Part 42 (1/2)
He almost s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter from his cousin's hand.
”Yes, yes, read it. Oh, mon Dieu, mon Dieu!” Herve groaned, and stamped his feet.
The letter was written in very shaky characters, and Angelot had to hold it under one of the candle sconces on the wall.
”My dear Comte:--
”You will receive to-morrow, I have reason to think, an Imperial recommendation--which means a command--to give Mademoiselle your daughter in marriage to General Ratoneau. If you see any way out of this dilemma, I need hardly advise you to take it. You would have been warned earlier of the danger, but circ.u.mstances have been too strong for me. My part in the affair I hope to explain. In the meanwhile believe in my sincere friends.h.i.+p, and burn this letter.
”_De Mauves_.”
Angelot drew in his breath sharply. ”Ah! The Prefect is good,” he said.
While he read the letter, his cousin was staring at him. Slowly, intently, yet with a sort of vague distraction, his eyes travelled over Angelot; the plain shooting clothes, so odd a contrast in that gay house, at that time of night, to his own elegant evening dress; the handsome, clear-cut, eager face, the young lips set with a man's firmness and energy.
”I thought you were in prison,” said Herve.
”I escaped from the police.”
”Why did they arrest you?”
”I do not know. I believe it was a private scheme of that rascal Simon's--such things have happened.”
”Tell me all--and quickly.”
Angelot began to obey him, but after a few words broke off suddenly.
”Uncle Herve, what is the use of talking about me? What are you going to do? Let us think--yes, I have a plan. If you were to call my cousin Helene quietly out of the ball-room to change her dress, I would have horses ready in the north wood, and I would ride with you at least part of the way to Le Mans. There you could get a post-chaise and drive to Paris. Place her safely in a convent, and go yourself to the Emperor--”
”And do you suppose, Angelot, that I have enough influence with the Emperor to make him withdraw an order already given--and do you not know that this is a favourite amus.e.m.e.nt of his, this disgusting plan of giving our daughters to any butcher and son of a butcher who has slaughtered enough men to please him? Your uncle Joseph told us all about it. He said it was in the Prefect's hands--I can hardly believe that our Prefect would have treated me so. There is some intrigue behind all this. I suspect--ah, I will teach them to play their tricks on me! A convent--my poor boy, do you expect they would leave her there?
Even a hundred years ago they would have dragged her out for a political marriage--how much more now!”
For a moment there was dead silence; they looked hard at each other, but if Angelot read anything in his cousin's eyes, it was something too extraordinary to be believed. He flushed again suddenly as he said, ”You can never consent to such a marriage, for you gave me your word of honour that you would not.”
”Will they ask my consent? I have refused it once already,” said Herve de Sainfoy.
He walked a few steps, and turned back; he was much calmer now, and his face was full of grave thought and resolution.
”Angelot,” he said, ”you are your father's son, as well as your uncle's nephew. Tell me, have you actually done anything to bring you under imperial justice?”
”Nothing,” Angelot answered. ”The police may pretend to think so. Uncle Joseph says I am in danger. But I have done nothing.”
”Did you say you were leaving the country to-morrow? Alone?”
”With some of Uncle Joseph's friends.”
”Ah! And your father?”
”I shall come back some day. Life is too difficult,” said Angelot.