The Countess De Charny - Volume II (26 page)

“And your wife and children?” cried the sobbing woman.

“It will kill you, as you have said. But you cannot be accused of being my accomplice, as my crime will cause your death. As for our children, they are sons. Some day they will be men, and either have their father’s spirit,

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and make the name of Danton honoured in the land , or be weaklings, and deny me. So much the better. In that case, it is I who repudiate them.”

” But you will at least ask the Assembly for this authority?” said Gilbert.

“I have already sent for Thuriot and Tallien. Wife, see if they are in the next room. If so, show Thuriot in.”

Madame Danton went out; and as she did so, Danton remarked, “I am going to make the attempt in your presence, Monsieur Gilbert, so you can testify to posterity that I did not yield without a struggle.”

The door opened. “Here is Citizen Thuriot, my dear,” said Madame Danton.

“Come in,” said Danton, offering Thuriot his hand. “Those were sublime words of yours upon the rostrum, the other day, when you said the French Kevolution was not for France alone, but for the whole world, and that we were responsible to all humanity for it. Well, we must now make a last great effort to keep it free from reproach,”

” Speak on ,” said Thuriot.

“To-morrow, at the beginning of the session, you must ask that the number of members in the Council of the Commune be increased to three hundred, so that, without ousting the members chosen on the tenth of August, the old members will be outnumbered by the new. If this proposition is not adopted — if you cannot make the deputies understand my idea, then — confer with Lacroix. Tell him to attack the question openly, and insist that the death penalty be imposed upon all persons who refuse directly or indirectly to obey, or in any way oppose or hinder any of the orders or measures instituted by the executive power. That executive power is to be myself, you understand. I will go to the Assembly and claim this authority, and if they evince any hesitation about giving it to me, I will seize it.”

“What will you do then?”

“Then,” exclaimed Danton, “I will grasp a flag, and in

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place of the hideous demou of massacre, -whom I shall banish to his native shades, I will invoke the noble and serene genius of battle, who strikes without fear and without anger, and who gazes calmly upon death. I will ask these bands of men if it is for the butchery of defenceless citizens that they have assembled themselves together. I will denounce as an infamous wretch any one who dares to threaten the prisons! There may be many persons who secretly approve massacre, but the murderers themselves must be few in number. I will take advantage of the martial spirit which now pervades Paris, and surround each band of murderers with a crowd of patriotic volunteers who are eagerly awaiting orders, and so despatch them to the frontier, — that is, against the enemy, — so the vicious element may be dominated by the noble.”

” Do that,” cried Gilbert, ” and you will accomplish something glorious, magnificent, sublime! “

“Nonsense ! ” exclaimed Danton, shrugging his shoulders with a singular mixture of conscious power and indifference; “it will be the easiest thing in the world to do ! If they will but consent to do what I ask, you shall see ! “

Madame Danton kissed her husband’s hand.

“You will secure the power you ask, Danton,” she said. “Hearing you speak thus, who can help feeling as you do? “

“Yes, but unfortunately I cannot speak thus. If I should disclose my real plans and intentions they would begin by murdering me. Now call Tallien.”

“Tallien,” said Danton, when his friend entered, “it is quite possible that the Commune will send me a written order to report at municipal headquarters to-morrow. You are secretary of the Council. Manage it so that I shall not receive the letter, and shall be able to prove that I did not receive it.”

“But how the deuce am I to do that?”

” That is your lookout. I tell you what I want — what I must have, in short. It is for you to devise the moans. Come, Monsieur Gilbert, you have something particular to say to me, I believe.”

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Opening the door into a small office, he motioned Gilbert to enter, and then followed him.

Gilbert drew from his pocket the scrap of paper Cagliostro had given him , and handed it to Danton.

“So you come from him ! Well, what do you desire? ” asked the minister.

“The release of a lady imprisoned in the Abbaye.”

“Her name?”

“Madame de Charny.”

Danton took a sheet of paper and wrote the order for release.

“If you wish to save any one else, say so,” he remarked. “I should be glad to save all those unfortunate people.”

“I have all I desire.”

“Then go; but if you need me, come to me at once, yourself, without any go-between. I shall be only too happy to do anything for you.”

As he accompanied Gilbert to the door, he murmured: “Ah! if I could only have your reputation as an honest man for a single day, Monsieur Gilbert ! “

As he closed the door behind the doctor, he sighed heavily, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Gilbert hastened to the Abbaye with the precious document which was to restore Andrée to liberty. Although it was now nearly midnight, suspicious-looking groups were already congregated in the streets about the prison. Gilbert passed them, and walked to a door under a low, vaulted archway.

Here he rapped, and presented his order to the superintendent. The order directed that the person designated by Dr. Gilbert should be immediately released. Gilbert designated the Comtesse de Charny, and the superintendent ordered a turnkey to conduct Citizen Gilbert to the prisoner’s cell.

Gilbert followed the gaoler up three flights of stairs, and into a cell lighted by a single lamp.

A lady dressed in black, and looking as white as marble

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in her mourning garments, was seated near the table on which the lamp stood, reading a tiny book ornamented with a gilt cross.

In spite of the noise made by opening and closing the door, she did not raise her eyes. She seemed absorbed in her reading, or rather in her meditations, for Gilbert waited two or three minutes without seeing her turn a leaf. The turnkey had closed the door behind the doctor, and was waiting outside.

At last Gilbert said, ” Madame — “

Andrée looked up.

“Ah! it is you, Monsieur Gilbert!” she exclaimed. “What do you desire?”

“Madame, there are terrible rumours afloat concerning what will occur in the prisons to-morrow.”

“Yes,” replied Andrée. “It seems quite probable that we are to be slaughtered ; but I am anxious to die, as you know.”

“I have come for you, nevertheless.”

“Forme? To take me where?”

” Wherever you please , madame. You are free ; ” and as he spoke he handed her Danton’s order for her release.

She read it, but instead of returning it to the doctor, kept it in her hand.

“I might have known that you would come and try to prevent me from dying,” she said, with a faint attempt at a smile.

” Madame, there is one life in the world more precious to me than even my father’s or mother’s would have been, had Heaven vouchsafed me the blessing of parents; I mean yours.”

“And that is the reason you broke your promise, I suppose.”

“I did not break my promise. I sent you the poison.”

“By my son.”

“I did not say by whom I should send it.”

“So you have thought of me? So you have ventured

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iuto the liou’s den for my sake, to bring me a talisman that will opeu the doors of my prison? 1 thauk you; but this time I thiuk I have death securely in my grasp,” she added, with a much brighter smile than before,

“Madame, even if I have to take you away from here by force, I swear that you shall not die ! “

Without making any reply, Andrée tore the order into several pieces, and threw them among the embers that were smouldering on the hearth.

“Attempt it!” she exclaimed.

Gilbert uttered an exclamation of consternation.

“No, Monsieur Gilbert, I have renounced the idea of suicide, but not of death,” she added.

” Oh , madame , madame ! ” groaned Gilbert.

“All I ask of you,” she continued, “is that you will endeavour to recover my body — to save it, after death, from outrages it did not escape in life. Monsieur de Charny reposes in the tomb at Boursonnes. It was there the only happy days of my life were spent. I wish to lie beside him.”

“Oh, madame, I implore you, in Heaven’s name! “

“And I, monsieur, adjure you, in the name of my misfortunes — “

” So be it, madame. You have truly said that I have no alternative but to obey you in all things. I will leave you, but — “

“Do not forget my last request, monsieur.”

” If I do not succeed in saving you in spite of yourself, your last request shall be obeyed.”

With a low bow Gilbert retired, and the door closed behind him with that lugubrious sound peculiar to prison portals.

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CHAPTER XXIX.

THE SECOND OF SEPTEMBEB.

Exactly what Danton had predicted, happened. At the opening of the session Thuriot submitted to the Assembly the proposition suggested by the minister of justice the day before. The Assembly failed to understand the urgency of the case, and instead of coming to a decision at nine o’clock in the morning, discussed the matter at length, and finally adopted the proposed measure at one o’clock in the afternoon.

It was too late. Those four hours of delay retarded the progress of liberty in Europe a whole century.

Tallien was more clever. Requested by the Commune to despatch an order to the minister of justice to present himself at once before the City Council, Tallien wrote : —

” Monsieur Secretary, — On receipt of this communication, please come to the Hôtel de Ville at once.”

But he addressed the communication to the minister of war instead of to the minister of justice.

Danton was expected, but Servan appeared in his stead. The blunder was exi>lained, but the mistake was past recall.

We have said that the action of the Assembly was taken too late, and this is proved by the fact that the Commune, which was not in the habit of dallying, profited by the delay. What the Communists wanted was massacre and a dictatorshi}); but, as Danton said, cut-throats were not as numerous as people supposed.

220 LA COMTESSE DE CHAENY.

During the night between the first and second of September, while Gilbert was vainly endeavouring to effect Audree’s release from the Abbaye, JMarat was sending his mischief-makers to all the different political clubs and sections; but these emissaries failed to make any impression at the clubs, and only two of the fortj^-eight sections — the Poissonnière and the Luxembourg — voted for slaughter.

The Communists knew they could not establish a dictatorship unless they had Marat, Eobespierre, and Danton on their side ; and it was for this very reason that they had requested Danton’s presence at the city-hall.

Danton had foreseen this summons, and taken such precautions as would preclude any possibility of the letter reaching him ; for if he had received it, he would not have dared to disobey the summons.

Xotwithstanding Danton’s failure to appear, the Council realised the necessity of taking immediate action, and finally decided to appoint a committee of public safety. This committee, however, must be chosen from the members of the Council ; so the question arose as to how Marat could be placed on this committee, inasmuch as he did not belong to the Council.

The entire matter was intrusted to Panis, not because Panis possessed much influence himself, but through Santerre, his brother-in-law, and Eobespierre, his divinity, the power he wielded was so great that he was authorised to choose the three members who were to constitute the vigilance committee.

But Panis dared not assume the whole responsibility; so he requested three of his colleagues — Sergent, Duplain, and Jourdeuil — to assist him,. They in turn chose five persons — Deforgues, Lenfant, Guermeur, Leclerc, and Durfort — to aid them.

The original document bears the names of Panis, Sergent, Duplain, and Jourdeuil; but on the margin, in an illegible hand supposed to be that of Panis, is another name. That name is Marat; but Marat really had no right to

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serve upon the committee, as he was not a member of the Council.

With the name of Marat murder was enthroned. As we have said, the Commune did not procrastinate, but always transacted its business promptly.

At ten o’clock the vigilance committee was appointed, and immediately issued its first order, — an order for the transportation of twenty-four prisoners from the city-hall, where the committee was in session, to the Abbaye prison. Eight or nine of these twenty-f our prisoners were priests, — or at least wore the garb of that execrated profession, of men who had instigated the disturbances in the Vendée and in the South.

The prisoners were to be conducted to the Abbaye by a guard consisting of Marseilles and Avignon federates. Four carriages were in readiness ; six prisoners entered each vehicle, and a cannon-shot was to be the signal for departure. The motives of the Commune are apparent. The procession would excite the ire of the people, and the carriages would probably be stopped, and the prisoners murdered on the way, or else at the door of the prison. After that it would only be necessary to let things take their course ; for the butchery, whether begun on the way or at the prison door, was sure to speedily cross the threshold.

It was the very moment when the carriages were leaving the city-hall that Danton took for appearing before the Assembly, He ascended the rostrum; but, unfortunately, he was alone, Roland being too honest a man to accompany his colleague. They looked for Roland, but looked for him in vain. Ability was there, but not Principle or Honour.