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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3fb383a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63852 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63852) diff --git a/old/63852-0.txt b/old/63852-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8d2e6c6..0000000 --- a/old/63852-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6066 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Marquis of Letoriere, by Marie Joseph Eugène Sue - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Marquis of Letoriere - -Author: Marie Joseph Eugène Sue - -Release Date: November 22, 2020 [EBook #63852] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARQUIS OF LETORIERE *** - - - - -Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images -generously made available by Hathi Trust.) - - - - - - -THE - -MARQUIS OF LETORIERE. - - -[_FROM THE FRENCH._] - - - -BOSTON: -NICHOLS & HALL - -1873 - - - - -CONTENTS - -CHAPTER I -The Tailor -CHAPTER II -The Ex-Professor of Plessis College -CHAPTER III -The Debtor -CHAPTER IV -Mysteries -CHAPTER V -The Cavalier -CHAPTER VI -Mademoiselle de Soissons -CHAPTER VII -The Lawsuit -CHAPTER VIII -The Chateau Soubise -CHAPTER IX -The Departure -CHAPTER X -The Governor of Henferester -CHAPTER XI -The Supper -CHAPTER XII -Confidences -CHAPTER XIII -Doctor Sphex -CHAPTER XIV -The Councillor Flachsinfingen -CHAPTER XV -The Interview -CHAPTER XVI -The Judgment -CHAPTER XVII -The Adieux -CHAPTER XVIII -The Return -CHAPTER XIX -The Duel -CHAPTER XX -The Abbey - - - - -THE MARQUIS OF LETORIERE. - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE TAILOR - - -In 1769 there was in the Rue St. Honoré, not far from the Palais Royal, -a small tailor's shop, having for its sign an enormous pair of gilt -scissors, suspended above the door by an iron triangle. - -Master Landry, proprietor of The Golden Scissors, a little lean, pale, -and apathetic man, offered a striking contrast to his wife Madelaine. - -She was a woman of thirty-five or forty years, robust and active, with -hard features, and a gait like a man's, and her quick and imperious -voice told that her dominion over her household was absolute. - -It was eleven o'clock one dark, rainy day in December. Master Landry, -seated on his counter, plied alternately his scissors and needle, in -company with Martin Kraft, his apprentice, a big, heavy, phlegmatic -German, about twenty years old, whose red and puffed-out cheeks, and -long hair, more yellow than blonde, gave him a stupid air. - -The tailor's wife seemed to be in a very bad humor. Landry and his -apprentice maintained a prudent silence, until at length Madeleine -snapped out at her husband, scornfully: - -"I give up; thou hast no blood in thy veins; thou would'st allow thyself -to be robbed of thy last customer; imbecile!" - -Landry exchanged an elbow-touch and a glance with Martin Kraft, but kept -quiet, handling his needle with redoubled dexterity. - -Irritated, no doubt, by the meekness of her victim, the housewife -resumed, addressing her husband vehemently: - -"To whom do I speak, if you please?" - -The tailor and the apprentice continued mute. - -The exasperated woman administered a vigorous slap to her husband, -saying: - -"It appears to me that when I speak to a fool, it is thou whom I -address, and thou would'st do well to reply--ill-bred as thou art!" - -"By St. Genevieve!" cried the tailor, putting his hand to his cheek, and -turning to his apprentice,--"how's that, Kraft?" - -The apprentice answered only by a violent stroke of his iron goose, -applied to the seams of a coat; but this blow had such an expression of -temper, that Dame Landry, with a dexterous hand, inflicted on the -phlegmatic German the same correction she had applied to Landry, saying -to him: - -"I'll teach you to censure my conduct, you sluggard!" - -"How do you find that, Master Landry?" said the apprentice, in his turn, -looking towards his master. - -The latter, hoping to allay his wife's irritation, said, very calmly: - -"Now, Madelaine, explain yourself tranquilly; we are both sufficiently -roused to pay attention to what you would say." - -"That's lucky; what I have to say will not take long. Idler, -good-for-nothing! see now, one of your best customers, the -valet-de-chambre of the Member of Parliament, no less a personage, has -gone to our neighbor Mathurin." - -"What, we're losing our custom?" demanded the tailor of his apprentice -with an air of indignation, coward-like, designing to turn the wrath of -his wife on the unhappy Kraft. "What, Martin, do you give us such -customers? Are you not ashamed? 'Tis not mine who treat us thus. -Gracious! mine are as faithful to me as the thread to the needle--as the -thimble to the finger--as--" - -"Tut, tut, tut," said Dame Landry, interrupting, "how you chatter, -Master Landry! That's the reason why the clerk of M. Buston, the -attorney at Châtelet, who has always been your customer, left you more -than a month ago--even he--for that cursed Mathurin!" - -"What do you mean, woman? This Mathurin surely must employ some sorcery -thus to draw those customers to his shop," said Landry, sadly; "for I -defy any workman of the honorable corporation of tailors to do better or -stronger sewing than mine. St. Genevieve, patroness of our good city, -knows if I cabbage the thousandth part of a quarter of a yard of the -cloths which are intrusted to me. It is the same with the trimmings; -and--" - -"Heavens! M. Landry, give me rest from the enumeration of your good -qualities. Our neighbor Mathurin is a knave, a cheat it may be; but at -least he bends his wits to his work, he bestirs himself; he makes good -acquaintances; he does not sit all day with his arms crossed as you do." - -"Excuse me, it is his legs, madame, which Master L. keeps crossed all -day," said Kraft, sententiously. - -"Hear that animal!" cried the housewife, throwing a meaning look at the -apprentice, who lowered his head and began to work furiously with his -goose. - -"You have no good customers," said Dame Landry, "none but mechanics, -attorneys' clerks, dry-salters workmen--not a single gentleman." - -"As for gentlemen, Madelaine," replied the tailor, hazarding a timid -reproach, "I have one among my customers, and you prevent me from -working for him." - -Madelaine colored with anger, and exclaimed: "Do you dare to talk to me -of your Marquis, of your _Monsieur le Charmant_, of that sharper, who -has owed us three hundred livres for more than a year, and from whom you -have never got the first red cent?" - -"And yet, ma'am, you wish the custom of such gentlemen!" - -"I wish the custom of gentlemen who pay, and not of knaves who only walk -the streets of Paris, with swords at their sides, and hats cocked awry, -to dupe imbeciles like you,--poor trades-people like us." - -The tailor raised his hands towards heaven. - -"It is easy to see, Madelaine, that you are no better acquainted with -the Marquis than with the Grand Turk. . . . He, a knave; he, a sharper; -he--poor young man--so mild, so gentle, so sad, and then so pretty . . . -one could spend an hour only in looking at him . . . he is like a wax -saint." - -"So pretty--so pretty," said the housewife, imitating her husband, -". . . and what does that amount to? Did any one ever see such folly? -Does he pay us any better because he is pretty? Once more, what good has -it done you?" - -"This is what it does for me: when I see such a handsome gentleman, poor -and unhappy . . . I am heart-broken, and I have not the courage to ask -for my money. . . . That is what it does for me. In short, Martin Kraft -himself has felt as I do. . . . You sent him to the house of the Marquis -to dun him, and what did Martin Kraft tell you when he came back? That -instead of demanding the money, he had asked him if he did not need a -new coat." - -"That only proves that Martin Kraft is a goose like yourself!" - -"The fact is, that this gentleman was so beautiful that one would have -said he was a wooden figure painted at Nuremburg," gravely said the -German, who could find no more artistic comparison to express his -admiration. - -"Well done!" said Dame Landry, contemptuously shrugging her shoulders; -then adding, "but patience, patience! this very day I will go and show -this charming gentleman that Madelaine Landry does not take her pay in -wheedling." - -Just then a carriage stopped before the shop. It was raining in -torrents. The housewife put on a more amiable expression, thinking that -custom might come from the coach; but, to her great astonishment, the -coachman, having descended slowly and clumsily from his seat, looked at -the sign and entered the tailor's shop. - -"Master Landry?" he asked, in a loud voice, shaking his great-coat all -dripping with rain. - -"At least, there is no need of your shaking yourself like a dog coming -out of the water in order to ask for Master Landry," sharply answered -Madelaine. "What do you want?" - -"My good woman, if I shake myself it is because I am soaked--drowned--as -you can see, and I only give you a drop or two." - -"Much obliged for your kindness," said the housewife. - -"As to Master Landry, I wish to speak to him about a young -gentleman . . . Zounds! what a charming little gentleman! As true as my -name is Jerome Sicard, I never saw such a beauty.--Come now," said the -coachman, interrupting himself, "see how the water is running down my -neck," and he began to shake his hat. - -Dame Madelaine was bursting out anew, when the window of the carriage -was lowered. A man about fifty years of age, large, coarse, rubicund, -powdered, and clothed in black, called to the coachman in the voice of a -Stentor. Seeing that his summons was unheeded, he opened the door, got -out of the carriage, and entered the shop. - -"Will you tell me, you stupid, why you have stopped here instead of -carrying me to the Soubise Hotel?" - -"Excuse me sir; I had to execute a commission for a fine -gentleman." . . . . - -"And what is that to me,--your fine gentleman? I'm in a hurry. Come, get -on the box." . . . . - -"One minute, 'squire; I have promised this gentleman to execute his -commission, and do it I will." - -"Ah, you refuse to go! Take care! if you don't start immediately, you -shall hear from the lieutenant of police--I give you warning." - -"All right, I shall have to pass a night in the lock-up, if you -choose,--you have the right to put me there; but I will keep my promise -to this young gentleman." - -After new entreaties and new threats, seeing that he made no impression -on the obstinacy of the coachman, the big man clothed in black, who was -the steward of the Princess of Rohan-Soubise, seated himself, growling. - -"But," cried the peevish Madelaine, pulling Sicard by the sleeve, "are -you ever going to say what you have to say to my husband?" And she -pointed to Landry, who had looked on the whole scene with open mouth. - -"This is the story," said the coachman; "I was passing, an hour ago, -through a street in the Faubourg St. Honoré. It rained in torrents. I -saw, under the porch of the Hotel Pompadour, a young man who had taken -shelter there. He was so lovely . . . one would have taken him for a -good angel . . . Although it is the middle of winter, he had on a poor -coat of brown cloth trimmed with black lace!!!" - -"A coat of brown cloth with black trimmings! That is our coat!" cried -Dame Landry; "that is to say, it is _Monsieur le Charmant_; it is that -cursed marquis; he has only that coat which we have made him on credit -. . . it is easy enough to recognize him." - -"Yes, faith, if ever any one deserved to wear embroidered coats, it is -surely he, for as sure as my name is Jerome Sicard, I never saw any one -who looked more like a good angel". . . - -"Bah, go away with your good angel! . . . Has he given you money to -bring to us? Where are the three hundred livres that he has owed us for -more than a year?" - -"Money! Goodness gracious! No, indeed, he has not sent it! Who would -have the heart to ask it of him? I took him to the Palais Marchand for -nothing." . . . - -"Well, wife"--said the tailor, with a triumphant air. - -"Hold your tongue, you fool . . . he has cheated this coachman as he has -bewitched and cheated you . . . another proof that he is a rogue." - -"Rogue!" cried the worthy Sicard, stamping his foot angrily . . . . "A -cheat! Know, my gossip, that this gentleman cheats no one . . . . If I -carried him for nothing it was because it gave me pleasure to do so. -Seeing him stopped by the rain, I drew my carriage up to the door and -said to him, 'Get in, sir!' 'No, thank you my lad,' he answered, in a -voice sweet as music. 'But you will be wet to the skin.' 'That is very -possible; but tell me only, my friend, what time it is.' 'Eleven -o'clock, sir.' 'Eleven o'clock! and I have business at the Palais -Marchand at half-past eleven,' exclaimed he, involuntarily looking sadly -at the rain and the gutters, which were running like rivers. 'Get in, -then, sir,' I repeated; 'in twenty minutes I will set you down at the -Palais Marchand, while on foot it will take you at least until noon to -get there!' 'I thank you, my lad,' said he, half-smiling, half-sighing, -'but I have no money. So don't lose your time here!' 'No money!' I -cried, opening the door, and almost pushing the little gentleman into my -carriage, for he was slender as a reed. 'By Jupiter, it shall not be -Jerome Sicard, who, for a franc, leaves a gentleman like you to miss an -appointment! Take my number, and you may pay me when you like, sir;' and -without giving him time to answer, I jumped on my seat, and in eighteen -minutes I deposited him safely at the Palais Marchand." - -"Well done! he has bewitched everybody, even a hackney-coachman," cried -Dame Landry; "but patience--patience!" - -"Shall you soon be done?" cried out the steward of the Princess Soubise. - -"In one moment, sir. Arrived at the Palais Marchand, my gentleman said, -'Give me your number, my lad, I only desire to have the power to -recognize your kindness some day, and to pay you as you deserve; for -without your help, I could not have been present at an audience very -important to my lawsuit; but, as you have been so obliging, do me yet -one more favor. I started to go to my tailor to tell him not to fail to -bring me the coat which he promised me for to-night. This tailor keeps -in St. Honoré, at the sign of The Golden Scissors. If it will not take -you too much out of your way to pass this shop and tell the tailor that -the Marquis--Let--Les--Létorière--yes, that's it--of Létorière, will -expect this evening the coat he took the measure for a fortnight since.' -'Whether it is out of my way or not,' said I, 'I will go at any rate.' -Then you hired me by the hour, sir;" and the coachman, turning towards -the steward, added: "I have passed through St. Honoré, which has not -put you out at all, and I have executed my commission to this worthy -knight of the thimble and needle." Turning to Landry: "Now, tailor, -don't forget the gentleman's coat, and if you will tell me at what hour -it will be ready, I will come and carry it to his house myself, gratis. -Zounds!--always gratis--for I am sure that to oblige any one who so much -resembles a good angel ought to give one happiness. Now, my master, -excuse me"--and he turned towards the steward of Madame -Rohan-Soubise--"when you are ready we will start." - -The steward, witness of this singular scene, felt interested in spite of -himself; he did not hurry in getting into the coach, especially when he -heard Dame Landry cry, in a cross voice, regarding her husband with -surprise and astonishment: - -"Have you then dared, in spite of my orders, to promise another coat to -this person who never pays? But you have not begun it, I hope?" - -"But, my dear--" - -"There is no but about it,--answer me!" - -"I have done more than begin it, my dear; I have finished it," said the -tailor, sadly lowering his head. - -"You have made this coat? And with what? And when? Why don't you answer -me? For the last week I have not seen you, you and your worthy -apprentice, working on anything but these woollen overcoats and these -shaggy jackets." - -Wishing to come to his master's succor, Master Kraft ventured to say: -"It was I, Madame Landry, who bought, with my own savings, five yards of -Segovian cloth, of an amaranth color, and in order to make the garment -complete, three yards of changeable taffeta, for the trimming of the -vest and coat; and we have worked nights, Master Landry and I, in order -that we might not lose our work by day." - -"So, while I have been quietly and honestly sleeping, you have been -sitting up like criminals to work upon this beautiful masterpiece!" -cried the housewife. - -"Well, what'll you have? This poor little gentleman has not troubled -either of us, Martin Kraft. By St. Genevieve! it was pitiful to see him, -in midwinter, with his miserable brown coat. We could not resist the -pleasure of clothing him like a gentleman as he is. Be easy; sooner or -later he will pay us. I'll put my hand in the fire if he isn't as honest -as he is charming." - -Jerome Sicard, a big fellow of thirty years or thereabouts, listened to -the tailor's speech with increasing satisfaction. When it was finished, -he offered Master Landry his great hand, saying: "Take it, worthy -tailor; send your wife immediately to get a bottle of your best wine, -and we will drink together--blast me if we don't! And you, too, worthy -apprentice I you, also, shall share the bottle, for you honor the -scissors and the establishment better than any of your respectable -corporation." - -"If you don't drink wine till I bring it to you, you will run no risk of -losing the little wits you have left," said Dame Landry, sharply; "you -deserve, indeed, to hob-nob with my fool of a husband, for, like him, -you have let yourself be bewitched by the first knave who comes along. -But as you do so well the errands of this cheating Marquis, you can go -and tell him that the coat shall not go out of this shop until he has -paid us the three hundred livres that he owes. You can also inform him, -to finish up the matter, that I am going myself to carry his bill, and -if the fine gentleman is not at home I will wait for him,--if he does -not, at least, give me something on account, I will go and find the -commissary, and I'll let you see that I, a woman, have more spunk than -either of you,--you chicken-hearted milk-sops!" - -"As to being a sop, I'm sopping wet, that's true enough," said Jerome -Sicard; "but as to being chicken-hearted,--my good granny, if I had my -whip, or only the yard-stick on the counter, and you were _my_ wife, I'd -teach you speedily that I am no chicken, but a full-grown cock--fully -able to teach you better than to refuse a flask of wine to my -friends . . . all this without malice . . . but may the good God -grant that this may give you the happy idea of using your yard-stick -in training your wife, brave tailor!" said Sicard; then addressing -the secretary,--"I am ready, sir." - -"That is well," said he, though by no means angry at the detention, for -the scene had amused him. - -The coachman gone, Dame Landry took her large cloak, her black mantle, -and a great umbrella, bade her husband bring her the coat of Segovian -cloth made for M. Létorière, which she locked up, and then started in -a white heat of wrath to go and wait for this _Monsieur le Charmant_, as -she derisively called him. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE EX-PROFESSOR OF PLESSIS COLLEGE - - -The dwelling of the Marquis was not very far from his creditor's shop. -M. de Létorière occupied two small rooms on the fifth floor of a house -in the Rue St. Florentin. - -He shared this poor asylum with Dr. Jean-François Dominique, -ex-professor in the College of Plessis. - -By an odd freak of fortune, the young Marquis, destined to charm people -in so many conditions of life, had first exercised his inconceivable -fascinations on this old professor, who was drawn to him with the most -tender affection. - -Notwithstanding a thousand malicious tricks of the frolicsome child, -Dr. Dominique recognized in his pupil so much spirit and heart, as well -as nobility of soul, that he became singularly attached to him. Perhaps, -also, the rare aptitude of the Marquis, who was one of the most -distinguished linguists of the Plessis College, for the study of the -dead languages, was another reason for the extraordinary devotion of the -old professor to his pupil. - -The Abbé of Vighan, an uncle of M. de Létorière, had for six years -paid the college expenses of his nephew, a poor orphan. During a journey -of the Abbé, the balance of the quarterly account was left in arrears. -The Marquis interpreting, in a manner displeasing to his delicacy, some -words of the principal on the subject of this tardiness in the payment, -resolutely decided to quit the college. - -Dominique, acquainted with his project, did his best to dissuade him -from its execution; but the Marquis was nineteen years of age, and had a -determined will. The poor professor, not being able to prevent him from -committing this folly, determined at least to accompany him in his -flight, so unwilling was he to leave the young Marquis to encounter -alone the temptations of a great city. - -Dominique himself made all the plans for the escape; and one dark night -the master and scholar scaled the walls of the college, not without -danger to the old professor, little used to this kind of exercise. - -The principal of the college, satisfied, perhaps, to be rid of a -mutinous and turbulent pupil, took no steps to arrest the fugitive. -Létorière possessed fifteen louis-d'or; Dominique had a little income -of fifty pistoles from the salt tax; these were their only pecuniary -resources. - -The Marquis's father had left nothing to his son save two or three -interminable lawsuits. The most important of these, which had lasted -fifty years, had been instigated against the dukes of Brunswick-Oëls -and the princes of Brandebourg-Bareuth, on the subject of the claims of -a grand-aunt of M. de Létorière, Mademoiselle d'Olbreuse, who, at the -time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, had emigrated and married -one of the relations of the Duke of Brunswick. - -A poor gentleman of Xaintonge, without influential friends and without -credit, Létorière despaired of ever carrying on the lawsuit upon which -depended the fortune that he could not hope to enjoy; twenty times on -the point of enlisting and becoming a soldier, the persuasions of the -good Dominique had withheld him. - -The ex-professor of Plessis had carefully examined the papers of these -lawsuits. For love of his pupil he had become almost a lawyer. The -rights of the Marquis appeared to him evident; nothing was needed, he -said, but patience, and some day the suits would indubitably be gained. - -More and more enthusiastic in his admiration of the Marquis, he boldly -compared him to Alcibiades, so seductive was his fascination. Jean -François Dominique modestly reserved to himself the austere part of -Socrates, and did not cease to predict the most brilliant fortune for -his pupil. - -"But, my poor Dominique," the young man would say, "I have only my cloak -and my sword,--no protector; but for you I should be alone in the -world." - -"But you are _charmant_, my child; all must love you as soon as they see -you; all cherish you as soon as they know you, on account of your good -and generous nature; you have talent; you know Latin and Greek as well -as I do; you understand German as your native tongue, thanks to your -late father, who caused you to be brought up by a German valet; you are -a noble gentleman, although you do not trace your lineage back to -Euryales, son of Ajax, as did Alcibiades, whom I call my hero, because -you resemble him extremely. Have patience, then; your career will -perhaps be more brilliant than my hero's. . . Yes, it will surely -be! . . . as true as that Socrates saved the life of his pupil at -Potidæa! But I know your heart, and I am sure that when you are on the -pinnacle of prosperity you will not forget the old Jean-François -Dominique, as Alcibiades forgot the old philosopher!" - -However odd and foolish these predictions may have seemed to the young -Marquis, they sufficed for a long time to sustain his courage, to give -him some hope of gaining one of his lawsuits, and above all, to prevent -his enlisting as a private soldier, as he had often threatened to do, to -the great alarm of Dominique. - -Madelaine Landry soon reached the Rue Florentin. Having mounted the five -flights of stairs which led to the apartments of her debtor, she stopped -a moment on the landing-place to recover breath, in order that she might -give free expression to her wrath. - -When she had sufficiently recovered from her rapid ascent, she knocked; -the door was opened. - -To her profound astonishment, a frightfully ugly man appeared before -her. - -This was the ex-professor of Plessis. Jean-François Dominique was about -fifty years old; he was large and bony; his lean face, pale, and very -long, bore traces of the ravages of small-pox; his thin, gray hair was -tied at the back of his head with a piece of tape. An old woollen -coverlet, in which he had majestically draped himself, served him as a -dressing-gown. His countenance wore an expression of pedantic surliness -and of self-satisfaction in strange combination. - -The aspect of the room which he occupied was forlorn, but everything in -it was scrupulously clean. At the end of the alcove was a little bed, -composed of a single mattress; a commode, a table, and four walnut -chairs, carefully waxed, completed the furniture. The open door of a -small adjoining room showed a bed of neatly-woven thongs. Although the -weather was extremely cold, there was no trace of fire in the fireplace -of this wintry chamber. At the foot of the painted wooden couch were two -little pastel portraits, in rich gilt frames. One represented a man of -middle age, wearing a wig of the Louis XIV. style, and having the cross -of the Order of St. Louis attached to one of the clasps of his -breastplate. The other was that of a lady of rare beauty, dressed as -Diana the huntress. - -There was recognizable in this room an air of proud poverty, which would -have softened any female heart but that of Madelaine Landry. - -"Does not _one_ M. Létorière live here?" she inquired brusquely of the -tall old man, clad with a woollen coverlet as with a Roman toga. - -These words, "one M. Létorière," seemed to affect the ex-professor of -Plessis College disagreeably. He answered with caustic dignity: "I only -know that the great and powerful Lord Lancelot-Marie-Joseph de Vighan, -Seigneur of Marsailles and Marquis of Létorière, lodges in this -apartment, my good woman." - -"'Good woman!' Don't 'good woman' me!" cried Madelaine, angrily, "I'll -let you know, I will, if I'm a 'good woman!' Where is your master, your -beautiful Marquis of Sharpers? your high and powerful seigneur of -Roguery?" - -Jean François Dominique drew himself up erect in his toga, extended his -long arm, naked and scrawny, from the side of the door, and said in an -imperial voice: "Clear out this instant! The Marquis, my noble pupil, -has not come in . . . I do not know when he will return . . . but at any -rate I presume it will give him no pleasure to see you, my dear . . . -for if anger disfigures the most charming countenances, as says the -sage, _à fortiori_, it makes truly hideous those whom nature has -treated like a cruel step-mother! This applies particularly to you. Do -me the favor to" . . . and Dominique pointed again to the door with a -very significant gesture. - -Enraged by this insult, the tailor's wife threw her umbrella on the -ground, seated herself hastily on a chair, crying: "'Tis well for you, -you villanious old owl . . . to speak of the homeliness of others! This -fine boy is your pupil, is he? Good gracious, I can readily believe it, -for you look like a master in iniquity. You miserable old wretch! As for -me, I shall not budge . . . not till I am paid . . . do you hear? -_paid_; or by St. Madelaine, my patron saint, if I go, it will only be -to search for a constable . . ." - -"Aha! Paid, and for what, if you please?" demanded Dominique. - -"I wish to be paid for the coat which your vagabond has on his -back . . . I am the wife of Master Landry, the tailor at The Golden -Scissors; and if my husband has been fool enough to give you credit until -now, I will not be fool enough to imitate him . . . I will have my -money . . . I will not go from here without my money . . ." - -"How!" cried Dominique, folding his arms with the most disdainful air -imaginable; "is it for such a miserable trifle that you come to crack my -ears with your frightful chatter,--for this that you come to torment the -Marquis? Do you forget that once all the cities of Greece were disputing -the honor of offering their services to Alcibiades, that the Ephesians -pitched his tents? that the men of Chios fed his horses? that the -Lesbians supplied his tables? and all _gratis_, do you understand, -_gratis_; all, only that they might have the honor of offering something -to Alcibiades? And you, you miserable workwoman, for three hundred -insignificant livres, not the tenth part of a talent! for a paltry sum -owed you by the Marquis, my pupil, who is, or who will be, a very -different person from Alcibiades, you come screeching here like an -osprey! But, you old fool, you may, on the contrary, bless the day when -my pupil deigned to cast his eye on your ignoble workshop! Remember, -also, that the shoe-maker of Athens, who had the good luck to work for -Alcibiades, made more money in a year than you will gain in your whole -miserable life. Do you hear that?" - -Madelaine Landry, seeing the rage of this big man wrapped in a coverlet, -thought herself in the presence of a lunatic. - -"But at any rate you have brought the coat that the Marquis did your -husband the honor to order," resumed Dominique. "Take good care that he -redoubles his diligence and dexterity to perfect this garment, for on it -depends all his future business prosperity; and if it suits my pupil, -your husband's fortune is made . . . Come, let's see the coat!" And -Dominique advanced gravely towards Madelaine. - -She rose hastily from her chair, resolved to jump at the eyes of the -maniac, as she thought him. - -"Don't come near me, or I will hit you over the head with my umbrella!" -she cried. - -"You are a fool, my dear woman . . . Who thinks of hurting you? So you -have not brought the coat?" he continued, in a milder tone. - -"What! have I brought the coat?--impudence!" said Madelaine, a little -gaining courage,--"certainly not; I have not brought it; and it is no -fault of mine that your pupil has on his back the one that my fool of a -husband sold him, and for which I come to be paid; for, I repeat it, I -am not going away until I am paid . . . If I am not paid, there is yet, -God be thanked, such a place as the lock-up to put rogues into . . . -When one hasn't the wherewith to pay for fine clothes, Marquis though he -may be, he ought to wear coarse clothes, and not steal the time and -goods of poor working-people." - -At this moment light steps were heard ascending the stairs. - -"That is the Marquis!" said Dominique. - -"Ah! now we shall have good sport," cried Dame Madelaine. - -"My dear woman," said Dominique--this time in a supplicating -voice--"spare him; on my word, you shall be paid." - -"Pshaw! Now we shall see him--this smuggling Marquis." - -The door was gently opened, and the Marquis appeared. - -"I have not courage enough to witness this scene," said the trembling -Dominique, and he shut himself up in his dark chamber. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE DEBTOR - - -At sight of the Marquis, Madelaine drew herself up like a fighting-cock, -and cast her eyes, flashing with anger, on the young man. - -The Marquis of Létorière was then about twenty years of age. The -portraits we have of him, and the unanimous witness of his -contemporaries, agree in representing him as the type of the most -seductive ideality. - -At this age, his proportions of exquisite elegance resembled rather the -Grecian god of love than Antinous. - -All the treasures of antique statuary did not offer, it is said, -anything comparable to the harmonious beauty of his form. Under this -charming envelope nature had hidden muscles of steel, the courage of a -lion, a brilliant wit, a lofty soul, and a generous heart. - -His enchanting countenance was not of a severe and masculine beauty; but -one could imagine nothing more pleasing,--and the pleasing was then -wonderfully to the purpose. Great size and herculean strength were then -out of place, since coats of mail were no longer worn. A dignified and -grave air would have been out of date, when the imposing leonine wigs of -the age of Louis XIV. were no longer in fashion. - -If Létorière wore with such a charming effect rose-powder, laces, -ribbons, silk, and precious stones, it was because all his features, all -his manners, were endowed with a grace almost feminine, admirably in -accordance with the almost effeminate elegance of the costume and -ornaments of gentlemen of that period. If he possessed the art of -pleasing and seducing in the highest degree, it was because his -ravishing countenance could express, by turns, finesse, mockery, -haughtiness, audacity, tenderness and melancholy. - -According to the witnesses of his time, his expression and the tone of -his voice had an especial charm, and an irresistible power, which the -partisans of a new science would undoubtedly attribute to magnetic -attraction. - -But at the epoch of which we speak, he was only a poor young man, and, -_magnetic_ or not, his attraction was put to a severe test by the -tailor's wife. - -Madelaine Landry felt her choler rising at sight of her debtor. - -Létorière was soaked by the rain; his hands were blue with cold, and -his forehead almost hidden by the wet curls of his beautiful chestnut -hair, which he then wore without powder. - -When he saw Madelaine, he could not repress a look of astonishment and -chagrin; yet he saluted her politely, and, bending on her his great -black eyes, at once so sad and soft, he said, in his brilliant and -harmonious voice: - -"What do you wish of me, Madame?" - -"I wish you to pay me for the coat on your back, for it belongs to -me--to me and my husband, Landry, tailor _to the Marquis_"--replied -Madelaine, with a sharp voice, insolently staring at her debtor. - -A blush of shame colored the young man's cheeks, and a movement of -bitter impatience contracted his eyebrows; but he repressed his emotion, -and replied mildly: - -"Unhappily I cannot pay you yet, madame." - -"You cannot pay me! that is easy enough said: but I do not take such -money;--when one has nothing to pay for his coats, he should not have -them made. . . . I will not go from here until I have my money;" . . . -and Madelaine Landry rudely seated herself, while Létorière remained -standing. - -"Listen to me, madame. . . . In one month from now I have the certainty -of being able to pay you; I give you my word as a gentleman. . . . Only -have the goodness to grant me a little delay, . . . I pray you." . . . - -These words, _I pray you_, were pronounced with an inflexion of voice so -noble and touching, that Madelaine, already struck by ill-fortune so -courageously borne, feared she should give way to pity. She meant to -burn her ships, and answered the prayer of her debtor with a gross -insult: - -"A fine guarantee, your word of a gentleman! What should I do with -that?" - -"Madame!" cried the Marquis; then restraining himself, he spoke in a -sad, yet proud tone: "Madame, it is cruel in you to speak to me -thus . . . you are a woman . . . I owe you money . . . I am in my own -house . . . what can I answer you? Then do not seek to render more painful -my position, which is such as I hope you may never experience." - -"But you will have no more money at the end of a month than now," said -Madelaine, harshly. "It is a fib you are telling me." - -"If within a month my uncle, the Abbé of Vighan, to whom I intend to -apply, does not return from Hanover, I will enlist as a soldier, and my -bounty-money shall be faithfully remitted to you. . . . You see, madame, -that I can give you my word as a gentleman that you shall be paid." - -The Marquis spoke of this desperate resolution with so much dignity, and -with an accent so sincere, that Madelaine, moved, repented of having -gone so far, and replied: - -"I do not wish to force you to enlist; but I must be paid. This has -lasted long enough; sell something, . . . then." . . . - -"Sell something here, madame?" and with a sorrowful look he pointed to -his poor chamber, cold and bare. - -At this gesture, so cruelly significant, Madelaine cast down her eyes: -her heart hardened; then she added, stammering, and pointing to the two -gilt frames: - -"But those two pictures?" . . . - -"Those pictures?" said the Marquis, gravely and tenderly, "that is all -that remains to me of my father,--of my mother. . . . Madame, those are -their portraits, and for the first time they see their son blush for his -poverty." . . . - -At these last words, Madelaine compared the interior of her own house, -where there was at least comfort, with this cold room, a miserable -shelter for a gentleman (for they stall believed in gentlemen at that -time); she felt her wrath soften almost to pity, especially when she saw -the young Marquis trembling with cold in his wet clothes. - -In these violent natures, opposite emotions are near neighbors. Dame -Landry, since she left the shop, had been kept in a state of almost -frantic irritation; this paroxysm could not last; like all exaggerated -feelings, her anger fell flat, so to speak, on the first reflection -suggested by her naturally good heart. - -The marquis was so handsome, he had met her abuse with a dignity so sad -and calm, he appeared to suffer so much with the cold--he who had -undoubtedly been reared in the lap of luxury--that the good woman, -feeling also the irresistible attraction which this singular personage -always exercised, passed almost instantaneously from insult to respect, -from harshness to commiseration; she hastily readjusted her head-dress, -muttered some unintelligible words, and disappeared, to the great -astonishment of the Marquis. - -The ex-professor, who had no doubt been waiting the result of this -conversation to come out of his den, partly pushed open the door of the -little room, and said: - -"So this miserable harpy has gone? Pardon me--but I basely fled before -the enemy" . . . - -"You were there, my good Dominique? . . . Well, you have heard . . . -Good Heavens!--what humiliation! To seem to this woman a man of bad -faith! Ah, this is horrible . . . Dominique, I am resolved . . . if my -uncle does not come, I will enlist . . . I will pay this cursed debt -with the price of my enlistment . . . at least I shall no longer have to -blush . . ." - -"You enlist, and renounce all your hopes!" - -"They are all folly! I went again to-day to the palace . . . there is no -longer any hope. It would be necessary, in order to carry on the lawsuit -against the German princes, or the Superintendent of Xaintonge, to -deposit with the solicitor more money than I shall ever have. I renounce -it;--but hold, Dominique! I do not feel well, I am cold"--and the -Marquis sank trembling on the side of his bed. - -"Poor child! I can well believe it"--said the professor, with a mournful -sigh--"to be out in this cold rain,--to come in without finding a spark -of fire . . . to be received by the insults of that hag, whom I wish I -could put into the fireplace in the shape of faggots, for, alas! as for -wood . . . God knows if I" . . . - -"Enough, my good Dominique," said Létorière, putting his hand over his -friend's month . . . "Have you not already done too much for me? Have -you not abandoned your class, your situation?" - -"And Socrates? did not that sage, that great philosopher, abandon -everything . . . to follow Alcibiades!!! Only as it is not so cold in -Athens as in Paris . . . Socrates had not the pain of seeing his pupil -shivering with cold. But, listen to me! You had better lie down . . . -take off your wet clothes,--you will be warmer in bed." - -"You are right, Dominique; I do not know,--but I think I am -feverish". . . - -"No! not so bad as that! to see you fall sick!" Then, turning with an -angry air, Dominique cried, shaking his first at the door by which -Madelaine had gone out: - -"'Tis you, you cursed hag, who have brought this new misfortune upon my -unhappy pupil, with your indiscreet clamorings! I'm sorry now that I did -not put you out neck and heels . . ." - -In the midst of this apostrophe the door opened, and Dominique saw, with -astonishment, a porter bringing in two enormous faggots, and some -packages of kindlings. . . . - -"You are mistaken; this wood is not for us, my lad," said Dominique, -with a sigh. - -"Isn't it here that the Marquis of Létorière lives, sir?" - -"Yes." - -"Well, the wood is to come here. . . . The great woman in a brown cloak -said that she was coming with a brazier, and something to make a nice -little lunch for the Marquis." - -"The great woman in a brown cloak?" demanded Dominique. - -"Yes, sir, and she has paid for the wood." - -"The wood is paid for. Do you hear that, my worthy pupil? Now you shall -have some fire," . . . cried Dominique, joyfully turning towards -Létorière, who, seized with a sudden attack of fever, had gone to bed. - -Happily Dame Landry soon came, and confusedly explained the enigma. That -worthy woman had in one hand a kettle of boiling water, and in the other -some lighted charcoal on a shovel. - -When the porter had gone, Dame Landry, seeing the paleness of the -Marquis, cried out: - -"Poor young gentleman! he has a fever, that's certain . . . the cold has -taken hold of him, and I . . . who was not ashamed to stop and gossip -while he was shivering. . . . But come, come . . . don't stand there -looking at me like a wax figure, my dear sir. Lay the wood properly in -the fireplace; light it, while I prepare something he can eat. Have you -a clean cup?" Then approaching the bed, and feeling of the thin cover, -. . . "Gracious goodness! . . . he is not warm enough! . . . go and get -two or three warm blankets . . . and his head . . . that is too -low . . . he needs a pillow . . . go and get one. And some curtains! How -is it that this alcove has no curtains? Nor the windows either? You see -that daylight is not good for the eyes of the young Marquis. . . . Go and -get them,--I can't do everything myself!" - -The honest professor, to whom these conflicting and hurried orders were -given, stood astonished before Madelaine, endeavoring to understand the -cause of this wonderful change. Suddenly he cried, speaking to himself: - -"It is his _charm!_ There is no doubt of it! it is the natural charm -with which he is endowed that has begun to work; . . . it has seduced -the tailor's wife as Alcibiades seduced Timea, the wife of Agis, King of -Lacedemonia . . . and all that . . . without offending virtue, which is -yet more beautiful and meritorious! My dear woman, I must acknowledge to -you that we have neither pillow, nor curtains, nor blankets." . . . - -"What a pity!" said Madelaine, in a low voice, and much moved. Then -seeing the professor still draped in his toga, she cried: "Well, then, -until the bed can be better furnished, give me this coverlet, instead of -keeping it round you like a regular carnival dress; at your age, are you -not ashamed of such a thing?" and the housewife pulled resolutely at one -of the corners of the Dominique's toga. But he, stoutly clutching his -garment, exclaimed: - -"My good woman! listen to me . . . let me alone . . . don't pull so hard -. . . it is a question of decency . . . I suppose I must confide in you -. . . you are of a respectable age, and moreover the wife of a tailor;" -. . . and Dominique added in a low voice: "My breeches, as our fathers -called them, being absolutely unfit for service . . . and having no -dressing-gown, I am obliged to substitute this kind of Roman mantle for -a more suitable garment." - -"Is it possible?" said Madelaine, letting go the corners of the -coverlet. . . . "If this is true, I will send Landry to you this -evening." Then she added, in a low voice, stirring the fire into a -bright blaze, which threw its cheerful light through the miserable -chamber . . . "Is the Marquis asleep? if not, will he drink this?" and -she handed him a cup of warm drink. - -Dominique approached the bed on tip-toe. - -"How do you feel?" said he. - -"I am cold . . . my head aches," replied the Marquis, in a feeble voice. -"But what is this? How happens it that we have a fire?" - -"We have a fire because you are _charming_ . . . this good and worthy -woman has made it; and here is a nice warm drink, very warm, that you -must take; she has also prepared that for you. Come, take courage! Your -good star is rising in the very respectable countenance of Dame -Landry" . . . - -The Marquis, suffering with a horrible headache, hardly comprehended a -word of what Dominique said, or of what rising star he spoke; -nevertheless, he took the cup, drank, and fell into a profound slumber. -Then the worthy woman approached the bed, holding her breath; she -smoothed the clothes with truly maternal care, and returned to -Dominique. - -"You must be generous, and pardon me, sir," said she; "just now I was -very rude to the Marquis; but, you see, it was my husband who turned my -head; I must say also that I had never seen the young gentleman,--so -young! so pretty, and an orphan, too . . . and then for a gentleman like -him not to have a fire in midwinter, when work-people like us always -have a good warm stove! Come now, my worthy sir, I shall always reproach -myself for having dared to speak impudently to the Marquis; but be -assured, at least, that as long as Madelaine Landry lives, she will -always be his humble servant. . . . Now, sir"--and the good woman cast -down her eyes while drawing a little bag from her pocket--"on my way -here I changed a bill of three hundred francs; here is the young Marquis -confined to his bed, and perhaps he will need something,--a doctor. I -should never have dared to offer it to him, but with you I am more bold -. . . Come, now, sir, take it, and we will put it on the bill, and -forget the vile words I said to you." . . . - -"As to that, we are perfectly equal, my dear woman, for if you called me -an owl, I called you an osprey; so we won't speak of it any more. . . . -As to this loan, I ought perhaps to tell you that the return of the -Abbé de Vighan, my pupil's uncle, may be postponed, and that it may -perhaps be a long time before we can restore what you so generously -offer--and after the scene of this morning, I fear perhaps . . ." - -"Don't speak of that, sir, or I shall die of shame, upon my word. The -Marquis can return it whenever he will; God be thanked! we are not -dependant on sixty dollars for our living." - -"I will take this debt on myself, my worthy woman; besides, my next -half-year's income from the salt tax will pay you the amount." - -"Ah! well and good! It seems to me that I am more than half pardoned for -my insolence. And now, sir, I will go home and get what the Marquis -needs; and I will come back every day, if you will allow me, and -establish myself as his nurse; for men know nothing about taking care of -the sick,--without offence to you, sir." - -And Madelaine left Dominique near his pupil's bed, in possession of a -good fire, an enjoyment the old man had not known for a long time. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MYSTERIES - - -The illness of M. de Létorière drew towards its close; he was nearly -convalescent, thanks to the assiduous care of Madelaine, her husband, -and Martin Kraft, the apprentice. Each had vied with the good Dominique -in devotion to him. The Marquis had shown himself so affectionately -grateful for all these touching proofs of interest, had appeared so to -justify and merit them by his delicacy and the goodness of his heart, -that the tailor and his wife became more and more attached to their -"dear young gentleman," as they called him. - -Spring approached; one day Dominique, who had gone out to endeavor to -persuade an attorney to follow up one of the lawsuits of Létorière, -came back with a face at once radiant and astonished; the apprentice -Kraft followed him, bringing carefully an immense basket filled with the -rarest fruits and flowers. On a little paper attached by a pin to a -magnificent pine-apple, were written these words: "_To Monsieur the -Marquis of Létorière._" - -After having admired this charming gift, with almost childish curiosity, -and vainly seeking to learn from whom it came, for an unknown man had -left the basket with the porter, the Marquis replaced the address with -the following:--"_To my good friends Landry and his wife_," and told -Kraft to carry as his gift the fruit and flowers to Master Landry. - -"Tell them I do not know whence this gift comes, but it is the first and -only thing I have to offer them, and I send it to them as a proof of my -eternal gratitude." - -Some days after, he had another surprise. In a beautiful little -writing-desk left at the porter's by one of the boys of Bordier, the -celebrated worker in ebony, the Marquis found this note: - - -"Your heart tells you truly that some one is interested in you. That is -well. Send these two letters as addressed." - - -In one compartment of the desk Létorière found two sealed letters. One -was addressed: - -_To Monsieur Landry, tailor, at The Golden Scissors._ - -The other: _To Mons. Buston, attorney to the Castle._ - -This gentleman, the lawyer engaged in the Marquis's lawsuit, had hardly -been willing to take any steps for fear of not being paid for his -services. - -Létorière and Dominique looked at each other in amazement. - -"What did I tell you?" cried the ex-professor; "will you believe me now? -will you defy your destiny? I have always told you that you would have -nothing to envy in the son of Clinias!" - -Surprised at this incident, whose consequences he could not foresee, the -Marquis begged Dominique to deliver the attorney's letter, and sent -Master Landry's by the porter. An hour after, the tailor, Madelaine, and -the apprentice were at the feet of the young gentleman. - -"Thanks to you, Monsieur the Marquis, I have the patronage of -Monseigneur the Duke of Bourbon!" cried Landry. "It is a clear and net -profit of six thousand livres a year! Behold me, in future, a rich man!" - -"Thanks to you, Monsieur the Marquis, our neighbor Mathurin, who got -from us all our custom, will burst with envy," said Madelaine. - -"Thanks to you, Monsieur the Marquis, Dame Madelaine, angry at seeing -our customers leave us, will give me no more cuff's!" said Martin Kraft. - -"My friends," replied Létorière, "I am extremely pleased at what has -happened to you; but I declare to you, that unfortunately I have had -nothing to do with it." - -"Ah, Monsieur the Marquis, why will you say that?" said Madelaine, -reproachfully; and drawing from her pocket the precious missive, she -read: 'Master Landry is informed that at the express recommendation of -the Marquis of Létorière, Monseigneur the Duke of Bourbon deigns to -appoint him his personal tailor, as well as that of his household'; you -see that, Monsieur the Marquis?" said Madelaine; and, gazing at -Létorière with eyes filled with tears of joy, she added: "This custom -makes our fortunes forever . . . Ah, well! on the faith of an honest -woman, the basket of flowers and the note that the Marquis sent us -yesterday, gave us perhaps more pleasure!" - -"And you are right, my friends," said Létorière; "for yesterday it was -truly I who sent you the present, not knowing whence it came. But to-day -I did not know what the letter contained; it is a mystery that I cannot -solve." - -At this moment Dominique entered his countenance completely changed; he -had come up the five flights of stairs with so much haste that he could -hardly speak; the only words he could utter in a broken voice were: -"rich . . . rich . . . the attorney . . . the lawsuit . . . I was -right!" . . . And he threw himself on the neck of his pupil with -theatrical fervor. - -"Be calm, my good Dominique," said the Marquis. "Tell me something of -this happy news which so transports you . . ." - -"Oh, yes, by heaven! this is good news!" said the ex-professor, still -breathless. "Imagine me going to this Buston's . . . this bird of -prey . . . your solicitor. . . . When the clerks see me enter his office, -they begin the umbecoming pleasantries with which they have always greeted -me . . . I despise them, after the manner of Socrates, and ask to see Mr. -Buston. . . . As usual, these impudent young blackguards answer me in -chorus in all tones of voice . . . 'he is not here! he is not here!' In -the midst of this infernal racket, I approach the first clerk and show -him my letter. . . . Ah! if you could have seen his countenance!" cried -Dominique, bursting with laughter and slapping his thighs. - -"Well! well! finish, then," said the Marquis. - -"Well! the first clerk had already opened his mouth to utter some piece -of insolence; but as soon as he recognized the writing on the letter, he -became serious as a thrashed donkey, imposed silence on his comrades, -and rose, saying to me respectfully: 'I will have the honor of -conducting Mr. Dominique to my master.' I entered the presence of the -solicitor, until then invisible or insolent. Quite another reception! -The vulture had become a young turtle-dove, and cooed at me these words, -after he had read the letter: 'I have never for an instant doubted the -successful issue of the Marquis's lawsuit against the Intendant of -Xaintonge, touching the forests of Brion. . . . This letter removes the -only difficulties which prevented the prosecution of the case, which I -will immediately attend to, while waiting for the documents of the great -lawsuit against the German princes. I have also so much faith in the -validity of the cause of Monsieur the Marquis, that I am willing, sir, -to open an account with him to the amount of twenty thousand livres -. . . this sum not being the fifth part of that which he will obtain for -his claims on the Intendancy of Xaintonge." - -"But it is a dream! a dream!" said the Marquis, putting his hand to his -forehead. - -"Truly, it seems to me such," replied Dominique, "and in order to assure -myself of its reality, I accepted the offer of Mr. Buston, having your -power of attorney." - -"Well," said Létorière, "go on" . . . - -"Yes, well," said Dominique, handing a portfolio to the Marquis,--"on my -simple receipt, he has advanced twenty thousand livres, which behold, in -bonds at sight, on the public funds." . . . - -It would be impossible to paint the astonishment and joy of the actors -in this scene. - -After thanks and benedictions without number, the tailor, his wife, and -apprentice, retired. - -The Marquis remaining alone with Dominique, exhausted himself with vain -conjectures as to the source of this mysterious favor. Bordier, the -worker in ebony, could give no information as to the purchaser of the -desk. The solicitor, maintained the most obstinate silence as to the -contents and author of the letter which had made so great a change in -his view of the Marquis's lawsuit. Later, the private secretary of the -Duke of Bourbon answered, that his Highness had himself ordered the -appointment of Master Landry to be tailor of his household. - -When the health of the Marquis was fully reestablished, he went to -occupy, with Dominique, a small apartment in the Faubourg St. Germain. -The brave Jerome Sicard, the coachman who was willing to carry -Létorière _gratis_, because he resembled _a good angel_, was installed -there, to his great joy, as valet-de-chambre. This was the only -recompense which he solicited, when the Marquis asked him in what manner -he should acknowledge his services. It is unnecessary to say that -Sicard, Master Landry, and his wife, were also generously and delicately -recompensed for their kindness. - -Very strangely, none of the noble actions of the Marquis remained -unknown to his mysterious protector. A little note arrived by post, -containing these words . . .--"It is well . . . continue . . . you are -always watched." . . . - -At other times he received suggestions full of wisdom: he was -recommended to enjoy the pleasures of the world and of his age, but -always to preserve the integrity and loyalty of his character; for _on -that his future depended._ - -At still other times, Létorière was advised to accomplish himself in -all the exercises of a gentleman. He heeded this counsel, and soon -excelled in fencing, riding, and all the games which require agility and -dexterity. - -Sometimes these letters, which revealed a growing and enduring -affection, reached the Marquis by charming and unexpected means; at one -time in a beautiful Sèvres vase, filled with flowers, which an unknown -person left with the porter; at another, a perfume-bag, wonderfully -embroidered with his arms and cypher, would be found in his pocket on -his return from a game of tennis. - -This singular correspondence had lasted nearly a year, when Létorière -gained his lawsuit against the Intendancy of Xaintonge. - -The day after judgment was given, a groom, in the livery of the Marquis, -brought him two magnificent English horses, which were just then coming -into fashion. Their harness and equipments were marvels of richness and -elegance. A letter, in these words, accompanied the gift: - - -"Your lawsuit is gained; you can now live as is becoming a gentleman of -your rank. You will go to Chévin, the genealogist; he will arrange your -titles to nobility; you will deposit them in the archives, in order to -be presented to the king, and to have the _entrée_ to the court. You -will undoubtedly have the honor of hunting with his majesty. These -horses will serve you. Your conduct is satisfactory." - - -To all Létorière's questions, the groom's only answer was that an -unknown person had bought the horses of Gabart, a famous dealer of that -day, adding that he would, in a short time, bring the equipments. As to -the unknown man, he was clothed in black, rather stout, and about fifty -years old. - - -Some time after this new surprise, the Marquis received the -following note: - - -"Go this evening to the opera ball; wait near the King's Corner between -twelve and one o'clock; wear a black domino, and attach to it a blue and -white ribbon." - - -Létorière had never been to an opera ball in his life. Though not -leading the life of a recluse, he had hitherto employed his time in his -academical studies, in walking with Dominique, in long readings of Greek -and Latin poets, and frequent attendance at the Comédie Française. - -Although Dominique had no deep insight into the human heart, he was -sometimes uneasy at seeing his pupil so calm at an age when the passions -often assert themselves so energetically. At one time the worthy man had -thought that the mysterious protector of his pupil was a woman; but he -had never mentioned his suspicions to Létorière. - -When the latter informed Dominique that he was going to the opera ball, -the ex-professor conceived the happy idea of accompanying his pupil. -Létorière was pleased with the plan, and they set off together. - -Once launched into the vortex, the two friends, embarrassed like -provincials, had great trouble in finding the King's Corner, and were at -first victims of the raillery of the spectators; the Marquis's figure -was so slender, his manner so elegant, his foot so pretty, and his hands -so charming, that he was easily taken for a woman; while Dominique, -tall, bony, awkward and clumsy, passed for the husband. - -Létorière reddened with anger under his mask, and needed all the -authority and persuasion of Dominique to prevent him from bursting out. - -Presently two dominoes approached them. - -The tallest figure took Dominique's arm, while the smaller, approaching -Létorière, whispered these words in his ear: _Continue . . . we -are . . . persevere . . . and hope._ . . . - -The Marquis felt a little box slipped into his hand, and before he could -say one word, or make a motion, the domino was lost in the crowd. - -Létorière was enchanted. The voice which had whispered in his ear the -same words that his unknown protector had so often written, was the -voice of a woman, and of infinite sweetness; he thought he saw, shining -through the silken mask, two great blue eyes. - -Intoxicated with joy, feeling a thousand new emotions rising in his -breast, he utterly forgot Dominique, and had the insane idea of finding -again his domino, believing he should recognize among a thousand the -great blue eyes which were fixed upon his with such a singularly tender -expression. Towards five o'clock in the morning he realized the futility -of his search, and returned home, impatient to know what the box -contained. - -He found within, one of those large seal rings then so fashionable: it -was surrounded by diamonds, and on the enamelled centre was painted with -admirable delicacy in the midst of a cloud, a charming blue eye, whose -expression was such, that Létorière recognized at once the sweet and -tender look of his domino. On the setting were these words, in -microscopic characters: _It follows you everywhere._ - -The letter contained these words: "You are twenty years old, young, -handsome, noble, brilliant, and charming; you have enough money to be -extravagant. Your future is in your own hands . . . we shall see if the -counsels we have given you for a year will continue to bear fruit . . . -we shall write to you no more . . . you have free liberty . . . _but you -be followed everywhere._ In four years from this time, whether or not -your conduct equals our expectations, you will receive a letter . . . -Henceforth, then, hope and persevere . . ." - -During a month the Marquis was almost devoured by curiosity. He walked -the streets like a crazy person, looking anxiously at all the blue eyes -he met, and comparing them with his ring; many beautiful blue eyes -timidly fell before his ardent and restless gaze; others responded -languidly, others angrily, but he discovered nothing. - -He remembered that he had been requested to deposit his titles in the -archives, in order that he might be received at court; he fulfilled the -necessary formalities, and waited the return of one of his distant -relatives, the Count of Appreville, to have the honor of being presented -to King Louis XV. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE CAVALIER - - -One day, the Marquis was sauntering by the banks of the grand canal, at -Versailles, in melancholy meditation, and thinking, sadly, that he had -been abandoned by his mysterious protectress. He had come from the -riding-school, and his riding costume set off wonderfully the elegance -of his figure. It consisted of a green coat trimmed with rich gold lace, -scarlet breeches, a vest of the same color, and high boots of shining -black morocco, the tops of which hung loosely upon knee-pieces of fine -cambric. At a little distance from him, Létorière saw a middle-aged -horseman, who was vainly striving to make his beast pass a marble -pedestal. - -Two persons witnessed this contest; one, a man of fifty to sixty years, -dressed in a coat of pearl-gray taffeta and silk small-clothes of the -same color, had a countenance at once handsome, noble, and benevolent. -He leaned on the arm of an older man, quite small, slightly stooping, -superbly dressed in the old fashion of the Regency, and whose pale face -was furrowed with deep wrinkles. - -The more simply dressed of the two said to the other, pointing to -Létorière: - -"What a charming face! what a pretty figure! I never saw anything more -enchanting. . . . Did you, marshal?" - -"Hum . . . hum . . ." said the latter, with a dry cough; "that litt' -gent'l'm'n? he's well 'nough . . . but he's as awkward as a sprinkler of -holy water,"--answered the Duke de Richelieu, who had preserved the old -vulgar manner of clipping his words, so much in vogue among the _roués_ -of the Regency. . . - -"He? with his pretty face? he would make a nice sprinkler of holy water -to saints of your stamp!" said the other, smiling maliciously. - -The horse was still obstinate; the rider, weary of gentle measures, used -in turn the whip and spur, but with no results save kicks and fearful -plunges. - -Gradually, M. de Richelieu and his companion approached the Marquis. -Seeing two gentlemen of venerable appearance coming towards him, -Létorière respectfully saluted them. - -"Well! young man . . . which has the right in this discussion, the man -or the horse?" said the friend of M. de Richelieu. - -"Faith! I hardly know, sir! the rider reasons with blows of his whip, -and the beast replies by kicks. Such a conversation can be carried on -for some time." - -This answer, spoken without too much assurance, but with all the -confident gayety of youth, made the questioner smile. - -"You speak of it very nonchalantly, my young master . . . I should like -very well to see you in the place of that horseman . . . you probably do -not know that this is a mare of Ukraine. She came from Germany, and is a -veritable demon . . . one that La Guérinière himself has not been able -to master." - -"If I were in that horseman's place, sir, I might perhaps be not more -able, but more lucky," resolutely replied the Marquis. - -"Truly! Well, will you try? Will you mount Barbara?" - -"The mare is so beautiful . . . so proud . . . notwithstanding her -viciousness . . . that I accept with all my heart, sir; and besides, the -grass is so green that one need not desire a better carpet to fall -upon," answered Létorière joyously. - -"I have a horrible fear that he will break his neck," said the companion -of M. de Richelieu in a whisper. - -"With such a pretty face, so frolicsome and so captivating, one need -fear neither horses, nor men, nor women, and if he should fall . . . one -never falls alone . . . I have faith in him . . . he has a very enticing -air." . . . - -"Hullo! St. Clair," said the other, addressing the groom, "don't -stubbornly persevere any longer; get down from the horse. . . . This -young gentleman desires a lesson, and you can give it to him," he added, -laughing. - -St. Clair obeyed the order, and got off the horse. - -Létorière, a little displeased at the last words of the unknown, -replied to him with respectful firmness: - -"I will always receive with pleasure or with resignation any lesson -which I ask for, or which I deserve, sir; but here I do not find myself -in either one of these cases." - -The unknown and M. de Richelieu looked at each other, suppressing a -great desire to laugh. - -"You must take care," said the Marshal softly, "he looks like a famous -fighter!" - -"You'll see that he will challenge me--and before you, the senior of the -Marshals of France, the President of the tribunal of honor"--said the -other;--and he added, regarding the Marquis with a very serious air: - -"You take it with a high hand, my young master!" - -"God bless me! I take it as I must, sir," cried Létorière, resolutely -setting his hand on his hip. - -At this bravado, M. de Richelieu and the unknown burst out laughing, and -the Marquis began to feel very much irritated, when St. Clair, who had -not dismounted from the horse without difficulty, approached, hat in -hand, and said to the gentleman clothed in gray: - -"Sire, nothing can be done with that mare." - -"The King!" cried the Marquis in confusion, and he knelt and bowed his -head with a repentant air. - -"By St. Louis, my young friend," said Louis XV., smiling, "I have seen -the time when you would remind us that all gentlemen are our peers, and -that in the old times a chevalier could cross lances with a king." - -"Ah, Sire! pardon . . . pardon." . . . - -"Come! rise, rise, my gentle knight," . . . and by a movement full of -that majestic grace that this most amiable and most graceful of kings -exhibited, in even the most trifling acts, he touched slightly, with the -tip of his finger, Létorière's cheek, who, still on his knee, kissed -this beautiful royal hand with profound veneration. - -Létorière arose, his forehead suffused with a charming blush, his -beautiful black eyes moist with tears, so profoundly was he touched with -the ineffable kindness of his sovereign. - -This emotion, so pure, so youthful and so naïve, struck Louis XV. -delightfully. The most adroit flattery could not have effected this -favorable impression. - -"What is your name, my child?" he asked, regarding the Marquis with -interest. - -"Charles-Louis de Vighan, Marquis of Létorière, Sire." - -"You are from Xaintonge," said the king, who knew wonderfully well the -genealogy of his nobility. - -"But you have deposited your titles," added he. "You ought to be -presented to me. Why have you not been?" - -"Sire, I await the return of M. the Count of Appreville, my relative, to -have that honor." . . . - -"Marshal Richelieu, will you act as sponsor?" said the king, addressing -the duke, who replied by a respectful gesture. - -"That's right!" said the king. . . . "I do not forget, my child, that -you have almost censured St. Clair . . . you must make him some amends. -. . . Are you bold enough to encounter Barbara?" And the king pointed to -the mare, who, held by the bridle, still kicked and pranced, -notwithstanding the threats and caresses of the groom. "Are you not -afraid of this fiery beast?" - -"I fear but one thing, Sire: it is to show myself unworthy of the -eminent grace with which the king deigns to honor me in ordering me to -mount a horse in his presence." - -"Is he not charming? He answers with such perfect grace . . . with such -exquisite tact," . . . said the king to M. de Richelieu, while -Létorière, his heart palpitating with emotion, approached the -redoubtable Barbara. - -"The king has told me sometimes that I'm a connoisseur of faces. Yes, -yes, I can predict to the king that before six months this young falcon -will have taken flight,--and then, beware of him;--there'll be a great -flutter among the doves, I'll answer for it." - -"Your example will have been of great service to him," said the king, -smiling; then suddenly crying out with fright: "Ah, the unhappy child! -he will kill himself. . . . St. Clair has given up the reins, and the -cursed mare will not let him approach her. . . . What kicks . . . what -plunges. . . . She is a devil to mount . . . St. Clair, why did you not -hold her while he mounted?" - -"Sire," said the old groom in a peevish tone, "the gentleman told me -that he would manage the affair himself . . ." - -"And by Heaven, he does manage it" . . . said the king with -astonishment;--"see there, marshal! on my word . . . he has bewitched -her! . . . See how he approaches her, and she does not budge. . . . He -caresses her, and the beast does not answer him with a bite, or a kick. -. . . What do you say to that, St. Clair?" - -"Sire, I say . . . I say . . . I say that I don't understand it at all. -. . . Ordinarily she can only be mounted by the aid of the nose-twister, -she is so skittish and wild." . . . - -"Now see him in the saddle . . . faith! . . . he is wonderful . . . full -of grace and agility. . . . What do you say to it Richelieu? What do you -say, St. Clair?" said the king, whose whole face was radiant with -pleasure at seeing the prowess of his young _protégé._ - -"Faith! I should say to the king that the boy, young as he is, is an -accomplished horseman,--but he must possess some charm to have quieted -the villainous kicker," . . . replied the marshal. - -"One cannot say, Sire, that the posture of the gentleman is absolutely -bad," said old St. Clair. "He sits firm; his body and limbs are well -poised, and he seems to have a hand at once light and steady". . . - -"And what the devil do you want more?" said the king; "but let us -see . . . will she pass before the marble statue which so frightened her -before? . . . No . . . no . . . she refuses--what bounds! Ah! poor boy!" -. . . - -"He seems screwed to her back. She'll have to give in," cried the -marshal; "and with his little figure. He must be strong as Hercules." - -"Monseigneur well knows that there is no great skill in keeping one's -seat while a horse rears . . . the science is in foreseeing and -preventing the rearing," rejoined St. Clair. - -"Even in that case you ought to be satisfied. Look! look, see how she -passes the statue . . . as easy, as comfortably as an old hack. Well -done! is he a sorcerer?" cried Louis XV., looking with astonishment at -the marshal and St. Clair, not less surprised than himself. - -Létorière, having made the mare pass and repass several times before, -the statue which had at first so much frightened her, approached the -king: the Marquis held his hat in his right hand, and with the left he -patted Barbara, who tossed her head and champed her bit with a most -coquettish air; one would have said she was proud of the light weight -she carried. The face of the young gentleman, still animated by the -exercise, and the proud joy of having succeeded so well in presence of -the king, was resplendent with brightness and beauty. - -Seeing his _protégé_ so handsome, so radiant and so young, Louis XV. -regarded him with the tender and melancholy interest which men advanced -in age, or satiated with pleasure, often feel in contemplating the -confident joy, the simple ardor of youth. - -This excellent prince felt himself happy in the power, by a generous -caprice, open to this youth a future as brilliant as a fairy tale. "It -is sometimes good to be a king," said he to M. de Richelieu, with -involuntary emotion. - -The old marshal, before answering, appeared to interrogate the -expression of the prince, in order to penetrate the sense of this -exclamation, which he did not comprehend. All was dead in this heart -worn out by a narrow but unbridled ambition, and hardened by a cruel -egotism. Incapable of seizing the meaning of the king, the marshal -replied by a courtly insipidity: - -"If it is sometimes good to be a king, Sire, it is always good to be the -subject of your majesty." - -Louis XV. smiled with a polite, frigid air, and replied: "It is pleasant -to find one's self so well understood." Then addressing Létorière, who -awaited his orders: "Well, my child, tell me, how have you conquered so -quickly and easily this unconquerable creature?" - -"Your majesty told me that this animal came from Germany; knowing that -the Germans talk much to their horses, and that they drive them almost -as much by the voice as by the hand or the spur, I spoke German to her. -Recognizing, undoubtedly, a language to which she was accustomed, she -almost immediately became calm." - -"He is right. Nothing is more simple . . . don't you see, St. -Clair?" . . . said the king. - -"Yes, Sire," timidly replied Létorière, throwing a glance on the old -St. Clair, who appeared profoundly humiliated; "yes, Sire, nothing is -more simple when one speaks German" . . . - -This almost bold answer was dictated by a sentiment so delicate and -generous, that Louis XV., greatly moved, cried: "Well, very well, my -child . . . you are right . . . if my old St. Clair had known how to -speak German, he would have done as you did; . . . but as he is too old -to learn that now, and as Barbara does not appear to have any taste for -the French language, keep this mare . . . Marquis of Létorière, the -King gives her to you." - -The Marquis bowed respectfully . . . - -"Richelieu, you will present him to me to-morrow, at my first reception, -without ceremony," said the king to the marshal. Then making an -affectionate gesture to Létorière, Louis XV. entered the palace. - -The next day Létorière was officially presented; a few days after, -Louis XV. appointed him master of the horse, and later, he gave him a -cornetcy in the Mousquetaires. - -From this moment the fortunes of Létorière did nothing but grow, for -the king's affection for him increased every day. - -It would take too long to tell how the favorite became the most -conspicuous man at court: but this progress was simple and natural. To -all his rare advantages of mind, of person, of birth, and of heart, -there was soon added an exquisite taste in everything. His horses, his -furniture, and his dress became the type of elegance and good taste. In -short, at the end of four years the poor scholar of Plessis College had -become one of the most brilliant courtiers, and inspired at once -admiration, envy, hatred, adoration, as do all people endowed with -superior parts. - -This narrative will not allow the recital of many brilliant exploits of -which the Marquis was the hero, or of which he was supposed to be the -hero, for his discretion was rare. - -But it was well known that he could never be reproached with baseness or -perfidy in love. In two duels he showed himself brave and generous: the -only fault with which he could be charged, was great extravagance; but -this he could well afford, owing to the gaining of his lawsuit against -the Intendancy of Poitou, and also to the munificence and bounties of -the king, who successively appointed him Commendatory Abbé of the -Trinité de Vendôme, commander of the united orders of St. Lazare and -Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, a colonel of cavalry, counsellor of State, of -the sword, and grand seneschal of Aunis. - -Such was the prodigious prosperity which Létorière reached during the -four years after his fortunate encounter with the king. - -Amid all his successes, Létorière had never forgotten the great blue -eyes of the Opera Ball, and almost every day he contemplated his ring -with sadness. - -Notwithstanding this device, _it follows you everywhere_, written under -an eye of such a charming blue, which appeared to regard him with a -tenderness full of confidence and serenity, the Marquis feared that he -had been completely forgotten by his mysterious protectress. In four -years he had received no news from her. Sometimes he trembled lest his -reputation as a man of gallantry, by awaking in the breast of the -unknown a just jealousy, might forever alienate her from him; sometimes -he feared that absence, or sickness, or death even, might have deprived -him of this strange friendship. - -Moved by a singular and inexplicable sentiment, Létorière had always, -in his gallantries, carefully shunned the seductions of blue eyes, -however cruel this self-denial had often appeared to him. He had dreaded -to profane, perhaps unwittingly, a love which he thought was so little -like other loves. The more he prospered in a life which destiny had made -so beautiful, and perhaps too easily happy for him, the more -idolatrously did he dwell, almost with regret, on that season of -calmness and tranquil happiness, when the only emotion of his life was -excited by one of the letters in which his unknown had given him counsel -so full of wisdom. - -He noted, almost with affright, the approach of the fatal limit that had -been assigned to him, when he was to receive a last letter which would -decide his destiny. This letter he received that very day, four years -after the meeting at the Opera Ball. It was as follows: - - -"For five years I have loved you . . . for five years I have followed -you through all the phases of your life, obscure or brilliant, poor or -fortunate. You are worthy of the heart which I offer you with -confidence. I am an orphan, my hand is free. I offer it to you. . . . No -human power can change my resolution to be yours. If you refuse to -realize my most cherished projects, withdrawn into a cloister, each day -I shall pray Heaven to grant you that happiness I would so willingly -have made for you. - -"JULIE DE SOISSONS, - -"_Princess of S . . . C . . ._" - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -MADEMOISELLE DE SOISSONS - - -Mademoiselle Victoire-Julie de Soissons, Princess of S . . . C . . . , -lived with her aunt, the Princess of Rohan-Soubise. Aged about -twenty-five years, the princess Julie was rather pretty than beautiful; -she was of medium size, and perfectly graceful. Although the use of -powder was then in the height of fashion, very rarely did Mlle. de -Soissons consent to cover lightly with it her magnificent flaxen hair, -which, in a manner peculiar to herself, she rolled off her face with -most becoming effect. Her eyes were blue, her lips vermilion, her teeth -pearls, her face a pure and delicate oval, her complexion, too brown for -a blonde, was nevertheless so pure and brilliant, that one could not -desire it to be whiter. The habitual expression of her countenance was -melancholy, yet sweet. - -Of a nature at once impressible and reserved, the least emotion brought -a lovely blush to her cheeks and charming neck. - -If she heard a touching or pitiful tale, her eyes would fill with tears. -Although a princess of royal blood, no one felt less than she the pride -of birth; the requirements of her lofty station weighed upon her. By -natural disposition and taste, she preferred a simple and obscure life, -to the ostentatious career to which she had been appointed. Very -retiring, very proud, with the noble pride of a soul conscious of its -own superiority, the princess Julie was esteemed disdainful, when she -was, in fact, only delicate and timid. - -Vulgar natures, pretentious or egotistic, especially repelled her. The -most striking feature of her character was an indomitable will. Her -frail bodily envelope concealed a most valiant and resolute heart. No -human consideration could influence her decisions when she believed them -based on justice and reason. By a singular contrast, notwithstanding her -princely birth, the nobility of her heart, her firmness, her mind as -lovely as it was cultivated, the princess Julie almost always displayed -the most incredible timidity, even among persons who were in nowise her -equals. - -An orphan, and having lived for seven years with Madame de -Rohan-Soubise, Mlle. de Soissons felt no sympathy with her relative. All -the secrets of her heart were reserved for Martha, her nurse, a simple, -good-hearted creature who had brought her up, and who loved her with the -blind tenderness of a mother. - -For five years Mlle. de Soissons had persistently refused the most -brilliant offers of marriage from persons of suitable birth and fortune; -for five years she had loved the Marquis of Létorière. - -Her singularly good heart, her rather romantic temperament, her -independent spirit, had not remained insensible to the history of -misfortunes so courageously borne by that young gentleman. - -When Jerome Sicard went to execute Létorière's commission, after -having carried him gratuitously to Palais Marchand, it will be -remembered that a man getting out of the carriage had seen Dame Landry -in the height of her wrath against the Marquis. Curious to learn the -termination of the affair, this man, the steward of Madame -Rohan-Soubise, returning several days after to The Golden Scissors, -found Dame Landry full of enthusiasm for her debtor. The steward -described this singular drama to Dame Martha, Mlle. de Soisson's nurse, -relating all the details. Dame Martha, in turn, communicated them to the -princess Julie. Such was the first cause of the lively interest which -the latter soon felt for M. de Létorière. - -During the illness of the young Marquis, Julie often sent her faithful -nurse, well disguised in her long black cloak, to get tidings of -Dominique's pupil. - -When Létorière was convalescent, Dame Martha was deputed to convey -secretly the basket of flowers and fruit, of which mention has been -made, without allowing any one to guess whence the gift came, and -afterwards to find out the day on which he would be able to go out; the -princess desired very much to see this enchanter who charmed the most -pedantic regent of the college, the most rebellious wife of a tailor, -and the coarsest of coachmen. - -As a woman of her rank could go out neither alone nor on foot, Martha -endeavored to ascertain if there were not, in the Rue St. Florentin, -some shop where she could lie concealed, to watch this young invalid, -under the pretence of making purchases. - -She found an obscure milliner, almost opposite Létorière's house; and -knowing the hour in which the Marquis regularly went out, Julie, at the -risk of passing for an eccentric, took a carriage with one of the female -attendants of her aunt, and went to the milliner's, ostensibly for the -purpose of making purchases. - -She soon saw, through the windows, the ex-professor and his pupil. The -expression of melancholy on the charming countenance of the young -gentleman, and the tender assiduities of Dominique, moved her to tears. - -Her errand accomplished, the princess drove to the Tuilleries. -Létorière soon arrived there, and took a seat in the sunshine with -Dominique. - -When Mlle. de Soissons could contemplate, at her ease, the ravishing -countenance of this young man, she experienced a profound and new -impression; her heart beat violently; she trembled, she blushed . . . -she loved. - -To the singular character of this princess it was undoubtedly owing, -that in her eyes, one of Létorière's principal attractions was the -misfortune which pursued him. For in the generous and elevated soul of -this young girl, misfortune always found ready sympathy. - -Mistress of a considerable revenue, and sure of the secrecy and fidelity -of Brissot, who had faithfully served her father, Mlle. de Soissons -employed him to keep her informed of Létorière's affairs. Fully -instructed, the steward wrote to Létorière's lawyer, who was also his -own, to follow up the lawsuit, and to make the necessary advances to the -Marquis. It was he, also, who obtained for Landry his appointment, by -means of a present made to one of the Duke of Bourbon's subalterns, who -had the charge of all such nominations. - -For a long time the princess contented herself with the secret reveries -of this chaste and passionate love, watching eagerly for rare -opportunities, when she could meet the Marquis, and writing to him from -time to time. Then, when, by her secret influence, he had gained his -lawsuit, she resolved to leave him free, and see if he would prove -worthy of her. She wrote for the last time, gave him the note at the -Opera Ball, and waited. - -The day on which the Marquis was presented to the king, Mlle. de -Soissons accompanied the dauphiness, and was sufficiently near to Louis -XV. to hear that prince say, to all approaching him, pointing out his -young _protégé_: - -"_Admit that he is charming!_" - -With much joy and pride the princess saw her choice approved, as one may -say, by these words of the king, who, as has been already said, soon -attached the Marquis to his person. - -Mlle. de Soissons, until then very indifferent to court _fêtes_ and -excursions to Marly, now sought to join them on all occasions. Louis XV. -felt a warm interest in his young equerry, whom he soon promoted to his -military staff. At the chase and on the promenade, he marked with -complacency the grace and address of Létorière, and quoted his fine -and delicate repartees. - -By a curious contradiction, the more the princess Julie's love increased -in her heart, the more she shunned all occasions, not only of meeting, -but of making the acquaintance of M. de Létorière. - -After two years' connection with the court, the favor and success of the -Marquis were at their highest. A thousand gallantries were imputed to -him. Strange as it may seem, the jealousy of Mlle. de Soissons was not -excited. The chaste and proud passion of this young girl gave her -courage to view with pity the ephemeral and foolish loves which were -attributed to the Marquis. She felt so sure, so worthy of being -passionately adored, of being preferred to all when she revealed herself -to him, that she remained for a long time almost heedless of the -numerous flirtations of Létorière. - -The princess Julie wished to watch him whom she loved, in order to judge -if he were worthy of her. . . . She readily perceived that these -successes were the natural result of the rare attractions with which he -was endowed. But she wished to know if his heart remained noble and -generous amid such intoxicating circumstances. - -In a question of lofty sentiments no proofs are trifling; the daily walk -is in such cases more trustworthy, perhaps, than great bursts of -devotion; the former is the habit, the latter the accidents, of life. - -Thus three poor and obscure persons had rendered important services to -Létorière during his adversity,--Dominique, the tailor, and his wife. - -With keen delight, Mlle. de Soissons learned from Martha that the -Marquis continued to keep Dominique near him, and that he always treated -him with deferential affection. - -Very often Létorière recounted, with manifestations of profound -gratitude, the obligations he was under to these excellent people. A man -of his age, whom the most unbounded prosperity and the most brilliant -success did not blind, who remained simple, good, and emphatically -grateful to such obscure benefactors, ought to be esteemed a man of -noble heart. - -The project of Mlle. de Soissons was irrevocably resolved upon. She -would freely, boldly, offer her hand to him whom she found so worthy. - -No objection of birth or fortune could change her resolution. She was an -orphan, and felt herself free to choose a husband. Profoundly -indifferent to all the reasons which her aunt daily brought to prove to -her that she, a princess of a royal house, ought to make certain -alliances, the princess Julie replied distinctly, that though she saw no -need of quoting example, Mlle. de Montpensier married M. de -Lanzun. . . . As to herself, she would marry an artizan, without scruple, -if an artizan seemed to her to deserve her love. - -Madame Rohan-Soubise, utterly ignorant of her niece's secret, treated -these ideas as phantasies, foolish reveries, encouraged by the romances -of Rousseau. Mlle. de Soissons answered nothing, but secretly followed -her plan with incredible pertinacity. - -Her love increased, so to speak, in proportion to the successes of him -she loved. One would have said that she waited until the Marquis was at -the height of his triumphs, in order that she might offer him her love -as their supreme consecration. - -When she was assured of the nobility and solidity of his character, -without remorse, without shame, with all the security of candor, all the -serene confidence of an exalted soul, she wrote to M. de Létorière the -letter which we have already seen, to offer him her hand. - -Happily for him, and for Mlle. de Soissons, Létorière comprehended all -the grandeur and all the devotion of such a love. Satiated with too easy -successes, he consecrated himself from that time to the adoration of the -young girl who so nobly confided to him her future. - -He often saw the princess alone, and in Martha's presence. Mlle. de -Soissons desired that he should at once ask her hand of Madame -Rohan-Soubise, purely as a matter of form. The young girl held in -reserve her rights and her invincible will, awaiting the decision of her -aunt. - -As a man of honor and good sense, Létorière gave Mlle. de Soissons to -understand, that according to the loss or gain of the important lawsuit -which was still pending against the dukes of Brunswick-Oëls and the -prince of Brandebourg-Bareuth, he should or should not be recognized as -of princely blood; and if successful, that he would have a fortune equal -to the support of that rank. In his judgment, it would be better to wait -the issue of this lawsuit, before applying to Madame Rohan-Soubise. - -If it were gained, his position would be so eminent that no reasonable -objection could be made to his marriage with the princess Julie; if it -were lost, it would then be time to dispense with the consent of Mlle. -de Soissons' family; but there was no need of uselessly and prematurely -provoking publicity, which is always mortifying. Such was the opinion of -M. de Létorière. The princess Julie took the opposite view; her -resolute character could not accommodate itself to such temporizing. The -Marquis proposed to leave it to the judgment of the king, who continued -to bestow upon him proofs of the most touching goodness. - -Mlle. de Soissons accepted this arbitration. Louis XV. approved of -Létorière's delicacy, and promised to write to the French ambassador -at Vienna, to push forward his just claims. - -A month before, the good Dominique had gone to Vienna, in order to get -precise information in regard to the dispositions of the members of the -Aulic Council, called to decide, finally, this important lawsuit which -had already lasted nearly a century. - -One can imagine with how much impatience Létorière awaited the return -of the old professor. On the issue of his cause, his marriage with Mlle. -de Soissons might almost be said to rest. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE LAWSUIT - - -At the time of which we write, M. de Létorière occupied a charming -detached house, whose garden opened on the ramparts, not far from the -Pavilion of Hanover, one of the dependencies of the dwelling of the -Marshal Richelieu. - -The habitation of the Marquis resembled much more a palacette, as it was -then called, than a chateau. Everything therein was elegant, sumptuous, -mysterious and retired. In the summer, great trees enclosed the garden -with a girdle of verdure impenetrable to the eye; in the winter, an -immense curtain of ivy, very artistically disposed on trellises built in -the form of trees, rose above the walls, and replaced the foliage of the -warmer season. - -On the day we speak of, Létorière was in his library awaiting the -expected arrival of Dominique from Vienna. - -The princes against whom the Marquis was at law, had very great -influence in Germany. The Aulic Council was said to be in their -interests, and single-handed, Létorière had to wrestle against these -formidable adversaries. - -The old professor, when he set out, was furnished with a letter from the -king to the French Ambassador at Vienna. Louis XV. informed his -representative that he took great interest in M. de Létorière's -success in the lawsuit, and ordered him to favor with all his power the -secret inquiries of the Marquis's confidential agent. - -Soon the noise of a post-chaise was heard, and immediately after -Jean-Francois Dominique entered Létorière's library. - -"Well! Dominique, have we any chance?" said the Marquis, cordially -embracing him. - -"I doubt it . . . Monsieur the Marquis." . . . - -"Are these Aulic councillors intractable?" - -"Alas! I think so, but for the recollection of Alcibiades, who, after -all, seduced Tisapherne! . . . But I believe these Germans yet more -rebellious, yet more unapproachable than that distrustful satrap!" - -"And who are these councillors? Have you gained some information about -them?" - -"I have enough. . . . I have too much information! That is why I am so -grieved. These councillors are three in number: the Baron Henferester, -the greatest huntsman and most redoubtable drinker in all Germany; a -Nimrod who only quits his forests to sit in the council twice a week. -Then there is the Doctor Aloysius Sphex, a learned commentator of -Persius, I believe, always bristling with Latin, like a porcupine; and -lastly, the Seigneur Flachsinfingen, an ostrich-like gourmand, governed -by his wife, the leanest, most peevish, sourest Protestant that ever -wore a Bible attached to her side by a silver chain . . ." - -"Your portraits are drawn by a masterly hand, Dominique; they are -sufficiently unattractive. And these gentlemen of the council are -absolutely in the interest of the German princes?" - -"Yes, entirely so. In this single case these three councillors, who -detest each other cordially, undoubtedly on account of the difference of -their tastes, are of one mind,--a rare thing, for generally the support -of one would be sufficient to cause the opposition of the others." - -"And the German princes?" . . . - -"Have as much hope of gaining, as you have chances of losing; for you -pass at Vienna for something worse than a demon." - -"I do! . . . You are joking, Dominique!" - -"I wish I were! but it is only too true. . . . Your reputation as a man -of gallantry, a voluptuary, a flirt, and a sybarite, has reached even -Vienna; in the eyes of these grave Germans, you are a Will'-o'-the-wisp, -a sprite, a sylph,--something, in short, as brilliant as subtle, -unaccountable and dangerous. Two centuries ago, they would have received -you with a power of exorcisms and holy water . . . but in this -philosophic and enlightened age, they will content themselves with -shutting the door in your face, and saying _vade retro_, for they would -think you are the devil himself; and unhappily your lawsuit will be -definitely settled in two weeks by these three judges! . . . Ah! may -Pluto . . . have them some day for their comfort!" added Dominique, by -way of imprecation. - -After a long silence, the Marquis rose, wrote a few words, rang his -bell, and gave his letter to a servant, saying: - -"Carry this to the house of Madame Rohan-Soubise; ask for Dame Martha, -and wait for an answer." - -"This evening I shall start for Vienna," said Létorière to his -professor. - -"You mean, then, to go in search of adventures, to seduce your judges? -It is true that Alcibiades ate the black broth of the Spartans, made a -centaur of himself in Thrace, and crowned himself with violets, while he -sang voluptuous songs to the effeminate Ionians." - -"I have no intention of fascinating my judges, my old friend; but in -some cases it is better to see with one's own eyes." - -The conversation between Dominique and his former pupil continued for -some time, and turned upon the particular circumstances of the lawsuit. - -At the end of half an hour, the lackey returned, bringing a note for -Létorière, who cried out in great astonishment: - -"What can she be thinking of? But if she wishes, let it be so . . ." - -Then he ordered his carriage and went out, praying Dominique to hasten -the preparations for his departure that very evening. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE CHATEAU SOUBISE - - -Four persons were chatting in a charming little boudoir, inlaid with the -red lacker of Coromandel. The furniture of this delightful room, one of -the marvels of the Rohan-Soubise Chateau, was covered with brocade of -silver ground with large designs in crimson. The curtains of the windows -and doors, made of similar material, fell in graceful folds. A Japanese -vase of gold, purple and blue, three feet in height, filled with -flowers, and placed before the window, resembled an enamelled screen of -the most brilliant colors. On _étagères_ of massive silver, delicately -chased and inlaid with charming coral medallions, the work of some -famous Florentine artist, were to be seen a quantity of Chinese -knick-knacks, impossible to describe on account of their oddity. - -Near a fireplace of most beautiful red antique marble, whose grate was -ornamented with a garland of flowers and fruit, made of precious stones, -was a little bed _à la duchesse_, a perfect miniature, with curtains, -canopies, and coverlets, and feathered plumes on the dais; nothing was -wanting. A very diminutive black spaniel, marked with tan, whose long -silken hair was coquettishly braided with cherry and silver ribbons, -slept on the couch, half hidden under the eider-down cover. A saucer of -royal old blue Sèvres china, containing macaroons, crumbled into milk -of almonds, awaited the delicate _Puff_ on his awaking. - -Madame, the Princess of Rohan-Soubise, her niece, Mlle. de Soissons, the -Count de Lugeac and the Abbé of Arcueil, were the actors in the -following scene: - -M. de Lugeac had just come in. - -"How much you lost, madame, by not being at the brilliant concert -yesterday! you would have witnessed the most extraordinary thing in the -world!" - -"What was it?" demanded the abbé. "Have Jean Jacques and Arouet -embraced each other in public? Or have they sung the praises of the -chancellor?" - -"Tell us at once of this fine affair," said Madame Rohan-Soubise. - -"Yesterday, at the concert, M. de Létorière was applauded--yes, -applauded to the skies" . . . said M. de Lugeac, with an evident feeling -of jealousy. - -"Applauded? As M. de Létorière is neither a prince of the blood, nor a -comedian, at least so far as I know, I do not see what title he has to -be applauded," . . . dryly said Madame Rohan-Soubise, who, without known -motive, and undoubtedly by presentiment, cordially detested the Marquis. - -Mlle. de Soissons blushed deeply, and broke a thread of her embroidery -in an impatient movement which was not perceived by her aunt. - -"M. de Létorière was applauded for his coat," . . . replied the count. - -"What a ridiculous dress! . . . This fine Marquis must always have -people talking about him," said the abbé. - -"Not ridiculous . . . but in truth so magnificent, and at the same time -so elegant, that even I, who will not acknowledge myself a strong friend -of the Marquis, will be generous enough to allow, that I never in all my -life saw anything more charming than he, dressed as he was. . . . But -when one devotes one's self to such follies, it is at least satisfactory -to obtain such success." . . . - -"Tell us about this miraculous toilette," said Madame Rohan-Soubise; "I -will tell you afterwards another story about M. de Létorière, which -will furnish a curious contrast to all his present magnificence." - -"And I, also," . . . said the abbé. "No later than this morning, the -Archbishop of Paris told me a hundred tales of this fine Marquis!" - -"To finish about this toilette, madame," said M. de Lugeac. "After the -first part of the concert was over, Létorière was seen entering the -box of Judge Solar, ambassador of his majesty the King of -Sardinia,"--and M. de Lugeac inclined his head towards Mlle. de -Soissons, a cousin of this king. "The box was empty; the Marquis -remained there a few moments to observe the audience. He wore a coat of -plain, straw-colored _moiré_, with cuffs of changeable gold and -sea-green stuff; his shoulder-knot was of gold and green; you see, -madame, that so far, nothing could be more simple." . . . - -"The shades are well enough selected, we will allow," said the abbé. - -"But," continued the count, "what was truly marvellous was the trimming -of this coat. First, the Marquis's Steinkerque order was fastened with a -magnificent emerald buckle; then his large and small buttons, and even -the mounting of his sword, were in magnificent opals, which threw green, -blue and orange rays, almost as brilliant as the diamonds which -encircled these superb stones."[1] - -"But ornaments like those must be worth more than twenty thousand -crowns!" cried the abbé. - -"I can well believe it," replied M. de Lugeac, "and it is a foolish -extravagance; but it is always so whenever the Marquis appears in that -box, so magnificently dressed, his hair, lightly snowed like hoar-frost -with unbleached powder, falling in his own fashion in waving curls on -each side of his temples, he always excites in the public a kind of -ecstasy of admiration, succeeded by a murmur more and more approving, -until at last almost universal bravos burst forth." - -"But, in truth, this foolish apotheosis of the beauty of a man is but a -pagan ovation," said Madame Rohan-Soubise, with a contemptuous smile. -"Besides, what is quite as amusing as the enthusiasm of the Parisians -for the charming graces of M. de Létorière, is the profound admiration -he has for himself. The vanity of this new Narcissus has been, they say, -so ridiculously exalted for some time past, that he has become quite -invincible; there are numbers of desperate and weeping beauties, who in -vain call with loud cries upon this disdainful Celadon. Undoubtedly no -woman now appears to him worthy of his attentions." - -"Or perhaps, madame, he has found one worthy of his love," said Mlle. de -Soissons, raising her noble and beautiful face, radiant with goodness, -love and pride, as she listened to this indirect eulogium on the -fidelity of the Marquis. - -Madame Rohan-Soubise, not perceiving her niece's emotion, continued: - -"But, my dear princess, if this be so, we ought to know this phoenix! -For discretion is not the rôle of M. de Létorière. No, no, believe -me, if he is fixed, as you say, then his choice is so unworthy of him -that he is obliged to conceal it from the world." - -"Perhaps, on the contrary, it is the world who, in M. de Létorière's -eyes, is not worthy of knowing his secret," replied Mlle. de Soissons. - -This second repartee struck her aunt, who answered: - -"Truly, my dear Julie, it is easy to see that you are not acquainted -with M. de Létorière, since you defend him!" - -"We speak now of generalities, madame; but rest assured that if I were -obliged to defend any one who interested me, I should do it boldly and -without dissembling, when the time came," said Mlle. de Soissons, with a -peculiar accent. - -"Oh, I know you are very courageous in that way, my dear child; your -friends are truly your friends; but on the contrary, your enemies are -also your enemies! You must allow me also to have my preferences and my -antipathies. . . . Frankly, M. de Létorière is firmly fixed in the -latter; I hate everything which savors of intrigue and concealment. This -Marquis had nothing, five years ago, but his cape and sword. I ask -myself how it is possible that he can now have ornaments on his coat -worth twenty thousand crowns, a handsome establishment, the finest -horses in the world, and is enabled to play as deeply as a large -landholder?" - -"I believe, madame, that those who ask those questions know very well -how to answer them," said Julie, dryly. - -"For myself, I declare to you, my dear, that I should find it very -difficult," replied Madame de Rohan-Soubise, with the most natural air; -. . . "but if I had the misfortune to be one of the friends of the -_opulent_ M. de Létorière, I should desire nothing better for his -reputation than to see him burned as a sorcerer, however incredulous I -may be about the philosopher's stone." - -At this last sarcasm Mlle. de Soissons looked at the clock with a kind -of eager impatience, but said nothing. - -"His magnificence is truly inconceivable," said M. de Lugeac. "It is -true that some say he is fortunate at play; others affirm that the king -and Madame Dubarry favor him in every way, and have gained for him two -very important lawsuits; besides, it is evident that his Majesty is -bewitched with him, as is all the world; and truly it may be said that -everything which this Marquis touches is turned to gold. . . . If you -will believe it, madame, he has brought into fashion a poor devil of a -tailor, who gave him credit in his earlier days; the Marquis does not -conceal it, but speaks of it quite freely. This Landry, of The Golden -Scissors, whose stores are brilliant, who is now one of the richest -artizans of Paris, owes his unlooked-for good fortune only to the -influence of these words, repeated by all the city: '_He is the tailor -of the elegant Létorière!_'" - -"Truly!" said Madame Rohan-Soubise, impatiently, "all these stories -resemble the tales of Perrault." - -"They are much more like fairy tales," replied M. de Lugeac. "And then -the description of his bedchamber! they say that his toilet set is -entirely of gold chased by Gouttière, and enriched with precious -stones." . . . - -"And I," said the abbé, "I have heard a thousand times repeated by the -Archbishop of Paris that M. de Létorière was almost the serpent of the -terrestrial paradise. . . . 'If it were an affair of the government of -Paris,' said this good prelate to me this morning, 'I would mask him -with a cowl, like a black penitent, to hide his eyes, and choke the -sound of his voice; for, in a question of precedence which interested -one of my relations, this tempter has turned upside down my whole -chapter-house, and fascinated my prebendaries so that they speak of -nothing but him.'" - -At this moment the door of the boudoir was thrown open, and a -valet-de-chambre announced with a loud voice: _Monsieur the Marquis de -Létorière!_ - -"M. de Létorière in my house! I have never received him! What -audacity!" cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise, with as much astonishment as -anger. - - -[Footnote 1: See for these details, and for other biographical -particulars of Létorière, the charming _Souvenirs de Madame la -Marquise de Créquy._] - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE DEPARTURE - - -At the announcement of the Marquis, Madame de Rohan-Soubise had risen; -the count and the abbé did the same,--and so also did the princess -Julie. - -The Marquis found these four persons present: Madame Rohan-Soubise, in -full dress, arrogant, irritated, haughty; the abbé, by way of -reassuring himself, caressed _Puff_, who, awaking with a start, whined -a little; the count, leaning his elbow on the mantle-piece, played -carelessly with his watch-chain; Mlle. de Soissons, calm and resolved, -supported herself with one hand on her embroidery frame, and looked at -Létorière with an air at once tender and grateful. - -The Marquis had hardly respectfully saluted Madame Rohan-Soubise, when -she turned towards M. de Lugeac, with a gesture of supreme disdain, and -asked him, "Who is this gentleman?" - -The count, very much embarrassed, hesitated to answer, when the Marquis -sharply said, "M. de Létorière absolves M. de Lugeac from being -responsible for him to Madame de Rohan-Soubise." - -"It was at my request, madame, that M. the Marquis of Létorière has -been kind enough to come here," said the princess Julie, in a firm and -decided voice. - -"At your request? . . . yours . . . Julie?" cried Madame Rohan-Soubise, -at the height of astonishment. "'Tis impossible!" - -"However _unknown_ I may unhappily be to Madame de Rohan-Soubise, I dare -to hope that she will understand that the formal orders of Mlle. de -Soissons have been necessary to bring me to the Chateau Soubise--an -honor which, until now, I have at least had the modesty or the good -taste never to aspire to," replied the Marquis, in a tone of marked -irony. - -"Princess Julie . . . explain yourself . . . this has already continued -too long!" cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise, imperiously. - -The count and the abbé made a movement to retire, but Mlle. de Soissons -said to them: - -"Have the goodness to remain, gentlemen, that you may be witnesses to -what I wish to say to madame." - -The two gentlemen bowed respectfully. Mlle. de Soissons then addressed -her aunt: "I have begged M. de Létorière to come here, madame, that I -might tell him before you, and you before him, my irrevocable -intentions. I am an orphan, and free in all my actions when they are not -unworthy of my birth; but you are my relative, madame, and I know what -is due to you, and I cannot better prove my respect than in imparting to -you a resolution on which depends my destiny." . . . - -With the exception of the Marquis, the actors in this strange scene were -lost in astonishment. Madame de Rohan-Soubise, stupefied at the language -of the princess Julie, could not believe what she heard. - -Mlle. de Soissons continued: - -"I have offered my hand to M. de Létorière; he has accepted it." . . . - -"You have offered your hand!!" . . . cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise. -"Princess Julie, you have lost your reason . . . or is this all an -ill-judged pleasantry?" - -"Ah! mademoiselle," said Létorière, with a reproachful accent, seeing -the young girl thus breaking the promise she had made to him, to wait -the issue of the lawsuit before making a final decision. - -The princess Julie turned towards him: - -"You will soon learn why I have acted thus," said she; and she added, -addressing her aunt with a solemn air, "I have not lost my reason; and -what I say is serious. . . . Before God, who hears me, before you, -madame, before you, Count de Lugeac, and before you, Abbé d'Arcueil, I, -Julie Victorie de Soissons, swear to have no other husband but the -Marquis of Létorière here before us;" and she tendered him her hand -with a gesture of grandeur and simplicity. - -The Marquis took the charming hand, which he kissed with the most -respectful and lively tenderness. - -This scene was so unexpected, so like a thunderbolt, that Madame -Rohan-Soubise remained for a moment mute, interrogating with her eyes -the count and the abbé, not less astonished. - -"And I," replied the Marquis, "swear to consecrate my life to the noble -princess who has honored me with her choice. . . ." - -"And I, with all the authority which my relationship gives me," -impetuously cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise, coming out of her stupor, "I -declare to you, mademoiselle, that this shameful alliance is impossible, -and that it shall never take place!" - -"The honor which Mlle. de Soissons deigns to do me, madame, prevents me -from answering your outrageous words," said the Marquis, much moved. - -The Princess Julie replied, addressing herself to her aunt: - -"With the delicacy which ought to characterize the man to whom I intrust -my destiny, M. de Létorière wished to await the issue of his lawsuit, -which the Aulic Council of the empire is about to decide, before -accepting formally the hand which I have freely offered him; if he gains -his lawsuit he will be recognized as of a princely house, and then there -will be no difference of rank, as it is called; but if this proposition -was noble and delicate, I was a coward to accept it; I pretended to -recognize exigencies which I do not admit; I pretended to wait the -favorable issue of the lawsuit before making my decision. But that did -not suit me; I meant loyally and openly, madame, to declare to you my -unalterable resolution, whether the lawsuit be gained or lost. M. de -Létorière starts to-night for Vienna. . . . This evening I shall go to -the Abbey of Montmartre, and there await his return; you will -understand, madame, that it is impossible for me to live any longer in -your house." . . . - -"Undoubtedly the Chateau Soubise is disagreeable to you, mademoiselle; -yet you must either leave it to make a marriage worthy of your family, -or enter a convent forever." . . . - -"At least, madame, his majesty allows me to be free to retire at once to -the lady-superior of Montmartre," said Mlle. de Soissons, handing to -Madame Rohan-Soubise a letter which she took from her pocket. - -"The hand-writing of the king!" cried Madame Rohan-Soubise. - -"Yesterday I wrote to his majesty, who is acquainted with my resolution; -read his answer, which is addressed to you, madame": - - -"MY COUSIN: For sufficient reasons, I desire that Mlle. de Soissons may -enter the Abbey of Montmartre until further orders. - - -"Your affectionate - -"LOUIS." - - -Madame de Rohan-Soubise, astonished beyond expression, read the letter -twice. - -"Wonderful!" said she, with concentrated spite; "you have prevailed, -mademoiselle, but his majesty can reconsider . . . undoubtedly will -reconsider, a determination which has been surprised from him. . . . And -I shall go immediately to the king." - -"I believe that I am sufficiently acquainted with his majesty's -intentions, madame, to be certain of the futility of your application," -said Mlle. de Soissons. Then she offered her hand to M. de Létorière, -saying: "Adieu, my friend; go to Vienna . . . I will wait for you at -Montmartre Abbey." - -That very evening M. de Létorière started for Vienna. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE GOVERNOR OF HENFERESTER - - -Ten leagues north of Vienna is the vast manor of Henferester--an old -pile blackened by time, its walls covered with ivy, its roof with moss; -it seemed deserted and abandoned. The main structure, and a great tower -which faced the east, were almost in ruins. The only habitable part of -the chateau was the western tower; through some hedges of box, pushing -in every direction over the esplanade, which, surrounded by lime-trees, -extended before the door of the castle, could be seen traces of an -ancient parterre overgrown with brambles and parasitic plants. - -Autumn was drawing towards its close; the foliage of the great clumps of -trees which fringed the horizon had begun to put on their rich purple -tints. The sky was gray and rainy; the air damp and cold; night -approached. The high and narrow window which gave light to the basement -of the tower was suddenly illuminated; the stained glass windows, -although somewhat blackened by smoke, shone brilliantly, and the -coat-of-arms of the lords of Henferester glittered in the darkness -steadily deepening. - -The lower floor of the tower formed one immense circular room; it was at -once the dining-hall and the kitchen of the Governor of Henferester; the -upper stories contained many dilapidated chambers, which were reached by -a rough and narrow spiral stone staircase, the ascent of which was aided -by a rope attached to the damp wall by rings of rusty iron. - -A great fire was burning in the immense kitchen chimney; a copper lamp -with three branches suspended from the smoky rafters of the ceiling, -lighted the place; on the walls, whose plaster was in patches, were hung -deer-horns, which supported guns and hunting-knives, wild boars' tusks -and hoofs, and several wolves' heads, stuffed. - -The floor, trodden hard like the threshing-floor of a barn, was strewn -with hatchelled straw, by way of a carpet. In one corner an enormous -hogshead of beer, between two beams, was on tap. Above it were two -barrels of different sizes. One contained Rhine wine, the other, which -was smaller, the kirchenwasser of the Black Forest. On either side of -the barrels were ranged pewter mugs of various sizes. Near by were two -great firkins set against the wall, one full of salted bacon, the other -of sauer-kraut pickled in vinegar. An iron fork and spoon hanging over -these two firkins, formed, so to speak, pendants to the pewter mugs -ranged above the barrels. - -Lastly, a kneading-trough, containing a dozen loaves of bread as big as -mill-wheels, completed the list of culinary furniture. - -Except a quarter of venison, which was roasting before an enormous fire -in the chimney, and a great pot in which the bacon and sauer-kraut were -boiling, there was nothing in the room to indicate that it was a -kitchen. There were visible neither cooking-stoves, nor moulds, nor -saucepans of various forms, so dear to _gourmands._ - -As for utensils, there was only one gridiron hanging before the mouth of -the oven, which was wide open, under the mantle-piece, and a great -turnspit operated by a dog. - -A quarter of venison, like that before the fire, was hanging, all -bloody, on an iron hook near the door. - -Thanks to the combined odors of the venison, the bacon, the sauer-kraut, -the beer, the wine, and the kirchenwasser, the atmosphere of the room -was so thick, or perhaps we may say, so nourishing, that a very little -of it would have satisfied a delicate stomach. - -Without, the rain, mingled with hail, fell violently, pelting the -windows. - -Two white-haired old Germans, clothed in loose gray coats, fastened at -the waist by belts of buffalo hide, were preparing the repast of the -lord of Henferester, who had been out hunting since the morning, and had -not yet returned. - -These preparations were simple. The domestics drew towards the -fireplace a long and massive oak table; at the upper end they placed -the master's oaken seat, coarsely sculptured with his coat-of-arms, the -back carried up to form a canopy, and to which no cushion gave ease. - -Before this seat they placed a plate, or rather a great dish of silver, -a piece of bread weighing about two pounds, and three tankards, also of -silver, which served at once as glasses and bottles. The first, destined -for beer, held two pints; the second, for wine, one pint, the third, for -kirchenwasser, half a pint. - -These tankards were generally filled a second time during the meal. -Table-cloths, napkins, and covers were things merely remembered, and -were deemed ridiculous superfluities. Hunters of that day always carried -two knives in their belts; one straight and long, for stabbing the -beast; the other, thick, curved, and a little larger than an ordinary -table-knife, was used for cutting him up. This last they invariably -employed for carving their meat at table. - -The servants then laid pewter plates and pieces of bread at each side of -the table. These inferior places were reserved for the servitors of the -baron, according to their rank. - -The lord of Henferester, faithful to old and patriarchal traditions, ate -with his domestics. On his right was the place of Erhard Trusches, his -huntsman; on the left that of Selbitz, his major-domo. - -This last-named personage, having set the sauer-kraut to boil, and the -venison to roast, aided Link, an old groom, in preparing the table. - -As to women, they were never seen in the castle. Every Saturday, old -Wilhelmina, the minister's housekeeper, came to make and bake the bread -for the week, while the baron was at the council at Vienna. Wednesday, -the other council day, she put in order the linen of the castle, always -in the absence of the governor, who regarded the fair sex with profound -dislike. - -"The master is late to-night," said the major-domo, sadly looking at the -quarter of venison, which was beginning to dry up. - -"The night is dark, the rain is falling heavily, Master Selbitz . . . -perhaps the chase will have carried the governor into the forest of -Harterassen. . . . Master Erhard Trusches sent word this morning by Karl, -the dog-keeper, that the baron was to hunt a wild boar; . . . and wild -boars always start in the woods of Ferstenfak, gain the plain of Marais, -return to their lair in the forest of Harterassen, and then are captured -at the pond of the priory. All that would make a run of at least eight -leagues, and as many to return, Master Selbitz." . . . - -"And what with the night and the rain, and the bad roads of the forest, -that is a long way. . . . But listen, Link," . . . said the major-domo, -putting his hand to his ear; "is not that the sound of the governor's -trumpet?" - -"No, Master Selbitz, it is the wind blowing the weathercock." . . . - -"What time is it?" asked the major-domo; for clocks were almost as -unknown in the castle as at Otaheite. - -"It must be between six and seven, Master Selbitz, for Elphin, the -governor's roan horse, has been calling for his grain for some -time. . . . Hark! listen! do you hear him? Patience, patience, old -Elphin!" said the groom, coming back from the door. . . . "When your -companions, Kol and Lipper, get back, you will have your supper, but -not before, you old glutton!" - -"This time it surely is the governor's trumpet," cried the -major-domo. . . . "God be praised! What weather! Come! run and hold -the master's stirrup. Link, while I go and throw some pine cones on the -fire, to make a blaze." - -"That is certainly the governor's trumpet," said Link, after listening -attentively, . . . "but he does not sound a joyful flourish, or the -retreat. . . . Ah, Master Selbitz, bad luck, bad luck!" - -"The better reason for not keeping him waiting,--go--hurry!" - -The groom ran out. . . . Selbitz, having brightened the fire, put on his -lord's silver plate a letter with a great red seal, which an express had -brought from Vienna during the day. - -At this moment they heard the loud snapping of a whip, and a stentorian -and harsh voice, crying: "Go to the black devil! you cursed dogs! -Erhard, see if the piebald horse eats well; for the day has been a hard -one!" - -Then they heard the clatter of great iron-heeled and spurred boots; the -door opened, and the lord of Henferester entered in the midst of a dozen -dogs, covered with mud and streaming with rain, who rushed into the -kitchen, and crowded before the fire to dry themselves. - -The baron allowed them this privilege as much for love of the canine -race, as for his own interest, knowing that dogs who go into their -kennels shivering and cold, often fall sick. - -The lord of Henferester, a man of enormous size, and from forty-five to -fifty years old, seemed to possess herculean strength. On entering, he -threw his old felt hat into the kneading-trough. His bright red hair was -cut short; his russet beard, which he shaved only on council days, was -so thick that it covered nearly all his face. His features, strongly -marked, and tanned by exposure to the open air, were hard, yet not -devoid of a certain nobility. - -His old green jacket was soaked with rain, and buttoned up to his chin. -His deer-skin breeches were black with age, and his great thick boots, -covered with mud, reached more than half-way up his thighs; a leather -belt held his hunting-knives, with horn handles. He carried across his -breast a great trumpet of tarnished copper, and held in his large, hairy -hand, a whip and a carbine. - -Having given this weapon and the trumpet to his major-domo, who hung -them upon the wall, the master approached the fire with a discontented -air, distributed several rude kicks among his dogs, to make them move -out of his way, and threw himself heavily in his chair, saying to his -hounds, sharply: - -"Get out, you lazy, clumsy wretches! you are much more worthy to turn -the spit than to follow the chase of a noble animal. . . . To give out -after a five-hours' run, and all because the haunt of the wild boar is -too brambly! You have, it seems, become very delicate! Hum! and even -you, old Ralph!" he added, with a furious look, aiming a kick at the dog -thus addressed. - -The major-domo, seeing the humor of his master, tried to calm him by -recalling his more successful sport. - -"I can understand that my lord may be displeased when he has had bad -luck, for he is not used to it; but--" - -"Well, well," said the baron, in a harsh tone, "take the venison from -the spit, and give me my supper, for I am as hungry as the devil. This -boar led us through the forest of Harterassen; then the dogs gave out -before a hedge so thick that one should have the hide of a wild boar -itself to penetrate it." . . . - -"My lord sees, then, that it is not altogether the fault of his brave -dogs. But my lord is wet through; if he would but change his -clothes." . . . - -"Change my clothes! and why would you have me change, Master Selbitz the -tender-skinned?" cried the governor, wrathfully; "do you take me for a -silly woman, for a Frenchman? Do I change my clothes when I return from -the chase? Do my dogs change? do my horses change?" - -"No, of course not, my lord, but your clothes smoke on your body, like -Dame Wilhelmina's tub when she is making the washing lye." . . . - -"That shows that they are drying, and the dampness is leaving them!" - -"But, my lord". . . - -"But, hold your tongue, Master Selbitz the blockhead, Master Selbitz the -babbler, and give me a mug of kirchenwasser." - -Then, seeing the letter which was on his plate, the baron asked: - -"What is that, Selbitz?" - -"A letter which Count Stasfield's carrier has brought." - -"Oh! let business go to the devil! Tis enough to go to Vienna twice a -week," said the governor, breaking the seal of the letter. - -It read thus: - - -"I wish to inform you, my dear baron, that the French Marquis M. de -Létorière will arrive to-day at your house to converse with you on the -subject of his lawsuit; I need not remind you of the formal promise you -have made me to add your vote to those of your colleagues, in favor of -the Duke of Brandenbourg. Believe me, my dear baron, etc." - - -"And what the devil is this Frenchman coming here for?" cried the -governor, in a passion. "By the Holy Kings of Cologne, am I never to -have one moment of repose? Here is this beau of Versailles coming to -rouse me like a wild boar from his lair. . . . In my opinion his lawsuit -is lost . . . totally lost. . . . What does he want more? Does he -believe that I am going to interest myself about him? An impudent little -fellow, who embroiders in tambour, and who uses, they say, rouge and -patches! One of these men of gallantry, as corrupt as effeminate, always -hanging on the skirts of the women! But, by the infernal, I can't escape -from this Marquis! If he comes, I shall be obliged to offer him -hospitality; it is fifteen leagues from here to Vienna, and I can't send -him back without seeing him! I wish the devil had all the lawyers and -lawsuits! and he's coming to-night! We must offer him a bed; but where -shall he sleep? Everything is dilapidated here, and this beauty will -come in a litter, like a woman in labor!" - -The baron stamped his foot in anger, and calling his major-domo, said -with an air of vexation: - -"Perhaps we shall have a Frenchman here to-night--a Marquis--a -pleader;--in such weather we cannot let him go back to Vienna. Where can -we put him, him and his suite? For this dandy undoubtedly travels with -his train of hair-dressers, bathers and perfumers!" - -"Faith, my lord," said the major-domo, scratching his ear, "there is -only the rat-chamber, where the rain does not come in." - -"Well then, put him in the rat-chamber." Then the baron added, with a -sort of bitter irony: "In order to convey a brilliant impression of the -hospitality bestowed at the castle of Henferester, and especially that -this delicate visitor may have all his comforts, don't forget, -major-domo, to cover his bed with the most beautiful silk curtains, to -furnish it with eider-down, and the finest linens of Friesland; to beat -well the Turkey carpet; to put perfumed candles into the silver-gilt -candlesticks, and to warm his bed with charcoal of aloes wood. Do you -understand, major-domo?" - -"Yes, yes, my lord," said Martin Selbitz, busily occupying himself with -dishing up the quarter of venison, the bacon and the sauer-kraut, and -rejoiced at the peasantry of his master; "yes, my lord, be easy; I -understand you; the straw of his bed shall be fresh, and well stirred -up; the woollen coverlid well beaten, the floor well swept, the curtains -and tapestry of cobwebs well shaken, and the shutters set wide open, -that the moon may throw a bright light into the chamber of your guest; -in short, if he is so delicate and sensitive to cold, his bed shall be -warmed,--by the dog of the turnspit." - -The baron could not help laughing at the factiousness of his -major-domo, who had so exactly described the rat-chamber, which was very -like his own apartment, so indifferent was he to the commonest -conveniences of life. - -"To supper!" said the governor, drawing up his chair and taking his -hunting-knife from his belt. - -At this moment was heard the sound of the trumpet, habitually used by -German postilions. - -"Perhaps it is that confounded Marquis," cried the baron. "Hullo, -Erhard, Selbitz, run to receive him!" - -The governor, rising heavily from his seat, went to the door, saying in -a growling tone: "He must have a devilish strong body to travel such -weather as this. . . . Bah, shut up in his post-chaise, he is much -better off than he will be in the castle. Let us see, then, this -beautiful darling, this beau, this most effeminate of all the -effeminates in the Court of France." - -And the governor went forward to fulfil, in spite of himself, the duties -of hospitality towards his guest. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE SUPPER - - -Contrary to the expectation of the baron, Létorière dismounted from a -horse, instead of getting out of a chaise, and gave his animal in charge -of the postilion. - -The master of Henferester understood the duties of his position too well -not to accord a polite reception to a gentleman who had come to ask a -favor of him. He saw, moreover, that Létorière was much less -effeminate than he had been led to believe. A certain amount of energy -was necessary to bring him fifteen leagues on a post-horse, in a dark -night and frightful weather. - -When the Marquis entered, he was nearly suffocated by the _substantial_ -atmosphere of which we have spoken, to which was now added the strong -odor of the kennel, exhaling from the crowded hounds. At sight of the -stranger, they began to bay with marvellous accord. - -The Marquis stopped, seemed to listen to their howlings with unspeakable -satisfaction, and said in very good German: - -"On my faith, baron, I have never heard dogs with better throats than -yours. By St. Hubert! here is something to make the true huntsman's -heart beat!" Then, without noticing the governor, he began to examine in -detail, with serious interest, the qualities of the dogs who approached -him; and exclaimed, in a tone of increasing admiration: "Good dogs! -brave dogs! our dogs of Normandy and Poitou are not so good as these; -yours have better heads, are better formed about the flanks. See them! -They are the most beautiful dogs of their kind I ever saw in my life! -Come here, my fine fellow!" And Létorière took a great white dog, -marked with black, by his two forepaws, looked at him with the eye of a -connoisseur for several minutes, and, with an air of approbation, said -to the baron, who stood by astonished: "That's one of your best dogs, -baron; that's one of your blood-hounds, isn't it? He has served you a -long time; so much the better; years improve blood-hounds." - -Confounded by the assurance and volubility of the Marquis, the governor, -a downright huntsman, too proud of his dogs to take offence at any -attention which they excited, and, above all, struck by the remarks of -Létorière about the blood-hound, answered almost mechanically: - -"But who told you that this dog Moick was my blood-hound?" - -"How, who told me, baron? First the mark of the collator which is to be -seen on his neck, on his worn hair, as clearly as the marks of the -breastplate on a draft-horse; and then his deep and hollow voice, which -proves also that he never barks. All this is more than enough to -indicate a blood-hound to one who is not a novice in the brotherhood of -joyous huntsmen. And then what a well-developed nose! and the -chase-bone, as salient as a linger! Believe me, baron, in all your life -you will never find a finer blood-hound! make the most of him! Ah well! -I see there a quarter of venison, which is getting cold; don't let us -wait any longer, I am as hungry as forty devils! You shall see how I'll -play the knife and fork! Give us your hand, baron! By St. Hubert, our -common patron, you are a brave old German; I was told so, and now I'm -sure of it." - -"Monsieur, may I know to whom I have the honor of speaking?" demanded -the baron, more and more astonished at the cavalier manner of the -stranger. - -"That's right, baron. My name is Létorière; I have come to speak with -you about my lawsuit . . . But as we must see clearly in this chaos, -blacker than hell, and as it is now night, we will wait for the -day . . . that is to say, to-morrow morning, before talking about -it . . . Now, let's go to table, since I have invited myself without -ceremony. Excuse the rudeness of my manner, but I am a child of the -forests." - -The governor was stupefied. He had expected to see a little dandy, -speaking with the tips of his lips, pretentious, scented, delicate, as -ignorant of horses and dogs as a Leipsic shopkeeper; and he found him a -jovial, stanch young fellow, who seemed to know all about hunting, and -whose dress vied in negligence with his own. - -The baron felt most favorably disposed towards Létorière. The -admiration which the latter had shown for the dogs, increased the -good-will of the governor for his guest, so that he cordially answered: -"The castle of Henferester is at your disposal, Monsieur; I only wish I -could offer you greater hospitality." - -"You are too particular, baron. If you knew me better, you would see -that I could not desire entertainment more in accordance with my tastes. -To the table, baron!" and the Marquis approached the fire. - -Létorière had undergone a complete moral and physical transformation. -He who had been applauded at the theatre for the superlative elegance of -his dress, for the grace and charm of his person, now wore an old blue -hunting-coat with a velvet collar faded to dusky red; great boots not -less rough, not less muddy, not less heavily spurred than those of the -German Nimrod. A knot of leather tied his unpowdered hair, disordered by -his journey; his beard was half long, and the delicate whiteness of his -hands was concealed by a tint of soot, which made them look as tanned as -the baron's. In short, everything was changed in the Marquis, even to -the enchanting tone of his voice, now harsh and a little hoarse. - -None of these peculiarities escaped the baron. - -"Do you know, Erhard," said he in a low tone to his huntsman, "do you -know that this Frenchman immediately recognized old Moick as a -blood-hound, and one of our best dogs?" - -"Indeed, my lord!" said Erhard, with a doubting air. - -"It is so, Erhard; I begin to think they do know something about the -chase in France." - -Then addressing his major-domo, while the Marquis was drying himself at -the fire, the baron said: - -"Remove your plates, Selbitz; Frenchmen are not used to our German -manners." - -Selbitz began to execute the order to his own discontent, as well as -that of Erhard, when Létorière, fearing to make two enemies so near -the governor by a misunderstood fastidiousness, cried: - -"What! baron, you wish me, then, to take my horse and return to Vienna -without any supper! and why the devil do you remove the plates of those -brave men? Am I more of a gentleman than you, that I should be shocked -at your domestic habits?" - -"It is our old German custom, it is true," said the baron, "but I -thought that in France . . ." - -"Baron, we are now in Germany, at the house of one of the most worthy -representatives of the old nobility of the Empire. The rule of this -house ought to be inviolable; thus, then, my worthy huntsman," -addressing himself to Erhard Trusches, "and you, my brave director of -the family tuns, hogsheads and barrels, take your places again, with the -consent of the baron, who, I hope, will not refuse me this grace." - -At a sign from the baron, the two servants joyfully replaced their -plates at the lower end of the table. The governor pointed to the -Marquis's seat, and all prepared to attack the venison, and the immense -dish of sauer-kraut and bacon which smoked on the table. - -The baron plunged his knife into the venison to carve it, when -Létorière, with a grave and solemn air, putting his hand on the -governor's arm,-- - -"One moment, baron I devil take me if I ever dine without saying -blessing and grace." - -The baron frowned, and answered with impatience and embarrassment: - -"Since my chaplain died I have almost forgotten the words; but I give -the sense--Well, don't you know the blessing, Erhard?" - -"No, my lord," said Erhard, in a peevish tone, "I say it once for the -year, and yesterday was my day for saying it." - -"And you, Selbitz?" - -"I, my lord! my brother, the minister of Blumenthal, says it for me every -day." - -"Ah, baron, are you all Turks? So it will fall to me to say grace." - -And the Marquis said in a loud voice, "Great St. Hubert, please to make -the venison fat, the wine good, the appetite ravenous, and the thirst -unquenchable." Then he emptied at one draught the tankard which held a -pint of Rhine wine, wiped his mustaches with the back of his hand, and, -putting the mug on the table, said _Amen._ - -This pleasantry made the worthy governor almost burst with laughter; -imitating the prowess of his guest, he drank at one breath his cup of -wine, repeated Amen with the voice of a Stentor, and found his solicitor -a jolly good fellow. - -The two servants, quite as much tickled as their master by the strange -blessing of the Marquis, nevertheless moderated the expression of their -gayety. - -"Selbitz," said the governor, soon animated by the good cheer and the -sallies of Létorière, "go and refill our tankards, and don't forgot -yours and Erhard's; it is a fête to-day at Henferester, in honor of my -guest." - -And the baron affectionately tendered his great hand to the Marquis, -whose fingers he rudely squeezed, as much in genuine cordiality as to -show his strength. - -Létorière, who, under a delicate exterior, concealed great muscular -strength, answered his pressure quite as roughly. The baron, who had not -expected this proof of his vigor, said, laughing, with an astonished -air: - -"A rod of steel is often as strong as a great bar of iron, my guest." - -"But unhappily, baron, a great glass will hold more than a little one," -replied the Marquis. - -The wine and the beer began to circulate; the baron saw, with a sort of -national pride, Létorière, after having eaten five or six slices of -venison, bravely attack the sauer-kraut and smoked bacon, of which he -praised the appetizing savor, emptying his two tankards two or three -times, meanwhile. - -While satisfying his furious appetite, Létorière had not remained -silent. His lively and natural wit, excited by the good cheer, charmed -by a thousand pleasantries; in a word, Selbitz and Erhard saw, to their -great astonishment, their master, ordinarily so grave and taciturn, -laugh in this one evening more than he had laughed for many years. - -The huntsman, recognizing in Létorière an accomplished hunter, -listened religiously to his slightest words, when the baron ordered him -to carry the dogs back to their kennel, and give them their supper. A -second iron pot, destined for the hounds, was taken from the fire. - -The major-domo, after removing the dishes, placed upon the table the -tankard of kirchenwasser, an earthen jar full of tobacco, and gave the -baron an old pipe. - -The latter filled it, saying to Létorière, with whom he already felt -entirely at ease, "Well! tobacco-smoke won't offend you, Marquis?" - -For answer, the Marquis drew from his pocket an enormous pipe, which -bore the marks of long and faithful service, and began to fill it with -familiar ease. - -"You smoke then, Marquis!" cried the delighted governor, clapping his -hands with admiration. - -"Do people live without smoking, baron? On returning from the chase, -after a good meal, what greater pleasure is there than smoking a pipe -with your feet on the andirons, drinking from time to time a swallow of -kirchenwasser, this savage offspring of the Black Forest, which is, to -my thinking, as much superior to French brandy as a heath-cock is to a -barn-yard fowl?" And after this audacious flattery, the Marquis -enveloped himself in a thick cloud of smoke. - -The governor, animated by his frequent libations, and whose head was -not, perhaps, quite so calm and so cool as that of his guest, regarded -the Marquis with a sort of ecstasy; he could not understand how a body -so frail in appearance, was so vigorous in reality; how a Frenchman -could drink and smoke as much as, or more, than he, the _widerkom -vierge_, the subduer of the most redoubtable drinkers of the Empire. - -"To the health of your mistress, my guest!" said he gayly to the -Marquis. - -"My mistress! that's my gun," said Létorière, stretching himself out -by the fire, and poking it with the toe of his great boot, the soles of -which were an inch thick. "Devil take the women! they cannot bear the -smell of tobacco, of brandy, or of the kennel, without putting a flask -of perfume to their noses. Do you make much account of women, baron?" - -"I love better to hear the clatter of spurs than the rustle of -petticoats, my guest; but at my age that is wisdom," said the baron, -more and more astonished to find the Marquis sharing his rustic tastes -and his antipathies to the ridiculous affectations of the fair sex. - -"At all ages it is wisdom, baron; and I would give all the love-sick -guitars, all the melancholy lays of the troubadours, for the old trumpet -of a forester." - -"Do you know one thing, my guest?" said the baron, striking his mug -against that of the Marquis. - -"Say on, baron," replied the Marquis, filling his pipe anew. - -"Well! before I saw you, knowing you were coming to interest me about -your lawsuit, which unhappily . . . - -"Devil take the lawsuit, baron!" cried Létorière; "the one who speaks -of it this evening shall be condemned to drink a pint of water!" - -"So be it, Marquis! Well, before I saw you it seemed to me that I should -much rather go through a bramble bush than to receive you; frankly, I -dreaded your arrival. . . . I believed you a dandy and a beau." . . . - -"Thank you, baron! Well, for my part, I believed you to be an Alcindor, -a Cytherean shepherd." - -"Now, although I have known you but this evening," resumed the baron, "I -will say to you frankly, that when you quit this poor castle of -Henferester I shall have lost the best companion that a man could have -for a long evening at the fire-side." - -"And also to pass a hard day of hunting in the depths of the forest. -Devil take the coxcomb who prefers balls and gallantry to the bottle, -the pipe and hunting. If you wish to prove to me that your dogs are as -good as they are handsome, baron, you will see that I am worthy to -follow them." - -"That's right, my guest! To-morrow morning, by daylight, we will be -ready for the chase." - -"Let it be as you say, baron; we will speak of the lawsuit day after -to-morrow, not before--remember--the pint of water to him who speaks of -it before." - -"Bravo, my guest!" said the baron, "but it is late, and you are -fatigued; old Selbitz will conduct you to your chamber,--that is to say, -a kind of room furnished with a paltry bed, which is all I have to offer -you. . . . My chamber is still worse." - -"Ah, well, no ceremony, baron; rather than give you any trouble, I will -take one of my boots for a bolster; you will give me an armful of straw, -and I shall pass a comfortable night before this fire, which will burn -until morning." - -"I have thus passed many nights in the huts of charcoal burners," said -the baron, with a sigh of regret, "when I was hunting in the Black -Forest; but in fact, my friend, however bad your bed may be, you will -find it more comfortable than this floor, beaten down like a -threshing-ground." - -"To-morrow morning, baron, I will myself sound the _reveille_" said the -Marquis; "but before that, let me sound the good-night." And -Létorière, taking from the wall the governor's trumpet, gave this last -flourish with such perfection, with such a bold and free hunting air, -that the baron enthusiastically cried: - -"In the thirty years I've hunted, I never heard so fine a trumpeter." - -"That is easily enough explained, baron; it is because you have never -heard yourself sound it. Your trumpet is so true that you cannot help -being master of this noble science. But until to-morrow,--baron, -good-night, and above all, don't dream of water, or sour wine, or empty -bottles." - -"Good-night, Marquis!" - -The baron called Selbitz, and ordered him to conduct his guest to the -rat-chamber already described, in which a great fire had been lighted. - -Létorière, fatigued with his journey, slept soundly enough, and the -baron did the same, after having several times remarked to Selbitz and -Erhard, in giving them their orders for the next day, that it was a pity -that this young man was a Frenchman, for he was quite worthy of having -been born in Germany. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -CONFIDENCES - - -The next day, on rising, the baron learned from Selbitz that the Marquis -had set out at daylight with Erhard Trusches, for the woods, and had -charged the major-domo to make his excuses to the governor. - -"Who would have thought, considering the reputation of the Marquis, to -find him such a hard huntsman and drinker, Selbitz? For, do you know, he -was ahead of me at table, and we valiantly emptied our tankards," said -the baron. - -"Yes, my lord, and he went up to the rat-chamber with as firm a step as -if he had drunk nothing but a little whey for supper." - -"Well, well," said the baron, receiving from the hands of his major-domo -what was necessary to dress himself for the chase, "well, Selbitz, we -must allow that, after all, the Marquis is a brave and worthy gentleman, -and besides, is gay enough to rejoice your heart! What good stories he -told us. . . . I wish he was going to pass several days at the castle! -for, on my faith, he's a most agreeable companion. Although there is -more than twenty years difference in our ages, we seem to be old -acquaintances; in short, if he were not an acquaintance of yesterday, I -should say--and devil take me if I know why--I should say, Selbitz, that -I feel a great friendship for him; faith, I like frank and open -characters,--there's nothing equal to them!" - -After hastily eating a slice of cold venison, a porringer of beer-soup, -and drinking two pints of Rhine wine, the baron mounted his horse, and -soon reached the rendezvous which he had appointed with Erhard Trusches, -in one of the cross-ways of the forest. - -He found there his huntsman, his servant, and the pack. - -Erhard Trusches appeared sad and absorbed; the baron, surprised at not -seeing Létorière at the rendezvous, questioned Erhard about him. - -After a moment's silence, Erhard said, with a timid and uneasy air, "Is -my lord well acquainted with his guest?" - -"What do you mean, Erhard? Where is the Marquis? Did he not come with -you this morning to the wood?" - -"Yes, my lord, that is why I ask you if you are sure of him. See here, -my lord, it will bring me mischief, joking last night at supper about -the blessing." - -"Ah! explain yourself!" - -"I mean to say, my lord"--and Erhard went on with a low and trembling -voice--"I very much fear that your guest is he who appears sometimes in -the moonlight, in the solitary recesses of the forest, to offer to -desperate huntsmen three balls, one of gold, one of silver, and one of -lead, and the whole at the price of their souls!" added Erhard, with a -gloomy and frightened air. - -"So! you take my guest for the devil, then," cried the baron, shrugging -his shoulders and laughing; "your morning cup has turned your brain, old -Erhard!" - -The huntsman shook his head, and replied: "My lord, explain to me how it -is that he whom you call your guest, and who has never been in this -forest before, knows it as well as I do." - -"What do you mean to say?" said the baron, very much astonished. - -"This morning at daylight, when I started with the Marquis, 'Master -Erhard,' said he to me, 'if you will let me take a hound, we will share -the search of the forest. I will go over the enclosures of the priory of -the Hermit's Chapel, of the Thunder-struck Fir-tree, and of the Black -Pool.'" - -"He said that?" said the baron, stupefied. - -"Just as I have told you, my lord, and he added: 'I have great hope of -starting a full-grown buck, for, in the woods about the Hermit's Chapel, -stags are plenty. You, Master Erhard, on your part, seek to start a wild -boar. They are always to be found in the forests of Enrichs, the -brambles are so thick. Then the baron can have his choice between the -foot of the stag or the track of the wild boar.' 'But, sir,' I said, -affrighted, 'you know our forests well, then? you have often hunted -them?' 'I have never hunted here,' he answered, 'but I know it as well -as you do. Go ahead! good luck, Master Erhard!'--and then he disappeared -in the woods, taking with him poor Moick, our best boar-hound, whom lie -will perhaps change into a lynx, or a beast with seven paws, by his -diabolical witchcraft." - -The baron was not at all superstitious, but he could not comprehend what -Erhard said, and he knew him to be too respectful to joke with his -master. Nevertheless, he could not but admit that the Marquis was -endowed with such topographical knowledge as the huntsman described. - -"And what have you done in the search?" he asked Erhard. - -"He whom you call your guest has brought me ill-luck,--I have done -nothing." - -"Nothing? how does that happen? This is the first time in two years that -you have not had game,--and on a day, too, when we are going to hunt -with a stranger!" - -"Where the evil spirit can, mere mortals can't, my lord," said Erhard, -soberly. "He whom you call your guest has only to sound his trumpet, and -all the animals of the forest will come to him, as the bird comes to the -serpent." - -"Go to the devil, you old fool!" cried the governor, angrily. - -"I shall not have to go far for that, my lord," murmured he, in a low -voice, pointing to Létorière, who was coming out of a coppice holding -old Moick in leash. - -"Long life to you, baron!" cried Létorière; "if you have a mind, you -can chase a full-grown buck, and strike him at my trap near the chapel. -By the size of his tracks, I would lay a wager that it is one of those -great deer with a white forehead and legs; the King of France has a -number like them in his forest of Chambord. I should recognize their -feet among a thousand. They have a magnificent shape." - -"You have good luck, Marquis," said the baron; "you are a sorcerer." - -"I am not a sorcerer, but it is your good blood-hound that deserves -credit. I owe my stag to him. As to you, my brave Erhard," added he, -turning towards the huntsman, "if you had had him at the end of your -leash you would have done what I have done. Come, baron, to horse! to -horse! It is a good league from here to my trap, and the November days -are short. Here's your dog, Erhard!" At the same time the Marquis -slipped a piece of gold into the huntsman's hand. - -But he, seizing a moment when the Marquis could not see him, threw away -the piece as if it had been red-hot, and with the toe of his boot kicked -it under the leaves. - -"Money of hell!" said he, in a low voice; "if I had put it into my -pocket, in a quarter of an hour, instead of a piece of gold, I should -have found a red bat or a black frog." Then the huntsman took the leash -of his hound with as much precaution as if the Marquis had had the -plague, and looked at the dog with disturbed tenderness, believing him -to be already bewitched. - -After putting his thick boots over his buckskin splatterdashes, the -Marquis mounted old Elphin, and the baron saw with a new pleasure that -his guest was an excellent horseman. - -"Baron," cried Létorière, arriving at an enclosure in the forest, -"here is my trap; unleash, I am going to enter the hedge with three or -four of your oldest dogs in order to attack--" - -"One moment," said the baron, with a serious air; "you pass for a -sorcerer in the eyes of Erhard Trusches; he will work badly if he takes -you for the devil, for he will think more of his soul than the course of -the stag." - -"How? explain yourself, baron!" - -"Come here, Erhard," said the governor. - -The huntsman advanced, looking agitated and alarmed. - -"Is it not true," continued the governor, "that you do not understand -how my guest, who has never been in this forest, knows it so well. How -he knows that the enclosure of the Hermit's Chapel is the best haunt of -the stag, and that relays must be placed at the border of the Priory -Plain?" - -"'Tis true," said Erhard in a low voice; "could not have known it so -long--" - -"And devil take me if I understand it myself, Marquis," said the baron. - -Shrugging his shoulders and smiling, the Marquis drew from his pocket a -little book bound in leather, and advanced towards Erhard: "Look here, -you old wild boar, here's my conjuring-book." - -The huntsman recoiled from it with a look of fright. - -The Marquis opened the book, and spread out on his saddle-bow a forest -map especially prepared for imperial hunting, and on which all the -enclosures, routes, paths, haunts and passes of the animals were -minutely indicated and explained. - -"The map of the imperial hunting-ground!" cried the baron; "I ought to -have guessed it. There is the mystery all explained. But you must have -great insight, a rare familiarity with the chase, to be able to make -such use of it. Ah, Marquis, Marquis, you have not your equal in Europe. -To start a stag the first time that one hunts in a forest,--that is the -most skilful thing I ever saw I Do you understand now, you old fool?" -said the baron to the huntsman; "you ought to go down on your knees to -the Marquis, our master in everything." - -"Yes, yes, my lord, I understand, and God be praised, for it would have -been a great misfortune;" saying these words, Erhard took his ramrod and -drew his charge. - -"What are you doing, Erhard?" said the baron. - -The huntsman showed the baron a black ball, on which was traced a cross, -and said to him: "At the first enclosure I should nevertheless have sent -this charmed ball into the breast of the Marquis, whom I took for the -devil; old Ralph said there was nothing like it to lay such evil -spirits." - -"Wretch!" cried the baron. - -"He is right," said Létorière, with the greatest _sang-froid_; "but -you have forgotten, Erhard, that it is necessary to make the charm -complete, to have three pieces of gold in your left pocket in order that -the devil cannot enter into your purse;" and the Marquis threw three -louis to Erhard, who, this time, did not bury them under the leaves. - -The stag which was started was soon in full career. - -It is unnecessary to describe the various incidents of this chase, -during which Létorière showed consummate skill. The animal was taken, -and the Marquis, arriving first at the death, bravely killed him with -one blow of the knife. - -The huntsmen arrived at the castle at nightfall. Selbitz had as usual -made ready the bacon, the sauer-kraut, the venison, the great, the -medium, and the little tankards well filled. - -As on the previous night, the baron and the Marquis did honor to this -repast; as before, they filled their pipes after supper, and established -themselves at the corner of the fireplace, while the major-domo occupied -himself with the cares of the household. - -Although the baron felt subjugated by the jovial spirit and the open and -resolute character of the Marquis, he was a little vexed at meeting in -so young a man an unconquered rival either at the chase or table. - -Létorière, too adroit not to divine this, contrived a brilliant -triumph for him. - -The governor, who was truly interested in his guest, wished to resume of -his own accord the conversation about the lawsuit. - -"To the devil with the lawsuit!" cried the Marquis. "That's my look-out -. . . If I lose my cause I shall have gained a good companion. I would -have twenty lawsuits in order to lose them in that way! But my tankard -is empty. . . . Hallo, Selbitz, hallo, you old Satan! . . . The -kirchenwasser evaporates before my thirst, as the dew before the sun." - -"Poor fellow! he tries to shake it off," thought the governor. "I ought -not to let him drink alone," and the baron had his mug refilled. - -"Baron, a song!" cried Létorière, very gayly. "Do you know _The -Retreat?_ They say that the air and the words were composed by one of -your old huntsmen." - -"You sing it, Marquis--I will tell you if I know it." - -And Létorière, having again emptied his mug, and preluded by a deep -hem--hem--or two, struck up the following song with the voice of a -Stentor: - - -"'Afar the trumpet peals! -The stag lies on his haunches! -Let the merry hallo sound, -'Tis a stag of ten branch--'" - - -"Come! join the chorus, baron. . . . Heavens! 'tis quite _apropos_ -to-day." - -"With all my heart, Marquis! I don't know the air, but, by Jupiter, it -is worthy of Mozart!" and the baron repeated the refrain with a voice so -powerful, that it shook the windows. - -"Listen to the minor strain, baron. . . . It is as melancholy as the -last sounds of a distant trumpet in a clear night." - -And the Marquis continued in a softer voice, and in a slower measure: - - -"'Now the star of evening -Peers above the hill; -The day hides in the forest, -All is still. -'Tis the hour of retreat, -Let the dogs be coupled quick; -Huntsmen mount and trumpets sound; -Forward your brave horses prick! -See the brown night -And the moonlight; -We will go back -Home without seeing -The huntsman in black.'" - - -The voice of the Marquis seemed to lose its strength as he sang these -last words, in a rhythm melancholy and almost sorrowful; his countenance -lost its joyous and careless expression, and a shade of sadness passed -over his brow, which he soon supported with his hand. - -Selbitz, who was just at that moment behind his master's chair, said to -him, in a low voice, pointing to the Marquis: - -"When the flower is too plentifully watered it bends on its stalk; when -the business on hand is drinking, _to-day_ is not always the son of -_yesterday._ Come, come, my lord, you will always be the _widerkom -vierge!_ Here's this Frenchman supporting his forehead with his left -hand; the intoxication of the forester-general of Hasbreck always begins -in that way; but, to do the latter justice, that is always so from the -first day." - -The baron laughed with an air of proud satisfaction, and answered in a -low voice: - -"What do you mean, Selbitz? He is so young . . . but notwithstanding his -youth, he is a hardy combatant. Yesterday he went ahead of me; to -contend two days in succession is too much for him. But after myself, I -do not know anybody who can equal him." . . . - -"Use him up then, my lord . . . use him up, for the honor of old -Germany," . . . said the traitorous major-domo. - -"Well, Marquis," said the governor, in a loud voice, "is your song -already finished? Shall we not drink to your glorious chase to-day?" - -"Let's drink!" said the Marquis, holding out his tankard with an arm -that seemed heavy. . . . Then, having drank, he repeated in a low and -sad voice the last few lines of his song: - - -"'See the brown night -And the moonlight; -We will go back -Home without seeing -The huntsman in black.'" - - -"He is dull in his liquor," said the baron to his major-domo. - -"He puts me in mind of Count Ralph, who, you know, monsieur, at about -the tenth bottle almost always sings the psalm for the dead," answered -Selbitz. - -"Come, Marquis, to the first wild boar that we shall take!" said the -baron, wishing to strike a last blow at the Marquis's reason. - -"Let's drink!" said Létorière, who began from that time to show slight -symptoms of intoxication, speaking by turns slowly and rapidly, sadly -and joyfully. "The chase, baron--'tis good, the chase . . . wine -also . . . it stupefies--it transports, gives no time for thought; and -then it makes one gay, and at last . . . but, bah! hold on, baron, I -must tell you something in confidence." . . . - -"What, confidences so soon?" cried the major-domo. "That's like the -minister at Blumenthal,--but his reverence does not begin before the -eighth tankard. You remember, my lord, the good story he told us of the -jolly miller's wife of Val-aux-Primevères?" - -"Hold your tongue, and listen!" said the governor; who replied aloud, -"speak, speak, Marquis! Come, let's drink to your confidences." . . . - -"Well, then, baron, imagine that my lawsuit has turned my brain." . . . - -"Truly, Marquis!" said he aloud. "I'm sure of it," he continued in a low -voice . . . "this poor boy wishes to drown his thoughts." . . . - -"True, as that my glass is empty. . . . I wouldn't tell you this, baron -. . . but you are my friend . . . I ought to confide in you. . . . Know -that I have made a visit to my judges." . . . - -"Ah, bah!" said the baron, gratified with his guest's involuntary -communicativeness, and very eager to draw from him the secret, perhaps, -of his visits. "You have seen your judges, have you?" - -"Yes, baron, the first one was named . . . Spectre." . . . - -"You mean to say Sphex, Marquis?" - -"Sphex, or Spectre . . . 'tis all the same to me . . . but a thousand -guns! baron, I must laugh . . . although it may be at one of your -confrères . . . 'tis not my fault . . . I have as great regard for a -man learned in us . . . as for a broken glass or a foundered -horse." . . . - -"Well said, Marquis! you are not made anymore than myself to breathe the -odor of worm-eaten books. . . . We love the air of the forests!" - -"Figure to yourself then, baron . . . that this old Spectre--I like best -to call him Spectre, because that tells his face as well as his -name--had the insolence to ask me, at the end of a conversation of two -minutes, if I spoke Latin!" - -"You, Marquis, you speak Latin!" said the baron, sharing the indignation -of his guest. "I wonder where he had put his spectacles? As if you -looked like one who spoke Latin! Did any one ever see such an impudent -old thing! What the devil did he take you for?" - -"You understand that one cannot hear such things with coolness,--even -from his judge. 'Ah well,' said I to him, 'do I look like a rat that -gnaws old books? an ink-drinker? a vulgar pedant? To speak Latin! A -thousand devils! If I had not come to ask your support in my -lawsuit, . . . I would let you see how I treat those who tell me that -I speak Latin!'" - -"Well said, my guest! I would have given a hundred florins to be present -at that scene," said the baron, shouting with laughter. - -"Then the doctor declared to me distinctly, that he had nothing to say -about my lawsuit, and I could consider my cause as lost, because _I was -known!_ S'death, baron, I was known!!! It was too much. He had already -asked me if I spoke Latin; I could contain myself no longer, and so I -challenged him at once. . ." - -"Sphex! a challenge!" cried the governor, laughing until he lost his -breath; . . . "the old ape must have looked funny! but what did he say?" - -"He said nothing at all; he raised his hands towards Heaven, and -disappeared, as if by enchantment, behind a pile of great books. . . . -Then I left, not doubting that the doctor owed me a grudge, but devil -take me if I know for what, for two gentlemen can cross swords, and -still be friends notwithstanding." - -"He has rare simplicity," said the governor, aside; "he little knows how -he appears." - -Létorière went on. . . . "Then I had to see the councillor -Flachsinfingen. I reached his house and asked for him, and was -introduced into the presence of an old sorceress, dressed in black, who -might have passed for a female savant, so dry and thin was she. She had, -into the bargain, a Bible in her hand. 'I have business with the -councillor, and not with his wife,' said I to the lacquey. 'Me or the -councillor, 'tis all the same,' said the old witch. 'Tell me, sir, what -you have to say to my husband?' Then, baron, I, who know how to do such -things, devised a way to send off the wife and bring forward the -husband." - -"Let's hear, Marquis," said the governor; adding, aside: "when he shall -become quick and adroit in such matters, I will drink pure water . . . -he is rough and knotty as an oak, but pliable as a willow. Ah, well! -what was this scheme, Marquis?" - -"'A thousand devils, madam!' said I to the lady, 'what I have to say to -the councillor is not fit for your chaste ears.' 'Never mind; say on, -sir!' Then, baron, I began to recount a tale of the barracks which would -have made a Pandour blush." - -At this new jest the baron had a new spasm of laughter, and exclaimed: -"A barrack-story to the prudish and devout Flachsinfingen! I would have -given--devil take me if I wouldn't--my old hound Moick, if I could have -witnessed that scene; and what did she say?" - -"She blushed red as a lobster, called me insolent, and made me a sign to -go away." - -"If that is the course you take to interest your judges in your cause, -my guest, I wish you joy of it," said the governor. - -"And what the devil should I find to say to a learned man or to a prude? -One cannot make himself over again." - -"Certainly not," murmured the baron; "the poor boy is like me; he would -find it difficult to accustom himself to the jargon of a doctor and the -babbling of an old woman." - -"Then only you remained to be seen, baron. I have seen you; you are a -brave man . . . and I am afraid to bother you with my affairs. . . . But -this lawsuit . . . if you knew . . . if I lose it! I seem to be an -easy-going fellow; but look at me; if this were . . . if I lose -it" . . . said Létorière, with energy, "I will never survive. S'death! -I should pray St. Cartridge and my rifle to have mercy on me!" - -Having permitted this sinister secret to escape him, Létorière -appeared to collect his ideas, passed his hand over his forehead, and -looked around him with an air of astonishment. - -"Ah, well, where am I? You there, baron? Come, come, your Rhine wine is -excellent, but devilish strong. My lord, I've been asleep, I think" -. . . and the Marquis, in spite of all his efforts, lowered his eyelids, -which seemed to be heavy. - -"You haven't slept, but you ought to, I think, and your cup is full." - -"Then empty it for me, baron . . . for . . . the lawsuit . . . the stag -. . . to-day . . . All! to the devil with the lawsuit--_vive la chase!_ -something to drink . . . to you, baron, . . ." and Létorière feigned -to become drowsy, and let his head fall on his arms. - -"He refuses to drink, and I am conqueror!" cried the governor. He called -Selbitz and Erhard, as much to prove his triumph over the Frenchman, as -to order them to help his guest to the rat-chamber. - -Létorière, whose head was as calm as the baron's, received their -offered aid, ascended the staircase mechanically, and fell heavily on -his mean bed. - -The baron felt strangely embarrassed. If he had been profoundly -interested in Létorière, especially since the latter had made him -believe that he could not survive the loss of his lawsuit; he had also -formally promised his vote to the German princes, whose cause he truly -believed to be just. - -To reconcile his desire of obliging the Marquis with his word already -given, the baron had recourse to a singular compromise: "Our votes are -secret; from what I know of Sphex and Flachsinfingen, otherwise good -partisans of the princes"--said he to himself--"both of them will -undoubtedly vote against this poor Létorière, especially after the -affront he has offered to the savant and the councillor's wife. Thus -their hostility assures the triumph of the party opposed to the Marquis. -Now, provided that the German princes gain, and thus justice be done, -what matters it whether it is owing to a unanimous vote, or a majority -of two voices against one? I desire only to be able, without being -unjust, to send this poor Marquis away with soft words and a proof of my -friendship; for I should never have the courage to say _No_ to so brave -a huntsman and so jovial a companion." - -This resolution taken, the governor awaited with impatience the waking -of his guest, and announced to him, that having reflected all night on -his lawsuit, his opinion was modified, and that he would promise to vote -for him. - -Létorière, having thanked the baron a thousand times, returned to -Vienna. Notwithstanding what he had told the governor, he had as yet -seen neither the councillor Sphex, nor the wife of the councillor -Flachsinfingen. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -DOCTOR SPHEX - - -Doctor Aloysius Sphex lived in a very retired house, at the end of one -of the faubourgs of Vienna. Heavy bars protected all the windows; thick -plates of iron strengthened a low and narrow door, secured by a strong -lock. - -One had to pass boldly between two enormous mountain-dogs, chained -behind the door, in order to reach a little interior court, where grass -was growing, and which led to the kitchen. In this cold and gloomy place -the doctor's old housekeeper was to be seen crouching near two expiring -brands. - -On the first floor the doctor had a large library, dusty and in -disorder, encumbered with large folios, which seemed not to have been -opened for a long time. A high window, with small panes of glass set in -leaden sashes, and half hidden by a curtain of old tapestry, admitted a -doubtful and dingy daylight. A vast chimney, with twisted stone columns -and a sculptured mantle-piece, had been transformed into a part of the -library; for the doctor never had a fire lighted, for fear of burning -his books. - -In order to guard himself against the sharp cold of the autumn, the -councillor had conceived the idea of shutting himself up in an old -sedan-chair, which had been placed in the middle of his study; closing -its glasses, he found himself comfortably established to read and write. - -Doctor Sphex, a little, thin, stooping old man, with thick eyebrows, -piercing eyes, a caustic smile, projecting lower jaw, high-cheek bones -and wrinkled skin, had a singularly sardonic and malignant countenance. - -When his old inlaid clock struck two, the councillor came out of his -sedan-chair, with almost automatic precision. - -He wore an old rusty black coat, over which he drew a sort of gray -overcoat, placed a hat with a broad brim on his red wig, and, in order -to keep his head-dress in place, used a square handkerchief, folded -triangularly, the two ends being tied under his chin. - -Putting his spectacles into one of his pockets, and into the other a -precious Elzevir, a little volume bound in black leather, Doctor Sphex -took his cane and prepared to go out. - -But, as if struck by a sudden thought, he turned back, recrossed the -library and entered another room, closing the door behind him. - -His eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. He took a key suspended from his -watch-chain, opened a little chest, and drew from it with religious -respect a flat and oblong cedar box. It contained a vellum manuscript in -quarto. The forms of the written characters were those used in the tenth -century; the titles and capital letters were gilt, and ornamented with -vignettes. - -After contemplating this manuscript with looks as eager, uneasy, and -insatiable as those with which a miser gloats over his treasure, Doctor -Sphex replaced the box, and carefully closed the chest which contained -this precious specimen of caligraphy. Reassured of the safety of his -dearest treasure, he went out to take his accustomed walk. - -In passing by the housekeeper's room, he said to her, in an impatient -tone: - -"If the French Marquis comes to the charge again, whether I am at home -or not, always tell him that I am absent." - -"He has been again this morning, sir." - -"That's good, that's good! What need have I to see this silly coxcomb, -this spark, this beau, who, they say, _Non pudet ad morem discincti -vivere Nattœ._"[2] - -The old man directed his steps to a little valley situated behind the -faubourgs, called the Vale of the Lindens. - -Even as certain disdainfully exclusive amateurs acknowledge but one -school of painting, and admire but one master of that school, so Doctor -Sphex was infatuated with the Satires of Persius, and ranked him above -all other ancient Latin poets. - -Not only did he possess all the editions of this poet, from the most -rare, the edition _Princeps de Brescia_ (1470), to the most modern, that -of Homs (1770), but he had, at a high price, secured the manuscript of -which we have spoken, and which he considered an inestimable treasure. - -The councillor had translated and commented upon Persius, and still -studied him daily. By dint of penetrating into the mind of this author, -he had come to assimilate him so constantly in his thoughts, that he -applied, continually, to himself and others, quotations borrowed from -that satirical stoic. - -This admiration bordered on monomania. Even as by the aid of a -microscope the observer discovers unknown worlds in a blade of grass or -a drop of water, so the exalted imagination of the doctor found in the -most simple words of his cherished author the most profound -significances. - -The councillor proceeded, then, with slow steps towards the place of his -daily walk. Approaching the overthrown tree which generally served him -as a seat, he heard some one speaking in a loud voice. . . . - -Annoyed by finding his place occupied, he stopped behind a holly-bush. - -But what was his surprise, when he heard a young and sweet voice -reciting with admirable accentuation and elegant expression, these -verses from the first Satire of Persius: - - -"O curas hominum! O quantum est in rebus inane!" etc.[3] - - -The councillor held his breath, listened, and when the voice ceased, he -quickly advanced to see who was this stranger who appeared to enjoy so -much his favorite author. - -He saw a young man negligently dressed, with rolls of paper thrust into -the pockets of his old black coat; beside him was a voluminous quarto. -The exterior of Létorière, for it was he, gave an instant impression -of a poor poet; a narrow cravat of coarse linen, an old felt hat, rusty -with age, a pale and half-famished countenance; nothing was wanting to -this new metamorphosis. - -At sight of the old councillor, the Marquis respectfully arose. - -"Ah, young man, is not our Persius the king of poets?" cried Sphex, -eagerly, striking the palm of his hand on the Elzevir which he drew from -his pocket, and approaching Létorière with a radiant air. - -"Sir!" said the Marquis abashed, "I did not know" . . . - -"I was there, I was there behind the holly-bush; I heard you begin the -recital of the first satire of our poet, of our god! for, by Hercules, -young man, I see that you appreciate him as I do! Never could a Tuscan -pronounce with more purity than you, the inimitable poetry of our common -hero; and truly, my old heart is rejoiced at this meeting, as happy as -it is unexpected. - -"'_Hunc, Macrine, diem numera meliore lapillo!_'"[4] cried the old man; -and he cordially held out his hand to his new acquaintance, having -borrowed this quotation from his favorite author. - - -"If it were not too presumptuous, sir," answered Létorière, with -humility, "I should dare to answer you:" - - -"'Non equidem hoc dubites, amboram fœdere certo -Consentira dies, et ah uno sidere duci.'"[5] - - -"Bravo! my young friend, it would be impossible to answer with more -spirit, or more to the point! You must know my Persius, my inimitable -stoic, as well as I do; but what is given to you, and which, alas! I -have not, is this beautiful and harmonious pronunciation, so musical -that I am transported by it! So," added the councillor, hesitating, "if -I dared, I would ask you, in the name of our common admiration, to -repeat to me the first verses of the third satire." - -"With pleasure, sir," said Létorière, smiling. - - -"'Hæc cedo, ut admoveam templis et farre litabo.'"[6] - - -"Better and better!" cried the savant, clapping his hands. "But -_apropos_ to this quotation, what signification do you give to _far?_" -and the doctor fastened an anxious look on the young man, whose -knowledge he wished to put to the proof by this question. - -"According to my slender experience," unhesitatingly replied the -Marquis, "_far_ signifies the grain of which flour is made; and, -contrary to the opinion of Casaubon and Scaliger, I believe that this -word applies not only to bread, but to corn, to barley, in a word, to -all sorts of grain; for you know, sir, that _far_ was with salt, the -most common of offerings; and it is that, I think, that Virgil means by -these words, _fruges salsae . . . salsa mola_ . . . it is then as a kind -of humble offering to our common divinity, sir, that I will repeat the -verses which please you." Then Létorière kindly recited the whole -satire, giving to his harmonious voice an expression by turns so fine, -so pointed, and so energetic, that doctor Sphex, delighted, cried out: - -"Nothing has escaped him! not a shade! not an idea! he has not stopped -on the surface of the words! he scrutinizes them, he examines them, he -weighs them, he penetrates through the brilliant exterior, and brings to -light the profound and hidden sense. . . . Young man! . . . young man!" -. . . added Sphex, rising, . . . "my respects to you. To read thus is to -translate! To translate thus is so to assimilate yourself with the mind -of the original as to substitute the individuality of the author for -your own! Now I declare to you, that a man so happy and so rarely -endowed as to individualize himself with Persius, deserves, in my -opinion, almost as much respect as Persius himself! Yes, I consider this -phenomenon of assimilation as a kind of relation . . . of intellectual -parentage! Now then, mark this, young man! . . . Were it not for the -immense difference in age which separates us, I should say that we were -brothers in intelligence, children of one father." - -Dr. Sphex had spoken with so much vehemence and enthusiasm, that -Létorière regarded him with profound astonishment, fearing that he had -been deceived, and was talking to a monomaniac instead of the Aulic -Councillor, for whom he was waiting. - -The _savant_, differently interpreting his silence, continued: "You see -I act like an old fool. . . . I treat you as a brother, and have not -thought of asking to what learned Latin scholar I have the honor of -speaking." - -"My name is Létorière, sir," said the Marquis, saluting him. - -"Létorière!" cried Sphex, turning away suddenly. "You may perhaps be a -relative of the Marquis of that name?" - -"I myself am the Marquis of Létorière, sir." - -"You! you!! you!!!" cried the doctor, in three different tones. "Come -now, that's impossible. The Marquis of Létorière is, they say, as -ignorant as a carp, and as flighty as a butterfly; he is one of those -beautiful triflers incapable of understanding a word of Latin, and who, -as to Persius, know only stuffs of that name," added the councillor, -well pleased with this detestable joke. - -"I see, with pain, that I have been calumniated, sir," said the Marquis. - -"Are you really, then, M. de Létorière?" said Sphex, stupefied. - -"I have the honor to repeat it to you, sir," said the Marquis. - -"But are you here about a lawsuit? Answer, sir, answer, and do not -deceive me!" - -"Sir!" said the Marquis, as if he were shocked with the indiscretion of -the councillor. - -"Pardon my vivacity, sir. . . . If I appear to be well acquainted with -what concerns you, it is because"--and the doctor hesitated--"it is -because I have some relatives in the Aulic Council, and I am informed of -all which passes there." - -"Ah, well! it is true, sir, I am here, unhappily, in regard to a -lawsuit," said Létorière, sighing. - -"But, my young friend, permit me to tell you that you appear very -unmindful of your business! Here you are reciting verses to the zephyrs; -. . . admirable verses, it is true, but, between ourselves, hardly the -means of gaining your lawsuit. Believe me, young man, if justice is -blind she is not deaf, and there are a thousand ways of interesting your -judges." - -"Alas! sir, I have seen my judges . . . and it is because I have seen -them that I have but little hope. In my grief I ask of literature -consolation and information; I especially ask it from my favorite poet. -. . . I seek strength to wrestle against adverse fate in reading over -these verses. Do you not think, sir, that this energetic, bold and -sonorous poetry must reanimate enfeebled souls, as the warlike sound of -a clarion reanimates discouraged soldiers?" - -The _savant_ was profoundly touched with the expression, at once simple -and dignified, with which Létorière pronounced these last words. - -"Pardon an old man," said he, "the interest which he feels in you. But -do you not exaggerate the unkindly feelings of your judges? Have you -done everything in your power to interest them in your cause before -giving up all hope thus?" - -"Those of my judges whom I have seen, sir, could have very little -sympathy with me, and I ought not otherwise to expect to interest them -in it." - -"Why so, my young friend?" - -"Our poet could, at a pinch, answer you, sir:" - - -"'Velle suum cuique est, nec voto vivitur uno. - -* * * * - -Hic satur irriguo mavult turgescere somno; -Hic campo indulget!'" . . .[7] - - -"I understand, I understand," said the councillor, laughing at the just -and malignant application of these verses. "I know it is said in Vienna -that the Councillor Flachsinfingen would have figured well enough among -the convivial gourmands of the banquet of Trimalchyon, and that the -brutal baron of Henferester would have been able to wrestle in the Roman -circus among the wild beasts. In fine, you poor student! poor poet! poor -nightingale of the sweet song I . . . what relations could you have with -this dull paunch of a Flachsinfingen, who dreams only of his table? What -could you have said to him if it were not--" - - -'Quæ tibi summa boni est? Uncta vixisse patella -Semper? . . .'[8] - - -"It is the same thing with this gladiator, this brute of -Henferester . . . whose great heavy body I cannot see without recalling -these words of our divine master: - - -"'Hic aliquis de gente hircosa centurionum -Dicat; quod satis est sapio mihi; non ego curo -Esse quod Arcesilas ærumnosique Solones.'"[9] - - -"Ah well! you will own up then, sir," said the Marquis, laughing, "that -having nothing else to say to my judges, I can hardly hope to interest -them. Alas! I am neither a huntsman nor a _gourmand._ . . . If I had -been I might, perhaps, have awakened some sympathy in my judges!" - -"But all the councillors are not gladiators, nor sheep led by their -wives, my young friend." . . . - - -"'At me nocturnis juvat impallescere chartis.'"[10] - -"Ah! sir, my greatest misfortune is not to have judges like you." . . . - -"I have sometimes heard a certain Doctor Sphex spoken of," said the -councillor, casting a piercing look on the Marquis, "an old man, who is -not unlettered, who is a judge in the morning, and who devotes himself -in the evening to his favorite studies. . . ." - - -"'Hic mane edictum, post prandia Callirhoën do!'"[11] - - -"I have presented myself several times at the door of the Councillor -Sphex, sir," said Létorière, "and, if what you tell me is true, I -doubly regret not having met him, for he is perhaps the only one of my -judges whom I could hope to inspire with any sentiment of benevolence, -or from whom I might be able to claim any interest in the name of our -common tastes." - -"By Hercules! young man, don't doubt it! . . . But all is not yet -hopeless. . . . I am slightly acquainted with this original Sphex; if -you will accompany me, I will do myself the pleasure to recommend you, -and even to present you to him." - -"Ah! sir, how shall I ever be able to recognize and deserve this -precious favor?" - -"Young man, people like you and the Councillor Sphex are rare; and you -both ought to gain by the meeting which I propose. Give me your arm, and -let us proceed." - -The old man took a malicious pleasure in the surprise which he had -planned for Létorière, who did not fail to enlarge on the strangeness -and good luck of destiny, when, arriving at the door of the councillor, -the latter discovered to him his identity. - -To the great astonishment of old Catherine, the doctor ordered her to -place two covers, for the Marquis could not refuse to partake of the -councillor's repast, who, alluding to the frugality of his _ménage_, -quoted: - - -"'. . . Positum est algente catino, -Durum olus, et populi cribro decussa farina,'"[12] - - -which announcement was realized in all points. An anchorite would hardly -have been contented with the dishes served in the library by old -Catherine. - -The councillor, more and more enchanted with his guest, read to him his -translations and his commentaries; and, unhoped-for favor! last evidence -and proof of confidence! showed him the precious manuscript. - -At sight of this Létorière manifested such a passionate and jealous -admiration, that the doctor began to regard his guest with uneasiness, -and almost regretted his imprudent confidence. - -"Do you and your housekeeper live alone in this house?" asked the -Marquis suddenly, with a gloomy air, passing between his hands the -precious manuscript, as if he wished to appropriate it to himself. - -"Can it be that he is so enthusiastic in his admiration of Persius that -he means to assassinate me and steal my manuscript?" queried the -councillor of himself. - -But the Marquis, putting the manuscript back into his hands, exclaimed -vehemently: - -"For the love of Heaven, sir, hide it, hide it! . . . Pardon a madman!" - -And he ran precipitately from the room, covering his eyes with his -hands. - -The councillor shut up his treasure, and found his guest seated, looking -dejected, in the library. - -"What's the matter, young man?" said the savant with interest. - -"Alas! sir, pardon me! At the sight of that manuscript an infamous, a -monstrous thought took possession of me . . . in spite of the holy law -of hospitality." - -"You would then rob me of my treasure?" - -Létorière bowed his head in embarrassment. - -"Never mind, my young friend. I understand you . . . I understand you -only too well," said the councillor, heaving a sigh. "It is a great -compliment you have just rendered to our author; and if you only knew -the history of this manuscript," . . . after a moment's silence, he -added, "you would see that I ought to excuse the terrible temptation -which you have just been enabled to overcome." - -Unfortunately, the confidence of the councillor stopped there. - -The two friends passed the remainder of the day in a learned analysis of -the judgments of Casaubon, of Koenig, and Ruperti, on their favorite -poet. They discovered in him hidden beauties which had escaped all the -editors. - -Létorière, by a happy chance of memory, raised the admiration of Sphex -almost to ecstasy, by calling his attention to the fact that this -passage in the third satire, "The lessons of the portico in which is -depicted the overthrow of the Medes," relates to Zeno, the chief of the -Stoics. In one word, in this long and learned conversation, Létorière, -admirably assisted by his memory, by the profound study which he had -recently devoted to Persius, at Dominique's recommendation, and by the -surprising flexibility of his intelligence, completely captivated Sphex. - -Yet not one word of the lawsuit had been spoken on either side. The -Marquis was silent from prudence, the councillor from embarrassment; -for, however well-disposed he might be towards Létorière, he reflected -regretfully that his voice alone could not win the cause for his young -_protégé._ - -"What a pity!" cried the councillor, "that you will leave Vienna so -soon. We would have passed long and delightful days in ever-fresh -admiration of our god, and we would have said, like him: - - -"'Unum opus et requiem pariter disponimus ambo, -Atque verecunda laxamus seria mensa.'"[13] - - -"I feel this privation as much as you do, sir. Unhappily we must -sacrifice our pleasures to our duties." And Létorière arose. - -Struck by the reserve of the Marquis on the subject of his lawsuit, the -councillor said, casting on his guest a penetrating look: - -"But this lawsuit, we forget that." . . . - -"The idea of thinking, sir, of sad material interests, when we are -speaking of the object of our worship to one who shares our admiration!" - -"Hum! hum!" said the doctor, shaking his head; and smiling with a -caustic air, he recited these verses: - - -"'Mens bona, fama, fides! hæc clare, et ut audiat hospes; -Illa sibi introrsum, et sub lingua immurmurat: Oh! si -Ebullit patrui præclarum funus!'"[14] - - -"Yes . . . yes . . . 'one says, aloud, I forget my lawsuit; . . . and, -in a low tone, devote to the infernal gods the wicked councillor who -will not give me a word of hope.' . . . Isn't that it?" - -"What do you mean, sir?" said the Marquis, smiling, and answering by a -quotation from the same book: - - -"'Messe tenus propria vive!'"[15] - - -"And you believe you have reaped indifference, young man?" said the -_savant_, laughing at this _apropos_ quotation. "Well, I will undeceive -you. . . . It shall not be said that the voice of old Sphex will not, at -least, protest against the judgment of an old tun-belly like -Flachsinfingen, or an old he-goat of a centurion, a brutal gladiator -like Henferester. In my opinion, your rights and those of the German -princes are so perfectly balanced, that a breath only would turn the -scale." - - -"'Scis etenim justum gemina suspendere lance -Ancipitis libræ,'"[16] - - -said the Marquis. "Not doubting the integrity of my judge, I have never -doubted the success of my cause before him." - -Enchanted with this new quotation, the councillor cried: - -"And you have done well, young man; my voice will be solitary; but thus -it will protest more forcibly against a judgment that I shall regard as -unjust, if it goes against you, as I fear it will. Adieu, then. . . . -Day after to-morrow we pronounce on your cause . . . and may the gods be -favorable to you! As for me, by Castor! I know what I have to do"--and -the doctor brought this conversation to a close by another quotation: - - -"'Ast vocat officium; trabe rupta, Bruttia saxa -Prendit amicus inops; remque omnem surdaque vota -Condidit Ionio! . . .'"[17] - - -[Footnote 2: Who is not ashamed to live like a Natta.] - -[Footnote 3: With what cares is man occupied! Oh, what vanity in -life!. . .] - -[Footnote 4: Mark this day, Macrinus, with a propitious stone.] - -[Footnote 5: Do not doubt, the gods have wished to unite us by certain -affinities, and that we should be guided by the same constellation.] - -[Footnote 6: Oh that I could bring to the temple this offering, even -barley will suffice to make my prayer heard.] - -[Footnote 7: Each one his own taste; no one resembles the other; one -prefers to grow fat by the pleasures of the table and of sleep; another -prefers the hardships of the chase.] - -[Footnote 8: What is the sovereign good for you? To junket every day?] - -[Footnote 9: But I hear an old he-goat of a centurion reply: "I have as -much learning as is needful for me! I do not care to become an Arcesilas -or a morose Solon!"] - -[Footnote 10: But for me, it is my delight to grow pale over books at -night.] - -[Footnote 11: To my duties in the morning, to my pleasures in the -evening.] - -[Footnote 12: The table is spread with a dish of raw vegetables, with -bread of coarse barley-flour.] - -[Footnote 13: Together would we work and rest, and refresh ourselves -after toil with pleasant festivity.] - -[Footnote 14: Wisdom, honor, virtue. This said aloud, so that the guest -may hear. To himself, and in a low whisper, he murmurs: "Oh, for a -magnificent funeral for the father-in-law!"] - -[Footnote 15: One must live on what he reaps.] - -[Footnote 16: You know, indeed, how to hold the balance of justice with -an impartial hand.] - -[Footnote 17: But duty calls; a friend has been shipwrecked; he is cast -helpless on the Brutian rocks; all his property and his empty vows have -gone to the bottom of the sea.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE COUNCILLOR FLACHSINFINGEN - - -The next day after Létorière's visit to Dr. Sphex, there was an -extraordinary disturbance in the house of the Aulic Councillor -Flachsinfingen. It was eleven o'clock in the morning; Madame Martha -Flachsinfingen, a large woman, about forty years of age, lean, pale, and -solemn, clothed in a long brown dress, with a starched neckerchief and a -kind of loose sack of black velvet, was conversing with her husband, the -councillor, a great abdominous, rubicund man, with a jolly and simple -look. - -Enveloped in a Chinese silk dressing-gown, his head covered with a -night-cap bound with a flame-colored ribbon, the councillor seemed to -listen to his wife with mingled deference and impatience. - -She held in her scraggy hands a note which she was reading for the -second time, with profound attention, weighing each word. - -This note read thus: - - -"Monsieur the Marquis of Létorière will have the honor of presenting -himself at noon, to-day, to _Madame la Conseillère_ de Flachsinfingen, -if she will deign to receive him." - - -After reading it, she repeated: - -"'Will present himself to Madame la Conseillère.' What impudence!" - -"But, Martha," said the councillor, humbly, "I don't see any impudence -in . . ." - -"You don't see! oh! certainly, you are so penetrating! you don't see -that such a letter, from a libertine, from a débauché, from a -Nebuchadnezzar like this Marquis of Létorière, is worse than an -insult! for it is, so to speak, a premeditation and threat of insult!" - -"How so, Martha?" - -"Have you forgotten all that we have heard of this abominable man, who -leaves behind him, they say, only ruined girls and guilty wives? . . . -Don't you know that he is a Pharaoh, who thinks he can bewitch one with -a glance . . . a kind of unbridled Tarquin, who the first time he meets -a woman dares to address her in the most wicked language of gallantry?" - -"The fact is, he is one of those brisk sparks whom husbands, fathers -and mothers send to the devil twenty times a day. Ha, ha, ha!" answered -the councillor, with a horse-laugh. - -This fit of inopportune laughter was severely punished by the -_conseillère_, who sharply pinched him, crying: - -"And are you such a wretch that you can laugh like a fool when you have -in your hand the proof that such a dissolute fellow perhaps intends to -crown his infernal triumphs by attacking the honor of your wife? . . ." - -The councillor looked at his wife wonderingly, clasping his hands: - -"Attack your honor; Martha! Ah, good heavens! Who thought of that?" - -"Oh! what a man! what a man! Listen, then!" - -And the _conseillère_ read the letter for the third time! . . . - -"'Mons. de Létorière will have the honor of presenting himself to-day, -at noon, at the house of _Madame_ Flachsinfingen.' - -"Do you comprehend that? At _Madame_'s house. Is not that clear? It is -not at the house of the councillor that he will present himself, but at -the house of the councillor's wife. Tis a kind of rendezvous which he -asks of me. He does not hide it; he attempts no subterfuge; he avows it -without shame; and you,--you do not trouble yourself, you stand there, -careless of the affront! Go along! go along, Flachsinfingen! you are not -worthy to have an honest wife! To ask a rendezvous of _me!_ The impudent -fellow!" - -"How, Martha, do you really believe that the Marquis dreamed of it? -. . . Come, now, you are foolish and ridiculous!" cried the councillor. -"If he asks a rendezvous, it is to speak to you about his lawsuit; nothing -is more simple. He, like all the rest of the world, knows that I place -entire confidence in you; that is to say, you lead me by the nose. So, -in order to influence me, he very naturally wishes to act upon you, -Martha." - -"To act upon me!! How to act upon me!! I will prevent it at the peril of -my life!" cried the _conseillère_, in heroic accents. - -At this moment they heard a carriage stop at the door. - -"Heavens! that is he," said the _conseillère_, leaning upon her -husband's chair. "I have not a drop of blood in my veins! -Flachsinfingen, do not quit me! In heaven's name defend me from this -audacious fellow!" - -But the carriage continued on its way it was a false alarm. - -Martha passed her hand over her forehead, saying with emotion: - -"My heart failed me, I confess; but a woman cannot always control her -fears." - -"Well, if you fear this Marquis, why the devil do you receive him? Why -do you face him?" innocently asked the councillor. - -"Why? why?" repeated Martha, indignantly--and pointing towards her -husband with a gesture of sovereign contempt--"he asks me why! That is -the question of a soul shamefully abandoned to gluttony! Why? Why is the -warrior who basely flees before his enemy dishonored? Why is gold tried -by fire? Why is the just man who has valiantly fought, who has resisted, -superior to him who has never struggled? Why does the Scripture"--and -Martha pointed to her Bible, opened at the Book of Judges--"why does the -Scripture say: '_Ye who offered yourselves willingly to bless the Lord. -Speak ye that ride on white she-asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk -without fear_--'" - -"But," cried the councillor, interrupting his wife impatiently, "I tell -you again, you are a fool! Who thinks of fighting you on your she-ass? -of attacking you? of wrestling with you? of proving you by fire? At your -age, you . . . ah, bah! . . . be quiet, then. . . . You will make me say -something foolish, Martha!" - -"Now add insult to vulgarity; nothing from you will astonish me." - -"Well, once more, do not receive this Marquis,--do not receive him!" -cried the councillor, exasperated; "my mind is made up to sustain the -rights of the German princes, since you desire it! so whatever you may -say to this Nebuchadnezzar, this Pharaoh, this Tarquin, will change -nothing. Be quiet! I have no wish that he should attack you, as you say, -or that you should resist him in order to prove yourself the most -virtuous woman in all Germany. So don't think of it any more; close your -door, and let me go to peep into Lipper's ovens; my stomach warns me -that it is almost noon, and I depend so much on a certain baked pike, -with gooseberry jelly sauce, that I have dreamt of it all night." - -Having suffered her husband to speak, Madame Flachsinfingen replied with -an air of calm and concentrated contempt: "I know, sir, that you think -of nothing but your beastly gormandizing, when the virtue of your wife -is in peril. . . . So it devolves on me to defend your honor and my own. -A new Judith, I will brave this Holofernes, and like her, I will say:" - - -'Give me, oh Lord, courage to scorn him and strength to destroy -him.' - - -"But notwithstanding my resolution," continued Martha, "as I am, after -all, but a weak woman, as this miscreant is capable of going to the most -frightful lengths . . . all that I ask of you is, to hold yourself well -armed, and ready to succor me, if my own efforts are unhappily vain!" - -"But, Martha, reassure yourself . . . reassure yourself; one cannot -always judge one's self aright; and I swear to you that there is -something in you . . . a certain air . . . a certain 'I know not what' -. . . which would deter any impertinent fellow from showing a want of -respect to you. . . . So I shall have no need to arm myself in order to -. . ." - -"Do you not know that if I set out to do a thing, I will do it?" said -the _conseillère_, interrupting her husband, and fixing on him a look -which seemed to fascinate him. "Although I am sorry to delay your -dinner-hour, you will nevertheless take a blunderbuss, and, concealed -under this table, will be present at this interview . . . ready to come -to my aid, if need be, when I cry, 'To me, Flachsinfingen!'" - -"I hide myself under this table with a blunderbuss! And what for? -Heavens!" - -"I tell you, sir, that this will be, and it will be!" - -This scene took place in the councillor's library, where many arms of -the middle ages were hung up on the wainscot as objects of curiosity. - -The lady selected a blunderbuss and a poniard, which she laid on the -table; she examined, also, a light Persian shield and a steel coat of -mail, and was on the point of investing herself with these defences in -order more surely to resist the expected attack of the Marquis; but, -deciding that she was sufficiently guarded by the poniard, she again -approached her husband. - -"This poniard will do for me; this blunderbuss for you. Deborah was -armed with nothing but a nail; Judith, with a sword; Dalilah, with -scissors. . . . Martha will have a poniard." - -"But, Martha, take care! this blunderbuss has been loaded ever since the -day I intended to try it. . . . Good heavens! what's the use of all -these implements?" - -Again a carriage stopped at the gate. Once more, Martha felt a strong -emotion of terror, when the servant came to say to her: - -"It is a French Marquis who asks for you, madame." . . . - -"Good heavens! 'tis he . . . courage!" . . . said she, in a low voice; -and added: "when I ring the bell, Claire, you may introduce this -stranger." - -The servant went out; the _conseillère_ solemnly embraced her husband, -and said to him in an agitated voice: - -"Now, Flachsinfingen, the moment has come . . . take your blunderbuss; -and may God save me!" . . . - -And she raised the cover, making a gesture to her husband to slip under -the table. - -"But, my dear wife, I shall stifle under there. . . . How absurd!" - -"Do you hear me?" said Martha, imperiously. - -"But, 'tis useless . . ." - -"Flachsinfingen, did you hear me?" cried the furious woman, seizing her -husband by the arm, and accentuating, so to speak, every word with a -sharp pinch. - -"I must be, by Jupiter! as foolish and weak as you are mad, to lend -myself to this nonsense," said the councillor, rubbing his arm, and -painfully crawling under the table. - -"Now, when I cry 'To me, Flachsinfingen!' come out, and fire without -mercy on this Philistine!" said his wife; then she drew down the cloth -which stifled the councillor's last murmurs. - -Sure of this concealed auxilliary, Martha made scientific preparations -for defence. The table which sheltered the councillor was placed between -herself and the dreaded adversary. On her flanks she placed two chairs, -with another as a screen; and at her side she had a long Toledo poniard. - -Then, with a beating heart, she rang her bell, and murmured in a low -voice: "Be ready, Flachsinfingen!" . . . - -Some inarticulate sounds escaped from beneath the table-cloth; the door -was opened; Létorière entered, and the lady put her hand upon her -weapon. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE INTERVIEW - - -This time, also, the metamorphosis of the Marquis was complete. He -seemed to be not more than twenty years of age; his chestnut hair, -without powder, parted in the middle over his forehead, framed his -charming face, candid and ingenuous. He was clothed in black; he dropped -his eyes timidly, twirled his hat in his hands with an embarrassed air, -and remained near the door without daring to move a step. - -The _conseillère_, agitated, irritated and threatening, with her hand -upon the poniard, expecting to see a bold and brilliant gentleman of -audacious mien and free speech, stood stupefied at the appearance of -this youth of such rare beauty, who, quite intimidated, seemed to -hesitate to approach her. - -Hardly believing her eyes, and fearing some mistake, Martha said to him -sharply: - -"Are you really the Marquis de Létorière!" - -"Yes, madame _la conseillère_," replied the Marquis, with a trembling -voice, not lifting his eyes, and blushing deeply. - -"Do you come from France?" - -"Yes, madame _la conseillère_; I arrived here three days ago." . . . - -At the sound of this sweet voice, so pure and youthful in tone, Martha's -astonishment was doubled; she dropped her poniard, leaned towards the -Marquis, and said in a milder voice: - -"You are, then, the Marquis de Létorière, a party in a lawsuit?" - -"Yes, madame _la conseillère_". . . - -"In a lawsuit against the Dukes of Brunswick and Brandenbourg?" - -"Yes, madame _la conseillère._" - -Hearing these answers, almost childlike in simplicity, and stammered out -timidly, Martha, reassured, rose and took two steps towards the door, -saying to the Marquis: - -"Come nearer, sir!" . . . - -Létorière, for the first time, raised his great tender and melancholy -eyes, looked earnestly at the lady, and then lowered them under his long -eyelashes. - -In her whole life Martha had never encountered a look at once so sweet -and so seductive; she was moved, and said to the Marquis, with a sort of -quick impatience: - -"Come nearer, sir! . . . one would say that I frightened you." . . . - -"Oh, no, madame _la conseillère_; you do not frighten me. . . . 'For -the virtuous woman is an excellent gift, and she shall be given to man -for his good deeds,' says the Scripture." - -"He quotes Scripture!" cried Martha, with admiration, her fears quite -dispelled. "But I do really intimidate you?" - -"Madame . . . it is because you are so majestic . . . you resemble so -much one of the daughters of our king, that my heart beats in spite of -myself;" and the Marquis placed his hand upon his heart with a movement -full of grace. "Mercy on me, I can hardly speak! Ah! do not wish me to -do it, madame. Self-command is impossible in circumstances like these," -said Létorière, casting a look at once timid and imploring upon the -lady, who was flattered by the effect she produced, and by her -resemblance to one of the daughters of the King of France. - -"I don't know whether I am asleep or awake," said Martha to herself; -"how is it that he has been called shameless? audacious? a pitiless -seducer? But perhaps he is playing with me! perhaps this appearance of -candor is only an abominable feint of the evil spirit! Perhaps it is -only the artifice of the tiger, who approaches his prey with soft steps, -the better to seize and devour it!" - -As this suspicion took possession of her mind, imitating, to a certain -extent, in her retreat, the side-ling and stealthy step of the tiger, -she prudently regained her fortress, that is to say, the table, and said -softly to her husband: - -"Prepare your blunderbuss, Flachsinfingen . . . the moment -approaches . . ." - -By quick movement under the cover, it was impossible to guess whether -the councillor raised his blunderbuss or made an impatient gesture. - -Once safely intrenched, with her poniard near at hand, the lady resumed -her imperious tone, her repulsive physiognomy, and said, harshly, to -Létorière: - -"Well! and what do you want, sir? My husband is convinced of the justice -of the claims of the German princes, and all your efforts will be -useless." - -"Adieu, then, madame, since you will not deign to hear me! I have no -longer any hope. . . . Alas! ye Fates, how unhappy I am!" - -The Marquis, putting one of his hands before his eyes, turned towards -the door in profound dejection. - -Noting this movement, which was far from announcing hostile intentions, -and hearing this accent of despair, the councillor's wife forgot all her -suspicions, emerged for the second time from her fortress, approached -the Marquis, and said to him in a softer voice, but which betrayed a -little pettishness: - -"Who told you I would not listen to you, young man? Why are you going -away? Although the question of your lawsuit may be settled, it is my -husband's duty to listen to your claims. . . . Confide in me, then . . . -reassure yourself. Have I such a terrifying look? See, come near -me,--don't be afraid!" And thus speaking, Martha took the Marquis by the -hand and led him slowly to a scat, repeating: "Tranquillize yourself; -you must not be afraid of me any more, my child." - -At this moment a burst of roaring laughter was heard, the cloth on the -table was suddenly thrust aside, and the great fat councillor appeared, -blunderbuss in hand, crying with increasing merriment: - -"Where is your poniard now? where is your helmet? where is your buckler, -Martha? It is you who have to soothe this Pharaoh! this Nebuchadnezzar. -. . . Ah, ha! behold Judith calming the emotion of Holofernes!" - -All this was utterly incomprehensible to Létorière, who, for the -moment, surprised by the sudden apparition of the councillor, could -hardly control the desire to laugh which the grotesque figure of -Flachsinfingen excited. - -But Martha, as much irritated as humiliated by her husband's raillery at -the foolish precautions she had taken, rushed towards him angrily, -crying: - -"Are you not ashamed to employ such vile means to play the spy upon your -wife? Oh, you odious tyrant! Oh, you abominably jealous man! God o' -mercy! have I ever given you cause to doubt my virtue?" - -And Martha raised her eyes towards heaven to call God to witness the -injustice of the poor councillor's suspicion, who, astonished, stupefied -by such unexpected reproaches, stood with open mouth, the blunderbuss in -his hand. - -"How then, my wife," said he; "you? . . ." - -"I will hear nothing from you," said Martha, taking him by the arm . . . -"Leave me." . . . - -"But, . . ." - -"Go away, sir . . . go away . . . your presence makes me sick!" and -Martha rudely pushed her husband towards the door of a closet which -opened from the room. - -"But . . . my wife!" . . . said the councillor, still expostulating. - -"And before this young man, too! Heavens! what will he think of me?" -cried Martha. - -"But, what the devil! . . . it is you who . . ." - -"To lie in ambush there traitorously, with a blunderbuss!" added Martha. - -"But really . . . my wife!"--and the councillor, losing ground, was -still pushed towards the door. - -"A veritable assassin! worthy of an Italian bandit!" continued Martha, -with horror. - -"Nevertheless, wife, it was you who . . ." - -"An Aulic Councillor to play such a part! You disgust me! . . . go out! -. . . go out!" . . . - -And after a pretty long struggle, Flachsinfingen disappeared in the -closet, of which his wife drew the bolts. - -"Well done!" said Létorière, laughing inwardly at seeing himself shut -up with Martha; "it is no longer she, but myself now, who has need of -defence. . . . I don't like the presence of the man with the -blunderbuss," he added, looking round him with a frightened air. - -Martha soon returned, her eyes cast down like an offended prude's. - -"I am so confused at this scene, sir! . . . Alas! my husband is -unhappily jealous . . . frightfully jealous! Good gracious! without the -least reason! He is, in short, so fanciful, that, knowing I was going to -have an interview with you . . . with a young gentleman" . . . and the -lady hesitated, "whom they say; . . . in short . . . whose reputation is -such; . . . in a word . . . my husband hid himself . . . for . . . my -grief! you comprehend the rest!" - -"Yes, madame, I have already been told that the councillor was very -jealous," said the Marquis, timidly. - -"Ah! . . . you have been told that!"--and Martha simpered. - -"Yes, madame, I have been told that the councillor was very jealous of -the influence which you exercise over his clients, who always address -themselves to you rather than to him. . . . You are known to be so good -. . . to possess such a correct judgment . . . and yet your husband -ought to bless you every day; for the Scripture says, _The husband who -has a good wife is happy, and that the number of his years shall be -doubled._" This was said with an expression of such virgin innocence, -with so gentle and pious an accent, that Martha, stupefied, after taking -a long look at the enchanting face, said to herself: "He is a true -paschal lamb. . . . Poor innocent! . . . sacred texts always in his -mind! . . . how he interests me!" . . . and she added aloud: - -"Tell me how it is, that, young as you are, your parents allow you to -travel alone? How is it that they confide so important a lawsuit to your -inexperience?" - -"Alas, madame, I am an orphan. . . . I am poor. . . . I have no one to -help me, and my only friend and guide is my old preceptor." - -"But how is it that, pleasing as you are, you have such a reputation?" - -"I, madame?" asked Létorière, with angelic simplicity, "what -reputation?" - -The councillor's wife was confounded; she could easily understand that -stories had been exaggerated; but that a youth of such rare candor, and -of such a pious education, could pass for an heartless seducer, was -beyond her comprehension. - -"Have you no relative of your name at the French court?" she asked, -anxiously. - -"No, madame." . . . - -"It is plain that the German princes have spread these injurious reports -about their adversary," thought Martha. "But tell me, what steps have -you taken hitherto?" - -"Alas! most useless ones, madame. . . . I went first to the castle of -the Baron of Henferester." . . . - -"Good heavens! poor child, did you venture into the den of that -frightful Polyphemus?" - -"Yes, madame; oh, he frightened me so! And then . . ." - -"Go on, go on! Tell me all; and in order to put you at your ease, I will -tell you that my husband and myself both cordially detest the baron." - -"I did not know that, madame; that is why I feared . . . to tell -you . . ." - -"No, no, tell me all!" - -"Well, madame, I went to the castle of Henferester. The baron began to -ridicule me because I went in a carriage instead of on horseback." - -"The wicked old centaur! . . . He thinks that everybody is like himself, -all iron and steel," said Martha, contemptuously. - -"Then, when I began to speak to him of my lawsuit, he said to me in his -loud voice "'_Dinner first, . . . we can talk better glass in hand._'" - -"The drunkard! I recognize him there." - -"Not daring to oppose the baron, I went to the table; but at the risk of -displeasing him, as he had not said grace, I asked his permission to say -it." - -"Poor little martyr! . . . Well done, my child! and the brute let you -say it, I hope?" - -"Yes, madame, but he afterwards laughed so much that I felt -scandalized." . . . - -"I believe it. . . . Unfortunate lamb! . . . where were you straying, -God of heaven!" - -"As I ate but little, the baron said to me, 'You have dined, then?' 'No -sir,' I answered, 'but the Scripture says: _Be not eager at the -feast._'" . . . - -"Well answered . . . to this glutton; my child, you might have added as -a prediction that sleeplessness, and colic, and pains in the belly, are -the inheritance of the intemperate,[18] and that is truly what I wish to -him, the wicked brute!" - -"Then, madame, he gave me a great glass filled with pure wine, telling -me to pledge him. . . . 'But, sir,' said I, 'I never drink clear wine.' -Then, madame, he shouted with laughter, and answered me: 'That's no -matter . . . drink away' . . . to your mistress!'" - -"To say such things to a child of that age! What abominable corruption!" -and the _conseillère_ lifted up her hands to heaven. - -"I did not understand what the baron said to me; I touched my lips to -the great glass, and put it back on the table without drinking a drop. -Then the baron looked me through and through, saying, in a loud voice, -'You do not drink wine, you eat nothing, you do not talk. Perhaps you -would be more communicative between a tankard of kirchenwasser and a -pipe well filled with tobacco.'" - -"Kirchenwasser! a pipe! oh, the old sinner! to want to impart his odious -barrack tastes to this youth, who seems more like a young girl than a -young man!" - -"But" I answered the baron, 'I never drink strong liquors, and I have -never smoked.' . . . Then he began to swear--and how he did swear!--till -I was ashamed for him, and he said: 'You don't smoke, you don't drink; I -see that we shall not come to an understanding, for I interest myself -only in people who resemble me! At least you hunt?' 'Yes sir, I have -shot larks with a mirror.' Then, madame, he began to laugh, and to swear -harder than ever, and said: 'Young man, excuse my frankness, but the -Lord of Henferester would rather never touch wine, a bridle, or a gun -again, than to take the part of a shooter of larks. . . I can do nothing -for you.' And so, madame, I quitted the baron, and came away in utter -despair." - -"And Doctor Sphex,--have you seen him?" asked Martha, thoughtfully. - -"Yes, madame, but he asked me, the first thing, if I was acquainted with -profane literature . . . and a certain heathen author named Persius, -which I have been told is improper for one of my age to read. I told him -no; then he said that my cause was bad, and that my adversaries had the -right of the case. . . . So I saw that there was no more hope in that -quarter than in the other." - -The _conseillère_ felt profoundly moved. - -"Listen, my child!" said she; "you interest me more than I can tell you. -. . . I am pained to see the other councillors so opposed to your -interests; I can do nothing with them; all that I can do, is to endeavor -to secure for you my husband's vote." . . . - -"Ah! madame, can it be true?" cried Létorière, with an expression of -the most lively gratitude. "Ah! the Scripture is right in saying: _The -virtuous woman is the joy of her husband; she makes him pass all the -years of his life in peace._ . . . Yes, madame, for I will bless your -husband, and he will be proud of having--thanks to you--made the just -cause to triumph." - -"Always Scripture! he might truly be called a little clergyman," said -Martha, with enthusiasm. "But," continued she, "don't indulge in foolish -hopes, nor despair utterly; the baron and the doctor may yet revise -their resolutions." . . . And Martha added to herself: "How much it -costs me to deceive him so! He has very little chance, but I have not -the heart to undeceive him." - -"Ah, madame!" cried Létorière, throwing himself on his knees, "I feel -it,--you will be my good angel. . . . To you I shall owe all the -happiness of my future life. . . . Heavens! madame, how good and -generous you are! Oh, let me here, at your feet, thank you again and -again!" - -The lady, very much moved and softened, turned her head, and said gently -to the Marquis, giving him her hand to kiss . . . - -"Come, come, my child, get up; don't stay there!" . . . - -The Marquis, still on his knees, resolutely took the hand which she -offered to him, carried it bravely to his lips, shutting his eyes, and -saying, in a grateful and passionate voice: - -"Oh, madame, how can I ever be grateful enough for all your -kindness!" . . . - -"Well, well, little simpleton," said Martha, softly disengaging her -hand, and giving Létorière a slight tap with the other, "are you going -to make me repent of my kindness?" . . . - -After the Marquis had thrown himself at Martha's feet, the jolly face of -the councillor, still armed with his blunderbuss, had cautiously -appeared at an oval window over the door of the closet in which he was -shut up. - -Seeing his wife so little disposed to use her poniard to repulse this -Holofernes, this Tarquin, this Nebuchadnezzar, the councillor, wishing -playfully to revenge himself for his incarceration, fired his -blunderbuss in the air, exclaiming, "Martha, did you not cry, 'To me, -Flachsinfingen!'" - -Then resting his elbows on the window, he began to laugh boisterously. - -His wife, provoked by this new outburst of factiousness, fell in feigned -convulsions. - -Létorière escaped, calling for help, and left Martha in the hands of -her women and her husband, who, seeing the unhappy issue of his -pleasantry, hastily came out to seek pardon for his impertinence. - - -[Footnote 18: Ecclesiasticus, XXI. 20.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE JUDGMENT - - -On the day of judgment on Létorière's lawsuit, the three councillor's -met at the palace. Their ballot was to be secret, the votes being -deposited in an urn. - -Before the session, Henferester, Flachsinfingen, and Sphex exchanged -some cool civilities, at the same time scrutinizing each other with some -anxiety; once the doctor thought of interesting Flachsinfingen in -Létorière's favor; but he was afraid of compromising his _protégé_'s -cause instead of helping it. The others, feeling a similar fear, -concealed their intentions, and chattered about matters remote from the -lawsuit. - -"This fine young man is surely going to lose his lawsuit; he will be the -victim of the unjust partiality of my associates, but my voice at least -shall be raised in his favor." - -Such was the private reflection of each judge. - -When the merits of the case had been set forth anew by the lawyers, -after a long session occupied in listening to, not in discussing the -facts, the three councillors arose and solemnly deposited their votes in -the urn. - -The Baron of Henferester, who on that day presided over the court, -ordered the recorder to examine the ballot. - -Each councillor had written on a slip of paper the name of the party -who, in his opinion, had the right of the cause. - -The recorder plunged his hand into the urn, drew out a ballot, and read: -_The Marquis of Létorière._ - -"That is my vote," said each councillor to himself. - -At the second ballot the recorder read again: _The Marquis of -Létorière._ - -The councillors began to look at each other uneasily. - -On the third ballot the recorder again read: _The Marquis of -Létorière._ - -The stupefaction of the three magistrates was complete. - -The recorder registered the judgment. All the judicial formalities -having been fulfilled, the councillors returned to the council-room. - -Notwithstanding their joy at the Marquis's triumph, they were greatly -astonished by this strange coincidence of opinion; so they were eager -for an explanation. - -"How the devil did you ever come to vote for the Marquis?" impetuously -cried the baron, addressing Flachsinfingen and Sphex. - -"I was going to ask you the same question," replied Sphex. "How is it -that you decided to give him your vote? And you, too, Flachsinfingen?" - -"Oh, with me it is very different," said the baron. "Between ourselves -we can speak frankly. You must admit that one founds his preferences on -similarity of pursuits; is it not so? Well, it is because my dogs and -those of the Marquis hunt together, as the saying is, that I have given -my vote to him. In a word, he is a man whose character, manners, and -habits please me. I promised him my vote, feeling that his cause was -hopeless, knowing well that both of you would be hostile to him. I am -delighted that he has gained it; but, may the devil strangle me if I can -understand how and why you voted for him!" - -"The character and the habits of the Marquis please you?" cried Sphex -and Flachsinfingen, with one voice, both astounded. - -"Certainly, never a bolder hunter has sounded his trumpet in our forests -. . . never a gayer companion, never a freer drinker has emptied his -tankard _supernaculum_, as the French say!" - -The two councillors laughed in the baron's face. - -"A bold hunter! . . . A blower of trumpets, he! a poor young Latinist! a -poor scholar!" said Sphex, giving way to his hilarity, and shrugging his -shoulders with pity. - -"A hard drinker! . . . a gay companion! . . . this ingenuous youth who -quotes the Bible so _apropos!_ this timid lad who cannot look at my wife -without blushing up to his ears!" cried Flachsinfingen, with a laugh not -less sardonic. - -"The . . . the Marquis! a scholar and a Latinist! . . . The Marquis -quoting the Bible and blushing before a woman!" repeated the baron, -laughing immoderately. "Ha, ha! my friends, you are fools, or rather you -see everything through your own glasses." - -"You are a fool yourself, with your hunting-horns and your tankards," -cried Sphex, angrily. "What can there be in common, I should like to -know, between the Marquis and the course amusements of gladiators and -drunkards?" added the doctor, with an expression of supreme contempt. -"You wouldn't have fallen into such an error, my dear baron, if you had -heard Létorière recite and comment upon the admirable verses of the -king of the Latin poets of antiquity!" . . . - -"I!"--cried the baron in a rage--"I believe what my eyes have seen, and -not the dream of a sickly imagination! In my presence the Marquis has -killed a deer with the finest possible stroke of the knife! In my -presence he has wound a horn better than the first huntsman of the -imperial hounds! In two days he has drank, in my presence, more beer, -more Rhine wine and more kirchenwasser than you ever drank in all your -life, Dr. Sphex! In my presence he has mounted my old Elphin, which -many huntsmen have found difficult! Well, once again I tell you, you and -Flachsinfingen both, that Létorière, a rough and bold cavalier, is too -well acquainted with the spear, the hunting-horn and the glass, to lose -his time in turning pale before old he-goats, or blushing before a -woman! Again I tell you, you are two dreamers." - -At this outburst the two other councillors fell foul of one another, and -the discussion soon became so violent, that the three judges, all -speaking at once, could not make themselves heard. - -The presence of an usher of the council was necessary to put a stop to -this incomprehensible conversation. - -The usher approached Flachsinfingen, and whispered in his ear. . . . - -"Gentlemen," said he, "my wife desires to speak to me; will you listen -to her? She will inevitably throw light on this discussion, for she has -conversed for two whole hours with M. de Létorière. . . . Listen to -her, and you will see that what I have said is the exact truth." - -"Let her come in, if she wishes," cried the baron. "But in spite of all -the petticoats in Germany, I repeat that I have seen Létorière kill a -deer with his own hand, and that he can drink as much as I can." - -"And in spite of all the hunters, whippers-in, and drinkers in Germany," -cried Dr. Sphex, "I maintain that I have heard Létorière recite verses -of Persius, and comment upon them more learnedly than the most learned -professors of our universities could do. And you will never make me -believe, baron, that so erudite a man, with such a refined mind, could -hunt in the forest like a poacher, or drink like a pandour." - -"And I, in spite of all the professors, all the huntsmen, all the -drinkers in the empire, will maintain that I have seen Létorière -tremble like a child before my wife, who was obliged to reassure him, -and that I heard him quote Scripture as piously as a minister," cried -Flachsinfingen,--exasperated in his turn. "One need only to see the -Marquis to be assured there is nothing in his appearance or manner that -smacks of the gladiator." - -The _conseillère_ entered in the midst of these contradictory -allegations. - -"I doubt not, gentlemen," said Flachsinfingen, "that my wife will be -able to bring you into agreement; thus far she has been a stranger to -our discussion, and--" - -But Martha did not let her husband finish; addressing the doctor and -baron with an affable and complimentary air,-- - -"Nothing is talked of, gentlemen, but the success of the Marquis of -Létorière; permit me to congratulate you on this unexpected unanimity -of judgment. . . . Thanks to your wise agreement, gentlemen, it may be -said that the cause of innocence and religion has triumphed! In my -opinion this poor child Létorière represents, in a wonderful degree, -innocence and religion in their moral as well as physical aspects, if I -may so express myself, for he has the look of an angel." - -"There,--what did I tell you, gentlemen?" cried Flachsinfingen. - -"And what devil of an angel and a child are you talking about, if you -please, madam?" asked the baron. - -The lady replied, rather sharply: - -"I speak, sir, of a poor child whom you know as well as I do, for you -tried to make him drink, smoke and hunt, the innocent creature! when he -went to visit you in order to interest you in his lawsuit. Oh, I know -all, _Monsieur le Baron_; but escaping from your temptations, this angel -courageously resisted; he drank water, as pure as his soul, and was not -afraid to remind you of your religious duties, which you had -forgotten . . ." - -"But, zounds, madame!" cried the baron, "you don't know him." . . . - -"I know all, I know all, I tell you," replied the lady, volubly; "but I -forgive you, seeing by your vote that the might of innocence has been -sufficient to overcome your unjust prejudices." - -The baron was confounded, and said to himself: "If this lasts ten -minutes longer, I shall have an apoplectic fit, I'm sure of it." . . . - -"But, madame," cried Dr. Sphex, "you are sadly mistaken . . . and . . ." - -"And you, too, sir," replied the councillor's wife, "have given him your -vote, much to your credit! You have done well; but now tell me, how -could you believe that a youth so religiously brought up . . . so -religiously nourished on the Scriptures . . . would have stained his -chaste mind with all your abominable profane literature! Why make it a -crime in him for not knowing the verses of a certain . . . Persius . . . -who, they say, is the most shameless of satirists?" - -"By Hercules, madame, it was he who . . ." - -"Ah, by Hercules! What a frightful pagan oath!" cried the lady, raising -her hands towards heaven. "I know all, I tell you . . . but I will say -to you as I did to the baron: since you have dismissed your unjust -prejudices . . . and have joined my husband in helping the cause of our -innocent _protégé_ to triumph . . . all glory and honor to you!" - -"My dear baron . . . my nerves are horribly shaken by this scene," said -the doctor, turning pale and seizing the baron's hands; "I am not well." -. . . - -"And I, my poor doctor, I am suffocating . . . I have vertigo . . . my -head is splitting! I'm stifling . . . I need air!" - -The door opened, and the ushers entered to announce that the Marquis of -Létorière begged to have the honor of saluting and thanking the -councillors. . . . - -"'Tis God who sends him to us!" cried the _conseillère._ "Let him come -in . . . let him come in! the sweet paschal lamb." . . . - -"Now you will see this lamb-like drinker of pure water!" said the baron, -with a sardonic laugh. - -"Now you will see this enemy of profane antiquity!" said the doctor in -the same tone, joyfully rubbing his hands. - -"Now you will see this Nimrod!". . . said Flachsinfingen. - -"Now you will see the pearl of young men!" said Martha, with the most -profound and full conviction. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE ADIEUX - - -Létorière entered. - -The surprise of the four spectators was at its height; they stood -petrified, and looked at each other with astonishment. - -The Marquis was dressed with the most remarkable elegance. He wore a -coat of sky-blue velvet, embroidered with gold and silver leaves of -extreme delicacy; his vest of silver cloth was spangled with gold, as -were also his small-clothes, of the same color as his coat; his -rose-colored silk stockings were clocked with gold; his shoes had red -heels; a sword mounted in gold, covered with ornaments of silver, most -beautifully wrought; a shoulder-knot of blue, silver, and gold, and a -chapeau, with white plumes, which the Marquis held in his hand, -completed this magnificent costume. - -This complete metamorphosis had already upset all their conjectures, or -rather confounded all the recollections of the councillors and Martha; -but what still more excited their astonishment, was the impossibility of -finding in Létorière's face any of the expressions which had struck -them individually. - -Thus, in this charming gentleman so magnificently dressed, with an air -at once spiritual and malicious, with such elegant manners and such -perfect grace, although it was a little effeminate, the baron could not -recognize his uncouth huntsman, so careless and _negligé_; . . . the -doctor sought in vain his learned grammarian, who looked like a -half-starved poet; and Madame Martha as futilely tried to see in the -black and brilliant eyes of the Marquis, the timid and downcast look of -the youthful quoter of Scripture. - -Létorière felt the necessity of putting an end to the amazement of his -judges. He saluted them profoundly, and said: - -"May I be permitted, gentlemen, here to express to you my profound -gratitude, and to declare it to each of you?" - -The three Germans looked at each other in dismay, and awaited in silence -the termination of this strange scene. - -Létorière advanced towards Madame Flachsinfingen. Taking her hand with -a movement of the most amiable gallantry, he raised it to his lips, and -said to her in a sweet and grave voice: "I knew beforehand, madame, that -in order to merit your interest, to reach the level of your noble -character, it would be necessary to have, like you, a pure and religious -soul . . . in showing myself to you under this exterior, I have not -deceived. I did, for a moment, borrow your language, madame; and believe -me, it is too noble and too beautiful for me ever to forget it. . . ." -And he saluted her respectfully. - -"As for you, Monsieur le Baron, in order to prove to you that I am still -worthy to take part in the brotherhood of joyful huntsmen, I can do no -better way than to beg you to come next year to pass St. Hubert at my -castle of Obbreuse. . . . If you will deign to accompany him," said the -Marquis to Dr. Sphex, "we will continue our commentaries on our favorite -poet. In short, gentlemen, formerly I liked the chase, reading the -ancient poets and the Scripture merely from inclination . . . but now I -shall like them from the remembrance of your precious interest." . . . - -Thus speaking, Létorière saluted the three councillors, who remained -dumb, and went out. - -Radiant with this success, which made his marriage with Mademoiselle de -Soissons sure, Létorière went home, where he found a note which the -princess had sent to him by a courier: - -"_The King is dying. . . . My liberty, our future, are threatened. . . . -Come! come!_" . . . - -Sinking from the highest hope to the depths of anguish, the Marquis -instantly started for Paris. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE RETURN - - -The day of his return to Paris, just as he was taking off his boots, -getting ready to go to Versailles, in great haste to approach the king, -he was called upon by the Baron of Ugeon, a relative of Madame Soubise. -Accompanied by two seconds, this gentleman came to demand satisfaction -for the discourtesy which the Marquis had shown towards Madame Rohan -Soubise at her hotel. - -Very much astonished at this revengefulness, for which there was no -reason, Monsieur de Létorière, without declining the challenge, -declared that having ridden post from Vienna to see the king, his -master, for the last time, who was said to be dying, he could consent to -fight only after having fulfilled this sacred duty. - -The bravery of the Marquis was so well known, that his proposition could -not be rejected. It was settled that when he was ready for the meeting, -the seconds should inform Monsieur d'Ugeon. - -After begging Dominique to go to the Abbey of Montmartre, and carry a -letter from him to the princess Julie, the Marquis started for -Versailles. - -Louis XV. was dying with the confluent small-pox. - -This terrible malady, so rapidly contagious, and which left such -frightful traces, had caused great alarm in the court. Létorière found -the small rooms occupied by the dying king almost deserted. The panic -was much greater, as vaccination was not then known. Even the officers -on duty were hardly to be found at their posts. Louis XV. had strictly -forbidden the dauphin and the other princes and princesses to enter his -apartment, for fear of exposing the royal family to the fatal contagion. -The Viscount of T***, one of the gentlemen of the bedchamber, then on -duty, was in the room next to that of the king, when Létorière -arrived, pale and agitated. - -The Marquis, forgetting court etiquette in this dreadful moment, was -about to raise the curtain of the king's chamber, when the viscount -hurriedly advanced, and said in a low voice, laying his hand upon the -Marquis's arm: - -"Stop, sir, you have not the _entrée_ to his majesty's chamber." - -"It is said, sir, that the king is almost deserted by his attendants; -they fear contagion. . . . If it be true that death reigns in this -chamber, one can brave all etiquette to enter it," said Létorière, -bitterly, and he made a movement to enter. - -"Once more, you cannot go into the presence of his majesty, sir," -replied the Viscount T***. "I am not sure that he will consent to -receive you." - -"Go, then, and ask him, sir; the king will not refuse the services of -one whom he has always loaded with favors." - -The proposition to enter the king's chamber seemed to frighten Monsieur -T***, who haughtily answered the Marquis, still in a low voice: - -"I receive orders only from the first gentleman-in-waiting, sir." - -At that instant a feeble voice, well known to both who heard it, asked: - -"Who is there? Who is speaking in whispers?" - -"It is the king! . . . He has heard you, sir. You are responsible for -the consequences of this," said Monsieur T***; and he replied aloud: -"Will his majesty deign to excuse me if I answer him without entering? -but I only execute his formal orders. The person who is here, Sire, -is . . ." - -"'Tis Létorière, who supplicates the king to be permitted to approach -him," said the marquis aloud, interrupting M. T***. - -"Indeed, . . . is it you, my child? You have returned, then?" cried -Louis XV., in a tone of great pleasure. Then reflecting that he should -expose the Marquis to the danger of contagion in permitting him to enter -his chamber, he added: - -"No . . . no . . . the air of this apartment is fatal . . . don't come -in; I forbid it." . . . - -"For the first time in my life I shall dare to disobey an order of the -king. . . . But I have a duty to accomplish, and I will accomplish it," -cried Létorière; and raising the curtain, he advanced towards the -monarch's bed. - -"Go out . . . go out this instant, ill-fated child!" cried the prince, -raising himself to a sitting posture, and extending his hand towards the -door with an imperious air. - -But Létorière threw himself on the king's hand; which, despite his -majesty's resistance, he kissed respectfully several times. Then he -knelt near the bed, saying: - -"May the king pardon my audacity . . . but there is now no longer any -reason for forbidding my presence." . . . - -"Go away . . . leave me;" replied Louis XV. - -"Four years ago I was happier . . . the king deigned to allow me to kiss -his royal hand in the garden of Versailles," said the Marquis, with an -accent of filial veneration. - -"But four years ago . . . my hand could not communicate a frightful -disease . . . death, perhaps!" said the sovereign, much moved. - -The courageous pertinacity of Létorière touched more deeply this -excellent prince, because, save by some inside servants, he had been -abandoned by nearly all the courtiers. - -The high officials of the crown, whose duty it was to remain near his -person, had obeyed only too faithfully his orders, which forbade them to -stay. - -The fine features of the king, disfigured by his disease, already -indicated the approach of death. At this supreme moment the unfortunate -dissensions, the threatening political agitation which had darkened the -latter part of his reign, filled him with new anxieties. Létorière's -noble devotion for a moment diverted his thoughts from these painful -themes which saddened his last moments. - -"You are a madman, . . . you deserve all my anger for daring to disobey -me and expose yourself thus," . . . cried Louis XV., with an expression -rather of grief than of wrath, and casting a tender look on Létorière, -who, still kneeling near the bed, kept profound silence. - -"Oh, may the king have pity on me! this may perhaps be the last time I -can show him my gratitude." - -"Again, I tell you this disease is contagious. . . . Do you not see that -they have abandoned me . . . that I am alone . . . that I wish to be -alone?" the prince hastened to add with bitterness, as if he wished to -disguise from himself his first thought; the devotion of the Marquis -made the ingratitude of the courtiers appear yet more shameful to him. - -"Brave and noble heart!" added Louis XV., looking at the Marquis -tenderly. "That hast no fear; thou art faithful!" - -"Then let the king recompense my fidelity by granting me what he grants -to no other person . . . the right to serve him, to remain near -him!" . . . said Létorière, joining his hands in supplication. - -"It must be so . . . now" . . . said Louis XV. Then he added, almost in -despair: "But you are young! you are handsome! you are beloved! and all -that you risk to come to me! all that you will sacrifice to me, perhaps, -poor young man! . . . when so many others". . . and, after a moment of -silence, Louis continued: "There is probably a crowd around the dauphin -to salute the King, Louis XVI." - -"Sire, what do you say?" - -"That is the fate of kings when they are departing, my child. . . . Ah! -if I had only oblivion, only death to dread! But France . . . -France . . . what will become of her? And my grandson, what will his -future be?" . . . - -"Sire, France has named you the _Well-beloved_; for a long time you -have borne that name, and his highness the dauphin will one day merit -it." . . . - -"I am not mistaken . . . I am feeble . . . I approach my end," . . . -said the king, shaking his head sadly; "and then, I believe certain -deaths are significant; the Marshal of Armantières, the Marquis of -Chauvelin, have suddenly died before me . . . in my court. . . . It is a -warning from heaven." - -"Do not think of this, Sire. This illness is dangerous, but care . . ." - -"Care is powerless,--I feel it; thus it is frightful for me to think -that I have, perhaps, uselessly compromised your life . . . but now it -is too late. Your imprudence . . . no, no, . . . your generous devotion -has rendered all regret vain. . . . But tell me, I have heard with joy -of the gaining of your lawsuit. Now, nothing can prevent your marriage -with the princess Julie. . . . Oh! I have had to break many lances for -you against the _Maréchale_ and against the House of Savoy," he added, -with a kind smile. "I have been obliged to use all my authority to -prevent them from shutting up Mademoiselle de Soissons in the convent of -Montmartre." - -"Ah! Sire, what goodness! you deign to think . . ." - -"It is now or never; to-morrow, perhaps, it will be too late. . . . My -only fear is, that when I am gone the princess Julie will not find a -friend in my grandson. . . . But if God spares me a few days, I will -advise her; it will be sweet to me to leave you as happy as you deserve -to be, my dear child." . . . - - -* * * * * * * - - -The illness of the king made rapid and frightful progress. Létorière -did not quit him for a moment. It would be impossible to tell with what -tender, respectful, and touching cares he surrounded the dying monarch. -The sight of the Marquis seemed to calm the pains of Louis XV. Several -times he offered him his hand in silence, with a sweet expression of -gratitude. Soon all hope of saving the prince vanished, and Létorière -stood with fixed and mournful eyes at the moment of death, the end of -the sovereign who had shown for him all the affection of a father. . . . - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE DUEL - - -After the death of Louis XV., the Marquis of Létorière quitted -Versailles in order to return with all speed to Paris, and to the -convent of Montmartre, in order to see the princess Julie. Feeling, on -the road, alternate chills and fever, he attributed his indisposition to -the painful emotions which had recently agitated him. As soon as he -arrived, he questioned Dominique about the princess. The dying Louis XV. -had only too clearly foreseen the future. A provost-guard was -established in the abbey, by order of Louis XVI., to prevent Mlle. de -Soissons from going out or receiving persons who were not furnished with -the permission of Madame Soubise. So Dominique had not been able to see -the princess, or to deliver to her the Marquis's letters. - -This news fell like a thunderbolt on Létorière. He doubtless trusted -much to the firmness of Mlle. de Soissons; but he also knew the immense -power of the House of Savoy, and of Madame Soubise's influence in the -new court. He was plunged in the bitterness of these reflections, when -the seconds of the Baron of Ugeon came to inquire when it would suit him -to appoint a time for the promised encounter. It seemed cruel to the -Marquis to run the risk of a duel before seeing the princess Julie; but -he had already asked for delay, and he could not beg it a second time. -He agreed, therefore, to appear with his seconds at three o'clock the -next day, behind the walls of the Mathurins farm-house, then a very -isolated spot. - -The Marquis had thirty-six hours before him; in this time he hoped to -find means to obtain an interview with, or at least to convey a letter -to Mlle. de Soissons. - -Dame Landry was despatched to the Abbey of Montmartre, disguised as a -pedler. She had a complete assortment of linens, cambrics, crapes, -ribbons and laces. In order to make friends with the portress, she gave -her a beautiful hood. The sister, delighted, promised to allow her to -enter the court at the hour of promenade, when the ladies would surely -make many purchases. Madelaine inquired who were the ladies of -distinction resident in the abbey. The portress named the princess -Julie. - -"Is Madame Martha, Mlle. de Soisson's nurse, with her?" asked the -tailor's wife. - -"Undoubtedly," replied the sister, "and you will see her in a moment, -for she almost always comes down at this hour in her mistress's -service." - -"I have been recommended to Madame Martha," said Madelaine, "and I am -sure that, under her countenance, I shall sell a great many things to -the princess; I have here a piece of lace which would not be unworthy -the dress of a queen;" and the tailor's wife, unfolding a napkin, showed -a magnificent pattern to the portress. - -"Ah! splendid! How beautiful that is! The archbishop has nothing finer -on his surplice when he comes to officiate here." - -"And it is very probable," said Madelaine, "that the princess may buy -this marvel to make a present to his lordship; at least that's what the -person said who recommended me to Dame Martha." - -"Here she comes, now," said the portress. - -Martha entered, looking sad and mournful. - -"Here's a pedler who has been recommended to you, Madame Martha," said -the portress. "She has the most beautiful laces in the world." - -"I have no need of them," said Martha, impatiently. "But, madame," . . . -said Madelaine, hesitating, and trying to make a signal of intelligence -to the nurse, "I have been told that the princess . . . wished to -purchase some laces, and . . ." - -"You have been deceived, or rather you wish to deceive me, my friend," -sourly replied Dame Martha. "You have the appearance of one of those -travelling vendors, who never return to see if people are satisfied with -what they have bought." - -"You would not confound me with those miserable creatures, madame," said -Madelaine, redoubling her signals of intelligence, "if you knew who the -person is who has recommended me to you." - -"And who is it?" - -"The Marquis of Létorière." . . . - -At this name Dame Martha exchanged a rapid and meaning look with -Madelaine. The two women understood each other. The portress was -ignorant of the name, and even the existence of the Marquis. - -Nevertheless the nurse, not wishing to excite her suspicions by -recognizing too soon the name, replied roughly: - -"Seek other dupes, my friend; I don't know this Marquis." . . . - -"He is, nevertheless, the nephew of the Abbé de Vighan," replied -Madelaine. - -"The nephew of the Abbé de Vighan! . . . that's very different," -answered the nurse; "why didn't you tell me that sooner? The nephew of -M. de Vighan would recommend none but honest persons. And what have you -to sell?" - -"This piece of lace." And Madelaine cast an expressive glance on Martha. -"It is very precious and beautiful from one end to the other; the -princess may unroll it, and she will not find a defect in it." - -"I will go and show it to her. . . And have you nothing else?" - -"I have nothing that is worthy of your mistress." - -"Wait, then; I will come back." - -Inside the package of lace was a letter from the Marquis, inquiring of -Julie the means of penetrating to her presence. Mlle. de Soissons -answered that she considered herself his wife before God, that she was -resolved to flee from the abbey, if she could by any possibility escape -the surveillance which was maintained over her. She could go at all -hours to pray in the chapel. This chapel was separated from the garden -of the cloister by a long subterranean passage. A part of the wall -looked out upon the fields; by scaling at it one point which Mlle. de -Soissons designated, might be reached in the garden, by the side of a -fountain, the door of this subterranean passage. By forcing this door -one could gain the chapel. Mlle. de Soissons informed Létorière that -every night, at one o'clock, she would wait there, to swear to him at -the foot of the altar to be only his, and to concert with him a plan of -fleeing to England and escaping the persecutions of her family. - -The princess Julie put this hastily-written letter into the roll of -lace, and Martha carried it back to Madelaine, telling her that the -princess thought it not fine enough. - -Informed of Mlle. de Soissons's determination, the Marquis sent Jerome -Sicard to examine the locality. The walls of the cloister were very -high, but surrounded by desert marshes. They could easily be scaled. -Unhappily, the preparations indispensable to this enterprise would not -permit the Marquis to attempt it until the night of the next day. - -For the first time he feared death, for he reflected that his duel must -precede his interview with Mlle. de Soissons. - -He passed a night of painful agitation. His sleep was troubled by -strange dreams. When he arose, he felt feeble and depressed. For the -first time it occurred to him that perhaps he was a victim to contagion -and his devotion to Louis XV. In fact, his physician recognized the -alarming symptoms of confluent small-pox; but the disease would not be -developed before the next day. Moved by an over-nice sense of honor, and -contrary to the advice of his two seconds, the Marquis, notwithstanding -his weakness, insisted on fighting with the Baron of Ugeon that very -day. - -At quarter past three, the meeting took place. The friends of the -Marquis, seeing his feverish color and his weakness, believed it their -duty, without consulting Létorière, to appeal to the courtesy of M. -d'Ugeon, and request him to put off the duel. But a cruel and offensive -word from M. d'Ugeon, at the suggestion of this new delay, having -rendered an adjustment impossible, the combat began. Létorière fenced -with superior force; his bravery was unquestionable; but the rapid -approach of disease had weakened him so seriously, that he lost all his -advantages, and received a sword-thrust directly in his breast. The -seconds carried him home, and left him to the care of poor Dominique. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE ABBEY - - -Eleven o'clock had just struck in the cloisters of the abbey of -Montmartre. The night was stormy; the heavens gray and veiled, -notwithstanding the brightness of the moon, which peeped out at long -intervals beneath dank clouds rent by the wind. In order to reach the -chapel, Mlle. de Soissons was obliged, after leaving her apartment, to -cross an open gallery, whose arches opened on one of the interior courts -of the abbey. - -In the midst of this court was the tomb of the Countess of Egmont, the -charming and unhappy daughter of Marshal Richelieu. The princess Julie -had received, by the aid of her nurse and Dame Landry, a message from -Létorière. He announced to her that he should endeavor to introduce -himself into the abbey that very night. It was eleven o'clock; Mlle. de -Soissons, oppressed by inexplicable presentiments, was praying on the -steps of Madame Egmont's tomb. At any moment the Marquis might arrive by -the subterranean passage. The silence was profound, and interrupted only -by the groaning of the wind which whirled through the arches. Despite -her resolution, despite the noble and religious purpose which dictated -her action, and the purity of her soul, the princess Julie was almost -frightened at having given a rendezvous to Létorière in the chapel of -the abbey. It seemed to her a sacrilege. Little by little her terrors -ceased, giving place to anxiety and devouring uneasiness. - -A lamp burning in the chapel threw a dim light upon the gloom. Mlle. de -Soissons, kneeling near the door which communicated with the -subterranean passage of the cloister, listened eagerly on that side. -Presently steps were heard, the lock was broken, and Létorière -appeared before the princess, who could not repress a cry of surprise -and love. - -"At last it is you! . . . I see you again . . . my friend!" . . . cried -she with delirious joy; and added immediately: "But come into the -gallery; let us leave this holy place." - -When the light of the moon permitted the princess to see the Marquis, -she was struck by the pallor of his countenance. He was enveloped in a -brown cloak, and walked with difficulty. In spite of his wound received -that very day, in spite of the progress of the disease, and the tears -and supplications of Dominique, the Marquis, accompanied by Jerome -Sicard, had succeeded in scaling the walls of the Abbey. - -"I see you once again, Julie!" said he, with an accent of inexpressible -tenderness. . . . - -"Soon nothing shall separate us again, my friend!" said the princess, -extending her hand towards the Marquis. - -"My hand! . . . no . . . no . . . just heaven! . . ." cried -Létorière, withdrawing in affright; and he wrapped himself more -closely in his cloak. - -Mlle. de Soissons, profoundly astonished, looked at him in silence. - -"Julie . . . Julie . . . pardon me . . . if I thus withdraw myself from -you . . . but hearing of the illness of the king, and that he was -abandoned by all . . . I went to him; I did not quit him for an instant, -until his death." . . . - -"Ah! I understand," cried the princess. "This terrible disease is -contagious, and your devotion will perhaps cost you your life . . . will -cost us, perhaps, our happiness!" - -"No, no, reassure yourself, Julie . . . all hope is not yet lost. . . . -Although suffering, I wanted to see you to relieve you of all anxiety, -to tell you that my lawsuit is gained . . . and that no obstacle now -opposes our happiness." . . . - -"None . . . none but death, perhaps!" exclaimed the princess, in -despair. "My God! . . . My God! . . . in what frightful apprehension am -I obliged to live!" - -"Calm yourself! . . . Madelaine Landry will try every day to bring news -of me to Martha. . . . You see . . . I am not seriously sick, although I -may become so" . . . said the Marquis, with a feeble voice. - -"I cannot live in such anxiety," replied the princess. "I will flee with -you . . . this very night." - -"Julie . . . it is impossible . . . nothing is prepared for such a step. -In the name of Heaven, listen! . . . Do not compromise our future by -precipitation." . . . - -"But I can see that you are suffering horribly; I will not leave you in -such a state . . . it is impossible! Energy and courage will not fail -me; where you have passed, I will pass. . . . Once away from here, I -will go and put myself under the protection of the Judge of Solar; they -will not dare to snatch me openly from the asylum I shall have chosen in -the house of the Ambassador of Sardinia. But at least there . . . every -day . . . every hour . . . I shall hear news from you." - -"Once again, Julie . . . it is impossible!" said Létorière, hardly -able to stand, and leaning against one of the pillars of Madame Egmont's -tomb. - -"And you believe," resumed Mlle. de Soissons, feelingly, "you believe -that during five years I could have followed you step by step with all -the solicitude of a mother . . . that I could have bravely struggled -against the wishes of my family, to abandon you to-day, under I know not -what pretext of propriety, suffering, almost dying. . . . No, no, this -love is too pure and too holy to fear to show a bold front." - -"Julie . . . pardon me," murmured Létorière, falling on one of the -steps of the tomb. "I have not told you all." - -"Heavenly Father! . . . he is ill!" . . . - -"Silence! . . . Julie . . . one last prayer . . . let me feel your lips -on my forehead." - -"He is going to die! he is dying! Charles! . . . Charles! -Charles!" . . . cried the princess despairingly; and throwing herself on -her knees by the Marquis, still so tightly enveloped in his cloak that -Mlle. de Soissons sought his hand in vain. - -"I have not told you . . . that the Baron of Ugeon challenged me," -murmured Létorière, with a voice growing rapidly weaker. - -"A relative of the _Maréchale!_ . . . They have assassinated him! . . . -traitorously assassinated him!" - -"No. . . . I fought . . . this morning . . . with him . . . it was -honorably conducted . . . and I received . . . in the breast . . . a -wound . . . Julie . . ." added the Marquis, faintly. "I wanted to see -you again. . . . Adieu! . . . This ring . . . you know . . . you will -take it again. . . . _Your look has followed me everywhere_ . . . EVEN -UNTO DEATH. . . . My God! . . . pardon me! . . . I thought myself strong -enough to live until to-morrow. . . . Julie . . . once more . . . -Adieu." . . . - -And Létorière died as he uttered this last word. - - -* * * * * * * - - -These lines are to be found in the "Souvenirs of Madame la Marquise de -Créquy": - -"The princess Julie, poor unhappy child, never again saw her charming -friend M. de Létorière. . . . His wounds reopened, and all the blood -that remained in his veins flowed out during the night. . . . He expired -without aid, and the next morning was found dead on the flag-stones of -the cloister. - -"Perhaps it was on the stone which covered the tomb of my poor friend -Madame d'Egmont. Having been educated at the convent of Montmartre, she -had begged to be buried near Madame de Vibraye, her friend from infancy, -and Superior of this house." - -They hushed up this horrible affair. The corpse was magnificent; it was -wrapped in a winding-sheet. They carried him to his bed, and it was -reported that "the Marquis of Létorière had died of small-pox." - -* * * * * * * - -* * * * * * * - -* * * * * * * - -* * * * * * * - -Some years after, the princess Julie married a prince of Saxe-Coburg. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Marquis of Letoriere, by -Marie Joseph Eugène Sue - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARQUIS OF LETORIERE *** - -***** This file should be named 63852-0.txt or 63852-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/5/63852/ - -Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images -generously made available by Hathi Trust.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Marquis of Letoriere - -Author: Marie Joseph Eugène Sue - -Release Date: November 22, 2020 [EBook #63852] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARQUIS OF LETORIERE *** - - - - -Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images -generously made available by Hathi Trust.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/marquis_cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h2>THE</h2> - -<h2>MARQUIS OF LETORIERE.</h2> - - -<h4>[<i>FROM THE FRENCH.</i>]</h4> - - - -<h4>BOSTON:</h4> - -<h4>NICHOLS & HALL</h4> - -<h5>1873</h5> - -<hr class="r5" /> - - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> - -<p class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -The Tailor<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -The Ex-Professor of Plessis College<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -The Debtor<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -Mysteries<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -The Cavalier<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -Mademoiselle de Soissons<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a><br /> -The Lawsuit<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a><br /> -The Chateau Soubise<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a><br /> -The Departure<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a><br /> -The Governor of Henferester<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a><br /> -The Supper<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a><br /> -Confidences<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a><br /> -Doctor Sphex<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a><br /> -The Councillor Flachsinfingen<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a><br /> -The Interview<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a><br /> -The Judgment<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a><br /> -The Adieux<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a><br /> -The Return<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a><br /> -The Duel<br /> -<br /> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a><br /> -The Abbey</p> - - -<hr class="r5" /> - -<h4>THE MARQUIS OF LETORIERE.</h4> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></h4> - -<h4>THE TAILOR</h4> - - -<p>In 1769 there was in the Rue St. Honoré, not far from the Palais Royal, -a small tailor's shop, having for its sign an enormous pair of gilt -scissors, suspended above the door by an iron triangle.</p> - -<p>Master Landry, proprietor of The Golden Scissors, a little lean, pale, -and apathetic man, offered a striking contrast to his wife Madelaine.</p> - -<p>She was a woman of thirty-five or forty years, robust and active, with -hard features, and a gait like a man's, and her quick and imperious -voice told that her dominion over her household was absolute.</p> - -<p>It was eleven o'clock one dark, rainy day in December. Master Landry, -seated on his counter, plied alternately his scissors and needle, in -company with Martin Kraft, his apprentice, a big, heavy, phlegmatic -German, about twenty years old, whose red and puffed-out cheeks, and -long hair, more yellow than blonde, gave him a stupid air.</p> - -<p>The tailor's wife seemed to be in a very bad humor. Landry and his -apprentice maintained a prudent silence, until at length Madeleine -snapped out at her husband, scornfully:</p> - -<p>"I give up; thou hast no blood in thy veins; thou would'st allow thyself -to be robbed of thy last customer; imbecile!"</p> - -<p>Landry exchanged an elbow-touch and a glance with Martin Kraft, but kept -quiet, handling his needle with redoubled dexterity.</p> - -<p>Irritated, no doubt, by the meekness of her victim, the housewife -resumed, addressing her husband vehemently:</p> - -<p>"To whom do I speak, if you please?"</p> - -<p>The tailor and the apprentice continued mute.</p> - -<p>The exasperated woman administered a vigorous slap to her husband, -saying:</p> - -<p>"It appears to me that when I speak to a fool, it is thou whom I -address, and thou would'st do well to reply—ill-bred as thou art!"</p> - -<p>"By St. Genevieve!" cried the tailor, putting his hand to his cheek, and -turning to his apprentice,—"how's that, Kraft?"</p> - -<p>The apprentice answered only by a violent stroke of his iron goose, -applied to the seams of a coat; but this blow had such an expression of -temper, that Dame Landry, with a dexterous hand, inflicted on the -phlegmatic German the same correction she had applied to Landry, saying -to him:</p> - -<p>"I'll teach you to censure my conduct, you sluggard!"</p> - -<p>"How do you find that, Master Landry?" said the apprentice, in his turn, -looking towards his master.</p> - -<p>The latter, hoping to allay his wife's irritation, said, very calmly:</p> - -<p>"Now, Madelaine, explain yourself tranquilly; we are both sufficiently -roused to pay attention to what you would say."</p> - -<p>"That's lucky; what I have to say will not take long. Idler, -good-for-nothing! see now, one of your best customers, the -valet-de-chambre of the Member of Parliament, no less a personage, has -gone to our neighbor Mathurin."</p> - -<p>"What, we're losing our custom?" demanded the tailor of his apprentice -with an air of indignation, coward-like, designing to turn the wrath of -his wife on the unhappy Kraft. "What, Martin, do you give us such -customers? Are you not ashamed? 'Tis not mine who treat us thus. -Gracious! mine are as faithful to me as the thread to the needle—as -the thimble to the finger—as—"</p> - -<p>"Tut, tut, tut," said Dame Landry, interrupting, "how you chatter, -Master Landry! That's the reason why the clerk of M. Buston, the -attorney at Châtelet, who has always been your customer, left you more -than a month ago—even he—for that cursed Mathurin!"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, woman? This Mathurin surely must employ some sorcery -thus to draw those customers to his shop," said Landry, sadly; "for I -defy any workman of the honorable corporation of tailors to do better or -stronger sewing than mine. St. Genevieve, patroness of our good city, -knows if I cabbage the thousandth part of a quarter of a yard of the -cloths which are intrusted to me. It is the same with the trimmings; -and—"</p> - -<p>"Heavens! M. Landry, give me rest from the enumeration of your good -qualities. Our neighbor Mathurin is a knave, a cheat it may be; but at -least he bends his wits to his work, he bestirs himself; he makes good -acquaintances; he does not sit all day with his arms crossed as you do."</p> - -<p>"Excuse me, it is his legs, madame, which Master L. keeps crossed all -day," said Kraft, sententiously.</p> - -<p>"Hear that animal!" cried the housewife, throwing a meaning look at the -apprentice, who lowered his head and began to work furiously with his -goose.</p> - -<p>"You have no good customers," said Dame Landry, "none but mechanics, -attorneys' clerks, dry-salters workmen—not a single gentleman."</p> - -<p>"As for gentlemen, Madelaine," replied the tailor, hazarding a timid -reproach, "I have one among my customers, and you prevent me from -working for him."</p> - -<p>Madelaine colored with anger, and exclaimed: "Do you dare to talk to me -of your Marquis, of your <i>Monsieur le Charmant</i>, of that sharper, who -has owed us three hundred livres for more than a year, and from whom you -have never got the first red cent?"</p> - -<p>"And yet, ma'am, you wish the custom of such gentlemen!"</p> - -<p>"I wish the custom of gentlemen who pay, and not of knaves who only walk -the streets of Paris, with swords at their sides, and hats cocked awry, -to dupe imbeciles like you,—poor trades-people like us."</p> - -<p>The tailor raised his hands towards heaven.</p> - -<p>"It is easy to see, Madelaine, that you are no better acquainted with -the Marquis than with the Grand Turk. . . . He, a knave; he, a -sharper; he—poor young man—so mild, so gentle, so sad, and then -so pretty . . . one could spend an hour only in looking at him . . . he is -like a wax saint."</p> - -<p>"So pretty—so pretty," said the housewife, imitating her husband, -". . . and what does that amount to? Did any one ever see such folly? -Does he pay us any better because he is pretty? Once more, what good has -it done you?"</p> - -<p>"This is what it does for me: when I see such a handsome gentleman, poor -and unhappy . . . I am heart-broken, and I have not the courage to ask -for my money. . . . That is what it does for me. In short, Martin Kraft -himself has felt as I do. . . . You sent him to the house of the Marquis -to dun him, and what did Martin Kraft tell you when he came back? That -instead of demanding the money, he had asked him if he did not need a -new coat."</p> - -<p>"That only proves that Martin Kraft is a goose like yourself!"</p> - -<p>"The fact is, that this gentleman was so beautiful that one would have -said he was a wooden figure painted at Nuremburg," gravely said the -German, who could find no more artistic comparison to express his -admiration.</p> - -<p>"Well done!" said Dame Landry, contemptuously shrugging her shoulders; -then adding, "but patience, patience! this very day I will go and show -this charming gentleman that Madelaine Landry does not take her pay in -wheedling."</p> - -<p>Just then a carriage stopped before the shop. It was raining in -torrents. The housewife put on a more amiable expression, thinking that -custom might come from the coach; but, to her great astonishment, the -coachman, having descended slowly and clumsily from his seat, looked at -the sign and entered the tailor's shop.</p> - -<p>"Master Landry?" he asked, in a loud voice, shaking his great-coat all -dripping with rain.</p> - -<p>"At least, there is no need of your shaking yourself like a dog coming -out of the water in order to ask for Master Landry," sharply answered -Madelaine. "What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"My good woman, if I shake myself it is because I am -soaked—drowned—as you can see, and I only give you -a drop or two."</p> - -<p>"Much obliged for your kindness," said the housewife.</p> - -<p>"As to Master Landry, I wish to speak to him about a young -gentleman . . . Zounds! what a charming little gentleman! As true as my -name is Jerome Sicard, I never saw such a beauty.—Come now," said the -coachman, interrupting himself, "see how the water is running down my -neck," and he began to shake his hat.</p> - -<p>Dame Madelaine was bursting out anew, when the window of the carriage -was lowered. A man about fifty years of age, large, coarse, rubicund, -powdered, and clothed in black, called to the coachman in the voice of a -Stentor. Seeing that his summons was unheeded, he opened the door, got -out of the carriage, and entered the shop.</p> - -<p>"Will you tell me, you stupid, why you have stopped here instead of -carrying me to the Soubise Hotel?"</p> - -<p>"Excuse me sir; I had to execute a commission for a fine -gentleman." . . . .</p> - -<p>"And what is that to me,—your fine gentleman? I'm in a hurry. -Come, get on the box." . . . .</p> - -<p>"One minute, 'squire; I have promised this gentleman to execute his -commission, and do it I will."</p> - -<p>"Ah, you refuse to go! Take care! if you don't start immediately, you -shall hear from the lieutenant of police—I give you warning."</p> - -<p>"All right, I shall have to pass a night in the lock-up, if you -choose,—you have the right to put me there; but I will keep my -promise to this young gentleman."</p> - -<p>After new entreaties and new threats, seeing that he made no impression -on the obstinacy of the coachman, the big man clothed in black, who was -the steward of the Princess of Rohan-Soubise, seated himself, growling.</p> - -<p>"But," cried the peevish Madelaine, pulling Sicard by the sleeve, "are -you ever going to say what you have to say to my husband?" And she -pointed to Landry, who had looked on the whole scene with open mouth.</p> - -<p>"This is the story," said the coachman; "I was passing, an hour ago, -through a street in the Faubourg St. Honoré. It rained in torrents. I -saw, under the porch of the Hotel Pompadour, a young man who had taken -shelter there. He was so lovely . . . one would have taken him for a -good angel . . . Although it is the middle of winter, he had on a poor -coat of brown cloth trimmed with black lace!!!"</p> - -<p>"A coat of brown cloth with black trimmings! That is our coat!" cried -Dame Landry; "that is to say, it is <i>Monsieur le Charmant</i>; it is that -cursed marquis; he has only that coat which we have made him on credit -. . . it is easy enough to recognize him."</p> - -<p>"Yes, faith, if ever any one deserved to wear embroidered coats, it is -surely he, for as sure as my name is Jerome Sicard, I never saw any one -who looked more like a good angel". . .</p> - -<p>"Bah, go away with your good angel! . . . Has he given you money to -bring to us? Where are the three hundred livres that he has owed us for -more than a year?"</p> - -<p>"Money! Goodness gracious! No, indeed, he has not sent it! Who would -have the heart to ask it of him? I took him to the Palais Marchand for -nothing." . . .</p> - -<p>"Well, wife"—said the tailor, with a triumphant air.</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, you fool . . . he has cheated this coachman as he has -bewitched and cheated you . . . another proof that he is a rogue."</p> - -<p>"Rogue!" cried the worthy Sicard, stamping his foot angrily . . . . "A -cheat! Know, my gossip, that this gentleman cheats no one . . . . If I -carried him for nothing it was because it gave me pleasure to do so. -Seeing him stopped by the rain, I drew my carriage up to the door and -said to him, 'Get in, sir!' 'No, thank you my lad,' he answered, in a -voice sweet as music. 'But you will be wet to the skin.' 'That is very -possible; but tell me only, my friend, what time it is.' 'Eleven -o'clock, sir.' 'Eleven o'clock! and I have business at the Palais -Marchand at half-past eleven,' exclaimed he, involuntarily looking sadly -at the rain and the gutters, which were running like rivers. 'Get in, -then, sir,' I repeated; 'in twenty minutes I will set you down at the -Palais Marchand, while on foot it will take you at least until noon to -get there!' 'I thank you, my lad,' said he, half-smiling, half-sighing, -'but I have no money. So don't lose your time here!' 'No money!' I -cried, opening the door, and almost pushing the little gentleman into my -carriage, for he was slender as a reed. 'By Jupiter, it shall not be -Jerome Sicard, who, for a franc, leaves a gentleman like you to miss an -appointment! Take my number, and you may pay me when you like, sir;' and -without giving him time to answer, I jumped on my seat, and in eighteen -minutes I deposited him safely at the Palais Marchand."</p> - -<p>"Well done! he has bewitched everybody, even a hackney-coachman," cried -Dame Landry; "but patience—patience!"</p> - -<p>"Shall you soon be done?" cried out the steward of the Princess -Soubise.</p> - -<p>"In one moment, sir. Arrived at the Palais Marchand, my gentleman -said, 'Give me your number, my lad, I only desire to have the power to -recognize your kindness some day, and to pay you as you deserve; for -without your help, I could not have been present at an audience very -important to my lawsuit; but, as you have been so obliging, do me yet -one more favor. I started to go to my tailor to tell him not to fail to -bring me the coat which he promised me for to-night. This tailor keeps -in St. Honoré, at the sign of The Golden Scissors. If it will not take -you too much out of your way to pass this shop and tell the tailor -that the Marquis—Let—Les—Létorière—yes, that's -it—of Létorière, will expect this evening the coat he took the -measure for a fortnight since.' 'Whether it is out of my way or not,' -said I, 'I will go at any rate.' Then you hired me by the hour, sir;" -and the coachman, turning towards the steward, added: "I have passed -through St. Honoré, which has not put you out at all, and I have -executed my commission to this worthy knight of the thimble and needle." -Turning to Landry: "Now, tailor, don't forget the gentleman's coat, and -if you will tell me at what hour it will be ready, I will come and carry -it to his house myself, gratis. Zounds!—always gratis—for I -am sure that to oblige any one who so much resembles a good angel ought -to give one happiness. Now, my master, excuse me"—and he turned -towards the steward of Madame Rohan-Soubise—"when you are ready we -will start."</p> - -<p>The steward, witness of this singular scene, felt interested in spite of -himself; he did not hurry in getting into the coach, especially when he -heard Dame Landry cry, in a cross voice, regarding her husband with -surprise and astonishment:</p> - -<p>"Have you then dared, in spite of my orders, to promise another coat to -this person who never pays? But you have not begun it, I hope?"</p> - -<p>"But, my dear—"</p> - -<p>"There is no but about it,—answer me!"</p> - -<p>"I have done more than begin it, my dear; I have finished it," said the -tailor, sadly lowering his head.</p> - -<p>"You have made this coat? And with what? And when? Why don't you answer -me? For the last week I have not seen you, you and your worthy -apprentice, working on anything but these woollen overcoats and these -shaggy jackets."</p> - -<p>Wishing to come to his master's succor, Master Kraft ventured to say: -"It was I, Madame Landry, who bought, with my own savings, five yards of -Segovian cloth, of an amaranth color, and in order to make the garment -complete, three yards of changeable taffeta, for the trimming of the -vest and coat; and we have worked nights, Master Landry and I, in order -that we might not lose our work by day."</p> - -<p>"So, while I have been quietly and honestly sleeping, you have been -sitting up like criminals to work upon this beautiful masterpiece!" -cried the housewife.</p> - -<p>"Well, what'll you have? This poor little gentleman has not troubled -either of us, Martin Kraft. By St. Genevieve! it was pitiful to see him, -in midwinter, with his miserable brown coat. We could not resist the -pleasure of clothing him like a gentleman as he is. Be easy; sooner or -later he will pay us. I'll put my hand in the fire if he isn't as honest -as he is charming."</p> - -<p>Jerome Sicard, a big fellow of thirty years or thereabouts, listened to -the tailor's speech with increasing satisfaction. When it was finished, -he offered Master Landry his great hand, saying: "Take it, worthy -tailor; send your wife immediately to get a bottle of your best wine, -and we will drink together—blast me if we don't! And you, too, worthy -apprentice I you, also, shall share the bottle, for you honor the -scissors and the establishment better than any of your respectable -corporation."</p> - -<p>"If you don't drink wine till I bring it to you, you will run no risk of -losing the little wits you have left," said Dame Landry, sharply; "you -deserve, indeed, to hob-nob with my fool of a husband, for, like him, -you have let yourself be bewitched by the first knave who comes along. -But as you do so well the errands of this cheating Marquis, you can go -and tell him that the coat shall not go out of this shop until he has -paid us the three hundred livres that he owes. You can also inform him, -to finish up the matter, that I am going myself to carry his bill, and -if the fine gentleman is not at home I will wait for him,—if he does -not, at least, give me something on account, I will go and find the -commissary, and I'll let you see that I, a woman, have more spunk than -either of you,—you chicken-hearted milk-sops!"</p> - -<p>"As to being a sop, I'm sopping wet, that's true enough," said Jerome -Sicard; "but as to being chicken-hearted,—my good granny, if I had -my whip, or only the yard-stick on the counter, and you were <i>my</i> -wife, I'd teach you speedily that I am no chicken, but a full-grown -cock—fully able to teach you better than to refuse a flask of wine -to my friends . . . all this without malice . . . but may the good God -grant that this may give you the happy idea of using your yard-stick in -training your wife, brave tailor!" said Sicard; then addressing the -secretary,—"I am ready, sir."</p> - -<p>"That is well," said he, though by no means angry at the detention, for -the scene had amused him.</p> - -<p>The coachman gone, Dame Landry took her large cloak, her black mantle, -and a great umbrella, bade her husband bring her the coat of Segovian -cloth made for M. Létorière, which she locked up, and then started in -a white heat of wrath to go and wait for this <i>Monsieur le Charmant</i>, -as she derisively called him.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></h4> - -<h4>THE EX-PROFESSOR OF PLESSIS COLLEGE</h4> - - -<p>The dwelling of the Marquis was not very far from his creditor's shop. -M. de Létorière occupied two small rooms on the fifth floor of a house -in the Rue St. Florentin.</p> - -<p>He shared this poor asylum with Dr. Jean-François Dominique, -ex-professor in the College of Plessis.</p> - -<p>By an odd freak of fortune, the young Marquis, destined to charm people -in so many conditions of life, had first exercised his inconceivable -fascinations on this old professor, who was drawn to him with the most -tender affection.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding a thousand malicious tricks of the frolicsome child, -Dr. Dominique recognized in his pupil so much spirit and heart, as well -as nobility of soul, that he became singularly attached to him. Perhaps, -also, the rare aptitude of the Marquis, who was one of the most -distinguished linguists of the Plessis College, for the study of the -dead languages, was another reason for the extraordinary devotion of the -old professor to his pupil.</p> - -<p>The Abbé of Vighan, an uncle of M. de Létorière, had for six years -paid the college expenses of his nephew, a poor orphan. During a journey -of the Abbé, the balance of the quarterly account was left in arrears. -The Marquis interpreting, in a manner displeasing to his delicacy, some -words of the principal on the subject of this tardiness in the payment, -resolutely decided to quit the college.</p> - -<p>Dominique, acquainted with his project, did his best to dissuade him -from its execution; but the Marquis was nineteen years of age, and had a -determined will. The poor professor, not being able to prevent him from -committing this folly, determined at least to accompany him in his -flight, so unwilling was he to leave the young Marquis to encounter -alone the temptations of a great city.</p> - -<p>Dominique himself made all the plans for the escape; and one dark night -the master and scholar scaled the walls of the college, not without -danger to the old professor, little used to this kind of exercise.</p> - -<p>The principal of the college, satisfied, perhaps, to be rid of a -mutinous and turbulent pupil, took no steps to arrest the fugitive. -Létorière possessed fifteen louis-d'or; Dominique had a little income -of fifty pistoles from the salt tax; these were their only pecuniary -resources.</p> - -<p>The Marquis's father had left nothing to his son save two or three -interminable lawsuits. The most important of these, which had lasted -fifty years, had been instigated against the dukes of Brunswick-Oëls -and the princes of Brandebourg-Bareuth, on the subject of the claims of -a grand-aunt of M. de Létorière, Mademoiselle d'Olbreuse, who, at the -time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, had emigrated and married -one of the relations of the Duke of Brunswick.</p> - -<p>A poor gentleman of Xaintonge, without influential friends and without -credit, Létorière despaired of ever carrying on the lawsuit upon which -depended the fortune that he could not hope to enjoy; twenty times on -the point of enlisting and becoming a soldier, the persuasions of the -good Dominique had withheld him.</p> - -<p>The ex-professor of Plessis had carefully examined the papers of these -lawsuits. For love of his pupil he had become almost a lawyer. The -rights of the Marquis appeared to him evident; nothing was needed, he -said, but patience, and some day the suits would indubitably be gained.</p> - -<p>More and more enthusiastic in his admiration of the Marquis, he boldly -compared him to Alcibiades, so seductive was his fascination. Jean -François Dominique modestly reserved to himself the austere part of -Socrates, and did not cease to predict the most brilliant fortune for -his pupil.</p> - -<p>"But, my poor Dominique," the young man would say, "I have only my cloak -and my sword,—no protector; but for you I should be alone in the -world."</p> - -<p>"But you are <i>charmant</i>, my child; all must love you as soon as -they see you; all cherish you as soon as they know you, on account of your -good and generous nature; you have talent; you know Latin and Greek as well -as I do; you understand German as your native tongue, thanks to your -late father, who caused you to be brought up by a German valet; you are -a noble gentleman, although you do not trace your lineage back to -Euryales, son of Ajax, as did Alcibiades, whom I call my hero, because -you resemble him extremely. Have patience, then; your career will -perhaps be more brilliant than my hero's. . . Yes, it will surely -be! . . . as true as that Socrates saved the life of his pupil at -Potidæa! But I know your heart, and I am sure that when you are on the -pinnacle of prosperity you will not forget the old Jean-François -Dominique, as Alcibiades forgot the old philosopher!"</p> - -<p>However odd and foolish these predictions may have seemed to the young -Marquis, they sufficed for a long time to sustain his courage, to give -him some hope of gaining one of his lawsuits, and above all, to prevent -his enlisting as a private soldier, as he had often threatened to do, to -the great alarm of Dominique.</p> - -<p>Madelaine Landry soon reached the Rue Florentin. Having mounted the five -flights of stairs which led to the apartments of her debtor, she stopped -a moment on the landing-place to recover breath, in order that she might -give free expression to her wrath.</p> - -<p>When she had sufficiently recovered from her rapid ascent, she knocked; -the door was opened.</p> - -<p>To her profound astonishment, a frightfully ugly man appeared before -her.</p> - -<p>This was the ex-professor of Plessis. Jean-François Dominique was about -fifty years old; he was large and bony; his lean face, pale, and very -long, bore traces of the ravages of small-pox; his thin, gray hair was -tied at the back of his head with a piece of tape. An old woollen -coverlet, in which he had majestically draped himself, served him as a -dressing-gown. His countenance wore an expression of pedantic surliness -and of self-satisfaction in strange combination.</p> - -<p>The aspect of the room which he occupied was forlorn, but everything in -it was scrupulously clean. At the end of the alcove was a little bed, -composed of a single mattress; a commode, a table, and four walnut -chairs, carefully waxed, completed the furniture. The open door of a -small adjoining room showed a bed of neatly-woven thongs. Although the -weather was extremely cold, there was no trace of fire in the fireplace -of this wintry chamber. At the foot of the painted wooden couch were two -little pastel portraits, in rich gilt frames. One represented a man of -middle age, wearing a wig of the Louis XIV. style, and having the cross -of the Order of St. Louis attached to one of the clasps of his -breastplate. The other was that of a lady of rare beauty, dressed as -Diana the huntress.</p> - -<p>There was recognizable in this room an air of proud poverty, which would -have softened any female heart but that of Madelaine Landry.</p> - -<p>"Does not <i>one</i> M. Létorière live here?" she inquired brusquely of -the tall old man, clad with a woollen coverlet as with a Roman toga.</p> - -<p>These words, "one M. Létorière," seemed to affect the ex-professor of -Plessis College disagreeably. He answered with caustic dignity: "I only -know that the great and powerful Lord Lancelot-Marie-Joseph de Vighan, -Seigneur of Marsailles and Marquis of Létorière, lodges in this -apartment, my good woman."</p> - -<p>"'Good woman!' Don't 'good woman' me!" cried Madelaine, angrily, "I'll -let you know, I will, if I'm a 'good woman!' Where is your master, your -beautiful Marquis of Sharpers? your high and powerful seigneur of -Roguery?"</p> - -<p>Jean François Dominique drew himself up erect in his toga, extended his -long arm, naked and scrawny, from the side of the door, and said in an -imperial voice: "Clear out this instant! The Marquis, my noble pupil, -has not come in . . . I do not know when he will return . . . but at any -rate I presume it will give him no pleasure to see you, my dear . . . -for if anger disfigures the most charming countenances, as says the -sage, <i>à fortiori</i>, it makes truly hideous those whom nature has -treated like a cruel step-mother! This applies particularly to you. Do -me the favor to" . . . and Dominique pointed again to the door with a -very significant gesture.</p> - -<p>Enraged by this insult, the tailor's wife threw her umbrella on the -ground, seated herself hastily on a chair, crying: "'Tis well for you, -you villanious old owl . . . to speak of the homeliness of others! This -fine boy is your pupil, is he? Good gracious, I can readily believe it, -for you look like a master in iniquity. You miserable old wretch! As for -me, I shall not budge . . . not till I am paid . . . do you hear? -<i>paid</i>; or by St. Madelaine, my patron saint, if I go, it will only be -to search for a constable . . ."</p> - -<p>"Aha! Paid, and for what, if you please?" demanded Dominique.</p> - -<p>"I wish to be paid for the coat which your vagabond has on his -back . . . I am the wife of Master Landry, the tailor at The Golden -Scissors; and if my husband has been fool enough to give you credit until -now, I will not be fool enough to imitate him . . . I will have my -money . . . I will not go from here without my money . . ."</p> - -<p>"How!" cried Dominique, folding his arms with the most disdainful air -imaginable; "is it for such a miserable trifle that you come to crack my -ears with your frightful chatter,—for this that you come to -torment the Marquis? Do you forget that once all the cities of Greece -were disputing the honor of offering their services to Alcibiades, that -the Ephesians pitched his tents? that the men of Chios fed his horses? -that the Lesbians supplied his tables? and all <i>gratis</i>, do you -understand, <i>gratis</i>; all, only that they might have the honor of -offering something to Alcibiades? And you, you miserable workwoman, for -three hundred insignificant livres, not the tenth part of a talent! for -a paltry sum owed you by the Marquis, my pupil, who is, or who will be, -a very different person from Alcibiades, you come screeching here like -an osprey! But, you old fool, you may, on the contrary, bless the day -when my pupil deigned to cast his eye on your ignoble workshop! -Remember, also, that the shoe-maker of Athens, who had the good luck to -work for Alcibiades, made more money in a year than you will gain in -your whole miserable life. Do you hear that?"</p> - -<p>Madelaine Landry, seeing the rage of this big man wrapped in a coverlet, -thought herself in the presence of a lunatic.</p> - -<p>"But at any rate you have brought the coat that the Marquis did your -husband the honor to order," resumed Dominique. "Take good care that he -redoubles his diligence and dexterity to perfect this garment, for on it -depends all his future business prosperity; and if it suits my pupil, -your husband's fortune is made . . . Come, let's see the coat!" And -Dominique advanced gravely towards Madelaine.</p> - -<p>She rose hastily from her chair, resolved to jump at the eyes of the -maniac, as she thought him.</p> - -<p>"Don't come near me, or I will hit you over the head with my umbrella!" -she cried.</p> - -<p>"You are a fool, my dear woman . . . Who thinks of hurting you? So you -have not brought the coat?" he continued, in a milder tone.</p> - -<p>"What! have I brought the coat?—impudence!" said Madelaine, a -little gaining courage,—"certainly not; I have not brought it; and -it is no fault of mine that your pupil has on his back the one that my -fool of a husband sold him, and for which I come to be paid; for, I -repeat it, I am not going away until I am paid . . . If I am not paid, -there is yet, God be thanked, such a place as the lock-up to put rogues -into . . . When one hasn't the wherewith to pay for fine clothes, -Marquis though he may be, he ought to wear coarse clothes, and not steal -the time and goods of poor working-people."</p> - -<p>At this moment light steps were heard ascending the stairs.</p> - -<p>"That is the Marquis!" said Dominique.</p> - -<p>"Ah! now we shall have good sport," cried Dame Madelaine.</p> - -<p>"My dear woman," said Dominique—this time in a supplicating -voice—"spare him; on my word, you shall be paid."</p> - -<p>"Pshaw! Now we shall see him—this smuggling Marquis."</p> - -<p>The door was gently opened, and the Marquis appeared.</p> - -<p>"I have not courage enough to witness this scene," said the trembling -Dominique, and he shut himself up in his dark chamber.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></h4> - -<h4>THE DEBTOR</h4> - - -<p>At sight of the Marquis, Madelaine drew herself up like a fighting-cock, -and cast her eyes, flashing with anger, on the young man.</p> - -<p>The Marquis of Létorière was then about twenty years of age. The -portraits we have of him, and the unanimous witness of his -contemporaries, agree in representing him as the type of the most -seductive ideality.</p> - -<p>At this age, his proportions of exquisite elegance resembled rather the -Grecian god of love than Antinous.</p> - -<p>All the treasures of antique statuary did not offer, it is said, -anything comparable to the harmonious beauty of his form. Under this -charming envelope nature had hidden muscles of steel, the courage of a -lion, a brilliant wit, a lofty soul, and a generous heart.</p> - -<p>His enchanting countenance was not of a severe and masculine beauty; but -one could imagine nothing more pleasing,—and the pleasing was then -wonderfully to the purpose. Great size and herculean strength were then -out of place, since coats of mail were no longer worn. A dignified and -grave air would have been out of date, when the imposing leonine wigs of -the age of Louis XIV. were no longer in fashion.</p> - -<p>If Létorière wore with such a charming effect rose-powder, laces, -ribbons, silk, and precious stones, it was because all his features, all -his manners, were endowed with a grace almost feminine, admirably in -accordance with the almost effeminate elegance of the costume and -ornaments of gentlemen of that period. If he possessed the art of -pleasing and seducing in the highest degree, it was because his -ravishing countenance could express, by turns, finesse, mockery, -haughtiness, audacity, tenderness and melancholy.</p> - -<p>According to the witnesses of his time, his expression and the tone of -his voice had an especial charm, and an irresistible power, which the -partisans of a new science would undoubtedly attribute to magnetic -attraction.</p> - -<p>But at the epoch of which we speak, he was only a poor young man, and, -<i>magnetic</i> or not, his attraction was put to a severe test by the -tailor's wife.</p> - -<p>Madelaine Landry felt her choler rising at sight of her debtor.</p> - -<p>Létorière was soaked by the rain; his hands were blue with cold, and -his forehead almost hidden by the wet curls of his beautiful chestnut -hair, which he then wore without powder.</p> - -<p>When he saw Madelaine, he could not repress a look of astonishment and -chagrin; yet he saluted her politely, and, bending on her his great -black eyes, at once so sad and soft, he said, in his brilliant and -harmonious voice:</p> - -<p>"What do you wish of me, Madame?"</p> - -<p>"I wish you to pay me for the coat on your back, for it -belongs to me—to me and my husband, Landry, tailor <i>to the -Marquis</i>"—replied Madelaine, with a sharp voice, insolently -staring at her debtor.</p> - -<p>A blush of shame colored the young man's cheeks, and a movement of -bitter impatience contracted his eyebrows; but he repressed his emotion, -and replied mildly:</p> - -<p>"Unhappily I cannot pay you yet, madame."</p> - -<p>"You cannot pay me! that is easy enough said: but I do not take such -money;—when one has nothing to pay for his coats, he should not have -them made. . . . I will not go from here until I have my money;" . . . -and Madelaine Landry rudely seated herself, while Létorière remained -standing.</p> - -<p>"Listen to me, madame. . . . In one month from now I have the certainty -of being able to pay you; I give you my word as a gentleman. . . . Only -have the goodness to grant me a little delay, . . . I pray you." . . .</p> - -<p>These words, <i>I pray you</i>, were pronounced with an inflexion of -voice so noble and touching, that Madelaine, already struck by ill-fortune -so courageously borne, feared she should give way to pity. She meant to -burn her ships, and answered the prayer of her debtor with a gross -insult:</p> - -<p>"A fine guarantee, your word of a gentleman! What should I do with -that?"</p> - -<p>"Madame!" cried the Marquis; then restraining himself, he spoke in a -sad, yet proud tone: "Madame, it is cruel in you to speak to me -thus . . . you are a woman . . . I owe you money . . . I am in my own -house . . . what can I answer you? Then do not seek to render more painful -my position, which is such as I hope you may never experience."</p> - -<p>"But you will have no more money at the end of a month than now," said -Madelaine, harshly. "It is a fib you are telling me."</p> - -<p>"If within a month my uncle, the Abbé of Vighan, to whom I intend to -apply, does not return from Hanover, I will enlist as a soldier, and my -bounty-money shall be faithfully remitted to you. . . . You see, madame, -that I can give you my word as a gentleman that you shall be paid."</p> - -<p>The Marquis spoke of this desperate resolution with so much dignity, and -with an accent so sincere, that Madelaine, moved, repented of having -gone so far, and replied:</p> - -<p>"I do not wish to force you to enlist; but I must be paid. This has -lasted long enough; sell something, . . . then." . . .</p> - -<p>"Sell something here, madame?" and with a sorrowful look he pointed to -his poor chamber, cold and bare.</p> - -<p>At this gesture, so cruelly significant, Madelaine cast down her eyes: -her heart hardened; then she added, stammering, and pointing to the two -gilt frames:</p> - -<p>"But those two pictures?" . . .</p> - -<p>"Those pictures?" said the Marquis, gravely and tenderly, "that is all -that remains to me of my father,—of my mother. . . . Madame, those -are their portraits, and for the first time they see their son blush for -his poverty." . . .</p> - -<p>At these last words, Madelaine compared the interior of her own house, -where there was at least comfort, with this cold room, a miserable -shelter for a gentleman (for they stall believed in gentlemen at that -time); she felt her wrath soften almost to pity, especially when she saw -the young Marquis trembling with cold in his wet clothes.</p> - -<p>In these violent natures, opposite emotions are near neighbors. Dame -Landry, since she left the shop, had been kept in a state of almost -frantic irritation; this paroxysm could not last; like all exaggerated -feelings, her anger fell flat, so to speak, on the first reflection -suggested by her naturally good heart.</p> - -<p>The marquis was so handsome, he had met her abuse with a dignity so sad -and calm, he appeared to suffer so much with the cold—he who had -undoubtedly been reared in the lap of luxury—that the good woman, -feeling also the irresistible attraction which this singular personage -always exercised, passed almost instantaneously from insult to respect, -from harshness to commiseration; she hastily readjusted her head-dress, -muttered some unintelligible words, and disappeared, to the great -astonishment of the Marquis.</p> - -<p>The ex-professor, who had no doubt been waiting the result of this -conversation to come out of his den, partly pushed open the door of the -little room, and said:</p> - -<p>"So this miserable harpy has gone? Pardon me—but I basely fled -before the enemy" . . .</p> - -<p>"You were there, my good Dominique? . . . Well, you have heard . . . -Good Heavens!—what humiliation! To seem to this woman a man of bad -faith! Ah, this is horrible . . . Dominique, I am resolved . . . if my -uncle does not come, I will enlist . . . I will pay this cursed debt -with the price of my enlistment . . . at least I shall no longer have to -blush . . ."</p> - -<p>"You enlist, and renounce all your hopes!"</p> - -<p>"They are all folly! I went again to-day to the palace . . . there is no -longer any hope. It would be necessary, in order to carry on the lawsuit -against the German princes, or the Superintendent of Xaintonge, to -deposit with the solicitor more money than I shall ever have. I renounce -it;—but hold, Dominique! I do not feel well, I am cold"—and the -Marquis sank trembling on the side of his bed.</p> - -<p>"Poor child! I can well believe it"—said the professor, -with a mournful sigh—"to be out in this cold rain,—to come in -without finding a spark of fire . . . to be received by the insults of -that hag, whom I wish I could put into the fireplace in the shape of -faggots, for, alas! as for wood . . . God knows if I" . . .</p> - -<p>"Enough, my good Dominique," said Létorière, putting his hand over his -friend's month . . . "Have you not already done too much for me? Have -you not abandoned your class, your situation?"</p> - -<p>"And Socrates? did not that sage, that great philosopher, abandon -everything . . . to follow Alcibiades!!! Only as it is not so cold in -Athens as in Paris . . . Socrates had not the pain of seeing his pupil -shivering with cold. But, listen to me! You had better lie down . . . -take off your wet clothes,—you will be warmer in bed."</p> - -<p>"You are right, Dominique; I do not know,—but I think I am -feverish". . .</p> - -<p>"No! not so bad as that! to see you fall sick!" Then, turning with an -angry air, Dominique cried, shaking his first at the door by which -Madelaine had gone out:</p> - -<p>"'Tis you, you cursed hag, who have brought this new misfortune upon my -unhappy pupil, with your indiscreet clamorings! I'm sorry now that I did -not put you out neck and heels . . ."</p> - -<p>In the midst of this apostrophe the door opened, and Dominique saw, with -astonishment, a porter bringing in two enormous faggots, and some -packages of kindlings. . . .</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken; this wood is not for us, my lad," said Dominique, -with a sigh.</p> - -<p>"Isn't it here that the Marquis of Létorière lives, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Well, the wood is to come here. . . . The great woman in a brown cloak -said that she was coming with a brazier, and something to make a nice -little lunch for the Marquis."</p> - -<p>"The great woman in a brown cloak?" demanded Dominique.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, and she has paid for the wood."</p> - -<p>"The wood is paid for. Do you hear that, my worthy pupil? Now you shall -have some fire," . . . cried Dominique, joyfully turning towards -Létorière, who, seized with a sudden attack of fever, had gone to bed.</p> - -<p>Happily Dame Landry soon came, and confusedly explained the enigma. That -worthy woman had in one hand a kettle of boiling water, and in the other -some lighted charcoal on a shovel.</p> - -<p>When the porter had gone, Dame Landry, seeing the paleness of the -Marquis, cried out:</p> - -<p>"Poor young gentleman! he has a fever, that's certain . . . the cold has -taken hold of him, and I . . . who was not ashamed to stop and gossip -while he was shivering. . . . But come, come . . . don't stand there -looking at me like a wax figure, my dear sir. Lay the wood properly in -the fireplace; light it, while I prepare something he can eat. Have you -a clean cup?" Then approaching the bed, and feeling of the thin cover, -. . . "Gracious goodness! . . . he is not warm enough! . . . go and get -two or three warm blankets . . . and his head . . . that is too -low . . . he needs a pillow . . . go and get one. And some curtains! How -is it that this alcove has no curtains? Nor the windows either? You see -that daylight is not good for the eyes of the young Marquis. . . . Go and -get them,—I can't do everything myself!"</p> - -<p>The honest professor, to whom these conflicting and hurried orders were -given, stood astonished before Madelaine, endeavoring to understand the -cause of this wonderful change. Suddenly he cried, speaking to himself:</p> - -<p>"It is his <i>charm!</i> There is no doubt of it! it is the natural -charm with which he is endowed that has begun to work; . . . it has seduced -the tailor's wife as Alcibiades seduced Timea, the wife of Agis, King of -Lacedemonia . . . and all that . . . without offending virtue, which is -yet more beautiful and meritorious! My dear woman, I must acknowledge to -you that we have neither pillow, nor curtains, nor blankets." . . .</p> - -<p>"What a pity!" said Madelaine, in a low voice, and much moved. Then -seeing the professor still draped in his toga, she cried: "Well, then, -until the bed can be better furnished, give me this coverlet, instead of -keeping it round you like a regular carnival dress; at your age, are you -not ashamed of such a thing?" and the housewife pulled resolutely at one -of the corners of the Dominique's toga. But he, stoutly clutching his -garment, exclaimed:</p> - -<p>"My good woman! listen to me . . . let me alone . . . don't pull so hard -. . . it is a question of decency . . . I suppose I must confide in you -. . . you are of a respectable age, and moreover the wife of a tailor;" -. . . and Dominique added in a low voice: "My breeches, as our fathers -called them, being absolutely unfit for service . . . and having no -dressing-gown, I am obliged to substitute this kind of Roman mantle for -a more suitable garment."</p> - -<p>"Is it possible?" said Madelaine, letting go the corners of the -coverlet. . . . "If this is true, I will send Landry to you this -evening." Then she added, in a low voice, stirring the fire into a -bright blaze, which threw its cheerful light through the miserable -chamber . . . "Is the Marquis asleep? if not, will he drink this?" and -she handed him a cup of warm drink.</p> - -<p>Dominique approached the bed on tip-toe.</p> - -<p>"How do you feel?" said he.</p> - -<p>"I am cold . . . my head aches," replied the Marquis, in a feeble voice. -"But what is this? How happens it that we have a fire?"</p> - -<p>"We have a fire because you are <i>charming</i> . . . this good and -worthy woman has made it; and here is a nice warm drink, very warm, that -you must take; she has also prepared that for you. Come, take courage! Your -good star is rising in the very respectable countenance of Dame -Landry" . . .</p> - -<p>The Marquis, suffering with a horrible headache, hardly comprehended a -word of what Dominique said, or of what rising star he spoke; -nevertheless, he took the cup, drank, and fell into a profound slumber. -Then the worthy woman approached the bed, holding her breath; she -smoothed the clothes with truly maternal care, and returned to -Dominique.</p> - -<p>"You must be generous, and pardon me, sir," said she; "just now I was -very rude to the Marquis; but, you see, it was my husband who turned my -head; I must say also that I had never seen the young gentleman,—so -young! so pretty, and an orphan, too . . . and then for a gentleman like -him not to have a fire in midwinter, when work-people like us always -have a good warm stove! Come now, my worthy sir, I shall always reproach -myself for having dared to speak impudently to the Marquis; but be -assured, at least, that as long as Madelaine Landry lives, she will -always be his humble servant. . . . Now, sir"—and the good woman cast -down her eyes while drawing a little bag from her pocket—"on my way -here I changed a bill of three hundred francs; here is the young Marquis -confined to his bed, and perhaps he will need something,—a doctor. I -should never have dared to offer it to him, but with you I am more bold -. . . Come, now, sir, take it, and we will put it on the bill, and -forget the vile words I said to you." . . .</p> - -<p>"As to that, we are perfectly equal, my dear woman, for if you called me -an owl, I called you an osprey; so we won't speak of it any more. . . . -As to this loan, I ought perhaps to tell you that the return of the -Abbé de Vighan, my pupil's uncle, may be postponed, and that it may -perhaps be a long time before we can restore what you so generously -offer—and after the scene of this morning, I fear perhaps . . ."</p> - -<p>"Don't speak of that, sir, or I shall die of shame, upon my word. The -Marquis can return it whenever he will; God be thanked! we are not -dependant on sixty dollars for our living."</p> - -<p>"I will take this debt on myself, my worthy woman; besides, my next -half-year's income from the salt tax will pay you the amount."</p> - -<p>"Ah! well and good! It seems to me that I am more than half pardoned for -my insolence. And now, sir, I will go home and get what the Marquis -needs; and I will come back every day, if you will allow me, and -establish myself as his nurse; for men know nothing about taking care of -the sick,—without offence to you, sir."</p> - -<p>And Madelaine left Dominique near his pupil's bed, in possession of a -good fire, an enjoyment the old man had not known for a long time.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></h4> - -<h4>MYSTERIES</h4> - - -<p>The illness of M. de Létorière drew towards its close; he was nearly -convalescent, thanks to the assiduous care of Madelaine, her husband, -and Martin Kraft, the apprentice. Each had vied with the good Dominique -in devotion to him. The Marquis had shown himself so affectionately -grateful for all these touching proofs of interest, had appeared so to -justify and merit them by his delicacy and the goodness of his heart, -that the tailor and his wife became more and more attached to their -"dear young gentleman," as they called him.</p> - -<p>Spring approached; one day Dominique, who had gone out to endeavor to -persuade an attorney to follow up one of the lawsuits of Létorière, -came back with a face at once radiant and astonished; the apprentice -Kraft followed him, bringing carefully an immense basket filled with the -rarest fruits and flowers. On a little paper attached by a pin to a -magnificent pine-apple, were written these words: "<i>To Monsieur the -Marquis of Létorière.</i>"</p> - -<p>After having admired this charming gift, with almost childish curiosity, -and vainly seeking to learn from whom it came, for an unknown man had -left the basket with the porter, the Marquis replaced the address with -the following:—"<i>To my good friends Landry and his wife</i>," and -told Kraft to carry as his gift the fruit and flowers to Master Landry.</p> - -<p>"Tell them I do not know whence this gift comes, but it is the first and -only thing I have to offer them, and I send it to them as a proof of my -eternal gratitude."</p> - -<p>Some days after, he had another surprise. In a beautiful little -writing-desk left at the porter's by one of the boys of Bordier, the -celebrated worker in ebony, the Marquis found this note:</p> - -<blockquote> -<p>"Your heart tells you truly that some one is interested in you. That is -well. Send these two letters as addressed."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>In one compartment of the desk Létorière found two sealed letters. One -was addressed:</p> - -<p><i>To Monsieur Landry, tailor, at The Golden Scissors.</i></p> - -<p>The other: <i>To Mons. Buston, attorney to the Castle.</i></p> - -<p>This gentleman, the lawyer engaged in the Marquis's lawsuit, had hardly -been willing to take any steps for fear of not being paid for his -services.</p> - -<p>Létorière and Dominique looked at each other in amazement.</p> - -<p>"What did I tell you?" cried the ex-professor; "will you believe me now? -will you defy your destiny? I have always told you that you would have -nothing to envy in the son of Clinias!"</p> - -<p>Surprised at this incident, whose consequences he could not foresee, the -Marquis begged Dominique to deliver the attorney's letter, and sent -Master Landry's by the porter. An hour after, the tailor, Madelaine, and -the apprentice were at the feet of the young gentleman.</p> - -<p>"Thanks to you, Monsieur the Marquis, I have the patronage of -Monseigneur the Duke of Bourbon!" cried Landry. "It is a clear and net -profit of six thousand livres a year! Behold me, in future, a rich man!"</p> - -<p>"Thanks to you, Monsieur the Marquis, our neighbor Mathurin, who got -from us all our custom, will burst with envy," said Madelaine.</p> - -<p>"Thanks to you, Monsieur the Marquis, Dame Madelaine, angry at seeing -our customers leave us, will give me no more cuff's!" said Martin Kraft.</p> - -<p>"My friends," replied Létorière, "I am extremely pleased at what has -happened to you; but I declare to you, that unfortunately I have had -nothing to do with it."</p> - -<p>"Ah, Monsieur the Marquis, why will you say that?" said Madelaine, -reproachfully; and drawing from her pocket the precious missive, she -read: 'Master Landry is informed that at the express recommendation of -the Marquis of Létorière, Monseigneur the Duke of Bourbon deigns to -appoint him his personal tailor, as well as that of his household'; you -see that, Monsieur the Marquis?" said Madelaine; and, gazing at -Létorière with eyes filled with tears of joy, she added: "This custom -makes our fortunes forever . . . Ah, well! on the faith of an honest -woman, the basket of flowers and the note that the Marquis sent us -yesterday, gave us perhaps more pleasure!"</p> - -<p>"And you are right, my friends," said Létorière; "for yesterday it was -truly I who sent you the present, not knowing whence it came. But to-day -I did not know what the letter contained; it is a mystery that I cannot -solve."</p> - -<p>At this moment Dominique entered his countenance completely changed; he -had come up the five flights of stairs with so much haste that he could -hardly speak; the only words he could utter in a broken voice were: -"rich . . . rich . . . the attorney . . . the lawsuit . . . I was -right!" . . . And he threw himself on the neck of his pupil with -theatrical fervor.</p> - -<p>"Be calm, my good Dominique," said the Marquis. "Tell me something of -this happy news which so transports you . . ."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, by heaven! this is good news!" said the ex-professor, still -breathless. "Imagine me going to this Buston's . . . this bird of -prey . . . your solicitor. . . . When the clerks see me enter his office, -they begin the umbecoming pleasantries with which they have always greeted -me . . . I despise them, after the manner of Socrates, and ask to see Mr. -Buston. . . . As usual, these impudent young blackguards answer me in -chorus in all tones of voice . . . 'he is not here! he is not here!' In -the midst of this infernal racket, I approach the first clerk and show -him my letter. . . . Ah! if you could have seen his countenance!" cried -Dominique, bursting with laughter and slapping his thighs.</p> - -<p>"Well! well! finish, then," said the Marquis.</p> - -<p>"Well! the first clerk had already opened his mouth to utter some piece -of insolence; but as soon as he recognized the writing on the letter, he -became serious as a thrashed donkey, imposed silence on his comrades, -and rose, saying to me respectfully: 'I will have the honor of -conducting Mr. Dominique to my master.' I entered the presence of the -solicitor, until then invisible or insolent. Quite another reception! -The vulture had become a young turtle-dove, and cooed at me these words, -after he had read the letter: 'I have never for an instant doubted the -successful issue of the Marquis's lawsuit against the Intendant of -Xaintonge, touching the forests of Brion. . . . This letter removes the -only difficulties which prevented the prosecution of the case, which I -will immediately attend to, while waiting for the documents of the great -lawsuit against the German princes. I have also so much faith in the -validity of the cause of Monsieur the Marquis, that I am willing, sir, -to open an account with him to the amount of twenty thousand livres -. . . this sum not being the fifth part of that which he will obtain for -his claims on the Intendancy of Xaintonge."</p> - -<p>"But it is a dream! a dream!" said the Marquis, putting his hand to his -forehead.</p> - -<p>"Truly, it seems to me such," replied Dominique, "and in order to assure -myself of its reality, I accepted the offer of Mr. Buston, having your -power of attorney."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Létorière, "go on" . . .</p> - -<p>"Yes, well," said Dominique, handing a portfolio to the -Marquis,—"on my simple receipt, he has advanced twenty thousand -livres, which behold, in bonds at sight, on the public funds." . . .</p> - -<p>It would be impossible to paint the astonishment and joy of the actors -in this scene.</p> - -<p>After thanks and benedictions without number, the tailor, his wife, and -apprentice, retired.</p> - -<p>The Marquis remaining alone with Dominique, exhausted himself with vain -conjectures as to the source of this mysterious favor. Bordier, the -worker in ebony, could give no information as to the purchaser of the -desk. The solicitor, maintained the most obstinate silence as to the -contents and author of the letter which had made so great a change in -his view of the Marquis's lawsuit. Later, the private secretary of the -Duke of Bourbon answered, that his Highness had himself ordered the -appointment of Master Landry to be tailor of his household.</p> - -<p>When the health of the Marquis was fully reestablished, he went to -occupy, with Dominique, a small apartment in the Faubourg St. Germain. -The brave Jerome Sicard, the coachman who was willing to carry Létorière -<i>gratis</i>, because he resembled <i>a good angel</i>, was installed -there, to his great joy, as valet-de-chambre. This was the only -recompense which he solicited, when the Marquis asked him in what manner -he should acknowledge his services. It is unnecessary to say that -Sicard, Master Landry, and his wife, were also generously and delicately -recompensed for their kindness.</p> - -<p>Very strangely, none of the noble actions of the Marquis remained -unknown to his mysterious protector. A little note arrived by post, -containing these words . . .—"It is well . . . continue . . . you are -always watched." . . .</p> - -<p>At other times he received suggestions full of wisdom: he was -recommended to enjoy the pleasures of the world and of his age, but -always to preserve the integrity and loyalty of his character; for <i>on -that his future depended.</i></p> - -<p>At still other times, Létorière was advised to accomplish himself in -all the exercises of a gentleman. He heeded this counsel, and soon -excelled in fencing, riding, and all the games which require agility and -dexterity.</p> - -<p>Sometimes these letters, which revealed a growing and enduring -affection, reached the Marquis by charming and unexpected means; at one -time in a beautiful Sèvres vase, filled with flowers, which an unknown -person left with the porter; at another, a perfume-bag, wonderfully -embroidered with his arms and cypher, would be found in his pocket on -his return from a game of tennis.</p> - -<p>This singular correspondence had lasted nearly a year, when Létorière -gained his lawsuit against the Intendancy of Xaintonge.</p> - -<p>The day after judgment was given, a groom, in the livery of the Marquis, -brought him two magnificent English horses, which were just then coming -into fashion. Their harness and equipments were marvels of richness and -elegance. A letter, in these words, accompanied the gift:</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>"Your lawsuit is gained; you can now live as is becoming a gentleman of -your rank. You will go to Chévin, the genealogist; he will arrange your -titles to nobility; you will deposit them in the archives, in order to -be presented to the king, and to have the <i>entrée</i> to the court. You -will undoubtedly have the honor of hunting with his majesty. These -horses will serve you. Your conduct is satisfactory."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>To all Létorière's questions, the groom's only answer was that an -unknown person had bought the horses of Gabart, a famous dealer of that -day, adding that he would, in a short time, bring the equipments. As to -the unknown man, he was clothed in black, rather stout, and about fifty -years old.</p> - - -<p>Some time after this new surprise, the Marquis received the -following note:</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>"Go this evening to the opera ball; wait near the King's Corner between -twelve and one o'clock; wear a black domino, and attach to it a blue and -white ribbon."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>Létorière had never been to an opera ball in his life. Though not -leading the life of a recluse, he had hitherto employed his time in his -academical studies, in walking with Dominique, in long readings of Greek -and Latin poets, and frequent attendance at the Comédie Française.</p> - -<p>Although Dominique had no deep insight into the human heart, he was -sometimes uneasy at seeing his pupil so calm at an age when the passions -often assert themselves so energetically. At one time the worthy man had -thought that the mysterious protector of his pupil was a woman; but he -had never mentioned his suspicions to Létorière.</p> - -<p>When the latter informed Dominique that he was going to the opera ball, -the ex-professor conceived the happy idea of accompanying his pupil. -Létorière was pleased with the plan, and they set off together.</p> - -<p>Once launched into the vortex, the two friends, embarrassed like -provincials, had great trouble in finding the King's Corner, and were at -first victims of the raillery of the spectators; the Marquis's figure -was so slender, his manner so elegant, his foot so pretty, and his hands -so charming, that he was easily taken for a woman; while Dominique, -tall, bony, awkward and clumsy, passed for the husband.</p> - -<p>Létorière reddened with anger under his mask, and needed all the -authority and persuasion of Dominique to prevent him from bursting out.</p> - -<p>Presently two dominoes approached them.</p> - -<p>The tallest figure took Dominique's arm, while the smaller, approaching -Létorière, whispered these words in his ear: <i>Continue . . . we -are . . . persevere . . . and hope.</i> . . .</p> - -<p>The Marquis felt a little box slipped into his hand, and before he could -say one word, or make a motion, the domino was lost in the crowd.</p> - -<p>Létorière was enchanted. The voice which had whispered in his ear the -same words that his unknown protector had so often written, was the -voice of a woman, and of infinite sweetness; he thought he saw, shining -through the silken mask, two great blue eyes.</p> - -<p>Intoxicated with joy, feeling a thousand new emotions rising in his -breast, he utterly forgot Dominique, and had the insane idea of finding -again his domino, believing he should recognize among a thousand the -great blue eyes which were fixed upon his with such a singularly tender -expression. Towards five o'clock in the morning he realized the futility -of his search, and returned home, impatient to know what the box -contained.</p> - -<p>He found within, one of those large seal rings then so fashionable: it -was surrounded by diamonds, and on the enamelled centre was painted with -admirable delicacy in the midst of a cloud, a charming blue eye, whose -expression was such, that Létorière recognized at once the sweet and -tender look of his domino. On the setting were these words, in -microscopic characters: <i>It follows you everywhere.</i></p> - -<p>The letter contained these words: "You are twenty years old, young, -handsome, noble, brilliant, and charming; you have enough money to be -extravagant. Your future is in your own hands . . . we shall see if the -counsels we have given you for a year will continue to bear fruit . . . -we shall write to you no more . . . you have free liberty . . . <i>but you -be followed everywhere.</i> In four years from this time, whether or not -your conduct equals our expectations, you will receive a letter . . . -Henceforth, then, hope and persevere . . ."</p> - -<p>During a month the Marquis was almost devoured by curiosity. He walked -the streets like a crazy person, looking anxiously at all the blue eyes -he met, and comparing them with his ring; many beautiful blue eyes -timidly fell before his ardent and restless gaze; others responded -languidly, others angrily, but he discovered nothing.</p> - -<p>He remembered that he had been requested to deposit his titles in the -archives, in order that he might be received at court; he fulfilled the -necessary formalities, and waited the return of one of his distant -relatives, the Count of Appreville, to have the honor of being presented -to King Louis XV.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></h4> - -<h4>THE CAVALIER</h4> - - -<p>One day, the Marquis was sauntering by the banks of the grand canal, at -Versailles, in melancholy meditation, and thinking, sadly, that he had -been abandoned by his mysterious protectress. He had come from the -riding-school, and his riding costume set off wonderfully the elegance -of his figure. It consisted of a green coat trimmed with rich gold lace, -scarlet breeches, a vest of the same color, and high boots of shining -black morocco, the tops of which hung loosely upon knee-pieces of fine -cambric. At a little distance from him, Létorière saw a middle-aged -horseman, who was vainly striving to make his beast pass a marble -pedestal.</p> - -<p>Two persons witnessed this contest; one, a man of fifty to sixty years, -dressed in a coat of pearl-gray taffeta and silk small-clothes of the -same color, had a countenance at once handsome, noble, and benevolent. -He leaned on the arm of an older man, quite small, slightly stooping, -superbly dressed in the old fashion of the Regency, and whose pale face -was furrowed with deep wrinkles.</p> - -<p>The more simply dressed of the two said to the other, pointing to -Létorière:</p> - -<p>"What a charming face! what a pretty figure! I never saw anything more -enchanting. . . . Did you, marshal?"</p> - -<p>"Hum . . . hum . . ." said the latter, with a dry cough; "that litt' -gent'l'm'n? he's well 'nough . . . but he's as awkward as a sprinkler of -holy water,"—answered the Duke de Richelieu, who had preserved the -old vulgar manner of clipping his words, so much in vogue among the -<i>roués</i> of the Regency. . .</p> - -<p>"He? with his pretty face? he would make a nice sprinkler of holy water -to saints of your stamp!" said the other, smiling maliciously.</p> - -<p>The horse was still obstinate; the rider, weary of gentle measures, used -in turn the whip and spur, but with no results save kicks and fearful -plunges.</p> - -<p>Gradually, M. de Richelieu and his companion approached the Marquis. -Seeing two gentlemen of venerable appearance coming towards him, -Létorière respectfully saluted them.</p> - -<p>"Well! young man . . . which has the right in this discussion, the man -or the horse?" said the friend of M. de Richelieu.</p> - -<p>"Faith! I hardly know, sir! the rider reasons with blows of his whip, -and the beast replies by kicks. Such a conversation can be carried on -for some time."</p> - -<p>This answer, spoken without too much assurance, but with all the -confident gayety of youth, made the questioner smile.</p> - -<p>"You speak of it very nonchalantly, my young master . . . I should like -very well to see you in the place of that horseman . . . you probably do -not know that this is a mare of Ukraine. She came from Germany, and is a -veritable demon . . . one that La Guérinière himself has not been able -to master."</p> - -<p>"If I were in that horseman's place, sir, I might perhaps be not more -able, but more lucky," resolutely replied the Marquis.</p> - -<p>"Truly! Well, will you try? Will you mount Barbara?"</p> - -<p>"The mare is so beautiful . . . so proud . . . notwithstanding her -viciousness . . . that I accept with all my heart, sir; and besides, the -grass is so green that one need not desire a better carpet to fall -upon," answered Létorière joyously.</p> - -<p>"I have a horrible fear that he will break his neck," said the companion -of M. de Richelieu in a whisper.</p> - -<p>"With such a pretty face, so frolicsome and so captivating, one need -fear neither horses, nor men, nor women, and if he should fall . . . one -never falls alone . . . I have faith in him . . . he has a very enticing -air." . . .</p> - -<p>"Hullo! St. Clair," said the other, addressing the groom, "don't -stubbornly persevere any longer; get down from the horse. . . . This -young gentleman desires a lesson, and you can give it to him," he added, -laughing.</p> - -<p>St. Clair obeyed the order, and got off the horse.</p> - -<p>Létorière, a little displeased at the last words of the unknown, -replied to him with respectful firmness:</p> - -<p>"I will always receive with pleasure or with resignation any lesson -which I ask for, or which I deserve, sir; but here I do not find myself -in either one of these cases."</p> - -<p>The unknown and M. de Richelieu looked at each other, suppressing a -great desire to laugh.</p> - -<p>"You must take care," said the Marshal softly, "he looks like a famous -fighter!"</p> - -<p>"You'll see that he will challenge me—and before you, the -senior of the Marshals of France, the President of the tribunal of -honor"—said the other;—and he added, regarding the Marquis -with a very serious air:</p> - -<p>"You take it with a high hand, my young master!"</p> - -<p>"God bless me! I take it as I must, sir," cried Létorière, resolutely -setting his hand on his hip.</p> - -<p>At this bravado, M. de Richelieu and the unknown burst out laughing, and -the Marquis began to feel very much irritated, when St. Clair, who had -not dismounted from the horse without difficulty, approached, hat in -hand, and said to the gentleman clothed in gray:</p> - -<p>"Sire, nothing can be done with that mare."</p> - -<p>"The King!" cried the Marquis in confusion, and he knelt and bowed his -head with a repentant air.</p> - -<p>"By St. Louis, my young friend," said Louis XV., smiling, "I have seen -the time when you would remind us that all gentlemen are our peers, and -that in the old times a chevalier could cross lances with a king."</p> - -<p>"Ah, Sire! pardon . . . pardon." . . .</p> - -<p>"Come! rise, rise, my gentle knight," . . . and by a movement full of -that majestic grace that this most amiable and most graceful of kings -exhibited, in even the most trifling acts, he touched slightly, with the -tip of his finger, Létorière's cheek, who, still on his knee, kissed -this beautiful royal hand with profound veneration.</p> - -<p>Létorière arose, his forehead suffused with a charming blush, his -beautiful black eyes moist with tears, so profoundly was he touched with -the ineffable kindness of his sovereign.</p> - -<p>This emotion, so pure, so youthful and so naïve, struck Louis XV. -delightfully. The most adroit flattery could not have effected this -favorable impression.</p> - -<p>"What is your name, my child?" he asked, regarding the Marquis with -interest.</p> - -<p>"Charles-Louis de Vighan, Marquis of Létorière, Sire."</p> - -<p>"You are from Xaintonge," said the king, who knew wonderfully well the -genealogy of his nobility.</p> - -<p>"But you have deposited your titles," added he. "You ought to be -presented to me. Why have you not been?"</p> - -<p>"Sire, I await the return of M. the Count of Appreville, my relative, to -have that honor." . . .</p> - -<p>"Marshal Richelieu, will you act as sponsor?" said the king, addressing -the duke, who replied by a respectful gesture.</p> - -<p>"That's right!" said the king. . . . "I do not forget, my child, that -you have almost censured St. Clair . . . you must make him some amends. -. . . Are you bold enough to encounter Barbara?" And the king pointed to -the mare, who, held by the bridle, still kicked and pranced, -notwithstanding the threats and caresses of the groom. "Are you not -afraid of this fiery beast?"</p> - -<p>"I fear but one thing, Sire: it is to show myself unworthy of the -eminent grace with which the king deigns to honor me in ordering me to -mount a horse in his presence."</p> - -<p>"Is he not charming? He answers with such perfect grace . . . with such -exquisite tact," . . . said the king to M. de Richelieu, while -Létorière, his heart palpitating with emotion, approached the -redoubtable Barbara.</p> - -<p>"The king has told me sometimes that I'm a connoisseur of faces. Yes, -yes, I can predict to the king that before six months this young falcon -will have taken flight,—and then, beware of him;—there'll be a -great flutter among the doves, I'll answer for it."</p> - -<p>"Your example will have been of great service to him," said the king, -smiling; then suddenly crying out with fright: "Ah, the unhappy child! -he will kill himself. . . . St. Clair has given up the reins, and the -cursed mare will not let him approach her. . . . What kicks . . . what -plunges. . . . She is a devil to mount . . . St. Clair, why did you not -hold her while he mounted?"</p> - -<p>"Sire," said the old groom in a peevish tone, "the gentleman told me -that he would manage the affair himself . . ."</p> - -<p>"And by Heaven, he does manage it" . . . said the king with -astonishment;—"see there, marshal! on my word . . . he has bewitched -her! . . . See how he approaches her, and she does not budge. . . . He -caresses her, and the beast does not answer him with a bite, or a kick. -. . . What do you say to that, St. Clair?"</p> - -<p>"Sire, I say . . . I say . . . I say that I don't understand it at all. -. . . Ordinarily she can only be mounted by the aid of the nose-twister, -she is so skittish and wild." . . .</p> - -<p>"Now see him in the saddle . . . faith! . . . he is wonderful . . . full -of grace and agility. . . . What do you say to it Richelieu? What do you -say, St. Clair?" said the king, whose whole face was radiant with -pleasure at seeing the prowess of his young <i>protégé.</i></p> - -<p>"Faith! I should say to the king that the boy, young as he is, is an -accomplished horseman,—but he must possess some charm to have -quieted the villainous kicker," . . . replied the marshal.</p> - -<p>"One cannot say, Sire, that the posture of the gentleman is absolutely -bad," said old St. Clair. "He sits firm; his body and limbs are well -poised, and he seems to have a hand at once light and steady". . .</p> - -<p>"And what the devil do you want more?" said the king; "but let us -see . . . will she pass before the marble statue which so frightened her -before? . . . No . . . no . . . she refuses—what bounds! Ah! poor -boy!" . . .</p> - -<p>"He seems screwed to her back. She'll have to give in," cried the -marshal; "and with his little figure. He must be strong as Hercules."</p> - -<p>"Monseigneur well knows that there is no great skill in keeping one's -seat while a horse rears . . . the science is in foreseeing and -preventing the rearing," rejoined St. Clair.</p> - -<p>"Even in that case you ought to be satisfied. Look! look, see how she -passes the statue . . . as easy, as comfortably as an old hack. Well -done! is he a sorcerer?" cried Louis XV., looking with astonishment at -the marshal and St. Clair, not less surprised than himself.</p> - -<p>Létorière, having made the mare pass and repass several times before, -the statue which had at first so much frightened her, approached the -king: the Marquis held his hat in his right hand, and with the left he -patted Barbara, who tossed her head and champed her bit with a most -coquettish air; one would have said she was proud of the light weight -she carried. The face of the young gentleman, still animated by the -exercise, and the proud joy of having succeeded so well in presence of -the king, was resplendent with brightness and beauty.</p> - -<p>Seeing his <i>protégé</i> so handsome, so radiant and so young, Louis -XV. regarded him with the tender and melancholy interest which men advanced -in age, or satiated with pleasure, often feel in contemplating the -confident joy, the simple ardor of youth.</p> - -<p>This excellent prince felt himself happy in the power, by a generous -caprice, open to this youth a future as brilliant as a fairy tale. "It -is sometimes good to be a king," said he to M. de Richelieu, with -involuntary emotion.</p> - -<p>The old marshal, before answering, appeared to interrogate the -expression of the prince, in order to penetrate the sense of this -exclamation, which he did not comprehend. All was dead in this heart -worn out by a narrow but unbridled ambition, and hardened by a cruel -egotism. Incapable of seizing the meaning of the king, the marshal -replied by a courtly insipidity:</p> - -<p>"If it is sometimes good to be a king, Sire, it is always good to be the -subject of your majesty."</p> - -<p>Louis XV. smiled with a polite, frigid air, and replied: "It is pleasant -to find one's self so well understood." Then addressing Létorière, who -awaited his orders: "Well, my child, tell me, how have you conquered so -quickly and easily this unconquerable creature?"</p> - -<p>"Your majesty told me that this animal came from Germany; knowing that -the Germans talk much to their horses, and that they drive them almost -as much by the voice as by the hand or the spur, I spoke German to her. -Recognizing, undoubtedly, a language to which she was accustomed, she -almost immediately became calm."</p> - -<p>"He is right. Nothing is more simple . . . don't you see, St. -Clair?" . . . said the king.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Sire," timidly replied Létorière, throwing a glance on the old -St. Clair, who appeared profoundly humiliated; "yes, Sire, nothing is -more simple when one speaks German" . . .</p> - -<p>This almost bold answer was dictated by a sentiment so delicate and -generous, that Louis XV., greatly moved, cried: "Well, very well, my -child . . . you are right . . . if my old St. Clair had known how to -speak German, he would have done as you did; . . . but as he is too old -to learn that now, and as Barbara does not appear to have any taste for -the French language, keep this mare . . . Marquis of Létorière, the -King gives her to you."</p> - -<p>The Marquis bowed respectfully . . .</p> - -<p>"Richelieu, you will present him to me to-morrow, at my first reception, -without ceremony," said the king to the marshal. Then making an -affectionate gesture to Létorière, Louis XV. entered the palace.</p> - -<p>The next day Létorière was officially presented; a few days after, -Louis XV. appointed him master of the horse, and later, he gave him a -cornetcy in the Mousquetaires.</p> - -<p>From this moment the fortunes of Létorière did nothing but grow, for -the king's affection for him increased every day.</p> - -<p>It would take too long to tell how the favorite became the most -conspicuous man at court: but this progress was simple and natural. To -all his rare advantages of mind, of person, of birth, and of heart, -there was soon added an exquisite taste in everything. His horses, his -furniture, and his dress became the type of elegance and good taste. In -short, at the end of four years the poor scholar of Plessis College had -become one of the most brilliant courtiers, and inspired at once -admiration, envy, hatred, adoration, as do all people endowed with -superior parts.</p> - -<p>This narrative will not allow the recital of many brilliant exploits of -which the Marquis was the hero, or of which he was supposed to be the -hero, for his discretion was rare.</p> - -<p>But it was well known that he could never be reproached with baseness or -perfidy in love. In two duels he showed himself brave and generous: the -only fault with which he could be charged, was great extravagance; but -this he could well afford, owing to the gaining of his lawsuit against -the Intendancy of Poitou, and also to the munificence and bounties of -the king, who successively appointed him Commendatory Abbé of the -Trinité de Vendôme, commander of the united orders of St. Lazare and -Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, a colonel of cavalry, counsellor of State, of -the sword, and grand seneschal of Aunis.</p> - -<p>Such was the prodigious prosperity which Létorière reached during the -four years after his fortunate encounter with the king.</p> - -<p>Amid all his successes, Létorière had never forgotten the great blue -eyes of the Opera Ball, and almost every day he contemplated his ring -with sadness.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding this device, <i>it follows you everywhere</i>, written -under an eye of such a charming blue, which appeared to regard him with a -tenderness full of confidence and serenity, the Marquis feared that he -had been completely forgotten by his mysterious protectress. In four -years he had received no news from her. Sometimes he trembled lest his -reputation as a man of gallantry, by awaking in the breast of the -unknown a just jealousy, might forever alienate her from him; sometimes -he feared that absence, or sickness, or death even, might have deprived -him of this strange friendship.</p> - -<p>Moved by a singular and inexplicable sentiment, Létorière had always, -in his gallantries, carefully shunned the seductions of blue eyes, -however cruel this self-denial had often appeared to him. He had dreaded -to profane, perhaps unwittingly, a love which he thought was so little -like other loves. The more he prospered in a life which destiny had made -so beautiful, and perhaps too easily happy for him, the more -idolatrously did he dwell, almost with regret, on that season of -calmness and tranquil happiness, when the only emotion of his life was -excited by one of the letters in which his unknown had given him counsel -so full of wisdom.</p> - -<p>He noted, almost with affright, the approach of the fatal limit that had -been assigned to him, when he was to receive a last letter which would -decide his destiny. This letter he received that very day, four years -after the meeting at the Opera Ball. It was as follows:</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>"For five years I have loved you . . . for five years I have followed -you through all the phases of your life, obscure or brilliant, -poor or fortunate. You are worthy of the heart which I offer you with -confidence. I am an orphan, my hand is free. I offer it to you. . . . No -human power can change my resolution to be yours. If you refuse to -realize my most cherished projects, withdrawn into a cloister, each day -I shall pray Heaven to grant you that happiness I would so willingly -have made for you.</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 50%;">"JULIE DE SOISSONS,</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 55%;">"<i>Princess of S . . . C . . .</i>"</p></blockquote> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></h4> - -<h4>MADEMOISELLE DE SOISSONS</h4> - - -<p>Mademoiselle Victoire-Julie de Soissons, Princess of S . . . C . . . , -lived with her aunt, the Princess of Rohan-Soubise. Aged about -twenty-five years, the princess Julie was rather pretty than beautiful; -she was of medium size, and perfectly graceful. Although the use of -powder was then in the height of fashion, very rarely did Mlle. de -Soissons consent to cover lightly with it her magnificent flaxen hair, -which, in a manner peculiar to herself, she rolled off her face with -most becoming effect. Her eyes were blue, her lips vermilion, her teeth -pearls, her face a pure and delicate oval, her complexion, too brown for -a blonde, was nevertheless so pure and brilliant, that one could not -desire it to be whiter. The habitual expression of her countenance was -melancholy, yet sweet.</p> - -<p>Of a nature at once impressible and reserved, the least emotion brought -a lovely blush to her cheeks and charming neck.</p> - -<p>If she heard a touching or pitiful tale, her eyes would fill with tears. -Although a princess of royal blood, no one felt less than she the pride -of birth; the requirements of her lofty station weighed upon her. By -natural disposition and taste, she preferred a simple and obscure life, -to the ostentatious career to which she had been appointed. Very -retiring, very proud, with the noble pride of a soul conscious of its -own superiority, the princess Julie was esteemed disdainful, when she -was, in fact, only delicate and timid.</p> - -<p>Vulgar natures, pretentious or egotistic, especially repelled her. The -most striking feature of her character was an indomitable will. Her -frail bodily envelope concealed a most valiant and resolute heart. No -human consideration could influence her decisions when she believed them -based on justice and reason. By a singular contrast, notwithstanding her -princely birth, the nobility of her heart, her firmness, her mind as -lovely as it was cultivated, the princess Julie almost always displayed -the most incredible timidity, even among persons who were in nowise her -equals.</p> - -<p>An orphan, and having lived for seven years with Madame de -Rohan-Soubise, Mlle. de Soissons felt no sympathy with her relative. All -the secrets of her heart were reserved for Martha, her nurse, a simple, -good-hearted creature who had brought her up, and who loved her with the -blind tenderness of a mother.</p> - -<p>For five years Mlle. de Soissons had persistently refused the most -brilliant offers of marriage from persons of suitable birth and fortune; -for five years she had loved the Marquis of Létorière.</p> - -<p>Her singularly good heart, her rather romantic temperament, her -independent spirit, had not remained insensible to the history of -misfortunes so courageously borne by that young gentleman.</p> - -<p>When Jerome Sicard went to execute Létorière's commission, after -having carried him gratuitously to Palais Marchand, it will be -remembered that a man getting out of the carriage had seen Dame Landry -in the height of her wrath against the Marquis. Curious to learn the -termination of the affair, this man, the steward of Madame -Rohan-Soubise, returning several days after to The Golden Scissors, -found Dame Landry full of enthusiasm for her debtor. The steward -described this singular drama to Dame Martha, Mlle. de Soisson's nurse, -relating all the details. Dame Martha, in turn, communicated them to the -princess Julie. Such was the first cause of the lively interest which -the latter soon felt for M. de Létorière.</p> - -<p>During the illness of the young Marquis, Julie often sent her faithful -nurse, well disguised in her long black cloak, to get tidings of -Dominique's pupil.</p> - -<p>When Létorière was convalescent, Dame Martha was deputed to convey -secretly the basket of flowers and fruit, of which mention has been -made, without allowing any one to guess whence the gift came, and -afterwards to find out the day on which he would be able to go out; the -princess desired very much to see this enchanter who charmed the most -pedantic regent of the college, the most rebellious wife of a tailor, -and the coarsest of coachmen.</p> - -<p>As a woman of her rank could go out neither alone nor on foot, Martha -endeavored to ascertain if there were not, in the Rue St. Florentin, -some shop where she could lie concealed, to watch this young invalid, -under the pretence of making purchases.</p> - -<p>She found an obscure milliner, almost opposite Létorière's house; and -knowing the hour in which the Marquis regularly went out, Julie, at the -risk of passing for an eccentric, took a carriage with one of the female -attendants of her aunt, and went to the milliner's, ostensibly for the -purpose of making purchases.</p> - -<p>She soon saw, through the windows, the ex-professor and his pupil. The -expression of melancholy on the charming countenance of the young -gentleman, and the tender assiduities of Dominique, moved her to tears.</p> - -<p>Her errand accomplished, the princess drove to the Tuilleries. -Létorière soon arrived there, and took a seat in the sunshine with -Dominique.</p> - -<p>When Mlle. de Soissons could contemplate, at her ease, the ravishing -countenance of this young man, she experienced a profound and new -impression; her heart beat violently; she trembled, she blushed . . . -she loved.</p> - -<p>To the singular character of this princess it was undoubtedly owing, -that in her eyes, one of Létorière's principal attractions was the -misfortune which pursued him. For in the generous and elevated soul of -this young girl, misfortune always found ready sympathy.</p> - -<p>Mistress of a considerable revenue, and sure of the secrecy and fidelity -of Brissot, who had faithfully served her father, Mlle. de Soissons -employed him to keep her informed of Létorière's affairs. Fully -instructed, the steward wrote to Létorière's lawyer, who was also his -own, to follow up the lawsuit, and to make the necessary advances to the -Marquis. It was he, also, who obtained for Landry his appointment, by -means of a present made to one of the Duke of Bourbon's subalterns, who -had the charge of all such nominations.</p> - -<p>For a long time the princess contented herself with the secret reveries -of this chaste and passionate love, watching eagerly for rare -opportunities, when she could meet the Marquis, and writing to him from -time to time. Then, when, by her secret influence, he had gained his -lawsuit, she resolved to leave him free, and see if he would prove -worthy of her. She wrote for the last time, gave him the note at the -Opera Ball, and waited.</p> - -<p>The day on which the Marquis was presented to the king, Mlle. de -Soissons accompanied the dauphiness, and was sufficiently near to Louis -XV. to hear that prince say, to all approaching him, pointing out his -young <i>protégé</i>:</p> - -<p>"<i>Admit that he is charming!</i>"</p> - -<p>With much joy and pride the princess saw her choice approved, as one may -say, by these words of the king, who, as has been already said, soon -attached the Marquis to his person.</p> - -<p>Mlle. de Soissons, until then very indifferent to court <i>fêtes</i> and -excursions to Marly, now sought to join them on all occasions. Louis XV. -felt a warm interest in his young equerry, whom he soon promoted to his -military staff. At the chase and on the promenade, he marked with -complacency the grace and address of Létorière, and quoted his fine -and delicate repartees.</p> - -<p>By a curious contradiction, the more the princess Julie's love increased -in her heart, the more she shunned all occasions, not only of meeting, -but of making the acquaintance of M. de Létorière.</p> - -<p>After two years' connection with the court, the favor and success of the -Marquis were at their highest. A thousand gallantries were imputed to -him. Strange as it may seem, the jealousy of Mlle. de Soissons was not -excited. The chaste and proud passion of this young girl gave her -courage to view with pity the ephemeral and foolish loves which were -attributed to the Marquis. She felt so sure, so worthy of being -passionately adored, of being preferred to all when she revealed herself -to him, that she remained for a long time almost heedless of the -numerous flirtations of Létorière.</p> - -<p>The princess Julie wished to watch him whom she loved, in order to judge -if he were worthy of her. . . . She readily perceived that these -successes were the natural result of the rare attractions with which he -was endowed. But she wished to know if his heart remained noble and -generous amid such intoxicating circumstances.</p> - -<p>In a question of lofty sentiments no proofs are trifling; the daily walk -is in such cases more trustworthy, perhaps, than great bursts of -devotion; the former is the habit, the latter the accidents, of life.</p> - -<p>Thus three poor and obscure persons had rendered important services to -Létorière during his adversity,—Dominique, the tailor, and his -wife.</p> - -<p>With keen delight, Mlle. de Soissons learned from Martha that the -Marquis continued to keep Dominique near him, and that he always treated -him with deferential affection.</p> - -<p>Very often Létorière recounted, with manifestations of profound -gratitude, the obligations he was under to these excellent people. A man -of his age, whom the most unbounded prosperity and the most brilliant -success did not blind, who remained simple, good, and emphatically -grateful to such obscure benefactors, ought to be esteemed a man of -noble heart.</p> - -<p>The project of Mlle. de Soissons was irrevocably resolved upon. She -would freely, boldly, offer her hand to him whom she found so worthy.</p> - -<p>No objection of birth or fortune could change her resolution. She was an -orphan, and felt herself free to choose a husband. Profoundly -indifferent to all the reasons which her aunt daily brought to prove to -her that she, a princess of a royal house, ought to make certain -alliances, the princess Julie replied distinctly, that though she saw no -need of quoting example, Mlle. de Montpensier married M. de -Lanzun. . . . As to herself, she would marry an artizan, without scruple, -if an artizan seemed to her to deserve her love.</p> - -<p>Madame Rohan-Soubise, utterly ignorant of her niece's secret, treated -these ideas as phantasies, foolish reveries, encouraged by the romances -of Rousseau. Mlle. de Soissons answered nothing, but secretly followed -her plan with incredible pertinacity.</p> - -<p>Her love increased, so to speak, in proportion to the successes of him -she loved. One would have said that she waited until the Marquis was at -the height of his triumphs, in order that she might offer him her love -as their supreme consecration.</p> - -<p>When she was assured of the nobility and solidity of his character, -without remorse, without shame, with all the security of candor, all the -serene confidence of an exalted soul, she wrote to M. de Létorière the -letter which we have already seen, to offer him her hand.</p> - -<p>Happily for him, and for Mlle. de Soissons, Létorière comprehended all -the grandeur and all the devotion of such a love. Satiated with too easy -successes, he consecrated himself from that time to the adoration of the -young girl who so nobly confided to him her future.</p> - -<p>He often saw the princess alone, and in Martha's presence. Mlle. de -Soissons desired that he should at once ask her hand of Madame -Rohan-Soubise, purely as a matter of form. The young girl held in -reserve her rights and her invincible will, awaiting the decision of her -aunt.</p> - -<p>As a man of honor and good sense, Létorière gave Mlle. de Soissons to -understand, that according to the loss or gain of the important lawsuit -which was still pending against the dukes of Brunswick-Oëls and the -prince of Brandebourg-Bareuth, he should or should not be recognized as -of princely blood; and if successful, that he would have a fortune equal -to the support of that rank. In his judgment, it would be better to wait -the issue of this lawsuit, before applying to Madame Rohan-Soubise.</p> - -<p>If it were gained, his position would be so eminent that no reasonable -objection could be made to his marriage with the princess Julie; if it -were lost, it would then be time to dispense with the consent of Mlle. -de Soissons' family; but there was no need of uselessly and prematurely -provoking publicity, which is always mortifying. Such was the opinion of -M. de Létorière. The princess Julie took the opposite view; her -resolute character could not accommodate itself to such temporizing. The -Marquis proposed to leave it to the judgment of the king, who continued -to bestow upon him proofs of the most touching goodness.</p> - -<p>Mlle. de Soissons accepted this arbitration. Louis XV. approved of -Létorière's delicacy, and promised to write to the French ambassador -at Vienna, to push forward his just claims.</p> - -<p>A month before, the good Dominique had gone to Vienna, in order to get -precise information in regard to the dispositions of the members of the -Aulic Council, called to decide, finally, this important lawsuit which -had already lasted nearly a century.</p> - -<p>One can imagine with how much impatience Létorière awaited the return -of the old professor. On the issue of his cause, his marriage with Mlle. -de Soissons might almost be said to rest.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></h4> - -<h4>THE LAWSUIT</h4> - - -<p>At the time of which we write, M. de Létorière occupied a charming -detached house, whose garden opened on the ramparts, not far from the -Pavilion of Hanover, one of the dependencies of the dwelling of the -Marshal Richelieu.</p> - -<p>The habitation of the Marquis resembled much more a palacette, as it was -then called, than a chateau. Everything therein was elegant, sumptuous, -mysterious and retired. In the summer, great trees enclosed the garden -with a girdle of verdure impenetrable to the eye; in the winter, an -immense curtain of ivy, very artistically disposed on trellises built in -the form of trees, rose above the walls, and replaced the foliage of the -warmer season.</p> - -<p>On the day we speak of, Létorière was in his library awaiting the -expected arrival of Dominique from Vienna.</p> - -<p>The princes against whom the Marquis was at law, had very great -influence in Germany. The Aulic Council was said to be in their -interests, and single-handed, Létorière had to wrestle against these -formidable adversaries.</p> - -<p>The old professor, when he set out, was furnished with a letter from the -king to the French Ambassador at Vienna. Louis XV. informed his -representative that he took great interest in M. de Létorière's -success in the lawsuit, and ordered him to favor with all his power the -secret inquiries of the Marquis's confidential agent.</p> - -<p>Soon the noise of a post-chaise was heard, and immediately after -Jean-Francois Dominique entered Létorière's library.</p> - -<p>"Well! Dominique, have we any chance?" said the Marquis, cordially -embracing him.</p> - -<p>"I doubt it . . . Monsieur the Marquis." . . .</p> - -<p>"Are these Aulic councillors intractable?"</p> - -<p>"Alas! I think so, but for the recollection of Alcibiades, who, after -all, seduced Tisapherne! . . . But I believe these Germans yet more -rebellious, yet more unapproachable than that distrustful satrap!"</p> - -<p>"And who are these councillors? Have you gained some information about -them?"</p> - -<p>"I have enough. . . . I have too much information! That is why I am so -grieved. These councillors are three in number: the Baron Henferester, -the greatest huntsman and most redoubtable drinker in all Germany; a -Nimrod who only quits his forests to sit in the council twice a week. -Then there is the Doctor Aloysius Sphex, a learned commentator of -Persius, I believe, always bristling with Latin, like a porcupine; and -lastly, the Seigneur Flachsinfingen, an ostrich-like gourmand, governed -by his wife, the leanest, most peevish, sourest Protestant that ever -wore a Bible attached to her side by a silver chain . . ."</p> - -<p>"Your portraits are drawn by a masterly hand, Dominique; they are -sufficiently unattractive. And these gentlemen of the council are -absolutely in the interest of the German princes?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, entirely so. In this single case these three councillors, who -detest each other cordially, undoubtedly on account of the difference of -their tastes, are of one mind,—a rare thing, for generally the -support of one would be sufficient to cause the opposition of the -others."</p> - -<p>"And the German princes?" . . .</p> - -<p>"Have as much hope of gaining, as you have chances of losing; for you -pass at Vienna for something worse than a demon."</p> - -<p>"I do! . . . You are joking, Dominique!"</p> - -<p>"I wish I were! but it is only too true. . . . Your reputation as a man -of gallantry, a voluptuary, a flirt, and a sybarite, has reached even -Vienna; in the eyes of these grave Germans, you are a Will'-o'-the-wisp, -a sprite, a sylph,—something, in short, as brilliant as subtle, -unaccountable and dangerous. Two centuries ago, they would have -received you with a power of exorcisms and holy water . . . but in this -philosophic and enlightened age, they will content themselves with shutting -the door in your face, and saying <i>vade retro</i>, for they would -think you are the devil himself; and unhappily your lawsuit will be -definitely settled in two weeks by these three judges! . . . Ah! may -Pluto . . . have them some day for their comfort!" added Dominique, by -way of imprecation.</p> - -<p>After a long silence, the Marquis rose, wrote a few words, rang his -bell, and gave his letter to a servant, saying:</p> - -<p>"Carry this to the house of Madame Rohan-Soubise; ask for Dame Martha, -and wait for an answer."</p> - -<p>"This evening I shall start for Vienna," said Létorière to his -professor.</p> - -<p>"You mean, then, to go in search of adventures, to seduce your judges? -It is true that Alcibiades ate the black broth of the Spartans, made a -centaur of himself in Thrace, and crowned himself with violets, while he -sang voluptuous songs to the effeminate Ionians."</p> - -<p>"I have no intention of fascinating my judges, my old friend; but in -some cases it is better to see with one's own eyes."</p> - -<p>The conversation between Dominique and his former pupil continued for -some time, and turned upon the particular circumstances of the lawsuit.</p> - -<p>At the end of half an hour, the lackey returned, bringing a note for -Létorière, who cried out in great astonishment:</p> - -<p>"What can she be thinking of? But if she wishes, let it be so . . ."</p> - -<p>Then he ordered his carriage and went out, praying Dominique to hasten -the preparations for his departure that very evening.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></h4> - -<h4>THE CHATEAU SOUBISE</h4> - - -<p>Four persons were chatting in a charming little boudoir, inlaid with the -red lacker of Coromandel. The furniture of this delightful room, one of -the marvels of the Rohan-Soubise Chateau, was covered with brocade of -silver ground with large designs in crimson. The curtains of the windows -and doors, made of similar material, fell in graceful folds. A Japanese -vase of gold, purple and blue, three feet in height, filled with -flowers, and placed before the window, resembled an enamelled screen of -the most brilliant colors. On <i>étagères</i> of massive silver, delicately -chased and inlaid with charming coral medallions, the work of some -famous Florentine artist, were to be seen a quantity of Chinese -knick-knacks, impossible to describe on account of their oddity.</p> - -<p>Near a fireplace of most beautiful red antique marble, whose grate was -ornamented with a garland of flowers and fruit, made of precious stones, -was a little bed <i>à la duchesse</i>, a perfect miniature, with curtains, -canopies, and coverlets, and feathered plumes on the dais; nothing was -wanting. A very diminutive black spaniel, marked with tan, whose long -silken hair was coquettishly braided with cherry and silver ribbons, -slept on the couch, half hidden under the eider-down cover. A saucer of -royal old blue Sèvres china, containing macaroons, crumbled into milk -of almonds, awaited the delicate <i>Puff</i> on his awaking.</p> - -<p>Madame, the Princess of Rohan-Soubise, her niece, Mlle. de Soissons, the -Count de Lugeac and the Abbé of Arcueil, were the actors in the -following scene:</p> - -<p>M. de Lugeac had just come in.</p> - -<p>"How much you lost, madame, by not being at the brilliant concert -yesterday! you would have witnessed the most extraordinary thing in the -world!"</p> - -<p>"What was it?" demanded the abbé. "Have Jean Jacques and Arouet -embraced each other in public? Or have they sung the praises of the -chancellor?"</p> - -<p>"Tell us at once of this fine affair," said Madame Rohan-Soubise.</p> - -<p>"Yesterday, at the concert, M. de Létorière was applauded—yes, -applauded to the skies" . . . said M. de Lugeac, with an evident feeling -of jealousy.</p> - -<p>"Applauded? As M. de Létorière is neither a prince of the blood, nor a -comedian, at least so far as I know, I do not see what title he has to -be applauded," . . . dryly said Madame Rohan-Soubise, who, without known -motive, and undoubtedly by presentiment, cordially detested the Marquis.</p> - -<p>Mlle. de Soissons blushed deeply, and broke a thread of her embroidery -in an impatient movement which was not perceived by her aunt.</p> - -<p>"M. de Létorière was applauded for his coat," . . . replied the count.</p> - -<p>"What a ridiculous dress! . . . This fine Marquis must always have -people talking about him," said the abbé.</p> - -<p>"Not ridiculous . . . but in truth so magnificent, and at the same time -so elegant, that even I, who will not acknowledge myself a strong friend -of the Marquis, will be generous enough to allow, that I never in all my -life saw anything more charming than he, dressed as he was. . . . But -when one devotes one's self to such follies, it is at least satisfactory -to obtain such success." . . .</p> - -<p>"Tell us about this miraculous toilette," said Madame Rohan-Soubise; "I -will tell you afterwards another story about M. de Létorière, which -will furnish a curious contrast to all his present magnificence."</p> - -<p>"And I, also," . . . said the abbé. "No later than this morning, the -Archbishop of Paris told me a hundred tales of this fine Marquis!"</p> - -<p>"To finish about this toilette, madame," said M. de Lugeac. "After the -first part of the concert was over, Létorière was seen entering the -box of Judge Solar, ambassador of his majesty the King of -Sardinia,"—and M. de Lugeac inclined his head towards Mlle. de -Soissons, a cousin of this king. "The box was empty; the Marquis -remained there a few moments to observe the audience. He wore a coat of -plain, straw-colored <i>moiré</i>, with cuffs of changeable gold and -sea-green stuff; his shoulder-knot was of gold and green; you see, -madame, that so far, nothing could be more simple." . . .</p> - -<p>"The shades are well enough selected, we will allow," said the abbé.</p> - -<p>"But," continued the count, "what was truly marvellous was the trimming -of this coat. First, the Marquis's Steinkerque order was fastened with a -magnificent emerald buckle; then his large and small buttons, and even -the mounting of his sword, were in magnificent opals, which threw green, -blue and orange rays, almost as brilliant as the diamonds which -encircled these superb stones."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>"But ornaments like those must be worth more than twenty thousand -crowns!" cried the abbé.</p> - -<p>"I can well believe it," replied M. de Lugeac, "and it is a foolish -extravagance; but it is always so whenever the Marquis appears in that -box, so magnificently dressed, his hair, lightly snowed like hoar-frost -with unbleached powder, falling in his own fashion in waving curls on -each side of his temples, he always excites in the public a kind of -ecstasy of admiration, succeeded by a murmur more and more approving, -until at last almost universal bravos burst forth."</p> - -<p>"But, in truth, this foolish apotheosis of the beauty of a man is but a -pagan ovation," said Madame Rohan-Soubise, with a contemptuous smile. -"Besides, what is quite as amusing as the enthusiasm of the Parisians -for the charming graces of M. de Létorière, is the profound admiration -he has for himself. The vanity of this new Narcissus has been, they say, -so ridiculously exalted for some time past, that he has become quite -invincible; there are numbers of desperate and weeping beauties, who in -vain call with loud cries upon this disdainful Celadon. Undoubtedly no -woman now appears to him worthy of his attentions."</p> - -<p>"Or perhaps, madame, he has found one worthy of his love," said Mlle. de -Soissons, raising her noble and beautiful face, radiant with goodness, -love and pride, as she listened to this indirect eulogium on the -fidelity of the Marquis.</p> - -<p>Madame Rohan-Soubise, not perceiving her niece's emotion, continued:</p> - -<p>"But, my dear princess, if this be so, we ought to know this phoenix! -For discretion is not the rôle of M. de Létorière. No, no, believe -me, if he is fixed, as you say, then his choice is so unworthy of him -that he is obliged to conceal it from the world."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps, on the contrary, it is the world who, in M. de Létorière's -eyes, is not worthy of knowing his secret," replied Mlle. de Soissons.</p> - -<p>This second repartee struck her aunt, who answered:</p> - -<p>"Truly, my dear Julie, it is easy to see that you are not acquainted -with M. de Létorière, since you defend him!"</p> - -<p>"We speak now of generalities, madame; but rest assured that if I were -obliged to defend any one who interested me, I should do it boldly and -without dissembling, when the time came," said Mlle. de Soissons, with a -peculiar accent.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I know you are very courageous in that way, my dear child; your -friends are truly your friends; but on the contrary, your enemies are -also your enemies! You must allow me also to have my preferences and my -antipathies. . . . Frankly, M. de Létorière is firmly fixed in the -latter; I hate everything which savors of intrigue and concealment. This -Marquis had nothing, five years ago, but his cape and sword. I ask -myself how it is possible that he can now have ornaments on his coat -worth twenty thousand crowns, a handsome establishment, the finest -horses in the world, and is enabled to play as deeply as a large -landholder?"</p> - -<p>"I believe, madame, that those who ask those questions know very well -how to answer them," said Julie, dryly.</p> - -<p>"For myself, I declare to you, my dear, that I should find it very -difficult," replied Madame de Rohan-Soubise, with the most natural air; -. . . "but if I had the misfortune to be one of the friends of the -<i>opulent</i> M. de Létorière, I should desire nothing better for his -reputation than to see him burned as a sorcerer, however incredulous I -may be about the philosopher's stone."</p> - -<p>At this last sarcasm Mlle. de Soissons looked at the clock with a kind -of eager impatience, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>"His magnificence is truly inconceivable," said M. de Lugeac. "It is -true that some say he is fortunate at play; others affirm that the king -and Madame Dubarry favor him in every way, and have gained for him two -very important lawsuits; besides, it is evident that his Majesty is -bewitched with him, as is all the world; and truly it may be said that -everything which this Marquis touches is turned to gold. . . . If you -will believe it, madame, he has brought into fashion a poor devil of a -tailor, who gave him credit in his earlier days; the Marquis does not -conceal it, but speaks of it quite freely. This Landry, of The Golden -Scissors, whose stores are brilliant, who is now one of the richest -artizans of Paris, owes his unlooked-for good fortune only to the -influence of these words, repeated by all the city: '<i>He is the tailor -of the elegant Létorière!</i>'"</p> - -<p>"Truly!" said Madame Rohan-Soubise, impatiently, "all these stories -resemble the tales of Perrault."</p> - -<p>"They are much more like fairy tales," replied M. de Lugeac. "And then -the description of his bedchamber! they say that his toilet set is -entirely of gold chased by Gouttière, and enriched with precious -stones." . . .</p> - -<p>"And I," said the abbé, "I have heard a thousand times repeated by the -Archbishop of Paris that M. de Létorière was almost the serpent of the -terrestrial paradise. . . . 'If it were an affair of the government of -Paris,' said this good prelate to me this morning, 'I would mask him -with a cowl, like a black penitent, to hide his eyes, and choke the -sound of his voice; for, in a question of precedence which interested -one of my relations, this tempter has turned upside down my whole -chapter-house, and fascinated my prebendaries so that they speak of -nothing but him.'"</p> - -<p>At this moment the door of the boudoir was thrown open, and a -valet-de-chambre announced with a loud voice: <i>Monsieur the Marquis de -Létorière!</i></p> - -<p>"M. de Létorière in my house! I have never received him! What -audacity!" cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise, with as much astonishment as -anger.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>See for these details, and for other biographical -particulars of Létorière, the charming <i>Souvenirs de Madame la -Marquise de Créquy.</i></p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></h4> - -<h4>THE DEPARTURE</h4> - - -<p>At the announcement of the Marquis, Madame de Rohan-Soubise had risen; -the count and the abbé did the same,—and so also did the princess -Julie.</p> - -<p>The Marquis found these four persons present: Madame Rohan-Soubise, in -full dress, arrogant, irritated, haughty; the abbé, by way of -reassuring himself, caressed <i>Puff</i>, who, awaking with a start, whined -a little; the count, leaning his elbow on the mantle-piece, played -carelessly with his watch-chain; Mlle. de Soissons, calm and resolved, -supported herself with one hand on her embroidery frame, and looked at -Létorière with an air at once tender and grateful.</p> - -<p>The Marquis had hardly respectfully saluted Madame Rohan-Soubise, when -she turned towards M. de Lugeac, with a gesture of supreme disdain, and -asked him, "Who is this gentleman?"</p> - -<p>The count, very much embarrassed, hesitated to answer, when the Marquis -sharply said, "M. de Létorière absolves M. de Lugeac from being -responsible for him to Madame de Rohan-Soubise."</p> - -<p>"It was at my request, madame, that M. the Marquis of Létorière has -been kind enough to come here," said the princess Julie, in a firm and -decided voice.</p> - -<p>"At your request? . . . yours . . . Julie?" cried Madame Rohan-Soubise, -at the height of astonishment. "'Tis impossible!"</p> - -<p>"However <i>unknown</i> I may unhappily be to Madame de Rohan-Soubise, I -dare to hope that she will understand that the formal orders of Mlle. de -Soissons have been necessary to bring me to the Chateau Soubise—an -honor which, until now, I have at least had the modesty or the good -taste never to aspire to," replied the Marquis, in a tone of marked -irony.</p> - -<p>"Princess Julie . . . explain yourself . . . this has already continued -too long!" cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise, imperiously.</p> - -<p>The count and the abbé made a movement to retire, but Mlle. de Soissons -said to them:</p> - -<p>"Have the goodness to remain, gentlemen, that you may be witnesses to -what I wish to say to madame."</p> - -<p>The two gentlemen bowed respectfully. Mlle. de Soissons then addressed -her aunt: "I have begged M. de Létorière to come here, madame, that I -might tell him before you, and you before him, my irrevocable -intentions. I am an orphan, and free in all my actions when they are not -unworthy of my birth; but you are my relative, madame, and I know what -is due to you, and I cannot better prove my respect than in imparting to -you a resolution on which depends my destiny." . . .</p> - -<p>With the exception of the Marquis, the actors in this strange scene were -lost in astonishment. Madame de Rohan-Soubise, stupefied at the language -of the princess Julie, could not believe what she heard.</p> - -<p>Mlle. de Soissons continued:</p> - -<p>"I have offered my hand to M. de Létorière; he has accepted it." . . .</p> - -<p>"You have offered your hand!!" . . . cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise. -"Princess Julie, you have lost your reason . . . or is this all an -ill-judged pleasantry?"</p> - -<p>"Ah! mademoiselle," said Létorière, with a reproachful accent, seeing -the young girl thus breaking the promise she had made to him, to wait -the issue of the lawsuit before making a final decision.</p> - -<p>The princess Julie turned towards him:</p> - -<p>"You will soon learn why I have acted thus," said she; and she added, -addressing her aunt with a solemn air, "I have not lost my reason; and -what I say is serious. . . . Before God, who hears me, before you, -madame, before you, Count de Lugeac, and before you, Abbé d'Arcueil, I, -Julie Victorie de Soissons, swear to have no other husband but the -Marquis of Létorière here before us;" and she tendered him her hand -with a gesture of grandeur and simplicity.</p> - -<p>The Marquis took the charming hand, which he kissed with the most -respectful and lively tenderness.</p> - -<p>This scene was so unexpected, so like a thunderbolt, that Madame -Rohan-Soubise remained for a moment mute, interrogating with her eyes -the count and the abbé, not less astonished.</p> - -<p>"And I," replied the Marquis, "swear to consecrate my life to the noble -princess who has honored me with her choice. . . ."</p> - -<p>"And I, with all the authority which my relationship gives me," -impetuously cried Madame de Rohan-Soubise, coming out of her stupor, "I -declare to you, mademoiselle, that this shameful alliance is impossible, -and that it shall never take place!"</p> - -<p>"The honor which Mlle. de Soissons deigns to do me, madame, prevents me -from answering your outrageous words," said the Marquis, much moved.</p> - -<p>The Princess Julie replied, addressing herself to her aunt:</p> - -<p>"With the delicacy which ought to characterize the man to whom I intrust -my destiny, M. de Létorière wished to await the issue of his lawsuit, -which the Aulic Council of the empire is about to decide, before -accepting formally the hand which I have freely offered him; if he gains -his lawsuit he will be recognized as of a princely house, and then there -will be no difference of rank, as it is called; but if this proposition -was noble and delicate, I was a coward to accept it; I pretended to -recognize exigencies which I do not admit; I pretended to wait the -favorable issue of the lawsuit before making my decision. But that did -not suit me; I meant loyally and openly, madame, to declare to you my -unalterable resolution, whether the lawsuit be gained or lost. M. de -Létorière starts to-night for Vienna. . . . This evening I shall go to -the Abbey of Montmartre, and there await his return; you will -understand, madame, that it is impossible for me to live any longer in -your house." . . .</p> - -<p>"Undoubtedly the Chateau Soubise is disagreeable to you, mademoiselle; -yet you must either leave it to make a marriage worthy of your family, -or enter a convent forever." . . .</p> - -<p>"At least, madame, his majesty allows me to be free to retire at once to -the lady-superior of Montmartre," said Mlle. de Soissons, handing to -Madame Rohan-Soubise a letter which she took from her pocket.</p> - -<p>"The hand-writing of the king!" cried Madame Rohan-Soubise.</p> - -<p>"Yesterday I wrote to his majesty, who is acquainted with my resolution; -read his answer, which is addressed to you, madame":</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>"MY COUSIN: For sufficient reasons, I desire that Mlle. de Soissons may -enter the Abbey of Montmartre until further orders.</p> - - -<p style="margin-left: 50%;">"Your affectionate</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">"LOUIS."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>Madame de Rohan-Soubise, astonished beyond expression, read the letter -twice.</p> - -<p>"Wonderful!" said she, with concentrated spite; "you have prevailed, -mademoiselle, but his majesty can reconsider . . . undoubtedly will -reconsider, a determination which has been surprised from him. . . . And -I shall go immediately to the king."</p> - -<p>"I believe that I am sufficiently acquainted with his majesty's -intentions, madame, to be certain of the futility of your application," -said Mlle. de Soissons. Then she offered her hand to M. de Létorière, -saying: "Adieu, my friend; go to Vienna . . . I will wait for you at -Montmartre Abbey."</p> - -<p>That very evening M. de Létorière started for Vienna.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a></h4> - -<h4>THE GOVERNOR OF HENFERESTER</h4> - - -<p>Ten leagues north of Vienna is the vast manor of Henferester—an -old pile blackened by time, its walls covered with ivy, its roof with moss; -it seemed deserted and abandoned. The main structure, and a great tower -which faced the east, were almost in ruins. The only habitable part of -the chateau was the western tower; through some hedges of box, pushing -in every direction over the esplanade, which, surrounded by lime-trees, -extended before the door of the castle, could be seen traces of an -ancient parterre overgrown with brambles and parasitic plants.</p> - -<p>Autumn was drawing towards its close; the foliage of the great clumps of -trees which fringed the horizon had begun to put on their rich purple -tints. The sky was gray and rainy; the air damp and cold; night -approached. The high and narrow window which gave light to the basement -of the tower was suddenly illuminated; the stained glass windows, -although somewhat blackened by smoke, shone brilliantly, and the -coat-of-arms of the lords of Henferester glittered in the darkness -steadily deepening.</p> - -<p>The lower floor of the tower formed one immense circular room; it was at -once the dining-hall and the kitchen of the Governor of Henferester; the -upper stories contained many dilapidated chambers, which were reached by -a rough and narrow spiral stone staircase, the ascent of which was aided -by a rope attached to the damp wall by rings of rusty iron.</p> - -<p>A great fire was burning in the immense kitchen chimney; a copper lamp -with three branches suspended from the smoky rafters of the ceiling, -lighted the place; on the walls, whose plaster was in patches, were hung -deer-horns, which supported guns and hunting-knives, wild boars' tusks -and hoofs, and several wolves' heads, stuffed.</p> - -<p>The floor, trodden hard like the threshing-floor of a barn, was strewn -with hatchelled straw, by way of a carpet. In one corner an enormous -hogshead of beer, between two beams, was on tap. Above it were two -barrels of different sizes. One contained Rhine wine, the other, which -was smaller, the kirchenwasser of the Black Forest. On either side of -the barrels were ranged pewter mugs of various sizes. Near by were two -great firkins set against the wall, one full of salted bacon, the other -of sauer-kraut pickled in vinegar. An iron fork and spoon hanging over -these two firkins, formed, so to speak, pendants to the pewter mugs -ranged above the barrels.</p> - -<p>Lastly, a kneading-trough, containing a dozen loaves of bread as big as -mill-wheels, completed the list of culinary furniture.</p> - -<p>Except a quarter of venison, which was roasting before an enormous fire -in the chimney, and a great pot in which the bacon and sauer-kraut were -boiling, there was nothing in the room to indicate that it was a -kitchen. There were visible neither cooking-stoves, nor moulds, nor -saucepans of various forms, so dear to <i>gourmands.</i></p> - -<p>As for utensils, there was only one gridiron hanging before the mouth of -the oven, which was wide open, under the mantle-piece, and a great -turnspit operated by a dog.</p> - -<p>A quarter of venison, like that before the fire, was hanging, all -bloody, on an iron hook near the door.</p> - -<p>Thanks to the combined odors of the venison, the bacon, the sauer-kraut, -the beer, the wine, and the kirchenwasser, the atmosphere of the room -was so thick, or perhaps we may say, so nourishing, that a very little -of it would have satisfied a delicate stomach.</p> - -<p>Without, the rain, mingled with hail, fell violently, pelting the -windows.</p> - -<p>Two white-haired old Germans, clothed in loose gray coats, fastened at -the waist by belts of buffalo hide, were preparing the repast of the -lord of Henferester, who had been out hunting since the morning, and had -not yet returned.</p> - -<p>These preparations were simple. The domestics drew towards the -fireplace a long and massive oak table; at the upper end they placed -the master's oaken seat, coarsely sculptured with his coat-of-arms, the -back carried up to form a canopy, and to which no cushion gave ease.</p> - -<p>Before this seat they placed a plate, or rather a great dish of silver, -a piece of bread weighing about two pounds, and three tankards, also of -silver, which served at once as glasses and bottles. The first, destined -for beer, held two pints; the second, for wine, one pint, the third, for -kirchenwasser, half a pint.</p> - -<p>These tankards were generally filled a second time during the meal. -Table-cloths, napkins, and covers were things merely remembered, and -were deemed ridiculous superfluities. Hunters of that day always carried -two knives in their belts; one straight and long, for stabbing the -beast; the other, thick, curved, and a little larger than an ordinary -table-knife, was used for cutting him up. This last they invariably -employed for carving their meat at table.</p> - -<p>The servants then laid pewter plates and pieces of bread at each side of -the table. These inferior places were reserved for the servitors of the -baron, according to their rank.</p> - -<p>The lord of Henferester, faithful to old and patriarchal traditions, ate -with his domestics. On his right was the place of Erhard Trusches, his -huntsman; on the left that of Selbitz, his major-domo.</p> - -<p>This last-named personage, having set the sauer-kraut to boil, and the -venison to roast, aided Link, an old groom, in preparing the table.</p> - -<p>As to women, they were never seen in the castle. Every Saturday, old -Wilhelmina, the minister's housekeeper, came to make and bake the bread -for the week, while the baron was at the council at Vienna. Wednesday, -the other council day, she put in order the linen of the castle, always -in the absence of the governor, who regarded the fair sex with profound -dislike.</p> - -<p>"The master is late to-night," said the major-domo, sadly looking at the -quarter of venison, which was beginning to dry up.</p> - -<p>"The night is dark, the rain is falling heavily, Master Selbitz . . . -perhaps the chase will have carried the governor into the forest of -Harterassen. . . . Master Erhard Trusches sent word this morning by Karl, -the dog-keeper, that the baron was to hunt a wild boar; . . . and wild -boars always start in the woods of Ferstenfak, gain the plain of Marais, -return to their lair in the forest of Harterassen, and then are captured -at the pond of the priory. All that would make a run of at least eight -leagues, and as many to return, Master Selbitz." . . .</p> - -<p>"And what with the night and the rain, and the bad roads of the forest, -that is a long way. . . . But listen, Link," . . . said the major-domo, -putting his hand to his ear; "is not that the sound of the governor's -trumpet?"</p> - -<p>"No, Master Selbitz, it is the wind blowing the weathercock." . . .</p> - -<p>"What time is it?" asked the major-domo; for clocks were almost as -unknown in the castle as at Otaheite.</p> - -<p>"It must be between six and seven, Master Selbitz, for Elphin, the -governor's roan horse, has been calling for his grain for some -time. . . . Hark! listen! do you hear him? Patience, patience, old -Elphin!" said the groom, coming back from the door. . . . "When your -companions, Kol and Lipper, get back, you will have your supper, but -not before, you old glutton!"</p> - -<p>"This time it surely is the governor's trumpet," cried the -major-domo. . . . "God be praised! What weather! Come! run and hold -the master's stirrup. Link, while I go and throw some pine cones on the -fire, to make a blaze."</p> - -<p>"That is certainly the governor's trumpet," said Link, after listening -attentively, . . . "but he does not sound a joyful flourish, or the -retreat. . . . Ah, Master Selbitz, bad luck, bad luck!"</p> - -<p>"The better reason for not keeping him waiting,—go—hurry!"</p> - -<p>The groom ran out. . . . Selbitz, having brightened the fire, put on his -lord's silver plate a letter with a great red seal, which an express had -brought from Vienna during the day.</p> - -<p>At this moment they heard the loud snapping of a whip, and a stentorian -and harsh voice, crying: "Go to the black devil! you cursed dogs! -Erhard, see if the piebald horse eats well; for the day has been a hard -one!"</p> - -<p>Then they heard the clatter of great iron-heeled and spurred boots; the -door opened, and the lord of Henferester entered in the midst of a dozen -dogs, covered with mud and streaming with rain, who rushed into the -kitchen, and crowded before the fire to dry themselves.</p> - -<p>The baron allowed them this privilege as much for love of the canine -race, as for his own interest, knowing that dogs who go into their -kennels shivering and cold, often fall sick.</p> - -<p>The lord of Henferester, a man of enormous size, and from forty-five to -fifty years old, seemed to possess herculean strength. On entering, he -threw his old felt hat into the kneading-trough. His bright red hair was -cut short; his russet beard, which he shaved only on council days, was -so thick that it covered nearly all his face. His features, strongly -marked, and tanned by exposure to the open air, were hard, yet not -devoid of a certain nobility.</p> - -<p>His old green jacket was soaked with rain, and buttoned up to his chin. -His deer-skin breeches were black with age, and his great thick boots, -covered with mud, reached more than half-way up his thighs; a leather -belt held his hunting-knives, with horn handles. He carried across his -breast a great trumpet of tarnished copper, and held in his large, hairy -hand, a whip and a carbine.</p> - -<p>Having given this weapon and the trumpet to his major-domo, who hung -them upon the wall, the master approached the fire with a discontented -air, distributed several rude kicks among his dogs, to make them move -out of his way, and threw himself heavily in his chair, saying to his -hounds, sharply:</p> - -<p>"Get out, you lazy, clumsy wretches! you are much more worthy to turn -the spit than to follow the chase of a noble animal. . . . To give out -after a five-hours' run, and all because the haunt of the wild boar is -too brambly! You have, it seems, become very delicate! Hum! and even -you, old Ralph!" he added, with a furious look, aiming a kick at the dog -thus addressed.</p> - -<p>The major-domo, seeing the humor of his master, tried to calm him by -recalling his more successful sport.</p> - -<p>"I can understand that my lord may be displeased when he has had bad -luck, for he is not used to it; but—"</p> - -<p>"Well, well," said the baron, in a harsh tone, "take the venison from -the spit, and give me my supper, for I am as hungry as the devil. This -boar led us through the forest of Harterassen; then the dogs gave out -before a hedge so thick that one should have the hide of a wild boar -itself to penetrate it." . . .</p> - -<p>"My lord sees, then, that it is not altogether the fault of his brave -dogs. But my lord is wet through; if he would but change his -clothes." . . .</p> - -<p>"Change my clothes! and why would you have me change, Master Selbitz the -tender-skinned?" cried the governor, wrathfully; "do you take me for a -silly woman, for a Frenchman? Do I change my clothes when I return from -the chase? Do my dogs change? do my horses change?"</p> - -<p>"No, of course not, my lord, but your clothes smoke on your body, like -Dame Wilhelmina's tub when she is making the washing lye." . . .</p> - -<p>"That shows that they are drying, and the dampness is leaving them!"</p> - -<p>"But, my lord". . .</p> - -<p>"But, hold your tongue, Master Selbitz the blockhead, Master Selbitz the -babbler, and give me a mug of kirchenwasser."</p> - -<p>Then, seeing the letter which was on his plate, the baron asked:</p> - -<p>"What is that, Selbitz?"</p> - -<p>"A letter which Count Stasfield's carrier has brought."</p> - -<p>"Oh! let business go to the devil! Tis enough to go to Vienna twice a -week," said the governor, breaking the seal of the letter.</p> - -<p>It read thus:</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>"I wish to inform you, my dear baron, that the French Marquis M. de -Létorière will arrive to-day at your house to converse with you on the -subject of his lawsuit; I need not remind you of the formal promise you -have made me to add your vote to those of your colleagues, in favor of -the Duke of Brandenbourg. Believe me, my dear baron, etc."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>"And what the devil is this Frenchman coming here for?" cried the -governor, in a passion. "By the Holy Kings of Cologne, am I never to -have one moment of repose? Here is this beau of Versailles coming to -rouse me like a wild boar from his lair. . . . In my opinion his lawsuit -is lost . . . totally lost. . . . What does he want more? Does he -believe that I am going to interest myself about him? An impudent little -fellow, who embroiders in tambour, and who uses, they say, rouge and -patches! One of these men of gallantry, as corrupt as effeminate, always -hanging on the skirts of the women! But, by the infernal, I can't escape -from this Marquis! If he comes, I shall be obliged to offer him -hospitality; it is fifteen leagues from here to Vienna, and I can't send -him back without seeing him! I wish the devil had all the lawyers and -lawsuits! and he's coming to-night! We must offer him a bed; but where -shall he sleep? Everything is dilapidated here, and this beauty will -come in a litter, like a woman in labor!"</p> - -<p>The baron stamped his foot in anger, and calling his major-domo, said -with an air of vexation:</p> - -<p>"Perhaps we shall have a Frenchman here to-night—a Marquis—a -pleader;—in such weather we cannot let him go back to Vienna. Where -can we put him, him and his suite? For this dandy undoubtedly travels with -his train of hair-dressers, bathers and perfumers!"</p> - -<p>"Faith, my lord," said the major-domo, scratching his ear, "there is -only the rat-chamber, where the rain does not come in."</p> - -<p>"Well then, put him in the rat-chamber." Then the baron added, with a -sort of bitter irony: "In order to convey a brilliant impression of the -hospitality bestowed at the castle of Henferester, and especially that -this delicate visitor may have all his comforts, don't forget, -major-domo, to cover his bed with the most beautiful silk curtains, to -furnish it with eider-down, and the finest linens of Friesland; to beat -well the Turkey carpet; to put perfumed candles into the silver-gilt -candlesticks, and to warm his bed with charcoal of aloes wood. Do you -understand, major-domo?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, my lord," said Martin Selbitz, busily occupying himself with -dishing up the quarter of venison, the bacon and the sauer-kraut, and -rejoiced at the peasantry of his master; "yes, my lord, be easy; I -understand you; the straw of his bed shall be fresh, and well stirred -up; the woollen coverlid well beaten, the floor well swept, the curtains -and tapestry of cobwebs well shaken, and the shutters set wide open, -that the moon may throw a bright light into the chamber of your guest; -in short, if he is so delicate and sensitive to cold, his bed shall be -warmed,—by the dog of the turnspit."</p> - -<p>The baron could not help laughing at the factiousness of his -major-domo, who had so exactly described the rat-chamber, which was very -like his own apartment, so indifferent was he to the commonest -conveniences of life.</p> - -<p>"To supper!" said the governor, drawing up his chair and taking his -hunting-knife from his belt.</p> - -<p>At this moment was heard the sound of the trumpet, habitually used by -German postilions.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps it is that confounded Marquis," cried the baron. "Hullo, -Erhard, Selbitz, run to receive him!"</p> - -<p>The governor, rising heavily from his seat, went to the door, saying in -a growling tone: "He must have a devilish strong body to travel such -weather as this. . . . Bah, shut up in his post-chaise, he is much -better off than he will be in the castle. Let us see, then, this -beautiful darling, this beau, this most effeminate of all the -effeminates in the Court of France."</p> - -<p>And the governor went forward to fulfil, in spite of himself, the duties -of hospitality towards his guest.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a></h4> - -<h4>THE SUPPER</h4> - - -<p>Contrary to the expectation of the baron, Létorière dismounted from a -horse, instead of getting out of a chaise, and gave his animal in charge -of the postilion.</p> - -<p>The master of Henferester understood the duties of his position too well -not to accord a polite reception to a gentleman who had come to ask a -favor of him. He saw, moreover, that Létorière was much less -effeminate than he had been led to believe. A certain amount of energy -was necessary to bring him fifteen leagues on a post-horse, in a dark -night and frightful weather.</p> - -<p>When the Marquis entered, he was nearly suffocated by the -<i>substantial</i> atmosphere of which we have spoken, to which was now -added the strong odor of the kennel, exhaling from the crowded hounds. -At sight of the stranger, they began to bay with marvellous accord.</p> - -<p>The Marquis stopped, seemed to listen to their howlings with unspeakable -satisfaction, and said in very good German:</p> - -<p>"On my faith, baron, I have never heard dogs with better throats than -yours. By St. Hubert! here is something to make the true huntsman's -heart beat!" Then, without noticing the governor, he began to examine in -detail, with serious interest, the qualities of the dogs who approached -him; and exclaimed, in a tone of increasing admiration: "Good dogs! -brave dogs! our dogs of Normandy and Poitou are not so good as these; -yours have better heads, are better formed about the flanks. See them! -They are the most beautiful dogs of their kind I ever saw in my life! -Come here, my fine fellow!" And Létorière took a great white dog, -marked with black, by his two forepaws, looked at him with the eye of a -connoisseur for several minutes, and, with an air of approbation, said -to the baron, who stood by astonished: "That's one of your best dogs, -baron; that's one of your blood-hounds, isn't it? He has served you a -long time; so much the better; years improve blood-hounds."</p> - -<p>Confounded by the assurance and volubility of the Marquis, the governor, -a downright huntsman, too proud of his dogs to take offence at any -attention which they excited, and, above all, struck by the remarks of -Létorière about the blood-hound, answered almost mechanically:</p> - -<p>"But who told you that this dog Moick was my blood-hound?"</p> - -<p>"How, who told me, baron? First the mark of the collator which is to be -seen on his neck, on his worn hair, as clearly as the marks of the -breastplate on a draft-horse; and then his deep and hollow voice, which -proves also that he never barks. All this is more than enough to -indicate a blood-hound to one who is not a novice in the brotherhood of -joyous huntsmen. And then what a well-developed nose! and the -chase-bone, as salient as a linger! Believe me, baron, in all your life -you will never find a finer blood-hound! make the most of him! Ah well! -I see there a quarter of venison, which is getting cold; don't let us -wait any longer, I am as hungry as forty devils! You shall see how I'll -play the knife and fork! Give us your hand, baron! By St. Hubert, our -common patron, you are a brave old German; I was told so, and now I'm -sure of it."</p> - -<p>"Monsieur, may I know to whom I have the honor of speaking?" demanded -the baron, more and more astonished at the cavalier manner of the -stranger.</p> - -<p>"That's right, baron. My name is Létorière; I have come to speak with -you about my lawsuit . . . But as we must see clearly in this chaos, -blacker than hell, and as it is now night, we will wait for the -day . . . that is to say, to-morrow morning, before talking about -it . . . Now, let's go to table, since I have invited myself without -ceremony. Excuse the rudeness of my manner, but I am a child of the -forests."</p> - -<p>The governor was stupefied. He had expected to see a little dandy, -speaking with the tips of his lips, pretentious, scented, delicate, as -ignorant of horses and dogs as a Leipsic shopkeeper; and he found him a -jovial, stanch young fellow, who seemed to know all about hunting, and -whose dress vied in negligence with his own.</p> - -<p>The baron felt most favorably disposed towards Létorière. The -admiration which the latter had shown for the dogs, increased the -good-will of the governor for his guest, so that he cordially answered: -"The castle of Henferester is at your disposal, Monsieur; I only wish I -could offer you greater hospitality."</p> - -<p>"You are too particular, baron. If you knew me better, you would see -that I could not desire entertainment more in accordance with my tastes. -To the table, baron!" and the Marquis approached the fire.</p> - -<p>Létorière had undergone a complete moral and physical transformation. -He who had been applauded at the theatre for the superlative elegance of -his dress, for the grace and charm of his person, now wore an old blue -hunting-coat with a velvet collar faded to dusky red; great boots not -less rough, not less muddy, not less heavily spurred than those of the -German Nimrod. A knot of leather tied his unpowdered hair, disordered by -his journey; his beard was half long, and the delicate whiteness of his -hands was concealed by a tint of soot, which made them look as tanned as -the baron's. In short, everything was changed in the Marquis, even to -the enchanting tone of his voice, now harsh and a little hoarse.</p> - -<p>None of these peculiarities escaped the baron.</p> - -<p>"Do you know, Erhard," said he in a low tone to his huntsman, "do you -know that this Frenchman immediately recognized old Moick as a -blood-hound, and one of our best dogs?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed, my lord!" said Erhard, with a doubting air.</p> - -<p>"It is so, Erhard; I begin to think they do know something about the -chase in France."</p> - -<p>Then addressing his major-domo, while the Marquis was drying himself at -the fire, the baron said:</p> - -<p>"Remove your plates, Selbitz; Frenchmen are not used to our German -manners."</p> - -<p>Selbitz began to execute the order to his own discontent, as well as -that of Erhard, when Létorière, fearing to make two enemies so near -the governor by a misunderstood fastidiousness, cried:</p> - -<p>"What! baron, you wish me, then, to take my horse and return to Vienna -without any supper! and why the devil do you remove the plates of those -brave men? Am I more of a gentleman than you, that I should be shocked -at your domestic habits?"</p> - -<p>"It is our old German custom, it is true," said the baron, "but I -thought that in France . . ."</p> - -<p>"Baron, we are now in Germany, at the house of one of the most worthy -representatives of the old nobility of the Empire. The rule of this -house ought to be inviolable; thus, then, my worthy huntsman," -addressing himself to Erhard Trusches, "and you, my brave director of -the family tuns, hogsheads and barrels, take your places again, with the -consent of the baron, who, I hope, will not refuse me this grace."</p> - -<p>At a sign from the baron, the two servants joyfully replaced their -plates at the lower end of the table. The governor pointed to the -Marquis's seat, and all prepared to attack the venison, and the immense -dish of sauer-kraut and bacon which smoked on the table.</p> - -<p>The baron plunged his knife into the venison to carve it, when -Létorière, with a grave and solemn air, putting his hand on the -governor's arm,—</p> - -<p>"One moment, baron I devil take me if I ever dine without saying -blessing and grace."</p> - -<p>The baron frowned, and answered with impatience and embarrassment:</p> - -<p>"Since my chaplain died I have almost forgotten the words; but I give -the sense—Well, don't you know the blessing, Erhard?"</p> - -<p>"No, my lord," said Erhard, in a peevish tone, "I say it once for the -year, and yesterday was my day for saying it."</p> - -<p>"And you, Selbitz?"</p> - -<p>"I, my lord! my brother, the minister of Blumenthal, says it for me -every day."</p> - -<p>"Ah, baron, are you all Turks? So it will fall to me to say grace."</p> - -<p>And the Marquis said in a loud voice, "Great St. Hubert, please to make -the venison fat, the wine good, the appetite ravenous, and the thirst -unquenchable." Then he emptied at one draught the tankard which held a -pint of Rhine wine, wiped his mustaches with the back of his hand, and, -putting the mug on the table, said <i>Amen.</i></p> - -<p>This pleasantry made the worthy governor almost burst with laughter; -imitating the prowess of his guest, he drank at one breath his cup of -wine, repeated Amen with the voice of a Stentor, and found his solicitor -a jolly good fellow.</p> - -<p>The two servants, quite as much tickled as their master by the strange -blessing of the Marquis, nevertheless moderated the expression of their -gayety.</p> - -<p>"Selbitz," said the governor, soon animated by the good cheer and the -sallies of Létorière, "go and refill our tankards, and don't forgot -yours and Erhard's; it is a fête to-day at Henferester, in honor of my -guest."</p> - -<p>And the baron affectionately tendered his great hand to the Marquis, -whose fingers he rudely squeezed, as much in genuine cordiality as to -show his strength.</p> - -<p>Létorière, who, under a delicate exterior, concealed great muscular -strength, answered his pressure quite as roughly. The baron, who had not -expected this proof of his vigor, said, laughing, with an astonished -air:</p> - -<p>"A rod of steel is often as strong as a great bar of iron, my guest."</p> - -<p>"But unhappily, baron, a great glass will hold more than a little one," -replied the Marquis.</p> - -<p>The wine and the beer began to circulate; the baron saw, with a sort of -national pride, Létorière, after having eaten five or six slices of -venison, bravely attack the sauer-kraut and smoked bacon, of which he -praised the appetizing savor, emptying his two tankards two or three -times, meanwhile.</p> - -<p>While satisfying his furious appetite, Létorière had not remained -silent. His lively and natural wit, excited by the good cheer, charmed -by a thousand pleasantries; in a word, Selbitz and Erhard saw, to their -great astonishment, their master, ordinarily so grave and taciturn, -laugh in this one evening more than he had laughed for many years.</p> - -<p>The huntsman, recognizing in Létorière an accomplished hunter, -listened religiously to his slightest words, when the baron ordered him -to carry the dogs back to their kennel, and give them their supper. A -second iron pot, destined for the hounds, was taken from the fire.</p> - -<p>The major-domo, after removing the dishes, placed upon the table the -tankard of kirchenwasser, an earthen jar full of tobacco, and gave the -baron an old pipe.</p> - -<p>The latter filled it, saying to Létorière, with whom he already felt -entirely at ease, "Well! tobacco-smoke won't offend you, Marquis?"</p> - -<p>For answer, the Marquis drew from his pocket an enormous pipe, which -bore the marks of long and faithful service, and began to fill it with -familiar ease.</p> - -<p>"You smoke then, Marquis!" cried the delighted governor, clapping his -hands with admiration.</p> - -<p>"Do people live without smoking, baron? On returning from the chase, -after a good meal, what greater pleasure is there than smoking a pipe -with your feet on the andirons, drinking from time to time a swallow of -kirchenwasser, this savage offspring of the Black Forest, which is, to -my thinking, as much superior to French brandy as a heath-cock is to a -barn-yard fowl?" And after this audacious flattery, the Marquis -enveloped himself in a thick cloud of smoke.</p> - -<p>The governor, animated by his frequent libations, and whose head was -not, perhaps, quite so calm and so cool as that of his guest, regarded -the Marquis with a sort of ecstasy; he could not understand how a body -so frail in appearance, was so vigorous in reality; how a Frenchman -could drink and smoke as much as, or more, than he, the <i>widerkom -vierge</i>, the subduer of the most redoubtable drinkers of the Empire.</p> - -<p>"To the health of your mistress, my guest!" said he gayly to the -Marquis.</p> - -<p>"My mistress! that's my gun," said Létorière, stretching himself out -by the fire, and poking it with the toe of his great boot, the soles of -which were an inch thick. "Devil take the women! they cannot bear the -smell of tobacco, of brandy, or of the kennel, without putting a flask -of perfume to their noses. Do you make much account of women, baron?"</p> - -<p>"I love better to hear the clatter of spurs than the rustle of -petticoats, my guest; but at my age that is wisdom," said the baron, -more and more astonished to find the Marquis sharing his rustic tastes -and his antipathies to the ridiculous affectations of the fair sex.</p> - -<p>"At all ages it is wisdom, baron; and I would give all the love-sick -guitars, all the melancholy lays of the troubadours, for the old trumpet -of a forester."</p> - -<p>"Do you know one thing, my guest?" said the baron, striking his mug -against that of the Marquis.</p> - -<p>"Say on, baron," replied the Marquis, filling his pipe anew.</p> - -<p>"Well! before I saw you, knowing you were coming to interest me about -your lawsuit, which unhappily . . .</p> - -<p>"Devil take the lawsuit, baron!" cried Létorière; "the one who speaks -of it this evening shall be condemned to drink a pint of water!"</p> - -<p>"So be it, Marquis! Well, before I saw you it seemed to me that I should -much rather go through a bramble bush than to receive you; frankly, I -dreaded your arrival. . . . I believed you a dandy and a beau." . . .</p> - -<p>"Thank you, baron! Well, for my part, I believed you to be an Alcindor, -a Cytherean shepherd."</p> - -<p>"Now, although I have known you but this evening," resumed the baron, "I -will say to you frankly, that when you quit this poor castle of -Henferester I shall have lost the best companion that a man could have -for a long evening at the fire-side."</p> - -<p>"And also to pass a hard day of hunting in the depths of the forest. -Devil take the coxcomb who prefers balls and gallantry to the bottle, -the pipe and hunting. If you wish to prove to me that your dogs are as -good as they are handsome, baron, you will see that I am worthy to -follow them."</p> - -<p>"That's right, my guest! To-morrow morning, by daylight, we will be -ready for the chase."</p> - -<p>"Let it be as you say, baron; we will speak of the lawsuit day -after to-morrow, not before—remember—the pint of water to him -who speaks of it before."</p> - -<p>"Bravo, my guest!" said the baron, "but it is late, and you are -fatigued; old Selbitz will conduct you to your chamber,—that is to -say, a kind of room furnished with a paltry bed, which is all I have to -offer you. . . . My chamber is still worse."</p> - -<p>"Ah, well, no ceremony, baron; rather than give you any trouble, I will -take one of my boots for a bolster; you will give me an armful of straw, -and I shall pass a comfortable night before this fire, which will burn -until morning."</p> - -<p>"I have thus passed many nights in the huts of charcoal burners," said -the baron, with a sigh of regret, "when I was hunting in the Black -Forest; but in fact, my friend, however bad your bed may be, you will -find it more comfortable than this floor, beaten down like a -threshing-ground."</p> - -<p>"To-morrow morning, baron, I will myself sound the <i>reveille</i>" said -the Marquis; "but before that, let me sound the good-night." And -Létorière, taking from the wall the governor's trumpet, gave this last -flourish with such perfection, with such a bold and free hunting air, -that the baron enthusiastically cried:</p> - -<p>"In the thirty years I've hunted, I never heard so fine a trumpeter."</p> - -<p>"That is easily enough explained, baron; it is because you have never -heard yourself sound it. Your trumpet is so true that you cannot help -being master of this noble science. But until to-morrow,—baron, -good-night, and above all, don't dream of water, or sour wine, or empty -bottles."</p> - -<p>"Good-night, Marquis!"</p> - -<p>The baron called Selbitz, and ordered him to conduct his guest to the -rat-chamber already described, in which a great fire had been lighted.</p> - -<p>Létorière, fatigued with his journey, slept soundly enough, and the -baron did the same, after having several times remarked to Selbitz and -Erhard, in giving them their orders for the next day, that it was a pity -that this young man was a Frenchman, for he was quite worthy of having -been born in Germany.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a></h4> - -<h4>CONFIDENCES</h4> - - -<p>The next day, on rising, the baron learned from Selbitz that the Marquis -had set out at daylight with Erhard Trusches, for the woods, and had -charged the major-domo to make his excuses to the governor.</p> - -<p>"Who would have thought, considering the reputation of the Marquis, to -find him such a hard huntsman and drinker, Selbitz? For, do you know, he -was ahead of me at table, and we valiantly emptied our tankards," said -the baron.</p> - -<p>"Yes, my lord, and he went up to the rat-chamber with as firm a step as -if he had drunk nothing but a little whey for supper."</p> - -<p>"Well, well," said the baron, receiving from the hands of his major-domo -what was necessary to dress himself for the chase, "well, Selbitz, we -must allow that, after all, the Marquis is a brave and worthy gentleman, -and besides, is gay enough to rejoice your heart! What good stories he -told us. . . . I wish he was going to pass several days at the castle! -for, on my faith, he's a most agreeable companion. Although there is -more than twenty years difference in our ages, we seem to be old -acquaintances; in short, if he were not an acquaintance of yesterday, -I -should say—and devil take me if I know why—I should say, -Selbitz, that I feel a great friendship for him; faith, I like frank and -open characters,—there's nothing equal to them!"</p> - -<p>After hastily eating a slice of cold venison, a porringer of beer-soup, -and drinking two pints of Rhine wine, the baron mounted his horse, and -soon reached the rendezvous which he had appointed with Erhard Trusches, -in one of the cross-ways of the forest.</p> - -<p>He found there his huntsman, his servant, and the pack.</p> - -<p>Erhard Trusches appeared sad and absorbed; the baron, surprised at not -seeing Létorière at the rendezvous, questioned Erhard about him.</p> - -<p>After a moment's silence, Erhard said, with a timid and uneasy air, "Is -my lord well acquainted with his guest?"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, Erhard? Where is the Marquis? Did he not come with -you this morning to the wood?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, my lord, that is why I ask you if you are sure of him. See here, -my lord, it will bring me mischief, joking last night at supper about -the blessing."</p> - -<p>"Ah! explain yourself!"</p> - -<p>"I mean to say, my lord"—and Erhard went on with a low and -trembling voice—"I very much fear that your guest is he who -appears sometimes in the moonlight, in the solitary recesses of the -forest, to offer to desperate huntsmen three balls, one of gold, one of -silver, and one of lead, and the whole at the price of their souls!" -added Erhard, with a gloomy and frightened air.</p> - -<p>"So! you take my guest for the devil, then," cried the baron, shrugging -his shoulders and laughing; "your morning cup has turned your brain, old -Erhard!"</p> - -<p>The huntsman shook his head, and replied: "My lord, explain to me how it -is that he whom you call your guest, and who has never been in this -forest before, knows it as well as I do."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean to say?" said the baron, very much astonished.</p> - -<p>"This morning at daylight, when I started with the Marquis, 'Master -Erhard,' said he to me, 'if you will let me take a hound, we will share -the search of the forest. I will go over the enclosures of the priory of -the Hermit's Chapel, of the Thunder-struck Fir-tree, and of the Black -Pool.'"</p> - -<p>"He said that?" said the baron, stupefied.</p> - -<p>"Just as I have told you, my lord, and he added: 'I have great hope of -starting a full-grown buck, for, in the woods about the Hermit's Chapel, -stags are plenty. You, Master Erhard, on your part, seek to start a wild -boar. They are always to be found in the forests of Enrichs, the -brambles are so thick. Then the baron can have his choice between the -foot of the stag or the track of the wild boar.' 'But, sir,' I said, -affrighted, 'you know our forests well, then? you have often hunted -them?' 'I have never hunted here,' he answered, 'but I know it as well as -you do. Go ahead! good luck, Master Erhard!'—and then he disappeared -in the woods, taking with him poor Moick, our best boar-hound, whom lie -will perhaps change into a lynx, or a beast with seven paws, by his -diabolical witchcraft."</p> - -<p>The baron was not at all superstitious, but he could not comprehend what -Erhard said, and he knew him to be too respectful to joke with his -master. Nevertheless, he could not but admit that the Marquis was -endowed with such topographical knowledge as the huntsman described.</p> - -<p>"And what have you done in the search?" he asked Erhard.</p> - -<p>"He whom you call your guest has brought me ill-luck,—I have done -nothing."</p> - -<p>"Nothing? how does that happen? This is the first time in two years that -you have not had game,—and on a day, too, when we are going to hunt -with a stranger!"</p> - -<p>"Where the evil spirit can, mere mortals can't, my lord," said Erhard, -soberly. "He whom you call your guest has only to sound his trumpet, and -all the animals of the forest will come to him, as the bird comes to the -serpent."</p> - -<p>"Go to the devil, you old fool!" cried the governor, angrily.</p> - -<p>"I shall not have to go far for that, my lord," murmured he, in a low -voice, pointing to Létorière, who was coming out of a coppice holding -old Moick in leash.</p> - -<p>"Long life to you, baron!" cried Létorière; "if you have a mind, you -can chase a full-grown buck, and strike him at my trap near the chapel. -By the size of his tracks, I would lay a wager that it is one of those -great deer with a white forehead and legs; the King of France has a -number like them in his forest of Chambord. I should recognize their -feet among a thousand. They have a magnificent shape."</p> - -<p>"You have good luck, Marquis," said the baron; "you are a sorcerer."</p> - -<p>"I am not a sorcerer, but it is your good blood-hound that deserves -credit. I owe my stag to him. As to you, my brave Erhard," added he, -turning towards the huntsman, "if you had had him at the end of your -leash you would have done what I have done. Come, baron, to horse! to -horse! It is a good league from here to my trap, and the November days -are short. Here's your dog, Erhard!" At the same time the Marquis -slipped a piece of gold into the huntsman's hand.</p> - -<p>But he, seizing a moment when the Marquis could not see him, threw away -the piece as if it had been red-hot, and with the toe of his boot kicked -it under the leaves.</p> - -<p>"Money of hell!" said he, in a low voice; "if I had put it into my -pocket, in a quarter of an hour, instead of a piece of gold, I should -have found a red bat or a black frog." Then the huntsman took the leash -of his hound with as much precaution as if the Marquis had had the -plague, and looked at the dog with disturbed tenderness, believing him -to be already bewitched.</p> - -<p>After putting his thick boots over his buckskin splatterdashes, the -Marquis mounted old Elphin, and the baron saw with a new pleasure that -his guest was an excellent horseman.</p> - -<p>"Baron," cried Létorière, arriving at an enclosure in the forest, -"here is my trap; unleash, I am going to enter the hedge with three or -four of your oldest dogs in order to attack—"</p> - -<p>"One moment," said the baron, with a serious air; "you pass for a -sorcerer in the eyes of Erhard Trusches; he will work badly if he takes -you for the devil, for he will think more of his soul than the course of -the stag."</p> - -<p>"How? explain yourself, baron!"</p> - -<p>"Come here, Erhard," said the governor.</p> - -<p>The huntsman advanced, looking agitated and alarmed.</p> - -<p>"Is it not true," continued the governor, "that you do not understand -how my guest, who has never been in this forest, knows it so well. How -he knows that the enclosure of the Hermit's Chapel is the best haunt of -the stag, and that relays must be placed at the border of the Priory -Plain?"</p> - -<p>"'Tis true," said Erhard in a low voice; "could not have known it so -long—"</p> - -<p>"And devil take me if I understand it myself, Marquis," said the -baron.</p> - -<p>Shrugging his shoulders and smiling, the Marquis drew from his pocket a -little book bound in leather, and advanced towards Erhard: "Look here, -you old wild boar, here's my conjuring-book."</p> - -<p>The huntsman recoiled from it with a look of fright.</p> - -<p>The Marquis opened the book, and spread out on his saddle-bow a forest -map especially prepared for imperial hunting, and on which all the -enclosures, routes, paths, haunts and passes of the animals were -minutely indicated and explained.</p> - -<p>"The map of the imperial hunting-ground!" cried the baron; "I ought to -have guessed it. There is the mystery all explained. But you must have -great insight, a rare familiarity with the chase, to be able to make -such use of it. Ah, Marquis, Marquis, you have not your equal in Europe. -To start a stag the first time that one hunts in a forest,—that is -the most skilful thing I ever saw I Do you understand now, you old fool?" -said the baron to the huntsman; "you ought to go down on your knees to -the Marquis, our master in everything."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, my lord, I understand, and God be praised, for it would have -been a great misfortune;" saying these words, Erhard took his ramrod and -drew his charge.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing, Erhard?" said the baron.</p> - -<p>The huntsman showed the baron a black ball, on which was traced a cross, -and said to him: "At the first enclosure I should nevertheless have sent -this charmed ball into the breast of the Marquis, whom I took for the -devil; old Ralph said there was nothing like it to lay such evil -spirits."</p> - -<p>"Wretch!" cried the baron.</p> - -<p>"He is right," said Létorière, with the greatest <i>sang-froid</i>; "but -you have forgotten, Erhard, that it is necessary to make the charm -complete, to have three pieces of gold in your left pocket in order that -the devil cannot enter into your purse;" and the Marquis threw three -louis to Erhard, who, this time, did not bury them under the leaves.</p> - -<p>The stag which was started was soon in full career.</p> - -<p>It is unnecessary to describe the various incidents of this chase, -during which Létorière showed consummate skill. The animal was taken, -and the Marquis, arriving first at the death, bravely killed him with -one blow of the knife.</p> - -<p>The huntsmen arrived at the castle at nightfall. Selbitz had as usual -made ready the bacon, the sauer-kraut, the venison, the great, the -medium, and the little tankards well filled.</p> - -<p>As on the previous night, the baron and the Marquis did honor to this -repast; as before, they filled their pipes after supper, and established -themselves at the corner of the fireplace, while the major-domo occupied -himself with the cares of the household.</p> - -<p>Although the baron felt subjugated by the jovial spirit and the open and -resolute character of the Marquis, he was a little vexed at meeting in -so young a man an unconquered rival either at the chase or table.</p> - -<p>Létorière, too adroit not to divine this, contrived a brilliant -triumph for him.</p> - -<p>The governor, who was truly interested in his guest, wished to resume of -his own accord the conversation about the lawsuit.</p> - -<p>"To the devil with the lawsuit!" cried the Marquis. "That's my look-out -. . . If I lose my cause I shall have gained a good companion. I would -have twenty lawsuits in order to lose them in that way! But my tankard -is empty. . . . Hallo, Selbitz, hallo, you old Satan! . . . The -kirchenwasser evaporates before my thirst, as the dew before the sun."</p> - -<p>"Poor fellow! he tries to shake it off," thought the governor. "I ought -not to let him drink alone," and the baron had his mug refilled.</p> - -<p>"Baron, a song!" cried Létorière, very gayly. "Do you know <i>The -Retreat?</i> They say that the air and the words were composed by one of -your old huntsmen."</p> - -<p>"You sing it, Marquis—I will tell you if I know it."</p> - -<p>And Létorière, having again emptied his mug, and preluded by a deep -hem—hem—or two, struck up the following song with the voice of -a Stentor:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 3em;">"'Afar the trumpet peals!</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">The stag lies on his haunches!</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Let the merry hallo sound,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">'Tis a stag of ten branch—'"</span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"Come! join the chorus, baron. . . . Heavens! 'tis quite <i>apropos</i> -to-day."</p> - -<p>"With all my heart, Marquis! I don't know the air, but, by Jupiter, it -is worthy of Mozart!" and the baron repeated the refrain with a voice so -powerful, that it shook the windows.</p> - -<p>"Listen to the minor strain, baron. . . . It is as melancholy as the -last sounds of a distant trumpet in a clear night."</p> - -<p>And the Marquis continued in a softer voice, and in a slower measure:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 3em;">"'Now the star of evening</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Peers above the hill;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The day hides in the forest,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">All is still.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">'Tis the hour of retreat,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Let the dogs be coupled quick;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">Huntsmen mount and trumpets sound;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Forward your brave horses prick!</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">See the brown night</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">And the moonlight;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">We will go back</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Home without seeing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The huntsman in black.'"</span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>The voice of the Marquis seemed to lose its strength as he sang these -last words, in a rhythm melancholy and almost sorrowful; his countenance -lost its joyous and careless expression, and a shade of sadness passed -over his brow, which he soon supported with his hand.</p> - -<p>Selbitz, who was just at that moment behind his master's chair, said to -him, in a low voice, pointing to the Marquis:</p> - -<p>"When the flower is too plentifully watered it bends on its stalk; when -the business on hand is drinking, <i>to-day</i> is not always the son of -<i>yesterday.</i> Come, come, my lord, you will always be the <i>widerkom -vierge!</i> Here's this Frenchman supporting his forehead with his left -hand; the intoxication of the forester-general of Hasbreck always begins -in that way; but, to do the latter justice, that is always so from the -first day."</p> - -<p>The baron laughed with an air of proud satisfaction, and answered in a -low voice:</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, Selbitz? He is so young . . . but notwithstanding his -youth, he is a hardy combatant. Yesterday he went ahead of me; to -contend two days in succession is too much for him. But after myself, I -do not know anybody who can equal him." . . .</p> - -<p>"Use him up then, my lord . . . use him up, for the honor of old -Germany," . . . said the traitorous major-domo.</p> - -<p>"Well, Marquis," said the governor, in a loud voice, "is your song -already finished? Shall we not drink to your glorious chase to-day?"</p> - -<p>"Let's drink!" said the Marquis, holding out his tankard with an arm -that seemed heavy. . . . Then, having drank, he repeated in a low and -sad voice the last few lines of his song:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 3em;">"'See the brown night</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">And the moonlight;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">We will go back</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Home without seeing</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 3em;">The huntsman in black.'"</span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"He is dull in his liquor," said the baron to his major-domo.</p> - -<p>"He puts me in mind of Count Ralph, who, you know, monsieur, at about -the tenth bottle almost always sings the psalm for the dead," answered -Selbitz.</p> - -<p>"Come, Marquis, to the first wild boar that we shall take!" said the -baron, wishing to strike a last blow at the Marquis's reason.</p> - -<p>"Let's drink!" said Létorière, who began from that time to show slight -symptoms of intoxication, speaking by turns slowly and rapidly, sadly -and joyfully. "The chase, baron—'tis good, the chase . . . wine -also . . . it stupefies—it transports, gives no time for thought; and -then it makes one gay, and at last . . . but, bah! hold on, baron, I -must tell you something in confidence." . . .</p> - -<p>"What, confidences so soon?" cried the major-domo. "That's like the -minister at Blumenthal,—but his reverence does not begin before the -eighth tankard. You remember, my lord, the good story he told us of the -jolly miller's wife of Val-aux-Primevères?"</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, and listen!" said the governor; who replied aloud, -"speak, speak, Marquis! Come, let's drink to your confidences." . . .</p> - -<p>"Well, then, baron, imagine that my lawsuit has turned my -brain." . . .</p> - -<p>"Truly, Marquis!" said he aloud. "I'm sure of it," he continued in a low -voice . . . "this poor boy wishes to drown his thoughts." . . .</p> - -<p>"True, as that my glass is empty. . . . I wouldn't tell you this, baron -. . . but you are my friend . . . I ought to confide in you. . . . Know -that I have made a visit to my judges." . . .</p> - -<p>"Ah, bah!" said the baron, gratified with his guest's involuntary -communicativeness, and very eager to draw from him the secret, perhaps, -of his visits. "You have seen your judges, have you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, baron, the first one was named . . . Spectre." . . .</p> - -<p>"You mean to say Sphex, Marquis?"</p> - -<p>"Sphex, or Spectre . . . 'tis all the same to me . . . but a thousand -guns! baron, I must laugh . . . although it may be at one of your -confrères . . . 'tis not my fault . . . I have as great regard for a -man learned in us . . . as for a broken glass or a foundered -horse." . . .</p> - -<p>"Well said, Marquis! you are not made anymore than myself to breathe the -odor of worm-eaten books. . . . We love the air of the forests!"</p> - -<p>"Figure to yourself then, baron . . . that this old Spectre—I like -best to call him Spectre, because that tells his face as well as his -name—had the insolence to ask me, at the end of a conversation of two -minutes, if I spoke Latin!"</p> - -<p>"You, Marquis, you speak Latin!" said the baron, sharing the indignation -of his guest. "I wonder where he had put his spectacles? As if you -looked like one who spoke Latin! Did any one ever see such an impudent -old thing! What the devil did he take you for?"</p> - -<p>"You understand that one cannot hear such things with -coolness,—even from his judge. 'Ah well,' said I to him, 'do I -look like a rat that gnaws old books? an ink-drinker? a vulgar pedant? -To speak Latin! A thousand devils! If I had not come to ask your support -in my lawsuit, . . . I would let you see how I treat those who tell me -that I speak Latin!'"</p> - -<p>"Well said, my guest! I would have given a hundred florins to be present -at that scene," said the baron, shouting with laughter.</p> - -<p>"Then the doctor declared to me distinctly, that he had nothing to say -about my lawsuit, and I could consider my cause as lost, because <i>I was -known!</i> S'death, baron, I was known!!! It was too much. He had already -asked me if I spoke Latin; I could contain myself no longer, and so I -challenged him at once. . ."</p> - -<p>"Sphex! a challenge!" cried the governor, laughing until he lost his -breath; . . . "the old ape must have looked funny! but what did he say?"</p> - -<p>"He said nothing at all; he raised his hands towards Heaven, and -disappeared, as if by enchantment, behind a pile of great books. . . . -Then I left, not doubting that the doctor owed me a grudge, but devil -take me if I know for what, for two gentlemen can cross swords, and -still be friends notwithstanding."</p> - -<p>"He has rare simplicity," said the governor, aside; "he little knows how -he appears."</p> - -<p>Létorière went on. . . . "Then I had to see the councillor -Flachsinfingen. I reached his house and asked for him, and was -introduced into the presence of an old sorceress, dressed in black, who -might have passed for a female savant, so dry and thin was she. She had, -into the bargain, a Bible in her hand. 'I have business with the -councillor, and not with his wife,' said I to the lacquey. 'Me or the -councillor, 'tis all the same,' said the old witch. 'Tell me, sir, what -you have to say to my husband?' Then, baron, I, who know how to do such -things, devised a way to send off the wife and bring forward the -husband."</p> - -<p>"Let's hear, Marquis," said the governor; adding, aside: "when he shall -become quick and adroit in such matters, I will drink pure water . . . -he is rough and knotty as an oak, but pliable as a willow. Ah, well! -what was this scheme, Marquis?"</p> - -<p>"'A thousand devils, madam!' said I to the lady, 'what I have to say to -the councillor is not fit for your chaste ears.' 'Never mind; say on, -sir!' Then, baron, I began to recount a tale of the barracks which would -have made a Pandour blush."</p> - -<p>At this new jest the baron had a new spasm of laughter, and exclaimed: -"A barrack-story to the prudish and devout Flachsinfingen! I would have -given—devil take me if I wouldn't—my old hound Moick, if I -could have witnessed that scene; and what did she say?"</p> - -<p>"She blushed red as a lobster, called me insolent, and made me a sign to -go away."</p> - -<p>"If that is the course you take to interest your judges in your cause, -my guest, I wish you joy of it," said the governor.</p> - -<p>"And what the devil should I find to say to a learned man or to a prude? -One cannot make himself over again."</p> - -<p>"Certainly not," murmured the baron; "the poor boy is like me; he would -find it difficult to accustom himself to the jargon of a doctor and the -babbling of an old woman."</p> - -<p>"Then only you remained to be seen, baron. I have seen you; you are a -brave man . . . and I am afraid to bother you with my affairs. . . . But -this lawsuit . . . if you knew . . . if I lose it! I seem to be an -easy-going fellow; but look at me; if this were . . . if I lose -it" . . . said Létorière, with energy, "I will never survive. S'death! -I should pray St. Cartridge and my rifle to have mercy on me!"</p> - -<p>Having permitted this sinister secret to escape him, Létorière -appeared to collect his ideas, passed his hand over his forehead, and -looked around him with an air of astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Ah, well, where am I? You there, baron? Come, come, your Rhine wine is -excellent, but devilish strong. My lord, I've been asleep, I think" -. . . and the Marquis, in spite of all his efforts, lowered his eyelids, -which seemed to be heavy.</p> - -<p>"You haven't slept, but you ought to, I think, and your cup is -full."</p> - -<p>"Then empty it for me, baron . . . for . . . the lawsuit . . . the stag -. . . to-day . . . All! to the devil with the lawsuit—<i>vive la -chase!</i> something to drink . . . to you, baron, . . ." and Létorière -feigned to become drowsy, and let his head fall on his arms.</p> - -<p>"He refuses to drink, and I am conqueror!" cried the governor. He called -Selbitz and Erhard, as much to prove his triumph over the Frenchman, as -to order them to help his guest to the rat-chamber.</p> - -<p>Létorière, whose head was as calm as the baron's, received their -offered aid, ascended the staircase mechanically, and fell heavily on -his mean bed.</p> - -<p>The baron felt strangely embarrassed. If he had been profoundly -interested in Létorière, especially since the latter had made him -believe that he could not survive the loss of his lawsuit; he had also -formally promised his vote to the German princes, whose cause he truly -believed to be just.</p> - -<p>To reconcile his desire of obliging the Marquis with his word already -given, the baron had recourse to a singular compromise: "Our votes are -secret; from what I know of Sphex and Flachsinfingen, otherwise good -partisans of the princes"—said he to himself—"both of them will -undoubtedly vote against this poor Létorière, especially after the -affront he has offered to the savant and the councillor's wife. Thus -their hostility assures the triumph of the party opposed to the Marquis. -Now, provided that the German princes gain, and thus justice be done, -what matters it whether it is owing to a unanimous vote, or a majority -of two voices against one? I desire only to be able, without being -unjust, to send this poor Marquis away with soft words and a proof of my -friendship; for I should never have the courage to say <i>No</i> to so -brave a huntsman and so jovial a companion."</p> - -<p>This resolution taken, the governor awaited with impatience the waking -of his guest, and announced to him, that having reflected all night on -his lawsuit, his opinion was modified, and that he would promise to vote -for him.</p> - -<p>Létorière, having thanked the baron a thousand times, returned to -Vienna. Notwithstanding what he had told the governor, he had as yet -seen neither the councillor Sphex, nor the wife of the councillor -Flachsinfingen.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a></h4> - -<h4>DOCTOR SPHEX</h4> - - -<p>Doctor Aloysius Sphex lived in a very retired house, at the end of one -of the faubourgs of Vienna. Heavy bars protected all the windows; thick -plates of iron strengthened a low and narrow door, secured by a strong -lock.</p> - -<p>One had to pass boldly between two enormous mountain-dogs, chained -behind the door, in order to reach a little interior court, where grass -was growing, and which led to the kitchen. In this cold and gloomy place -the doctor's old housekeeper was to be seen crouching near two expiring -brands.</p> - -<p>On the first floor the doctor had a large library, dusty and in -disorder, encumbered with large folios, which seemed not to have been -opened for a long time. A high window, with small panes of glass set in -leaden sashes, and half hidden by a curtain of old tapestry, admitted a -doubtful and dingy daylight. A vast chimney, with twisted stone columns -and a sculptured mantle-piece, had been transformed into a part of the -library; for the doctor never had a fire lighted, for fear of burning -his books.</p> - -<p>In order to guard himself against the sharp cold of the autumn, the -councillor had conceived the idea of shutting himself up in an old -sedan-chair, which had been placed in the middle of his study; closing -its glasses, he found himself comfortably established to read and write.</p> - -<p>Doctor Sphex, a little, thin, stooping old man, with thick eyebrows, -piercing eyes, a caustic smile, projecting lower jaw, high-cheek bones -and wrinkled skin, had a singularly sardonic and malignant countenance.</p> - -<p>When his old inlaid clock struck two, the councillor came out of his -sedan-chair, with almost automatic precision.</p> - -<p>He wore an old rusty black coat, over which he drew a sort of gray -overcoat, placed a hat with a broad brim on his red wig, and, in order -to keep his head-dress in place, used a square handkerchief, folded -triangularly, the two ends being tied under his chin.</p> - -<p>Putting his spectacles into one of his pockets, and into the other a -precious Elzevir, a little volume bound in black leather, Doctor Sphex -took his cane and prepared to go out.</p> - -<p>But, as if struck by a sudden thought, he turned back, recrossed the -library and entered another room, closing the door behind him.</p> - -<p>His eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. He took a key suspended from his -watch-chain, opened a little chest, and drew from it with religious -respect a flat and oblong cedar box. It contained a vellum manuscript in -quarto. The forms of the written characters were those used in the tenth -century; the titles and capital letters were gilt, and ornamented with -vignettes.</p> - -<p>After contemplating this manuscript with looks as eager, uneasy, and -insatiable as those with which a miser gloats over his treasure, Doctor -Sphex replaced the box, and carefully closed the chest which contained -this precious specimen of caligraphy. Reassured of the safety of his -dearest treasure, he went out to take his accustomed walk.</p> - -<p>In passing by the housekeeper's room, he said to her, in an impatient -tone:</p> - -<p>"If the French Marquis comes to the charge again, whether I am at home -or not, always tell him that I am absent."</p> - -<p>"He has been again this morning, sir."</p> - -<p>"That's good, that's good! What need have I to see this silly coxcomb, -this spark, this beau, who, they say, <i>Non pudet ad morem discincti -vivere Nattœ.</i>"<a name="FNanchor_2_1" id="FNanchor_2_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_1" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>The old man directed his steps to a little valley situated behind the -faubourgs, called the Vale of the Lindens.</p> - -<p>Even as certain disdainfully exclusive amateurs acknowledge but one -school of painting, and admire but one master of that school, so Doctor -Sphex was infatuated with the Satires of Persius, and ranked him above -all other ancient Latin poets.</p> - -<p>Not only did he possess all the editions of this poet, from the most -rare, the edition <i>Princeps de Brescia</i> (1470), to the most modern, -that of Homs (1770), but he had, at a high price, secured the manuscript of -which we have spoken, and which he considered an inestimable treasure.</p> - -<p>The councillor had translated and commented upon Persius, and still -studied him daily. By dint of penetrating into the mind of this author, -he had come to assimilate him so constantly in his thoughts, that he -applied, continually, to himself and others, quotations borrowed from -that satirical stoic.</p> - -<p>This admiration bordered on monomania. Even as by the aid of a -microscope the observer discovers unknown worlds in a blade of grass or -a drop of water, so the exalted imagination of the doctor found in the -most simple words of his cherished author the most profound -significances.</p> - -<p>The councillor proceeded, then, with slow steps towards the place of his -daily walk. Approaching the overthrown tree which generally served him -as a seat, he heard some one speaking in a loud voice. . . .</p> - -<p>Annoyed by finding his place occupied, he stopped behind a -holly-bush.</p> - -<p>But what was his surprise, when he heard a young and sweet voice -reciting with admirable accentuation and elegant expression, these -verses from the first Satire of Persius:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"O curas hominum! O quantum est in rebus inane!" etc.<a name="FNanchor_3_1" id="FNanchor_3_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_1" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>The councillor held his breath, listened, and when the voice ceased, he -quickly advanced to see who was this stranger who appeared to enjoy so -much his favorite author.</p> - -<p>He saw a young man negligently dressed, with rolls of paper thrust into -the pockets of his old black coat; beside him was a voluminous quarto. -The exterior of Létorière, for it was he, gave an instant impression -of a poor poet; a narrow cravat of coarse linen, an old felt hat, rusty -with age, a pale and half-famished countenance; nothing was wanting to -this new metamorphosis.</p> - -<p>At sight of the old councillor, the Marquis respectfully arose.</p> - -<p>"Ah, young man, is not our Persius the king of poets?" cried Sphex, -eagerly, striking the palm of his hand on the Elzevir which he drew from -his pocket, and approaching Létorière with a radiant air.</p> - -<p>"Sir!" said the Marquis abashed, "I did not know" . . .</p> - -<p>"I was there, I was there behind the holly-bush; I heard you begin the -recital of the first satire of our poet, of our god! for, by Hercules, -young man, I see that you appreciate him as I do! Never could a Tuscan -pronounce with more purity than you, the inimitable poetry of our common -hero; and truly, my old heart is rejoiced at this meeting, as happy as -it is unexpected.</p> - -<p>"'<i>Hunc, Macrine, diem numera meliore lapillo!</i>'"<a name="FNanchor_4_1" id="FNanchor_4_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_1" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> cried the old man; -and he cordially held out his hand to his new acquaintance, having -borrowed this quotation from his favorite author.</p> - -<p>"If it were not too presumptuous, sir," answered Létorière, with -humility, "I should dare to answer you:"</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Non equidem hoc dubites, amboram fœdere certo</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Consentira dies, et ah uno sidere duci.'"<a name="FNanchor_5_1" id="FNanchor_5_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_1" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"Bravo! my young friend, it would be impossible to answer with more -spirit, or more to the point! You must know my Persius, my inimitable -stoic, as well as I do; but what is given to you, and which, alas! I -have not, is this beautiful and harmonious pronunciation, so musical -that I am transported by it! So," added the councillor, hesitating, "if -I dared, I would ask you, in the name of our common admiration, to -repeat to me the first verses of the third satire."</p> - -<p>"With pleasure, sir," said Létorière, smiling.</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Hæc cedo, ut admoveam templis et farre litabo.'"<a name="FNanchor_6_1" id="FNanchor_6_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_1" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"Better and better!" cried the savant, clapping his hands. "But -<i>apropos</i> to this quotation, what signification do you give to -<i>far?</i>" and the doctor fastened an anxious look on the young man, -whose knowledge he wished to put to the proof by this question.</p> - -<p>"According to my slender experience," unhesitatingly replied the -Marquis, "<i>far</i> signifies the grain of which flour is made; and, -contrary to the opinion of Casaubon and Scaliger, I believe that this -word applies not only to bread, but to corn, to barley, in a word, to -all sorts of grain; for you know, sir, that <i>far</i> was with salt, the -most common of offerings; and it is that, I think, that Virgil means by -these words, <i>fruges salsae . . . salsa mola</i> . . . it is then as a -kind of humble offering to our common divinity, sir, that I will repeat the -verses which please you." Then Létorière kindly recited the whole -satire, giving to his harmonious voice an expression by turns so fine, -so pointed, and so energetic, that doctor Sphex, delighted, cried out:</p> - -<p>"Nothing has escaped him! not a shade! not an idea! he has not stopped -on the surface of the words! he scrutinizes them, he examines them, he -weighs them, he penetrates through the brilliant exterior, and brings to -light the profound and hidden sense. . . . Young man! . . . young man!" -. . . added Sphex, rising, . . . "my respects to you. To read thus is to -translate! To translate thus is so to assimilate yourself with the mind -of the original as to substitute the individuality of the author for -your own! Now I declare to you, that a man so happy and so rarely -endowed as to individualize himself with Persius, deserves, in my -opinion, almost as much respect as Persius himself! Yes, I consider this -phenomenon of assimilation as a kind of relation . . . of intellectual -parentage! Now then, mark this, young man! . . . Were it not for the -immense difference in age which separates us, I should say that we were -brothers in intelligence, children of one father."</p> - -<p>Dr. Sphex had spoken with so much vehemence and enthusiasm, that -Létorière regarded him with profound astonishment, fearing that he had -been deceived, and was talking to a monomaniac instead of the Aulic -Councillor, for whom he was waiting.</p> - -<p>The <i>savant</i>, differently interpreting his silence, continued: "You -see I act like an old fool. . . . I treat you as a brother, and have not -thought of asking to what learned Latin scholar I have the honor of -speaking."</p> - -<p>"My name is Létorière, sir," said the Marquis, saluting him.</p> - -<p>"Létorière!" cried Sphex, turning away suddenly. "You may perhaps be a -relative of the Marquis of that name?"</p> - -<p>"I myself am the Marquis of Létorière, sir."</p> - -<p>"You! you!! you!!!" cried the doctor, in three different tones. "Come -now, that's impossible. The Marquis of Létorière is, they say, as -ignorant as a carp, and as flighty as a butterfly; he is one of those -beautiful triflers incapable of understanding a word of Latin, and who, -as to Persius, know only stuffs of that name," added the councillor, -well pleased with this detestable joke.</p> - -<p>"I see, with pain, that I have been calumniated, sir," said the Marquis.</p> - -<p>"Are you really, then, M. de Létorière?" said Sphex, stupefied.</p> - -<p>"I have the honor to repeat it to you, sir," said the Marquis.</p> - -<p>"But are you here about a lawsuit? Answer, sir, answer, and do not -deceive me!"</p> - -<p>"Sir!" said the Marquis, as if he were shocked with the indiscretion of -the councillor.</p> - -<p>"Pardon my vivacity, sir. . . . If I appear to be well acquainted with -what concerns you, it is because"—and the doctor hesitated—"it -is because I have some relatives in the Aulic Council, and I am informed of -all which passes there."</p> - -<p>"Ah, well! it is true, sir, I am here, unhappily, in regard to a -lawsuit," said Létorière, sighing.</p> - -<p>"But, my young friend, permit me to tell you that you appear very -unmindful of your business! Here you are reciting verses to the zephyrs; -. . . admirable verses, it is true, but, between ourselves, hardly the -means of gaining your lawsuit. Believe me, young man, if justice is -blind she is not deaf, and there are a thousand ways of interesting your -judges."</p> - -<p>"Alas! sir, I have seen my judges . . . and it is because I have seen -them that I have but little hope. In my grief I ask of literature -consolation and information; I especially ask it from my favorite poet. -. . . I seek strength to wrestle against adverse fate in reading over -these verses. Do you not think, sir, that this energetic, bold and -sonorous poetry must reanimate enfeebled souls, as the warlike sound of -a clarion reanimates discouraged soldiers?"</p> - -<p>The <i>savant</i> was profoundly touched with the expression, at once -simple and dignified, with which Létorière pronounced these last words.</p> - -<p>"Pardon an old man," said he, "the interest which he feels in you. But -do you not exaggerate the unkindly feelings of your judges? Have you -done everything in your power to interest them in your cause before -giving up all hope thus?"</p> - -<p>"Those of my judges whom I have seen, sir, could have very little -sympathy with me, and I ought not otherwise to expect to interest them -in it."</p> - -<p>"Why so, my young friend?"</p> - -<p>"Our poet could, at a pinch, answer you, sir:"</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Velle suum cuique est, nec voto vivitur uno.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 5em;">* * * *</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hic satur irriguo mavult turgescere somno;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hic campo indulget!'" . . .<a name="FNanchor_7_1" id="FNanchor_7_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_1" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"I understand, I understand," said the councillor, laughing at the just -and malignant application of these verses. "I know it is said in Vienna -that the Councillor Flachsinfingen would have figured well enough among -the convivial gourmands of the banquet of Trimalchyon, and that the -brutal baron of Henferester would have been able to wrestle in the Roman -circus among the wild beasts. In fine, you poor student! poor poet! poor -nightingale of the sweet song I . . . what relations could you have with -this dull paunch of a Flachsinfingen, who dreams only of his table? What -could you have said to him if it were not—"</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">'Quæ tibi summa boni est? Uncta vixisse patella</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Semper? . . .'<a name="FNanchor_8_1" id="FNanchor_8_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_1" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"It is the same thing with this gladiator, this brute of -Henferester . . . whose great heavy body I cannot see without recalling -these words of our divine master:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Hic aliquis de gente hircosa centurionum</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dicat; quod satis est sapio mihi; non ego curo</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Esse quod Arcesilas ærumnosique Solones.'"<a name="FNanchor_9_1" id="FNanchor_9_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_1" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"Ah well! you will own up then, sir," said the Marquis, laughing, "that -having nothing else to say to my judges, I can hardly hope to interest -them. Alas! I am neither a huntsman nor a <i>gourmand.</i> . . . If I had -been I might, perhaps, have awakened some sympathy in my judges!"</p> - -<p>"But all the councillors are not gladiators, nor sheep led by their -wives, my young friend." . . .</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'At me nocturnis juvat impallescere chartis.'"<a name="FNanchor_10_1" id="FNanchor_10_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_1" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"Ah! sir, my greatest misfortune is not to have judges like -you." . . .</p> - -<p>"I have sometimes heard a certain Doctor Sphex spoken of," said the -councillor, casting a piercing look on the Marquis, "an old man, who is -not unlettered, who is a judge in the morning, and who devotes himself -in the evening to his favorite studies. . . ."</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Hic mane edictum, post prandia Callirhoën do!'"<a name="FNanchor_11_1" id="FNanchor_11_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_1" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"I have presented myself several times at the door of the Councillor -Sphex, sir," said Létorière, "and, if what you tell me is true, I -doubly regret not having met him, for he is perhaps the only one of my -judges whom I could hope to inspire with any sentiment of benevolence, -or from whom I might be able to claim any interest in the name of our -common tastes."</p> - -<p>"By Hercules! young man, don't doubt it! . . . But all is not yet -hopeless. . . . I am slightly acquainted with this original Sphex; if -you will accompany me, I will do myself the pleasure to recommend you, -and even to present you to him."</p> - -<p>"Ah! sir, how shall I ever be able to recognize and deserve this -precious favor?"</p> - -<p>"Young man, people like you and the Councillor Sphex are rare; and you -both ought to gain by the meeting which I propose. Give me your arm, and -let us proceed."</p> - -<p>The old man took a malicious pleasure in the surprise which he had -planned for Létorière, who did not fail to enlarge on the strangeness -and good luck of destiny, when, arriving at the door of the councillor, -the latter discovered to him his identity.</p> - -<p>To the great astonishment of old Catherine, the doctor ordered her to -place two covers, for the Marquis could not refuse to partake of the -councillor's repast, who, alluding to the frugality of his <i>ménage</i>, -quoted:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'. . . Positum est algente catino,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Durum olus, et populi cribro decussa farina,'"<a name="FNanchor_12_1" id="FNanchor_12_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_1" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>which announcement was realized in all points. An anchorite would hardly -have been contented with the dishes served in the library by old -Catherine.</p> - -<p>The councillor, more and more enchanted with his guest, read to him his -translations and his commentaries; and, unhoped-for favor! last evidence -and proof of confidence! showed him the precious manuscript.</p> - -<p>At sight of this Létorière manifested such a passionate and jealous -admiration, that the doctor began to regard his guest with uneasiness, -and almost regretted his imprudent confidence.</p> - -<p>"Do you and your housekeeper live alone in this house?" asked the -Marquis suddenly, with a gloomy air, passing between his hands the -precious manuscript, as if he wished to appropriate it to himself.</p> - -<p>"Can it be that he is so enthusiastic in his admiration of Persius that -he means to assassinate me and steal my manuscript?" queried the -councillor of himself.</p> - -<p>But the Marquis, putting the manuscript back into his hands, exclaimed -vehemently:</p> - -<p>"For the love of Heaven, sir, hide it, hide it! . . . Pardon a -madman!"</p> - -<p>And he ran precipitately from the room, covering his eyes with his -hands.</p> - -<p>The councillor shut up his treasure, and found his guest seated, looking -dejected, in the library.</p> - -<p>"What's the matter, young man?" said the savant with interest.</p> - -<p>"Alas! sir, pardon me! At the sight of that manuscript an infamous, a -monstrous thought took possession of me . . . in spite of the holy law -of hospitality."</p> - -<p>"You would then rob me of my treasure?"</p> - -<p>Létorière bowed his head in embarrassment.</p> - -<p>"Never mind, my young friend. I understand you . . . I understand you -only too well," said the councillor, heaving a sigh. "It is a great -compliment you have just rendered to our author; and if you only knew -the history of this manuscript," . . . after a moment's silence, he -added, "you would see that I ought to excuse the terrible temptation -which you have just been enabled to overcome."</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, the confidence of the councillor stopped there.</p> - -<p>The two friends passed the remainder of the day in a learned analysis of -the judgments of Casaubon, of Koenig, and Ruperti, on their favorite -poet. They discovered in him hidden beauties which had escaped all the -editors.</p> - -<p>Létorière, by a happy chance of memory, raised the admiration of Sphex -almost to ecstasy, by calling his attention to the fact that this -passage in the third satire, "The lessons of the portico in which is -depicted the overthrow of the Medes," relates to Zeno, the chief of the -Stoics. In one word, in this long and learned conversation, Létorière, -admirably assisted by his memory, by the profound study which he had -recently devoted to Persius, at Dominique's recommendation, and by the -surprising flexibility of his intelligence, completely captivated Sphex.</p> - -<p>Yet not one word of the lawsuit had been spoken on either side. The -Marquis was silent from prudence, the councillor from embarrassment; -for, however well-disposed he might be towards Létorière, he reflected -regretfully that his voice alone could not win the cause for his young -<i>protégé.</i></p> - -<p>"What a pity!" cried the councillor, "that you will leave Vienna so -soon. We would have passed long and delightful days in ever-fresh -admiration of our god, and we would have said, like him:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Unum opus et requiem pariter disponimus ambo,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Atque verecunda laxamus seria mensa.'"<a name="FNanchor_13_1" id="FNanchor_13_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_1" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"I feel this privation as much as you do, sir. Unhappily we must -sacrifice our pleasures to our duties." And Létorière arose.</p> - -<p>Struck by the reserve of the Marquis on the subject of his lawsuit, the -councillor said, casting on his guest a penetrating look:</p> - -<p>"But this lawsuit, we forget that." . . .</p> - -<p>"The idea of thinking, sir, of sad material interests, when we are -speaking of the object of our worship to one who shares our admiration!"</p> - -<p>"Hum! hum!" said the doctor, shaking his head; and smiling with a -caustic air, he recited these verses:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Mens bona, fama, fides! hæc clare, et ut audiat hospes;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Illa sibi introrsum, et sub lingua immurmurat: Oh! si</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ebullit patrui præclarum funus!'"<a name="FNanchor_14_1" id="FNanchor_14_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_1" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"Yes . . . yes . . . 'one says, aloud, I forget my lawsuit; . . . and, -in a low tone, devote to the infernal gods the wicked councillor who -will not give me a word of hope.' . . . Isn't that it?"</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, sir?" said the Marquis, smiling, and answering by a -quotation from the same book:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Messe tenus propria vive!'"<a name="FNanchor_15_1" id="FNanchor_15_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_1" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>"And you believe you have reaped indifference, young man?" said the -<i>savant</i>, laughing at this <i>apropos</i> quotation. "Well, I will -undeceive you. . . . It shall not be said that the voice of old Sphex will -not, at least, protest against the judgment of an old tun-belly like -Flachsinfingen, or an old he-goat of a centurion, a brutal gladiator -like Henferester. In my opinion, your rights and those of the German -princes are so perfectly balanced, that a breath only would turn the -scale."</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Scis etenim justum gemina suspendere lance</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ancipitis libræ,'"<a name="FNanchor_16_1" id="FNanchor_16_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_1" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p>said the Marquis. "Not doubting the integrity of my judge, I have never -doubted the success of my cause before him."</p> - -<p>Enchanted with this new quotation, the councillor cried:</p> - -<p>"And you have done well, young man; my voice will be solitary; but thus -it will protest more forcibly against a judgment that I shall regard as -unjust, if it goes against you, as I fear it will. Adieu, then. . . . -Day after to-morrow we pronounce on your cause . . . and may the gods be -favorable to you! As for me, by Castor! I know what I have to do"—and -the doctor brought this conversation to a close by another quotation:</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"'Ast vocat officium; trabe rupta, Bruttia saxa</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Prendit amicus inops; remque omnem surdaque vota</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Condidit Ionio! . . .'"<a name="FNanchor_17_1" id="FNanchor_17_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_1" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></span></p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_1" id="Footnote_2_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_1"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>Who is not ashamed to live like a Natta.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_1" id="Footnote_3_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_1"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>With what cares is man occupied! Oh, what vanity in -life!. . .</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_1" id="Footnote_4_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_1"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>Mark this day, Macrinus, with a propitious stone.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_1" id="Footnote_5_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_1"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>Do not doubt, the gods have wished to unite us by certain -affinities, and that we should be guided by the same constellation.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_1" id="Footnote_6_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_1"><span class="label">[6]</span></a>Oh that I could bring to the temple this offering, even -barley will suffice to make my prayer heard.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_1" id="Footnote_7_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_1"><span class="label">[7]</span></a>Each one his own taste; no one resembles the other; one -prefers to grow fat by the pleasures of the table and of sleep; another -prefers the hardships of the chase.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_1" id="Footnote_8_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_1"><span class="label">[8]</span></a>What is the sovereign good for you? To junket every day?</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_1" id="Footnote_9_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_1"><span class="label">[9]</span></a>But I hear an old he-goat of a centurion reply: "I have as -much learning as is needful for me! I do not care to become an Arcesilas -or a morose Solon!"</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_1" id="Footnote_10_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_1"><span class="label">[10]</span></a>But for me, it is my delight to grow pale over books at -night.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_1" id="Footnote_11_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_1"><span class="label">[11]</span></a>To my duties in the morning, to my pleasures in the -evening.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_1" id="Footnote_12_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_1"><span class="label">[12]</span></a>The table is spread with a dish of raw vegetables, with -bread of coarse barley-flour.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_1" id="Footnote_13_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_1"><span class="label">[13]</span></a>Together would we work and rest, and refresh ourselves -after toil with pleasant festivity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_1" id="Footnote_14_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_1"><span class="label">[14]</span></a>Wisdom, honor, virtue. This said aloud, so that the guest -may hear. To himself, and in a low whisper, he murmurs: "Oh, for a -magnificent funeral for the father-in-law!"</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_1" id="Footnote_15_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_1"><span class="label">[15]</span></a>One must live on what he reaps.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_1" id="Footnote_16_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_1"><span class="label">[16]</span></a>You know, indeed, how to hold the balance of justice with -an impartial hand.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_1" id="Footnote_17_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_1"><span class="label">[17]</span></a>But duty calls; a friend has been shipwrecked; he is cast -helpless on the Brutian rocks; all his property and his empty vows have -gone to the bottom of the sea.</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a></h4> - -<h4>THE COUNCILLOR FLACHSINFINGEN</h4> - - -<p>The next day after Létorière's visit to Dr. Sphex, there was an -extraordinary disturbance in the house of the Aulic Councillor -Flachsinfingen. It was eleven o'clock in the morning; Madame Martha -Flachsinfingen, a large woman, about forty years of age, lean, pale, and -solemn, clothed in a long brown dress, with a starched neckerchief and a -kind of loose sack of black velvet, was conversing with her husband, the -councillor, a great abdominous, rubicund man, with a jolly and simple -look.</p> - -<p>Enveloped in a Chinese silk dressing-gown, his head covered with a -night-cap bound with a flame-colored ribbon, the councillor seemed to -listen to his wife with mingled deference and impatience.</p> - -<p>She held in her scraggy hands a note which she was reading for the -second time, with profound attention, weighing each word.</p> - -<p>This note read thus:</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>"Monsieur the Marquis of Létorière will have the honor of presenting -himself at noon, to-day, to <i>Madame la Conseillère</i> de Flachsinfingen, -if she will deign to receive him."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>After reading it, she repeated:</p> - -<p>"'Will present himself to Madame la Conseillère.' What impudence!"</p> - -<p>"But, Martha," said the councillor, humbly, "I don't see any impudence -in . . ."</p> - -<p>"You don't see! oh! certainly, you are so penetrating! you don't see -that such a letter, from a libertine, from a débauché, from a -Nebuchadnezzar like this Marquis of Létorière, is worse than an -insult! for it is, so to speak, a premeditation and threat of insult!"</p> - -<p>"How so, Martha?"</p> - -<p>"Have you forgotten all that we have heard of this abominable man, who -leaves behind him, they say, only ruined girls and guilty wives? . . . -Don't you know that he is a Pharaoh, who thinks he can bewitch one with -a glance . . . a kind of unbridled Tarquin, who the first time he meets -a woman dares to address her in the most wicked language of gallantry?"</p> - -<p>"The fact is, he is one of those brisk sparks whom husbands, fathers -and mothers send to the devil twenty times a day. Ha, ha, ha!" answered -the councillor, with a horse-laugh.</p> - -<p>This fit of inopportune laughter was severely punished by the -<i>conseillère</i>, who sharply pinched him, crying:</p> - -<p>"And are you such a wretch that you can laugh like a fool when you have -in your hand the proof that such a dissolute fellow perhaps intends to -crown his infernal triumphs by attacking the honor of your wife? . . ."</p> - -<p>The councillor looked at his wife wonderingly, clasping his hands:</p> - -<p>"Attack your honor; Martha! Ah, good heavens! Who thought of that?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! what a man! what a man! Listen, then!"</p> - -<p>And the <i>conseillère</i> read the letter for the third time! . . .</p> - -<p>"'Mons. de Létorière will have the honor of presenting himself to-day, -at noon, at the house of <i>Madame</i> Flachsinfingen.'</p> - -<p>"Do you comprehend that? At <i>Madame</i>'s house. Is not that clear? -It is not at the house of the councillor that he will present himself, -but at the house of the councillor's wife. Tis a kind of rendezvous -which he asks of me. He does not hide it; he attempts no subterfuge; he -avows it without shame; and you,—you do not trouble yourself, -you stand there, careless of the affront! Go along! go along, -Flachsinfingen! you are not worthy to have an honest wife! To ask a -rendezvous of <i>me!</i> The impudent fellow!"</p> - -<p>"How, Martha, do you really believe that the Marquis dreamed of it? -. . . Come, now, you are foolish and ridiculous!" cried the councillor. -"If he asks a rendezvous, it is to speak to you about his lawsuit; nothing -is more simple. He, like all the rest of the world, knows that I place -entire confidence in you; that is to say, you lead me by the nose. So, -in order to influence me, he very naturally wishes to act upon you, -Martha."</p> - -<p>"To act upon me!! How to act upon me!! I will prevent it at the peril of -my life!" cried the <i>conseillère</i>, in heroic accents.</p> - -<p>At this moment they heard a carriage stop at the door.</p> - -<p>"Heavens! that is he," said the <i>conseillère</i>, leaning upon her -husband's chair. "I have not a drop of blood in my veins! -Flachsinfingen, do not quit me! In heaven's name defend me from this -audacious fellow!"</p> - -<p>But the carriage continued on its way it was a false alarm.</p> - -<p>Martha passed her hand over her forehead, saying with emotion:</p> - -<p>"My heart failed me, I confess; but a woman cannot always control her -fears."</p> - -<p>"Well, if you fear this Marquis, why the devil do you receive him? Why -do you face him?" innocently asked the councillor.</p> - -<p>"Why? why?" repeated Martha, indignantly—and pointing towards her -husband with a gesture of sovereign contempt—"he asks me why! That is -the question of a soul shamefully abandoned to gluttony! Why? Why is the -warrior who basely flees before his enemy dishonored? Why is gold tried -by fire? Why is the just man who has valiantly fought, who has resisted, -superior to him who has never struggled? Why does the Scripture"—and -Martha pointed to her Bible, opened at the Book of Judges—"why does -the Scripture say: '<i>Ye who offered yourselves willingly to bless the -Lord. Speak ye that ride on white she-asses, ye that sit in judgment, and -walk without fear</i>—'"</p> - -<p>"But," cried the councillor, interrupting his wife impatiently, "I tell -you again, you are a fool! Who thinks of fighting you on your she-ass? -of attacking you? of wrestling with you? of proving you by fire? At your -age, you . . . ah, bah! . . . be quiet, then. . . . You will make me say -something foolish, Martha!"</p> - -<p>"Now add insult to vulgarity; nothing from you will astonish me."</p> - -<p>"Well, once more, do not receive this Marquis,—do not receive -him!" cried the councillor, exasperated; "my mind is made up to sustain the -rights of the German princes, since you desire it! so whatever you may -say to this Nebuchadnezzar, this Pharaoh, this Tarquin, will change -nothing. Be quiet! I have no wish that he should attack you, as you say, -or that you should resist him in order to prove yourself the most -virtuous woman in all Germany. So don't think of it any more; close your -door, and let me go to peep into Lipper's ovens; my stomach warns me -that it is almost noon, and I depend so much on a certain baked pike, -with gooseberry jelly sauce, that I have dreamt of it all night."</p> - -<p>Having suffered her husband to speak, Madame Flachsinfingen replied with -an air of calm and concentrated contempt: "I know, sir, that you think -of nothing but your beastly gormandizing, when the virtue of your wife -is in peril. . . . So it devolves on me to defend your honor and my own. -A new Judith, I will brave this Holofernes, and like her, I will say:"</p> - - -<blockquote> -<p>'Give me, oh Lord, courage to scorn him and strength to destroy -him.'</p></blockquote> - - -<p>"But notwithstanding my resolution," continued Martha, "as I am, after -all, but a weak woman, as this miscreant is capable of going to the most -frightful lengths . . . all that I ask of you is, to hold yourself well -armed, and ready to succor me, if my own efforts are unhappily vain!"</p> - -<p>"But, Martha, reassure yourself . . . reassure yourself; one cannot -always judge one's self aright; and I swear to you that there is -something in you . . . a certain air . . . a certain 'I know not what' -. . . which would deter any impertinent fellow from showing a want of -respect to you. . . . So I shall have no need to arm myself in order -to . . ."</p> - -<p>"Do you not know that if I set out to do a thing, I will do it?" said -the <i>conseillère</i>, interrupting her husband, and fixing on him a look -which seemed to fascinate him. "Although I am sorry to delay your -dinner-hour, you will nevertheless take a blunderbuss, and, concealed -under this table, will be present at this interview . . . ready to come -to my aid, if need be, when I cry, 'To me, Flachsinfingen!'"</p> - -<p>"I hide myself under this table with a blunderbuss! And what for? -Heavens!"</p> - -<p>"I tell you, sir, that this will be, and it will be!"</p> - -<p>This scene took place in the councillor's library, where many arms of -the middle ages were hung up on the wainscot as objects of curiosity.</p> - -<p>The lady selected a blunderbuss and a poniard, which she laid on the -table; she examined, also, a light Persian shield and a steel coat of -mail, and was on the point of investing herself with these defences in -order more surely to resist the expected attack of the Marquis; but, -deciding that she was sufficiently guarded by the poniard, she again -approached her husband.</p> - -<p>"This poniard will do for me; this blunderbuss for you. Deborah was -armed with nothing but a nail; Judith, with a sword; Dalilah, with -scissors. . . . Martha will have a poniard."</p> - -<p>"But, Martha, take care! this blunderbuss has been loaded ever since the -day I intended to try it. . . . Good heavens! what's the use of all -these implements?"</p> - -<p>Again a carriage stopped at the gate. Once more, Martha felt a strong -emotion of terror, when the servant came to say to her:</p> - -<p>"It is a French Marquis who asks for you, madame." . . .</p> - -<p>"Good heavens! 'tis he . . . courage!" . . . said she, in a low voice; -and added: "when I ring the bell, Claire, you may introduce this -stranger."</p> - -<p>The servant went out; the <i>conseillère</i> solemnly embraced her -husband, and said to him in an agitated voice:</p> - -<p>"Now, Flachsinfingen, the moment has come . . . take your blunderbuss; -and may God save me!" . . .</p> - -<p>And she raised the cover, making a gesture to her husband to slip under -the table.</p> - -<p>"But, my dear wife, I shall stifle under there. . . . How absurd!"</p> - -<p>"Do you hear me?" said Martha, imperiously.</p> - -<p>"But, 'tis useless . . ."</p> - -<p>"Flachsinfingen, did you hear me?" cried the furious woman, seizing her -husband by the arm, and accentuating, so to speak, every word with a -sharp pinch.</p> - -<p>"I must be, by Jupiter! as foolish and weak as you are mad, to lend -myself to this nonsense," said the councillor, rubbing his arm, and -painfully crawling under the table.</p> - -<p>"Now, when I cry 'To me, Flachsinfingen!' come out, and fire without -mercy on this Philistine!" said his wife; then she drew down the cloth -which stifled the councillor's last murmurs.</p> - -<p>Sure of this concealed auxilliary, Martha made scientific preparations -for defence. The table which sheltered the councillor was placed between -herself and the dreaded adversary. On her flanks she placed two chairs, -with another as a screen; and at her side she had a long Toledo poniard.</p> - -<p>Then, with a beating heart, she rang her bell, and murmured in a low -voice: "Be ready, Flachsinfingen!" . . .</p> - -<p>Some inarticulate sounds escaped from beneath the table-cloth; the door -was opened; Létorière entered, and the lady put her hand upon her -weapon.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a></h4> - -<h4>THE INTERVIEW</h4> - - -<p>This time, also, the metamorphosis of the Marquis was complete. He -seemed to be not more than twenty years of age; his chestnut hair, -without powder, parted in the middle over his forehead, framed his -charming face, candid and ingenuous. He was clothed in black; he dropped -his eyes timidly, twirled his hat in his hands with an embarrassed air, -and remained near the door without daring to move a step.</p> - -<p>The <i>conseillère</i>, agitated, irritated and threatening, with her -hand upon the poniard, expecting to see a bold and brilliant gentleman of -audacious mien and free speech, stood stupefied at the appearance of -this youth of such rare beauty, who, quite intimidated, seemed to -hesitate to approach her.</p> - -<p>Hardly believing her eyes, and fearing some mistake, Martha said to him -sharply:</p> - -<p>"Are you really the Marquis de Létorière!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame <i>la conseillère</i>," replied the Marquis, with a -trembling voice, not lifting his eyes, and blushing deeply.</p> - -<p>"Do you come from France?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame <i>la conseillère</i>; I arrived here three days -ago." . . .</p> - -<p>At the sound of this sweet voice, so pure and youthful in tone, Martha's -astonishment was doubled; she dropped her poniard, leaned towards the -Marquis, and said in a milder voice:</p> - -<p>"You are, then, the Marquis de Létorière, a party in a lawsuit?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame <i>la conseillère</i>". . .</p> - -<p>"In a lawsuit against the Dukes of Brunswick and Brandenbourg?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame <i>la conseillère.</i>"</p> - -<p>Hearing these answers, almost childlike in simplicity, and stammered out -timidly, Martha, reassured, rose and took two steps towards the door, -saying to the Marquis:</p> - -<p>"Come nearer, sir!" . . .</p> - -<p>Létorière, for the first time, raised his great tender and melancholy -eyes, looked earnestly at the lady, and then lowered them under his long -eyelashes.</p> - -<p>In her whole life Martha had never encountered a look at once so sweet -and so seductive; she was moved, and said to the Marquis, with a sort of -quick impatience:</p> - -<p>"Come nearer, sir! . . . one would say that I frightened you." . . .</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, madame <i>la conseillère</i>; you do not frighten me. . . . -'For the virtuous woman is an excellent gift, and she shall be given to man -for his good deeds,' says the Scripture."</p> - -<p>"He quotes Scripture!" cried Martha, with admiration, her fears quite -dispelled. "But I do really intimidate you?"</p> - -<p>"Madame . . . it is because you are so majestic . . . you resemble so -much one of the daughters of our king, that my heart beats in spite of -myself;" and the Marquis placed his hand upon his heart with a movement -full of grace. "Mercy on me, I can hardly speak! Ah! do not wish me to -do it, madame. Self-command is impossible in circumstances like these," -said Létorière, casting a look at once timid and imploring upon the -lady, who was flattered by the effect she produced, and by her -resemblance to one of the daughters of the King of France.</p> - -<p>"I don't know whether I am asleep or awake," said Martha to herself; -"how is it that he has been called shameless? audacious? a pitiless -seducer? But perhaps he is playing with me! perhaps this appearance of -candor is only an abominable feint of the evil spirit! Perhaps it is -only the artifice of the tiger, who approaches his prey with soft steps, -the better to seize and devour it!"</p> - -<p>As this suspicion took possession of her mind, imitating, to a certain -extent, in her retreat, the side-ling and stealthy step of the tiger, -she prudently regained her fortress, that is to say, the table, and said -softly to her husband:</p> - -<p>"Prepare your blunderbuss, Flachsinfingen . . . the moment -approaches . . ."</p> - -<p>By quick movement under the cover, it was impossible to guess whether -the councillor raised his blunderbuss or made an impatient gesture.</p> - -<p>Once safely intrenched, with her poniard near at hand, the lady resumed -her imperious tone, her repulsive physiognomy, and said, harshly, to -Létorière:</p> - -<p>"Well! and what do you want, sir? My husband is convinced of the justice -of the claims of the German princes, and all your efforts will be -useless."</p> - -<p>"Adieu, then, madame, since you will not deign to hear me! I have no -longer any hope. . . . Alas! ye Fates, how unhappy I am!"</p> - -<p>The Marquis, putting one of his hands before his eyes, turned towards -the door in profound dejection.</p> - -<p>Noting this movement, which was far from announcing hostile intentions, -and hearing this accent of despair, the councillor's wife forgot all her -suspicions, emerged for the second time from her fortress, approached -the Marquis, and said to him in a softer voice, but which betrayed a -little pettishness:</p> - -<p>"Who told you I would not listen to you, young man? Why are you going -away? Although the question of your lawsuit may be settled, it is my -husband's duty to listen to your claims. . . . Confide in me, then . . . -reassure yourself. Have I such a terrifying look? See, come near -me,—don't be afraid!" And thus speaking, Martha took the Marquis by -the hand and led him slowly to a scat, repeating: "Tranquillize yourself; -you must not be afraid of me any more, my child."</p> - -<p>At this moment a burst of roaring laughter was heard, the cloth on the -table was suddenly thrust aside, and the great fat councillor appeared, -blunderbuss in hand, crying with increasing merriment:</p> - -<p>"Where is your poniard now? where is your helmet? where is your buckler, -Martha? It is you who have to soothe this Pharaoh! this Nebuchadnezzar. -. . . Ah, ha! behold Judith calming the emotion of Holofernes!"</p> - -<p>All this was utterly incomprehensible to Létorière, who, for the -moment, surprised by the sudden apparition of the councillor, could -hardly control the desire to laugh which the grotesque figure of -Flachsinfingen excited.</p> - -<p>But Martha, as much irritated as humiliated by her husband's raillery at -the foolish precautions she had taken, rushed towards him angrily, -crying:</p> - -<p>"Are you not ashamed to employ such vile means to play the spy upon your -wife? Oh, you odious tyrant! Oh, you abominably jealous man! God o' -mercy! have I ever given you cause to doubt my virtue?"</p> - -<p>And Martha raised her eyes towards heaven to call God to witness the -injustice of the poor councillor's suspicion, who, astonished, stupefied -by such unexpected reproaches, stood with open mouth, the blunderbuss in -his hand.</p> - -<p>"How then, my wife," said he; "you? . . ."</p> - -<p>"I will hear nothing from you," said Martha, taking him by the arm . . . -"Leave me." . . .</p> - -<p>"But, . . ."</p> - -<p>"Go away, sir . . . go away . . . your presence makes me sick!" and -Martha rudely pushed her husband towards the door of a closet which -opened from the room.</p> - -<p>"But . . . my wife!" . . . said the councillor, still expostulating.</p> - -<p>"And before this young man, too! Heavens! what will he think of me?" -cried Martha.</p> - -<p>"But, what the devil! . . . it is you who . . ."</p> - -<p>"To lie in ambush there traitorously, with a blunderbuss!" added -Martha.</p> - -<p>"But really . . . my wife!"—and the councillor, losing ground, was -still pushed towards the door.</p> - -<p>"A veritable assassin! worthy of an Italian bandit!" continued Martha, -with horror.</p> - -<p>"Nevertheless, wife, it was you who . . ."</p> - -<p>"An Aulic Councillor to play such a part! You disgust me! . . . go out! -. . . go out!" . . .</p> - -<p>And after a pretty long struggle, Flachsinfingen disappeared in the -closet, of which his wife drew the bolts.</p> - -<p>"Well done!" said Létorière, laughing inwardly at seeing himself shut -up with Martha; "it is no longer she, but myself now, who has need of -defence. . . . I don't like the presence of the man with the -blunderbuss," he added, looking round him with a frightened air.</p> - -<p>Martha soon returned, her eyes cast down like an offended prude's.</p> - -<p>"I am so confused at this scene, sir! . . . Alas! my husband is -unhappily jealous . . . frightfully jealous! Good gracious! without the -least reason! He is, in short, so fanciful, that, knowing I was going to -have an interview with you . . . with a young gentleman" . . . and the -lady hesitated, "whom they say; . . . in short . . . whose reputation is -such; . . . in a word . . . my husband hid himself . . . for . . . my -grief! you comprehend the rest!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame, I have already been told that the councillor was very -jealous," said the Marquis, timidly.</p> - -<p>"Ah! . . . you have been told that!"—and Martha simpered.</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame, I have been told that the councillor was very jealous of -the influence which you exercise over his clients, who always address -themselves to you rather than to him. . . . You are known to be so good -. . . to possess such a correct judgment . . . and yet your husband -ought to bless you every day; for the Scripture says, <i>The husband who -has a good wife is happy, and that the number of his years shall be -doubled.</i>" This was said with an expression of such virgin innocence, -with so gentle and pious an accent, that Martha, stupefied, after taking -a long look at the enchanting face, said to herself: "He is a true -paschal lamb. . . . Poor innocent! . . . sacred texts always in his -mind! . . . how he interests me!" . . . and she added aloud:</p> - -<p>"Tell me how it is, that, young as you are, your parents allow you to -travel alone? How is it that they confide so important a lawsuit to your -inexperience?"</p> - -<p>"Alas, madame, I am an orphan. . . . I am poor. . . . I have no one to -help me, and my only friend and guide is my old preceptor."</p> - -<p>"But how is it that, pleasing as you are, you have such a -reputation?"</p> - -<p>"I, madame?" asked Létorière, with angelic simplicity, "what -reputation?"</p> - -<p>The councillor's wife was confounded; she could easily understand that -stories had been exaggerated; but that a youth of such rare candor, and -of such a pious education, could pass for an heartless seducer, was -beyond her comprehension.</p> - -<p>"Have you no relative of your name at the French court?" she asked, -anxiously.</p> - -<p>"No, madame." . . .</p> - -<p>"It is plain that the German princes have spread these injurious reports -about their adversary," thought Martha. "But tell me, what steps have -you taken hitherto?"</p> - -<p>"Alas! most useless ones, madame. . . . I went first to the castle of -the Baron of Henferester." . . .</p> - -<p>"Good heavens! poor child, did you venture into the den of that -frightful Polyphemus?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame; oh, he frightened me so! And then . . ."</p> - -<p>"Go on, go on! Tell me all; and in order to put you at your ease, I will -tell you that my husband and myself both cordially detest the baron."</p> - -<p>"I did not know that, madame; that is why I feared . . . to tell -you . . ."</p> - -<p>"No, no, tell me all!"</p> - -<p>"Well, madame, I went to the castle of Henferester. The baron began to -ridicule me because I went in a carriage instead of on horseback."</p> - -<p>"The wicked old centaur! . . . He thinks that everybody is like himself, -all iron and steel," said Martha, contemptuously.</p> - -<p>"Then, when I began to speak to him of my lawsuit, he said to me -in his loud voice '<i>Dinner first, . . . we can talk better glass in -hand.</i>'"</p> - -<p>"The drunkard! I recognize him there."</p> - -<p>"Not daring to oppose the baron, I went to the table; but at the risk of -displeasing him, as he had not said grace, I asked his permission to say -it."</p> - -<p>"Poor little martyr! . . . Well done, my child! and the brute let you -say it, I hope?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame, but he afterwards laughed so much that I felt -scandalized." . . .</p> - -<p>"I believe it. . . . Unfortunate lamb! . . . where were you straying, -God of heaven!"</p> - -<p>"As I ate but little, the baron said to me, 'You have dined, then?' 'No -sir,' I answered, 'but the Scripture says: <i>Be not eager at the -feast.</i>'" . . .</p> - -<p>"Well answered . . . to this glutton; my child, you might have added as -a prediction that sleeplessness, and colic, and pains in the belly, are -the inheritance of the intemperate,<a name="FNanchor_18_1" id="FNanchor_18_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_1" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> and that is truly what I wish to -him, the wicked brute!"</p> - -<p>"Then, madame, he gave me a great glass filled with pure wine, telling -me to pledge him. . . . 'But, sir,' said I, 'I never drink clear wine.' -Then, madame, he shouted with laughter, and answered me: 'That's no -matter . . . drink away' . . . to your mistress!'"</p> - -<p>"To say such things to a child of that age! What abominable corruption!" -and the <i>conseillère</i> lifted up her hands to heaven.</p> - -<p>"I did not understand what the baron said to me; I touched my lips to -the great glass, and put it back on the table without drinking a drop. -Then the baron looked me through and through, saying, in a loud voice, -'You do not drink wine, you eat nothing, you do not talk. Perhaps you -would be more communicative between a tankard of kirchenwasser and a -pipe well filled with tobacco.'"</p> - -<p>"Kirchenwasser! a pipe! oh, the old sinner! to want to impart his odious -barrack tastes to this youth, who seems more like a young girl than a -young man!"</p> - -<p>"But" I answered the baron, 'I never drink strong liquors, and I have -never smoked.' . . . Then he began to swear—and how he did -swear!—till I was ashamed for him, and he said: 'You don't smoke, -you don't drink; I see that we shall not come to an understanding, for I -interest myself only in people who resemble me! At least you hunt?' 'Yes -sir, I have shot larks with a mirror.' Then, madame, he began to laugh, -and to swear harder than ever, and said: 'Young man, excuse my -frankness, but the Lord of Henferester would rather never touch wine, a -bridle, or a gun again, than to take the part of a shooter of larks. . . -I can do nothing for you.' And so, madame, I quitted the baron, and came -away in utter despair."</p> - -<p>"And Doctor Sphex,—have you seen him?" asked Martha, -thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Yes, madame, but he asked me, the first thing, if I was acquainted with -profane literature . . . and a certain heathen author named Persius, -which I have been told is improper for one of my age to read. I told him -no; then he said that my cause was bad, and that my adversaries had the -right of the case. . . . So I saw that there was no more hope in that -quarter than in the other."</p> - -<p>The <i>conseillère</i> felt profoundly moved.</p> - -<p>"Listen, my child!" said she; "you interest me more than I can tell you. -. . . I am pained to see the other councillors so opposed to your -interests; I can do nothing with them; all that I can do, is to endeavor -to secure for you my husband's vote." . . .</p> - -<p>"Ah! madame, can it be true?" cried Létorière, with an expression of -the most lively gratitude. "Ah! the Scripture is right in saying: <i>The -virtuous woman is the joy of her husband; she makes him pass all the -years of his life in peace.</i> . . . Yes, madame, for I will bless your -husband, and he will be proud of having—thanks to you—made the -just cause to triumph."</p> - -<p>"Always Scripture! he might truly be called a little clergyman," said -Martha, with enthusiasm. "But," continued she, "don't indulge in foolish -hopes, nor despair utterly; the baron and the doctor may yet revise -their resolutions." . . . And Martha added to herself: "How much it -costs me to deceive him so! He has very little chance, but I have not -the heart to undeceive him."</p> - -<p>"Ah, madame!" cried Létorière, throwing himself on his knees, "I feel -it,—you will be my good angel. . . . To you I shall owe all the -happiness of my future life. . . . Heavens! madame, how good and -generous you are! Oh, let me here, at your feet, thank you again and -again!"</p> - -<p>The lady, very much moved and softened, turned her head, and said gently -to the Marquis, giving him her hand to kiss . . .</p> - -<p>"Come, come, my child, get up; don't stay there!" . . .</p> - -<p>The Marquis, still on his knees, resolutely took the hand which she -offered to him, carried it bravely to his lips, shutting his eyes, and -saying, in a grateful and passionate voice:</p> - -<p>"Oh, madame, how can I ever be grateful enough for all your -kindness!" . . .</p> - -<p>"Well, well, little simpleton," said Martha, softly disengaging her -hand, and giving Létorière a slight tap with the other, "are you going -to make me repent of my kindness?" . . .</p> - -<p>After the Marquis had thrown himself at Martha's feet, the jolly face of -the councillor, still armed with his blunderbuss, had cautiously -appeared at an oval window over the door of the closet in which he was -shut up.</p> - -<p>Seeing his wife so little disposed to use her poniard to repulse this -Holofernes, this Tarquin, this Nebuchadnezzar, the councillor, wishing -playfully to revenge himself for his incarceration, fired his -blunderbuss in the air, exclaiming, "Martha, did you not cry, 'To me, -Flachsinfingen!'"</p> - -<p>Then resting his elbows on the window, he began to laugh boisterously.</p> - -<p>His wife, provoked by this new outburst of factiousness, fell in feigned -convulsions.</p> - -<p>Létorière escaped, calling for help, and left Martha in the hands of -her women and her husband, who, seeing the unhappy issue of his -pleasantry, hastily came out to seek pardon for his impertinence.</p> - - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_1" id="Footnote_18_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_1"><span class="label">[18]</span></a>Ecclesiasticus, XXI. 20.</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a></h4> - -<h4>THE JUDGMENT</h4> - - -<p>On the day of judgment on Létorière's lawsuit, the three councillor's -met at the palace. Their ballot was to be secret, the votes being -deposited in an urn.</p> - -<p>Before the session, Henferester, Flachsinfingen, and Sphex exchanged -some cool civilities, at the same time scrutinizing each other with some -anxiety; once the doctor thought of interesting Flachsinfingen in -Létorière's favor; but he was afraid of compromising his <i>protégé</i>'s -cause instead of helping it. The others, feeling a similar fear, -concealed their intentions, and chattered about matters remote from the -lawsuit.</p> - -<p>"This fine young man is surely going to lose his lawsuit; he will be the -victim of the unjust partiality of my associates, but my voice at least -shall be raised in his favor."</p> - -<p>Such was the private reflection of each judge.</p> - -<p>When the merits of the case had been set forth anew by the lawyers, -after a long session occupied in listening to, not in discussing the -facts, the three councillors arose and solemnly deposited their votes in -the urn.</p> - -<p>The Baron of Henferester, who on that day presided over the court, -ordered the recorder to examine the ballot.</p> - -<p>Each councillor had written on a slip of paper the name of the party -who, in his opinion, had the right of the cause.</p> - -<p>The recorder plunged his hand into the urn, drew out a ballot, and read: -<i>The Marquis of Létorière.</i></p> - -<p>"That is my vote," said each councillor to himself.</p> - -<p>At the second ballot the recorder read again: <i>The Marquis of -Létorière.</i></p> - -<p>The councillors began to look at each other uneasily.</p> - -<p>On the third ballot the recorder again read: <i>The Marquis of -Létorière.</i></p> - -<p>The stupefaction of the three magistrates was complete.</p> - -<p>The recorder registered the judgment. All the judicial formalities -having been fulfilled, the councillors returned to the council-room.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding their joy at the Marquis's triumph, they were greatly -astonished by this strange coincidence of opinion; so they were eager -for an explanation.</p> - -<p>"How the devil did you ever come to vote for the Marquis?" impetuously -cried the baron, addressing Flachsinfingen and Sphex.</p> - -<p>"I was going to ask you the same question," replied Sphex. "How is it -that you decided to give him your vote? And you, too, Flachsinfingen?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, with me it is very different," said the baron. "Between ourselves -we can speak frankly. You must admit that one founds his preferences on -similarity of pursuits; is it not so? Well, it is because my dogs and -those of the Marquis hunt together, as the saying is, that I have given -my vote to him. In a word, he is a man whose character, manners, and -habits please me. I promised him my vote, feeling that his cause was -hopeless, knowing well that both of you would be hostile to him. I am -delighted that he has gained it; but, may the devil strangle me if I can -understand how and why you voted for him!"</p> - -<p>"The character and the habits of the Marquis please you?" cried Sphex -and Flachsinfingen, with one voice, both astounded.</p> - -<p>"Certainly, never a bolder hunter has sounded his trumpet in our forests -. . . never a gayer companion, never a freer drinker has emptied his -tankard <i>supernaculum</i>, as the French say!"</p> - -<p>The two councillors laughed in the baron's face.</p> - -<p>"A bold hunter! . . . A blower of trumpets, he! a poor young Latinist! a -poor scholar!" said Sphex, giving way to his hilarity, and shrugging his -shoulders with pity.</p> - -<p>"A hard drinker! . . . a gay companion! . . . this ingenuous youth who -quotes the Bible so <i>apropos!</i> this timid lad who cannot look at my -wife without blushing up to his ears!" cried Flachsinfingen, with a laugh -not less sardonic.</p> - -<p>"The . . . the Marquis! a scholar and a Latinist! . . . The Marquis -quoting the Bible and blushing before a woman!" repeated the baron, -laughing immoderately. "Ha, ha! my friends, you are fools, or rather you -see everything through your own glasses."</p> - -<p>"You are a fool yourself, with your hunting-horns and your tankards," -cried Sphex, angrily. "What can there be in common, I should like to -know, between the Marquis and the course amusements of gladiators and -drunkards?" added the doctor, with an expression of supreme contempt. -"You wouldn't have fallen into such an error, my dear baron, if you had -heard Létorière recite and comment upon the admirable verses of the -king of the Latin poets of antiquity!" . . .</p> - -<p>"I!"—cried the baron in a rage—"I believe what my eyes have -seen, and not the dream of a sickly imagination! In my presence the Marquis -has killed a deer with the finest possible stroke of the knife! In my -presence he has wound a horn better than the first huntsman of the -imperial hounds! In two days he has drank, in my presence, more beer, -more Rhine wine and more kirchenwasser than you ever drank in all your -life, Dr. Sphex! In my presence he has mounted my old Elphin, which -many huntsmen have found difficult! Well, once again I tell you, you and -Flachsinfingen both, that Létorière, a rough and bold cavalier, is too -well acquainted with the spear, the hunting-horn and the glass, to lose -his time in turning pale before old he-goats, or blushing before a -woman! Again I tell you, you are two dreamers."</p> - -<p>At this outburst the two other councillors fell foul of one another, and -the discussion soon became so violent, that the three judges, all -speaking at once, could not make themselves heard.</p> - -<p>The presence of an usher of the council was necessary to put a stop to -this incomprehensible conversation.</p> - -<p>The usher approached Flachsinfingen, and whispered in his ear. . . .</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen," said he, "my wife desires to speak to me; will you listen -to her? She will inevitably throw light on this discussion, for she has -conversed for two whole hours with M. de Létorière. . . . Listen to -her, and you will see that what I have said is the exact truth."</p> - -<p>"Let her come in, if she wishes," cried the baron. "But in spite of all -the petticoats in Germany, I repeat that I have seen Létorière kill a -deer with his own hand, and that he can drink as much as I can."</p> - -<p>"And in spite of all the hunters, whippers-in, and drinkers in Germany," -cried Dr. Sphex, "I maintain that I have heard Létorière recite verses -of Persius, and comment upon them more learnedly than the most learned -professors of our universities could do. And you will never make me -believe, baron, that so erudite a man, with such a refined mind, could -hunt in the forest like a poacher, or drink like a pandour."</p> - -<p>"And I, in spite of all the professors, all the huntsmen, all the -drinkers in the empire, will maintain that I have seen Létorière -tremble like a child before my wife, who was obliged to reassure him, -and that I heard him quote Scripture as piously as a minister," cried -Flachsinfingen,—exasperated in his turn. "One need only to see the -Marquis to be assured there is nothing in his appearance or manner that -smacks of the gladiator."</p> - -<p>The <i>conseillère</i> entered in the midst of these contradictory -allegations.</p> - -<p>"I doubt not, gentlemen," said Flachsinfingen, "that my wife will be -able to bring you into agreement; thus far she has been a stranger to -our discussion, and—"</p> - -<p>But Martha did not let her husband finish; addressing the doctor and -baron with an affable and complimentary air,—</p> - -<p>"Nothing is talked of, gentlemen, but the success of the Marquis of -Létorière; permit me to congratulate you on this unexpected unanimity -of judgment. . . . Thanks to your wise agreement, gentlemen, it may be -said that the cause of innocence and religion has triumphed! In my -opinion this poor child Létorière represents, in a wonderful degree, -innocence and religion in their moral as well as physical aspects, if I -may so express myself, for he has the look of an angel."</p> - -<p>"There,—what did I tell you, gentlemen?" cried Flachsinfingen.</p> - -<p>"And what devil of an angel and a child are you talking about, if you -please, madam?" asked the baron.</p> - -<p>The lady replied, rather sharply:</p> - -<p>"I speak, sir, of a poor child whom you know as well as I do, for you -tried to make him drink, smoke and hunt, the innocent creature! when he -went to visit you in order to interest you in his lawsuit. Oh, I know all, -<i>Monsieur le Baron</i>; but escaping from your temptations, this angel -courageously resisted; he drank water, as pure as his soul, and was not -afraid to remind you of your religious duties, which you had -forgotten . . ."</p> - -<p>"But, zounds, madame!" cried the baron, "you don't know him." . . .</p> - -<p>"I know all, I know all, I tell you," replied the lady, volubly; "but I -forgive you, seeing by your vote that the might of innocence has been -sufficient to overcome your unjust prejudices."</p> - -<p>The baron was confounded, and said to himself: "If this lasts ten -minutes longer, I shall have an apoplectic fit, I'm sure of it." . . .</p> - -<p>"But, madame," cried Dr. Sphex, "you are sadly mistaken . . . and . . ."</p> - -<p>"And you, too, sir," replied the councillor's wife, "have given him your -vote, much to your credit! You have done well; but now tell me, how -could you believe that a youth so religiously brought up . . . so -religiously nourished on the Scriptures . . . would have stained his -chaste mind with all your abominable profane literature! Why make it a -crime in him for not knowing the verses of a certain . . . Persius . . . -who, they say, is the most shameless of satirists?"</p> - -<p>"By Hercules, madame, it was he who . . ."</p> - -<p>"Ah, by Hercules! What a frightful pagan oath!" cried the lady, raising -her hands towards heaven. "I know all, I tell you . . . but I will say -to you as I did to the baron: since you have dismissed your unjust -prejudices . . . and have joined my husband in helping the cause of our -innocent <i>protégé</i> to triumph . . . all glory and honor to you!"</p> - -<p>"My dear baron . . . my nerves are horribly shaken by this scene," said -the doctor, turning pale and seizing the baron's hands; "I am not -well." . . .</p> - -<p>"And I, my poor doctor, I am suffocating . . . I have vertigo . . . my -head is splitting! I'm stifling . . . I need air!"</p> - -<p>The door opened, and the ushers entered to announce that the Marquis of -Létorière begged to have the honor of saluting and thanking the -councillors. . . .</p> - -<p>"'Tis God who sends him to us!" cried the <i>conseillère.</i> "Let him -come in . . . let him come in! the sweet paschal lamb." . . .</p> - -<p>"Now you will see this lamb-like drinker of pure water!" said the baron, -with a sardonic laugh.</p> - -<p>"Now you will see this enemy of profane antiquity!" said the doctor in -the same tone, joyfully rubbing his hands.</p> - -<p>"Now you will see this Nimrod!". . . said Flachsinfingen.</p> - -<p>"Now you will see the pearl of young men!" said Martha, with the most -profound and full conviction.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a></h4> - -<h4>THE ADIEUX</h4> - - -<p>Létorière entered.</p> - -<p>The surprise of the four spectators was at its height; they stood -petrified, and looked at each other with astonishment.</p> - -<p>The Marquis was dressed with the most remarkable elegance. He wore a -coat of sky-blue velvet, embroidered with gold and silver leaves of -extreme delicacy; his vest of silver cloth was spangled with gold, as -were also his small-clothes, of the same color as his coat; his -rose-colored silk stockings were clocked with gold; his shoes had red -heels; a sword mounted in gold, covered with ornaments of silver, most -beautifully wrought; a shoulder-knot of blue, silver, and gold, and a -chapeau, with white plumes, which the Marquis held in his hand, -completed this magnificent costume.</p> - -<p>This complete metamorphosis had already upset all their conjectures, or -rather confounded all the recollections of the councillors and Martha; -but what still more excited their astonishment, was the impossibility of -finding in Létorière's face any of the expressions which had struck -them individually.</p> - -<p>Thus, in this charming gentleman so magnificently dressed, with an air -at once spiritual and malicious, with such elegant manners and such -perfect grace, although it was a little effeminate, the baron could not -recognize his uncouth huntsman, so careless and <i>negligé</i>; . . . the -doctor sought in vain his learned grammarian, who looked like a -half-starved poet; and Madame Martha as futilely tried to see in the -black and brilliant eyes of the Marquis, the timid and downcast look of -the youthful quoter of Scripture.</p> - -<p>Létorière felt the necessity of putting an end to the amazement of his -judges. He saluted them profoundly, and said:</p> - -<p>"May I be permitted, gentlemen, here to express to you my profound -gratitude, and to declare it to each of you?"</p> - -<p>The three Germans looked at each other in dismay, and awaited in silence -the termination of this strange scene.</p> - -<p>Létorière advanced towards Madame Flachsinfingen. Taking her hand with -a movement of the most amiable gallantry, he raised it to his lips, and -said to her in a sweet and grave voice: "I knew beforehand, madame, that -in order to merit your interest, to reach the level of your noble -character, it would be necessary to have, like you, a pure and religious -soul . . . in showing myself to you under this exterior, I have not -deceived. I did, for a moment, borrow your language, madame; and believe -me, it is too noble and too beautiful for me ever to forget it. . . ." -And he saluted her respectfully.</p> - -<p>"As for you, Monsieur le Baron, in order to prove to you that I am still -worthy to take part in the brotherhood of joyful huntsmen, I can do no -better way than to beg you to come next year to pass St. Hubert at my -castle of Obbreuse. . . . If you will deign to accompany him," said the -Marquis to Dr. Sphex, "we will continue our commentaries on our favorite -poet. In short, gentlemen, formerly I liked the chase, reading the -ancient poets and the Scripture merely from inclination . . . but now I -shall like them from the remembrance of your precious interest." . . .</p> - -<p>Thus speaking, Létorière saluted the three councillors, who remained -dumb, and went out.</p> - -<p>Radiant with this success, which made his marriage with Mademoiselle de -Soissons sure, Létorière went home, where he found a note which the -princess had sent to him by a courier:</p> - -<p>"<i>The King is dying. . . . My liberty, our future, are -threatened. . . . Come! come!</i>" . . .</p> - -<p>Sinking from the highest hope to the depths of anguish, the Marquis -instantly started for Paris.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a></h4> - -<h4>THE RETURN</h4> - - -<p>The day of his return to Paris, just as he was taking off his boots, -getting ready to go to Versailles, in great haste to approach the king, -he was called upon by the Baron of Ugeon, a relative of Madame Soubise. -Accompanied by two seconds, this gentleman came to demand satisfaction -for the discourtesy which the Marquis had shown towards Madame Rohan -Soubise at her hotel.</p> - -<p>Very much astonished at this revengefulness, for which there was no -reason, Monsieur de Létorière, without declining the challenge, -declared that having ridden post from Vienna to see the king, his -master, for the last time, who was said to be dying, he could consent to -fight only after having fulfilled this sacred duty.</p> - -<p>The bravery of the Marquis was so well known, that his proposition could -not be rejected. It was settled that when he was ready for the meeting, -the seconds should inform Monsieur d'Ugeon.</p> - -<p>After begging Dominique to go to the Abbey of Montmartre, and carry a -letter from him to the princess Julie, the Marquis started for -Versailles.</p> - -<p>Louis XV. was dying with the confluent small-pox.</p> - -<p>This terrible malady, so rapidly contagious, and which left such -frightful traces, had caused great alarm in the court. Létorière found -the small rooms occupied by the dying king almost deserted. The panic -was much greater, as vaccination was not then known. Even the officers -on duty were hardly to be found at their posts. Louis XV. had strictly -forbidden the dauphin and the other princes and princesses to enter his -apartment, for fear of exposing the royal family to the fatal contagion. -The Viscount of T***, one of the gentlemen of the bedchamber, then on -duty, was in the room next to that of the king, when Létorière -arrived, pale and agitated.</p> - -<p>The Marquis, forgetting court etiquette in this dreadful moment, was -about to raise the curtain of the king's chamber, when the viscount -hurriedly advanced, and said in a low voice, laying his hand upon the -Marquis's arm:</p> - -<p>"Stop, sir, you have not the <i>entrée</i> to his majesty's chamber."</p> - -<p>"It is said, sir, that the king is almost deserted by his attendants; -they fear contagion. . . . If it be true that death reigns in this -chamber, one can brave all etiquette to enter it," said Létorière, -bitterly, and he made a movement to enter.</p> - -<p>"Once more, you cannot go into the presence of his majesty, sir," -replied the Viscount T***. "I am not sure that he will consent to -receive you."</p> - -<p>"Go, then, and ask him, sir; the king will not refuse the services of -one whom he has always loaded with favors."</p> - -<p>The proposition to enter the king's chamber seemed to frighten Monsieur -T***, who haughtily answered the Marquis, still in a low voice:</p> - -<p>"I receive orders only from the first gentleman-in-waiting, sir."</p> - -<p>At that instant a feeble voice, well known to both who heard it, -asked:</p> - -<p>"Who is there? Who is speaking in whispers?"</p> - -<p>"It is the king! . . . He has heard you, sir. You are responsible for -the consequences of this," said Monsieur T***; and he replied aloud: -"Will his majesty deign to excuse me if I answer him without entering? -but I only execute his formal orders. The person who is here, Sire, -is . . ."</p> - -<p>"'Tis Létorière, who supplicates the king to be permitted to approach -him," said the marquis aloud, interrupting M. T***.</p> - -<p>"Indeed, . . . is it you, my child? You have returned, then?" cried -Louis XV., in a tone of great pleasure. Then reflecting that he should -expose the Marquis to the danger of contagion in permitting him to enter -his chamber, he added:</p> - -<p>"No . . . no . . . the air of this apartment is fatal . . . don't come -in; I forbid it." . . .</p> - -<p>"For the first time in my life I shall dare to disobey an order of the -king. . . . But I have a duty to accomplish, and I will accomplish it," -cried Létorière; and raising the curtain, he advanced towards the -monarch's bed.</p> - -<p>"Go out . . . go out this instant, ill-fated child!" cried the prince, -raising himself to a sitting posture, and extending his hand towards the -door with an imperious air.</p> - -<p>But Létorière threw himself on the king's hand; which, despite his -majesty's resistance, he kissed respectfully several times. Then he -knelt near the bed, saying:</p> - -<p>"May the king pardon my audacity . . . but there is now no longer any -reason for forbidding my presence." . . .</p> - -<p>"Go away . . . leave me;" replied Louis XV.</p> - -<p>"Four years ago I was happier . . . the king deigned to allow me to kiss -his royal hand in the garden of Versailles," said the Marquis, with an -accent of filial veneration.</p> - -<p>"But four years ago . . . my hand could not communicate a frightful -disease . . . death, perhaps!" said the sovereign, much moved.</p> - -<p>The courageous pertinacity of Létorière touched more deeply this -excellent prince, because, save by some inside servants, he had been -abandoned by nearly all the courtiers.</p> - -<p>The high officials of the crown, whose duty it was to remain near his -person, had obeyed only too faithfully his orders, which forbade them to -stay.</p> - -<p>The fine features of the king, disfigured by his disease, already -indicated the approach of death. At this supreme moment the unfortunate -dissensions, the threatening political agitation which had darkened the -latter part of his reign, filled him with new anxieties. Létorière's -noble devotion for a moment diverted his thoughts from these painful -themes which saddened his last moments.</p> - -<p>"You are a madman, . . . you deserve all my anger for daring to disobey -me and expose yourself thus," . . . cried Louis XV., with an expression -rather of grief than of wrath, and casting a tender look on Létorière, -who, still kneeling near the bed, kept profound silence.</p> - -<p>"Oh, may the king have pity on me! this may perhaps be the last time I -can show him my gratitude."</p> - -<p>"Again, I tell you this disease is contagious. . . . Do you not see that -they have abandoned me . . . that I am alone . . . that I wish to be -alone?" the prince hastened to add with bitterness, as if he wished to -disguise from himself his first thought; the devotion of the Marquis -made the ingratitude of the courtiers appear yet more shameful to him.</p> - -<p>"Brave and noble heart!" added Louis XV., looking at the Marquis -tenderly. "That hast no fear; thou art faithful!"</p> - -<p>"Then let the king recompense my fidelity by granting me what he grants -to no other person . . . the right to serve him, to remain near -him!" . . . said Létorière, joining his hands in supplication.</p> - -<p>"It must be so . . . now" . . . said Louis XV. Then he added, almost in -despair: "But you are young! you are handsome! you are beloved! and all -that you risk to come to me! all that you will sacrifice to me, perhaps, -poor young man! . . . when so many others". . . and, after a moment of -silence, Louis continued: "There is probably a crowd around the dauphin -to salute the King, Louis XVI."</p> - -<p>"Sire, what do you say?"</p> - -<p>"That is the fate of kings when they are departing, my child. . . . Ah! -if I had only oblivion, only death to dread! But France . . . -France . . . what will become of her? And my grandson, what will his -future be?" . . .</p> - -<p>"Sire, France has named you the <i>Well-beloved</i>; for a long time you -have borne that name, and his highness the dauphin will one day merit -it." . . .</p> - -<p>"I am not mistaken . . . I am feeble . . . I approach my end," . . . -said the king, shaking his head sadly; "and then, I believe certain -deaths are significant; the Marshal of Armantières, the Marquis of -Chauvelin, have suddenly died before me . . . in my court. . . . It is a -warning from heaven."</p> - -<p>"Do not think of this, Sire. This illness is dangerous, but -care . . ."</p> - -<p>"Care is powerless,—I feel it; thus it is frightful for me to -think that I have, perhaps, uselessly compromised your life . . . but now -it is too late. Your imprudence . . . no, no, . . . your generous devotion -has rendered all regret vain. . . . But tell me, I have heard with joy -of the gaining of your lawsuit. Now, nothing can prevent your marriage -with the princess Julie. . . . Oh! I have had to break many lances for -you against the <i>Maréchale</i> and against the House of Savoy," he added, -with a kind smile. "I have been obliged to use all my authority to -prevent them from shutting up Mademoiselle de Soissons in the convent of -Montmartre."</p> - -<p>"Ah! Sire, what goodness! you deign to think . . ."</p> - -<p>"It is now or never; to-morrow, perhaps, it will be too late. . . . My -only fear is, that when I am gone the princess Julie will not find a -friend in my grandson. . . . But if God spares me a few days, I will -advise her; it will be sweet to me to leave you as happy as you deserve -to be, my dear child." . . .</p> - - -<p class="center">* * * * * * *</p> - - -<p>The illness of the king made rapid and frightful progress. Létorière -did not quit him for a moment. It would be impossible to tell with what -tender, respectful, and touching cares he surrounded the dying monarch. -The sight of the Marquis seemed to calm the pains of Louis XV. Several -times he offered him his hand in silence, with a sweet expression of -gratitude. Soon all hope of saving the prince vanished, and Létorière -stood with fixed and mournful eyes at the moment of death, the end of -the sovereign who had shown for him all the affection of a father. . . .</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a></h4> - -<h4>THE DUEL</h4> - - -<p>After the death of Louis XV., the Marquis of Létorière quitted -Versailles in order to return with all speed to Paris, and to the -convent of Montmartre, in order to see the princess Julie. Feeling, on -the road, alternate chills and fever, he attributed his indisposition to -the painful emotions which had recently agitated him. As soon as he -arrived, he questioned Dominique about the princess. The dying Louis XV. -had only too clearly foreseen the future. A provost-guard was -established in the abbey, by order of Louis XVI., to prevent Mlle. de -Soissons from going out or receiving persons who were not furnished with -the permission of Madame Soubise. So Dominique had not been able to see -the princess, or to deliver to her the Marquis's letters.</p> - -<p>This news fell like a thunderbolt on Létorière. He doubtless trusted -much to the firmness of Mlle. de Soissons; but he also knew the immense -power of the House of Savoy, and of Madame Soubise's influence in the -new court. He was plunged in the bitterness of these reflections, when -the seconds of the Baron of Ugeon came to inquire when it would suit him -to appoint a time for the promised encounter. It seemed cruel to the -Marquis to run the risk of a duel before seeing the princess Julie; but -he had already asked for delay, and he could not beg it a second time. -He agreed, therefore, to appear with his seconds at three o'clock the -next day, behind the walls of the Mathurins farm-house, then a very -isolated spot.</p> - -<p>The Marquis had thirty-six hours before him; in this time he hoped to -find means to obtain an interview with, or at least to convey a letter -to Mlle. de Soissons.</p> - -<p>Dame Landry was despatched to the Abbey of Montmartre, disguised as a -pedler. She had a complete assortment of linens, cambrics, crapes, -ribbons and laces. In order to make friends with the portress, she gave -her a beautiful hood. The sister, delighted, promised to allow her to -enter the court at the hour of promenade, when the ladies would surely -make many purchases. Madelaine inquired who were the ladies of -distinction resident in the abbey. The portress named the princess -Julie.</p> - -<p>"Is Madame Martha, Mlle. de Soisson's nurse, with her?" asked the -tailor's wife.</p> - -<p>"Undoubtedly," replied the sister, "and you will see her in a moment, -for she almost always comes down at this hour in her mistress's -service."</p> - -<p>"I have been recommended to Madame Martha," said Madelaine, "and I am -sure that, under her countenance, I shall sell a great many things to -the princess; I have here a piece of lace which would not be unworthy -the dress of a queen;" and the tailor's wife, unfolding a napkin, showed -a magnificent pattern to the portress.</p> - -<p>"Ah! splendid! How beautiful that is! The archbishop has nothing finer -on his surplice when he comes to officiate here."</p> - -<p>"And it is very probable," said Madelaine, "that the princess may buy -this marvel to make a present to his lordship; at least that's what the -person said who recommended me to Dame Martha."</p> - -<p>"Here she comes, now," said the portress.</p> - -<p>Martha entered, looking sad and mournful.</p> - -<p>"Here's a pedler who has been recommended to you, Madame Martha," said -the portress. "She has the most beautiful laces in the world."</p> - -<p>"I have no need of them," said Martha, impatiently. "But, madame," . . . -said Madelaine, hesitating, and trying to make a signal of intelligence -to the nurse, "I have been told that the princess . . . wished to -purchase some laces, and . . ."</p> - -<p>"You have been deceived, or rather you wish to deceive me, my friend," -sourly replied Dame Martha. "You have the appearance of one of those -travelling vendors, who never return to see if people are satisfied with -what they have bought."</p> - -<p>"You would not confound me with those miserable creatures, madame," said -Madelaine, redoubling her signals of intelligence, "if you knew who the -person is who has recommended me to you."</p> - -<p>"And who is it?"</p> - -<p>"The Marquis of Létorière." . . .</p> - -<p>At this name Dame Martha exchanged a rapid and meaning look with -Madelaine. The two women understood each other. The portress was -ignorant of the name, and even the existence of the Marquis.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless the nurse, not wishing to excite her suspicions by -recognizing too soon the name, replied roughly:</p> - -<p>"Seek other dupes, my friend; I don't know this Marquis." . . .</p> - -<p>"He is, nevertheless, the nephew of the Abbé de Vighan," replied -Madelaine.</p> - -<p>"The nephew of the Abbé de Vighan! . . . that's very different," -answered the nurse; "why didn't you tell me that sooner? The nephew of -M. de Vighan would recommend none but honest persons. And what have you -to sell?"</p> - -<p>"This piece of lace." And Madelaine cast an expressive glance on Martha. -"It is very precious and beautiful from one end to the other; the -princess may unroll it, and she will not find a defect in it."</p> - -<p>"I will go and show it to her. . . And have you nothing else?"</p> - -<p>"I have nothing that is worthy of your mistress."</p> - -<p>"Wait, then; I will come back."</p> - -<p>Inside the package of lace was a letter from the Marquis, inquiring of -Julie the means of penetrating to her presence. Mlle. de Soissons -answered that she considered herself his wife before God, that she was -resolved to flee from the abbey, if she could by any possibility escape -the surveillance which was maintained over her. She could go at all -hours to pray in the chapel. This chapel was separated from the garden -of the cloister by a long subterranean passage. A part of the wall -looked out upon the fields; by scaling at it one point which Mlle. de -Soissons designated, might be reached in the garden, by the side of a -fountain, the door of this subterranean passage. By forcing this door -one could gain the chapel. Mlle. de Soissons informed Létorière that -every night, at one o'clock, she would wait there, to swear to him at -the foot of the altar to be only his, and to concert with him a plan of -fleeing to England and escaping the persecutions of her family.</p> - -<p>The princess Julie put this hastily-written letter into the roll of -lace, and Martha carried it back to Madelaine, telling her that the -princess thought it not fine enough.</p> - -<p>Informed of Mlle. de Soissons's determination, the Marquis sent Jerome -Sicard to examine the locality. The walls of the cloister were very -high, but surrounded by desert marshes. They could easily be scaled. -Unhappily, the preparations indispensable to this enterprise would not -permit the Marquis to attempt it until the night of the next day.</p> - -<p>For the first time he feared death, for he reflected that his duel must -precede his interview with Mlle. de Soissons.</p> - -<p>He passed a night of painful agitation. His sleep was troubled by -strange dreams. When he arose, he felt feeble and depressed. For the -first time it occurred to him that perhaps he was a victim to contagion -and his devotion to Louis XV. In fact, his physician recognized the -alarming symptoms of confluent small-pox; but the disease would not be -developed before the next day. Moved by an over-nice sense of honor, and -contrary to the advice of his two seconds, the Marquis, notwithstanding -his weakness, insisted on fighting with the Baron of Ugeon that very -day.</p> - -<p>At quarter past three, the meeting took place. The friends of the -Marquis, seeing his feverish color and his weakness, believed it their -duty, without consulting Létorière, to appeal to the courtesy of M. -d'Ugeon, and request him to put off the duel. But a cruel and offensive -word from M. d'Ugeon, at the suggestion of this new delay, having -rendered an adjustment impossible, the combat began. Létorière fenced -with superior force; his bravery was unquestionable; but the rapid -approach of disease had weakened him so seriously, that he lost all his -advantages, and received a sword-thrust directly in his breast. The -seconds carried him home, and left him to the care of poor Dominique.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a></h4> - -<h4>THE ABBEY</h4> - - -<p>Eleven o'clock had just struck in the cloisters of the abbey of -Montmartre. The night was stormy; the heavens gray and veiled, -notwithstanding the brightness of the moon, which peeped out at long -intervals beneath dank clouds rent by the wind. In order to reach the -chapel, Mlle. de Soissons was obliged, after leaving her apartment, to -cross an open gallery, whose arches opened on one of the interior courts -of the abbey.</p> - -<p>In the midst of this court was the tomb of the Countess of Egmont, the -charming and unhappy daughter of Marshal Richelieu. The princess Julie -had received, by the aid of her nurse and Dame Landry, a message from -Létorière. He announced to her that he should endeavor to introduce -himself into the abbey that very night. It was eleven o'clock; Mlle. de -Soissons, oppressed by inexplicable presentiments, was praying on the -steps of Madame Egmont's tomb. At any moment the Marquis might arrive by -the subterranean passage. The silence was profound, and interrupted only -by the groaning of the wind which whirled through the arches. Despite -her resolution, despite the noble and religious purpose which dictated -her action, and the purity of her soul, the princess Julie was almost -frightened at having given a rendezvous to Létorière in the chapel of -the abbey. It seemed to her a sacrilege. Little by little her terrors -ceased, giving place to anxiety and devouring uneasiness.</p> - -<p>A lamp burning in the chapel threw a dim light upon the gloom. Mlle. de -Soissons, kneeling near the door which communicated with the -subterranean passage of the cloister, listened eagerly on that side. -Presently steps were heard, the lock was broken, and Létorière -appeared before the princess, who could not repress a cry of surprise -and love.</p> - -<p>"At last it is you! . . . I see you again . . . my friend!" . . . cried -she with delirious joy; and added immediately: "But come into the -gallery; let us leave this holy place."</p> - -<p>When the light of the moon permitted the princess to see the Marquis, -she was struck by the pallor of his countenance. He was enveloped in a -brown cloak, and walked with difficulty. In spite of his wound received -that very day, in spite of the progress of the disease, and the tears -and supplications of Dominique, the Marquis, accompanied by Jerome -Sicard, had succeeded in scaling the walls of the Abbey.</p> - -<p>"I see you once again, Julie!" said he, with an accent of inexpressible -tenderness. . . .</p> - -<p>"Soon nothing shall separate us again, my friend!" said the princess, -extending her hand towards the Marquis.</p> - -<p>"My hand! . . . no . . . no . . . just heaven! . . ." cried -Létorière, withdrawing in affright; and he wrapped himself more -closely in his cloak.</p> - -<p>Mlle. de Soissons, profoundly astonished, looked at him in silence.</p> - -<p>"Julie . . . Julie . . . pardon me . . . if I thus withdraw myself from -you . . . but hearing of the illness of the king, and that he was -abandoned by all . . . I went to him; I did not quit him for an instant, -until his death." . . .</p> - -<p>"Ah! I understand," cried the princess. "This terrible disease is -contagious, and your devotion will perhaps cost you your life . . . will -cost us, perhaps, our happiness!"</p> - -<p>"No, no, reassure yourself, Julie . . . all hope is not yet lost. . . . -Although suffering, I wanted to see you to relieve you of all anxiety, -to tell you that my lawsuit is gained . . . and that no obstacle now -opposes our happiness." . . .</p> - -<p>"None . . . none but death, perhaps!" exclaimed the princess, in -despair. "My God! . . . My God! . . . in what frightful apprehension am -I obliged to live!"</p> - -<p>"Calm yourself! . . . Madelaine Landry will try every day to bring news -of me to Martha. . . . You see . . . I am not seriously sick, although I -may become so" . . . said the Marquis, with a feeble voice.</p> - -<p>"I cannot live in such anxiety," replied the princess. "I will flee with -you . . . this very night."</p> - -<p>"Julie . . . it is impossible . . . nothing is prepared for such a step. -In the name of Heaven, listen! . . . Do not compromise our future by -precipitation." . . .</p> - -<p>"But I can see that you are suffering horribly; I will not leave you in -such a state . . . it is impossible! Energy and courage will not fail -me; where you have passed, I will pass. . . . Once away from here, I -will go and put myself under the protection of the Judge of Solar; they -will not dare to snatch me openly from the asylum I shall have chosen in -the house of the Ambassador of Sardinia. But at least there . . . every -day . . . every hour . . . I shall hear news from you."</p> - -<p>"Once again, Julie . . . it is impossible!" said Létorière, hardly -able to stand, and leaning against one of the pillars of Madame Egmont's -tomb.</p> - -<p>"And you believe," resumed Mlle. de Soissons, feelingly, "you believe -that during five years I could have followed you step by step with all -the solicitude of a mother . . . that I could have bravely struggled -against the wishes of my family, to abandon you to-day, under I know not -what pretext of propriety, suffering, almost dying. . . . No, no, this -love is too pure and too holy to fear to show a bold front."</p> - -<p>"Julie . . . pardon me," murmured Létorière, falling on one of the -steps of the tomb. "I have not told you all."</p> - -<p>"Heavenly Father! . . . he is ill!" . . .</p> - -<p>"Silence! . . . Julie . . . one last prayer . . . let me feel your lips -on my forehead."</p> - -<p>"He is going to die! he is dying! Charles! . . . Charles! -Charles!" . . . cried the princess despairingly; and throwing herself on -her knees by the Marquis, still so tightly enveloped in his cloak that -Mlle. de Soissons sought his hand in vain.</p> - -<p>"I have not told you . . . that the Baron of Ugeon challenged me," -murmured Létorière, with a voice growing rapidly weaker.</p> - -<p>"A relative of the <i>Maréchale!</i> . . . They have assassinated -him! . . . traitorously assassinated him!"</p> - -<p>"No. . . . I fought . . . this morning . . . with him . . . it was -honorably conducted . . . and I received . . . in the breast . . . a -wound . . . Julie . . ." added the Marquis, faintly. "I wanted to see -you again. . . . Adieu! . . . This ring . . . you know . . . you will -take it again. . . . <i>Your look has followed me everywhere</i> . . . EVEN -UNTO DEATH. . . . My God! . . . pardon me! . . . I thought myself strong -enough to live until to-morrow. . . . Julie . . . once more . . . -Adieu." . . .</p> - -<p>And Létorière died as he uttered this last word.</p> - - -<p class="center">* * * * * * *</p> - - -<p>These lines are to be found in the "Souvenirs of Madame la Marquise de -Créquy":</p> - -<p>"The princess Julie, poor unhappy child, never again saw her charming -friend M. de Létorière. . . . His wounds reopened, and all the blood -that remained in his veins flowed out during the night. . . . He expired -without aid, and the next morning was found dead on the flag-stones of -the cloister.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps it was on the stone which covered the tomb of my poor friend -Madame d'Egmont. Having been educated at the convent of Montmartre, she -had begged to be buried near Madame de Vibraye, her friend from infancy, -and Superior of this house."</p> - -<p>They hushed up this horrible affair. The corpse was magnificent; it was -wrapped in a winding-sheet. They carried him to his bed, and it was -reported that "the Marquis of Létorière had died of small-pox."</p> - -<p class="center">* * * * * * *<br /> -<br /> -* * * * * * *<br /> -<br /> -* * * * * * *<br /> -<br /> -* * * * * * *</p> - -<p>Some years after, the princess Julie married a prince of Saxe-Coburg.</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Marquis of Letoriere, by -Marie Joseph Eugène Sue - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARQUIS OF LETORIERE *** - -***** This file should be named 63852-h.htm or 63852-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/5/63852/ - -Produced by Laura Natal Rodrigues at Free Literature (Images -generously made available by Hathi Trust.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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