Part 55 (1/2)
”Well, then, pull yourself together! You must face the worst misfortune that can befall you.”
The Prince turned round, took some papers from the table, and placed them in the Marshal's hands, saying, ”Read that.”
The Comte de Forzheim read the following letter, which lay uppermost:--
”To his Excellency the President of the Council.
”_Private and Confidential_.
”ALGIERS.
”MY DEAR PRINCE,--We have a very ugly business on our hands, as you will see by the accompanying doc.u.ments.
”The story, briefly told, is this: Baron Hulot d'Ervy sent out to the province of Oran an uncle of his as a broker in grain and forage, and gave him an accomplice in the person of a storekeeper.
This storekeeper, to curry favor, has made a confession, and finally made his escape. The Public Prosecutor took the matter up very thoroughly, seeing, as he supposed, that only two inferior agents were implicated; but Johann Fischer, uncle to your Chief of the Commissariat Department, finding that he was to be brought up at the a.s.sizes, stabbed himself in prison with a nail.
”That would have been the end of the matter if this worthy and honest man, deceived, it would seem, by his agent and by his nephew, had not thought proper to write to Baron Hulot. This letter, seized as a doc.u.ment, so greatly surprised the Public Prosecutor, that he came to see me. Now, the arrest and public trial of a Councillor of State would be such a terrible thing--of a man high in office too, who has a good record for loyal service --for after the Beresina, it was he who saved us all by reorganizing the administration--that I desired to have all the papers sent to me.
”Is the matter to take its course? Now that the princ.i.p.al agent is dead, will it not be better to smother up the affair and sentence the storekeeper in default?
”The Public Prosecutor has consented to my forwarding the doc.u.ments for your perusal; the Baron Hulot d'Ervy, being resident in Paris, the proceedings will lie with your Supreme Court. We have hit on this rather shabby way of ridding ourselves of the difficulty for the moment.
”Only, my dear Marshal, decide quickly. This miserable business is too much talked about already, and it will do as much harm to us as to you all if the name of the princ.i.p.al culprit--known at present only to the Public Prosecutor, the examining judge, and myself--should happen to leak out.”
At this point the letter fell from Marshal Hulot's hands; he looked at his brother; he saw that there was no need to examine the evidence. But he looked for Johann Fischer's letter, and after reading it at a glance, held it out to Hector:--
”FROM THE PRISON AT ORAN.
”DEAR NEPHEW,--When you read this letter, I shall have ceased to live.
”Be quite easy, no proof can be found to incriminate you. When I am dead and your Jesuit of a Chardin fled, the trial must collapse. The face of our Adeline, made so happy by you, makes death easy to me. Now you need not send the two hundred thousand francs. Good-bye.
”This letter will be delivered by a prisoner for a short term whom I can trust, I believe.
”JOHANN FISCHER.”
”I beg your pardon,” said Marshal Hulot to the Prince de Wissembourg with pathetic pride.
”Come, come, say _tu_, not the formal _vous_,” replied the Minister, clasping his old friend's hand. ”The poor lancer killed no one but himself,” he added, with a thunderous look at Hulot d'Ervy.
”How much have you had?” said the Comte de Forzheim to his brother.
”Two hundred thousand francs.”
”My dear friend,” said the Count, addressing the Minister, ”you shall have the two hundred thousand francs within forty-eight hours. It shall never be said that a man bearing the name of Hulot has wronged the public treasury of a single sou.”
”What nonsense!” said the Prince. ”I know where the money is, and I can get it back.--Send in your resignation and ask for your pension!” he went on, sending a double sheet of foolscap flying across to where the Councillor of State had sat down by the table, for his legs gave way under him. ”To bring you to trial would disgrace us all. I have already obtained from the superior Board their sanction to this line of action. Since you can accept life with dishonor--in my opinion the last degradation--you will get the pension you have earned. Only take care to be forgotten.”
The Minister rang.
”Is Marneffe, the head-clerk, out there?”