CHAPTER XXVIII
The abbe had been right in feeling he could trust the officers to whosecare he had confided Maurice.
Finding their entreaties would not induce him to leave the citadel, theyseized him and literally carried him away. He made the most desperateefforts to escape; each step was a struggle.
"Leave me!" he exclaimed; "let me go where duty calls me. You onlydishonor me in pretending to save me."
His agony was terrible. He had thrown himself headlong into this absurdundertaking, and now the responsibility of his acts had fallen uponhis father. He, the culprit, would live, and his innocent father wouldperish on the guillotine. It was to this his love for Marie-Anne had ledhim, that radiant love which in other days had smiled so joyously.
But our capacity for suffering has its limits.
When they had carried him to the room in the hotel where his mother andMarie-Anne were waiting in agonized surprise, that irresistible torporwhich follows suffering too intense for human endurance, crept over him.
"Nothing is decided yet," the officers answered in response to Mme.d'Escorval's questions. "The cure will hasten here as soon as theverdict is rendered."
Then, as they had promised not to lose sight of Maurice, they seatedthemselves in gloomy silence.
The house was silent. One might have supposed the hotel deserted. Atlast, a little before four o'clock, the abbe came in, followed by thelawyer to whom the baron had confided his last wishes.
"My husband!" exclaimed Mme. d'Escorval, springing wildly from herchair.
The priest bowed his head; she understood.
"Death!" she faltered. "They have condemned him!"
And overcome by the terrible blow, she sank back, inert, with hangingarms.
But the weakness did not last long; she again sprang up, her eyesbrilliant with heroic resolve.
"We must save him!" she exclaimed. "We must wrest him from the scaffold.Up, Maurice! up, Marie-Anne! No more weak lamentations, we must to work!You, also, gentlemen, will aid me. I can count upon your assistance,Monsieur le Cure. What are we going to do? I do not know! But somethingmust be done. The death of this just man would be too great a crime. Godwill not permit it."
She suddenly paused, with clasped hands, and eyes uplifted to heaven, asif seeking divine inspiration.
"And the King," she resumed; "will the King consent to such a crime? No.A king can refuse mercy, but he cannot refuse justice. I will go to him.I will tell him all! Why did not this thought come to me sooner? We muststart for Paris without losing an instant. Maurice, you will accompanyme. One of you gentlemen will go at once and order post-horses."
Thinking they would obey her, she hastened into the next room to makepreparations for her journey.
"Poor woman!" the lawyer whispered to the abbe, "she does not know thatthe sentence of a military commission is executed in twenty-four hours."
"Well?"
"It requires four days to make the journey to Paris."
He reflected a moment, then added:
"But, after all, to let her go would be an act of mercy. Did not Ney, onthe morning of his execution, implore the King to order the removal ofhis wife who was sobbing and moaning in his cell?"
The abbe shook his head.
"No," said he; "Madame d'Escorval will never forgive us if we preventher from receiving her husband's last farewell."
She, at that very moment, re-entered the room, and the priest was tryingto gather courage to tell her the cruel truth, when someone knockedviolently at the door.
One of the officers went to open it, and Bavois, the corporal ofgrenadiers, entered, his right hand lifted to his cap, as if he were inthe presence of his superior officer.
"Is Mademoiselle Lacheneur here?" he demanded.
Marie-Anne came forward.
"I am she, Monsieur," she replied; "what do you desire of me?"
"I am ordered, Mademoiselle, to conduct you to the citadel."
"Ah!" exclaimed Maurice, in a ferocious tone; "so they imprison womenalso!"
The worthy corporal struck himself a heavy blow upon the forehead.
"I am an old stupid!" he exclaimed, "and express myself badly. I meantto say that I came to seek mademoiselle at the request of one of thecondemned, a man named Chanlouineau, who desires to speak with her."
"Impossible, my good man," said one of the officers; "they wouldnot allow this lady to visit one of the condemned without specialpermission----"
"Well, she has this permission," said the old soldier.
Assuring himself, with a glance, that he had nothing to fear from anyonepresent, he added, in lower tones:
"This Chanlouineau told me that the cure would understand his reasons."
Had the brave peasant really found some means of salvation? The abbealmost began to believe it.
"You must go with this worthy man, Marie-Anne," said he.
The poor girl shuddered at the thought of seeing Chanlouineau again, butthe idea of refusing never once occurred to her.
"Let us go," she said, quietly.
But the corporal did not stir from his place, and winking, according tohis habit when he desired to attract the attention of his hearers:
"In one moment," he said. "This Chanlouineau, who seems to be a shrewdfellow, told me to tell you that all was going well. May I be hung if Ican see how! Still such is his opinion. He also told me to tell you notto stir from this place, and not to attempt anything until mademoisellereturns, which will be in less than an hour. He swears to you that hewill keep his promise; he only asks you to pledge your word that youwill obey him----"
"We will take no action until an hour has passed," said the abbe. "Ipromise that----"
"That is all. Salute company. And now, Mademoiselle, on thedouble-quick, march! The poor devil over there must be on coals offire."
That a condemned prisoner should be allowed to receive a visit fromthe daughter of the leader of the rebellion--of that Lacheneur who hadsucceeded in making his escape--was indeed surprising.
But Chanlouineau had been ingenious enough to discover a means ofprocuring this special permission.
With this aim in view, when sentence of death was passed upon him, hepretended to be overcome with terror, and to weep piteously.
The soldiers could scarcely believe their eyes when they saw this robustyoung fellow, who had been so insolent and defiant a few hours before,so overcome that they were obliged to carry him to his cell.
There, his lamentations were redoubled; and he begged the guard to goto the Duc de Sairmeuse, or the Marquis de Courtornieu, and tell them hehad revelations of the greatest importance to make.
That potent word "revelations" made M. de Courtornieu hasten to theprisoner's cell.
He found Chanlouineau on his knees, his features distorted by what wasapparently an agony of fear. The man dragged himself toward him, tookhis hands and kissed them, imploring mercy and forgiveness, swearingthat to preserve his life he was ready to do anything, yes, anything,even to deliver up M. Lacheneur.
To capture Lacheneur! Such a prospect had powerful attractions for theMarquis de Courtornieu.
"Do you know, then, where this brigand is concealed?" he inquired.
Chanlouineau admitted that he did not know, but declared thatMarie-Anne, Lacheneur's daughter, knew her father's hiding-place. Shehad, he declared, perfect confidence in him; and if they would only sendfor her, and allow him ten minutes' private conversation with her,he was sure he could obtain the secret of her father's place ofconcealment. So the bargain was quickly concluded.
The prisoner's life was promised, him in exchange for the life ofLacheneur.
A soldier, who chanced to be Corporal Bavois, was sent to summonMarie-Anne.
And Chanlouineau waited in terrible anxiety. No one had told him whathad taken place at Escorval, but he divined it by the aid of thatstrange prescience which so often illuminates the mind when death isnear at hand.
He was almost certain that Mme. d'Escorval was in Monta
ignac; he wasequally certain that Marie-Anne was with her; and if she were, he knewthat she would come.
And he waited, counting the seconds by the throbbings of his heart.
He waited, understanding the cause of every sound without,distinguishing with the marvellous acuteness of senses excited to thehighest pitch by passion, sounds which would have been inaudible toanother person.
At last, at the end of the corridor, he heard the rustling of a dressagainst the wall.
"It is she," he murmured.
Footsteps approached; the heavy bolts were drawn back, the door opened,and Marie-Anne entered, accompanied by Corporal Bavois.
"Monsieur de Courtornieu promised me that we should be left alone!"exclaimed Chanlouineau.
"Therefore, I go at once," replied the old soldier. "But I have ordersto return for mademoiselle in half an hour."
When the door closed behind the worthy corporal, Chanlouineau tookMarie-Anne's hand and drew her to the tiny grafted window.
"Thank you for coming," said he, "thank you. I can see you and speak toyou once more. Now that my hours are numbered, I may reveal the secretof my soul and of my life. Now, I can venture to tell you how ardently Ihave loved you--how much I still love you."
Involuntarily Marie-Anne drew away her hand and stepped back.
This outburst of passion, at such a moment, seemed at once unspeakablysad and frightful.
"Have I, then, offended you?" said Chanlouineau, sadly. "Forgive one whois about to die! You cannot refuse to listen to the voice of one, whoafter tomorrow, will have vanished from earth forever.
"I have loved you for a long time, Marie-Anne, for more than six years.Before I saw you, I loved only my possessions. To raise fine crops, andto amass a fortune, seemed to me, then, the greatest possible happinesshere below.
"Why did I meet you? But at that time you were so high, and I, so low,that never in my wildest dreams did I aspire to you. I went to churcheach Sunday only that I might worship you as peasant women worship theBlessed Virgin; I went home with my eyes and my heart full of you--andthat was all.
"Then came the misfortune that brought us nearer to each other; and yourfather made me as insane, yes, as insane as himself.
"After the insults he received from the Sairmeuse, your father resolvedto revenge himself upon these arrogant nobles, and he selected me forhis accomplice. He had read my heart. On leaving the house of Barond'Escorval, on that Sunday evening, which you must remember, the compactthat bound me to your father was made.
"'You love my daughter, my boy,' said he. 'Very well, aid me, and Ipromise you, in case we succeed, she shall be your wife. Only,' headded, 'I must warn you that you hazard your life.'
"But what was life in comparison with the hope that dazzled me! Fromthat night I gave body, soul, and fortune to the cause. Others wereinfluenced by hatred, or by ambition; but I was actuated by neither ofthese motives.
"What did the quarrels of the great matter to me--a simple laborer? Iknew that the greatest were powerless to give my crops a drop of rain inseason of drought, or a ray of sunshine during the rain.
"I took part in this conspiracy because I loved you----"
"Ah! you are cruel!" exclaimed Marie-Anne, "you are pitiless!"
It seemed to the poor girl that he was reproaching her for the horriblefate which Lacheneur had brought upon him, and for the terrible partwhich her father had imposed upon her, and which she had not been strongenough to refuse to perform.
But Chanlouineau scarcely heard Marie-Anne's exclamation. All thebitterness of the past had mounted to his brain like fumes of alcohol.He was scarcely conscious of his own words.
"But the day soon came," he continued, "when my foolish illusions weredestroyed. You could not be mine since you belonged to another. I mighthave broken my compact! I thought of doing so, but had not the courage.To see you, to hear your voice, to dwell beneath the same roof with you,was happiness. I longed to see you happy and honored; I fought for thetriumph of another, for him whom you had chosen----"
A sob that had risen in his throat choked his utterance; he buriedhis face in his hands to hide his tears, and, for a moment, seemedcompletely overcome.
But he mastered his weakness after a little and in a firm voice, hesaid:
"We must not linger over the past. Time flies and the future isominous."
As he spoke, he went to the door and applied first his eye, then his earto the opening, to see that there were no spies without.
No one was in the corridor; he could not hear a sound.
He came back to Marie-Anne's side, and tearing the sleeve of his jacketopen with his teeth, he drew from it two letters, wrapped carefully in apiece of cloth.
"Here," he said, in a low voice, "is a man's life!"
Marie-Anne knew nothing of Chanlouineau's promises and hopes, andbewildered by her distress, she did not at first understand.
"This," she exclaimed, "is a man's life!"
"Hush, speak lower!" interrupted Chanlouineau. "Yes, one of theseletters might perhaps save the life of one who has been condemned todeath."
"Unfortunate man! Why do you not make use of it and save yourself?"
The young man sadly shook his head.
"Is it possible that you could ever love me?" he said, simply. "No, itis not. I have, therefore, no desire to live. Rest beneath the sod ispreferable to the misery I am forced to endure. Moreover I was justlycondemned. I knew what I was doing when I left the Reche with my gunupon my shoulder, and my sword by my side; I have no right to complain.But those cruel judges have condemned an innocent man----"
"Baron d'Escorval?"
"Yes--the father of--Maurice!"
His voice changed in uttering the name of this man, for whose happinesshe would have given ten lives had they been his to give.
"I wish to save him," he added, "I can do it."
"Oh! if what you said were true? But you undoubtedly deceive yourself."
"I know what I am saying."
Fearing that some spy outside would overhear him, he came close toMarie-Anne and said, rapidly, and in a low voice:
"I never believed in the success of this conspiracy. When I sought for aweapon of defence in case of failure, the Marquis de Sairmeuse furnishedit. When it became necessary to send a circular warning our accomplicesof the date decided upon for the uprising, I persuaded Monsieur Martialto write a model. He suspected nothing. I told him it was for a wedding;he did what I asked. This letter, which is now in my possession, isthe rough draft of the circular; and it was written by the hand of theMarquis de Sairmeuse. It is impossible for him to deny it. There is anerasure on each line. Everyone would regard it as the handiwork of a manwho was seeking to convey his real meaning in ambiguous phrases."
Chanlouineau opened the envelope and showed her the famous letter whichhe had dictated, and in which the space for the date of the insurrectionwas left blank.
"My dear friend, we are at last agreed, and the marriage is decided,etc."
The light that had sparkled in Marie-Anne's eye was suddenlyextinguished.
"And you believe that this letter can be of any service?" she inquired,in evident discouragement.
"I do not believe it!"
"But----"
With a gesture, he interrupted her.
"We must not lose time in discussion--listen to me. Of itself, thisletter might be unimportant, but I have arranged matters in such a waythat it will produce a powerful effect. I declared before the commissionthat the Marquis de Sairmeuse was one of the leaders of the movement.They laughed; and I read incredulity on the faces of the judges. Butcalumny is never without its effect. When the Duc de Sairmeuse is aboutto receive a reward for his services, there will be enemies in plentyto remember and to repeat my words. He knew this so well that he wasgreatly agitated, even while his colleagues sneered at my accusation."
"To accuse a man falsely is a great crime," murmured the honestMarie-Anne.
"Yes, but I wish to save my friend, and I cannot choose m
y means. Iwas all the more sure of success as I knew that the marquis had beenwounded. I declared that he was fighting against the troops by my side;I demanded that he should be summoned before the tribunal; I told themthat I had in my possession unquestionable proofs of his complicity."
"Did you say that the Marquis de Sairmeuse had been wounded?" inquiredMarie-Anne.
Chanlouineau's face betrayed the most intense astonishment.
"What!" he exclaimed, "you do not know----"
Then after an instant's reflection:
"Fool that I am!" he resumed. "Who could have told you what hadhappened? You remember that when we were travelling over the Sairmeuseroad on our way to the Croix d'Arcy, and after your father had leftus to ride on in advance, Maurice placed himself at the head of onedivision, and you walked beside him, while your brother Jean and myselfstayed behind to urge on the laggards. We were performing our dutyconscientiously when suddenly we heard the gallop of a horse behind us.'We must know who is coming,' Jean said to me.
"We paused. The horse soon reached us; we caught the bridle and heldhim. Can you guess who the rider was? Martial de Sairmeuse.
"To describe your brother's fury on recognizing the marquis would beimpossible.
"'At last I find you, wretched noble!' he exclaimed, 'and now we willsettle our account! After reducing my father, who has just given you afortune, to despair and penury, you have tried to degrade my sister. Iwill have my revenge! Down, we must fight!'"
Marie-Anne could scarcely tell whether she was awake or dreaming.
"My brother," she murmured, "has challenged the marquis! Is itpossible?"
"Brave as Monsieur Martial is," pursued Chanlouineau, "he did not seeminclined to accept the invitation. He stammered out something like this:'You are mad--you are jesting--have we not always been friends? Whatdoes this mean?'
"Jean ground his teeth in rage. 'This means that we have endured yourinsulting familiarity long enough,' he replied, 'and if you do notdismount and meet me in open combat, I will blow your brains out!'
"Your brother, as he spoke, manipulated his pistol in so threatening amanner that the marquis dismounted, and addressing me:
"'You see, Chanlouineau,' he said, 'I must fight a duel or submit toassassination. If Jean kills me there is no more to be said--but if Ikill him, what is to be done?'
"I told him he would be free to depart on condition he would give me hisword not to return to Montaignac before two o'clock.
"'Then I accept the challenge,' said he; 'give me a weapon.'
"I gave him my sword, your brother drew his, and they took their placesin the middle of the highway."
The young farmer paused to take breath, then said, more slowly:
"Marie-Anne, your father and I have misjudged your brother. Poor Jean'sappearance is terribly against him. His face indicates a treacherous,cowardly nature, his smile is cunning, and his eyes always shun yours.We have distrusted him, but we should ask his pardon. A man who fightsas I saw him fight, is deserving of confidence. For this combat inthe public road, and in the darkness of the night, was terrible. Theyattacked each other silently but furiously. At last Jean fell."
"Ah! my brother is dead!" exclaimed Marie-Anne.
"No," responded Chanlouineau; "at least we have reason to hope not; andI know he has not lacked any attention. This duel had another witness,a man named Poignot, whom you must remember; he was one of your father'stenants. He took Jean, promising me that he would conceal him and carefor him.
"As for the marquis, he showed me that he too was wounded, and then heremounted his horse, saying:
"'What could I do? He would have it so.'"
Marie-Anne understood now.
"Give me the letter," she said to Chanlouineau, "I will go to the duke.I will find some way to reach him, and then God will tell me what courseto pursue."
The noble peasant handed the girl the tiny scrap of paper which mighthave been his own salvation.
"On no account," said he, "must you allow the duke to suppose that youhave upon your person the proof with which you threaten him. Who knowsof what he might be capable under such circumstances? He will say, atfirst, that he can do nothing--that he sees no way to save the baron.You will tell him that he must find a means, if he does not wish thisletter sent to Paris, to one of his enemies----"
He paused; he heard the grating of the bolt. Corporal Bavois reappeared.
"The half hour expired ten minutes ago," he said, sadly. "I have myorders."
"Coming," said Chanlouineau; "all is ended!"
And handing Marie-Anne the second letter:
"This is for you," he added. "You will read it when I am no more. Pray,pray, do not weep thus! Be brave! You will soon be the wife of Maurice.And when you are happy, think sometimes of the poor peasant who lovedyou so much."
Marie-Anne could not utter a word, but she lifted her face to his.
"Ah! I dared not ask it!" he exclaimed.
And for the first time he clasped her in his arms and pressed his lipsto her pallid cheek.
"Now adieu," he said once more. "Do not lose a moment. Adieu!"