Joseph Balsamo (9 page)

“Only see,” cried he, “what pretty fingers this little rogue has how the nail tapers ! it would bend over the tip a great beauty, if washing bottles and cutting wood did not wear down the horn ; for it is horn you have at the ends of your fingers, Mademoiselle Nicole.”

Not accustomed to compliments from her master, Nicole looked at him with half a smile, in which there was more astonishment than gratification.

” Yes, yes,” said the baron, who saw what passed in the mind of the young flirt “turn away play the coquette, I beg of you ; but I must inform you, my dear guest, that Mademoiselle Nicole Legay, this young lady here present, is not a prude like her mistress, and is not at all afraid of a compliment. “

Balsamo turned quickly toward the baron’s daughter and saw an expression of supreme disdain on her handsome features. Then, thinking it right to adapt his expression to hers, he looked haughtily away, at which Andre seemed pleased, and regarded him with less stern-ness, or, rather, with less uneasiness, than before.

” Would you think, sir,” continued the baron, chuck-ing Nicole under the chin, ” would you think that this damsel had been in a convent with my daughter, and is

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really what one might call educated ? Oh, Mademoiselle Nicole would not quit her mistress for a moment. There is a devotedness in her which would greatly delight the philosophers who maintain that these creatures have souls.”

” Sir,” said Andre, displeased, ” it is not devotedness which prevents Nicole from leaving me ; it is because I order her to remain.”

Balsamo raised his eyes to Nicole, to see the effect of these contemptuous words, and he observed, from her compressed lips, that she was not insensible to the humilia-tions to which her position of domestic exposed her. But the emotion was transitory ; for, in turning away to hide it, her eyes rested with interest on a window of the room which looked into the courtyard. Everything roused the curiosity of Balsamo, and, as he followed her eyes, he thought he saw what interested her the face of a man at the window. “In truth,” thought he, f< every one has a mystery in this house, and I hope soon to know Mademoiselle Andre’s. I have found out the baron’s, and I guess what Nicole’s is.” While thus communing with himself, the baron observed his absence of mind.

” You are in a reverie, my dear guest,” said he. ” Well, it is infectious here it attacks every one. Let me reckon : first, Mademoiselle de Taverney falls into reveries ; then Mademoiselle Nicole does the same ; then the good-for- nothing fellow who shot the partridges is in a perpetual reverie, and very likely the partridges were in a reverie, when he shot them.”

” Gilbert ? ” asked Balsamo.

” Yes. Oh, a philosopher, like Monsieur La Brie here. But excuse me ! perhaps you are a friend of theirs ? If so, I warn vou you will be none of mine.”

” No, sir ; I am neither for them nor against them,” replied Balsamo. ” I know nothing of them.”

” Ventrebleu ! so much the better. They are wretches as mischievous as they are ugly the monarchy will be ruined by their opinions ; no one laughs now ; they read they read and what, I pray you ? Sentiments lika

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this : Under a monarchical government it is difficult for a people to be virtuous. Or this : Monarchy is an institution invented for the corruption of the morals of men, and the purpose of enslaving them. Or else this : If the power of kings comes from God, it comes as diseases and other scourges of the human race come from Him. You call that improving, I hope ! A virtuous people ! Now, I ask you, of what use would they be ? Everything has gone wrong since the king spoke to Voltaire, and read ‘ Diderot ‘ ? “

At this moment Balsarno thought he saw the pale face which he had seen before, again appear at the window ; but it vanished when he looked in that direction.

” Is mademoiselle a philosopher ?” asked Balsamo, turning to Andre, with a smile.

” I don’t even know what philosophy is,” replied Andre. ” I like what is serious.”

” Ha ! mademoiselle ! ” cried the baron, “then, in my opinion, nothing is more serious than good living like that, I pray you.”

” But mademoiselle does not hate life, I presume ? ” said Balsamo.

” That depends on circumstances,” replied Andre.

” “What a stupid phrase ! ” exclaimed the baron. “Would you believe it, sir, my son once made me, word for word, a similar reply ? “

” You have a son, then, sir ? “

” Oh, mon Dieu ! sir, yes. I have that misfortune. The Chevalier de Taverney, lieutenant in the body-guard of the Dauphin a most excellent young man ! ” And the baron uttered these four words as if he would have crushed each letter in them.

” I congratulate you, sir,” said Balsamo, with a bow.

” Oh, yes ; another philosopher, sir. Upon the honor of a gentleman, it is sickening ! Did he not speak to me the other day about giving the negroes their freedom ? 4 And what about sugar ?’ asked I, ‘for I like my coffee very sweet, and so does Louis XV.’ ‘ Sir,’ replied he, ‘ is it not better to go without sugar than to make a whole

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race suffer ? ‘ ‘A race of monkeys said I, and I think it was saying a great deal in their praise. Well, what do you think he said next ? Ma foi ! there must be something in the air to turn people’s heads ! He replied to me, * that all men were brothers ! ‘ I the brother of a Hottentot ! “

” Oh, that was going rather far ! “

” Hey ! what do you think of that ? I am in great luck with my two children, am I not ? No one will say that I shall be truly represented in ray descendants. The sister is an angel the brother an apostle ! Drink, sir, drink. The wine is detestable ! “

” I think it exquisite ‘ said Balsamo, still looking at Andre.

” Then yon are a philosopher. Take care or I shall order my daughter to preach you a sermon. But no ; philosophers have no religion. Still, religion was a very convenient thing one believed in God and the king, and all was settled. Now people believe in neither one nor the other they must know so much read so much. I prefer never doubting. In my time, our only study was to amuse ourselves to play at faro and dice, and to fence ; we ruined duchesses, and were ruined by opera dancers that was my history to a tittle. The whole of Taverney went to the opera. It is the only thing I regret, for a ruined man is not worth the name of man. You think me old, don’t you ? Well, it is because I am ruined, and live in this den ; because my wig is shabby, and my coat a relic of antiquity. But look at my friend the marshal, with his coats of the newest cut, and his well-curled wig, and his ten thousand a year. He looks young, fresh, and gay, and yet he is ten years older than I, sir ten years, I assure you ! “

” You speak of Monsieur de Eichelieu ? “

”Yes, the same.”

“The duke?”

“Why, faith, not the cardinal, I think I do not go quite so far back. Besides, the cardinal never did what his nephew did ; he did not last so long.”

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“I am surprised that, with such powerful friends at court, you should have left it.”

” Oh, a temporary retreat ! I shall return to it some day or other ; ” and the old baron cast a singular look on his daughter. Balsamo did not allow it to pass unnoticed.

” But,” said lie, ” the marshal might at least advance your son ?”

” My son ! He hates him ‘

” Hates the son of his friend ?”

” He is quite right.”

” And do you say so, sir ? “

” Pardieu ! I tell you he is a philosopher he abhors him ! “

” And Philip returns him the compliment ‘ said Andre, with perfect calmness. ”Remove these things, Legay.”

The young girl, roused from her fixed contemplation of the window, hastened to obey.

” Ah,” said the baron, sighing, “one used to sit after supper till two in the morning ; we had what was fit to eat then, and when the eating was over, we drank. But how drink this stuff when we are not occupied in eating ? Legay, bring a flask of Maraschino, if there be one.

” Do so,” said Andre, for the maid seemed to wait for her orders before obeying those of the baron.

The baron threw himself back in his chair, shut his eyes, and sighed with a grotesque sort of melancholy.

” You were speaking of the Marshal de Richelieu,” said Balsamo, who appeared not inclined to let the conversation drop.

” Yes,” said Taverney, “I was speaking of him ; ” and he hammed an air as melancholy as his sighs.

“If he hate your son, and if he be right to hate him because he is a philosopher, he must retain all his friendship for you, since you are not one.”

” Philosopher ! no, heaven be praised ! “

” You must surely have claims on the administration ? You have served the king ? “

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” Fifteen years. I was the marshal’s aide-de-camp we served together in the campaign of Mahou. Our friendship is of long standing let me see : it began at the siege of Philipsbourg that was in the year 1742 or ‘43.”

” So ‘ said Balsamo, “you were at the siege of Philipsbourg ? I was there myself.”

The old man sat upright in his chair, and stared at the stranger.

” Excuse me ; but what is yonr age, my respected guest? “

” Oh, I am not old,” said Balsamo, holding out his glass to be filled with Maraschino by the fair hand of Andre.

The baron interpreted the stranger’s answer in his own way, and concluded that Balsamo had some reason for concealing his age.

“Sir,” said he, ” allow me to say that you do not ap-pear to be old enough to have served at Philipsbourg that siege took place twenty-eight years ago, and on seem to be about thirty.”

” Oh, anybody might be taken for thirty.”

” Pardieu, then, I wish I could ; it’s just thirty years since I was that age.”

Mile. Andre gazed with increasing and irresistible curiosity on the stranger, for every word revealed him. in a new light.

“You astonish me, sir,” said the baron. “Unless yon are all this time mistaken in the name, and are thinking of some other town than Philipsbourg. 1 should say you were not more than thirty ; would not you, Andre, say the same ? “

” Yes, indeed,” replied she, trying to bear the powerful eye of their guest, but this time again in vain.

” No, no,” said the latter ; ” I mean what I say I mean the famous siege of Philipsbourg, at which the Duke de Richelieu killed his cousin, the Prince de Lixen, in a duel. The affair took place as they were returning from the trenches, on the highroad ; he ran his sword right through his body. I passed just as he expired in the arms of the Prince de Deux Buts ; he was seated

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against the side of a ditch when Richelieu was coolly wiping his sword.”

“On my honor, you amaze me, sir! “said the baron. ” It occurred precisely as you say.”

” You have heard the affair described ? ” asked Balsamo, coolly.

” I was there. I had the honor of being second to the marshal ; he was not marshal then, but that is no matter.”

” Let me think,” said Balsamo, turning and gazing firmly on him. “. Were you not then a captain ?”

” Precisely.”

” You were in the queen’s regiment of light horse, which was cut to pieces at Fontenoy ?”

Perhaps you were at Fontenoy, too ? ” asked the baron, endeavoring to jest.

“No,” replied Balsamo ; “I was dead at that time.”

The baron stared Andre started Nicole crossed herself.

” But to return to what we were saying. You wore the uniform of the light horse, I remember perfectly, at that time ; I saw you as I passed ; you were holding your own and the marshal’s horse while they fought. I went up to you and asked you about the duel you gave me the details.”

“I?”

” Yes, you, pardieu ! I recognize you now ; you bore the title of chevalier they called you the little chevalier.”

” Mordieu !” cried the baron,-all amazed.

” Excuse me that I did not sooner recognize you ; but thirty years change a man. Let us drink the marshal’s health, my dear baron.”

He raised his glass, and drained it to the last drop.

” You saw me there ? ” cried the baron. ” Impossible ! “

” I saw you,” said Balsamo.

” On the highroad ? “

“On the highroad.”

” Holding the horses ? “

“Holding the horses.”

” While the duel was going on ? “

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” As the prince was expiring, I said.”

” Then you are fifty ? “

” I am old enough to have seen what I tell you.”

The baron threw himself back in his chair, but in so ridiculous a pet that Nicole could not help laughing. Andre, instead of laughing, seemed to be in a reverie, her eyes open, and fixed on those of Balsamo. He appeared now to have attained his object. Suddenly rising, he sent from his flaming eyeball two or three lightning flashes full on her. She started, as if from an electric shock. Her arms stiffened, her neck bent, she smiled, yet as if involuntarily on the stranger, then closed her eyes.

” Do you also, mademoiselle, believe I speak falsely when I say that I was present at the siege of Philipsbourg ? “

“No, sir, I believe you,” she articulated, making a violent effort.

” Then it is I who am only a dotard,” said the baron ; ” the gentleman no doubt has come back from the other world.”

Nicole gazed on him with horror.

” Who knows ?” replied Balsamo, in so solemn a tone that he was yet more horrified.

“Well, then, baron,” resumed the old man, “to have done with jesting, are you really more than thirty ? You do not look more.”

” Sir,” said Balsamo, ” would you believe me if I told you a very incredible thing?”

” I do not promise that, “said the baron, looking knowing, while Andre listened with eager attention. ” I am very incredulous, I must candidly warn you.”

” What use is there, then, in putting a question, when you will not listen to my reply? “

” Well, I will believe you. There ! are yon satisfied?”

” Then, sir, I have only to repeat what I have told you, and to add that I knew you personally at the siege of Philipsbourg.”