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The Regent's Daughter, a novel by Alexandre Dumas |
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Chapter 8. The Utility Of A Seal |
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_ CHAPTER VIII. THE UTILITY OF A SEAL Gaston had just supped; for at his age, whether a man be in despair or in love, nature asserts her rights. He was leaning on the table thoughtfully. The lamp threw a light over his face, and enabled Dubois to gratify his curiosity. He looked at him with an attention almost alarming: his quick eye darted--his lip curled with a smile, which gave one the idea of a demon smiling at the sight of one of those victims who seem to have vowed their own perdition. While looking, he murmured, "Young, handsome, black eyes, proud lips--he is a Breton, he is not corrupted, like the conspirators of Cellamare, by the soft glances of the ladies at court;--then the other spoke of carrying off, dethroning, but this one--_diable_, this one; and yet," continued he, after a pause, "I look in vain for traces of cunning on that open brow. I see no Machiavelism in the corners of that mouth, so full of loyalty and honor; yet no doubt all is arranged to surprise the regent on his visit to this Clisson demoiselle. Who will say again that Bretons have dull brains? "No," said Dubois, after another pause, "it cannot be so. It is impossible that this young man with his calm sad face should be ready in a quarter of an hour to kill a man, and that man the first prince of the blood. No, I cannot believe in such sang-froid; and yet the regent has kept this amourette secret even from me; he goes out to hunt at St. Germains, announces aloud that he shall sleep at the Palais Royal, then all at once gives counter orders, and drives to Rambouillet. At Rambouillet, the young girl waits, and is received by Madame Desroches; who can she be watching for, if not for the regent? and this young girl is the mistress of the chevalier--but is she?--Ah! we must learn. We must find out how far we can depend on Owen," and Dubois left his observatory and waited on the staircase--he was quite hidden in the shade, and he could see Gaston's door in the light. The door presently opened, and Owen appeared. He held a letter in his hands, and after hesitating a minute, he appeared to have taken his determination, and mounted the staircase. "Good," said Dubois, "he has tasted the forbidden fruit, and he is mine." Then, stopping Owen: "Give me the letter which you were bringing me, and wait here." "How did you know I had a letter?" asked Owen, bewildered. Dubois shrugged his shoulders, took the letter, and disappeared. In his room he examined the seal; the chevalier, who had no wax, had used that on the bottle, and had sealed it with the stone of a ring. Dubois held the letter above the candle, and the wax melted. He opened the letter and read:
He resealed the letter with one of the numerous rings which he wore, and which resembled that of the chevalier, and calling Owen-- "Here," said he, "is your master's letter; deliver it faithfully, bring me the answer, and you shall have ten louis." "Ah!" thought Owen, "has this man a mine of gold?" And he went off. Ten minutes after he returned with the reply. It was on scented and ornamented paper, sealed with the letter H. Dubois opened a box, took out a kind of paste in which he was about to take the impression of the seal, when he observed that from the manner in which it was folded, he could read it without opening. It was as follows:
Owen took them. At this moment ten o'clock struck, and the rolling of a carriage was heard. Dubois went to the window, and saw it stop at the hotel door. In the carriage was a gentleman whom Dubois at once recognized as Lafare, captain of his royal highness's guards. "Well," said he, "he is more prudent than I thought; but where is he? Ah!" This exclamation was uttered at the sight of a man dressed in the same red livery which he himself concealed under his cloak, and who followed the carriage mounted on a superb Spanish jenet, which, however, he could not have ridden long, for while the carriage horses were covered with foam, this one was quite fresh. Lafare at once demanded a room and supper; meanwhile the man dismounted, threw the reins to a page, and went toward the pavilion. "Well," said Dubois, "all this is as clear as a mountain stream; but how is it that the face of the chevalier does not appear? is he too much occupied with his chicken to have heard the carriage? Let us see. As to you, monseigneur," continued Dubois, "be assured; I will not disturb your tete-a-tete. Enjoy at your pleasure this commencement of ingenuity, which promises such happy results. Ah! monseigneur, it is certain that you are short-sighted." Dubois went down, and again took up his post at his observatory. As he approached it, Gaston rose, after putting his note in his pocket-book. "Ah," said Dubois, "I must have that pocket-book. I would pay high for it. He is going out, he buckles on his sword, he looks for his cloak; where is he going? Let us see: to wait for his royal highness's exit? No, no, that is not the face of a man who is going to kill another; I could sooner believe he was about to spend the evening under the windows of his sweetheart. "Ah, if he had that idea it would be a means--" It would be difficult to render the expression which passed over the face of Dubois at this moment. "Yes, but if I were to get a sword-thrust in the enterprise, how monseigneur would laugh; bah! there is no danger: our men are at their post, and besides, nothing venture, nothing gain." Encouraged by this reflection, Dubois made the circuit of the hotel, in order to appear at one end of the little lane as Gaston appeared at the other. As he had expected, at the end of the lane he found Tapin, who had placed L'Eveille in the courtyard; in two words he explained his project. Tapin pointed out to Dubois one man leaning on the step of an outer door, a second was playing a kind of Jew's harp, and seemed an itinerant musician, and there was another, too well hidden to be seen. Dubois, thus sure of support, returned into the lane. He soon perceived a figure at the other end, and at once recognized the chevalier, who was too thoughtful even to notice that he was passing any one. Dubois wanted a quarrel, and he saw that he must take the initiative. He turned and stopped before the chevalier, who was trying to discover which were the windows of the room in which Helene was. "My friend," said he roughly, "what are you doing at this hour before this house?" Gaston was obliged to bring back his thoughts to the materialism of life. "Did you speak to me, monsieur?" said he. "Yes," replied Dubois, "I asked what you were doing here." "Pass on," said the chevalier; "I do not interfere with you; do not interfere with me." "That might be," said Dubois, "if your presence did not annoy me." "This lane, narrow as it is, is wide enough for both, monsieur; walk on one side, and I will walk on the other." "I wish to walk alone," said Dubois, "therefore, I beg you will choose some other window; there are plenty at Rambouillet to choose from." "And why should I not look at these windows if I choose?" asked Chanlay. "Because they are those of my wife," replied Dubois.----"Of your wife!" "Yes; of my wife, who has just arrived from Paris, and of whom I am jealous, I warn you." "Diable," murmured Gaston; "he must be the husband of the person to whom Helene has been given in charge;" and in order to conciliate a person who might be useful to him-- "Monsieur," said he politely, "in that case I am willing to leave a place where I was walking without any object in view." "Oh," thought Dubois, "here is a polite conspirator; I must have a quarrel." Gaston was going away. "You are deceiving me, monsieur," said Dubois. The chevalier turned as though he had been bitten by a serpent; however, prudent for the sake of Helene, and for the mission he had undertaken, he restrained himself. "Is it," said he, "because I was polite that you disbelieve my word?" "You spoke politely because you were afraid; but it is none the less true that I saw you looking at that window." "Afraid--I afraid!" cried Chanlay, facing him; "did you say that I was afraid?" "I did," replied Dubois. "Do you, then, seek a quarrel?" "It appears so. I see you come from Quimper--Corentin." "Paques-Dieu!" said Gaston, drawing his sword, "draw!" "And you, off with your coat," said Dubois, throwing off his cloak, and preparing to do the same with his coat. "Why so?" asked the chevalier. "Because I do not know you, monsieur, and because those who walk at night frequently have their coat prudently lined with a shirt of mail." At these words the chevalier's cloak and coat were thrown aside; but, at the moment when Gaston was about to rush on his adversary, the four men appeared and seized him. "A duel, monsieur," cried they, "in spite of the king's prohibition!" and they dragged him toward the door. "An assassination," murmured Gaston, not daring to cry out, for fear of compromising Helene; "cowards!" "We are betrayed, monsieur," said Dubois, rolling up Gaston's cloak and coat, and putting them under his arm; "we shall meet again to-morrow, no doubt." And he ran toward the hotel, while they shut up Gaston in the lower room. Dubois ran up the staircase and into his room, where he opened the precious pocket-book. He found in one pocket a broken coin and a man's name. This coin was evidently a sign of recognition, and the name was probably that of the man to whom Gaston was addressed, and who was called Captain la Jonquiere. The paper was oddly folded. "La Jonquiere," said Dubois; "we have our eyes on _him_ already." He looked over the rest of the pocket-book--there was nothing. "It is little," said Dubois, "but it is enough." He folded a paper like the other, took the name, and rang the bell. Some one knocked; the door was fastened inside. "I forgot," said Dubois, opening it, and giving entrance to Monsieur Tapin. "What have you done with him?" "He is in the lower room, and watched." "Take back his cloak and coat to the place where he threw them; make your excuses, and set him free. Take care that everything is in his pockets, so that he may suspect nothing. Bring me my coat and cloak." Monsieur Tapin bowed low, and went to obey his orders. _ |
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