LIBRARY 
 
 sty of C*f 
 
 IRVINE

 
 THE 
 CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY
 
 HE KNELT DOWN BY HER. HE RAISED HER BEAUTIFUL HEAD. 
 TO ME, MADEMOISELLE, I ENTREAT YOU," CRIED HE 
 
 'SPEAK
 
 THE 
 
 CHAMPDOCE 
 MYSTERY 
 
 A Sequel to "Caught in the Net" 
 
 Translated from the French of 
 
 EMILE GABORIAU 
 
 Illustrated by 
 JOHN SLOAN 
 
 Charles Scribner's Sons 
 New York 1913
 
 13 
 
 T, 1915, BY 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. A DUCAL MONOMANIAC ..... 1 
 
 II. A DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCE ... 15 
 
 III. A BOLD ADVENTURE 22 
 
 IV. A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION . . . . 27 
 V. A BAD START . . . . . . .36 
 
 VI. THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR ... 42 
 
 VII. AN UNLUCKY BLOW . . . . .62 
 
 VIII. THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE .... 77 
 
 IX. THE HONOR OF THE NAME . . 97 
 
 X. A THUNDERBOLT . . . . . . 116 
 
 XI. MARRIAGE BELLS; FUNERAL KNELLS. . 126 
 
 XII. "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" . . .135 
 
 XIII. A SCHEME OF VENGEANCE .... 153 
 
 XIV. FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER . . . .161 
 XV. A STAB IN THE DARK . . . . . 170 
 
 XVI. HUSBAND AND LOVER . . . . .178 
 XVII. BLADE TO BLADE 189 
 
 V
 
 vi CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XVIII. THE HEIR OF CHAMPDOCE , . .200 
 
 XIX. MASCARIN SPEAKS 207 
 
 XX. A SUDDEN CHECK 217 
 
 XXI. A MELANCHOLY MASHER .... 232 
 
 XXII. A GENTLEMAN IN DIFFICULTIES . . 238 
 
 XXIII. RINGING THE CHANGES .... 243 
 
 XXIV. THE VANISHING BILLS . . . .253 
 XXV. THE SPY 261 
 
 XXVI. MASCARIN MOVES 270 
 
 XXVII. A CRUEL SLUR 275 
 
 XXVIII. THE TEMPTER 281 
 
 XXIX. THE TAFILA COPPER MINES, LIMITED . 293 
 
 XXX. THE VEILED PORTRAIT . . . .300 
 
 XXXI. GASTON'S DILEMMA 307 
 
 XXXII. M. LECOQ 317 
 
 XXXIII. THROUGH THE AIR 332 
 
 XXXIV. THE DAY OF RECKONING . . . .340 
 XXXV. "EVERY MAN TO His OWN PLACE" . 353
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 He knelt down by her. He raised her beautiful 
 head. "Speak to me, mademoiselle, I entreat 
 you," cried he Frontispiece 
 
 PACING 
 PAGE 
 
 He clasped his hands convulsively, and then fell 
 helplessly backwards, striking his head against 
 an oaken sideboard 98 
 
 At last he nerved himself, grasped the body, and 
 
 hurled it into the gaping grave 194 
 
 All at once his door burst open, and a hurricane of 
 
 silks, velvets, feathers, and lace whirled in . 308
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC. 
 
 THE traveller who wishes to go from Poitiers to 
 London by the shortest route will find that the sim- 
 plest way is to 'take a seat in the stage-coach which 
 runs to Saumur; and when you book your place, the 
 polite clerk tells you that you must take your seat 
 punctually at six o'clock. The next morning, there- 
 fore, the traveller has to rise from his bed at a very 
 early hour, and make a hurried and incomplete toilet, 
 and on arriving, flushed and panting, at the office, 
 discover that there was no occasion for such extreme 
 haste. 
 
 In the hotel from whence the coach starts every one 
 seems to be asleep, and a waiter, whose eyes are 
 scarcely open, wanders languidly about. There is not 
 the slightest good in losing your temper, or in pouring 
 out a string of violent remonstrances. In a small 
 restaurant opposite a cup of hot coffee can be pro- 
 cured, and it is there that the disappointed travellers 
 congregate, to await the hour when the coach really 
 makes a start. 
 
 At length, however, all is ready, the conductor utters 
 a tremendous execration, the coachman cracks his 
 whip, the horses spring forward, the wheels rattle, and 
 
 I
 
 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 the coach is off at last. Whilst the conductor smokes 
 his pipe tranquilly, the passengers gaze out of the 
 windows and admire the beautiful aspect of the sur- 
 vounding country. On each side stretch the woods 
 .and fields of Bevron. The covers are full of game, 
 which has increased enormously, as the owner of the 
 property has never allowed a shot to be fired since 
 he had the misfortune, some twenty years ago, to 
 kill one of his dependents whilst out shooting. On 
 the right hand side some distance off rise the 
 tower and battlements of the Chateau de Mussidan. 
 It is two years ago since the Dowager Countess of 
 Chevanche died, leaving all her fortune to her niece, 
 Mademoiselle Sabine de Mussidan. She was a kind- 
 hearted woman, rough and ready in her manner, but 
 very popular amongst the peasantry. Farther off, on 
 the top of some rising ground, appears an imposing 
 structure, of an ancient style of architecture; this is 
 the ancient residence of the Dukes of Champdoce. 
 The left wing is a picturesque mass of ruins ; the roof 
 has fallen in, and the mullions of the windows are 
 dotted with a thick growth of clustering ivy. Rain, 
 storm, and sunshine have all done their work, and 
 painted the mouldering walls with a hundred varied 
 tints. In 1840 the inheritor of one of the noblest names 
 of France resided here with his only son. The name of 
 the present proprietor was Caesar Guillaume Duepair 
 de Champdoce. He was looked upon both by the gen- 
 try and peasantry of the country side as a most eccen- 
 tric individual. He could be seen any day wandering 
 about, dressed in the most shabby manner, and wear- 
 ing a coat that was frequently in urgent need of re- 
 pair, a leathern cap on his head, wooden shoes, and 
 a stout oaken cudgel in his hand. In winter he
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC 3 
 
 supplemented to these an ancient sheepskin coat. He 
 was sixty years of age, very powerfully built, and 
 possessing enormous strength. The expression upon 
 his face showed that his will was as strong as his 
 thews and sinews. Beneath his shaggy eyebrows 
 twinkled a pair of light-gray eyes, which darkened 
 when a fit of passion overtook him, and this was no 
 unusual occurrence. 
 
 During his military career in the army of the Conde, 
 he had received a sabre cut across his cheek, and the 
 cicatrice imparted a strange and unpleasant expres- 
 sion to his face. He was not a bad-hearted man, but 
 headstrong, violent, and tyrannical to a degree. The 
 peasants saluted him with a mixture of respect and 
 dread as he walked to the chapel, to which he was 
 a regular attendant on Sundays, with his son. Dur- 
 ing the Mass he made the responses in an audible 
 voice, and at its conclusion invariably put a five-franc 
 piece into the plate. This, his subscription to the 
 newspaper, and the sum he paid for being shaved 
 twice each week, constituted the whole of his outlay 
 upon himself. He kept an excellent table, however; 
 plump fowls, vegetables of all kinds, and the most 
 delicious fruit were never absent from it. Everything, 
 however, that appeared upon his well-plenished board 
 was the produce of his fields, gardens, or woods. The 
 nobility and gentry of the neighborhood frequently 
 invited him to their hospitable tables, for they looked 
 upon him as the head and chief of the nobility of 
 the county; but he always refused their invitations, 
 saying plainly, " No man who has the slightest re- 
 spect for himself will accept hospitalities which he is 
 not in a position to return." It was not the grinding 
 clutch of poverty that drove the Duke to this exercise
 
 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 of severe economy, for his income from his estates 
 brought him in fifty thousand francs per annum ; and it 
 was reported that his investments brought him in as 
 much more. As a matter of course, therefore, he was 
 looked upon as a miser, and a victim to the sordid 
 vice of avarice. 
 
 His past life might, in some degree, offer an ex- 
 planation of this conduct. Born in 1780, the Duke 
 de Champdoce had joined the band of emigrants 
 which swelled the ranks of Conde's army. An im- 
 placable opposer of the Revolution, he resided, dur- 
 ing the glorious days of the Empire, in London, where 
 dire poverty compelled him to gain a livelihood as a 
 fencing master at the Restoration. He came back 
 with the Bourbons to his native land, and, by an almost 
 miraculous chance, was put again in possession of 
 his ancestral domains. But in his opinion he was 
 living in a state of utter destitution as compared to 
 the enormous revenues enjoyed by the dead-and-gone 
 members of the Champdoce family ; and 'what pained 
 him more was to see rise up by the side of the old 
 aristocracy a new race which had attached itself to 
 commerce and entered into business transactions. As 
 he gazed upon the new order of things, the man 
 whose pride of birth ind position almost amounted to 
 insanity, conceived the project to which he deter- 
 mined to devote the remainder of his life. He im- 
 agined that he had discovered a means by which he 
 could restore the ancient house of Champdoce to all 
 its former splendor and position. " I can," said he, 
 "by living like a peasant and resorting to no unnec- 
 essary expense, treble my capital in twenty years ; and 
 if my son and my grandson will only follow my
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC 5 
 
 example, the race of Champdoce will again recover 
 the proud position that it formerly held. Faithful 
 to this idea, he wedded, in 1820, although his heart 
 was entirely untouched, a young girl of noble birth 
 but utterly devoid of beauty, though possessed of a 
 magnificent dowry. Their union was an extremely 
 unhappy one, and many persons did not hesitate to 
 accuse the Duke of treating with harshness and severity 
 a young girl, who, having brought her husband five 
 hundred thousand francs, could not understand why 
 she should be refused a new dress when she urgently 
 needed it. After twelve months of inconceivable un- 
 happiness, she gave birth to a son who was baptized 
 Louis Norbert, and six months afterwards she sank 
 into an untimely grave. 
 
 The Duke did not seem to regret his loss very deeply. 
 The boy appeared to be of a strong and robust consti- 
 tution, and his mother's dowry would go to swell 
 the revenues of the Champdoce family. He made 
 his recent loss, too, the pretext for further retrench- 
 ments and economies. 
 
 Norbert was brought up exactly as a farmer's son 
 would have been. Every morning he started off 
 to work, carrying his day's provisions in a basket 
 slung upon his back. As he grew older, he was taught 
 to sow and reap, to estimate the value of a standing 
 crop at a glance, and, last but not least, to drive a hard 
 bargain. For a long time the Duke debated the ex- 
 pediency of permitting his son to be taught to read 
 or write; and if he did so at last, it was owing to 
 some severe remarks by the parish priest upon the 
 day on which Norbert took the sacrament for the 
 first time.
 
 6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 All went on well and smoothly until the day when 
 Norbert, on his sixteenth birthday, accompanied his 
 father to Poitiers for the first time. 
 
 At sixteen years of age. Louis Norbert de Champ- 
 doce looked fully twenty, and was as handsome a youth 
 as could be seen for miles round. The sun had given 
 a bronzed tint to his features which was exceedingly 
 becoming. He had black hair, with a slight curl run- 
 ning through it, and large melancholy blue eyes, which 
 he inherited from his mother. Poor girl! it was the 
 sole beauty that she had possessed. He was utterly 
 uncultured, and had been ruled with such a rod of 
 iron by his father that he had never been a league 
 from the Chateau. His ideas were barred by the little 
 town of Bevron, with its sixty houses, its town hall, 
 its small chapel, and principal river; and to him it 
 seemed a spot full of noise and confusion. In the 
 whole course of his life he had never spoken to three 
 persons who did not belong to the district. Bred up in 
 this secluded manner, it was almost impossible for him 
 to understand that any one could lead a different 
 existence to that of his own. His only pleasure was in 
 procuring an abundant harvest, and his sole idea of 
 excitement was High Mass on Sunday. 
 
 For more than a year the village girls had cast sly 
 glances at him, but he was far too simple and innocent 
 to notice this. When Mass was over, he generally 
 walked over the farm with his father to inspect the 
 work of the past week, or to set snares for the birds. 
 His father at last determined to give him a wider 
 experience, and one day said that he was to accom- 
 pany him to Poitiers. 
 
 At a very early hour in the morning they started 
 in one of the low country carts of the district, and
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC 7 
 
 under the seat were small sacks, containing over 
 forty thousand francs in silver money. Norbert had 
 long wished to visit Poitiers, but had never done so, 
 though it was but fifteen miles off. Poitiers is a quaint 
 old town, with dilapidated pavements and tall, gloomy 
 houses, the architecture of which dates from the 
 tenth century; but Norbert thought that it must be 
 one of the most magnificent cities in the world. It 
 was market day when they drove in, and he was abso- 
 lutely stupefied with surprise and excitement. He had 
 never believed there could be so many people in one 
 place, and hardly noticed that the cart had pulled up 
 opposite a lawyer's office. His father shook him 
 roughly by the shoulder. 
 
 " Come, Norbert, lad, we are there," said he. 
 
 The young man jumped to the ground, and assisted 
 mechanically to remove the sacks. The servile manner 
 of the lawyer did not strike him, nor did he listen to 
 the conversation between him and his father. Finally, 
 the business being concluded, they took their depart- 
 ure, and, driving to the Market Place, put up the 
 horse and cart at an old-fashioned, dingy inn, where 
 they took their breakfast in the public room at a table 
 where the wagoners were having a violent quarrel 
 over their meal. The Duke, however, had other busi- 
 ness to transact than the investment of his money, for 
 he wanted to find the whereabouts of a miller who 
 was somewhat in his debt. Norbert waited for him 
 in front of the inn, and could not help feeling rather 
 uncomfortable at finding himself alone. All at once 
 some one came up and touched him lightly on the 
 shoulder. He turned round sharply, and found him- 
 self face to face with a young man, who, seeing his 
 look of surprise, said,
 
 8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " What ! have you entirely forgotten your old friend 
 Montlouis ? " 
 
 Montlouis was the son of one of the Duke's farmers, 
 and he and Norbert had often played together in past 
 years. They had driven their cows to the meadows 
 together, and had spent long days together fishing or 
 searching for birds' nests. The dress now worn by 
 Montlouis had at first prevented Norbert from recog- 
 nizing him, for he was attired in the uniform of the 
 college at which his father had placed him, being 
 desirous of making something more than a mere 
 farmer of his son. 
 
 " What are you doing here ? " asked Norbert. 
 
 " I am waiting for my father." 
 
 " So am I. Let us have a cup of coffee together." 
 
 Montlouis led his playmate into a small wine shop 
 near at hand. He seemed a little disposed to presume 
 upon the superior knowledge of the world which he 
 had recently acquired. 
 
 " If there was a billiard-table here," said he, " we 
 could pass away the time with a game, though, to be 
 sure, it runs into money." 
 
 Norbert never had had more than a few pence in 
 his pocket at one time, and at this remark the color 
 rose to his face, and he felt much humiliated. 
 
 " My father," added the young collegian, " gives me 
 all I ask for. I am certain of getting one, if not two 
 prizes at the next examination ; and when I have taken 
 my degree, the Count de Mussidan has promised to 
 make me his steward. What do you think that you 
 will do?" 
 
 " I I don't know," stammered Norbert. 
 
 " You will, I suppose, dig and toil in the fields, as 
 your father has done before you. You are the son
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC 9 
 
 of the noblest and the richest man for miles round, 
 and yet you are not so happy as I am." 
 
 Upon the return of the Duke de Champdoce some 
 little time after this conversation, he did not detect 
 any change in his son's manner; but the words spoken 
 by Montlouis had fallen into Norbert's brain like a 
 subtle poison, and a few careless sentences uttered by 
 an inconsiderate lad had annihilated the education of 
 sixteen years, and a complete change had taken place 
 in Norbert's mind, a change which was utterly un- 
 suspected by those around him, for his manner of 
 bringing up had taught him to keep his own counsel. 
 
 The fixed smile on his features entirely masked 
 the angry feelings that were working in his breast. 
 He went through his daily tasks, which had once been 
 a pleasure to him, with utter disgust and loathing. 
 His eyes had been suddenly opened, and he now un- 
 derstood a host of things which he had never before 
 even endeavored to comprehend. He saw now that 
 his proper position was among the nobles, whom he 
 never saw except when they attended Mass at the little 
 chapel in Bevron. The Count de Mussidan, so 
 haughty and imposing, with his snow-white hair; the 
 aristocratic-looking Marquis de Laurebourg, of whom 
 the peasants stood in the greatest awe, were always 
 courteous and even cordial in their salutations, while 
 the noble dames smiled graciously upon him. Proud 
 and haughty as they were, they evidently looked upon 
 his father and himself as their equals, in spite of 
 the coarse garments that they wore. The realization of 
 these facts effected a great change in Norbert. He 
 was the equal of all these people, and yet how great 
 a gulf separated him from them. While he and his 
 father tramped to Mass in heavy shoes, the others
 
 io THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 drove up in their carriages with powdered footmen 
 to open the doors. Why was this extraordinary dif- 
 ference? He knew enough of the value of crops and 
 land to know that his father was as wealthy as any 
 of these gentlemen. The laborers on the farm said 
 that his father was a miser, and the villagers asserted 
 that he got up at night and gazed with rapture upon 
 the treasure that was hidden away from men's eyes. 
 
 " Norbert is an unhappy lad," they would say. " He 
 who ought to be able to command all the pleasures of 
 life is worse off than our own children." 
 
 He also recollected that one day, as his father was 
 talking to the Marquis de Laurebourg, an old lady, 
 who was doubtless the Marchioness, had said, " Poor 
 boy ! he was so early deprived of a mother's care ! " 
 What did that mean unless it was a reflection upon 
 the arbitrary behavior of his father? Norbert saw 
 that these people always had their children with them, 
 and the sight of this filled him with jealousy, and 
 brought tears of anguish to his eyes. Sometimes, as 
 he trudged wearily behind his yoke of oxen, goad in 
 hand, he would see some of these young scions of the 
 aristocracy canter by on horseback, and the friendly 
 wave of the hand, with which they greeted him almost 
 appeared to his jaundiced mind a premeditated insult. 
 What could they find to do in Paris, to which they all 
 took wing at the first breath of winter ? This was a 
 question which he found himself utterly unable to 
 solve. To drink to intoxication offered no charms to 
 him, and yet this was the only pleasure which the vil- 
 lagers seemed to enjoy. Those young men must have 
 some higher class of entertainment, but in what could 
 it consist? Norbert could hardly read a line without 
 spelling every word; but these new thoughts running
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC n 
 
 through his mind caused him to study, so as to im- 
 prove his education. His father had often told him 
 that he did not like lads who were always poring over 
 books; and so Norbert did not discontinue his 
 studies, but simply avoided bringing them under his 
 father's notice. He knew that there was a large col- 
 lection of books in one of the upstairs rooms of the 
 Chateau. He managed to force the lock of the door, 
 and he found some thousands of volumes, of which at 
 least two hundred were novels, which had been the 
 solace of his mother's unhappy life. With all the 
 eagerness of a man who is at the point of starvation 
 and finds an unexpected store of provisions, Norbert 
 seized upon them. At first he had great difficulty in 
 dividing fact from fiction. 
 
 He arrived at two conclusions from perusing this 
 heterogeneous mass of literature one was, that he 
 was most unhappy; and the other was, that he hated 
 his father with a cold and determined loathing. Had 
 he dared, he would have shown this feeling openly, 
 but the Duke de Champdoce inspired him with an un- 
 conquerable feeling of terror. This state of affairs 
 continued for some months, and at the end of that 
 time the Duke felt that he ought to make his son ac- 
 quainted with his projects. One Sunday, after sup- 
 per, he commenced this task. Norbert had never seen 
 his father so animated as he was at this moment, when 
 all his ancestral pride blazed in his eyes. He explained 
 at length the acts and deeds of those heroes who had 
 been the ornament of their house, and enumerated 
 the influential marriages which had been made by 
 them in the days when their very name was a power 
 in the land. And what remained of all their power 
 and rank, save their Parisian domicile, their old Cha-
 
 12 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 teau, and some two hundred thousand francs of in- 
 come? 
 
 Norbert could hardly credit what he heard ; he had 
 never believed that his father possessed such enor- 
 mous wealth. " Why, it is inconceivable ! " he mut- 
 tered. And yet, as he looked round, he saw that the 
 surroundings were those of a peasant's cottage. How 
 could he endure so many discomforts and wounds to 
 his pride? In his anger he absolutely started to his 
 feet with the intention of reproaching his father, but 
 his courage failed him, and he fell back into a chair, 
 quivering with emotion. 
 
 The Duke de Champdoce was pacing up and down 
 the room. 
 
 " Do you think it so little ? " asked he angrily. 
 
 Norbert knew that not one of the neighboring no- 
 bility who had the reputation of being wealthy pos- 
 sessed half this annual income, and it was with a feel- 
 ing of bitter anger in his heart that he listened to the 
 broken words which fell from his father's lips. All 
 at once the Duke halted in front of his son's chair. 
 
 " What fortune I have now," said he in a hoarse 
 voice, " is little or nothing in times like these, when 
 the tradesman contrives to make an almost unlimited 
 income, and, setting up as a gentleman, imitates, not 
 our virtues, but our vices; while the nobles, not un- 
 derstanding the present hour, are in poverty and want. 
 Without money, nothing can be done. To hold his 
 own against these mushroom fortunes, a Champdoce 
 should possess millions. Neither you nor I, my sen, 
 will see our coffers overflowing with millions, but our 
 descendants will reap the benefit of our toil. Our an- 
 cestors gained their name and glory by their determi-
 
 A DUCAL MONOMANIAC 13 
 
 nation; let us show that we are their worthy off- 
 spring." 
 
 As he approached the subject which had occupied 
 his mind entirely for years, the old noble's voice 
 quivered and shook. 
 
 " I have done my duty," said he, calming himself by 
 a mighty effort, " and it is now your turn to do yours. 
 You shall marry some wealthy heiress, and you shall 
 bring up your son as I have reared and nurtured you. 
 You will be able to leave him fifteen millions ; and if 
 he will only follow in our footsteps, he will be able to 
 bequeath to his heir a fortune that a monarch might 
 envy. And this shall and will come to pass, because it 
 is my fixed determination." 
 
 This strange outburst of confidence petrified Nor- 
 bert. 
 
 " The task is heavy and painful," continued the 
 Duke, " but it is one that several scores of illustrious 
 houses have accomplished. He who wishes to revive 
 the fallen fortunes of some mighty house must live 
 only in the future, and have no thought but for the 
 prosperity of his descendants. More than once I have 
 faltered and hesitated, but I have conquered my weak- 
 ness, and now only live to make the line of Champ- 
 doce the most wealthy in France. You have seen me 
 haggle for an hour over a wretched louis, but it was 
 for the reason that at a future day one of our descend- 
 ants might fling it to a beggar from the window of his 
 magnificent equipage. Next year I will take you to 
 Paris and show you our house there. You will see 
 in it the most wonderful tapestry, pictures by the best 
 masters, for I have ornamented and embellished it as 
 a lover adorns a house for a beloved mistress, and that
 
 14 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 house, Norbert, is the home that your grandchildren 
 will dwell in." 
 
 The Duke uttered these words in a tone of jubilant 
 triumph. 
 
 "I have spoken to you thus," resumed he, after a 
 short pause, " because you are now of an age to listen 
 to the truth, and because I wished you to understand 
 the rules by which you are to regulate your life. You 
 have now arrived at years of discretion, and must do 
 of your own free will what you have up to this time 
 done at my bidding. This is all that I have to say. 
 To-morrow you will take twenty-five sacks of wheat 
 to the miller at Bevrori." 
 
 Like all tyrannical despots, the Duke never con- 
 templated for a moment the possibility of any one 
 disobeying his commands; yet at this very moment 
 Norbert was registering a solemn mental oath that 
 he would never carry out his father's wishes. His 
 anger, which his fears had so long restrained, now 
 burst all bounds, and it was in the broad chestnut 
 tree avenue, behind the Chateau, far from any listen- 
 ing ear, that he gave way to his despair. So long as 
 he had only looked upon his father as a mere miser, he 
 had permitted himself to indulge in hope ; but now he 
 understood him better, and saw that life-long plans, 
 such as the Duke had framed, were not to be easily 
 overruled. 
 
 " My father is mad," said he ; " yes ; decidedly 
 mad." 
 
 He had made up his mind that for the present he 
 would yield to his despotism, but afterwards, in the 
 future, what was he to do? 
 
 It is an easy thing to find persons to give you bad
 
 A DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCE 15 
 
 advice, and the very next day Norbert found one at 
 Bevron in the shape of a certain man called Daumon, 
 a bitter enemy of the Duke. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 A DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCE. 
 
 DAUMON was not a native of this part of the 
 country, and no one knew from whence he came. He 
 said that he had been an attorney's clerk, and had 
 certainly resided for a long time in Paris. He was a 
 little man of fifty years of age, clean shaved, and with 
 a sharp and cunning expression of countenance. His 
 long nose, sharp, restless eyes, and thin lips, attracted 
 attention at first sight. His whole aspect aroused a 
 feeling of distrust. He had come to Bevron, some fifteen 
 years before, with all his provisions in a cotton hand- 
 kerchief slung over his shoulder. He was willing to 
 make money in any way, and he prospered and rose. 
 He owned fields, vineyards, and a cottage, which is 
 at the juncture of the highway to Poitiers and the 
 cross road that leads to Bevron. His aim and object 
 were to be seen everywhere, to know everybody, and 
 to have a finger in every pie in the neighborhood 
 around. If any of the farmers or the laborers wanted 
 small advances, they went to him, and he granted 
 them loans at exorbitant rates of interest. He gave 
 most disputants counsel, and had every point of law at 
 his fingers' ends. He could teach people how to sail as 
 close to the wind as possible, and yet to be beyond 
 the reach of the law. He affected to be only too
 
 16 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 anxious to ameliorate the lot of the peasant class, and 
 yet he was drawing heavy sums from them by way of 
 interest. He endeavored by every means in his power to 
 rouse their feelings of animosity against both the priest- 
 hood and the gentry. His artful way of talking, and 
 the long black coat which he wore, had given him the 
 nickname of the " Counsellor " in the district. The 
 reason why he disliked the Duke was because the lat- 
 ter had more than once shown himself hostile to him, 
 and had taken him before the court of justice, from 
 which Daumon only escaped by. means of bribery of 
 suborned witnesses. He vowed that he would be re- 
 venged for this, and for five years had been watching 
 his opportunity, and this was the man whom Norbert 
 met when he went to deliver his corn to the miller. 
 As he was coming back with his empty wagon, Dau- 
 mon asked for a lift back as far as the cross road that 
 led to his cottage. 
 
 " I trust, sir," said he with the most servile courtesy, 
 " that you will excuse the liberty I take, but I am so 
 utterly crippled with rheumatism that I can hardly 
 walk, Marquis." 
 
 Daumon had read somewhere that the eldest son of 
 a Duke was entitled to be styled Marquis, and it was 
 the first time that Norbert had been thus addressed. 
 Before this he would have laughed at the appellation, 
 but now his wounded vanity, and his exasperation at 
 the unhappy condition in which he found himself, 
 tempted him to accept the title without remonstrance. 
 
 " All right, I can give you a lift," said he, and the 
 Counsellor clambered into the cart. 
 
 All the time that he was showering thanks upon 
 Norbert for his courtesy he was watching the young 
 man's face carefully.
 
 A DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCE 17 
 
 " Evidently," thought the Counsellor to himself, 
 " something unusual has taken place at the Chateau de 
 Champdoce. Was not the opportunity for revenge 
 here?" 
 
 Long since he had decided that through the son he 
 could strike the father. But he must be cautious. 
 
 " You must have been up very early, Marquis," 
 said he. 
 
 The young man made no reply. 
 
 " The Duke," resumed Daumon, " is most fortu- 
 nate in having such a son as you. I know more than 
 one father who says to his children, ' See what an ex- 
 cellent example the young Marquis de Champdoce sets 
 to you all. He is not afraid of hard work, though he 
 is noble by birth, and should not soil his hands by 
 labor.' " 
 
 A sudden lurch brought the Counsellor's eloquence 
 to a sudden close, but he speedily resumed again. 
 
 " I was watching you as you hefted the sacks. 
 Heavens ! what muscles ! what a pair of shoulders ! " 
 
 At any other moment Norbert would have gloried 
 in such laudation, but now he felt displeased and an- 
 noyed, and vented his anger by a sharp cut at his 
 team. 
 
 " When people say that you are as innocent as a 
 girl," continued Daumon, " I always say that you are 
 a sensible young fellow after all, and that if you 
 choose to lead a regular life, it is far better than wast- 
 ing your future fortune in wine, billiards, cards, or 
 women." 
 
 " I don't know that I might not do something of 
 the kind," returned Norbert. 
 
 "What did you say?" answered his wily com- 
 panion.
 
 i8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " I said that if I were my own master, I would live 
 as other young men." 
 
 The lad paused abruptly, and Daumon's eyes 
 gleamed with joy. 
 
 " Aha," murmured he to himself ; " I have the 
 game in my own hands. I will teach his Grace to 
 interfere with me." 
 
 Then, in a voice which could reach Norbert's ears, 
 he continued, 
 
 " Of course some parents are far too strict." 
 
 An impatient gesture from Norbert showed him 
 that he had wounded him deeply. 
 
 " Yes, yes," put in the wily Counsellor, " as the 
 head grows bald, and the blood begins to stagnate, 
 they forget, they forget the days when all was so 
 different. They forget the time when they were 
 young, and when they sowed their wild oats with so 
 lavish a hand. When your father was twenty-five, he 
 was precious wild. Ask your father, if you do not 
 believe me." 
 
 At this moment the wagon passed the cross road, 
 and Norbert pulled up. 
 
 " I cannot thank you enough, Marquis," said the 
 Counsellor as he alighted with difficulty ; " but if you 
 would condescend to come and taste my brandy, I 
 should esteem it a great honor." 
 
 Norbert hesitated for an instant : his reasoning 
 powers urged him to decline the offer, but he refused 
 to listen to them, and, fastening his horses to a tree, 
 he followed Daumon down the by-road. The cottage 
 was an excellent one, and extremely well furnished. 
 A woman, who acted as Daumon's housekeeper, served 
 the refreshments. The office for he called his room 
 an office, just as if he was a professional man was
 
 a strange-looking place. On one side was a desk 
 covered with account books, and against the wall were 
 sacks of seed. A number of books on legal matters 
 crowded the shelves, and from the ceiling hung a 
 quantity of dried herbs. The Counsellor welcomed 
 the heir to the dukedom of Champdoce with the 
 greatest deference, seated him in his own capacious 
 leathern arm-chair, and pressed the brandy which he 
 had refused upon him. 
 
 " Come, sir, another drop," said he, and, without 
 waiting for Norbert's assent, he replenished the glass 
 which stood before him. 
 
 " I got this brandy from a man down Arcachon way 
 in return for a kindness that I did him; for, without 
 boasting, I may say that I have done kindnesses for 
 many people in my time." He raised his glass to his 
 lips as he spoke. " It is good, is it not ? " said he. 
 " You can't get stuff with an aroma like that here- 
 abouts." 
 
 The extreme deference of the man, coupled with the 
 excellence of the spirit, opened Norbert's heart in a 
 very short space of time. Up to the present the con- 
 duct of poor Nbrbert had been blameless, but now, 
 without knowing anything of the Counsellor's character 
 or reputation, he poured out all the secret sorrows of 
 his heart, while Daumon chuckled secretly, preserving 
 all the time the imperturbable face of a physician 
 called in to visit a patient. 
 
 " Dear me ! dear me ! " said he ; " this is really too 
 bad. Poor fellow ! I really pity you. Were it not 
 for the deep respect that I have for the Duke, your 
 father, I should feel inclined to say that he was not 
 quite in his right senses." 
 
 " Yes," continued Norbert, the tears starting to his
 
 20 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 eyes, " this is just how I am situated. My destiny 
 has been marked out for me, and I am helpless to 
 alter it. I had better a thousand times be lying under 
 the cold greensward, than vegetate thus above 
 ground." 
 
 The peculiar smile on Daumon's lips caused him to 
 pause in his complaint. 
 
 " Perhaps," he went on, " you think that I am child- 
 ish in talking thus ? " 
 
 " Not at all, Marquis, you have suffered too deeply ; 
 but forgive me if I say that you are foolish to despond 
 so much over the future that lies before you." 
 
 " Future ! " repeated Norbert angrily, " what is the 
 use of speaking to me of the future, when I may be 
 kept in this horrible servitude for the next thirty 
 years ? My father is still hale and hearty." 
 
 " What of that ? You will be of age soon, and then 
 you will have full right to claim your mother's for- 
 tune." 
 
 The extreme surprise displayed by Norbert at this 
 intelligence convinced the Counsellor that he was 
 much more unsophisticated than he had supposed him 
 to be. 
 
 " A man," continued he, " can, when he attains his 
 majority, dispose of his inheritance as he thinks fit, 
 and your mother's fortune will render you inde- 
 pendent of your father." 
 
 " But I should never dare to claim it ; how could I 
 venture to do so ? " 
 
 "You need not make the application personally; 
 your solicitor would manage all that for you; but, of 
 course, you must wait until you are of age." 
 
 " But I cannot wait until then," said Norbert ; " I 
 must at once free myself from this tyranny."
 
 A DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCE 21 
 
 * Luckily there are ways." 
 
 " Do you really think so, Daumon ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I will show you what is done every day. 
 Nothing is more common in noble families. Would 
 you like to be a soldier?" 
 
 " No, I do not care for that, and yet " 
 
 " That is your last resource, Marquis. First, then, 
 we could lay a plaint before the court." 
 
 "A plaint?" 
 
 " Certainly. Do you suppose that our laws do not 
 provide for such a case as a father exceeding- the 
 proper bounds of parental authority? Tell me, has 
 the Duke, your father, ever struck you ? " 
 
 " Never once." 
 
 " Well, that is almost a pity. We will say that your 
 father's property is worth two millions, and yet you 
 derive so slight a benefit from this that you are known 
 everywhere as the ' Young Savage of Champdoce ' ! " 
 
 Norbert started to his feet. 
 
 " Who dares speak of me like that ? " said he furi- 
 ously. " Tell me his name." 
 
 This outburst of passion did not in the smallest 
 degree discompose Daumon. 
 
 " Your father has many enemies, Marquis," he re- 
 sumed, " for his manners are overbearing and exact- 
 ing; but you have many friends, and among them all 
 you will find none more devoted than myself, humble 
 though my position may be. Many ladies of high rank 
 take a great interest in you. Only a day or two ago 
 some persons were speaking of you in the presence 
 'of Mademoiselle de Laurebourg, and she blushed crim- 
 son at your name. Do you know Mademoiselle 
 Diana?" 
 
 Norbert colored.
 
 22 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Ah, I understand," replied Daumon. " And when 
 you have broken the fetters that now bind you, we 
 shall see something one of these days. And now " 
 
 But at this moment Norbert's eyes caught a glimpse 
 of the old-fashioned cuckoo clock that hung on the 
 wall in one corner of the room. He started to his 
 feet. 
 
 " Why, it is dinner-time ! " said he. " What upon 
 earth will my father say ? " 
 
 " What, does he keep you in such order as that ? " 
 
 But, never heeding the sarcastic question of the 
 Counsellor, Norbert had regained his cart, and was 
 driving off at full speed. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A BOLD ADVENTURE. 
 
 DAUMON had in no way exaggerated when he said 
 that Norbert was spoken of as the " Young Savage 
 of Champdoce," though no one used this appellation 
 in an insulting form. Public opinion had changed 
 considerably regarding the Duke of Champdoce. The 
 first time that he had made his appearance, wearing 
 wooden shoes and a leathern jacket, every one had 
 laughed, but this did not affect him at all, and in the 
 end people began to term his dogged obstinacy indom- 
 itable perseverance. The gleam that shone from his 
 hoarded millions imparted a brilliant lustre to his 
 shabby garments. Why should they waste their pity 
 upon a man who would eventually come into a gigantic 
 fortune, and have the means of gratifying all his 
 desires ?
 
 A BOLD ADVENTURE 23 
 
 Mothers, with daughters especially, took a great 
 interest in the young man, for to get a girl married 
 to the " Young Savage of Champdoce " would be a 
 feat to be proud of; but unluckily his father watched 
 him with all the vigilance of a Spanish duenna. But 
 there was a young girl who had long since secretly 
 formed a design of her own, and this bold-hearted 
 beauty was Diana de Laurebourg. It was with per- 
 fect justice that she had received the name of the 
 " Belle of Poitiers." She was tall and very fair, with 
 a dazzling complexion and masses of lustrous hair; 
 but her eyes gleamed with a suppressed fire, which 
 plainly showed the constitution of her nature. She 
 had been brought up in a convent, and her parents, 
 who had wished her to take the veil, had only been 
 induced to remove her owing to her obstinate refusal 
 to pronounce the vows, coupled with the earnest en- 
 treaties of the lady superior, who was kept in a con- 
 stant state of ferment owing to the mutinous conduct 
 of her pupil Her father was wealthy, but all the 
 property went over to her brother, ten years older 
 than herself; and so Diana was portionless, with the 
 exception of a paltry sum of forty thousand francs. 
 
 " My child," said her father to her the first day of 
 her return, "you have come back to us once more, 
 and now all you have to do is to fascinate some gentle- 
 man who is your equal in position and who has plenty 
 of money. If you fail in that, back you go to the 
 convent." 
 
 " Time enough to talk about that some years hence," 
 answered the girl with a smile; " at present I am quite 
 contented with being at home with you." 
 
 M. de Laurebourg had commented with some 
 severity upon the conduct of the Duke de Charnpdoce
 
 24 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 towards his son, but he was perfectly willing to sacri- 
 fice his daughter's heart for a suitable marriage. 
 
 " I shall gain my end," murmured the girl, " I am 
 sure of it." 
 
 She had heard a friend of her father's speaking of 
 Norbert and his colossal expectations. 
 
 " Why should I not marry him ? " she asked of her 
 own heart ; and, with the utmost skill, she applied her- 
 self to the execution of her design; for the idea of 
 being a duchess, with an income of two hundred thou- 
 sand francs, was a most fascinating one. But how 
 was she to meet Norbert? and how bring over the 
 money-raking Duke to her side? Before, however, 
 she could decide on any plan, she felt that she must 
 see Norbert. He was pointed out to her one day at 
 Mass, and she was struck by his beauty and by an 
 ease of manner which even his shabby dress could 
 not conceal. By the quick perception which many 
 women possess, she dived into Norbert's inmost soul; 
 she felt that he suffered, and her sympathy for him 
 brought with it the dawn of love, and by the time she 
 had left the chapel she had registered a solemn vow that 
 she would one day be Norbert's wife. But she did not 
 acquaint her parents with this determination on her 
 part, preferring to carry out her plans without any 
 aid or advice. Mademoiselle Diana was shrewd and 
 practical, and not likely to err from want of judg- 
 ment. The frank and open expression of her fea- 
 tures concealed a mind of superior calibre, and one 
 which well knew how to weigh the advantages of 
 social rank and position. She affected a sudden sym- 
 pathy with the poor, and visited them constantly, and 
 might be frequently met in the lanes carrying soup
 
 A BOLD ADVENTURE 25 
 
 and other comforts to them. Her father declared, 
 with a laugh, that she ought to have been a Sister of 
 Charity, and did not notice the fact that all Diana's 
 pensioners resided in the vicinity of Champdoce. But 
 it was in vain that she wandered about, continually 
 changing the hour of her visits. The " Savage of 
 Champdoce " was not to be seen, nor was he even a 
 regular attendant at Mass. At last a mere trifle 
 changed the whole current of the young man's exist- 
 ence; for, a week after the conversation in which the 
 Duke had laid bare his scheme to his son, he again 
 referred to it, after their dinner, which they had par- 
 taken of at the same table with forty laborers, who 
 had been hired to get in the harvest. 
 
 " You need not, my son," began the old gentleman, 
 " go back with the laborers to-day." 
 
 " But, sir " 
 
 " Allow me to continue, if you please. My confi- 
 dential conversation with you the other night was 
 merely a preliminary to my telling you that for the 
 future I did not expect you to toil as hard as you had 
 hitherto done, for I wish you to perform a duty less 
 laborious, but more responsible; you will for the 
 future act as farm-bailiff." 
 
 Norbert looked up suddenly into his father's face. 
 
 " For I wish you to become accustomed to inde- 
 pendent action, so that at my death your sudden liberty 
 may not intoxicate you." 
 
 The Duke then rose from his seat, and took a highly 
 finished gun from a cupboard. 
 
 " I have been very much pleased with you for some 
 time past," said he, " and this is a sign of my satis- 
 faction. The gamekeeper has brought in a thor-
 
 26 
 
 oughly trained dog, which will also be yours. Shoot 
 as much as you like, and, as you cannot go about with- 
 out money in your pocket, take this, but be careful 
 of it; for remember that extravagance on your part 
 will procrastinate the day upon which our descendants 
 will resume their proper station in the world." 
 
 The Duke spoke for some time longer, but his son 
 paid no heed to his words, and was too much as- 
 tonished to accept the six five-franc pieces which his 
 father tendered to him. 
 
 " I suppose," said the Duke at last in angry accents, 
 " that you will have the grace to thank me." 
 
 " You will find that I am not ungrateful," stam- 
 mered Norbert, aroused by this reproach. 
 
 The Duke turned away impatiently. 
 
 " What has the boy got into his head now ? " mut- 
 tered he. 
 
 It was owing to the advice of the priest of Bevron 
 that the Duke had acted as he had done ; but this in- 
 dulgence came too late, for Norbert's detestation of 
 his tyrant was too deeply buried in his heart to be 
 easily eradicated. 
 
 A gun was not such a wonderful present after all 
 a matter of a few francs, perhaps. Had the Duke 
 offered him the means of a better education, it would 
 be a different matter ; but as it was, he would still 
 remain the " Young Savage of Champdoce." 
 
 However, Norbert took advantage of the permis- 
 sion accorded to him, and rambled daily over the 
 estate with his gun and his dog Bruno, to which he 
 had become very much attached. His thoughts often 
 wandered to Daumon ; but he had made inquiries, and 
 had heard that the Counsellor was a most dangerous 
 man, who would stick at nothing; but for all that, he
 
 A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION 27 
 
 had made up his mind to go back to him again for 
 further advice, though his better nature warned him 
 of the precipice on the brink of which he was standing. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION. 
 
 DAUMON was expecting a visit from the young man, 
 and had been waiting for him with the cool compla- 
 cency of a bird-catcher, who, having arranged all his 
 lines and snares, stands with folded arms until his 
 feathered victims fall into his net. The line that he 
 had displayed before the young man's eyes was the 
 sight of liberty. Daumon had emissaries everywhere, 
 and knew perfectly well what was going on at the 
 Chateau de Champdoce, and could have repeated the 
 exact words made use of by the Duke in his last con- 
 versation with his son, and was aware of the leave of 
 liberty that had been granted to Norbert, and was as 
 certain as possible that this small concession would 
 only hasten the rebellion of the young Marquis. 
 
 He often took his evening stroll in the direction of 
 Champdoce, and, pipe in mouth, would meditate over 
 his' schemes. Pausing on the brow of a hill that over- 
 looked the Chateau, he would shake his fist, and 
 mutter, 
 
 " He will come ; ah, yes, he must come to me ! " 
 
 And he was in the right, for, after a week spent in 
 indecision, Norbert knocked at the door of his father's 
 bitterest enemy. Daumon, concealed behind the win- 
 dow curtain, had watched his approach, and it was
 
 28 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 with the same air of deference that he welcomed the 
 Marquis, as he took care to call him ; but he affected 
 to be so overcome by the honor of this visit that he 
 could only falter out, 
 
 " Marquis, I am your most humble servant." 
 
 And Norbert, who had expected a very warm greet- 
 ing, was much disconcerted. For a moment he 
 thought of going away again, but his pride would 
 not permit him to do so, for he had said to himself 
 that it would be the act of a fool to go away this 
 time without having accomplished anything. 
 
 " I want to have a bit of advice from you, Counsel- 
 lor," said he ; " for, as I have but little experience in 
 a certain matter, I should like to avail myself of your 
 knowledge." 
 
 " You do me too much honor, Marquis," murmured 
 the Counsellor with a low bow. 
 
 " But surely," said the young man, " you must feel 
 that you are bound to assist me after all you told me 
 a day or two back. You mentioned two means by 
 which I could regain my freedom, and hinted that 
 there was a third one. I have come to you to-day to 
 ask you what it was." 
 
 Never did any man more successfully assume an 
 air of astonishment than did Daumon at this moment. 
 
 " What," said he, " do you absolutely remember 
 those idle words I made use of then?" 
 
 " I do most decidedly." 
 
 The villain's heart of Daumon was filled with de- 
 light, but he replied, 
 
 " Oh, Marquis ! you must remember that we say 
 many things that really have no special meaning, for 
 between act and intention there is a tremendous dif-
 
 A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION 29 
 
 ference. I often speak too freely, and that has more 
 than once got me into trouble." 
 
 Norbert was no fool, in spite of his want of educa- 
 tion, and the hot blood of his ancestors coursed freely 
 through his veins. He now struck the butt-end of his 
 gun heavily upon the floor. 
 
 " You treated me like a simpleton, then, it appears ? " 
 remarked he angrily. 
 
 "My dear Marquis " 
 
 " And imagined that you could trifle with me. You 
 managed to learn my real feelings for your own amuse- 
 ment; but, take care; this may cost you more than 
 you think." 
 
 " Ah, Marquis, can you believe that I would act so 
 basely ? " 
 
 "What else can I think?" 
 
 Daumon paused for a moment, and then said, 
 
 " You will be angry when you hear what I have 
 'to say, but I cannot help speaking the truth." 
 
 " I shall not be angry, and you can speak freely." 
 
 " I am but a very poor and humble man. What 
 have I to gain by securing any note, and by encourag- 
 ing you to brave your father's anger ? Just think what 
 must happen if I opposed the all-powerful Duke de 
 Champdoce; why, I might find myself in prison in 
 next to no time." 
 
 " And for what reason, if you please ? " asked 
 Norbert. 
 
 " Have you never studied law in the slightest de- 
 gree, Marquis? Dear me, how neglectful some par- 
 ents are! You are not of age, and there is a certain 
 article, 354 in the code, that could be so worked that 
 a poor humble creature like me could be locked up
 
 30 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 for perhaps five years. The law deals very hardlv 
 when any one has dealings with a minor, the more 
 especially when the father is a man of untold wealth. 
 If the Duke should ever discover ' 
 
 " But how could he ever do so ? " 
 
 Daumon made no reply, and his silence so plainly 
 showed Norbert that the Counsellor did not trust him, 
 that he repeated the question in an angry voice. 
 
 " Your blind subservience to your father is too 
 well known." 
 
 " You believe that I should confess everything to 
 him?" 
 
 " You yourself told me that when his eyes were 
 fixed on yours you could not avoid yielding to his 
 will." 
 
 Norbert's anger gradually died away, as he replied 
 in accents of intense bitterness, 
 
 " I may be a savage, but I am not likely to become 
 a traitor. If I once promised to keep a secret, no 
 measures or tortures would tear it from me. I may 
 fear my father, but I am a Champdoce, and fear no 
 other mortal man. Do you understand me ? " 
 
 " But, Marquis 
 
 " No other mortal man," interrupted Norbert 
 sternly, " will ever know from me that we have ever 
 exchanged words together." 
 
 An expression passed over the features of the Coun- 
 sellor which cast a ray of hope upon the young man's 
 heart. 
 
 " Upon my word," said he, " any one would judge 
 from my hesitation that I had some wrong motive in 
 acting as I am doing, but I never give bad advice, 
 and any one will tell you the same about me, and this 
 is the breviary by which I regulate all my actions."
 
 A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION 31 
 
 As he spoke, he took a book from his desk, and 
 waved it aloft. 
 
 Norbert looked puzzled and angry. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asktd he. 
 
 "Nothing, Marquis, nothing; have patience; your 
 majority is not far off, and you have only a few years 
 to wait. Remember that your father is an old man; 
 let him carry out his plan for a few years longer, 
 and " 
 
 Norbert struck his fist savagely upon the table, cry- 
 ing out furiously. " It was not worth my coming here 
 if this was all that you had to say ; " and, whistling 
 to Bruno, the young man prepared to quit the room. 
 
 "Ah, Marquis! you are far too hasty," said the 
 Counsellor humbly. 
 
 Norbert paused. " Speak then," answered he 
 roughly. 
 
 In a low, impressive voice, Daumon went on. 
 
 " Remember, Marquis, that though I should like to 
 see you have a better understanding with your father, 
 yet, at the same time, I should like to work for the 
 happiness of you both. I am like a judge in court, 
 who endeavors to bring about a compromise between 
 the litigants. Can you not, while affecting perfect sub- 
 mission, live in a manner more suited to you? There 
 are many young men of your age in a precisely similar 
 position." 
 
 Norbert took a step forward and began to listen 
 earnestly. 
 
 "You have more liberty now," continued Daumon. 
 " Pray, does your father know how you employ your 
 time?" 
 
 " He knows that I can do nothing but shoot." 
 
 " Well, I know what I would do if I were your age."
 
 32 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " And what would that be ? " 
 
 " First of all, I would stay at home sufficiently often 
 not to arouse papa's suspicions, and the rest of my lei- 
 sure I would spend in Poitiers, which is a very pleasant 
 town. I could take nice rooms in which I could be 
 my own master. At Champdoce I could keep to my 
 peasant's clothes, but in Poitiers I would be dressed by 
 the best tailor. I should pick up a few boon com- 
 panions amongst the jolly students, and have plenty of 
 friends, ladies as well as gentlemen. I would dance, 
 sing, and drink, and would dip into every kind of life, 
 so that " 
 
 He paused for a second and then said, " There ought 
 to be a fast horse or so in your father's stables, eh? 
 Well then, if there are, why not take one for your own 
 riding? Then at night, when you are supposed to be 
 snug between the sheets, creep down to the stable, clap 
 a bridle on the horse, and, hey, presto ! you are in Poi- 
 tiers. Put on the clothes suitable to the handsome 
 young noble you are, and have a joyous carouse with 
 your many companions ; and if you do, next day, nt 
 choose to go back until the morning, the servants will 
 only tell your father that you are out shooting." 
 
 Norbert was a thoroughly strong, honest youth, and 
 the idea of meanness and duplicity were most repug- 
 nant to his feelings in general ; and yet he listened 
 eagerly to this proposition, for oppression had utterly 
 changed his nature. The career of dissipation and 
 pleasure proposed so adroitly by Daumon dazzled his 
 imagination and his eyes began to sparkle. 
 
 " Well," asked the Counsellor invidiously, " and, 
 pray, what is there to prevent you doing all this ? " 
 
 " Want of funds," returned Norbert, with a deep 
 sigh ; " I should want a great deal, and I have hardly
 
 A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION 33 
 
 any ; if I were to ask my father for any, he would re- 
 fuse me, and wonder " 
 
 " Have you no friends who would find you such a 
 sum as you would require until you came of age ? " 
 
 " None at all ; " and, overwhelmed with the ^sense of 
 his utter Helplessness, Norbert sank back upon a chair. 
 
 After a brief period of reflection, Daumon spoke with 
 apparent reluctance, 
 
 " No, Marquis, I cannot see you so miserably un- 
 happy without doing my best to help you. A man is a 
 fool who puts out his hand to interfere between father 
 and son, but I will find money to lend you what you 
 want/' 
 
 "Will you do so, Counsellor?" 
 
 " Unluckily I cannot, I am only a poor fellow, but 
 some of the neighboring farmers intrust me with their 
 savings for investment. Why should I not use them to 
 make you comfortable and happy? " 
 
 Norbert was almost choked with emotion. " Can this 
 be done ? " asked he eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, Marquis ; but you understand that you will 
 have to pay very heavy interest on account of the risk 
 incurred in lending money to a minor. For the law 
 does not recognize such transactions, and I myself 
 do not like them. If I were in your place, I would 
 not borrow money on these terms, but wait until some 
 friend could help me." 
 
 " I have no friends," again answered the young man. 
 
 Daumon shrugged his shoulders with the air of a 
 man who says : " Well, I suppose I must give in, but 
 at any rate I have done my duty." Then he began 
 aloud, " I am perfectly aware, Marquis, that, consider- 
 ing the wealth that must one day be yours, this transac- ' 
 tion is a most paltry one."
 
 34 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 He then went on to enumerate the conditions of the 
 loan, and at each clause he would stop and say, " Do 
 you understand this ? " 
 
 Norbert understood him so well that at the end of the 
 conversation, in exchange for the thousand francs, he 
 handed to the Counsellor the promissory notes for four 
 thousand francs each, which were made payable to two 
 farmers, who were entirely in Daumon's clutches. The 
 young man, in addition, pledged his solemn word of 
 honor that he would never disclose that the Counsellor 
 had anything to do with the transaction. 
 
 " Remember, Marquis, prudence must be strictly ob- 
 served. Come here to me only after the night has 
 set in." 
 
 This was the last piece of advice that Daumon gave 
 his client ; and when he was again left alone, he penred 
 with feelings of intense gratification, the two notes 
 that Norbert had signed. They were entirely correct 
 and binding, and drawn up in proper legal form. He 
 had made up his mind to let the young man have all 
 his savings, amounting to some forty thousand 
 francs, and not to press for payment until the young 
 man came into his fortune. 
 
 All this, however, hinged upon Norbert's silence and 
 discretion, for, at the first inkling of the matter, the 
 Duke would scatter all the edifice to the winds ; but of 
 this happening Daumon had no fear. 
 
 As Norbert walked along, followed by his dog, he 
 could not resist putting his hands into his pockets and 
 fingering the tempting, crisp banknotes which lurked 
 there, and making sure that it was a reality and not a 
 dream. That night seemed interminable ; and the next 
 morning, with his gun on his shoulder and his dog at 
 his heels, he walked briskly along the road to Poitiers.
 
 A FINANCIAL TRANSACTION 35 
 
 He had determined to follow Daumon's advice, to 
 have suitable rooms, and to make the acquaintance of 
 some of the students. On his arrival at Poitiers, which 
 he had only once before visited, Norbert felt like a half- 
 fledged bird who knows not how to use its wings. He 
 wandered about the streets, not knowing how to com- 
 mence what he wanted. Finally, after a sojourn in the 
 town of a very brief duration, he went to the inn where 
 he had breakfasted with his father on his former visit, 
 and, after an unsatisfactory meal, returned to Champ- 
 doce, as wretched as he had been joyful and hopeful 
 at his early start in the morning. But later on he went 
 to Daumon, who put him in communication with a 
 friend who, for a commission, took the unsophisticated 
 lad about, hired some furnished rooms, and finally in- 
 troduced him to the best ladies in the town, while Nor- 
 bert ordered clothes to the tune of five hundred francs. 
 He now thought himself on the high road to the full 
 gratification of his desires ; but, alas ! the reality, com- 
 pared with what his imagination had pictured, ap- 
 peared rank and chilling. His timidity and shyness ar- 
 rested all his progress ; he required an intimate friend, 
 and where could he hit upon one ? 
 
 One evening he entered the Cafe Castille. He found 
 a large number of students collected there, and was a 
 little disgusted at their turbulent gayety, and, hastily 
 withdrawing, he spent the rest of the weary evening in 
 his own rooms with Bruno, who, for his part, would 
 have much preferred the open country. He had really 
 only enjoyed the four evenings on which he had visited 
 the Martre ; but these limited hours of happiness did 
 not make up for the web of falsehood in which he had 
 enmeshed himself, or the daily dread of detection in 
 which he lived.
 
 36 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 The Duke had noticed his son's absence, but his sus- 
 picions were very wide of the truth. One morning he 
 laughed at Norbert on the continued non-success of his 
 shooting. 
 
 " Do your best to-day, my boy," said he, " and try 
 and bring home some game, for we shall have a guest 
 to dinner." 
 
 "To dinner, here?" 
 
 " Yes," answered the Duke suppressing a smile. 
 " Yes, actually here ; M. Puymandour is coming, and 
 the dining-room must be opened and put into proper 
 order." 
 
 " I will try and kill some game," answered Norbert 
 to himself as he started on his errand. 
 
 This, however, was more easily resolved on than ex- 
 ecuted. At last he caught sight of an impudent rabbit 
 near a hedge ; he raised his gun and fired. A shriek of 
 anguish followed the report, and Bruno dashed into the 
 hedge, barking furiously. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 A BAD START. 
 
 DIANA DE LAUREBOURG was a strange compound; 
 under an appearance of the most artless simplicity she 
 concealed an iron will, and had hidden from every one 
 of her family, and even from her most intimate friends, 
 her firm resolve to become the Duchess of Champdoce. 
 All her rambles in the neighborhood had turned out 
 of no avail ; and as the weather was now very uncertain, 
 it seemed as if her long strolls in the country roads and
 
 A BAD START 37 
 
 fields would soon come to an end. " The day must 
 eventually come," murmured she, " when this invisible 
 prince must make his appearance." And at last the 
 long-expected day arrived. 
 
 It was in the middle of the month of November, and 
 trie weather was exceedingly soft and balmy for the 
 time of year. The sky was blue, the few remaining 
 leaves rustled on the trees, and an occasional bird whis- 
 tled in the hedgerows. Diana de Laurebourg was 
 walking slowly along the path leading to Mussidan, 
 when all at once she heard a rustling of branches. She 
 turned round sharply, and all the blood in her body 
 seemed to rush suddenly to her heart, for through an 
 opening in the hedge she caught sight of the man who 
 for the past two months had occupied all her waking 
 thoughts. Norbert was waiting for something with all 
 the eagerness of a sportsman, his finger on the. trig- 
 ger of his gun. 
 
 Here was the opportunity for which she had waited 
 so long, and with such ill-concealed impatience ; and yet 
 she could derive no advantage from it, for what would 
 happen ? Simply this : Norbert would bow to her, and 
 she would reply by a slight inclination of her head, and 
 perhaps two months might pass away before she met 
 him again. Just as she was about to take some bold 
 and decisive step she saw Norbert raise his gun and 
 point it in her direction. She endeavored to call out to 
 him, but her voice failed her, and in another moment 
 the report rang out, and she felt a sharp pang, like the 
 touch of a red-hot iron upon her ankle. With a wild 
 shriek she threw up her arms and fell upon the path- 
 way. She did not lose her senses, for she heard a cry 
 in response to her own, and the crashing of something 
 forcing its way through the hedge. Then she felt a
 
 38 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 hot breath upon her face, and then sometning cold and 
 wet touched her cheek. She opened her eyes lan- 
 guidly, and saw Bruno licking her face and hands. 
 
 At the same moment Norbert dashed through the 
 hedge and stood before her. At once she realized the 
 advantage of her position and closed her eyes once 
 more. Norbert, as he hung over the seemingly uncon- 
 scious form of this fair young creature, felt that his 
 senses were deserting him, for he greatly feared that 
 he had killed Mademoiselle de Laurebourg. His first 
 impulse was to fly precipitately, and his second to give 
 what aid he couM to his victim. He knelt down by her, 
 .and, to his infinite relief, found that life was not ex- 
 tinct. He raised her beautiful head. 
 
 " Speak to me, mademoiselle, I entreat you," 
 cried he. 
 
 All this time Diana was returning thanks to kind 
 Providence for the fulfilment of her wishes. After a 
 time she made a slight move, and Norbert uttered an 
 exclamation of joy. Then, opening her beautiful eyes, 
 she gazed upon the young man with the air of a person 
 just awaking from a dream. 
 
 " It is I," faltered the distracted young man, " Nor- 
 bert de Champdoce. But forgive me, and tell me if you 
 are in pain ? " 
 
 Pity came over the wounded girl. She gently drew 
 herself away from the arm that encircled her, and said 
 sofily, 
 
 " It is I who ought to apologize for my foolish weak- 
 ness; for I am really more frightened than hurt." 
 
 Norbert felt that heaven had opened before his very 
 eyes. " Let me go for help," exclaimed he. 
 
 " No, no ; it was a mere scratch." And, raising her
 
 A BAD START 39 
 
 skirt, she displayed a foot that might have turned a 
 steadier head than Norbert's. " See," said she, " it is 
 there that I am in pain." 
 
 And she pointed to a spot of blood upon the delicate 
 white stocking. At the sight of this the young man's 
 terror increased, and he started to his feet. 
 
 " Let me run to the Chateau," said he, " and in less 
 than an hour " 
 
 " Do nothing of the kind," interrupted the girl ; " it 
 is a mere nothing. Look, I can move my foot with 
 ease." 
 
 " But let me entreat you " 
 
 " Hush ! we shall soon see what it is that has hap- 
 pened." And she inspected what she laughingly termed 
 his terrible wound. 
 
 It was, as she had supposed, a mere nothing. One 
 pellet had grazed the skin, another had lodged in the 
 flesh, but it was quite on the surface. 
 
 " A surgeon must see to this," said Norbert. 
 
 " No, no." And with the point of a penkni c e she 
 pulled out the little leaden shot The young man re- 
 mained still, holding his breath, as a child does when he 
 is putting the topmost story in a house of cards. He 
 had never heard so soft a voice, never gazed on so per- 
 fectly lovely a face. In the meantime Diana had torn 
 up her handkerchief and bandaged the wound. " Now 
 that is over," exclaimed she, with a light laugh, as she 
 extended her slender fingers to Norbert, so that he 
 might assist her to rise. 
 
 As soon as she was on her feet, she took a few steps 
 with the prettiest limp imaginable. 
 
 " Are you in pain ? " said he anxiously. 
 
 " No, I am not indeed ; and by this evening I shall
 
 40 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 have forgotten all about it. But confess, Marquis/' 
 she added, with a coquettish laugh, " that this is a 
 droll way of making an acquaintance." 
 
 Norbert started at the word Marquis, for no one 
 but Daumon had ever addressed him thus. 
 
 " She does not despise me," thought he. 
 
 " This little incident will be a lesson to me," con- 
 tinued she. " Mamma always has told me to keep to 
 the highroad ; but I preferred the by-paths because of 
 the lovely scenery." 
 
 Norbert, for the first time in his life, realized that 
 the view was a beautiful one. 
 
 " I am this way nearly every day," pursued Diana, 
 " though I am very wicked to disobey my mother. I 
 go to see poor La Berven. She is dying of consump- 
 tion, poor thing, and I take her a little soup and wine 
 every now and then." 
 
 She spoke like a real Sister of Mercy, and, in Nor- 
 bert's opinion, wings only were lacking to transform 
 her into a perfect angel. 
 
 " The poor woman has three children, and their 
 father does nothing for them, for he drinks what he 
 earns," the young girl went on. 
 
 Berven was one of the identical men to whom Nor- 
 bert had given his promissory note for four thousand 
 francs, for he was one of the two men who had in- 
 trusted Daumon with their savings for investment ; but 
 the young man was not in a condition to notice this. 
 Diana had meantime slung her basket on her arm. 
 
 " Before I leave you to-day," said she, " I should so 
 much like to ask a favor of you." 
 
 " A favor of me, mademoiselle? " 
 
 " Yes ; oblige me by saying nothing of what has oc- 
 curred to-day to any one; for should it come to my
 
 A BAD START 41 
 
 parents' ears, they would undoubtedly deprive me of 
 the little liberty that they now grant me." 
 
 " Mademoiselle," answered Norbert, " be sure that 
 I will never mention the terrible accident that my awk- 
 wardness has caused." 
 
 " Thank you, Marquis," answered the girl, with a 
 half-mocking courtesy. " Another time let me advise 
 you, before you shoot, to look that no one is behind a 
 hedge." 
 
 With these words she tripped away, without her tiny 
 feet showing any signs of lameness. She had read 
 Norbert's heart like the pages of a book, and felt that 
 there was every chance of her winning the game. " I 
 am sure of it now," said she ; " I shall be the Duchess of 
 Champdoce." How grateful she felt for that untimely 
 shot! and she felt sure that Norbert had understood 
 what she meant when she had said that she went -along 
 that path. She felt certain that the young man had not 
 lost one word. She believed that the only opposition 
 would come from his father. As she looked round 
 for a moment, she saw Norbert standing fixed and 
 motionless as the trees around him. 
 
 After Diana had departed, the unhappy lad felt as if 
 she had taken half his life with her. Was it all a 
 dream? He knelt down, and, after a slight search, dis- 
 covered the little pellet, the cause of all the mischief; 
 and, taking it up carefully, returned home. To his 
 extreme surprise, he found the main gateway wide 
 open, and from a window he heard his father's voice 
 calling out in kindly accents, 
 
 " Come up quickly, my boy, for our guest has 
 arrived."
 
 42 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR. 
 
 SINCE the death of the Duchess of Champdoce the 
 greater portion of the Chateau had been closed, but the 
 reception rooms were always ready to be used at a very 
 short notice. 
 
 The dining-room was a really magnificent apartment. 
 There were massive buffets of carved oak, black with 
 age, ornamented with brass mountings. The shelves 
 groaned beneath their load of goblets and salvers of 
 the brightest silver, engraved with the haughty armo- 
 rial bearings of the house of Champdoce. 
 
 Standing near one of the windows, Norbert saw a 
 man, stout, robust, bald and red-faced, wearing a mus- 
 tache and slight beard. His clothes were evidently 
 made by a first-rate tailor, but his appearance was ut- 
 terly commonplace. 
 
 " This is my son," said the Duke, " the Marquis de 
 Champdoce. Marquis, let me introduce you to the 
 Count de Puymandour." 
 
 This was the first time that his father had ever ad- 
 dressed Norbert by his title, and he was greatly sur- 
 prised. The great clock in the outer hall, which had 
 not been going for fifteen years, now struck, and in- 
 stantly a butler appeared, bearing a massive silver soup 
 tureen, which he placed on the table, announcing sol- 
 emnly that his Grace was served, and the little party at 
 once seated themselves. A dinner in such a vast cham- 
 ber would have been rather dull had it not been en- 
 livened by the amusing tales and witty anecdotes of the 
 Count de Puymandour, which he narrated in a jovial
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 43, 
 
 but rather vulgar manner, seasoned with bursts of 
 laughter. He ate with an excellent appetite, and 
 praised the quality of the wine, which the Duke himself 
 had chosen from the cellar, which he had filled with 
 an immense stock for the benefit of his descendants.. 
 The Duke, who was generally so silent and morose, 
 smiled buoyantly, and appeared to enjoy the plea- 
 santries of his guest. Was this only the duty of the 
 host, or did his geniality conceal some hidden scheme ? 
 Norbert was utterly unable to settle this question, for 
 though not gifted with much penetration, he had; 
 studied his father's every look as a slave studies his 
 master, and knew exactly what annoyed and what 
 pleased him. 
 
 The Count de Puymandour lived in a magnificent 
 house, with his daughter Marie, about three miles 
 from Champdoce, and he was exceedingly fond of en- 
 tertaining; but the gentry, who did not for a moment 
 decline to accept his grand dinners, did not hesitate to* 
 say that Puymandour was a thief and a rogue. Had he 
 been convicted of larceny, he could not have been 
 spoken of with more disdainful contempt. But he was- 
 very wealthy, and possessed at least five millions of 
 francs. Of course this was an excellent reason for 
 hating him, but the fact was, that Puymandour was a 
 very worthy man, and had made his money by specula- 
 tion in wool on the Spanish frontier. For a long period 
 he had lived happy and respected in his native town of 
 Orthez, when all at once he was tempted by the thought 
 of titular rank, and from that time his life was one 
 long misery. He took the name of one of his estates, 
 he bought his title in Italy, and ordered his coat-of- 
 arms from a heraldic agent in Paris, and now his am- 
 bition was to be treated as a real nobleman. The mere
 
 44 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 fact of dining with the eccentric Duke de Champdoce, 
 who never invited any one to his table, was to him, as 
 it were, a real patent of nobility. 
 
 At ten o'clock he rose and declared he must leave, 
 and the Duke escorted him the length of the avenue to 
 the great gates opening on the main road, and Norbert, 
 who walked a few paces in the rear, caught now and 
 then a few words of their conversation. 
 
 " Yes," remarked Puymandour, " I will give a mill- 
 ion down." 
 
 Then came a few words from the Duke, of which 
 Norbert could only catch the words, " thousands and 
 millions." 
 
 He paid, however, but little attention, for his mind 
 was many miles away. Since the unlooked-for meet- 
 ing with that fair young face, he had thought of noth- 
 ing else, and he mechanically shook hands with, and 
 bade his guest " Good-night " when his father did. 
 
 When the Duke was sure that M. de Puymandour 
 could not hear his voice, he took his son by the arm, 
 and the bitterness of feeling which he had so long re- 
 pressed burst forth in words. 
 
 " This," said he, " is a specimen of the mushroom 
 aristocracy that has sprung up, and not a bad sample 
 either ; for though he is puffed up by ridiculous vanity, 
 the man is shrewd and intelligent enough, and his de- 
 scendants, who will have the advantages of a better 
 education than their progenitors, will form a new class, 
 with more wealth and as much influence as the 
 old one." 
 
 For more than an hour the Duke de Champdoce en- 
 larged on his favorite topic ; but he might as well have 
 been alone, for his son paid no attention to what he 
 said, for his mind was still dwelling upon his ad-
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 45 
 
 ventures of the morning. Again that sweet, soft laugh, 
 and that modulated voice rang in his ears. How fool- 
 ish he must have seemed to her ! and what a ridiculous 
 figure he must have cut in her eyes ! He had by no 
 means omitted to engrave on the tablet of his memory 
 the fact that Diana passed daily down the little path on 
 her errand of bounty, and that there he had the chance 
 of again seeing her. He fancied that he had so much 
 to say to her; but as he found that his bashfulness 
 would deprive him of the power of utterance, he de- 
 termined to commit his sentiments to paper. That 
 night he. composed and destroyed some fifty letters. 
 He did not dare to say openly, " I love you," and yet 
 that was exactly what he wanted to express, and he 
 strove, but in vain, to find words which would veil its 
 abruptness and yet disclose the whole strength of his 
 feelings. At last, however, one of his efforts satisfied 
 him. Rising early, he snatched up his gun, and whis- 
 tling to Bruno, made his way to the spot where he had 
 the day before seen Diana stretched upon the ground. 
 But he waited in vain, and hour after hour passed 
 away, as he paced up and down in an agony of sus- 
 pense. Diana did not come. The young lady had con- 
 sidered her plans thoroughly and kept away. The 
 next day he might have been again disappointed but 
 for a lucky circumstance. Norbert was seated on the 
 turf, awaiting with fond expectation the young girl's 
 approach and as Diana passed the opening to the path- 
 way Bruno scented her, and rushed forward with a 
 joyous bark. She had then no option but to walk up 
 to the spot where Norbert was seated. Both the young 
 people were for the moment equally embarrassed, and 
 Norbert stood silent, holding in his hand the letter 
 which had caused him so much labor to indite.
 
 46 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " I have ventured to wait for you here, mademoi- 
 selle," said he in a voice which trembled with sup- 
 pressed emotion, " because I was full of anxiety to 
 Icnow how you have been. How did you contrive to re- 
 turn home with your wounded foot ? " 
 
 He paused, awaiting a word of encouragement, but 
 the girl made no reply, and he continued, 
 
 " I was tempted to call and make inquiries at your 
 father's house, but you had forbidden me to speak of 
 the accident, and I did not dare to disobey you." 
 
 " I thank you sincerely," faltered Diana. 
 
 " Yesterday," the young man went on, " I passed the 
 whole day here. Are you angry with me for my stu- 
 pidity ? I had thought that perhaps you had noticed my 
 anxiety, and might have deigned to " 
 
 He stopped short, terrified at his own audacity. 
 
 " Yesterday," returned Diana with the most ingenu- 
 ous air in the world, and not appearing to perceive the 
 young man's embarrassment, " I was detained at home 
 by my mother." 
 
 " Yes," replied he, " for the past two days your form, 
 lying senseless and bleeding on the ground, has ever 
 been before my eyes, for I felt as if I were a murderer. 
 I shall always see your pale, white face, and how, when 
 I raised up your head it rested on my arm for a mo- 
 ment, and all the rapture " 
 
 " You must not talk like that, Marquis," interrupted 
 Diana, but she spoke in such a low tone that Norbert 
 did not hear her and went on, 
 
 " When I saw you yesterday my feelings so overpow- 
 ered me that I could not put them into words ; but as 
 soon as you had left me, it appeared as if all grew dark 
 around me, and throwing myself on my knees, I 
 searched for the tiny leaden pellet that might have
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 47 
 
 caused your death. I at last found it, and no treasure 
 upon earth will ever be more prized by me." 
 
 To avoid showing the gleam of joy that flashed from 
 her eyes, Diana was compelled to turn her head on one 
 side. 
 
 " Forgive me, mademoiselle," said Norbert, in de- 
 spair, as he noticed this movement ; " forgive me if I 
 have offended you. Could you but know how dreary 
 my past life has been, you would pardon me. It seemed 
 to me, the very moment that I saw you, I had found a 
 woman who would feel some slight interest in me, and 
 that for her sweet compassion I would devote my whole 
 life to her. But now I see how mad and foolish I have 
 been, and I am plunged into the depths ' of despair.' " 
 
 " At your age, Marquis, you must not make use of 
 a word like despair." 
 
 She accompanied these words with a glance suffi- 
 ciently tender to restore all Norbert's courage. 
 
 " Ah, mademoiselle," said he ; " do not trifle with me,, 
 for that would be too cruel." 
 
 She let her head droop on her bosom, and, falling 
 upon his knees, he poured a stream of impassioned 
 kisses upon her hands. Diana felt herself swept away 
 by this stream of passion ; she gasped, and her fingers 
 trembled, as she found that she was trapped in the 
 same snare that she had set for another. Her reason 
 warned her that she must bring this dangerous inter- 
 view to a conclusion. 
 
 " I am forgetting all about my poor pensioners," said 
 she. 
 
 " Ah, if I might but accompany you ! " 
 
 " And so you may, but you must walk fast." 
 
 It is quite true that great events spring from very 
 trivial sources ; and had Diana gone to visit La Besson,
 
 48 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Norbert might have heard something concerning Dau- 
 mon that would have put him on his guard ; but, un- 
 fortunately, to-day Diana was bound on a visit to an old 
 woman in another part of the parish. 
 
 Norbert looked on whilst this fair young creature 
 busied herself in her work of charity, and then he 
 silently placed two louis from the money he had bor- 
 rowed, on the table, and left the cottage. Diana fol- 
 lowed him, and, laying her finger upon her lips with the 
 significant word " to-morrow/' turned down the path 
 that led to her father's house. Norbert could hardly 
 believe his senses when he found himself again alone. 
 Yes, this lovely girl had almost confessed her affection 
 for him, and he was ready to pour out his life blood for 
 her. He tore up the letter which had cost him so much 
 trouble to compose, for he felt that he could make no 
 use of it. He had now no anxieties regarding the fu- 
 ture, and he thanked Providence for having caused him 
 to meet Diana de Laurebourg. It never entered his 
 brain that this apparently frank and open-hearted girl 
 had materially furthered the acts of Providence. At 
 supper that night he was so gay, and in such excellent 
 spirits, that even his father's attention was at last at- 
 tracted. 
 
 " I would lay a wager, my boy," remarked the 
 Duke, " that you have had a good day's sport." 
 
 " You would win your wager," answered the young 
 man boldly. 
 
 His father did not pursue the subject further; but 
 as Norbert felt that he must give some color to his as- 
 sertion, he stopped the next day, and purchased some 
 quails and a hare. He waited fully half an hour for 
 Diana ; and when she did appear, her pale face and the
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 49 
 
 dark marks under her eyes showed that anxiety had 
 caused her to pass a sleepless night. 
 
 No sooner had she parted from Norbert than she 
 saw the risk that she was running by her imprudent 
 conduct. She was endangering her whole future and 
 her reputation, all indeed that is most precious to a 
 young girl. For an instant the thought of confiding 
 all to her parents entered her brain; but she rejected 
 the idea almost as soon as she had conceived it, for 
 she felt that her father would believe that the parsi- 
 monious Duke de Champdoce would never consent to 
 such a marriage, and that her entire liberty would be 
 taken from her, and that she might even be sent back 
 to the convent. 
 
 " I cannot stop now," she murmured, " and must be 
 content to run all risks to effect an object in which I 
 am now doubly interested." 
 
 Diana and Norbert had a long conversation together 
 on this day in a spot which had become so dear to 
 them both, and it was only the approach of a peasant 
 that recalled the girl to the sense of her rash impru- 
 dence, and she insisted on going on her ostensible er- 
 rand of charity. Norbert, as before, escorted her, and 
 even went so far as to offer his arm, upon which she 
 pressed when the road was steep or uneven. 
 
 These meetings took place daily, and after a few 
 short minutes spent in conversation, the young lovers 
 would set off on a ramble. More than once they were 
 met by the villagers, and a little scandal began to arise. 
 This was very imprudent on Diana's side; but it had 
 been a part of her plan to permit her actions to be 
 talked of by the tongue of scandal. Unfortunately the 
 end of November was approaching, and the weather
 
 5 o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 growing extremely cold. One morning, as Norbert 
 arose from his couch, he found that a sharp icy blast 
 was swaying the bare branches of the trees, and that 
 the rain was descending in torrents. On such a day as 
 this he knew that it was vain to expect Diana, and, 
 with his heart full of sadness, he took up a book and 
 sat himself down by the huge fire that blazed in the 
 great hall. 
 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg had, however, gone out, 
 but it was in a carriage, and she had driven to a cot- 
 tage to see a poor woman who had broken her leg, and 
 who had nothing but the scanty earnings of her daugh- 
 ter Franchise upon which to exist. As soon as Diana 
 entered the cottage she saw that something had gone 
 wrong. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked she. 
 
 The poor creature, with garrulous volubility, exhib- 
 ited a summons which she had just received, and said 
 that she owed three hundred francs, and that as she 
 could no longer pay the interest, she had been sum- 
 moned, and that her little property would be seized, 
 and so a finishing stroke would be put to her troubles. 
 
 " It is the Counsellor," said she, " that rogue Dau- 
 mon, who has done all this." 
 
 The poor woman went on to say that when she went 
 to her creditor to implore a little delay, he had scoffingly 
 told her to send her pretty daughter to him to plead her 
 cause. 
 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg was disgusted at this 
 narrative, and her eyes gleamed with anger. 
 
 " I will see this wicked man," said she, " and will 
 come back to you at once." 
 
 She drove straight to the Counsellor's house. Dau- 
 mon was engaged in writing when the housekeeper
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 51 
 
 ushered Diana into the office. He rose to his feet, and, 
 taking off his velvet skull cap, made a profound bow, 
 advancing- at the same time a chair for his visitor's 
 accommodation. 
 
 Though Diana knew nothing of this man, she was 
 not so unsophisticated as Norbert, and was not imposed 
 upon by the air of servile obsequiousness that he as- 
 sumed. With a gesture of contempt, she declined the 
 proffered seat, and this act made Daumon her bitter 
 enemy. 
 
 " I have come/' said she in the cold, disdainful words 
 in which young girls of high birth address their in- 
 feriors, " I have come to you from Widow Rouleau." 
 
 " Ah ! you know the poor creature then ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I take a great interest in her." 
 
 " You are a very kind young lady," answered the 
 Counsellor with a sinister smile. 
 
 " The poor woman is in the most terrible distress 
 both of mind and body. She is confined to her bed 
 with a fractured limb, and without any means of 
 support." 
 
 " Yes, I heard of her accident." 
 
 " And yet you sent her a summons, and are ready to 
 seize all she possesses in the world." 
 
 Daumon put on an air of sympathy. 
 
 " Poor thing ! " said he. " How true it is that mis- 
 fortunes never come singly ! " 
 
 Diana was disgusted at the man's cool effrontery. 
 
 " It seems to me," answered she, " that her last 
 trouble is of your making." 
 
 "Is it possible?" 
 
 " Why, who is it but you who are the persecutor of 
 this poor lone creature ? " 
 
 "II" answered he in extreme astonishment ; " do
 
 52 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 you really think that it is I ? Ah ! mademoiselle, why 
 do you listen to the cruel tongues of scandal-mongers ? 
 To make a long story short, this poor woman bought 
 barley, corn, potatoes, and three sheep from a man in 
 the neighborhood, who gave her credit to the extent of 
 I daresay three hundred francs. Well, in time, the 
 man asked most naturally for his money, and fail- 
 ing to get it, came to me. I urged him to wait, but he 
 would not listen to me, and vowed that if I did not do 
 as he wished he w r ould go to some one else. What was 
 I to do? He had the law on his side too. Ah ! " con- 
 tinued he, as though speaking to himself, " if I could 
 only see a way of getting this poor creature out of her 
 trouble ! but that cannot be done without money." 
 
 He opened a drawer and pulled out about fifty 
 francs. 
 
 " This is all my worldly wealth," said he sadly. 
 " But how foolish I am ! for, of course, when poor 
 Widow Rouleau has a wealthy young lady to take an 
 interest in her, she must have no further fear." 
 
 " I will speak to my father on the matter," answered 
 Diana in a voice which showed that she had but little 
 hope of interesting him in the widow's misfortunes. 
 
 Daumon's face fell. 
 
 " You will go to the Marquis de Laurebourg ? " 
 asked he. " Now, if you would take my advice, I 
 should say, go to some intimate friend, to the Mar- 
 quis de Champdoce, for instance. I know," he went 
 on, " that the Duke does not make his son a very 
 handsome allowance; but the young gentleman will 
 find no difficulty in raising whatever he may desire 
 as it will not be long before he is of age without 
 counting his marriage, which will put an enormous 
 sum at his disposal even before that."
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 53 
 
 Diana fell in an instant into the trap the wily Dau- 
 mon had laid for her. 
 
 " A marriage ! " exclaimed she. 
 
 " I know very little about it ; only I know that if 
 the young man wishes to marry without his father's 
 consent, he will have to wait at least five years." 
 
 " Five years ? " 
 
 " Yes ; the law requires that a young man who mar- 
 ries against his father's desire should be twenty-five 
 years of age." 
 
 This last stroke was so totally unexpected, that the 
 girl lost her head. 
 
 " Impossible ! " cried she. " Are you not making a 
 mistake ? " 
 
 The Counsellor gave a quiet smile of triumph. 
 
 " I am not mistaken," said he, and calmly pointed 
 out in the code the provision to which he had alluded. 
 As Diana read the passage to which his finger pointed, 
 he watched her as a cat watches a mouse. 
 
 " After all, what does it matter to me ? " remarked 
 Diana, making an effort to recover herself. " I will 
 speak about this poor woman's case to my father ; " 
 and, with her limbs bending under her, she left the 
 room. 
 
 As Daumon returned from accompanying her to the 
 door, the Counsellor rubbed his hands. 
 
 " Things are getting decidedly warm," muttered he. 
 
 He felt that he must gain some further information, 
 and this he could not get from Norbert. It would be 
 also as well, he thought, to tell the sheriff to stay pro- 
 ceedings relative to the Widow Rouleau. By this means 
 he might secure another interview with Mademoiselle 
 de Laurebourg, and perhaps win the poor girl's con- 
 fidence.
 
 54 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 As Diana rode home, she abandoned herself to the 
 grief which the intelligence that she had just heard 
 had caused her, for the foresight of the framers of the 
 law had rendered all her deeply laid plans of no avaiL 
 
 " The Duke de Champdoce," murmured she to her- 
 self, " will never consent to his son's marriage with so- 
 scantily a dowered woman as I am ; but as soon as Nor- 
 bert is of age he can marry me, in spite of all his 
 father's opposition ; but, oh ! 'tis a dreary time to wait." 
 
 For a moment she dared to think of the possible 
 death of the old man ; but she shuddered as she remem- 
 bered how strong and healthy he was, and felt that the 
 frail edifice of her hope had been crushed into ten thou- 
 sand atoms. For all this, however, she did not lose 
 courage. She was not one of those women who, at the 
 first check, beat a retreat. She had not yet decided 
 upon a fresh point of departure, but she had fully 
 made up her mind that she would gain the victory. 
 The first thing was to see Norbert with as little delay 
 as possible. Just then the carriage pulled up at the 
 widow's cottage, which she entered hastily. 
 
 " I have seen Daumon," said she. " Do not be 
 alarmed; all matters will be arranged shortly." 
 
 Then, without listening to the thanks and blessings 
 which the poor woman showered upon her, she said, 
 
 " Give me a piece of paper to write on," and, stand- 
 ing near the casement, she wrote in pencil on a soiled 
 scrap of paper the following words : 
 
 " Diana would, perhaps, have been at the usual meet- 
 ing place to-day, in spite of the weather, had she not 
 been compelled to visit a poor woman in a contrary di- 
 rection. Upon the same business, she will have to call 
 to-morrow at the house of a man named Daumon."
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 55 
 
 She folded the note and said, 
 
 " This letter must be taken at once to M. Norbert de 
 Champdoce. Who will carry it ? " 
 
 Frangoise had made a smock frock for one of the 
 farm servants at Champdoce, and the delivery of it 
 formed a good excuse for going up to the Chateau, and 
 she willingly undertook the errand. 
 
 The next day, in the midst of a heavy shower of rain, 
 Norbert made his appearance at Daumon's office, say- 
 ing, as a pretext for his visit, that he had exhausted 
 his stock of money, and required a fresh supply. He 
 too was feeling very unhappy, for he feared that his 
 father might entertain matrimonial designs for him 
 which would be utterly opposed to his passion for 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg. 
 
 Had not the inexorable old man once said, " You will 
 marry a woman of wealth " ? But in the event of this 
 matter being brought up, Norbert swore that he would 
 no longer be obedient, but would resist to the last ; and 
 he calculated on receiving assistance from Daumon. 
 He was on the point of referring to this matter, when a 
 carriage drew up at the door of the cottage, and Made- 
 moiselle de Laurebourg descended from it. Dau- 
 mon at once saw how matters stood, and wasted no time 
 in addressing Diana. 
 
 " The sheriff will stop proceedings," said he. " I 
 can show you his letter to that effect." 
 
 He turned away, and searched as diligently for the 
 letter as if it had existed anywhere except in his own 
 imagination. 
 
 " Dear me," said he at length. " I cannot find it. 
 I must have left it in the other room. I have so much 
 to do, that really there are times when I forget every-
 
 56 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 thing. I must find it, however. Excuse me, I will be 
 back immediately." 
 
 His sudden departure from the room had been a 
 mere matter of calculation; for, guessing that an as- 
 signation had been planned, he thought that he might 
 know what took place at it by a little eavesdropping. 
 He therefore applied first his ear and then his eye to the 
 keyhole, and by these means acquired all the informa- 
 tion he desired. 
 
 A moment of privacy with the object of his affections 
 seemed to Norbert an inestimable boon. When Diana 
 had first entered, he was horrified at the terrible altera- 
 tion that had taken place in the expression of her face. 
 He seized her hand, which she made no effort to with- 
 draw, and gazed fixedly fnto her eyes. 
 
 " Tell me," murmured he in accents of love and ten- 
 derness, " what it is that has gone wrong." 
 
 Diana sighed, then a tear coursed slowly down her 
 cheek. Norbert was in the deepest despair at these 
 signs of grief. 
 
 " Great heavens ! " cried he. " Will you not trust 
 me ? Am not I your truest and most devoted friend ? " 
 
 At first she refused to answer him, but at length she 
 yielded to his entreaties, and confessed that the evening 
 before her father had informed her that a young man 
 had sought her hand in marriage, and one who was a 
 perfectly eligible suitor. 
 
 Norbert listened to this avowal, trembling from head 
 to foot, with a sudden access of jealousy. 
 
 " And did you make no objections ? " asked he. 
 
 " How could I ? " retorted she. " What can a girl 
 do in opposition to the will of all her family, when she 
 has to choose between the alternative that she loathes, 
 or a life-long seclusion in a convent? "
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 57 
 
 Daumon shook with laughter, as he kept his ear 
 closely to the keyhole. 
 
 " Good business," muttered he. " Not so bad. 
 Here's a little girl from a convent. She has a clever 
 brain and a glib tongue, and under my tuition would be 
 a perfect wonder. If this country booby does not make 
 an open declaration at once, I wonder what her next 
 move will be ? " 
 
 " And you hesitated," said Norbert reproachfully. 
 " Remember you may escape from the walls of the con- 
 vent, but not from the bonds of an ill-assorted mar- 
 riage." 
 
 Diana, who looked more beautiful than ever in her 
 despair, wrung her hands. 
 
 " What reason can I give to my father for declin- 
 ing this offer? " said she. " Every one knows that I am 
 almost portionless, and that I am sacrificed to my 
 brother, immolated upon the altar erected before the 
 cruel idol of family pride ; and how dare I refuse a 
 suitable offer when one is made for my hand ? " 
 
 " Have you forgotten me ? " cried Norbert. " Have 
 you no love for me ? " 
 
 " Ah, my poor friend, you are no more free than I 
 am." 
 
 " Then you look on me as a mere weak boy ? " asked 
 he, biting his lips. 
 
 " Your father is very powerful," answered she in 
 tones of the deepest resignation ; " his determination is 
 inflexible, and his will inexorable. You are completely 
 in his power." 
 
 " What do I care for my father ? " cried the young 
 man fiercely. " Am not I a Champdoce too ? Woe 
 be to any one, father or stranger, who' comes between 
 me and the woman I love devotedly; for I do love
 
 58 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 you, Diana, and no mortal man shall take you from 
 me." 
 
 He clasped Diana to his breast, and pressed a loving 
 kiss upon her lips. 
 
 " Aha," muttered Daumon, who had lost nothing 
 from his post of espial, " this is worth fifty thousand 
 francs at least to me." 
 
 For a moment Diana remained clasped in her lover's 
 embrace, and then, with a faint cry, released herself 
 from him. She then felt that she loved him, and his 
 kiss and caresses sent a thrill like liquid fire through 
 her veins. She was half pleased and half terrified. She 
 feared him, but she feared herself more. 
 
 " What, Diana ! would you refuse me ? " asked he, 
 after a moment's pause. " Do you refuse me, when I 
 implore you to be my wife, and to share my name with 
 me? Will you not be the Duchess of Champdoce?" 
 
 Diana only replied with a glance; but if her eyes 
 spoke plainly, that look said " Yes." 
 
 " Why, then," returned Norbert, " should we alarm 
 ourselves with empty phantoms ? Do you not trust me ? 
 My father may certainly oppose my plans, but before 
 long I shall escape from his tyrannical sway, for I shall 
 be of age." 
 
 " Ah, Norbert," returned she sadly, " you are feed- 
 ing upon vain hopes. You must be twenty-five years of 
 age before you can marry and give the shelter of your 
 name to the woman whom you have chosen for your 
 wife." 
 
 This was exactly the explanation for which Daumon 
 had been waiting. 
 
 " Good again, my young lady," cried he. " And so 
 this is why she came here. There is some credit in 
 giving a lesson to so apt a pupil."
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 59 
 
 " It is impossible," cried Norbert, violently agitated ; 
 " such an iniquitous thing cannot be." 
 
 " You are mistaken," answered Diana calmly. " Un- 
 fortunately I am telling you exactly how matters stand. 
 The law clearly fixes the age at twenty-five. During all 
 this time will you remember that a broken-hearted 
 girl " 
 
 " Why talk to me of law ? When I am of age, I shall 
 have plenty of money," broke in Norbert ; " and do you 
 think that I will tamely submit to my father's oppres- 
 sion? No, I will wrest his consent from him." 
 
 During this conversation the Counsellor was care- 
 fully removing the dust from the knees of his trousers. 
 
 " I will pop in suddenly," thought he, " and catch a 
 word or two which will do away with the necessity of 
 all lengthy explanations." 
 
 He suited the action to the word, and appeared -sud- 
 denly before the lovers. He was not at all discon- 
 certed at the effect his entrance produced upon them, 
 and remarked placidly, " I could not find the sheriff's 
 letter, but I assure you that Widow Rouleau's matter 
 shall be speedily and satisfactorily arranged." 
 
 Diana and Norbert exchanged glances of annoyance 
 at finding their secret at the mercy of such a man. This 
 evident distrust appeared to wound Daumon deeply. 
 
 " You have a perfect right," remarked he dejectedly, 
 " to say, * Mind your own business ; ' but the fact is, 
 that I hate all kinds of injustice so much that I always 
 take the side of the weakest, and so, when I come in 
 and find you deploring your troubles, I say to myself, 
 ' Doubtless here are two young people made for each 
 other.' " 
 
 " You forget yourself," broke in Diana haughtily. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," stammered Daumon. " I am
 
 oo THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 but a poor peasant, and sometimes I speak out too 
 plainly. I meant no harm, and I only hope that you 
 will forgive me." 
 
 Daumon looked at Diana ; and as she made no re- 
 ply, he went on : " Well," says I to myself, " here are 
 two young folks that have fallen in love, and have 
 every right to do so, and yet they are kept apart by 
 unreasonable and cruel-minded parents. They are 
 young and know nothing of the law, and without help 
 they would most certainly get into a muddle. Now, 
 suppose I take their matter in hand, knowing trie law 
 thoroughly as I do, and being up to its weak as well 
 as its strong points." 
 
 He spoke on in this strain for some minutes, and 
 did not notice that they had withdrawn a little apart, 
 and were whispering to each other. 
 
 " Why should we not trust him ? " asked Norbert. 
 " He has plenty of experience." 
 
 " He would betray us ; he would do anything for 
 money." 
 
 " That is all the better for us then ; for if we prom- 
 ise him a handsome sum, he will not say a word of 
 what has passed to-day." 
 
 " Do as you think best, Norbert." 
 
 Having thus gained Diana's assent, the young man 
 turned to Daumon. " I put every faith in you, and 
 so does Mademoiselle de Laurebourg. You know our 
 exact situation. What do you advise ? " 
 
 " Wait and hope," answered the Counsellor. " The 
 slightest step taken before you are of age will be fatal 
 to your prospects, but the day you are twenty-one I 
 will undertake to show you several methods of bring- 
 ing the Duke on his knees." 
 
 Nothing could make this speech more explicit; but
 
 THE COUNT DE PUYMANDOUR 61 
 
 he was so cheerful and confident, that when Diana left 
 the office, she felt a fountain of fresh hope well up in 
 her heart. 
 
 This was nearly their last interview that year, for 
 the winter came on rapidly and with increased se- 
 verity, so that it was impossible for the lovers to meet 
 out of doors, and the fear of spying eyes prevented 
 them from taking advantage of Daumon's hospitality. 
 Each day, however, the widow's daughter, Frangoise, 
 carried a letter to Laurebourg, and brought back a re- 
 ply to Champdoce. The inhabitants of the various 
 country houses had fled to more genial climates, and 
 only the Marquis de Laurebourg, who was an inveter- 
 ate sportsman, still lingered ; but at the first heavy fall 
 of snow he too determined to take refuge in the mag- 
 nificent house that he owned in the town of Poitiers. 
 Norbert had foreseen this, and had taken his measures 
 accordingly. Two or three times in the week he 
 mounted his horse and rode to the town. After chang- 
 ing his dress, he made haste to a certain garden wall 
 in which there was a small door. At an agreed hour 
 this door would gently open, and as Norbert slipped 
 through he would find Diana ready to welcome him, 
 looking more bewitching than ever. This great pas- 
 sion, which now enthralled his whole life, and the cer- 
 tainty that his love was returned, had done away with 
 a great deal of his bashfulness and timidity. He had 
 resumed his acquaintanceship with Montlouis, and 
 had often been with him to the Cafe Castille. Mont- 
 louis was only for a short time at Poitiers, for as soon 
 as spring began he was to join the young Count de 
 Mussidan, who had promised to find some employment 
 for him. The approaching departure was not at all to 
 Montlouis' taste, as he was madly in love with a young
 
 62 THE GHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 girl who resided in the town. He told all to Norbert ; 
 and as confidence begets confidence, he more than 
 once accompanied the young Marquis to the door in 
 the garden wall of the Count de Laurebourg's town 
 house. 
 
 April came at last. The gentry returned to their 
 country houses, and in time the happy day arrived 
 when Diana de Laurebourg was to return to her fath- 
 er's country mansion. The lovers had now every op- 
 portunity to meet, and would exhort each other to have' 
 patience, and a week after Diana's return they spent a 
 long day together in the woods. After this delicious 
 day, Norbert, happy and light-hearted, returned to his 
 father's house. 
 
 " Marquis," said the Duke, plunging at once into the 
 topic nearest his heart, " I have found a wife for you, 
 and in two months you will marry her." 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW. 
 
 THE falling of a thunderbolt at his feet would have 
 startled Norbert less than these words did. The Duke 
 took, or affected to take, no notice of his son's extreme 
 agitation, and in a careless manner he continued, 
 
 " I suppose, my son, that it is hardly necessary for 
 me to tell you the young lady's name. Mademoiselle 
 Marie de Puymandour cannot fail to please you. She 
 is excessively pretty, tall, dark, and with a fine figure. 
 You saw her at Mass one day. What do you think of 
 her?"
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 65 
 
 " Think ! " stammered Norbert. " Really I " 
 
 " Pshaw," replied the old gentleman ; " I thought 
 that you had begun to use your eyes. And look here, 
 Marquis, you must adopt a different style of dress. 
 You can go over with me to Poitiers to-morrow, and 
 one of the tailors there will make you some clothes 
 suitable to your rank, for I don't suppose that you 
 wish to alarm your future wife by the uncouthness of 
 your appearance." 
 
 "But, father " 
 
 " Wait a moment, if you please. I shall have a suite 
 of apartments reserved for you and your bride, and 
 you can pass your honeymoon here. Take care you do 
 not prolong it for too lengthened a period ; and when it 
 is all over, we can break the young woman into all our 
 ways." 
 
 " But," interrupted Norbert hastily, " suppose I do 
 not fancy this young lady ? " 
 
 " Well, what then ? " 
 
 " Suppose I should beg you to save me from a mar- 
 riage which will render me most unhappy ? " 
 
 The Duke shrugged his shoulders. " Why this is 
 mere childishness," said he. " The marriage is a most 
 suitable one, and it is my desire that it should take 
 place." 
 
 " But, father," again commenced Norbert. 
 
 " What ! Are you opposing my will ? " asked his 
 father angrily. " Pray, do you hesitate ? " 
 
 " No," answered his son coldly, " I do not hesitate." 
 
 " Very good, then. A man of no position can con- 
 sult the dictates of his heart when he takes a wife, 
 but with a nobleman of rank and station it is certainly 
 a different matter, for with the latter, marriage should 
 be looked upon as a mere business transaction. I have
 
 6 4 
 
 made excellent arrangements. Let me repeat to you 
 the conditions. The Count will give two-thirds of his 
 fortune, which is estimated at five millions just think 
 of that! and when we get that, we shall be able to 
 screw and save with better heart. Think of the resto- 
 ration of our house, and the colossal fortune that our 
 descendants will one day inherit, and realize all the 
 beauties of a life of self-denial." 
 
 While the Duke was uttering this string of inco- 
 herent sentences, he was pacing up and down the 
 room, and now he halted immediately in front of his 
 son. "You understand," said he; "to-morrow you 
 will go to Poitiers, and on Sunday we will dine at the 
 house of your future father-in-law." 
 
 In this fearful crisis Norbert did not know what to 
 say or how to act. 
 
 " Father," he once more commenced, " I have no 
 wish to go to Poitiers to-morrow." 
 
 " What are you saying ? What in heaven's name 
 do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that as I shall never love Mademoiselle de 
 Puymandour, she will never be my wife." 
 
 The Duke had never foreseen the chance of rebel- 
 lion on the part of his son, and he could not bring his 
 mind to receive such an unlooked-for event. 
 
 " You are mad," said he at last, " and do not know 
 what you are saying." 
 
 " I know very well." 
 
 " Think of what you are doing." 
 
 "I have reflected." 
 
 The Duke was making a violent effort to compose 
 his ordinarily violent temper. 
 
 " Do you imagine," answered he disdainfully, " that 
 I shall be satisfied with an answer of this kind? I
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 65 
 
 hope that you will submit to my wishes, for I think 
 that, as the head of the family, I have conceived a 
 splendid plan for its future aggrandizement; and do 
 you think that, for the mere whim of a boy, I will be 
 turned aside from my fixed determination?" 
 
 " No, father," answered Norbert, " it is no boyish 
 whim that makes me oppose your wishes. Tell me, 
 have I not ever been a dutiful son to you? Have I 
 ever refused to do what I was ordered? No; I have 
 obeyed you implicitly. I am the son of the wealthiest 
 man in Poitiers, and I have lived like a laborer's child. 
 Whatever your mandates were, I have never com- 
 plained or murmured at them." 
 
 " Well, and now I order you to marry Mademoiselle 
 de Puymandour." 
 
 " Anything but that ; I do not love her, and I shall 
 never do so. Do you wish my whole life to be 
 blighted ? I entreat you to spare me this sacrifice ! " 
 
 " My orders are given, and you must comply with 
 them." 
 
 " No," answered Norbert quietly, " I will not comply 
 with them." 
 
 A purple flush passed across the Duke's face, then 
 it faded away, leaving every feature of a livid white- 
 ness. 
 
 " Great heavens ! " said he in a voice before which 
 Norbert, at one time, would have quailed. " Whence 
 comes the audacity that makes you venture to dispute 
 my orders?" 
 
 " From the feeling that I am acting rightly." 
 
 " How long is it that it has been right for children 
 to disobey their parents' commands ? " 
 
 " Ever since parents began to issue unjust com- 
 mands."
 
 66 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 This speech put the finishing stroke to the Duke's 
 rage. He made a step across the room, towards his 
 son, raising the stick that he usually carried high in 
 the air. For a moment he stood thus, and then cast- 
 ing it aside, he exclaimed, 
 
 " No, I cannot strike a Champdoce." 
 
 Perhaps it was Norbert's intrepid attitude that re- 
 strained the Duke's frenzy, for he had not moved a 
 muscle, but stood still, with his arms folded, and his 
 head thrown haughtily back. 
 
 " No, this is an act of disobedience that I will not 
 put up with," exclaimed the old man in a voice of 
 thunder, and, springing upon his son, he grasped him 
 by the collar and dragged him up to a room on the 
 second floor, and thrust him violently through the 
 doorway. 
 
 " You have twenty-four hours in which to reflect 
 whether you will be willing to accept the wife that I 
 have chosen for you," said he. 
 
 " I have already decided on that point," answered 
 Norbert quietly. 
 
 The Duke made no reply, but slammed the door, 
 which was of massive oak, and secured by a lock of 
 enormous proportions. 
 
 Norbert gazed round; the only other exit from 
 the room was by means of a window some forty feet 
 from the ground. The young man, however, imagined 
 that some one would surely come to make up his bed 
 for the night ; that would give him two sheets ; these 
 he could knot together and thus secure a means of 
 escape. He might not be able to see Diana at once, 
 but he could easily send her a message by Daumon, 
 warning her of what had taken place. Having 
 arranged his plans, he threw himself into an arm-
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 67 
 
 chair with a more easy mind than he had experi- 
 enced for many months past. The decisive step had 
 been taken, and the relations between his father and 
 himself clearly defined, and thus he naturally consid- 
 ered great progress had been made, and the task be- 
 fore him seemed as nothing to what he had already 
 performed. 
 
 " My father," thought he, " must be half mad with 
 passion." 
 
 And Norbert was not wrong in his opinion. When 
 the Duke, as usual, took his place at the table, at 
 which the farm laborers ate their meals, not one of 
 them had the courage to make a single observation. 
 Every one knew that a serious altercation had taken 
 place between father and son, and each one was 
 devoured by the pangs of ungratified curiosity. 
 
 As soon as the meal was concluded, the Duke called 
 an old and trustworthy servant, who had been in his 
 employment for over thirty years. 
 
 " Jean," said he, " your young master is locked up 
 in the yellow room. Here is the key. Take him 
 something to eat." 
 
 " Very good, your Grace." 
 
 " Wait a little. You will spend the night in his 
 room and keep a strict watch upon him. He may de- 
 sign to make his escape. If he attempts it, restrain 
 him, if necessary, by physical force. Should he prove 
 too strong for you, call to me; I shall be near, and 
 will come to your aid." 
 
 This unexpected precaution upon the Duke's part 
 upset all Norbert's plans of escape. He endeavored 
 to persuade Jean to allow him to go out for a couple 
 of hours, giving his word of honor that he would 
 return at the expiration of that time. Prayers and
 
 68 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 menaces, however, had no effect. Had the young 
 man gazed from the window, he would have seen his 
 father striding moodily up and down the courtyard, 
 with the thought gnawing at his heart that perhaps 
 after all these many years of waiting his plans might 
 yet be frustrated. 
 
 " There is a woman at the bottom of all this," said 
 he to himself. " It is only woman's wiles that in this 
 brief space of time would effect so complete a change 
 in a young man's disposition. Besides, he would not 
 have so obstinately declined to listen to the proposal 
 I made him had not his affections been engaged else- 
 where. Who can she be? and by what means shall I 
 find her out?" 
 
 It would be absurd to question Norbert, and the 
 Duke was excessively unwilling to institute any regu- 
 lar inquiry into the matter. He passed the whole 
 night in gloomy indecision, but towards morning an 
 inspiration came to him which he looked upon as a 
 special interposition of Providence. 
 
 " Bruno," he exclaimed with a mighty oath. " The 
 dog will show me the place that his master frequents 
 and perhaps lead me to the very woman who has 
 bewitched him." 
 
 This brilliant idea soothed him a great deal, and at 
 one o'clock he took his seat as usual at the head of 
 the table, and ordered food to be taken up to Norbert, 
 but that none of the measures for his safe custody 
 were to be relaxed. 
 
 When he thought the moment was a favorable one, 
 he whistled to Bruno, and, though the dog rarely fol- 
 lowed him, yet in the absence of his master, he conde- 
 scended to accompany the Duke down the avenue to 
 the front gates. Three roads branched off from here,
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 69 
 
 but the dog did not hesitate for a moment, and took 
 the one to the left, like an animal who knew his desti- 
 nation perfectly well. Bruno went ahead for nearly 
 half an hour, until he reached the exact spot where 
 Diana had met with her accident. He made a cast 
 round, but finding- nothing, sat down, clearly saying, 
 
 " Let us wait." 
 
 " This, then," muttered the Duke, " is the place 
 where the lovers have been in the habit of meeting 
 each other." 
 
 The place was a very lonely one, and, standing on 
 rising ground, commanded a view of the country for 
 a long way round. 
 
 The Duke noticed this, and took up a position where 
 the trunk of a giant oak almost concealed him from 
 observation. He was delighted at his sagacity, and 
 was almost in a good humor ; for now that he had 
 reflected, the danger did not seem by any means so 
 great, for to whom could Norbert have lost his heart ? 
 To some little peasant girl, perhaps, who, thinking 
 that the lad was an easy dupe, had tried to induce 
 him to marry her. As these thoughts passed through 
 the Duke's brain, Bruno gave a joyous bark. 
 
 " Here she is," muttered he, as he emerged from 
 his hiding place, and at that moment Diana de Laure- 
 bourg made her appearance; but as soon as she saw 
 the Duke she uttered a faint cry of alarm. She was 
 inclined to turn and fly, but her strength failed her, 
 and, extending her hands, she grasped the boughs of 
 a slender birch tree that grew close by, to prevent 
 herself from falling. The Duke was quite as much 
 astonished as the young lady. He had expected to 
 see a peasant girl, and here was the daughter of the 
 Marquis de Laurebourg. But anger soon succeeded
 
 70 
 
 to surprise ; for though he might have had nothing to 
 fear from the peasant, the daughter of the Marquis de 
 Laurebourg was an utterly different antagonist. He 
 could not rely upon aid from her family, as, for all 
 he knew, they might be aiding and abetting her. 
 
 " Well, my child," began he, " you do not seem very 
 glad to see me." 
 
 " Your Grace." 
 
 " Yes, when you come out to meet the son, it is 
 annoying to meet the father; but do not blame poor 
 Norbert, for I assure you he is not in fault." 
 
 Though Mademoiselle de Laurebourg had been star- 
 tled at first, she was possessed of too strong a will to 
 give in, and soon recovered her self-possession. 
 
 She never thought to screen herself by a denial 
 of her reasons for being on the spot, for such a course 
 she would have looked on as an act of treacherous 
 cowardice. 
 
 " You are quite right," answered she. " I came 
 here to meet your son, and therefore you will pardon 
 me if I take my leave of you." 
 
 With a deep courtesy she was about to move 
 away, when the Duke laid a restraining grip upon 
 her arm. 
 
 " Permit me, my child," said he, endeavoring to put 
 on a kind and paternal tone, " let me say a few 
 words to you. Do you know why Norbert did not 
 come to meet you ? " 
 
 " He has doubtless some very good reason." 
 
 " My son is locked up in a room, and my servants 
 have my orders to prevent his making his escape 
 by force, if necessary." 
 
 " Poor fellow ! He deserves the deepest commisera- 
 tion."
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 71 
 
 The Duke was much surprised at this piece of im- 
 pertinence, as he considered it. 
 
 " I will tell you," returned he in tones of rising 
 anger, " how it comes that I treat my son, the heir 
 to my rank and fortune, in this manner." 
 
 He looked savagely angry as he spoke, but Diana 
 answered negligently, " Pray go on ; you quite in- 
 terest me." 
 
 " Well then, listen to me. I have chosen a wife 
 for Norbert; she is as young as you are beautiful, 
 clever, and wealthy." 
 
 " And of noble birth, of course." 
 
 The sarcasm conveyed in this reply roused the 
 Duke to fury. 
 
 " Fifteen hundred thousand francs as a marriage 
 portion will outweigh a coat of arms, even though it 
 should be a tower argent on a field azure." The 
 Duke paused as he made this allusion to the Laure- 
 bourg arms, and then continued, " In addition to 
 this, she has great expectations ; and yet my son is 
 mad enough to refuse the hand of this wealthy 
 heiress." 
 
 " If you think that this marriage will cause your 
 son's happiness, you are quite right in acting as you 
 have done." 
 
 " Happiness ! What has that to do with the matter, 
 as long as it adds to the aggrandizement of our house 
 and name? J have made up my mind that Norbert 
 shall marry this girl ; I have sworn it, and I never 
 break my oath. I told him this myself." 
 
 Diana suffered acutely, but her pride supported her, 
 whilst her confidence in Norbert was so great that 
 she had the boldness to inquire, " And what did he 
 say to that?"
 
 72 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Norbert will become a dutiful son once more 
 when he is removed from the malignant influence 
 which has been so injurious to him," returned the 
 Duke fiercely. 
 
 " Indeed."" 
 
 " He will obey me, when I show him that though 
 he may not value his name and position, there are 
 others who do so; and that many a woman would 
 fight a brave battle for the honor of being the Duch- 
 ess of Champdoce. Young lady, my son is a mere 
 boy; but I have known the world, and when I prove 
 to the poor fool that it was only grasping ambition 
 which assumed the garb of love, he will renounce his 
 folly and resume his allegiance to me. I will tell 
 him what I think of the poverty-stricken adventur- 
 esses of high birth, whose only weapons are their 
 youth and beauty, and with which they think that 
 they can win a wealthy husband in the battle of life." 
 
 " Continue, sir," broke in Diana haughtily. " In- 
 sult a defenceless girl with her poverty! It is a 
 noble act, and one worthy of a high-born gentleman 
 like yourself ! " 
 
 " I believed," said the Duke, " that I was address- 
 ing the woman whose advice had led my son to break 
 into open rebellion against my authority. Am I right 
 or wrong? You can prove me to be mistaken by 
 urging upon Norbert the necessity for submission." 
 
 She made no reply, but bent her head upon her 
 bosom. 
 
 "You see," continued the Duke, "that I am cor- 
 rect, and that if you continue to act as you have done, 
 I shall be justified in retaliating in any manner that 
 I may deem fit. You have now been warned. Carry 
 on this intrigue at your peril."
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 73 
 
 He placed such an insulting emphasis upon the 
 word " intrigue " that Diana's anger rose to boiling 
 point. At that instant, for the sake of vengeance, 
 she would have risked her honor, her ambition, her 
 very life itself. 
 
 Forgetting all prudence, she cast aside her mask of 
 affected indifference, and, with her eyes flashing 
 angry gleams of fire, and her cheeks burning, she 
 said, 
 
 " Listen to me. I, too, have sworn an oath, and it 
 is that Norbert shall be my husband; and I tell you 
 that he shall be so! Shut him up in prison, subject 
 him to every indignity at the hands of your menials, 
 but you will never break his spirit, or make him go 
 back from his plighted word. If I bid him, he will 
 resist your will even unto the bitter end. He and I 
 will never yield. Believe me when I tell you, .that 
 before you attack a young girl's honor, you had bet- 
 ter pause ; for one day she will be a member of your 
 family. Farewell." 
 
 Before the Duke could recover his senses, Diana 
 was far down the path on her way homewards ; and 
 then he burst into a wild storm of menaces, oaths, and 
 insults. He fancied that he was alone, but he was 
 mistaken; for the whole of that strange scene had 
 a hidden witness, and that witness was Daumon. He 
 had heard of the treatment of the young Marquis from 
 one of the servants at the Chateau, and his first 
 thought had been to acquaint Diana with it. Un- 
 fortunately he saw no means of doing this. He 
 dared not go to Laurebourg, and he would have died 
 sooner than put pen to paper. He was in a position 
 of the deepest embarrassment when the idea struck 
 him of going to the lovers' trysting place. The little
 
 74 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 cry that Diana had uttered upon perceiving the Duke 
 had put him upon his guard. Bruno had found him 
 out; but, as he knew him, merely fawned upon him. 
 He was delighted at the fury of the Duke, whom 
 he hated with cold and steady malignity ; but the cour- 
 age of Diana filled him with admiration. Her sub- 
 lime audacity won his warmest praises, and he longed 
 for her as an ally to aid him in his scheme of re- 
 venge. He knew that the girl would find herself in 
 a terribly embarrassing position, and thus she would 
 be sure to call upon him for advice before returning- 
 home. 
 
 "Now," thought he, "if I wish to profit by her 
 anger, I ought to strike while the iron is hot; and to 
 do so, I should be at home to meet her." 
 
 Without a moment's delay, he dashed through the 
 woods, striving to get home without the young girl's 
 perceiving him. His movements in the underwood 
 caught the Duke's eye. 
 
 " Who is there ? " exclaimed he, moving towards 
 the spot from whence the rustling came. There was 
 no reply. Surely he had not been mistaken. Calling 
 to Bruno, he strove to put him on the scent, but the 
 dog showed no signs of eagerness. He sniffed about 
 for a time, and seemed to linger near one special spot. 
 The Duke moved towards it, and distinctly saw the 
 impression of two knees upon the grass. 
 
 " Some one has been eavesdropping," muttered he, 
 much enraged at his discovery. "Who can it be? 
 Has Nbrbert escaped from his prison ? " 
 
 As he returned through the courtyard, he called 
 one of the grooms to him. 
 
 " Where is my son ? " asked he. 
 
 " Upstairs, your Grace," was the answer.
 
 AN UNLUCKY BLOW 75 
 
 The Duke breathed more freely. Norbert was still 
 in security, and therefore it could not have been the 
 person who had been listening-. 
 
 " But," added the lad, " the young master is half 
 frantic." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 " Well, he declared that he would not remain in 
 his room an instant longer; so old Jean called for 
 help. He is awfully strong, and it took six of us 
 to hold him. He said that if we would let him go, 
 he would return in two hours, and that his honor 
 and life were involved." 
 
 The Duke listened with a sarcastic smile. He 
 cared nothing about the frantic struggles of his son, 
 for his heart had grown cold and hard from the pres- 
 ence of the fixed idea which had actuated his conduct 
 for so many years, and it was with the solemn face 
 of a man who was fulfilling a sacred duty that he 
 ascended to the room in which his son was impris- 
 oned. Jean threw open the door, and the Duke paused 
 for a moment on the threshold. The furniture had 
 been overturned, some of it broken, and there were 
 evident signs of a furious struggle having taken place. 
 
 A powerful laborer stood near the window, and 
 Norbert was lying on the bed, with his face turned 
 to the wall. 
 
 " Leave us," said the Duke, and the man withdrew 
 at once. 
 
 " Get up, Norbert," he added; " I wish to speak to 
 you." 
 
 His son obeyed him. Any one but the Duke would 
 have been alarmed by the expression of the young 
 man's face. 
 
 " What is the meaning of all this ? " asked the old
 
 7 6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 nobleman in his most severe voice. " Are not my 
 orders sufficient to insure obedience? I hear that 
 absolute force has had to be used towards you during 
 my absence. Tell me, my son, what plans you have 
 devised during these hours of solitude, and what hopes 
 you still venture to cherish." 
 
 " I intend to be free, and I will be so." 
 
 The Duke affected not to hear the reply, uttered 
 as it was in a tone of decision. 
 
 " It was very easy for me to discover, from your 
 obstinacy, that some woman had endeavored to entrap 
 you, and by her insidious counsels inducing you to 
 disobey your best friend." 
 
 He paused, but there was no reply. 
 
 " This woman this dangerous woman I have been 
 in search of, and as you can conceive, I easily found 
 her. I went to the Forest of Bevron, and there I 
 need not tell you I found Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg." 
 
 " Did you speak to her ? " 
 
 " I did so, certainly. I told her my opinion of those 
 manoeuvring women who fascinate the dupes they in- 
 tend to take advantage of " 
 
 " Father ! " 
 
 " Can it be possible that you, simple boy even as you* 
 are, could have been deceived by the pretended love 
 of this wily young woman? It is not you, Marquis, 
 that she loves, but our name and fortune ; but 7 know 
 if she does not that the law will imprison women who 
 contrive to entrap young men who are under age." 
 
 Norbert turned deadly pale. 
 
 " Did you really say that to her ? " asked he, in a 
 low, hoarse voice, utterly unlike his own. " You dare 
 to insult the woman I love, when you knew that I was
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 77 
 
 far away and unable to protect her! Take care, or 
 I shall forget that you are my father." 
 
 " He actually threatens me," said the Duke, " my 
 son threatens me ; " and, raising the heavy stick he 
 held in his hand, he struck Norbert a violent blow. 
 By a fortunate movement the unhappy boy drew back, 
 and so avoided the full force of the stroke, but the 
 end of the stick struck him across the temple, inflicting 
 a long though not a serious wound. In his blind rage 
 Norbert was about to throw himself upon his father, 
 when his eyes caught sight of the open door. Liberty 
 and safety lay before him, and, with a bound, he was 
 on the stairs, and before the Duke could shout for aid 
 from the window, his son was tearing across the park 
 with all the appearance and gesture of a madman. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE. 
 
 IN order to avoid being seen by Mademoiselle de 
 Laurebourg, Daumon had to take a much longer route 
 to regain his home than the one that Diana had fol- 
 lowed. This, however, he could not help. As soon as 
 he arrived at his home he ran hastily upstairs and took 
 from a cleverly concealed hiding-place in the wains- 
 coting of his bedroom a small bottle of dark green 
 glass, which he hastily slipped into his pocket. When 
 he had once more descended to his office, he again took 
 it out and examined it carefully to see that it had in 
 nc way been tampered with ; then, with a hard, cruel 
 smile, he placed it upon his desk among his ledgers
 
 78 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 and account books. Diana de Laurebourg might pay 
 him a visit as soon as she liked, for he was quite pre- 
 pared for her, for he had slipped on his dressing-gown 
 and placed his velvet skull cap upon his head, as if 
 he had not quitted the house that day. 
 
 " Why on earth does she not come ? " muttered he. 
 
 He began to be uneasy. He went to the window 
 and glanced eagerly down the road ; then he drew out 
 his watch and examined the face of it, when all at 
 once his ears detected a gentle tapping at the door of 
 the office. 
 
 " Come in," said he. 
 
 The door opened, and Diana entered slowly, without 
 uttering a word, and took no notice of the servile obse- 
 quiousness of the Counsellor; indeed, she hardly 
 seemed to notice his presence, and with a deep sigh 
 she threw herself into a chair. 
 
 In his inmost heart Daumon was filled with the ut- 
 most delight ; he now understood why Diana had 
 taken so long in reaching his house ; it was because her 
 interview with the Duke had almost overcome her. 
 
 She soon, however, recovered her energy, and shook 
 off the languor that seemed to cling to her limbs, and, 
 turning towards her host, said abruptly, 
 
 " Counsellor, I have come to you for advice, which 
 I sorely need. About an hour ago " 
 
 With a gesture of sympathy Daumon interrupted 
 her, 
 
 " Alas ! " said he ; " spare me the recital, I know all." 
 
 " You know " 
 
 " Yes, I know that M. Norbert is a prisoner at the 
 Chateau. Yes, mademoiselle, I know this, and I know, 
 too, that you have just met the Duke de Champdoce in 
 the Forest of Bevron. I know, moreover, all that you
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 79 
 
 said to the old nobleman, for I have heard every word 
 from a person who has just left." 
 
 In spite of her strong nerves, Diana was unable to 
 restrain a movement of dismay and terror. 
 
 " But who told you of this ? " murmured she. 
 
 " A man who was out cutting wood. Ah ! my dear 
 young lady, the forest is not a safe place to tell secrets 
 in, for you never know whether watchful eyes and 
 listening ears are not concealed behind every tree. 
 This man, and I am afraid some of his companions, 
 heard every word that was spoken, and as soon as 
 you left the Duke the man scampered off to tell the 
 story. I made him promise not to say a word, but he 
 is a married man and is sure to tell it to his wife. 
 Then there are his companions; dear me! it is most 
 annoying." 
 
 " Then all is lost, and I am ruined," murmured she. 
 
 But her despair did not last long, for she was by 
 no means the woman to throw down her arms and 
 sue for mercy. She grasped the arm of the Coun- 
 sellor. 
 
 " The end has not come yet, surely ? Speak ! what 
 is to be done? You must have some plan. I am 
 ready for anything, now that I have nothing to lose. 
 No one shall ever say that that cowardly villain, the 
 Duke de Champdoce, insulted me with impunity. Tell 
 me, will you help me ? " 
 
 " In the name of heaven ! " cried he, " do not speak 
 so loud. You do not know the adversary that you 
 have to contend with." 
 
 " Are you afraid of him ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do fear him ; and what is more, I fear him 
 very much. He is a determined man, and will gain 
 his object at any cost or risk. Do you know that he
 
 8o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 did his best to crush me because I summoned him to 
 court on behalf of one of my clients? So that now, 
 when any one comes to me and wishes to proceed 
 against the Duke, I am glad to decline to take up the 
 matter." 
 
 " And so," returned the young girl in a tone of cold 
 contempt, " after leading us to this compromising posi- 
 tion, you are ready to abandon us at the most critical 
 moment ? " 
 
 " Can you think such a thing, mademoiselle ? " 
 
 " You can act as you please, Counsellor ; Norbert is 
 still left to me ; he will protect me." 
 
 Daumon shook his head with an air of deep sorrow. 
 
 " How can we be sure that at this very moment 
 the Marquis has not given in to all his father's 
 wishes?" 
 
 " No," exclaimed the girl ; " such a supposition is an 
 insult to Norbert. He f would sooner die than give in. 
 He may be timid, but he is not a coward ; the thoughts 
 of me will give him the power to resist his father's 
 tyranny." 
 
 Daumon allowed himself to fall into his great arm- 
 chair as though overcome by the excitement of this 
 interview. 
 
 " We can talk coolly enough here and with no one 
 to threaten us ; but the Marquis, on the other hand, is 
 exposed to all his father's violence and ill treatment, 
 moral as well as physical, without any defence or aid 
 from a soul in the world, and in such times as these 
 the strongest will may give way." 
 
 " Yes, I see it all ; Norbert may give in, he may 
 marry another woman, and I shall be left alone, with 
 my reputation gone, and the scorn and scoff of all 
 the neighborhood."
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 81 
 
 " But, mademoiselle, you still have " 
 
 " All I have left is life, and that life I would gladly 
 give for vengeance." 
 
 There was something so terribly determined in 
 the young girl's voice that again Daumon started, and 
 this time his start was sincere and not simulated. 
 
 " Yes, you are right," said he, " and there are many 
 besides myself who have vowed to have revenge on 
 the Duke, and their time will come, have no fear. A 
 quiet shot in the woods in the dusk of the evening 
 would settle many a long account. It has been tried, 
 but the old man seems to have the luck of the evil 
 one ; and if the gun did not miss fire, the bullets flew 
 wide of the mark. A judge might take a very serious 
 view of such a matter, and term a crime what was 
 merely an act of justice. Who can say whether the 
 death of the Duke de Champdoce might not save him 
 from the commission of many acts of tyranny and op- 
 pression and render many deserving persons happy ? " 
 
 The face of Diana de Laurebourg turned deadly 
 pale as she listened to these specious arguments. 
 
 " As things go," continued Daumon, " the Duke may 
 go on living to a hundred ; he is wealthy and influen- 
 tial, and to a certain degree looked up to. He will 
 die peacefully in his bed, there will be a magnificent 
 funeral, and masses will be sung for the repose of 
 his soul." 
 
 While he spoke the Counsellor had taken the little 
 bottle from beside his account books and was turning 
 it over and over between his fingers. 
 
 " Yes," murmured he, thoughtfully ; " the Duke is 
 quite likely to outlive us all, unless, indeed " 
 
 He took the cork from the bottle, and poured a little 
 of the contents into the palm of his hand. A few
 
 82 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 grains of fine white powder, glittering- like crystal, 
 appeared on the brown skin of the Counsellor. 
 
 " And yet," he went on, in cold, sinister accents, 
 " let him but take a small pinch of this, and no one 
 need fear his tyranny again in this world. No one is 
 much afraid of a man who lies some six feet under 
 ground, shut up in a strong oak coffin, with a finely 
 carved gravestone over his head." 
 
 He stopped short, and fixed his keen eyes upon the 
 agitated girl, who stood in front of him. For at least 
 two minutes the man and the girl stood face to face, 
 motionless, and without exchanging a word. Through 
 the dead, weird silence, the pulsations of their hearts 
 were plainly audible. It seemed as if before speaking 
 again each wished to fathom the depths of guilt that 
 lay in the other's heart. It was a compact entered into 
 by look and not by speech ; and Daumon so well under- 
 stood this, that at length, when he did speak, his voice 
 sank to a hoarse whisper, as though he himself feared 
 to listen to the utterance of his own thoughts. 
 
 " A man taking this feels no pain. It is like a heavy, 
 stunning blow on the forehead in ten seconds all is 
 over, no gasp, no cry, but the heart ceases to beat for- 
 ever; and, best of all, it leaves no trace behind it. 
 A little of this, such a little, in wine or coffee, would 
 be enough. It is tasteless, colorless, and scentless, its 
 presence is impossible to be detected." 
 
 " But in the event of a post-mortem examina- 
 tion?" 
 
 " By skilful analysts in Paris or the larger towns, 
 there would be a chance; but in a place like this, 
 never! Never, in fact, anywhere, unless there had 
 been previous grounds for suspicion. Otherwise only 
 apoplectic symptoms would be observed; and even if
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 83 
 
 it was traced, there comes the question, By whom was 
 it administered ? " 
 
 He stopped short, for a word rose to his lips which 
 he did not dare utter ; he raised his hands to his mouth, 
 coughed slightly, and went on, 
 
 " This substance is not sold by chemists ; it is very 
 rarely met with, difficult to prepare, and terribly ex- 
 pensive. The smallest quantity might be met with in 
 the first-class laboratories for scientific purposes, but 
 it is most unlikely for any one in these parts to possess 
 any of this drug, or even to know of its existence." 
 
 " And yet you " 
 
 " That is quite another matter. Years ago, when I 
 was far away from here, it was in my power to render 
 a great service to a distinguished chemist, and he 
 made me a present of this combination of his skill. 
 It would be impossible to trace this bottle ; I have 
 had it ten years, and the man who gave it to me is 
 dead. Ten years? no, I am wrong, it is now twelve." 
 
 " And in all these years has not this substance lost 
 any of its destructive powers ? " 
 
 " I tried it only a month ago. I threw a pinch of 
 it into a basin of milk and gave it to a powerful mas- 
 tiff. He drank the milk and in ten seconds fell stark 
 and dead." 
 
 " Horrible ! " exclaimed Diana, covering her face 
 with her hand, and recoiling from the tempter. 
 
 A sinister smile quivered upon the thin lips of the 
 Counsellor. 
 
 " Why do you say horrible ? " asked he ; " the dog 
 had shown symptoms of rabies, and had he bitten me, 
 I might have expired in frightful torture. Was it not 
 fair self-defence? Sometimes, however, a man is 
 tnore dangerous than a dog. A man blights the whole
 
 84 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 of my life; I strike him down openly, and the law 
 convicts me and puts me to death; but I do not con- 
 template doing so, for I would suppress such a man 
 secretly." 
 
 Diana placed her hands on the man's mouth and 
 stopped a further exposition of his ideas. 
 
 " Listen to me," said she. But at this moment a 
 heavy step was heard outside. " It is Norbert," gasped 
 she. 
 
 " Impossible ! it is more likely his father." 
 
 " It is Norbert," cried Mademoiselle de Laurebourg, 
 and snatching the little bottle from the Counsellor's 
 hands, she thrust it into her bosom. The door flew 
 open, and Norbert appeared on the threshold. Diana 
 and the Counsellor both uttered a shriek of terror. 
 His livid countenance seemed to indicate that he 
 had passed through some terrible scene; his gait was 
 unsteady, his clothes torn and disordered, and his 
 face stained with blood, which had flowed from a 
 cut over his temple. Daumon imagined that some 
 outrage had taken place. 
 
 " You have been wounded, Marquis ? " said he. 
 
 " Yes, my father struck me." 
 
 " Can it be possible ? " 
 
 " Yes, he struck me." 
 
 Mademoiselle Diana had feared this, and she trem- 
 bled with the terror of her vague conjectures as she 
 made a step towards her lover. 
 
 " Permit me to examine your wound," said she. 
 
 She placed both her hands at the side of his head 
 and stood on tip-toe, the better to inspect the cut. As 
 she did so, she shuddered ; an inch lower, and the 
 consequences might have been fatal.'" 
 
 " Quick," she said, " give me some rags and water."
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 85 
 
 Norbert gently disengaged himself. " It is a mere 
 nothing," said he, " and can be looked after later on. 
 Fortunately I did not receive the whole weight of the 
 blow, which would otherwise have brought me sense- 
 less to the ground, and perhaps I should have been 
 slain by my father's hand." 
 
 " By the Duke ? and for what reason did he strike 
 you ? " 
 
 " Diana, he had grossly insulted you, and he dared 
 to tell me of it. Had he forgotten that the blood of 
 the race of Champdoce ran in my veins as well as in 
 his?" 
 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg burst into a passion 
 of tears. 
 
 " I," sobbed she, " I have brought all this upon 
 you." 
 
 '' You ? Why, it is to you that he owes his life. 
 He dared to strike me as if I had been a lackey, but 
 the thoughts of you stayed my hand. I turned and 
 fled, and never again will I enter that accursed house. 
 I renounce the Duke de Champdoce, he is no longer 
 my father, and I will never look upon his face again. 
 Would that I could forget that such a man existed; 
 but, no, I would rather that I remembered him for 
 the sake of revenge." 
 
 Again the heart of Daumon overflowed with joy. 
 All his deeply malignant spirit thrilled pleasantly as 
 he heard these words. 
 
 " Marquis," said he, " perhaps you will now believe 
 with me that in all misfortunes there is an element of 
 luck, for your father has committed an act of impru- 
 dence which will yet cost him dear. It is very strange 
 that so astute a man as the Duke de Champdoce should 
 have allowed his passion to carry him away."
 
 86 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Simply that you can be freed from the tyranny 
 of your father whenever you like now. We now have 
 all that is necessary for lodging- a formal plaint in 
 court. We have sequestration of the person, threats 
 and bodily violence by the aid of third parties, and 
 words and blows which have endangered life ; our case 
 is entirely complete. A surgeon will examine your 
 wound, and give a written deposition. We can pro- 
 duce plenty of evidence, and the wound on the head 
 will tell its own story. As a commencement we will 
 petition that we may not be ordered back to our 
 father's custody, and it will further be set forth that 
 our reason for this is that a father has assaulted a 
 son with undue and unnecessary violence. We shall 
 be sure to gain the day, and " 
 
 " Enough," broke in Norbert ; " will the decision 
 give me the right to marry w r hom I please without my 
 father's consent?" 
 
 Daumon hesitated. Under the circumstances, it 
 seemed to him very likely that the court would grant 
 Norbert the liberty he desired ; he, however, thought 
 it advisable not to say so, and answered boldly, " No, 
 Marquis, it will not do so." 
 
 " Well, then, the Champdoce family have never 
 exposed their differences to the public, nor will I begin 
 to do so," said Norbert decisively. 
 
 The Counsellor seemed surprised at this determi- 
 nation. 
 
 " If, Marquis," he began, " I might venture to 
 advise you " 
 
 " No advice is necessary, my mind is entirely made 
 up, but T need some help, and in twenty-four hours I
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 87 
 
 require a large sum of money twenty thousand 
 francs." 
 
 " You can have them, Marquis, but I warn you that 
 you will have to pay heavily for the accommodation." 
 
 " That I care nothing for." 
 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg was about to speak, 
 but with a gesture of his hand Norbert arrested her. 
 
 " Do you not comprehend me, Diana ? " said he ; 
 " we must fly, and that at once. We can find some 
 safe retreat where we can live happily, where no one 
 will harm us." 
 
 " But this is mere madness ! " cried Diana. 
 
 " You will be pursued," remarked the Counsellor ; 
 " and most likely overtaken." 
 
 " Can you not trust your life to me ? " asked Nor- 
 bert reproachfully. " I swear that I will devote every- 
 thing to you, life, thought and will. On my knees I 
 entreat you to fly with me." 
 
 " I cannot," murmured she ; " it is impossible." 
 
 " Then you do not love me," said he in desponding 
 accents. " I have been a thrice-besotted fool to believe 
 that your heart was mine, for you can never have 
 loved me." 
 
 " Hear him, merciful powers ! he says that I, who 
 am all his, do not love him." 
 
 " Then why cast aside our only chance of safety ? " 
 
 " Norbert, dearest Norbert ! " 
 
 " I understand you too well ; you are alarmed at the 
 idea of the world's censure, and " 
 
 He paused, checked by the gleam of reproach that 
 shone in Diana's eyes. 
 
 "Must it be so?" said she; "must I condescend to 
 justify myself? You talk to me of the world's cen-
 
 88 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 sure? Have I not already defied it, and has it not 
 sat in judgment upon me? And what have I done, 
 after all ? Every act and word that has passed between 
 us I can repeat to my mother without a blush rising 
 to my cheek ; but would any one credit my words ? No, 
 not a living soul. Most likely the world has come to 
 a decision. My reputation is gone, is utterly lost, and 
 yet I am spotless as the driven snow." 
 
 Norbert was half-mad with anger. 
 
 " Who will dare to treat you with anything save 
 with the most profound respect ? " said he. 
 
 " Alas ! my dear Norbert," replied she, " to-morrow 
 the scandal will be even greater. While your father 
 was talking to me with such brutal violence and 
 contempt, he was overheard by a woodcutter and per- 
 haps by some of his companions." 
 
 " It cannot be." 
 
 " No, it is quite true," returned Daumon. " I had 
 it from the man myself." 
 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg shot one glance at 
 the Counsellor; it was only a glance, but he compre- 
 hended at once that she wished to be left alone with 
 her lover. 
 
 " Pardon me," said he, " but I think I have a visi- 
 tor, and I must hinder any one from coming in 
 here." 
 
 He left the room as he spoke, closing the door 
 noisily behind him. 
 
 " And so," resumed Norbert when alone, " it 
 seems that the Duke de Champdoce did not even take 
 the ordinary precaution of assuring himself that you 
 were in privacy before he spoke as he did, and was 
 so carried away by his fury that he never thought that 
 in casting dishonor upon you, he was heaping infamy
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 89 
 
 on me. Does he think by these means to compel me 
 to marry the heiress whom he has chosen for me, 
 the Mademoiselle de Puymandour ? " 
 
 For the first time Diana learned the name of her 
 rival. 
 
 " Ah ! " moaned she between her sobs, " so it is 
 Mademoiselle de Puymandour that he wants you to 
 marry ? " 
 
 " Yes, the same, or rather her enormous wealth ; 
 but may my hand wither before it clasps hers. Do 
 you hear me, Diana ? " 
 
 She gave a sad smile and murmured, " Poor Nor- 
 bert!" 
 
 The heart of the young man sank; so melancholy 
 was the tone of her voice. 
 
 " You are very cruel," said he. " What have I done 
 to deserve this want of confidence ? " 
 
 Diana made no reply, and Norbert, believing that 
 he understood the reason why she refused to fly with 
 him, said, " Is it because you have no faith in me, 
 that you will not accompany me in my flight ? " 
 
 " No ; I have perfect faith in you." 
 
 " What is it, then ? Do I not offer you fortune and 
 happiness? Tell me what it is then." 
 
 She drew herself up, and said proudly, " Up to 
 this time, my conscience has enabled me to hold my 
 own against all the scandalous gossip that has been 
 flying about, but now it says, * Halt, Diana de Laure- 
 bourgl you have gone far enough.' My burden is 
 heavy, my heart is breaking, but I must draw back 
 now. No, Norbert ; I cannot fly with you." 
 
 She paused for a moment, as though unable to 
 proceed, and then went on with more firmness, " Were 
 I alone and solitary in the world, I might act dif-
 
 90 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 ferently; but I have a family, whose honor I must 
 guard as I would my own." 
 
 " A family indeed, which sacrifices you to your 
 elder brother." 
 
 " It may be so, and therefore my task is all the 
 greater. Who ever heard of virtue as something easy 
 to practise ? " 
 
 Norbert never remembered what an example of 
 rebellion she had set. 
 
 " My heart and my conscience dictate the same 
 course to me. The result must ever be fatal, when 
 a young girl sets at defiance the rules and laws of 
 society; and you would never care to look with re- 
 spect on one upon whom others gazed with the eye 
 of contempt." 
 
 " What sort of an opinion have you of me, 
 then?" 
 
 " I believe you to be a man, Norbert. Let us sup- 
 pose that I fly with you, and that the next day I should 
 hear that my father had been killed in a duel fought 
 on my account; what then? Believe me that when I 
 tell you to fly by yourself, I give you the best advice 
 in my power. You will forget me, I know ; but what 
 else can I hope for ? " 
 
 " Forget you ! " said Norbert angrily. " Can you 
 forget me ? " 
 
 His face was so close to hers that she felt the hot 
 breath upon her cheek. 
 
 " Yes," stammered she, with a violent effort, " I 
 can." 
 
 Norbert drew a pace back, that he might read her 
 meaning more fully in her eyes. 
 
 " And if I go away," asked he, " what will become 
 of you?"
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 91 
 
 A sob burst from the young girl's breast, and her 
 strength seemed to desert her limbs. 
 
 " I," answered she, in the calm, resigned voice of 
 a Christian virgin about to be cast to the lions that 
 roared in the arena, " I have my destiny. To-day is the 
 last time that we shall ever meet. I shall return to 
 my home, where everything will shortly be known. I 
 shall find my father angry and menacing. He will 
 place me in a carriage, and the next day I shall find 
 myself within the walls of the hated convent." 
 
 " But that life would be one long, slow agony to 
 you. You have told me this before." 
 
 " Yes," answered she, " it would be an agony, but 
 it would also be an expiation; and when the burden 
 grows too heavy, I have this." 
 
 And as she spoke, she drew the little bottle from 
 its hiding-place in her bosom, and Norbert . too 
 well understood her meaning. The young man en- 
 deavored to take it from her, but she resisted. This 
 contest seemed to exhaust her little strength, her 
 beautiful eyes closed, and she sank senseless into Nor- 
 bert's arms. In an agony of despair, the young man 
 asked himself if she was dying; and yet there was 
 sufficient life in her to enable her to whisper, soft and 
 low, these words, " My only friend let me have it 
 back, dear Norbert." And then, with perfect clearness, 
 she repeated all the deadly properties of the drug, and 
 the directions for its use that the Counsellor had 
 given to her. 
 
 On hearing the woman whom he loved with such 
 intense passion confess that she would sooner die than 
 live apart from him, Norbert's brain reeled. 
 
 " Diana, my own Diana ! " repeated he, as he hung 
 over her.
 
 9 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 But she went on, as though speaking through the 
 promptings of delirium. 
 
 "The very day after such a fair prospect ! Ah, Duke 
 de Champdoce ! you are a hard and pitiless man. You 
 have robbed me of all I held dear in the world, black- 
 ened my reputation, and tarnished my honor, and now 
 you want my life." 
 
 Norbert uttered such a cry of anger, that even Dau- 
 mon in the passage was startled by it. He placed 
 Diana tenderly in the Counsellor's arm-chair, saying, 
 
 " No, you shall not kill yourself, nor shall you 
 leave me." 
 
 She smiled faintly, and held out her arms to him. 
 Her magic spells were deftly woven. 
 
 " No," cried he ; " the poison which you had in- 
 tended to use on yourself shall become my weapon of 
 vengeance, and the instrument of punishment of the 
 one who has wronged you." 
 
 And with the gait of a man walking in his sleep, he 
 left the Counsellor's office. 
 
 Hardly had the young man's footsteps died away, 
 than Daumon entered the room. He had not lost a 
 word or action in the foregoing scene, and he was 
 terribly agitated; and he could scarcely believe his 
 eyes when he saw Diana, whom he had supposed to 
 be lying half-insensible in the arm-chair, standing at 
 the window, gazing after Norbert, as he walked along 
 the road leading from the Counsellor's cottage. 
 
 " Ah ! what a woman ! " muttered he. " Gracious 
 powers, what a wonderful woman ! " 
 
 When Diana had lost sight of her lover, she turned 
 round to Daumon. Her face was pale, and her eye- 
 lids swollen, but her eyes flashed with the conviction 
 of success.
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 93 
 
 " To-morrow, Counsellor," said she, " to-morrow I 
 shall be the Duchess de Champdoce." 
 
 Daumon was so overwhelmed that, accustomed as 
 he was to startling events and underhand trickery, he 
 could find no words to express his feelings. 
 
 " That is to say," added Diana thoughtfully, " if all 
 goes as it should to-night." 
 
 Daumon felt a cold shiver creep over him, but sum- 
 moning up all his self-possession, he said, "I do not 
 understand you. What is this that you hope will be 
 accomplished to-night ? " 
 
 She turned so contemptuous and sarcastic a look on 
 him, that the words died away in his mouth, and he 
 at once saw his mistake in thinking that he could sport 
 with the girl's feelings as a cat plays with a mouse; 
 for it was she who was playing with him, and she, a 
 simple girl, had made this wily man of the world her 
 dupe. 
 
 " Success is, of course, a certainty," answered she 
 coldly ; " but Norbert is impetuous, and impetuous 
 people are often awkward. But I must return home at 
 once. Ah, me ! " she added, as her self-control gave 
 way for a moment, " will this cruel night never pass 
 away, and give way to the gentle light of dawn? 
 Farewell, Counsellor. When we meet again, all mat- 
 ters will be settled, one way or other." 
 
 The Parthian dart which Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg had cast behind her went true to the mark ; the 
 allusion to Norbert's impetuosity and awkwardness 
 rendered the Counsellor very unhappy. He sat down 
 in his arm-chair, and, resting his head on his hands, 
 and his elbows on his desk, he strove to review the 
 position thoroughly. Perhaps by now all might be
 
 94 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 over. Where was Norbert, and what was he doing? 
 he asked himself. 
 
 At the time that Daumon was reflecting, Norbert 
 was on the road leading to Champdoce. He had en- 
 tirely lost his head, but he found that his reason was 
 clear and distinct. Those who have been accustomed 
 to the treatment of maniacs know with what startling 
 rapidity they form a chain of action, and the cloud 
 that veiled Norbert's brain appeared to throw out into 
 stronger relief the murderous determination he had 
 formed. He had already decided how the deed was to 
 be done. The common wine of the country was always 
 served to the laborers at the table, but the Duke kept 
 a better quality for his own drinking, and the bottle 
 containing this was after meals placed on a shelf in 
 a cupboard in the dining-room. It was thus within 
 every one's x reach, but not a soul in the household 
 would have ventured to lay a finger upon it. Nor- 
 bert's thoughts fell upon this bottle, and in his mind's 
 eye he could see it standing in its accustomed place. 
 He crossed the courtyard, and the laborers, engaged 
 in their tasks, gazed at him curiously. He passed 
 them, and entered the dining-room, which was unten- 
 anted. With a caution that was not to be expected 
 from the agitation of his mind, he opened each door 
 successively, in order to be certain that no eyes were 
 gazing upon him. Then, with the greatest rapidity, 
 he took down the bottle, drew the cork with his teeth, 
 and dropped into the wine, not one, but two or three 
 pinches of the contents of the little vial. He shook 
 the bottle gently, to facilitate the dissolution of the 
 powder. A few particles of the poison clung to the 
 lip of the bottle ; he wiped off these, not with a nap- 
 kin, a pile of which lay on the shelf beside him, but
 
 THE LITTLE GLASS BOTTLE 95 
 
 with his own handkerchief. He replaced the bottle 
 in its accustomed place, and seating himself by the 
 fire, awaited the course of events. 
 
 At this moment the Duke de Champdoce was coming 
 up the avenue at a rapid pace. For the first time r 
 perhaps, in his life, this man perceived that one of 
 his last acts had been insensate and foolish in the 
 extreme. All the possibilities of the law to which 
 Daumon had alluded struck the Duke with over- 
 whelming force, and he at once saw that his violent 
 conduct had given ample grounds upon which to base 
 a plaint, with results which he greatly feared. If the 
 court entertained the matter, his son would most likely 
 be removed from his control. He knew that such an 
 idea would never cross Norbert's brain, but there were 
 plenty of persons to suggest it to him. The danger of 
 his position occurred to him, and at the same time he 
 felt that he must frame his future conduct with extreme 
 prudence. He had not given up his views regarding 
 his son's marriage with Mademoiselle de Puyman- 
 dour. No; he would sooner have resigned life itself, 
 but he felt that he must renounce violence, and gain 
 his ends by diplomacy. The first thing to be done 
 was to get Norbert to return home, and the father 
 greatly doubted whether the son would do so. While 
 thinking over these things, with a settled gloom upon 
 his face, one of the servants came running up to him 
 with the news of Norbert's return. 
 
 " I hold him at last," muttered he, and hastened 
 on to the Chateau. 
 
 When the Duke entered the dining-room, Norbert 
 did not rise from his seat, and the Duke was dis- 
 agreeably impressed by this breach of the rules of 
 domestic etiquette.
 
 96 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " On my word," thought he, " it would appear that 
 the young booby thinks that he owes me no kind of 
 duty whatever." 
 
 He did not, however, allow his anger to be manifest 
 in his features; besides, the sight of the blood, with 
 which his son's face was still smeared, caused him to 
 feel excessively uncomfortable. 
 
 " Norbert, my son," said he, "are you suffering? 
 Why have you not had that cut attended to ? " 
 
 The young man made no reply, and the Duke con- 
 tinued, 
 
 "Why have you not washed the blood away? Is it 
 left there as a reproach to me? There is no need for 
 that, I assure you; for deeply do I deplore my vio- 
 lence." 
 
 Norbert still made no answer, and the Duke became 
 more and more embarrassed. To give himself time 
 for reflection, more than because he was thirsty, he 
 took a glass, and filled it from his own special bottle. 
 
 Norbert trembled from head to foot as he saw 
 this act. 
 
 " Come, my son," continued the Duke, " just try 
 if you cannot find some palliation for what your old 
 father has done. I am ready to ask your forgiveness, 
 and to apologize, for a man of honor is never ashamed 
 to acknowledge when he has been in the wrong." 
 
 He raised his glass, and raised it up to the light 
 half mechanically. Norbert held his breath ; the whole 
 world seemed turning round. 
 
 " It is hard, very hard," continued the Duke, " for 
 a father thus to humiliate himself in vain before his 
 son." 
 
 It was useless for Norbert to turn away his head ; 
 he saw the Duke place the glass to his lips. He was
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 97 
 
 about to drink, but the young man could endure it no 
 longer, and with a bound he sprang forward, snatched 
 the glass from his father's hand, and hurled it from 
 the window, shouting in a voice utterly unlike his 
 own, 
 
 " Do not drink." 
 
 The Duke read the whole hideous truth in the face 
 and manner of his son. His features quivered, his 
 face grew purple, and his eyes filled with blocd. He 
 strove to speak, but only an inarticulate rattle could 
 be heard; he then clasped his hands convulsively, 
 swayed backwards and forwards, and then fell help- 
 lessly backwards, striking his head against an oakert 
 sideboard that stood near. Norbert tore open the 
 door. 
 
 " Quick, help ! " cried he. " I have killed my 
 father." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME. 
 
 THE account that the Duke de Champdoce had 
 given of M. de Puymandour's mad longing for rank 
 and title was true, and afforded a melancholy instance 
 of that peculiar kind of foolish vanity. He was a 
 much happier man in his younger days, when he was 
 known simply as Palouzet, which was his father's 
 name, whose only wish for distinction was to be looked 
 upon as an honest man. In those days he was much 
 looked up to and respected, as a man who had pos- 
 sessed brains enough to amass a very large fortune 
 by strictly honest means. All this vanished, however,
 
 9 8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 when the unhappy idea occurred to him to affix the 
 title of Count to the name of an estate that he had 
 recently purchased. 
 
 From that moment, all his tribulations in life may 
 have been said to have commenced. The nobility 
 laughed at his assumption of hereditary rank, while 
 the middle classes frowned at his pretensions to be 
 superior to them, so that he passed the existence of 
 a shuttlecock, continually suspended in the air, and 
 struck at and dismissed from either side. 
 
 It may, therefore, be easily imagined how exces- 
 sively anxious he was to bring about the marriage 
 between his daughter Marie and the son of that 
 mighty nobleman, the Duke de Champdoce. He had 
 offered to sacrifice one-third of his fortune for the 
 honor of forming this connection, and would have 
 given up the whole of it, could he but have seen a 
 child in whose veins ran the united blood of Palouzet 
 and the Champdoce seated upon his knee. A mar- 
 riage of this kind would have given him a real posi- 
 tion; for to have a Champdoce for a son-in-law 
 would compel all scoffers to bridle their tongues. 
 
 The day after he had received a favorable reply 
 from the Duke, M. de Puymandour thought that it 
 was time to inform his daughter of his intentions. 
 He never thought that she would make any opposi- 
 tion, and, of course, supposed that she would be as de- 
 lighted as he was at the honor that awaited her. He 
 was seated in a magnificently furnished room which 
 he called his library when he arrived at this conclu- 
 sion, and ringing the bell, ordered the servant to in- 
 quire of mademoiselle's maid if her mistress could 
 grant him an interview. He gave this curious mes- 
 sage, which did not appear to surprise the servant
 
 HE CLASPED HIS HANDS CONVULSIVELY, AND THEN FELL HELPLESSLY 
 BACKWARDS, STRIKING HIS HEAD AGAINST AN OAKEN SIDEBOARD
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 99 
 
 in the least, with an air of the utmost importance. 
 The communication between the father and daughter 
 was always carried on upon this basis; and scoffers 
 wickedly asserted that M. de Puymandour had mod- 
 elled it upon a book of etiquette, for the guidance 
 of her household, written by a venerable arch- 
 duchess. 
 
 Shortly after the man had departed on his er- 
 rand, a little tap came to the door. 
 
 " Come in," exclaimed M. de Puymandour. 
 
 And Mademoiselle Marie ran in and gave her 
 father a kiss upon each cheek. He frowned slightly, 
 and extricated himself from her embrace. 
 
 " I thought it better to come to you, my dear 
 father," said she, " than to give you the trouble of 
 coming all the way to me." 
 
 " You always forget that there are certain forms 
 and ceremonies necessary for a young lady of your 
 position." 
 
 Marie gave a little gentle smile, for she was no 
 stranger to her father's absurd whims; but she never 
 thwarted them, for she was very fond of him. She 
 was a very charming young lady, and in the de- 
 scription that the Duke had given of her to his son, 
 he had not flattered her at all. Though she differed 
 greatly in appearance from Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg, Marie's beauty was perfect in a style of its 
 own. She was tall and well proportioned, and had 
 all that easy grace of movement, characteristic of 
 women of Southern parentage. Her large soft dark 
 eyes offered a vivid contrast to her creamy complex- 
 ion; her hair, in utter disregard of the fashionable 
 mode of dressing, was loosely knotted at the back 
 of her head. Her nature was soft and affectionate,
 
 ioo THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 capable of the deepest devotion, while she had the 
 most equable temper that can be imagined. 
 
 " Come, my dear papa," said she ; " do not scold 
 me any more. You know that the Marchioness of 
 Arlanges has promised to teach me how to behave 
 myself according to all the rules of fashionable soci- 
 ety next winter, and I declare to you that I will, 
 so practise them up in secret, that you will be aston- 
 ished when you behold them." 
 
 " How woman-like ! " muttered her father. " She 
 only scoffs at matters of the most vital importance." 
 
 He rose from his seat, and, placing his back to 
 the fireplace, took up an imposing position, one hand 
 buried in his waistcoat, and the other ready to ges- 
 ticulate as occasion required. 
 
 " Oblige me with your deepest attention," com- 
 menced he. " You were eighteen years of age last 
 month, and I have an important piece of intelligence 
 to convey to you. I have had an offer of marriage 
 for you." 
 
 Marie looked down, and endeavored to hide her 
 confusion at these tidings. 
 
 " Before coming to a conclusion upon a matter of 
 such importance," continued he, " it was, of course, 
 necessary for me to go into the question most thor- 
 oughly. I spared no means of obtaining information, 
 and I am quite certain that the proposed connection 
 would be conducive to your future happiness. The 
 suitor for your hand is but little older than your- 
 self; he is very handsome, very wealthy, and is a 
 Marquis by hereditary right." 
 
 " Has he spoken to you then ? " inquired Marie in 
 tones of extreme agitation. 
 
 " He ! Whom do you mean by he ? " asked M. de
 
 101 
 
 Puymandour; and as his daughter did not reply, he 
 repeated his question. 
 
 "Who? Why, George de Croisenois." 
 
 " Pray, what have you to do with Croisenois ? 
 Who is he, pray? Not that dandy with a mustache, 
 that I have seen hanging about you this winter ? " 
 
 "Yes," faltered Marie; "that is he." 
 
 " And why should you presume that he had asked 
 me for your hand ? Did he tell you that he was going 
 to do so?" 
 
 " Father, I declare " 
 
 " What, the daughter of a Puymandour has lis- 
 tened to a declaration of love unknown to her father ? 
 Ten thousand furies ! Has he written to you ? 
 Where are those letters?" 
 
 " My dear father " 
 
 " Silence ; have you those letters ? Let me see 
 them. Come, no delay; I will have those bits of 
 paper, if I turn the whole house upside down." 
 
 With a sigh Marie gave the much prized missives to 
 her father; there were four only, fastened together 
 with a morsel of blue ribbon. 
 
 He took one out at random, and read it aloud, 
 with a running fire of oaths and invectives as a com- 
 mentary upon its contents. 
 
 " MADEMOISELLE, 
 
 " Though there is nothing upon earth that I 
 dread so much as your anger, I dare, in spite of your 
 commands to the contrary, to write to you once again. 
 I have learned that you are about to quit Paris for sev- 
 eral months. I am twenty-four years of age. I have 
 neither father nor mother, and an? entirely my own 
 master. I belong to an ancient and honorable family. 
 My fortune is a large one, and my love for you is of
 
 102 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 the most honorable and devoted kind. My uncle, M. 
 de Saumeuse, knows your father well ; and will convey 
 my proposals to him upon his return from Italy, in 
 about two or three weeks' time. Once more intreat* 
 ing you to forgive me, 
 " I remain, 
 
 " Yours respectfully, 
 
 " GEORGE DE CROISENOIS." 
 
 " Very pretty indeed," said M. de Puymandour, 
 as he replaced the letter in its envelope. " This is 
 sufficient, and I need not read the others ; but pray, 
 what answer did you give ? " 
 
 " That I must refer him to you, my dear father." 
 " Indeed, on my word, you do me too much honor ; 
 and did you really think that I would listen to such 
 proposals ? Perhaps you love him ? " 
 
 She turned her lovely face towards her father, 
 with the great tears rolling down her cheeks for her 
 sole reply. 
 
 This mute confession, for as such he regarded it, 
 put the finishing touch to M. de Puymandour's ex- 
 asperation. 
 
 " You absolutely love him, and have the impudence 
 to tell me so ? " 
 
 Marie glanced at her father, and answered, 
 " The Marquis de Croisenois is of good family." 
 " Pooh ! you know nothing about it. Why, the 
 first Croisenois was one of Richelieu's minions, and 
 Louis XIII. conferred the title for some shady piece 
 of business which he carried out for him. Has this 
 fine Marquis any means of livelihood ? " 
 
 "Certainly; about sixty thousand francs a year." 
 
 " Humbug ! What did he mean by addressing you 
 
 secretly? Only to compromise your name, and so
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 103 
 
 to secure your fortune, and perhaps to break off your 
 marriage with another." 
 
 " But why suppose this ? " 
 
 " I suppose nothing ; I am merely going upon 
 facts. What does a man of honor do when he falls 
 in love ? " 
 
 "My dear father " 
 
 " He goes to his solicitor, acquaints him with his 
 intentions, and explains what his means are ; the solic- 
 itor goes to the family solicitor of the young lady, 
 and when these men of the law have found out that 
 all is satisfactory, then love is permitted to make 
 his appearance upon the scene. And now you may 
 as well attend to me. Forget De Croisenois as 
 soon as you can, for I have chosen a husband for 
 you, and, having pledged my word of honor, I will 
 abide by it. On Sunday the eligible suitor will be 
 introduced to you, and on Monday we will visit the 
 Bishop, asking him to be good enough to perform the 
 ceremony. On Tuesday you will show yourself in 
 public with him, in order to announce the betrothal. 
 Wednesday the marriage contract will be read. Thurs- 
 day a grand dinner-party. Friday an exhibition of 
 the marriage presents; Saturday a day of rest; Sun- 
 day the publication of the banns, and at the end of the 
 following week the marriage will take place." 
 
 Mademoiselle Marie listened to her father's deter- 
 mination with intense horror. 
 
 " For pity's sake, my dear father, be serious," cried 
 she. 
 
 M. de Puymandour paid no attention to her en- 
 treaty, but added, as an afterthought : 
 
 " Perhaps you would wish to know the name of the 
 gentleman I have selected as a husband for you. He
 
 io 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 is the Marquis Norbert, the son and heir of the Duke 
 de Champdoce." 
 
 Marie turned deadly pale. 
 
 " But I do not know him ; I have never seen him," 
 faltered she. 
 
 "/ know him, and that is quite sufficient. I have 
 often told you that you should be a duchess, and I 
 mean to keep my word." 
 
 Marie's affection for George de Croisenois was 
 much deeper than she had told her father, much 
 deeper even than she had dared to confess to her- 
 self, and she resented this disposal of her with more 
 obstinacy than any one knowing her gentle nature 
 would have supposed her capable of; but M. de Puy- 
 mandour was not the man to give up for an instant 
 the object which he had sworn to attain. He never 
 gave his daughter an instant's peace, he argued, in- 
 sisted, and bullied until, after three days' contest, 
 Marie gave her assent with a flood of tears. The 
 word had scarcely passed her lips, before her father, 
 without even thanking her for her terrible sacr'uce, 
 exclaimed in a voice of triumph: 
 
 " I must take these tidings to Champdoce without 
 a moment's delay." 
 
 He started at once, and as he passed through the 
 doorway said: 
 
 " Good-by, my little duchess, good-by." 
 
 He was most desirous of seeing the Duke, for, 
 on taking leave of him, the old nobleman had said, 
 " You shall hear from me to-morrow" ; but no letter 
 had as yet reached him from Champdoce. This de- 
 lay, however, had suited M. de Puymandour's plans, 
 for it had enabled him to wring the consent from his 
 daughter; but now that this had been done, he began
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 105 
 
 to feel very anxious, and to fear that there might be 
 some unforeseen hitch in the affair. 
 
 When he reached Bevron, he saw Daumon talking 
 earnestly with Franchise, the daughter of the Widow 
 Rouleau. M. de Puymandour bowed graciously, and 
 stopped to talk with the man, for he was just now 
 seeking for popularity, as he was a candidate, and 
 the elections would shortly take place; and, besides, 
 he never failed to talk to persons who exercised any 
 degree of influence, and he knew that Daumon was 
 a most useful man in electioneering. 
 
 " Good morning, Counsellor," said he gayly. 
 " What is the news to-day ? " 
 
 Daumon bowed profoundly. 
 
 " Bad news, Count," answered he. " I hear that 
 the Duke de Champdoce is seriously indisposed." 
 
 " The Duke ill impossible ! " 
 
 " This girl has just given me the information. Tell 
 us all about it, Frangoise." 
 
 " I heard to-day at the Chateau that the doctors 
 had quite given him over." 
 
 " But what is the matter with him ? " 
 
 " I did not hear." 
 
 M. de Puymandour stood perfectly aghast. 
 
 " It is always the way in this world," Daumon 
 philosophically said. " In the midst of life we are 
 in death ! " 
 
 " Good morning, Counsellor/' said De Puymandour ; 
 " I must try and find out something more about this." 
 
 Breathless, and with his mind filled with anxiety, 
 he hurried on. 
 
 All the servants and laborers on the Champdoce es- 
 tate were gathered together in a group, talking eagerly 
 to each other, and as soon as M, de Puymandour
 
 io6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 appeared, one of the servants, disengaging himself 
 from his fellows, came towards him. This was the 
 Duke's old, trustworthy servant. 
 
 "Well?" exclaimed M. de Puymandour. 
 
 " Oh, sir," cried the old man, " this is too horrible ; 
 my poor master will certainly die." 
 
 " But I do not know what is the matter with him ; 
 no one has told me anything, in fact." 
 
 " It was terribly sudden," answered the man. " It 
 was about this time the day before yesterday that the 
 Duke was alone with M. Norbert in the dining-room. 
 All at once we heard a great outcry. We ran in and 
 saw my poor master lying senseless on the ground, his 
 face purple and distorted." 
 
 " He must have had a fit of apoplexy." 
 
 " Not exactly ; the doctor called it a rush of blood 
 to the brain ; at least, I think that is what he said, and 
 he added that the reason he did not die on the spot 
 was because in falling he had cut open his head against 
 the oaken sideboard, and the wound bled profusely. 
 We carried him up to his bed ; he showed no signs of 
 life, and now " 
 
 " Well, how is he now ? " 
 
 " No one dare give an opinion ; my poor master is 
 quite unconscious, and should he recover and I do 
 not think for a moment that he will the doctor says 
 his mind will have entirely gone." 
 
 " Horrible ! too horrible ! and a man of such intel- 
 lectual power, too. I shall not ask you to let me 
 look at him, for I could do no good, and the sight 
 would upset me. But can I not see M. Norbert ? " 
 
 " Pray, do not attempt to do so, sir." 
 
 " I was his father's intimate friend, and if the con-
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 107 
 
 dolences of such a one could assuage the affliction 
 under which " 
 
 " Impossible ! " answered the man in a quick, eager 
 manner. " M. Norbert was with his father at the 
 time of his seizure, and has given strict orders that 
 he is not to be disturbed on any account; but I must 
 go to him at once, for we are expecting the physicians 
 who are coming from Poitiers." 
 
 " Very well, then I will go now, but to-night I will 
 send up one of my people for news." 
 
 With these words, M. de Puymandour walked 
 slowly away, absorbed in thought. The manner and 
 expression of the servant had struck him as ex- 
 tremely strange. He noted the fact that Norbert was 
 alone with his father at the time of the seizure, and, 
 recalling to mind the opposition he had met with from 
 his daughter, he began to imagine that the Duke had 
 found his son rebellious, and that the apoplectic fit 
 had been brought on by a sudden access of passion. 
 Interest and ambition working together brought him 
 singularly near the truth. 
 
 " If the Duke dies, or becomes a maniac," thought 
 he to himself, " the end as regards us will be the 
 same, for Norbert will break off the match to a cer- 
 tainty." 
 
 He felt that such a proceeding would cause him 
 to be more jeered at and ridiculed than ever, and that 
 the only path of escape left open to him was to marry 
 his daughter to the Marquis de Croisenois, which 
 was a most desirable alliance, in spite of all he had 
 said against it. A voice close to his ear aroused 
 him from his reflections : it was that of Daumon, who 
 had come up unperceived.
 
 io8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Was the girl's information correct, Count? " asked 
 he. " How are the Duke and M. Norbert, for of 
 course you have seen them both ? " 
 
 " M. Norbert is too much agitated by the sad 
 event to see any one." 
 
 " Of course that was to be looked for," returned 
 the wily Counsellor ; " for the seizure was terribly 
 sudden." 
 
 M. de Puymandour was too much occupied with 
 his own thoughts to spare much pity for Norbert. 
 He would have given a great deal to have known 
 what the young man was doing, and especially what 
 he was thinking of at the present moment. 
 
 The poor lad was standing by the bedside of his 
 dying father, watching eagerly for some indication, 
 however slight, of returning life or reason. The 
 hours of horror and self-reproach had entirely 
 changed his feelings and ideas ; for it was only at the 
 instant when he saw his father raise the poisoned 
 wine to his lips that he saw his crime in all its hideous 
 enormity. His soul rose up in rebellion against his 
 crime, and the words, "Parricide! murderer!" 
 seemed to ring in his ears like a trumpet call. When 
 his father fell to the ground, his instinct made him 
 shout for aid; but an instant afterwards terror took 
 possession of him, and, rushing from the house, he 
 sought the open country, as though striving to escape 
 from himself. 
 
 Jean, the old servant, who had noticed Norbert's 
 strange look, was seized with a terrible fear. Trusted 
 as he was by both the Duke and his son, he had many 
 means of knowing all that was going on in the house- 
 hold, and was no stranger to the differences that had 
 arisen recently between father and son. He knew
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 109 
 
 how violent the tempers of both were, and he also 
 knew that some woman was urging on Norbert to a 
 course of open rebellion. He had seen the cruel blow 
 dealt by the Duke, and had wondered greatly when 
 he saw Norbert return to the Chateau. Why had 
 he done so ? He had been in the courtyard when Nor- 
 bert threw the glass from the window. Putting all 
 these circumstances together, as soon as the inani- 
 mate body of the Duke had been laid upon a bed, 
 Jean went into the dining-room, feeling sure that 
 he should make some discovery which would con- 
 firm his suspicions. The bottle from which the Duke 
 had filled his glass stood half emptied upon the table. 
 With the greatest care, he poured a few drops of its 
 contents into the hollow of his hand, and tasted it 
 with the utmost caution. The wine still retained its 
 customary taste and scent. Not trusting, however, 
 to this, Jean, after making sure that he was riot ob- 
 served, carried the bottle to his own room, and con- 
 cealed it. After taking this precaution, he ordered 
 one of the other servants to remain by the side of 
 the Duke until the arrival of the doctor, and then 
 went in search of Norbert. 
 
 For two hours his efforts were fruitless. Giving 
 up his search in despair, he turned once more to 
 regain the Chateau, and, taking the path through 
 the wood, suddenly perceived a human form stretched 
 on the turf beneath a tree. He moved cautiously 
 towards the figure, and at once recognized Norbert. 
 The faithful servant bent over his young master, and 
 shook him by the arm to arouse him from his state 
 of stupor. At the first touch, Norbert started to his 
 feet with a shriek of terror. With mingled fear and 
 pity, Jean noticed the look that shone in the young
 
 no THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 man's eyes, more like that of some hunted animal 
 than a human being. 
 
 "Do not be alarmed, M. Norbert; it is only I," 
 said he. 
 
 "And what do you want?" 
 
 " I came out to look for you, and to entreat you 
 to come back with me to Champdoce." 
 
 " Back to Champdoce ? " repeated Norbert hoarsely ; 
 " no, never ! " 
 
 " You must, Master Norbert ; for your absence 
 now would cause a terrible scandal. Your place at 
 this critical time is by the bedside of your father." 
 
 " Never ! never ! " repeated the poor boy ; but he 
 yielded passively when Jean passed his arm through 
 his, and led him away towards the Chateau. Sup- 
 ported thus by the old man's arm, he crossed the 
 courtyard, and ascended the staircase ; but at his 
 father's door he withdrew his hand, and struggled 
 to get away. 
 
 " I will not ; no, no, I cannot," gasped he. 
 
 " You must and you shall," returned the old man 
 firmly. " Whatever your feelings may be, no stain 
 shall rest on the family honor." 
 
 These words roused Norbert ; he stepped across the 
 room, and dropped on his knees by the bed, placing 
 his forehead upon his father's icy hand. He burst 
 into a passion of tears and sobs, and the simple 
 peasants, who surrounded the couch of the insensible 
 nobleman, breathed a sigh; for, from his pallid face 
 and burning eyes, they believed he must be mad. They 
 were not far out in this surmise; but the tears re- 
 lieved his over-wrought brain, and with this relief 
 came the sense of intense suffering. When the phy-
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME in 
 
 sician arrived, he was able to appear before him 
 merely as a deeply anxious son. 
 
 " There is no hope for the Duke, I regret to say," 
 said the medical man, who felt that it was useless 
 to keep Norbert in suspense. " There is a feeble 
 chance of saving his life; but even should we suc- 
 ceed in doing so, his intellect will be irretrievably 
 gone. This is a sad truth, but I feel it my duty to 
 inform you of it. I will come again to-morrow." 
 
 As the doctor left the room, Norbert threw himself 
 into a chair, and clasped his hands round his head, 
 which throbbed until it seemed as if it would burst. 
 For more than half an hour he sat motionless, and 
 then started to his feet with a stifled cry; for he re- 
 membered the bottle into which he had poured the 
 poison, and which had been left on the table. Had 
 any one drunk from it? What had become of it? 
 The agony of his mind gave him the necessary 
 strength to descend to the dining-room ; but the bottle 
 was not on the table, nor was it in its customary place 
 in the cupboard. The unhappy boy was looking for 
 it everywhere, when the door silently opened, and 
 Jean appeared on the threshold. The expression 
 upon his young master's face so startled the faithful 
 old man that he nearly dropped the lighted candle 
 that he carried in his hand. 
 
 " Why are you here, Master Norbert ? " asked he 
 in a voice that trembled with emotion. 
 
 " I was looking for I wanted to find ," 
 
 faltered Norbert. 
 
 Jean's suspicions at once became certainties; he 
 walked up to his young master, and whispered in his 
 ear,
 
 ii2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " You are looking for the Duke's bottle of wine, 
 are you not? It is quite safe; for I have taken it 
 to my room. To-morrow the contents shall be emp- 
 tied away, and there will be no proof existing." 
 
 Jean spoke in such a low voice that Norbert guessed 
 rather than heard his words, and yet it seemed that 
 the accusing whisper resounded like thunder through 
 the Chateau, filling the old house from cellar to roof- 
 tree. 
 
 " Be quiet," said he, laying his hand on the old 
 man's lips, and gazing around him with wild and 
 affrighted glances. 
 
 A more complete confession could hardly have 
 been made. 
 
 " Fear nothing, Master Norbert," answered Jean ; 
 " we are quite alone. I know that there are words 
 which should never be even breathed ; and if I have 
 ventured to speak, it was because it was my duty to 
 warn you, and to inculcate on you the necessity of 
 caution." 
 
 Norbert was filled with horror when he saw that 
 the old man believed him to be really guilty. 
 
 " Jean," cried he, " you are wrong in your sus- 
 picions. I tell you that my father never tasted that 
 wine. I snatched the glass from him before his lips 
 had touched it. I flung it out into the courtyard, 
 and, if you search, you will find its scattered frag- 
 ments there still." 
 
 " I am not sitting in judgment upon you ; what 
 you tell me to believe I am ready to accept." 
 
 " Ah ; " cried Norbert passionately, " he does not 
 believe me; he thinks that I am guilty. I swear to 
 you by all that I hold most sacred in this world, that 
 I am innocent of this deed."
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 113 
 
 The attached servant shook his head with a melan- 
 choly air. 
 
 " Of course, of course," said he ; " but it is for us 
 two to save the honor of the house of Champdoce. 
 Should it happen that any suspicions should be 
 aroused, put all the guilt upon my shoulders. I will 
 defend myself in a manner which will only fix the 
 crime more firmly upon me. I will not throw away 
 the bottle, but will retain it in my room, so that it 
 may be found there, and its contents will be a dam- 
 natory evidence against me. What matters it how 
 a poor man like me is sent out of the world ? but with 
 you it is different. You " 
 
 Norbert wrung his hands in abject despair; the 
 sublime devotion of the old servant showed how firmly 
 Jean believed in his criminality. He was about to 
 assert his innocence further, when the loud sound 
 of a closing door was heard above stairs. 
 
 " Hush ! " said the old man ; " some one ap- 
 proaches; we must not be seen whispering together 
 like two plotters, for their suspicions would be cer- 
 tainly awakened; and I fear that my face or your 
 eyes will reveal the secret. Quick, go upstairs, and 
 endeavor, as soon as possible, to resume your calm- 
 ness. I beg you not to compromise the honor of 
 your name, which is in deadly peril." 
 
 Without another word Norbert obeyed. His 
 father was alone, and only the man to whom Jean 
 had delegated the task of watcher remained by his 
 bedside. At the sight of his young master he rose. 
 
 " The prescription which the doctor ordered to be 
 made up has arrived," said he. " I have adminis- 
 tered a dose to the Duke, and it seems to me that the 
 result has been favorable."
 
 ii 4 THE CHATMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Norbert drew up a heavy arm-chair to the foot 
 of the bed, and took his seat upon it. From this posi- 
 tion he could see his father's face. His bfain was 
 dazed, and it was with the utmost difficulty that he 
 could recall the chain of events which had drawn 
 him towards the abyss into which he had so nearly 
 been precipitated. 
 
 The veil had been taken from his eyes, and he now 
 saw with perfect clearness and seemed again to hear 
 his father's voice as it roughly warned him that the 
 woman he loved was a mere plotter, who cared not 
 for him, but was scheming for his fortune and his 
 name. Then he had been furiously indignant and 
 looked upon the words as almost blasphemous, but 
 now he saw that his father was right. How was 
 it that he had not before seen that Diana was fling- 
 ing herself in his way, and that all her affected open- 
 ness and simplicity were merely the perfections of 
 art, and that step by step she had led him to the brink 
 of the terrible precipice which yawned before him? 
 The whole hideous part as played by Daumon was 
 no longer a sealed book to him. She whom he had 
 looked on as a pure and innocent girl was merely 
 the accomplice of a scheming villain like the Coun- 
 sellor, and after exciting his hatred and anger almost 
 to madness, had placed the poison which was to take 
 his father's life in his hands. A cold shiver ran 
 through him as he realized this, and all his ardent 
 love for Diana de Laurebourg was changed into a 
 feeling of loathing and disgust. 
 
 At last the first pale rays of dawn broke through 
 the casement, but before that Norbert, worn out with 
 conflicting emotions, had fallen into a restless and 
 uneasy sleep, and when he awoke the doctor was
 
 THE HONOR OF THE NAME 115 
 
 standing by the bedside of the sick man. At the first 
 sound made by Norbert as he stirred in the chair, 
 the doctor came towards him, saying, " We shall 
 preserve his life." 
 
 This prognostication was complete, for that very 
 evening the Duke de Champdoce was able to move 
 in his bed, the next day he uttered some incoherent 
 words, and later on asked for food; but the will of 
 iron had passed away, the features had lost their ex- 
 pression of determination, and the eye the glitter of 
 pride and power. Never again would the Duke be 
 able to exert that keen, stern intellect which had 
 enabled him to influence all those around him; and 
 in this terrible state of imbecility the haughty noble- 
 man would ever remain, fed and looked after like 
 a child, with no thought beyond his desires and his 
 warm fire, and without a care for anything that was 
 going on in the world around him. 
 
 After the enormity of his crime had been brought 
 before him, the greatness of the punishment that he 
 must endure now came across Norbert's mind. It 
 was only now that Jean had ventured to tell him 
 of M. de Puymandour's visit ; and such a change had 
 taken place in Norbert that he looked upon this visit 
 as a special arrangement made by Providence. 
 
 " My father's will shall be carried out in every 
 respect," said he to himself, and without an hour's 
 delay he wrote to M. du Puymandour, begging him 
 to call, and hoping that the grief which had fallen 
 upon him had in no way altered the plan which had 
 already been arranged.
 
 n6 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A THUNDERBOLT. 
 
 As the miner, who sets fire to the fuse and seeks 
 shelter from the coming explosion, so did Diana de 
 Laurebourg return to her father's house after her 
 visit to Daumon. During dinner it was impossible 
 for her to utter a word, and it was with the greatest 
 difficulty that she succeeded in swallowing a mouth- 
 ful. Fortunately neither her father nor mother took 
 any notice of her. They had that day received a 
 letter announcing the news that their son, for whose 
 future prosperity they had sacrificed Diana, was lying 
 dangerously ill in Paris, where he was living in great 
 style. They were in terrible affliction, and spoke of 
 starting at once, so as to be with him. They there- 
 fore expressed no surprise when, on leaving the table, 
 Diana pleaded a severe headache as an excuse for 
 retiring to her own room. When once she was 
 alone, having dismissed her maid, she heaved a deep 
 sigh of relief. She never thought of retiring to bed, 
 but throwing open her window, leaned out with her 
 elbow on the window-sill. 
 
 It seemed to her that Norbert would certainly make 
 some effort to see her, or at any rate by some means 
 to let her know whether he had succeeded or failed. 
 
 " But I must be patient," murmured she, " for I 
 can't hear anything until the afternoon of to-morrow." 
 
 In spite, however, of her resolutions, patience fled 
 from her mind, and as soon as the servants had be- 
 gun moving about, she went out into the garden and 
 took up a position which commanded a view of the
 
 A THUNDERBOLT 117 
 
 highroad, but no one appeared. The bell rang for 
 breakfast. Again she had to seat herself at table 
 with her parents, and the terrible penance of the past 
 evening had to be repeated. At three o'clock she 
 could endure the suspense no longer, and making her 
 escape from the Chateau, she went over to Daumon, 
 who, she felt, must have obtained some intelligence. 
 Even if she found that he knew nothing, it would be 
 a relief to speak to him and to ask him when he 
 thought that this terrible delay would come to an end. 
 But she got no comfort at Daumon's, for he had 
 passed as miserable a night as herself, and was nearly 
 dead with affright. He had remained in his office 
 all the morning, starting at the slightest sound, and 
 though he was as anxious as Diana for information, 
 he had only gone out a little before her arrival. He 
 met Mademoiselle Laurebourg on his return at the 
 door of his cottage, and taking her inside, he informed 
 her that at a late hour the night before the doctor 
 had been sent for to Champdoce to attend on the Duke, 
 who was supposed to be dying. Then he reproved 
 her bitterly for her imprudence in visiting him. 
 
 " Do you wish," said he, " to show all Bevron that 
 you and I are Norbert's accomplices?" 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked she. 
 
 " I mean that if the Duke does not die, we are 
 lost. When I say we, I mean myself, for you, as the 
 daughter of a noble family, will be sure to escape 
 scot free, and I shall be left to pay for all." 
 
 " You said that the effect was immediate." 
 
 " I did say so, and I thought so too. Ah, if I had 
 but reflected a little ! You will however see that I 
 do not intend to give in without a fight. I will de- 
 fend myself by accusing you. I am an honest man,
 
 n 8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 and have been your dupe. You have thought to make 
 me a mere tool; your fine Norbert is a fool, but he 
 will pay for his doings with his head all the same." 
 
 At these gross insults Mademoiselle de Laurebourg 
 rose to her feet and attempted to speak, but he cut 
 her short. 
 
 " I can't stop to pick and choose my words, for I 
 feel at the present moment as if the axe of the guil- 
 lotine were suspended over my head. Now just 
 oblige me by getting out of this, and never show your 
 face here again." 
 
 "As you like. I will communicate with Champ- 
 doce." 
 
 " You shall not," exclaimed Daumon with a ges- 
 ture of menace. " You might as well go and ask 
 how the Duke enjoyed the taste of the poison." 
 
 His words, however, did not deter Diana, for any 
 risk seemed preferable to her than the present state 
 of suspense. 
 
 With a glance of contempt at the Counsellor she 
 left the cottage, determined to act as she thought 
 fit. 
 
 After Diana's departure, Daumon felt too that he 
 must learn how matters were going on, and going 
 over to the Widow Rouleau's, he despatched her 
 daughter Franchise to the Chateau de Champdoce, 
 under the pretext that he wanted some money which 
 he had lent to one of the Duke's servants. He had 
 instructed the girl so cunningly that she had no sus- 
 picion of the real end and object of her mission, and 
 set out on it with the most implicit confidence. He 
 had not long to wait for her return, for in about half 
 an hour his messenger returned.
 
 A THUNDERBOLT 119 
 
 " Well," said he anxiously, " has the scamp sent 
 my money ? " 
 
 " No, sir, I am sorry to say that I could not even 
 get to speak to him." 
 
 "How was that? Was he not at Champdoce?" 
 
 " I cannot even tell you that. Ever since the Duke 
 has been ill, the great gates of the Chateau have been 
 bolted, for it seems that the poor old gentleman is 
 at his last gasp." 
 
 " Did you not hear what was the matter with him ?" 
 
 " No, sir, the little I have told you I got from a 
 stable boy, who spoke to me through a grating in 
 the gate, but before he could say ten words Jean 
 came up and sent him off." 
 
 " Do you mean Jean, the Duke's confidential man ? " 
 
 " Just so," returned the girl, " and very angry he 
 was. He abused the lad and told him to be off to 
 the stables, and then asked, ' Well, my girl, and pray 
 what do you want ? ' I told him that I had come with 
 a message to the man Mechenit; but before I could 
 say any more he broke in with, ' Well, he isn't here, 
 you can call again in a month.' " 
 
 " You silly little fool, was that all you said ? " 
 
 " Not quite, for I said that I must see Mechenit. 
 Then, looking at me very suspiciously, he said, ' And 
 who sent you here, you little spy ? ' ' 
 
 The Counsellor started. 
 
 " Indeed ! and what did you say in return ? " asked 
 he. 
 
 " Why, of course I said that you had sent me." 
 
 " Yes, yes, that was right." 
 
 " And then Jean rubbed his hand over his chin, 
 and looking at me very curiously, said sternly,
 
 120 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " ' So you have come from the Counsellor, have 
 you? Ah, I see it all, and so shall he one of these 
 days/ " 
 
 At these words Daumon felt his knees give way 
 under him; but all further questioning was stopped 
 by the appearance of M. de Puymandour on his way 
 to Champdoce. He therefore dismissed Franchise, 
 and awaited the return of this gentleman, from whom 
 he hoped to gain the fullest information regarding 
 the Duke's malady. The intelligence which he re- 
 received calmed him a little, and repenting of his 
 treatment of Diana, he went and hung about the 
 gates of the Chateau de Laurebourg, until he was 
 lucky enough to catch sight of the girl in the garden, 
 for her anxiety would not permit her to remain 
 in the house. He beckoned to her, and then said, 
 
 " M. Norbert did not make the dose strong enough. 
 The Duke is as strong as a horse; but it is all right, 
 for should he live, he will be an idiot, and so our 
 end is as much gained as if he had died." 
 
 " But why does not Norbert write to me ? " asked 
 Diana seriously. 
 
 " Why, because he has some faint glimmerings of 
 common sense. How do you know that he may not 
 have half a dozen spies about him? You must wait." 
 
 Diana and the Counsellor waited for a week, but 
 Norbert made no sign. Diana suffered agonies, and 
 the days seemed to pass with leaden feet. Sunday 
 came at last. The Marchioness de Laurebourg had 
 attended early Mass, and had given orders that her 
 daughter should go to high Mass under the escort 
 of her maid. Diana was highly pleased with this ar- 
 rangement, for she hoped to have a chance of seeing 
 Norbert, but she was disappointed. The Mass had
 
 A THUNDERBOLT 121 
 
 commenced when she entered, but the spot occupied 
 by the Duke and his son was vacant. She followed 
 the service in a purely mechanical manner, and at last 
 noticed that the priest had taken his place in the 
 pulpit. 
 
 This was generally an exciting moment for the in- 
 habitants of Bevron, for it was immediately before 
 the sermon that the banns of marriage were pub- 
 lished. The priest gazed blandly down upon the ex- 
 pectant crowd, coughed slightly, used his handker- 
 chief, and finally took from his breviary a sheet of 
 paper. 
 
 " I have," said he, " to publish the banns of mar- 
 riage between " here he made a little pause, and 
 
 all the congregation were on the tenterhooks of ex- 
 pectation ; " between," he continued, " Monsieur Louis 
 Norbert, Marquis de Champdoce, a minor, and only 
 legitimate son of Guillaume Caesar, Duke de Champ- 
 doce, and of his wife, Isabella de Barnaville, now 
 deceased, but who both formerly resided in this par- 
 ish, and Desiree Anne Marie Palouzet, minor, and 
 legitimate daughter of Rene Augustus Palouzet, 
 Count de Puymandour, and of Zoe Staplet, his wife, 
 but now deceased, also residents of this parish." 
 
 This was the thunderbolt launched from the pul- 
 pit, which seemed to crush Diana into the earth, and 
 her heart almost ceased to beat. 
 
 " Let any one," continued the priest, " who knows 
 of any impediment to this marriage, take warning 
 that he or she must acquaint us with it, under the 
 penalty of excommunication. And at the same time 
 let him be warned under the same penalty to bring 
 forward nothing in malice or without some founda- 
 tion."
 
 122 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 An impediment! What irony lay veiled beneath 
 that word. Mademoiselle de Laurebourg knew of 
 more than one. A wild desire filled her heart to 
 start from her seat and cry out, 
 
 " It is impossible for this marriage to take place, 
 for that Norbert was her affianced husband in the 
 sight of Heaven, and that he was bound to her by the 
 strongest of all links, that of crime." 
 
 But by a gigantic effort she controlled herself, and 
 remained motionless, pallid as a spectre, but with a 
 forced smile on her lips, and with unparalleled au- 
 dacity made a little sign to one of her female friends, 
 which plainly meant, " This is, indeed, something 
 unexpected." All her mind was concentrated to pre- 
 serve a calm and unmoved aspect. The singing of 
 the choir seemed to die away, the strong odor of the 
 incense almost overpowered her, and she felt that 
 unless the service soon came to an end, she must 
 fall insensible from her chair. At last the priest turned 
 again to the congregation and droned out the Ita 
 missa est, and all was over. Diana grasped the arm 
 of her maid and forced her away, without saying a 
 word. As she reached home, a servant ran up to her 
 with a face upon which agitation was strongly 
 painted. 
 
 " Ah, mademoiselle," gasped he, " such a fright- 
 ful calamity. Your father and mother are expect- 
 ing you ; it is really too terrible." 
 
 Diana hastened to obey the summons. Her father 
 and mother were seated near each other, evidently in 
 deep distress. She went towards them, and the Mar- 
 quis, drawing her to him, pressed her against his 
 heart.
 
 A THUNDERBOLT 123 
 
 " Poor child ! my dear daughter ! " murmured he, 
 "you are all that is left to us now." 
 
 Their son had died, and the sad news had been 
 brought to the Chateau while Diana was at Mass. 
 By her brother's death she had succeeded to a princely 
 fortune, and would now be one of the richest heir- 
 esses for many a mile round. Had this event hap- 
 pened but a week before, her marriage to Norbert 
 would have met with no opposition from his father, 
 and she would never have plunged into this abyss of 
 crime. It was more than the irony of fate; it was 
 the manifest punishment of an angry Divinity. She 
 shed no tear for her brother's death. Her thoughts 
 were all firmly fixed on Norbert, and that fearful 
 announcement made in the house of God rang still 
 in her ears. What could be the meaning of this 
 sudden arrangement, and why had the marriage been 
 so suddenly decided on ? 
 
 She felt that some mystery lay beneath it all, and 
 vowed that she would fathom it to its nethermost 
 depths. What was it that had taken place at Champ- 
 doce? Had the Duke, contrary to Daumon's prog- 
 nostications, recovered? Had he discovered his son's 
 insidious attack upon his life, and only pardoned it 
 upon a blind compliance being given to his will ? She 
 passed away the whole day in these vain suppositions, 
 and tried to think of every plan to stay the celebra- 
 tion of this union, for she had not given up her 
 hopes, nor did she yet despair of ultimate success. 
 Her new and unlooked-for fortune placed a fresh 
 weapon at her disposal, and she felt that the victory 
 would yet be hers if she could but see Norbert again, 
 were it but for a single instant. Was she not cer-
 
 124 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 tain of the absolute power that she exercised ever 
 him, for had she not by a few words induced him 
 to enter upon the terrible path of crime? She must 
 see him, and that without a moment's delay, for the 
 danger was imminent. A day now would be worth 
 a year hereafter. She determined that, upon that very 
 night, she would visit Champdoce. A little after 
 midnight, when all the inhabitants of the Chateau 
 were wrapped in slumber, she crept on tiptoe down 
 the grand staircase, and made her exit by a side door. 
 She had arranged her plan as to how she would 
 find Norbert, for he had often described the interior 
 arrangements of the Chateau to her. She knew that 
 his room was on the ground floor, with two windows 
 looking on to the courtyard. When, however, she 
 reached the old Chateau, she hesitated. Suppose 
 that she should go to the wrong window. But she 
 had gone too far to recede, and determined that if 
 any one else than Norbert should open the window, 
 she would turn and fly. She tapped at the window 
 softly, and then more loudly. She had made no mis- 
 take. Norbert threw open the window, with the 
 words, 
 
 "Who is there?" 
 
 " It is I, Norbert ; I, Diana." 
 
 " What do you want ? " asked Norbert in an agi- 
 tated tone of voice. " What do you want to do here ?" 
 
 She looked at him anxiously and hardly recog- 
 nized his face, so great was the change that had come 
 over it. It absolutely terrified her. 
 
 " Are you going to marry Mademoiselle de Puy- 
 mandour ? " asked she. 
 
 " Yes I am." 
 
 " And yet you pretended to love me ? "
 
 A THUNDERBOLT 125 
 
 " Yes, I loved you ardently, devotedly, with a 
 love that drove me to crime; but you had no love; 
 you cared but for rank and fortune." 
 
 Diana raised her hands to heaven in an agony of 
 despair. 
 
 " Should I be here at this hour if what you say 
 is true ? " asked she wildly. " My brother is dead, 
 and I am as wealthy as you are, Norbert, and yet I 
 am here. You accuse me of being mercenary, and 
 for what reason? Was it because I refused to fly 
 with you from my father's house? Oh, Norbert, it 
 was but the happiness of our future life that I strove 
 to protect. It was " 
 
 Her speech failed her, and her eyes dilated with 
 horror, for the door behind Norbert opened, and the 
 Duke de Champdoce entered the room, uttering a 
 string- of meaningless words, and laughing with that 
 mirthless laugh which is so sure a sign of idiotcy. 
 
 " Can you understand now," exclaimed Norbert, 
 pointing to his father, " why the remembrance of my 
 love for you has become a hateful reminiscence? Do 
 you dare to talk of happiness to me, when this spectre 
 of a meditated crime will ever rise between us ? " and 
 with a meaning gesture he pointed to the open gate 
 of the courtyard. 
 
 She turned; but before passing away, she cast a 
 glance upon him full of the deepest fury and jealousy. 
 She could not forgive Norbert for his share in the 
 crime that she had herself prompted, for the crime 
 which had blighted all her hopes of happiness. Her 
 farewell was a menace. 
 
 " Norbert," she said, as she glided through the gate 
 like a spectre of the night, " I will have revenge, and 
 that right soon."
 
 126 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 MARRIAGE BELLS J FUNERAL KNELLS. 
 
 THREE days of hard work had completed all the ar- 
 rangements necessary for the marriage of Norbert 
 and Mademoiselle de Puymandour. He had been 
 presented to the lady, and neither had received a 
 favorable impression of the other. At the very first 
 glance each one felt that inevitable repugnance which 
 the lapse of years can never efface. While dreading 
 the anger of her obdurate father, Marie had at one 
 time thought of confiding the secret of her attach- 
 ment to George de Croisenois to Norbert, for she 
 had the idea that if she told him that her heart was 
 another's, he might withdraw his pretensions to her 
 hand; but several times, when the opportunity oc- 
 curred, fear restrained her tongue, and she let the 
 propitious moment pass away. Had she done so, 
 Norbert would at once have eagerly grasped at a pre- 
 text for absolving himself from a promise which he 
 had made mentally of obeying in all things a father 
 who now, alas! had no means of enforcing his com- 
 mands. 
 
 Each day he paid his visit to Puymandour as an 
 accepted suitor, bearing a large bouquet with him, 
 which he regularly presented to his betrothed upon 
 his entrance into the drawing-room, which she ac- 
 cepted with a painful flush rising to her cheek. The 
 pair conversed upon indifferent topics, while an aged 
 female connection sat in the room to play propriety. 
 For many hours they would remain thus, the girl
 
 MARRIAGE BELLS; FUNERAL KNELLS 127 
 
 bending over her fancy work, and he vainly striving 
 to find topics of conversation, and, consequently, say- 
 ing hardly anything, in spite of Marie's feeble ef- 
 forts to assist in the conversation. It was a slight 
 relief when M. de Puymandour proposed a walk ; but 
 this was a rare occurrence, for that gentleman usu- 
 ally declared that he never had a moment's leisure. 
 Never had he seemed so gay and busy since the ap- 
 proaching marriage of his daughter had been the 
 theme of every tongue. He took all the preparations 
 for the ceremony into his own hands, for he had 
 determined that everything should be conducted on a 
 scale of unparalleled magnificence. The Chateau 
 was refurnished, and all the carriages repainted and 
 varnished, while the Champdoce and the Puyman- 
 dour arms were quartered together on their panels. 
 This coat of arms was to be seen everywhere over 
 the doors, on the walls, and engraved on the silver, 
 and it was believed that M. de Puymandour would 
 have made no objection to their being branded on 
 his breast. 
 
 In the midst of all this turmoil and bustle Norbert 
 and Marie grew sadder and sadder as each day passed 
 on. One day M. de Puymandour heard so astound- 
 ing a piece of intelligence that he hurried into the 
 drawing-room, where he knew that he should find 
 the lovers (as he styled them) together. 
 
 " Well, my children," exclaimed he, " you have set 
 such an excellent example, that everybody seems dis- 
 posed to copy you, and the mayor and the priest will 
 be kept to their work rather tightly this year." 
 
 His daughter tried to put on an appearance of in- 
 terest at this speech. 
 
 " Yes," continued M. de Puymandour, " I have
 
 128 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 just heard of a marriage that will come off almost 
 directly after yours has been celebrated, and will make 
 a stir, I can assure you." 
 
 " And whose is that, pray ? " 
 
 " You are acquainted, I presume," returned her 
 father, addressing himself to Norbert, " with the son 
 of the Count de Mussidan ? " 
 
 " What, the Viscount Octave ? " 
 
 " The same." 
 
 " He lives in Paris, does he not ? " 
 
 " Yes, generally ; but he has been staying at Mussi- 
 dan, and in the short space of a week has managed to 
 lose his heart here; and to whom do you think? 
 Come, give a guess." 
 
 " We cannot think who it can be, my dear father," 
 said Marie, " and we are devoured with curiosity." 
 
 " It is reported that the Viscount de Mussidan has 
 proposed for the hand of Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg." 
 
 " Why," remarked Marie, " it is only three weeks 
 since her brother died ! " 
 
 Norbert flushed scarlet, and then turned a livid 
 white; so great was his agitation at hearing this 
 news, that he nearly dropped the album which he 
 held in his hand. 
 
 " I like the Viscount," continued M. de Puyman- 
 dour, " while Mademoiselle Diana is a charming girl. 
 She is very handsome, and, I believe, has many tal- 
 ents ; and she is a good model for you to copy, Marie, 
 as you are so soon to become a duchess." 
 
 When he got upon his favorite hobby, it was very 
 difficult to check M. de Puymandour. His daughter, 
 therefore, waited until he had concluded, and then 
 left the room, under the pretext of giving an order
 
 MARRIAGE BELLS; FUNERAL KNELLS 129 
 
 to the servants. The Count hardly noticed her ab- 
 sence, as he had still Norbert at his mercy. 
 
 " Reverting again to Mademoiselle Diana," said he : 
 " she looks charming in black, for women should look 
 upon a death in the family as a most fortunate occur- 
 rence; but I ought not to be praising her to you, 
 who are so well acquainted with her." 
 
 " I ? " exclaimed Norbert. 
 
 " Yes, you. I do not suppose that you intend to 
 deny that you have had a little flirtation with her ? " 
 
 " I do not understand you." 
 
 " Well, / do then, my boy ; I heard all about your 
 making love to her. Why, you are really blushing! 
 What is up now ? " 
 
 " I can assure you " 
 
 De Puymandour burst into a loud laugh. 
 
 " I have heard a good deal of your little country 
 walks, and all the pretty things that you used to say 
 to each other." 
 
 In vain did Norbert deny the whole thing, for his 
 intended father-in-law would not believe him; and at 
 last he got so annoyed that he refused to remain and 
 dine with the Count, alleging anxiety for his father 
 as an excuse. He returned home as soon as he pos- 
 sibly could, much agitated by what he had heard; 
 and as he was walking rapidly on, he heard his name 
 called by some one who was running after him: 
 Norbert turned round, and found himself face to 
 face with Montlouis. 
 
 " I have been here a week," said the young man. 
 " I am here with my patron, for I have one now. 
 I am now with the Viscount de Mussidan, as his 
 private secretary. M. Octave is not the most agree- 
 able man in the world to get on with, as he gets into
 
 i 3 o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 the most violent passions on very trivial occasions ; 
 but he has a good heart, after all, and I am very 
 pleased with the position I have gained." 
 
 " I am very glad to hear it, Montlouis, very much 
 pleased indeed." 
 
 " And you, Marquis, I hear, are to marry Made- 
 moiselle de Puymandour; I could scarcely credit the 
 news." 
 
 " And why, pray ? " 
 
 " Because I remembered when we used to wait out- 
 side a certain garden wall, until we saw a certain 
 door open discreetly." 
 
 " But you must efface all this from your memory, 
 Montlouis." 
 
 " Do not be alarmed ; save to you, my lips would 
 never utter a word of this. No one else would ever 
 make me speak." 
 
 " Stop ! " said Norbert, with an angry gesture. 
 " Do you venture to say " 
 
 "To say what?" 
 
 " I wish you to understand that Mademoiselle 
 Diana is as free from blame to-day as she was when 
 first I met her. She has been indiscreet, but nothing 
 more, I swear it before heaven ! " 
 
 " I believe you perfectly." 
 
 In. reality Montlouis did not believe one word of 
 Norbert's assertion, and the young Marquis could 
 read this in his companion's face. 
 
 " The more so," continued the secretary, " as the 
 young lady is about to be married to my friend and 
 patron." 
 
 " But where," asked Norbert, " did the Viscount 
 meet with Mademoiselle de Laurebourg?" 
 
 " In Paris ; the Viscount and her brother were very
 
 MARRIAGE BELLS; FUNERAL KNELLS 131 
 
 intimate, and nursed him during his last illness, and 
 as soon as the scheming parents heard of the Vis- 
 count being in the neighborhood they asked him to 
 call on them. Of course he did so, and saw Made- 
 moiselle Diana, and returned home in a perfect 
 frenzy of love." 
 
 Norbert seemed so incensed at this that Mont- 
 louis broke off his recital, feeling confident that the 
 Marquis still loved Diana, and was consumed with 
 the flame of jealousy. 
 
 " But, of course," he added carelessly, " nothing 
 is yet settled." 
 
 Norbert, however, was too agitated to listen to the 
 idle gossip of Montlouis any longer, so he pressed 
 his hand and left him rather abruptly, walking away 
 at the top of his speed, leaving his friend silent with 
 astonishment. It seemed to Norbert as if he was 
 imprisoned in one of those iron dungeons he had 
 read of, which slowly contracted day by day, and 
 at last crushed their victims to atoms. He saw Diana 
 married to the Viscount de Mussidan, and compelled 
 to meet daily the man who knew all about her illicit 
 meetings with her former lover, and who had more 
 than once, when Norbert was unable to leave Champ- 
 doce, been intrusted with a letter or a message for 
 her. And how would Montlouis behave under the 
 circumstances? Would he possess the necessary tact 
 and coolness to carry him through so difficult a posi- 
 tion? What would be the end of this cruel con- 
 catenation of circumstances? Would Diana be able 
 to endure the compromising witness of her youth- 
 ful error? She would eagerly seek out some pre- 
 text for his dismissal; he could easily detect this, 
 and in his anger at the loss of a position which he
 
 i 3 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 had long desired, would turn on her and repeat the 
 whole story. Should Montlouis let loose his tongue, 
 the Viscount, indignant at the imposition that had been 
 practised upon him, would separate from his wife. 
 What would be Diana's conduct when she found her- 
 self left thus alone, and despised by the society of 
 which she had hoped to be a queen ? Would she not, 
 in her turn, seek to revenge herself on Norbert? 
 He had just asked himself whether at this juncture 
 death would not be a blessing to him, when he caught 
 sight of Franchise, the daughter of the Widow Rou- 
 leau, close by him. For two hours she had been 
 awaiting his coming, concealed behind a hedge. 
 
 " I have something to give you, my lord Marquis," 
 said she. 
 
 He took the letter that she held out to him, and, 
 opening it, he read, 
 
 " You said that I did not love you perhaps this 
 was but a test to prove my love. I am ready to fly 
 with you to-night. I shall lose all, but it will be 
 for your sake. Reflect, Norbert; there is yet time, 
 but to-morrow it will be too late." 
 
 These were the words that Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg had had the courage to pen, which to the 
 former lover were full of the most thrilling eloquence. 
 The usually bold, firm writing of Diana was, in the 
 letter before him, confused and almost illegible, show- 
 ing the writer's frame of mind. There were blurs 
 and blisters upon the paper as though tears had 
 fallen upon it, perhaps because the writing had been 
 made purposely irregular and drops of water are an 
 excellent substitute for tears. 
 
 "Does she really love me?" murmured he. 
 
 He hesitated; yes, he absolutely hesitated, im-
 
 MARRIAGE BELLS; FUNERAL KNELLS 133 
 
 pressed by the idea that for him she was ready to 
 sacrifice position and honor, that he had but to raise 
 his finger and she was his, and that in the space of 
 a couple of hours she might be the companion of his 
 flight to some far-distant land. His pulse throbbed 
 madly, and he could scarcely draw his breath, wtien 
 some fifty paces down the road he caught sight of the 
 figure of a man ; it was his father. This was the sec- 
 ond time that the Duke by his mere presence had 
 spread the web of Diana's temptations and allurements. 
 " Never ! " exclaimed Norbert, with such fire and 
 energy that the girl fell back a pace. "Never! no, 
 never ! " and crushing up the letter, he dashed it upon 
 the ground, from whence Frangoise picked it up as 
 he ran forward to meet his father. The Duke had 
 recovered from his attack as far as the mere fact of 
 his life not having been sacrificed; he could walk, 
 sleep, eat and drink as he had formerly done. He 
 could look at the laborers in the fields or the horses 
 in the stables, but five minutes afterwards he had no 
 recollection of what he heard or saw. The sudden 
 loss of his father's aid would have caused Norbert 
 much embarrassment had it not been for the shrewd- 
 ness and sagacity of M. de Puymandour, who had as- 
 sisted him greatly. But all these arrangements which 
 had to be made had necessarily delayed the wedding. 
 But it came at last; M. de Puymandour took abso- 
 lute possession of him, and after the unhappy young 
 man had passed a sleepless night, he was allowed 
 no time for reflection. At eleven o'clock he entered 
 the carriage, and was driven fast to the Mayor's 
 office, and from thence to the chapel, and by twelve 
 o'clock all was finished and he fettered for life. A 
 little before dinner the Viscount de Mussidan came
 
 i 3 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 to offer his congratulations, and gained them at the 
 same time for himself by announcing his speedy union 
 with Mademoiselle Diana de Laurebourg. 
 
 Five days later the newly married pair took pos- 
 session of their mansion at Champdoce. Hampered 
 with a wife whom he had never affected to love, 
 and whose tearful face was a constant reproach to 
 him, and with a father who was an utter imbecile, 
 the thoughts of suicide more than once crossed Nor- 
 bert's brain. One day a servant informed Norbert 
 that his father refused to get up. A doctor was sent 
 for, and he declared that the Duke was in a highly 
 critical condition. A violent reaction had taken place, 
 and all day the invalid was in a state of intense ex- 
 citement. The power of speech, which he had almost 
 entirely lost, seemed to have returned to him in a 
 miraculous manner; at length, however, he became 
 delirious, and Norbert dismissed the servants who 
 had been watching by his father's bed, lest in the in- 
 coherent ravings of the invalid, the words " Parri- 
 cide " or " Poison " should break forth. At eleven 
 o'clock he grew calmer, and slept a little, when all at 
 once he started up in bed, exclaiming : " Come here, 
 Norbert," and Jean, who had remained by his old 
 master's side, ran up to the bed and was much star- 
 tled at the sight. The Duke had entirely recovered 
 his former appearance. His eyes flashed, and his lips 
 trembled, as they always did when he was greatly 
 excited. 
 
 " Pardon, father ; pardon," cried Norbert, falling 
 upon his knees. 
 
 The Duke softly stretched out his hand. "I was 
 mad with family pride," said he ; " and God pun- 
 ished me. My son, I forgive you."
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 135 
 
 Norbert's sobs broke the stillness of the chamber. 
 
 " My son, I renounce my ideas," continued the 
 Duke. " I do not desire you to wed Mademoiselle de 
 Puymandour if you feel that you cannot love her." 
 
 " Father," answered Norbert, " I have obeyed your 
 wishes, and she is now my wife." 
 
 A gleam of terrible anguish passed over the Duke's 
 countenance; he raised his hands as though to shield 
 his eyes from some grizzly spectre, and in tones of 
 heartrending agony exclaimed : " Too late ! too late ! " 
 
 He fell back in terrible convulsions, and in a mo- 
 ment was dead. If, as has been often asserted, the 
 veil of the hereafter is torn asunder, then the Duke 
 de Champdoce had a glimpse into a terrible future. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED/' 
 
 AFTER her repulse by Norbert, Diana, with the 
 cold chill of death in her heart, made her way back 
 to the Chateau of the De Laurebourgs, over the 
 same road which but a short time before she had trav- 
 eled full of expectation and hope. The sudden ap- 
 pearance of the Duke de Champdoce had filled her 
 with alarm, but her imagination was not of that kind 
 upon which unpleasant impressions remain for any 
 long period; for after she had regained her room, 
 and thrown aside her out-door attire, and removed 
 all signs of mud-stains, she once more became her- 
 self, and even laughed a little rippling laugh at all 
 her own past alarms. Overwhelmed with the shame
 
 136 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 of her repulse, she had threatened Norbert ; but as she 
 reasoned calmly, she felt that it was not he for whom 
 she felt the most violent animosity. All her hatred 
 was reserved for that woman who had come between 
 her and her lover for Marie de Puymandour. Some 
 hidden feeling warned her that she must look into 
 Marie's past life for some reason for the rupture 
 of her engagement with Norbert, though the banns 
 had been already published. This was the frame of 
 mind in which Diana was when the Viscount de Mus- 
 sidan was introduced to her, the friend of the brother 
 whose untimely death had left her such a wealthy 
 heiress. He was tall and well made, with handsomely 
 chiseled features ; and, endowed with physical strength 
 and health, Octave de Mussidan had the additional 
 advantages of noble descent and princely fortune. 
 Two women, both renowned for their wit and beauty, 
 his aunt and his mother, had been intrusted with the 
 education which would but enable him to shine in 
 society. 
 
 Dispatched to Paris, with an ample allowance, at 
 the age of twenty, he found himself, thanks to his 
 birth and connections, in the very center of the world 
 of fashion. At the sight of Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg his heart was touched for the first time. Diana 
 had never been more charmingly fascinating than she 
 was at this period. Octave de Mussidan did not suit 
 her fancy ; there was too great a difference between 
 him and Norbert, and nothing would ever efface from 
 her memory the recollection of the young Marquis 
 as he had appeared before her on the first day of their 
 meeting in the Forest of Bevron, clad in his rustic 
 garb, with the game he had shot dangling from his 
 hand. She delighted to feast her recollection,' and
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 137 
 
 thought fondly of his shyness and diffidence when he 
 hardly ventured to raise his eyes to hers. Octave, 
 however, fell a victim at the first glance he caught of 
 Diana, and permitted himself to be swept away by 
 the tide of his private emotions, which upon every 
 visit that he paid to Laurebourg became more pow- 
 erful and resistless. Like a true knight, who wishes 
 that he himself should gain the love of his lady fair, 
 Octave addressed himself directly to Diana, and after 
 many attempts succeeded in finding himself alone with 
 her, and then he asked her if she could permit him to 
 crave of her father, the Marquis de Laurebourg, the 
 honor of her hand. This appeal surprised her, for she 
 had been so much absorbed in her own troubles that 
 she had not even suspected his love for her. She 
 was even frightened at his declaration, as is the pa- 
 tient when the surgeon informs him that he must use 
 the knife. She glanced at De Mtissidan strangely as 
 he put this question to her, and after a moment's 
 hesitation, replied that she would give him a reply 
 the next day. After thinking the matter over, she 
 wrote and dispatched the letter which Franchise had 
 carried to Norbert. The prisoner in the dock, as he 
 anxiously awaits the sentence of his judge, can alone 
 appreciate Diana's state of agonized suspense as she 
 stood at the end of the park at Laurebourg awaiting 
 the return of the girl. Her anxiety of mind lasted 
 nearly three hours, when Franchise hurried up breath- 
 less. 
 
 " What did the Marquis say ? " asked Diana. 
 
 " He said nothing ; that is, he cried out very an- 
 grily, ' Never ! no, never ! ' ' 
 
 In order to prevent any suspicions arising in the 
 girl's mind, Mademoiselle de Laurebourg contrived to
 
 138 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 force a laugh, exclaiming : " Ah ! indeed, that is just 
 what I expected." 
 
 Franchise seemed as if she had something to say 
 on the tip of her tongue, but Diana hurriedly dis- 
 missed her, pressing a coin into her hand. All anx- 
 iety was now at an end; for her there was no longer 
 any suspense or anguish; all her struggles were now 
 futile, and she felt grateful to Octave for having given 
 her his love. " Once married," thought she, " I shall 
 be free, and shall be able to follow the Duke and 
 Duchess to Paris." 
 
 Upon her return to the Chateau, she found Octave 
 awaiting her. His eyes put the question that his lips 
 did not dare to utter; and, placing her hand in his 
 with a gentle inclination of her head, she assented to 
 his prayer. 
 
 This act on her part would, she believed, free her 
 from the past; but she was in error. Upon hearing 
 that his dastardly attempt at murder had failed, the 
 Counsellor was for the time utterly overwhelmed with 
 terror, but the news that he had gained from M. de 
 Puymandour calmed his mind in a great measure. 
 He was not, however, completely reassured until he 
 heard for certain that the Duke had become a help- 
 less maniac, and that the doctor, having given up all 
 hopes of his patient's recovery, had discontinued his 
 visits to the Chateau. As soon as he had heard that 
 Norbert's marriage had been so soon followed by his 
 father's death, he imagined that every cloud had dis- 
 appeared from the sky. All danger now seemed at 
 an end, and he recalled with glee that he had in his 
 strong box the promissory notes, signed by Norbert, 
 to the amount of twenty thousand francs, which he 
 could demand at any moment, now that Norbert was
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 139 
 
 the reigning lord of Champdoce. The first step he 
 took was to hang about the neighborhood of Laure- 
 bourg, for he thought that some lucky chance would 
 surely favor him with an opportunity for a little con- 
 versation with Mademoiselle Diana. For several days 
 in succession he was unsuccessful, but at last he was 
 delighted at seeing her alone, walking in the direction 
 of Bevron. Without her suspecting it, he followed 
 her until the road passed through a small plantation, 
 when he came up and addressed her. 
 
 " What do you want with me ? " asked she an- 
 grily. 
 
 He made no direct reply; but after apologizing for 
 his boldness, he began to offer his congratulations 
 upon her approaching marriage, which was now the 
 talk of the whole neighborhood, and which pleased 
 him much, as M. de Mussidan was in every way su- 
 perior to 
 
 " Is that all you have to say to me ? " asked Diana, 
 interrupting his string of words. 
 
 As she turned from him, he had the audacity to 
 lay his hand upon the edge of her jacket. 
 
 " I have more to say," said he, " if you will honor 
 me with your attention. Something about you can 
 guess what." 
 
 "About whom or what?" asked she, making no 
 effort to hide her supreme contempt. 
 
 He smiled, glanced around to see that no one was 
 within hearing, and then said in a low voice, 
 
 " It is about the bottle of poison." 
 
 She recoiled, as though some venomous reptile had 
 started up in front of her. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " cried she. " How dare you 
 speak to me thus ? "
 
 140 
 
 All his servile manner had now returned to him, and 
 he uttered a string of complaints in a whining tone of 
 voice. She had played him a most unfair trick, and 
 had stolen a certain little glass bottle from his office ; 
 and if anything had leaked out, his head would have 
 paid the penalty of a crime in which he had no hand. 
 He was quite ill, owing to the suspense and anxiety 
 he had endured ; sleep would not come to his bed, and 
 the pangs of remorse tortured him continually. 
 
 " Enough," cried Diana, stamping her foot angrily 
 on the ground. " Enough, I say." 
 
 " Well, mademoiselle, I can no longer remain here. 
 I am far too nervous, and I wish to go to some foreign 
 country." 
 
 " Come, let me hear the real meaning of this long 
 preface." 
 
 Thus adjured, Daumon spoke. He only wished for 
 some little memento to cheer his days and nights of 
 exile, some little recognition of his services ; in fact, 
 such a sum as would bring him in an income of three 
 thousand francs. 
 
 " I understand you," replied Diana. " You wish 
 to be paid for what you call your kindness." 
 
 " Ah, mademoiselle ! " 
 
 " And you put a value of sixty thousand francs upon 
 it; that is rather a high price, is it not? " 
 
 " Alas ! it is not half what this unhappy business 
 has cost me." 
 
 " Nonsense ; your demand is preposterous." 
 
 " Demand !" returned he ; "I make no demand. I 
 come to you respectfully and with a little charity. If 
 I were to demand, I should come to you in quite a 
 different manner. I should say, ' Pay me such and 
 such a sum, or I tell everything.' What have I to lose
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 141 
 
 if the whole story comes to light? A mere nothing 1 . 
 I am a poor man, and am growing old. You and M. 
 Norbert are the ones that have something to fear. You 
 are noble, rich, and young, and a happy future lies 
 before you." 
 
 Diana paused and thought for an instant. 
 
 " You are speaking," answered she at last, " in a 
 most foolish manner. When charges are made against 
 people, proofs must be forthcoming." 
 
 " Quite right, mademoiselle ; but can you say that 
 these proofs are not in my hands? Should you, how- 
 ever, desire to buy them, you are at liberty to do so. 
 I give you the first option, and yet you grumble." 
 
 As he spoke, he drew a battered leather pocket-book 
 from his breast, and took from it a paper, which, after 
 having been crumpled, had been carefully smoothed 
 out again. Diana glanced at it, and then uttered a 
 stifled cry of rage and fear, for she at once recognized 
 her last letter to Norbert. 
 
 " That wretch, Franchise, has betrayed me," ex- 
 claimed she, " and I saved her mother from a death 
 by hunger and cold." 
 
 The 'Counsellor held out the letter to her. She 
 thought that he had no suspicion of her, and made an 
 attempt to snatch it from him ; but he was on his guard, 
 and drew back with a sarcastic smile on his face. 
 
 " No, mademoiselle," said he ; " this is not the little 
 bottle of poison ; however, I will give it to you, together 
 with another one, when I have obtained what I ask. 
 Nothing for nothing, however; and if I must go to 
 the scaffold, I will do so in good company." 
 
 Mademoiselle de Laurebourg was in utter despair. 
 
 " But I have no money," said she. " Where is a 
 girl to find such a sum ? "
 
 i 4 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " M. Norbert can find it." 
 
 " Go to him, then." 
 
 Daumon made a negative sign with his head. 
 
 " I am not quite such a fool," answered he ; " I know 
 M. Norbert too well. He is the very image of his 
 father. But you can manage him, mademoiselle; be- 
 sides, you have much interest in having the matter 
 settled." 
 
 " Counsellor !" 
 
 " There is no use in beating about the bush. I come 
 to you humbly enough, and you treat me like so much 
 dirt. I will not submit to this, as you will find to your 
 cost. 7 never poisoned any one; but enough of this 
 kind of thing. To-day is Tuesday; if on Friday, by 
 six o'clock, I do not have what I have asked for, your 
 father and the Count Octave will have a letter from 
 me, and perhaps your fine marriage may come to noth- 
 ing after all." 
 
 This insolence absolutely struck Diana dumb, and 
 Daumon had disappeared round a turning of the road 
 before she could find words to crush him for his vile 
 attempt at extortion. She felt that he was capable of 
 keeping his word, even if by so doing he seriously 
 injured himself without gaining any advantage. 
 
 A nature like Diana's always looks danger boldly in 
 the face. She had, however, but little choice how she 
 would act for to apply to Norbert was the only 
 resource left to her for she knew that he would do 
 all in his power to ward off the danger which threat- 
 ened both of them so nearly. The idea, however, of 
 applying to him for aid was repugnant to her pride. 
 To what depths of meanness and infamy had she de- 
 scended! and to what avail had been all her aspira- 
 tions of ambition and grandeur?
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 143 
 
 She was at the mercy of a wretch of Daumon, in 
 fact. She was forced to go as a suppliant to a man 
 whom she had loved so well that she now hated him 
 with a deadly hatred. But she did not hesitate for 
 a moment. She went straight to the cottage of Widow 
 Rouleau, and despatched Frangoise in quest of Nor- 
 hert. 
 
 She ordered the girl to tell him that he must without 
 fail be at the wicket gate in the park wall at Laure- 
 bourg on the coming night, where she would meet him, 
 and that the matter was one of life and death. 
 
 As Diana gave these orders to Franchise, the 
 woman's nervous air and flushed features plainly 
 showed that she was a mere creature of Daumon's ; 
 but Mademoiselle de Laurebourg felt it would be un- 
 wise to take any notice of her discovery, but to abstain 
 from employing her in confidential communications for 
 the future. 
 
 As the hour of the meeting drew near a host of 
 doubts assailed her. Would Norbert come to the meet- 
 ing? Had Frangoise contrived to see him? Might 
 he not be absent from home? It was now growing 
 dark, and the servants brought candles into the dining- 
 room, and Diana, contriving to slip away, gained the 
 appointed spot. Norbert was waiting, and when he 
 caught sight of her, rushed forward, but stopped as 
 though restrained by a sudden thought, and remained 
 still, as if rooted to the ground. 
 
 " You sent for me, mademoiselle ? " said he. 
 
 " I did." 
 
 After a pause, in which she succeeded in mastering 
 her emotion, Diana began with the utmost volubility 
 to explain the extortion that Dawson was endeavoring 
 to practise upon her, magnifying, though there was
 
 144 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 but little need to do so, all the threats and menaces that 
 he had made use of. She had imagined that this last 
 piece of roguery on the part of Daumon would drive 
 Norbert into a furious passion, but to her surprise 
 it had no such effect. He had suffered so much and 
 so deeply, that his heart was almost dead against any 
 further emotion. 
 
 " Do not let this trouble you," answered he apathet- 
 ically ; " I will see Daumon and settle with him." 
 
 " Can you leave me thus, at our last meeting, with- 
 out even a word ?" asked she. 
 
 " What have I to say ? My father forgave me on his 
 death-bed, and I pardon you." 
 
 " Farewell, Norbert ; we shall see no more of each 
 other. I am going to marry, as you have doubtless 
 been informed. Can I oppose my parent's will? Be- 
 sides, what does it signify? Farewell; remember no 
 one wishes more sincerely for your future happiness 
 than I do." 
 
 " Happy !" exclaimed Norbert. "How can I ever 
 be happy again? If you know the secret, for pity's 
 sake break it to me. Tell me how to forget and how 
 to annihilate thought. Do you not know that I had 
 planned a life of perfect happiness with you by my 
 side? I had visions; and now plans and visions are 
 alike hateful to me. And as they ever and anon recur 
 to my memory, they will fill me with terror and 
 despair." 
 
 As Diana heard these words of agony, a wild gleam 
 of triumph shot from her eyes, but it faded away 
 quickly, and left her cold and emotionless as a marble 
 statue ; and when she reappeared in the drawing-room, 
 after taking leave of Norbert, her face wore so satis-
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 145 
 
 fied an expression, that the Viscount complimented her 
 upon her apparent happiness. 
 
 She made some jesting retort, but there was a shade 
 of earnestness mixed with her. playfulness, for to her 
 future husband she only wished to show the amiable 
 side of her character ; but all the time she was think- 
 ing. Will Norbert see Daumon in time? 
 
 The Duke kept his word, and the next day the faith- 
 ful Jean discreetly handed her a packet. She opened 
 it, and found that besides the two letters of which the 
 Counsellor had spoken, it contained all her correspon- 
 dence with Norbert more than a hundred letters in all, 
 some of great length, and all of them compromising 
 to a certain extent. Her first thought was to destroy 
 them, but on reflection she decided not to do so, and 
 hid the packet in the same place as she had concealed 
 the letters written by Norbert to her. 
 
 Norbert had given Daumon sixty thousand francs, 
 and in addition owed him twenty thousand on his 
 promissory notes. This sum, in addition to what he 
 had already saved, would form such a snug little 
 fortune that it would enable the Counsellor to quit 
 Bevron, and take up his abode in Paris, where his 
 peculiar talents would have more scope for develop- 
 ment. And eight days later the village was thrown 
 into a state of intense excitement by the fact becoming 
 known that Daumon had shut up his house and de- 
 parted for Paris, taking Frangoise, the Widow Rou- 
 leau's daughter, with him. The Widow Rouleau was 
 furious, and openly accused Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg of having aided in the committal of the act 
 which had deprived her of her daughter's services in 
 her declining years ; and the old woman who had acted
 
 i 4 6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 as housekeeper, who on Daumon's departure had 
 thrown open the place, did not hesitate to assert that 
 all her late master's legal lore had been acquired in 
 prison, where he had undergone a sentence of ten 
 years' penal servitude. 
 
 In spite of all this, however, Mademoiselle de Laure- 
 bourg was secretly delighted at the departure of 
 Daumon and Franchise ; for she experienced an intense 
 feeling of relief at knowing that she no longer was 
 in any risk of meeting her accomplice in her daily 
 walks. Norbert, too, was going to Paris with his wife ; 
 and M. de Puymandour was going about saying that 
 his daughter, the Duchess of Champdoce, would not 
 return to this part of the country for some time to come. 
 
 Diana drew a long breath of relief, for it seemed 
 to her as if all the threatening clouds, which had 
 darkened the horizon, were fast breaking up and drift- 
 ing away. Her future seemed clear, and she could 
 continue the preparations for her marriage, which was 
 to be celebrated in a fortnight's time ; and the friend 
 of Octave who had been asked to act as his best man 
 had answered in the affirmative. 
 
 Diana had taken accurate measurement of the love 
 that Octave lavished upon her, and did her utmost to 
 increase it. She had another cruel idea, and that was, 
 that the bewitching manner which she had assumed 
 towards her betrothed was excellent practice, and by 
 it she might judge of her future success in society 
 when she resided in Paris. Octave was utterly con- 
 quered, as any other man would have been under simi- 
 lar circumstances. 
 
 Upon the day of her wedding she was dazzling in 
 her beaut}-, and her face was radiant with happiness ; 
 but it was a mere mask, which she had put on to con-
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 147 
 
 ceal her real feelings. She knew that many curious 
 eyes were fixed upon her as she left the chapel; and 
 the crowd formed a lane for her to pass through. She 
 saw many a glance of dislike cast upon her; but a 
 more severe blow awaited her, for on her arrival at 
 the Chateau de Mussidan, to which she was driven 
 directly after the ceremony, the first person she met 
 was Montlouis, who came forward to welcome her. 
 Bold and self-possessed as she was, the sight of this 
 man startled her, and a bright flush passed across her 
 face. Fortunately Montlouis had had time to prepare 
 himself for this meeting, and his face showed no token 
 of recognition. But though his salutation was of the 
 most respectful description, Madame de Mtissidan 
 thought she saw in his eyes that ironical expression of 
 contempt which she had more than once seen in Dau- 
 mon's face. 
 
 " That man must not, shall not, stay here"," she 
 murmured to herself. 
 
 It was easy enough for her to ask her husband to 
 dismiss Montlouis from his employ, but it was a 
 dangerous step to take ; and her easiest course was to 
 defer the dismissal of the secretary until some really 
 good pretext offered itself. Nor was this pretext long 
 in presenting itself; for Octave was by no means sat- 
 isfied with the young man's conduct. Montlouis, 
 who had been full of zeal while in Paris, had renewed 
 his liaison, on his return to Mussidan, with the girl 
 with whom he had been formerly entangled at Poitiers. 
 This, of course, could not be permitted to go on, and 
 an explosion was clearly to be expected ; but what Di- 
 ana dreaded most was the accidental development of 
 sc"<ne unseen chance. 
 
 After she had been married some two weeks, when
 
 i 4 8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Octave proposed in the afternoon that they should go 
 for a walk, she agreed. Her preparations were soon 
 completed, and they started off, blithe and lively as 
 children on a holiday ramble. As they loitered in a 
 wooded path, they heard a dog barking in the cover. 
 It was Bruno, who rushed out, and, standing on his 
 hind legs, endeavored to lick Diana's face. 
 
 " Help, help, Octave ! " she exclaimed, and her hus- 
 band, springing to her side, drove away the animal. 
 
 " Were you very much alarmed, dearest ? " asked he. 
 
 " Yes," answered she faintly ; " I was almost fright- 
 ened to death." 
 
 " I do not think that he would do you any harm," 
 remarked Octave. 
 
 " No matter ; make him go away" ; and as she spoke 
 she struck at him with her parasol. But the dog never 
 for a moment supposed that Diana was in earnest, and, 
 supposing that she intended to play with him, as she 
 had often done before, began to gambol round her, 
 barking joyously the whole time. 
 
 " But this dog evidently knows you, Diana," ob- 
 served the Viscount. 
 
 " Know me ? Impossible ! " and as she spoke Bruno 
 ran up and licked her hand. " If he does, his memory 
 is better than mine; at any rate, I am half afraid of 
 him. Come, Octave, let us go." 
 
 They turned away, and Octave would have forgotten 
 all about the occurrence had not Bruno, delighted at 
 having found an old acquaintance, persisted in follow- 
 ing them. 
 
 " This is strange," exclaimed the Viscount, " very 
 strange indeed. Look here, my man," said he, address- 
 ing a peasant, who was engaged in clipping a hedge 
 by the roadside, " do you know whose dog this is ? "
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 149 
 
 " Yes, my lord, it belongs to the young Duke of 
 Champdoce." 
 
 " Of course," answered Diana, " I have often seen 
 the dog at the Widow Rouleau's, and have occasionally 
 given it a piece of bread. He was always with Fran- 
 goise, who ran off with that man Daumon. Oh, yes, 
 I know him now ; here, Bruno, here ! " 
 
 The dog rushed to her, and, stooping down, she 
 caressed him, thus hoping to conceal her tell-tale face. 
 
 Octave drew his wife's arm within his without an- 
 other word. A strange feeling of doubt had arisen in 
 his mind. Diana, too, was much disturbed, and abused 
 herself mentally for having been so weak and cow- 
 ardly. Why had she not at once confessed that she 
 knew the dog ? Had she said at once, " Why, that is 
 Bruno, the Duke of Champdoce's dog," her husband 
 would have thought no more about the matter; but 
 her own folly had made much of a merely trivial 
 incident. 
 
 Ever since that fatal walk the Viscount's manner 
 appeared to have changed, and more than once Diana 
 fancied that she caught a look of suspicion in his eyes. 
 How could she best manage to make him forget this 
 unlucky event? She saw that for the rest of her life 
 she must affect a terror of dogs ; and, for the future, 
 whenever she saw one, she uttered a little cry of alarm, 
 and insisted upon all Octave's being chained up. But 
 for all this she lived in a perfect atmosphere of sus- 
 picion and anxiety, while the very ground upon which 
 she walked seemed to have been mined beneath her 
 feet. Her sole wish now was to fly from Mussidan, 
 and leave Bevron and its environs, she cared not for 
 what spot. It had been first arranged that immediately 
 after the marriage they should make a short tour;
 
 i 5 o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 but, in spite .of this, they still lingered at Mussidan; 
 and all that Diana could do was to keep this previous 
 determination before her husband, without making 
 any direct attack. 
 
 The blow came at last, and was more unexpected and 
 terrible than she had anticipated. On the afternoon 
 of the 26th of October, as Diana was gazing from her 
 window, an excited crowd rushed into the courtyard 
 of the Chateau, followed by four men bearing a litter 
 covered with a sheet, under which could be distin- 
 guished the rigid limbs of a dead body, while a cruel 
 crimson stain upon one side of the white covering too 
 plainly showed that some one had met with a violent 
 death. 
 
 The hideous sight froze Diana with terror, ana it 
 was impossible for her to leave the window or quit 
 the object on the litter, which seemed to have a ter- 
 rible fascination for her. That very morning her hus- 
 band, accompanied by his friend the Baron de Clin- 
 chain, Montlouis, and a servant named Ludovic, had 
 gone out for a day's shooting. It was evident that 
 something had happened to one of the party ; which of 
 them could it be? The doubt was not of very long 
 duration ; for at that moment her husband entered the 
 courtyard, supported by M. de Clinchain and Ludovic. 
 His face was deadly pale, and he seemed scarcely able 
 to drag one leg after the other. The dead man there- 
 fore must be Montlouis. She need no longer plot and 
 scheme for the dismissal of the secretary, for his 
 tongue had been silenced for ever. 
 
 A ray of comfort dawned in Diana's heart at this 
 idea, and gave her the strength to descend the stair- 
 case. Halfway down she met M. de Clinchain, who
 
 "RASH WORD, RASH DEED" 151 
 
 was ascending. He seized her by the arm, and said 
 hoarsely, 
 
 " Go back, madame, go back! " 
 
 " But tell me what has happened." 
 
 " A terrible calamity. Go back to your room, I beg 
 of you. Your husband will be here presently"; and, 
 as Octave appeared, he absolutely pushed her into her 
 own room. 
 
 Octave followed, and, extending his arms, pressed 
 his wife closely to his breast, bursting as he did so 
 into a passion of sobs. 
 
 " Ah ! " cried M. de Clinchain joyously, " he is saved. 
 See, he weeps ; I had feared for his reason." 
 
 After many questions and incoherent answers, 
 Madame de Mussidan at last arrived at the fact that 
 her husband had shot Montlouis by accident. Diana 
 believed this story, but it was far from the truth. 
 Montlouis had met his death at her hands quite as 
 much as the Duke de Champdoce had done. He had 
 died because he was the possessor of a fatal secret. 
 
 This was what had really occurred. After lunch, 
 Octave, who had drunk rather freely, began to rally 
 Montlouis regarding his mysterious movements, and 
 to assert that some woman must be at the bottom of 
 them. At first Montlouis joined in the laugh; but 
 at length M. de Mussidan became too personal in re- 
 marks regarding the woman his secretary loved, and 
 Montlouis responded angrily. This influenced his 
 master's temper, and he went on to say that he could 
 no longer permit such doings, and he reproached his 
 secretary for risking his present and future for a 
 woman who was worthy neither of love nor respect, 
 and who was notoriously unfaithful to him. Mont-
 
 i 5 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 iouis heard this last taunt with compressed lips and a 
 deep cloud upon his brow. 
 
 " Do not utter a word more, Count," said he ; " I 
 forbid you to do so." 
 
 He spoke so disrespectfully that Octave was about 
 to strike him, but Montlouis drew back and avoided 
 the blow ; but he was so intoxicated with fury that this 
 last insult roused him beyond all bounds. 
 
 " By what right do you speak thus," said he, " who 
 have married another man's mistress? It well be- 
 comes you to talk of woman's virtue, when your wife 
 is a " 
 
 He had no time to finish his sentence, for Octave, 
 levelling his gun, shot him through the heart. 
 
 M. de Mussidan kept these facts from his wife be- 
 cause he really loved her, and true love is capable of 
 any extreme; and he felt that, however strong the 
 cause might be, he should never have the courage to 
 separate from Diana ; that whatever she might do in 
 the future, or had already done in the past, he could 
 not choose but forgive her. 
 
 Acquitted of all blame, thanks to Clinchain's and 
 Ludovic's evidence for they had mutually agreed that 
 the tragical occurrence should be represented to have 
 been the result of an accident the conscience of M. 
 de Mussidan left him but little peace. The girl whom 
 Montlouis had loved had been driven from her home 
 in disgrace, owing to having given birth to a son. 
 Octave sought her out, and, without giving any reason 
 for his generosity, told her that her son, whom she 
 had named Paul, after his father, Montlouis, should 
 never come to want. 
 
 Shortly after this sad occurrence, M. de Mussidan 
 and his wife quitted Poitiers, for Diana had more than
 
 A SCHEME OF VENGEANCE 153 
 
 once determined that she would make Paris her resi- 
 dence for the future. She had taken into her service 
 a woman who had been in the service of Marie de 
 Puymandour, and through her had discovered that, 
 previous to her marriage with Norbert, Marie had 
 loved George de Croisenois; and she intended to use 
 this knowledge at some future date as a weapon with 
 which to deal the Duke de Champdoce a deadly blow. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A SCHEME OF VENGEANCE. 
 
 THE marriage between Norbert and Mademoiselle 
 de Puymandour was entirely deficient in that brief, 
 ephemeral light that shines over the honeymoon. The 
 icy wall that stood between them became each day 
 stronger and taller. There was no one to smooth away 
 inequalities, no one to exercise a kindly influence over 
 two characters, both haughty and determined. After 
 his father's death, when Norbert announced his inten- 
 tion of residing in Paris, M. de Puymandour highly 
 approved of this resolution, for he fancied that if he 
 were to remain alone in the country, he could to a 
 certain extent take the place and position of the late 
 Duke, and, with the permission of his son-in-law, at 
 once take up his residence at Champdoce. 
 
 Almost as soon as the young Duchess arrived in 
 Paris she realized the fact that she was the most un- 
 fortunate woman in the world. As Champdoce was 
 almost like her own home, her eyes lighted on familiar 
 scenes; and if she went out, she was sure of being
 
 i 5 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 greeted by kindly words and friendly features ; but in 
 Paris she only found solitude, for everything there 
 was strange and hostile. The late Duke, pinching and 
 parsimonious as he had been towards himself and his 
 son, launched out into the wildest extravagances when 
 he imagined he was working for his coming race, and 
 the home which he had prepared for his great-grand- 
 children was the incarnation of splendor and luxury. 
 
 Upon the arrival of Norbert and his wife, they 
 could almost fancy that they had only quitted their 
 town house a few days before, so perfect were all the 
 arrangements. Had Norbert been left to act for him- 
 self, he might have felt a little embarrassed, but his 
 trusty servant Jean aided him with his advice, and 
 the establishment was kept on a footing to do honor 
 to the traditions of the house of Champdoce. Every- 
 thing can be procured in Paris for money, and Jean 
 had filled the ante-rooms with lackeys, the kitchens 
 and offices with cooks and scullions, and the stables 
 with grooms, coachmen, and horses, while every de- 
 scription of carriage stood in the place appointed for 
 their reception. 
 
 But all this bustle and excitement did not seem in 
 the eyes of the young Duchess to impart life to the 
 house. It appeared to her dead and empty as a sepul- 
 chre. It seemed as if she were living beneath the 
 weight of some vague and indefinable terror, some 
 hideous and hidden spectre which might at any mo- 
 ment start from its hiding place and drive her mad 
 with the alarm it excited. She had not a soul in whom 
 she could confide. She had been forbidden by Nor- 
 bert to renew her acquaintance with her old Parisian 
 friends, for Norbert did not consider them of suffi- 
 ciently good family, and in addition he had used the
 
 A SCHEME OF VENGEANCE 155 
 
 pretext of the deep mourning they were in to put off 
 receiving- visitors for a twelvemonth at least. She felt 
 herself alone and solitary, and, in this frame of mind, 
 how was it possible for her not to let her thoughts 
 wander once again to George de Croisenois. Had 
 her father been willing, she might have been his wife 
 now, and have been wandering hand in hand in some 
 sequestered spot beneath the clear blue sky of Italy. 
 
 He had loved her, while Norbert . 
 
 Norbert was leading one of those mad, headstrong 
 lives which have but two conclusions ruin or sui- 
 cide. His name had been put up for election at a 
 fashionable club by his uncle, the Chevalier de Sep- 
 traor, as soon as he arrived in Paris. He had been 
 elected at once, being looked on as a decided acquisi- 
 tion to the list of members. He bore one of the oldest 
 names to be found among the French nobility, while 
 his fortune gigantic as it was had been magnified 
 threefold by the tongue of common report. He was 
 received with open arms everywhere, and lived in a 
 perfect atmosphere of flattery. Not being able to shine 
 by means of cultivation or polish, he sought to gain 
 a position in his club by a certain roughness of de- 
 meanor and a cynical mode of speech. He flung away 
 his money in every direction, kept racers, and was 
 uniformly fortunate in his betting transactions. He 
 frequented the world of gallantry, and was constantly 
 to be seen in the company of women whose reputations 
 were exceedingly equivocal. His days were spent on 
 horseback, or in the fencing room, and his nights in 
 drinking, gambling, and all kinds of debauchery. His 
 wife scarcely ever saw him, for when he returned home 
 it was usually with the first beams of day, either half 
 intoxicated or savage from having lost large sums at
 
 i S 6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 the gambling table. Jean, the old and trusty retainer 
 of the house of Champdoce, was deeply grieved, not 
 so much at seeing his master so rapidly pursuing the 
 path to ruin as at the fact that he was ever surrounded 
 by dissolute and disreputable acquaintances. 
 
 " Think of your name," he would u^ge ; " of the 
 honor of your name." 
 
 " And what does that matter," sneered Norbert, 
 " provided that I live a jolly life, and shuffle out of the 
 world rapidly ? " 
 
 There was one fixed star in all the dark clouds that 
 surrounded him, which now seemed to blaze brightly, 
 and this star was Diana de Mussidan. Do what he 
 would, it was impossible to efface her image from his 
 memory. Even amidst the fumes of wine and the de- 
 bauched revelry of the supper table he could see the 
 form that he had once so passionately loved standing 
 out like a pillar of light, clear and distinct against the 
 darkness. He had led this demoralizing existence for 
 fully six months, when one day, as he was riding down 
 the Avenue des Champs Elysees, he saw a lady give 
 him a friendly bow. She was seated in a magnificent 
 open carriage, wrapped in the richest and most costly 
 furs. Thinking that she might be one of the many 
 actresses with whom he was acquainted, Norbert 
 turned his horse's head towards the carriage; but as 
 he got nearer he saw, to his extreme amazement and 
 almost terror, that it was Diana de Mussidan who was 
 seated in it. He did not turn back, however; and as 
 the carriage had just drawn up, he reined in his horse 
 alongside of it. Diana was as much agitated as he 
 was, and for a moment neither of them spoke, but 
 their eyes were firmly fixed upon each other, and they 
 sat pale and breathless, as if each had some sad pre-
 
 A SCHEME OF VENGEANCE 157 
 
 sentiment which fate was preparing for them both. 
 At last Norbert felt that he must break the silence, for 
 the servants were beginning to gaze upon them with 
 eyes full of curiosity. 
 
 " What, madame, you here, in Paris ? " said he with 
 an effort. 
 
 She had drawn out a slender hand from the mass of 
 furs in which she was enveloped, and extended it to 
 him, as she replied in a tone which had a ring of ten- 
 derness beneath its commonplace tone, 
 
 " Yes, we are established here, and I hope that we 
 shall be as good friends as we were once before. Fare- 
 well, until we meet again." 
 
 As if her words had been a signal, the coachman 
 struck his horses lightly with his whip, and the mag- 
 nificent equipage rolled swiftly away. Norbert had 
 not accepted Diana's proffered hand, but presently he 
 realized the whole scene, and plunging his spurs into 
 his horse dashed furiously up the Avenue in the direc- 
 tion of the Arc de Triomphe. 
 
 " Ah," said he, as a bitter pang of despair shot 
 through his heart, " I still love her, and can never care 
 for any one else ; but I will see her again. She has not 
 forgotten me. I could read it in her eyes, and detect 
 it in the tones of her voice." Here a momentary 
 gleam of reason crossed his brain. " But will a woman 
 like Diana ever forgive an offence like mine ? and when 
 she seems most friendly the danger is the more 
 near." 
 
 Unfortunately he thrust aside this idea, and refused 
 to listen to the voice of reason. That evening he 
 went down to his club with the intention of asking a 
 few questions regarding the Mussidans. He heard 
 enough to satisfy himself, and the next day he met
 
 158 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Madame de Mussidan in the Champs Elysees, and 
 for many days afterwards in rapid succession. Each 
 day they exchanged a few words, and at last Diana, 
 with much simulated hesitation, promised to alight 
 from her carriage when next they met in the Bois, 
 and talk to Norbert unhampered by the presence of 
 the domestics. 
 
 Madame de Mussidan had made the appointment 
 for three o'clock, but before two Norbert was on the 
 spot, in a fever of expectation and doubt. 
 
 " Is it I," asked he of himself, " waiting once more 
 for Diana, as I have so often waited for her at 
 Bevron?" 
 
 Ah, how many changes had taken place since then! 
 He was now no longer waiting for Diana de Laure- 
 bottrg, but for the Countess de Mussidan, another 
 man's wife, while he also was a married man. It was 
 no longer the whim of a monomaniac that kept them 
 apart, but the dictates of law, honor, and the world. 
 
 " Why," said he, in a mad burst of passion, " why 
 should we not set at defiance all the cold social rules 
 framed by an artificial state of society ; why should not 
 the woman leave her husband and the man his wife ? " 
 Norbert had consulted his watch times without number 
 before the appointed hour came. " Ah," sighed he, 
 " suppose that she should not come after all." 
 
 As he said these words a cab stopped, and the 
 Countess de Mussidan alighted from it. She came 
 rapidly along towards him, crossing an open space 
 without heeding the irregularities of the ground, as 
 that diminished the distance which separated her from 
 Norbert. He advanced to meet her, and taking his 
 arm, they plunged into the recesses of the Bois. There 
 had been heavy rain on the day previous, and the path-
 
 A SCHEME OF VENGEANCE 159 
 
 way was wet and muddy, but Madame de Mussidan did 
 not seem to notice this. 
 
 " Let us go on," said she, " until we are certain 
 of not being seen from the road. I have taken every 
 precaution. My carriage and servants are waiting for 
 me in front of St. Philippe du Roule ; but for all that I 
 may have been watched." 
 
 " You were not so timid in bygone days." 
 
 " Then I was my own mistress ; and if I lost my 
 reputation, the loss affected me only ; but on my wed- 
 ding day I had a sacred trust confided to me the 
 honor of the man who has given me his name, and that 
 I must guard with jealous care." 
 
 " Then you love me no longer." 
 
 She stopped suddenly, and overwhelming NorbeU 
 with one of those glacial glances which she knew so 
 well how to assume, answered in measured accents, 
 
 " Your memory fails you ; all that has remained to 
 me of the past is the rejection of a proposal conveyed 
 in a certain letter that I wrote." 
 
 Norbert interrupted her by a piteous gesture of en- 
 treaty. 
 
 " Mercy ! " said he. " You would pardon me if you 
 knew all the horrors of the punishment that I am 
 enduring. I was mad, blind, besotted, nor did I love 
 you as I do at this moment." 
 
 A smile played round Diana's beautiful mouth, for 
 Norbert had told her nothing that she did not know 
 before, but she wished to hear it from his own lips. 
 
 " Alas ! " murmured she ; " I can only frame my 
 reply with the fatal words, 'Too late!" 
 
 "Diana!" 
 
 He endeavored to seize her hand, but she drew it 
 away with a rapid movement.
 
 160 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Do not use that name," said she ; " you have no 
 right to do so. Is it not sufficient to have blighted the 
 young girl's life ? and yet you seek to compromise the 
 honor of the wife. You must forget me ; do you un- 
 derstand? It is to tell you this that I am here. The 
 other day, when I saw you again, I lost my self-com- 
 mand. My heart leapt up at the sight of you, and, fool 
 that I was, I permitted you to see this ; but base no 
 hopes on my weakness. I said to you, Let us be 
 friends. It was a mere act of madness. We can never 
 be friends, and had better, therefore, treat each other as 
 strangers. Do you forget that lying tongues at Bevron 
 accused me of being your mistress ? Do you think that 
 this falsehood has not reached my husband's ears? 
 One day, when your name was mentioned in his pres- 
 ence, I saw a gleam of hatred and jealousy in his eye. 
 Great heavens! should he, on my return, suspect that 
 my hand had rested in yours, he would expel me from 
 his house like some guilty wretch ! The door of our 
 house must remain for ever closed to you. I am miser- 
 able indeed. Be a man ; and if your heart still holds 
 one atom of the love you once bore for me, prove it 
 by never seeking me again." 
 
 As she concluded she hurried away, leaving in Nor- 
 bert's heart a more deadly poison than the one she had 
 endeavored to persuade the son to administer to his 
 father, the Duke de Champdoce. She knew each 
 chord that vibrated in his heart, and could play on it 
 at will. She felt sure that in a month he would again 
 be her slave, and that she could exercise over him a 
 sway more despotic than she had yet done, and, in 
 addition to this, that he would assist her in executing 
 a cruel scheme of revenge, which she had long been 
 plotting.
 
 FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER 161 
 
 After having followed Diana about like her very 
 shadow for several days, Norbert at last again ven- 
 tured to approach her in the Champs Elysees. She was 
 angry, but not to such an extent that he feared to 
 repeat his offence. Then she wept, but her tears could 
 not force him to avoid her. At first her system of 
 defence was very strong, then it gradually grew 
 weaker. She granted him another interview, and then 
 two others followed. But what were those meetings 
 worth to him ? They took place in a church or a pub- 
 lic gallery, in places where they could scarcely ex- 
 change a grasp of the hand. At length she told him 
 that she had thought of a place which would render 
 their interviews less perilous, but that she hardly 
 dared tell him where it was. He pressed her to tell 
 him, and, by degrees, she permitted herself to be per- 
 suaded. Her idea was to become the friend of the 
 Duchess of Champdoce. 
 
 Norbert now felt that she was more an angel than a 
 woman, and it was agreed that on the next day he 
 himself would introduce her to his wife. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER. 
 
 IT was on a Wednesday morning that the Duke de 
 Champdoce, instead of, as usual, going to his own or 
 one of his friends' clubs to breakfast, took his seat at 
 the table where his wife was partaking of her morn- 
 ing meal. He was in excellent spirits, gay, and full 
 of pleasant talk, a mood in which his wife had never 
 seen him since their ill-fated marriage. The Duchess
 
 162 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 could not understand this sudden change in her hus- 
 band; it terrified and alarmed her, for she felt that it 
 was the forerunner of some serious event, which would 
 change the current of her life entirely. 
 
 Norbert waited until the domestics had completed 
 their duty and retired, and as soon as he was alone 
 with his wife he took her hand and kissed it with an 
 air of gallantry. 
 
 " It has been a long time, my dear Marie, since I 
 had resolved to open my heart to you entirely, and now 
 a full and open explanation has become absolutely nec- 
 essary." 
 
 " An explanation ! " faltered Marie. 
 
 " Yes, certainly ; but do not let the word alarm you. 
 I fear that I must have appeared in your eyes the most 
 morose and disagreeable of husbands. Permit me to 
 explain. Since we came here, I have gone about my 
 own affairs, I have gone out early and returned ex- 
 tremely late, and sometimes three days have elapsed 
 without our even setting eyes on each other." 
 
 The young Duchess listened to him like a woman 
 who could not believe her ears. Could this be her 
 husband who was heaping reproaches upon himself in 
 this manner? 
 
 " I have made no complaint," stammered she. 
 
 " I know that, Marie ; you have a noble and for- 
 giving nature; but, however, it is impossible, as a 
 woman, that you should not have condemned me." 
 
 " Indeed, but I have not done so." 
 
 " So much the better for me. On this I shall not 
 have to find either defence or excuse for my conduct; 
 you must know, however, that you are ever foremost 
 in my thoughts, even when I am away from you." 
 
 He was evidently doing his best to put on an air
 
 FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER 163 
 
 of tenderness and affection, but he failed ; for though 
 his words were kind, the tone of his voice was neither 
 tender nor sympathetic. 
 
 " I hope I know my duty," said the Duchess. 
 
 " Pray, Marie," broke in he, " do not let the word 
 duty be uttered between us. You know that you have 
 been much alone, because it was impossible for the 
 friends of Mademoiselle de Puymandour to be those 
 of the Duchess de Champdoce ! " 
 
 " Have I made any opposition to your orders ? " 
 
 " Then, too, our mourning prevents us going out 
 into the world for five months longer at least." 
 
 " Have I asked to go out ? " 
 
 " All the more reason that I should endeavor to 
 make your home less dull for you. I should like you to 
 have with you some person in whose society you could 
 find pleasure and distraction. Not one of those foolish 
 girls who have no thought save for balls and dress, 
 but a sensible woman of the world, and, above all, one 
 of your own age and rank, a woman, in short, of 
 whom you could make a friend. But where can such a 
 one be found? It is a perilous quest to venture 
 on, and upon such a friend often depends the happiness 
 and misery of a home. 
 
 " But," continued he, after a brief pause, " I think 
 that I have discovered the very one that will suit you. 
 I met her at the house of Madame d'Ailange, who 
 spoke eloquently of her charms of mind and body, and 
 I hope to have the pleasure of presenting her to you 
 to-day." 
 
 " Here, at our house ? " 
 
 " Certainly ; there is nothing odd in this. Besides, 
 the lady is no stranger to us ; she comes from our own 
 part of the country, and you know her."
 
 164 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 A flush came over his face, and he busied himself 
 with the fire to conceal it as he added, 
 
 "You recollect Mademoiselle de Laurebourg?" 
 
 "Do you mean Diana de Laurebourg?" 
 
 " Exactly so." 
 
 " I saw very little of her, for my father and hers 
 did not get on very well together. The Marquis de 
 Laurebourg looked on us as too insignificant to " 
 
 "Ah, well," interrupted he, "I trust that the 
 daughter will make up for the father's shortcomings. 
 She married just after our wedding had been cele- 
 brated, and her husband is the Count de Mussidan. 
 She will call on you to-day, and I have told your serv- 
 ants to say that you are at home." 
 
 The silence that followed this speech lasted for 
 nearly a couple of minutes, and became exceedingly 
 embarrassing, when suddenly the sound of wheels was 
 heard on the gravel of the courtyard, and in a moment 
 afterwards a servant came and announced that the 
 Countess de Mussidan was in the drawing-room. Nor- 
 bert rose, and, taking his wife's arm, led her away. 
 
 " Come, Marie, come," said he ; " she has arrived." 
 
 Diana had reflected deeply before she had taken this 
 extraordinarily bold step. In paying a visit so con- 
 trary to all the usual rules of etiquette, she exposed 
 herself to the chance of receiving a severe rebuff. The 
 few seconds that elapsed while she was still alone in 
 the drawing-room seemed like so many centuries ; but 
 the door was opened, and Norbert and his wife ap- 
 peared. Then, with a charming smile, Madame de 
 Mussidan rose and bowed gracefully to the Duchess de 
 Champdoce, making a series of half-jesting apologies 
 for her intrusion. She had been utterly unable, she 
 said, to resist the pleasure she should experience in
 
 FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER 165 
 
 seeing an old county neighbor, the more so as they 
 were now separated by so short a distance. She had, 
 therefore, disregarded all the rules of etiquette so that 
 they might have a cosy chat about Poitiers, Bevron, 
 Champdoce, and all the county where she had been 
 born, and which she so dearly loved. 
 
 The Duchess listened in silence to this torrent of 
 words, and the expression of her face showed how sur- 
 prised she was at this unexpected visit. A less per- 
 fectly self-possessed woman than Diana de Mussidan 
 might have felt abashed, but the slight annoyance was 
 not to be compared to the prospective advantages that 
 she hoped to gain, and she brought all the mettle of her 
 talent and diplomacy into play. 
 
 Norbert was moving about the room, half ashamed 
 of the ignoble part that he was playing. As soon as 
 he thought that the welcome between the two ladies 
 had been partially got over, and imagined that they 
 were conversing more amicably together, he slipped 
 out of the room, not knowing whether to be pleased or 
 angry at the success of the trick. 
 
 The trick was rather a more difficult one than Diana 
 had, from Norbert's account, anticipated, as she had 
 thought that she would have been received by the 
 Duchess like some ministering angel sent down to 
 earth to console an unhappy captive. She had ex- 
 pected to find a simple, guileless woman, who, upon 
 her first visit, would throw her arms round her visi- 
 tor's neck and yield herself entirely to her influence. 
 Far, however, from being dismayed, Diana was rather 
 pleased at this unexpected difficulty, and so fully ex- 
 erted all her powers of fascination, that when she 
 took her leave, she believed that she had made a little 
 progress.
 
 1 66 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 On that very evening the Duchess remarked to her 
 husband, 
 
 " I think that I shall like Madame de Mussidan ; she 
 seems an excellent kind of woman." 
 
 " Excellent is just the proper word," returned Nor- 
 bert. "All Bevron was in tears when she was married 
 and had to leave, for she was a real angel among the 
 poor." 
 
 Norbert was intensely gratified by Diana's success ; 
 for was it not for him that she had displayed all her 
 skill, and was not this a proof that she still cherished 
 a passion for him? 
 
 He was not, however, quite so much pleased when 
 he met Madame de Mussidan the next day in the 
 Champs Elysees. She looked sad and thoughtful. 
 
 " What has gone wrong ? " asked he. 
 
 " I am very angry with myself for having listened 
 to the voice of my own heart and to your entreaties," 
 answered she, "and I think that both of us have com- 
 mitted a grave erroi." 
 
 " Indeed, and what have we done ?" 
 
 " Norbert, your wife suspects something." 
 
 " Impossible ! why, she was praising you after you 
 had left." 
 
 " If that is the case, then she is indeed a much more 
 clever woman than I had imagined, for she knows how 
 to conceal her suspicions until she is in a position to 
 prove them." 
 
 Diana spoke with such a serious air of conviction, 
 that Norbert became quite alarmed. 
 
 " What shall we do ? " asked he. 
 
 " The best thing would be to give up meeting each 
 other, I think." 
 
 " Never ; I tell you, never ! "
 
 FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER 167 
 
 " Let me reflect ; in the meantime be prudent ; for 
 both our sakes, be prudent." 
 
 To further his ends, Norbert entirely changed his 
 mode of life. He gave up going to his clubs, refused 
 invitations to fast suppers, and no longer spent his 
 nights in gambling and drinking. He drove out with 
 his wife, and frequently spent his evenings with her, 
 and at the club began to be looked on as quite a model 
 husband. This great change, however, was not ef- 
 fected without many a severe inward struggle. He 
 felt deeply humiliated at the life of deception that he 
 was forced to lead, but Diana's hand, apparently so 
 slight and frail, held him with a grip of steel. 
 
 " We must live in this way," said she, in answer 
 to his expostulations, " first, because it must be so ; 
 and, secondly, because it is my will. On our present 
 mode of conduct depends all our future safety, and I 
 wish the Duchess to believe that with me happiness and 
 content must have come to her fireside." 
 
 Norbert could not gainsay this very reasonable prop- 
 osition on the part of Madame de Mussidan, for he 
 was more in love than ever, and the terrible fear that 
 if he went in any way contrary to her wishes that she 
 would refuse to see him any more, stayed the words 
 of objection that rose to his lips. 
 
 After hesitating for a little longer, the Duchess made 
 up her mind to accept the offer of friendship which 
 Diana had so ingenuously offered to her, and finished 
 by giving herself up to the bitterest enemy that she 
 had in the world. By degrees she had no secrets from 
 her new friend, and one day, after a long and confi- 
 dential conversation, she acknowledged to Diana the 
 whole secret of the early love of her girlish days, the 
 memory of which had never faded from the inmost
 
 168 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 recesses of her heart, and was rash enough to men- 
 tion George de Croisenois by name. Madame de Mus- 
 sidan was overjoyed at what she considered so signal 
 a victory. 
 
 " Now I have her," thought she, " and vengeance is 
 within my grasp." 
 
 Marie and Diana were now like two sisters, and 
 were almost constantly together ; but this intimacy had 
 not given to Norbert the facile means of meeting Diana 
 which he had so ardently hoped for. Though Madame 
 de Mussidan visited his house nearly every day, he ab- 
 solutely saw less of her than he had done before, and 
 sometimes weeks elapsed without his catching a 
 glimpse of her face. She played her game with such 
 consummate skill, that Marie was always placed as a 
 barrier between Norbert and herself, as in the farce, 
 when the lover wishes to embrace his mistress, he finds 
 the wrinkled visage of the duenna offered to his lips. 
 Sometimes he grew angry, but Diana always had some 
 excellent reason with which to close his mouth. Some- 
 times she held up his pretensions to ridicule, and at 
 others assumed a haughty air, which always quelled in- 
 cipient rebellion upon his part. 
 
 " What did you expect of me ? " she would say, 
 " and of what base act did you do me the honor to con- 
 sider me capable ? " 
 
 He was treated exactly like a child, or more cruel 
 still, like a person deficient in intellect, and this he was 
 thoroughly aware of. He could not meet Madame de 
 Mussidan as he had formerly done, for now in the 
 Bois, at Longchamps, or at any place of public amuse- 
 ment she was invariably surrounded by a band of fash- 
 ionable admirers, among whom George de Croisenois 
 was always to be found. Norbert disliked all these
 
 FALSE FRIEND, OLD LOVER 169 
 
 men, but he had a special antipathy to George de 
 Croisenois, whom he regarded as a supercilious fool ; 
 but in this opinion he was entirely wrong, for the Mar- 
 quis de Croisenois was looked upon as one of the most 
 talented and witty men in Parisian society, and in this 
 case the opinion of the world was a well-founded one. 
 Many men envied him, but he had no enemies, and his 
 honest and straightforward conduct was beyond all 
 doubt. He had all the noble instincts of a knight of the 
 days of chivalry. 
 
 " Pray," asked Norbert, " what is it that you can 
 see in this sneering dandy who is always hanging about 
 you ? " 
 
 But Diana, with a meaning smile, always made the 
 same reply, 
 
 " You ask too much ; but some time you will learn 
 all." 
 
 Every day she contrived, when with the Duchess, to 
 turn the conversation skilfully upon George de Croise- 
 nois, and she had in a manner accustomed Marie to 
 look certain possibilities straight in the face, from the 
 very idea of which she would a few months back have 
 recoiled with horror. This point once gained, Madame 
 de Mussidan believed that the moment had arrived to 
 bring the former lovers together again, and fancied 
 that one sudden and unexpected encounter would ad- 
 vance matters much more quickly than all her half- 
 veiled insinuations. One day, therefore, when the 
 Duchess had called on her friend, on entering the 
 drawing-room, she found it only tenanted by George 
 de Croisenois. An exclamation of astonishment fell 
 from the lips of both as their eyes met; the cheek of 
 each grew pale. The Duchess, overcome by her feel- 
 ings, sank half-fainting into a chair near the door.
 
 1 70 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Ah," murmured he, scarcely knowing the mean- 
 ing of the words he uttered, " I had every confidence 
 in you, and you have forgotten me." 
 
 " You do not believe the words you have just 
 spoken," returned the Duchess haughtily ; " but," she 
 added in softer accents, "what could I do? I may 
 have been weak in obeying my father, but for all that 
 I have never forgotten the past." 
 
 Madame de Mussidan, who had stationed herself 
 behind the closed door, caught every word, and a gleam 
 of diabolical triumph flashed from her eyes. She felt 
 sure that an interview which began in this manner 
 would be certain to be repeated, and she was not in 
 error. She soon saw that by some tacit understanding 
 the Duchess and George contrived to meet constantly 
 at her house, but this she carefully abstained from no- 
 ticing. Things were working exactly as she desired, 
 and she waited, for she could well afford to do so, 
 knowing that the impending crash ;could not long be 
 delayed. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A STAB IN THE DARK. 
 
 SEPTEMBER had now arrived; and though the 
 weather was very bad, the Duke de Champdoce, accom- 
 panied by his faithful old servant, Jean, left Paris on a 
 visit to his training stables. Having had a serious dif- 
 ference with Diana, he had made up his mind to try 
 whether a long absence on his part would not have the 
 effect of reducing her to submission, and at the same
 
 A STAB IN THE DARK 171 
 
 time remembering the proverb, that " absence makes 
 the heart grow fonder." 
 
 He had already been away two whole days, and was 
 growing extremely anxious at not having heard from 
 Madame de Mussidan, when one evening, as he was 
 returning from a late inspection of his stud, he was 
 informed that there was a man waiting to see him. 
 The man was a poor old fellow belonging to the place, 
 who eked out a wretched subsistence by begging, and 
 executing occasional commissions. 
 
 " Do you want me ? " asked the Duke. 
 
 With a sly look, the man drew from his pocket a 
 letter. 
 
 " This is for you," muttered he. 
 
 " All right ; give it to me, then." 
 
 " I was told to give it to you only in private." 
 
 " Never mind that ; hand it over." 
 
 " Well, if I must, I must." 
 
 Norbert's sole thought was that this letter must have 
 come from Diana, and throwing the man a coin, hur- 
 ried to a spot where it was light enough to read the 
 missive. He did not, however, recognize Diana's firm, 
 bold hand on the envelope. 
 
 " Who the devil can this be from ? " thought Nor- 
 bert, as he tore open the outer covering. The paper 
 within was soiled and greasy, and the handwriting was 
 of the vilest description, it was full of bad spelling, 
 and ran thus : 
 
 " SIR, 
 
 " I hardly dare tell you the truth, and yet my con- 
 science will give me no relief until I do so. I can no 
 longer bear to see a gentleman such as you are deceived 
 by a woman who has no heart or honorable feeling. 
 Your wife is unfaithful to you, and will soon make you
 
 i 7 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 a laughing stock to all. You may trust to this being 
 true, for I am a respectable woman, and you can easily 
 find out if I am lying to you. Hide yourself this even- 
 ing, so that you may command a view of the side-door 
 in the wall of your garden, and between half-past ten 
 and eleven you will see your wife's lover enter. It is 
 a long time since he has been furnished with a key. 
 The hour for the meeting has been judiciously fixed, 
 for all the servants will be out ; but I implore you not to 
 be violent, for I would not do your wife any harm, but 
 I feel that you ought to be warned. 
 " From one 
 
 " WHO KNOWS." 
 
 Norbert ran through the contents of this infamous 
 anonymous letter in an instant. The blood surged 
 madly through his brain, and he uttered a howl of fury. 
 His servants ran in to see what was the matter. 
 
 " Where is the fellow who brought this letter ? " said 
 he. " Run after him and bring him back to me." 
 
 In a few minutes the sturdy grooms made their ap- 
 pearance, pushing in the messenger, who seemed over- 
 powered with tears. 
 
 " I am not a thief," exclaimed he. " It was given to 
 me, but I will give it back." 
 
 He was alluding to the louis given to him by Nor- 
 bert, for the largeness of the sum made him think that 
 the donor had made a mistake. 
 
 " Keep the money," said the Duke ; " I meant it for 
 you ; but tell me who gave this letter to you." 
 
 " I can't tell you," answered the man. " If I ever 
 saw him before, may my next glass of wine choke me. 
 He got out of a cab just as I was passing near the 
 bridge, and calling to me, said, ' Look at this letter ; 
 at half-past seven take it to the Duke de Champdoce, 
 who lives by his stables in the road to the Forest. Do
 
 A STAB IN THE DARK 173 
 
 you know the place ? ' ' Yes/ I says, and then he slips 
 the letter and a five-franc piece into my hand, got back 
 into the cab, and off he went." 
 
 " What was the man like ? " asked he. 
 
 " Well, I can hardly say. He wasn't young or old, 
 or short or tall. I recollect he had a gold watch-chain 
 on, but that was about all I noticed." 
 
 " Very well ; you can be off." 
 
 At this moment Norbert's anger was turned against 
 the writer of the letter only, for he did not place the 
 smallest credence in the accusations against his wife. 
 If he did not love her, he at any rate respected her. 
 " My wife," said he to himself, " is an honorable and 
 virtuous woman, and it is some discharged menial who 
 has taken this cowardly mode of revenge." A closer 
 inspection of the letter seemed to show him that the 
 faults in caligraphy were intentional. The concluding 
 portion of the letter excited his attention, and, calling 
 Jean, he asked him if it was true that all his servants 
 would be absent from the house to-day. 
 
 " There will be none there this evening ; not until 
 late at night," answered the old man. 
 
 " And why, pray?" 
 
 " Have you forgotten, your Grace, that the first 
 coachman is going to be married, and the Duchess was 
 good enough to say that all might go to the wedding 
 dinner and ball, as long as some one remained at the 
 porter's lodge ? " 
 
 After the first outburst, Norbert affected an air of 
 calmness, and laughed at the idea of having permitted 
 himself to be disturbed for so trivial a cause. But this 
 was mere pretence, for doubt and suspicion had en- 
 tered his soul, and no power on earth could expel them. 
 " Why should not my wife be unfaithful to me ? "
 
 174 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 thought Norbert. " I give her credit for being honor- 
 able and right-minded, but then all deceived husbands 
 have the same idea. Why should I not take advantage 
 of this information, and judge for myself? But no. 
 I will not stoop to such an act of baseness. I should 
 be as infamous as the writer of this letter if I was to 
 play the spy, as she recommends me to do." He 
 glanced round, and perceived that his servants were 
 looking at him with undisguised curiosity. 
 
 " Go to your work," said he. " Extinguish the 
 lights, and see that all the doors and windows are care- 
 fully closed." 
 
 He had made up his mind now, and taking out his 
 watch, saw that it was just eight o'clock. " I have time 
 to reach Paris," muttered he, " by the appointed time." 
 Then he called Jean to him again. There was no need 
 to conceal anything from this trusty adherent of the 
 house of Champdoce. " I must start for Paris," said 
 the Duke, " without an instant's delay." 
 
 " On account of that letter ? " asked the old man 
 with an expression of the deepest sorrow upon his 
 features. 
 
 " Yes, for that reason only." 
 
 " Some one has been making false charges against 
 the Duchess." 
 
 " How do you know that ? " 
 
 " It was easy enough to guess." 
 
 " Have the carriage got ready, and tell the coach- 
 man to wait for me in front of the club. I myself 
 will go on foot." 
 
 " You must not do that," answered Jean gravely. 
 " The servants may have conceived the same suspicions 
 as I have. You ought to creep away without any one 
 being a bit the wiser. The other domestics need not
 
 A STAB IN THE DARK 175 
 
 even suppose that you have left the house. I can get 
 you a horse out of the little stables without any one 
 being the wiser. I will wait for you on the other side 
 of the bridge." 
 
 " Good ; but remember that I have not a moment to 
 lose." 
 
 Jean left the room, and as he reached the passage 
 Norbert heard him say to one of the servants, " Put 
 some cold supper on the table ; the Duke says that he is 
 starving." 
 
 Norbert went into his bedroom, put on a great coat 
 and a pair of high boots, and slipped into his pocket a 
 revolver, the charges of which he had examined with 
 the greatest care. The night was exceedingly dark, a 
 fine, icy rain was falling, and the roads were very 
 heavy. Norbert found Jean with the horse at the ap- 
 pointed spot, and as he leaped into the saddle the Duke 
 exclaimed, " Not a soul saw me leave the house." 
 
 " Nor I either," returned the attached domestic. " I 
 shall go back and act as if you were at supper. At 
 three in the morning I will be in the wine-shop on the 
 left-hand side of the road. When you return, give a 
 gentle tap on the window-pane with the handle of your 
 whip." Norbert sprang into the saddle, and sped away 
 through the darkness like a phantom of the night. 
 Jean had made an excellent choice in the horse he had 
 brought for his master's use, and the animal made its 
 way rapidly through the mud and rain ; but Norbert by 
 this time was half mad with excitement, and spurred 
 him madly on. As he neared home a new idea crossed 
 his brain. Suppose it was a practical joke on the part 
 of some of the members of the club ? In that case, they 
 would doubtless be watching for his arrival, and, after 
 talking to him on indifferent subjects, would, when he
 
 176 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 betrayed any symptoms of impatience, overwhelm him 
 with ridicule. The fear of this made him cautious. 
 What should he do with the horse he was riding ? The 
 wine-shops were open, and perhaps he might pick up 
 some man there who would take charge of it for him. 
 As he was debating this point, his eye fell upon a sol- 
 dier, probably on his way to barracks. 
 
 " My man," asked the Duke, " would you like to 
 earn twenty francs ? " 
 
 " I should think so, if it is nothing contrary to the 
 rules and regulations of the army." 
 
 " It is only to take my horse and walk him up and 
 down while I pay a visit close by." 
 
 " I can stay out of barracks a couple of hours longer, 
 but no more," returned the soldier. 
 
 Norbert told the soldier where he was to wait for 
 him, and then went on rapidly to his own house, and 
 reached the side street along which ran the garden be- 
 longing to his magnificent residence. On the opposite 
 side of the street the houses all had porticoes, and Nor- 
 bert took up his position in one of these, and peered 
 out carefully. He had studied the whole street, which 
 was not a long one, from beginning to end, and was 
 convinced that he was the only person in it. He made 
 up his mind that he would wait until midnight ; and if 
 by that time no one appeared, he would feel confident 
 that the Duchess was innocent, and return without any 
 one but Jean having known of his expedition. From 
 his position he could see that three windows on the 
 second floor of his house were lighted up, and those 
 windows were in his wife's sleeping apartment. " She 
 is the last woman in the world to permit a lover to 
 visit her," thought he. " No, no ; the whole thing is 
 a hoax." He began to think of the way in which he
 
 A STAB IN THE DARK 177 
 
 had treated his wife. Had he nothing to reproach him- 
 self with? Ten days after their marriage he had de- 
 serted her entirely; and if during the last few weeks 
 he had paid her any attention, it was because he was 
 acting in obedience to the whims of another woman. 
 Suppose a lover was with her now, what right had he 
 to interfere? The law gave him leave, but what did 
 his conscience say? He leaned against the chill stone 
 until he almost became as cold as it was. It seemed to 
 him at that moment that life and hope were rapidly 
 drifting away from him. He had lost all count of how 
 long he had been on guard. He pulled out his watch, 
 but it was too dark to distinguish the hands or the 
 figures on the dial-plate. A neighboring clock struck 
 the half-hour, but this gave him no clue as to the 
 time. He had almost made up his mind to leave, when 
 he heard the sound of a quick step coming down the 
 street. It was the light, quick step of a sportsman, 
 of a man more accustomed to the woods and fields than 
 the pavement and asphalt of Paris. Then a shadow 
 fell upon the opposite wall, and almost immediately 
 disappeared. Then Norbert knew that the door had 
 opened and closed, and that the man had entered the 
 garden. There could be no doubt upon this point, and 
 yet the Duke would have given worlds to be able to dis- 
 believe the evidence of his senses. It might be a burg- 
 lar, but burglars seldom work alone ; or it might be a 
 visitor to one of the servants, but all the servants were 
 absent. He again raised his eyes to the windows of his 
 wife's room. All of a sudden the light grew brighter ; 
 either the lamp had been turned up, or fresh candles 
 lighted. Yes, it was a candle, for he saw it borne 
 across the room in the direction of the great staircase, 
 and now he saw that the anonymous letter had spoken
 
 178 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 \ 
 
 the truth, and that he was on the brink of a discovery. 
 A lover had entered the garden, and the lighted candle 
 was a signal to him. Norbert shuddered; the blood 
 seemed to course through his veins like streams of 
 molten fire, and the misty atmosphere that surrounded 
 him appeared to stifle him. He ran across the street, 
 forced the lock, and rushed wildly into the garden. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 HUSBAND AND LOVER. 
 
 THE writer of the anonymous communication had 
 only known the secret too well, for the Duchess de 
 Champdoce was awaiting a visit that evening from 
 George de Croisenois ; this was, however, the first 
 time. Step by step she had yielded, and at length had 
 fallen into the snare laid for her by the treacherous 
 woman whom she believed to be her truest friend. The 
 evening before this eventful night she had been alone 
 in Madame de Mussidan's drawing-room with George 
 de Croisenois. She had been impressed by his ardent 
 passion, and had listened with pleasure to his loving 
 entreaties. 
 
 " I yield," said she. " Come to-morrow night, at 
 half-past ten, to the little door in the garden wall; it 
 will only be kept closed by a stone being placed against 
 it inside ; push it, and it will open ; and when you have 
 entered the garden, acquaint me with your presence by 
 clapping your hands gently once or twice." 
 
 Diana had, from a secure hiding-place, overheard 
 these words, and feeling certain that the Duchess 
 would repent her rash promise, she kept close to her 
 side until George's departure, to give her no chance of
 
 HUSBAND AND LOVER 179 
 
 retracting her promise. The next day she was con- 
 stantly with her victim, and made an excuse for din- 
 ing with her, so as not to quit her until the hour for 
 the meeting had almost arrived. 
 
 It was not until she was left alone that the Duchess 
 saw the full extent of her folly and rashness. She was 
 terrified at the promise that she had given in a weak 
 moment, and would have given worlds had she been 
 able to retract. 
 
 There was yet, however, one means of safety left 
 her she could hurry downstairs and secure the gar- 
 den gate. She started to her feet, determined to exe- 
 cute her project ; but she was too late, for the appointed 
 signal was heard through the chill gloom of the night. 
 Unhappy woman! The light sound of George de 
 Croisenois' palms striking one upon the other re- 
 sounded in her ears like the dismal tolling of the fune- 
 real bell. She stooped to light a candle at the fire, but 
 her hand trembled so that she could scarcely effect her 
 object. She felt sure that George was still in the gar- 
 den, though she had made no answer to his signal. 
 She had never thought that he would have had the 
 audacity to open a door that led into the house from 
 the garden, but this is what he had done. In the most 
 innocent manner imaginable, and so that her listener in 
 no way suspected the special reason that she had for 
 making this communication, Diana de Mussidan had 
 informed George de Croisenois that upon this night all 
 the domestics of the Champdoce household would be 
 attending the coachman's wedding, and that conse- 
 quently the mansion would be deserted. George knew 
 also that the Duke was away at his training establish- 
 ment, and he therefore opened the door, and walked 
 boldly up the main staircase, so that when the Duchess,
 
 i8o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 with the lighted candle in her hand, came to the top 
 steps she found herself face to face with George de 
 Croisenois, pallid with emotion and quivering with ex- 
 citement. 
 
 At the sight of the man she loved she started back- 
 wards with a low cry of anguish and despair. 
 
 " Fly ! " she said " fly, or we are lost ! " 
 
 He did not, however, seem to hear her, and the 
 Duchess recoiled slowly, step by step, through the open 
 door of her chamber, across the carpeted floor, until 
 she reached the opposite wall of her room, and could 
 go no farther. 
 
 George followed her, and pushed to the door of the 
 room as he entered it. This brief delay, however, had 
 sufficed to restore Marie to the full possession of her 
 senses. " If I permit him to speak," thought she, " if 
 he once suspects that my love for him is still as strong 
 as ever, I am lost." 
 
 Then she said aloud, 
 
 " You must leave this house, and that instantly. I 
 was mad when I said what I did yesterday. You are 
 too noble and too generous not to listen to me when I 
 tell you that the moment of infatuation is over, and 
 that all my reason has returned to me, and my openness 
 will convince you of the truth of what I say George 
 de Croisenois, I love you." 
 
 The young man uttered an exclamation of delight 
 upon hearing this news. 
 
 " Yes," continued Marie, " I would give half the 
 years of my remaining life to be your wife. Yes, 
 George, I love you ; but the voice of duty speaks louder 
 than the whispers of the heart. I may die of grief, but 
 there will be no stain upon my marriage robe, no re- 
 morse eating out my heart. Farewell ! "
 
 HUSBAND AND LOVER 181 
 
 But the Marquis would not consent to this immedi- 
 ate dismissal, and appeared to be about to speak. 
 
 " Go ! " said the Duchess, with an air of command. 
 " Leave me at once ! " Then, as he made no effort to 
 obey her, she went on, "If you really love me, let my 
 honor be as dear to you as your own, and never try to 
 see me again. The peril we are now in shows how nec- 
 essary this last determination of mine is. I am the 
 Duchess de Champdoce, and I will keep the name that 
 has been intrusted to me pure and unsullied, nor will I 
 stoop to treachery or deception." 
 
 " Why do you use the word deception ? " asked he. 
 " I do, it is true, despise the woman who smiles upon 
 the husband she is betraying, but I respect and honor 
 the woman who risks all to follow the fortunes of the 
 man she loves. Lay aside, Marie, name, title, fortune, 
 and fly with me." 
 
 " I love you too much, George," answered she 
 gently, " to ruin your future, for the day would surely 
 come when you would regret all your self-denial, for a 
 woman weighed down with a sense of her dishonor is 
 a heavy burden for a man to bear." 
 
 George de Croisenois did not understand her thor- 
 oughly. 
 
 " You do not trust me," said he. " You would 
 be dishonored. Shall I not share a portion of the 
 world's censure? And, if you wish me, I will be a 
 dishonored man also. To-night I will cheat at play at 
 the club, be detected, and leave the room an outcast 
 from the society of all honorable men for the future. 
 Fly with me to some distant land, and we will live hap- 
 pily under whatever name you may choose." 
 
 " I must not listen to you," cried she wildly. " It is 
 impossible now."
 
 i82 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Impossible ! and why ? Tell me, I entreat you." 
 
 " Ah, George," sobbed she, " if you only knew " 
 
 He placed his arm around her waist, and was about 
 to press his lips on that fair brow, when all at once he 
 felt Marie shiver in his clasp, and, raising one of her 
 arms, point towards the door, which had opened 
 silently during their conversation, and upon the thresh- 
 old of which stood Norbert de Champdoce, gloomy and 
 threatening. 
 
 The Marquis saw in an instant the terrible position 
 in which his insensate folly had placed the woman he 
 loved. 
 
 " Do not come any nearer," said he, addressing Nor- 
 bert ; " remain where you are." 
 
 A bitter laugh from the Duke made him realize the 
 folly of his command. He supported the Duchess to a 
 couch, and seated her upon it. She recovered con- 
 sciousness almost immediately, and, as she opened her 
 eyes, George read in them the most perfect forgiveness 
 for the man who had ruined her life and hopes. 
 
 This look, and the fond assurance conveyed in it, re- 
 stored all George's coolness and self-possession, and he 
 turned towards Norbert. 
 
 "However compromising appearances may seem, I 
 am the only one deserving punishment; the Duchess 
 has nothing to reproach herself with in any way ; it was 
 without her knowledge, and without any encourage- 
 ment from her, that I dared to enter this house, know- 
 ing as I did that the servants were all absent." 
 
 Norbert, however, still maintained the same gloomy 
 silence. He too had need to collect his thoughts. As 
 he ascended the stairs he knew that he should find the 
 Duchess with a lover, but he had not calculated upon 
 that lover being George de Croisenois, a man whom he
 
 HUSBAND AND LOVER 183 
 
 loathed and detested more than any one that he was 
 in the habit of meeting in society. When he recog- 
 nized George, it was with the utmost difficulty that 
 he restrained himself from springing upon him and 
 endeavoring to strangle him. He had suspected this 
 man of having gained Diana's affections, and now he 
 found him in the character of the lover of his wife, and 
 he was silent simply because he had not yet made up 
 his mind what he would say. If his face was out- 
 wardly calm and rigid as marble, while the flames of 
 hell were raging in his heart, it was because his limbs 
 for the moment refused to obey his will ; but, in spite 
 of this, Norbert was, for the time, literally insane. 
 
 Croisenois folded his arms, and continued, 
 
 " I had only just come here at the moment of your 
 arrival. Why were you not here to listen to all that 
 passed between us? Would to heaven that you had 
 been ! then you would have understood all the grandeur 
 and nobility of your wife's soul. I admit the magni- 
 tude of my fault, but I am at your service, and am 
 prepared to give you the satisfaction that you will 
 doubtless demand." 
 
 " From your words," answered Norbert slowly, " I 
 presume that you allude to a duel ; that is to say, that 
 having effected my dishonor to-night, you purpose to 
 kill me to-morrow morning. In the game that you 
 have been playing a man stakes his life, and you, I 
 think, have lost." 
 
 Croisenois bowed. " I am a dead man," thought he 
 as he glanced towards the Duchess, " and not for your 
 sake, but on account of quite another woman." 
 
 The sound of his own voice excited Norbert, and he 
 went on more rapidly : " What need have I to risk my 
 life in a duel? I come to my own home, I find you
 
 i8 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 with my wife, I blow out your brains, and the law 
 will exonerate me." As he said these last words, he 
 drew a revolver from his pocket and levelled it at 
 George. The moment was an intensely exciting one, 
 but Croisenois did not show any sign of emotion, Nor- 
 bert did not press the trigger, and the suspense became 
 more than could be borne. 
 
 " Fire ! " cried George, " fire ! " 
 
 " No," returned Norbert coldly ; " on reflection I 
 have come to the conclusion that your dead body would 
 be a source of extreme inconvenience to me." 
 
 " You try my forbearance too far. What are your 
 intentions ? " 
 
 " I mean to kill you," answered Norbert in such a 
 voice of concentrated ferocity that George shuddered 
 in spite of all his courage, " but it shall not be with a 
 pistol shot. It is said that blood will wash out any 
 stain, but it is false ; for even if all yours is shed, it will 
 not remove the stain from my escutcheon. One of us 
 must vanish from the face of the earth in such a man- 
 ner that no trace of him may remain." 
 
 " I agree. Show me how this is to be done." 
 
 " I know a method," answered Norbert. " If I was 
 certain that no human being was aware of your pres- 
 ence here to-night " 
 
 " No one can possibly know it." 
 
 " Then," answered the Duke, " instead of taking ad- 
 vantage of the rights that the law gives me and shoot- 
 ing you down on the spot, I will consent to risk my 
 life against yours." 
 
 George de Croisenois breathed a sigh of relief. " I 
 am ready," replied he, " as I before told you." 
 
 " I heard you ; but remember that this will be no
 
 HUSBAND AND LOVER 185 
 
 ordinary duel, in the light of day, with seconds to regu- 
 late the manner of our conduct." 
 
 " We will fight exactly as you wish." 
 
 " In that case, I name swords as the weapons, the 
 garden as the spot, and this instant as the hour." 
 
 The Marquis cast a glance at the window. 
 
 " You think," observed Norbert, comprehending his 
 look, " that the night is so dark that we cannot see the 
 blades of our swords ? " 
 
 " Quite so." 
 
 " You need not fear ; there will be light enough for 
 the death struggle of the one who remains in the gar- 
 den, for you understand that one will remain." 
 
 " I understand you ; shall we go down at once ? " 
 
 Norbert shook his head in the negative. 
 
 " You are in too great a hurry," said he, " and have 
 not given me the time to fix my conditions." 
 
 " I am listening." 
 
 " At the end of the garden there is a small plot of 
 ground, so damp that nothing will grow there, and 
 consequently is almost unfrequented; but for all that 
 it is thither that you must follow me. We will each 
 take spade and pick-axe, and in a very brief period 
 we can hollow out a receptacle for the body of the 
 one who falls. When this work is completed, we will 
 take to our swords and fight to the death, and the one 
 who can keep his feet shall finish his fallen adver- 
 sary, drag his body to the hole, and shovel the earth 
 over his remains." 
 
 " Never ! " exclaimed Croisenois. " Never will I 
 agree to such barbarous terms." 
 
 " Have a care then," returned Norbert ; " for I shall 
 use my rights. That clock points to five minutes to
 
 i86 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 eleven. If, when it strikes, you have not decided 
 to accept my terms, I shall fire." 
 
 The barrel of the revolver was but a few inches 
 from George de Croisenois' heart, and the finger of 
 his most inveterate enemy was curved round the trig- 
 ger; but his feelings had been so highly wrought up 
 that he thought not of this danger. He only remem- 
 bered that he had four minutes in which to make up 
 his mind. The events of the last thirty minutes had 
 pressed upon each other's heels with such surprising 
 alacrity that he could hardly believe that they had 
 really occurred, and it seemed to him as if it might 
 not, after all, be only a hideous vision of the 
 night. 
 
 " You have only two minutes more," remarked the 
 Duke. 
 
 Croisenois started; his soul was far away from the 
 terrible present. He glanced at the clock, then at his 
 enemy, and lastly at Marie, who lay upon the couch, 
 and from her ashen complexion might have been re- 
 garded as dead, save for the hysterical sobs which con- 
 vulsed her frame. He felt that it was impossible to 
 leave her in such a condition without aid of any kind, 
 but he saw well that any show of pity on his part 
 would only aggravate his offence. " Heaven have 
 mercy on us ! " muttered he. " We are at the mercy 
 of a maniac," and with a feeling of deadly fear he 
 asked himself what would be the fate of this woman, 
 whom he loved so devotedly, were he to die. " For 
 her sake," he thought, " I must slay this man, or her 
 life will be one endless existence of torture and slay 
 him I will." 
 
 " I accept your terms," said he aloud. 
 
 He spoke just in time, for as the words were ut-
 
 HUSBAND AND LOVER 187 
 
 tered came the whirr of the machinery and then the 
 first clear stroke of the bell. 
 
 " I thank you," answered Norbert coldly as he low- 
 ered the muzzle of his revolver. 
 
 The icy frigidity of manner in a period of extreme 
 danger, which is the marked characteristic of a cer- 
 tain type of education, had now vanished from the 
 Marquis's tone and behavior. 
 
 " But that is not all," he continued ; " I, too, have 
 certain conditions to propose." 
 
 " But we agreed " 
 
 " Let me explain : we are going to fight in the 
 dark in your garden without seconds. We are to dig 
 a grave and the survivor is to bury his dead antag- 
 onist. Tell me, am I right ? " 
 
 Norbert bowed. 
 
 " But," went on the Marquis, " how can you be 
 certain that all will end here, and that the earth will 
 be content to retain our secret? You do not know, 
 and you do not seem to care, that if one day the se- 
 cret should be disclosed and the survivor accused of 
 being the murderer of the other, arrested, dragged 
 before a tribunal, condemned, and sent to a life-long 
 prison " 
 
 " There is a chance of that, of course." 
 
 " And do you think that I will consent to run such a 
 risk as that?" 
 
 " There is such a risk, of course," answered Nor- 
 bert phlegmatically ; " but that will be an incentive for 
 you to conceal my death as I should conceal yours." 
 
 " That will not be sufficient for me," returned De 
 Croisenois. 
 
 " Ah ! take care," sneered Norbert, " or I shall be- 
 gin to think that you are afraid."
 
 i88 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " I am afraid ; that is, afraid of being called a mur- 
 derer." 
 
 " That is a danger to which I am equally liable 
 with yourself." 
 
 Croisenois, however, was fully determined to carry 
 his point. " You say," continued he, " that our chances 
 are equal ; but if I fall, who would dream of searching 
 here for my remains? You are in your own house 
 and can take every precaution; but suppose, on the 
 other hand, I kill you. Shall I look to the Duchess to 
 assist me ? Will not the finger of suspicion be pointed 
 at her ? Shall she say to her gardener when all Paris 
 is hunting for you, ' Mind that you do not meddle 
 with the piece of land at the end of the garden.' " 
 
 The thought of the anonymous letter crossed Nor- 
 bert's mind, and he remembered that the writer of it 
 must be acquainted with the coming of George de 
 Croisenois. " What do you propose then ? " asked he. 
 
 " Merely that each of us, without stating the 
 grounds of our quarrel, write down the conditions 
 and sign our names as having accepted them." 
 
 " I agree ; but use dispatch." 
 
 The two men, after the conditions had been sub- 
 scribed, wrote two letters, dated from a foreign coun- 
 try, and the survivor of the combat was to post his 
 dead adversary's letter, which would not fail to stop 
 any search after the vanished man. When this talk 
 was concluded, Norbert rose to his feet. 
 
 " One word in conclusion," said he : "a soldier is 
 leading the horse on which I rode here up and down in 
 the Place des Invalides. If you kill me, go and take 
 the horse from the man, giving him the twenty francs 
 I promised him." 
 
 " I will."
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 189 
 
 " Now let us go down." 
 
 They left the room together. Norbert was step- 
 ping aside to permit Croisenois to descend the stairs 
 first, when he felt his coat gently pulled, and, turn- 
 ing round, saw that the Duchess, too weak to rise to 
 her feet, had crawled to him on her knees. The un- 
 happy woman had heard everything, and in an almost 
 inaudible voice she uttered an agonized prayer: 
 
 " Mercy, Norbert I have mercy ! I swear to you 
 that I am guiltless. You never loved me ; why should 
 you fight for me? Have pity! To-morrow, by all 
 that I hold sacred, I swear to you that I will enter a 
 convent, and you shall never see my face again. Have 
 pity!" 
 
 " Pray heaven, madame, that it may be your lover's 
 sword that pierces my heart. It is your only hope, for 
 then you will be free." 
 
 He tore his coat from her fingers with brutal violence, 
 and the unhappy woman fell to the floor with a shriek 
 as he closed the door upon her, and followed his an- 
 tagonist downstairs. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 BLADE TO BLADE. 
 
 SEVERAL times in the course of this interview Nor- 
 bert de Champdoce had been on the point of burst- 
 ing into a furious passion, but he restrained himself 
 from a motive of self-pride; but now that his wife 
 was no longer present, he showed a savage intensity 
 of purpose and a deadly earnestness that was abso-
 
 i 9 o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 lutely appalling. As he followed Croisenois down 
 the great staircase, he kept repeating the words, 
 " Quick ! quick ! we have lost too much time already ;" 
 for he saw that a mere trifle might upset all his 
 plans such as a servant returning home before the 
 others. When they reached the ground-floor, he led 
 George into a by-room which looked like an armory, 
 so filled was it with arms of all kinds and nations. 
 
 " Here," said he, with a bitter sneer, " we can find, 
 I think, what we want"; and placing the candle he 
 carried on the mantelpiece, he leaped upon the cush- 
 ioned seat that ran round the room, and took down 
 from the wall several pairs of duelling swords, and, 
 throwing them upon the floor, exclaimed, " Choose 
 your own weapon." 
 
 George was as anxious as Norbert to bring this 
 painful scene to a close, for anything was preferable 
 to this hideous state of suspense. The last despair- 
 ing glance of the Duchess had pierced his heart like 
 a dagger thrust, and when he saw Norbert thrust 
 aside his trembling wife with such brutality, it was 
 all that he could do to refrain from striking him down. 
 He made no choice of weapons, but grasped the near- 
 est, saying, 
 
 " One will do as well as another." 
 
 " We cannot fight in this darkness," said Norbert, 
 "but I have a means to remedy that. Come with 
 me this way, so that we may avoid the observation of 
 the porter." 
 
 They went into the stables, where he took up a large 
 lantern, which he lighted. 
 
 " This," said he, " will afford ample light for our 
 work." 
 
 " Ah, but the neighbors will see it, too ; and at this
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 191 
 
 hour a light in the garden is sure to attract atten- 
 tion," observed George. 
 
 " Don't be afraid ; my grounds are not over- 
 looked." 
 
 They entered the garden, and soon reached the spot 
 to which the Duke had alluded. Norbert hung the 
 lantern on the bough of a tree, and it gave the same 
 amount of light as an ordinary street lamp. 
 
 " We will dig the grave in that corner," observed 
 he ; " and when it is filled in, we can cover it with 
 that heap of stones over there." 
 
 He threw off his great coat, and, handing a spade to 
 Croisenois, took another himself, repeating firmly the 
 words, 
 
 " To work ! to work ! " 
 
 Croisenois would have toiled all night before he 
 could have completed the task, but the muscles of the 
 Duke were hardened by his former laborious life, 
 and in forty minutes all was ready. 
 
 " That will do," said Norbert, exchanging his spade 
 for a sword. " Take your guard." 
 
 Croisenois, however, did not immediately obey. 
 Impressible by nature, he felt a cold shiver run through 
 his frame; the dark night, the flickering lantern, and 
 all these preparations, made in so cold-blooded a man- 
 ner, affected his nerves. The grave, with its yawn- 
 ing mouth, fascinated him. 
 
 " Well," said Norbert impatiently, " are you not 
 ready?" 
 
 " I will speak," exclaimed De Croisenois, driven 
 to desperation. " In a few minutes one of us two will 
 be lying dead on this spot. In the presence of death 
 a man's words are to be relied on. Listen to me. I 
 swear to you, on my honor and by all my hopes of fu-
 
 i 9 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 ture salvation, that the Duchess de Champdoce is en- 
 tirely free from guilt." 
 
 " You have said that before ; why repeat it again ? " 
 
 " Because it is my duty ; because I am thinking 
 that, if I die, it will be my insane passions that have 
 caused the ruin of one of the best and purest women 
 in the world. I entreat you to believe tnat she has 
 nothing to repent of. See, I am not ashamed to de- 
 scend to entreaty. Let my death, if you kill me, be 
 an expiation for everything. Be gentle with your 
 wife; and if you survive me, do not make her life 
 one prolonged existence of agony." 
 
 " Silence, or I shall look upon you as a dastard," 
 returned Norbert fiercely. 
 
 " Miserable fool ! " said De Croisenois. " On guard, 
 then, and may heaven decide the issue ! " 
 
 There was a sharp clash as their swords crossed, 
 and the combat began with intense vigor. 
 
 The space upon which the rays of the lantern cast 
 a glimmering and uncertain light was but a small 
 one ; and while one of the combatants was in complete 
 shade the other was in the light, and exposed to thrusts 
 which he could not see. This was fatal to Croisenois, 
 and, as he took a step forward, Norbert made a fierce 
 lunge which pierced him to the heart. 
 
 The unfortunate man threw up his arms above his 
 head ; his sword escaping from his nerveless fingers 
 and his knees bending under him, he fell heavily 
 backwards without a word escaping from his lips. 
 Thrice he endeavored to regain his feet, and thrice he 
 failed in his attempts. He strove to speak, but he 
 could only utter a few unintelligible words, for his 
 life blood was suffocating him. A violent convul- 
 sion shook every limb, then arose a long, deep-drawn
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 193 
 
 sigh, and then silence George de Croisenois was 
 dead. 
 
 Yes, he was dead, and Norbert de Champdoce stood 
 over him with a wild look of terror in his eyes, and his 
 hair bristling upon his head, as a shudder of horror 
 convulsed his body. Then, for the first time, he real- 
 ized the horror of seeing a man slain by his own hand ; 
 and yet what affected Norbert most was not that 
 he had killed George de Croisenois for he believed 
 that justice was on his side and that he could not have 
 acted otherwise but the perspiration stood in thick 
 beads upon his forehead, as he thought that he must 
 raise up that still warm and quivering body, and 
 place it in its unhallowed grave. 
 
 He hesitated and reasoned with himself for some 
 time, going over all the reasons that made dispatch 
 so absolutely necessary the risk of detection, and 
 the honor of his name. 
 
 He stooped and prepared to raise it, but recoiled 
 again before his hands had touched the body. His 
 heart failed him, and once more he assumed an erect 
 position. At last he nerved himself, grasped the body, 
 and, with an immense exertion of strength, hurled it 
 into the gaping grave. It fell with a dull, heavy 
 sound which seemed to Norbert like the roar of an 
 earthquake. The violent emotions which he had en- 
 dured had ended by acting on his brain, and, snatch- 
 ing up the spade which his late antagonist had used 
 with so unpracticed a hand, shovelled the earth upon 
 the body, flattened down the ground, and finally cov- 
 ered it with straw and dead leaves. 
 
 " And this is the end of a man who wronged a 
 Champdoce; yes, his life has paid the penalty of his 
 deed."
 
 i 9 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 All at once, a few paces off, in the deep shadow 
 of the trees, he thought that he detected the outline 
 of a human head with a pair of glittering eyes fixed 
 upon him. The shock was so terrible that for an in- 
 stant he stopped and nearly fell, but he quickly re- 
 covered himself, and, snatching up his blood-stained 
 sword, he dashed to the spot where he fancied he had 
 seen this terrible witness of his deed. 
 
 At this rapid movement on the part of the Duke, 
 a figure started up with a faint cry for mercy. It 
 was a woman. 
 
 She fled with inconceivable swiftness towards the 
 house, but he caught her just as she had gained the 
 steps. 
 
 " Have mercy on me ! " cried she. " Do not murder 
 me!" 
 
 He dragged her back to where the lantern was 
 hanging. She was a girl of about eighteen years of 
 age, ugly, badly clothed, and dirty looking. Nor- 
 bert looked earnestly at her, but could not say who 
 she was, though he was certain that he had seen her 
 face somewhere. 
 
 " Who are you ? " asked he. 
 
 She burst into a flood of tears, but made no other 
 reply. 
 
 " Come," resumed he, in more soothing accents ; 
 " you shall not be hurt. Tell me who you are." 
 
 " Caroline Schimmel." 
 
 " Caroline ? " repeated he. 
 
 " Yes. I have been in your service as scullery 
 maid for the last three months." 
 
 " How is it that you did not go to the wedding 
 with the rest of them ? " 
 
 " It was not my fault. I was asked, and I did so
 
 AT LAST HE NERVED HIMSELF, GRASPED THE BODY, AND HURLED IT 
 INTO THE GAPING GRAVE
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 195 
 
 long to go, but I was too shabby; I had no finery to 
 put on. I am very poor now, for I have only fifteen 
 francs a month, and none of the other maids would 
 lend me anything to wear." 
 
 " How did you come into the garden?" asked Nor- 
 bert. 
 
 " I was very miserable, and was sitting in the gar- 
 ret crying, when I suddenly saw a light down there. 
 I thought it was theirs, and crept down the back 
 stairs." 
 
 " And what did you see ? " 
 
 " I saw it all." 
 
 "All what?" 
 
 " When I got down here, you and the other were 
 digging. I thought you were looking for money ! 
 but ah, dear me ! I was wrong. Then the other be- 
 gan to say something, but I couldn't catch a word; 
 then you fought. Oh, it was awful ! I was so fright- 
 ened, I could not take my eyes off you. Then the 
 other fell down on his back." 
 
 " And then ? " 
 
 " Then," she faltered, " you buried him, and then 
 
 "Could you recognize this this other?" 
 
 "Yes, my lord duke, I did." 
 
 " Had you ever seen him before ? Do you know 
 who he was ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Listen to me, my girl. If you know how to hold 
 your tongue, if you can forget all you have seen to- 
 night, it will be the greatest piece of luck for you 
 in the world that you did not go to this wedding." 
 
 " I won't open my lips to a soul, my lord duke. 
 Hear me swear, I won't. Oh, do believe me ! "
 
 i 9 6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Very well ; keep your oath, and your fortune is 
 made. To-morrow I will give you a fine, large sum 
 of money, and you can go back to your village and 
 marry some honest fellow to whom you have taken a 
 fancy." 
 
 " Are you not making game of me ? " 
 
 " No ; go to your room and go to bed, as if nothing 
 had happened. Jean will tell you what to do to-mor- 
 row, and you must obey him as you would me." 
 
 " Oh, my lord ! oh, my lord duke ! " 
 
 Unable to contain her delight, she mingled her 
 laughter and her tears. 
 
 And Norbert knew that his name, his honor, and 
 perhaps his life were in the hands of a wretched girl 
 like this. All the peace and happiness of his life were 
 gone, and he felt like some unhappy prisoner who 
 through the bars of his dungeon sees his jailer's chil- 
 dren sporting with lighted matches and a barrel of 
 gunpowder. He was at her mercy, for well he knew 
 that it would resolve into this that the smallest wish 
 of this girl would become an imperative command 
 that he dared not disobey. However absurd might be 
 her whims and caprices, she had but to express them, 
 and he dared not resist. What means could he adopt 
 to free himself from this odious state of servitude? 
 He knew but of one the dead tell no tales. There 
 were four persons who were the sharers of Norbert's 
 secret. First, the writer of the anonymous letter; 
 then the Duchess; then Caroline Schimmel; and, fi- 
 nally, Jean, to whom he must confide all. With these 
 thoughts ringing through his brain, Norbert carefully 
 effaced the last traces of the duel, and then bent his 
 steps towards his wife's chamber. 
 
 He had expected to find her still unconscious on the
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 197 
 
 spot where he had left her lying. Marie was seated 
 in an armchair by the side of the fire; her face was 
 terribly pale, and her eyes sparkling with the inward 
 flame that consumed her. 
 
 " My honor has been vindicated ; the Marquis de 
 Croisenois is no more; I have slain your lover, ma- 
 dame." 
 
 Marie did not start; she had evidently prepared 
 herself for this blow. Her face assumed a more 
 proud and disdainful expression, and the light in her 
 dark eyes grew brighter and brighter. 
 
 " You are wrong," said she, " M. de Croisenois 
 was not my lover." 
 
 " You need no longer take the pains to lie ; I ask 
 nothing now." 
 
 Marie's utter calmness jarred inexpressibly upon 
 Norbert's exasperated frame of mind. He would 
 have given much to change this mood of hers, which 
 he could not at all understand. But in vain did he 
 say the most cutting things, and coupled them with 
 bitter taunts, for she had reached a pitch of exalta- 
 tion far above his sarcasms and abuse. 
 
 " I am not lying," answered she frigidly. " What 
 should I gain by it? What more have I to gain in 
 this world ? You desire to learn the truth ; here it is 
 then : It was with my knowledge and permission that 
 George was here to-night. He came because I had 
 asked him to do so, and I left the gate in the garden 
 wall open, so as to facilitate his entrance. He had 
 not been more than five minutes in your room when 
 you arrived, and he had never been there before. It 
 would have been easy for me to have left you ; but 
 as I bear your name, I could not dishonor it. As you 
 entered, he was entreating me to fly with him ; both his
 
 ig8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 life and his honor were in my hands. Ah, why did 
 I pause for an instant? Had I consented, he would 
 still have been alive, and in some far distant country 
 he and I might have learned that this world has some- 
 thing more to offer than unhappiness and misery. 
 Yes, as you will have it, you shall have all. I loved 
 him ere I knew that you even existed. I have only 
 my own folly to blame, only my own unhappy weak- 
 ness to deplore. Why did I not steadily refuse to be- 
 come your wife? You say that you have slain 
 George. Not so, for in my heart his memory will 
 ever remain bright and ineffaceable." 
 
 " Beware ! " said Norbert furiously, " beware if 
 
 " Ah, would you kill me, too ? Do not fear resist- 
 ance ; my life is a blank without him. He is dead ; let 
 death come to me; it would be a welcome visitant. 
 The only kindness that you could now bestow upon 
 me would be my death-blow. Strike then, and end 
 it all! In death we should be united, George and I; 
 and as my limbs grew stiff and my breath passed away, 
 my whitening lips would murmur words of thanks." 
 
 Norbert listened to her, overwhelmed by the inten- 
 sity of her passion, and marvelling that he had any 
 power to feel after the terrible event which had fallen 
 upon his devoted head. 
 
 Could this be Marie, the soft and gentle woman, 
 who spoke with such passionate vehemence and boldly 
 braved his anger? How could he have so misunder- 
 stood her? He forgot all his anger in his admira- 
 tion. She seemed to him to have undergone a com- 
 plete change. There was an unearthly style of beauty 
 around her her eyes blazed and shone with the lurid 
 light of a far-distant planet, while her wealth of raven
 
 BLADE TO BLADE 199 
 
 hair fell in disordered masses on her shoulders. It 
 was passion, real passion, that he beheld to-night, not 
 that mere empty delusion which he had so long fol- 
 lowed blindly. Marie was really capable of a deep- 
 rooted feeling of adoration for the man she loved, 
 while with Diana de Mussidan, the woman with the 
 fair hair and the steel-blue eyes, love was but the lust 
 of conquest, or the desire to jeer at a suitor's earnest- 
 ness. Ah, what a revelation had been made to him 
 now! and what would he not have given to have 
 wiped out the past ! He advanced towards her with 
 outstretched arms. 
 
 " Marie ! " said he, " Marie ! " 
 
 " I forbid you to call me Marie ! " shrieked she 
 wildly. 
 
 He made no reply, but still advanced towards her, 
 when, with a terrible cry, she recoiled from him. 
 
 " Blood ! " she screamed, " ah, heavens ! he has blood 
 upon his hands ! " 
 
 Norbert glanced downwards; upon the wristband 
 of his shirt there was a tell-tale crimson stain. 
 
 The Duchess raised her hand, and pointed towards 
 the door. 
 
 " Leave me," said she, with an extraordinary as- 
 sumption of energy, " leave me ; the secret of your 
 crime is safe ; I will not betray you or hand you over 
 to justice. But remember that a murdered man 
 stands between us, and that I loathe and execrate 
 you." 
 
 Rage and jealousy tortured Norbert's soul. Though 
 George de Croisenois was no more, he was still his 
 successful rival in Marie's love. 
 
 "You forget," said he in a voice hoarse with pas- 
 sion, " that you are mine, and that, as your husband,
 
 200 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 I can make your existence one long' scene of agony 
 and misery. Keep this fact in your memory. To- 
 morrow, at six o'clock, I shall be here." 
 
 The clock was striking two as he left the house 
 and hastened to the spot where he had left his 
 horse. 
 
 The soldier was still pacing backwards and for- 
 wards, leading the Duke's horse. 
 
 " My faith ! " said the man, as soon as he perceived 
 Norbert, " you pay precious long visits. I had only 
 leave to go to the theatre, and I shall get into trouble 
 over this." 
 
 " Pshaw ! I promised you twenty francs. Here are 
 two louis." 
 
 The soldier pocketed the money with an air of de- 
 lighted surprise, and Norbert sprang into the saddle. 
 
 An hour later he gave the appointed signal upon 
 the window pane, behind which the trusty Jean was 
 waiting. 
 
 " Take care that no one sees you as you take the 
 horse to the stable," said the Duke hastily, " and then 
 come to me, for I want your assistance and advice." 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE HEIR OF CHAMPDOCE. 
 
 As long as she was in Norbert's presence, anger 
 and indignation gave the Duchess de Champdoce 
 strength ; but as soon as she was left alone her energy 
 gave way, and with an outburst of tears she sank, 
 half fainting, upon a couch. Her despair was aug- 
 mented from the fact that she felt that had it not
 
 THE HEIR OF CHAMPDOCE 201 
 
 been for her, George de Croisenois would never have 
 met with his death. 
 
 " Had I not made that fatal appointment," she 
 sobbed, " he would be alive and well now ; my love 
 has slain him as surely as if my hand had held the 
 steel that has pierced his heart ! " 
 
 She at first thought of seeking refuge with her 
 father, but abandoned the idea almost immediately, 
 for she felt that he would refuse to enter into her 
 grievance, or would say, " You are a duchess ; you 
 have an enormous fortune. You must be happy ; and 
 if you are not, it must be your own fault." 
 
 In terrible anguish the night passed away ; and when 
 her maids entered the room, they found her lying on 
 the floor, dressed as she had been the night before. 
 No one knew what to do, and messengers were dis- 
 patched in all directions to summon medical advice. 
 
 Norbert's return was eagerly welcomed by the terri- 
 fied domestics, and a general feeling of relief per- 
 vaded the establishment. 
 
 The Duke had grown very uneasy as to. what might 
 have happened during his absence. He questioned 
 the servants as diplomatically as he could; and while 
 he was thus engaged, the doctors who had been sum- 
 moned arrived. 
 
 After seeing their patient, they did not for a mo- 
 ment conceal their opinion that the case was a very 
 serious one, and that it was possible that she might not 
 survive this mysterious seizure. They impressed upon 
 Norbert the necessity of the Duchess being kept per- 
 fectly quiet and never left alone, and then departed, 
 promising to call again in the afternoon. 
 
 Their injunctions were unnecessary, for Norbert 
 had established himself by his wife's bedside, resolved
 
 202 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 not to quit her until her health was re-established or 
 death had intervened to release her from suffering. 
 Fever had claimed her for its own, and in her de- 
 lusion she uttered many incoherent ravings, the key 
 to which Norbert alone held, and which filled his 
 soul with dread and terror. 
 
 This was the second time that Norbert had been 
 compelled to watch over a sick-bed, guarding within 
 his heart a terrible secret. At Champdoce he had 
 sat by his father's side, who could have revealed the 
 terrible attempt against his life; and now it was his 
 wife that he was keeping a watch on, lest her lips 
 should utter the horrible secret of the death of George 
 de Croisenois. 
 
 Compelled to remain by his wife's side, the thoughts 
 of his past life forced themselves upon him, and he 
 shuddered to think that, at the age of twenty-five, 
 he had only to look back upon scenes of misery and 
 crime, which cast a cloud of gloom and horror over 
 the rest of his days. What a terrible future to come 
 after so hideous a past ! 
 
 He had another source of anxiety, and frequently 
 rang the bell to inquire for Jean. 
 
 " Send him to me as soon as he comes," was his 
 order. 
 
 At last Jean made his appearance, and his master 
 led him into a deeply-recessed window. 
 
 " Well ? " asked he. 
 
 " All is settled, my lord ; be easy." 
 
 "And Caroline?" 
 
 " Has left. I gave her twenty thousand francs, and 
 saw her into the train myself. She is going to the 
 States, where she hopes to find a cousin who will 
 marry her; at least, that is her intention."
 
 THE HEIR OF CHAMPDOCE 203 
 
 Norbert heaved a deep sigh of relief, for the 
 thought of Caroline Schimmel had laid like a heavy 
 burden upon his heart. 
 
 " And how about the other matter ? " asked he. 
 
 The old man shook his head. 
 
 " What has been done ? " 
 
 " I have got hold of a young fellow who believes 
 that I wish to send him to Egypt, to purchase cot- 
 ton. He will start to-morrow, and will post the two 
 letters written by the Marquis de Croisenois, one at 
 Marseilles, and the other at Cairo." 
 
 " Do you not think that these letters will insure 
 my perfect security ? " 
 
 " I see that any indiscretion on our agent's part, 
 or a mere act of carelessness, may ruin us." 
 
 " And yet it must be done." 
 
 After consulting together, the doctors had given 
 some slight hope, but the position of the patient was 
 still very precarious. It was suggested that her in- 
 tellect might be permanently affected ; and during all 
 these long and anxious hours Norbert did not even 
 dare to close his eyes, and it was with feelings of 
 secret terror that he permitted the maids to perform 
 their duties around their invalid mistress. 
 
 Upon the fourth day the fever took a favorable 
 turn, and Marie slept, giving Norbert time to review 
 his position. 
 
 How was it that Madame de Mussidan, who was a 
 daily visitor, had not appeared at the house since that 
 eventful night? He was so much surprised at this 
 that he ventured to dispatch a- short note, acquainting 
 her of the sudden illness of his wife. 
 
 In an hour he received a reply, merely containing 
 these words:
 
 204 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Can you account for M. de Mussidan's sudden de- 
 termination to spend the winter in Italy? We leave 
 this evening. Farewell. D." 
 
 And so she, too, had abandoned him, taking with her 
 all the hopes he had in the world. Still, however, his 
 infatuation held its sway over him, and he forced 
 himself to believe that she felt this separation as keenly 
 as he did. 
 
 Some five days afterwards, when the Duchess de 
 Champdoce had been pronounced out of immediate 
 danger, one of the doctors took him mysteriously 
 aside. He said that he wanted to inform the Duke 
 of a startling, but he hoped a welcome piece of intelli- 
 gence that the Duchess de Champdoce was in the 
 way to present the Duke with an heir to his title and 
 estates. 
 
 It was the knowledge of this that had decided her 
 not to leave her husband's roof, and had steeled her 
 heart against George's entreaties. She had hesitated, 
 and had almost yielded to the feelings of her heart, 
 when this thought troubled her. 
 
 Unfortunately for herself, she had not disclosed her 
 condition to her husband, and, at the news, all Nor- 
 bert's former suspicions revived, and his wrath rose 
 once more to an extraordinary height. His lips grew 
 pale, and his eyes blazed with fury. 
 
 " Thank you, doctor ! " exclaimed he. " Of course, 
 the news is very welcome. Good-by. I must go to 
 the Duchess at once." 
 
 Instead of going to his wife, Norbert went and 
 locked himself up in his own private apartment. He 
 had need to be alone, in order to look this fresh com- 
 plication more fully in the face, and the more he re- 
 flected, the more convinced was he that he had been
 
 THE HEIR OF CHAMPDOCE 205 
 
 the dupe of a guilty woman. He had begun by doubt- 
 ing, and he ended by being convinced that the child 
 was not his. Was he to accept this degraded posi- 
 tion, and rear up as his own the child of George de 
 Croisenois ? The child would grow up under his own 
 roof-tree, bear his name, and finally inherit his title 
 and gigantic fortune. " Never," muttered he. " No, 
 never; for sooner than that, I will crush the life out 
 of it with my own hands ! " 
 
 The more he thought how he should have to de- 
 ceive the world by feigning love and lavishing caresses 
 upon this interloping child, the more he felt that it 
 would be impossible to perform his task. He had, 
 however, much to do at present. The sudden and 
 mysterious disappearance of George de Croisenois had 
 created much stir and excitement in Paris, and the 
 letter which had been posted by the agent dispatched 
 by Jean, instead of explaining matters, had only deep- 
 ened the mystery and caused fresh grounds of sur- 
 prise to arise in the minds of the friends of the Mar- 
 quis and the police authorities. But the disappearance 
 of the Marquis was only a nine days' wonder after 
 all. Some other strange event excited the attention 
 of the fickle public, and George de Croisenois' name 
 was no longer in every one's mouth. 
 
 Norbert breathed freely once more, for he felt his 
 secret was safe. 
 
 Diana de Mussidan had now been absent for three 
 months and had not vouchsafed him a single line. A 
 river of blood flowed between him and his wife. 
 Among all his acquaintances he had not one friend 
 on whom he could rely, and his reckless life of de- 
 bauchery and dissipation began to weary him. His 
 thoughts were always fixed upon this coming child.
 
 2o6 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 How could he ever bear to bring it up as if it were his 
 own? He had thought over many plans, but always 
 trusted to the first one he had conceived. This was 
 to procure an infant, it mattered not where or by 
 what means, and substitute it for the new-born child 
 of his wife. As time rolled on, he became more im- 
 bued with this idea, and at length he summoned Jean 
 to him, that faithful old man, who served his master 
 so truly out of affection to the house of Champdoce. 
 
 For the first time Jean raised an objection to his 
 master's proposal, declaring that such an act would 
 bring shame and misery upon all concerned in it; 
 but when he found that Norbert was determined, ind 
 that, if he refused, his master would employ some less 
 scrupulous agent, he, with tears in his eyes and a 
 tremor in his voice, promised obedience. 
 
 About a month later, Jean came to his master and 
 suggested that it would be best the accouchement of 
 the Duchess should take place at a chateau belonging 
 to the Champdoce family near Montroire, and that 
 this once done, he, Jean, would arrange everything. 
 The removal was effected almost at once, and the Duch- 
 ess, who was a mere shadow of her former self, made 
 no opposition. She and Norbert lived together as 
 perfect strangers. Sometimes a week would elapse 
 without their meeting; and if they had occasion to 
 communicate, it was done by letter. 
 
 The estate to which Norbert had conducted the 
 Duchess was admirably adapted for his purpose. The 
 unhappy woman was entirely alone in the world, and 
 had no one to whom she could apply for protection or 
 advice. Her father, the Count de Puymandour, had 
 died suddenly a month before, owing to chagrin 
 caused by his defeat when a candidate for a seat in
 
 MASCARIN SPEAKS 207 
 
 the Chamber. The brief note from the despairing 
 mother, in which followed the words, " Have mercy ! 
 Give me back my child ! " hardly describes the terri- 
 ble events that occurred in the lonely Chateau to which 
 Norbert had conducted his innocent victim. 
 
 The child of the Duchess de Champdoce had been 
 placed by Jean in the Foundling Hospital at Ven- 
 dome, while the infant that was baptized with the 
 grandiloquent names of Anne Rene, Gontran de Due- 
 pair, Marquis de Champdoce, was the bastard child of 
 a girl living near Montroire, who was known in the 
 neighborhood as " The Witch." 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MASCARIN SPEAKS. 
 
 THIS was the conclusion of the manuscript handed 
 by Mascarin to Paul Violaine, and the young man laid 
 down the roll of paper with the remark, " And that 
 is all." 
 
 He had consumed six hours in reading this sad ac- 
 count of the follies and crimes of the owners of illus- 
 trious names. 
 
 Mascarin had listened with the complacency of an 
 author who hears his own work read aloud to him, 
 but all the while he was keenly watching him beneath 
 his spectacles and the faces of his companions. The 
 effect that was produced was immense, and exactly 
 what he had anticipated. Paul, Hortebise, and Cate- 
 nae gazed upon each other with faces in which aston- 
 ishment at the strange recital, and then at the power
 
 2o8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 of the man who had collected these facts together, 
 were mingled, and Catenae was the first who spoke. 
 The sound of his own voice seemed gradually to dis- 
 pel the vague sense of apprehension that hung about 
 the office. 
 
 " Aha ! " cried he, " I always said that our old 
 friend Mascarin would make his mark in literature. 
 As soon as his pen touches the paper the business 
 man vanishes; we have no longer a collection of dry 
 facts and proofs, but the stirring pages of a sensational 
 novel." 
 
 " Do you really consider that as a mere romance ? " 
 asked Hortebise. 
 
 " It reads like one certainly ; you must allow that." 
 
 " Catenae," remarked Mascarin in his bitterly sar- 
 castic tone, " is best able to pronounce upon the truth 
 or falsehood of this narrative, as he is the professional 
 adviser of this same Duke de Champdoce, the very 
 Norbert whose life has just been read to you." 
 
 " I do not deny that there is some slight foundation 
 to it," returned the lawyer. 
 
 "Then what is it that you do deny?" 
 
 "Nothing, nothing; I merely objected, more in jest 
 than otherwise, to the sentimental manner in which 
 you have set forward your case." 
 
 " Catenae," remarked Mascarin, addressing the 
 others, " has received many confidential communica- 
 tions from his noble client, which he has not thought 
 fit to communicate to us; and though he fancied that 
 we were drifting into quicksands and among break- 
 ers, he displayed no signal of warning to save us from 
 our danger, hoping, like a true friend, that, by this 
 means, he might get rid of us."
 
 MASCARIN SPEAKS 209 
 
 Catenae began to utter protestations and denials, 
 but Mascarin cut him short with an imperative ges- 
 ture, and, after a long pause, he again commenced, 
 
 " You must understand that my inquisitors have had 
 but little to do in this affair, for my work has chiefly 
 consisted in putting fragments together. It is not to 
 me that you are indebted for the sensational (I think 
 that that was the term used) part of my story, but 
 rather to Madame de Mussidan and Norbert de 
 Champdoce. I am sure that some of the phrases must 
 have struck you considerably." 
 
 " It seems to me," objected Catenae 
 
 " Perhaps," broke in Mascarin, " you have for- 
 gotten the correspondence which the Countess de Mus- 
 sidan preserved so carefully both his letters and her 
 own, which Norbert returned to her." 
 
 " And have we those ? " 
 
 " Of course we have, only there is a perfect romance 
 contained in these letters. What I have read is a mere 
 bald extract from them ; and this is not all. The man 
 who assisted me in the unravelling of this dark in- 
 trigue was the original promoter Daumon." 
 
 " What, is the Counsellor still alive ? " 
 
 " Certainly, and you know him. He is not quite in 
 his first youth, and has aged somewhat, but his intel- 
 lect is as brilliant as ever." 
 
 Catenae grew serious. " You tell me a great deal," 
 said he. 
 
 " I can tell you even more. I can tell you that the 
 account of the deed was written under the dictation 
 of Caroline Schimmel," broke in Mascarin. " This 
 unlucky woman started for Havre, intending to sail 
 for the United States, but she got no further than that
 
 2 io THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 seaport town, for the good looks and the persuasive 
 tongue of a sailor induced her to alter her plans. As 
 long as her money lasted he remained an ardent lover, 
 but vanished with the disappearance of her last thou- 
 sand-franc note. Starving and poverty-stricken, Caro- 
 line returned to Paris and to the Duke de Champdoce, 
 who accepted her constant demands for money as a 
 penitent expiation of his crime. But she remained 
 faithful to her oath ; and had it not been for her ter- 
 rible propensity for drink, Tantaine would never have 
 succeeded in extracting her secret from her. If, on 
 her recovery from her fit of drink coma, she recollects 
 what has taken place, she will, if I read her character 
 right, go straight to the Duke de Champdoce and tell 
 him that his secret has passed into better hands." 
 
 At this idea being promulgated, Catenae started 
 from his chair with a loud oath. 
 
 " Did you think," asked Mascarin, " that I should 
 feel so much at my ease if I found that there was the 
 slightest risk? Let us consider what it is that Caro- 
 line can say. Who is it that she can accuse of having 
 stolen her secret from her? Why, only a poor old 
 wretch named Tantaine. How can the Duke possibly 
 trace any connection between this miserable writer and 
 Catenae ? " 
 
 " Yes, I think that it would be a difficult task." 
 
 " Besides," pursued Mascarin, " what have we to 
 fear from the Duke de Champdoce? Nothing, as far 
 as I can see. Is he not as much in our power as the 
 woman he formerly loved Diana de Mussidan? Do 
 we not hold the letters of both of them, and do we 
 not know in what corner of his garden to dig to dis- 
 cover a damning piece of evidence? Remember that 
 there will be no difficulty in identifying the skeleton,
 
 MASCARIN SPEAKS 211 
 
 for at the time of his disappearance, Croisenois had 
 about him several Spanish doubloons, a fact which 
 was given to the police." 
 
 " Well," said Catenae, " I will act faithfully. Tell 
 me your plans, and I will let you know all that I 
 hear from the Duke." 
 
 For a moment a smile hovered upon Mascarin's lips, 
 for this time he placed firm reliance upon the good 
 faith of the lawyer. 
 
 " Before we go further," said he, " let me conclude 
 this narrative which Paul has just read. It is sad and 
 simple. The united ages of the Duke and Duchess 
 did not exceed fifty years ; they had unlimited wealth, 
 and bore one of the grandest historic names of France ; 
 they were surrounded with every appliance of luxury, 
 and yet their lives were a perfect wreck. They simply 
 dragged on an existence and had lost all hopes of 
 happiness, but they made up their minds to conceal the 
 skeleton of their house in the darkest cupboard, and 
 the world knew nothing of their inner life. The 
 Duchess suffered much in health, and merely went out 
 to visit the sick and poor. The Duke worked hard to 
 make up for the deficiencies of his early education, and 
 made a name and reputation throughout Europe." 
 
 " And how about Madame de Mussidan ? " asked 
 Catenae. 
 
 " I am coming to that," returned Mascarin. " With 
 that strange determination that fills the hearts of our 
 women, she did not consider her revenge complete 
 until Norbert learned that she was the sole instrument 
 in heaping the crowning sorrow of his life on his head ; 
 and on her return from Italy, she sent for him and 
 told him everything. Yes, she absolutely had the au- 
 dacity to tell him that it was she who had done her
 
 212 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 best to throw his wife into De Croisenois' arms. She 
 told him that it was she who had worked the arrange- 
 ments for the meeting, and had written the anonymous 
 letter." 
 
 " Why did he not kill her ? " cried Hortebise. " Had 
 she not all his letters, and taunted him with the pro- 
 duction of them ? Ah, my dear friends, do not let us 
 flatter ourselves that we have the sole monopoly of 
 blackmailing. This high-born Countess plunged her 
 hand into the Duke's coffers just as if she had been 
 a mere adventuress. It is only ten days ago that she 
 borrowed you will observe the entry of it as a loan 
 a large sum to settle an account of Van Klopen's. 
 But let us now speak of the child who took the place 
 of the boy whom the Duchess brought into the world. 
 You know him, doctor?" 
 
 " Yes, I have often seen him. He was a good-look- 
 ing young fellow." 
 
 " He was, but he was a degraded scoundrel, after 
 all. He was educated and brought up without regard 
 to expense, but he always displayed low tastes, and, 
 had he lived, would have brought discredit on the 
 name he bore. He was a thorn in the side of the Duke 
 and Duchess, and I believe that they felt great relief 
 when he died of brain fever, brought on by a drunken 
 debauch. His parents, or those whom he supposed to 
 be such, were present at his death-bed, for they had 
 learned to consider their sorrows as the just chastise- 
 ment of heaven. The boy having died, the family of 
 Champdoce seemed likely to become extinct, and then 
 it was that Norbert decided to do what his wife had 
 long urged upon him, to seek for and reclaim the child 
 which he had caused to be placed in the Foundling 
 Hospital at Vendome. It went against his pride to
 
 MASCARIN SPEAKS 213 
 
 diverge from the course he had determined on as best, 
 but doubts had arisen in his mind as to his wife's 
 guilt, and Diana's confessions had reassured him as 
 to the paternity of the missing boy. It was thus with 
 hope in his heart, and furnished with every necessary 
 document, that he started for Vendome ; but there a 
 terrible disappointment awaited him. The authorities 
 of the hospital, on consulting the register, found 
 that a child had been admitted on the day and hour 
 mentioned by Norbert, and that his description of the 
 infant's clothing tallied exactly with the entries. But 
 the child was no longer in the hospital, and there was 
 no clue to his whereabouts. He had, at the age of 
 twelve, been apprenticed to a tanner, but he had run 
 away from his master, and the most active and ener- 
 getic search had failed to arrest the fugitive." 
 
 Catenae listened to all these exact . details with an 
 unpleasant feeling gnawing at his heart, for he. saw 
 that his associates knew everything, and he had relied 
 upon again securing their confidence by furnishing 
 them with those details which were evidently already 
 known to them. Mascarin, however, affected not to 
 notice his surprise, and went on with his narrative. 
 
 " This terrible disappointment will certainly kill the 
 Duke de Champdoce. It seemed to him that after 
 having- so bitterly expiated the crimes and follies of 
 his youth, he might hope to have his old age in peace 
 and quiet, with a son who might cheer the loneliness 
 of his desolate fireside. His countenance, as soon as 
 he appeared before the Duchess, who had been ex- 
 pecting his return in an agony of anguish and sus- 
 pense, told her at once that all hope had fled. In a 
 few days, however, the Duke had perfectly recovered 
 from the shock, and had decided that to give up the
 
 2i 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 search would be an act of madness. The world is 
 wide, and a friendless boy, without a name, difficult 
 to trace; but, with ample funds, almost anything can 
 be done, and he was willing to sacrifice both life and 
 fortune to attain his object. So immense were his re- 
 sources, that it was easy for him to employ the most 
 skilful detectives; and whatever the result might be, 
 he had come to look upon this task as a sacred duty 
 to which he ought to devote all the remaining years 
 of his life. He swore that he would never rest or 
 cease from his search until he had been furnished with 
 the indisputable proofs of the existence or the death 
 of his son. He did not confide all this project to the 
 Duchess; for he feared and he had by this time 
 learned to have some consideration for her enfeebled 
 frame her health had given way so completely that 
 any extra degree of excitement might prove fatal to 
 her. He, therefore, as a preliminary, applied to that 
 element which in the Rue de Jerusalem acts as the 
 terrestrial guardians of society. But the police could 
 do nothing for the Duke. They heard what he had 
 to say gravely, took notes, told him to call again later 
 on, and there was an end to their proceedings. It 
 can easily be understood that the rank and position of 
 the Duke prevented him from making his name known 
 in his inquiries ; and as he dared not divulge the whole 
 truth, he gave such a bald version of the case, that 
 it excited no deep feelings of interest. At last he was 
 sent to a certain M. Lecoq." 
 
 To Paul's utter astonishment, the name produced a 
 sudden and terrible effect upon Doctor Hortebise, who 
 started to his feet as if propelled from his chair by 
 the unexpected application of some hidden motive 
 power, and, fingering the locket that hung from his
 
 MASCARIN SPEAKS 215 
 
 chain, gazed round upon his associates with wild and 
 excited eyes. 
 
 " Stop ! " cried he. " If that fellow Lecoq is to put 
 his nose into your case, I withdraw ; I will have noth- 
 ing to do with it, for it is certain to be a failure." 
 
 He appeared to be so thoroughly frightened, that 
 Catenae condescended to smile. 
 
 " Yes, yes," said he, " I can understand your alarm ; 
 but be at ease ; Lecoq has nothing to do with us." 
 
 But Hortebise was not satisfied with Catenae's as- 
 surance, and looked for confirmation from Mascarin. 
 
 " Lecoq has nothing to do with us," repeated his 
 friend. " The fool said that his position prevented 
 him from giving his time to any investigation of a 
 private nature, which, by the way, is quite true. The 
 Duke offered him a heavy sum to throw up his ap- 
 pointment, but he refused, saying he did not work for 
 money, but from love for his profession." 
 
 " Which is quite true," interrupted Catenae. 
 
 " However," continued Mascarin, " to cut short my 
 narrative, the Duke, on the refusal of Lecoq to act, 
 applied to Catenae." 
 
 " Yes," answered the lawyer, " and the Duke has 
 placed the conduct of the search in my hands." 
 
 " Have you formed any plan of action ? " 
 
 " Not at present. The Duke said, ' Ask every living 
 soul in the world, if you can succeed in no other way ' ; 
 this is all the instruction he has given me ; and," added 
 he, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, " I am almost 
 of Perpignan's opinion, that the search will be a fruit- 
 less one." 
 
 " Lecoq did not think so." 
 
 "He only said that he believed he should succeed 
 if he were to take it in hand."
 
 216 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Well," answered Mascarin coldly, " I have been 
 certain of success from the very commencement." 
 
 " Have you been to Vendome ? " asked Catenae. 
 
 " Never mind, I have been somewhere, and at this 
 very moment could place my hand upon the shoulder 
 of the heir to the dukedom of Champdoce." 
 
 " Are you in earnest ? " 
 
 " I was never more in earnest in my life. I have 
 found him ; only as it is impossible for me to appear 
 in the matter, I shall delegate to you and Perpignan 
 the happiness of restoring the lost son to his father's 
 arms." 
 
 Catenae glanced from Mascarin to Hortebise, and 
 from them to Paul, and seemed to wish to be certain 
 that he was not being made an object of ridicule. 
 
 " And why do you not wish to appear in the mat- 
 ter ? " asked he at last, in a suspicious tone of voice. 
 " Do you foresee some risk, and want me to bear the 
 brunt?" 
 
 Mascarin shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " First," said he, " I am not a traitor, as you know 
 well enough; and then the interests of all of us de- 
 pend on your safety. Can one of us be compromised 
 without endangering his associates? You know that 
 this is impossible. All you have to do is to point out 
 where the traces commence; others will follow them 
 at their own risk, and all you will have to do will be 
 to look calmly on." 
 
 But " 
 
 Mascarin lost his patience, and with a deep frown, 
 replied, 
 
 " That is enough. We require no more argument. 
 I am the master, and it is for you to obey." 
 
 When Mascarin adopted this tone, resistance was
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 217 
 
 out of the question; and as he invariably made all 
 yield to him, it was best to obey with a good grace, 
 and Catenae relapsed into silence, completely subju- 
 gated and very much puzzled. 
 
 " Sit down at my desk," continued Mascarin, " and 
 take careful notes of what I now say. Success is, 
 as I have told you, inevitable, but I must be ably 
 backed. All now depends upon your exactitude in 
 obeying my orders; one false step may ruin us all. 
 You have heard this, and cannot say that you are not 
 fully warned." 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK. 
 
 CATENAC seated himself at the writing-table without 
 a word, concealing his anger and jealousy beneath a 
 careless smile. Mascarin was no longer the plotter 
 consulting with his confederates; he was the master 
 issuing his orders to his subordinates. He had now 
 taken from a box some of those square pieces of 
 pasteboard, which he spent his time in reading over. 
 
 " Try and not miss one word of what I am saying," 
 remarked he, bending his keen glance upon Paul ; then, 
 turning to Catenae, he continued, " Can you persuade 
 the Duke de Champdoce and Perpignan to start for 
 Vendome on Saturday?" 
 
 " Perhaps I may be able to do so." 
 
 " I want a Yes or No. Can you or can you not 
 make these people go there ? " 
 
 " Well, yes, then."
 
 2i8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Very well. Then, on going to Vendome, you will 
 stop at the Hotel de Porte." 
 
 " Hotel de Porte," repeated Catenae, as he made a 
 note of the name. 
 
 " Upon the day of your arrival at Vendome," con- 
 tinued Mascarin, " you could do very little. Your time 
 would be taken up in resting after your journey, and 
 perhaps you may make a few preliminary inquiries. 
 It will be on Sunday that you will go to the hospital 
 together, and make the same inquiries which the Duke 
 formerly made by himself. The lady superior is a 
 woman of excellent taste and education, and she will 
 do all that she can to be useful to you. Through her 
 you will be able to obtain the boy's description, and 
 the date on which he left the hospital to be appren- 
 ticed to a tanner. She will tell you that, disliking 
 the employment, he ran away from them at the age 
 of twelve and a half years, and that since then no 
 trace of him has been found. You will hear from 
 her that he was a tall, well-built lad, looking two 
 years older than he really was, with an intelligent cast 
 of features, and keen, bright eyes, full of health and 
 good looks. He had on, on the day of his disappear- 
 ance, blue and white striped trousers, a gray blouse, 
 a cap with no peak, and a spotted silk cravat. Then, 
 to assist you still further in your researches she will 
 add that he carried in a bundle, enveloped in a red 
 plaid cotton handkerchief, a white blouse, a pair of 
 gray cloth trousers, and a pair of new shoes." 
 
 Catenae watched Mascarin as he was speaking with 
 an expression of ill-concealed enmity. 
 
 " You are well informed, on my word," muttered he. 
 
 " I think I am," returned Mascarin. " After this 
 you will go back to the hotel, and not until then do
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 219 
 
 you understand? and you will consult as to the first 
 steps to be taken. The plan proposed by Perpignan 
 is an excellent one." 
 
 " What ! you know it then ? " 
 
 "Of course I do. He proposed to divide Vendome 
 and its suburbs into a certain number of circles, and 
 to make a house-to-house visitation in each of them. 
 Let him go to work in this manner. Of course, to 
 do so, you will require a guide." 
 
 " Of course we should require such a person." 
 
 " Here, Catenae, I must leave a little to chance, for 
 I am not quite omnipotent. But there are nine chances 
 out of ten that your host will advise you to avail 
 yourself of the services of a man called Frejot, who 
 acts as commissioner to the hotel. It may be, how- 
 ever, that he may designate some one else; but in 
 that case you must, by some means or other, manage 
 to employ the services of one other man." 
 
 " What am I to say to him ? " 
 
 " He understands what he is to do completely. Well, 
 these preliminaries being settled, you will commence 
 on Monday morning to search the suburb called 
 Areines, under the guidance of Frejot. Leave all 
 responsibility to Perpignan, but make sure that the 
 Duke comes with you. Ask the denizens a series of 
 questions which you have prepared beforehand, such 
 as ' My friends, we are in search of a boy. A reward 
 of ten thousand francs is offered to any one who will 
 put us on his track. He must have left these parts 
 in August, 1856, and some of you may have seen 
 him.' " 
 
 Here Catenae stopped Mascarin. 
 
 " Wait a moment. Your own words are excellent ; 
 I will write them down."
 
 220 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " All Monday," continued Mascarin, " you will not 
 make much progress, and for the next few days it 
 will be the same, but on Saturday prepare yourself 
 for a great surprise; for on that day Frejot will take 
 you to a large, lonely farmhouse, on the shores of a 
 lake. This farm is held by a man named Lorgelin, 
 who cultivates it with the assistance of his wife and 
 his two sons. You will find these worthy people at 
 dinner. They will offer you some refreshment, and 
 you will accept. At the next word you utter you will 
 find that they will glance at each other in a meaning 
 manner, and the wife will exclaim, ' Blessed Virgin ! 
 surely the gentleman is speaking of the poor lad we 
 have so often talked about.' " 
 
 As Mascarin went on describing his arrangements, 
 his whole form seemed to dilate, and his face shone 
 with the knowledge of mastery and power. His voice 
 was so clear and his manner so full of authority and 
 command, that it carried conviction to the minds of 
 all those who were seated listening to him. He spoke 
 of what would happen as if he was dealing with an 
 absolute certainty, and went on with such wonderful 
 lucidity and force of reasoning that they seemed to 
 be absolutely real. 
 
 " Oh ! the farmer's wife will say this, will she ? " de- 
 manded Catenae, in a tone of the utmost surprise. 
 
 " Yes, this, and nothing more. Then the husband 
 will explain that they found the poor lad half dead 
 in a ditch by the side of the road, and that they took 
 him home, and did what they could for him ; and will 
 add, this was in the beginning of September, 1856. 
 You will offer to read him your description of the lad, 
 but he will volunteer his own, which you will find ex- 
 actly to tally with the one you have. Then Lorgelin
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 221 
 
 will tell you what an excellent lad he was, and how 
 the farm seemed quite another place as long as he re- 
 mained there. All the family will join in singing his 
 praises he was so good-tempered, so obliging, and at 
 thirteen he could write like a lawyer's clerk. And 
 then they will produce some of his writing in an old 
 copy book. But after all the old woman, with a tear 
 in her eye, will say that she found the lad had not 
 much gratitude in his composition, for at the end of 
 the following September he left the farm where he had 
 received so much kindness. Yes, he left them to go 
 away with some strolling performers. You will be 
 absolutely affected by the words of these worthy peo- 
 ple, and before you leave they will show you the 
 clothes the lad left behind him." 
 
 Catenae was waiting for the conclusion, and then 
 exclaimed, in rather a disappointed tone, 
 
 " But I do not see what we have gained when 
 Lorgelin's story has been repeated to us." 
 
 Mascarin raised his hand, as though to deprecate im- 
 mediate criticism, and to ask for further patience on 
 the part of his audience. 
 
 " Permit me to go on," said he. " You would now 
 not know what to do, but Perpignan will not hesitate 
 for a moment. He will tell you that he holds the end 
 of the clue, and that all that remains to be done is to 
 follow it up carefully." 
 
 " I think you overrate Perpignan's talents." 
 
 " Not a bit ; each man to his own line of business. 
 Besides, if he wanders off the course, you must get him 
 back to it. In this you must act diplomatically. His 
 first move will naturally be to take you to the office of 
 the mayor of the township, where a register of licenses 
 is kept. There you will find that in September, 1857,
 
 222 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 there passed through the place a troop of travelling 
 performers, consisting of nine persons, with the cara- 
 vans, under the management of a man known as 
 Vigoureux, nicknamed the Grasshopper." 
 
 Catenae rapidly jotted down these items. " Not so 
 fast," said he ; "I cannot follow you." 
 
 After a short pause, Mascarin continued. 
 
 " An attentive examination of the book will prove to 
 you that no other troupe of itinerant performers passed 
 through the place during that month; and it is clear 
 that it must have been the Grasshopper with whom the 
 lad went away. You will then peruse the man's de- 
 scription. Vigoureux, born at Bourgogne, Vosges. 
 Age, forty-seven. Height, six feet two inches. Eyes, 
 small and gray, rather near-sighted. Complexion dark. 
 Third finger of left hand cut off at first joint. If you 
 Confound him, after reading this, with any other man 
 of his profession, you must certainly be rather foolish." 
 
 " I shall now be able to find him," muttered Catenae. 
 
 " But that is Perpignan's business. You will see him 
 put on an air of the greatest importance, and appear 
 quite overjoyed at the news he has obtained at the office 
 of the mayor. He will say that the inquiry at Ven- 
 dome is over, and that it will be best to return to Paris 
 at once. Of course, you will make no objection. You 
 will permit the Duke to make a handsome present to 
 Lorgelin and Frejot; but take care not to leave him 
 behind you. I advise you to regain Paris without a 
 moment's delay. The wily Perpignan, on your return, 
 will at once take you to the head police office, where 
 Vigoureux will have left his papers, like other men 
 of his profession. If there is any difficulty in ob- 
 taining a sight of them, the Duke de Champdoce 
 will act as a talisman. You will then discover that in
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 223 
 
 '1864, the man Vigoureux was sentenced to a term of 
 imprisonment for disorderly conduct, and that he now 
 keeps a wine-shop at the corner of the Rue Depleux." 
 
 " Stop a bit," said Catenae, " and let me take down 
 the address." 
 
 " When you go there, you will recognize Vigoureux 
 by the loss of his finger. He will at once admit that the 
 lad followed him, and remained in the troupe for ten 
 months. He was a good enough lad, but as grand as 
 a peacock, and as lazy as a dormouse. He made great 
 friends with an old Alsatian, called Fritz, who was 
 the conductor of the orchestra, and by-and-by both 
 were so fond of each other, that one day they went off 
 in each other's company. Now you want to know what 
 has become of Fritz ? I know Vigoureux will get tired 
 of this prolonged string of questions, and behave vio- 
 lently; then you will threaten him for having carried 
 off a youth of tender years, and he will calm -down, 
 and become as mild as mother's milk, and will prom- 
 ise to gain information for you. In a week he will 
 give the information that Fritz is to be found at the 
 Hospital Magloire." 
 
 Absolutely dumb with surprise, the audience listened 
 to these strange assertions, which dovetailed so exactly 
 into each other, and seemed to have been the work of 
 years of research. 
 
 " Fritz," continued Mascarin, " is a sly old dog. 
 You will find an old, rickety, blue-eyed man at the 
 hospital, and remember to tell the Duke de Champdoce 
 that he must not put too much faith in him. This wily 
 old Alsatian will tell you of all the sacrifices he made 
 for the dear lad. He will tell you that he often went 
 without his beer and tobacco in order to pay for the 
 music lessons that he forced the boy to take. He will
 
 224 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 tell you that he wanted to get him into the Government 
 School of Music, for that he possessed great vocal and 
 instrumental talent, and he cherished the hope of one 
 day seeing him a great composer, like Weber or Mo- 
 zart. I expect that this flow of self-praise will melt the 
 heart of your client, for he will see that his son had 
 made an effort to rise out of the mire by his own ex- 
 ertions, and will, in this energy, recognize one of the 
 characteristics of the Champdoce family; and on the 
 strength of this testimony he will almost be ready to 
 accept the young man as his son." 
 
 Catenae had for some time past been striving to de- 
 cipher the meaning hidden behind the inscrutable 
 countenance of Mascarin, but in vain. 
 
 " Let us get on," said the lawyer impatiently. " All 
 that you have told me I shall hear later on in the course 
 of the inquiry." 
 
 " If your sagacity requires no further explanation 
 from me," rejoined Mascarin, " you will, I trust, per- 
 mit me to continue them for the benefit of our young 
 friend, Paul Violaine. You will feel compassion when 
 the Alsatian tells you of his sufferings, at the boys' 
 description of him, and his subsequent prosperity in the 
 Rue d'Arras. You had better listen to the old man as 
 long as he continues to grumble on, the more so as you 
 will detect in the rancor and bitterness of his remarks 
 all the vexation of a disappointed speculator. He will 
 confess to you besides that he subsists entirely on the 
 bounty of the lad, whom he had stigmatized as an un- 
 grateful villain. Of course, the Duke will have to 
 leave behind him some testimonial of his pleasure, and 
 you will hurry off to the Rue d'Arras. The proprietor 
 of the house will tell you that some four years ago he 
 got rid of this musician, the only one of his class who
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 225 
 
 had dared to establish himself there, and a small pres- 
 ent and a few adroit questions will obtain for you the 
 address of one of the young man's pupils, Madame 
 Grandorge, a widow lady, residing in the Rue St. 
 Louis. This lady will tell you that she does not know 
 the address of her former master, but that he used to 
 live at 57, Rue de la Harpe. From the Rue de la 
 Harpe you will be sent to the Rue Jacob, and from 
 thence to the Rue Montmartre, at the corner of the 
 Rue Joquelet." 
 
 Mascarin paused, drew a long breath, and chuckled 
 inwardly, as though at some excellent joke. 
 
 " Be comforted, Catenae," said he. " You have 
 nearly reached the end of your journey. The portress 
 at the house in the Rue Montmartre is the most oblig- 
 ing woman in the world. She will tell you that the 
 musician still retains his rooms in the house, but that 
 he resides there no longer, for he has made a lucky hit, 
 and last month he married the daughter of a wealthy 
 banker living close by. The young lady, Mademoiselle 
 Rigal, saw him, and fell in love with him." 
 
 A clever man like Catenae should have foreseen 
 what was coming, but he had not, and at this conclu- 
 sion he uttered a loud exclamation of surprise. 
 
 " Yes, just so," said Mascarin, with an air of bland 
 triumph. " The Duke de Champdoce will then drag 
 you off to our mutual friend Martin Rigal, and there 
 you will find our young protege, the happy husband of 
 the beautiful Flavia." 
 
 Mascarin drew himself up, and adjusted his glasses 
 firmly on his nose. 
 
 " Now, my dear Catenae, show the liberality and 
 amiability of your disposition by congratulating our 
 friend Paul as Gontran, Marquis de Champdoce."
 
 226 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Hortebise, of course, knew what was coming; he 
 knew the lines of the plot of the play as if he had been 
 a joint author of it, and was as much excited as if he 
 were assisting at a first rehearsal. 
 
 " Bravo ! " he exclaimed, clapping his hands to- 
 gether. " Bravo, my dear Mascarin, you have excelled 
 yourself to-day ! " 
 
 Worried and perplexed as Paul had been, as Mas- 
 carin concluded he sank back in his chair, sick and 
 giddy with emotion. 
 
 " Yes," said Mascarin in a clear and ringing voice, 
 " I accept your praise without any affectation of false 
 modesty. We have no reason to fear the intervention 
 of that grain of sand which sometimes stops the work- 
 ing of the machine. Perpignan, poor fool though he 
 is, will be our best friend, and will do our work quite 
 unconsciously. Can the Duke retain any atom of sus- 
 picion after these minute investigations? Impossible. 
 But to remove the slightest element of doubt, I have 
 another and an additional plan. I will make him re- 
 trace the path upon which he has started. He shall 
 take Paul to all these various places, and at all of them 
 the statements will be even more fully confirmed. Paul, 
 the son-in-law of Martin Rigal, the husband of Flavia, 
 will be recognized in the Rue Montmartre, the Rue Ja- 
 cob, and the Rue de la Harpe. He will be joyfully wel- 
 comed in the Rue d'Arras; Fritz will embrace his un- 
 grateful pupil ; Vigoureux will remind him of his skill- 
 ful feats on the trapeze ; the Lorgelin family will press 
 the lad whom they gave shelter to, to their hearts, and 
 this will happen, Catenae, because I will it, and because 
 all the people from the portress in the Rue Montmartre 
 to the Lorgelins are my slaves, and dare not disobey 
 one single command which I may issue."
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 227 
 
 Catenae rose slowly and solemnly from his seat. 
 
 " I recognize your patience and ingenuity thor- 
 oughly, only I am going with one word to crush the 
 fabric of hope that you have so carefully erected." 
 
 Catenae might be a coward, he might also be a 
 traitor, but he was a clever and clear-sighted man too. 
 Consequently Hortebise shivered as he heard these 
 words, but Mascarin smiled disdainfully, basking in 
 his dream of success. 
 
 " Go on then," said he. 
 
 " Well, then, let me tell you that you will not over- 
 reach and deceive the Duke." 
 
 " And why not, pray ? " asked Mascarin. " But are 
 you sure that I wish to deceive him? You have not 
 been open with me, why should I be frank with you? 
 Am I in the habit of confiding in those who do not re- 
 pose confidence in me ? Does Perpignan for a moment 
 suspect the part that he is to play? Why may' I not 
 have judged it best to keep from you the fact that Paul 
 is really the child you are seeking ? " 
 
 Mascarin spoke so confidently that Catenae gazed 
 upon him, hardly knowing to what conclusion to come, 
 for his conscience was by no means clear. His intellect 
 quickly dived into the depths of all probabilities, and 
 yet he could not see in all these combinations any pos- 
 sible peril to himself. 
 
 " I only hope," said he, " that Paul is all that you 
 represent him to be; but why all these precautions? 
 Only, mark my words, the Duke has an infallible way 
 of detecting, or rather of preventing, any attempt at 
 imposition. It is ever thus, the most trivial circum- 
 stance will overset the best laid plans, and the inevi- 
 table destroy the combinations of the most astute in- 
 tellect."
 
 228 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Mascarin interrupted his associate. 
 
 " Paul is the son of the Duke de Champdoce," said 
 he decisively. 
 
 What was the meaning of this? Catenae felt that 
 he was being played with, and grew angry. 
 
 " As you please ; but you will, I presume, permit me 
 to convince myself of the truth of this assertion." 
 
 Then, advancing towards Paul, the lawyer said, 
 
 " Have the goodness to remove your coat." 
 
 Paul took it off, and threw it upon the back of a 
 chair. 
 
 " Now," added Catenae, " roll up your right shirt 
 sleeve to the shoulder." 
 
 Scarcely had the young man obeyed, and the lawyer 
 cast a rapid glance at the bare flesh, than he turned 
 to his associates and observed, 
 
 " No, he is not the right man." 
 
 To his extreme surprise, Mascarin and Hortebise 
 burst into a fit of unrestrained laughter. 
 
 " No," pursued the lawyer, " this is not the child 
 who was sent to the Hospital of Vendome, and the 
 Duke will recognize this better than I can. You laugh, 
 but it is because you do not know all." 
 
 " Enough," returned Mascarin, and then, turning to 
 the doctor, he remarked, " Tell him, my friends, that 
 we know more than he thinks." 
 
 " And so," said Hortebise, taking Paul's hand, " you 
 are certain that this is not the lost child because he has 
 not certain marks about him; but these will be seen 
 upon the day on which Paul is introduced to the Duke, 
 and legibly enough to satisfy the most unbelieving." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Let me explain in my own way. If in early child- 
 hood Paul had been scalded on his shoulder by boiling
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 229 
 
 water, he would have a scar whose appearance would 
 denote its origin ? " 
 
 Catenae nodded. " You are quite accurate," said he. 
 
 " Well, then, listen. Paul is coming home with me. 
 I shall take him into my consulting-room; he will lie 
 on a couch. I shall give him chloroform, for I do not 
 wish him to suffer any pain. Mascarin will help me. 
 Then I shall apply, on the proper part, a piece of flan- 
 nel steeped in a certain liquid which is an invention of 
 my own. I am not a fool, as you may have discovered 
 before this ; and in a drawer at home is a piece of flan- 
 nel cut so as exactly to resemble the irregular outline 
 of a scar of the kind you describe, and a few little bits 
 here and there will do the rest of the work artistically. 
 When the liquid has effected its work, which will be in 
 ten minutes, I shall remove it, and apply an ointment, 
 another invention of my own, to the wound ; then I 
 shall restore Paul to his senses, and go to dinner." 
 
 Mascarin rubbed his hands with delight. 
 
 " But you forget that a certain space of time is re- 
 quired to give a scar the appearance of not having 
 been recent," objected Catenae. 
 
 " Let me speak," broke in the doctor. " If we only 
 needed time six months, say, or a year we should 
 postpone our concluding act until then ; but I, Horte- 
 bise, assure you that in two months, thanks to another 
 discovery of my own will show you a scar that will 
 pass muster, not perhaps before a fellow-practitioner, 
 but certainly before the Duke." 
 
 Catenae's sunken eyes blazed as he thought of the 
 prospective millions. 
 
 " May the devil fly away with all scruples ! " cried 
 he. " My friends, I am yours soul and body ; you may 
 rely on your devoted Catenae."
 
 230 
 
 The doctor and Mascarin exchanged a look of tri- 
 umph. 
 
 " Of course we share and share alike," observed the 
 lawyer. " It is true that I come in rather late ; but 
 the part I play is a delicate and an important one, and 
 you can do nothing without me." 
 
 " You shall have your share," answered Mascarin 
 evasively. 
 
 " One word more," said the lawyer. " Do you think 
 that the Duke has kept nothing back? The infant 
 was hardly seen by him or the Duchess ; but Jean saw 
 it, and he, though very old and infirm, would come 
 forward at any moment to defend the name and honor 
 of the Champdoce family." 
 
 " Well, and what then ? " 
 
 " Jean, you know, was against the substitution of 
 another child. May he not have foreseen the chance 
 of such a case as this arising ? " 
 
 Mascarin looked grave. " I have thought of that 
 before," returned he ; " but what can be done ? " 
 
 " I will find out," said Catenae. " Jean has the 
 most implicit confidence in me, and I will question 
 him." 
 
 The cold calmness of the lawyer had vanished, and 
 Catenae only displayed the zealous eagerness of the 
 man who, admitted at a late hour into an enterprise 
 which he imagines will be lucrative, burns to do as 
 much as he can to further it. 
 
 " But," added he, as an after-thought, " how can 
 we be certain that there is no one to recognize Paul ? " 
 
 " I can answer for that ; his poverty had isolated 
 him from all but a woman named Rose, and I took 
 care that she should be sent to the prison of St. La- 
 zare. At one time I was a little anxious, as I heard
 
 A SUDDEN CHECK 231 
 
 that Paul had a patron; but he, as I have found out, 
 was the Count de Mussidan, the murderer of Mont- 
 louis, who, as you may have guessed, was Paul's 
 father." 
 
 " We have nothing, then, to fear from that quar- 
 ter," said the doctor. 
 
 " Nothing ; and while you get on with your work, 
 I will hurry on Paul's marriage with Rigal's daugh- 
 ter. But this will not prevent my busying myself in 
 another quarter ; for before a month Henri de Croise- 
 nois will have floated his Company, and become the 
 husband of Sabine de Mussidan." 
 
 " I think that it is about time for dinner," re- 
 marked Hortebise, and, turning to the protege of the 
 association, he added, " Come, Paul." 
 
 But Paul made no movement, and then for the first 
 time it was seen that the poor boy had fainted, and 
 they had to sprinkle cold water upon him before he 
 regained consciousness. 
 
 " Surely," remarked the doctor, " it is not the idea 
 of a trifling operation that you will not feel which 
 has so frightened you ? " 
 
 Paul shook his head. " It is not that," said he. 
 
 "What, then, is it?" 
 
 " Simply that the real man exists ; I know him, and 
 know where he lives." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " they cried. 
 
 " I know him, I tell you the son of the Duke de 
 Champdoce." 
 
 " Let us hear all ! " cried Mascarin, who was the 
 first to come to his senses. " Explain yourself." 
 
 " Simply this. I know such a young man, and it 
 was the thought of this that made me feel so ill. He 
 is thirty-three. He was at the Foundling Hospital;
 
 232 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 he left it at the age of twelve and a half years; and 
 he has just such a scald on his shoulder, which he 
 got when he was apprenticed to a tanner." 
 
 " And where," asked Mascarin quickly, " is this 
 same young man? What is his name, and what does 
 he do for a living?" 
 
 " He is a painter ; his name is Andre, and he 
 lives 
 
 A blasphemous oath from Mascarin interrupted him. 
 " This is the third time," said he fiercely, " that this 
 cursed fellow has crossed our path ; but I swear that 
 it shall be the last." 
 
 Hortebise and Catenae were livid w r ith alarm. 
 
 " What do you intend to do ? " asked they. 
 
 " I shall do nothing," answered he ; " but you know 
 that this Andre, in addition to being a painter, is an 
 ornamental sculptor and house decorator, and so is 
 often on lofty scaffolds. Have you never heard that 
 accidents frequently happen to that class of people ? " 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A MELANCHOLY MASHER. 
 
 WHEN Mascarin spoke of suppressing the man who 
 stood in his way as easily as if he was alluding to 
 extinguishing a candle, he was not aware that there 
 was one circumstance which considerably enhanced 
 the difficulty of his task, for Andre had been fore- 
 warned, and this note of warning had been sounded 
 on the day on which he had received that letter from
 
 A MELANCHOLY MASHER 233 
 
 Sabine, in which she spoke in such despairing terms 
 of her approaching marriage, which she had been 
 compelled to agree to to save the honor of her fam- 
 ily. This feeling was strengthened by a long conver- 
 sation he had had with M. de Breulh-Faverlay and the 
 Viscountess de Bois Arden, in which it was unani- 
 mously decided that the Count and Countess de Mus- 
 sidan were victims of some plot of which Henri de 
 Croisenois was certainly one of the promoters. He 
 had no conception on what side to look for the danger, 
 but he had an instinctive feeling that it was impend- 
 ing. He prepared, therefore, to act on the defensive. 
 It was not only his life that was in danger, but his love 
 and his future happiness. M. de Breulh-Faverlay had 
 also serious apprehensions for the safety of a man for 
 whom he entertained so great a respect and regard. 
 
 " I would lay a heavy wager," said he, " that we 
 have to do with some villainous blackmailers, and the. 
 difficulty of the business is, that we must do the work 
 ourselves, for we dare not invite the aid of the police. 
 We have no proof to offer, and the police will not stir 
 a foot on mere suppositions, and we should not earn 
 the thanks of those we are desirous of assisting if 
 we called the attention of the law to certain acts in 
 their past lives ; for who can say what the terrible 
 secret is, that some vile wretch holds over the heads 
 of M. and Madame de Mussidan? and it is quite on 
 the cards that the Count and the Countess might be 
 compelled to join the blackmailers and oppose us. 
 We must act with the greatest prudence and caution. 
 Remember, that if you are out at night, you must avoid 
 dark corners, for it would be the easiest thing in the 
 world to put a knife into your back." 
 
 The conclusion that was arrived at, at this inter-
 
 234 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 view, was that for the present Andre and De Breulh 
 should cease to see each other so frequently. They 
 felt convinced that a watch had been set on them, and 
 that their intimacy would certainly be notified to De 
 Croisenois ; and of course they had every desire to 
 cause him to imagine that they were not acting in any 
 way together. The arrangement, therefore, that they 
 entered into was that each should act from his own 
 point of vantage against Henri de Croisenois, and 
 that when necessary they should meet in the evening 
 to compare notes in a small cafe in the Champs Ely- 
 sees, not far from the house in which Andre was at 
 work. 
 
 His courage was still as high as ever, but the first 
 symptoms of rashness had vanished. He was a born 
 diplomatist, and fully realized that cunning and treach- 
 ery must be met by similar weapons. He must not 
 break his engagement to M. Gandelu ; but how could 
 he superintend the workmen and keep an eye on Croi- 
 senois at the same time? Money was absolutely nec- 
 essary, and yet he felt a strange disinclination to ac- 
 cept a loan from M. de Breulh. If he were to throw 
 up his work, it would naturally create suspicion. 
 
 M. Gandelu had a shrewd head, and Andre, remem- 
 bering the old man's kindness to him on all occasions, 
 determined to confide the matter to him, and with 
 this object he called on him the next morning as the 
 clock was striking nine. His surprise was extreme 
 when he saw Gaston de Gandelu in the courtyard. 
 He was just the same looking Gaston, the lover of 
 Madame de Chantemille, to the outward eye, but some 
 grave calamity had evidently entirely changed the 
 inner man. He was smoking his cigar with an air
 
 A MELANCHOLY MASHER 235 
 
 of desperation, and seemed to be utterly weary of the 
 world and its belongings. 
 
 At the moment Andre entered the young man 
 caught sight of him. 
 
 " Halloo ! " said he ; " here is my artistic friend. I 
 lay ten to one that you have come to ask my father to 
 do you a favor." 
 
 " You are quite right; is he at home? " 
 
 " The governor is in the sulks ; he has shut himself 
 up, and will not see me." 
 
 " You are joking." 
 
 " Not I ; the old man is a regular despot, and I am 
 sick of everything." 
 
 Noticing that one of the grooms was listening, Gas- 
 ton had sufficient sense to draw Andre a little on one 
 side. 
 
 " Do you know," asked he, " that the governor has 
 docked my screw and vows that he will advertise him- 
 self as not responsible for the debts of yours truly; 
 but I cannot think he will do so, for that would be a 
 regular smash-up for me. You haven't such a trifle 
 as ten thousand francs about you that you could lend 
 me, have you? I'd give twenty thousand for the ac- 
 commodation when I came of age." 
 
 " I must say ," began Andre. 
 
 " All right ; never mind ; I understand. If you had 
 the ready, you wouldn't be hanging about here; but 
 for all that, I must have the cash. Hang it all, I 
 signed bills to that amount payable to Verminet. Do 
 you know the fellow ? " 
 
 " Not at all." 
 
 " Where were you dragged up ? Why, he is the 
 head of the Mutual Loan Society. The only nuisance
 
 236 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 is, that to make matters run a bit smooth, I wrote 
 down the wrong name. Do you tumble, eh ? " 
 
 " But, great heavens ! that is forgery," said Andre, 
 aghast. 
 
 " Not a bit, for I always intended to pay ; besides, I 
 wanted the money to square Van Klopen. You know 
 him, I suppose?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Well, he is the chap to dress a girl. I had those 
 costumes for Zora from him; but it is out and out 
 the governor's fault. Why did he drive me to des- 
 peration? Yes, it is all the old man's doing. He 
 wasn't satisfied with pitching into me, but he collared 
 that poor, helpless lamb and shut her up. She never 
 did him any harm, and I call it a right down cow- 
 ardly and despicable act to hurt Zora." 
 
 " Zora," repeated Andre, who did not recognize the 
 name. 
 
 " Yes, Zora ; you know ; you had a feed with us 
 one day." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; you mean Rose." 
 
 " That's it ; but I don't like any one to call her by 
 that ugly, common name. Well, the governor has 
 gone mad about her, and filed a complaint against 
 her of decoying a minor, as if I was a fellow any 
 one could decoy. Well, the end of it was, that she is 
 now in the prison of St. Lazare." 
 
 The tears started to the young man's eyes as he 
 related his grievance. 
 
 " Poor Zora," he added ; " I was never mashed on a 
 woman like I was on her. And then what a splendid 
 form she was ! Why, the hairdresser said he had 
 never seen such hair in his life; and she is at St.
 
 A MELANCHOLY MASHER 237 
 
 Lazare. As soon as the police came for her, her first 
 thoughts were of me, and she shrieked out, ' Poor 
 Gaston will kill himself when he hears of this/ The 
 cook told me this, and added that her mistress's suf- 
 ferings were terrible. And she is at St. Lazare. I 
 tried to see her, but it was no go" ; and here the boy's 
 voice broke into a sob. 
 
 " Come," said Andre, " keep up your spirits." 
 
 " Ah ! you shall see if, as soon as I am twenty-one, 
 I don't marry her. I don't put all the blame on the 
 old man. He has been advised by his lawyer, a beast 
 by the name of Catenae. Do you know him?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " You don't seem to know any one. Well, I shall 
 send him a challenge to-morrow. I have got my sec- 
 onds all ready. By the way, would you like to act 
 for me? I can easily get rid of one of the others." 
 
 " I have had no experience in such matters." 
 
 " Ah, then you would be of no use. My seconds 
 must put him into a regular blue funk." 
 
 " In that case " 
 
 " No ; I know what you are going to say : you mean 
 that I had best look out for a military swell; but, 
 after all, the matter lies in a nutshell. I am the in- 
 sulted party, and draw pistols at ten paces. If that 
 frightens him, he will make the governor drop all this 
 rubbish." 
 
 Had his mind not been so much occupied, this rho- 
 domontade on Gaston's part would have amused Andre 
 very much, but now he asked himself what would be 
 the quickest way to escape from him. 
 
 Just at this moment a servant emerged from the 
 house.
 
 238 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Sir," said he, addressing Andre, " my master has 
 seen you from his window, and begs that you will go 
 up to him at once." 
 
 " I will be with him immediately," answered Andre ; 
 and, holding out his hand to Gaston, he took leave 
 of him with a few words of encouragement. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A GENTLEMAN IN DIFFICULTIES. 
 
 WHEN Andre had got rid of the young man, and 
 had been ushered into M. Gandelu's presence, the 
 change in that gentleman's appearance struck him with 
 horror. His eyes were red and swollen as if he had 
 been weeping, but as soon as he caught sight of Andre 
 his face brightened, and he welcomed him warmly. 
 
 " Oh, it does me good to see you, and I bless the 
 fortunate chance that has brought you here to-day." 
 
 " It is not a very fortunate chance," answered 
 Andre, as he shook his head sadly. 
 
 For the first time Gandelu noticed the air of gravity 
 which marked the young man, and the shade of sor- 
 row upon his brow. 
 
 " What ails you, Andre ? " asked he. 
 
 " A great misfortune is hanging over me." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " 
 
 " The naked truth and this misfortune may bring 
 death and despair to me." 
 
 " I am your friend, my dear boy," said the old man, 
 " and would gladly be of service to you. Tell me if 
 I can be of any use ? " 
 
 " I come to you to-day to ask a favo*' at your 
 hands."
 
 A GENTLEMAN IN DIFFICULTIES 239 
 
 "And you thought of the old man, then? I thank 
 you for doing so. Give me your hand ; I like to feel 
 the grasp of an honest man's hand; it warms my 
 heart." 
 
 " It is the secret of my life that I am going to con- 
 fide to you," said he, with some solemnity. 
 
 M. Gandelu made no reply, but struck his clenched 
 fist upon his breast, as though to show that any secret 
 confided to him would be locked up in the safe se- 
 curity of his heart. 
 
 Then Andre hesitated no longer, and, with the ex- 
 ception of giving names, told the whole story of his 
 love, his ambitions, and his hopes, and gave a clear 
 account of how matters stood. 
 
 " How can I help you ? " asked M. Gandelu. 
 
 " Allow me," said Andre, " to hand over the work 
 with which you have intrusted me to one of my 
 friends. I will retain the responsibility, but will merely 
 act as one of the workmen. This, to a certain extent, 
 will give me my liberty, while at the same time I 
 shall be earning a little money, which is just now of 
 vast importance to me." 
 
 " Is that what you call a favor ? " 
 
 " Certainly, and a very great one, too." 
 
 Gandelu rose hastily, and, opening an iron safe 
 which stood in one corner of the room, and taking 
 from it a bundle of banknotes, he placed them on the 
 table before Andre with an expressive look, which 
 meant, " Take what you desire." 
 
 The unlooked-for kindness of this man, who forgot 
 all his own sorrows in his anxiety to relieve the ne- 
 cessities of another, affected Andre deeply. 
 
 " I do not need money," began he. 
 
 With a wave of his hand Gandelu inspired silence.
 
 24 o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Take these twenty thousand francs," said he, " and 
 then I can tell you why I asked you to come upstairs." 
 
 A refusal would have wounded the old man deeply, 
 and so Andre took the proffered loan. 
 
 Gandelu resumed his seat, and remained in gloomy 
 silence for some time. 
 
 " My dear boy," said he, in a voice broken by emo- 
 tion, " a day or two back you saw something of the 
 trouble that I am laboring under. I have no longer 
 any respect or esteem for that wretched fool, my son, 
 Pierre." 
 
 Andre had already guessed that he had been in- 
 censed with reference to something connected with 
 Gaston. 
 
 " Your son has behaved very foolishly," said he ; 
 " but remember he is very young." 
 
 A sad smile passed over the old man's face. 
 
 " My son is old in vice," replied he. " I have 
 thought the matter over only too plainly. Yesterday 
 he declared that he would kill himself. An absurd 
 threat. Up to this time I have been culpably weak, 
 and it is no use now to act in an opposite direction. 
 The unhappy boy is infatuated with a degraded woman 
 named Rose, and I have had her locked up ; but I 
 have made up my mind to let her out again, and also 
 to pay his debts. It is weak folly, I allow ; but what 
 am I to do ? I am his father after all ; and while I 
 cannot respect her, I must love him. He has almost 
 broken my heart, but it was his to do as he liked 
 with." 
 
 Andre made no reply, and Gandelu went on. 
 
 " I have not deceived myself ; my son is ruined. 
 I can but stand by and wait for the end. If this Rose 
 is not everything that is bad, her influence may be
 
 A GENTLEMAN IN DIFFICULTIES 241 
 
 of some use to him. But I want some one to under- 
 take these negotiations, and I had hopes, Andre, that 
 you would have been able to do so." 
 
 Andre felt that all his efforts ought to be devoted 
 to the interests of Sabine, but at the same time he 
 could not leave the kind old man to the mercy of 
 others, and by a display of absolute heroism he deter- 
 mined to accede to the broken-hearted father's de- 
 sires and briefly told him that he was at his service. 
 Gandelu thanked him warmly, and Andre, seating 
 himself at the table, the two men entered into a long 
 discussion as to the best means to be adopted. It 
 was finally decided that Andre should act with free- 
 dom and according to his own instincts, and that M. 
 Gandelu should, to actual appearance, remain firm in 
 the course he had entered upon, and should only be 
 induced, by Andre's intercession, to adopt milder meas- 
 ures. The result justified their anticipations, for Gas- 
 ton was even more crushed and downcast than Andre 
 had imagined, and it was in an agony of suspense that 
 he awaited the return of the young painter. As soon 
 as he saw him descending the steps he sprang forward 
 to greet him. 
 
 " Well," said he, in a tone of eager inquiry. 
 
 " Your father," returned Andre, " is terribly angry 
 with you, but I hope to be able to induce him to do 
 something for you." 
 
 " Will he set Zora at liberty?" 
 
 " Perhaps he will ; but first he must have something 
 more from you than promises he must have stable 
 guarantees." 
 
 At these words Gaston's face fell. "Guarantees," 
 answered he sulkily. " Is not my word of honor 
 enough? What sort of guarantees does he require?"
 
 242 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " That I cannot tell you, and you must find out for 
 yourself ; but I will do all I can for you." 
 
 Gaston gazed upon Andre in surprise. 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me," asked he, " that you 
 can do pretty well what you like with the governor ? " 
 
 " Not exactly ; but surely you can see that I have a 
 good deal of influence over him. If you want a proof 
 of this, see, here is the money to take up these bills 
 you told me of." 
 
 "What, Verminet's?" 
 
 " I suppose so. I am speaking of those to which 
 you were mad enough to forge another man's name." 
 
 Foolish as the boy was, this act of his had caused 
 him many a sleepless night, and he had reflected very 
 often how he could possibly escape from the conse- 
 quence of his act of rashness. 
 
 " Give me the money," cried he. 
 
 Andre shook his head, however. " Forgive me," 
 said he, " but this money does not quit my hands until 
 the bills are handed over to me. Your f ather*s orders 
 on this point are decided ; but the sooner we settle 
 the affair the better." 
 
 " That is too bad ; the governor is as sly as a fox ; 
 but he must have his own way, I suppose, so come on. 
 Only just wait till I slip on a coat more suitable to 
 .my position than this lounging suit." 
 
 He rushed away, and was back again in ten minutes 
 as neat as a new pin, and full of gayety and good 
 spirits. 
 
 " We can walk," said he, putting his arm through 
 Andre's. " We have to go to the Rue St. Anne." 
 
 Verminet had his office in this street the office of 
 the Mutual Loan Society, of which he was the manag- 
 ing director. The house, in spite of its grandiloquent
 
 RINGING THE CHANGES 243 
 
 title, was of excessively shabby exterior. The Mutual 
 Loan Society was frequented by those who, having 
 lost their credit, wished to obtain a fresh amount, 
 and who, having no money, wanted to borrow some. 
 Verminet's plan of financial operations was per- 
 fectly simple. A tradesman on the verge of bank- 
 ruptcy would come to him. Verminet would look 
 into his case and make him sign bills for the sum he 
 required, handing him in exchange bills drawn by 
 other tradesmen in quite as serious a predicament as 
 himself, and pocketed a commission of two per cent, 
 upon both the transactions. Verminet obtained clients 
 from the simple fact that an embarrassed tradesman 
 is utterly reckless, cares not what he signs, and will 
 clutch at a straw to keep his head above water. But 
 there were many other transactions carried on at the 
 office of the Mutual Loan Society, for its largest 
 means of income was drawn from even less respect- 
 able sources, and it was alleged that many of these 
 bogus bills which are occasionally cashed by some re- 
 spectable bankers were manufactured there. At any 
 rate, Verminet managed to make money somehow. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. . 
 
 RINGING THE CHANGES. 
 
 ANDRE, who was gifted with plenty of intelligence, 
 at once judged of the kind of business .done by the Mu- 
 tual Loan Society by the dinginess of the brass plate 
 on the door and the generally dilapidated aspect of 
 the house. 
 
 " I don't like the look of it at all," said he. 
 
 " It does not go in for show," answered Gaston,
 
 244 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 affecting an air of wisdom, " but it is deemed handy 
 sometimes. It does all sorts of business that you 
 would never think of. A real downy card is Ver- 
 minet." 
 
 Andre could easily believe this, for, of course, there 
 could be but one opinion concerning the character of 
 a man who could have induced a mere simpleton like 
 Gaston to affix a forged signature to the bills which 
 he had discounted. He made no remark, however, but 
 entered the house, with the interior arrangements of 
 which Gaston appeared to be perfectly familiar. They 
 passed through a dirty, ill-smelling passage, went 
 across a courtyard, cold and damp as a cell, and as- 
 cended a flight of stairs with a grimy balustrade. On 
 the second floor Gaston made a halt before a door 
 upon which several names were painted. They passed 
 through into a large and lofty room. The paper on 
 the walls of this delectable chamber was torn and 
 spotted, and a light railing ran along it, behind which 
 sat two or three clerks, whose chief occupation ap- 
 peared to be consuming the breakfast which they had 
 brought with them to the office. The heat of the 
 stove, which was burning in one corner of the room, 
 the general mouldiness of the atmosphere, and the 
 smell of the coarse food, were sufficient to turn the 
 stomach of any one coming in from the fresh air. 
 
 "Where is M. Verminet?" asked Gaston authori- 
 tatively. 
 
 " Engaged," replied one of the clerks, without paus- 
 ing to empty his mouth before he replied. 
 
 " Don't you talk to me like that. What do I care 
 whether he is engaged or not? Tell him that Gaston 
 de Gandelu desires to see him at once." 
 
 The clerk was evidently impressed by his visitor's
 
 RINGING THE CHANGES 245 
 
 manner, and, taking the card which was handed to 
 him, made his exit through a door at the other end 
 of the room. 
 
 Gaston was delighted at this first victory, and 
 glanced at Andre with a triumphant smile. 
 
 The clerk came back almost at once. " M. Ver- 
 minet," cried he, " has a client with him just now. 
 He begs that you will excuse him for a few minutes, 
 when he will see you"; and evidently anxious to be 
 civil to the gorgeously attired youths before him, he 
 added, " My master is just now engaged with M. de 
 Croisenois." 
 
 " Aha," cried Gaston ; " I will lay you ten to one that 
 the dear Marquis will be delighted to see me." 
 
 Andre started on hearing this name, and his cheek 
 crimsoned. The man whom he most hated in this 
 world ; the wretch who, by his possession of some 
 compromising secret, was forcing Sabine into a de- 
 tested marriage; the villain whom he, M. de Breulh, 
 and Madame de Bois Arden had sworn to overreach, 
 was within a few paces of him, and that now he should 
 see him face to face. Their eyes would meet, and 
 he would hear the tones of the scoundrel's voice. His 
 rage and agitation were so intense that it was with 
 the utmost difficulty that he concealed it. Luckily for 
 him, Gaston was not paying the slightest attention to 
 his companion; for having, at the clerk's invitation, 
 taken a chair, he assumed an imposing attitude, which 
 struck the shabby young man behind the railing with 
 the deepest admiration. 
 
 " I suppose," said he, in a loud voice, " that you 
 know my dear friend, the Marquis?" 
 
 Andre made some reply, which Gaston interpreted 
 as a negative.
 
 246 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Really," said he, " you know no one, as I told you 
 before. Where have you lived? But you must have 
 heard of him ? Henri de Croisenois is one of my most 
 intimate friends. He owes me over fifty louis that I 
 won of him one night at baccarat." 
 
 Andre was now certain that he had estimated Ver- 
 minet's character correctly, and the relations of the 
 Marquis de Croisenois with this very equivocal per- 
 sonage assumed a meaning of great significance to 
 him. He felt now that he had gained a clue, a beacon 
 blazed out before him, and he saw his way more 
 clearly into the difficult windings of this labyrinth of 
 iniquity which he knew that he must penetrate before 
 he gained the secret he longed for. 
 
 He felt like a child playing the game called "Magic 
 Music," when, as the seeker nears the hiding place of 
 the article of which he is in search, the strains of the 
 piano swell higher and higher. He now found that 
 the boy whose master he had become, knew, or said 
 he knew, a good deal of this marquis. Why should he 
 not gain some information from him ? " 
 
 " Are you really intimate with the Marquis de 
 Croisenois ? " asked he. 
 
 " I should rather think I was," returned Gandelu 
 the younger. " You will see that precious sharp. I 
 know all about him, and who the girl is that he is 
 ruining himself for, but I mustn't talk about that; 
 mum's the word, you know." 
 
 At that moment the door opened, and the Marquis 
 appeared, followed by Verminet. 
 
 Henri de Croisenois was attired in the most fash- 
 ionable manner, and formed an utter contrast to the 
 flashy dress of Gaston. He was smoking a cigar, 
 and mechanically tapping his boots with an elegant
 
 RINGING THE CHANGES 247 
 
 walking cane. In a moment the features and figure 
 of the Viscount were indelibly photographed upon 
 Andre's brain. He particularly noticed his eyes, which 
 had in them a half-concealed look of terror, and his 
 face bore the haunted expression of a person who ex- 
 pects some terrible blow to fall upon him at any mo- 
 ment. 
 
 At a little distance the Marquis seemed still young, 
 but a closer inspection showed that the man looked 
 even older than he really was, so worn and haggard 
 were his mouth and eyes. Nights at the gaming-table 
 and the anxiety as to where the fresh supplies should 
 come from to furnish the means to prolong his life of 
 debauchery had told heavily upon him. To-day, how- 
 ever, he seemed to be in the best temper imaginable, 
 and in the most cheerful manner he addressed a few 
 words to Verminet, in conclusion of the conversation 
 that had been going on in the inner office. 
 
 " It is settled then," remarked he, " that I am to 
 have nothing more to do with a business with which 
 neither of us has any real concern ? " 
 
 "Just so," answered Verminet. 
 
 "Very well, then; but remember that any mistake 
 you may make in the other affair will be attended 
 with the most serious results." 
 
 This caution seemed to suggest some new idea to 
 Verminet, for he said something in a low voice to 
 his client at which they both laughed. 
 
 Gaston was fidgeting about, very uneasy at the Mar- 
 quis having paid no attention to him, and he now ad- 
 vanced with a magnificent salutation and a friendly 
 wave of the hand. If the Marquis was charmed at 
 meeting Gandelu, he concealed his delight in a most 
 wonderful manner. He seemed surprised, but not
 
 24 8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 agreeably so; he bent his head, and he extended his 
 gloved hand with a negligent, " Ah, pleased to see 
 you." Then without taking any more notice of Gas- 
 ton, he turned on his heel and continued his conversa- 
 tion with Verminet. 
 
 " The worst part is over," said he, " and therefore 
 no time is to be lost. You must see Mascarin and 
 Martin Rigal, the banker, to-day." 
 
 At these words Andre started. Were these people 
 Croisenois' accomplices ? Certainly he had accomplices 
 on the brain just now, and their names remained 
 deeply engraved on the tablets of his memory. 
 
 " Tantaine was here this morning," observed Ver- 
 minet, " and told me that his master wanted to see me 
 at four this afternoon. Van Klopen will be there 
 also. Shall I say a word to him about your fine 
 friend?" 
 
 " Ton my soul," remarked the Marquis, shrugging 
 his shoulders, " I had nearly forgotten her. There 
 will be a tremendous fuss made, for she will be want- 
 ing all sorts of things. Speak to Van Klopen cer- 
 tainly, but do not bind yourself. Remember that I 
 do not care a bit for the fair Sara." 
 
 " Quite so ; I understand," answered Verminet ; " but 
 keep things quiet, and do not have any open disturb- 
 ances." 
 
 " Of course not. Good morning," and with a bow 
 to the managing director and a nod to Gaston, he 
 lunged out of the office, not condescending to take the 
 slightest notice of Andre. Verminet invited Andre 
 and Gaston into his sanctum, and, taking a seat, mo- 
 tioned to them to do the same. Verminet was a de- 
 cided contrast to his office, which was shabby and 
 dirty, for his dress did his tailor credit, and he ap-
 
 RINGING THE CHANGES 249 
 
 peared to be clean. He was neither old nor young, 
 and carried his years well. He was fresh and plump, 
 wore his whiskers and hair cut in the English fash- 
 ion, while his sunken eyes had no more expression in 
 them than those of a fish. 
 
 Gandelu was in a hurry to begin. 
 
 " Let us get to business," said he. " Last week you 
 lent me some money." 
 
 "Just so. Do you want any more?" 
 
 " No ; I want to return my bills." 
 
 A cloud passed over Verminet's face. 
 
 "The first does not fall due until the I5th," re- 
 marked he. 
 
 " No matter ; I have the money with me, and I will 
 pay it on you handing over the bills to me." 
 
 " I can't do it." 
 
 " And why so, pray ? " 
 
 " The bills have passed out of my hands." 
 
 Gaston could scarcely credit his ears, nor believe 
 in the truth of this last statement, and was certainly 
 upset, not knowing what to do. 
 
 " But," stammered he, " you promised, when I 
 signed those bills, that they should never go out of 
 your hands." 
 
 " I don't say I did not ; but one can't always keep 
 to one's promise. I was forced to part with them. 
 I wanted money, and so had to discount them." 
 
 Andre was not at all surprised, for he had antici- 
 pated some such difficulty; and seeing that Gaston 
 had entirely lost his head, he broke in on the conver- 
 sation. 
 
 " Excuse me, sir," remarked he ; " but it seems to 
 me that there are certain circumstances in this case 
 which should have made you keep your promise.
 
 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Verminet stared at him. 
 
 " Who have I the honor of speaking to ? " asked 
 he, instead of making a direct reply. 
 
 " I am a friend of M. de Gandelu's," returned 
 Andre, thinking it best not to give any name. 
 
 " A confidential friend ? " 
 
 " Entirely so. He had, I think, ten thousand francs 
 from you." 
 
 " Pardon me, five thousand." 
 
 Andre turned toward his companion in some sur- 
 prise. 
 
 Gaston grew crimson. 
 
 " What is the meaning of this ? " asked the 
 artist. 
 
 " Can't you see ? " whispered Gaston. " I had ten 
 because I wanted the other five for Zora." 
 
 " Oh, indeed," returned Andre, with a slight up- 
 lifting of his eyebrows. " Well, then, M. Verminet, 
 it was five thousand francs that you lent to my young 
 friend here. That was right enough; but what do 
 you say to inducing him to forge a signature ? " 
 
 " I ! I do such a thing ? " answered Verminet. 
 " Why, I did not know that the signature was not 
 genuine." 
 
 This insolent denial aroused the unhappy Gaston 
 from his state of stupor. 
 
 " This is too much, a deuced deal too much," cried 
 he. " Did you not yourself tell me that, for your own 
 security, you must insist upon another name in addi- 
 tion to mine? Did you not give me a letter, and say, 
 ' Write a signature like the one at the bottom of 
 this, it is that of Martin Rigal, the banker in the Rue 
 Montmartre' ? " 
 
 " An utterly false accusation, without a shadow of
 
 RINGING THE CHANGES 251 
 
 proof; and remember that a libel uttered in the pres- 
 ence of a third party is punishable by law." 
 
 " And yet, sir," continued Andre, " you did not 
 hesitate for a moment in discounting these bills. Have 
 you calculated what terrible results may come of this 
 breach of faith on your part? what will happen if 
 this forged signature is presented to M. Martin Ri- 
 gal?" 
 
 "Very unlikely. Gandelu is the drawer, Rigal 
 merely the endorser. Bills, when due, are always 
 presented to the drawer," returned Verminet laconi- 
 cally. 
 
 Evidently a trap had been laid for Gaston, but the 
 reason was still buried in obscurity. 
 
 " Then," remarked Andre, " we have but one course 
 to pursue: we must trace those notes to the hands in 
 which they now are, and take them up." 
 
 " Quite right." 
 
 " But to enable us to do so, you must first let us 
 know the name of the party who discounted them." 
 
 " I don't know ; I have forgotten," answered Ver- 
 minet, with a careless wave of his hand. 
 
 " Then," returned Andre, in a low, deep voice of 
 concentrated fury, " let me advise you, for your own 
 sake, to make an immediate call upon your powers of 
 memory." 
 
 " Do you threaten me ? " 
 
 "And if you do not succeed in remembering the 
 name or names, the consequences may be more seri- 
 ous than you seem to anticipate." 
 
 Verminet saw that the young painter was in danger- 
 ous earnest, and rose from his chair, but Andre was 
 too quick for him. 
 
 " No," said he, placing his back against the door ;
 
 252 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 "you will not leave this room until you have done 
 what I require." 
 
 For fully ten minutes the men stood gazing at each 
 other. Verminet was green with terror, while Andre's 
 face, though pale, was firm and determined. 
 
 " If the scoundrel makes any resistance," said he to 
 himself, " I will fling him out of the window." 
 
 " The man is a perfect athlete," thought Verminet, 
 " and looks as if he would stick at nothing." 
 
 Seeing that he had better give in, the managing 
 director took up a bulky ledger, and began to turn 
 over the leaves with trembling fingers. 
 
 Andre saw that he was holding it upside down. 
 
 " There it is," cried Verminet at last. 
 
 " Bills for five thousand francs. Gandelu and Rigal, 
 booked for discount to Van Klopen, ladies' tailor." 
 
 Andre was silent. 
 
 Why was it that Verminet had suggested Rigal's 
 signature as the one he ought to imitate ? and why had 
 he handed the bills over to Van Klopen? Was it 
 mere chance that had arranged it all? He did not 
 believe it, but felt sure that some secret tie united 
 them all together, Verminet, Van Klopen, Rigal, and 
 the Marquis de Croisenois. 
 
 " Do you want anything more ? " asked the manager 
 of the Mutual Loan Society. 
 
 " Are the bills in Van Klopen's hands ? " 
 
 " I can't say." 
 
 "Never mind; he will have to tell me where they 
 are, if he has not got them," returned Andre. 
 
 They left the house, and as soon as they were again 
 in the street Andre took his companion's arm, and 
 hurried him off in the direction of the Rue de 
 Grammont.
 
 THE VANISHING BILLS 253 
 
 " I don't want to give this thief, Verminet, time to 
 warn Van Klopen of what has taken place; I had 
 rather fall upon him with the suddenness of an earth- 
 quake. Come, let us go to his establishment at once." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE VANISHING BILLS. 
 
 HAD Andre known a little more of the man he had 
 to deal with, he would have learned that no one could 
 fall like an earthquake upon Van Klopen. Shut up in 
 the sanctum where he composed the numberless cos- 
 tumes that were the wonder and delight of Paris, Van 
 Klopen made as careful arrangements to secure him- 
 self from interview as the Turk does to guard the ap- 
 proaches to his seraglio; and so Andre and Gandelu 
 were accosted in the entrance hall by his stately foot- 
 men, clad in gorgeous liveries, glittering with gold. 
 
 " M. van Klopen is engaged," cried they with one 
 voice. 
 
 " Our business is of the utmost importance," as- 
 serted Andre. 
 
 " Our master is composing." 
 
 Entreaties, threats, and even a bribe of one hundred 
 francs were alike useless ; and Andre, seeing that he 
 was about to be checkmated, was half tempted to take 
 the men by the collar and hurl them on one side, but 
 he calmed himself, and, already repenting of his vio- 
 lence at Verminet's, he determined on a course of sub- 
 mission, and so meekly followed the footmen into the 
 famous waiting-room, styled by Van Klopen his pur-
 
 254 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 gatory. The footmen, however, had spoken the truth, 
 for several ladies of the highest rank and standing 
 were awaiting the return of this arbiter elegantiariwn. 
 All of them turned as the young men entered all 
 save one, who was gazing out of the window, drawing 
 with her pretty fingers on the window panes. Andre 
 recognized her in an instant as Madame de Bois Ar- 
 den. 
 
 " Is it possible ? " thought he. " Can the Countess 
 have returned here after what has occurred?" 
 
 Gaston felt that five charming pairs of eyes were 
 fixed upon him, and studied to assume his most grace- 
 ful posture. 
 
 After a brief time given to arrangement, Andre 
 grew disgusted. 
 
 " I wish that she wotfld look round," said he to him- 
 self. " I think she would feel rather ashamed. I will 
 say a word to her." 
 
 He rose from his chair, and, without thinking how 
 terribly he might compromise the lady, he took up a 
 position at her side. She was, however, intently 
 watching something that was going on in the street, 
 and did not turn her head. 
 
 " Madame," said he. 
 
 She started, and, as she turned and recognized 
 Andre, she uttered a little cry of surprise. 
 
 " Great heavens ! is that you ? " 
 
 " Yes, it is I." 
 
 " And here ? I dare say that my presence in this 
 place surprises you," she went on, " and that I have a 
 short memory, and no feelings of pride." 
 
 Andre made no reply, and his silence was a suffi- 
 cient rejoinder to the question. 
 
 " You do me a great injustice," muttered the Count-
 
 THE VANISHING BILLS 255 
 
 ess. " I am here because De Breulh told me that in 
 your interests I ought to pardon Van Klopen, and go 
 to him again as I used to do; so you see, M. Andre, 
 that it is never safe to judge by appearance, and a 
 woman more than anything else." 
 
 "Will you forgive me?" asked Andre earnestly. 
 
 The lady interrupted him by a little wave of her 
 hand, invisible to all save to him, which clearly said, 
 
 " Take care ; we are not alone." 
 
 She once more turned her eyes towards the street, 
 and he mechanically did the same. By this means 
 their faces were hidden from observation. 
 
 " De Breulh," went on the lady, " has heard a good 
 deal about De Croisenois, and, as no doubt you can 
 guess, but very little to his credit, and quite enough 
 to justify any father in refusing him his daughter's 
 hand; but in this case it is evident to me that De 
 Mussidan is yielding to a secret pressure. We. must 
 ferret out some hidden crime in De Croisenois' past 
 which will force him to withdraw his proposal." 
 
 " I shall find one," muttered Andre. 
 
 " But remember there is no time to be lost. Ac- 
 cording to our agreement, I treat him in the most 
 charming manner, and he thinks that I am entirely de- 
 voted to his interests, and to-morr.ow I have arranged 
 to introduce him to the Count and Countess at the 
 Hotel de Mussidan, where the Count and Countess 
 have agreed to receive him." 
 
 Andre started at this news. 
 
 " I saw," continued the lady, " that you were quite 
 right in the opinion you had formed, for in the first 
 place the common danger has almost reconciled the 
 Count and Countess affectionately to each other, 
 though it is notorious that they have always lived in
 
 256 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 the most unhappy manner. Their faces are careworn 
 and full of anxiety, and they watch every movement 
 of Sabine with eager eyes. I think that they look 
 upon her as a means of safety, but shudder at the 
 sacrifice she is making on their account." 
 
 "And Sabine?" 
 
 " Her conduct is perfectly sublime, and she is ready 
 to consummate the sacrifice without a murmur. Her 
 self-sacrificing devotion is perfectly admirable; but 
 what is more admirable still is the way in which she 
 conceals the suffering that she endures from her par- 
 ents. Noble-hearted girl! she is calm and silent, but 
 she has always been so. She has grown thinner, and 
 perhaps her cheek is a trifle paler, but her forehead 
 was burning and seemed to scorch my lips as I kissed 
 her. With this exception, however, there was nothing 
 else about her that would betray her tortures. Mo- 
 deste, her maid, told me, moreover, that when night 
 came she seemed utterly worn out, and the poor girl, 
 with tears in her eyes, declared ' that her dear mistress 
 was killing herself/ " 
 
 Andre's eyes overflowed with tears. 
 
 " What have I done to deserve such love ? " 
 asked he. 
 
 A door suddenly opened, and Andre and the 
 Viscountess turned hastily at the sound. It was Van 
 Klopen who came in, crying, according to his usual 
 custom, 
 
 " Well, and whose turn is it next ? " 
 
 When, however, he saw Gaston, his face grew white, 
 and it was with a smile that he stepped towards him, 
 motioning back the lady whose turn it was, and who 
 protested loudly against this injustice. 
 
 " Ah, M. de Gandelu," said he, " you have come, I
 
 THE VANISHING BILLS 257 
 
 suppose, to bes^ak some fresh toilettes for that ex- 
 quisite creature, Zora de Chantemille ? " 
 
 " Not to-day," returned Gaston. " Zora is a little 
 indisposed." 
 
 Andre, however, who had arranged the narrative 
 that he was about to pour into the ears of the famous 
 Van Klopen, was in too much haste to permit of any 
 unnecessary delay. 
 
 " We have come here," said he hurriedly, " upon 
 a matter of some moment. My friend, M. Gaston 
 de Gandelu, is about to leave Paris for some months, 
 and, before doing so, is anxious to settle all outstand- 
 ing accounts, and retire all his bills, which may not 
 yet have fallen due." 
 
 "Have I any bills of M. de Gandelu?" said Van 
 Klopen slowly. " Ah, yes, I remember that I had 
 some now. Yes, five bills of one thousand francs each, 
 drawn by Gandelu, and accepted by Martin Rigal. I 
 received them from the Mutual Loan Society, but they 
 are no longer in my hands." 
 
 " Is that the case ? " murmured Gaston, growing 
 sick with apprehension. 
 
 " Yes, I sent them to my cloth merchants at St. 
 Etienne, Rollon and Company." 
 
 Van Klopen was a clever scoundrel, but he some- 
 times lacked the necessary perception of when he had 
 said enough ; and this was proved to-day, for, agitated 
 by the steady gaze that Andre kept upon him, he 
 added, 
 
 "If you do not believe my word, I can show you 
 the acknowledgment that I received from that firm." 
 
 " It is unnecessary," replied Andre. " Your state- 
 ment is quite sufficient." 
 
 " I should prefer to let you see the letter."
 
 25 S THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " No, thank you," replied Andre, not for a moment 
 duped by the game that was being played. " Pray take 
 no more trouble. We shall, I presume, find that the 
 bills are at St. Etienne. There is no use in taking 
 any more trouble about them, and we will wait until 
 they arrive at maturity. I have the honor to wish 
 you good morning." 
 
 And with these words he dragged away Gaston, 
 who was actually about to consult Van Klopen as to 
 the most becoming costume for Zora to appear in on 
 leaving the prison of St. Lazare. When they were a 
 few doors from the man-milliner's, Andre stopped and 
 wrote down the names of Van Klopen's cloth mer- 
 chants. Gaston was now quite; at his ease. 
 
 " I think," remarked he, " that Van Klopen is a 
 sharp fellow ; he knows that I am to be relied on." 
 
 " Where do you think your bills are ? " 
 
 " At St. Etienne's, of course." 
 
 The perfect innocence of the boy elicited from 
 Andre a gesture of impatient commiseration. 
 
 " Listen to me," said he, " and see if you can com- 
 prehend the awful position in which you have placed 
 yourself." 
 
 " I am listening, my dear fellow ; pray go on." 
 
 "You drew these bills through Verminet because 
 Van Klopen would not give you credit." 
 
 " Exactly so." 
 
 " How, then, do you account for the fact that this 
 man, who was at first disinclined to trust you, should, 
 without rhyme or reason, offer to supply you now as 
 
 he did to-day?" 
 
 " The deuce ! that never struck me. It does seem 
 queer. Does he want to play me a nasty trick? Bat 
 which of them is it Verminet or Van Klopen?"
 
 THE VANISHING BILLS 259 
 
 " It is plain to me that the pair of them have en- 
 tered into a pleasant little plot to blackmail you." 
 
 Young Gandelu did not at all like this turn, and 
 he exclaimed, 
 
 " Blackmail me, indeed ! why, I know my way about 
 better than that. They won't get much out of me, I 
 can tell you." 
 
 Andre shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " Then," said he, " just tell me what you intend to 
 say to Verminet when he comes to you upon the day 
 your bills fall due, and says to you, ' Give me one 
 hundred thousand francs for these five little bits of 
 paper, or I go straight to your father with them ' ? " 
 
 " I should say, of course ah, well, I really do not 
 know what I should say." 
 
 " You could say nothing, except that you had been 
 imposed on in the most infamous way. You would 
 plead for time, and Verminet would give it to you if 
 you would execute a deed insuring him one hundred 
 thousand francs on the day you came of age." 
 
 " A hundred thousand devils are all the rogue would 
 get from me. That's the way I do things, do you 
 see? If people try and ride roughshod over me, I 
 merely hit out, and then just look out for broken 
 bones. Pay this chap ? Not I ! I know the governor 
 would make an almighty shine, but I'll choose that 
 sooner than be had like that." 
 
 He was quite serious, but could only put his feel- 
 ings into the language he usually spoke. 
 
 " I think," answered Andre, " that your father 
 would forgive this imprudence, but that it will be even 
 harder for him to do so than it was to send a doctor 
 to number the hours he had to live. He will forgive 
 you because he is your father, and because he loves
 
 2 6o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 you; but Verminet, when he finds that the threat to 
 go to your father does not appall you, will menace you 
 with criminal proceedings." 
 
 " Hulloo ! " said Gandelu, stopping short. " I say, 
 that is very poor fun," gasped he. 
 
 " There is no fun in it, for such fun, when brought 
 to the notice of a court of justice, goes by the ugly 
 name of forgery, and forgery means a swinging heavy 
 sentence." 
 
 Gaston turned pale, and trembled from head to foot. 
 
 " Tried and sentenced," faltered he. " No, I don't 
 believe you, but I hold no honors and will turn up 
 my cards." He quite forgot that he was in the public 
 street, and was talking at the top of his shrill falsetto 
 voice, and gesticulating violently. 
 
 " The poor old governor, I might have made him 
 so happy, and, after all, I have only been a torment 
 to him. Ah, could I but begin once more; but then 
 the cards are dealt, and I must go on with the game, 
 and I have made a nice muddle of the whole thing 
 before I am twenty years of age; but no criminal 
 courts for me, no, the easiest way out of it is a pistol 
 shot, for I am an honest man's son, and I will not 
 bring more disgrace on him than I have already done." 
 
 " Do you really mean what you say? " asked Andre. 
 
 " Of course I do. I can be firm enough some- 
 times." 
 
 " Then we will not despair yet," answered the young 
 painter. " I think that we shall be able to settle this 
 ugly business, but you cannot be too cautious. Keep 
 indoors, and remember that I may have urgent need 
 of you at almost any time of day or night." 
 
 " I agree, but remember this, Zora is not to be for- 
 gotten."
 
 THE SPY 261 
 
 " Don't fret over that ; I will call and see her to- 
 morrow. And now, farewell for to-day, as I have not 
 an instant to lose," and with these words Andre hur- 
 ried off. 
 
 Andre's reason for haste was that he had caught a 
 few words addressed by Verminet to Croisenois " I 
 shall see Mascarin at four o'clock." And he determined 
 to loiter about the Rue St. Anne, and watch the Man- 
 aging Director when he came out, and so find out who 
 this Mascarin was, who he was certain was mixed up 
 in the plot. He darted down the Rue de Grammont 
 like an arrow from a bow, and as the clock in a neigh- 
 boring belfry chimed half-past three, he was in the 
 Rue St. Anne. There was a small wine-shop almost 
 opposite to the office of the Mutual Loan Society, and 
 there Andre ensconced himself and made a frugal 
 meal, while he was waiting for Verminet's appear- 
 ance, and just as he had finished his light refreshment 
 he saw the man he wanted come out of the office, and 
 crept cautiously after him like a Red Indian on the 
 trail of his enemy. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE SPY. 
 
 As Verminet swaggered down the street he had the 
 air of a successful man, of a capitalist, in short, and 
 the Managing Director of a highly lucrative concern. 
 Andre had no difficulty in following his man, though 
 detective's business was quite new to him, which is 
 no such easy matter, although every one thinks that 
 he can become one. Andre kept his man in sight, and
 
 262 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 was astonished at the numerous acquaintances that 
 Verminet seemed to have. Occasionally he said to 
 himself, " Perhaps I am mistaken after all, for fancy 
 is a bad pair of spectacles to see through. This man 
 may be honest, and I have let my imagination lead me 
 astray." 
 
 Meanwhile, Verminet who had reached the Boule- 
 vard Poissonniere, assumed a totally different air, 
 throwing off his old manner as he cast away his cigar. 
 When he had reached the Rue Montorgueil he turned 
 underneath a large archway. Verminet had gone into 
 the office of M. B. Mascarin, and that person simply 
 kept a Servants' Registry Office for domestics of both 
 sexes. In spite of his surprise, however, he deter- 
 mined to wait for Verminet to come out ; and, not to 
 give himself the air of loitering about the place, he 
 crossed the road and appeared to be interested in 
 watching three workmen who were engaged in fixing 
 the revolving shutters to a new shop window. Luckily 
 for the young painter he had not to wait a very long 
 while, for in less than a quarter of an hour Verminet 
 came out, accompanied by two men. The one was 
 tall and thin, and wore a pair of spectacles with col- 
 ored glasses, while the other was stout and ruddy, 
 with the unmistakable air of a man of the world about 
 him. Andre would have given the twenty thousand 
 francs which he still had in his pocket if he could have 
 heard a single word of their conversation. He was 
 moving skilfully forward so as to place himself within 
 earshot, when not two feet from him he heard a shrill 
 whistle twice repeated. There was something so 
 strange and curious in the sound of this whistle that 
 Andre looked round and noticed that the three men 
 whom he was watching had been also attracted by it.
 
 THE SPY 263 
 
 The tall man with the colored glasses glanced sus- 
 piciously around him, and then after a nod to his com- 
 panions turned and re-entered the office, while Ver- 
 minet and the other walked away arm in arm. Andre 
 was undecided; should he try and discover who these 
 two men were ? Near the entrance he saw a lad sell- 
 ing hot chestnuts. " Ah ! " said he, " the little chestnut 
 seller will always be there ; but I may lose the others 
 if I stay here." He followed the two men as quickly 
 as possible. They did not go very far, and speedily 
 entered a fine house in the Rue Montmartre. Here 
 Andre was for a moment puzzled, as he did not know 
 to whom they were paying a visit, but noticing an in- 
 scription on the wall of " Cashier's Office on the first 
 floor," he exclaimed, 
 
 " Ah ! it is to the banker's they have gone ! " 
 
 He questioned a man coming downstairs and heard 
 that M. Martin Rigal, the banker, had his offices and 
 residence there. 
 
 " I have struck a vein of good luck to-day," thought 
 he ; " and now if my little friend the chestnut seller 
 can only tell me the names of these men, I have done 
 a good day's work. I do hope that he has not gone." 
 
 The boy wa$ still there, and he had two customers 
 standing by the chafing-dish which contained the glow- 
 ing charcoal, and a working lad in cap and blouse was 
 arguing so hotly with the lad that they did not notice 
 Andre's appearance. 
 
 " You can stow that chat," said the boy ; " I have 
 told your father the price I would take. You want 
 my station and stock-in-trade. Hand over two hun- 
 dred and fifty francs, and they are yours." 
 
 " But my dad will only give two hundred," returned 
 the other.
 
 264 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Then he don't need give nothing, for he won't get 
 'em," answered the chestnut vender sharply. " Two 
 hundred francs for a pitch like this ! why, I have 
 sometimes taken ten francs and more, and that ain't a 
 lie, on the word of Toto Chupin." 
 
 Andre was tickled with this strange designation, 
 and addressed himself to the lad who bore it. 
 
 " My good boy," said he, " I think you were here 
 an hour ago. Did you see anything of three gentlemen 
 who came out of the house and stood talking together 
 for a short time?" 
 
 The lad turned sharply round and examined his 
 questioner from tip to toe with an air of the most su- 
 preme impertinence; and then, in a tone which 
 matched his look, replied, 
 
 " What does it signify to you who they are? Mind 
 your own business, and be off ! " 
 
 Andre had had some little experience of this de- 
 lightful class of street arab, of which Toto Chupin 
 was so favorable a specimen, and knew their habits, 
 customs, and language. 
 
 " Come, my chicken," said he, " spit it out, it won't 
 blister your tongue, to answer a man who asks a civil 
 question." 
 
 " Well, then, I saw 'em, sharp enough, and what 
 then?" 
 
 "Why, that I should like to have their names if 
 they have such an article belonging to 'em ! " 
 
 Toto raised his cap and scratched his head, as if to 
 stimulate his brains, and as he brushed up his thick 
 head of dirty yellow hair, he eyed Andre cunningly. 
 
 " And suppose I know the blokes' names and tells 
 'em out to you, what will you stand ? " asked he.
 
 THE SPY 265 
 
 " Ten sous." 
 
 The delightful youth puffed out his cheeks, then 
 expelled the pent-up wind by a sudden slap, as a mark 
 of his disgust at the meanness of the offer. 
 
 " Pull up your braces, my lord," said he sarcas- 
 tically, " or you'll be losing the contents of your 
 breeches pockets. Ten sous, indeed ! Perhaps you'd 
 like me to lend 'em to yer ? " 
 
 Andre smiled pleasantly. 
 
 " Did you think, my little man, that I was going to 
 offer you twenty thousand shiners ? " asked he. 
 
 " Won again ! " cried Toto ; " I laid myself a new 
 hat that you weren't a fool, and I have collared the 
 stakes." 
 
 " Why do you think I am not a fool ? " 
 
 " Because a fool would have begun by offering me 
 five francs and gone up slick to ten, while you began 
 at a modest figure." 
 
 The painter smiled. 
 
 " But you were too old a bird to be caught like that," 
 continued the lad; and as he spoke, he stopped, and 
 contracted his brow as if in deep perplexity. Of 
 course he was acquainted with the names, but ought 
 he to give them? Instantly he scented an enemy. 
 Harmless people did not usually ask questions of itin- 
 erant chestnut venders, and to open his mouth might 
 be to injure Mascarin, Beaumarchef, or the guileless 
 Tantaine. 
 
 This last thought determined the lad. 
 
 " Keep your ten sous, my pippin," said the boy ; 
 " I'll tell you what you want to know all gratis and 
 for nothing, because I've taken a real fancy to the cut 
 of your mug. The tall chap was Mascarin, the fat un
 
 266 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Doctor Hortebise, and t'other stop, let me think it 
 out in my knowledge box ; ah ! I have it, he was Ver- 
 minet." 
 
 Andre was so delighted that, drawing from his 
 pocket a five-franc piece, he tossed it to the boy. 
 
 " Thanks, my noble lord," said Chupin, and was 
 about to add something more in a similar vein, when 
 he glanced down the street. His look changed in an 
 instant, and he fixed his eyes upon the painter's face 
 with a very strange expression. 
 
 " What is the matter, my lad ? " asked Andre, sur- 
 prised at this sudden change. 
 
 " Nothing," answered Chupin ; " nothing at all ; only 
 as you seem a decentish sort of chap, I should recom- 
 mend you to keep your wits about you, and to look 
 out for squalls." 
 
 " Eh, what do you mean? " 
 
 " I mean why be careful, of course. Hang me 
 if I exactly know what I do mean. It is just an idea 
 that came to me all of a jump. But there, be off; I 
 ain't going to say another word." 
 
 With much difficulty Andre repressed his astonish- 
 ment. He saw that this young scamp was the posses- 
 sor of many secrets which might be of inestimable 
 value to him ; but he also saw that he was determined 
 to hold his tongue, and that it would at present be a 
 waste of time to try and get anything out of him; 
 and an empty cab passing at this moment, Andre 
 hailed it, and told the coachman to drive fast to the 
 Champs Elysees. In obedience to the warning that 
 he had just received from Toto, he did not give the 
 name of the cafe where he was to meet De Breulh, for 
 he made up his mind to be careful, yes, extremely 
 careful. He recollected the two odd whistles which
 
 THE SPY 267 
 
 had seemed to make Mascarin wince, and which cer- 
 tainly broke off the conference of the three men, and 
 he remembered that it was after a glance down the 
 street that Toto had become less communicative and 
 had given him that curt warning. " By heaven," said 
 he, as the recollection of a story he had read not long 
 ago dawned on him, " I am being followed." He 
 lowered the front glass of the cab, and attracted the 
 coachman's attention by pulling him by the sleeve. 
 
 " Listen to me," said he, as the man turned, " and 
 do not slacken your speed. Here, take your five 
 francs in advance." 
 
 " But look here " 
 
 " Listen to me. Go as sharp as you can to the Rue 
 de Matignon; turn down it, and, as you do so, go a 
 bit slower; then drive on like lightning, and when 
 you are in the Champs Elysees do what you like, for 
 your cab will be empty." 
 
 The driver chuckled. 
 
 " Aha," said he ; "I see you are being followed, and 
 you want to give 'em leg bail." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; you are right." 
 
 " Then listen to me. Take care when you jump, 
 and don't do it on the pavement, for t'other is the 
 safest." 
 
 Andre succeeded in alighting safely, and turned 
 down a narrow court before his pursuer had entered 
 the street; but it was vain for the young painter to 
 lurk in a doorway, for after five minutes had elapsed 
 there was nothing to be seen, and no spy had made his 
 appearance. 
 
 " I have been over-cautious," muttered he. 
 
 More than a quarter of an hour had elapsed, and 
 Andre felt that he might leave his hiding-place, and
 
 268 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 go in quest of De Breulh; and as he approached the 
 spot chosen for their meeting-place, he saw his friend's 
 carriage, and near it was the owner, smoking a cigar. 
 The two men caught sight of each other almost at the 
 same moment. De Breulh advanced to greet the 
 young man with extended hand. 
 
 " I have been waiting for you for the last twenty 
 minutes," said he. 
 
 Andre commenced to apologize, but his friend 
 checked him. 
 
 " Never mind," returned he ; " I know that you must 
 have had some excellent reasons ; but, to tell you the 
 honest truth,. I had become rather nervous about you." 
 
 " Nervous ! and why, pray ? " 
 
 " Do you not recollect what I said the other even- 
 ing? De Croisenois is a double-dyed scoundrel." 
 
 Andre remained silent, and his friend, putting his 
 arm affectionately through his, continued, 
 
 " Let us walk," said he ; " it is better than sitting 
 down in the cafe. I believe De Croisenois capable of 
 anything. He has the prospect before him of a large 
 fortune, that of his brother George; but this he has 
 already anticipated. A man in a position like this is 
 not to be trifled with." 
 
 " I do not fear him." 
 
 " But I do. I am, however, a little relieved by the 
 fact that he has never seen you." 
 
 The painter shook his head. 
 
 " Not only has he seen me, but I half believe that 
 he suspects my designs." 
 
 " Impossible ! " 
 
 " But I am sure that I have been followed to-day. 
 I have no actual proof, but still I am fully convinced 
 that it was so."
 
 THE SPY 269 
 
 And Andre recounted all that had occurred during 
 the day. 
 
 " You are certainly being watched," answered De 
 Breulh, " and every step that you take will be known 
 to your enemies, and at this very moment perhaps eyes 
 are upon us." 
 
 As he spoke he glanced uneasily around ; but it was 
 quite dark, and he could see no one. 
 
 " We will give the spies a little gentle exercise," 
 said he, " and if we dine together they will find it 
 hard to discover the place." 
 
 De Breulh's coachman was dozing on the driving- 
 seat. His master aroused him, and whispered some 
 order in his ear. The two young men then got in, 
 and the carriage started at a quick pace. 
 
 " What do you think of this expedient ? " asked De 
 Breulh. " We shall go at this pace for the next hour. 
 We will then alight at the corner of the Chaussee 
 d'Autin, and be free for the rest of the night, and 
 those who wish to follow us to-night must have good 
 eyes and legs." 
 
 All came to pass as De Breulh had arranged ; but 
 as he jumped out he saw a dark form slip from be- 
 hind the carriage and mingle with the crowd on the 
 Boulevard. 
 
 " By heavens," said he ; " that was a man. I 
 thought that I was throwing a spy off the track, and I 
 was in reality only treating him to a drive." 
 
 To make sure, he took off his glove and felt the 
 springs of the carriage. 
 
 " See," said he, " they are still warm from the con- 
 tact with a human body." 
 
 The young painter was silent, but all was now ex- 
 plained : while he jumped from the cab, his tracker had
 
 270 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 been carried away upon it. This discovery saddened 
 the dinner, and a little after ten Andre left his friend 
 and returned home. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 MASCARIN MOVES. 
 
 THE Viscountess de Bois Arden had not been wrong 
 when she told Andre in Van Klopen's establishment 
 that community of sorrow had brought the Count and 
 Countess of Mussidan nearer together, and that Sabine 
 had made up her mind to sacrifice herself for the 
 honor of the family. Unfortunately, however, this 
 change in the relations of husband and wife had not 
 taken place immediately; for after her interview with 
 Doctor Hortebise, Diana's first impulse had not been 
 to go to her husband, but to write to Norbert, who 
 was as much compromised by the correspondence as 
 she herself. Her first letter did not elicit a reply. She 
 wrote a second, and then a third, in which, though she 
 did not go into details, she let, the Duke know that she 
 was the victim of a dark intrigue, and that a deadly 
 peril was hanging over her daughter's head. This last 
 letter was brought back to her by the messenger, with- 
 out any envelope, and across it Norbert had written, 
 
 " The weapon which you have used against me has 
 now been turned against yourself. Heaven is just." 
 
 These words started up in letters of fire before her 
 eyes as the presage of coming misfortune, and telling 
 her that the hour of retribution had now come, and 
 that she must be prepared to suffer, as an atonement
 
 MASCARIN MOVES 271 
 
 for her crimes. Then it was that she felt all was lost, 
 and that she must go to her husband for aid, unless she 
 desired that copies of the stolen letters should be sent 
 to him ; and in a little boudoir, adjoining Sabine's own 
 room, she opened her heart and told her husband all. 
 She performed it with all the skill of a woman who, 
 without descending to falsehood, contrives to conceal 
 the truth. But she could not hide the share that she 
 had taken, both in the death of the late Duke of 
 Champdoce and the disappearance of George de 
 Croisenois. 
 
 The Count's brain reeled. He called up to his mem- 
 ory what Diana had been when he first saw and loved 
 her at Laurebourg : how pure and modest she looked ! 
 what virginal candor sat upon her brow! and yet she 
 was even then doing her best to urge on a son to mur- 
 der his father. 
 
 De Mussidan had had hideous doubts concerning the 
 relations of Norbert and Diana, both before and after 
 marriage ; but his wife firmly denied this at the moment 
 when she was revealing the other guilty secrets of her 
 past life. He had believed that Sabine was not his 
 child, and now he had to reproach himself with the in- 
 difference he had displayed towards her. 
 
 He made no answer to the terrible revelation that 
 was poured into his ears; but when the Countess had 
 concluded, he rose and left the room, stretching out his 
 hands and grasping the walls for support, like a 
 drunken man. 
 
 The Count and Countess believed that Sabine had 
 slept through this interview, but they were mistaken^ 
 for Sabine had heard all those fatal words " ruin, dis- 
 honor, and despair ! " At first she scarcely understood. 
 Were not these words merely the offspring of her de-
 
 272 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 lirium? She strove to shake it off, but too soon she 
 knew that the whispered words were sad realities, and 
 she lay on her bed quivering with terror. Much of the 
 conversation escaped her, but she heard enough. Her 
 mother's past sins were to be exposed if the daughter 
 did not marry a man entirely unknown to her the 
 Marquis de Croisenois. She knew that her torments 
 would not be of very long duration, for to part with 
 her love for Andre would be to part with life itself. 
 She made up her mind to live until she had saved her 
 parents' honor by the sacrifice of herself, and then she 
 would be free to accept the calm repose of the grave. 
 
 But the terrible revelation bore its fruits, for her 
 fever came back, and a relapse was the result. But 
 youth and a sound constitution gained the day, and 
 when she was convalescent her will was as strong as 
 ever. 
 
 Her first act was to write the letter to her lover 
 which had driven him to the verge of distraction ; and 
 then, fearing lest her father might, in his agony and 
 remorse, be driven to some rash act, she went to him 
 and told him that she knew all. 
 
 " I never loved M. de Breulh," said she with a piti- 
 ful smile, " and therefore the sacrifice is not so great 
 after all." 
 
 The Count was not for a moment the dupe of the 
 generous-souled girl, but he did not dare to brave the 
 scandal of the death of Montlouis, and still less the ex- 
 posure of his wife's conduct. Time was passing, how- 
 ever, and the miscreants in whose power they were 
 made no signs of life. Hortebise did not appear any 
 more, and there were moments when the miserable Di- 
 ana actually ventured to hope. " Have they forgotten 
 us ? " thought she.
 
 MASCARIN MOVES 273 
 
 Alas ! no ; they were people who never forget. 
 
 The Champdoce affair had been satisfactorily ar- 
 ranged, and every precaution had been taken to pre- 
 vent the detection of Paul as an impostor, and engaged 
 as he had been, Mascarin had no time to turn his at- 
 tention to the marriage of Sabine and De Croisenois. 
 The famous Limited Company, with the Marquis as 
 chairman, had, too, to be started, the shares of which 
 were to be taken up by the unhappy victims of the 
 blackmailers; but first some decided steps must be 
 taken with the Mussidans, and Tantaine was dis- 
 patched on this errand. 
 
 This amiable individual, though he was going into 
 such very excellent society, did not consider it neces- 
 sary to make any improvement in his attire. This was 
 the reason why the footman, upon seeing such a shabby 
 visitor and hearing him ask for the Count or Countess, 
 did not hesitate to reply, with a sneer, that his master 
 and mistress had been out some months, and were not 
 likely to return for a week or two. This fact did not 
 disconcert the wily man, for drawing one of Mas- 
 carin's cards from his pocket, he begged the kind gen- 
 tleman to take it upstairs, when he was sure that he 
 would at once be sent for. 
 
 De Mussidan, when he read the name on the card, 
 turned ghastly pale. 
 
 " Show him into the library," said he curtly. 
 
 Florestan left the room, and the Count mutely 
 handed the card to his wife, but she had no need to 
 read it. 
 
 " I can tell what it is," gasped she. 
 
 " The day for settling accounts has come," said the 
 Count, " and this name is the fatal sign." 
 
 The Countess flung herself upon her knees, and tak-
 
 274 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 ing the hand that hung placidly by his side, pressed her 
 lips tenderly to it. 
 
 " Forgive me, Octave ! " she murmured. " Will you 
 not forgive me? I am a miserable wretch, and why 
 did not Heaven punish me for the sins that I have com- 
 mitted, and not make others expiate my offences ? " 
 
 The Count put her gently aside. He suffered in- 
 tensely, and yet no word of reproach escaped his lips 
 against the woman who had ruined his whole life. 
 
 " And Sabine," she went on, " must she, a De Mussi- 
 dan, marry one of these wretched scoundrels ? " 
 
 Sabine was the only one in the room who preserved 
 her calmness ; she had so schooled herself that her dis- 
 tress of mind was not apparent to the outward eye. 
 
 " Do not make yourselves miserable," said she, with 
 a faint smile ; " how do we know that M. de Croisenois 
 may not make me an excellent husband after all ? " 
 
 The Count gazed upon his daughter with a look of 
 the fondest affection and gratitude. 
 
 " Dearest Sabine ! " murmured he. Her fortitude 
 had restored his self-command. " Let us be outwardly 
 resigned," said he, " whatever our feelings may be. 
 Time may do much for us, and at the very church door 
 we may find means of escape."
 
 A CRUEL SLUR 275 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A CRUEL SLUR. 
 
 FLORESTAN had conducted Tantaine to the sumptu- 
 ous library, in which the Count had received Masca- 
 rin's visit; and, to pass away the time, the old man 
 took a mental inventory of the contents of the room. 
 He tried the texture of the curtains, looked at the 
 handsome bindings of the books, and admired the mag- 
 nificent bronzes on the mantelpiece. 
 
 " Aha," muttered he, as he tried the springs of a 
 luxurious armchair, " everything is of the best, and 
 when matters are settled, I half think that I should 
 like a resting-place just like this " 
 
 He checked himself, for the door opened, and the 
 Count made his appearance, calm and dignified, but 
 very pale. Tantaine made a low bow, pressing his 
 greasy hat against his breast. 
 
 " Your humble servant to command," said he. 
 
 The Count had come to a sudden halt. 
 
 " Excuse me," said he, " but did you send up a card 
 asking for an interview ? " 
 
 " I am not Mascarin certainly, but I used that highly 
 respectable gentleman's name, because I knew that my 
 own was totally unknown to you. I am Tantaine, 
 Adrien Tantaine." 
 
 M. de Mussidan gazed with extreme surprise upon 
 the squalid individual before him. His mild and benev- 
 olent face inspired confidence, and yet he doubted him. 
 
 " I have come on the same business," pursued the 
 old man. " I have been ordered to tell you that it 
 must be hurried on."
 
 276 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 The Count hastily closed the door and locked it ; the 
 manner of this man made him feel even too plainly 
 the ignominy of his position. 
 
 " I understand," answered he. " But how is it that 
 you have come, and not the other one ? " 
 
 " He intended to come, but at the last moment he 
 drew back ; Mascarin, you see, has a great deal to lose, 
 
 while I " He paused, and holding up the tattered 
 
 tails of his coat, turned round, as though to exhibit his 
 shabby attire". " All my property is on my back," con- 
 tinued he. 
 
 " Then I can treat with you ? " asked the Count. 
 
 Tantaine nodded his head. " Yes, Count, I have the 
 missing leaves from the Baron's journal, and also, well 
 I suppose you know everything, all of your wife's 
 correspondence." 
 
 " Enough," answered the Count, unable to hide his 
 disgust. " Sit down." 
 
 " Now, Count, I will go to the point are you going 
 to put the police on us ? " 
 
 " I have said that I would do nothing of the kind." 
 
 " Then we can get to business." 
 
 " Yes, if ". 
 
 The old man shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " There is no 'if in the case," returned he. " We 
 state our conditions, for acceptance or rejection." 
 
 These words were uttered in a tone of such extreme 
 insolence that the Count was strongly tempted to hurl 
 the extortionate scoundrel from the window, but he 
 contrived to restrain his passion. 
 
 " Let us hear the conditions then," said he impa- 
 tiently. 
 
 Tantaine extracted from some hidden recess of his
 
 A CRUEL SLUR 277 
 
 coat a much-worn pocketbook, and drew from it a 
 paper. 
 
 " Here are our conditions," returned he slowly. 
 " The Count de Mussidan promises to give the hand 
 of his daughter to Henri Marquis de Croisenois. He 
 will give his daughter a wedding portion of six hun- 
 dred thousand francs, and promises that the marriage 
 shall take place without delay. The Marquis de Croise- 
 nois will be formally introduced at your house, and he 
 must be cordially received. Four days afterwards he 
 must be asked to dinner. On the fifteenth day from 
 that M. de Mussidan will give a grand ball in honor 
 of the signing of the marriage contract. The leaves 
 from the diary and the whole of the correspondence 
 will be handed to M. de Mussidan as soon as the civil 
 ceremony is completed." 
 
 With firmly compressed lips and clenched hands, 
 the Count sat listening to these conditions. 
 
 " And who can tell me," said he, " that you will 
 keep your engagements, and that these papers will be 
 restored to me at all ? " 
 
 Tantaine looked at him with an air of pity. 
 
 " Your own good sense," answered he. " What 
 more could we expect to get out of you than your 
 daughter and your money ? " 
 
 The Count did not answer, but paced up and down 
 the room, eyeing the ambassador keenly, and endeavor- 
 ing to detect some weak point in his manner of cyni- 
 cism and audacity. Then speaking in the calm tone 
 of a man who had made up his mind, he said, 
 
 " You hold me as in a vice, and I admit myself van- 
 quished. Stringent as your conditions are, I accept 
 them."
 
 278 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " That is the right style of way to talk in," remarked 
 Tantaine cheerfully. 
 
 " Then," continued the Count, with a ray of hope 
 gleaming in his face, " why should I give my daugh- 
 ter to De Croisenois at all? surely this is utterly un- 
 necessary. What you want is simply six hundred thou- 
 sand francs; well, you can have them, and leave me 
 Sabine." 
 
 He paused and waited for the reply, believing that 
 the day was his; but he was wrong. 
 
 " That would not be the same thing at all," an- 
 swered Tantaine. " We should not gain our ends by 
 such means." 
 
 " I can do more," said the Count. " Give me six 
 months, and I will add a million to the sum I have 
 already offered." 
 
 Tantaine did not appear impressed by the magnitude 
 of this offer. " I think," remarked he, " that it will 
 be better to close this interview, which, I confess, is 
 becoming a little annoying. You agreed to accept the 
 conditions. Are you still in that mind ? " 
 
 The Count bowed. He could not trust himself to 
 speak. 
 
 " Then," went on Tantaine, " I will take my leave. 
 Remember, that as you fulfil your engagement, so we 
 will keep to ours." 
 
 He had laid his hand on the handle of the door, 
 when the Count said, 
 
 " Another word, if you please. I can answer for my- 
 self and Madame de Mussidan, but how about my 
 daughter ? " 
 
 Tantaine's face changed. " What do you mean ? " 
 asked he.
 
 A CRUEL SLUR 279 
 
 " My daughter may refuse to accept M. de Croise- 
 nois." 
 
 " Why should she ? He is good-looking, pleasant, 
 and agreeable." 
 
 " Still she may refuse him." 
 
 " If mademoiselle makes any objection," said the old 
 man in peremptory accents, " you must let me see her 
 for a few minutes, and after that you will have no 
 further difficulty with her." 
 
 " Why, what could you have to say to my daugh- 
 ter?" 
 
 " I should say " 
 
 " Well, what would you say ? " 
 
 " I should say that if she loves any one, it is not 
 M. de Breulh." He endeavored to pass through the 
 half-opened door, but the Count closed it violently. 
 
 " You shall not leave this room," cried he, " until 
 yDu have explained this insulting remark." 
 
 " I had no intention of offending you," answered 
 
 Tantaine humbly. " I only " He paused, and 
 
 then, with an air of sarcasm which sat strangely upon 
 a person of his appearance, went on, " I am aware that 
 the heiress of a noble family may do many things with- 
 out having her reputation compromised, when girls in 
 a lower social grade would be forever lost by the 
 commission of any one of them ; and I am sure if the 
 family of M. de Breulh knew that the young lady to 
 whom he was engaged had been in the habit of pass- 
 ing her afternoons alone with a young man in his 
 studio " 
 
 He paused, and hastily drew a revolver, for it 
 seemed as if the Count were about to throw himself 
 upon him. " Softly, softly, if you please," cried he.
 
 2 8o THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Blows and insults are fatal mistakes. I have better 
 information than yourself, that is all. I have more 
 than ten times seen your daughter enter a house in 
 the Rue Tour d'Auvergne, and, asking for M. Andre, 
 creep silently up the staircase." 
 
 The Count felt that he was choking. He tore off his 
 cravat, and cried wildly, " Proofs ! give me proofs ! " 
 
 During the last five minutes Tantaine had shifted his 
 ground so skilfully that the heavy library table now 
 stood between himself and the Count, and he was com- 
 paratively safe behind this extemporized defence. 
 
 " Proofs ? " answered he. " Do you think that I 
 carry them about with me? In a week I could give 
 you the lovers' correspondence. That, you will say, is 
 too long to wait ; but you can set your doubts at rest at 
 once. If you go to the address I will give you before 
 eight to-morrow morning, and enter the room occupied 
 by M. Andre, you will find the portrait of Mademoi- 
 selle Sabine carefully concealed from view behind 
 a green curtain, and a very good portrait it is. 
 I presume you will admit that it could not have been 
 executed without a sitting." 
 
 " Leave this," cried the Count, " without a moment's 
 delay." 
 
 Tantaine did not wait for a repetition of these words. 
 He passed through the doorway, and as soon as he was 
 outside he called out in cheerful accents, " Do not 
 forget the address, Number 45, Rue Tour d'Auvergne, 
 name of Andre, and mind and be there before eight 
 a.m." 
 
 The Count made a rush at him on hearing this last 
 insult, but he was too late, for Tantaine slammed the 
 door, and was in the hall before the infuriated master 
 of the house could open it. Tantaine had resumed all
 
 THE TEMPTER 281 
 
 his airs of humility, and took off his hat to the foot- 
 men as he descended the steps. " Yes," muttered he, 
 as he walked along, " the idea was a happy one. Andre 
 knows that he is watched, and will be careful ; and now 
 that M. de Mussidan is aware that his sweet, pure 
 daughter has had a lover, he will be only too happy to 
 accept the Marquis de Croisenois as his son-in-law." 
 Tantaine believed that Sabine was more culpable than 
 she really had been, for the idea of pure and honorable 
 love had never entered his brain. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE TEMPTER. 
 
 BY this time Tantaine was in the Champs Elysees, 
 and stared anxiously around. " If my Toto makes no 
 mistake," muttered he, " surely my order was plain 
 enough." 
 
 The old man got very cross as he at last perceived 
 the missing lad conversing with the proprietor of a pie- 
 stall, having evidently been doing a little jawing with 
 him. 
 
 " Toto," he called, " Toto, come here." 
 
 Toto Chupin heard him, for he looked round, but he 
 did not move, for he was certainly much interested in 
 the conversation he was carrying on. Tantaine shouted 
 again, and this time more angrily than before, and 
 Toto, reluctantly leaving his companion, came slowly 
 up to his patron. 
 
 " You have been a nice time getting here," said the 
 lad sulkily. " I was just going to cut it. Ain't you
 
 282 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 well that you make such a row? If you ain't, I'd bet- 
 ter go for a doctor.'' 
 
 " I am in a tremendous hurry, Toto." 
 
 " Yes, and so is the postman when he is behind 
 time. I'm busy too." 
 
 " What, with the man you have just left? " 
 
 " Yes ; he is a sharper chap than I am. How much 
 do you earn every day, Daddy. Tantaine ? Well, that 
 chap makes his thirty or forty francs every night, and 
 does precious little for it. I should like a business 
 like that, and I think that I shall secure one soon." 
 
 " Have patience. I thought that you were going into 
 business with those two young men you were drink- 
 ing beer with at the Grand Turk ? " 
 
 Toto uttered a shrill cry of anger at these words. 
 " Business with them ? " shrieked he ; " they are regu- 
 lar clever night thieves." 
 
 " Have they done you any harm, my poor lad ? " 
 
 " Yes ; they have utterly ruined me. Luckily, I saw 
 Mascarin yesterday, and he set me up in the hot-chest- 
 nut line. He ain't a bad one, is Mascarin." 
 
 Tantaine curled his lips disdainfully. " Not a bad 
 fellow, I dare say, as long as you don't ask him for 
 anvthing." 
 
 Tito was so surprised at hearing Tantaine abuse 
 Mascarin, that he was unable to utter a word. 
 
 " Ah, you may look surprised," continued the old' 
 man, " but when a man is rolling in riches, and leaves 
 an old friend to starve, then he is not what I call a 
 real good fellow. Now, Toto, you are a bright lad, 
 and so I don't mind letting you know that I am only 
 waiting for a good chance to drop Mascarin, and set 
 up on my own account. Work for yourself, my boy."
 
 THE TEMPTER 283 
 
 " I know that ; but it is a good deal easier to say than 
 to do." 
 
 " You have tried then ? " 
 
 " Yes, I have ; but I came to grief over it. You 
 know all about it as well as I do, for don't tell me you 
 didn't hear every word I said that night you were 
 hunting up Caroline Schimmel. However, I'll tell you. 
 One day when I saw a lady who looked rather nervous 
 get out of a cab, I followed her. I was decently 
 togged out, so I rang at the door. I was so sure that 
 I was going to make a haul that I would not have 
 taken ninety-nine francs for the hundred that I ex- 
 pected to make. Well, I rang, a girl opened the door, 
 and in I went. What an ass I made of myself! I 
 found a great brute of a man there, who thrashed me 
 within an inch of my life, and then kicked me down- 
 stairs. See, he made his mark rather more plainly than 
 I liked." And removing his cap, the boy showed sev- 
 eral bruises about his forehead. 
 
 During this conversation Tantaine and the lad had 
 been walking slowly up the Champs Elysees, and had 
 by this time arrived just opposite M. Gandelu's house, 
 where Andre was at work. Tantaine sat down on a 
 bench. 
 
 " Let us rest a bit," said he ; "I am tired out ; and 
 now let me tell you, my lad, that your tale only shows 
 me that it is experience you want. Now, I have any 
 amount of that, and I was really the prime mover in 
 most of Mascarin's schemes. If I were to start on my 
 own account, I should be driving in my carriage in 
 twelve months. The only thing against my success is 
 my age, for I am getting to be an old man. Why, 
 even now I have a matter in my hands which is sim-
 
 2 8 4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 ply splendid. I have had half the money down, but I 
 want a smart young fellow to pull it through." 
 
 " Why couldn't I be the smart young fellow ? " 
 asked Toto. 
 
 Tantaine shook his head. " You are as much too 
 young as I am too old," answered he. " At your age 
 you are too apt to be frightened, and would shrink 
 back at the critical time. Besides, I have a con- 
 science." 
 
 " And so have I," exclaimed Toto ; " and it's grown 
 like your own, old man; it can be stretched for miles 
 and folded up into nothing." 
 
 " Well, we may be able to do something," returned 
 Tantaine, as, drawing out a ragged check pocket- 
 handkerchief, he wiped his glasses. 
 
 " Listen to me, my lad ; I'll put what we call a sup- 
 posititious case to you. You hate those two fellows 
 who have robbed you, for I suppose that is what you 
 meant ; well, suppose you knew that they were at work 
 all day on a high scaffold like that one opposite to us, 
 what would you do ? " 
 
 Toto scratched his head, and remarked after a 
 pause, 
 
 " If that crack-jawed idea you talk of was true," 
 answered he, " those gay lads might as well make their 
 wills, for I'd step up the scaffolding at night and just 
 saw the planks that they are in the habit of clapping 
 their toes on, half through, and when one of the mates 
 stepped on it, why, there would be a bit of a smash, 
 eh, Daddy Tantaine ? " 
 
 " Not so bad, not so bad for a lad of your years," 
 said the old man with an approving smile. 
 
 Toto's bosom swelled with pride. 
 
 " Besides," he continued, " I would arrange matters
 
 THE TEMPTER 285 
 
 so well that not a soul would think that I had done the 
 trick." 
 
 " The more I hear you speak, Chupin," answered 
 Tantaine, " the more I believe you are the lad I want, 
 and I am sure that we shall make heaps of money to- 
 gether." 
 
 " I am cock sure of that too." 
 
 " You can use carpenters' tools, I think you once told 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Well," continued Tantaine, " let me tell you then 
 that I know an old man with any amount of money, 
 and there is a fellow whom he hates and detests, a 
 young chap who ran off with the girl he loved." 
 
 " The old bloke must have been jolly wild." 
 
 " Well, to tell the truth, he wasn't a bit pleased. 
 Now it so happens that this gay young dog spends ten 
 hours a day at least on that very scaffolding opposite 
 to us. The old fellow, who has his head screwed on 
 the right way, had the very same idea as yours, but he 
 is too old and too stout to do the trick for himself ; and, 
 to cut the matter short, he would give five thousand 
 francs to the persons who would carry out his idea. 
 Just think, two thousand francs for a few cuts of a 
 saw ! " 
 
 The boy was violently agitated, but Tantaine pre- 
 tended not to notice it. 
 
 " First, my lad," said he, " I must explain to you in 
 what measure the old gentleman's plans are different 
 from yours. If we did not take care, some other poor 
 devil might break his neck, but I have hit on a dodge 
 to avoid all this." 
 
 " I ain't curious, but I should like to hear it." 
 
 Tantaine smiled blandly.
 
 286 
 
 " Listen ! Do you see high up that little shed built 
 of planks ? That is used by the carvers and stone-cut- 
 ters. Well, this little house, a couple of hundred feet 
 above us, has a kind of a window ; well, if this window 
 and the planks below it were cut nearly through, any 
 one leaning against it would be very likely to fall into 
 the street and perhaps to hurt himself." 
 
 Chupin nodded. 
 
 " Now, suppose," went on Tantaine, " that the en- 
 emy of our old gentleman was in that little shed, all 
 at once he hears a woman shriek, ' Help ! it is I you 
 love ; help me ! ' what would this young fellow do ? 
 Why, he would recognize the voice, rush to the win- 
 dow, lean out, and as the woodwork and supports had 
 been cut away, he would Well, do you see now ? " 
 
 Chupin hesitated for a moment. 
 
 " I don't say I won't," muttered he ; " but, look here, 
 will the old chap pay down smart ? " 
 
 " Yes, and besides, did I not tell you that he had 
 given half down? " 
 
 The boy's eyes glistened as the old man unpinned 
 the tattered lining of his pocket, and holding the pin 
 between his teeth, pulled out the banknotes, each one 
 for a thousand francs. Chupin's heart rose at the 
 sight of this wealth. 
 
 " Is one of those for me ? " asked he. Tantaine held 
 the note towards the boy, who shuddered at the touch 
 of the crisp paper and kissed the precious object in a 
 paroxysm of pleasure. He then started from his seat, 
 and regardless of the astonishment of the passers-by, 
 executed a wild dance of triumph. 
 
 All was soon settled. Toto was to creep into the 
 unfinished building by night, and not to leave it until 
 be had completed his work. Tantaine, who had a
 
 THE TEMPTER 287 
 
 thought for everything-, told the boy what sort of a saw 
 to employ, and gave him the address of a man who 
 supplied the best class instruments. 
 
 " You must remember, my dear lad," said he, " not 
 to leave behind you any traces of your work which 
 may cause suspicion. One grain of sawdust on the 
 floor might spoil the whole game. Take a dark lan- 
 tern with you, grease your saw, and rasp out the tooth- 
 nicks of the saw when you have finished your work." 
 
 Toto listened to the old man in surprise; he had 
 never thought that he was of so practical a turn. He 
 promised that he would be careful, and imagining that 
 he had received all his directions, rose to leave; but 
 the old man still detained him. 
 
 " Here," said he, " suppose you tell me a little about 
 Caroline Schimmel. You told Beaumarchef that she 
 said I had made her scream, and that when she caught 
 me, I should have a bad time of it, eh ? " 
 
 " You weren't my partner then," returned the lad 
 with an impudent laugh ; " and I wanted to give you a 
 bit of a fright. The truth is, that you made the poor 
 old girl so drunk that she has had to go to the hos- 
 pital." 
 
 Tantaine was overjoyed at this news, and, rising 
 from his seat, said, " Where are you living now ? " 
 
 " Nowhere in particular. Yesterday I slept in a 
 stable, but there isn't room for all my furniture there, 
 so I must shift." 
 
 " Would you like to have my room for a day or 
 two ? " asked Tantaine, chuckling at the boy's jest. " I 
 have moved from there, but the attic is mine for an- 
 other fortnight yet." 
 
 " I'm gone; where is it?" 
 
 " You know well enough, in the Hotel de Perou, Rue
 
 288 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 de la Hachette. Then I will send a line to the land- 
 lady " ; and tearing a leaf from his pocketbook, he 
 scrawled on it a few words, saying that a young rela- 
 tive of his, M. Chupin, was to have his room. 
 
 This letter, together with his banknote, Toto care- 
 fully tied up in the corner of his neckerchief, and as 
 he crossed the street the old man watched him for a 
 moment, and then stood gazing at the workmen on the 
 scaffolding. Just then Gandelu and his son came out, 
 and the contractor paused to give a few instructions. 
 For a few seconds Gaston and Chupin stood side by 
 side, and a strange smile flitted across Tantaine's face 
 as he noted this. " Both children of Paris," muttered 
 he, " and both striking examples of the boasted civiliza- 
 tion. The dandy struts along the pavement, while the 
 street arab plays in the gutter." 
 
 But he had no time to spend in philosophical specu- 
 lations, as the omnibus that he required appeared, and 
 entering it, in another half-hour he entered Paul Vio- 
 laine's lodgings in the Rue Montmartre. 
 
 The portress, Mother Brigaut, was at her post as 
 Tantaine entered the courtyard and asked, 
 
 " And how is our young gentleman to-day ? " 
 
 " Better, sir, ever so much better ; I made him a 
 lovely bowl of soup yesterday, and he drank up every 
 drop of it. He looks like a real king this morning, 
 and the doctor sent in a dozen of wine to-day, which 
 will, I am sure, effect a perfect cure." 
 
 With a smile and a nod Tantaine was making his 
 way to the stairs, when Mother Brigaut prevented 
 his progress. 
 
 " Some one was here yesterday," remarked she, 
 "asking about M. Paul." 
 
 " What sort of a looking person was it ? "
 
 THE TEMPTER 289 
 
 " Oh, a man like any other, nothing particular about 
 him, but he wasn't a gentleman, for after keeping me 
 for fully fifteen minutes talking and talking, he only 
 gave me a five-franc piece." 
 
 The description was not one that would lead to a 
 recognition of the person, and Tantaine asked in tones 
 of extreme annoyance, 
 
 "Did you not notice anything particular about the 
 man?" 
 
 " Yes, he had on gold spectacles with the mount- 
 ings as fine as a hair, and a watch chain as thick 
 and heavy as I have ever seen." 
 
 "And is that all?" 
 
 " Yes," answered she. " Oh ! there was one thing 
 more the person knows that you come here." 
 
 " Does he ? Why do you think so ? " 
 
 " Because all the time he was talking to me he was 
 in a rare fidget, and always kept his eyes on- the 
 door." 
 
 " Thanks, Mother Brigaut ; mind and keep a sharp 
 lookout," returned Tantaine, as he slowly ascended 
 the stairs. 
 
 Every now and then he paused to think. " Who 
 upon earth can this fellow be ? " asked he of himself. 
 He reviewed the whole question chances, probabili- 
 ties, and risks, not one was neglected, but all in vain. 
 
 " A thousand devils ! " growled he ; " are the police 
 at my heels ? " 
 
 His nerves were terribly shaken, and he strove in 
 vain to regain his customary audacity. By this time 
 he had reached the door of Paul's room, and, on his 
 ringing, the door was at once opened ; but at the sight 
 of this woman he started back, with a cry of angry 
 surprise; for it was a female figure that stood before
 
 290 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 him, a young girl Flavia, the daughter of Martin 
 Rigal, the banker. 
 
 The keen eyes of Tantaine showed him that Flavia's 
 visit had not been of long duration. She had removed 
 her hat and jacket, and was holding in her hand a 
 piece of fancy work. 
 
 " Whom do you wish to see, sir?" asked she. 
 
 The old man strove to speak, but his lips would not 
 frame a single sentence. A band of steel seemed to 
 be compressing his throat, and he appeared like a 
 man about to be seized with an apoplectic fit. 
 
 Flavia gazed upon the shabby-looking visitor with 
 an expression of intense disgust. It seemed to her 
 that she had seen him somewhere; in fact, there was 
 an inexplicable manner about him which entirely puz- 
 zled her. 
 
 " I want to speak to M. Paul," said the old man in 
 a low, hoarse whisper ; " he is expecting me." 
 
 " Then come in ; but just now his doctor is with 
 him." 
 
 She threw open the door more widely, and stepped 
 back, so that the greasy garments of the visitor might 
 not touch her dress. He passed her with an abject 
 bow, and crossed the little sitting-room with the air of 
 a man who perfectly understands his way. He did not 
 knock at the door of the bedroom, but went straight 
 in; there a singular spectacle at once arrested his at- 
 tention. Paul, with a very pale face, was seated on 
 the bed, while Hortebise was attentively examining 
 his bare shoulder. The whole of Paul's right arm and 
 shoulder was a large open wound, which seemed to 
 have been caused by a burn or scald, and must have 
 been extremely painful. The doctor was bending over 
 him, applying a cooling lotion to the injured place
 
 THE TEMPTER 291 
 
 with a small piece of sponge. He turned sharply 
 round on Daddy Tantaine's entrance; and so accus- 
 tomed were these men to read each other's faces at a 
 glance that Hortebise saw at once what had hap- 
 pened ; for Tantaine's expression plainly said, " Is Fla- 
 via mad to be here ? " while the eyes of Hortebise an- 
 swered, " She may be, but I could not help it." 
 
 Paul turned, too, and greeted the old man with an 
 exclamation of delight. 
 
 " Come here," said he merrily, " and just see to 
 what a wretched state I have been reduced between 
 the doctor and M. Mascarin." 
 
 Tantaine examined the wound carefully. " Are you 
 quite sure," asked he, " that not only will it deceive the 
 Duke, who will see but with our eyes, but also those 
 of his wife, and perhaps of his medical man?" 
 
 " We will hoodwink the lot of them." 
 
 " And how long must we wait," asked the old man, 
 " until the place skins over, and assumes the appear- 
 ance of having been there from childhood ? " 
 
 " In a month's time Paul can be introduced to the 
 Duke de Champdoce." 
 
 " Are you speaking seriously ? " 
 
 " Listen to me. The scar will not be quite natural 
 then, but I intend to subject it to various other modes 
 of treatment." 
 
 The dressing was now over, and Paul's shirt being 
 readjusted, he was permitted to lie down again. 
 
 " I am quite willing to remain here forever," said 
 he, " as long as I am allowed to retain the services of 
 the nurse that I have in the next room, and who, I 
 am sure, is waiting with the greatest eagerness for 
 your departure." 
 
 Hortebise fumed, and cast a glance at Paul which
 
 2 9 2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 seemed to say, " Be silent " ; but the conceited young 
 man paid no heed to it. 
 
 " How long has this charming nurse been with 
 you ? " asked Tantaine in an unnatural voice. 
 
 " Ever since I have been in bed," returned Paul with 
 the air of a gay young fellow. " I wrote a note that 
 I was unable to go over to her, so she came to me. 
 I sent my letter at nine o'clock, and at ten minutes 
 past she was with me." 
 
 The diplomatic doctor slipped behind Tantaine, and 
 made violent gestures to endeavor to persuade Paul 
 to keep silence, but all was in vain. 
 
 " M. Martin Rigal," continued the vain young fool, 
 " passes the greater part of his life in his private 
 office. As soon as he gets up he goes there, and is not 
 seen for the rest of the day. Flavia can therefore do 
 entirely as she likes. As soon as she knows that her 
 worthy father is deep in his ledgers, she puts on her 
 hat and runs round to me, and no one could have a 
 kinder and a prettier visitor than she is." 
 
 The doctor was hard at work at his danger signals, 
 but it was useless. Paul saw them, but did not com- 
 prehend their meaning; and Tantaine rubbed his 
 glasses savagely. 
 
 " You are perhaps deceiving yourself a little," said 
 he at last. 
 
 " And why ? You know that Flavia loves me, poor 
 girl. I ought to marry her, and of course I shall ; but 
 still, if I do not do so well, you know, I need say 
 no more." 
 
 " You wretched scoundrel ! " exclaimed the usu- 
 ally placid Tantaine. His manner was so fierce and 
 threatening that Paul shifted his position to one nearer 
 the wall.
 
 THE TAFILA COPPER MINES, LTD. 293 
 
 It was impossible for Tantaine to say another word, 
 for Hortebise placed his hand upon his lips, and 
 dragged him from the room. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE TAFILA COPPER MINES, LIMITED. 
 
 PAUL could not for the life of him imagine why 
 Tantaine had left the room in apparently so angry 
 a mood. He had certainly spoken of Flavia in a most 
 improper manner ; for the very weakness of which she 
 had been guilty should have caused him to treat her 
 with tender deference and respect. He could under- 
 stand the anger of Hortebise, who was Rigal's 
 friend; but what on earth had Tantaine in common 
 with the wealthy banker and his daughter? Forget- 
 ful of the pain which the smallest movement upon his 
 part produced, Paul sat up in his bed, and listened 
 with intense eagerness, hoping to catch what was go- 
 ing on in the next room; but he could hear nothing 
 through the thick walls and the closed door. 
 
 "What can they be doing?" asked he. "What 
 fresh plot are they contriving?" 
 
 Daddy Tantaine and Hortebise passed out of the 
 room hastily, but when they reached the staircase they 
 stood still. The doctor wore the same smiling ex- 
 pression of face, and he endeavored to calm his com- 
 panion, who appeared to be on the verge of despera- 
 tion. 
 
 " Have courage," whispered he; " what is the use of
 
 294 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 giving way to passion? You cannot help this; it is 
 too late now. Besides, even if you could, you would 
 not, as you know very well, indeed ! " 
 
 The old man was moving his spectacles, not to wipe 
 his glasses, but his eyes. 
 
 " Ah ! " moaned he, " now I can enter into the feel- 
 ings of M. de Mussidan when I proved to him that his 
 daughter had a lover. I have been hard and pitiless, 
 and I am cruelly punished." 
 
 " My old friend, you must not attach too much im- 
 portance to what you have heard. Paul is a mere 
 boy, and, of course, a boaster." 
 
 " Paul is a miserable cowardly dog," answered the 
 old man in a fierce undertone. " Paul does not love 
 the girl as she loves him ; but what he says is true, only 
 too true, I can feel. Between her father and her lover 
 she would not hesitate for a moment. Ah! unhappy 
 girl, what a terrible future lies before her." 
 
 He stopped himself abruptly. 
 
 " I cannot speak to her myself," resumed he ; " do 
 you, doctor, strive and make her have reason." 
 
 Hortebise shrugged his shoulders. " I will see 
 what my powers of oratory can do," answered he; 
 " but you are not quite yourself to-day. Remember 
 that a chance word will betray the secret of our lives." 
 
 " Go at once, and I swear to you that, happen what 
 may, I will be calm." 
 
 The doctor went back into Paul's room, while Tan- 
 taine sat down on the topmost stair, his face buried in 
 his hands. 
 
 Mademoiselle Flavia was just going to Paul, when 
 the doctor again appeared. 
 
 "What, back again?" asked she petulantly. "I 
 thought that you had been far away by this time."
 
 THE TAFILA COPPER MINES, LTD. 295 
 
 " I want to say something to you," answered he, 
 " and something of a rather serious nature. You must 
 not elevate those charming eyebrows. I see you guess 
 what I am going to say, and you are right. I am 
 come to tell you that this is not the proper place for 
 Mademoiselle Rigal." 
 
 " I know that." 
 
 This unexpected reply, made with the calmest air in 
 the world, utterly disconcerted the smiling doctor. 
 
 " It seems to me " began he. 
 
 " That I ought not to be here ; but then, you see, 
 I place duty before cold, worldly dictates. Paul is 
 very ill, and has no one to take care of him except 
 his affianced bride; for has not my father given his 
 consent to our union ? " 
 
 " Flavia, listen to the experience of a man of the 
 world. The nature of men is such that they never 
 forgive a woman for compromising her reputation, 
 even though it be in their own favor. Do you know 
 what people will say twenty-four hours after your 
 marriage? Why, that you had been his mistress for 
 weeks before, and that it was only the knowledge 
 of that fact that inclined your father to consent to the 
 alliance." 
 
 Flavia's face grew crimson. " Very well," said she, 
 " I will obey, and never say again that I was obsti- 
 nate ; but let me say one word to Paul, and then I will 
 leave him." 
 
 The doctor retired, not guessing that this obedience 
 arose from a sudden suspicion which had arisen in 
 Flavia's mind. " It is done," said he, as he rejoined 
 Tantaine on the stairs ; " let us hasten, for she will 
 follow us at once." 
 
 By the time that Tantaine got into the street, he
 
 296 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 seemed to have recovered a certain amount of his 
 self-command. " We have succeeded," said he, " but 
 we shall have to work hard, and this marriage must be 
 hastened by every means in our power. It can be cele- 
 brated now without any risk, for in twelve hours the 
 only obstacle that stands between that youth there and 
 the colossal fortune of the Champdoce will have van- 
 ished away." 
 
 Though he had expected something of the kind, the 
 face of the doctor grew very pale. 
 
 " What, Andre? " faltered he. 
 
 " Andre is in great danger, doctor, and may not 
 survive to-morrow, and a portion of the work neces- 
 sary to this end will be done to-night by our young 
 friend Toto Chupin." 
 
 " By that young scamp ? Why, only the other day 
 you laughed when I suggested employing him." 
 
 " I shall this time kill two birds with one stone. 
 Once an investigation is made let us speak plainly 
 into Andre's death, there will be some inquiry made as 
 to a certain window frame that has been sawed 
 through, and suspicion will fall upon Toto Chupin, 
 who will have been seen lurking about the spot. It 
 will be proved that he purchased a saw, and that he 
 changed just before a note for one thousand francs ; 
 he will be found in hiding in a garret in the Hotel de 
 Perou." 
 
 The doctor looked aghast. " Are you mad ? " cried 
 he. " Toto will accuse you." 
 
 " Very likely, but by that time poor old Tantaine 
 will be dead and buried. Then Mascarin will disap- 
 pear, our faithful Beaumarchef will be in the United 
 States, and we can afford to laugh at the police." 
 
 " It seems like a success," said the doctor, " but
 
 THE TAFILA COPPER MINES, LTD. 297 
 
 push on for mercy's sake ; all these delays and fluctu- 
 ations will make me seriously ill." 
 
 The two worthy associates held this conversation 
 concealed in a doorway, anxious to be sure that Fla- 
 via had kept her promise. In a brief space of time 
 they saw her come out of the house and move in the 
 direction of her father's bank. 
 
 " Now," said Tantaine, " I can go in peace, doc- 
 tor ; farewell for the present ; " and without waiting 
 for a reply he was walking rapidly away when he was 
 stopped by Beaumarchef, who came up breathless and 
 barred his passage. 
 
 " I was looking for you," cried he ; " the Marquis 
 de Croisenois is in the office and is swearing at me like 
 anything." 
 
 " Go back to the office and tell the Marquis that the 
 master will soon be with him ; " and, thus speaking, 
 Tantaine disappeared down a court by the side of 
 Martin Rigal's house. 
 
 The Marquis was striding up and down the office, 
 every now and then discharging a rumbling cannonade 
 of oaths. " Fine business people," remarked he, " to 
 make an appointment and then not to keep it ! " He 
 checked himself ; for the door of the inner office 
 slowly opened, and Mascarin appeared on the thresh- 
 old. " Punctuality," said he, " does not consist in 
 coming before, but at the time appointed." 
 
 The Marquis was cowed at once, and followed 
 Mascarin into the sanctum and watched him with curi- 
 ous gaze as the redoubtable head of the association 
 seemed to be searching for something among the pa- 
 pers on his desk. When Mascarin had found what 
 he was in search of, he turned and addressed the 
 Marquis.
 
 298 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " I desired to see you," said he, "with reference to 
 the great financial enterprise which you are to launch 
 almost immediately." 
 
 " Yes ; I understand that we must discuss it, fully 
 understand it, and feel our way." 
 
 Mascarin uttered a contemptuous whistle. 
 
 " Do you think," asked he, " that I am the kind of 
 person to stand and wait while you feel your way? 
 because if you do, the sooner you undeceive yourself 
 the better. Things that I take in hand are carried out 
 like a flash of lightning. You have been playing while 
 I and Catenae have been working, and nothing remains 
 to be done but to act." 
 
 " Act ! What do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that offices have been taken in the Rue 
 Vivienne, that the articles of association have been 
 drawn up, the directors chosen, and the Company reg- 
 istered. The printer brought the prospectus here yes- 
 terday; you can begin sending them out to-morrow." 
 
 But" 
 
 " Read it for yourself," said Mascarin, handing a 
 printed paper to him. " Read, and then, perhaps, you 
 will be convinced." 
 
 Croisenois, in a dazed sort of manner, accepted the 
 paper and read it aloud. 
 
 COPPER MINES OF TAFILA, ALGERIA. 
 Chairman: THE MARQUIS HENRI DE CROISENOIS. 
 
 Capital: Four Million Francs. 
 This Company does not appeal to that rash class of 
 speculators who are willing to incur great risks for the 
 sake of obtaining for a time heavy dividends. 
 
 The shareholders in the Tafila Copper Mining Com- 
 pany, Limited, must not look for a dividend of more 
 than six, or at the utmost seven, per cent.
 
 THE TAFILA COPPER MINES, LTD. 299, 
 
 " Well," interrupted Mascarin, " what do you think 
 of this for a beginning ? " 
 
 " It seems fair enough," answered De Croisenois, 
 " but suppose others than those whose names you have 
 in your black list take shares, what do you say we are 
 to do then ? " 
 
 " We should simply decline to allot shares to them, 
 that is all. See the Article XX. in the Articles of As- 
 sociation. ' The Board of Directors may decline to 
 allot shares to applicants without giving any reason for 
 so doing/ " 
 
 " And suppose," continued the Marquis, " that one 
 of our own people dispose of his share, may we not 
 find our new shareholder a thorn in our side ? " 
 
 " Article XXI. ' No transfer of stock is valid, un- 
 less passed by the Board of Directors, and recorded 
 in the books of the Company/ " read out Mas- 
 carin. 
 
 " And how will the game be brought to a conclu- 
 sion?" 
 
 " Easily enough. You will advertise one morning 
 that two-thirds of the capital having been unsuccess- 
 fully sunk in the enterprise, you are compelled to ap- 
 ply for a winding-up of the Company under Article 
 XVII. Six months afterwards you will announce that 
 the liquidation of the Company has, after all expenses 
 have been paid, left no balance whatsoever. Then you 
 wash your hands of the whole thing, and the matter is 
 at an end." 
 
 Croisenois felt that he had no ground to stand upon, 
 but he ventured on one more objection. 
 
 " It seems rather a strange thing to launch this en- 
 terprise at the present moment. May it not interfere 
 with my marriage prospects? and may not the Count
 
 300 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 de Mussidan decline to give me his daughter and risk 
 her dowry in this manner ? One moment, I " 
 
 The agent sneered and cut short the tergiversations 
 of the Marquis. 
 
 " You mean, I suppose," said he, " that when once 
 you are safely married and have received Mademoi- 
 selle Sabine's dowry, you will take leave of us. Not 
 so, my dear young friend; and if this is your idea, 
 put it aside, for it is utter nonsense. I should hold 
 you then as I do now." 
 
 The Marquis saw that any further struggle would 
 
 be of no avail, and gave in. 
 
 # * * * * 
 
 That evening, when M. Martin Rigal emerged from 
 his private office, his daughter Flavia was more than 
 usually demonstrative in her tokens of affection. 
 " How fondly I love you, my dearest father ! " said 
 she, as she rained kisses on his cheeks. " How good 
 you are to me ! " but on this occasion the banker was 
 too much preoccupied to ask his daughter the reason 
 for this extreme tenderness on her part. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 THE VEILED PORTRAIT. 
 
 THE danger with which Andre was menaced was 
 most terrible, and the importance of the game he was 
 playing made him feel that he had everything to fear 
 from the boldness and audacity of his enemies. He 
 knew this, and he also knew that spies dogged all his 
 movements. What could be wanted but a favorable
 
 THE VEILED PORTRAIT 301 
 
 opportunity to assassinate him ? But even this knowl- 
 edge did not make him hesitate for an instant, and all 
 his caution was fully exercised, for he felt that should 
 he perish, Sabine would be inevitably lost. On her 
 account he acted with a prudence which was certainly 
 not one of his general characteristics. He was quite 
 aware that he might put himself under the protection 
 of the police, but this he knew would be to imperil 
 the honor of the Mussidan family. He was sure that 
 with time and patience he should be able to unravel 
 the plots of the villains who were at work. But he 
 had not time to do so by degrees. No, he must make 
 a bold dash at once. The hideous sacrifice of which 
 Sabine was to be the victim was being hurried on, 
 and it seemed to him as if his very existence was be- 
 ing carried away by the hours as they flitted by. He 
 went over recent events carefully one by one, and he 
 strove to piece them together as a child does the por- 
 tions of a dissected map. He wanted to find out the 
 one common interest that bound all these plotters to- 
 gether Verminet, Van Klopen, Mascarin, Hortebise, 
 and Martin Rigal. As he submitted all this strange 
 combination of persons to the test, the thought of 
 Gaston de Gandelu came across his mind. 
 
 " Is it not curious," thought he, " that this unhappy 
 boy should be the victim of the cruel band of mis- 
 creants who are trying to destroy us? It is strange, 
 very strange." 
 
 Suddenly he started to his feet, for a fresh idea had 
 flashed across his brain a thought that was as yet 
 but crude and undefined, but which seemed to bear 
 the promise of hope and deliverance. It seemed to him 
 that the affair of young Gandelu was closely connected 
 with his own, that they were part and parcel of the
 
 302 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 same dark plot, and that these bills with their forged 
 acceptance had more to do with him than he had ever 
 imagined. How it was that he and Gaston could be 
 connected he could not for a moment guess; yet now 
 he would have cheerfully sworn that such was the 
 case. Who was it that had informed the father of the 
 son's conduct ? Why, Catenae. Who had advised that 
 proceedings should be taken against Rose, alias Zora? 
 Why, Catenae again ; and this same man, in addition to 
 acting for Gandelu, it seems, was also the confidential 
 solicitor of the Marquis de Croisenois and Verminet. 
 Perhaps he had only obeyed their instructions. All 
 this was very vague and unsatisfactory, but it might 
 be something to go upon, and who could say what 
 conclusion careful inquiry might not lead him to? and 
 Andre determined to carry on his investigations, and 
 endeavor to find the hidden links that connected this 
 chain of rascality together. He had taken up a pencil 
 with the view of making a few notes, when he heard 
 a knock at his door. He glanced at the clock ; it was 
 not yet nine. 
 
 " Come in," cried he as he rose. 
 
 The door was thrown open, and the young artist 
 started as he recognized in his early visitor the father 
 of Sabine. It was after a sleepless night that the 
 Count had decided to take the present step. He was 
 terribly agitated, but had had time to prepare himself 
 for this all-important interview. 
 
 " You will, I trust, pardon me, sir," said he, " for 
 making such an early call upon you, but I thought 
 that I should be sure to find you at this hour, and I 
 much wanted to see you." 
 
 Andre bowed. 
 
 In the space of one brief instant a thousand sup-
 
 THE VEILED PORTRAIT 303 
 
 positions, each one more unlikely than the other, 
 coursed through his brain. Why had the Count 
 called ? Who could have given him his address ? And 
 was the visit friendly or hostile? 
 
 " I am a great admirer of paintings," began the 
 Count, " and one of my friends upon whose taste I 
 can rely has spoken to me in the warmest terms of 
 your talent. This I trust will explain the liberty I 
 
 have taken. Curiosity drove me to " 
 
 He paused for a moment, and then added, 
 " My name is the Marquis de Bevron." 
 The concealment of the Count's real name showed 
 Andre that the visit was not entirely a friendly one, 
 and Andre replied, 
 
 " I am only too pleased to receive your visit. Un- 
 fortunately just now I have nothing ready, only a 
 few rough sketches in short. Would you like to see 
 them?" 
 
 The Count replied eagerly in the affirmative. He 
 was terribly embarrassed under his fictitious name, and 
 shrank before the honest, open gaze of the young ar- 
 tist, and his mental disturbance was completed by see- 
 ing in one corner of the room the picture covered with 
 a green cloth, which Tantaine had alluded to. It was 
 evident that the old villain had told the truth, and that 
 his daughter's portrait was concealed behind this wrap- 
 per. She had evidently been here had spent hours 
 here, and whose fault was it? She had but listened 
 to the voice of her heart, and had sought that affection 
 abroad which she was unable to obtain at home. As 
 the Count gazed upon the young man before him, he 
 was forced to admit that Mademoiselle Sabine had 
 not fixed her affections on an unworthy object, for 
 at the very first glance he had been struck with the
 
 3 04 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 manly beauty of the young artist, and the clear intelli- 
 gence of his face. 
 
 " Ah," thought Andre, " you come to me under a 
 name that is not your own, and I will respect your 
 wish to remain unknown, but I will take advantage of 
 it by letting you know things which I should not dare 
 say to your face." 
 
 Great as was Andre's preoccupation, he could not 
 fail to notice that his visitor's eyes sought the veiled 
 picture with strange persistency. While M. de Mus- 
 sidan was looking at the various sketches on the walls, 
 Andre had time to recover all his self-command. 
 
 " Let me congratulate you, sir," remarked the 
 Count, as he returned to the spot where the painter 
 was standing. " My friend's admiration was well 
 founded. I am sorry, however, that you have nothing 
 finished to show me. You say that you have nothing, 
 I believe?" 
 
 " Nothing, Marquis." 
 
 " Not even that picture whose frame I can distin- 
 guish through the serge curtain that covers it?" 
 
 Andre blushed, though he had been expecting the 
 question from the commencement. 
 
 " Excuse me," answered he ; " that picture is cer- 
 tainly finished, but it is not on view." 
 
 The Count was now sure that Tantaine's statement 
 was correct. 
 
 " I suppose that it is some woman's portrait," re- 
 marked the false Marquis. 
 
 " You are quite correct." 
 
 Both men were much agitated at this moment, and 
 avoided meeting each other's eyes. 
 
 The Count, however, had made up his mind that 
 he would go on to the end.
 
 THE VEILED PORTRAIT 305 
 
 " Ah, you are in love, I see ! " remarked he with a 
 forced laugh. " All great artists have depicted the 
 charms of their mistresses on canvas." 
 
 " Stop," cried Andre with an angry glance in his 
 eyes. " The picture you refer to is the portrait of the 
 purest and most innocent girl in the world. I shall 
 love her all my life ; but, if possible, my respect for her 
 is greater than my love. I should consider myself a 
 most degraded wretch, had I ever whispered in her ear 
 a word that her mother might not have listened to." 
 
 A feeling of the most instantaneous relief thrilled 
 through M. de Mussidan's heart. 
 
 " You will pardon me," suggested he blandly, " but 
 when one sees a portrait in a studio, the inference is 
 that a sitting or two has taken place ? " 
 
 " You are right. She came here secretly, and with- 
 out the knowledge of her family, at the risk of her 
 honor and reputation, thus affording me the strongest 
 proof of her love. It was cruel of me," continued the 
 young artist, " to accept this proof of her entire de- 
 votion, and yet not only did I accept it, but I pleaded 
 for it on my bended knees, for how else was I to hear 
 the music of her voice, or gladden my eyes with her 
 beauty? We love each other, but a gulf wider than 
 the stormy sea divides us. She is an heiress, come of 
 a proud and haughty line of nobles, while I 
 
 Andre paused, waiting for some words either of en- 
 couragement or censure; but the Count remained 
 silent, an4 the young man continued, 
 
 " Do you know who I am ? A poor foundling, 
 placed in the Hospital of Vendome, the illicit offspring 
 of some poor betrayed girl. I started in the world 
 with twenty francs in my pocket, and found my way 
 to Paris ; since then I have earned my bread by my
 
 306 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 daily work. You only see here the more brilliant side 
 of my life ; for an artist here I am a common work- 
 man elsewhere." 
 
 If M. de Mussidan remained silent, it was from ex- 
 treme admiration of the noble character, which was 
 so unexpectedly revealed to him, and he was endeav- 
 oring to conceal it. 
 
 " She knows all this," pursued Andre, " and yet she 
 loves me. It was here, in this very room, that she 
 vowed that she could never be the wife of another. 
 Not a month ago, a gentleman, well born, wealthy, and 
 fascinating, with every characteristic that a woman 
 could love, was a suitor for her hand. She went 
 boldly to him, told him the story of our love, and, like 
 a noble-hearted gentleman, he withdrew at once, and 
 to-day is my best and kindest friend. Now, Marquis, 
 would you like to see this young girl's picture ? " 
 
 "Yes," answered the Count, " and I shall feel deeply 
 grateful to you for such a mark of confidence." 
 
 Andre went to the picture, but as he touched the 
 curtain he turned quickly towards his visitor. 
 
 " No," said he, " I can no longer continue this 
 farce; it is unworthy of me." 
 
 M. de Mussidan turned pale. 
 
 " I am about to see Sabine de Mussidan's portrait. 
 Draw the curtain." 
 
 Andre obeyed, and for a moment the Count stood 
 entranced before the work of genius that met his 
 eyes. 
 
 " It is she ! " said the father. " Her very smile ; 
 the same soft light in her eyes. It is exquisite ! " 
 
 Misfortune is a harsh teacher; some weeks ago he 
 would have smiled superciliously at the mere idea of 
 granting his daughter's hand to a struggling artist, for
 
 GASTON'S DILEMMA 307 
 
 then he thought only of M. de Breulh, but now he 
 would have esteemed it a precious boon had he been 
 allowed to choose Andre as Sabine's husband. But 
 Henri de Croisenois stood in the way, and as this 
 idea flashed across the Count's mind he gave a per- 
 ceptible start. He was sure from the excessive calm- 
 ness of the young man that he must be well acquainted 
 with all recent events. He asked the question, and 
 Andre, in the most open manner, told him all he 
 knew. The generosity of M. de Breulh, the kindness 
 of Madame Bois Arden, his suspicions, his inquiries, 
 his projects, and his hopes. M. de Mussidan gazed 
 once more upon his daughter's portrait, and then, 
 taking the hand of the young painter, said, 
 
 " M. Andre, if ever we can free ourselves from 
 those miscreants, whose daggers are pointed at our 
 hearts, Sabine shall be your wife." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 GASTON'S DILEMMA. 
 
 YES, Sabine might yet be his, but between the lovers 
 stood the forms of Croisenois and his associates. But 
 now he felt strong enough to contend with them all. 
 
 " To work ! " said he, " to work ! " 
 
 Just then, however, he heard a sound of ringing 
 laughter outside his door. He could distinguish a 
 woman's voice, and also a man's, speaking in high, 
 shrill tones. All at once his door burst open, and a 
 hurricane of silks, velvets, feathers, and lace whirled
 
 3 o8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 in. With extreme surprise, the young artist recog- 
 nized the beautiful features of Rose, alias Zora de 
 Chantemille, Gaston de Gandelu followed her, and at 
 once began, 
 
 " Here we are," said he, " all right again. Did you 
 expect to see us ? " 
 
 " Not in the least." 
 
 " Ah ! well, it is a little surprise of the governor's. 
 On my word, I really will be a dutiful son for the 
 future. To-day, the good old boy came into my room, 
 and said, ' This morning I took the necessary steps to 
 release the person in whom you are interested. Go 
 and meet her.' What do you think of that? So off 
 I ran to find Zora, and here we are." 
 
 Andre did not pay much attention to Gaston, but 
 was engaged in watching Zora, who was looking 
 round the studio. She went up to Sabine's portrait, 
 and was about to draw the curtain, when Andre ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " Excuse me," said he ; "I must put this picture to 
 dry." And as the portrait stood on a movable easel, 
 he wheeled it into the adjoining room. 
 
 " And now," said Gaston, " I want you to come and 
 breakfast with us to celebrate Zora's happy release." 
 
 " I am much obliged to you, but it is impossible. I 
 must get on with my work." 
 
 " Yes, yes; work is an excellent thing, but just now 
 you must go and dress." 
 
 " I assure you that it is quite out of the question. 
 I cannot leave the studio yet." 
 
 Gaston paused for a moment in deep thought. 
 
 " I have it," said he triumphantly. " You will not 
 come to breakfast; then breakfast shall come to you. 
 I am off to order it."
 
 ALL AT ONCE HIS DOOR BURST OPEN, AND A HURRICANE OF SILKS, 
 VELVETS, FEATHERS, AND LACE WHIRLED IN
 
 GASTON'S DILEMMA 309 
 
 Andre ran after him, but Gaston was too quick, and 
 he returned to the studio in anything but an amiable 
 temper. Zora noticed his evident annoyance. 
 
 " He always goes on in this absurd way," said she, 
 with a shrug of her pretty shoulders, " and thinks him- 
 self so clever and witty, bah ! " 
 
 Her tone disclosed such contempt for Gaston that 
 Andre looked at her in perplexed surprise. 
 
 " What do you look so astonished at ? It is easy to 
 see you do not know much of him. All his friends 
 are just like him; if you listen to them for half an 
 hour at a stretch, you get regularly sick. When I 
 think of the terrible evenings that I have spent in 
 their company, I feel ready to die with yawning;" 
 and as she spoke, she suited the action to the word. 
 " Ah ! if he really loved me ! " added she. 
 
 " Love you ! Why, he adores you." 
 
 Zora made a little gesture of contempt which Toto 
 Chupin might have envied. 
 
 " Do you think so? " said she. " Do you know what 
 it is he loves in me? When people pass me they cry 
 out, ' Isn't she good style ? ' and then the idiot is as 
 pleased as Punch ; but if I had on a cotton gown, he 
 would think nothing of me." 
 
 Rose had evidently learned a good deal, as her 
 beauty had never been so radiant. She was one 
 glow of health and strength. 
 
 " Then my name was not good enough for him," 
 she went on. "His aristocratic lips could not bring 
 themselves to utter such a common name as Rose, so 
 he christened me Zora, a regular puppy dog's name. 
 He has plenty of money, but money is not everything 
 after all. Paul had no money, and yet I loved him a 
 thousand times better. On my word, I have almost
 
 3 io THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 forgotten how to laugh, and yet I used to be as merry 
 as the day was long." 
 
 " Why did you leave Paul then ? " 
 
 " Well, you see, I wanted to experience what a 
 woman feels when she has a Cashmere shawi on, so 
 one fine morning I took wing. But there, who knows ? 
 Paul would very likely have left me one day. There 
 was some one who was doing his best to separate us, 
 an old blackguard called Tantaine, who lived in the 
 same house." 
 
 " Ah ! " answered he cautiously. " What interest 
 could he have had in separating you ? " 
 
 " I don't know," answered the girl, assuming a seri- 
 ous air ; " but I am sure he was trying it on. A fellow 
 doesn't hand over banknotes for nothing, and I saw 
 him give one for five hundred francs to Paul; and 
 more than that, he promised him that he should make 
 a great fortune through a friend of his called Mas- 
 carin." 
 
 Andre started. He remembered the visit that Paul 
 had made him, on the pretext of restoring the twenty 
 francs he had borrowed, and at which he had boasted 
 that he had an income of a thousand francs a month, 
 and might make more, though he had not said how 
 this was to be done. " I think that Paul has forgotten 
 me. I saw him once at Van Klopen's, and he never 
 attempted to say a word to me. He was certainly 
 with that Mascarin at the time." 
 
 Andre could only draw one conclusion from this, 
 either that Paul was protected by the band of con- 
 spirators, or else that he formed one of it. In that 
 case he was useful to them ; while Rose, who was in 
 their way, was persecuted by them. Andre's mind 
 came to this conclusion in an instant. It seemed to
 
 GASTON'S DILEMMA 311 
 
 him that if Catenae had been desirous of imprison- 
 ing Rose, it was because she was in the way, and her 
 presence disturbed certain combinations. Before, how- 
 ever, he could work out his line of deduction, Gaston's 
 shrill voice was heard upon the stairs, and in another 
 moment he made his appearance. 
 
 " Place for the banquet," said he ; " make way for 
 the lordly feast." 
 
 Two waiters followed him, bearing a number of cov- 
 ered dishes on trays. At another time Andre would 
 have been very angry at this invasion, and at the 
 prospect of a breakfast that would last two or three 
 hours and utterly change everything; but now he was 
 inclined to bless Gaston for his happy idea, and, with 
 the assistance of Rose, he speedily cleared a large 
 table for the reception of the viands. 
 
 Gaston did nothing, but talked continually. 
 
 "And now I must tell you the joke of the day. 
 Henri de Croisenois, one of my dearest friends, has 
 absolutely launched a Company." 
 
 Andre nearly let fall a bottle, which he was about 
 to place upon the table. 
 
 " Who told you this ? " asked he quickly. 
 
 " Who told me ? Why, a great big flaming poster. 
 Tafila Copper Mines; capital, four millions. And my 
 esteemed friend, Henri, has not a five-franc piece to 
 keep the devil out of his pocket." 
 
 The face of the young artist expressed such blank 
 surprise that Gaston burst into a loud laugh. 
 
 " You look just as I did when I read it. Henri de 
 Croisenois, the chairman of a Company! Why, if you 
 had been elected Pope, I should not have been more 
 surprised. Tafila Copper Mines ! What a joke ! The 
 shares are five hundred francs."
 
 3 i2 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 The waiters had now retired, and Gaston urged his 
 friends to take their places at the table, and all seemed 
 merry as a marriage bell ; but many a gay com- 
 mencement has a stormy ending. 
 
 Gaston, whose shallow brain could not stand the 
 copious draughts of wine with which he washed down 
 his repast, began all at once to overwhelm Zora with 
 bitter reproaches at her not being able to comprehend 
 how a man like him, who was destined to play a seri- 
 ous part in society, could have been led away, as he had 
 been, by a person like her. 
 
 Gaston had a tongue which was never at a loss 
 either to praise or blame, and Zora was equally ready 
 to retort, and defended herself with such acrimony 
 that the lad, knowing himself to be in fault, entirely 
 lost the small remnant of temper which he still pos- 
 sessed, and dashed out of the room, declaring that he 
 never wished to set eyes upon Zora again, and that she 
 might keep all the presents that he had lavished upon 
 her for all he cared. 
 
 His departure was hailed with delight by Andre, 
 who, now that he was left alone with Zora, hoped to 
 derive some further information from her, and espe- 
 cially a distinct description of Paul, whom he felt that 
 he must now reckon among his adversaries. But his 
 hopes were destined to be frustrated, for Zora was so 
 filled with anger and excitement that she refused to 
 listen to another word; and putting on her hat and 
 mantle, with scarcely a glance at the mirror, rushed 
 out of the studio with the utmost speed, declaring 
 that she would seek out Paul, and make him revenge 
 the insults that Gaston had put on her. 
 
 All this passed so rapidly that the young painter 
 felt as if a tornado had passed through his humble
 
 GASTON'S DILEMMA 313 
 
 dwelling ; but as peace and calm returned, he began to 
 see that Providence had directly interposed in his 
 favor, and had sent Rose and Gaston to his place to 
 furnish him with fresh and important facts. All that 
 Rose had said, incomplete as her statement was, had 
 thrown a ray of light upon an intrigue which, up till 
 now, had been shaded in the thickest gloom. The 
 relations of Paul with Mascarin explained why Cate- 
 nae had been so anxious to have Rose imprisoned, and 
 also seemed to hint vaguely at the reason for the ex- 
 traction of the forged signatures from the simple 
 Gaston. What could be the meaning of the Company 
 started by De Croisenois at the very moment when he 
 was about to celebrate his union with Sabine ? 
 
 Andre desired to see the advertisement of the Com- 
 pany for himself; and without stopping to change his 
 blouse, ran downstairs to the corner of the street, 
 where Gaston had told him that the announcement of 
 the Company was placarded up. He found it there, in 
 a most conspicuous position, with all its advantages 
 most temptingly set forth. Nothing was wanting; 
 and there was even a woodcut of Tafila, in Algiers, 
 which represented the copper mines in full working 
 operation ; while at the top, the name of the chairman, 
 the Marquis de Croisenois, stood out in letters some 
 six inches in height. 
 
 Andre stood gazing at this wonderful production for 
 fully five minutes, when all at once a gleam of pru- 
 dence flashed across his mind. 
 
 " I am a fool," said he to himself. " How do I 
 know how many watchful eyes are now fixed on me, 
 reading on my countenance my designs regarding this 
 matter and its leading spirit ? " 
 
 Upon his return to his room, he sat for more than
 
 3 i4 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 an hour, turning over the whole affair in his mind, and 
 at length he flattered himself that he had hit upon 
 an expedient. Behind the house in which he lodged 
 was a large garden, belonging to some public institu- 
 tion, the front of which was in the Rue Laval. A 
 wall of about seven feet in height divided these 
 grounds from the premises in the Rue de la Tour 
 d'Auvergne. Why should he not go out by the way 
 of these ornamental grounds and so elude the vigilance 
 of the spies who might be in waiting at the front of 
 the house ? 
 
 " I can," thought he, " alter my appearance so much 
 that I shall not be recognized. I need not return here 
 to sleep. I can ask a bed from Vignol, who will also 
 help me in every possible way." 
 
 This Vignol was the friend to whom, at Andre's 
 request, M. Gandelu had given the superintendence of 
 the works at his new house in the Champs Elysees. 
 
 " I shall," continued he, " by this means escape 
 entirely from De Croisenois and his emissaries, and 
 can watch their game without their having any sus- 
 picion of my doing so. For the time being, of course, 
 I must give up seeing those who have been helping 
 me De Breulh, Gandelu, Madame de Bois Arden, 
 and M. de Mussidan ; that, however, cannot be 
 avoided. I can use the post, and by it will inform 
 them all of the step that I have taken." 
 
 It was dark before he had finished his letters, and, 
 of course, it was too late to try anything that day ; con- 
 sequently he went out, posted his letters, and dined at 
 the nearest restaurant. 
 
 On his return home, he proceeded to arrange his dis- 
 guise. He had it ready, among his clothes: a blue 
 blouse, a pair of check trousers, well-worn shoes, and
 
 GASTON 'S DILEMMA 315 
 
 a shabby cap, were all that he required, and he then ap- 
 plied himself to the task of altering his face. He first 
 shaved off his beard. Then he twisted down two locks 
 of hair, which he managed to make rest on his fore- 
 head. Then he commenced applying some coloring 
 to his face with a paint-brush ; but this he found to be 
 an extremely difficult business, and it was not for a 
 long while that he was satisfied with the results that 
 he had produced. He then knotted an old handker- 
 chief round his neck, and clapped his cap on one side, 
 with the peak slanting over one eye. Then he took a 
 last glance in the glass, and felt that he had rendered 
 himself absolutely unrecognizable. He was about to 
 impart a few finishing touches, when a knock came at 
 his door. He was not expecting any one at such an 
 hour, nine o'clock; for the waiters from the restau- 
 rant had already removed the remains of the feast. 
 
 " Who is there ? " cried he. 
 
 " It is I," replied a weak voice ; " I, Gaston de Gan- 
 delu." 
 
 Andre decided that he had no cause to distrust the 
 lad, and so he opened his door. 
 
 " Has M. Andre gone out ? " asked the poor boy 
 faintly. " I thought I heard his voice." 
 
 Gaston had not penetrated his disguise, and this was 
 Andre's first triumph; but he saw now that he must 
 alter his voice, as well as his face. 
 
 " Don't you know me ? " asked he. 
 
 It was evident that young Gaston had received some 
 terrible shock; for it could not have been the quarrel 
 in the morning that had reduced him to this abject 
 state of prostration. 
 
 " What has gone wrong with you ? " asked Andre 
 kindly.
 
 316 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " I have come to bid you farewell ; I am going to 
 shoot myself in half an hour." 
 
 " Have you gone mad ? " 
 
 " Not in the least," answered Gaston, passing his 
 hand across his forehead in a distracted manner ; " but 
 those infernal bills have turned up. I was just leav- 
 ing the dining-room, after having treated the gov- 
 ernor to my company, when the butler whispered in 
 my ear that there was a man outside who wanted to 
 see me. I went out and found a dirty-looking old 
 scamp, with his coat collar turned up round the nape 
 of his neck." 
 
 " Did he say that his name was Tantaine ? " ex- 
 claimed Andre. 
 
 "Ah! was that his name? Well, it doesn't matter. 
 He told me in the most friendly manner that the holder 
 of my bills had determined to place them in the hands 
 of the police to-morrow at twelve o'clock, but that 
 there was still a way for me to escape." 
 
 " And this was to take Rose out of France with 
 you," said Andre quickly. 
 
 Gaston was overwhelmed with surprise. 
 
 " Who the deuce told you that ? " asked he. 
 
 " No one ; I guessed it ; for it was only the Conclu- 
 sion of the plan which they had initiated when you 
 were induced to forge Martin Rigal* signature. Well, 
 what did you say?" 
 
 " That the idea was a ridiculous one, and that I 
 would not stir a yard. They shall find out that I can 
 be obstinate, too; besides, I can see their little game. 
 As soon as I am out of the way they will go to the 
 governor and bleed him." 
 
 But Andre was not listening to him. What was 
 best to be done? To advise Gaston to go and take
 
 M. LECOQ 317 
 
 Rose with him was to deprive himself of a great ele- 
 ment of success; and to permit him to kill himself 
 was, of course, out of the question. 
 
 " Just attend to me," said he at last ; " I have an 
 idea which I will tell you as soon as we are out of this 
 house ; but for reasons which are too long to go into 
 at present it is necessary for me to get into the street 
 without going through the door. You will, therefore, 
 go away, and as the clock strikes twelve you will ring 
 at the gateway of 29, Rue de Laval. When it is 
 opened, ask some trivial question of the porter; and 
 when you leave, take care that you do not close the 
 gate. I shall be in the garden of the house and will 
 slip out and join you." 
 
 The plan succeeded admirably, and in ten minutes 
 Gaston and Andre were walking along the boulevards. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 M. LECOQ. 
 
 THE Marquis de Croisenois lived in a fine new house 
 on the Boulevard Malesherbes near the church of St. 
 Augustine, and in a suite of rooms the rental of which 
 was four thousand francs per annum. He had col- 
 lected together sufficient relics of his former splendor 
 to dazzle the eyes of the superficial observer. The 
 apartment and the furniture stood in the name of his 
 body-servant, while his horse and brougham were by 
 the same fiction supposed to be the property of his 
 coachman, for even in the midst of his ruin the Mar- 
 quis de Croisenois could not go on foot like common 
 people.
 
 3 i8 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 The Marquis had two servants only in his modest 
 establishment a coachman, who did a certain amount 
 of indoor work, and a valet, who knew enough of 
 cookery to prepare a bachelor breakfast. This valet 
 Mascarin had seen once, and the man had then pro- 
 duced so unpleasant an impression on the astute pro- 
 prietor of the Servants' Registry Office that, he had 
 set every means at work to discover who he was and 
 from whence he came. Croisenois said that he had 
 taken him into his service on the recommendation of 
 an English baronet of his acquaintance, a certain Sir 
 Richard Wakefield. The man was a Frenchman, but 
 he had resided for some time in England, for he spoke 
 that language with tolerable fluency. Andre knew 
 nothing of these details, but he had heard of the ex- 
 istence of the valet from M. de Breulh, when he had 
 asked where the Marquis lived. 
 
 At eight o'clock on the morning after he had sur* 
 reptitiously left his home in the manner described, 
 Andre took up his position in a small wine-shop not 
 far from the abode of the Marquis de Croisenois. He 
 had done this designedly, for he knew enough of the 
 manner and customs of Parisian society to know that 
 this was the hour usually selected by domestics in 
 fashionable quarters to come out for a gossip while 
 their masters were still in bed. Andre had more con- 
 fidence in himself than heretofore, for he had suc- 
 ceeded in saving Gaston ; and these were the means he 
 had employed. After much trouble, and even by the 
 use of threats, he had persuaded the boy to return to 
 his father's house. He had gone with him ; and though 
 it was two in the morning, he had not hesitated to 
 arouse M. Gandelu, senior, and tell him how his son
 
 M. LECOQ 319 
 
 had been led on to commit the forgery, and how he 
 threatened to commit suicide. 
 
 The poor old man was much moved. 
 
 " Tell him to come to me at once," said he, " and 
 let him know that we two will save him." 
 
 Andre had not far to go, for Gaston was waiting in 
 the next room in an agony of suspense. 
 
 As soon as he came into the old man's presence he 
 fell upon his knees, with many promises of amend- 
 ment for the future. 
 
 " I do not believe," remarked old Gandelu, " that these 
 miscreants will venture to carry their threats into ex- 
 ecution and place the matter in the hands of the po- 
 lice; but for all that, my son must not remain in a 
 state of suspense. I will file a complaint against the 
 Mutual Loan Society before twelve to-day, and we 
 will see how an association will be dealt with that lends 
 money to minors and urges them to forge signatures 
 as security. It will, however, be as well for my son to 
 leave for Belgium by the first train this morning; 
 but, as you will see, he will not remain very many 
 days." 
 
 Andre remained for the rest of the hours of dark- 
 ness at the kind old man's house, and it was in 
 Gaston's room that he renewed his " make-up " be- 
 fore leaving. The future looked very bright to him as 
 he walked gayly up the Boulevard Malesherbes. The 
 wine-shop in which he had taken up his position was 
 admirably adapted for keeping watch on De Croise- 
 nois, for he could not avoid seeing all who came in 
 and went out of the house ; and as there was no other 
 wine-shop in the neighborhood, Andre felt sure that all 
 the servants in the vicinity, and those of the Marquis,
 
 320 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 of course, among the number, would come there in the 
 course of the morning ; so that here he could get into 
 conversation with them, offer them a glass of wine, 
 and, perhaps, get some information from them. The 
 room was .large and airy, and was full of customers, 
 most of whom were servants. Andre was racking his 
 brain for a means of getting into conversation with 
 the proprietor, when two new-comers entered the 
 room. These men were in full livery, while all the 
 other servants had on morning jackets. As soon as 
 they entered, an old man, with a calm expression of 
 face, who was struggling perseveringly with a tough 
 beefsteak at the same table as that by which Andre 
 was seated, observed, 
 
 " Ah ! here comes the De Croisenois' lot." 
 
 " If they would only sit here," thought Andre, " by 
 the side of this fellow, who evidently knows them, I 
 could hear all they said." 
 
 By good luck they did so, begging that they might 
 be served at once, as they were in a tremendous 
 hurry. 
 
 " What is the haste this morning ? " asked the old 
 man who had recognized them. 
 
 " I have to drive the master to his office, for he has 
 one now. He is chairman of a Copper Mining Com- 
 pany, and a fine thing it is, too. If you have any 
 money laid by, M. Benoit, this is a grand chance for 
 you." 
 
 Benoit shook his head gravely. 
 
 " All is not gold that glitters," said he sententiously ; 
 " nor, on the other hand, are things as bad as they 
 are painted." 
 
 Benoit was evidently a prudent man, and was not 
 likely to commit himself.
 
 M. LECOQ 321 
 
 " But if your master is going out, you, M. Mouret, 
 will be free, and we can have a game at cards to- 
 gether." 
 
 " No, sir," answered the valet. 
 
 " What f are you engaged too ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I have to carry a bouquet of flowers to the 
 young lady my master is engaged to. I have seen the 
 young lady; she seems to be rather haughty." 
 
 The man, who wore an enormously high and stiff 
 collar, was absolutely speaking of Sabine, and Andre 
 could have twisted his neck with pleasure. 
 
 " Let us hope," remarked the coachman, as he has- 
 tily swallowed his breakfast, " that the Marquis does 
 not intend to invest his wife's dowry in this new ven- 
 ture of his." 
 
 The men then ceased to speak of their master, and 
 began to busy themselves with their own affairs, and 
 went out again without alluding to him any further, 
 leaving Andre to reflect what a difficult business the 
 detective line was. 
 
 The customers looked upon him with distrustful 
 eyes, for it must be confessed that his appearance was 
 decidedly against him, and he had not yet acquired the 
 necessary art of seeing and hearing while affecting to 
 be doing neither; and it was easy for the dullest ob- 
 server to be certain that it was not for the sake of ob- 
 taining a breakfast that he had entered the establish- 
 ment. Andre had penetration enough to see the effect 
 he had produced, and he became more and more em- 
 barrassed. He had finished his meal now, and had 
 lighted a cigar, and had ordered a small glass of 
 brandy. Nearly all the customers had withdrawn, 
 leaving only five or six, who were playing cards at a, 
 table near the door. Andre was anxious to see Croise'
 
 322 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 nois enter his carriage, and so he lingered, ordering 
 another glass of brandy as an excuse. 
 
 He had just been served, when a man, whose dress 
 very much resembled his own, lounged into the wine- 
 shop. He was a tall, clumsily built fellow, with an in- 
 solent expression upon his beardless face. His coat 
 and cap were in an equally dilapidated condition ; and 
 in the squeaky voice of the rough, he ordered a plate 
 of beef and half a bottle of wine, and, as he brushed 
 past Andre, upset his glass of brandy. The artist 
 made no remark, though he felt quite sure that this 
 act was intentional, as the fellow laughed impudently 
 when he saw the damage that he had done. When his 
 breakfast was served, he carelessly spit upon Andre's 
 boots. The insult was so apparent that Andre began to 
 reflect. 
 
 " Had he not succeeded in eluding his spies, as he 
 thought that he had done ? and was it not quite possi- 
 ble that this man had been sent to pick a quarrel with 
 him, and deal him a disabling, or even a fatal blow ? " 
 
 Prudence counselled him to leave the place at once, 
 but he felt that he could not go until he had found out 
 the real truth. There seemed to be but little doubt on 
 the matter, however ; for as the fellow cut up his meat, 
 he jerked every bit of skin and gristle into his neigh- 
 bor's lap ; then, after finishing up his wine, he managed 
 to upset the few drops remaining on to Andre's arm 
 and shoulder. This was the finishing stroke. 
 
 " Please, remember," remarked Andre calmly, " that 
 there is some one at the table besides yourself." 
 
 " Do you think I'm blind, mate ? " returned the fel- 
 low brutally. " Mind your own business, or 
 And to conclude the sentence, he shook his fist threat- 
 eningly in the young man's face.
 
 M. LECOQ 323 
 
 Andre started to his feet, and, with a well-directed 
 blow in the chest, sent the fellow rolling under the 
 table. 
 
 At the sound of the scuffle, the card-players turned 
 round, and saw Andre standing erect, with quivering 
 lips and eyes flashing with rage, while his antagonist 
 was lying on the floor among the overturned chairs, 
 
 " Come, come ! No squabbling here ! " remarked 
 one of the players. 
 
 The fellow scrambled to his feet, and made a sav- 
 age rush at the young man, who, using his right foot 
 skilfully, tripped his antagonist up, and sent him again 
 rolling on the ground. It was most adroitly done, and 
 secured the applause of the lookers-on, who now com- 
 plained no longer, and were evidently interested in the 
 scene. 
 
 Again the rough came up, but Andre contented him- 
 self with standing on the defensive. Some tables, a 
 stool, and a glass were injured, and at last the pro- 
 prietor came upon the scene of action. 
 
 " Get out of this," cried he, " and take care that I 
 don't see your faces here again." 
 
 At these words, the rough burst out into a torrent 
 of foul language. 
 
 " Don't put up with his cheek," said one of the cus- 
 tomers ; " give him in charge at once." 
 
 Hardly, however, had the manager started to sum- 
 mon the police, than, as if by magic, a body of them 
 appeared ; and Andre found himself walking down the 
 boulevard between a couple, while his late antagonist 
 followed in the safe custody of two more. To have at- 
 tempted any resistance would have been utter folly, 
 and the young man resigned himself to what he felt 
 he could not help. But as he went on, he reflected on
 
 3 24 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 the strange scene through which he had just passed. 
 All had gone on so rapidly that he could hardly recall 
 the events to his memory. He was, however, quite 
 sure that this unprovoked assault concealed some mo- 
 tive with which at present he was unacquainted. 
 
 The police led their prisoners through the doorway 
 of a dingy-looking old house, and then Andre saw that 
 he was not at the regular police-station. The whole 
 party entered an office, where a superintendent and 
 two clerks were at work. The ruffian who had as- 
 saulted Andre changed his manner directly he entered 
 the office; he threw his tattered cap upon a bench, 
 passed his fingers through his hair, and shook hands 
 with the superintendent ; he then turned to Andre. 
 
 " Permit me, sir," said he, " to compliment you on 
 being so handy with your fists. You precious nearly 
 did for me, I can tell you." 
 
 At that moment a door opened at the other end of 
 the room, and a voice was heard to say, " Send them 
 in." 
 
 Andre and his late antagonist soon found them- 
 selves in an office evidently sacred to some one high 
 up in the police. At a desk near the window was 
 seated a man, with a rather distinguished air, wearing 
 a white necktie and a pair of gold glasses. 
 
 " Have the goodness to take a seat," said this gen- 
 tleman, addressing Andre with the most perfect ur- 
 banity. 
 
 He took a chair, half stupefied by the strangeness of 
 the whole affair, and waited. Could he be awake, or 
 was he dreaming? He could hardly tell. 
 
 " Before I say anything," remarked the gentleman 
 in the gold spectacles, " I ought to apologize for a 
 proceeding which is well, what shall I call it? a lit-
 
 M. LECOQ 325 
 
 tie rough, perhaps ; but it was necessary to make use 
 of it to obtain this interview with you. Really, how- 
 ever, I had no choice. You are closely watched, and 
 I did not wish the persons who had set spies on you 
 to have any knowledge of this conference." 
 
 " Do you say I am watched ? " stammered Andre. 
 
 " Yes, by a certain La Candele, as sharp a fellow at 
 that kind of work as you could find in Paris. Are you 
 surprised at this ? " 
 
 " Yes, for I had thought " 
 
 The gentleman's features softened into a benevolent 
 smile. 
 
 "You thought," he said, " that you had succeeded 
 in throwing them off the scent. So I had imagined 
 this morning, when I saw you in your present dis- 
 guise. But permit me, my dear M. Andre, to assure 
 you that there is great room for improvement in it. 
 I admit that a first attempt is always to be looked on 
 leniently ; but it did not deceive La Candele, and even 
 at this distance I can plainly see your whole make- 
 up ; and what I can see, of course, is patent to others." 
 
 He rose from his seat, and came closer to Andre. 
 
 " Why on earth," asked he, " should you daub all 
 this color on your face, which makes you look like an 
 Indian warrior in his war-paint ? Only two colors are 
 necessary to change the whole face red and black 
 at the eyebrows, the nostrils, and the corners of the 
 mouth. Look here" ; and taking from his pocket a 
 gold pencil-case, he corrected the faults in the young 
 artist's work. 
 
 As soon as he had finished, Andre went up to the 
 mirror over the chimney-piece, and was surprised at 
 the result. 
 
 " Now," said the strange gentleman, " you see the
 
 326 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 futility of your attempts. La Candele knew you at 
 once. I wished to speak to you ; so I sent for Palot, 
 one of my men, and instructed him to pick a quarrel 
 with you. The policemen arrested you, and we have 
 met without any one being at all the wiser. Be kind 
 enough to efface my little corrections, as they will be 
 noticed in the street." 
 
 Andre obeyed, and as he rubbed away with the cor- 
 ner of his handkerchief, he vainly sought for some 
 elucidation of this mystery. 
 
 The man with the gold spectacles had resumed his 
 seat, and was refreshing himself with a pinch of 
 snuff. 
 
 " And now," resumed he, " we will, if you please, 
 have a little talk together. As you see, I know you. 
 Doctor Loulleux tells me that he knows no one so 
 high-minded and amiable as yourself. He declares 
 that your honor is without a stain, and your courage 
 undoubted." 
 
 " Ah ! my dear sir ! " interposed the painter, with a 
 deep blush. 
 
 " Pray let me go on. M. Gandelu says that he would 
 trust you with all he possessed, while all your com- 
 rades, with Vignol at their head, have the greatest 
 respect and regard for you. So much for the pres- 
 ent. As for your future, two of the greatest orna- 
 ments of the artistic world say that you will one day 
 occupy a very high place in the profession. You 
 gain now about fifteen francs a day. Am I correct ? " 
 
 " Certainly," answered Andre, more bewildered than 
 ever. 
 
 The gentleman smiled. 
 
 " Unfortunately," he went on, " my information 
 ends here, for the means of inquiry possessed by the
 
 M. LECOQ 327 
 
 police are, of course, very limited. They can only 
 act upon facts, not on intentions, and so long as 
 these are not displayed in open acts, the hands of the 
 police are tied. It is only forty-eight hours since I 
 heard of you for the first time, and I have already your 
 biography in my pocket. I hear that the day before 
 yesterday you were dining with M. de Breulh-Faver- 
 lay, and that this morning you were walking with 
 young Gandelu, and that La Candele was following 
 you like a shadow. These are all facts, but 
 
 He paused, and cast a keen glance upon Andre, 
 then, in a slow and measured voice, he continued, 
 
 " But no one has been able to tell me why you 
 dogged Verminet's footsteps, or why you went to Mas- 
 carin's house, or why, finally, you disguised yourself 
 to keep a watch on the movements of the most honor- 
 able the Marquis de Croisenois. It is the motive that 
 we cannot arrive at, for the facts are perfectly clear." 
 
 Andre fidgeted uneasily in his chair beneath the 
 spell of those magnetic glasses, which seemed to draw 
 the truth from him. 
 
 " I cannot tell you, sir," faltered he at last, " for 
 the secret is not mine to divulge." 
 
 " You will not trust me? Well, then, I must speak. 
 Remember, all that I have told you was the account 
 of what I knew positively; but, in addition to this, I 
 have drawn my own inferences. You are watching 
 De Croisenois because he is going to marry a wealthy 
 heiress." 
 
 Andre blushed crimson. 
 
 " We assume, therefore, that you wish to prevent 
 this marriage; and why, pray? I have heard that 
 Mademoiselle de Mussidan was formerly engaged to 
 M. de Breulh-Faverlay. How comes it that the Count
 
 328 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 and Countess de Mussidan prefer a ruined spendthrift 
 to a wealthy and strictly honorable man ? It is for you 
 to answer this question. It is perfectly plain to me 
 that they hand over their daughter to De Croisenois 
 under pressure of some kind, and that means that a 
 terrible secret exists with which Croisenois threatens 
 them." 
 
 " Your deduction is wrong, sir," exclaimed Andre 
 eagerly, " and you are quite wrong." 
 
 " Very good," was the calm reply. " Your em- 
 phatic denial shows that I am in the right. I want 
 no further proofs. M. de Mussidan paid you a visit 
 yesterday, and one of my agents reported that his 
 face was much happier on leaving you than when he 
 was on his way to your house. I therefore infer that 
 you promised to release him from Croisenois' per- 
 secutions, and in return he promised you his daugh- 
 ter's hand in marriage. This, of course, explains your 
 present disguise, and now tell me again that I am 
 wrong, if you dare." 
 
 Andre would not lie, and therefore kept silence. 
 
 " And now," continued the gentleman, " how about 
 the secret? Did not the Count tell it you? I do not 
 know it; and yet I think that if I were to search for 
 it, I could find it. I can call to my mind certain 
 crimes which three generations of detectives have 
 striven to find out. Did you ever hear that De Croise- 
 nois had an elder brother named George, who disap- 
 peared in a most wonderful manner? What became 
 of him? This very George, twenty-three years back; 
 was a friend of Madame de Mussidan's. Might not 
 his disappearance have something to do with this mar- 
 riage?"
 
 M. LECOQ 329 
 
 " Are you the fiend himself ? '' cried the young man. 
 
 " I am M. Lecoq." 
 
 Andre started back in absolute dread at the name of 
 this celebrated detective. 
 
 " M. Lecoq ! " repeated he. 
 
 The vanity of the great detective was much flattered 
 when he saw the impression that his name had pro- 
 duced. 
 
 " And now, my dear M. Andre," said he blandly, 
 "now that you know who I am, may I not hope that 
 you will be more communicative ? " 
 
 M. de Mussidan had not told his secret to the young 
 artist, but he had said enough for him to feel that the 
 detective was correct in his inference. 
 
 " Surely," continued Lecoq, " we ought to be able 
 to come to a more definite understanding, and I think 
 that my openness should elicit some frankness on your 
 side. I saw that you were watched by the very per- 
 son that I was watching. For three days my men 
 have followed you, and to-day I made up my mind that 
 you could furnish me with the clue I am seeking." 
 
 "I, sir?" 
 
 " For many years," continued Lecoq, " I have been 
 certain that an organized association of blackmailers 
 exists in Paris ; family differences, sin, shame, and sor- 
 row are worked by these wretches like veritable gold 
 mines, and bring them in enormous annual revenues." 
 
 " Ah," returned Andre, " I expected something of 
 this kind." 
 
 " Of course, when I was quite sure of these facts," 
 continued Lecoq, " I said to myself, ' I will break up 
 this gang ' ; but it was easier said than done. There 
 is one very peculiar thing about blackmailing. Those
 
 330 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 who carry it on are almost certain of doing so with im- 
 punity, for the victims will pay and not complain. Yes, 
 I tell you that I have often found out these unhappy 
 pigeons, but never could get one to speak." 
 
 The detective was so indignant and acrimonious 
 withal in his indignation, that Andre could not repress 
 a smile. 
 
 " Very soon," continued Lecoq, " I recognized the 
 futility of my attempts, and the impossibility of reach- 
 ing these scoundrels through their victims, and then I 
 determined to strike at the plunderers themselves, but 
 this was a scheme that took patience and time. I have 
 waited my chance for three years, and for eighteen 
 months one of my men has been in the service of the 
 Marquis de Croisenois, and up to now this band of 
 villains has cost the government over ten thousand 
 francs. That superlative scoundrel, Mascarin, has put 
 several white threads in my hair. I believe him to be 
 Tantaine; yes, and Martin Rigal too. The idea of 
 there being a means of communication between the 
 banker's house in the Rue Montmartre and the Serv- 
 ants' Registry Office in the Rue Montorgueil only came 
 into my head this morning. But this time they have 
 gone too far, and I have them. The idea of a Limited 
 Company, the shares of which are to be taken up by 
 their victims, is not at all a bad one. I know them all, 
 from the chief, Mascarin-Tantaine-Rigal, down to their 
 lowest agent, Toto Chupin, and Paul Violaine, the do- 
 cile puppet of their will. We will get hold of the 
 whole gang, and neither Van Klopen nor Catenae will 
 escape. Just now the latter is travelling about with 
 the Duke de Champdoce and a fellow named Perpi- 
 gnan, and two of my sweet lads are close upon them, 
 and send in almost hourly reports of what is going
 
 M. LECOQ 331 
 
 on. My trap has a tempting bait, the spring is strong, 
 and we shall catch every one of them. And now do 
 you still hesitate to confide all you know to me? I 
 swear on my honor that I will respect as sacred what 
 you tell me, no matter what may occur." 
 
 Andre yielded, as did every person who came under 
 the influence of this remarkable man and his strange 
 and inexplicable fascination. If he hid anything from 
 him to-day, would not Lecoq be acquainted with it to- 
 morrow? and so, with the most perfect frankness, he 
 told his story and everything that he knew. 
 
 " Now," cried Lecoq, " I see it all clearly. Aha, 
 they want to force young Gandelu to disappear with 
 Rose, do they ? " 
 
 Beneath his gold-rimmed spectacles his eyes flashed 
 fiercely. He seemed to be occupied in drawing out his 
 plan of campaign. 
 
 " From this moment," said he, " be at ease. In an- 
 other month Mademoiselle de Mussidan shall be your 
 wife; this I promise you, and the promises of Lecoq 
 are never broken." 
 
 He paused for an instant, as though to collect his 
 thoughts, and then continued, 
 
 " I can answer for all, except for your life. So 
 many are interested in your disappearance from this 
 world, that every effort will be made to get rid of you. 
 Do not cease your caution for an instant. Never eat 
 twice running at the same restaurant, throw away 
 food that has the slightest strange taste. Avoid 
 crowds in the street ; do not get into a cab ; never lean 
 from a window before ascertaining that its supports 
 are solid ; in a word, fear and suspect everything." 
 
 For a moment longer Lecoq detained the young 
 artist.
 
 332 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " Tell me," said he, " have you the mark of a wound 
 on your shoulder or arm ? " 
 
 " I have, sir; the scar of a very severe scald." 
 
 " I thought so ; yes, I was almost certain of it," said 
 Lecoq thoughtfully ; and as he conducted the young 
 man to the door, he took leave of him with the same 
 words that Mascarin had often used to Paul, 
 
 " Farewell for the present, Duke de Champdoce." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THROUGH THE AIR. 
 
 AT these last words Andre turned round, but the 
 door closed, and he heard the key grate in the lock. He 
 passed through the outer office, where the superin- 
 tendent, his two clerks, and his late adversary all 
 seemed to gaze upon him with a glance of admiration 
 and esteem. 
 
 He gained the open street. 
 
 What did those last words of Lecoq mean ? He was 
 a foundling, it is true ; but what foundling has not had 
 lofty aspirations, and felt that, for all he knew, he 
 might be the scion of some noble house. 
 
 As soon as Lecoq thought that the coast was clear, 
 he opened the door, and called the agent, Palot. 
 
 " My lad," said the great man, " you saw that young 
 man who went out just now? He is a noble fellow, 
 full of good feeling and honor. I look upon him as my 
 friend." 
 
 Palot made a gesture signifying that henceforth his 
 late antagonist was as something sacred in his eyes.
 
 THROUGH THE AIR 333 
 
 " You will be his shadow," pursued Lecoq, " and 
 keep near enough to trim to rush to his aid at a mo- 
 ment of danger. That gang, of which Mascarin is the 
 head, want his life. You are my right-hand man, and 
 I trust him to you. I have warned him, but youth is 
 rash ; and you will scent danger where he would never 
 dream that it lurked. If there is any peril, dash boldly 
 forward, but endeavor to let no one find out who you 
 are. If you must speak to him but only do so at the 
 last extremity whisper my name in his ear, and he 
 will know you have come from me. Remember, you 
 are answerable for him; but change your face. La 
 Candele and the others must not recognize in you the 
 wine-shop bully ; that would spoil all. What have you 
 on under that blouse, a commissionaire's dress ? 
 
 " That will do ; now change the face." 
 
 Palot pulled out a small parcel from his pocket, from 
 which he extracted a red beard and wig, and, going to 
 the mirror, adjusted them with dexterous activity; 
 and, in a few minutes, went up to his master, who was 
 waiting, saying, 
 
 "How will this do?" 
 
 " Not bad, not bad," returned Lecoq ; " and now to 
 your work." 
 
 " Where shall I find him? " asked Palot. 
 
 " Somewhere near Mascarin's den, for I advised him 
 not to give up playing the spy too suddenly." 
 
 Palot was off like the wind, and when he reached 
 the Rue Montmartre, he caught sight of the person 
 who had been intrusted to his care. 
 
 Andre was walking slowly along, thinking of Le- 
 coq's cautions, when a young man, with his arm in a 
 sling, overtook him, going in the same direction as he 
 was. Andre was sure that it was Paul, and as he
 
 334 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 knew that he could not be recognized, he passed him in 
 his turn, and saw that it was indeed the Paul so much 
 regretted by Zora. 
 
 " I will find out where he goes to," thought Andre. 
 
 He followed, and saw him enter the house of M. Ri- 
 gal. Two women were gossiping near the door, and 
 Andre heard one of them say, 
 
 " That is the young fellow who is going to marry 
 Flavia, the banker's daughter." 
 
 Paul, therefore, was to marry the daughter of the 
 chief of the gang. Should he tell Lecoq this? But, 
 of course, the detective knew it. 
 
 Time was passing, and Andre felt that he had but 
 little space to gain the house that Gandelu was building 
 in the Champs Elysees, if he wished to ask hospitality 
 from his friend Vignol. 
 
 He found all the workmen there, and not one of 
 them recognized him when he asked for Vignol. 
 
 " He is engaged up there," said one. " Take the 
 staircase to the left." 
 
 The chief part of the ornamental work was in front, 
 and it was there that the little hut which Tantaine had 
 pointed out to Toto Chupin was erected. Vignol was 
 in it, and was utterly surprised when Andre made him- 
 self known, for he did not recognize him under his 
 strange disguise. 
 
 " It is nothing," returned the young man cautiously, 
 as Vignol paused for an explanation ; " only a little 
 love affair." 
 
 " Do you expect to win a girl's heart by making 
 such a guy of yourself ? " asked his friend with a 
 laugh. 
 
 " Hush ! I will explain matters later on. Can you 
 give me shelter for a night or two ? "
 
 THROUGH THE AIR 335 
 
 He stopped himself, turned terribly pale, and 
 listened intently. He fancied he had heard a woman's 
 scream, and his own name uttered. 
 
 " Andre, it is I your Sabine ; help ! " 
 
 Quick as lightning Andre rushed to the window, 
 opened it, and leaned out to discover from whence 
 those sounds came. 
 
 The young miscreant, Toto Chupin, had too fatally 
 earned the note with which Tantaine had bribed him. 
 The whole of the front of the window gave way with 
 a loud crash, and Andre was hurled into space. 
 
 The hut was at least sixty feet from the pavement, 
 and the fall was the more appalling because the body 
 of Andre struck some of the intervening scaffolding 
 first, and thence bounded off, until the unhappy young 
 man fell with a dull thud, bleeding and senseless in the 
 street. 
 
 Nearly three hundred persons in the Champs Elysees 
 witnessed this hideous sight ; for, at Vignol's cry, every 
 one had stopped, and, frozen with horror, had not 
 missed one detail of the grim tragedy. 
 
 In an instant a crowd was collected round the poor, 
 inert mass of humanity which lay motionless in a pool 
 of blood. But two workmen, roused by Vignol's 
 shrieks, were soon on the spot, and pushed their way 
 through the crowd of persons who were gazing with a 
 morbid curiosity on the man who had fallen from a 
 height of sixty feet. 
 
 Andre gave no sign of life. His face was dreadfully 
 bruised, his eyes were closed, and a stream of blood 
 poured from his mouth, as Vignol raised his friend's 
 head upon his knee. 
 
 " He is dead ! " cried the lookers on. " No one could 
 survive such a fall."
 
 336 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 "Let us take him to the Hospital Beau j on!" ex- 
 claimed Vignol. " We are close by there." 
 
 An ambulance was speedily procured, and the work- 
 men, placing their insensible friend carefully in it, 
 asked permission to carry him to the hospital. 
 
 One curious event had excited the attention of some 
 of the lookers on. Just as Andre fell, a commissaire 
 had rushed forward and seized a woman. . She was 
 one of the class of unfortunates who frequent the 
 Champs Elysees, and she it was who had uttered the 
 cry that had lured Andre to destruction. The woman 
 made an effort to escape, but Palot, for it was he, 
 caught her arm. 
 
 " Not a word," said he sternly. The wretched crea- 
 ture seemed in abject terror, and obeyed him. 
 
 " Why did you cry out ? " asked he. 
 
 " I do not know." 
 
 "It is a lie!" 
 
 " No, it is true ; a gentleman came up to me, and 
 said, ' Madame, if you will cry out now, Andre, it is 
 I your Sabine ; help ! I will give you two louis.' Of 
 course I agreed. He gave me the fifty francs, and I 
 did as he asked me." 
 
 " What was this man like? " 
 
 " He was tall, old, and very shabby and dirty, with 
 glasses on. I never set eyes on him before." 
 
 " Do you know," returned the commissaire sternly, 
 " that the words you have uttered have caused the 
 death of the poor fellow who has just fallen from 
 the house ? " 
 
 " Why did he not take more care ? " asked she in- 
 differently. 
 
 Palot, with an angry gesture, handed her over to a 
 police-constable.
 
 THROUGH THE AIR 337 
 
 " Take her to the station-house," said he, " and do 
 not lose sight of her, for she will be a most important 
 witness at a trial that must soon come on." 
 
 " What the woman says is true," muttered Palot. 
 " She did not know what she was doing, and it was 
 Tantaine that gave her the two coins. He shall pay 
 for this ; but certainly, if the whole gang are collared, 
 it won't bring the poor young fellow to life." 
 
 He had, however, not much time for reflection, for 
 he had to gather up every link of evidence. How was 
 it that this accident had occurred ? The frame of the 
 window had fallen out with Andre, and lay in frag- 
 ments on the pavement. He picked up one of the 
 pieces, and at once saw what had been done ; the wood- 
 work had been sawed almost in two, and the putty with 
 which the marks of the cuts had been concealed still 
 clung to the wood. Palot called one of the workmen, 
 who appeared to be more intelligent than his fellows, 
 pointed out the marks to him, and bade him gather up 
 the fragments and put them in some place of security. 
 This duty being accomplished, Palot joined the crowd; 
 but he was too late, for Andre had been taken away 
 to the hospital. He looked around to see if there was 
 any one from whom he could gain information, and 
 suddenly perceived on a bench some one whom he had 
 often followed. It was Toto Chupin, no longer clad in 
 the squalid rags of a day or two back. He was dressed 
 in gorgeous array, but his face was livid, his eyes wild, 
 and his lips kept moving convulsively, for he was a 
 victim to a novel sensation the pangs of remorse 
 and was meditating whether he should not go to the 
 nearest police-station and give himself up, so that he 
 might revenge himself on Tantaine, who had made 
 him a murderer. For a moment the idea of arresting
 
 338 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Toto passed through Palot's mind, but he, after a mo- 
 ment's thought, muttered, 
 
 " No ; that would never do. We should risk losing 
 the whole gang. Besides, he can't get away. I may 
 even have committed an error in arresting that woman. 
 My master will say that I am not to be trusted. He 
 placed one of his friends in my charge, and this is what 
 has happened. I knew that the young man's life was 
 in deadly peril, and yet I let him enter a house in the 
 course of erection ; why, I might as well have cut his 
 throat myself." 
 
 In a terrible state of anxiety, Palot presented himself 
 at the hospital, and asked for the young man who had 
 just been brought in. 
 
 "You mean Number 17?" returned one of the as- 
 sistant-surgeons. " He is in a most critical state ; we 
 fear internal injuries, fracture of the skull, and in 
 fact, we fear everything." 
 
 It was two days before Andre recovered conscious- 
 ness. It was midnight when he first woke again to 
 the realities of life. At a glance he guessed where he 
 was. He felt pain when he endeavored to turn over, 
 but he could move his legs and one arm. 
 
 " How long have I been here, I wonder ? " he 
 thought. 
 
 He tried to think, but he was weak, and thoughts 
 would not come at his command, and in a few seconds 
 he dropped off to sleep again ; and when he awoke, it 
 was broad day; the ward was full of life and motion, 
 for it was the hour of the house surgeon's visit. He 
 was a young man still, with a cheerful face, followed 
 by the band of students. He went from bed to bed, 
 explaining cases, and cheering up the sufferers. When 
 Andre's turn came, the surgeon told him that his
 
 THROUGH THE AIR 339 
 
 shoulder was put out, his arm broken in two places, a 
 bad cut on his head, while his body was one mass of 
 bruises; but, for all that, he was in luck to have got 
 off so easily. Andre listened to him with but a vague 
 understanding of his meaning, for, with the return of 
 reason, the remembrance of Sabine had come, and he 
 asked himself what would become of her while he was 
 confined to his bed in the hospital. As this thought 
 passed through his mind, he uttered a faint groan. One 
 of the students, a stout person, with red whiskers, a 
 white tie, and a rather shabby hat, who looked as if he 
 had just arrived from the country, stepped up to his 
 bed, and leaning over the patient, murmured, " Lecoq." 
 Andre opened his eyes wide at the name. 
 
 " M. Lecoq," gasped he, wondering at the excellence 
 of the disguise. 
 
 " Hush, who knows who is watching us ? I come to 
 give your mind ease, which will do you more good than 
 all the doctor's stuff. Without in any way committing 
 you, I have seen M. de Mussidan, and have furnished 
 him with a valid excuse for postponing his daughter's 
 marriage for another month. You must remain here ; 
 you could not be in a place of greater security ; but 
 even here you cannot be too cautious. Eat nothing 
 that is not given you by some one who utters the word 
 * Lecoq.' M. Gandelu will certainly call to see you. If 
 you want to see or write to me, the patient on your 
 right will manage that; he is one of my men. You 
 shall have news every day ; but be patient and prudent." 
 
 " I can wait now," answered the young man, " be- 
 cause I have hope." 
 
 " Ah," murmured Lecoq, as he moved softly away, 
 " is not hope the true secret of life and happiness? "
 
 340 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 THE DAY OF RECKONING. 
 
 M. LECOQ enjoined prudence and caution on Andre, 
 and the utmost care on the 'part of his agents, because 
 he was fully aware of the skill and cunning of the ad- 
 versary with whom he had to cope. 
 
 " You should not talk or make a noise," he would 
 say, " when you are fighting." 
 
 He could now prove that the head of this association, 
 the man who concealed his identity under a threefold 
 personality, was the instigator of a murder. But he 
 did not intend to make use of this discovery at once, 
 for he had sworn that he would take the whole gang, 
 and his proceedings had been so carefully conducted 
 that his victims did not for a moment suspect the net 
 that was closing around them. The day after the acci- 
 dent to Andre, Mascarin sent an anonymous communi- 
 cation to the head of the police, giving up Toto as the 
 author of the crime, and saying where he could be 
 found. 
 
 " Of course," thought this wily plotter, " Toto will 
 denounce Tantaine, but that worthy man is dead and 
 buried, and I think that even the sharpest agents of the 
 police will be unable to effect his resurrection." 
 
 Mascarin had carefully consumed in a large fire 
 every particle of the tattered garments that Tantaine 
 had been in the habit of wearing, and laughed merrily 
 as he watched the columns of sombre smoke roll 
 upwards. 
 
 " Look for him as much as you please," laughed he. 
 " Old Daddy Tantaine has flown up the chimney."
 
 THE DAY OF RECKONING 341 
 
 The next business was to suppress Mascarin ; this 
 was a more difficult operation. Few would care to in- 
 quire about Tantaine, but Mascarin was well known as 
 the head of a prosperous business ; his disappearance 
 would create a sensation, and the police would take 
 up the matter. His best course would be to conduct 
 matters openly, and sell his business on the plea of 
 family affairs causing him to retire. He easily found 
 a purchaser, and in twenty-four hours the matter had 
 been arranged. 
 
 The night before handing over the business to his 
 successor Mascarin had much to do. Assisted by Beati- 
 marchef, he carried into Martin Rigal's private office 
 the papers with which the Registry Office was 
 crammed. This removal was effected by means of a 
 door marked by a panel between Mascarin's office and 
 the banker's private room ; and when the last scrap of 
 paper had been removed, Mascarin pointed out a heap 
 of bricks and a supply of mortar to his faithful ad- 
 herent. 
 
 " Wall up this door," said he. 
 
 It was a long and wearisome task, but it was at 
 length completed, and by rubbing soot and dust over 
 the new work it lost its appearance of freshness. The 
 evening before Beaumarchef had received twelve thou- 
 sand francs on the express condition that he would 
 start at once for America, and the leave-taking be- 
 tween him and the master he had so faithfully served 
 was a most affecting one. He knew hardly anything 
 of the diabolical plots going on around him, and was 
 the only innocent person in that house of crime. 
 
 Mascarin was in haste to depart; he had annihilated 
 Tantaine in order to free himself from Toto. Mas- 
 carin was about to disappear, and he contemplated re-
 
 342 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 taining his third personality, and in it to pass away 
 the remainder of his life honored and respected; but 
 he must first induct his successor into his business; 
 and he went through the books with him, and explained 
 all the practical working of the machinery. This took 
 him nearly all day, and it was getting late when his 
 luggage was put on a cab which he had in waiting. 
 A new plate had already been placed on the door: 
 " J. Robinet, late B. Mascarin." 
 
 Knowing that he must carry out the deception com- 
 pletely, Mascarin drove to the western railway station, 
 and took a ticket for Rouen. He felt rather uncom- 
 fortable, for he feared that he was being watched, and 
 he made up his mind not to leave a single trace behind 
 him. At Rouen he abandoned his luggage, which he 
 had taken care should afford no clue as to ownership, 
 he also relinquished his beard and spectacles, and re- 
 turned to Paris as the well-known banker, Martin Ri- 
 gal, the pretty Flavia's father, having, as he thought, 
 obliterated Mascarin as completely as he had done 
 Tantaine ; but he had not noticed in the train with him 
 a very dark young man with piercing eyes, who looked 
 like the traveller of some respectable commercial firm. 
 As soon as he reached his home, and had tenderly em- 
 braced his daughter, he went to the private room of 
 Martin Rigal, and opened it with the key that never 
 left his person, and then gazed at a large rough mass 
 of brickwork which disfigured one side of the room, 
 and which was the remains of the wall that erewhile 
 had been so hastily erected in the Office of the Serv- 
 ants' Registry. 
 
 " This won't do," muttered he ; " it must be plas- 
 tered, and then repapered." 
 
 He picked up the bits of brick and plaster that lay
 
 THE DAY OF RECKONING 343 
 
 on the floor, and threw them into the fire, and then 
 pushed a large screen in front of the rough brickwork. 
 He had just finished his work when Hortebise entered 
 the room, with his perpetually smiling face. 
 
 " Now, you unbeliever," cried Mascarin gaily, " is 
 not fortune within our grasp ? Tantaine and Mascarin 
 are dead, or rather, they never existed. Beaumarchef 
 is on his way to America, La Candele will be in Lon- 
 don in a week, and now we may enjoy our millions." 
 
 " Heaven grant it," said the doctor piously. 
 
 " Pooh, pooh ! we have nothing more to fear, as you 
 would have known had you gone into the case as thor- 
 oughly as I have done. Who was the enemy whom we 
 "had most need to dread? Why, Andre. He certainly 
 is not dead, but he is laid up for some weeks, and that 
 is enough. Besides, he has given up the game, for 
 one of my men who managed to get into the hospital 
 says that he has not received a visitor or dispatched a 
 letter for the last fifteen days." 
 
 " But he had friends." 
 
 " Pshaw ! friends always forget you ! Why, where 
 was M. de Breulh-Faverlay ? " 
 
 " It is the racing season, and he is a fixture in his 
 stables." 
 
 " Madame de Bois Arden ? " 
 
 " The new fashions are sufficient for her giddy 
 head." 
 
 "M. Gandelu?" 
 
 " He has his son's affairs to look after and there is 
 no one else of any consequence." 
 
 " And how about young Gandelu ? " 
 
 " Oh ! he has yielded to Tantaine's winning power, 
 and has made it up with Rose, and the turtle doves 
 have taken wing for Florence."
 
 344 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 But the doctor was still dissatisfied. 
 
 " I am uneasy about the Mussidans," said he. 
 
 " And pray why ? De Croisenois has been very well 
 received. I don't say that Mademoiselle Sabine has 
 exactly jumped into his arms, but she thanks him 
 every evening for the flowers he sends in the morning, 
 and you can't expect more than that." 
 
 " I wish the Count had not put off the marriage. 
 Why did he do so?" 
 
 "It annoys me, too; but we can't have everything; 
 set your mind at rest." 
 
 By this time the banker had contrived to reassure 
 the doctor. 
 
 " Besides," he added, " everything is going on well, 
 even our Tafila mines. I have taxed our people, ac- 
 cording to their means, from one to twenty thousand 
 francs, and we are certain of a million." 
 
 The doctor rubbed his hands, and a delicious pros- 
 pect of enjoyments stretched out before him. 
 
 " I have seen Catenae," continued Martin Rigal. 
 " He has returned from Vendome, and the Duke de 
 Champdoce is wild with hope and expectation, and is 
 on the path which he thinks will take him to his son." 
 
 " And how about Perpignan ? " 
 
 Mascarin laughed. 
 
 " Perpignan is just as much a dupe as the Duke is ; 
 he thinks absolutely that he has discovered all the 
 clues that I myself placed on his road. Before, how- 
 ever, they have quite concluded their investigations, 
 Paul will be my daughter's husband and Flavia the 
 future Duchess of Champdoce, with an income that a 
 monarch might envy." 
 
 He paused, for there was a light tap on the door, and 
 Flavia entered. She bowed to the doctor, and, with
 
 THE DAY OF RECKONING 345 
 
 the graceful movement of a bird, perched herself upon 
 her father's knee, and, throwing her arms round his 
 neck, kissed him again and again. 
 
 " This is a very nice little preface," said the banker 
 with a forced smile. " The favor is granted in ad- 
 vance, for, of course, this means that you have come 
 to ask one." 
 
 The girl shook her head, and returned in the tone 
 of one addressing a naughty child, 
 
 " Oh, you bad papa ! am I in the habit of selling my 
 kisses? I am sure that I have only to ask and to 
 have." 
 
 " Of course not, only " 
 
 " I came to tell you that dinner was ready, and that 
 Paul and I are both very hungry; and I only kissed 
 you because I loved you; and if I had to choose a 
 father again, out of the whole it would be you." 
 
 He smiled fondly. 
 
 " But for the last six weeks," said he, " you have 
 not loved me so well." 
 
 " No," returned she with charming simplicity, "not 
 for so long nearly for fifteen days perhaps." 
 
 " And yet it is more than a month since the good 
 doctor brought a certain young man to dinner." 
 
 Flavia uttered a frank, girlish laugh. 
 
 " I love you dearly," said she, " but especially for one 
 thing." 
 
 " And what is that, pray ? " 
 
 " Ah ! that is the secret ; but I will tell it you for all 
 that. It is only within the last fortnight that I have 
 found out how really good you have been, and how 
 much trouble you took in bringing Paul to me; but 
 to think that you should have to put on those ugly old 
 clothes, that nasty beard and those spectacles."
 
 346 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 At these words the banker started so abruptly to his 
 feet that Flavia nearly fell to the ground. 
 
 " What do you mean by this ? " said he. 
 
 " Do you suppose a daughter does not know her 
 father? You might deceive others, but I " 
 
 " Flavia, I do not comprehend your meaning." 
 
 " Do you mean to tell me," asked she, " that you did 
 not come to Paul's rooms the day I was there ? " 
 
 " Are you crazy ? Listen to me." 
 
 " No, I will not ;' you must not tell me fibs. I am 
 not a fool ; and when you went out with the doctor, I 
 listened at the door, and I heard a few words you said ; 
 and that isn't all, for when I got here, I hid myself 
 and I saw you come into this room." 
 
 " But you said nothing to any one, Flavia ? " 
 
 " No, certainly not." 
 
 Rigal breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
 " Of course I do not count Paul," continued the 
 girl, " for he is the same as myself." 
 
 " Unhappy child ! " exclaimed the banker in so furi- 
 ous a voice, and with such a threatening gesture of the 
 hand, that for the first time in her life Flavia was 
 afraid of her father. 
 
 " What have I done ? " asked she, the tears spring- 
 ing to her eyes. " I only said to Paul that we should 
 be terribly ungrateful if we did not worship him ; for 
 you don't know what he does for us. Why, he even 
 dresses up in rags, and goes to see you." 
 
 Hortebise, who up to this time had not said a word, 
 now interfered. 
 
 "And what did Paul say?" asked he. 
 
 " Paul ? Oh, nothing for a moment. Then he 
 cried out, ' I see it all now,' and laughed as if he 
 would have gone into a fit."
 
 THE DAY OF RECKONING 347 
 
 " Did you not understand, my poor child, what this 
 laugh meant ? Paul thinks that you have been my ac- 
 complice, and believes that it was in obedience to your 
 orders that I went to look for him." 
 
 " Well, and suppose he does ? " 
 
 " A man like Paul never loves a woman who has 
 run after him; and no matter how great her beauty 
 may be, will always consider that she has thrown her- 
 self in his path. He will accept all her devotion, and 
 make no more return than a stone or a wooden idol 
 would do. You cannot see this, and God grant that 
 it may be long before the bandage is removed from 
 your eyes. Can you not read the quality of this 
 foolish boy, who has not a manly instinct in him ? " 
 
 " Enough ! " she cried, " enough ! I am not such a 
 coward as to allow you to insult my husband." 
 
 He shuddered at the thought that his words might 
 cost him his daughter's love, but Hortebise interposed 
 by putting his arm round Flavia's waist and leading 
 her from the room. When he returned, he observed, 
 
 " I cannot understand your anger. It seems to me 
 that all recrimination is most indiscreet, for you can 
 at any moment break off this marriage." 
 
 " Do you think it nothing for me to be at the mercy 
 of that cowardly wretch, Paul ? " 
 
 " Not more so than you are by the foolish weak- 
 ness of your daughter. Is not Paul our accomplice? 
 and are we any more compromised because he has dis- 
 covered the secret of your triple personality ? " 
 
 " Ah ! you have not a father's feelings. Up till now 
 Paul did not know that I was Mascarin, and believed 
 me to be the victim of blackmailers. As a dupe he 
 respected me, as an accomplice he will scorn me. This 
 disastrous marriage must be hastened."
 
 348 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Paul and Flavia's marriage took place at the end 
 of the next week, and Paul left his simple bachelor 
 abode to take possession of the magnificent suite of 
 rooms prepared for him by the banker in his house in 
 the Rue Montmartre. The change was great, but 
 Paul was no longer surprised at anything. He did 
 not feel the faintest tinge of remorse ; he only feared 
 one thing, and that was that by some blunder he might 
 compromise his future, when the eventful day arrived 
 which would give him the social position and stand- 
 ing of heir to a dukedom. 
 
 When, however, the Duke de Champdoce came, ac- 
 companied by Perpignan, the young impostor rose to 
 the level of his masters, and played his part with most 
 consummate skill. The Duke, whose life had been one 
 long scene of misery, and who had so cruelly ex- 
 piated the sins of his youth, seemed to have become 
 suddenly lenient; and had Paul obeyed him, he would 
 at once have established himself with his young wife 
 at the Hotel de Champdoce, but Martin Rigal put a 
 veto upon this, for he was not quite satisfied that his 
 son-in-law was really the heir to the Champdoce duke- 
 dom ; and finally it was agreed that the Duke should 
 come to breakfast the next morning and take away 
 Paul. Eleven was the hour fixed, but the Duke ap- 
 peared at the banker's house at ten, where he, Catenae, 
 Hortebise, and Paul were assembled together in sol- 
 mn conclave. 
 
 " Now, papa," said Flavia, who kept her father on 
 thorns by her gay and frolicsome criticisms, " you will 
 no longer blame me for falling in love with a poor 
 Bohemian, for you see that he is a Champdoce, and 
 that his father possesses millions."
 
 THE DAY OF RECKONING 349 
 
 The Duke was now seated on the sofa, holding the 
 hand of the young man whom he believed to be his 
 son tightly in his. The Duchess, to whom he had 
 given a hint of what was going on, had been taken 
 seriously ill from over-excitement, but had recovered 
 herself a little, and the Duke was describing this when 
 he was suddenly interrupted by a series of dull and 
 heavy blows struck upon the other side of the wall of 
 the room. A pickaxe was evidently at work. The 
 whole house was shaken by the violence of the attack, 
 and a screen, which stood near the spot, was thrown 
 down. 
 
 The plotters gazed upon each other with pale and 
 terror-stricken faces, for it was evident that the fresh 
 brick wall, the work of Mascarin and Beaumarchef, 
 was being destroyed. The Duke sat in perfect amaze- 
 ment, for the alarm of his host and his friends was 
 plainly evident. He could feel Paul's hand tremble in 
 his, but could not understand why work evidently go- 
 ing on in the next house could cause such feelings 
 of alarm. Flavia was the only one who had no sus- 
 picion, and she remarked, " Dear me ! I should like 
 to know the meaning of this disturbance." 
 
 " I will send and inquire," said her father ; but 
 scarcely had he opened the door than he retreated with 
 a wild expression of terror in his face, and his arms 
 stretched out in front of him, as though to bar the 
 approach of some terrible spectre. In the doorway 
 stood an eminently respectable-looking gentleman, 
 wearing a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles, and behind 
 him a commissary of police, girt with his official scarf, 
 while farther back still were half a dozen police 
 officers.
 
 350 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 " M. Lecoq," cried the three confederates in one 
 breath, while through their minds flashed the same 
 terrible idea " We are lost." 
 
 The celebrated detective advanced slowly into the 
 room, curiously watching the group collected there. 
 There was an air of entire satisfaction visible on his 
 countenance. 
 
 " Aha ! " he said, " I was right, it seems. I was 
 sure that I was making no mistake in rapping at the 
 other side of the wall. I knew that it would be heard 
 in here." 
 
 By this time, however, the banker had, to all out- 
 ward appearance, regained his self-command. 
 
 " What do you want here ? " asked he insolently. 
 " What is the meaning of this intrusion ? " 
 
 " This gentleman will explain," returned Lecoq, 
 stepping aside to make way for the commissary of 
 police to come forward. " But, to shorten matters, I 
 may tell you that I have obtained a warrant for your 
 arrest, Martin Rigal, alias Tantaine, alias Mascarin." 
 
 " I don't understand you ! " 
 
 " Indeed. Do you think that Tantaine has cleaned 
 his hands so completely that not a drop of Andre's 
 blood clings to the fingers of Martin Rigal ? " 
 
 " On my word, you are speaking in riddles." 
 
 A bland smile passed over Lecoq's face as, drawing 
 a folded letter from his pocket, he answered, 
 
 " Perhaps you are acquainted with the handwrit- 
 ing of your daughter. Well, then, listen to what 
 she wrote not so very long ago to the very Paul who 
 is sitting on the sofa there. 
 
 " ' MY DEAREST PAUL, 
 
 " ' We should be guilty of the deepest ingratitude 
 if ' "
 
 'THE DAY OF RECKONING 351 
 
 " Enough ! enough ! " cried the banker in a hoarse 
 voice. " Lost, lost, lost ! My own child has been my 
 ruin ! " 
 
 The calmest of the conspirators was now the one 
 who was generally the first to take alarm, and this 
 was the genial Doctor Hortebise. When he recog- 
 nized Lecoq, he had gently opened his locket and 
 taken from it a small pellet of grayish-colored paste, 
 and, holding it between his fingers, had waited until 
 his leader should declare that all hope was gone. 
 
 In the meantime Lecoq turned towards Catenae. 
 
 " And you too are included in this warrant," said he. 
 
 Catenae, perhaps owing to his legal training, made 
 no reply to Lecoq, but addressing the commissary, 
 observed, 
 
 " I am the victim of a most unpleasant mistake, but 
 my position " 
 
 " The warrant is quite regular," returned the com- 
 missary. " You can see it if you desire." 
 
 " No, it is not necessary. I will only ask you to 
 conduct me to the magistrate who issued it, and in 
 five minutes all will be explained." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " asked Lecoq in a quiet tone of 
 sarcasm. " You have not heard, I can see, of what 
 took place yesterday. A laborer, in the course of his 
 work, discovers the remains of a newly-born infant, 
 wrapped in a silk handkerchief and a shawl. The 
 police soon set inquiries on foot, and have found the 
 mother a girl named Clarisse." 
 
 Had not Lecoq suddenly grasped Catenae's arm, the 
 lawyer would have flown at Martin Rigal's throat. 
 
 " Villain, traitor ! " panted he, " you have sold me ! " 
 
 " My papers have been stolen," faltered the banker. 
 
 He now saw that the blows struck upon the other
 
 352 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 side of the wall were merely a trick, for Lecoq had 
 thought that a little preliminary fright would render 
 them more amenable to reason. 
 
 Hortebise still looked on calmly; he knew that the 
 game was lost. 
 
 " I belong to a respectable family," thought he, 
 " and I will not bring dishonor upon it. I have no 
 time to lose." 
 
 As he spoke he placed the contents of the locket 
 between his lips and swallowed them. 
 
 " Ah," murmured he, as he did so, " with my consti- 
 tution and digestion, it is really hard to end thus." 
 
 No one had noticed the doctor's movements, for Le- 
 coq had moved the screen, and was showing the com- 
 missary a hole which had been made in the wall large 
 enough for the body of a man to pass through. But 
 a sudden sound cut these investigations short, for 
 Hortebise had fallen to the ground, and was strug- 
 gling in a series of terrible convulsions. 
 
 " How stupid of me not to have foreseen this," ex- 
 claimed Lecoq. " He has poisoned himself ; let some 
 one run for a doctor. Take him into another room 
 and lay him on a bed." 
 
 While these orders were being carried out, Catenae 
 was removed to a cab which was in waiting, and Mar- 
 tin Rigal seemed to have lapsed into a state of moody 
 imbecility. Suddenly he started to his feet, crying, 
 
 " My daughter Flavia ! yes, her name is Flavia, what 
 is to become of her? She has no fortune, and she is 
 married to a man who can never provide for her. My 
 child will perhaps starve. Oh, horrible thought ! " 
 
 The man's strong mind had evidently given way, 
 and his love for his child and the hideous future that 
 lay before her had broken down the barrier that di-
 
 "EVERY MAN TO HIS OWN PLACE" 353 
 
 vides reason from insanity. He was secured by the 
 officers, raving and struggling. When Lecoq was left 
 alone with the Duke, Paul and Flavia, he cast a 
 glimpse of pity at the young girl, who had crouched 
 down in a corner, and evidently hardly understood the 
 terrible scene that had just passed. 
 
 " Your Grace," said he, turning to the Duke, " you 
 have been the victim of a foul conspiracy ; this young 
 man is not your son; he is Paul Violaine, and is the 
 son of a poor woman who kept a petty haberdashery 
 shop in the provinces." 
 
 The miserable young fool began to bluster, and at- 
 tempted to deny this statement; but Lecoq opened 
 the door, and Rose appeared in a most becoming 
 costume. Paul now made no effort to continue his 
 protestations, but throwing himself on his knees, in 
 whining accents confessed the whole fraud and 
 pleaded for mercy, promising to give evidence against 
 his accomplices. 
 
 " Do not despair, your Grace," said Lecoq, as he 
 conducted the Duke to his carriage ; " this certainly is 
 not your son ; but 7 have found him, and to-morrow, if 
 you like, you shall be introduced to him." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 "EVERY MAN TO HIS OWN PLACE." 
 
 OBEDIENT to the wishes of M. Lecoq, Andre re- 
 signed himself to a lengthy sojourn at the Hospital de 
 Beaujon, and had even the courage to affect that state 
 of profound indifference that had deceived Mascarin. 
 The pretended sick man in the next bed to his told him 
 all that had taken place, but the days seemed to be in-
 
 354 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 terminable, and he was beginning to lose patience, 
 when one morning he received a letter which caused 
 a gleam of joy to pass through his heart. " All is 
 right," wrote Lecoq. " Danger is at an end. Ask the 
 house surgeon for leave to quit the hospital. Dress 
 yourself smartly. You will find me waiting at the 
 doors. L." 
 
 Andre was not quite convalescent, for he might have 
 to wear his arm in a sling for many weeks longer ; but 
 these considerations did not deter him. He now 
 dressed himself in a suit which he had sent for to his 
 rooms, and about nine o'clock he left the hospital. 
 
 He stood upon the steps inhaling deep draughts 
 of the fresh air, and then began to wonder where the 
 strange personage was to whom he owed his life. 
 While he was deliberating what to do, an open car- 
 riage drew up before the door of the hospital. 
 
 " You have come at last," exclaimed Andre, rush- 
 ing up to the gentleman who alighted from it. " I 
 was getting quite anxious." 
 
 " I am about five minutes late," returned Lecoq ; 
 " but I was detained," and then, as Andre began to 
 pour out his thanks, he added, " Get into the carriage ; 
 I have a great deal to say to you." 
 
 Andre obeyed, and as he did so, he detected some- 
 thing strange in the expression of his companion's 
 face. 
 
 " What ! " remarked Lecoq, " do you see by my face 
 that I have something to tell you? You are getting 
 quite a keen observer. Well, I have, indeed, for I 
 have passed the night going through Mascarin's 
 papers, and I have just gone through a painful scene 
 I may say, one of the most painful that I have ever
 
 "EVERY MAN TO HIS OWN PLACE" 355 
 
 witnessed. The intellect of Mascarin," said he, " has 
 given way under the tremendous pressure put upon it. 
 The ruling passion of the villain's life was his love 
 for his daughter. He imagines that Flavia and Paul 
 are without a franc and in want of bread; he thinks 
 that he continually hears his daughter crying to him 
 for help. Then, on his knees, he entreats the warder 
 to let him out, if only for a day, swearing that he 
 will return as soon as he has succored his child. Then, 
 when his prayer is refused, he bursts into a frenzied 
 rage and tears at his door, howling like an infuriated 
 animal ; and this state may last to the end of his life, 
 and every minute in it be a space of intolerable tor- 
 ture. Doctor Hortebise is dead ; but the poison upon 
 which he relied betrayed him, and he suffered agonies 
 for twenty-four hours. Catenae will fight to the bit- 
 ter end, but the proofs are clear against him, and he 
 will be convicted of infanticide. In Rigal's papers I 
 have found evidence against Perpignan, Verminet and 
 Van Klopen, who will all certainly hear something 
 about penal servitude. Nothing has been settled yet 
 about Toto Chupin, for it must be remembered that he 
 came and gave himself up.'' 
 
 " And what about Croisenois ? " 
 
 " His Company will be treated like any other at- 
 tempt to extort money by swindling, and the Mar- 
 quis will be sent to prison for two months, and the 
 money paid for shares returned to the dupes, and that, 
 I think, is all that I have to tell you, except that by 
 to-morrow M. Gandelu will receive back the bills to 
 which, his son affixed a forged signature. And now," 
 continued Lecoq, after a short pause, " the time has 
 come for me to tell you why, at our first interview, I
 
 356 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 saluted you as the heir of the Duke de Champdoce. I 
 had guessed your history, but it was only last night I 
 heard all the details." 
 
 Then the detective gave a brief but concise ac- 
 count of the manuscript that Paul had read aloud. He 
 did not tell much, however, but passed lightly over the 
 acts of the Duke de Champdoce and Madame de Mus- 
 sidan, for he did not wish Andre to cease to respect 
 either his father or the mother of Sabine. The story 
 was just concluded as the carriage drew up at the 
 corner of the Rue de Matignon. 
 
 " Get down here," said Lecoq, " and mind and don't 
 hurt your arm." 
 
 Andre obeyed mechanically. 
 
 " And now," went on Lecoq, " listen to me. The 
 Count and Countess de Mussidan expect you to break- 
 fast, and here is the note they handed to me for you. 
 Come back to your studio by four o'clock, and I will 
 then introduce you to your father; but till then, re- 
 member, absolute silence." 
 
 Andre was completely bewildered with his unex- 
 pected happiness. He walked instinctively to the Ho- 
 tel de Mussidan and rang the bell. The intense civil- 
 ity of the footmen removed any misgivings that he 
 might have felt, and, as he entered the dining-room, he 
 darted back, for face to face with him was the por- 
 trait of Sabine which he had himself painted. At 
 that moment the Count came forward to meet him 
 with extended hands. 
 
 " Diana," said he to his wife, " this is our daugh- 
 ter's future husband." He then took Sabine's hand, 
 which he laid in Andre's. 
 
 The young artist hardly dared raise his eyes to 
 Sabine's face; when he did so, his heart grew very
 
 "EVERY MAN TO HIS OWN PLACE" 357 
 
 sad, for the poor girl was but the shadow of her 
 former self. 
 
 " You have suffered terribly," said he tenderly. 
 
 " Yes," answered she, " and I should have died had 
 it lasted much longer." 
 
 Andre had the greatest difficulty in refraining from 
 telling his secret to his beloved, and it was with even 
 more difficulty that he tore himself away at half-past 
 three. 
 
 He had not been five minutes in his studio when 
 there was a knock at the door, and Lecoq entered, 
 followed by an elderly gentleman of aristocratic and 
 haughty appearance. It was the Duke de Champdoce. 
 
 " This gentleman," said the Duke, with a gesture of 
 his hand towards Lecoq, " will have told you that cer- 
 tain circumstances rendered it expedient, according to 
 my ideas, that I should not acknowledge you as my 
 heir, but my son. The fault that I then committed has 
 been cruelly expiated. I am not forty-eight; look at 
 me." 
 
 The Duke looked at least sixty. 
 
 " My sins," continued the Duke, " still pursue me. 
 To-day, in spite of all my desires, I cannot claim you 
 as my legitimate son, for the law only permits me to 
 give you my name and fortune by exercising the 
 right of adoption." 
 
 Andre made no reply, and the Duke went on with 
 evident hesitation, 
 
 " You can certainly institute proceedings against me 
 for the recovery of your rights, but " 
 
 " Ah ! " interrupted the young man, " really, what 
 sort of person do you think I am ? Do you believe me 
 capable of dishonoring your name before I assumed 
 it?"
 
 358 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 The Duke drew a deep breath of relief. Andre's 
 manner had checked and restrained him, for it was 
 frigid and glacial to a degree. What a difference 
 there was between the haughty mien of Andre and the 
 gushing effusiveness of Paul ! 
 
 " Will you permit me," asked Andre, " to address 
 a few words to you?" 
 
 "A few words?" 
 
 " Yes. I did not like to use the word ' conditions/ 
 but I think that you will understand what I mean. My 
 daily toil for bread gave me neither the means nor 
 leisure which I required to cultivate my art, for that is 
 a profession that I could never give up." 
 
 " You will be certainly your own master." 
 
 Andre paused, as if to reflect. 
 
 " This is not all I had to say," he continued at last. 
 " I love and am loved by a pure and beautiful girl ; 
 our marriage is arranged, and I think " 
 
 " I think," broke in the Duke, " that you could not 
 love any one who was not a fit bride for a member 
 of our family." 
 
 " But I did not belong to this family yesterday. Be 
 at ease, however, for she is worthy of a Champdoce. 
 I am engaged to Sabine de Mussidan." 
 
 A deadly paleness overspread the Duke's face as he 
 heard this name. 
 
 " Never," said he. " Never ; I would rather see you 
 dead at my feet." 
 
 " And I would gladly suffer ten thousand deaths 
 sooner than give her up." 
 
 " Suppose I refuse my consent ? Suppose that I 
 forbid ?" 
 
 " You have no claim to exercise paternal authority 
 over me ; this can only be purchased by years of tender
 
 "EVERY MAN TO HIS OWN PLACE" 359 
 
 care. Duke de Champdoce, I owe you nothing. Leave 
 me to myself, as you have hitherto done, and all will 
 be simplified." 
 
 The Duke reflected. Must he give up his son, who 
 had been restored to him by such a series of almost 
 miraculous chances, or must he see him married to 
 Diana's daughter ? Either alternative appeared to him 
 to be equally disagreeable. 
 
 " I will not yield on the point," said he. " Besides, 
 the Countess would never give her consent. She 
 hates me as much as I hate her." 
 
 M. Lecoq, who had up to this moment looked on in 
 silence, now thought it time to interpose. 
 
 " I think," remarked he blandly, " that I shall have 
 no difficulty in obtaining the consent of Madame de 
 Mussidan." 
 
 The Duke, at these words, threw open his arms. 
 
 " Come, my son ! " said he. " All shall be as you de- 
 sire." 
 
 That night Marie, Duchess de Champdoce, experi- 
 enced happiness for the first time in the affection and 
 caresses of a son who had been so long lost to her, 
 and seemed to throw off the heavy burden that 
 had so heavily pressed her down beneath its own 
 weight. 
 
 When Madame de Mussidan heard that Andre was 
 Norbert's son, she declared that nothing would induce 
 her to give her consent to his marriage with her 
 daughter; but among Mascarin's papers Lecoq had 
 discovered the packet containing the compromising 
 correspondence between the Duke de Champdoce and 
 herself. The detective handed this over to her, and, 
 in her gratitude, she promised to give up all further 
 opposition to the match.
 
 360 THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY 
 
 Lecoq always denied that this act came under the 
 head of blackmailing. 
 
 Andre and Sabine took up their residence after 
 marriage at the Chateau de Mussidan, which had been 
 magnificently restored and decorated. They seldom 
 leave it, for they love it for its vicinity to the leafy 
 groves, in which they first learned that they had given 
 their hearts to each other. And Andre frequently 
 points out the unfinished work on the balcony, which 
 was the occasion of his first visit to the Chateau de 
 Mussidan. He says that he will complete it as soon 
 as he has time, but it is doubtful whether he will ever 
 find leisure to do this for a long time, for before the 
 new year comes there is every chance of there being a 
 baptism at the little chapel at Bevron.
 
 DATE DUE
 
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