CHAPTER XIX.
CAPTAIN BEAUSIRE APPEARS AGAIN.
After the capture of the Tuileries, a special court was institutedto try cases of theft committed at the palace. Two or three hundredthieves, caught red-handed, had been shot off-hand, but there were asmany more who had contrived to hide their acts.
Among the number of these sly depredators was "Captain" Beausire, acorporal of the French Guards once on a time, but more conspicuous asa card-sharper and for his hand in the plot of robbers by which thecourt jewelers were nearly defrauded of the celebrated set of diamondswhich we have written about under their historic name of "The Queen'sNecklace."
This Beausire had entered the palace, but in the rear of theconquerors. He was too full of sense to be among the first where dangerlay in taking the lead.
It was not his political opinions that carried him into the king'shome, to weep over the fall of monarchy or to applaud the triumph ofthe people; bless your innocence, no! Captain Beausire came as a meresight-seer, soaring above those human weaknesses known as opinions, andhaving but one aim in view, to wit, to ascertain whether those who losta throne might not have lost at the same time some article of valuerather more portable and easy to put out of sight.
To be in harmony with the situation, Beausire had clapped on anenormous red cap, was armed with the largest-sized saber, and hadsplashed his shirt-front and hands with blood from the first quite deadman he stumbled upon. Like the wolf skulking round the edge and thevulture hovering over the battle-field, perhaps taken for having helpedin the slaughter, some believed he had been one of the vanquishers.
The most did so accept him as they heard him bellow "Death to thearistocrats!" and saw him poke under beds, dash open cupboards, andeven bureau drawers, in order to make sure that no aristocrat hadhidden there.
However, for the discomfiture of Captain Beausire, at this time, aman was present who did not peep under beds or open drawers, but who,having entered while the firing was hot, though he carried no armswith the conquerors, though he did no conquering, walked about withhis hands behind his back, as he might have done in a public park on aholiday. Cold and calm in his threadbare but well-brushed black suit,he was content to raise his voice from time to time to say:
"Do not forget, citizens, that you are not to kill women and not totouch the jewels."
He did not seem to feel any right to censure those who were killing menand throwing the furniture out of the windows.
At the first glance he had distinguished that Captain Beausire was notone of the storming-parties.
The consequence was that, about half past nine, Pitou, who had thepost of honor, as we know, guarding the main entrance, saw a sort ofwoe-begone and slender giant stalk toward him from the interior of thepalace, who said to him with politeness, but also with firmness, as ifhis mission was to modify disorder with order and temper vengeancewith justice:
"Captain, you will see a fellow swagger down the stairs presently,wearing a red cap, swinging a saber and making broad gestures. Arresthim and have your men search him, for he has picked up a case ofdiamonds."
"Yes, Master Maillard," replied Pitou, touching his cap.
"Aha! so you know me, my friend?" said the ex-usher of the ChateletPrison.
"I rather think I do know you," exclaimed Pitou. "Don't you rememberme, Master Maillard? We took the Bastile together."
"That's very likely."
"We also marched to Versailles together in October."
"I did go there at that time."
"Of course you did; and the proof is that you shielded the ladies whowent to call on the queen, and you had a duel with a janitor who wouldnot let you go in."
"Then, for old acquaintance' sake, you will do what I say, eh?"
"That, and anything else--all you order. You are a regular patriot, youare."
"I pride myself on it," replied Maillard, "and that is why I can notpermit the name we bear to be sullied. Attention! this is our man."
In fact, at this time, Beausire stamped down the grand stairs, wavinghis large sword and shouting: "The nation forever!"
Pitou made a sign to Maniquet and another, who placed themselves at thedoor without any parade, and he went to wait for the sham rioter at thefoot of the stairs.
With a glance, the suspicious character noticed the movements, and asthey no doubt disquieted him, he stopped, and made a turn to go back,as if he had forgotten something.
"Beg pardon, citizen," said Pitou; "this is the way out."
"Oh, is it?"
"And as the order is to vacate the Tuileries, out you go, if youplease."
Beausire lifted his head and continued his descent.
At the last step he touched his hand to his red cap, and in anemphasized military tone, said:
"I say, brother-officer, can a comrade go out or not?"
"You are going out," returned Pitou; "only, in the first place, youmust submit to a little formality."
"Hem! what is it, my handsome captain?"
"You will have to be searched."
"Search a patriot, a capturer of the tyrants' den, a man who has beenexterminating aristocrats?"
"That's the order; so, comrade, since you are a fellow-soldier," saidthe National Guardsman, "stick your big toad-sticker in its sheath,now that all the aristos are slain, and let the search be done in goodpart, or, if not, I shall be driven to employ force."
"Force?" said Beausire. "Ha! you talk in this strain because you havetwenty men at your back, my pretty captain; but if you and I were alonetogether--"
"If we were alone together, citizen," returned the man from thecountry, "I'd show you what I should do. In this way, I should seizeyour left wrist with my right hand; with my left, I should wrench yoursaber from your grasp, like this, and I should snap it under my foot,just like this, as being no longer worthy of handling by an honest manafter a thief."
Putting into practice the theory he announced, Pitou disarmed the shampatriot, and breaking the sword, tossed the hilt afar.
"A thief? I, Captain de Beausire, a thief?" thundered the conqueror inthe red cap.
"Search Captain Beausire with the _de_," said Pitou, pushing thecard-sharper into the midst of his men.
"Well, go ahead with your search," replied the victim of suspicion,meekly dropping his arms.
They had not needed his permission to proceed with the ferreting;but to the great astonishment of Pitou, and especially of Maillard,all their searching was in vain. Whether they turned the pocketsinside out, or examined the hems and linings, all they found on theex-corporal was a pack of playing-cards so old that the faces werehardly to be told from the backs, as well as the sum of eleven cents.
Pitou looked at Maillard, who shrugged his shoulders as much as to say,"I have missed it somehow, but I do not know what I can do about itnow."
"Go through him again," said Pitou, one of whose principal traits waspatience.
They tried it again, but the second search was as unfruitful as theformer; they only found the same pack of cards and eleven cents.
"Well," taunted Beausire, triumphantly, "is a sword still disgraced byhaving been handled by me?"
"No," replied Pitou; "and to prove it, if you are not satisfied withthe excuses I tender you, one of my men shall lend you his, and I willgive you any other satisfaction you may like."
"Thanks, no, young sir," said the other, drawing himself up to his fullheight; "you acted under orders, and an old veteran like me knows thatan order is sacred. Now I beg to remark that Madame de Beausire must beanxious about my long absence, and if I am allowed to retire--"
"Go, sir," responded Pitou; "you are free."
Beausire saluted in a free-and-easy style and took himself out of thepalace. Pitou looked round for Maillard, but he was not by.
"I fancy I saw him go up the stairs," said one of the Haramont men.
"You saw clearly, for he is coming down," observed Pitou.
Maillard was in fact descending, and as his long legs took the steps
two by two, he was soon on the landing.
"Well, did you find anything?" he inquired.
"No," rejoined the captain.
"Then, I have been luckier than you, for I lighted on the case."
"So we were wrong, eh?"
"No; we were right."
Maillard opened the case and showed the old setting from which had beenprized all the stones.
"Why, what does this mean?" Pitou wanted to know.
"That the scamp guessed what might happen, picked out the diamonds, andas he thought the setting would be in his way, he threw it with thecase into the closet where I found it."
"That's clear enough. But what has become of the stones?"
"He found some means of juggling them away."
"The trickster!"
"Has he been long gone?" inquired Maillard.
"As you came down, he was passing through the middle yard."
"Which way did he take?"
"He went toward the water-side."
"Good-bye, captain."
"Are you going after him, Master Maillard?"
"I want to make a thorough job of it," returned the ex-usher.
And unfolding his long legs like a pair of compasses, he set off inpursuit of Captain Beausire.
Pitou was thinking the matter over when he recognized the Countess ofCharny, and the events occurred which we have related in their propertime and place. Not to mix them up with this present matter, we think,falls into line here.