The Red Track: A Story of Social Life in Mexico

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  A VISIT.

  The mirror room was an immense apartment, only separated from thecovered gallery by two anterooms. It was furnished with princely luxury,and it was here that the general gave those sumptuous _tertulias,_ whichare still talked about in the highest Mexican circles, although so manyyears have elapsed.

  This room, merely lighted by two lamps, standing on a console, was atthis moment plunged into a semi-obscurity, when compared with the otherapartments in the mansion, which were full of light.

  A gentleman, dressed in full black, and with the red ribbon of theLegion of Honour carelessly knotted in a buttonhole of his coat, wasleaning his elbow on the console where the lamps stood, and seemed solost in thought, that, when the general entered the room, the sound ofhis steps, half subdued by the petates, did not reach the visitor'sears, and he did not turn to receive him.

  Don Sebastian, after closing the door behind him, walked towards hisvisitor, attempting to recognize him, which, however, the stranger'sposition rendered temporarily impossible. It was not till he came almostnear enough to touch him that the stranger, at length warned of thegeneral's presence, raised his head; in spite of all the command DonSebastian had over himself, he started and fell back a couple of yardson recognizing him.

  "Don Valentine!" he said, in a stifled voice, "you here?"

  "Myself, general," he replied, with an almost imperceptible smile and aprofound bow; "did you not expect a visit from me?"

  The Trail-hunter, according to his habit, at once assumed his positionbefore his adversary. A bitter smile played round the general's palelips, and mastering his emotion, he replied, sarcastically--

  "Certainly, caballero, I hoped to receive a visit from you; but nothere, and under such conditions, I did not venture, I confess, toanticipate such an honour."

  "I am delighted," he replied, with another bow, "that I have thusanticipated your wishes."

  "I will prove to you, senor," the general said, with set teeth, "thevalue I attach to the visit you have been pleased to pay me."

  While saying this, he stretched out his arm towards a bell.

  "I beg your pardon, general," the Frenchman said, with imperturbablecoolness, "but I believe that you intend to summon some of your people?"

  "And supposing that was my intention, senor?" the general said,haughtily.

  "If it were so," he replied, with icy politeness, "I think it would bebetter for you to do nothing of the sort."

  "Oh, indeed, and for what reason, may I ask?"

  "For the simple reason, general, that as I have the honour to know youthoroughly, I was not such a fool as to place myself in your power.My carriage is waiting at this moment in front of your door; in thatcarriage are two of my friends, and, in all probability, if they do notsee me come down the steps again in half an hour, they will not hesitateto ask you what has taken place between us, and what has become of me."

  The general bit his lips.

  "You are mistaken as to my intentions, senor," he said. "I fear you nomore than you appear to do me. I am a gentleman, and were you ten timesmore my enemy than you are, I would never attempt to free myself fromyou by an assassination."

  "Be it so, general; I should be glad to be mistaken, and in that case Ibeg you to accept my apologies; moreover, in coming thus to see you, Igive you, I believe, a proof of confidence."

  "For which I thank you, senor; but as I suppose that reasons of thehighest gravity alone induced you to present yourself here, and theinterview you ask of me must be long, I wished to give my people ordersto take out the horses, and take care that we are not interrupted."

  Valentine bowed without replying, but with an imperceptible smile, andleaning again on the console, he twisted his long, fair, light moustachewhile the general rang the bell. A servant came in.

  "Have the horses taken out," the general said, "and I am not at home toanybody."

  The servant bowed, and prepared to leave the room.

  "Ah!" said the general, suddenly stopping him, "on the part of thiscaballero ask the gentlemen in his carriage to do me the honour ofcoming up to my apartments, where they can await more comfortably theend of a conversation which will probably be rather prolonged. You willserve refreshments to these gentlemen in the blue room," he added,looking fixedly at the Frenchman, "the one that follows this room."

  The servant retired.

  "If you still apprehend a trap, senor," he continued, turning to theFrenchman, "your friends will be at hand, if necessary, to come to yourhelp."

  "I knew that you were brave to rashness, general," the Frenchmananswered politely, "and I am happy to see that you are no lesshonourable."

  "And now, senor, be kind enough to sit down," Don Sebastian said,pointing to a chair. "May I venture to offer you any refreshments?"

  "General," Valentine answered, as he seated himself, "permit me, for thepresent, to decline them. In my youth I served in Africa, and in thatcountry people are only wont to break their fast with friends. As weare, temporarily at least, enemies, I must ask you to let me retain mypresent position toward you."

  "The custom to which you allude, senor, is also met with on ourprairies," the general replied; "still people sometimes depart fromit. However, act as you think proper. I wait till it may please youto explain the purpose of this visit, at which I have a right to feelsurprised."

  "I will not abuse your patience any longer, general," he replied with abow. "I have merely come to propose a bargain."

  "A bargain?" Don Sebastian exclaimed with surprise, "I do not understandyou."

  "I will have the honour of explaining myself, senor."

  The general bowed and said, "I await your pleasure."

  "You are a diplomatist, general," Valentine continued, "and in thatcapacity are, doubtless, aware that a bad treaty is better than a goodwar."

  "In certain cases I allow it is so; but I will take the liberty ofremarking that, under present circumstances, senor, I must await yourpropositions, instead of offering any of mine, as the war, to employyour own expression, was not begun by me, but by you."

  "I think it will be better not to discuss that point, in which we shouldfind it difficult to agree; still, in order to remove any ambiguity, andlay down the point at issue distinctly, I will remind you in a few wordsof the motives which produced the hatred that divides us."

  "Those motives, senor, you have already explained to me most fully atthe Fort of the Chichimeques. Without discussing their validity withyou, I will content myself with saying that hatred, like friendship,being a matter of sympathy, and not the result of reason, it is betterto confess frankly that we hate or love each other, without trying toaccount for either of these feelings, which I consider completely beyondthe will."

  "You are at liberty to think so, senor, and though I do not agreewith you, I will not discuss the point; it is, however, certain thatthe hatred we bear each other is implacable, and cannot possibly beextinguished."

  "Still you spoke only a minute back of a bargain."

  "Certainly; but bargaining is not forgetting. I can, for certainreasons, abstain from that hatred without renouncing it; and thoughI may cease to injure you, I do not, on that account, contract theslightest friendship with you."

  "I admit that in principle, senor; let us, therefore, come to factswithout further delay; be good enough to explain to me the nature of thebargain which you think proper to propose to me today."

  "Allow me, in the first place, according to my notions of honour, toexplain to you what our position to each other is."

  "Since the beginning of this interview, senor, I must confess that youhave been talking enigmas inexplicable to me."

  "I will try to be clear, senor, and if I tell you what your plansare, and the means you have employed for their realization, you willunderstand, I have no doubt, that I have succeeded in countermining themsufficiently to prevent a favourable issue."

  "Go on, senor," the general remarked, with a smile.

  "In t
wo words, this is your position. In the first, you wish, bya pronunciamiento, to overthrow General R----, and have yourselfproclaimed President of the Republic in his place."

  "Ah, ah," said the general, with a forced laugh; "you must know, senor,that in our blessed country this ambition is constantly attributed toall officers who, either on account of their fortune or personal merit,hold a public position. This accusation, therefore, is not very serious."

  "It would not be so, if you limited yourself to mere wishes, possiblylegitimate in the present state of the country; but, unfortunately, itis not so."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, general, that you are the head of a conspiracy; that thisconspiracy, several times already a failure in Sonora, you have renewedin Mexico, under almost infallible conditions of success, and which,in my opinion, would succeed, had I not resolved on causing them tofail. I mean that, only a few days ago, your conspirators assembled ina velorio kept by a certain No Lusacho. Through the agency of Don JaimeLupo, you divided among them two bags of gold, brought by you for them,and emptied in your presence. I mean that, after this distribution,the final arrangements were made, and the day was almost fixed for thepronunciamiento. Am I deceived, general, or do you now see that I amwell informed, and that my spies are quite equal to yours, who were noteven able to inform you of my arrival at the Ciudad, where I have beenfor more than a week, and you have not known a word about it?"

  "While Valentine was speaking thus, in his mocking way, with his elbowcarelessly laid on the arm of his chair, and his body slightly bentforward, the general was in a state of passion which he tried in vainto repress, his pale face assumed a cadaverous hue, his eyebrows met,and his clenched teeth found difficulty in keeping the words back whichtried each moment to burst forth. When the Frenchman ceased speakinghe made a violent effort to check his rage which was on the point ofbreaking out, and he answered in a hollow voice which emotion causedinvoluntary to tremble--

  "I will imitate your frankness, senor. Of what use would it be todissimulate with an enemy so well informed as you pretend to be? Whatyou have said about a conspiracy is perfectly correct. Yes, I intend tomake a pronunciamiento, and that shortly. You see that I do not attemptto conceal anything from you."

  "I presume, because you consider it useless," Valentine answeredsarcastically.

  "Perhaps so, senor. Although you are so well informed, you do not knoweverything."

  "Do you think so?"

  "I am sure of it."

  "What is the thing I am ignorant of?"

  "That you will not leave this house again, and that I am going to blowout your brains," the general exclaimed, as he started up and cocked apistol.

  The Frenchman did not make the slightest movement to prevent theexecution of the general's threat; he contented himself with lookingfirmly at him, and saying, coldly--

  "I defy you."

  Don Sebastian remained motionless, with haggard eye, pale brow, andtrembling hand; then, in a few seconds, he uncocked the pistol, and fellback utterly crushed in his chair.

  "You have gone too far or not far enough, caballero," Valentine went onwith perfect calmness. "Every threat should be executed at all risks sosoon as it is made. You have reflected, so let us say no more about it,but resume our conversation."

  In a discussion of this nature, all the advantage is on the sideof the adversary who retains his coolness. The general, ashamed ofthe passionate impulse to which he had yielded, and crushed by hisenemy's sarcastically contemptuous answer, remained dumb; he at lengthunderstood that, with a man like the one before him, any contest mustturn to his disadvantage, unless he employed treachery, which his prideforbade.

  "Let us, for the present," Valentine went on, still calmly and coldly,"leave this conspiracy, to which we will revert presently, and pass toa no less interesting subject. If I am correctly informed, Senor DonSebastian, you have a ward of the name of Dona Anita de Torres?"

  The general started, but remained silent.

  "Now," continued Valentine, "in consequence of a frightful catastrophe,this young lady became insane. But that does not prevent you frominsisting on marrying her, in contempt of all law, divine and human,for the simple reason that she is enormously rich and you require herfortune for the execution of your ambitious plans. It is true that theyoung lady does not love you, and never did love you; it is also truethat her father intended her for another, and that other you insist ondeclaring to be dead, although he is alive; but what do you care forthat? Unfortunately, one of my intimate friends, of whom you probablynever heard, Senor Don Serapio de la Ronda, has heard this affairalluded to. I will tell you confidentially that Don Serapio is greatlyrespected by certain parties, and has very considerable power. DonSerapio, I know not why, takes an interest in Dona Anita, and has madeup his mind, whether you like it or not, to marry her to the man sheloves, and for whom her father intended her."

  "The villain is dead," the general exclaimed, furiously.

  "You are perfectly well aware of the contrary," Senor Valentineanswered, "and to remove any doubts you may still happen to have, I willgive you the proof. Don Martial," he said aloud, "come in, pray, andtell General Guerrero yourself that you are not dead."

  "Oh!" the general muttered furiously, "this man is a demon."

  At this moment the door opened, and a new personage entered the room.