The Grandissimes
Page 46
CHAPTER XLV
MORE REPARATION
"That is all," said the fairer Honore, outside Doctor Keene's sick-roomabout ten o'clock at night. He was speaking to the black son ofClemence, who had been serving as errand-boy for some hours. He spokein a low tone just without the half-open door, folding again a paperwhich the lad had lately borne to the apothecary of the rue Royale, andhad now brought back with Joseph's answer written underHonore's inquiry.
"That is all," said the other Honore, standing partly behind the first,as the eyes of his little menial turned upon him that deprecatory glanceof inquiry so common to slave children. The lad went a little way downthe corridor, curled up upon the floor against the wall, and was soonasleep. The fairer Honore handed the darker the slip of paper; it wasreceived and returned in silence. The question was:
"_Can you state anything positive concerning the duel_?"
And the reply:
"_Positively there will be none. Sylvestre my sworn friend for life_."
The half-brothers sat down under a dim hanging lamp in the corridor, andexcept that every now and then one or the other stepped noiselessly tothe door to look in upon the sleeping sick man, or in the oppositedirection to moderate by a push with the foot the snoring of Clemence's"boy," they sat the whole night through in whispered counsel.
The one, at the request of the other, explained how he had come to bewith the little doctor in such extremity.
It seems that Clemence, seeing and understanding the doctor'simprudence, had sallied out with the resolve to set some person on histrack. We have said that she went in search of her master. Him she met,and though she could not really count him one of the doctor's friends,yet, rightly believing in his humanity, she told him the matter. He setoff in what was for him a quick pace in search of the rash invalid, wasmisdirected by a too confident child and had given up the hope offinding him, when a faint sound of distress just at hand drew him intoan alley, where, close down against a wall, with his face to the earth,lay Doctor Keene. The f.m.c. had just raised him and borne him out ofthe alley when Honore came up.
"And you say that, when you would have inquired for him at Frowenfeld's,you saw Palmyre there, standing and talking with Frowenfeld? Tell memore exactly."
And the other, with that grave and gentle economy of words which madehis speech so unique, recounted what we amplify:
Palmyre had needed no pleading to induce her to exonerate Joseph. Thedoctors were present at Frowenfeld's in more than usual number. Therewas unusualness, too, in their manner and their talk. They were notentirely free from the excitement of the day, and as they talked--withan air of superiority, of Creole inflammability, and with somecontempt--concerning Camille Brahmin's and Charlie Mandarin's efforts toprecipitate a war, they were yet visibly in a state of expectation.Frowenfeld, they softly said, had in his odd way been indiscreet amongthese inflammables at Maspero's just when he could least afford to beso, and there was no telling what they might take the notion to do tohim before bedtime. All that over and above the independent, unexplainedscandal of the early morning. So Joseph and his friends this evening,like Aurora and Clotilde in the morning, were, as we nowadays say ofbuyers and sellers, "apart," when suddenly and unannounced, Palmyrepresented herself among them. When the f.m.c. saw her, she had alreadyhanded Joseph his hat and with much sober grace was apologizing for herslave's mistake. All evidence of her being wounded was concealed. Theextraordinary excitement of the morning had not hurt her, and she seemedin perfect health. The doctors sat or stood around and gave raptattention to her patois, one or two translating it for Joseph, and heblushing to the hair, but standing erect and receiving it at second handwith silent bows. The f.m.c. had gazed on her for a moment, and thenforced himself away. He was among the few who had not heard the morningscandal, and he did not comprehend the evening scene. He now askedHonore concerning it, and quietly showed great relief when it wasexplained.
Then Honore, breaking a silence, called the attention of the f.m.c. tothe fact that the latter had two tenants at Number 19 rue Bienville.Honore became the narrator now and told all, finally stating that thedie was cast--restitution made.
And then the darker Honore made a proposition to the other, which, itis little to say, was startling. They discussed it for hours.
"So just a condition," said the merchant, raising his whisper so muchthat the rentier laid a hand in his elbow,--"such mere justice," hesaid, more softly, "ought to be an easy condition. God knows"--he liftedhis glance reverently--"my very right to exist comes after yours. Youare the elder."
The solemn man offered no disclaimer.
What could the proposition be which involved so grave an issue, and towhich M. Grandissime's final answer was "I will do it"?
It was that Honore f.m.c. should become a member of the mercantile houseof H. Grandissime, enlisting in its capital all his wealth. And the onecondition was that the new style should be _Grandissime Brothers_.