Poterne began to roar so that Cherubin might not hear what Chichette said. He brandished his dagger with one hand, while with the other he stuffed the flax back into his mouth, whence it had almost escaped. But Cherubin had lost his head; the presence of that man, whose wife he believed that he had abducted, his outcries, his oaths, and the dagger he was brandishing, terrified the young man beyond words. Poterne, seeing that he was in a condition to submit to whatever terms he might impose, took the notes from his pocket, placed them on the table, found a pen and inkstand and presented them to Cherubin.

"If you wish to save this guilty woman, G.o.d dem!" he said, "there is only one way to appease my wrath."

"Oh! speak, monsieur, command--All you choose."

"Fill out these notes of hand--here are four of them--make them twenty-five thousand francs each. _Per Diou!_ that is too _poco!_"

"Notes of hand--for a hundred thousand francs?"

"Yes, signor."

"Oh! you want me to----"

"If you hesitate, sapermann! I will kill this guilty wife of mine, I will kill you, I will kill everyone in the house--fichtre!--and then myself."

"Oh! no, no, I do not hesitate, monsieur. I will make them for whatever sums you say."

"Good! then you will make them for thirty thousand francs each.--Come!

write and sign--_per Dio!_"

Cherubin seated himself at the table; he took the pen in his trembling hand and cast a sorrowful glance at his conquest, who had thrown herself on the couch, where he believed that she had swooned, whereas she was simply trying to go to sleep again. But Poterne returned to his side, ground his teeth and swore blood-curdling oaths. The young lover at once began to write; he had already filled out the body of one note, and was about to sign it, when they heard a loud noise below; then steps rapidly ascended the stairs, the door was thrown open, and Monfreville appeared, followed by old Jasmin, who uttered a cry of joy at sight of his master.

"Ah! here he is!" he cried; "G.o.d be praised! they have not destroyed him!"

Cherubin felt as if he were born again when he saw his friend; he threw himself into his arms, while Monfreville, observing his confusion and bewilderment and pallor, asked him:

"Great G.o.d! my dear fellow, what are you doing here, in this house--this den of thieves, to which a little rascal refused to admit me?"

"Ah! my friend, the fact is that--that I have been very guilty!"

Cherubin replied in a voice broken by sobs. "I abducted madame--this gentleman's wife; that is to say, it wasn't I who did it--Darena abducted her for me. Monsieur is a Polish count, and he insisted that I should give him my notes for a hundred and twenty thousand francs, or else he would kill his wife! Ah! how glad I am to see you!"

While Cherubin was speaking, Poterne, who was very ill at ease, tried to sidle toward the door; but Jasmin had stationed himself in front of it, after taking pains to lock it.

As he listened to his young friend, Monfreville looked about the room in keen scrutiny. He examined Mademoiselle Chichette and the supposit.i.tious outraged husband, who acted as if he wished to crawl under the table.

Cherubin had no sooner finished speaking than Monfreville ran up to Poterne, s.n.a.t.c.hed off his hat and spectacles, and raised his cane threateningly.

"This creature a Polish count!" he exclaimed; "why, it's that vile Poterne, the agent of that contemptible knave Darena! They plotted together this infamous scheme to extort money from you!--Ah! I am strongly tempted to break my cane over this cur's shoulders!"

"Poterne!" cried Cherubin; "is it possible? Poterne!"

"Why, yes," said Jasmin, "it's the dealer in preserves and dogs and turtles. Ah! my dear master, I suspected that they meant to take you in again; and that that man who called me an old donkey was fixing up some treacherous scheme to catch you."

When he saw Monfreville's cane in the air, Poterne fell on his knees.

"Mercy, monsieur," he faltered, "all this was only a joke--nothing else; it was a comedy!"

"A jest, you villain! But your notes of hand were properly stamped! Oh!

we know now what you are capable of, you and your worthy friend, Comte Darena, who has fallen low enough now to blush at nothing, and in whose eyes all methods of procuring money are all right. We agree not to treat you as you deserve. Go and join your confederate, and tell him that this young man is able now to judge him as he is, and that if he should ever presume to show his face at the hotel de Grandvilain, the servants will be instructed to turn him out."

"Yes, indeed, I will undertake to do it!" said Jasmin. "He called me an old ruin too! but an honest ruin is worth more than a sharper in perfect repair."

Monsieur Poterne did not wait to hear any more; he picked up his hat and spectacles, hastily opened the door, and fled; but he was not so quick that he did not receive the toe of Jasmin's boot in his posterior; and the old servant said to him at the same time: "There, you thief; take that for your preserves!"

Monfreville walked toward Chichette, who had remained on the couch, without speaking or moving; he could not help smiling at her expression.

"And you, madame la comtesse," he said, "in what shop do you usually work?"

"I make Italian straw hats on Rue de Grenetat. It wasn't my fault; they promised me a lot of money if I'd make believe I was monsieur's wife; and I consented so I could put it by and marry my little pays."

Mademoiselle Chichette drew her handkerchief and looked as if she were going to weep; but Monfreville rea.s.sured her by saying:

"I have nothing against you, my girl; don't cry, and go back to your Italian straw hats. But believe me, it is much better for one in your trade to dance the cancan than to play the great lady."

Mademoiselle Chichette blew her nose, made several curtsies, then left the room with a shamefaced air, not venturing to glance at Cherubin.

"And now, my friend," said Monfreville to the young marquis, "I think that we too may quit this wretched barrack. I believe that there is nothing to detain us here longer."

"Oh, no! and I am so happy, my dear Monfreville, after having such a terrible fright! I will tell you the whole story; but first tell me how you succeeded in learning that I was here, and how you happened to arrive so opportunely."

"That's easily done; do you see that cab at the door?"

"Yes."

"It's the same one that brought you here. I called at your house after you left; I found Jasmin very uneasy; he told me that you had gone away in a cab with Darena, whose frequent visits of late, together with his air of mystery, had aroused my suspicions! I asked Jasmin if he had called the carriage himself, and when he said yes, I asked him to take me to the cabstand. There we waited more than two hours for your cab to return. It appeared at last. I gave the driver twenty francs and told him to take us to the place to which he had taken you; he asked nothing better, and he brought us to this house. Knaves are very shrewd, my dear boy, but luckily there is a concealed power shrewder than they, who defeats the most cunningly devised schemes at the moment when their authors deem themselves most certain of impunity. Some call that power Providence, others chance, fatality, destiny, luck. I don't know what name to give it, but I bow before it and am only too glad to believe that, if there are people here on earth inclined to do evil, there is a power on high, ever on the watch to prevent or repair it."

Cherubin pressed Monfreville's hand affectionately; then they left the house on the outer boulevard, which even little Bruno had abandoned, for they saw no sign of anybody. They entered the cab with Jasmin, upon whom they were almost obliged to use force, because the old fellow insisted on riding behind.

When they reached home, Cherubin told Monfreville how Darena had managed the affair, and how he had urged him above all things to preserve the most absolute secrecy about it.

"I am not surprised," said Monfreville, "that he urged you not to mention it to me; he knew that I would not be taken in by the story of a Polish countess who was anxious to be abducted by a young man whom she had seen just once, at the theatre."

"He said that you set yourself up now as a man of strict virtue, to make people forget your former conduct; he declared that you used to be famous for your love-affairs, your conquests, and that your principles then were much less severe than they are to-day.--Forgive me--I am only repeating what he said."

Monfreville's brow had grown dark; his face wore an expression of deep sorrow, and he was silent for some time. At last, fixing his eyes upon Cherubin's, he said in a melancholy tone:

"It is true, my friend, that in my youth I did many foolish things, and I have some serious faults with which to reproach myself. But I was so cruelly punished that I was cured in good season. That does not prevent me from being indulgent to others, because I am well aware that it is a part of our nature to be subject to pa.s.sions and weakness, and to be led astray by them sometimes. Some day, Cherubin, I will tell you a story of my young days, which has had an influence on my whole life. You will see that these love-affairs, which we treat so cavalierly at twenty, sometimes have very bitter results."

"Thus far," said Cherubin, with a sigh, "I haven't been lucky in my love-affairs, and my amorous adventures have not afforded me much enjoyment!"

XXV

A GRAND DINNER

After Monsieur de Noirmont expressed in such decided terms his resolution with respect to Louise, Ernestine's mother said not a word to indicate that she still thought of dismissing the young woman; on the contrary it seemed that, having made up her mind to submit to her husband's desire, Madame de Noirmont had recovered from her apparent prejudice against Louise. She still treated her with a coldness which sometimes approached severity; but the tone of her voice, sharp and curt at first, often softened so far as to seem almost affectionate. One would have said that she was vanquished by the charm with which the girl's whole personality was instinct, by her timid obedience, by the eagerness with which she waited on her mistress, so that the latter was sometimes, in spite of herself, drawn on to love her.