Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 193 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

— ——- ee — LO > The baron went a few steps and then stopped ‘uneasily. ‘“*But I must warn you,” he said “ that he is @ brave man, and in danger of his life every day. Possibly he may attack you thinking you a police spy.” Gabriel smiled, loosened his sword in the sheath 1or he was in uniform and observed quietly: “Tet him try it. If you have any further objections, baron, state them ina hurry, for I am getting tired.” The baron went on a few more steps, and at last stopped, ‘“‘T cannot do it—I dare not. Take your sword and run me through. I cannot be a traitor and betray her and him too.” Gabriel could not use violence to an old man, though he felt angry. On the contrary, he could not help a certain aot for the poor baron. So he said, more kindly: ‘‘T do not want you to betray any one. Show me the door, and let me find the rest for my- self.’ ‘Tt lies before you,” answered the baron, in a low, stifled voice. ‘I cannot—” ‘‘Show me how to open it, you mean?” “cc Yes.” ** You do not need to. Leave me here and go back; although I must say that I think you would do better to precede me, so as not to alarm your concealed friend. Tell him that I don’t want to hurt him, but he can no longer make the emperor’s palaces a home for his con- spiracies.” ‘*T dare not tell him,” murmured the baron. “‘Heisaterribleman. He might even accuse me of betraying him.” ‘‘In that case, I. suppose your hidden friend is a dangerous customer. Thank you for the warning. Has he fire-arms?” The baron made no answer, except: ' “For Heaven’s sake, come away.” Gabriel, instead of paying heed, was all the while examining the wall in front of him, which was ee smooth masonry, with 7 carefully-finished joints. The on watched him furtively till he placed his hand on the secret spot, when one of the stones shook and gave way inward, disclos- ng the handle of a door, with a lock and key- He turned the handle and beheld the door open before him, disclosing a flight of ore leading upward into the thickness of the wall. << CHAPTER XII. ' THE RECLUSE. - Tre Baron de Belleville groaned: “‘T did not show you. Your blood be on your own head. He will kill you.” Gabriel laughed. ‘(In that case, it may be as well to proceed sword in hand,” he observed. So saying, he drew his sword. * How do you — this door from the other . gide, baron?’ he asked, quietly. The baron snarled: ‘‘Find out. Jl not show you.” The young man looked and saw an ordinary handle, while there seemed to be a window somewhere above the staircase, for the light streamed down from above. Without further hesitation the young man walked up the stairs, observing as he went that 3 the passage was built in the thickness of one of ’ the tower walls, and only wide enough for one x rson at a time to pass. bony At the top it entered a corridor of the same narrow dimensions, and he began to perceive . how it was lighted, for another staircase was at >" the other end, and there were several round ‘windows in the wall. ‘He remembered these windows, outside, as panels in the wall, without any glass, and found that the passage ran all round one of the towers of the palace, in the thickness of the —s — ~ ~ - 2 ye > al). It led upward, and therefore must end in the high pitched tower roof, which every one had ‘. thought to be only the abode of owls, bats or ; } jackdaws. On he went, three or four times round the tower, till he had nearly reached the eaves, when he heard some one call down the stairs: ‘‘ Who's that? Is it thou, my mother?” Gabriel made no answer but to cough and wheeze like a fat person, and the voice called Be Bead back: ag | “Oh, itis you, baron. Come up.” Gabriel went on up another flight of stairs, saw an open door before him, opening into an immense dark loft, which was only lighted, low down, by small bull’s-eye windows under the eaves of the roof. | In the loft sat at a table, writing, a man, who had a pair of pistols lying before him by his t : et ; apers. * The face of this man was long and pale. He had dark eyes, with an eager, restless look in . them, and he was clean shaven, with a long, | pointed chin and thin lips closely comp N The pale man looked up, saw the figure of Gabriel, sword in band, and immediately put down his pen and laid bis hands on his pistols. me eee ~~ ee ——_ + —- - eee eee ee oe The Man in Red. <p = eg Oe es Contrary to the young officer’s expectations, he | ‘‘ I could have killed him ten times over, spite did not fire, but remained seated, watching the intruder out of his dark eyes as Gabriel ad- vanced toward the table. W hen he was within a few feet, the man at the table cocked both pistols and said sharply: ‘‘Halt! You’re near enough.” Gabriel halted and took the task of a ques- | tioner into his own hands. ‘Who are you, and what are you doing here, monsieur?”’ he said, The pale man scanned him coolly from head to foot, answering: ‘*That is for me to ask. Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?” ‘Your room, indeed! This palace belongs to the French nation, and I am a French offi- cer.’ ‘* Where’s your commission?” asked the pale man, coolly. Gabriel could not help smiling. ‘**Upon my word, you have the impudence of the devil himself.” ‘On the contrary, it is you who are the im- pudent one,” retorted the stranger. ‘I think the best thing 1 can do with you is to shoot you down.” ‘You can do that if you please,” returned Gabriel, sternly; ‘‘ but you will give me the right to tell you with my last breath that you are a coward. I have no pistols; yours are othe pall odd © pale man nodded approvingly. “You have courage,” Sereaidi pa “ You are not afraid to die. I donot need to take a istol to you. Putdown your sword, and I will ay down my pistols.” Gabriel hesitated, and the pale man said: “Oh, very well. I will set the example. I am not afraid of you. See,” He uncocked his pistols and laid them down, when Gabriel at once sheathed his sword. Then the stranger arose to his feet and showed that he was very tall and thin, dressed in black, with the appearance of a notary. ‘* And now, monsieur,” he said, ‘‘ let us both be clearly understood. Are you an officer of the police or not?” ‘*] am not,” returned Gabriel, emphatically. “At the same time I am an officer of the emperor, and it is my duty to ask you what you are doing here?” The man in black scanned him from head to foot, rather menacingly. ** And if I decline to answer?” he said. ‘‘In that case, monsieur, it will be my duty to have you arrested.” “T thought it would come to that, In that case, too, monsieur, allow me to remind you that a are in my power, and that I have only to kill you to be perfectly safe.” ‘*'You are wrong, monsieur.” ‘*] should like to hear your reason for think- ing me wrong.” ‘*In the first place, Iam a high officer of the a palace on a day’s leave of absence. If [I fail to return to-morrow morning to the Tuileries I shall be asked after, and it will be found that I went to Fontainebleau. Conse- quently I shall be searched for.” Toe man in black compressed bis lips. ‘*They can never find a . “You think not. You imagine that the secrets of these passages are unknown to any but the Chouan party—” ‘The Legitimist party,” interrupted the stranger, sharply. ‘‘Confine your epithets to courtesy, monsieur.” : ‘Very well; Legitimist, then. You think no one knows of this chamber but yourself and your friends. Yet you see I have found out the secret.” ‘*That is true, but if I kill you it will be as much a secret as ever.” .““ Hardly. My death, if you kill me—and I do not say you cannot—will be laid at the door of my friend, the Baron de Belleville, whom I| visited, and he will be arrested and compelled to confess.” The man in black looked angrily at him, as he snarled: ‘* The baron is a fool. of him.” ‘‘On the contrary, 1 found the door to this passage by myself.” ‘‘So'much the worse for you. find another.” ‘‘Again you are wrong, monsieur. You cannot assassinate me without a noise that will be heard in the grounds, and inquiry will be drawn to the place from which it comes, The end will be that the architects will come here, and by hunting up old plans in the archives will open all these secret passages to the light of day. You see, therefore, that there is but one course for you to pursue. You must leave this place at once and forever.” The man in black laughed sneeringly. ‘* Easier said than done. I do not intend to go away.” _“You cannot stay. In fact, I cannot, for the life of me, see any object you can have in stay- ing, except to enact the mummery, of which you are so proud. If you are plotting to assas- sinate the emperor—” ‘Il am not,” interrupted the other, sharply, You got the secret out You will never | | | of his guards, had I wished.” ‘Then since you are so proud of your power to do 50, it is my duty to deprive you of that wer. ‘*Enough has been said on that head, mon- sieur. Now teil me your name,” ‘* When you have told me yours.” ‘“‘It is unnecessary. I know who you are | already. You are the Count of Friedland. _ fight fairly. I am—no matter who I am. sieur, I will myself. I wi wear a sword. Yonder is another. Now, mon- ee you an equal chance with ll not touch these pistols. You We will If you bad been a police officer, _ you would have been a dead man long ago. It is only because you wear the uniform of the army that I have spared you so far. I love the old colors. Now take care of yourself,” As he spoke, he went to a chair, on which la a sword, drew it and came forward on Gabriel, who was thus compelled to defend himself. The stranger was as tall as Gabriel, but his _ slender figure did not promise anything like the strength of the young cuirassier, Nevertheless, the moment the swords crossed, _ Gabriel recognized that bis foe was even a more powerful man than himself, with muscles of steel and an active hardihood, to which he could make no pretensions. Accustomed to find his own wrist the most powerful, he was amazed to find his weapon nearly forced from his hand, in the first parade of the man in black, while only a leap back saved him from a return thrust through the bedy. The stranger kept advancing on him slowly, with small motions of his sword, till Gabriel, Count of Friedland, who had never met his match till then, found himself driven back the whole breadth of the loft, without finding a chance for a thrust, till he broke away with a leap and made a fierce attack, striving to close in. And then, still more to his amazement and mortification, he found himself disarmed at the third pass, while the man in black tripped him up with a supple strength that left him no sort of chance, and there lay the Master of the Horse, half-stunned, on his back, while the foot of the man in black was on his chest, and the int of a sword pricking the flesh right over is heart. Gabriel thought his last hour was come, but he looked fiercely up, for all that, facing his death like a man, and the stranger called out: . “Is ita fair fight or not? Have I taken a foul advantage? Say that I have, and you can -_. pe sword again?” riel lay lookin mly u ‘“‘Take my life,” sry Y You've beaten me fairly. One of us had to die,” Then to his surprise, this strange man in black withdrew his foot, threw away bis sword, and walked away, while the young man slowly rose to his feet, aud said in a low tone: ‘* Why do you not kill me? It is your right and privilege, man to man.” The man in black had taken a seat at the table and was watching him in a singularly keen fashion, swinging one foot to and fro, and humming a low tune, ‘‘I don’t care to kill you,” he said coldly. ‘Had you denied my victory, I would have conquered you a second time and killed you; but I cannot kill a brave man.” ‘‘Then what are Dye going to do?” asked the young man, puzzled by this 2 ea oo behavior. ‘Ihave told you what I must do. It is my duty. I cannot flinch from it, except I am unable to rform it.” . ‘* You are unable to perform it,” retorted the man in black sharply. ‘* You owe me your life. Itis mine to take if I will. If you inform any one of these passages and so lead to my ar- rest, you area man of ingratitude, a coward, unfit tobea French soldier. Go now from this place. Doasyou please. Do your duty as you call it, if you think best. Isball not stir from here. This palace was not built by your canaille of the French people, but by the King of France. You have no right in its secrets. You have obtained them by a trick, frightening an old man. Now add treachery to your other crimes, like him you serve. I have spared your life. Send a company to take mine if you will. I tell you I shall not go away.’ His eyes seemed to shoot forth flany. at Gabriel, while he spoke, and the young man hardly knew what to do at first. Finally he picked up his sword by the blade and tendered it to the man in black, ‘‘There is only One way out of this dilemma that I see,” quoth Gabriel quietly. ‘* Take your right and kill me. We both think we are right. Neither will yield. Kill me, then. If you do not, I must do my duty.” | The man in black looked at him in the same keen fasbion as before and took the sword. “If I do not kill you,” he said, ‘‘ what will ou do?’ ‘‘T shall go tothe Tuileries and inform the em- peror of these secret passages from which his enemies have practiced on him with a pretended specter.” The man in black laughed sneeringly, y ebooks. com <€om