Joseph Balsamo (37 page)
” Permit me, madame,” said the viscount, leaving the old lady in an anteroom, ” to inform the Countess Dubarry of the honor you have done her.”
” Oh, sir,” said the countess, ” do not, I entreat you, allow my unseasonable visit to disturb her.”
Jean approached Zamore, who was watching for his return out of one of the windows, and whispered something in his ear.
” What a dear little negro ! ” cried the countess. ” Is he your sister’s, sir ? “
” Yes ; he is one of her favorites, madame.”
” I congratulate her on having such a one.”
At this moment a footman opened the folding-doors of the saloon where
Mme.
Dubarry usually granted audiences, and requested the countess to walk in there. While the
JOSEPH BALSAMO. 277
old lady was sighing over the luxurious furniture of the apartment, Jean was with his sister, announcing his prize.
” Is it really she ? ” asked
Mme.
Dubarry.
“Flesh and blood.”
“Does she suspect anything ?”
” Xothing in the world.”
“And how did the Vice behave ?”
” Admirably ; everything conspire’d to favor us.”
” Do not let us leave her too long alone, lest she should suspect something.”
” You are right ; for I assure you, she seems to me cunning enough.”
‘ ‘ Where is Chon ? “
” At Versailles, you know. “
“Well, she must not, by any means, let herself be seen.”
” Oh, I warned her ! “
“Now, princess, enter.”
Mme.
Dubarry gently pushed opened the door of her boudoir and entered the saloon.
All the ceremonials necessary to the etiquette of those days was scrupulously gone through by the two actresses mutually desirous of pleasing.
Mme.
Dubarry was the first to speak.
“I have already thanked my brother, madame, for hav-ing procured me the honor of this visit ; allow me now to thank you also for having consented to his wish.”
“I know not, madame,” replied the old lady, ” in what terms to thank you for this gracious reception of me.”
” Madame,” said the countess, in her turn, with a courtesy of profound respect, ” it is only due to a lady of your rank to place myself at your disposal, if I can be of service to you in any way.”
And three more courtesies having been made on each side, the countess invited
Mme.
de Beam to be seated.
278 JOSEPH BALSAMO.
CHAPTER XXXI. ZAMORE’S COMMISSION.
” MADAME ‘ said the favorite, “pray let me hear your wishes I am all attention.”
“Permit me, sister,” said Jean, who continued standing, ” to disabuse your mind of the idea that the Countess de Beam comes with a petition not at all the chancellor has simply asked her to perform a little office for him.”
The old lady turned a grateful look on the viscount, and held out to the countess the patent signed by the vice-chancellor declaring Lucieunes a royal castle, and Zamore its governor.
” Then it is I who am the person obliged,” said the countess, glancing at the document. “If I could only be so fortunate, madame, as to be of any service to you in return.”
” Oh, that you can readily be ! ” exclaimed the old lady, with a frankness which enchanted the brother and sister.
” Pray let me know how, madame.”
” You were kind enough to say that my name is not quite unknown to you, madame.”
” Unknown ! a Beam ? “
” Then you have perhaps heard of a lawsuit which threatens my whole property.”
” Oh, yes a suit between you and the family of the Saluces ? “
“Alas, madame, yes.”
” I know all about it, madame. I heard his majesty the other evening speak of it to my cousin, the chancellor.”
” His majesty speak of my lawsuit ? “
” Yes, madame.”
JOSEPH BALSAMO. 279
” And in what terms, pray ?”
” Alas ! my dear madame ! ” and
Mme.
Dubarry shook her head.
” As lost, as lost was it not ? ” exclaimed the old lady, with anguish.
” If I must speak the truth, madame, it was.”
” His majesty said so ? “
” His majesty had too much prudence and delicacy to pronounce sentence decidedly, but he seemed to look upon the adverse party as already in possession of the estate.”
” Oh, heavens ! madame, if his majesty were but rightly informed on the subject if he knew that all this was about a bond really discharged yes, madame, the two hundred thousand francs have been paid. I have not a receipt for the money, certainly ; but I have a moral certainty that it was paid. I could, if I was allowed to plead in person before the parliament, demonstrate it by inference.”
“By inference?” exclaimed
Mme.
Dubarry, who did not understand one word of what she said, but who appeared to pay the most serious attention.
” Yes, madame, by inference.”
” The proof by inference is admissible,” said Jean.
” Do you think so, sir ? ” asked the old lady.
” Yes, I think it is,” replied the viscount, with profound gravity.
” “Well, then, by inference I could prove that the bond for two hundred thousand francs, with the interest accu-mulated, amounting to a total of about one million I could prove that this bond, bearing date 1406, was discharged by Guy Gaston, the fourth Count of Beam, on his death-bed, in 1417 ; for there it is written by his own hand in his will : ” Being on my death-bed, and owing nothing to any man, and ready to appear before God ‘ “
” “Well ? ” said
Mme.
Dubarry.
” “Well, madame, if he owed nothing to any man, he owed nothing to the family of the Saluces, otherwise he would have said, ‘ owing two hundred thousands francs,’ instead of saying * owing nothing to any man “
280 JOSEPH BALSAMO.
” Most undoubtedly lie would have said so ‘ exclaimed Jean.
” But you have no other proof ? ” asked the favorite.
” Than his word none, madame ; but he was called Gas ton the Irreproachable. “
” And your opponents have the bond ?”
” Yes ; they have, and that is just what makes the affair more intricate ‘
She should have said : ” That is just what clears up the matter ;” but she looked at things from her own point of view.
” So your conviction is, madame, that the bond was discharged ?” said Jean.
” Yes, sir, that is my decided conviction,” exclaimed
Mme.
de Beam, warmly.
” Do you know ‘ said the countess, turning to her brother, as if deeply penetrated by that conviction, ” the proof by inference, as the Countess de Beam calls it, changes the face of things wonderfully ?”
” Oh, wonderfully ! ” returned Jean.
” Aiid very unpleasantly for my opponents ‘ continued the countess; “the terms of Gaston IV. ‘s will are most positive ‘ owing nothing to any man ‘ “
” It is not only clear, it is logical,” said Jean ; ” he owed nothing to any man, therefore of course he had paid what he owed ‘
” Therefore he had paid what he owed,” repeated the Countess Dubarry.
” Oh, madame, why are you not my judge ?” ejaculated the old lady.
” Formerly,” said the viscount, ” we should not have had recourse to the tribunals to settle an affair of that kind the judgment of Heaven would have been enough. For my part, I am so convinced of the goodness of your cause that, did the old custom still exist, I should willingly offer myself for your champion.”
” Oh, sir ! “
” Yes, I should act as did my grandfather, Dubarry-Moore, who had the honor of being connected with the
JOSEPH BALSAMO. 281
royal family of the Stuarts, when he fought in the lists for the beautiful Edith of Scarborough, and made his adversary confess that he lied in his throat. But unhappily,” continued the viscount, with a sigh of disdain for the degener-acy of the age, ” we live not in those glorious times ; and gentlemen, when they claim their rights, must submit their causes to the judgment of a set of pettifoggers, who have not the sense to understand a phrase so clear as ‘ owing nothing to any man.’”
” But, brother,” said the countess, ” it is three hundred years since those words were written, so you must allow that the gentlemen of the long robe may well pause a little before deciding on them.”
” Oh, no matter no matter I am certain that if his majesty heard the Countess de Beam state her case herself as she has done to us “
” I should convince his majesty, should I not, sir ? “
” I am certain of it.”
” Yes ; but how am I to obtain an audience of his majesty ? “
” You must come and visit me at Luciennes ; and as his majesty does me the honor of coming sometimes to see me
” My dear,” interrupted the viscount, “that is all very well, but it depends on chance.”
” Viscount,” replied the favorite, with a sweet smile, ” you know that I depend a good deal on chance, and I have no reason to complain.”
” Yes ; but the Countess de Beam might go to Luciennes for a week or a fortnight, and yet not meet his majesty.”
” That is true.”
” In the meantime, her cause is to come on Monday or Tuesday.”
” On Tuesday, sir.”
” And this is Friday evening.”
” Ah, then,” said
Mme.
Dubarry, with a countenance all disappointment, “we must not reckon upon that.”
” “What shall we do,” said the viscount, as if in deep thought.
282 JOSEPH BALSAMO.
” What a devil of a business ! “
” I might have an audience at Versailles,” suggested the old lady timidly.
“Oh, you will not obtain it.”
“But through your influence, madame ? “
” Oh, my influence would be of no avail. His majesty detests business matters and, besides, his mind is now full of one thing only.”
“The parliament ?” asked
Mme.
de Beam.
“No my presentation.”
” Ah ! ” said the old lady.
“For you know, madame, in spite of the opposition of Monsieur de Choiseul and Madame de Grammont, the king has decided that I shall be presented.”
” I was not aware, madame.”
“It is a settled affair,” said Jean.
” And when will the presentation take place, madame ?”
” Oh ! very soon. You see, the king wishes it to be before the arrival of the dauphiness, that he may invite my sister to share the festivities at Compiegne.”
” Ah I understand. Then you have all the arrangements made for your, presentation,” said the old countess, sighing.
” Oh, yes,” replied the viscount, ” the Baroness d’Alogny do you know the Baroness d’Alogny ? “
” No, sir. Alas ! I scarcely know any one now. It is twenty years since I was at court ‘
” Well, it is the Baroness d’Alogny who is to present my sister. The king loads her with favors her husband is chamberlain he is to be raised from a baron to a count the son is to go into the guards her orders on the king’s privy purse are to be made payable by the city of Paris, and the day of the presentation she is to receive twenty thousand crowns paid down ; so she is eager for it, you may be sure 1 “
” Yes, I can readily understand that,” said the old lady, smiling.
” Oh, but now I think of it ” cried Jean.
” Of what ?” asked the Countess Dnbarry.
JOSEPH BALSAMO. 283
” What a misfortune what a misfortune ! ” continued he, ” that I did not meet madame a week sooner at our cousin the vice-chancellor’s.”
“Why, pray?”
” Why, he had no positive engagement then with the Baroness d’Alogny.”
” Dear brother, you speak like a sphinx I do not understand you.”
” You do not understand ?”
” No.”
“I will wager something the Countess de Beam understands ! “
” No, sir, I do not, indeed.”
” Last week you had not decided who should present you ? “
” Undoubtedly.”
” Well the Countess de Beam but perhaps, madame, I am taking too great a liberty ? “
” No, sir no.”
“Then madame could have presented you, and the king would have done for her what he is going to do for the Baroness d’Alogny.”
” Alas ! ” said the old lady, opening her eyes to their ut-most extent
” Oh, if you knew,” continued Jean, “all the favors his majesty heaped on the family of the baroness, as soon as he knew she had offered to introduce Jeanne ! There was only one thing in the affair that vexed him “
” Ah, one thing vexed him ? “
“Yes, one single thing; “one thing vexes me,” said he.
” The lady who presents the Countess Dubarry I should wish to bear a historical name,” and as he said that he looked at the picture of Charles I. by Vandyck.
” Yes, I understand,” said the old lady, ” his majesty turned to that picture on account of the alliance between the Dubarry-Moores and the Stuarts, of which you spoke just now..”
” Precisely.”
284 JOSEPH BALSAMO.
” The fact is,” said the old lady, with a slight air of hauteur, ” I never heard of the family of D’Alogny.”
” A good family, however,” said the countess; “they have brought forward all the necessary proofs, or nearly all.”
” Pardieu ! ” cried Jean, suddenly starting in his chair.
“Well, what is the matter?” said
Mme.
Dnbarry, scarcely able to refrain from laughing outright at the con-tortions of her brother-in-law.
” Monsieur has hurt himself, perhaps ? ” asked the old lady, anxiously.
“No,” said Jean, sinking slowly back again into his chair ; ” it M r as an idea which just then occurred to me.”
” What idea ? ” said the countess, laughing ; “it almost overturned you.”
” It must certainly have been a good one,” said
Mme.
de Beam.
“Excellent.”
” Well, we are all anxiety to hear it.”
“It has only one fault.”
“Well?”
” It is impossible.”
“No matter ; let us hear it.”
” Suppose we were to tell the Baroness d’Aloguy the king’s remark when he looked at Charles I.‘s portrait.”
” Oh, brother, that would not be politics ; we cannot think of it.”
The old lady sighed.
” It is vexatious, too,” continued the viscount, as if speaking to himself ; ” the affair could have been so easily arranged. The Countess de Beam, who not only bears such an ancient name, but is besides a woman of distinguished talent, would offer herself in the place of the Baroness d’Alogny ; she would have gained her lawsuit ; her son would have got a commission as lieutenant in the guards, and as madame must, of course, have been put to considerable expense in her frequent visits to Paris, there would have been an adequate compensation allowed. Such an opportunity does not occur twice in a lifetime.”
