The Adventures of François

by S. Weir Mitchell

  *XXIII*

  _Of how Francois found lodgings where he paid no rent--Of the death ofToto--Of how his master, having no friends on the earth, finds themunderground._

  At dusk Francois went out, and was soon moving rapidly across Paris. Hewas in search of lodging, food, and security. In an hour or less he wasin the half-peopled quarter of St. Antoine. Near the barrier he turnedaside, and stood considering a little house in what seemed to have beena well-kept garden. On the gate was the large red seal of the republic.It was safe for a night. If he took a lodging, he must show all hispapers, and have his name set out, with his business, on a placard suchas was nailed to the outer door of every house in Paris. His name, as anew lodger, must be reported to the sectional committee. He was widelyknown, and, alas! too peculiar to escape notice long. Now he neededtime to think. He wandered awhile, ate in a small cafe, bought wine andbread, at night climbed the garden wall, and without much trouble foundhis way into the house. It was a sorry sight. The arrests must havebeen sudden and pitiless. The kettle stood on the dead embers. Thebread, burned black, was in the oven. A half-knit stocking lay on achair. Up-stairs and down, it was the same. The open drawers showedevidence of search. A dead bird lay starved in a cage. The beds wereunmade. The clock had stopped. He found some scant provisions, unfitfor use. It seemed a gardener's house. The place oppressed him, but itanswered his purpose. His dog troubled him. Toto was, like himself,conspicuous, and he felt forced during the daytime to leave him lockedup in the house. But Toto was sagacious, and had learned to keep quiet.For several days Francois lived at daylight in the streets and cafes,returning at night, to get away again before dawn. In the quiet littletaverns where he went for food and shelter he made himself small, andhid in corners; nor, at this time, did he laugh much. He bought thegazettes, and read them with intelligent apprehension of the fact thatchange was in the air. Robespierre had never had with him a majority ofhis colleagues, and now he was becoming more and more conscious of hisinsecure hold on the Convention. As long as the ex-nobles or the foesof the republic suffered, it was of little moment to therepresentatives; but when the craving for blood, not justified by anypolitical reasons, sent too many of their body to the block, the uneaseof the Terror began to be felt within their own hall. To be timid,cautious, or obscure had once been security. It was so no longer. Thatterrible master still had his way, and, one by one, the best brains ofthe opponents of the Jacobins were sent to perish on the scaffold. TheConvention began to feel the need for associative self-defense.Revenge, fear, and policy combined to aid the enemies of thisextraordinary person. Like Marat, he began to show physically theeffects of a life full of alarms; for this monster dreaded darkness,trembled at unusual noises, and remained to the last the most carefullydressed man in Paris. To understand him at all, one must credit him inhis early political life with a sincere love of country, and withwillingness to sacrifice himself for others. It is impossible to regardhim as entirely sound of mind at a later date. He became somethingmonstrous--a mixture of courage, cowardice, blood-madness, self-esteem,and personal vanity. But there were men who loved him to the last.

  It was now early in July, the month Thermidor. Francois began, as usual,to weary of a life of monotonous carefulness. His supply of money wasample. He was well fed and, so far, safe. He sat night after night indarkness, and thought of the lady of the chateau. He knew that herfather was thus far secure; his name was not in the daily lists of thevictims; and these were many, for on the 22d Prairial (June 10) a decreedeprived the accused of counsel, and of the right to call witnesses.The end was near.

  One evening about nine, as he came near to the garden, he saw lights inthe house. Toto was found waiting outside of the gate. A girl cameforth, and soon returned with a net of vegetables.

  "_Ciel_! Toto," said Francois, "the poor things have been released, andthou wert clever to get out. We are glad, thou and I; but they have ourhouse." He had left nothing at this lodging, having nothing to leave.He walked away, puzzled, and, wandering, scarce aware of whither hewent, found himself at last in the Rue de Seine. It was getting late,and he began to look about him for a new lodging.

  "We must find an empty house, Toto. The seal of this cursed republic isour best chance." He did not need to look far. In the Rue de Seine hecame upon a small two-story shop. Beside it was a wide gateway, onwhich he saw with difficulty, but felt readily, the seal no one dared toviolate. He concluded that there must be a deserted house beyond it, ina garden. He passed around by the _quai_, and entered the Rue desPetits-Augustines, and stood before the mansion of Ste. Luce. A lightwas in an upper room. Some one was in charge. On either side wererailings and a garden. It was now ten o'clock, and no one visible inthe long street of old houses, once the homes of the great Frenchnobles. He pushed the poodle between the rails, and readily pulledhimself up and dropped at his side. Once within, he moved with careacross to the wall behind the mansion, and soon saw that he was not inthe garden of the marquis, but in the larger domain of the Duc de laRochefoucauld-Liancourt. His object was to find his way into the housewhich had an outlet on the Rue de Seine. As he was arranging hisclothing to climb a tree near to the wall, he suddenly paused. "Toto,"he exclaimed, "we have been robbed,--we--first-class thieves,--and weknow not when it was. Ah, it was at that cafe, as we came out. Welldone, too. Not a sou. Weep, Toto; we are broken."

  He lost no more time in lamentation, but climbed the tree, looked over,came down, pulled up the dog, and descended on the farther side of thewall.

  He was now in a small garden. Near him, and close to the wall, was alittle plant-house. On the farther side of a grassy space stood a hotelof moderate size, with the front court, as he presumed, opening on theRue de Seine. On each side, as he saw clearly, for the night was brightand the moon rising, there were high flanking walls. After assuringhimself that the house was empty, Francois found a trellis covered withold vines, and, climbing this, entered the hotel by a convenientbalcony. He was safe for the night, and at leisure to explore his newdwelling. He feared to strike a light, but he could see dimly thatthere were pictures, books, china. Evidently this had been the home ofpeople of wealth. As the moon rose higher, he saw still better, andbegan to realize the fact that here were evidences of hasty flight. Ina room on the second floor was a secretary, and this Francois readilyopened.

  "Toto," he said, "we are rich again." He had found forty louis in acanvas bag which comfortably fitted his side pocket. In the larder hecame upon meat, cooked and uncooked, mostly unfit for use, stale bread,and cheese. Once satisfied, he went over the house, and then thegarden, taking pains at last to set a ladder against the wall of theRochefoucauld property.

  The glass-house was in disorder, the plants lying about, uncared for.His foot struck an iron ring attached to a trap-door. There werestaples for padlocking it, but no padlock. He concluded this to be theopening to a wine-cave or -cellar, and lifted the trap. It was darkbelow. He ventured down the steps a little way, and then stood still tolisten. Hearing noises below him, he retreated in haste. He was, as hasbeen said, superstitious.

  "That is strange! We will look about when it is day, Toto--not now."

  Concluding to sleep out of doors, he accordingly arranged for hiscomfort by taking a pillow and blankets from the house; for now he hadopened a door below, and was in full possession. Suites of apartmentswhich he dared not use for sleep, and a pretty little library,overlooked the small estate of the garden.

  No occupied dwelling was in view. Great trees in the grounds of LaRochefoucauld and Ste. Luce partially hid the houses, and, what was ofmore moment, shut off the sight of Francois's refuge. It was, ofcourse, possible that at any time he might be disturbed by the coming ofthe officers, or, what was to be feared less, that of the owners. Buthe was not a man to be continually anxious. The outer front door had abar, and this he dropped into its socket. The side walls were high. Hecould hear any one who attempted t
o enter. His way out at the back wasmade easy by the ladder he had set in place. At dusk he began to befully at ease, and after a day or two was hardly less so in the sun-lithours.

  On the morning of the third day, much at home, he sat behind the littleplant-house, with Toto at his feet, and a book in his hand, for in thelibrary he found several which excited his interest. Now he was deep ina French translation of the travels of Marco Polo. Suddenly he heard anoise of steps. He fell back, caught Toto with a warning grasp on thejaw, and lay still. He was so hidden in the narrow space between theplant-house and the wall of the garden as to be for the time secure. Nolonger hearing anything alarming, he rose and looked cautiously throughthe double glass and the sheltering plants which were between himselfand the mansion. In a few minutes a tall man came out of theplant-house, went into the dwelling, and by and by returning withblankets and a basket, passed into the plant-house, and was lost tosight. He soon came out again with a lad, and after several suchjourneys to the main house, whence each time he fetched something, theyreentered the plant-house, and came forth no more.

  This incident greatly amazed the thief. "Toto," he said, "there must bea trap below! 'T is a lower cellar it leads to, and there are peoplebeneath. _Helas_, Toto! no sooner are we gentlemen with an estate than,presto! a change, and it is get up and go. It were better we took tothe woods and saw far countries, like this M. Polo." Toto regarded hismaster with attentive eyes, the long black tail wagging. He seemed tocomprehend Francois's difficulties, or at least to feel some vaguedesire to help and comfort.

  "Yes, yes; it is time we settled down, _mon ami_. Behold, we get alittle money and wherewithal to live; we hurt no one; we cultivate ourminds with travel; we start fresh, and are honest, having enough,--whichis a good foundation for honesty,--and then--_eh bien!_ my friend; letus laugh"; and he lay on his back, and tumbled the dog about.

  He was in the garden, near to the dwelling, a day later, when he heardnoises as of steps in the La Rochefoucauld grounds. He climbed theladder, and, without showing himself, listened. There were voices, andnow and then he caught a phrase. These were municipal guards. Hebeckoned to Toto, and, crossing the garden, entered the house, meaningto watch his new neighbors from a window.

  He went up-stairs to the third story under the roof. As he moved towarda window, he heard a sound below. He ran down the stair, and stood onthe lower landing-place, facing the front door. "We are gone, Toto!"For once he was at a loss, and stood still, in doubt what to do.

  There were voices outside. The hall door had been unlocked, but the barheld it fast. After a minute or two they seemed to have given up theidea of entering. Francois waited a few minutes, and began to descendthe stairs. Then he heard quick footfalls in the room to the left onthe level of the landing above him. Some one must have entered by awindow on the second floor. He turned, perplexed, instinctively drewhis useless pistol, and began to go faster. Suddenly the steps above himquickened.

  A man on the staircase landing behind him cried: "Halloo! Surrender, inthe name of the republic!" Francois jumped, taking the stairs below himin one leap, but, tripping over Toto, fell headlong in the hall. The dogsprang after him, and alighted on his master's back. A pistol-shot rangout. The dog fell dead with a ball in his brain. Francois was on hisfeet. He cast a glance at the faithful friend of many a day. His ownlong, strange face became like that of a madman. He dashed up the stair,a second ball missing him narrowly. Through the smoke he bounded on hisenemy. He caught the man by the right arm, wrested the pistol from him,and, scarce feeling a blow from the fellow's left hand, struck him fullin the face with the butt of the pistol. The blood flew, and the manstaggered, screaming. A second blow and a third fell. Twisting hisvictim around, Francois hurled him down the stair.

  "Beast!" he cried; and, leaping over him, stooped a moment, kissed thequivering little body of his friend, and, with tears streaming from hiseyes, stood still. Loud cries from beyond the wall of the gardenrecalled his energies. The noise at the door was heard again. He ranout and across into the plant-house, pulled up the trap, and,descending, closed it. Then he stood puzzled. It was dark; he couldsee nothing. He fell on his knees, and began hastily to grope aboutuntil he felt an iron ring attached to the trap-door of what he presumedto be the entrance to a yet lower cellar.

  "It is this or death," he muttered under his breath, and stoodreflecting, having heard no sounds approaching overhead. Thinking itbetter to see and be seen by those below, he struck his flint on thesteel, and, with the aid of a morsel of paper and his kindling breath,soon had a light. Then he saw near by a lantern with a candle withinit. He lighted it, and held it in one hand. This done, he knelt again,and with a quick movement set open the trap-doorway. What he saw was aman and the muzzle of a pistol. The man cried out: "If you move, youare dead!"

  "I am not a municipal, monsieur. I am only a thief. Let me come down,for God's sake! I am flying from those rascals who are in the house."

  "I have half a mind to blow your brains out."

  "_Ciel_! I hope you will not have a whole mind. It would only callthose scoundrels. I stole a little from the house--I return it"; and hedropped the bag of louis. It fell on the head of a small boy below,unseen in the gloom. He howled lustily.

  "_Diantre!_ keep quiet!" cried the man.

  "Oh, let him come down, duke; he is welcome." It was the voice of awoman out of the deep darkness. Tender and clear it was.

  "Be quick, then, rascal! Down with you."

  The thief waited for no second invitation. The duke descended;Francois's long legs came after. He paused to arrange some loosestaves, that, in falling, they might conceal the trap. Then he blew outthe candle, and was in total darkness, but where or with whom he knewnot.

  "Have a care how you move," said the voice of the woman. "We are ingreat peril. Come down quietly."

  "May all the saints bless you!" said Francois, and sat down on the lowerstep. For a while all was still.