Belle-Rose — page 271: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

260 THE GARDENER’S NEPHEW. the hands of the gardeners, and, on the day fixed for tho escape, we are ready.”’ “Ah! my ace !’’ exclaimed Suzanne, all at once, ‘‘Mother Scholastique!”’ “Save Hons woleen who can!”’ replied Claudine, turning her head in the direction of the nun. One took one direction, and the other the opposite one. While Suzanne and Claudine were conspiring inside the convent, Déeroute was not losing any time outside. He | pushed at the same time Grippard’s entrance into the police force and his own into the gardens of the good sisters. The same day as that on which took place Suzanne and Claudine’s conference, the half of his wish was real- ized; Grippard came to surprise him at the hostelry of the Roi David in his uniform as member of the police force. — ‘‘Ah!’’ said Déroute, ‘‘you have succeeded, then?’’ ‘It was necessary, as I had sworn it.”’ *“You are obstinate, I can see.’ ‘‘As a Breton, though born in Picardy. But I pe: had some trouble about Tt ‘Really !’’ ‘Since the Villejuif affair, Bouletord has become as sus- picious as a monk, I have had to make four attempts be- fore succeeding. ’’ “So much trouble to obtain this ugly uniform as all that!”’ ‘It has cost me thirty bottles of the best Argenteutt, : seasoned with lies and hams.’ “Ah! you lie, also?”’ ‘ ‘‘Sometimes,’’ said Grippard, with a modest air. ‘‘It is a pretty defect which occasionally serves better than the most virtuous qualities.” ‘“That is true,’’ replied Déroute, philosophically. “And that is what brought me success. ”’ ‘Tell me about it.”’ | | “Oh! itis very simple. At our first dinner he has shown some of his hatred against Belle-Rose; this has made me reflect. At the second dinner that if my captain was a captain, it was through a thousand villanies. ’ “The beggar!’ exclaimed Déroute, applying a furious blow of the fist to the table. ‘At the third dinner,’’ continued Grippard, ‘‘a ise: cent idea suddenly struck me; I confided to him the fact that I hated Belle-Rose with a deathly hatred. Bouletord came near embracing me. I related to him a terrible his- tory from which my captain came out as black as ink. “le kr. ~*~ comicbooks (ee)