The Hero of the People: A Historical Romance of Love, Liberty and Loyalty

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  THE FRIEND OF THE FALLEN.

  At eight that same evening, a workingman, holding his hand to hiswaistcoat pocket as though it contained money in larger quantity thanusual, staggered out of the Tuileries Palace and meandered along theroad to the Soapworks Wharfside. It was there a strolling ground withdrinking resorts along the line. On Sundays and holidays, it wasthronged; on other days lonesome.

  This man passed the wine-stores with much difficulty but for a periodtemperance triumphed; but when it came to the twentieth saloon on theroute, it was too much, and he entered the next one for--only one glass.

  The demon of drink, against whom he had valiantly struggled, seemedembodied in a stranger who followed him closely and even went into thesaloon with him, sitting opposite and apparently watching him succumbwith glee.

  Five seconds after the workman had resumed his road, this watcher was onhis track.

  But how can the drinkingman stop going downhill when he has taken awhet, and perceives with the amazement of the toper that nothing makesone so thirsty as taking a drink? Scarcely had he tottered a hundredpaces before his thirst was so sharp that he had to slack it once more.

  The result of these lapses from the path he had previously trod was thathe reached deviously the highway beyond the Passy bars, where hefelicitated himself on the road being tolerably free from temples of theGod of Wine.

  In his gladness he set up singing. Unfortunately the delight wasephemeral and the song of short duration.

  He fell to muttering and then talking to himself, and the soliloquy wasin the form of imprecations on unknown persecutors of whom the unsteadysot complained.

  "Oh, the scoundrel! to give an old friend, a master, doctored wine--ugh!So, just let him send again for me to fix his locks, let him send histraitor of a workmate who gives me the go-by and I will tell him: 'Itwon't work this trip! let your Majesty fix up your own locks.' We shallsee then if a lock is to be turned out as sleek as a decree. Oh, I'llgive you all you want of locks, with three wards, confound the villain!the wine was salted, peppered--by heaven, it was poisoned! Hope I may besaved, but the wine was poisoned!"

  So howling, overcome by the force of the poison, of course, theunfortunate victim laid himself at full length, not for the first time,on the road, mercifully carpetted thickly with mud.

  On other occasions the drunkard had scrambled up alone; difficult to dobut he had got through the difficulty with honor; but this third time,after desperate efforts, he had to confess that the task was beyond him.With a sigh, much resembling a groan, he seemed decided to sleep forthis night on the bosom of our common Mother Earth.

  No doubt the follower had waited for this period of doubt,disheartenment and weakness, for he approached him warily, went allround fallen greatness, and calling a hack, said to the driver:

  "Old man, here's my friend who has shipped too heavy a cargo. Take thispiece for yourself, help me to put the poor fellow in the straw of yourcoach where he will not soil the elegant cushions, and take him to yourwine saloon at Sevres Bridge. I will get up beside you."

  There was nothing surprising that the customer should sit up with thedriver, as he appeared to be one of his sort. So, with the touchingconfidence men of the lower classes have for one another, the jarveysaid:

  "All right, but let us have a look at the silver, see!"

  "Here you are, old brother," ventured the man without being in the leastoffended and handing over a six-livre crownpiece.

  "But will there be a little bit beyond the fare for myself, my master?"inquired the coachman, mollified by the money.

  "That depends how we get along. Let us get the poor chap in; shut theblinds, try to keep your pair of skeletons on their hoofs, and we willsee when we get to Sevres, how you _conducted_ us!"

  "Now, I call this speaking to the purpose," returned the knight of thewhip. "Take it easy, master! A nod is as good as a wink. Get upon thebox and keep my Arabian steeds from bolting up the road; no jokes, theyfeel the want of a supper and are chafing to race home to the stables. Iwill manage the rest."

  The generous stranger did as he was bid; the driver, with all thedelicacy of which he was susceptible, dragged the sot up by the arms,jabbed him down between the seats, slammed the door, drew down theblinds, mounted the box again, and whipped up the barbs. With thefuneral gait of night hack-horses they stumbled through the village ofPoint-du-Jour and reached the Sevres Saloon in an hour.

  The house was shut up for the night, but the new-comer jumped down andapplied such blows of the fist to the door that the inhabitants, howeverfond of slumber, could not enjoy it long under so much racket. The host,who was alone, finally got up in his night dress, to see the rioter andpromised to pack him off smartly if the game were not worth the candle.

  Apparently though the value of the game was clear, for, at the firstwhisper by the irreverent arouser to the landlord, he plucked off hiscotton nightcap and made bows which his scanty costume renderedsingularly grotesque. He hastened to pilot the coachman, luggingGamain, into the little taproom where he had once filled himself withhis favorite burgundy.

  As the driver and his steeds had done their best, the stranger gave theformer a piece of money as extra.

  Then seeing that Master Gamain was stuck up in a chair, with his head onthe table before him, he hastened to have the host bring him two bottlesof wine and a decanter of water, and opened the windows and blinds tochange the mephitic air which the common people like to breathe in suchresorts.

  After bringing the wine, with alacrity, and the water, with reluctance,the host respectfully retired and left the stranger with the drunkard.

  Having renewed the air, as stated, the former clapped smelling salts toGamain's nose which ceased to snore and gave a sneeze. This awakened hima little from that disgusting sleep of drunkards the sight of whichwould cure them--if by a miracle, they could see what they look like atsuch periods.

  Gamain opened his eyes widely, and muttered some words, unintelligiblefor anybody but the philologist who distinguished by his profoundattention these words:

  "The scoundrel--he--poisoned--poisoned wine----"

  The good Samaritan seemed to see with satisfaction that his ward wasunder the same impression: he gave him another sniff of the hartstornwhich permitted the son of Noah to complete the sense of his phrase inan accusation pointing to an abuse of trust and wanton heartlessness.

  "To poison a friend--an old friend!"

  "That's so--it is horrible," observed the other.

  "Infamous," faltered Gamain.

  "What a good thing I was handy to give you an antidote," suggested thehearer.

  "It was lucky," said the locksmith.

  "But as one dose is not enough, have another," said the stranger,putting a few drops from the smelling bottle in a glass of water; it wasammonia and the man had hardly swallowed the compound than he opened hiseyes immeasurably and gurgled between two sneezes:

  "Ah, monster, what are you giving us there? augh, augh!"

  "My dear fellow, I am giving you stuff that will save your life,"returned the kind friend.

  "If it is physic, that is all right," said Gamain: "but it is a beastlyfailure if you call it a drink."

  The stranger profited by his sneezing again and twitching his features,shut the blinds though not the windows.

  Looking round him the master locksmith recognized with the profoundgratitude of drinking men for old haunts, the saloon where he hadfeasted before. In his frequent trip to town from Versailles, he had notseldom halted here. It might be thought necessary, as the house washalfway.

  This gratitude produced its effect: it gave him a great confidence tofind himself on friendly ground.

  "Hurrah, it looks as though I were halfway home anyway," he exclaimed.

  "Yes, thanks to me," said the stranger.

  "Thanks to you? why, who are you?" stammered Gamain, looking from stilllife to animated things.

  "My dear Gamain, your question shows that you have
a poor memory."

  "Hold on," said the smith, giving him more attention: "it strikes methat I have seen you before."

  "You don't say so? that is a blessed thing."

  "Ay, but where--that is the rub."

  "Look around you, then; something may remind you; or had you better havesome more of the counterbane to refresh you?"

  "No, thank 'ee, I have had enough of that remedy," said Gamain,stretching his arms out. "I am so nearly brought round that I will dowithout it. Where did I see you? why, in this very spot, of course. Andwhen? the day I was coming back from doing a special job at Paris--Iseem to be in for this sort of thing," added he, chuckling.

  "Very well: but who am I?"

  "A jolly honest mate who paid for the liquor. Shake hands!"

  "Good, good, you remember now."

  "With all the more pleasure as it is but a step from Master locksmith tomaster gunsmith," said the other.

  "Ah, good, good, I remember now. Yes, it was the sixth of October, whenthe King went to Paris: we talked about him."

  "And I found your conversation interesting, Master Gamain; so that, asyour memory comes home and I want to enjoy it again, I should like toknow, if I am not too inquisitive, what the deuse you were doing acrossthe road where a vehicle might have cut you in two? Have you sorrows,old blade, and had you screwed up your mind to suicide?"

  "Faith, no! What was I doing flat across the road, eh? Was I in theroad?"

  "Look at your clothes."

  "Whew!" whistled Gamain after the inspection. "Mother Gamain will kickup a hullabaloo for she said yesterday: 'Don't put on your new coat; anyold thing will do for the Tuileries.'"

  "Hello? been to the Tuileries? were you coming from the Tuileries when Ipicked you up?" asked the kind soul.

  "Why, yes, that's about the size of it," responded Gamain, scratchinghis head and trying to collect his entangled ideas; "certainly I wascoming home from the Tuileries. Why not? It is no mystery that I ammaster locksmith to Master Veto."

  "Who is he?"

  "Why, have you come from China? not to know old Veto?"

  "What do you want? I am obliged to stick to my trade, and that is notpolitics."

  "You are blamed lucky! I have to mix up with these high folk--more's thepity! or rather, they force me to mix with them. It will be my ruin." Hesighed as he looked up to heaven.

  "Pshaw! were you called to Paris again to do another piece of work inthe style of that other one?" asked the friend.

  "But this time I was not blindfolded but taken with my eyes open."

  "So that you knew it was the Tuileries this time?"

  "The Tuileries? who said anything about the Tuileries?"

  "Why, you, of course, just now. How would I know where you had beencarousing had you not told me?"

  "That is true," muttered Gamain to himself; "how should he, unless Itold him? Perhaps," he said aloud, "I was wrong to let you know; but youare not like the rest. Besides I am not going to deny that I was at theTuileries."

  "And you did some work for the King, for which he gave you twenty fivelouis," went on the other.

  "Indeed, I had twenty-five shiners in my pouch," said Gamain.

  "Then, you have got them now, my friend."

  The smith quickly plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled it outfull of gold mixed with small change in silver and bronze.

  "To think that I had forgot it! twenty-five is a good bit, too--and itis right to the 'broken' louis--one does not pick up such a lot underthe horse's foot. Thank God the account is correct." And he breathedmore freely.

  "My dear Master Gamain, I told you I found you on the King's highway,not twenty paces from a heavy wagon which would have cut you in twain. Ishouted for the carrier to pull up; I called a passing cab; I unhookedone of the lamps and as I looked at you by its light, I caught sight ofa gold piece on the ground; as they were near your pocket, I judged thatyou had dropped them. I put my finger in the pocket and as there were ascore of their brothers in bed there I guessed that these were of thesame brood. Thereupon the hack driver shook his head. 'I ain't going totake this fare,' said he: 'he is too rich for his dress. Twenty louis ingold in a cotton waistcoat suggests that the gallows will be his end.''What,' says I, 'do you take him for a thief?' The word struck you, foryou says. 'Thief? you are another!' says you. 'So you must be a prig,'returned the coachman, 'or how would the likes of you have a pocketgold-lined, say?'

  "'I have money because my pupil the King of France gave it me,' saidyou. By these words I thought I recognized you, and clasping the lamp toyour nose, I cried: 'Bless us and save us: all is clear; this is MasterGamain, master locksmith at Versailles. He has been working in the royalforge and the King has given him twenty-five mint-drops for his trouble.All right: I will answer for him.' From the moment that I answered foryou, the driver raised no objections. I replaced the coins in yourpocket; we laid you snugly in the hack; and we set you down in thisretreat so that you have nothing to complain of except that your'prentice left you in the lurch."

  "Did I speak of my 'prentice? that he left me in the lurch?" questionedGamain, more and more astonished.

  "Why, hang it all, are you going back on what you said? Did you notgrowl that it was all the fault of--of--dash me if I can remember thename you used."

  "Louis Lecomte?"

  "I guess that was it. Did you not say: 'Louis Lecomte is in fault! forhe promised to see me safe home and at the last moment he dropped melike a hot roll?'"

  "I daresay I did so, for it is the blessed truth."

  "Then, why do you deny the truth? let me tell you, that with anotherthan me, such chatter would be dangerous?"

  "But with you, one is safe, eh? with a regular friend," said the smith,coaxingly.

  "Lord, you have lots of trust in your friend. You say yes and you sayno; you wiggle and waver so that none knows how to have you. It is likeyour fable t'other day about the secret door that a nobleman had you fiton the strict quiet."

  "Then you will not believe this tale either, for it also hangs upon adoor."

  "In the palace?"

  "In the King's palace. Only instead of its being a clothes-press door,or rather that of a safe in the wall, it is a cupboard door this time."

  "Are you gaming me that the King, while he certainly dabbles inlocksmithery, sent for you to do up a door?"

  "He did, though. Poor fellow, he thought he was smart enough to get onwithout me, and began to make a lock. 'What good is Gamain anyhow?' buthe got mixed up with the works in the lock and had to fall back onGamain after all."

  "So you were hunted up by one of his trusty flunkeys, Hue, or Durey orWeber, eh?"

  "That is just where you make a mistake. He has taken a green hand on tohelp him, who is as much of an amateur as himself; a young sprig whopopped in upon me one morning at Versailles, and says he: 'Look here,Daddy Gamain, the King and me tried to make a lock, and by Jove we havemade a muddle of it. The old thing won't work! 'What have I to do withit?' I wanted to know. 'You are wanted to set it right,' says he, and asI said that it was a plant and he did not come from the King, he slapssome gold on the bench and says: 'Is not this earnest enough? here aretwenty-five louis which the King sends you to remove any doubts.' Hegave me them, too."

  "So these are what you are sporting round with you?"

  "No: these are another lot. These were for traveling expenses and a sortof a payment on account!"

  "Fifty louis for filing up an old lock? there is a snake in the grass,Friend Gamain."

  "Just what I said to myself: particularly as the 'prentice does not seema regular craftsman but dodged my question about work and where you stopwhen you are on tramp in France, as well as who is Mother Marianne."

  "But you are not the man to be taken in when you see a boy at work."

  "I do not say so much as that. The lad plied the file and the chiselhandily. I have seen him cut a rod of iron through velean at a blow, andput a hole in a band with a rattail file as if using a gimlet on a lath.But there is
more theory than practice about his style: he no soonerfinishes the job than he washed his hands, and what hands? so white thatnever did a locksmith boast the like. You don't see me scrubbing myhands till they are white!"

  With pride he showed his grubby, black and callous hands which indeedseemed to defy all the cosmetics and skin-bleaches in the world.

  "But in short what did you do when you got to the King's?" asked theother, bringing the man to the point most interesting to him.

  "It looked as though we were expected: in the forge the King showed me alock commenced not badly, but he had got in a corner. It was one withthree wards, d'ye see, which few locksmiths can grapple with and royalones least of all. I looked at it and saw where the key caught. 'Allright,' I says; 'let me alone with it for an hour and it will work as ifgreased,' 'Go ahead,' said the King, 'consider yourself at home; callfor anything you like while we get the cupboard ready on which the lockgoes.' On which he went out with the imp of a 'prentice."

  "By the main stairs?" queried the gunsmith carelessly.

  "No: by a secret one leading to his study. When I got through, I haddone something, too; I said to myself: 'It is all bosh about this herecupboard; they are laying their heads together for some mischief.' So Icrept down softly and opening the study door, I got a glimpse of whatthey were up to."

  "And what were they up to?" inquired the gunsmith.

  "Well, I did not catch them in the act, for they must have heard mecoming, for I have not the light step of a dancer. They pretended to beup and coming to me, and the King said, 'Oh this is you, and you havefinished? Come along for I have something else for you to do.' So hehurried me through the study, but not so fast that I did not spy spreadout on a table a big map which I believe to be France on account of alily-flower printed in one corner. From the midst three rows of pins ranout to the edges like files of soldiers, for they were stuck in atregular spaces."

  "Really, you are wonderfully sharp," said the stranger in affectedadmiration: "So you believe that instead of bothering about theircupboard, they were busy with this map?"

  "I am sure of it: the pins had wax heads of different colors, black,blue and red; and the King was using a red one to pick his teeth with,without thinking what he was about."

  "Gamain, if I discovered some new kind of gun, hang me if I would letyou come into my workshop, even to pass through it, or I would bandageyour eyes as on the day you were taken to the great nobleman's housethough you did perceive that the house had ten steps to the stoop andthat it fronted on the main avenue."

  "Wait a bit," said the smith, enchanted at the eulogies; "you have notheard all--there is really a safe in the wall."

  "What wall?"

  "Of the inner corridor running from the royal alcove to the youngprince's room."

  "What you say is very queer. And was this safe open?"

  "Is it likely? I squinted round in all ways but it was no use my askingmyself: 'Where on earth is this secret press?' Then the King gave me alook and says he: 'Gamain, I have always had trust in you. So I wouldnot let anybody but you know the secret.' While speaking, the Kinglifted a panel, while the boy held a light, for the corridor has nowindows, and showed me a two foot round hole. Seeing my astonishment, hewinked to our companion and said: 'Do you see that hole, my friend; Imade it to keep money in; this young fellow helped me during the four orfive days he has been staying in the palace. Now we want the lock put onthe panel so that it will be hidden and not interfere with its sliding.Do you want an aid, in which case this young man will help you? or canyou do without? if so I will set him to work elsewhere. 'Tut,' I said,'you know that I like to go alone when I am the job. It is four hour'swork for a good hand but I am a master and will be through in three. Goand attend to your work, young fellow; and your Majesty may stick tohis. And in three hours fetch along anything you want kept in thismeat-safe.'

  "We may believe the young chap had other fish to fry, for I saw nothingmore of him: but when the time was up, the King came back. 'U. P., it isall UP!' said I, and I made him see that the door slid without the lockbeing in the way as neat as the Automatons of Vaucanson. 'Good,' saidhe; 'just help me count the cash I am going to bestow here.' A valetbrought four fine bags of coin and we reckoned a million a-piece; therewere twenty-and-five over. 'There you are, Gamain,' said the King, 'Takethem for your trouble!' as though it was not disgraceful to give an oldmate a beggarly twenty-five--a man with five children, and he has beenhandling two millions! What do you think of that?"

  "The truth is that this is mean," said the other, shrugging hisshoulders.

  "Wait, this is not all. I put the coin in my pocket and said. 'I thankyour Majesty: but Lord love you, I have not had sup or bite sincemorning and I am ready to burst!' I had barely finished before the Queenwalked in by a secret door, so that she was on the top of us withoutsaying Lookout! She had a platter in her hand with a cake and a glass onit.

  "'My dear Gamain, as you are hungry and thirsty, try our wine and cake!''Sorry to trouble you, Royal Madam,' I said, but just think of a droplike that and a mouthful of wine like that fancy cake for a man. What doyou expect sensible in that line from a Queen, though? it is plain thatsuch folks are never really hungry and athirst. A glass of wine--oh,dear!"

  "So you refused it?"

  "It would have been better if I had; but I drank. As for the cake Irolled it up in my handkerchief, saying 'What is no good for the fatherwill do for the children.' Then I thanked his Majesty, as though it wereworth thanks, and I started off, saying that they will not catch me intheir old palace in a hurry again."

  "And why do you say you had better have refused the drink?"

  "Because they had put poison in it! Hardly had I got over the bridgebefore I was seized by thirst, such a raging thirst that between theliquor saloons and the river, I balanced myself. I could tell it wasqueer stuff they gave me for the more I took the thirstier I was. Thiskept on with my trying to correct that dose till I lost my senses. Theymay be easy on this score: if ever they come to me for a good character,I will say they gave me twenty-five louis for four hours' work andcounting a million, and for fear I should tell where they keep theirtreasure, they poisoned me like a dog!"

  "And I, my dear Gamain," said the hearer, rising as though he had allthe information he wanted: "I will support your evidence by swearingthat I saved you with the antidote."

  "That is why we are sworn comrades till death do us part," exclaimed thesmith, grasping the speaker's hands.

  Refusing with Spartan sobriety the wine which his friend offered him forthe third or fourth time--for the amoniacal dose had sobered him as wellas disgusted him with drink for a time, Gamain took the road forVersailles where he arrived safely at two in the morning with theKing's coin in his pocket and the Queen's cake in another.

  Left behind in the saloon, the pretended gunsmith drew out a set oftablets mounted in diamonds and gold, and wrote with fluid-ink pencilthese two notes:

  "An iron safe behind the King's alcove, in the unlighted passage leading to the prince's rooms. Make sure whether Louis Lecomte, locksmith's boy, is not really Count Louis, son of Marquis Bouille, arrived eleven days ago from Metz."