Beadle's Dime Library No. 157 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

handsome fellow, and he eyed Gros Pierre in a singular way, saying: ‘* So you are the man, are you? Well, I shall known you again.” Gros Pierre returned his stare with interest, and his countenance clouded. He looked quickly from the dark man to his neighbor who resembled him very much, but . features rather sharper, and drew back among his comrades, muttering: ‘“* How like! How accursedly like!” Further conversation was cut off by the en- trance of a haughty, sarcastic-looking person, in full court dress, who came out of a recess concealed by a curtain, advanced with a rapid step toward them and said spuaquely ‘*Well, where are you? How many are there? Are you neaoy to undertake the job or not? Who's your leader?” The dark man drew back among the rest and pointed to Vidocg. ‘There’s our captain, monsieur. He will treat for us all.” There was something in the.air of authorit of the sarcastic gentleman that seemed to. que all the ruffians of the party. Even Gros Pierre stood gaping at him. But Vidocq did not seem to be at allin a humor to be awed, for he stood up boldly. ‘* Here we are, monsieur, ten of us,.ready to go any where; - but we must know what we are to get. PBS ttot told you. A hundred thousand francs and a free pardon for the past.” ‘‘ That is not enough, monsieur.” ‘* Not enough?” The. haughty gentleman seemed to be struck dumb by the presumption. ‘“‘And how much do you gentlemen of the road consider a fair price, if I may venture to ask,” he retorted sarcastically, ‘‘if that is not enough ?” ‘In the first place security that we are not breaking the law again,” answered the robber coolly. ‘‘ Promises are easily made, but money down never lies.” “You want money down?’ demandei the gentleman hastily. ‘‘ You can have f as earnest; but not unless you submit to be fol- lowed by a guard, to see you don’t cheat me.” ‘** And how are we to know you will not cheat us?’ asked Vidocq. ‘Tell us what we are to do first, and we’ll answer.” ’ “You are to go to number 387, Rue de la France,” said the gentleman impatiently, when Vidocg interrupted him. ‘‘ The house of Monsieur Gohier. sieur Barras, what you are at.” Barras—for it was that ambitious and carp- ing Director, who had been the first to raise Bonaparte, and now wished to pull him down again—frowned neg one “*Don’t presume to interrupt me. You will gothere. There is a dinner-party to-night, ee the person you are to.arrest will be there. You will know him by his being followed by a Mameluke, who acts as chasseur to his carriage. He is.a small thin man wearing a general’s uni- form. You will range yourselves on the pave- ment as he comes out, and put on your masks, ape night rk, and no one will notice you. y : r will have a close e in waiting. You will seize the general as he comes out, place him in the cnurings, and drive away.” ‘Excuse me,” obseryed Vidoeg, coolly, ‘‘ but ten men cannot drive away in one e, . Monsieur Barras.” “Fool, you don’t want to, The ten are to sake resistance my a to kill the Mame- e if he tries to fight. Shoot him down. at one badly, ‘Three will put the general in the carriage, handcuff him, there. One will be on the x with my secre- ery, who vill drive; another two behind. That es six. The other four cover the re- I see, Mon- ble. Te the s , put away your masks and disperse. he Four work is done come here separately. T all be in waiting, and you your mene Cpe oe thousand francs each. Is that wey Vidocq hesitated, when the dark man cried: “‘ Accept it, captain. Monsieur Barras is very liberal. Accept it.” : treat till the carriage is out of sight. It is dark and f : igh ht to be no sort of trou- Barras smiled like one well pleased, and Vi-— docq said: ; ; ‘Very well; if AR i will take the risk, we will do it. ere shall we go now?” ** Out by the back way. Separate mre and reunite at the house. ‘The carriage w be in waiting for you there.” ) nn 3 7 wed, and the procession filed out of the splendid room into the dark corridor. When they were again in the gardens of the Luxem- not a and ere: ae you take we street; asse and Bide next; Plomier and Riquet he next. We four will take the other two. Meet at the house.” ran bis arm familiarly through that of the dark | 4 along, brother. I want a word with you on the way.” him, and keep him. him ee ee eee — —_— —— Mourad, the Mameluke. CHAPTER XX. VIDOCQ. THEY went silently along the dark streets. In front Vidocg and St. George; behind them Lafangere and Mourad the Tanke, the lat- ter dressed in French citizen’s clothes and muf- fled in a cloak, but wearing his terrible scimitar, as always. Vidocqg seemed to be trying to make up his mind to say something, and St. Geooge waited. Presently the robber said in a confidential way: os Well, you ought to be very grateful to me.” “ Why?” asked St. George, quietly. ‘For not exposing you.’ ‘You could not have us.” “Yes, I could. Barras did not know you, yet you have orders signed by him, according to his secretary’s story. Lafanzere, who was behind, chuckled. “He is a deep man, this Vidocg. What an agent of secret police he would make.” St. George smiled slightly. He very rarely laughed; but. he seemed to be amused. ‘* How do you know thesecretary is notin the game we play, on our side?” Vidocq stopped and began to laugh in his turn “That idiot? You would pot trust him. No. You have forged the orders, and, on my soul, you must be a deep one to do it so well.” ‘*Monsieur Vidocg,” observed. the creole in the same even tone in which he always spoke, ‘“‘] think you are a great fool, after all.” ‘Why? L have not made a mistake.” ‘‘'Yes, you have, a great one, and one that bas lasted for at least ten years; for 1 don’t think you are over thirty.” | Vidocq seemed to be struck by this remark. ‘*] don’t understand why you think I am a fool, citizen,” he said thoughtfully. “ Because, with your head, you might be something better than a mere robber, with the galleys in prospect as soon as the country be- comes settled. You think you could have ex- os us to Barras? Do you know who we are?” ‘Supporters of Bonaparte. I remember you of old though the others did not.” “And suppose you had exposed us, as you say, to Barras, do you know what would have happened at once?’ ‘Oh, a fight of course. But we were two to one, you know.” ‘* Precisely; but you are not aware that we were waiting for that very thing, and that we should have beaten you to a certainty.” Vidocq stopped again. ‘Ob come, my little man,” he exclaimed angrily, ‘‘you don’t suppose you three could have beaten us? Why, I, myself, would match any one of you, and my men are hard nuts to crack too—old fighters.” ‘“* Monsieur Vidocq,” pursued the creole, as calmly ob rcs. “you do not know that you are covered now by the muzzles of two pistols; and that, had you said a word to Barras in the saloon, three of you would have fallen at the first fire. .We had you picked out, and each of us had his pistol cocked under his cloak,” Vidocgq looked astenished.. “T never thagaht of that. Where did you learn that trick? ane mind: itis a good one, you will ad- mit,” | “Yes: but after all, there would still have been four to three.” @- ‘‘And those three masters all. See here. _There is an alley yonder, witha k.mp. Let us come up there. will wager you five francs any one of us three can disarm you at the third Will you try?” idocq looked at him quizzically. ** And what for? I don’t care to be made a fool of. But what puzzles me is this; what do i me to do, and how can you make me my word to Monsieur Barras? To be 3, all the fat is in the.fire, now; but why are you falking to me and trying to make an honest man of mef” ‘‘ Because we need your help. You see I am frank, Monsieur ss I want you to come with us and see General Bonaparte. docq started violently. © | ‘See General ! I see the of Arcola! But he would We at me. AndI have just consented ‘to try and kidna 7 ‘‘So much the more n for you to see ~~ for “4 is the only mon in France who - ve you the assurance oO ®) a a on the secret police when order is ME ay in France. You were born to bea detective; for be have fa ed our plans in a moment, hen we had deceived Barras and made eh a ge several orders without looking at em. . | Vidocg laid his hand on St, ’s ; : Did he sign them truly—on eae tary is she 19 could do it so easily, There is a woman in it somewhere. I know it.” St. George smiled; Lafangere chuckled. “He is a born detective, that Vidocg,” said the Gascon. ‘“‘ What a shame he is only a thief! Whata shame!” St. George echoed the sentiment. ‘Truly it isa shame; and yet he may bea great man in his line.” Vidocg shook his head. ‘No, you don’t know anything about it. You are not one of us. Didn’t you notice how they all suspected you the moment they saw you? You bave not the air of thieves. You can’t talk their ADEBSES. And you don’t know what is the pe eal He shuddered slightly. ‘‘ No, itis impossible. Every thief in France knows me, and were I to turn traitor they would take a horrible revenge.” **‘You mean they would kill you?’ “* W berever I was seen, without remorse.” ‘Very well. So shall we, to-night, if you do not at once consent to come with us.” As he spoke the robber heard tbe click of pistol locks all round him and the sweat started out on his forehead. He felt all the more afraid, because he was al- ready half-hearted in the cause which he had undertaken. “Listen,” continued the creole in the same even, passionless- tone, ‘‘ you know as wellas I that Paris counts a dozen murdersa night and that not one of them is ever di:covered in these times. We are three to one, and the Seine is at the end of this street. We are, as you have said, of the Bonaparte party, and it is life or death with us to night. We ean foil your plot now by killing you and then setting on the others as they come up in pairs. They suspect nothing. But that is not all we want.” Vidocq wiped away the sweat. ‘What do you want then?” _ His voice was hoarse and low as he made the inquiry. t. George took him by the arm and said ina low voice: ‘* We want to arrest Barras and Gohier.” Vidocq started violently and then remained perfectly silent for a minute wiping away the sweat that gathered on his forehead from time to time and to all appearances thinking in- tensely. At last he uttered a eae Sa. “It’s a grand scheme! Heavens! You are a master! iam almost tempted to join you, but lam afraid.” “ Afraid of what?” * Of the others. They heard me take the of- ‘The others must join us.” ‘‘ They will not do it. At least all will not.” “Who will not?’ “Gros Pierre for one. The man with the brand. He is a violent Red.” “Ido not want him,” answered St. George quietly. “In fact I am going to kill him this very night.” ae Wh ad “* Because he is the man who killed my father on the 2d of Sages.’ Vidocg looked at him keenly. : “What! are you an aristocrat?” ‘* As far from it as can be, but I cannot hear a man boast of killing my father and not re- ve his death.” ry eee ** Then your name ‘“* How do you know that?” bits ‘*'We all know Gros Pierre. He has told the story a hundred times of how he revenged the dishonor of his nye a a, the Marquis of t. George. But that is a faniily affair. Settle t as you please, citizen. There is one friend you would have among them, however.” * And who is that?” ‘““Casse Tete. He used to be in the Army of aot but deserted since Bonaparte went to ery good. He will peing is others over. But it is you we want first. ill you join us or not? ember that France is on the eve of a change and that to-night is the crisis. To- morrow is the Eighteenth Brumaire and when sun | sets Bonaparte will be master of ‘“* Or dead, citizen.” St. George ed his shoulders. “Or Ww signifies it? You cannot take him to-night, as you see. The question re- von bine fale Bes, your wick btmerered, ou have y ot is t General Bona has not dined at the house of Director 80. money, or will yo | with the ruler of France by delivering him his enemies bound hand and foot?” “You have. a confounded way of eeping- Where can I see this General Boriepasts ** At once, if you desire it. But—” “BE Tas yon Twi nt cane tet ‘But if I were you I w not come him in the attitude of @ man who seeks a bar- “You are right. Well, suppose I join you, Pb PaBal yt “The woman that fooled Bottot? No man ' what am I to do?” Goim Ebooks (E(0)