Émile Gaboriau

“ But you will know soon, for the man drives well.”
The poor horses went, indeed, as fast as if the dollar which the driver had received had infused the noble blood of the fastest racer into their veins. They drove down the whole long street at a furious rate, turned to the right, and, after many more turns, stopped at last before a house of modest appearance. Lightly and promptly, like a sheriff’s clerk, Papa Ravinet jumped out; and, having aided Henrietta to alight, he offered her his arm, and drew her into the house, saying,—
“You will see what a surprise I have in store for you.” ”

“ He never felt so keenly the exuberance of his youth and strength. He suddenly discovered all about him a crowd of pleasures each more enviable than the others, which he had never tasted. He who flattered himself that he had squeezed life to press out its pleasures, had not really lived. He had had all that is to be bought or sold, nothing of what is given or achieved. He already not only regretted giving the ten thousand francs to Jenny, but the two hundred francs to the servants—nay the six sous given to the waiter at the restaurant, even the money he had spent on the bunch of violets. ”

“ These thoughts troubled Daniel; and he would have mentioned his doubts to Maxime; but his neighbors were enthusiasts about music, and, as soon as he bent over to whisper into his friend’s ear, they growled, and, if he ventured to utter a word, they forced him to be silent. At last the curtain fell. Many left the house; others simply rose to look around; but Maxime and Daniel remained in their seats. Their whole attention was concentrated upon Miss Brandon’s box, when they saw the door open, and a gentleman enter, who, at the distance at which they sat, looked like a very young man. ”

“ Mlle. Gilberte, hoping that she was going to learn something, made an effort to preserve her indifference.
“What do you mean?” she inquired.
He looked at her, smiled, and, in a light tone,
“Nothing,” he answered, “only some conjectures of my own.”
And throwing himself upon a chair, his head leaning upon its back,
“That is not the object of my visit either,” he uttered. “Favoral is overboard: don’t let us say any thing more about him. Whether he has got ‘the bag’ or not, you’ll never see him again: he is as good as dead. Let us, therefore, talk of the living, of yourself. ”

“ These people have offended you too cruelly not to fear you; you understand this, and you are doing all in your power to reassure them. You accept their advances—you kneel before them—why? Because they will be more completely in your power when you have lulled their suspicions to rest, and then you can strike them more surely——”
He paused; the communicating door opened, and Marie-Anne appeared upon the threshold.
“Father,” said she, “here is the Marquis de Sairmeuse.” ”

“ As the priest approached the house, a small, thin man, with gray hair and a sunburned face emerged from the stable.
It was Father Poignot.
“What! is this you, Monsieur le Cure!” he exclaimed, delightedly. “Heavens! how pleased my wife will be. We have a great favor to ask of you——”
And then, without giving the abbe an opportunity to open his lips, he began to tell him his perplexities. The night of the revolt he had given shelter to a poor man who had received an ugly sword-thrust. Neither his wife nor himself knew how to dress the wound, and he dared not call in a physician. ”

“ If I had only listened to his advice when I was younger, you would not have caught me to-day in the Hotel de Perou. Shall I introduce you to him?”
“Am I a perfect fool, to throw away such a chance?”
“Good! I shall see him this evening, and will mention your name to him. Call on him at noon to-morrow, and if he takes a fancy to you,—decides to push you, your future is assured, and you will have no doubts as to getting on.”
He took out a card from his pocket and handed it to Paul, adding, “The name of my friend is Mascarin.” ”

“ At last a new and even greater trouble came—a positive calamity, which made me forget the disgrace attached to my birth. One morning at breakfast, about a month ago, the count informed me that he expected two guests to dinner that evening. This was such an unusual occurrence that I was struck speechless with astonishment. ‘It is extraordinary, I admit,’ he added, gayly; ‘but it is nevertheless true. M. de Fondege and the Marquis de Valorsay will dine here this evening. So, my dear Marguerite, look your prettiest in honor of our old friend.’ At six o’clock the two gentlemen arrived together. ”

“ Having spoken, he resumed his seat, proud, indifferent, and apparently oblivious to the murmur which ran through the audience, the soldiers of the guard and even to the platform, at the sound of his vibrant voice.
The despair of the poor peasant women had been reawakened, and their sobs and moans filled the immense hall.
The retired officers had grown even more pale and gloomy; and tears streamed down the wrinkled cheeks of several.
“That one is a man!” they were thinking.
The abbe leaned over and whispered in the ear of Maurice:
“Evidently Chanlouineau has some plan. ”

“ Five persons, three women and two men, soon appeared.
"Ah, there are the people of the chateau," cried the groom, whom this morning visit seemed to annoy, "they ought to have a key."
The domestics, seeing the group about the gate, became silent and hastened their steps. One of them began to run ahead of the others; it was the count's valet de chambre.
"These gentlemen perhaps wish to speak to Monsieur the Count?" asked he, having bowed to M. Plantat.
"We have rung five times, as hard as we could," said the mayor.
"It is surprising," said the valet de chambre, "the count sleeps very lightly. ”

“ The manner in which Michael winked with his eye showed that he had not a very exalted opinion of the cleverness of the gendarmes.
“I promised the baron,” he said, “I would get hold of Cocoleu somehow or other. I knew that at certain times he went and buried himself, like the wild beast that he is, in a hole which he has scratched under a rock in the densest part of the forest of Rochepommier. I had discovered this den of his one day by accident; for a man might pass by a hundred times, and never dream of where it was. ”

“ I know my rights. I have already arranged with a party to prosecute my claims; the agreement will be signed on the day after to-morrow.”
“With whom?”
“Ah, excuse me; that’s my affair.”
He had finished his chocolate, and he now poured out a glass of ice-water, drank it, wiped his mouth, and rose from the table. “You will excuse me, my dear sir, if I leave you,” he remarked. “As I said before, I am going to Vincennes. I have staked a thousand louis on ‘Pompier de Nanterre,’ my horse, and my friends have ventured ten times as much. Who knows what may happen if I’m not there at the start?” ”

“ Her house was always filled to over-flowing; and at the very moment when the Marquis de Valorsay and M. Fortunat were speaking of her, a dozen coroneted carriages stood before her door, and her rooms were thronged with guests. It was a little past midnight, and the bi-weekly card party had just been made up, when a footman announced, “Monsieur le Vicomte de Coralth! Monsieur Pascal Ferailleur!”
Few of the players deigned to raise their heads. But one man growled, “Good—two more players!” And four or five young men exclaimed, “Ah! here’s Ferdinand! ”

“ A mean man would not have hesitated at an oath, however determined he might have been not to keep it. Whilst you—I can trust you; you are a man of honor, and all is not lost yet. Whence comes your aversion? Is it a question of money, the count’s fortune?”
“Miss Brandon!”
“No, it is not that, I see. I was quite sure of it. What, then, can it be? Tell me, sir, I beseech you! tell me something.”
What could he tell her? Daniel remained silent.
“Very well,” said Sarah, clinching her teeth convulsively. “I understand.”
She made a supreme effort not to break out in sobs ”

“ Paul now imagined that he saw how matters worked. “If I marry Flavia,” thought he, “I shall have to share her dowry with these highly respectable gentlemen.”
The offer made by the Marquis did not, however, seem to please Mascarin. “That is not what we want,” said he.
“No,—well, must I give you more? Say how much.”
Mascarin shook his head.
“Well then, I will give you a third; it is not worth while to give you more.”
“No, no; I would not take half, nor even the whole of the dowry. You may keep that as well as what you owe us.” ”

“ The captain twisted his mustache with a sneering air.
“Not a bad invention!” said he. “Only I do not believe a word of this fiction.”
A light gleamed in the eyes of the priest, his lips trembled, but he held his peace.
“Who are you?” rudely demanded the officer.
“I am the cure of Sairmeuse.”
“Honest men ought to be in bed at this hour. And you are racing about the country after rebellious peasants. Really, I do not know what prevents me from ordering your arrest.”
That which did prevent him was the priestly robe, all powerful under the Restoration. With Maurice he was more at ease. ”

“ Alas! in our position, every thing is proper that may be useful.”
And, as Aunt Lavarande made no reply, she felt sure of her perfect submission, and went on towards the parlor.
“Dionysia!” cried Jacques as soon as she entered,—“Dionysia!”
He was standing in the centre of this mournful hall, looking whiter than the whitewash on the wall, but apparently calm, and almost smiling. The violence with which he controlled himself was horrible. But how could he allow his betrothed to see his despair? Ought he not, on the contrary, do every thing to reassure her? ”

“ I was on the other side of the chateau of Boiscoran. Somebody was waiting for me, and I was behind time: so I cut right across the marsh. I knew the rains of the last days would have filled all the ditches; but, when a man is out on such important business as mine was, he can always find his way”—
“Spare us those tedious details,” said the magistrate coldly. The handsome fellow looked surprised, rather than offended, by the interruption, and then went on,—
“As your Honor desires. Well, it was about eight o’clock, or a little more, and it was growing dark, when I reached the Seille swamps. ”

“ So I took Mme. Desclavettes home, and here I am.”
“We feel very thankful for your kindness,” murmured Mme. Favoral.
“I am glad you do. The fact is, you see, I take a good deal of interest in the misfortune that strikes you,—a greater interest than any one else. For, after all, I, too, am a victim. I had intrusted one hundred and twenty thousand francs to our dear Vincent.”
“Alas, sir!” said Mlle. Gilberte.
But the worthy man did not allow her to proceed. “I have no fault to find with him,” he went on—“absolutely none. Why, dear me! haven’t I been in business myself? ”

“ He would have moved the marble on his mantelpiece sooner than M. Galpin. The latter replied in icy tones,—
“I am not part of the question here. Why will you refer to relations which must be forgotten? It is no longer the friend who speaks to you, not even the man, but simply the magistrate. You were seen”—
“Who is the wretch?”
“Cocoleu!”
M. de Boiscoran seemed to be overwhelmed. He stammered,—
“Cocoleu? That poor epileptic idiot whom the Countess Claudieuse has picked up?” ”

“ Her relatives were certain there must be some reason for her refusal. It isn’t natural for a girl to reject a suitor who is young, handsome, rich, and a marquis besides. Her friends suspected there was something she wouldn’t confess; and M. Raymond swore that he would watch his sister, and discover her secret.”
“M. Raymond is the present Count de Chalusse, I suppose?” inquired M. Fortunat.
“Yes, monsieur. Such was the state of matters when, one night, the gardener thought he heard a noise in the pavilion, at the end of the garden. This pavilion was very large. ”

“ Her hanging cheeks, her receding forehead, and her thin lips, imparted an alarming expression of wickedness and cunning to her countenance. At the farther end of the store Fortunat could vaguely discern the figure of a man seated on a stool. He seemed to be asleep, for his crossed arms rested on a table, with his head leaning on them.
“Good luck!” whispered Chupin in his employer’s ear; “there is not a customer in the place. Vantrasson and his wife are alone.” ”

“ Lefloch raised him on his pillows, stowed him away, as he called it; and the surgeon handed him his letters.
Daniel uttered a cry of delight.
At the first glance he had recognized on three of the envelopes Henrietta’s handwriting. He kissed them, and said,—
“At last she writes!”
The shock was so violent, that the doctor was almost frightened.
“Be calm, my dear friend,” he said. “Be calm! Be a man, forsooth!”
But Daniel only smiled, and replied,—
“Never mind me, doctor; you know joy is never dangerous; and nothing but joy can come to me from her who writes to me. ”

“ She wanted to be called Raphaela, but he stood out for Zora.”
“Zora is a very pretty name,” observed Mascarin solemnly.
“Yes, sir, just what the maid and I told her. She is a splendid woman, and doesn’t she just squander the shiners? Thirty thousand francs have gone since yesterday.”
“I can hardly credit it.”
“Not cash, you understand, but tick. M. de Gandelu has not a sou of his own in the world, so a waiter at Potier’s told me, and he knew what was what; but the governor is rolling in money. Yesterday they had a house-warming—the dinner, with wine, cost over a thousand francs.” ”