CHAPTER VII. CAPTAIN FRACASSE
The comedians pushed forward at first as rapidly as the strength oftheir horse--resuscitated by a night's rest in a comfortable stable, anda generous feed of oats--would allow; it being important to put a gooddistance between themselves and the infuriated peasants who had beenrepulsed by de Sigognac and the tyrant. They plodded on for more thantwo leagues in profound silence, for poor Matamore's sad fate weighedheavily upon their hearts, and each one thought, with a shudder, thatthe day might come when he too would die, and be buried secretly and inhaste, in some lonely and neglected spot by the roadside, wherever theychanced to be, and there abandoned by his comrades.
At last Blazius, whose tongue was scarcely ever at rest, save when heslept, could restrain it no longer, and began to expatiate upon themournful theme of which all were thinking, embellishing his discoursewith many apt quotations, apothegms and maxims, of which in his role ofpedant he had an ample store laid up in his memory. The tyrant listenedin silence, but with such a scowling, preoccupied air that Blaziusfinally observed it, and broke off his eloquent disquisition abruptly toinquire what he was cogitating so intently.
"I am thinking about Milo, the celebrated Crotonian," he replied, "whokilled a bullock with one blow of his fist, and devoured it in a singleday. I always have admired that exploit particularly, and I feel as if Icould do as much myself to-day."
"But as bad luck will have it," said Scapin, putting in his oar, "thebullock is wanting."
"Yes," rejoined the tyrant, "I, alas! have only the fist and thestomach. Oh! thrice happy the ostrich, that, at a pinch, makes a mealof pebbles, bits of broken glass, shoe-buttons, knife-handles,belt-buckles, or any such-like delicacies that come in its way, whichthe poor, weak, human stomach cannot digest at all. At this momentI feel capable of swallowing whole that great mass of scenery anddecorations in the chariot yonder. I feel as if I had as big a chasm inme as the grave I dug this morning for poor Matamore, and as if I nevercould get enough to fill it. The ancients were wise old fellows; theyknew what they were about when they instituted the feasts that alwaysfollowed their funerals, with abundance of meats and all sorts of goodthings to eat, washed down with copious draughts of wine, to the honourof the dead and the great good of the living. Ah! if we only had thewherewithal now to follow their illustrious example, and accomplishworthily that philosophical rite, so admirably calculated to stay thetears of mourners and raise their drooping spirits."
"In other words," said Blazius, "you are hankering after something toeat. Polyphemus, ogre, Gargantua, monster that you are! you disgust me."
"And you," retorted the tyrant, "I know that you are hankering aftersomething to drink. Silenus, hogshead, wine-bottle, sponge that you are!you excite my pity."
"How delightful it would be for us all if you both could have yourwish," interposed Scapin, in a conciliatory tone.
"Look, yonder by the roadside is a little grove, capitally situated fora halting-place. We might stop there for a little, ransack the chariotto find whatever fragments may yet remain in it of our last stock ofprovisions, and gathering them all up take our breakfast, such as it maybe, comfortably sheltered from this cold north wind on the lee side ofthe thicket there. The short halt will give the poor old horse a chanceto rest, and we meantime, while we are breakfasting, can discuss at ourleisure some expedients for supplying our immediate needs, and also talkover our future plans and prospects--which latter, it seems to me, lookdevilishly dark and discouraging."
"Your words are golden, friend Scapin," the pedant said, "let us by allmeans gather up the crumbs that are left of former plenty, though theywill be but few and musty, I fear. There are still, however, two orthree bottles of wine remaining--the last of a goodly store--enough forus each to have a glass. What a pity that the soil hereabouts is not ofthat peculiar kind of clay upon which certain tribes of American savagesare said to subsist, when they have been unlucky in their hunting andfishing, and have nothing better to eat."
They accordingly turned the chariot off from the road into the edgeof the thicket, unharnessed the horse, and left him free to forage forhimself; whereupon he began to nibble, with great apparent relish, atthe scattered spears of grass peeping up here and there through thesnow. A large rug was brought from the chariot and spread upon theground in a sheltered spot, upon which the comedians seated themselves,in Turkish fashion, in a circle, while Blazius distributed among themthe sorry rations he had managed to scrape together; laughing andjesting about them in such an amusing manner that all were fain tojoin in his merriment, and general good humour prevailed. The Baronde Sigognac, who had long, indeed always, been accustomed to extremefrugality, in fact almost starvation, and found it easier to bear suchtrials with equanimity than his companions, could not help admiring thewonderful way in which the pedant made the best of a really desperatesituation, and found something to laugh at and make merry over wheremost people would have grumbled and groaned, and bewailed their hardlot, in a manner to make themselves, and all their companions in misery,doubly unhappy. But his attention was quickly absorbed in his anxietyabout Isabelle, who was deathly pale, and shivering until her teethchattered, though she did her utmost to conceal her suffering condition,and to laugh with the rest. Her wraps were sadly insufficient to protecther properly from such extreme cold as they were exposed to then, andde Sigognac, who was sitting beside her, insisted upon sharing his cloakwith her--though she protested against his depriving himself of somuch of it--and beneath its friendly shelter gently drew her slender,shrinking form close to himself, so as to impart some of his own vitalwarmth to her. She could feel the quickened beating of his heart as heheld her respectfully, yet firmly and tenderly, embraced, and he wassoon rewarded for his loving care by seeing the colour return to herpale lips, the happy light to her sweet eyes, and even a faint flushappear on her delicate cheeks.
While they were eating--or rather making believe to eat theirmake-believe breakfast--a singular noise was heard near by, to whichat first they paid no particular attention, thinking it was the windwhistling through the matted branches of the thicket, if they thought ofit at all; but presently it grew louder, and they could not imagine whatit proceeded from. It was a sort of hissing sound, at once shrill andhoarse, quite impossible to describe accurately.
As it grew louder and louder, and seemed to be approaching them, thewomen manifested some alarm.
"Oh!" shrieked Serafina "I hope it's not a snake; I shall die if it is;I am so terrified by the horrid, crawling creatures."
"But it can't possibly be a snake," said Leander, reassuringly; "in suchcold weather as this the snakes are all torpid and lying in their holesunderground, stiffer than so many sticks."
"Leander is right," added the pedant, "this cannot be a snake; andbesides, snakes never make such a sound as that at any time. It mustproceed from some wild creature of the wood that our invasion hasdisturbed; perhaps we may be lucky enough to capture it and find itedible; that would be a piece of good fortune, indeed, quite like afairy-tale."
Meantime Scapin was listening attentively to the strange,incomprehensible sound, and watching keenly that part of the thicketfrom which it seemed to come. Presently a movement of the underbrushbecame noticeable, and just as he motioned to the company to keepperfectly quiet a magnificent big gander emerged from the bushes,stretching out his long neck, hissing with all his might, and waddlingalong with a sort of stupid majesty that was most diverting--closelyfollowed by two geese, his good, simple-minded, confiding wives, inhumble attendance upon their infuriated lord and master.
"Don't stir, any of you," said Scapin, under his breath, and I willendeavour to capture this splendid prize"--with which the clever scampcrept softly round behind his companions, who were still seated in acircle on the rug, so lightly that he made not the slightest sound; andwhile the gander--who with his two followers had stopped short at sightof the intruders--was intently examining them, with some curiositymingled with his angry defiance, and apparently wondering in his
stupidway how these mysterious figures came to be in that usually desertedspot, Scapin succeeded, by making a wide detour, in getting behind thethree geese unseen, and noiselessly advancing upon them, with one rapid,dexterous movement, threw his large heavy cloak over the coveted prize.In another instant he had the struggling gander, still enveloped in thecloak, in his arms, and, by compressing his neck tightly, quickly put anend to his resistance--and his existence at the same time; while his twowives, or rather widows, rushed back into the thick underbrush toavoid a like fate, making a great cackling and ado over the terriblecatastrophe that had befallen their quondam lord and master.
"Bravo, Scapin! that was a clever trick indeed," cried Herode; "itthrows those you are so often applauded for on the stage quite into theshade--a masterpiece of strategy, friend Scapin!--for, as is well known,geese are by nature very vigilant, and never caught off their guard--ofwhich history gives us a notable instance, in the watchfulness of thesacred geese of the Capitol, whose loud cackling in the dead of night atthe stealthy approach of the Gauls woke the sleeping soldiers to a senseof their danger just in time to save Rome. This splendid big fellow heresaves us--after another fashion it is true, but one which is no lessprovidential."
The goose was plucked and prepared for the spit by Mme. Leonarde, whileBlazius, the tyrant, and Leander busied themselves in gathering togethera goodly quantity of dead wood and twigs, and laying them ready tolight in a tolerably dry spot. Scapin, with his large clasp-knife, cut astraight, strong stick, stripped off the bark for a spit, and found twostout forked branches, which he stuck firmly into the ground on eachside of the fire so that they would meet over it. A handful of drystraw from the chariot served as kindling, and they quickly had a brightblaze, over which the goose was suspended, and being duly turned andtended by Scapin, in a surprisingly short space of time began to assumea beautiful light brown hue, and send out such a savoury delicious odourthat the tyrant sprang up and strode away from its immediate vicinity,declaring that if he remained near it the temptation to seize andswallow it, spit and all, would surely be too strong for him. Blaziushad fetched from the chariot a huge tin platter that usually figuredin theatrical feasts, upon which the goose, done to a turn, was finallyplaced with all due ceremony, and a second breakfast was partaken of,which was by no means a fallacious, chimerical repast like the first.The pedant, who was an accomplished carver, officiated in that capacityon this auspicious occasion; begging the company, as he did so, tobe kind enough to excuse the unavoidable absence, which he deeplyregretted, of the slices of Seville oranges that should have formed apart of the dish--being an obligatory accessory of roast goose--and theywith charming courtesy smilingly expressed their willingness to overlookfor this once such a culinary solecism.
"Now," said Herode, when nothing remained of the goose but itswell-picked bones, "we must try to decide upon what is best to be done.Only three or four pistoles are left in the exchequer, and my office astreasurer bids fair to become a sinecure. We have been so unfortunate asto lose two valuable members of the troupe, Zerbine and poor Matamore,rendering many of our best plays impossible for us, and at any rate wecannot give dramatic representations that would bring in much money herein the fields, where our audience would be mainly composed of crows,jackdaws, and magpies--who could scarcely be expected to pay us veryliberally for our entertainment. With that poor, miserable, old horsethere, slowly dying between the shafts of our chariot, hardly ableto drag one foot after another, we cannot reasonably expect to reachPoitiers in less than two days--if we do then--and our situation is anunpleasantly tragic one, for we run the risk of being frozen or starvedto death by the wayside; fat geese, already roasted, do not emerge fromevery thicket you know."
"You state the case very clearly," the pedant said as he paused, "andmake the evil very apparent, but you don't say a word about the remedy."
"My idea is," rejoined Herode, "to stop at the first village we cometo and give an entertainment. All work in the fields is at a standstillnow, and the peasants are idle in consequence; they will be only toodelighted at the prospect of a little amusement. Somebody will letus have his barn for our theatre, and Scapin shall go round the townbeating the drum, and announcing our programme, adding this importantclause, that all those who cannot pay for their places in money may doso in provisions. A fowl, a ham, or a jug of wine, will secure a seat inthe first row; a pair of pigeons, a dozen eggs, or a loaf of bread, inthe second, and so on down. Peasants are proverbially stingy with theirmoney, but will be liberal enough with their provisions; and thoughour purse will not be replenished, our larder will, which is equallyimportant, since our very lives depend upon it. After that we can pushon to Poitiers, and I know an inn-keeper there who will give us credituntil we have had time to fill our purse again, and get our finances ingood order."
"But what piece can we play, in case we find our village?" asked Scapin."Our repertoire is sadly reduced, you know. Tragedies, and even thebetter class of comedies, would be all Greek to the stupid rustics,utterly ignorant as they are of history or fable, and scarcely evenunderstanding the French language. The only thing to give them would bea roaring farce, with plenty of funny by-play, resounding blows, kicksand cuffs, ridiculous tumbles, and absurdities within their limitedcomprehension. The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore would be the verything; but that is out of our power now that poor Matamore is dead."
When Scapin paused, de Sigognac made a sign with his hand that he wishedto speak, and all the company turned respectfully towards him to listento what he had to say. A little flush spread itself over his palecountenance, and it was only after a brief but sharp struggle withhimself that he opened his tightly compressed lips, and addressedhis expectant audience, as follows: "Although I do not possess poorMatamore's talent, I can almost rival him in thinness, and I will takehis role, and do the best I can with it. I am your comrade, and I wantto do my part in this strait we find ourselves in. I should be ashamedto share your prosperity, as I have done, and not aid you, so far aslies in my power, in your adversity, and this is the only way in whichI can assist you. There is no one in the whole world to care what maybecome of the de Sigognacs; my house is crumbling into dust over thetombs of my ancestors; oblivion covers my once glorious name, and thearms of my family are almost entirely obliterated above the desertedentrance to the Chateau de Sigognac. Perhaps I may yet see thethree golden storks shine out brilliantly upon my shield, and life,prosperity, and happiness return to the desolate abode where my sad,hopeless youth was spent. But in the meantime, since to you I owe myescape from that dreary seclusion, I beg you to accept me freely asyour comrade, and my poor services as such; to you I am no longer deSigognac."
Isabelle had laid her hand on his arm at his first sentence, as soon asshe comprehended what he meant to say, to try to stop him, and here shemade another effort to interrupt; but for once he would not heed her,and continued, "I renounce my title of baron for the present; I fold itup and put it away at the bottom of my portmanteau, like a garment thatis laid aside. Do not make use of it again, I pray you; we will seewhether under a new name I may not succeed in escaping from theill fortune that has thus far pursued me as the Baron de Sigognac.Henceforth then I take poor Matamore's place, and my name is CaptainFracasse."
"Bravo! Vive Captain Fracasse!" cried they all, with enthusiasm, "mayapplause greet and follow him wherever he goes."
This sudden move on de Sigognac's part, at which the comedians weregreatly astonished, as well as deeply touched, was not so unpremeditatedas it seemed; he had been thinking about it for some time. He blushedat the idea of being a mere parasite, living upon the bounty of thesehonest players--who shared all they had with him so generously, andwithout ever making him feel, for a moment, that he was under anyobligation to them, but--rather that he was conferring an honour uponthem--he deemed it less unworthy a gentleman to appear upon the stageand do his part towards filling the common purse than to be theirpensioner in idleness; and after all, there was no disgrace in becomingan actor. The i
dea of quitting them and going back to Sigognac hadindeed presented itself to his mind, but he had instantly repulsed it asbase and cowardly--it is not in the hour of danger and disaster thatthe true soldier retires from the ranks. Besides, if he had wished togo ever so much, his love for Isabelle would have kept him near her;and then, though he was not given to day-dreams, he yet fancied thatwonderful adventures, sudden changes, and strokes of good fortune mightpossibly be awaiting him in the mysterious future, into which he fainwould peer, and he would inevitably lose the chance of them all if hereturned to his ruinous chateau.
Everything being thus satisfactorily arranged, the old horse washarnessed up again, and the chariot moved slowly forward on its way.Their good meal had revived everybody's drooping spirits, and theyall, excepting the duenna and Serafina, who never walked if they couldpossibly help it, trudged cheerily along, laughing and talking as theywent.
Isabelle had taken de Sigognac's offered arm, and leaned on it proudly,glancing furtively up into his face, whenever he was looking awayfrom her, with eyes full of tenderness and loving admiration, neversuspecting, in her modesty, that it was for love of her that he haddecided to turn actor--a thing so revolting, as she knew, to his prideas a gentleman. He was a hero in her eyes, and though she wished toreproach him for his hasty action, which she would have prevented ifshe could, she had not the heart to find fault with him for hisnoble devotion to the common cause after all. Yet she would havedone anything, suffered everything herself, to have saved him thishumiliation; hers being one of those true, loyal hearts that forgetthemselves in their love, and think only of the interests and happinessof the being beloved. She walked on beside him until her strength wasexhausted, and then returned to her place in the chariot, giving him alook so eloquent of love and admiration, as he carefully drew herwraps about her, that his heart bounded with joy, and he felt that nosacrifice could be too great which was made for her sweet sake.
In every direction around them, as far as the eye could reach, thesnow-covered country was utterly devoid of town, village, or hamlet; nota sign of life was anywhere to be seen.
"A sorry prospect for our fine plan," said the pedant, after a searchingexamination of their surroundings, "and I very much fear thatthe plentiful store of provisions Herode promised us will not beforthcoming. I cannot see the smoke of a single chimney, strain my eyesas I will, nor the weather-cock on any village spire."
"Have a little patience, Blazius!" the tyrant replied. "Where peoplelive too much crowded together the air becomes vitiated, you know, andit is very salubrious to have the villages situated a good distanceapart."
"What a healthy part of the country this must be then the inhabitantsneed not to fear epidemics--for to begin with there are no inhabitants.At this rate our Captain Fracasse will not have a chance very soon tomake his debut."
By this time it was nearly dark, the sky was overcast with heavy leadenclouds, and only a faint lurid glow on the horizon in the west showedwhere the sun had gone down. An icy wind, blowing full in their faces,and the hard, frozen surface of the snow, made their progress bothdifficult and painful. The poor old horse slipped at every step, thoughScapin was carefully leading him, and staggered along like a drunkenman, striking first against one shaft and then against the other,growing perceptibly weaker at every turn of the wheels behind him.Now and again he shook his head slowly up and down, and cast appealingglances at those around him, as his trembling legs seemed about to giveway under him. His hour had come--the poor, old horse! and he was dyingin harness like a brave beast, as he was. At last he could no more,and falling heavily to the ground gave one feeble kick as he stretchedhimself out on his side, and yielded up the ghost. Frightened by thesudden shock, the women shrieked loudly, and the men, running to theirassistance, helped them to clamber out of the chariot. Mme. Leonarde andSerafina were none the worse for the fright, but Isabelle had faintedquite away, and de Sigognac, lifting her light weight easily, carriedher in his arms to the bank at the side of the road, followed by theduenna, while Scapin bent down over the prostrate horse and carefullyexamined his ears.
"He is stone dead," said he in despairing tones; "his ears are cold, andthere is no pulsation in the auricular artery."
"Then I suppose we shall have to harness ourselves to the chariot in hisplace," broke in Leander dolefully, almost weeping. "Oh! cursed be themad folly that led me to choose an actor's career."
"Is this a time to groan and bewail yourself?" roared the tyrantsavagely, entirely out of patience with Leander's everlasting jeremiads;"for heaven's sake pluck up a little courage, and be a man! And now toconsider what is to be done; but first let us see how our good littleIsabelle is getting on; is she still unconscious? No; she opens hereyes, and there is the colour coming back to her lips; she will do now,thanks to the baron and Mme. Leonarde. We must divide ourselves intotwo bands; one will stay with the women and the chariot, the other willscour the country in search of aid. We cannot think of remaining hereall night, for we should be frozen stiff long before morning. Come,Captain Fracasse, Leander, and Scapin, you three being the youngest, andalso the fleetest of foot, off with you. Run like greyhounds, and bringus succour as speedily as may be. Blazius and I will meantime do duty asguardians of the chariot and its contents."
The three men designated signified their readiness to obey the tyrant,and set off across country, though not feeling at all sanguine as to theresults of their search, for the night was intensely dark; but thatvery darkness had its advantages, and came to their aid in an unexpectedmanner, for though it effectually concealed all surrounding objects, itmade visible a tiny point of light shining at the foot of a little hillsome distance from the road.
"Behold," cried the pedant, "our guiding star! as welcome to us wearytravellers, lost in the desert, as the polar star to the distressedmariner 'in periculo maris.' That blessed star yonder, whose rays shinefar out into the darkness, is a light burning in some warm, comfortableroom, which forms--Heaven be praised!--part of the habitation of humanand civilized beings--not Laestrygon savages. Without doubt there is abright fire blazing on the hearth in that cosy room, and over it hangsa famous big pot, from which issue puffs of a delicious odour--oh,delightful thought!--round which my imagination holds high revel, andin fancy I wash down with generous wine the savoury morsels from thatglorious pot-au-feu."
"You rave, my good Blazius," said the tyrant, "the frost must havegotten into your brain--that makes men mad, they say, or silly. Yetthere is some method in your madness, some truth in your ravings, foryonder light must indicate an inhabited dwelling. This renders a changein the plans for our campaign advisable. We will all go forward togethertowards the promised refuge, and leave the chariot where it is; norobbers will be abroad on such a night as this to interfere with itscontents. We will take our few valuables--they are not so numerous orweighty but that we can carry them with us; for once it is an advantagethat our possessions are few. To-morrow morning we will come back tofetch the chariot: now, forward, march!--and it is time, for I am nearlyfrozen to death."
The comedians accordingly started across the fields, towards thefriendly light that promised them so much--Isabelle supported by deSigognac, Serafina by Leander, and the duenna dragged along by Scapin;while Blazius and the tyrant formed the advance guard. It was not easywork; sometimes plunging into deep snow, more than knee high, as theycame upon a ditch, hidden completely under the treacherously smoothwhite surface, or stumbling, and even falling more than once, oversome unseen obstacle; but at length they came up to what seemed to be alarge, low building, probably a farm-house, surrounded by stone walls,with a big gate for carts to enter. In the expanse of dark wall beforethem shone the light which had guided their steps, and upon approachingthey found that it proceeded from a small window, whose shutters--mostfortunately for them, poor, lost wanderers--had not yet been closed. Thedogs within the enclosure, perceiving the approach of strangers, beganto bark loudly and rush about the yard; they could hear them jumpingup at the walls in vain efforts
to get at the intruders. Presently thesound of a man's voice and footsteps mingled with their barking, and ina moment the whole establishment seemed to be on the alert.
"Stay here, all of you," said the pedant, halting at a little distancefrom the gate, "and let me go forward alone to knock for admission. Ournumbers might alarm the good people of the farm, and lead them to fancyus a band of robbers, with designs upon their rustic Penates; as I amold, and inoffensive looking, they will not be afraid of me."
This advice was approved by all, and Blazius, going forward by himself,knocked gently at the great gate, which was first opened cautiously justa very little, then flung impetuously back; and then the comedians, fromtheir outpost in the snow, saw a most extraordinary and inexplicablescene enacted before their astonished eyes. The pedant and the farmerwho had opened the gate, after gazing at each other a moment intently,by the light of the lantern which the latter held up to see what mannerof man his nocturnal visitor might be, and after exchanging rapidlya few words, that the others could not hear, accompanied by wildgesticulations, rushed into each other's arms, and began poundingeach other heartily upon the back--mutually bestowing resoundingaccolades--as is the manner upon the stage of expressing joy at meetinga dear friend. Emboldened by this cordial reception, which yet was amystery to them, the rest of the troupe ventured to approach, thoughslowly and timidly.
"Halloa! all of you there," cried the pedant suddenly, in a joyfulvoice, "come on without fear, you will be made welcome by a friend and abrother, a world-famed member of our profession, the darling of Thespis,the favourite of Thalia, no less a personage than the celebratedBellombre--you all know his glorious record. Blessed is the happy chancethat has directed our steps hither, to the philosophic retreat wherethis histrionic hero reposes tranquilly upon his laurels."
"Come in, I pray you, ladies and gentlemen," said Bellombre, advancingto meet them, with a graceful courtesy which proved that the ci-devantactor had not put aside his elegant, courtly manners when he donned hispeasant dress.
"Come in quickly out of this biting wind; my dwelling is rude andhomely, but you will be better off within it than here in the open air."
They needed no urging, and joyfully accepting his kind invitationfollowed their host into the house, charmed with this unhoped-for goodfortune. Blazius and Bellombre were old acquaintances, and had formerlybeen members Of the same troupe; as their respective roles did notclash there was no rivalry between them, and they had become fastfriends--being fellow worshippers at the shrine of the merry god ofwine. Bellombre had retired from the stage some years before, when athis father's death he inherited this farm and a small fortune. The partsthat he excelled in required a certain degree of youth, and he was notsorry to withdraw before wrinkles and whitening locks should make itnecessary for him to abandon his favourite roles. In the world he wasbelieved to be dead, but his splendid acting was often quoted by hisformer admirers--who were wont to declare that there had been nothing toequal it seen on the stage since he had made his last bow to the public.
The room into which he led his guests was very spacious, and servedboth as kitchen and sitting-room--there was also a large curtained bedstanding in an alcove at the end farthest from the fire, as was notunusual in ancient farm-houses. The blaze from the four or five immenselogs of wood heaped up on the huge andirons was roaring up the broadchimney flue, and filling the room with a bright, ruddy glow--a mostwelcome sight to the poor half-frozen travellers, who gathered around itand luxuriated in its genial warmth. The large apartment was plainly andsubstantially furnished, just as any well-to-do farmer's house might be,but near one of the windows stood a round table heaped up with books,some of them lying open as if but just put down, which showed that theowner of the establishment had not lost his taste for literary pursuits,but devoted to them his long winter evenings.
The cordiality of their welcome and the deliciously warm atmosphere inwhich they found themselves had combined to raise the spirits of thecomedians--colour returned to pate faces, light to heavy eyes, andsmiles to anxious lips--their gaiety was in proportion to the misery andperil from which they had just happily escaped, their hardships were allforgotten, and they gave themselves up entirely to the enjoyment of thehour. Their host had called up his servants, who bustled about, settingthe table and making other preparations for supper, to the undisguiseddelight of Blazius, who said triumphantly to the tyrant, "You see now,Herode, and must acknowledge, that my predictions, inspired by thelittle glimmer of light we saw from afar, are completely verified--theyhave all come literally true. Fragrant puffs are issuing even now fromthe mammoth pot-au-feu there over the fire, and we shall presently washdown its savoury contents with draughts of generous wine, which I seealready awaiting us on the table yonder. It is warm and bright andcosy in this room, and we appreciate and enjoy it all doubly, after thedarkness and the cold and the danger from which we have escaped into thegrateful shelter of this hospitable roof; and to crown the whole, ourhost is the grand, illustrious, incomparable Bellombre--flower and creamof all comedians, past, present and future, and best of good fellows."
"Our happiness would be complete if only poor Matamore were here," saidIsabelle with a sigh.
"Pray what has happened to him?" asked Bellombre, who knew him byreputation.
The tyrant told him the tragic story of the snow-storm, and its fatalconsequences. "But for this thrice-blessed meeting with my old andfaithful friend here," Blazius added, "the same fate would probably haveovertaken us ere morning--we should all have been found, frozen stiffand stark, by the next party of travellers on the post road."
"That would have been a pity indeed," Bellombre rejoined, and glancingadmiringly at Isabelle and Serafina, added gallantly, "but surely theseyoung goddesses would have melted the snow, and thawed the ice, with thefire I see shining in their sparkling eyes."
"You attribute too much power to our eyes," Scrafina made answer; "theycould not even have made any impression upon a heart, in the thick,impenetrable darkness that enveloped us; the tears that the icy coldforced from them would have extinguished the flames of the most ardentlove."
While they sat at supper, Blazius told their host of the sad conditionof their affairs, at which he seemed no way surprised.
"There are always plenty of ups and downs in a theatrical career," hesaid--"the wheel of Fortune turns very fast in that profession; but ifmisfortunes come suddenly, so also does prosperity follow quickly intheir train. Don't be discouraged!--things are brightening with you now.Tomorrow morning I will send one of my stout farm-horses to bring yourchariot on here, and we will rig up a theatre in my big barn; there is alarge town not far from this which will send us plenty of spectators.If the entertainment does not fetch as good a sum as I think it will, Ihave a little fund of pistoles lying idle here that will be entirely atyour service, for, by Apollo! I would not leave my good Blazius and hisfriends in distress so long as I had a copper in my purse."
"I see that you are always the same warm-hearted, openhanded Bellombreas of old," cried the pedant, grasping the other's outstretched handwarmly; "you have not grown rusty and hard in consequence of yourbucolic occupations."
"No," Bellombre replied, with a smile; "I do not let my brain lie fallowwhile I cultivate my fields. I make a point of reading over frequentlythe good old authors, seated comfortably by the fire with my feet onthe fender, and I read also such new works as I am able to procure, fromtime to time, here in the depths of the country. I often go carefullyover my own old parts, and I see plainly what a self-satisfied foolI was in the old days, when I was applauded to the echo every time Iappeared upon the stage, simply because I happened to be blessed witha sonorous voice, a graceful carriage, and a fine leg; the dotingstupidity of the public, with which I chanced to be a favourite, was thetrue cause of my success."
"Only the great Bellombre himself would ever be suffered to say suchthings as these of that most illustrious ornament of our profession,"said the tyrant, courteously.
"Art is long,
but life is short," continued the ci-devant actor, "and Ishould have arrived at a certain degree of proficiency at last perhaps,but--I was beginning to grow stout; and I would not allow myself tocling to the stage until two footmen should have to come and help me upfrom my rheumatic old knees every time I had a declaration of loveto make, so I gladly seized the opportunity afforded me by my littleinheritance, and retired in the height of my glory."
"And you were wise, Bellombre," said Blazius, "though your retreat waspremature; you might have given ten years more to the theatre, and thenhave retired full early."
In effect he was still a very handsome, vigorous man, about whom nosigns of age were apparent, save an occasional thread of silver amid therich masses of dark hair that fell upon his shoulders.
The younger men, as well as the three actresses, were glad to retire torest early; but Blazius and the tyrant, with their host, sat up drinkingthe latter's capital wine until far into the night. At length they, too,succumbed to their fatigue; and while they are sleeping we will returnto the abandoned chariot to see what was going on there. In the graylight of the early morning it could be perceived that the poor old horsestill lay just as he had fallen; several crows were flitting about,not yet venturing to attack the miserable carcass, peering at itsuspiciously from a respectful distance, as if they feared some hiddensnare. At last one, bolder than its fellows, alighted upon the poorbeast's head, and was just bending over that coveted dainty, theeye--which was open and staring--when a heavy step, coming over thesnow, startled him. With a croak of disappointment he quitted hispost of vantage, rose heavily in the air, and flapped slowly off toa neighbouring tree, followed by his companions, cawing and scoldinghoarsely. The figure of a man appeared, coming along the road at a briskpace, and carrying a large bundle in his arms, enveloped in his cloak.This he put down upon the ground when he came up with the chariot,standing directly in his way, and it proved to be a little girl abouttwelve years old; a child with large, dark, liquid eyes that had afeverish light in them--eyes exactly like Chiquita's. There was a stringof pearl beads round the slender neck, and an extraordinary combinationof rags and tatters, held together in some mysterious way, hung aboutthe thin, fragile little figure. It was indeed Chiquita herself, andwith her, Agostino--the ingenious rascal, whose laughable exploitwith his scarecrow brigands has been already recorded--who, tired offollowing a profession that yielded no profits, had set out on foot forParis--where all men of talent could find employment they said--marchingby night, and lying hidden by day, like all other beasts of prey. Thepoor child, overcome with fatigue and benumbed by the cold, had givenout entirely that night, in spite of her valiant efforts to keep up withAgostino, and he had at last picked her up in his arms and carried herfor a while--she was but a light burden--hoping to find some sort ofshelter soon.
"What can be the meaning of this?" he said to Chiquita. "Usually we stopthe vehicles, but here we are stopped by one in our turn; we must lookout lest it be full of travellers, ready to demand our money or ourlives."
"There's nobody in it," Chiquita replied, having peeped in under thecover.
"Perhaps there may be something worth having inside there," Agostinosaid; "we will look and see," and he proceeded to light the little darklantern he always had with him, for the daylight was not yet strongenough to penetrate into the dusky interior of the chariot. Chiquita,who was greatly excited by the hope of booty, jumped in, and rapidlysearched it, carefully directing the light of the lantern upon thepackages and confused mass of theatrical articles stowed away in theback part of it, but finding nothing of value anywhere.
"Search thoroughly, my good little Chiquita!" said the brigand, as hekept watch outside, "be sure that you don't overlook anything."
"There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that is worth the trouble ofcarrying away. Oh, yes! here is a bag, with something that sounds likemoney in ft."
"Give it to me," cried Agostino eagerly, snatching it from her, andmaking a rapid examination of its contents; but he threw it down angrilyupon the ground, exclaiming, "the devil take it! I thought we had founda treasure at last, but instead of good money there's nothing but a lotof pieces of gilded lead and such-like in it. But we'll get one thingout of this anyhow--a good rest inside here for you, sheltered fromthe wind and cold. Your poor little feet are bleeding, and they must benearly frozen. Curl yourself down there on those cushions, and I willcover you with this bit of painted canvas. Now go to sleep, and I willwatch while you have a nap; it is too early yet for honest folks to beabroad, and we shall not be disturbed." In a few minutes poor littleChiquita was sound asleep.
Agostino sat on the front seat of the chariot, with his navaja open andlying beside him, watching the road and the fields all about, with thekeen, practised eye of a man of his lawless profession. All was still.No sound or movement any where, save among the crows. In spite of hisiron will and constitution he began to feel an insidious drowsinesscreeping over him, which he did not find it easy to shake off; severaltimes his eyelids closed, and he lifted them resolutely, only to havethem fall again in another instant. In fact he was just dropping intoa doze, when he felt, as in a dream, a hot breath on his face, andsuddenly waked to see two gleaming eyeballs close to his. With amovement more rapid than thought itself, he seized the wolf by thethroat with his left hand, and picking up his navaja with the other,plunged it up to the hilt into the animal's breast. It must have gonethrough the heart, for he dropped down dead in the road, without astruggle.
Although he had gained the victory so easily over his fierce assailant,Agostino concluded that this was not a good place for them to tarryin, and called to Chiquita, who jumped up instantly, wide awake, andmanifested no alarm at sight of the dead wolf lying beside the chariot.
"We had better move on," said he, "that carcass of the horse there drawsthe wolves; they are often mad with hunger in the winter time you know,and especially when there is snow on the ground. I could easily kill apretty good number of them, but they might come down upon us by scores,and if I should happen to fall asleep again it would not be pleasantto wake up and find myself in the stomach of one of those confoundedbrutes. When I was disposed of they would make only a mouthful of you,little one! So come along, we must scamper off as fast as ever we can.That fellow there was only the advance guard, the others will not be farbehind him--this carcass will keep them busy for a while, and give ustime to get the start of them. You can walk now, Chiquita, can't you?"
"Yes, indeed," she replied cheerily, "that little nap has done me somuch good. Poor Agostino! you shall not have to carry me again, likea great clumsy parcel. And Agostino," she added with a fierce energy,"when my feet refuse to walk or run in your service you must just cutmy throat with your big knife there, and throw me into the next ditch.I will thank you for it, Agostino, for I could not bear to have yourprecious life in danger for the sake of poor, miserable little me."Thereupon this strange pair, both very fleet of foot, set off running,side by side, the brigand holding Chiquita by the hand, so as to giveher all the aid and support he could, and they quickly passed out ofsight. No sooner had they departed than the crows came swooping downfrom their perch in the nearest tree, and fell to fiercely upon theirhorrible feast, in which they were almost directly joined by severalravenous wolves--and they made such good use of their time, that ina few hours nothing remained of the poor old horse but his bones, histail, and his shoes. When somewhat later the tyrant arrived, accompaniedby one of Bellombre's farm-hands, leading the horse that was to takethe chariot back with them, he was naturally astonished to find only theskeleton, with the harness and trappings, still intact, about it, forneither birds nor beasts had interfered with them, and his surprise wasincreased when he discovered the half-devoured carcass of the wolf lyingunder the chariot wheels. There also, scattered on the road, were thesham louis-d'or that did duty upon the stage when largesses were to bedistributed; and upon the snow were the traces, clearly defined, of thefootsteps of a man, approaching the chariot from the way it had come,and o
f those of the same man, and also of a child, going on beyond it.
"It would appear," said Herode to himself, "that the chariot of Thespishas received visitors, since we abandoned it, of more than one sort,and for my part I am very thankful to have missed them all. Oh, happyaccident! that, when it happened, seemed to us so great a misfortune,yet is proven now to have been a blessing in disguise. And you, my poorold horse, you could not have done us a greater service than to diejust when and where you did. Thanks to you we have escaped thewolves--two-legged ones, which are perhaps the most to be dreaded ofall, as well as the ravenous brethren of this worthy lying here. Whata dainty feast the sweet, tender flesh of those plump little pullets,Isabelle and Serafina, would have been for them, to say nothing ofthe tougher stuff the rest of us are made of. What a bountiful meal weshould have furnished them--the murderous brutes!" While the tyrant wasindulging in this soliloquy Bellombre's servant had detached the chariotfrom the skeleton of the poor old horse, and had harnessed to it, withconsiderable difficulty, the animal he had been leading, which wasterrified at sight of the bleeding, mutilated carcass of the wolf lyingon the snow, and the ghastly skeleton of its predecessor. Arrived atthe farm, the chariot was safely stowed away under a shed, and uponexamination it was found that nothing was missing. Indeed, something hadbeen left there, for a small clasp-knife was picked up in it, which hadfallen out of Chiquita's pocket, and excited a great deal of curiosityand conjecture. It was of Spanish make, and bore upon its sharp, pointedblade, a sinister inscription in that language, to this effect--
"When this viper bites you, make sure That you must die--for there is no cure."
No one could imagine how it had come there, and the tyrant wasespecially anxious to clear up the mystery that puzzled them all.Isabelle, who was a little inclined to be superstitious, and attachimportance to omens, signs of evil, and such-like, felt troubled aboutit. She spoke Spanish perfectly, and understood the full force andsignificance of the strange inscription upon the wicked-looking blade ofthe tiny weapon.
Meantime, Scapin, dressed in his freshest and most gaudy costume, hadmarched into the neighbouring town, carrying his drum; he stationedhimself in the large, public square, and made such good play with hisdrum-sticks that he soon had a curious crowd around him, to whom hemade an eloquent address, setting forth in glowing terms the greatattractions offered by "the illustrious comedians of Herode's celebratedtroupe," who, "for this night only," would delight the public by therepresentation of that screaming farce, the Rodomontades of CaptainFracasse; to be followed by a "bewitching Moorish dance," performed bythe "incomparable Mlle. Serafina." After enlarging brilliantly upon thistheme, he added, that as they were "more desirous of glory than profit,"they would be willing to accept provisions of all kinds, instead of coinof the realm, in payment of places, from those who had not the moneyto spare, and asked them to let all their friends know. This closingannouncement made a great sensation among his attentive listeners, andhe marched back to the farm, confident that they would have a goodlynumber of spectators. There he found the stage already erected in thebarn, and a rehearsal in progress, which was necessary on de Sigognac'saccount.
Bellombre was instructing him in various minor details as the play wenton, and for a novice he did wonderfully well--acting with much spiritand grace, showing decided talent, and remarkable aptitude. But it wasvery evident that he was greatly annoyed by some portions of the piece,and an angry flush mounted to the roots of his hair at the whacks andcuffs so liberally bestowed upon the doughty captain.
His comrades spared him as much as possible--feeling that it must beintensely repugnant to him--but he grew furious in spite of all hisefforts to control his temper, and at each fresh attack upon him hisflashing eyes and knitted brows betrayed the fierce rage he was in;then, suddenly remembering that his role required a very differentexpression of countenance, he would pull himself up, and endeavour toimitate that which Matamore had been wont to assume in this character.Bellombre, who was watching him critically, stopped him a moment, tosay: "You make a great mistake in attempting to suppress your naturalemotions; you should take care not to do it, for they produce a capitaleffect, and you can create a new type of stage bully; when you havegotten accustomed to this sort of thing, and no longer feel this burningindignation, you must feign it. Strike out in a path of your own, andyou will be sure to attain success--far more so than if you attempt tofollow in another's footsteps. Fracasse, as you represent him, loves andadmires courage, and would fain be able to manifest it--he is angrywith himself for being such an arrant coward. When free from danger, hedreams of nothing but heroic exploits and superhuman enterprises; butwhen any actual peril threatens him, his too vivid imagination conjuresup such terrible visions of bleeding wounds and violent death that hisheart fails him. Yet his pride revolts at the idea of being beaten; fora moment he is filled with rage, but his courage all disappears with thefirst blows he receives, and he finally shows himself to be the poltroonthat he himself despises. This method it appears to me is far superiorto the absurd grimaces, trembling legs, and exaggerated gestures, bywhich indifferent actors endeavour to excite the laughter of theiraudience--but meantime lose sight entirely of their art."
The baron gratefully accepted the veteran actor's advice, and playedhis part after the fashion indicated by him with so much spirit thatall present applauded his acting enthusiastically, and prophesied itssuccess. The performances were to begin at an early hour, and as thetime approached, de Sigognac put on poor Matamore's costume, to which hehad fallen heir, and which Mme. Leonarde had taken in hand and cleverlyaltered for him, so that he could get into it. He had a sharp strugglewith his pride as be donned this absurd dress, and made himself readyfor his debut as an actor, but resolutely repressed all rising regrets,and determined faithfully to do his best in the new role he hadundertaken.
A large audience had gathered in the big barn, which was brilliantlylighted, and the representation began before a full house. At the endfarthest from the stage, and behind the spectators, were some cattle intheir stalls, that stared at the unwonted scene with an expression ofstupid wonder in their great, soft eyes--the eyes that Homer, the grandold Greek poet, deemed worthy to supply an epithet for the beauteousorbs of majestic Juno herself--and in the midst of one of the mostexciting parts of the play, a calf among them was moved to express itsemotions by an unearthly groan, which did not in the least disconcertthe audience, but had nearly been too much for the gravity of the actorsupon the stage.
Captain Fracasse won much applause, and indeed acted his part admirably,being under no constraint; for he did not need to fear the criticism ofthis rustic audience as he would have done that of a more cultivated andexperienced one; and, too, he felt sure that there could be nobody amongthe spectators that knew him, or anything about him. The other actorswere also vigorously clapped by the toil-hardened hands of these lowlytillers of the soil--whose applause throughout was bestowed, Bellombredeclared, judiciously and intelligently. Serafina executed her Moorishdance with a degree of agility and voluptuous grace that would havedone honour to a professional ballet-dancer, or to a Spanish gipsy, andliterally brought down the house.
But while de Sigognac was thus employed, far from his ancient chateau,the portraits of his ancestors that hung upon its walls were frowningdarkly at the degeneracy of this last scion of their noble race, and asigh, almost a groan, that issued from their faded lips, echoed dismallythrough the deserted house. In the kitchen, Pierre, with Miraut andBeelzebub on either side of him--all three looking melancholy andforlorn--sat thinking of his absent lord, and said aloud, "Oh, where ismy poor, dear master now?" a big tear rolling down his withered cheek ashe stooped to caress his dumb companions.