CHAPTER I
THE OLD SHOEMAKER AND HIS DAUGHTER
If you would wish to know the history of the great invasion of 1814,such as it was related to me by the old hunter Frantz du Hengst, youmust transport yourself to the village of Charmes, in the Vosges.About thirty small houses, covered with shingles and dark-greenhouseleeks, stand in rows along the banks of the Sarre: you can see thegables carpeted with ivy and withered honeysuckles, for winter isapproaching; the beehives closed with corks of straw, the smallgardens, the palings, the hedges which separate them one from the other.
To the left, on a high mountain, arise the ruins of the ancient chateauof Falkenstein, destroyed two hundred years ago by the Swedes. It isnow only a mass of stones and brambles; an old "timber-way," with itsworn-out steps, ascends to it through the pine-trees. To the right, onthe side of the hill, one can perceive the farm of Bois-de-Chenes--alarge building, with granaries, stables, and sheds, the flat roofloaded with great stones, in order to resist the north wind. A fewcows are grazing in the heather, a few goats on the rocks.
Everything is calm and silent.
Some children, in gray stuff trousers, their heads and feet bare, arewarming themselves around their little fires on the outskirts of thewoods; the spiral lines of blue smoke fade away in the air, great whiteclouds remain immovable above the valley; behind these clouds arise thearid peaks of the Grosmann and Donon.
You must know that the end house of the village, whose square roof ispierced by two loophole windows, and whose low door opens on the muddystreet, belonged, in 1813, to Jean-Claude Hullin, one of the oldvolunteers of '92, but now a shoemaker in the village of Charmes, andwho was held in much consideration by the mountaineers. Hullin was ashort stout man, with gray eyes, large lips, a short nose, and thickeyebrows. He was of a jovial, kind disposition, and did not know howto refuse anything to his daughter Louise, a child whom he had pickedup among some miserable gypsies--farriers and tin-sellers--withouthouse or dwelling-place, who go from village to village mending potsand pans, melting the ladles, and patching up cracked utensils. Heconsidered her as his own daughter, and never seemed to remember shecame of a strange race.
Besides this natural affection, the good old fellow possessed othersstill: he loved above all his cousin, the old mistress of the farm ofBois-de-Chenes, Catherine Lefevre, and her son Gaspard, who had beencarried off that year by the conscription--a handsome young fellow, the"fiance" of Louise, and whose return was expected by all the family atthe end of the campaign.
Hullin recalled always with enthusiasm his campaigns of theSambre-et-Meuse, of Italy and of Egypt. He often thought of them, andsometimes in the evening, when the work was over, he would go to thesawmills of Valtin, that dark manufactory formed of trunks of treesstill bearing their bark, and which you can perceive down there at theend of the valley. He sat down among the wood-cutters andcharcoal-gatherers, and sledges, in front of the great fire; and whilethe heavy wheel turned, the dam thundered and the saws grinded, he, hiselbow on his knee, and his pipe in his mouth, would speak to them ofHoche, of Kleber, and finally of General Bonaparte, whom he had seenhundreds of times, and whose thin face, piercing eyes, and eagleprofile, he would depict as though he were present.
Such was Jean-Claude Hullin.
He was one of the old Gallic stock, fond of extraordinary adventuresand heroic enterprises, but constant to his work, out of a sentiment ofduty, from New Year's day until Saint Sylvester's.
As for Louise, the child of the tramp, she was a slender creature, withlong delicate hands, eyes of such a soft deep blue that they seemed topenetrate to the depths of your soul, skin of a snowy whiteness, hairof a pale straw-color, like silk in texture, and drooping shoulderslike those of a virgin praying. Her ingenuous smile, pensiveforehead--in fact, her whole appearance--recalled the old _Lied_ of theMinnesinger Erhart, when he said: "I have seen a ray of light pass by:my eyes are still dazzled by it. Was it a moonbeam piercing thefoliage? Was it a smile from the dawn in the forests? No, it was thebeautiful Edith, my love, who passed by. I have seen her, and my eyesare still dazzled."
Louise only cared for fields, gardens, and flowers. In spring-time,the first notes of the skylark made her shed tears of delight. Shewent to see the budding hawthorn and blue cornflowers behind the hedgeson the hill-sides; she watched for the return of the swallows, from thelittle windows of the garret. She was always the true child of thehomeless vagrants, only less wild. Hullin forgave her everything; heunderstood her nature, and would sometimes say, laughingly:--"My poorLouise, with the booty that thou bringest us,--thy fine sheaves offlowers and golden wheat-ears--we should die of hunger in three days!"
Then she would smile so tenderly at him and embrace him so willingly,that he would go on with his work, saying:--"Bah! why need I grumble?She is right: she loves the sunshine. Gaspard will work for two--hewill have the happiness of four. I do not pity him: on the contrary.One can find plenty of women who work, and that does not improve theirbeauty; but loving woman! what luck to have found one--what luck!"
Thus reasoned the good old fellow; and days, weeks, and months woreaway in the expectation of Gaspard's return.
Madame Lefevre, an extremely energetic woman, partook of Hullin's ideason the subject of Louise.
"As for me," she said, "I only want a daughter who loves us; I do notwish her to have anything to do with my household affairs. So long asshe is contented! Thou wilt not bother me--is it not so, Louise?"
And then they would embrace each other. But Gaspard did not return,and for two months they had had no tidings of him.
On that same day, toward the middle of December, 1813, between threeand four o'clock in the afternoon, Hullin, bending over his bench, wasfinishing a pair of nailed shoes for the wood-cutter Rochart. Louisehad just put an earthenware porringer down on the little iron stove,which sang and crackled in a plaintive manner, while the old clockcounted the seconds in its monotonous tic-tac. Outside, all along thestreet, could be perceived small pools of water, covered with a coatingof thin white ice, announcing the approach of intense cold. At timesthe sound of great wooden shoes, running along the hardened road, couldbe heard, and a felt hat, a cape, or a woollen cap would pass by: thenthe noise would cease, and the plaintive hissing of the green wood inthe flames, the humming of Louise's spinning-wheel, and the boiling ofthe porridge-pot again prevailed. This had gone on for about twohours, when Hullin, glancing accidentally through the littlewindow-panes, stopped his work, and remained with his eyes wide open,staring, as though absorbed by some unusual spectacle.
In fact, at the corner of the street, in front of the "Trois Pigeons,"there advanced, in the midst of a crowd of whistling, jumping, andshouting boys, who called out "The King of Diamonds! The King ofDiamonds!"--There advanced, I say, one of the strangest personagesimaginable. Picture to yourself a red-headed, red-bearded man, with agrave face, gloomy expression, straight nose, the eyebrows meeting onthe forehead, a circle of tin on the head, a gray dogskin floating overthe back, its forepaws tied around the neck; the chest covered withlittle copper crosses, the legs clothed with a sort of gray clothtrousers fastened above the ankle, and the feet bare. A great raven,with black wings glossed over with white, was perched on his shoulder.From his imposing gait one would have taken him for one of the ancientMerovingian kings, such as are represented by the images ofMontbeliard; he held in the left hand a short thick stick in the shapeof a sceptre, and with the right he made ostentatious gestures, raisinghis finger toward heaven, and apostrophizing his retinue.
All the doors opened on his passage; behind every pane appearedinquisitive faces. Some few old women on the outer stairs of theirhouses, called out to the madman, who would not deign to turn his head;others went down into the streets and tried to prevent him passing; buthe, lifting his head and raising his eyebrows, with one word and asign, forced them to make way.
"Hullo!" said Hullin, "here is Yegof. I did not expect to have seenhim again this winter. It is not one
of his customs. What on earthcan bring him back in such weather?"
And Louise, laying down her distaff, hurried away to contemplate "TheKing of Diamonds." It was a great event, the arrival of Yegof themadman at the commencement of winter: some rejoiced over it, hoping tokeep him and make him relate his glory and fortunes in the inns;others, and especially the women, were filled with a sort of vagueuneasiness, for madmen, as all know, have ideas from another world:they know the past and the future--they are inspired by God: the onlything is to know how to understand them--their words bearing always twomeanings: one for the ordinary run of people, the other for morerefined and delicate souls, and the wise. This madman besides, morethan another, had truly some sublime and extraordinary thoughts. Noneknew from whence he came, nor where he went, nor what he wanted; forYegof wandered about the country like some troubled spirit. He spokeof extinct races, and pretended that he was Emperor of Australasia, ofPolynesia, and of other lands besides. Great books could have beenwritten on his palaces, castles, and strongholds--of which he knew thenumber, the situation, the architecture--and whose beauty, riches, andgrandeur, he would celebrate in a simple and modest manner. He spokeof his stables, of his hunts, of his crown-officers, ministers,counsellors, of the heads of his provinces; he never made any mistakesas to their names or different merits; but he bitterly bewailed havingbeen dethroned by the accursed race: and the old midwife, SapienceCoquelin, every time that she heard him groan over this subject, wouldcry bitterly, and others also did the same. Then he would raise hisarms to heaven and cry out,--"O women, women! remember, remember! Thehour approaches--the spirits of darkness flee! the old race--themasters of your masters--advance like the waves of the sea!"
And every spring he was in the habit of making a survey of all the oldowls' nests, the ancient castles, and all the ruins which crown theVosges in the depths of their forests, at Nideck, Geroldseck,Lutzelbourg, and Turkestein, saying that he was going to visit histerritories, talking of re-establishing the past splendor of hisstates, and of putting all mutinous people into slavery, with the aidof his cousin the "Grand Golo."
Jean-Claude Hullin made light of these things, from not having a soulelevated enough to enter into the invisible spheres; but Louise wasmuch troubled by them--above all, when the raven flapped its wings andgave its hoarse cry.
Yegof, then, descended the street, without stopping anywhere; andLouise, all excitement, seeing that he looked toward their littlehouse, said aloud,--"Papa Jean-Claude, I believe he is coming our way."
"It is quite possible," replied Hullin. "The poor devil must be inneed of a pair of good lined shoes for the great cold, and if he wereto ask me, I should hardly be able to refuse them to him."
"Oh, how kind you are!" said the young girl, embracing himaffectionately.
"Yes, yes! thou art flattering me," said he, laughing, "because I dowhat thou wishest. Who will pay me for my wood and work? It will notbe Yegof!"
Louise kissed him again, and Hullin, looking lovingly at her,murmured,--"This payment is worth the other."
Yegof was then about fifteen yards from their door: the tumult stillkept increasing; the boys hung on to the tatters of his coat, cryingout, "Diamond! Club! Spade!" Suddenly he turned, raised his sceptre,and called out in a dignified though furious manner,--"Go back,accursed race! Go back, deafen me no longer, or I will loose mybloodhounds against you!"
This menace only made the shouts of laughter and hisses redouble; butas at that moment Hullin appeared on the threshold with a long strap inhis hand, and distinguishing five or six of the most obstinate amongthem, he warned them that that evening he would go and pull their earsduring their supper--a feat which he had already performed severaltimes with the consent of the parents, the whole band dispersed ingreat consternation. Then, going toward the madman,--"Enter, Yegof,"said the shoemaker, "come and warm thyself by the fire."
"I do not call myself Yegof," replied the unhappy man, lookingoffended. "I call myself Luitprandt, King of Australasia andPolynesia."
"Yes, yes, I know," said Jean-Claude--"I know! Thou hast already toldme all that. But what does it matter that thou callest thyself Yegof,or Luitprandt? come in all the same. It is cold; try to warm thyself."
"I come in," replied the madman; "but it is for a much more seriousaffair: it is for a state affair--to form an indissoluble alliancebetween the Germans and the Triboques."
"Well, we will talk of that."
Yegof, stooping under the door, entered as though in a reverie, andsaluted Louise by bowing and lowering his sceptre; but the raven wouldnot come in. Opening his great wings, he made a circuit around thehouse, and came and fastened himself onto the window-panes to breakthem.
"Hans," shouted the madman, "take care! I am coming!"
But the bird did not detach its sharp claws from the casement, andnever ceased fluttering its great wings so long as its master remainedin the cottage. Louise did not take her eyes off it: she was afraid.As for Yegof, he sat down in the old leathern armchair behind thestove, his legs stretched out as though on a throne; and gazing aroundhim in a triumphant manner, he cried out,--"I come direct from Jerome,to conclude an alliance with thee, Hullin. Thou art not ignorant thatI have deigned to cast my eyes on thy daughter, and I come to ask herof thee in marriage."
At this proposition Louise blushed to the roots of her hair, and Hullinburst into a loud laugh.
"Thou laughest!" cried the madman, in a hollow voice. "Well! thou artwrong to laugh. This alliance may alone save thee from the impendingruin of thyself, thy house, and all thy belongings. At this moment myarmies are advancing. They are countless--they cover the earth. Whatcan you do against me? You will be vanquished, annihilated, or reducedto slavery, as you have already been for centuries: for I, Luitprandt,King of Australasia and of Polynesia--I have decided that everythingshall be as it once was. Remember!"--here the madman raised his fingersolemnly--"remember what has passed! You have been beaten! And we,the old northern races--we have put our yokes upon you. We haveburdened you with the largest stones for building our strong castlesand our subterraneous prisons; we have harnessed you to our ploughs;you have been before us as the straw before the hurricane. Remember,remember, Triboque, and tremble!"
"I remember very well," said Hullin, still laughing; "but we had ourrevenge. Thou knowest?"
"Yes, yes," interrupted Yegof, frowning; "but that time has gone by.My warriors are more numerous than the leaves in the forests; and yourblood flows like the water of the brooks. Thou, I know thee--I knewthee a thousand years ago!"
"Bah!" said Hullin.
"Yes, it was this hand--dost thou hear?--this hand that has vanquishedthee, when, for the first time, we entered your forests. It has madethy head bow beneath the yoke--it will make it bend again! Because youare brave, you believe yourselves masters of this country and of allFrance forever. Well, you are wrong! We have spoiled you, and we willspoil you again. We will restore Alsace and Lorraine to Germany,Brittany and Normandy to the men from the North, with Flanders and theSouth to Spain. We will make France into a little kingdom aroundParis--a very little kingdom--with a descendant of the ancient race atyour head. And you will no longer agitate yourselves--you will be verytranquil. Ha, ha, ha!" Yegof began to laugh.
Hullin, who had no knowledge of history, was astonished that he shouldknow so many names.
"Bah! stop that, Yegof," said he; "and come, take a little soup to warmthy inside."
"I do not ask thee for soup; I ask thee for this girl in marriage--themost beautiful on my estates. Give her to me willingly, and I raisethee to the steps of my throne: else my armies shall take her by force,and thou shalt not have the merit of giving her to me."
While thus speaking, the unhappy creature regarded Louise with an airof profound admiration.
"How beautiful she is! I destine her to the greatest honors. Rejoice,young girl, rejoice! Thou shalt be queen of Australasia."
"Listen, Yegof," said Hullin. "I am very much f
lattered by thy demand:it shows that thou canst appreciate beauty. It is well. But mydaughter is already affianced to Gaspard Lefevre."
"And I," said the madman, greatly irritated--"I will not hear of such athing!" Then rising up,--"Hullin," said he, in solemn tones, "it is myfirst demand. I will renew it yet twice again--dost thou hear--twice!And if thou wilt persist in thy obstinacy--misfortune, misfortune onthee and thy race!"
"What! thou wilt not take any soup?"
"No, no! I will accept nothing from thee so long as thou hast notconsented. Nothing, nothing!" And then marching toward the door, muchto the satisfaction of Louise, who was intent on the raven, flutteringits wings against the window-panes, he said, raising hissceptre,--"Twice again!" and departed.
Hullin went off into a shout of laughter. "Poor devil!" he exclaimed."In spite of himself, his nose turned toward the porringer. He hasnothing in his inside--his teeth chatter with hunger. Well! hismadness is stronger than either cold or hunger."
"Oh, how he frightened me!" said Louise.
"Come, come, my child, calm thyself. He is gone. He thinks thou artpretty, fool though he is; do not let that terrify thee."
But although the madman had left, Louise still trembled, and feltherself blushing when she thought of how he had looked at her.
Yegof had taken the road to Valtin. He could still be seen, his ravenon his shoulder, walking slowly along and making curious gestures,although no one was near him. The night was drawing on, and soon thetall figure of "The King of Diamonds" disappeared in the gray shadowsof the winter twilight.