The Chevalier De Maison Rouge (58 page)

the palace. The president had just time sufficient to pro-

nounce the condemnation as the clock struck. Maurice

heard the double sound, and confounded one with another.

"When the vibration bad ceased, his strength was utterly exhausted. The gendarmes led away Genevieve and Louis,

who had offered her his arm. Botli saluted Maurice, but

in different ways. Louis smiled ; but Genevieve, pale and

trembling, wafted him a last kiss upon her fingers, bathed

in tears. She had till the last moment nourished the hope

of life, and now wept, not for the loss of life, but love,

which must perish witli her. Maurice, half mad, had not

replied to his fronds' farewell. TIo rose, pale and bewil-

dered, from Ilie bench on which he had fallen. His friends

had disappeared. Tie felt only one sentiment alive within

him. It was the hatred which corroded his heart, lie

threw a last look around him and recognized Dixmer, who

was leaving with the rest of the spectators, and at that moment stooped to pass under the arched door of the passage.

With the eagerness of a prohibited eausr, Maurice sprung

from bench to bench, and reached the door. Dixmer had

388 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

already passed through, and descended into the darkened

corridor. Maurice followed behind him. At the moment

Dixmer planted his foot on the pavement of the grand hall,

Maurice placed his hand upon his shoulder.

CHAPTER LI1I.

THE DUEL.

AT this epoch it was always a serious thing to feel a touch upon the shoulder. Dixmer turned, and recognized Maurice.

" Ah, bon jour, Citizen Republican, "said Dixmer, without evincing any other emotion than an almost imperceptible start, which he immediately repressed.

" Bon jour. Citizen Coward," replied Maurice. ''You were waiting for me, were you not ? "

" That is to say," replied Dixmer, " that, on the contrary, I had ceased to expect you."

" Why was that ?"

" Because I had expected you sooner."

" I still arrive too soon for you, assassin ! " added Maurice, with a voice, or, rather, a murmured growl, since it resemble the grumbling of a storm, gathered in his heart,

as his looks were like the lightning's flashes.

" You fling fire from your eyes, citizen/' replied Dixmer.

" We shall be recognized and followed."

" Yes, and you fear to be arrested, do you not ? You

dread lest you might be conducted to the scaffold, where

you send others. Let them arrest us ; so much the better ;

for it seems to me that not to do so now is a culpable

omission on the part of national justice."

" Like omitting your name in the list of people of honor.

Is it not so since yours has disappeared ? "

" Well, we shall speak about all that, I hope ; but in the meantime, you are revenged miserably revenged upon a

woman. Why, since you have waited for me elsewhere,

did you not do so at my house, when you stole away Gene-

vie ve ? ''

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 389

" Yon were the first thief, I believe."

" Neither by yonr spirit or your words have I ever estimated you, monsieur. I judge you better by your actions

witness the day when you wanted to murder me. That

day your true nature displayed itself that day your genuine nature spoke."

" And I have more than once regretted I did not listen to it/' said Dixmer, coolly.

" Well,'' said Maurice, touching his sword, " I offer you your revenge."

'" To-morrow, if you like, but not to-day."

" And why to-morrow ?"

" Or this evening."

" Why not directly ? "

" Because I am engaged till five o'clock."

"Another hideous project!" said Maurice; "another ambush ! "

'"Really, Monsieur Maurice, you are rather ungrateful,"

replied Dixmer. " In truth, you are. Here, for six

months I have allowed you to make love to my wife for

six months have permitted your meetings, and have not

noticed your smiles. Never man,, you must confess, lias

evinced so little of the tiger in his composition as myself.*

" That is to say. you thought I might be useful, and you could mold me to your purpose."

"Without doubt," returned Dixmer, calmly, who ruled his own passion to increase that of Maurice. " Without doubt ; while, that you might betray your Republic, rob

me of the affections of my wife, that you might dishonor

yourselves you by your treason, .she by her adulterous

love, I remained the sage and hero. I waited, and I tri-

umphed."

" Horrible ! " said Maurice.

" Is it not ? Yes. you appreciate your own conduct fully, monsieur. It is horrible ! it is infamous ! "

" You deceive yourself, monsieur ; the conduct I term

horrible and infamous is that of the man, to whom the

honor of a woman being confided, had sworn to guard this

honor pure and unsullied, and who, instead of keeping his

390 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

word and oath, employed her beauty as a shameful bait

where love had already insnared her feeble heart. It was

your sacred duty, beyond all others, to protect this woman, and, instead of protecting her, you have sold her."

" That is what I had to do, monsieur," replied Dixmer.

" I am going to tell you I had to save my friend who united with me in this sacred cause. Even as I have sacrificed

my property to this cause, so have I sacrificed my honor.

As for me, I am completely forgotten, completely struck

out ; I have considered myself the last. Now my friend is

no more ; he died by the poniard. My queen is no more ;

she died an ignominious death on the scaffold. Now, now,

I can think of my revenge ! "

" Say of your assassination."

" One does not kill an adulteress at a blow ; she is punished for her crime."

"" This sin you imposed upon her, therefore it was rendered lawful."

" You think so," said Dixmer, with a devilish smile.

" Judge from her remorse if she believes she has acted lawfully."

' Those who punish strike at once. You, you do not

punish, for while striking you fly, and while casting her

head to the guillotine you conceal yourself."

<( Me ? I fly ? I hide myself ? When did you see that,

poor idiot that you are ? " demanded Dixmer. " Is it concealing myself to assist at her condemnation ? Is it flying when I go into the Salle des Morts to fling her my last

adieu ? *'

' You arc going to see her again ? to fling her a last

adieu ? " cried Maurice.

' .Decidedly you are not expert at revenge, citizen, "replied Dixmer, shrugging, his shoulders. " Thus in my situation, you would abandon those events to their strength

alone, these circumstances to their natural course : thus,

for example, the adulterous woman having merited death,

the moment she has received the punishment of death I

am quits with her, or, rather, she is quits with me. No,

Citizen Maurice, I know better than that. I have dis-

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 391

covered a way to return this woman the evil she has done me.

She loves you and will die far from you ; she detests me, and I will be near her again. There ! " said he, drawing a pocket-book from his pocket, " do you see this ? It contains a card signed by the registrar of the palace. With this card I can gain near access to the condemned. I will penetrate to Genevieve ; I will call her 'adulteress ;' I shall see her curls fall under the hand of the vile executioner,

and as they are severed she shall still hear my voice re-

peating ' adulteress ! ' I will even accompany her to the

fatal cart, and, as she plants her foot upon the scaffold,

the long, last sound that greets her ear shall be the word,

' adulteress ! ' "

" Take care ; she has not strength to support so much

cowardice ; she will denounce you."

"No," cried Dixmer ; "she hates me too much for that. If she had wished to denounce me she would have

clone so when her friend urged her so softly. If she did

not denounce me to save her life, she will not do so that

I may die with her, for she well knows, in that case, I

should retard her execution for a day ; she well knows

that if she denounces me, I shall go with her not only to

the lowest step of the palais. but even to the scaffold ;

she well knows that, instead of leaving her at the foot of

the ladder, I will ascend into the cart with her, and that, seated by her side the whole length of the road, I will constantly repeat the one dreadful word, ' adulteress ;' that

even on the scaffold I will continue to do so till the moment she sinks into eternity and the accusation falls with her."

Dixmer was frightful in this state of anger and hatred.

He seized Maurice by the hand and shook it with a force un-

known to the young man. upon whom this had acted with

a contrary effect ; as Dixmer became excited Maurice grew

calm.

"Listen," said the young man, "in your vengeance you have omitted one thing."

" What ? "

" That you will be able to tell her. on leaving the tribunal, * I have seen your lover, and have killed him.' '

392 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

" On the contrary, I prefer telling her that yon live, and will suffer for the remainder of your days, from the spectacle of her death."

" You shall kill me, notwithstanding," said Maurice,

"or," added he, turning round, and finding himself nearly master of his position, " I will kill you."

And pale with emotion, and excited by fury, finding his

strength redoubled, from the restraint he had imposed

upon his feelings, while listening to the unfolding of Dix-

mer's horrible project, he seized him by the throat, and

drew him backward toward a staircase, which led toward

the high bank of the river. At the contact with his hand,

Dixmer, in his turn, felt hatred rush over him like a boundless wave.

" You need not compel me by force ; I will follow."

" Come, then. Are you armed ?"

"I will follow you."

" No, go first ; but I give you notice, at the least sign or gesture, I will cleave your skull in twain with my sword."

" You know I am a stranger to fear/' said Dixmer, with a smile rendered frightful from his pallor.

"Fear of my sword," said Maurice, " no ; but fear of losing your revenge, Now, however, we are face to face

dismiss that fear."

They had, indeed, arrived at the water's brink ; and

had any one seen and followed them, they could not have

arrived in timo to prevent the duel from taking place ;

besides, an equal desire for vengeance now animated both.

While speaking, they had descended the little staircase,

and gained the nearly deserted quay ; for as the condem-

nations continued, seeing it was two o'clock at least, the

crowd still filled the judgment hall, the corridors, and the courts. They appeared equally to thirst for each other's

blood .

They plunged themselves under one of those arches

reading from the cells of the conciergerie to the river, at this time drained, but then foul and saturated with water,

serving more than once as a means of conveyance for the

corpses, which floated far away from the dungeons, leav-

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 393

ing no trace behind. Maurice placed himself between

Dixmer and the water.

"I decidedly think I shall kill yon, Maurice," said Dixmer, "you tremble so much."

" And I, Dixmer," said Maurice, taking his sword in hand, and carefully inclosing him, so as to cut off all

retreat, " I, on the contrary, believe that I shall kill you ; and, having killed you, shall remove from your pocket-book the card signed by the registrar of the palace. Ah !

you have buttoned up your coat beautifully ; but my

sword shall open it, were it even formed of brass, like the cuirasses of old."

" And this paper," roared Dixmer, " you will take it, will you ? "

" Yes," said Maurice, "I will make use of this card.

I, with this talisman, will secure an entrance to Genevieve.

I will sit next her in the cart, I will murmur in her ear,

while life remains, ' I love thee ; ' and when the last stroke has fallen, I will murmur still, 'I have loved thee."

Dixmer made a movement with his left hand to take

the card from his right, and together with the pocket-

book to cast them into the river, when, rapid as a thunder-

bolt, sharp as a hatchet, Maurice's sword fell upon his

hand, nearly severing it from the wrist. The wounded

man uttered a cry, and shaking his mutilated limb, flung

himself furiously on his antagonist. There, in the ob-

scurity of this gloomy vault, the deadly combat com-

menced. The two men were inclosed in a space so nar-

row that the sword strokes, swerving from the line of the

body, glided upon the humid pavement, and were with

difficulty prevented from striking the sides of the arch,

more especially as these impediments redoubled the at-

tacks and impatience of the combatants. Dixmer, who,

as he felt his life-blood flow, was aware that his strength diminished, also charged Maurice so furiously that he was

compelled to step backward ; in so doing he lost his foot-

ing, and his enemy's sword entered his breast. But by a

movement rapid as thought, kneeling as he was, he raised

the blade with his left arm, and turned the point toward

394 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

Dixmer, who, maddened with rage, darted forward, and,