Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 193 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

’ The Manin ed. Ss ——_— ee ee ee . —.- -—_-- -— + ) = ) eo face of the emperor, who is sleeping like a child. He whispers to Roustan: ‘‘ Have you ever seen The Man in Red before last night? Roustan nods gravely. ‘He came first the night before the corona- tion. He came before Ansterlitz; he came be- fore Jena; he came at Tilsit. We have never yet caught him,” CHAPTER II, FONTAINEBLEAU. Tor battle of Wagram was over; the Aus- trian eagle bad drooped his wings for the third time, and the Emperor of the French was un- disputably the first man in Europe. The win- ter of 1809 bad passed away, and with it a great change came over Paris and France. On the 15th of December, the Emperor of the French and the Empress Josephine were divorced by mutual consent; and, a few weeks afterward, amid the boom of cannon, a new empress entered Paris, the daughter of the Hepebures, be spring of 1810 passed away, and the sum- mer opened with peace brooding over France, and Europe tranquil. The Spaniards were troublesome, to be sure, and the English held the seas; but they were regarded as of small importance, and the emperor did not leave his capital. France, ric oene one and triumphant, was at peace. It was these happy days, when all the ‘world seemed to be at the feet of the Man of ‘Destiny; when successful soldiers were made counts, dukes and princes; when Murat was King of Naples, Davoust Prince of Eckmuhl, Ney Duke of Elchingen; Joseph and Louis Bonaparte Kings of Spain and Holland; when all ared secure, and a new dynasty per- rianentiy established in France, that a gentle- man, who was riding from the forest of Fon- tainebleau toward the palace, followed by a mounted servant, suddenly checked his horse aad cjaealated: ‘* By heavens, I had forgotten.” He was a handsome gentleman, in a rich and pietureeque dress, half military, but belonging te me arm of the service. An expert im matters of ceremonial at the French court would have interpreted his uni- form at once. It belonged te the previous cen- tury, with its velvet ceat, square skirted and heavily laced with gold, its three-cornered hat, straigat sword and huge boots; while the wolf's head, on the buttons, and embroidered on the eorners of the saddle-cloth, announced the gen- tleman to be, in all probability, Grand Louvetier ef the Court—in plain English, Head Wolf-killer ef France. The office was one of honor and high pay, with the minimun of duty to be per- formed; and the learnedin such matters would have told you thas the present Grand Louvetier —in 1810—was Gabriel, Count of Friedland, Soueta: of Cavalry, commanding the Cuiras- siers of the Impe : And it was Count Gabriel who suddenly said, that og « as he st horse: ‘By heavens, I had forgotten.” He was not speaking to any one in particular; but his attendant, a tall, bony man, with black eyes and a white mustache, nevertheless answered: . “I can £° back for it, my general, if you will tell me what it is.” Count Gabriel smiled. “Tt is nothing, Casse Tete. But to-day is the Fourth of July.” Casse Tete looked mystified. ** Yes, my general. That goes without saying. To-morrow night will be the anniversary of Wagram, that is, of the crossing. Ah, my general, we had no chance that day; the infan- try had it ull to themselves. Even the old young Count Gabriel, who was exactly one year old on the day Wagram was fought. So Casse Tete, when he bad shuddered, went | from the little church at Pratzen, on, as if to change the subject; left his master, except to act as dry nurse to the | field and the fog well enough. He came out of the fog on a sudden, when all the men were asleep, just as the last stroke of twelve sounded Le Grenou- ihe didn’t see him distinctly, but he heard his ‘But I don’t wonder your honor remembers | voice and saw his shadow by the fire. The em- the day; for the little count will be two years | peror was sitting in a camp chair, nodding over old to-morrow. Eh, but we gave him a fine salute on his last birthday, my general. Eighty guns at a salvo, and all shotted too.” But still the count did not seem to care for the reminiscences. He had not moved on yet, but sat on his horse, slapping his boot with his riding-whip, and when Casse Tete had finished, he resumed: ‘ These stories, Casse Tete, about The Man in Red. Tell me what you have heard.” . Casse Tete hesitated. ‘Indeed, my general, they are nothing. These grenadiers are great drinkers, They take Cognac as if it were Bordeaux, and then see all sorts of things. Besides, it was only old Gavroche, and he’s the worst liar in the First Regiment.” And it was old Gavroche told you of this Man in Red?” ‘Well, yes, my general, He was one of them; but Jean Marie Buvard, whom the boys call Grenouille [the frog] because he croaks so: he had a story too.” ‘* And what were these stories, Forton?” Casse Tete stared. His master had not called him Forton for many a long year, though that was his real name. Hercule Forton had been his appel- lation on the muster rolls, but every one acquiesced in his nickname of Casse Tete [head- breaker], because it suited his grim, hard hit- as nature so well. herefore, when Count Gabriel said: ‘‘ What were these stories, Forton?” the ex-cuirassier knew he was in earnest, so he saluted in the old style and answered: : ‘*Gavroche told me that he was on guard here, in this very place, my general, that is, at the Palace of Fontainebleau, a few days before the eorenation, when the emperor came here to ass one night, and that on that night The Man n Red came, just at the last stroke of twelve, him without heeding his challen:e, and isappeared when Gavroche sent his bayonet through the place where the ghost was, & mo- ment before.’ ‘* Is that all?’ asked the count, as Casse Tete hesitated. ‘* No, my general. Gavroche says that the thing vanished in the direction of the emperor’s room, and be roused the guard, thinking it some trick of the Jacobins or Reyalists. He could not leave his post, but the corporal came run- en and followed the direction he had given im— ‘** And what did he find?’ ‘‘ Nothing, my general, and that is the queer part of it. Instead of that, comes out the em- — in a towering passion, asking if the Old uard is on duty, or a lot of green conscripts, that they can’t ‘madmen out of his ver bedchamber. And then he orders the grounds searched, and no one is to be found.” And here Casse Tete uneasily. “* And is that all?’ asked the count. ‘‘No, my general. The rest came to Gay- roche through Roustan, the Mameluke.” “ And what said he?” | “Well, my general, Gavroche knew that, if any knew what passed, it would be the man who always sleeps by the emperor’s door; and Roustan will take Cognac as well as any one, though be says his religion forbids him to drink wine, Gavroche got bim to join him in a bottle, and got out of him all he knew.” ‘‘ And what was that?’ ‘‘He said that he was wakened. by voices, and found the see gid talking to The Man in Red, who looked like the Oid One himself, what | | | meet again. the embers, all alone, when The Man in Red _ stood beside him and said to bim: ‘ Ho! ho! we I told you we should. You have _taken my advice and have paoapee nt Then _ the emperor said something Le Grenouille did _not catch, and The Man in Red laughed. ‘ Ho! bho! as proud as ever. | : ' ' i | You did it all out of your own brain. But for all that, beware. I am not to be defied forever. You have risen high, but you shall fall low.’ And then the em- peror called out: ‘Sentry, shoot this madman,’ and Gavroche fired, so that he roused every one near him. But he says he only heard a laugh, and The Man in Red was gone, no one knew where.” Count Gabriel was puzzled. ‘‘ A strange story, Casse Tete. How does this man penetrate the guard?” “That is not for me to,ysay, my general. There are some say he is the devil, some the ghost of the Duc d’Enghien, who was shot; but all agree in one thing. He never comes to the emperor save on the eve of some great change, and no one bas ever seen him who does not long to the Guard.” asse Tete seemed to take a certain pride in the specter as appertaining to the Guard, and Count Gabriel rode slowly and in a brown study toward the palace, thinking over all the legends and wondering who could be this mys- terious visitor. That it was a ghost or devil he could not be- lieve; but if it were a man, bow could he come and go with such secrecy in the midst of the watchful veterans of the Guard? Thinki over all sorts of explanations, and resolved, i ever he had a chance, to ferret out the mystery, he passed through the village and rode up to the palace, in which he bad a fine suit of apart- ments by virtue of bis office, and where his young wife and child were staying. , The rest of the palace was empty, save fora few other pensionaries of the court, such as de Belleville, Grand Forester, a relic of the old regime, Madame la Marquise de 8t. Jean, ex-Mistress of the Robes to the ex-empress, and one or two others; for the emperor wes away at the Tuileries, and his apartments were oe up aa “ee eine unt Gabriel was greeted warmly his pretey black-eyed wife, who held up Gobriet unior, with the remark; ‘* See, monsieur, his eyes are more like mine every Com, but bis hair is the same as that of Capiain Blancbec, as they used to call you. It grows whiter every day, I think. Have you heard the news, monsieur?” ‘‘ What nev s, Inez?” “My faith! that his majesty is not coming Houle wablean “a Pwr whens ‘4 Sion im so much. adame St, Jean late. She had set her heart on asking the 4 empress to give her a place.” ‘You don’t share her eagerness, ma belle, I hope,” he answered gravely. er eyes filled with tears, and then she look- ed spiteful and stamped her foot. ‘**1! no, no, monsieur. I[ love the old and I hate the Austrian. It was the Austrian, Marie Antoinette, that brought woe to France, twenty years ago, and this one has come to take away the rights of your poor suffering angel, Joseph- ine. Ah no, monsieur, I shall never ask for a place witb her.” et Indeed Gabriel and Inez were faithful, in the hour of her sorrow, te the kind and generous mistress who had dome so mueh for both of them, and it’ was whispered that the emperor liked them none the Jess forit. They passed Death’s Heads did not get into-it.” Roustan calls Eblis, the Prince of Darkness,” | from the gardens into their pleasant rooms, The count looked as if be were not in a mood ‘Did he hear anything?” ‘ | while Casse Tete led away the horses, and to attend to his old follower’s reminiscences, ‘' Not much, for just es he woke The Man in | Gabriel bad quietly resigned hiniself to another He sat brooding, and at last said, abruptly: Red seemed to have angered the emperor, who | of those peaceful etn that seem so stupid “Casse Tete, did you ever hear of The Man in | caught up his sword and shouted to Roustan to | while we enjoy them, but to which we look Rea?” | cut the assassin to pieces.” back afterward as having been so truly happy, Casse Tete instantly crossed himself, and his | ‘‘ And Roustan?”’ when Casse Tete, who had been treating the young count to a ride on bis shoulders round the garden, came in, with the child fast asleep in his arms, and said, in bis gruff way: _“* Beg pardon, my genera] anu madame; but his majesty has just come in.” : “ Jumped up like a regular Mameluke and “The Man in Red! Eh, my general, but ves. | flew at the man, when out went the lights, and That is, not directly. I never saw him myself. | they beard the guards running up. That was You know’ the ¢avalry don’t do guard duty. | all, general.” | oro T have veard stories from the grenadiers— , ‘* And they never found the man?’ face fell. Ugh! ; |, ‘* Never, my general. In fact, some say he Gabriel started up instantly avd Ines cried: And the 6. ‘wldier shook himself as if the | is no man at all, but the devil.” ‘You are joking, Casse Tete. . The em- q subject were a steful. | ‘Nonsense! There is no such thing.” peror?” . Count Gabrie ad always allowed hisconfi-| ‘‘ Perhaps not, my general. But there is one Casse Tete stood patiently bolding the child. dential servant. ‘asse Tete, a great deal of | singular thing about bim.” : ‘Indeed no, madame, I could not mistake; liberty in conver*»‘ion, ‘They bad been private ‘* And what is that?” | for he passed close to me, and I could not give as soldiers together \ company of the famous ‘* No one ever seen him but a member of him my proper salute; for fear of waking the Cuirassiers a la Tev. Mort, or Death’s Heads, | the Guard, and be never comes more than once young count. And he smiled and said: ‘ Never and when Gabriel . vir rose, bound after | in a year.’ mind, Casse Tete. One child like thatis worth bound, from simple cui. +ssier to be Count of the ‘Is that all you know about him?” _ ten emperors.’ Then be rode on tothe great Empire and general of cavalry, his old friend, ‘Not all, my general. Le Grenouille saw him | doors, and I saw the invalids running out to Casse Tete, had followed him as orderly, till the | on the night before Austerlitz.” open for him and let him in.” ‘“Indeed? Why, the whole army was in ‘Who was with him?” asked Gabriel, and as bivouac then.” he spoke he kicked off bis slippers and hurried- ‘* For all that he came, when there was not a | ly began to dress for duty. tent to bide him.” ‘‘Only Roustan, my general, and his majes- Tell me how?” bas on his old uniform that he wore at ** Willingly, my general, You remember the ' Austerlitz and Wagram. He looked as if ha’ | | Gomicbookszcom ~ count commanded the regiment in which he had once done guard duty. When Gabriel became general he took Casse Tete with him; and after the battleof Wagram, the old soldier had been discharged the service, and was now a sort of factotum, vho never