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diff --git a/old/trvng10.txt b/old/trvng10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..db3777e --- /dev/null +++ b/old/trvng10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,13654 @@ +***The Project Gutenberg Etext of Baron Trigault's Vengeance*** +#2 in our series by Emile Gaboriau + + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check +the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! + +Please take a look at the important information in this header. +We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an +electronic path open for the next readers. Do not remove this. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*These Etexts Prepared By Hundreds of Volunteers and Donations* + +Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get Etexts, and +further information is included below. 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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* + + + + + +Baron Trigault's Vengeance +by Emile Gaboriau + + + +A Sequel to "The Count's Millions" +Translated from the French + + + + + +I + + +Vengeance! that is the first, the only thought, when a man finds +himself victimized, when his honor and fortune, his present and +future, are wrecked by a vile conspiracy! The torment he endures +under such circumstances can only be alleviated by the prospect of +inflicting them a hundredfold upon his persecutors. And nothing +seems impossible at the first moment, when hatred surges in the +brain, and the foam of anger rises to the lips; no obstacle seems +insurmountable, or, rather, none are perceived. But later, when +the faculties have regained their equilibrium, one can measure the +distance which separates the dream from reality, the project from +execution. And on setting to work, how many discouragements +arise! The fever of revolt passes by, and the victim wavers. He +still breathes bitter vengeance, but he does not act. He +despairs, and asks himself what would be the good of it? And in +this way the success of villainy is once more assured. + +Similar despondency attacked Pascal Ferailleur when he awoke for +the first time in the abode where he had hidden himself under the +name of Maumejan. A frightful slander had crushed him to the +earth--he could kill his slanderer, but afterward--? How was he to +reach and stifle the slander itself? As well try to hold a handful +of water; as well try to stay with extended arms the progress of +the poisonous breeze which wafts an epidemic on its wings. So the +hope that had momentarily lightened his heart faded away again. +Since he had received that fatal letter from Madame Leon the +evening before, he believed that Marguerite was lost to him +forever, and in this case, it was useless to struggle against +fate. What would be the use of victory even if he conquered? +Marguerite lost to him--what did the rest matter? Ah! if he had +been alone in the world. But he had his mother to think of;--he +belonged to this brave-hearted woman, who had saved him from +suicide already. "I will not yield, then; I will struggle on for +her sake," he muttered, like a man who foresees the futility of +his efforts. + +He rose, and had nearly finished dressing, when he heard a rap at +his chamber door. "It is I, my son," said Madame Ferailleur +outside. + +Pascal hastened to admit her. "I have come for you because the +woman you spoke about last evening is already here, and before +employing her, I want your advice." + +"Then the woman doesn't please you, mother?" + +"I want you to see her." + +On entering the little parlor with his mother, Pascal found +himself in the presence of a portly, pale-faced woman, with thin +lips and restless eyes, who bowed obsequiously. It was indeed +Madame Vantrasson, the landlady of the model lodging-house, who +was seeking employment for the three or four hours which were at +her disposal in the morning, she said. It certainly was not for +pleasure that she had decided to go out to service again; her +dignity suffered terribly by this fall--but then the stomach has +to be cared for. Tenants were not numerous at the model lodging- +house, in spite of its seductive title; and those who slept there +occasionally, almost invariably succeeded in stealing something. +Nor did the grocery store pay; the few half-pence which were left +there occasionally in exchange for a glass of liquor were pocketed +by Vantrasson, who spent them at some neighboring establishment; +for it is a well-known fact that the wine a man drinks in his own +shop is always bitter in flavor. So, having no credit at the +butcher's or the baker's, Madame Vantrasson was sometimes reduced +to living for days together upon the contents of the shop--mouldy +figs or dry raisins--which she washed down with torrents of +ratafia, her only consolation here below. + +But this was not a satisfying diet, as she was forced to confess; +so she decided to find some work, that would furnish her with food +and a little money, which she vowed she would never allow her +worthy husband to see. + +"What would you charge per month?" inquired Pascal. + +She seemed to reflect, and after a great deal of counting on her +fingers, she finally declared that she would be content with +breakfast and fifteen francs a month, on condition she was allowed +to do the marketing. The first question of French cooks, on +presenting themselves for a situation, is almost invariably, +"Shall I do the marketing?" which of course means, "Shall I have +any opportunities for stealing?" Everybody knows this, and nobody +is astonished at it. + +"I shall do the marketing myself," declared Madame Ferailleur, +boldly. + +"Then I shall want thirty francs a month," replied Madame +Vantrasson, promptly. + +Pascal and his mother exchanged glances. They were both +unfavorably impressed by this woman, and were equally determined +to rid themselves of her, which it was easy enough to do. "Too +dear!" said Madame Ferailleur; "I have never given over fifteen +francs." + +But Madame Vantrasson was not the woman to be easily discouraged, +especially as she knew that if she failed to obtain this +situation, she might have considerable difficulty in finding +another one. She could only hope to obtain employment from +strangers and newcomers, who were ignorant of the reputation of +the model lodging-house. So in view of softening the hearts of +Pascal and his mother, she began to relate the history of her +life, skilfully mingling the false with the true, and representing +herself as an unfortunate victim of circumstances, and the inhuman +cruelty of relatives. For she belonged, like her husband, to a +very respectable family, as the Maumejans might easily ascertain +by inquiry. Vantrasson's sister was the wife of a man named +Greloux, who had once been a bookbinder in the Rue Saint-Denis, +but who had now retired from business with a competency. "Why had +this Greloux refused to save them from bankruptcy? Because one +could never hope for a favor from relatives," she groaned; "they +are jealous if you succeed; and if you are unfortunate, they cast +you off." + +However, these doleful complaints, far from rendering Madame +Vantrasson interesting, imparted a deceitful and most disagreeable +expression to her countenance. "I told you that I could only give +fifteen francs," interrupted Madame Ferailleur--"take it or leave +it." + +Madame Vantrasson protested. She expressed her willingness to +deduct five francs from the sum she had named, but more--it was +impossible! Would they haggle over ten francs to secure such a +treasure as herself, an honest, settled woman, who was entirely +devoted to her employers?" Besides, I have been a grand cook in my +time," she added, "and I have not lost all my skill. Monsieur and +madame would be delighted with my cooking, for I have seen more +than one fine gentleman smack his lips over my sauces when was in +the employment of the Count de Chalusse." + +Pascal and his mother could not repress a start on hearing this +name; but it was in a tone of well-assumed indifference that +Madame Ferailleur repeated, "M. de Chalusse?" + +"Yes, madame--a count--and so rich that he didn't know how much he +was worth. If he were still alive I shouldn't be compelled to go +out to service again. But he's dead and he's to be buried this +very day." And with an air of profound secrecy, she added: "On +going yesterday to the Hotel de Chalusse to ask for a little help, +I heard of the great misfortune. Vantrasson, my husband, +accompanied me, and while we were talking with the concierge, a +young woman passed through the hall, and he recognized her as a +person who some time ago was--well--no better than she should be. +Now, however, she's a young lady as lofty as the clouds, and the +deceased count has been passing her off as his daughter. Ah! this +is a strange world." + +Pascal had become whiter than the ceiling. His eyes blazed; and +Madame Ferailleur trembled. "Very well," she said, "I will give +you twenty-five francs--but on condition you come without +complaining if I sometimes require your services of an evening. +On these occasions I will give you your dinner." And taking five +francs from her pocket she placed them in Madame Vantrasson's +hand, adding: ' Here is your earnest money." + +The other quickly pocketed the coin, not a little surprised by +this sudden decision which she had scarcely hoped for, and which +she by no means understood. Still she was so delighted with this +denouement that she expressed her willingness to enter upon her +duties at once; and to get rid of her Madame Ferailleur was +obliged to send her out to purchase the necessary supplies for +breakfast. Then, as soon as she was alone with her son, she +turned to him and asked: "Well, Pascal?" + +But the wretched man seemed turned to stone, and seeing that he +neither spoke nor moved, she continued in a severe tone: "Is this +the way you keep your resolutions and your oaths! You express your +intention of accomplishing a task which requires inexhaustible +patience and dissimulation, and at the very first unforeseen +circumstance your coolness deserts you, and you lose your head +completely. If it had not been for me you would have betrayed +yourself in that woman's presence. You must renounce your +revenge, and tamely submit to be conquered by the Marquis de +Valorsay if your face is to be an open book in which any one may +read your secret plans and thoughts." + +Pascal shook his head dejectedly. "Didn't you hear, mother?" he +faltered. + +"Hear what?" + +"What that vile woman said? This young lady whom she spoke of, +whom her husband recognized, can be none other than Marguerite." + +"I am sure of it." + +He recoiled in horror. "You are sure of it!" he repeated; "and +you can tell me this unmoved--coldly, as if it were a natural, a +possible thing. Didn't you understand the shameful meaning of her +insinuations? Didn't you see her hypocritical smile and the malice +gleaming in her eyes?" He pressed his hands to his burning brow, +and groaned "And I did not crush the infamous wretch! I did not +fell her to the ground!" + +Ah! if she had obeyed the impulse of her heart. Madame Ferailleur +would have thrown her arms round her son's neck, and have mingled +her tears with his, but reason prevailed. The worthy woman's +heart was pervaded with that lofty sentiment of duty which +sustains the humble heroines of the fireside, and lends them even +more courage than the reckless adventurers whose names are +recorded by history could boast of. She felt that Pascal must not +be consoled, but spurred on to fresh efforts; and so mustering all +her courage, she said: "Are you acquainted with Mademoiselle +Marguerite's past life? No. You only know that hers has been a +life of great vicissitudes--and so it is not strange that she +should be slandered." + +"In that case, mother," said Pascal, "you were wrong to interrupt +Madame Vantrasson. She would probably have told us many things." + +"I interrupted her, it is true, and sent her away--and you know +why. But she is in our service now; and when you are calm, when +you have regained your senses, nothing will prevent you from +questioning her. It may be useful for you to know who this man +Vantrasson is, and how and where he met Mademoiselle Marguerite." + +Shame, sorrow, and rage, brought tears to Pascal's eyes. "My +God!" he exclaimed, "to be reduced to the unspeakable misery of +hearing my mother doubt Marguerite!" He did not doubt her. HE +could have listened to the most infamous accusations against her +without feeling a single doubt. However, Madame Ferailleur had +sufficient self-control to shrug her shoulders. "Ah, well! +silence this slander," she exclaimed. "I wish for nothing better; +but don't forget that we have ourselves to rehabilitate. To crush +your enemies will be far more profitable to Mademoiselle +Marguerite than vain threats and weak lamentations. It seemed to +me that you had sworn to act, not to complain." + +This ironical thrust touched Pascal's sensitive mind to the quick; +he rose at once to his feet, and coldly said, "That's true. I +thank you for having recalled me to myself." + +She made no rejoinder, but mentally thanked God. She had read her +son's heart, and perceiving his hesitation and weakness she had +supplied the stimulus he needed. Now she saw him as she wished to +see him. Now he was ready to reproach himself for his lack of +courage and his weakness in displaying his feelings. And as a +test of his powers of endurance, he decided not to question Madame +Vantrasson till four or five days had elapsed. If her suspicions +had been aroused, this delay would suffice to dispel them. + +He said but little during breakfast; for he was now eager to +commence the struggle. He longed to act, and yet he scarcely knew +how to begin the campaign. First of all, he must study the +enemy's position--gain some knowledge of the men he had to deal +with, find out exactly who the Marquis de Valorsay and the +Viscount de Coralth were. Where could he obtain information +respecting these two men? Should he be compelled to follow them +and to gather up here and there such scraps of intelligence as +came in his way? This method of proceeding would be slow and +inconvenient in the extreme. He was revolving the subject in his +mind when he suddenly remembered the man who, on the morning that +followed the scene at Madame d'Argeles's house, had come to him in +the Rue d'Ulm to give him a proof of his confidence. He +remembered that this strange man had said: "If you ever need a +helping hand, come to me." And at the recollection he made up his +mind. "I am going to Baron Trigault's," he remarked to his +mother; "if my presentiments don't deceive me, he will be of +service to us." + +In less than half an hour he was on his way. He had dressed +himself in the oldest clothes he possessed; and this, with the +change he had made by cutting off his hair and beard, had so +altered his appearance that it was necessary to look at him +several times, and most attentively, to recognize him. The +visiting cards which he carried in his pocket bore the +inscription: "P. Maumejan, Business Agent, Route de la Revolte." +His knowledge of Parisian life had induced him to choose the same +profession as M. Fortunat followed--a profession which opens +almost every door. "I will enter the nearest cafe and ask for a +directory," he said to himself. "I shall certainly find Baron +Trigault's address in it." + +The baron lived in the Rue de la Ville-l'Eveque. His mansion was +one of the largest and most magnificent in the opulent district of +the Madeleine, and its aspect was perfectly in keeping with its +owner's character as an expert financier, and a shrewd +manufacturer, the possessor of valuable mines. The marvellous +luxury so surprised Pascal, that he asked himself how the owner of +this princely abode could find any pleasure at the gaming table of +the Hotel d'Argeles. Five or six footmen were lounging about the +courtyard when he entered it. He walked straight up to one of +them, and with his hat in his hand, asked: "Baron Trigault, if you +please?" + +If he had asked for the Grand Turk the valet would not have looked +at him with greater astonishment. His surprise, indeed, seemed so +profound that Pascal feared he had made some mistake and added: +"Doesn't he live here?" + +The servant laughed heartily. "This is certainly his house," he +replied, "and strange to say, by some fortunate chance, he's +here." + +"I wish to speak with him on business." + +The servant called one of his colleagues. "Eh! Florestan--is the +baron receiving?" + +"The baroness hasn't forbidden it." + +This seemed to satisfy the footman; for, turning to Pascal he +said: "In that case, you can follow me." + + + +II. + + +The sumptuous interior of the Trigault mansion was on a par with +its external magnificence. Even the entrance bespoke the lavish +millionaire, eager to conquer difficulties, jealous of achieving +the impossible, and never haggling when his fancies were +concerned. The spacious hall, paved with costly mosaics, had been +transformed into a conservatory full of flowers, which were +renewed every morning. Rare plants climbed the walls up gilded +trellis work, or hung from the ceiling in vases of rare old china, +while from among the depths of verdure peered forth exquisite +statues, the work of sculptors of renown. On a rustic bench sat a +couple of tall footmen, as bright in their gorgeous liveries as +gold coins fresh from the mint; still, despite their splendor, +they were stretching and yawning to such a degree, that it seemed +as if they would ultimately dislocate their jaws and arms. + +"Tell me," inquired the servant who was escorting Pascal, "can any +one speak to the baron?" + +"Why?" + +"This gentleman has something to say to him." + +The two valets eyed the unknown visitor, plainly considering him +to be one of those persons who have no existence for the menials +of fashionable establishments, and finally burst into a hearty +laugh. "Upon my word!" exclaimed the eldest, "he's just in time. +Announce him, and madame will be greatly obliged to you. She and +monsieur have been quarrelling for a good half-hour. And, +heavenly powers, isn't he tantalizing!" + +The most intense curiosity gleamed in the eyes of Pascal's +conductor, and with an airy of secrecy, he asked: "What is the +cause of the rumpus? That Fernand, no doubt--or some one else?" + +"No; this morning it's about M. Van Klopen." + +"Madame's dressmaker?" + +"The same. Monsieur and madame were breakfasting together--a most +unusual thing--when M. Van Klopen made his appearance. I thought +to myself, when I admitted him: 'Look out for storms!' I scented +one in the air, and in fact the dressmaker hadn't been in the room +five minutes before we heard the baron's voice rising higher and +higher. I said to myself: 'Whew! the mantua-maker is presenting +his bill!' Madame cried and went on like mad; but, pshaw! when the +master really begins, there's no one like him. There isn't a cab- +driver in Paris who's his equal for swearing." + +"And M. Van Klopen?" + +"Oh, he's used to such scenes! When gentlemen abuse him he does +the same as dogs do when they come up out of the water; he just +shakes his head and troubles himself no more about it. He has +decidedly the best of the row. He has furnished the goods, and +he'll have to be paid sooner or later----" + +"What! hasn't he been paid then?" + +"I don't know; he's still here." + +A terrible crash of breaking china interrupted this edifying +conversation. "There!" exclaimed one of the footmen, "that's +monsieur; he has smashed two or three hundred francs' worth of +dishes. He MUST be rich to pay such a price for his angry fits." + +"Well," observed the other, "if I were in monsieur's place I +should be angry too. Would you let your wife have her dresses +fitted on by a man? I says that it's indecent. I'm only a +servant, but----" + +"Nonsense, it's the fashion. Besides, monsieur does not care +about that. A man who----" + +He stopped short; in fact, the others had motioned him to be +silent. The baron was surrounded by exceptional servants, and the +presence of a stranger acted as a restraint upon them. For this +reason, one of them, after asking Pascal for his card, opened a +door and ushered him into a small room, saying: "I will go and +inform the baron. Please wait here." + +"Here," as he called it, was a sort of smoking-room hung with +cashmere of fantastic design and gorgeous hues, and encircled by a +low, cushioned divan, covered with the same material. A profusion +of rare and costly objects was to be seen on all sides, armor, +statuary, pictures, and richly ornamented weapons. But Pascal, +already amazed by the conversation of the servants, did not think +of examining these objects of virtu. Through a partially open +doorway, directly opposite the one he had entered by, came the +sound of loud voices in excited conversation. Baron Trigault, the +baroness, and the famous Van Klopen were evidently in the +adjoining room. It was a woman, the baroness, who was speaking, +and the quivering of her clear and somewhat shrill voice betrayed +a violent irritation, which was only restrained with the greatest +difficulty. "It is hard for the wife of one of the richest men in +Paris to see a bill for absolute necessities disputed in this +style," she was saying. + +A man's voice, with a strong Teutonic accent, the voice of Van +Klopen, the Hollander, caught up the refrain. "Yes, strict +necessities, one can swear to that. And if, before flying into a +passion, Monsieur le Baron had taken the trouble to glance over my +little bill, he would have seen----" + +"No more! You bore me to death. Besides I haven't time to listen +to your nonsense; they are waiting for me to play a game of whist +at the club." + +This time it was the master of the house, Baron Trigault, who +spoke, and Pascal recognized his voice instantly. + +"If monsieur would only allow me to read the items. It will take +but a moment," rejoined Van Klopen. And as if he had construed +the oath that answered him as an exclamation of assent, he began: +"In June, a Hungarian costume with jacket and sash, two train +dresses with upper skirts and trimmings of lace, a Medicis +polonaise, a jockey costume, a walking costume, a riding-habit, +two morning-dresses, a Velleda costume, an evening dress." + +"I was obliged to attend the races very frequently during the +month of June," remarked the baroness. + +But the illustrious adorner of female loveliness had already +resumed his reading. "In July we have: two morning-jackets, one +promenade costume, one sailor suit, one Watteau shepherdess +costume, one ordinary bathing-suit, with material for parasol and +shoes to match, one Pompadour bathing-suit, one dressing-gown, one +close-fitting Medicis mantle, two opera cloaks----" + +"And I was certainly not the most elegantly attired of the ladies +at Trouville, where I spent the month of July," interrupted the +baroness. + +"There are but few entries in the month of August," continued Van +Klopen. "We have: a morning-dress, a travelling-dress, with +trimmings----" And he went on and on, gasping for breath, rattling +off the ridiculous names which he gave to his "creations," and +interrupted every now and then by the blow of a clinched fist on +the table, or by a savage oath. + +Pascal stood in the smoking-room, motionless with astonishment. +He did not know what surprised him the most, Van Klopen's +impudence in daring to read such a bill, the foolishness of the +woman who had ordered all these things, or the patience of the +husband who was undoubtedly going to pay for them. At last, after +what seemed an interminable enumeration, Van Klopen exclaimed: +"And that's all!" + +"Yes, that's all," repeated the baroness, like an echo. + +"That's all!" exclaimed the baron--"that's all! That is to say, in +four months, at least seven hundred yards of silk, velvet, satin, +and muslin, have been put on this woman's back!" + +"The dresses of the present day require a great deal of material. +Monsieur le Baron will understand that flounces, puffs, and +ruches----" + +"Naturally! Total, twenty-seven thousand francs!" + +"Excuse me! Twenty-seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-three +francs, ninety centimes." + +"Call it twenty-eight thousand francs then. Ah, well, M. Van +Klopen, if you are ever paid for this rubbish it won't be by me." + +If Van Klopen was expecting this denouement, Pascal wasn't; in +fact, he was so startled, that an exclamation escaped him which +would have betrayed his presence under almost any other +circumstances. What amazed him most was the baron's perfect +calmness, following, as it did, such a fit of furious passion, +violent enough even to be heard in the vestibule. "Either he has +extraordinary control over himself or this scene conceals some +mystery," thought Pascal. + +Meanwhile, the man-milliner continued to urge his claims--but the +baron, instead of replying, only whistled; and wounded by this +breach of good manners, Van Klopen at last exclaimed: "I have had +dealings with all the distinguished men in Europe, and never +before did one of them refuse to pay me for his wife's toilettes." + +"Very well--I don't pay for them--there's the difference. Do you +suppose that I, Baron Trigault, that I've worked like a negro for +twenty years merely for the purpose of aiding your charming and +useful branch of industry? Gather up your papers, Mr. Ladies' +Tailor. There may be husbands who believe themselves responsible +for their wives' follies--it's quite possible there are--but I'm +not made of that kind of stuff. I allow Madame Trigault eight +thousand francs a month for her toilette--that is sufficient--and +it is a matter for you and her to arrange together. What did I +tell you last year when I paid a bill of forty thousand francs? +That I would not be responsible for any more of my wife's debts. +And I not only said it, I formally notified you through my private +secretary." + +"I remember, indeed----" + +"Then why do you come to me with your bill? It is with my wife +that you have opened an account. Apply to her, and leave me in +peace." + +"Madame promised me----" + +"Teach her to keep her promises." + +"It costs a great deal to retain one's position as a leader of +fashion; and many of the most distinguished ladies are obliged to +run into debt," urged Van Klopen. + +"That's their business. But my wife is not a fine lady. She is +simply Madame Trigault, a baroness, thanks to her husband's gold +and the condescension of a worthy German prince, who was in want +of money. SHE is not a person of consequence--she has no rank to +keep up." + +The baroness must have attached immense importance to the +satisfying of Van Klopen's demands, for concealing the anger this +humiliating scene undoubtedly caused her, she condescended to try +and explain, and even to entreat. "I have been a little +extravagant, perhaps," she said; "but I will be more prudent in +future. Pay, monsieur--pay just once more." + +"No!" + +"If not for my sake, for your own." + +"Not a farthing." + +By the baron's tone, Pascal realized that his wife would never +shake his fixed determination. Such must also have been the +opinion of the illustrious ruler of fashion, for he returned to +the charge with an argument he had held in reserve. "If this is +the case, I shall, to my great regret, be obliged to fail in the +respect I owe to Monsieur le Baron, and to place this bill in the +hands of a solicitor." + +"Send him along--send him along." + +"I cannot believe that monsieur wishes a law-suit." + +"In that you are greatly mistaken. Nothing would please me +better. It would at last give me an opportunity to say what I +think about your dealings. Do you think that wives are to turn +their husbands into machines for supplying money? You draw the +bow-string too tightly, my dear fellow--it will break. I'll +proclaim on the house-top what others dare not say, and we'll see +if I don't succeed in organizing a little crusade against you." +And animated by the sound of his own words, his anger came back to +him, and in a louder and ever louder voice he continued: "Ah! you +prate of the scandal that would be created by my resistance to +your demands. That's your system; but, with me, it won't succeed. +You threaten me with a law-suit; very good. I'll take it upon +myself to enlighten Paris, for I know your secrets, Mr. +Dressmaker. I know the goings on in your establishment. It isn't +always to talk about dress that ladies stop at your place on +returning from the Bois. You sell silks and satins no doubt; but +you sell Madeira, and excellent cigarettes as well, and there are +some who don't walk very straight on leaving your establishment, +but smell suspiciously of tobacco and absinthe. Oh, yes, let us +go to law, by all means! I shall have an advocate who will know +how to explain the parts your customers pay, and who will reveal +how, with your assistance, they obtain money from other sources +than their husband's cash-box." + +When M. Van Klopen was addressed in this style, he was not at all +pleased. "And I!" he exclaimed, "I will tell people that Baron +Trigault, after losing all his money at play, repays his creditors +with curses." + +The noise of an overturned chair told Pascal that the baron had +sprung up in a furious passion "You may say what you like, you +rascally fool! but not in my house," he shouted. "Leave--leave, +or I will ring----" + +"Monsieur----" + +"Leave, leave, I tell you, or I sha'n't have the patience to wait +for a servant!" + +He must have joined action to word, and have seized Van Klopen by +the collar to thrust him into the hall, for Pascal heard a sound +of scuffling, a series of oaths worthy of a coal-heaver, two or +three frightened cries from the baroness, and several guttural +exclamations in German. Then a door closed with such violence +that the whole house shook, and a magnificent clock, fixed to the +wall of the smoking-room, fell on to the floor. + +If Pascal had not heard this scene, he would have deemed it +incredible. How could one suppose that a creditor would leave +this princely mansion with his bill unpaid? But more and more +clearly he understood that there must be some greater cause of +difference between husband and wife than this bill of twenty-eight +thousand francs. For what was this amount to a confirmed gambler +who, without as much as a frown, gained or lost a fortune every +evening of his life. Evidently there was some skeleton in this +household--one of those terrible secrets which make a man and his +wife enemies, and all the more bitter enemies as they are bound +together by a chain which it is impossible to break. And +undoubtedly, a good many of the insults which the baron had heaped +upon Van Klopen must have been intended for the baroness. These +thoughts darted through Pascal's mind with the rapidity of +lightning, and showed him the horrible position in which he was +placed. The baron, who had been so favorably disposed toward him, +and from whom he was expecting a great service, would undoubtedly +hate him, undoubtedly become his enemy, when he learned that he +had been a listener, although an involuntary one, to this +conversation with Van Klopen. How did it happen that he had been +placed in this dangerous position? What had become of the footman +who had taken his card? These were questions which he was unable +to answer. And what was he to do? If he could have retired +noiselessly, if he could have reached the courtyard and have made +his escape without being observed he would not have hesitated. +But was this plan practicable? And would not his card betray him? +Would it not be discovered sooner or later that he had been in the +smoking-room while M. Van Klopen was in the dining-room? In any +case, delicacy of feeling as well as his own interest forbade him +to remain any longer a listener to the private conversation of the +baron and his wife. + +He therefore noisily moved a chair, and coughed in that affected +style which means in every country: "Take care--I'm here!" But he +did not succeed in attracting attention. And yet the silence was +profound; he could distinctly hear the creaking of the baron's +boots, as he paced to and fro, and the sound of fingers nervously +beating a tattoo on the table. If he desired to avoid hearing the +confidential conversation, which would no doubt ensue between the +baron and his wife, there was but one course for him to pursue, +and that was to reveal his presence at once. He was about to do +so, when some one opened a door which must have led from the hall +into the dining-room. He listened attentively, but only heard a +few confused words, to which the baron replied: "Very well. +That's sufficient. I will see him in a moment." + +Pascal breathed freely once more. "They have just given him my +card," he thought. "I can remain now; he will come here in a +moment." + +The baron must really have started to leave the room, for his wife +exclaimed: "One word more: have you quite decided?" + +"Oh, fully!" + +"You are resolved to leave me exposed to the persecutions of my +dressmaker?" + +"Van Klopen is too charming and polite to cause you the least +worry." + +"You will brave the disgrace of a law-suit?" + +"Nonsense! You know very well that he won't bring any action +against me--unfortunately. And, besides, pray tell me where the +disgrace would be? I have a foolish wife--is that my fault? I +oppose her absurd extravagance--haven't I a right to do so? If all +husbands were as courageous, we should soon close the +establishments of these artful men, who minister to your vanity, +and use you ladies as puppets, or living advertisements, to +display the absurd fashions which enrich them." + +The baron took two or three more steps forward, as if about to +leave the room, but his wife interposed: "The Baroness Trigault, +whose husband has an income of seven or eight hundred thousand +francs a year, can't go about clad like a simple woman of the +middle classes." + +"I should see nothing so very improper in that." + +"Oh, I know. Only your ideas don't coincide with mine. I shall +never consent to make myself ridiculous among the ladies of my +set--among my friends." + +"It would indeed be a pity to arouse the disapproval of your +friends." + +This sneering remark certainly irritated the baroness, for it was +with the greatest vehemence that she replied: "All my friends are +ladies of the highest rank in society--noble ladies!" + +The baron no doubt shrugged his shoulders, for in a tone of +crushing irony and scorn, he exclaimed: "Noble ladies! whom do you +call noble ladies, pray? The brainless fools who only think of +displaying themselves and making themselves notorious?--the +senseless idiots who pique themselves on surpassing lewd women in +audacity, extravagance, and effrontery, who fleece their husbands +as cleverly as courtesans fleece their lovers? Noble ladies! who +drink, and smoke, and carouse, who attend masked balls, and talk +slang! Noble ladies! the idiots who long for the applause of the +crowd, and consider notoriety to be desirable and flattering. A +woman is only noble by her virtues--and the chief of all virtues, +modesty, is entirely wanting in your illustrious friends----" + +"Monsieur," interrupted the baroness, in a voice husky with anger, +"you forget yourself--you----" + +But the baron was well under way. "If it is scandal that crowns +one a great lady, you ARE one--and one of the greatest; for you +are notorious--almost as notorious as Jenny Fancy. Can't I learn +from the newspapers all your sayings and gestures, your +amusements, your occupations, and the toilettes you wear? It is +impossible to read of a first performance at a theatre, or of a +horse-race, without finding your name coupled with that of Jenny +Fancy, or Cora Pearl, or Ninette Simplon. I should be a very +strange husband indeed, if I wasn't proud and delighted. Ah! you +are a treasure to the reporters. On the day before yesterday the +Baroness Trigault skated in the Bois. Yesterday she was driving +in her pony-carriage. To-day she distinguished herself by her +skill at pigeon-shooting. To-morrow she will display herself half +nude in some tableaux vivants. On the day after to-morrow she +will inaugurate a new style of hair-dressing, and take part in a +comedy. It is always the Baroness Trigault who is the observed of +all observers at Vincennes. The Baroness Trigault has lost five +hundred louis in betting. The Baroness Trigault uses her +lorgnette with charming impertinence. It is she who has declared +it proper form to take a 'drop' on returning from the Bois. No +one is so famed for 'form,' as the baroness--and silk merchants +have bestowed her name upon a color. People rave of the Trigault +blue--what glory! There are also costumes Trigault, for the witty, +elegant baroness has a host of admirers who follow her everywhere, +and loudly sing her praises. This is what I, a plain, honest man, +read every day in the newspapers. The whole world not only knows +how my wife dresses, but how she looks en dishabille, and how she +is formed; folks are aware that she has an exquisite foot, a +divinely-shaped leg, and a perfect hand. No one is ignorant of +the fact that my wife's shoulders are of dazzling whiteness, and +that high on the left shoulder there is a most enticing little +mole. I had the satisfaction of reading this particular last +evening. It is charming, upon my word! and I am truly a fortunate +man!" + +In the smoking-room, Pascal could hear the baroness angrily stamp +her foot, as she exclaimed: "It is an outrageous insult--your +journalists are most impertinent." + +"Why? Do they ever trouble honest women?" + +"They wouldn't trouble me if I had a husband who knew how to make +them treat me with respect!" + +The baron laughed a strident, nervous laugh, which it was not +pleasant to hear, and which revealed the fact that intense +suffering was hidden beneath all this banter. "Would you like me +to fight a duel then? After twenty years has the idea of ridding +yourself of me occurred to you again? I can scarcely believe it. +You know too well that you would receive none of my money, that I +have guarded against that. Besides, you would be inconsolable if +the newspapers ceased talking about you for a single day. Respect +yourself, and you will be respected. The publicity you complain +of is the last anchor which prevents society from drifting one +knows not where. Those who would not listen to the warning voice +of honor and conscience are restrained by the fear of a little +paragraph which might disclose their shame. Now that a woman no +longer has a conscience, the newspapers act in place of it. And I +think it quite right, for it is our only hope of salvation." + +By the stir in the adjoining room, Pascal felt sure that the +baroness had stationed herself before the door to prevent her +husband from leaving her. "Ah! well, monsieur," she exclaimed, "I +declare to you that I must have Van Klopen's twenty-eight thousand +francs before this evening. I will have them, too; I am resolved +to have them, and you will give them to me." + +"Oh!" thundered the baron, "you WILL have them--you will----" He +paused, and then, after a moment's reflection, he said: "Very +well. So be it! I will give you this amount, but not just now. +Still if, as you say, it is absolutely necessary that you should +have it to-day, there is a means of procuring it. Pawn your +diamonds for thirty thousand francs--I authorize you to do so; and +I give you my word of honor that I will redeem them within a week. +Say, will you do this?" And, as the baroness made no reply, he +continued: "You don't answer! shall I tell you why? It is because +your diamonds were long since sold and replaced by imitation ones; +it is because you are head over heels in debt; it is because you +have stooped so low as to borrow your maid's savings; it is +because you already owe three thousand francs to one of my +coachmen; it is because our steward lends you money at the rate of +thirty or forty per cent." + +"It is false!" + +The baron sneered. "You certainly must think me a much greater +fool than I really am!" he replied. "I'm not often at home, it's +true--the sight of you exasperates me; but I know what's going on. +You believe me your dupe, but you are altogether mistaken. It is +not twenty-seven thousand francs you owe Van Klopen, but fifty or +sixty thousand. However, he is careful not to demand payment. If +he brought me a bill this morning, it was only because you had +begged him to do so, and because it had been agreed he should give +you the money back if I paid him. In short, if you require +twenty-eight thousand francs before to-night, it is because M. +Fernand de Coralth has demanded that sum, and because you have +promised to give it to him!" + +Leaning against the wall of the smoking-room, speechless and +motionless, holding his breath, with his hands pressed upon his +heart, as if to stop its throbbings, Pascal Ferailleur listened. +He no longer thought of flying; he no longer thought of +reproaching himself for his enforced indiscretion. He had lost +all consciousness of his position. The name of the Viscount de +Coralth, thus mentioned in the course of this frightful scene, +came as a revelation to him. He now understood the meaning of the +baron's conduct. His visit to the Rue d'Ulm, and his promises of +help were all explained. "My mother was right," he thought; "the +baron hates that miserable viscount mortally. He will do all in +his power to assist me." + +Meanwhile, the baroness energetically denied her husband's +charges. She swore that she did not know what he meant. What had +M. de Coralth to do with all this? She commanded her husband to +speak more plainly--to explain his odious insinuations. + +He allowed her to speak for a moment, and then suddenly, in a +harsh, sarcastic voice, he interrupted her by saying: "Oh! enough! +No more hypocrisy! Why do you try to defend yourself? What matters +one crime more? I know only too well that what I say is true; and +if you desire proofs, they shall be in your hands in less than +half an hour. It is a long time since I was blind--full twenty +years! Nothing concerning you has escaped my knowledge and +observation since the cursed day when I discovered the depths of +your disgrace and infamy--since the terrible evening when I heard +you plan to murder me in cold blood. You had grown accustomed to +freedom of action; while I, who had gone off with the first gold- +seekers, was braving a thousand dangers in California, so as to +win wealth and luxury for you more quickly. Fool that I was! No +task seemed too hard or too distasteful when I thought of you--and +I was always thinking of you. My mind was at peace--I had perfect +faith in you. We had a daughter; and if a fear or a doubt entered +my mind, I told myself that the sight of her cradle would drive +all evil thoughts from your heart. The adultery of a childless +wife may be forgiven or explained; but that of a mother, never! +Fool! idiot! that I was! With what joyous pride, on my return +after an absence of eighteen months, I showed you the treasures I +had brought back with me! I had two hundred thousand francs! I +said to you as I embraced you: 'It is yours, my well-beloved, the +source of all my happiness!' But you did not care for me--I +wearied you! You loved another! And while you were deceiving me +with your caresses, you were, with fiendish skill, preparing a +conspiracy which, if it had succeeded, would have resulted in my +death! I should consider myself amply revenged if I could make you +suffer for a single day all the torments that I endured for long +months. For this was not all! You had not even the excuse, if +excuse it be, of a powerful, all-absorbing passion. Convinced of +your treachery, I resolved to ascertain everything, and I +discovered that in my absence you had become a mother. Why didn't +I kill you? How did I have the courage to remain silent and +conceal what I knew? Ah! it was because, by watching you, I hoped +to discover the cursed bastard and your accomplice. It was +because I dreamed of a vengeance as terrible as the offence. I +said to myself that the day would come when, at any risk, you +would try to see your child again, to embrace her, and provide for +her future. Fool! fool that I was! You had already forgotten her! +When you received news of my intended return, she was sent to some +foundling asylum, or left to die upon some door-step. Have you +ever thought of her? Have you ever asked what has become of her? +ever asked yourself if she had needed bread while you have been +living in almost regal luxury? ever asked yourself into what +depths of vice she may have fallen?" + +"Always the same ridiculous accusation!" exclaimed the baroness. + +"Yes, always!" + +"You must know, however, that this story of a child is only a vile +slander. I told you so when you spoke of it to me a dozen years +afterward. I have repeated it a thousand times since." + +The baron uttered a sigh that was very like a sob, and without +paying any heed to his wife's words, he continued: "If I consented +to allow you to remain under my roof, it was only for the sake of +our daughter. I trembled lest the scandal of a separation should +fall upon her. But it was useless suffering on my part. She was +as surely lost as you yourself were; and it was your work, too!" + +"What! you blame me for that?" + +"Whom ought I to blame, then? Who took her to balls, and theatres +and races--to every place where a young girl ought NOT to be +taken? Who initiated her into what you call high life? and who +used her as a discreet and easy chaperon? Who married her to a +wretch who is a disgrace to the title he bears, and who has +completed the work of demoralization you began? And what is your +daughter to-day? Her extravagance has made her notorious even +among the shameless women who pretend to be leaders of society. +She is scarcely twenty-two, and there is not a single prejudice +left for her to brave! Her husband is the companion of actresses +and courtesans; her own companions are no better--and in less than +two years the million of francs which I bestowed on her as a dowry +has been squandered, recklessly squandered--for there isn't a +penny of it left. And, at this very hour, my daughter and my son- +in-law are plotting to extort money from me. On the day before +yesterday--listen carefully to this--my son-in-law came to ask me +for a hundred thousand francs, and when I refused them, he +threatened if I did not give them to him that he would publish +some letters written by my daughter--by his wife--to some low +scoundrel. I was horrified and gave him what he asked. But that +same evening I learned that the husband and wife, my daughter and +my son-in-law, had concocted this vile conspiracy together. Yes, +I have positive proofs of it. Leaving here, and not wishing to +return home that day, he telegraphed the good news to his wife. +But in his delight he made a mistake in the address, and the +telegram was brought here. I opened it, and read: 'Papa has +fallen into the trap, my darling. I beat my drum, and he +surrendered at once.' Yes, that is what he dared to write, and +sign with his own name, and then send to his wife--my daughter!" + +Pascal was absolutely terrified. He wondered if he were not the +victim of some absurd nightmare--if his senses were not playing +him false. He had little conception of the terrible dramas which +are constantly enacted in these superb mansions, so admired and +envied by the passing crowd. He thought that the baroness would +be crushed--that she would fall on her knees before her husband. +What a mistake! The tone of her voice told him that, instead of +yielding, she was only bent on retaliation. + +"Does your son-in-law do anything worse than you?" she exclaimed. +"How dare you censure him--you who drag your name through all the +gambling dens of Europe?" + +"Wretch!" interrupted the baron, "wretch!" But quickly mastering +himself, he remarked: "Yes, it's true that I gamble. People say, +'That great Baron Trigault is never without cards in his hands!' +But you know very well that I really hold gambling in horror--that +I loathe it. But when I play, I sometimes forget--for I must +forget. I tried drink, but it wouldn't drown thought, so I had +recourse to cards; and when the stakes are large, and my fortune +is imperilled, I sometimes lose consciousness of my misery!" + +The baroness gave vent to a cold, sneering laugh, and, in a tone +of mocking commiseration, she said: "Poor baron! It is no doubt in +the hope of forgetting your sorrows that you spend all your time-- +when you are not gambling--with a woman named Lia d'Argeles. +She's rather pretty. I have seen her several times in the Bois----" + +"Be silent!" exclaimed the baron, "be silent! Don't insult an +unfortunate woman who is a thousand times better than yourself." +And, feeling that he could endure no more--that he could no longer +restrain his passion, he cried: "Out of my sight! Go! or I sha'n't +be responsible for my acts!" + +Pascal heard a chair move, the floor creak, and a moment afterward +a lady passed quickly through the smoking-room. How was it that +she did not perceive him? No doubt, because she was greatly +agitated, in spite of her bravado. And, besides, he was standing +a little back in the shade. But he saw her, and his brain reeled. +"Good Lord! what a likeness!" he murmured. + + + +III. + + +It was as if he had seen an apparition, and he was vainly striving +to drive away a terrible, mysterious fear, when a heavy footfall +made the floor of the dining-room creak anew. The noise restored +him to consciousness of his position. "It is the baron!" he +thought; "he is coming this way! If he finds me here I am lost; he +will never consent to help me. A man would never forgive another +man for hearing what I have just heard." + +Why should he not try to make his escape? The card, bearing the +name of Maumejan, would be no proof of his visit. He could see +the baron somewhere else some other day--elsewhere than at his own +house, so that he need not fear the recognition of the servants. +These thoughts flashed through his mind, and he was about to fly, +when a harsh cry held him spell-bound. Baron Trigault was +standing on the threshold. His emotion, as is almost always the +case with corpulent people, was evinced by a frightful distortion +of his features. His face was transformed, his lips had become +perfectly white, and his eyes seemed to be starting from their +sockets. "How came you here?" he asked, in a husky voice. + +"Your servants ushered me into this room." + +"Who are you?" + +"What! monsieur, don't you recognize me?" rejoined Pascal, who in +his agitation forgot that the baron had seen him only twice +before. He forgot the absence of his beard, his almost ragged +clothing, and all the precautions he had taken to render +recognition impossible. + +"I have never met any person named Maumejan," said the baron. + +"Ah! monsieur, that's not my name. Have you forgotten the +innocent man who was caught in that infamous snare set for him by +the Viscount de Coralth?" + +"Yes, yes," replied the baron, "I remember you now." And then +recollecting the terrible scene that had just taken place in the +adjoining room: "How long have you been here?" he asked. + +Should Pascal tell a falsehood, or confess the truth? He +hesitated, but his hesitation lasted scarcely the tenth part of a +second. "I have been here about half an hour," he replied. + +The baron's livid cheeks suddenly became purple, his eyes +glittered, and it seemed by his threatening gesture as if he were +strongly tempted to murder this man, who had discovered the +terrible, disgraceful secrets of his domestic life. But it was a +mere flash of energy. The terrible ordeal which he had just +passed through had exhausted him mentally and physically, and it +was in a faltering voice that he resumed: "Then you have not lost +a word--a word of what was said in the other room?" + +"Not a word." + +The baron sank on to the divan. "So the knowledge of my disgrace +is no longer confined to myself!" he exclaimed. "A stranger's eye +has penetrated the depths of misery I have fallen into! The secret +of my wretchedness and shame is mine no longer!" + +"Oh, monsieur, monsieur!" interrupted Pascal. "Before I recross +the threshold of your home, all shall have been forgotten. I +swear it by all that is most sacred!" + +He had raised his hand as if to take a solemn oath, when the baron +caught hold of it, and, pressing it with sorrowful gratitude, +exclaimed: "I believe you! You are a man of honor--I only needed +to see your home to be convinced of that. You will not laugh at +my misfortunes or my misery!" He must have been suffering +frightfully, for big tears rolled slowly down his cheeks. "What +have I done, my God! that I should be so cruelly punished?" he +continued. "I have always been generous and charitable, and ready +to help all who applied to me. I am utterly alone! I have a wife +and a daughter--but they hate me. They long for my death, which +would give them possession of my wealth. What torture! For months +together I dared not eat a morsel of food, either in my own house, +or in the house of my son-in-law. I feared poison; and I never +partook of a dish until I had seen my daughter or my wife do so. +To prevent a crime, I was obliged to resort to the strangest +expedients. I made a will, and left my property in such a way +that if I die, my family will not receive one penny. So, they now +have an interest in prolonging my life." As he spoke he sprang up +with an almost frenzied air, and, seizing Pascal by the arm, again +continued. "Nor is this all! This woman--my wife--you know--you +have heard the extent of her shame and degradation. Ah, well! I-- +love her!" + +Pascal recoiled with an exclamation of mingled horror and +consternation. + +"This amazes you, eh?" rejoined the baron. "It is indeed +incomprehensible, monstrous--but it is the truth. It is to +gratify her desire for luxury that I have toiled to amass +millions. If I purchased a title, which is absurd and ridiculous, +it was only because I wished to satisfy her vanity. Do what she +may, I can only see in her the chaste and beautiful wife of our +early married life. It is cowardly, absurd, ridiculous--I realize +it; but my love is stronger than my reason or my will. I love her +madly, passionately; I cannot tear her from my heart!" + +So speaking, he sank sobbing on to the divan again. Was this, +indeed, the frivolous and jovial Baron Trigault whom Pascal had +seen at Madame d'Argeles's house--the man of self-satisfied mien +and superb assurance, the good-natured cynic, the frequenter of +gambling-dens? Alas, yes! But the baron whom the world knew was +only a comedian; this was the real man. + +After a little while he succeeded in controlling his emotion, and +in a comparatively calm voice he exclaimed: "But it is useless to +distract one's mind with an incurable evil. Let us speak of +yourself, M. Ferailleur. To what do I owe the honor of this +visit?" + +"To your own kind offer, monsieur, and the hope that you will help +me in refuting this slander, and wreaking vengeance upon those who +have ruined me." + +"Oh! yes, I will help you in that to the full extent of my power," +exclaimed the baron. But experience reminded him that +confidential disclosures ought not to be made with the doors open, +so he rose, shut them, and returning to Pascal, said: "Explain in +what way I can be of service to you, monsieur." + +It was not without many misgivings that Pascal had presented +himself at the baron's house, but after what he had heard he felt +no further hesitation; he could speak with perfect freedom. "It +is quite unnecessary for me to tell you, Monsieur le Baron," he +began, "that the cards which made me win were inserted in the pack +by M. de Coralth--that is proven beyond question, and whatever the +consequences may be, I shall have my revenge. But before striking +him, I wish to reach the man whose instrument he was." + +"What! you suppose----" + +"I don't suppose--I am sure that M. de Coralth acted in obedience +to the instructions of some other scoundrel whose courage does not +equal his meanness." + +"Perhaps so! I think he would shrink from nothing in the way of +rascality. But who could have employed him in this vile work of +dishonoring an honest man?" + +"The Marquis de Valorsay." + +On hearing this name, the baron bounded to his feet. +"Impossible!" he exclaimed; "absolutely impossible! M. de Valorsay +is incapable of the villainy you ascribe to him. What do I say?-- +he is even above suspicion. I have known him for years, and I +have never met a more loyal, more honorable, or more courageous +man. He is one of my few trusted friends; we see each other +almost every day. I am expecting a visit from him even now." + +"Still it was he who incited M. de Coralth to do the deed." + +"But why? What could have been his object?" + +"To win a young girl whom I love. She--loved me, and he saw that +I was an obstacle. He put me out of the way more surely than if +he had murdered me. If I died, she might mourn for me-- +dishonored, she would spurn me----" + +"Is Valorsay so madly in love with the girl, then?" + +"I think he cares but very little for her." + +"Then why----" + +"She is the heiress of several millions." + +It was evident that this explanation did not shake Baron +Trigault's faith in his friend. "But the marquis has an income of +a hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand francs," said he; +"that is an all-sufficient justification. With his fortune and +his name, he is in a position to choose his wife from among all +the heiresses of France. Why should he address his attentions in +particular to the woman you love? Ah! if he were poor--if his +fortune were impaired--if he felt the need of regilding his +escutcheon, like my son-in-law----" + +He paused; there was a rap at the door. The baron called out: +"Come in," and a valet appeared, and informed his master that the +Marquis de Valorsay wished to speak with him. + +It was the enemy! Pascal's features were distorted with rage; but +he did not stir--he did not utter a word. "Ask the marquis into +the next room," said the baron. "I will join him there at once." +Then as the servant retired, the baron turned to Pascal and said: +"Well, M. Ferailleur, do you divine my intentions?" + +"I think so, monsieur. You probably intend me to hear the +conversation you are going to have with M. de Valorsay." + +"Exactly. I shall leave the door open, and you can listen." + +This word, "listen," was uttered without bitterness, or even +reproach; and yet Pascal could not help blushing and hanging his +head. "I wish to prove to you that your suspicions are without +foundation," pursued the baron. "Rest assured that I shall prove +this conclusively. I will conduct the conversation in the form of +a cross-examination, and after the marquis's departure, you will +be obliged to confess that you were wrong." + +"Or you, that I am right?" + +"So be it. Any one is liable to be mistaken, and I am not +obstinate." + +He was about to leave the room, when Pascal detained him. "I +scarcely know how to testify my gratitude even now, monsieur, and +yet--if I dared--if I did not fear to abuse your kindness, I +should ask one more favor." + +"Speak, Monsieur Ferailleur." + +"It is this, I do not know the Marquis de Valorsay; and if, +instead of leaving the door wide open, you would partially close +it, I should hear as distinctly, and I could also see him." + +"Agreed," replied the baron. And, opening the door, he passed +into the dining-room, with his right hand cordially extended, and +saying, in his most genial tones: "Excuse me, my dear friend, for +keeping you waiting. I received your letter this morning, and I +was expecting you, but some unexpected business required my +attention just now. Are you quite well?" + +As the baron entered the room, the marquis had stepped quickly +forward to meet him. Either he was inspired with fresh hope, or +else he had wonderful powers of self-control, for never had he +looked more calm--never had his face evinced haughtier +indifference, more complete satisfaction with himself, and greater +contempt for others. He was dressed with even more than usual +care, and in perfect taste as well; moreover, his valet had +surpassed himself in dressing his hair--for one would have sworn +that his locks were still luxuriant. If he experienced any secret +anxiety, it only showed itself in a slightly increased stiffness +of his right leg--the limb broken in hunting. "I ought rather to +inquire concerning your own health," he remarked. "You seem +greatly disturbed; your cravat is untied." And, pointing to the +broken china scattered about the floor, he added: "On seeing this, +I asked myself if an accident had not happened." + +"The baroness was taken suddenly ill at the breakfast table. Her +fainting fit startled me a little. But it was a mere trifle. She +has quite recovered already, and you may rely upon her applauding +your victory at Vincennes to-day. She has I don't know how many +hundred louis staked upon your horses." + +The marquis's countenance assumed an expression of cordial regret. +"I am very sorry, upon my word!" he exclaimed. "But I sha'n't +take part in the races at Vincennes. I have withdrawn my horses. +And, in future, I shall have nothing to do with racing." + +"Nonsense!" + +"It is the truth, however. I have been led to this determination +by the infamous slander which has been circulated respecting me." + +This answer was a mere trifle, but it somewhat shook Baron +Trigault's confidence. "You have been slandered!" he muttered. + +"Abominably. Last Sunday the best horse in my stables, Domingo, +came in third. He was the favorite in the ring. You can +understand the rest. I have been accused of manoeuvering to have +my own horse beaten. People have declared that it was my interest +he should be beaten, and that I had an understanding with my +jockey to that effect. This is an every-day occurrence, I know +very well; but, as regards myself, it is none the less an infamous +lie!" + +"Who has dared to circulate such a report?" + +"Oh, how can I tell? It is a fact, however, that the story has +been circulated everywhere, but in such a cautious manner that +there is no way of calling the authors to account. They have even +gone so far as to say that this piece of knavery brought me in an +enormous sum, and that I used Rochecotte's, Kervaulieu's, and +Coralth's names in betting against my own horse." + +The baron's agitation was so great that M. de Valorsay observed +it, though he did not understand the cause. Living in the same +society with the Baroness Trigault, and knowing her story, he +thought that Coralth's name might, perhaps, have irritated the +baron. "And so," he quickly continued, "don't be surprised if, +during the coming week, you see the sale of my horses announced." + +"What! you are going to sell----" + +"All my horses--yes, baron. I have nineteen; and it will be very +strange if I don't get eight or ten thousand louis for the lot. +Domingo alone is worth more than forty thousand francs." + +To talk of selling--of realizing something you possess--rings +ominously in people's ears. The person who talks of selling +proclaims his need of money--and often his approaching ruin. "It +will save you at least a hundred and fifty or sixty thousand +francs a year," observed the baron. + +"Double it and you won't come up to the mark. Ah! my dear baron, +you have yet to learn that there is nothing so ruinous as a racing +stable. It's worse than gambling; and women, in comparison, are a +real economy. Ninette costs me less than Domingo, with his +jockey, his trainer, and his grooms. My manager declares that the +twenty-three thousand francs I won last year, cost me at least +fifty thousand." + +Was he boasting, or was he speaking the truth? The baron was +engaged in a rapid calculation. "What does Valorsay spend a +year?" he was saying to himself. "Let us say two hundred and +fifty thousand francs for his stable; forty thousand francs for +Ninette Simplon; eighty thousand for his household expenses, and +at least thirty thousand for personal matters, travelling, and +play. All this amounts to something like four hundred and thirty +thousand francs a year. Does his income equal that sum? Certainly +not. Then he must have been living on the principal--he is +ruined." + +Meanwhile the marquis gayly continued: "You see, I'm going to make +a change in my mode of life. Ah! it surprises you! But one must +make an end of it, sooner or later. I begin to find a bachelor +life not so very pleasant after all; there is rheumatism in +prospect, and my digestion is becoming impaired--in short, I feel +that it is time for marriage, baron; and--I am about to marry." + +"You!" + +"Yes, I. What, haven't you heard of it, yet? It has been talked +of at the club for three days or more." + +"No, this is the first intimation I have received of it. It is +true, however, that I have not been to the club for three days. I +have made a wager with Kami-Bey, you know--that rich Turk--and as +our sittings are eight or ten hours long, we play in his +apartments at the Grand Hotel. And so you are to be married," the +baron continued, after a slight pause. "Ah, well! I know one +person who won't be pleased." + +"Who, pray?" + +"Ninette Simplon." + +M. de Valorsay laughed heartily. "As if that would make any +difference to me!" he exclaimed. And then in a most confidential +manner he resumed: "She will soon be consoled. Ninette Simplon is +a shrewd girl--a girl whom I have always suspected of having an +account book in place of a heart. I know she has at least three +hundred thousand francs safely invested; her furniture and +diamonds are worth as much more. Why should she regret me? Add to +this that I have promised her fifty thousand francs to dry her +tears with on my wedding-day, and you will understand that she +really longs to see me married." + +"I understand," replied the baron; "Ninette Simplon won't trouble +you. But I can't understand why you should talk of economy on the +eve of a marriage which will no doubt double your fortune; for I'm +sure you won't surrender your liberty without good and substantial +reasons." + +"You are mistaken." + +"How mistaken?" + +"Well, I won't hesitate to confess to you, my dear baron, that the +girl I am about to marry hasn't a penny of her own. My future +wife has no dowry save her black eyes--but they are certainly +superb ones." + +This assertion seemed to disprove Pascal's statements. "Can it +really be you who are talking in this strain?" cried the baron. +"You, a practical, worldly man, give way to such a burst of +sentiment?" + +"Well, yes." + +The baron opened his eyes in astonishment. "Ah! then you adore +your future bride!" + +"Adore only feebly expresses my feelings." + +"I must be dreaming." + +Valorsay shrugged his shoulders with the air of a man who has made +up his mind to accept the banter of his friends; and in a tone of +mingled sentimentality and irony, he said: "I know that it's +absurd, and that I shall be the laughing-stock of my +acquaintances. Still it doesn't matter; I have never been coward +enough to hide my feelings. I'm in love, my dear baron, as madly +in love as a young collegian--sufficiently in love to watch my +lady's house at night even when I have no possible hope of seeing +her. I thought myself blase, I boasted of being invulnerable. +Well, one fine morning I woke up with the heart of a youth of +twenty beating in my breast--a heart which trembled at the +slightest glance from the girl I love, and sent purple flushes to +my face. Naturally I tried to reason with myself. I was ashamed +of my weakness; but the more clearly I showed myself my folly, the +more obstinate my heart became. And perhaps my folly is not such +a great one after all. Such perfect beauty united with such +modesty, grace, and nobility of soul, such passion, candor and +talent, cannot be met twice in a lifetime. I intend to leave +Paris. We shall first of all go to Italy, my wife and I. After a +while we shall return and install ourselves at Valorsay, like two +turtle-doves. Upon my word, my imagination paints a charming +picture of the calm and happy life we shall lead there! I don't +deserve such good fortune. I must have been born under a lucky +star!" + +Had he been less engrossed in his narrative, he would have heard +the sound of a stifled oath in the adjoining room; and had he been +less absorbed in the part he was playing, he would have observed a +cloud on his companion's brow. The baron was a keen observer, and +he had detected a false ring in this apparently vehement outburst +of passion. "I understand it now, my dear marquis," said he; "you +have met the descendant of some illustrious but impoverished +family." + +"You are wrong. My future bride has no other name than her +Christian name of Marguerite." + +"It is a regular romance then!" + +"You are quite right; it is a romance. Were you acquainted with +the Count de Chalusse, who died a few days ago?" + +"No; but I have often heard him spoken of." + +"Well, it is his daughter whom I am about to marry--his +illegitimate daughter." + +The baron started. "Excuse me," said he; "M. de Chalusse was +immensely rich, and he was a bachelor. How does it happen then +that his daughter, even though she be his illegitimate child, +should find herself penniless?" + +"A mere chance--a fatality. M. de Chalusse died very suddenly; he +had no time to make a will or to acknowledge his daughter." + +"But why had he not taken some precautions?" + +"A formal recognition of his daughter was attended by too many +difficulties, and even dangers. Mademoiselle Marguerite had been +abandoned by her mother when only five or six months old; it is +only a few years since M. de Chalusse, after a thousand vain +attempts, at last succeeded in finding her." + +It was no longer on Pascal's account, but on his own, that Baron +Trigault listened with breathless attention. "How very strange," +he exclaimed, in default of something better to say. "How very +strange!" + +"Isn't it? It is as good as a novel." + +"Would it be--indiscreet----" + +"To inquire? Certainly not. The count told me the whole story, +without entering into particulars--you understand. When he was +quite young, M. de Chalusse became enamoured of a charming young +lady, whose husband had gone to tempt fortune in America. Being +an honest woman, she resisted the count's advances for awhile--a +very little while; but in less than a year after her husband's +departure, she gave birth to a pretty little daughter, +Mademoiselle Marguerite. But then why had the husband gone to +America?" + +"Yes," faltered the baron; "why--why, indeed?" + +"Everything was progressing finely, when M. de Chalusse was in his +turn obliged to start for Germany, having been informed that a +sister of his, who had fled from the paternal roof with nobody +knows who, had been seen there. He had been absent some four +months or so, when one morning the post brought him a letter from +his pretty mistress, who wrote: 'We are lost! My husband is at +Marseilles: he will be here to-morrow. Never attempt to see me +again. Fear everything from him. Farewell.' On receiving this +letter, M. de Chalusse flung himself into a postchaise, and +returned to Paris. He was determined, absolutely determined, to +have his daughter. But he arrived too late. On hearing of her +husband's return, the young wife had lost her head. She had but +one thought--to conceal her fault, at any cost; and one night, +being completely disguised, she left her child on a doorstep in +the vicinity of the central markets----" + +The marquis suddenly paused in his story to exclaim: "Why, what is +the matter with you, my dear baron? What is the matter? Are you +ill? Shall I ring?" + +The baron was as pale as if the last drop of blood had been drawn +from his veins, and there were dark purple circles about his eyes. +Still, on being questioned, he managed to answer in a choked +voice, but not without a terrible effort: "Nothing! It is nothing. +A mere trifle! It will be over in a moment. It IS over!" Still +his limbs trembled so much that he could not stand, and he sank on +to a chair, murmuring: "I entreat you, marquis--continue. It is +very interesting--very interesting indeed." + +M. de Valorsay resumed his narrative. "The husband was +incontestably an artless fellow: but he was also, it appears, a +man of remarkable energy and determination. Having somehow +ascertained that his wife had given birth to a child in his +absence, he moved heaven and earth not only to discover the child, +but its father also. He had sworn to kill them both; and he was a +man to keep his vow unmoved by a thought of the guillotine. And +if you require a proof of his strength of character, here it is: +He said nothing to his wife on the subject, he did not utter a +single reproach; he treated her exactly as he had done before his +absence. But he watched her, or employed others to watch her, +both and night, convinced that she would finally commit some act +of imprudence which would give him the clue he wanted. +Fortunately, she was very shrewd. She soon discovered that her +husband knew everything, and she warned M. de Chalusse, thus +saving his life." + +It is not at all remarkable that the Marquis de Valorsay should +have failed to see any connection between his narrative and the +baron's agitation. What possible connection could there be +between opulent Baron Trigault and the poor devil who went to seek +his fortune in America? What imaginable connection could there be +between the confirmed gambler, who was Kami-Bey's companion, Lia +d'Argeles's friend, and the husband who for ten long years had +pursued the man who, by seducing his wife, had robbed him of all +the happiness of life? Another point that would have dispelled any +suspicions on the marquis's part was that he had found the baron +greatly agitated on arriving, and that he now seemed to be +gradually regaining his composure. So he continued his story in +his customary light, mocking tone. It is the perfection of good +taste and high breeding--"proper form," indeed, not to be +astonished or moved by anything, in fact to sneer at everything, +and hold one's self quite above the emotions which disturb the +minds of plebeians. + +Thus the marquis continued: "I am necessarily compelled to omit +many particulars, my dear baron. The count was not very explicit +when he reached this part of his story; but, in spite of his +reticence, I learned that he had been tricked in his turn, that +certain papers had been stolen from him, and that he had been +defrauded in many ways by his inamorata. I also know that M. de +Chalusse's whole life was haunted by the thought of the husband he +had wronged. He felt a presentiment that he would die by this +man's hand. He saw danger on every side. If he went out alone in +the evening, which was an exceedingly rare occurrence, he turned +the street corners with infinite caution; it seemed to him that he +could always see the gleam of a poniard or a pistol in the shade. +I should never have believed in this constant terror on the part +of a really brave man, if he had not confessed it to me with his +own lips. Ten or twelve years passed before he dared to make the +slightest attempt to find his daughter, so much did he fear to +arouse his enemy's attention. It was not until he had discovered +that the husband had become discouraged and had discontinued his +search, that the count began his. It was a long and arduous one, +but at last it succeeded, thanks to the assistance of a clever +scoundrel named Fortunat." + +The baron with difficulty repressed a movement of eager curiosity, +and remarked: "What a peculiar name!" + +"And his first name is Isidore. Ah! he's a smooth-tongued +scoundrel, a rascal of the most dangerous kind, who richly +deserves to be in jail. How it is that he is allowed to prosecute +his dishonorable calling I can't understand; but it is none the +less true that he does follow it, and without the slightest +attempt at concealment, at an office he has on the Place de la +Bourse." + +This name and address were engraved upon the baron's memory, never +to be effaced. + +"However," resumed M. de Valorsay, "the poor count was fated to +have no peace. The husband had scarcely ceased to torment him, he +had scarcely begun to breathe freely, when the wife attacked him +in her turn. She must have been one of those vile and despicable +women who make a man hate the entire sex. Pretending that the +count had turned her from the path of duty, and destroyed her life +and happiness, she lost no opportunity of tormenting him. She +would not allow M. de Chalusse to keep the child with him, nor +would she consent to his adopting the girl. She declared it an +act of imprudence, which would surely set her husband upon the +track, sooner or later. And when the count announced his +intention of legally adopting the child, in spite of her protests, +she declared that, rather than allow it, she would confess +everything to her husband." + +"The count was a patient man," sneered the baron. + +"Not so patient as you may suppose. His submission was due to +some secret cause which he never confided to me. There must have +been some great crime under all this. In any case, the poor count +found it impossible to escape this terrible woman. He took refuge +at Cannes; but she followed him. He travelled through Italy, for +I don't know how many months under an assumed name, but all in +vain. He was at last compelled to conceal his daughter in some +provincial convent. During the last few months of his life he +obtained peace--that is to say, he bought it. This lady's husband +must either be very poor or exceedingly stingy; and as she was +exceedingly fond of luxury, M. de Chalusse effected a compromise +by giving her a large sum monthly, and also by paying her dress- +maker's bills." + +The baron sprang to his feet with a passionate exclamation. "The +vile wretch!" he said. + +But he quickly reseated himself, and the exclamation astonished M. +de Valorsay so little that he quietly concluded by saying: "And +this is the reason, baron, why my beloved Marguerite, the future +Marquise de Valorsay, has no dowry." + +The baron cast a look of positive anguish at the door of the +smoking-room. He had heard a slight movement there; and he +trembled with fear lest Pascal, maddened with anger and jealousy, +should rush in and throw himself upon the marquis. Plainly +enough, this perilous situation could not last much longer. The +baron's own powers of self-control and dissimulation were almost +exhausted, and so postponing until another time the many questions +he still wished to ask M. de Valorsay, he made haste to check +these confidential disclosures. "Upon my word," he exclaimed, +with a forced laugh, "I was expecting something quite different. +This affair begins like a genuine romance, and ends, as everything +ends nowadays, in money!" + + + +IV. + + +As a millionaire and a gambler, Baron Trigault enjoyed all sorts +of privileges. He assumed the right to be brutal, ill-bred, +cynical and bold; to be one of those persons who declare that +folks must take them as they find them. But his rudeness now was +so thoroughly offensive that under any other circumstances the +marquis would have resented it. However, he had special reasons +for preserving his temper, so he decided to laugh. + +"Yes, these stories always end in the same way, baron," said he. +"You haven't touched a card this morning, and I know your hands +are itching. Excuse me for making you waste precious time, as you +say; but what you have just heard was only a necessary preface." + +"Only a preface?" + +"Yes; but don't be discouraged. I have arrived at the object of +my visit now." + +As Baron Trigault was supposed to enjoy an income of at least +eight hundred thousand francs a year, he received in the course of +a twelvemonth at least a million applications for money or help, +and for this reason he had not an equal for detecting a coming +appeal. "Good heavens!" he thought, "Valorsay is going to ask me +for money." In fact, he felt certain that the marquis's pretended +carelessness concealed real embarrassment, and that it was +difficult for him to find the words he wanted. + +"So I am about to marry," M. de Valorsay resumed--"I wish to break +off my former life, to turn over a new leaf. And now the wedding +gifts, the two fetes that I propose giving, the repairs at +Valorsay, and the honeymoon with my wife--all these things will +cost a nice little sum." + +"A nice little sum, indeed!" + +"Ah, well! as I'm not going to wed an heiress, I fear I shall run +a trifle short. The matter was worrying me a little, when I +thought of you. I said to myself: 'The baron, who always has +money at his disposal, will no doubt let me have the use of five +thousand louis for a year.'" + +The baron's eyes were fixed upon his companion's face. "Zounds!" +he exclaimed in a half-grieved, half-petulant tone; "I haven't the +amount!" + +It was not disappointment that showed itself on the marquis's +face; it was absolute despair, quickly concealed. + +But the baron had detected it; and he realized his applicant's +urgent need. He felt certain that M. de Valorsay was financially +ruined--and yet, as it did not suit his plans to refuse, he +hastily added: "When I say I haven't that amount, I mean that I +haven't got it on hand just at this moment. But I shall have it +within forty-eight hours; and if you are at home at this time on +the day after to-morrow, I will send you one of my agents, who +will arrange the matter with you." + +A moment before, the marquis had allowed his consternation to show +itself; but this time he knew how to conceal the joy that filled +his soul. So it was in the most indifferent manner, as if the +affair were one of trivial importance, that he thanked the baron +for being so obliging. Plainly enough, he now longed to make his +escape, and indeed, after rattling off a few commonplace remarks. +he rose to his feet and took his leave, exclaiming: "Till the day +after to-morrow, then!" + +The baron sank into an arm-chair, completely overcome. A martyr +to a passion that was stronger than reason itself, the victim of a +fatal love which he had not been able to drive from his heart, +Baron Trigault had passed many terrible hours, but never had he +been so completely crushed as at this moment when chance revealed +the secret which he had vainly pursued for years. The old wounds +in his heart opened afresh, and his sufferings were poignant +beyond description. All his efforts to save this woman whom he at +once loved and hated from the depths of degradation, had proved +unavailing. "And she has extorted money from the Count de +Chalusse," he thought; "she sold him the right to adopt their own +daughter." And so strange are the workings of the human heart, +that this circumstance, trivial in comparison with many others, +drove the unfortunate baron almost frantic with rage. What did it +avail him that he had become one of the richest men in Paris? He +allowed his wife eight thousand francs a month, almost one hundred +thousand francs a year, merely for her dresses and fancies. Not a +quarter-day passed, but what he paid her debts to a large amount, +and in spite of all this, she had sunk so low as to extort money +from a man who had once loved her. "What can she do with it all?" +muttered the baron, overcome with sorrow and indignation. "How +can she succeed in spending the income of several millions?" + +A name, the name of Ferdinand de Coralth, rose to his lips; but he +did not pronounce it. He saw Pascal emerging from the smoking- +room; and though he had forgotten the young advocate's very +existence, his appearance now restored him to a consciousness of +reality. "Ah, well! M. Ferailleur?" he said, like a man suddenly +aroused from some terrible nightmare. Pascal tried to make some +reply, but he was unable to do so--such a flood of incoherent +thoughts was seething and foaming in his brain. "Did you hear, M. +de Valorsay?" continued the baron. "Now we know, beyond the +possibility of doubt, who Mademoiselle Marguerite's mother is. +What is to be done? What would you do in my place?" + +"Ah, monsieur! how can I tell?" + +"Wouldn't your first thought be of vengeance! It is mine. But +upon whom can I wreak my vengeance? Upon the Count de Chalusse? He +is dead. Upon my wife? Yes, I might do so; but I lack the +courage--Mademoiselle Marguerite remains." + +"But she is innocent, monsieur; she has never wronged you." + +The baron did not seem to hear this exclamation. "And to make +Mademoiselle Marguerite's life one long misery," said he, "I need +only favor her marriage with the marquis. Ah, he would make her +cruelly expiate the crime of her birth." + +"But you won't do so!" cried Pascal, in a transport, "it would be +shameful; I won't allow it. Never, I swear before high Heaven! +never, while I live, shall Valorsay marry Marguerite. He may +perhaps vanquish me in the coming struggle; he may lead her to the +threshold of the church, but there he will find me--armed--and I +will have justice--human justice in default of legal satisfaction. +And, afterward, the law may take its course!" + +The baron looked at him with deep emotion. "Ah, you know what it +is to love!" he exclaimed; and in a hollow voice, he added: "and +thus it was that I loved Marguerite's mother." + +The breakfast-table had not been cleared, and a large decanter of +water was still standing on it. The baron poured out two large +glasses, which he drained with feverish avidity, and then he began +to walk aimlessly about the room. + +Pascal held his peace. It seemed to him that his own destiny was +being decided in this man's mind, that his whole future depended +upon the determination he arrived at. A prisoner awaiting the +verdict of the jury could not have suffered more intense anxiety. +At last, when a minute, which seemed a century, had elapsed, the +baron paused. "Now as before, M. Ferailleur," he said, roughly, +"I'm for you and with you. Give me your hand--that's right. +Honest people ought to protect and assist one another when +scoundrels assail them. We will reinstate you in public esteem, +monsieur. We will unmask Coralth, and we will crush Valorsay if +we find that he is really the instigator of the infamous plot that +ruined you." + +"What, monsieur! Can you doubt it after your conversation with +him?" + +The baron shook his head. "I've no doubt but what Valorsay is +ruined financially," said he. "I am certain that my hundred +thousand francs will be lost forever if I lend them to him. I +would be willing to swear that he bet against his own horse and +prevented the animal from winning, as he is accused of doing." + +"You must see, then--" + +"Excuse me--all this does NOT explain the great discrepancy +between your allegations and his story. You assure me that he +cares nothing whatever for Mademoiselle Marguerite; he pretends +that he adores her." + +"Yes, monsieur, yes--the scoundrel dared to say so. Ah! if I had +not been deterred by a fear of losing my revenge!" + +"I understand; but allow me to conclude. According to you, +Mademoiselle Marguerite possesses several millions. According to +him, she hasn't a penny of her own. Which is right? I believe he +is. His desire to borrow a hundred thousand francs of me proves +it; and, besides, he wouldn't have come this morning to tell me a +falsehood, which would be discovered to-morrow. Still, if he is +telling the truth, it is impossible to explain the foul conspiracy +you have suffered by." + +This objection had previously presented itself to Pascal's mind, +and he had found an explanation which seemed to him a plausible +one. "M. de Chalusse was not dead," said he, "when M. de Coralth +and M. de Valorsay decided on this plan of ridding themselves of +me. Consequently, Mademoiselle Marguerite was still an heiress." + +"That's true; but the very day after the commission of the crime, +the accomplices must have discovered that it could do them no +good; so, why have they still persisted in their scheme?" + +Pascal tried to find a satisfactory answer, but failed. + +"There must be some iniquitous mystery in this affair, which +neither you nor I suspect," remarked the baron. + +"That is exactly what my mother told me." + +"Ah! that's Madame Ferailleur's opinion? Then it is a good one. +Come, let us reason a little. Mademoiselle Marguerite loved you, +you say?" + +"Yes." + +"And she has suddenly broken off the engagement?" + +"She wrote to me that the Count de Chalusse extorted from her a +promise on his death-bed, that she would marry the Marquis de +Valorsay." + +The baron sprang to his feet. "Stop," he cried--"stop! We now +have a clue to the truth, perhaps. Ah! so Mademoiselle Marguerite +has written to you that M. de Chalusse commanded her to marry the +marquis! Then the count must have been fully restored to +consciousness before he breathed his last. On the other hand, +Valorsay pretends that Mademoiselle Marguerite is left without +resources, simply because the count died too suddenly to be able +to write or to sign a couple of lines. Can you reconcile these +two versions of the affair, M. Ferailleur? Certainly not. Then +which version is false? We must ascertain that point. When shall +you see Mademoiselle Marguerite again?" + +"She has requested me NEVER to try to see her again." + +"Very well! She must be disobeyed. You must discover some way of +seeing her without anyone's knowledge. She is undoubtedly +watched, so don't write on any account." He reflected for a +moment, and then added: "We shall, perhaps, become morally certain +of Valorsay's and Coralth's guilt, but there's a wide difference +between this and the establishment of their guilt by material +proofs. Two scoundrels who league to ruin an honest man don't +sign a contract to that effect before a notary. Proofs! Ah! where +shall we find them? We must gain an intimate knowledge of +Valorsay's private life. The best plan would be to find some man +devoted to our interests who would watch him, and insinuate +himself into his confidence." + +Pascal interrupted the baron with an eager gesture. Hope glittered +in his eyes. "Yes!" he exclaimed, "yes; it is necessary that M. +de Valorsay should be watched by a man of quick perception--a man +clever enough to make himself useful to the marquis, and capable +of rendering him an important service in case of need. I will be +the man, monsieur, if you will allow me. The thought occurred to +me just now while I was listening to you. You promised to send +some one to Valorsay's house with money. I entreat you to allow +me to take the place of the man you intended to send. The marquis +doesn't know me, and I am sufficiently sure of myself to promise +you that I will not betray my identity. I will present myself as +your agent; he will give me his confidence. I shall take him +money or fair promises, I shall be well received, and I have a +plan----" + +He was interrupted by a rap at the door. The next moment a +footman entered, and informed his master that a messenger wished +to speak to him on urgent business. "Let him come in," said the +baron. + +It was Job, Madame Lia d'Argeles's confidential servant, who +entered the room. He bowed respectfully, and, with an air of +profound mystery exclaimed: "I have been looking for the baron +everywhere. I was ordered by madame not to return without him." + +"Very well," said M. Trigault. "I will go with you at once." + + + +V. + + +How was it that a clever man like M. Fortunat made such a blunder +as to choose a Sunday, and a racing Sunday too, to call on M. +Wilkie. His anxiety might explain the mistake, but it did not +justify it. He felt certain, that under any other circumstances +he would not have been dismissed so cavalierly. He would at least +have been allowed to develop his proposals, and then who knows +what might have happened? + +But the races had interfered with his plans. M. Wilkie had been +compelled to attend to Pompier de Nanterre, that famous +steeplechaser, of which he owned one-third part, and he had, +moreover, to give orders to the jockey, whose lord and master he +was to an equal extent. These were sacred duties, since Wilkie's +share in a race-horse constituted his only claim to a footing in +fashionable society. But it was a strong claim--a claim that +justified the display of whips and spurs that decorated his +apartments in the Rue du Helder, and allowed him to aspire to the +character of a sporting man. Wilkie really imagined that folks +were waiting for him at Vincennes; and that the fete would not be +complete without his presence. + +Still, when he presented himself inside the enclosure, a cigar in +his mouth, and his racing card dangling from his button-hole, he +was obliged to confess that his entrance did not create much of a +sensation. An astonishing bit of news had imparted unusual +excitement to the ring. People were eagerly discussing the +Marquis de Valorsay's sudden determination to pay forfeit and +withdraw his horses from the contest; and the best informed +declared that in the betting-rooms the evening before he had +openly announced his intention of selling his racing stable. If +the marquis had hoped that by adopting this course he would +silence the suspicions which had been aroused, he was doomed to +grievous disappointment. The rumor that he had secretly bet +against his own horse, Domingo, on the previous Sunday, and that +he had given orders not to let the animal win the race, was +steadily gaining credence. + +Large sums had been staked on Domingo's success. He had been the +favorite in the betting ring and the losers were by no means +pleased. Some declared that they had seen the jockey hold Domingo +back; and they insisted that it was necessary to make an example, +and disqualify both the marquis and his jockey. Still one weighty +circumstance pleaded in M. de Valorsay's favor--his fortune, or, +at least, the fortune he was supposed to possess. "Why should +such a rich man stoop to cheat?" asked his defenders. "To put +money into one's pocket in this way is even worse than to cheat at +cards! Besides, it's impossible! Valorsay is above such +contemptible charges. He is a perfect gentleman." + +"Perhaps so," replied the skeptical bystanders. "But people said +exactly the same of Croisenois, of the Duc de H., and Baron P., +who were finally convicted of the same rascality that Valorsay is +accused of." + +"It's an infamous slander! If he had been inclined to cheat, he +could have easily diverted suspicion. He would have let Domingo +come in second, not third!" + +"If he were not guilty, and afraid of detection, he wouldn't pay +forfeit to-day nor sell his horses." + +"He only retires from the turf because he's going to marry----" + +"Nonsense! That's no reason whatever." + +Like all gamblers, the frequenters of the turf are distrustful and +inclined to be quarrelsome. No one is above their suspicions when +they lose nor above their wrath when they are duped. And this +Domingo affair united all the losers against Valorsay; they formed +a little battalion of enemies who were no doubt powerless for the +time being, but who were ready to take a startling revenge +whenever a good opportunity presented itself. Naturally enough, +M. Wilkie sided with the marquis, whom he had heard his friend, M. +de Coralth, speak of on several occasions. "Accuse the dear +marquis!" he exclaimed. "It's contemptible, outrageous. Why, +only last evening he said to me, 'My good friend, Domingo's defeat +cost me two thousand louis!'" M. de Valorsay had said nothing of +the kind, for the very good reason that he did not even know +Wilkie by sight; still, no one paid much heed to the assertion, +whereat Wilkie felt vexed, and resolved to turn his attention to +his jockey. + +The latter was a lazy, worthless fellow, who had been dismissed +from every stable he had previously served in, and who swindled +and robbed the young gentlemen who employed him without either +limit or shame. Although he made them pay him a very high salary-- +something like eight thousand francs a year--on the plea that it +was most repugnant to his feelings to act as a groom, trainer, and +jockey at the same time, he regularly every month presented them +with fabulous bills from the grain merchant, the veterinary +surgeon, and the harness-maker. In addition, he regularly sold +Pompier's oats in order to obtain liquor, and in fact the poor +animal was so nearly starved that he could scarcely stand on his +legs. The jockey ascribed the horse's extreme thinness to a +system of rigorous training; and the owners did not question the +statement in the least. He had made them believe, and they in +turn had made many others believe, that Pompier de Nanterre would +certainly win such and such a race; and, trusting in this +fallacious promise, they risked their money on the poor animal-- +and lost it. + +In point of fact, this jockey would have been the happiest mortal +in the world if such things as steeple-chases had never existed. +In the first place, he judged, with no little reason, that it was +dangerous to leap hurdles on such an animal as Pompier; and, +secondly, nothing irritated him so much as to be obliged to +promenade with his three employers in turn. But how could he +refuse, since he knew that if these young men hired him, it was +chiefly, or only in view of, displaying themselves in his company. +It afforded them untold satisfaction to walk to and fro along the +course in front of the grand stand, with their jockey in his +orange jacket with green sleeves. They were firmly convinced that +he reflected enormous credit upon them, and their hearts swelled +with joy at the thought of the envy they no doubt inspired. This +conviction gave rise indeed to terrible quarrels, in which each of +the three owners was wont to accuse the others of monopolizing the +jockey. + +On this occasion, M. Wilkie--being fortunate enough to arrive the +first--immediately repaired to Pompier de Nanterre's stall. Never +had circumstances been more favorable for a display of the +animal's speed. The day was magnificent; the stands were crowded, +and thousands of eager spectators were pushing and jostling one +another beyond the ropes which limited the course. M. Wilkie +seemed to be everywhere; he showed himself in a dozen different +places at once, always followed by his jockey, whom he ordered +about in a loud voice, with many excited gesticulations. And how +great his delight was when, as he passed through the crowd, he +heard people exclaim: "That gentleman has a racing stable. His +horses are going to compete!" What bliss thrilled his heart when +he overheard the admiring exclamation of some worthy shopkeeper +who was greatly impressed by the gay silk jacket and the top- +boots! + +But, unfortunately, this happiness could not last forever. His +partners arrived, and claimed the jockey in their turn. So M. +Wilkie left the course and strolled about among the carriages, +until at last he found an equipage which was occupied by the young +ladies who had accepted his invitation to supper the evening +before, and who were now making a profuse display of the very +yellowest hair they possessed. This afforded him another +opportunity of attracting public attention, and to giving proofs +of his "form," for he had not filled the box of his carriage with +champagne for nothing. At last the decisive moment came, and he +made himself conspicuous by shouting. "Now! Now! Here he is! +Look! Bravo, Pompier! One hundred on Pompier!" + +But, alas! poor Pompier de Nanterre fell exhausted before half the +distance was accomplished; and that evening Wilkie described his +defeat, with a profusion of technical terms that inspired the +uninitiated with the deepest awe. "What a disaster, my friends," +he exclaimed. "Pompier de Nanterre, an incomparable +steeplechaser, to break down in such a fashion! And beaten by +whom? My Mustapha, an outsider, without any record whatever! The +ring was intensely excited--and I was simply crazed." + +However, his defeat did not affect him very deeply. It was +forgotten at thought of the inheritance which his friend Coralth +had spoken to him about. And to-morrow M. de Coralth would tell +him the secret. He had only twenty hours longer to wait!" To- +morrow! to-morrow!" he said to himself again and again, with a +thrill of mingled joy and impatience. And what bright visions of +future glory haunted him! He saw himself the possessor of a +magnificent stud, of sufficient wealth to gratify every fancy; he +would splash mud upon all the passers-by, and especially upon his +former acquaintances, as he dashed past them in his superb +equipage; the best tailor should invent astonishing garments for +him; he would make himself conspicuous at all the first +performances in a stage-box, with the most notorious women in +Paris; his fetes would be described in the papers; he would be the +continual subject of comment; he would be credited with splendid, +perfect "form." + +It is true that M. de Coralth had promised him all this, without a +word of explanation; but what did that matter? Should he doubt his +friend's word? Never! The viscount was not merely his model, but +his oracle as well. By the way in which he spoke of him, it might +have been supposed that they had been friends from their +childhood, or, at least, that they had known each other for years. +Such was not the case, however. Their acquaintance dated only +seven or eight months back, and their first meeting had apparently +been the result of chance; though it is needless to say, perhaps, +that this chance had been carefully prepared by M. de Coralth. +Having discovered Madame Lia d'Argeles's secret, the viscount +watched Wilkie, ascertained where he spent his evenings, contrived +a way of introducing himself into his society, and on their third +meeting was skilful enough to render him a service--in other +words, to lend him some money. From that moment the conquest was +assured; for M. de Coralth possessed in an eminent degree all the +attributes that were likely to dazzle and charm the gifted owner +of Pompier de Nanterre. First of all, there was his title, then +his impudent assurance and his apparent wealth, and last, but by +no means least, his numerous and fashionable acquaintances. He +was not long in discovering his advantage, and in profiting by it. +And without giving M. Wilkie an inkling of the truth, he succeeded +in obtaining from him as accurate a knowledge of his past career +as the young fellow himself possessed. + +M. Wilkie did not know much concerning his origin or his early +life; and his history, so far as he was acquainted with it, could +be told in a few words. His earliest recollection was of the +ocean. He was sure, perfectly sure, that he had made a very long +sea voyage when only a little child, and he looked upon America as +his birthplace. The French language was certainly not the first +he had learned, for he still remembered a limited number of +English phrases. The English word "father" was among those that +lingered in his memory; and now, after a lapse of twenty years, he +pronounced it without the least foreign accent. But while he +remembered the word perfectly well, no recollection remained to +him of the person he had called by that name. His first +sensations were those of hunger, weariness, and cold. He +recollected, and very distinctly too, how on one long winter +night, a woman had dragged him after her through the streets of +Paris, in an icy rain. He could still see himself as he wandered +on, crying with weariness, and begging for something to eat. And +then the poor woman who held him by the hand lifted him in her +arms and carried him on--on, until her own strength failed, and +she was obliged to set him on the ground again. A vague portrait +of this woman, who was most probably his mother, still lingered in +his memory. According to his description, she was extremely +handsome, tall, and very fair. He had been particularly impressed +with the pale tint and profusion of her beautiful hair. + +Their poverty had not lasted long. He remembered being installed +with his mother in a very handsome suite of rooms. A man, who was +still young, and whom he called "Monsieur Jacques," came every +day, and brought him sweetmeats and playthings. He thought he +must have been about four years old at that time. However, he had +enjoyed this comfortable state of things scarcely a month, when +one morning a stranger presented himself. The visitor held a long +conference with his mother, or, at least, with the person whom he +called by that name. He did not understand what they were talking +about, but he was none the less very uneasy. The result of the +interview must have justified his instinctive fear, for his mother +took him on her lap, and embraced him with convulsive tenderness. +She sobbed violently, and repeated again and again in a faltering +voice: "Poor child! my beloved Wilkie! I shall never kiss you +again--never, never! 'Alas! It must be so! Give me courage, my +God!" + +Those were the exact words; Wilkie was sure on that point. It +seemed to him he could still hear that despairing farewell. For +it was indeed a farewell. The stranger took him in his arms and +carried him away, in spite of his cries and struggles to escape. +This person to whose care he was confined was the master of a +small boarding-school, and his wife was the kindest and most +patient of women. However, this did not prevent Wilkie from +crying and begging for his mother at first; but gradually he +forgot her. He was not unhappy, for he was petted and indulged +more than any of the other pupils, and he spent most of his time +playing on the terrace or wandering about the garden. But this +charming life could not last for ever. According to his +calculation, he was just ten years old when, one Sunday, toward +the end of October, a grave-looking, red-whiskered gentleman, clad +in solemn black with a white necktie, presented himself at the +school, and declared that he had been instructed by Wilkie's +relatives to place him in a college to continue his education. + +Young Wilkie's lamentations were long and loud; but they did not +prevent M. Patterson--for that was the gentleman's name--from +taking him to the college of Louis-the-Great, where he was entered +as a boarder. As he did not study, and as he was only endowed +with a small amount of intelligence, he learned scarcely anything +during the years he remained there. Every Sunday and every fete +day, M. Patterson made his appearance at ten o'clock precisely, +took Wilkie for a walk in Paris or the environs, gave him his +breakfast and dinner at some of the best restaurants, bought +everything he expressed a desire to have, and at nine o'clock +precisely took him back to the college again. During the holidays +M. Patterson kept the boy with him, refusing him nothing in the +way of pleasure, granting all his wishes, but never losing sight +of him for a moment. And if Wilkie complained of this constant +watchfulness, M. Patterson always replied, "I must obey orders;" +and this answer invariably put an end to the discussion. + +So things went on until it became time for Wilkie to take his +degree. He presented himself for examination; and, of course, he +failed. Fortunately, however, M. Patterson was not at a loss for +an expedient. He placed his charge in a private school; and the +following year, at a cost of five thousand francs, he beguiled a +poor devil into running the risk of three years' imprisonment, by +assuming M. Wilkie's name, and passing the examination in his +place. In possession of the precious diploma which opens the door +of every career, M. Wilkie now hoped that his pockets would be +filled, and that he would then be set at liberty. But the hope +was vain! M. Patterson placed him in the hands of an old tutor who +had been engaged to travel with him through Europe; and as this +tutor held the purse-strings, Wilkie was obliged to follow him +through Germany, England, and Italy. + +When he returned to Paris he was just twenty years old, and the +very next day M. Patterson conducted him to the suite of rooms +which he still occupied in the Rue du Helder. "You are now in +your own home, M. Wilkie," said M. Patterson in his most +impressive manner. "You are now old enough to be responsible for +your own actions, and I hope you will conduct yourself like an +honest man. From this moment you are your own master. Those who +gave you your education desire you to study law. If I were in +your place, I should obey them. If you wish to be somebody, and +to acquire a fortune, work, for you have no property, nor anything +to expect from any one. The allowance which is granted you, a far +too liberal one in my opinion, may be cut off at any moment. I +don't think it right to conceal this fact from you. But at all +events until then. I am instructed to pay you five thousand +francs quarterly. Here is the amount for the first quarter, and +in three months' time I shall send you a similar amount. I say +'shall SEND,' because my business compels me to return to England, +and take up my abode there. Here is my London address; and if any +serious trouble befalls you, write to me. Now, my duty being +fulfilled, farewell." + +"Go to the devil, you old preacher!" growled Wilkie, as he saw the +door close on the retreating figure of M. Patterson, who had acted +as his guardian for ten years. None of M. Patterson's wise advice +lingered in the young fellow's mind. To use a familiar +expression, "It went in through one ear and came out through the +other." Only two facts had made an impression upon him: that he +was to be his own master henceforth, and that he had a fortune at +his command. There it lay upon the table, five thousand francs in +glittering gold. + +If M. Wilkie had taken the trouble to attentively examine the +rooms which had suddenly become his own, he would perhaps have +recognized the fact that a loving hand had prepared them for his +reception. Countless details revealed the delicate taste of a +woman, and the thoughtful tenderness of a mother. None of those +little superfluities which delight a young man had been forgotten. +There was a box of choice cigars upon the table, and a jar of +tobacco on the mantel-shelf. But Wilkie did not take time to +discover this. He hastily slipped five hundred francs into his +pocket, locked the rest of his money in a drawer, and went out +with as lofty an air as if all Paris belonged to him, or as if he +had enough money to purchase it. + +He had resolved to give a fete in honor of his deliverance, and so +he hurried off in search of some of his old college chums. He +found two of them; and, although it was very wounding to his self- +love, M. Wilkie was obliged to confess to them that this was his +first taste of liberty, and that he scarcely knew what to do with +himself. Of course his friends assured him that they could +quickly make him acquainted with the only life that it was worth +while living; and, to prove it, they accepted the invitation to +dinner which he immediately offered them. It was a remarkable +repast. Other acquaintances dropped in, the wine flowed in +rivers; and after dinner they danced. And at day-break, having +served his apprenticeship at baccarat, M. Wilkie found himself +without a penny in his pocket, and face to face with a bill of +four hundred francs, for which amount he was obliged to go to his +rooms, under the escort of one of the waiters. This first +experiment ought to have disgusted him, or at least have made him +reflect. But no. He felt quite in his element in the society of +dissipated young men and enamelled women. He swore that he would +win a place in their midst, and an influential place too. But it +was easier to form this plan than to carry it into execution, as +he discovered when, at the end of the month, he counted his money +to see what remained of the five thousand francs that had been +given him for his quarterly allowance. He had just three hundred +francs left. + +Twenty thousand francs a year is what one chooses to make it-- +wealth or poverty. Twenty thousand francs a year represents about +sixty francs a day; but what are sixty francs to a high liver, who +breakfasts and dines at the best restaurants, whose clothes are +designed by an illustrious tailor, who declines to make a pair of +trousers for less than a hundred francs? What are three louis a +day to a man who hires a box for first performances at the opera, +to a man who gambles and gives expensive suppers, to a man who +drives out with yellow-haired demoiselles, and who owns a race- +horse? Measuring his purse and his ambition, M. Wilkie discovered +that he should never succeed in making both ends meet. "How do +other people manage?" he wondered. A puzzling question! Every +evening a thousand gorgeously apparelled gentlemen, with a cigar +in their mouth and a flower in their button-hole, may be seen +promenading between the Chaussee d'Antin and the Faubourg +Montmartre. Everybody knows them, and they know everybody, but +how they exist is a problem which it is impossible to solve. How +do they live, and what do they live on? Everybody knows that they +have no property; they do nothing, and yet they are reckless in +their expenditures, and rail at work and jeer at economy. What +source do they derive their money from? What vile business are +they engaged in? + +However, M. Wilkie did not devote much time to solving this +question. "My relatives must wish me to starve," he said to +himself. "Not I--I'm not that sort of a person, as I'll soon let +them know." And thereupon he wrote to M. Patterson. By return of +post that gentleman sent him a cheque for one thousand francs--a +mere drop in the bucket. M. Wilkie felt indignant and so he wrote +again. This time he was obliged to wait for a reply. Still at +last it came. M. Patterson sent him two thousand francs, and an +interminable epistle full of reproaches. The interesting young +man threw the letter into the fire, and went out to hire a +carriage by the month and a servant. + +From that day forward, his life was spent in demanding money and +waiting for it. He employed in quick succession every pretext +that could soften the hearts of obdurate relatives, or find the +way to the most closely guarded cash-box. He was ill--he had +contracted a debt of honor--he had imprudently lent money to an +unscrupulous friend--he was about to be arrested for debt. And in +accordance with the favorable or unfavorable character of the +replies his manner became humble or impertinent, so that his +friends soon learned to judge very accurately of the condition of +his purse by the way he wore his mustaches. He became wise with +experience, however; and on adding all the sums he had received +together, he decided that his family must be very rich to allow +him so much money. And this thought made him anxious to fathom +the mystery of his birth and his infancy. He finally persuaded +himself that he was the son of a great English nobleman--a member +of the House of Lords, who was twenty times a millionaire. And he +more than half believed it when he told his creditors that his +lordship, his father, would some day or other come to Paris and +pay all his debts. Unfortunately it was not M. Wilkie's noble +father that arrived, but a letter from M. Patterson, which was +couched as follows: + + +"MY DEAR SIR, a considerable sum was placed in my hands to meet +your unexpected requirements; and in compliance with your repeated +appeals, I have remitted the entire amount to you. Not a penny +remains in my possession--so that my instructions have been +fulfilled. Spare yourself the trouble of making any fresh +demands; they will meet with no reply. In future you will not +receive a penny above your allowance, which in my opinion is +already too large a one for a young man of your age." + + +This letter proved a terrible blow to Wilkie. What should he do? +He felt that M. Patterson would not revoke his decision; and +indeed he wrote him several imploring letters, in vain. Yet never +had his need of money been so urgent. His creditors were becoming +uneasy; bills actually rained in upon his concierge; his next +quarterly allowance was not due for some time to come, and it was +only through the pawnbroker that he could obtain money for his +more pressing requirements. He had begun to consider himself +ruined. He saw himself reduced to dismissing his carriage, to +selling his third share of Pompier de Nanterre and losing the +esteem of all his witty friends. + +He was in the depths of despair, when one morning his servant woke +him up with the announcement that the Viscount de Coralth was in +the sitting-room and wished to speak with him on very important +business. It was not usually an easy task to entice M. Wilkie +from his bed, but the name his servant mentioned seemed to have a +prodigious effect upon him. He bounded on to the floor, and as he +hastily dressed himself, he muttered: "The viscount here, at this +hour! It's astonishing! What if he's going to fight a duel and +wishes me to be his second? That would be a piece of grand good +luck and no mistake. It would assure my position at once. +Certainly something must have happened!" + +This last remark was by no means a proof of any remarkable +perspicuity on M. Wilkie's part. As M. de Coralth never went to +bed until two or three o'clock in the morning, he was by no means +an early riser, and only some very powerful reason could explain +the presence of his blue-lined brougham in the street before nine +o'clock A.M. And the influence that had made him rise betimes in +the present case had indeed been extremely powerful. Although the +brilliant viscount had discovered Madame d'Argeles's secret, +several months previously, he had so far disclosed it to no one. +It was certainly not from any delicacy of feeling that he had held +his peace; but only because it had not been for his interest to +speak. Now, however, the sudden death of the Count de Chalusse +changed the situation. He heard of the catastrophe at his club on +the evening after the count's death, and his emotion was so great +that he actually declined to take part in a game of baccarat that +was just beginning. "The devil!" he exclaimed. "Let me think a +moment. Madame d'Argeles is the heiress of all these millions-- +will she come forward and claim them? From what I know of her, I +am inclined to think that she won't. Will she ever go to Wilkie +and confess that she, Lia d'Argeles, is a Chalusse, and that he is +her illegitimate son? Never! She would rather relinquish her +millions, both for herself and for him, than take such a step. +She is so ridiculously antiquated in her notions." And then he +began to study what advantages he might derive from his knowledge +of the situation. + +M. de Coralth, like all persons whose present is more or less +uncertain, had great misgivings concerning his future. Just now +he was cunning enough to find a means of procuring the thirty or +forty thousand francs a year that were indispensable to his +comfort; but he had not a farthing laid by, and the vein of silver +he was now working might fail him at any moment. The slightest +indiscretion, the least blunder, might hurl him from his splendor +into the mire. The perspiration started out on his forehead when +he thought of his peril. He passionately longed for a more +assured position--for a little capital that would insure him his +bread until the end of his days, and rid him of the grim phantom +of poverty forever. And it was this desire which inspired him +with the same plan that M. Fortunat had formed. "Why shouldn't I +inform Wilkie?" he said to himself. "If I present him with a +fortune, the simpleton ought certainly to give me some reward." +But to carry this plan into execution it would be necessary to +brave Madame d'Argeles's anger; and that was attended by no little +danger. If he knew something about her, she on her side knew +everything connected with his past life. She had only to speak to +ruin him forever. Still, after weighing all the advantages and +all the dangers, he decided to act, convinced that Madame +d'Argeles might be kept ignorant of his treason, providing he only +played his cards skilfully. And his matutinal visit to M. Wilkie +was caused by a fear that he might not be the only person knowing +the truth, and that some one else might forestall him. + +"You here, at sunrise, my friend!" exclaimed Wilkie, as he entered +the room where the viscount was seated. "What has happened?" + +"To me?--nothing," replied the viscount. "It was solely on your +account that I deviated from my usual habits." + +"What is it? You frighten me." + +"Oh! don't be alarmed. I have only some good news to +communicate," and in a careless tone which cleverly concealed his +anxiety, the viscount added: "I have come, my dear Wilkie, to ask +you what you would be willing to give the man who put you in +possession of a fortune of several millions?" + +M. Wilkie's face turned from white to purple at least three times +in ten seconds; and it was in a strangely altered voice that he +replied: "Ah! that's good--very good--excellent!" He tried his +best to laugh, but he was completely overcome; and, in fact, he +had cherished so many extravagant hopes that nothing seemed +impossible to him. + +"Never in all my life have I spoken more seriously," insisted the +viscount. + +His companion at first made no reply. It was easy to divine the +conflict that was raging in his mind, between the hope that the +news was true and the fear of being made the victim of a practical +joke. "Come, my friend," he said at last, "do you want to poke +fun at me? That wouldn't be polite. A debtor is always sacred, +and I owe you twenty-five louis. This is scarcely the time to +talk of millions. My relatives have cut off my supplies; and my +creditors are overwhelming me with their bills----" + +But M. de Coralth checked him, saying gravely: "Upon my honor, I +am not jesting. What would you give a man who--" + +"I would give him half of the fortune he gave me." + +"That's too much!" + +"No, no!" + +He was in earnest, certainly. What wouldn't a man promise in all +sincerity of soul to a fellow mortal who gave him money when he +had none--when he needed it urgently and must have it to save +himself from ruin? + +At such a moment no commission, however large, seems exorbitant. +It is afterward, when the day of settlement comes, that people +begin to find fault with the rate of interest. + +"If I tell you that one-half is too much, it is because such is +really the case. And I am the best judge of the matter, since I +am the man who can put you in possession of this enormous +fortune." + +M. Wilkie started back in speechless amazement. + +"This astonishes you!" said the viscount; "and why, pray? Is it +because I ask for a commission?" + +"Oh! not at all!" + +"It is not perhaps a very gentlemanly proceeding, but it is a +sensible one. Business is business. In the afternoon, when I am +in a restaurant, at the club, or in a lady's boudoir, I am merely +the viscount and the grand seigneur. All money questions sicken +me. I am careless, liberal, and obliging to a fault. But in the +morning I am simply Coralth, a man of the middle classes who +doesn't pay his bills without examining them, and who watches his +money, because he doesn't wish to be ruined and end his brilliant +career as a common soldier in some foreign legion." + +M. Wilkie did not allow him to continue. He believed, and his joy +was wild--delirious. "Enough, enough!" he interrupted. "A +difficulty between us! Never! I am yours without reserve! Do you +understand me? How much must you have? Do you wish for it all?" + +But the viscount was unmoved. "It is not fitting that I should +fix upon the indemnity which is due to me. I will consult a man +of business; and I will decide upon this point on the day after +to-morrow, when I shall explain everything to you." + +"On the day after to-morrow! You won't leave me in suspense for +forty-eight hours?" + +"It is unavoidable. I have still some important information to +procure. I lost no time in coming to you, so that I might put you +on your guard. If any scoundrel comes to you with proposals, be +extremely careful. Some agents, when they obtain a hold on an +estate, leave nothing for the rightful owner. So don't treat with +any one." + +"Oh, no! You may rest assured I won't." + +"I should be quieter in mind if I had your promise in writing." + +Without a word, Wilkie darted to a table, and wrote a short +contract by which he bound himself to give M. Ferdinand de Coralth +one-half of the inheritance which the aforesaid Coralth might +prove him to be entitled to. The viscount read the document, +placed it in his pocket, and then said, as he took up his hat: + +"Very well. I will see you again on Monday." + +But M. Wilkie's doubts were beginning to return. "Monday, so be +it!" said he; "but swear that you are not deceiving me." + +"What, do you still doubt me?" + +M. Wilkie reflected for a moment; and suddenly a brilliant +inspiration darted through his brain. "If you are speaking the +truth, I shall soon be rich," said he. "But, in the meantime, +life is hard. I haven't a penny, and it isn't a pleasant +situation. I have a horse entered for the race to-morrow, Pompier +de Nanterre. You know the animal very well. The chances are +enormously in his favor. So, if it wouldn't inconvenience you to +lend me fifty louis " + +"Certainly," interrupted the viscount, cordially. "Certainly; +with the greatest pleasure." + +And drawing a beautiful little notebook from his pocket he took +from it not one, but two bank-notes of a thousand francs, and +handed them to M. Wilkie, saying: "Monsieur believes me now, does +he not?" + +As will be readily believed, it was not for his own pleasure that +M. de Coralth postponed his confidential disclosures for a couple +of days. He knew Wilkie perfectly well, and felt that it was +dangerous to let him roam about Paris with half of an important +secret. Postponement generally furnishes fate with weapons against +oneself. But it was impossible for the viscount to act otherwise. +He had not seen the Marquis de Valorsay since the Count de +Chalusse's death and he dared not conclude the contract with +Wilkie before he had conferred with him, for he was completely in +the marquis's power. At the least suspicion of treason, M. de +Valorsay would close his hand, and he, Coralth, would be crushed +like an egg-shell. It was to the house of his formidable +associate that he repaired on leaving M. Wilkie; and in a single +breath he told the marquis all that he knew, and the plans that he +had formed. + +M. de Valorsay's astonishment must have been intense when he heard +that Lia d'Argeles was a Chalusse, but he knew how to maintain his +composure. He listened quietly, and when the viscount had +completed his story, he asked: "Why did you wait so long before +telling me all this?" + +"I didn't see how it could interest you in the least." + +The marquis looked at him keenly, and then calmly said: "In other +words, you were waiting to see whether it would be most +advantageous to you to be with me or against me." + +"How can you think----" + +"I don't think, I'm sure of it. As long as I was strong support +for you, you were devoted to me. But now I am tottering, and you +are ready to betray me." + +"Excuse me! The step I am about to take----" + +"What, haven't you taken it already?" interrupted the marquis, +quickly. And shrugging his shoulders, he added: "Observe that I +don't reproach you in the least. Only remember this: we survive +or we perish together." + +By the angry gleam in M. de Coralth's eyes, the marquis must have +realized that his companion was disposed to rebel; still this +knowledge did not seem to disquiet him, for it was in the same icy +tone that he continued: "Besides, your plans, far from conflicting +with mine, will be of service to me. Yes, Madame d'Argeles must +lay claim to the count's estate. If she hesitates, her son will +compel her to urge her claims, will he not?" + +"Oh, you may rest assured of that." + +"And when he becomes rich, will you be able to retain your +influence over him?" + +"Rich or poor, I can mould him like wax." + +"Very good. Marguerite was escaping me, but I shall soon have her +in my power. I have a plan. The Fondeges think they can outwit +me, but we shall soon see about that." The viscount was watching +his companion stealthily; as the latter perceived, and so in a +tone of brusque cordiality, he resumed: "Excuse me for not keeping +you to breakfast, but I must go out immediately--Baron Trigault is +waiting for me at his house. Let us part friends--au revoir--and, +above all, keep me well posted about matters in general." + +M. de Coralth's temper was already somewhat ruffled when he +entered Valorsay's house; and he was in a furious passion when he +left it. "So we are to survive or perish together," he growled. +"Thanks for the preference you display for my society. Is it my +fault that the fool has squandered his fortune? I fancy I've had +enough of his threats and airs." + +Still his wrath was not so violent as to make him forget his own +interests. He at once went to inquire if the agreement which M. +Wilkie had just signed would be binding. The lawyer whom he +consulted replied that, at all events, a reasonable compensation +would most probably be granted by the courts, in case of any +difficulty; and he suggested a little plan which was a chef +d'oeuvre in its way, at the same time advising his client to +strike the iron while it was hot. + +It was not yet noon, and the viscount determined to act upon the +suggestion at once; he now bitterly regretted the delay he had +specified. "I must find Wilkie at once," he said to himself. But +he did not succeed in meeting him until the evening, when he found +him at the Cafe Riche--and in what a condition too! The two +bottles of wine which the young fool had drank at dinner had gone +to his head, and he was enumerating, in a loud voice, the desires +he meant to gratify as soon as he came into possession of his +millions. "What a brute!" thought the enraged viscount. "If I +leave him to himself, no one knows what foolish thing he may do or +say. I must remain with him until he becomes sober again." + +So he followed him to the theatre, and thence to Brebant's, where +he was sitting feeling terribly bored, when M. Wilkie conceived +the unfortunate idea of inviting Victor Chupin to come up and take +some refreshment. The scene which followed greatly alarmed the +viscount. Who could this young man be? He did not remember having +ever seen him before, and yet the young scamp was evidently well +acquainted with his past life, for he had cast the name of Paul in +his face, as a deadly insult. Surely this was enough to make the +viscount shudder! How did it happen that this young man had been +just on the spot ready to pick up Wilkie's hat? Was it mere +chance? Certainly not. He could not believe it. Then why was the +fellow there? Evidently to watch somebody. And whom? Why, him-- +Coralth--undoubtedly. + +In going through life as he had done, a man makes enemies at every +step; and he had an imposing number of foes, whom he only held in +check by his unbounded impudence and his renown as a duellist. +Thus it was not strange if some one had set a snare for him; it +was rather a miracle that he had not fallen into one before. The +dangers that threatened him were so formidable that he was almost +tempted to relinquish his attack on Madame d'Argeles. Was it +prudent to incur the risk of making this woman an enemy? All +Sunday he hesitated. It would be very easy to get out of the +scrape. He could concoct some story for Wilkie's benefit, and +that would be the end of it. But on the other hand, there was the +prospect of netting at least five hundred thousand francs--a +fortune--a competency, and the idea was too tempting to be +relinquished. + +So on Monday morning, at about ten o'clock, he presented himself +at Wilkie's house, looking pale with anxiety, and far more solemn +in manner than usual. "Let us say but little, and that to the +point," he remarked on entering. "The secret I am about to reveal +to you will make you rich; but it might ruin me if it were known +that you obtained this information through me. You will therefore +swear, upon your honor as a gentleman, never to betray me, under +any circumstances, or for any reason." + +M. Wilkie extended his hand and solemnly exclaimed: "I swear!" + +"Very well, then. Now my mind is at rest. It is scarcely +necessary for me to add that if you break your faith you are a +dead man. You know me. You know how I handle a sword; and don't +forget it." His manner was so threatening that Wilkie shuddered. +"You will certainly be questioned," continued M. de Coralth; "but +you must reply that you received the information through one of +Mr. Patterson's friends. Now let us sign our formal contract in +lieu of the temporary one you gave me the other day." + +It is needless to say that Wilkie signed it eagerly. Not so the +viscount; he read the document through carefully, before appending +his signature, and then exclaimed: "The estate that belongs to you +is that of the Count de Chalusse, your uncle. He leaves, I am +informed, at least eight or ten millions of property." + +By M. Wilkie's excited gestures, by the glitter in his eyes, it +might have been supposed that this wonderful good fortune was too +much for him, and that he was going mad. "I knew that I belonged +to a noble family," he began. "The Count de Chalusse my uncle! I +shall have a coronet on the corner of my visiting cards." + +But with a gesture M. de Coralth silenced him. "Wait a little +before you rejoice," said he. "Yes, your mother is the sister of +the Count de Chalusse, and it is through her that you are an heir +to the estate. But--don't grieve too much--there are similar +misfortunes in many of our most distinguished families-- +circumstances--the obstinacy of parents--a love more powerful than +reason----" The viscount paused, certainly he had no prejudices; +but at the moment of telling this interesting young man who his +mother really was, he hesitated. + +"Go on," insisted M. Wilkie. + +"Well--when your mother was a young girl, about twenty, she fled +from her paternal home with a man she loved. Forsaken afterward, +she found herself in the depths of poverty. She was obliged to +live. You were starving. So she changed her name, and now she is +known as Lia d'Argeles." + +M. Wilkie sprang to his feet. "Lia d'Argeles!" he exclaimed. +Then, with a burst of laughter, he added: "Nevertheless, I think +it a piece of grand good luck!" + + + +VI. + + +"This man carries away your secret; you are lost." A sinister +voice whispered these words in Madame Lia d'Argeles's heart when +M. Isidore Fortunat, after being rudely dismissed, closed the door +of her drawing-room behind him. This man had addressed her by the +ancient and illustrious name of Chalusse which she had not heard +for twenty years, and which she had forbidden her own lips to +pronounce. This man knew that she, Lia d'Argeles, was really a +Durtal de Chalusse. + +This frightful certainty overwhelmed her. It is true this man +Fortunat had declared that his visit was entirely disinterested. +He had pretended that his regard for the Chalusse family, and the +compassion aroused in his heart by the unfortunate plight of +Mademoiselle Marguerite, were the only motives that has influenced +him in taking this step. However, Madame d'Argeles's experience +in life had left her but limited faith in apparent or pretended +disinterestedness. This is a practical age; chivalrous sentiments +are expensive--as she had learned conclusively. "If the man came +here," she murmured, "it was only because he thought he might +derive some benefit from the prosecution of my claim to my poor +brother's estate. In refusing to listen to his entreaties, I have +deprived him of this expected profit and so I have made him my +enemy. Ah! I was foolish to send him away like that! I ought to +have pretended to listen--I ought to have bound him by all sorts +of promises." + +She suddenly paused. It occurred to her that M. Fortunat could +not have gone very far; so that, if she sent for him to come back, +she might perhaps be able to repair her blunder. Without losing a +second, she rushed downstairs, and ordered her concierge and a +servant to run after the gentleman who had just left the house, +and ask him to return; to tell him that she had reflected, and +wished to speak to him again. They rushed out in pursuit, and she +remained in the courtyard, her heart heavy with anxiety. Too +late! About a quarter of an hour afterward her emissaries +returned. They had made all possible haste in contrary +directions, but they had seen no one in the street who at all +resembled the person they were looking for. They had questioned +the shopkeepers, but no one had seen him pass. "It doesn't +matter," faltered Madame d'Argeles, in a tone that belied her +words. And, anxious to escape the evident curiosity of her +servants, she hastened back to the little boudoir where she +usually spent her mornings. + +M. Fortunat had left his card--that is to say, his address--and it +would have been an easy matter to send a servant to his house. +She was strongly tempted to do so; but she ultimately decided that +it would be better to wait--that an hour more or less would make +but little difference. She had sent her trusty servant, Job, for +Baron Trigault; he would probably return with the baron at any +moment; and the baron would advise her. He would know at once +what was the best course for her to pursue. And so she waited for +his coming in breathless anxiety; and the more she reflected, the +more imminent her peril seemed, for she realized that M. Fortunat +must be a very dangerous and cunning man. He had set a trap for +her, and she had allowed herself to be caught. Perhaps he had +only suspected the truth when he presented himself at the house. +He had suddenly announced the death of the Count de Chalusse; she +had betrayed herself; and any doubts he might have entertained +were dispelled. "If I had only had sufficient presence of mind to +deny it," she murmured. "If I had only been courageous enough to +reply that I knew absolutely nothing about the person he spoke of. +Ah! then he would have gone away convinced that he was mistaken." + +But would the smooth-spoken visitor have declared that he knew +everything, if he had not really penetrated the mystery of her +life? It was scarcely probable. He had implored her to accept the +property, if not for her own sake at least for the sake of +another. And when she asked him whom he meant he had answered, +"Mademoiselle Marguerite," but he was undoubtedly thinking of +Wilkie. So this man, this Isidore Fortunat, knew that she had a +son. Perhaps he was even acquainted with him personally. In his +anger he would very likely hasten to Wilkie's rooms and tell him +everything. This thought filled the wretched woman's heart with +despair. What! Had she not yet expiated her fault? Must she +suffer again? + +For the first time a terrible doubt came over her. What she had +formerly regarded as a most sublime effort of maternal love, was, +perhaps, even a greater crime than the first she had committed. +She had given her honor as the price of her son's happiness and +prosperity. Had she a right to do so? Did not the money she had +lavished upon him contain every germ of corruption, misfortune, +and shame? How terrible Wilkie's grief and rage would be if he +chanced to hear the truth! + +Alas! he would certainly pay no heed to the extenuating +circumstances; he would close his ears to all attempts at +justification. He would be pitiless. He would have naught but +hatred and scorn to bestow upon a mother who had fallen from the +highest rank in society down to everlasting infamy. She fancied +she heard him saying in an indignant voice, "It would have been +better to have allowed me to die of starvation than to have given +me bread purchased at such a price! Why have you dishonored me by +your ill-gotten wealth? Fallen, you might have raised yourself by +honest toil. You ought to have made me a laborer, and not a +spoiled idler, incapable of earning an honest livelihood. As the +son of a poor, betrayed, and deserted woman, with whom I could +have shared my scanty earnings, I might have looked the world +proudly in the face. But where can the son of Lia d'Argeles hide +his disgrace after playing the gentleman for twenty years with Lia +d'Argeles's money?" Yes, Wilkie would certainly say this if he +ever learned the truth; and he would learn it--she felt sure of +it. How could she hope to keep a secret which was known to Baron +Trigault, M. Patterson, the Viscount de Coralth, and M. Fortunat-- +four persons! She had confidence in the first two; she believed +she had a hold on the third, but the fourth--Fortunat! + +The hours went by; and still Job did not return. What was the +meaning of this delay? Had he failed to find the baron? At last +the sound of carriage-wheels in the courtyard made her start. +"That's Job!" she said to herself. "He brings the baron." + +Alas! no. Job returned alone. And yet the honest fellow had +spared neither pains nor horseflesh. He had visited every place +where there was the least probability of finding the baron, and he +was everywhere told that Baron Trigault had not been seen for +several days. "In that case, you ought to have gone to his house. +Perhaps he is there," remarked Madame d'Argeles. + +"Madame knows that the baron is never at home. I did go there, +however, but in vain." + +This chanced to be one of three consecutive days which Baron +Trigault had spent with Kami-Bey, the Turkish ambassador. It had +been agreed between them that they should play until one or the +other had lost five hundred thousand francs; and, in order to +prevent any waste of "precious time," as the baron was wont to +remark, they neither of them stirred from the Grand Hotel, where +Kami-Bey had a suite of rooms. They ate and slept there. By some +strange chance, Madame d'Argeles had not heard of this duel with +bank-notes, although nothing else was talked of at the clubs; +indeed, the Figaro had already published a minute description of +the apartment where the contest was going on; and every evening it +gave the results. According to the latest accounts, the baron had +the advantage; he had won about two hundred and eighty thousand +francs. + +"I only returned to inform madame that I had so far been +unsuccessful," said Job. "But I will recommence the search at +once." + +"That is unnecessary," replied Madame d'Argeles. "The baron will +undoubtedly drop in this evening, after dinner, as usual." + +She said this, and tried her best to believe it; but in her secret +heart she felt that she could no longer depend upon the baron's +assistance. "I wounded him this morning," she thought. "He went +away more angry than I had ever seen him before. He is incensed +with me; and who knows how long it will be before he comes again?" + +Still she waited, with feverish anxiety, listening breathlessly to +every sound in the street, and trembling each time she heard or +fancied she heard a carriage stop at the door. However, at two +o'clock in the morning the baron had not made his appearance. "It +is too late--he won't come!" she murmured. + +But now her sufferings were less intolerable, for excess of +wretchedness had deadened her sensibility. Utter prostration +paralyzed her energies and benumbed her mind. Ruin seemed so +inevitable that she no longer thought of avoiding it; she awaited +it with that blind resignation displayed by Spanish women, who, +when they hear the roll of thunder, fall upon their knees, +convinced that lightning is about to strike their defenceless +heads. She tottered to her room, flung herself on the bed, and +instantly fell asleep. Yes, she slept the heavy, leaden slumber +which always follows a great mental crisis, and which falls like +God's blessing upon a tortured mind. On waking up, her first act +was to ring for her maid, in order to send a message to Job, to go +out again in search of the baron. But the faithful servant had +divined his mistress's wishes, and had already started off of his +own accord. It was past mid-day when he returned, but his face +was radiant; and it was in a triumphant voice that he announced: +"Monsieur le Baron Trigault." + +Madame d'Argeles sprang up, and greeted the baron with a joyful +exclamation. "Ah! how kind of you to come!" she exclaimed. "You +are most welcome. If you knew how anxiously I have been waiting +for you!" He made no reply. "If you knew," continued Madame +d'Argeles, "if you only knew " + +But she paused, for in spite of her own agitation, she was +suddenly struck by the peculiar expression on her visitor's face. +He was standing silent and motionless in the centre of the room, +and his eyes were fixed upon her with a strange, persistent stare +in which she could read all the contradictory feelings which were +battling for mastery in his mind--anger, hatred, pity, and +forgiveness. Madame d'Argeles shuddered. So her cup of sorrow +was not yet full. A new misfortune was about to fall upon her. +She had hoped that the baron would be able to alleviate her +wretchedness, but it seemed as if he were fated to increase it. +"Why do you look at me like that?" she asked, anxiously. "What +have I done?" + +"You, my poor Lia--nothing!" + +"Then--what is it? Oh, my God! you frighten me." + +"What is it? Well, I am going to tell you," he said, as he stepped +forward and took her hand in his own. "You know that I have been +infamously duped and deceived, that the happiness of my life has +been destroyed by a scoundrel who tempted the wife I so fondly +loved to forget her duty, and trample her honor under foot. You +have heard my vows of vengeance if I ever succeeded in discovering +him. Ah, well, Lia, I have discovered him. The man who stole my +share of earthly happiness was the Count de Chalusse, your +brother." + +With a sudden gesture Madame d'Argeles freed her hand from the +baron's grasp, and recoiled as terrified as if she had seen a +spectre rise up before her. Then with her hands extended as if to +ward off the horrible apparition, she exclaimed: "O, my God!" + +A bitter smile curved the baron's lips. "What do you fear?" he +asked. "Isn't your brother dead? He has defrauded me alike of +happiness and vengeance!" + +If her son's life had depended on a single word, Madame d'Argeles +could not have uttered it. She knew what mental agony had urged +the baron to a sort of moral suicide, and led him to contract the +vice in which he wasted his life and squandered, or, at least +risk, his millions. + +"Nor is this all," he continued. "Listen. As I have often told +you, I was sure that my wife became a mother in my absence. I +sought the child for years, hoping that through the offspring I +might discover the father. Ah, well! I've found what I sought, at +last. The child is now a beautiful young girl. She lives at the +Hotel de Chalusse as your brother's daughter. She is known as +Mademoiselle Marguerite." + +Madame d'Argeles listened, leaning against the wall for support, +and trembling like a leaf. Her reason was shaken by so many +repeated blows, and her son, her brother, Marguerite, Pascal +Ferailleur, Coralth, Valorsay--all those whom she loved or feared, +or hated--rose like spectres before her troubled brain. The +horror of the truth exceeded her most frightful apprehensions. +The strangeness of the reality surpassed every flight of fancy. +And, moreover, the baron's calmness increased her stupor. She so +often had heard him give vent to his rage and despair in terrible +threats, that she could not believe he would be thus resigned. +But was his calmness real? Was it not a mask, would not his fury +suddenly break forth? + +However, he continued, "It is thus that destiny makes us its +sport--it is thus that it laughs at our plans. Do you remember, +Lia, the day when I met you wandering through the streets of +Paris--with your child in your arms--pale and half dead with +fatigue, faint for want of food, homeless and penniless? You saw +no refuge but in death, as you have since told me. How could I +imagine when I rescued you that I was saving my greatest enemy's +sister from suicide--the sister of the man whom I was vainly +pursuing? And yet this might not be the end, if I chose to have it +otherwise. The count is dead, but I can still return him disgrace +for disgrace. He dishonored me. What prevents me from casting +ineffaceable opprobrium upon the great name of Chalusse, of which +he was so proud? He seduced my wife. To-day I can tell all Paris +what his sister has been and what she is to-day." + +Ah! it was this--yes, it was this that Madame d'Argeles had +dreaded. She fell upon her knees, and, with clasped hands she +entreated: "Pity!--oh! have pity--forgive me! Have mercy! Have I +not always been a faithful and devoted friend to you? Think of the +past you have just invoked! Who helped you then to bear your +intolerable sufferings? Don't you remember the day when you, +yourself, had determined to die by your own hand? There was a +woman who persuaded you to abandon the thought of suicide. It was +I!" + +He looked at her for a moment with a softer expression, tears came +to his eyes, and rolled down his cheeks. Then suddenly he raised +her, and placed her in an arm-chair, exclaiming: "Ah! you know +very well that I shall not do what I said. Don't you know me +better than that? Are you not sure of my affection, are you not +aware that you are sacred in my eyes?" He was evidently striving +hard to master his emotion. "Besides," he added, "I had already +pardoned before coming here. It was foolish on my part, perhaps, +and for nothing in the world would I confess it to my +acquaintances, but it is none the less true. I shall have my +revenge in a certain fashion, however. I need only hold my peace, +and the daughter of M. de Chalusse and Madame Trigault would +become a lost woman. Is this not so? Very well, I shall offer her +my assistance. It may, or may not, be another absurd and +ridiculous fancy added to the many I have been guilty of. But no +matter. I have promised. And why, indeed, should this poor girl +be held responsible for the sins of her parents? I--I declare +myself on her side against the world!" + +Madame d'Argeles rose, her face radiant with joy and hope. "Then +perhaps we are saved!" she exclaimed. "Ah! I knew when I sent for +you that I should not appeal to your heart in vain!" + +She took hold of his hand as if to raise it to her lips; but he +gently withdrew it, and inquired, with an air of astonishment: +"What do you mean?" + +"That I have been cruelly punished for not wishing you to assist +that unfortunate man who was dishonored here the other evening." + +"Pascal Ferailleur?" + +"Yes, he is innocent. The Viscount de Coralth is a scoundrel. It +was he who slipped the cards which made M. Ferailleur win, into +the pack, and he did it at the Marquis de Valorsay's instigation." + +The baron looked at Madame d'Argeles with pro-found amazement. +"What!" said he; "you knew this and you allowed it? You were cruel +enough to remain silent when that innocent man entreated you to +testify on his behalf! You allowed this atrocious crime to be +executed under your own roof, and under your very eyes?" + +"I was then ignorant of Mademoiselle Marguerite's existence. I +did not know that the young man was beloved by my brother's +daughter--I did not know--" + +The baron interrupted her, and exclaimed, indignantly: "Ah! what +does that matter? It was none the less an abominable action." + +She hung her head, and in a scarcely audible voice replied: "I was +not free. I submitted to a will that was stronger than my own. +If you had heard M. de Coralth's threats you would not censure me +so severely. He has discovered my secret; he knows Wilkie--I am +in his power. Don't frown--I make no attempt to excuse myself--I +am only explaining the position in which I was placed. My peril +is imminent; I have only confidence in you--you alone can aid me; +listen!" + +Thereupon she hastily explained M. de Coralth's position +respecting herself, what she had been able to ascertain concerning +the Marquis de Valorsay's plans, the alarming visit she had +received from M. Fortunat, his advice and insinuations, the +dangers she apprehended, and her firm determination to deliver +Mademoiselle Marguerite from the machinations of her enemies. +Madame d'Argeles's disclosures formed, as it were, a sequel to the +confidential revelations of Pascal Ferailleur, and the involuntary +confession of the Marquis de Valorsay; and the baron could no +longer doubt the existence of the shameful intrigue which had been +planned in view of obtaining possession of the count's millions. +And if he did not, at first, understand the motives, he at least +began to discern what means had been employed. He now understood +why Valorsay persisted in his plan of marrying Mademoiselle +Marguerite, even without a fortune. "The wretch knows through +Coralth that Madame d'Argeles is a Chalusse," he said to himself; +"and when Mademoiselle Marguerite has become his wife, he intends +to oblige Madame d'Argeles to accept her brother's estate and +share it with him." + +At that same moment Madame d'Argeles finished her narrative. "And +now, what shall I do?" she added. + +The baron was stroking his chin, as was his usual habit when his +mind was deeply exercised. "The first thing to be done," he +replied, "is to show Coralth in his real colors, and prove M. +Ferailleur's innocence. It will probably cost me a hundred +thousand francs to do so, but I shall not grudge the money. I +should probably spend as much or even more in play next summer; +and the amount had better be spent in a good cause than in +swelling the dividends of my friend Blanc, at Baden." + +"But M. de Coralth will speak out as soon as he finds that I have +revealed his shameful past." + +"Let him speak." + +Madame d'Argeles shuddered. "Then the name of Chalusse will be +disgraced," said she; "and Wilkie will know who his mother is." + +"No." + +"But----" + +"Ah! allow me to finish, my dear friend. I have my plan, and it +is as plain as daylight. This evening you will write to your +London correspondent. Request M. Patterson to summon your son to +England, under any pretext whatever; let him pretend that he +wishes to give him some money, for instance. He will go there, of +course, and then we will keep him there. Coralth certainly won't +run after him, and we shall have nothing more to fear on that +score." + +"Great heavens!" murmured Madame d'Argeles, "why did this idea +never occur to me?" + +The baron had now completely recovered his composure. "As regards +yourself," said he, "the plan you ought to adopt is still more +simple. What is your furniture worth? About a hundred thousand +francs, isn't it? Very well, then. You will sign me notes, dated +some time back, to the amount of a hundred thousand francs. On +the day these notes fall due, on Monday, for instance, they will +be presented for payment. You will refuse to pay them. A writ +will be served, and an attachment placed upon your furniture; but +you will offer no resistance. I don't know if I explain my +meaning very clearly." + +"Oh, very clearly!" + +"So your property is seized. You make no opposition, and next +week we shall have flaming posters on all the walls, telling Paris +that the furniture, wardrobe, cashmeres, laces, and diamonds of +Madame Lia d'Argeles will be sold without reserve, at public +auction, in the Rue Drouot, with the view of satisfying the claims +of her creditors. You can imagine the sensation this announcement +will create. I can see your friends and the frequenters of your +drawing-room meeting one another in the street, and saying: 'Ah, +well! what's this about poor d'Argeles?' 'Pshaw!--no doubt it's a +voluntary sale.' 'Not at all; she's really ruined. Everything is +mortgaged above its value.' 'Indeed, I'm very sorry to hear it. +She was a good creature.' 'Oh, excellent; a deal of amusement +could be found at her house,--only between you and me----' 'Well?' +'Well, she was no longer young.' 'That's true. However, I shall +attend the sale, and I think I shall bid.' And, in fact, your +acquaintances won't fail to repair to the Hotel Drouot, and maybe +your most intimate friends will yield to their generous impulses +sufficiently to offer twenty sous for one of the dainty trifles on +your etageres." + +Overcome with shame, Madame d'Argeles hung her head. She had +never before so keenly felt the disgrace of her situation. She +had never so clearly realized what a deep abyss she had fallen +into. And this crushing humiliation came from whom? From the only +friend she possessed--from the man who was her only hope, Baron +Trigault. + +And what made it all the more frightful was, that he did not seem +to be in the least degree conscious of the cruelty of his words. +Indeed, he continued, in a tone of bitter irony: "Of course, you +will have an exhibition before the sale, and you will see all the +dolls that hairdressers, milliners and fools call great ladies, +come running to the show. They will come to see how a notorious +woman lives, and to ascertain if there are any good bargains to be +had. This is the right form. These great ladies would be +delighted to display diamonds purchased at the sale of a woman of +the demi monde. Oh! don't fear--your exhibition will be visited +by my wife and daughter, by the Viscountess de Bois d'Ardon, by +Madame de Rochecote, her five daughters, and a great many more. +Then the papers will take up the refrain; they will give an +account of your financial difficulties, and tell the public what +you paid for your pictures." + +It was with a sort of terror-stricken curiosity that Madame +d'Argeles watched the baron. It had been many years since she had +seen him in such a frame of mind--since she had heard him talk in +such a cynical fashion. "I am ready to follow your advice," said +she, "but afterward?" + +"What, don't you understand the object I have in view? Afterward +you will disappear. I know five or six journalists; and it would +be very strange if I could not convince one of them that you had +died upon an hospital pallet. It will furnish the subject of a +touching, and what is better, a moral article. The papers will +say, 'Another star has disappeared. This is the miserable end of +all the poor wretches whose passing luxury scandalizes honest +women.'" + +"And what will become of me?" + +"A respected woman, Lia. You will go to England, install yourself +in some pretty cottage near London, and create a new identity for +yourself. The proceeds of your sale will supply your wants and +Wilkie's for more than a year. Before that time has elapsed you +will have succeeded in accumulating the necessary proofs of your +identity, and then you can assert your claims and take possession +of your brother's estate." + +Madame d'Argeles sprang to her feet. "Never never!" she +exclaimed, vehemently. + +The baron evidently thought he must have misunderstood her. +"What!" he stammered; "you will relinquish the millions that are +legally yours, to the government?" + +"Yes--I am resolved--it must be so." + +"Will you sacrifice your son's future in this style?" + +"No, it isn't in my power to do that; but Wilkie will do so, +later, on, I'm sure of it." + +"But this is simply folly." + +A feverish agitation had now succeeded Madame d'Argeles's torpor; +there was an expression of scorn and anger on her rigid features, +and her eyes, usually so dull and lifeless, fairly blazed. "It is +not folly," she exclaimed, "but vengeance!" And as the astonished +baron opened his lips to question her: "Let me finish," she said +imperiously, "and then you shall judge me. I have told you with +perfect frankness everything concerning my past life, save this-- +this--that I am married, Monsieur le Baron, legally married. I am +bound by a chain that nothing can break, and my husband is a +scoundrel. You would be frightened if you knew half the extent of +his villainy. Oh! do not shake your head. I ought not to be +suspected of exaggeration when I speak in this style of a man whom +I once loved so devotedly. For I loved him, alas!--even to +madness--loved him so much that I forgot self, family, honor, and +all the most sacred duties. I loved him so madly that I was +willing to follow him, while his hands were still wet with my +brother's blood. Ah! chastisement could not fail to come, and it +was terrible, like the sin. This man for whom I had abandoned +everything--whom I had made my idol--do you know what he said to +me the third day after my flight from home? 'You must be more +stupid than an owl to have forgotten to take your jewels.' Yes, +those were the very words he said to me, with a furious air. And +then I could measure the depths of the abyss into which I had +plunged. This man, with whom I had been so infatuated, did not +love me at all, he had never loved me. It had only been cold +calculation on his part. He had devoted months to the task of +winning my heart, just as he would have devoted them to some +business transaction. He only saw in me the fortune that I was to +inherit. Oh! he didn't conceal it from me. 'If your parents are +not monsters,' he was always saying, 'they will finally become +reconciled to our marriage. They will give you a handsome fortune +and we will divide it. I will give you back your liberty, and +then we can each of us be happy in our own way.' It was for this +reason that he wished to marry me. I consented on account of my +unborn child. My father and mother had died, and he hoped to +prevail upon me to claim my share of the paternal fortune. As for +claiming it himself, he dared not. He was a coward, and he was +afraid of my brother. But I took a solemn oath that he should +never have a farthing of the wealth he coveted, and neither +threats nor BLOWS could compel me to assert my claim. God only +knows how much I had suffered from his brutality when I at last +succeeded in making my escape with Wilkie. He has sought us +everywhere for fifteen years, but he has not yet succeeded in +finding a trace of us. Still he has not ceased to watch my +brother. I am sure of that, my presentiments never deceive me. +So, if I followed your advice--if I claimed possession of my +brother's fortune--my husband would instantly appear with our +marriage contract in his hands, and demand everything. Shall I +enrich him? No, never, never! I would rather die of want! I would +rather see Wilkie die of starvation before my very eyes!" + +Madame d'Argeles spoke in that tone of concentrated rage which +betrays years of repressed passion and unflinching resolution. +One could scarcely hope to modify her views even by the wisest and +most practical advice. The baron did not even think of attempting +to do so. He had known Madame d'Argeles for years; he had seen so +many proofs of her invincible energy and determination. She +possessed the distinguishing characteristic of her family in a +remarkable degree--that proverbial Chalusse obstinacy which Madame +Vantrasson had alluded to in her conversation with M. Fortunat. + +She was silent for a moment, and then, in a firm tone she said: +"Still, I will follow your advice in part, baron. This evening I +will write to M. Patterson and request him to send for Wilkie. In +less than a fortnight I shall have sold my furniture and +disappeared. I shall remain poor. My fortune is not so large as +people suppose. No matter. My son is a man; he must learn to +earn his own living." + +"My banking account is always at your disposal, Lia." + +"Thanks, my friend, thanks a thousand times; but it will not be +necessary for me to accept your kind offer. When Wilkie was a +child I did not refuse. But now I would dig the ground with my +own hands, rather than give him a louis that came from you. You +think me full of contradictions! Perhaps I am. It is certain that +I am no longer what I was yesterday. This trouble has torn away +the bandage that covered my eyes. I can see my conduct clearly +now, and I condemn it. I sinned for my son's sake, more than for +my own. But I might have rehabilitated myself through him, and +now he will perhaps be dishonored through me." Her breathing came +short and hard, and it was in a choked voice that she continued: +"Wilkie shall work for me and for himself. If he is strong, he +will save us. If he is weak--ah, well! we shall perish. But +there has been cowardice and shame enough! It shall never be said +that I sacrificed the honor of a noble name and the happiness of +my brother's child to my son. I see what my duty is, and I shall +do it." + +The baron nodded approvingly. "That's no doubt right," said he. +"Only allow me to tell you that all is not lost yet. The code has +a weapon for every just cause. Perhaps there will be a way for +you to obtain and hold your fortune independent of your husband." + +"Alas! I made inquiries on the subject years ago, and I was told +that it would be impossible. Still, you might investigate the +matter. I have confidence in you. I know that you would not +advise me rashly;--but don't delay. The worst misfortune would be +less intolerable than this suspense." + +"I will lose no time. M. Ferailleur is a very clever lawyer, I am +told. I will consult him." + +"And what shall I do about this man Fortunat, who called upon me?" + +The baron reflected for a moment. "The safest thing would be to +take no action whatever at present," he replied. "If he has any +evil designs, a visit or a letter from you would only hasten +them." + +By the way Madame d'Argeles shook her head, it was easy to see +that she had very little hope. "All this will end badly," she +murmured. + +The baron shared her opinion, but he did not think it wise or kind +to discourage her. "Nonsense!" he said lightly, "luck is going to +change; it is always changing." + +Then as he heard the clock strike, he sprang from his arm-chair in +dismay. "Two o'clock," he exclaimed, "and Kami-Bey is waiting for +me. I certainly haven't been wasting time here, but I ought to +have been at the Grand Hotel at noon. Kami is quite capable of +suspecting a man of any knavery. These Turks are strange +creatures. It's true that I am now a winner to the tune of two +hundred and eighty thousand francs." He settled his hat firmly on +his head, and opening the door, he added: "Good-by, my dear +madame, I will soon see you again, and in the meantime don't +deviate in the least from your usual habits. Our success depends, +in a great measure, upon the fancied security of our enemies!" + +Madame d'Argeles considered this advice so sensible that half an +hour later she went out for her daily drive in the Bois, little +suspecting that M. Fortunat's spy, Victor Chupin, was dogging her +carriage. It was most imprudent on her part to have gone to +Wilkie's house on her return. She incurred such a risk of +awakening suspicion by wandering about near her son's home that +she seldom allowed herself that pleasure, but sometimes her +anxiety overpowered her reason. So, on this occasion, she ordered +the coachman to stop near the Rue du Helder, and she reached the +street just in time to betray her secret to Victor Chupin, and +receive a foul insult from M. Wilkie. The latter's cruel words +stabbed her to the heart, and yet she tried to construe them as +mere proofs of her son's honesty of feeling--as proof of his scorn +for the depraved creatures who haunt the boulevards each evening. +But though her energy was indomitable, her physical strength was +not equal to her will. On returning home, she felt so ill that +she was obliged to go to bed. She shivered with cold, and yet the +blood that flowed in her veins seemed to her like molten lead. +The physician who was summoned declared that her illness was a +mere trifle, but prescribed rest and quiet. And as he was a very +discerning man, he added, not without a malicious smile, that any +excess is injurious--excess of pleasure as well as any other. As +it was Sunday, Madame d'Argeles was able to obey the physician, +and so she closed her doors against every one, the baron excepted. +Still, fearing that this seclusion might seem a little strange, +she ordered her concierge to tell any visitors that she had gone +into the country, and would not return until her usual reception- +day. She would then be compelled to open her doors as usual. For +what would the habitues of the house, who had played there every +Monday for years, say if they found the doors closed? She was less +her own mistress than an actress--she had no right to weep or +suffer in solitude. + +So, at about seven o'clock on Monday evening, although still +grievously suffering both in mind and body, she arranged herself +to receive her guests. From among all her dresses, she chose the +same dark robe she had worn on the night when Pascal Ferailleur +was ruined at her house; and as she was even paler than usual, she +tried to conceal the fact by a prodigal use of rouge. At ten +o'clock, when the first arrivals entered the brilliantly lighted +rooms, they found her seated as usual on the sofa, near the fire, +with the same eternal, unchangeable smile upon her lips. There +were at least forty persons in the room, and the gambling had +become quite animated when the baron entered. Madame d'Argeles +read in his eyes that he was the bearer of good news. "Everything +is going on well," he whispered, as he shook hands with her. "I +have seen M. Ferailleur--I wouldn't give ten sous for Valorsay's +and Coralth's chances." + +This intelligence revived Madame d'Argeles's drooping spirits, and +she received M. de Coralth with perfect composure when he came to +pay his respects to her soon afterward. For he had the impudence +to come, in order to dispel any suspicions that might have been +aroused anent his complicity in the card-cheating affair. The +hostess's calmness amazed him. Was she still ignorant of her +brother's death and the complications arising from it, or was she +only acting a part? He was so anxious and undecided, that instead +of mingling with the groups of talkers, he at once took a seat at +the card-table, whence he could watch the poor woman's every +movement. + +Both rooms were full, and almost everybody was engaged in play, +when, shortly after midnight, a servant entered the room, +whispered a few words in his mistress's ear, and handed her a +card. She took it, glanced at it, and uttered so harsh, so +terrible, so heart-broken a cry, that several of the guests sprang +to their feet. "What is it? What is it?" they asked. She tried +to reply, but could not. Her lips parted, she opened her mouth, +but no sound came forth. She turned ghastly white under her +rouge, and a wild, unnatural light gleamed in her eyes. One +curious guest, without a thought of harm, tried to take the card, +which she still held in her clinched hand; but she repulsed him +with such an imperious gesture that he recoiled in terror. "What +is it? What is the matter with her?" was the astonished query on +every side. + +At last, with a terrible effort, she managed to reply, "Nothing." +And then, after clinging for a moment to the mantel-shelf, in +order to steady herself, she tottered out of the room. + + + +VII. + + +It was not enough to tell M. Wilkie the secret of his birth. He +must be taught how to utilize the knowledge. The Viscount de +Coralth devoted himself to this task, and burdened Wilkie with +such a host of injunctions, that it was quite evident he had but a +poor opinion of his pupil's sagacity. "That woman d'Argeles," he +thought, "is as sharp as steel. She will deceive this young idiot +completely, if I don't warn him." + +So he did warn him; and Wilkie was instructed exactly what to do +and say, how to answer any questions, and what position to take up +according to circumstances. Moreover, he was especially enjoined +to distrust tears, and not to let himself be put out of +countenance by haughty airs. The Viscount spent at least an hour +in giving explanations and advice, to the great disgust of M. +Wilkie, who, feeling that he was being treated like a child, +somewhat testily declared that he was no fool, and that he knew +how to take care of himself as well as any one else. Still, this +did not prevent M. de Coralth from persisting in his instructions +until he was persuaded that he had prepared his pupil for all +possible emergencies. He then rose to depart. "That's all, I +think," he remarked, with a shade of uneasiness. "I've traced the +plan--you must execute it, and keep cool, or the game's lost." + +His companion rose proudly. "If it fails, it won't be from any +fault of mine," he answered with unmistakable petulance. + +"Lose no time." + +"There's no danger of that." + +"And understand, that whatever happens, my name is not to be +mentioned." + +"Yes, yes." + +"If there should be any new revelations, I will inform you." + +"At the club?" + +"Yes, but don't be uneasy; the affair is as good as concluded." + +"I hope so, indeed." + +Wilkie gave a sigh of relief as he saw his visitor depart. He +wished to be alone, so as to brood over the delights that the +future had in store for him. He was no longer to be limited to a +paltry allowance of twenty thousand francs! No more debts, no more +ungratified longings. He would have millions at his disposal! He +seemed to see them, to hold them, to feel them gliding in golden +waves between his fingers! What horses he would have! what +carriages! what mistresses! And a gleam of envy that he had +detected in M. de Coralth's eyes put the finishing touch to his +bliss. To be envied by this brilliant viscount, his model and his +ideal, what happiness it was! + +The reputation that Madame d'Argeles bore had at first cast a +shadow over his joy; but this shadow had soon vanished. He was +troubled by no foolish prejudices, and personally he cared little +or nothing for his mother's reputation. The prejudices of society +must, of course, be considered. But nonsense! society has no +prejudices nowadays when millionaires are concerned, and asks no +questions respecting their parents. Society only requires +passports of the indigent. Besides, no matter what Madame +d'Argeles might have done, she was none the less a Chalusse, the +descendant of one of the most aristocratic families in France. + +Such were Wilkie's meditations while he was engaged in dressing +himself with more than usual care. He had been quite shocked by +the suggestion that Madame d'Argeles might try to deny him, and he +wished to appear before her in the most advantageous light. His +toilette was consequently a lengthy operation. However, shortly +after twelve o'clock he was ready. He cast a last admiring glance +at himself in the mirror, twirled his mustaches, and departed on +his mission. He even went on foot, which was a concession to what +he considered M. de Coralth's absurd ideas. The aspect of the +Hotel d'Argeles, in the Rue de Berry, impressed him favorably, +but, at the same time, it somewhat disturbed his superb assurance. +"Everything is very stylish here," he muttered. + +A couple of servants--the concierge and Job--were standing at the +door engaged in conversation. M. Wilkie approached them, and in +his most imposing manner, but not without a slight tremble in his +voice, requested to see Madame d'Argeles. "Madame is in the +country," replied the concierge; "she will not return before this +evening. If monsieur will leave his card " + +"Oh! that's quite unnecessary. I shall be passing again." + +This, too, was in obedience to the instructions of M. de Coralth, +who had advised him not to send in his name, but to gain admission +into Madame d'Argeles's presence as speedily as possible, without +giving her time to prepare herself for the interview; and Wilkie +had ultimately decided that these precautions might not prove as +superfluous as he had at first supposed. But this first mishap +annoyed him extremely. What should he do? how should he kill time +till the evening? A cab was passing. He hired it for a drive to +the Bois, whence he returned to the boulevards, played a game of +billiards with one of the co-proprietors of Pompier de Nanterre, +and finally dined at the Cafe Riche, devoting as much time as +possible to the operation. He was finishing his coffee when the +clock struck eight. He caught up his hat, drew on his gloves, and +hastened to the Hotel d'Argeles again. + +"Madame has not yet returned," said the concierge, who knew that +his mistress had only just risen from her bed, "but I don't think +it will be long. And if monsieur wishes--" + +"No," replied M. Wilkie brusquely, and he was going off in a +furious passion, when, on crossing the street, he chanced to turn +his head and notice that the reception rooms were brilliantly +lighted up. "Ah! I think that a very shabby trick!" grumbled the +intelligent youth. "They won't succeed in playing that game on me +again. Why, she's there now!" + +It occurred to him that Madame d'Argeles had perhaps described him +to her servants, and had given them strict orders not to admit +him. "I'll find out if that is the case, even if I have to wait +here until to-morrow morning," he thought, angrily. However, he +had not been on guard very long, when he saw a brougham stop in +front of the mansion, whereupon the gate opened, as if by +enchantment. The vehicle entered the courtyard, deposited its +occupants, and drove away. A second carriage soon appeared, then +a third, and then five or six in quick succession. "And does she +think I'll wear out my shoe-leather here, while everybody else is +allowed to enter?" he grumbled. "Never!--I've an idea." And, +without giving himself time for further deliberation, he returned +to his rooms, arrayed himself in evening-dress, and sent for his +carriage. "You will drive to No.--in the Rue de Berry," he said. +"There is a soiree there, and you can drive directly into the +courtyard." The coachman obeyed, and M. Wilkie realized that his +idea was really an excellent one. + +As soon as he alighted, the doors were thrown open, and he +ascended a handsome staircase, heavily carpeted, and adorned with +flowers. Two liveried footmen were standing at the door of the +drawing-room, and one of them advanced to relieve Wilkie of his +overcoat, but his services were declined. "I don't wish to go +in," said the young man roughly. "I wish to speak with Madame +d'Argeles in private. She is expecting me--inform her. Here is +my card." + +The servant was hesitating, when Job, suspecting some mystery +perhaps, approached. "Take in the gentleman's card," he said, +with an air of authority; and, opening the door of a small room on +the left-hand side of the staircase, he invited Wilkie to enter, +saying, "If monsieur will be kind enough to take a seat, I will +summon madame at once." + +M. Wilkie sank into an arm-chair, considerably overcome. The air +of luxury that pervaded the entire establishment, the liveried +servants, the lights and flowers, all impressed him much more +deeply than he would have been willing to confess. And in spite +of his affected arrogance, he felt that the superb assurance which +was the dominant trait in his character was deserting him. In his +breast, moreover, in the place where physiologists locate the +heart, he felt certain extraordinary movements which strongly +resembled palpitations. For the first time it occurred to him +that this woman, whose peace he had come to destroy, was not only +the heiress of the Count de Chalusse's millions, but also his +mother, that is to say, the good fairy whose protection had +followed him everywhere since he entered the world. The thought +that he was about to commit an atrocious act entered his mind, but +he drove it away. It was too late now to draw back, or even to +reflect. + +Suddenly a door opposite the one by which he had entered opened, +and Madame d'Argeles appeared on the threshold. She was no longer +the woman whose anguish and terror had alarmed her guests. During +the brief moment of respite which fate had granted her, she had +summoned all her energy and courage, and had mastered her despair. +She felt that her salvation depended upon her calmness, and she +had succeeded in appearing calm, haughty, and disdainful--as +impassive as if she had been a statue. "Was it you, sir, who sent +me this card?" she inquired. + +Greatly disconcerted, M. Wilkie could only bow and stammer out an +almost unintelligible answer. "Excuse me! I am much grieved, upon +my word! I disturb you, perhaps----" + +"You are Monsieur Wilkie!" interrupted Madame d'Argeles, in a tone +of mingled irony and disdain. + +"Yes," he replied, drawling out the name affectedly, "I am M. +Wilkie." + +"Did you desire to speak with me?" inquired Madame d'Argeles, +dryly. + +"In fact--yes. I should like----" + +"Very well. I will listen to you, although your visit is most +inopportune, for I have eighty guests or more in my drawing-room. +Still, speak!" + +It was very easy to say "speak," but unfortunately for M. Wilkie +he could not articulate a syllable. His tongue was as stiff, and +as dry, as if it had been paralyzed. He nervously passed and +repassed his fingers between his neck and his collar, but although +this gave full play to his cravat, his words did not leave his +throat any more readily. For he had imagined that Madame +d'Argeles would be like other women he had known, but not at all. +He found her to be an extremely proud and awe-inspiring creature, +who, to use his own vocabulary, SQUELCHED him completely. "I +wished to say to you," he repeated, "I wished to say to you----" +But the words he was seeking would not come; and, so at last, +angry with himself, he exclaimed: "Ah! you know as well as I, why +I have come. Do you dare to pretend that you don't know?" + +She looked at him with admirably feigned astonishment, glanced +despairingly at the ceiling, shrugged her shoulders, and replied: +"Most certainly I don't know--unless indeed it be a wager." + +"A wager!" M. Wilkie wondered if he were not the victim of some +practical joke, and if there were not a crowd of listeners hidden +somewhere, who, after enjoying his discomfiture, would suddenly +make their appearance, holding their sides. This fear restored +his presence of mind. "Well, then," he replied, huskily, "this is +my reason. I know nothing respecting my parents. This morning, a +man with whom you are well acquainted, assured me that I was--your +son. I was completely stunned at first, but after a while I +recovered sufficiently to call here, and found that you had gone +out." + +He was interrupted by a nervous laugh from Madame d'Argeles. For +she was heroic enough to laugh, although death was in her heart, +and although the nails of her clinched hands were embedded deep in +her quivering flesh. "And you believed him, monsieur?" she +exclaimed. "Really, this is too absurd! I--your mother! Why, look +at me----" + +He was doing nothing else, he was watching her with all the powers +of penetration he possessed. Madame d'Argeles's laugh had an +unnatural ring that awakened his suspicions. All Coralth's +recommendations buzzed confusedly in his ears, and he judged that +the moment had come "to do the sentimental," as he would have +expressed it. So he lowered his head, and in an aggrieved tone, +exclaimed: "Ah! you think it very amusing, I don't. Do you +realize how wretched it makes one to live as utterly alone as a +leper, without a soul to love or care for you? Other young men +have a mother, sisters, relatives. I have no one! Ah! if---- But +I only have friends while my money lasts." He wiped his eyes, dry +as they were, with his handkerchief, and in a still more pathetic +tone, resumed: "Not that I want for anything; I receive a very +handsome allowance. But when my relatives have given me the +wherewithal to keep me from starving, they imagine their duty is +fulfilled. I think this very hard. I didn't come into the world +at my own request, did I? I didn't ask to be born. If I was such +an annoyance to them when I came into existence, why didn't they +throw me into the river? Then they would have been well rid of me, +and I should be out of my misery!" + +He stopped short, struck dumb with amazement, for Madame d'Argeles +had thrown herself on her knees at his feet. "Have mercy!" she +faltered; "Wilkie; my son, forgive me!" Alas! the unfortunate +woman had failed in playing a part which was too difficult for a +mother's heart. "You have suffered cruelly, my son," she +continued; "but I--I--Ah! you can't conceive the frightful agony +it costs a mother to separate from her child! But you were not +deserted, Wilkie; don't say that. Have you not felt my love in +the air around you? YOU forgotten? Know, then, that for years and +years I have seen you every day, and that all my thoughts and all +my hopes are centered in you alone! Wilkie!" + +She dragged herself toward him with her hands clasped in an agony +of supplication, while he recoiled, frightened by this outburst of +passion, and utterly amazed by his easily won victory. The poor +woman misunderstood this movement. "Great God!" she exclaimed, +"he spurns me; he loathes me. Ah! I knew it would be so. Oh! why +did you come? What infamous wretch sent you here? Name him, +Wilkie! Do you understand, now, why I concealed myself from you? I +dreaded the day when I should blush before you, before my own son. +And yet it was for your sake. Death would have been a rest, a +welcome release for me. But your breath was ebbing away, your +poor little arms no longer had strength to clasp me round the +neck. And then I cried: 'Perish my soul and body, if only my +child can be saved!' I believed such a sacrifice permissible in a +mother. I am punished for it as if it were a crime. I thought +you would be happy, my Wilkie. I said to myself that you, my +pride and joy, would move freely and proudly far above me and my +shame. I accepted ignominy, so that your honor might be preserved +intact. I knew the horrors of abject poverty, and I wished to +save my son from it. I would have licked up the very mire in your +pathway to save you from a stain. I renounced all hope for +myself, and I consecrated all that was noble and generous in my +nature to you. Oh! I will discover the vile coward who sent you +here, who betrayed my secret. I will discover him and I will have +my revenge! You were never to know this, Wilkie. In parting from +you, I took a solemn oath never to see you again, and to die +without the supreme consolation of feeling your lips upon my +forehead." + +She could not continue; sobs choked her utterance. And for more +than a minute the silence was so profound that one could hear the +sound of low conversation in the hall outside, the exclamations of +the players as they greeted each unexpected turn of luck, and +occasionally a cry of "Banco!" or "I stake one hundred louis!" +Standing silent and motionless near the window, Wilkie gazed with +consternation at Madame d'Argeles, his mother, who was crouching +in the middle of the room with her face hidden in her hands, and +sobbing as if her heart would break. He would willingly have +given his third share in Pompier de Nanterre to have made his +escape. The strangeness of the scene appalled him. It was not +emotion that he felt, but an instinctive fear mingled with +commiseration. And he was not only ill at ease, but he was angry +with himself for what he secretly styled his weakness. "Women are +incomprehensible," he thought. "It would be so easy to explain +things quietly and properly, but they must always cry and have a +sort of melodrama." + +Suddenly the sound of footsteps near the door roused him from his +stupor. He shuddered at the thought that some one might come in. +He hated the very idea of ridicule. So summoning all his courage +he went toward Madame d'Argeles, and, raising her from the floor, +he exclaimed: "Don't cry so. You grieve me, upon my word! Pray +get up. Some one is coming. Do you hear me? Some one is coming." +Thereupon, as she offered no resistance, he half led, half carried +her to an arm-chair, into which she sank heavily. "Now she is +going to faint!" thought Wilkie, in despair. What should he do? +Call for help? He dared not. However, necessity inspired him. He +knelt at Madame d'Argeles's feet, and gently said: "Come, come, be +reasonable! Why do you give way like this? I don't reproach you!" + +Slowly, with an air of humility which was indescribably touching, +she took her hands from her face, and for the first time raised +her tear-stained eyes to her son's. "Wilkie," she murmured. + +"Madame!" + +She heaved a deep sigh, and in a half-stifled voice: + +"MADAME!" she repeated. "Will you not call me mother?" + +"Yes, of course--certainly. But--only you know it will take me +some time to acquire the habit. I shall do so, of course; but I +shall have to get used to it, you know." + +"True, very true!--but tell me it is not mere pity that leads you +to make this promise? If you should hate me--if you should curse +me--how should I bear it! Ah! when a woman reaches the years of +understanding one should never cease repeating to her: 'Take care! +Your son will be twenty some day, and you will have to meet his +searching gaze. You will have to render an account of your honor +to him!' My God! If women thought of this, they would never sin. +To be reduced to such a state of abject misery that one dares not +lift one's head before one's own son! Alas! Wilkie, I know only +too well that you cannot help despising me." + +"No, indeed. Not at all! What an idea!" + +"Tell me that you forgive me!" + +"I do, upon my word I do." + +Poor woman, her face brightened. She so longed to believe him! +And her son was beside her, so near that she felt his breath upon +her cheek. It was he indeed. Had they ever been separated? She +almost doubted it, she had lived so near him in thought. It was +with a sort of ecstasy that she looked at him. There was a world +of entreaty in her eyes; they seemed to be begging a caress; she +raised her quivering lips to his, but he did not observe it. For +a long time she hesitated, fearing he might spurn her; but at +last, yielding to a supreme impulse, she threw her arms around his +neck, drew him toward her, and pressed him to her heart in a close +embrace. "My son! my son!" she repeated; "to have you with me +again, after all these years!" + +Unfortunately, no whirlwind of passion was capable of carrying M. +Wilkie beyond himself. His emotion was now spent and his mind had +regained its usual indifference. He flattered himself that he was +a man of mettle--and he remained as cold as ice beneath his +mother's kisses. Indeed, he barely tolerated them; and if he did +allow her to embrace him, it was only because he did not know how +to refuse. "Will she never have done?" he thought. "This is a +pretty state of things! I must be very attractive. How Costard +and Serpillon would laugh if they saw me now." Costard and +Serpillon were his intimate friends, the co-proprietors of the +famous steeplechaser. + +In her rapture, however, Madame d'Argeles did not observe the +peculiar expression on her son's face. She had compelled him to +take a chair opposite her, and, with nervous volubility, she +continued: "If I don't deny myself the happiness of embracing you +again, it is because I have not broken the vow I took never to +make myself known to you. When I entered this room, I was firmly +resolved to convince you, no matter how, that you had been +deceived. God knows that it was not my fault if I did not +succeed. There are some sacrifices that are above human +strength." + +M. Wilkie deigned to smile. "Oh! yes, I saw your little game," he +said, with a knowing air. "But I had been well posted, and +besides, it is not very easy to fool me." + +Madame d'Argeles did not even hear him. "Perhaps destiny is weary +of afflicting us," she continued; "perhaps a new life is about to +begin. Through you, Wilkie. I can again be happy. I, who for +years have lived without even hope. But will you have courage to +forget?" + +"What?" + +She hung her head, and in an almost inaudible voice replied, "The +past, Wilkie." + +But with an air of the greatest indifference, he snapped his +fingers, and exclaimed: "Nonsense! What is past is past. Such +things are soon forgotten. Paris has known many such cases. You +are my mother; I care very little for public opinion. I begin by +pleasing myself, and I consult other people afterward; and when +they are dissatisfied, I tell them to mind their own business." + +The poor woman listened to these words with a joy bordering on +rapture. One might have supposed that the strangeness of her +son's expressions would have surprised her--have enlightened her +in regard to his true character--but no. She only saw and +understood one thing--that he had no intention of casting her off, +but was indeed ready to devote himself to her. "My God!" she +faltered, "is this really true? Will you allow me to remain with +you? Oh, don't reply rashly! Consider well, before you promise to +make such a sacrifice. Think how much sorrow and pain it will +cost you." + +"I have considered. It is decided--mother." + +She sprang up, wild with hope and enthusiasm. "Then we are +saved!" she cried. "Blessed be he who betrayed my secret! And I +doubted your courage, my Wilkie! At last I can escape from this +hell! This very night we will fly from this house, without one +backward glance. I will never set foot in these rooms again--the +detested gamblers who are sitting here shall never see me again. +From this moment Lia d'Argeles is dead." + +M. Wilkie positively felt like a man who had just fallen from the +clouds. "What, fly?" he stammered. "Where shall we go, then?" + +"To a country where we are unknown, Wilkie--to a land where you +will not have to blush for your mother." + +"But--" + +"Trust yourself to me, my son. I know a pleasant village near +London where we can find a refuge. My connections in England are +such that you need not fear the obstacles one generally meets with +among foreigners. M. Patterson, who manages a large manufacturing +establishment, will, I know, be happy to be of service to us--but +we shall not be indebted to any one for long, now that you have +resolved to work." + +On hearing these words, M. Wilkie sprang up in dismay. "Excuse +me," he said, "I don't understand you. You propose to set me to +work in M. Patterson's factory? Well, to tell the truth, that +doesn't suit me at all." + +It was impossible to mistake M. Wilkie's manner, his tone, or +gesture. They revealed him in his true character. Madame +d'Argeles saw her terrible mistake at once. The bandage fell from +her eyes. She had taken her dreams for realities, and the desires +of her own heart for those of her son. She rose, trembling with +sorrow and with indignation. "Wilkie!" she exclaimed, "Wilkie, +wretched boy! what did you dare to hope?" + +And, without giving him time to reply, she continued: "Then it was +only idle curiosity that brought you here. You wished to know the +source of the money which you spend like water. Very well, you +may see for yourself. This is a gambling house; one of those +establishments frequented by distinguished personages, which the +police ignore, or which they cannot suppress. The hubbub you hear +is made by the players. Men are ruined here. Some poor wretches +have blown their brains out on leaving the house; others have +parted with the last vestige of honor here. And the business pays +me well. One louis out of every hundred that change hands falls +to my share. This is the source of your wealth, my son." + +This anger, which succeeded such deep grief--this outburst of +disdain, following such abject humility--considerably astonished +M. Wilkie. "Allow me to ask----" he began. + +But he was not allowed a hearing. "Fool!" continued Madame +d'Argeles, "did nothing warn you that in coming here you would +deprive yourself forever of the income you received? Did no inward +voice tell you that all would be changed when you compelled me, +Lia d'Argeles, to say, 'Well, yes, it is true; you are my son? ' +So long as you did not know who and what I was, I had a mother's +right to watch over you. I could help you without disgracing you, +without despising you. But now that you know me, and know what I +am, I can do nothing more for you--nothing! I would rather let you +starve than succor you, for I would rather see you dead than +dishonored by my money." + +"But--" + +"What! would you still consent to receive the allowance I have +made you, even if I consented to continue it?" + +Had a viper raised its head in M. Wilkie's path he would not have +recoiled more quickly. "Never!" he exclaimed. "Ah, no! What do +you take me for?" + +This repugnance was sincere; there could be no doubt of that, and +it seemed to give Madame d'Argeles a ray of hope. "I have +misjudged him," she thought. "Poor Wilkie! Evil advice has led +him astray; but he is not bad at heart. In that case, my poor +child," she said aloud, "you must see that a new life is about to +commence for you. What do you intend to do? How will you gain a +livelihood? People must have food, and clothes, and a roof to +shelter them. These things cost money. And where will you obtain +it--you who rebel at the very word work? Ah! if I had only +listened to M. Patterson. He was not blind like myself. He was +always telling me that I was spoiling you, and ruining your future +by giving you so much money. Do you know that you have spent more +than fifty thousand francs during the past two years? How have you +squandered them? Have you been to the law-school a dozen times? +No. But you can be seen at the races, at the opera, in the +fashionable restaurants, and at every place of amusement where a +young man can squander money. And who are your associates? +Dissipated and heartless idlers, grooms, gamblers, and abandoned +women." + +A sneer from M. Wilkie interrupted her. To think that any one +should dare to attack his friends, his tastes, and his pleasures. +Such a thing was not to be tolerated. "This is astonishing-- +astonishing, upon my word!" said he. "You moralizing! that's +really too good! I should like a few minutes to laugh; it is too +ridiculous!" + +Was he really conscious of the cruelty of his ironical words? The +blow was so terrible that Madame d'Argeles staggered beneath it. +She was prepared for anything and everything except this insult +from her son. Still, she accepted it without rebellion, although +it was in a tone of heart-broken anguish that she replied: +"Perhaps I have no right to tell you the truth. I hope the future +will prove that I am wrong. However, you are without resources, +and you have no profession. Pray Heaven that you may never know +what it is to be hungry and to have no bread." + +For some time already the ingenious young man had shown +unmistakable signs of impatience. This gloomy prediction +irritated him beyond endurance. + +"All this is empty talk," he interrupted. "I don't mean to work, +for it's not at all in my line. Still, I don't expect to want for +anything! That's plain enough, I hope." + +Madame d'Argeles did not wince. "What do you mean to do then?" +she asked, coldly. "I don't understand you." + +He shrugged his shoulders impatiently. "Are we to keep up this +farce for ever?" he petulantly exclaimed. "It doesn't take with +me. You know what I mean as well as I do. Why do you talk to me +about dying of starvation? What about the fortune?" + +"What fortune?" + +"Eh? why, my uncle's, of course! Your brother's, the Count de +Chalusse." + +Now M. Wilkie's visit, manner, assurance, wheedling, and +contradictions were all explained. That maternal confidence which +is so strong in the hearts of mothers vanished from Madame +d'Argeles's for ever. The depths of selfishness and cunning she +discerned in Wilkie's mind appalled her. She now understood why +he had declared himself ready to brave public opinion--why he had +proved willing to accept his share of the past ignominy. It was +not his mother's, but the Count de Chalusse's estate that he +claimed. "Ah! so you've heard of that," she said, in a tone of +bitter irony. And then, remembering M. Isidore Fortunat, she +asked: "Some one has sold you this valuable secret. How much have +you promised to pay him in case of success?" + +Although Wilkie prided himself on being very clever, he did not +pretend to be a diplomatist, and, indeed, he was greatly +disconcerted by this question; still, recovering himself, he +replied: "It doesn't matter how I obtained the information-- +whether I paid for it, or whether it cost me nothing--but I know +that you are a Chalusse, and that you are the heiress of the +count's property, which is valued at eight or ten millions of +francs. Do you deny it?" + +Madame d'Argeles sadly shook her head. "I deny nothing," she +replied, "but I am about to tell you something which will destroy +all your plans and extinguish your hopes. I am resolved, +understand, and my resolution is irrevocable, never to assert my +rights. To receive this fortune, I should be obliged to confess +that Lia d'Argeles is a Chalusse--and that is a confession which +no consideration whatever will wring from me." + +She imagined that this declaration would silence and discomfit +Wilkie, but she was mistaken. If he had been obliged to depend +upon himself he would perhaps have been conquered by it; but he +was armed with weapons which had been furnished by the cunning +viscount. So he shrugged his shoulders, and coolly replied: "In +that case we should remain poor, and the government would take +possession of our millions. One moment. I have something to say +in this matter. You may renounce your claim, but I shall not +renounce mine. I am your son, and I shall claim the property." + +"Even if I entreated you on my knees not to do so?" + +"Yes." + +Madame d'Argeles's eyes flashed. "Very well. I will show you +that this estate can never be yours. By what right will you lay +claim to it? Because you are my son? But I will deny that you are. +I will declare upon oath that you are nothing to me, and that I +don't even know you." + +But even this did not daunt Wilkie. He drew from his pocket a +scrap of paper, and flourishing it triumphantly, he exclaimed: "It +would be extremely cruel on your part to deny me, but I foresaw +such a contingency, and here is my answer, copied from the civil +code: 'Article 341. Inquiry as to maternity allowed, etc., etc.'" + +What the exact bearing of Wilkie's threat might be Madame +d'Argeles did not know. But she felt that this Article 341 would +no doubt destroy her last hope; for the person who had chosen this +weapon from the code to place it in Wilkie's hand must have chosen +it carefully. She understood the situation perfectly. With her +experience of life, she could not fail to understand the +despicable part Wilkie was playing. And though it was not her son +who had conceived this odious plot, it was more than enough to +know that he had consented to carry it into execution. Should she +try to persuade Wilkie to abandon this shameful scheme? She might +have done so if she had not been so horrified by the utter want of +principle which she had discovered in his character. But, under +the circumstances, she realized that any effort in this direction +would prove unavailing. So it was purely from a sense of duty and +to prevent her conscience from reproaching her that she exclaimed: +"So you will apply to the courts in order to constrain me to +acknowledge you as my son?" + +"If you are not reasonable----" + +"That is to say, you care nothing for the scandal that will be +created by such a course. In order to prove yourself a member of +the Chalusse family you will begin by disgracing the name and +dragging it through the mire." + +Wilkie had no wish to prolong this discussion. So much talk about +an affair, which, in his opinion, at least, was an extremely +simple one, seemed to him utterly ridiculous, and irritated him +beyond endurance. "It strikes me this is much ado about nothing," +he remarked. "One would suppose, to hear you talk, that you were +the greatest criminal in the world. Goodness is all very well in +its way, but there is such a thing as having too much of it! Break +loose from this life to-morrow, assume your rightful name, install +yourself at the Hotel de Chalusse, and in a week from now no one +will remember that you were once known as Lia d'Argeles. I wager +one hundred louis on it. Why, if people attempted to rake up the +past life of their acquaintances, they should have far too much to +do. Folks do not trouble themselves as to whether a person has +done this or that; the essential thing is to have plenty of money. +And if any fool speaks slightingly of you, you can reply: 'I have +an income of five hundred thousand francs,' and he'll say no +more." + +Madame d'Argeles listened, speechless with horror and disgust. +Was it really her son who was speaking in this style, and to her +of all people in the world? M. Wilkie misunderstood her silence. +He had an excellent opinion of himself, but he was rather +surprised at the effect of his eloquence. "Besides, I'm tired of +vegetating, and having only one name," he continued. "I want to +be on the move. Even with the small allowance I've had, I have +gained a very good position in society; and if I had plenty of +money I should be the most stylish man in Paris. The count's +estate belongs to me, and so I must have it--in fact, I will have +it. So believe me when I tell you that it will be much better for +you if you acknowledge me without any fuss! Now, will you do so? +No? Once, twice, three times? Is it still no? Very well then; to- +morrow, then, you may expect an official notice. I wish you good- +evening." + +He bowed; he was really going, for his hand was already on the +door-knob. But Madame d'Argeles detained him with a gesture. +"One word more," she said, in a voice hoarse with emotion. + +He scarcely deigned to come back, and he made no attempt to +conceal his impatience. "Well, what is it?" he asked, hastily. + +"I wish to give you a bit of parting advice. The court will +undoubtedly decide in your favor; I shall be placed in possession +of my brother's estate; but neither you nor I will have the +disposal of these millions." + +"Why?" + +"Because, though this fortune belongs to me, the control of it +belongs to your father." + +M. Wilkie was thunderstruck. "To my father?" he exclaimed. +"Impossible!" + +"It is so, however; and you would not have been ignorant of the +fact, if your greed for money had not made you forget to question +me. You believe yourself an illegitimate child. Wilkie, you are +mistaken. You are my legitimate child. I am a married woman----" + +"Bah!" + +"And my husband--your father--is not dead. If he is not here now, +threatening our safety, it is because I have succeeded in eluding +him. He lost all trace of us eighteen years ago. Since then he +has been constantly striving to discover us, but in vain. He is +still watching, you may be sure of that; and as soon as there is +any talk of a law-suit respecting the Chalusse property, you will +see him appear, armed with his rights. He is the head of the +family--your master and mine. Ah! this seems to disturb you. You +will find him full of insatiable greed for wealth, a greed which +has been whetted by twenty years' waiting. You may yet see the +day when you will regret the paltry twenty thousand francs a year +formerly given you by your poor mother." + +Wilkie's face was whiter than his shirt. "You are deceiving me," +he stammered. + +"To-morrow I will show you my marriage certificate." + +"Why not this evening?" + +"Because it is locked up in a room which is now full of people." + +"And what was my father's name?" + +"Arthur Gordon--he is an American." + +"Then my name is Wilkie Gordon?" + +"Yes." + +"And---is my father rich?" he inquired. + +"No." + +"What does he do?" + +"Everything that a man can do when he has a taste for luxury and a +horror for work." + +This reply was so explicit in its brevity, and implied so many +terrible accusations, that Wilkie was dismayed. "The devil!" he +exclaimed, "and where does he live!" + +"He lives at Baden or Homburg in the summer; in Paris or at Monaco +in the winter." + +"Oh! oh! oh!" ejaculated Wilkie, in three different tones. He +knew what he had to expect from such a father as that. Anger now +followed stupor--one of those terrible, white rages which stir the +bile and not the blood. He saw his hopes and his cherished +visions fade. Luxury and notoriety, high-stepping horses, yellow- +haired mistresses, all vanished. He pictured himself reduced to a +mere pittance, and held in check and domineered over by a brutal +father. "Ah! I understand your game," he hissed through his set +teeth. "If you would only quietly assert your rights, everything +could be arranged privately, and I should have time to put the +property out of my father's reach before he could claim it. +Instead of doing that--as you hate me--you compel me to make the +affair public, so that my father will hear of it and defraud me of +everything. But you won't play this trick on me. You are going +to write at once, and make known your claim to your brother's +estate." + +"No." + +"Ah! you won't? You refuse----" He approached threateningly, and +caught hold of her arm. "Take care!" he vociferated; "take care! +Do not infuriate me beyond endurance----" + +As cold and rigid as marble, Madame d'Argeles faced him with the +undaunted glance of a martyr whose spirit no violence can subdue. +"You will obtain nothing from me," she said, firmly; "nothing, +nothing, nothing!" + +Maddened with rage and disappointment, M. Wilkie dared to lift his +hand as if about to strike her. But at this moment the door was +flung open, and a man sprang upon him. It was Baron Trigault. + +Like the other guests, the baron had seen the terrible effect +produced upon Madame d'Argeles by a simple visiting card. But he +had this advantage over the others: he thought he could divine and +explain the reason of this sudden, seemingly incomprehensible +terror. "The poor woman has been betrayed," he thought; "her son +is here!" Still, while the other players crowded around their +hostess, he did not leave the card-table. He was sitting opposite +M. de Coralth, and he had seen the dashing viscount start and +change color. His suspicions were instantly aroused, and he +wished to verify them. He therefore pretended to be more than +ever absorbed in the cards, and swore lustily at the deserters who +had broken up the game. "Come back, gentleman, come back," he +cried, angrily. "We are wasting precious time. While you have +been trifling there, I might have gained--or lost--a hundred +louis." + +He was nevertheless greatly alarmed, and the prolonged absence of +Madame d'Argeles increased his fears each moment. At the end of +an hour he could restrain himself no longer. So taking advantage +of a heavy loss, he rose from the table, swearing that the beastly +turmoil of a few moments before had changed the luck. Then +passing into the adjoining drawing-room, he managed to make his +escape unobserved. "Where is madame?" he inquired of the first +servant he met. + +"In the little sitting-room." + +"Alone?" + +"No; a young gentleman is with her." + +The baron no longer doubted the correctness of his conjectures, +and his disquietude increased. Quickly, and as if he had been in +his own house, he hastened to the door of the little sitting-room +and listened. At that moment rage was imparting a truly frightful +intonation to M. Wilkie's voice. The baron really felt alarmed. +He stooped, applied his eye to the keyhole, and seeing M. Wilkie +with his hand uplifted, he burst open the door and went in. He +arrived only just in time to fell Wilkie to the floor, and save +Madame d'Argeles from that most terrible of humiliations: the +degradation of being struck by her own son. "Ah, you rascal!" +cried the worthy baron, transported with indignation, "you +beggarly rascal! you brigand! Is this the way you treat an +unfortunate woman who has sacrificed herself for you--your mother? +You try to strike your mother, when you ought to kiss her very +footprints!" + +As livid as if his blood had been suddenly turned to gall--with +quivering lips and eyes starting from their sockets--M. Wilkie +rose, with difficulty, to his feet, at the same time rubbing his +left elbow which had struck against the corner of a piece of +furniture, in his fall. "Scoundrel! You brutal scoundrel!" he +growled, ferociously. And then, retreating a step: "Who gave you +permission to come in here?" he added. "Who are you? By what +right do you meddle with my affairs?" + +"By the right that every honest man possesses to chastise a +cowardly rascal." + +M. Wilkie shook his fist at the baron. "You are a coward +yourself," he retorted. "You had better learn who you are talking +to! You must mend your manners a little, you old----" + +The word he uttered was so vile that no man could fail to resent +it, much less the baron, who was already frantic with passion. +His faced turned as purple as if he were stricken with apoplexy, +and such furious rage gleamed in his eyes that Madame d'Argeles +was frightened. She feared she should see her son butchered +before her very eyes, and she extended her arms as if to protect +him. "Jacques," she said beseechingly, "Jacques!" + +This was the name which was indelibly impressed upon Wilkie's +memory--the name he had heard when he was but a child. Jacques-- +that was the name of the man who had brought him cakes and toys in +the comfortable rooms where he had remained only a few days. He +understood, or at least he thought he understood, everything. +"Ah, ha!" he exclaimed, with a laugh that was at once both +ferocious and idiotic. "This is very fine--monsieur is the lover. +He has the say here--he--" + +He did not have time to finish his sentence, for quick as thought +the baron caught him by the collar, lifted him from the ground +with irresistible strength, and flung him on his knees at Madame +d'Argeles's feet, exclaiming: "Ask her pardon, you vile wretch! +Ask her pardon, or----" "Or" meant the baron's clinched fist +descending like a sledge-hammer on M. Wilkie's head. + +The worthy youth was frightened--so terribly frightened that his +teeth chattered. "Pardon!" he faltered. + +"Louder--speak up better than that. Your mother must answer you!" + +Alas! the poor woman could no longer hear. She had endured so +much during the past hour that her strength was exhausted, and she +had fallen back in her arm-chair in a deep swoon. The baron +waited for a moment, and seeing that her eyes remained obstinately +closed, he exclaimed: "This is your work, wretch!" + +And lifting him again, as easily as if he had been a child, he set +him on his feet, saying in a calmer tone, but in one that admitted +of no reply: "Arrange your clothes and go." + +This advice was not unnecessary. Baron Trigault had a powerful +hand; and M. Wilkie's attire was decidedly the worse for the +encounter. He had lost his cravat, his shirt-front was crumpled +and torn, and his waistcoat--one of those that open to the waist +and are fastened by a single button--hung down in the most +dejected manner. He obeyed the baron's order without a word, but +not without considerable difficulty, for his hands trembled like a +leaf. When he had finished, the baron exclaimed: "Now be off; and +never set foot here again--understand me--never set foot here +again, never!" + +M. Wilkie made no reply until he reached the door leading into the +hall. But when he had opened it, he suddenly regained his powers +of speech. "I'm not afraid of you," he cried, with frantic +violence. "You have taken advantage of your superior strength-- +you are a coward. But this shall not end here. No!--you shall +answer for it. I shall find your address, and to-morrow you will +receive a visit from my friends M. Costard and M. Serpillon. I am +the insulted party--and I choose swords!" + +A frightful oath from the baron somewhat hastened M. Wilkie's +exit. He went out into the hall, and holding the door open, in a +way that would enable him to close it at the shortest notice, he +shouted back, so as to be heard by all the servants: "Yes; I will +have satisfaction. I will not stand such treatment. Is it any +fault of mine that Madame d'Argeles is a Chalusse, and that she +wishes to defraud me of my fortune. To-morrow, I call you all to +witness, there will be a lawyer here. You don't frighten me. +Here is my card!" And actually, before he closed the door, he +threw one of his cards into the middle of the room. + +The baron did not trouble himself to pick it up; his attention was +devoted to Madame d'Argeles. She was lying back in her arm-chair, +white, motionless and rigid, to all appearance dead. What should +the baron do? He did not wish to call the servants; they had heard +too much already--but he had almost decided to do so, when his +eyes fell upon a tiny aquarium, in a corner of the room. He +dipped his handkerchief in it; and alternately bathed Madame +d'Argeles's temples and chafed her hands. It was not long before +the cold water revived her. She trembled, a convulsive shudder +shook her from head to foot, and at last she opened her eyes, +murmuring: "Wilkie!" + +"I have sent him away," replied the baron. + +Poor woman! with returning life came the consciousness of the +terrible reality. "He is my son!" she moaned, "my son, my +Wilkie!" Then with a despairing gesture she pressed her hands to +her forehead as if to calm its throbbings. "And I believed that +my sin was expiated," she pursued. "I thought I had been +sufficiently punished. Fool that I was! This is my chastisement, +Jacques. Ah! women like me have no right to be mothers!" + +A burning tear coursed down the baron's cheek; but he concealed +his emotion as well as he could, and said, in a tone of assumed +gayety: "Nonsense! Wilkie is young--he will mend his ways! We were +all ridiculous when we were twenty. We have all caused our +mothers many anxious nights. Time will set everything to rights, +and put some ballast in this young madcap's brains. Besides, your +friend Patterson doesn't seem to me quite free from blame. In +knowledge of books, he may have been unequalled; but as a guardian +for youth, he must have been the worst of fools. After keeping +your son on a short allowance for years, he suddenly gorges him +with oats--or I should say, money--lets him loose; and then seems +surprised because the boy is guilty of acts of folly. It would be +a miracle if he were not. So take courage, and hope for the best, +my dear Lia." + +She shook her head despondingly. "Do you suppose that my heart +hasn't pleaded for him?" she said. "I am his mother; I can never +cease to love him, whatever he may do. Even now I am ready to +give a drop of blood for each tear I can save him. But I am not +blind; I have read his nature. Wilkie has no heart." + +"Ah! my dear friend, how do you know what shameful advice he may +have received before coming to you?" + +Madame d'Argeles half rose, and said, in an agitated voice: "What! +you try to make me believe that? 'Advice!' Then he must have found +a man who said to him: 'Go to the house of this unfortunate woman +who gave you birth, and order her to publish her dishonor and +yours. If she refuses, insult and beat her! 'You know, even +better than I, baron, that this is impossible. In the vilest +natures, and when every other honorable feeling has been lost, +love for one's mother survives. Even convicts deprive themselves +of their wine, and sell their rations, in order to send a trifle +now and then to their mothers--while he----" + +She paused, not because she shrunk from what she was about to say, +but because she was exhausted and out of breath. She rested for a +moment, and then resumed in a calmer tone: "Besides, the person +who sent him here had counselled coolness and prudence. I +discovered this at once. It was only toward the close of the +interview, and after an unexpected revelation from me, that he +lost all control over himself. The thought that he would lose my +brother's millions crazed him. Oh! that fatal and accursed money! +Wilkie's adviser wished him to employ legal means to obtain an +acknowledgment of his parentage; and he had copied from the Code a +clause which is applicable to this case. By this one circumstance +I am convinced that his adviser is a man of experience in such +matters--in other words, the business agent----" + +"What business agent?" inquired the baron. + +"The person who called here the other day, M. Isidore Fortunat. +Ah! why didn't I not bribe him to hold his peace?" + +The baron had entirely forgotten the existence of Victor Chupin's +honorable employer. "You are mistaken, Lia," he replied. "M. +Fortunat has had no hand in this." + +"Then who could have betrayed my secret?" + +"Why, your former ally, the rascal for whose sake you allowed +Pascal Ferailleur to be sacrificed--the Viscount de Coralth!" + +The bare supposition of such treachery on the viscount's part +brought a flush of indignant anger to Madame d'Argeles's cheek. +"Ah! if I thought that!" she exclaimed. And then, remembering +what reasons the baron had for hating M. de Coralth, she murmured: +"No! Your animosity misleads you--he wouldn't dare!" + +The baron read her thoughts. "So you are persuaded that it is +personal vengeance that I am pursuing?" said he. "You think that +fear of ridicule and public odium prevents me from striking M. de +Coralth in my own name, and that I am endeavoring to find some +other excuse to crush him. This might have been so once; but it +is not the case now. When I promised M. Ferailleur to do all in +my power to save the young girl he loves, Mademoiselle Marguerite, +my wife's daughter, I renounced all thought of self, all my former +plans. And why should you doubt Coralth's treachery? You, +yourself, promised me to unmask HIM. If he has betrayed YOU, my +poor Lia, he has only been a little in advance of you." + +She hung her head and made no reply. She had forgotten this. + +"Besides," continued the baron, "you ought to know that when I +make such a statement I have some better foundation for it than +mere conjecture. It was to some purpose that I watched M. de +Coralth during your absence. When the servant handed you that +card he turned extremely pale. Why? Because he knew whose card it +was. After you left the room his hands trembled like leaves, and +his mind was no longer occupied with the game. He--who is usually +such a cautious player--risked his money recklessly. When the +cards came to him he did still worse; and though luck favored him, +he made the strangest blunders, and lost. His agitation and +preoccupation were so marked as to attract attention; and one +acquaintance laughingly inquired if he were ill, while another +jestingly remarked that he had dined and wined a little too much. +The traitor was evidently on coals of fire. I could see the +perspiration on his forehead, and each time the door opened or +shut, he changed color, as if he expected to see you and Wilkie +enter. A dozen times I surprised him listening eagerly, as if by +dint of attention, or by the magnetic force of his will, he hoped +to hear what you and your son were saying. With a single word I +could have wrung a confession from him." + +This explanation was so plausible that Madame d'Argeles felt half +convinced. "Ah! if you had only spoken that word!" she murmured. +The baron smiled a crafty and malicious smile, which would have +chilled M. de Coralth's very blood if he had chanced to see it. +"I am not so stupid!" he replied. "We mustn't frighten the fish +till we are quite ready. Our net is the Chalusse estate, and +Coralth and Valorsay will enter it of their own accord. It is not +my plan, but M. Ferailleur's. There's a man for you! and if +Mademoiselle Marguerite is worthy of him they will make a noble +pair. Without suspecting it, your son has perhaps rendered us an +important service this evening--" + +"Alas!" faltered Madame d'Argeles, "I am none the less ruined--the +name of Chalusse is none the less dishonored!" + +She wanted to return to the drawing-room; but she was compelled to +relinquish this idea. The expression of her face betrayed too +plainly the terrible ordeal she had passed through. The servants +had heard M. Wilkie's parting words; and news of this sort flies +about with the rapidity of lightning. That very night, indeed, it +was currently reported at the clubs that there would be no more +card-playing at the d'Argeles establishment, as that lady was a +Chalusse, and consequently the aunt of the beautiful young girl +whom M. and Madame de Fondege had taken under their protection. + + + +VIII. + + + +Unusual strength of character, unbounded confidence in one's own +energy, with thorough contempt of danger, and an invincible +determination to triumph or perish, are all required of the person +who, like Mademoiselle Marguerite, intrusts herself to the care of +strangers--worse yet, to the care of actual enemies. It is no +small matter to place yourself in the power of smooth-tongued +hypocrites and impostors, who are anxious for your ruin, and whom +you know to be capable of anything. And the task is a mighty one-- +to brave unknown dangers, perilous seductions, perfidious +counsels, and perhaps even violence, at the same time retaining a +calm eye and smiling lips. Yet such was the heroism that +Marguerite, although scarcely twenty, displayed when she left the +Hotel de Chalusse to accept the hospitality of the Fondege family. +And, to crown all, she took Madame Leon with her--Madame Leon, +whom she knew to be the Marquis de Valorsay's spy. + +But, brave as she was, when the moment of departure came her heart +almost failed her. There was despair in the parting glance she +cast upon the princely mansion and the familiar faces of the +servants. And there was no one to encourage or sustain her. Ah, +yes! standing at a window on the second floor, with his forehead +pressed close against the pane of glass, she saw the only friend +she had in the world--the old magistrate who had defended, +encouraged, and sustained her--the man who had promised her his +assistance and advice, and prophesied ultimate success. + +"Shall I be a coward?" she thought; "shall I be unworthy of +Pascal?" And she resolutely entered the carriage, mentally +exclaiming: "The die is cast!" + +The General insisted that she should take a place beside Madame de +Fondege on the back seat; while he found a place next to Madame +Leon on the seat facing them. The drive was a silent and tedious +one. The night was coming on; it was a time when all Paris was on +the move, and the carriage was delayed at each street corner by a +crowd of passing vehicles. The conversation was solely kept alive +by the exertions of Madame de Fondege, whose shrill voice rose +above the rumble of the wheels, as she chronicled the virtues of +the late Count de Chalusse, and congratulated Mademoiselle +Marguerite on the wisdom of her decision. Her remarks were of a +commonplace description, and yet each word she uttered evinced +intense satisfaction, almost delight, as if she had won some +unexpected victory. Occasionally, the General leaned from the +carriage window to see if the vehicle laden with Mademoiselle +Marguerite's trunks was following them, but he said nothing. + +At last they reached his residence in the Rue Pigalle. He +alighted first, offered his hand successively to his wife, +Mademoiselle Marguerite, and Madame Leon, and motioned the +coachman to drive away. + +But the man did not stir. "Pardon--excuse me, monsieur," he said, +"but my employers bade--requested me----" + +"What?" + +"To ask you--you know, for the fare--thirty-five francs--not +counting the little gratuity." + +"Very well!--I will pay you to-morrow." + +"Excuse me, monsieur; but if it is all the same to you, would you +do so this evening? My employer said that the bill had been +standing a long time already." + +"What, scoundrel!" + +But Madame de Fondege, who was on the point of entering the house, +suddenly stepped back, and drawing out her pocketbook, exclaimed: +"That's enough! Here are thirty-five francs." + +The man went to his carriage lamp to count the money, and seeing +that he had the exact amount--"And my gratuity?" he asked. + +"I give none to insolent people," replied the General. + +"You should take a cab if you haven't money enough to pay for +coaches," replied the driver with an oath. "I'll be even with you +yet." + +Marguerite heard no more, for Madame de Fondege caught her by the +arm and hurried her up the staircase, saying: "Quick! we must make +haste. Your baggage is here already, and we must see if the rooms +I intended for you--for you and your companion--suit you." + +When Marguerite reached the second floor, Madame de Fondege hunted +in her pocket for her latch-key. Not finding it, she rang. A +tall man-servant of impudent appearance and arrayed in a glaring +livery opened the door, carrying an old battered iron candlestick, +in which a tiny scrap of candle was glaring and flickering. +"What!" exclaimed Madame de Fondege, "the reception-room not +lighted yet? This is scandalous! What have you been doing in my +absence? Come, make haste. Light the lamp. Tell the cook that I +have some guests to dine with me. Call my maid. See that M. +Gustave's room is in order. Go down and see if the General +doesn't need your assistance about the baggage." + +Finding it difficult to choose between so many contradictory +orders, the servant did not choose at all. He placed his rusty +candlestick on one of the side-tables in the reception-room, and +gravely, without saying a single word, went out into the passage +leading to the kitchen. "Evariste!" cried Madame de Fondege, +crimson with anger, "Evariste, you insolent fellow!" + +As he deigned no reply, she rushed out in pursuit of him. And +soon the sound of a violent altercation arose; the servant +lavishing insults upon his mistress, and she unable to find any +response, save, "I dismiss you; you are an insolent scamp--I +dismiss you." + +Madame Leon, who was standing near Mademoiselle Marguerite in the +reception-room, seemed greatly amused. "This is a strange +household," said she. "A fine beginning, upon my word." + +But the worthy housekeeper was the last person on earth to whom +Mademoiselle Marguerite wished to reveal her thoughts. "Hush, +Leon," she replied. "We are the cause of all this disturbance, +and I am very sorry for it." + +The retort that rose to the housekeeper's lips was checked by the +return of Madame de Fondege, followed by a servant-girl with a +turn-up nose, a pert manner, and who carried a lighted candle in +her hand. + +"How can I apologize, madame," began Mademoiselle Marguerite, "for +all the trouble I am giving you?" + +"Ah! my dear child, I've never been so happy. Come, come, and see +your room." And while they crossed several scantily-furnished +apartments, Madame de Fondege continued: "It is I who ought to +apologize to you. I fear you will pine for the splendors of the +Hotel de Chalusse. We are not millionaires like your poor father. +We have only a modest competence, no more. But here we are!" + +The maid had opened a door, and Mademoiselle Marguerite entered a +good-sized room lighted by two windows, hung with soiled wall +paper, and adorned with chintz curtains, from which the sun had +extracted most of the coloring. Everything was in disorder here, +and in fact, the whole room was extremely dirty. The bed was not +made, the washstand was dirty, some woollen stockings were hanging +over the side of the rumpled bed, and on the mantel-shelf stood an +ancient clock, an empty beer bottle, and some glasses. On the +floor, on the furniture, in the corners, everywhere in fact, +stumps of cigars were scattered in profusion, as if they had +positively rained down. + +"What!" gasped Madame de Fondege, "you haven't put this room in +order, Justine?" + +"Indeed, madame, I haven't had time." + +"But it's more than a month since M. Gustave slept here?" + +"I know it; but madame must remember that I have been very much +hurried this last month, having to do all the washing and ironing +since the laundress----" + +"That's sufficient," interrupted Madame de Fondege. And turning +to Marguerite, she said: "You will, I am sure, excuse this +disorder, my dear child. By this time to-morrow the room shall be +transformed into one of those dainty nests of muslin and flowers +which young girls delight in." + +Connected with this apartment, which was known to the household as +the lieutenant's room, there was a much smaller chamber lighted +only by a single window, and originally intended for a dressing- +room. It had two doors, one of them communicating with +Marguerite's room, and the other with the passage; and it was now +offered to Madame Leon, who on comparing these quarters with the +spacious suite of rooms she had occupied at the Hotel de Chalusse, +had considerable difficulty in repressing a grimace. Still she +did not hesitate nor even murmur. M. de Valorsay's orders bound +her to Marguerite, and she deemed it fortunate that she was +allowed to follow her. And whether the marquis succeeded or not, +he had promised her a sufficiently liberal reward to compensate +for all personal discomfort. So, in the sweetest of voices, and +with a feigned humility of manner, she declared this little room +to be even much too good for a poor widow whose misfortunes had +compelled her to abdicate her position in society. + +The attentions which M. and Madame de Fondege showed her +contributed not a little to her resignation. Without knowing +exactly what the General and his wife expected from Mademoiselle +Marguerite, she was shrewd enough to divine that they hoped to +gain some important advantage. Now her "dear child" had declared +her to be a trusted friend, who was indispensable to her existence +and comfort. "So these people will pay assiduous court to me," +she thought. And being quite ready to play a double part as the +spy of the Marquis de Valorsay, and the Fondege family, and quite +willing to espouse the latter's cause should that prove to be the +more remunerative course, she saw a long series of polite +attentions and gifts before her. + +That very evening her prophecies were realized; and she received a +proof of consideration which positively delighted her. It was +decided that she should take her meals at the family table, a +thing which had never happened at the Hotel de Chalusse. +Mademoiselle Marguerite raised a few objections, which Madame Leon +answered with a venomous look, but Madame de Fondege insisted upon +the arrangement, not understanding, she said, graciously, why they +need deprive themselves of the society of such an agreeable and +distinguished person. Madame Leon in no wise doubted but this +favor was due to her merit alone, but Mademoiselle Marguerite, who +was more discerning, saw that their hostess was really furious at +the idea, but was compelled to submit to it by the imperious +necessity of preventing Madame Leon from coming in contact with +the servants, who might make some decidedly compromising +disclosures. For there were evidently many little mysteries and +make-shifts to be concealed in this household. For instance, +while the servants were carrying the luggage upstairs, Marguerite +discovered Madame de Fondege and her maid in close consultation, +whispering with that volubility which betrays an unexpected and +pressing perplexity. What were they talking about? She listened +without any compunctions of conscience, and the words "a pair of +sheets," repeated again and again, furnished her with abundant +food for reflection. "Is it possible," she thought, "that they +have no sheets to give us?" + +It did not take her long to discover the maid's opinion of the +establishment in which she served; for while she brandished her +broom and duster, this girl, exasperated undoubtedly by the +increase of work she saw in store for her, growled and cursed the +old barrack where one was worked to death, where one never had +enough to eat, and where the wages were always in arrears. +Mademoiselle Marguerite was doing her best to aid the maid, who +was greatly surprised to find this handsome, queenly young lady so +obliging, when Evariste, the same who had received warning an hour +before, made his appearance, and announced in an insolent tone +that "Madame la Comtesse was served." + +For Madame de Fondege exacted this title. She had improvised it, +as her husband had improvised his title of General, and without +much more difficulty. By a search in the family archives she had +discovered--so she declared to her intimate friends--that she was +the descendant of a noble family, and that one of her ancestors +had held a most important position at the court of Francis I. or +of Louis XII. Indeed, she sometimes confounded them. However, +people who had not known her father, the wood merchant, saw +nothing impossible in the statements. + +Evariste was dressed as a butler should be dressed when he +announces dinner to a person of rank. In the daytime when he +discharged the duties of footman, he was gorgeous in gold lace; +but in the evening, he arrayed himself in severe black, such as is +appropriate to the butler of an aristocratic household. +Immediately after his announcement everybody repaired to the +sumptuous dining-room which, with its huge side-boards, loaded +with silver and rare china, looked not unlike a museum. Such was +the display, indeed, that when Mademoiselle Marguerite took a seat +at the table, between the General and his wife, and opposite +Madame Leon, she asked herself if she had not been the victim of +that dangerous optical delusion known as prejudice. She noticed +that the supply of knives and forks was rather scanty; but many +economical housewives keep most of their silver under lock and +key; besides the china was very handsome and marked with the +General's monogram, surmounted by his wife's coronet. + +However, the dinner was badly cooked and poorly served. One might +have supposed it to be a scullery maid's first attempt. Still the +General devoured it with delight. He partook ravenously of every +dish, a flush rose to his cheeks, and an expression of profound +satisfaction was visible upon his countenance. "From this," +thought Mademoiselle Marguerite, "I must infer that he usually +goes hungry, and that this seems a positive feast to him." In +fact, he seemed bubbling over with contentment. He twirled his +mustaches a la Victor Emmanuel, and rolled his "r," as he said, +"Sacr-r-r-r-r-e bleu!" even more ferociously than usual. It was +only by a powerful effort that he restrained himself from +indulging in various witticisms which would have been most +unseemly in the presence of a poor girl who had just lost her +father and all her hopes of fortune. But he did forget himself so +much as to say that the drive to the cemetery had whetted his +appetite, and to address his wife as Madame Range-a-bord, a title +which had been bestowed upon her by a sailor brother. + +Crimson with anger to the very roots of her coarse, sandy hair-- +amazed to see her husband deport himself in this style, and almost +suffocated by the necessity of restraining her wrath, Madame de +Fondege was heroic enough to smile, though her eyes flashed +ominously. But the General was not at all dismayed. On the +contrary, he cared so little for his wife's displeasure that, when +the dessert was served, he turned to the servant, and, with a wink +that Mademoiselle Marguerite noticed, "Evariste," he ordered, "go +to the wine-cellar, and bring me a bottle of old Bordeaux." + +The valet, who had just received a week's notice, was only too +glad of an opportunity for revenge. So with a malicious smile, +and in a drawling tone, he replied: "Then monsieur must give me +the money. Monsieur knows very well that neither the grocer nor +the wine-merchant will trust him any longer." + +M. de Fondege rose from the table, looking very pale; but before +he had time to utter a word, his wife came to the rescue. "You +know, my dear, that I don't trust the key of my cellar to this +lad. Evariste, call Justine." + +The pert-looking chambermaid appeared, and her mistress told her +where she would find the key of the famous cellar. About a +quarter of an hour afterward, one of those bottles which grocers +and wine-merchants prepare for the benefit of credulous customers +was brought in--a bottle duly covered with dust and mould to give +it a venerable appearance, and festooned with cobwebs, such as the +urchins of Paris collect and sell at from fifteen sous to two +francs a pound, according to quality. But the Bordeaux did not +restore the General's equanimity. He was silent and subdued; and +his relief was evident when, after the coffee had been served, his +wife exclaimed: "We won't keep you from your club, my dear. I +want a chat with our dear child." + +Since she dismissed the General so unceremoniously, Madame de +Fondege evidently wished for a tete-a-tete with Mademoiselle +Marguerite. At least Madame Leon thought so, or feigned to think +so, and addressing the young girl, she said: "I shall be obliged +to leave you for a couple of hours, my dear young lady. My +relatives would never forgive me if I did not inform them of my +change of residence." + +This was the first time since she had been engaged by the Count de +Chalusse, that the estimable "companion" had ever made any direct +allusion to her relatives, and what is more, to relatives residing +in Paris. She had previously only spoken of them in general +terms, giving people to understand that her relatives had not been +unfortunate like herself--that they still retained their exalted +rank, though she had fallen, and that she found it difficult to +decline the favors they longed to heap upon her. + +However, Mademoiselle Marguerite evinced no surprise. "Go at once +and inform your relatives, my dear Leon," she said, without a +shade of sarcasm in her manner. "I hope they won't be offended by +your devotion to me." But in her secret heart, she thought: "This +hypocrite is going to report to the Marquis de Valorsay, and these +relatives of hers will furnish her with excuses for future visits +to him." + +The General went off, the servants began to clear the table, and +Mademoiselle Marguerite followed her hostess to the drawing-room. +It was a lofty and spacious apartment, lighted by three windows, +and even more sumptuous in its appointments than the dining-room. +Furniture, carpets, and hangings, were all in rather poor taste, +perhaps, but costly, very costly. As the evening was a cold one, +Madame de Fondege ordered the fire to be lighted. She seated +herself on a sofa near the mantelpiece, and when Mademoiselle +Marguerite had taken a chair opposite her, she began, "Now, my +dear child, let us have a quiet talk." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite expected some important communication, so +that she was not a little surprised when Madame de Fondege +resumed: "Have you thought about your mourning?" + +"About my mourning, madame?" + +"Yes. I mean, have you decided what dresses you will purchase? It +is an important matter, my dear--more important than you suppose. +They are making costumes entirely of crepe now, puffed and +plaited, and extremely stylish. I saw one that would suit you +well. You may think that a costume for deep mourning made with +puffs would be a trifle LOUD, but that depends upon tastes. The +Duchess de Veljo wore one only eleven days after her husband's +death; and she allowed some of her hair, which is superb, to fall +over her shoulders, a la pleureuse, and the effect was extremely +touching." Was Madame de Fondege speaking sincerely? There could +be no doubt of it. Her features, which had been distorted with +anger when the General took it into his head to order the bottle +of Bordeaux, had regained their usual placidity of expression, and +had even brightened a little. "I am entirely at your service, my +dear, if you wish any shopping done," she continued. "And if you +are not quite pleased with your dressmaker, I will take you to +mine, who works like an angel. But how absurd I am. You will of +course employ Van Klopen. I go to him occasionally myself, but +only on great occasions. Between you and me, I think him a trifle +too high in his charges." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite could scarcely repress a smile. "I must +confess, madame, that from my infancy I have been in the habit of +making almost all my dresses myself." + +The General's wife raised her eyes to Heaven in real or feigned +astonishment. "Yourself!" she repeated four or five times, as if +to make sure that she had heard aright. "Yourself! That is +incomprehensible! You, the daughter of a man who possessed an +income of five or six hundred thousand francs a year! Still I know +that poor M. de Chalusse, though unquestionably a very worthy and +excellent man, was peculiar in some of his ideas." + +"Excuse me, madame. What I did, I did for my own pleasure." + +But this assertion exceeded Madame de Fondege's powers of +comprehension. "Impossible!" she murmured, "impossible! But, my +poor child, what did you do for fashions--for patterns?" + +The immense importance she attached to the matter was so manifest +that Marguerite could not refrain from smiling. "I was probably +not a very close follower of the fashions," she replied. "The +dress that I am wearing now----." + +"Is very pretty, my child, and it becomes you extremely; that's +the truth. Only, to be frank, I must confess that this style is +no longer worn--no--not at all. You must have your new dresses +made in quite a different way." + +"But I already have more dresses than I need, madame." + +"What! black dresses?" + +"I seldom wear anything but black." + +Evidently her hostess had never heard anything like this before. +"Oh! all right," said she, "these dresses will doubtless do very +well for your first months of mourning--but afterward? Do you +suppose, my poor dear, that I'm going to allow you to shut +yourself up as you did at the Hotel de Chalusse? Good heavens! how +dull it must have been for you, alone in that big house, without +society or friends." + +A tear fell from Marguerite's long lashes. "I was very happy +there, madame," she murmured. + +"You think so; but you will change your mind. When one has never +tasted real pleasure, one cannot realize how gloomy one's life +really is. No doubt, you were very unhappy alone with M. de +Chalusse." + +"Oh! madame----" + +"Tut! tut! my dear, I know what I am talking about. Wait until +you have been introduced into society before you boast of the +charms of solitude. Poor dear! I doubt if you have ever attended +a ball in your whole life. No! I was sure of it, and you are +twenty! Fortunately, I am here. I will take your mother's place, +and we will make up for lost time! Beautiful as you are, my child-- +for you are divinely beautiful--you will reign as a queen +wherever you appear. Doesn't that thought make that cold little +heart of yours throb more quickly? Ah! fetes and music, wonderful +toilettes and the flashing of diamonds, the admiration of +gentlemen, the envy of rivals, the consciousness of one's own +beauty, are these delights not enough to fill any woman's life? It +is intoxication, perhaps, but an intoxication which is happiness." + +Was she sincere, or did she hope to dazzle this lonely girl, and +then rule her through the tastes she might succeed in giving her? +As is not unfrequently the case with callous natures, Madame de +Fondege was a compound of frankness and cunning. What she was +saying now she really meant; and as it was to her interest to say +it, she urged her opinions boldly and even eloquently. Twenty- +four hours earlier, proud and truthful Marguerite would have +silenced her at once. She would have told her that such pleasures +could never have any charm for her, and that she felt only scorn +and disgust for such worthless aims and sordid desires. But +having resolved to appear a dupe, she concealed her real feelings +under an air of surprise, and was astonished and even ashamed to +find that she could dissemble so well. + +"Besides," continued Madame de Fondege, "a marriageable young girl +should never shut herself up like a nun. She will never find a +husband if she remains at home--and she must marry. Indeed, +marriage is a sensible woman's only object in life, since it is +her emancipation." + +Was Madame de Fondege going to plead her son's cause? Mademoiselle +Marguerite almost believed it--but the lady was too shrewd for +that. She took good care not to mention as much as Lieutenant +Gustave's name. + +"The season will certainly be unusually brilliant," she said, "and +it will begin very early. On the fifth of November, the Countess +de Commarin will give a superb fete; all Paris will be there. On +the seventh, there will be a ball at the house of the Viscountess +de Bois d'Ardon. On the eleventh, there will be a concert, +followed by a ball, at the superb mansion of the Baroness +Trigault--you know--the wife of that strange man who spends all +his time in playing cards." + +"This is the first time I ever heard the name mentioned." + +"Really! and you have been living in Paris for years. It seems +incomprehensible. You must know then, my dear little ignoramus, +that the Baroness Trigault is one of the most distinguished ladies +in Paris, and certainly the best dressed. I am sure her bill at +Van Klopen's is not less than a hundred thousand francs a year-- +and that is saying enough, is it not?" And with genuine pride, she +added: "The baroness is my friend. I will introduce you to her." + +Having once started on this theme, Madame de Fondege was not +easily silenced. It was evidently her ambition to be considered a +woman of the world, and to be acquainted with all the leaders of +fashionable society; and, in fact, if one listened to her +conversation for an hour one could learn all the gossip of the +day. Though she was unable to interest herself in this tittle- +tattle, Marguerite was pretending to listen to it with profound +attention when the drawing-room door suddenly opened and Evariste +appeared with an impudent smile on his face. "Madame Landoire, +the milliner, is here, and desires to speak with Madame la +Comtesse," he said. + +On hearing this name, Madame de Fondege started as if she had been +stung by a viper. "Let her wait," she said quickly. "I will see +her in a moment." + +The order was useless, for the visitor was already on the +threshold. She was a tall, dark-haired, ill-mannered woman. "Ah! +I've found you at last," she said, rudely, "and I'm not sorry. +This is the fourth time I've come here with my bill." + +Madame de Fondege pointed to Mademoiselle Marguerite, and +exclaimed: "Wait, at least, until I am alone before you speak to +me on business." + +Madame Landoire shrugged her shoulders. "As if you were ever +alone," she growled. "I wish to put an end to this." + +"Step into my room then, and we will put an end to it, and at +once." + +This opportunity to escape from Madame de Fondege must not be +allowed to pass; so Marguerite asked permission to withdraw, +declaring, what was really the truth, that she felt completely +tired out. After receiving a maternal kiss from her hostess, +accompanied by a "sleep well, my dear child," she retired to her +own room. Thanks to Madame Leon's absence, she found herself +alone, and, drawing a blotting-pad from one of her trunks, she +hastily wrote a note to M. Isidore Fortunat, telling him that she +would call upon him on the following Tuesday. "I must be very +awkward," she thought, "if to-morrow, on going to mass, I can't +find an opportunity to throw this note into a letter-box without +being observed." + +It was fortunate that she had lost no time, for her writing-case +was scarcely in its place again before Madame Leon entered, +evidently out of sorts. "Well," asked Marguerite, "did you see +your friends?" + +"Don't speak of it, my dear young lady; they were all of them away +from home--they had gone to the play." + +"Ah?" + +"So I shall go again early to-morrow morning; you must realize how +important it is." + +"Yes, I understand." + +But Madame Leon, who was usually so loquacious, did not seem to be +in a talkative mood that evening, and, after kissing her dear +young lady, she went into her own room. + +"She did not succeed in finding the Marquis de Valorsay," thought +Marguerite, "and being in doubt as to the part she is to play, she +feels furious." + +The young girl tried to sum up the impressions of the evening, and +to decide upon a plan of conduct, but she felt sad and very weary. +She said to herself that rest would be more beneficial than +anything else, and that her mind would be clearer on the morrow; +so after a fervent prayer in which Pascal Ferailleur's name was +mentioned several times, she prepared for bed. But before she +fell asleep she was able to collect another bit of evidence. The +sheets on her bed were new. + +If Marguerite had been born in the Hotel de Chalusse, if she had +known a father's and a mother's tender care from her infancy, if +she had always been protected by a large fortune from the stern +realities of life, there would have been no hope for her now that +she was left poor and alone--for how can a girl avoid dangers she +is ignorant of? But from her earliest childhood Marguerite had +studied the difficult science of real life under the best of +teachers--misfortune. Cast upon her own resources at the age of +thirteen, she had learned to look upon everybody and everything +with distrust; and by relying only on herself, she had become +strangely cautious and clear-sighted. She knew how to watch and +how to listen, how to deliberate and how to act. Two men, the +Marquis de Valorsay and M. de Fondege's son, coveted her hand; and +one of the two, the marquis, so she believed, was capable of any +crime. Still she felt no fears. She had been in danger once +before when she was little more than a child, when the brother of +her employer insulted her with his attentions, but she had escaped +unharmed. + +Deceit was certainly most repugnant to her truth-loving nature; +but it was the only weapon of defence she possessed. And so on +the following day she carefully studied the abode of her +entertainers. And certainly the study was instructive. The +General's household was truly Parisian in character; or, at least, +it was what a Parisian household inevitably becomes when its +inmates fall a prey to the constantly increasing passion for +luxury and display, to the furore for aping the habits and +expenditure of millionaires, and to the noble and elevated desire +of humiliating and outshining their neighbors. Ease, health, and +comfort had been unscrupulously sacrificed to show. The dining- +room was magnificent, the drawing-room superb; but these were the +only comfortably furnished apartments in the establishment. The +other rooms were bare and desolate. It is true that Madame de +Fondege had a handsome wardrobe with glass doors in her own room, +but this was an article which the friend of the fashionable +Baroness Trigault could not possibly dispense with. On the other +hand, her bed had no curtains. + +The aspect of the place fittingly explained the habits and manners +of the inmates. What sinister fears must have haunted them! for +how could this extreme destitution in one part of the +establishment be reconciled with the luxury noticeable in the +other, except by the fact that a desperate struggle to keep up +appearances was constantly going on? And this constant anxiety +made out-door noise, excitement, and gayety a necessity of their +existence, and caused them to welcome anything that took them from +the home where they had barely sufficient to deceive society, and +not enough to impose upon their creditors. "And they keep three +servants," thought Mademoiselle Marguerite--"three enemies who +spend their time in ridiculing them, and torturing their vanity." + +Thus, on the very first day after her arrival, she realized the +real situation of the General and his wife. They were certainly +on the verge of ruin when Mademoiselle Marguerite accepted their +hospitality. Everything went to prove this: the coachman's +insolent demand, the servants' impudence, the grocer's refusal to +furnish a single bottle of wine on credit, the milliner's +persistence, and, lastly, the new sheets on the visitors' beds. +"Yes," thought Mademoiselle Marguerite to herself, "the Fondeges +were ruined when I came here. They would never have sunk so low +if they had not been utterly destitute of resources. So, if they +rise again, if money and credit come back again, then the old +magistrate is right--they have obtained possession of the Chalusse +millions!" + + + +IX + + +On this side, at least, Mademoiselle Marguerite had no very wide +field of investigation to explore. Her common sense told her that +her task would merely consist in carefully watching the behavior +of the General and his wife, in noting their expenditure, and so +on. It was a matter of close attention, and of infinitesimal +trifles. Nor was she much encouraged by her first success. It +was, perhaps, important; and yet it might be nothing. For she +felt that the real difficulties would not begin until she became +morally certain that the General had stolen the millions that were +missing from the count's escritoire. Even then it would remain +for her to discover how he had obtained possession of this money. +And when she had succeeded in doing this, would her task be ended? +Certainly not. She must obtain sufficient evidence to give her +the right of accusing the General openly, and in the face of every +one. She must have material and indisputable proofs before she +could say: "A robbery has been committed. I was accused of it. I +was innocent. Here is the culprit!" + +What a long journey must be made before this goal was reached! No +matter! Now that she had a positive and fixed point of departure, +she felt that she possessed enough energy to sustain her in her +endeavors for years, if need be. What troubled her most was that +she could not logically explain the conduct of her enemies from +the time M. de Fondege had asked her hand for his son up to the +present moment. And first, why had they been so audacious or so +imprudent as to bring her to their own home if they had really +stolen one of those immense amounts that are sure to betray their +possessors?" They are mad," she thought, "or else they must deem +me blind, deaf, and more stupid than mortal ever was!" Secondly, +why should they be so anxious to marry her to their son, +Lieutenant Gustave? This also was a puzzling question. However, +she was fully decided on one point: the suspicions of the Fondege +family must not be aroused. If they were on their guard, it would +be the easiest thing in the world for them to pay their debts +quietly, and increase their expenditure so imperceptibly that she +would not be able to prove a sudden acquisition of wealth. + +But the events of the next few days dispelled these apprehensions. +That very afternoon, although it was Sunday, it became evident +that a shower of gold had fallen on the General's abode. The +door-bell rang incessantly for several hours, and an interminable +procession of tradesmen entered. It looked very much as if M. de +Fondege had called a meeting of his creditors. They came in +haughty and arrogant, with their hats upon their heads, and surly +of speech, like people who have made up their minds to accept +their loss, but who intend to pay themselves in rudeness. They +were ushered into the drawing-room where the General was holding +his levee; they remained there from five to ten minutes, and then, +bowing low with hat in hand, they retired with radiant +countenances, and an obsequious smile on their lips. So they had +been paid. And as if to prove to Mademoiselle Marguerite that her +suspicions were correct, she chanced to be present when the livery +stable-keeper presented his bill. + +Madame de Fondege received him very haughtily. "Ah! here you +are!" she exclaimed, rudely, as soon as he appeared. "So you are +the man who teaches his drivers to insult his customers? That is +an excellent way to gain patronage. What! I hire a one-horse +carriage from you by the month, and because I happen to wish for a +two-horse vehicle for a single day, you make me pay the +difference. You should demand payment in advance if you are so +suspicious." + +The stable-keeper, who had a bill for nearly four thousand francs +in his pocket, stood listening with the air of a man who is +meditating some crushing reply; but she did not give him time to +deliver it. "When I have cause to complain of the people I +employ, I dismiss them and replace them by others. Insolence is +one of those things that I never forgive. Give me your bill." + +The man, in whose face doubt, fear, and hope had succeeded each +other in swift succession, thereupon drew an interminable bill +from his pocket. And when he saw the bank-notes, when he saw the +bill paid without dispute or even examination, he was seized with +a wondering respect, and his voice became sweeter than honey. +They say the payment of a bad debt delights a merchant a thousand +times more than the settlement of fifty good ones. The truth of +this assertion became apparent in the present case. Mademoiselle +Marguerite thought the man was going to beg "Madame la Comtesse to +do him the favor to withhold a portion of the small amount." For +the Parisian tradesman is so constituted that very frequently it +is not necessary to pay him money, but only to show it. + +However, this creditor's abnegation did not extend so far; still +he did entreat Madame la Comtesse not to leave him on account of a +blunder--for it was a blunder--he swore it on his children's +heads. His coachman was only a fool and a drunkard, who had +misunderstood him entirely, and whom he should ignominiously +dismiss on returning to his establishment. But "Madame la +Comtesse" was inflexible. She sent the man about his business, +saying, "I never place myself in a position to be treated with +disrespect a second time." + +This probably accounted for the fact that Evariste, the footman, +who had been so wanting in respect the previous evening, had been +sent away that very morning. Mademoiselle Marguerite did not see +him again. Dinner was served by a new servant, who had been sent +by an Employment Office, and engaged without a question, no doubt +because Evariste's livery fitted him like a glove. Had the cook +also been replaced? Mademoiselle Marguerite thought so, though she +had no means of convincing herself on this point. It was certain, +however, that the Sunday dinner was utterly unlike that of the +evening before. Quality had replaced quantity, and care, +profusion. It was not necessary to send to the cellar for a +bottle of Chateau-Laroze; it made its appearance at the proper +moment, warmed to the precise degree of temperature, and seemed +quite to the taste of excellent Madame Leon. + +In twenty-four hours the Fondege family had been raised to such +affluence that they must have asked themselves if it were possible +they had ever known the agonies of that life of false appearances +and sham luxury which is a thousand times worse than an existence +of abject poverty. "Is it possible that I am deceived?" +Marguerite said to herself, on retiring to her room that evening. +For it surprised her that a keen-sighted person like Madame Leon +should not have remarked this revolution; but the worthy companion +merely declared the General and his wife to be charming people, +and did not cease to congratulate her dear young lady upon having +accepted their hospitality. "I feel quite at home here," said +she; "and though my room is a trifle small, I shall have nothing +to wish for when it has been refurnished." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite spent a restless and uncomfortable night. +In spite of her reason, in spite of the convincing proofs she had +seen, the most disturbing doubts returned. Might she not have +judged the situation with a prejudiced mind? Had the Fondeges +really been as reduced in circumstances as she supposed? Like +every one who has been unfortunate, she feared illusions, and was +extremely distrustful of everything that seemed to favor her hopes +and wishes. The only thing that really encouraged her was the +thought that she could consult the old magistrate, and that M. de +Chalusse's former agent might succeed in finding Pascal +Ferailleur. M. Fortunat must have received her letter by this +time: he would undoubtedly expect her on Tuesday, and it only +remained for her to invent some excuse which would give her a +couple of hours' liberty without awakening suspicion. + +She rose early the next morning, and had almost completed her +toilette, when she heard some one in the passage outside rapping +at the door of Madame Leon's room. "Who's there?" inquired that +worthy lady. + +It was Justine, Madame de Fondege's maid, who answered in a pert +voice, "Here is a letter, madame, which has just been sent up by +the concierge. It is addressed to Madame Leon. That is your +name, is it not?" + +Marguerite staggered as if she had received a heavy blow. "My +God! a letter from the Marquis de Valorsay!" she thought. + +It was evident that the estimable lady was expecting this missive +by the eagerness with which she sprang out of bed and opened the +door. And Marguerite heard her say to the servant in her sweetest +voice: "A thousand thanks, my child! Ah! this is a great relief, I +have heard from my brother-in-law at last. I recognize his hand- +writing." And then the door closed again. + +Standing silent and motionless in the middle of her room, +Marguerite listened with that feverish anxiety that excites the +perceptive faculties to the utmost degree. An inward voice, +stronger than reason, told her that this letter threatened her +happiness, her future, perhaps her life! But how could she +convince herself of the truth of this presentiment? If she had +followed her first impulse, she would have rushed into Madame +Leon's room and have snatched the letter from her hands. But if +she did this, she would betray herself, and prove that she was not +the dupe they supposed her to be, and this supposition on the part +of her enemies constituted her only chance of salvation. + +If she could only watch Madame Leon as she read the letter, and +gain some information from the expression of her face; but this +seemed impossible, for the keyhole was blocked up by the key, +which had been left in the lock on the other side. Suddenly a +crack in the partition attracted her attention, and finding that +it extended through the wall, she realized she might watch what +was passing in the adjoining room. So she approached the spot on +tiptoe, and, with bated breath, stooped and looked in. + +In her impatience to learn the contents of her letter, Madame Leon +had not gone back to bed. She had broken the seal, and was +reading the missive, standing barefooted in her night-dress, +directly opposite the little crevice. She read line after line, +and word after word, and her knitted brows and compressed lips +suggested deep concentration of thought mingled with discontent. +At last she shrugged her shoulders, muttered a few inaudible +words, and laid the open letter upon the rickety chest of drawers, +which, with two chairs and a bed, constituted the entire furniture +of her apartment. + +"My God!" exclaimed Marguerite, with bated breath, "if she would +only forget it!" + +But she did not forget it. She began to dress, and when she had +finished she read the letter again, and then placed it carefully +in one of the drawers, which she locked, putting the key in her +pocket. + +"I shall never know, then," thought Marguerite; "no, I shall never +know. But I must know--and I will!" she added vehemently. + +From that moment a firm determination to obtain that letter took +possession of her mind; and so deeply was she occupied in seeking +for some means to surmount the difficulties which stood in her way +that she did not say a dozen words during breakfast. "I must be a +fool if I can't find some way of gaining possession of that +letter," she said to herself again and again. "I'm sure I could +find in it the explanation of the abominable intrigue which Pascal +and I are the victims of." + +Happily, her preoccupation was not remarked. Each person present +was too deeply engrossed in his or her own concerns to notice the +behavior of the others. Madame Leon's mind was occupied with the +news she had just received; and, besides, her attention was +considerably attracted by some partridges garnished with truffles, +and a bottle of Chateau-Laroze. For she was rather fond of good +living, the dear lady, as she confessed herself, adding that no +one is perfect. The General talked of nothing but a certain pair +of horses which he was to look at that afternoon, and which he +thought of buying--being quite disgusted with job-masters, so he +declared. Besides, he expected to get the animals at a bargain, +as they were the property of a young gentleman who had been led to +commit certain misdemeanors by his love of gambling and his +passion for a notorious woman who was addicted with an insatiable +desire for jewelry. + +As for Madame de Fondege, her head seemed to have been completely +turned by the prospect of the approaching fete at the Countess de +Commarin's. She had only a fortnight left to make her +preparations. All the evening before, through part of the night, +and ever since she had been awake that morning, she had been +racking her brain to arrive at an effective combination of colors +and materials. And at the cost of a terrible headache, she had at +last conceived one of those toilettes which are sure to make a +sensation, and which the newspaper reporters will mention as +noticeable for its "chic." "Picture to yourself," she said, all +ablaze with enthusiasm, "picture to yourself a robe of tea-flower +silk, trimmed with bands of heavy holland-tinted satin, thickly +embroidered with flowers. A wide flounce of Valenciennes at the +bottom of the skirt. Over this, I shall wear a tunic of pearl- +gray crepe, edged with a fringe of the various shades in the +dress, and forming a panier behind." + +But how much trouble, time and labor must be expended before such +an elaborate chef-d'oeuvre could be completed! How many +conferences with the dressmaker, with the florist, and the +embroiderer! How many doubts, how many inevitable mistakes! Ah! +there was not a moment to lose! Madame de Fondege, who was dressed +to go out, and who had already sent for a carriage, insisted that +Mademoiselle Marguerite should accompany her. And certainly, the +General's wife deemed the proposal a seductive one. It is a very +fashionable amusement to run from one shop to another, even when +one cannot, or will not, buy. It is a custom, which some noble +ladies have imported from America, to the despair of the poor +shopkeepers. And thus every fine afternoon, the swell shops are +filled to overflowing with richly-attired dames and damsels, who +ask to see all the new goods. It is far more amusing than +remaining at home. And when they return to dinner in the evening, +after inspecting hundreds of yards of silk and satin, they are +very well pleased with themselves, for they have not lost the day. +Nor do the shrewdest always return from these expeditions empty- +handed. A dozen gloves or a piece of lace can be hidden so easily +in the folds of a mantle! + +And yet, to Madame de Fondege's great surprise, Marguerite +declined the invitation. "I have so many things to put in order," +she added, feeling that an excuse was indispensable. + +But Madame Leon, who had not the same reasons as her dear child +for wishing to remain at home, kindly offered her services. She +was acquainted with several of the best shops, she declared, +particularly with the establishment of a dealer in laces, in the +Rue de Mulhouse, and thanks to an introduction from her, Madame de +Fondege could not fail to conclude a very advantageous bargain +there. "Very well," replied Madame de Fondege, "I will take you +with me, then; but make haste and dress while I put on my bonnet." + +They left the breakfast-room at the same time, closely followed by +Mademoiselle Marguerite, who was disturbed by a hope which she +scarcely dared confess to herself. With her forehead resting +against the wall, and her eye peering through the tiny crack, she +watched her governess change her dress, throw a shawl over her +shoulders, put on her best bonnet, and, after a glance at the +looking-glass, rush from the room, exclaiming: "Here I am, my dear +countess. I'm ready." + +And a few moments afterward they left the house together. + +As the outer door closed after them, Marguerite's brain whirled. +If she were not deceived, Madame Leon had left the key of the +drawers in the pocket of the dress she had just taken off. So it +was with a wildly throbbing heart that she opened the +communicating door and entered her "companion's" room. She +hastily approached the bed on which the dress was lying, and, with +a trembling hand, she began to search for the pocket. Fortune +favored her! The key was there. The letter was within her reach. +But she was about to do a deed against which her whole nature +revolted. To steal a key, to force an article of furniture open, +and violate the secret of a private correspondence, these were +actions so repugnant to her sense of honor, and her pride, that +for some time she stood irresolute. At last the instinct of self- +preservation overpowered her scruples. Was not her honor, and +Pascal's honor also, at stake--as well as their mutual love and +happiness?" It would be folly to hesitate." she murmured. And +with a firm hand she placed the key in the lock. + +The latter was out of order and the drawer was only opened with +difficulty. But there, on some clothes which Madame Leon had not +yet found time to arrange, Marguerite saw the letter. She eagerly +snatched it up, unfolded it, and read: "Dear Madame Leon--" "Dear +me," she muttered, "here is the name in full. This is an +indiscretion which will render denial difficult." And she resumed +her perusal: "Your letter, which I have just received, confirms +what my servants had already told me: that twice during my +absence--on Saturday evening and Sunday morning--you called at my +house to see me." So Mademoiselle Marguerite's penetration had +served her well. All this talk about anxious relatives had only +been an excuse invented by Madame Leon to enable her to absent +herself whenever occasion required. "I regret," continued the +letter, "that you did not find me at home, for I have instructions +of the greatest importance to give you. We are approaching the +decisive moment. I have formed a plan which will completely, and +forever, efface all remembrance of that cursed P. F., in case any +one condescended to think of him after the disgrace we fastened +upon him the other evening at the house of Madame d'Argeles." P. +F.--these initials of course meant Pascal Ferailleur. Then he was +innocent, and she held an undeniable, irrefutable proof of his +innocence in her hands. How coolly and impudently Valorsay +confessed his atrocious crime!" A bold stroke is in contemplation +which, if no unfortunate and well-nigh impossible accident occur, +will throw the girl into my arms." Marguerite shuddered. "The +girl" referred to her, of course. "Thanks to the assistance of +one of my friends," added the letter "I can place this proud +damsel in a perilous, terribly perilous position, from which she +cannot possibly extricate herself unaided. But, just as she gives +herself up for lost, I shall interpose. I shall save her; and it +will be strange if gratitude does not work the necessary miracle +in my favor. The plan is certain to succeed. Still, it will be +all the better if the physician who attended M. de C---- in his +last moments, and whom you spoke to me about (Dr. Jodon, if I +remember rightly), will consent to lend us a helping hand. What +kind of a man is he? If he is accessible to the seductive +influence of a few thousand francs, I shall consider the business +as good as concluded. Your conduct up to the present time has +been a chef-d'oeuvre, for which you shall be amply compensated. +You have cause to know that I am not ungrateful. Let the F's +continue their intrigues, and even pretend to favor them. I am +not afraid of these people. I understand their game perfectly, +and know why they wish my little one to marry their son. But when +they become troublesome, I shall crush them like glass. In spite +of these explanations, which I have just given you for your +guidance, it is very necessary that I should see you. I shall +look for you on Tuesday afternoon, between three and four o'clock. +Above all, don't fail to bring me the desired information +respecting Dr. Jodon. I am, my dear madame, devotedly yours--V." +Below ran a postscript which read as follows: "When you come on +Tuesday bring this letter with you. We will burn it together. +Don't imagine that I distrust you--but there is nothing so +dangerous as letters." + +For some time Marguerite stood, stunned and appalled by the +Marquis de Valorsay's audacity, and by the language of this +letter, which was at once so obscure and so clear, every line of +it threatening her future. The reality surpassed her worst +apprehensions, but realizing the gravity of the situation, she +shook off the torpor stealing over her. She felt that every +second was precious, and that she must act, and act at once. But +what should she do? Simply return the letter to its place, and +continue to act the role of a dupe, as if nothing had happened? +No; that must not be. It would be madness not to seize this +flagrant proof of the Marquis de Valorsay's infamy. But on the +other hand, if she kept the letter, Madame Leon would immediately +discover its loss, and an explanation would be unavoidable. M. de +Valorsay would be worsted, but not annihilated, and the plans +which made the physician's intervention a necessity would never be +revealed. She thought of hastening to her friend the old +magistrate; but he lived a long way off, and time was pressing. +Besides she might not find him at home. Then she thought of going +to a notary, to a judge. She would show them the letter, and they +could take a copy of it. But no--this would do no good--the +marquis could still deny it. She was becoming desperate, and was +accusing herself of stupidity, when a sudden inspiration illumined +her mind, turning night into day, as it were. "Oh, Pascal, we are +saved!" she exclaimed. And without pausing to deliberate any +longer, she threw a mantle over her shoulders, hastily tied on her +bonnet, and hurried from the house, without saying a word to any +one. + +Unfortunately she was not acquainted with this part of Paris, and +on reaching the Rue Pigalle she was at a loss for her way. +Unwilling to waste any more time, she hastily entered a grocer's +shop at the corner of the Rue Pigalle and the Rue Notre Dame de +Lorette, and anxiously inquired: "Do you know any photographer in +this neighborhood, monsieur?" + +Her agitation made this question seem so singular that the grocer +looked at her closely for a moment, as if to make sure that she +was not jesting. "You have only to go down the Rue Notre Dame de +Lorette," he replied, "and on the left-hand side, at the foot of +the hill, you will find the photographer Carjat." + +"Thank you." + +The grocer stepped to the door to watch her. "That girl's +certainly light-headed," he thought. + +Her demeanor was really so extraordinary that it attracted the +attention of the passers-by. She saw this, and slackening her +pace, tried to become more composed. At the spot the grocer had +indicated, she perceived several show frames filled with +photographs hanging on either side of a broad, open gateway, above +which ran the name, "E. Carjat." She went in, and seeing a man +standing at the door of an elegant pavilion on the right-hand side +of a large courtyard, she approached him, and asked for his +employer. + +"He is here," replied the man. "Does madame come for a +photograph?" + +"Yes." + +"Then will madame be so kind as to pass in. She will not be +obliged to wait long. There are only four or five persons before +her." + +Four or five persons! How long would she be obliged to wait?--half +an hour--two hours? She had not the slightest idea. But she DID +know that she had not a second to lose, that Madame Leon might +return at any moment, and find the letter missing; and, to crown +all, she remembered now that she had not even locked the drawer +again. "I cannot wait," she said, imperiously. "I must speak to +M. Carjat at once." + +"But----" + +"At once, I tell you. Go and tell him that he must come." + +Her tone was so commanding, and there was so much authority in her +glance, that the servant hesitated no longer. He ushered her into +a little sitting-room, and said, "If madame will take a seat, I +will call monsieur." + +She sank on to a chair, for her limbs were failing her. She was +beginning to realize the strangeness of the step she had taken--to +fear the result it might lead to--and to be astonished at her own +boldness. But she had no time to prepare what she wished to say, +for a man of five-and-thirty, wearing a mustache and imperial, and +clad in a velvet coat, entered the room, and bowing with an air of +surprise, exclaimed: "You desire to speak with me, madame?" + +"I have a great favor to ask of you, monsieur." + +"Of me?" + +She drew M. de Valorsay's letter from her pocket, and, showing it +to the photographer, she said, "I have come to you, monsieur, to +ask you to photograph this letter--but at once--before me--and +quickly--very quickly. The honor of two persons is imperilled by +each moment I lose here." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite's embarrassment was extreme. Her cheeks +were crimson, and she trembled like a leaf. Still her attitude +was proud, generous enthusiasm glowed in her dark eyes, and her +tone of voice revealed the serenity of a lofty soul ready to dare +anything for a just and noble cause. This striking contrast--this +struggle between girlish timidity and a lover's virgil energy, +endowed her with a strange and powerful charm, which the +photographer made no attempt to resist. Unusual as was the +request, he did not hesitate. "I am ready to do what you desire, +madame," he replied, bowing again. + +"Oh! monsieur, how can I ever thank you?" + +He did not stop to listen to her thanks. Not wishing to return to +the reception-room, where five or six clients were impatiently +awaiting their turn, he called one of his subordinates, and +ordered him to bring the necessary apparatus at once. While he +was speaking, Mademoiselle Marguerite paused; but, as soon as his +instructions were concluded, she remarked: "Perhaps you are too +hasty, sir. You have not allowed me to explain; and perhaps what +I desire is impossible. I came on the impulse of the moment, +without any knowledge on the subject. Before you set to work, I +must know if what you can do will answer my purpose." + +"Speak, madame." + +"Will the copy you obtain be precisely like the original in every +particular?" + +"In every particular." + +"The writing will be the same--exactly the same?" + +"Absolutely the same." + +"So like, that if one of your photographs should be presented to +the person who wrote this letter----" + +"He could no more deny his handwriting than he could if some one +handed him the letter itself." + +"And the operation will leave no trace on the original?" + +"None." + +A smile of triumph played upon Mademoiselle Marguerite's lips. It +was as she had thought; the defensive plan which she had suddenly +conceived was a good one. "One more question, sir," she resumed. +"I am only a poor, ignorant girl: excuse me, and give me the +benefit of your knowledge. This letter will be returned to its +author to-morrow, and he will burn it. But afterward, in case of +any difficulty--in case of a law-suit--or in case it should be +necessary for me to prove certain things which one might establish +by means of this letter, would one of your photographs be admitted +as evidence?" + +The photographer did not answer for a moment. Now he understood +Mademoiselle Marguerite's motive, and the importance she attached +to a facsimile. But this imparted an unexpected gravity to the +service he was called upon to perform. He therefore wished some +time for reflection, and he scrutinized Mademoiselle Marguerite as +if he were trying to read her very soul. Was it possible that +this young girl, with such a pure and noble brow, and with such +frank, honest eyes, could be meditating any cowardly, dishonorable +act? No, he could not believe it. In whom, or in what, could he +trust if such a countenance deceived him?" My facsimile would +certainly be admitted as evidence," he replied at last; "and this +would not be the first time that the decision of a court has +depended on proofs which have been photographed by me." + +Meanwhile, his assistant had returned, bringing the necessary +apparatus with him. When all was ready, the photographer asked +her, "Will you give me the letter, madame?" + +She hesitated for a second--only for a second. The man's honest, +kindly face told her that he would not betray her, that he would +rather give her assistance. So she handed him the Marquis de +Valorsay's letter, saying, with melancholy dignity, "It is my +happiness and my future that I place in your hands--and I have no +fears." + +He read her thoughts, and understood that she either dared not ask +for a pledge of secrecy, or else that she thought it unnecessary. +He took pity on her, and his last doubt fled. "I shall read this +letter, madame," said he, "but I am the only person who will read +it. I give you my word on that! No one but myself will see the +proofs." + +Greatly moved, she offered him her hand, and simply said, "Thanks; +I am more than repaid." + +To obtain an absolutely perfect facsimile of a letter is a +delicate and sometimes lengthy operation. However, at the end of +about twenty minutes, the photographer possessed two negatives +that promised him perfect proofs. He looked at them with a +satisfied air; and then returning the letter to Mademoiselle +Marguerite, he said, "In less than three days the facsimiles will +be ready, madame; and if you will tell me to what address I ought +to send them----" + +She trembled on hearing these words, and quickly answered, "Don't +send them, sir--keep them carefully. Great heavens! all would be +lost if it came to the knowledge of any one. I will send for +them, or come myself." And, feeling the extent of her obligation, +she added, "But I will not go without introducing myself--I am +Mademoiselle Marguerite de Chalusse." And, thereupon, she went +off, leaving the photographer surprised at the adventure and +dazzled by his strange visitor's beauty. + +Rather more than an hour had elapsed since Marguerite left M. de +Fondege's house. "How time flies!" she murmured, quickening her +pace as much as she could without exciting remark--"how time +flies!" But, hurried as she was, she stopped and spent five +minutes at a shop in the Rue Notre Dame de Lorette where she +purchased some black ribbon and a few other trifles. How else +could she explain and justify her absence, if the servants, who +had probably discovered she had gone out, chanced to speak of it? + +But her heart throbbed as if it would burst as she ascended the +General's staircase, and anxiety checked her breathing as she rang +the bell. "What if Madame de Fondege and Madame Leon had +returned, and the abstraction of the letter been discovered!" +Fortunately, Madame de Fondege required more than an hour to +purchase the materials for the elaborate toilette she had dreamt +of. The ladies were still out, and Mademoiselle Marguerite found +everything in the same condition as she had left it. She +carefully placed the letter in the drawer again, locked it, and +put the key in the pocket of Madame Leon's dress. Then she +breathed freely once more; and, for the first time in six days, +she felt something very like joy in her heart. Now she had no +fear of the Marquis de Valorsay. She had him in her power. He +would destroy his letter the next day, and think that he was +annihilating all proofs of his infamy. Not so. At the decisive +moment, at the very moment of his triumph, she would produce the +photograph of this letter, and crush him. And she--only a young +girl--had outwitted this consummate scoundrel!" I have not been +unworthy of Pascal," she said to herself, with a flash of pride. + +However, her nature was not one of those weak ones which are +become intoxicated by the first symptom of success, and then relax +in their efforts. When her excitement had abated a little, she +was inclined to disparage rather than to exaggerate the advantage +she had gained. What she desired was a complete, startling, +incontestable victory. It was not enough to prove Valorsay's +GUILT--she was resolved to penetrate his designs, to discover why +he pursued her so desperately. And, though she felt that she +possessed a formidable weapon of defence, she could not drive away +her gloomy forebodings when she thought of the threats contained +in the marquis's letter. "Thanks to the assistance of one of my +friends," he wrote, "I can place this proud girl in a perilous, +terribly perilous, position, from which she cannot possibly +extricate herself unaided." + +These words persistently lingered in Mademoiselle Marguerite's +mind. What was the danger hanging over her? whence would it come? +and in what form? What abominable machination might she not expect +from the villain who had deliberately dishonored Pascal? How would +he attack her? Would he strive to ruin her reputation, or did he +intend to forcibly abduct her? Would he attempt to decoy her into +a trap where she would be subjected to the insults of the vilest +wretches? A thousand frightful memories of the time when she was +an apprentice drove her nearly frantic. "I will never go out +unarmed," she thought, "and woe to the man who raises his hand +against me!" + +The vagueness of the threat increased her fears. No one is +courageous enough to confront an unknown, mysterious, and always +imminent danger without sometimes faltering. Nor was this all. +The marquis was not her only enemy. She had the Fondege family to +dread--these dangerous hypocrites, who had taken her to their home +so that they might ruin her the more surely. M. de Valorsay wrote +that he had no fears of the Fondeges--that he understood their +little game. What was their little game? No doubt they were +resolved that she should become their son's wife, even if they +were obliged to use force to win her consent. At this thought a +sudden terror seized her soul, so full of peace and hope an +instant before. When she was attacked, would she have time to +produce and use the facsimile of Valorsay's letter?" I must reveal +my secret to a friend--to a trusty friend--who will avenge me!" +she muttered. + +Fortunately she had a friend in whom she could safely confide--the +old magistrate who had given her such proofs of sympathy. She +felt that she needed the advice of a riper experience than her +own, and the thought of consulting him at once occurred to her. +She was alone; she had no spy to fear; and it would be folly not +to profit by the few moments of liberty that remained. So she +drew her writing-case from her trunk, and, after barricading her +door to prevent a surprise, she wrote her friend an account of the +events which had taken place since their last interview. She told +him everything with rare precision and accuracy of detail, sending +him a copy of Valorsay's letter, and informing him that, in case +any misfortune befell her, he could obtain the facsimiles from +Carjat. She finished her letter, but did not seal it. "If +anything should happen before I have an opportunity to post it, I +will add a postscript," she said to herself. + +She had made all possible haste, fearing that Madame de Fondege +and Madame Leon might return at any moment. But this was truly a +chimerical apprehension. It was nearly six o'clock when the two +shoppers made their appearance, wearied with the labors of the +day, but in fine spirits. Besides purchasing every requisite for +that wonderful costume of hers, the General's wife had found some +laces of rare beauty, which she had secured for the mere trifle of +four thousand francs. "It was one of those opportunities one +ought always to profit by," she said, as she displayed her +purchase. "Besides, it is the same with lace as with diamonds, +you should purchase them when you can--then you have them. It +isn't an outlay--it's an investment." Subtle reasoning that has +cost many a husband dear! + +On her side, Madame Leon proudly showed her dear young lady a very +pretty present which Madame de Fondege had given her. "So money +is no longer lacking in this household," thought Mademoiselle +Marguerite, all the more confirmed in her suspicions. + +The General came in a little later, accompanied by a friend, and +Marguerite soon discovered that the worthy man had spent the day +as profitably as his wife. He too was quite tired out; and he had +reason to be fatigued. First, he had purchased the horses +belonging to the ruined spendthrift, and he had paid five thousand +francs for them, a mere trifle for such animals. Less than an +hour after the purchase he had refused almost double that amount +from a celebrated connoisseur in horse-flesh, M. de Breulh- +Faverlay. This excellent speculation had put him in such good +humor that he had been unable to resist the temptation of +purchasing a beautiful saddle-horse, which they let him have for a +hundred louis. He had not been foolish, for he was sure that he +could sell the animal again at an advance of a thousand francs +whenever he wished to do so. "So," remarked his friend, "if you +bought such a horse every day, you would make three hundred and +sixty-five thousand francs a year." + +Was this only a jest--one of those witticisms which people who +boast of wonderful bargains must expect to parry, or had the +remark a more serious meaning? Marguerite could not determine. +One thing is certain, the General did not lose his temper, but +gayly continued his account of the way in which he had spent his +time. Having purchased the horses, his next task was to find a +carriage, and he had heard of a barouche which a Russian prince +had ordered but didn't take, so that the builder was willing to +sell it at less than cost price; and to recoup this worthy man, +the General had purchased a brougham as well. He had, moreover, +hired stabling in the Rue Pigalle, only a few steps from the +house, and he expected a coachman and a groom the following +morning. + +"And all this will cost us less than the miserable vehicle we have +been hiring by the year," observed Madame de Fondege, gravely. +"Oh, I know what I say. I've counted the cost. What with +gratuities and extras, it costs us now fully a thousand francs a +month, and three horses and a coachman won't cost you more. And +what a difference! I shall no longer be obliged to blush for the +skinny horses the stable-keeper sends me, nor to endure the +insolence of his men. The first outlay frightened me a little; +but that is made now, and I am delighted. We will save it in +something else." + +"In laces, no doubt," thought Mademoiselle Marguerite. She was +intensely exasperated, and on regaining her chamber she said to +herself, for the tenth time, "What do they take me for? Do they +think me an idiot to flaunt the millions they have stolen from my +father--that they have stolen from me--before my eyes in this +fashion? A common thief would take care not to excite suspicion by +a foolish expenditure of the fruits of his knavery, but they--they +have lost their senses." + +Madame Leon was already in bed, and when Mademoiselle Marguerite +was satisfied that she was asleep, she took her letter from her +trunk, and added this post-script: "P. S.--It is impossible to +retain the shadow of a doubt, M. and Madame de Fondege have spent +certainly twenty thousand francs to-day. This audacity must arise +from a conviction that no proofs of the crime they have committed +exist. Still they continue to talk to me about their son, +Lieutenant Gustave. He will be presented to me to-morrow. To- +morrow, also, between three and four, I shall be at the house of a +man who can perhaps discover Pascal's hiding-place for me,--the +house of M. Isidore Fortunat. I hope to make my escape easily +enough, for at that same hour, Madame Leon has an appointment with +the Marquis de Valorsay." + + + +X. + + +The old legend of Achilles's heel will be eternally true. A man +may be humble or powerful, feeble or strong, but there are none of +us without some weak spot in our armor, a spot vulnerable beyond +all others, a certain place where wounds prove most dangerous and +painful. M. Isidore Fortunat's weak place was his cash-box. To +attack him there was to endanger his life--to wound him at a point +where all his sensibility centred. For it was in this cash-box +and not in his breast that his heart really throbbed. His safe +made him happy or dejected. Happy when it was filled to +overflowing by some brilliant operation, and dejected when he saw +it become empty as some imprudent transaction failed. + +This then explains his frenzy on that ill-fated Sunday, when, +after being brutally dismissed by M. Wilkie, he returned to his +rooms in the company of his clerk, Victor Chupin. This explains, +too, the intensity of the hatred he now felt for the Marquis de +Valorsay and the Viscount de Coralth. The former, the marquis, +had defrauded him of forty thousand francs in glittering gold. +The other, the viscount, had suddenly sprung up out of the ground, +and carried off from under his very nose that magnificent prize, +the Chalusse inheritance, which he had considered as good as won. +And he had not only been defrauded and swindled--such were his own +expressions--but he had been tricked, deceived, duped, and +outwitted, and by whom? By people who did not make it their +profession to be shrewd, like he did himself. Just fancy, his +business was to outwit others, and a couple of mere amateurs had +outgeneraled him. He had not only suffered in pocket, he had been +humiliated as well, and so he indulged in threats of such terrible +import. + +However, at the very moment when he was dreaming of wreaking +vengeance on the Marquis de Valorsay and the Viscount de Coralth, +his housekeeper, austere Madame Dodelin, handed him Mademoiselle +Marguerite's letter. He read it with intense astonishment, +rubbing his eyes as if to assure himself that he were really +awake. "Tuesday," he repeated, "the day after to-morrow--at your +house--between three and four o'clock--I must speak with you." + +His manner was so strange, and his usually impassive face so +disturbed by conflicting feelings, that Madame Dodelin's curiosity +overcame her prudence, and she remained standing in front of him +with open mouth, staring with all her eyes and listening with all +her ears. He perceived this, and angrily exclaimed: "What are you +doing here? You are watching me, I do believe. Get back to your +kitchen, or----" + +She fled in alarm, and he then entered his private office. His +heart was leaping with joy, and he laughed wickedly at the hope of +a speedy revenge. "She's on the scent," he muttered; "and she has +luck in her favor. She has chanced to apply to me on the very day +that I had resolved to defend and rehabilitate her lover, the +honest fool who allowed himself to be dishonored by those +unscrupulous blackguards. Just as I was thinking of going in +search of her, she comes to me. As I was about to write to her, +she writes to me. Who can deny the existence of Providence after +this?" Like many other people, M. Fortunat piously believed in +Providence when things went to his liking, but it is sad to add +that in the contrary case he denied its existence. "If she has +any courage," he resumed, "and she seems to have plenty of it, +Valorsay and Coralth will be in a tight place soon. And if it +takes ten thousand francs to put them there, and if neither +Mademoiselle Marguerite nor M. Ferailleur has the amount--ah, +well! I'll advance--well, at least five thousand--without charging +them any commission. I'll even pay the expenses out of my own +pocket, if necessary. Ah, my fine fellows, you've laughed too +soon. In a week's time we'll see who laughs last." + +He paused, for Victor Chupin, who had lingered behind to pay the +driver, had just entered the room. "You gave me twenty francs, +m'sieur," he remarked to his employer. "I paid the driver four +francs and five sous, here's the change." + +"Keep it yourself, Victor," said M. Fortunat. + +What! keep fifteen francs and fifteen sous? Under any other +circumstances such unusual generosity would have drawn a grimace +of satisfaction from young Chupin. But to-day he did not even +smile; he slipped the money carelessly into his pocket, and +scarcely deigned to say "thanks," in the coldest possible tone. + +Absorbed in thought, M. Fortunat did not remark this little +circumstance. "We have them, Victor," he resumed. "I told you +that Valorsay and Coralth should pay me for their treason. +Vengeance is near. Read this letter." Victor read it slowly, and +as soon as he had finished his employer ejaculated, "Well?" + +But Chupin was not a person to give advice lightly. "Excuse me, +m'sieur," said he, "but in order to answer you, I must have some +knowledge of the affair. I only know what you've told me--which +is little enough--and what I've guessed. In fact, I know nothing +at all." + +M. Fortunat reflected for a moment. "You are right, Victor," he +said, at last. "So far the explanation I gave you was all that +was necessary; but now that I expect more important services from +you, I ought to tell you the whole truth, or at least all I know +about the affair. This will prove my great confidence in you." +Whereupon, he acquainted Chupin with everything he knew concerning +the history of M. de Chalusse, the Marquis de Valorsay, and +Mademoiselle Marguerite. + +However, if he expected these disclosures to elevate him in his +subordinate's estimation he was greatly mistaken. Chupin had +sufficient experience and common sense to read his master's +character and discern his motives. He saw plainly enough that +this honest impulse on M. Fortunat's part came from disappointed +avarice and wounded vanity, and that the agent would have allowed +the Marquis de Valorsay to carry out his infamous scheme without +any compunctions of conscience, providing he, himself, had not +been injured by it. Still, the young fellow did not allow his +real feelings to appear on his face. First, it was not his +business to tell M. Fortunat his opinion of him; and in the second +place, he did not deem it an opportune moment for a declaration of +his sentiments. So, when his employer paused, he exclaimed: +"Well, we must outwit these scoundrels--for I'll join you, +m'sieur; and I flatter myself that I can be very useful to you. +Do you want the particulars of the viscount's past life? If so, I +can furnish them. I know the brigand. He's married, as I told +you before, and I'll find his wife for you in a few days. I don't +know exactly where she lives, but she keeps a tobacco store, +somewhere, and that's enough. She'll tell you how much he's a +viscount. Ha! ha! Viscount just as much as I am--and no more. I +can tell you the scrapes he has been in." + +"No doubt; but the most important thing is to know how he's living +now, and on what!" + +"Not by honest work, I can tell you. But give me a little time, +and I'll find out for sure. As soon as I can go home, change my +clothes, and disguise myself, I'll start after him; and may I be +hung, if I don't return with a complete report before Tuesday." + +A smile of satisfaction appeared on M. Fortunat's face. "Good, +Victor!" he said, approvingly, "very good! I see that you will +serve me with your usual zeal and intelligence. Rest assured that +you will be rewarded as you have never been rewarded before. As +long as you are engaged in this affair, you shall have ten francs +a day; and I'll pay your board, your cab-hire, and all your +expenses." + +This was a most liberal offer, and yet, far from seeming +delighted, Chupin gravely shook his head. "You know how I value +money, m'sieur," he began. + +"Too much, Victor, my boy, too much----" + +"Excuse me, it's because I have responsibilities, m'sieur. You +know my establishment"--he spoke this word with a grandiloquent +air--"you have seen my good mother--my expenses are heavy----" + +"In short, you don't think I offer you enough?" + +"On the contrary, sir--but you don't allow me to finish. I love +money, don't I? But no matter, I don't want to be paid for this +business. I don't want either my board or my expenses, not a +penny--nothing. I'll serve you, but for my own sake, for my own +pleasure--gratis." + +M. Fortunat could not restrain an exclamation of astonishment. +Chupin, who was as eager for gain as an old usurer--Chupin, as +grasping as avarice itself, refuse money! This was something which +he had never seen before, and which he would no doubt never see +again. + +Victor had become very much excited; his usually pale cheeks were +crimson, and in a harsh voice, he continued: "It's a fancy of +mine--that's all. I have eight hundred francs hidden in my room, +the fruit of years of work. I'll spend the last penny of it if +need be; and if I can see Coralth in the mire, I shall say, 'My +money has been well expended.' I'd rather see that day dawn than +be the possessor of a hundred thousand francs. If a horrible +vision haunted you every night, and prevented you from sleeping, +wouldn't you give something to get rid of it? Very well! that +brigand's my nightmare. There must be an end to it." + +M. de Coralth, who was a man of wide experience, would certainly +have felt alarmed if he had seen his unknown enemy at the present +moment, for Victor's eyes, usually a pale and undecided blue, were +glittering like steel, and his hands were clinched most +threateningly. "For he was the cause of all my trouble," he +continued, gloomily. "I've told you, sir, that I was guilty of an +infamous deed once upon a time. If it hadn't been for a miracle I +should have killed a man--the king of men. Ah, well! if Monsieur +Andre had broken his back by falling from a fifth-floor window, my +Coralth would be the Duc de Champdoce to-day. And shall he be +allowed to ride about in his carriage, and deceive and ruin honest +people? No--there are too many such villains at large for public +safety. Wait a little, Coralth--I owe you something, and I always +pay my debts. When M. Andre saved me, though I richly deserved to +have my throat cut, he made no conditions. He only said, 'If you +are not irredeemably bad you will be honest after this.' And he +said these words as he was lying there as pale as death with his +shoulder broken, and his body mangled from his fall. Great +heavens! I felt smaller than--than nothing before him. But I +swore that I would do honor to his teachings--and when evil +thoughts enter my mind, and when I feel a thirst for liquor, I say +to myself, 'Wait a bit, and--and M. Andre will take a glass with +you.' And that quenches my thirst instantly. I have his portrait +at home, and every night, before going to bed, I tell him the +history of the day--and sometimes I fancy that he smiles at me. +All this is very absurd, perhaps, but I'm not ashamed of it. M. +Andre and my good mother, they are my supports, my crutches, and +with them I'm not afraid of making a false step." Schebel, the +German philosopher, who has written a treatise on Volition, in +four volumes, was no greater a man than Chupin. "So you may keep +your money, sir," he resumed. "I'm an honest fellow, and honest +men ought to ask no reward for the performance of a duty. Coralth +mustn't be allowed to triumph over the innocent chap he ruined. +What did you call him? Ferailleur? It's an odd name. Never mind-- +we'll get him out of this scrape; he shall marry his sweetheart +after all; and I'll dance at the wedding." + +As he finished speaking he laughed a shrill, dangerous laugh, +which revealed his sharp teeth--but such invincible determination +was apparent on his face, that M. Fortunat felt no misgivings. He +was sure that this volunteer would be of more service than the +highest-priced hireling. "So I can count on you, Victor?" he +inquired. + +"As upon yourself." + +"And you hope to have some positive information by Tuesday?" + +"Before then, I hope, if nothing goes amiss." + +"Very well; I will devote my attention to Ferailleur then. As to +Valorsay's affairs, I am better acquainted with them than he is +himself. We must be prepared to enter upon the campaign when +Mademoiselle Marguerite comes, and we will act in accordance with +her instructions." + +Chupin had already caught up his hat; but just as he was leaving +the room, he paused abruptly. "How stupid!" he exclaimed. "I had +forgotten the principal thing. Where does Coralth live?" + +"Unfortunately, I don't know." + +According to his habit when things did not go to his liking, +Chupin began to scratch his head furiously. "That's bad," growled +he. "Viscounts of his stamp don't parade their addresses in the +directory. Still, I shall find him." However, although he +expressed this conviction he went off decidedly out of temper. + +"I shall lose the entire evening hunting up the rascal's address," +he grumbled, as he hastened homeward. "And whom shall I ask for +it?--Madame d'Argeles's concierge? Would he know it--M. Wilkie's +servant? That would be dangerous." He thought of roaming sound +about M. de Valorsay's residence, and of bribing one of the +valets; but while crossing the boulevard, the sight of Brebant's +Restaurant put a new idea into his head. "I have it!" he +muttered; "my man's caught!" And he darted into the nearest cafe +where he ordered some beer and writing materials. + +Under other circumstances, he would have hesitated to employ so +hazardous an expedient as the one he was about to resort to, but +the character of his adversaries justified any course; besides, +time was passing, and he had no choice of resources. As soon as +the waiter served him, he drained his glass of beer to give +himself an inspiration, and then, in his finest hand, he wrote: + + +MY DEAR VISCOUNT--Here's the amount--one hundred francs--that I +lost to you last evening at piquet. When shall I have my revenge? +Your friend, + VALORSAY." + + +When he had finished this letter he read it over three or four +times, asking himself if this were the style of composition that +very fashionable folks employ in repaying their debts. To tell +the truth, he doubted it. In the rough draft which he penned at +first, he had written bezique, but in the copy he wrote piquet, +which he deemed a more aristocratic game. "However," said he, "no +one will examine it closely!" + +Then, as soon as the ink was dry, he folded the letter and slipped +it into an envelope with a hundred franc-note which he drew from +an old pocketbook. He next addressed the envelope as follows: +"Monsieur le Vicomte de Coralth, En Ville," and having completed +his preparations, he paid his score, and hastened to Brebant's. +Two waiters were standing at the doorway, and, showing them the +letter, he politely asked: "Do you happen to know this name? A +gentleman dropped this letter on leaving your place last evening. +I ran after him to return it; but I couldn't overtake him." + +The waiters examined the address. "Coralth!" they replied. "We +scarcely know him. He isn't a regular customer, but he comes here +occasionally." + +"And where does he live?" + +"Why do you wish to know?" + +"So as to take him this letter, to be sure!" + +The waiters shrugged their shoulders. "Let the letter go; it is +not worth while to trouble yourself." + +Chupin had foreseen this objection, and was prepared for it. "But +there's money in the letter," he remonstrated. And opening the +envelope, he showed the bank-note which he had taken from his own +pocket-book. + +This changed the matter entirely. "That is quite a different +thing," remarked one of the waiters. "If you find money, you are, +of course, responsible for it. But just leave it here at the +desk, and the next time the viscount comes in, the cashier will +give it to him." + +A cold chill crept over Chupin at the thought of losing his bank- +note in this way. "Ah! I don't fancy that idea!" he exclaimed. +"Leave it here? Never in life! Who'd get the reward? A viscount is +always generous; it is quite likely he would give me twenty francs +as a reward for my honesty. And that's why I want his address." + +The argument was of a nature to touch the waiters; they thought +the young man quite right; but they did not know M. de Coralth's +address, and they saw no way of procuring it. "Unless perhaps the +porter knows," observed one of them. + +The porter, on being called, remembered that he had once been sent +to M. de Coralth's house for an overcoat. "I've forgotten his +number," he declared; "but he lives in the Rue d'Anjou, near the +corner of the Rue de la Ville l'Eveque." + +This direction was not remarkable for its precision, but it was +more than sufficient for a pure-blooded Parisian like Victor +Chupin. "Many thanks for your kindness," he said to the porter. +"A blind man, perhaps, might not be able to go straight to M. de +Coralth's house from your directions, but I have eyes and a tongue +as well. And, believe me, if there's any reward, you shall see +that I know how to repay a good turn." + +"And if you don't find the viscount," added the waiters, "bring +the money here, and it will be returned to him." + +"Naturally!" replied Chupin. And he strode hurriedly away. +"Return!" he muttered; "not I! I thought for a moment they had +their hands on my precious bank-note." + +But he had already recovered from his fright, and as he turned his +steps homeward he congratulated himself on the success of his +stratagem. "For my viscount is caught," he said to himself. "The +Rue d'Anjou Saint Honore hasn't a hundred numbers in it, and even +if I'm compelled to go from door to door, my task will soon be +accomplished." + +On reaching home he found his mother engaged in knitting, as +usual. This was the only avocation that her almost complete +blindness allowed her to pursue; and she followed it constantly. +"Ah! here you are, Toto," she exclaimed, joyously. "I didn't +expect you so soon. Don't you scent a savory smell? As you must +be greatly tired after being up all night, I'm making you a stew." + +As customary when he returned, Chupin embraced the good woman with +the respectful tenderness which had so surprised M. Fortunat. +"You are always kind," said he, "but, unfortunately, I can't +remain to dine with you." + +"But you promised me." + +"That's true, mamma; but business, you see--business." + +The worthy woman shook her head. "Always business!" she +exclaimed. + +"Yes--when a fellow hasn't ten thousand francs a year." + +"You have become a worker, Toto, and that makes me very happy; but +you are too eager for money, and that frightens me." + +"That's to say, you fear I shall do something dishonest. Ah! +mother! do you think I can forget you and Monsieur Andre?" + +His mother said no more, and he entered the tiny nook which he so +pompously styled his chamber, and quickly changed the clothes he +was wearing (his Sunday toggery) for an old pair of checked +trousers, a black blouse, and a glazed cap. And when he had +finished, and given a peculiar turn to his hair, no one would have +recognized him. In place of M. Fortunat's respectable clerk, +there appeared one of those vagabonds who hang about cafes and +theatres from six in the evening till midnight, and spend the rest +of their time playing cards in the low drinking dens near the +barrieres. It was the old Chupin come to life once more--Toto +Chupin as he had appeared before his conversion. And as he took a +last look in the little glass hanging over the table, he was +himself astonished at the transformation. "Ah!" he muttered, "I +was a sorry looking devil in those days." + +Although he had cautiously avoided making any noise in dressing, +his mother, with the wonderfully acute hearing of the blind, had +followed each of his movements as surely as if she had been +standing near watching him. "You have changed your clothes, +Toto," she remarked. + +"Yes, mother." + +"But why have you put on your blouse, my son?" + +Although accustomed to his mother's remarkable quickness of +perception, he was amazed. Still he did not think of denying it. +She would only have to extend her hand to prove that he was +telling a falsehood. The blind woman's usually placid face had +become stern. "So it is necessary to disguise yourself," she +said, gravely. + +"But, mother----" + +"Hush, my son! When a man doesn't wish to be recognized, he's +evidently doing something he's ashamed of. Ever since your +employer came here, you have been concealing something from me. +Take care, Toto! Since I heard that man's voice, I'm sure that he +is quite as capable of urging you to commit a crime as others were +in days gone by." + +The blind woman was preaching to a convert; for during the past +three days, M. Fortunat had shown himself in such a light that +Chupin had secretly resolved to change his employer. "I promise +you I'll leave him, mother," he declared, "so you may be quite +easy in mind." + +"Very well; but now, at this moment, where are you going?" + +There was only one way of completely reassuring the good woman, +and that was to tell her all. Chupin did so with absolute +frankness. "Ah, well!" she said, when the narrative was finished. +"You see now how easy it is to lead you astray! How could you be +induced to play the part of a spy, when you know so well what it +leads to? It's only God's protecting care that has saved you again +from an act which you would have reproached yourself for all your +life. Your employer's intentions are good now; but they WERE +criminal when he ordered you to follow Madame d'Argeles. Poor +woman! She had sacrificed herself for her son, she had concealed +herself from him, and you were working to betray her. Poor +creature! how she must have suffered, and how much I pity her! To +be what she is, and to see herself denounced by her own son! I, +who am only a poor plebeian, should die of shame under such +circumstances." + +Chupin blew his nose so loudly that the window-panes rattled; this +was his way of repressing his emotion whenever it threatened to +overcome him. "You speak like the good mother that you are," he +exclaimed at last," and I'm prouder of you than if you were the +handsomest and richest lady in Paris, for you're certainly the +most honest and virtuous; and I should be a thorough scoundrel if +I caused you a moment's sorrow. And if ever I set my foot in such +a mess again, I hope some one will cut it off. But for this once----" + +"For this once, you may go, Toto; I give my consent." + +He went off with a lighter heart; and on reaching the Rue d'Anjou +he immediately began his investigations. They were not successful +at first. At every house where he made inquiries nobody had any +knowledge of the Viscount de Coralth. He had visited half the +buildings in the street, when he reached one of the handsomest +houses, in front of which stood a cart laden with plants and +flowers. An old man, who seemed to be the concierge, and a valet +in a red waistcoat, were removing the plants from the vehicle and +arranging them in a line under the porte cochere. As soon as the +cart was emptied, it drove away, whereupon Chupin stepped forward, +and addressing the concierge, asked: "Does the Viscount de Coralth +live here?" + +"Yes. What do you want with him?" + +Having foreseen this question, Chupin had prepared a reply. "I +certainly don't come to call on him," he answered. "My reason for +inquiring is this: just now, as I passed near the Madeleine, a +very elegant lady called me, and said: 'M. de Coralth lives in the +Rue d'Anjou, but I've forgotten the number. I can't go about from +door to door making inquiries, so if you'll go there and ascertain +his address for me, I'll give you five francs for yourself,' so my +money's made." + +Profiting by his old Parisian experience, Chupin had chosen such a +clever excuse that both his listeners heartily laughed. "Well, +Father Moulinet," cried the servant in the red waistcoat, "what do +you say to that? Are there any elegant ladies who give five francs +for YOUR address?" + +"Is there any lady who's likely to send such flowers as these to +YOU?" was the response. + +Chupin was about to retire with a bow, when the concierge stopped +him. "You accomplish your errands so well that perhaps you'd be +willing to take these flower-pots up to the second floor, if we +gave you a glass of wine!" + +No proposal could have suited Chupin better. Although he was +prone to exaggerate his own powers and the fecundity of his +resources, he had not flattered himself with the hope that he +should succeed in crossing the threshold of M. de Coralth's rooms. +For, without any great mental effort, he had realized that the +servant arrayed in the red waistcoat was in the viscount's employ, +and these flowers were to be carried to his apartments. However +any signs of satisfaction would have seemed singular under the +circumstances, and so he sulkily replied: "A glass of wine! you +had better say two." + +"Well, I'll say a whole bottleful. my boy, if that suits you any +better," replied the servant, with the charming good-nature so +often displayed by people who are giving other folk's property +away. + +"Then I'm at your service!" exclaimed Chupin. And, loading +himself with a host of flower-pots as skilfully as if he had been +accustomed to handling them all his life, he added: "Now, lead the +way." + +The valet and the concierge preceded him with empty hands, of +course; and, on reaching the second floor, they opened a door, and +said: "This is the place. Come in." + +Chupin had expected to find that M. de Coralth's apartments were +handsomer than his own in the Faubourg Saint Denis; but he had +scarcely imagined such luxury as pervaded this establishment. The +chandeliers seemed marvels in his eyes; and the sumptuous chairs +and couches eclipsed M. Fortunat's wonderful sofa completely. "So +he no longer amuses himself with petty rascalities," thought +Chupin, as he surveyed the rooms. "Monsieur's working on a grand +scale now. Decidedly this mustn't be allowed to continue." + +Thereupon he busied himself placing the flowers in the numerous +jardinieres scattered about the rooms, as well as in a tiny +conservatory, cleverly contrived on the balcony, and adjoining a +little apartment with silk hangings, that was used as a smoking- +room. Under the surveillance of the concierge and the valet he +was allowed to visit the whole apartments. He admired the +drawing-room, filled to overflowing with costly trifles; the +dining-room, furnished in old oak; the luxurious bed-room with its +bed mounted upon a platform, as if it were a throne, and the +library filled with richly bound volumes. Everything was +beautiful, sumptuous and magnificent, and Chupin admired, though +he did not envy, this luxury. He said to himself that, if ever he +became rich, his establishment should be quite different. He +would have preferred rather more simplicity, a trifle less satin, +velvet, hangings, mirrors and gilding. Still this did not prevent +him from going into ecstasies over each room he entered; and he +expressed his admiration so artlessly that the valet, feeling as +much flattered as if he were the owner of the place, took a sort +of pride in exhibiting everything. + +He showed Chupin the target which the viscount practised at with +pistols for an hour every morning; for Monsieur le Vicomte was a +capital marksman, and could lodge eight balls out of ten in the +neck of a bottle at a distance of twenty paces. He also displayed +his master's swords; for Monsieur le Vicomte handled side arms as +adroitly as pistols. He took a lesson every day from one of the +best fencing-masters in Paris; and his duels had always terminated +fortunately. He also showed the viscount's blue velvet dressing- +gown, his fur-trimmed slippers, and even his elaborately +embroidered night-shirts. But it was the dressing-room that most +astonished and stupefied Chupin. He stood gazing in open-mouthed +wonder at the immense white marble table, with its water spigots +and its basins, its sponges and boxes, its pots and vials and +cups; and he counted the brushes by the dozen--brushes hard and +soft, brushes for the hair, for the beard, for the hands, and the +application of cosmetic to the mustaches and eyebrows. Never had +he seen in one collection such a variety of steel and silver +instruments, knives, pincers, scissors, and files. "One might +think oneself in a chiropodist's, or a dentist's establishment," +remarked Chupin to the servant. "Does your master use all these +every day?" + +"Certainly, or rather twice a day--morning and evening--at his +toilette." + +Chupin expressed his feelings with a grimace and an exclamation of +mocking wonder. "Ah, well! he must have a clean skin," he said. + +His listeners laughed heartily; and the concierge, after +exchanging a significant glance with the valet, said sotto voce, +"Zounds! it's his business to be a handsome fellow!" The mystery +was solved. + +While Chupin changed the contents of the jardinieres, and remained +upstairs in the intervals between the nine or ten journeys he made +to the porte-cochere for more flowers, he listened attentively to +the conversation between the concierge and the valet, and heard +snatches of sentences that enlightened him wonderfully. Moreover, +whenever a question arose as to placing a plant in one place +rather than another, the valet stated as a conclusive argument +that the baroness liked it in such or such a place, or that she +would be better pleased with this or that arrangement, or that he +must comply with the instructions she had given him. Chupin was +therefore obliged to conclude that the flowers had been sent here +by a baroness who possessed certain rights in the establishment. +But who was she? + +He was manoeuvering cleverly in the hope of ascertaining this +point, when a carriage was heard driving into the courtyard below. +"Monsieur must have returned!" exclaimed the valet, darting to the +window. + +Chupin also ran to look out, and saw a very elegant blue-lined +brougham, drawn by a superb horse, but he did not perceive the +viscount. In point of fact, M. de Coralth was already climbing +the stairs, four at a time, and, a moment later, he entered the +room, angrily exclaiming, "Florent, what does this mean? Why have +you left all the doors open?" + +Florent was the servant in the red waistcoat. He slightly +shrugged his shoulders like a servant who knows too many of his +master's secrets to have anything to fear, and in the calmest +possible tone replied, "If the doors are open, it is only because +the baroness has just sent some flowers. On Sunday, too, what a +funny idea! And I have been treating Father Moulinet and this +worthy fellow" (pointing to Chupin) "to a glass of wine, to +acknowledge their kindness in assisting me." + +Fearing recognition, Chupin hid his face as much as possible; but +M. de Coralth did not pay the slightest attention to him. There +was a dark frown on his handsome, usually smiling countenance, and +his hair was in great disorder. Evidently enough, something had +greatly annoyed him. "I am going out again," he remarked to his +valet, "but first of all I must write two letters which you must +deliver immediately." + +He passed into the drawing-room as he spoke, and Florent scarcely +waited till the door was closed before uttering an oath. "May the +devil take him!" he exclaimed. "Here he sets me on the go again. +It is five o'clock, too, and I have an appointment in half an +hour. + +A sudden hope quickened the throbbings of Chupin's heart. He +touched the valet's arm, and in his most persuasive tone remarked: +"I've nothing to do, and as your wine was so good, I'll do your +errands for you, if you'll pay me for the wear and tear of shoe- +leather." + +Chupin's appearance must have inspired confidence, for the servant +replied:--"Well--I don't refuse--but we'll see." + +The viscount did not spend much time in writing; he speedily +reappeared holding two letters which he flung upon the table, +saying: "One of these is for the baroness. You must deliver it +into HER hands or into the hands of her maid--there will be no +answer. You will afterward take the other to the person it is +addressed to, and you must wait for an answer which you will place +on my writing-table--and make haste." So saying, the viscount went +off as he had entered--on the run--and a moment later, his +brougham was heard rolling out of the courtyard. + +Florent was crimson with rage. "There," said he, addressing +Chupin rather than the concierge, "what did I tell you? A letter +to be placed in madame's own hands or in the hands of her maid, +and to be concealed from the baron, who is on the watch, of +course. Naturally no one can execute that commission but myself." + +"That's true!" replied Chupin; "but how about the other?" + +The valet had not yet examined the second letter. He now took it +from the table, and glanced at the address. "Ah," said he, "I can +confide this one to you, my good fellow, and it's very fortunate, +for it is to be taken to a place on the other side of the river. +Upon my word! masters are strange creatures! You manage your work +so as to have a little leisure, and the moment you think yourself +free, pouf!--they send you anywhere in creation without even +asking if it suits your convenience. If it hadn't been for you, I +should have missed a dinner with some very charming ladies. But, +above all, don't loiter on the way. I don't mind paying your +omnibus fare if you like. And you heard him say there would be an +answer. You can give it to Moulinet, and in exchange, he'll give +you fifteen sous for your trouble, and six sous for your omnibus +fare. Besides, if you can extract anything from the party the +letter's intended for, you are quite welcome to it." + +"Agreed, sir! Grant me time enough to give an answer to the lady +who is waiting at the Madeleine, and I'm on my way. Give me the +letter." + +"Here it is, said the valet, handing it to Chupin. But as the +latter glanced at the address he turned deadly pale, and his eyes +almost started from their sockets. For this is what he read: +"Madame Paul. Dealer in Tobacco. Quai de la Seine." Great as +was his self-control, his emotion was too evident to escape +notice. "What's the matter with you?" asked the concierge and the +valet in the same breath. "What has happened to you?" + +A powerful effort of will restored this young fellow's coolness, +and ready in an instant with an excuse for his blunder, he +replied, "I have changed my mind. What! you'd only give me +fifteen sous to measure such a distance as that! Why, it isn't a +walk--it's a journey!" + +His explanation was accepted without demur. His listeners thought +he was only taking advantage of the need they had of his services-- +as was perfectly natural under the circumstances. "What! So you +are dissatisfied!" cried the valet. "Very well! you shall have +thirty sous--but be off!" + +"So I will, at once," replied Chupin. And, imitating the whistle +of a locomotive with wonderful perfection, he darted away at a +pace which augured a speedy return. + +However, when he was some twenty yards from the house he stopped +short, glanced around him, and espying a dark corner slipped into +it. "That fool in the red waistcoat will be coming out to take +the letter to that famous baroness," he thought. "I'm here, and +I'll watch him and see where he goes. I should like to find out +the name of the kind and charitable lady who watches over his +brigand of a master with such tender care." + +The day and the hour were in his favor. Night was coming on, +hastened by a thick fog; the street lamps were not yet lighted, +and as it was Sunday most of the shops were closed. It grew dark +so rapidly that Chupin was scarcely able to recognize Florent when +he at last emerged from the house. It is true that he looked +altogether unlike the servant in the red waist-coat. As he had +the key to the wardrobe containing his master's clothes, he did +not hesitate to use them whenever an opportunity offered. On this +occasion he had appropriated a pair of those delicately tinted +trousers which were M. de Coralth's specialty, with a handsome +overcoat, a trifle too small for him, and a very elegant hat. + +"Fine doings, indeed!" growled Chupin as he started in pursuit. +"My servants sha'n't serve me in that way if I ever have any." + +But he paused in his soliloquy, and prudently hid himself under a +neighboring gateway. The gorgeous Florent was ringing at the door +of one of the most magnificent mansions in the Rue de la Ville +l'Eveque. The door was opened, and he went in. "Ah! ah!" thought +Chupin, "he hadn't far to go. The viscount and the baroness are +shrewd. When you have flowers to send to anybody it's convenient +to be neighbors!" + +He glanced round, and seeing an old man smoking his pipe on the +threshold of a shop, he approached him and asked politely "Can you +tell me whom that big house belongs to?" + +"To Baron Trigault," replied the man, without releasing his hold +on his pipe. + +"Thank you, monsieur," replied Chupin, gravely. "I inquired, +because I think of buying a house "And repeating the name of +Trigault several times to impress it upon his memory he darted off +on his errand. + +It might be supposed that his unexpected success had delighted +him, but, on the contrary, it rendered him even more exacting. +The letter he carried burned his pocket like a red-hot iron. +"Madame Paul," he muttered, "that must be the rascal's wife. +First, Paul is his Christian name; secondly, I've been told that +his wife keeps a tobacco shop--so the case is plain. But the +strangest thing about it is that this husband and wife should +write to each other, when I fancied them at dagger's ends." Chupin +would have given a pint of his own blood to know the contents of +the missive. The idea of opening it occurred to him, and it must +be confessed that it was not a feeling of delicacy that prevented +him. He was deterred by a large seal which had been carefully +affixed, and which would plainly furnish evidence if the letter +were tampered with. Thus Chupin was punished for Florent's +faults, for this seal was the viscount's' invariable precaution +against his servant's prying curiosity. So our enterprising youth +could only read and re-read the superscription and smell the +paper, which was strongly scented with verbena. He fancied that +there was some mysterious connection between this letter intended +for M. de Coralth's wife and the missive sent to the baroness. +And why should it not be so? Had they not both been written under +the influence of anger? Still he failed to perceive any possible +connection between the rich baroness and the poor tobacco dealer, +and his cogitations only made him more perplexed than ever. +However, his efforts to solve the mystery did not interfere with +the free use of his limbs, and he soon found himself on the Quai +de la Seine. "Here I am," he muttered. "I've come more quickly +than an omnibus." + +The Quai de la Seine is a broad road, connecting the Rue de +Flandres with the canal de l'Ourcq. On the left-hand side it is +bordered with miserable shanties interspersed with some tiny +shops, and several huge coal depots. On the right-hand side--that +next to the canal--there are also a few provision stores. In the +daytime there is no noisier nor livelier place than this same +Quai; but nothing could be more gloomy at night-time when the +shops are closed, when the few gas-lamps only increase the +grimness of the shadows, and when the only sound that breaks the +silence is the rippling of the water as its smooth surface is +ruffled by some boatman propelling his skiff through the canal. + +"The Viscount must certainly have made a mistake," thought Chupin; +"there is no such shop on the Quai." He was wrong, however; for +after passing the Rue de Soissons he espied the red lantern of a +tobacco-shop, glimmering through the fog. + + + +XI. + + +Having almost reached the goal, Chupin slackened his pace. He +approached the shop very cautiously and peered inside, deeming it +prudent to reconnoitre a little before he went in. And certainly +there was nothing to prevent a prolonged scrutiny. The night was +very dark, the quay deserted. No one was to be seen; not a sound +broke the stillness. The darkness, the surroundings, and the +silence were sinister enough to make even Chupin shudder, though +he was usually as thoroughly at home in the loneliest and most +dangerous by-ways of Paris as an honest man of the middle classes +would be in the different apartments of his modest household. +"That scoundrel's wife must have less than a hundred thousand a +year if she takes up her abode here!" thought Chupin. + +And, in fact, nothing could be more repulsive than the tenement in +which Madame Paul had installed herself. It was but one story +high, and built of clay, and it had fallen to ruin to such an +extent that it had been found necessary to prop it up with timber, +and to nail some old boards over the yawning fissures in the +walls. "If I lived here, I certainly shouldn't feel quite at ease +on a windy day," continued Chupin, sotto voce. + +The shop itself was of a fair size, but most wretched in its +appointments, and disgustingly dirty. The floor was covered with +that black and glutinous coal-dust which forms the soil of the +Quai de la Seine. An auctioneer would have sold the entire stock +and fixtures for a few shillings. Four stone jars, and a couple +of pairs of scales, a few odd tumblers, filled with pipes and +packets of cigarettes, some wine-glasses, and three or four +labelled bottles, five or six boxes of cigars, and as many +packages of musty tobacco, constituted the entire stock in trade. + +As Chupin compared this vile den with the viscount's luxurious +abode, his blood fairly boiled in his veins. "He ought to be shot +for this, if for nothing else," he muttered through his set teeth. +"To let his wife die of starvation here!" For it was M. de +Coralth's wife who kept this shop. Chupin, who had seen her years +before, recognized her now as she sat behind her counter, although +she was cruelly changed. "That's her," he murmured. "That's +certainly Mademoiselle Flavie." + +He had used her maiden name in speaking of her. Poor woman! She +was undoubtedly still young--but sorrow, regret, and privations, +days spent in hard work to earn a miserable subsistence, and +nights spent in weeping, had made her old, haggard, and wrinkled +before her time. Of her once remarkable beauty naught remained +but her hair, which was still magnificent, though it was in wild +disorder, and looked as if it had not been touched by a comb for +weeks; and her big black eyes, which gleamed with the +phosphorescent and destructive brilliancy of fever. Everything +about her person bespoke terrible reverses, borne without dignity. +Even if she had struggled at first, it was easy to see that she +struggled no longer. Her attire--her torn and soiled silk dress, +and her dirty cap--revealed thorough indolence, and that morbid +indifference which at times follows great misfortunes with weak +natures. + +"Such is life," thought Chupin, philosophically. "Here's a girl +who was brought up like a queen and allowed to have her own way in +everything! If any one had predicted this in those days, how she +would have sneered! I can see her now as she looked that day when +I met her driving her gray ponies. If people didn't clear the +road it was so much the worse for them! In those times Paris was +like some great shop where she could select whatever she chose. +She said: 'I want this,' and she got it. She saw a handsome young +fellow and wanted him for her husband; her father, who could +refuse her nothing, consented, and now behold the result!" + +He had lingered longer at the window than he had meant to do, +perhaps because he could see that the young woman was talking with +some person in a back room, the door of which stood open. Chupin +tried to find out who this person was, but he did not succeed; and +he was about to go in when suddenly he saw Madame Paul rise from +her seat and say a few words with an air of displeasure. And this +time her eyes, instead of turning to the open door, were fixed on +a part of the shop directly opposite her. "Is there some one +there as well, then?" Chupin wondered. + +He changed his post of observation, and, by standing on tiptoe, he +succeeded in distinguishing a puny little boy, some three or four +years old, and clad in rags, who was playing with the remnants of +a toy-horse. The sight of this child increased Chupin's +indignation. "So there's a child?" he growled. "The rascal not +only deserts his wife, but he leaves his child to starve! We may +as well make a note of that: and when we settle up our accounts, +he shall pay dearly for his villainy." With this threat he +brusquely entered the shop. + +"What do you wish, sir?" asked the woman. + +"Nothing; I bring you a letter, madame." + +"A letter for me! You must be mistaken." + +"Excuse me; aren't you Madame Paul?" + +"Yes." + +"Then this is for you." And he handed her the missive which +Florent had confided to his care. + +Madame Paul took hold of it with some hesitation, eying the +messenger suspiciously meanwhile; but, on seeing the handwriting, +she uttered a cry of surprise. And, turning toward the open door, +she called, "M. Mouchon! M. Mouchon! It's from him--it's from my +husband; from Paul. Come, come!" + +A bald-headed, corpulent man, who looked some fifty years of age, +now timidly emerged from the room behind the shop with a cap in +his hand. "Ah, well! my dear child," he said, in an oily voice, +"what was I telling you just now? Everything comes to those who +know how to wait." + +However she had already broken the seal, and she was now reading +the letter eagerly, clapping her hands with delight as she +finished its perusal. "He consents!" she exclaimed. "He's +frightened--he begs me to wait a little--look--read!" + +But M. Mouchon could not read without his spectacles, and he lost +at least two minutes in searching his pockets before he found +them. And when they were adjusted, the light was so dim that it +took him at least three minutes more to decipher the missive. +Chupin had spent this time in scrutinizing--in appraising the man, +as it were. "What is this venerable gentleman doing here?" he +thought. "He's a middle class man, that's evident from his linen. +He's married--there's a wedding-ring on his finger; he has a +daughter, for the ends of his necktie are embroidered. He lives +in the neighborhood, for, well dressed as he is, he wears a cap. +But what was he doing there in that back room in the dark?" + +Meanwhile M. Mouchon had finished reading the letter. "What did I +tell you?" he said complacently. + +"Yes, you were right!" answered Madame Paul as she took up the +letter and read it again with her eyes sparkling with joy. "And +now what shall I do?" she asked. "Wait, shall I not?" + +"No, no!" exclaimed the elderly gentleman, in evident dismay. +"You must strike the iron while it's hot." + +"But he promises me----" + +"To promise and to keep one's promises are two different things." + +"He wants a reply." + +"Tell him----" But he stopped short, calling her attention with a +gesture to the messenger, whose eyes were glittering with intense +curiosity. + +She understood. So filling a glass with some liquor, she placed +it before Chupin, and offered him a cigar, saying: "Take a seat-- +here's something to keep you from feeling impatient while you wait +here." Thereupon she followed the old gentleman into the adjoining +room, and closed the door. + +Even if Chupin had not possessed the precocious penetration he +owed to his life of adventure, the young woman and the old +gentleman had said enough to enable him to form a correct estimate +of the situation. He was certain now that he knew the contents of +the letter as perfectly as if he had read it. M. de Coralth's +anger, and his order to make haste, were both explained. +Moreover, Chupin distinctly saw what connection there was between +the letter to the baroness and the letter to Madame Paul. He +understood that one was the natural consequence of the other. +Deserted by her husband, Madame Paul had at last become weary of +poverty and privations. She had instituted a search for her +husband, and, having found him, she had written to him in this +style: "I consent to abstain from interfering with you, but only +on conditions that you provide means of subsistence for me, your +lawfully wedded wife, and for your child. If you refuse, I shall +urge my claims, and ruin you. The scandal won't be of much use to +me, it's true, but at least I shall no longer be obliged to endure +the torture of knowing that you are surrounded by every luxury +while I am dying of starvation." + +Yes, she had evidently written that. It might not be the precise +text; but no doubt it was the purport of her letter. On receiving +it, Coralth had become alarmed. He knew only too well that if his +wife made herself known and revealed his past, it would be all +over with him. But he had no money. Charming young men like the +Viscount de Coralth never have any money on hand. So, in this +emergency, the dashing young fellow had written to his wife +imploring her to have patience, and to the baroness, entreating, +or rather commanding her to advance him a certain sum at once. + +This was no doubt the case, and yet there was one circumstance +which puzzled Chupin exceedingly. In former years, he had heard +it asserted that Mademoiselle Flavie was the very personification +of pride, and that she adored her husband even to madness. Had +this great love vanished? Had poverty and sorrow broken her spirit +to such a degree that she was willing to stoop to such shameful +concessions! If she were acquainted with her husband's present +life, how did it happen that she did not prefer starvation, or the +alms-house and a pauper's grave to his assistance? Chupin could +understand how, in a moment of passion, she might be driven to +denounce her husband in the presence of his fashionable +acquaintances, how she might be impelled to ruin him so as to +avenge herself; but he could not possibly understand how she could +consent to profit by the ignominy of the man she loved. "The plan +isn't hers," said Chupin to himself, after a moment's reflection. +"It's probably the work of that stout old gentleman." + +There was a means of verifying his suspicions, for on returning +into the adjoining room, Madame Paul had not taken her son with +her. He was still sitting on the muddy floor of the shop, playing +with his dilapidated horse. Chupin called him. "Come here, my +little fellow," said he. + +The child rose, and timidly approached, his eyes dilating with +distrust and astonishment. The poor boy's repulsive uncleanliness +was a terrible charge against the mother. Did she no longer love +her own offspring? The untidiness of sorrow and poverty has its +bounds. A long time must have passed since the child's face and +hands had been washed, and his soiled clothes were literally +falling to rags. Still, he was a handsome little fellow, and +seemed fairly intelligent, in spite of his bashfulness. He was +very light-haired, and in features he was extremely like M. de +Coralth. Chupin took him on his knees, and, after looking to see +if the door communicating with the inner room were securely +closed, he asked: "What's your name, little chap?" + +"Paul." + +"Do you know your father?" + +"No." + +"Doesn't your mother ever talk to you about him?" + +"Oh, yes!" + +"And what does she say?" + +"That he's rich--very rich." + +"And what else?" + +The child did not reply; perhaps his mother had forbidden him to +say anything on the subject--perhaps that instinct which precedes +intelligence, just as the dawn precedes daylight, warned him to be +prudent with a stranger. "Doesn't your papa ever come to see +you?" insisted Chupin. + +"Never." + +"Why?" + +"Mamma is very poor." + +"And wouldn't you like to go and see him?" + +"I don't know. But he'll come some day, and take us away with him +to a large house. We shall be all right, then; and he will give +us a deal of money and pretty dresses, and I shall have plenty of +toys." + +Satisfied on this point, Chupin, pushed his investigations +farther. "And do you know this old gentleman who is with your +mamma in the other room?" + +"Oh, yes!--that's Mouchon." + +"And who's Mouchon?" + +"He's the gentleman who owns that beautiful garden at the corner +of the Rue Riquet, where there are such splendid grapes. I'm +going with him to get some." + +"Does he often come to see you?" + +"Every evening. He always has goodies in his pocket for mamma and +me." + +"Why does he sit in that back room without any light?" + +"Oh, he says that the customers mustn't see him." + +It would have been an abominable act to continue this examination, +and make this child the innocent accuser of his own mother. +Chupin felt conscience-smitten even now. So he kissed the +cleanest spot he could find on the boy's face, and set him on the +floor again, saying, "Go and play." + +The child had revealed his mother's character with cruel +precision. What had she told him about his father? That he was +rich, and that, in case he returned, he would give them plenty of +money and fine clothes. The woman's nature stood revealed in all +its deformity. Chupin had good cause to feel proud of his +discernment--all his suppositions had been confirmed. He had read +Mouchon's character at a glance. He had recognized him as one of +those wily evil-minded men who employ their leisure to the profit +of their depravity--one of those patient, cold-blooded hypocrites +who make poverty their purveyor, and whose passion is prodigal +only in advice. "So he's paying his court to Madame Paul," +thought Chupin. "Isn't it shameful? The old villain! he might at +least give her enough to eat!" + +So far his preoccupation had made him forget his wine and his +cigar. He emptied the glass at a single draught, but it proved +far more difficult to light the cigar. "Zounds! this is a non- +combustible," he growled. "When I arrive at smoking ten sous +cigars, I sha'n't come here to buy them." + +However, with the help of several matches and a great deal of +drawing, he had almost succeeded, when the door opened, and Madame +Paul reappeared with a letter in her hand. She seemed greatly +agitated; her anxiety was unmistakable. "I can't decide," she was +saying to Mouchon, whose figure Chupin could only dimly +distinguish in the darkness. "No, I can't. If I send this +letter, I must forever renounce all hope of my husband's return. +Whatever happens, he will never forgive me." + +"He can't treat you worse than he does now, at all events," +replied the old gentleman. "Besides, a gloved cat has never +caught a mouse yet." + +"He'll hate me." + +"The man who wants his dog to love him, beats it; and, besides, +when the wine is drawn, one must drink it." + +This singular logic seemed to decide her. She handed the letter +to Chupin, and drawing a franc from her pocket she offered it to +him. "This is for your trouble," she said. + +He involuntarily held out his hand to take the money, but quickly +withdrew it, exclaiming: "No, thank you; keep it. I've been paid +already." And, thereupon, he left the shop. + +Chupin's mother--his poor good mother, as he called her--would +certainly have felt proud and delighted at her son's +disinterestedness. That very morning, he had refused the ten +francs a day that M. Fortunat had offered him, and this evening he +declined the twenty sous proffered him by Madame Paul. This was +apparently a trifle, and yet in reality it was something +marvellous, unprecedented, on the part of this poor lad, who, +having neither trade nor profession, was obliged to earn his daily +bread through the medium of those chance opportunities which the +lower classes of Paris are continually seeking. As he returned to +the Rue de Flandres, he muttered: "Take twenty sous from that poor +creature, who hasn't had enough to satisfy her hunger for heaven +knows how long! That would be altogether unworthy of a man." + +It is only just to say that money had never given him a feeling of +satisfaction at all comparable with that which he now experienced. +He was impressed, too, with a sense of vastly-increased importance +on thinking that all the faculties, and all the energy he had once +employed in the service of evil, were now consecrated to the +service of good. By becoming the instrument of Pascal +Ferailleur's salvation he would, in some measure, atone for the +crime he had committed years before. + +Chupin's mind was so busily occupied with these thoughts that he +reached the Rue d'Anjou and M. de Coralth's house almost before he +was aware of it. To his great surprise, the concierge and his +wife were not alone. Florent was there, taking coffee with them. +The valet had divested himself of his borrowed finery, and had +donned his red waistcoat again. He seemed to be in a savage +humor; and his anger was not at all strange under the +circumstances. There was but a step from M. de Coralth's house to +the baroness's residence, but fatalities may attend even a step! +The baroness, on receiving the letter from her maid, had sent a +message to Florent requesting him to wait, as she desired to speak +with him! and she had been so inconsiderate as to keep him waiting +for more than an hour, so that he had missed his appointment with +the charming ladies he had spoken of. In his despair he had +returned home to seek consolation in the society of his friend the +concierge. "Have you the answer?" he asked. + +"Yes, here it is," replied Chupin, and Florent had just slipped +the letter into his pocket, and was engaged in counting out the +thirty sous which he had promised his messenger, when the familiar +cry, "Open, please," was heard outside. + +M. de Coralth had returned. He sprang to the ground as soon as +the carriage entered the courtyard, and on perceiving his servant, +he exclaimed: "Have you executed my commissions?" + +"They have been executed, monsieur." + +"Did you see the baroness?" + +"She made me wait two hours to tell me that the viscount need not +be worried in the least; that she would certainly be able to +comply with his request to-morrow." + +M. de Coralth seemed to breathe more freely. "And the other +party?" he inquired. + +"Gave me this for monsieur." + +The viscount seized the missive, with an eager hand, tore it open, +read it at one glance, and flew into such a paroxysm of passion +that he quite forgot those around him, and began to tear the +letter, and utter a string of oaths which would have astonished a +cab-driver. But suddenly realizing his imprudence, he mastered +his rage, and exclaimed, with a forced laugh: "Ah! these women! +they are enough to drive one mad!" And deeming this a sufficient +explanation, he added, addressing Florent. "Come and undress me; +I must be up early to-morrow morning." + +This remark was not lost upon Chupin, and at seven o'clock the +next morning he mounted guard at M. de Coralth's door. All +through the day he followed the viscount about, first to the +Marquis de Valorsay's, then to the office of a business agent, +then to M. Wilkie's, then, in the afternoon, to Baroness +Trigault's, and finally, in the evening, to the house of Madame +d'Argeles. Here, by making himself useful to the servants, by his +zeal in opening and shutting the doors of the carriages that left +the house, he succeeded in gathering some information concerning +the frightful scene which had taken place between the mother and +the son. He perceived M. Wilkie leave the house with his clothes +in disorder, and subsequently he saw the viscount emerge. He +followed him, first to the house of the Marquis de Valorsay, and +afterward to M. Wilkie's rooms, where he remained till nearly +daybreak. + +Thus, when Chupin presented himself in M. Fortunat's office at two +o'clock on the Tuesday afternoon, he felt that he held every +possible clue to the shameful intrigue which would ruin the +viscount as soon as it was made public. + +M. Fortunat knew that his agent was shrewd, but he had not done +justice to his abilities; and it was, indeed, with something very +like envy that he listened to Chupin's clear and circumstantial +report. "I have not been as successful," he remarked, when +Chupin's story was ended. But he had not time to explain how or +why, for just as he was about to do so, Madame Dodelin appeared, +and announced that the young lady he expected was there. "Let her +come in!" exclaimed M. Fortunat, eagerly--"let her come in!" + +Mademoiselle Marguerite had not been compelled to resort to any +subterfuge to make her escape from Madame de Fondege's house. The +General had decamped early in the morning to try his horses and +his carriages, announcing, moreover, that he would breakfast at +the club. And as soon as her breakfast was concluded, Madame de +Fondege had hurried off to her dressmaker's, warning the household +that she would not return before dinner-time. A little while +later, Madame Leon had suddenly remembered that her noble relative +would certainly be expecting a visit from her, and so she dressed +herself in haste, and went off, first to Dr. Jodon's and thence to +the Marquis de Valorsay's. + +Thus, Mademoiselle Marguerite had been able to make her escape +without attracting any one's attention, and she would be able to +remain away as many hours as she chose, since the servants would +not know how long she had been absent even if they saw her when +she returned. An empty cab was passing as she left the house, so +she hailed it and got in. The step she was about to take cost her +a terrible effort. It was a difficult task for her, a girl +naturally so reserved, to confide in a stranger, and open to him +her maidenly heart, filled with love for Pascal Ferailleur! Still, +she was much calmer than she had been on the previous evening, +when she called on the photographer for a facsimile of M. de +Valorsay's letter. Several circumstances combined to reassure +her. M. Fortunat knew her already, since he was the agent whom +the Count de Chalusse had employed to carry on the investigations +which had resulted in her discovery at the foundling asylum. A +vague presentiment told her that this man was better acquainted +with her past life than she was herself, and that he could, if he +chose, tell her her mother's name--the name of the woman whom the +count so dreaded, and who had so pitilessly deserted her. +However, her heart beat more quickly, and she felt that she was +turning pale when, at Madame Dodelin's invitation, she at last +entered M. Fortunat's private office. She took in the room and +its occupants with a single glance. The handsome appointments of +the office surprised her, for she had expected to see a den. The +agent's polite manner and rather elegant appearance disconcerted +her, for she had expected to meet a coarse and illiterate boor; +and finally, Victor Chupin, who was standing twisting his cap near +the fireplace, attired in a blouse and a pair of ragged trousers, +fairly alarmed her. Still, no sign of her agitation was +perceptible on her countenance. Not a muscle of her beautiful, +proud face moved--her glance remained clear and haughty, and she +exclaimed in a ringing voice: "I am the late Count de Chalusse's +ward, Mademoiselle Marguerite. You have received my letter, I +suppose?" + +M. Fortunat bowed with all the grace of manner he was wont to +display in the circles where he went wife-hunting, and with a +somewhat pretentious gesture he advanced an arm-chair, and asked +his visitor to sit down. "Your letter reached me, mademoiselle," +he replied, "and I was expecting you--flattered and honored beyond +expression by your confidence. My door, indeed, was closed to any +one but you." + +Marguerite took the proffered seat, and there was a moment's +silence. M. Fortunat found it difficult to believe that this +beautiful, imposing young girl could be the poor little apprentice +whom he had seen in the book-bindery, years before, clad in a +coarse serge frock, with dishevelled hair covered with scraps of +paper. In the meantime, Marguerite was regretting the necessity +of confiding in this man, for the more she looked at him, the more +she was convinced that he was not an honest, straightforward +person; and she would infinitely have preferred a cynical +scoundrel to this plausible and polite gentleman, whom she +strongly suspected of being a hypocrite. She remained silent, +waiting for M. Fortunat to dismiss the young man in the blouse, +whose presence she could not explain, and who stood in a sort of +mute ecstasy, staring at her with eyes expressive of the most +intense surprise and the liveliest admiration. But weary at last +of this fruitless delay, she exclaimed: "I have come, monsieur, to +confer with you respecting certain matters which require the most +profound secrecy." + +Chupin understood her, for he blushed to the tips of his ears, and +started as if to leave the room. But his employer detained him +with a gesture. + +"Remain, Victor," he said kindly, and, turning to Mademoiselle +Marguerite, he added: "You have no indiscretion to fear from this +worthy fellow, mademoiselle. He knows everything, and he has +already been actively at work--and with the best result--on your +behalf." + +"I don't understand you, sir," replied the girl. + +M. Fortunat smiled sweetly. "I have already taken your business +in hand, mademoiselle," said he. "An hour after the receipt of +your letter I began the campaign." + +"But I had not told you----" + +"What you wished of me--that's true. But I allowed myself to +suspect----" + +"Ah!" + +"I fancied I might conclude that you wished the help of my +experience and poor ability in clearing an innocent man who has +been vilely slandered, M. Pascal Ferailleur." + +Marguerite sprang to her feet, at once agitated and alarmed. "How +did you know this?" she exclaimed. + +M. Fortunat had left his arm-chair, and was now leaning against +the mantel-shelf, in what he considered a most becoming and awe- +inspiring attitude, with his thumb in the armhole of his +waistcoat. "Ah! nothing could be more simple," he answered, in +much the same tone as a conqueror might assume to explain his +feat. "It is part of my profession to penetrate the intentions of +persons who deign to honor me with their confidence. So my +surmises are correct; at least you have not said the contrary?" + +She had said nothing. When her first surprise was over, she +vainly endeavored to find a plausible explanation of M. Fortunat's +acquaintance with her affairs, for she was not at all deceived by +his pretended perspicacity. Meanwhile, delighted by the supposed +effect he had produced, he recklessly continued: "Reserve your +amazement for what I am about to disclose, for I have made several +important discoveries. It must have been your good angel who +inspired you with the idea of coming to me. You would have +shuddered if you had realized the dangers that threatened you. +But now you have nothing to fear; I am watching. I am here, and I +hold in my hand all the threads of the abominable intrigue for +ruining you. For it is you, your person, and your fortune that +are imperilled. It was solely on your account that M. Ferailleur +was attacked. And I can tell you the names of the scoundrels who +ruined him. The crime originated with the person who had the most +powerful interest in the matter--the Marquis de Valorsay. His +agent was a scoundrel who is generally known as the Viscount de +Coralth; but Chupin here can tell you his real name and his +shameful past. You preferred M. Ferailleur, hence it was +necessary to put him out of the way. M. de Chalusse had promised +your hand to the Marquis de Valorsay. This marriage was +Valorsay's only resource--the plank that might save the drowning +man. People fancy he is rich; but he is ruined. Yes, ruined +completely, irretrievably. He was in such desperate straits that +he had almost determined to blow his brains out before the hope of +marrying you entered his mind." + +"Ah!" thought Chupin, "my employer is well under way." + +This was indeed the case. The name of Valorsay was quite +sufficient to set all M. Fortunat's bile in motion. All thought +of his ex-client irritated him beyond endurance. Unfortunately +for him, however, his anger in the present instance had ruined his +plans. He had intended to take Mademoiselle Marguerite by +surprise, to work upon her imagination, to make her talk without +saying anything himself, and to remain master of the situation. +But on the contrary he had revealed everything; and he did not +discover this until it was too late to retrieve his blunder. "How +the Marquis de Valorsay has kept his head above water is a wonder +to me," he continued. "His creditors have been threatening to sue +him for more than six months. How he has been able to keep them +quiet since M. de Chalusse's death, I cannot understand. However, +this much is certain, mademoiselle: the marquis has not renounced +his intention of becoming your husband; and to attain that object +he won't hesitate to employ any means that may promise to prove +effectual." + +Completely mistress of herself, Mademoiselle Marguerite listened +with an impassive face. "I know all this," she replied, in a +frigid tone. + +"What! you know----" + +"Yes; but there is one thing that baffles my powers of +comprehension. My dowry was the only temptation to M. de +Valorsay, was it not? Why does he still wish to marry me, now that +I have no fortune?" + +M. Fortunat had gradually lost all his advantage. "I have asked +myself the same question," he replied, "and I think I have found +an answer. I believe that the marquis has in his possession a +letter, or a will, or a document of some sort, written by M. de +Chalusse--in fact an instrument in which the count acknowledges +you as his daughter, and which consequently establishes; your +right to his property." + +"And the marquis could urge this claim if he became my husband?" + +"Certainly he could." + +M. Fortunat explained M. de Valorsay's conduct exactly as the old +magistrate had done. However, Mademoiselle Marguerite discreetly +refrained from committing herself. The great interest that M. +Fortunat seemed to take in her affairs aroused her distrust; and +she decided to do what he had attempted in vain--that is, allow +him to do all the talking, and to conceal all that she knew +herself. "Perhaps you are right," she remarked, "but it is +necessary to prove the truth of your assertion." + +"I can prove that Valorsay hasn't a shilling, and that he has +lived for a year by expedients which render him liable to arrest +and prosecution at any time. I can prove that he deceived M. de +Chalusse as to his financial position. I can prove that he +conspired with M. de Coralth to ruin your lover. Wouldn't this be +something?" + +She smiled in a way that was exceedingly irritating to his vanity, +and in a tone of good-natured incredulity, she remarked: "It is +easy to SAY these things." + +"And to do them," rejoined M. Fortunat, quickly. "I never promise +what I cannot perform. A man should never touch a pen when he is +meditating any evil act. Of course, no one is fool enough to +write down his infamy in detail. But a man cannot always be on +the qui vive. There will be a word in one letter, a sentence in +another, an allusion in a third. And by combining these words, +phrases, and allusions, one may finally discover the truth." + +He suddenly checked himself, warned of his fresh imprudence by the +expression on Mademoiselle Marguerite's face. She drew back, and +looking him full in the eyes, she exclaimed: "Then you have been +in M. de Valorsay's confidence, sir? Would you be willing to swear +that you never helped him in his designs?" + +A silent and ignored witness of this scene, Victor Chupin was +secretly delighted. "Hit!" he thought--"hit just in the bull's- +eye. Zounds! there's a woman for you! She has beaten the guv'nor +on every point." + +M. Fortunat was so taken by surprise that he made no attempt to +deny his guilt. "I confess that I acted as M. de Valorsay's +adviser for some time," he replied, "and he frequently spoke to me +of his intention of marrying a rich wife in order to retrieve his +shattered fortunes. Upon my word, I see nothing so very bad about +that! It is not a strictly honest proceeding, perhaps, but it is +done every day. What is marriage in this age? Merely a business +transaction, is it not? Perhaps it would be more correct to say +that it is a transaction in which one person tries to cheat the +other. The fathers-in-law are deceived, or the husband, or the +wife, and sometimes all of them together. But when I discovered +this scheme for mining M. Ferailleur, I cried 'halt!' My +conscience revolted at that. Dishonor an innocent man! It was +base, cowardly, outrageous! And not being able to prevent this +infamous act, I swore that I would avenge it." + +Would Mademoiselle Marguerite accept this explanation? Chupin +feared so, and accordingly turning quickly to his employer, he +remarked: "To say nothing of the fact that this fine gentleman has +swindled you outrageously, shrewd as you are--cheating you out of +the forty thousand francs you lent him, and which he was to pay +you eighty thousand for." + +M. Fortunat cast a withering look at his clerk, but the mischief +was done: denial was useless. He seemed fated to blunder in this +affair. "Well, yes," he declared, "it's true. Valorsay HAS +defrauded me, and I have sworn to have my revenge. I won't rest +until I see him ruined." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite was partially reassured, for she +understood his zeal now. Her scorn for the man was only +increased; but she was convinced that he would serve her +faithfully. "I like this much better," said she. "It is better +to have no concealment. You desire M. de Valorsay's ruin. I +desire the rehabilitation of M. Ferailleur. So our interests are +in common. But before acting in this matter, we must know M. +Ferailleur's wishes." + +"They cannot be considered." + +"And why?" + +"Because no one knows what has become of him. When the desire for +revenge first took possession of me, I at once thought of him. I +procured his address, and went to the Rue d'Ulm. But he had gone +away. The very day after his misfortune, M. Ferailleur sold his +furniture and went away with his mother." + +"I am aware of that, and I have come to ask you to search for him. +To discover his hiding-place will be only child's play to you." + +"Do you suppose I haven't thought of this?" replied M. Fortunat. +"Why, I spent all day yesterday searching for him. By questioning +the people in the neighborhood I finally succeeded in ascertaining +that Madame Ferailleur left her home in a cab several hours after +her son, and took a very large quantity of baggage with her. +Well, do you know where she drove? To the Western railway station. +I am sure of this, and I know she told a porter there that her +destination was London. M. Ferailleur is now en route for +America, and we shall never hear of him again!" + +Mademoiselle Marguerite shook her head. "You are mistaken, sir," +said she. + +"There can be no mistake about what I have just told you." + +"I don't question the result of your investigations, but +appearances are deceitful. I thoroughly understand M. +Ferailleur's character, and he is not the man to be crushed by an +infamous calumny. He may seem to fly, he may disappear, he may +conceal himself for a time, but it is only to make his vengeance +more certain. What! Pascal, who is energy itself, who possesses +an iron will, and invincible determination, would he renounce his +honor, his future, and the woman he loves without a struggle? If +he had felt that his case was hopeless, he would have destroyed +himself, and as he has not done so, he is not without hope. He +has not left Paris; I am sure of it." + +M. Fortunat was not convinced. In his opinion this was only +sentiment and rubbish. Still there was one person present who was +deeply impressed by the confidence of this young girl, who was the +most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and whose devotion and +energy filled his heart with admiration, and this person was +Chupin. He stepped forward with his eyes sparkling with +enthusiasm, and in a feeling voice he exclaimed: "I understand +your idea! Yes, M. Ferailleur is in Paris. And I shall be +unworthy of the name of Chupin, if I don't find him for you in +less than a fortnight!" + + + +XII. + + +Mademoiselle Marguerite knew Pascal Ferailleur. Suddenly struck +down in the full sunlight of happiness by a terrible misfortune, +he, of course, experienced moments of frenzy and terrible +depression; but he was incapable of the cowardice which M. +Fortunat had accused him of. + +Mademoiselle Marguerite only did him justice when she said that +the sole condition on which he could consent to live was that of +consecrating his life, and all his strength, intelligence and will +to confounding this infamous calumny. And still she did not know +the extent of Pascal's misfortune. How could she suppose that he +believed himself deserted by her? How could she know the doubts +and fears and the anguish that had been roused in his heart by the +note which Madame Leon had given him at the garden gate? What did +she know of the poignant suspicions that had rent his mind, after +listening to Madame Vantrasson's disparaging insinuations? + +It must be admitted that he was indebted to his mother alone for +his escape from suicide--that grim madness that seizes hold of so +many desperate, despairing men. And it was still to his mother-- +the incomparable guardian of his honor--that he owed his +resolution on the morning he applied to Baron Trigault. And his +courage met with its first reward. + +He was no longer the same man when he left the princely mansion +which he had entered with his heart so full of anguish. He was +still somewhat bewildered with the strange scenes which he had +involuntarily witnessed, the secrets he had overheard, and the +revelations which had been made to him; but a light gleamed on the +horizon--a fitful and uncertain light, it is true, but +nevertheless a hopeful gleam. At least, he would no longer have +to struggle alone. An honest and experienced man, powerful by +reason of his reputation, his connections and his fortune, had +promised him his help. Thanks to this man whom misfortune had +made a truer friend than years could have done, he would have +access to the wretch who had deprived him both of his honor and of +the woman he loved. He knew the weak spot in the marquis's armor +now; he knew where and how to strike, and he felt sure that he +should succeed in winning Valorsay's confidence, and in obtaining +irrefutable proofs of his villainy. + +Pascal was eager to inform his mother of the fortunate result of +his visit, but certain arrangements which were needful for the +success of his plans required his attention, and it was nearly +five o'clock when he reached the Route de la Revolte. Madame +Ferailleur was just returning home when he arrived, which +surprised him considerably, for he had not known that she had +intended going out. The cab she had used was still standing +before the door, and she had not had time to take off her shawl +and bonnet when he entered the house. She uttered a joyful cry on +perceiving her son. She was so accustomed to read his secret +thoughts on his face, that it was unnecessary for him to say a +word; before he had even opened his lips, she cried: "So you have +succeeded?" + +"Yes, mother, beyond my hopes." + +"I was not deceived, then, in the worthy man who came to offer us +his assistance?" + +"No, certainly not. Do what I may, I can never repay him for his +generosity and self-denial. If you knew, my dear mother, if you +only knew----" + +"What?" + +He kissed her as if he wished to apologize for what he was about +to say, and then he quickly replied: "Marguerite is the daughter +of Baroness Trigault." + +Madame Ferailleur started back, as if she had seen a reptile +spring up in her pathway. "The daughter of the baroness!" she +faltered. "Great Heavens!" + +"It is the truth, mother; listen to me." And in a voice that +trembled with emotion, he rapidly related all he had learned by +his visit to the baron, softening the truth as much as he could +without concealing it. But prevarication was useless. Madame +Ferailleur's indignation and disgust were none the less evident. +"That woman is a shameless creature," she said, coldly, when her +son's narrative was concluded. + +Pascal made no reply. He knew only too well that his mother was +right, and yet it wounded him cruelly to hear her speak in this +style. For the baroness was Marguerite's mother after all. + +"So," continued Madame Ferailleur, with increasing indignation, +"creatures do exist who are destitute even of the maternal +instincts of animals. I am an honest woman myself; I don't say it +in self-glorification, it's no credit to me; my mother was a +saint, and I loved my husband; what some people call duty was my +happiness, so I may be allowed to speak on this subject. I don't +excuse infidelity, but I can understand how such a thing is +possible. Yes, I can understand how a beautiful young woman, who +is left alone in a city like Paris, may lose her senses, and +forget the worthy man who has exiled himself for her sake, and who +is braving a thousand dangers to win a fortune for her. The +husband who exposes his honor and happiness to such terrible risk, +is an imprudent man. But when this woman has erred, when she has +given birth to a child, how she can abandon it, how she can cast +it off as if it were a dog, I cannot comprehend. I could imagine +infanticide more easily. No, such a woman has no heart, no bowels +of compassion. There is nothing human in her! For how could she +live, how could she sleep with the thought that somewhere in the +world her own child, the flesh of her flesh, was exposed to all +the temptations of poverty, and the horrors of shame and vice? And +she, the possessor of millions, she, the inmate of a palace, +thinking only of dress and pleasure! How was it that she didn't +ask herself every minute, 'Where is my daughter now, and what is +she doing? What is she living on? Has she shelter, clothes and +food? To what depths of degradation she may have sunk? Perhaps she +has so far lived by honest toil, and perhaps at this very moment +this support fails her, and she is abandoning herself to a life of +infamy.' Great God! how does this woman dare to step out of doors? +On seeing the poor wretches who have been driven to vice by want, +how can she fail to say to herself: 'That, perhaps, is my +daughter!'" + +Pascal turned pale, moved to the depths of his soul by his +mother's extraordinary vehemence. He trembled lest she should +say: "And you, my son, would you marry the child of such a +mother?" For he knew his mother's prejudices, and the great +importance she attached to a spotless reputation transmitted from +parent to child, from generation to generation. "The baroness +knew that her husband adored her, and hearing of his return she +became terrified; she lost her senses," he ventured to say in +extenuation. + +"Would you try to defend her?" exclaimed Madame Ferailleur. "Do +you really think one can atone for a fault by a crime?" + +"No, certainly not, but----" + +"Perhaps you would censure the baroness more severely if you knew +what her daughter has suffered--if you knew the perils and +miseries she has been exposed to from the moment her mother left +her on a door-step, near the central markets, till the day when +her father found her. It is a miracle that she did not perish." + +Where had Madame Ferailleur learned these particulars? Pascal +asked himself this question without being able to answer it. "I +don't understand you, mother," he faltered. + +"Then you know nothing of Mademoiselle Marguerite's past life. Is +it possible she never told you anything about it?" + +"I only know that she has been very unhappy." + +"Has she never alluded to the time when she was an apprentice?" + +"She has only told me that she earned her living with her own +hands at one time of her life." + +"Well, I am better informed on the subject." + +Pascal's amazement was changed to terror. "You, mother, you!" + +"Yes; I--I have been to the asylum where she was received and +educated. I have had a conversation with two Sisters of Charity +who remember her, and it is scarcely an hour since I left the +people to whom she was formerly bound as an apprentice." + +Standing opposite his mother with one hand convulsively clutching +the back of the chair he was leaning on, Pascal tried to nerve +himself for some terrible blow. For was not his life at stake? +Did not his whole future depend upon the revelations Madame +Ferailleur was about to make?" So this was your object in going +out, mother?" he faltered. + +"Yes." + +"And you went without warning me?" + +"Was it necessary? What! you love a young girl, you swear in my +presence that she shall be your wife, and you think it strange +that I should try to ascertain whether she is worthy of you or +not? It would be very strange if I did not do so." + +"This idea occurred to you so suddenly!" + +Madame Ferailleur gave an almost imperceptible shrug of the +shoulders, as if she were astonished to have to answer such +puerile objections. "Have you already forgotten the disparaging +remarks made by our new servant, Madame Vantrasson?" + +"Good Heavens!" + +"I understood her base insinuations as well as you did, and after +your departure I questioned her, or rather I allowed her to tell +her story, and I ascertained that Mademoiselle Marguerite had once +been an apprentice of Vantrasson's brother-in-law, a man named +Greloux, who was formerly a bookbinder in the Rue Saint-Denis, but +who has now retired from business. It was there that Vantrasson +met Mademoiselle Marguerite, and this is why he was so greatly +surprised to see her doing the mistress at the Hotel de Chalusse." + +It seemed to Pascal that the throbbing of his heart stopped his +breath. + +"By a little tact I obtained the Greloux's address from Madame +Vantrasson," resumed his mother. "Then I sent for a cab and drove +there at once." + +"And you saw them?" + +"Yes; thanks to a falsehood which doesn't trouble my conscience +much, I succeeded in effecting an entrance, and had an hour's +conversation with them." His mother's icy tones frightened Pascal. +Her slowness tortured him, and still he dared not press her. "The +Greloux family," she continued, "seem to be what are called worthy +people, that is, incapable of committing any crime that is +punishable by the code, and very proud of their income of seven +thousand francs a year. They must have been very much attached to +Mademoiselle Marguerite, for they were lavish in their +protestations of affection when I mentioned her name. The husband +in particular seemed to regard her with a feeling of something +like gratitude." + +"Ah! you see, mother, you see!" + +"As for the wife, it was easy to see that she had sincerely +regretted the loss of the best apprentice, the most honest +servant, and the best worker she had ever seen in her life. And +yet, from her own story, I should be willing to swear that she had +abused the poor child, and had made a slave of her." Tears +glittered in Pascal's eyes, but he breathed freely once more. "As +for Vantrasson," resumed Madame Ferailleur, "it is certain that he +took a violent fancy to his sister's apprentice. This man, who +has since become an infamous scoundrel, was then only a rake, an +unprincipled drunkard and libertine. He fancied the poor little +apprentice--she was then but thirteen years old--would be only too +glad to become the mistress of her employer's brother; but she +scornfully repulsed him, and his vanity was so deeply wounded that +he persecuted the poor girl to such an extent that she was obliged +to complain, first to Madame Greloux, who--to her shame be it +said--treated these insults as mere nonsense; and afterward to +Greloux himself, who was probably delighted to have an opportunity +of ridding himself of his indolent brother-in-law, for he turned +him out of the house." + +The thought that so vile a rascal as this man Vantrasson should +have dared to insult Marguerite made Pascal frantic with +indignation. "The wretch!" he exclaimed; "the wretch!" But +without seeming to notice her son's anger, Madame Ferailleur +continued: "They pretended they had not seen their former +apprentice since she had been living in grandeur, as they +expressed it. But in this they lied to me. For they saw her at +least once, and that was on the day she brought them twenty +thousand francs, which proved the nucleus of their fortune. They +did not mention this fact, however." + +"Dear Marguerite!" murmured Pascal, "dear Marguerite!" And then +aloud: "But where did you learn these last details, mother?" he +inquired. + +"At the asylum where Mademoiselle Marguerite was brought up, and +there, too, I only heard words of praise. 'Never,' said the +superior, 'have I had a more gifted, sweeter-tempered or more +attractive charge.' They had reproached her sometimes for being +too reserved, and her self-respect had often been mistaken for +inordinate pride; but she had not forgotten the asylum any more +than she had forgotten her former patrons. On one occasion the +superior received from her the sum of twenty-five thousand francs, +and a year ago she presented the institution with one hundred +thousand francs, the yearly income of which is to constitute the +marriage dowry of some deserving orphan." + +Pascal was greatly elated. "Well, mother!" he exclaimed, "well, +is it strange that I love her?" Madame Ferailleur made no reply, +and a sorrowful apprehension seized hold of him. "You are +silent," said he, "and why? When the blessed day that will allow +me to wed Marguerite arrives, you surely won't oppose our +marriage?" + +"No, my son, nothing that I have learned gives me the right to do +so." + +"The right! Ah, you are unjust, mother." + +"Unjust! Haven't I faithfully reported all that was told me, +although I knew it would only increase your passion?" + +"That's true, but----" + +Madame Ferailleur sadly shook her head. "Do you think," she +interrupted, "that I can, without sorrow, see you choose a girl of +no family, a girl who is outside the pale of social recognition? +Don't you understand my disquietude when I think that the girl +that you will marry is the daughter of such a woman as Baroness +Trigault, an unfortunate girl whom her mother cannot even +recognize, since her mother is a married woman----" + +"Ah! mother, is that Marguerite's fault?" + +"Did I say it was her fault? No--I only pray God that you may +never have to repent of choosing a wife whose past life must ever +remain an impenetrable mystery!" + +Pascal had become very pale. "Mother!" he said in a quivering +voice, "mother!" + +"I mean that you will only know so much of Mademoiselle +Marguerite's past life as she may choose to tell you," continued +the obdurate old lady. "You heard Madame Vantrasson's ignoble +allegations. It has been said that she was the mistress, not the +daughter, of the Count de Chalusse. Who knows what vile +accusations you may be forced to meet? And what is your refuge, if +doubts should ever assail you? Mademoiselle Marguerite's word! +Will this be sufficient? It is now, perhaps; but will it suffice +in years to come? I would have my son's wife above suspicion; and +she--why, there is not a single episode in her life that does not +expose her to the most atrocious calumny." + +"What does calumny matter? it will never shake my faith in her. +The misfortunes which you reproach Marguerite for sanctify her in +my eyes." + +"Pascal!" + +"What! Am I to scorn her because she has been unfortunate? Am I to +regard her birth as a crime? Am I to despise her because her +MOTHER is a despicable woman? No--God be praised! the day when +illegitimate children, the innocent victims of their mother's +faults, were branded as outcasts, is past." + +But Madame Ferailleur's prejudices were too deeply rooted to be +shaken by these arguments. "I won't discuss this question, my +son," she interrupted, "but take care. By declaring children +irresponsible for their mother's faults, you will break the +strongest tie that binds a woman to duty. If the son of a pure +and virtuous wife, and the son of an adulterous woman meet upon +equal ground, those who are held in check only by the thought of +their children will finally say to themselves, what does it +matter?" + +It was the first time that a cloud had ever arisen between mother +and son. On hearing his dearest hopes thus attacked, Pascal was +tempted to rebel, and a flood of bitter words rose to his lips. +However he had strength enough to control himself. "Marguerite +alone can triumph over these implacable prejudices," he thought; +"when my mother knows her, she will feel how unjust they are!" + +And as he found it difficult to remain master of himself, he +stammered some excuse, and abruptly retired to his own room, where +he threw himself on his bed. He felt that it was not his place to +reproach his mother or censure her for her opinions. What mother +had ever been so devoted as she had been? And who knows?--it was, +perhaps, from these same rigid prejudices that this simple-minded +and heroic woman had derived her energy, her enthusiastic love of +God, her hatred of evil, and that virility of spirit which +misfortune had been powerless to daunt. Besides, had she not +promised to offer no opposition to his marriage! And was not this +a great concession, a sacrifice which must have cost her a severe +struggle? And where can one find the mother who does not count as +one of the sublime joys of maternity the task of seeking a wife +for her son, of choosing from among all others the young girl who +will be the companion of his life, the angel of his dark and of +his prosperous days? His mind was occupied with these thoughts +when his door suddenly opened, and he sprang up, exclaiming: "Who +is it?" + +It was Madame Vantrasson, who came to announce that dinner was +ready--a dinner which she had herself prepared, for on going out +Madame Ferailleur had left her in charge of the household. On +seeing this woman, Pascal was overcome with rage and indignation, +and felt a wild desire to annihilate her. He knew that she was +only a vile slanderer, but she might meet other beings as vile as +herself who would be only too glad to believe her falsehoods. And +to think that he was powerless to punish her! He now realized the +suffering his mother had spoken of--the most atrocious suffering +which the lover can endure--powerlessness to protect the object of +his affections, when she is assailed. Engrossed in these gloomy +thoughts, Pascal preserved a sullen silence during the repast. He +ate because his mother filled his plate; but if he had been +questioned, he could scarcely have told what he was eating. And +yet, the modest dinner was excellent. Madame Vantrasson was +really a good cook, and in this first effort in her new situation +she had surpassed herself. Her vanity as a cordon-bleu was piqued +because she did not receive the compliments she expected, and +which she felt she deserved. Four or five times she asked +impatiently, "Isn't that good?" and as the only reply was a +scarcely enthusiastic "Very good," she vowed she would never again +waste so much care and talent upon such unappreciative people. + +Madame Ferailleur was as silent as her son, and seemed equally +anxious to finish with the repast. She evidently wanted to get +rid of Madame Vantrasson, and in fact as soon as the simple +dessert had been placed on the table, she turned to her, and said: +"You may go home now. I will attend to the rest." + +Irritated by the taciturnity of these strange folks, the landlady +of the Model Lodging House withdrew, and they soon heard the +street door close behind her with a loud bang as she left the +house. Pascal drew a long breath as if relieved of a heavy +weight. While Madame Vantrasson had been in the room he had +scarcely dared to raise his eyes, so great was his dread of +encountering the gaze of this woman, whose malignity was but +poorly veiled by her smooth-tongued hypocrisy. He really feared +he should not be able to resist his desire to strangle her. +However, Madame Ferailleur must have understood her son's +agitation, for as soon as they were alone, she said: "So you have +not forgiven me for my plain speaking?" + +"How can I be angry with you, mother, when I know that you are +thinking only of my happiness? But how sorry I shall be if your +prejudices----" + +Madame Ferailleur checked him with a gesture. "Let us say no more +on the subject," she remarked. "Mademoiselle Marguerite will be +the innocent cause of one of the greatest disappointments of my +life; but I have no reason to hate her--and I have always been +able to show justice even to the persons I loved the least. I +have done so in this instance, and I am going perhaps to give you +a convincing proof of it." + +"A proof?" + +"Yes." + +She reflected for a moment and then she asked: "Did you not tell +me, my son, that Mademoiselle Marguerite's education has not +suffered on account of her neglected childhood?" + +"And it's quite true, mother." + +"She worked diligently, you said, so as to improve herself?" + +"Marguerite knows all that an unusually talented girl can learn in +four years, when she finds herself very unhappy, and study proves +her only refuge and consolation." + +"If she wrote you a note would it be written grammatically, and be +free from any mistakes in spelling?" + +"Oh, certainly!" exclaimed Pascal, and a sudden inspiration made +him pause abruptly. He darted to his own room, and a minute later +he returned with a package of letters, which he laid on the table, +saying: "Here, mother, read and see for yourself." + +Madame Ferailleur drew her spectacles from their case, and, after +adjusting them, she began to read. + +With his elbows on the table, and his head resting upon his hands, +Pascal eagerly watched his mother, anxious to read her impressions +on her face. She was evidently astonished. She had not expected +these letters would express such nobility of sentiment, an energy +no whit inferior to her own, and even an echo of her own +prejudices. For this strange young girl shared Madame +Ferailleur's rather bigoted opinions. Again and again she asked +herself if her birth and past had not created an impassable abyss +between Pascal and herself. And she had not felt satisfied on +this point until the day when the gray-haired magistrate, after +hearing her story, said: "If I had a son, I should be proud to +have him beloved by you!" + +It soon became apparent that Madame Ferailleur was deeply moved, +and once she even raised her glasses to wipe away a furtive tear +which made Pascal's heart leap with very joy. "These letters are +admirable," she said at last; "and no young girl, reared by a +virtuous mother, could have given better expression to nobler +sentiments; but----" She paused, not wishing to wound her son's +feelings, and as he insisted, she added: + +"But, these letters have the irreparable fault of being addressed +to you, Pascal!" + +This, however, was the expiring cry of her intractable obstinacy. +"Now," she resumed, "wait before you censure your mother." So +saying, she rose, opened a drawer, and taking from it a torn and +crumpled scrap of paper, she handed it to her son, exclaiming: +"Read this attentively." + +This proved to be the note in pencil which Madame Leon had given +to Pascal, and which he had divined rather than read by the light +of the street-lamp; he had handed it to his mother on his return, +and she had kept it. He had scarcely been in his right mind the +evening he received it, but now he was enjoying the free exercise +of all his faculties. He no sooner glanced at the note than he +sprang up, and in an excited voice, exclaimed, "Marguerite never +wrote this!" + +The strange discovery seemed to stupefy him. "I was mad, raving +mad!" he muttered. "The fraud is palpable, unmistakable. How +could I have failed to discover it?" And as if he felt the need of +convincing himself that he was not deceived, he continued, +speaking to himself rather than to his mother: "The hand-writing +is not unlike Marguerite's, it's true; but it's only a clever +counterfeit. And who doesn't know that all writings in pencil +resemble each other more or less? Besides, it's certain that +Marguerite, who is simplicity itself, would not have made use of +such pretentious melodramatic phrases. How could I have been so +stupid as to believe that she ever thought or wrote this: 'One +cannot break a promise made to the dying; I shall keep mine even +though my heart break.' And again: 'Forget, therefore, the girl +who has loved you so much: she is now the betrothed of another, +and honor requires she should forget even your name!'" He read +these passages with an extravagant emphasis, which heightened +their absurdity. "And what shall I say of these mistakes in +spelling?" he resumed. "You noticed them, of course, mother?-- +command is written with a single 'm,' and supplicate with one 'p.' +These are certainly not mistakes that we can attribute to haste! +Ignorance is proved since the blunder is always the same. The +forger is evidently in the habit of omitting one of the double +letters." + +Madame Ferailleur listened with an impassive face. "And these +mistakes are all the more inexcusable since this letter is only a +copy," she observed, quietly. + +"What?" + +"Yes; a verbatim copy. Yesterday evening, while I was examining +it for the twentieth time, it occurred to me that I had read some +portions of it before. Where, and under what circumstances? It +was a puzzle which kept me awake most of the night. But this +morning I suddenly remembered a book which I had seen in the hands +of the workmen at the factory, and which I had often laughed over. +So, while I was out this morning I entered a book-shop, and +purchased the volume. That's it, there on the corner of the +mantel-shelf. Take it and see." + +Pascal obeyed, and noticed with surprise that the work was +entitled, "The Indispensable and Complete Letter-writer, for Both +Sexes, in Every Condition of Life." + +"Now turn to the page I have marked," said Madame Ferailleur. + +He did so, and read: "(Model 198). Letter from a young lady who +has promised her dying father to renounce the man she loves, and +to bestow her hand upon another." Doubt was no longer possible. +Line for line and word for word, the mistakes in spelling +excepted, the note was an exact copy of the stilted prose of the +"Indispensable Letter-writer." + +It seemed to Pascal as if the scales had suddenly fallen from his +eyes, and that he could now understand the whole intrigue which +had been planned to separate him from Marguerite. His enemies had +dishonored him in the hope that she would reject and scorn him, +and, disappointed in their expectations, they had planned this +pretended rupture of the engagement to prevent him from making any +attempt at self-justification. So, in spite of some short-lived +doubts, his love had been more clear-sighted than reason, and +stronger than appearances. He had been quite right, then, in +saying to his mother: "I can never believe that Marguerite deserts +me at a moment when I am so wretched--that she condemns me +unheard, and has no greater confidence in me than in my accusers. +Appearances may indicate the contrary, but I am right." Certain +circumstances, which had previously seemed contradictory, now +strengthened this belief. "How is it," he said to himself, "that +Marguerite writes to me that her father, on his death-bed, made +her promise to renounce me, while Valorsay declares the Count de +Chalusse died so suddenly, that he had not even time to +acknowledge his daughter or to bequeath her his immense fortune? +One of these stories must be false; and which of them? The one in +this note most probably. As for the letter itself, it must have +been the work of Madame Leon." + +If he had not already possessed irrefutable proofs of this, the +"Indispensable Letter-writer" would have shown it. The +housekeeper's perturbation when she met him at the garden gate was +now explained. She was shuddering at the thought that she might +be followed and watched, and that Marguerite might appear at any +moment, and discover everything. + +"I think it would be a good plan to let this poor young girl know +that her companion is Valorsay's spy," remarked Madame Ferailleur. + +Pascal was about to approve this suggestion, when a sudden thought +deterred him. "They must be watching Marguerite very closely," he +replied, "and if I attempt to see her, if I even venture to write +to her, our enemies would undoubtedly discover it. And then, +farewell to the success of my plans." + +"Then you prefer to leave her exposed to these dangers?" + +"Yes, even admitting there is danger, which is by no means +certain. Owing to her past life, Marguerite's experience is far +in advance of her years, and if some one told me that she had +fathomed Madame Leon's character, I should not be at all +surprised." + +It was necessary to ascertain what had become of Marguerite; and +Pascal was puzzling his brain to discover how this might be done, +when suddenly he exclaimed: "Madame Vantrasson! We have her; let +us make use of her. It will be easy to find some excuse for +sending her to the Hotel de Chalusse: she will gossip with the +servants there, and in that way we can discover the changes that +have taken place." + +This was a heroic resolution on Pascal's part, and one which he +would have recoiled from the evening before. But it is easy to be +brave when one is hopeful; and he saw his chances of success +increase so rapidly that he no longer feared the obstacles that +had once seemed almost insurmountable. Even his mother's +opposition had ceased to alarm him. For why should he fear after +the surprising proof she had given him of her love of justice, +proving that the pretended letter from Mademoiselle Marguerite was +really a forgery? + +He slept but little that night and did not stir from the house on +the following day. He was busily engaged in perfecting his plan +of attack against the marquis. His advantages were considerable, +thanks to Baron Trigault, who had placed a hundred thousand francs +at his disposal; but the essential point was to use this amount in +such a way as to win Valorsay's confidence, and induce him to +betray himself. Pascal's hours of meditation were not spent in +vain, and when it became time for him to repair to his enemy's +house, he said to his mother: "I've found a plan; and if the baron +will let me follow it out, Valorsay is mine!" + + + +XIII. + + +It was pure childishness on Pascal's part to doubt Baron +Trigault's willingness to agree even with closed eyes to any +measures he might propose. He ought to have recollected that +their interests were identical, that they hated the same men with +equal hatred, and that they were equally resolved upon vengeance. +And certainly the events which had occurred since their last +interview had not been of a nature to modify the baron's +intentions. However, misfortune had rendered Pascal timid and +suspicious, and it was not until he reached the baron's house that +his fears vanished. The manner in which the servants received him +proved that the baron greatly esteemed him: for the man must be +stupid indeed who does not know that the greeting of the servants +is ever in harmony with the feelings of the master of the house. +"Will you be kind enough to follow me?" said the servant to whom +he handed his card. "The baron is very busy, but that doesn't +matter. He gave orders that monsieur should be shown up as soon +as he arrived." + +Pascal followed without a word. The elegance of this princely +abode never varied. The same careless, prodigal, regal luxury was +apparent everywhere. The servants--whose name was legion--were +always passing noiselessly to and fro. A pair of horses, worth at +least a thousand louis, and harnessed to the baroness's brougham, +were stamping and neighing in the courtyard; and the hall was, as +usual, fragrant with the perfume of rare flowers, renewed every +morning. + +On his first visit Pascal had only seen the apartments on the +ground floor. This time his guide remarked that he would take him +upstairs to the baron's private room. He was slowly ascending the +broad marble staircase and admiring the bronze balustrade, the +rich carpet, the magnificent frescoes, and the costly statuary, +when a rustle of silk resounded near him. He had only time to +step aside, and a lady passed him rapidly, without turning her +head, or even deigning to look at him. She did not appear more +than forty, and she was still very beautiful, with her golden hair +dressed high on the back of her head. Her costume, brilliant +enough in hue to frighten a cab horse, was extremely eccentric in +cut; but it certainly set off her peculiar style of beauty to +admirable advantage. + +"That's the baroness," whispered the servant, after she had +passed. + +Pascal did not need to be told this. He had seen her but once, +and then only for a second; but it had been under such +circumstances that he should never forget her so long as he lived. +And now he understood the strange and terrible impression which +had been produced upon him when he saw her first. Mademoiselle +Marguerite was the living prototype of this lady, save as regards +the color of her hair. And there would have been no difference in +this respect had the baroness allowed her locks to retain their +natural tint. Her hair had been black, like Marguerite's, and +black it had remained until she was thirty-five, when she bleached +it to the fashionable color of the time. And every fourth day +even now her hairdresser came to apply a certain compound to her +head, after which she remained in the bright sunlight for several +hours, so as to impart a livelier shade of gold to her dyed locks. + +Pascal had scarcely regained his composure, when the servant +opened the door of an immense apartment as large as a handsome +suite of rooms, and magnificently furnished. Here sat the baron, +surrounded by several clerks, who were busily engaged in putting a +pile of papers and documents in order. + +But as soon as Pascal entered, the baron rose, and cordially +holding out his hand, exclaimed, "Ah! here you are at last, +Monsieur Maumejan!" + +So he had not forgotten the name which Pascal had assumed. This +was a favorable omen. "I called, monsieur----" began the young +man. + +"Yes--I know--I know!" interrupted the baron. "Come, we must have +a talk." + +And, taking Pascal's arm, he led him into his private sanctum, +separated from the large apartment by folding-doors, which had +been removed, and replaced by hangings. Once there he indicated +by a gesture that they could be heard in the adjoining room, and +that it was necessary to speak in a low tone. "You have no doubt +come," said he, "for the money I promised that dear Marquis de +Valorsay--I have it all ready for you; here it is." So saying, he +opened an escritoire, and took out a large roll of bank-notes, +which he handed to Pascal. "Here, count it," he added, "and see +if the amount is correct." + +But Pascal, whose face had suddenly become as red as fire, did not +utter a word in reply. On receiving this money a new but quite +natural thought had entered his mind for the first time. "What is +the matter?" inquired the baron, surprised by this sudden +embarrassment. "What has happened to you?" + +"Nothing, monsieur, nothing! Only I was asking myself--if I ought-- +if I can accept this money." + +"Bah! and why not?" + +"Because if you lend it to M. de Valorsay, it is perhaps lost." + +"PERHAPS! You are polite----" + +"Yes, monsieur, you are right. I ought to have said that it is +sure to be lost; and hence my embarrassment. Is it not solely on +my account that you sacrifice a sum which would be a fortune to +many men? Yes. Very well, then. I am asking myself if it is +right for me to accept such a sacrifice, when it is by no means +certain that I shall ever be able to requite it. Shall I ever +have a hundred thousand francs to repay you?" + +"But isn't this money absolutely necessary to enable you to win +Valorsay's confidence?" + +"Yes, and if it belonged to me I should not hesitate." + +Though the baron had formed a high estimate of Pascal's character, +he was astonished and deeply touched by these scruples, and this +excessive delicacy of feeling. Like most opulent men, he knew few +poor people who wore their poverty with grace and dignity, and who +did not snatch at a twenty-franc piece wherever they chanced to +find it. "Ah, well, my dear Ferailleur," he said, kindly, "don't +trouble yourself on this score. It's not at your request nor +solely on your account that I make this sacrifice." + +"Oh!" + +"No; I give you my word of honor it isn't. Leaving you quite out +of the question, I should still have lent Valorsay this money; and +if you do not wish to take it to him, I shall send it by some one +else." + +After that, Pascal could not demur any further. He took the +baron's proffered hand and pressed it warmly, uttering only this +one word, made more eloquent than any protestations by the fervor +with which it was spoken: "Thanks!" + +The baron shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly, like a man who +fails to see that he has done anything at all meritorious, or even +worthy of the slightest acknowledgment. "And you must understand, +my dear sir," he resumed, "that you can employ this sum as you +choose, in advancing your interests, which are identical with +mine. You can give the money to Valorsay at such a time and under +such conditions as will best serve your plans. Give it to him in +an hour or in a month, all at once or in fifty different +instalments, as you please. Only use it like the rope one ties +round a dog's neck before drowning him." + +The keenest penetration was concealed beneath the baron's careless +good-nature. Pascal knew this, and feeling that his protector +understood him, he said: "You overpower me with kindness." + +"Nonsense!" + +"You offer me just what I came to ask for." + +"So much the better." + +"But you will allow me to explain my intentions?" + +"It is quite unnecessary, my dear sir." + +"Excuse me; if I follow my present plan, I shall be obliged to +ascribe certain sentiments, words, and even acts, to you, which +you might perhaps disavow, and--" + +With a careless toss of the head, accompanied by a disdainful snap +of the fingers, the baron interrupted him. "Set to work, and +don't give yourself the slightest uneasiness about that. You may +do whatever you like, if you only succeed in unmasking this dear +marquis, and Coralth, his worthy acolyte. Show me up in whatever +light you choose. Who will you be in Valorsay's eyes? Why, +Maumejan, one of my business agents, and I can always throw the +blame on you." And as if to prove that he had divined even the +details of the scheme devised by his young friend, he added: +"Besides, every one knows that a millionaire's business agent is +anything but a pleasant person to deal with. A millionaire, who +is not a fool, must always smile, and no matter how absurd the +demands upon him may be, he must always answer: 'Yes, certainly, +certainly--I should be only too happy!' But then he adds: 'You +must arrange the matter with my agent. Confer with him.' And it +is the unlucky agent who must object, declare that his employer +has no money at his disposal just now, and finally say, 'No.'" + +Pascal was still disposed to insist, but the baron was obdurate. +"Oh! enough, enough!" he exclaimed. "Don't waste precious time in +idle discussion. The days are only twenty-four hours long: and as +you see, I'm very busy, so busy that I've not touched a card since +the day before yesterday. I am preparing a delightful surprise +for Madame Trigault, my daughter, and my son-in-law. It has been +rather a delicate operation, but I flatter myself that I have +succeeded finely." And he laughed a laugh that was not pleasant to +hear. "You see, I've had enough of paying several hundred +thousand francs a year for the privilege of being sneered at by my +wife, scorned by my daughter, swindled by my son-in-law, and +vilified and anathematized by all three of them. I am still +willing to go on paying, but only on conditions that they give me +in return for my money, if not the reality, at least a show of +love, affection, and respect. I'm determined to have the +semblance of these things; I'm quite resolved on that. Yes, I +will have myself treated with deference. I'll be petted and +coddled and made much of, or else I'll suspend payment. It was +one of my old friends, a parvenu like myself--a man whose domestic +happiness I have envied for many years--who gave me this receipt: +'At home,' said he, 'with my wife, my daughters, and my sons-in- +law, I'm like a peer of England at an hotel. I order first-class +happiness at so much a month. If I get it I pay for it; if I +don't get it, I cut off the supplies. When I get extras I pay for +them cheerfully, without haggling. Follow my example, my old +friend, and you'll have a comfortable life.' And I shall follow +his advice, M. Ferailleur, for I am convinced that his theory is +sound and practicable. I have led this life long enough. I'll +spend my last days in peace, or, as God hears me, I'll let my +family die of starvation!" + +His face was purple, and the veins on his forehead stood out like +whipcords, but not so much from anger as from the constraint he +imposed upon himself by speaking in a whisper. He drew a long +breath, and then in a calmer tone, resumed: "But you must make +haste and succeed, M. Ferailleur, if you don't want the young girl +you love to be deprived of her rightful heritage. You do not know +into what unworthy hands the Chalusse property is about to fall." +He was on the point of telling Pascal the story of Madame +d'Argeles and M. Wilkie, when he was interrupted by the sound of a +lively controversy in the hall. + +"Who's taking such liberty in my house?" the baron began. But the +next instant he heard some one fling open the door of the large +room adjoining, and then a coarse, guttural voice called out: +"What! he isn't here! This is too much!" + +The baron made an angry gesture. "That's Kami-Bey," said he, "the +Turk whom I am playing that great game of cards with. The devil +take him! He will be sure to force his way in here--so we may as +well join him, M. Ferailleur." + +On reentering the adjoining apartment Pascal beheld a very +corpulent man, with a very red face, a straggling beard, a flat +nose, small, beadlike eyes, and sensual lips. He was clad in a +black frock-coat, buttoned tight to the throat, and he wore a fez. +This costume gave him the appearance of a chunky bottle, sealed +with red wax. Such, indeed, was Kami-Bey, a specimen of those +semi-barbarians, loaded with gold who are not attracted to Paris +by its splendors and glories, but rather by its corruption--people +who come there persuaded that money will purchase anything and +everything, and who often return home with the same conviction. +Kami was no doubt more impudent, more cynical and more arrogant +than others of his class. As he was more wealthy, he had more +followers; he had been more toadied and flattered, and victimized +to a greater extent by the host of female intriguers, who look +upon every foreigner as their rightful prey. + +He spoke French passably well, but with an abominable accent. +"Here you are at last!" he exclaimed, as the baron entered the +room. "I was becoming very anxious." + +"About what, prince?" + +Why Kami-Bey was called prince no one knew, not even the man +himself. Perhaps it was because the lackey who opened his +carriage door on his arrival at the Grand Hotel had addressed him +by that title. + +"About what!" he repeated. "You have won more than three hundred +thousand francs from me, and I was wondering if you intended to +give me the slip." + +The baron frowned, and this time he omitted the title of prince +altogether. "It seems to me, sir, that according to our +agreement, we were to play until one of us had won five hundred +thousand francs," he said haughtily. + +"That's true--but we ought to play every day." + +"Possibly: but I'm very busy just now. I wrote to you explaining +this, did I not? If you are at all uneasy, tear up the book in +which the results of our games are noted, and that shall be the +end of it. You will gain considerably by the operation." + +Kami-Bey felt that the baron would not tolerate his arrogance, and +so with more moderation he exclaimed: "It isn't strange that I've +become suspicious. I'm so victimized on every side. Because I'm +a foreigner and immensely rich, everybody fancies he has a right +to plunder me. Men, women, hotel-keepers and merchants, all unite +in defrauding me. If I buy pictures, they sell me vile daubs at +fabulous prices. They ask ridiculous amounts for horses, and then +give me worthless, worn-out animals. Everybody borrows money from +me--and I'm never repaid. I shall be ruined if this sort of thing +goes on much longer." + +He had taken a seat, and the baron saw that he was not likely to +get rid of his guest very soon; so approaching Pascal he +whispered: "You had better go off, or you may miss Valorsay. And +be careful, mind; for he is exceedingly shrewd. Courage and good +luck!" + +Courage! It was not necessary to recommend that to Pascal. He who +had triumphed over his despair in the terrible hours, when he had +reason to suppose that Marguerite believed him guilty and had +abandoned him, could scarcely lack courage. While he was +condemned to inaction, his mind had no doubt been assailed by +countless doubts and fears; but now that he knew whom he was to +attack--now that the decisive moment had come, he was endowed with +indomitable energy; he had turned to bronze, and he felt sure that +nothing could disconcert or even trouble him in future. The +weapons he had to use were not at all to his taste, but he had not +been allowed a choice in the matter; and since his enemies had +decided on a warfare of duplicity, he was resolved to surpass them +in cunning, and vanquish them by deception. + +So, while hastening to the Marquis de Valorsay's residence, he +took stock of his chances, and recapitulated his resources, +striving to foresee and remember everything. Thus if he failed-- +for he admitted the possibility of defeat, without believing in +it--he would have no cause to reproach himself. Only fools find +consolation in saying: "Who could have foreseen that?" Great minds +do foresee. And Pascal felt almost certain that he was fully +prepared for any emergency. + +That morning, before leaving home, he had dressed with extreme +care, realizing that the shabby clothes he had worn on his first +visit to the Trigault mansion would not be appropriate on such an +occasion as this. The baron's agent could scarcely have a +poverty-stricken appearance, for contact with millionaires is +supposed to procure wealth as surely as proximity to fire insures +warmth. So he arrayed himself in a suit of black, which was +neither too elegant nor too much worn, and donned a broad white +necktie. He could see only one immediate, decisive chance against +him. M. de Valorsay might possibly recognize him. He thought +not, but he was not sure; and anxious on this account, he at first +decided to disguise himself. However, on reflection, he concluded +not to do so. An imperfect disguise would attract attention and +awaken suspicion; and could he really disguise his physiognomy? He +was certain he could not. Very few men are capable of doing so +successfully, even after long experience. Only two or three +detectives and half a dozen actors possess the art of really +changing their lineaments. Thus after weighing the pros and cons, +Pascal determined to present himself as he was at the marquis's +house. + +On approaching M. de Valorsay's residence in the Avenue des Champs +Elysees, he slackened his pace. The mansion, which stood between +a courtyard and a garden, was very large and handsome. The +stables and carriage-house--really elegant structures--stood on +either side of the courtyard, near the half-open gate of which +five or six servants were amusing themselves by teasing a large +dog. Pascal was just saying to himself that the coast was clear, +and that he should incur no danger by going in, when he saw the +servants step aside, the gate swing back, and M. de Coralth +emerged, accompanied by a young, fair-haired man, whose mustaches +were waxed and turned up in the most audacious fashion. They were +arm in arm, and turned in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe. +Pascal's heart thrilled with joy. "Fate favors me!" he said to +himself. "If it hadn't been for Kami-Bey, who detained me a full +quarter of an hour at Baron Trigault's, I should have found myself +face to face with that miserable viscount, and then all would have +been lost. But now I'm safe!" + +It was with this encouraging thought that he approached the house. + +"The marquis is very busy this morning," said the servant to whom +Pascal addressed himself at the gate. "I doubt if he can see +you." But when Pascal handed him one of his visiting cards, +bearing the name of Maumejan, with this addition in pencil: "Who +calls as the representative of Baron Trigault," the valet's face +changed as if by enchantment. "Oh!" said he, "that's quite a +different matter. If you come from Baron Trigault, you will be +received with all the respect due to the Messiah. Come in. I +will announce you myself." + +Everything in M. de Valorsay's house, as at the baron's residence, +indicated great wealth, and yet a close observer would have +detected a difference. The luxury of the Rue de la Ville-l'Eveque +was of a real and substantial character, which one did not find in +the Avenue des Champs Elysees. Everything in the marquis's abode +bore marks of the haste which mars the merest trifle produced at +the present age. "Take a seat here, and I will see where the +marquis is," said the servant, as he ushered Pascal into a large +drawing-room. The apartment was elegantly furnished, but had +somewhat lost its freshness; the carpet, which had once been a +marvel of beauty, was stained in several places, and as the +servants had not always been careful to keep the shutters closed, +the sunlight had perceptibly faded the curtains. The attention of +visitors was at once attracted by the number of gold and silver +cups, vases, and statuettes scattered about on side-tables and +cheffoniers. Each of these objects bore an inscription, setting +forth that it had been won at such a race, in such a year, by such +a horse, belonging to the Marquis de Valorsay. These were indeed +the marquis's chief claims to glory, and had cost him at least +half of the immense fortune he had inherited. However, Pascal did +not take much interest in these trophies, so the time of waiting +seemed long. "Valorsay is playing the diplomat," he thought. "He +doesn't wish to appear to be anxious. Unfortunately, his servant +has betrayed him." + +At last the valet returned. "The marquis will see you now, +monsieur," said he. + +This summons affected Pascal's heart like the first roll of a drum +beating the charge. But his coolness did not desert him. "Now is +the decisive moment," he thought. "Heaven grant that he may not +recognize me!" And with a firm step he followed the valet. + +M. de Valorsay was seated in the apartment he usually occupied +when he remained at home--a little smoking-room connected with his +bedroom. He was to all intents busily engaged in examining some +sporting journals. A bottle of Madeira and a partially filled +glass stood near him. As the servant announced "Monsieur +Maumejan!" he looked up and his eyes met Pascal's. But his glance +did not waver; not a muscle of his face moved; his countenance +retained its usually cold and disdainful expression. Evidently he +had not the slightest suspicion that the man he had tried to ruin-- +his mortal enemy--was standing there before him. + +"M. Maumejan," said he, "Baron Trigault's agent?" + +"Yes, monsieur----" + +"Pray be seated. I am just finishing here; I shall be at leisure +in a moment." + +Pascal took a chair. He had feared that he might not be able to +retain his self-control when he found himself in the presence of +the scoundrel who, after destroying his happiness, ruining his +future, and depriving him of his honor--dearer than life itself-- +was at that moment endeavoring, by the most infamous manoeuvres, +to rob him of the woman he loved. "If my blood mounted to my +brain," he had thought, "I should spring upon him and strangle +him!" But no. His arteries did not throb more quickly; it was +with perfect calmness--the calmness of a strong nature--that he +stealthily watched M. de Valorsay. If he had seen him a week +before he would have been startled by the change which the past +few days had wrought in this brilliant nobleman's appearance. He +was little more than a shadow of his former self. And seen at +this hour, before placing himself in his valet's hands, before his +premature decrepitude had been concealed by the artifices of the +toilet, he was really frightful. His face was haggard, and his +red and swollen eyelids betrayed a long-continued want of sleep. + +The fact is, he had suffered terribly during the past week. A man +may be a scapegrace and a spendthrift and may boast of it; he may +have no principle and no conscience; he may be immoral, he may +defy God and the devil, but it is nevertheless true that he +suffers fearful anguish of mind when he is guilty, for the first +time, of a positive crime, forbidden by the laws and punishable +with the galleys. And who can say how many crimes the Marquis de +Valorsay had committed since the day he provided his accomplice, +the Viscount de Coralth, with those fatal cards? And apart from +this there was something extremely appalling in the position of +this ruined millionaire, who was contending desperately against +his creditors for the vain appearance of splendor, with the +despairing energy of a ship-wrecked mariner struggling for the +possession of a floating spar. Had he not confessed to M. +Fortunat that he had suffered the tortures of the damned in his +struggle to maintain a show of wealth, while he was often without +a penny in his pocket, and was ever subject to the pitiless +surveillance of thirty servants? His agony, when he thought of his +precarious condition, could only be compared to that of a miner, +who, while ascending from the bowels of the earth, finds that the +rope, upon which his life depends, is slowly parting strand by +strand, and who asks himself, in terror, if the few threads that +still remain unsevered will be strong enough to raise him to the +mouth of the pit. + +However, the moment which M. de Valorsay had asked for had +lengthened into a quarter of an hour, and he had not yet finished +his work. "What the devil is he doing?" wondered Pascal, who was +following his enemy's slightest movement with eager curiosity. + +Countless sporting newspapers were strewn over the table, the +chairs, and the floor around the marquis, who took them up one +after another, glanced rapidly through their columns, and threw +them on the floor again. or placed them on a pile before him, +first marking certain passages with a red pencil. At last, +probably fearing that Pascal was growing impatient, he looked up +and said: + +"I am really very sorry to keep you waiting so long, but some one +is waiting for this work to be completed." + +"Oh! pray continue, Monsieur le Marquis," interrupted Pascal. +"Strange to say, I have a little leisure at my command just now." + +The marquis seemed to feel that it was necessary to make some +remark in acknowledgment of this courtesy on his visitor's part, +and so, as he continued his work, he condescended to explain its +purpose. "I am playing the part of a commentator," he remarked. +"I sold seven of my horses a few days ago, and the purchaser, +before paying the stipulated price, naturally required an exact +and authentic statement of each animal's performances. However, +even this does not seem to have satisfied the gentleman, for he +has now taken it into his head to ask for such copies of the +sporting journals as record the victories or defeats of the +animals he has purchased. A gentleman is not so exacting +generally. It is true, however, that I have a foreigner to deal +with--one of those half-civilized nabobs who come here every year +to astonish the Parisians with their wealth and display, and who, +by their idiotic prodigality, have so increased the price of +everything that life has become well-nigh an impossibility to such +of us as don't care to squander an entire fortune in a couple of +years. These folks are the curse of Paris, for, with but few +exceptions, they only use their millions to enrich notorious +women, scoundrels, hotel-keepers, and jockeys." + +Pascal at once thought of the foreigner, Kami-Bey, whom he had met +at Baron Trigault's half an hour before, and who had complained so +bitterly of having had worthless scrubs palmed off upon him when +he fancied he had purchased valuable animals. "Kami-Bey must be +this exacting purchaser," thought Pascal, "and it's probable that +the marquis, desperately straitened as he is, has committed one of +those frauds which lead their perpetrator to prison?" The surmise +was by no means far-fetched, for in sporting matters, at least, +there was cause to suspect Valorsay of great elasticity of +conscience. Had he not already been accused of defrauding +Domingo's champions by a conspiracy? + +At last the marquis heaved a sigh of relief. "I've finished," he +muttered, as he tied up the bundle of papers he had laid aside, +and after ringing the bell, he said to the servant who answered +the summons: "Here, take this package to Prince Kami at the Grand +Hotel." + +Pascal's presentiments had not deceived him, and he said to +himself: "This is a good thing to know. Before this evening I +shall look into this affair a little." + +A storm was decidedly gathering over the Marquis de Valorsay's +head. Did he know it? Certainly he must have expected it. Still +he had sworn to stand fast until the end. Besides, he would not +concede that all was lost; and, like most great gamblers, he told +himself that since he had so much at stake, he might reasonably +hope to succeed. He rose, stretched himself, as a man is apt to +do after the conclusion of a tiresome task, and then, leaning +against the mantel-shelf, he exclaimed: "Now, Monsieur Maumejan, +let us speak of the business that brings you here." His negligent +attitude and his careless tone were admirably assumed, but a +shrewd observer would not have been deceived by them, or by the +indifferent manner in which he added: "You bring me some money +from Baron Trigault?" + +Pascal shook his head, as he replied: "I regret to say that I +don't, Monsieur le Marquis." + +This response had the same effect as a heavy rock falling upon M. +de Valorsay's bald pate. He turned whiter than his linen, and +even tottered, as if his lame leg, which was so much affected by +sudden changes in the weather, had utterly refused all service. +"What! You haven't--this is undoubtedly a joke." + +"It is only too serious!" + +"But I had the baron's word." + +"Oh! his word!" + +"I had his solemn promise." + +"It is sometimes impossible to keep one's promises, sir." + +The consequences of this disappointment must have been terrible, +for the marquis could not maintain his self-control. Still he +strove valiantly to conceal his emotion. He thought to himself +that if he allowed this man to see what a terrible blow this +really was, he would virtually confess his absolute ruin, and have +to renounce the struggle, and own himself vanquished and lost. +So, summoning all his energy, he mastered his emotion in some +degree, and, instead of appearing desperate, succeeded in looking +only irritated and annoyed. "In short," he resumed, angrily, "you +have brought no money! I counted on a hundred thousand francs this +morning. Nothing! This is kind on the baron's part! But probably +he doesn't understand the embarrassing position in which he places +me." + +"Excuse me, Monsieur le Marquis, he understands it so well that, +instead of informing you by a simple note. he sent me to acquaint +you with his sincere regret. When I left him an hour ago, he was +really disconsolate. He was particularly anxious I should tell +you that it was not his fault. He counted upon the payment of two +very large amounts, and both of these have failed him." + +The marquis had now recovered a little from the shock, though he +was still very pale. He looked at Pascal with evident distrust, +for he knew with what sweet excuses well-bred people envelope +their refusals. "So the baron is disconsolate," he remarked, in a +tone of perceptible irony. + +"He is indeed!" + +"Poor baron! Ah! I pity him--pity him deeply." + +As cold and as unmoved as a statue, Pascal seemed quite +unconscious of the effect of the message he had brought--quite +unconscious of Valorsay's sufferings and self-constraint. "You +think I am jesting, monsieur," he said, quietly, "but I assure you +that the baron is very short of money just now." + +"Nonsense! a man worth seven or eight millions of francs." + +"I should say ten millions, at least." + +"Then the excuse is all the more absurd." + +Pascal shrugged his shoulders disdainfully. "It astonishes me, +Monsieur le Marquis, to hear YOU speak in this way. It is not the +magnitude of a man's income that constitutes affluence, but rather +the way in which that income is spent. In this foolish age, +almost all rich people are in arrears. What income does the baron +derive from his ten millions of francs? Not more than five hundred +thousand. A very handsome fortune, no doubt, and I should be more +than content with it. But the baron gambles, and the baroness is +the most elegant--in other words, the most extravagant--woman in +Paris. They both of them love luxury, and their establishment is +kept up in princely style. What are five hundred thousand francs +under such circumstances as those? Their situation must be +something like that of several millionaires of my acquaintance, +who are obliged to take their silver to the pawn-broker's while +waiting for their rents to fall due." + +This excuse might not be true, but it was certainly a very +plausible one. Had not a recent lawsuit revealed the fact that +certain rich folks, who had an income of more than a hundred +thousand francs a year, had kept a thieving coachman for six +months, simply because, in all that time, they were not able to +raise the eight hundred francs they owed him, and which must be +paid before he was dismissed? M. de Valorsay knew this, but a +terrible disquietude seized him. Had people begun to suspect HIS +embarrassment? Had any rumor of it reached Baron Trigault's ears? +This was what he wished to ascertain. "Let us understand each +other, Monsieur Maumejan," said he; "the baron was unable to +procure this money he had promised me to-day--but when will he let +me have it?" + +Pascal opened his eyes in pretended astonishment, and it was with +an air of the utmost simplicity that he replied, "I concluded the +baron would take no further action in the matter. I judged so +from his parting words: 'It consoles me a little,' he said, 'to +think that the Marquis de Valorsay is very rich and very well +known, and that he has a dozen friends who will be delighted to do +him this trifling service.'" + +Until now, M. de Valorsay had cherished a hope that the loan was +only delayed, and the certainty that the decision was final, +crushed him. "My ruin's known," he thought, and feeling that his +strength was deserting him, he poured out a brimming glass of +Madeira, which he emptied at a single draught. The wine lent him +fictitious energy. Fury mounted to his brain; he lost all control +over himself, and springing up, with his face purple with rage, he +exclaimed: "It's a shame! an infamous shame! and Trigault deserves +to be severely punished. He has no business to keep a man in hot +water for three days about such a trifle. If he had said 'No' in +the first place, I should have made other arrangements, and I +shouldn't now find myself in a dilemma from which I see no +possible way of escape. No gentleman would have been guilty of +such a contemptible act--no one but a shopkeeper or a thief would +have stooped to such meanness! This is the result of admitting +these ridiculous parvenus into society, just because they happen +to have money." + +It certainly hurt Pascal to hear these insults heaped upon the +baron, and it hurt him all the more since they were entirely due +to the course he had personally adopted. + +However, a gesture, even a frown, might endanger the success of +his undertaking, so he preserved an impassive countenance. "I +must say that I don't understand your indignation, Monsieur le +Marquis," he said, coldly. "I can see why you might feel annoyed, +but why you should fly into a passion--" + +"Ah! you don't know----" began M. de Valorsay, but he stopped +short. It was time. The truth had almost escaped his lips. + +"Know what?" inquired Pascal. + +But the marquis was again upon his guard. "I have a debt that +must be paid this evening, at all hazards--a sacred obligation--in +short, a debt of honor." + +"A debt of one hundred thousand francs?" + +"No, it is only twenty-five thousand." + +"Is it possible that a rich man like you can be troubled about +such a trifling sum, which any one would lend you?" + +M. de Valorsay interrupted him with a contemptuous sneer. "Didn't +you just tell me that we were living in an age when no one has any +money except those who are in business? The richest of my friends +have only enough for themselves, even if they have enough. The +time of old stockings, stuffed full of savings, is past! Shall I +apply to a banker? He would ask two days for reflection, and he +would require the names of two or three of my friends on the note. +If I go to my notary, there will be endless forms to be gone +through, and remonstrances without number." + +For a moment or more already, Pascal had been moving about +uneasily on his chair, like a man who is waiting for an +opportunity to make a suggestion, and as soon as M. de Valorsay +paused to take breath, he exclaimed: "Upon my word! if I dared----" + +"Well?" + +"I would offer to obtain you these twenty-five thousand francs." + +"You?" + +"Yes, I." + +"Before six o'clock this evening?" + +"Certainly." + +A glass of ice-water presented to a parched traveller while +journeying over the desert sands of Sahara could not impart +greater relief and delight than the marquis experienced on hearing +Pascal's offer. He literally felt that he was restored to life. + +For ruin was inevitable if he did not succeed in obtaining twenty- +five thousand francs that day. If he could procure that amount he +might obtain a momentary respite, and to gain time was the main +thing. Moreover, the offer was a sufficient proof that his +financial difficulties were not known. "Ah! I have had a +fortunate escape," he thought. "What if I had revealed the +truth!" + +But he was careful to conceal the secret joy that filled his +heart. He feared lest he might say "Yes" too quickly, so betray +his secret, and place himself at the mercy of the baron's envoy. +"I would willingly accept your offer," he exclaimed, "if----" + +"If what?" + +"Would it be proper for me, after the baron has treated me in such +a contemptible manner, to have any dealings with one of his +subordinates?" + +Pascal protested vigorously. "Allow me to say," he exclaimed, +"that I am not any one's subordinate. Trigault is my client, like +thirty or forty others--nothing more. He employs me in certain +difficult and delicate negotiations, which I conduct to the best +of my ability. He pays me, and we are each of us perfectly +independent of the other." + +From the look which Valorsay gave Pascal, one would have sworn +that he suspected who his visitor really was. But such was not +the case. It was simply this: a strange, but by no means +impossible, idea had flashed through the marquis's mind--"Oh!" +thought he, "this unknown party with whom Maumejan offers to +negotiate the loan, is probably none other than the baron himself. +That worthy gambler has invented this ingenious method of obliging +me so as to extort a rate of interest which he would not dare to +demand openly. And why not? There have been plenty of such +instances. Isn't it a well-known fact that the N---- Brothers, +the most rigidly honest financiers in the world, have never under +any circumstances directly obliged one of their friends? If their +own father, of whom they always speak with the greatest +veneration, asked them to lend him fifty francs for a month, they +would say to him as they do to every one else: 'We are rather +cramped just now; but see that rascal B----.' And that rascal B----, +who is the most pliable tool in existence, will, providing +father N---- offers unquestionable security, lend the old +gentleman his son's money at from twelve to fifteen per cent. +interest, plus a small commission." + +These ideas and recollections were of considerable assistance in +restoring Valorsay's composure. "Enough said, then," he answered, +lightly. "I accept with pleasure. But----" + +"Ah! so there is a but!" + +"There is always one. I must warn you that it will be difficult +for me to repay this loan in less than two months." + +This, then, was the time he thought necessary for the +accomplishment of his designs. + +"That does not matter," replied Pascal, "and even if you desire a +longer delay " + +"That will be unnecessary, thank you! But there is one thing +more." + +"What is that?" + +"What will this negotiation cost me?" + +Pascal had expected this question, and he had prepared a reply +which was in perfect keeping with the spirit of the role he had +assumed. "I shall charge you the ordinary rates," he answered, +"six per cent. interest, plus one-and-a-half per cent. +commission." + +"Bah!" + +"Plus the remuneration for my trouble and services." + +"And what remuneration will satisfy you?" + +"One thousand francs. Is it too much?" + +If the marquis had retained the shadow of a doubt, it vanished +now. "Ah!" he sneered, "that strikes me as a very liberal +compensation for your services!" + +But he would gladly have recalled the sneer when he saw how the +agent received it. Pascal drew up his head with a deeply injured +air, and remarked in the chilling tone of a person who is strongly +tempted to retract his word, "Then there is nothing more to be +said, M. le Marquis; and since you find the conditions onerous----" + +"I did not say so," interrupted M. de Valorsay, quickly--"I did +not even think it!" + +This gave Pascal an opportunity to present his programme, and he +availed himself of it. "Others may pretend to oblige people +merely from motives of friendship," he remarked. "But I am more +honest. If I do anything in the way of business, I expect to be +paid for it; and I vary my terms according to my clients' need. +It would be impossible to have a fixed price for services like +mine. When, on two different occasions, I saved a gentleman of +your acquaintance from bankruptcy, I asked ten thousand francs the +first time, and fifteen thousand the second. Was that an +exaggerated estimate of my services? I might boast with truth that +I once assured the marriage of a brilliant viscount by keeping his +creditors quiet while his courtship was in progress. The day +after the wedding he paid me twenty thousand francs. Didn't he +owe them to me? If, instead of being a trifle short of money, you +happened to be ruined, I should not ask you merely for a thousand +francs. I should study your position, and fix my terms according +to the magnitude of the peril from which I rescued you." + +There was not a sentence, not a word of this cynical explanation +which had not been carefully studied beforehand. There was not an +expression which was not a tempting bait to the marquis's evil +instincts. But M de Valorsay made no sign. "I see that you are a +shrewd man, Monsieur Maumejan," said he, "and if I am ever in +difficulty I shall apply to you." + +Pascal bowed with an air of assumed modesty; but he was inwardly +jubilant, for he felt that his enemy would certainly fall into the +trap which had been set for him. "And now, when shall I have this +money?" inquired the marquis. + +"By four o'clock." + +"And I need fear no disappointment as in the baron's case?" + +"Certainly not. What interest would M. Trigault have in lending +you a hundred thousand francs? None whatever. With me it is quite +a different thing. The profit I'm to realize is your security. +In business matters distrust your friends. Apply to usurers +rather than to them. Question people who are in difficulties, and +ninety-five out of a hundred will tell you that their worst +troubles have been caused by those who called themselves their +best friends." + +He had risen to take leave, when the door of the smoking-room +opened, and a servant appeared and said in an undertone: "Madame +Leon is in the drawing-room with Dr. Jodon. They wish to see you, +monsieur." + +Though Pascal had armed himself well against any unexpected +mischance, he changed color on hearing the name of the worthy +housekeeper. "All is lost if this creature sees and recognizes +me!" he thought. + +Fortunately the Marquis was too much engrossed in his own affairs +to note the momentary agitation of Baron Trigault's envoy. "It is +strange that I can't have five minutes' peace and quietness," he +said. "I told you that I was at home to no one." + +"But----" + +"Enough! Let the lady and gentleman wait." + +The servant withdrew. + +The thought of passing out through the drawing-room filled Pascal +with consternation. How could he hope to escape Madame Leon's +keen eyes? Fortunately M. de Valorsay came to his relief, for as +Pascal was about to open the same door by which he had entered, +the marquis exclaimed: "Not that way! Pass out here--this is the +shortest way." + +And leading him through his bedroom the marquis conducted him to +the staircase, where he even feigned to offer him his hand, +saying: "A speedy return, dear M. Maumejan." + +It is not at the moment of peril that people endure the worst +agony; it is afterward, when they have escaped it. As he went +down the staircase, Pascal wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. +"Ah! it was a narrow escape!" he exclaimed, under his breath. + +He felt proud of the manner in which he had sustained a part so +repugnant to his nature. He was amazed to find that he could +utter falsehoods with such a calm, unblushing face--he was +astonished at his own audacity. And what a success he had +achieved! He felt certain that he had just slipped round M. de +Valorsay's neck the noose which would strangle him later on. +Still he was considerably disturbed by Madame Leon's visit to the +marquis. "What is she doing here with this physician?" he asked +himself again and again. "Who is this man? What new piece of +infamy are they plotting to require his services?" One of those +presentiments which are prompted by the logic of events, told him +that this physician had been, or would be, one of the actors in +the vile conspiracy of which he and Mademoiselle Marguerite were +the victims. But he had no leisure to devote to the solution of +this enigma. Time was flying, and before returning to the +marquis's house he must find out what had aroused the suspicions +of the purchaser of those horses, the biographies of which had +been so rigidly exacted. Through the baron, he might hope to +obtain an interview with Kami-Bey--and so it was to the baron's +house that Pascal directed his steps. + +After the more than cordial reception which the baron had granted +him that morning, it was quite natural that the servants should +receive him as a friend of the household. They would scarcely +allow him to explain what he desired. It was the pompous head +valet in person who ushered him into one of the small reception- +rooms, exclaiming: "The baron's engaged, but I'm sure he would be +annoyed if he failed to see you; and I will inform him at once." + +A moment later, the baron entered quite breathless from his +hurried descent of the staircase. "Ah! you have been successful," +he exclaimed, on seeing Pascal's face. + +"Everything is progressing as favorably as I could wish, Monsieur +le Baron, but I must speak with that foreigner whom I met here +this morning." + +"Kami-Bey?" + +"Yes." And in a few words, Pascal explained the situation. + +"Providence is certainly on our side," said the baron, +thoughtfully. "Kami is still here." + +"Is it possible?" + +"It's a fact. Did you think it would be easy to get rid of this +confounded Turk! He invited himself to breakfast without the +slightest ceremony, and would give me no peace until I promised to +play with him for two hours. I was closeted with him, cards in +hand, when they told me you were here. Come, we'll go and +question him." + +They found the interesting foreigner in a savage mood. He had +been winning when the servant came for the baron, and he feared +that an interruption would change the luck. "What the devil took +you away?" he exclaimed, with that coarseness of manner which was +habitual with him, and which the flatterers around him styled +"form." "A man should no more be disturbed when he's playing than +when he's eating." + +"Come, come, prince," said the baron, good-naturedly, "don't be +angry, and I'll give you three hours instead of two. But I have a +favor to ask of you." + +The foreigner at once thrust his hand into his pocket, with such a +natural gesture, that neither the baron nor Pascal could repress a +smile, and he himself understanding the cause of their merriment +broke into a hearty laugh. "It's purely from force of habit," +said he. "Ah! since I've been in Paris---- But what do you wish?" + +The baron sat down, and gravely replied: "You told us scarcely an +hour ago that you had been cheated in the purchase of some +horses." + +"Cheated! it was worse than highway robbery." + +"Would it be indiscreet to ask you by whom you have been +defrauded?" + +Kami-Bey's purple cheeks became a trifle pale. "Hum!" said he, in +an altered tone of voice, "that is a delicate question. My +defrauder appears to be a dangerous fellow--a duellist--and if I +disclose his knavery, he is quite capable of picking a quarrel +with me--not that I am afraid of him, I assure you, but my +principles don't allow me to fight. When a man has an income of a +million, he doesn't care to expose himself to the dangers of a +duel." + +"But, prince, in France folks don't do a scoundrel the honor to +cross swords with him." + +"That's just what my steward, who is a Frenchman, told me; but no +matter. Besides, I am not sufficiently sure of the man's guilt to +noise it abroad. I have no positive proofs as yet." + +He was evidently terribly frightened, and the first thing to be +done was to reassure him. "Come," insisted the baron, "tell us +the man's name. This gentleman here"--pointing to Pascal--"is one +of my most esteemed friends. I will answer for him as I would for +myself; and we will swear upon our honor not to reveal the secret +we ask you for, without your permission." + +"Truly?" + +"You have our word of honor," replied both the baron and Pascal in +a breath. + +After casting a half-frightened glance around him, the worthy Turk +seemed to gather courage. But no! He deliberated some time, and +then rejoined: "Really, I'm not sufficiently convinced of the +accuracy of my suspicions to incur the risk of accusing a man who +belongs in the very best society; a man who is very rich and very +highly respected, and who would tolerate no imputations upon his +character." + +It was plain that he would not speak. The baron shrugged his +shoulders, but Pascal stepped bravely forward. "Then I will tell +you, prince," he said, "the name that you are determined to hide +from us." + +"Oh!" + +"But you must allow me to remark that the baron and myself retract +the promise we made you just now." + +"Naturally." + +"Then, your defrauder is the Marquis de Valorsay!" + +If Kami-Bey had seen an emissary of his sovereign enter the room +carrying the fatal bow-string he would not have seemed more +terror-stricken. He sprang nervously on to his short, fat legs, +his eyes wildly dilating and his hands fluttering despairingly. +"Don't speak so loud! don't speak so loud!" he exclaimed, +imploringly. + +As he did not even attempt to deny it, the truth of the assertion +might be taken for granted. But Pascal was not content with this. +"Now that we know the fact, I hope, Prince, that you will be +sufficiently obliging to tell us how it all happened," he +remarked. + +Poor Kami. He was in despair. "Alas!" he replied, reluctantly, +"nothing could be more simple. I wanted to set up a racing +stable. Not that I care much for sport. I can scarcely +distinguish a horse from a mule--but morning and evening, +everybody says to me: 'Prince, a man like you ought to make your +name celebrated on the turf.' Besides I never open a paper +without reading: 'Such a man ought to be a patron of the noblest +of sports.' At last, I said to myself: 'Yes, they are right. I +ought to take part in racing.' So I began to look about for some +horses. I had purchased several, when the Marquis de Valorsay +proposed to sell me some of his, some that were very well known, +and that had--so he assured me--won at least ten times the amount +they had cost him. I accepted his offer, and visited his stables, +where I selected seven of his best horses and paid for them; and I +paid a good round price, I assure you. Now comes the knavery. He +has not given me the horses I purchased. The real animals, the +valuable ones--have been sold in England under false names, and +although the horses sent to me may be like the others in +appearance, they are really only common animals, wanting both in +blood and speed." + +Pascal and the baron exchanged astonished glances. It must be +confessed that frauds of every description are common enough in +the racing world, and a great deal of dishonest manoeuvring +results from greed for gain united with the fever of gambling. +But never before had any one been accused of such an audacious and +impudent piece of rascality as that which Kami-Bey imputed to +Valorsay. + +"How did you fail to discover this at the outset, prince?" +inquired Pascal in an incredulous tone. + +"Because my time was so much occupied." + +"But your servants?" + +"Ah! that's another thing. I shouldn't be at all surprised if it +were proved that the man who has charge of my stables had been +bribed by the marquis." + +"Then, how were your suspicions aroused?" + +"It was only by the merest chance. A jockey whom I thought of +employing had often ridden one of the animals which I fancied +myself the owner of. Naturally, I showed him the horse, but he +had no sooner set eyes on it than he exclaimed: 'That the horse! +Never! You've been cheated, prince!' Then we examined the others, +and the fraud became apparent." + +Knowing Kami's character better than Pascal, the baron had good +reason to distrust the accuracy of these statements. For the +Turkish millionaire's superb contempt of money was only affected. +Vanity alone unloosed his purse-strings. He was quite capable of +presenting Jenny Fancy with a necklace costing five-and-twenty +thousand francs for the sake of seeing his generosity recorded in +the Gaulois or the Figaro the next day; but he would refuse to +give a trifle to the mother of a starving family. Besides, it was +his ambition to be regarded as the most swindled man in Europe. +But though he was shamefully imposed upon, it was not voluntarily-- +for there was a strong dose of Arabian avarice and distrust in +his composition. + +"Frankly, prince," said the baron, "your story sounds like one of +the wild legends of your native land. Valorsay is certainly no +fool. How is it possible that he could have been guilty of so +gross a fraud--a fraud which might be, which could not fail to be +discovered in twenty-four hours--and which, once proven, would +dishonor him forever?" + +"Before perpetrating such a piece of deception upon any one else, +he would have thought twice; but upon me it's different. Isn't it +an established fact that a person incurs no risk in robbing Kami- +Bey?" + +"Had I been in your place I should have quietly instituted an +investigation." + +"What good would that have done? Besides, the sale was only +conditional, and took place under the seal of secrecy. The +marquis reserved the right to take his horses back on payment of a +stipulated sum, and the time he was to have for consideration only +expired on the day before yesterday." + +"Eh! why didn't you tell us that at first?" cried the baron. + +The marquis's rascality was now easily explained. Finding himself +in a desperate strait, and feeling that his salvation was certain +if he could only gain a little time, he had yielded to temptation, +saying to himself, like unfaithful cashiers when they first +appropriate their employers' money: "I will pay it back, and no +one will ever know it!" However, when the day of settlement came +he had found himself in as deplorable a plight as on the day of +the robbery, and he had been compelled to yield to the force of +circumstances. + +"And what do you intend to do, prince?" asked Pascal. + +"Ah! I am still in doubt. I have compelled the marquis to give me +the papers in which the exploits of these horses are recorded. +These statements will be of service in case of a law-suit. But +shall I or shall I not enter a complaint against him? If it were a +mere question of money I should let the matter drop; but he has +defrauded and deceived me so outrageously that it annoys me. On +the other hand, to confess that he has cheated me in this fashion +would cover me with ridicule. Besides, the man is a dangerous +enemy. And what would become of me if I happened to side against +him? I should be compelled to leave Paris. Ah! I'd give ten +thousand francs to any one who'd settle this cursed affair for +me!" + +His perplexity was so great, and his anger so intense, for that +once he tore off his eternal fez and flung it on to the table, +swearing like a drayman. However, controlling himself at last, he +exclaimed in a tone of assumed indifference: "No matter, there's +been enough said on this subject for one day--I'm here to play--so +let us begin, baron. For we are wasting precious time, as you so +often remark." + +Pascal had nothing more to learn; so he shook hands with the +baron, made an appointment with him for the same evening, and went +away. + +It was only half-past two; a good hour and a half remained at his +disposal. "I will profit by this opportunity to eat something," +he thought; a sudden faintness reminding him that he had taken +nothing but a cup of chocolate that day. Thereupon perceiving a +cafe near by, he entered it, ordered breakfast, and lingered there +until it was time to return to the Marquis de Valorsay's. He +would have gone there before the appointed time if he had merely +listened to the promptings of his impatience, so thoroughly was he +persuaded that this second interview would be decisive. But +prudence advised him not to expose himself to the danger of an +encounter with Madame Leon and Dr. Jodon. + +"Well! Monsieur Maumejan," cried the marquis, as soon as Pascal +made his appearance. He had been counting the seconds with +intense anxiety, as his tone of voice unmistakably revealed. + +In reply Pascal gravely drew from his pocket twenty-four bank- +notes, of a thousand francs each, and he placed them upon the +table, saying: "Here is the amount, Monsieur le Marquis. I have, +of course, deducted my commission. Now, if you will write and +sign a note for twenty-five thousand francs, payable to my order +two months hence, our business for to-day will be concluded." + +M. de Valorsay's hand trembled nervously as he penned the desired +note, for, until the very last moment, he had doubted the promises +of this unknown agent who had made his appearance so opportunely +Then, when the document was signed, he carelessly slipped the +money into a drawer and exclaimed: "So here's the needful to pay +my debt of honor; but my embarrassment is none the less great. +These twenty-four thousand francs won't take the place of the +hundred thousand which Baron Trigault promised me." + +And, as Pascal made no reply, the marquis began a desultory tramp +up and down the smoking-room. He was very pale, his brows were +knit; he looked like a man who was meditating a decisive step, and +who was calculating the consequences. But having no time to waste +in hesitation, he soon paused in front of Pascal, and exclaimed: +"Since you have just lent me twenty-four thousand francs, why +won't you lend me the rest?" + +But Pascal shook his head. "One risks nothing by advancing +twenty-five thousand francs to a person in your position, Monsieur +le Marquis. Whatever happens, such a sum as that can always be +gathered from the wreck. But double or triple the amount! The +deuce! that requires reflection, and I must understand the +situation thoroughly." + +"And if I told you that I am--almost ruined, what would you +reply?" + +"I shouldn't be so very much surprised." + +M. de Valorsay had now gone too far to draw back. "Ah, well!" he +resumed, "the truth is this--my affairs are terribly involved." + +"The devil! You should have told me that sooner." + +"Wait; I am about to retrieve my fortune--to make it even larger +than it has ever been. I am on the point of contracting a +marriage which will make me one of the richest men in Paris; but I +must have a little time to bring the affair to a successful +termination, and I need money--and my creditors are pressing me +unmercifully. You told me this morning that you once assisted a +man who was in a similar position. Will you help me? You can set +your own price on your services." + +More easily overcome by joy than by sorrow, Pascal almost betrayed +himself. He had attained his object. Still, he succeeded in +conquering his emotion, and it was in a perfectly calm voice that +he replied: "I can promise nothing until I understand the +situation, Monsieur le Marquis. Will you explain it to me? I am +listening." + + + +XIV. + + +It was nearly midnight when M. Wilkie left the Hotel d'Argeles +after the terrible scene in which he had revealed his true +character. On seeing him pass out with haggard eyes, colorless +lips, and disordered clothing, the servants gathered in the +vestibule took him at first for another of those ruined gamblers +who not unfrequently left the house with despair in their hearts. + +"Another fellow who's had bad luck!" they remarked sneeringly to +one another. + +"No doubt about that. He is pretty effectually used up, judging +from appearances," one of them remarked. + +It was not until some moments later that they learned a portion of +the truth through the servants who had been on duty upstairs, and +who now ran down in great terror, crying that Madame d'Argeles was +dying, and that a physician must be summoned at once. + +M. Wilkie was already far away, hastening up the boulevard with an +agile step. Any one else would have been overcome with shame and +sorrow--would have been frightened by the thought of what he had +done, and have striven to find some way to conceal his disgrace; +but he, not in the least. In this frightful crisis, he was only +conscious of one fact--that just as he raised his hand to strike +Madame Lia d'Argeles, his mother, a big, burly individual had +burst into the room, like a bombshell, caught him by the throat, +forced him upon his knees, and compelled him to ask the lady's +pardon. He, Wilkie, to be humiliated in this style! He would +never endure that. This was an affront he could not swallow, one +of those insults that cry out for vengeance and for blood. "Ah! +the great brute shall pay for it," he repeated, again and again, +grinding his teeth. And if he hastened up the boulevard, it was +only because he hoped to meet his two chosen friends, M. Costard +and the Viscount de Serpillon, the co-proprietors of Pompier de +Nanterre. + +For he intended to place his outraged honor in their care. They +should be his seconds, and present his demand for satisfaction to +the man who had insulted him. A duel was the only thing that +could appease his furious anger and heal his wounded pride. And a +great scandal, which he would be the hero of, was not without a +certain charm for him. What a glorious chance to win notoriety at +an epoch when newspapers have become public laundries, in which +every one washes his soiled linen and dries it in the glare of +publicity! He saw his already remarkable reputation enhanced by +the interest that always attaches to people who are talked about, +and he could hear in advance the flattering whisper which would +greet his appearance everywhere: "You see that young man?--he is +the hero of that famous adventure," etc. Moreover, he was already +twisting and turning the terms of the notice which his seconds +must have inserted in the Figaro, hesitating between two or three +equally startling beginnings: "Another famous duel," or +"Yesterday, after a scandalous scene, an encounter," etc., etc. + +Unfortunately, he did not meet either M. Costard or the Viscount +de Serpillon. Strange to say, they were not in any of the cafes, +where the flower of French chivalry usually congregates, in the +company of golden-haired young women, from nine in the evening +until one o'clock in the morning. This disappointment grieved M. +Wilkie sorely, although he derived some benefit from it, for his +disordered attire attracted attention at each place he entered, +and acquaintances eagerly inquired: "Where have you come from, and +what has happened to you?" Whereupon he replied with an air of +profound secrecy: "Pray don't speak of it. A shocking affair! If +it were noised abroad I should be inconsolable." + +At last the cafes began to close, and promenaders became rare. M. +Wilkie, much to his regret, was obliged to go home. When he had +locked his door and donned his dressing-gown, he sat down to think +over the events of the day, and collect his scattered wits. What +most troubled and disquieted him was not the condition in which he +had left Madame Lia d'Argeles, his mother, who was, perhaps, +dying, through his fault! It was not the terrible sacrifice that +this poor woman had made for him in a transport of maternal love! +It was not the thought of the source from which the money he had +squandered for so many years had been derived. No, M. Wilkie was +quite above such paltry considerations--good enough for +commonplace and antiquated people. "He was too clever for that. +Ah! yes. He had a stronger stomach, and was up with the times!" +If he were sorely vexed in spirit it was because he thought that +the immense property which he had believed his own had slipped, +perhaps for ever, from his grasp. For rising threateningly +between the Chalusse millions and himself, he pictured the form of +his father, this man whom he did not know, but whose very name had +made Madame d'Argeles shudder. + +M. Wilkie was seized with terror when he looked his actual +situation in the face. What was to become of him? He was certain +that Madame d'Argeles would not give him another sou. She could +not--he recognized that fact. His intelligence was equal to that. +On the other hand, if he ever obtained anything from the count's +estate, which was more than doubtful, would he not be obliged to +wait a long time for it? Yes, in all probability such would be the +case. Then how should he live, how would he be able to obtain +food in the meantime? His despair was so poignant that tears came +to his eyes; and he bitterly deplored the step he had taken. Yes, +he actually sighed for the past; he longed to live over again the +very years in which he had so often complained of his destiny. +Then, though not a millionaire by any means, he at least wanted +for nothing. Every quarter-day a very considerable allowance was +promptly paid him, and, in great emergencies, he could apply to +Mr. Patterson, who always sent a favorable answer if not drawn +upon too heavily. Yes, he sighed for that time! Ah! if he had +only then realized how fortunate he was! Had he not been one of +the most opulent members of the society in which he moved? Had he +not been flattered and admired more than any of his companions? +Had he not found the most exquisite happiness in his part +ownership of Pompier de Nanterre! + +Now, what remained? Nothing, save anxiety concerning the future, +and all sorts of uncertainties and terrors! What a mistake! What a +blunder he had made! Ah! if he could only begin again. He +sincerely wished that the great adversary of mankind had the +Viscount de Coralth in his clutches. For, in his despair, it was +the once dear viscount that he blamed, accused, and cursed. + +He was in this ungrateful frame of mind when a loud, almost +savage, ring came at his door. As his servant slept in an attic +upstairs, Wilkie was quite alone in his rooms, so he took the lamp +and went to open the door himself. At this hour of the night, the +visitor could only be M. Costard or the Viscount de Serpillon, or +perhaps both of them. "They have heard that I was looking for +them, and so they have hastened here," he thought. + +But he was mistaken. The visitor was neither of these gentlemen, +but M. Ferdinand de Coralth in person. Prudence had compelled the +viscount to leave Madame d'Argeles's card-party one of the last, +but as soon as he was out of the house he had rushed to the +Marquis de Valorsay's to hold a conference with him, far from +suspecting that he was followed, and that an auxiliary of Pascal +Ferailleur and Mademoiselle Marguerite was even then waiting for +him below--an enemy as formidable as he was humble--Victor Chupin. + +At sight of the man who had so long been his model--the friend who +had advised what he styled his blunder--Wilkie was so surprised +that he almost dropped his lamp. Then as his wrath kindled, "Ah! +so it's you!" he exclaimed, angrily. "You come at a good time!" + +But M. de Coralth was too much exasperated to notice Wilkie's +strange greeting. Seizing him roughly by the arm, and closing the +door with a kick, he dragged Wilkie back into the little drawing- +room. "Yes, it's I," he said, curtly. "It's I--come to inquire +if you have gone mad?" + +"Viscount!" + +"I can find no other explanation of your conduct! What! You choose +Madame d'Argeles's reception day, and an hour when there are fifty +guests in her drawing-room to present yourself!" + +"Ah, well! it wasn't from choice. I had been there twice before, +and had the doors shut in my face." + +"You ought to have gone back ten times, a hundred times, a +thousand times, rather than have accomplished such an idiotic +prank as this." + +"Excuse me." + +"What did I recommend? Prudence, calmness and moderation, +persuasive gentleness, sentiments of the loftiest nature, +tenderness, a shower of tears----" + +"Possibly, but----" + +"But instead of that, you fall upon this woman like a thunderbolt, +and set the whole household in the wildest commotion. What could +you be thinking of, to make such an absurd and frightful scene? +For you howled and shrieked like a street hawker, and we could +hear you in the drawing-room. If all is not irretrievably lost, +there must be a special Providence for the benefit of fools!" + +In his dismay, Wilkie endeavored to falter some excuses, but he +was only able to begin a few sentences which died away, +uncompleted in his throat. The violence shown by M. de Coralth, +who was usually as cold and as polished as marble, quieted his own +wrath. Still toward the last he felt disposed to rebel against +the insults that were being heaped upon him. "Do you know, +viscount, that I begin to think this very strange," he exclaimed. +"If any one else had led me into such a scrape, I should have +called him to account in double-quick time." + +M. de Coralth shrugged his shoulders with an air of contempt, and +threateningly replied: "Understand, once for all, that you had +better not attempt to bully me! Now, tell me what passed between +your mother and yourself?" + +"First I should like----" + +"Dash it all! Do you suppose that I intend to remain here all +night? Tell me what occurred, and be quick about it. And try to +speak the truth." + +It was one of M. Wilkie's greatest boasts that he had an +indomitable will--an iron nature. But the viscount exercised +powerful influence over him, and, to tell the truth, inspired him +with a form of emotion which was nearly akin to fear. Moreover, a +glimmer of reason had at last penetrated his befogged brain: he +saw that M. de Coralth was right--that he had acted like a fool, +and that, if he hoped to escape from the dangers that threatened +him, he must take the advice of more experienced men than himself. +So, ceasing his recriminations, he began to describe what he +styled his explanation with Madame d'Argeles. All went well at +first; for he dared not misrepresent the facts. + +But when he came to the intervention of the man who had prevented +him from striking his mother, he turned crimson, and rage again +filled his heart. "I'm sorry I let myself get into such a mess!" +he exclaimed. "You should have seen my condition. My shirt- +collar was torn, and my cravat hung in tatters. He was much +stronger than I--the contemptible scoundrel!--ah! if it hadn't +been for that---- But I shall have my revenge. Yes, he shall +learn that he can't trample a man under foot with impunity. To- +morrow two of my friends will call upon him; and if he refuses to +apologize or to give me satisfaction, I'll cane him." + +It was evident enough that M. de Coralth had to exercise +considerable constraint to listen to these fine projects. "I must +warn you that you ought to speak in other terms of an honorable +and honored gentleman," he interrupted, at last. + +"Eh! what! You know him then?" + +"Yes, Madame d'Argeles's defender is Baron Trigault." + +M. Wilkie's heart bounded with joy, as he heard this name. "Ah! +this is capital!" he exclaimed. "What! So it was Baron Trigault-- +the noted gambler--who owns such a magnificent house in the Rue de +la Ville l'Eveque, the husband of that extremely stylish lady, +that notorious cocotte----" + +The viscount sprang from his chair, and interrupting M. Wilkie: "I +advise you, for the sake of your own safety," he said, measuring +his words to give them greater weight, "never to mention the +Baroness Trigault's name except in terms of the most profound +respect." + +There was no misunderstanding M. de Coralth's tone, and his glance +said plainly that he would not allow much time to pass before +putting his threat into execution. Having always lived in a lower +circle to that in which the baroness sparkled with such lively +brilliancy, M. Wilkie was ignorant of the reasons that induced his +distinguished friend to defend her so warmly; but he DID +understand that it would be highly imprudent to insist, or even to +discuss the matter. So, in his most persuasive manner, he +resumed: "Let us say no more about the wife, but give our +attention to the husband. So it was the baron who insulted me! A +duel with him--what good luck! Well! he may sleep in peace to- +night, but as soon as he is up in the morning he will find Costard +and Serpillon on hand. Serpillon has not an equal as a second. +First, he knows the best places for a meeting; then he lends the +combatants weapons when they have none; he procures a physician; +and he is on excellent terms with the journalists, who publish +reports of these encounters." + +The viscount had never had a very exalted opinion of Wilkie's +intelligence, but now he was amazed to see how greatly he had +overestimated it. "Enough of such foolishness," he interrupted, +curtly. "This duel will never take place." + +"I should like to know who will prevent it?" + +"I will, if you persist in such an absurd idea. You ought to have +sense enough to know that the baron would kick Serpillon out of +the house, and that you would only cover yourself with ridicule. +So, between your duel and my help make your choice, and quickly." + +The prospect of sending his seconds to demand satisfaction from +Baron Trigault was certainly a very attractive one. But, on the +other hand, Wilkie could not afford to dispense with M. de +Coralth's services. "But the baron has insulted me," he urged. + +"Well, you can demand satisfaction when you obtain possession of +your property: but the least scandal now would spoil your last +chances." + +"I will abandon the project, then," sighed Wilkie, despondently; +"but pray advise me. What do you think of my situation?" + +M. de Coralth seemed to consider a moment, and then gravely +replied: "I think that, UNASSISTED, you have no chance whatever. +You have no standing, no influential connections, no position--you +are not even a Frenchman." + +"Alas! that is precisely what I have said to myself." + +"Still, I am convinced that with some assistance you might +overcome your mother's resistance, and even your father's +pretentions." + +"Yes, but where could I find protectors?" + +The viscount's gravity seemed to increase. "Listen to me," said +he; "I will do for you what I would not do for any one else. I +will endeavor to interest in your cause one of my friends, who is +all powerful by reason of his name, his fortune, and his +connections--the Marquis de Valorsay, in fact." + +"The one who is so well known upon the turf?" + +"The same." + +"And you will introduce me to him?" + +"Yes. Be ready to-morrow at eleven o'clock, and I will call for +you and take you to his house. If he interests himself in your +cause, it is as good as gained." And as his companion overwhelmed +him with thanks, he rose, and said: "I must go now. No more +foolishness, and be ready to-morrow at the appointed time." + +Thanks to the surprising mutability of temper which was the most +striking characteristic of his nature, M. Wilkie was already +consoled for his blunder. + +He had received M. de Coralth as an enemy; but he now escorted him +to the door with every obsequious attention--in fact, just as if +he looked upon him as his preserver. A word which the viscount +had dropped during the conversation had considerably helped to +bring about this sudden revulsion of feelings. "You cannot fail +to understand that if the Marquis de Valorsay espouses your cause, +you will want for nothing. And if a lawsuit is unavoidable, he +will be perfectly willing to advance the necessary funds." How +could M. Wilkie lack confidence after that? The brightest hopes, +the most ecstatic visions had succeeded the gloomy forebodings of +a few hours before. The mere thought of being presented to M. de +Valorsay, a nobleman celebrated for his adventures, his horses, +and his fortune, more than sufficed to make him forget his +troubles. What rapture to become that illustrious nobleman's +acquaintance, perhaps his friend! To move in the same orbit as +this star of the first magnitude which would inevitably cast some +of its lustre upon him! Now he would be a somebody in the world. +He felt that he had grown a head taller, and Heaven only knows +with what disdain poor Costard and Serpillon would have been +received had they chanced to present themselves at that moment. + +It is needless to say that Wilkie dressed with infinite care on +the following morning, no doubt in the hope of making a conquest +of the marquis at first sight. He tried his best to solve the +problem of appearing at the same time most recherche but at ease, +excessively elegant and yet unostentatious; and he devoted himself +to the task so unreservedly that he lost all conception of the +flight of time: so that on seeing M. de Coralth enter his rooms, +he exclaimed in unfeigned astonishment: "You here already?" + +It seemed to him that barely five minutes had elapsed since he +took his place before the looking-glass to study attitudes and +gestures, with a new and elegant mode of bowing and sitting down, +like an actor practising the effects which are to win him +applause. + +"Why do you say 'already?'" replied the viscount. "I am a quarter +of an hour behind time. Are you not ready?" + +"Yes, certainly." + +"Let us start at once, then; my brougham is outside." + +The drive was a silent one. M. Ferdinand de Coralth, whose smooth +white skin would ordinarily have excited the envy of a young girl, +did not look like himself. His face was swollen and covered with +blotches, and there were dark blue circles round his eyes. He +seemed, moreover, to be in a most savage humor. "He hasn't had +sleep enough," thought M. Wilkie, with his usual discernment; "he +hasn't a bronze constitution like myself." + +M. Wilkie himself was insensible to fatigue, and although he had +not closed his eyes the previous night, he only felt that nervous +trepidation which invariably attacks debutants, and makes the +throat so marvellously dry. For the first, and probably the last +time in his life, M. Wilkie distrusted his own powers, and feared +that he was not "quite up to the mark," as he elegantly expressed +it. + +The sight of the Marquis de Valorsay's handsome mansion was not +likely to restore his assurance. When he entered the courtyard, +where the master's mail-phaeton stood in waiting; when through the +open doors of the handsome stables he espied the many valuable +horses neighing in their stalls, and the numerous carriages +shrouded in linen covers; when he counted the valets on duty in +the vestibule, and when he ascended the staircase behind a lackey +attired in a black dress-coat, and as serious in mien as a notary; +when he passed through the handsome drawing-rooms, filled to +overflowing with pictures, armor, statuary, and all the trophies +gained by the marquis's horses upon the turf, M. Wilkie mentally +acknowledged that he knew nothing of high life, and that what he +had considered luxury was scarcely the shadow of the reality. He +felt actually ashamed of his own ignorance. This feeling of +inferiority became so powerful that he was almost tempted to turn +and fly, when the man clothed in black opened the door and +announced, in a clear voice: "M. le Vicomte de Coralth!--M. +Wilkie." + +With a most gracious and dignified air--the air of a true GRAND +seigneur--the only portion of his inheritance which he had +preserved intact, the marquis rose to his feet, and, offering his +hand to M. de Coralth, exclaimed: "You are most welcome, viscount. +This gentleman is undoubtedly the young friend you spoke of in the +note I received from you this morning?" + +"The same; and really he stands greatly in need of your kindness. +He finds himself in an extremely delicate position, and knows no +one who can lend him a helping hand." + +"Ah, well, I will lend him one with pleasure, since he is your +friend. But I must know the circumstances before I can act. Sit +down, gentlemen, and enlighten me." + +M. Wilkie had prepared his story in advance, a touching and witty +narrative; but when the moment came to begin it, he found himself +unable to speak. He opened his mouth, but no sound issued from +his lips, and it seemed as if he had been stricken dumb. +Accordingly it was M. de Coralth who made a statement of the case, +and he did it well. The narrative thus gained considerably in +clearness and precision; and even M. Wilkie noticed that his +friend understood how to present the events in their most +favorable light, and how to omit them altogether when his +heartless conduct would have appeared too odious. He also +noticed--and he considered it an excellent omen--that M. de +Valorsay was listening with the closest attention. + +Worthy marquis! if his own interests had been in jeopardy he could +not have appeared more deeply concerned. When the viscount had +concluded his story, he gravely exclaimed: "Your young friend is +indeed in a most critical position, a position from which he +cannot escape without being terribly victimized, if he's left +dependent on his own resources." + +"But it is understood that you will help him, is it not?" + +M. de Valorsay reflected for a little, and then, addressing M. +Wilkie, replied: "Yes, I consent to assist you, monsieur. First, +because your cause seems to me just, and, also, because you are M. +de Coralth's friend. I promise you my aid on one condition--that +you will follow my advice implicitly." + +The interesting young man lifted his hand, and, by dint of a +powerful effort, he succeeded in articulating: "Anything you +wish!--upon my sacred word!" + +"You must understand that when I engage in an enterprise, it must +not fail. The eye of the public is upon me, and I have my +PRESTIGE to maintain. I have given you a great mark of +confidence, for in lending you my influence I become, in some +measure at least, your sponsor. But I cannot accept this great +responsibility unless I am allowed absolute control of the +affair." + +"And I think that we ought to begin operations this very day. The +main thing is to circumvent your father, the terrible man with +whom your mother has threatened you." + +"Ah! but how?" + +"I shall dress at once and go to the Hotel de Chalusse, in order +to ascertain what has occurred there. You on your side must +hasten to Madame d'Argeles and request her politely, but firmly, +to furnish you with the necessary proofs to assert your rights. +If she consents, well and good! If she refuses, we will consult +some lawyer as to the next step. In any case, call here again at +four o'clock." + +But the thought of meeting Madame d'Argeles again was anything but +pleasing to Wilkie. "I would willingly yield that undertaking to +some one else," said he. "Cannot some one else go in my place?" + +Fortunately M. de Coralth knew how to encourage him. "What! are +you afraid?" he asked. + +Afraid! he?--never! It was easy to see that by the way he settled +his hat on his head and went off, slamming the door noisily behind +him. + +"What an idiot!" muttered M. de Coralth. "And to think that there +are ten thousand in Paris built upon the very same plan!" + +M. de Valorsay gravely shook his head. "Let us thank fortune that +he is as he is. No youth who possessed either heart or +intelligence would play the part that I intend for him, and enable +me to obtain proud Marguerite and her millions. But I fear he +won't go to Madame d'Argeles's house. You noticed his +repugnance!" + +"Oh, you needn't trouble yourself in the least on that account-- +he'll go. He would go to the devil if the noble Marquis de +Valorsay ordered him to do so." + +M. de Coralth understood Wilkie perfectly. The fear of being +considered a coward by a nobleman like the Marquis de Valorsay was +more than sufficient, not only to divest him of all his scruples, +but even to induce him to commit any act of folly, or actually a +crime. For if he had looked upon M. de Coralth as an oracle, he +considered the marquis to be a perfect god. + +Accordingly, as he hastened toward Madame d'Argeles's residence, +he said to himself: "Why shouldn't I go to her house? I've done +her no injury. Besides, she won't eat me." And remembering that +he should be obliged to render a report of this interview, he +resolved to assert his superiority and to remain cool and unmoved, +as he had seen M. de Coralth do so often. + +However, the unusual aspect of the house excited his surprise, and +puzzled him not a little. Three huge furniture vans, heavily +laden, were standing outside the gate. In the courtyard there +were two more vehicles of the same description, which a dozen men +or so were busily engaged in loading. "Ah, ha!" muttered M. +Wilkie, "it was fortunate that I came--very fortunate; so she was +going to run away!" Thereupon, approaching a group of servants who +were in close conference in the hall, he demanded, in his most +imperious manner: "Madame d'Argeles!" + +The servants remembered the visitor perfectly; they now knew who +he really was, and they could not understand how he could have the +impudence and audacity to come there again so soon after the +shameful scene of the previous evening. "Madame is at home," +replied one of the men, in anything but a polite tone; "and I will +go and see if she will consent to see you. Wait here." + +He went off, leaving M. Wilkie in the vestibule to settle his +collar and twirl his puny mustaches, with affected indifference; +but in reality he was far from comfortable. For the servants did +not hesitate to stare at him, and it was quite impossible not to +read their contempt in their glances. They even sneered audibly +and pointed at him; and he heard five or six epithets more +expressive than elegant which could only have been meant for +himself. "The fools!" thought he, boiling with anger. "The +scoundrels! Ah! if I dared. If a gentleman like myself was +allowed to notice such blackguards, how I'd chastise them!" + +But the valet who had gone to warn Madame d'Argeles soon +reappeared and put an end to his sufferings. "Madame will see +you," said the man, impudently. "Ah! if I were in her place----" + +"Come, make haste," rejoined Wilkie, indignantly, and following +the servant, he was ushered into a room which had already been +divested of its hangings, curtains, and furniture. He here found +Madame d'Argeles engaged in packing a large trunk with household +linen and sundry articles of clothing. + +By a sort of miracle the unfortunate woman had survived the +terrible shock which had at first threatened to have an +immediately fatal effect. Still she had none the less received +her death-blow. It was only necessary to look at her to be +assured of that. She was so greatly changed that when M. Wilkie's +eyes first fell on her, he asked himself if this were really the +same person whom he had met on the previous evening. Henceforth +she would be an old woman. You would have taken her for over +fifty, so terrible had been the sufferings caused her by the +shameful conduct of her son. In this sad-eyed, haggard-faced +woman, clad in black, no one would have recognized the notorious +Lia d'Argeles, who, only the evening before, had driven round the +lake, reclining on the cushions of her victoria, and eclipsing all +the women around her by the splendor of her toilette. Nothing now +remained of the gay worldling but the golden hair which she was +condemned to see always the same, since its tint had been fixed by +dyes as indelible as the stains upon her past. + +She rose with difficulty when M. Wilkie entered, and in the +expressionless voice of those who are without hope, she asked: +"What do you wish of me?" + +As usual, when the time came to carry out his happiest +conceptions, his courage failed him. "I came to talk about our +affairs, you know," he replied, "and I find you moving." + +"I am not moving." + +"Nonsense! you can't make me believe that! What's the meaning of +these carts in the courtyard?" + +"They are here to convey all the furniture in the house to the +auction-rooms." + +Wilkie was struck dumb for a moment, but eventually recovering +himself a little, he exclaimed: "What! you are going to sell +everything?" + +"Yes." + +"Astonishing, upon my honor! But afterward?" + +"I shall leave Paris." + +"Bah! and where are you going?" + +With a gesture of utter indifference, she gently replied: "I don't +know; I shall go where no one will know me, and where it will be +possible for me to hide my shame." + +A terrible disquietude seized hold of Wilkie. This sudden change +of residence, this departure which so strongly resembled flight, +this cold greeting when he expected passionate reproaches, seemed +to indicate that Madame d'Argeles's resolution would successfully +resist any amount of entreaty on his part. "The devil," he +remarked, "I don't think this at all pleasant! What is to become +of me? How am I to obtain possession of the Count de Chalusse's +estate? That's what I am after! It's rightfully mine, and I'm +determined to have it, as I told you once before. And when I've +once taken anything into my head----" + +He paused, for he could no longer face the scornful glances that +Madame d'Argeles was giving him. "Don't be alarmed," she replied +bitterly, "I shall leave you the means of asserting your right to +my parents' estate." + +"Ah--so----" + +"Your threats obliged me to decide contrary to my own wishes. I +felt that no amount of slander or disgrace would daunt you." + +"Of course not, when so many millions are at stake." + +"I reflected, and I saw that nothing would arrest you upon your +downward path except a large fortune. If you were poor and +compelled to earn your daily bread--a task which you are probably +incapable of performing--who can tell what depths of degradation +you might descend to? With your instincts and your vices, who +knows what crime you wouldn't commit to obtain money? It wouldn't +be long before you were in the dock, and I should hear of you only +through your disgrace. But, on the other hand, if you were rich, +you would probably lead an honest life, like many others, who, +wanting for nothing, are not tempted to do wrong, who, in fact, +show virtue in which there is nothing worthy of praise. For real +virtue implies temptation--a struggle and victory." + +Although he did not understand these remarks very well, M. Wilkie +evinced a desire to offer some objections; but Madame d'Argeles +had already resumed: "So I went to my notary this morning. I told +him everything; and by this time my renunciation of my rights to +the estate of the Count de Chalusse is already recorded." + +"What! your renunciation. Oh! no." + +"Allow me to finish since you don't understand me. As soon as I +renounce the inheritance it becomes yours." + +"Truly?" + +"I have no wish to deceive you. I only desire that the name of +Lia d'Argeles should not be mentioned. I will give you the +necessary proofs to establish your identity; my marriage contract +and your certificate of birth." + +It was joy that made M. Wilkie speechless now. "And when will you +give me these documents?" he faltered, after a short pause. + +"You shall have them before you leave this house; but first of all +I must talk with you." + + + +XV. + + +Agitated and excited though he was, M. Wilkie had not once ceased +to think of M. de Coralth and the Marquis de Valorsay. What would +they do in such a position, and how should he act to conform +himself to the probable example of these models of deportment? +Manifestly he ought to assume that stolid and insolent air of +boredom which is considered a sure indication of birth and +breeding. Convinced of this, and seized with a laudable desire to +emulate such distinguished examples, he had perched himself upon a +trunk, where he still sat with his legs crossed. He now pretended +to suppress a yawn, as he growled, "What! some more long phrases-- +and another melodramatic display?" + +Absorbed in the memories she had invoked, Madame d'Argeles paid no +heed to Wilkie's impertinence. "Yes, I must talk with you," she +said, "and more for your sake than for my own. I must tell you +who I am, and through what strange vicissitudes I have passed. +You know what family I belong to. I will tell you, however--for +you may be ignorant of the fact--that our house is the equal of +any in France in lineage, splendor of alliance, and fortune. When +I was a child, my parents lived at the Hotel de Chalusse, in the +Faubourg Saint Germain, a perfect palace, surrounded by one of +those immense gardens, which are no longer seen in Paris--a real +park, shaded with century-old trees. Certainly everything that +money could procure, or vanity desire, was within my reach; and +yet my youth was wretchedly unhappy. I scarcely knew my father, +who was devoured by ambition, and had thrown himself body and soul +into the vortex of politics. Either my mother did not love me, or +thought it beneath her dignity to make any display of sensibility; +but at all events her reserve had raised a wall of ice between +herself and me. As for my brother he was too much engrossed in +pleasure to think of a mere child. So I lived quite alone, too +proud to accept the love and friendship of my inferiors--abandoned +to the dangerous inspirations of solitude, and with no other +consolation than my books--books which had been chosen for me by +my mother's confessor, and which were calculated to fill my +imagination with visionary and romantic fancies. The only +conversation I heard dealt with the means of leaving all the +family fortune to my brother, so that he might uphold the splendor +of the name, and with the necessity of marrying me to some +superannuated nobleman who would take me without a dowry, or of +compelling me to enter one of those aristocratic convents, which +are the refuge, and often the prison, of poor girls of noble +birth. + +"I do not pretend to justify my fault, I am only explaining it. I +thought myself the most unfortunate being in the world--and such I +really was, since I honestly believed it--when I happened to meet +Arthur Gordon, your father. I saw him for the first time at a +fete given at the house of the Comte de Commarin. How he, a mere +adventurer, had succeeded in forcing his way into the most +exclusive society in the world, is a point which I have never been +able to explain. But, alas! it is only too true that when our +glances met for the first time, my heart was stirred to its inmost +depths; I felt that it was no longer mine--that I was no longer +free! Ah! why does not God allow a man's face to reflect at least +something of his nature? This man, who was a corrupt and audacious +hypocrite, had that air of apparent nobility and frankness which +inspires you with unlimited confidence, and the melancholy +expression on his features seemed to indicate that he had known +sorrow, and had good cause to rail at destiny. In his whole +appearance there was certainly a mysterious and fatal charm. I +afterward learned that this was only a natural result of the wild +life he had led. He was only twenty-six, and he had already been +the commander of a slave ship, and had fought in Mexico at the +head of one of those guerilla bands which make politics an excuse +for pillage and murder. He divined only too well the impression +he had made upon my heart. I met him twice afterward in society. +He did not speak to me; he even pretended to avoid me, but +standing a little on one side, he watched my every movement with +burning eyes in which I fancied I could read a passion as +absorbing as my own. At last he ventured to write to me. The +moment a letter addressed to me in an unknown hand was covertly +handed me by my maid, I divined that it came from him. I was +frightened, and my first impulse was to take it, not to my mother-- +whom I regarded as my natural enemy--but to my father. However, +he chanced to be absent; I kept the letter, I read it, I answered +it--and he wrote again. + +"Alas! from that moment my conduct was inexcusable. I knew that +it was worse than a fault to continue this clandestine +correspondence. I knew my parents would never give my hand in +marriage to a man who was not of noble birth. I knew that I was +risking my reputation, the spotless honor of our house, my +happiness, and life! Still I persisted--I was possessed with a +strange madness that made me ready to brave every danger. +Besides, he gave me no time to breathe, or reflect. Everywhere, +constantly, every instant, he compelled me to think of him. By +some miracle of address and audacity, he had discovered a means of +intruding upon my presence, even in my father's house. For +instance, every morning I found the vases in my room full of +choice flowers, though I was never able to discover what hands had +placed them there. Ah! how can one help believing in an +omnipresent passion which one inhales with the very air one +breathes! How can one resist it? + +"I only discovered Arthur Gordon's object when it was too late. +He had come to Paris with the fixed determination of trapping some +rich heiress, and forcing her family to give her to him with a +large dowry, after one of those disgraceful scandals which render +a marriage inevitable. At the very same time he was pursuing two +other rich young girls, persuaded that one of the three would +certainly become his victim. + +"I was the first to yield. One of those unforeseen events which +are the work of Providence, was destined to decide my fate. +Several times, already, in compliance with Arthur's urgent +entreaties, I had met him at night time in a little pavilion in +our garden. This pavilion contained a billiard-room and a +spacious gallery in which my brother practised fencing and pistol +shooting with his masters and friends. There, thanks to the +liberty I enjoyed, we thought ourselves perfectly secure from +observation, and we were imprudent enough to light the candles. +One night when I had just joined Arthur in the pavilion, I thought +I heard the sound of hoarse, heavy breathing behind me. I turned +round in a fright and saw my brother standing on the threshold. +Oh! then I realized how guilty I had been! I felt that one or the +other of these two men--my lover or my brother--would not leave +that room alive. + +"I tried to speak, to throw myself between them, but I found I +could neither speak nor move; it was as if I had been turned to +stone. Nor did they exchange a word at first. But at last my +brother drew two swords from their scabbards, and throwing one at +Arthur's feet, exclaimed: 'I have no wish to assassinate you. +Defend yourself, and save your life if you can!' And as Arthur +hesitated, and seemed to be trying to gain time instead of picking +up the weapon that was lying on the floor near him, my brother +struck him in the face with the flat side of his sword, and cried: +'Now will you fight, you coward! In an instant it was all over. +Arthur caught up the sword, and springing upon my brother, +disarmed him, and wounded him in the breast. I saw this. I saw +the blood spurt out upon my lover's hands. I saw my brother +stagger, beat the air wildly with his hands, and fall apparently +lifeless to the floor. Then I, too, lost consciousness and fell!" + +Any one who had seen Madame d'Argeles as she stood there recoiling +in horror, with her features contracted, and her eyes dilated, +would have realized that by strength of will she had dispelled the +mists enshrouding the past, and distinctly beheld the scene she +was describing. She seemed to experience anew the same agony of +terror she had felt twenty years before; and this lent such +poignant intensity to the interest of her narrative that if M. +Wilkie's heart was not exactly touched, he was, as he afterward +confessed, at least rather interested. But Madame d'Argeles +seemed to have forgotten his existence. She wiped away the foam- +flecked blood which had risen to her lips, and in the same +mournful voice resumed her story. + +"When I regained my senses it was morning, and I was lying, still +dressed, on a bed in a strange room. Arthur Gordon was standing +at the foot of the bed anxiously watching my movements. He did +not give me time to question him. 'You are in my house,' said he. +'Your brother is dead!' Almighty God! I thought I should die as +well. I hoped so. I prayed for death. But, in spite of my sobs, +he pitilessly continued: 'It is a terrible misfortune which I +shall never cease to regret. And yet, it was his own fault. You, +who witnessed the scene. know that it was so. You can still see +on my face the mark of the blow he dealt me. I only defended +myself and you.' I was ignorant then of the accepted code of +duelling. I did not know that by throwing himself upon my brother +before he was on guard, Arthur Gordon had virtually assassinated +him. He relied upon my ignorance for the success of the sinister +farce he was playing. 'When I saw your brother fall,' he +continued, 'I was wild with terror; and not knowing what I did, I +caught you up in my arms and brought you here. But don't tremble, +I know that you are not in my house of your own free will. A +carriage is below and awaits your orders to convey you to your +parents' home. It will be easy to find an explanation for last +night's catastrophe. Slander will not venture to attack such a +family as yours.' He spoke in the constrained tone, and with that +air which a brave man, condemned to death, would assume in giving +utterance to his last wishes. I felt as if I were going mad. +'And you!' I exclaimed, 'you! What will become of you?' He shook +his head, and with a look of anguish, replied: 'Me! What does it +matter about me! I am ruined undoubtedly. So much the better. +Nothing matters now that I must live apart from you'! Ah! he knew +my heart. He knew his power! Swayed by an emotion which was +madness rather than heroism, I sprang toward him, and clasped him +in my arms: 'Then I, too, am lost!' I cried. 'Since fate united +us, nothing but death shall separate us. I love you. I am your +accomplice. Let the curse fall upon both!' + +"A keen observer would certainly have detected a gleam of fiendish +joy in his eyes. But he protested, or pretended to protest. With +feigned energy he refused to accept such a sacrifice. He could +not link my destiny to his, for misery had ever been his lot; and +now that this last and most terrible misfortune had overtaken him, +he was more than ever convinced that there was a curse hanging +over him! He would not suffer me to bring misery upon myself, and +eternal remorse upon him. But the more he repulsed me, the more +obstinately I clung to him. The more forcibly he showed the +horror of the sacrifice, the more I was convinced that my honor +compelled me to make it. So at last he yielded, or seemed to +yield, with transports of gratitude and love. 'Well! yes, I +accept your sacrifice, my darling!' he exclaimed. 'I accept it; +and before the God who is looking down upon us, I swear that I +will do all that is in human power to repay such sublime and +marvellous devotion.' And, bending over me, he printed a kiss upon +my forehead. 'But we must fly!' he resumed, quickly. 'I have my +happiness to defend now! I will not suffer any one to discover us +and separate us now. We must start at once, without losing a +moment, and gain my native land, America. There, we shall be +safe. For rest assured they will search for us. Who knows but +even now the officers of the law are upon our track? Your family +is all-powerful--I am a mere nobody--we should be crushed if they +discover us. They would bury you in a gloomy cloister, and I +should be tried as a common thief, or as a vile assassin.' My only +answer was: 'Let us go! Let us go at once!' + +"It had been easy for him to foresee what the result of this +interview would be. A vehicle was indeed waiting at the door, but +not for the purpose of conveying me to the Hotel de Chalusse--as +was proved conclusively by the fact that his trunks were already +strapped upon it. Besides, the coachman must have received his +instructions in advance for he drove us straight to the Havre +Railway station without a word. It was not until some months +afterward that these trifles, which entirely escaped my notice at +the time, opened my eyes to the truth. When we reached the +station we found a train ready to start, and we took our places in +it. I tried to quiet my conscience with miserable sophistries. +Remembering that God has said to woman: To follow thy husband thou +shalt abandon all else, native land, paternal home, parents and +friends, I told myself that this was the husband whom my heart had +instinctively chosen, and that it was my duty to follow him and +share his destiny. And thus I fled with him, although I thought I +left a corpse behind me--the corpse of my only brother." + +M. Wilkie was actually so much interested that he forgot his +anxiety concerning his attitude, and no longer thought of M. de +Coralth and the Marquis de Valorsay. He even sprang up, and +exclaimed: "Amazing!" + +But Madame d'Argeles had already resumed: "Such was my great, +inexcusable, irreparable fault. I have told you the whole truth, +without trying either to conceal or justify anything. Listen to +my chastisement! On our arrival at Le Havre the next day, Arthur +confessed that he was greatly embarrassed financially. Owing to +our precipitate flight, he had not had time to realize the +property he possessed--at least so he told me--a banker, on whom +he had depended, had moreover failed him, and he had not +sufficient money to pay our passage to New York. This amazed me. +My education had been absurd, like that of most young girls in my +station. I knew nothing of real life, of its requirements and +difficulties. I knew, of course, that there were rich people and +poor people, that money was a necessity, and that those who did +not possess it would stoop to any meanness to obtain it. But all +this was not very clear in my mind, and I never suspected that a +few francs more or less would be a matter of vital importance. So +I was not in the least prepared for the request to which this +confession served as preface, and Arthur Gordon was obliged to ask +me point-blank if I did not happen to have some money about me, or +some jewelry which could be converted into money. I gave him all +I had, my purse containing a few louis, a ring and a necklace, +with a handsome diamond cross attached to it. However, the total +value was comparatively small, and such was Arthur's +disappointment that he made a remark which frightened me even +then, though I did not fully understand its shameful meaning until +afterward: 'A woman who repairs to a rendezvous should always have +all the valuables she possesses about her. One never knows what +may happen.' + +"Want of money was keeping us prisoners at Le Havre, when Arthur +Gordon chanced to meet an old acquaintance, who was the captain of +an American sailing vessel. He confided his embarrassment to his +friend, and the latter, whose vessel was to sail at the end of the +same week, kindly offered us a free passage. The voyage was one +long torture to me, for it was then that I first served my +apprenticeship in shame and disgrace. By the captain's offensive +gallantry, the lower officers' familiarity of manner, and the +sailors' ironical glances whenever I appeared on deck, I saw that +my position was a secret for no one. Everybody knew that I was +the mistress and not the wife of the man whom I called my husband: +and, without being really conscious of it, perhaps, they made me +cruelly expiate my fault. Moreover, reason had regained its +ascendency, my eyes were gradually opening to the truth, and I was +beginning to learn the real character of the scoundrel for whom I +had sacrificed all that makes life desirable. + +"Not that he had wholly ceased to practise dissimulation. But +after the evening meal he often lingered at table smoking and +drinking with his friend the captain, and when he joined me +afterward, heated with alcohol, he shocked me by advocating +theories which were both novel and repulsive to me. Once, after +drinking more than usual, he entirely forgot his assumed part, and +revealed himself in his true character. He declared he bitterly +regretted that our love affair had ended so disastrously. It was +deplorable to think that so happily conceived and so skilfully +conducted a scheme should have terminated in bloodshed. And the +blow had fallen just as he fancied he had reached the goal; just +as he thought he would reap the reward of his labor. In a few +weeks' more time he would undoubtedly have gained sufficient +influence over me to persuade me to elope with him. This would, +of course, have caused a great scandal; the next day there would +have been a family conclave; a compromise would have been +effected, and finally, a marriage arranged with a large dowry, to +hush up the affair. 'And I should now be a rich man,' he added, +'a very rich man--I should be rolling through the streets of Paris +in my carriage, instead of being on board this cursed ship, eating +salt cod twice a day, and living on charity.' + +"Ah! it was no longer possible to doubt. The truth was as clear +as daylight. I had never been loved, not even an hour, not even a +moment. The loving letters which had blinded me, the +protestations of affection which had deceived me, had been +addressed to my father's millions, not to myself. And not +unfrequently I saw Arthur Gordon's face darken, as he talked with +evident anxiety about what he could do to earn a living for +himself and me in America. 'I have had trouble enough to get on +alone,' he grumbled. 'What will it be now? To burden myself with +a penniless wife! What egregious folly! And yet I couldn't have +acted differently--I was compelled to do it.' Why had he been +compelled to do it? why had he not acted differently?--that was +what I vainly puzzled my brain to explain. However, his gloomy +fears of poverty were not realized. A delightful surprise awaited +him at New York. A relative had recently died, leaving him a +legacy of fifty thousand dollars--a small fortune. I hoped that +he would now cease his constant complaints, but he seemed even +more displeased than before. 'Such is the irony of fate,' he +repeated again and again. 'With this money, I might easily have +married a wife worth a hundred thousand dollars, and then I should +be rich at last!' After that, I had good reason to expect that I +should soon be forsaken--but no, shortly after our arrival, he +married me. Had he done so out of respect for his word? I +believed so. But, alas! this marriage was the result of +calculation, like everything else he did. + +"We were living in New York, when one evening he came home, +looking very pale and agitated. He had a French newspaper in his +hand. 'Read this,' he said, handing it to me. I took the paper +as he bade me, and read that my brother had not been killed, that +he was improving, and that his recovery was now certain. And as I +fell on my knees, bursting into tears, and thanking God for +freeing me from such terrible remorse, he exclaimed: 'We are in a +nice fix! I advise you to congratulate yourself! 'From that time +forward, I noticed he displayed the feverish anxiety of a man who +feels that he is constantly threatened with some great danger. A +few days afterward, he said to me: 'I cannot endure this! Have our +trunks ready to-morrow, and we will start South. Instead of +calling ourselves Gordon, we'll travel under the name of Grant.' I +did not venture to question him. He had quite mastered me by his +cruel tyranny, and I was accustomed to obey him like a slave in +terror of the lash. However, during our long journey, I learned +the cause of our flight and change of name. + +"'Your brother, d--n him,' he said, one day, 'is hunting for me +everywhere! He wants to kill me or to deliver me up to justice, I +don't know which. He pretends that I tried to murder him!' It +was strange; but Arthur Gordon, who was bravery personified, and +who exposed himself again and again to the most frightful dangers, +felt a wild, unreasoning, inconceivable fear of my brother. It +was this dread that had decided him to burden himself with me. He +feared that if he left me, lying unconscious beside my brother's +lifeless form, I might on recovering my senses reveal the truth, +and unconsciously act as his accuser. You were born in Richmond, +Wilkie, where we remained nearly a month, during which time I saw +but little of your father. He had formed the acquaintance of +several rich planters, and spent his time hunting and gambling +with them. Unfortunately, fifty thousand dollars could not last +long at this rate; and, in spite of his skill as a gambler, he +returned home one morning ruined. A fortnight later when he had +sold our effects, and borrowed all the money he could, we embarked +again for France. It was not until we reached Paris that I +discovered the reasons that had influenced him in returning to +Europe. He had heard of my father and mother's death, and +intended to compel me to claim my share of the property. He dared +not appear in person on account of my brother. At last the hour +of my vengeance had arrived; for I had taken a solemn oath that +this scoundrel who had ruined me should never enjoy the fortune +which had been his only object in seducing me. I had sworn to die +inch by inch and by the most frightful tortures rather than give +him one penny of the Chalusse millions. And I kept my word. + +"When I told him that I was resolved not to assert my rights, he +seemed utterly confounded. He could not understand how the down- +trodden slave dared to revolt against him. And when he found that +my decision was irrevocable, I thought he would have an attack of +apoplexy. It made him wild with rage to think that he was only +separated from this immense fortune--the dream of his life--by a +single word of mine, and to find that he had not the power to +extort that word from me. Then began a struggle between us, which +became more and more frightful as the money he possessed gradually +dwindled away. But it was in vain that he resorted to brutal +treatment; in vain that he struck me, tortured me, and dragged me +about the floor by the hair of my head! The thought that I was +avenged, that his sufferings equalled mine, increased my courage a +hundredfold, and made me almost insensible to physical pain. He +would certainly have been the first to grow weary of the struggle, +if a fiendish plan had not occurred to him. He said to himself +that if he could not conquer the wife, he COULD conquer the mother +and he threatened to turn his brutatity to you, Wilkie. To save +you--for I knew what he was capable of--I pretended to waver, and +I asked twenty-four hours for reflection. He granted them. But +the next day I left him forever, flying from him with you in my +arms." + +M. Wilkie turned white, and a cold chill crept up his spine. +However, it was not pity for his mother's sufferings, nor shame +for his father's infamy that agitated him, but ever the same +terrible fear of incurring the enmity of this dangerous coveter of +the Chalusse millions. Would he be able to hold his father at bay +even with the assistance of M. de Coralth and the Marquis de +Valorsay? A thousand questions rose to his lips, for he was eager +to hear the particulars of his mother's flight; but Madame +d'Argeles hurried on with her story as if she feared her strength +would fail before she reached the end. + +"I was alone with you, Wilkie, in this great city," she resumed. +"A hundred francs was all that I possessed. My first care was to +find a place of shelter. For sixteen francs a month, which I was +compelled to pay in advance, I found a small, meagrely furnished +room in the Faubourg Saint Martin. It was badly ventilated and +miserably lighted, but still it was shelter. I said to myself +that we could live there together by my work, Wilkie. I was a +proficient in feminine accomplishments; I was an excellent +musician, and I thought I should have no difficulty in earning the +four or five francs a day which I considered absolutely necessary +for our subsistence. Alas! I discovered only too soon what +chimerical hopes I had cherished. To give music lessons it is +necessary to obtain pupils. Where should I find them? I had no +one to recommend me, and I scarcely dared show myself in the +streets, so great was my fear that your father would discover our +hiding-place. At last, I decided to try to find some employment +in needlework, and timidly offered my services at several shops. +Alas! it is only those who have gone about from door to door +soliciting work who know the misery of the thing. To ask alms +would be scarcely more humiliating. People sneered at me, and +replied (when they deigned to reply at all) that 'there was no +business doing, and they had all the help they wanted.' My +evident inexperience was probably the cause of many of these +refusals, as well as my attire, for I still had the appearance of +being a rich woman. Who knows what they took me for? Still the +thought of you sustained me, Wilkie, and nothing daunted me. + +"I finally succeeded in obtaining some bands of muslin to +embroider, and some pieces of tapestry work to fill in. +Unremunerative employment, no doubt, especially to one ignorant of +the art of working quickly, rather than well. By rising with +daylight, and working until late at night, I scarcely succeeded in +earning twenty sous a day. And it was not long before even this +scanty resource failed me. Winter came, and the cold weather with +it. One morning I changed my last five-franc piece--it lasted us +a week. Then I pawned and sold everything that was not absolutely +indispensable until nothing was left me but my patched dress and a +single skirt. And soon an evening came when the owner of our +miserable den turned us into the street because I could no longer +pay the rent. + +"This was the final blow! I tottered away, clinging to the walls +for support; too weak from lack of food to carry you. The rain +was falling, and chilled us to the bones. You were crying +bitterly. And all that night and all the next day, aimless and +hopeless, we wandered about the streets. I must either die of +want or return to your father. I preferred death. Toward +evening--instinct having led me to the Seine--I sat down on one of +the stone benches of the Point-Neuf, holding you on my knees and +watching the flow of the dark river below. There was a strange +fascination--a promise of peace in its depths--that impelled me +almost irresistibly to plunge into the flood. If I had been alone +in the world, I should not have stopped to consider a second, but +on your account, Wilkie, I hesitated." + +Moved by the thought of the danger he had escaped, M. Wilkie +shuddered. "B-r-r-r!" he growled. "You did well to hesitate." + +She did not even hear him, but continued: "I at last decided that +it was best to put an end to this misery, and rising with +difficulty, I was approaching the parapet, when a gruff voice +beside us exclaimed: 'What are you doing there?' I turned, +thinking some police officer had spoken, but I was mistaken. By +the light of the street lamp, I perceived a man who looked some +thirty years of age, and had a frank and rather genial face. Why +this stranger instantly inspired me with unlimited confidence I +don't know. Perhaps it was an unconscious horror of death that +made me long for any token of human sympathy. However it may have +been, I told him my story, but not without changing the names, and +omitting many particulars. He had taken a seat beside me on the +bench, and I saw big tears roll down his cheeks as I proceeded +with my narrative. 'It is ever so! it is ever so!' he muttered. +'To love is to incur the risk of martyrdom. It is to offer one's +self as a victim to every perfidy, to the basest treason and +ingratitude.' The man who spoke in this fashion was Baron +Trigault. He did not allow me to finish my story. 'Enough!' he +suddenly exclaimed, 'follow me!' A cab was passing, he made us +get in, and an hour later we were in a comfortable room, beside a +blazing fire, with a generously spread table before us. The next +day, moreover, we were installed in a pleasant home. Alas! why +wasn't the baron generous to the last? You were saved, Wilkie, but +at what a price!" + +She paused for a moment, her face redder than fire; but soon +mastering her agitation, she resumed: "There was one great cause +of dissension between the baron and myself. I wished you to be +educated, Wilkie, like the son of a noble family, while he desired +you should receive the practical training suited to a youth who +would have to make his own way in the world, and win position, +fortune, and even name for himself. Ah! he was a thousand times +right, as events have since proved only too well! But maternal +love blinded me, and, after an angry discussion, he went away, +declaring he would not see me again until I became more +reasonable. He thought that reflection would cure me of my folly. +Unfortunately, he was not acquainted with the fatal obstinacy +which is the distinguishing characteristic of the Chalusse family. +While I was wondering how I could find the means of carrying the +plans I had formed for you into execution, two of the baron's +acquaintances presented themselves, with the following proposal: +Aware of the enormous profits derived by clandestine gambling +dens, they had conceived the project of opening a public +establishment on a large scale, where any Parisian or foreigner, +if he seemed to be a gentleman, and possessed of means, would find +no difficulty in obtaining admission. By taking certain +precautions, and by establishing this gambling den in a private +drawing-room, they believed the scheme practicable, and came to +suggest that I should keep the drawing-room in question, and be +their partner in the enterprise. Scarcely knowing what I pledged +myself to, I accepted their offer, influenced--I should rather say +decided--by the exalted positions which both these gentlemen +occupied, by the public consideration they enjoyed, and the +honored names they bore. And that same week this house was rented +and furnished, and I was installed in it under the name of Lia +d'Argeles. + +"But this was not all. There still remained the task of creating +for myself one of those scandalous reputations that attract public +attention. This proved an easy task, thanks to the assistance of +my silent partners, and the innocent simplicity of several of +their friends and certain journalists. As for myself, I did my +best to insure the success of the horrible farce which was to lend +infamous notoriety to the name of Lia d'Argeles. I had +magnificent equipages and superb dresses, and I made myself +conspicuous at the theatres and all places of public resort. As +is generally the case when one is acting contrary to conscience, I +called the most absurd sophistries to my assistance. I tried to +convince myself that appearances are nothing, that reality is +everything, and that it did not matter if I were known as a +courtesan since rumor lied, and my life WAS really chaste. When +the baron hastened to me and tried to rescue me from the abyss +into which I had flung myself. it was too late. I had discovered +that the business would prove successful; and for your sake, I +longed for money as passionately, as madly, as any miser. Last +year my gaming-room yielded more than one hundred and fifty +thousand francs clear profit, and I received as my share the +thirty-five thousand francs which you squandered. Now you know me +as I really am. My associates, my partners, the men whose secret +I have faithfully kept, walk the streets with their heads erect. +They boast of their unsullied honor, and they are respected by +every one. Such is the truth, and I have no reason to make their +disgrace known. Besides, if I proclaimed it from the house-tops, +no one would believe me. But you are my son, and I owe you the +truth, the whole truth!" + +In any age but the present, Madame d'Argeles's story would have +seemed absolutely incredible. Nowadays, however, such episodes +are by no means rare. Two men--two men of exalted rank and highly +respected, to use a common expression--associate in opening a +gaming-house under the very eyes of the police, and in coining +money out of a woman's supposed disgrace. 'Tis after all but an +everyday occurrence. + +The unhappy woman had told her story with apparent coldness, and +yet, in her secret heart, she perhaps hoped that by disclosing her +terrible sacrifice and long martyrdom, she would draw a burst of +gratitude and tenderness from her son, calculated to repay her for +all her sufferings. But the hope was vain. It would have been +easier to draw water from a solid rock than to, extract a +sympathetic tear from Wilkie's eyes. He was only alive to the +practical side of this narrative, and what impressed him most was +the impudent assurance of Madame d'Argeles's business associates. +"Not a bad idea; not bad at all," he exclaimed. And, boiling over +with curiosity, he continued: "I would give something handsome to +know those men's names. Really you ought to tell me. It would be +worth one's while to know." + +Any other person than this interesting young man would have been +crushed by the look his mother gave him--a look embodying the +deepest disappointment and contempt. "I think you must be mad," +she remarked coldly. And as he sprang up, astonished that any one +should doubt his abundant supply of good sense, "Let us put an end +to this," she sternly added. + +Thereupon she hastily went into the adjoining room, reappearing a +moment later with a roll of papers in her hand. "Here," she +remarked, "is my marriage certificate, your certificate of birth, +and a copy of my renunciation--a perfectly valid document, since +the court has authorized it, owing to my husband's absence. All +these proofs I am ready and willing to place at your disposal, but +on one condition." + +This last word fell like a cold shower-bath upon Wilkie's exultant +joy. "What is this condition?" he anxiously inquired. + +"It is that you should sign this deed, which has been drawn up by +my notary--a deed by which you pledge yourself to hand me the sum +of two million francs on the day you come into possession of the +Chalusse property." + +Two millions! The immensity of the sum struck Wilkie dumb with +consternation. Nor did he forget that he would be compelled to +give the Viscount de Coralth the large reward he had promised him-- +a reward promised in writing, unfortunately. "I shall have +nothing left," he began, piteously. + +But with a disdainful gesture Madame d'Argeles interrupted him. +"Set your mind at rest," said she. "You will still be immensely +rich. All the estimates which have been made are far below the +mark. When I was a girl I often heard my father say that his +income amounted to more than eight hundred thousand francs a year. +My brother inherited the whole property, and I would be willing to +swear that he never spent more than half of his income." + +Wilkie's nerves had never been subjected to so severe a shock. He +tottered and his brain whirled. "Oh! oh!" he stammered. This was +all he could say. + +"Only I must warn you of a more than probable deception," pursued +Madame d'Argeles. "As my brother was firmly resolved to deprive +me even of my rightful portion of the estate, he concealed his +fortune in every possible way. It will undoubtedly require +considerable time and trouble to gain possession of the whole. +However I know a man, formerly the Count de Chalusse's +confidential agent, who might aid you in this task." + +"And this man's name?" + +"Is Isidore Fortunat. I saved his card for you. Here it is." + +M. Wilkie took it up, placed it carefully in his pocket, and then +exclaimed: "That being the case, I consent to sign, but after this +you need not complain. Two millions at five per cent. ought to +greatly alleviate one's sufferings." + +Madame d'Argeles did not deign to notice this delicate irony. "I +will tell you in advance to what purpose I intend to apply this +sum," she said. + +"Ah!" + +"I intend one of these two millions to serve as the dowry of a +young girl who would have been the Count de Chalusse's sole +legatee, if his death had not been so sudden and so unexpected." + +"And the other one?" + +"The other I intend to invest for you in such a way that you can +only touch the interest of it, so that you will not want for bread +after you have squandered your inheritance, even to the very last +penny." + +This wise precaution could not fail to shock such a brilliant +young man as M. Wilkie. "Do you take me for a fool?" he +exclaimed. "I may appear very generous, but I am shrewd enough, +never you fear." + +"Sign," interrupted Madame d'Argeles, coldly. + +But he attempted to prove that he was no fool by reading and +rereading the contract before he would consent to append his name +to it. At last, however, he did so, and stowed away the proofs +which insured him the much-coveted property. + +"Now," said Madame d'Argeles, "I have one request to make of you. +Whenever your father makes his appearance and lays claim to this +fortune, I entreat you to avoid a lawsuit, which would only make +your mother's shame and the disgrace attached to the hitherto +stainless name of Chalusse still more widely known. Compromise +with him. You will be rich enough to satisfy his greed without +feeling it." + +M. Wilkie remained silent for a moment, as if he were deliberating +upon the course he ought to pursue. "If my father is reasonable, +I will be the same," he said at last. "I will choose as an +arbiter between us one of my friends--a man who acts on the +square, like myself--the Marquis de Valorsay." + +"My God! do you know him?" + +"He is one of my most intimate friends." + +Madame d'Argeles had become very pale. "Wretched boy!" she +exclaimed. "You don't know that it's the marquis----" She paused +abruptly. One word more and she would have betrayed Pascal +Ferailleur's secret plans, with which she had been made acquainted +by Baron Trigault. Had she a right to do this, even to put her +son on his guard against a man whom she considered the greatest +villain in the world? + +"Well?" insisted M. Wilkie, in surprise. + +But Madame d'Argeles had recovered her self-possession. "I only +wished to warn you against too close a connection with the Marquis +de Valorsay. He has an excellent position in society, but yours +will be far more brilliant. His star is on the wane; yours is +just rising. All that he is regretting, you have a right to hope +for. Perhaps even now he is jealous of you, and wishes to +persuade you to take some false step." + +"Ah! you little know him!" + +"I have warned you." + +M. Wilkie took up his hat, but, though he was longing to depart, +embarrassment kept him to the spot. He vaguely felt that he ought +not to leave his mother in this style. "I hope I shall soon have +some good news to bring you," he began. + +"Before night I shall have left this house," she answered. + +"Of course. But you are going to give me your new address." + +"No." + +"What?--No!" + +She shook her head sadly, and in a scarcely audible voice +responded: "It is not likely that we shall meet again." + +"And the two millions that I am to turn over to you?" + +"Mr. Patterson will collect the money. As for me, say to yourself +that I'm dead. You have broken the only link that bound me to +life, by proving the futility of the most terrible sacrifices. +However, I am a mother, and I forgive you." Then as he did not +move, and as she felt that her strength was deserting her, she +dragged herself from the room, murmuring, "Farewell!" + + + +XVI. + + +Stupefied with astonishment, M. Wilkie stood for a moment silent +and motionless. "Allow me," he faltered at last; "Allow me--I +wish to explain." But Madame d'Argeles did not even turn her head; +the door closed behind her and he was left alone. + +However strong a man's nature may be, he always has certain +moments of weakness. For instance, at the present moment Wilkie +was completely at a loss what to do. Not that he repented, he was +incapable of that; but there are hours when the most hardened +conscience is touched, and when long dormant instincts at last +assert their rights. If he had obeyed his first impulse, he would +have darted after his mother and thrown himself on his knees +before her. But reflection, remembrance of the Viscount de +Coralth, and the Marquis de Valorsay, made him silent the noblest +voice that had spoken in his soul for many a long day. So, with +his head proudly erect, he went off, twirling his mustaches and +followed by the whispers of the servants--whispers which were +ready to change into hisses at any moment. + +But what did he care for the opinion of these plebeians! Before +he was a hundred paces from the house his emotion had vanished, +and he was thinking how he could most agreeably spend the time +until the hour appointed for his second interview with M. de +Valorsay. He had not breakfasted, but "his stomach was out of +sorts," as he said to himself, and it would really have been +impossible for him to swallow a morsel. Thus not caring to return +home, he started in quest of one of his former intimates, with the +generous intention of overpowering him with the great news. +Unfortunately he failed to find this friend, and eager to vent the +pride that was suffocating him, in some way or other, he entered +the shop of an engraver, whom he crushed by his importance, and +ordered some visiting cards bearing the inscription W. de Gordon- +Chalusse, with a count's coronet in one of the corners. + +Thus occupied, time flew by so quickly that he was a trifle late +in keeping his appointment with his dear friend the marquis. +Wilkie found M. de Valorsay as he had left him--in his smoking- +room, talking with the Viscount de Coralth. Not that the marquis +had been idle, but it had barely taken him an hour to set in +motion the machinery which he had had in complete readiness since +the evening before. "Victory!" cried Wilkie, as he appeared on +the threshold. "It was a hard battle, but I asserted my rights. +I am the acknowledged heir! the millions are mine!" And without +giving his friends time to congratulate him, he began to describe +his interview with Madame d'Argeles, presenting his conduct in the +most odious light possible, pretending he had indulged in all +sorts of harsh rejoinders, and making himself out to be "a man of +bronze," or "a block of marble," as he said. + +"You are certainly more courageous than I fancied," said M. de +Valorsay gravely, when the narrative was ended. + +"Is that really so?" + +"It is, indeed. Now the world is before you. Let your story be +noised abroad--and it will be noised abroad--and you will become a +hero. Imagine the amazement of Paris when it learns that Lia +d'Argeles was a virtuous woman, who sacrificed her reputation for +the sake of her son--a martyr, whose disgrace was only a shameful +falsehood invented by two men of rank to increase the attractions +of their gambling-den! It will take the newspapers a month to +digest this strange romance. And whom will all this notoriety +fall upon? Upon you, my dear sir; and as your millions will lend +an additional charm to the romance, you will become the lion of +the season." + +M. Wilkie was really too much overwhelmed to feel elated. "Upon +my word, you overpower me, my dear marquis--you quite overpower +me," he stammered. + +"I too have been at work," resumed the marquis. "And I have made +numerous inquiries, in accordance with my promise. I almost +regret it, for what I have discovered is--very singular, to say +the least. I was just saying so to Coralth when you came in. +What I have learned makes it extremely unpleasant for me, to find +myself mixed up in the affair; accordingly, I have requested the +persons who gave me this information to call here. You shall hear +their story, and then you must decide for yourself." So saying, he +rang the bell, and as soon as a servant answered the summons, he +exclaimed: "Show M. Casimir in." + +When the lackey had retired to carry out this order, the marquis +remarked: "Casimir was the deceased count's valet. He is a clever +fellow, honest, intelligent, and well up in his business--such a +man as you will need, in fact, and I won't try to conceal the fact +that the hope of entering your service has aided considerably in +unloosening his tongue." + +M. Casimir, who was irreproachably clad in black, with a white +cambric tie round his neck, entered the room at this very moment, +smiling and bowing obsequiously. "This gentleman, my good +fellow," said M. de Valorsay, pointing to Wilkie, "is your former +master's only heir. A proof of devotion might induce him to keep +you with him. What you told me a little while ago is of great +importance to him; see if you can repeat it now for his benefit." + +In his anxiety to secure a good situation, M. Casimir had ventured +to apply to the Marquis de Valorsay; he had talked a good deal, +and the marquis had conceived the plan of making him an +unsuspecting accomplice. "I never deny my words," replied the +valet, "and since monsieur is the heir to the property, I won't +hesitate to tell him that immense sums have been stolen from the +late count's estate." + +M. Wilkie bounded from his chair. "Immense sums!" he exclaimed. +"Is it possible!" + +"Monsieur shall judge. On the morning preceding his death, the +count had more than two millions in bank-notes and bonds stowed +away in his escritoire, but when the justice of the peace came to +take the inventory, the money could not be found. We servants +were terribly alarmed, for we feared that suspicion would fall +upon us." + +Ah! if Wilkie had only been alone he would have given vent to his +true feelings. But here, under the eyes of the marquis and M. de +Coralth, he felt that he must maintain an air of stoical +indifference. He ALMOST succeeded in doing so, and in a tolerably +firm voice he remarked: "This is not very pleasant news. Two +millions! that's a good haul. Tell me, my friend, have you any +clue to the thief?" + +The valet's troubled glance betrayed an uneasy conscience, but he +had gone too far to draw back. "I shouldn't like to accuse an +innocent person," he replied, "but there was some one who +constantly had access to that escritoire." + +"And who was that?" + +"Mademoiselle Marguerite." + +"I don't know the lady." + +"She's a young girl who is--at least people say--the count's +illegitimate daughter. Her word was law in the house." + +"What has become of her?" + +"She has gone to live with General de Fondege, one of the count's +friends. She wouldn't take her jewels and diamonds away with her, +which seemed very strange, for they are worth more than a hundred +thousand francs. Even Bourigeau said to me: 'That's unnatural, M. +Casimir.' Borigeau is the concierge of the house, a very worthy +man. Monsieur will not find his equal." + +Unfortunately, this tribute to the merits of the valet's friend +was interrupted by the arrival of a footman, who, after tapping +respectfully at the door, entered the room and exclaimed: "The +doctor is here, and desires to speak with Monsieur le Marquis." + +"Very well," replied M. de Valorsay, "ask him to wait. When I +ring, you can usher him in." Then addressing M. Casimir, he added: + +"You may retire for the present, but don't leave the house. M. +Wilkie will acquaint you with his intentions by and by." + +The valet thereupon backed out of the room, bowing profoundly. + +"There is a story for you!" exclaimed M. Wilkie as soon as the +door was closed. "A robbery of two millions!" + +The marquis shook his head, and remarked, gravely: "That's a mere +nothing. I suspect something far more terrible." + +"What, pray? Upon my word! you frighten me." + +"Wait! I may be mistaken. Even the doctor may lie deceived. But +you shall judge for yourself." As he spoke, he pulled the bell- +rope, and an instant after, the servant announced: "Dr. Jodon." + +It was, indeed, the same physician who had annoyed Mademoiselle +Marguerite by his persistent curiosity and impertinent questions, +at the Count de Chalusse's bedside; the same crafty and ambitious +man, constantly tormented by covetousness, and ready to do +anything to gratify it--the man of the period, in short, who +sacrificed everything to the display by which he hoped to deceive +other people, and who was almost starving in the midst of his mock +splendor. + +M. Casimir was an innocent accomplice, but the doctor knew what he +was doing. Interviewed on behalf of the Marquis de Valorsay by +Madame Leon, he had fathomed the whole mystery at once. These two +crafty natures had read and understood each other. No definite +words had passed between them--they were both too shrewd for that; +and yet, a compact had been concluded by which each had tacitly +agreed to serve the other according to his need. + +As soon as the physician appeared, M. de Valorsay rose and shook +hands with him; then, offering him an arm-chair, he remarked: "I +will not conceal from you, doctor, that I have in some measure +prepared this gentleman"--designating M. Wilkie--"for your +terrible revelation." + +By the doctor's attitude, a keen observer might have divined the +secret trepidation that always precedes a bad action which has +been conceived and decided upon in cold blood. + +"To tell the truth," he began, speaking slowly, and with some +difficulty, "now that the moment for speaking has come, I almost +hesitate. Our profession has painful exigencies. Perhaps it is +now too late. If there had been any of the count's relatives in +the house, or even an heir at the time, I should have insisted +upon an autopsy. But now----" + +On hearing the word "autopsy," M. Wilkie looked round with +startled eyes. He opened his lips to interrupt the speaker, but +the physician had already resumed his narrative. "Besides, I had +only suspicions," he said, "suspicions based, it is true, upon +strange and alarming circumstances. I am a man, that is to say, I +am liable to error. In the kingdom of science it would be +unpardonable temerity on my part to affirm----" + +"To affirm what?" interrupted M. Wilkie. + +The physician did not seem to hear him, but continued in the same +dogmatic tone. "The count apparently died from an attack of +apoplexy, but certain poisons produce similar and even identical +symptoms which are apt to deceive the most experienced medical +men. The persistent efforts of the count's intellect, his +muscular rigidity alternating with utter relaxation, the dilation +of the pupils of his eyes, and more than aught else the violence +of his last convulsions, have led me to ask myself if some +criminal had not hastened his end." + +Whiter than his shirt, and trembling like a leaf, M. Wilkie sprang +from his chair. "I understand!" he exclaimed. "The count was +murdered--poisoned." + +But the physician replied with an energetic protest. "Oh, not so +fast!" said he. "Don't mistake my conjectures for assertions. +Still, I ought not to conceal the circumstances which awakened my +suspicions. On the morning preceding his attack, the count took +two spoonfuls of the contents of a vial which the people in charge +could not or would not produce. When I asked what this vial +contained, the answer was: 'A medicine to prevent apoplexy.' I +don't say that this is false, but prove it. As for the motive +that led to the crime, it is apparent at once. The escritoire +contained two millions of francs, and the money has disappeared. +Show me the vial, find the money, and I will admit that I am +wrong. But until then, I shall have my suspicions." + +He did not speak like a physician but like an examining +magistrate, and his alarming deductions found their way even to M. +Wilkie's dull brain. "Who could have committed the crime?" he +asked. + +"It could only have been the person likely to profit by it; and +only one person besides the count knew that the money was in the +house, and had possession of the key of this escritoire." + +"And this person?" + +"Is the count's illegitimate daughter, who lived in the house with +him--Mademoiselle Marguerite." + +M. Wilkie sank into his chair again, completely overwhelmed. The +coincidence between the doctor's deposition and M. Casimir's +testimony was too remarkable to pass unnoticed. Further doubt +seemed impossible. "Ah! this is most unfortunate!" faltered +Wilkie. "What a pity! Such difficulties never assail any one but +me! What am I to do?" And in his distress he glanced from the +doctor to the Marquis de Valorsay, and then at M. de Coralth, as +if seeking inspiration from each of them. + +"My profession forbids my acting as an adviser in such cases," +replied the physician, "but these gentlemen have not the same +reasons for keeping silent." + +"Excuse me," interrupted the marquis quickly; "but this is one of +those cases in which a man must be left to his own inspirations. +The most I can do, is to say what course I should pursue if I were +one of the deceased count's relatives or heirs." + +"Pray tell me, my dear marquis," sighed Wilkie. "You would render +me an immense service by doing so." + +M. de Valorsay seemed to reflect for a moment; and then he +solemnly exclaimed: "I should feel that my honor required me to +investigate every circumstance connected with this mysterious +affair. Before receiving a man's estate, one must know the cause +of his death, so as to avenge him if he has been foully murdered." + +For M. Wilkie the oracle had spoken. "Such is my opinion +exactly," he declared. "But what course would you pursue, my dear +marquis? How would you set about solving this mystery?" + +"I should appeal to the authorities." + +"Ah!" + +"And this very day, this very hour, without losing a second, I +should address a communication to the public prosecutor, informing +him of the robbery which is patent to any one, and referring to +the possibility of foul play." + +"Yes, that would be an excellent idea; but there is one slight +drawback--I don't know how to draw up such a communication." + +"I know no more about it than you do yourself; but any lawyer or +notary will give you the necessary information. Are you +acquainted with any such person? Would you like me to give you the +address of my business man? He is a very clever fellow, who has +almost all the members of my club as his clients." + +This last reason was more than sufficient to fix M. Wilkie's +choice. "Where can I find him?" he inquired. + +"At his house--he is always there at this hour. Come! here is a +scrap of paper and a pencil. You had better make a note of his +address. Write: 'Maumejan, Route de la Revolte.' Tell him that I +sent you, and he will treat you with the same consideration as he +would show to me. He lives a long way off, but my brougham is +standing in the courtyard; so take it, and when your consultation +is over, come back and dine with me." + +"Ah! you are too kind!" exclaimed M. Wilkie. "You overpower me, +my dear marquis, you do, upon my word! I shall fly and be back in +a moment." + +He went off looking radiant; and a moment later the carriage which +was to take him to M. Maumejan's was heard rolling out of the +courtyard. + +The doctor had already taken up his hat and cane. + +"You will excuse me for leaving you so abruptly, Monsieur le +Marquis," said he, "but I have an engagement to discuss a business +matter." + +"Indeed!" + +"I am negotiating for the purchase of a dentist's establishment." + +"What, you?" + +"Yes, I. You may tell me that this is a downfall, but I will +answer, 'It will give me a living.' Medicine is becoming a more +and more unremunerative profession. However hard a physician may +work, he can scarcely pay for the water he uses in washing his +hands. I have an opportunity of purchasing the business of a +well-established and well-known dentist, in an excellent +neighborhood. Why not avail myself of it? Only one thing worries +me--the lack of funds." + +The marquis had expected the doctor would require remuneration for +his services. Before compromising himself any further, M. Jodon +wished to knew what compensation he was to receive. The marquis +was so sure of this, that he quickly exclaimed: "Ah, my dear +doctor, if you have need of twenty thousand francs, I shall be +only too happy to offer them to you." + +"Really?" + +"Upon my honor!" + +"And when can you let me have the money?" + +"In three or four days' time." + +The bargain was concluded. The doctor was now ready to find +traces of any poison whatsoever in the Count de Chalusse's exhumed +remains. He pressed the marquis's hand and then went off, +exclaiming: "Whatever happens you can count upon me." + +Left alone with the Viscount de Coralth, and consequently freed +from all restraint, M. de Valorsay rose with a long-drawn sigh of +relief. "What an interminable seance!" he growled. And, +approaching his acolyte, who was sitting silent and motionless in +an arm-chair, he slapped him on the shoulder, exclaiming: "Are you +ill that you sit there like that, as still as a mummy?" + +The viscount turned as if he had been suddenly aroused from +slumber. "I'm well enough," he answered somewhat roughly. "I was +only thinking." + +"Your thoughts are not very pleasant, to judge from the look on +your face." + +"No. I was thinking of the fate that you are preparing for us." + +"Oh! A truce to disagreeable prophecies, please! Besides, it's too +late to draw back, or to even think of retreat. The Rubicon is +passed." + +"Alas! that is the cause of my anxiety. If it hadn't been for my +wretched past, which you have threatened me with like a dagger, I +should long ago have left you to incur this danger alone. You +were useful to me in times past, I admit. You presented me to the +Baroness Trigault, to whose patronage I owe my present means, but +I am paying too dearly for your services in allowing myself to be +made the instrument of your dangerous schemes. Who aided you in +defrauding Kami-Bey? Who bet for you against your own horse +Domingo? Who risked his life in slipping those cards in the pack +which Pascal Ferailleur held? It was Coralth, always Coralth." + +A gesture of anger escaped the marquis, but resolving to restrain +himself, he made no rejoinder. It was not until after he had +walked five or six times round the smoking-room and grown more +calm that he returned to the viscount's side. "Really, I don't +recognize you," he began. "Is it really you who have turned +coward? And at what a moment, pray? Why, on the very eve of +success." + +"I wish I could believe you." + +"Facts shall convince you. This morning I might have doubted, but +now, thanks to that vain idiot who goes by the name of Wilkie, I +am sure, perfectly, mathematically sure of success. Maumejan, who +is entirely devoted to me, and who is the greediest, most +avaricious scoundrel alive, will draw up such a complaint that +Marguerite will sleep in prison. Moreover, other witnesses will +be summoned. By what Casimir has said, you can judge what the +other servants will say. This testimony will be sufficient to +convict her of the robbery. As for the poisoning, you heard Dr. +Jodon. Can I depend upon him? Evidently, if I pay without +haggling. Very well; I shall pay." + +But all this did not reassure M. de Coralth. "The accusation will +fall to the ground," said he, "as soon as the famous vial from +which M. de Chalusse took two spoonfuls is found." + +"Excuse me; it won't be found." + +"But why?" + +"Because I know where it is, my dear friend. It is in the count's +escritoire, but it won't be there any longer on the day after to- +morrow." + +"Who will remove it?" + +"A skilful fellow whom Madame Leon has found for me. Everything +has been carefully arranged. To-morrow night at the latest Madame +Leon will let this man into the Hotel de Chalusse by the garden +gate, which she has kept the key of. Vantrasson, as the man is +called, knows the management of the house, and he will break open +the escritoire and take the vial away. You may say that there are +seals upon the furniture, placed there by the justice of the +peace. That's true, but this man tells me that he can remove and +replace them in such a way as to defy detection; and as the lock +has been forced once already--the day after the count's death--a +second attempt to break the escritoire open will not be detected." + +The viscount remarked, with an ironical air: "All that is perfect; +but the autopsy will reveal the falseness of the accusation." + +"Naturally--but an autopsy will require time, and that will suit +my plans admirably. After eight or ten days' solitary confinement +and several rigid examinations, Mademoiselle Marguerite's energy +and courage will flag. What do you think she will reply to the +man who says to her: 'I love you, and for your sake I will attempt +the impossible. Swear to become my wife and I will establish your +innocence?'" + +"I think she will say: 'Save me and I will marry you!'" + +M. de Valorsay clapped his hands. "Bravo!" he exclaimed; "you +have spoken the truth. Remember, now, that your dark forebodings +are only chimeras! Yes, she will swear it, and I know she is the +woman to keep her vow, even if she died of sorrow. And the very +next day I will go to the examining magistrate and say to him: +'Marguerite a thief! Ah, what a frightful mistake. A robbery has +been committed, it's true; but I know the real culprit--a +scoundrel who fancied that by destroying a single letter he would +annihilate all traces of the breach of fidelity he had committed. +Fortunately, the Count de Chalusse distrusted this man, and proof +of his breach of trust is in existence. I have this proof in my +hands.' And I will show a letter establishing the truth of my +assertion." + +No forebodings clouded the marquis's joy; he saw no obstacles; it +seemed to him as if he had already triumphed. "And the day +following," he resumed, "when Marguerite becomes my wife, I shall +take from a certain drawer a certain document, given to me by M. +de Chalusse when I was on the point of becoming his son-in-law, +and in which he recognizes Marguerite as his daughter, and makes +her his sole legatee. And this document is perfectly en regle, +and unattackable. Maumejan, who has examined it, guarantees that +the value of the count's estate cannot be less than ten millions. +Five will go to Madame d'Argeles, or her son Wilkie, as their +share of the property. The remaining five will be mine. Come, +confess that the plan is admirable!" + +"Admirable, undoubtedly; but terribly complicated. When there are +so many wheels within wheels, one of them is always sure to get +out of order." + +"Nonsense!" + +"Besides, you have I don't know how many accomplices--Maumejan, +the doctor, Madame Leon, and Vantrasson, not counting myself. +Will all these people perform their duties satisfactorily?" + +"Each of them is as much interested in my success as I am myself." + +"But we have enemies--Madame d'Argeles, Fortunat----" + +"Madame d'Argeles is about to leave Paris. If Fortunat is +troublesome I will purchase his silence; Maumejan has promised me +money." + +But M. de Coralth had kept his strongest argument until the last. +"And Pascal Ferailleur?" said he. "You have forgotten him." + +No; M. de Valorsay had not forgotten him. You do not forget the +man you have ruined and dishonored. Still, it was in a careless +tone that ill accorded with his state of mind that the marquis +replied: "The poor devil must be en route for America by this +time." + +The viscount shook his head. "That's what I've in vain been +trying to convince myself of," said he. "Do you know that Pascal +was virtually expelled from the Palais de Justice, and that his +name has been struck off the list of advocates? If he hasn't blown +his brains out, it is only because he hopes to prove his +innocence. Ah! if you knew him as well as I do, you wouldn't be +so tranquil in mind!" + +He stopped short for the door had suddenly opened. The +interruption made the marquis frown, but anger gave way to anxiety +when he perceived Madame Leon, who entered the room out of breath +and extremely red in the face. + +"There wasn't a cab to be had!" she groaned. "Just my luck. I +came on foot, and ran the whole way. I'm utterly exhausted;" and +so saying, she sank into an arm-chair. + +M. de Valorsay had turned very pale. "Defer your complaints until +another time," he said, harshly. "What has happened? Tell me." + +The estimable woman raised her hands to heaven, as she plaintively +replied: "There is so much to tell? First, Mademoiselle Marguerite +has written two letters, but I have failed to discover to whom +they were sent. Secondly, she remained for more than an hour +yesterday evening in the drawing-room with the General's son, +Lieutenant Gustave, and, on parting, they shook hands like a +couple of friends, and said, 'It is agreed.'" + +"And is that all?" + +"One moment and you'll see. This morning Mademoiselle went out +with Madame de Fondege to call on the Baroness Trigault. I do not +know what took place there, but there must have been a terrible +scene; for they brought Mademoiselle Marguerite back unconscious, +in one of the baron's carriages." + +"Do you hear that, viscount?" exclaimed M. de Valorsay. + +"Yes! You shall have the explanation to-morrow," answered M. de +Coralth. + +"And last, but not least," resumed Madame Leon, "on returning home +this evening at about five o'clock, I fancied I saw Mademoiselle +Marguerite leave the house and go up the Rue Pigalle. I had +thought she was ill and in bed, and I said to myself, 'This is +very strange.' So I hastened after her. It was indeed she. Of +course, I followed her. And what did I see? Why, Mademoiselle +paused to talk with a vagabond, clad in a blouse. They exchanged +notes, and Mademoiselle Marguerite returned home. And here I am. +She must certainly suspect something. What is to be done?" + +If M. de Valorsay were frightened, he did not show it. "Many +thanks for your zeal, my dear lady," he replied, "but all this is +a mere nothing. Return home at once; you will receive my +instructions to-morrow." + + + +XVII. + + +Mademoiselle Marguerite had been greatly surprised on the occasion +of her visit to M. Fortunat when she saw Victor Chupin suddenly +step forward and eagerly exclaim: "I shall be unworthy of the name +I bear if I do not find M. Ferailleur for you in less than a +fortnight." + +It is true that M. Fortunat's clerk did not appear to the best +advantage on this occasion. In order to watch M. de Coralth, he +had again arrayed himself in his cast-off clothes, and with his +blouse and his worn-out shoes, his "knockers" and his glazed cap, +he looked the vagabond to perfection. Still, strange as it may +seem, Mademoiselle Marguerite did not once doubt the devotion of +this strange auxiliary. Without an instant's hesitation she +replied, "I accept your services, monsieur. + +Chupin felt at least a head taller as he heard this beautiful +young girl speak to him in a voice as clear and as sonorous as +crystal. "Ah! you are right to trust me," he rejoined, striking +his chest with his clinched hand, "for I have a heart--but----" + +"But what, monsieur?" + +"I am wondering if you would consent to do what I wish. It would +be a very good plan, but if it displeases you, we will say no more +about it." + +"And what do you wish?" + +"To see you every day, so as to tell you what I've done, and to +obtain such directions as I may require. I'm well aware that I +can't go to M. de Fondege's door and ask to speak to you; but +there are other ways of seeing each other. For instance, every +evening at five o-clock precisely, I might pass along the Rue +Pigalle, and warn you of my presence by such a signal as this: +'Pi-ouit!'" So saying he gave vent to the peculiar call, half +whistle, half ejaculation, which is familiar to the Parisian +working-classes. "Then," he resumed, "you might come down and I +would tell you the news; besides, I might often help you by doing +errands." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite reflected for a moment, and then bowing +her head, she replied: + +"What you suggest is quite practicable. On and after to-morrow +evening I will watch for you; and if I don't come down at the end +of half an hour, you will know that I am unavoidably detained." + +Chupin ought to have been satisfied. But no, he had still another +request to make; and instinct, supplying the lack of education, +told him that it was a delicate one. Indeed, he dared not present +his petition; but his embarrassment was so evident, and he twisted +his poor cap so despairingly, that at last the young girl gently +asked him: "Is there anything more?" + +He still hesitated, but eventually, mustering all his courage, he +replied: "Well, yes, mademoiselle. I've never seen Monsieur +Ferailleur. Is he tall or short, light or dark, stout or thin? I +do not know. I might stand face to face with him without being +able to say, 'It's he.' But it would be quite a different thing if +I only had a photograph of him." + +A crimson flush spread over Mademoiselle Marguerite's face. Still +she answered, unaffectedly, "I will give you M. Ferailleur's +photograph to-morrow, monsieur." + +"Then I shall be all right!" exclaimed Chupin. "Have no fears, +mademoiselle, we shall outwit these scoundrels!" + +So far a silent witness of this scene, M. Fortunat now felt it his +duty to interfere. He was not particularly pleased by his clerk's +suddenly increased importance; and yet it mattered little to him, +for his only object was to revenge himself on Valorsay. "Victor +is a capable and trustworthy young fellow, mademoiselle," he +declared; "he has grown up under my training, and I think you will +find him a faithful servant." + +A "have you finished, you old liar?" rose to Chupin's lips, but +respect for Mademoiselle Marguerite prevented him from uttering +the words. "Then everything is decided," she said, pleasantly. +And with a smile she offered her hand to Chupin as one does in +concluding a bargain. + +If he had yielded to his first impulse he would have thrown +himself on his knees and kissed this hand of hers, the whitest and +most beautiful he had ever seen. As it was, he only ventured to +touch it with his finger-tips, and yet he changed color two or +three times. "What a woman!" he exclaimed, when she had left +them. "A perfect queen! A man would willingly allow himself to be +chopped in pieces for her sake; and she's as good and as clever as +she's handsome. Did you notice, monsieur, that she did not offer +to pay me. She understood that I offered to work for her for my +own pleasure, for my own satisfaction and honor. Heavens! how I +should have chafed if she had offered me money. How provoked I +should have been!" + +Chupin was so fascinated that he wished no reward for his toil! +This was so astonishing that M. Fortunat remained for a moment +speechless with surprise. "Have you gone mad, Victor?" he +inquired at last. + +"Mad! I?--not at all; I'm only becoming----" He stopped short. He +was going to add: "an honest man." But it is scarcely proper to +talk about the rope in the hangman's house, and there are certain +words which should never be pronounced in the presence of certain +people. Chupin knew this, and so he quickly resumed: "When I +become rich, when I'm a great banker, and have a host of clerks +who spend their time in counting my gold behind a grating, I +should like to have a wife of my own like that. But I must be off +about my business now, so till we meet again, monsieur." + +The foregoing conversation will explain how it happened that +Madame Leon chanced to surprise her dear young lady in close +conversation with a vagabond clad in a blouse. Victor Chupin was +not a person to make promises and then leave them unfulfilled. +Though he was usually unimpressionable, like all who lead a +precarious existence, still, when his emotions were once aroused, +they did not spend themselves in empty protestations. It became +his fixed determination to find Pascal Ferailleur, and the +difficulties of the task in no wise weakened his resolution. His +starting point was that Pascal had lived in the Rue d'Ulm, and had +suddenly gone off with his mother, with the apparent intention of +sailing for America. This was all he knew positively, and +everything else was mere conjecture. Still Mademoiselle +Marguerite had convinced him that instead of leaving Paris, Pascal +was really still there, only waiting for an opportunity to +establish his innocence, and to wreak his vengeance upon M. de +Coralth and the Marquis de Valorsay. On the other hand, with such +a slight basis to depend upon, was it not almost madness to hope +to discover a man who had such strong reasons for concealing +himself? Chupin did not think so in fact, when he declared his +determination to perform this feat, his plan was already +perfected. + +On leaving M. Fortunat's office, he hastened straight to the Rue +d'Ulm, at the top of his speed. The concierge of the house where +Pascal had formerly resided was by no means a polite individual. +He was the very same man who had answered Mademoiselle +Marguerite's questions so rudely; but Chupin had a way of +conciliating even the most crabbish doorkeeper, and of drawing +from him such information as he desired. He learned that at nine +o'clock on the sixteenth of October Madame Ferailleur, after +seeing her trunks securely strapped on to a cab had entered the +vehicle, ordering the driver to take her to the Railway Station in +the Place du Havre! Chupin wished to ascertain the number of the +cab, but the concierge could not give it. He mentioned, however, +that this cab had been procured by Madame Ferailleur's servant- +woman, who lived only a few steps from the house. A moment later +Chupin was knocking at this woman's door. She was a very worthy +person, and bitterly regretted the misfortunes which had befallen +her former employers. She confirmed the doorkeeper's story, but +unfortunately she, too, had quite forgotten the number of the +vehicle. All she could say was that she had hired it at the cab +stand in the Rue Soufflot, and that the driver was a portly, +pleasant-faced man. + +Chupin repaired at once to the Rue Soufflot, where he found the +man in charge of the stand in the most savage mood imaginable. He +began by asking Chupin what right he had to question him, why he +wished to do so, and if he took him for a spy. He added that his +duty only consisted in noting the arrivals and departures of the +drivers, and that he could give no information whatever. There +was evidently nothing to be gained from this ferocious personage; +and yet Chupin bowed none the less politely as he left the little +office. "This is bad," he growled, as he walked away, for he was +really at a loss what to do next; and if not discouraged, he was +at least extremely disconcerted and perplexed. Ah! if he had only +had a card from the prefecture of police in his pocket, or if he +had been more imposing in appearance, he would have encountered no +obstacles; he might then have tracked this cab through the streets +of Paris as easily as he could have followed a man bearing a +lighted lantern through the darkness. But poor and humble, +without letters of recommendation, and with no other auxiliaries +than his own shrewdness and experience, he had a great deal to +contend against. Pausing in his walk, he had taken off his cap +and was scratching his head furiously, when suddenly he exclaimed: +"What an ass I am!" in so loud a tone that several passers-by +turned to see who was applying this unflattering epithet to +himself. + +Chupin had just remembered one of M. Isidore Fortunat's debtors, a +man whom he often visited in the hope of extorting some trifling +amount from him, and who was employed in the Central office of the +Paris Cab Company. "If any one can help me out of this +difficulty, it must be that fellow," he said to himself. "I hope +I shall find him at his desk! Come, Victor, my boy, you must look +alive!" + +However, he could not present himself at the office in the garb he +then wore, and so, much against his will, he went home and changed +his clothes. Then he took a cab at his own expense, and drove +with all possible speed to the main office of the Cab Company, in +the Avenue de Segur. Nevertheless it was already ten o'clock when +he arrived there. He was more fortunate than he had dared to +hope. The man he wanted had charge of a certain department, and +was compelled to return to the office every evening after dinner. +He was there now. + +He was a poor devil who, while receiving a salary of fifteen +hundred francs a year, spent a couple of thousand, and utilized +his wits in defending his meagre salary from his creditors. On +perceiving Chupin, he made a wrathful gesture, and his first words +were: "I haven't got a penny." + +But Chupin smiled his most genial smile. "What!" said he, "do you +fancy I've come to collect money from you here, and at this hour? +You don't know me. I merely came to ask a favor of you." + +The clerk's clouded face brightened. "Since that is the case, +pray take a seat, and tell me how I can serve you," he replied. + +"Very well. At nine o'clock in the evening, on the sixteenth of +October, a lady living in the Rue d'Ulm sent to the stand in the +Rue Soufflot for a cab. Her baggage was placed upon it, and she +went away no one knows where. However, this lady is a relative of +my employer, and he so much wishes to find her that he would +willingly give a hundred francs over and above the amount you owe +him, to ascertain the number of the vehicle. He pretends that you +can give him this number if you choose; and it isn't an +impossibility, is it?" + +"On the contrary, nothing could be easier," replied the clerk, +glad of an opportunity to explain the ingenious mechanism of the +office to an outsider. "Have you ten minutes to spare?" + +"Ten days, if necessary," rejoined Chupin. + +"Then you shall see." So saying the clerk rose and went into the +adjoining room, whence a moment later he returned carrying a large +green box. "This contains the October reports sent in every +evening by the branch offices," he remarked in explanation. He +next opened the box, glanced over the documents it contained, and +joyfully exclaimed: "Here we have it. This is the report sent in +by the superintendent of the cab-stand in the Rue Soumot on the +16th October. Here is a list of the vehicles that arrived or left +from a quarter to nine o'clock till a quarter past nine. Five +cabs came in, but we need not trouble ourselves about them. Three +went out bearing the numbers 1781, 3025, and 2140. One of these +three must have taken your employer's relative." + +"Then I must question the three drivers." + +The clerk shrugged his shoulders. "What is the use of doing +that?" he said, disdainfully. "Ah! you don't understand the way +in which we manage our business! The drivers are artful, but the +company isn't a fool. By expending a hundred and fifty thousand +francs on its detective force every year, it knows what each cab +is doing at each hour of the day. I will now look for the reports +sent in respecting these three drivers. One of the three will +give us the desired information." + +This time the search was a considerably longer one, and Chupin was +beginning to grow impatient, when the clerk waved a soiled and +crumpled sheet of paper triumphantly in the air, and cried: "What +did I tell you? This is the report concerning the driver of No. +2140. Listen: Friday, at ten minutes past nine, sent to the Rue +d'Ulm---- What do you think of that?" + +"It's astonishing! But where can I find this driver?" + +"I can't say, just at this moment; he's on duty now. But as he +belongs to this division he will be back sooner or later, so you +had better wait." + +"I will wait then; only as I've had no dinner, I'll go out and get +a mouthful to eat. I can promise you that M. Fortunat will send +you back your note cancelled." + +Chupin was really very hungry, and so he rushed off to a little +eating-house which he had remarked on his way to the office. +There for eighteen sous he dined, or rather supped, like a prince; +and as he subsequently treated himself to a cup of coffee and a +glass of brandy, as a reward for his toil, some little time had +elapsed when he returned to the office. However, No. 2140 had not +returned in his absence, so he stationed himself at the door to +wait for it. + +His patience was severely tried, for it was past midnight when +Chupin saw the long-looked-for vehicle enter the courtyard. The +driver slowly descended from his box and then went into the +cashier's office to pay over his day's earnings, and hand in his +report. Then he came out again evidently bound for home. As the +servant-woman had said, he was a stout, jovial-faced man, and he +did not hesitate to accept a glass of "no matter what" in a wine- +shop that was still open. Whether he believed the story that +Chupin told to excuse his questions or not, at all events he +answered them very readily. He perfectly remembered having been +sent to the Rue d'Ulm, and spoke of his "fare" as a respectable- +looking old lady, enumerated the number of her trunks, boxes, and +packages, and even described their form. He had taken her to the +railway station, stopping at the entrance in the Rue d'Amsterdam; +and when the porters inquired, as usual, "Where is this baggage to +go?" the old lady had answered, "To London." + +Chupin felt decidedly crestfallen on hearing this. He had fancied +that Madame Ferailleur had merely announced her intention of +driving to the Havre railway station so as to set possible spies +on the wrong track, and he would have willingly wagered anything, +that after going a short distance she had given the cabman +different instructions. Not so, however, he had taken her +straight to the station. Was Mademoiselle Marguerite deceived +then? Had Pascal really fled from his enemies without an attempt +at resistance? Such a course seemed impossible on his part. +Thinking over all this, Chupin slept but little that night, and +the next morning, before five o'clock, he was wandering about the +Rue d'Amsterdam peering into the wine-shops in search of some +railway porter. It did not take him long to find one, and having +done so, he made him the best of friends in less than no time. +Although this porter knew nothing about the matter himself, he +took Chupin to a comrade who remembered handling the baggage of an +old lady bound for London, on the evening of the sixteenth. +However, this baggage was not put into the train after all; the +old lady had left it in the cloak-room, and the next day a fat +woman of unprepossessing appearance had called for the things, and +had taken them away, after paying the charges for storage. This +circumstance had been impressed on the porter's mind by the fact +that the woman had not given him a farthing gratuity, although he +had been much more obliging than the regulations required. +However, when she went off, she remarked in a honeyed voice, but +with an exceedingly impudent air: "I'll repay you for your +kindness, my lad. I keep a wine-shop on the Route d'Asnieres, and +if you ever happen to pass that way with one of your comrades, +come in, and I'll reward you with a famous drink!" + +What had exasperated the porter almost beyond endurance, was the +certainty he felt that she was mocking him. "For she didn't give +me her name or address, the old witch!" he growled. "She had +better look out, if I ever get hold of her again!" + +But Chupin had already gone off, unmoved by his informant's +grievances. Now that he had discovered the stratagem which Madame +Ferailleur had employed to elude her pursuers, his conjectures +were changed into certainties. This information proved that +Pascal WAS concealed somewhere in Paris; but where? If he could +only find out this woman who had called for the trunks, it would +lead to the discovery of Madame Ferailleur and her son hut how was +he to ascertain the woman's whereabouts? She had said that she +kept a wine-shop on the Route d'Asnieres. Was this true? Was it +not more likely that this vague direction was only a fresh +precaution? + +This much was certain: Chupin, who knew every wine-shop on the +Route d'Asnieres, did not remember any such powerful matron as the +porter had described. He had not forgotten Madame Vantrasson. +But to imagine any bond of interest between Pascal and such a +woman as she was, seemed absurd in the extreme. However, as he +found himself in such a plight and could not afford to let any +chance escape, he repaired merely for form's sake to the +Vantrasson establishment. It had not changed in the least since +the evening he visited it in company with M. Fortunat--but seen in +the full light of day, it appeared even more dingy and +dilapidated. Madame Vantrasson was not in her accustomed place, +behind the counter, between her black cat--her latest idol--and +the bottles from which she prepared her ratafia, now her supreme +consolation here below. There was no one in the shop but the +landlord. Seated at a table, with a lighted candle near him, he +was engaged in an occupation which would have set Chupin's mind +working if he had noticed it. Vantrasson had taken some wax from +a sealed bottle, and, after melting it at the flame of the candle, +he let it drop slowly on to the table. He then pressed a sou upon +it, and when the wax had become sufficiently cool and stiff, he +removed it from the table without destroying the impression, by +means of a thin bladed knife similar to those which glaziers use. +However, Chupin did not remark this singular employment. He was +engaged in mentally ejaculating, "Good! the old woman isn't here." +And as his plan of campaign was already prepared, he entered +without further hesitation. + +As Vantrasson heard the door turn upon its hinges, he rose so +awkwardly, or rather so skilfully, as to let all his implements, +wax, knife, and impressions, fall on the floor behind the counter. +"What can I do to serve you?" he asked, in a husky voice. + +"Nothing. I wished to speak with your wife." + +"She has gone out. She works for a family in the morning." + +This was a gleam of light. Chupin had not thought of the only +hypothesis that could explain what seemed inexplicable to him. +However, he knew how to conceal his satisfaction, and so with an +air of disappointment, he remarked: "That's too bad! I shall be +obliged to call again." + +"So you have a secret to tell my wife?" + +"Not at all." + +"Won't I do as well, then?" + +"I'll tell you how it is. I'm employed in the baggage room of the +western railway station, and I wanted to know if your wife didn't +call there a few days ago for some trunks?" + +The landlord's features betrayed the vague perturbation of a +person who can count the days by his mistakes, and it was with +evident hesitation that he replied: + +"Yes, my wife went to the Havre station for some baggage last +Sunday." + +"I thought so. Well, this is my errand: either the clerk forgot +to ask her for her receipt, or else he lost it. He can't find it +anywhere. I came to ask your wife if she hadn't kept it. When +she returns, please deliver my message; and if she has the +receipt, pray send it to me through the post." + +The ruse was not particularly clever, but it was sufficiently so +to deceive Vantrasson. "To whom am I to send this receipt?" he +asked. + +"To me, Victor Chupin, Faubourg Saint Denis," was the reply. + +Imprudent youth! alas, he little suspected what a liberty M. +Fortunat had taken with his name on the evening he visited the +Vantrassons. But on his side the landlord of the Model Lodging +House had not forgotten the name mentioned by the agent. He +turned pale with anger on beholding his supposed creditor, and +quickly slipping between the visitor and the door, he said: "So +your name is Victor Chupin?" + +"Yes, certainly." + +"And you are in the employment of the Railway Company?" + +"As I just told you." + +"That doesn't prevent you from acting as a collector, does it?" + +Chupin instinctively recoiled, convinced that he had betrayed +himself by some blunder, but unable to discover in what he had +erred. "I did do something in that line formerly," he faltered. + +Vantrasson doubted no longer. "So you confess that you are a vile +scoundrel!" he exclaimed. "You confess that you purchased an old +promissory note of mine for fourpence, and then sent a man here to +seize my goods! Ah! you'd like to trample the poor under foot, +would you! Very well. I have you now, and I'll settle your +account! Take that!" And so saying, he dealt his supposed creditor +a terrible blow with his clinched fist that sent him reeling to +the other end of the shop. + +Fortunately, Chupin was very nimble. He did not lose his footing, +but sprung over a table and used it as a rampart to shield himself +from his dangerous assailant. In the open field, he could easily +have protected himself; but here in this narrow space, and hemmed +in a corner, he felt that despite this barrier he was lost. "What +a devil of a mess!" he thought, as with wonderful agility he +avoided Vantrasson's fist, a fist that would have felled an ox. +He had an idea of calling for assistance. But would any one hear +him? Would any one reply? And if help came, would not the police +be sure to hear of the broil? And if they did, would there not be +an investigation which would perhaps disturb Pascal's plans? +Fearing to injure those whom he wished to serve, he resolved to +let himself be hacked to pieces rather than allow a cry to escape +him; but he changed his tactics, and instead of attempting to +parry the blows as he had done before, he now only thought of +gaining the door, inch by inch. + +He had almost reached it, not without suffering considerable +injury, when it suddenly opened, and a young man clad in black, +with a smooth shaven face, entered the shop, and sternly +exclaimed: "Why! what's all this?" + +The sight of the newcomer seemed to stupefy Vantrasson. "Ah! it +is you, Monsieur Maumejan?" he faltered, with a crestfallen air. +"It's nothing; we were only in fun." + +M. Maumejan seemed perfectly satisfied with this explanation; and +in the indifferent tone of a man who is delivering a message, the +meaning of which he scarcely understood, he said: "A person who +knows that your wife is in my employ requested me to ask you if +you would be ready to attend to that little matter she spoke of." + +"Certainly. I was preparing for it a moment ago." + +Chupin heard no more. He had hurried out, his clothes in +disorder, and himself not a little hurt; but his delight made him +lose all thought of his injuries. "That's M. Ferailleur," he +muttered, "I'm sure of it, and I'm going to prove it." So saying +he hid himself in the doorway of a vacant house a few paces +distant from the Vantrassons', and waited. + +Then as soon as M. Maumejan emerged from the Model Lodging House, +he followed him. The young man with the clean shaven face walked +up the Route d'Asnieres, turned to the right into the Route de la +Revolte, and at last paused before a house of humble aspect. At +that moment Chupin darted toward him, and softly called, "M'sieur +Ferailleur!" + +The young man turned instinctively. Then seeing his mistake, and +feeling that he had betrayed himself, he sprang upon Chupin, and +caught him by the wrists: "Scoundrel! who are you?" he exclaimed. +"Who has hired you to follow me! What do you want of me?" + +"Not so fast, m'sieur! Don't be so rough! You hurt me. I'm sent +by Mademoiselle Marguerite!" + + + +XVIII. + + +"O God! send Pascal to my aid," prayed Mademoiselle Marguerite, as +she left M. Fortunat's house. Now she understood the intrigue she +had been the victim of; but, instead of reassuring her the agent +had frightened her, by revealing the Marquis de Valorsay's +desperate plight. She realized what frenzied rage must fill this +man's heart as he felt himself gradually slipping from the heights +of opulence, down into the depths of poverty and crime. What +might he not dare, in order to preserve even the semblance of +grandeur for a year, or a month, or a day longer! Had they +measured the extent of his villainy? Would he even hesitate at +murder? And the poor girl asked herself with a shudder if Pascal +were still living; and a vision of his bleeding corpse, lying +lifeless in some deserted street, rose before her. And who could +tell what dangers threatened her personally? For, though she knew +the past, she could not read the future. What did M. de +Valorsay's letter mean? and what was the fate that he held in +reserve for her, and that made him so sanguine of success? The +impression produced upon her mind was so terrible that for a +moment she thought of hastening to the old justice of the peace to +ask for his protection and a refuge. But this weakness did not +last long. Should she lose her energy? Should her will fail her +at the decisive moment? "No, a thousand times no!" she said to +herself again and again. "I will die if needs be, but I will die +fighting!" And the nearer she approached the Rue Pigalle, the more +energetically she drove away her apprehension, and sought for an +excuse calculated to satisfy any one who might have noticed her +long absence. + +An unnecessary precaution. She found the house as when she left +it, abandoned to the mercy of the servants--the strangers sent the +evening before from the employment office. Important matters +still kept the General and his wife from home. The husband had to +show his horses; and the wife was intent upon shopping. As for +Madame Leon, most of her time seemed to be taken up by the family +of relatives she had so suddenly discovered. Alone, free from all +espionage, and wishing to ward off despondency by occupation, +Mademoiselle Marguerite was just beginning a letter to her friend +the old magistrate, when a servant entered and announced that her +dressmaker was there and wished to speak with her. "Let her come +in," replied Marguerite, with unusual vivacity. "Let her come in +at once." + +A lady who looked some forty years of age, plainly dressed, but of +distinguished appearance, was thereupon ushered into the room. +Like any well-bred modiste, she bowed respectfully while the +servant was present, but as soon as he had left the room she +approached Mademoiselle Marguerite and took hold of her hands: "My +dear young lady," said she, "I am the sister-in-law of your old +friend, the magistrate. Having an important message to send to +you, he was trying to find a person whom he could trust to play +the part of a dressmaker, as had been agreed upon between you, +when I offered my services, thinking he could find no one more +trusty than myself." + +Tears glittered in Mademoiselle Marguerite's eyes. The slightest +token of sympathy is so sweet to the heart of the lonely and +unfortunate! "How can I ever thank you, madame?" she faltered. + +"By not attempting to thank me at all, and by reading this letter +as soon as possible.: + +The note she now produced ran as follows: + + + +"MY DEAR CHILD--At last I am on the track of the thieves. By +conferring with the people from whom M. de Chalusse received the +money a couple of days before his death, I have been fortunate +enough to obtain from them some minute details respecting the +missing bonds, as well as the numbers of the bank-notes which were +deposited in the escritoire. With this information, we cannot +fail to prove the guilt of the culprits sooner or later. You +write me word that the Fondeges are spending money lavishly; try +and find out the names of the people they deal with, and +communicate them to me. Once more, I tell you that I am sure of +success. Courage!" + + + +"Well!" said the spurious dressmaker, when she saw that Marguerite +had finished reading the letter. "What answer shall I take my +brother-in-law?" + +"Tell him that he shall certainly have the information he requires +to-morrow. To-day, I can only give him the name of the carriage +builder, from whom M. de Fondege has purchased his new carriages." + +"Give it to me in writing, it is much the safest way." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite did so, and her visitor who, as a woman, +was delighted to find herself mixed up in an intrigue, then went +off repeating the old magistrate's advice: "Courage!" + +But it was no longer necessary to encourage Mademoiselle +Marguerite. The assurance of being so effectually helped, had +already increased her courage an hundredfold. The future that had +seemed so gloomy only a moment before, had now suddenly +brightened. By means of the negative in the keeping of the +photographer, Carjat, she had the Marquis de Valorsay in her +power, and the magistrate, thanks to the numbers of the bank- +notes, could soon prove the guilt of the Fondeges. The protection +of Providence was made evident in an unmistakable manner. Thus it +was with a placid and almost smiling face that she successively +greeted Madame Leon, who returned home quite played out, then +Madame de Fondege, who made her appearance attended by two shop- +boys overladen with packages, and finally the General, who brought +his son, Lieutenant Gustave, with him to dinner. + +The lieutenant was a good-looking fellow of twenty-seven, or +thereabouts, with laughing eyes and a heavy mustache. He made a +great clanking with his spurs, and wore the somewhat theatrical +uniform of the 13th Hussars rather ostentatiously. He bowed to +Mademoiselle Marguerite with a smile that was too becoming to be +displeasing; and he offered her his arm with an air of triumph to +lead her to the dining-room, as soon as the servant came to +announce that "Madame la Comtesse was served." + +Seated opposite to him at table, the young girl could not refrain +from furtively watching the man whom they wished to compel her to +marry. Never had she seen such intense self-complacency coupled +with such utter mediocrity. It was evident that he was doing his +best to produce a favorable impression; but as the dinner +progressed, his conversation became rather venturesome. He +gradually grew extremely animated; and three or four adventures of +garrison life which he persisted in relating despite his mother's +frowns, were calculated to convince his hearers that he was a +great favorite with the fair sex. It was the good cheer that +loosened his tongue. There could be no possible doubt on that +score; and, indeed, while drinking a glass of the Chateau Laroze, +to which Madame Leon had taken such a liking, he was indiscreet +enough to declare that if his mother had always kept house in this +fashion, he should have been inclined to ask for more frequent +leaves of absence. + +However, strange to say, after the coffee was served, the +conversation languished till at last it died out almost entirely. +Madame de Fondege was the first to disappear on the pretext that +some domestic affairs required her attention. The General was the +next to rise and go out, in order to smoke a cigar; and finally +Madame Leon made her escape without saying a word. So +Mademoiselle Marguerite was left quite alone with Lieutenant +Gustave. It was evident enough to the young girl that this had +been preconcerted; and she asked herself what kind of an opinion +M. and Madame de Fondege could have of her delicacy. The +proceeding made her so indignant that she was on the point of +rising from the table and of retiring like the others, when reason +restrained her. She said to herself that perhaps she might gain +some useful information from this young man, and so she remained. + +His face was crimson, and he seemed by far the more embarrassed of +the two. He sat with one elbow resting on the table, and with his +gaze persistently fixed upon a tiny glass half full of brandy +which he held in his hand, as if he hoped to gain some sublime +inspiration from it. At last, after an interval of irksome +silence, he ventured to exclaim: "Mademoiselle, should you like to +be an officer's wife?" + +"I don't know," answered Marguerite. + +"Really! But at least you understand my motive in asking this +question?" + +"No." + +Any one but the complacent lieutenant would have been disconcerted +by Mademoiselle Marguerite's dry tone; but he did not even notice +it. The effort that he was making in his intense desire to be +eloquent and persuasive absorbed the attention of all his +faculties. "Then permit me to explain, mademoiselle," he resumed. +"We meet this evening for the first time, but our acquaintance is +not the affair of a day. For I know not how long my father and +mother have continually been chanting your praises. 'Mademoiselle +Marguerite does this; Mademoiselle Marguerite does that.' They +never cease talking of you, declaring that heart, wit, talent, +beauty, all womanly charms are united in your person. And they +have never wearied of telling me that the man whom you honored +with your preference would be the happiest of mortals. However, +so far I had no desire to marry, and I distrusted them. In fact, +I had conceived a most violent prejudice against you. Yes, upon +my honor! I felt sure that I should dislike you; but I have seen +you and all is changed. As soon as my eyes fell upon you, I +experienced a powerful revulsion of feeling. I was never so +smitten in my life--and I said to myself, 'Lieutenant, it is all +over--you are caught at last!'" + +Pale with anger, astonished and humiliated beyond measure, the +young girl listened with her head lowered, vainly trying to find +words to express the feelings which disturbed her; but M. Gustave, +misunderstanding her silence, and congratulating himself upon the +effect he had produced, grew bolder, and with the tenderest and +most impassioned inflection he could impart to his voice, +continued: "Who could fail to be impressed as I have been? How +could one behold, without rapturous admiration, such beautiful +eyes, such glorious black hair, such smiling lips, such a graceful +mien, such wonderful charms of person and of mind? How would it be +possible to listen, unmoved, to a voice which is clearer and purer +than crystal? Ah! my mother's descriptions fell far short of the +truth. But how can one describe the perfections of an angel? To +any one who has the happiness or the misfortune of knowing you, +there can only be one woman in the world!" + +He had gradually approached her chair, and now extended his hand +to take hold of Marguerite's, and probably raise it to his lips. +But she shrank from the contact as from red-hot iron, and rising +hurriedly, with her eyes flashing, and her voice quivering with +indignation: "Monsieur!" she exclaimed, "Monsieur!" + +He was so surprised that he stood as if petrified, with his eyes +wide open and his hand still extended. "Permit me--allow me to +explain," he stammered. But she declined to listen. "Who has +told you that you could address such words to me with impunity?" +she continued. "Your parents, I suppose; I daresay they told you +to be bold. And that is why they have left us, and why no servant +has appeared. Ah! they make me pay dearly for the hospitality +they have given me!" As she spoke the tears started from her eyes +and glistened on her long lashes. "Whom did you fancy you were +speaking to?" she added. "Would you have been so audacious if I +had a father or a brother to resent your insults?" + +The lieutenant started as if he had been lashed with a whip. "Ah! +you are severe!" he exclaimed. + +And a happy inspiration entering his mind, he continued: "A man +does not insult a woman, mademoiselle, when, while telling her +that he loves her and thinks her beautiful, he offers her his name +and life." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite shrugged her shoulders ironically, and +remained for a moment silent. She was very proud, and her pride +had been cruelly wounded; but reason told her that a continuation +of this scene would render a prolonged sojourn in the General's +house impossible; and where could she go, without exciting +malevolent remarks? Whom could she ask an asylum of? Still this +consideration alone would not have sufficed to silence her. But +she remembered that a quarrel and a rupture with the Fondeges +would certainly imperil the success of her plans. "So I will +swallow even this affront," she said to herself; and then in a +tone of melancholy bitterness, she remarked, aloud: "A man cannot +set a very high value on his name when he offers it to a woman +whom he knows absolutely nothing about." + +"Excuse me--you forget that my mother----" + +"Your mother has only known me for a week." + +An expression of intense surprise appeared on the lieutenant's +face. "Is it possible?" he murmured. + +"Your father has met me five or six times at the table of the +Count de Chalusse, who was his friend--but what does he know of +me?" resumed Mademoiselle Marguerite. "That I came to the Hotel +de Chalusse a year ago, and that the count treated me like a +daughter--that is all! Who I am, where I was reared, and how, and +what my past life has been, these are matters that M. de Fondege +knows nothing whatever about." + +"My parents told me that you were the daughter of the Count de +Chalusse, mademoiselle." + +"What proof have they of it? They ought to have told you that I +was an unfortunate foundling, with no other name than that of +Marguerite." + +"Oh!" + +"They ought to have told you that I am poor, very poor, and that I +should probably have been reduced to the necessity of toiling for +my daily bread, if it had not been for them." + +An incredulous smile curved the lieutenant's lips. He fancied +that Mademoiselle Marguerite only wished to prove his +disinterestedness, and this thought restored his assurance. +"Perhaps you are exaggerating a little, mademoiselle," he replied. + +"I am not exaggerating--I possess but ten thousand francs in the +world--I swear it by all that I hold sacred." + +"That would not even be the dowry required of an officer's wife by +law," muttered the lieutenant. + +Was his incredulity sincere or affected? What had his parents +really told him? Had they confided everything to him, and was he +their accomplice? or had they told him nothing? All these +questions flashed rapidly through Marguerite's mind. "You suppose +that I am rich, monsieur," she resumed at last. "I understand +that only too well. If I was, you ought to shun me as you would +shun a criminal, for I could only be wealthy through a crime." + +"Mademoiselle----" + +"Yes, through a crime. After M. de Chalusse's death, two million +francs that had been placed in his escritoire for safe keeping, +could not be found. Who stole the money? I myself have been +accused of the theft. Your father must have told you of this, as +well as of the cloud of suspicion that is still hanging over me." + +She paused, for the lieutenant had become whiter than his shirt. +"Good God!" he exclaimed in a tone of horror, as if a terrible +light had suddenly broken upon his mind. He made a movement as if +to leave the room, but suddenly changing his mind, he bowed low +before Mademoiselle Marguerite, and said, in a husky voice: +"Forgive me, mademoiselle, I did not know what I was doing. I +have been misinformed. I have been beguiled by false hopes. I +entreat you to say that you forgive me." + +"I forgive you, monsieur." + +But still he lingered. "I am only a poor devil of a lieutenant," +he resumed, "with no other fortune than my epaulettes, no other +prospects than an uncertain advancement. I have been foolish and +thoughtless. I have committed many acts of folly; but there is +nothing in my past life for which I have cause to blush." He +looked fixedly at Mademoiselle Marguerite, as if he were striving +to read her inmost soul; and in a solemn tone, that contrasted +strangely with his usual levity of manner, he added: "If the name +I bear should ever be compromised, my prospects would be blighted +forever! The only course left for me would be to tender my +resignation. I will leave nothing undone to preserve my honor in +the eyes of the world, and to right those who have been wronged. +Promise me not to interfere with my plans." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite trembled like a leaf. She now realized +her terrible imprudence. He had divined everything. As she +remained silent, he continued wildly: "I entreat you. Do you wish +me to beg you at your feet?" + +Ah! it was a terrible sacrifice that he demanded of her. But how +could she remain obdurate in the presence of such intense anguish? +"I will remain neutral," she replied, "that is all I can promise. +Providence shall decide." + +"Thank you," he said, sadly, suspecting that perhaps it was +already too late--"thank you." Then he turned to go, and, in fact, +he had already opened the door, when a forlorn hope brought him +back to Mademoiselle Marguerite, whose hand he took, timidly +faltering, "We are friends, are we not?" + +She did not withdraw her icy hand, and in a scarcely audible +voice, she repeated: "We are friends?" + +Convinced that he could obtain nothing more from her than her +promised neutrality, the lieutenant thereupon hastily left the +room, and she sank back in her chair more dead than alive. "Great +God! what is coming now?" she murmured. + +She thought she could understand the unfortunate young man's +intentions, and she listened with a throbbing heart, expecting to +hear a stormy explanation between his parents and himself. In +point of fact, she almost immediately afterward heard the +lieutenant inquire in a stern, imperious voice: "Where is my +father?" + +"The General has just gone to his club." + +"And my mother?" + +"A friend of hers called a few moments ago to take her to the +opera." + +"What madness!" + +That was all. The outer door opened and closed again with extreme +violence, and then Marguerite heard nothing save the sneering +remarks of the servants. + +It was, indeed, madness on the part of M. and Madame de Fondege +not to have waited to learn the result of this interview, planned +by themselves, and upon which their very lives depended. But +delirium seemed to have seized them since, thanks to a still +inexplicable crime, they had suddenly found themselves in +possession of an immense fortune. Perhaps in this wild pursuit of +pleasure, in the haste they displayed to satisfy their covetous +longings, they hoped to forget or silence the threatening voice of +conscience. Such was Mademoiselle Marguerite's conclusion; but +she was not long left to undisturbed meditation. By the +lieutenant's departure the restrictions which had been placed upon +the servants' movements had evidently been removed, for they came +in to clear the table. + +Having with some little difficulty obtained a candle from one of +these model servants, Mademoiselle Marguerite now retired to her +own room. In her anxiety, she forgot Madame Leon, but the latter +had not forgotten her; she was even now listening at the drawing- +room door, inconsolable to think that she had not succeeded in +hearing at least part of the conversation between the lieutenant +and her dear young lady. Marguerite had no wish to reflect over +what had occurred. As she was determined to keep the promise +which Lieutenant Gustave had wrung from her, it mattered little +whether she had committed a great mistake in allowing him to +discover her knowledge of his parent's guilt, and in listening to +his entreaties. A secret presentiment warned her that the +punishment which would overtake the General and his wife would be +none the less terrible, despite her own forbearance, and that they +would find their son more inexorable than the severest judge. + +The essential thing was to warn the old magistrate; and so in a +couple of pages she summarized the scene of the evening, feeling +sure that she would find an opportunity to post her letter on the +following day. This duty accomplished, she took a book and went +to bed, hoping to drive away her gloomy thoughts by reading. But +the hope was vain. Her eyes read the words, followed the lines +and crossed the pages, but her mind utterly refused to obey her +will, and in spite of all her efforts persisted in turning to the +shrewd youth who had solemnly sworn to find Pascal for her. A +little after midnight Madame de Fondege returned from the opera, +and at once proceeded to reprimand her maid for not having lighted +a fire. The General returned some time afterward, and he was +evidently in the best of spirits. + +They have not seen their son," said Mademoiselle Marguerite to +herself, and this anxiety, combined with many others, tortured her +so cruelly, that she did not fall asleep until near daybreak. +Even then she did not slumber long. It was scarcely half-past +seven when she was aroused by a strange commotion and a loud sound +of hammering. She was trying to imagine the cause of all this +uproar, when Madame de Fondege, already arrayed in a marvellous +robe composed of three skirts and an enormous puff, entered the +room. "I have come to take you away, my dear child," she +exclaimed. "The owner of the house has decided to make some +repairs, and the workmen have already invaded our apartments. The +General has taken flight, let us follow his example--so make +yourself beautiful and we'll go at once." + +Without a word, the young girl hastened to obey, while Madame de +Fondege expiated on the delightful drive they would take together +in the wonderful brougham which the General had purchased a couple +of days before. As for Lieutenant Gustave, she did not even +mention his name. + +Accustomed to the superb equipages of the Chalusse establishment, +Mademoiselle Marguerite did not consider the much-lauded brougham +at all remarkable. At the most, it was very showy, having +apparently been selected with a view to attracting as much +attention as possible. Madame de Fondege was not in a mood to +consider an objection that morning. She was evidently in a +nervous state of mind, extremely restless and excited indeed, it +seemed impossible for her to keep still. In default of something +better to do, she visited at least a dozen shops, asking to see +everything, finding everything frightful, and purchasing without +regard to price. It might have been fancied that she wished to +buy all Paris. About ten o'clock she dragged Marguerite to Van +Klopen's. Received as a habituee of the establishment, thanks to +the numerous orders she had given within the past few days, she +was even allowed to enter the mysterious saloon in which the +illustrious ruler of Fashion served such of his clients as had a +predilection for absinthe or madeira. On leaving the place, and +before entering the carriage again, Madame de Fondege turned to +Marguerite and inquired: "Where shall we go now? I have given +the servants an 'outing' on account of the workmen, and we cannot +breakfast at home. Why can't we go to a restaurant, we two? Many +of the most distinguished ladies are in the habit of doing so. +You will see how people will look at us! I am sure it will amuse +you immensely." + +"Ah! madame, you forget that it is not a fortnight since the +count's death!" + +Madame de Fondege was about to make an impatient reply, but she +mastered the impulse, and in a tone of hypocritical compassion, +exclaimed: "Poor child! poor, dear child! that's true. I had +forgotten. Well, such being the case, we'll go and ask Baroness +Trigault to give us our breakfast. You will see a lovely woman." +And addressing the coachman she instructed him to drive to the +Trigault mansion in the Rue de la Ville l'Eveque. + +When Madame de Fondege's brougham drew up before the door, the +baron was standing in the courtyard with a cigar between his +teeth, examining a pair of horses which had been sent him on +approbation. He did not like his wife's friend, and he usually +avoided her. But precisely because he was acquainted with the +General's crime and Pascal's plans, he thought it politic to seem +amiable. So, on recognizing Madame de Fondege through the +carriage window, he hastened forward with outstretched hand to +assist her in alighting. "Did you come to take breakfast with +us?" he asked. "That would be a most delightful----" + +The remainder of the sentence died unuttered upon his lips. His +face became crimson, and the cigar he was holding slipped from his +fingers. He had just perceived Mademoiselle Marguerite, and his +consternation was so apparent that Madame de Fondege could not +fail to remark it; however, she attributed it to the girl's +remarkable beauty. "This is Mademoiselle de Chalusse, my dear +baron," said she, "the daughter of the noble and esteemed friend +whom we so bitterly lament." + +Ah! it was not necessary to tell the baron who this young girl +was; he knew it only too well. He was not overcome for long; a +thought of vengeance speedily flashed through his mind. It seemed +to him that Providence itself offered him the means of putting an +end to an intolerable situation. Regaining his self-control by a +powerful effort, he preceded Madame de Fondege through the +magnificent apartments of the mansion, lightly saying: "My wife is +in her boudoir. She will be delighted to see you. But first of +all, I have a good secret to confide to you. So let me take this +young lady to the baroness, and you and I can join them in a +moment!" Thereupon, without waiting for any rejoinder, he took +Marguerite's arm and led her toward the end of the hall. Then +opening a door, he exclaimed in a mocking voice: "Madame Trigault, +allow me to present to you the daughter of the Count de Chalusse." +And adding in a whisper: "This is your mother, young girl," he +pushed the astonished Marguerite into the room, closed the door, +and returned to Madame de Fondege. + +Paler than her white muslin wrapper, the Baroness Trigault sprang +from her chair. This was the woman who, while her husband was +braving death to win fortune for her, had been dazzled by the +Count de Chalusse's wealth, and who, later in life, when she was +the richest of the rich, had sunk into the very depths of +degradation--had stooped, indeed, to a Coralth! The baroness had +once been marvellously beautiful, and even now, many murmurs of +admiration greeted her when she dashed through the Champs Elysees +in her magnificent equipage, attired in one of those eccentric +costumes which she alone dared to wear. She was a type of the +wife created by the customs of fashionable society; the woman who +feels elated when her name appears in the newspapers and in the +chronicles of Parisian "high life"; who has no thought of her +deserted fireside, but is ever tormented by a terrible thirst for +bustle and excitement; whose head is empty, and whose heart is +dry--the woman who only exists for the world; and who is devoured +by unappeasable covetousness, and who, at times, envies an +actress's liberty, and the notoriety of the leaders of the demi- +monde; the woman who is always in quest of fresh excitement, and +fails to find it; the woman who is blase, and prematurely old in +mind and body, and who yet still clings despairingly to her +fleeting youth. + +Inaccessible to any emotion but vanity, the baroness had never +shed a tear over her husband's sufferings. She was sure of her +absolute power over him. What did the rest matter? She even +gloried in her knowledge that she could make this man--who loved +her in spite of everything--at one moment furious with rage or +wild with grief, and then an instant afterward plunge him into the +rapture of a senseless ecstasy by a word, a smile, or a caress. +For such was her power, and she often exercised it mercilessly. +Even after the frightful scene that Pascal had witnessed, she had +made another appeal to the baron, and he had been weak enough to +give her the thirty thousand francs which M. de Coralth needed to +purchase his wife's silence. + +However, this time the baroness trembled. Her usual shrewdness +had not deserted her, and she perfectly understood all that +Marguerite's presence in that house portended. Since her husband +brought this young girl--her daughter--to her he must know +everything, and have taken some fatal resolution. Had she, +indeed, exhausted the patience which she had fancied +inexhaustible? She was not ignorant of the fact that her husband +had disposed of his immense fortune in a way that would enable him +to say and prove that he was insolvent whenever occasion required; +and if he found courage to apply for a legal separation, what +could she hope to obtain from the courts? A bare living, almost +nothing. In such a case, how could she exist? She would be +compelled to spend her last years in the same poverty that had +made her youth so wretched. She saw herself--ah! what a frightful +misfortune--turfed out of her princely home, and reduced to +furnished apartments rented for five hundred francs a year! + +Mademoiselle Marguerite was no less startled and horror-stricken +than Madame Trigault, and she stood rooted to the spot, exactly +where the baron had left her. Silent and motionless, they +confronted each other for a moment which seemed a century to both +of them. The resemblance--which had astonished Pascal could not +fail to strike them, for it was still more noticeable now that +they stood face to face. But anything was preferable to this +torturing suspense, and so, summoning all her courage, the +baroness broke the silence by saying: "You are the daughter of the +Count de Chalusse?" + +"I think so, but I have no proofs of it." + +"And--your mother?" + +"I don't know her; madame, and I have no desire to know her." + +Disconcerted by this brief but implacable reply, Madame Trigault +hung her head. + +"What could I have to say to my mother?" continued Marguerite. +"That I hate her? My courage would fail me to do so. And yet, how +can I think without bitterness of the woman who, after abandoning +me herself, endeavored to deprive me of my father's love and +protection? I could have forgiven anything but that. Ah! I have +not always been so patient and resigned! The laws of our country +do not forbid illigitimate children to search for their parents, +and more than once I have said to myself that I would discover my +mother, and have my revenge." + +"But you have no means of discovering her?" + +"In this you are greatly mistaken, madame. After the Count de +Chalusse's death, a package of letters, a glove and some withered +flowers were found in one of the drawers of his escritoire." + +The baroness started back as if a yawning chasm had suddenly +opened at her feet. "My letters!" she exclaimed. "Ah! wretched +woman that I am, he kept them. It is all over! I am lost, for of +course, they have been read?" + +"The ribbon securing them together has never been untied." + +"Is that true? Don t deceive me! Where are they, then--where are +they?" + +"Under the protection of the seals affixed by the justice of the +peace." + +Madame Trigault tottered, as if she were about to fall. "Then it +is only a reprieve," she moaned, "and I am none the less ruined. +Those cursed letters will necessarily be read, and all will be +discovered. They will see----" The thought of what they would +see endowed her with the energy of despair, and clutching hold of +Marguerite's wrists: "Listen!" said she, approaching so near that +her hot breath scorched the girl's cheeks, "no one must be allowed +to see those letters!--it must not be! I will tell you what they +contain. I hated my husband; I loved the Count de Chalusse madly, +and he had sworn that he would marry me if ever I became a widow. +Do you understand now? The name of the poison I obtained--how I +proposed to administer it, and what its effects would be--all this +is plainly written in my own handwriting and signed--yes, signed-- +with my own name. The plot failed, but it was none the less real, +positive, palpable--and those letters are a proof of it. But they +shall never be read--no--not if I am obliged to set fire to the +Hotel de Chalusse with my own hand." + +Now the count's constant terror, the fear with which this woman +had inspired him, were explained. He was an accomplice--he also +had written no doubt, and she had preserved his letters as he had +preserved hers. Crime had bound them indissolubly together. + +Horrified beyond expression, Marguerite freed herself from Madame +Trigault's grasp. "I swear to you, madame, that everything any +human being can do to save your letters shall be done by me," she +exclaimed. + +"And have you any hope of success?" + +"Yes," replied the girl, remembering her friend, the magistrate. + +Moved by a far more powerful emotion than any she had ever known +before, the baroness uttered an exclamation of joy. "Ah! how good +you are!" she exclaimed--"how generous! how noble! You take your +revenge in giving me back life, honor, everything--for you are my +daughter; do you not know it? Did they not tell you, before +bringing you here, that I was the hated and unnatural mother who +abandoned you?" + +She advanced with tearful eyes and outstretched arms, but +Marguerite sternly waved her back. "Spare yourself, madame, and +spare me, the humiliation of an unnecessary explanation." + +"Marguerite! Good God! you repulse me. After all you have +promised to do for me, will you not forgive me?" + +"I will try to forget, madame," replied the girl and she was +already stepping toward the door when the baroness threw herself +at her feet, crying, in a heart-rending tone: "Have pity, +Marguerite, I am your mother. One has no right to deny one's own +mother." + +But the young girl passed on. "My mother is dead, madame; I do +not know you!" And she left the room without even turning her +head, without even glancing at the baroness, who had fallen upon +the floor in a deep swoon. + + + +XIX + + +Baron Trigault still held Madame de Fondege a prisoner in the +hall. What did he say to her in justification of the expedient he +had improvised? His own agitation was so great that he scarcely +knew, and it mattered but little after all, for the good lady did +not even pretend to listen to his apologies. Although by no means +overshrewd, she suspected some great mystery, some bit of scandal, +perhaps, and her eyes never once wandered from the door leading to +the boudoir. At last this door opened and Mademoiselle Marguerite +reappeared. "Great heavens!" exclaimed Madame de Fondege; "what +has happened to my poor child?" + +For the unfortunate girl advanced with an automatic tread, her +eyes fixed on vacancy, and her hands outstretched, as if feeling +her way. It indeed seemed to her as if the floor swayed to and +fro under her feet, as if the walls tottered, as if the ceiling +were about to fall and crush her. + +Madame de Fondege sprang forward. "What is the matter, my +dearest?" + +Alas! the poor girl was utterly overcome. "It is but a trifle," +she faltered. But her eyes closed, her hands clutched wildly for +some support, and she would have fallen to the ground if the baron +had not caught her in his arms and carried her to a sofa. "Help!" +cried Madame de Fondege, "help, she is dying!--a physician!" + +But there was no need of a physician. One of the maids came with +some fresh water and a bottle of smelling salts, and Marguerite +soon recovered sufficiently to sit up, and cast a frightened +glance around her, while she mechanically passed her hand again +and again over her cold forehead. "Do you feel better my +darling?" inquired Madame de Fondege at last. + +"Yes." + +"Ah! you gave me a terrible fright; see how I tremble." But the +worthy lady's fright was as nothing in comparison with the +curiosity that tortured her. It was so powerful, indeed, that she +could not control it. "What has happened?" she asked. + +"Nothing, madame, nothing." + +"But----" + +"I am subject to such attacks. I was very cold, and the heat of +the room made me feel faint." + +Although she could only speak with the greatest difficulty, the +baron realized by her tone that she would never reveal what had +taken place, and his attitude and relief knew no bounds. "Don't +tire the poor child," he said to Madame de Fondege. "The best +thing you can do would be to take her home and put her to bed." + +I agree with you; but unfortunately, I have sent away my brougham +with orders not to return for me until one o'clock." + +"Is that the only difficulty? If so, you shall have a carriage at +once, my dear madame." So saying, the baron made a sign to one of +the servants, and the man started on his mission at once. + +Madame de Fondege was silent but furious. "He is actually putting +me out of doors," she thought. "This is a little too much! And +why doesn't the baroness make her appearance--she must certainly +have heard my voice? What does it all mean? However, I'm sure +Marguerite will tell me when we are alone." + +But Madame de Fondege was wrong, for she vainly plied the girl +with questions all the way from the Rue de la Ville l'Eveque to +the Rue Pigalle. She could only obtain this unvarying and +obstinate reply: "Nothing has happened. What do you suppose could +have happened?" + +Never in her whole life had Madame de Fondege been so incensed. +"The blockhead!" she mentally exclaimed. "Who ever saw such +obstinacy! Hateful creature!--I could beat her!" + +She did not beat her, but on reaching the house she eagerly asked: +"Do you feel strong enough to go up stairs alone?" + +"Yes, madame." + +"Then I will leave you. You know Van Klopen expects me again at +one o'clock precisely; and I have not breakfasted yet. Remember +that my servants are at your disposal, and don't hesitate to call +them. You are at home, recollect." + +It was not without considerable difficulty--not without being +compelled to stop and rest several times on her way up stairs-- +that Mademoiselle Marguerite succeeded in reaching the apartments +of the Fondege family. "Where is madame?" inquired the servant +who opened the door. + +"She is still out." + +"Will she return to dinner?" + +"I don't know." + +"M. Gustave has been here three times already; he was very angry +when he found that there was no one at home--he went on terribly. +Besides, the workmen have turned everything topsy-turvy." + +However, Marguerite had already reached her own room, and thrown +herself on the bed. She was suffering terribly. Her brave spirit +still retained its energy; but the flesh had succumbed. Every +vein and artery throbbed with violence, and while a chill seemed +to come to her heart, her head burned as if it had been on fire. +"My Lord," she thought, "am I going to fall ill at the last +moment, just when I have most need of all my strength?" + +She tried to sleep, but was unable to do so. How could she free +herself from the thought that haunted her? Her mother! To think +that such a woman was her mother! Was it not enough to make her +die of sorrow and shame? And yet this woman must be saved--the +proofs of her crime must be annihilated with her letters. +Marguerite asked herself whether the old magistrate would have it +in his power to help her in this respect. Perhaps not, and then +what could she do? She asked herself if she had not been too +cruel, too severe. Guilty or not, the baroness was still her +mother. Had she the right to be pitiless, when by stretching out +her hand she might, perhaps, have rescued the wretched woman from +her terrible life. + +Thus thinking, the young girl sat alone and forgotten in her +little room. The hours went by, and daylight had begun to wane, +when suddenly a shrill whistle resounded in the street, under her +windows. "Pi-ouit." It came upon her like an electric shock, and +with a bound she sprang to her feet. For this cry was the signal +that had been agreed upon between herself and the young man who +had so abruptly offered to help her on the occasion of her visit +to M. Fortunat's office. Was she mistaken? No--for on listening +she heard the cry resound a second time, even more shrill and +prolonged than before. + +This was no time for hesitation, and so she went down-stairs at +once. Hope sent new blood coursing through her veins and endowed +her with invincible energy. On reaching the street-door, she +paused and looked around her. At a short distance off she +perceived a young fellow clad in a blouse, who was apparently +engaged in examining the goods displayed in a shop window. +Despite his position, he hurriedly exclaimed: "Follow me at a +little; distance in the rear until I stop." + +Marguerite, obeyed him in breathless suspense. The young fellow +was our friend Victor Chupin, now somewhat the worse for his +encounter with Vantrasson that same morning. His face was +considerably disfigured, and one of his eyes was black and +swollen; nevertheless he was in a state of ecstatic happiness. +Happy, and yet anxious; for, as he preceded Mademoiselle +Marguerite, he said to himself: "How shall I tell her that I have +succeeded? There must be no folly. If I tell her the news +suddenly, she will most likely faint, so I must break the news +gently." + +On reaching the Rue Boursault, he turned the corner, and paused, +waiting for Mademoiselle Marguerite to join him. "What is the +news?" she anxiously asked. + +"Everything is progressing finely--slowly, but finely." + +"You know something, monsieur! Speak! Don't you see how anxious I +am?" + +He did see it only too well; and his embarrassment increased to +such a pitch that he began to scratch his head furiously. At last +he decided on a plan. "First of all, mademoiselle, brace yourself +against the wall, and now stand firm. Yes, like that. Now, are +you all right? Well, I have found M. Ferailleur!" + +Chupin's precaution was a wise one, for Marguerite tottered. Such +a success, so quickly gained, was indeed astounding. "Is it +possible?" she murmured. + +"So possible that I have a letter for you from M. Ferailleur in my +pocket mademoiselle. Here it is--I am to wait for an answer." + +She took the note he handed her, broke the seal with trembling +hand, and read as follows: + + + +"We are approaching the end, my dearest. One step more and we +shall triumph. But I must see you to-day at any risk. Leave the +house this evening at eight o'clock. My mother will be waiting +for you in a cab, at the corner of the Rue Pigalle and the Rue +Boursault. Come, and let no fear of arousing suspicions of the +Fondeges deter you. They are henceforth powerless to injure you. + PASCAL + + +"I will go!" replied Marguerite at once, careless of the obstacles +that might impede the fulfilment of her promise. For it was quite +possible that serious difficulties might arise. Madame Leon, who +had been invisible since the morning, might suddenly reappear, or +the General and his wife might return to dinner. And what could +Marguerite answer if they asked her where she wanted to go alone, +and at such an hour of the evening? And if they attempted to +prevent her from keeping her appointment, how could she resist? +All these were weighty questions and yet she did not hesitate. +Pascal had spoken, that sufficed, and she was determined to obey +him implicitly, cost what it might. If he advised such a step, it +was because he deemed it best and necessary; and she willingly +submitted to the instructions of the man in whom she felt such +unbounded confidence. + +Having told Chupin that she might be relied upon for the evening, +she was retracing her way home, when suddenly the thought occurred +to her that she ought not to neglect this opportunity to place a +decisive weapon in Pascal's hands. She was close to the Rue Notre +Dame de Lorette and so without more ado she hurried to the +establishment of Carjat the photographer. He was fortunately +disengaged, and she at once obtained from him a proof of the +compromising letter written by the Marquis de Valorsay to Madame +Leon. She placed it carefully in her pocket, thanked the +photographer, and then hurried back to the Rue Pigalle to wait for +the hour appointed in Pascal's letter. Fortunately none of her +unpleasant apprehensions were realized. The dinner-hour came and +passed, and still the house remained deserted. The workmen had +gone off and the laughter and chatter of the servants in the +kitchen were the only sounds that broke the stillness. Faint for +want of food--for she had taken no nourishment during the day-- +Marguerite had considerable difficulty in obtaining something to +eat from the servants. At last, however, they gave her some soup +and cold meat, served on a corner of the bare table in the dining- +room. It was half-past seven when she finished this frugal meal. +She waited a moment, and then fearing she might keep Madame +Ferailleur waiting, she went down into the street. + +A cab was waiting at the corner of the Rue Boursault, as +indicated. Its windows were lowered, and in the shade one could +discern the face and white hair of an elderly lady. Glancing +behind her to assure herself that she had not been followed, +Marguerite eagerly approached the vehicle, whereupon a kindly +voice exclaimed: "Jump in quickly, mademoiselle " + +Marguerite obeyed, and the door was scarcely closed behind her +before the driver had urged his horse into a gallop. He had +evidently received his instructions in advance, as well as the +promise of a magnificent gratuity. + +Sitting side by side on the back seat, the old lady and the young +girl remained silent, but this did not prevent them from casting +stealthy glances at each other, and striving to distinguish one +another's features whenever the vehicle passed in front of some +brilliantly lighted shop. They had never met before, and their +anxiety to become acquainted was intense, for they each felt that +the other would exert a decisive influence upon her life. All of +Madame Ferailleur's friends would undoubtedly have been surprised +at the step she had taken, and yet it was quite in accordance with +her character. As long as she had entertained any hope of +preventing this marriage she had not hesitated to express and even +exaggerate her objections and repugnance. But her point of view +was entirely changed when conquered by the strength of her son's +passion, she at last yielded a reluctant consent. The young girl +who was destined to be her daughter-in-law at once became sacred +in her eyes; and it seemed to her an act of duty to watch over +Marguerite, and shield her reputation. Having considered the +subject, she had decided that it was not proper for her son's +betrothed to run about the streets alone in the evening. Might it +not compromise her honor? and later on might it not furnish +venomous Madame de Fondege with an opportunity to exercise her +slanderous tongue? Thus the puritanical old lady had come to fetch +Marguerite, so that whenever occasion required she might be able +to say: "I was there!" + +As for Marguerite, after the trials of the day, she yielded +without reserve to the feeling of rest and happiness that now +filled her heart. Again and again had Pascal spoken of his +mother's prejudices and the inflexibility of her principles. But +he had also spoken of her dauntless energy, the nobility of her +nature, and of her love and devotion to him. With Marguerite, +moreover, one consideration--one which she would scarcely have +admitted, perhaps--outweighed all others: Madame Ferailleur was +Pascal's mother. For that reason alone, if for no other, she was +prepared to worship her. How fervently she blessed this noble +woman, who, a widow. and ruined in fortune by an unprincipled +scoundrel, had bravely toiled to educate her son, making him the +man whom Marguerite had freely chosen from among all others. She +would have knelt before this grand but simple-hearted mother had +she dared; she would have kissed her hands. And a poignant regret +came to her heart when she remembered her own mother, Baroness +Trigault, and compared her with this matchless woman. + +Meanwhile the cab had passed the outer boulevards, and was now +whirling along the Route d'Asnieres, as fast as the horse could +drag it. "We are almost there," remarked Madame Ferailleur, +speaking for the first time. + +Marguerite's response was inaudible, she was so overcome with +emotion. The driver had just turned the corner of the Route de la +Revolte; and it was not long before he checked his panting horse. +"Look, mademoiselle," said Madame Ferailleur again, "this is our +home." + +Upon the threshold, bareheaded, and breathless with impatience and +hope, stood a man who was counting the seconds with the violent +throbbings of his heart. He did not wait for the cab to stop, but +springing to the door, he opened it; and then, catching Marguerite +in his arms, he carried her into the house with a cry of joy. She +had not even time to look around her, ere he had placed her in an +arm-chair, and fallen on his knees before her. "At last I see you +again, my beloved Marguerite," he exclaimed. "You are mine-- +nothing shall part us again!" + +They sobbed in each other's arms. They could bear adversity +unmoved; but their composure deserted them in this excess of +happiness; and standing in the door-way, Madame Ferailleur felt +the tears come to her eyes as she stood watching them. + +"How can I tell you all that I have suffered!" said Pascal, whose +voice was hoarse with feeling. "The papers have told you all the +details, I suppose. How I was accused of cheating at cards; how +the vile epithet 'thief' was cast in my face; how they tried to +search me; how my most intimate friends deserted me; how I was +virtually expelled from the Palais de Justice. All this is +terrible, is it not? Ah, well! it is nothing in comparison with +the intense, unendurable anguish I experienced in thinking that +you believed the infamous calumny which disgraced me." + +Marguerite rose to her feet. "You thought that!" she exclaimed. +"You believed that I doubted you? I! Like you, I have been accused +of robbery myself. Do you believe me guilty?" + +"Good God! I suspect you!" + +"Then why----" + +"I was mad, Marguerite, my only love, I was mad! But who would not +have lost his senses under such circumstances? It was the very day +after this atrocious conspiracy. I had seen Madame Leon, and had +trusted her with a letter for you in which I entreated you to +grant me five minutes' Conversation." + +"Alas! I never received it." + +"I know that now; but then I was deceived. I went to the little +garden gate to await your coming, but it was Madame Leon who +appeared. She brought me a note written in pencil and signed with +your name, bidding me an eternal farewell. And, fool that I was, +I did not see that the note was a forgery!" + +Mademoiselle Marguerite was amazed. The veil was now torn aside, +and the truth revealed to her. Now she remembered Madame Leon's +embarrassment when she met her returning from the garden on the +night following the count's death. "Ah, well! Pascal," she said, +"do you know what I was doing at almost the same moment? Alarmed +at having received no news from you, I hastened to the Rue d'Ulm, +where I learned that you had sold your furniture and started for +America. Any other woman might have believed herself deserted +under such circumstances, but not I. I felt sure that you had not +fled in ignominious fashion. I was convinced that you had only +concealed yourself for a time in order to strike your enemies more +surely." + +"Do not shame me, Marguerite. It is true that of us two I showed +myself the weaker." + +Lost in the rapture of the present moment, they had forgotten the +past and the future, the agony they had endured, the dangers that +still threatened them, and even the existence of their enemies. + +But Madame Ferailleur was watching. She pointed to the clock, and +earnestly exclaimed: "Time is passing, my son. Each moment that +is wasted endangers our success. Should any suspicion bring +Madame Vantrasson here, all would be lost." + +"She cannot come upon us unawares, my dear mother. Chupin has +promised not to lose sight of her. If she stirs from her shop, he +will hasten here and throw a stone against the shutters to warn +us." + +But even this did not satisfy Madame Ferailleur. + +"You forget, Pascal." she insisted, "that Mademoiselle Marguerite +must be at home again by ten o'clock, if she consents to the +ordeal you feel obliged to impose upon her." + +This was the voice of duty recalling Pascal to the stern realities +of life. He slowly rose, conquered his emotion, and, after +reflecting for a moment, said: "First of all, Marguerite, I owe +you the truth and an exact statement of our situation. +Circumstances have compelled me to act without consulting you. +Have I done right or wrong? You shall judge." And without stopping +to listen to the girl's protestations, he rapidly explained how he +had managed to win M. de Valorsay's confidence, discover his +plans, and become his trusted accomplice. "This scoundrel's plan +is very simple," he continued. "He is determined to marry you. +Why? Because, though you are not aware of it, you are rich, and +the sole heiress to the fortune of the Count de Chalusse, your +father. This surprises you, does it not? Very well! listen to me. +Deceived by the Marquis de Valorsay, the Count de Chalusse had +promised him your hand. These arrangements were nearly completed, +though you had not been informed of them. In fact, everything had +been decided. At the outset, however, a grave difficulty had +presented itself. The marquis wished your father to acknowledge +you before your marriage, but this he refused to do. 'It would +expose me to the most frightful dangers,' he declared. 'However, +I will recognize Marguerite as my daughter in my will, and, at the +same time, leave all my property to her.' But the marquis would +not listen to this proposal. 'I don't doubt your good intentions, +my dear count,' said he,' but suppose this will should be +contested, your property might pass into other hands.' This +difficulty put a stop to the proceedings for some time. The +marquis asked for guarantees; the other refused to give them-- +until, at last, M. de Chalusse discovered an expedient which would +satisfy both parties. He confided to M. de Valorsay's keeping a +will in which he recognized you as his daughter, and bequeathed +you his entire fortune. This document, the validity of which is +unquestionable, has been carefully preserved by the marquis. He +has not spoken of its existence; and he would destroy it rather +than restore it to you at present. But as soon as you became his +wife, he intended to produce it and thus obtain possession of the +count's millions." + +"Ah! the old justice of the peace was not mistaken," murmured +Mademoiselle Marguerite. + +Pascal did not hear her. All his faculties were absorbed in the +attempt he was making to give a clear and concise explanation, for +he had much to say, and it was growing late. "As for the enormous +sum you have been accused of taking," he continued, "I know what +has become of it; it is in the hands of M. de Fondege." + +"I know that, Pascal--I'm sure of it; but the proof, the proof!" + +"The proof exists, and, like the will, it is in the hands of the +Marquis de Valorsay." + +"Is it possible! Great Heavens! You are sure you are not +deceived?" + +"I have seen the proof, and it is overpowering, irrefutable! I +have touched it--I have held it in my hands. And it explains +everything which may have seemed strange and incomprehensible to +you. The letter which M. de Chalusse received on the day of his +death was written by his sister. She asked in it for her share of +the family estate, threatening him with a terrible scandal if he +refused to comply with her request. Had the count decided to +brave this scandal rather than yield? We have good reason to +suppose so. However, this much is certain: he had a terrible +hatred, not so much for his sister, perhaps, as for the man who +had seduced her, and afterward married her, actuated by avaricious +motives alone. He had sworn thousands of times that neither +husband nor wife should ever have a penny of the large fortune +which really belonged to them. Believing that a lawsuit was now +inevitable, and wishing to conceal his wealth, he was greatly +embarrassed by the large amount of money he had on hand. What +should he do with it? Where could he hide it? He finally decided +to intrust it to the keeping of M. de Fondege, who was known as an +eccentric man, but whose honesty seemed to be above suspicion. +So, when he left home, on the afternoon of his illness, he took +the package of bank-notes and bonds, which you had noticed in the +escritoire that morning, away with him. We shall never know what +passed between your father and the General--we can only surmise. +But what I do know, and what I shall be able to prove, is that M. +de Fondege accepted the trust, and that he gave an acknowledgment +of it in the form of a letter, which read as follows: + + + +"'MY DEAR COUNT DE CHALUSSE--I hereby acknowledge the receipt, on +Thursday, October 15, 186-, of the sum of two millions, two +hundred and fifty thousand francs, which I shall deposit, in my +name, at the Bank of France, subject to the orders of Mademoiselle +Marguerite, your daughter, on the day she presents this letter. +And believe, my dear count, in the absolute devotion of your old +comrade, + + "GENERAL DE FONDEGE.'" + + + +Mademoiselle Marguerite was thunderstruck. "Who can have +furnished you with these particulars?" she inquired. + +"The Marquis de Valorsay, my dearest; and I will explain how he +was enabled to do so. M. de Fondege wrote the address of his 'old +comrade' on this letter, which was folded and sealed, but not +enclosed in an envelope. M. de Chalusse proposed to post it +himself, so that the official stamp might authenticate its date. +But on reflection, he became uneasy. He felt that this tiny, +perishable scrap of paper would be the only proof of the deposit +which he had confided to M. de Fondege's honor. This scrap might +be lost, burned, or stolen. Then what would happen? He had so +often seen trustees betray the confidence of which they had seemed +worthy. So M. de Chalusse racked his brains to discover a means +of protection from an improbable but possible misfortune. He +found it. Passing a stationer's shop, he went in, purchased one +of those letter-presses which merchants use in their +correspondence, and, under pretext of trying it, took a copy of M. +de Fondege's letter. Having done this, he placed the copy in an +envelope addressed to the Marquis de Valorsay, and, with his heart +relieved of all anxiety, posted it at the same time as the +original letter. A few moments later he got into the cab in which +he was stricken down with apoplexy." + +Extraordinary as Pascal's explanations must have seemed to her, +Marguerite did not doubt their accuracy in the least. "Then it is +the copy of this letter which you saw in the possession of the +Marquis de Valorsay?" + +"Yes." + +"And the original?" + +"M. de Fondege alone can tell what has become of that. It is +evident that he has somehow succeeded in obtaining possession of +it. Would he have dared to squander money as he has done if he +had not been convinced that there was no proof of his guilt in +existence? Perhaps on hearing of the count's sudden death he +bribed the concierge at the Hotel de Chalusse to watch for this +letter and return it to him. But on this subject I have only +conjectures to offer. If they wish you to marry their son, it is +probably because it seems too hard that you should be left in +abject poverty while they are enjoying the fortune they have +stolen from you. The vilest scoundrels have their scruples. +Besides, a marriage with their son would protect them against any +possible mischance in the future." + +He was silent for a moment, and then more slowly resumed: "You +see, Marguerite, we have clear, palpable, and irrefutable proofs +of YOUR innocence; but in my efforts to clear my own name of +disgrace, I have been far less fortunate. I have tried in vain to +collect material proofs of the conspiracy against me. It is only +by proving the guilt of the Marquis de Valorsay and the Viscount +de Coralth that I can establish my innocence, and so far I am +powerless to do so." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite's face brightened with supreme joy. "Then +I can serve you, in my turn, my only love," she exclaimed. "Ah! +blessed be God who inspired me, and who thus rewards me for an +hour of courage. My poor father's plan also occurred to me, +Pascal. Was it not strange? The material proof of your innocence +which you have sought for in vain, is in my possession, written +and signed by the Marquis de Valorsay. Like M. de Fondege, he +believes that the letter which proves his guilt is annihilated. +He burned it himself, and yet it exists." So saying, she drew from +her bosom one of the copies which she had received from Carjat the +photographer, and handed it to Pascal, adding, "Look!" + +Pascal eagerly perused the marvellous facsimile of the letter +which the marquis had written to Madame Leon. "Ah! this is the +scoundrel's death warrant." he exclaimed, exultantly. And +approaching Madame Ferailleur, who still stood leaning against the +door, silent and motionless: "Look, mother," he repeated, "look!" + +And he pointed to this paragraph which was so convincing and so +explicit, that the most exacting jury would have asked for no +further evidence. "I have formed a plan which will completely +efface all remembrance of that cursed P. F., in case any one could +condescend to think of him, after the disgrace we fastened upon +him the other evening at the house of Madame d'A----." + +"Nor is this all," resumed Mademoiselle Marguerite. "There are +other letters which will prove that this plot was the marquis's +work and which give the name of his accomplice, Coralth. And +these letters are in the possession of a man of dubious integrity, +who was once the marquis's ally, but who has now become his enemy. +He is known as Isidore Fortunat, and lives in the Place de la +Bourse." + +Marguerite felt that Madame Ferailleur's keen glance was riveted +upon her. She intuitively divined what was passing in the mind of +the puritanical old lady, and realized that her whole future, and +the happiness of her entire wedded life, depended upon her conduct +at that moment. So, desirous of making a full confession, she +hastily exclaimed: "My conduct may have seemed strange in a young +girl, Pascal. A timid, inexperienced girl, who had been carefully +kept from all knowledge of life and evil, would have been crushed +by such a burden of disgrace, and could only have wept and prayed. +I did weep and pray; but I also struggled and fought. In the hour +of peril I found myself endowed with some of the courage and +energy which distinguished the poor women of the people among whom +I formerly earned my bread. The teachings and miseries of the +past were not lost to me!" And as simply as if she were telling +the most natural thing in the world, she described the struggle +she had undertaken against the world, strong in her faith in +Pascal and in his love. + +"Ah, you are a noble and courageous girl!" exclaimed Madame +Ferailleur. "You are worthy of my son, and you will proudly guard +our honest name!" + +For some little time already the obstinate old lady had been +struggling against the sympathetic emotion that filled her heart, +and big tears were coursing down her wrinkled cheeks. + +Unable to restrain herself any longer, she now threw both arms +around Marguerite's neck, and drew her toward her in a long +embrace, murmuring: "Marguerite, my daughter! Ah! how unjust my +prejudices were!" + +It might be thought that Pascal was transported with joy on +hearing this, but no: the lines of care on his forehead deepened, +as he said: "Happiness is so near! Why must a final test, another +humiliation, separate us from it?" + +But Marguerite now felt strong enough to meet even martyrdom with +a smile. "Speak, Pascal!" said she, "don't you see that it is +almost ten o'clock?" + +He hesitated; there was grief in his eyes and his breath came +quick and hard, as he resumed: "For your sake and mine, we must +conquer, at any price. This is the only reason that can justify +the horrible expedient I have to suggest. M. de Valorsay, as you +know, has boasted of his power to overcome your resistance, and he +really believes that he possesses this power. Why I have not +killed him again and again when he has been at my mercy, I can +scarcely understand. The only thing that gave me power to +restrain myself was my desire for as sure, as terrible, and as +public a revenge as the humiliation he inflicted on me. His plan +for your ruin is such as only a scoundrel like himself could +conceive. With the assistance of his vile tool, Coralth, he has +formed a league, offensive and defensive, with the son of the +Count de Chalusse's sister, who is the only acknowledged heir at +this moment--a young man destitute of heart and intelligence, and +inordinately vain, but neither better nor worse than many others +who figure respectably in society. His name is Wilkie Gordon. +The marquis has acquired great influence over him, and has +persuaded him that it is his duty to denounce you to the +authorities. He has, in short, accused you of defrauding the +heirs of the Chalusse estate of two millions of francs and also of +poisoning the count." + +The girl shrugged her shoulders disdainfully. "As for the +robbery, we have an answer to that," she answered, "and as regards +the poisoning--really the accusation is too absurd!" + +But Pascal still looked gloomy. "The matter is more serious than +you suppose," he replied. "They have found a physician--a vile, +cowardly scoundrel--who for a certain sum has consented to appear +in support of the accusation." + +"Dr. Jodon, I presume!" + +"Yes; and this is not all. The count's escritoire contains the +vial of medicine of which he drank a portion on the day of his +death. Well, to-morrow night, Madame Leon will open the garden +gate of the Hotel de Chalusse and admit a rascal who will abstract +the vial." + +Marguerite shuddered. Now she understood the fiendish cunning of +the plot. "It might ruin me!" she murmured. + +Pascal nodded affirmatively. "M. de Valorsay wishes you to +consider yourself as irretrievably lost, and then he intends to +offer to save you on condition that you consent to marry him. I +should say, however, that M. Wilkie is ignorant of the atrocious +projects he is abetting. They are known only to the marquis and +M. de Coralth; and it is I who, under the name of Maumejan, act as +their adviser. It was to me that the marquis sent M. Wilkie for +assistance in drawing up this accusation. I myself wrote out the +denunciation, which was as terrible and as formidable as our +bitterest enemy could possibly desire, combining, as it did, with +perfidious art, the reports of the valets and the suspicions of +the physician, and establishing the connection between the robbery +and the murder. It finished by demanding a thorough +investigation. And M. Wilkie copied and signed this document, and +carried it to the prosecution office himself." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite sank half-fainting into an arm-chair. +"You have done this!" she faltered. + +"It was necessary, my daughter," whispered Madame Ferailleur. + +"Yes, it was necessary, absolutely necessary," repeated Pascal, +"as you will see. Justice, which is a human institution, and +limited in its powers, cannot fathom motives, read thoughts, or +interfere with plans, however abominable they may be, or however +near realization. Before it can interfere, the law must have +material, tangible proof, convincing to the senses. Until you are +arrested, the crimes committed by M. de Valorsay, and those +associated with him, do not come within the reach of human +justice; but as soon as you are in prison, I can hasten to our +friend the justice of the peace, and we shall go at once to the +investigating magistrate and explain everything. Now, when your +innocence and the guilt of your accusers have been established, +what do you fancy the authorities will do? They will wait until +your enemies declare themselves, in order to capture them all at +once, and prevent the escape of a single one. To-morrow night +some clever detectives will watch the Hotel de Chalusse, and just +as Madame Leon and the wretch with her think themselves sure of +success, they will be caught in the very act and arrested. When +they are examined by a magistrate, who is conversant with the +whole affair, can they deny their guilt? No; certainly not. +Acting upon their confession, the authorities will force an +entrance into Valorsay's house, where they will find your father's +will and the receipt given by M. de Fondege--in a word, all the +proofs of their guilt. And while this search is going on, all +your enemies, reassured by your arrest, will be at a grand soiree +given by Baron Trigault. I shall be there as well." + +Mademoiselle Marguerite had mastered her momentary weakness. She +rose to her feet, and in a firm voice exclaimed: "You have acted +rightly." + +"Ah! there was no other way. And yet I wished to see you, to +learn if this course were too repugnant to you." + +She interrupted him with a gesture. "When shall I be arrested?" +she asked, quietly. + +"This evening or to-morrow." was his answer. + +"Very well! I have only one request to make. The Fondeges have a +son who has no hand in the affair, but who will be more severely +punished than his parents, if we do not spare them. Could you +not----" + +"I can do nothing, Marguerite. I am powerless now." + +Everything was soon arranged. Marguerite raised her forehead to +Pascal for his parting kiss, and went away accompanied by Madame +Ferailleur, who escorted her to the corner of the Rue Boursault. +The General and his wife had returned home in advance of +Marguerite. She found them sitting in the drawing-room, with +distorted faces and teeth chattering with fear. With them was a +bearded man who, as soon as she appeared, exclaimed: + +"You are Mademoiselle Marguerite, are you not? I arrest you in +the name of the law. There is my warrant." And without more ado +he led her away. + + + +XX. + + +Money, which nowadays has taken the place of the good fairies of +former times, had gratified M. Wilkie's every longing in a single +night. Without any period of transition, dreamlike as it were, he +had passed from what he called "straitened circumstances" to the +splendid enjoyment of a princely fortune. Madame d'Argeles's +renunciation had been so correctly drawn up, that as soon as he +presented his claims and displayed his credentials he was placed +in possession of the Chalusse estate. It is true that a few +trifling difficulties presented themselves. For instance, the old +justice of the peace who had affixed the seals refused to remove +them from certain articles of furniture, especially from the late +count's escritoire, without an order from the court, and several +days were needed to obtain this. But what did that matter to M. +Wilkie? The house, with its splendid reception-rooms, pictures, +statuary and gardens, was at his disposal, and he installed +himself therein at once. Twenty horses neighed and stamped in his +stables; there were at least a dozen carriages in the coach-house. +He devoted his attention exclusively to the horses and vehicles; +but acting upon the advice of Casimir, who had become his valet +and oracle, he retained all the former servants of the house, from +Bourigeau the concierge down to the humblest scullery maid. +Still, he gave them to understand that this was only a temporary +arrangement. A man like himself, living in this progressive age, +could scarcely be expected to content himself with what had +satisfied the Count de Chalusse. "For I have my plans," he +remarked to Casimir, "but let Paris wait awhile." + +He repudiated his former friends. Costard and Serpillon, +pretended viscounts though they were, were quite beneath the +notice of a Gordon-Chalusse, as M. Wilkie styled himself on his +visiting cards. However, he purchased their share of Pompier de +Nanterre, feeling convinced that this remarkable steeplechaser had +a brilliant future before him. He did not trouble himself to any +great extent about his mother. Like every one else, he knew that +she had disappeared, but nothing further. On the other hand, the +thought of his father, the terrible chevalier d'industrie, hung +over his joy like a pall; and each time the great entrance bell +announced a visitor, he trembled, turned pale, and muttered: +"Perhaps it's he!" + +Tortured by this fear, he clung closely to the Marquis de Valorsay +as if he felt that this distinguished friend was a powerful +support. Besides, people of rank and distinction naturally +exercised a powerful attraction over him, and he fancied he grew +several inches taller when, in some public place, in the street, +or a restaurant, he was able to call out, "I say, Valorsay, my +good friend," or, "Upon my word! my dear marquis!" + +M. de Valorsay received these effusions graciously enough, +although, in point of fact, he was terribly bored by the +platitudes of his new acquaintance. He intended to send him to +Coventry later on, but just now M. Wilkie was too useful to be +ignored. So he had introduced him to his club, and was seen with +him everywhere--in the Bois, at the restaurants, and the theatres. +At times, some of his friends inquired: "Who is that queer little +fellow?" with a touch of irony in their tone, but when the marquis +carelessly answered: "A poor devil who has just come into +possession of a property worth twenty millions!" they became +serious, and requested the pleasure and honor of an introduction +to this fortunate young man. + +So M. de Valorsay had invited Gordon-Chalusse to accompany him to +Baron Trigault's approaching fete. It was to be an entertainment +for gentlemen only, a monster card-party; but every one knew the +wealthy baron, and no doubt with a view of stimulating curiosity +he had declared, and the Figaro had repeated, that he had a great +surprise in store for his guests. Oh! such a surprise! They could +have no idea what it was! This fete was to take place on the +second day after Mademoiselle Marguerite's arrest; and on the +appointed evening, between nine and ten o'clock, M. de Valorsay +and his friend Coralth sat together in the former's smoking-room +waiting for Wilkie to call for them, as had been agreed upon. +They were both in the best of spirits. The viscount's +apprehensions had been entirely dispelled; and the marquis had +quite forgotten the twinges of pain in his injured limb. +"Marguerite will only leave prison to marry me," said M. de +Valorsay, triumphantly; and he added: "What a willing tool this +Wilkie is! A single word sufficed to make him give all his +servants leave of absence. The Hotel de Chalusse will be +deserted, and Madame Leon and Vantrasson can operate at their +leisure." + +It was ten o'clock when M. Wilkie made his appearance. "Come, my +good friends!" said he, "my carriage is below." + +They started off at once, and five minutes later they were ushered +into the presence of Baron Trigault, who received M. Wilkie as if +he had never seen him before. There was quite a crowd already. +At least three or four hundred people had assembled in the Baron's +reception-rooms, and among them were several former habitues of +Madame d'Argeles's house; one could also espy M. de Fondege +ferociously twirling his mustaches as usual, together with Kami- +Bey, who was conspicuous by reason of his portly form and eternal +red fez. However, among these men, all noticeable for their +studied elegance of attire and manner, and all of them known to M. +de Valorsay, there moved numerous others of very different +appearance. Their waistcoats were less open, and their clothes +did not fit them as perfectly; on the other hand, there was +something else than a look of idiotic self-complacency on their +faces. "Who can these people be?" whispered the marquis to M. de +Coralth. "They look like lawyers or magistrates." But although he +said this he did not really believe it, and it was without the +slightest feeling of anxiety that he strolled from group to group, +shaking hands with his friends and introducing M. Wilkie. + +A strange rumor was in circulation among the guests. Many of them +declared--where could they have heard such a thing?--that in +consequence of a quarrel with her husband, Madame Trigault had +left Paris the evening before. They even went so far as to repeat +her parting words to the Baron: "You will never see me again," she +had said. "You are amply avenged. Farewell!" However, the best +informed among the guests, the folks who were thoroughly +acquainted with all the scandals of the day, declared the story +false, and said that if the baroness had really fled, handsome +Viscount de Coralth would not appear so calm and smiling. + +The report WAS true, however. But M. de Coralth did not trouble +himself much about the baroness now. Had he not got in his pocket +M. Wilkie's signature insuring him upward of half a million? +Standing near one of the windows in the main reception-room, +between the Marquis de Valorsay and M. Wilkie, the brilliant +viscount was gayly chatting with them, when a footman, in a voice +loud enough to interrupt all conversation, suddenly announced: "M. +Maumejan!" + +It seemed such a perfectly natural thing to M. de Valorsay that +Maumejan, as one of the baron's business agents, should be +received at his house, that he was not in the least disturbed. +But M. de Coralth, having heard the name, wished to see the man +who had aided and advised the marquius so effectually. He +abruptly turned, and as he did so the words he would have spoken +died upon his lips. He became livid, his eyes seemed to start +from their sockets, and it was with difficulty that he ejaculated: +"He!" + +"Who?" inquired the astonished marquis. + +"Look!" + +M. de Valorsay did so, and to his utter amazement he perceived a +numerous party in the rear of the man announced under the name of +Maumejan. First came Mademoiselle Marguerite, leaning on the arm +of the white-haired magistrate, and then Madame Ferailleur; next +M. Isidore Fortunat, and finally Chupin--Victor Chupin, +resplendent in a handsome, bran-new, black dress-suit. + +The marquis could no longer fail to understand the truth. He +realized who Maumejan really was, and the audacious comedy he had +been duped by. He was so frightfully agitated that five or six +persons sprang forward exclaiming: "What is the matter, marquis? +Are you ill?" But he made no reply. He felt that he was caught +in a trap, and he glanced wildly around him seeking for some +loophole of escape. + +However, the word of command had evidently been given. Suddenly +all the guests scattered about the various drawing-rooms poured +into the main hall, and the doors were closed. Then, with a +solemnity of manner which no one had ever seen him display before, +Baron Trigault took the so-called Maumejan by the hand and led him +into the centre of the apartment opposite the lofty chimney-piece. +"Gentlemen," he began, in a commanding tone, "this is M. Pascal +Ferailleur, the honorable man who was falsely accused of cheating +at cards at Madame d'Argeles's house. You owe him a hearing." + +Pascal was greatly agitated. The strangeness of the situation, +the certainty of speedy and startling rehabilitation, perhaps the +joy of vengeance, the silence, which was so profound that he could +hear his own panting breath, and the many eyes riveted upon him, +all combined to unnerve him. But only for a moment. He swiftly +conquered his weakness, and surveying his audience with flashing +eyes, he explained, in a clear and ringing voice, the shameful +conspiracy to obtain possession of the count's millions, and the +abominable machinations by which Mademoiselle Marguerite and +himself had been victimized. Then when he had finished his +explanations he added, in a still more commanding voice, "Now +look; you can read the culprits' guilt on their faces. One is the +scoundrel known to you as the Viscount de Coralth, but Paul +Violaine is his true name. He was formerly an accomplice of the +notorious Mascarot; he is a cowardly villain, for he is married, +and leaves his wife and children to die of starvation!" The +Viscount de Coralth fairly bellowed with rage. But Pascal did not +heed him. "The other criminal is the Marquis de Valorsay," he +added, in the same ringing tone. There was, moreover, a third +culprit who would have inspired mingled pity and disgust if any +one had noticed him shrinking into a corner, terrified and +muttering: "It wasn't my fault, my wife compelled me to do it!" +This was General de Fondege. + +Pascal did not mention his name. But it was not absolutely +necessary he should do so, and besides, he remembered Marguerite's +entreaty respecting the son. + +However, while the young lawyer was speaking, the marquis had +summoned all his energy and assurance to his aid. Desperate as +his plight might be, he would not surrender. "This is an infamous +conspiracy," he exclaimed. "Baron, you shall atone for this. The +man's an impostor!--he lies!--all that he says is false!" + +"Yes, it is false!" echoed M. de Coralth. + +But a clamor arose, drowning these protestations, and the most +opprobrious epithets could be heard on every side. + +"How will you prove your assertion?" cried M. de Valorsay. + +"Don't try that dodge on us!" shouted Chupin. "Vantrasson and +mother Leon have confessed everything." + +"Who defrauded us all with Domingo?" cried several people; and, +loud above all the others, Kami-Bey bawled out: "To say nothing of +the fact that the sale of your racing stud was a complete +swindle!" + +Meanwhile, Pascal's former friends and associates, his brother +advocates and the magistrates who had listened to his first +efforts at the bar, crowded round him, pressing his hands, +embracing him almost to suffocation, censuring themselves for +having suspected him, the very soul of honor, and pleading in +self-justification the degenerate age in which we live--an age in +which we daily see those whom we had considered immaculate +suddenly yield to temptation. And a murmur of respectful +admiration rose from the throng when the excitement had subsided a +little, and the guests had an opportunity to observe Mademoiselle +Marguerite, whose eyes sparkled more brightly than ever through +her happy tears; and whose beauty acquired an almost sublime +expression from her deep emotion. + +The wretched Valorsay felt that all was over--that he was +irretrievably lost. Seized by a blind fury like that which impels +a hunted animal to turn and face the hounds that pursue him, and +bid them defiance, he confronted the throng with his face +distorted with passion, his eyes bloodshot, and foam upon his +lips; he was absolutely frightful in his cynicism, hatred, and +scorn. "Ah! well, yes!" he exclaimed--"yes, all that you have +just heard is true. I was sinking, and I tried to save myself as +best I could. Beggars cannot be choosers; I staked my all upon a +single die. If I had won, you would have been at my feet; but I +have lost and you spurn me. Cowards! hypocrites! that you are, +insult me if you like, but tell me how many among you all are +sufficiently pure and upright to have a right to despise me! Are +there a hundred among you? are there even fifty?" + +A tempest of hisses momentarily drowned his voice, but as soon as +the uproar had ceased, he resumed, sneeringly: "Ah! the truth +wounds you, my dear friends. Pray, don't pretend to be so +distressingly virtuous! I was ruined--that is the long and short +of it. But what man of you is not embarrassed? Who among you +finds his income sufficient? Which one of you is not encroaching +upon his capital? And when you have come to your last louis, you +will do what I have done, or something worse. Do not deny it, for +not one among you has a more uncompromising conscience, more moral +firmness, or more generous aspirations than I once possessed. You +are pursuing what I pursued. You desire what I desired--a life of +luxury, brief if it must be, but happy--a life of gayety, wild +excitement, and dissipation. You, too, have a passion for +pleasure and gambling, race-horses, and notorious women, a table +always bountifully spread, glasses ever overflowing with wine, all +the delights of luxury, and everything that gratifies your vanity! +But an abyss of shame awaits you at the end of it all. I am in it +now. I await you there, for there you will surely, necessarily, +inevitably come. Ah, ha! you will not then think my downfall so +very strange. Let me pass! make way! if you please." + +He advanced with his head haughtily erect, and would actually have +made his escape if a frightened servant had not at that moment +appeared crying: "Monsieur--Monsieur le Baron! a commissary of +police is downstairs. He is coming up. He has a warrant!" + +The marquis's frenzied assurance deserted him. He turned even +paler than he already was if that were possible, and reeled like +an ox but partially stunned by the butcher's hammer. Suddenly a +desperate resolution could be read in his eyes, the resolution of +the condemned criminal, who, knowing that he cannot escape the +scaffold, ascends it with a firm step. + +He hastily approached Baron Trigault, and asked in a husky voice: +"Will you allow me to be arrested in your house, baron? me--a +Valorsay!" + +It might have been supposed that the baron had expected this +reproach, for without a word he led the marquis and M. de Coralth +to a little room at the end of the hall, pushed them inside, and +closed the door again. + +It was time he did so, for the commissary of police was already +upon the threshold. "Which of you gentlemen is the Marquis de +Valorsay?" he asked. "Which of you is Paul Violaine, alias the +Viscount de----" + +The sharp report of firearms suddenly interrupted him. Every one +at once rushed to the little room, where the wretched men had been +conducted. There extended, face upward, on the floor, lay the +Marquis de Valorsay, with his brains oozing from his fractured +skull, and his right hand still clutching a revolver. He was +dead. "And the other!" cried the throng; "the other!" + +The open window, and a curtain rudely torn from its fastenings and +secured to the balustrade, told how M. de Coralth had made his +escape. It was not till later that people learned what +precautions the baron had taken. On the table in that room he had +laid two revolvers, and two packages containing ten thousand +francs each. The viscount had not hesitated. + +* * * * * + +Pascal Ferailleur and Mademoiselle Marguerite de Chalusse were +married at the church of Saint Etienne du Mont, only a few steps +from the Rue d'Ulm. Those who knew the mystery connected with the +bride's parentage were greatly astonished when they saw Baron +Trigault act as a witness on this occasion, in company with the +venerable justice of the peace. But such was the fact, +nevertheless. Treated more and more outrageously by his daughter +and her husband, separated from his wife, who had nearly lost her +reason, although her letters were saved, the baron has nowadays +found affection and a home with Pascal and his wife. He plays +cards but seldom now--only an occasional game of piquet with +Madame Ferailleur, and he amuses himself by making her start when +she is too long in discarding, by ejaculating, in a stentorian +voice: "We are wasting precious time!" Sometimes they go out +together, to the great astonishment of such as chance to meet the +puritanical old lady leaning on the baron's arm. She often goes +to visit and console the widow Gordon, formerly known as Lia +d'Argeles, who now keeps an establishment near Montrouge, where +she provides poor, betrayed and forsaken girls with a home and +employment. She has yet to receive any token of remembrance from +her son. As for her husband, she supposes he is dead or +incarcerated in some prison. + +It is to Madame Gordon that the Fondeges are often indebted for +bread. Obliged to disgorge their plunder, and left with no +resources save the fifty francs a month allowed them by their son, +who has been promoted to the rank of captain, their poverty is +necessarily extreme. Oh! those Fondeges! M. Fortunat only speaks +of them with horror. But he is loud in his praises of Madame +Marguerite, who repaid him the forty thousand francs he had +advanced to M. de Valorsay. He speaks in the highest terms of +Chupin also; but in this, he is scarcely sincere, for Victor, who +has been set up in business by Pascal, told him very plainly that +he was determined not to put his hand to any more dirty work, and +that expression, "dirty work," rankles in M. Fortunat's heart. + +Chupin's resolution did not, however, prevent him from attending +the trial of Vantrasson and Madame Leon--the former of whom was +sentenced to hard labor for life, and the latter to ten years' +imprisonment. Nothing is known concerning M. de Coralth; but his +wife has disappeared, to the great disappointment of M. Mouchon. +As a dentist, Dr. Jodon is successful. As for M. Wilkie, you can +learn anything you wish to know concerning him in the newspapers, +for his sayings, doings, and movements, are constantly being +chronicled. The reporters exhaust all the resources of their +vocabulary in describing his horses, carriages, and stables, and +the gorgeous liveries of his servants. His changes of residence +are always mentioned; his brilliant sayings are quoted. He is a +social success; he is admired, fondled, and flattered. He makes a +great stir in the fashionable world--in fact, he reigns over it +like a king. After all, assurance is the winning card in the game +of life! + + + + +End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Baron Trigault's Vengeance + diff --git a/old/trvng10.zip b/old/trvng10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d425bc4 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/trvng10.zip |