Part 53 (1/2)

”Your little ones! your little ones! These rascals starve the whole province with their little ones!”

”Pardi! monsieur l'intendant, your master raises more than fifty dogs, and it seems to me that I can raise four or five children.”

”Fancy this wretch daring to compare his disgusting young ones with monseigneur's greyhounds! Come, no arguing, you were caught poaching, your case is clear, and the theft is proved. You will be lashed, fined, and imprisoned!”

”Oh! mercy, monsieur! it was only a rabbit!”

”A rabbit, you scoundrel! a rabbit! Do you know what a rabbit is?

Monseigneur preserves rabbits; I must avenge the one that you killed.”

”Morgue! if it was for monsieur's table----”

”That's a very different matter; it would be too happy to enter its master's mouth; but you are a poacher.”

”Have pity on my wife and children, monsieur l'intendant! We are so poor! there ain't a sou in our house!”

”You deserve to be hanged! Off with you, to prison, and to-morrow the lash.”

The steward rang, the servants appeared, and the peasant was taken away despite his prayers and his tears.

I had remained under the table, where I was fairly choking with indignation; when everybody had gone, I jumped out of the window and ran home, to tell my father all that I had heard. My story did not surprise him. It was only one proof more of the injustice and the barbarity of men. For my own part, I had my plan. I knew that the n.o.bleman was to return next day, and I proposed to a.s.sure the punishment of the rascally steward.

And so at daybreak I started for the chateau. When I arrived there, I saw the unfortunate peasant in the courtyard being pitilessly beaten by the servants, while the n.o.bleman watched the spectacle from the balcony, giving biscuit to his Danish hound and sugar to his greyhound.

”I am going to avenge you, goodman,” I said, as I pa.s.sed the peasant; and I at once ran up the stairs four at a time and entered monseigneur's apartments before the servants had had time to announce me. The steward was with his master, counting out money; I ran and threw myself at monseigneur's feet; but in my eagerness I trod upon the paw of one of his favorites. The hound began to yelp and his master cast an angry glance at me, asking why I had been allowed access to him. Before anyone could reply, I began my story and told, almost without stopping for breath, all that I had heard the day before between the steward and the aristocratic huntsman.

The old n.o.bleman seemed a little surprised to learn that another poacher had been arrested; but the steward, who quivered with anger while I was speaking, made haste to tell his master that the young man was a marquis, and that he had thought that he ought not to detain him.

”A marquis,” said the n.o.bleman, taking a pinch of snuff, ”a marquis! The devil! that's so--of course we could not have him beaten; so the peasant must pay for both.”

”That is what I thought, monseigneur.”

”And you did well; send away this boy, who was awkward enough to tread on Castor's paw.”

The steward did not wait for the order to be repeated; he took me by the arm; and I went unresistingly, unable to understand why monseigneur had not been angry with the rascally servant. On the way, the steward gave me a number of blows, and as many kicks; that was the only reward which I received at the chateau.

I returned home in a frenzy of rage, revolving in my brain a thousand schemes of revenge. My father, who then realized to what excess my animosity might lead me, tried, but in vain, to pacify me.

The next morning, a message from the steward informed my father that he was no longer monseigneur's game-keeper. That was a result of my action of the day before; he suspected as much, but did not reproach me. We left our cabin with no idea of what was to become of us. As for me, my father's misfortune confirmed me in a plan which I had conceived and which I was eager to execute.

During the night, while my father slept at the foot of a tree, I stole away with a dark lantern and the gun which he always carried with him.

I hurried in the direction of monseigneur's chateau. When I arrived there, I made piles of sticks, and set fire to the four corners of the chateau, taking pains, lest the fire should not burn quickly enough, to throw blazing brands on the roofs of all the buildings, with particular attention to the stables.

I soon had the pleasure of seeing that my revenge was complete; the fire caught in several places and spread rapidly to all the wings of the chateau. They sounded the tocsin, the villagers hastened to the spot, and several of them had the complaisance to throw themselves into the flames, to save a n.o.bleman who took pleasure in having them beaten. Amid the confusion and the tumult, I made my way to the private apartments and found the steward trying to escape, with a little casket which he held against his breast. I took my stand in front of him and said, aiming my gun at him:

”Look you, this is to teach you to strike me and kick me!”