The Chevalier De Maison Rouge (59 page)

impelled by the inclining ground, fell on the sword, the

point of which entered his body. Thus impaled, and ut-

tering a fearful imprecation, the two bodies rolled to the

outside of the arch. One only rose. It was Maurice

Maurice, covered with blood, but that blood the blood of

his enemy. He drew his sword toward him, and as he

slowly raised it the blade appeared to him even to thirst

for the remnant of life which still agitated with a nervous shuddering the limbs of Dixmer. Then, when assured

that he was dead, he stooped toward the corpse, opened

the dead man's coat, withdrew the card, and hurried away

directly. But on looking at himself, he felt assured that

in his present state he should not proceed far without

being arrested. He was literally covered with blood. He

approached the water's edge, and bending toward the

river, washed his hands and coat, and then rapidly as-

cended the staircase, casting a last look toward the arch,

whence a red smoking stream issued, advancing slowly

toward the river. On arriving near the palace, he opened

the pocket-book, and there found a card signed by the

registrar.

" Thanks, just God ! " murmured he ; and he rapidly mounted the steps leading to La Salle des Morts. It

struck three.

CHAPTER LIV.

LA SALLE DES MORTS.

IT must be remembered that the registrar of the palace

had opened his jailer's book to Dixmer, and had also en-

tered into an arrangement with him which the presence

of madame rendered peculiarly agreeable. This man, it

may be imagined, was terribly alarmed when the news of

Dixmer's plot was communicated to him. lie would

doubtless be considered as nothing less than an accomplice

of Dixmer, his false colleague, and therefore condemned

to die with the wretched Genevieve. Fouquier Tinville

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 395

had summoned him to appear before him. It may easily

be understood that this poor man would have some trou-

ble to prove himself innocent in the eyes of the public

accuser ; he had, however, succeeded in so doing, thanks

to Gene vie ve, whose declaration had clearly established

his utter ignorance of the plot of her husband. He had

succeeded, thanks to Dixmer's flight, and, above all, from

the interest excited in Fouquier Tinville, who wished to

preserve his administration free from all stain.

" Citizen/' said he, flinging himself upon his knees

before Fouquier, " pardon me, for I have been deceived."

" Citizen," replied the public accuser, "a man who in these days permits himself to be deceived deserves to be

guillotined."

" I may have been a blockhead, citizen," replied the registrar, who was longing to call Fouquier Tinville mon-seigneur.

"Blockhead or not," replied the rigid accuser, " no one should allow his love for the Republic to sleep. The

spies of the Capitol were only geese, yet they were suf-

ficiently awake to save Home."

The registrar looked upon this argument as totally un-

answerable ; he groaned, and remained waiting.

" I pardon, you/' said Fouquier Tinville. " I will go so far as to defend you, since I do not wish one of my

employes to be even suspected ; but you will bear in mind

that at the least word that readies my ears, the least re-

vival of this affair, you will leave instantly."

It is scarcely necessary to say with what anxiety this

man sought the newspapers, ahvays ready to tell what

they knov, and sometimes more than they can certify,

even if they caused the heads of ten men to fall on the

scaffold. lie sought Dixmer everywhere, to recommend

him to keep his own counsel ; but he had very naturally

changed his apartments, and was nowhere to be found.

Genevieve had been placed on the bench of the accused,

but had already, without any reservation, declared that

neither herself nor husband had any accomplices, and he

thanked the poor woman with his eyes as she passed be-

396 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

fore him to surrender herself to the tribunal. While she

was passing, and he was returning to the office to fetch

some law papers for Fouquier Tinville, he all at once saw

Dixmer's apparition approaching him with a calm and

quiet step. This vision petrified him.

" Oh ! " said he, as if he had seen a specter.

" Do you not know me ? " said the newcomer.

"Do I know you ? You are the Citizen Durand, or,

rather, the Citizen Dixmer."

"Just so."

" But are you dead, citizen ?"

" Not yet, as you see."

" I wish to tell you they will arrest you."

" Who wants to arrest me ? Xo one knows me."

" But I know you, and it only needs one word from me

to send you to the guillotine."

" And two words from me only will send you there with

me."

"It is too bad of you to say that."

" Xo ; it is logic."

"How do you make that out? Make haste, speak

quickly, for the less time we are together, the less danger we incur from eacli other."'

"' My wife is about to be condemned, is it not so ? "

" I greatly fear for her, poor woman ! "

" Well, I wish to see her once more, to bid her adieu."

"'Where?"

In La Salle des Morts."

" Would you dare to enter there ?"

"Why not?"

"Oh !" said the registrar, like a man whose thoughts made him shudder.

" There must be some way," continued Dixmer.

" To enter La Salle des Morts ? Without doubt there

is."

"How ?"

" To procure a card."

"Anil where are these cards procured ?"

The registrar turned frightfully pale, and murmured :

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 397

" Where are they procured, yon ask ? "

"I inquire where are they to be procured," replied Dixmer ; " the question is plain enough, I think."

"They are procured here."

" Ah ! true ; and who usually signs them ?"

"The registrar."

"But you are the registrar ?"

"Doubtless, I am."

" Then, as it has so happened," said Dixmer, seating himself, " you can sign a card for me."

The registrar made one bound.

" Do you ask for my head, citizen ?" said he.

" No ; I ask you for a card, that is all."

"I am going to arrest you, unhappy man," said he, summoning all his energy.

" Do," said Dixmer, " and the next moment I will denounce you as an accomplice, and instead of leaving me

to enter the famous salon alone, you shall accompany

me."

The registrar turned ghastly pale.

'Villain !" said he.

" There is no villainy in that," said Dixmer ; " I wish to speak to my wife, and all I require of you is a card to

enable me to do so."

" Is it, then, so imperative that you should speak to

her ? "

"It seems so, since I risk my head by coming here."

This seemed very plausible to the registrar, and Dixmer

immediately perceived that this staggered him.

" Rest assured," said he, " no one shall know anything.

The devil ! why, surely sometimes a similar case to mine

must present itself to your notice."

' Very rarely ; it is by no means a common occurrence."

" Well, then, let us arrange it in another way."

"If it is possible. I should ask nothing better."

"Nothing is more possible. Enter by the door of the

condemned ; there a card is not required ; then, when you

have spoken to your wife, call me, and I will let you

out."

398 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

" That will not aiiswer," said Dixraer ; " unfortunately, there is a story current in the city."

" What story ? "

" The history of a poor hunchback, who mistook the door, thinking to enter the archives, but instead of so doing,

found himself in the salon of which we are now speaking.

Only since he had entered by the door of the condemned,

in lieu of the large door, as he had no card to prove his

identity, once there, he was not permitted to go out.

They strenuously maintained that since he entered the

door with the other condemned, he was condemned like-

wise. In vain he protested, swore, appealed ; no one be-

lieved him, no one came to his assistance, no one helped

him to get out. So that, notwithstanding his protesta-

tions, his imprecations, and supplications, the executioner first cut off his hair, and then finished by cutting his

throat. Is this anecdote true, Citizen Registrar ? You

ought to know better than any one else."

" Alas ! yes, it is too true," said the registrar, trembling.

"You must see, then, that with such antecedents, I

should be a fool to enter this cut-throat place without a

card."

" But I shall be there, I tell you.''

" If when you were called you should be otherwise en-

gaged ? If you should forget ? " Dixmer laid particular stress on these last words, " if you should forget."

11 But, then, I promise you."

" No ; besides, it would compromise you. They would

see me speaking to you ; and, in short, it does not suit

me ; I prefer having a card."

" Impossible ! "

" Then, chcr ami, I will speak, and we will both take a journey together to La Place de la Revolution."

The registrar, frantic with terror, and half dead with

fear, signed the pass for a citizen. Dixmer rose and went

out precipitately, to take his station in the judgment

hall, where we have already recognized his presence. The

rest is known to us. At the same moment the registrar,

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 399

to avoid all accusation of connivance, seated himself near

Fonquier Tinville, leaving the management of the office

to his head clerk. At ten minutes before three, Maurice,

furnished with a card, crossing a hedge of turnkeys and

gendarmes, arrived without interruption at the fatal door.

When we say fatal, we exaggerate, for there were two

doors, the principal one by which those possessing cards

entered and returned, and the door of the condemned, by

which no one departed except to the scaffold. The place

that Maurice entered was divided into two compartments.

One of these was set apart for those employed in register-

ing the names of the arrivals, the other, furnished only

with wooden benches, was appropriated for the reception

of those who were arrested and those who were condemned,

which at this period amounted to pretty much the same

thing. The hall was very dark, lighted only from a glass

window of the partition which divided it from the regis-

trar's office. A female dressed in white, in a half-fainting attitude, lay in a corner, supported against the wall. A

man was standing in front of her, from time to time shak-

ing his head. His arms were crossed upon his breast, and

he hesitated to speak to her, as if fearful of restoring her to the consciousness she appeared to have lost. Around

these two individuals several condemned persons were

scattered promiscuously, some giving vent to their feelings in sobs and groans, others joining in patriotic songs, while the remainder walked rapidly up and down, as if to chase

away the thoughts which devoured them. This was in-

deed the antechamber of death, and the furniture ren-

dered it worthy of the name. Here were seen half-open

coffins filled with straw, seeming as if to invite the living to their beds of repose, the provisional receptacles for the ashes of the dead. A large wardrobe was erected in the

wall opposite the window.

A prisoner, prompted by curiosity, opened it, but re-

coiled with horror. It contained the bloodstained gar-

ments of those executed on the preceding evening ; long

tresses of hair hanging here and there, the executioner's

perquisites, who sold them to the relatives when not en-

4:00 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

joined by the authorities to burn these precious relics.

Maurice, trembling with emotion, at length opened the

door, when the whole tableau at once presented itself to

his view. He advanced three steps into the hall, and fell

at Genevieve's feet. The unfortunate woman uttered a

cry which Maurice stifled on her lips. Louis, weeping,

pressed his friend in his arms ; these were the first tears he had shed. Strange it was that all these unhappy individuals assembled to die together scarcely looked even

at the touching tableau presented to their view by their

unfortunate fellow-creatures, but every one suffered too

much himself to take part in the miseries of others. The

three friends remained for a moment united in a deep

silence, happy, almost joyous. Louis first disengaged

himself from the wretched group.

"Are you, then, condemned also ?" said he to Maurice.

" Yes," replied he.

" Oh, happiness ! " murmured Genevieve.

But the joy of those who have only one hour to live can-

not last even as long as their life. Maurice, having con-

templated Genevieve with looks of ardent and profound

affection, turned toward Louis.

" Now," said he, taking Genevieve's hands within his own, "let us talk together."

"Yes," said Louis, "let us converse while the time remains to us. It is only a right to do so. What do you