The Chevalier De Maison Rouge (46 page)

have told you, confine yourself to necessaries. I do not

wish our departure to appear like a removal."

The young man advanced a step toward the door.

" Maurice," said Genevieve.

He turned round, and saw the young woman extend her

arms toward him.

" Au revoir, au revoir, dear love/' said he ; " in half an hour I shall be here."

Genevieve remained alone, occupied, as we have said,

in preparations for their departure. She accomplished

her task in feverish haste. As long as she remained in

Paris, the part she was acting appeared to her doubly

culpable. Once out of France, once among strangers, it

seemed that her crime a crime rather of fatality than her

own, would weigh the less heavily on her conscience. She

even hoped, isolated and in solitude, she might finish by

forgetting the existence of any other man than Maurice.

They would fly to England ; everything was arranged.

There they would hire a little cottage, standing alone,

very retired, shut out from all eyes ; they would change

their names, and instead of two names would have one.

Then they would have two servants, who would be per-

fectly ignorant of the past. Fortunately, both Genevieve

and Maurice spoke English. Neither the one or the other

left anything to regret in France. Thus Genevieve com-

menced making preparations for their voyage, or, rather,

flight. She took singular pleasure in selecting from the

rest those objects for which Maurice had evinced any pre-

dilection. The coat setting off his tall figure to advantage, the cravat and waistcoat suitable to his complexion, the

books whose leaves he had most frequently drawn upon.

She had already made her selection ; already the waiting

trunks were on the floor, while clothes, linen, and books

were strewn on the chairs, the sofa, and the piano. Sud-

denly she heard the key turn in the lock.

"Why, Scevola has returned!" said she. " Surely Maurice could not have met him."

And she continued her occupation. The doors of the

808 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

saloon were open, and she heard Scevola moving in the

ante-chamber. She held a roll of music in her hand, and

was looking for some string to tie round it.

" Scevola ! " cried she.

An approaching step sounded in an adjoining room.

" I am here," said a voice.

At the sound of his voice, Genevi&ve turned quickly

round, and uttered a terrific cry.

"My husband ! " cried she.

" Himself," said Dixmer, coolly.

Genevieve was upon a chair, searching for some string

in the wardrobe. She felt her head turn round, and ex-

tending her arms, fell backward, wishing she could pre-

cipitate herself into an abyss beneath. Dixmer took her

in his arms, and carried her to a sofa, where he seated

himself also.

" "What is the matter, my dear ? What is it ? My

presence seems to have produced a most disagreeable effect

upon you."

" I am dying," murmured Genevieve, turning from him, and pressing both hands over her eyes, that she might

shut out the frightful apparition.

" What," said Dixmer, " did you believe me dead, my dear, and did you take me for a ghost ? "

Genevieve looked round her with a bewildered air, when,

perceiving the portrait of Maurice, she glided from the

sofa and fell upon her knees, as if to implore the assistance of this powerless and insensible image, which still continued to smile. The miserable woman fully compre-

hended the menaces concealed by Dixmer under his af-

fected calmness.

" Oh, my dear child," continued the master tanner,

" it was well for me, perhaps, that yon thought I was far from Paris ; but I remained there. The day after I had

quitted the house, I returned, and found in its stead a

heap of ruins. I inquired after you. No one had seen

you. I then commenced a search after you, and have had

much trouble to find you. I vow I did not think you were

here ; however, I had my suspicious. So, as you see, I

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 309

came. So here I am, and you see me. And how is dear

Maurice ? Indeed, I fear yon have suffered much. You

so stanch a Royalist, compelled to seek shelter under the

roof of a Republican."

"My God! my God!" murmured Genevieve, "take

pity upon me ! "

"After all, my dear," continued Dixmer, " what serves to console me most is that you are so comfortably lodged

here, and that you do not appear to have suffered much

from the proscription. As for myself, since the burning

of our house, and the ruin of our fortune, I have had my

share of wandering adventures, sometimes living in a cave,

another time a boat, and sometimes even in the common

sewers with which the Seine abounds/'

"Monsieur !" said Geuevieve.

" You have there some beautiful fruit ; as for me, I

have often gone without any dessert, not having had any

dinner." Genevieve, sobbing bitterly, supported her

head between her hands. "Xot," continued Dixmer,

" that I was destitute of money. I have, thank God !

generally carried with me thirty thousand francs in gold,

which at this time is worth five hundred thousand francs ;

by means of which the ' collier,' the ' fisherman,' or the

' rag merchant ' drew the louis from his pocket to pur-

chase a morsel of cheese or a sausage. Eh, my God !

yes, madam e, I have successfully adopted these three

costumes. To-day, the better to disguise myself, I am

en patriolc, en exagere, en Marseillai*. I lisp and I

swear ; an outlaw cannot conceal himself as easily in Paris as a young and pretty woman, and I have not the happiness of knowing an ardent young Republican who would

hide me from every eye."

"Monsieur! monsieur!" cried Genevieve, " havo mercy upon me ; you see that I am dying."

" Anxiety ; I can understand that yon have had much

anxiety about me ; but console yourself, you see me now.

I have returned, and we will now part no more, madame."

"' Oh, you will kill me ! " cried Genevieve.

Dixmer regarded her with a frightful smile.

310 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

" Kill an innocent woman ! Oh, madame, what makes

you say so ? It must be that grief for my absence has

turned your brain. "

" Monsieur ! " said Genevidve, " monsieur, I beseech you to kill me at once, rather than torture me with these

cruel railleries. No, I am not innocent ; yes, I am crimi-

nal ; yes, I merit death. Kill me, monsieur, kill me

" Then, you acknowledge that you merit death ? "

" Yes, yes ! "

" And to expiate this crime of which you accuse your-

self, you will submit to death without complaint ?"

" Strike, monsieur ; I will not utter a cry, and, instead of cursing, I will bless the hand that strikes me."

" Xo, madame ; I do not wish to strike you, though, in all probability, you will die. Only your death, instead of

being, as you seem to fear, an ignominious one, shall be

most glorious. Thank me, madame, while punishing, I

will immortalize you."

" What, then, will you do, monsieur ? "

" You will follow the end to which we were tending

when interrupted on our route. In your own eyes and in

mine you die guilty ; in the eyes of the world you will die a martyr."

" Oh, my God ! you will drive me mad by speaking

thus. Where are you conducting me ? where are you

dragging me ? "

" In all probability, to death."

" Leave me to offer up one prayer I"

"To whom ?"

"It matters not to you. The moment you deprive me

of life, my debt is canceled my debt paid, I owe you

nothing."

" True," said Dixmer, retiring into another room ; " I will await you."

And he loft her once more alone.

Genevieve sunk on her knees before the portrait, press-

ing her hands against her bursting heart.

" Maurice," said she, in a low tone, " pardon me ; I could not expect to be happy, but I hoped to have made

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 31 1

you so. Manrice, I am depriving you of a joy that consti-

tuted your life ; pardon me for causing your death, my

best baloved ! "

Then, severing a ringlet from her mass of curls, she

bound it round the bouquet of violets, and placed them

beneath the portrait, which, insensible and speechless as

it was, still appeared to assume an expression of grief at

her departure. At least, so it appeared to the unfortu-

nate Genevieve, as she gazed at it through her tears.

" Well, are you ready ; madame ? " demanded Dixmer.

" So soon ! " murmured Genevieve.

"Oh, take your time, madame," replied Dixmer; "I am in no hurry. Besides, I dare say, Maurice will not be

long, and I shall be delighted to thank him for all his

kindness and hospitality toward you."

Genevieve trembled with terror at the idea of a meeting

between her lover and husband. She raised herself by an

effort, saying, calmly :

" It is finished, monsieur, and I am ready now."

Dixmer went out, first, and the trembling Genevieve

followed him. With half-closed eyes, her head turned

round to look her last, she ascended the carriage which

was waiting at the door. It rolled away. As Geuevieve

had truly said it was finished.

CHAPTER XL.

THE CABARET DTJ PUITS DE-XOE.

Tnis man, attired in the blouse, whom we have seen

traversing with long and rapid strides the Salle des Pas-

Perdus, whom wo have heard (during the expedition of

the architect Giraud, General Honriot, and Richard)

conversing with the turnkey left to guard the subterranean

passage, this enraged patriot, who had introduced himself

to Simon as having carried the head of the Princess de

Lamballe, found himself, on the next evening, about

seven o'clock, at the Cabaret du Puits-de-Noe, situated,

312 THE CHEVALIER DE MAI8ON ROUGE.

as we have said, at the corner of La Rue de la Vieille

Draperie. He was seated at the end of a dirty room,

redolent of tobacco and candles, pretending to devour a

plate of fish swimming in black butter. The room where

he supped was nearly deserted ; two or three habitues of

the house alone remained after the rest who enjoyed the

privilege of a daily visit to this establishment. The tables were, for the most part, empty ; but we ought to remark,

in honor to the Cabaret du Puits-de-Noe, that the stained

tablecloths denoted the departure of a satisfactory num-

ber of satisfied guests. The three last successively disap-

peared, and at about a quarter to eight the patriot found

himself alone. Then, with true aristocratic disgust, he

pushed away the greasy plate, which an instant before he

had appeared to think so delicious, and drew from his

pocket a tablet of Spanish chocolate, which he ate slowly,

and with a very different expression to that we have en-

deavored to portray on his countenance. From time to

time, while eating his chocolate and black bread, he cast

toward a glass door, shaded by a red and blue-checked

curtain, anxious and impatient glances. Sometimes he

interrupted his frugal repast to listen ; in short, evinced an absence of mind sufficient to induce the mistress of the mansion (seated at her counter, and near the door on

which the patriot so eagerly fixed his eyes) to conclude,

that she might without vanity consider herself as the ob-

ject of his preoccupation. At length the door-bell

Bounded in a way that made him start ; he drew the plate

again before him, and, without attracting the woman's

observation, threw half the contents to a famished-look-

ing dog, and the remainder to a cat, who, spitefully seizing the dog's dainties, received in return some strokes from

his paws. The door opened, and a man entered, dressed

almost the same as the patriot, with the exception ot the

hairy cap, which he had replaced with the bonnet-rouge.

An enormous bunch of keys hung from hia girdle, from

which also depended a sword,

** My soup t my chop ! " cried the man, entering the pnb*

lie room without removing his bonnet, or even saluting the

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 313

mistress of the house by an inclination of his head, but, with a sigh of fatigue, seated himself at a table adjoining that where our patriot was discussing his black bread and chocolate. The mistress of the cabaret, in consequence of the

deference she entertained for the newcomer, rose herself to order the requisite viands. The two men turned one to

look into the street, the other toward the end of the room

not a word was exchanged between them till the mistress

of the cabaret had totally disappeared. When the door

had closed behind her, and the light from a single candle,

suspended from the end of an iron wire so as to divide the

light equally between the two guests, when at length the

man in the bear-skin bonnet thanks to the light placed

before him saw that the room was deserted :

" Bon soir," said he to his companion, without turning round.

" Bon soir," said the newcomer.

" Well," said the patriot, with the same affected indifference, " where are we now ? "