CHAPTER XIX
SPLENDOR
The Fougereuse mansion was resplendent with light. Madeleine intended tocelebrate the vicomte's appointment to a captaincy in a fitting way, andhundreds of invitations had been issued and accepted.
One fine carriage after another rolled up; the marquise, dressed inprincely style, received her guests in the fairy-like parlors, and soona brilliant assembly crowded the rooms.
The marquis and his wife looked proudly at the vicomte, who, however,could hardly restrain his disappointment. He did not know what hurt himmost, the loss of Louison or the twenty thousand francs, and he railedagainst himself for being so foolish as to imagine that Robeckal andRolla would keep their word.
"Do not frown so," whispered Madeleine to her son, "here comes Irene."
The vicomte bit his lips until they bled, and then approached Irene deSalves, who had just entered, accompanied by her mother and the Marquisde Montferrand.
Irene was dazzlingly beautiful, and her rich dress enhanced her charmingappearance. There was, however, a melancholy look in her dark eyes, buther voice sounded clear and strong as she replied to the vicomte'sgreeting.
Brought up in the traditions of the nobility, Irene did not think ofresisting her mother when the latter told her that her engagement withthe Vicomte de Talizac would be announced that evening. Irene lovedFanfaro with all the fervor of her soul, but she would never have daredto tell her mother of her attachment for the acrobat.
When the vicomte pressed her hand upon his arm, she trembled violently,and a gleam of rage shot out of the dark eyes, while Talizac thought tohimself that the young girl had every reason to be proud of him. Captainin the Life Guards and Knight of St. Louis. The more he considered itthe more he came to the conclusion that he could demand more, and onlythe circumstance that the young countess possessed several millionscaused him to submit to the match.
The first notes of a polonaise were heard now, and the guests, groupingthemselves in pairs, strode through the wide halls. A quadrille followedthe polonaise, and it was a charming sight to see all these gracefulwomen and young girls dance. Irene kept up a cross-fire of words withthe vicomte and Velletri. Talizac had just whispered some gallantsentence to her, when a high officer of the Royal Life Guards appearedand handed the vicomte his commission.
Great enthusiasm arose. The vicomte and his parents were congratulatedfrom all sides, and the young girls envied Irene, for it was an opensecret that she would be the future Vicomtesse de Talizac.
Arthur de Montferrand was the only one who could not force himself tocongratulate the vicomte. It was only on his father's account that hecame at all, and while Talizac was being surrounded on all sides,Arthur's thoughts went back to the scene of the previous evening. He sawLouison's pleading looks, he heard her contemptuous words, and couldnever forgive himself for having given her good reason to believe thathe was one of Talizac's accomplices.
The vicomte's voice aroused him from his dreams.
"Well, Arthur," said Talizac laughing, "have you no congratulation forme?"
Arthur looked penetratingly at the vicomte, and in a low voice replied:
"Vicomte, if I cannot discover any traces of the punishment you receivedyesterday on your cheeks, I hope to be able to pay up for what I havelost. For to-day you must excuse me."
Deathly pale, Talizac looked at Montferrand, but before he had a chanceto reply, a commotion was heard in the corridor, followed by a war ofwords.
The marquis looked uneasily at the door, and was about to give an orderto a servant to inquire after the cause of the disturbance, when thefolding doors were thrown open and a man who carried the lifeless,dripping form of a young girl in his arms rushed into the ballroom.
"Fanfaro!" cried Montferrand in amazement.
Fanfaro, for it was really he, laid the young girl's body tenderly uponthe ground, and, turning to the assembled guests, cried with threateningvoice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the corpse of a young girl whom theVicomte de Talizac murdered."
The women uttered cries of terror and the men looked threateningly atTalizac, who was trembling and trying hard to appear indifferent.
The Marquis of Fougereuse was as white as a spectre. Was this Fanfarogoing to pursue him forever?
"Who is the bold fellow?" he audaciously said. "Throw him out."
"Don't be so quick, marquis," said Fanfaro earnestly; "it is a questionof a terrible crime, and your son the Vicomte de Talizac is thecriminal! Oh, the shame of it! Does he think that because he is anobleman he can do what he pleases? This young girl lived modestly andplainly; she was pure and innocent. The Vicomte de Talizac regarded heras his prey. He bribed a couple of scoundrels and had the poor childabducted.
"Half crazed with horror and despairing of humanity, the victim soughtpeace and forgetfulness in suicide. Marquis, do you know of any infamyequal to this?"
Proud, with head erect like an avenger of innocence, Fanfaro stood inthe centre of the room and his eyes shot forth rays of contempt.
Montferrand hurried toward him and cordially shook him by the hand.
"Is she dead--is she really dead?" he asked.
"I fear so," replied the young man, slowly, "yet I do not like to giveup all hope. Is there no lady here who will take care of the poor childand try to soften the vicomte's crime?" continued Fanfaro, raising hisvoice. "Does not a heart beat under these silks and satins?"
From the group of timid ladies came a tall figure clad in a white silkdress, and kneeling next to Louison she softly said:
"Here I am."
"The farce is becoming uproarious," cried the Marquis of Fougereuse,nervously laughing.
"Do not call it a farce; it is a drama, a terrible drama, my lord,"replied Fanfaro, earnestly. "Ask your son, who is leaning pale andtrembling against the wall, whether I am telling you the truth or not?"
"Yes, it is a lie!" exclaimed Talizac, hoarsely.
"It is no lie," declared Arthur de Montferrand, stepping in front ofTalizac. "Vicomte, you have a bad memory, and if my hand had notfortunately stamped your face you might have even denied it to my face.Look at the vicomte, gentlemen; the traces which burn on his pale cheekshe owes to me, for I was present when he made the first attempt toscandalize this poor girl. I chastised him, and he stabbed me."
"He lies! He is crazy!" cried the vicomte, in despair.
But none of those who had a quarter of an hour before overwhelmed himwith congratulations condescended to look at the wretch, and with a moanTalizac sank back in a chair.
In the meantime Irene had busied herself with Louison, and nowtriumphantly exclaimed:
"She lives, she breathes, she can still be saved! Mamma," she said,turning quickly to her mother, "we will take the poor child home with usand nurse her."
The countess assented with tears in her eyes; she was proud of herdaughter.
"The poor thing is my sister," said Fanfaro in a low voice to Irene.
Irene bent over Louison and kissed her pale forehead. This was heranswer to Fanfaro's information.
Talizac had now recovered his senses. He tore open the door and angrilycried:
"Is there no one here who will show this impudent fellow out? Come in,lackeys and servants; lay hands on him!"
"I would advise no one to touch me," said Fanfaro, coldly.
At this moment a hand was laid on Fanfaro's shoulder, and a deep voicesaid:
"In the name of the king, you are my prisoner!"
As if struck by lightning, the young man gazed upon an old man who worea dark uniform with a white and gold scarf. All the entrances to theballroom were occupied by soldiers, and Fanfaro saw at once that he waslost.
"My lord marquis," said the officer, turning to the master of the house,"I regret very much to disturb you, but I must obey my order. Less thanan hour ago a man with a knife in his hand entered the apartments of hismajesty and said that he intended to kill the king."
A cry of horror followed these words, and, pale an
d trembling, theguests crowded about the officer, who continued after a short pause:
"Asked about his accomplice, the would-be murderer declared that he wasan agent for a secret society whose chief the prisoner Fanfaro is."
"Oh, what a monstrous lie!" exclaimed Fanfaro, beside himself with rage,while Irene de Salves rose upright and with flaming eyes said:
"He a murderer? Impossible!"
"Prudence," whispered Arthur to the young woman, "what I can do for himI will."
"Save my sister, Irene," said Fanfaro softly, and sorrowfully turningto the official, he declared with a loud voice: "Sir, I must deny theaccusation that I am a murderer. I have openly fought against thepresent government, but have never employed any assassin! Do your duty,I will follow you without resistance and calmly await the judge'ssentence."
With head erect Fanfaro strode toward the door and disappeared incompany with the soldiers. Montferrand approached Talizac and hissed inhis ear:
"It might be doing you an honor, but if there is no other remedy I willfight a duel with you to rid the world of a scoundrel--I await yourseconds."
"You shall pay for this," said the vicomte, "I will kill you."
Half an hour later the splendid halls of the Fougereuse mansion weredeserted; the guests hurried to leave a house where such things hadoccurred.
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume II Page 19