The Chevalier De Maison Rouge (61 page)

by the tyrants themselves. In the midst of these unfor-

tunates. Sanson, grown old, less from his fifty years than

his miserable and dispiriting occupation ; Sanson, of a

mild disposition, and as much their consoler as his terrible vocation permitted him to be, to this one offered advice,

to that one some sad consolation or encouragement, finding

some Christian responses to their accents of despair as well as to bravado,

" Citoyenne," said he to Genevieve, " I must remove the handkerchief, and raise or cut off your hair, if you

please."

408 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

Genevieve began to tremble

" Come, m'amie," said Lonis, softly, " take courage. *

"May I remove madame's hair ?" demanded Maurice.

" Oh, yes ! " cried Genevieve ; " I entreat you to permit him to do so, Monsieur Sanson."

" Do so, then/' said the old man, turning away his head.

Maurice gently removed the handkerchief from her

neck, and Genevieve, stooping, fell on her knees before

the young man, presenting her charming head, appearing

more beautiful in her grief than she had ever been in her

days of sunshine and happiness.

When Maurice had completed his funereal operation,

his hands were so tremulous and his countenance betrayed

so much grief, that Genevieve exclaimed :

" Ah ! I am courageous, Maurice."

Sanson turned round.

" Is it not so, monsieur ? " said she ; " am I not courageous ? "

" Certainly, citoyenue," replied the executioner, in a mild voice, " for yours is true courage."

In the meantime, the first assistant had run over the

list forwarded by Fouquier Tinville.

" Fourteen," said he.

Sanson counted the condemned.

" Fifteen, including the dead, "said he ; " why, how is this ? '

Maurice and Genevieve counted after him, both struck

by the same thought.

" You say there are only fourteen condemned, and that

there are fifteen," said she.

" Yes ; the Citizen Fouquier Tinville must have been

mistaken."

" Ah ! you spoke falsely, then," said Goneviove, turning to Maurice ; " you were not condemned."

" And why wait for to-morrow, when you die to-day ?'

said Maurice.

" Ann',' said she, smiling, " you reassure me ; I now am convinced it is easy to die."

" Louis," said Maurice, " now for the last time no one THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE. 409

here can recognize yoti say that you came to bid me

adieu say that you have been shut in by mistake ; call

the gendarme who saw you go out. I will be the true con-

demned who ought to die. But you, my friend, we

supplicate to live to guard our memory ; there is yet time, Louis ; we entreat you."

Genevifive joined her hands in an attitude of prayer.

Louis took both her hands and kissed them.

" I have said no, and I mean no/' said Louis, in a firm voice ; " say no more on the subject, or I shall think I am a constraint upon you."

" Fourteen," repeated Sanson, " and here are fifteen ; "

then, elevating his voice, " Is there any one here who can protest against this ? " said he ; " is there any one here who can prove he is here by mistake ? "

Perhaps some lips half opened at this question, but

closed again without uttering a single word, since those

who might have lied were ashamed to do so, and those who

would not have lied were determined not to speak.

A silence of several minutes ensued, during which the

assistants continued their mournful office.

" Citizens, we are ready," was then pronounced in the dull and solemn tones of old Sanson.

He was answered only by sobs and groans.

" Well/' said Louis, " let it be so.

" To die for our country

Is of all fates the best !

Yes, to die for our country : but decidedly I begin to

think we do not die for her, but for the pleasure of those

who witness our deaths. Ma foi ! Maurice, I have adopted

your opinion. I am disgusted with the Republic."

" The call ! " said a commissary, at the door.

Several gendarmes entered the hall, closing up the

issues, thus placing themselves between life and the con-

demned, as if to prevent them from returning to it. The

summons was repeated. Maurice, who had seen the con-

demned who hud destroyed himself, when his name was

called answered in his stead, and then found the number

R DUMAS VOL. XI.

410 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

was correct. The corpse was removed from the hall, but

if his identity had been established, and he had been rec-

ognized as one condemned he would have been guillotined

with the rest, although already dead. The survivors were

pushed toward the outlet, in order that as each passed be-

fore the wicket their hands might be tied behind their

backs. For the space of ten minutes not a word was ex-

changed between these unfortunates, the executioners

alone seemed endowed with life or motion.

Maurice, Genevieve, and Louis, not being any longer

able to retain their hold of one another, successively pre-

sented themselves, that they might not be separated.

When the condemned were removed from the conciergerie

into the court, the scene became truly appalling. Several

fainted at the sight of the carts, and the turnkeys were

compelled to assist them to mount the steps of these

vehicles of death. Behind the still closed doors was heard

the confused murmur of the crowd, and it might be im-

agined from the sound that the concourse was immense.

Genevieve courageously ascended the car ; Maurice at her

side sustained her ; he sprung in rapidly after her. Louis

did not hurry himself, but carefully selected his seat at

the left of Maurice. The doors opened, and foremost in

the crowd stood Simon. The two friends immediately rec-

ognized him ; indeed, the recognition was mutual. He

was standing upon a stone near which the carts must pass,

for there were three of them. The cart containing our

three friends moved first.

" Eh, ban jour, brave grenadier," said Simon to Louis ;

" you are going to try the effect of my leather-cutting machine, I suppose ? "

" Yes," said Louis, " and I will be careful not to notch it, that it may be ready when your turn comes."

The two remaining carts now followed the direction of

the first. And now commenced a terrific tempest of cries,

shouts, groans, and maledictions, surrounding and follow-

ing the condemned.

" Courage, Genevieve, take courage," murmured Maurice.

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

" Oh ! " replied the young woman, " I do not regret life, since I die with you. I regret only that my hands

are tied, and I cannot embrace yon before I die."

" Louis," said Maurice, " feel in my waistcoat pocket, there you will find a knife."

" Mon Dieu " said Louis, " a pen-knife ; I should be ashamed to die, garroted like a calf."

Maurice placed his pocket on a level with his friend's

hands ; Louis found the knife, which between them they

succeeded in opening. Maurice then placed it between

his teeth, and severed the cord which bound Louis' hands,

who, the moment they were free, performed the same office

for Maurice.

" Make haste," said the young man ; " GeneviSve is fainting."

In fact to accomplish this operation, Maurice had for a

moment turned from Genevieve, when, as if all her strength

had been derived from him, her eyes closed, and her head

sank upon her breast.

" Genevi&ve, open your eyes, mon arnie," said Maurice ; we have only a few minutes more to see each other in this

world."

The cords wound me," murmured the young woman.

" Maurice unbound them. She immediately reopened

her eyes, and rose, radiant with almost celestial beauty.

She threw one fair arm around Maurice's neck, with the

other hand seized that of Louis, and thus, all three stand-

ing in the cart, with two more victims lying at their feet, wrapped in the stupor of anticipated death, they gazed

toward heaven with a look of ardent gratitude for having

been permitted to support and console each other, while

those who had outraged and insulted them previously were

now perfectly silent. The scaffold was in sight. Maurice

and Louis beheld it. Genevieve did not ; she saw naught

beside her lover. The cart stopped.

"I love thee," said Maurice to Geuevieve ; "Hove thee."

" The woman first, the woman first ! " shouted a thou*

sand voices.

412 THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE.

" Thanks, good people/' said Maurice ; " who, then, can call yon cruel ? "

He took Genevieve within his arms, pressed his lips

fondly upon hers, and delivered her to Sanson.

" Courage ! " cried Louis, " courage ! "

" I have it," said Genevieve, " I have it."

" I love thee," murmured Maurice ; " I love thee."

They were no longer victims about to be slaughtered,

but friends making a festival of death.

" Adieu ! " cried Genevieve to Louis.

" Au revoir, " replied he.

And Genevidve disappeared under the fatal swinging-

gate.

" To thee, Louis ! To thee, Maurice ! "

" Hark ! she calls you."

At this moment Genevieve uttered the last cry.

" Come," said she.

A furious uproar ascended from the crowd. The fair

and graceful head had fallen. Maurice rushed forward.

" It is exactly correct," said Louis ; " let us follow logic.

Are you listening, Maurice ? "

"Yes."

" She loved you, and they have murdered her first ; you are not condemned, and therefore die the second ; and I,

who have done nothing, being the greater criminal of the

three, die the last.

" And thus you see 'tis all explained

Through studying logic.

" Ma foi ! Citizen Sanson, I promised you a quatrain,

but you must be content with a distich."

" I did love thee ! " murmured Maurice, lying on the fatal plank, and smiling at the head of his beloved, " I did lo " The knife cut short the last word.

"Now for my turn, "said Louis, bounding on the scaffold, "and be quick, or I shall lose my head. Citizen

Sanson, I have committed bankruptcy for two verses,

instead of which I offer yon a pun."

Sausou placed him in bis turn.

THE CHEVALIER DE MAISON ROUGE, 413

" Let us see," said Louis, " it is the fashion to cry long live something, when dying. Once it was ' Vive la roi ! '

but now there is no king ; then once the cry was, ' Vive

la liberte! ' but there is no more liberty. Ma foil Long

live Sanson, who unites us all three ! "

And the head of the generous and noble-hearted young

man fell near those of Maurice and Genevieve.