by Eugène Sue
CHAPTER X. THE MEETING.
It is eight o'clock in the evening, the rain dashes against the windowsof Frances Baudoin's apartment in the Rue Brise-Miche, while violentsqualls of wind shake the badly dosed doors and casements. The disorderand confusion of this humble abode, usually kept with so much care andneatness, bore testimony to the serious nature of the sad events whichhad thus disturbed existences hitherto peaceful in their obscurity.
The paved floor was soiled with mud, and a thick layer of dust coveredthe furniture, once so bright and clean. Since Frances was taken away bythe commissary, the bed had not been made; at night Dagobert had thrownhimself upon it for a few hours in his clothes, when, worn out withfatigue, and crushed by despair, he had returned from new and vainattempts to discover Rose and Blanche's prison-house. Upon the drawersstood a bottle, a glass, and some fragments of dry bread, proving thefrugality of the soldier, whose means of subsistence were reduced to themoney lent by the pawnbroker upon the things pledged by Mother Bunch,after the arrest of Frances.
By the faint glimmer of a candle, placed upon the little stove, now coldas marble, for the stock of wood had long been exhausted, one might haveseen the hunchback sleeping upon a chair, her head resting on her bosom,her hands concealed beneath her cotton apron, and her feet resting onthe lowest rung of the chair; from time to time, she shivered in herdamp, chill garments.
After that long day of fatigue and diverse emotions, the poor creaturehad eaten nothing. Had she even thought of it, she would have been at aloss for bread. Waiting for the return of Dagobert and Agricola, shehad sunk into an agitated sleep--very different, alas! from calmand refreshing slumber. From time to time, she half opened her eyesuneasily, and looked around her. Then, again, overcome by irresistibleheaviness, her head fell upon her bosom.
After some minutes of silence, only interrupted by the noise of thewind, a slow and heavy step was heard on the landing-place. The dooropened, and Dagobert entered, followed by Spoil-sport.
Waking with a start, Mother Bunch raised her head hastily, sprang fromher chair, and, advancing rapidly to meet Agricola's father, said tohim: "Well, M. Dagobert! have you good news? Have you--"
She could not continue, she was so struck with the gloomy expression ofthe soldier's features. Absorbed in his reflections, he did not at firstappear to perceive the speaker, but threw himself despondingly on achair, rested his elbows upon the table, and hid his face in hishands. After a long meditation, he rose, and said in a low voice: "Itmust--yes, it must be done!"
Taking a few steps up and down the room, Dagobert looked around him,as if in search of something. At length, after about a minute'sexamination, he perceived near the stove, a bar of iron, perhaps twofeet long, serving to lift the covers, when too hot for the fingers.Taking this in his hand, he looked at it closely, poised it to judgeof its weight, and then laid it down upon the drawers with an air ofsatisfaction. Surprised at the long silence of Dagobert, the needlewomanfollowed his movements with timid and uneasy curiosity. But soon hersurprise gave way to fright, when she saw the soldier take down hisknapsack, place it upon a chair, open it, and draw from it a pair ofpocket-pistols, the locks of which he tried with the utmost caution.
Seized with terror, the sempstress could not forbear exclaiming: "Goodgracious, M. Dagobert! what are you going to do?"
The soldier looked at her as if he only now perceived her for the firsttime, and said to her in a cordial, but abrupt voice: "Good-evening, mygood girl! What is the time?"
"Eight o'clock has just struck at Saint-Mery's, M. Dagobert."
"Eight o'clock," said the soldier, speaking to himself; "only eight!"
Placing the pistols by the side of the iron bar, he appeared again toreflect, while he cast his eyes around him.
"M. Dagobert," ventured the girl, "you have not, then, good news?"
"No."
That single word was uttered by the soldier in so sharp a tone, that,not daring to question him further, Mother Bunch sat down in silence.Spoil sport came to lean his head on the knees of the girl, and followedthe movements of Dagobert with as much curiosity as herself.
After remaining for some moments pensive and silent, the soldierapproached the bed, took a sheet from it, appeared to measure itslength, and then said, turning towards Mother Bunch: "The scissors!"
"But, M. Dagobert--"
"Come, my good girl! the scissors!" replied Dagobert, in a kind tone,but one that commanded obedience. The sempstress took the scissors fromFrances' work-basket, and presented them to the soldier.
"Now, hold the other end of the sheet, my girl, and draw it out tight."
In a few minutes, Dagobert had cut the sheet into four strips, which hetwisted in the fashion of cords, fastening them here and there with bitsof tape, so as to preserve the twist, and tying them strongly together,so as to make a rope of about twenty feet long. This, however, did notsuffice him, for he said to himself: "Now I must have a hook."
Again he looked around him, and Mother Bunch, more and more frightened,for she now no longer doubted Dagobert's designs, said to him timidly:"M. Dagobert, Agricola has not yet come in. It may be some good newsthat makes him so late."
"Yes," said the soldier, bitterly, as he continued to cast round hiseyes in search of something he wanted; "good news like mine! But I musthave a strong iron hook."
Still looking about, he found one of the coarse, gray sacks, thatFrances was accustomed to make. He took it, opened it, and said to thework girl: "Put me the iron bar and the cord into this bag, my girl. Itwill be easier to carry."
"Heavens!" cried she, obeying his directions; "you will not go withoutseeing Agricola, M. Dagobert? He may perhaps have some good news to tellyou."
"Be satisfied! I shall wait for my boy. I need not start before teno'clock--so I have time."
"Alas, M. Dagobert! have you last all hope?"
"On the contrary. I have good hope--but in myself."
So saying, Dagobert twisted the upper end of the sack, for the purposeof closing it, and placed it on the drawers, by the side of his pistols.
"At all events, you will wait for Agricola, M. Dagobert?"
"Yes, if he arrives before ten o'clock."
"Alas; you have then quite made up your mind?"
"Quite. And yet, if I were weak enough to believe in bad omens--"
"Sometimes, M. Dagobert, omens do not deceive one," said the girl,hoping to induce the soldier to abandon his dangerous resolution.
"Yes," resumed Dagobert; "old women say so--and, although I am not anold woman, what I saw just now weighed heavily on my heart. After all, Imay have taken a feeling of anger for a presentiment."
"What have you seen?"
"I will tell it you, my good girl; it may help to pass the time, whichappears long enough." Then, interrupting himself, he exclaimed: "Was itthe half hour that just struck?"
"Yes, M. Dagobert; it is half-past eight."
"Still an hour and a half," said Dagobert, in a hollow voice. "This,"he added, "is what I saw. As I came along the street, my notice wasattracted by a large red placard, at the head of which was a blackpanther devouring a white horse. That sight gave me a turn, for youmust know, my good girl, that a black panther destroyed a poor old whitehorse that I had, Spoil-sport's companion, whose name was Jovial."
At the sound of this name, once so familiar, Spoil-sport, who wascrouching at the workwoman's feet, raised his head hastily, and lookedat Dagobert.
"You see that beasts have memory--he recollects," said the soldier,sighing himself at the remembrance. Then, addressing his dog he added:"Dost remember Jovial?"
On hearing this name a second time pronounced by his master, in a voiceof emotion, Spoil-sport gave a low whine, as if to indicate that he hadnot forgotten his old travelling companion.
"It was, indeed, a melancholy incident, M. Dagobert," said Mother Bunch,"to find upon this placard a panther devouring a horse."
"That is nothing to what's to come; you shall hear the rest. I drew nearthe bi
ll, and read in it, that one Morok, just arrived from Germany, isabout to exhibit in a theatre different wild beasts that he tamed, amongothers a splendid lion, a tiger, and a black Java panther named Death."
"What an awful name!" said the hearer.
"You will think it more awful, my child, when I tell you, that this isthe very panther which strangled my horse at Leipsic, four months ago."
"Good Heaven! you are right, M. Dagobert," said the girl, "it is awful."
"Wait a little," said Dagobert, whose countenance was growing more andmore gloomy, "that is not all. It was by means of this very Morok, theowner of the panther, that I and my poor children were imprisoned inLeipsic."
"And this wicked man is in Paris, and wishes you evil?" said MotherBunch. "Oh! you are right, M. Dagobert; you must take care of yourself;it is a bad omen."
"For him, if I catch him," said Dagobert, in a hollow tone. "We have oldaccounts to settle."
"M. Dagobert," cried Mother Bunch, listening; "some one is running upthe stairs. It is Agricola's footsteps. I am sure he has good news."
"That will just do," said the soldier, hastily, without answering."Agricola is a smith. He will be able to find me the iron hook."
A few moments after, Agricola entered the room; but, alas! thesempstress perceived at the first glance, in the dejected countenance ofthe workman, the ruin of her cherished hopes.
"Well!" said Dagobert to his son, in a tone which clearly announced thelittle faith he attached to the steps taken by Agricola; "well, whatnews?"
"Father, it is enough to drive one mad--to make one dash one's brainsout against the wall!" cried the smith in a rage.
Dagobert turned towards Mother Bunch, and said: "You see, my poorchild--I was sure of it."
"Well, father," cried Agricola; "have you seen the Court de Montbron?"
"The Count de Montbron set out for Lorraine three days ago. That ismy good news," continued the soldier, with bitter irony; "let us haveyours--I long to know all. I need to know, if, on appealing to the laws,which, as you told me, protect and defend honest people, it ever happensthat the rogues get the best of it. I want to know this, and then I wantan iron hook--so I count upon you for both."
"What do you mean, father?"
"First, tell me what you have done. We have time. It is not much morethan half-past eight. On leaving me, where did you go first?"
"To the commissary, who had already received your depositions."
"What did he say to you?"
"After having very kindly listened to all I had to state, he answered,that these young girls were placed in a respectable house, a convent--sothat there did not appear any urgent necessity for their immediateremoval--and besides, he could not take upon himself to violate thesanctity of a religious dwelling upon your simple testimony; to-morrow,he will make his report to the proper authorities, and steps will betaken accordingly."
"Yes, yes--plenty of put offs," said the soldier.
"'But, sir,' answered I to him," resumed Agricola, "'it is now, thisvery night, that you ought to act, for if these young girls should notbe present to-morrow morning in the Rue Saint Francois, their interestsmay suffer incalculable damage. 'I am very sorry for it,' replied he,'but I cannot, upon your simple declaration, or that of your father,who--like yourself--is no relation or connection of these young persons,act in direct opposition to forms, which could not be set aside, even onthe demand of a family. The law has its delays and its formalities, towhich we are obliged to submit.'"
"Certainly!" said Dagobert. "We must submit to them, at the risk ofbecoming cowardly, ungrateful traitors!"
"Didst speak also of Mdlle. de Cardoville to him?" asked the work-girl.
"Yes--but he: answered me on this subject in much the same manner: 'Itwas very serious; there was no proof in support of my deposition. Athird party had told me that Mdlle. de Cardoville affirms she was notmad; but all mad people pretend to be sane. He could not, therefore,upon my sole testimony, take upon himself to enter the house of arespectable physician. But he would report upon it, and the law wouldhave its course--'"
"When I wished to act just now for myself," said Dagobert, "did I notforsee all this? And yet I was weak enough to listen to you."
"But, father, what you wished to attempt was impossible, and you agreedthat it would expose you to far too dangerous consequences."
"So," resumed the soldier, without answering his son, "they told you inplain terms, that we must not think of obtaining legally the release ofRose and Blanche this evening or even to-morrow morning?"
"Yes, father. In the eyes of the law, there is no special urgency. Thequestion may not be decided for two or three days."
"That is all I wished to know," said Dagobert, rising and walking up anddown the room.
"And yet," resumed his son, "I did not consider myself beaten. Indespair, but believing that justice could not remain deaf to suchequitable claims, I ran to the Palais de Justice, hoping to find there ajudge, a magistrate who would receive my complaint, and act upon it."
"Well?" said the soldier, stopping him.
"I was told that the courts shut every day at five o'clock, and do notopen again til ten in the morning. Thinking of your despair, and of theposition of poor Mdlle. de Cardoville, I determined to make one moreattempt. I entered a guard-house of troops of the line, commanded by alieutenant. I told him all. He saw that I was so much moved,and I spoke with such warmth and conviction, that he becameinterested.--'Lieutenant,' said I to him, 'grant me one favor; leta petty officer and two soldiers go to the convent to obtain a legalentrance. Let them ask to see the daughters of Marshal Simon, andlearn whether it is their choice to remain, or return to my father, whobrought them from Russia. You will then see if they are not detainedagainst their will--'"
"And what answer did he give you, Agricola?" asked Mother Bunch, whileDagobert shrugged his shoulders, and continued to walk up and down.
"'My good fellow,' said he, 'what you ask me is impossible. I understandyour motives, but I cannot take upon myself so serious a measure. Ishould be broke were I to enter a convent by force.--'Then, sir, what amI to do? It is enough to turn one's head.'--'Faith, I don't know,' saidthe lieutenant; 'it will be safest, I think, to wait.'--Then, believingI had done all that was possible, father, I resolved to come back, inthe hope that you might have been more fortunate than I--but, alas! Iwas deceived!"
So saying, the smith sank upon a chair, for he was worn out with anxietyand fatigue. There was a moment of profound silence after these words ofAgricola, which destroyed the last hopes of the three, mute and crushedbeneath the strokes of inexorable fatality.
A new incident came to deepen the sad and painful character of thisscene.
