Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 343: what you’re looking at

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

TO CONQUER OR DIE. 325 But Monsieur de Pomereux had already placed himself between Belle-Rose and Monsieur de Charny. ‘You are my guest!’’ he exclaimed, in a sonorous voice; “if a hair of your head fell, my honor would be lost. Re- main. I wish it!’’ Monsieur de Pomereux’s tone, action, and look caused Belle-Rose to hesitate and stop. Monsieur de Charny bounded toward him like a tiger. ‘‘Still you? take care!’’ he exclaimed. The count covered the confidant of the minister with his disdainful glance. ‘*Belle-Rose,’’ added he, turning toward his friend, ‘‘you have entered my home safe and sound, you will leave it free and living.’’ ‘‘But your head is in peril!”’ “‘Do you prefer my honor to perish?’’ Anger made Monsieur de Charny tremble. ‘‘Ah! it is a sealed letter which you want!’’ said he, ‘‘vou shall have two of them.”’ Monsieur de Pomereux shrugged his shoulders. ‘If you had drawn an order from your pocket, I would have blown out your brains, that is all,’’ he said to him. ‘‘After me, there is Monsieur de Louvois,’’ replied the favorite. ‘‘After me, there is the Prince de Condé,’’ replied Mon- sieur de Pomereux. Monsieur de Charny looked around him like a wild beast; his eyes rested upon the balcony, and he asked him- self if he would not do well to call the police to his aid to finish everything at a stroke. Déroute divined his thought from the expression of his looks, and leaned against the window with a tranquil air. Monsieur de Charny threw him a viper-like glance and did not move. There was a moment’s silence, during which each one was on the alert. Monsieur de Charny did not wish to go away, fearing that, during his absence, Belle-Rose might escape by a secret exit of the hotel; Monsieur de Pomereux desired on his side to keep Monsieur de Charny in his power, but every- body understood that it was necessary to end this violent ont It was Monsieur de Pomereux who first broke ence. ‘*All that which has just taken place,’’ said he, with a rh perfect ease, ‘fought to prove to us all that each of us here has a firm will. You, Monsieur de-Charny, wish Belle-Rose dead or alive; you, Belle-Rose, are decided to fight to the — =} GOmMmIicbdoo Ss (C(O)