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"By 'him,' Sire. She knew him, no doubt. He must have been afraid of what she might tell."
The doctor arrived. The Emperor pointed to the girl. Then, addressing Waldemar:
"All your men to turn out.. Make them go through the houses.. telegraph to the stations on the frontier.."
He went up to Lupin:
"How long do you want to recover the letters?"
"A month, Sire.. two months at most."
"Very well. Waldemar will wait for you here. He shall have my orders and full powers to grant you anything you wish."
"What I should like, Sire, is my freedom."
"You are free."
Lupin watched him walk away and said, between his teeth:
"My freedom first… And afterward, when I have given you back the letters, O Majesty, one little shake of the hand! Then we shall be quits!."
CHAPTER XIII
THE SEVEN SCOUNDRELS
"Will you see this gentleman, ma'am?"
Dolores Kesselbach took the card from the footman and read:
"André Beauny… No," she said, "I don't know him."
"The gentleman seems very anxious to see you, ma'am. He says that you are expecting him."
"Oh.. possibly… Yes, bring him here."
Since the events which had upset her life and pursued her with relentless animosity, Dolores, after staying at the Hôtel Bristol had taken up her abode in a quiet house in the Rue des Vignes, down at Passy. A pretty garden lay at the back of the house and was surrounded by other leafy gardens. On days when attacks more painful than usual did not keep her from morning till night behind the closed shutters of her bedroom, she made her servants carry her under the trees, where she lay stretched at full length, a victim to melancholy, incapable of fighting against her hard fate.
Footsteps sounded on the gravel-path and the footman returned, followed by a young man, smart in appearance and very simply dressed, in the rather out-of-date fashion adopted by some of our painters, with a turn-down collar and a flowing necktie of white spots on a blue ground.
The footman withdrew.
"Your name is André Beauny, I believe?" said Dolores.
"Yes, madame."
"I have not the honor."
"I beg your pardon, madame. Knowing that I was a friend of Mme. Ernemont, Geneviève's grandmother, you wrote to her, at Garches, saying that you wished to speak to me. I have come."
Dolores rose in her seat, very excitedly:
"Oh, you are."
"Yes."
She stammered:
"Really?.. Is it you?.. I do not recognize you."
"You don't recognize Prince Paul Sernine?"
"No.. everything is different.. the forehead.. the eyes… And that is not how the."
"How the newspapers represented the prisoner at the Santé?" he said, with a smile. "And yet it is I, really."
A long silence followed, during which they remained embarrassed and ill at ease.
At last, he asked:
"May I know the reason.. ?"
"Did not Geneviève tell you?."
"I have not seen her.. but her grandmother seemed to think that you required my services."
"That's right.. that's right.."
"And in what way..? I am so pleased."
She hesitated a second and then whispered:
"I am afraid."
"Afraid?" he cried.
"Yes," she said, speaking in a low voice, "I am afraid, afraid of everything, afraid of to-day and of to-morrow.. and of the day after.. afraid of life. I have suffered so much… I can bear no more."
He looked at her with great pity in his eyes. The vague feeling that had always drawn him to this woman took a more precise character now that she was asking for his protection. He felt an eager need to devote himself to her, wholly, without hope of reward.
She continued:
"I am alone now, quite alone, with servants whom I have picked up on chance, and I am afraid… I feel that people are moving about me."
"But with what object?"
"I do not know. But the enemy is hovering around and coming closer."
"Have you seen him? Have you noticed anything?"
The doctor arrived. The Emperor pointed to the girl. Then, addressing Waldemar:
"All your men to turn out.. Make them go through the houses.. telegraph to the stations on the frontier.."
He went up to Lupin:
"How long do you want to recover the letters?"
"A month, Sire.. two months at most."
"Very well. Waldemar will wait for you here. He shall have my orders and full powers to grant you anything you wish."
"What I should like, Sire, is my freedom."
"You are free."
Lupin watched him walk away and said, between his teeth:
"My freedom first… And afterward, when I have given you back the letters, O Majesty, one little shake of the hand! Then we shall be quits!."
CHAPTER XIII
THE SEVEN SCOUNDRELS
"Will you see this gentleman, ma'am?"
Dolores Kesselbach took the card from the footman and read:
"André Beauny… No," she said, "I don't know him."
"The gentleman seems very anxious to see you, ma'am. He says that you are expecting him."
"Oh.. possibly… Yes, bring him here."
Since the events which had upset her life and pursued her with relentless animosity, Dolores, after staying at the Hôtel Bristol had taken up her abode in a quiet house in the Rue des Vignes, down at Passy. A pretty garden lay at the back of the house and was surrounded by other leafy gardens. On days when attacks more painful than usual did not keep her from morning till night behind the closed shutters of her bedroom, she made her servants carry her under the trees, where she lay stretched at full length, a victim to melancholy, incapable of fighting against her hard fate.
Footsteps sounded on the gravel-path and the footman returned, followed by a young man, smart in appearance and very simply dressed, in the rather out-of-date fashion adopted by some of our painters, with a turn-down collar and a flowing necktie of white spots on a blue ground.
The footman withdrew.
"Your name is André Beauny, I believe?" said Dolores.
"Yes, madame."
"I have not the honor."
"I beg your pardon, madame. Knowing that I was a friend of Mme. Ernemont, Geneviève's grandmother, you wrote to her, at Garches, saying that you wished to speak to me. I have come."
Dolores rose in her seat, very excitedly:
"Oh, you are."
"Yes."
She stammered:
"Really?.. Is it you?.. I do not recognize you."
"You don't recognize Prince Paul Sernine?"
"No.. everything is different.. the forehead.. the eyes… And that is not how the."
"How the newspapers represented the prisoner at the Santé?" he said, with a smile. "And yet it is I, really."
A long silence followed, during which they remained embarrassed and ill at ease.
At last, he asked:
"May I know the reason.. ?"
"Did not Geneviève tell you?."
"I have not seen her.. but her grandmother seemed to think that you required my services."
"That's right.. that's right.."
"And in what way..? I am so pleased."
She hesitated a second and then whispered:
"I am afraid."
"Afraid?" he cried.
"Yes," she said, speaking in a low voice, "I am afraid, afraid of everything, afraid of to-day and of to-morrow.. and of the day after.. afraid of life. I have suffered so much… I can bear no more."
He looked at her with great pity in his eyes. The vague feeling that had always drawn him to this woman took a more precise character now that she was asking for his protection. He felt an eager need to devote himself to her, wholly, without hope of reward.
She continued:
"I am alone now, quite alone, with servants whom I have picked up on chance, and I am afraid… I feel that people are moving about me."
"But with what object?"
"I do not know. But the enemy is hovering around and coming closer."
"Have you seen him? Have you noticed anything?"
Другие электронные книги автора Maurice Leblanc
Последний отзыв
Книга дельная. Без воды, приводятся реальные кейсы и способы их разрешения. Много практичных полезных советов и методик. Кое-что уже испробовала в дел...
Далее