by William Sage
CHAPTER XVII
PIERRE AND JEAN
As Gaillard stepped out from the theatre into a dark side street a handfell upon his right shoulder. He looked around and saw a tall gendarmestanding by his side. The prospect did not please him, so he turned tothe left and saw another gendarme standing there. This one was short,and stout with a smile on his red face. Then Gaillard stopped.
"Well, citizens of the police," he exclaimed, "I don't need any escort.I can find my way home alone."
"Is your name Gaillard?" asked one.
"I have every reason to believe so," was the reply.
"Actor?" demanded the other.
"Ah, there I am not so certain," he answered.
"How? You do not know your own vocation?"
"My friends say I am an actor, and my enemies dispute it. What is youropinion?"
"I can say you are an actor, for I have seen you act," said the stoutgendarme. "And a very good actor you were. You made me laugh heartily."
"Then I shall count you among my friends!" exclaimed Gaillard. "Andbetween friends now, what is it that you want of me?"
"We are going to take you to the Luxembourg."
"What for?"
"I will read you the warrant," said the tall gendarme. "Come under thelight of the lantern yonder."
Gaillard accompanied the two police officers to the other side of thestreet.
One of them took a large paper from his breast-pocket:--
"Warrant of arrest for the Citizen Gaillard, actor of the theatre of theRepublic. Cause: Friend of the Suspect Tournay, and, therefore, to beapprehended."
Gaillard repressed the start that the sight of his friend's name gavehim. "'The Suspect Tournay.' My colonel has been arrested," he said tohimself. Then heaving a deep sigh he exclaimed aloud in a pathetic toneof voice:--
"It is very sad to think I should be arrested just as I was going tohave such a good part in the new piece at the theatre."
"Was it a funny one?" inquired the short gendarme.
"Funny! why if you should hear it, you'd laugh those big brass buttonsoff your coat."
"It's a shame you can't play it," was the sympathetic rejoinder.
"I'll tell you what you can do," said Gaillard. "Go with me to my house,15 Rue des Mathurins, and let me fetch the part so that I can study itwhile in prison; then, if I should be released soon I shall be preparedto play the part."
"It's against our orders," said the tall gendarme. "We must take you atonce to the Luxembourg."
"It's very near here," persisted Gaillard, "and I will read one or twoof the funniest speeches while we are there."
"It will not take us more than fifteen minutes," interposed the stoutgendarme, looking at his mate.
"And when I am released," said Gaillard persuasively, "and play thepart, I'll send you each an admission."
"Well," said the tall gendarme, "we'll go."
"You see," explained Gaillard as they walked off in the direction of theRue des Mathurins, "my arrest is a mistake, that's clear. Whoever heardof an actor being mixed up in politics!"
"That's so," remarked the short gendarme.
"Yes," admitted the long one, "I have arrested many a suspect, andyou're the first actor. But I have my duty to perform, and if thewarrant calls for an actor, an actor has to come."
"Of course," agreed Gaillard, "you are a man of high principle, as anyone can see."
Gaillard knew that as soon as he was arrested his rooms would besearched for any evidence of a suspicious nature. In all the house therewas only one document which could possibly compromise either himself orTournay, and that was the letter his friend had received that sameafternoon, and which was now lying upon the chimney-piece.
"Here we are at No. 15; I live on the fourth floor," he said, as theycame to the door.
"Whew!" exclaimed the stout gendarme. "You'll have to give us half adozen of the best jokes if we go way up there."
"You shall have as many as you can stand," answered Gaillard. "Now,citizen officers, mind the angle in the wall, that's it. It's not a hardclimb when you're used to it."
"Whew!" exclaimed the stout man as they entered Gaillard's apartment, "Icould not climb that every day." He sank down in a chair and mopped theperspiration from his brow.
"I wish I was sure of climbing it every day of my life," said Gaillard."It's thirsty work, however, so let us have something to refreshourselves with;" and he took out from the closet a bottle of the choiceBurgundy and three glasses.
"Here's to the gendarmerie," he said as he filled the glasses.
A moment later two pairs of lips smacked approvingly in concert.
"That's a vintage for you," said the short gendarme approvingly.
"I never drank but one glass of better wine than this in my life," saidthe tall gendarme meditatively.
"When was that?" asked Gaillard as he filled the glasses again.
"That was when the Count de Beaujeu's house was sacked, and the citizensthrew all the contents of his wine cellar into the street."
"You did not drink a glass that time," remarked the stout gendarme, "youhad a hogshead."
The tall man scowled.
"Well, there's plenty of this," said Gaillard; "have another glass?"
"We will," said both of the gendarmes. "Let us have a few of the funnylines of your new part, citizen actor," said the stout gendarmeswallowing his third glass of Burgundy.
"Willingly!" exclaimed Gaillard. He turned toward the chimney-piece andtook from it the manuscript of his part. Close beside it lay the letter.His fingers itched to take it, but the eyes of the police officers wereupon him so closely that he dared not touch it.
"Let us fill our glasses again before I begin," said the actor,producing another bottle from the closet.
"How many bottles of that wine have you?" inquired the tall gendarme.
"Two more besides this," answered Gaillard, drawing the cork.
"We might as well drink them all, now that we are here," said theofficer solemnly.
"It would be a pity to leave any of it," Gaillard acquiesced.
The short gendarme nodded his approval.
"I wish I had a hogshead of it," thought Gaillard. "I'd put you both inbed and leave you."
After filling the glasses once again, Gaillard took up the lines andbegan to act out his part. If he had been playing before a large andenthusiastic audience, he could not have done it more effectively.
The stout gendarme was soon in such a state of laughter that the tearsran down his red cheeks. His merriment continued to increase to such anextent as to alarm his companion.
"He'll die of apoplexy some day, if he is so immoderate in hisraptures," said the tall man, shaking his head sadly.
The fat gendarme was now coughing violently. Gaillard stopped to slaphim on the back. When the paroxysm was over, the actor brought out thetwo remaining bottles of Burgundy.
"A little of this wine may relieve your throat," he said, and filled theglasses all round.
"Continue, my friend," called out the jolly-faced officer; "don't stopon my account."
Gaillard went on with his rehearsal. The tall gendarme drank twice asmuch wine as his stout companion, who was now rolling on the floor withshouts of laughter.
Finally, when the merry fellow could laugh no more, and the last drop ofwine had disappeared, the tall gendarme stooped, and lifting his fallencompanion to his feet leaned him up against the wall. "Jean," he said,"thou art drunk. Shame upon thee." Then he turned toward Gaillard."Come, citizen actor, we must take you to the Luxembourg."
"Let us at least smoke a pipe of tobacco before we go," said Gaillard,bringing out smoking materials from the closet.
"No time, citizen; as it is we may get in trouble through Jean'sindulgence in the bottle." The short gendarme certainly showed theeffect of the wine he had taken, though he straightened up and deniedit.
"Pierre, thou liest, thou hast taken twice the quantity I have," herejoined, waving his hand toward the empty
bottles.
This also was true; and Gaillard looked with wonder at the solemncountenance of the tall gendarme.
"In any case, let us light our pipes and smoke them as we go along thestreet," said the actor as he filled the pipes and handed one to each ofthe police officers.
"I'm quite agreeable to that," said Gendarme Pierre.
Gendarme Jean made no reply, but endeavored to light his pipe over theflame of the candle.
Through a defect in vision occasioned by his potations, he held the bowlseveral inches away from the flame and puffed vigorously.
At this the tall gendarme laughed audibly for the first time during theevening. Gaillard felt relieved. "He can laugh," he murmured.
"Wait one moment and I will give you a light," he said, and taking apiece of paper from the chimney-piece he carelessly twisted it in hisfingers, ignited it in the candle's flames, and held it over Jean'spipe. Then he repeated the service to Gendarme Pierre, and ended bylighting his own pipe, holding the offending list until the flametouched his fingers and it was entirely consumed.
"Forward, my children!" cried the stout gendarme gayly. "We must be off.Shall we place seals upon the doors, comrade?" he said addressing hisfriend Pierre.
"No, my little idiot Jean, you will remember we are not supposed to havecome here at all. The seals will be placed here by men from the section.Hurry forward now."
They descended the stairs in single file. The tall gendarme leading, andstout Jean bringing up the rear. He would stumble from time to time andstrike his head into Gaillard's shoulders. "Very awkward stairs," hewould murmur in apology, "very awkward."
Once in the street he got along better, although his knees were a littleweak, and he showed an inclination to sing.
"Be quiet, Jean," expostulated his companion in arms; "you will get bothof us in trouble."
"As mute as a mouse, my clothespin," was the obedient reply.
"You would better take his arm, citizen actor. We shall get alongfaster." Gaillard complied, and arm in arm they walked off in thedirection of the Luxembourg.
"What's this?" demanded the warden in the prison lodge, rubbing hissleepy eyes as three men appeared before him in the gray light of earlymorning.
"Hector Gaillard, actor; domicile Rue des Mathurins 15; suspect. Warrantexecuted by Officers Pierre Echelle and Jean Rondeau," said the tallgendarme.
The sleepy guardian turned over the pages of his book.
"Ah yes, here it is. Bring your prisoner this way, citizen gendarme."
Whereupon the stout gendarme, who had been quiet for some time, burstinto tears.
"In God's name, what's the matter with him?" asked the astonishedwarden.
"He always does that way," said the gendarme Pierre. "'Tis hissympathetic nature. He gets very much attached to his prisoners. Ceasethy tears, Jean, thou imbecile," and he cursed his brother gendarmeunder his breath.
Jean drew a long sob. "Adieu, my friend," he said, throwing his armsabout Gaillard's neck.
"Why weepest thou?" inquired the actor pretending to be much affected.
"I am afraid they will guillotine thee, my beautiful actor, before Ihave laughed all the brass buttons off my coat at the play."
"Courage, my friend," replied Gaillard; "I trust for thy sake that I maylive to act in many plays. Adieu, my gendarme," and he was led away to acell.
