The Adventures of François

by S. Weir Mitchell

  *VIII*

  _In which Francois discovers the mercantile value of laughter, and theCrab takes toll of the jugglers--with the sad history of Despard, thepartner._

  Late in the evenings, in the room they shared, the practice of the earlymorning was resumed, and, above all, Pierre was overjoyed to see whattricks of feature were within Francois's control. He had, in fact, someof the art of the actor, and was the master of such surprises ofexpression as were irresistibly comic. By and by the fame of hiswonderful visage spread, and very often the young nobles, with theirwhite cockades, came to see, or great ladies would pause to have theirpalms read. When palmistry was to be used, the booth was closed withblack curtains, between which was seen only this long face, with theflaring ears and laughing eyes. Presently a huge hand came out below,the rest of the figure remaining unseen. Then, in the quaintestlanguage, Francois related wonderful things yet to be, his large mouthopening so as to divide the merry face as with a gulf.

  It was a time eager for the new, and this astonishing mask had a hugesuccess. The booth grew rich, and raised its prices, so that soon thesetwo pirates of the Cite sat in wonder over their gains, and Pierre beganto store up a few louis for a bad day, and for the future of the littlemaid at Sevres, where two or three of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearthad found a new home, and taken again the charge of some of theirscattered flock.

  Francois was fast learning the art of the conjurer; but at times, sad tosay, he yearned for a chance to apply his newly acquired dexterity inways which were more perilous. He liked change, and had the pleasure inrisk which is common to daring men. Indeed, he was at times so restlessas to require the urgent counsels of Pierre to keep him tranquil. Onceor twice he must needs insist on a holiday, and went away with Toto fortwo days. They came back dirty and happy, but to Pierre's relief. Thisuneasy partner was now essential, and more and more Jacobin and Royalistcrowded about the booth to get a laugh out of the sight of the facewhich, appearing through the curtain with hair brushed up and long brownbeard combed down, suddenly grew as broad as it had been long. Thelaugh into which it broke was so cheery, so catching, so causeless, thatall who saw fell into fits of merriment such as were not common in thosedays of danger and anxiety.

  Then the partner appeared in front of the booth. So many wished the manwho laughed to read their palms that Pierre declared it must be for thehighest bidder. A gay auction took place; and the winner heard his fateslyly whispered by the voice of many tones, or it might be that it wasloudly read for the benefit of the crowd, and, amid cries and jeers, thevictim retired with promise of a wife with a negative dowry in someunexistent section of Paris. Or, again, it was an elderly dame whoconsulted the voice of fate. She was to have three husbands, and dieyoung. Then another broad hand came forth, and on it the black poodleupright, with a handkerchief to his eyes, and his tail adorned withcrape. It was witty, innocent, and amusing, and delighted this Paris,which was becoming suspicious, cruel, and grimly devilish.

  Very soon the business in which laughter was sold for what it wouldbring in laughter, and for what men were willing to pay for an honestgrin, began to have incidents which more than satisfied Francois's tastefor adventure and greatly troubled Pierre. The little room of the twoconjurers had flowers in the window, and a caged bird. These wereFrancois's luxuries. Pierre did not care for them. He had begun to readbooks about the rights of man, and bits of "The Friend of the People,"by Marat. When Francois first knew him he liked to gossip gravely ofwhat went on, as to the changing fashions, or as to the new "baptism" ofthe streets, but of the serious aspect of the tumbling monarchy was notinclined to speak. At times, too, he let it be seen that he was welleducated; but beyond this, Francois still learned nothing of his past.One evening Francois, gaily whistling, and with Toto after him, turnedthe knob of their chamber door. There was some resistance. He called,"Pierre!" and the door yielded. He went in. Two candles were burning ontheir little dining-table. Facing him, in a chair, sat the Crab, QuatrePattes, the spine bent forward, the head tilted up to get sight ofPierre, who was leaning against the wall back of the door. Her eyes, adusky red, were wide open to enlarge the view which the bend of her backlimited. The beak between them was purple. Her mouth, grim andlipless, was set in deep, radiating wrinkles, and the toothless gumswere moving as if she were chewing. Her two wrists rested on the curvedhandles of her short canes, and her outstretched hands, lean, eager, anddeformed, were moving like the claws of some ravenous creature of thejungle.

  Francois looked from her to his partner, Despard. He was standing as ifflattened, his eyes upon the woman, his palms, outspread, set hard onthe wall behind him, a pitiful image of alarm and hatred.

  "_Mon Dieu!_" cried Francois, "what is all this? What does thisshe-devil want?"

  "Want! I want money, vagabond thief! I saw thee in the boothyesterday. We are honest, are we? And I know him, too. Him!" and shepointed at Pierre, who murmured:

  "Kill her! Take her away!"

  Francois laughed. "Out of this, hag!" and he laughed again.

  "I know that man," she cried. "_Sacre_, but he is scared, the coward!I remind him of old times. He must pay--pay, or I will fetch thepolice. He knows me. Out with the money! Empty your pockets!"

  Francois shouted: "What, Mother Puzzlebones, dost thou think to scare anold dog of the Cite? Art fit to be mother-in-law of Satan. Out withthee! Out of this, I say! Here is to buy flesh to cover thy rattlebonecarcass." He threw two francs before her.

  The Crab stood up, and beat with her sticks on the table. "No francs!It is gold I will have--red louis, or I will set the police on thee, andon the fat fool yonder. I will find that girl of his. She must be fitto sell by this time. A beauty was her mother."

  "Kill her! Kill her!" said Pierre, wrath in his words, fear in theirtremor. Of a sudden he seized a stool, and, mad with some memory ofwrong, leaped forward. The Crab faced him with courage, as Francoistore away the stool, and pushed him back. "No murder here. Keep quiet,idiot! And as to thee, thou gutter Crab, out of this!"

  Upon this, Toto set up a dismal howl, and made at the old woman. Arousing whack from her stick sent him howling under the bed, where hesat pensive. Then she turned on Francois.

  "Look here," she said; "thou hast some sense. That ass has none. Let ustalk. Thou canst give me money or let it alone. You both know me. Aword to the police, and up goes the little show."

  "Very likely."

  "Then make a bargain. Pay me, and I hold my tongue. No use to call menames."

  "Well, let us have peace, and talk," said Francois. This threat of theCrab as to the officers of the law might not be vain; she was quite toowell informed; and there was Pierre, white and furious. Francoisforesaw tragedy; comedy was more to his taste.

  "What wilt thou have, Quatre Pattes? We are poor. Why threaten thy oldlodger?" He was eager to get her away, in order to understand matters.Too much was dark. Pierre said no more, but stood staring, angry andyet afraid.

  "A louis a week," cried the Crab.

  "Nonsense! These good geese would soon die of starvation, and then nomore golden eggs. Here are ten francs. Each week thou shalt havefive."

  "_Nom de Dieu!_" groaned Pierre; "and to kill her were so easy!"

  "Not for thee, coward!" shouted the Crab, knocking her sticks togetherfor emphasis.

  "Kill her!" said Pierre, faintly.

  "Nonsense!" said Francois. "Come to the booth for it, Crab; not here,mind you, not here--not a sou here."

  "Adieu, my jolly bankers," cried the hag. "For the day this will do;then we shall see." With this, the sticks rattled on the tiled floor,and she pattered out of the door, which Francois shut after her.

  "Behold us, netted like larks!" he said, and broke into a laugh.

  "It is not a thing to laugh at," said Pierre, the sweat rolling down hisface.

  "No; perhaps not. Let us take counsel. But what troubled thee? Shalla crippled old woman ruin t
wo strong men?"

  Pierre groaned, and let his face fall on his palms, making no reply.

  "What is it, my friend?"

  "I cannot tell thee now. It were useless; it would not help. God hasmade the little one safe--safe. One of these days I may have the courageto tell thee."

  His natural reticence and some too dreadful past combined to keep himsilent. Francois was puzzled. He knew the man to be a coward; but histimidity, followed by this sudden outbreak of murderous fury, wasinexplicable; nor did he comprehend it fully until later events revealedto him, as he looked back at this scene, the nature of the morbidchanges which his partner's character had already begun to feel. "Whatdoes it all mean?" he demanded.

  "Ask me no more," said Despard. "Not now--not now. She cannot hurt meor mine. It is hate, not fear, I have. But thou? Why didst thou pay?"

  "For good enough reasons," said Francois; "but I can take care ofmyself." He was by no means sure of this. Nevertheless, he laughed asusual, and said: "Let us have supper; I cannot think when I am empty."

  No more was said. They ate in silence, and then Pierre turned to his"L'Ami du Peuple," and Francois to a pipe and to his thoughts. Must hegive up the booth, and wander? He knew the Crab well enough to fearher. The price of her silence would rise, and to deny her would bringabout disaster. He began to wish he had been honest. It was too latenow; but France was large, and, after all, he could laugh at his ownembarrassment. There was time to think; he had bought that.

  They spoke no further of the Crab; but from this time Pierre becamedepressed and suspicious at every knock on the door. Quatre Pattes cameto the booth with her usual eagerness, and if she chanced to be full ofbad brandy, and too noisy and unappeasable, Francois paid her somethingout of his own share of their growing profits. Had he been alone, hemight have done otherwise; but Pierre was timid, watchful, and talkedsadly of the little one at Sevres. How should he manage if the showcame to an end? It had not been worth much until Francois joined him.Before that he had been starving himself to keep the child in carefulhands. He became increasingly melancholy, and this especially in theearly mornings. He was apt to say at night, "A day is gone, and nothinghas happened."

  Francois was courageous, and mocked a little at the jade Fortune. "Whatcould happen?" And yet this shrinking little man, fat, doleful, andfull of fears, sat heavily upon him; and there, too, was this child whomhe had never seen. _Peste_! The children he had known at the asylumwere senseless, greedy little cattle, all of one make. Perhaps thisgirl at Sevres was no better.