had
+recognized with chagrin the impossibility of escaping by the window of
+the chamber he occupied; the two sentries of the governor's residence
+paced constantly at the foot of the building.
+
+Once alone, De Chemerant began to reflect on the singular events of
+which he had been the witness. Although he did not doubt that the Gascon
+was the veritable Duke of Monmouth, the conduct of the duchess seemed so
+strange to him, the manners and language of Croustillac, although very
+skillfully adapted to his role, were sometimes so redolent of the
+adventurer, that without the aid of the evident proofs which should
+demonstrate to him the identity of the person of the duke, De Chemerant
+would have conceived some suspicions. Nevertheless, he resolved to
+profit by his sojourn at Fort Royal to question the governor anew on the
+subject of Blue Beard, and Colonel Rutler on the subject of the Duke of
+Monmouth. The baron did no more than to repeat certain public rumors,
+viz., that the widow was on the best possible terms with the three
+bandits who haunted Devil's Cliff.
+
+Chemerant was reduced to deploring the depravity of the young woman, and
+the blindness of the unfortunate duke, a blindness which had, without
+doubt, endured till that very moment.
+
+As for Rutler, his arrest by De Chemerant, the arrival of the envoy from
+France at Devil's Cliff, far from shaking his conviction in respect to
+Croustillac, had confirmed it; thus, when De Chemerant came to question
+him, in announcing to him that he was not to be shot, the colonel, on
+his part unwittingly, concurred in giving still more authority to the
+false role of the adventurer.
+
+The sun was on the point of setting. Chemerant, completely reassured as
+to the very satisfactory result of his mission, was thinking over the
+advantages it must bring to him, while walking up and down the terrace
+of the governor's residence, when the baron, out of breath with having
+climbed so high, came to tear his guest away from the ambitious thoughts
+with which he was delighting himself.
+
+"Sir," said the governor to him, "a merchant captain called Master
+Daniel, and commanding the three-master the Unicorn has arrived from St.
+Pierre with his ship; he asks to talk with you for a moment on very
+pressing affairs."
+
+"May I receive him on this terrace, baron?"
+
+"Certainly, sir; it is much cooler here than below." Then advancing to
+the staircase by which he had ascended, the baron said to one of his
+guards, "Send Master Daniel up here."
+
+We have forgotten to say that as soon as the supposed duke had
+manifested a desire to pass the night on land the frigate had received
+orders to anchor at the extremity of the roads.
+
+After some minutes, Captain Daniel, our old acquaintance, appeared on
+the terrace. The physiognomy of the captain, ordinarily so frank and
+joyous, betrayed great embarrassment.
+
+The worthy captain of the Unicorn, so completely king on the deck of his
+vessel, seemed uncomfortable and ill at ease. His cheeks, always more
+than red, were slightly pale; the almost imperceptible quivering of his
+upper lip agitated his thick gray mustache--a physiological sign which
+indicated in Captain Daniel a grave preoccupation; he wore trousers and
+tunic of blue and white striped cloth; in his girdle of red cotton was
+thrust a long Flemish knife; an India handkerchief, knotted sailor
+fashion, surrounded his brick-colored throat; finally, he mechanically
+gave the most whimsical forms to the large and flexible straw hat which
+he twisted about with both hands.
+
+The worthy master, with many low bows, approached De Chemerant, whose
+dry, harsh face, with its piercing glance, seemed to intimidate him
+greatly.
+
+"I am sure that this poor man is all in a perspiration," said the
+governor to De Chemerant, in a pitying tone.
+
+In fact, great drops of perspiration covered the prominent veins on the
+bald and sunburned forehead of Captain Daniel.
+
+"What do you wish?" said De Chemerant to him brusquely.
+
+"Come, speak, explain yourself, Master Daniel," added the baron, in a
+gentler tone, seeing the merchant captain more and more intimidated.
+
+At last the captain ended by saying, in a voice strangled by emotion,
+and addressing himself to De Chemerant, "Your highness----"
+
+"I am not 'your highness' but 'sir,'" replied Chemerant; "speak, I am
+listening."
+
+"Well, then, my good sir, I arrived at St. Pierre with a cargo, a very
+rich cargo of sugar, coffee, pepper, cloves, tafia----"
+
+"I do not need to know the inventory of your cargo; what do you want?"
+
+"Come, Master Daniel, my boy, reassure yourself, explain yourself, and
+dry your forehead; you look as if you had come out of the water," said
+the baron.
+
+"Now, your high--now, good sir, although I have a dozen small guns, and
+a few swivel guns, my cargo is of such value that I come, good sir, in
+fear of corsairs and pirates----"
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Go on, Master Daniel, I have never seen you thus."
+
+"I come, good sir, to ask your permission to set sail in company with
+the frigate which has anchored just now in the roads."
+
+"Confound it! I can understand why you are embarrassed in making such a
+request, Master Daniel," said the baron. "They are to give you his
+majesty's frigates to serve as escort to your cargo!"
+
+Chemerant looked fixedly at the captain, shrugged his shoulders, and
+responded, "It is impossible! The frigate is a fast sailer; she could
+not diminish her speed to attend on your vessel--you are crazy!"
+
+"Oh, sir, if it is only that, fear nothing. Without decrying his
+majesty's frigate, since I do not know her, I can engage to follow her,
+no matter how much sail she carries, or whatever wind or sea is in her
+sails or ahead."
+
+"I tell you you are crazy. The Thunderer is the swiftest of ships."
+
+"My good sir, do not refuse me," said Master Daniel, in a supplicating
+tone. "If this proud frigate sails quicker than the Unicorn--well, this
+man-of-war will desert the poor merchant ship, but at least I shall have
+been a good part of the way under the shelter of the flag of the king,
+and the prowlers of the sea are only especially to be feared in the
+starting. Ah, sir, a cargo worth more than a million, by which the
+enemies of our good king will profit if they succeed in getting
+possession of the Unicorn----"
+
+"But I repeat to you that the frigate, although a man-of-war, would not
+have time to defend you if you were attacked; her mission is such that
+she ought not to be embarrassed with a convoy."
+
+"Oh, good sir," replied Captain Daniel, clasping his hands, "you will
+have no embarrassment because of me; there will be no risk of my being
+attacked if they see me under the protection of your guns. There is not
+a corsair who would dare even to approach me, seeing me so bravely
+accompanied. With all respect, sir, the wolves attack the lambs only
+when the dogs are absent."
+
+"Poor lamb of a Master Daniel!" said the governor.
+
+"Ah, good sir, let it not be said that a warship of the king, our
+master, refused a poor unfortunate merchant who asked only the
+protection of his flag, so long as he was able to follow it."
+
+Chemerant found it hard to refuse this request, which in nowise
+interfered with the maneuvers of the frigate, as Captain Daniel engaged
+to follow the course of the Thunderer or allow himself to be abandoned.
+Nevertheless, De Chemerant refused. "You know well," he said to the
+captain, "that if, in spite of our escort, a corsair attacked you, a
+king's ship could not leave you defenseless. Again, you will hinder the
+maneuvers of the frigate. It is impossible."
+
+"But, sir, my rich cargo----"
+
+"You have guns, defend it. I will not allow you the convoy. It is
+impossible."
+
+"Alas! my good God! I, who have come expressly from St. Pierre to ask
+this favor from you!" said Daniel, in a dolorous tone.
+
+"Well, you will wait for another chance. I cannot cover you with my
+flag."
+
+"However, good sir----"
+
+"Enough!" said Chemerant, in a harsh and peremptory tone.
+
+Captain Daniel made a last reverence, and, retreating slowly to the
+staircase, he disappeared.
+
+"To see these merchants! To hear them one would think there were no
+interests in the world but those of their cargoes," said De Chemerant.
+
+"There are, however, very few circumstances in which one refuses an
+escort," said the governor, with an air of astonishment.
+
+"There are very few, indeed, baron, but there are some," said Chemerant
+brusquely, while withdrawing.
+
+Croustillac had been conducted to the finest apartment in the house.
+When he awoke night had fallen, and the moon shone with so brilliant a
+light that it illuminated his chamber perfectly.
+
+Croustillac looked out of his window; the two sentinels paced peacefully
+at the foot of the wall.
+
+"The devil!" said the adventurer. "It is decidedly impossible to make my
+escape on this side; there are at least twenty feet to descend just to
+fall on the backs of these sentinels, and they would find this manner of
+quitting the governor's house very singular. Let us look at the other
+side, then."
+
+Croustillac approached the door with a light step; but a bright light
+thrown on the floor showed him that the neighboring room was lighted and
+probably occupied.
+
+By the aid of a tinder-box which he found on the mantel, he lighted a
+candle, and dressed himself in his old clothes, with a melancholy
+satisfaction. They exhaled the strong and aromatic odor of the plants
+and herbs of the surroundings through which Croustillac had so long
+walked in his wanderings in the forest around Devil's Cliff.
+
+"Zounds! Chance is devilishly well named Chance," said the Gascon to
+himself. "It has always had a particular affection for me. If it was
+canonized, I would make it my patron saint. Chance--Polypheme, Sire de
+Croustillac! When, on board the Unicorn, I made a bet that I would marry
+Blue Beard, who could have foreseen that this foolish wager was almost
+won; for, after all, in the eyes of the man with the dagger and of De
+Chemerant, I passed, I still pass, as the husband of the lady of Devil's
+Cliff. How all things hang together in fate! When I quitted the
+parsonage of Father Griffen, nose in air, shoulders squared, my switch
+in my hand to drive away the serpents, who the devil would have said
+that I left to go, not directly it is true, to incite the Cornwallers to
+revolt in favor of King James and Louis XIV! Zounds! One may well say
+that the ways of Providence are inscrutable. Who could have penetrated
+into this? Ah! now the critical moment approaches. I am sometimes
+tempted to disclose all to the good man Chemerant. Yes, but I think that
+each hour gained removes the duke and his wife three or four leagues
+further from Martinique. I think that here, on land, my trial might be
+carried out immediately and my gallows raised in the wink of an eye,
+while on the open sea there would perhaps be no persons present
+competent to judge me. I think, after all, that if Blue Beard has begged
+(as I suppose) Father Griffen to endeavor to withdraw me from the claws
+of Chemerant, that a sudden and imprudent revelation on my part would
+spoil all. Much better, then, to keep silence. Yes, all well
+considered," resumed Croustillac after a moment of reflection, "to let
+De Chemerant's mistake last as long as possible, that is the better part
+for me to take."
+
+During these reflections Croustillac had dressed himself. "Now," he
+said, "let me see if there are any means of getting out of here
+secretly."
+
+So saying, he softly opened the door and beheld with disappointment the
+lackeys of the governor, who rose respectfully on seeing him. One went
+to seek the baron; the other said to Croustillac, "Monsieur the governor
+forbade us to enter the chamber of your highness until called; he will
+come on the instant."
+
+"No matter, my boy, only show me the door to the garden. It is very
+warm; I wish to take the air for awhile--but no, there are undoubtedly
+trees in the garden; I prefer the open space, the field----"
+
+"That is very simple, your highness; in descending from the gallery you
+will find yourself in the garden, from which a gate opens into the
+fields."
+
+"Very well, then, my boy, conduct me there quickly. I long for the
+fields like a bird in a cage."
+
+"Ah, it is not necessary, your highness; here is monsieur the baron, he
+will conduct you himself," said the lackey.
+
+"To the devil with the baron!" thought Croustillac. The governor was not
+alone; Chemerant accompanied him.
+
+"Faith, your highness," said the latter, "fortunately we see you risen.
+We came to wake you."
+
+"To wake me--and why?"
+
+"Wind and tide wait for no one. The tide goes out at three o'clock; it
+is now half-past two. It will take us a half hour to reach the mole,
+where the boat awaits us. We have just time to get there, your
+highness."
+
+"Now, then, the die is cast," said Croustillac. "Let us try only to gain
+a few hours before being presented to my partisans. Sir, I am at your
+orders," added the adventurer, draping himself in a brown mantle which
+he had found with his clothes.
+
+The governor felt it his duty to accompany, as escort, De Chemerant and
+the mysterious unknown to the mole; the flight of the Gascon was thus
+rendered absolutely impossible.
+
+At the moment of quitting the governor, Chemerant said to him, "Sir, I
+will render to the king a full account of the efficient aid you have
+given me. I can now say it to you, the secret has been perfectly kept."
+
+"But, sir, may I know what were these indications?" cried the baron, so
+poorly informed on what he was burning to know.
+
+"You may be certain, baron," said Chemerant, cordially pressing his
+hand, "that the king will know all--and it will not be my fault if you
+are not rewarded as you deserve."
+
+Thus saying, Chemerant gave the order to put off.
+
+"If the king is to know all he will be much ahead of me," said the
+baron, slowly returning to his house. "What I have learned from the
+guards of the escort has only augmented my curiosity. It was hardly
+worth the trouble to toil and moil, and stay on one's feet all night, to
+be so badly informed of things of the greatest importance, taking place
+in my own government!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+THE FRIGATE.
+
+
+The moon threw a brilliant light over the waters of Fort Royal. The long
+boat which bore Croustillac and his fortunes advanced rapidly toward the
+Thunderer, which was anchored at the entrance of the bay.
+
+The Gascon, enveloped in his mantle, occupied the place of honor in the
+boat, which seemed to fly over the water.
+
+"Sir," said he to Chemerant, "I wish to reflect ripely on the discourse
+which it is my intention to address to my partisans; you comprehend--it
+is necessary that I pronounce a sort of manifesto in which I disclose my
+political principles; that I tell them my hopes in order to make them
+partakers in them; that, in fine, I give them, in a manner, a plan of
+campaign; now all this needs long elaboration. These are the bases of
+our undertaking. It is necessary to disclose all to them--the
+consequences of the alliance, or rather the moral, that is to say
+material support which England lends us, or rather France--In short,"
+said Croustillac, who began to be singularly mixed up in his politics,
+"I do not wish to receive my partisans till to-morrow, in the morning. I
+wish, even, that my arrival on board should be conducted as quietly as
+possible."
+
+"It is very probable, my lord, that all these brave gentlemen are
+asleep, for they did not know at what hour your highness was to arrive."
+
+"This mad--this brave Mortimer is capable of waiting up all night for
+me," said Croustillac, with disquietude.
+
+"That is not to be doubted, your highness, by one who knows the ardent
+impatience with which he desires your return."
+
+"Hold, sir," said the Gascon, "between you and me, I know my Mortimer;
+he is very nervous, very impressionable. I should fear for him--a shock,
+a too sudden effect of joy, should I appear abruptly before him. Thus,
+in going aboard I shall take the precaution of well wrapping myself up
+in order to escape his eyes--and even if he asks you if I shall soon
+arrive, oblige me by answering him in an evasive manner. In this way we
+can prepare him for an interview, which without these precautions might
+prove fatal to this devoted friend."
+
+"Ah! fear nothing, your highness; excess of joy can never be fatal."
+
+"Indeed, you deceive yourself, sir; without taking account of a thousand
+general facts with which I might corroborate my opinion, I will cite on
+this subject a fact quite personal and particular to the very man of
+whom we are now talking."
+
+"To Lord Mortimer?"
+
+"To him, sir. I shall never forget that once I saw him seized with
+frightful convulsions under circumstances almost similar. There were
+nervous starts--swoons----"
+
+"However, your highness, Lord Mortimer has an athletic constitution."
+
+"An athletic constitution? Come, then, it only remained that I should
+encounter a Hercules in this run-mad Pylades," thought Croustillac. He
+spoke aloud:
+
+"You don't know, sir, that it is these very men of great strength who
+are just the ones who most keenly feel such shocks. I will even tell
+you--but this is entirely between ourselves--at least----"
+
+"Your highness may be sure of my discretion."
+
+"You will understand my reserve, sir. I will tell you then that, on the
+occasion of which I speak--this unfortunate Mortimer was so
+stupefied--(if it were not for our intimate friendship, I should say
+rendered stupid) by seeing too suddenly some one he had not met for a
+long time--that his head--you comprehend----"
+
+"What, your highness, his reason----"
+
+"Alas! yes, in this instance only--. You now comprehend why I demand
+secrecy of you?"
+
+"Yes, yes, your highness."
+
+"But that was not all; the shock suffered by poor Mortimer was such
+that, after having remained several moments stupefied with surprise, he
+no longer recognized this person; no, sir, he did not recognize him,
+though he had seen him a thousand times!"
+
+"Is it possible, your highness?" said De Chemerant, in a tone of
+respectful doubt.
+
+"It is, alas! only too true, sir, for you have no idea of the
+excitability of this good fellow. So I, who am his friend, should watch
+carefully that no trouble come to him. Think, then, if I should expose
+him to the risk of not knowing me. Mortimer is now the one whom I love
+most in the world, and you know, alas! sir, if the consolations of
+friendship are necessary to me."
+
+"Still these unhappy memories, your highness?"
+
+"Yes, I am weak, I own it--it is stronger than I."
+
+"What is this ship anchored not far from the frigate?" demanded De
+Chemerant of the master of the long boat, in order to change the
+conversation, out of regard for the feelings of the supposed duke.
+
+"That, sir, is a merchantman, which arrived last night from St. Pierre,"
+said the sailor, respectfully removing his cap.
+
+"Ah! I know," said De Chemerant; "it is probably the ship of that fool
+of a merchant-captain who demanded our escort. But here we are, your
+highness--the lights are all out--you are not expected."
+
+"So much the better, so much the better; provided Mortimer is not
+there."
+
+"It seems to me that I see him on the bridge, your highness."
+
+Croustillac raised his mantle almost to his eyes.
+
+"Ah! there is the officer of the watch on the ladder. What a pity to
+arrive so late, your highness. It is to the beat of drums, the flourish
+of trumpets, that your highness should have been received, with the
+ship's crew presenting arms."
+
+"Honors to-morrow--honors to-morrow," said Croustillac; "the hour of
+these frivolities always comes soon enough."
+
+Chemerant drew aside to allow the Gascon to mount the ladder first. The
+latter breathed freely again on seeing on deck only an officer of
+marines, who received him with bared head and a profoundly respectful
+air. Croustillac responded with great dignity, and above all, very
+briefly, enveloping himself in his mantle with the utmost care, and
+casting uneasy glances around him, fearing to see the terrible Mortimer.
+Fortunately he saw only the sailors talking together or reclining by the
+side of the guns.
+
+The officer, who was speaking in a low tone to De Chemerant, saluting
+Croustillac again, said to him:
+
+"Your highness, since you command it, I will not awaken the captain, and
+I shall have the honor of conducting you to your cabin."
+
+Croustillac inclined his head.
+
+"Till to-morrow, your highness," said De Chemerant.
+
+"Till to-morrow," responded the adventurer.
+
+The officer descended by the hatchway to the gun-deck, opened the door
+of a large, wide cabin perfectly lighted by a skylight, and said to the
+Gascon: "Your highness, there is your cabin; there are two other small
+rooms to the right and left."
+
+"This is admirable, sir; do me the favor, I pray you, to give the
+strictest orders that no one enters my cabin to-morrow until I call. No
+one, sir, you understand--absolutely no one!--this is of the last
+importance."
+
+"Very well, my lord. Your highness does not wish that I should send one
+of the people to assist you to disrobe?"
+
+"I am a soldier, sir," said Croustillac proudly, "and I disrobe without
+assistance."
+
+The young officer bowed, taking this response for a lesson in stoicism;
+he went out, ordering one of the orderlies to allow no one to enter the
+cabin of the duke, and again ascended on deck to rejoin De Chemerant.
+
+"Your duke is a veritable Spartan, my dear De Chemerant," said he to
+him. "Why! he has not brought even a lackey."
+
+"That is true," responded De Chemerant; "such strange things have taken
+place on land that neither he nor I thought of it; but I will give him
+one of my people. Just now the important thing is to set sail."
+
+"That is also the opinion of the captain. He gave me orders to wake him
+if you judged it necessary to depart at once."
+
+"We will start on the instant, for both wind and tide are in our favor,
+I think," answered De Chemerant.
+
+"So favorable," said the officer, "that if this wind holds, to-morrow by
+sunrise we shall no longer be able to see the shores of Martinique."
+
+A half-hour after the arrival of the Gascon on board, the Thunderer got
+under sail with an excellent breeze from the southwest.
+
+When De Chemerant saw the frigate leaving the roads, he could not
+refrain from rubbing his hands, saying to himself, "Faith it is not that
+I am vain and boastful, but I would only have given this mission in a
+hundred to the most skillful of men--to unravel the projects of the
+English envoy, to conquer the scruples of the duke, to aid him to
+revenge himself on a guilty wife, to tear him by force of eloquence from
+the overwhelming feelings this conjugal accident has roused in his soul,
+to bring him back to England at the head of his partisans--by my faith,
+Chemerant, my friend, that was left to you to do! Your fortune, already
+on the road to success, behold it forever assured; this good success
+delights me the more that the king regards this affair as important.
+Once more, bravo!"
+
+Chemerant with a light and joyful heart slept, cradled by the most
+pleasing and ambitious thoughts.
+
+It was half-past ten in the morning; the wind was fresh, the sea a
+little rough, but very beautiful; the Thunderer left behind her a
+shining wake. The land was no longer to be seen. The ship was in
+mid-ocean.
+
+The officer of the watch, armed with a glass, examined with attention a
+three-masted vessel about two cannon shots distant, which kept precisely
+the same route as the frigate and sailed as quickly as she did, although
+carrying a few light sails the less.
+
+On the extreme horizon the officer remarked also another ship which he
+as yet distinguished vaguely, but which seemed to follow the same
+direction as the three-master, whose maneuver we have just pointed out.
+Wishing to find out if this latter ship would persist in imitating the
+movements of the Thunderer, the officer ordered the man at the wheel to
+bear away a little more to the north.
+
+The three-master bore away a little more to the north.
+
+The officer gave orders to bear away to the west.
+
+The three-master bore away to the west.
+
+More annoyed than startled at this persistence, because the three-master
+was not capable of a struggle with a frigate, the officer, by the order
+of the captain, tacked about and sailed straight down upon the
+importunate vessel.
+
+The importunate three-master tacked about also, and continued to
+scrupulously imitate the evolutions of the frigate, and sailed in
+concert with her, but always beyond reach of her guns.
+
+The captain, irritated by this, veered about and ran straight down upon
+the three-master. The three-master proved that she was, if not a better
+sailer, at least as good a one as the frigate, which was never able to
+shorten the distance between them. The captain, not wishing to lose
+precious time in this useless chase, resumed his course.
+
+The vexatious three-master also resumed its course.
+
+This mysterious ship was no other than the peaceable Unicorn. Captain
+Daniel, in spite of the refusal of De Chemerant, had judged it proper to
+attach himself obstinately to the Thunderer until they reached the open
+sea.
+
+A new personage appeared on the deck of the frigate. This was a man of
+about fifty years of age, large, stout, wearing a buff coat with wide
+scarlet breeches, and boots of sheepskin. His hair and mustache were
+red, his eyes light blue, the eyeballs veined with little vessels which
+the slightest emotion injected with blood, showing a violent and
+passionate temper.
+
+We hasten to inform the reader that this athletic personage was the most
+fanatical of all the fanatical partisans of Monmouth, and he would have
+thought himself a thousand times blessed to have shared the fate of
+Sidney; in a word, this man was Lord Percy Mortimer. His disquietude,
+his agitation, his impatience, were inexpressible; he could not stay in
+one place a moment.
+
+Twenty times had Lord Mortimer descended to the door of Croustillac's
+cabin to know if "my lord the duke" had not asked for him. In vain had
+he implored the officer to send word to the duke that Mortimer, his best
+friend, his old companion in arms, wished to throw himself at his feet;
+his wishes were vain, the orders of the unhappy Croustillac, who
+regarded each minute gained as a precious conquest, were rigorously
+carried out.
+
+Chemerant also went upon deck, clothed in a magnificent dress, his air
+radiant and triumphant; he seemed to say to all: "If the prince is here,
+that is thanks to my ability, to my courage." Seeing him, Mortimer
+approached him quickly.
+
+"Well, sir," he said to him, "may we know at last at what hour the duke
+will receive us?"
+
+"The duke has forbidden any one to enter his apartment without his
+order."
+
+"I am on red-hot coals," replied Mortimer; "I shall never forgive myself
+for having gone to bed this night, and not to have been the first to
+press our James in my arms, to throw myself at his feet--to kiss his
+royal hand."
+
+"Ah, Lord Mortimer, you love our brave duke well?" said De Chemerant;
+"partisans such as you are rare!"
+
+"_If_ I love our James!" cried Mortimer, turning a deep and apoplectic
+red, "_if_ I love him! Hold! I and Dick Dudley, my best friend, who
+loves the duke, not as much as I (we fought once because he made this
+absurd claim)--I and Dudley, I tell you, asked each other just now if we
+should have the strength to again see our James without giving way--like
+silly women."
+
+"The duke was right," thought De Chemerant. "What enthusiasm! It is not
+attachment, it is frenzy." Mortimer resumed with vehemence: "This
+morning on rising we embraced each other; we committed a thousand
+extravagances on thinking we should see him again to-day. We could not
+believe it, and even yet I doubt it. Ah! what a day! what a day! To see
+again in flesh and blood a friend, a companion in arms whom we had
+believed dead, whom we had wept for for five years! Ah! you do not know
+how he was cherished and regretted, our James! How we recalled his
+bravery, his courage, his gayety! What happiness to say, not _it was_,
+but _it is_ the heart of a king, a true heart of a king, that of our
+duke."
+
+"It must be that this is true, my lord, since with the exception of
+yourself, of Lord Dudley, and this poor Lord Rothsay who, ill as he is
+from his old wounds, has chosen to accompany you, the other gentlemen
+who came to offer their arms, their lives and their fortunes to our
+duke, knew him only by reputation."
+
+"And I should like well to see if, on his renown alone, and on our
+guarantee, they would not love him as much as we love him. This recalls
+to me that once I fought my friend Dick Dudley because he vowed he loved
+me a little more than our James!"
+
+"The fact is, my lord," said De Chemerant, "that few princes are capable
+of inspiring such enthusiasm simply by their renown."
+
+"Few princes, sir!" cried Lord Mortimer in a formidable voice, "few
+princes! Say, then, no other prince--ask Dudley!"
+
+Lord Dudley appeared at this moment on the deck. The hair and mustache
+of this nobleman were black and beginning to turn gray; in stature,
+strength, and stoutness there was a great conformity between him and
+Mortimer; true types (physically speaking) of what are called
+gentlemen-farmers.
+
+"What's the matter, Percy?" said Lord Dudley familiarly to his friend.
+
+"Is it not true, Dick, that no prince can be compared with our James?"
+
+"Excepting our worthy friends and allies on this vessel, any dog who
+dares maintain that James is not the best of men I will beat him till
+the blood comes, and cut him in quarters," said this robust personage,
+striking with one of his fists the gunwale of the ship. Then, addressing
+De Chemerant: "But now you know him as well as we--you, the chosen you,
+the happy man who saw him first! Your hand, De Chemerant, your brave and
+loyal hand--more brave and more loyal, if it is possible, since it has
+touched that of our duke!"
+
+Dudley violently shook the right hand of De Chemerant, while Mortimer
+shook no less violently the left hand.
+
+There is nothing more contagious than enthusiasm. The partisans of
+Monmouth had one by one come up on deck and grouped themselves around
+the two noblemen--all wishing in their turn to press the hand which had
+touched that of the prince.
+
+"Ah! gentlemen, I suspect that his grace puts off the honor of seeing
+you. He fears the emotion inseparable from such a moment."
+
+"And we, then!" cried Dudley. "It is now about forty days since we left
+Rochelle, is it not? Well, may I die if I have slept more than three or
+four hours any night, and then the sleep, at once agitated and pleasant,
+that one sleeps on the eve of a duel--when one is sure of killing one's
+man. At least, that is the effect of this impatience on me. And you,
+Percy?" said the robust gladiator to Mortimer.
+
+"On me, Dick?" responded the latter; "it has a contrary effect on me;
+every moment I wake with a start. It seems to me that I should sleep
+thus the eve of the day that I was going to be shot."
+
+"As for me," said another gentleman, "I know the duke only from his
+portrait."
+
+"I only from his renown."
+
+"I, as soon as I knew that it concerned marching against the Orange
+faction--I quitted all, friends, wife, child."
+
+"So did we----"
+
+"Ah, sir, it is also for James of Monmouth," said another, "that is a
+name which is like the sound of a trumpet."
+
+"It suffices to pronounce this name in Old England," said another, "to
+drive all these Holland rats into their marshes."
+
+"Beginning with this William----"
+
+"On my honor, gentlemen," said De Chemerant, "you make me almost proud
+of having succeeded so well in an enterprise which, I dare to say, is a
+very delicate one. I do not wish to attribute to my reasoning, to my
+influence, the resolution of the prince--but believe, at least,
+gentlemen, that I have known how to make good use with him of the
+enthusiasm with which his memory has inspired you."
+
+"And so, our friend, we will never forget what you have done! You have
+brought him here to us--our duke!" cried Mortimer cordially.
+
+"For that alone we owe you eternal gratitude," added Dudley.
+
+"To see him! to see him," cried Mortimer in a new access of feeling, "to
+see him again whom we believed to be dead--to see him indeed face to
+face--to again find before our eyes this proud and noble figure--to see
+it again in the midst of the fire--the--the--ah, well--yes, I weep--I
+weep," cried the brave Mortimer, no longer restraining his emotion;
+"yes, I weep like a child, and a thousand thunderbolts crush those who
+do not comprehend that an old soldier thus can weep."
+
+Emotion is as contagious as enthusiasm.
+
+Dick, followed the example of his friend Percy, and the others did as
+Dick and his friend Percy did.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+THE JUDGMENT.
+
+
+A new personage came to augment the number of the passionate admirers of
+Monmouth. There was seen advancing, supported by two servants, a man
+still young, but condemned to premature infirmity by numerous wounds.
+
+Lord Jocelyn Rothsay, in spite of his sufferings, had wished to join
+himself to the partisans of the prince, and if not to fight for the
+cause that Monmouth was going to defend, at least to come before the
+duke and to be one of the first to felicitate him on his resurrection.
+
+Lord Rothsay's hair was white, although his pale face was still young
+and his mustache was as black as his bold and brilliant eyes. Enveloped
+in a long dressing-gown, he advanced with difficulty, supported on the
+shoulders of the two servants.
+
+"Here is the brave Rothsay who has as many wounds as hairs in his
+mustache," cried Lord Dudley.
+
+"By the devil, who will not carry me away before I have seen our duke,
+at least," said Rothsay, "I will be, like you, one of the first to press
+his hand. Have I not, in my fresh youth, risked my life to hasten by a
+quarter of an hour a love tryst? Why should I not risk it in order to
+see our duke a quarter of an hour sooner?"
+
+A man with troubled face appeared on deck shortly after Rothsay.
+
+"My lord," said he entreatingly, "my lord, you expose your life by this
+imprudence! The least violent movement may renew the hemorrhage from
+this old wound which----"
+
+"The devil! doctor, could my blood flow better or more nobly than at the
+feet of James of Monmouth?" cried Rothsay with enthusiasm.
+
+"But, my lord, the danger----"
+
+"But, doctor, it would be to his everlasting shame if Jocelyn Rothsay
+should be one of the last to embrace our duke. I made this voyage for no
+other purpose. Dick will lend me one shoulder, Percy another, and it is
+sustained by these two brave champions that I shall come to say to
+James: Here are three of your faithful soldiers of Bridgewater."
+
+So saying, the young man abandoned his two servants, and supported
+himself on the shoulders of the two robust noblemen.
+
+The roll of drums, to which was added the flourish of trumpets, the
+shrill noise of the boatswain's whistle, announced that the marines and
+infantry belonging to the frigate were assembling; very soon they were
+drawn up on deck, with their officers at their head.
+
+"Why this show of arms?" asked Mortimer of Chemerant.
+
+"To render homage to the duke and to receive him with the honors of war
+when he comes directly to review the troops."
+
+The captain of the frigate advanced toward the group of gentlemen:
+"Gentlemen, I have just received the orders of his grace."
+
+"Well?" all said with one voice.
+
+"His highness will receive you at eleven o'clock precisely; that is to
+say, in exactly five minutes."
+
+It is impossible to give any idea of the exclamations of profound joy
+which escaped from every breast.
+
+"Hold! now, Dick, I feel myself growing faint," said Mortimer.
+
+"The devil! pay attention, Percy," said Rothsay; "do not fall; you are
+one of my legs."
+
+"I," said Dudley, "I have a sort of vertigo----"
+
+"Listen, Dick; listen, Jocelyn," said Mortimer; "these worthy companions
+have never seen our duke; be generous, let them go first; we shall see
+him first from a distance; that will give us time to place ourselves in
+his sight. Is it done?"
+
+"Yes, yes," said Dick and Jocelyn.
+
+Eleven o'clock sounded. For some moments the deck of the frigate
+offered a spectacle truly grand. The soldiers and marines in arms
+covered the gangways. The officers, bareheaded, preceding the gentlemen,
+slowly descended the narrow stairway which led to the apartment
+appropriated to the Duke of Monmouth.
+
+Last, behind this first group advanced Mortimer and Dudley, sustaining
+between them the young Lord Rothsay, whose bowed figure and trembling
+steps contrasted with the tall stature and manly bearing of his two
+supports.
+
+While the other gentlemen incumbered the narrow stairway, the three
+lords--these three noble types of chivalrous fidelity--remained on the
+deck.
+
+"Listen, listen," said Dudley, "perhaps we shall hear the voice of
+James----"
+
+In fact, the most profound silence reigned at first, but it was soon
+interrupted by exclamations of joy with which mingled lively and tender
+protestations. At last the stairway was free.
+
+Scarcely moderating their impatience from regard for Lord Rothsay, who
+descended with difficulty, the two lords reached the gun-deck and
+entered in their turn the great cabin of the frigate, where Croustillac
+gave audience to his partisans. For some moments the three noblemen were
+stupefied by the tableau presented to their eyes.
+
+At the back of the great cabin, which was lighted by five portholes,
+Croustillac, clothed in his old green coat and pink stockings, stood
+proudly beside De Chemerant; the latter, swelling with pride, seemed to
+triumphantly present the chevalier to the English gentlemen.
+
+A little back of De Chemerant stood the captain of the frigate and his
+staff. The partisans of Monmouth, picturesquely grouped, surrounded the
+Gascon.
+
+The adventurer, although a little pale, retained his audacity; seeing
+that he was not recognized, he resumed little by little his accustomed
+assurance, and said to himself: "Mortimer must have boasted of knowing
+me intimately in order to give himself airs of familiarity with a
+nobleman of my degree. Come then, zounds! let that last which can!"
+
+The force of illusion is such that among the gentlemen who pressed
+around the adventurer some discovered a very decided "family look" to
+Charles II.; others, a striking resemblance to his portraits.
+
+"My lords and gentlemen," said Croustillac, with a gesture toward De
+Chemerant, "this gentleman, in reporting to me your wishes, has decided
+me to return to your midst."
+
+"My lord duke, with us it is to the death!" cried the most enthusiastic.
+
+"I count on that, my lords; as for me, my motto shall be: 'All for
+England and'----"
+
+"This is too much impudence! blood and murder!" thundered Lord Mortimer,
+interrupting the chevalier and springing toward him with blazing eyes
+and clinched fists, while Dudley upheld Lord Jocelyn.
+
+The apostrophe of Mortimer had an astounding effect on the spectators
+and the actors in this scene. The English gentlemen turned quickly
+toward Mortimer. De Chemerant and the officers looked at each other with
+astonishment, as yet comprehending none of his words.
+
+"Zounds! here we are," thought Croustillac; "only to see this tipsy
+brute; I should smell the Mortimer a league off." The nobleman stepped
+into the empty space that the gentlemen had left between the Gascon and
+themselves, in recoiling; he planted himself before him, his arms
+crossed, his eyes flashing, looking him straight in the face, exclaiming
+in a voice trembling with rage: "Ah! you are James of Monmouth--you!--it
+is to me--Mortimer--that you say that?"
+
+Croustillac was sublime in his impudence and coolness; he answered
+Mortimer with an accent of melancholy reproach: "Exile and adversity
+must indeed have changed me much if my best friend no longer recognizes
+me!" Then, half-turning toward De Chemerant, the chevalier added in a
+low tone: "You see, it is as I told you; the emotion has been too
+violent; his poor head is completely upset. Alas, this unhappy man does
+not know me!"
+
+Croustillac expressed himself so naturally and with so much assurance,
+that De Chemerant still hesitated to believe himself the dupe of so
+enormous an imposition; he did not long retain any doubts on this
+subject.
+
+Lord Dudley and Lord Rothsay joined Mortimer and the other gentlemen in
+showering upon the unfortunate Gascon the most furious apostrophes and
+insults.
+
+"This miserable vagabond dares to call himself James of Monmouth!"
+
+"The infamous impostor!"
+
+"The scoundrel must have murdered him in order to pass himself off for
+him!"
+
+"He is an emissary of William!"
+
+"That beggar, James, our duke!"
+
+"What audacity!"
+
+"To dare to tell such a lie!"
+
+"He ought to have his tongue torn out!"
+
+"To deceive us so impudently--we who had never seen the duke!"
+
+"This cries for vengeance!"
+
+"Since he takes his name he must know where he is!"
+
+"Yes, he shall answer for our duke!"
+
+"We will throw him into the sea if he does not give our James back to
+us!"
+
+"We will tear out his nails to make him speak!"
+
+"To play thus with what is most sacred!"
+
+"How could De Chemerant have fallen into a trap so gross!"
+
+"This miserable wretch has deceived me most outrageously, gentlemen!"
+cried De Chemerant, striving in vain to make himself heard.
+
+"Come, then; explain yourself, sir."
+
+"He shall pay dearly for his audacity, gentlemen."
+
+"First, chain up this traitor."
+
+"He abused my confidence by the most execrable lies. Gentlemen, any one
+would have been deceived as much as I was."
+
+"One cannot mock thus the faith of brave gentlemen who sacrifice
+themselves to the good cause."
+
+"De Chemerant, you are as culpable as this miserable scoundrel."
+
+"But, my lords, the English envoy was deceived as well as I."
+
+"It is impossible; you are his accomplice."
+
+"My lords, you insult me!"
+
+"A man of your experience, sir, does not allow himself to be made
+ridiculous in this way."
+
+"We must avenge ourselves!"
+
+"Yes, vengeance! vengeance!"
+
+These accusations, these reproaches bandied about so rapidly, caused
+such a tumult that it was impossible for De Chemerant to make himself
+heard among so many furious cries. The attitude of the English gentlemen
+became so threatening toward him, their recriminations so violent, that
+he placed himself alongside the officers of the frigate, and all carried
+their hands to their swords.
+
+Croustillac, alone between the two groups, was a butt for the
+invectives, the attacks, and the maledictions of both parties. Intrepid,
+audacious, his arms crossed, his head high, his eye unblenching, the
+adventurer heard the muttering and bursting forth of this formidable
+storm with impassible phlegm, saying to himself: "This ruins all; they
+may throw me overboard--that is to say, into the open sea; the leap is
+perilous, though I can swim like a Triton, but I can do no more; this
+was sure to happen sooner or later; and beside, as I said this morning,
+one does not sacrifice oneself for people in order to be crowned with
+flowers and caressed by woodland nymphs."
+
+Although at its height, the tumult was dominated by the voice of
+Mortimer who cried: "Monsieur De Chemerant, have this wretch hanged
+first; you owe us this satisfaction."
+
+"Yes, yes, hang him to the yardarm," said the English gentlemen; "we
+will have our explanations afterward."
+
+"You will oblige me much by explaining yourselves beforehand!" cried
+Croustillac.
+
+"He speaks! he dares to speak!" cried one.
+
+"Eh! who, then, will speak in my favor, if not myself?" replied the
+Gascon. "Would it be you, by chance, my gentleman?"
+
+"Gentlemen," cried De Chemerant, "Lord Mortimer is right in proposing
+that justice be done to this abominable impostor."
+
+"He is wrong; I maintain that he is wrong, a hundred thousand times
+wrong!" cried Croustillac; "it is an obsolete, tame, vulgar means----"
+
+"Be silent, unhappy wretch!" cried the athletic Mortimer, seizing the
+hands of the Gascon.
+
+"Do not lay your hands on a gentleman, or, Sdeath! you shall pay dear
+for this outrage!" cried Croustillac angrily.
+
+"Your sword, scoundrel!" said De Chemerant, while twenty raised arms
+threatened the adventurer.
+
+"In fact, the lion can do nothing against an hundred wolves," said the
+Gascon majestically, giving up his rapier.
+
+"Now, gentlemen," resumed De Chemerant, "I continue. Yes, the honorable
+Lord Mortimer is right in wishing to have this rascal hanged."
+
+"He is wrong! as long as I can raise my voice I will protest that he is
+wrong! it is a preposterous, an unheard-of idea; it is the reasoning of
+a horse. A fine argument is the gallows!" cried Croustillac, struggling
+between two gentlemen who held him by the collar.
+
+"But before administering justice, it is necessary to oblige him to
+reveal to us the abominable plot which he has concocted. It is necessary
+that he should unveil to us the mysterious circumstances by the aid of
+which he has shamelessly betrayed my good faith."
+
+"To what good? 'Dead the beast, dead the venom,'" cried Mortimer
+roughly.
+
+"I tell you that you reason as ingeniously as a bulldog which leaps at
+the throat of a bull," cried Croustillac.
+
+"Patience, patience; it is a cravat of good hemp which will stop your
+preaching very soon," responded Mortimer.
+
+"Believe me, my lords," replied De Chemerant, "a council will be formed;
+they will interrogate this rascal; if he does not answer, we shall have
+plenty of means to force him to it; there is more than one kind of
+torture."
+
+"Ah, so far I am of your mind," said Mortimer; "I consent that he shall
+not be hanged before being put to the rack; this will be to do two
+things instead of one."
+
+"You are generous, my lord," said the Gascon.
+
+In thinking of the fury which must have possessed the soul of De
+Chemerant, who saw the enterprise which he thought he had so skillfully
+conducted a complete failure, one understands, without excusing it, the
+cruelty of his resolution in regard to Croustillac.
+
+Their minds were so excited, the disappointment had been so irritating,
+so distressing even, for the greater part of the adherents of Monmouth,
+that these gentlemen, humane enough otherwise, allowed themselves on
+this occasion to be carried away by blind anger, and but little more was
+needed to bring it about that the unfortunate Croustillac should not
+even be cited before a species of council of war, whose meeting might at
+least give an appearance of legality to the violence of which he was the
+victim.
+
+Five noblemen and five officers assembled immediately under the
+presidency of the captain of the frigate.
+
+De Chemerant placed himself on the right, the chevalier stood on the
+left. The session commenced.
+
+De Chemerant said briefly, and with a voice still trembling with anger:
+"I accuse the man here present with having falsely and wickedly taken
+the names and titles of his grace the Duke of Monmouth, and with having
+thus, by his odious imposture, ruined the designs of the king, my
+master, and under such circumstances the crime of this man should be
+considered as an attack upon the safety of the state. In consequence, I
+demand that the accused here present be declared guilty of high treason,
+and be condemned to death."
+
+"'Sdeath, sir, you draw your conclusions quickly and well; here is
+something clear and brief," said Croustillac, whose natural courage rose
+to the occasion.
+
+"Yes, yes, this impostor merits death; but before that, it is necessary
+that he should speak, and that he should at once be put to the
+question," said the English lords.
+
+The captain of the frigate, who presided over the council, was not, like
+De Chemerant, under the influence of personal resentment; he said to the
+Englishmen: "My lords, we have not yet voted a punishment; it is
+necessary before interrogating him to listen to his defense, if he can
+defend himself; after which we will consult as to the punishment which
+should be inflicted upon him. Let us not forget that we are judges and
+that he has not yet been declared guilty."
+
+These cool, wise words pleased the five lords less than the angry
+excitement of De Chemerant; nevertheless, not being able to raise any
+objection, they were silent.
+
+"Accused," said the captain to the chevalier, "what are your names?"
+
+"Polypheme, Chevalier de Croustillac."
+
+"A Gascon!" said De Chemerant, between his teeth; "I might have known it
+from his impudence. To have been the sport of such a miserable
+scoundrel!"
+
+"Your profession?" continued the captain.
+
+"For the moment, that of an accused person before a tribunal over which
+you worthily preside, captain; for you do not choose, and with reason,
+that men should be hanged without a hearing."
+
+"You are accused of having knowingly and wickedly deceived Monsieur de
+Chemerant, who is charged with a mission of state for the king, our
+master."
+
+"It is De Chemerant who deceived himself; he called me 'your highness,'
+and I innocently answered to the name."
+
+"Innocently!" cried De Chemerant furiously; "how, scoundrel! have you
+not abused my confidence by the most atrocious lies? have you not
+surprised from me the most important secrets of state by your impudent
+treachery?"
+
+"You have spoken, I have listened. I may even declare, for my
+justification, that you have appeared to me singularly dull. If it is a
+crime to have listened to you, you have rendered this crime
+enormous----"
+
+The captain made a sign to De Chemerant to restrain his indignation; he
+said to the Gascon: "Will you reveal what you know relative to James,
+Duke of Monmouth? Will you tell us through what chain of events you came
+to take his names and titles?"
+
+Croustillac saw that his position was becoming very dangerous; he had a
+mind to reveal all; he could address himself to the devoted partisans of
+the prince, assure himself of their support in announcing to them that
+the duke had been saved, thanks to him. But an honorable scruple
+withheld him; this secret was not his own; it did not belong to him to
+betray the mysteries which had concealed and protected the existence of
+the duke, and might still protect him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+THE CHASE.
+
+
+When the captain intimated anew to Croustillac the order to reveal all
+he knew about the duke, the adventurer responded, this time with a
+firmness full of dignity:
+
+"I have nothing to say on this subject, captain; this secret is not
+mine."
+
+"Thunder and blood!" cried Mortimer, "the torture shall make you speak.
+Light two bunches of tow dipped in sulphur. I will myself place them
+under his chin; that will loosen his tongue--and we shall know where our
+James is. Ah! I had indeed a presentiment that I should never see him
+again."
+
+"I ought to say to you," said the captain to the Gascon, "that if you
+obstinately maintain a culpable silence, you will thus compromite in the
+gravest manner the interests of the king and of the state, and we shall
+be forced to have recourse to the harshest means in order to make you
+speak."
+
+These quiet words, calmly pronounced by a man with a venerable
+countenance, who since the beginning of the scene had endeavored to
+moderate the violence of the adversaries of Croustillac, made on the
+latter a lively impression; he shivered slightly, but his resolution was
+not shaken; he answered with a steady voice: "Excuse me, captain, I have
+nothing to say, I will say nothing."
+
+"Captain," cried De Chemerant, "in the name of the king, by whom I am
+empowered, I formally declare that the silence of this criminal may be
+the occasion of grave prejudice to the interests of his majesty and the
+state. I found this man in the very domain of my lord the Duke of
+Monmouth, provided even with precious objects belonging to that
+nobleman, such as the sword of Charles II., a box with a portrait, etc.
+All concurs, in fine, to prove that he has the most precise information
+concerning the existence of his grace the Duke of Monmouth. Now this
+information is of the highest importance relative to the mission with
+which the king has charged me. I demand therefore that the accused
+should immediately be constrained to speak by all the means possible."
+
+"Yes! yes! the torture," cried the noblemen.
+
+"Reflect well, accused," said the captain, again. "Do not expose
+yourself to terrible suffering; you may hope everything from our
+indulgence if you tell the truth. If not, take care!"
+
+"I have nothing to say," replied Croustillac; "this secret is not mine."
+
+"This means a cruel torture," said the captain. "Do not force us to
+these extremities."
+
+The Gascon made a gesture of resignation and repeated: "I have nothing
+to say."
+
+The captain could not conceal his chagrin at being obliged to employ
+such measures.
+
+He rang a bell.
+
+An orderly appeared.
+
+"Order the provost to come here, four men to remain on the gun-deck near
+the forward signal light, and tell the cannoneer to prepare bunches of
+tow dipped in sulphur."
+
+The orderly went out.
+
+The orders were frightfully positive. In spite of his courage,
+Croustillac felt his determination waver; the punishment with which they
+threatened him was fearful. Monmouth was then undoubtedly in safety; the
+adventurer thought that he had already done much for the duke and for
+the duchess. He was about to yield to the fear of torture, when his
+courage returned to him at this reflection, grotesque, without doubt,
+but which, under the circumstances in which it presented itself to his
+mind, became almost heroic, "One does not sacrifice oneself for others
+with the sole aim of being crowned with flowers."
+
+The provost entered the council room.
+
+Croustillac shuddered, but his looks betrayed no emotion.
+
+Suddenly, three reports of a gun, in succession resounded long over the
+solitude of the ocean.
+
+The members of the improvised council started from their seats.
+
+The captain ran to the portholes of the great cabin, declaring the
+session suspended. Partisans and officers, forgetting the accused,
+ascended in haste to the deck.
+
+Croustillac, no less curious than his judges, followed them.
+
+The frigate had received the order to lay to until the issue of the
+council which was to decide the fate of the chevalier.
+
+We have said that the Unicorn had obstinately followed the Thunderer
+since the evening before; we have also said that the officer of the
+watch had discovered on the horizon a ship, at first almost
+imperceptible, but which very soon approached the frigate with a
+rapidity almost marvelous.
+
+When the Thunderer lay to, this ship, a light brigantine, was at the
+most only half a league from her; in proportion as she approached, they
+distinguished her extraordinarily high masts, her very large sails, her
+black hull, narrow and slender, which scarcely rose out of the water; in
+one word, they recognized in this small ship all the appearance of a
+pirate.
+
+At the apparition of the brigantine the Unicorn at once proceeded to
+place herself in her wake, at a signal which she made to her.
+
+It was in time of war; the preparations for combat began in a moment on
+board the frigate. The captain, observing the singular maneuver of the
+two ships, did not wish to expose himself to a hostile surprise.
+
+The brigantine approached, her sails half reefed, having at her prow a
+flag of truce.
+
+"Monsieur de Sainval," said the captain to one of his officers, "order
+the gunners to stand by their guns with lighted matches. If this flag of
+truce conceals a ruse, this ship will be sunk."
+
+De Chemerant and Croustillac felt the same astonishment in recognizing
+the Chameleon on board of which the mulatto and Blue Beard had embarked.
+
+Croustillac's heart beat as if it would burst; his friends had not
+abandoned him, they were coming to succor him--but by what means?
+
+Very soon the Chameleon was within speaking distance of the frigate and
+crossed her stern. A man of tall stature, magnificently dressed, was
+standing in the stern of the brigantine.
+
+"James!--our duke! there he is!" cried enthusiastically the three peers,
+who, leaning over the taffrail of the frigate, at once recognized the
+duke.
+
+The brigantine then lay to; the two ships remained immovable.
+
+Lord Mortimer, Lord Dudley and Lord Rothsay gave vent to cries of the
+wildest joy at the sight of the Duke of Monmouth.
+
+"James! our brave duke!--to see you--to see you again at last!"
+
+"Is it possible? you are the Duke of Monmouth, my lord?" cried De
+Chemerant.
+
+"Yes, I am James of Monmouth," said the duke, "as is proved by the
+joyful acclamations of my friends."
+
+"Yes, there is our James!"
+
+"It is he indeed, this time!"
+
+"It is indeed our duke, our veritable duke!" cried the noblemen.
+
+"Your highness, I have been most unworthily deceived since day before
+yesterday, by a miserable wretch who has taken your name."
+
+"Yes, and we are going to hang him in honor of you!" cried Dudley.
+
+"Be careful how you do that," said Monmouth; "the one whom you call a
+miserable wretch has saved me with the most generous devotion, and I
+come, De Chemerant, to take his place on board your ship, if he is in
+any danger for having taken mine."
+
+"Surely, your highness," said De Chemerant, seizing this occasion of
+assuring himself of the person of the prince, "it is necessary that you
+should come on board; it is the only means by which you can save this
+vile impostor."
+
+"That is, if this 'vile impostor' does not save himself, however," said
+Croustillac, springing upon the taffrail and leaping into the sea.
+
+The movement was so sudden that no one could oppose it. The Gascon
+plunged under the waves, and reappeared at a short distance from the
+brigantine, toward which he directed his course.
+
+There was but a short distance between the two vessels; the Chameleon
+was almost level with the sea; the chevalier, aided by the Duke of
+Monmouth and some of the sailors, found himself on the deck of the
+little ship before the passengers on the frigate had recovered from
+their surprise.
+
+"Here is my savior, the most generous of men!" said Monmouth, embracing
+Croustillac.
+
+Then James said a few words in the ear of Croustillac, who disappeared
+with Captain Ralph.
+
+The duke, advancing to the edge of the stern of the brigantine,
+addressed himself to De Chemerant: "I know, sir, the projects of the
+king, my uncle, James Stuart, and those of the king, your master; I know
+that these brave gentlemen come to offer me their arms to aid me in
+driving William of Orange from the throne of England."
+
+"Yes, yes, when you shall be at our head we will drive away these Dutch
+rats," cried Mortimer.
+
+"Come, come, our duke, with you we will go to the end of the world,"
+said Dudley.
+
+"My lord, you may count on the support of the king, my master. Once on
+board, I will communicate to you my full powers," cried De Chemerant,
+ravished to see that his mission, which he had believed desperate,
+revived with every chance of success.
+
+"Your highness, do you wish the long boat sent for you, or will you come
+in one of your own boats?" added De Chemerant; "and since your highness
+is interested in this miserable rascal, his pardon is assured."
+
+"Make haste, noble duke----"
+
+"Come as you wish, James--our James--but come at once!"
+
+"Yes, come," said Mortimer, "or we will do as this rascal in green
+cassock and pink stockings; we will leap into the water like a band of
+wild ducks, to be the sooner with you."
+
+"No imprudence, no imprudence, my old friends," said Monmouth, who
+sought to gain time since the Gascon disappeared.
+
+At last Captain Ralph came to say a word in the ear of the prince; the
+latter gave a new order in a low voice and with a radiant air.
+
+"Your highness, they are about launching the long boat," said De
+Chemerant, who was burning with impatience to see the duke on board.
+
+"It is useless, sir," said the duke. Then, addressing himself formally
+to the noblemen with an accent of profound emotion: "My old friends, my
+faithful companions, farewell, and forever farewell, I have sworn by the
+memory of the most admirable martyr to friendship, never to take part in
+civil troubles which might deluge England with blood; I will not break
+my oath. Farewell, brave Mortimer, farewell good Dudley, farewell
+valiant Rothsay; it breaks my heart not to embrace you for a last time.
+Forget this my appearance. Henceforth let James of Monmouth--be dead to
+you as he has been to all the world for five years! Again farewell, and
+forever farewell!"
+
+Then turning toward his captain, the duke cried quickly in a sonorous
+voice:
+
+"Set all sails, Ralph!"
+
+At these words Ralph seized the helm; the sails of the brigantine,
+already prepared, were hoisted and trimmed with marvelous rapidity.
+Thanks to the breeze and her galley oars, the Chameleon was under way
+before the passengers of the frigate had recovered from their surprise.
+The brigantine, in moving off, kept in the direction of the stern of the
+frigate in order not to be exposed to her guns.
+
+It is impossible to paint the rage of De Chemerant, the despair of the
+noblemen, in seeing the light vessel rapidly increasing the distance
+between them.
+
+"Captain," cried De Chemerant, "set all sail; we will overhaul this
+brigantine; there is no better sailer than the Thunderer."
+
+"Yes, yes," cried the peers, "board her!"
+
+"Let us capture our duke!"
+
+"When we have him we will force him to place himself at our head!"
+
+"He will not refuse his old companions!"
+
+"My boys, two hundred louis to drink the health of James of Monmouth if
+we overtake this waterfly," cried Mortimer, addressing the sailors, and
+pointing to the little vessel.
+
+The Chameleon soon found herself beyond reach of the guns of the
+frigate. She quitted the direction she had first taken, and in place of
+keeping close to the wind, altered her course.
+
+This maneuver exposed the Unicorn, which during the conference of the
+duke and De Chemerant had remained behind in the wake of the Chameleon
+and absolutely in a line with her.
+
+It is on board the latter ship that we shall conduct the reader; he can
+thus assist at the chase which the frigate is about to give to the
+brigantine.
+
+Polypheme de Croustillac was on the deck of the Unicorn in company with
+his old host, Captain Daniel, and Father Griffen, who embarked the
+evening before on this vessel.
+
+The reader recalls the plunge that Croustillac made in leaping from the
+taffrail of the frigate into the sea in order to rejoin Monmouth. While
+the Gascon shook himself, rubbed his eyes, and allowed himself to be
+cordially embraced by the duke, the latter had said to him: "Go quickly
+and await me on board the Unicorn; Ralph will conduct you there."
+
+Croustillac, still dizzy from his leap, enraptured at having escaped
+from De Chemerant, followed Captain Ralph. The latter made him embark in
+a little yawl rowed by a single sailor.
+
+It was thus that the adventurer boarded the Unicorn. In order not to
+lose time, Ralph had ordered the sailor to follow the chevalier and
+abandon the yawl; the transfer of the Gascon was then executed very
+rapidly.
+
+The duke had not given the order to hoist the sails of the frigate until
+he knew Croustillac to be in safety, for he foresaw that De Chemerant
+would inevitably abandon the shadow for the substance, the false
+Monmouth for the true, the Unicorn for the Chameleon.
+
+Master Daniel, at sight of the Gascon, cried out: "It is written that I
+never shall see you come aboard my ship but by strange means! In leaving
+France you fell from the clouds; in quitting the Antilles, you come to
+me from out of the sea like a marine god; like Neptune in person."
+
+Very much surprised at this encounter, and especially at seeing Father
+Griffen, who, standing on the poop, attentively observed the maneuvers
+of the two ships, the chevalier said to the captain: "But how the devil
+do you find yourself here at a given point to receive me, coming out of
+that nutshell down there, floating away at hazard?"
+
+"Faith, to tell the truth, I know almost nothing about it."
+
+"How is that, captain?"
+
+"Yesterday morning my shipowner at Rochelle asked me if my cargo was
+complete. I told him it was; he then ordered me to go to Fort Royal,
+where a frigate was just leaving, and earnestly demand her escort; if
+she refused it, I was to _make_ myself escorted all the same, always
+keeping in sight of the said frigate, whatever she might do to prevent
+me. Finally, I was to conduct myself toward her almost as a mongrel cur
+toward a passer-by to whom he attaches himself. The man in vain drives
+the dog away; the dog always keeps just beyond reach of foot or stone;
+runs when he runs, walks when he walks, gets out of the way when he
+pursues him, stops when he stops, and finishes by keeping at his heels
+in spite of him. That is how I have maneuvered with the frigate. That is
+not all; my correspondent also said to me: 'You will follow the frigate
+until you are joined by a brigantine; then you will remain just behind
+her; it may be that this brigantine will send you a passenger (this
+passenger I now see was yourself); then you will take him and set sail
+at once for France without troubling yourself about either the
+brigantine or the frigate; if not, the brigantine will send you other
+orders, and you will execute them.' I know only the will of my
+shipowners; I have followed the frigate from Fort Royal. This morning
+the brigantine joined me, just now I fished you out of the water; now I
+set sail for France."
+
+"The duke will not come on board, then?" asked Croustillac.
+
+"The duke? what duke? I know no other duke than my shipowner or his
+correspondent, which is all the same as--ah! look there! there goes the
+frigate, giving tremendous chase to the little ship."
+
+"Will you abandon the Chameleon thus?" cried Croustillac. "If the
+frigate overhauls her will you not go to her aid?"
+
+"Not I, by the Lord, although I have a dozen little guns which can say
+their word as well as others, and the twenty-four good fellows who form
+my crew are a match for the marines of the king--but that is not the
+point. I know only the orders of my shipowners. Ah, now the brigantine
+cuts out some work for the frigate," said Daniel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+THE RETURN.
+
+
+The Thunderer pursued the Chameleon furiously. Whether from calculation,
+or from an enforced slackening in her course, several times the
+brigantine seemed on the point of being overtaken by the frigate; but
+then, taking a turn better suited to her construction, she regained the
+advantage she had lost.
+
+Suddenly, by a brisk evolution, the brigantine tacked about, came
+straight toward the Unicorn, and in a few minutes came within reach of
+the voice.
+
+One may judge of the joy of the adventurer when on the deck of the
+Chameleon, which passed astern of the three-master, he saw Blue Beard
+leaning on the arm of Monmouth, and heard the young woman cry to him in
+a voice full of emotion: "Adieu, our savior--adieu--may Heaven protect
+you! We will never forget you!"
+
+"Adieu, our best friend," said Monmouth. "Adieu, brave and worthy
+chevalier!"
+
+And the Chameleon moved off, while Angela with her handkerchief, and
+Monmouth with a gesture of the hand, made a last sign of farewell to the
+adventurer.
+
+Alas! this apparition was as short as it was ravishing. The brigantine,
+after having for a moment grazed the stern of the Unicorn, turned back
+on her way and made straight toward the frigate, with incredible
+boldness, keeping almost within range of her guns.
+
+The Thunderer in her turn tacked about; without doubt the captain,
+furious at this useless chase, wished to end it at any price. A sudden
+flash, a dull and prolonged report was heard a long distance, and the
+frigate left behind her a cloud of bluish smoke.
+
+At this significant demonstration, no longer amusing herself with
+doubling before the frigate, the Chameleon came close up to the wind--a
+movement particularly favorable to her--and then took flight seriously.
+The Thunderer pursued her, both ships directing themselves to the south.
+
+The Unicorn had the cape on the northeast. She sailed splendidly. One
+thus comprehends that she would leave very soon and very far behind the
+two ships which sank more and more below the horizon.
+
+Croustillac remained with his eyes riveted on the ship which bore Blue
+Beard away. He followed it with yearning and desolate eyes until the
+brigantine had entirely disappeared in space. Then two great tears
+rolled down the cheeks of the adventurer.
+
+He let his head fall into his two hands with which he covered his face.
+
+Captain Daniel came to suddenly interrupt the sad reverie of the
+chevalier; he slapped him joyously on the shoulder and cried out: "Ah,
+ha, our guest, the Unicorn, is well on her way; suppose we go below and
+drink a madeira sangaree while waiting for supper? I hope you are going
+to show me again some of your funny tricks which made me laugh so much,
+you know? when you held forks straight on the end of your nose. Come,
+let us drink a glass."
+
+"I am not thirsty, Master Daniel," said the Gascon, sadly.
+
+"So much the better; you will only drink with the more pleasure; to
+drink without thirst--that is what distinguishes the man from the brute,
+as they say."
+
+"Thanks, Master Daniel, but I cannot."
+
+"Ah! the devil! what is the matter with you then? You have a very queer
+air; is it because you have not been lucky, you who boasted you were
+going to marry Blue Beard before a month had passed? Say then, do you
+remember? You must have lost your bet completely; you have not dared
+only to go to Devil's Cliff, I am sure."
+
+"You are right, Master Daniel, I have lost my bet."
+
+"As you bet nothing at all it will not ruin you to pay it, fortunately.
+Ah! say then, I have had several questions on my tongue for a quarter of
+an hour: how did you come to be on board the frigate? how did the
+captain of the brigantine pick you up? did you know him? and then, this
+woman and this lord who said adieu to you just now--what does all this
+mean? Oh, as to that, if it bothers you, do not answer me; I ask you
+that, only to know it. If it is a secret, _motus_, let us speak no more
+of it."
+
+"I can tell you nothing on that subject, Master Daniel.''
+
+"Let it be understood, then, that I have asked no questions about it,
+and long live joy! Come, laugh then, laugh then! what makes you sad? Is
+it because here you are still with your old green coat and the very pink
+hose so prettily stained with seawater, be it said without offending
+you? I will lend you a change, although it is as hot as a furnace,
+because it is not healthy to let one's clothes dry on one's body. Come,
+come, quit that gloomy air! See, are you not my guest, since you are
+here by order of my shipowner? And, whatever comes, have I not told you
+that you can stay on board the Unicorn as much as you please? for, by
+the Lord, I adore your conversation, your stories, and especially your
+tricks. Ah! say, I have a species of tow made with a thread of the bark
+of the palm tree, that will burn like priming; that will be famous, you
+will swallow that, and you will spit flame and fire like a real demon;
+is it not true?"
+
+"The chevalier appears not disposed to amuse you very much, Master
+Daniel," said a grave voice.
+
+Croustillac and the captain turned; it was Father Griffen who, from the
+poop, had watched the pursuit of the brigantine, and who now was
+descending to the deck.
+
+"It is true, Father, I feel somewhat sad," said Croustillac.
+
+"Bah! bah! if my guest is not in the mood, he will be, very soon, for he
+is not naturally a melancholy man. I will go to prepare the sangaree,"
+said Daniel. And he quitted the deck.
+
+After some moments of silence, the priest said to Croustillac:
+
+"Here you are, again, the guest of Captain Daniel; here you are, as poor
+as you were ten days ago."
+
+"Why should I be richer to-day than I was ten days ago, Father," asked
+the Gascon.
+
+It must be said to the praise of Croustillac, that his bitter regrets
+were pure from all covetous thoughts; although poor, he was happy to
+think that, apart from the little medallion Blue Beard had given him,
+his devotion had been entirely disinterested.
+
+"I believe," said Father Griffen, "that the Duke of Monmouth will be
+annoyed at not being able to requite your devotion as he ought. But it
+is not altogether his fault; events have so pressed upon one
+another----"
+
+"You do not speak seriously, Father. Why should the duke have wished to
+humiliate a man who has done what he could to serve him?"
+
+"You have done for the duke what a brother might have done; and why,
+knowing you to be poor, should he not, as a brother, come to your aid?"
+
+"For a thousand reasons, I should be disturbed beyond measure, Father. I
+even count on the events of the life, more adventurous than ever, that I
+am about to lead, to distract my mind, and I hope----"
+
+The Gascon did not finish his sentence, and again concealed his face in
+his hands. The priest respected his silence and left him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Thanks to trade winds and a fine passage, the Unicorn was in sight of
+the coast of France about forty days after her departure from
+Martinique.
+
+Little by little the gloomy sadness of the chevalier softened. With an
+instinct of great delicacy--an instinct as new to him as the sentiment
+which, without doubt, had developed it--the chevalier reserved for
+solitude the tender and melancholy thoughts awakened in him by the
+remembrance of Blue Beard, for he did not wish to expose these precious
+memories to the rude pleasantries of Captain Daniel, or to the
+interpretations of Father Griffen.
+
+At the end of eight days the chevalier had again become in the eyes of
+the passengers of the Unicorn what he had been during the first voyage.
+Knowing that he was to pay his passage by his good companionship, he put
+that kind of probity which was natural to him into his efforts to amuse
+Captain Daniel; he showed himself so good a companion that the worthy
+captain saw with despair the end of the voyage approach.
+
+Croustillac had formally declared that he was going to take service in
+Moscow where the Czar Peter then received soldiers of fortune gladly.
+
+The sun was on the point of setting when the Unicorn found herself in
+sight of the shores of France. Captain Daniel, from motives of prudence,
+preferred waiting for the morning before proceeding to the anchorage.
+
+Shortly before the moment of sitting down to the table, Father Griffen
+prayed the Gascon to come with him to his room. The grave, almost
+solemn, air of the priest appeared strange to Croustillac.
+
+The door closed, Father Griffen, his eyes filled with tears, extended
+his arms to the Gascon, and said: "Come, come, excellent and noble
+creature; come, my good and dear son."
+
+The chevalier, at once moved and astonished, cordially pressed the
+priest in his arms and said to him: "What is it, then, my father?"
+
+"What is it? what is it? How, you, a poor adventurer, you, whose past
+life should have rendered less scrupulous than others, you save the life
+of the son of a king, you devote yourself to his interests with as much
+abnegation as intelligence; and then, that done and your friends in
+safety, you return to your obscure and miserable life, not knowing even
+at this hour, on the eve of reentering France, where you will lay your
+head to-morrow! and that without one word, one single word of complaint,
+of the ingratitude, or at least, of the forgetfulness of those who owe
+you so much!"
+
+"But, my Father----"
+
+"Oh, I have observed you well during this voyage! Never a bitter word,
+never even the shadow of a reproach; as in the past, you have become gay
+and thoughtless again. And yet--no--no--I have well seen that your
+gayety was assumed; you have lost in this voyage your one possession,
+your only resource--the careless gayety which has aided you to bear
+misfortune."
+
+"My Father, I assure you, no."
+
+"Oh, I do not deceive myself, I tell you. At night I have surprised you
+alone, apart, on the deck, sadly dreaming. Of old, did you ever dream
+thus?"
+
+"Have I not, on the contrary, during the voyage, diverted Captain Daniel
+by my pleasantries, good Father?"
+
+"Oh, I have observed you well; if you have consented to amuse Master
+Daniel, it was in order to recompense him as you could for the
+hospitality he has given you. Listen, my son--I am old--I can say all to
+you without offending you; well, conduct such as yours would be very
+worthy, very fine on the part of a man whose antecedents, whose
+principles rendered him naturally delicate; but on your part, whom an
+idle, perhaps culpable youth, should seem to have robbed of all
+elevation of thought, it is doubly noble and beautiful; it is at once
+the expiation of the past and the glorification of the present. Thus,
+such sentiments cannot remain without their recompense--the trial has
+endured too long. Yes, I almost blame myself for having imposed it on
+you."
+
+"What trial, my Father?"
+
+"Yet, no; this trial has permitted you to show a delicacy as noble as
+touching----"
+
+A knock at the door of Father Griffen's room.
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"Supper, Father."
+
+"Come, let us go, my son," said Father Griffen, regarding Croustillac
+with a peculiar air; "I do not know why it seems to me that the journey
+will terminate fortunately for you."
+
+The chevalier, very much surprised that the Reverend Father should have
+brought him to his room in order to hold the discourse we have reported,
+followed Father Griffen on deck.
+
+To the great astonishment of Croustillac, he saw the crew in gala
+attire; lighted torches were suspended to the shrouds and the masts.
+When the adventurer appeared on deck, the twelve guns of the
+three-master resounded in salute.
+
+"Zounds! Father, what is all this?" said Croustillac; "are we attacked?"
+
+Father Griffen had no leisure to respond to the adventurer; Captain
+Daniel, in his holiday clothes, followed by his lieutenant, his officer
+and the masters and mates of the Unicorn, came to respectfully salute
+Croustillac, and said to him with ill-concealed embarrassment:
+"Chevalier, you are my shipowner; this ship and its cargo belong to
+you."
+
+"To the devil with you, comrade Daniel!" responded Croustillac; "if you
+are as crazy as this before supper, what will you be when you have been
+drinking, our host?"
+
+"I ask no end of pardons, chevalier, for having made you balance things
+on your nose, and for having led you to chew oakum in order to spit fire
+during the voyage. But as true as we are in sight of the coast of
+France, I did not know that you were the proprietor of the Unicorn."
+
+"Ah, Father, explain to me," said Croustillac.
+
+"The Reverend Father will explain to you many things--so much the
+better, chevalier," continued Daniel, "that it is he who brought me just
+now the letter of my correspondent of Fort Royal, which announces to me
+that in view of the power of attorney he has always had from my
+shipowner in Rochelle, he has sold the Unicorn and her cargo as attorney
+to Chevalier Polypheme de Croustillac; thus then the Unicorn and her
+cargo belong to you, chevalier; you will give me a receipt and discharge
+of the said Unicorn and of the said cargo when we reach a port of
+France, or foreign land which it shall suit you to designate; which
+receipt and discharge I will send to my shipowner for my entire
+discharge of the said ship and said cargo."
+
+Having pronounced this legal formula all in a breath, Captain Daniel,
+seeing Croustillac abstracted and anxious, thought that the chevalier
+bore him some grudge; he replied with new embarrassment: "Father
+Griffen, who has known me for many years, will affirm to you, and you
+will believe it, chevalier, I swear to you that in asking you to swallow
+oakum and spit out flame, I did not know that I had to do with my owner,
+and the master of the Unicorn. No, no, chevalier, it is not for one who
+possesses a ship, which, all loaded, might be worth at least two hundred
+thousand crowns----"
+
+"This ship and her cargo is worth that price?" said the adventurer.
+
+"At the lowest price, sir; at the lowest price, sold in a lump and at
+once; but, by not hurrying, one would have fifty thousand crowns more."
+
+"Do you now comprehend, my son?" said Father Griffen, "our friends of
+Devil's Cliff, learning that grave interests recalled me suddenly to
+France, have charged me with making you accept this gift on their parts.
+Pardon me, or rather felicitate me for having so well proved the
+elevation of your character, in revealing to you only at this late hour,
+the bounty of the prince."
+
+"Ah, Father," said Croustillac bitterly, drawing from his breast the
+medallion that the duchess had given him, and which he wore suspended by
+a leathern cord, "with that, I was recompensed as a gentleman, why now
+do they treat me as a vagabond in giving me this splendid alms?"
+
+The next day the Unicorn entered port, Croustillac, making use of his
+new rights, borrowed twenty-five louis of Captain Daniel, on the value
+of the cargo, and forbade him to land for twenty-four hours.
+
+Father Griffen was to lodge at the seminary. Croustillac appointed a
+meeting with him for the next day at noon. At noon the chevalier did not
+appear, but sent the priest the following note by a messenger of La
+Rochelle:
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"My good Father I cannot accept the gift which you have offered me. I
+send you a deed drawn up according to rule, which substitutes you in all
+my rights over this ship and her cargo. You will employ it all in good
+works, as you understand how to do. The notary who will send you this
+note will consult with you as to formalities; he has my power of
+attorney.
+
+"Adieu, my good Father; sometimes remember the Gascon, and do not forget
+him in your prayers.
+
+"CHEVALIER DE CROUSTILLAC."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was years before Father Griffen heard of the adventurer again.
+
+
+
+
+EPILOGUE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+THE ABBEY.
+
+
+The abbey of St. Quentin, situated not far from Abbeville and almost at
+the mouth of the Somme, possessed the finest farms in the province of
+Picardy; each week its numerous tenants paid in kind a part of their
+rents. In order to represent abundance, a painter might have chosen the
+moment when this enormous tithe was carried to the convent.
+
+At the end of the month of November, 1708, about eighteen years after
+the events of which we have spoken, the tenants were met together on a
+misty, cold autumn morning, in a little court situated outside the
+buildings of the abbey and not far from the lodge of the porter.
+
+Outside one saw the horses, the asses, and the carts which had served
+for the transportation of the immense quantity of produce destined for
+the provisioning of the convent.
+
+A bell rang, all the peasants pressed to the foot of a small staircase
+of a few steps, situated under a shed which occupied the back part of
+the court. The flight of steps was surmounted by a vault through which
+one came out from the interior of the convent.
+
+The cellarer, accompanied by two lay brethren, appeared under this
+vault.
+
+The fat, rubicund, animated face of the Father, detached itself like a
+Rembrandt on the obscure depth of the passage at the extremity of which
+he had stopped; from fear of the cold, the monk had drawn over his head
+the warm hood of his black cloak. A soft _soutane_ of white wool draped
+itself in large folds about his enormous obesity.
+
+One of the brothers carried an ink bottle at his girdle, a pen behind
+his ear, and a big register under his arm; he seated himself on one of
+the steps of the staircase, in order to enter the rents brought by the
+farmers.
+
+The other brothers classified the goods under the shed as they were
+placed there; while the cellarer, from the top of the flight of steps,
+presided solemnly over their admission, his hands concealed in his large
+cuffs.
+
+It is impossible to number and describe this mass of comestibles placed
+at the foot of the staircase. Here were enormous fish from the sea, the
+lake, or the river, which still wriggled on the slabs of the court;
+there magnificent capons, monstrous geese, large ducks coupled by their
+feet, fluttered convulsively in the midst of mountains of fresh butter
+and immense baskets of eggs, vegetables, and winter fruits. Further on
+were tethered two of these sheep fattened on the salt meadows, which
+give such fine flavor to their succulent flesh. Fishers rolled along
+small barrels of oysters; further on were shellfish of every kind,
+lobsters, eels and shrimps, which shook the wicker baskets in which they
+were inclosed.
+
+One of the porters of the abbey was on his knees before a buck a year
+old, in full flesh, and killed the day before; he weighed with his hand
+a quarter, to make the cellarer admire its weight; near the buck lay two
+kids, a good number of hares and partridges; while another porter opened
+hampers filled with every species of marsh fowl and birds of passage,
+such as wild duck, woodcock, teal, plovers, etc.
+
+Finally, in another corner of the court, were spread out the more
+modest, but no less useful offerings, such as sacks of the purest flour,
+dried vegetables, strings of perfumed hams, etc.
+
+At one time these gastronomics were so heaped up that they reached the
+level of the staircase where the cellarer stood.
+
+Seeing this rotund monk with his shining face, his vast abdomen,
+standing on this pedestal of comestibles which he watched with the eye
+of a gormand, one would have called him the genius of good cheer.
+
+According to the quantity or quality of his tribute, each tenant, after
+having received a word of blame or praise from the cellarer, withdrew
+with a slight genuflection. The Reverend Father even deigned at times to
+withdraw from his long sleeves his fat, red hand, to give it to the most
+favored to kiss.
+
+The roll-call of the lay brother was almost at an end.
+
+There was brought to the cellarer a savory caudle in a silver bowl borne
+on a tray of the same metal. The Reverend Father swallowed this
+consomme, a perfect specific against the morning cold and fog. At this
+moment the lay brother complained of having in vain twice called James,
+the tenant of the farm of Blaville, who owed ten hens, three sacks of
+wheat and one hundred crowns for the rent of his farm.
+
+"Ah, well!" said the cellarer, "where then is James? He is ordinarily
+exact. For fifteen years that he has held the farm of Blaville, he has
+never failed in his rent."
+
+The peasants still called for James.
+
+James did not appear.
+
+From out the crowd of farmers came two children, a young boy and a young
+girl from thirteen to fourteen years of age; trembling with confusion,
+they advanced to the foot of the staircase--redoubtable
+tribunal!--holding each other by the hand, their eyes downcast and full
+of tears.
+
+The little girl fingered the corner of the apron of coarse cloth
+covering her petticoat of whitish cloth rayed with wide black stripes;
+the young boy convulsively grasped his cap of brown wool. They stopped
+at the foot of the staircase.
+
+"These are the children of the farmer James," said a voice.
+
+"Very well! and the ten hens, and the three sacks of wheat, and the one
+hundred crowns from your father?" said the reverend man severely.
+
+The two poor children pressed against each other, nudging one another
+with the elbow, as an encouragement to answer.
+
+Finally the young boy, having more resolution, raised his noble,
+handsome face, which his coarse garments rendered still more remarkable,
+and sadly said to the monk: "Our father has been very ill for two
+months; our mother is taking care of him--there is no money in the
+house; we have been obliged to take the wheat and the rent to support
+the day laborer and his wife who takes my father's place in the farm
+work, and then it has been necessary to sell the hens to pay the
+doctor."
+
+"It is always the same story when tenants fail in their rents," said the
+monk roughly. "James was a good and punctual farmer; this is how he
+spoils all, just like the others; but in the interests of the abbey as
+well as in his own, we will not let him wander into the bad way." Then,
+addressing himself to the children, he added severely: "The
+father-treasurer will consider this--wait there."
+
+The two children withdrew into an obscure corner of the shed. The young
+girl seated herself, weeping, on a bench; her brother stood near her,
+looking at his sister with gloomy sadness.
+
+The roll-call finished, the monks re-entered the abbey, the peasants
+regained the horses and carts which had brought them, the two children
+remained alone in the court, waiting with sad disquietude the decision
+of the treasurer with regard to their father.
+
+A new personage appeared at the gate of the little court. This was a
+tall old man with large, white mustache and neglected beard; he walked
+with difficulty with the help of a wooden leg, and wore a uniform-coat
+of green with an orange-colored collar; a wallet of leather slung on his
+back carried his modest baggage; he supported himself on a thick cane
+made from the dogwood tree, and on his head was a big Hungarian cap of
+black worn fur, which descending to his eyebrows, gave him the most
+savage air in the world; his hair, as white as his mustache, tied with a
+leathern string, formed a long queue which fell to his shoulders; his
+skin was tanned, his eyes were bright and lively, though age had bowed
+his tall stature.
+
+This old man entered the court without seeing the children; he looked
+about him like a man seeking to find his way; perceiving the two little
+peasants, he went straight to them.
+
+The young girl, startled by this strange figure, or rather, by this
+enormous cap of bristling fur, gave a cry of affright; her brother took
+her hand to reassure her, and although the poor child wished to withdraw
+it, he advanced resolutely toward the old man.
+
+The latter stopped, struck with the beauty of these two children, and
+especially the delicate features of the young girl, whose face of
+perfect regularity was crowned with two bands of blond hair half
+concealed under a poor little child's cap of a brown color; she wore,
+like her brother, rude wooden shoes and wool stockings.
+
+"You are afraid of me then! Zounds! you will not tell me, then, where
+the Abbey of St. Quentin is?" said the old soldier.
+
+Although he was far from wishing to intimidate the children, the tone of
+his voice frightened the young girl still more, who, pressing closely to
+her brother, said to him in a low tone: "Answer him, James, answer him;
+see what a wicked air he has."
+
+"Have no fear, Angela, have no fear," answered the boy. Then he said to
+the soldier: "Yes, sir, this is the Abbey of St. Quentin; but if you
+wish to enter the porter's lodge is on the other side, outside of this
+court."
+
+The boy might have spoken a long time without the soldier paying
+attention to his words.
+
+When the young girl called her brother "James" the old man made a
+movement of surprise; but when James, in his turn, called his sister
+"Angela" the old man started, let his stick fall, and was obliged to
+support himself against the wall, so violent was his agitation.
+
+"You call yourselves 'James' and 'Angela,' my children?" said he, in a
+trembling voice.
+
+"Yes, sir," answered the young boy entirely reassured, but astonished at
+this question.
+
+"And your parents?"
+
+"Our parents are tenants of the abbey, sir."
+
+"Come," said the soldier, whom the reader has doubtless already
+recognized, "I am an old fool--but--the union of these two
+names--James--Angela. Come, come, Polypheme, you lose your head, my
+friend; because you encounter two little peasants you imagine--" he
+shrugged his shoulders; "it is hardly worth while to have this big white
+beard at one's chin only to give way to such visions! If it is to make
+such discoveries that you return from Moscow, Polypheme, you might just
+as well--have done----"
+
+While speaking thus to himself, Croustillac had examined the young girl
+with the greatest curiosity; more and more struck with a resemblance
+which seemed incomprehensible, he fastened eager eyes on Angela.
+
+The young girl again frightened, said to her brother, hiding her face
+behind his shoulder: "Heavens! how he frightens me, again!"
+
+"However, these features," said Croustillac, feeling his heart beat with
+doubt, anxiety, fear and despair all at once, "these charming features
+recall to me--but no--it is impossible--impossible. By what probability?
+Decidedly, I am an old fool. Farmers? Come, that sabre cut I got on the
+head at the siege of Azof has deranged my brain. After all, there are
+chances so strange (and surely, more than any one else, I should believe
+in the oddities of chance; I should be an ingrate to deny it); yes,
+chance might occasion peasants to give their children certain names
+rather than others, but chance does not make these resemblances--come,
+it is impossible. After all, I can ask them, and in asking them I shall
+laugh at myself; it is stupid. My children, tell me, what is your
+father's name?"
+
+"James, sir."
+
+"Yes, James--but James--what?"
+
+"James, sir."
+
+"James? nothing more?"
+
+"Yes, sir," answered the boy, regarding Croustillac with surprise.
+
+"This is more and more strange," said Croustillac, reflecting.
+
+"Has he been long in France?"
+
+"He has always been here, sir."
+
+"Come, I was mad; decidedly, I was mad. Has your father ever been a
+soldier, my children?"
+
+Angela and James looked at each other with astonishment.
+
+The young boy answered: "No, sir, he has always been a farmer."
+
+At this moment the door which communicated with the abbey opened and one
+of the lay brothers appeared at the top of the stairway.
+
+This brother was the type of an ignoble monk, gross and sensual. He made
+a sign to the children, who tremblingly approached.
+
+"Come here, little one," said he to the girl.
+
+The poor child, after casting a doubtful look at her brother, whom she
+could not make up her mind to leave, timidly mounted the steps.
+
+The monk took her insolently by the chin with his coarse hand, turned up
+her face which she held down, and said to her: "Pretty one, you will
+warn your father that if he does not pay eight days from now his rent in
+kind and the hundred crowns which he owes, there is a farmer who is more
+solvent than he who wants the farm and who will obtain it. As your
+father is a good fellow, they will give him eight days--but for that,
+they would have turned him out to-day."
+
+"My God! my God!" said the children, weeping and clasping their hands,
+"there is no money at home. Our poor father is sick. Alas! what shall we
+do?"
+
+"You will do what you can," said the monk, "that is the order of the
+prior;" and he made a sign to the young girl to go.
+
+The two children threw themselves into each other's arms, sobbing, and
+saying: "Our father will die of this--he will die!"
+
+Croustillac, half-hidden by a post of the shed, had been at once touched
+and angered by this scene. At the moment the monk was about to close the
+door, the Gascon said to him: "Reverend Father, a word--is this the
+Abbey of St. Quentin?"
+
+"Yes, and what of it?" said the monk rudely.
+
+"You will willingly give me a lodging till to-morrow, will you not?"
+
+"Hum--always beggars," said the monk. "Very well; go and ring at the
+porter's gate. They will give you a bundle of straw and give you bread
+and soup." Then he added: "These vagabonds are the plague of religious
+houses."
+
+The adventurer became crimson, drew up his tall form, thrust, with a
+blow of his fist, his fur cap over his eyes, struck the earth with his
+stick, and cried in a threatening tone: "Zounds! Reverend Father, know
+your company a little better, at least."
+
+"Who is this old wallet-bearer?" said the irritated monk.
+
+"Because I carry a wallet it does not follow that I ask alms of you,
+Reverend Father," said Croustillac.
+
+"What dost thou want, then?"
+
+"I ask a supper and a shelter because your rich convent can well afford
+to give bread and shelter to poor travelers. Charity commands this from
+your abbot. And beside, in sheltering Christians, you do not give, you
+restore. Your abbey grows very fat from its tithes."
+
+"Wilt thou be quiet, thou old heretic, thou insolent old fellow!"
+
+"You call me an insolent old fellow. Very well; learn, Don Surly, that I
+have still a crown in my wallet, and that I can do without your straw
+and your soup, Don Ribald."
+
+"What dost thou mean by Don Ribald, rascal that thou art?" said the lay
+brother, advancing to the top of the steps. "Take care lest I give thy
+old rags a good shaking."
+
+"Since we thee-and-thou each other, Don Drinker, take care in thy turn,
+Don Greedy, that I do not make thee taste of my stick, Don Big Paunch,
+infirm as I am, Don Brutal."
+
+The vigorous monk for a moment made as though he was about to descend to
+chastise the Gascon, but he shrugged his shoulders and said to
+Croustillac: "If thou hast ever the impudence to present thyself at the
+porter's lodge, thou wilt be thrashed to some purpose. That is the kind
+of hospitality thou wilt receive henceforth from the Abbey of St.
+Quentin." Then addressing himself to the children: "And you be sure to
+tell your father that in eight days he pays or quits the farm, for, I
+repeat to you, that there is a farmer more solvent than he who wants
+it."
+
+The monk shut the door brusquely.
+
+"I cannot tell it to the children," said the adventurer, speaking to
+himself; "that would be a bad example for youth; but I had something
+like a feeling of remorse for having aided in the burning of a convent
+in the Moravian War--well, it pleases me to imagine that the roasted
+ones resembled this fat, big-bellied animal, and it makes me feel quite
+cheerful. The scoundrel! to treat those poor children so harshly! It is
+strange how I interest myself in them--if I had at least some reason for
+it, I should let myself hope. After all, why not clear up my doubts?
+What do I risk by it? I have plenty of money. Ah, then, my children,"
+said he to the young peasants, "your father is sick and poor? He will
+not be vexed to gain a little windfall; although I carry a wallet, I
+have a purse. Well, instead of going to dine and sleep at the inn (may
+the lightning strike me if I ever set foot in this abbey, the Lord
+confound it!) I will go and dine and sleep at your place. I will not be
+any trouble to you. I have been a soldier, I am not hard to suit; a
+stool in the chimney corner, a morsel of lard, a glass of cider, and for
+the night a bundle of fresh straw, the gentle warmth of the stable--that
+is all I need; and that means a piece of twenty-four sous which will
+come into your house. What do you say to that?"
+
+"My father is not an innkeeper, sir," answered the young boy.
+
+"Bah! bah! my boy, if the good man has sense; if the good mother is a
+housekeeper, as she ought to be, they will not regret my coming; this
+piece of good luck will make your pot boil for a whole day. Come,
+conduct me to your farm, my children; your father would scold you for
+not bringing him an old soldier."
+
+In spite of his apparent roughness and his uncouth figure, the chevalier
+inspired James and Angela with confidence; the children took each other
+by the hand and walked before the invalid soldier, who followed them
+absorbed in a profound reverie.
+
+At the end of an hour's walk, they arrived at the entrance of a long
+avenue of apple trees, which led to the farm.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+REUNION.
+
+
+James and Angela entered the farm in order to learn if their father
+would consent to give the old soldier hospitality. While waiting the
+return of the children, the adventurer closely scanned the outbuildings
+of the farm.
+
+Everything appeared to be carried on with care and neatness; at the side
+of the working buildings was the farmer's house; two immense walnut
+trees shaded the door and its thatched roof of velvety green moss; a
+light smoke escaped from the brick chimney; the sound of the ocean was
+heard in the distance, as the farm lay almost on the cliffs of the
+coast.
+
+The rain began to fall; the wind moaned; a shepherd boy was bringing
+home from the fields two beautiful brown cows which turned toward their
+warm stable, causing their little bells to give forth a melancholy
+sound. The adventurer was touched by this peaceful scene. He envied the
+lot of the people of this farm, even though he knew their momentary
+embarrassment. He saw approaching him a woman pale and small in figure,
+and of middle-age. She was dressed like the peasants of Picardy, but
+with extreme neatness. Her son accompanied her; her daughter remained in
+the doorway.
+
+"We are very much grieved, sir."
+
+Hardly had the woman said these words, when Croustillac became as pale
+as a ghost, extended his arms toward her without saying a word, let his
+cane escape, lost his equilibrium and fell suddenly his full length on a
+heap of dry leaves which was, happily, behind him.
+
+The adventurer had fainted.
+
+The Duchess of Monmouth (for it was she) not at once recognizing the
+chevalier, attributed his weakness to fatigue or need, and hastened,
+with the assistance of her two children, to resuscitate the stranger.
+
+James, a strong boy for his age, supported the old man to the trunk of
+one of the walnut trees, while his mother and sister hurried off to seek
+a cordial. In opening the chevalier's coat in order to facilitate his
+respiration, James saw, attached by a leathern braid, the rich medallion
+which the adventurer carried on his breast.
+
+"Mother! see this beautiful reliquary," said the young lad.
+
+The duchess approached and was in turn stupefied at recognizing the
+medallion she had once given Croustillac. Then, regarding the chevalier
+with closer attention, she cried:
+
+"It is he! it is the generous man who saved us!"
+
+The chevalier began to revive. When he opened his eyes they were filled
+with tears.
+
+It would be impossible to paint the happiness, the transports of the
+good Croustillac.
+
+"You in this dress, madame! you whom I see after so many years! When I
+heard these children just now call each other James and Angela, my heart
+beat so strong! But I could not believe--hope--And the duke?"
+
+The Duchess of Monmouth put one finger on her lips, shook her head
+sadly, and said: "You are going to see him! Alas! why should the
+pleasure of seeing you again be saddened by the sickness of James? Had
+it not been for this, to-day would have been beautiful for us."
+
+"I can hardly recognize you again, madame; you, in this costume--in this
+sad condition."
+
+"Silence! my children may hear you. But wait a moment here; I will go
+and prepare my husband to receive you."
+
+After some minutes the adventurer entered Monmouth's room; the latter
+was extended on one of those green serge canopied beds such as may still
+be seen in the houses of some of the peasants.
+
+Although he was emaciated by suffering, and was at that time more than
+fifty years old, the physiognomy of the duke showed the same gracious
+and high character.
+
+Monmouth held out his hands affectionately to Croustillac, and
+indicating a chair at his bed, said to him: "Seat yourself there, my
+good friend. To what miraculous chance do we owe this happy meeting? I
+cannot believe my eyes! So, chevalier, we are reunited after more than
+eighteen years of separation. Ah! how often Angela and I have spoken of
+you and of your devoted generosity. Our regret was not being able to
+tell our children the debt of gratitude that we owe you, and which they
+also owe you."
+
+"Ah, well, my duke, consider what is most pressing," said the Gascon,
+"each in his turn."
+
+So saying, he took his knife from his pocket, unfastened his coat, and
+gravely made a large incision in the lining.
+
+"What are you doing?" asked the duke.
+
+The chevalier drew from his secret pocket a kind of leathern purse, and
+said to the duke: "There is in this one hundred double-louis, your
+highness; on the other side there is as much. This is the first of my
+savings on my pay, and the price of the leg which I left the past year
+at the battle of Mohiloff, after the passage of Beresina; for he was
+first, Peter the Great--well-named--in paying generously the soldiers of
+fortune who enrolled themselves in his service and who gave, many of
+them, the sacrifice of some one of their limbs."
+
+"But, my friend, I do not understand you," said Monmouth, gently pushing
+away the purse which the adventurer tendered him.
+
+"I will be explicit, my lord; you are in arrears to the amount of one
+hundred crowns of rent, and you are threatened with being turned out of
+this farm in eight days. It is a pot-bellied animal, bearded and
+corpulent, robed in the garb of a monk, who has made this threat to your
+poor, dear children but a short time since at the convent door."
+
+"Alas, James! this is only too probable," said Angela, sadly, to her
+husband.
+
+"I fear it," said Monmouth, "but this is not a reason, my friend, to
+accept----"
+
+"But, my lord, it seems to me that you made me such a fine gift, it is
+now eighteen years ago, that we might well share it to-day; and when we
+speak of the past, in order to disembarrass yourself at once of what
+concerns me, and to speak henceforth of your affairs at our ease, my
+lord, in two words, this is my history. Upon my arrival at Rochelle,
+Father Griffen told me that you had presented me the Unicorn and its
+cargo!"
+
+"My God! my friend, this was such a small thing after all that you had
+done for us," said James.
+
+"May we not at least recognize all that you have done for us?" said
+Angela.
+
+"Without doubt, it was little--it was nothing at all--a cup of coffee
+well sugared, with rum to soften it, was it not? Only the cup was a
+ship, and to fill it there was coffee and sugar and rum, the cargo of a
+vessel of eight hundred tons--the whole worth two hundred thousand
+crowns. You are right--it was less than nothing--but in order to put
+aside useless discussion and to be frank, Zounds! this gift wounded
+me----"
+
+"My friend----"
+
+"I was paid by this medallion--speak no more of it. Besides, I have no
+longer the right to resent it; I made deed of gift of the whole to
+Father Griffen in order that he might in his turn give it to the poor,
+or to the convent, or to the devil if he chose to."
+
+"Can it be possible that you refused it?" exclaimed both husband and
+wife.
+
+"Yes, I did refuse it, and I am sure, my lord, although you pretend
+surprise, that you would have acted as I did. I was not already so rich
+in good works as not to keep the memory of Devil's Cliff pure and
+without stain. It was a costly luxury, perhaps, but I had been James of
+Monmouth twenty-four hours, and somewhat of my role of grand seigneur
+still clung to me."
+
+"Noble and excellent heart!" exclaimed Angela.
+
+"But," said Monmouth, "you were so poor!"
+
+"It is just because I am used to poverty and an adventurous life that
+that cost me nothing--I said to myself: 'Polypheme--consider! thou hast
+dreamed this night that thou wast worth two hundred thousand crowns.' I
+dreamed this dream--all has been said--and that did me good. Yes, often
+in Russia, when I was in misery--in distress--or when I was nailed to my
+pallet by a wound, I said to myself, to comfort and to rejoice me:
+'After all, Polypheme, for once in thy life thou hast done something
+noble and generous.' Well, you may believe me, that restored my courage.
+But this is boasting, and what is worse, it unmans me--let us return to
+my departure from Rochelle. I avow it to you and I thank you for it;
+nevertheless, I have profited a little by your generosity. As nothing
+remained to me of my three unlucky crowns, and that was a small sum to
+travel to Moscow on, I borrowed twenty-five louis from Master Daniel on
+the cargo; I paid my passage on a Hamburg ship from Hamburg to Fallo; I
+embarked for Revel on a Swedish vessel; from Revel I went to Moscow; I
+arrived there like seafish in Lent; Admiral Lefort was recruiting a
+forlorn hope to reinforce the _polichnie_ of the czar; in other words,
+the first company of infantry equipped and maneuvering after the German
+mode which had existed in Russia. I had made the campaign in Flanders
+with the '_reiters_;' I knew the service; I was then enrolled in the
+_polichnie_ of the czar, and I had the honor of having this great man
+for file closer, for he served in this company as a simple soldier,
+seeing he had the habit of thinking that in order to know a trade it is
+necessary to learn it.
+
+"Once incorporated in the Muscovite army, I served in all the wars. Do
+not think, my lord, that I am going to recount to you my campaigns, to
+speak to you of the siege of Azof, where I received a saber cut on my
+head; the taking of Astrakhan under Scheremetoff, where I received a
+lance thrust in my loins; of the siege of Narva, where I had the honor
+of aiming at his majesty, Charles XII., and the good fortune to miss
+him; and finally, the great battle of Dorpat.
+
+"No, no, do not fear, my lord; I keep these fine stories to put your
+children to sleep with during the winter nights, in the chimney corner,
+when the seawinds rage in the branches of your old walnut trees. All
+that remains for me to say to you, my lord, is that I have made war ever
+since I left you, first as a noncommissioned officer, and then as
+lieutenant. I might have done it still, perhaps, if last year I had not
+forgotten one of my legs at Mohiloff. The czar generously gave me the
+capital of my pension, and I returned to France because, after all, it
+is there that one dies best--when one is born there; I went on foot,
+lounging along, regaining my paternal valley, lodging and sleeping in
+the abbeys to spare my purse, when chance--this time, no," said the
+chevalier, in a grave and penetrating tone which contrasted greatly with
+his ordinary language, "oh, this time, no--it was not chance, but the
+providence of the good God which caused me to meet with your children,
+my lord; they have brought me here; I fell back in a swoon on a heap of
+dry leaves on recognizing the duchess, and here I am.
+
+"Now, here is my plan--at least, if you consent to it, my lord. My
+paternal valley is very empty--my father and my mother are long since
+dead; I should wish, of all things, to establish myself near you.
+Although lame, I am still good for something, if only to serve as a
+scarecrow to hinder the birds from eating your apples and cherries. I
+will forget that you are 'my lord:' I will call you 'Master James,' I
+will call the duchess, 'Dame James,' your children shall call me Father
+Polypheme; I will tell them of my battles, and it will go on like that,
+_vitam aeternam_."
+
+"Yes! yes! we accept; you shall never leave us," said James and Angela
+together, their eyes filled with tears.
+
+"But on one condition," said the chevalier, drying his eyes also, "that
+is, that I, who am as proud as a peacock, shall pay you, in advance, my
+board; and that you will accept from me these two hundred louis that you
+refused; total, six thousand livres; at five hundred francs a year,
+twelve of board. In twelve years we will make another lease."
+
+"But, my friend----"
+
+"But, my lord, it is yes or no. If it is yes, I remain, and I am more
+happy than I deserve to be. If it is no, I take again my stick, my
+wallet, and I start for the paternal valley, where I shall die, in a
+corner sadly and all alone, like an old dog who has lost his master."
+
+Grotesque as were these words, they were spoken in a tone so full of
+emotion and so touching that the duke and his wife could not refuse the
+offer of the chevalier: "Well then, I accept."
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Croustillac, in the voice of a stentor, and he
+accompanied this Muscovite exclamation by throwing into the air his old
+fur cap.
+
+"Yes, I accept with all my heart, my old friend," said Monmouth,
+"and--why conceal it from you?--this unexpected succor which you offer
+us so generously, saves, perhaps, my life--saves, perhaps, my wife and
+children from misery, for this sum sets us afloat again, and we can
+brave two years as bad as those which have been the cause of our first
+embarrassment. Fatigue, chagrin, fear for the future, have made me ill;
+now, tranquil as to the fate of my dear ones, assured of a friend like
+you--I am sure that my health will return to me."
+
+"Zounds! my lord, how did it happen that, with the enormous amount of
+jewels that you had, you are reduced?"
+
+"Angela will tell you that, my friend; emotion at once so keen and so
+sweet as I feel has fatigued me."
+
+"After having left you on board of the Unicorn," said Angela "we set
+sail for Brazil; we sojourned there some time, but from prudence, we
+resolved to depart for India on board a Portuguese vessel. We had lived
+three years in this little-known country, very happy and very tranquil,
+when I fell seriously ill. One of the best physicians in Bombay declared
+that the climate of India would become fatal to me; my native air alone
+could save me. You know how James loves me; it was impossible for me to
+alter his resolution; he chose at all hazards to return to Europe, to
+France, in spite of the dangers that threatened him. We started from the
+Cape in a Dutch ship, making sail for the Texel. We possessed a very
+considerable sum coming from the sale of our jewels. Our voyage was very
+fortunate as far as the coast of France, but there a terrible tempest
+assailed us. After losing her masts, and being beaten about by the waves
+for three days, our ship went ashore on the coast a quarter of a league
+from here; by a miracle of Heaven, James and I alone escaped an almost
+certain death. Several of the passengers were, like us, cast on the
+beach during this horrible night--all perished. I repeat to you, my
+friend, that a miracle from Heaven was necessary to save us, James and
+me--to save me especially, ill as I was. The tenants whom we replaced on
+this farm found us almost dying on the shore; they brought us here. The
+ship was swallowed up with all our riches; James, occupied solely with
+me, had forgotten all; we no longer possessed anything; I was an orphan
+with no fortune; James could not apply to any one without being
+recognized.
+
+"What remained to us in Martinique had, without doubt, been
+confiscated--and then, how could we claim this property? For all
+resource there remained to us a ring which I wore on my finger at the
+time of the ship-wreck; we intrusted it to the tenants of this farm, who
+had received us, to sell the diamond at Abbeville; they got for it about
+four thousand livres--that was all our store. My health was so affected
+that we were obliged to stop here; this measure, besides reconciled both
+prudence and economy; the farmers were good, full of cares for us.
+
+"Little by little my health became re-established. Almost without
+resources we thought of the future with terror; however, we were young,
+misfortune had redoubled our love; the simple, obscure, peaceable life
+of our hosts impressed us; they were old, without children; we proposed
+to them to take the half of their farm, and to make our apprenticeship
+under their direction, avowing to them that we had no other resources
+than the four thousand livres that we would share with them. Touched
+with our position, these good people wished at first to dissuade us from
+this project, representing to us how hard and laborious this life was. I
+insisted; I felt myself full of courage and strength; James had lived a
+hard life too long not to accustom himself to that of the fields. We
+accomplished our design; I was tranquil about James. Who would seek the
+Duke of Monmouth in an obscure farm in Picardy? At the end of two years
+we had finished our apprenticeship, thanks to the lessons and teaching
+of our good forerunners; their little fortune, augmented by our four
+thousand livres, was sufficient. They made an agreement with the
+treasurer of the abbey that we should succeed them and we take the
+entire farm."
+
+"Ah, madame, what resignation! what energy!" cried the chevalier.
+
+"Ah, if you knew, my friend," said Monmouth, "with what admirable
+serenity of soul, with what gentle gayety Angela endured his rough
+life--she, accustomed to a life of luxury!--if you knew how she always
+knew how to be gracious, elegant, and charming, all the while
+superintending the affairs of the household with admirable activity!--if
+you knew in fine, what strength I drew from this brave and devoted
+heart; from this gentle regard always fixed upon me with an admirable
+expression of happiness and content precarious as was our position! Ah,
+who will ever recompense this beautiful conduct?"
+
+"My friend," said Angela tenderly, "has not God blessed our laborious
+and peaceful life? Has He not sent us two little angels to change our
+duties into pleasures? What shall I say to you?" resumed Angela,
+addressing the chevalier; "for the almost sixteen years that this
+uniform life has lasted, of which each day has brought its bread, as the
+good folks say, never a chagrin had come to trouble it, when, in the
+past year, a bad harvest hampered us very much. We were obliged to
+discharge two of our farm hands for economy's sake. James redoubled his
+efforts and his work, his strength gave out; he took to his bed; our
+small resources were exhausted. A bad year, you see, for poor farmers,"
+said Angela, smiling softly, "is terrible. In short, without you, I do
+not know how we could have escaped the fate which threatened us, for the
+Abbot of St. Quentin is inflexible toward tenants in arrears, and yet it
+was our pride to pay him always a term in advance. One hundred
+crowns--as much as that--and a hundred crowns, chevalier, are not easily
+gotten together."
+
+"A hundred crowns? That does not pay for the embroidery on a baldric,"
+said James with a melancholy smile. "Ah, how many times, in experiencing
+what misfortune is, have I regretted the good I might have done."
+
+"Listen, my lord," said Croustillac gravely, "I am no devotee. Just now
+I came near shaking a monk out of his robes; I committed irregularities
+during my campaign in Moravia, but I am sure there is One above Who does
+not lose sight of honest people. Now, it is impossible that after
+nineteen years of work and resignation, now when you grow old, with two
+beautiful children, you should dream of remaining at the mercy of an
+avaricious monk or a year of frost. In listening to you, an idea has
+come to me. If I was the boaster of old, I should say that it was an
+idea from above; but I wholly believe that it is a fortunate idea. What
+has become of Father Griffen?"
+
+"We do not know; we did not return to Martinique."
+
+"He belongs to the order of Preaching Friars; he must be at the end of
+the world," said Monmouth.
+
+"I, who have had no news of France for eighteen years, I know no more
+than you, my lord, but this is why I concern myself. I left to him the
+price of the Unicorn; he is a good and honest priest; if he still lives,
+there must remain to him some of it, for he would have been prudent and
+careful in his almsgiving. My advice would be to seek to know where the
+Reverend Father is, for if the good God has willed that he should have
+kept some good morsel from the Unicorn, own, my lord, that this would
+not be bad eating at this moment; if not for you, at least, for these
+two beautiful children, for my heart bleeds to see them with their
+wooden shoes and their woolen hose, although they may keep their feet
+warmer than boots of leather and gilded spurs, or shoes of satin with
+silken hose, should they be red, these hose! red like those I wore in
+1690," added the chevalier, with a sigh. Then he resumed: "Ah, well! my
+lord, what say you to my Griffen idea?"
+
+"I say, my friend, that it is an idle hope. Father Griffen is without
+doubt dead; he will doubtless have left your fortune to some religious
+community."
+
+"To the Abbey of St. Quentin, perhaps," said Angela.
+
+"Zounds! it wants but that! I would instantly set fire to the
+monastery!"
+
+"Ah--fie! fie! chevalier!" said Angela.
+
+"It is also because I am raging at having done what I did with your two
+hundred thousand crowns; but could I then imagine that I should find
+again, as a farmer, the son of a king who handled his diamonds by the
+shovelful? Ah, it is no use to philosophize here; but to find Father
+Griffen again if he is still living!"
+
+"And how to find him again?" said Monmouth.
+
+"By seeking him, my lord. I who have no reason for concealing myself,
+to-morrow I will take up this quest, hobbling around. Nothing is more
+simple; in truth, I am stupid not to have thought of it sooner. I will
+direct myself at once to the Superior of Foreign Missions, thus we shall
+know what we have to look to. The Superior will at least inform me if
+the good Father is alive or not; and even, on this account, I will
+to-morrow make a visit to your neighbor, the abbot of St. Quentin. He
+will tell me what to do about it--how to get this information. I will
+carry him your hundred crowns; that will be a good way to contrive the
+interview."
+
+The three friends passed the day together. We leave the reader to
+imagine the stories, the reminiscences, gay, touching, or sad, which
+were recalled.
+
+On the morrow Croustillac, who had already made friends with young
+James, started for the abbey. The amount of the rent, in bright _louis
+d'or_, was an excellent passport to the presence of the treasurer.
+
+"Father," said Croustillac, "I have a very important letter to place in
+the hands of a good priest of the order of Preaching Brothers; I do not
+know if he is alive or dead; if he is in Europe, or at the end of the
+world; to whom should I address myself for information on this subject?"
+
+"To one of our canons, my son, who has had much to do with missions, and
+who, after long and painful apostolic labors, came six months since to
+repose in a canonicate of our abbey."
+
+"And when can I see this venerable canon, Father?"
+
+"This very morning. In descending to the court of the cloister, ask a
+lay brother to conduct you to Father Griffen."
+
+Croustillac gave so tremendous a blow of his staff on the floor,
+shouting three times his Muscovite exclamation, "hurrah! hurrah!
+hurrah!" that the reverend treasurer was startled by it, and rang the
+bell precipitately, thinking he had to do with a madman.
+
+A friar entered.
+
+"Pardon, good Father," said Croustillac; "these savage cries, and this
+no less savage blow of the stick, paint to you the state of my soul, my
+astonishment, my joy! It is Father Griffen, himself, that I seek."
+
+"Then conduct this gentleman to Father Griffen," said the treasurer.
+
+We will not attempt to depict this new recognition, so important in the
+results the Gascon expected from it. We will only say that the good
+priest, charged with the trust of Croustillac, and fearing lest the
+chevalier should one day come to regret his disinterestedness, but
+wishing, however, to execute till then his charitable intentions, and
+not to deprive the unfortunate of this rich alms, had each year
+distributed to the poor the revenue of the capital, which he reserved
+for a pious foundation if the Gascon should not reappear.
+
+The sale of the Unicorn, prudently managed, had brought about seven
+hundred thousand livres. The Father, finding by chance an advantageous
+sale of property in the environs of Abbeville, not far from the abbey of
+St. Quentin, had profited by it. He had thus become proprietor of a very
+fine estate called Chateauvieux.
+
+On his return from his long voyages, six months before the time of which
+we speak, Father Griffen had asked by preference, a canonicate in
+Picardy, in order to be more within reach of the property which he
+managed, always ignorant whether the Gascon was dead or alive, but
+inclining rather to the former supposition, after a silence of eighteen
+years.
+
+Father Griffen, very old, very infirm, quitted the abbey only to visit
+the estate of Chateauvieux. During the six months he lodged at St.
+Quentin, he had never gone to the side of the farm of which James of
+Monmouth was the farmer. The reunion of Father Griffen, the duke and his
+wife, was as touching as that of the adventurer.
+
+After much discussion it was decided that one-half of the estate
+belonged to James; the other half to Croustillac, in whose name it
+remained.
+
+The Gascon immediately made his will in favor of the two children of
+Monmouth on condition that the son should take the name of Jacques de
+Chateauvieux.
+
+In order to explain this sudden change of fortune to the eyes of the
+people of the abbey and the environs, it was agreed that Croustillac
+should pass as an uncle from America, who had come incognito to test his
+nephew and his wife, poor cultivators of the soil.
+
+James gave up his farm to the tenant who had been destined to replace
+him, and departed with his wife, his children and his uncle Croustillac
+for Chateauvieux.
+
+The three friends lived long and happily in their domain, and their
+children and grandchildren lived there after them. The chevalier never
+left Monmouth and his wife. Once a year Father Griffen came to pass some
+weeks at Chateauvieux.
+
+One single day yearly cast a gloom over this peaceful and happy life;
+this was the anniversary of the 15th of July, 1685, the anniversary of
+the sacrifice of the courageous Sidney.
+
+Never did the son of James of Monmouth know that his father descended
+from a royal race. The secret was always kept by James, by his wife, by
+Croustillac, and by Father Griffen.
+
+Age had so changed the duke; so many years, beside, had passed over the
+event of Martinique, that he was no longer disquieted by it. Only
+sometimes, the children and grandchildren of James of Monmouth opened
+astonished eyes when their good and old friend, the Chevalier de
+Croustillac, addressing himself to the Duchess of Monmouth with an air
+of understanding, said to her, while striving to hide a tear of emotion,
+the following apparently truly cabalistic words:
+
+_Blue Beard, Whirlwind, Rend-your-Soul, Youmaeale, Devil's Cliff_.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+OMEGA
+
+BY
+
+"A REPORTER"
+
+Neely's Prismatic Library Cloth, 50 Cents
+
+
+This is a love story of a negative character, which, however,
+occasionally approaches positiveness. Suppressed passion manifests a
+tendency to explode, especially when it is confined by a vow of
+celibacy. But when an author steps into the prophetic department of the
+religious field, and mixes a little of this variety into a love story,
+making the lover and the lovees act their respective parts as if so
+foreordained, it is really curious what antics they indulge in, but not
+surprising that the theater of action reaches from ancient Chaldea to
+Salt Lake City, the actors variate from Mohammedanism to Mormonism, and
+the time limit stretches into the centuries. It is a fitting climax that
+the sublime heights of the second part are culminated in the third's
+last chapters by a description of the end of national destiny, the
+_Armageddon_ of capitalist and socialist, the beginning of the world
+period, in short, Millennium.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+THE SECRET OF THE EARTH
+
+BY
+
+CHARLES WILLING BEALE
+
+Cloth, $1.00
+
+
+A story of thrilling adventure from cover to cover which embodies a
+theory of our planet so tremendous and appalling that the most
+conservative mind can hardly fail to be impressed with the startling
+array of facts adduced in support of it. Two young men set out upon a
+voyage of discovery under very peculiar circumstances and with
+exceptional facilities for accomplishing their purpose. The result of
+their enterprise is something so astounding, and yet so entirely
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+appears inevitable. The story bears the imprint of experience. There is
+no padding, and one is carried along with a rush from marvel to marvel
+and venture to venture through vast areas of undreamed civilizations,
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+is one which seems likely to become popular in the near future. The book
+is worth reading, and will furnish food for the thoughtful.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+THE LITTLE BLIND GOD A-WHEEL
+
+BY
+
+SIDNEY HOWARD
+
+Cloth, $1.00; Paper, 50 Cents
+
+
+Surely the name of this author is not familiar, and yet it seems as
+though we must have met it before. No one but an experienced writer
+could have given us such a charming combination of incident and
+description. Perhaps some well-known author is testing his real merit by
+a little masquerade. We will wait, in confidence that such an excellent
+production will be traced to its rightful source. Briefly, it is a
+bicycling novel. A jolly party make a tour through northern New England
+with all the amusing happenings incident to such a trip, not excepting
+the experiences of the chaperon, who learns to ride that she may better
+perform her duties. And then--there is a boy. And besides the boy there
+is the little blind god who shoots his arrows so industriously that the
+whole party return engaged save the boy, the chaperon, and the poor odd
+man; and even he makes a determined effort to join the majority; but in
+his case the Fates are stronger even than the Little Blind God.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+TWO WASHINGTON BELLES
+
+by
+
+LESTER M. DEL GARCIA
+
+Neely's Primatic Library Cloth, 50 Cents
+
+
+"This is a modern, up-to-date "society" novel with considerable local
+coloring and many pictures of life in the "hupper suckles." It describes
+the career and love experiences of one who eventually becomes
+Viscountess Landale. The frou-frou and fripperies of nineteenth-century
+social gatherings and drawing-rooms are here described in analytical
+detail, while much plot and counterplot go toward the making of a book
+that is a departure from the usual run of what is ordinarily written
+under the _genre_ of "novel" literature.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+ALLIQUIPPA
+
+AND
+
+DR. POFFENBURGH'S CHARM
+
+BY
+
+W. A. HOLLAND
+
+Cloth, $1.00; Paper, 50 Cents
+
+
+Are tales that deal with life in Pennsylvania, within whose rich valleys
+and sequestered byways are hidden many phases of quaint and charming
+life of which the world knows all too little. "Alliquippa" is the story
+of an Indian prince of the Alleghanies, and deals with pioneer life in
+that wild region. There is an air of freshness and novelty to these
+tales which, combined with the interest of the plots, commends the
+volume to the attention of book-buyers. In "Dr. Poffenburgh's Charm" Mr.
+Holland has told a romantic tale, which he has located in the historic
+locality of eastern Pennsylvania originally settled by the Germans,
+whose descendants are now known as Pennsylvania Dutch.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+AMONG THE DUNES
+
+BY
+
+MRS. D. L. RHONE
+
+Cloth, $1.25; Paper, 50 Cents
+
+
+'Among the Dunes' reads like some of the best work of the new school of
+Scandinavian writers; but it is in fact an American book, the production
+of a Pennsylvania lady. The scene is laid in Jutland, and the story,
+which is quite out of the common, is full of an intense romantic
+interest and charm."--_Review of Reviews._
+
+"Excellent entertainment for a fireside audience."--_Richard Henry
+Stoddard._
+
+"It is a pleasure of the simplest and purest sort to turn from the
+high-pressure novels of the day and read a tender and touching romance
+like this story of the Far North."--_New York Independent._
+
+"Readers who are old-fashioned enough, in these days of so much somber,
+realistic writing, to enjoy a romance pure and simple, full of variety,
+adventure, and mystery, will be pleased with 'Among the Dunes.'"--_New
+York Christian Advocate._
+
+"The narrative has a wonderful, fresh, salt-sea flavor, and the strange
+series of events culminate in a most dramatic situation."--_Boston
+Advertiser._
+
+"Exuberant fancy is shown by the author, and there is a plenty of
+adventure in her volume. It fills one of the main wants of the novel
+reader--it is always interesting and sometimes strikingly so."--_New
+York Times._
+
+"There is all the weird fascination that belongs to the Danish country
+and the Oriental race contained in the plot."--_Baltimore Telegram._
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+THE CHILD WITNESS
+
+BY
+
+HELEN NORWOOD HALSEY
+
+Cloth, $1.00
+
+
+This is a story within a story, and will appeal to all; childhood and
+youth will devour it with a keen interest, and the maturer mind will
+detect in the simple, light, fantastic wording a portrayal of the
+deepest passion to which the human heart is susceptible. Thus it is a
+story for all, and will be read by all with a zest and interest which
+will neither flag nor grow dim from the title to the finale. There are
+few characters, and the story is simply told, and while the reader is
+following with an unflagging interest the tragic events which present
+themselves so rapidly and vividly before the mind's eye, there lies
+hidden beneath the startling drama the germ of the story, the pitiful
+picture of the little Child Witness, Danny, whose life is sacrificed to
+the greed and cunning of a nature far below his own; but so lightly has
+the author touched upon this phase of the story, so daintily is it
+handled, that the heart of the reader goes out in a deep and mighty
+compassion to the helpless child, the victim of the brute negro Barney,
+and there is no feeling of revolt even to the most sensitive mind; and
+while, in some of the situations of the story, the reader is carried
+into the center of the slums, among the fallen and degraded, and while
+there are scenes and circumstances from which the delicate mind may
+shrink in horror, let the reader remember that it is wholesome at times
+that those in the higher walks of life should realize that such a
+condition of life actually exists and has grown too common even to
+command a passing notice from those who pass by on the other side. The
+story has, too, a touch of fine humor from which the mind may find a
+relaxation and relief from the almost oppressing tragedy with which
+every page is replete, and is an offset to that portion of the story
+which presents, like a living, moving panorama, the torturous suffering
+of the helpless child in the grasp of the negro. It is a story which
+will be read and re-read from Maine to California--a story which will
+linger in the memory and be eagerly devoured while one word remains--a
+story which will be laid aside, stored away, and turned to again with a
+fresh and reviving interest.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+96 Queen Street, London. 114 Fifth Avenue, New York.
+
+
+NEW YORKERS OF THE XIX CENTURY
+
+BY
+
+MRS. JOHN KING VAN RENSSELAER
+
+Cloth $10.00
+
+
+_This work is issued in a limited edition of two hundred copies only_
+
+and contains Charts of prominent families, who have lived in New York
+for the past one hundred years, and they will show at a glance, and in
+detail, all the members of each branch of the family. These Charts have
+been prepared by the aid of lists, papers, and other data, accessible to
+Mrs. Van Rensselaer only, and have been added to and corrected by
+members of the different families to whom they have been submitted, and
+the information thus gained has been verified by comparing it with
+marriage and death notices that have been published in the daily papers,
+of which this lady has kept a faithful record. The value and importance
+of these Charts will be recognized, not only by members of the families
+whose names appear in them, but by genealogists who require trustworthy
+information on these points, lawyers who search for legal evidences of
+marriage, and all who are interested in family ties and relationships.
+When the fact is recalled that the records in the churches of New York
+have been culpably neglected and irregularly kept, and that there was no
+law in this city requiring the registration of births, deaths, and
+marriages between the years 1777 and 1877, the importance of these
+Charts will be seen. The first issue will contain the following
+families, viz.: Bard, Barclay, Bronson, Buchanan, Delafield, Duer,
+Emmet, Fish, Glover, Hamilton, Hoffman, Jay, King, McVickar, Morton,
+Lynch, Ogden, Renwick, Rutherfurd, Schuyler, Stuyvesant, Suydam, and Van
+Rensselaer.
+
+
+For sale everywhere, or sent post-paid on receipt of price.
+
+F. TENNYSON NEELY, Publisher,
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Romance of the West Indies, by Eugene Sue
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