Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 230: what you’re looking at

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

214 A SCENE UPON THE OCEAN. gentleman from Ireland, whom Bouletord does not know,”’ he added, turning to Cornelius, ‘‘you will run to the police and ask them to come to your aid. It is sufficient to ask them to be sure that they will do nothing. Quick, they are coming!’’ All this had taken less time in the doing than it has taken in the narrating. Belle-Rose and Déroute squatted behind the wall, and Cornelius, who had grasped the sergeant’s idea, ran toward Bouletord. The police came up ata gallop, Bouletord at the head. His face was red and his eye inflamed. ‘‘Hey! monsieur,’’ exclaimed Cornelius, as soon as he was in hearing distance, ‘‘an awkward postilion has just overthrown my carriage. Can you not aid me to raise it?”’ Bouletord looked in the direction of the carriage. The horses had their heads turned in his direction; he had no suspicion. ‘‘We shall see on returning, my gentleman,’’ said he; and he passed like a thunderbolt with his men. Belle-Rose and Déroute leaped from their hiding-place. Déroute laughed with all his heart. ‘*Decidedly,’’ said he, ‘‘this poor Bouletord is not made for the trade he exercises; he is a lamb.”’ ‘*Let us push on,’’ said Cornelius. ‘*‘No. If Bouletord is a lamb as regards intelligence, this lamb has ears. At the next relay, they will tell him that they have seen neither carriage nor cavalier, he will turn back, and he will surprise us in the very middle of the road; it would be a bad ending for a good beginning.”’ ‘*Déroute is right,’’ said Belle-Rose; ‘‘let us permit Bouletord to keep on and let us take to the left.’’ Now, after the escape of Belle-Rose in the environs of Villejuif, this is what had happened: The reader knows that the police officer and his two acolytes had remained in the carriage, the doors of which had been carefully locked. ‘T'wo or three hours after, some market-gardeners passing along the road heard groans coming from this abandoned carriage; they broke in the panels and de- livered the prisoners. Bouletord, mad with anger, imme- diately asked the officer if he was not going to set out in pursuit of the fugitives. The officer, stupefied by the ad- venture, could hardly make answer; it was necessary to see, to wait, to inform one’s self. Bouletord manifested a keen impatience. ‘‘Well!’’? said he to the officer, ‘‘give me your commis- sion and I will go alone.”’ =) (E(0) i¢books. co