Chapter 75 A Signed Statement
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NOIRTIER
was prepared to receive them, dressed in black, and installed in his
arm-chair. When the three persons he expected had entered, he looked at
the door, which his valet immediately closed. "Listen,"
whispered Villefort to Valentine, who could not conceal her joy; "if
M. Noirtier wishes to communicate anything which would delay your
marriage, I forbid you to understand him." Valentine blushed, but did
not answer. Villefort, approaching Noirtier--"Here is M. Franz
d'Epinay," said he; "you requested to see him. We have all
wished for this interview, and I trust it will convince you how ill-formed
are your objections to Valentine's marriage." Noirtier
answered only by a look which made Villefort's blood run cold. He motioned
to Valentine to approach. In a moment, thanks to her habit of conversing
with her grandfather, she understood that he asked for a key. Then his eye
was fixed on the drawer of a small chest between the windows. She opened
the drawer, and found a key; and, understanding that was what he wanted,
again watched his eyes, which turned toward an old secretary which had
been neglected for many years and was supposed to contain nothing but
useless documents. "Shall I open the secretary?" asked
Valentine. "Yes,"
said the old man. "And
the drawers?" "Yes."
"Those
at the side?" "No."
"The
middle one?" "Yes."
Valentine opened it and drew out a bundle of papers. "Is that what
you wish for?" asked she. "No."
She
took successively all the other papers out till the drawer was empty.
"But there are no more," said she. Noirtier's eye was fixed on
the dictionary. "Yes, I understand, grandfather," said the young
girl. "He
pointed to each letter of the alphabet. At the letter S the old man
stopped her. She opened, and found the word "secret." "Ah,
is there a secret spring?" said Valentine. "Yes,"
said Noirtier. "And
who knows it?" Noirtier looked at the door where the servant had gone
out. "Barrois?" said she. "Yes."
"Shall I call him?" "Yes."
Valentine
went to the door, and called Barrois. Villefort's impatience during this
scene made the perspiration roll from his forehead, and Franz was
stupefied. The old servant came. "Barrois," said Valentine,
"my grandfather has told me to open that drawer in the secretary, but
there is a secret spring in it, which you know--will you open it?" Barrois
looked at the old man. "Obey," said Noirtier's intelligent eye.
Barrois touched a spring, the false bottom came out, and they saw a bundle
of papers tied with a black string. "Is
that what you wish for?" said Barrois. "Yes."
"Shall
I give these papers to M. de Villefort?" "No."
"To
Mademoiselle Valentine?" "No."
"To
M. Franz d'Epinay?" "Yes."
Franz,
astonished, advanced a step. "To me, sir?" said he. "Yes."
Franz took them from Barrois and casting a glance at the cover, read:-- "'To
be given, after my death, to General Durand, who shall bequeath the packet
to his son, with an injunction to preserve it as containing an important
document.' "Well,
sir," asked Franz, "what do you wish me to do with this
paper?" "To
preserve it, sealed up as it is, doubtless," said the procureur. "No,"
replied Noirtier eagerly. "Do
you wish him to read it?" said Valentine. "Yes,"
replied the old man. "You understand, baron, my grandfather wishes
you to read this paper," said Valentine. "Then
let us sit down," said Villefort impatiently, "for it will take
some time." "Sit
down," said the old man. Villefort took a chair, but Valentine
remained standing by her father's side, and Franz before him, holding the
mysterious paper in his hand. "Read," said the old man. Franz
untied it, and in the midst of the most profound silence read: "'Extract
from the Report of a meeting of the Bonapartist Club in the Rue
Saint-Jacques, held February 5th, 1815.'" Franz
stopped. "February 5th, 1815!" said he; "it is the day my
father was murdered." Valentine and Villefort were dumb; the eye of
the old man alone seemed to say clearly, "Go on." "But
it was on leaving this club," said he, "my father
disappeared." Noirtier's eye continued to say, "Read." He
resumed:-- "'The
undersigned Louis Jacques Beaurepaire, lieutenant-colonel of artillery,
Etienne Duchampy, general of brigade, and Claude Lecharpal, keeper of
woods and forests, Declare, that on the 4th of February, a letter arrived
from the Island of Elba, recommending to the kindness and the confidence
of the Bonapartist Club, General Flavien de Quesnel, who having served the
emperor from 1804 to 1814 was supposed to be devoted to the interests of
the Napoleon dynasty, notwithstanding the title of baron which Louis XVIII
had just granted to him with his estate of Epinay. "'A
note was in consequence addressed to General de Quesnel, begging him to be
present at the meeting next day, the 5th. The note indicated neither the
street nor the number of the house where the meeting was to be held; it
bore no signature, but it announced to the general that some one would
call for him if he would be ready at nine o'clock. The meetings were
always held from that time till midnight. At nine o'clock the president of
the club presented himself; the general was ready, the president informed
him that one of the conditions of his introduction was that he should be
eternally ignorant of the place of meeting, and that he would allow his
eyes to be bandaged, swearing that he would not endeavor to take off the
bandage. General de Quesnel accepted the condition, and promised on his
honor not to seek to discover the road they took. The general's carriage
was ready, but the president told him it was impossible for him to use it,
since it was useless to blindfold the master if the coachman knew through
what streets he went. "What must be done then?" asked the
general.--"I have my carriage here," said the president. "'"Have
you, then, so much confidence in your servant that you can intrust him
with a secret you will not allow me to know?" "'"Our
coachman is a member of the club," said the president; "we shall
be driven by a State-Councillor." "'"Then
we run another risk," said the general, laughing, "that of being
upset." We insert this joke to prove that the general was not in the
least compelled to attend the meeting, but that he came willingly. When
they were seated in the carriage the president reminded the general of his
promise to allow his eyes to be bandaged, to which he made no opposition.
On the road the president thought he saw the general make an attempt to
remove the handkerchief, and reminded him of his oath. "Sure
enough," said the general. The carriage stopped at an alley leading
out of the Rue Saint-Jacques. The general alighted, leaning on the arm of
the president, of whose dignity he was not aware, considering him simply
as a member of the club; they went through the alley, mounted a flight of
stairs, and entered the assembly-room. "'"The
deliberations had already begun. The members, apprised of the sort of
presentation which was to be made that evening, were all in attendance.
When in the middle of the room the general was invited to remove his
bandage, he did so immediately, and was surprised to see so many
well-known faces in a society of whose existence he had till then been
ignorant. They questioned him as to his sentiments, but he contented
himself with answering, that the letters from the Island of Elba ought to
have informed them'"-- Franz
interrupted himself by saying, "My father was a royalist; they need
not have asked his sentiments, which were well known." "And
hence," said Villefort, "arose my affection for your father, my
dear M. Franz. Opinions held in common are a ready bond of union." "Read
again," said the old man. Franz continued:-- "'The
president then sought to make him speak more explicitly, but M. de Quesnel
replied that he wished first to know what they wanted with him. He was
then informed of the contents of the letter from the Island of Elba, in
which he was recommended to the club as a man who would be likely to
advance the interests of their party. One paragraph spoke of the return of
Bonaparte and promised another letter and further details, on the arrival
of the Pharaon belonging to the shipbuilder Morrel, of Marseilles, whose
captain was entirely devoted to the emperor. During all this time, the
general, on whom they thought to have relied as on a brother, manifested
evidently signs of discontent and repugnance. When the reading was
finished, he remained silent, with knitted brows. "'"Well,"
asked the president, "what do you say to this letter, general?" "'"I
say that it is too soon after declaring myself for Louis XVIII to break my
vow in behalf of the ex-emperor." This answer was too clear to permit
of any mistake as to his sentiments. "General," said the
president, "we acknowledge no King Louis XVIII, or an ex-emperor, but
his majesty the emperor and king, driven from France, which is his
kingdom, by violence and treason." "'"Excuse
me, gentlemen," said the general; "you may not acknowledge Louis
XVIII, but I do, as he has made me a baron and a field-marshal, and I
shall never forget that for these two titles I am indebted to his happy
return to France." "'"Sir,"
said the president, rising with gravity, "be careful what you say;
your words clearly show us that they are deceived concerning you in the
Island of Elba, and have deceived us! The communication has been made to
you in consequence of the confidence placed in you, and which does you
honor. Now we discover our error; a title and promotion attach you to the
government we wish to overturn. We will not constrain you to help us; we
enroll no one against his conscience, but we will compel you to act
generously, even if you are not disposed to do so." "'"You
would call acting generously, knowing your conspiracy and not informing
against you, that is what I should call becoming your accomplice. You see
I am more candid than you."'" "Ah,
my father!" said Franz, interrupting himself. "I understand now
why they murdered him." Valentine could not help casting one glance
towards the young man, whose filial enthusiasm it was delightful to
behold. Villefort walked to and fro behind them. Noirtier watched the
expression of each one, and preserved his dignified and commanding
attitude. Franz returned to the manuscript, and continued:-- "'"Sir,"
said the president, "you have been invited to join this assembly--you
were not forced here; it was proposed to you to come blindfolded--you
accepted. When you complied with this twofold request you well knew we did
not wish to secure the throne of Louis XVIII, or we should not take so
much care to avoid the vigilance of the police. It would be conceding too
much to allow you to put on a mask to aid you in the discovery of our
secret, and then to remove it that you may ruin those who have confided in
you. No, no, you must first say if you declare yourself for the king of a
day who now reigns, or for his majesty the emperor." "'"I
am a royalist," replied the general; "I have taken the oath of
allegiance to Louis XVIII, and I will adhere to it." These words were
followed by a general murmur, and it was evident that several of the
members were discussing the propriety of making the general repent of his
rashness. "'The
president again arose, and having imposed silence, said,--"Sir, you
are too serious and too sensible a man not to understand the consequences
of our present situation, and your candor has already dictated to us the
conditions which remain for us to offer you." The general, putting
his hand on his sword, exclaimed,--"If you talk of honor, do not
begin by disavowing its laws, and impose nothing by violence." "'"And
you, sir," continued the president, with a calmness still more
terrible than the general's anger, "I advise you not to touch your
sword." The general looked around him with slight uneasiness; however
he did not yield, but calling up all his fortitude, said,--"I will
not swear." "'"Then
you must die," replied the president calmly. M. d'Epinay became very
pale; he looked round him a second time, several members of the club were
whispering, and getting their arms from under their cloaks.
"General," said the president, "do not alarm yourself; you
are among men of honor who will use every means to convince you before
resorting to the last extremity, but as you have said, you are among
conspirators, you are in possession of our secret, and you must restore it
to us." A significant silence followed these words, and as the
general did not reply,--"Close the doors," said the president to
the door-keeper. "'The
same deadly silence succeeded these words. Then the general advanced, and
making a violent effort to control his feelings,--"I have a
son," said he, "and I ought to think of him, finding myself
among assassins." "'"General,"
said the chief of the assembly, "one man may insult fifty--it is the
privilege of weakness. But he does wrong to use his privilege. Follow my
advice, swear, and do not insult." The general, again daunted by the
superiority of the chief, hesitated a moment; then advancing to the
president's desk,--"What is the form, said he. "'"It
is this:--'I swear by my honor not to reveal to any one what I have seen
and heard on the 5th of February, 1815, between nine and ten o'clock in
the evening; and I plead guilty of death should I ever violate this
oath.'" The general appeared to be affected by a nervous tremor,
which prevented his answering for some moments; then, overcoming his
manifest repugnance, he pronounced the required oath, but in so low a tone
as to be scarcely audible to the majority of the members, who insisted on
his repeating it clearly and distinctly, which he did. "'"Now
am I at liberty to retire?" said the general. The president rose,
appointed three members to accompany him, and got into the carriage with
the general after bandaging his eyes. One of those three members was the
coachman who had driven them there. The other members silently dispersed.
"Where do you wish to be taken?" asked the
president.--"Anywhere out of your presence," replied M. d'Epinay.
"Beware, sir," replied the president, "you are no longer in
the assembly, and have only to do with individuals; do not insult them
unless you wish to be held responsible." But instead of listening, M.
d'Epinay went on,--"You are still as brave in your carriage as in
your assembly because you are still four against one." The president
stopped the coach. They were at that part of the Quai des Ormes where the
steps lead down to the river. "Why do you stop here?" asked
d'Epinay. "'"Because,
sir," said the president, "you have insulted a man, and that man
will not go one step farther without demanding honorable reparation."
"'"Another
method of assassination?" said the general, shrugging his shoulders. "'"Make
no noise, sir, unless you wish me to consider you as one of the men of
whom you spoke just now as cowards, who take their weakness for a shield.
You are alone, one alone shall answer you; you have a sword by your side,
I have one in my cane; you have no witness, one of these gentlemen will
serve you. Now, if you please, remove your bandage." The general tore
the handkerchief from his eyes. "At last," said he, "I
shall know with whom I have to do." They opened the door and the four
men alighted.'" Franz
again interrupted himself, and wiped the cold drops from his brow; there
was something awful in hearing the son read aloud in trembling pallor
these details of his father's death, which had hitherto been a mystery.
Valentine clasped her hands as if in prayer. Noirtier looked at Villefort
with an almost sublime expression of contempt and pride. Franz
continued:-- "'It
was, as we said, the fifth of February. For three days the mercury had
been five or six degrees below freezing and the steps were covered with
ice. The general was stout and tall, the president offered him the side of
the railing to assist him in getting down. The two witnesses followed. It
was a dark night. The ground from the steps to the river was covered with
snow and hoarfrost, the water of the river looked black and deep. One of
the seconds went for a lantern in a coal-barge near, and by its light they
examined the weapons. The president's sword, which was simply, as he had
said, one he carried in his cane, was five inches shorter than the
general's, and had no guard. The general proposed to cast lots for the
swords, but the president said it was he who had given the provocation,
and when he had given it he had supposed each would use his own arms. The
witnesses endeavored to insist, but the president bade them be silent. The
lantern was placed on the ground, the two adversaries took their stations,
and the duel began. The light made the two swords appear like flashes of
lightning; as for the men, they were scarcely perceptible, the darkness
was so great. "'General
d'Epinay passed for one of the best swordsmen in the army, but he was
pressed so closely in the onset that he missed his aim and fell. The
witnesses thought he was dead, but his adversary, who knew he had not
struck him, offered him the assistance of his hand to rise. The
circumstance irritated instead of calming the general, and he rushed on
his adversary. But his opponent did not allow his guard to be broken. He
received him on his sword and three times the general drew back on finding
himself too closely engaged, and then returned to the charge. At the third
he fell again. They thought he slipped, as at first, and the witnesses,
seeing he did not move, approached and endeavored to raise him, but the
one who passed his arm around the body found it was moistened with blood.
The general, who had almost fainted, revived. "Ah," said he,
"they have sent some fencing-master to fight with me." The
president, without answering, approached the witness who held the lantern,
and raising his sleeve, showed him two wounds he had received in his arm;
then opening his coat, and unbuttoning his waistcoat, displayed his side,
pierced with a third wound. Still he had not even uttered a sigh. General
d'Epinay died five minutes after.'" Franz
read these last words in a voice so choked that they were hardly audible,
and then stopped, passing his hand over his eyes as if to dispel a cloud;
but after a moment's silence, he continued:-- "'The
president went up the steps, after pushing his sword into his cane; a
track of blood on the snow marked his course. He had scarcely arrived at
the top when he heard a heavy splash in the water--it was the general's
body, which the witnesses had just thrown into the river after
ascertaining that he was dead. The general fell, then, in a loyal duel,
and not in ambush as it might have been reported. In proof of this we have
signed this paper to establish the truth of the facts, lest the moment
should arrive when either of the actors in this terrible scene should be
accused of premeditated murder or of infringement of the laws of honor. "'Signed,
BEAUREPAIRE, DESCHAMPS, and LECHARPAL.'" When
Franz had finished reading this account, so dreadful for a son; when
Valentine, pale with emotion, had wiped away a tear; when Villefort,
trembling, and crouched in a corner, had endeavored to lessen the storm by
supplicating glances at the implacable old man,--"Sir," said
d'Epinay to Noirtier, "since you are well acquainted with all these
details, which are attested by honorable signatures,--since you appear to
take some interest in me, although you have only manifested it hitherto by
causing me sorrow, refuse me not one final satisfaction--tell me the name
of the president of the club, that I may at least know who killed my
father." Villefort mechanically felt for the handle of the door;
Valentine, who understood sooner than anyone her grandfather's answer, and
who had often seen two scars upon his right arm, drew back a few steps.
"Mademoiselle," said Franz, turning towards Valentine,
"unite your efforts with mine to find out the name of the man who
made me an orphan at two years of age." Valentine remained dumb and
motionless. "Hold,
sir," said Villefort, "do not prolong this dreadful scene. The
names have been purposely concealed; my father himself does not know who
this president was, and if he knows, he cannot tell you; proper names are
not in the dictionary." "Oh,
misery," cried Franz: "the only hope which sustained me and
enabled me to read to the end was that of knowing, at least, the name of
him who killed my father! Sir, sir," cried he, turning to Noirtier,
"do what you can--make me understand in some way!" "Yes,"
replied Noirtier. "Oh,
mademoiselle,--mademoiselle!" cried Franz, "your grandfather
says he can indicate the person. Help me,--lend me your assistance!"
Noirtier looked at the dictionary. Franz took it with a nervous trembling,
and repeated the letters of the alphabet successively, until he came to M.
At that letter the old man signified "Yes." "M,"
repeated Franz. The young man's finger, glided over the words, but at each
one Noirtier answered by a negative sign. Valentine hid her head between
her hands. At length, Franz arrived at the word MYSELF. "Yes!"
"You?"
cried Franz, whose hair stood on end; "you, M. Noirtier--you killed
my father?" "Yes!"
replied Noirtier, fixing a majestic look on the young man. Franz fell
powerless on a chair; Villefort opened the door and escaped, for the idea
had entered his mind to stifle the little remaining life in the heart of
this terrible old man. |
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