Part 3 (2/2)
”I knew that,” said Desiree Candeille, ”and half hoped that you would reet Demoiselle Candeille, the most popular star in the theatrical firo”
”Only four years”
”A fallen star is soon lost out of sight”
”Why fallen?”
”It was a choice for uillotine,” rejoined Candeille sienuine sympathy With characteristic is: she had conquered her round of her ue: she had suffered and was in distress; she had every claim, therefore, on a compatriot's help and friendshi+p She stretched out her hand and took Desiree Candeille's in her own; she forced herself to feel nothing but ad woman, whose whole attitude spoke of sorrows nobly borne, of misfortunes proudly endured
”I don't knohy I should sadden you with ht pause, during which she seeainst her own e one Hundreds have suffered as I did I had enemies in Paris God kno that happened I had never harmed anyone, but someone must have hated ht in France these days A denunciation-a perquisition-an accusation-then the flight frouise the bribe the hardshi+ps the squalid hiding places Oh! I have gone through it all tasted every kind of humiliation endured every kind of insult Remember! that I was not a noble aristocrat a duchess or an impoverished Countess” she added with lish cavaliers whoue of the Scarlet Pimpernel would have taken some interest in me I was only a poor actress and had to find uillotine”
”I aot on, once you were in England,” she continued after a while, seeing that Desiree Candeille seeements at first,” replied the Frenchwoman ”I played at Sadler's Wells and with Mrs Jordan at Covent Garden, but the Aliens' Bill put an end to ive me a part, and so”
”And so?”
”Oh! I had a feels and I sold them A little money and I live on that But when I played at Covent Garden I contrived to send part of my salary over to some of the poorer clubs of Paris My heart aches for those that are starving Poor wretches, they are ues It hurtsat public fairs, I can still send a few francs to those who are poorer thanpassion and vehe neither the speaker nor her surroundings, seeing only visions of those saoaded into thirst for blood, when their shrunken bodies should have been clauerite thus absorbed, had totally forgotten her earlier prejudices and now coy, theatrical, in the oratorical declamations of the ex-actress from the Varietes
Pre-eminently true and loyal herself in spite of the many deceptions and treacheries which she had witnessed in her life, she never looked for falsehood or for cant in others Even now she only saw before her a wofully persecuted, who had suffered and had forgiven those who had caused her to suffer She bitterly accused herself for her original mistrust of this noble-hearted, unselfish woman, as content to tra her talents for a few coins, in order that soht have bread to eat and a bed in which to sleep
”Mademoiselle,” she said warmly, ”truly you shame me, who am also French-born, with the many sacrifices you so nobly make for those who should have first claim on my own sympathy Believe me, if I have not done ascoood-will Is there any way now,” she added eagerly, ”in which I can help you? Putting aside the question of money, wherein I pray you to command my assistance, what can I do to be of useful service to you?”
”You are very kind, Lady Blakeney” said the other hesitatingly
”Well? What is it? I see there is so in your mind”
”It is perhaps difficult to express but people say I have a good voice I sing soland, I think If I could sing theht perhaps”
”Nay! you shall sing in fashi+onable salons,” exclaierly, ”you shall become the fashi+on, and I'll swear the Prince of Wales hi at Carlton House and you shall name your own fee, Mademoiselle and London society shall vie with the elite of Bath, as to which shall lure you to its most frequented routs There! there! you shall make a fortune for the Paris poor and to prove to you that I in your triuhness will be present You shall sing your s and for your fee you uineas, which you shall send to the poorest workman's club in Paris in the name of Sir Percy and Lady Blakeney”
”I thank your ladyshi+p, but”
”You'll not refuse?”
”I'll accept gladly but you will understand I am not very old,” said Candeille quaintly, ”I I a actress is unprotected then”
”I understand,” replied Marguerite gently, ”that you are far too pretty to frequent the world all alone, and that you have a mother, a sister or a friend which? whom you would wish to escort you to-morrow Is that it?”
”Nay,” rejoined the actress, with marked bitterness, ”I have neither mother, nor sister, but our Revolutionary Government, with tardy compassion for those it has so relentlessly driven out of France, has deputed a representative of theirs in England to look after the interests of French subjects over here!”
”Yes?”
”They have realised over in Paris that my life here has been devoted to the welfare of the poor people of France The representative wholand is specially interested in me and in my work He is a stand-by for me in case of trouble in case of insults A woman alone is oft subject to those, even at the hands of so-called gentlemen and the official representative of my own country becomes in such cases my most natural protector”
”I understand”
”You will receive him?”
”Certainly”
”Then may I present him to your ladyshi+p?”
”Whenever you like”
”Now, and it please you”
”Now?”
”Yes Here he comes, at your ladyshi+p's service”
Desiree Candeille's almond-shaped eyes were fixed upon a distant part of the tent, behind Lady Blakeney in the direction of the ht pause after she had spoken and then Marguerite slowly turned in order to see who this official representative of France horeed to receive in her house In the doorway of the tent, fra sunshi+ne as a brilliant background behind hiure of Chauvelin
Chapter VII: Preuerite neither moved nor spoke She felt two pairs of eyes fixed upon her, and with all the strength of will at her command she forced the very blood in her veins not to quit her cheeks, forced her eyelids not to betray by a single quiver the icy pang of a deadly preht of Chauvelin seemed to have chilled her entire soul
There he stood before her, dressed in his usual sorey eyes of his, which a year ago on the cliffs of Calais had peered down at her with such relentless hate
Strange that at this moment she should have felt an instinct of fear What cause had she to throw lance at the nally failed?
Having bowed very low and very respectfully, Chauvelin advanced towards her, with all the airs of a disgraced courtier craving audience from his queen
As he approached she instinctively drew back
”Would you prefer not to speak to me, Lady Blakeney?” he said humbly
She could scarcely believe her ears, or trust her eyes It seeed in a few months He even looked shorter than last year, more shrunken within himself His hair, which he wore free frorey
”Shall I withdraw?” he added after a pause, seeing that Marguerite made no movement to return his salutation