Volume II Part 39 (1/2)
With a mixture of surprise and horror Pierre looked at the man, who could still think of money and money matters in the presence of his dead son
”Why do you not speak?” continued the ly ”You are, no doubt, sorrowful at the death of Fanfaro, whoereuse? Yes, I cannot help you; gone is gone; and if it interests you, you can learn how Fanfaro came to his death I killed him!”
”Impossible--do not say that!” cried Pierre Labarre in terror ”Say that it was a joke,You did not kill hiot rid of him; I hired the murderer, who freed nized him immediately on account of his resemblance to ot rid of hi at? I really believe you are getting childish in your old age!”
Pale as a ghost, Pierre leaned against the wall, and his hand was clasped over his eyes, as if he wished to shut the ht
”Unhappy father,” he murmured, in a broken voice; ”would to God so you what you have done”
”Spare your pity,” said Fougereuse, proudly; ”if anything can console e that my brother Jules's son, as always a thorn in my side, is at last out of the way”
”For Heaven's sake be silent: this Fanfaro was not your brother's son!”
”So much the worse!”
”My lord, in the presence of this corpse which lies before us, I beseech you do not blaspheme, and listen to what I have to say Do you recollect the village of Sacheereuse, pensively
”Yes--Sachemont On the 16th of May, 1804, you and another officer took lodgings in the cottage of a peasant in Sache away from France You had taken part in Cadoudal's conspiracy, and barely escaped from the hands of the officers of the law The peasant received you hospitably, and, in return, the wretches insulted their host's daughters One of the officers, a Gerirl he had impudently approached, but the other one, a French the dastardly outrage, he ran aith his companion Marquis, shall I name you the man who acted so ereuse looked at the old servant in amazement Where had Pierre Labarre found all this out?
”The nobleht, and left behind him despair and shame,” continued Pierre; ”and this despair increased when the unhappy victiave birth to a son, about the commenceereuse, irl died, and the child, which had neither father nor mother, stood alone in the world,” said the old man softly; ”it would have died wretchedly if a brave and noble ood the ereuse, the brother of the Vicoeres, the sister of the dead woht the boy up as if he had been their own, and in the village of Leigoutte no one suspected that little Jacques was only an adopted child In the year 1814 you induced the Cossacks to destroy Leigoutte
Jules Fougeres, your only brother, died the death of a hero, and if the wife and children of the victiet burned to death, as was intended, it was not the fault of the instigator of the bloody draly; pale and treazed at Pierre Labarre, and cold drops of perspiration stood on his forehead
”My information is at an end,” said the old man now, as he advanced a step nearer to the nobleeres are identical with the Vicoereuse, ”this Fanfaro was my brother's son; tell your fables to others”
Instead of answering, Pierre Labarre searched in his breast-pocket and handed the ereuse opened the ones on top and tried to read, but a veil was before his eyes and he trely said:
”Read the”
Pierre read the following aloud:
”I, Jules de Fougereuse, elder son of the eres, which is supposed to be eres, which I at present answer to, is not my son, but the son of my sister-in-law Therese Lemaire, and my brother, the Vicomte de Talizac
”JULES FOUGERES”
”Those words have been written by soated liar!” cried the marquis ”Pierre Labarre, say that it is not true, or else--I must have poisoned my own son!”