Belle-Rose — page 372: what you’re looking at

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

THE RUE DE L’ARBRE-SEC, . 36. Claire,** said he to the sergeant, ‘‘you can give it to me while you are fixing your stirrup; I come from there, I will return there.’ ‘*You have been to the abbey?’’ exclaimed Déroute, who, in his present situation of mind, attached importance to the least things. “And it has brought me in twenty-four livres, ’ said the rascal, pitching up the white pieces. Déroute took the peasant by the collar. “What were you doing at the abbey?’’ he exclaimed. ‘In faith,’’ said the frightened_rogue, ‘‘I carried there a. basket and a letter on the part of a gentleman who had come in a carriage. ”’ ‘‘A pale little gentleman dressed in black?”’ ‘“‘Precisely, and he left again as soon as the commis- sion was executed.’’ ‘‘And do you know what was in this basket?’’ ‘It appeared to me that it contained flowers and fratést there came from it a delightful perfume. ’’ ““Flowers and fruits, did you say?”’ “It must have been some gallantry shown by this gen- tleman to some nun.’’ Déroute released the peasant, pulled off the saddle, re- mounted his beast bareback, and flew at headlong speed toward the abbey. The touriére was frightened on seeing him pale as a corpse and let him pass without saying a word. The basket and letter had been received by Madame de Chateaufort, who had amused herself by untying the linen, while some one had gone to inform Suzanne. She found under the white vail the most beautiful flowers and fruits of the season. Genevieve took an orange and opened it. She had recognized Belle-Rose’s handwriting and did not doubt but what the present came from him. Suzanne was at this moment at the other end of the garden with Claudine and the two children; nearly an hour passed be- fore she could be found. When she came up she unsealed Belle-Rose’s letter, pale and trembling with emotion. “Oh, my God!”’ she exclaimed, “‘heis victorious and free! He has seen the king, and the king has ‘made him colonel!’’ A stream of tears escaped from Suzanne’s eyes, and she embraced Genevieve and Claudine. Genevieve began to feel an intolerable warmth in her breast; but joy made her forget her pain. The basket of flowers and fruits was upon a piece of furniture near by. A ray of sunshine _ through the open window fell upon them, covering them with a golden light, Suzanne caressed them with her eyes (C0) Gomicbooks