A Gentleman from Gascony: A Romance of the Huguenots — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

SHADOWS BEFORE. 19 Sun, was a gypsy’s van, with the word Gelosi painted in huge characters upon its white canvas sides. Close to the van and out of earshot of the joyous revel- lers stood two men, looking on with anything but sym- pathy at the general merry-making. Their haughty bearing and rich attire indicated that they belonged to the nobility, as indeed was the case. One was a man of perhaps thirty-five, of somewhat stalwart build and with jet-black hair and mustache. While his features were regular and even handsome, there was something in his expression which would have warned a student of Lavater to beware crossing his will. Supremely selfish, crushing ruthlessly all that threatened to cross his ambition, and yet knowing well at need how to veil his thoughts and purposes beneath the suavest of manners, the Vicomte Hector de Vrissac stood high at court in the graces of the king and the queen mother, Catherine de Medicis. The latter, shrewd and crafty woman that she was, believed that every man has his price, and she had long since discov- ered that De Vrissac could be depended on for almost any sort of work, provided his services were properly recompensed. The Vicomte’s companion was a mere youth, not more than twenty, but of a muscular figure which told of considerable strength, and a bright, handsome, win- ning countenance, in spite of the slight marks of dissi- pation which a life of careless pleasure-seeking had already imprinted upon it. As the little red eyes of Sergeant Goujon roamed restlessly here and there about the square, they chanced to rest upon the figures of the two noblemen near the gypsy’s van. And then a sudden transformation took place. Annibal drew himself up with all the-puffed-up GComiGchbooks CO