The Chevalier De Maison Rouge (41 page)

and regarded her in silence. The queen heard the noise

of the screen, but did not turn her head. She was so

seated that the gendarme could see her head bathed in

the morning light. Gilbert made a sign to his comrade

to advance and look through the opening with him.

Duchesne approached.

"Look," said Gilbert, in a low tone ; "how very pale she is ; it is frightful. Those red circles round her eyes

denote her suffering. She lias surely been weeping."

'You well know," said Duchesne, "Capet's widow

never weeps. She is too proud for that."

' Then she must be ill,'' said Gilbert, and raising his

voice, "'Tell me, C.'itoyenne Capet/' said lie, " are you ill ? "

The queen slowly raised her eyes, and fixed an inquir-

ing look upon the two men.

' Did you address me, messieurs ? " demanded she, in

a voice full of sweetness, for she fancied she detected the accent of kindness in him who had spoken to her.

" Yes, eitoyenne, we spoke to you," replied Gilbert;

"we feared you were ill."

" Why so'?"

" Because your eyes are so red."

"And at the snine time you are so pale." added

Duchesne.

" No, thank you, messieurs, 1 am not ill, only I suf-

fered much last night."

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 273

"Ah ! yes, your misfortunes."

" No, messieurs, my miseries are always the same ; and my religion having taught me to carry them to the foot

of the cross, I do not suffer more one day than another.

No ; I am ill because I could not rest last night."

" Ah ! your new lodging, and different bed," said Duchesne.

"And then the lodging is not very comfortable,"

added Gilbert.

" Ah ! it is not that, messieurs," said the queen, shaking her head. " Lofty or lowly, it is all the same to me."

" What is it, then ? "

" I ask pardon for telling you ; but I have suffered

much inconvenience from the smell of tobacco, which

monsieur is inhaling at this moment."

Indeed, Gilbert was smoking, for, like many others, it

was his habitual occupation.

" Mon Dieu!" cried he, much grieved, from the kindness with which the queen had expressed herself. " Why did you not tell me so, citoyenne ? "

" Because I thought I had no right to deprive you of

any enjoyment."

' Well you shall be incommoded no more by me, at

least," said Gilbert, casting away his pipe, which broke upon the tiles, for I will smoke no more."

He turned round, his companion followed, and lie

closed the screen.

' Possibly they may cut off her head ; that is an affair

of the nation ; but why should we cause her any suffer-

ing, this poor woman ? We are soldiers, and not hang-

men, like Simon."

" It rather savors of the aristocrat, comrade, what you did just now," said Duchesne, shaking his head.

" What do you term an aristocrat ? Explain yourself."

"I call aristocrats all those who annoy the nation and succor its enemies."

" Then according to your theory, I annoy the nation

because I discontinue smoking before the widow of Capet ?

Go along, then. As for me, I remember my oath to my

274 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

country, and the order of my brigadier. As for my order,

I know it by heart. Not to p.rmit the prisoner toes-

cape, not to allow any one to see her, to resist all corre-

spondence -he may endeavor to continue, and to die at my

post. This is what I promis-d, and to this will I keep.

Vive la nation ! "

" That is what I tell you," said Duchesne. " It is not that I wish you to do so, but from my fear lest you should

compromise yourself."

" Hush ! here is some one."

The queen had not lost one word of this last conversa-

tion, although carried on in a low voice. Captivity had

rendered her hearing doubly acute.

The noise which had attracted the attention of the two

guards was the sound of several steps approaching the

door. It opened, and two municipals entered, followed

by the concierge and some of the turnkeys."

"Well," they inquired, "where is the prisoner ?"

" Here she is," replied the two gendarmes.

" How is she lodged ?"

" You can see."

And Gilbert touched the screen.

"What do you wish ?" demanded the queen

" It is the visit of the Commune, Citoyennc Capet."

" This man is kind/"' thought the queen, ' and if my friends

" Very good, very good," said the municipals, both entering the queen's chamber ; "there is not much ceremony requisite here."

The queen did not even raise her head, and it might

have been believed, from her impassibility, that she

neither saw nor heard them, but fancied herself alone.

The delegates of the Commune curiously observed every-

thing around the chamber, sounded the wainscoting, the

bed, shaking the grating of the window which looked

upon the court of the Commune, and then, having re-

commended to the gendarmes the utmost vigilance, took

their departure without having addressed a word to the

queen, who, on her part, seemed not to have been aware

of their presence

THE CHEVALIEK DE MAISON ROUGE. 275

CHAPTER XXXV.

LA 8ALLE DES PAS-PERDU 8.

TOWARD the decline of the day on which we have seen

the municipals so carefully inspecting the queen's prison,

a man attired in a gray blouse, his head covered with a

mass of black hair, and on his head one of those hairy

bonnets which then among the people was a distinguish-

ing mark of the most exaggerated patriotism, walked into

the large hall so philosophically termed " La Salle des Pas-Perdus," and seemed most attentively observing all the goers and comers forming the general population of

this hall, a population considerably augmented at this

period, when actions had acquired greater importance,

and when the only pleading was to dispute their heads

with the hangman and with Fouquier Tinville, their in-

defatigable purveyor.

The attitude assumed by this man whose portrait we

are about to sketch was in very good taste. Society at

this epoch was divided into two classes : the lambs and

the wolves. The one naturally inspired the other with

fear, since one half of society devoured the other. Our

fierce promenader was rather short, and wielded in his

dirty black hand one of those knotted cudgels then called

" constitutions." It is true, the hand that nourished this horrible weapon might have appeared rather small

to any one who might amuse himself by acting vix-a-vis

to this strange visitor, who arrogated to himself the

right to do so to others, but no one felt the least inclined to risk it, for this man's aspect was far too terrible.

Indeed, it was supposed this man with the cudgel caused

much disquietude to several groups of scribes engaged

in the discussion of public affairs, which at this time

daily progressed from bad to worse, or from better to

276 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROTTGE.

better, according as they were considered in a conserva-

tive or revolutionary point of view. These valorous folks

looked askance at his black beard, his green eyes sur-

mounted by overhanging eyebrows of tufted hair, and

trembled whenever the promenade of the mighty patriot

(a promenade the whole length of the hall) brought them

in near contact with each other. This terror was aug-

mented when each time they saw him approaching, or

even looked at him too attentively, the man with the

cudgel struck with its full weight upon the pavement

his powerful weapon, which almost tore up the stones

upon which it fell with a sonorous and clashing sound.

But it was not only these brave men among the scribes,

designated generally as the "rats of Paris," who received this formidable impression ; it was also the various individuals who entered La Salle des Pas-Perdus by the

great door, or through some of its narrow vomitaries,

who also quickened their pace on perceiving the man

with the cudgel, who obstinately continued his journey

from one end of the hall to the other, finding each mo-

ment some pretext for dashing his weapon on the pave-

ment. If the writers had been less timorous and the

promenaders more clear-sighted, they would have dis-

covered that our patriot, capricious like all eccentric or

extreme natures, appeared to evince a preference for

certain flag-stones, those for instance situated a little

distance from the wall on the right, near the center of

the hall, emitting a clear and ringing sound. He even

finished by concentrating his anger upon some particular

stones in the center of the hall. At the same time, he

BO far forgot himself as to stop and measure with his eye

something in the distance. True, it was a momentary

absence only, and he immediately resumed his former

expression, which a gleam of pleasure had for a moment

obliterated. Almost at the same moment another patriot

for at this epoch every one wore his opinions on his

forehead, or, rather, on his dress almost at the same

moment, say we, another patriot entered by the door of

the gallery, and without appearing the least in the world

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 277

to partake of the fear generated by the former occupant,

began to cross the hall at a pace equal to his own, so that in the center of the promenade they encountered each

other. The new arrival had, like the former, a hairy

bonnet, a gray blouse, dirty hands, and in one of them

a cudgel ; indeed, in addition he carried a sword, which

struck against the stones at every step ; and, on the

whole, he appeared a greater subject for terror than hia

predecessor. The first had an air of ferocity, the last

seemed replete with sinister cunning.

Although these two men appeared to belong to the

same cause, and partook of the same opinions, the assem-

bly ventured to watch the result, not of their meeting,

for they were not walking in the same line, but their

approach toward each other. At the first turn they were

disappointed, as the patriots contented themselves with

exchanging looks ; at the same time, the smaller of the

two turned slightly pale, only from an involuntary move-

ment of the lips it was evident it was not caused by fear

but by nausea. However, at the second turn, as if the

patriot had made a violent effort, his countenance, till

now so overcast, cleared up suddenly, and something

like a smile passed over his lips as he inclined slightly

to the left, with the evident intention of stopping the

second patriot on his course. Xcarthe center they joined

each other.

"Eh, pardifu! here is the Citizen Simon," said the first patriot.

" Himself. But what do you want with the Citizen

Simon ? and who are you, first ? "

" It seems, the?i, that you do not know me ? "

" I do not know you, and for an excellent reason I

never saw von."

"Not recognize me ! when I had the honor to carry

the head of the Princess Tjamballe ! "

At these words, pronounced with savage fury, and

bursting passionately from the mouth of the patriot,

Simon started.

"You ?" said he, "you?"

278 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

" Well, that is surprising ! I thought that you would

remember your friends better than that, faith I Ah,

citizen, you have forgotten me I "

"That is all very well/' said Simon; "but I do not recognize you."

" It is a great privilege to act as guardian to the young Capet ; it brings you into notice. As for myself, I both

know and esteem you."

"Ah! Thank you."

" It is not that. Are you taking a walk ? "

"Yes ; I am waiting for some one. And you ?"

"I also."

" "What is your name ? I will make mention of you at the club."

" I am called Theodore."

" What else ? "

" Nothing else ; is not that quite sufficient ? "

" Oh, perfectly. Who are you waiting for, Citizen

Theodore ? "

" A friend to whom I wish to make a pretty little

denunciation/'

"Indeed! Tell me, then."

" A whole covey of aristocrats."

" What are their names ? "

" Xo, indeed ; I only tell that to my friend."

" You are wrong ; for here is mine advancing toward

us, who, it seems to me, is sufficiently acquainted with

business to settle at once all this affair."

" Fouquier Tinville ! " cried the first patriot.

" Xo one less, cher ami."

"That's all right."

"Yes. Good-day, Citizen Fouquier."

Fouquier Tinville, calm and pale, opening wide, ac-

cording to habit, his large black eyes, shaded by his

bushy eyebrows, at this moment entered by a door at

the end of the hall, his register in his hand, and a bundle of papers under his arm.

" Good-day, Simon," said he ; "anything new ?"

" Several things. The first, a denunciation from

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 279

Citizen Theodore, who carried the head of the Princess

Lamballe. I will introduce him to you."

Fouquier fixed his scrutinizing glance upon the patriot,

who, notwithstanding his strong nerves, felt rather uneasy