Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

THE SPRING OF 1672. 333 Belle-Rose encountered the eyes of Déroute, which shone like burning coals. ‘The court is warned,’’ continued the count; ‘‘the king will quit St. Germain on the 27th of the month; the wagons are already on the way, the relays prepared, and the musketeers have taken the front rank. The rendezvous is at Charleroi.’’ ‘¢A¢ Charleroi!’’ exclaimed Déroute, all of whose recol- lections awoke at this name. ‘‘T should wish to see you there, Belle-Rose,’’ continued Monsieur de Pomereux; ‘‘the campaign promises to be beautiful; it would seem more so if we made it together.”’ Belle-Rose pressed his hand without replying, but in such a rough manner that the count did not doubt for a moment but what the captain had taken an extreme reso- lution. ‘Tf you have need of me,’’ he added, with a significant smile, ‘‘you will find me till to-morrow at Chantilly.”’ When Monsieur de Pomereux had left the abbey, Belle- Rose turned to Déroute. ‘‘Déroute,’’ he said to him, in a deep tone of voice, ‘‘we must leave.’’ ‘‘ At last!’’ exclaimed the sergeant, explosively. “‘T do not yet know how we will leave,’’ continued Belle- Rose, ‘‘but I do know that we shall leave.”’ ‘‘To leave is nothing, to arrive is everything,’’ observed the sergeant. Cornelius came up just then; he saw from the air of the nro interlocutors that they were discussing a grave ques- ion. ‘*®h! Monsieur Irishman,’’ exclaimed Déroute, who thus styled Cornelius in his joyous moments, ‘‘it is a plot which i3 brewing between us. I stake a crown against a sou that you will join us.”’ ‘*I¢ is a question of leaving,’’ added Belle-Rose. “*T was thinking of it,’’ said Cornelius. The two brothers pressed each other’s hand. Grippard was called to the council; if he was not very strong in invention, he was prompt and determined in execution. ‘‘We mount on horseback and gallop to the frontier!’’ exclaimed Grippard, enthusiastically. They were still discussing when Monsieur de Charny’s carriage stopped before the abbey. _That somber gentle- man descended from it and made his way toward that Gomicboo S) (C(O) -3