Les Quarante-cinq. English
Page 18
CHAPTER XVII.
CHICOT'S PURSE.
Chicot passed the remainder of the night dreaming in his armchair, forthe face of that woman brought before him a number of illustrious shadesconnected with many happy or terrible souvenirs, and he who hadregretted his sleep on first arriving, now thought no more of it.
When morning dawned he got up, threw a cloak over his shoulders, andwith the firmness of a sage, examined the bottom of his purse and hisshoes. Chicot, a man of lively imagination, had made in the principalbeam which ran through his house a cavity, a foot and a half long andsix inches wide, which he used as a strong box, to contain 1,000 crownsin gold. He had made the following calculation: "I spend the twentiethpart of one of these crowns every day; therefore I have enough to lastme for 20,000 days. I cannot live so long as that, but I may live halfas long, and as I grow older my wants and expenses will increase, andthis will give me twenty-five or thirty good years to live, and that isenough." He was therefore tranquil as to the future.
This morning on opening his store, "Ventre de biche!" he cried, "timesare hard, and I need not be delicate with Henri. This money did not comefrom him, but from an old uncle. If it were still night, I would go andget 100 crowns from the king; but now I have no resource but in myselfor in Gorenflot."
This idea of drawing money from Gorenflot made him smile. "It would beodd," thought he, "if Gorenflot should refuse 100 crowns to the friendthrough whom he was appointed prior to the Jacobins. But this letter ofthe king's. I must go and fetch it. But these Joyeuses are in truthcapable of burning my house down some night, to attract the lady to herwindow: and my 1,000 crowns! really, I think it would be better to hidethem in the ground. However, if they burn my house the king shall pay mefor it."
Thus reassured, he left the house, and at that moment saw at the windowof the opposite house the servant of the unknown lady. This man, as wehave said, was completely disfigured by a scar extending from the lefttemple to the cheek; but although bald and with a gray beard, he had aquick, active appearance, and a fresh and young-looking complexion. Onseeing Chicot, he drew his hood over his head, and was going in, butChicot called out to him:
"Neighbor! the noise here last night quite disgusted me, and I am goingfor some weeks to my farm; will you be so obliging as to look after myhouse a little?"
"Willingly, monsieur."
"And if you see robbers?"
"Be easy, monsieur, I have a good arquebuse."
"I have still one more favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"I hardly like to call it out."
"I will come down to you."
He came down accordingly, with his hood drawn closely round his face,saying, as a sort of apology, "It is very cold this morning."
"Yes," said Chicot, "there is a bitter wind. Well, monsieur, I am goingaway."
"You told me that before!"
"Yes, I know; but I leave a good deal of money behind me."
"So much the worse; why not take it with you?"
"I cannot; but I leave it well hidden--so well, that I have nothing tofear but fire. If that should happen, will you try and look after thatgreat beam you see on the right."
"Really, monsieur, you embarrass me. This confidence would have beenfar better made to a friend than to a stranger of whom you knownothing."
"It is true, monsieur, that I do not know you; but I believe in faces,and I think yours that of an honest man."
"But, monsieur, it is possible that this music may annoy my mistressalso, and then she might move."
"Well, that cannot be helped, and I must take my chance."
"Thanks, monsieur, for your confidence in a poor unknown; I will try tobe worthy of it;" and bowing, he went into the house.
Chicot murmured to himself, "Poor young man, what a wreck, and I haveseen him so gay and so handsome."