Fanfaro

“ Tell me what has happened to Fanfaro? I know danger threatens him, and two can bear the heaviest burden easier than one."
"Yes, you are right," replied Irene, embracing Louison, and, gently leading her to her room, she sat down beside her and hastily told her what she knew about the conspiracy and the part Fanfaro took in it. ”

“ The men of Leigoutte had made a stand against the Cossacks, but had been fairly blown into the air by them. I returned home dissatisfied. Fanfaro remained with us; he learned our tricks, and we love him very much. Where he managed to procure the knowledge he has is a riddle to me; he never went [Pg 71] to a regular school, and yet he knows a great deal. He is a genius, my lord marquis, and a treasure for our troupe."
Cold drops of perspiration stood on the nobleman's forehead. No, there was no longer any doubt: Fanfaro was his brother's son! ”

“ A cry of horror followed these words, and, pale and trembling, the guests crowded about the officer, who continued after a short pause:
"Asked about his accomplice, the would-be murderer declared that he was an agent for a secret society whose chief the prisoner Fanfaro is."
"Oh, what a monstrous lie!" exclaimed Fanfaro, beside himself with rage, while Irene de Salves rose upright and with flaming eyes said:
"He a murderer? Impossible!"
"Prudence," whispered Arthur to the young woman, "what I can do for him I will." ”

“ Fanfaro arose, opened his mouth as if he wished to speak, stretched out his arms, turned around in a circle, and then fell heavily to the floor!
Loud cries broke forth.
"He has committed suicide," some cried.
"He has been poisoned," came from others, and all rushed toward the unconscious man.
Irene de Salves had hurried toward Girdel, she wished to ask him a question; but when she finally reached the place where she had seen the athlete he had disappeared. All attempts at recovery remained fruitless, and Fanfaro was carried off. Robeckal, too, was almost dead from fright. ”

“ Political trials are in all ages similar; and then, as now, the verdict is decided upon long before the proceedings have begun.
It was only after Fanfaro had been brought to the courtroom that he caught a glimpse of the man who had allowed himself to be used as a tool to set the assassination of the king in motion. A contemptuous smile played about the young man's lips when he saw it was Robeckal. The wretch looked like the personification of fear; his knees quaked together, his face was covered with cold perspiration, and his teeth chattered audibly. ”

“ Without accounting for her feelings, Irene feverishly broke the last letter. Did she suspect from whom it came?
"Countess, you are brave and noble!" wrote Fanfaro, "and therefore I dare to ask you to take care of my sister, whom I barely rescued from death. The hour is near at hand in which my sentence will be pronounced. You have never doubted me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have fought for the rights of humanity, and I hope at some future time to be enrolled among those to whom right is preferable to material things. ”

“ Hasty steps were now heard coming along the corridor. Tearing the window open, Benedetto swung himself on the sill. He looked into the dark waters of the Seine, and firmly muttered: "Forward! Down there is hope; here, death!"
Fanfaro, Gontram, Carmen, Bobichel and Coucou now hurried into the hall. Benedetto looked at them with flaming eye, and mockingly cried:
"You are too late! I have killed Monte-Cristo's son!"
The next minute he had disappeared, and, while the waves rushed over him, Fanfaro and Gontram rushed toward Spero's body, and Fanfaro sobbingly exclaimed:
"Too late! Too late! ”

“ The nobleman nodded, and soon Fanfaro's body was laid upon a bier, which was carried to the Fougereuse mansion by four men. The marquis and Pierre followed the procession with uncovered heads. When they arrived at the Fougereuse mansion, Fanfaro was laid beside his brother, and the marquis then said:
[Pg 202]
"There is only one thing left for me—I must bury my sons and then die myself." ”

“ The sound of the voice caused all the blood to rush to the marquis's heart.
[Pg 62]
"Did you save me?"
"Yes."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Fanfaro, and I am a member of Girdel's troupe, which is at present in Sainte-Ame. Can you raise yourself?"
With the young man's assistance, the marquis raised himself up, but uttered a cry of pain when he put his feet on the ground.
"Are you wounded?" asked Fanfaro, anxiously. ”

“ The fact that Fanfaro had dropped dead so suddenly had caused great excitement in the scientific world, and Dr. Albaret, the king's private physician, was the first to propose the autopsy. His colleagues immediately consented, and Fanfaro was at once brought to the Hotel Dieu and placed upon the marble table in the anatomy room. The attendants busily rushed here and there, and while they brought in the necessary instruments—lances, needles, knives, saws and bandages,—numerous disciples of Esculapius stood about the dead man and admired his beautiful proportions and strong muscles. ”

“ If they had only been tenants one could be proud of; but no! The family consisted of an athlete who called himself Firejaws; his daughter Caillette, a tight-rope dancer, a clown called Mario, and a young acrobat, Fanfaro. Every day the troupe performed on the Place du Chateau d'Eau, and, besides this, people visited the house under the pretence of taking lessons from Fanfaro in parlor magic. ”

“ Spero, the son of Monte-Cristo, was peacefully sleeping in another room, while, gathered around the table in the dining-room of Fanfaro's house, were Monte-Cristo, Miss Clary, Madame Caraman, Coucou, and Albert de Morcerf, ready to listen to the story of Fanfaro's adventures, which, as narrated at the close of the preceding volume, he was about to begin.
The following is Fanfaro's narrative:
It was about the middle of December, 1813, that a solitary horseman was pursuing the road which leads through the Black Forest from Breisach to Freiburg. The rider was a man in the prime of life. ”

“ She was in a farmhouse which had been set fire to by Cossacks."
"And my father?"
"He died the death of a hero, fighting for his country."
"As far as my memory goes," said Fanfaro, pensively, "I was in a large, dark room. It must have been a subterranean chamber. My parents had intrusted my little sister to my care. I held her by the hand, but suddenly I lost her and could never find her again."
"I know, I know," said Girdel, sorrowfully.
"Since this evening," continued the young man, "I have been thinking of my poor little Louison. ”

“ My dear vicomte, I place my experience at your service. The man is no rival, cannot be any; and if the young countess has built any air-castles in her romantic brain, I can give you the means to crumble them to pieces."
"And the means?"
"Simply tell her the name of her admirer."
"Yes; but he didn't mention his name to me."
"That does not surprise me. He was formerly an acrobat, and his name is Fanfaro."
The vicomte laughed boisterously. Fanfaro, a former acrobat, ran after young, noble ladies—it was too comical!
"So that is why the young man did not wish to fight me," he finally cried ”

“ Fanfaro, who only thought that the horse had run away with the marquis, cried in vain to the rider, and so he had to foot the distance, muttering as he went:
"If the poor fellow only doesn't get hurt; he is still feeble, and the horse needs a competent rider."
[Pg 64]
CHAPTER IX THE GRATITUDE OF A NOBLEMAN
Fanfaro was hardly a hundred feet away from Sainte-Ame, when Girdel opened his eyes and looked about him.
"What, my little Caillette is weeping!" he muttered, half-laughing. "Child, you probably thought I was dead?" ”

“ She is a very respectable girl."
"Where does she live?"
"Not far from here, No. 42 Boulevard du Temple, fifth story. Robeckal, an extra waiter, who, as I have since found out, is a cunning scoundrel, had engaged her for to-night."
"If Robeckal had a hand in the affair then it can only be a scoundrelly one!" exclaimed Fanfaro, with a frown. ”

“ The marquis pronounced the word "son" in a peculiar way, but Girdel shook his head.
"I wish Fanfaro was my son," he sighed; "I know of no better luck."
"If the young man is not your son," said the marquis, [Pg 69] "then he would need my assistance the more. His parents are, perhaps, poor people, and my fortune—"
"Fanfaro has no parents any more, my lord marquis."
"Poor young man!" said the nobleman, pityingly; "but what am I saying?" he interrupted himself with well-played anger. "Fanfaro has no doubt found a second father in you ”

“ I have arms like logs and hands like claws, therefore it is no wonder that I perform difficult exercises; but Fanfaro is tender and fine; he has arms and hands like a girl, and skin like velvet, yet he can stand more than I can. He can down two of me, yet he is soft and shrewd, and has a heart of gold."
"Then you love him as much as you used to do?" laughed the host, in a satisfied way.
"Much more if it is possible; I—"
The giant stopped short, and when Schwan followed the direction of his eye, he saw that the wagon which carried the fortune of Cesar Girdel had rolled into the courtyard. ”

“ Madame Ursula, who sat next to her pupil, moved up and down uneasily in her chair. Irene did not possess the least savoir vivre. How could she think of addressing the young acrobat? and now—no, it surpassed everything—he bent over her and whispered a few words in her ear. The governess saw Irene blush, then let her head fall and nod. What could he have said to her?
Caillette, too, had noticed the young lady address Fanfaro, and she became violently jealous.
What business had the rich heiress with the young man, whom she was accustomed to look upon as her own property? ”

“ I rode from there to Vagney, to get a physician for my foster-father, Girdel, who injured himself, but unfortunately he was not at home, and so I had to return alone. Get up, the road is straight ahead, and the mountains now lie between us and the water."
In the meantime Fanfaro had helped the marquis on the back of the horse, and now he raised his lantern to untie the knot of the rope with which he had bound the [Pg 63] animal to a tree. The light of the lamp fell full upon his face, and the marquis uttered a slight cry; his rescuer resembled in a startling way the old Marquis of Fougereuse. ”

“ That I had changed the powder in the meantime for another he was unaware of. If I only knew," he concluded with a frown, "what object this marquis has to injure Fanfaro. This beast won't talk, and—"
"Let me speak to him," said the countess, softly. And turning to the grating, she urged Simon to confess his master's motives and thereby free himself. At first Simon looked uneasily at the young girl; he made an attempt to speak, but reconsidered it and closed his lips.
"Let us leave him alone, mademoiselle," said Girdel; "solitude will do him good." ”

“ But don't be silly enough to offer Fanfaronade any.' And this time the Princess, who was fainting with hunger, took the nightingale's advice, and ate what she found all by herself. But Fanfaronade, seeing that she had found something good, and was not going to share it with him, ran after her in such a fury that she hastily drew out the Queen's carbuncle, which had the property of rendering people invisible if they were in danger, and when she was safely hidden from him she reproached him gently for his unkindness. ”

“ Labarre was told the whole truth. Fanfar was liberated, and restored to life by the physician whom Gudel had brought with him. The Marquis de Fongereues went on to the château with the body of the Vicomte.
"And Labarre, where is he?"
"In the boat waiting for us, but I have not yet told you all. We should have made an end of Cyprien, for he threatened to denounce us. The only thing for Fanfar is to flee the country. A quarter of a league from shore a vessel awaits us. Come, Fanfar, there is no time to lose, you know that you start for America to-night." ”

“ Talizac caught at the mantel for support. Fongereues had heard Arthur utter the name of Fanfar, and shuddered at the ill-omen.
From Francine's drenched garments water was dripping upon the floor, and the pale face rested on Fanfar's shoulder.
The Marquis hastened forward. "Who is this man? What is he doing here?" he cried.
"Monsieur," said Fanfar, "a crime has been committed, the guilty must be punished, and this guilt is upon your son's head. You, gentlemen, seem to think that to your rank everything is permitted. Behold a young girl who, pure and industrious, toiled for her daily bread. ”

“ One of the peasants did tell me that he always thought this Master Simon—he taught a school—was a [Pg 158] great lord in disguise, but there are always just such foolish stories, and you know in those days great lords were not often killed in defending France."
Fanfar entered somewhat abruptly.
"This is the lad, sir," said Gudel, drawing him to his side. "He is good, he is honest, he is strong!"
"I wish to thank you, young man," said the Marquis, turning to Fanfar, "for saving my life." ”

“ CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE CRISIS.
"At last!" cried the Marquis, when the news of Fanfar's death reached him. He sent for Magdalena.
"Madame!" he said, "rejoice with me. Let us forget our mutual wrongs, for a new horizon stretches before us. All our anxieties are over. The man who stood between us and the possession of a fortune is dead!"
"Of whom do you speak?"
"Of this Fanfar, who, after making an attempt on the life of our king, was struck dead in the court-room during his trial."
"And this Fanfar was the son of Simon de Fongereues?" ”