x.x.xVII

WHO GOODMAN GERVAL WAS

"Oh! what good fortune! Can I believe my eyes?" cried Jacques as he ran to the a.s.sistance of the unfortunate young woman whom he saw on the floor. "This woman--it is she, Sans-Souci! Come, come and look at her."

"Why, yes! sacrebleu! It's her! We've found her at last! Didn't I tell you that a man should never despair of anything?"

"And her daughter,--see, there she is; yes, I recognize her too."

"But when I opened those shutters, I thought I saw a man; he has escaped.--The devil! what a noise! Do you hear? somebody is calling for help! Stay with her, but give me one of your pistols."

Jacques gave Sans-Souci one of his weapons; and he, with the pistol in one hand, and his stick in the other, rushed in the direction of the shrieks; he went up to the first floor, entered a room the door of which was broken down, and saw an old man on his knees, imploring the pity of a miscreant, while another miscreant laden with bags of money was preparing for flight. Sans-Souci discharged his pistol at Dufresne, who was on the point of striking Monsieur Gerval; the monster fell at the old man's feet; his comrade threw down his bags and tried to escape; but Sans-Souci did not give him time; he overtook him on the stairway and dealt him such a l.u.s.ty blow on the head that Lampin staggered, rolled down several stairs, struck his head against the wall, and expired, vomiting the most horrible imprecations.

"You are my savior! my liberator!" cried Monsieur Gerval; while Sans-Souci relieved him of the cords that bound him.

"It is true, my dear monsieur, that it was high time; but perhaps there are other brigands in your house, and I will complete my inspection."

"I will go with you, I will go with you, monsieur," said the old man; "I will be your guide. Alas! I do not see my faithful Dupre."

At that moment they heard a pistol shot. Sans-Souci descended the stairs four at a time, and joined Jacques at the instant that he blew out the brains of one of the brigands who was trying to fly through Adeline's room; while his comrades, being more prudent, escaped by the same road that Edouard had followed.

The report of firearms, the uproar and the shrieks had awakened Catherine and Lucas; but only in obedience to their master's voice did they dare to leave their rooms. Then they went all together, with lights, to Adeline's room. She was just recovering her senses and was gazing with renewed surprise at Jacques, who stood by her.

"My brother, my friend, have I found you too?" she said at last; "I do not know if it is a dream, but so many events have succeeded one another! Just now Edouard was with me."

"Edouard! Come to yourself, be calm, my dear Adeline, and have no fear; the brigands are punished."

Adeline made no reply but her eyes still sought her husband.

"Victory!" cried Sans-Souci; "I killed two of them, for my part."

"We owe you our lives, gallant strangers," said Monsieur Gerval, approaching Jacques; "how can I ever pay my debt to you?"

"You have evidently taken care of my sister and my niece," Jacques answered the old man, "and I am still in your debt."

"His sister! his niece!" exclaimed the good man and his servants.

"First of all, let us finish inspecting the house," said Sans-Souci; "there may be some more of the scoundrels hidden in some corner."

"But Dupre doesn't appear! I am terribly afraid that he has fallen a victim to his zeal."

"Let us put our friends in a place of safety, and go and look!"

Monsieur Gerval, Adeline, her daughter and Catherine were taken to a room of which the door was securely fastened, and where they had nothing to fear; then Jacques and Sans-Souci began to inspect the house, guided by Lucas, who trembled like a leaf, but dared not refuse to accompany them. The name of Edouard, which Adeline had p.r.o.nounced, was an enigma to Jacques, who dared not harbor the suspicions that came to his mind.

They examined every part of the house without finding anybody, except the body of the unfortunate Dupre in the attic; after making sure that there was no sign of life about him, Sans-Souci, aided by Lucas, took him down to the ground floor, where the faithful servant's remains were destined to stay until the last rites should be performed over them.

While Sans-Souci and the gardener attended to this melancholy duty, Jacques entered Monsieur Gerval's apartment. A low groaning came from one corner of the room. Dufresne was still alive; but the wound that he had received was mortal and the villain struggled in vain against death.

Jacques put his lantern to the dying man's face and an exclamation of surprise escaped him. Dufresne also recognized Edouard's brother; a horrible smile animated his almost lifeless eyes; he mustered what little strength he had left, to speak for the last time.

"I am dying; but if you have killed all those who were with me, you have killed your brother. Tell his wife, tell that Adeline who despised me, that her husband, after escaping from the galleys, has become by my advice a robber and an a.s.sa.s.sin."

Dufresne breathed his last after uttering these words, well content to have done someone an injury at the last moment of his life.

Jacques stood for some moments frozen with horror by the dead body of the man who had wrecked the happiness of his family. But, overcoming his dismay, he determined to make sure of the horrible truth; he descended the stairs, halted beside Lampin's body and held the lantern to his face, shuddering with apprehension. It was not he! Jacques breathed a little more freely, and went down to the ground floor, where the man was whom he himself had killed; and although he was very sure that it was not his brother, he proceeded to satisfy himself beyond a doubt.

"Thank heaven!" he said after examining the brigand's features, "my hand is not wet with my brother's blood! He has escaped. G.o.d grant that we may never see him again! Let us forget a monster who dishonors us, and devote all our care to the two unfortunate creatures whom I have found again at last."

But before returning to Adeline, Jacques carefully examined all the pockets of all the brigands, especially Dufresne's, fearing that some paper relating to Edouard would be found upon them. He made sure that they had only weapons and money about them, and then in a more tranquil frame of mind returned to Adeline.

The occupants of the house had discovered with the most intense delight that the young woman had recovered her reason; and while a thorough search was being made in his house, Monsieur Gerval told Adeline how he had found her and taken care of her at Paris, then brought her to his estate in the country; and lastly, how long a time she had lived under his roof.

Adeline threw herself at her protector's knees. She realized now all that she owed him, although honest Gerval, in his narrative, had spoken only of the pleasure it had given him to oblige her, pa.s.sing lightly over all that he had done for her.

Adeline then inquired about the events of the preceding night. They told her that brigands had made their way into the house, and that except for the unexpected arrival of two travellers, one of whom appeared to be her brother, they would have been pillaged by the robbers.

She shuddered; she remembered how Edouard had appeared before her, his excitement, his terror at the appearance of the strangers; she dared not continue her questions, but she anxiously awaited Jacques's return. He appeared at last.

"Some of the villains have escaped," he said, approaching Adeline, upon whom he bestowed a glance of which she understood the meaning. "Those who were killed well deserve their fate."

"Morbleu!" said Sans-Souci; "they all well deserve to be broken on the wheel! I have only one regret, and that is that any of them got away."

"And my faithful Dupre," said Monsieur Gerval; "you tell me nothing of him."

"Alas, my dear monsieur, your old servant was, it seems, the first victim of those monsters; he is no more!"

"The villains! to murder an old man! Ah, me! if I had heeded his representations--poor Dupre, my imprudence was the cause of your death!

I shall reproach myself for it always. This house has become hateful to me and I propose to leave it to-morrow!"

Monsieur Gerval shed tears over the fate of his old servant; Catherine mingled her tears with his, and one and all tried to console the good man, who blamed himself for the loss of his faithful companion.

The dawn surprised the inhabitants of the cottage in this situation.

Monsieur Gerval consented to take a little rest, while Lucas went to notify the authorities of the neighboring village of the occurrences of the night. Catherine, by her master's orders, made preparations for their departure, and Adeline promised the old man to tell him before long the story of her misfortunes.

Jacques found an opportunity to be alone with Adeline. She burned to question him, but dared not break the silence. He divined her grief, her tremor, her most secret thoughts.

"Dufresne is no more," he said to her; "the scoundrel has at last received the reward of his crimes."

"Dufresne? What, was Dufresne among those robbers? Unhappy creature that I am! there is no doubt that he had led him on to the last stages of crime; Edouard was----"

"Silence! never let this horrible secret be known to any but ourselves,"

said Jacques in a low voice; "the miserable wretch has escaped; let him drag out his shameful existence in other lands; it is too late for him to repent, and his presence would be to me, yes, to yourself, the height of misery. Forget forever a man who did not deserve your love.

Everything combines to make it your bounden duty. The affection which one retains for a creature so vile, so wretched, is a weakness, a cowardice, unworthy of a n.o.ble and generous heart; live for your daughter, for me, for all those who love you, and days of peace and happiness will dawn again for us."

Adeline threw herself into Jacques's arms and wiped away the tears that flowed from her eyes.

"My friend," she said to him, "I will follow your advice, and you will be content with me."