Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 193 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

‘‘ You are sure you do not know?” ‘* Certain, sire. But one thing is plain. If she be right, the man did not die. We have no ghosts nowadays.” The emperor nodded. “Thatis true, You area sensible man, and see far, count. Come along.” They went on to the Tuileries Gardens, which they found peaceful again, and they hurried in at a lower door, where a sentry challenged them and seemed to be overwhelmed with sur- rise when he found that it was the emperor imself, who went at once to his cabinet, still followed by Count Gabriel, who did not dare to leave him. The emperor rung a bell, and said to’ the chamberlain who entered: “Send for the chief of police. to No. 733 Rue de la Cruche d’Or, and arrest every one in the house, seal up everything seize the papers and make all secure. Then let ‘him report to me what he finds.” The chamberlain—a grave, quiet person whom Gabriel knew as Monsieur de Remusat, bowed and vanished. Then the emperor turned to Gabriel. “Thanks for your company to-night, count. We have had a pleasanttrip. You will wish to return to Fontainebleau, I presume. I relieve you from further duty on this matter. I know now who the manis. Good-night.” He had resumed all the freezing haughtiness of demeanor with which he knew so well how to atone for the frankness and familiarity he exercised at times, when the mood was on him, and dismissed Gabriel so curtly that the latter feared he had offended him. So he left the palace, mortified, he hard] knew why, went to his town house, changed bis clothes, and drove back to Fontainebleau, and found Casse Tete waiting for him. ‘‘Why, where did you get to in the crowd, Casse Tete?” asked his master. ‘‘I missed you there and found you here. Why did you not stay in Paris?” Tete pulled his mustache in a manner that denoted embarrassment. “Please, your honor, I thought that the stu- om citizens could not hurt a man like your onor, and I did not know where to look for your honor, and so I thought that as your honor must surely come home some time, the quickest way to find your honor was to wait for your honor at your honor’s own house.” Gabriel smiled. “Casse Tete, you are lying to me. You old rascal, the Death’s Heads never called their colonel ' our honor’ seven times in a minute.” asse ‘Te te turned red and stammered: ‘i The fact is, my general, I had a little ad- venture.” “An adventure? With whom?” “With a lady, my general, of course. A French soldier does not count anything an ad- venture except an assignation of love or the sword.” eee stared at him, _ then burst out laughing. He oo, not help it. oA Casse Rete bridle Sidled up. “ haces Tell him to go my general. I am not too old et, even if my hair is a little gray. My father had gray hair at twenty-two. It is true I have some scars, but the ladies do not object to them in the least.” Count Gabriel could not contain himself | from laughing at the idea of such a grim old | head as Casse Tete in a sentimental ad- amelie with a lady, but he made shift to ask ahh adventure, Casse Tete, and what was int ‘Wel came it?” ss ell, my general, you remember we were arted by that little fuss in the Garden of the a | uileries, and the a aucipel Guards came down | On us, sO Othas I was but not before I mana per a ick ot go the = ed away by the rush, om to give that big sap- : of the head that will stop }im ni fighting awhile. When I got out ¢{ She aod nd that T was in the mid- dle dt the Faubourg St. Antoine, and right op- ite a house where there was the sign u , that Some bad their fortunes told there.” i Gabriel started in rise, *““Not Mademoiselle Lenormand, 753 Rue de la Casto arr 2 ae hee sse Tete shook 01s “Oh, no, my general. All Paris knows her, but she’s too high-priced for a poor devil like me. No. This was & twenty sou fortune-teller, Madame Etoile.” ““Well, and what came of this?’ “Well, my general, it seemed to me as if the finger of Providence must, be in it: for we had been searching all over Paris for a man who was playin the devil, and here I was right op- posite a .ortune-teller. It said on the sign: Lost and stolen articles recovered.’ So I thought, ‘I will go in to Madame Etoile and find out ‘who this fellow was, and how he got into the em oe palaces 80 easily.’’ “So that Madame Etoile was your lady?” “No, no, my general, Madame Etoile is an old woman with a beard, as ugly as sin, aceord- ing to what I’ve heard, for I never saw her.” ‘Then what was your adventure?” b The Man in Red. {2s Motslaceuhsdon Soumndateetbuny vt att Rik, am coming to it, my general. As I said, I was going up to the door, when I saw two people coming down the street,a man anda woman. The woman was hurrying along, the man following her, and she looked frightened I was in the shadow of a house and watched them, when the man came up with the woman, just in front of Madame Btoile’s door. He caught hold of her arm and she gave a scream, | when of course Lrushed in, and gave my gen- tleman a kick in the stomach that doubled him | up. And then I sawin the moonlight that he was one of the secret police, for, as his coat flew open, I saw his badge of office.” ‘Indeed? And what did you do then?” “Well, my general, I knew I'd be in a bad scrape if he recognized me; for I thought it must be an arrest, and I was bound he should not recognize me. Soljust gave him another kick, this time at the back of the head, that put | him to sleep, and then [ said to the woman, ‘He won’t trouble you any more, my dear. Will you let me see you home?” “* And what did she say?” ‘‘Nothing, my general, at first. She was just half ead with fear; but, after a bit, she told me how grateful she was, and asked me if I knew the way to Fontainebleau; and, parbleu, my general, who do you think it was?” ‘‘[’m sure I don’t know, Casse Tete.” “It was little Fanchette, Madame de St. Jean’s maid. 1 didn’t know her at first, for she was dressed like a lady; but she knew me. And the end of it was that I took her home, my gen- eral.’ ‘* Did you ask her how she came to have the police after her?” ‘Yes, my general: and she cried so over it that I hadn’t the heart to persist. She wouldn’t tell me, but Pll end in getting it out of ber, for we are on the best terms.” And Casse Tete looked very knowing, CHAPTER VIIL. THE BARON’S GOSSIP. Count GABRIEL of Friedland slept ill that night, and felt 4 vague sense of uneasiness the next morning when he went out into the forest to attend to his honorary duties. This troublesome apparition of The Man in Red annoyed him excessively, now that the em r had peremptorily dismissed him from further efforts in the case. It was clear to his mind that Casse Tete had stumbled on a discovery that had some con- nection with the mystery. If The Man in Red were not supernatural— and his education forbid him to think that—he must be a person well acquainted with the ins and outs of the French palaces, and the cus- toms of service in the army. He had never made his appearance save in a French palace, or in the camp of the Old Guard; and in either case his presenée argued confederates. The Royalist plots that had vere otigbaad Aen at the period of the Consulate were su have died away since the accession 0 he bn Bie’ but Gabriel knew that, even among the igh officers of the empire, there was more than one that secretly held the extreme opinions of the legitimists, and among the old ladies of the ancient nobility Royalism was openly talked. Madame de St. Jean, his neighbor in the Pad he knew to be a Legitimist of the old ind, who had given up her opinions for a place under Josephine, and taken them again on her dismissal, when Marie Louise became empress. adame de St. Jean had been his own enemy before his marriage, and had tried to get his wife away from him, to be married the Prussian prince of Potsdam, whom he had killed in a duel at last, And here was Madame de St. Jean’s maid, a girl of twenty, leavin ng Fontainebleau secret] in the night, and found in Paris, in the hands of the secret police, not forty-eight hours after the mysterious visit of The Man in Red. Count Gabriel thought over all these things, and felt irritated that he could not penetrate any deeper, now that the key of the mystery was in his hands, But the emperor had told him that he knew who the man was, and that he had discharged bim from further consideration of the matter, 80 that he could dono more. He left Casse Tete behind that morning and rode alone into the forest, mile after mile, through the grand old trees that bad come down from the re of Charlemagne, the bridle loose, his horse following the road mechanically —his master buried in thought. He had forgotten all about where he was go- ing Bf | - oie one coming — ees road e mM, and recognized the portly figure of the Baron de Belleville, Grand Forester at Fontainebleau, The baron rode a sedate old mare of the same build as her master, and equally averse to rapid movement, and the baron wore the costume of Louis XIV., wig and all. He was one of the 7 ~~ ee old noblesse who had taken office under the em- peror with all the readiness of a born courtier, and, if he held Legitimist opinions, kept them within bis own bosom. ‘t Good-morning, Monsieur le Comte,” he cried, courteously, as they met. ‘‘ We missed you last night at Madame St. Jean’s. We were reduced to playing piquet, for your amiable countess absolutely refused to engage in whist with a dummy, and for my part [don’t wonder, It spoils the game.” In the retirement of the chateau the few in- mates had been driven to whist parties as & Pe laxation when the court was away. ‘Did you play late?’ asked Gabriel. ‘‘Late? No, We parted at midnight. By- the-by, now I recall it, the marquise was rather a bad humor last night, between our- _ selves, you know.” eer SSS _ ET LL Le “ Indeed? And what about?” ‘* Ah! that is her affair. I was not en for it was fifteen francs in my pocket, she pla so badly and kept looking at the a iz = manner, I declare, the reverse of complimentary to myself.” Gabriel began to feel interested in the secret and forgot all about prudence in curiosity. ‘*Then youthink she wished to get rid of you, baron?” ‘‘On my word I thought so at first, and were the marquise twenty years younger, I should have suspected an intrigue. But it is very singular, my friend, as soon as I offered to go, she pressed me to stay, aud I can tell wore. a woman is in earnest, too.” “When did you leave par then?” ** About mi oo as I said before, when her little maid, Fanchette— Ah, by- -the-by, count, there is a rosy little mortal, enough to tempt even an old fellow like me h, count?’ ** But what about Fanchette, baron?” ‘‘Oh, Fanchette came in, and, on my word, madame started as if she had seen a ghost, so that I was surprised. But she nepeeant her- self immediately and gave the girl some triflin order, which took her out of the room, An then she became so obviously abstracted that I took my leave in very pity. And I have been pusaling my old brains, count, ever since to now why the entrance ‘of that girl made her start so violently.” ‘‘Did you see the girl early in the evening, baron?’ asked Count Gabriel. ‘* Yes, no—come to think of it, no. I missed her once; but of course one cannot ask about a prett servant without having one’s motives called in question, and the marquise, as you are aware, is not the woman to suffer rivalry. sy The ancient Lothario winked at the ycung man in a knowing way. ‘* Wha‘ time did she come in?’ pursu-d Ga- briel thoughtfully. ‘‘It was five minutes clock on the mantile-piece.’ ‘Did the girl look as usual, quiet and neat, baron?” ‘‘ No, she seemed to me as if she had been frightened and crying, for she was very pale.” “i200 that was what startled the mar- quise, believe she is quite fond of her little maid, baron. Probably she thought she was sick. Well, have you been your rounds?’ “Yes, I’m going home, What do you think ee” of it all, count? * GE what, baron?” “Of last night. Do you think—can it be pos- sible that—” “That what, baron?’ “That the marquise is carrying on an in- trigue with some one—” Of what kind?’ ** Why of course a woman can oily have one kind of intrigue, with a man in it.” Gabriel laughed. “ ene yourself, my friend. Madame la covets | eee had her Sees follies; but nen is past all that now. ee | in which she engages hereafter will be political, or take away the character of some other whe man.” The baron pricked up his ears. *‘ What! politics? But no, she cannot be such a fool. My faith, these are ‘not the safe times for politics. This devil of a man in the Tuileries will not stand any nonsense,”’ ‘*'You’d better tell her so, baron.” ‘No, no, my dear friend. Not such a fool. But there is one thing I can do.” ‘* And that is?” ‘To find out what the marquise had at the bottom of herheart, hid away. If it be politics, Tam not-sure but what I might be tempted to give her a fright, by telling her I Imow all about it.” ‘“The best thing you can do, baron. Good- 7 OR y and, as ri alo he could not help thinking: ra ‘‘If the baron finds out anything, it is notmy fault, end I cannot be blamed for it: but on word, I I would like to know myself what took Fanchette to Paris last night.” He made his rounds, returned to nay and found the very Fanchette of whom od been thinking, waiting for him, with a note from Madame de St. Jean. past twelve, by the EPMIE DOO KS - com