then go and make inquiries from place to place. Let us know, by
dessert, which road Mademoiselle Brazier has taken."
This order quieted for a time the poor creature, who was moaning like
a child that has lost its nurse. At this moment Rouget, who hated Max,
thought his tormentor an angel. A
passion like that of this miserable
old man for Flore is astonishingly like the emotions of
childhood. At
six o'clock, the Pole, who had merely taken a walk, returned to
announce that Flore had
driven towards Vatan.
"Madame is going back to her own people, that's plain," said Kouski.
"Would you like to go to Vatan to-night?" said Max. "The road is bad,
but Kouski knows how to drive, and you'll make your peace better to-
night than to-morrow morning."
"Let us go!" cried Rouget.
"Put the horse in quietly," said Max to Kouski; "manage, if you can,
that the town shall not know of this
nonsense, for Monsieur Rouget's
sake. Saddle my horse," he added in a
whisper. "I will ride on ahead
of you."
Monsieur Hochon had already notified Philippe of Flore's departure;
and the
colonel rose from Monsieur Mignonnet's dinner-table to rush to
the place Saint-Jean; for he at once guessed the meaning of this
clever
strategy. When Philippe presented himself at his uncle's house,
Kouski answered through a window that Monsieur Rouget was
unable to
see any one.
"Fario," said Philippe to the Spaniard, who was stationed in the
Grande-Narette, "go and tell Benjamin to mount his horse; it is all-
important that I shall know what Gilet does with my uncle."
"They are now putting the horse into the caleche," said Fario, who had
been watching the Rouget stable.
"If they go towards Vatan," answered Philippe, "get me another horse,
and come yourself with Benjamin to Monsieur Mignonnet's."
"What do you mean to do?" asked Monsieur Hochon, who had come out of
his own house when he saw Philippe and Fario
standing together.
"The
genius of a general, my dear Monsieur Hochon," said Philippe,
"consists not only in carefully observing the enemy's movements, but
also in guessing his intentions from those movements, and in modifying
his own plan
whenever the enemy interferes with it by some unexpected
action. Now, if my uncle and Max drive out together, they are going to
Vatan; Maxence will have promised to
reconcile him with Flore, who
"fugit ad salices,"--the
manoeuvre is General Virgil's. If that's the
line they take, I don't yet know what I shall do; I shall have some
hours to think it over, for my uncle can't sign a power of
attorney at
ten o'clock at night; the notaries will all be in bed. If, as I rather
fancy, Max goes on in advance of my uncle to teach Flore her lesson,--
which seems necessary and probable,--the rogue is lost! you will see
the sort of
revenge we old soldiers take in a game of this kind. Now,
as I need a
helper for this last stroke, I must go back to Mignonnet's
and make an
arrangement with my friend Carpentier."
Shaking hands with Monsieur Hochon, Philippe went off down the Petite-
Narette to Mignonnet's house. Ten minutes later, Monsieur Hochon saw
Max ride off at a quick trot; and the old miser's
curiosity was so
powerfully excited that he remained
standing at his window, eagerly
expecting to hear the wheels of the old demi-fortune, which was not
long in coming. Jean-Jacques's
impatience made him follow Max within
twenty minutes. Kouski, no doubt under orders from his master, walked
the horse through the town.
"If they get to Paris, all is lost," thought Monsieur Hochon.
At this moment, a lad from the faubourg de Rome came to the Hochon
house with a letter for Baruch. The two
grandsons, much subdued by the
events of the morning, had kept their rooms of their own
accord during
the day. Thinking over their prospects, they saw
plainly that they had
better be
cautious with their grandparents. Baruch knew very well the
influence which his
grandfather Hochon exerted over his
grandfatherand
grandmother Borniche: Monsieur Hochon would not
hesitate to get
their property for Adolphine if his conduct were such as to make them
pin their hopes on the grand marriage with which his
grandfather had
threatened him that morning. Being richer than Francois, Baruch had
the most to lose; he
therefore counselled an
absolutesurrender, with
no other condition than the
payment of their debt to Max. As for
Francois, his future was entirely in the hands of his
grandfather; he
had no expectations except from him, and by the guardianship account,
he was now his
debtor. The two young men
accordingly gave solemn
promises of
amendment, prompted by their imperilled interests, and by
the hope Madame Hochon held out, that the debt to Max should be paid.
"You have done very wrong," she said to them; "repair it by future
good conduct, and Monsieur Hochon will forget it."
So, when Francois had read the letter which had been brought for
Baruch, over the latter's shoulder, he
whispered in his ear, "Ask
grandpapa's advice."
"Read this," said Baruch,
taking the letter to old Hochon.
"Read it to me yourself; I haven't my spectacles."
My dear Friend,--I hope you will not
hesitate, under the serious
circumstances in which I find myself, to do me the service of
receiving a power of
attorney from Monsieur Rouget. Be at Vatan
to-morrow morning at nine o'clock. I shall probably send you to
Paris, but don't be
uneasy; I will furnish you with money for the
journey, and join you there immediately. I am almost sure I shall
be obliged to leave Issoudun, December third.
Adieu. I count on your friendship; rely on that of your friend,
Maxence
"God be praised!" exclaimed Monsieur Hochon; "the property of that old
idiot is saved from the claws of the devil."
"It will be if you say so," said Madame Hochon; "and I thank God,--who
has no doubt heard my prayers. The
prosperity of the
wicked is always
fleeting."
"You must go to Vatan, and accept the power of
attorney from Monsieur
Rouget," said the old man to Baruch. "Their object is to get fifty
thousand francs a year transferred to Mademoiselle Brazier. They will
send you to Paris, and you must seem to go; but you are to stop at
Orleans, and wait there till you hear from me. Let no one--not a soul
--know where you lodge; go to the first inn you come to in the
faubourg Bannier, no matter if it is only a post-house--"
"Look here!" cried Francois, who had rushed to the window at the
sudden noise of wheels in the Grande-Narette. "Here's something new!--
Pere Rouget and Colonel Bridau coming back together in the caleche,
Benjamin and Captain Carpentier following on
horseback!"
"I'll go over," cried Monsieur Hochon, whose
curiosity carried the day
over every other feeling.
Monsieur Hochon found old Rouget in his bedroom,
writing the following
letter at his
nephew's dictation:
Mademoiselle,--If you do not start to return here the moment you
receive this letter, your conduct will show such
ingratitude for
all my
goodness that I shall revoke the will I have made in your
favor, and give my property to my
nephew Philippe. You will
understand that Monsieur Gilet can no longer be my guest after
staying with you at Vatan. I send this letter by Captain
Carpentier, who will put it into your own hands. I hope you will
listen to his advice; he will speak to you with authority from me.
Your affectionate
J.-J. Rouget.
"Captain Carpentier and I MET my uncle, who was so foolish as to
follow Mademoiselle Brazier and Monsieur Gilet to Vatan," said
Philippe, with sarcastic
emphasis, to Monsieur Hochon. "I have made my
uncle see that he was
running his head into a noose; for that girl
will
abandon him the moment she gets him to sign a power of
attorney,
by which they mean to
obtain the
income of his money in the Funds.
That letter will bring her back under his roof, the handsome runaway!
this very night, or I'm
mistaken. I promise to make her as pliable as
a bit of whalebone for the rest of her days, if my uncle allows me to
take Maxence Gilet's place; which, in my opinion, he ought never to
have had in the first place. Am I not right?--and yet here's my uncle
bemoaning himself!"
"Neighbor," said Monsieur Hochon, "you have taken the best means to
get peace in your household. Destroy your will, and Flore will be once
more what she used to be in the early days."
"No, she will never
forgive me for what I have made her suffer,"
whimpered the old man; "she will no longer love me."
"She shall love you, and closely too; I'll take care of that," said
Philippe.
"Come, open your eyes!" exclaimed Monsieur Hochon. "They mean to rob
you and
abandon you."
"Oh! I was sure of it!" cried the poor imbecile.
"See, here is a letter Maxence has written to my
grandson Borniche,"
said old Hochon. "Read it."
"What infamy!" exclaimed Carpentier, as he listened to the letter,
which Rouget read aloud, weeping.
"Is that plain enough, uncle?" demanded Philippe. "Hold that hussy by
her interests and she'll adore you as you deserve."
"She loves Maxence too well; she will leave me," cried the frightened
old man.
"But, uncle, Maxence or I,--one or the other of us--won't leave our
footsteps in the dust of Issoudun three days hence."
"Well then go, Monsieur Carpentier," said Rouget; "if you promise me
to bring her back, go! You are a good man; say to her in my name all
you think you ought to say."
"Captain Carpentier will
whisper in her ear that I have sent to Paris
for a woman whose youth and beauty are captivating; that will bring
the jade back in a hurry!"
The captain
departed, driving himself in the old caleche; Benjamin
accompanied him on
horseback, for Kouski was
nowhere to be found.
Though threatened by the officers with
arrest and the loss of his
situation, the Pole had gone to Vatan on a hired horse, to warn Max
and Flore of the adversary's move. After fulfilling his mission,
Carpentier, who did not wish to drive back with Flore, was to change
places with Benjamin, and take the latter's horse.
When Philippe was told of Kouski's
flight he said to Benjamin, "You
will take the Pole's place, from this time on. It is all mapping out,
papa Hochon!" cried the lieutenant-
colonel. "That
banquet will be
jovial!"
"You will come and live here, of course," said the old miser.
"I have told Fario to send me all my things," answered Philippe. "I
shall sleep in the room adjoining Gilet's apartment,--if my uncle
consents."
"What will come of all this?" cried the terrified old man.
"Mademoiselle Flore Brazier is coming, gentle as a paschal lamb,"
replied Monsieur Hochon.
"God grant it!" exclaimed Rouget, wiping his eyes.
"It is now seven o'clock," said Philippe; "the
sovereign of your heart
will be here at half-past eleven: you'll never see Gilet again, and
you will be as happy ever after as a pope.--If you want me to
succeed," he
whispered to Monsieur Hochon, "stay here till the hussy
comes; you can help me in keeping the old man up to his resolution;
and, together, we'll make that crab-girl see on which side her bread
is buttered."
Monsieur Hochon felt the reasonableness of the request and stayed: but
they had their hands full, for old Rouget gave way to childish
lamentations, which were only quieted by Philippe's repeating over and
over a dozen times:--
"Uncle, you will see that I am right when Flore returns to you as
tender as ever. You shall be petted; you will save your property: be
guided by my advice, and you'll live in
paradise for the rest of your
days."
When, about half-past eleven, wheels were heard in the Grande-Narette,
the question was, whether the
carriage were returning full or empty.
Rouget's face wore an expression of agony, which changed to the
prostration of
excessive joy when he saw the two women, as the
carriage turned to enter the courtyard.
"Kouski," said Philippe, giving a hand to Flore to help her down. "You
are no longer in Monsieur Rouget's service. You will not sleep here
to-night; get your things together, and go. Benjamin takes your
place."
"Are you the master here?" said Flore sarcastically.