Une fille du régent. English

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER XIV.

  TRUST TO SIGNS OF GRATITUDE.

  Tapin at first thought that it was the Chevalier de Chanlay, but it wasonly a woman who wanted a pint of wine.

  "What has happened to poor M. Bourguignon?" asked she. "He has just beentaken away in a coach."

  "Alas!" said Tapin, "we were far from expecting it. He was standingthere talking, and was suddenly seized with apoplexy."

  "Gracious heavens!"

  "We are all mortal," said Tapin, throwing up his eyes.

  "But why did they take the little girl?"

  "To attend to her father--it is her duty."

  "But the servant?"

  "To cook for them."

  "Ah, I could not understand it all, so I came to buy a pint of wine,though I did not want it, that I might find out."

  "Well, now you know."

  "Yes, but who are you?"

  "I am Champagne, Bourguignon's cousin. I arrived by chance thismorning; I brought him news of his family, and the sudden joy overcamehim; ask Grabigeon," continued Tapin, showing his assistant, who wasfinishing an omelet commenced by the landlord's daughter.

  "Oh, yes, everything passed exactly as M. Champagne says," repliedGrabigeon, wiping away a tear with the handle of his spoon.

  "Poor M. Bourguignon! then you think that we should pray for him?"

  "There is never any harm in praying," said Tapin, sententiously.

  "Ah, stop a minute, give me good measure."

  Bourguignon would have groaned in spirit, could he have seen the winethat Tapin gave for her two sous.

  "Well," said she, "I will go and tell the neighbors, who are veryanxious, and I promise you my custom, M. Champagne; indeed, if M.Bourguignon were not your cousin, I would tell you what I think."

  "Oh, tell me, never mind that."

  "I perceive that he cheated me shamefully. What you have given me fortwo sous, he would hardly have given me for four; but if there is nojustice here there is in heaven, and it is very providential that youare to continue his business."

  "I believe so," said Tapin, in a half voice, "particularly for hiscustomers."

  And he dismissed the woman just as the door opened, and a young manentered, dressed in a blue cloak.

  "Is this the hotel Le Muids d'Amour?" asked he.

  "Yes, monsieur."

  "Does Captain la Jonquiere lodge here?"

  "Yes, monsieur."

  "Is he within?"

  "Yes, he has just returned."

  "Tell him, if you please, that the Chevalier Gaston de Chanlay is here."

  Tapin offered the chevalier a chair, and went into La Jonquiere's room.

  Gaston shook the snow from his boots and cloak, and proceeded leisurelyto examine the picture on the wall, never supposing that he had close tohim three or four swords, which, at a sign from the polite host, wouldleave their sheaths to be plunged into his breast.

  Tapin returned, saying, "Captain la Jonquiere waits for M. de Chanlay."

  Gaston proceeded to the room where sat a man whom the host pointed outas Captain la Jouquiere, and--without being much of a physiognomist--heperceived at once that he was no bully.

  Little, dry, gray-eyed, uneasy in his uniform, such appeared theformidable captain whom Gaston had been recommended to treat with somuch consideration.

  "This man is ugly, and looks like a sexton," thought Gaston; then, asthe stranger advanced toward him--

  "Have I the honor of speaking to Captain la Jonquiere?" asked Gaston.

  "Himself," said Dubois; "and are you M. le Chevalier Gaston deChanlay?"----"I am, monsieur."

  "Have you the sign of recognition?" asked the false La Jonquiere.

  "Here is the half of the gold piece."

  "And here the other," said Dubois.

  They tried the two, which fitted exactly.

  "And now," continued Gaston, "the papers;" and he drew from his pocketthe strangely folded paper, on which was written the name of LaJonquiere.

  Dubois took from his pocket a similar paper, bearing Gaston's name: theywere precisely alike.

  "Now," said Gaston, "the pocket-book."

  They found that their new pocket-books were precisely similar, and both,though new, contained an almanac for the year 1700, nineteen yearsprevious.

  "And now, monsieur," said Gaston.

  "Now we will talk of business: is not that your meaning, chevalier?"

  "Exactly; are we safe?"

  "As though in a desert."

  They seated themselves by a table, on which were a bottle of sherry andtwo glasses.

  Dubois filled one, and was about to fill the other, when Gaston stoppedhim.

  "Peste!" thought Dubois, "he is slender and sober, bad signs; Caesarmistrusted thin people who did not drink, and Brutus and Cassius weresuch."

  "Captain," said Gaston, after a short silence, "when we undertake, asnow, an affair in which we risk our heads, I think we should know eachother, so that the past may vouch for the future. Montlouis, Talhouet,De Couedic, and Pontcalec have told you my name and condition. I wasbrought up by a brother, who had reasons for personal hatred to theregent. This hatred I have imbibed; therefore, three years ago, when theleague was formed among the nobility in Bretagne, I entered theconspiracy; now I have been chosen to come to Paris to receive theinstructions of Baron de Valef, who has arrived from Spain, to transmitthem to the Duc d'Olivares, his Catholic Majesty's agent in Paris, andto assure myself of his assent."

  "And what is Captain la Jonquiere to do in all this?" asked Dubois, asthough he were doubting the chevalier's identity.

  "To present me to the Duc d'Olivares. I arrived two hours ago; sincethen I have seen M. de Valef, and now I come to you. Now you know myhistory."

  Dubois listened, and, when Gaston had finished--"As to me, chevalier,"said he, throwing himself back indolently in his chair, "I must own myhistory is somewhat longer and more adventurous; however, if you wish tohear it, I obey."

  "I think it necessary, in our position, to know each other," saidGaston.

  "Well," said Dubois, "as you know, I am called Captain la Jonquiere; myfather was, like myself, a soldier of fortune; this is a trade at whichone gains in general a good deal of glory and very little money; myglorious father died, leaving me, for sole inheritance, his rapier andhis uniform; I girded on the rapier, which was rather too long, and Iwore the uniform, which was rather too large. From that time," saidDubois, calling the chevalier's attention to the looseness of his coat,"from that time I contracted the habit of always having plenty of roomto move easily."

  Gaston nodded, as though to express his approbation of this habit.

  "Thanks to my good looks I was received in the Royal Italian, which wasthen recruiting in France. I held a distinguished post; when--the daybefore the battle of Malplaquet--I had a slight quarrel with my sergeantabout an order which he gave me with the end of his cane raised insteadof lowered, as it should have been."

  "Pardon me," said Gaston, "but I cannot see what difference that couldmake to the order he was giving."

  "It made this difference, that in lowering his cane it struck against myhat, which fell to the ground; the result was a duel, in which I passedmy saber through his body. Now, as I certainly should have been shot ifI had waited to be arrested, I made off, and woke the nextmorning--devil take me if I know how it happened--in Marlborough'sarmy."

  "That is to say, you deserted," said Gaston, smiling.

  "I had Coriolanus and the great Conde for examples," said Dubois, "andthis appeared to me to be sufficient to excuse me in the eyes ofposterity. I assisted then, I must tell you, as we are to hide nothingfrom one another, at the battle of Malplaquet; but instead of being onone side of the brook, I was on the other, and instead of having thevillage behind me, I faced it. I think this was a lucky exchange foryour humble servant; the Royal Italian left eight hundred men on thefield of battle, my company was cut to pieces, and my own comrade andbedfellow killed by a cannon-ball. The glory with which my late regimentcovere
d itself so much delighted Marlborough, that he made me an ensignon the field of battle. With such a protector I ought to have done well,but his wife, Lady Marlborough, whom Heaven confound, having beenawkward enough to spill a bowl of water over Queen Anne's dress, thisgreat event changed the face of things in Europe. In the overthrow whichresulted, I found myself without any other protector than my own merit,and the enemies I had gained thereby."

  "And what did you do then?" asked Gaston, somewhat interested in theadventurous life of the pretended captain.

  "What could I do? I was forced to enter the service of his Catholicmajesty, who, to his honor be it said, graciously acceded to my demandfor a commission. In three years I was a captain; but, out of our pay ofthirty reals a day, they kept back twenty, telling us what an honor itwas for us to lend money to the king of Spain. As the security did notappear good in my eyes, I asked leave of my colonel to quit the serviceand return to my beautiful country, accompanied by a recommendation, inorder that the Malplaquet affair might not be too much brought on thetapis. The colonel referred me to the Prince do Cellamare, who,recognizing in me a natural disposition to obey, without discussion, anyorders given in a proper manner and accompanied by a certain music,employed me actively in the famous conspiracy which bears his name,when, all at once, the whole affair blew up, as you know, by the doubledenunciation of La Fillon and a wretched writer called Buvat; but hishighness, wisely thinking that what is deferred is not lost, recommendedme to his successor, to whom, I hope, my services may be useful, andwhom I thank most heartily for procuring me the acquaintance of soaccomplished a cavalier as yourself. Count on me then, chevalier, asyour most humble and obedient servant."

  "I ask nothing of you, captain," replied Gaston, "but to present me tothe duke, the only person to whom my instructions permit me to speakopenly, and to whom I am to deliver the Baron de Valef's dispatches. Ibeg, therefore, that you will present me to his excellency."

  "This very day, chevalier," said Dubois, who seemed to have decided onhis course of action; "in an hour if you like, in ten minutes ifnecessary."

  "As soon as possible."

  "Listen," said Dubois; "I was a little too quick when I said you shouldsee his excellency in an hour--in Paris one is never sure; perhaps hedoes not know of your coming, and I may not find him at home."

  "I understand."

  "Perhaps even I may be prevented from coming back to fetch you."

  "How so?"

  "Peste, chevalier; it is easy to see that this is your first visit toParis."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that in Paris there are three distinct bodies of police, who allunite to torment those honest people who only desire to substitute whatis not for what is. First, the regent's police, which is not much to befeared; secondly, that of Messire Voyer d'Argenson--this has its days,when he is in a bad humor, or has been ill received at the convent ofthe Madeleine du Tresnel; thirdly, there is Dubois's police; ah! that isa different thing. Dubois is a--"

  "A wretch," cried Gaston; "I am well aware of that."

  Dubois smiled his sinister smile.

  "Well, to escape these three police?" said Gaston.

  "One must be prudent, chevalier."

  "Instruct me, captain; for you seem to know more about it than I, who ama provincial."

  "First, we must not lodge in the same hotel."

  "Diable!" said Gaston, who remembered the address given to Helene; "Ihad a great wish to remain here."

  "I will be the one to turn out then, chevalier. Take one of my rooms,this one, or the one above."

  "I prefer this."

  "You are right; on the ground-floor, a window looking into one street, asecret door to the other. You have a quick eye; we shall make somethingof you."

  "Let us return to our business."

  "Right; where was I?"

  "You said you might not be able to come back and fetch me."

  "Yes, but in that case take care not to follow any one withoutsufficient signs."

  "By what signs shall I recognize any one as coming from you?"

  "First, he must have a letter from me."

  "I do not know your writing."

  "True; I will give you a specimen."

  And Dubois wrote the following lines:

  "MONSIEUR LE CHEVALIER--Follow without fear the man who brings this note, he is deputed by me to lead you to the house where the Duc d'Olivares and Captain la Jonquiere await you."

  "Stay," said he, giving him the note, "if any one comes in my name, hewill give you a similar letter."

  "Is that enough?"

  "One cannot be too careful; besides the letter, he will show you thehalf-coin, and at the door of the house to which he leads you, ask forthe third sign."

  "Which will be."

  "The paper."

  "It is well," said Gaston, "with these precautions--the devil is in itif we are mistaken. Now, what am I to do?"

  "Wait; you will not go out to-day."

  "No."

  "Well, remain quiet in this hotel, where you will want for nothing. Iwill recommend you to the host."

  "Thanks."

  "My dear M. Champagne," said Dubois to Tapin, opening the door, "theChevalier de Chanlay takes my room; attend to him as you would to me."

  Then, closing it--

  "That fellow is worth his weight in gold, Tapin," said he in a lowvoice, "do not lose sight of him for a moment; you will answer for himwith your head."