XIII
I had an awful five minutes in my efforts to climb the wall. We hadforgotten that. For a minute I was in despair, and then I fell over agarden chair. I dragged it to the wall and somehow scrambled up, and,panting, lay still for a moment, listening. I suppose that, becomingsuspicious, they had returned, for two of the men passed by below me,talking fast, and if they had been less busy over the pistol-shots andhad merely looked up from a few feet away, I should have been caught.I waited, breathing hard. A few minutes passed. They seemed to behours. The noises ceased. I saw dimly through the torrents of rain myhouse guard returning to his post. He went in, and at once I turnedover, dropped, and in a moment was deep in the wood. I was drenchedand as tired of a sudden as if I had walked all day. I suppose it wasdue to the intense anxiety and excitement of my adventure. I went onfor a half-mile, keeping my hand on the package. It was now aftereleven, and I sat down in the wood and rested for a while. I knewParis well. I had been there two years. I walked on for nearly anhour, and then within one of the barriers, remote from the Bois, Icaught a cab and drove to the Rue Rivoli, where I left the man andwalked to our legation in the Rue de Presbourg. We kept there anight-watchman, and both he and the concierge must have been amazed atmy appearance. I went up to my own room, had a roaring fire kindled,locked the door, found a smoking-jacket, and then, with a glass ofgood rye and a cigar, sat down, feeling a delightful sense of joy andsecurity. Next I turned to examine the value of my prize. The ashesfell about as I laid the packet on the table.
I was by degrees becoming warm, and although wet, for I had had nocomplete change of garments, I was so elated that I hardly gave athought to my condition. As I sat, the unopened papers before me, Ibegan to consider, as others have done, the ethical aspects of thematter. A woman had stolen the documents now on the table. To havereturned them would have convicted her. We were on the verge of warwith two great nations. One of them had us in a net of spies. War,which changes all moral obligations, was almost on us. I would leaveit to my chief. No more scrupulous gentleman was ever known to me. Iundid the knotted ribbon with which Madame Bellegarde had hastily tiedthe papers together and turned to consider them.
My own doubts did, I fear, weaken as, turning over the documents, Isaw revealed the secrets of my country's enemies. In the crisis wewere facing they were of inestimable value. Some of the papers wereoriginal letters; others were copies of letters from the Frenchembassy in London. Among them was a draft of a letter of Drouyn deLhuys, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and on this and on otherswere sharp comments in the emperor's well-known hand, giving reasonsfor acknowledging the Confederacy without delay. There were even hintsat intervention by the European powers as desirable. I sat amazed asat last I tied up the papers, and placing them again within mywaistcoat, lay down on a lounge before the fire to rest, for sleep wasnot for me. I lay quiet, thinking of what had become of Merton andAlphonse, and wondering at the amazing good fortune of my firstattempt at burglary.