Joseph Balsamo (34 page)
But what was the use of thinking about the lawyer and his office and his carpet ? What was the use of trying to remember anything about it ? Flageot’s daughter was Flageot’s daughter and there she was. Moreover, she was married, and, what banished the last shadow of suspicion, she had not come on purpose to Verdun, she was going to join her husband at Strasbourg.
Perhaps the countess ought to have risked Mile. Flageot for a letter from her father, to assure herself of her identity ; but if a father could not send his own child without a letter, to whom could he intrust a confidential mission ? Then why such fears ? What could cause such suspicions ? Why should any one travel sixty leagues to tell her a tale without any foundation on fact ?
If she had been rich, a banker’s or a financier’s wife, tak-ing with her carriages, plate, and diamonds, she might have thought it was a plot got up by robbers. But she laughed to herself when she thought what a disappointment any robbers would experience who should be so ill-advised as to attack her.
So Chon having disappeared with her plain dark dress, and her shabby little one-horse chaise which she had taken at the last post leaving her carriage behind her, the countess, convinced that the time was come for her to make a sacrifice, got into her old coach, and urged on the postilions
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so well that she passed through Lachaussee an hour before the dauphiness, and reached the gate of St. Denis five or six hours after Chon herself.
As she had little luggage, and as the most important thing for her was to receive information from her lawyer, she ordered her coach to drive to the Rue de Petit Lion and stop before Master Flageot’s door. The vehicle, we may be assured, did not stop there without attracting a great number of curious spectators and the Parisians are all curious who stared at the venerable machine which seemed to have issued from the coach-house of Henry IV. so antique was it in its solidity, its monumental form, and its scalloped leather curtains which ran with a disagreeable creaking on a copper rod covered with verdigris.
The Hue de Petit Lion was not wide, and the countess’s equipage filled it up very majestically. Having alighted and paid the postilions she ordered them to take it to the inn where she usually stopped Le Coq Chantant, in the Eue St. Germain des Pres.
She ascended M. Flageot’s dark stairs, holding by the greasy cord, which served instead of a hand-rail. The staircase was cool, and it refreshed the old lady, who was tired by her long and rapid journey. When Margaret, his servant, announced the Countess de Beam, Master Flageot pulled up his stockings, which he had allowed to fall nearly to his ankles on account of the heat, with one hand, fixed on his wig with the other, and then hastily threw on a dimity dressing-gown, and so adorned, advanced smiling to the door. In this smile, however, there was such an expression of surprise, that the countess could not help saying, ” Well, well, my dear sir, it is I.”
” Yes, indeed ‘ replied he, ” I see plainly enough, ma-dame, that it is you.”
Then, modestly wrapping his dressing-gown round him, he led the countess to a large leather armchair, in the lightest corner of the apartment, carefully putting aside the papers which covered his desk, for he knew the old lady to be curious in the extreme.
” And iiow, madame,” said Master 1’lageot, gallantly,
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” permit me to express my pleasure at this agreeable surprise.”
The countoss had leaned back in her chair, and raised her feet from the floor to allow Margaret to slip between it and her brocaded satin shoes a leather cushion ; but at this phrases he started up hastily. ” How ?” exclaimed she, drawing her spectacles from their case, and putting them on, so that she might see his face the better ” surprise ? “
” Most assuredly ; I thought you at your estates, madame,” replied the lawyer, adroitly flattering the old lady by bestowing this title on the countesses three acres of kitchen-garden.
” Well, I was there ; but on the ftrst intimation from you, I left them.”
” Intimation from me ? ” said the astonished advocate.
” Yes ; at your first word of counsel, or advice, or whatever you please to call it.”
Flageot’s eyes looked as large as the countess’s glasses.
” I have been very expeditious,” continued she, ” and I hope yon are satisfied.”
” I am delighted to see you, madame, as I always am ; but allow me to say that I do not see how I have been the cause of your visit.”
” Not the cause ? Most certainly you have been the entire cause of it ! “
“I ?”
” Yes, you, undoubtedly. Well, have you no news to tell me ? “
” Oh, yes, madame ; it is said the king is meditating some great stroke of policy with regard to the parliament. But may I offer you some refreshment ?”
” But what does it matter to me about the king and his strokes of policy ? “
” About what, then, did you inquire, madame ? “
” About my suit, of course. Is there anything new about it ? “
” Oh, as to that,” said Flageot, shaking his head sorrowfully, ” nothing, absolutely nothing.”
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” That is to say, nothing “
” No nothing, madame.”
” Yon mean nothing since your daughter spoke to me about it ; but as that was only the day before yesterday, I can readily understand that there may not be much new since then.”
” My daughter, madame ? “
” Yes.”
” Did you say my daughter ? “
” Yes, your daughter whom you sent to me.”
” Pardon me, madame ; but it is quite impossible that I could send my daughter to you.”
“Impossible?”
” Yes, for a very simple reason I have no daughter.”
” Are you sure ? ” asked the countess.
” Madame,” replied Flageot, ” I have the honor to be a bachelor.”
” Come, come !” said the countess, as if she supposed him jesting.
M. Flageot became uneasy ; he called Margaret to bring in some refreshment, but, more particularly, that she might watch the countess. ” Poor woman ! ” said he to to himself, ” her head is turned.”
” What ! ” said she, returning to the charge, ” you have not a daughter ? “
” No, madame.”
” Not one married at Strasbourg ? “
” No, madame, by no means.”
“And did you not send that daughter,” pursued the countess, ” on her way thither to tell me that my suit was called on?”
” Nothing of the kind, madame.”
The countess started from her chair, and clasped her hands.
” Drink a little of something, madame ; it will do you good,” said M. Flageot ; and at the same time he made a sign to Margaret to bring a tray, on which were two glasses of beer. But the old lady was not thinking of her thirst, and she pushed away the tray so rudely that Dame Mar-
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garet, who appeared to be a privileged sort of person, was affronted.
” But let us understand each other,” said the countess, eying Master Flageot over her spectacles ; ” explain all this, if you please.”
” Certainly, madame. Margaret, you need not go ; the countess will perhaps drink something presently. Let us explain. “
” Yes, let us explain ; for, upon my honor, my dear sir, you are quite incomprehensible to-day. I begin to think the hot weather has turned your brain.”
” Do not be angry, dear madame,” said Elageot, ma-neuvering with the hind feet of his chair, so that he got by degrees further from the countess. ” Do not get angry, and let us talk over the matter quietly.”
” Y es, yes, certainly. You say you have not a daughter ? “
” No, madame, I have not one, and I regret it deeply, since it appears you would be pleased that I had, although “
” Although what ? ” repeated the countess.
” Although, for my own part, I should prefer a son. Boys succeed better in the world, or, rather, don’t turn out so ill as girls in the present day ‘
The countess looked more and more alarmed.
” “What ! ” said she, ” have you not sent for me to Paris, by a sister, a niece, a cousin by some person, in short ? “
” I never thought of such a thing, madame, knowing how expensive it is staying in Paris.”
” But my suit ? “
” I should always have taken care to let you know in time before the pleading came on.”
” Before it came on ?”
” Yes.”
” Has it not come on, then ?”
” Not that I know of, madame.”
” It has not been called ? “
“No.”
” And it is not likely to come on soon ? “
“Oh, no, madame ; certainly not.”
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” Then,” cried the old lady, rising, ” I have been tricked 1 I have been most basely deceived ! “
Flageot pushed back his wig, muttering, ” 1 fear it in-deed, madame.”
” Master Flageot ! ” cried the countess.
The lawyer started on his seat, and made a sign to Margaret to keep near, in order to defend him.
” Master Flageot,” continued the countess, “I will not submit to such an indignity as this ; I will address the minister of police, to discover the impudent creature who insulted me thus ! “
” Oh ! ” said Flageot, ” it is a very doubtful affair.”
” And when she is found,” continued the countess, almost speechless with anger, ” I shall bring an action against her.”
” Another lawsuit ? ” said the lawyer, sorrowfully.
These words made the poor lady fall from the height of her passion, and a heavy fall it was.
” Alas ! ” said she, ” I came here so happy.”
” But what did that woman say to you, madame ?”
” First, that she was sent by you.”
” Shocking intriguer ! “
” That you desired her to say that the trial was coming on was very vear that I could scarcely be in time with all the speed I could make.”
“Alas! madame,” repeated Flageot, in his turn, “the trial is very far from coming on.”
” Yes ; so far from it, I suppose, that it is quite forgotten.”
” Forgotten ! sunk, buried, madame ; and unless a miracle were to happen and you know miracles are very rare nowadays “
” Oh, yes !” mumured the countess, with a sigh.
M. Flageot replied by another sigh, a faithful echo of the countess.
” Well, sir, one thing is certain,” added she.
” What is it, madame ? “
” I shall not survive this.”
” Oh, don’t say so you would be quite wrong.”
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” Oh, Heaven ! oh, Heaven ! ” exclaimed the poor countess ; “my strength is completely exhausted.”
” Courage, madame, courage ! ” said Flageot.
” But have you no advice to give me none ? “
” Oh, yes ; my advice is to return to your estates, and after this never believe anybody who does not bring you a letter from me, in my own hand.”
” I must return, indeed.”
” It will be the wisest plan.”
“Well, sir,” said the countess, with a groan, “believe me, we shall never meet again at least not in this world.”
“What an infamous affair !”
“I must have some very cruel enemies.”
It has been a trick of the opposite party, I would swear ! “
” It is a very mean trick, I must say ! “
“A mean, sorry trick, indeed ! “
“Justice! Justice!” cried the countess; “my dear sir, she is the cave of Cacus ! “
” And why is it ? ” he replied ; ” because justice is not what it was because the parliament is opposed because Monsieur de Maupeou must be chancellor, forsooth, instead of remaining what he ought to be, president.”
” Monsieur Flageot, I think I could drink something now.”
” Margaret ! ” cried the lawyer for Margaret had left the room, seeing the peaceable turn affairs were taking. She now entered with the tray and the two glasses which she had carried away.
The countess drank her glass of beer very slowly, after having touched the lawyer’s glass with hers, then she gained the anteroom after a sad and solemn courtesy and a still more sorrowful leave-taking.
The lawyer followed her, his wig in his hand. She was in the lobby, and was reaching out her hand for the cord to aid her in her descent, when a hand was laid on hers and a head gave her a thump on the chest. The head and the hand were those of a clerk, who was mounting the stairs four steps at a time.
260 JOSEPH BALSAMO.
The old lady, muttering and grumbling, arranged her petticoats and continued on her way, while the clerk, having reached the lobby, pushed open the lawyer’s door, and with the open and joyous voice for which the clerks of the parliament were noted, cried out, ” Here, Master Flageot ! here ! it is about the Beam business ; ” and he held out a paper. ,:>-..
To rush up the stairs at that name, push by the clerk, to throw herself on Flageot, to snatch the paper from him, to shut herself up with him in his office all this, was effected by the countess before the clerk had recovered from two boxes on the ear which Margaret bestowed, or seemed to bestow, on him, in return for two kisses.
“Well,” cried the old lady, “what is it ? Master Flageot, what is it ? “
“Faith, I can’t tell, madame ; but if you will give me back the paper I shall let you know.”
” True, true, my good Master Flageot I Read it read it ! “
He looked at the signature.
” It is from Guildon, our attorney,” said he.
” Good heavens ! “
” He desires me,” continued Flageot, with surprise amounting almost to bewilderment, ” he desires me to be ready to plead on Tuesday, for your affair is to come on !”
“To come on?” cried the countess. “Take care, Master Flageot, take care ! No more tricks. I should never recover from another.”
” Madame,” replied Flageot, still bewildered at the intelligence, ” if there be any trick, any jest in this, Guildon is the author of it ; and it is certainly the first time in his life that he has jested.”
” But are you certain the letter is from him ? “
” It is signed Guildon see?”
” I see it is. To be called this morning and pleaded on Tuesday. Well, then, you see, my dear sir, the lady who came to me was not a cheat.”
