THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 
 t
 
 THE WORKS OF 
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 
 
 The Barber of Paris 
 
 TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY 
 
 EDITH MARY NORRIS 
 
 C. & Pramaro fJubltefjtns Co. 
 Boston Jiett) gorfe
 
 CONTENTS 
 VOLUME I 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 The Barber's House I 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 The Great Nobleman and the Barber .... 14 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 Blanche. A History of Sorcerers 35 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 The Chevalier Chaudoreille 54 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 The Music Lesson 74 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 The Lovers. The Gossips 87 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 Intrigues Thicken 106 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 Conversation by the Fireside 129 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 The Closet. The Abduction 140 
 
 2137165
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 The Little House. A New Game 155 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 The Pont-Neuf. Tabarin 177 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 A Nocturnal Adventure 189 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 The Tete-a-Tete 198 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 Ursule and the Sorcerer of Verberie . . . . 218 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Love and Innocence. A Shower of Rain and the 
 
 Talisman 239 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 How Will It End 260
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE BARBER'S HOUSE 
 
 UPON a certain evening in the month of De- 
 cember, of the year one thousand six hundred and 
 thirty-two, a man walked at a rapid pace down 
 the Rue Saint-Honore and directed his steps to- 
 wards the Rue Bourdonnais. 
 
 The individual appeared to be forty years old 
 or thereabouts; he was tall as to his figure and 
 sufficiently good-looking as to his face; the ex- 
 pression of the latter, however, was rather austere 
 and at times even melancholy ; and in his black 
 eyes might sometimes be noted an ironical light, 
 which belied the suspicion of a smile. 
 
 This ungenial personage, on the occasion of 
 which we are writing, was wrapped, one might 
 almost say disguised, and he looked like one who 
 would lend his personality to disguise ; he was 
 wrapped, then, in a long brown cloak which only 
 came down just below his knees, and he wore, 
 drawn low down over his eyes, a broad-brimmed 
 hat, which, contrary to the fashion of the day, 
 was ungarnished by a single feather, but which 
 effectually protected his face from the rain which 
 was now beginning to fall very heavily. 
 
 YOU vn t
 
 2 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The Paris of that time was very different from 
 the Paris of today. The condition of the beautiful 
 capital was then deplorable ; many of the streets 
 were unpaved, many of them were only partly 
 paved ; heaps of rubbish and filth accumulated 
 here and there before the houses, obstructing the 
 course of the water and stopping the openings of 
 the drains. These waters being without outlet, 
 overflowed on all sides, forming puddles and filthy 
 holes which exhaled miasmatic and foetid odors. 
 Then one might have alluded with truth to 
 
 Paris, city of noise, of mud and of smoke. 
 
 The streets were unlighted. People carried lan- 
 terns, it is true ; but everybody did not have these, 
 nor were lanterns any defence against the robbers 
 who existed in very large numbers, committing a 
 thousand excesses, a thousand disorders, even in 
 broad daylight, being only too well authorized in 
 crime by the example of the pages and lackeys 
 whose habit it was to amuse themselves each night 
 by insulting the passers-by, abducting the girls, 
 mocking at the watch, beating the sergeants, break- 
 ing in the doors of shops, and annoying the peace 
 of the inhabitants in a multiplicity of ways, ex- 
 cesses against which parliament had in vain pro- 
 mulgated statutes, which were incessantly renewed, 
 and just as incessantly violated with impunity. 
 
 The stealing of purses, and even of cloaks, was 
 then a thing so common that the witnesses of the
 
 robbery contented themselves with laughing at the 
 expense of the victim, without ever running after 
 the thief. Murders were committed in broad day- 
 light on the squares and on the walks, the crimi- 
 nals insulting their victims as they departed. 
 
 There were two kinds of thieves, cutpurses 
 and tire-laines. The first nimbly cut the strings of 
 the purse, which it was then the habit to carry hung 
 at the belt ; the second, approaching from behind, 
 rudely tore the passer's cloak from his shoulders. 
 
 Vainly from time to time they executed some 
 of these criminals. These examples seemed to re- 
 double the audacity of the vagabonds, the insolence 
 of the pages and lackeys. Justice waxed feeble, 
 while custom allowed each one to execute it for 
 himself. Duels were nearly as common as robber- 
 ies ; it was considered a great honor to have the 
 power to boast of having sent many people into 
 the other world. Indubitably this was not the 
 golden age, nor the good old times so vaunted by 
 some poets, so regretted by those gloomy minds 
 which admire only hoops and farthingales. 
 
 We do not pretend to write history, but we have 
 thought it necessary to recall to the reader the 
 state of Paris at the time in which our barber lived. 
 Undoubtedly he has already divined, by the title 
 alone, that the story is not of our time ; for now 
 we have in Paris many artistes in hairdressing, 
 many coiffeurs, and many wigmakers, but we have 
 no longer any barbers.
 
 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The individual whose portrait we have just 
 drawn, having reached a corner of the Rue des 
 Bourdonnais, stopped before a pretty house on 
 which was written in big letters, "Touquet, Barber 
 and Bathkeeper." At that time the luxury of signs 
 was not known, and the streets of Paris did not 
 offer to the consideration of loiterers a character 
 from Greek or Roman history at the front of each 
 grocer's or haberdasher's shop. The portrait of 
 Mary Stuart did not invite one to go in and buy 
 an ell of calico ; nor did Absalom, hung by the 
 nape, indicate to one that he was passing a hair- 
 dresser's parlors. We have made great progress in 
 such matters. 
 
 The man who had stopped before the barber's 
 house would have had, no doubt, much trouble in 
 reading what was written on the front of the shop, 
 which was shut ; for the night was dark, and, as 
 we have already said, there were no street lamps to 
 aid those who ventured to be out in the evening 
 in the capital. However, he seized the knocker of 
 the smaller door, which served as an entrance, and 
 gave a double knock without hesitating, and as one 
 who was not afraid of making a mistake ; in fact, 
 it was the barber himself. In a few moments 
 heavy steps were heard, and a light shone against 
 the lattice-work above the door, which opened, and 
 an- old woman appeared, holding a candle in her 
 hand. She nodded, saying, 
 
 " Good God, my dear master ! you have had
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK $ 
 
 horrible weather. You must be very wet. I have 
 been praying to my patron saint that nothing 
 should happen to you. Oh, if one only had a se- 
 cret for preserving one's self from the rain ! I'm 
 very sure there are some people who can command 
 the elements." 
 
 The barber made no answer, but passed toward 
 a passage which led to a lower room in which there 
 was a big fire. On entering the apartment he be- 
 gan by removing his cloak and hat, from which 
 latter escaped a mass of black hair which fell in 
 ringlets on his collar ; he unfastened a large dag- 
 ger from his belt, it being then the custom not to 
 venture out without being armed. Touquet hung 
 the dagger over the mantelpiece, then threw him- 
 self into a wicker armchair and placed himself be- 
 fore the fire. 
 
 While her master rested, the old servant came 
 and went about the room ; she placed the table 
 beside the barber's armchair, drew from a buffet a 
 pewter cup, some plates, a cover. She placed on 
 the table tankards containing wine or brandy, and 
 some dishes of meat which she had prepared for 
 the supper. 
 
 " Has anyone been here during my absence ? " 
 said the barber, after a moment. 
 
 " Yes, monsieur ; first, some pages, to know the 
 news and adventures of the neighborhood, to talk 
 evil about everybody, and to mock at the poor 
 women who were weak enough to listen to them.
 
 6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Oh, the young men of today are wicked. How 
 they boasted of their conquests ! Some bachelors 
 came to be shaved, then the little dandy who's 
 delighted to wear powder, protesting that soon 
 everybody will wear it. Perhaps they'll powder 
 the hair likewise ; still, that may preserve it from 
 something worse. Ah, I forgot ; and that big, 
 noisy and insolent lout who, because he has a satin 
 doublet and a velvet mantle, a hat adorned with 
 a fine plume, and beautiful silver points, believes 
 that he has the right to play the master over 
 everything." 
 
 " Ah, you're speaking about Monbart ? " ^ 
 "Yes, of that same. He made a great shout- 
 ing when he found you were not here. He said 
 that since monsieur is rich he neglects his busi- 
 ness." 
 
 " Why should he meddle with it ? " 
 " That's just what I thought, monsieur. M. le 
 Chevalier Chaudoreille also came. He fought a 
 duel yesterday in the little Pre-aux-Clercs and 
 killed his adversary, and he had still another duel 
 for this evening. Blessed Holy Virgin ! that men 
 should kill each other like that, and often for some 
 mere trifle." 
 
 " Let them fight as much as they please ; it's 
 of little importance ; it's not my business. Did 
 anybody else come ? " 
 
 " Oh, the gentleman who is so droll that he 
 makes me laugh, and whom I have sometimes
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 7 
 
 seen play in the farces which everybody runs to 
 see at his theatre in the Hotel de Bourgogne, 
 M. Henry Legrand." 
 
 " Why don't you say Turlupin ? " 
 
 " Well, Turlupin, since that's the name they 
 give him at the theatre, and by which he's also 
 known in the city. He does not make one mel- 
 ancholy. He came with that other who plays 
 with him, and acts, they say, the old men, and 
 delivers the prologues which precede the pieces." 
 
 That's Gautier-Garguille ? " 
 
 " Yes, monsieur, that's his name. He wanted 
 to be shaved, bathed and have his hair dressed ; 
 but as you were not here, one of them played the 
 barber and shaved his comrade ; then the other 
 took the comb and soapball and rendered him 
 the same service. I wished at first to prevent 
 them, but they wouldn't listen to me ; if they 
 didn't make me sit in the shop and talk downright 
 nonsense about scent and soap. Some people who 
 in passing had recognized Turlupin and his com- 
 panion stopped before the shop ; presently the 
 crowd grew dense, and when they wanted to leave 
 they could not find a way through ; but you know 
 Turlupin is never embarrassed, and, having use- 
 lessly begged the curious to let them pass, he went 
 into the back shop and brought a bucketful of 
 water, which he emptied entirely upon the crowd. 
 Then you can imagine, monsieur, the excitement, 
 the shouts of everybody. Turlupin and Gautier-
 
 8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Garguille profited by the confusion to make their 
 escape." 
 
 " And Blanche," said the barber, who appeared 
 to listen impatiently to old Marguerite's story, 
 " I hope that she was not downstairs when these 
 merry-andrews attracted such a crowd about my 
 house." 
 
 " No, monsieur, no ; you know very well that 
 Mademoiselle Blanche seldom comes down to the 
 shop, and never when there is anybody there. 
 Today, as you were away, she did not leave her 
 room, as you had advised her." 
 
 " That's well ; that's very well," said the bar- 
 ber. 
 
 Then he drew near the fire, supporting one of 
 his elbows on the table, and appeared to fall again 
 into reflection without listening to the chatter of 
 his servant, which continued as if her master were 
 paying the greatest attention to her. 
 
 " Mademoiselle Blanche is a charming girl ; oh, 
 yes, she is a charming child, pretty, very pretty. 
 I defy all your court ladies to have more beautiful 
 eyes, or a fresher mouth, or whiter teeth; and 
 such beautiful hair, black as jet and falling below 
 her knees. And with all that, so sweet, so frank, 
 without the least idea of coquetry. Ah, she is can- 
 dor, innocence, itself. Of course, she's not yet six- 
 teen years old ; but there are many young girls at 
 that age who already listen to lovers. What a pity 
 if such a treasure as that should fall into the claws
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 9 
 
 of a demon ! But we shall save her from that. 
 Yes, yes ; I'm sure of it. I shall do all that's nec- 
 essary for that, for it's not enough to watch over 
 a young girl ; the devil is so malicious, and all 
 these bachelors, these students, these pages, are so 
 enterprising, without counting the young noble- 
 men, who make no scruple of abducting young 
 girls and women, and for all compensation give a 
 stroke of the sword, or cause to be whipped by 
 their lackeys those who complain of their treat- 
 ment. Good Saint Marguerite ! what a time we 
 live in ! One must allow one's self to be outraged, 
 offended, robbed even, yes, robbed, for if you 
 should have taken your man in the act, if you 
 demand justice, they will ask you if you yourself 
 were a witness to it. If you say no, they will dis- 
 miss the guilty person, and if you say yes, they 
 will first find out if you have the means of pay- 
 ing the expenses of the law, in which case you may 
 have the pleasure of seeing the thief flogged be- 
 fore your door, and that will cost you a heap. 
 But if it is someone with a title who has offended 
 you, it's necessary for you to be silent about it, 
 unless you wish to finish your days at the Bastile 
 or at the Chatelet." 
 
 Marguerite was silent for some minutes, await- 
 ing a response from her master. Receiving none, 
 she presumed that he tacitly approved of all she 
 was saying, and resumed her discourse. 
 
 " Finally, they pretend that it's always been
 
 io THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 thus. They hang the little ones, the bigger ones 
 save themselves, and the biggest mock at every- 
 one. One's ill advised to go to law now that the 
 advocates and the attorneys drag a lawsuit along 
 for five or six years, receiving money from all 
 hands, so as to maintain their wives and their 
 daughters in luxury, playing the Jew to ruin their 
 poor clients. As to the sergeants, they run all 
 over to find criminals ; but if they arrest some 
 thieves, they let them go very quickly, for fear 
 that the latter will give them some money. Poor 
 city ! Don't we hear a frightful noise every night ? 
 And still we're in the best neighborhood. And 
 that does not prevent them from committing van- 
 dalisms, robberies, murders. There are shouts, a 
 clash of arms ; what is the use of provosts, sheriffs, 
 sergeants, archers, if the police do so badly? It's 
 not the merchants I pity ; they'll give themselves 
 to the devil for a sou ; they sell their goods for 
 four times more than they cost; to draw custom- 
 ers, they allow every passer-by to go into their 
 shops, leaving them at leisure to chat with their 
 women, to take them by the chin, to talk soft 
 nonsense, to make love to their face, all that to 
 sell a collar, some rouge, a dozen of needles. It's 
 a shame to see everything that goes on amongst 
 us. If I go to market to get my provisions, I'm 
 surrounded by thieves who amuse themselves by 
 stealing from the buyers and the sellers ; they 
 rummage in the creels and baskets, then they sing
 
 i CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 11 
 
 -I 
 
 in my ears indecent and obscene songs. Good 
 Saint Marguerite ! where are we in all this ? The 
 scholars, more debauched than ever, insulting, pil- 
 laging, doing a thousand wickednesses ; the young 
 men of family who haunt the gambling-dens, the 
 drinking-houses, always armed with daggers or 
 swords. Ah, my dear master, Satan has taken 
 possession of our poor city and will make us his 
 prey." 
 
 Marguerite stopped anew and listened. The 
 barber still kept the deepest silence, but he was 
 not asleep. Several times he had passed his right 
 hand over his forehead and pushed back his curls. 
 For those who love to talk, it is much the same 
 whether they are listened to or believe themselves 
 to be listened to. The old servant was enjoying 
 herself; she did not often find so good an oppor- 
 tunity to talk, and she began again after a short 
 pause : - 
 
 "Thanks to Heaven, I am in a good house, 
 and I can say with pride that, during the eight 
 years that I have lived with monsieur, nothing 
 has passed contrary to decency and good manners. 
 I remember very well that when they said to me, 
 eight years ago, c Marguerite, M. Touquet, the 
 barber-bathkeeper of the Rue des Bourdonnais, is 
 looking for a servant for his house,' I considered 
 it twice. I beg your pardon, monsieur ; for bath- 
 keepers' houses and lodging-houses don't have a 
 very good reputation. But they said to me, * M.
 
 12 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Touquet is in easy circumstances now ; he doesn't 
 take lodgers ; he is contented to exercise his call- 
 ing in the morning, and for the rest he hardly 
 ever sees anybody at his house, where he is care- 
 fully educating a little girl whom he's adopted.' 
 My faith ! that decided me, and I've not had cause 
 to repent my decision. If there come in the morn- 
 ing to the shop a crowd of men of all profes- 
 sions, not one of them penetrates to the interior 
 of the house. Monsieur does his business honor- 
 ably, I am proud to say ; and that which I admire 
 above all is the interest which he bears for the 
 orphan he has taken under his care, for I believe 
 that monsieur has told me that she is an orphan. 
 Yes, monsieur has told me so. She surely merits 
 all that anyone can do for her, that dear Blanche ; 
 but I believe I have not told monsieur by what 
 means I preserve her from the snares that wait 
 for innocence. Oh, it's a secret, it's a marvellous 
 secret, which I shall confide to monsieur. The 
 neighbor opposite the silk merchant told me how 
 to make it ; it is a little skin of vellum, on which 
 some words are written; then one signs it, and 
 it becomes a talisman to prevent all misfortunes. 
 Queen Catherine de Medicis had a similar one 
 which she wore always ; the talisman which I have 
 given to Mademoiselle Blanche, very far from at- 
 tracting evil spirits, should make them fly from a 
 place and prevent the effect of all sorceries which 
 anyone could employ to triumph over her virtue.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 13 
 
 Dh, the precious talisman, monsieur ! Alas ! if 
 I had had one eight years ago ! But you don't 
 sup, monsieur ; haven't you any appetite ? " 
 
 Touquet rose abruptly and went to look at a 
 wooden timepiece which stood at the end of the 
 room. 
 
 "Nine o'clock," said the barber impatiently; 
 " nine o'clock, and he has not come." 
 
 "Why, are you waiting for someone, mon- 
 sieur ? " said the old servant in surprise. 
 
 "Yes; I'm waiting for a friend. Put another 
 drinking-cup on the table ; he will sup with me." 
 
 " I very much doubt whether he will come," 
 said Marguerite, while executing her master's or- 
 ders ; " it's late and the weather is frightful ; one 
 must be very bold to risk himself in the streets at 
 this hour." 
 
 At this moment somebody knocked violently 
 at the door of the passageway, and the barber, 
 smiling to himself, cried, 
 
 It is he 1"
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE GREAT NOBLEMAN AND THE BARBER 
 
 ON hearing the knock old Marguerite started 
 affrightedly and looked at her master, as she fal- 
 tered, 
 
 " Must we open the door at this time of night, 
 monsieur ? " 
 
 " Of course, haven't I told you already that I 
 was waiting for a friend ? " replied the barber, put- 
 ting some more wood on the fire, " go to the door 
 at once." 
 
 The old servant was very fearful ; she stood and 
 hesitated ; but a single look from her master de- 
 cided her ; she took a lamp and directed her steps 
 towards the corridor which opened into the pas- 
 sageway of the house. Marguerite was sixty-eight 
 years old ; work and the weight of years had long 
 since bent her body and deprived her limbs of 
 their natural agility ; she could only walk slowly, 
 and the high heels of her large slippers made a 
 uniform flapping noise which the poor old hand- 
 maid could not prevent and of which she was, 
 indeed, unconscious. 
 
 The good woman had shuffled as far as the mid- 
 dle of the passageway, when another knock, louder
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 15 
 
 than the first one, shook all the windows of the 
 house. 
 
 " Ah, mon Dieu ! " said Marguerite ; " he's in a 
 great hurry. Which of my master's friends would 
 allow himself to knock in that manner ? There 
 are some panes broken, I'm sure. Can it be Chau- 
 doreille ? Oh, no ; he only gives a very soft little 
 knock. Turlupin ? Of course not ; I should hear 
 him sing in the street. Besides, he's not my mas- 
 ter's friend. Ah, I'm very curious to know who 
 it can be." 
 
 Despite her curiosity Marguerite did not ad- 
 vance more quickly. However, she arrived at the 
 door, and, having mentally recommended herself 
 to her dear patron saint, she decided to open it. 
 
 A man wrapped in a large cloak which he held 
 against his face, his head covered with a hat orna- 
 mented on the edge with white feathers, and drawn 
 well down over his eyes, so that no one could see 
 them, appeared at the end of the passageway, and 
 asked in a loud voice if this was Barber Touquet's 
 house. 
 
 " Yes, monsieur," said Marguerite, trying, but 
 in vain, to discover the features of the person be- 
 fore her. " Yes, this is it ; and it's you, no doubt, 
 for whom my master's waiting." 
 
 "In that case conduct me to him," said the 
 stranger. 
 
 Marguerite closed the door and bade the un- 
 known follow her. While guiding him along the
 
 16 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 passageway and the long corridor which they had 
 to traverse, she turned often and held her lamp 
 to the stranger, under the pretence of lighting 
 him, but in fact to try to see something by which 
 she could recognize the person whom she had 
 introduced into the house. Her efforts were in 
 vain. The stranger walked with his head down, 
 holding his cloak against his face. Marguerite was 
 reduced to examining his boots, which were white, 
 #ith turned-over mushroom-shaped tops, and gar- 
 nished with spurs. This seemed to indicate a re- 
 fined dress; but many men then wore similar 
 ones, and this part of his dress could not help 
 Marguerite in her conjectures. They reached the 
 lower room, and the stranger entered with a light 
 step, while the servant said to her master, 
 
 " Here's the person who knocked. I do not 
 know if it is the friend you were waiting for ; I 
 was not able to see him." 
 
 The barber did not allow Marguerite time to 
 finish her phrase. He ran toward the stranger and 
 made him come to the fire, saying to him, 
 
 "Thou hast arrived at last, then. I feared that 
 the night, that the bad weather But place thy- 
 self here ; we will sup together." 
 
 " Good," said the servant to herself; " in order 
 for him to sup it will be necessary for him to re- 
 move his mantle, and I shall at last be able to see 
 his face. I don't know why, but I have the great- 
 est curiosity to know this man. If it is one of my
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 17 
 
 master's friends, it must be that he has come here 
 very rarely. I did not recognize his voice ; his 
 height is ordinary, rather tall than short ; he 
 should be young. Yes, he's not a scholar ; how- 
 ever, I bet he's a pretty fellow ; by his walk I 
 judge him to be a military man. We shall see if 
 I'm mistaken." 
 
 The old maid did not take her eyes from the 
 stranger, who had thrown himself on a chair, and 
 made no sign that he wished to relieve himself of 
 his cloak and hat, both of which were drenched 
 with rain. 
 
 " If monsieur desires it," said Marguerite, ap- 
 proaching the stranger's chair, " I will relieve him 
 of his cloak, which is all wet ; and I can dry it 
 while he is supping." 
 
 "It is unnecessary," said the barber, putting 
 himself precipitately between the old woman and 
 the stranger, who had not stirred ; " we have no 
 need of your services. Leave us, and go to rest ; 
 I will shut the street door myself when my friend 
 leaves." 
 
 Marguerite seemed petrified on receiving this 
 order. She looked at her master, and was about 
 to allow herself to indulge in some observations ; 
 but the barber fixed his eyes upon her, and Mas- 
 ter Touquet's eyes had at times an expression 
 which compelled obedience. 
 
 " Leave us," said he again to his servant ; " and 
 above all, do not come down again." 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 i8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Marguerite was silent. She took her lamp, 
 bowed to her master and turned to leave the room, 
 throwing a last glance on the man of the mantle, 
 who remained motionless before the fire and whose 
 features she could not see. She was obliged to go 
 to bed without being able to base her conjectures 
 on facts, without knowing if she had rightly di- 
 vined the age, the condition, the face of the un- 
 known. What a punishment for the old maid ! 
 But her master pointed with his finger to the door 
 of the room, and Marguerite went at once. 
 
 As soon as the old servant had departed, and 
 when the sound of her steps was no longer heard, 
 the stranger burst into a shout of laughter and 
 threw his hat and his cloak far from him. Then 
 one perceived a man of thirty-six years or there- 
 abouts ; his features were fine, noble and spirituel. 
 His brown mustache was lightly outlined above 
 his mouth, which in smiling disclosed very beau- 
 tiful teeth. His expressive eyes, in turn tender, 
 proud and passionate, denoted one who was in the 
 habit of expressing all his sentiments ; but the dis- 
 gust, the weariness, which were depicted also on 
 the pale and worn features of the stranger seemed 
 to indicate that, having once indulged his passion, 
 it was only with an effort that he could bring him- 
 self to experience it again. 
 
 His costume was rich and tasteful ; the color of 
 his doublet was a light blue ; silver and silk were 
 blended on the velvet which formed the founda-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 19 
 
 tion ; superb lace bordered the collar which fell 
 on his shoulders ; a large white belt surrounded 
 his figure, and a sword ornamented with precious 
 stones glittered at his side. 
 
 Since the departure of his servant the barber had 
 changed his tone toward the stranger. Respect, 
 humility, had replaced the familiarity which Tou- 
 quet had affected in Marguerite's presence. 
 
 "Deign to excuse me, monsieur le marquis," 
 said he, bowing profoundly to his guest, " if I per- 
 mitted myself to be too familiar, with my thee-ing 
 and thou-ing ; but it was only according to your 
 orders, the better to deceive my servant and pre- 
 vent her from having any suspicions as to your 
 rank." 
 
 " That's all right, my dear Touquet," said the 
 marquis, displaying himself before the fire ; " I 
 assure you I had the greatest trouble to maintain 
 my gravity before the poor woman, who did not 
 know by what ruse she could see my face, which 
 would not have been a very great matter, for it 
 is hardly presumable that she would have known 
 me." 
 
 " No, monseigneur, she does not know you ; I 
 think so at least, for M. le Marquis de Villebelle 
 has made so much talk about himself with his gal- 
 lantry, his conquests, his feats of arms. His name 
 has become so famous, his adventures have made 
 so much noise, that the lowest classes of society 
 know him, the bugbear of fathers, of tutors, of
 
 20 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 husbands, of lovers even ; for monseigneur knows 
 no rival. Your name is spoken with terror by all 
 the men, and makes all the women sigh, some with 
 hope and the others in remembrance ; besides, as 
 monsieur le marquis sought pleasure wherever he 
 found beauty, since he sometimes stooped to the 
 humble middle classes, and has deigned to honor 
 with his regards some pretty shop girl or simple 
 villager, it would not be impossible that my old 
 Marguerite might have served with some house 
 where monsieur le marquis had left souvenirs. It 
 was, therefore, much better that she should not see 
 monseigneur when he came to my house incog- 
 nito." 
 
 " Yes, certainly ; I wish to remain unknown ; it 
 is necessary now that I should put more mystery 
 into my love affairs. Be seated, Touquet ; I have 
 many things to tell you." 
 
 " Monseigneur " 
 
 " Be seated ; I wish it. Here I lay aside my 
 rank and my grandeur ; in you I see the first con- 
 fidant of my loves, the clever servant of my pas- 
 sions, the audacious rascal for whom gold excited 
 the imagination, and who knew no obstacle when 
 a purse filled with pistoles was the recompense of 
 his services. You are still the same, I am certain." 
 
 " Ah, monsieur, age makes us more reasonable. 
 Seventeen years have passed since I had the honor 
 of serving you for the first time ; but since that time 
 my head is steadier ; I have learned to reflect."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 21 
 
 " Do you wish to become an honest man ? But 
 it is not more than ten years ago that you were 
 serving me ; you were still a knave then. Does 
 your conversion date from that epoch ? " 
 
 " Monsieur le marquis is incessantly joking. He 
 calls those services knaveries which I rendered to 
 him because I was so strongly attached to him." 
 
 " Call it what you will, it matters little to me. 
 It's not necessary with me, Master Touquet, to 
 play the hypocrite, and man of scruples. In fact, 
 are you disposed to be useful to me? Is your 
 genius extinguished, and will gold no longer re- 
 suscitate it ? " 
 
 " To serve you, monsieur le marquis, I shall be 
 always the same ; you need not doubt my zeal or 
 my devotion." 
 
 " All in good time. That is all that I ask of 
 you ; be a saint with other people if that pleases 
 you, but see that I always find you the same to me 
 as you were formerly." 
 
 Touquet did not answer, but he turned his head 
 and his features seemed to grow sad. However, 
 he soon recovered himself and turned smilingly 
 toward his guest, who was tapping the wall of the 
 chimney with his feet, and who remained for some 
 time silent, as if he had forgotten that he was still 
 at the barber's. The latter waited with impatience 
 for the marquis to resume his discourse. At the 
 end of five minutes the noble seigneur broke the 
 silence.
 
 22 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " My dear Touquet, when I recall the events of 
 my life to my memory, I am truly astonished that 
 I am still in the world. Why, during all this time, 
 has not the dagger of a jealous husband or father 
 fallen upon my head ? How many men have sworn 
 to ruin me ! And the women, if all those I have 
 betrayed had executed their projects of vengeance! 
 Thanks to Heaven, we are not in Italy or in Spain; 
 and, while we have among the French some vin- 
 dictive spirits, who hold rancor toward one who 
 has betrayed them, the total is small. Inconstancy 
 is not an unforgivable crime among these ladies, 
 who deign sometimes to put themselves in our 
 places and say they would not have done differ- 
 ently to us." 
 
 " Certainly, monseigneur, your life, at least since 
 I have had the honor to be attached to you, has 
 been a continued series of very spicy adventures, 
 and some very dangerous ones. Abductions, se- 
 ductions, duels, attacks with force, made openly, 
 nothing stopped you when you had resolved 
 upon anything. Could you find any obstacles? 
 Rich, noble, generous, fortune and nature have 
 done everything for you, monsieur le marquis. 
 You have profited by it ; you have enjoyed life ; 
 many men have envied you your good fortune." 
 
 " My good fortune ! Do you truly imagine that 
 I have been happy ? " 
 
 " And what should have prevented your being 
 so, monseigneur ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 23 
 
 " Nothing ; and that is perhaps why weariness 
 and disgust have often attacked me in the midst of 
 the pleasures, the voluptuousness, I have tasted. 
 Sometimes, without doubt, I have felt happiness, 
 but it has been so short and has fled so rapidly. 
 The appearance of beauty has inflamed my senses 
 and made my heart palpitate. The charming sex, 
 which I idolize, has always exercised an absolute 
 empire over me. At the sight of a pretty woman 
 I love, or at least believe I love ; but no sooner 
 are my desires satisfied than my love expires, and 
 I am obliged to seek a new object to reanimate 
 my benumbed senses.'* 
 
 " Happily, this capital contains any quantity of 
 pretty faces ; the city and the court afford you 
 sufficient to vary your pleasures." 
 
 " Sentiment and memory are alike exhausted. 
 I fear that, having once had force to take fire, my 
 poor heart has become like those imperfect gun 
 flints on which the hammer strikes without effect. 
 I am tired of the intrigues of the court, which are 
 even easier than the others. Where do you think 
 I could find something more spicy ? There every- 
 thing is done with etiquette, and everyone is so 
 polished. We know life too well to get angry at 
 the least infidelity ; one leaves or one takes with 
 the most profound obeisances, and this wearies one 
 to death ; courtiers have nothing new to offer one. 
 What should I accomplish in Marion de Lorme's 
 circle ? I should see always the same faces. When
 
 * 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the Cardinal had made her fashionable, I didn't 
 find the woman so witty that one would wish to 
 have anything to do with her. How different 
 with this young and beautiful Ninon ! People will 
 long speak of her; her name will go down the 
 centuries. But she has too much wit and too little 
 love, for me. My heart, cold before its time, needs 
 to come in contact with a passionate heart in order 
 to rewarm itself. In the city one does not fare 
 much better with the women. The little bour- 
 geoises have become coquettes. Still, if they only 
 knew how to be cruel ; but a name, a figure, a rich 
 cloak, seems to turn their heads. The merchants 
 know how to rob us, and the grisettes entice us ; 
 and in the midst of all that the husbands are so 
 kind, so complacent ; they fear us as they would 
 fire ; our titles render them mute ; of honor they 
 are hopeless. If this continues, it will be neces- 
 sary to make love a la turque ; we should only 
 have then to throw the handkerchief." 
 
 "Then, monsieur le marquis, one always has 
 the resource of wisdom ; and, since I have not had 
 the honor of serving you for ten years, without 
 doubt you have acquired that." 
 
 " My faith, yes ; for it's not necessary to speak 
 of common adventures, which are not worth the 
 trouble of reciting. I have been in the army ; I 
 have been in battle ; that afforded me much pleas- 
 ure, and I would willingly have stayed there much 
 longer ; but peace is made, I have returned, I have
 
 visited my lands, and have laughed with some lit- 
 tle peasants who were sufficiently pleasing, but so 
 awkward, so simple. By the way, I forgot to tell 
 you ; I married." 
 
 " Married ! What, monseigneur ! you ? " 
 " Undoubtedly ; my marriage was very neces- 
 sary ; my rank, my place at the court and then 
 I was overloaded with debt. That didn't make 
 me uneasy ; but they had arranged this marriage ; 
 the Cardinal, the Queen herself, desired it. I mar- 
 ried the daughter of the Count of Laroche. My 
 wife was very good, of very sweet character ; she 
 didn't trouble herself about my intrigues ; she had 
 what was necessary to me. I loved her very 
 honestly, as one can love his wife ; but she died 
 two years ago and left me no heir, which is in- 
 tensely disagreeable. I had an idea that I should 
 love children very much." 
 
 " Then you are a widower, monsieur ? " 
 " Yes ; and I find myself the possessor of a con- 
 siderable fortune, very well considered at court, in 
 favor with the Cardinal, and even able to obtain, 
 should I desire it, the most important employ- 
 ment." 
 
 " I conceive, then, that monsieur le marquis 
 wishes more secrecy in his love affairs." 
 
 "Ah, my poor Touquet, I don't believe that 
 ambition will ever have much charm for me, but 
 nobody knows ; and there are some convenances 
 at the court which one must not break ; besides,
 
 26 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 secrecy lends a charm to the most simple act. But 
 why have you not enrolled yourself under Hy- 
 men's flag ? I find that you are more thoughtful, 
 less cheerful, less lively, than formerly." 
 
 " No, monsieur le marquis ; I am still a bach- 
 elor." 
 
 " Oh, well, I believe you are better so. In your 
 position a wife would restrain you, you who are 
 so clever, so discreet, in conducting an intrigue. 
 Women are so curious ; she would want to know 
 everything, which would be troublesome for you. 
 Besides, you have never been very gallant ; you 
 care for nothing but gold. It is your god, your 
 idol ; a well-filled purse makes you inventive, ca- 
 pable of working marvels. It's true that you play 
 with it a quarter of an hour afterwards and at dice 
 or cards soon increase the fruit of the efforts of 
 your genius." 
 
 " Ah, monseigneur ! " 
 
 " Yes, you are as big a gambler as you are a 
 knave ; I remember it very well. Perhaps in ten 
 years you have become wiser; I almost believe 
 so, for you appear in very easy circumstances, and 
 this house does not indicate poverty ; this servant, 
 this supper served for you The deuce ! I must 
 taste your wine." 
 
 "Ah, monseigneur, it is not worth offering to 
 you." 
 
 " I always like best that which is not offered to 
 me."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 27 
 
 While he was saying these words the marquis 
 filled one of the cups with wine and swallowed it 
 at a draught. 
 
 " Really, it's not so very bad." 
 
 "Ah, monseigneur, if it were on your table " 
 
 "Then I should find it detestable; but what 
 will you have ? Variety is the spice of life. And 
 you have become rich, then ? " 
 
 " No, not rich, but well enough off to buy this 
 house." 
 
 " What ! the house belongs to you ? " 
 
 " Yes, monsieur le marquis." 
 
 " Deuce take it, Master Touquet, it must be 
 that you have made some big hauls in order to 
 become a proprietor." 
 
 The barber's face contracted ; his black eye- 
 brows frowned and almost met ; he slowly rolled 
 his eyes around him, and murmured with an ef- 
 fort, 
 
 " Monsieur le marquis, I swear to you " 
 
 " O mon Dieu ! I do not ask you to swear, 
 my poor Touquet," said the marquis, laughing. 
 " You are as uneasy as if you had become a lieu- 
 tenant in crime. Do you think that I came here 
 to inquire as to the manner in which you made 
 your fortune ? But by all the devils, I do not be- 
 lieve that you earned this house in your barber 
 shop." 
 
 " Monseigneur, I assure you that my econo- 
 mies "
 
 28 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Yes, that's all very well ; let's leave all that 
 and speak of the subject which brought me here, 
 for, of course, I came to you for something, and 
 I'll be damned if I remember what it was." 
 
 The barber appeared to breathe more freely ; 
 his face assumed its habitual expression, and he 
 raised his eyes to the marquis, who seemed to 
 throw aside his insolence to explain the motive of 
 his nocturnal visit. 
 
 " When I saw you this morning on the Pont- 
 Neuf, I was following a young girl, a pretty little 
 puss ; without being a perfect beauty, she was 
 graceful and interesting in appearance, with spar- 
 kling and very intelligent eyes. I do not believe 
 that we should have much trouble in making a 
 conquest of her. However, she walked faster, and 
 would not answer any of my compliments. I care- 
 fully wrapped myself in my cloak, not wishing 
 to be recognized by our amiable profligates, who 
 would have made sport of me for running after 
 a grisette. The little girl stopped to listen for a 
 moment to Tabarin's songs, and it was while she 
 was before the quack that I saw you and recog- 
 nized you immediately ; you have one of those 
 faces that nobody forgets." 
 
 " I had also recognized you, monseigneur, in 
 spite of the cloak in which you were enveloped ; 
 for ten years have not changed your features, mon- 
 sieur le marquis, and one could not easily mistake 
 that noble figure which captivates all the belles."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 29 
 
 " You flatter me, rascal ; which means that I 
 have aged. But let's go on. As soon as you had 
 given me your address, I returned to the side of 
 the little one." 
 
 " If monsieur le marquis had explained to me 
 this morning what he was after, I would have 
 spared him the trouble of following this young 
 girl." 
 
 " No, I had a good opportunity of examining 
 her further; besides, I had nothing else to do. She 
 took the road to the city, which she entered by 
 the Rue de la Calandre, I still talking to her ; she 
 only smiled, without answering me, but her look 
 was not severe. At last she stopped before a per- 
 fumer's shop ; I wished to go in with her, but she 
 opposed me, saying in a very singular tone, 'Mon- 
 sieur le Marquis de Villebelle is too well known 
 for him to go into this shop with me; I should 
 lose my reputation, and I beg monsieur le mar- 
 quis not to compromise me.' Well now, my dear, 
 Touquet, can you imagine this grisette who pre- 
 tends that I should cause her to lose her reputa- 
 tion? As for me, I confess that I was so much 
 surprised by finding myself known to the young 
 girl and hearing her speak thus, that I remained 
 like a fool in the middle of the street ; meanwhile 
 my beautiful conquest had entered, and disap- 
 peared by the back of the shop." 
 
 " As I told you, monseigneur, you are known 
 in all classes of society ; even a young girl of
 
 30 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 twelve years is as much afraid of you as she would 
 be of Count Ory of gallant memory." 
 
 " Better and better ! Women are always curi- 
 ous to know these men who have been pictured to 
 them as so dangerous. Poor parents ! When they 
 tell them to fly from me, it makes them run after 
 me. Here, Touquet ; here's some gold. You will 
 see this young girl, then ; since she knows who I 
 am, you cannot easily promise her that I will be 
 faithful. No matter; promise her anyhow. In 
 three days let me find her at my little house in 
 the Faubourg Saint- Antoine ; you know it." 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur ; I remember it ; it is the 
 one that you formerly possessed." 
 
 " Yes ; but I have made it a delightful retreat. 
 You shall see it ; pictures, mirrors, marble, ala- 
 baster, are there mingled with silk, velvet and the 
 most precious stuffs. I have spent more than fifty 
 thousand francs upon it. Oh, it is divine ! I have 
 had some charming suppers there with Montglas, 
 Chavagnac, Villempre, Monteille, and some other 
 profligates of the court." 
 
 " Was it not there, monsieur le marquis, that I 
 led that young girl whose abduction made such 
 an uproar ? That was, I believe, our first affair of 
 this kind ; you were then a little more than nine- 
 teen years of age ; and the little girl " 
 
 " Why the devil do you recall that ? " said the 
 marquis, making an angry movement, and press- 
 ing in his hand the purse he was about to take
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 31 
 
 from his belt, and on which the barber had already 
 laid avaricious eyes. 
 
 " Pardon, monsieur le marquis," said Touquet ; 
 "but I did not think I should displease you in 
 recalling the adventure which commenced your 
 reputation. The young person was beautiful and 
 good, and the father, one of King Henry's old 
 archers, did not understand joking. His arquebus 
 was aimed at you, the ball went through your hat ; 
 but your sword stopped the old man, and he fell 
 at your feet, while I bore off in my arms his in- 
 sensible daughter." 
 
 " Be silent, wretch," cried the marquis, sud- 
 denly rising, and looking angrily at the barber, 
 who received his glances with perfect indifference. 
 
 The conversation was again interrupted ; the 
 marquis walked rapidly up and down the room, 
 and appeared buried in his reflections ; soon, how- 
 ever, broken words escaped him, but they were 
 not addressed to Touquet. The marquis seemed 
 violently agitated as he said in a low voice, 
 
 " Poor Estrelle ! what has become of you ? She 
 loved me she believed me to be a simple stu- 
 dent. I loved her also ; yes, never since that time 
 have I experienced a feeling which I can compare 
 with the love with which she inspired me. I was 
 young ah, Heaven is my witness that I did not 
 wish to fight with her father. Thanks to Heaven, 
 his wound was very trifling and was soon cured ; 
 but Estrelle, when she learned my name and that
 
 32 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 event, cursed me. Yes, I believe I can hear her 
 still. Then she escaped from that house where I 
 had hidden her. I love her still. Since that time 
 I have never heard of her ; and you, Touquet, 
 have you never met her since ? " 
 
 " Never, monseigneur ; I have neither seen her 
 nor heard her speak." 
 
 " Poor Estrelle ! " said the marquis after a mo- 
 ment ; and the barber added in a low tone, 
 
 " She would now be thirty-four years of age, or 
 very near that." 
 
 This remark appeared to lessen somewhat the 
 marquis* regret. 
 
 " In fact," said he, again approaching the fire, 
 " she would be nearly that age if she were living, 
 and would not appear the same to me as the one 
 I formerly knew. How time passes ! Come, let's 
 forget all that ; after all, it is much the same as any 
 other adventure, a chapter in the history of my 
 life." 
 
 " And did the marquis say that the young girl 
 lived in the Rue de la Calandre in the city ? " 
 
 " The young girl ? What young girl ? " 
 
 " The one monseigneur followed this morning." 
 
 " Yes, to be sure ; I had forgotten. You will 
 easily recognize her : her figure unconstrained, her 
 walk brisk ; twenty years or thereabouts, I pre- 
 sume ; nut-brown hair, black eyes, beautiful teeth, 
 her skin a little brown. I do not think she's 
 French. Something lively in her countenance;
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 33 
 
 nothing that indicates timidity or simplicity. This 
 is all the information which I can give you." 
 
 " It is sufficient, monseigneur ; in two days I 
 hope that the young person will be at your little 
 house." 
 
 " That's very good. Wait ; this is for your 
 expenses, and I promise you as much more if you 
 are successful." 
 
 While saying these words the marquis threw on 
 the table the purse filled with gold, which he still 
 held in his hand, and a smile escaped the lips of 
 the barber. His guest resumed his cloak and re- 
 placed his hat on his "head. 
 
 " It is late," said the marquis, wrapping himself 
 in his mantle, "and I must go home. The day 
 after tomorrow, toward ten o'clock, I will return 
 to learn the result of your proceedings." 
 
 " Shall I find anybody at your little house ? " 
 
 " Yes, Marcel, one of my people, a devoted ser- 
 vant who lives there constantly. I will warn him." 
 
 " That is enough, monseigneur, and I hope that 
 you will be pleased with me on this occasion." 
 
 " I leave it all to your zeal ; in fact, the little one 
 is very pleasing, and ought to amuse me for some 
 time. Come, my dear Touquet, let us follow our 
 destiny. Gallantry, voluptuousness, pleasure, 
 that is my life; that is the road which I follow 
 where my passions lead me. I should not know 
 how to follow any other walk now ; like a blind 
 man who trusts in Providence, I do not know if 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 34 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 this road will lead me to happiness ; but I cannot 
 turn aside from it." 
 
 The marquis turned his steps toward the door, 
 and Touquet proposed to his distinguished guest 
 that he should guide him to his dwelling. 
 
 "Thank you," said the marquis, "it is unne- 
 cessary ; I have my sword, and I fear nothing." 
 
 While uttering these words the marquis had 
 plunged into the street and disappeared from the 
 barber's sight. The latter closed the door and re- 
 turned to the little room. Arrived there, he has- 
 tened to take the purse which lay on the table ; he 
 counted the pieces which it contained, nor could 
 he raise his eyes from the sight of the gold. But 
 soon a dull, melancholy sound was heard ; it was 
 Saint-Eustache's dock striking two. The barber 
 turned pale ; his hair seemed to stand up on his 
 head ; he threw about him gloomy glances, as if he 
 feared to perceive some frightful object; then he 
 placed the purse in his bosom, took a lamp and 
 went toward the door at the end of the room, mur- 
 muring in a sad voice, 
 
 " Two o'clock ! Let's go to bed. Ah, if I could 
 only sleep 1 "
 
 CHAPTER III 
 BLANCHE. A HISTORY OF SORCERERS 
 
 THE welcome day had succeeded to the long 
 and rainy night ; the merchants had opened their 
 shops, the watchmen were taking their much- 
 needed rest after their fatiguing nocturnal dudes, 
 while the more hardy robbers of the darkness had 
 given place to the sneaking pickpockets and 
 thieves who exercised their calling in broad day- 
 light in the most populous quarters. The servant 
 maids were up and about, briskly performing 
 their morning tasks; husbands left the nuptial 
 couch, for then it was usual for one to sleep with 
 his wife, at least among middle-class people, to 
 betake themselves to their daily avocations ; wives 
 and mothers were attending to the needs of their 
 households and their children ; lovers who had 
 dreamt of their sweethearts went to endeavor to 
 realize some of their dreams ; and the young girls 
 who always thought of their sweethearts whether 
 they were sleeping or waking, went, thinking of 
 them still, to their daily work. In that time, as 
 in this, love was the dream of youth, the distrac- 
 tion of the middle-aged, and the memory of the 
 old.
 
 36 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The barber was always the first to rise in the 
 house. He had no servants, although his means 
 would well have allowed it; but when anyone 
 asked him why he did not take a boy to help him 
 and to watch in the shop, Touquet answered, 
 
 " I do not need anyone ; I can conduct my busi- 
 ness alone, and I'm not fond of feeding idlers who 
 are good for nothing but to spy on their master's 
 actions and go and talk about them in the neigh- 
 borhood." 
 
 The barber knew that Marguerite, though a 
 little curious and somewhat of a gossip, was inca- 
 pable of disobeying him in anything; she went 
 out to buy the necessary provisions for the house, 
 then she went upstairs again to the young girl of 
 whom we have heard her speak, and with whom 
 we shall soon have a better acquaintance. Mar- 
 guerite went down only when her master was ab- 
 sent, which was rarely. Finally, the barber could 
 not dispense with a maid since he had taken the 
 little Blanche to grow up under his roof. 
 
 Touquet himself opened his shop ; he looked 
 up and down the street, but it was yet too early 
 for customers to come. The barber was dreamy, 
 preoccupied ; he was thinking of the commission 
 which had been given him by the marquis ; then 
 he returned indoors, saying, 
 
 " Chaudoreille is late this morning; however, 
 it's his day to be shaved." 
 
 Marguerite appeared at the entrance to the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 37 
 
 room ; and, after looking about her on all sides, 
 perhaps to assure herself that the stranger of the 
 night before was not still the*e, she greeted her 
 master respectfully, and said to him, 
 
 " Monsieur, Mademoiselle Blanche is up and 
 wishes to know if she may come and say good- 
 morning to you." 
 
 The barber still threw a glance into the street ; 
 then he passed into his back shop, saying to his 
 servant, 
 
 " Blanche may come." 
 
 Marguerite had hardly made a sign to someone 
 in the passage when a young girl, light as a deer 
 and fresh as a rose, sprang into the little room 
 where Touquet was waiting, and ran toward him 
 with the most lovely smile, saying to him, 
 
 " Good-morning, my good friend ! " 
 
 Then she offered Touquet her candid forehead, 
 and the barber approached her and brushed it 
 lightly with his lips. One would have said that a 
 painful feeling restrained him, and that he feared 
 to wither that tender flower. 
 
 Marguerite's portrait had not flattered Blanche. 
 The young girl was as pretty as she appeared in- 
 nocent and ingenuous. Her dark hair, smoothed 
 in bands on her forehead, fell in ringlets on her 
 right shoulder. Powder, which the court ladies 
 had then begun to use, had not spoiled Blanche's 
 beautiful tresses. Her skin accorded perfectly 
 with her name. Her mouth was fresh and tender;
 
 38 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 and her blue eyes, shaded by long lashes, had an 
 innocent and sweet expression, as rare then as now. 
 
 What a pity that her pretty body should be 
 imprisoned in a long corset, the bones of which 
 seemed forcibly to compress its charms ! But it 
 was then the fashion. Today we have better taste ; 
 we wish that the figure should be in its place ; we 
 wish, above all, to be able to embrace it without 
 being hindered by farthingales, basquines, paniers 
 or hoops. Happily, the ladies are of our opinion, 
 and everybody gains thereby. 
 
 Despite her long figure, straight corset, frilled 
 sleeves, and her high-heeled shoes, Blanche was 
 no less pretty. Beauty adorns everything that it 
 wears, and innocence lends a more bewitching and 
 genuine charm to beauty. Blanche had, then, 
 every quality which could please. However, the 
 barber did not appear to remark the attractions of 
 the young girl ; one would have said that he feared 
 to look at her, as he had feared to touch his lips 
 to her forehead. 
 
 " Did you have a good night ? " asked Blanche 
 of him. 
 
 " Very good, I thank you." 
 
 " Marguerite was afraid that you went to bed 
 very late because you had one of your friends to 
 supper with you." 
 
 " I don't know why Marguerite should make 
 such a remark, nor what necessity there was that 
 she should tell you I had anyone here last night."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 39 
 
 While uttering these words Touquet looked 
 severely at Marguerite, who dusted and wiped the 
 furniture without daring to look at her master. 
 
 "But, my dear," answered Blanche, "is there 
 anything bad in one's supping with one of his 
 friends ? " 
 
 " Undoubtedly not." 
 
 "What harm, then, has Marguerite done in 
 telling me that ? " 
 
 " A servant should not incessantly tell tales 
 about everything her master does. It should be 
 very indifferent to you, Blanche, whether anyone 
 conies to see me in the evening or not." 
 
 " Oh, mercy, yes, since you won't let me come 
 down, though that would amuse me much better 
 than staying in my room." 
 
 " A young girl should not talk to everybody, 
 and many people come here of whom I know very 
 little." 
 
 " Yes, in the morning ; but in the evening you 
 only receive your friends." 
 
 " I receive very few visitors in the evening ex- 
 cept Chaudoreille, whom you know." 
 
 " Oh, yes ; and he makes me laugh every time 
 I see him, for he will give me lessons in music, 
 and I believe at the present time I know much 
 more about it than he does. You will never let 
 me leave my room." 
 
 " Blanche, isn't it apparent to you that that is 
 not convenient ? "
 
 40 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " But when you are alone I should like much 
 better to keep you company and chat to you, than 
 to listen to Marguerite's stories, which often make 
 me very timorous and prevent me from going to 
 sleep." 
 
 " You know that I'm not very chatty ; after a 
 day's work I'm tired and I like to rest." 
 
 "And Marguerite said that you didn't go to 
 bed until very late, that you kept the light burn- 
 ing a long time, and that she doesn't know if you 
 sleep one hour every night." 
 
 The old servant coughed, but unsuccessfully, to 
 make Blanche stop talking; but the latter, not 
 thinking that she had done anything wrong in re- 
 peating all that, paid no attention to her and con- 
 tinued to speak. Marguerite, in order to avoid 
 her master's look, wiped and dusted with new 
 ardor ; but this time the voice of the barber made 
 itself heard, and it was she whom he addressed. 
 
 " Marguerite, I said to you when you came 
 into my house that I detested curious, indiscreet 
 people, servants who spy on their master. Do 
 you remember it ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes, monsieur," said the old servant, con- 
 tinuing to rub the top of the table. 
 
 " How do you know, then, whether I sleep late, 
 whether I keep the light burning a long time, 
 whether I am awake at night ? you who should 
 be in your room at nine o'clock every evening and 
 go to bed immediately."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 41 
 
 cc Monsieur, I beg your pardon ; but at times, 
 when the wind blows or the thunder growls, it's 
 impossible for me to sleep ; then, monsieur, I get 
 up to pray to my patron saint, or cross my shovel 
 and tongs, or to place a branch of boxwood on 
 my bed. You know boxwood conjures the storm ; 
 and if they had taken some of it formerly to the 
 Arsenal, on the Billi Tower, it would not have 
 been entirely destroyed by lightning in the year 
 1537 or '38 I don't know which exactly." 
 
 " Hang it ! leave your boxwood and the Billi 
 Tower alone ; answer the question I asked you." 
 
 " That's what I'm doing, monsieur ; it's always 
 the wind or the storm which makes me wakeful, 
 and as my window faces yours (when I say faces, 
 it's a story above), then I see your light some- 
 times, and it seems to me that monsieur is walk- 
 ing about in his room. I'm not very certain of 
 it, for there are curtains, and the shade deceives 
 one sometimes." 
 
 "As I wish to prevent you from having the 
 trouble of making sure that I am asleep, this 
 evening you will change your room, and you will 
 sleep in that which is above my apartments." 
 
 " What, monsieur ! in that room where nobody 
 ever goes ? I do not believe that it has been in- 
 habited since I came here, and I fear " 
 
 " That's enough ; see that you obey ; and take 
 care not to spy again on my actions, or I shall be 
 forced to send you away from the house."
 
 42 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Mercy ! how ashamed I am at having made 
 you scold Marguerite ! " said Blanche, again ap- 
 proaching the barber. "If she said that, my friend, 
 it was because of the interest she takes in your 
 health. You know well that she is very much at- 
 tached to you ; but since it makes you angry, I 
 promise you it shall not occur again. Come, 
 that's the last of it ; you won't say any more to 
 her about it will you ? " 
 
 Blanche's voice was so sweet, so touching, that 
 Touquet lost his air of severity and very nearly 
 smiled as he answered, 
 
 " Yes, that's the last of it ; let us there leave it. 
 As to you, Blanche, continue to be good, docile." 
 
 " And you will let me go out a little will you 
 not ? You will allow me to go to walk in the Pre- 
 aux-Clercs or on the Place Royale ? " 
 
 " We shall see ; we shall see a little later. To 
 amuse yourself, vary your employments." 
 
 " That's what I do, my dear ; I often leave my 
 needle to spin some thread ; or, better still, I take 
 my tapestry work. Oh, you shall see; I'm mak- 
 ing something very pretty." 
 
 " I know your talent your taste. You have 
 a sitar ; you can amuse yourself by playing on it. 
 Chaudoreille has given you some lessons." 
 
 " Yes ; now I can play as well as he can, for I 
 believe he's not very practised on it, although he 
 says he's a great musician. But all that hardly ever 
 amuses me ; I should like much better to sit at
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 43 
 
 the window which looks on the street, but you 
 won't let me open it.'' 
 
 " No, Blanche ; too many people are passing in 
 this neighborhood ; you would be seen, ogled, in- 
 sulted, by the bachelors, the pages, who take pleas- 
 ure in annoying people." 
 
 " Well, I won't open my window. However, 
 if you were willing I could put a mask on my face ; 
 then they could not see me." 
 
 " They would notice you none the less ; be- 
 sides, Blanche, only the court ladies are permitted 
 to wear masks. I repeat to you, avoid the glances 
 of these impertinent louts who run the streets, og- 
 ling at all the windows. You are not yet sixteen 
 years old. In some years I shall leave Paris ; I 
 shall sell this house, and I shall retire into the 
 country ; there you can enjoy more liberty, and 
 there you will taste pleasures which are worth more 
 than any this city could offer you. But someone 
 is coming into the shop ; go, Blanche, upstairs to 
 your room." 
 
 The young girl kissed the barber and quickly 
 regained the passage, from which a staircase led to 
 her chamber. She sighed lightly as she entered it, 
 and said to herself, while glancing around her, 
 
 " Always here ! Always to see the same things ! 
 No one to speak to except Marguerite ! She is 
 very good, she loves me very much ; but. some- 
 times her stories are very wearisome to me. Well, 
 then, if I must " and Blanche took up a piece
 
 44 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 of tapestry which she was making and sang, while 
 working, one of the three airs which her music 
 master had taught her. Soon the door of the room 
 opened ; Marguerite had followed the young girl, 
 but did not arrive as soon as she, because her legs 
 had not the vivacity of sixteen years. The old 
 nurse pouted, for Blanche was the cause of her 
 having to change her room, which was no small 
 matter to Marguerite. Blanche perceived it ; she 
 ran in front of the old woman, made her sit down, 
 and took her hands, while saying to her with a 
 calming smile, 
 
 " Are you vexed with me, nurse ? You must 
 have seen that I said all that without thinking 
 that there was anything wrong in it." 
 
 Who could resist Blanche's smile? The old 
 woman was much more sensitive to such sweet 
 manners because people rarely used them with 
 her ; and that is why sometimes an old man loses 
 his reason when a pretty girl casts a tender glance 
 at him, because for a long time he has not been 
 in the habit of receiving such glances. 
 
 " Who could remain angry with you ? " said 
 Marguerite, pressing Blanche's hand ; " but for all 
 that, it's very disagreeable to change rooms to 
 move at my age." 
 
 " I will help you, dear nurse ; I will carry every- 
 thing." 
 
 " Oh, it's not that ; it's on the same landing ; 
 it's not far to carry things. But the room I've
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 45 
 
 lived in for eight years, ever since I came here, 
 was, thanks to my prayers and precautions, pro- 
 tected from the visits of all evil spirits. There I 
 could defy all attempts of sorcerers and magicians ; 
 and all that I did there I shall have to do over 
 again in the new room where I am to sleep." 
 
 " Do you believe, then, Marguerite, that sor- 
 cerers will come to visit you if you don't take all 
 your precautions ? " 
 
 " And why not, mademoiselle ? Don't those 
 people get in wherever they can penetrate ? There 
 are a great number of them in Paris. They carry 
 away the corpses off the gibbets of Montfaucon ; 
 they commit a thousand horrors to make their sor- 
 ceries successful. It is now nearly fifty years ago 
 (it was my mother who told me that story) that a 
 lackey, ruined by play, sold himself to the devil 
 for ten crowns. The demon transformed himself 
 into a serpent and took possession of the lackey, 
 introducing himself into the latter's body by the 
 mouth ; and from that time on the unlucky man 
 made horrible grimaces, because the devil was in 
 his body. Some years later a watchman was car- 
 ried off by a sorcerer." 
 
 " Ah, dear nurse, you are going to tell me some 
 more of those stories which will make me timorous 
 at night." 
 
 " I don't tell you these to make you tremble, 
 but to prove to you that it's necessary to be on 
 one's guard against magicians, and not to be like
 
 46 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 those incredulous people who doubt everything 
 when we have so many examples of the power of 
 magic. I'll not do more than cite to you the Mare- 
 chale d'Ancre and Urbain Grandier, who lodged 
 some devils in the bodies of some pious Ursulines 
 at Loudun ; that is too frightful. But I will only 
 tell you what happened to a magician called Cesar 
 Perditor; that dates seventeen years back, or there- 
 abouts. You see, my dear child, that's not very 
 ancient." 
 
 " But, dear nurse, aren't you going to begin your 
 moving ? " said Blanche, who did not seem very 
 eager to hear Marguerite's story. 
 
 " We've plenty of time," answered the old ser- 
 vant as she drew her chair close to Blanche's, de- 
 lighted to relate a story about sorcerers, although 
 that would make her tremble also. Marguerite 
 commenced immediately : 
 
 " This Cesar was, said they, very well versed in 
 his magic art, and produced at his will both hail 
 and thunder. He had a familiar spirit, and a dog 
 that carried his letters and brought back the an- 
 swers to him. At a quarter of a league distant from 
 this city, on the Gentilly side, he lived in a cave, 
 in which he caused the devil and all his infernal 
 court to appear. Ah, my poor child ; they say that 
 at a great distance from the cave a frightful noise 
 might be heard every night. He made love phil- 
 ters, and wax images, by means of which he caused 
 the persons they represented to languish and die.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 47 
 
 " One day no, it must have been one night 
 an old man came to the cave, who appeared to 
 be suffering and in great distress. A great lord, a 
 libertine, a worthless fellow, had stolen away his 
 daughter, his only child ; the old man in his de- 
 spair, unable to obtain justice, went to the magi- 
 cian to procure the means of revenging himself 
 upon the man who had outraged him." 
 
 " Nurse, it seems to me your master is calling 
 you," said Blanche, interrupting Marguerite. 
 
 " No, no ; he did not call me. Except at meal 
 times, what need has M. Touquet of me ? But as 
 we were saying, the old man went to seek a magi- 
 cian, and the latter promised him help ; in fact, 
 they heard more noise than usual in the cave that 
 night, so much that the lieutenant of police sent 
 some people there, and Cesar was taken and led to 
 the Bastile, where soon after the devil strangled 
 him." 
 
 " And the old man, nurse ? " 
 
 "He never returned to his dwelling ; without 
 doubt the devil carried him away also, or else the 
 great nobleman, having learned that he had gone 
 to the magician's house. But nobody knows any- 
 thing further about it. Still, that will prove to you, 
 my dear, how dangerous it is to have anything to 
 do with those people." 
 
 " Dear nurse, this little talisman which you gave 
 me, that I wear, is not that the work of a sor- 
 cerer?"
 
 48 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Certainly not, darling ; on the contrary, it is 
 to preserve you from their snares that I gave it 
 to you. It is under the protection of my patron 
 saint ; with that, my dear Blanche, you could go 
 about, run anywhere ; your innocence would not 
 be in the slightest danger." 
 
 " Why, then, does my good friend never per- 
 mit me to leave my room ? " 
 
 " Ah, my dear Blanche, it is because M. Tou- 
 quet does not believe in talismans ; and it is very 
 unfortunate for him." 
 
 " But you, Marguerite, who are afraid of every- 
 thing, why don't you carry a similar talisman ? " 
 
 "Ah, my child, the quality of yours consists 
 principally in preserving your virtue, and at my 
 age one has no need of a talisman to preserve 
 that." 
 
 " My virtue ! Do magicians take virtue from 
 young girls ? " 
 
 " Not only magicians, but fascinating gallants, 
 finally, all the worthless fellows of whom M. 
 Touquet was talking to you this morning." 
 
 " And what would these people do with my vir- 
 tue?" 
 
 " My dear child, that is to say, they would seek 
 to turn your head, to give you a taste for coquetry, 
 dissipation, baubles, vanity and deceit ; then you 
 would be no longer my good, sweet Blanche." 
 
 "Ah, I understand; but, dear nurse, without 
 a talisman I fully believe that I should never have
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 49 
 
 those tastes. I would do nothing that should cause 
 trouble to those who had taken care of me from 
 my infancy, who have done so much for me since 
 I lost my father." 
 
 " That's all very well, my child, but with a talis- 
 man you see I am much easier ; and if M. Tou- 
 quet believed about it as I do, he would give you 
 a little more liberty. Not that I blame him for 
 fearing for you the attempts of worthless fellows ; 
 you are growing every day so pretty." 
 
 " Dear nurse, do worthless fellows trouble pretty 
 girls, then ? " 
 
 " Alas, yes, my dearie. I have seen them often 
 do so ; and, unfortunately, the pretty girls listen 
 willingly to the good-for-nothing fellows." 
 
 "They listen willingly to them, nurse? Is it 
 because they speak better than other men ? " 
 
 " No, not better, but they know so well how to 
 dissemble ; their speech is golden, their eyes de- 
 ceptive, their manners Ah, how glad I am that 
 you have a talisman ! " 
 
 " But, nurse, since I do not leave my room " 
 
 " That's true, my dear ; but you will not always 
 keep your room, and under my watchful care it 
 seems to me that one could very well allow you to 
 take a little walk from time to time. M. Touquet 
 is severe very severe to make me change my 
 lodging because I noticed that he did not sleep 
 at night. Is it my fault mh e that he does 
 not sleep ? " 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 50 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "He prevents me from opening my window." 
 "Ah, that is because it opens on the street; 
 and if he knew you looked so often through the 
 lattice But no one can possibly see you ; the 
 panes are so small, so close together." 
 " Oh, yes ; it is like a grating." 
 "A father could not be more strict." 
 " Ah, Marguerite, he stands to me in the place 
 of mine." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; I know it well ; however, he is no 
 relation is he ? " 
 
 " No, Marguerite ; I believe not." 
 "According to what I heard in the neighbor- 
 hood, before I came into his service, you are the 
 daughter of a poor gentleman who came to Paris 
 to follow a lawsuit about ten years ago." 
 
 ''Yes, dear nurse; I was then five years and 
 some months of age. It seems to me, however, 
 that I still remember my father ; he was very good, 
 and he often kissed me." 
 
 " And your mother, do you remember her ? " 
 
 " Alas, no ; but I believe I can still remember 
 
 the time when my father and I arrived here ; we 
 
 had been a long time in a carriage, and came from 
 
 far off." 
 
 "And M. Touquet lodged you, for then he 
 kept lodgings ; and after that ? " 
 
 " I was very tired ; they gave me something to 
 eat and put me to bed in this room, and I have 
 always occupied it since."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 51 
 
 "And after that?" 
 
 " I did not see my father again. The next day 
 M. Touquet told me he was dead." 
 
 "Yes; it was very unfortunate, they say. There 
 were then, as there are very often still, fights in 
 the night between pages and lackeys and honest 
 men, who were often attacked by these cursed 
 scoundrels while entering their own houses. That 
 night they committed a thousand disorders in the 
 streets of Paris ; several persons were assassinated ; 
 and your poor father, who had gone out, was, 
 while returning, drawn into a brawl, and perished 
 trying to defend himself. That is all that I have 
 learned ; do you know anything further ? " 
 
 " No, Marguerite ; besides, you know very well 
 that my protector does not wish me to talk about 
 that." 
 
 "Yes, because he fears that it will give you 
 pain." 
 
 " He has deigned to keep me near him, to edu- 
 cate me as his daughter and give me some accom- 
 plishments ; and I have for him the most lively 
 gratitude." 
 
 " Oh, yes ; he has done very well by you. He 
 loves you, although he is not caressing, nor does 
 he say much ; and I am very sure that he has the 
 greatest interest in you. It seems that he does 
 not intend himself to marry, although he is still 
 young. He is in easy circumstances, more so 
 than he wishes it to appear."
 
 52 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Do you believe that, Marguerite ? " 
 
 " Ah, hush ! If he knew that I had said that, 
 and that I had sometimes seen him counting gold, 
 he would send me away for it." 
 
 " You have seen him counting gold ? " 
 
 " I did not say that to you, mademoiselle. No, 
 no ; I have seen nothing. Ah, mon Dieu ! what 
 a gossip I am ! I had much better go and attend 
 to my moving." 
 
 " I will go with you, dear nurse." 
 
 " Come then, if you like, Blanche." 
 
 Blanche followed Marguerite as she went up, 
 and hastened to carry the furniture and clothing 
 of the old servant to the opposite room. In vain 
 Marguerite cried to her, 
 
 " Slowly, mademoiselle ; don't carry anything 
 until I have sprinkled it with holy water." 
 
 Blanche, to spare Marguerite fatigue, had very 
 soon finished the moving. 
 
 " You will be better here," said Blanche ; " this 
 room is more convenient, larger." 
 
 " I shall find it pretty sad," said Marguerite, 
 casting fearful glances around her. " That large 
 alcove, those dark hangings, those recesses Oh, 
 mademoiselle, do see, if you please, if there is 
 anything in that big closet." 
 
 Blanche ran to open the closet, and, after hav- 
 ing looked through it, brought to Marguerite a 
 little book, thick with dust. 
 
 "That's all I've found, dear nurse," said she,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 53 
 
 presenting the book to the old woman, who put 
 on her spectacles and said, 
 
 " Let's see a bit what it is." 
 
 Marguerite succeeded, with no little trouble, in 
 reading, "Conjuring-book of the Sorcerer Odoard, 
 the Famous Tier of Tags." 
 
 " Ah, mon Dieu ! " said Marguerite, letting the 
 book fall ; " I am lost if that sorcerer has slept in 
 this room. Misericorde ! a tier of " 
 
 " What does that mean, a tier of tags ? " 
 
 " That is to say that is to say, mademoiselle, 
 a very wicked man, who doesn't love his kind ; 
 a man who casts spells to make folks unlucky." 
 
 " Are there any of those sorcerers now ? " 
 
 " Alas, yes, my dear child ; they are always cast- 
 ing spells, for I have met during my life several 
 persons who have been bewitched by them. Let 
 us burn that ; let's burn that quick." 
 
 Marguerite hurried to throw the book of sor- 
 ceries on to the hearth, where she lit a fire ; then 
 she began to pray to her patron saint, and Blanche 
 went down to her work.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE CHEVALIER CHAUDOREILLE 
 
 BLANCHE and Marguerite had no sooner taken 
 their departure from the back room and returned 
 to their customary avocations, than Touquet has- 
 tened to meet a man who had come into the shop, 
 saying to him, in a friendly tone, 
 
 " Come in, come in, my dear Chaudoreille, 
 you've made me wait a deuce of a time and today 
 I have something really important to say to 
 you." 
 
 The personage who had just come into Maitre 
 Touquet's house was a man of a very striking and 
 peculiar appearance, about thirty-five years of age, 
 though he appeared at least forty-five, so worn was 
 his face and so hollow his cheeks. His yellow 
 skin was only relieved by two little scarlet spots 
 formed on the prominence of his cheek bones, 
 which by their brightness and their gloss betrayed 
 their origin. His eyes were small but bright; 
 and M. Chaudoreille rolled them continually, 
 never, by any chance, fixing them on the person 
 to whom he was speaking. His short snub nose 
 contrasted with his large mouth, which was sur- 
 mounted by an immense red mustache, the color 
 
 54
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 55 
 
 of his hair ; while beneath his lower lip a tuft of 
 beard terminated in a point on his chin. 
 
 The height of the chevalier was barely five feet, 
 and the leanness of his body was accentuated by 
 the threadbare close jacket which enveloped it ; 
 the buttons of his doublet were missing in many 
 places, and some ill-executed darns seemed ready 
 to gape into holes ; his breeches, being much too 
 large, made his thighs appear of enormous size, 
 and made the legs which issued from them appear 
 still more lanky, for his boots, with flaring tops 
 which drooped to his ankles, could not hide the 
 absence of calves. These boots, of a dark yellow, 
 had heels two inches high, and were habitually 
 adorned with spurs ; the doublet and smallclothes 
 were of a faded rose color, and accompanied by a 
 little cloak of the same tint, which barely covered 
 his figure ; in addition to these, he wore a very 
 high ruff, a small hat surmounted by an old red 
 plume, worn slanted over one eye, an old belt of 
 green silk, a sword which was very much longer 
 than anyone else carried, and of which the handle 
 came up to his breast. The above is a very faith- 
 ful portrait of the one who called himself the 
 Chevalier de Chaudoreille, if we add that his slight 
 Gascon accent denoted his origin ; that he marched 
 with his head high, his nose in the air, his hand 
 on his hip, his legs stiff, as though ready to put 
 himself on his guard ; and that he appeared dis- 
 posed to defy all passers-by.
 
 56 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 On entering the shop Chaudoreille threw him- 
 self on a bench, like one overcome by fatigue, and 
 placed his hat near him, crying, 
 
 " Let us rest. By George ! I well deserve to. 
 Oh ! what a night ! Good God ! what a night ! " 
 
 " And what the devil did you do last night to 
 make you so tired ? " 
 
 " Oh, nothing more than usual for me, it's true : 
 flogged three or four big rascals who wished to 
 stop the chair of a countess, wounded two pages 
 who were insulting a young girl, gave a big stroke 
 with my sword to a student who was going to in- 
 troduce himself into a house by the window, de- 
 livered over to the watch four robbers who were 
 about to plunder a poor gentleman. That's nearly 
 all that I did last night." 
 
 " Hang it ! " said Touquet, smiling ironically, 
 "do you know, Chaudoreille, that you yourself 
 are worth three patrols of the watch ? It seems to 
 me that the King or Monsieur le Cardinal should 
 recompense such fine conduct and nominate you 
 to some important place in the police of this city, 
 in place of leaving a man so brave, so useful, to 
 ramble about the streets all day, and haunt the 
 gambling-hells in order to try to borrow a crown." 
 
 " Yes," said Chaudoreille, without appearing to 
 notice the latter part of the barber's phrase, " I 
 know that I am very brave, and that my sword 
 has often been very useful to the State that is 
 to say, to the oppressed. I work without pay;
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 57 
 
 I yield to every movement of my heart ; it's in 
 the blood. Zounds ! honor before everything ; 
 and in this century we do not jest. I am what 
 somebody at court calls a c rake of honor': an 
 offensive twinkle of the eye, a rather cold bow, a 
 cloak which rubs against mine, presto ! my sword 
 is in my hand ; I am conscious of nothing but 
 that ; I would fight with a child of five years if he 
 treated me with disrespect." 
 
 " I know that we live in the age when one fights 
 for a mere trifle, but I never heard it said that 
 your duels had caused much stir." 
 
 " What the devil, my dear Touquet ! the dead 
 cannot speak ; and those who have an affair with 
 me never return. You have heard tell of the fa- 
 mous Balagni, nicknamed the ' Brave,' who was 
 killed in a duel about fifteen years ago. Well, my 
 friend, I am his pupil and his successor." 
 
 " It's unfortunate for you that you didn't come 
 into the world two centuries earlier ; tourneys are 
 beginning to be out of fashion, and chevaliers who 
 right all wrongs, giant killers, one no longer sees 
 except on the stage at plays." 
 
 " It's very certain that if I had lived in the time 
 of the Crusades I should have brought from Pal- 
 estine a thousand Saracens' ears, but my dear Ro- 
 lande was there. This redoubtable sword, which 
 came to me from a distant cousin, was the one car- 
 ried by Rolande the Furious ; it has sent a devil 
 of a lot of men into the other world."
 
 58 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I'm always afraid that you will fall over it ; it 
 seems to me too big for you." 
 
 "It has, however, been curtailed an inch since I 
 have had it, and that by reason of its having been 
 used so much. I fear that if I should continue in 
 the same style, it will become a little dagger." 
 
 " Stop talking about your prowess, Chaudo- 
 reille ; I have to speak to you of matters more in- 
 teresting than that." 
 
 " If you will shave me first; I have great need 
 of it. My beard grows twice as quickly at night 
 when I do not sup in the evening." 
 
 "It looks as if you had dieted for some days, 
 then." 
 
 While the barber prepared everything that was 
 necessary for shaving Chaudoreille, the latter de- 
 tached his sword. After having looked all over the 
 shop in search of a place in which it seemed con- 
 venient to put it, he decided to keep it on his 
 knees ; he relieved himself of his cloak, then he 
 took off the faded ruff which surrounded his neck, 
 and abandoned his odd, lean little figure to the 
 cares of Touquet, who came forward bearing a basin 
 and a soapball. The barber began by taking and 
 throwing into a corner of the shop the sword which 
 Chaudoreille was holding on his knees. The cheva- 
 lier made a movement of despair, crying, 
 
 " What are you doing, unhappy man ? You will 
 break Rolande, the sword which Charlemagne's 
 nephew carried."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 59 
 
 " If it's such a good blade it won't break. How 
 do you think I can shave you holding that great 
 halberd on your knee ? " 
 
 " It's necessary to handle it with care at least. 
 Zounds ! you are nearly as quick as I am." 
 
 " Do you want me to cut your mustaches ? " 
 
 " No, no, never. A chevalier without mus- 
 taches ! What are you thinking of? Do you want 
 people to take me for a young girl ? " 
 
 " I don't think anyone could so deceive him- 
 self." 
 
 " That's all right ; I especially pride myself on 
 my mustaches, and the imperial that gives a mas- 
 culine air. Ah, King Francis the First knew very 
 well what he was doing when he wore that little 
 pointed beard on his chin. Don't you think that 
 I bear some resemblance to that monarch ? " 
 
 " You resemble him so much, in fact, that I defy 
 anyone, no matter who it might be, to perceive it. 
 But let's get to my business : I wish to employ 
 you. Your time is free ? " 
 
 " Free ? Yes ; that is to say, for you there is 
 nothing that I won't leave. I've only two or three 
 amorous appointments and five or six affairs of 
 honor ; but those can be put off." 
 
 " There's some money to be earned." 
 
 " I'm a man who would put myself in the fire 
 to make myself useful." 
 
 " The business is not positively my own." 
 
 " Yes, I understand, a delicate mission. You
 
 60 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 know that I've already served you in many such 
 cases." 
 
 "I hope that you'll be more adroit this time; for 
 the manner in which you conducted yourself in the 
 last matters in which I employed you should have 
 prevented me from asking you to serve me again." 
 
 "Oh, my dear Touquet, don't be unjust; it 
 seems to me that I managed them passably well. 
 First, you desired me to carry a letter to a young 
 lady without letting her parents know of it." 
 
 " Yes ; and you positively gave the note to her 
 mother." 
 
 " What the devil ! how should I know it was 
 her mother? That woman had rouge, flowers, 
 laces, a corset which made her waist about as thick 
 as my purse ; I believed her to be the young lady. 
 With their hoops, basquines and immense head- 
 dresses, it will soon be impossible to distinguish 
 the sexes." 
 
 "Another time I told you to feign a quarrel 
 with one of your friends, so as to draw a crowd to- 
 gether in the street in order to stop the chair of a 
 young woman to whom someone wished to speak ; 
 but after two or three blows had passed you ran 
 away." 
 
 " Ah, my friend, but that does not detract from 
 my bravery. I knew that the quarrel was only pre- 
 tended ; despite that, at the third blow I felt the 
 blood mount to my face, and I ran away for fear 
 of getting angry."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 61 
 
 "This time I hope you will conduct yourself 
 better." 
 
 " Speak, if you have need of my valor." 
 
 " No, thank God, I shan't have to put your 
 valor to the proof; the matter is very simple and 
 will not cost you a great effort of genius." 
 
 " So much the worse ; I swear by Rolande that 
 I feel disposed to brave every terror. Take care, 
 my friend ; your razor almost touched my nose ; 
 you will end by taking off a piece, and that would 
 destroy the charm of my physiognomy." 
 
 " Fear nothing, most valorous Chaudoreille ; I 
 will respect your face ; it would be a pity to spoil 
 it." 
 
 " Yes, most assuredly ; it would cause tears to 
 more than one great lady who deigns to look with 
 favor upon your humble servant." 
 
 " Those great ladies would do well if they gave 
 you another doublet, for yours has well earned its 
 retirement." 
 
 " My dear fellow, love doesn't pause for such 
 trifles ; I please with or without a doublet ; the 
 figure is everything, and I'm more than a match 
 for many a chevalier covered with tinsel and gew- 
 gaws ; besides, if I wished to have some lace or 
 cuffs or trinkets, I should not have to give more 
 than a smile for them. Ah, by Jove ! Take care 
 there, my brave Touquet. See ! your neighbor's 
 dog is going to take my ruff. Ah, the rogue ! he's 
 holding it in his chops."
 
 62 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 , v 
 
 " You must take it away from him." 
 " That's very easy for you to say. That cursed 
 dog bites everybody." 
 
 Chaudoreille got up, half shaved, and ran and 
 took his sword, which he drew from the scabbard ; 
 but during this time the dog had left the shop, 
 carrying off the ruff, and the boastful chevalier 
 pursued him into the street, crying, 
 
 " My ruff! Zounds, my ruff! Stop thief! " 
 The shouts of Chaudoreille made the dog run 
 more quickly, and the passers-by looked on with 
 astonishment at the half-dressed man, with one 
 cheek shaven and the other covered with soap, 
 who ran, sword in hand, crying, "Stop thief!" 
 The idlers gathered -for there were idlers as early 
 as 1632 and followed Chaudoreille, that they 
 might see the end of the adventure. The children 
 stoned the dog, which redoubled its speed, passed 
 through an alleyway and disappeared from Chau- 
 doreille's sight. The latter, who could do no more, 
 stopped at length, heaving a big sigh. His anger 
 was redoubled when he saw everybody looking and 
 laughing at him ; he swore then, but so low that 
 nobody could hear him ; and, making the best of 
 his way through the crowd which surrounded him, 
 he sadly regained the barber's house. 
 
 " You must be a fool, to run through the street 
 like that," said Touquet, who had grown impa- 
 tient during Chaudoreille's race ; " you deserve 
 that I shouldn't finish shaving you."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 63 
 
 " Oh, zounds ! that is very easy for you to say ; 
 I have been robbed a magnificent ruff." 
 
 "You can put on another." 
 
 " I haven't another." 
 
 " With a smile you could have as many as you 
 wish." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; but I'm not by way of smiling just 
 now." 
 
 " Come, calm yourself. If our affair is success- 
 ful, as I've no doubt it will be, I'll give you some 
 crowns with which you can buy other collars ; for 
 ruffs are no longer in fashion." 
 
 This assurance alleviated somewhat Chaudo- 
 reille's grief, and he reseated himself, that the bar- 
 ber might finish shaving him. 
 
 " You will go today into the city," resumed the 
 barber, while finishing the chevalier's toilet, 
 " into the Rue de la Calandre ; you will go into a 
 perfumer's shop which is about half-way down the 
 street." 
 
 " Yes, yes, I know ; that is where I supply my- 
 self." 
 
 " Better and better ! It will be easier for you to 
 obtain an entrance. You should know, then, the 
 young girl whom I will describe to you : twenty 
 years old, of medium height, unrestrained figure, 
 brown hair and intelligent black eyes." 
 
 " Listen ; I don't believe that I know her, see- 
 ing that it's two or three years since I bought any 
 perfumery, because scents make me nervous."
 
 64 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " If you could dispense with lying to me, Chau- 
 doreille, at every turn, you would give me great 
 pleasure." 
 
 " What do I understand by that ? I lie ? By 
 jingo ! I swear to you, by Rolande " 
 
 " Hold your tongue and listen. A great noble- 
 man is in love with the young girl whose portrait 
 I have just given you. This great nobleman is the 
 Marquis de Villebelle." 
 
 " By Jove ! What, the Marquis de Villebelle ! 
 He's a jolly fellow, who makes everybody talk 
 about him. I'm delighted to work for a man of 
 that stamp ; he's as brave as he is generous. That's 
 a profligate after my own heart. I shall be glad to 
 give him proofs of my zeal and my genius." 
 
 " You'll have to begin by holding your tongue ; 
 remember, the least indiscretion will cost you dear. 
 I should not have told you the name of. the one 
 who is concerned in this matter if the young girl 
 had not known ; but as she might herself tell you, 
 it is better that you should learn it from me. Re- 
 member, you are still in my employ, and not in 
 that of the marquis. I could myself have dis- 
 charged the commission which he gave me, but I 
 am beginning to have a reputation for probity and 
 wisdom ; it is generally thought that, turning from 
 the errors of my youth, I no longer mix in in- 
 trigues, and I don't wish to disturb the good opin- 
 ion they now have of me in this neighborhood." 
 
 " Ah, rascal, you're as mischievous as a mon-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 65 
 
 key ; you think of nothing but increasing your 
 business, and your cold, severe air deceives some 
 people. You're right, by jingo ! One must dis- 
 semble ; it's the essence of intrigue, and I shall 
 try to throw off the appearance of being a libertine 
 and a profligate in order that I may be more suc- 
 cessful in wheedling the little innocent." 
 
 The barber shrugged his shoulders impatiently, 
 and again approached the blade of his razor to 
 Chaudoreille's nose. The latter's face became still 
 paler, except the spots on his cheeks, where the 
 color seemed immovable. 
 
 " Curse it ! " cried Touquet, while holding the 
 end of Chaudoreille's nose between his fingers, to 
 prevent him from moving, while he plied the ra- 
 zor ; " can't you ever keep still and refrain from 
 trembling beneath my razor blade? You deserve 
 to be slashed all over your face. Come, get up ; 
 it's finished." 
 
 " Many thanks," said Chaudoreille, breathing 
 more freely ; " I am shaved like a cherubim. Oh, 
 you have a hand as dexterous as it's nimble. That 
 makes seventy-seven shaves that I owe you for." 
 
 " That's all right ; we'll reckon that later." 
 
 " I know that you'll recall it to me ; you're not 
 like the barber who shaved one of my friends on 
 credit, and who made a notch in him every time, 
 to mark the shave, he said." 
 
 " Before the people come in, let us agree on 
 what we have to do." 
 
 Yoi.vn
 
 66 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Speak on ; I am listening while I am washing 
 myself." 
 
 " You will go, then, to the perfumer's shop, and 
 while buying something " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; a collar or a ruff." 
 
 " No matter, no matter what." 
 
 " I find that ruffs suit me better." 
 
 " Hold your tongue, cursed chatterer ; there's 
 nobody here to notice your face. You will enter 
 into conversation with the young girl I have de- 
 picted ; you will say to her that M. le Marquis is 
 in love with her to the point of distraction." 
 
 " Yes ; I shall say to her that he will stab him- 
 self before her eyes if she won't meet him." 
 
 " It's not a question of killing himself, idiot. 
 That's a fine way to seduce a grisette ! " 
 
 " I never seduced them any other way." 
 
 " Talk about presents, jewelry ; they respond to 
 that much quicker." 
 
 " Each one to his own method ; as for me, I 
 never make love that way ; for the rest, I'll say 
 everything that you wish ; I'll make the marquis 
 as generous and magnificent as a native of Gas- 
 cony." 
 
 " Finally, you will demand a rendezvous, in the 
 name of the marquis, for tomorrow evening." 
 
 "Where shall it be?" 
 
 "Wherever you like, but preferentially in an 
 unfrequented quarter." 
 
 " Very well ; and after? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 67 
 
 " Oh, the rest is my affair." 
 
 "A moment : if the little one doesn't grant an 
 interview ? " 
 
 "What are you thinking of? A shop girl who 
 knows that she is pleasing to the noble Seigneur 
 de Villebelle I am certain that she's on tenter- 
 hooks already because no messenger has reached 
 her. You must beware of committing any blunder 
 which will render you unsuccessful." 
 
 " Be easy; I'm not a clown, I flatter myself, and 
 I wish by this affair to put myself in the good 
 graces of the marquis." 
 
 " Yet again, it is not for him, but for me, that 
 you are doing the business ; if you should allow a 
 single word of this adventure to escape in the town, 
 if you should have the misfortune to mention the 
 marquis, remember that then the blade of my ra- 
 zor won't leave that face whole about which you 
 seem to make such a fuss." 
 
 The barber's eyes evinced his firm determina- 
 tion of keeping his promise; Chaudoreille hastened 
 to get his sword and attach it to his side while mur- 
 muring, 
 
 " Yes, undoubtedly I make much of my face ; 
 it is very worthy of the trouble, and has given me 
 many happy moments. This devil of a Touquet 
 is always joking, but between friends one should 
 not get angry. We are both aware of our mutual 
 bravery, and it's superfluous for us to give proofs 
 of it. I swear to you by Rolande that I will use
 
 68 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the greatest discretion, that I may be relied on. 
 Our acquaintance doesn't date from today ; for 
 nearly fifteen years we have been united in friend- 
 ship. We are two jolly fellows who have played 
 our pranks. How many intrigues have we con- 
 ducted by our skill, without counting our per- 
 sonal prowess ! You, built like a Hercules, an 
 antique figure, noble carriage, you would have 
 adored big women that is to say, tall women ; 
 I, smaller but well made, with a more modern 
 physiognomy, I prefer them more graceful and 
 slender. But love never troubled you much ; you 
 prefer money. Ah, money and play, those have 
 been your pleasures. As for me, Fm fond of gam- 
 ing also ; I play a very strong game of piquet. 
 But gallantry employs a great part of my time. I 
 can't help it ; I love the women. But that's not 
 astonishing ; I am their spoilt child ; they have 
 strewn the path of my life with flowers, without 
 counting all those that still remain for me to cull. 
 I dedicated to them my heart and my sword. But 
 love and valor do not always lead to fortune ; you 
 have gathered wealth quicker than I, and I compli- 
 ment you upon it. While I have been following 
 after some Venus, you have conducted without my 
 aid some intricate intrigues; for this house did 
 not belong to you formerly, and now you are the 
 proprietor of it ; it did not fall to you from the 
 clouds." 
 
 " What are you meddling with ? " said the bar-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 69 
 
 ber angrily. " What does it matter to you how I 
 acquired this house? When I've employed you 
 haven't I paid you, and often a good deal better 
 than you deserve? I've already told you, Chau- 
 doreille, that if you wish that we remain friends, 
 and if you desire through me to earn money 
 from time to time, you had better not begin your 
 foolish questions, nor seek to learn that which 
 I do not judge fit to confide to you ; otherwise I 
 shall show you my door and you will never enter 
 it again." 
 
 " Oh, not so fast. By jingo ! he's a little Vesu- 
 vius, this dear Touquet. If I gave way to my 
 natural temper we should see some fine things; 
 however, that's ended ; silence on that subject. 
 Now I am dressed ; I lack nothing but my ruff; 
 how can I go out without that ? " 
 
 " You went out very well a minute ago, half 
 dressed." 
 
 " But a minute ago I was sword in hand, and 
 in those moments I see nothing but my victim. 
 It's all right; I will pull my cloak up a little 
 higher. Ah, I was forgetting an essential. That 
 I may buy something in the little one's shop it's 
 necessary that I should have some money, and my 
 pockets are empty this morning." 
 
 " Wait ; take these ten crowns, on account of 
 what I shall give you if you fulfil my instructions 
 correctly." 
 
 "That's well understood," said Chaudoreille,
 
 yo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 taking the money and drawing from his belt an 
 old silk purse, which had formerly been red, in 
 which he placed, one by one, with an air of re- 
 spect, the ten pieces which the barber had given 
 him. 
 
 " It's still too early," said Touquet, " for you 
 to go to the perfumer's ; those dames do not open 
 their shops as early as we do ours ; while waiting 
 till the time comes for you to execute your com- 
 mission couldn't you go up and see Blanche, and 
 give her a music lesson? That will amuse her, 
 and I notice that she does not find much to dis- 
 tract her in her room, where she sees no one but 
 Marguerite." 
 
 At the name of Blanche, Chaudoreille raised his 
 eyes to Heaven, and heaved a sigh which he stifled 
 immediately, crying, 
 
 " By the way, how is she, the pretty child ? I 
 was going to ask you about her, for it is a century 
 since I have seen her." 
 
 " She's very well, but she's tired of being in the 
 house and wishes to go out." 
 
 " What the devil ! why don't you send me more 
 often to keep her company ? I can amuse her, my 
 beautiful Blanche, and I can play something for 
 her." 
 
 " I'm not sure that you can amuse her much. 
 Blanche said to me that you always sang the same 
 things, and that she now knew as much as you do 
 of the sitar."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 71 
 
 " These young girls are full of conceit. I con- 
 fess that she's made rapid progress, and that is not 
 astonishing ; I have a way of teaching which would 
 make a donkey capable of singing songs ; besides, 
 the little one is intelligent, but I flatter myself that 
 I can still teach her something more." 
 
 " Chaudoreille, I have given you a great proof 
 of my confidence in permitting you to see Blanche; 
 you must swear to me that you will never speak of 
 her beauty." 
 
 " Be easy ; when by chance anyone asks me if 
 I know the young girl who is under your care, I 
 answer since we are on the subject- that I have 
 seen her three or four times, and that she is neither 
 one thing nor the other, one of those faces which 
 people say nothjng about." 
 
 " That's well ; if anyone imagined that this 
 house held one of the prettiest women in Paris, 
 I should nevermore have a moment's peace; I 
 should be incessantly tormented by a crowd of gal- 
 lants, of profligates, of libertines ; I should see this 
 house become the rendezvous of all the worthless 
 fellows of the neighborhood. I couldn't go away 
 for a moment without one of them trying to intro- 
 duce himself to Blanche, and Marguerite's watch- 
 fulness would be as insufficient as my own to 
 frustrate all the enterprises of these gallants. It is 
 to avoid all this annoyance that I withdraw Blanche 
 from the notice of curious people." 
 
 " Oh, as far as that goes, you do very well ;
 
 72 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 I quite approve your conduct ; you must not let 
 them see her, nor allow her to go out for a mo- 
 ment. If you wish, I can say everywhere that she's 
 horrible, blind of one eye, lame, and hump- 
 backed." 
 
 " No, no ; one must never overdo one's precau- 
 tions and fall into a contrary excess." 
 
 " It would be so sorrowful if some miserable ad- 
 venturer should carry this beautiful flower away 
 from us." 
 
 " How ? carry her away from us ? " 
 
 " I should say carry her away from you ; it is 
 only by favor that I see her. She is, in truth, a 
 jewel; she has the candor, the innocence of child- 
 hood. Ah, zounds ! how happy you are, Touquet, 
 for you are guarding this treasure .for yourself, I'll 
 wager." 
 
 "For myself?" said the barber, knitting his 
 brows ; then he was silent for a moment, while 
 Chaudoreille, placed before a little mirror, occupied 
 himself in studying some smiles and glances of the 
 eye. " I have already told you that I do not like 
 questions," responded Touquet at last; " but I see 
 that you will be incorrigible until your shoulders 
 have felt the weight of my arm." 
 
 " Always joking. You are really a most ironical 
 man." 
 
 " Come, go up to Blanche's room ; you can stay 
 three-quarters of an hour. You must leave by the 
 passageway ; I don't wish the people who will be
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 73 
 
 here to see you come from the interior of the 
 house. You will go where I told you, and you 
 will come and give me an account of the result of 
 your enterprise." 
 
 " At your dinner hour ? " 
 
 " No, this evening, at dusk." 
 
 " As you please, as you will. Ah, mon Dieu ! 
 I am thinking how I can go up to my young pu- 
 pil without a ruff." 
 
 " Will that prevent you from singing ? " 
 
 " No, but decency this naked neck. Lend me 
 a collar, anything." 
 
 " Hang it ! is it necessary to make so much fuss? 
 Do you think that Blanche will pay much attention 
 to your face ? " 
 
 " My face ! my face ! It would seem, to hear 
 you, that I am an Albino." 
 
 " Here's somebody coming ; get out." 
 
 The barber pushed Chaudoreille into the pas- 
 sage, whera the latter remained for a quarter of an 
 hour, seeking by what manner he could hold his 
 cloak, and deciding at last to go up to his pupil.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE Music LESSON 
 
 BLANCHE was seated at work near her window, 
 the small, dim panes of which scarcely permitted 
 her to distinguish anything in the street. 
 
 However, from time to time she glanced down- 
 ward in that direction to distract her thoughts ; 
 not that she was at all sad, or that she had any- 
 thing to trouble her, but a young girl who is 
 nearly sixteen years of age experiences in the 
 depths of her innocent heart certain void, vague 
 desires which she cannot easily account for. She 
 sighs, she becomes dreamy ; a mere nothing 
 renders her uneasy ; the least noise, the sound of 
 an unknown voice, makes her heart beat more 
 quickly ; she looks oftener in the mirror ; she 
 pays more attention to her toilet, though, as yet, 
 there is nobody in particular whom she wishes to 
 charm. But a secret instinct implants in her the 
 desire to please, a sure symptom that she begins 
 to feel the need of loving ; and, for that reason, 
 she falls into reveries and sighs without knowing 
 why so it was, at least, in the time of which we 
 are speaking. As to the young girls of our own 
 time, they dream, also, but they sigh less. 
 
 74
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 75 
 
 The character of the barber, the cold, serious 
 manner which he wore before Blanche, did not in- 
 vite confidence, and imposed a restraint on the 
 young girl, whose ingenuous heart seemed to seek 
 a friend. She respected Touquet and obeyed him ; 
 she regarded him as her benefactor, but she could 
 not chat freely with him, for the barber's laconic 
 answers always appeared to indicate little desire to 
 engage in a long conversation. To make up for 
 this, Marguerite was very chatty, and would will- 
 ingly have passed the entire day in gossip ; but 
 the sole subjects of her conversation were sorcer- 
 ers, magicians and robbers, and these were not at 
 all amusing to Blanche, who preferred, to Mar- 
 guerite's appalling stories, a tender love-song or a 
 story of chivalry, the heroes of which were very 
 strong on love ; and one of that ilk had no less 
 prowess as a paladin because he was faithful to his 
 lady for twenty years. 
 
 Blanche was dreaming, then, when somebody 
 rapped softly at her door ; and immediately Chau- 
 doreille's odd little head appeared between the 
 door and the wall, and he said in mellifluous ac- 
 cents, 
 
 " May one come in, interesting scholar ? " 
 
 Blanche raised her eyes and burst into a fit of 
 laughter on perceiving Chaudoreille's face, this be- 
 ing the effect his appearance ordinarily produced 
 on the young girl. 
 
 " Come in, come in, my dear master," said she,
 
 76 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 rising to curtsey to Chaudoreille, who then intro- 
 duced himself entirely into the room, bowing to 
 Blanche three times, so low that each time his 
 sword fell before him, and on rising he was obliged 
 to put Rolande into his scabbard again. 
 
 " I am so much in the habit of drawing him," 
 said Chaudoreille, " that he can't rest quietly in his 
 sheath for two hours at a time. Come, be quiet, 
 Rolande ; you know well, my dear companion, 
 that the night never passes without my giving you 
 some occupation." 
 
 "Why, Monsieur Chaudoreille, do you fight 
 every day ? " 
 
 " What else could you expect, beautiful angel ? 
 It is my element ; I should not sleep if I had not 
 drawn my sword, and I should fall ill if three days 
 were to elapse without my ridding the earth of an 
 impertinent fellow or a rival." 
 
 " O good Heavens ! " 
 
 " But let us leave that subject and speak of you, 
 delightful creature. You seem to me fresher and 
 more beautiful than ever ; it is the unfolding of 
 the bud, it is the opening of the flower, it is the 
 fruit which By the way, how are you ? " 
 
 " Very well. Djid you come to give me a music 
 lesson?" 
 
 " Yes, if you will permit me the pleasure. It is 
 a long time since I had that happiness." 
 
 " I hope you're going to teach me something 
 new."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 77 
 
 " By Jove ! I'm not at the end of my tether. 
 Besides, were new songs lacking, your beautiful 
 eyes would inspire me to improvise a ballad in six- 
 teen couplets." 
 
 Blanche brought her sitar and handed it to 
 Chaudoreille, who raised his eyes to Heaven and 
 heaved a big sigh as he took it. 
 
 " Are you going to be ill, Monsieur Chaudo- 
 reille ? " questioned the young girl, astonished at 
 this moaning. 
 
 " No, I am not ill ; however, I feel rather un- 
 easy," answered Chaudoreille, venturing to try the 
 effect of the glances and smiles which he had 
 studied before the glass. 
 
 " Y9U seem to have difficulty in breathing," 
 responded Blanche ; " perhaps your supper last 
 night did not agree with you." 
 
 " Pardon me ; I swear to you it did not trouble 
 me in the least. I have a horror of indigestion. 
 Out upon it ! I never put myself in the way of 
 having it." 
 
 " Sing to me the air you are going to teach me ; 
 that will make you feel better." 
 
 " She is innocence itself," said Chaudoreille to 
 himself while tuning the sitar ; " she doesn't un- 
 derstand what makes me sigh. Despite that, how- 
 ever, I can see that she's glad to see me. Patience ; 
 before long her heart will awaken, and I shall be 
 its conqueror." 
 
 Blanche took up her work again ; Chaudoreille
 
 78 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 seated himself near her, and after a quarter of an 
 hour's tuning of the sitar, coughed, expectorated, 
 blew his nose, turned around on his chair, ar- 
 ranged his cape, pursed his mouth, passed his 
 tongue over his lips, and at last commenced in a 
 shrill voice, which pierced the ears, an ancient 
 ditty which Blanche had heard a hundred times 
 before. 
 
 " I know that, my dear master," said she, in- 
 terrupting Chaudoreille in the middle of a point 
 d'orgue, which he seemed willing to prolong 
 indefinitely ; " that's one of the three you have 
 already taught me." 
 
 "Do you think so?" 
 
 " Wait ; I'll sing it for you." 
 Blanche took the instrument, and, gracefully 
 accompanying herself, sang, in a melodious voice 
 which gave a charm to the old ballad. 
 
 " That's very well, indeed," said Chaudoreille ; 
 " you sing the passages precisely in my manner ; 
 I seem to hear myself." 
 
 " Teach me another, then," said the young girl, 
 returning the instrument to him ; and Chaudo- 
 reille intoned a virelay on the great feats of Pepin 
 the Short. 
 
 " I know that, too," said Blanche, stopping him. 
 
 " In that case I will sing you a charming villa- 
 nelle." 
 
 ** Mercy ! that will be the third of those you 
 have taught me. Don't you know any others ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 79 
 
 " Pardon me, but as a cursed dog ran off with 
 my ruff while I was being shaved, I cannot ven- 
 ture a new song while my throat is naked; it 
 would embarrass the middle notes. Nevertheless, 
 the villanelle is always a novelty, since I ever sing 
 it with variations." 
 
 " Well, I'll listen," said Blanche, glancing to- 
 wards the street. Chaudoreille heaved another 
 sigh, and when he had taken a position which 
 seemed to him more favorable for displaying his 
 graces, he commenced the villanelle, which he 
 sang to Blanche every time that he gave her a 
 
 lesson: 
 
 I have lost my turtle-dove, 
 
 And her flight I must pursue, 
 Is she not the one I love ? 
 
 You regret your own fond dove, 
 
 As the loss of mine I rue ; 
 I have lost my turtle-dove. 
 
 At this moment some perambulating singers 
 came into the street. They stationed themselves 
 in front of the barber's house and, accompanying 
 themselves on their mandolins, sang some Italian 
 songs. Blanche listened eagerly ; this music, so 
 different from that which she heard from her mas- 
 ter of the sitar, stirred her pulses deliciously, and 
 approaching the window she cried, 
 
 " Oh, how pretty that is ! " 
 
 "Yes, undoubtedly it's pretty," said Chaudo- 
 reille, who believed the young girl to be speaking
 
 8o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 of the villanelle ; " but it's necessary to acquire 
 the same expression that I have given it. Notice 
 it well, ' I have lost my turtle-dove/ the ac- 
 cent tremulous with grief; raise the eyes to the 
 ceiling, beat time with the left foot. { And her 
 flight I must pursue,' a distracted air, and al- 
 ways the same accompaniment with the thumb 
 and index ringer. ' Is she not the one I love? ' 
 a soft, flute-like sound, and make a movement of 
 surprise while sustaining the falsetto. ' You regret 
 your own fond dove, ' that demands much ex- 
 pression. c You regret,' an exquisitely performed 
 shake, c your own fond dove,' inflate the sound 
 and ascend still." 
 
 " Ah, I should be contented if I could only hear 
 such music often," said Blanche, who had paid no 
 attention to what Chaudoreille was saying, and had 
 listened only to the Italians. 
 
 " I should much like to give you a lesson every 
 day, lovely damsel; but my occupations overwhelm 
 me and then, Master Touquet does not often 
 permit me the pleasure of seeing you ; when far 
 from you I sing without ceasing, 
 
 You regret your own fond dove." 
 
 " It's a barcarolle is it not, monsieur ? " 
 " No, my dear girl ; that's called a villanelle, 
 the favorite song of our ancient troubadours, and 
 of shepherds who bemoaned their shepherdesses." 
 "What a pity that I don't know Italian !"
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 81 
 
 "What do you require Italian for, in order 
 to say, 
 
 Is she not the one I love ? " 
 
 " Be quiet, be quiet ; they're singing in French 
 now," said Blanche, pressing close to the window- 
 panes, and signing with her hand to Chaudoreille 
 not to stir. 
 
 "What's that you're saying?" cried the sitar 
 master, rising in surprise, " for me to be quiet ! 
 Does that noise out there disturb you too much ? 
 To the devil with the street singers who prevent 
 you from hearing me ! I hardly know how to 
 restrain myself from going to drive them away 
 with a few blows from my good blade Rolande ! " 
 
 " If I only dared open my window for a few 
 moments," sighed Blanche. " But no, I must 
 not, for M. Touquet has firmly forbidden me to 
 do so. What a pretty, pretty air ! Ah, I shall 
 easily remember that, 
 
 I love to eternity 
 
 My darling is all to me ; 
 
 that's the refrain." 
 
 " No, divine Blanche, you are mistaken ; these 
 are the words, 
 
 I have lost my turtle-dove, 
 
 And her flight I must pursue, 
 Is she not the one I love ? " 
 
 The singers departed. Blanche then left the 
 casement, and, on turning, saw Chaudoreille with 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 82 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 his neck elongated, the better to execute a note. 
 She could not restrain a desire to laugh, which was 
 evoked by the face of the chevalier ; and the lat- 
 ter remained with his mouth open, not knowing 
 how to take the young girl's laughter, when Mar- 
 guerite entered the room. 
 
 " It's burned at last," said the old woman as 
 she came in. 
 
 " What is burned," cried Chaudoreille, "the 
 roast ? " 
 
 " Ah, yes, indeed ; it's a book of witchcraft, of 
 magic. It was very hard to get it to burn, those 
 books are so accustdmed to fire." 
 
 " What is that you say, Marguerite ? You have 
 books of magic, you who are afraid of every- 
 thing ? Do you wish to enter into communication 
 with the spirits of the other world ? " 
 
 "Ah, God keep me from it, Monsieur Chau- 
 doreille. But I'll tell you how that book came into 
 my hands, where it didn't stay long, for it seemed 
 to me that that cursed conjuring-book burned my 
 fingers. My master wished me to change my room 
 because but I oughtn't to tell you that." 
 
 "Try to remember what you wished to tell 
 me." 
 
 " Well, it seems I must quit the room I've oc- 
 cupied, to go into one in which no one has set foot 
 during the eight years I have been in the house ; 
 and, to judge by the look of it, no one had visited 
 it for a long time before. It's so dark, so dismal ;
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 83 
 
 the window-panes, which are two inches thick with 
 dust, hardly allow the daylight to penetrate into 
 the room." 
 
 " I had an idea God forgive me that she 
 was going to recount to me all the spiders' webs 
 she had found there. What do you think of it, 
 my charming pupil ? " 
 
 Blanche did not answer, for she had paid no 
 attention to what Marguerite said ; she was com- 
 mitting to memory the sweet refrain which had ap- 
 peared so pretty to her, and was repeating in a 
 low voice, 
 
 "I love to eternity; " 
 
 and Chaudoreille, seeing her steeped in reverie, 
 would not disturb her, fully persuaded that the 
 young girl could not defend her heart against the 
 charms of the villanelle. 
 
 " It's not a question of spiders," resumed the 
 old servant, rather ill-humoredly ; " if I had not 
 seen that which but at the bottom of a closet 
 Mademoiselle Blanche found a diabolical book ; 
 it was the conjuring-book of a sorcerer named 
 Odoard. Have you ever heard tell of a sorcerer 
 by that name ? " 
 
 " No, not that I remember. If you were to ask 
 me about a brave man, a man of spirit, a rake of 
 honor, most certainly I should have known him ; 
 but a sorcerer ! What the devil do you think I 
 should have to do with him ? These people don't 
 fight."
 
 84 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Monsieur Chaudoreille, you who arc so 
 brave, you must render me a service." 
 
 " What is it ? " inquired Chaudoreille, paying 
 more attention to Marguerite's words. 
 
 " Just now, after having burned the conjuring- 
 book of that Odoard, surnamed the great Tier of 
 Tags, I made another inspection of my room, 
 sprinkling holy water everywhere, as you may well 
 suppose." 
 
 "And what followed?" 
 
 " At the end of the alcove I perceived a little 
 door, one would never have supposed there was 
 a door there ; but, though old, I have good eyes, 
 and, while pushing the bed, which made the wain- 
 scot creak, I saw the door." 
 
 " To the point, I beg of you," resumed Chau- 
 doreille, whose eyes betrayed the uneasiness he 
 tried in vain to dissemble. 
 
 " Well, now, I confess to you, monsieur, that I 
 didn't dare open that door. It was no doubt the 
 door of a closet ; but that alcove is so gloomy, so 
 dark. Finally, I'll be very much obliged if you'll 
 come up with me and go first into whatever place 
 we find there. I daren't ask M. Touquet, for he'd 
 scoff at me." 
 
 " And he would be right, by jingo ! Why, Mar- 
 guerite, at your age, not to have more courage than 
 that!" 
 
 "What can you expect? I'm afraid there may 
 be a goblin in that closet, who will jump in my
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 85 
 
 face when I open the door, which has perhaps 
 been closed for many years ; for I've never seen 
 M. Touquet enter the room." 
 
 " Don't goblins pass through keyholes ? Come, 
 Marguerite, I blush for your cowardice." 
 
 " No one can say that sorcerers are rare in Paris. 
 Haven't they established a Chamber at the Arse- 
 nal expressly to judge them ? " 
 
 " That's true, I confess ; but I don't see what 
 makes you imagine there are any in this house ? " 
 
 "Ah, Monsieur Chaudoreille, if I was to tell 
 you all I have seen and heard and at night the 
 noises which " 
 
 " What have you seen, dear nurse ? " inquired 
 Blanche, whose reverie had flown, and who had 
 heard the last words of the old woman. 
 
 " Nothing nothing mademoiselle;" and the 
 old servant added, addressing the chevalier in a low 
 tone, " My master doesn't like me to talk of it, 
 and he'll send me away if he learns " 
 
 " That's enough ; I don't wish to hear anything 
 further," said Chaudoreille, rising and taking his 
 hat. "And since Touquet has forbidden you to 
 tell these idle stories, I beg you not to deafen my 
 ears with them." 
 
 " But you'll come upstairs with me and look in 
 the closet won't you, monsieur?" 
 
 " Ah, mon Dieu ! I hear ten o'clock striking ; 
 I should be in the city now ; I didn't receive ten 
 crowns for listening to your old stories ; I must
 
 86 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 run. Au revoir, my interesting pupil. I am de- 
 lighted that my last variations gave you pleasure. 
 I hope before long to give you another lesson. 
 With a master like me, you should be a virtuoso." 
 While saying these words Chaudoreille drew 
 himself up, placed his left hand on his hip, 
 arranged his right arm as though he were about 
 to take his weapon ; but, instead of drawing Ro- 
 lande from the scabbard, he carried his hand to 
 his hat and bowed respectfully to Blanche ; then, 
 passing quickly by Marguerite, who tried vainly 
 to restrain him, he opened the door and went 
 downstairs humming, 
 
 You regret your own fond dove, 
 As the loss of mine I rue.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE LOVERS. THE GOSSIPS 
 
 THE barber Touquet's shop was as usual filled 
 with a motley crowd of people of all classes. 
 There were gathered students, shopkeepers, pages, 
 poets, bachelors, adventurers, and even young 
 noblemen ; for the fashion of the time permitted 
 these amiable libertines to mingle sometimes with 
 persons in the lower classes of society, whether 
 they sought new sensations in listening to a lan- 
 guage which for them had all the fascinating charm 
 of novelty, or whether it was for the purpose of 
 playing tricks on the persons with whom they 
 thus mixed. 
 
 Master Touquet's shop was large, and more- 
 over furnished with benches, which latter conve- 
 niences were an almost unheard-of luxury in a 
 time when people took their diversions standing, 
 and when no one was seated even at the play. 
 The barber by this means extended his custom ; 
 he attended to everything, answered everybody, 
 and did more himself than ten hairdressers of 
 today. His hand, which was skilful, nimble and 
 accurate with scissors or razor, had earned him the 
 reputation of being one of the best barbers in 
 
 87
 
 88 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Paris, and drew to his shop many fops, because 
 in the middle class one held it an honor to be able 
 to say, while caressing one's chin, " I've been 
 shaved by Touquet." But those whom he had 
 served sometimes remained for a long time in con- 
 versation with the persons who were awaiting their 
 turn, the greater part of these idlers desiring to 
 chat for a moment on the news of the day and the 
 adventures of the night. Towards ten o'clock in 
 the morning there was always a numerous gather- 
 ing at Master Touquet's shop. 
 
 There one saw all kinds of toilets ; but then, as 
 today, rich garments did not always betoken rank 
 or fortune in those who wore them. The taste for 
 luxury was becoming general, because considera- 
 tion was accorded only to those who had splendid 
 equipages and magnificent clothing. An appear- 
 ance of wealth and power obtained all the honors ; 
 true merit without distinction, without renown, re- 
 mained forgotten and in poverty. And one assur- 
 edly sees the same thing today. 
 
 Access to court was easy. For a parvenu to 
 introduce himself there, often nothing more was 
 necessary than a costume similar to those worn by 
 courtiers, the hat adorned by a feather, a doub- 
 let and mantle of satin or velvet, the sword at the 
 belt, the whole enlivened by trimmings of gold or 
 silver braid. Each sought to procure for himself 
 the most splendid personal appearance, and many 
 ruined themselves in order to appear wealthy. 
 
 I
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 89 
 
 An attempt was, however, made to arrest this 
 tendency to luxurious habits, which could not hide 
 the poverty of the time. By an edict of the month 
 of November of the year 1633, ^ was forbidden 
 to all subjects to wear on their shirts, cuffs, head- 
 dresses, or on other linen, all openwork, embroi- 
 deries of gold or silver thread, braids, laces or cut 
 points, manufactured either within or without the 
 realm. 
 
 In the following year a second edict appeared, 
 which prohibited the employment, in habiliments, 
 of any kind of cloth of gold or silver, real or imita- 
 tion, and decreed that the richest garments should 
 be of velvet, satin or taffetas, without other orna- 
 ment than two bands of silk embroidery ; it 
 also forbade that the liveries of pages, lackeys and 
 coachmen should be made of any other than 
 woollen stuffs. But these laws were soon infringed; 
 men will always have the desire to appear more 
 than they are, and women to hide what they are. 
 
 Among the different personages assembled in 
 the barber's shop there was one who chatted with 
 nobody and seemed to take not the slightest in- 
 terest in the relation of the scandalous adventures 
 of the night. This was a young man who appeared 
 about nineteen years of age or a little over, en- 
 dowed with a physiognomy by no means cheerful ; 
 for one ordinarily applies that term to those round, 
 fresh faces, red and plump, which breathe health 
 and gayety. He had beautiful eyes, but was pale;
 
 90 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 noble features, but rather a melancholy expression ; 
 finally, he had what one calls an interesting face, 
 and this sort are in general more fortunate in love 
 than those of cheerful physiognomy. The young 
 man's costume was very simple ; neither ornament 
 nor embroidery adorned his gray coat, buttoned just 
 to the knee and cut like our frock coat of today ; 
 his belt was black ; no ribbons floated from his 
 knees and his arms ; he neither had a sword nor 
 laces, nor plumes on the broad brim of his hat. 
 
 He had been for a very long time in the barber's 
 shop. On entering, his eyes had appeared to search 
 for something other than the master of the place ; 
 he had thrown glances towards the back shop, and 
 still continued to do so. Several times already his 
 turn had come and Touquet had said to him, 
 
 " Whenever you wish, seigneur bachelor." 
 
 The young man's simple costume was, in fact, 
 that which was ordinarily worn by law students in 
 Paris; but to each invitation of the barber the 
 bachelor only answered, " I am not pressed for 
 time," and another took his place. 
 
 After a time the loiterers and gossips departed 
 and the young man found himself alone with Tou- 
 quet, to whom his conduct began to appear sin- 
 gular. 
 
 " Now you can no longer yield your turn to 
 anybody," said the barber, offering a chair to the 
 stranger. " In truth I cannot shave you; you have 
 not enough on your chin ; but without doubt you
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 91 
 
 came for something, and I am at your service, mon- 
 sieur." 
 
 " Yes," said the young man with an embarrassed 
 air, turning his eyes towards the back shop, " I 
 should like my hair is too long, and " 
 
 " Seat yourself here, seigneur bachelor ; you 
 will find that I am skilful ; my hand is as well ac- 
 customed to the scissors as to the razor." 
 
 The young rnan decided at last to intrust his 
 head to the barber, but as soon as the latter paused 
 for a moment he profited by it to turn and look 
 into the back shop. 
 
 " Are you looking for anything, monsieur ? " 
 said Touquet, whom this trick did not escape. 
 
 " No no. I was only looking to see if you 
 were alone here." 
 
 "Yes, monsieur; you see I have no need of any- 
 body to help me in order to satisfy my customers." 
 
 "Indeed, someone told me you were extremely 
 skilful." 
 
 " And monsieur has had time to judge of my 
 talent, he has been nearly two hours in my shop." 
 
 " I had nothing pressing to do ; and then, I 
 wished to obtain some information of you. Tell 
 me, my friend, who occupies the first story of this 
 house." 
 
 " I do, monsieur," said Touquet, after a mo- 
 ment's hesitation. 
 
 The young man seemed vexed then that he had 
 asked the question.
 
 92 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " May I learn, monsieur, how that interests 
 you ? " resumed Touquet, looking at the unknown 
 attentively. 
 
 "Ah, it is that I am looking for a lodging in 
 this quarter. One chamber would suffice me. Do 
 you not take lodgers, and could you give me a 
 room if this house belongs to you ? " 
 
 " This house does belong to me ; in fact, mon- 
 sieur, I cannot grant your request. For a long time 
 I have let no lodgings, and I have no room in the 
 house, which is not very large." 
 
 " What ! you cannot let me a single chamber, a 
 closet even ? I repeat to you, I wish to have one 
 in this neighborhood ; I often have business in the 
 Louvre. I will pay you anything that you ask." 
 
 "Anything?" said the barber, glancing ironi- 
 cally at the young man's simple garments. " You 
 are getting on, perhaps, a little, monsieur student. 
 All the same, your desires cannot be gratified, and 
 I advise you to renounce your plans." 
 
 Touquet dwelt on this last phrase, and the 
 young man's face reddened a little ; but the barber 
 had finished his ministrations, and the former had 
 no way of prolonging his stay with a man who did 
 not appear to wish to continue the conversation, 
 and to whom he feared he had said too much. The 
 bachelor rose, paid, and at last left the shop, but 
 not without looking up at the windows of the 
 house. 
 
 " That's a lover," said Touquet, as soon as the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 93 
 
 young man had taken his departure. "Yes, his 
 uneasiness, his looks, his questions oh, I un- 
 derstand it all. I have served too many lovers 
 ever to be deceived about that. Curse it ! this is 
 just what I feared. What vexations I foresee ! 
 What anxieties are about to assail me ! He must 
 have seen Blanche, but where ? when ? how ? She 
 never leaves the house without me, and that very 
 rarely ; however, this young man is in love with 
 her, I'll bet a hundred pieces of gold. Halloo 
 there, Marguerite ! Marguerite ! " 
 
 The old servant had heard her master's loud 
 voice ; she mentally invoked her patron saint and 
 went down to the shop. 
 
 " How long is it since Blanche went out with- 
 out my knowing it? " said the barber suddenly. 
 
 "Went out? Mademoiselle Blanche?" said 
 Marguerite, looking at her master in surprise. 
 
 " Yes, went out with you. Why don't you 
 answer ? " 
 
 " Blessed Holy Virgin ! that hasn't happened 
 for two years ; then Mademoiselle Blanche was 
 still a child, and you sometimes allowed her to go 
 with me to take a turn in the big Pre-aux-Clercs. 
 But since that time the poor little thing has not 
 been out, I believe, except twice with you, and 
 that was at night, and Mademoiselle Blanche had 
 a very thick veil." 
 
 " I didn't ask you if she had been out with 
 me. And has any young man been here in my
 
 94 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 absence who has asked you about her, or who 
 has sought to be introduced to her ? " 
 
 " Indeed, I would have given him a warm re- 
 ception. Monsieur doesn't know me. Except the 
 Chevalier Chaudoreille, mademoiselle has seen no 
 one ; as to the latter, he came this morning to give 
 her a music lesson." 
 
 " Oh, Chaudoreille isn't dangerous; but if some 
 student, some young page, should come in my ab- 
 sence and seek to see Blanche, remember to send 
 such heedless fellows away promptly." 
 
 "Yes, monsieur, yes. Oh, you may be easy. 
 Besides, hasn't the beautiful child always about her 
 a precious talisman which will preserve her from 
 all danger ? I defy ten gallants to turn her head 
 so long as she carries it, and I will see that she 
 does not leave it off." 
 
 "Watch, rather, that she does not open her 
 window ; that will be better. If that should hap- 
 pen, I should be obliged to give her the little room 
 which opens on the court." 
 
 " Ah, monsieur, Mademoiselle Blanche would 
 die there of weariness ; there one can barely see 
 the light, and the poor little thing does not go 
 out, and could only work during the daytime with 
 a candle." 
 
 " Unless she opens her window, it will be a long 
 time before she occupies it," said Touquet in a 
 low voice, making a sign to the servant to leave 
 him, which the latter did, saying,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 95 
 
 " What a misfortune not to have faith in talis- 
 mans 1 If monsieur believed in them, he would 
 not deprive that poor little thing of every amuse- 
 ment." 
 
 The barber had not been mistaken in judging 
 that the young man, who had had so much diffi- 
 culty in tearing himself away from the shop, was 
 a lover. 
 
 The Italian's song had so captivated Blanche's 
 ears that the young girl had stood close to her 
 casement, and had not budged from it during the 
 time that her music master had made his vari- 
 ations on the villanelle. At the same moment 
 Urbain was passing, and he had stopped to listen 
 to the music, and while listening his glance was 
 carried to Blanche's window. At first he had seen 
 nothing but some very small panes ; but at last, 
 through these panes, his eyes could distinguish 
 a face so pretty, eyes so blue and so full of the 
 pleasure that Blanche was experiencing, that the 
 young man had remained motionless, his looks 
 fixed upon that window, near which the charming 
 apparition remained. When the music ceased the 
 pretty face disappeared, and the young man had 
 said to himself, 
 
 " I was not in error ; there is an angel, a divin- 
 ity, in that house." 
 
 And as that angel, that divinity, lived in the 
 modest house of a barber, the bachelor had be- 
 lieved he should penetrate into the third heaven
 
 96 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 in entering Master Touquet's shop ; but he re- 
 turned to ideas more terrestrial on seeing nothing 
 but men who had come to be shaved, who had 
 about them nothing divine, despite all the es- 
 sences with which their chins were besmeared. 
 Urbain had glanced towards the back shop, hop- 
 ing to perceive the pretty figure of the first floor, 
 and had prolonged as much as possible his stay in 
 the barber's shop. We have witnessed the result 
 of his conversation with the barber. 
 
 The young man departed, very much out of 
 sorts ; he perceived that he had made a blunder 
 in questioning the barber, who was probably his 
 adored one's father; for the young men of that 
 time were inflamed with love as quickly as those 
 of today. He felt that before going into the shop 
 he should have obtained some information in the 
 neighborhood, and he decided to finish as he 
 should have begun. In all times the bakers have 
 had very correct ideas about their neighbors, be- 
 cause the neighbors are all obliged to go or to send 
 to the baker's. Urbain went into a shop at a little 
 distance, and while paying for some rolls entered 
 into conversation with the woman who was behind 
 the counter, a conversation in which all the ser- 
 vants who arrived at that moment took part. 
 " Do you know a barber in this street ? " 
 " A barber ? Yes, my good monsieur ; down 
 there at the corner of the Rue Saint-Honore, 
 Master Touquet. Has monsieur some business
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 97 
 
 with him ? Oh, he's a very skilful man at his trade, 
 and has made lots of money, by shaving beards, 
 or in some other way. What that is I won't pre- 
 tend to tell you. That's so isn't it, Madame 
 Ledoux?" 
 
 "It is true," said Madame Ledoux, resting a 
 basket of vegetables on the counter, " that Tou- 
 quet has not always enjoyed an excellent reputa- 
 tion. I have lived in the neighborhood for eight 
 years and, thank God, I know everything that has 
 passed here, all that everybody has done here, 
 and all that everybody is still doing; and that 
 reminds me that yesterday evening I saw Madame 
 Grippart come home at ten o'clock with a young 
 man, who left her in front of the grocer's shop 
 after having held her hand in his for more than 
 two hours, while that poor Grippart was peace- 
 fully slumbering, for he goes to bed at nine o'clock. 
 That doesn't trouble him ; he well deserves it, 
 for he went about everywhere saying that his wife 
 had a strong breath, and those things need not be 
 said. But to return to Master Touquet. Oh, 
 that's a sly blade, a crafty, cunning fellow. Fve 
 known him since he settled in this street; he's 
 been here nearly fifteen years. He rented the 
 house which belonged to M. Richard. You know, 
 my neighbor, the old cloth merchant r " 
 
 " The one whose wife had two fat, plump twins 
 seven months after they were married ? " 
 
 " Who didn't look at all like their father. It's 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 9 8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the same. Well, this Touquet was then barber, 
 bathkeeper and lodging-house keeper, and report 
 says that beside that he helped young men of fam- 
 ily in their love affairs. He then kept two shop- 
 men, and should have made money ; however, he 
 was for a long time miserably poor, since his shop- 
 men left him because he did not pay them. Every- 
 one was very much astonished ten years ago when 
 Touquet kept with him, and began to educate as 
 his own child, the daughter of a man whom he 
 did not know, who had come to lodge with him 
 by chance, and who was killed the same night in 
 a fight between some worthless fellows and the 
 officers of the watch. The poor man ! they found 
 his corpse down there, Rue Saint-Honore, be- 
 fore the draper's shop. Do you remember it, Ma- 
 dame Legras ? " 
 
 Madame Legras, who had just come into the 
 baker's shop, began by throwing herself on a chair 
 and crying, 
 
 " Good-day, ladies ! Good Heavens ! how dear 
 the fish is today, nobody can look at it." 
 
 And Urbain sighed, saying, " The fish will take 
 us away from the barber " ; but to advance in love 
 one must often have patience, and in the midst of 
 all this gossip that which concerned Touquet was 
 precious to the young bachelor. 
 
 " I wished to have an eel to feast my husband, 
 but it was impossible." 
 
 " Is it his birthday ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 99 
 
 u No ; but he took me yesterday for a walk 
 around the Bastile, and one compliment brings on 
 another. I can say with pride that there are few 
 households so united as ours. During the four 
 years that I have been married to my second hus- 
 band, M. Legras, we have quarrelled only five 
 times ; but that was always for some trifling cause. 
 What were you talking about, ladies ? " 
 
 " Of our neighbor Touquet, about whom this 
 gentleman desired some information." 
 
 " Touquet the barber ? My word, ladies, you 
 may say whatever you will, but I don't like that 
 man." 
 
 "He's a very handsome man, however." 
 
 " Yes, of the same height as M. Legras ; but 
 there is something hard and false and stern in his 
 appearance." 
 
 "Yes, for some time past; formerly he was 
 gayer, more open. Now monsieur never chats ; 
 he has grown proud." 
 
 " That's not surprising ; he has made money." 
 
 " Yes, by shaving beards perhaps." 
 
 " It's a good deal more likely he has made it 
 by assisting the love affairs of some great noble- 
 man, in procuring and abducting some beauty." 
 
 " Come, ladies, don't be so malicious. As for 
 me, you know I haven't a bad tongue. Touquet 
 is very skilful at his trade. I know very well that 
 in order to buy and pay for that house where he 
 now is he must have shaved a good many faces ;
 
 ioo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 but they say now the barber is very steady and 
 economical." 
 
 "When the devil is old " 
 
 " Touquet is not old ; he's hardly over forty 
 years." 
 
 " Adopting that little girl should have brought 
 him good luck." 
 
 " That's what I was telling monsieur. Poor lit- 
 tle thing ! Nobody knows anything about her, 
 except that she had a father." 
 
 "Well, neighbor, somebody found a letter on 
 him having for an address, 'To Monsieur Moran- 
 val, gentleman.' ' 
 
 " Ah, he was a gentleman ? " 
 
 " Yes, my dear. Oh, I remember all that as if 
 it were yesterday." 
 
 " How fortunate one is in having such a mem- 
 ory ! And what did the letter say ? " 
 
 "It seemed that there were only a few lines 
 of which nobody could make much of anything ; 
 someone recommended to this Moranval to take 
 great precautions in the business which brought 
 him to Paris. But what business ? Nobody knows 
 anything about it." 
 
 " Did they find nothing else on him ? " 
 
 " No ; there is little doubt that the poor man 
 was robbed after being murdered." 
 
 " Did they go to Touquet's to inquire what 
 he knew about it ? " 
 
 " Touquet answered the officers of justice that
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 101 
 
 the man had come down to his house the evening 
 before, and had introduced himself as a gentleman 
 who was about to remain for some time in Paris ; 
 that he had first asked him to put his little girl to 
 bed, and that later he had gone out, saying he 
 should be absent for an hour or so. Touquet 
 had waited up for him a great part of the night, 
 and it was not till the next day that he learned 
 from public rumor that a man had been found 
 murdered in the Rue Saint-Honore, a short dis- 
 tance from his house ; that, being already uneasy 
 about his guest, he had gone to see the victim, and 
 had recognized the man who had arrived at his 
 place the evening before." 
 
 " I hope that's a history. Unfortunately, one 
 hears only too many similar stories. Ours are really 
 cut-throat streets, and it is not well, after nine 
 o'clock, to be out in them. The gentlemen of the 
 parliament make decrees often enough, but it 
 doesn't do much good. A little while ago, it seems 
 a counsellor of the Chamber of Investigation was 
 similarly murdered. The parliament has just pro- 
 mulgated a new ordinance against these worthless 
 fellows haven't they, monsieur ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Urbain ; " the public prosecutor 
 has just complained of murders, assassinations and 
 robberies, which take place every day, as many 
 upon the highways as in the city or the suburbs, by 
 armed persons who forcibly break into houses, and 
 that through the negligence of the police officers
 
 102 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 who do not properly perform their duty. Parlia- 
 ment yesterday passed a new decree, ordering that 
 vagabonds, men of bad character, and robbers, 
 should vacate the city and the faubourgs of Paris 
 within twenty-four hours." 
 
 "Well, you'll see, tonight we shall hear a bigger 
 rumpus than ever." 
 
 " And the barber Touquet is not married ? " re- 
 sumed Urbain, who wished to return to the sub- 
 ject of conversation which was interesting to him. 
 
 " No, he's a bachelor," said Madame Ledoux. 
 
 " And this young girl that lodges with him " 
 
 " She's the little one whom he adopted." 
 
 " She had no other protectors ? " 
 
 "What could you expect, since nobody knew 
 her parents ? Touquet has, they say, taken very 
 good care of her; I will do him the justice to say 
 that. He has taken into his house, to wait on the 
 little one, a servant, old Marguerite, a gossip, who 
 is always seeking for preservatives against the wind, 
 the thunder, the sorcerers, or even for talismans to 
 guard her dear Blanche against the snares of the 
 gallants." 
 
 " Blanche, then, is the name of the young girl?" 
 
 "Yes; that is her name." 
 
 "And this old woman is the only one about 
 her?" 
 
 " Mercy ! isn't that enough ? Besides, the little 
 one never goes out, and no one ever sees her even 
 put her nose out of the window."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 103 
 
 " Tell me, ladies, don't you think, with me, that 
 the barber has brought up this pretty child for 
 himself, and that he would not take so much care 
 of her unless he was in love with her ? " 
 
 " Indeed, that might very well be possible. Tou- 
 quet is still young, and perhaps wishes to marry 
 her." 
 
 " Nonsense ! I don't believe that ; and besides, 
 they say that the young person is not good-look- 
 ing. I have heard it said by an ugly little thin 
 man, with a long sword, who is often at the bar- 
 ber's shop, that the orphan is very ugly." 
 
 " Ugly ! " cried Urbain quickly. " That's a 
 frightful lie ! " 
 
 " Ah, monsieur has seen her, then ? " immedi- 
 ately said the gossips, looking at the young man 
 with a mischievous air. 
 
 The latter felt that he had committed an im- 
 prudence ; but having nothing more to learn from 
 these dames, he made them a low bow and left the 
 shop, leaving the gossips to talk among them- 
 selves. 
 
 " Well, if he hasn't gone, and he didn't tell us 
 what he wanted with Touquet." 
 
 But Urbain had learned enough ; and while 
 directing his steps toward the Rue Montmartre, 
 where he dwelt, our lover cogitated thus : 
 
 " She's not the barber's daughter ; he has stood 
 to her in place of a father, but he has no rights 
 over her except those accorded to a benefactor by
 
 io 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 a grateful heart. She's the daughter of a gentleman, 
 which is much better ; my father was a gentleman 
 also, who valiantly fought under King Henry. 
 The old soldiers still remember Captain Dorge- 
 ville, and the name which he has transmitted to 
 me is pure and without stain. I am alone in the 
 world ; I am my own master. Like her I have 
 no parents, for a year ago death deprived me of 
 my good mother. My fortune is very moderate, 
 twelve hundred livres income and a little house 
 by the seaside. That is all my father left me ; but 
 she has nothing more, and by working I could ren- 
 der her happy. I am about to take my bachelor's 
 degree, but I shall now leave this unfruitful career ; 
 science brings fortune too slowly. I don't know, 
 however, if I could please her. Yes, that's the first 
 task with which I should occupy myself. If she 
 loves me, I will ask her hand of the barber. He 
 will wish to assure her happiness ; he could not 
 refuse me unless he himself If these women said 
 rightly he is in love with her. The hard tone with 
 which he answered me this morning, his refusal to 
 lodge me in his house, make me believe it. And 
 that wretch who dared to say that she was ugly ! 
 when object more enchanting never met my eyes. 
 Ah, it wasn't of her he was speaking. If such a 
 thing could happen, I should like to see her, to 
 tell her of the love which she has inspired ; and, if 
 I could manage to please her, nothing then could 
 prevent me from becoming her husband."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 105 
 
 These were, somebody will say, very foolish 
 plans concerning a young girl whose face one had 
 only perceived through some very dim window- 
 panes ; and it was on the possession of this almost 
 ideal object that Urbain already based the happi- 
 ness of his life. But let us look back on our own 
 lives. We were hardly more reasonable, happy 
 if between us and the chimeras which enchanted 
 us there was nothing thicker than a pane of glass.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 INTRIGUES THICKEN 
 
 CHAUDOREILLE now started off at a great pace 
 towards the city. The ten crowns which he felt 
 in his purse, on which he prudently kept his 
 hand while walking, caused him to hold his head 
 even more arrogantly than he usually did. He 
 had placed his little hat over his left eye in such 
 a manner that the old red feather with which it 
 was adorned fell precisely over his right eye, and 
 as he walked mincingly along, at each step that 
 he took the chevalier could thus enjoy the wav- 
 ing of his ridiculous plume. 
 
 Never had the Chevalier de Chaudoreille felt 
 so clever, so inordinately satisfied with himself. 
 Blanche's image, so sweet, so beautiful, her de- 
 lightful manner, which possessed all the innocent 
 witchery of girlhood, was still before his eyes, 
 and as he was never lacking in confidence as to 
 his own merits, he readily persuaded himself that 
 the young beauty could not see him with indiffer- 
 ence, and was even a little taken with him. On 
 the other hand, the enterprise with which he was 
 charged by the barber, as the agent of the Mar- 
 quis de Villebelle, flattered his self-love. He 
 
 106
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 107 
 
 believed himself the friend, the confidant, of the 
 Marquis de Villebelle, although the latter had 
 never spoken to him ; but he thought that the 
 adroitness with which he would serve him in his 
 amorous plan would be sooner or later known to 
 the great nobleman and would win his favor. Full 
 of this idea, he hastened to reach the shop of which 
 Touquet had spoken. Before entering, Chaudo- 
 reille resumed to himself, 
 
 "One mustn't go in here," said he, "looking like 
 a snob, and turn the shop upside down without 
 buying anything. I must not forget that I am sent 
 by a great personage. They have given me ten 
 crowns on account, as the price of my services, but 
 I can very well spend twenty-four sous." 
 
 This determination taken, he opened the door 
 of the shop and entered nimbly ; but in wheeling 
 round in order to appear more graceful and to bow 
 at the same time to the right and left, he sent Ro- 
 lande's scabbard through one of the panes of the 
 glass door, and it broke in a thousand pieces. 
 
 Chaudoreille's face lengthened and he felt some 
 confusion, for he calculated that the price of the 
 pane already exceeded the sum he had intended to 
 lay out. Two young persons seated behind the 
 counter burst into laughter, while an old woman 
 placed opposite murmured between her teeth, 
 
 " He must be very awkward." 
 
 " I will pay for it," said Chaudoreille at last, 
 heaving a big sigh.
 
 io8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Indeed I should hope so," responded the 
 shopkeeper ; " but has anyone ever seen a man 
 carry a sword bigger than himself? " 
 
 At these words the chevalier drew himself up 
 and stood on his tiptoes, and glanced angrily at the 
 old woman. 
 
 " It's very astonishing," said he, " that anyone 
 should permit herself such reflections. I carry the 
 weapon that suits me, and if a bearded chin had 
 said the same thing to me, my sword would have 
 immediately taken the measure of his body." 
 
 " I didn't intend to say anything to make you 
 angry," replied the shopkeeper, softening ; " only 
 it seemed to me that that long sword would em- 
 barrass you in walking." 
 
 " Embarrass me ! That is a different thing," and 
 Chaudoreille turned his back to the shopkeeper to 
 approach the young ladies, saying to himself, 
 
 " I didn't come here to discuss the length of my 
 sword. Let's leave this woman's twaddle." 
 
 " What do you wish, monsieur ? " said a young, 
 squint-eyed girl, with a flat nose, thick lips and 
 crooked chin, whose dark-red skin seemed covered 
 with a coat of varnish. 
 
 Chaudoreille looked at her for some moments, 
 saying to himself, 
 
 " By jingo ! she's not very much like the por- 
 trait of the little one which they gave me. It's true 
 that love is blind, and that great noblemen like 
 original faces."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 109 
 
 But after looking at the person who addressed 
 him, Chaudoreille glanced a little farther and per- 
 ceived another woman measuring some ribbons. 
 At the first glance the barber's messenger recog- 
 nized the young girl whose portrait had been 
 drawn for him. She was all Touquet had painted 
 her, though he could not then see the color of her 
 eyes, which were bent on the ribbon. Chaudoreille 
 approached her and, bowing graciously, said to 
 himself, 
 
 " This is our affair. I have an astonishing tact 
 for divining correctly. Other people hesitate for 
 an hour ; but I recognize immediately those who 
 have been pointed out to me, and I am never de- 
 ceived. Here are some delightful ribbons," said 
 Chaudoreille, leaning on the counter, carelessly 
 caressing his chin, and trying to imitate the free 
 manners and impertinent tone of the profligates of 
 the day. 
 
 The young girl then raised her eyes to the 
 chevalier; their brightness, their expression, ar- 
 rested Chaudoreille in the midst of a compliment 
 from which he expected the most happy results. 
 
 " By jingo ! what a glance ! what fire ! " said 
 he, taking a step backward, while the damsel con- 
 tinued to look at him. 
 
 In order to enchant her he attempted to turn 
 a light pirouette, in which Rolande's scabbard just 
 missed putting out the eye of the cat, which was 
 lying on a neighboring stool. A mocking smile
 
 no THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 played on the lips of the young girl, who said, 
 " What ribbon does monsieur wish ? " 
 
 " What ribbon ? My faith ! I don't much know. 
 Something to match the rest of my costume. It 
 is to make a knot for Rolande." 
 
 " And who is Rolande, monsieur ? " 
 
 " My sword, beautiful brunette, which I will 
 pass through the body of him who denies that 
 you have the most beautiful eyes in the world." 
 
 Delighted at his compliment, Chaudoreille said 
 to himself in an undertone, 
 
 " Take care ; we mustn't go too far, or be too 
 amiable ; I must not forget that I did not come 
 here on my own account. This young girl ap- 
 pears somewhat smitten, from the way she looks at 
 me. Zounds ! if I had a ruff I would with good- 
 will cheat the Marquis de Villebelle of the little 
 one. Come, Chaudoreille, hide your charms if you 
 can ; don't dart your glances at this pretty per- 
 son, and hasten to tell her that she must not oc- 
 cupy herself with you." 
 
 While saying this Chaudoreille unrolled and ex- 
 amined twenty different ribbons, approaching them 
 to the handle of his sword and throwing from 
 time to time a glance about him, to assure him- 
 self that he could speak without being heard by 
 the other two women in the shop. 
 
 This manoeuvre did not escape the eyes of the 
 young girl, who smiled, and seemed to wait for 
 Chaudoreille to explain himself. Happily for
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK in 
 
 Chaudoreille, two people came into the shop, and 
 while the old woman and the other damsel were 
 serving them, he opened a conversation in a low 
 tone. 
 
 " I did not come here only to buy a ribbon, 
 celestial merchant." 
 
 " If you wish anything else, speak, monsieur, 
 and you shall be served." 
 
 " Julia, have you not finished with monsieur ? " 
 said the old woman impatiently, looking angrily 
 at the long falchion of the chevalier, which, every 
 time he moved, threatened her cat's eyes. 
 
 " Monsieur has not decided yet," answered 
 Julia, while Chaudoreille cried with an imperti- 
 nent air, 
 
 "It seems to me that I should be allowed to 
 choose my own colors. When a man like me comes 
 into a shop, one should, my good woman, keep him 
 there as long as possible ; if you wish to have my 
 custom, leave me to chat as much as I please with 
 this beautiful child." 
 
 This insolent mode of speech was then so much 
 in fashion, that she remained silent, in place of 
 putting the chevalier out, as would be done now 
 to a coxcomb who behaved like Chaudoreille. 
 
 " Oh, by jingo ! if one did not keep these little 
 shopkeepers in their place I believe they would 
 permit themselves to make observations to us," 
 said Chaudoreille, approaching for the twentieth 
 time a gold-colored ribbon to his doublet. " This
 
 ii2 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 color goes very well with my cloak. What do you 
 think of it, adorable damsel ? " 
 
 " I think that these ribbons are too fresh to 
 blend with monsieur's clothing, and that that one 
 swears at them." 
 
 " I confess that the velvet of my jerkin is a 
 little tarnished, but what could you expect ? When 
 a man fights he necessarily attracts dust and pow- 
 der. Here's a cloak that I've not had more than 
 six weeks, and I'll wager that you would say it 
 had been worn for some months." 
 
 "Decide on your ribbon, monsieur," said the 
 young girl, without answering. 
 
 "Give me a gold-colored rosette," said Chau- 
 doreille ; and he added in a mysterious tone, " I 
 have something very important to communicate 
 to you." 
 
 " I doubt it," said Julia. 
 
 "Come," said Chaudoreille to himself, "I'll 
 wager that she believes that I'm in love with her 
 and is impatiently awaiting my declaration. I'm 
 incorrigible ; I let myself go, and I have turned 
 her head without even perceiving it. Let us has- 
 ten to disabuse her. No, beautiful brunette, you 
 need not doubt it," responded he, lowering his 
 eyes with a coquettish air ; " I ought to confess 
 to you that it is not of myself that I seek you, 
 and that I am only the ambassador of Love, when 
 you would have taken me for Love himself." 
 
 Julia's hearty laughter prevented Chaudoreille
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 113 
 
 from continuing, and he did not know at first how 
 to take this excessive gayety ; but his self-love al- 
 ways made him place things to his own advantage, 
 and he decided to laugh also, while saying in a low 
 tone to the young girl, 
 
 " Isn't it very funny to behold in me a lover's 
 messenger ? I, who could cheat them all of their 
 conquests. It's a great joke, in truth." 
 
 " Come, monsieur ambassador, give me your mes- 
 sage," said Julia, looking pityingly at the envoy. 
 
 Chaudoreille threw a glance all around him, put 
 a finger on his mouth, examined the persons who 
 were in the shop, pushed from him a stool on 
 which the cat was lying, then leaning toward Julia 
 with the air of a conspirator, he whispered in her 
 ear, 
 
 " A great lord sent me to you. He's a rich and 
 powerful man ; he's a personage in favor ; he's 
 the gallant who " 
 
 " He's the Marquis de Villebelle," said Julia 
 impatiently. " I've known him for a long time. 
 What does he want with me ? What has he bid- 
 den you say to me ? Come, monsieur, speak." 
 
 " It must be that I am very adroit," said Chau- 
 doreille, " when without my speaking she divines 
 everything that I wish to say to her. Since you 
 know his name," resumed he, again approaching 
 his face to Julia's ear, the latter brusquely pushing 
 him away, " I have no need of telling you. This 
 great nobleman adores you." 
 
 Voi.vn
 
 ii 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Undoubtedly he did not employ you to ex- 
 press his sentiments." 
 
 " No, but he sent me to ask you to meet him. 
 If you do not accord him this favor, he will set 
 fire to the four corners of this street, that he may 
 have the pleasure of saving you, fair Julia, for 
 it is thus I believe that you are called, which 
 makes me think that you are not French. Have 
 I rightly divined ? " 
 
 " Has anyone commissioned you to ask that 
 question ? " asked Julia, looking at Chaudoreille 
 disdainfully. 
 
 The latter bit his lips, put his left hand on his 
 hip, and said in a bass voice, 
 
 "What shall I say to the noble Marquis de 
 Villebelle, of whom I am the intimate confidant, 
 and whom I represent at this moment ? " 
 
 "Tell him to choose his messengers better," 
 said Julia in a dry tone. 
 
 " I was sure of it," said Chaudoreille, taking 
 some steps backward ; " she has fallen in love with 
 me ; it is my personal attractions that have played 
 me this trick. All this is very disagreeable ; I 
 should have disguised myself a little, or at least 
 should not have permitted my eyes to make fresh 
 wounds. There is money to be got here. By 
 jingo ! I must not lose sight of that ; " and Chau- 
 doreille repeated to Julia, not allowing her, as a 
 matter of prudence, to see more than his pro- 
 file,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 115 
 
 " What shall I say to the marquis ? Where will 
 you walk tomorrow evening ? " 
 
 The young girl waited for some moments in 
 silence, appearing to reflect deeply ; while Chau- 
 doreille fingered his purse, very anxious as to her 
 answer, and saying to himself, 
 
 "In any case, I shall not give them back the 
 ten crowns. 
 
 "Tomorrow evening at eight o'clock, on the 
 Pont de la Tournelle," said the young Italian at 
 last ; for Julia, in fact, was not French. 
 
 " 'Tis enough," responded Chaudoreille, con- 
 tinuing to hold himself in such a manner as to 
 show only his profile ; " I have nothing more to 
 ask of you ; let us part, for fear the sight of me 
 make you change your resolution." 
 
 The messenger already had hold of the knob 
 of the door when Julia recalled him. 
 
 "You have forgotten to pay for your ribbon, 
 monsieur." 
 
 " By Jove ! that's true. What the devil has got 
 me? I'm as stupid as possible." 
 
 While saying this Chaudoreille drew forth his 
 purse, rattling the ten crowns that it held as loudly 
 as possible, counting and recounting them several 
 times in his hand. 
 
 " I don't know if I have any change about me," 
 said he. " Ordinarily I carry nothing but gold, 
 it is so much lighter. How much is it, beautiful 
 merchant ? "
 
 n6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Thirty sous, monsieur." 
 
 " Thirty sous for a rosette ! " cried Chaudo- 
 reille to himself, making a grimace, and putting 
 the coins back in his purse. " That seems to me 
 a considerable price. You must notice that the 
 ribbon is very narrow." 
 
 " For a man who carries nothing but gold," 
 said Julia, " I am astonished that monsieur should 
 bargain over such a trifle." 
 
 " I'm not bargaining; but still it seems to me 
 that you might knock something off, and that for 
 twenty-four sous one ought to have a superb ro- 
 sette. No matter; I'll pay it with a good grace; 
 give me my change." 
 
 He presented one of the crowns with a sigh, 
 and while Julia was counting out his change he 
 fastened the gold-colored rosette to Rolande's 
 handle. The effect that the ribbon would produce 
 somewhat mitigated his regrets at [paying thirty 
 sous for it. He took the money, and, recalling to 
 himself that they could ask him to pay for some- 
 thing else, he ran to the door, darted into the 
 street and disappeared as quickly as possible. 
 
 "And my window-pane," said the old shop- 
 keeper, " did he pay for my pane ? " 
 
 " Ah, mon Dieu ! no, madame," answered Julia. 
 
 " I was sure of it. Run, my good girls, run as 
 fast as you can. That wicked coxcomb, trying to 
 pky the spark, with his old threadbare mantle, 
 with his old feather that I wouldn't take to dust
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 117 
 
 my shelves ! He turned everything upside down 
 here, and just barely missed putting out my cat's 
 eyes ; he was impertinent to me, bargained for two 
 hours over a rosette, and ran away without pay- 
 ing for the pane. He's some pickpocket, some 
 cutpurse." 
 
 The two damsels opened the shop door and 
 looked down the street, but could see nothing of 
 monsieur le chevalier. 
 
 " It's my fault, madame," said Julia ; " I should 
 have asked him for the price of the window. I 
 will pay for it." 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle; that will teach you an- 
 other time not to listen to the conversation of 
 these gentlemen who make so much trouble and 
 haven't a sou in their pockets." 
 
 The young Italian did not answer. It is prob- 
 able that at that moment she was not interested 
 in the pane of glass or in Chaudoreille. 
 
 Night approached. For some hours all had been 
 silent in the barber's shop ; for he, following his 
 habitual custom, had closed his shutters as soon 
 as day declined, since he was not in the habit of 
 receiving strangers and waited on no customers 
 in the evening. This was the time that Touquet 
 had chosen for his dinner hour, although people 
 commonly took this meal much earlier. The bar- 
 ber's dinner, therefore, also passed for a supper. 
 
 As soon as Marguerite called from her kitchen, 
 " We are waiting for you, mademoiselle," Blanche
 
 nS THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 left her room and quickly went down into the 
 lower room where the meal was served. Touquet 
 dined with the young girl. This was the moment 
 of the day when they were longest together, al- 
 though the barber always appeared to wish to 
 abridge the time as much as possible, remaining at 
 the table only as long as was absolutely necessary 
 in order to satisfy his appetite, and answering only 
 in monosyllables to all that Blanche said to him, 
 so as not to prolong the duration of the repast. 
 
 This time the barber was, as usual, seated near 
 the hearth, waiting for Blanche to come down; 
 but when she appeared, contrary to his custom, 
 he raised his eyes to the young girl and seemed 
 to wish to read hers. Surprised at being thus 
 regarded by him whose looks had always evaded 
 her smile, Blanche involuntarily lowered her eyes, 
 which beamed with truth and innocence, and a 
 little more color appeared in her cheeks ; for the 
 barber's look was more piercing than usual. 
 
 Touquet already seemed reassured. The ex- 
 pression of Blanche's features had dissipated the 
 uneasiness which he had felt ; he placed himself 
 at the table and made a sign to the lovely girl to 
 take her accustomed place. The meal seemed as 
 though it would pass in silence as usual ; Marguer- 
 ite only, while changing the dishes, ventured some 
 remarks, to which Blanche answered a few words. 
 
 But all of a sudden the young girl appeared to 
 recall an agreeable idea, and cried,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 119 
 
 " My friend, did you hear the music this morn- 
 ing?" 
 
 " The music," said Touquet, glancing furtively 
 at Blanche ; " yes, I believe I heard it." 
 
 " Oh, it was so pretty ! They sang in Italian 
 at first ; then afterwards in French, a romance. 
 Wait ; I believe I can remember the refrain," and 
 Blanche sang with expression, 
 
 I love to eternity, 
 My darling is all to me." 
 
 The barber knitted his thick eyebrows while 
 listening to Blanche. 
 
 " What ! you have already learned the ro- 
 mance ? " said he in an ironical tone. 
 
 " No, not all the romance ; the refrain only." 
 
 " And that was the first time you had heard it ? " 
 
 " Yes, monsieur." 
 
 " Did you open your window then ? " 
 
 " No, though I should very much have liked 
 to do so ; but I glued myself against the window 
 so as to hear better." 
 
 " And to see better, no doubt." 
 
 " See ! Oh, I like to hear much better," an- 
 swered Blanche, almost frightened at the barber's 
 glance. 
 
 " Are there no curtains at your window ? " asked 
 Touquet in a moment. 
 
 "Yes, monsieur, there are curtains," answered 
 the young girl timidly.
 
 120 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Blanche, I've told you that I don't like you 
 to expose yourself to the oglings of the coxcombs 
 who pass and repass in the street." 
 
 " But, my friend, can anyone see me through 
 the windows ? " 
 
 "Yes; no doubt of it." 
 
 " Oh, well, my friend, if that displeases you, I 
 won't go to the window again." 
 
 Touched by Blanche's sweetness, the barber 
 assumed a less severe expression, and, rising from 
 the table, he said, almost kindly, 
 
 " Go back to your room, Blanche ; I will try 
 soon to render your life less monotonous. Yes, I 
 feel that you cannot continually remain in such 
 dull retirement." 
 
 " Why, I am all right, my friend ; and if I could 
 only learn that romance altogether, but M. Chau- 
 doreille only sings me his villanelle, and that is not 
 amusing." 
 
 " I will buy you some others." 
 
 " Oh, try to get me the one I heard this morn- 
 ing, 
 
 I love to eternity. 
 
 Can you remember it ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes ; I will remember it. But I am 
 waiting for someone to come ; go upstairs to your 
 room." 
 
 Blanche curtseyed to the barber and gayly went 
 up to her room, while Touquet said to himself, 
 following her with his eyes, -
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 121 
 
 " Come, I was wrong to make myself uneasy ; 
 she knows nothing of him." 
 
 An hour after this conversation somebody 
 knocked at the barber's door and Marguerite 
 admitted Chaudoreille, who came into the lower 
 room with the important air of a man who is very 
 well pleased with himself. 
 
 "You're very late," said Touquet, signing to 
 him to seat himself. 
 
 "Why, what the deuce, my dear fellow! Do 
 you think that these affairs are so speedily ar- 
 ranged ? " 
 
 " I don't believe, however, that you've been all 
 this time in the shop where I sent you." 
 
 " No, undoubtedly ; but I passed a greater part 
 of the time there. After that it was necessary for 
 me to have some dinner, for you did not invite 
 me to partake of yours, I believe." 
 
 "Well, were you successful? Give me an ac- 
 count of your mission." 
 
 " I went there. Wait, while I dry my forehead 
 a little." 
 
 The barber made a movement of impatience 
 and Chaudoreille passed over his face a little silk 
 handkerchief, which for prudence' sake he never 
 unrolled. After emitting some exclamations of 
 fatigue, during which Touquet impatiently stamped 
 his foot, he commenced his story. 
 
 " To go to that place in the city I could take 
 two roads ; I don't know but I could take three."
 
 122 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " You wretch ! take a dozen if you like, but 
 get there." 
 
 "It was necessary for me to get there, and then 
 to return here. I decided on going by the Pont- 
 Neuf, then down the quay into the street. You 
 know, where they sell such good tarts." 
 
 " Chaudoreille, you're mocking at me." 
 
 "No, I'm not; but it seemed to me I should 
 tell you everything that I did. But you are so pet- 
 ulant. Finally, I took the shortest way. I went 
 into the shop where the young girl works." 
 
 " That's good luck." 
 
 " I entered with that grace which characterizes 
 me ; I bowed first to an old woman who was on 
 the right, and afterwards bowed to two young 
 girls who were on the left. In the middle of the 
 shop I saw nobody but a cat sleeping on a stool." 
 
 " No doubt you bowed to the cat also." 
 
 " Oh, if you interrupt me I shall get all mixed 
 up. They asked me what I wanted ; I answered, 
 dissembling my designs, 'Let me see some rib- 
 bons.' They showed me some reds, some blues, 
 some greens, some yellows, some oranges ; during 
 this time I examined the two little ones. As nature 
 has endowed me with a penetrating eye, I recog- 
 nized immediately the one you depicted for me." 
 
 " You spoke to her? " 
 
 " A moment and you shall see how I conducted 
 the matter. I was sufficiently adroit to get her to 
 serve me. She asked me what color I had decided
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 123 
 
 upon ; but I, with careful cunning, did not de- 
 cide in order that I might prolong the conversa- 
 tion. At last, by a happy chance, some other 
 people came into the shop ; then we were less 
 observed." 
 
 "And you told her what had brought you there?" 
 
 " I decided first for a gold color, and I got her 
 to make a rosette for Rolande. Wait; don't you 
 think this becomes me well? " 
 
 So saying, Chaudoreille rose and put his sword 
 near Touquet's face, who pushed the chevalier 
 rather brusquely into his seat, exclaiming, 
 
 "If I didn't restrain myself I should break 
 every bone in your body to teach you not to abuse 
 my patience thus." 
 
 "There's no pleasure in conducting an intrigue 
 with you," said Chaudoreille, a little disconcerted 
 at being reseated so heavily ; " but if you wish 
 that I should come to the facts, here I am. I made 
 known to her the intentions of the Marquis de 
 Villebelle." 
 
 " His intentions ? I didn't communicate them 
 to you." 
 
 " That is to say, his love, his passion. At last 
 I demanded a meeting for tomorrow evening." 
 
 " Well, what then ? " 
 
 " She hesitated for a long time, reflected for a 
 long time ; then I redoubled my eloquence ; I 
 pictured the marquis dying of despair if she re- 
 pulsed his vows."
 
 i2 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Idiot ! was that necessary ? " 
 
 " Yes, certainly ; it was highly necessary ; the 
 little one was weighing it." 
 
 " Did she make any wry faces ? " 
 
 ** No ; on the contrary, she gave me the most 
 interesting glances." 
 
 " Finally, is she coming ? " 
 
 " Yes, by jingo ! she's coming. Yes ; but it 
 took me to decide her." 
 
 " Tomorrow evening ? " 
 
 c< Yes, at eight o'clock." 
 
 "Where is she to be?" 
 
 " On the Pont de la Tournelle." 
 
 " That's good." 
 
 " As soon as I had got her answer, I attached 
 my rosette." 
 
 " Excuse me from the rest ; I know enough." 
 
 " You must know that in bowing too precipi- 
 tately I broke a pane, for which they made me 
 pay a crown, and for which I hope I shall be reim- 
 bursed. Ah, that's not all ; I know that the lady 
 is named Julia, and also that she is an Italian. 
 You see I did not lose any time. Are you pleased 
 with me ? " 
 
 "Yes, it's not so bad," said Touquet, with a 
 less gloomy expression, approaching a table on 
 which Marguerite had, according to her usual cus- 
 tom, placed some cups and a pewter pot full of 
 wine. " Stop your eternal chatter; I'm well enough 
 pleased with you. Drink a cup of wine."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 125 
 
 "You call exactitude of detail chatter," said 
 Chaudoreille, filling one of the cups up to the 
 brim ; " but I was trying to show you that I did 
 not steal the money which you gave me. As for 
 the pane of glass, I had to make that circumstance 
 known to you, for I had only nine crowns remain- 
 ing. Ah, I forgot ; the gold-colored rosette cost 
 me two crowns, so I've only received seven." 
 
 " Two crowns for that miserable knot," said 
 the barber, glancing mockingly at the handle of 
 the sword. " Chaudoreille, you have missed your 
 vocation ; you should be a steward ; you know 
 how to swell your bills." 
 
 "What must I understand by these words, I 
 beg of you ? " 
 
 "That that rosette did not cost over fifteen 
 sous." 
 
 " Yes, for a passer-by, for an unknown, perhaps ; 
 but when one represents a great nobleman, shop- 
 keepers fleece him, and I didn't believe that 
 I should haggle. If anyone had asked me three 
 times the price, I should have given it without 
 uttering a word." 
 
 " Calm yourself," said Touquet, smiling at the 
 heat with which Chaudoreille tried to prove that 
 he had spent three crowns ; " we must reimburse 
 you for your ruff." 
 
 " Oh, I'm not uneasy about that, but what shall 
 I do tomorrow ? Shall I go to the rendezvous ? 
 Shall I carry off the little one ? "
 
 126 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " No ; that concerns me only. I can trust you 
 to startle the game for me, but I don't think 
 proper to let you bring it down." 
 
 " You know me very little still, my dear Tou- 
 quet. I believe that you should render more jus- 
 tice to my adroitness and my valor. If you knew 
 how many intrigues I have drawn to a successful 
 end ! It's necessary to see me in moments of diffi- 
 culty. I take precedence over everybody ; I would 
 abduct a Venus under the eyes of Mars, and all 
 the Vulcans would not make me afraid." 
 
 " I don't doubt it, but I don't want to put you 
 to the proof." 
 
 " All the worse for you, for you would see some 
 very surprising things. No obstacle would stop 
 me ; when I'm excited I'm an Achilles. Wait ; I 
 should just like once, by chance, that you should 
 find yourself in some danger, that you should have 
 need of help ; then, as quick as lightning, with Ro- 
 lande in my hand " 
 
 At this moment a noise was heard in the street, 
 and Touquet, squeezing Chaudoreille's arm ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " Be quiet ! be quiet ! I hear something." 
 
 " What does it matter to us what they are doing 
 in the street? There are, perhaps, some young 
 men laughing and amusing themselves. Let them 
 do it. I tell you, then, that, brandishing my re- 
 doubtable sword " 
 
 " Be quiet, then, stupid," resumed the barber,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 127 
 
 holding the chevalier's arm still more tightly; 
 " they are beginning again." 
 
 They then distinctly heard the sound of a guitar 
 which someone was playing near the house. 
 
 "Someone who loves music," said Chaudoreille. 
 
 " Hush ! let us listen," said Touquet, whose 
 features expressed the most lively anxiety, while 
 the chevalier murmured in a bass voice, 
 
 " They don't play at all well ; they have need 
 of some of my lessons." 
 
 Almost immediately a voice was heard which, 
 accompanied by the guitar, sang a tender romance, 
 of which the refrain recalled to the barber the 
 words which Blanche had quoted to him. 
 
 " No more doubt of it," said Touquet, rising 
 suddenly ; " they are singing to her. Ah, reckless 
 fellow, I'll go and take away from you all desire 
 to return here." 
 
 While saying these words the barber ran to get 
 his poniard, which hung over the fireplace, while 
 Chaudoreille changed color and murmured, 
 
 " What the devil is the matter with you ? What 
 are you going to do ? and who are you going to do 
 it to?" 
 
 " To an insolent fellow who is in front of this 
 house. Come, Chaudoreille ; follow me. If there 
 were ten of them, they should have the pleasure 
 of feeling my poniard. You shall also have the 
 pleasure of chasing and chastising these black- 
 guards."
 
 128 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 While saying this Touquet ran into the shop 
 and hastened to open the door, being by that 
 means sooner in the street than if he had gone by 
 the passageway. While he precipitately drew the 
 bolts, Chaudoreille rose with a good deal of fury 
 and ran three times round the hall, crying, 
 
 " Where the. devil have I laid my sword ? " 
 
 This feat accomplished, he perceived that Ro- 
 lande had not left his side, and cried to Touquet, 
 who could not hear him, 
 
 "Stupid that I am ! In my hurry I did not see 
 him. I am with you ; I have only to draw him 
 from the scabbard. Come then, Rolande. It 
 b this cursed knot which holds him. Plague be 
 on the rosette ! Touquet, here I am ; amuse them 
 a little until I can draw Rolande from the scab- 
 bard." 
 
 But the barber was already in the street, while 
 Chaudoreille remained at the back of the room, ap- 
 pearing to be making futile efforts to draw his 
 sword, crying all the while, 
 
 " I am with you ! Cursed rosette ! Without it 
 I should have already killed five or six."
 
 IT was really for little Blanche that somebody 
 was singing and accompanying himself on the gui- 
 tar. Lovers are the most imprudent of mortals. 
 Urbain in loving Blanche was experiencing love 
 for the first time, for he would have scorned to 
 have given the name of love to those momentary 
 caprices of the fancy which are extinguished as 
 soon as gratified ; and even at the early date at 
 which we are writing, the young men permitted 
 themselves to have such whims ; but when they 
 loved truly that lasted in those good old times, 
 or so they say, much longer than it does to-day, 
 at least among the little shopkeepers. The great 
 have always had their privileges, in love as in 
 everything else. 
 
 A first love causes one to commit many impru- 
 dences ; but the second time that one's heart is 
 assailed by the tender passion, one has a little 
 more experience ; and the third time, one knows 
 how to hide his play. It is necessary to become 
 habituated to everything ; and if women do not 
 invariably hold to their first love, are not invari- 
 ably faithful to it, it is only that they may acquire 
 
 Vol. VII 199
 
 130 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 this habituation, and it would ill become us to 
 call it a crime in them. 
 
 But Urbain disturbed himself very little, as it 
 will appear; he had unceasingly before his eyes 
 the face of the enchantress he had perceived at the 
 window, and he ardently desired to see her when 
 there should be nothing between them. What he 
 had heard from the gossips of the neighborhood 
 had strengthened his hope and perhaps added to 
 the feeling he already experienced for her, for there 
 was something romantic in the history of the 
 young orphan ; extraordinary events inflame the 
 imagination, and that of a lover takes fire very 
 easily. 
 
 But before seeking to surmount the obstacles 
 which stood in the way of gaining the one he loved 
 it was first necessary to obtain her love, without 
 which all his plans could avail him nothing. One 
 may brave the jealousy of a rival, the watchfulness 
 of a tutor, anger, vengeance, and the daggers of a 
 thousand Arguses ; but one cannot brave the in- 
 difference of the beloved object. Before that ob- 
 stacle all prospects of happiness vanish. A very 
 much smitten lover wishes to find a heart which 
 responds to his own. That brutal love which is 
 satisfied with the possession of the body, without 
 caring for that of the soul, could only exist among 
 the petty tyrants of former times, who plundered 
 travellers and achieved the conquest of women 
 at the point of the sword; then, putting their
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 131 
 
 victims behind them on their horses, as a cus- 
 tom-house officer possesses himself of contraband 
 goods, went off to enjoy themselves with their 
 booty in the depths of their fastness, troubling 
 themselves very little that the unhappy creatures 
 responded to their loathsome caresses only with 
 tears. 
 
 Today love is more delicate. Before everything, 
 one desires to please ; and with his guineas the 
 great lord wishes to touch the heart as well as the 
 hand of the pretty dancer; and he succeeds, be- 
 cause dancers generally carry their hearts in their 
 hands. 
 
 While taking his humble meal Urbain said to 
 himself, 
 
 " How shall I see her? How shall I make 
 myself known to her ? Blanche what a pretty 
 name ! and how well it suits her ! But the barber 
 doesn't seem very tractable ; his house is a verita- 
 ble fortress. It is necessary, before everything, 
 that that charming girl should know that I love 
 her, that I adore her. This morning she listened 
 to the musicians, and appeared to be greatly 
 pleased with the last romance they sang. I know 
 that romance; I'll go this evening and sing it 
 under her window; perhaps she will show her- 
 self; perhaps at night she opens her window to 
 take the air." 
 
 The air was a little nipping, for the season was 
 severe ; but a lover always believes it is spring-
 
 132 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 time. Delighted by the idea Urbain went home 
 to get his guitar, and waited impatiently, until the 
 streets should be deserted, to go and serenade a 
 woman whom he did not know. 
 
 This Spanish custom was then much in fashion 
 in France. There are still some little towns where 
 it is preserved, and where one may hear between 
 ten and eleven o'clock sentimental songs accom- 
 panied by the guitar ; but in the great capitals it 
 is only the blind and the organ-grinders who sing 
 love in the streets. 
 
 The hour propitious to lovers having arrived, 
 Urbain went to the Rue des Bourdonnais ; he had 
 easily recognized the barber's house, having spe- 
 cially noted it in the morning ; a feeble light which 
 shone between the curtains of Blanche's window 
 seemed to indicate that the young girl was not yet 
 sleeping, and, without reflecting that the other 
 dwellers in the house would hear him, Urbain had 
 sung with the most tender expression he could 
 put in his voice. 
 
 We have seen what followed on this impru- 
 dence. At the sound of bolts being drawn, the 
 young man softly departed, and, hiding at the en- 
 trance of the Rue des Mauvaises-Paroles, he heard 
 the threats and the swearing of Touquet. 
 
 " He's escaped," said the barber, reentering the 
 lower room and angrily throwing his sword on the 
 table. These words seemed to break the charm 
 which held Rolande in his scabbard; and Chau-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 133 
 
 doreille, drawing his sword suddenly, and making 
 it flash in the air, ran precipitately into the shop, 
 crying, 
 
 "And now, master singers, I'll let you see 
 something fierce." 
 
 "Don't I tell you there's no one there," re- 
 peated Touquet, while Chaudoreille appeared to 
 wish to draw the bolts of the door. " I made too 
 much noise ; the rascal heard me and ran off. " 
 
 " Are you quite certain there's nobody there ? " 
 said Chaudoreille, still brandishing his sword. 
 
 "Yes, quite sure." 
 
 " I have a great inclination to go into the street 
 and satisfy myself as to that." 
 
 " Do as you please about it ; you are your own 
 master." 
 
 " No ; on reflection, I believe that would be a 
 blunder ; they may perhaps come back ; it will 
 be better to let them approach without fear; then 
 we can fall suddenly upon them, and give them no 
 quarter." 
 
 So saying, the chevalier put Rolande into the 
 scabbard and returned to the lower room, where 
 he seated himself before the fire and again filled 
 his cup with wine, which he swallowed at one 
 draught, to cool so he said his anger. 
 
 The barber strode up and down ; he was strongly 
 agitated, and appeared to have forgotten the pres- 
 ence of Chaudoreille, as he murmured at intervals 
 in a gloomy voice,
 
 134 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " That which I feared has happened at last ! 
 That beautiful bud has been seen, and they will 
 all wish to cull it. They will seek to learn who 
 she is, where she comes from ; there will be a 
 thousand remarks, a thousand inquiries, and who 
 knows where that will lead ? Bungling fellow that 
 I am ! I well had need to guard the child. I be- 
 lieved I had made a master stroke which would 
 disarm all suspicion. I ought to have foreseen that 
 one day she would be sixteen, that she would be 
 charming, and that in order to possess her they 
 would employ all the stratagems which I have 
 often used on behalf of others." 
 
 " My dear fellow," said Chaudoreille, carrying 
 to his lips for the third time a goblet filled to the 
 brim, " my honest Tbuquet, if you don't want to 
 take care of the little one any longer, give her to 
 me, and I'll answer to you for it that no fop shall 
 be allowed to see her face." 
 
 " What shall I give you ? " said the barber, as 
 if he had only just become aware of Chaudoreille's 
 presence. " What are you talking about ? An- 
 swer me ! " 
 
 " Oh, by jingo . you were speaking of the young 
 flower you have sheltered ; I heard you very 
 plainly." 
 
 " You heard me ! " cried Touquet, seizing Chau- 
 doreille by the arm with which he was holding his 
 full cup ; " and what did I say ? What did you 
 hear ? Speak, wretch ! Speak, will you ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 135 
 
 " Take care ! you're shaking my arm. Here's 
 my doublet all stained with wine now. What the 
 deuce ! You'll have to give me another." 
 
 " What have you heard ? " repeated the barber 
 in a threatening voice, raising his closed fist on 
 Chaudoreille, while with the other hand he shook 
 him so briskly by the arm that a great part of the 
 wine covered the jaws and neck of the chevalier. 
 
 " Nothing, nothing, I swear to you," murmured 
 the latter, lowering his eyes, so as to avoid the 
 barber's gaze. " I only said to you that this wine 
 has a fine bouquet, and that if you wished to give 
 me some bottles to keep I should carefully guard 
 it from all eyes. I believe that's what I was say- 
 ing ; for, in truth, you've turned me upside down 
 with your irritable conduct, and I don't know 
 what I'm saying." 
 
 Touquet loosened his hold of Chaudoreille's 
 arm, as if ashamed of his hasty movements, and, 
 resuming his calmer tone, seated himself near the 
 latter. 
 
 " There are some things I wish to keep secret 
 not that they're of any great importance ; and, 
 for the matter of that, I don't think that you will 
 ever allow yourself to prate about my affairs ; you 
 are too well aware that my dagger would at once 
 deprive you of the organ of which you made such 
 use." 
 
 " What the deuce do you suppose I could blab 
 about you ? " said Chaudoreille, drying his face
 
 136 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 and his clothing with his little silk handkerchief, 
 and pinching his lips, as if doubting whether Tou- 
 quet had not already cut out his tongue. " You 
 never tell me anything about 'your business, and 
 I'm not a man to invent the slightest untruth." 
 
 "I've told you what all the world knows, 
 that I have sheltered Blanche since she had been 
 left an orphan at my house, and that I know no 
 more than anyone else about her father or her 
 family. She is now grown up and pretty. Lovers 
 will begin to come ; that's what vexes me. They'll 
 seek to learn everything about this young girl, 
 and assuredly they won't know more about it than 
 I am telling you. The one who was singing just 
 now is known to me ; he came into my shop this 
 morning, and stayed two hours, in the hope that 
 Blanche would appear. Do you hear me, Chau- 
 doreille?" 
 
 " I hear you if you wish me to," said the 
 chevalier, continuing to rub his doublet; "for I 
 don't know if I should or if I should not hear 
 you. That shall be as you wish." 
 
 " I wish you weren't quite so foolish," said the 
 barber, glancing scornfully at his neighbor. 
 
 " No words of double meaning," answered 
 Chaudoreille ; "you know I don't like them. This 
 cursed wine stains, and for the moment I don't 
 know where to get another doublet." 
 
 " He's a mere child, a scholar, who has not yet 
 a beard on his chin," said the barber after a mo-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 137 
 
 ment's silence, which was only interrupted by the 
 rubbing of the handkerchief on the spots impreg- 
 nated by wine. "He shows the small experience 
 he has had in love intrigues by coming to sing 
 before my door in order to let me know who 
 was there. The poor boy has much need of a les- 
 son." 
 
 " He certainly is not first-rate at the guitar." , 
 " I don't believe that he can be known to 
 Blanche. No but that romance he was sing- 
 ing, it's precisely the same as the one she men- 
 tioned to me, 
 
 My darling is all to me." 
 " That doesn't equal 
 
 Thou hast lost thy fond dove too. 
 
 Zounds ! what a difference in the melody ! " 
 
 " No, Blanche is candor itself; she would not 
 have spoken to me of that romance had she known 
 the young man. Why the devil haven't you taught 
 her something else besides that old rubbish of 
 Louis the Twelfth's time ? If you had taught her 
 to sing something pretty she would not have been 
 enraptured at the first romance sung by wandering 
 minstrels." 
 
 " What do you say ? Are you talking to me ? " 
 said Chaudoreille, raising his head. 
 
 " Of course I am, since you call yourself a pro- 
 fessor of singing."
 
 138 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " My dear Touquet, listen well to what I am 
 going to say : I don't tease you about your method 
 of shaving beards, and don't you meddle with my 
 way of teaching music. Each one to his own trade. 
 You know the proverb. I teach my pupils noth- 
 ing but masterpieces, and I'm not going to cram 
 their heads with the little gurglings of those mis- 
 erable clowns who travel from Naples here singing 
 the same roulade." 
 
 " It's vexatious, then, that the young girls pre- 
 fer these roulades to your masterpieces. You gave 
 Blanche a music lesson this morning, and she tells 
 me that you have wearied her with your villanelle." 
 
 " Had anyone but you told me that ? " cried 
 Chaudoreille, rising in vexation. " I should have 
 attributed it to jealousy. But it's getting late ; it's 
 been a tiring day, and I must go to rest. If, how- 
 ever, you wish me to remain here for fear the sing- 
 ers should return, I will sacrifice my repose." 
 
 " No, no ; it's unnecessary," said the barber, 
 smiling. " They won't come back ; go to bed." 
 
 "You have no need of my services tomorrow 
 evening, then ? " 
 
 " No however, if you like to be walking on 
 the Pont de la Tournelle at the hour agreed on, 
 you could at any rate serve as a spy for us." 
 
 " Sufficient," said Chaudoreille, pulling his hat 
 over his eyes ; " you can count on me in life and 
 in death ; I shall be at the rendezvous at the exact 
 hour, and Rolande shall be sharp. Good-by ! "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 139 
 
 So saying the chevalier passed through the pas- 
 sageway into the alley and opened the door of the 
 house. He thrust his head out into the street, 
 and, after glancing cautiously to the right and left, 
 went on his way like a stag who hears the sound 
 of the chase.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 THE CLOSET. THE ABDUCTION 
 
 As everything coheres, everything is connected 
 in this lower world, there is no chance ; but there 
 are many rebounds which transmit from one to 
 another events, effects, for which we bless or curse 
 fate, as they are fortunate or unfortunate, 
 instead of tracing them to their original causes, 
 from which, in truth, we are sometimes removed 
 so far as to have no cognizance of them. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that our young Urbain 
 had blessed chance on perceiving that the light 
 was still burning in Blanche's room ; but if the 
 young girl had not gone to rest it was not by 
 chance, but because Marguerite could not decide 
 to go up to bed in her new room before know- 
 ing where the little door in the back of her alcove 
 led. 
 
 Now if the garrulous old maidservant had not 
 confessed to her master that she had witnessed his 
 nightly vigils, the latter would not have made her 
 change her lodging ; and the fear which induced 
 him to do so was due to other causes still more re- 
 mote ; thus, by a series of events, Marguerite's gos- 
 sip had led to Blanche's hearing Urbain's sweet and 
 
 140
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 141 
 
 tender voice sing the romance which had so en- 
 chanted her in the morning. 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle," said the old woman, some 
 moments before the young lover began to sing, 
 " I know I should die of fright if I should have 
 to sleep alone in that horrid room, formerly inhab- 
 ited by a magician, without knowing where that 
 little door leads to perhaps into that Odoard's 
 laboratory. Who knows whether he isn't still 
 there ? These sorcerers are sometimes shut up by 
 themselves for half a century, searching for secrets 
 which will enable them to give human kind into 
 the hands of the devil. I am sure that M. Tou- 
 quet, who is very indifferent in regard to every- 
 thing pertaining to sorcerers, has not once been 
 into that room. Let me pass the night in your 
 room, my child ; tomorrow, when it's daylight, 
 we'll go together and open that door, since the 
 Chevalier Chaudoreille wasn't polite enough to do 
 so. I can pass the night in this easy chair ; I shall 
 be much better here than upstairs, and I can tell 
 you some interesting stories before you go to 
 sleep." 
 
 Blanche could not refuse Marguerite what she 
 asked as a favor ; the old woman was relating her 
 third story of sorcery, and the young girl, who 
 felt that her eyes were growing heavy, was about 
 to go to bed, when the sounds of a guitar were 
 heard. 
 
 Blanche listened, and made a sign to Marguerite
 
 142 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 to be silent, and soon recognized with delight the 
 air which she was desirous of learning. There is 
 something sweeter, more seductive, in music thus 
 heard in the middle of the night ; it finds its way 
 more quickly to the heart. Urbain's voice was 
 flexible and melodious. Blanche, transported, re- 
 mained motionless, as though she feared by a 
 single movement to lose a sound, while Marguer- 
 ite, gaping with astonishment, looked at the en- 
 gaging child without appearing greatly enchanted 
 with the music. But Marguerite was more than 
 sixty years old, and music had not the same effect 
 upon her as upon Blanche ; the sounds reached 
 no farther than her ears, while they vibrated de- 
 liciously in the depths of the heart of sixteen. 
 
 Very soon, however, the noise which they heard 
 in the street put an end to Blanche's happiness; 
 she recognized the barber's voice, and the threats 
 which he pronounced made her tremble, as well as 
 Marguerite, who cried immediately, 
 
 " Go to bed ! go to bed quickly, my child, and 
 extinguish the light ; if M. Touquet sees that we 
 are still awake, if he should find me in here 
 
 holy blessed Virgin ! I shall be lost." 
 
 " But why is he so angry ? " said Blanche. " Is 
 singing in the streets in the evenings forbidden ? 
 
 1 was so pleased to hear that romance. What 
 harm was the young man doing ? for it was a 
 young man who was singing was it not, dear 
 nurse ? It was not the voice of an old man, and,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 143 
 
 oh, how well he sang! I have never heard such 
 a pretty voice ; it had a singular effect on me ; 
 it made my heart beat with pleasure didn't it 
 yours, Marguerite ? " 
 
 Marguerite, whose heart was beating only with 
 fear, contented herself with repeating, " Go to 
 bed quickly, put out the lamp, and above all don't 
 say tomorrow that you heard the singing; that 
 would prove that you were not yet asleep, and 
 M. Touquet wishes everyone to go to sleep as 
 soon as they go to bed." 
 
 Since it was necessary to yield to the insistence 
 of the old servant, Blanche went to bed, but she 
 did not go to sleep ; the young singer's voice still 
 seemed to ring in her ears, and on hearing the least 
 sound in the street she imagined that it was the 
 musician again. As to Marguerite, after putting 
 out the lamp, she extended herself in an armchair 
 near the fire and fell asleep, murmuring a prayer 
 to drive away evil spirits. 
 
 The morning after this night, so fertile with 
 events, Blanche arose early. She was pensive, pre- 
 occupied, still dreaming of the young singer's 
 voice; she felt new desires, and sighed as she 
 glanced toward the street. Marguerite ran to her 
 work, saying to Blanche, 
 
 " When monsieur is most busily engaged with 
 his customers, we'll go up together into my room ; 
 but, my child, above all don't say anything about 
 the music."
 
 144 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Blanche promised her, saying, "Why should 
 he be angry because somebody came to sing such 
 a pretty air under our windows ? " 
 
 The barber said nothing to the young girl about 
 the adventure of the night ; he contented himself 
 with observing Blanche, and the lovely child, re- 
 membering the threats which she had overheard 
 him utter against the singer, had no desire to chat; 
 she hastened to return to her chamber, where Mar- 
 guerite was not long in coming to rejoin her. 
 
 " Now is the time," said the old servant; "mon- 
 sieur has a good many people to shave. Come, 
 my child ; come up with me, and above all don't 
 be frightened ; I have taken every precaution ne- 
 cessary to drive away the goblins." 
 
 " Frightened ! " said Blanche, because she saw 
 that Marguerite was trembling. " No, dear nurse, 
 no; I assure you that I'm not thinking of your 
 secret door at all." 
 
 Thus saying, Blanche darted lightly up the 
 stairs, while Marguerite followed her more slowly, 
 saying, " Happy age when one has no fear of 
 magicians, because one does not understand all 
 their wickedness, it is true that she has a talis- 
 man." 
 
 When they reached the room, Blanche entered 
 quickly, while the old woman made a genuflexion 
 and invoked her patron saint, after which she de- 
 cided also to go into her new room, throwing 
 anxious glances about her. Blanche had run into
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 145 
 
 the alcove and already drawn the bed into the 
 middle of the room. 
 
 "Wait a moment; don't be so imprudent," 
 cried Marguerite to her. " Is it necessary to do 
 things so quickly ? " 
 
 " But, dear nurse, the sooner we open that door, 
 the sooner you'll be reassured." 
 
 " Reassured ! that's what I wish. Have you 
 your talisman, my darling?" 
 
 " Of course I have. Didn't you sew it yourself 
 inside my corsets ? " 
 
 " That's true." 
 
 " I don't see the door you were talking about." 
 
 " It is so well encased in the woodwork." 
 
 Ah, here it is ! " 
 
 " Wait a moment, mademoiselle, while I throw 
 some holy water before it." 
 
 " But there's no key ; how can we open it ? " 
 
 " Well, we must try. I have several keys that 
 I have picked up while cleaning the house, per- 
 haps one of those will open it." 
 
 Marguerite advanced tremblingly towards the 
 end of the alcove. She drew from her pocket half 
 a dozen rusty keys of different sizes, and was about 
 to try one of them, but her hand shook and she 
 could not find the keyhole. Blanche seized one 
 key and tried it unsuccessfully, then a second ; but 
 at the third the young girl uttered a cry of joy, for 
 the key turned, and Marguerite crossed herself, 
 murmuring, 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 146 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " O my God, the door is opening ! " 
 
 In fact, the door yielded to Blanche's effort and 
 opened, creaking and groaning on its hinges, and 
 the two women beheld a square closet ; but, as it 
 received no light except from the little door that 
 opened into it, and as that door led into a dark 
 alcove, one may conceive that there was little day- 
 light there. Blanche remained on the doorsill and 
 Marguerite recoiled a few steps, saying, 
 
 " See now, my child ; I was right in thinking 
 that that door led somewhere. Oh, this is as dark 
 as a cave." 
 
 " Let us go in here, nurse." 
 
 " But not without a light, I hope. Wait ; I will 
 go and light my lamp. I don't know that it is 
 prudent of us to enter this closet." 
 
 " But, Marguerite, you see very well that there 
 is nobody here." 
 
 "I can see nothing except darkness. Wait; 
 take the lamp, and you go first, my darling ; you 
 have your talisman ; nothing will happen to you." 
 
 Blanche entered first ; she seemed more curious 
 than alarmed, while the old woman could scarcely 
 persuade herself to follow. The closet was six 
 feet square, and held nothing but two big empty 
 chests placed on the floor, which time had covered 
 with dust and spiders' webs. 
 
 " Well now, my dear nurse," said Blanche, smil- 
 ing, " where are the sorcerers ? I don't see any- 
 thing frightful here."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 147 
 
 " In fact," answered Marguerite, glancing all 
 about her ; " there's nothing but four walls, no 
 other door, and these two chests are empty. I'm 
 sure that no one has disturbed this place for half 
 a century. No matter ; I swear to you that I shall 
 not come back here again. I don't know why I 
 feel so uneasy here. How the floor creaks under 
 our feet ! " 
 
 " It's because no one has walked here for a long 
 time ; this house is old." 
 
 " Come, my dear child, let us leave this closet ; 
 I shall shut the door and double-lock it, and I 
 shan't open it again while I stay in this room." 
 
 Thus saying, Marguerite pushed Blanche be- 
 fore her, then closed the little door and double- 
 locked it, murmuring between her teeth, 
 
 "Alas! if some sorcerer should wish to open 
 the door that lock would not resist him; but every 
 night I shall cross my shovel and tongs before it." 
 
 This visit terminated, Blanche went down, 
 humming to herself the romance of the evening 
 before, and Marguerite returned to her work. 
 
 The barber had ordered dinner early ; and at 
 six o'clock in the evening he left the house, re- 
 peating to Marguerite : 
 
 " Redouble your watchfulness, do not allow any 
 man to go near Blanche without my permission, 
 and inform me if you hear anyone singing in the 
 street." 
 
 The old woman promised to obey. Touquet
 
 148 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 wrapped his mantle about him and left to exe- 
 cute the marquis' plan. As he was accustomed to 
 conduct similar intrigues, he knew where to pro- 
 cure everything that was necessary ; and at a quar- 
 ter to eight he was on the Pont de la Tournelle, 
 while about a hundred feet from him two men 
 awaited his orders near a travelling-chaise drawn 
 by two horses. 
 
 For a long time Chaudoreille had been walking 
 on the bridge. Fearing to miss the rendezvous, 
 given for eight o'clock, he had arrived at six; bury- 
 ing his head between his shoulders and hiding his 
 chin under his little mantle, he tried to give himself 
 the air of a conspirator. With his left hand on 
 Rolande's handle and the other holding his man- 
 tle, he walked sometimes slowly and sometimes 
 with a precipitant step ; and every time that any- 
 one passed him he did not fail to murmur, in such 
 a manner as to be heard, 
 
 "How late she is in coming ! What can keep 
 her ? I am burning ! I am bursting ! I shall die 
 with impatience." 
 
 As soon as he saw Touquet he ran to him and 
 pulled the edge of his mantle; then, looking to see 
 if anybody was passing, he said to him in a mys- 
 terious tone, 
 
 " Here I am." 
 
 " Well, hang it, I see you ! " said the barber, 
 shrugging his shoulders; " but I'd much rather see 
 the little one."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 149 
 
 " She hasn't appeared yet, I can answer for that. 
 I've looked in every woman's face." 
 
 " It's not eight o'clock ; let us wait." 
 
 " Be easy ; I'll go and put myself in ambuscade 
 and examine all the feminine visages." 
 
 " Take care they don't slap you ; that would 
 draw a crowd, and wouldn't please me." 
 
 " Slap me ! They're more likely to kiss me, I 
 should say ; but I'll make a grimace, so as not to 
 tempt them." 
 
 And Chaudoreille, drawing his hat down over 
 his eyes, departed, taking as long steps as his little 
 legs would permit. 
 
 In about three minutes Chaudoreille returned 
 to say to the barber, 
 
 " There's a woman who has just come along by 
 the Pont Marie, and who is going to pass over this 
 bridge." 
 
 "Indeed! Is she the one we are waiting for? 
 You ought to know, if you've peered into her 
 face." 
 
 " No ; I wasn't able to do that this time, be- 
 cause she was giving her arm to a man, and he 
 would have been frightened." 
 
 " If she's with a man it's not our young girl ; 
 one doesn't bring witnesses to a lovers' meeting." 
 
 " That's correct," said Chaudoreille, and he 
 started off again. 
 
 Some minutes later he returned to Touquet, 
 crying,
 
 150 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Here's another one who is coming along this 
 way ; but this one is alone, I am sure of that." 
 
 " Is it our beauty ? " 
 
 " No, it is not she." 
 
 "You idiot! what did you come and tell me for?" 
 
 " So that you should not make a mistake ; I 
 thought it was my duty to avert that." 
 
 " Chaudoreille, do me the pleasure of remaining 
 still. I know very well how to recognize her whom 
 I came to meet without your help ; although I 
 haven't yet seen her, I am certain that I shan't 
 make a mistake ; but, hang it ! if she doesn't come 
 to this meeting, I shall send you to drink the 
 water under the bridge, to teach you to do your 
 errands better." 
 
 Chaudoreille had not heard the barber's last 
 words ; he was already far away, but he returned 
 precipitately, looking scared. 
 
 " What is it now ? " said Touquet. 
 
 " A patrol of the watch, which I can see com- 
 ing, and which is going to pass by us." 
 
 " Well, what of that ? What has the watch to 
 do with us ? It's not forbidden to walk on the 
 bridge, and, even if they should see us abduct a 
 young girl I can answer for it they'll hardly trou- 
 ble themselves about that." 
 
 " Haven't we a rather suspicious look ? " 
 
 "You make me ashamed of you." 
 
 " I shall pretend to be laughing, to allay their 
 suspicions."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 151 
 
 " Wait, perhaps this will give you more cour- 
 age." 
 
 So saying the barber kicked Chaudoreille ; but 
 the latter received it singing, contenting himself 
 by rubbing the part attacked while executing his 
 trills, because at that moment the watch was pass- 
 ing them. When the patrol had departed he 
 breathed more freely, and cried, 
 
 " They have taken us for simple troubadours." 
 
 " They should have taken you for a fool. A 
 plague on all poltroons ! They are good for noth- 
 ing except to spoil everything." 
 
 " I'm not going to get angry at a matter which 
 doesn't concern me ; but on great occasions it 
 seems to me that stratagem is often better than 
 valor." 
 
 The barber had begun to be impatient, when a 
 young woman came on to the bridge, walking 
 slowly and glancing from time to time about her. 
 Chaudoreille had not perceived her, because he was 
 in ambuscade at the side of the Rue des Deux-Ponts. 
 
 Touquet approached the unknown, looked at 
 her and saw that this really was the young girl 
 whom the marquis had depicted ; for her part, the 
 damsel looked attentively at the barber, and 
 seemed to wait for him to address her in words. 
 
 " Are you not the Signora Julia ? " said the bar- 
 ber in a bass voice, approaching the young girl. 
 
 " And you the barber Touquet ? " answered she, 
 lifting to him her animated black eyes.
 
 152 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The barber was surprised at hearing himself 
 named by a person to whom he believed himself 
 unknown, but, after having considered the young 
 girl anew, he resumed, 
 
 " Since you know me, you should also know 
 that the Marquis de Villebelle has sent me to you." 
 
 "The marquis is rather ungallant," answered 
 Julia, " in not coming himself to a first meeting." 
 
 " These great noblemen are not the masters of 
 their time ; besides, the marquis has no desire to 
 converse with you about his love on this bridge." 
 
 " Preferring, no doubt, his little house of the 
 Faubourg Saint-Antoine ? " 
 
 "It seems to me, signora, that you are very well 
 acquainted with everything that concerns the mar- 
 quis ; after that I have nothing more to tell you, 
 except that a carriage is waiting a hundred feet 
 from here." 
 
 " Very well, let us go." 
 
 " The deuce ! " said the barber to himself, offer- 
 ing his arm to Julia, that he might conduct her to 
 the coach ; " here is a young girl who doesn't make 
 a bit of fuss about allowing herself to be abducted. 
 But I must confess that there's something in her 
 voice and manners very decided and piquant, 
 which astonishes as well as pleases." 
 
 They had reached the carriage when Chaudo- 
 reille's voice was heard ; he ran after the barber, 
 crying, 
 
 " There's a woman coming by the side of the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 153 
 
 Porte de la Tournelle ; it is our little one ; I recog- 
 nized her walk." 
 
 Saying these words, Chaudoreille perceived that 
 the barber was conducting a person to whom he 
 had given his arm. 
 
 " How is this ? What does this mean ? Must 
 I believe my eyes ? " cried the chevalier. " That's 
 our beauty, and what the deuce way did she come ? 
 No matter; we've got her; that's the essential 
 thing. I will protect your walk." 
 
 Chaudoreille then drew his sword, and, giving 
 no ear to the barber, who bade him depart, ran 
 up to the carriage, crying to the two men who were 
 near, 
 
 " My friends, here they are. Be adroit, be cour- 
 ageous. By jingo ! she must enter your vehicle, 
 willingly or by force." 
 
 Somebody opened the door, and Chaudoreille 
 was a little surprised at seeing the young person 
 trip first into the carriage. He was about to do 
 the same, and seat himself near her, when Tou- 
 quet, taking him by the breeches, dropped him 
 on all-fours on the pavement, and, following Julia 
 into the carriage, said to the coachman, 
 
 " Go on ! " 
 
 " What the deuce ! he's going to abduct her 
 without me," said Chaudoreille, picking himself 
 up. " No, not by all the devils ! It shall not be 
 said that I did not finish this adventure ; besides, 
 they've only given me something on account, and
 
 i 5 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 I should like to be settled with before the marquis 
 gets tired of the little one.'* 
 
 Chaudoreille immediately darted after the car- 
 riage ; accustomed to running, he caught up with 
 it, mounted behind, and allowed himself to be 
 drawn at a great gallop, taking care to hold tightly 
 to the tassels, which served to support him.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 THE LITTLE HOUSE. A NEW GAME 
 
 THE carriage bearing the barber and Julia had 
 soon passed the Porte Saint-Antoine, which at 
 that period had not attained the dignity of the 
 Faubourg, but was in a neighborhood where the 
 road is cut by the boulevards, and which served 
 frequently, as did all thinly inhabited districts at 
 the time of which we are writing, for a meeting- 
 place for robbers, vagabonds, pages, lackeys and 
 cut-purses. 
 
 The marquis* little house was situated near the 
 Vallee de Fecamp, which today is replaced by a 
 street bearing the same name, and making the 
 continuation of the Rue de la Planchette. Cross- 
 ing this unlighted place of evil fame in the middle 
 of the night was, at that time, to expose one's 
 self to as much danger as though passing through 
 the forest of Bondy. However, many noblemen 
 had chosen this quarter for the theatre of their 
 gallantries. They possessed small houses there, 
 their ordinary meeting-places in their love in- 
 trigues, and often went out incognito, but always 
 well armed. 
 
 The carriage stopped before an enclosing wall ;
 
 156 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Chaudoreille looked about him on all sides. The 
 house was isolated, and the wall which enclosed 
 the garden appeared unbroken, but Touquet had 
 already alighted from the carriage ; he approached 
 a small door which the chevalier had not per- 
 ceived, and rang a bell. Before any one could 
 come to open it Chaudoreille had left the place 
 which he had occupied, and had offered his hand 
 to Julia to assist her in alighting from the car- 
 riage. 
 
 The door was immediately opened by a man 
 servant, who appeared holding a lantern in his 
 hand, and, merely glancing at the carriage and at 
 the damsel who was getting out of it, he con- 
 tented himself with smiling and making a low 
 bow to the barber. 
 
 "Your master has warned you that we were 
 coming ? " said Touquet to this person in a low 
 voice. 
 
 "Yes, monsieur," answered the servant, " I am 
 waiting for you." 
 
 Here the barber, upon turning around to intro- 
 duce Julia to the lackey perceived for the first 
 time the redoubtable Chaudoreille, who stood 
 bolt upright before the door with his sword in his 
 hand, as though he were a sentinel on guard. 
 The barber shrugged his shoulders impatiently, 
 and, after handing Julia in, he unceremoniously 
 dragged the chevalier by his mantle, and made 
 him also pass into the garden, saying,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 157 
 
 " Since you have followed us here, it is neces- 
 sary that you should do something for us." 
 
 " That is my duty, by jingo," responded the 
 chevalier, while Touquet redosed the garden gate, 
 after having said to the two men who were near 
 the coach, 
 
 " Wait for me." 
 
 They followed along a tiled passageway which 
 led to the house. The garden was gloomy. The 
 servant who carried the lantern walked in front, 
 and Chaudoreille, who found himself the last, 
 glanced from time to time anxiously from right to 
 left ; he wished to open the conversation, and had 
 already exclaimed, "This garden appears to be 
 very large," when the barber turned and ordered 
 him to keep silent. To indemnify himself for this 
 forced silence, Chaudoreille, who was still holding 
 Rolande naked in his hand, struck every tree that 
 he met. 
 
 They arrived at the house and entered a vesti- 
 bule, at the end of which was a staircase, while to 
 the right and the left doors led to the apartments 
 on the ground floor. 
 
 Julia, who had followed her conductors without 
 speaking, appeared to examine attentively every- 
 thing that presented itself to her. Chaudoreille, 
 finding himself near the man with the lantern, ut- 
 tered a cry of surprise, saying, 
 
 " Why, what the deuce ! I can't be mistaken. 
 It is Marcel, one of my old friends. Don't you
 
 158 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 know me ? I am Chaudoreille ; we spent six 
 months in prison together, but it was for a mere 
 trifle. I left it as white as snow." 
 
 " Be silent, idiots," cried the barber ; " you can 
 make your greetings a little later. Where is ma- 
 dame's apartment ? " 
 
 " On the first floor," answered Marcel, putting 
 his hand in Chaudoreille's, who shook it as if he 
 had found his best friend. 
 
 " Lead us," said Touquet, " and you remain 
 here." 
 
 The latter part of this order was addressed to 
 the chevalier and it did not afford him much 
 pleasure ; but he was forced to obey. However, 
 when Chaudoreille perceived that there was no 
 light in the vestibule where they left him, and 
 where he found himself in the most complete ob- 
 scurity, he ascended several steps of the stairs, 
 crying in a quivering voice, 
 
 " Don't leave me alone here. The night is chilly 
 and I am afraid of taking cold." 
 
 Marcel led Julia and the barber and, after mak- 
 ing them pass through several rooms, lighted only 
 by his lantern, opened a door, saying, 
 
 " Here is the room in which madame can rest 
 herself." 
 
 Julia could not restrain an exclamation of sur- 
 prise, and the barber himself was lost in admira- 
 tion. The room which they had entered was 
 lighted by a lustre hung from the ceiling, and the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 159 
 
 light of many wax candles permitted one to admire 
 the luxury with which this place was decorated. 
 Delightful paintings of seductive and voluptuous 
 figures ornamented the wainscot. The furniture 
 was upholstered in light blue, where silk and sil- 
 ver were blended with art. There were Venetian 
 glasses, Persian carpets, candelabras in which per- 
 fumes were burning, while natural flowers were 
 disposed elsewhere, in pyramids, in crystal vases. 
 The whole combination tended to make a sojourn 
 in this place a delight, for here was united every- 
 thing that would intoxicate the senses and inspire 
 pleasure. 
 
 Julia and the barber had entered the lighted 
 room ; Marcel remained respectfully at the door 
 and seemed to wait some orders. 
 
 " This place is delightful," said Julia ; " but I 
 do not see the marquis." 
 
 "You will see him soon, madame," answered 
 Touquet; "in an hour he will be here. While 
 awaiting him you can ask for everything that is 
 agreeable to you. Your desires will be accom- 
 plished immediately. This bell communicates 
 with the floor below. Is not that so, Marcel ? " 
 
 " Yes, monsieur, and if madame would like to 
 take something, I have prepared a collation in the 
 little neighboring room." 
 
 Marcel indicated a door hidden by a mirror. 
 The barber pushed it and they saw a second room, 
 smaller but equally well lighted, and decorated
 
 160 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 with as much magnificence, only the furniture and 
 the hangings were of poppy-colored velvet, orna- 
 mented with fringes of gold, while light blue and 
 silver were the only colors in the first. 
 
 " He did not deceive me," said Touquet to 
 himself, glancing into the second room, " when he 
 said that he had made an enchanting bower of 
 this house. What luxury ! What magnificence ! 
 How much money he must have spent to do all 
 this ! And yet he is not happy." 
 
 Julia had thrown herself on a lounge and ap- 
 peared thoughtful. The barber bowed to her, and, 
 making a sign to Marcel, left the apartment with 
 him. 
 
 Marcel was a bachelor of twenty-eight or thirty 
 years, short, fat and cheerful ; obedient and exact 
 as an Oriental, but endowed with very little genius 
 and incapable of conducting the merest intrigue. 
 The marquis, to whom more adroit, more active, 
 more enterprising people were necessary, but who 
 appreciated Marcel's faithfulness, had found, in 
 order to keep him, no better means of employing 
 him than to make him the keeper of this house. 
 There his functions were limited to a passive obe- 
 dience to the orders which he received; but he 
 was a stranger to all the intrigues of which this 
 abode was the theatre, and ignored sometimes the 
 correct name of the person who during a short 
 period was reigning sovereign in the little house. 
 This troubled him little, and his indifference was
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 161 
 
 a guarantee of his discretion, a quality which in his 
 employ was very necessary. 
 
 " You know Chaudoreille ? " said the barber to 
 Marcel, following him into the passageway which 
 led to the staircase. 
 
 " Yes, monsieur," answered the valet, " I knew 
 him formerly in a rather unfortunate affair, since 
 I had to pass six months in prison, and God knows 
 if I was guilty. It is in the neighborhood of seven 
 years ago, and I was not then in the marquis* ser- 
 vice. I was drinking in an inn, and Chaudoreille 
 was there also ; he was playing at piquet with two 
 other cavaliers, and they invited me to make one 
 of their party. I accepted the invitation. I played 
 and I lost. He took my place, put down some 
 crowns for me, saying that we should be partners, 
 and played with surprising good fortune. I was 
 delighted to see him win, but our adversaries pre- 
 tended that he cheated. Then they disputed, and 
 in place of paying us wanted to fight us so badly 
 that they made a great noise. The sergeants of 
 the watch arrived with their archers and led us to 
 prison, Chaudoreille and me. That was how 
 we made acquaintance ; but since that time I have 
 lost the taste for playing. I wouldn't touch a card 
 now." 
 
 " All the better for you. I advise you to keep 
 that resolution." 
 
 The barber and Marcel then went down the 
 stairs which led into the vestibule, when cries of 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 162 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Thief! " " Beware ! " " Murder ! " came to their 
 ears. The cries came from the garden, and Tou- 
 quet recognized the chevalier's voice. 
 
 " What the devil is he at now ? " said the bar- 
 ber, hurrying his steps, while Marcel followed him, 
 repeating, 
 
 " Thieves ! That is singular. However, the 
 doors are close shut, and the walls of the garden 
 are ten feet high.'* 
 
 Tired of being without light in the vestibule, 
 Chaudoreille had returned into the garden, where, 
 since the moon was nearly hidden by clouds, one 
 could see but a little way from him. The cheva- 
 lier was singing a virelay which he accompanied 
 by striking Rolande against the branches, then 
 barren of foliage. All of a sudden, at the entrance 
 to some shrubbery, a large white face appeared 
 opposite Chaudoreille, who stopped and cried, in 
 a faltering voice, 
 
 " Who goes there ? " 
 
 Nobody answered him, and he judged it pru- 
 dent in place of repeating his question to regain 
 the house. In his alarm he mistook the way, and 
 at a turn in the alley perceived before him another 
 personage, who held a club in his hand, with which 
 he seemed disposed to strike him. It was then 
 that Chaudoreille, who felt his strength for flight 
 fail him, made the garden echo with his cries. 
 Guided by his voice, the barber and Marcel were 
 soon near him.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 163 
 
 " What is the matter ? Wherefore this noise ? " 
 said Touquet. 
 
 " Don't you see that wretch who is waiting for 
 me down there to slay me, while his accomplice is 
 hidden in another bush ? " 
 
 The barber turned to look in the direction 
 which Chaudoreille designated with his hand. 
 Marcel did likewise, holding the lantern before 
 him. Soon the latter burst into a shout of laugh- 
 ter, and the barber cried, 
 
 " I was sure that this clown would commit some 
 foolishness." 
 
 "Why foolishness? Zounds! Why did not 
 these people answer me when I cried to them, 
 ' Who goes there ? ' " 
 
 " That would be very difficult for them," said 
 Marcel. " The one that you perceive over there 
 is Hercules killing the Lernean hydra, and the 
 other is probably Mercury or Mars. Perhaps it 
 was even a Venus which frightened you." 
 
 " Frightened me ? Oh, no. By jingo, I wasn't 
 frightened; but they should warn people when 
 they have an Olympus in their garden. In any 
 case, if it is Mercury he can flatter himself that he 
 has received five or six strokes from the flat of 
 this sword, and they weren't given by a dead 
 hand." 
 
 "And if this young girl heard your cries, 
 wretch," said the barber directing his steps to- 
 wards the little door.
 
 164 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I do not think she could," said Marcel, " the 
 room she occupies looks out on the other side of 
 the garden." 
 
 The barber then opened the door by which 
 they had entered. 
 
 " Remain with Marcel," said he to Chaudoreille. 
 " The marquis will soon be here. If he has any 
 orders for me you will come and communicate 
 them to me immediately, but before monseigneur 
 you must be mute. If the least word escapes you 
 before him, if you commit a single awkwardness, 
 remember I shall take your punishment upon my- 
 self." 
 
 So saying, Touquet sprang into the carriage, 
 which left immediately. Chaudoreille was pleased 
 to remain, thinking that he would now see the mar- 
 quis and could find a way to prove his intelligence 
 to him. He took Marcel's arm, remembering that 
 the latter had a very sweet disposition and was 
 easily led, and felicitated himself on the chance 
 which had led to their meeting. The barber 
 alighted when some steps distant from his house. 
 He paid the people, sent away the carriage and 
 hastened to enter, for the marquis would be there 
 towards ten o'clock and it was not far from that 
 now. Marguerite opened the door to her master, 
 who addressed a few ordinary questions to her on 
 the subject of Blanche. The old servant swore to 
 her master that no man had spoken to the young 
 girl. Touquet sent Marguerite away. He wished
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 165 
 
 to wait for the marquis alone. Ten o'clock had 
 sounded some time ago and the barber, who 
 awaited congratulations and a new recompense, 
 was beginning to be astonished at the lack of 
 haste on the part of the marquis when, at last, 
 somebody knocked at the street door and the 
 great nobleman entered the barber's house. 
 
 " Hang it, my poor Touquet, I barely missed 
 forgetting our rendezvous," said the marquis, 
 throwing himself on a seat. 
 
 " What, monseigneur, you forget a love affair ? 
 That astonishes me, I confess." 
 
 "You should, however, be able to understand 
 it better than another. Why should not one end 
 by tiring of that which he does every day ? I am 
 utterly blase in regard to these things. I had, God 
 forgive me, totally forgotten the little one. I was at 
 the Hotel de Bourgogne with Chavagnac, Mon- 
 theil and some other of my friends. Turlupin, 
 Gauthier-Garguille and Gros-Guillaume very much 
 diverted us. The rascals are full of jokes ; they 
 are quite the fashion. Everybody is running to 
 see them. They have created a furore, above all, 
 since they represented a comical scene at the car- 
 dinal's palace, and since Richelieu has permitted 
 them to play at the Hotel de Bourgogne, despite 
 the protests of the comedians. On leaving there 
 we went into an inn ; we were in the mood for 
 laughter ; we fought with some little shopkeepers 
 who disputed the possession of a table with us.
 
 166 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 They shouted like the devil ; the sergeants of the 
 watch came, but we mentioned our names in a low 
 tone and the king's archers helped us to put the 
 rabble out of the place. We remained masters of 
 the field of battle ; it couldn't end otherwise. I 
 never laughed so much. Chavagnac actually wished 
 to eat an omelette off the face of a fat draper ; the 
 poor devil made some horrible grimaces in his 
 fright ; it was really very comical ; he escaped by 
 swallowing twelve glasses of brandy one after the 
 other ; afterwards we made him roll from the first 
 story to the groundfloor. Finally, my dear fel- 
 low, you can conceive that with all this the little 
 nut-brown maid went entirely out of my head, but 
 just then somebody mentioned a master knave ; I 
 thought of you and that recalled our rendezvous. 
 Well, now, to come to the point, where do we 
 stand?" 
 
 " Monseigneur, I have fulfilled your desires, 
 and for the past hour the young girl has been at 
 your little house." 
 
 " You don't say so ! What ! Is the affair really 
 terminated thus quickly. It doesn't seem as 
 though mademoiselle had made many scruples." 
 
 " I must confess, monsieur, that she got into 
 the carriage with a very good grace." 
 
 " A little resistance would have pleased me bet- 
 ter ; it's cruel that one can have immediately all 
 that one desires. These young girls are so im- 
 pressed when one speaks to them of a great noble-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 167 
 
 man. I'm almost sorry I have entangled myself 
 with this one, for the devil carry me away if I'm 
 in love with her the least bit in the world. For 
 very little I'd have you take her back to the place 
 you took her from. What d'you say, Touquet; 
 that would be droll, wouldn't it ? " 
 
 The barber, piqued at the little pleasure evinced 
 by the marquis at his successful abduction of the 
 young girl, answered coldly, 
 
 " I see that monseigneur has almost entirely for- 
 gotten the one who charmed him two days ago ; 
 if he could remember her he would not show so 
 much indifference in her possession." 
 
 "What, is she really so beautiful? Do you 
 think she is capable of engaging my affection for 
 any length of time ? " 
 
 " I don't know, monsieur, whether she will have 
 that good fortune ; but I have seen many courte- 
 sans in the highest vogue who did not equal that 
 young Italian." 
 
 " Is she an Italian ? " 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur." 
 
 " All the better ; that alters the case a little." 
 
 " Her name is Julia ; her face, while not regu- 
 larly beautiful, has a nameless something that is 
 very piquant and seductive ; and there is in her 
 voice, in her manner, in everything about her, 
 something that denotes force and originality. In 
 short, she is not a languorous beauty, such as one 
 most often sees."
 
 i68 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Do you know, you pique my curiosity ; come, 
 tomorrow, we'll admire all this." 
 
 " Tomorrow ! What monsieur, and the young 
 girl is awaiting you with impatience ? " 
 
 " We must let her sigh until then ; I have 
 promised to rejoin my friends and finish the night 
 with them. With people of honor one does not 
 break his word ; the beautiful Julia must be pa- 
 tient." 
 
 " I also left one of my men with Marcel, in 
 case monsieur le marquis should have any further 
 orders to send me. I hope he'll be useful, since 
 Marcel can't leave the house." 
 
 " Oh, very well, your man can wait ; one can 
 give him a few pistoles more. By the way, I 
 must pay you. Wait! Here's some gold I won 
 at lansquenet this morning. But time's passing, 
 I wager those rascals are getting impatient ; I must 
 run and rejoin them. We shall have a delightful 
 night; we are in just the vein for diversion. We'll 
 make some notches in the good citizens of Paris, 
 we'll flog the watch, we'll stop chair porters, and 
 I won't answer for it that we don't steal some 
 mantles on the Pont-Neuf." 
 
 The marquis hastily departed and the barber 
 closed his door, saying, 
 
 " After all, he may do as he pleases now, since 
 I have been paid." 
 
 While this interview was taking place in the 
 Rue des Bourdonnaise, the young girl whom they
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 169 
 
 had left in the luxurious boudoir, arose from the 
 lounge as soon as those who brought her had de- 
 parted. She approached a mirror which reflected 
 the whole figure ; one glance sufficed to distract 
 and give her occupation. Julia arranged her hair, 
 passing her fingers through it and re-formed its 
 ringlets ; she examined herself, she smiled ; Julia 
 was a coquette ; so to some extent is every woman, 
 they say. To judge whether she be more or less 
 so it is only necessary to count the minutes that 
 she passes before her mirror; ordinarily she is not 
 the prettiest who there looks at herself longest. 
 
 At last Julia appeared satisfied with herself; she 
 left the mirror and ran about the boudoir and into 
 the neighboring room, admiring everything which 
 she had pretended to view with indifference as long 
 as anyone could see her. She stopped before an 
 alabaster clock which bore a little love. The hand 
 pointed nearly to eleven o'clock. Julia sighed and 
 frowned, and threw herself into an easy chair, mur- 
 muring, 
 
 " He does not come." 
 
 While the young girl sighingly regarded the 
 clock, Chaudoreille asked Marcel to lead him to 
 the dining-room, saying that he was dying of hun- 
 ger and that since the morning he had been run- 
 ning in the service of monsieur le marquis. Mar- 
 cel hastened to offer his guest a good supper, to 
 which the chevalier did full honor. While eating, 
 Chaudoreille recounted his exploits to his old
 
 i yo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 friend, and as Marcel listened to everything in 
 good faith, our Gascon, delighted at finding some- 
 one who had faith in his prowess, had already 
 killed fifteen rivals and delivered eight victims of 
 tyranny, before he had begun a second helping. 
 
 " Old fellow," said Marcel, opening his eyes 
 wide, and helping himself to drink, " it seems to 
 me that you have a hot head." 
 
 " Hot ? By jingo, say boiling ; say volcanic. 
 It is not my fault, but I can't be moderate. I am 
 a rake of honor, a real devil ; that is the word." 
 
 " But why did you call for help against the 
 statues in the garden ? " 
 
 " Listen, my dear Marcel : At first I could not 
 see that they were statues, and when one is brave 
 one believes that one sees robbers everywhere; 
 you don't understand that, because you are cool- 
 blooded, and, besides that, you can very well un- 
 derstand that I could not allow myself to kill any- 
 body in the Marquis de Villebelle's house without 
 having asked permission." 
 
 " Hush, no one names the marquis here." 
 
 "Ah, I understand. That is correct. It is neces- 
 sary to have some mystery. Hang it ! This is the 
 abode of love incognito. Say, Marcel, have you 
 been living long in this house ? " 
 
 " Nearly five years." 
 
 " You must have seen some beauties." 
 
 " I have seen nothing, for here it is necessary 
 to see and not to see."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 171 
 
 " I understand very well. What the deuce do 
 you take me for, a caitiff? That is all right. You 
 have a golden place. The marquis is generous, is 
 he not?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " You earn at least twenty pistoles a year." 
 
 " Double that." 
 
 " Fortunate rascal. When I say rascal, you are 
 the most perfectly honest man that I know. I even 
 believe that you are the only one that I know. 
 Good old Marcel ! I am very much pleased to have 
 met you again. I have looked for you all over, in 
 the gambling houses and in the gambling hells 
 even." 
 
 " Oh, I have not played for a long time." 
 
 "Nonsense, you are joking." 
 
 " No, since our adventure I have lost my taste 
 for playing. To go to prison when one is inno- 
 cent is very disagreeable." 
 
 " Oh, well, old fellow, there are a good many 
 thieves who don't go and that makes the balance 
 correct. As for me, I confess that I still play. It 
 amuses me. Besides, it is the pleasure of a great 
 nobleman, and there is nothing more noble than 
 to play and lose right down to your boots." 
 
 " Since I am only a valet I have no need of fol- 
 lowing that fashion." 
 
 " You are wrong. It is always necessary to fol- 
 low the great. You played a very strong game of 
 piquet."
 
 172 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Me ? Oh, on the contrary, I am a very weak 
 player." 
 
 " Pure modesty. Hang it ! I wish I could take 
 a lesson from you. We have had our supper. 
 While waiting for your master to come, let us play 
 a game to pass the time." 
 
 "That will be very difficult, for we have no 
 cards here. When by chance I have found some 
 upstairs which have been left by my master and 
 his friends I have burned or sold them." 
 
 " That is very awkward ; and I, who have 
 nearly always a pack in my pocket, necessarily left 
 mine at home." 
 
 " Wait, Chaudoreille ! taste this liqueur. That 
 will be much better than playing." 
 
 Thus saying, Marcel filled two glasses with 
 creme de vanille and placed one before his com- 
 rade. 
 
 " Yes, I am very fond of liqueur," said Chau- 
 doreille. "This has an exquisite perfume. We 
 could have drunk and played at the same time." 
 
 " But I tell you that I have not any cards." 
 
 " You have some dice, at least." 
 
 " No more than I have cards." 
 
 " Mercy ! Some dominoes ? " 
 
 " Nothing to play with, I tell you." 
 
 " Devil stifle you ! How shall we pass the time 
 without playing ? Oh, what a delightful idea ! I 
 have thought of a very agreeable little game which 
 you wttl easily understand. You have before you
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 173 
 
 a full glass of liqueur and I have the same. They 
 are of equal size ; I will play you a crown on the 
 first fly." 
 
 " What fly ? " said Marcel. 
 
 " Listen now. There are a good many flies in 
 this room, and he whose glass is first visited by one 
 of them will win a crown from the other. Is it 
 agreed ? " 
 
 " That is a droll game, but I like it well enough." 
 
 u In that case let's shake hands on it. That 
 settled, attend to our play." 
 
 Chaudoreille no longer budged. With his eyes 
 fixed attentively on his own glass and that of his 
 adversary, he waited impatiently for a fly to come 
 and taste the sweet liqueur. Neither of them made 
 a movement, for fear of frightening the winged 
 insects. They had already remained motionless 
 for five minutes before their glasses when Marcel 
 sneezed. 
 
 "The devil confound you?" cried Chaudo- 
 reille. " You drove away the most beautiful fly 
 which was approaching my glass. She was just 
 going in." 
 
 "Is it my fault if I feel a desire to sneeze? " 
 
 " It is a trick, my dear fellow, and, in all con- 
 science, you should lose the game. 
 
 "You are joking, no doubt." 
 
 " Well I will pass over the sneeze, but if you 
 begin again that will count. Wait ! The flies are 
 coming."
 
 174 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 They observed silence anew. From time to 
 time Chaudoreille looked into the air and seemed 
 to implore the flies to come and taste his liqueur. 
 At last, after some minutes of waiting, a fly sipped 
 from Marcel's glass. 
 
 " I have won," cried the latter. 
 
 " One moment," said Chaudoreille, spitefully 
 stamping his foot. " Leave me to judge of this 
 affair." 
 
 " It seems to me that there is nothing equivo- 
 cal about it. The fly is still in my glass." 
 
 " But I am anxious to know if it is really a fly. 
 I am not going to lose a crown for a pig in a 
 poke." 
 
 Chaudoreille arose and advanced his head, that 
 he might look more closely into the glass which 
 was before Marcel, but no sooner had he by this 
 movement approached his host than he cried, 
 carrying his hand to his nose, 
 
 " The game is off. There is nothing more to 
 be done." 
 
 " This is to say," cried Marcel, in his turn ris- 
 ing from the table. 
 
 " I repeat, the game is off. " 
 
 " And why ? " 
 
 " Why, by jingo, because your breath is strong 
 enough to make flies fall in their flight. After 
 that you see the game is not equal." 
 
 "Chaudoreille, I will take the thing as a joke, 
 and I don't care about winning your money, but
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 175 
 
 I flatter myself that I have a breath at least as fresh 
 as yours." 
 
 " Take the thing as a joke ? " said the chevalier, 
 putting his hand on the handle of his sword. " Do 
 you wish to vex me ? By jingo, if I had known." 
 
 " Come, come, calm yourself." 
 
 " Do you think I will suffer such injuries. By 
 Rolande, I don't know how to hold myself." 
 
 " Will you soon be done ? " 
 
 " By George ! If I believed that you wish to 
 molest me, as if I care about a crown ; if I had 
 lost a hundred I should have paid you just the 
 same." 
 
 " That is all right. Leave all that." 
 
 The more Marcel tried to calm his comrade, 
 the more he lost his temper and shouted, for he 
 believed that Marcel was afraid of him and he 
 wished to profit by his bullying ; he even went so 
 far as to draw his sword and run about the room, 
 rolling his little eyes around him as if he would 
 split everything in two. Marcel grew impatient, 
 and seeing that all of his entreaties were vain 
 decided to take a broom handle from behind the 
 door. Putting himself on the defensive, he waited 
 for his enemy to come and attack him, but this 
 action suddenly calmed Chaudoreille's fury. At 
 sight of Marcel on guard with his broom, he 
 stopped and struck his forehead as one who has 
 suddenly received an enlightening idea. 
 
 " Great God ! " he cried, " What was I going
 
 176 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 to do ? It was in the house of the noble Marquis 
 de Villebelle that I allowed myself to be carried 
 away by anger? Oh, my courage, how much 
 trouble you give me. All is forgotten, Marcel. 
 Come to my arms. I will forgive you.'* 
 
 Marcel, always a good fellow, threw aside his 
 broom and shook hands with Chaudoreille. They 
 returned to the table, but they played no more, 
 and while in the room on the first floor somebody 
 was sighing and looking at the hand of the clock, 
 in the lower room the two comrades ended by 
 putting themselves to sleep while sampling the 
 fine wines and liqueurs of the marquis.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE PONT-NEUF. TABARIN 
 
 THE ill-success of his serenade had not daunted 
 the young Urbain ; when one is really very much 
 in love one does not lose courage for a trifle. Our 
 lover returned to his dwelling cursing the jealous 
 barber, for he did not doubt that jealousy was at 
 the root of Touquet's exceedingly watchful care 
 of the young girl ; and though he was but little 
 dismayed at the barber's threats, Urbain swore,not- 
 withstanding them, to become known to Blanche, 
 and to do everything in his power to make her 
 love him. The act of swearing is in itself ex- 
 tremely easy of accomplishment what oaths 
 have been taken and broken within a half cen- 
 tury only ; but we arc now speaking merely of the 
 oaths of love, which are lighter, necessarily, than 
 some others, and to break them is considered a 
 pardonable offence. Urbain, who had sworn that 
 he would see Blanche, was, however, greatly 
 troubled to invent a way of doing so ; but in 
 love one always swears first and reflects afterwards, 
 and in business it must be confessed there are 
 a good many people who follow the very same 
 course. 
 
 177
 
 178 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 On the day after the night on which he had 
 sung, Urbain was walking in the neighborhood 
 of the barber's, but he dared not enter the house, 
 which he ogled sighingly, nor even, for fear of 
 being noticed by Touquet, could he pass by the 
 shop. It was from afar that he examined the win- 
 dows ; nobody could be seen at them. She seemed 
 to be condemned to an eternal seclusion. He 
 waited until Marguerite should leave the house. 
 At last she opened the door of the alley ; she was 
 going to get some provisions. 
 
 Urbain did not lose sight of the old servant, 
 but he did not dare to go into the shops with 
 her. How could he get into conversation ? One 
 is not apt at intrigue at nineteen years of age. At 
 last, at the moment when Marguerite was passing 
 by him, Urbain tremblingly accosted her, 
 
 " Madame, I should very much like " 
 
 " I'm not a dame I'm not married." 
 
 " Mademoiselle if I dared " 
 
 " If you dared what ? " 
 
 " To ask you " 
 
 " Well, why don't you speak ? " 
 
 " Some news of Mademoiselle Blanche." 
 
 " Mademoiselle Blanche ! Oh that's what you 
 are up to, my young dandy ? Go along, go your 
 own way ; you're addressing the wrong person. 
 If you want to talk about that dear child, speak 
 to my master ; he'll answer you, I warrant, and in 
 the best manner."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 179 
 
 So saying, Marguerite left Urbain and went in, 
 murmuring, 
 
 " Monsieur is right, it is necessary to redouble 
 our watchfulness that such a pretty girl may not 
 be besieged by these worthless fellows." 
 
 " They're all bound to make me despair," said 
 Urbain, disheartened by the unkind welcome ac- 
 corded him by the old woman, " but, despite all 
 their precautions, I shall see her, I shall speak to 
 her." And the better to dream of at least seeing 
 her Urbain departed from the house that held 
 Blanche ; he walked by chance and soon arrived 
 on the Pont-Neuf. 
 
 The Pont-Neuf was then a meeting place for 
 strangers, for schemers, for idlers, for pickpockets, 
 and people who had newly disembarked. It was 
 the most crowded thoroughfare of the capital; 
 unceasingly encumbered with groups of curious 
 people who stopped before the quacks, who were 
 selling their universal panaceas and playing farces, 
 mountebanks, thimbleriggers, pedlers of songs, of 
 ironmongery, of books, of jujubes, it offered to 
 the observer a diverting and extremely animated 
 scene. 
 
 Tabarin, who became famous by the scenes 
 which he played in public, and from whom our 
 great Moliere has not disdained to borrow some 
 buffooneries, was then established on the Pont- 
 Neuf, towards the Place Dauphine. He had suc- 
 ceeded the famous Signer Hieronimo who, in the
 
 i8o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Cour du Palais, sold an ointment to cure burns, 
 after burning himself publicly on the hands and 
 curing the wounds with his balm, while Galinette- 
 la-Galine attracted the passers by his parades. 
 
 In addition to Tabarin's show there were still 
 other theatres on the Pont-Neuf. Maitre Gonin, 
 a skilful juggler, had established himself there, 
 and charmed all Paris by his dexterity ; while a 
 little farther off Briochee had his marionette 
 show. 
 
 Tabarin, the simple clown of an ointment seller, 
 played the innocent, and put a thousand ridicu- 
 lous questions to his master who, dressed as a 
 doctor, answered his facetious interrogations by 
 calling him big ass, fat pig, etc., and this specta- 
 cle drew the crowd. One saw there not only the 
 people but personages from the first classes of 
 society. 
 
 Urbain, who was walking along, dreaming of 
 his love, that is to say without noticing anything 
 before him, elbowing everybody who approached 
 him, was pushed by the crowd before the theatre 
 of the fashionable buffoon. The young bachelor 
 heard shouts of laughter from all sides ; he saw no- 
 blemen, young girls, workmen, and workwomen 
 who, with their noses in the air, listened with de- 
 light to a man who was dressed in a clown's cap, 
 smock frock, and large pantaloons, and whose face 
 was covered by a mask ; this man was Tabarin. 
 His master, in a doctor's habit, his head covered
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 181 
 
 with a basque cap, his chin adorned with a long 
 beard, held some bottles of ointment or balm in 
 his hands. Urbain mechanically looked and lis- 
 tened with the others ; in order to judge of that 
 which gave so much pleasure to the idlers of that 
 century, let us, also, listen for a moment. 
 
 TABARIN. What people have you found to 
 be the most courteous in the world ? 
 
 THE MASTER. I've been in Italy, I have 
 visited Spain, and traversed a great part of Ger- 
 many, but nowhere have I remarked so much 
 courtesy as one sees in France. You observe that 
 the French, kiss, caress, wish each other well, and 
 take off the hat. 
 
 TABARIN. Do you call taking off the hat an 
 act of courtesy ? I shouldn't care much about 
 such caresses. 
 
 THE MASTER. The custom of taking off the 
 hat as a mark of friendship is ancient, Tabarin, 
 and bears witness to the honor, the respect, and 
 the friendliness which one should feel for those 
 whom he salutes. 
 
 TABARIN. So you judge all courtesy to con- 
 sist in taking off the hat? Would you like to 
 know who are the most courteous people in the 
 world ? 
 
 THE MASTER. Who Tabarin? 
 
 TABARIN. They are the tireurs de laine of 
 Paris ; for they are not content with taking off
 
 1 82 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the hat only, but more often take off the cloak 
 also. 1 
 
 This sally was received with the applause and 
 laughter of the assembled crowd, among whom 
 might undoubtedly be found some tireurs de 
 laine, who plied their trade while laughing still 
 louder than their neighbors. 
 
 Urbain did not share the general hilarity; how- 
 ever, he lent his ear to a new scene which the 
 buffoon was playing. Tabarin, seeking to intro- 
 duce himself to the presence of his Isabelle, whom 
 Cascandre kept from sight as an old duenna, 
 found no better expedient than to disguise him- 
 self as a woman, and under this costume to seek 
 a tete-a-tete with his mistress. The harlequin mask 
 which Tabarin wore under his feminine costume 
 lent a thousand absurdities which evoked anew 
 the gayety of the crowd and in which decency 
 was not always scrupulously observed; but the 
 public of the Pont-Neuf was not easily abashed, 
 and the women of good standing who viewed 
 this spectacle contented themselves with spread- 
 ing their fans before their eyes and crying, 
 
 " What unbecoming, scandalous actions ; they 
 should at least forbid these gestures." 
 
 Urbain, watching the grotesque disguise of the 
 buffoon, conceived a plan. Why should he not 
 use the same means to introduce himself into the 
 
 i General collection of the CEuvres et Faceties de Tabarin, Paris, 1 725.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 183 
 
 barber's house ? Was it not Love himself who 
 taught him this strategy by making him a witness 
 of this scene of Tabarin's at the moment when he 
 was racking his brain to find out a way of ap- 
 proaching Blanche. 
 
 Whether it were Love, Destiny, or a chance 
 which had led our lover, he was none the less de- 
 lighted with his idea, and, giving a thousand 
 thanks to Tabarin, he thought of nothing but 
 putting it into execution. Immediately, pushing 
 from right to left, he retired from the crowd. Ur- 
 bain elbowed a grisette, twisted an old woman's 
 cloak, crushed the foot of a little woman who, sup- 
 ported on the arm of a young student, had slipped 
 among the crowd ; but, insensible to the injuries 
 which he inflicted, he continued to make his way 
 and, finding himself free at last, ran to his dwelling 
 without stopping to take breath. 
 
 Arrived there the young bachelor opened the 
 drawer of a little walnut-wood secretary and 
 counted his money, for in every affair it is neces- 
 sary to have recourse to this cursed money in 
 order to abolish obstacles and arrive more quickly 
 at the end which one has in view. His treasury 
 held only sixteen livres tournois, which is very 
 little and would not, in our day, introduce one 
 into the boudoir of a Lais ; but when beauty is 
 accompanied by innocence access is much easier. 
 
 Besides Urbain would not take the costume of 
 a grand lady. On the contrary he wished to dis-
 
 i8 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 guise himself as a peasant; his awkwardness in 
 that costume would be less noticeable. He looked 
 at himself in his little glass. No beard, no whiskers, 
 not the smallest hair on his chin. Urbain jumped 
 for joy ; although some days previously he had 
 sighed to have mustaches, to-day he wished to 
 change into a girl. He was delighted also at not 
 being very tall, and exclaimed to himself, while 
 looking at his feet and hands which were small, 
 
 " How fortunate it is that I'm not a strong, 
 robust, fine man ! " 
 
 He had only to bestir himself to get the neces- 
 sary clothing. Urbain took his crown and went 
 to a second-hand clothier, where he asked for a 
 dress for a servant from the country, who, he said, 
 was about his height. They showed him all that 
 constituted the feminine costume, petticoat, cor- 
 set, apron, cap, neckerchief, shoes; they made 
 him pay three times their value, but our young 
 man was delighted. 
 
 These little arrangements having taken some 
 time, Urbain went to dinner. Then, at the close 
 of day, he returned home with his little parcel 
 under his arm, as pleased as Jason carrying the 
 Golden Fleece, as Pluto ravishing Proserpine, as 
 Apollo tearing off the skin of the Python, as 
 Hercules bearing off the Golden Apples from the 
 garden of the Hesperides, or as Paris abducting 
 the wife of Menelas, and certainly all of those 
 men should have been very well pleased.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 185 
 
 Arrived in his chamber our lover rubbed his 
 flint, for at that time nothing was known of sul- 
 phur matches. Having procured a light he im- 
 mediately proceeded to change his state, keeping 
 of his masculine costume only the garment which 
 he judged to be very necessary in order not to 
 freeze under his feminine skirt. Urbain put on 
 the skirt, then the corset, which he endeavored to 
 lace, but he did it very badly ; he drew one string 
 instead of another, he ripped and pulled, he 
 pricked himself. The poor boy was in despair, 
 he looked at himself in his little glass and saw 
 well that all was not right ; he never should come 
 to the end. What could he do ? Only a woman 
 knows all the mysteries of the feminine toilet. 
 It was necessary, then, to beg some woman to 
 come to his aid, and he recalled that on the story 
 below him lodged an old bachelor whose servant, 
 polite and intelligent, always made him a grace- 
 ful curtsey. Immediately Urbain, holding as well 
 as he could the skirt and the corset, ran down 
 stairs as quickly as possible and rang his neigh- 
 bor's bell. The servant opened the door, and 
 burst into a shout of laughter on seeing this per- 
 son, half man, half woman ; but no matter how 
 he's dressed a pretty boy of nineteen is always 
 interesting, and Urbain's voice was very touching 
 as he said to the maid, 
 
 "Ah, mademoiselle, I'm very much in doubt. 
 I wish to dress myself as a woman, and I shall
 
 1 86 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 never come to the end. Would you be so amia- 
 ble as to help me for a moment ? " 
 
 " Very willingly " answered the big girl and, 
 without allowing him to beg further, she followed 
 Urbain to his room, where she laughed still more 
 on seeing how he had put on the costume. 
 
 " Are you going to a ball ? " said she to him. 
 
 " Yes, and I wish to be so well disguised that 
 nobody could recognize me." 
 
 " All right ; wait, I'll dress you, and I promise 
 you you'll look well." 
 
 Immediately she commenced undoing all that 
 Urbain had done. Then she examined the gar- 
 ments. 
 
 " They're not very elegant," she said. 
 
 " They are all I desire, I wish to be very sim- 
 ply dressed." 
 
 " But it's necessary to put another skirt on 
 underneath, that one there isn't enough; you 
 haven't hips like us. We must make some for 
 you. And that cap is horrid ! I wouldn't go out 
 in it. I'll go and get you one of mine, and 
 everything else that you need. Oh, I'll make you 
 genteel." 
 
 And the young servant, without listening to 
 Urbain's thanks, ran to her room, whence she 
 soon returned carrying all that was necessary to 
 turn a young man into a passable looking girl. 
 The new cap was tried, it suited perfectly. Urbain 
 was delighted ; he did not know how to testify
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 187 
 
 his gratitude to the young girl. The latter had 
 not finished his headdress, there were some bows 
 to be made and some hair which must be pushed 
 back. She pinned his kerchief closely about his 
 neck, stopped, looked at him, and exclaimed, 
 
 " Truly that does very well ! Such a white 
 skin, such a sweet air ; anyone would be deceived 
 in him, that's sure. Wait a moment, till I make 
 a false bust." 
 
 " Is it really necessary ? " 
 
 " Is it necessary why, what a question ! '* 
 
 " But I'm stifling in this corset." 
 
 "Well, so do we stifle in them, but that's 
 nothing ; it's necessary to suffer a little if one 
 wants to be genteel. Wait, now, I'll pull your 
 waist in, then I'll make you some hips, and then, 
 ah, yes, that's all that's necessary. It's by those 
 things that one distinguishes the sex." 
 
 The young servant kept finding something 
 more to do for Urbain, and the latter, in order to 
 be well disguised, allowed her to do as she pleased 
 with the best grace in the world, repeating every 
 moment, 
 
 " How good you are, mademoiselle, how can I 
 ever prove my gratitude ? " 
 
 Urbain's toilet had lasted more than two hours, 
 at the end of which time the young girl left him, 
 saying, 
 
 " There, that's done, you don't look a bit like 
 a man now ; there's not the least thing to make
 
 1 88 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 them doubt that you're a girl. At this hour you 
 can go out. Hold your eyes down, look from the 
 side, take small steps, balance yourself straight 
 from the hips, pinch your mouth, throw your 
 nose up a little high, and you won't go to the 
 end of the street without making a conquest. 
 Good-by, monsieur, when you have need don't 
 hesitate to call me if you please." 
 
 The young servant departed, and Urbain, after 
 having studied his walk for a little while, decided 
 at last to venture into the streets of Paris in his 
 new costume.
 
 THE bachelor in cap and crinoline felt suffi- 
 ciently ill at his ease in the streets of Paris. Al- 
 though he was protected by the darkness of the 
 night, for there were few who carried lanterns, 
 every time anyone passed near him Urbain was 
 afraid that he had been recognized, and fully ex- 
 pected to be taken by the sergeants of the watch, 
 who would doubtless demand the motive of his 
 disguising himself, and fleece him to the extent of 
 a heavy fine or even perhaps lock him up, if he 
 continued to walk in the guise of a woman in the 
 good city of Paris, where it was only by distrib- 
 uting money in handfuls that one was allowed to 
 pass for what he was not ; and, as Urbain had not 
 a crown about him, because when disguising one's 
 self as a woman one does not remember every- 
 thing, even to the putting of money in his pocket, 
 the young lover felt it necessary to avoid the 
 police ; at all events, he did not fear robbers ; 
 that was much, then, and may still prove some- 
 thing of a consolation to those who have nothing 
 to lose today. 
 
 Little by little Urbain grew more assured ; he 
 
 189
 
 ipo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 began to feel accustomed to his costume, and cer- 
 tain compliments addressed to him in passing 
 proved to him that people were entirely deceived 
 as to his sex. Urbain was careful not to respond 
 to the gallantries offered him by a few cavaliers, 
 but contented himself by walking faster, escaping 
 with muddied skirts since he did not yet know 
 very well how to hold them up and they greatly 
 embarrassed him in jumping the streams of dirty 
 water. At length he reached the Rue des Bourdon- 
 naise ; and then for the first time he reflected that 
 it was very late to try to introduce himself into the 
 barber's house. There was no likelihood of Mar- 
 guerite's venturing out at this hour ; his disguise 
 would therefore not serve him till the next day. 
 His assumption of feminine raiment had been 
 useless so far; but does a lover make such re- 
 flections ? Besides, as Urbain had to habituate 
 himself to wearing women's clothes, he was not 
 displeased at making his first essay at night. 
 While thus thinking he rambled past the barber's 
 house, ogling Blanche's windows, and sending her 
 a thousand sighs which she could not hear because 
 she was asleep, and which probably she would not 
 have heard any better had she been awake. 
 
 Wholly engrossed in the pleasure of sighing 
 under his lady love's casements, Urbain forgot 
 that while it is natural to see a young man waiting 
 and sighing in the street at night, a solitary wo- 
 man doing the like evokes many conjectures. All
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 191 
 
 of a sudden the young lover was recalled from his 
 ecstacy by some unknown person who pinched 
 nim very hard on the knee, and said to him, in a 
 hoarse, rasping voice, 
 
 " It seems to me, little mother, that the one 
 you're waiting for is something late ; if you'll only 
 accept my arm we can go and taste some very fair 
 white wine at the merchant's down yonder. I'm 
 a good customer of his, and he has some comfort- 
 able private rooms." 
 
 Urbain turned sharply round and perceived at 
 his side a big, jolly fellow, in the garb of a chair 
 porter, who was offering his arm and smiling 
 almost to his ears. Without answering, and little 
 pleased by this adventure, the young man began 
 to run, soon leaving his gallant in the lurch. But 
 his troubles were not to end there ; some two 
 hundred steps farther on, he was stopped anew 
 by some pages who essayed to kiss him ; he dis- 
 engaged himself from them as speedily as possi- 
 ble, and resumed his course. Later he was in 
 turn accosted by some students, some lackeys, and 
 some soldiers, several of them pursuing him. 
 Urbain, that he might the better escape them, re- 
 doubled his agility, and, in order to run faster, 
 gathered his skirts up about his knees ; but the 
 higher he pulled them, the greater ardor these 
 gentlemen evinced in following him. 
 
 "Hang it," said Urbain, while running, "I 
 didn't disguise myself as a woman to be pinched
 
 192 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 by all the pages and lackeys of this city. Men are 
 the devil incorporate ; I perceive now that it's 
 more agreeable to wear breeches than petticoats, 
 but tomorrow I shall obtain entrance to Blanche's 
 dwelling. Come, courage they'll leave me alone 
 perhaps." 
 
 And Urbain jumped over the puddles, wound 
 among the streets, perspiring and suffocating in his 
 corset, and under the false bosom with which the 
 young servant had stuffed his chest. Turning 
 down the streets at random as he came to them, 
 in order to escape his pursuers, he did not know 
 himself in what neighborhood he was. 
 
 At last, not hearing anyone behind him, he 
 stopped to take breath and recognize the place in 
 which he stood. He had passed the bridges and 
 had reached the great Pre-aux-Clercs, in which they 
 had commenced to build houses and open streets; 
 as they had done in the little Pre-aux-Clercs, which 
 towards the end of the reign of Henri the Fourth 
 was entirely covered with houses and gardens. 
 
 " Good ; here's the new street they call Rue de 
 Verneuil," said Urbain to himself; " and this is 
 the Chemin-aux-Vaches where they've built the 
 Rue Saint-Dominique; I recognize it. But I'll rest 
 for a minute or two, I'm too far from home to re- 
 turn there immediately I can't walk any farther. 
 Let's get my breath at least. This neighborhood's 
 deserted, and, as night is far advanced, let's hope I 
 shall make no more conquests." Urbain hoisted
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 193 
 
 his skirts and seated himself on a stone. At the 
 expiration of half an hour, feeling rested, he rose 
 and took the way to his lodgings. He walked 
 quietly along congratulating himself that he should 
 meet no one else when suddenly, in passing by the 
 Rue de Bourbon, he saw four men who were leav- 
 ing it and who, on sight of him, barred the way. 
 
 " Who goes there ? So late and the game is 
 still rising?" 
 
 " Upon my honor a charming meeting, it's a 
 little country wench." 
 
 " Better still. I'm very fond of peasants." 
 
 " What the devil, marquis ! a peasant who walks 
 about Paris in the middle of the night. That's an 
 innocence which seems to me tremendously ad- 
 venturous." 
 
 " Come, chevalier, your thoughts are always 
 evil. I'll wager the poor child came to Paris for 
 nothing but to sell her eggs." 
 
 " Let her have come for what she will, she 
 sha'n't return without the impress of my mus- 
 taches on her pretty lips." 
 
 Urbain realized by the language and manners 
 of these gentlemen that they were profligates of the 
 higher classes. Unable to make his escape, for he 
 was surrounded on every side, he tried to relieve 
 himself of them by saying in a falsetto voice, 
 
 " Gentlemen, leave me, I beg of you ; I am not 
 what you believe." 
 
 But his prayers were unheeded ; they pushed 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 i 9 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 him, they surrounded him. Urbain, rendered im- 
 patient by these manners, saw no means of regain- 
 ing his liberty save making himself known, and 
 he cried in his natural voice, 
 
 " Leave me, gentlemen, I repeat to you, you are 
 addressing the wrong person." 
 
 These words, pronounced by the young bache- 
 lor in a manner which left no doubt as to his sex, 
 produced the effect of a head of Medusa on the 
 four young noblemen : they remained motionless 
 for a moment, then they all burst into a shout of 
 laughter, crying : " It's a man. What a unique 
 adventure." 
 
 " Yes, gentlemen, it is a man," answered Urbain. 
 " I hope now that you will allow me to continue 
 on my way." 
 
 " As for me, I will no longer oppose you," said 
 one of the strangers. 
 
 " Come, Villebelle," resumed another, " let the 
 boy go. You can see very well he's not a girl. I 
 believe, deuce take it, that the wine we've drunk 
 didn't allow the marquis to see our mistake. Isn't 
 that so, chevalier ? " 
 
 "Yes, yes, indeed, gentlemen," answered the 
 Marquis de Villebelle ; for it was that nobleman 
 himself, who, as he had said to the barber, made 
 merry with his friends by seeking spicy adventures 
 in the streets of the capital. With a head excited by 
 wines and liqueurs, the marquis, always the leader 
 in the follies and extravagances committed in these
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 195 
 
 escapades, had pressed Urbain most closely, and 
 on the latter making himself known had continued 
 to hold the young bachelor. 
 
 "A moment, my boy," said he, stopping Urbain. 
 " We know you're not a girl, that's all very well ; 
 but, by all the devils ! in this disguise you must 
 necessarily have had some very comical adven- 
 tures ; recount them to us, 't will amuse us, and 
 afterwards you shall be free to go your way." 
 
 " Yes, yes," repeated the others ; " he must tell 
 us why he's dressed up like a woman." 
 
 " I must really tell this adventure at the cardi- 
 nal's little levee tomorrow morning. 
 
 " And I must tell it to Marion Delorme. I'll 
 have Bois-Robert put it into verse for the court." 
 
 " Colletel shall turn it into a comedy. Come, 
 speak on." 
 
 " Yet, once more, gentlemen, allow me to go on 
 my way ; by what right do you interrogate me ? 
 I have nothing to say to you, and I wish to de- 
 part." 
 
 Saying these words, he endeavored to repulse 
 the marquis anew, but the latter barred the way 
 and drew his sword, crying, 
 
 " Upon my honor, this little goodman is very 
 fractious. It's really too droll. You shall speak or 
 we will make you jump under our swords like a 
 spaniel." 
 
 " Insolent fellow," exclaimed Urbain, furiously; 
 " had I a weapon you had not dared to use such
 
 196 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 language to me, or I should already have chastised 
 you." 
 
 " Truly? Oh, hang it. I should like to see how 
 you handle a sword. Come, chevalier, lend him 
 yours." 
 
 " What, Villebelle, you wish it? " 
 
 "Yes, undoubtedly, a duel with a peasant 
 that tvill be a joke." 
 
 " Come, gentlemen, make a circle." 
 
 So saying, the marquis took a sword from one 
 of his companions and presented it to Urbain. 
 
 " Hold," said he, " here's a weapon, defend 
 yourself. Guard yourself, girl-boy, and let us see 
 if you are as brave as you're stubborn." 
 
 Urbain seized the sword with ardor and imme- 
 diately attacked the marquis. Though embarrassed 
 by his petticoats and corset he pressed impetu- 
 ously on his adversary, who, while parrying his 
 strokes, exclaimed at every moment, 
 
 " Well done ; very well done, 'pon my honor ! 
 Do you see that, gentlemen ? and that parry 
 and that thrust. Deuce take it, if he goes on in 
 this way I must use all my skill to " 
 
 A stroke of his adversary's sword, which crossed 
 his forearm, cut short the marquis* words ; his 
 sword dropped from his hand, his friends sur- 
 rounded and supported him, while Urbain himself 
 offered his help. 
 
 " It's nothing a mere nothing," said the mar- 
 quis ; " good-by, my friend, you're a brave fellow,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 197 
 
 and I'm pleased to have made your acquaintance ; 
 although I don't know with whom I've fought 
 this duel. As to you, if some day you find your- 
 self in any embarrassment, if you have a bad busi- 
 ness or need a protector, come to my hotel, ask 
 for the Marquis de Villebelle and you will always 
 find me ready to oblige you."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE TETE-A-TETE 
 
 DAWN had followed this night so fruitful in 
 events, during which sleep had not touched Julia's 
 eyes ; uneasy, impatient, twenty times had she 
 arisen from her sofa to go to the door and listen, 
 in the belief that she could at last distinguish some 
 sound, some disturbance which indicated the ap- 
 proach of the marquis. But though she had 
 heard every hour strike during this to her appar- 
 ently endless night, the seductive Villebelle had 
 not yet arrived. 
 
 The brow of the young Italian was clouded ; 
 her eyes, always vivacious and lustrous, under her 
 change of feeling were now animated by a gloomy 
 fire which boded ill for those who had caused it ; 
 Julia's breast was oppressed, sighs escaped her 
 lips and she walked aimlessly and angrily about 
 the apartment, the elegance of which no longer 
 delighted her; she passed the mirrors without 
 even looking at herself in them. Her vanity was 
 most painfully mortified and humiliated, she felt 
 insulted by the indifference of this marquis who had 
 led her to compromise herself thus, and now failed 
 to keep his appointment, whose conduct, in fact, 
 
 198
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 199 
 
 was inexcusable. What woman would pardon such 
 neglect ? 
 
 To allow herself to be abducted with a good 
 grace, and to be forced to spend the entire night 
 following in solitude. Love will excuse many 
 things, but self-love excuses nothing. 
 
 As soon as daylight paled the light of the can- 
 dles, Julia opened the door of the boudoir and, 
 crossing several rooms, ventured into the corridor. 
 
 " I don't believe that I can escape," she said, 
 smiling bitterly ; " they have taken too many pre- 
 cautions to keep me; but monsieur le marquis 
 and his worthy agent no doubt imagine me to be 
 in a state of ecstatic happiness at the mere fact of 
 having been brought to this house. Patience ! 
 One day perhaps they will know me better." 
 
 Julia went downstairs. Although it was in the 
 depth of winter the morning was beautiful ; the 
 young Italian left by the peristyle and plunged 
 into the gardens, where she walked up and down 
 the long pathways and gave herself up to her 
 thoughts. 
 
 Day had surprised Marcel and his guest sleep- 
 ing near the table where they had supped. Mar- 
 cel awoke first, recalled his ideas, and could not 
 conceive why his master had not returned in the 
 night. However, the door-bell hung in the room 
 where they had slept, and the marquis was a man 
 who was able to make himself heard. 
 
 Marcel pushed Chaudoreille, who opened his
 
 200 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 little eyes and gazed about him in astonishment, 
 murmuring, 
 
 " By jingo ! I am not at home in the Rue Brise- 
 miche nor in the gambling den on the Rue Vide- 
 Gousset. Where the devil have I passed the night? 
 My purse where is my purse ? I had eight 
 crowns in it." 
 
 Chaudoreille quickly seized his purse and 
 counted his money, and Marcel said to him, 
 
 " Come, wake up, why don't you ? and remem- 
 ber where you are. Do you think me capable of 
 robbing you ? " 
 
 " Good-for-nothing that I am ! that good fellow 
 Marcel I remember everything now. Forgive 
 me, my friend ; but at the first moment I thought 
 I was at a tavern where I sleep sometimes. What 
 the devil ! it's broad daylight." 
 
 "Yes, and monsieur le marquis did not come 
 in during the night ; I can't understand why." 
 
 " It is rather singular, and that poor little thing 
 whom we took so much trouble to bring here, 
 what has she done with herself since yesterday ? " 
 
 " She's slept the same as we have." 
 
 " Ah, my dear Marcel, it's easily seen that you 
 have not studied the sex. Sleep ! a woman who 
 is waiting her vanquisher for the first time ? She 
 would sooner keep awake all night than go to 
 sleep." 
 
 " But when the vanquisher doesn't come, it's 
 necessary for her to do something."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 201 
 
 " Never ! never I tell you. Wait, here's an ex- 
 ample : I had once arranged a meeting with a 
 baroness on the borders of the Seine, near the Tour 
 de Nesle ; that also was in winter, and it was hor- 
 ribly cold. Unforeseen events a duel pre- 
 vented my meeting my beauty. I was wounded, 
 and spent eight days in bed. On the ninth, as I 
 passed the neighborhood indicated, by chance, 
 whom should I see there ? " 
 
 " Your baroness ? " 
 
 " Exactly. But, the poor woman, she had been 
 frozen for four days, and that because she would 
 not leave the place of rendezvous." 
 
 " Our dame has a good fire and everything that 
 she can desire ; she won't freeze while awaiting 
 my master." 
 
 " What do you say, Marcel ; shall I go upstairs 
 and chat pleasantly with her to distract her mind 
 a little ? " 
 
 " No, indeed, that would be displeasing to mon- 
 sieur le marquis." 
 
 " Well, you're right ; I suppose he might take 
 offence at it." 
 
 " Don't you think you had much better go and 
 find the person who brought her here, and tell him 
 that monsieur has not come ? " 
 
 " No, my dear Marcel ; Touquet told me to 
 wait here for the marquis* orders, and I must fol- 
 low his instructions. If he does not come for a 
 fortnight, it's all the same to me ; I shall not leave
 
 202 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 this. You have a good cellar and plenty of pro- 
 visions of all kinds, and I find it very comfortable 
 here ; only, I must go out and get some cards for 
 the coming night, and I'll teach you some tricks 
 which you don't understand." 
 
 " All right, I'll go and get our breakfast ready ; 
 then I'll go and inquire whether the young lady 
 wants anything." 
 
 " That will do ; meanwhile I'll take a turn in 
 the garden and make the acquaintance of your 
 Hercules." 
 
 Chaudoreille arranged his mantle, put on his 
 new ruff, which he had bought by chance, which 
 pleased him greatly because it came up to his ears. 
 He brushed up his hat, curled his hair anew, and 
 went into the garden whistling, 
 
 Viens Aurora, 
 Je t' implore ; 
 
 a song which good King Henri had brought into 
 fashion. He paused with an air of defiance before 
 the statues, and made a grimace at those which 
 had frightened him the evening before. 
 
 At the end of the pathway he perceived Julia, 
 seated in a thicket which, as yet, was devoid of 
 foliage. The young girl was deep in thought, and 
 had not heard him approach. Chaudoreille re- 
 flected, uncertain whether he should approach her 
 or whether he should pass on his way. He -con- 
 cluded to do the first, and drew near her, holding
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 203 
 
 his left hand on his hip, and, throwing his body 
 back, already beginning to smile. Julia raised her 
 luminous eyes ; but, on recognizing Chaudoreille, 
 a look of humor flashed over her features, and she 
 said sharply, 
 
 " What do you want with me ? " 
 
 Chaudoreille paused, arrested in the middle of 
 his smile, and could not find words to answer her. 
 
 " Why were you coming to me ? " resumed 
 Julia ; " is the marquis here, or his confidant, the 
 barber Touquet ? " 
 
 " No, beautiful lady, I am at present alone with 
 you and Marcel in the house. I have passed the 
 night in watching over your safety, believing that 
 the marquis would arrive." 
 
 " Who is this Marcel ? the servant who opened 
 the door to us, I suppose." 
 
 " Precisely ! " 
 
 " He has served the marquis for a long time in 
 this house ? " 
 
 " No, I believe he has only been here four or 
 five years." 
 
 " And you, when did you come here ? " 
 
 " I came yesterday for the first time." 
 
 Julia was silent and Chaudoreille resumed after 
 a moment, 
 
 " Are you acquainted with my intimate friend, 
 the barber Touquet ? " 
 
 "What does that matter to you," asked the 
 young Italian, glancing scornfully at Chaudoreille,
 
 204 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 ' " It's nothing to me, certainly but, since you 
 named him he's a very worthy fellow, certainly, 
 and I am honored in being his friend." 
 
 " That reflects credit on you," said Julia, smil- 
 ing ironically. 
 
 "Yes, most assuredly," resumed Chaudoreille, 
 who had interpreted Julia's smile to his own ad- 
 vantage, " we have seen fire together. He is brave, 
 I'll give him justice for that; he always conducts 
 himself honorably." 
 
 " Always ? And has he sometimes spoken to 
 you of his parents ? of his father ? " 
 
 " My faith, no ; I don't believe he was born 
 from the higher classes. In that matter I am in- 
 finitely before him ; the Chaudoreilles are of very 
 pure blood and have a stock which goes back to 
 Noah. Under Charles the Bald one of my an- 
 cestors had himself shaved " 
 
 " What does it matter what your ancestors did ? 
 I was talking about the barber's family." 
 
 ' f That's all right ; but my friend Touquet has 
 spoken very little to me about them. I believe 
 he is from Lorraine and he has told me that he left 
 his country very early and came very young to 
 Paris, for it is only there that talent has a chance 
 of success ; also Touquet has made money, and 
 me, thank God, I am " 
 
 Here Chaudoreille's eyes wandered over his 
 doublet, which was stained in many places, and he 
 covered it with his mantle, resuming,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 205 
 
 " I should be very rich if I had not ruined my- 
 self for women." 
 
 Julia, who had paid little attention to this last 
 phrase, said to herself, 
 
 "He ought to be rich if he has helped the mar- 
 quis in all his follies." 
 
 " He is not married," resumed Chaudoreille, 
 " although he could now find a good match. His 
 house on the Rue des Bourdonnais is a very 
 pretty property. Perhaps it's because of the little 
 one that he doesn't marry ; perhaps he is going 
 to marry her, I shouldn't be surprised." 
 
 " What little one," inquired Julia, curiously. 
 
 " The young girl whom he has adopted and 
 who is now sixteen years old." 
 
 " The barber Touquet has adopted a child ? " 
 
 " Why, yes, of course he has. Why, if you 
 know him, how is it that you are ignorant of 
 that ? That's certainly the best act of his life." 
 
 " Touquet has done a good action," said Julia, 
 smiling ironically ; " I could not have imagined 
 that, and is this young girl pretty ? " 
 
 " Hang it ! is she pretty ? Well, I believe you ! 
 She is one but no," said Chaudoreille, correct- 
 ing himself as if struck by a sudden remembrance, 
 " she is not handsome at all ; on the contrary, 
 she is ugly, one might even say that she is dis- 
 agreeable." 
 
 "One minute you say she is pretty and the 
 next you say she is very ugly ; you don't seem
 
 206 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 to know what you are saying, Monsieur Chaudo- 
 reille." 
 
 " One can easily lose his wits when near you, 
 beautiful damsel ; but, by that sword, I swear to 
 you " 
 
 The bell at the garden gate was heard, Chaudo- 
 reille stopped ; presuming that it was the marquis 
 and that it would perhaps be dangerous for him to 
 be surprised in a tete-a-tete with Julia, he escaped 
 by the first pathway and ran to rejoin Marcel, 
 while the young Italian listened anxiously and her 
 cheeks assumed a more vivid color. 
 
 Marcel opened the door, but it was not the 
 marquis, it was Touquet, who came alone. 
 
 " Your master fought a duel last night," said 
 he to Marcel, " he was wounded, but very slightly, 
 it seems. I have come to speak to the young 
 girl. She is perhaps anxious to know what all this 
 means. Where is she now ? " 
 
 "In the garden," said Chaudoreille, " but I 
 assure you she is not at all lonely here. It is true 
 that I have chatted with her " 
 
 " And who gave you permission to do so ? 
 You're very bold to converse with a woman on 
 whom a marquis has laid his eyes." 
 
 " Yes, I confess that I am very bold but I 
 believe you say that monseigneur fought a duel ; 
 do you know with whom he fought ? " 
 
 " Idiot ! Is that our business ? Do you sup- 
 pose I asked him ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 207 
 
 " It's true, it's not our business, but " 
 
 "You have nothing more to do here, get out." 
 
 " Do you wish me to take myself off? " 
 
 " Yes, and immediately." 
 
 " Without being presented to monseigneur, that 
 is very awkward ; but at least it seems to me 
 that if they have no more need of me they ought 
 to settle with me." 
 
 " Wait ! here are ten more crowns ; it's more 
 than you are worth, a hundred times." 
 
 " Very well, but the rosette and the broken pane 
 of glass " 
 
 " Hang it, stupid ! you're not satisfied ? " 
 
 " It's all right, it's all right, I'm very well 
 pleased. I mustn't grumble," added Chaudoreille 
 to himself, " he might happen to remember the 
 shaves that I owe him." 
 
 " Go at once," said the barber, angrily, point- 
 ing with his finger to the garden gate. The Gas- 
 con hastily thrust the sum which he had received 
 into his purse, and placed the latter carefully in 
 his belt, murmuring, 
 
 " Ten and eight, that's eighteen. By jingo, that 
 will make them stare at the gambling place in the 
 Rue Vide-Gousset and at the bank of the Rue 
 Coupe-Gorge." Then he shook Marcel's hand, 
 and wrapping himself in his mantle left by the 
 middle gate, which was hardly wide enough for 
 him since he possessed eighteen crowns.
 
 208 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The barber hastened to acquit himself of the 
 commission with which his master had charged 
 him, that he might return promptly to his house 
 and be there on the arrival of his customers. He 
 walked hurriedly through the garden, and soon 
 met Julia, who felt her hope vanish when she per- 
 ceived him. 
 
 " Madame," said Touquet, bowing to the young 
 girl, " the marquis' conduct doubtless seems to 
 you rather extraordinary, but you will excuse him 
 when you learn that he fought a duel last night 
 in the grand Pre-aux-Clercs and was wounded." 
 
 " He is wounded," said Julia, with emotion, 
 " and dangerously ? " 
 
 " No, madame, it is a very little thing, an arm 
 only. Monsieur le marquis made this event known 
 to me at break of day and ordered me to come 
 and tell you. He hoped to be very soon recov- 
 ered, and able within four or five days to come and 
 excuse himself; but, if you are wearied in this 
 place, you are free to return to your shop. I will 
 go and warn you when " 
 
 " No," said Julia, interrupting him brusquely ; 
 " do you imagine I can return to the dwelling I 
 have left ? I will wait for the marquis." 
 
 " You are the mistress, and they have orders to 
 satisfy your slightest wishes." 
 
 The barber bowed to Julia, and having given 
 Marcel the marquis' orders, left the little house 
 and returned to his home.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 209 
 
 Five days had elapsed since the young Italian 
 had entered the luxurious apartments ; there she 
 had found a harpsichord, a sitar, books, some pen- 
 cils, some sketches, and a wardrobe furnished with 
 everything that could add a charm to beauty. 
 Marcel, always obedient and discreet, brought her 
 everything that she desired, without permitting 
 himself the slightest question ; nor did Julia ad- 
 dress him, except to ask him for what she thought 
 necessary to distract her, for the most magnificent 
 dwelling does not forbid weariness. 
 
 It was late on the evening of the sixth day ; 
 Julia was attired with coquetry, in the hope that 
 the marquis would come, but her hope was van- 
 ishing. She lay down upon the sofa, where her 
 reverie had yielded to a light slumber, when the 
 door of the room opened softly, and the Marquis 
 de Villebelle appeared at the entrance of the apart- 
 ment. " She's not half bad," said he, looking at 
 Julia, who was lying carelessly on the sofa ; then 
 he advanced towards her ; the noise awoke the 
 young Italian, and, opening her eyes, she perceived 
 the great nobleman, whose rich and elegant cos- 
 tume increased the grace of his bearing. He seated 
 himself, smiling, at her side. Julia was about to 
 rise. 
 
 " Don't move," said the marquis, " you are 
 very well as you are. I reproach myself with hav- 
 ing disturbed your slumber." 
 
 " Monseigneur, I had about given you up," 
 
 VOLVII
 
 2io THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 said Julia, seeking to restrain the uneasiness which 
 she felt at the sight of the marquis. " I have been 
 here for six days, alone in this place." 
 
 " Yes, you must have found it very tiresome 
 I can imagine ; but, ma belle, my messenger must 
 have told you that it was not my fault. My arm 
 is not cured yet, but I could not longer resist the 
 desire to see this amiable child who for love of me 
 was willing to live in solitude." 
 
 " For love of you, seigneur," said Julia, turning 
 her eyes aside so as not to meet those of the mar- 
 quis, which were fixed amorously upon her ; " and 
 who has made you believe that I am in love with 
 you, if you please ? " 
 
 " Ah, upon my honor, that is divine. Were you 
 awaiting another here, then, my angel ? " 
 
 " I was waiting, monsieur, to learn from you 
 what motive you had in inducing me to leave my 
 dwelling." 
 
 " Delightful by all the devils delightful. She 
 does not know why they brought her here. Did 
 nobody tell you, little strategist ? " 
 
 "It was from you alone that I wished to hear 
 it, seigneur." 
 
 " That is correct. Love is ill made by an am- 
 bassador ; the little god does not love pages and 
 valets. He wishes to do his work himself. Come, 
 a kiss first, and we shall understand each other bet- 
 ter afterwards." 
 
 Julia disengaged herself from the marquis* arms,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 211 
 
 which he had wound about her, and withdrawing 
 from him she cried, 
 
 " Please, sir, cease these liberties which offend 
 me!" 
 
 " Which offend her ! " said the marquis, burst- 
 ing into laughter, while a vivid color sprang to 
 Julia's cheek. " Come now, what do you mean by 
 that ? Are we playing a comedy ? You wish to 
 make me pay for the weariness of six days' wait- 
 ing. Once more, sweetheart, it was not my fault ; 
 a duel at the moment when I was least thinking of 
 it. I must tell you all about that for it was very 
 droll. I was returning with four of my friends ; 
 we were a little tipsy and were trying to dispute 
 with everybody. We broke windows, we beat the 
 watch, we tore off the good shopkeepers' wigs ; 
 what can you expect ? one must pass the time and 
 show these gentlemen of the parliament that one 
 does not regard one's self as being comprised in 
 their edicts, which forbid vagabonds, pages and 
 lackeys to make a noise at night in the streets of 
 Paris. Finally, we met a girl, which girl was a boy ; 
 he would not tell us why he was disguised, and 
 became angry at our joking; one of the others 
 lent him a sword and we fought. For a youngster, 
 zooks how he went on ! it was a pleasure to fight 
 with him. In short, he gave me this cut, which I 
 still feel, and which prevents me from using my 
 arm ; so, sweetheart, I beg of you don't be too 
 cruel, for I am not in a state to lead an assault."
 
 212 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 And the marquis again approached Julia, wish- 
 ing to enfold her in his arms ; but she disengaged 
 herself and seated herself farther off, while the 
 former extended himself on the sofa and looked 
 at her smiling, while whistling a hunting tune. 
 
 The breast of the young girl rose more fre- 
 quently ; she turned her head and carried one of 
 her hands to her eyes. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " said the marquis, after 
 some minutes. " Are you crying, by chance ? 
 Truly, little one, I can't imagine why. They told 
 me that you came here with a very good grace ; 
 after which I naturally feel surprised at the sever- 
 ity which you are affecting now ; be easy, I will 
 be very virtuous since you wish it." 
 
 So saying, Villebelle seated himself near Julia 
 and took one of her hands, which he pressed be- 
 tween his own. The young Italian raised her eyes 
 to the marquis ; there was in the features of the 
 latter something so noble, so seductive, that it was 
 very easy for him to obtain pardon for his auda- 
 city ; accustomed to triumph, he had trespassed 
 through habit and not through fatuity, and Julia's 
 resistance astonished, but did not anger him. 
 
 " Why are you crying ? " said he to her. 
 
 " I believed that you loved me, and you despise 
 me." 
 
 " I despise you ? No, beautiful girl ; I love 
 you, as well as I can love ; and my love will 
 last, as long as it will ; can you ask better ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 213 
 
 " I wish for love ; a constant and sincere love." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! a constant love ; sweetheart, you 
 are exacting. Can we promise that, we others ? 
 and in good faith, when the great ladies of the 
 court cannot come by it, to a grisette ; should she 
 hope to hold the Marquis de Villebelle ? " 
 
 "Very well," said Julia, rising proudly and 
 walking towards the door, " the grisette will not 
 yield to the caprice of the great nobleman." 
 
 " Upon my honor, she is going, I believe," said 
 the marquis, rushing to retain Julia and gently 
 leading her to the sofa. " Come, no more ill-hu- 
 mor. Is it to quarrel that we are here ? Time flies 
 rapidly and carries with it, at every moment, a spark 
 of the enkindling fires of love. One doesn't wait 
 for pleasure to be extinguished before tasting of 
 it. I love you. I adore you, you little wretch ; 
 but what do you offer me as the reward of so 
 much ardor ? " 
 
 "A heart that knows how to love you in a 
 manner in which you have not been loved before 
 today, a heart whose only happiness will be to beat 
 for you, which will not have one thought to which 
 you will be a stranger, nor one desire disconnected 
 from you ! " 
 
 While saying these words Julia's eyes were ani- 
 mated and she fixed them on the marquis, seek- 
 ing no longer to hide the passion with which he 
 had inspired her. 
 
 " What magnificent eyes," said Villebelle, after
 
 2i 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 a moment, " but a little too exalted in their ex- 
 pression. You are Italian, that is easily seen, the 
 burning skies under which you were born do not 
 allow you to treat love as we French treat it, 
 lightly, jokingly ; which is, after all, the best way ; 
 the others are too sad.'* 
 
 " Say, rather, that we know how to love truly 
 while you, seigneur, give the name of love to 
 the most fleeting fancy, your heart being entirely 
 a stranger to the real passion." 
 
 " Wait, my dear girl ! All your discourses on 
 the metaphysics of love are less convincing to me 
 than one kiss from those lovely 'lips, and why 
 should you keep up such a show of resistance ? 
 Is it generous to profit by my being wounded ? " 
 
 " Have you always been generous, monsei- 
 gneur ? " said Julia, repulsing the marquis ; " and 
 in this place, even, have you nothing to reprove 
 yourself withal ? " 
 
 " Why, how's this, little girl, do you wish me 
 to follow a course of morals ? " said Villebelle, 
 laughing. " It seems to me you are abusing my 
 patience a little. ' Pon my honor those lovely eyes 
 are made to express pleasure rather than wis- 
 dom. And sermons from your mouth ! a little 
 grisette who wishes to play Lucretia here. Come, 
 sweetheart, leave such twaddling talk. Was it from 
 Tabarin or from Briochee that you learned those 
 sentences ? " 
 
 Julia rose, her eyes scintillating, her cheeks a
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 215 
 
 vivid scarlet, and looking angrily at the marquis 
 cried, 
 
 " And you, seigneur, where did you learn to 
 murder a father in order to abduct his daughter ?" 
 
 Villebelle remained as if stunned for a moment ; 
 his look fixed on Julia, who, dismayed herself at 
 the change wrought in the whole appearance of 
 the marquis, awaited with fear what he should say 
 to her. 
 
 The marquis rose, and murmured in a changed 
 voice, 
 
 " What made you think I had ever committed 
 such a terrible crime ? Speak, answer, I command 
 you." 
 
 " Seigneur," said the young Italian, " I have 
 heard the story of the abduction of the beautiful 
 Estrelle, old Delmar's daughter, but the barber 
 Touquet was then your agent, and I don't doubt 
 that it was he who wanted you to arm yourself 
 against an old man who was defending his daugh- 
 ter." 
 
 " You have heard some one speak of an adven- 
 ture which has been forgotten for seventeen years 
 and you are barely twenty. You have not told 
 me all have you known Estrelle? Is she still 
 living ? Speak, pray speak, and count on my grati- 
 tude if you assist me to recover that unfortunate 
 woman." 
 
 " You loved her well, did you not ? " said Julia, 
 gazing tenderly at the marquis.
 
 216 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "Yes, yes, I loved her I should love her 
 still. Pray tell me, is she still living ? Answer 
 me." 
 
 "I know no more than you, seigneur, I swear 
 to you. I have never met the woman who bore 
 that name, and chance made the adventure known 
 to me. On seeing you and on finding myself in 
 this house, to which Estrelle was brought, the re- 
 membrance of these events was presented to my 
 thoughts ; forgive me for having recalled them 
 to you you were then very young ; I know, also 
 that old Delmar did not die of his wounds. As 
 to his daughter, I repeat to you I know no more 
 of her than you do. But you had outraged me in 
 comparing me to those women whom you can 
 purchase every day with your riches, while I only 
 desire your love. I am Italian and I revenged 
 myself!" 
 
 The marquis did not answer, he walked slowly 
 up and down the room, from time to time sighing 
 and glancing around him ; but he did not appear 
 to perceive that Julia was there. 
 
 " Yes, I passed a month with her here," said 
 the marquis, looking around the boudoir, " this 
 abode was not what it is today. I have embel- 
 lished it, changed it, in order to drive away the 
 remembrance of her ; but never since have I ex- 
 perienced such entrancing moments as those spent 
 near Estrelle." 
 
 A long silence succeeded these words ; then the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 217 
 
 marquis took his hat and cloak and slightly in- 
 clined his head to Julia, as he said, in a low 
 voice, 
 
 " I shall see you again tomorrow." 
 
 Then he hurriedly quitted the little house in a 
 very different frame of mind from that in which 
 he had entered it.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 URSULE AND THE SORCERER OF VERBERIE 
 
 FOR some few days after his nocturnal adven- 
 ture of the duel Urbain refrained from wearing 
 his feminine costume. He was not at all anxious 
 to make any further conquests and to thus expose 
 himself to adventures which were hardly likely to 
 always result to his advantage ; the young bache- 
 lor felt that before he again disguised himself as 
 a girl he should make sure that his stratagem 
 would bring him nearer to obtaining an interview 
 with Blanche. 
 
 He began to watch Marguerite again, prowling 
 incessantly around the barber's house, and obtain- 
 ing all the information he could get as to the 
 character of the old servant; and he promised 
 himself that he would avail himself to the utmost 
 of her credulity and superstition. His plan being 
 carefully considered and arranged, an old messen- 
 ger, commissioned by him, accosted Marguerite 
 and asked her if she knew of a place for a young 
 peasant, a very pleasant and virtuous girl, who 
 had lately come to Paris and found herself with- 
 out employment. The kindly old serving woman 
 at once gave two addresses where she said they 
 
 ai8
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 219 
 
 would perhaps take the young girl, and continued 
 on her way. 
 
 The next day while going, according to cus- 
 tom, to buy provisions, Marguerite was stopped 
 by a country woman, very modest in demeanor, 
 but with an awkward air, who curtseyed to her and 
 thanked her with lowered eyes. 
 
 " What are you thanking me for, my child ? " 
 said Marguerite, " I do not know you." 
 
 " Because you interested yourself in me yester- 
 day and tried to find me a place." 
 
 " Oh, are you the one they recommended to 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Did they engage you ? " 
 
 "No, mademoiselle." 
 
 " I am sorry for it, for you seem to me very 
 pleasing, very honest. Where do you come from ? " 
 
 " From Verberie, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Why did you come to Paris ? " 
 
 " I have lost both my parents and I thought 
 I should find work more easily in a great city." 
 
 " Yes, but great cities are dangerous places for 
 virtuous young maids such as you appear to be. 
 They should have told you that, my child." 
 
 " Yes, they did, mademoiselle ! but I am not 
 afraid of anything." 
 
 " Why, you must believe yourself very wary, 
 very strong, to think you can escape the snares 
 they'll set for you."
 
 220 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Indeed it's not that, mademoiselle, but it is 
 that I daren't say it's a mystery, a secret." 
 
 Secret and mystery had the same effect upon 
 the old maid as love and marriage have upon a 
 young maid they aroused all her feelings. Mar- 
 guerite's little eyes beamed and she cried, 
 
 " What, my child ! you have a secret ? I am 
 not curious, but you interest me ; I should like 
 to be useful to you, but it's necessary that I should 
 know everything that concerns you. What is this 
 mystery that you dare not mention ? " 
 
 " Mademoiselle, I did not wish to confide in 
 anyone in Paris, for somebody told me there 
 were pickpockets who would steal my treasure." 
 
 " You possess a treasure ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, mademoiselle ; but one with which 
 I could still die of hunger." 
 
 "Why, indeed, what does that matter, my 
 child, hasn't every young girl a treasure without 
 price her innocence, her virtue and those 
 who guard it the best are not always the richest. 
 When I see shameless women, who live in luxury 
 and abundance, riding in gilded carriages, it makes 
 me feel ill. But about your secret, my child ; 
 would you refuse to confide in me ? " 
 
 " No, indeed, mademoiselle, you appear so re- 
 spectable, so good, that I cannot refuse you." 
 
 Marguerite half smiled and tapped the country 
 woman on the arm, for praise is a flower whose 
 perfume is grateful at any age.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 221 
 
 " Out with it then," she said. " What is it ? " 
 
 " Mademoiselle, I'll tell you with much pleas- 
 ure ; but it's a long story, and I must go into a 
 good many houses this morning. If you would 
 let me tell it to you this evening at your house, 
 that would be better, for I dare not say all that in 
 the street ; some one might hear me and take me 
 for a sorcerer, and I'm very much afraid of the 
 Chambre Ardente. God knows, however, ma- 
 demoiselle, that I understand nothing of magic, 
 and I'm more afraid of the devil than I am of 
 men." 
 
 " Oh," said Marguerite, whose curiosity had 
 reached an unbearable point, " this mystery of 
 yours is of itself extraordinary ? " 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Indeed ! Well, this is very embarrassing ; to 
 receive you in the house is difficult. Where do 
 you live, my child ? " 
 
 Urbain hesitated for a moment, then replied: 
 
 " Near the Porte Saint-Antoine." 
 
 " Oh, good heavens that's more than a league 
 from here. I could never get there ; my master's 
 a very strict man and doesn't wish that anyone 
 should have visitors." 
 
 Marguerite reflected for some moments, then 
 her curiosity carried the day. 
 
 " Well," said she at last, " come this evening 
 at seven o'clock ; it'll be dark ; but look well at 
 that house over there that alleyway."
 
 222 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Oh, I shall recognize it." 
 
 " Don't knock ; keep near the door. I'll let 
 you in, and show you up to my room. At that 
 hour my master doesn't ordinarily need my ser- 
 vices, and he never leaves the lower room." 
 
 " That's enough, mademoiselle, I'll be there at 
 seven precisely." 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 " Ursule Ledoux." 
 
 " Above all, Ursule, don't gossip with anybody 
 about this. It's no crime to receive you, but my 
 master's a little ridiculous and might find it 
 wrong. Besides, my child, one must be discreet 
 in everything. You'll tell me your secret this even- 
 ing, Ursule ? " 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " At seven o'clock, the house over there." 
 
 Urbain departed, delighted by the success of 
 his stratagem, breathing with difficulty, partly 
 from the hope of seeing Blanche and partly be- 
 cause his corset impeded his respiration ; and 
 Marguerite reached her dwelling, saying, 
 
 " This young girl looks as sweet as she looks 
 honest, and there's no harm in receiving her for 
 a moment it'll amuse my poor little Blanche a 
 little ; she's been rather sad for some days and 
 seems more lonely than usual ; and we shall know 
 the secret which mon Dieu, if seven o'clock 
 would only come soon." 
 
 Marguerite hastened to find Blanche. Since
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 223 
 
 the night of the serenade the lovely child had 
 been even more dreamy than before ; she sang 
 nothing but the refrain of her dear romance, and 
 the villanelles, the virelays, the old songs amused 
 her no longer. Marguerite drew near to her and 
 said mysteriously, in a low tone, 
 
 " This evening we shall have a visitor." 
 " A visitor," said Blanche. " Oh, M. Chaudo- 
 reille I suppose." 
 
 "No, indeed, a very pleasing, very honest young 
 country girl whom you don't know. A poor child 
 who possesses a treasure and who is looking for a 
 place as cook ; she wishes to remain virtuous, and 
 for that reason has come to Paris ; she is afraid of 
 the devil, but of nothing else." 
 
 " But dear nurse, I don't understand." 
 " Hush ! hush ! keep still ! This evening she 
 will come, and we shall hear her story ; there is a 
 question of a very curious mystery, but be silent ; 
 it is not necessary that M. Touquet should know 
 anything about that for he might forbid this poor 
 Ursule from coming to chat with us, and that 
 would displease me very much because she will 
 amuse you a little, my child." 
 
 " Oh, be easy, dear nurse, I shall say nothing," 
 cried Blanche, and she jumped about her room for 
 joy because the announcement of this visit was for 
 her an extraordinary event. The least thing new 
 is a great pleasure for those who pass their, lives 
 deprived of all gayety. It is thus that a storm or
 
 224 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 even a shower will distract and occupy a poor 
 prisoner ; that a bottle of wine will make a feast 
 for a man of small means habituated to drinking 
 nothing but water ; that the sound of a Barbary 
 organ appears delightful to the country people ; 
 that a ticket for the play crowns the wishes of the 
 poor workwoman of ten sous a day ; that a little 
 muslin dress makes an honest grisette happy ; and 
 that Sunday is awaited with impatience by those 
 who work all the week ; while for many people 
 fetes, the theatre, music, diamonds, cannot rejoice 
 their hearts. After all, should not the poor be 
 happier than the rich? 
 
 At last seven sounded from Saint Eustache's 
 clock. The barber had long since sent Blanche 
 and Marguerite to shut themselves into their 
 rooms. The old servant went softly downstairs, 
 trying to make as little noise as possible with her 
 heels, and shielding the light of her lamp with her 
 hand. She opened the street door and saw the 
 country girl, who had been waiting for a quarter 
 of an hour. 
 
 " That's well," said Marguerite, "you are here ; 
 but hush ! don't speak, don't make any noise ; 
 let me lead you." 
 
 Urbain nodded his head and entered the alley- 
 way, while Marguerite softly closed the door. 
 Then our lover was at the height of his joy. It 
 seemed to him that he breathed a purer air in the 
 house of the one he loved. He believed himself
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 225 
 
 in the abode of highest bliss while going up the 
 little crooked staircase ; and the black and crum- 
 bling walls that surrounded him had more charm 
 for his eyes than the marbles or the sculptures of 
 the Louvre. 
 
 " You are going to see my mistress," said Mar- 
 guerite, " I have warned her, but fear nothing, she 
 is as amiable as she is good ; you can speak with- 
 out danger before her, she is discretion itself, 
 besides, she never sees anybody, and never goes 
 out. My master wishes to shield her against the 
 enterprises of these dandies, of these worthless fel- 
 lows who seek to cajole the poor girls. It is true 
 that my little Blanche is very pretty ; she would 
 turn the heads of all our noblemen, you are go- 
 ing to see her, and you can judge for yourself; 
 here we are at her room. Come in, come, don't 
 tremble so ; how childish you are." 
 
 Urbain was trembling, in fact, and his heart beat 
 so hard that he was obliged to support himself for 
 a moment against the wall. During this time Mar- 
 guerite opened the door and said to Blanche, 
 
 " Here she is." 
 
 Blanche rose and came to meet the young girl 
 whom her nurse had brought, smiling pleasantly 
 at her. Urbain raised his eyes, saw Blanche, and 
 his emotion increased. He had only been able 
 through the panes of the casement to perceive her 
 features very imperfectly, and the charming object 
 which now met his gaze was a hundred times more 
 
 Vel. VII
 
 226 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 beautiful than the image which his memory and 
 his imagination had created. He remained for a 
 moment stunned, motionless, not daring to take 
 a step, doubting still whether he could believe his 
 happiness, and looking with delight at the lovely 
 girl, who smiled at him and took him by the hand, 
 saying to him, 
 
 " Won't you come in ? Come in and sit down 
 and warm yourself. Why, you're not afraid of 
 me, are you ? " 
 
 " This is the girl I told you about," announced 
 Marguerite, " but she is a little timid, though she 
 will soon lose that ; may she always preserve her 
 modesty in Paris." 
 
 Blanche's soft hand slipped into that of the 
 young bachelor and she led him to the fireplace. 
 On feeling the pretty fingers imprinted on his 
 own, Urbain scarcely breathed, and murmured in 
 a feeble voice, 
 
 " How good you are, mademoiselle ? " 
 
 " She has a very pretty voice," cried Blanche, 
 immediately. " Don't you think so, Marguerite ? 
 A voice which I seem to have heard before ; it is 
 very singular, I can't recall where I've heard it." 
 
 "You are mistaken, my child," said Margue- 
 rite, " for myself I think that Ursule's voice is a 
 little rough. But remember that we have not much 
 time to keep her here and she is going to tell us a 
 certain thing." 
 
 "One moment," said Blanche, "let her rest for
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 227 
 
 a minute, she looks tired. Do you need any- 
 thing ? " 
 
 " No, I thank you," said Urbain, raising his 
 eyes on the amiable child, and immediately abas- 
 ing them, for he feared that she would read in them 
 all the love which consumed him and it seemed to 
 him that the moment was very ill-chosen to make 
 it known ; besides, he was so happy near Blanche 
 that he wished to prolong the time, and, thanks to 
 his disguise, he could see the sweet girl practise her 
 graces, her amiability, and learn her character much 
 better than if he had appeared to her in his true 
 form. Before a lover the frankest girl is always 
 timid, embarrassed, reserved, while with a person 
 of her own sex she expresses without constraint 
 the feelings which she experiences. 
 
 " And so you are looking for a place ? " said 
 Blanche, seating herself near Urbain. 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Have you been long in Paris ? " 
 
 " A fortnight, mademoiselle." 
 
 " And your parents ? " 
 
 " I have none, mademoiselle. I am an orphan." 
 
 " Poor girl ! that's like me, I am an orphan 
 also, and if M. Touquet had not taken care of me 
 I too should have had to go to work to earn my 
 living." 
 
 " You, mademoiselle," said Urbain ardently, 
 but he restrained himself and finished in a low 
 voice, " that would have been very unfortunate."
 
 228 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " My dear Blanche," said Marguerite, " it was 
 not that you might tell her your history, but that 
 she might acquaint us with the secret she is keep- 
 ing that she came here. Now, Ursule, speak my 
 child ! " 
 
 Urbain sighed ; he would much rather have lis- 
 tened to Blanche than have talked to Margue- 
 rite ; but it was necessary to satisfy the old maid, 
 he needed her ; and it was by exciting her curiosity 
 that he hoped often to see Blanche. He com- 
 menced his recital, disguising his voice, and while 
 he spoke the beautiful child fixed her eyes on him, 
 a favor which he owed to his costume, but which 
 often made him lose the thread of his discourse. 
 
 " You have doubtless heard tell of Jeanne Har- 
 viliers, so famous a century ago for her witcheries 
 and sorceries." 
 
 " No, never," said Marguerite, drawing her 
 chair nearer and stretching her neck, because the 
 word sorcery had already produced its electrical 
 effect upon the old servant. " Tell us the history 
 of this sorcery, my child, and try not to omit a 
 single fact." 
 
 " Jeanne Harviliers was born at Verberie in the 
 year 1528. Her mother, they say, was a wicked 
 woman, who dedicated her child to the devil as 
 soon as she came into the world. 
 
 " When Jeanne was twelve years old the devil 
 presented himself to her in the guise of a black 
 man, armed and booted."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 229 
 
 " Dear nurse," said Blanche, " can the devil 
 then take any form he pleases ? " 
 
 "Yes, of course, I've told you so a hundred 
 times ; he changes as he wishes." 
 
 " You've always said, dear nurse, that he shows 
 himself as a black cat." 
 
 " A cat or a man, what does it matter ? " 
 
 " I was only afraid of cats before, now I shall 
 be afraid of men also." 
 
 " Come, mademoiselle, if you interrupt this 
 young girl like that we shall never know her 
 story. Go on, my child ! " 
 
 Urbain glanced quickly at Blanche and re- 
 sumed his narration. 
 
 " The black man told Jeanne that if she would 
 give herself to him he would teach her a thousand 
 secrets by which she could work good or evil to 
 people according to her will. Jeanne Harviliers 
 yielded to the proposition of the devil, and pro- 
 nounced the formula which he dictated ; she soon 
 became a famous magician, riding to the witches' 
 sabbaths on a broomstick. 
 
 "Jeanne practised her art near Verberie, but, be- 
 ing accused of sorcery, she was for some time 
 obliged to hide herself. She had a neighbor who 
 disclosed her whereabouts, and Jeanne asked the 
 devil to give her a charm, that she might revenge 
 herself. He gave her a powder, telling her to 
 place it in a road where her enemy was about to 
 pass, and it would give the latter a malady of
 
 230 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 which she would die. Jeanne did as the devil 
 had told her, and placed the charm ; but another 
 person passed first over the road, and it was she 
 who was the victim. Jeanne, distressed at seeing 
 the sick woman, confessed to her that she had 
 caused her misfortune and promised to cure her, 
 but she could not do as she wished for she was 
 then arrested and thrown into prison. They ques- 
 tioned her ; she confessed that she was a sorcerer, 
 and was condemned to be burned alive. She was 
 executed on the last day of April in the year 
 
 " How is that? She was a sorcerer and she let 
 them burn her?" said Blanche with astonishment. 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " How funny that is, and what use was it to 
 her to be a sorcerer then ? " 
 
 " Blanche you are far too young to argue like 
 that," said Marguerite. 
 
 " And the devil, did they burn him also ? " 
 
 " No, mademoiselle, they could not do that." 
 
 "That's a pity, for then we should not need 
 to be afraid of him. Perhaps the devil has been 
 burned now." 
 
 " The demon will always exist, my child ! " 
 
 " You've told me, dear nurse, that St. Michael 
 fought with him and vanquished him." 
 
 " Yes, of course he vanquished him, but that is 
 as if he had done nothing. Now, Ursule, go on ; 
 for I do not yet see in all that you have told us
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 231 
 
 anything relating to yourself, since this Jeanne 
 was burned close on sixty years ago." 
 
 " I am coming to it, mademoiselle," said Urbain, 
 recalling his ideas, which Blanche's beautiful eyes 
 had turned to other things than sorcery. " Since 
 the time of Jeanne Harviliers, they talk of noth- 
 ing in Verberie and its neighborhood except the 
 witches' sabbaths which were held at the Pont-aux- 
 Reine on the highway to Compeigne, in the wood 
 of Ajeux; and where noises were heard of horse- 
 men riding in squads, witches going to their 
 sabbaths, and wizards of all kinds. The good 
 inhabitants of the country, wishing to put them- 
 selves on their guard against these emissaries of 
 the devil, went to Charlemagne's chapel, which is 
 now known as the church of Saint-Pierre, and 
 asked the good religious to give them something 
 which would guarantee them against sorceries of 
 all kinds." 
 
 "A very good idea, truly," said Marguerite, 
 " they could not have acted more wisely, and 
 what did they give them, my child ? " 
 
 "The good fathers gave them a robe which 
 had been worn by a pious hermit, who during his 
 life had always made the demons flee from any 
 place where he came. A tiny morsel of that robe 
 was sufficient to ward off all danger from the one 
 who carried it. You may imagine how anxious 
 everybody was to have a piece of it." 
 
 " Oh, I can well believe it. If I had been there
 
 232 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 there's nothing I wouldn't have given to obtain a 
 piece." 
 
 " Well but dear nurse," said Blanche, " is it 
 like mine." 
 
 " Hush ! let Ursule finish, my child ! " 
 
 " Finally, mademoiselle, one of my ancestors, 
 who lived then had the good fortune to get a 
 morsel of the pious hermit's robe. She left it to 
 her daughter after her, who left it to my mother, 
 from whom I have it ; and that is how this talis- 
 man came to me and it is that which makes me 
 afraid of nothing in Paris, and with which I dare 
 risk myself alone in the streets at night." 
 
 " Oh, how singular ! " cried Blanche, "that's like 
 me ; I also have a talisman which preserves me 
 from all danger, however, they won't even let me 
 look out of the window. That's because my pro- 
 tector, the barber, does not believe in talismans." 
 
 " He's very wrong, mademoiselle," said Ur- 
 bain. 
 
 " Yes, assuredly he is," said Marguerite, " but, 
 my dear child, have you yours on you now ? " 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle. Oh, I always carry it." 
 
 " Let us see this precious relic. Only to touch 
 it will do one good." 
 
 Urbain felt in his apron pocket and drew forth 
 a small paper folded with great care ; he opened 
 it and took out a sample of his breeches which he 
 presented to the old servant, pinching his lips to 
 keep a serious face. Marguerite who had put on
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 233 
 
 her glasses took the little scrap of cloth respect- 
 fully, and kissed it three times,crying, 
 
 " That's it, oh, how good that is ! that emits an 
 odor all about it, an odor of sanctity." 
 
 " Do you think so, dear nurse," said Blanche, 
 who was looking at the little sample of cloth in 
 surprise, " I should never have thought that a little 
 rag like that could have any power." 
 
 " A rag ! O my dear Blanche, speak more re- 
 spectfully of this relic." 
 
 " My talisman is much prettier than that. It's 
 a little piece of parchment. Wait, here it is." 
 Saying these words Blanche opened her kerchief, 
 and signed to Urbain to look in her corset, half 
 disclosing her virgin neck as she spoke, in order 
 that the supposed Ursule might better perceive 
 her talisman. 
 
 "Ah, how charming!" exclaimed Urbain in- 
 voluntarily. 
 
 " Is it not," said Blanche, smiling ; " it's much 
 prettier than that scrap of cloth." 
 
 Urbain had no strength with which to answer, 
 he remained motionless, his eyes still fixed on 
 the place where the lovely child hid her talisman, 
 while Marguerite, contemplating the fragment of 
 smallclothes, kissed it anew, repeating, 
 
 "The worth of that has been well proven, which 
 makes it all the more precious." 
 
 Blanche fastened her kerchief, and Urbain, still 
 moved by what he had seen, sighed deeply.
 
 234 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " What is the matter with you," said the young 
 girl, looking with interest at her whom she be- 
 lieved to be a simple country girl. "You seem 
 grieved." 
 
 " Alas, mademoiselle ! I was remembering that 
 I was alone and without resources in this city, that 
 I have no parents, no friends." 
 
 " Poor girl ! Well, we will be your friends. 
 Yes, I feel that I love you already, Ursule." 
 
 " Can it be mademoiselle ? Ah ! if it were only 
 true!" 
 
 " Why do you say if it were true ? I never say 
 what is untrue ; but what I feel I say at once. 
 Isn't that natural ? And do you think that you 
 can love me also ? " 
 
 " Can I love you," said Urbain, warmly ; then 
 remembering that Marguerite was there, he re- 
 sumed less forcibly, but with an accent that came 
 from his heart, 
 
 " Yes, yes, mademoiselle, and all my life." 
 
 " Oh, it is so nice to have a friend of one's own 
 age," said Blanche, shaking the bachelor's hand. 
 " At least I shall have some one with whom I can 
 laugh and chat. Marguerite likes to talk very 
 well, but she never laughs and then she never 
 talks of anything but magic and the devil. We 
 shall find other things to talk about, shan't we, 
 Ursule?" 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " I know very little about anything ; always
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 235 
 
 alone in my room, never going out, though I have 
 a great desire to do so ; my protector never comes 
 to chat with me ; I receive visits from one man 
 only." 
 
 " From a man ? " said Urbain, anxiously. 
 
 " Yes, my music master. Formerly he -made me 
 laugh, now he wearies me, for he always sings 
 the same thing to me." 
 
 Urbain breathed more freely, and resumed, 
 
 " You sing, mademoiselle ? " 
 
 " A little," said Blanche, " and do you sing, 
 Ursule?" 
 
 " Sometimes." 
 
 "That's better still. You shall teach me the 
 songs of your country and I will teach you the 
 ones that I know." 
 
 "You will let me come to see you again, then, 
 mademoiselle ? " 
 
 " Certainly, every evening, if you can. Re- 
 member that I am very lonely by myself, in place 
 of which I shall amuse myself with you. She can 
 come to see us every evening, Marguerite, can't 
 she? M. Touquet won't be angry, will he?" 
 
 Marguerite during this conversation had re- 
 mained in meditation and in ecstasy before Ur- 
 sule's talisman. She would have given all the 
 world to possess it in her new room, where she 
 had much trouble in going to sleep, but the name 
 of her master drew her from these reflections and 
 she cried,
 
 236 -THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "What are you saying about M. Touquet; 
 that he knows we are receiving this young girl 
 without his permission ? Oh, no, indeed ! " 
 
 " But, dear nurse, that's why it is necessary to 
 ask him." 
 
 " Ah, mademoiselle," said Urbain, " he will re- 
 fuse it, and I shall be deprived of the pleasure of 
 seeing you." 
 
 "In that case we will say nothing; but if he 
 would take you into his service ? " 
 
 " Monsieur does not wish to have anybody else 
 in the house. What could Ursule do here ? " 
 
 " It's a pity, for Ursule must find a place to 
 earn her living ; how very disagreeable it is to have 
 a talisman which preserves you from all danger 
 and allows you to die of hunger. It's exactly like 
 mine." 
 
 " Oh, I still have time to wait. I have a pros- 
 pect of something before me," said Urbain, " and 
 my expenses are so very little." . 
 
 " Had your ancestors ever any occasion to 
 prove the virtue of this talisman ? " said Mar- 
 guerite." 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle, many circumstances prove 
 that, and, above all, my mother had a very strange 
 adventure." 
 
 " An adventure," said the old woman, drawing 
 her chair to the hearth. At this moment the 
 church clock struck nine. " O heavens ! nine 
 o'clock," said Marguerite, "it is very late; you
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 237 
 
 must go, my child. If my master perceives that 
 we have not gone to bed he'll want to know the 
 reason ; come, it's necessary to part." 
 
 " And that adventure which she is going to tell 
 us," said Blanche. 
 
 " That will be for tomorrow, if you will permit 
 it," said Urbain. 
 
 " Oh, yes, tomorrow. Can she not come tomor- 
 row, dear nurse." 
 
 " So be it," said Marguerite, who was also curi- 
 ous to hear it. " But remember to be prudent, 
 Ursule, that nobody may know." 
 
 " Oh, I'll answer to you for my silence, made- 
 moiselle." 
 
 "That's well. Wait, here is your talisman. 
 Take care not to lose it. Good heavens ! how 
 happy I should be if I had a similar one." 
 
 Urbain received the little scrap of cloth, drop- 
 ping a curtsey and putting it in his pocket, while 
 Marguerite took a lamp to lead him. 
 
 " You are going alone," said Blanche, " per- 
 haps a long distance." 
 
 "To the Porte Saint-Antoine." 
 
 " O heavens ! and are you not afraid to be in 
 the street so late ? " 
 
 " Has she not her talisman ? " said Marguerite. 
 
 "Ah, that is true; I shan't think about it any 
 more. Good-by, Ursule, you'll come back tomor- 
 row, will you not ? " 
 
 The lovely child held out her hand to Urbain,
 
 23 8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 who was about to carry it to his lips, but remem- 
 bering that he was a woman he was obliged to con- 
 tent himself with pressing it tenderly and followed 
 Marguerite, after glancing sweetly at Blanche. The 
 old woman reconducted him with the same pre- 
 caution she had taken in introducing him, and 
 closed the street door softly, saying to him, 
 
 " Good-by till tomorrow, and be sure to take 
 good care of your talisman."
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 LOVE AND INNOCENCE. A SHOWER OF RAIN 
 AND THE TALISMAN 
 
 URBAIN reentered his old dwelling in a state of 
 rapture and intoxication difficult of description. 
 The sight of Blanche, the sound of her sweet 
 voice, her charm, her youthful candor, her touch- 
 ing grace and simplicity, had increased his love ; 
 what he had seen of the beautiful girl, had im- 
 measurably exceeded the expectations he had 
 formed of her, from the slight glimpse he had 
 obtained of her on the previous occasion, height- 
 ened though it was by a lover's imagination ; and 
 when he now reflected that he should see her 
 again on the morrow, on many morrows, per- 
 haps that he should hear her and speak to her 
 again, that her soft hand would again rest without 
 fear in his, lie could hardly contain himself. 
 
 And yet he could not but feel what a pity it was 
 that he could not confess to the lovely child his 
 real identity and the feeling with which she had 
 inspired him, at first sight. For Urbain was pain- 
 fully conscious that he must not hurry the disclo- 
 sure of his secret for fear of alarming the timid girl, 
 and that he should first seek to win Blanche's confi- 
 
 239
 
 2 4 o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 fidence ; in his feminine costume that would be 
 very easy, she had already said that she loved 
 him. It is true that the confession of this senti- 
 ment was made to Ursule, but, in fact, it was 
 Urbain who had inspired her with it. 
 
 During the day the bachelor resumed his mas- 
 culine garments, and as soon as night returned he 
 attired himself in his feminine costume, in which 
 he had already begun to acquire more ease of 
 manner ; besides, the young servant was always 
 ready to help the youth when he wished to dis- 
 guise himself, she was very obliging to him, and 
 did not neglect to give him lessons. Urbain prof- 
 ited by them, because a young man understands 
 better how to tear a kerchief than to put it on, and 
 a youth who is foolishly in love has many grave 
 distractions, so that the help of the young servant 
 was very necessary to him. Urbain was very 
 prompt at his rendezvous, and Marguerite intro- 
 duced him with the same ceremonial as on the 
 evening before. Blanche gave him a most amiable 
 welcome. She went to meet him, and as he was 
 making her a modest curtsey the artless child 
 kissed him on each cheek. Urbain was over- 
 whelmed and in the ardor of his joy, had not the 
 voice of Marguerite recalled him to himself, he 
 would have pressed Blanche to his heart, and 
 would have returned a hundredfold the kisses he 
 had received. But the old woman, always eager to 
 hear a story of extraordinary adventures, particu-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 241 
 
 larly when it related to a talisman, pushed Urbain 
 to the side of the hearth, and said, 
 
 " Come, children, don't waste time with idle 
 ceremony ; you know how quickly it passes when 
 one is relating interesting things. Let us sit down 
 and Ursule will tell us the adventure which her 
 mother experienced." 
 
 Urbain, still much moved by Blanche's kiss, be- 
 gan a story which he had composed in the morning, 
 and which delighted Marguerite, because it proved 
 the marvellous powers of the talisman. The story 
 finished, the old woman asked to be allowed to 
 look at the relic; she was persuaded that after 
 having touched it the evening before she ran less 
 danger during the night in her room. Blanche 
 then chatted with Urbain and sang to him in a low 
 tone one of the songs which she knew. The in- 
 genuous child had only known the pretended Ur- 
 sule since the evening before, but she already re- 
 garded her as a sister, called her " my dear," and 
 related to her all that concerned herself; for 
 Blanche, brought up in retirement, had not learned 
 to hide her feelings or to feign those which she did 
 not experience ; her heart was pure and her words 
 were only the expression of what she felt. 
 
 Blanche did not fail to sing to Urbain her fa- 
 vorite refrain, and the latter trembled with pleasure 
 on seeing that, despite the precautions of the bar- 
 ber, his accents were graven on Blanche's memory, 
 who said to him, 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 242 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "The first time that I heard you speak, it 
 seemed to me that I still heard the voice which 
 had sung at night under my window. That was a 
 very pretty voice, and yours, Ursule, resembles it 
 a little. What a pity that you don't know the 
 romance that they were singing." 
 
 " I do know it," said Urbain ; " at least I think 
 I know it, for I have often heard it sung, and that 
 makes me remember it." 
 
 " How fortunate! Sing it to me, Ursule, I beg." 
 
 "But if M. Touquet " 
 
 " Oh, he is in his room ; besides, you can sing 
 very low. Wait ! Just as I expected, Marguerite 
 is asleep ; now she won't be able to scold us." 
 
 In fact her deep contemplation of the little scrap 
 of Urbain's smallclothes had put the old servant 
 to sleep. Urbain was almost alone with her he 
 adored. His heart palpitated with joy, long sighs 
 issued from his breast, and he was obliged to turn 
 away his eyes that they might not meet Blanche's 
 adorable gaze. 
 
 " Well, now," said the amiable girl, pouting a 
 little, which rendered her still more seductive, 
 " aren't you going to sing to me ? That would be 
 very naughty, for it would give me a great deal of 
 pleasure to hear that song. I should like to learn 
 it myself. I beg of you, Ursule ; you see Mar- 
 guerite is asleep ; come, don't refuse me." 
 
 " I refuse you anything ? Of course I'll sing 
 for you, mademoiselle."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 243 
 
 " Oh, you are very obliging, and I will kiss you 
 with a good heart." 
 
 Urbain needed not the temptation of so sweet 
 a recompense. However, he wished immediately 
 to deserve it. He sang, and Blanche listened with 
 rapture ; the young man, yielding to the emotion 
 of his heart, sang with much expression and feel- 
 ing, but his voice no longer resembled that of a 
 woman, and any other than the ingenuous Blanche 
 would have perceived the change; but the latter 
 was far from suspecting the truth, and with her 
 head turned towards Urbain, remained motionless, 
 her eyes fixed on him and seeming to fear lest 
 she should lose a word, while she exclaimed from 
 time to time, 
 
 " Mon Dieu, that is it ! that's the same thing ! 
 That affects me just as it did the other night. Ah, 
 Ursule, sing again." 
 
 However, the songs ceased, for Urbain had not 
 forgotten the promised recompense. For some 
 moments Blanche remained motionless, seeming 
 to be listening still ; at last she aroused herself 
 from her ecstasies, saying, 
 
 " It's very singular what a strange effect that 
 romance has upon me." 
 
 " Is it disagreeable ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ; if it were I should not want to be 
 always hearing it, and still it makes me feel rather 
 sad ; it makes me sigh ; but all the same, Ursule, 
 you will teach it to me, will you not ? "
 
 244 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle ; but you promised me " 
 
 " To kiss you. Oh, I'll do that willingly." 
 
 Without further asking, Blanche imprinted her 
 cherry lips on Urbain's burning cheek. This time 
 the latter was about to return her kiss, and had 
 already taken the young girl in his arms when 
 Marguerite, in sneezing, just missed falling into 
 the fire, and awoke herself with a start, crying, 
 
 " Dear good patron saint, save me ; I see the 
 black man and the sorcerer of Verberie." 
 
 " Where is he, dear nurse ? " said Blanche, leav- 
 ing Urbain, who was vexed that he had not sooner 
 finished his singing. 
 
 " Where ? " said Marguerite, rubbing her eyes ; 
 " where is what ? What did I say ? " 
 
 "You said you saw the sorcerer." 
 
 " Ah, that is because I was thinking of him, 
 apparently. Come, Ursule, it is time for you to 
 go, my child." 
 
 " That's a pity, I was going to tell you of an 
 adventure which happened to my aunt which was 
 even more marvellous than the others." 
 
 " Oh, that's delightful ; that will be for tomor- 
 row," said Blanche. "That will suit you, dear nurse, 
 won't it ? You see my good friend suspects noth- 
 ing ; besides, if he should see Ursule and be angry, 
 well, I'll take all the blame on myself and I can 
 pacify him." 
 
 " Come, then, tomorrow night, and we will learn 
 all about your aunt's adventures."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 245 
 
 " Yes, Mademoiselle Marguerite, but will you 
 have the goodness to give me back my talisman." 
 
 " Yes, my dear child, that's right. O my God ! 
 what have I done with it ? Has Satan tricked me 
 out of it ? I was 'holding it just this minute." 
 
 " Wait, dear nurse, here it is," pointing to the 
 hearth, " you have let it fall in the cinders." 
 
 " Faith, so I did," answered the old woman, 
 picking up the little scrap of cloth. " Oh, my 
 goodness ! it's a little scorched." 
 
 " Oh, that's all right, mademoiselle," said Ur- 
 bain, "that won't have taken away any of its 
 virtue." 
 
 " No, assuredly not, my dear child, and if it 
 had been burned its ashes would have retained 
 the same properties." 
 
 Urbain took his talisman, said " good-by " to 
 Blanche, repeating to her, " I shall see you, to- 
 morrow," and left the barber's house. 
 
 Several days rolled away and every evening the 
 young bachelor had the good fortune to see 
 Blanche. He was incessantly inventing new stories 
 to pique Marguerite's curiosity, and the old wo- 
 man regularly opened the door of the alley at 
 seven o'clock. The fictitious Ursule's presence 
 had become necessary to Blanche and Marguer- 
 ite. The latter experienced great pleasure in hear- 
 ing her relate the doings of the magicians, and the 
 young girl in learning her cherished romance; 
 but Marguerite did not always go to sleep, and
 
 246 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 even when she was awake Blanche wished Urbain 
 to sing ; the latter obeyed her, but in order to pre- 
 vent the old woman from suspecting him he was 
 careful to disguise his voice, and Blanche ex- 
 claimed with vexation, 
 
 " That's not at all good ! You don't sing so 
 prettily as usual today, and it doesn't give me the 
 same pleasure." 
 
 While Urbain was elated with the happiness of 
 seeing Blanche, and drinking from her eyes the 
 sweetest sentiment ; while the young girl was giv- 
 ing herself, without restraint, to the pleasure which 
 Ursule's society afforded her, and in confiding to 
 the latter her slightest thoughts ; and while old 
 Marguerite, her head filled with frightful stories 
 and miraculous deeds done by the sorcerer of Ver- 
 berie, was securing herself against the snares of 
 Satan by rubbing between her fingers every even- 
 ing the little scrap of the bachelor's breeches, 
 what was passing in the little house of the Vallee 
 Fecamp ? was the brilliant Julia still there ? and 
 was the Marquis de Villebelle taking the trouble 
 to feign a little love in order to subdue the young 
 Italian. 
 
 The barber, having received the price of his 
 services, disquieted himself very little as to what 
 was passing in the small house. Chaudoreille, who 
 never left the gambling-houses while he had money 
 in his pocket, had not appeared at the barber's for 
 a month, but at the end of that time he appeared
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 247 
 
 at his friend's towards the middle of the day. 
 The Gascon's face was longer then usual. His 
 ruff, all in rags, had been stained in several places, 
 and the feather on his hat had been replaced by 
 the gold-colored rosette which formerly decorated 
 Rolande's handle. Chaudoreille's piteous face 
 made the barber smile. 
 
 " Where do you come from," said he, " and 
 what have you been doing since I saw you last ? " 
 
 " I've been very unfortunate," said Chaudo- 
 reille, heaving a big sigh, and drawing from his 
 belt the old silk purse, which he shook without 
 producing a single sou. " You see, my friend, I'm 
 reduced to zero." 
 
 " How's that ? do you mean to say that noth- 
 ing remains to you of the sum I gave you." 
 
 " Not a penny, my dear fellow. I've been 
 robbed in a shameful manner." 
 
 " That is to say, you have been gambling." 
 
 "Yes, that's true; I've played, but with rob- 
 bers. They have tricked me in an infamous fash- 
 ion. If, at least, they had been amiable about it, 
 one knows well that among people accustomed to 
 play there are a thousand little ways in which one 
 can make fortune favorable, but to despoil a 
 friend, a comrade it's horrible ! I'll never play 
 again in my life. Say now, don't you want me 
 to go to the little house to see my dear friend 
 Marcel ? " 
 
 " On the contrary, I forbid you to do so.
 
 248 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Without the marquis' order nobody should allow 
 himself ts go there." 
 
 " That's vexatious, and how did tne adventure 
 end?" 
 
 " What does that matter to you ? For the mat- 
 ter of that I have not seen the marquis again, 
 but from the moment I ceased to be employed the 
 intrigue was nothing to me ; besides, it will end 
 like all the others. It is a caprice which will last 
 for some days and will be succeeded by another," 
 
 " That's correct ; but the little one appeared to 
 me to have some strength of mind. She said some 
 very peculiar things to me ; she asked me, among 
 other things, if I knew your parents." 
 
 " My parents," said the barber, with visible 
 emotion, " that's singular." 
 
 " Yes, very singular. I told her you were from 
 Lorraine and that that was all I knew about you." 
 
 " My parents," repeated Touquet, striding about 
 the room. " I am almost certain that I have none. 
 My poor father is undoubtedly dead. Oh, I was 
 a very worthless fellow in my youth ! Precocious 
 in my passions, a taste for play and a thirst for 
 gold caused me to commit a thousand excesses." 
 
 "Yes, the follies of youth. I know all about 
 that. As for me at sis: years old I was flogged for 
 having stolen a leg of mutton out of the dripping- 
 pan. At ten for having, in a fit sL> atao-action, 
 taken my grandmother's purse to go and play at 
 little quoits ; at twelve years old I took a rabbit
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 249 
 
 off the spit and put in its place my old aunt's cat ; 
 but in my ardor to hide my larceny I forgot to 
 skin the cat, which was roasted with its hair on. 
 Happily my father was short-sighted, and he 
 thought it was a little wild boar; at fifteen 
 years " 
 
 " What does it matter what you did ? " cried 
 the barber, impatiently. " Did the young woman 
 say anything else about me ? " 
 
 " No, but if you like, I'll go and draw it from 
 her, adroitly." 
 
 " Idiot ! you forget that she is the marquis* mis- 
 tress ? When her reign is ended I shall see her, 
 and I shall know." The barber said nothing fur- 
 ther and would not answer Chaudoreille, and the 
 latter, after having uselessly repeated several times 
 that he had been fasting since the evening before, 
 on perceiving that Touquet paid him no atten- 
 tion left the shop in an ill-humor, murmuring be- 
 tween his teeth, 
 
 " People who become rich are always niggardly 
 and stingy. That's a fault that I shall never 
 have." 
 
 Some hours after this conversation, the barber, 
 returning to his customers, met near the Louvre 
 the brilliant Villebelle, who, wrapped in his mantle, 
 seemed to be still in high feather. 
 
 " I have succeeded, my dear fellow," said he, 
 drawing Touquet under a portico, where no one 
 could hear them. " Julia has given herself to me ;
 
 250 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 but truly the conquest was more difficult than I 
 had thought. The young girl is passionate, roman- 
 tic ; she wishes to be loved, and I have made her 
 believe that I love her. In fact her singular char- 
 acter, her pride, united with her tenderness, her 
 strange conduct, and her speeches, nearly en- 
 thralled me. She spoke to me about Estrelle. I 
 don't know how she knew that adventure." 
 
 " The young girl knows everything, evidently," 
 said the barber to himself. 
 
 "For the rest," resumed the marquis, "she 
 doesn't seem to love you much, my dear Touquet ; 
 you are in her black books. She says that you are 
 a master knave." 
 
 " What, monseigneur ? " 
 
 " She refuses my presents ; she wishes nothing 
 but my love, it's truly superb. Despite that, I am 
 living with her ; I did not care for her to remain 
 in the little house, that would have embarrassed 
 me. I believe upon my honor that I love her a 
 little. But I see two very pretty women going into 
 the jewelry shop down there. I must go there in 
 order to see them nearer." While saying these 
 words the marquis departed hastily, and the bar- 
 ber returned home, thinking of Julia and vexed 
 that he had not learned from the marquis where 
 he had lodged his young Italian. 
 
 Chaudoreille had left Touquet's house in a very 
 bad humor. An empty stomach is usually accom- 
 panied by a melancholy spirit. The Gascon cheva-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 251 
 
 Her while making philosophical reflections on the 
 egotism of man, the caprice of fortune and the 
 manner in which one could win at piquet while 
 slipping the aces to the bottom of the pack, ar- 
 rived at the Saint Germain fair. Beside the differ- 
 ent spectacles assembled in this place to attract 
 idlers, strangers and young gentlemen came there 
 to play different games of cards, of dice, ninepins 
 and skittles. 
 
 Chaudoreille walked among the groups formed 
 around these games and looked with a hungry eye 
 at the pastry exposed before the booths. He 
 stopped near the eating places trying to breathe at 
 least the odor of the cooking, but such delights 
 have no power to fill an empty stomach. 
 
 " By jingo ! " said Chaudoreille all of a sudden, 
 pulling his hat down over his eyes and pulling his 
 ruff up about his neck. " It shall not be said that 
 I did not dine. A man of genius always has re- 
 resources, and his wit should furnish him that 
 which his purse refuses." 
 
 Immediately the chevalier, walking with a deter- 
 mined step, threaded the crowd and turned to- 
 wards the neighborhood where some young pro- 
 vincials were playing skittles and drinking white 
 wine. Chaudoreille looked at them out of the cor- 
 ner of his eye then, seizing his moment, he crossed 
 the place where they were playing, in such a man- 
 ner as to receive a blow upon the legs from a ball 
 which one of the players was rolling.
 
 252 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Look out ! look out ! " cried the young man 
 who had hurled the ball ; but Chaudoreille pre- 
 tended not to hear and stopped only when he was 
 struck. He made a horrible grimace on receiving 
 the blow, and fell, murmuring, 
 
 " Zounds ! my dinner will cost me dearly." 
 
 The two players came up to him and picked 
 him up, offering their excuses although they were 
 not in the wrong. But Chaudoreille was so pale 
 and appeared to suffer so deeply and made such 
 pitiful contortions that the two young men were 
 much moved ; first they offered him a glass of 
 wine to restore him. The wounded man accepted 
 and drank three glasses, one after the other; he 
 could not yet walk and they proposed to him to 
 go into the wine merchant's, who would give him 
 something to eat. He did not allow them to re- 
 peat the invitation ; the two provincials ordered 
 dinner and invited Chaudoreille to be of their 
 party. Our man was therefore installed at a table 
 with them, ate and drank for four, gave them some 
 lessons in skittles, and perceiving that they were 
 novices of an obliging humor, and not quarrel- 
 some, he rose at the conclusion of the dessert and 
 demanded a pistole from them to indemnify him 
 for the stroke of the ball which they had given 
 him. 
 
 The young men looked at him in surprise, per- 
 ceiving that they had been duped and that they 
 had entered into conversation with a gentleman of
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 253 
 
 very little delicacy. Chaudoreille held himself very 
 upright, his left hand on his hip and his right hand 
 caressing the handle of his sword, rolling his eyes 
 like the damned, while passing the end of his 
 tongue over his mustaches. The poor provincials, 
 not caring to have a duel with a man who appeared 
 to have decided to split everyone in two if they 
 did not satisfy him, hastened to present the sum 
 demanded by their amiable guest. The latter re- 
 ceived it with a gracious smile, then, with the tone 
 of a man delighted with himself, he bowed to 
 them, saying, 
 
 " Good-by, my young friends, try to remem- 
 ber the strokes which I have taught you." 
 
 While saying these words the chevalier quickly 
 departed, no longer remembering the blow which 
 he had received. With a full stomach and a pistole 
 in his belt, Chaudoreille was very well pleased 
 with his day's work. The white wine which he had 
 drunk had aroused his enterprise and inclined him 
 to undertake some adventures. He felt especially 
 carried towards love, but if it is the custom of 
 Bacchus to render one enterprising, the odor of 
 wine and the speech of a tipsy man are not auxil- 
 iaries favorable to love. It had been dark for 
 some time when Chaudoreille left the fair, ogling 
 all the women whom he met and murmuring be- 
 tween his teeth, 
 
 " By jingo ! I must make a conquest this even- 
 ing. I am beginning to get tired of my portress,
 
 254 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 who is forty-five years old and has one leg shorter 
 than the other ; it is true that she overwhelms me 
 with kindnesses. She bleaches my linen and re- 
 pairs my ruff; but what does a little infidelity 
 by the way matter, my Venus will know nothing 
 about it." 
 
 Chaudoreille had reached the Rue Montmartre 
 when he saw a woman pass by him, dressed like a 
 country woman. She was alone ; the chevalier ogled 
 her and turned back to follow her. The carriage 
 of the dame had something very decided about 
 it, which was pleasing to Chaudoreille ; but she 
 walked with such long steps that he was obliged 
 to run to follow her. On reaching her side the 
 gallant tried to enter into conversation with her by 
 making one of those pretty propositions in use 
 among those gentlemen who make love in the 
 streets, and seek their conquests by lantern light. 
 She did not answer Chaudoreille, but walked 
 faster. Our man was not at all abashed ; he con- 
 tinued to trot by her side doing the amiable, put- 
 ing his feet in the streams, which he did not see, 
 and splashing his beauty while whispering sweet 
 nothings. However, the person whom he was fol- 
 lowing had reached the Rue Saint-Honore, a short 
 distance from the Rue des Bourdonnais. Chaudo- 
 reille, receiving no answer, and seeing that nothing 
 was to be gained by his compliments, decided to 
 attempt strong measures. He approached the 
 country woman and pinched her sharply, and
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 255 
 
 received in return a slap in the face, so well ap- 
 plied that it sent him up against a stone post four 
 feet away. 
 
 Urbain was going according to his custom to 
 visit Blanche, when on the way he made the con- 
 quest of Chaudoreille. After disengaging himself 
 in so heroic a manner the young bachelor ran up 
 to the barber's house, entering the passageway, 
 where some one came immediately to open to him, 
 and reached Blanche, still much agitated by the 
 adventure. 
 
 " What is the matter with you, my dear Ur- 
 sule ? " said Blanche. " You seem excited." 
 
 " Just now in the street two men fighting fright- 
 ened me." 
 
 "Poor child, but didn't you have your talis- 
 man?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, but in spite of that I was afraid." 
 
 " I can well believe it," said Blanche, " to see 
 men fighting must be very unpleasant. Come, sit 
 down, my dear friend." 
 
 Blanche's sweet words soon made Urbain forget 
 his adventure. According to his promise, it was 
 necessary that he should recount something sin- 
 gular which had happened to one of his cousins. 
 He had promised to recite it the evening before, 
 and Marguerite was in a hurry to hear it. The 
 old servant needed distraction ; she had had a 
 frightful dream in the night and in the morning 
 when she awakened she had seen a bat against her
 
 2 56 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 window, all of which was very disquieting, and 
 since the morning she had not been easy. 
 
 Urbain commenced his story. He was inter- 
 rupted by the rain, which fell in torrents, and which 
 the wind blew violently against the panes. 
 . " What horrible weather!" said Blanche. 
 
 " Yes," said Marguerite, drawing closer to the 
 fire at each gust of wind, " this night will be diffi- 
 cult to pass. I do not know, but it seems to me 
 that something extraordinary is going to happen ; 
 that bat that I saw and in my dream all those 
 people were riding to the sabbath on broomsticks. 
 That surely indicates something." 
 
 " Certainly," said Urbain, and the old woman, 
 to reassure herself, rubbed the talisman between 
 her hands. 
 
 Urbain's story had lasted for a long time. Mar- 
 guerite, however, had said nothing, as she was not 
 anxious to go upstairs to bed. Blanche, who never 
 saw Ursule leave without regret, had taken care not 
 to observe that it was getting late and the young 
 bachelor was not the one who would first think of 
 breaking up the party. However, the clock struck, 
 and they counted eleven strokes. 
 
 " O heavens ! eleven o'clock," cried Blanche. 
 
 " O my God ! " said Marguerite, trembling, " in 
 an hour it will be midnight." 
 
 " But, dear nurse, Ursule cannot go so late and 
 besides by the time she gets there Wait! do 
 you hear the rain, it is falling in torrents. How
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 257 
 
 can she go to the Porte Saint-Antoine in such 
 weather as this ? It's impossible." 
 
 " It is certain," said Urbain, " that the roads are 
 very bad. There are no lanterns and often one 
 puts one's foot in holes that one does not see." 
 
 " Poor Ursule, her talisman will not prevent her 
 from being drenched, will it ? " 
 
 " It is true it doesn't guarantee one against the 
 effect of rain," responded Urbain, sighing. 
 
 " What is to be done ? " said Marguerite. 
 
 " It's very easy, my dear nurse, Ursule can sleep 
 with me, and tomorrow, as soon as day breaks, 
 she can go without making a noise. Will you, 
 Ursule?" 
 
 Urbain was for some moments unable to an- 
 swer, for these words of Blanche, "She can sleep 
 with me," had so disturbed his whole being that 
 he did not know what he was doing. At last he 
 murmured in a changed voice, 
 
 " If you think well of it, mademoiselle, I think 
 well of it also." 
 
 " Most certainly I wish it, do I not dear nurse ? 
 We could not let her go out at this time of night. 
 Why don't you answer? " 
 
 Marguerite saw no harm in the country wo- 
 man's sleeping with Blanche, but rather hoped to 
 gain an advantage thereby in keeping all night the 
 precious relic ; and, as her mind had been struck 
 with the idea that some misfortune was going to 
 happen to her, the possession of the little scrap of 
 
 Vol. VII
 
 258 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 cloth seemed to her like a benefaction of Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 " It's true," said she, at last, "that the weather 
 is frightful, and if Ursule will not forget to go 
 away before daybreak " 
 
 " Oh, yes, dear nurse, and if she is asleep I 
 promise you I will wake her." 
 
 " Very well, then I'm willing that she should 
 remain." 
 
 " Oh, how delightful," said Blanche, " we shall 
 sleep together, Ursule. I have never slept with 
 anyone. How we shall chat and laugh." 
 
 "No, indeed, no, indeed," said Marguerite; "on 
 the contrary you must go to sleep without mak- 
 ing any noise that monsieur could hear." 
 
 " Very well, we will go to sleep, dear nurse," re- 
 sponded the amiable child, and she added in Ur- 
 bain's ear, " We will talk very low." 
 
 " Well, in that case I will go to bed," said the 
 old servant hesitating to return that which she 
 held in her hand. " My dear Ursule," she said at 
 last, " you have nothing to fear here. If you 
 would permit me to keep your talisman for this 
 night only, because I sleep in a room that is not 
 safe and I can't get that bat out of my head." 
 
 " Oh, keep it, Mademoiselle Marguerite," said 
 Urbain, " may it do you much pleasure." 
 
 " Yes, keep it, dear nurse," said Blanche, " be- 
 sides we have mine, that will be enough for us, 
 will it not, Ursule ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 259 
 
 "But yes, I believe so, mademoiselle." 
 
 Marguerite, delighted to possess a safeguard for 
 the whole night, lighted her lamp and turned to- 
 wards the door, saying, 
 
 " Good night, my children, good night. Mercy, 
 what a gust of wind. Ursule, you must go tomor- 
 row before daybreak." 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Go to bed as quickly as possible, and extin- 
 guish your light, that no one may suspect any- 
 thing." 
 
 " Be easy, dear nurse," said Blanche, "we'll soon 
 put it out." 
 
 Marguerite took her lamp and left the room. 
 Blanche closed the door after her. 
 
 " Shut your door tight," said the old woman. 
 
 " Yes, dear nurse," answered the young girl, 
 and she drew the bolt.
 
 WHEN one loves ardently, and when one sees 
 that moment approach which heralds the consum- 
 mation of his dearest wishes, when one is for the 
 first time entirely alone with the beloved of his 
 heart, one experiences an uneasiness, an agitation 
 which one cannot quell, and which one cannot rea- 
 sonably account for ; it is almost as though one 
 feared that one's being would be unable to sup- 
 port the realization of this exquisite happiness, as 
 though one doubted whether hopes so sweet, and 
 which have hitherto been so unattainable, can ever 
 be realized. 
 
 It is, above all, when one loves with the candor 
 and good faith of early youth that one yields him- 
 self tremblingly to the first interview which sounds 
 a knell to all the cherished past. Why, at the 
 very moment of happiness, should one sigh and 
 fear ? Poor mortals, it seems that accustomed to 
 sorrow, we shall always be astonished at being 
 happy. In truth, this astonishment passes with age 
 and experience ; then these delightful rendezvous 
 do not cause us the same emotion ; we regard them 
 only as distractions, and laugh at the uneasiness, the 
 
 360
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 261 
 
 embarrassment, which accompanied our first inter- 
 course with the ladies. Ungrateful that we are, 
 we mock at the source of our happiness, at those 
 sweet sensations which time has dissipated, with 
 all the other illusions of our youth, after the man- 
 ner of the fox in the fable. 
 
 " How awkward we were at eighteen years of 
 age," we say ; " how embarrassed and constrained 
 in a tete-a-tete, trembling like a leaf as we went to 
 the rendezvous ; what a difference now, we go to 
 them singing, we reach that which we desire more 
 quickly, we are a hundred times more pleasing." 
 Yes, but our hair is becoming grizzly, our figure 
 has become rotund, and some rather deep lines 
 are imprinted at the corners of our eyes. 
 
 If the approach of long-desired happiness causes 
 in love an inexplicable trouble, what should be 
 the state of one who, all of a sudden, without hav- 
 ing had even the slightest hope, finds himself in a 
 position where he may obtain the greatest heights. 
 Such was Urbain's situation; he loved Blanche 
 with the delirium, the intoxication, which one ex- 
 periences at nineteen for his first love, and he 
 found himself at eleven o'clock at night alone with 
 the object of his tenderness in a little chamber, 
 separated from all neighbors, with the lovely child 
 drawing the bolt and beginning to undress herself 
 to go to bed. What lover at such a moment could 
 preserve his reason ? Poor Blanche, I tremble for 
 thee ! In truth thou hast a talisman, but I have
 
 262 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 no great faith in its power ; above all, if you 
 allow yourself to remain with Urbain in the sit- 
 uation in which he is placed. The young bache- 
 lor tremblingly paused, sighing and saying not a 
 word he remained standing in a corner of the 
 room, while Blanche prepared the bed, coming and 
 going, jumping and laughing, and finally began to 
 undress herself. 
 
 " O heavens ! " said Urbain to himself, trem- 
 bling, coloring, and lowering his eyes, but raising 
 them from time to time to look at Blanche. " O 
 my God ! what must I do. This is not the mo- 
 ment to declare myself, to make known to her 
 who I am, to implore her pardon, and to confess 
 my love to her ; but, yes, it is indeed the moment. 
 However, if that confession should frighten her, 
 if her cries should bring somebody here, or if she 
 should drive me from the room. That will be 
 such a pity when I can, by deceiving her a little 
 longer, share her bed, and oh, no ! that would be 
 very ill done ! But how pretty she is ! great God, 
 how charming ! Ah, I will not look at her." And 
 the rascal looked at her all the time, slyly, it is 
 true, but the more he looked at her the more he 
 felt his resolution imperilled ; for each moment 
 Blanche took off some part of her costume, already 
 only a little petticoat covered her seductive form, 
 and the straight corset which had imprisoned her 
 pretty figure was laid upon the bed. 
 
 Blanche stopped; however, it was time. She
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 263 
 
 looked at Urbain, who was still standing there, 
 motionless and silent. 
 
 " Come, Ursule, why don't you undress your- 
 self? " said the young girl, approaching the bache- 
 lor. 
 
 " Because, mademoiselle, I do not know why, 
 I'm afraid." 
 
 " What ? you're afraid ? Are you afraid with 
 me, Ursule ? " 
 
 " Afraid, mademoiselle ? Yes, I feel that I am 
 very much afraid." 
 
 " Why, that's just like Marguerite, and I, who 
 am much younger, am a great deal braver. It is true 
 that the wind blows very hard, but it won't carry 
 us away from here. How she trembles ! Why 
 Ursule, how can you go every evening alone as 
 far as the Porte Saint-Antoine and yet you trem- 
 ble with me in my chamber." 
 
 "Ah, that's very different." 
 
 " Is it because Marguerite has carried off your 
 talisman ? But we still have mine. Wait, do you 
 see when I take off my corsets I fasten it here, in- 
 side my chemise, for dear nurse says that it is ne- 
 cessary above all to have it during the night, and 
 that it is when they are in bed that the sorcerers 
 come to torment young girls. Is that true, Ur- 
 sule ? Do they sometimes try to torment you in 
 the night ? " 
 
 "Yes no, mademoiselle." Urbain did not 
 know what he was. saying, for his eyes, despite
 
 264 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 himself, turned towards the perfidious talisman 
 which seemed to be there, like the serpent on the 
 tree of the knowledge of good and evil, to make 
 him succumb to temptation. 
 
 " You are shivering with cold, Ursule, we shall 
 be much better in bed ; we shall be warmer. Do 
 you want me to help you undress ? How you are 
 sighing. Is it because you are in some trouble ? 
 You must tell me all about it. It is so pleasant 
 to have some friend, to be able to tell her all that 
 one thinks. Let's see ; first, we'll take off this cap 
 which hides all your face. I am sure that mine will 
 become you better, let us try it. But sit down 
 first ; you're so big, my dear Ursule, that I can't 
 reach your head." 
 
 The young bachelor allowed himself to be led 
 to a chair. He seated himself^ and the lovely child, 
 standing before him, began to loosen the pins 
 which held his cap and his big brown curls. Ur- 
 bain allowed Blanche to take off his headdress. 
 He had decided to make himself known, besides 
 sooner or later she must know the truth, and in 
 order not to frighten her it was better that the 
 metamorphosis should be gently made. The last 
 pin was taken out, Blanche lifted the cap and the 
 young man's brown curls escaped on all sides and 
 fell on his forehead and on his neck. The young 
 girl uttered an exclamation and stopped. Urbain, 
 fearing already that she was about to fly, lightly 
 surrounded her waist with his two arms.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 265 
 
 " How funny that is," said Blanche, at last, 
 looking at Urbain with astonishment. " Your hair 
 isn't done at all like that of all the women I ever 
 saw. Is it the fashion to wear it like that in 
 Verberie?" 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Do you know, Ursule, that the more I look 
 at you the more you look like a man to me." 
 
 " Somebody told me that before, mademoiselle." 
 
 " But it's really astonishing. Your hair is 
 dressed exactly like that of the men I see passing 
 in the street." 
 
 " Do you dislike it so ? " 
 
 " No however it produces a very singular 
 effect on me." 
 
 " If I were a man would you be angry ? " 
 
 " Mercy, yes, I believe I should, for then you 
 couldn't be my friend any more. I couldn't love 
 you as a sister." 
 
 " But Blanche, if I were a man I should be 
 your lover. A most tender, a most faithful lover. 
 I could love you to distraction, and love is much 
 stronger than friendship. Then, if you will share 
 my affection, could there exist a mortal happier 
 than I ? Dear Blanche, if I could only possess 
 your heart. Is there anything more precious on 
 earth ? To obtain it, I would give the last drop 
 of my blood." 
 
 While speaking Urbain, engrossed by his love, 
 no longer sought to disguise his voice. His arms
 
 266 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 still surrounded Blanche and the young girl, greatly 
 moved, dropped on the knees of the young bache- 
 lor, saying in a feeble voice, 
 
 " Mon Dieu, Ursule, don't say such things to 
 me. They make me uneasy. I don't know what's 
 the matter with me. I feel that I wish to cry. 
 What use is it to tell such falsehoods, to speak of 
 love and of loving ? Ursule, somebody has told 
 me that it is very wrong to talk about those things. 
 O heavens ! since you haven't your cap on, I dare 
 not look at you." 
 
 " Blanche ! dear Blanche ! " 
 
 " Well now, you're still pretending to be a man, 
 and it frightens me. Come, Ursule, be a woman 
 again, I beg of you." 
 
 " No, Blanche, I will not deceive you further. 
 It is a man it's the most tender lover who is 
 near you." 
 
 By a sudden movement Blanche rose and es- 
 caped to the other end of the room ; Urbain did 
 not seek to restrain her, but fell on his knees and 
 held out his hands towards her, seeming to await 
 her forgiveness, while the young girl looked at 
 him with eyes which expressed more surprise than 
 fear. 
 
 " What ? are you really a man ? " said the amia- 
 ble child, after a moment. 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Are you quite sure of it ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 267 
 
 " O good heavens ! don't come near me, I beg 
 of you." 
 
 " Ah, don't tremble so, I am at your feet, the 
 most submissive of lovers." 
 
 " Of lovers ! I don't know what a lover is." 
 
 " It was that I might be successful in seeing 
 you, that I might make known to you all the love 
 that I feel for you, that I have dared to take this 
 disguise. Without that how should I have man- 
 aged to see you when they keep you in prison in 
 this room ? " 
 
 " I never go out of it. I should not listen to 
 you perhaps. How did you come to love me ? " 
 
 " It was through the window that I first saw 
 you. Some singers were standing under the case- 
 ment. You seemed to listen to them with great 
 pleasure. That night I returned and sang under 
 your window the romance which you like so 
 much." 
 
 " That was you ? " cried Blanche, joyfully ; and 
 already forgetting her first fear she looked at Ur- 
 bain with more assurance. Her pure and inno- 
 cent mind could not conceive all the danger of 
 her situation. A more experienced young girl 
 would have cried and have shown much anger, 
 but Blanche, whose soul was a stranger to all dis- 
 simulation evinced the same confidence in the 
 young bachelor as she did in Ursule, because she 
 had no other thought which could make her 
 blush. "Why! was that you?" she repeated.
 
 268 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " It isn't astonishing that I found such a resem- 
 blance in your voice, but it wasn't good of you, 
 monsieur, to lie to us like that. I was quite sure 
 that you were Ursule and I loved you like a dear 
 friend, and can I continue to love you like that 
 now?" 
 
 " And what should prevent you, if I have not 
 displeased you ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! you haven't displeased me. I even 
 think that you look better without a cap, but it's 
 not allowable to love a man." 
 
 " Why not, when that man wishes to become 
 your husband ? " 
 
 " Marguerite says that all men are deceivers and 
 then, O heavens ! the devil also takes the form 
 of a man, and presented himself thus to the sor- 
 cerer of Verberie. O mon Dieu, if you should be 
 the devil ! " 
 
 " O Blanche, what a thought ! " 
 
 " But no, you look too sweet you're not all 
 black, and you haven't any claws." 
 
 " My name is Urbain Dorgeville. My par- 
 ents were honest and respected. I am an orphan. 
 I haven't much fortune, but when one loves truly 
 is it necessary to have much in order to be happy ? 
 Dear Blanche, will you forgive me ? " 
 
 " He calls me his dear Blanche, how funny that 
 is ! And if I don't forgive you, what will happen? " 
 
 " You will reduce me to despair and nothing 
 will remain for me but to die."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 269 
 
 " Oh, I don't wish that you should die," cried 
 the amiable child, " and I will forgive you, for I 
 should be very vexed if I caused you any grief." 
 
 " Can it be," said Urbain, rising and running 
 towards Blanche. The young girl made a move- 
 ment of fear, then, recovering herself, she smiled, 
 and signed to Urbain to seat himself near her. 
 The happy bachelor placed his chair close up to 
 that of Blanche and very gently took one of her 
 hands, which the ingenuous child allowed him to 
 retain. 
 
 " You forgive me for loving you, then ? " said 
 he, looking at her tenderly. 
 
 " Of course, I'm obliged to, since you say that 
 it will make you die if I forbid you to." 
 
 " And you, also, will love me ? " 
 
 " Oh, I don't know. I loved Ursule very 
 much, however, but you it wouldn't be the 
 same thing, would it ? " 
 
 " It would be much sweeter." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " 
 
 " I am sure of it, by what I experience at this 
 moment." 
 
 "You are very happy now, then? " 
 
 " Yes, very happy ; for you are no longer afraid 
 of me, are you ? " 
 
 " No, I am not afraid of you, but why do you 
 hold my hand like that ? " 
 
 " I should like to press it always, to hold it in- 
 cessantly against my heart."
 
 270 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " And is that yet another proof of love ? " 
 
 " Yes, Blanche, but if it displeases you I will 
 not keep this dear hand." 
 
 " Oh, that doesn't displease me, but yours is 
 burning. It makes mine warm. And why are 
 you trembling? Is it love that makes you like 
 that ? " 
 
 " Yes, it burns me, it consumes me." 
 
 " Oh, it must be very unpleasant to love like 
 that." 
 
 The young bachelor, to solace, no doubt, the 
 malady which devoured him, carried Blanche's 
 hand to his lips and covered it with kisses. The 
 young girl allowed him to do so, although the 
 passionate glances of her lover were beginning to 
 produce a strange feeling of uneasiness in her 
 henrt. Her breast rose more frequently, she 
 sighed, and said in a faint voice, 
 
 " Urbain Ursule ; mon Dieu, I don't know 
 what's the matter with me, but I am afraid I've 
 caught your malady. Wait ! see how I am trem- 
 bling now ! Oh, my talisman, my talisman ! " 
 
 Poor Blanche, what will you do ? While prom- 
 ising to himself to respect the virtue of the 
 young girl, Urbain yielded to the ardor which in- 
 flamed him, and pressed Blanche tightly in his 
 arms, begging her not to tremble ; Blanche, as- 
 tonished, did not repulse him, for excessive inno- 
 cence has also its dangers, but at this moment 
 somebody knocked violently at the door of the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 271 
 
 room and the barber's stern voice uttered these 
 words, 
 
 " Open the door, Blanche ! I command you to 
 open the door ! " 
 
 The young bachelor seemed petrified, and 
 Blanche remained motionless in Urbain's arms, 
 which still enfolded her.
 
 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 VOLUME II
 
 CONTENTS 
 VOLUME II 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 Who Could Have Expected It ? I 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 Happy Moments 23 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 A Day with Chaudoreille 38 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 The Little Supper 54 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 Having Money and Power One May Dare 
 
 Everything 74 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 The Rendezvous. Strokes of Fortune. The Hotel 
 
 de Bourgogne. The Sedan Chair . . . . IO2 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 Poor Urbain I26 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 The Chateau de Sarcus 135
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 The Meeting. Projects of Revenge .... 164 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 The Little Closet Again 183 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 The Storm Brews 197 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 The Return to the Chateau 212 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 The Marquis Visits Blanche at Night . . . . 226 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Urbain's Visit to the Marquis. Chaudoreille's 
 
 Last Adventure 242 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Julia's Story. What was Contained in the Port- 
 folio 258
 
 CHAPTER I 
 WHO COULD HAVE EXPECTED IT 
 
 THE slap in the face which had been so vigor- 
 ously applied to the impertinent Chevalier Chau- 
 doreille by Urbain in his character of a good- 
 looking young woman, though richly deserved, 
 had been so unexpected, had so thoroughly 
 stunned the poor little specimen of humanity 
 that he had remained for some moments sup- 
 ported by the stone post against which he had 
 been flung by the force of the blow, entirely un- 
 conscious as to his whereabouts. 
 
 But as his wits returned to their normal capa- 
 city, and he fully realized the indignity to which 
 he had been subjected in being overcome by a 
 blow from a woman, at a moment, too, when he 
 thought his success certain, the little fellow drew 
 himself up with fierce determination, and, as he 
 rubbed his still tingling and burning cheek, he 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " Oh, hang it all ! Is it likely I will submit to 
 such treatment. I shall know how to revenge 
 myself, young Amazon, little as you may think 
 so at the present moment. Never shall it be 
 said that Venus withdrew from the transports of 
 
 Vol. VIII t
 
 2 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Mars ; that slap in the face shall prove costly to 
 her virtue." 
 
 Immediately he followed on the steps of his 
 Venus, who was dashing along, jumping over the 
 streams which came in her way. Chaudoreille's 
 sharp little eyes recognized the person whom he 
 was pursuing just at the moment when Urbain 
 reached the barber's house and entered the alley- 
 way, shutting the door immediately after him. 
 
 Chaudoreille knew Touquet's house so well that 
 his distance from the pretended country woman 
 could not prevent him from recognizing her place 
 of retreat, and it was with extreme surprise that 
 our poursuivant d'amour perceived that his beauty 
 had taken refuge in the house of his friend, Tou- 
 quet. He approached the alley, presuming that 
 she might inadvertently have left the door open, 
 but it was closed ; besides, the person he had fol- 
 lowed had not hesitated for an instant in the choice 
 of a hiding-place, all of which seemed to indicate 
 that the barber's house had been her destination. 
 This incident gave rise to many conjectures on 
 Chaudoreille's part, awakening his lively curios- 
 ity ; he decided not to leave the house until the 
 departure of the one whom he had seen enter, and 
 walked up and down from the Rue des Mauvaises- 
 Paroles to the Rue Saint-Honore. 
 
 Time passed and Chaudoreille vainly watched, 
 with his eyes directed to the house, noticing that 
 there was still a light in Blanche's room. Soon the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 3 
 
 rain began to fall and the wind blew violently ; but 
 the chevalier, though inadequately protected by a 
 penthouse, under which he had taken refuge, did 
 not dream of leaving the place, and wrapped him- 
 self as well as he could in his little cloak, say- 
 ing, 
 
 " She must come out sooner or later. What the 
 deuce ! can she be Touquet's mistress ? Oh, hang 
 it ! I must seek the clue to this enigma. The 
 light is still burning in my beautiful scholar's 
 room. Hem ! I have certain suspicions. That 
 devil of a slap in the face was given to me with so 
 much force that it makes me believe that my 
 Venus may perhaps have a beard. Patience, she 
 will either come out or I shall go in ! " 
 
 Poor lovers ! While you were enjoying so 
 much the pleasure of being together, while you 
 were beginning to understand each other and to 
 exchange loving glances, in which Blanche no 
 longer showed any timidity, you had no suspicion 
 that at a short distance from you a cursed man 
 had his eyes directed to your window and pro- 
 posed to disturb your happiness ; and all because 
 the success of his shuffling, the white wine, and 
 Urbain's fictitious charms had mounted to Chau- 
 doreille's head. 
 
 Eleven o'clock had long since struck. We know 
 what had taken place upstairs ; now let us see 
 what had taken place below. 
 
 Chaudoreille, unable longer to contain himself.
 
 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 decided to knock at the barber's door. The lov- 
 ers had not heard him, because at that moment 
 Urbain was kissing Blanche's soft little hand, and 
 in so agreeable an occupation one is not liable to 
 notice what takes place in the street. Marguerite 
 was snoring in a manner which did not indicate 
 fear ; in truth, she had gone to sleep with the 
 precious talisman at her side. 
 
 But the barber was not asleep ; whether it was 
 because of the storm or the wind, or from some 
 other cause, Master Touquet, who rarely slept 
 peacefully in his bed at night, had not yet gone 
 up to his room, and was pacing slowly in his back 
 shop, ever gloomy and preoccupied, and mur- 
 muring at intervals, 
 
 " Cursed night ! Why do these shadows inces- 
 santly disturb my rest ? As soon as daylight dis- 
 appears my torments recommence. I have gold 
 yes, I have gold, but I no longer enjoy my 
 natural rest. I shall sell this house; I shall go 
 far from here, very far. I shall return to my coun- 
 try, my father, if he is still living. He will be 
 very much astonished at the change in my for- 
 tune. He cursed me when I left the country 
 but I will ask him to forgive me ; yes, he will 
 surely forgive my early faults when he sees that 
 I am rich and respected. I shall not tell him all ; 
 no, I shall not tell him how I acquired this for- 
 tune." 
 
 A bitter smile flickered on the barber's pale
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 5 
 
 lips and he returned to his reflections, from which 
 he was drawn by the knocking at the door. 
 
 Touquet started with fright, but immediately 
 appearing ashamed of himself, took his lamp and 
 went quickly towards the door. He did not expect 
 anyone so late, but supposed that the Marquis de 
 Villebelle, finding himself in that neighborhood, 
 was perhaps seeking him in regard to some new 
 love intrigue. 
 
 As he drew near the door he recognized Chau- 
 doreille's voice, calling, 
 
 "Open the door, Touquet. Open the door. 
 Don't be afraid, it's me, but it is absolutely neces- 
 sary that I should speak to you." 
 
 The barber opened the door; and Chaudo- 
 reille, whose soaked garments were glued to his 
 lean figure, which appeared even more attenuated 
 than usual, being all shrivelled up under his cloak, 
 came into the alley huddled together, as if he 
 were afraid that his head would hit the little lat- 
 tice-work over the door. 
 
 " What the devil has brought you here at this 
 hour ? " said the barber, shutting his door, while 
 the Gascon looked towards the end of the alley 
 as though he were trying to see someone. Finally, 
 he put his finger on his mouth and said in a low 
 voice, 
 
 " Are you alone just now ? " 
 
 " Yes, certainly." 
 
 " You have no visitors ? "
 
 6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Why, no, nobody, I tell you." 
 
 " Then it is urgent that I should speak with 
 you." 
 
 The barber returned into the lower room, and 
 Chaudoreille followed him, walking on his tip- 
 toes and turning to the right and left, as though 
 he were looking for someone. 
 
 " Come, what have you got to say ? " said 
 Touquet. " What means this visit, so near mid- 
 night? Did you think that I should be inclined 
 to sleep you ? Go. There are still gambling dens 
 open in Paris where you can find a bed, but my 
 house shall not serve as a shelter for nighthawks." 
 
 Chaudoreille, without appearing in the least 
 disconcerted, listened to Touquet, shaking his hat 
 meanwhile, and wringing his mantle ; he smiled 
 with a mischievous air as he listened to the bar- 
 ber's last words, and answered, 
 
 " Your house ! By jingo, you make a good 
 deal of fuss about your house. We shall see pres- 
 ently whether you receive any suspicious persons." 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? " cried Touquet, 
 angrily. 
 
 " Hush ! Don't make so much noise, I beg of 
 you. Don't wake the cat up, she is asleep." 
 
 " Chaudoreille, I'm losing patience. Say what 
 you want, or I'll be the death of you." 
 
 " Well, what the deuce ! I came to do you a 
 service, and it seems to me that that shouldn't 
 make you angry. Listen now, but I beg of you
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 7 
 
 don't lose your temper, for that will make me 
 break the thread of my discourse." 
 
 The barber restrained himself as well as he 
 could, and Chaudoreille, after passing his cuff 
 over the edge of his hat to give it a lustre, com- 
 menced his story in a low voice, 
 
 " I was going this morning to Saint-Germain's 
 fair and found myself without money, something 
 which very often happens with me. I had eaten 
 nothing since yesterday." 
 
 "You have eaten and drunk since, I'll answer 
 for it." 
 
 "Yes, certainly, thanks to my genius. I was 
 making some rather sad reflections on the insta- 
 bility of my luck at piquet, the treacherous 
 chances of lansquenet and the lack of solidity in 
 gambling " 
 
 "I should like to make you reflect at this 
 minute on the strength of a good stick." 
 
 " Hush, don't interrupt me. I perceived at the 
 fair two young men, youths, you know ; some of 
 those faces which seem to say, 'Who will come and 
 do me ? ' those faces without mischief which are 
 a veritable good fortune for men of parts. The 
 poor little fellows were playing at skittles." 
 
 "Come to the point. You are abusing my 
 patience." 
 
 "This all leads up to the matter which regards 
 you. I approached the innocents and showed 
 them a new stroke which they did not know, I'll
 
 8 
 
 answer for it. In short, we dined together, and 
 I only took a pistole from them for the lesson, 
 which was very reasonable, but if they had refused 
 me I would have spitted them both like sparrows. 
 Don't stamp your foot, I'm nearing the end. I 
 was returning gayly, according to my habit, when 
 I met a country woman in the street who seemed 
 to me agreeable, although I saw little of her. 
 Her carriage was free and unconstrained, she 
 was big and strong; I was very much taken by 
 her. I caught up to her and I said some charm- 
 ing things to her. Would you believe it ? not a 
 word in response ; I repeated them, still no an- 
 swer ; I approached her and pinched her, and, my 
 dear fellow, I received a most vigorous slap in 
 the face." 
 
 "Well, hang it! she did well. Finish your 
 chatter if you don't wish to receive a second." 
 
 " Stunned for an instant, I soon recovered my 
 wits. I pursued the traitress. I saw her enter 
 where do you suppose ? your house." 
 
 " She came into my house ? It is impossible ; 
 you are deceived." 
 
 " No, by all the devils ! I know your dwelling 
 well enough. She came in by the alleyway and 
 shut the door immediately." 
 
 " What time was it then ? " 
 
 "About seven o'clock. And I can answer for 
 it that she didn't come out, for I haven't stirred 
 from the front of the house."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 9 
 
 " What, wretch, that woman has been so long 
 in my house, and you only now come to tell me ? " 
 
 " What do you expect ? I didn't know what 
 to do ; between you and I, I thought the dame 
 came to see you, but seeing that there was still a 
 light in my scholar's room, I thought " 
 
 " A light in Blanche's room ? " 
 
 " Why, yes, by jingo ! There's one there at 
 this moment, from which I concluded " 
 
 The barber hastily arose, lit a second lamp, 
 took his sword and directed his steps towards the 
 staircase at the back, saying to Chaudoreille, 
 
 " Remain here and wait for me." 
 
 "Why, don't you want me to come with 
 you?" ' 
 
 " Remain, here, I tell you, but if you have de- 
 ceived me, tremble ; your chastisement shall be 
 proportioned to my anger." 
 
 " May the devil fly away with him," said 
 Chaudoreille, ensconcing himself in a corner of 
 the room. " I came to render him a service and 
 he's going to flog me if he doesn't find the guilty 
 person. That slap in the face may be followed 
 by something still more cruel." 
 
 Touquet ran rapidly up the stairs to Blanche's 
 room ; he knocked, and ordered the young girl to 
 open the door; we have seen the effect which 
 these unexpected words produced on the young 
 couple within the chamber. 
 
 Urbain remained motionless, his arms still em-
 
 io THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 bracing the young girl, who was only half dressed. 
 In a second all the suspicions which the situation 
 would give rise to, in the mind of the person who 
 had discovered them, flashed across him. Blanche, 
 still innocent and pure, though her virtue had 
 been endangered, Blanche would be adjudged 
 guilty, and he was the cause of it. How could he 
 prevent it ? All these thoughts, rapid as lightning, 
 transpired during the time which elapsed before 
 the barber knocked for the second time, and loudly 
 reiterated in a threatening voice the order which 
 he had given. Urbain glanced at the chimney, 
 seeing only that way of escaping from sight. He 
 was about to run to it when Blanche stopped him. 
 She had already recovered from her first fright, 
 and said to him, with a calmness which astonished 
 him, 
 
 " Where are you going ? " 
 
 "To hide myself." 
 
 " No, no, it is unnecessary for you to hide. 
 Why not tell the whole truth ? " 
 
 " O Blanche, if anyone finds me with you 
 at night ? " 
 
 " Well, what of it ? We have done nothing 
 wrong. It is much better to confess everything at 
 once than to lie about it," and the lovely child ran 
 to the door, drew the bolt and opened to the bar- 
 ber. The latter darted into the room. His first 
 looks were bent on Urbain, who was standing by 
 the hearth. Touquet only looked at him for a
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK n 
 
 moment, for he had instantly recognized the young 
 bachelor, and drawing his sword he rushed upon 
 him, crying, 
 
 " Scoundrel ! You shall pay with your life for 
 your temerity." 
 
 Urbain remained motionless, appearing to brave 
 Touquet's fury, but seeing the homicidal weapon 
 flash, Blanche cried out, and, quick as the barber, 
 ran and placed herself before Urbain, whom she 
 covered with her body ; then, lifting her hands 
 towards Touquet, she cried with an accent which 
 came from her heart, 
 
 " O monsieur, he has done nothing wrong." 
 
 The barber's weapon nearly grazed Blanche's 
 bosom, but the young girl's accents were so touch- 
 ing, her sweet features wore an expression so 
 noble, that the barber himself could not resist 
 her. His anger seemed vanquished. He dropped 
 his sword, and said in a less gloomy voice, 
 
 " This man has outraged you, and you don't 
 wish me to avenge you ? You ask me to pardon 
 him ? Very well, I shall not strike." 
 
 " What ? " said Blanche, surprised. " What, 
 monsieur, is it because of me that you were about 
 to hurt Urbain ? Oh, you would have been very 
 wrong. You say he has outraged me ; but, no, 
 monsieur, I swear to you he has not. He has told 
 me that he loves me very much, that he will love 
 me all his life, but there is nothing outrageous in 
 that, for when you knocked at the door I believe
 
 12 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 I was just going to tell him that I loved him also. 
 You see that I am just as guilty as he is, and that 
 it is necessary for you to punish both of us." 
 
 Blanche's words had an accent of truth which it 
 was impossible to mistake. The barber glanced in 
 astonishment at her and at Urbain, who saw that 
 he then believed, despite appearances, that Blanche 
 still retained her purity. However, the disorder 
 which reigned in the apartment, the singular cos- 
 tume of the young girl and of Urbain, which was 
 divided between that of the two sexes, all appeared 
 to confuse Touquet's ideas. 
 
 " Listen to us," said Blanche to him, " you 
 shall know the whole truth. Urbain, to be sure, 
 is a little to blame, for he has come to see us 
 every evening for nearly a fortnight, but he came 
 as a young girl. At first I was angry with him 
 also, but finally I have forgiven him. Urbain has 
 such a sweet expression, and then, I already loved 
 Ursule very much, and that made me love him 
 also. He said that he wished to be my lover, my 
 husband, that he could not live without me, and 
 that it would depend upon you to make us happy 
 forever. Ah, you will be good, will you not, my 
 dear friend ? You have already done much for 
 me. Give me Urbain for my husband, and I 
 promise you that I will never ask anything of you 
 again." 
 
 The barber, while listening to Blanche, muttered 
 to himself,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 13 
 
 " For nearly a fortnight he has been coming 
 here every evening, it is by a great chance that 
 I discovered him today, and yet I believed that 
 I could easily guard a young girl and brave the 
 enterprises of lovers." 
 
 " Monsieur," said Urbain, who up to that mo- 
 ment had kept silent, " I confess all the wrong I 
 have done, and love alone must be my excuse ; 
 but I adored Blanche, whom I had seen through 
 the panes of that window, and you would not per- 
 mit any man to approach her. I tried once to be- 
 gin an acquaintance with you, but the manner in 
 which you received me left me no hope. I then 
 consulted nothing but my love. Thanks to this 
 disguise I deceived old Marguerite, who consented 
 to introduce me here. I saw Blanche, and could I 
 renounce the hope of possessing her ? She was de- 
 ceived as well as her nurse. Under the name of 
 Ursule I had the good fortune to gain her con- 
 fidence and, by some interesting stories, to amuse 
 old Marguerite. I rejoiced in my happiness with- 
 out daring to make myself known. Today, on ac- 
 count of the storm, the rain, which fell so violently, 
 the advanced hour, she invited me to remain." 
 
 "Yes," said Blanche, with an angelic smile, 
 " He was going to sleep with me. I myself begged 
 him to do so." 
 
 The barber knit his brows and glanced angrily 
 at the young man. Urbain instantly threw him- 
 self at his feet, crying,
 
 I 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I have respected her virtue, her innocence. 
 
 monsieur, can I not touch you with my love. 
 Yes, I adore Blanche, give me her hand or de- 
 prive me of a life which without her would be in- 
 supportable." 
 
 " Hear us, my friend," said Blanche. "He will 
 absolutely die if I am not his wife, and if he should 
 die I feel that I should die of grief, too." 
 
 The barber appeared to listen to Urbain with- 
 out being in the least moved by his prayers, when 
 the young bachelor added, 
 
 " I know, monsieur, all that you have done for 
 Blanche. Her father was assassinated, she remained 
 an orphan without any support. She owes every- 
 thing to you." 
 
 " What ? " said Touquet, who had paid more 
 attention to Urbain's last words, "you know " 
 
 " Yes, monsieur, I learned all that concerns her 
 whom I adore. She did not know her parents 
 and possessed no fortune, but it is she alone whom 
 
 1 ask of you. You have done well for her. Give 
 me Blanche ; she is sufficient for my happiness. 
 I also am an orphan ; my family was honest and 
 respectable, but I have no relations left. My 
 name is Urbain Dorgeville ; I have an income of 
 twelve hundred livres; that is very little, but I 
 possess besides a little house in the country, on 
 the borders of the Loire, there I shall go to live 
 with Blanche. Far from the tumult of the city, 
 which we shall not regret, nor its pleasures ; and
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 15 
 
 far from society, which we do not wish to know, 
 we shall there pass our days in peace and love 
 and happiness." 
 
 The barber appeared to reflect deeply. He 
 rose, and strolled about the room with bowed 
 head. Hope and fear were depicted in the looks 
 of the two lovers, who waited with impatience his 
 answer. Finally, he paused, and said to Urbain, 
 
 " You are an orphan ? Entirely master of your 
 own actions ? " 
 
 "Yes, monsieur." 
 
 " There is nobody to object to your marrying 
 an orphan without means, and whose family is un- 
 known ? " 
 
 " Nobody, I repeat to you, can oppose my 
 wishes." 
 
 "You will never seek, yourself, to obtain any 
 information in regard to Blanche's family, which, 
 besides, would prove entirely fruitless." 
 
 " Why, what does it matter to me who were 
 her parents. She is a treasure in herself." 
 
 "And you will go to live with her far from 
 Paris far from everyone? " 
 
 "Yes, for I shall make it my care to be all- 
 sufficient to her happiness." 
 
 "O heavens, Urbain," said Blanche, "You 
 know very well that I never left this room, where 
 I saw no one but Marguerite. If I were to live 
 with you in the country do you suppose that I 
 should wish for anything else ? "
 
 16 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Dear Blanche, unite with me then in obtaining 
 the consent of your protector." 
 
 The two young people bent on the barber en- 
 treating looks. The latter did not notice them and 
 appeared entirely wrapped in his reflections ; at 
 last, all of a sudden, he stopped before Urbain, and 
 said, in a curt tone, 
 
 " Blanche is yours." 
 
 " Can it be ? " cried the young bachelor, in a 
 delirium of happiness. " Blanche, do you hear ? 
 He consents to our union." 
 
 " Oh, my dear friend, how much I thank you." 
 
 And the two lovers fell on their knees before 
 Touquet, their eyes bathed with tears of pleasure 
 and gratitude. 
 
 " What are you doing ? " said the barber, who 
 seemed ashamed to see the young couple at his 
 feet. " Get up, I beg of you." 
 
 "You have made us happy," said Urbain, 
 " and you will not even receive our thanks." 
 
 " No, no, I wish for nothing but silence and 
 discretion." 
 
 " Aren't you glad now that you didn't injure 
 Urbain ? He meant no harm in disguising him- 
 self as a girl. It was he who sang so beautifully 
 under my window. Oh, how happy I am ! He 
 can sing with me all the time now. He will teach 
 me that pretty ballad and some others, too. 
 Will you not, Urbain, teach me many things? 
 Oh, how happy we shall be."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 17 
 
 The barber had some trouble in calming Ur- 
 bain's transports and Blanche's naive joy. Finally 
 he succeeded in making them listen. 
 
 " Until the time of your union,'* said he, " I 
 repeat to you, I shall exact the greatest discretion. 
 Urbain you must promise me not to speak of your 
 marriage, and not to bring any of your acquaint- 
 ances here." 
 
 "I swear to you, monsieur, that I will do as 
 you wish ; besides, I don't know anybody. I have 
 no intimate friends." 
 
 " That is better still, you will have less to re- 
 gret in leaving the city. Make all your prepara- 
 tions for departure, and procure all the necessary 
 documents for your marriage. As to Blanche, I 
 will give you the letter found on her father ; that 
 is all which concerns that matter. When you have 
 made all the necessary arrangements, you can 
 marry Blanche but in the evening without any 
 stir, with nothing that can draw people to the 
 church to see the ceremony ; I dislike idlers and 
 curious people. Afterwards you will immediately 
 start for the country ; and you will not return to 
 this city, where your modest means would not per- 
 mit you to live happily." 
 
 " Yes, I agree to all, monsieur." 
 
 " Are you coming with us, my friend ? " 
 
 " No, that is not necessary. Later on, perhaps." 
 
 " And Marguerite, can we take her with us ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 1 8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " How nice that will be ! " 
 
 " Up to the day of your departure Urbain can 
 come here, but in the evening only, and not in 
 disguise." 
 
 "He will come as a boy. I am very curious to 
 see him like that." 
 
 " You understand ; it is very late. It is neces- 
 sary for you to retire. Urbain, I repeat to you, 
 maintain the greatest silence about all this. Has- 
 ten your preparations, and Blanche will soon be 
 yours." 
 
 Urbain renewed his promises and his thanks to 
 the barber, and took Blanche's hand and covered 
 it with kisses. The young people could hardly 
 believe in their happiness, and the future that was 
 opening before them still seemed a dream of their 
 imagination, but Touquet hurried them. 
 
 " I shall see you tomorrow," said Urbain. 
 
 " Tomorrow," repeated Blanche, " and not in 
 woman's clothes. Do you hear ? I wish to grow 
 accustomed to seeing you as a man." 
 
 " Yes, dear Blanche, yes. No more pretence 
 now." 
 
 The barber cut their adieux short and led away 
 the young man, and Blanche closed her door, sigh- 
 ing and murmuring still, 
 
 " Tomorrow." 
 
 Touquet guided Urbain, holding the lamp in 
 his hand, and walking rapidly towards the stair- 
 case ; but hardly had he taken ten steps in the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 19 
 
 passage when his foot caught in something. He 
 lowered his lamp and perceived a little shapeless 
 heap which moved and appeared to want to glide 
 along the wall. The barber ran at this object and, 
 quickly lifting the mantle which covered it, per- 
 ceived Chaudoreille, with his body on all fours in 
 such a way as not to take more room than a big cat. 
 
 "What are you doing there, clown? "cried Tou- 
 quet, putting his lamp against Chaudoreille's face. 
 
 " Me ? Nothing. I am picking up a pin." 
 
 " Go down to the room. I have told you be- 
 fore that I don't like curious people," and to 
 prove this to him beyond a possibility of doubt 
 the barber kicked the chevalier vigorously, and 
 the latter, not having had time to straighten him- 
 self, received the kick in three parts of his body. 
 Touquet did not stop to do more, but led the 
 bachelor to the street door, and opening it for 
 him said, 
 
 " Go, and remember all that you have prom- 
 ised." : 
 
 Urbain was about to renew his protestations of 
 gratitude, but the barber put an end to them by 
 telling him to go immediately to his dwelling, 
 and closing the door upon him. 
 
 Touquet returned into the lower room where 
 he found Chaudoreille, who had resumed his nat- 
 ural size and was promenading with the air of a 
 conqueror, evidently awaiting the thanks of the 
 barber.
 
 20 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Well, now, by jingo ! " cried he impatiently, 
 seeing that the latter said nothing to him. " You 
 have found the magpie in the nest. I haven't 
 dim sight. And that slap in the face, zounds ! I 
 recognized a masculine hand. I am never de- 
 ceived. Well, we have, according to what I see, 
 shown the gallant to the door. As to the little 
 one, hang it ! With her sanctimonious air, who 
 would have expected it ? " 
 
 " Be silent ! " cried the barber, advancing to- 
 wards Chaudoreille with a threatening gesture. 
 " Do not outrage Blanche. That the young girl 
 is still pure is as true as that you are a liar and a 
 coward." 
 
 "A coward ! By jingo, if Rolande could only 
 speak ! " 
 
 "Yes, I confess that I found someone there, 
 but that someone was not alone with Blanche." 
 
 " That is singular. I didn't hear old Marguer- 
 ite's voice." 
 
 " You were listening, then, wretch." 
 
 " No, it was by chance that some sounds reached 
 my ears ; some one called out. I thought that 
 somebody had need of help and, following my 
 natural ardor, I went towards the neighborhood 
 from whence the noise came." 
 
 " Well, what did you hear ? Speak, I tell you ! " 
 
 " Oh, nothing, some words. It seemed to me 
 that you were promising to unite the two lovers. 
 At least I believe that's what I caught. However,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 21 
 
 if I had not thought that you were keeping the 
 little one for yourself I would have demanded 
 her hand of you long ago. It seems to me that I 
 deserve the preference over that little masker, 
 who if it had not been for his petticoat would have 
 paid dearly for the slap on the face he gave me." 
 
 "You become Blanche's husband!" said the 
 barber, glancing scornfully at the little man. 
 " Listen, Chaudoreille, it suits me to give Blanche 
 to this young man ; he will make her happy." 
 
 "As to that you are the master, but " 
 
 " But, if you say a word about, what you have 
 seen and heard tonight I shall draw down upon 
 you the most terrible vengeance. Do you under- 
 stand me ? " 
 
 " Yes, I understand you. By jingo, marry the 
 little one with whom you please. I don't care a 
 fig for the pair of them. However, if there is 
 to be a wedding, I hope " 
 
 " No, there will be neither a wedding nor a 
 repast " 
 
 "That will be gay!" 
 
 " But, if you are discreet, I promise you two 
 pieces of gold when everything is finished and 
 Blanche has left this house." 
 
 " Agreed. That will suit me, it is as if I held 
 them now ; you might as well pay me in advance." 
 
 " I prefer, however, not to pay you until after- 
 wards. But the night is drawing to a close; go 
 home, Chaudoreille, and remember your promise."
 
 22 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Yes, yes, that's settled. Is there any news of 
 the seductive marquis and the young Italian ?" 
 
 "I believe that fire is already extinguished. 
 But that doesn't astonish me ; a fortnight, three 
 weeks, is the measure of the constancy of our 
 great noblemen." 
 
 "And after that's ended it's probable that there 
 will be one intrigue after another to conduct. If 
 so remember me, my dear Touquet." 
 
 " Very good, go to your bed ! " 
 
 "In fact, it's about time. I'll go back to the 
 Rue Brise-Miche ; fortunately my portress has 
 a liking for me, or else I should run a great risk 
 of sleeping in the street. However, if you wish, 
 I could wait for day here, on a chair." 
 
 " No, no, it's necessary for you to go ; I need 
 some rest, also, and it seems to me that I shall get 
 little of it this night." 
 
 Chaudoreille enveloped himself as well as he 
 could in his mantle and went towards the door, 
 making a grimace. The barber closed it on him 
 and went to his room, saying, 
 
 " I have done well ; she will go away, no one 
 will hear tell of her again, and everything regard- 
 ing her will soon be forgotten."
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 HAPPY MOMENTS 
 
 MARGUERITE alone had slept during the night 
 which had wrought so great a change in the bar- 
 ber's household; greatly cheered and calmed by 
 the possession of Ursule's talisman she slept more 
 soundly than she had e\ er done in her new room. 
 As for Blanche one may well suppose that she 
 did not close her eyes for a moment. The ami- 
 able child, still bewildered by all the events which 
 had taken place, had hardly had time to pass from 
 the fear of love to the fear of happiness ; she was 
 too innocent, too childlike to have dreamed of 
 love as yet, her poor heart hardly yet realized its 
 own state, though one sentiment stronger than all 
 others dominated its thoughts. She tossed con- 
 tinually on her couch, repeating to herself, 
 
 " He's a boy, and it was he who sang so beauti- 
 fully. Mercy, who could have expected it? He 
 was so pleasing as a girl ; however, I believe he 
 will be still better as a boy. Oh, I wish it was 
 evening now. He said that he loved me how 
 strange that is do I also love him ? I believe 
 I do. However, I must ask Marguerite what love 
 is, she ought to know that. Poor Marguerite,
 
 24 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 how surprised she'll be when she learns that he 
 was not a girl. Oh, I wish it was day now." 
 
 The day so much desired appeared at length. 
 Blanche had been up for a long time ; impatient 
 at not hearing the old nurse come down, she could 
 not resist going up to Marguerite's room. She 
 knocked at the door, exclaiming, 
 
 " Wake up, dear nurse ! it's very late. I have 
 a thousand things to tell you. Get up, I beg of 
 you you have slept long enough." 
 
 Marguerite, who never had to be awakened, 
 because she always rose sufficiently early, rubbed 
 her eyes, believing that the house was on fire, 
 sought to recall her ideas, to recover the talisman 
 which had been entrusted to her and which had 
 been lost among the bedclothes, while invoking 
 her patron saint, and muttering, 
 
 "Where has it gone to? I've looked for it 
 has the devil taken it away from me during the 
 night? Wait now ah, I shan't find it again. I 
 thought I felt something. It must have been the 
 devil who took it maliciously ! " 
 
 Finally Marguerite found the little scrap of 
 Urbain's breeches, and recalling all that had taken 
 place on the evening before, she hastened to open 
 the door to Blanche, and said, 
 
 " Has Ursule gone ? It's necessary to hasten 
 her away, my child." 
 
 " Oh, yes, she's gone ; that is to say, he's gone. 
 But don't be afraid, my good friend is willing that
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 25 
 
 he should come he wishes him to marry me ; 
 he's no longer angry. He's coming here this even- 
 ing as a boy ; you will see how nice he is ; and 
 when we are married, we shall go into the country 
 and you shall come with us. Oh, how happy I 
 shall be ! Come, Marguerite, laugh too ; you see 
 it's no longer necessary to have any fear." 
 
 Marguerite had no desire to laugh, she would 
 rather have wept, for she understood nothing that 
 Blanche was saying ; she opened her eyes as widely 
 as possible and exclaimed, 
 
 " O good God, my dear child, is your head 
 turned this morning ? Can that Ursule be a sor- 
 cerer? Don't jump like that, I beg of you." 
 
 Blanche recommenced her narrative and at last 
 made Marguerite understand that Ursule was a 
 boy. The old woman cried, affrightedly, 
 
 " My God ! a boy, and he slept with you ? " 
 
 " Oh, no, dear nurse, because Monsieur Tou- 
 quet came in just at the moment when mercy! 
 I don't know what we were doing at that mo- 
 ment oh, yes, I believe he was kissing me." 
 
 " Holy Virgin ! it was a goblin disguised as a 
 girl." 
 
 " No, dear nurse, he's called Urbain, he's an 
 orphan like me ; but his family was very respec- 
 table, and he's going to marry me." 
 
 " To marry you ? " 
 
 "Yes, certainly. You won't oppose it when 
 my protector has given his consent, will you ? "
 
 26 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " What, M. Touquet has consented to it ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes, I tell you. It's finished. Every- 
 thing is arranged." 
 
 The good old woman hardly believed that her 
 ears did not deceive her, but the arrival of her 
 master put an end to her doubts. 
 
 The barber looked very stern as he approached 
 Marguerite, and the old woman trembled, for she 
 felt that she was in fault. 
 
 " Marguerite," he said, " I could punish you 
 for having betrayed my confidence, for having, 
 despite my orders, introduced someone into the 
 house. You will tell me, like Blanche, that you 
 have been deceived and I would wish to think 
 so, besides, as I have forgiven it, it is needless to 
 dwell on what is past. The young man will be 
 Blanche's husband ; he will make her happy. You 
 will go with them when they leave this house. I 
 have but one command to lay upon you, and that 
 is to keep this incident from all your gossips in 
 this neighborhood. If you commit the least indis- 
 cretion, I'll send you away and you will prevent 
 this marriage from taking place." 
 
 " Oh, dear nurse, don't say anything about it," 
 cried Blanche. 
 
 " No, mademoiselle ; no, monsieur," responded 
 Marguerite, still trembling, " I swear to you 
 that " 
 
 " That's enough," said the barber. " You love 
 Blanche, and her happiness depends upon your
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 27 
 
 discretion. Urbain will come in the evenings only, 
 until the day he takes away his bride." 
 
 The barber departed after thus speaking, leav- 
 ing Marguerite still dumbfounded by all that she 
 had heard. 
 
 " HOW is this ? " said she, following Blanche to 
 her room ; " M. Touquet consented to this at 
 once ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear nurse." 
 
 " I'm not to be sent away." 
 
 " That surprises me, also ; I was so afraid he 
 would refuse Urbain." 
 
 " Urbain Urbain but you don't know him, 
 my child ! " 
 
 " Why, yes, I do, dear nurse, since he is Ur- 
 sule." 
 
 " I understand that very well ; but Ursule has 
 deceived us." 
 
 "It was that he might see me that Urbain dis- 
 guised himself; it was love that made him do it, 
 dear nurse." 
 
 " Love, indeed ! but you cannot yet love him, 
 my child." 
 
 " Oh, dear nurse, I believe I shall love him very 
 quickly. Urbain was teaching me how to love 
 yesterday, when my protector knocked at the 
 door." 
 
 " Jesu, Maria ! What, my child, in place of 
 calling for help when you saw it was a man ? " 
 
 "I desired to do so at first, but if you only
 
 28 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 knew ! Urbain was not at all alarming, on the 
 contrary ; and then he threw himself at my feet 
 and begged my pardon with such a sweet air, 
 with eyes so O Marguerite, what should I have 
 forgiven him for." 
 
 " Good heavens ! And your talisman, my girl, 
 did you not have recourse to that ? " 
 
 " Oh, forgive me, dear nurse, I even showed it 
 several times to Urbain." 
 
 " And it didn't cause him to fly ? " 
 
 "On the contrary, dear nurse, he drew still 
 nearer." 
 
 " Come, decidedly everything is upside down. 
 It must be that boy is a magician to work such 
 changes in this house. I shall no longer have any 
 faith in his little relic." 
 
 Blanche and the old woman awaited the even- 
 ing with impatience ; Marguerite curious to know 
 the young man who had wrought such prodigies 
 in her master's house, and the young girl ardently 
 desiring to see again him who had caused her to 
 sigh and to experience an entirely new feeling. 
 But Blanche's desires were mingled with that 
 timidity, that bashfulness, which accompany a first 
 love. As the hour of Urbain's arrival approached 
 she felt more restless and dreamy, and already 
 this unknown sentiment inspired her with a secret 
 desire to please ; she rose, looked at herself in the 
 mirror, and arranged a lock of hair, then she said 
 to Marguerite,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 29 
 
 "Dear nurse, do I look all right? Do you 
 think he will love me as much tonight as he did 
 yesterday ? " 
 
 " Dear child," cried the old servant, " if he is 
 capable of changing would he be worthy of you ? 
 When one loves truly, my dear, 'tis for life." 
 
 " Oh, that is much better, dear nurse ; I should 
 like to love like that. You will see that there's 
 nothing about Urbain to frighten one, and I am 
 sure I shall love him also." 
 
 The young bachelor desired with no less impa- 
 tience than Blanche the moment when he could 
 return to the barber's house. Since the evening 
 before Urbain had entirely lost his head, and his 
 happiness had been so sudden, so unforeseen, that 
 it had completely unbalanced him for the time. 
 He had returned to his lodging in the night, 
 dancing, singing and running in the street. In his 
 intoxication he had lost his skirt and his kerchief; 
 but he had no further need of his disguise, and 
 without troubling himself to pick up those por- 
 tions of his costume he had arrived at home 
 partly undressed, but so happy that he would not 
 have changed his lot for the fortune, the favor or 
 the power of the cardinal ; and in that he was 
 right, the joys which love brings are not, as is 
 the case with grandeur and power, mingled with 
 anxieties and cares. 
 
 The next day Urbain would have liked to tell 
 his happiness to all the world, but he remembered
 
 30 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 that one of the first conditions of his marriage 
 with Blanche was that he should keep the matter 
 entirely secret; he contented himself, therefore, 
 with looking at everybody who passed with an 
 air of satisfaction and triumph which indicated a 
 mind impervious to the strokes of fortune. 
 
 In the evening his neighbor came, as usual, to 
 propose to help him in disguising himself; but 
 Urbain thanked her ; he had no further need of 
 her services and the good-natured girl seemed 
 vexed that the masqueradings were ended. 
 
 Urbain wished to please as a man still more 
 than he had wished to do so as a country woman ; 
 he put on his collar and his hat with more care 
 than he ordinarily took. He looked to see that 
 his hair did not fall in disorder over his forehead, 
 and sighed as he said, 
 
 " If I should not succeed in pleasing her ! " 
 However, the remembrance of the evening before 
 gave him courage, and he took his way to the 
 barber's house. He trembled as he knocked at 
 the door, although the fear of being sent away 
 did not present itself to his mind. The sound of 
 the knocker went to Blanche's heart, and she 
 jumped from her chair, exclaiming, 
 
 " It's he ! " and was about to run to the street 
 door when Marguerite stopped her, saying, 
 
 " How now, my child, what are you going to 
 do? It would not be decent for you to go and 
 open the door for this young man."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 31 
 
 " Do you think so, nurse. Very well ; go then, 
 Marguerite ; go quickly." 
 
 Marguerite hurried as fast as she could, she 
 was anxious to see the young man. She opened 
 the door to Urbain and looked at him atten- 
 tively ; his gentle and diffident appearance made 
 a favorable impression on the old woman. 
 
 " It's singular he appears to be more embar- 
 rassed as a boy than as a girl. Come in, come in, 
 my handsome young spark ; come in. Now we 
 shall see if you've any more stories to relate of 
 the adventures of your aunts and cousins." 
 
 " Yes, my good Marguerite," said Urbain, " I 
 shall continue to tell them to you if they give 
 you pleasure." 
 
 " He wishes to please me," said Marguerite to 
 herself. " Yes, Blanche was right, the young man 
 is very charming." 
 
 The embarrassment of these two young lovers 
 was a very singular thing, inasmuch as they had 
 in their first interview spoken so freely of their 
 love, and were already engaged and certain of be- 
 ing married. Blanche, who had at first wished to 
 run to the door, now dared not raise her eyes, 
 and, on hearing Urbain's step, remained motion- 
 less on her chair. The latter, on entering this 
 room where he had been every evening for a fort- 
 night, experienced an uneasiness, a new embarrass- 
 ment, and paused near the door, holding his hat 
 in his hand, and glancing timidly at Blanche.
 
 32 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Well," said Marguerite, " here's one who 
 dares go no farther at present. Come, master boy, 
 when you were a girl you didn't thus remain 
 standing motionless and mute at the door ; and 
 my poor Blanche, who is afraid to raise her eyes 
 and is trembling like a leaf. My darling, it isn't 
 necessary to blush like that when one has done 
 nothing wrong. You see, I am obliged to encour- 
 age you." 
 
 However, Urbain gently approached Blanche, 
 bent his knees to the floor and murmured, 
 
 "If you no longer feel friendly to me, if this 
 costume has made you lose confidence in me 
 I will resume that of Ursule." 
 
 The sweet girl timidly raised her head, and 
 bending on Urbain a look of the tenderest love, 
 she said, blushing deeper than before, 
 
 " Oh, it isn't that. Excuse me, I don't know 
 what is the matter with me." 
 
 She turned her head to hide her face in Mar- 
 guerite's bosom, and said in a low tone to the 
 latter, 
 
 " Dear nurse, is it love that makes me feel so 
 hy ? " 
 
 "I remember scarcely anything about love 
 now," answered the old woman, shaking her head; 
 "however, yes, I believe in my young days it 
 did evince itself somewhat in that fashion." 
 
 Blanche turned to Urbain and said to him, 
 with a charming smile,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 33 
 
 " Don't be angry with me ; if I am awkward 
 and embarrassed it is because I love you." 
 
 Delighted at the candor of the young girl, Ur- 
 bain took her hand and pressed it against his 
 heart, then, seating himself near her, he renewed 
 the vows with which love for her inspired him. 
 Confidence was soon reestablished between them ; 
 when two hearts beat in accord, constraint is soon 
 banished. Blanche resumed, her gayety, her in- 
 genuousness, and allowed her lover to read all 
 her feelings, and the latter perceived that he had 
 a treasure of innocence and kindness. 
 
 Marguerite joined in the conversation of the 
 young people ; Urbain, by his amiability and the 
 deference he showed for the old servant's advice, 
 entirely won her friendship. The young bachelor 
 praised the situation of his little property, which 
 in the midst of a charming country offered de- 
 lightful walks and all the pleasures of a rural ex- 
 istence. He promised the old woman to give her 
 a room impervious to every enchantment, and to 
 tell her in the long winter evenings some of the 
 gruesome stories which gave her both fear and 
 pleasure. 
 
 While chatting with Marguerite, the tender 
 glances, pressings of the hand and sweet smiles of 
 the two lovers established between them that 
 sympathy of mind which gives the first, and per- 
 haps the sweetest, taste of love. 
 
 The time passed rapidly, nine o'clock struck, 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 34 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the hour which the barber had fixed for Urbain' s 
 departure, and they knew they must obey his com- 
 mands if they wished him to keep his promises. 
 
 " Must I leave you already ? " said Urbain. 
 
 "I'm sorry you must go," answered Blanche, 
 sighing tenderly. 
 
 " You will see each other again tomorrow, my 
 children," said Marguerite, "and the day will soon 
 come when you will no longer have to part. Mon- 
 sieur Dorgeville, have you begun the necessary 
 preparations for your marriage ? " 
 
 " Mon Dieu!" said Urbain, "I was so unsettled 
 today that I could think of nothing but the hap- 
 piness that I should enjoy this evening ; and I 
 have done nothing yet." 
 
 " If you are as heedless every day, your marriage 
 will never take place," said Marguerite. 
 
 " Oh, tomorrow I will begin to put matters in 
 train. I am anxious for the time when I shan't 
 have to leave Blanche ; but I haven't seen Mon- 
 sieur Touquet this evening. Ought I not to go 
 and say good evening to him ? " 
 
 "No, it is needless; my master is unlike other 
 men ; he has no use for ceremony. He said to me, 
 very positively, * The young man will come at 
 seven o'clock ; you will conduct him to Blanche's 
 room, where you will remain with them, and at 
 nine o'clock he will go. When I wish to speak 
 with him I will seek him, but it is needless for 
 him to endeavor to see me.' "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 35 
 
 " What a singular man ! " said Urbain ; " but I 
 ought to bless him, for he has made me happy, 
 and I accused him. I had a suspicion that he 
 wished to guard this treasure for himself by hid- 
 ing her from everyone." 
 
 " For himself," cried Blanche, " how could that 
 be possible ? " 
 
 " Forgive me, dear Blanche, love makes one 
 jealous ; I see well that I was unjust." 
 
 "Yes, yes," said Marguerite, "but hasten to 
 get your documents drawn and marry this dear 
 child." 
 
 'The bachelor left at last, but Blanche's looks 
 followed him and he could not doubt his happi- 
 ness ; he possessed the heart of an amiable girl 
 who did not seek to hide from him the sentiments 
 with which he inspired her. The next day Urbain 
 took the preliminary steps to hasten his marriage ; 
 he had also to sell the little furniture he possessed, 
 for it was very necessary to obtain some money 
 for the journey ; and, in regard to that, the bache- 
 lor soon saw that Monsieur Touquet evinced no 
 generosity of disposition. But a lover who is 
 about to marry his sweetheart always believes 
 himself rich enough, and, besides, Blanche having 
 been reared in retirement had no extravagant de- 
 sires in regard to household expenses, dress or 
 ornaments ; she would be economical and simple 
 in her tastes, which qualities are often of more 
 value than the bride's dowry.
 
 36 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Evening again brought Urbain to his sweet- 
 heart; on this occasion the embarrassment had 
 disappeared, and they gave themselves up entirely 
 to the pleasure they experienced in seeing each 
 other again. The time they passed together rolled 
 on as rapidly as before, but they consoled them- 
 selves by remembering that the day would soon 
 come when they would be united forever. On the 
 fourth evening that Urbain passed with Blanche 
 the door opened, and the barber made his ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 He slightly inclined his head to Urbain and 
 said to him, in his ordinary brief tone, 
 
 " Are you making preparations for your mar- 
 riage?" 
 
 " Yes, monsieur," said Urbain, rising and going 
 up to Touquet, " but you know employers never 
 share one's impatience. However, within six days, 
 or a little later, I should have all my papers. I 
 have seen the priest who is to unite us and have 
 made all my preparations for departure." 
 
 That's well." 
 
 The barber made no further remark and left 
 the young people, who were for a moment aston- 
 ished at his conduct ; but after all they were not 
 sorry to be able to give themselves up to the 
 pleasure of lovers' conversation with no other wit- 
 nesses than old Marguerite, who sometimes went 
 to sleep while Urbain and Blanche were silently 
 pressing each other's hands. The time passes
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 37 
 
 quickly when one is happy, and if the days were 
 long for the two lovers, by way of revenge each 
 evening seemed shorter than the last. The more 
 they saw of each other the closer love drew his 
 meshes about their hearts, which seemed formed 
 for adoration, and now they could not conceive 
 the possibility of an existence apart. 
 
 But the day of their wedding approached. Only 
 five days and they would pledge their vows at the 
 altar; then they would leave the great city and in 
 a peaceful retreat would enjoy pure happiness un- 
 disturbed by the storm and stress of life. This at 
 least was the future they hoped for. 
 
 Chaudoreille, urged by a desire to receive the 
 recompense the barber had promised him, had 
 already presented himself three times at the latter's 
 house, saying, 
 
 " Has the marriage taken place ? " 
 
 " Not yet," answered Touquet. 
 
 Then Chaudoreille departed, muttering, 
 
 " I wish they'd hurry now. What the deuce ! 
 I need some money. Why, in twelve days I'd 
 have married a dozen women."
 
 CHAPTER III 
 A DAY WITH CHAUDOREILLE 
 
 CHAUDOREILLE, who had not yet received the 
 two pieces of gold which the barber had promised 
 him found himself in his usual penniless condition 
 as he went one fine morning down the Rue des 
 Petits Carreaux. He was just coming from the 
 Saint-Germain fair, where he had not on this 
 occasion found anybody disposed to receive a les- 
 son in skittles, and he was going towards the 
 Saint- Laurent fair, hoping that fortune would be 
 somewhat more favorable to him in the latter 
 haunt. 
 
 Following his custom, Chaudoreille walked with 
 his nose in the air, ogling from one side to the 
 other; his left hand on his hip, and his right hand 
 caressing his mustache. As he approached the 
 boulevards he felt somebody pull gently at his 
 mantle. The pusillanimous fellow started with 
 fright, but on turning his head he perceived an 
 old servant maid, and seeing he had nothing to 
 fear he put his hand on his sword, and cried 
 loudly, 
 
 " By jingo ! I thought it was a man and I was 
 going to demand his reason for touching me.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 39 
 
 What do you want with me? Don't pull my 
 mantle so hard, it's a little decayed." 
 
 The old woman put her finger on her mouth, 
 and with a mysterious air, said, 
 
 " My mistress wishes to speak with you." 
 
 " Your mistress," cried Chaudoreille, his fea- 
 tures becoming cheerful, for he did not doubt that 
 he had made a conquest, " oh, that's it, my good 
 woman, I understand you. But is she young? is 
 she rich ? is she ? Never mind, it's all the same, 
 lead me to her." 
 
 " No, she can't receive you today, but be here 
 tomorrow at dusk. I will come and look for you 
 and will introduce you." 
 
 " It's enough ! I'll be here, I'll not fail, whether 
 it rains or shines. One word, if you please, mes- 
 senger of love. Can you not tell me where your 
 mistress has seen me ? " 
 
 "In the street, I presume, since she was at her 
 window. Tomorrow evening, monsieur ; I can't 
 stop any longer." 
 
 " Go, Flore ! go back to Cytheree," said Chau- 
 doreille, as the old woman went off, then he con- 
 tinued on his way, saying, 
 
 "It's an amorous adventure, I know; this 
 mystery and a rendezvous at dusk. She has seen 
 me through the window. By jingo ! I do well to 
 look my best ; a pretty man should always carry 
 himself as if everybody was looking at "him." He 
 then walked along, looking so much in the air
 
 40 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 that he ran against a water-carrier who was advan- 
 cing quietly with his two buckets full, and threvr 
 himself so heavily upon him that one of the buck- 
 ets escaped from his hand. 
 
 " Cursed idiot," cried the Auvergnat. " Wait, 
 take that to teach you to look before you ! " Say- 
 ing these words the water-carrier calmly emptied 
 his other bucket over Chaudoreille. The cheva- 
 lier was drenched. In his fury he drew Rolande 
 from the scabbard and advanced on the Auver- 
 gnat ; but the water-carrier, without appearing at 
 all dismayed by the falchion which his adversary 
 flashed as he capered and jumped about like one 
 possessed, took one of his buckets in each hand 
 and tranquilly awaited the expected onset of the 
 doughty knight, shouting in an aggravatingly 
 jeering tone, 
 
 " Come on, you baked apple ! come on stupid, 
 that turnspit you term a sword doesn't frighten 
 me in the least." 
 
 Chaudoreille put Rolande in his scabbard again 
 and then escaped by the boulevard, crying, 
 " Watch," and followed by all the idlers, and these 
 were not a few, of the neighborhood. The cheva- 
 lier did not pause in his flight until he was pos- 
 itively sure there was no longer anybody behind 
 him. He was then quite near the Fosses Jaunes, 
 which were excavated in the reign of Charles the 
 Ninth, and which extended from the Porte Saint- 
 Denis nearly to the Porte Saint-Honore. These
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 41 
 
 had been made to still further enlarge Paris. A 
 new wall was built along the Fosses Jaunes, and 
 also two new gates ; one, Rue Montmartre, near 
 the Rue des Jeuneurs, replaced the old Porte 
 Montmartre, demolished in 1633 ; the other, 
 Rue Saint-Honore, between the boulevard and 
 the Rue Royale, replaced the one situated between 
 the Rue Richelieu and the Rue Saint-Honore, 
 which was erected in 1631. On the terrace within 
 this new wall they presently laid out the Rues de 
 Clery, du Mail, des Fosses-Montmartre, de Vic- 
 toires, des Petits-Champs, etc. However, in the 
 midst of these new constructions the hill of Saint- 
 Roch still preserved its picturesque form and its 
 windmills. 
 
 Chaudoreille was trembling, he was very cold ; 
 and he could not change at his house, for a reason 
 that one may easily divine. Fortunately the 
 weather was fine and the sun, while it gave little 
 heat, shone on the promenade, established then 
 along the wall of Paris. The chevalier saw no 
 other means of drying himself than that of run- 
 ning for two or three hours in the sun, and he 
 gave himself immediately to that exercise, looking 
 much less in the air than formerly, and only an- 
 swering some of his acquaintances, who asked him 
 why he ran so quickly, by these words, 
 
 " It's a wager, don't stop me. I have put up a 
 hundred pistoles that I would sweat some great 
 drops."
 
 42 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The chevalier's garments commenced to have 
 more consistence and he stopped to take breath. 
 
 " You have missed your vocation, my friend ; 
 you should have been a runner for some prince," 
 said a man, who had stopped with two others, and 
 seemed to take much pleasure in looking at Chau- 
 doreille, while one of his companions, of an ex- 
 traordinarily stout build, laughed at the top of his 
 voice, and the third making comical gestures and 
 extraordinary grimaces seemed to be trying to 
 copy the features and the figure of the runner. 
 
 " What do you say, monsieur," said the son of 
 Gascony to the three individuals, who had stopped 
 before him, " can't one run if he wants to, cape- 
 dedious ! " 
 
 " Oh, his accent renders him even more comi- 
 cal," said the fat man. " Look at him well, com- 
 rade, it's necessary to reproduce that face for us 
 this evening. It will be worth its weight in 
 gold." 
 
 " I have it," responded the third. " Hang it ! 
 may I stifle if I don't copy it this evening, feature 
 for feature." 
 
 " Have you looked at me long enough," said 
 Chaudoreille, ogling them from the back, because 
 he did not feel enough courage to look them in 
 the face. " What do you take me to be ? " 
 
 " Oh, hang it ! " said Turlupin, to himself, for 
 it was he who was walking with his two compan- 
 ions, Gros-Guillaume and Gautier-Garguille. " We
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 43 
 
 must try to make the little man angry. That can't 
 fail to amuse us." 
 
 Approaching Chaudoreille, who was reflecting 
 on the grimace he should make, he commenced by 
 striking Rolande's scabbard with the stick which 
 he held in his hand, saying, 
 
 "What the devil do you call that, seigneur 
 chevalier ? " 
 
 The chevalier became at one moment pale, red, 
 and yellow. 
 
 " These men are desirous of seeking a quarrel 
 with me," said he to himself, looking around him 
 to see if he could make his retreat. But already 
 some passers-by had stopped and formed a circle ; 
 for, having recognized the three comedians who 
 had been drawing crowds at the Hotel de Bour- 
 gogne, they did not doubt they were going to play 
 some farce with the personage whom they were 
 surrounding. The sight of all these people calmed 
 Chaudoreille's fear a little. 
 
 "It is unlikely," said he to himself, "that they 
 will let these three men kill me without rescuing 
 me." He then endeavored to put a good face on 
 the matter. Glancing at the crowd with what he 
 meant to be a look of assurance, he exclaimed, 
 
 " I don't understand why these gentlemen mo- 
 lest me. I take everybody to witness that I have 
 not insulted them." 
 
 A general laugh was the only answer Chaudo- 
 reille received, which had the effect of increasing
 
 44 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 his ill-humor ; he angrily drew down his little hat 
 in such a way that the gold-colored rosette almost 
 touched the tip of his nose, and tried to make his 
 way through the crowd, but they drew closer to 
 him on every side, and he found himself face to 
 face with Turlupin, who put himself on guard 
 with his stick ; Chaudoreille turned another way 
 and was confronted by Gautier-Garguille, who 
 had placed his hat precisely in the same manner 
 as Chaudoreille' s, and imitated exactly his piteous 
 grimaces; finally, Gros-Guillaume barred the chev- 
 alier's passage with his enormous corpulence. 
 
 Chaudoreille was exasperated, he could bear no 
 more and he drew Rolande. Turlupin advanced 
 to the combat with his cane, and the chevalier, 
 having eyed his adversary's weapon out of the 
 corner of his eye, put himself on guard, crying, 
 
 "Look to it, guard yourself carefully; I ply 
 a very strong blade." 
 
 At the end of the third bout Turlupin feigned 
 to be wounded ; he fell, uttering a horrible groan, 
 and making a frightful contortion. Gros-Guillaume 
 threw himself down beside him, exclaiming, 
 
 " He is dead ! " 
 
 Chaudoreille was stunned and bewildered ; he 
 still held his sword in his hand and looked at 
 everyone as if distracted. Gautier-Garguille took 
 him by the arm and led him away, saying, 
 
 " Save yourself; you have killed the son of the 
 King of Cochin-China."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 45 
 
 Chaudoreille listened no further; he went on 
 his way, left Paris and darted across the fields and 
 the marshes ; the three hours he had spent in run- 
 ning in the sun had not strained his legs, he felt 
 no fatigue ; fear lent him wings, and he did not 
 stop until he believed that he had escaped the 
 pursuit of which he imagined himself to be the 
 object. It may seem astonishing, perhaps, that 
 the chevalier had not recognized, in the three men 
 who had stopped him on the boulevard, the three 
 comedians whose performances were then in great 
 vogue, and who permitted themselves a thousand 
 licenses that the Parisians authorized, and which 
 delighted even the great noblemen. But when 
 Chaudoreille had any money he passed the greater 
 part of his time in gambling houses, and had been 
 but rarely to the theatre called the Hotel de Bour- 
 gogne ; besides, Turlupin and Gautier-Garguille 
 were so adept in the art of changing their physi- 
 ognomies that it was difficult to recognize them 
 unless one had often witnessed their performances. 
 
 The fugitive had stopped to breathe for a mo- 
 ment, he looked timidly about him and recognized 
 the locality ; he was at the end of the Faubourg 
 Saint-Antoine, near the Vallee de Fecamp, and he 
 perceived about three hundred paces from him 
 the Marquis de Villebelle's little house. 
 
 Chaudoreille had fasted since the evening be- 
 fore, he was overcome with fatigue and believed 
 himself menaced by the greatest dangers. In such
 
 46 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 circumstances he forgot that the barber had for- 
 bidden him to go there and decided to ring at the 
 little house and seek refuge. 
 
 Collecting his strength he turned towards the 
 dwelling ; he rang the bell, and Marcel opened the 
 door almost immediately. 
 
 "What, is it you?" said he in astonishment. 
 " Did the marquis or M. Touquet send you 
 here ? " 
 
 Before answering, Chaudoreille entered the gar- 
 den, and closed the door after him. 
 
 " But what the devil is the matter with you ? " 
 said Marcel. "What are you doing here? and 
 your face is in such a state, all in a cold sweat; 
 one would believe, on my word, that you'd all the 
 sergeants of Paris at your heels." 
 
 " And you wouldn't be mistaken," said Chaudo- 
 reille, in a scarcely audible voice. 
 
 " Why, what are you saying ? " 
 
 " That I'm pursued, or at least I shall be. 
 That the greatest danger threatens me." 
 
 " My God ! What have you done ? " 
 
 " I've killed the son of the King of Cochin- 
 China." 
 
 " The son of Cochin-China ? " 
 
 " Why, yes, just now, not more than a few min- 
 utes ago, against the Fosses-Jaunes near the 
 Porte Saint-Denis but it was in honorable com- 
 bat, a duel with equal weapons ; and Rolande laid 
 him at my feet. Heavens, what a cry he uttered
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 47 
 
 as he fell it still rings in my ears. I slaughtered 
 him like a bullock." 
 
 Marcel listened with his habitual good-humor ; 
 however, Chaudoreille's story appeared so extra- 
 ordinary that he could not refrain from exclaim- 
 ing, 
 
 " But, truly, can all that be possible ? " 
 
 " What, by jingo, you question its possibility, 
 my dear. Marcel, it's absolutely true. You 
 know me; you know that I'm a hot-headed fel- 
 low, a rake of honor. It's a habit I've formed, 
 and what can you expect. I can't reform myself. 
 But this time, at all events, it was not my fault. 
 I was walking quietly along by the city wall ; all 
 of a sudden three men came before me and uttered 
 some jokes which were very much out of place 
 and offended me ; I politely asked them to allow 
 me to pass, but they still obstructed my way. I 
 immediately drew my sword, the crowd sur- 
 rounded us, one of my adversaries put himself on 
 guard. I immediately rushed on him ; the com- 
 bat was terrible. My enemy fought desperately ; 
 but soon he fell at my feet, making frightful 
 grimaces, and one of his companions told me I 
 had killed the heir to the throne of Cochin- 
 China." 
 
 " And what the devil was the Prince of Cochin- 
 China doing on the boulevards with two idiots 
 who allowed him to fight with you ? " 
 
 " Faith, I didn't have time to get any informa-
 
 48 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 tion on that point ; he had no doubt come to 
 Paris to take some exercise the poor fellow. 
 But you can imagine that this adventure will be- 
 come notorious ; they'll send out a description of 
 me ; they'll put all the squads in Paris in pursuit 
 of me; my dear Marcel, it's necessary that you 
 should hide me for several days." 
 
 " I'm very sorry to say that I can't do it ; I 
 thought you'd been sent here by my master with 
 orders for me ; since that's not the case you must 
 go, for he has expressly forbidden me to receive 
 anybody here except those that are sent to me. 
 M. de Villebelle will discharge me if, on arriving 
 suddenly with some of his friends, he should find 
 a stranger in the place." 
 
 "Zounds! I'm not a stranger, since I've al- 
 ready served your master in his love affairs. My 
 dear Marcel, you don't wish my death." 
 
 " No, but I don't wish to lose my place." 
 
 " You are alone here ? " 
 
 " Of course I am ; but monseigneur may come 
 when one is least expecting him." 
 
 " He won't come today." 
 
 " You don't know anything about it." 
 
 " I beg your pardon ; I know that his presence 
 is commanded at court. I only ask shelter of you 
 until tomorrow but, Marcel, my life is in your 
 hands." 
 
 "Come, your fright is very ill-timed." 
 
 "The Cochin-Chinas will be leagued against me."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 49 
 
 " Let them league themselves." 
 
 " I've eaten nothing since yesterday.'* 
 
 " I'm not to blame for that." 
 
 " Marcel, will nothing move you ; do you want 
 me to throw myself at your feet ? Well, behold 
 me there. You are softening, you yield ; I see 
 tears in your eyes." 
 
 " Well, only just till tomorrow ; but hang it, if 
 monseigneur should arrive this evening ? " 
 
 "I promise you I'll jump over the wall." 
 
 Chaudoreille breathed more freely ; and di- 
 rected his steps towards the house. 
 
 " Oh, delightful purlieus, how has my destiny 
 changed since I quitted you," said the chevalier, 
 drawing out his little silk handkerchief to dry his 
 eyes. But on reaching the dining-room, which 
 he recognized, his sadness appeared somewhat 
 lessened. He was the first to seat himself at the 
 table ; he invited Marcel to go to the cellar, and 
 did not give him a moment's rest until the supper 
 was served ; for it was then five o'clock, and in 
 those days everybody dined at midday. 
 
 " I'm not hungry yet," said Marcel, as he 
 seated himself, " ordinarily I don't sup until eight 
 o'clock." 
 
 " Oh, never mind that, I can eat for both of 
 us, and it needn't prevent our supping at eight 
 o'clock ; for I do not wish to make any change 
 in your usual habits. O my friend, what a day's 
 work ; if you knew all that had happened to me. 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 50 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 At first it began very well ; an amorous rendez- 
 vous given to me by a lady who fell in love with 
 me through seeing me from her window." 
 
 "Pshaw!" 
 
 " Give me a wing of that fowl. Yes, my friend, 
 a passion I inspired while watching the flight of 
 some swallows but I am used to that. Pour 
 me out something to drink. I'm sure she's a 
 woman of high rank. She sent to me by one of 
 her slaves, I think it was a mulatto, or she must 
 take a devil of a lot of snuff, for her nose was the 
 color of terra-cotta." 
 
 "And when are you to meet?" 
 
 "Tomorrow evening. But at present, can I 
 think of it? This unfortunate duel has spoiled 
 all my plans. They'll perhaps put me in the 
 Bastile for five or six years." 
 
 "Well, you are a fool." 
 
 " Oh, do you think that anyone may kill the 
 Prince of Cochin-China like a little shopkeeper 
 of the Marais. My situation is alarming. Give 
 me some pasty, I beg of you. " 
 
 " Did you satisfy yourself that your man was 
 dead?" 
 
 " If you had heard the cry he uttered as he fell, 
 you would not doubt it yourself. It's a cursed 
 day's work ; that thief of a water-carrier brought 
 this ill luck upon me ! " 
 
 " A water-carrier ? " 
 
 " Yes, one with whom I fought this morning."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 51 
 
 " Are you always fighting ? " 
 
 " Well, by jingo, I can't take twenty steps with- 
 out fighting; the government should give me a 
 pension to remain at home. What, another stroke 
 of ill luck ? Good God ! it seems to me I hear a 
 great deal of noise outside." 
 
 "What does it matter to us, it's only some 
 pages, lackeys, or students who are amusing them- 
 selves by fighting; oh, I'm accustomed to all 
 that." 
 
 " It's more likely they're coming to arrest me." 
 
 " Nothing of the kind, I tell you." 
 
 "Well, Marcel, you're very fortunate in not 
 being a man of the sword." 
 
 " A stick serves just as well to defend me; but 
 I don't seek a quarrel with anyone." 
 
 " You're very right ; I envy your gentle ur- 
 banity. But I believe I hear nothing more. Give 
 me something to drink. I feel calmer." 
 
 " Have you done eating ? " 
 
 " Yes, I can now wait till supper. Marcel, it 
 was here we wagered on the flies." 
 
 " I remember it." 
 
 " Will you take part in a game to pass the 
 time?" 
 
 " Much obliged ; but I didn't like the game." 
 
 " Oh, it wasn't that one I was about to pro- 
 pose ; but I believe I happen to have some cards 
 in my pocket. Come, a hand at piquet?" 
 
 " No, I don't care to play."
 
 52 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Why, by jingo ! it's only to pass a few hours ; 
 we shan't ruin ourselves ; I haven't more than two 
 pieces of gold about me ; and when I shall have 
 lost that, to the devil with me if I continue." 
 
 Marcel yielded to Chaudoreille's solicitations, 
 who immediately set out the table and drew a pack 
 of cards from his pocket, looking at them tenderly 
 as he placed them between himself and Marcel, 
 saying, 
 
 " We'll play for a crown on each side." 
 
 " It's too much." 
 
 " Pooh ! one lost, another gained; it's only be- 
 tween the pair of us." 
 
 " Yes, but if one wins all." 
 
 " Nonsense, we are equally good players." 
 
 " But you haven't laid your money down." 
 
 " I've told you I've nothing but gold, I'll 
 change it when I've lost some hundreds." 
 
 They commenced to play. Chaudoreille's face 
 was animated, his eyes were shining, and seemed 
 as if they would leave their orbits to look at his 
 adversary's play. 
 
 " These cards are not new," said Marcel, " they 
 are all stained or marked." 
 
 " That's because they've been so much used 
 apparently. I leave it to you," said Chaudoreille, 
 looking carefully at the backs of the cards which 
 were at the bottom of the pack. 
 
 " Hang it ! you've made me a pretty present ; 
 there, these are -the seven and the eight."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 53 
 
 Chaudoreille won the first game, then a second 
 and a third, because, thanks to the marks he had 
 made on the back of each card, he knew them as 
 well by their backs as by their faces. 
 
 " It's singular," said Marcel, " that I never win 
 anything ; you always have the best cards." 
 
 "What would you have? It's chance, luck; 
 but it will probably turn." 
 
 The luck did not turn and Marcel's crowns 
 passed into Chaudoreille's pocket. The chevalier 
 was scarlet, trembling, and the veins on his fore- 
 head were swollen by the ardor of his play, when 
 the bell at the garden gate rang violently. 
 
 "Oh, the deuce! there's somebody/'said Marcel. 
 
 " I am lost ! " cried Chaudoreille jumping on 
 his chair, " it is somebody come to arrest me." 
 
 He immediately rose and ran around the room, 
 went through the first door he saw and disappeared, 
 without listening to Marcel, who called to him, 
 
 " It's monseigneur ; it's M. de Villebelle ; keep 
 still and I'll let you out without his seeing you." 
 
 But Chaudoreille had disappeared and the bell 
 continued to ring. Marcel was obliged to open 
 the gate without knowing what had become of his 
 guest.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE LITTLE SUPPER 
 
 " AND pray why did you make us wait so long, 
 clown ? " said the marquis angrily to Marcel, as 
 he entered the garden with three men, two of 
 whom were enveloped in their cloaks, while the 
 third had no hat and nothing to cover his velvet 
 doublet, which was stained in many places with 
 mud ; this, however, did not prevent its owner 
 from bursting into shouts of laughter as he looked 
 at himself, as though he still enjoyed some frolic 
 in which he had participated. 
 
 " Follow me, my friends," said the marquis. 
 
 " Oh, I know the way to your little nest of 
 the Faubourg," said one, " it's not the first time 
 I've come here." 
 
 " Nor me." 
 
 " That's all very well ; as for me, messieurs, 
 I make my first appearance here today and in a 
 brilliant costume I hope. Ha! Ha! What the 
 devil ! if anybody should happen to divine that 
 I ought to be present this evening at the petit 
 coucher, 'twould be deuced awkward for me!" 
 
 " Come, Marcel, show us a light," said the 
 marquis, pushing the valet before him, while the 
 
 54
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 55 
 
 latter, anxious and uneasy, was constantly glanc- 
 ing around him. 
 
 " You've been sleeping already, rascal, for you 
 look stupefied." 
 
 "Yes, monseigneur, that's true, I have been 
 asleep." 
 
 " He lives the life of a canon here. He does 
 nothing but eat and sleep." 
 
 While speaking they had reached the house. 
 Happily for Marcel the marquis never went into 
 the lower room, where the card table was still 
 standing. They went up into the apartment on 
 the first floor. Marcel lighted many candles, while 
 the marquis' friends threw themselves into arm- 
 chairs, and Villebelle took off his mantle, saying, 
 
 " Come, hasten yourself, and serve us supper 
 of all that you can get together ; there are always 
 provisions nere. You have a poultry yard, a pigeon 
 house ; put some fowls quickly on the spit. We'll 
 play while waiting for them to be served. Prepare 
 the card table. Open that drawer, there are some 
 cards and dice in it. Gentlemen, you will perhaps 
 have meagre fare. I did not expect the pleasure 
 of entertaining you this evening, but at least you 
 shall have some good wine. The cellar is well 
 furnished and we shall not lack champagne." 
 
 " Hang it ! that's the principal thing," said a 
 big, pale young man whose features were regular, 
 but who was disfigured by the scar of a sword-cut 
 across his left cheek.
 
 56 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I, too, am of the vicomte's opinion," said his 
 neighbor, who appeared to be some years older, 
 and whose stoutness and high color contrasted 
 with the physique of the first speaker. 
 
 " Champagne before everything." 
 
 " Oh, I recognize there that drunkard De Mont- 
 geran," said the young man with disordered cos- 
 tume. " As for me I am not displeased when the 
 entertainment consists of wine. But let's play, 
 gentlemen, let's play ; it's necessary that I should 
 recoup a hat and a cloak." 
 
 " You might even add a doublet ; for I don't 
 think that you can present yourself anywhere in 
 that one." 
 
 " Those cursed shopkeepers, how they did re- 
 sist this evening. That's all right, I had flogged 
 three of them." 
 
 "Yes, but except for the marquis* and I you 
 would have been in a very bad position." 
 
 " Well ! what the devil brought the quarrel 
 about ? for I don't know yet why I fought." 
 
 "A trifling thing, a mere bagatelle; because I 
 was carrying off with me a little bookkeeper's 
 wife, the impertinent husband permitted himself 
 to shout ! The idiot, I should have sent his wife 
 back at the end of two days. Hang it ! I'd no 
 desire to keep her." 
 
 " Perhaps that's why he was angry." 
 
 " I said a couple of words for him to the super- 
 intendent ; before long our clerk will be destitute."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 57 
 
 " That's as it should be, it's necessary to teach 
 these plebeians manners, who persuade them- 
 selves that they only take a wife for themselves." 
 
 "In your place I should have asked for a lettre- 
 de-cachet." 
 
 " We shall see ; that might still be done." 
 
 During this conversation Marcel had prepared 
 everything ; he went down to the groundfloor 
 and, while making his preparations for supper, 
 called his comrade in a low tone, and looked in 
 every corner of the room, but he had disappeared. 
 
 " Where the devil has he hidden himself," said 
 Marcel, who then looked in all the other rooms and 
 went down to the cellar, where he called Chaudo- 
 reille again without receiving any answer. "He 
 has apparently escaped into the garden and from 
 there he will have jumped over the walls, as he 
 said he would do. However, that astonishes me, 
 for he would hardly care to leave the house." 
 
 The marquis and his companions sat down to 
 play, and while waiting for the supper they cracked 
 several bottles of champagne to put themselves in 
 good spirits ; that is to say, to arouse in them the 
 desire to commit new follies. The most extrava- 
 gant bets were proposed and accepted, and while 
 playing, drinking, singing, each one related his 
 good fortune, his gallant adventures, drew his 
 mistress' portrait, and passed in review the women 
 of fashion, sparing the honest women no more 
 than the courtesans.
 
 58 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 At last Marcel came to announce that supper 
 was served in a neighboring room and the gentle- 
 men left their play to go to the table. The room 
 in which the supper was served equalled by its 
 elegance the other rooms of this delightful retreat ; 
 while it served habitually for banquets, the beauty 
 and the taste of its frescoes, the statues which 
 decorated it, the sofas which furnished it, the 
 lustres which lighted it, recalled the salons of an- 
 cient Rome where Horace, Propertius and Tibu- 
 lus, surrounded by their friends and their competi- 
 tors, sang of love and the charms of their mis- 
 tresses while passing amphorae filled with falernian, 
 or carrying to their lips cups where sparkled 
 caecubum or massicum ; and while crowned with 
 myrtle and acanthus, in order to resemble their 
 deities, proving only too well that they had all the 
 weaknesses of mortals. 
 
 Sybarites of a later time, the young men assem- 
 bled at Villebelle's drank deep draughts of the 
 generous wine with which the table was so amply 
 provided ; the marquis furnishing them an ex- 
 ample by his avidity in emptying the flasks. De- 
 corum and etiquette were banished from the 
 repast, where liberty often degenerated into license. 
 The convives had drawn the sofas to the table, 
 and each one, half lying down like a pasha, held 
 a glass of champagne which he emptied, shouting 
 with laughter at the follies of which he heard or 
 at those which he had himself committed.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 59 
 
 The young man who had come without a hat, 
 and who was called the Chevalier de Chavagnac, 
 was seated opposite a beautiful statue representing 
 Psyche, to which he often raised his eyes. All of 
 a sudden he interrupted the fat Montgeran, who 
 was singing, by exclaiming, 
 
 " May the thunder crush me, if this Psyche 
 didn't move ! " 
 
 " What the devil are you saying now ? " asked 
 the marquis. 
 
 " I'm saying, I'm saying your Psyche has come 
 to life, or I must be blind." 
 
 " Oh, hang it, how delightful it would be if that 
 pretty woman could come and take her place 
 amongst us." 
 
 " Gentlemen, it was no doubt Montgeran's 
 voice which worked this miracle. A new Pygma- 
 lion, he softens marble." 
 
 " You needn't make fun of my voice, gentle- 
 men, it is held in no small estimation. It must 
 rather have been your cynical conversation which 
 made poor Psyche blush. But let me sing instead 
 of listening to De Chavagnac's stupidity, who can't 
 see clearly because he has drunk so much." 
 
 " Yes, assuredly, I have been drinking, but I 
 can still see. I've been looking at that statue for 
 a long while, and several times it appeared to me 
 as if it moved." 
 
 " Marquis, are there any ghosts in your little 
 house?"
 
 60 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "I have never seen any here, but it would be 
 very amiable of them to come and pay us a visit 
 while we are at table. We would make them hob- 
 nob with us." 
 
 "Come sing, Montgeran, we will listen to you ; 
 but be a trifle less artificial. I prefer the natural 
 method." 
 
 " Yes, gentlemen, I will then give you ; f The 
 shepherd in order to admire the charms of his 
 shepherdess took the first ' " 
 
 " Now, I shall know what it is," said De Cha- 
 vagnac, rising precipitately and running towards 
 the statue. As he neared it the Psyche made so 
 lively a movement that she would have fallen from 
 her pedestal on to the floor, if the young man had 
 not received her in his arms, and placed her on the 
 ground. All the convives had their eyes fixed on 
 De Chavagnac, who, after placing the Psyche in 
 safety, reapproached the pedestal, which was about 
 three feet high and one and one half in circum- 
 ference. 
 
 " There is something inside it," cried the young 
 man, who perceived that the pedestal was hollow, 
 and had an opening in the side which was turned 
 towards the wall. 
 
 "Someone inside it?" repeated the others, half 
 rising. At the same moment a thin, trembling 
 voice, which seemed to come out of the earth, ut- 
 tered these words, 
 
 " No violence, gentlemen, I will yield without
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 61 
 
 resistance," and, in a moment, Chaudoreille's little 
 head peeped from behind the pedestal and showed 
 itself to the gentlemen, who burst into a shout of 
 laughter, exclaiming, 
 
 " What a handsome face ! " 
 
 However, De Chavagnac, who had remained 
 near the niche of the statue, took Chaudoreille by 
 the mustache and forced him to emerge from his 
 hiding place. Then, having examined the person- 
 age whose piteous face rendered him still more 
 comic, he went laughingly to take his place at the 
 table, while the poor devil whom he had dislodged 
 threw himself on his knees before them and with- 
 out daring to raise his eyes murmured, clasping 
 his hands, 
 
 "Gentlemen if I have killed the Prince of 
 Cochin-China it was against my will and because 
 he had provoked me, but I swear to you that I 
 will not try it again ; I will not even carry Ro- 
 lande, if they exact it of me." 
 
 " What the devil is he saying ? " 
 
 " Do you understand any of it, marquis ? " 
 
 " My faith, no ! He is speaking about the 
 Prince of Cochin-China." 
 
 He's a fool ! " 
 
 " Hang it ! we must amuse ourselves with him." 
 
 " One moment ; it is necessary that I should 
 learn how this , clown penetrated here. Hello ! 
 Marcel, Marcel." 
 
 While Marcel was coming upstairs Chaudo-
 
 62 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 reille's terror became somewhat lessened. While 
 he had been immured in the pedestal a murmuring 
 sound only penetrated to his ears, and he believed 
 that the room was filled with armed men who 
 were looking for him. Now the words which he 
 caught, the name of the marquis which he heard 
 pronounced, taught him the truth. Reassured 
 that his life was in no danger, he began to glance 
 pleadingly at the persons who surrounded the 
 table, and meeting nothing but laughing faces he 
 entirely recovered his spirits. 
 
 Marcel entered and, at the sight of Chaudoreille, 
 remained stunned and confused before his master. 
 
 " Who is this man, Marcel ? " said the marquis. 
 " Is he a thief? is it he or you whom we ought to 
 hang ? Come, speak, clown, and tell us the truth, 
 or you shall be chastised in good fashion." 
 
 Marcel, trembling, did not know how to excuse 
 himself for having received someone despite the 
 commands of the marquis, and muttered, 
 
 " Monseigneur, I couldn't help it, I did not 
 wish to, I refused him at first." 
 
 " Monseigneur," exclaimed Chaudoreille, rising 
 and standing on his tiptoes, " if you will permit 
 me I will relate to your excellency how all this 
 happened, for I see that Marcel will find it diffi- 
 cult to come to an end." 
 
 " The trembler has recovered his speech," said 
 the big Montgeran, who could not take his eyes 
 from Chaudoreille.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 63 
 
 " Come, marquis, let him speak." 
 
 " Yes, yes, he will make us laugh," cried the 
 others. 
 
 " Very well, gentlemen, since you desire it. 
 Come, speak, you little cur; and you, Marcel, 
 remain there to give him the lie if he attempts to 
 deceive us." 
 
 Though the sobriquet, little cur, made Chaudo- 
 reille knit his brow, permission to speak before 
 noblemen of high rank caused him so much pleas- 
 ure that he immediately assumed a smiling ex- 
 pression, and commenced his speech, 
 
 " Messeigneurs, your excellencies behold in me 
 Loustic-Goliath de Chaudoreille, Knight of the 
 Round Table ; descended on the male side from 
 the famous Milo of Crotona, and on the female 
 side from the celebrated Delilah, who, sacrificing 
 herself for her country, had the courage to cut 
 from Samson, her lover, that which made his 
 strength." 
 
 Shouts of laughter here interrupted the orator. 
 "It's delightful ! he's charming ! He's worth his 
 weight in gold ! " 
 
 " Hang it ! " said Chaudoreille, " I was sure 
 that I only had to speak." 
 
 " In fact, descendant of Delilah," said the mar- 
 quis, " what is your business ? " 
 
 Chaudoreille appeared embarrassed for the mo- 
 ment, then he exclaimed volubly, 
 
 " Defender and protector of beauty and of
 
 64 THE BARBER OF' PARIS 
 
 gambling houses ; understanding how to bear arms 
 and to play at piquet; teaching music, and the way 
 to turn the king or ace at will ; succoring young 
 men of family and girls who have been seduced ; 
 bearer of love letters ; master of the sitar ; duel- 
 list and messenger, and all at a very moderate 
 price." 
 
 " But what a treasure we have in this man ! " 
 
 " Finally, who led you here ? " 
 
 " Your excellencies have heard me speak of my 
 duel this morning. I killed the Prince of Cochin- 
 China near the Porte Saint-Denis." 
 
 " The Prince of Cochin-China, and where the 
 devil did you find such a prince as that ? " 
 
 " By the side of the Fosses-Jaunes. I was walk- 
 ing quietly along, he came up and assaulted me, 
 and I fought him. Isn't that true, Marcel ? " 
 
 " Yes, it's very true that he told me all that, 
 monseigneur. He arrived here wild with fright, 
 and exhausted ; he told me that he was pursued, 
 and though I did not understand all his history of 
 the prince, I saw that he trembled, so I consented 
 to allow him to come in for a moment. We were 
 having supper when you came in, monseigneur, 
 and immediately he fled, seeing and hearing noth- 
 ing." 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur," said Chaudoreille, " I be- 
 lieved that the archers and the sergeants were com- 
 ing to arrest me, and I hid in the first place that 
 I could see."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 65 
 
 " Do you think, clown, that I believe the story 
 you told Marcel in order to get some supper ? " 
 
 " Monseigneur, I swear to you ! " 
 
 " Peace ! " 
 
 " There were witnesses to the duel." 
 
 " Silence, I tell you ! To come to this house 
 to seek Marcel, you must have known that he 
 lived here. Who taught you the way to this dwell- 
 ing ? Did you know that it belonged to me ? and 
 if you knew it belonged to me, who gave you the 
 audacity to present yourself here.'* 
 
 Chaudoreille, who perceived that the marquis 
 was no longer joking, answered with less assur- 
 ance, 
 
 " Monseigneur, I've already had the honor of 
 visiting here in your lordship's service." 
 
 " To serve me, rascal ? " 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur ; I served you indirectly in 
 a certain matter with a young Italian, an elope- 
 ment on the Pont de Latournelle. It was I whom 
 Touquet charged to keep watch." 
 
 " O marquis," said the three guests, smiling, 
 " this is clear enough. The chevalier of the Round 
 Table has ministered to your love." 
 
 " I've had that honor, monseigneurs," an- 
 swered Chaudoreille, bowing, and twisting his 
 mustaches. 
 
 " Hang it ! I don't remember it," cried the 
 marquis, looking hard at Chaudoreille. "What, 
 Touquet, so clever, so inventive, could he be 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 66 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 served by such a marionette. Come, that is not 
 possible." 
 
 " Monseigneur," said Chaudoreille, compress- 
 ing his lips, "if you knew the talents of the one 
 you call marionette, you would, perhaps, speak 
 differently. Touquet himself is only a beginner 
 beside me." 
 
 " Oh, as to that, clown, it is necessary that you 
 should justify your boasting or that you should 
 perish beneath the stick. For some days I have 
 been suffering from ennui ; I don't find anyone, at 
 the court or in the town, who deserves my homage. 
 My Italian, even, has commenced to tire me. I 
 wish I don't know I would give all the world 
 for the capacity of falling truly in love ; find me 
 a woman who is capable of inspiring me with this 
 feeling. I will give you twenty-four hours to 
 discover this treasure for me. A hundred pistoles 
 for you if you gratify my wishes, a hundred strokes 
 of the stick if you are not successful." 
 
 "That's it! That's it," shouted Villebelle's 
 guests, "if he is successful in what you have 
 given him to do, tell us and we will employ him 
 in turn." 
 
 " O capededious," said Chaudoreille to him- 
 self, "a hundred pistoles if I render him amor- 
 ous. Zounds ! my fortune will be made. But a 
 hundred blows of the stick if I am not successful. 
 How can I render a man amorous who is tired of 
 everything, and that in twenty-four hours. O my
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 67 
 
 genius inspire me ! Ah, if my portress resembled 
 this Psyche." 
 
 "Wait, drink that," said Montgeran, present- 
 ing Chaudoreille with a large glass full of madeira. 
 "That will help you, perhaps, to find what Ville- 
 belle wants." 
 
 Chaudoreille emptied the glass at a draught, 
 after humbly bowing to the company; then he 
 struck his forehead sharply, made a leap forward, 
 and exclaimed, 
 
 " I have found her ! " 
 
 " The wine has already operated," said De Cha- 
 vagnac. 
 
 " Come, speak," cried the marquis, "what have 
 you found ? " 
 
 " Monseigneur," said Chaudoreille, bowing with 
 respect, " deign to permit me to speak to you 
 without witnesses." 
 
 " The clown is right," said the marquis rising 
 from the table. "If he should speak before you 
 each one would'wish to assure himself of the truth 
 of his recital, and we should become rivals. Mar- 
 cel carry a light into the next room. Come, my 
 Chaudoreille, I will give you an audience. Have 
 patience, gentlemen, I shall not be long." 
 
 Saying these words, the marquis went into the 
 next room, and Chaudoreille followed him with an 
 air so important and mysterious that it greatly 
 amused the three persons who remained at the 
 table.
 
 68 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 When Chaudoreille found himself alone with 
 the marquis, he examined the doors to see if they 
 were shut, and stooped to look under the table, 
 but the marquis pulled him by the ear, saying, 
 
 " What signifies all this ceremony ? " 
 
 " Monseigneur, it is that I'm about to speak of 
 something mysterious, a secret, and I don't wish 
 that anybody should know it. I shall expose my- 
 self to great danger in speaking ; they will perhaps 
 want to take my life." 
 
 " You'll expose yourself to a great deal more by 
 not speaking," said the marquis impatiently, seiz- 
 ing the fire shovel. 
 
 " I'm about to do so, monseigneur. I wager 
 you've never seen Touquet's daughter." 
 
 " Touquet's daughter. Has he a daughter? " 
 
 " Not exactly, monseigneur ; she's only a child 
 that he adopted about ten years ago." 
 
 " Touquet adopted a child ? Hang it! that sur- 
 prises me." 
 
 " I was very sure, monseigneur, that you were 
 ignorant of the circumstance." 
 
 " There's something mysterious about it." 
 
 " Very extraordinary. No one would guard a 
 girl so closely unless he were keeping her for 
 himself." 
 
 "What is this girl like?" 
 
 " She's an angel, monseigneur, divinely beau- 
 tiful, an enchantress ; hardly sixteen years of age, 
 with the figure of a nymph, and Touquet spreads
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 69 
 
 it abroad that she is ugly and ill-made, that there 
 is nothing pleasing about her. He has even ordered 
 me to tell it all about. If I have seen young 
 Blanche it's only because the barber, wishing to 
 have her taught music, was obliged to introduce 
 me into her room, which she never leaves." 
 
 "This is all very singular," said the marquis, 
 "and you pique my curiosity." 
 
 " Good ! I shall have a hundred pistoles," said 
 Chaudoreille to himself, " that's much better than 
 the two golden crowns which the barber promised 
 me, to say nothing of the honor of acting as the 
 Marquis of Villebelle's business man." 
 
 "And you say it's not because he is in love 
 with her himself that he hides this young girl," 
 resumed the marquis, after a moment. 
 
 " No, monseigneur, for a few days from now he 
 is about to marry her." 
 
 " To marry her ? " 
 
 "Yes, monseigneur, to a young man whom 
 the beautiful Blanche did not know, I am sure ; 
 for no one ever went near her except your humble 
 servant. I bet that Touquet has sacrificed her, and 
 that the poor little thing hates her future hus- 
 band." 
 
 Here Chaudoreille said what he did not think, 
 but he imagined it more prudent to present the 
 matter in that aspect. 
 
 The marquis reflected for some moments, then 
 he said,
 
 7 o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Tell me quickly all that you know about the 
 adoption of that young girl." 
 
 "Yes, monseigneur. About ten years ago, Tou- 
 quet, who then had not a sou, took lodgers in 
 addition to his business as a barber and bath- 
 keeper. One evening a gentleman went to his 
 house, with a little girl five or six years old, and 
 requested a bed. Touquet received him. The 
 traveller went out the same evening, leaving his 
 little girl with Touquet, and that night he was 
 murdered in the Rue Saint-Honore near the Bar- 
 riere des Sergents." 
 
 " Were the murderers discovered," said the 
 marquis, looking attentively at Chaudoreille. 
 
 "Oh, no, monseigneur," responded the latter, 
 smiling almost imperceptibly, "but sometime 
 afterwards Touquet was possessed of enough to 
 buy the house which he had rented." 
 
 The marquis made a sudden movement, like 
 that of a man who is about to step on a snake. 
 A long silence succeeded, during which Chaudo- 
 reille kept his eyes bent on the ground, not daring 
 to seek to read those of the marquis. 
 
 " And it is the daughter of that man whom he 
 adopted," said Villebelle, breaking the silence. 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur, it is she." 
 
 "What was her father's name ? " 
 
 " Moranval, at least, so I believe. Nothing was 
 found upon him but an insignificant letter, which 
 gave no information in regard to his family."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 71 
 
 " And his daughter is beautiful ? " 
 
 " As far as I am competent to judge, monsei- 
 gneur, and if you should see her " 
 
 "Yes, I shall see her." 
 
 " Monseigneur, I have the honor to inform you 
 that Touquet has expressly forbidden me to speak 
 of young Blanche and of her coming marriage. In 
 order to be agreeable to your lordship I have sac- 
 rificed myself; but the barber is wicked, very 
 wicked. I beg of you, monseigneur, not to tell 
 him that you learned all this from me." 
 
 " Be easy about that." 
 
 "In any case I beg to be allowed to claim the 
 protection of monseigneur in regard to my duel 
 with the Prince of Cochin-China, which is not a 
 falsehood as monseigneur appears to believe." 
 
 The marquis was reflecting deeply ; finally he 
 rose, saying to Chaudoreille, 
 
 " Follow me, and not a word of all this. In 
 twenty -four hours you will return here, and if you 
 have not deceived me you will receive the recom- 
 pense which I have promised you." 
 
 Chaudoreille bowed nearly to the ground and 
 followed the marquis. They returned to the ban- 
 quet hall, where his guests awaited with impatience 
 Villebelle's return. 
 
 "Well," said De Chavagnac, as he entered," was 
 it worth the trouble of leaving the table ? " 
 
 "I think so," answered the marquis; "but as 
 to that I shall be better able to tell you after
 
 72 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 tomorrow. Chaudoreille, go down with Marcel 
 and make him give you some supper before you 
 leave." The latter did not wait for this order to 
 be repeated. He went down to look for Marcel 
 and, already assuming a patronizing air, made the 
 valet serve him with all that he thought best, while 
 saying to his old friend, 
 
 " I am in great favor with your master, treat me 
 well and I can say two words for you. Above all 
 never refuse to play a game of piquet with me, or 
 I'll cause you to lose favor with monseigneur." 
 
 Poor Marcel, who understood nothing of all 
 this, allowed his intimate friend to beat him at six 
 games. Finally, day appeared, and Chaudoreille 
 left the house saying, 
 
 " I shall come back this evening at ten o'clock. 
 The marquis has made an appointment with me." 
 Then he ventured into the Faubourg, stopping 
 whenever he saw from afar two men together, and 
 with a mysterious air inquiring of some shop- 
 keepers if they had heard anyone speak of the 
 death of Cochin-China. As nobody understood 
 what he said, he finally persuaded himself that 
 his prince was dead, but that nobody knew who 
 he was, and more tranquil as to the result of the 
 affair he at length ventured to reenter Paris. 
 
 After the secret interview of the marquis and 
 Chaudoreille, the four profligates returned to their 
 play ; but the party was no longer gay. Villebelle 
 was preoccupied and took little part in the con-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 73 
 
 versation; the vicomte was sleepy; fat Mont- 
 geran no longer sang, and Chavagnac was tired of 
 losing. At six o'clock in the morning these 
 gentlemen separated, each one returning to his 
 dwelling in the city and the marquis reentered 
 his hotel, reflecting on all that Chaudoreille had 
 told him.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 HAVING MONEY AND POWER ONE MAY DARE 
 EVERYTHING 
 
 "ONLY two days more and I shall be your 
 husband, my Blanche," said Urbain, pressing the 
 young girl's hands in a tender transport. 
 
 " Oh, my dearest, how very happy we shall be, 
 when we no longer have to part, even for a few 
 hours," answered Blanche, smiling at her lover, 
 " how much I shall like living in the country ! 
 I shall breathe more freely there in the pure 
 air, I am sure, than in this close room. We shall 
 play and run on the grass, shall we not, dear ? " 
 
 " Yes, and we will work in our own garden." 
 
 " How delightful ! We shall have flowers then, 
 and I am so passionately fond of them." 
 
 " We shall have some cows also, I hope," said 
 Marguerite. 
 
 " Oh, yes, dear nurse, and some pigeons, and 
 rabbits and fowls it will all be so delightful. It 
 seems to me that when I was a very little child 
 I lived in the country, in a house where they had 
 all those things." 
 
 " Poor Blanche ! and is that all you remember 
 of your infancy ? " 
 
 74
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 75 
 
 " I still remember a lady who was always with 
 me, who often kissed me ; no doubt she was my 
 mother." 
 
 " Poor woman ! " said Marguerite ; " perhaps 
 she is still living; and to think that no one 
 knows. But away with sad thoughts ! " 
 
 "Then you'll not. regret Paris, my dear 
 Blanche," said Urbain. 
 
 " Would you wish me to regret it, dear, when 
 you are with me ? " 
 
 " Those dear children ! " said the old servant 
 rising from her chair; "it is Providence which 
 has brought them together, for they are made 
 for one another. But it's nine o'clock, Monsieur 
 Urbain, you must go." 
 
 " Nine o'clock already ! The time is approach- 
 ing when we need part no more, but the days 
 seem very long now, because I spend them away 
 from you." 
 
 " It's the same with me, dear ; it seems to me 
 that evening will never come." 
 
 " I haven't seen M. Touquet for some days." 
 
 "And you'll not see him this evening," said 
 Marguerite ; " he received a letter after dinner. 
 It was no doubt some pressing matter of business, 
 for he left immediately and has not yet returned." 
 
 " Good-by, then, dear Blanche." 
 
 " Good-by, my dear." 
 
 "Two days more. It seems a long time to 
 wait"
 
 76 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "You have managed to live through a fort- 
 night," said Marguerite. 
 
 " Yes, I don't know why, but these last few 
 days seem to me as if they would be eternal." 
 
 Urbain could not tear himself away from 
 Blanche ; his heart was oppressed ; the eyes of 
 both the young lovers were filled with tears ; the 
 young girl extended her hand to her friend and 
 he pressed it to his heart. 
 
 " I don't know what's the matter with me," 
 said Blanche, " but your going makes me sadder 
 than usual." 
 
 " What childishness ! " said Marguerite ; " no 
 one would suppose that you were going to meet 
 within two days. Isn't M. Urbain coming to- 
 morrow evening ? Come, come, it's time to go to 
 bed." 
 
 The lovers again said good-by, sighing deeply, 
 and Urbain finally followed Marguerite, who 
 shut the street door on him and then went up- 
 stairs to Blanche and scolded her for her sadness. 
 But she could not restore her gayety, for the 
 dictates of reason may persuade the mind, but 
 cannot allay the fears of the heart. 
 
 Not more than a quarter of an hour after Ur- 
 bain's departure some one rapped loudly at the 
 street door. 
 
 " That's Urbain, no doubt," said Blanche; "he 
 saw that I was sad and has come back to console 
 me."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 77 
 
 " That's very improbable," said Marguerite ; 
 " it's more likely M. Touquet who has returned. 
 However, I am astonished that he should knock, 
 for I thought he had taken his master key." 
 
 " Go and see who it is, dear nurse." 
 
 " Yes, yes, mademoiselle ; but if it should not 
 be monsieur? It is late we are alone in the 
 house, and I don't know if I ought to open to 
 any one." 
 
 " Do you want me to look out of the window, 
 dear nurse, I shall very soon see if it's Urbain." 
 
 " Yes, do so ; that seems to me more* prudent." 
 
 Blanche had already opened the window, and 
 she looked down into the street ; the night was 
 dark, but love renders the sight clear, and the 
 young girl soon saw that it was not Urbain. 
 
 " Who is there," demanded Marguerite, thrust- 
 ing out her head. 
 
 A deep voice answered, " I come from Master 
 Touquet, he has charged me with a commission 
 to his adopted daughter, Mademoiselle Blanche." 
 
 " How very singular," said Marguerite to 
 Blanche. " What ! monsieur, who has hidden 
 you from everybody's sight, sends a stranger to 
 us at this hour ? " 
 
 " But, dear nurse, since he has sent him, it is 
 necessary to open to this gentleman. Perhaps 
 something has happened to my protector." 
 
 " Is the man alone, my child ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear nurse, I see nobody but him."
 
 78 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "Why don't you open the door," cried the 
 man in the street, " my message is urgent." 
 
 " Wait one moment, somebody will be there. 
 Remain here, my child." 
 
 Marguerite went down, holding her lamp in 
 her hand. She was not reassured, but opened the 
 door, and a man wrapped in a large cloak, his 
 head covered with a plumed hat, appeared before 
 her. 
 
 "You've been very slow, my good woman," 
 said he, smiling, "however, I'll indemnify you 
 for the trouble I have caused you." 
 
 While saying these words, he slipped several 
 pieces of gold into Marguerite's hand. The old 
 woman did not know if she ought to accept them, 
 but said to herself, " His manners are not those 
 of a robber." 
 
 The stranger quickly entered the alleyway and 
 the old woman as she looked at him said to her- 
 self, " This is not the first time that I have seen 
 that figure, and I remember his voice. Yes, I be- 
 lieve that that's the friend my master was waiting 
 for so late some time ago." 
 
 Marguerite was not deceived, it was in fact the 
 marquis who had introduced himself into the 
 house, having first sent the barber a letter in 
 which he gave him a rendezvous outside, and or- 
 dered him to wait there until ten o'clock in the 
 evening. 
 
 " Monsieur has been here before, I believe,"
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 79 
 
 said Marguerite, reassured on recognizing one 
 whom she believed to be her master's friend. 
 
 " Yes, yes, my good mother, I have often been 
 here ; but hasten to lead me to your young 
 mistress. It is absolutely necessary that I should 
 see her." 
 
 " Is my master ill ? has he been involved in 
 some quarrel ? Many accidents happen in this 
 city." 
 
 " Don't be uneasy, there's nothing of that kind." 
 
 The marquis followed Marguerite, who led 
 him to Blanche's chamber, and opened the door, 
 saying, 
 
 " Mademoiselle, here is a gentleman who brings 
 you a message from M. Touquet." 
 
 Blanche took some steps forward to meet the 
 stranger; the marquis had entered abruptly, but 
 on perceiving the young girl he paused, and for 
 some moments remained motionless, occupied in 
 contemplating her. There was something in the 
 aspect of the marquis which compelled respect, 
 and while at that moment there was nothing se- 
 vere in his expression, the astonishment and admi- 
 ration depicted on his features lent additional 
 animation to his naturally proud and noble look. 
 Blanche involuntarily lowered her eyes, for she 
 could not meet the fixed gaze with which the 
 marquis seemed to examine her person, and Mar- 
 guerite dared not utter a word, because the 
 stranger intimidated her also.
 
 8o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " This is truly beyond all that I could have 
 imagined," said the marquis, as if he were speak- 
 ing to himself. 
 
 " Monsieur," said Blanche, with embarrass- 
 ment, " my nurse informs me that you have some- 
 thing to say to me, some message from my 
 benefactor ; has anything happened to him, mon- 
 sieur?" 
 
 " No, lovely Blanche, no ; your benefactor, since 
 you deign to so call him, has run into no danger, 
 but I would brave a thousand if by that means 
 I could make you take the same interest in me." 
 
 Blanche glanced timidly at the marquis as if 
 she were waiting for him to explain himself bet- 
 ter ; the latter, in hastening to lead her to a chair, 
 dropped a corner of his mantle, allowing his rich 
 attire to be seen, and Marguerite said under her 
 breath to the young girl, 
 
 " Mon Dieu, my child, look at those precious 
 stones, that lace, this is at least a great nobleman." 
 
 " Oh, yes," answered Blanche, in the same tone, 
 " it is superb, but I like Urbain's costume much 
 better." 
 
 Villebelle, who had not taken his eyes from 
 Blanche, remained silent. 
 
 " Why did you come here then," said she, see- 
 ing that he was contented with looking at her. 
 
 " Yes," said Marguerite, who sought to resume 
 her ordinary assurance, " for you must have come 
 for something."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 81 
 
 " And I have found more than I had believed 
 possible," said the marquis, smiling. Then, with- 
 out appearing to notice the embarrassment which 
 his presence caused, he approached Blanche, took 
 her hand, and cried, 
 
 "You in this retreat! you hidden from all 
 eyes ! when you should be the ornament of the 
 world and receive the homage of the whole 
 universe." 
 
 " Forgive me, monsieur," said Blanche, " but 
 I don't understand you." 
 
 " I don't understand you either," murmured 
 Marguerite, fixing her small eyes on the marquis. 
 
 " Better still, adorable girl," responded the 
 marquis to Blanche, without paying the least at- 
 tention to Marguerite. " They did not deceive 
 me, this is innocence itself, the most perfect in- 
 genuousness united to the most seductive grace 
 and beauty." 
 
 " But, monsieur, was that what M. Touquet 
 told you to say to me ? " 
 
 "No, lovely child, not at all," said the marquis 
 laughing, and still retaining Blanche's hand, which 
 she vainly tried to disengage. 
 
 " It's necessary however that you should ex- 
 plain yourself," said Marguerite in a dry tone, 
 "you have been here for a quarter of an hour 
 and you have not yet said why you came. It is 
 very late and we are accustomed to go to bed 
 early." 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 82 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Oh, well, old woman, go to your bed ; I wiJ 
 remain with this lovely child until the return of 
 Master Touquet." 
 
 " Do you think I will leave you alone with my 
 dear Blanche," cried Marguerite, rendered still 
 more suspicious by the word old, " no, monsieur, 
 no, I take better care of her than that. Your laces, 
 your jewelry, and your fine appearance do not 
 inspire me with much confidence. Wait! take 
 back your pieces of gold, I don't wish them, for I 
 begin to believe that your intentions are not good, 
 and Marguerite will never second the plans of a 
 seducer, whether duke or prince, even should he 
 offer her the mines of Peru." 
 
 The marquis replied only by shrugging his 
 shoulders without turning towards Marguerite, 
 then he seated himself near Blanche and took off 
 his hat and mantle, establishing himself in the 
 room like one who is not disposed to go. 
 
 Blanche was trembling, confused ; she looked 
 at Marguerite as if to implore her not to abandon 
 her, and the old woman, whom the conduct of the 
 stranger had filled with new dread, forced herself 
 to appear calm, saying in a voice whose faltering 
 accents betrayed her fright, 
 
 " Be easy, my child, I am here, I will not leave 
 you, and while monsieur does not appear to listen 
 to me it is, above all, necessary that he should 
 tell us what he came here to do." 
 
 " I have told you, my good woman, I am wait-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 83 
 
 ing for Touquet. I must speak to him this even- 
 ing ; that is very important." 
 
 " And just now you said that it was he who had 
 sent you ; you were deceiving us, then ? " 
 
 " Perhaps," said the marquis, laughing. 
 
 " Very well, monsieur, if you are really waiting 
 for my master, come into the lower room. I will 
 give you a light, and you will find a fire there." 
 
 " No, indeed, my good woman, I like this much 
 better than your lower room ; the society of this 
 charming child will make the time seem very short, 
 and surely, adorable Blanche, you will not be cruel 
 enough to refuse to keep me company." 
 
 " No, monsieur, if you desire it, if it will amuse 
 you, I must wish it also." 
 
 " Yes," said Marguerite, " it seems that it is 
 necessary that we should do monsieur's will, but 
 patience soon I hope " 
 
 At this moment somebody violently shut the 
 street door. Blanche started joyfully, and Mar- 
 guerite cried, with a triumphant air, 
 
 " Ah ! here is my master ! We shall now see 
 whether anyone can establish himself here in spite 
 of us." 
 
 The marquis rose without answering, took his 
 mantle, put his hat on his head, kissed Blanche's 
 hand, saying to her, 
 
 " Au revoir, charming girl," then left the room 
 saying to Marguerite, 
 
 " Light me ! "
 
 84 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 All this had happened so quickly that Blanche, 
 who was greatly astonished, had not time to op- 
 pose the action of the marquis, and the old ser- 
 vant followed the great nobleman, saying, 
 
 " O mon Dieu, what a man ! " 
 
 The barber had entered and was taking off his 
 mantle, when the marquis, followed by Marguerite, 
 appeared in the lower room. At the sight of Ville- 
 belle, Touquet started with surprise, saying, 
 
 " What, you here, monseigneur ! " 
 
 He paused and Marguerite cried, 
 
 " Yes, my dear master, monseigneur has been 
 here for three-quarters of an hour. He presented 
 himself as coming from you, and he installed him- 
 self in Mademoiselle Blanche's room." 
 
 "In Blanche's room," said the barber, appear- 
 ing violently agitated. 
 
 " Yes, monsieur, in mademoiselle's room " 
 
 " That's enough, my good woman, leave us," 
 said the marquis, in an imperious tone. 
 
 " Leave you," answered Marguerite, " oh, it is 
 necessary before all " 
 
 " It is necessary to obey," said the barber, in a 
 gloomy voice. " Go ! " 
 
 Marguerite was dumbfounded, but she dared 
 not reply and left them, saying, * 
 
 " Well, I don't understand all this, this man 
 does as he pleases here, it troubles me." 
 
 " Well, dear nurse," said Blanche to the old 
 woman, " and what about the stranger ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 85 
 
 " Oh, I don't know who that man can be, but 
 M. Touquet is as submissive as a child before him. 
 I left them together. This fine gentleman said to 
 me, f Go ! ' and it was necessary to obey him." 
 
 " That's very surprising, dear nurse." 
 
 " How did you like that man ? " 
 
 " Oh, he is not so bad, dear nurse, and if I had 
 not been a little afraid of him, I believe I should 
 have thought him very agreeable." 
 
 " Ah, mon Dieu, I was very much frightened ; 
 he has something satanic in his looks." 
 
 " Oh, dear nurse, you're mistaken, he has a very 
 fine face, features which inspire respect, and which 
 are bland at the same time." 
 
 " Fie ! for shame ! my child, to admire such an 
 impertinent man. Oh, if your Urbain could hear 
 you." 
 
 " But, dear nurse, I should say the same thing 
 before Urbain. Is it not necessary to tell him all 
 that I think ? That could not displease him, for 
 he knows how much I love him." 
 
 " Come, my child, it's late, go to bed. I am 
 going, too, good-night." 
 
 Marguerite went up to her room, saying to her- 
 self, 
 
 " Young girls will always be young girls. The 
 most virtuous of them will allow themselves to be 
 favorably impressed by fine compliments, a hand- 
 some face, and rich clothing. These are terrible 
 talismans with the women."
 
 86 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 When Marguerite had left the lower room, the 
 barber shut the door. His manner disclosed a 
 violent agitation; however, he awaited the marquis* 
 explanation, and the latter narrowly watched and 
 appeared to enjoy his uneasiness. 
 
 ' May I know, monseigneur," said Touquet at 
 last, " how it is that you are at my house when 
 you appointed another meeting place ? " 
 
 " What, Touquet, don't you understand it ? I 
 made a distant appointment with you in order that 
 I might represent myself as sent by you to this 
 young girl, whom you have hidden from me and 
 whom I ardently desired to see. This is one of 
 the little tricks which you yourself formerly taught 
 me, and which are nearly always successful." 
 
 The barber bit his lips, but did not answer. 
 
 " Well, to be sure," resumed the marquis, " that 
 you should possess such a treasure, an angel of 
 beauty and grace, and hide her from me, your old 
 master ! From me, when you know my partiality 
 for the sex which has led me to commit so many 
 follies." 
 
 " It was precisely because of that partiality, mon- 
 sieur le marquis, that I hoped to shield Blanche 
 from your notice ; I am interested in that young 
 girl, to whom I stand in the place of her parents. 
 I know the impetuosity of your passions, and I 
 don't think the honor of being your mistress for 
 a fortnight will assure the child's happiness." 
 
 " And how long, clown, have you made similar
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 87 
 
 reflections," said the marquis, looking witheringly 
 at the barber. " After lending aid in all my in- 
 trigues, after leading me to commit actions which, 
 but for you, I should never have thought of, 
 should you allow yourself to control my morals 
 and enact the knight errant of the beauties I deign 
 to distinguish." 
 
 " Monseigneur ! " 
 
 " Remember that though your hypocrisy and 
 lies may serve you sometimes, they can never de- 
 ceive me. It is not from me only that you hide 
 this young girl, for you hold her a prisoner in her 
 chamber and do not permit her to go out. It is 
 not because you are in love with Blanche, since 
 you are about to give her in marriage ; besides, 
 love is a feeling unknown to you ; your heart 
 knows nothing but a thirst for gold. There is in 
 all this some mystery which I must discover." 
 
 Touquet became pale and trembling, and mur- 
 mured, lowering his eyes, 
 
 " I swear to you, monsieur le marquis " 
 
 " Make an end of this," said Villebelle, inter- 
 rupting him. " Listen to me. I love, what do I 
 say, I adore this young girl whom I have seen 
 only for a moment ; for a very long time I have 
 not experienced sensations similar to those I felt 
 in her presence. This is not a passing caprice ; 
 these are not desires to which the heart is a 
 stranger. No, on seeing Blanche I felt moved, 
 uneasy, softened. I cannot define all that passed
 
 88 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 within me. It seemed to me that I recognized 
 that lovely child that my love for her had existed 
 for a long time. After that you must divine that 
 it is impossible henceforth to live without her. 
 Blanche must be mine ; I am capable of every 
 sacrifice in order to arrive at that end." 
 
 "Ah, monsieur, that is what I feared," said 
 Touquet, who appeared to be really grieved at 
 what he heard. " You wish to make Blanche your 
 mistress ! " 
 
 " I wish to make her happiness ; I feel that my 
 love for her will be lifelong." 
 
 " That is impossible, monseigneur. Blanche is 
 about to be married to a young man whom she 
 loves. You must see that your love cannot render 
 her happy." 
 
 For some moments the marquis walked up and 
 down the room, then he cried passionately, 
 
 "I repeat to you, Blanche must be mine it 
 must be so. I will leave no means unemployed 
 to attain this end. She cannot yet love her des- 
 tined husband ; she has only known him for a 
 few days." 
 
 " Monseigneur, who has informed you as to all 
 this ? " 
 
 " What does that matter to you ? That love is 
 but a passing sentiment and I shall know how 
 to make her forget it by overwhelming her with 
 presents, with jewels, and by seeking to invent 
 new pleasures to make each day delightful to her."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 89 
 
 " Monseigneur, Blanche is accustomed to retire- 
 ment ; she is not a coquette ; your ornaments, 
 your gifts will have no effect upon her." 
 
 " Enough of this," said the marquis, " your 
 objections weary me ; I have now some orders to 
 give you. I wish you to give me Blanche, on 
 whom I swear to settle an independent fortune. 
 Such a treasure I feel is worthy of a great price. 
 Wait, here are six thousand crowns in notes and 
 gold. You shall have as much more when you 
 have fulfilled my commands." 
 
 The barber eyed with avaricious looks the 
 money which the marquis had spread upon the 
 table ; then he turned his eyes away, saying in a 
 gloomy voice, 
 
 " Gold ! yes, it is always that which draws me 
 on; but this time no, I cannot. Remember, 
 monseigneur, that within two days Blanche should 
 be united to her lover." 
 
 "Then at once, tonight even, it is necessary 
 that she be given into my hands." 
 
 The barber appeared to be weighing the propo- 
 sition in his mind ; from time to time he looked 
 at the money on the table, and, finally, speaking 
 with a great effort, he said, 
 
 " It cannot be, monseigneur, I am extremely 
 grieved to have to disappoint you, but matters are 
 too far advanced." 
 
 The marquis drew near Touquet, and grasping 
 him tightly by the arm, said in a low tone,
 
 90 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " It will, then, be necessary that I beg my uncle, 
 the grand provost, to cause a new inquiry to be 
 held in regard to the murder of Blanche's father. 
 Do you think, scoundrel, that I do not partly 
 divine the cause which has induced you to keep 
 this young girl so carefully hidden from every- 
 body's sight? Her beauty would be remarked, 
 and could not fail to draw a throng of admirers 
 who would have much to say of Blanche, and in 
 seeking to learn who she is and what family she 
 belongs to they would obtain new facts about that 
 unfortunate traveller who was murdered on the 
 evening of his arrival in Paris. They would make 
 reflections on the fortune which came to you, no- 
 body knows how, some time after that event." 
 
 " Monseigneur," said the barber, whose face 
 had become livid, while a convulsive trembling 
 seized his limbs ; " monseigneur, what do you 
 say ? Could you believe it of me ? " 
 
 " I believe nothing yet, but tomorrow I shall 
 urge the magistrates to make an effort to pierce 
 this mystery." 
 
 " Monseigneur, you shall have Blanche," said 
 Touquet dropping into a chair as though he were 
 perfectly helpless. 
 
 The marquis smiled triumphantly and seemed 
 to forget all but his love. Touquet who had been 
 thrown into a state of the deepest depression and 
 consternation, remained for some minutes without 
 daring to raise his eyes, and unable to resume his
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 91 
 
 ordinary expression. Finally, he rose and mur- 
 mured, in a broken voice, 
 
 " Believe me, monsieur le marquis, that it is not 
 the suspicions you have conceived which determine 
 me to obey you my devotion alone " 
 
 " Enough," said the marquis interrupting him ; 
 " not another word about that. I am quite willing 
 to believe that appearances are deceitful. We will 
 occupy ourselves only with my love. I don't wish 
 to lose a single instant in obtaining possession of 
 Blanche, and, since you tell me that in two days 
 she was to have been married, it is necessary that 
 she should leave this house tonight." 
 
 " I agree with you," said Touquet, " since she 
 is to go the sooner the better. But how can it be 
 done tonight ? " 
 
 " I don't recognize you, Touquet ; you see 
 nothing but obstacles, as for me, I don't know of 
 any. It is not yet midnight, we have some time 
 remaining. I'll go to my hotel and send Germain, 
 my valet de chambre, to get a carriage and to go 
 only as far as my little house." 
 
 " Monseigneur, you must not take Blanche 
 there ; she would not be safe ; the place is too 
 near Paris. Urbain Dorgeville, the person she 
 was to marry, will make every effort to discover 
 her. The young man adores her; he is enter- 
 prising; you have everything to fear from his 
 despair." 
 
 " I fear nobody, and you know it. However, I
 
 92 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 think your advice is wise. Blanche is so pretty ; 
 I already feel jealous of a glance given by her to 
 another, and a good many giddy fellows know my 
 little house. But wait, wait, I have just what will 
 suit me ; amongst all the property that came to 
 me from my mother is a chateau situated in the 
 neighborhood of Grandvilliers, about twenty-two 
 leagues from here, and far enough from the town 
 and the highway to avoid the notice of travellers." 
 " Very well, monsieur, that will suit perfectly." 
 " I have only once visited this chateau, which 
 is called Sarcus, but although I only made a short 
 stay there, I was greatly struck by the elegance of 
 the beautiful estate. The chateau, built in 1522, 
 was given to Mademoiselle de Sarcus by Francis 
 the First, and in the neighborhood is noted for the 
 marvellous beauty of its architecture, and especially 
 of its fa9ade, in which the artist excelled all his pre- 
 vious works. That is the place to which I shall 
 take, or rather, to which I shall have Blanche taken. 
 Twenty-eight leagues two trusty men she 
 will be at the chateau in ten hours or so. As for 
 myself, after tomorrow I shall arrange my affairs, 
 and pretending at court that I am obliged to go 
 to England, I shall repair secretly to Sarcus to 
 her whom I never more wish to leave. You see, 
 Touquet, my plan is perfect and no one will sus- 
 pect that I have abducted the young orphan." 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur, no one among your bril- 
 liant acquaintances; but how shall we induce
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 93 
 
 Blanche to go with you quietly and prevent a 
 noise and cries which will attract the attention of 
 the neighbors ? " 
 
 "Oh, hang it! it will be necessary to mislead her 
 at first that's your look out. Is your invention 
 so sterile that you can think of nothing to deceive 
 a mere child. You can make her believe that she 
 is going to rejoin her future husband." 
 
 "Wait, monseigneur, I've thought of a way, 
 but Blanche mustn't see you. She would suspect 
 something, and my stratagem would fail." 
 
 " I repeat to you she will start alone a pos- 
 tilion and two well-armed men behind the carriage 
 will answer to me for her safety." 
 
 " That is all that is necessary." 
 
 " It is midnight. I'll go and settle everything. 
 My valet de chambre shall start before at full 
 speed, that he may give my orders at the chateau 
 and that he may be there to receive our beautiful 
 girl ; at two o'clock in the morning I shall be at 
 your door with a coach ; you understand me, at 
 two o'clock." 
 
 "Yes, monsieur le marquis," said the barber, 
 " I will not forget the hour." 
 
 " Manage so as to have Blanche ready to get 
 into the carriage. I leave it to you. Do not try 
 to evade your promise or my vengeance will be 
 terrible." 
 
 "You may rely on me, monseigneur." 
 
 The marquis wrapped himself in his mantle and
 
 94 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 hastily left the barber's shop. Touquet remained 
 alone for some time, thoughtful and depressed ; at 
 length he rose abruptly. 
 
 " What does it matter after all," said he, 
 "whether Blanche be with Urbain or the mar- 
 quis ? Shall I be foolish enough to sympathize 
 with the love of two children? In keeping this 
 young girl with me I hoped to avoid all suspicion. 
 But at last I shall be relieved of the burden that 
 oppresses me. Come let's put up this gold ; the 
 marquis has promised me as much more and I 
 would have refused him. No. My destiny must 
 be accomplished ; this metal has always served as 
 its compass. I was only sixteen years old when 
 it caused me to commit actions which drew down 
 upon me my father's curse; arrived in Paris, 
 which I had yearned to know, I soon found my- 
 self robbed of everything I possessed by people 
 who were more adroit than myself; I had been 
 deceived and I wished to make others suffer as I 
 had suffered. I gave scope to my talents. Up to 
 that time I had done no great wrong but this 
 cursed thirst for gold. Ten years have passed 
 and have not effaced from my memory that 
 horrible night when since then I have not 
 tasted a moment's peace. I will return to my 
 birthplace and if my father is still alive I will try 
 to obtain his pardon ; perhaps then I may regain 
 quiet of mind. But if he knew how I enriched 
 myself."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 95 
 
 The barber again gave himself to his reflections, 
 Soon Saint-Eustache's clock struck one. Touquet 
 slowly took the money from the table, and, after 
 locking it in his room upstairs, he went to Blanche's 
 chamber and knocked at the door. 
 
 The poor little girl was not asleep; she had been 
 too greatly excited by the events of the evening. 
 She still seemed to see the stranger seated near 
 her, holding her hand and looking at her with an 
 expression that she could not define. She felt op- 
 pressed ; it seemed to her that she should never 
 see Urbain more. The marquis' figure appeared 
 constantly between herself and Urbain, and the 
 sadness the latter had felt on leaving her height- 
 ened her own premonitions. Yielding to this in- 
 definite anxiety, often harder to bear than a real 
 sorrow, Blanche could not rest, and the sound of 
 a knock at her door in the middle of the night 
 awoke in her fresh terror. 
 
 " Who is there ? " she cried, in a faltering voice. 
 
 " It is I, Blanche," answered the barber ; "open 
 the door. I have something of importance to tell 
 you." 
 
 The young girl, who had recognized Touquet's 
 voice, rose, hastily put on a dressing gown, and 
 opened the door. The barber held the lamp in 
 his hand and avoided looking at the young girl, 
 who, on the contrary, wished to question him and 
 said, 
 
 " Mercy, my good friend, what has happened?"
 
 96 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 These words, " my good friend," uttered in 
 Blanche's sweet voice, always agitated Touquet ; 
 he forced himself to hide his feelings. 
 
 " Calm yourself, Blanche," he said, " and listen 
 to me; Urbain has had a quarrel tonight a 
 duel." 
 
 " O heavens ! He is wounded ! " 
 
 " No, no, nothing has happened to him, but it 
 was necessary to his safety that he should leave 
 Paris immediately ; had he not done so they would 
 have arrested him ; he therefore left for the coun- 
 try." 
 
 "He left without me ? " 
 
 " Let me finish ; you should have been mar- 
 ried here, in place of which you will be married 
 at his house ; but to quiet Urbain's anxiety I had 
 to promise that tonight you should rejoin him." 
 
 " Oh, at once, my friend, as soon as you please ; 
 but why did he not take me with him ? " 
 
 " That was impossible ; Urbain had not an in- 
 stant to lose ; by a lucky chance, one of my 
 friends is sending his valet into the country to 
 find a wife. The carriage will come to take you 
 in an hour. Get ready, therefore. He will charge 
 you nothing and you will find everything down 
 there that you need do you understand me ? " 
 
 " Oh, I shall be ready in a moment, and what 
 about Marguerite ? " 
 
 " She can follow you later ; I need her to make 
 divers arrangements. In a few days I shall come
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 97 
 
 to see you. I'll leave you now; make your prep- 
 arations. I shall come for you when the carriage 
 arrives." 
 
 The barber departed, and Blanche, who had not 
 the slightest suspicion that anyone would deceive 
 her, continued her toilet. 
 
 " Poor Urbain," she said to herself, " I was sure 
 that something would happen to him ; and he, 
 also, had a presentiment. How fortunate that he 
 was able to escape ; but I shall rejoin him and I 
 shall nevermore leave him." 
 
 During this time Touquet had returned to his 
 room, saying to himself, 
 
 " Everything is going well the little one will 
 start without making the least difficulty. But if 
 Marguerite is not asleep ; if she should have heard 
 some words of my conversation with the marquis 
 and if she wishes to follow Blanche. It is impor- 
 tant that the old woman should know nothing 
 it is easy to assure myself she is sleeping, since 
 she now sleeps in the room occupied by Blanche's 
 father. Come, I mustn't be weak. I'll go up." 
 
 The barber took his light, and directed his steps 
 towards a closet which was at the end of his room. 
 When he reached it he still hesitated ; then, mak- 
 ing an effort to command himself, he touched a 
 button hidden by the hangings, and a small door 
 opened and discovered a small and very narrow 
 staircase which led to the floor above. Touquet 
 turned his eyes, murmuring, 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 98 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Since that fatal night I have not been in this 
 passage." 
 
 He mounted the stairs, his wild eyes seeming 
 to fear that they would meet some frightful ob- 
 ject, the hand in which he held the lamp trem- 
 bling, while with the other he held to the wall to 
 steady his tottering steps. 
 
 At the top of the staircase was a door closed 
 by two bolts, which he withdrew with as little 
 noise as possible, and entered the little dark closet 
 at the back of Marguerite's alcove, which the old 
 nurse and Blanche had entered without perceiv- 
 ing the door on the staircase, because it was ar- 
 tistically hidden in the woodwork. The barber 
 placed his lamp on the floor, and put his ear to 
 the door which led into the alcove ; he soon heard 
 a prolonged snore, which announced that Marguer- 
 ite was sleeping soundly; however, he softly 
 opened the door so as to thoroughly assure him- 
 self of the fact ; then he reentered the little room 
 and left by the secret door, drew the bolts and 
 went down, saying, 
 
 " There is nothing to fear from her." 
 
 Suddenly the barber made a false step, he low- 
 ered his lamp and perceived some reddish stains 
 on the staircase. Although it was difficult to dis- 
 tinguish what had produced these stains, Touquet 
 recoiled with horror, his hair stood up on his head, 
 his feet refused to carry him over the steps on 
 which were imprinted the marks which caused his
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 99 
 
 fear ; in his agitation he allowed the lamp to fall 
 from his hands ; it rolled and was extinguished. 
 The barber was left in the most profound dark- 
 ness in the secret passage. Showing every sign 
 of the most ungovernable terror, he ran as fast as 
 possible down the stairs, bumping his head against 
 the wall, falling and crawling on the stairs. 
 
 " Mercy ! mercy ! " he cried, in a suffocating 
 voice, " do not pursue me. Is it because I am giv- 
 ing up your daughter that you come anew to tor- 
 ment me ? Well, I won't give her to the mar- 
 quis. No, but leave me. Don't touch me with 
 your bloody hands." 
 
 At length he came to the foot of the stairs ; he 
 reclosed the door hidden by the hangings and 
 without pausing in his room, where he had no 
 light, he went down into the lower room, which 
 was lit by one lamp and by the fire which still 
 burned on the hearth. 
 
 He threw himself upon a seat, and looked 
 wildly about him, gradually becoming more as- 
 sured ; finally, he passed his hand over his brow 
 saying, 
 
 "It was a dream." 
 
 At that moment he heard the sound of a car- 
 riage, which stopped in front of the house, and 
 having entirely recovered his wits he went to open 
 the street door. 
 
 " Here I am," said the marquis, alighting from 
 the travelling carriage. " I have come even sooner
 
 ioo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 than I promised. My valet de chambre is already 
 on the way to Grandvilliers. The postilion is in 
 the saddle, these two efficiently armed men will 
 follow the coach, all is ready ; and Blanche?" 
 
 " I will go and get her ; she believes that she is 
 going to rejoin her future husband who has been 
 wounded tonight in a duel ; she has not the 
 slightest suspicion that there is any trickery, and 
 goes of her own free will." 
 
 "That's excellent!" 
 
 " But hide yourself, monseigneur, that she may 
 not perceive you, or all will be lost." 
 
 ' Fear nothing ; I will ensconce myself in the 
 angle of this doorway I only wish to see her 
 enter the carriage tomorrow I shall be at Sarcus, 
 and I shall dry her tears." 
 
 " I will go and fetch her." 
 
 The barber went up to call Blanche, who had 
 heard the carriage and was ready. 
 
 " I am here, my good friend," said she, hastily 
 leaving her room, " I knew the carriage had 
 come." 
 
 Touquet walked first, and Blanche followed; 
 her heart was palpitating and, although she 
 thought she was going to rejoin Urbain, this 
 departure in the middle of the night had about it 
 something mysterious, singular, which almost 
 frightened her. When they had reached the 
 lower room the sweet girl glanced around her, 
 saying,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 101 
 
 " What ! has not Marguerite come to bid me 
 good-by and kiss me ? " 
 
 " No, no, we haven't time for that," said Tou- 
 quet taking her hand and leading her into the 
 passage. When they reached the front door the 
 barber put out his head to assure himself that 
 the marquis was not within sight, then he opened 
 the carriage door. 
 
 " Come quickly," said he to Blanche, " get in ; 
 don't lose any time." 
 
 Blanche darted into the street and stepped into 
 the vehicle ; her heart grew heavy as she found 
 herself alone in it in the darkness of the night ; 
 but Touquet had already closed the door. 
 
 " Good-by, my dear friend," she said to him, 
 " I am going to rejoin Urbain, but I shall never 
 forget you. All you have done for me is graven 
 on my heart by gratitude." 
 
 " Go on, go on, postilion," cried the barber, in 
 a voice faltering with the emotions he experienced. 
 At this moment two o'clock struck, the postilion 
 cracked his whip, and the carriage which held 
 Blanche started. 
 
 " She is mine ! " cried the marquis, and the 
 barber hastily reentered his dwelling.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE RENDEZVOUS. STROKES OF FORTUNE. THE 
 HOTEL DE BOURGOGNE. THE SEDAN CHAIR 
 
 ON taking his departure from the marquis' lit- 
 tle house in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, at day- 
 break, the Chevalier Chaudoreille did not feel 
 entirely reassured as to the outcome of his duel 
 with Turlupin, whom he believed to be a great 
 personage ; and whom, incredible as it may seem, 
 he firmly believed he had slain ; however, the 
 idea that he was now the confidential agent of one 
 so powerful as the Marquis de Villebelle, which 
 gave him the right to claim that nobleman's pro- 
 tection if it should be necessary to him, gave him 
 the courage to return to Paris, where he summed 
 up the events of the preceding night and their 
 probable consequences. The marquis had prom- 
 ised him a hundred pistoles if Blanche should 
 happen to please him, and Chaudoreille was con- 
 fident that he should have that sum ; but should 
 Touquet discover that it was through him that 
 the marquis had learned of Blanche's existence, 
 he would have everything to fear from the bar- 
 ber's anger. However, he did not forget his ren- 
 dezvous for the evening.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 103 
 
 Forcing himself to banish all thoughts of the bar- 
 ber, and chinking the crowns which he had won 
 from Marcel, he went into a wine shop, where he 
 passed a great part of the day trying to obtain cour- 
 age by emptying several bottles of wine. Towards 
 evening he felt more enterprising, and returned to 
 his lodging to iron out his ruff, renovate his com- 
 plexion, dye his mustache and imperial, dust his 
 shoes, and brush his hat ; he then set out for his 
 rendezvous, saying, 
 
 " Though she should possess the grace of a 
 princess, I must not forget that I have to return 
 this evening to the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, in 
 order to receive a hundred pistoles from the 
 marquis. Zounds ! for a hundred pistoles I would 
 leave the Sultan's favorite and all the odalisks of 
 the Grand Turk." 
 
 The day was waning ; for the last half hour 
 Chaudoreille had been strolling in the neighbor- 
 hood where the old woman had accosted him the 
 evening before, looking up at all the windows, 
 having first carefully assured himself that the 
 water carrier was not to be seen. Finally, the ser- 
 vant who had spoken to him previously issued 
 from a respectable-looking house, and, as she 
 passed near him, said in a whisper, 
 
 " Follow me, but do not appear to be with me." 
 
 "Very well, Marton," answered Chaudoreille; 
 and he followed on the heels of the old woman, 
 so as not to lose her from sight.
 
 io 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 They entered the house ; the servant mounted 
 the stairs, put her finger on her lips and signed 
 to Chaudoreille to follow her. The chevalier did 
 so, but all of a sudden he seized the old woman's 
 petticoat and stopped her, saying, 
 
 "Is your mistress married ? " 
 
 " Why ? " asked the old woman, looking at 
 him mockingly. 
 
 " Why ! by jingo ! because some husbands 
 have very little patience in an affair of this kind. 
 Hang it ! a stroke of the sword is soon given, and 
 I can't throw myself thus into the wolfs den." 
 
 " Are you not armed, monsieur ? and if any- 
 one should attack you, can you not defend your- 
 self?" 
 
 "Yes, I know how to defend myself," said 
 Chaudoreille, going down some stairs, "but I 
 have an infinite respect for the marriage vow, and, 
 taking everything into consideration, I should pre- 
 fer to take myself off. " 
 
 " Come I tell you, monsieur," said the domes- 
 tic running after him, "my mistress is not mar- 
 ried, and you have nothing to fear." 
 
 " Well, by jingo ! You should explain your- 
 self, my good woman. My life is too precious 
 for me to expose it with temerity. Come, Lisette, 
 go up ! I will follow you, but if you have lied 
 to me, tremble ! " 
 
 The old woman paused on the second landing ; 
 she opened a door and took Chaudoreille into a
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 105 
 
 pretty dining-room and from thence into a small 
 well-furnished parlor, where she left him, say- 
 ing, ^ 
 
 " Wait here, I will go and tell madame." 
 
 " Do not be long, for I am not fond of wait- 
 ing," cried he, looking around him anxiously. 
 
 Left alone he examined the apartment curi- 
 ously, saying, 
 
 " It is pretty enough, it is all in very good 
 taste ; this is a woman of distinction. Come, 
 Chaudoreille, you're in great luck. Don't act 
 like a novice, but show some self-possession. 
 Everything has come to me at once; fortune 
 money love I am sure that I shall finish by 
 making my way. Oh, the deuce ! here's a hole 
 in my doublet ! But I must pull my hat up in 
 front, it will hinder me from seeing my princess ; 
 I feel in advance that I can adore her. But it's 
 dark and they have left me without a light, that's 
 very singular. My heart beats, this is certainly 
 love." 
 
 Here Chaudoreille raised his voice, saying, 
 
 " Besides, if anyone should dare to rub against 
 me, Rolande has an edge and four men could not 
 frighten me." 
 
 At this moment the door creaked and opened 
 behind Chaudoreille, who started back against a 
 table, overturning several porcelain cups, as he 
 exclaimed, 
 
 "Who goes there?"
 
 io6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " It's me, monsieur," answered the servant. 
 " I came to conduct you to madame." 
 
 " Oh ! that's right ; but you left me without a 
 light and I mistook you for a rat, of which I have 
 a great horror. I would much rather fight with 
 a lion than see only the tail of one of these little 
 animals, but show me the way, my good woman." 
 
 The servant led him through another room and 
 opened a door into a handsome boudoir lighted 
 by many candles ; a young woman was seated on 
 a sofa at the end of the room. The old woman 
 retired. Chaudoreille, very uneasy in this tete-a- 
 tete, to which he had looked forward, dared not 
 look at the person with whom he found himself, 
 and racked his imagination to find a compliment 
 suitable for the occasion ; but his Phoebus was 
 stubborn, and nothing had occurred to him when 
 he heard these words, 
 
 " Will not Monsieur Chaudoreille speak to his 
 old acquaintances ? " 
 
 Struck by the voice, the little man raised his 
 eyes and uttered an exclamation of surprise on 
 recognizing Julia, the young Italian, who looked 
 smilingly at him. 
 
 " Can it be ? Is it indeed you whom I see ? " 
 said Chaudoreille. 
 
 "And what do you find so extraordinary in 
 that, monsieur le chevalier? Did you think that 
 the marquis would always leave me in his little 
 house?"
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 107 
 
 cc 
 
 No undoubtedly not, beautiful lady I do 
 not know but I was so far from expecting to 
 see you," and he glanced tenderly at her, saying 
 to himself: " I always thought that she loved me, 
 behold me now the rival of a marquis ; it's a tre- 
 mendously ticklish position." 
 
 " Be seated, Monsieur Chaudoreille," said Julia, 
 who appeared for some moments very much 
 amused by the embarrassment and the oglings of 
 the little man. The latter, however, resumed his 
 audacity, and was about to seat himself on the sofa 
 beside Julia, but, by a gesture, the young woman 
 indicated to him a folding chair, and signed to him 
 to seat himself opposite her. 
 
 " She's afraid of me," said Chaudoreille, seating 
 himself on the folding chair, " she felt that she 
 could not resist me and wished to defer her defeat. 
 There's no need to hurry matters, my eyes can 
 accomplish the business for me." 
 
 " Can you imagine why I sent for you ? " said 
 the young woman, looking at him mischievously. 
 
 " Why beautiful lady I flatter myself, I pre- 
 sume there are some things that one divines when 
 one lives in society." 
 
 " And I think that 'you are mistaken," said 
 Julia, assuming a serious tone, " and I will explain 
 myself. " 
 
 " Mon Dieu," said Chaudoreille to himself, 
 dismayed by Julia's change of tone, " Is she going 
 to kill herself on account of me ? "
 
 io8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I am the marquis* mistress ; you are not 
 ignorant of that fact." 
 
 " Undoubtedly not, since I myself was the mes- 
 senger of " 
 
 " Silence ! do not interrupt me ! If I do not 
 seek to hide my frailty it is because, far from hav- 
 ing yielded to interest or ambition, love only has 
 caused my fall, and, in the eyes of a woman, love 
 excuses many faults. Yes, I have loved the mar- 
 quis for a long time. I had often seen him on the 
 promenades, and in spite of all that I heard said 
 about him, I could not resist the feeling which he 
 inspired. My heart yielded itself to him. Be not 
 astonished that I yielded so readily to your prop- 
 osition. I flattered myself that the marquis 
 shared the devouring flame which consumed me. 
 I hoped to have enough strength not to show my 
 love until I was certain of his. Alas ! I counted 
 too much on myself and it was very easy for him 
 to persuade me that he loved me. Ungrateful 
 man ! the love which he swore to me has already 
 given place to indifference, and I ! I feel that I 
 love him more than ever." 
 
 In speaking of the marquis, Julia became ani- 
 mated ; her glance was fiery and her whole per- 
 son indicated the violent passion to which she was 
 a prey; Chaudoreille, much surprised at what he 
 had heard, and almost alarmed at Julia's fate, drew 
 his stool farther away as she grew warmer. 
 
 " Yes," said the young woman who had appar-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 109 
 
 ently forgotten that Chaudoreille was there, and 
 gave way to all her feelings ; "yes, I shall always 
 love you, fascinating Villebelle this burning heart 
 beats but for you ! But I cannot bear your in- 
 difference ; and if you should love another then 
 my fury would know no bounds, and in your 
 blood and that of my rival, I would revenge my 
 outrage." 
 
 " O my God ! she wants me to stab the mar- 
 quis," said Chaudoreille, and he tried to draw his 
 chair still farther away, but, as it was now up against 
 the wall, it was impossible for him to go any further, 
 and he could only glance towards the door from 
 the corner of his eye, murmuring, 
 
 " This is a fine rendezvous ! That woman's 
 possessed of the devil. I like my portress much 
 better." 
 
 Julia had ceased speaking, little by little she 
 became calmer and resumed her ordinary manner, 
 and, glancing at Chaudoreille, she could not pre- 
 vent a smile on seeing him glued against the 
 tapestry. 
 
 " Come nearer ! come nearer," she said to him, 
 " that I may tell you what I desire of you. You 
 are, you have told me, very intimate with the 
 barber Touquet ? " 
 
 " Yes mada mademois signora." 
 
 "The barber is a man who habitually serves 
 the marquis in his gallant intrigues ; and I think 
 that through him it would be very easy for you to
 
 I io THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Jearn if Villebelle has any new conquest in sight. 
 Do you understand me ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes ; I understand you perfectly." 
 
 " Are you willing to serve me ? to inform me 
 of all you can learn from the barber in regard to 
 the marquis ? and if you yourself should be em- 
 ployed in some love intrigues to come and impart 
 to me immediately the plans which they have 
 formed." 
 
 " Yes, certainly. I consent with all my heart. 
 Zounds ! " added he to himself, " if she knew 
 what I said to her lover yesterday, I shouldn't 
 get out of here alive." 
 
 " What are you trembling for ? " 
 
 " Oh, it's nothing, it's my nerves ; that happens 
 to me often." 
 
 " Wait, take this purse ; if you serve me zeal- 
 ously and faithfully, you will see that Julia is 
 grateful." 
 
 The sight of a well-filled purse somewhat re- 
 stored Chaudoreille's resolution. He took the 
 money, bowing nearly to the floor, and cried, 
 
 " From this moment, I am entirely devoted to 
 you ; dispose of my arm, of my sword, of " 
 
 " It is neither a question of your arm nor of 
 your sword, it is of your eyes and your ears only 
 that I have need. Be on the watch, make the bar- 
 ber talk, inform yourself of the slightest actions 
 of the marquis, and come and give me an account 
 of them. Let nobody have the least suspicion of
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK in 
 
 you and that is all that is necessary to us. Go ! 
 and remember to inform me of the slightest cir- 
 cumstance if it has any connection with my love." 
 
 "You shall be obeyed," responded Chaudo- 
 reille, bowing humbly. Julia rang, the old woman 
 arrived, and, at her mistress' signal, led the cheva- 
 lier to the door without saying a word. 
 
 Once in the street, Chaudoreille breathed more 
 freely. 
 
 " Zounds ! " said he, " here I am in intrigues 
 up to my neck ; Julia's agent, confidential man of 
 the marquis, confidant of the barber, and, what is 
 even more satisfactory, receiving money from all 
 three of them. That's doing pretty well. Hang 
 it! this purse is well-filled. Tomorrow I will 
 clothe myself entirely anew. I shall get some 
 flesh-colored breeches that will make me look like 
 an angel ! But I mustn't forget the most inter- 
 esting item the hundred pistoles that the mar- 
 quis is to give me if Blanche pleases him and 
 I must go to the little house, O Fortune ! you are 
 treating me like a spoilt child, but it must be con- 
 fessed that your favors are directed to a very 
 adroit fellow." 
 
 While making these reflections, Chaudoreille 
 had taken his course toward the Faubourg Saint- 
 Antoine, arriving at the little house at eight 
 o'clock in the evening. He rang nearly as loudly 
 as the marquis, and Marcel on opening the door 
 to him said,
 
 ii2 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " You make as much noise as monseigneur." 
 
 " Apparently it is because I have a right to do 
 so," responded the Gascon, entering with an im- 
 pertinent manner ; then, striding across the gar- 
 den, he went immediately into the dining-room 
 and threw himself on a seat, saying, 
 
 " Has my friend, the marquis, been here since 
 yesterday ? " 
 
 " Your friend, the marquis," answered Marcel, 
 opening his eyes wide. 
 
 " Why, yes, caitiff! Or the marquis, my friend, 
 if that pleases you better." 
 
 " Nobody has been here." 
 
 " And has he sent nothing for me ? " 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 "I must wait for him then. Serve supper 
 quickly for me, all that you have of the best, some 
 of your oldest wines, some liqueur. Come ! go 
 about it, in place of standing and looking at me 
 like a statue." 
 
 " But what the devil is the matter with you ? " 
 
 " Marcel, no reflections, I beg of you, and, if 
 you wish to keep your place, render yourself 
 worthy of my protection." 
 
 Marcel contented himself with smiling, then 
 he laid the table and served the supper. Chaudo- 
 reille placed himself at table, Marcel did likewise. 
 
 "Your conduct is a little familiar," said the 
 chevalier to him ; " but, as we are alone, I may as 
 well allow you to seat yourself near me "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 113 
 
 " That's very fortunate." 
 
 " On condition that you serve me first, always." 
 
 During supper, Chaudoreille chinked his money, 
 counted his crowns, calculated what remained to 
 him, and what he expected to receive. Marcel 
 looked at him with surprise, saying, 
 
 " Have you inherited some money ? " 
 
 "Yes, I inherit like that very often. Zounds ! 
 if the marquis keeps his word with me, I shall be 
 able to keep the pace." 
 
 The supper lasted long ; Chaudoreille was so 
 much preoccupied by his affairs that he did not 
 dream of playing ; however, midnight had struck, 
 he had received no message from the marquis, 
 and the chevalier's hopes began to vanish. He 
 sighed, listened and exclaimed, 
 
 "He doesn't come! If he should not have 
 found her charming that would be very difficult 
 for me. Zounds ! in place of a hundred pistoles 
 I should receive a hundred blows of a stick." 
 
 As his hope diminished, his impertinence be- 
 came tempered and he clinked his glass against 
 Marcel's, saying, 
 
 " To your health my dear and true friend, for 
 you are my friend. Don't talk to me about noble- 
 men of the court, no one can put any faith in them ; 
 my good Marcel, what a good cook he is and what 
 a pleasure it is to me to drink with him." 
 
 " You don't think now that I did so ill in seat- 
 ing myself at the table ? " 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 1 1 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " What ! was I so unlucky as to say that to 
 you ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " Me, could I have said such a stupid thing ? " 
 
 " Yes, there is no doubt of it." 
 
 " I was tipsy then, I'd lost my senses." 
 
 " I don't know what you had lost, but you 
 said it." 
 
 " Listen, Marcel ! when I say such things as 
 that to you, I give you permission to curse me." 
 
 "That's all right, we'll speak no more of it." 
 
 At that moment the bell of the gate was heard. 
 Chaudoreille uttered an exclamation, half rose, and 
 dropped on his chair again. 
 
 "That will be monseigneur," said Marcel, taking 
 a light, and he ran to open the door, leaving his 
 guest divided between fear and hope. 
 
 Marcel soon returned ; he was alone, but he 
 held a small roll which he placed on the table 
 before Chaudoreille, and presented him with a 
 paper on which somebody had written two lines 
 in pencil, saying, 
 
 " Here is what monseigneur has sent you ; 
 read it!" 
 
 Chaudoreille could not believe his eyes, he 
 looked in turn at the roll, at the paper, and at 
 Marcel. 
 " Why don't you read it," said the latter to him. 
 
 Finally, he took the paper with a trembling 
 hand, and read : " I have seen her ; you have
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 115 
 
 surpassed my hopes and I double the promised 
 recompense." 
 
 " O my God, Marcel ! he's doubled the hun- 
 dred pistoles." 
 
 "Then that makes two hundred; that is to 
 say, that there is, in that roll, two thousand livres 
 tournois in gold." 
 
 " Two thousand livres ! " 
 
 " Well, what's the matter with you now ? " 
 
 " Marcel, give me a little vinegar, I beg of you. 
 I don't feel very well." 
 
 "It seems to me that a present like that should 
 make you feel very well. Wait, drink a drop of 
 brandy, that will put you in good shape." 
 
 Chaudoreille, a little restored by the liquor, 
 opened the roll, and the sight of the pieces of 
 gold which it held deprived him for some mo- 
 ments of the faculty of speech. Finally, he mur- 
 mured, in a voice faint with emotion, 
 
 " Marcel, all this belongs to me." 
 
 " I know it, all right." 
 
 " And then, there's this purse still ; and these 
 six crowns which I had left " 
 
 " Yes, from the game of piquet, yesterday." 
 
 " And I am rich ! Oh, it produces a terrible 
 effect, my poor fellow, to pass all of a sudden from 
 poverty to opulence. Alas ! I shall suffocate ! " 
 
 " Drink a little more. My faith ! if good for- 
 tune produces such an effect, I'd rather remain 
 without a sou and breathe freely. "
 
 n6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " O Marcel, you're very stupid, my boy ! " 
 
 " I don't know at this moment which is the 
 stupider of us two." 
 
 " Two thousand livres ! Who would believe 
 that one could thus hold his fortune in the palm 
 of his hand." 
 
 " Hang it ! one should hold it there as long as 
 he can." 
 
 " Marcel, do you know of any property for sale 
 in the neighborhood ? " 
 
 " No, why do you ask that ? " 
 
 " It's very necessary that I should place my 
 funds. What the deuce shall I do with all this ! 
 Come ! after tomorrow, I shall set up my house, 
 but first I shall leave my lodging in the Rue 
 Brise-Miche and I shall take one near the cardi- 
 nal's palace; I shall need a jockey. Marcel, will 
 you be my jockey? No, in fact, you are too 
 big. Ah, if it were not so late, I should visit 
 some of the gambling houses ; but I can't expose 
 myself at night in this neighborhood with so much 
 gold on me. What a figure I can cut in the gam- 
 bling dens and at faro. I shall place first a louis 
 on the card, I shall win, I shall double my stakes, 
 I shall still win. I shan't take it up, I shall win 
 ten times following, and I shall carry away a heap 
 of gold. How can I spend all that. Oh, what an 
 excellent idea! I can dine and sup twice every 
 day, that will indemnify me for the times that I 
 have had to fast.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 117 
 
 Marcel, whom fortune had not overwhelmed 
 with her favors, went to sleep while Chaudoreille 
 made his plans and counted his pieces of gold, 
 but day dawned without the latter having closed 
 his eyes, for, at the least sound, he started and car- 
 ried his hand to his treasure, which he had rolled 
 in his belt. 
 
 Chaudoreille awoke Marcel and ordered him to 
 go and find a sedan chair ; but Marcel would not 
 leave the house, under the pretence that he must 
 obey the marquis' orders. Chaudoreille became 
 very insolent again and shouted and threatened, 
 but seeing that nothing would move Marcel, he 
 took leave, and decided to return on foot to Paris. 
 
 The little man felt larger by six inches since he 
 had so much gold in his possession. He hardly 
 looked at the passers-by, his nose seemed to 
 threaten the heavens, and he was astonished that 
 the sentinel on guard at the barrier did not pre- 
 sent arms to him. 
 
 After breakfasting as copiously as possible he 
 walked to the palace which Richelieu had built, 
 and on which he had lavished all that the luxury 
 and taste of the time afforded to please the eye 
 and to leave to posterity a monument worthy of 
 the one who had erected it. 
 
 Chaudoreille went into several shops, but he 
 found nothing fine enough or fresh enough or 
 brilliant enough for him. He ordered a doublet 
 of rose-colored velvet slashed with white satin ;
 
 n8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 breeches of a similar color ; a cherry-colored man- 
 tle embroidered with silver and a fringed belt with 
 golden tassels. These articles would take the 
 larger part of his fortune ; but as he was certain 
 of breaking the bank at faro, he refused himself 
 nothing, and within two days hoped to be arrayed 
 like the most elegant nobleman of the court. 
 
 Having ordered his costume, he went into one 
 of the inns in the city, where he was served with 
 a rich dinner and exquisite wines ; and having al- 
 ready perceived that it was not so easy as he had 
 believed to dine twice a day, which would be a 
 very great resource for rich people who do not 
 know what to do with their time, he tried to make 
 his repast last twice as long as usual. 
 
 At five o'clock in the evening, he finally got 
 up from the table ; his face flushed, his eyes bril- 
 liant, his legs a little unsteady, and left the inn. 
 It was still too early to go to the gambling house, 
 where the high players do not put in an appear- 
 ance until towards nine o'clock, and to pass his 
 time until then Chaudoreille decided to go to the 
 play, which he had not visited for a long time. 
 He therefore took his way towards the Hotel de 
 Bourgogne, which he preferred to the Theatre des 
 Italiens, because Turlupin, Gros-Guillaume and 
 Gautier-Garguille, famous for the farces which 
 they had played in their little Theatre de 1'Estra- 
 pade had obtained permission from Richelieu to 
 play there.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 119 
 
 The theatre of the Hotel de Bourgogne was 
 situated in the Rue Mauconseil ; the entrance 
 was very narrow and the corridors very incommo- 
 dious ; the body of the house was composed of a 
 pit and several tiers of boxes. When the court 
 attended the theatre the courtiers carried their 
 seats with them. Here were represented, follow- 
 ing the privilege granted to comedians in January, 
 1613, all mysteries, and decent and amusing plays ; 
 presently, comedies, rather more elevated in tone 
 than the usual buffooneries, were played there; 
 and also some plays in which mythological divini- 
 ties figured as characters, the poets of the day 
 mingling the sacred and profane; but the low 
 jokes and puns were what captivated and attracted 
 the public. 
 
 Chaudoreille entered the house and slipped 
 into the pit, where everyone was standing, and 
 where the fluctuations of the crowd often carried 
 one from one corner to another. The chevalier 
 found himself behind a very tall man and could 
 not see the stage. In vain he drew himself up 
 and stood on his tiptoes ; he could see nothing 
 except the backs and the wigs of his neighbors. 
 He tried to protest, but everybody hushed him, 
 for Gautier-Garguille appeared and was about to 
 speak the prologue which preceded the piece. 
 Listen to the buffoon, that you may have an 
 idea of the style of prologue in use under Louis 
 the Thirteenth.
 
 " Gentlemen and ladies, one thing I ought to 
 say to you, and that is not to incline your ears to 
 the symphony of this pastime as manual operators 
 who do not cooperate with the nonsense ; and do 
 not treat it as a deluding music or voice, rather 
 for the spoliation and express capture of your 
 purses than to win praise from your ears ; the 
 field of my invention being so sterile that if it is 
 not watered by the cordial of your kindness it is 
 difficult for it to produce flowers worthy to be 
 offered to you. Philippot will appear immedi- 
 ately, and he hopes, under the assurance of your 
 indulgence, to make you laugh and cry both 
 together, so that finally the moderation of one 
 feeling shall temper the violence of the other. 
 Gentlemen and ladies, I shall desire, I shall wish, 
 I shall will, I shall demand, and I shall require, 
 desideratively, wishfully, willingly, demandatively, 
 and requireatively, with my desiderations and my 
 requireations, etc., to thank you for your kind 
 presence and attention to a little jovial and jolly 
 farce which we are about to represent, before 
 which I wish to make a large, small, wide, nar- 
 row, and spacious remonstrance, which will make 
 you laugh." 
 
 While Gautier-Garguille was delivering this 
 bombastic nonsense, Chaudoreille was being tor- 
 lured, pressed, pushed on all sides, and struck in 
 the face by his neighbors' elbows ; in addition to 
 which he suffered much anxiety in regard to the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 121 
 
 safety of his purse. The little man had urgently 
 begged them to let him go out, but nobody would 
 listen to him. In his despair, and having imme- 
 diate need of a little air, he adopted the plan of 
 pulling the wigs of two of his neighbors to hoist 
 himself to their height, but the wigs came off, and 
 the heads of two respectable tradesmen of Paris 
 appeared naked before the assembly. The two 
 spectators who felt their wigs pulled off, cried, 
 
 "Thief! watch!" and Chaudoreille mingled 
 his voice with theirs, crying, " Help." The play 
 was interrupted and at last, Chaudoreille was dis- 
 covered struggling among the legs of the specta- 
 tors, and rolling on the floor of the pit with the 
 two wigs, which he had not dropped. 
 
 The two bald heads treated him as a thief; he 
 returned the wigs and explained his conduct as 
 well as he could ; they put him out of the door of 
 the pit, which was all that he wished. He mounted 
 to the boxes and found a place in front and, from 
 time to time, glanced angrily at the public. 
 
 However, the piece was commencing. Turlu- 
 pin and Gros-Guillaume were on the stage and 
 Chaudoreille rubbed his eyes, saying, 
 
 " Why ! by jingo ! if I had not killed him, I 
 should believe that that was the Prince of Cochin- 
 China." 
 
 Presently Gautier-Garguille reappeared ; he had 
 counterfeited the Gascon to a marvel, his costume 
 was exactly the same as that f Chaudoreille and.
 
 122 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 he had copied his manners and grimaces so well 
 that the latter cried, 
 
 "Is it another self, I see? can I have a 
 double?" 
 
 The comedian having seen his model in the 
 box, saluted him and made faces at him ; the 
 spectators' eyes were turned on Chaudoreille, they 
 recognized in the little man that they had chased 
 from the pit the one whom Gautier-Garguille had 
 copied, and the shouts of laughter redoubled. 
 The chevalier perceived that they were mocking 
 at him and was furious ; he drew his sword and 
 threatened the pit, because when one defies every- 
 body together it is as if one defied nobody. The 
 spectators laughed louder still, and Chaudoreille 
 left his box, swearing that he would never again 
 go to the Hotel de Bourgogne. 
 
 Arrived in the street, where some persons had 
 followed him, he again gave way to his anger, 
 exclaiming that he would punish the buffoon who 
 had dared to copy him, that nobody could mock 
 with impunity at a man like him, and that he 
 would spend, if necessary, a hundred pistoles to 
 avenge himself. 
 
 While speaking thus, he drew out his purse, 
 chinked his gold, took it out and put it back in 
 his pockets, and finally exclaimed, 
 
 '* Who will go and bring me a sedan chair ! " 
 
 Two men immediately went to execute this 
 commission. While waiting for them to return,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 123 
 
 Chaudoreille promenaded before the theatre, swing- 
 ing himself in the manner which he judged the 
 most noble, and striking his belt every minute to 
 make his gold pieces chink. 
 
 The two men returned presently, they had ob- 
 tained a chair, and w.ould themselves have the 
 honor of carrying Chaudoreille, or so they said 
 to him on their arrival, exclaiming, 
 
 " Here, master ! get in, master, you'll be 
 pleased with us." 
 
 Chaudoreille, whom nobody had ever called 
 master, felt much pleased, and was about to bow 
 low to the porters, but he restrained himself and 
 darted into the chair, quivering with delight on 
 the cushion which was at the bottom. 
 
 " Where shall we go, master ? " said one of 
 them. 
 
 " To Rue Bertrand-qui-Dort. You will see a 
 lantern at the door of the house where I stop." 
 
 " All right, master ! " 
 
 They closed the door of the chair, and Chaudo- 
 reille felt himself raised, and gently carried through 
 the streets of Paris. It was the first time he had 
 been in a chair. The pleasure which he experi- 
 enced in being carried made him forget the dis- 
 agreeable scene of the play. He reflected on his 
 dazzling situation, and on the pleasure which he 
 should taste in playing high, and laid new plans. 
 However it seemed to him that he had been a 
 long time in the chair, and the porters were still
 
 i2 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 walking. Chaudoreille wished to know if he were 
 near his destination. There was a very narrow lit- 
 tle window on each side of the seat, but these 
 windows could not be lowered. It was late, one 
 could not see clearly in the streets, and Chaudo- 
 reille could distinguish nothing. 
 
 "Are we almost there," cried he, leaning to- 
 wards the front ; nobody answered, and they con- 
 tinued to carry him. He began to think the 
 motion of his carriage not quite so pleasant, he 
 tried to open the door in front, the only vent by 
 which one could leave a sedan chair, but that door 
 would not open from the inside. 
 
 A cold sweat bathed the little man's brow. He 
 conceived a thousand suspicions, recalled divers 
 adventures in which sedan chairs figured, and was 
 bitterly repenting having taken one when at last 
 he felt that they had stopped. He breathed more 
 freely and prepared to descend, but after being 
 deposited on the ground the chair was stood up 
 on end, in such a manner that when they opened 
 the door it was above Chaudoreille's head. 
 
 " How do you think I can get out like that ? " 
 cried he, trying to climb. 
 
 " Before coming out there is a little ceremony 
 to be observed, master,'* said the porters, in a 
 jeering tone. 
 
 " A ceremony, what is it, my boys ? " 
 
 " It is to give us all the silver and gold that 
 you have about you. We'll relieve you of that."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 125 
 
 " What is that you say ? Scoundrels ! Rascals ! " 
 " Come, do as we bid you and no noise, or that 
 will be worse for you." 
 
 As they gave this order, they flashed the blades 
 of their swords before Chaudoreille's eyes, and he 
 fell back in the bottom of the chair, unable to 
 support himself. The two porters were obliged 
 to draw him from the chair themselves. He 
 glanced around him, but he was in a lonely, nar- 
 row road, surrounded by marshes, where nobody 
 would venture so late. The robbers searched him, 
 and despoiled him of all that he possessed, then 
 they escaped with their sedan chair, leaving him 
 lying beside a huge stone, half dead with fright.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 POOR URBAIN 
 
 THE morning after Blanche's hurried and un- 
 expected departure, old Marguerite left her room 
 at her usual time. The good woman had heard 
 nothing ; she had slept soundly, for it was long 
 since the pleasures and the pains of love had 
 caused her to suffer from insomnia. Her first 
 movement on arising was to go to her dear 
 Blanche's room to kiss her, as she was in the 
 habit of doing every morning. She found the 
 door of the room half open ; but Blanche was not 
 there, and the extreme disorder of the apartment, 
 the bed which had been slept in but had not been 
 made, the clothing spread upon the furniture, all 
 indicated that some extraordinary event had taken 
 place. The young girl had never left her room 
 without Marguerite, and the latter called Blanche, 
 and receiving no answer and alarmed at this de- 
 parture from her customary habits, and perhaps 
 by a secret presentiment, went downstairs to see 
 if the young girl was with her master, but the bar- 
 ber was alone in the lower room, and then Mar- 
 guerite said, in a frightened tone, 
 
 " O my God ! where can the dear child be ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 127 
 
 " What is the matter, Marguerite," said Tou- 
 quet, who was prepared for this scene. 
 
 " Blanche, monsieur, Blanche is not in her 
 room. I have sought her vainly for a long time ; 
 someone has taken the dear child away from us." 
 
 " Taken her away ! " exclaimed the barber, pre- 
 tending to be struck with astonishment. He imme- 
 diately went to Blanche's room, followed by the 
 old servant, who went as quickly as her legs would 
 permit. After a search, which Touquet knew would 
 be fruitless, he threw himself on a seat, crying, 
 
 " The wretch has fulfilled his threats ! " 
 
 " Who do you mean, monsieur ! " 
 
 " That man you saw here yesterday evening." 
 
 " I believe you're right, monsieur, it can be 
 nobody except him." 
 
 " He was fascinated with Blanche, he ventured 
 to ask her hand of me. I refused it to him and 
 this is how he has revenged himself." 
 
 " But, monsieur, you must know where this 
 man lives. He had the bearing of a great noble- 
 man. You can recover our dear child." 
 
 " I have very little hope of it. This wretch 
 assumed a brilliant costume in the hope of seduc- 
 ing Blanche, but he is a schemer without name, 
 without a roof, without position." 
 
 " A schemer," said Marguerite, looking at her 
 master in astonishment ; " but, monsieur, it seemed 
 to me that he was the same friend that you were 
 waiting for so late some time ago."
 
 128 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The barber was for an instant rendered uneasy 
 by Marguerite's remark, but soon recovering him- 
 self, he resumed, 
 
 " You are mistaken, it was not he ; I forbid you 
 to speak to anybody of that again." 
 
 "And Urbain, monsieur, that poor Urbain 
 when he comes here this evening " 
 
 " Urbain will unite his efforts with mine to re- 
 cover her whom he was about to marry." 
 
 The barber went out and Marguerite then gave 
 free course to her tears. The good woman loved 
 Blanche with a mother's tenderness. She could 
 not bear to be deprived of her presence, and im- 
 patiently awaited Urbain's arrival ; for it seemed 
 to her that he would know better than anybody 
 else how to discover and restore her lost darling. 
 
 Touquet was absent during a large part of the 
 day. On his return, Marguerite inquired as to 
 the success of his search, but he answered her 
 coldly, 
 
 " I have no hope of rinding her." These words 
 chilled the poor old woman's heart; she could 
 not understand how anyone could be consoled at 
 the loss of Blanche. 
 
 The hour drew near when Urbain could recom- 
 pense himself for the day's absence. 
 
 " Only one day more," said he, as he ap- 
 proached the barber's house, "and she will be 
 mine." He hurried, his heart palpitating with 
 love, but on looking up at Blanche's window he
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 129 
 
 saw no light, and this slight circumstance aston- 
 ished him and rendered him uneasy ; or rather a 
 secret presentiment warned him of his misfortune, 
 for, in love, presentiments are not chimeras. 
 
 Urbain knocked and Marguerite appeared, but 
 the grief depicted on her face, her eyes filled with 
 tears, announced that something had happened. 
 
 " Where is Blanche ? " cried Urbain, looking 
 fearfully at Marguerite. 
 
 The old woman could only sigh deeply, but 
 Urbain was no longer near her, he ran, he flew to 
 the room of his beloved, but that room was 
 deserted, its charming occupant was gone. Mar- 
 guerite slowly followed the young man. 
 
 "In mercy tell me," cried Urbain, " where is 
 she ? Hide nothing from me." 
 
 " My poor boy, collect all your courage. Last 
 night somebody carried off our dear child." 
 
 Urbain remained motionless and overwhelmed, 
 while Marguerite told him all that she knew. 
 He listened without interrupting her, and seemed 
 as if he could hardly yet realize his misfortune, 
 but presently, dropping on Blanche's favorite seat, 
 he yielded to the profoundest despair. The tears 
 rolled down his face; at nineteen years of age 
 one sheds them still in the troubles of life ; one 
 has not then that strength of mind which is later 
 acquired in the school of misfortune. 
 
 Marguerite tried to calm Urbain by saying to 
 him, 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 ijo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " You will recover her, that dear child, for you 
 are not capable of forgetting her, and coldly con- 
 soling yourself for her loss." 
 
 " I forget her ? " said Urbain, pressing the 
 hands of the good old woman. " Ah, Marguer- 
 ite, is not my life bound up in that of Blanche ? 
 I shall take no rest until she is with me again." 
 
 "That's right, my dear Urbain, to hear you 
 speak thus renders me hopeful ; besides, our poor 
 little one has with her a talisman, and that light- 
 ens my anxiety a little." 
 
 " Tell me all the circumstances again ; a man 
 came here, you say ? " 
 
 " Yes, he said he was sent by my master, and 
 came to speak to Blanche." 
 
 " The scoundrel ! and what did he say to her? " 
 
 " Oh, he merely paid her some compliments. 
 He spoke like a great nobleman, and he had the 
 costume and bearing of one, although M. Touquet 
 pretends that he is a wretch without position and 
 without home." 
 
 " He knows him, then ? " 
 
 "There's no doubt of it. I confess to you 
 that I am afraid, although he did not have a 
 wicked appearance, rather a look of pride, and an 
 imperious tone. I was sorry at having opened 
 the door for him, and Blanche, the poor little 
 thing, trembled. But all this didn't last very 
 long. He heard M. Touquet come in, and im- 
 mediately the stranger took his mantle, saluted
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 131 
 
 Blanche, and went down to monsieur. I followed 
 him, but they sent me away, and I know nothing 
 further." 
 
 Urbain left Marguerite, he darted from the 
 chamber and, in an instant, he faced the barber, 
 whose cold and gloomy look contrasted with 
 Urbain's excitement. 
 
 "Well, monsieur, what have you learned? 
 what have you done to recover my bride," cried 
 he. " Speak ! what do you know ? " 
 
 The barber, rendered rather uneasy by the vi- 
 vacity of Urbain's questions, answered hesitat- 
 ingly, 
 
 " I have made a thousand inquiries, I can dis- 
 cover nothing." 
 
 " And this scoundrel who came here yesterday, 
 who is he ? " 
 
 " I hardly know him. He sometimes came 
 into my shop, for what purpose I do not know, 
 and I swear to you that he must have heard of 
 Blanche's beauty, for he had never seen her, and 
 formed the idea of introducing himself to her." 
 
 The barber appeared so sincere in pronouncing 
 these words that Urbain repented of having sus- 
 pected him. 
 
 " Forgive me," said he, "for daring to think 
 but you would not make us unhappy. You have 
 given me Blanche, you have been to her as a 
 father. Oh, you will join with me, will you not, 
 in endeavoring to find her ravishers ? "
 
 132 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Yes," answered Touquet in a low tone, " I 
 shall second you, I promise you." 
 
 " And the name of that man, you must know 
 it?" 
 
 " I never dreamt of asking him his name. Yes- 
 terday, on my showing him immediately that his 
 love for Blanche was a folly, he retired, making 
 many threats to which I paid little attention." 
 
 " Who could have given him the information 
 which led him to wish to see her? and how could 
 he get into Blanche's room ? " 
 
 " A few false keys would be sufficient for that, 
 and in this city, you know, nobody is safe in his 
 own house." 
 
 Urbain remained silent for some moments and 
 the barber avoided his looks ; finally the bachelor 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " Good-by, monsieur, I am going to seek for 
 her whom you gave me to be my bride." 
 
 " May you be successful," answered the barber 
 in a gloomy voice, as Urbain abruptly departed, 
 thinking of nothing but Blanche, but not know- 
 ing where to direct his steps. 
 
 Urbain went first to the different gates of 
 Paris ; there he demanded if during the- previous 
 night anyone had seen a young woman pass, and 
 gave a description of her. He was sure that 
 everybody would notice Blanche, and that her 
 charming features would fix themselves upon the 
 memory ; but he did not obtain the slightest in-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 133 
 
 formation, they hardly answered him His sim- 
 ple costume prevented their putting themselves 
 out to oblige him, for in the good old times, as 
 well as today, it was necessary to scatter gold in 
 order to expedite any business. 
 
 " If all these people could know Blanche," said 
 Urbain, " they would not show so much indiffer- 
 ence." 
 
 Not daring to leave Paris without having some 
 indication as to the way that he should take, Ur- 
 bain continued to walk as chance led him in the 
 capital, though the inhabitants had for some time 
 retired to rest. Thieves, lovers, and soldiers of 
 the watch, alone showed themselves in the gloomy 
 streets of Paris. The young bachelor traversed 
 many streets without meeting anybody, but he 
 still walked on, saying, 
 
 " Why should I go in, I could not sleep, and 
 what could I do with myself at home ? " 
 
 However, love and despair do not render one 
 indefatigable. Urbain had been walking since 
 eight o'clock in the evening, and it was now nearly 
 three o'clock in the morning. His legs began to 
 fail him, he felt that it would soon be impossible 
 for him to go any further. He looked around 
 him. The moon, which showed at intervals, al- 
 lowed him to distinguish the junction of some 
 lonely cross roads into which converged some 
 lanes which led to the marshes. Urbain turned 
 towards a large stone which he perceived some
 
 134 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 steps from him, for he thought he would there 
 seat himself and wait for day, but as he reached 
 the stone his feet struck against something which 
 he had not perceived, and a voice immediately 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " Oh, by jingo ! don't kill me; I haven't a sou 
 now."
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE CHATEAU DE SARCUS 
 
 THE carriage which contained the unfortunate 
 Blanche bowled steadily along for several hours, 
 and in the excitement occasioned by this novel 
 journey, the lovely child hardly remembered her 
 former fears. After living in the most absolute 
 retirement, shut up for years in a single room ex- 
 cept at meal times, it seemed like a dream to find 
 herself in a carriage in the middle of the night, 
 and alone journeying into the wide world, she 
 knew not whither. However, the noise of the 
 wheels and of the horses' feet, mingled with the 
 cracking of the postilion's whip, as he sought to 
 increase the speed of his horses, which were already 
 going like the wind, and the rocking of the ve- 
 hicle as it swayed from side to side alarmed her 
 very much and persuaded her of the reality of her 
 situation. 
 
 " I am going to see Urbain," said the trem- 
 bling traveller to herself, " I am going to rejoin 
 him ; I should not give way to my fears, we are 
 going to be so happy. Why, since we are about 
 to be united forever, should I feel anything but 
 pleasure at hastening the moment ? But then, I 
 
 135
 
 136 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 had hoped to travel with Urbain and everything 
 has turned out so differently. Poor Urbain, it's 
 not his fault ; but why did he fight ? Oh, I am 
 so anxious to be with him ! and Marguerite 
 didn't even say good-by to me. It seems as 
 though everybody had abandoned me." 
 
 The sweet girl dried the tears which had mois- 
 tened her eyes, then she looked out of the win- 
 dows, but the darkness prevented her from seeing 
 anything ; she sighed and sank back in the car- 
 riage. 
 
 " Where are we ? I don't know, but it seems to 
 me they are going very fast. Well, so much the 
 better, I shall be the sooner with Urbain." 
 
 As soon as day began to break, Blanche, who 
 kept looking out of the windows, could partly 
 distinguish trees, fields, and houses. Presently 
 the mist was entirely dissipated, and the young 
 traveller admired the glory of the dawn, and the 
 varied scenes which seemed to fly before her. 
 Soon the carriage rolled along a road bordered 
 only by trees and hedges ; the branches of some 
 old trees from time to time brushed the top of 
 the carriage, and this unexpected sound made the 
 inexperienced traveller tremble. All of a sudden 
 the view extended widely ; the road was edged 
 with meadows and rich fields. The laborers were 
 already going to their work ; already the furrows 
 made by the plough could be seen, and the spade 
 had newly broken the sweet-smelling earth. The
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 137 
 
 trees were still bare of foliage, but the tips of 
 the branches were reddened and about to break 
 into bud. Everything announced the return of 
 spring. Farther on they passed through a vil- 
 lage, the early rising inhabitants of which could 
 be seen at their doors or their windows, hastening 
 to watch the carriage passing so rapidly. Content- 
 ment and health were pictured on the face of each 
 peasant ; it was their only ornament, for cleanli- 
 ness and neatness are not distinguishing traits of 
 the country people, whose children play on the 
 manure heap, pell-mell with the ducks and geese. 
 But nature is not always pleasing, and it is not in 
 the outskirts of Paris that one must seek for the 
 shepherds of Florian, the herdsmen of Bertin, the 
 seductive villagers of our comic operas. 
 
 Country scenes always please the pure and sim- 
 ple mind, and Blanche, as she passed the villages 
 and farms, and hamlets, exclaimed, 
 
 " How delightful to live here, to walk, to run 
 in the fields and in the woods ! Oh, how happy 
 I shall be with Urbain ! " 
 
 Indeed, the fields and the woods bore a more 
 smiling aspect than the Rue des Bourdonnais, and 
 the barber's gloomy house. 
 
 The carriage did not stop ; the postilions had 
 orders to speed straight to the chateau, though the 
 horses should die at the journey's end. Blanche 
 did not know how far from Paris was Urbain's 
 house and country, besides, she did not remera-
 
 138 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 ber ever before being in a carriage, and it seemed 
 to her that in moving so quickly they must have 
 gone a very long way. About an hour after mid- 
 day they passed through the pretty town of Grand- 
 villiers, where a great number of manufactories af- 
 forded work and means to the inhabitants; but 
 they did not stop there, and the carriage, turning 
 to the right, crossed a wide plain and diverged 
 towards a building which could be seen at a little 
 distance, and which was justly called the wonder 
 of the country side. It was the Chateau de Sar- 
 cus, of which the elegant fa$ade could be discerned 
 in the distance. Blanche perceived the chateau, 
 but she was far from thinking that her journey 
 would terminate there, though she gazed at that 
 magnificent dwelling and, as the carriage rolled 
 nearer, she could easily distinguish the sculptures 
 and admire the work of artists who had surpassed 
 themselves in order to merit the approbation of 
 that gallant monarch, who patronized the arts as 
 much as he admired beauty. 
 
 At last they reached the front of the chateau, 
 and the carriage, in place of passing, entered the 
 confines of this handsome domain. 
 
 " Well, now, what is the matter ? " said Blanche 
 trying to open the door. " This is not the place, 
 this cannot be right ; Urbain hasn't a big house 
 like this the coachman is mistaken." 
 
 However, the carriage stopped in a spacious 
 courtyard. A servant in rich livery opened the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 139 
 
 door, and with a respectful air offered his hand to 
 help Blanche alight. 
 
 " Oh, no, I don't wish to get down," said the 
 innocent child, looking at the servant in astonish- 
 ment, " this is not the place I was coming to ; cer- 
 tainly they are mistaken, this is a chateau, it 
 cannot be Urbain's house ; besides, he would have 
 been very prompt to meet me." 
 
 " No, madame, they are not mistaken," an- 
 swered Germain, the marquis's valet, who had 
 arrived two hours before the carriage, in order 
 that he might give instructions to the house por- 
 ter, and have rooms prepared for Blanche. "Your 
 journey terminates here, and everything is in read- 
 iness to receive you." 
 
 " Here?" said Blanche, as she lightly stepped 
 from the carriage, and looked around her in sur- 
 prise, " but where is he ? " 
 
 "He has not yet arrived, madame,"said Germain, 
 who had received strict orders to name nobody 
 and to answer the young girl in conformity with 
 the ideas she had formed in regard to her journey. 
 
 "What, he's not here yet? and I believe he 
 started before me. He hasn't come here directly, 
 then ? Oh, I understand ! fearing lest he be pur- 
 sued, he has been obliged to hide and to make 
 some detours." 
 
 "That's it, I am quite sure," answered the 
 valet, smiling, " and I don't think he can get here 
 before evening."
 
 140 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Poor Urbain, how tiresome to have to wait 
 until this evening." 
 
 "If madame desires to follow me, I will lead 
 her to the apartments which have been hastily 
 prepared for her." 
 
 " I'm not madame, my name is Blanche. We 
 are not yet married, but as soon as he arrives I 
 hope to be his wife. Show me the way, monsieur, 
 I will follow you." 
 
 The man entered a spacious vestibule and 
 mounted a marble staircase, then he led Blanche 
 through some superb galleries, along one side of 
 which were windows of stained glass, while upon 
 the other the walls were adorned with pictures 
 representing the most pleasing mythological sub- 
 jects. In viewing all that met her sight, Blanche 
 could not restrain her astonishment. She paused 
 and said to Germain, in a voice which she tried 
 to render still more touching, 
 
 " Monsieur, I beg of you, tell me the truth, 
 does this superb dwelling belong to him ? " 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle, indeed this chateau does 
 belong to him." 
 
 " Ah, I thought it was a chateau ! and he said 
 he had only a little house, and this one appears 
 to me immense ; he must be very rich to have a 
 chateau like this, and Urbain sometimes regretted 
 that he had not a large fortune to share with me." 
 
 " Perhaps he wished to surprise you, made- 
 moiselle."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 141 
 
 " That was wrong of him ; rich or poor I 
 should love him just as much. Mon Dieu ! how 
 large it is, these galleries, these beautiful rooms, we 
 shall be lost here ; and how surprised Marguer- 
 ite will be. Monsieur, are there cows and rab- 
 bits here?" 
 
 " There shall be everything here that you de- 
 sire, mademoiselle." 
 
 " Urbain has promised me a beautiful cow, and 
 I should like to milk her and to make butter and 
 cheese, that would be so amusing." 
 
 Germain turned away to hide his smiles, be- 
 cause the country taste of the young girl appeared 
 very singular to the servant of the great noble- 
 man, but soon he opened a door saying, 
 
 " This is the apartment which they have pre- 
 pared for you, mademoiselle ; if it does not please 
 you, you will choose any other in the chateau and 
 they will hasten to execute your orders." 
 
 "Oh, I like this above everything," said 
 Blanche, as she entered a richly furnished room, 
 adorned with full-length mirrors, " It is very fine 
 here," said she, examining the hangings, draper- 
 ies and candelabras which ornamented the apart- 
 ment. She then passed into a second room, dec- 
 orated with the same sumptuousness, in which was 
 a bed hung with silk curtains, with silver fringe. 
 
 " If he were here," said Blanche, sighing, " all 
 this would please me much better. And these 
 windows, what do they look on?"
 
 142 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Germain hastened to open the windows which 
 were all provided with vast balconies. Blanche 
 advanced, and could not restrain an exclamation 
 of pleasure on perceiving a lake which bathed the 
 walls of that part of the chateau in which her 
 apartments were situated. The lake extended into 
 the middle of a wide meadow, and finally lost 
 itself in some rocks, where the water fell in a cas- 
 cade into an immense basin. On the right of the 
 meadows one could see woods and shrubberies, 
 and on the other side the view extended itself, 
 far and wide, over a country dotted with hills 
 which afforded a charming landscape. 
 
 " Oh, how charming it is," cried Blanche, "what 
 a beautiful view ! " 
 
 " Mademoiselle can hardly have an idea of what 
 the view is when the fields are covered with ver- 
 dure. 
 
 " But I should like very much to walk in all 
 these places which I see, to run in those meadows 
 and to go on tha-t lake, whose waters bathe these 
 walls and seem to me so pure." 
 
 " That is very easy, mademoiselle, for the park 
 belonging to this chateau extends as far as you 
 can see. When you wish to visit the gardens, run 
 about the park, or boat on the lake, I will hasten 
 to attend you." 
 
 " What ! does all that I see belong to Urbain ? " 
 
 "Yes, mademoiselle, all that pertains to the 
 chateau."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 143 
 
 Each word of Germain augmented Blanche's 
 surprise. She could not conceive that her beloved 
 could have deceived her so far. However, she had 
 not the least suspicion of the treason of which she 
 was the victim. The servant pulled the bell and 
 a young country woman came into the room and 
 awkwardly curtseyed to Blanche, who returned 
 her salutation with good will. 
 
 " Mademoiselle, this young girl is at your 
 orders. She will serve you as chambermaid if you 
 are willing to accept her services." 
 
 " Oh, I can do everything for myself very well ; 
 I do not need anybody, I thank you." 
 
 "In any case, Marie will come as soon as you 
 ring. Mademoiselle must need rest after the fatigue 
 of the journey ; we will retire." 
 
 " Yes, since he will not come until evening I 
 will try to sleep a little. The time will seem 
 shorter." 
 
 Germain made a sign to Marie, who after having 
 made two other curtseys, left, followed by the 
 marquis' valet. Left alone in her new apartment, 
 Blanche glanced around her with surprise. All 
 that had happened to her since the evening before 
 seemed like a dream. She paused before the fur- 
 niture, the mirrors, and murmured, sighing, 
 
 " All this belongs to him, but why this mys- 
 tery? He feared, perhaps, to be loved only for 
 his fortune. Ah, dear Urbain, it is you only whom 
 I love, and I should very quickly leave this fine
 
 144 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 chateau if it were necessary for me to dwell in it 
 without you. But we shall be very happy here 
 together, although it will be rather large for us 
 two." 
 
 Fatigued by her journey, Blanche threw herself 
 upon the bed. Soon slumber closed her eyes, she 
 rested tranquilly, believing that she was under 
 Urbain's roof. 
 
 It was four o'clock when the young girl awak- 
 ened. Her first care on rising from the bed was 
 to go and look at a clock on the mantelpiece. 
 
 " Evening is still far distant," said she sighing, 
 "and what can I do until then? It seems to me 
 that I'm lost in this fine chateau. If only Mar- 
 guerite were here, we could talk about Urbain, 
 that would make the time pass quicker." 
 
 In glancing about the chamber she perceived 
 a little door which she had not remarked before; 
 she opened it and found herself in a dressing-room 
 where everything was gathered that could be agree- 
 able to a woman of fashion, but Blanche looked 
 indifferently at a handsome dressing-case furnished 
 with rarely beautiful objects. In her plans for a 
 happy future she had seen only a small farm, a 
 stable, a dovecot, and a garden, and her mind 
 could not become accustomed to replace it by the 
 chateau. She left the dressing-room and returned 
 to the first room, where she saw a table covered 
 with all that could tempt the appetite. 
 
 " How attentive they are," said Blanche, "really
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 145 
 
 they treat me like a queen. Urbain must have told 
 them to take every care of me." 
 
 Blanche rang and Marie answered, but she was 
 followed by Germain, who did not wish to lose 
 sight of the chambermaid before the arrival of his 
 master for fear she might inform Blanche of that 
 which he still wished to conceal. 
 
 " Was this table laid for me?" said Blanche. 
 
 " Yes, mademoiselle," answered Germain, " I 
 thought you would need some breakfast. Excuse 
 me if I offer you nothing but that, but not being 
 forewarned " 
 
 " Nothing but that ! You are laughing, no 
 doubt. There is enough here to suffice ten per- 
 sons, and at M. Touquet's we never had more 
 than two dishes for our dinner." 
 
 Blanche seated herself at the table. Germain 
 remained at some distance, and Marie served her 
 without opening her mouth, but curtseyed to her 
 every time that she handed her a dish. So much 
 ceremony fatigued the young girl, who was accus- 
 tomed to a simple, frugal life. She soon left the 
 table and evinced a desire to walk in the park. 
 Germain immediately led her through a gallery 
 and several passages to a staircase, at the foot of 
 which was an entrance to the gardens. Blanche 
 breathed more freely in the meadows than under 
 the sculptured ceilings of the chateau. She left 
 the borders of the lake, crossed a little wood and 
 found herself presently in what was designated as 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 146 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the English park, of which the paths crossed each 
 other and formed a thousand detours, but when 
 Blanche turned she always saw Germain in the 
 distance, who had never lost sight of her. 
 
 " He's no doubt afraid that I shall lose my- 
 self," said she, " this is all so vast that it would 
 be easy to lose one's way." 
 
 Blanche returned to the chateau ; Germain led 
 her back to her apartments, and then asked at 
 what hour she wished to dine. 
 
 " I would much rather wait and sup with Ur- 
 bain, for he will come this evening, will he not, 
 monsieur ? " 
 
 " I think so," answered the valet, bowing, and 
 he departed, leaving her sad and thoughtful, for 
 these words, " I think so," did not seem positive 
 enough for her. She stationed herself on one of 
 the balconies which looked on the lake and there, 
 her eyes fixed on the horizon, gave herself up to 
 her thoughts, and invoked the night which should 
 reunite her with her lover. Soon her eyes could 
 not distinguish distant objects, a light mist seemed 
 to rise and obscure the scene ; presently the per- 
 spective diminished, the horizon closed in ; finally, 
 she could see only a few steps before her, and 
 Blanche left the balcony, saying, 
 
 " Night is here, he will come." 
 
 Germain entered the room and lighted several 
 candles. 
 
 "As soon as he arrives," said Blanche to the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 147 
 
 man, " do not fail to tell him I am here that 
 I am waiting for him." 
 
 " His first care will be to seek you, mademoi- 
 selle," answered the valet smiling, and he de- 
 parted, inviting Blanche to ring if she should 
 desire anything else. 
 
 Had not Urbain's face been incessantly before 
 the mind of the young girl, perhaps she would 
 have experienced some fear on finding herself 
 alone at night in a place which she hardly knew, 
 in the middle of a room which seemed to her 
 immense in comparison with the little room which 
 she had occupied at the barber's, but love is the 
 best remedy against fear, and the young girl, who 
 would not go down into the cellar without trem- 
 bling, although she had a light in her hand, would 
 willingly go there without a candle were she sure 
 of finding her lover. The clock struck nine. 
 
 "He cannot be much later," said Blanche, 
 " provided nothing has stopped him on the way, 
 for M. Touquet told me he would be here before 
 me." 
 
 She sighed, and opening a window went on to the 
 balcony to contemplate the reflection of the moon 
 on the tranquil surface of the lake ; she was aston- 
 ished at the silence which reigned in the chateau, 
 where everything seemed as still as the moonlit 
 landscape. This profound quietude did not indi- 
 cate the arrival of Urbain, and at that moment 
 Blanche wished to hear some sound which would
 
 148 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 at least break the solitude of the night. She tried 
 to console herself by saying, 
 
 " My rooms are probably distant from the en- 
 trance to the chateau ; this house is so big I can- 
 not hear what passes in other parts of it." 
 
 An hour rolled by, and the uneasiness, the sad- 
 ness, which had taken possession of the young 
 girl caused her to pass alternately from her room 
 to the balcony. Sometimes she opened the door 
 of her room and ventured into the gallery. 
 
 Joy and hope no longer animated her beautiful 
 eyes, and she could hardly restrain her tears. At 
 last she dropped into an immense easy chair and 
 said in a broken voice, 
 
 "What new misfortune could have happened 
 to him?" 
 
 Suddenly a loud noise was heard. Blanche 
 rose, listened, and thought she distinguished the 
 sound of carriage wheels, the hoofs of horses, and 
 the barking of dogs. Presently the opening and 
 shutting of doors was heard. 
 
 " He is come," cried the young girl, and she 
 was about to pass along the gallery to go and 
 meet her lover, but there was no light, she did 
 not know the way and would become lost in all 
 these immense rooms ; it would be much better 
 to wait for him in her own. She still listened. 
 The sound of wheels had ceased, but she occa- 
 sionally heard steps and voices. 
 
 " Somebody surely has arrived," said Blanche.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 149 
 
 "It can be nobody but Urbain ; but why does 
 he not come to me ? " 
 
 She ran to the bell and pulled the cord several 
 times. Nobody came. Greatly astonished at 
 this, she was about to take a light and venture 
 into the gallery when hasty steps approached. 
 
 " Here he is at last," exclaimed she, running 
 immediately to the door, and remaining motionless 
 with surprise and fear on seeing before her the 
 stranger who, on the preceding night, had visited 
 the barber's house. 
 
 The marquis paused on the doorsill. He 
 bowed to Blanche with a look at once tender and 
 respectful. The latter had hardly recovered from 
 her surprise, and looked anxiously into the gal- 
 lery, saying to the marquis in a touching voice, 
 
 " Is not Urbain with you ? " 
 
 Blanche's accents were so sweet, her voice ex- 
 pressed so much anxiety of mind, that Villebelle 
 felt profoundly moved, and for the first time, per- 
 haps, experienced some remorse at the pain which 
 he was about to cause the young girl. Blanche 
 repeated her question in a supplicating tone, and 
 the marquis answered, turning away his eyes, 
 
 " I came alone." 
 
 " O monsieur, in mercy tell me what has hap- 
 pened to him ! " exclaimed Blanche, approaching 
 the marquis and extending her arms towards him 
 in her anxiety. 
 
 Villebelle looked at her and in that moment the
 
 150 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 various feelings which agitated the charming child, 
 rendered her still more seductive. Her eyes were 
 more animated than usual, her lips, half opened, 
 disclosed two rows of pearls, and her hair falling 
 in disorder over her forehead, gave a new expres- 
 sion to her angelic face. The marquis felt his re- 
 morse vanish at the sight of so many charms. 
 Habituated, besides, to treat virtue as a chimera 
 and constancy as a folly, he flattered himself that 
 he would soon be able to dissipate Blanche's 
 grief, and now, wishing to undeceive her, he fell 
 on his knees, saying, 
 
 " Deign to forgive me, lovely girl ; this chateau 
 belongs to me. You are not in Urbain's house, 
 but in the house of a man who adores you and 
 will use every means to promote your happi- 
 ness." 
 
 Blanche seemed as though she did not compre- 
 hend him; she looked at him affrightedly, re- 
 peating, 
 
 " I am not at Urbain's house ? But, monsieur, 
 where is he then ? " 
 
 " I'm not very uneasy about that, and I should 
 advise him not to come here to seek you." 
 
 " But it is with Urbain that I should be, mon- 
 sieur. They were mistaken in bringing me here, 
 I said so at the time ; I knew Urbain could not 
 have such a grand house. You are going to make 
 them take me away immediately, are you not, mon- 
 sieur?"
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 151 
 
 " No, my dear child, it was I who caused you 
 to be abducted and I will yield you to nobody." 
 
 "Abducted ? " she cried, " what are you saying? 
 Urbain had fought a duel and had to flee, that is 
 why I started in the middle of the night." 
 
 "It was necessary to tell you that, in order that 
 you might leave willingly." 
 
 " O my God ! could that be so ? But, no, it was 
 my protector, it was M. Touquet himself, who put 
 me in the carriage." 
 
 " Yes, adorable Blanche, it was your protector, 
 it was the honest Touquet who aided my plans 
 and gave you up to my love." 
 
 The frightful truth flashed into her mind, her 
 knees failed her, the color left her cheeks, and 
 without uttering a single cry she was about to fall 
 upon the floor. Happily the marquis received 
 her in his arms, he laid her on the bed and rang 
 the bell violently. Germain immediately appeared. 
 
 " Call someone, call for help," said the marquis, 
 greatly agitated, " she has lost consciousness. Is 
 there not a woman here in the chateau ? " 
 
 " Pardon me, monseigneur." Germain called 
 Marie, and the stout country girl came running. 
 
 "Give all your care to this young girl," said the 
 marquis to the woman, " and do not leave her for 
 an instant. If she is long in coming to her senses, 
 send me word." 
 
 " Very well, monseigneur," said Marie, curtsey- 
 ing, and Villebelle left the room with Germain.
 
 152 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The marquis, fatigued by his rapid journey from 
 Paris, threw himself upon a lounge as soon as he 
 reached his apartment, and while Germain relieved 
 him of his travelling dress he inquired as to what 
 Blanche had said and done since her arrival. 
 
 " Monseigneur," said Germain, "she believed 
 that she was at the house of M. Urbain, and fol- 
 lowing your orders I have not undeceived her." 
 
 " She appears to love him more than I had be- 
 lieved," said Villebelle, sighing. 
 
 "'Tis but the love of a young girl, monsei- 
 gneur, a fierce fire, which soon burns itself out." 
 
 " May what you say be true, but Blanche bears 
 no resemblance to other women whom I have seen 
 up to this day. There is about her a candor, a 
 frankness, finally, a something, I know not what, 
 which commands respect. I cannot explain to you 
 the feeling with which she inspires me. Her tears 
 sear my heart. I wish to win her love by the at- 
 tentions which I shall lavish upon her. It will 
 take some time, perhaps ; but no matter, I feel 
 capable of restraining my passion, of submitting 
 to everything which she may exact of me. You 
 see, Germain, that I am truly in love, for I no 
 longer recognize self, and near Blanche I feel as 
 timid as a child." 
 
 "We must see if that will last, monseigneur." 
 
 " Ah, you don't understand what I experience. 
 Germain, you must start tomorrow morning for 
 Paris ; I will give you what money is necessary,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 153 
 
 and you will bring back everything you can find 
 of the prettiest and newest in ornaments, stuffs, 
 and jewels. Spare nothing, that we may find 
 something to please Blanche." 
 " Rely on me, monseigneur." 
 " How many servants are in the chateau ? " 
 " The old porter, who never leaves his door, 
 believing himself the guardian of a citadel ; his 
 daughter Marie, whom monseigneur saw just now, 
 
 and who is the only woman I found at the cha- 
 
 ii 
 teau. 
 
 " Is she capable of waiting on Blanche? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, monseigneur, she's rather stupid, 
 rather awkward, but very faithful and obedient. 
 Her father answered to me for that; besides, 
 Mademoiselle Blanche seemed to prefer to do 
 without a chambermaid." 
 
 "Well, goon." 
 
 " The gardener, an old idiot, who knows noth- 
 ing except plants. As to the country people whom 
 we employ, they never come inside the house. 
 Oh, I forgot, an old cook and cellarman, very 
 drunken, so far as I can see, but he is never per- 
 mitted to leave his kitchen and, in the absence of 
 his masters, shuts himself up in the cellars." 
 
 " That is well, but it is necessary to have some 
 people here who can watch Blanche or else she 
 will doubtless find some way to escape, if, in time, 
 she should form such a plan, and I brought from 
 Paris two lackeys who will acquit themselves per-
 
 154 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 fectly in this employment. Ah, Germain, if I can 
 only make Blanche love me, how happy I shall 
 be ; but I am anxious to have news of her, go 
 down and call Marie, I cannot remain in this 
 anxiety." 
 
 Germain went down, but soon returned with the 
 young peasant, who had already left Blanche. 
 
 " Well, how is she ? " 
 
 " That young lady, monseigneur ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 " Oh, she returned to her senses some time ago, 
 monseigneur." 
 
 " And what did she say then ? " 
 
 " On my word, monseigneur, lots of things that 
 I couldn't understand Oh, wait, I remember, 
 she asked me if you were master of the chateau, 
 and as soon as I said ( Yes/ she began to cry." 
 
 " She wept ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, monseigneur, she did nothing else, 
 and then she asked me your name." 
 
 " What did you answer ? " 
 
 " Mercy, I said that you were called monsei- 
 gneur le marquis." 
 
 " She asked you no other questions ? " 
 
 " No, monseigneur." 
 
 " And why did you leave her ? " 
 
 " Monseigneur, it was because she told me she 
 would like me to leave her." 
 
 The marquis signed to them to leave him. He 
 did not wish anyone to witness the emotion which
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 155 
 
 he felt. It gave him satisfaction to know that 
 Blanche was within his walls, but the sorrow which 
 she showed disturbed his content. He dared not 
 go back to her yet, deeming it wiser to allow her 
 time to recover from the first pangs of her grief. 
 He threw himself upon his bed, but he could not 
 sleep. The image of Blanche was incessantly be- 
 fore his eyes, and with her came the remembrance 
 of the many errors of his youth which he wished 
 in vain to drive from his mind. 
 
 While Villebelle endeavored to account for his 
 insomnia and agitation by attributing it to love, 
 Blanche passed in tears that night which she had 
 awaited with so much impatience. Convinced at 
 last that she was in the power of the man to whom 
 the barber had delivered her, she felt all the hor- 
 ror of her situation ; but accustomed by Marguer- 
 ite to put all her confidence in a Supreme Being, 
 and to have no doubt of His power, she prayed 
 and besought Heaven to reunite her with Urbain. 
 Upon her knees, her hands raised toward Heaven, 
 and her eyes bathed in tears, she passed part of 
 the night, and morning found her still so occupied. 
 
 Marie came to take her orders. Blanche wished 
 for nothing, she desired nothing but her liberty, 
 and, in answer to that request, Marie brought her 
 breakfast. An hour later the marquis entered the 
 room. Blanche did not see him ; she was seated 
 with her head supported by one of her hands and 
 appeared absorbed in sorrow.
 
 156 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Villebelle signed to Marie to leave them, and 
 looked for some moments in silence at this young 
 girl who had been, since the evening before, re- 
 duced to despair because she was pretty and had 
 had the misfortune to please a rich and powerful 
 man, who thought that she should be only too 
 happy to be the object of his passion. However 
 the change which had taken place in Blanche's 
 features, her eyes reddened and still filled with 
 tears, made a painful impression upon the great 
 nobleman. He would have preferred reproaches 
 rather than this silent grief. He drew nearer, that 
 his victim might perceive his presence. 
 
 Blanche raised her eyes and looked at the mar- 
 quis, showing only a slight uneasiness, and let her 
 head fall again upon her hand. Villebelle had 
 expected complaints and reproaches. Surprised 
 at this silence he took a chair, and seated himself 
 near Blanche, who remained silent and continued 
 to weep. 
 
 " Are you so very unhappy then ? " said the 
 marquis at last, with emotion ; and Blanche an- 
 swered sobbing, but with the sweet tone which 
 never left her, 
 
 " Yes, monsieur." 
 
 " Can you regret the barber's gloomy house 
 where you never had any pleasure ? " 
 
 " It is not the house that I regret, monsieur." 
 
 " Here there is nothing to hinder you from 
 being the most happy woman ; all your desires
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 157 
 
 shall be laws here, you shall have the most beau- 
 tiful ornaments, the richest jewelry." 
 
 " I don't wish for them, monsieur." 
 
 " You will not always think so, my dear child. 
 Formed to please, to attract homage, one day by 
 your features and your toilets you will eclipse the 
 most seductive ladies of Paris." 
 
 " I don't understand you, monsieur." 
 
 " Forget the years passed in retirement and 
 commence a new life. This dwelling shall be- 
 come a place of delight ; parties and pleasures 
 shall succeed each other here without interruption 
 as soon as your beautiful eyes repay my efforts 
 with a smile. The barber did not deserve your 
 friendship ; the wretch would not have brought 
 you up had it not been for his interest to do so ; 
 you may dismiss all thoughts of gratitude from 
 your heart. As to the young man to whom he 
 wished to marry you, he is but a boy, somebody 
 has told me, and will soon forget you." 
 
 " Urbain forget me ! " cried Blanche, starting 
 convulsively. Then she said in a calmer tone, 
 falling back in her chair, 
 
 "No, monsieur, Urbain will. not forget me, for 
 I feel sure I shall love him always, and our hearts 
 had but a single thought." 
 
 The marquis rose, greatly annoyed, and walked 
 about the room. In a moment he said, 
 
 " It is, however, useless, mademoiselle, to nour- 
 ish a sentiment which must henceforth be hope-
 
 158 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 less, for you shall never more see this Urbain, 
 whom I hate without knowing." 
 
 Blanche looked supplicatingly at the marquis, 
 approached him and threw herself on her knees, 
 saying, in a voice broken by sobs, 
 
 " Monsieur, what have I done to you that you 
 should punish me like this? If, unknowingly, 
 I have been guilty of any fault, forgive me, I beg 
 of you, but do not separate me from Urbain." 
 
 " Rise, I beseech you," said Villebelle, who 
 yielded in spite of himself to the emotion which 
 he felt. " No, you are not guilty, lovely girl, it 
 is I, I alone ; yes, I am a monster to make you 
 shed tears. Ah, why did I ever see you but you 
 are so pretty ! " 
 
 " Monsieur, has any one the right to shut up 
 a girl because she is pretty ? If you punish me 
 by shutting me up a prisoner in your chateau, 
 that should be forbidden. Is it permitted to a 
 great nobleman to torment poor people at his 
 will ? O my God ! and the talisman which Mar- 
 guerite gave me to preserve me from all dan- 
 ger ! O poor Marguerite ! if she only knew how 
 unfortunate I am." 
 
 " Oh, well," said he, leaning towards Blanche, 
 " since you hate me, since I am only an object of 
 dislike to you " 
 
 " I hate you ! " said the innocent child, raising 
 her sweet eyes to his. " Oh, no, monsieur, don't 
 believe that ; despite all the grief you have caused
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 159 
 
 me, I don't know how it is, but I feel that I should 
 like to forgive you, I feel that I could even love 
 you." 
 
 " You could love me, delightful girl," exclaimed 
 the marquis, intoxicated by these words. "O 
 heavens, she could love me and I was just about 
 to consent oh, never ; rather would I die than 
 lose you or yield you to another. You have 
 given me a foretaste of so much happiness that 
 the idea of it alone transports me. Blanche, 
 Blanche, I shall do everything to merit the love 
 which you allow me to hope for, but to renounce 
 you ah, that is henceforth impossible. I must 
 leave you, that I may not see those tears which 
 make me detest my love." 
 
 Villebelle left precipitantly. Blanche looked 
 after him in surprise, understanding nothing of 
 the transport which he had shown. She was far 
 from conceiving that she had riveted her chains 
 in confessing to the marquis that she had a feel- 
 ing of friendship for him. Her pure heart did 
 not know how to feign, and the feeling which she 
 wished to give to the marquis was so different 
 from the love she had for Urbain that she saw no 
 harm in allowing it to appear. But Villebelle did 
 not know how to read this ingenuous heart. He 
 imagined that Blanche was about to respond to 
 his love, and did not doubt but that he should, in 
 time, cause her to forget Urbain. 
 
 The day rolled by without the marquis again
 
 160 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 approaching Blanche. The latter tried to sum- 
 mon her courage, but could not persuade herself 
 that the marquis had any intention except to keep 
 her prisoner, and she had recourse to her talis- 
 man, hoping by means of it to abridge her sojourn 
 in the chateau. In the afternoon, Blanche asked 
 Marie the way into the park, and the stout peas- 
 ant hastened to lead her to the entrance, where 
 she left her, making a curtsey. Despite her in- 
 nocent air, the country girl understood that her 
 lord was in love with the young damsel. Marie 
 had remarked Blanche's red eyes, and heard her 
 deep sighs, and, while leaving her, she said to 
 herself, 
 
 " Zooks ! if monseigneur was in love with me, 
 that would not make me cry ; far otherwise." 
 
 Although she was alone in the park, Blanche 
 did not even conceive the idea of seeking to re- 
 cover her liberty. She did not know the way, and 
 was ignorant as to what place she was in, and how 
 far from Paris. She felt that it would be impos- 
 sible to leave without again falling into the power 
 of the marquis, and she resigned herself to wait 
 until he should send her to her lover. She did 
 not suppose the marquis capable of keeping her 
 always a prisoner, and did not yet divine all the 
 dangers which surrounded her in the chateau. 
 
 Villebelle, learning that Blanche was in the 
 park, hastened to join her there, and the young 
 girl received him almost smiling, and although
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 161 
 
 her features still wore a plaintive expression, she 
 chatted with him on the objects which surrounded 
 them, and answered him with her accustomed 
 sweetness and grace. This conduct appeared so 
 extraordinary to the marquis that he regarded 
 Blanche with as much astonishment as love. 
 However, far from emboldening him, he felt for 
 her a most profound respect, and dared not speak 
 of his love, and, not understanding the power 
 which the child exerted over him, he remained for 
 some time silent and thoughtful, walking at her 
 side. 
 
 The next day Marie carried into Blanche's 
 room the things which Germain had brought 
 from Paris ; an infinite quantity of those charming 
 nothings invented so that rich men may more 
 easily spend their money. The stout peasant 
 looked on each object with ecstasy, while Blanche 
 hardly took the trouble to look at them. 
 
 The marquis came to see his young captive, and 
 perceived that she had not touched his presents. 
 
 " Do you disdain that which I am so happy to 
 offer you ? " said he to Blanche. 
 
 " I don't wish for any of those things," an- 
 swered she, sighing. " I do not need all of these 
 ornaments in order to please Urbain. What 
 would he say if he saw me in them ? " 
 
 " Still thinking of Urbain ? Have I not told 
 you, mademoiselle, that you will not see him 
 again ? " 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 i6a THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Yes, but I don't think you're so wicked as you 
 wish to appear. How would it help you always 
 to vex me so ? " 
 
 " Blanche, have you not confessed that you were 
 not far from loving me ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I still feel the same. With Urbain 
 and you I should be very happy." 
 
 " May I not hope by the ardor of my atten- 
 tions, my love, that I may cause you to forget a 
 first fancy, and that I alone shall occupy your 
 heart?" 
 
 " You don't understand me, monsieur. I love 
 Urbain as my lover, my husband ; and you I 
 should like I don't know, it seems to me that 
 I could with pleasure call you my brother or 
 my father." 
 
 This confession did not entirely satisfy Ville- 
 belle, but he hoped everything from time and the 
 constancy of his attentions. 
 
 Towards evening Blanche again went into the 
 park, and as on the previous evening the marquis 
 joined her. He walked near her, feeling his love 
 increase every moment. The marquis could not 
 recognize himself. This libertine, this seducer, 
 who had triumphed over the most rebellious beau- 
 ties, had become timid and fearful before a child 
 who had no other safeguards than her innocence 
 and her virtue. 
 
 Twelve days had passed since Blanche had 
 come to the Chateau de Sarcus, and had wrought
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 163 
 
 no change in the situation. Every morning the 
 marquis paid her a visit, but when, yielding to the 
 grief which she experienced on being separated 
 from him she loved, the sweet child allowed her 
 tears to flow, the marquis left her abruptly. In 
 the evening they walked together in the park, but 
 often in silence or exchanging only a few words. 
 Blanche dreamed of Urbain, and Villebelle, satis- 
 fied in being near her, had not yet conceived 
 guilty designs. 
 
 At the end of this time, a message from Paris 
 apprised the marquis that his uncle was very ill, 
 and desired to see him before he died. Ville- 
 belle, the sole heir of this relative, who was very 
 rich, was obliged to go to him, and decided, al- 
 though with regret, to leave Blanche for some 
 days. He took Germain with him, but the men 
 servants whom he left at the chateau had received 
 their instructions ; besides the sad Blanche had no 
 idea of escaping. The marquis judged it better 
 not to forewarn the young girl of his departure ;. 
 and he left the chateau more in love than ever, 
 and vowing to hasten his return.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE MEETING. PROJECTS OF REVENGE 
 
 WE left our disconsolate young lover at the 
 moment when he was about to seat himself upon 
 a huge stone, and was arrested in the act of doing 
 so by an exclamation uttered by an unseen man. 
 
 The words pronounced by this individual have 
 no doubt already caused the reader to recognize 
 our Chaudoreille, who had remained in the place 
 where the robbers, disguised as chair porters, had 
 left him. 
 
 Urbain was startled on hearing himself thus 
 addressed, but being one of those persons who 
 are insensible to fear, he calmly seated himself on 
 the stone, saying, 
 
 " Pardon me, monsieur, I did not see you." 
 
 Chaudoreille half rose, looked at Urbain, and 
 began to feel reassured. Besides, what had he to 
 fear now ? His money was gone and his costume 
 would not be likely to tempt robbers. Rolande, 
 it is true, was still left him, for the thieves had 
 perceived that in his hands the weapon was not 
 dangerous. 
 
 " By jingo ! you woke me up, comrade ; and I 
 was having a delightful dream. I still had the two 
 
 164
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 165 
 
 thousand livres of gold in my pockets, when I 
 awakened to the sad reality. O thousand million 
 mustaches ! The thieves, the scoundrels ! they 
 have taken everything from me. I've had a fine 
 experience ; I don't own so much as an obole. 
 O death ! O fury ! O despair ! " 
 
 Chaudoreille again threw himself upon the 
 ground, and pulled two or three hairs from his 
 mustache. Feeling that this would not restore his 
 crowns, he quieted himself, and again looked at 
 Urbain, who was sighing deeply, and appeared to 
 pay no attention to the despair of the despoiled 
 man. 
 
 " What the deuce ! this is a taciturn fellow," 
 said the Gascon to himself; and then he again ad- 
 dressed Urbain. 
 
 "I'll wager that you have been robbed, also, 
 comrade. This town is indeed infested with thieves 
 and bandits ; one is safe only in the midst of a 
 patrol, and yet one can't be proud of the watch. 
 It was that cursed theatre brought this misfortune 
 upon me ; those wretched comedians at the Hotel 
 de Bourgogne dared to mock at a gentleman of 
 my race. Ah, Turlupin, my friend, I'll get even 
 with you. Tomorrow I'll lay a complaint before 
 the criminal magistrate, and I'll put you and Gau- 
 tier-Garguille in a dungeon. But, alas, that won't 
 restore my two hundred pistoles. I'll wager you 
 haven't as much on you, comrade hey? By 
 jingo, you sigh as though they had despoiled you
 
 166 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 of the towers of Notre-Dame. Were you robbed 
 in a sedan chair ? " 
 
 A deep sigh was Urbain's only response ; then 
 he murmured to himself, 
 
 " Alas, I have lost her forever ! " 
 
 " I was sure he'd lost his purse," said Chaudo- 
 reille, " or rather, that some one had taken it from 
 him. Did you lose it in this neighborhood, com- 
 rade ? " 
 
 Urbain looked at him in surprise, then he 
 said, 
 
 " I don't know where she can be. I have been 
 running all over Paris since eight o'clock, and I 
 have learned nothing." 
 
 "If you only had a lantern, that would help 
 you was it very large? If we recover it full, 
 comrade, you must share it with me. That's un- 
 derstood." 
 
 Urbain rose and seized Chaudoreille by the 
 throat, and holding him tightly to the ground, ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 " Wretch ! do you dare to insult my sorrow ? 
 If I should listen to my anger " 
 
 " O mercy ! do not listen to it, I beg of you. 
 Ugh, I can't bear it any longer. What the devil 
 sort of man are you ? Did you come from the 
 Chateau de Vincennes ? Because I offer to help you 
 look for your lost purse, you try to strangle me ! " 
 
 " My purse ? what, you were talking about 
 money ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 167 
 
 " How could I talk about anything else after 
 having had so much of it as I have." 
 
 " Excuse me, monsieur, I didn't understand 
 you." 
 
 " I'm beginning to see that ; but, by jingo, we 
 were nearly choked, that is to say, you choked 
 me. What a grip you have, it's like mine when 
 I hold Rolande. It appears that it's not money 
 you've lost, then ? " 
 
 " O monsieur, would to heaven it were ! I 
 would give all I possess to recover her whom 
 I adore she who was about to become my 
 wife ! " 
 
 " Poor simpleton," said Chaudoreille to him- 
 self, " it's on account of a woman that he's lament- 
 ing thus. He doesn't know what it is to lose two 
 hundred pistoles, without counting the small 
 change. But since he's not been robbed, I'll try 
 to make him useful if I could replenish my 
 pockets by helping him to find his lass ! " 
 
 The chevalier rose, and seating himself on a 
 stone near Urbain, said to him, in a feeling 
 voice, 
 
 " Tell me your troubles, young man, I'm the 
 protector of everything in nature that suffers in 
 consideration of a slight gratuity ; but I never 
 charge anything, trusting to the generosity of 
 those whom I oblige." 
 
 " What could you do for me, monsieur ? I have 
 not the least trace of the abductors, nor of the
 
 1 68 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 route they have taken. Oh, I feel that courage 
 has abandoned me." 
 
 " What a thing to say, young man ! Courage 
 should never leave you. For shame ! in all 
 the phases of life it is courage which makes us 
 equal the gods, who, in truth, should not fear death 
 itself, since they are immortal. But to return to 
 you. If you have money it is always a resource. 
 I shall help you to find your sweetheart ; two of 
 my friends are detectives, that is to say, they oper- 
 ate as amateurs for the good of humanity. Tell 
 me in what neighborhood did the little one live ? " 
 
 " In the Rue des Bourdonnais, with the barber 
 Touquet, who brought her up." 
 
 "At the barber's ? Rue des Bourdonnais and 
 your sweetheart is named Blanche ? " 
 
 " Yes, monsieur, do you know her ? Oh, pray 
 tell me." 
 
 " One moment, one moment, my young friend. 
 Hang it ! this is an event for which I give us 
 your hand ; by jingo, you're very fortunate to 
 have met me." 
 
 " What ! can you help me to find Blanche ? " 
 and Urbain threw himself on Chaudoreille's neck. 
 
 " This young man is the one Blanche was going 
 to marry," said the Gascon to himself, as he dis- 
 engaged himself from Urbain's grasp. "It appears 
 as though the marquis had already carried the lit- 
 tle one off; but he has paid me, I have nothing 
 more to hope for from him ; so I must turn to the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 169 
 
 young lover's side. However, I shall be prudent 
 and not let him know who I am, nor what I have 
 done in this intrigue." 
 
 Urbain pressed Chaudoreille to explain himself, 
 and the latter answered, in a mysterious tone, 
 
 " I am acquainted with neither Blanche nor the 
 barber, but one of my friends goes often to Tou- 
 quet's shop. I remember now that he has often 
 spoken to me of your approaching marriage." 
 
 "That's singular! M. Touquet advised the 
 greatest secrecy, and he himself " 
 
 " But, you see, some one must have spoken of 
 it, since I know it. But a man of high rank, a 
 great nobleman, was in love with your promised 
 wife." 
 
 " A great nobleman ! what is his name ? " 
 
 " I don't know yet, but I shall learn it." 
 
 " And you are sure of this ? " 
 
 " Oh, very sure ; and it must be this nobleman 
 who has taken away your sweetheart." 
 
 " I entreat you to let me know his name." 
 
 " Tomorrow, that is, to say, this evening, I hope 
 to learn it. But be prudent, young man, and do 
 not compromise me. I expose myself to great 
 risk in thus helping you." 
 
 " Monsieur, you may count on my gratitude." 
 
 " I will count on it, you may be sure." 
 
 "And I may expect the information this even- 
 ing?" 
 
 "Yes: be near the Porte Montmartre at nine
 
 i yo THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 o'clock this evening. Take care to bring along 
 with you all the money you can get together, and 
 I will tell you all I have learned." 
 
 " Enough ! Oh, that evening were here " 
 
 "And, while waiting for it, I shall have need 
 of some crowns to give to the friend of whom I 
 spoke to you, and my pockets are empty because 
 I have been robbed so much." 
 
 " Here is all that I have upon me, monsieur ; 
 take it, I beg of you." 
 
 " Very willingly, my young friend," said Chau- 
 doreille ; " but day is dawning ; we must part 
 until this evening, at the Porte Montmartre." 
 
 " Oh, I shan't fail to be there, monsieur." 
 
 " And don't forget anything I have told you. 
 Good-by ; I'm going to work for you." 
 
 Chaudoreille departed, and Urbain, slightly 
 restored by the hope imparted to him by this 
 man, went to his dwelling that he might there 
 wait for evening. 
 
 While walking alongside the Pont-Neuf, the 
 Gascon said to himself, 
 
 "It seems to me that the marquis did the busi- 
 ness very quickly. The little one is abducted ; 
 this rascal of a Touquet is in connivance with the 
 marquis, I am certain. I must be audacious now ; 
 the marquis is incapable of speaking of me; I 
 must go to Touquet's house without appearing 
 to know anything, and see what he will say to me ; 
 besides, from prudential motives I shall remain
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 171 
 
 in the shop, and the first angry movement that I 
 see him make, I will spring out of the door and 
 draw a hundred people around me." 
 
 This plan settled, Chaudoreille began by going 
 into the first eating-house which he saw, and, for 
 fear of being again robbed, ate and drank to 
 the extent of all the money which Urbain had 
 given him. It was nearly ten o'clock when he 
 left the table. This was the time when the bar- 
 ber's was always the most crowded, and it was the 
 moment which Chaudoreille chose to go there. 
 Before he went into the shop, he ascertained that 
 Touquet was not alone ; then he presented him- 
 self, and wished him good morning with a wheed- 
 ling air. The barber answered in his customary 
 tone. Nothing in his manner indicated that he 
 had any suspicion, and Chaudoreille was reas- 
 sured. However, when they were alone he did 
 not lose sight of the door, while asking indiffer- 
 ently if there was any news. 
 
 "Everything is finished," said the barber, " they 
 are married, they are gone, and I hope I shall 
 hear nothing further." 
 
 "Oh, they are married," said Chaudoreille, 
 compressing his lips, "the little one has a hus- 
 band. Her little lover ? " 
 
 "Why, of course," answered Touquet, brusque- 
 ly. " What is there surprising to you in that ? " 
 
 " Me ? By jingo ! I'm no more surprised 
 than a fly."
 
 172 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Wait, here is what I promised you. I intend 
 shortly to sell this house, and to retire from busi- 
 ness. I have no further need of your visits ; 
 you have no more music lessons to give here, so 
 you need not take the trouble to come again. 
 Good-by, I will make you a present of all the 
 shaves for which you owe me." 
 
 " Very much obliged, my dear friend, may I 
 be able to prove all my gratitude to you some 
 day." 
 
 So saying, Chaudoreille passed through the 
 doorway, and departed from the barber's house. 
 
 "He forbids me to return to his house," said 
 the Gascon. "That's very polite. The rascal 
 is afraid that I shall meet the marquis there. The 
 latter probably ordered him to share with me the 
 gratuity he gave him on receiving the pretty little 
 sweetheart at his hands ; but patience ! if you are 
 a scoundrel, my dear Touquet, I flatter myself 
 that I am also an adroit enough chap. I have no 
 desire to return into your hornets' nest. Come, 
 Chaudoreille, we must show some genius here, 
 my friend. I must set to work to repair last 
 night's losses and to make my fortune over again. 
 Devil take me, though, if I ever again take a 
 sedan chair. First I'll go to the little house in 
 the Faubourg and learn from Marcel if it was 
 there that the marquis led Blanche ; after that I 
 shall come back into Paris and go to our jealous 
 Italian's house ; there I shall tell her all about it,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 173 
 
 I shall tell her all about it ! She'll go into 
 convulsions over it. Finally, I'll keep the ap- 
 pointment I made with the young lover, and after 
 having made him pay me well, I'll tell him all 
 that I know. After that each one of them may 
 win out of it as they best can. As for me, as 
 soon as my pockets are full, I shall settle myself 
 in a faro house, and I will there dare fortune in 
 the midst of players and bankers. By jingo ! 
 what a pleasing prospect." 
 
 While laying these plans he took his way 
 towards the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. He ar- 
 rived all out of breath at the little house, and, 
 while opening to him, Marcel asked him if by 
 chance he had again killed a strange prince. 
 
 " Not today," said Chaudoreille, affectionately 
 squeezing his friend's hand, which made the latter 
 presume that his great fortune was already dissi- 
 pated. 
 
 " Have you come for the purpose of buying a 
 house in this neighborhood," said Marcel. 
 
 " There's no more question of that ; I have 
 been robbed, my friend, completely robbed. I took 
 a sedan chair and the wretches who carried me 
 took me into a den and put a dozen or fifteen 
 men after me. Valor could do nothing against 
 numbers ; I think, however, that I killed three 
 or four while defending myself. But let us drop 
 that. Tell me, my dear Marcel, has the marquis 
 brought here a new conquest ? "
 
 174 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I have seen neither monseigneur nor any- 
 body from him." 
 
 " Marcel, you're lying." 
 
 " I'm telling you the truth. There's no one 
 except me in the house." 
 
 " The devil ! that upsets my ideas a little. 
 You are very sure that you are not lying to 
 me?" 
 
 " Why, hang it ! if there had been anybody 
 here I should have sent you away before this." 
 
 " Do you know if your master possesses any 
 other little properties on the outskirts of Paris ? " 
 
 " I know nothing except to follow the orders 
 which he has given me, to eat and to sleep ; for 
 the rest I'm neither curious nor a gossip." 
 
 " You're very wrong, you'll never push your- 
 self. Good-by, Marcel." 
 
 Chaudoreille took his way back to Paris, ex- 
 tremely dissatisfied that he had not discovered 
 where Blanche was. Not wishing to go to Julia's 
 house until he had learned more, he decided to 
 make some inquiries at the marquis' hotel. 
 
 The brilliant Villebelle's hotel was worthy of 
 its master, and was situated at a little distance from 
 the Louvre. Chaudoreille slipped into an im- 
 mense court and bowed low to the porter, while 
 asking if monseigneur was in Paris. 
 
 " Monsieur le marquis is in England," said the 
 porter, looking at Chaudoreille from the height of 
 his grandeur, and the latter, seeing that he had no
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 175 
 
 way of entering into conversation with the proud 
 guardian, left the hotel, saying to himself, 
 
 "In England? Does he wish to seduce the 
 Httle one with plum pudding? My faith! I've 
 done all that I can. Come now, let's go and tell 
 the beautiful Julia all that I know. It's not more 
 than five o'clock, I shall have plenty of time to 
 keep my appointment." 
 
 Chaudoreille ran to the young Italian's house, 
 where a servant opened the door. 
 
 " Is your mistress in ? " said he. 
 
 "Yes, monsieur." 
 
 "Is she alone?" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur." 
 
 " Go and inform her that the Chevalier Chaudo- 
 reille has something of great importance to com- 
 municate to her." 
 
 The domestic returned shortly, and immediately 
 took Chaudoreille to her mistress. Julia was 
 walking up and down her room, deeply agitated. 
 
 " I was waiting for you," said she to the cheva- 
 lier, signing to him to be seated. 
 
 "You were waiting for me, signora?" 
 
 " Yes, for I have not seen the marquis since I 
 spoke to you. Never yet has he been so long 
 without coming and I do not doubt but some 
 new intrigue is the cause of his abandonment 
 of me." 
 
 " Alas, signora, you have divined the truth only 
 too well.
 
 i y6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Then I have been betrayed," cried Julia, 
 making a movement of fury, while Chaudoreille 
 went to seat himself at a respectful distance, put- 
 ting Rolande across his knee. 
 
 " What did you expect, signora ? Men are 
 men. The marquis did not know how to appre- 
 ciate your grace, your charms, your " 
 
 " Hold your tongue, and tell me immediately 
 all that you know." 
 
 " She wants me to hold my tongue and yet 
 speak," answered Chaudoreille, rolling his eyes 
 affrightedly. 
 
 " The name of my rival ? Answer me, wretch." 
 
 " It's this way, signora but I beg you let me 
 tell you that by order " 
 
 " The name of my rival, I tell you," resumed 
 Julia, approaching Chaudoreille furiously. The 
 little man, trembling in all his limbs, muttered, 
 
 " Blanche, an orphan, a young girl whom the 
 barber was caring for." 
 
 " The scoundrel ! I should have known it." 
 
 " Blanche was to have been married today to a 
 young man whom she loved and who adored her. 
 The barber had given his consent. I don't know 
 by what chance monsieur le marquis came to see 
 the young girl, but he must have fallen in love 
 with her and abducted her, for the night before 
 last she disappeared, and I strongly suspect my 
 friend Touquet of having aided monseigneur's 
 plans. At all events, the little one is not at the
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 177 
 
 Faubourg Saint-Antoine ; I have been there and 
 the marquis is not in Paris, since I come from his 
 hotel, where they told me he was in England." 
 
 Chaudoreille told all this without taking breath, 
 fearing that Julia would do him some ill if he did 
 not hasten his story. 
 
 " This voyage to England is a falsehood," cried 
 Julia. 
 
 " I thought so myself." 
 
 " The marquis has taken the young girl to one 
 of his chateaux." 
 
 "That is probable." 
 
 " But to which one ? That's what we must 
 discover." 
 
 " I'm of your opinion, that's what we must 
 discover." 
 
 " Perhaps this young girl is still in Paris." 
 
 " That might very well be. This city is a gulf, 
 a young girl could be lost here like a piece of six 
 liards." 
 
 Julia reflected for some moments, and Chaudo- 
 reille remained silent, waiting till she should speak 
 that he might echo her words. The young woman 
 walked up and down the room ; one could per- 
 ceive by the trembling which had possession of 
 her that it was only by a great effort that she re- 
 strained her fury. Finally, she stopped before 
 Chaudoreille, and said to him, 
 
 " You think, then, that this Blanche does not 
 love Villebelle ? "
 
 1 78 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I think that, at least, she does not yet love 
 him, since she had never seen him." 
 
 " How can you be certain of that? " 
 
 " In fact you are right, I'm not certain of it 
 at all." 
 
 " Tell me everything that you know in regard 
 to this young girl, how long she has lived at the 
 barber's and his motive for adopting her." 
 
 Chaudoreille told Julia the same story that he 
 had told the marquis, and she listened to him with 
 the greatest attention. When he had finished she 
 fell into deep thought, and Chaudoreille dared not 
 disturb her. 
 
 " Touquet is a scoundrel," said Julia, " I have 
 known it for a long time, but I wish now to ob- 
 tain proofs of his crime, and if, in fact, it is he who 
 has given Blanche to the marquis, he should trem- 
 ble." 
 
 " That's right, crime must be punished," and 
 Chaudoreille added to himself, " If she would only 
 hang him, I should not have to fear him any 
 longer." 
 
 "Is that really all that you know ? " asked 
 Julia. 
 
 " Oh, forgive me, signora ; in the ardor of my 
 zeal I forgot to tell you that by the greatest 
 chance, I met Blanche's lover tonight. The poor 
 devil was seated on a stone, and I was seated on 
 the ground ; I had been despoiled by bandits, who, 
 by the way, have robbed me of the fruits of three
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 179 
 
 years of economy and privations, which I was car- 
 rying to a savings bank. The unfortunate love 
 to talk of their troubles ; we chatted and he told 
 me that he was searching for his future wife. I 
 didn't wish to tell him that I strongly suspected 
 the Marquis de Villebelle of being the abductor of 
 his sweetheart, before seeing you ; but I gave him 
 a rendezvous for this evening at nine o'clock." 
 
 " Very good, go to this rendezvous and bring 
 this young man to me." 
 
 " You want me to bring him to you, signora ? " 
 
 "Yes, bring him to my house ; we will plan to- 
 gether, we will unite our efforts ; he that he may 
 recover his mistress, and I that I may punish the 
 ungrateful man who has abandoned me." 
 
 " Indeed, that's very sensible, in acting together, 
 you will hear more and do more. I will go to the 
 rendezvous then, and I will bring young Urbain 
 to you. Ah, by jingo ! I haven't yet taken any- 
 thing today and I am afraid that I have no money 
 about me." 
 
 " Wait, wait, take that," said Julia, " serve me 
 faithfully and do not spare that gold." 
 
 " For fidelity I'm a veritable spaniel," said 
 Chaudoreille, putting the purse in his belt. " I 
 will go to an eating-house, I shall have time to eat 
 a little and take a glass of spirits ; then I will go 
 to the Porte Montmartre and bring our lover to 
 you immediately." 
 
 Chaudoreille hurriedly left ; when he was in the
 
 i8o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 street he counted the money that was in the purse 
 and said to himself, 
 
 " Really, if the young lover gives me as much 
 more I shall be in possession of a nice capital 
 again, without counting the small change ; for this 
 Julia is a mine of gold waiting to be explored." 
 
 At nine o'clock he was in the neighborhood 
 which he had indicated to Urbain, but he did not 
 find the young bachelor there ; which surprised 
 him after the desire which the latter had evinced 
 to see him again promptly. Chaudoreille walked 
 up and down, being careful to hold his purse in 
 his hand and to keep away from chair porters. 
 However, ten o'clock had struck and Urbain had 
 not come. The chevalier struck his foot impa- 
 tiently, muttering, 
 
 " Plague take all lovers ! they're always half 
 fools ; this one may have misunderstood me and 
 is perhaps waiting for me at the Porte Saint Hon- 
 ore, while I am waiting for him here. If I only 
 knew his address; this is a nuisance, by all the 
 devils." 
 
 Poor Urbain had understood very well, and in 
 going into his lodging at daybreak his only desire 
 had been to see the moment of his appointment 
 arrive. But who can foresee events. We are but 
 sorry creatures, and yet we form great plans for 
 the future. 
 
 Today belongs to us; 
 Tomorrow, to nobody.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 181 
 
 Today, even, does not always belong to us en- 
 tirely. Hardly had he reached his room when 
 Urbain felt a shiver run through all his body ; 
 attributing this indisposition to the fatigue of the 
 night, he got into bed, hoping that a few hours' 
 rest would restore him to his usual health, but 
 nature had not so ordered ; a high fever ensued, 
 and delirium took possession of the young man 
 who, since the evening before, had entirely yielded 
 to despair. The young neighbor who had as- 
 sisted him in disguising himself, established her- 
 self at his bedside to watch ; because she had a 
 friendly feeling for Urbain, and because women 
 are always ready to prove their friendship in pain 
 as well as in pleasure. 
 
 This was the reason why Chaudoreille waited 
 fruitlessly by the Porte Montmartre. Finally, at 
 half-past ten, deeming it unwise to wait longer, he 
 returned in a very ill-temper to the young Italian's 
 house, who, seeing him alone, exclaimed, 
 
 " Why did you not bring him with you ? " 
 
 " By jingo ! because I didn't see him." 
 
 " What do you say ? " 
 
 " I say, signora, that I have vainly watched for 
 him since nine o'clock ; Urbain did not come to 
 the place of meeting." 
 
 "How vexatious! and you haven't his address?" 
 
 "No, if I'd had it I should have gone to his 
 house. What the deuce could have prevented his 
 coming ? "
 
 1 82 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Perhaps he has discovered Blanche's retreat ; 
 no matter, we shall find this young man again. 
 Chaudoreille, tomorrow at daybreak place yourself 
 in hiding near the barber's house; watch all his 
 movements, if he goes out follow him, and should 
 the marquis go to see him, run and let me know. 
 For my part, I shall go and watch the Hotel de 
 Villebelle ; it is more than probable that the mar- 
 quis will repair there shortly. By watching the 
 movements of the marquis and the barber we shall 
 discover where Blanche is hidden, and then I shall 
 know what I ought to do." 
 
 " Your orders shall all be executed," said Chau- 
 doreille, bowing to Julia as he left.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE LITTLE CLOSET AGAIN 
 
 A WEEK had elapsed during which Julia had 
 spent almost her whole time in loitering around 
 the Marquis de Villebelle's hotel ; she had not 
 gained much by this however, for all that she 
 could be sure of was that Villebelle was not there. 
 Chaudoreille, for his part, had made no better 
 progress ; he was very sure that the marquis had 
 not been to the barber's, and the latter kept very 
 closely to his shop, rarely leaving home except to 
 go to his customers' residences. What most sur- 
 prised Chaudoreille was the fact that since he had 
 watched he had not once seen young Urbain go 
 to the barber's house nor had he encountered him 
 in his prowling about the streets. He was ignor- 
 ant of the fact of which the reader is well aware, 
 that the young bachelor was still kept in bed by 
 fever, and that the impatience and grief which had 
 caused his illness had greatly retarded his conva- 
 lescence. 
 
 Julia whose proud and haughty spirit could not 
 endure the situation in which she found herself, 
 keenly desired to wreak her vengeance on the 
 lover who had betrayed and abandoned her, and 
 
 183
 
 i8 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Villcbelle being still absent, she charged Chaudo- 
 reille to take her place in the neighborhood of 
 the hotel, and stationed herself in the Rue des 
 Bourdonnais; Chaudoreille accepted this change 
 with great pleasure, delighted to leave the neigh- 
 borhood of the barber's house. The young wo- 
 man did not intend merely to watch Touquet's 
 dwelling, she wished to introduce herself there, to 
 talk with Marguerite, to learn from the good old 
 woman all the details of Blanche's disappearance. 
 Julia was courageous and enterprising ; she was 
 Italian, and she wished to revenge herself; and 
 thus possessed three times as much as was neces- 
 sary to compass her ends. 
 
 She was not afraid of Touquet, but she readily 
 felt that it was only in his absence that she could 
 hope to speak to Marguerite, and she formed her 
 plan in accordance with the information which 
 she had received in the neighborhood, in regard 
 to the old servant. Towards evening, Julia saw 
 the barber leave his dwelling. As soon as he had 
 departed, she went and knocked at the door of 
 the house. Marguerite was disconsolate at hav- 
 ing no news of her dear Blanche, and what com- 
 pleted the despair of the good old woman was 
 that she could hear nothing of Urbain. When 
 she uttered the name of Blanche before her master 
 he ordered her to be silent in a severe tone, and 
 it was only in solitude that she dared to give way 
 without constraint to her grief.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 185 
 
 " Who is there ? " asked Marguerite, following 
 her custom. 
 
 " Someone who brings you news of Blanche," 
 answered Julia. 
 
 On hearing her dear child's name, Marguerite 
 unhesitatingly opened the door ; she had, besides, 
 recognized a woman's voice, and grief had ren- 
 dered her less fearful than formerly. Julia en- 
 tered ; she was wrapped in a black mantilla, larger 
 than those in use among the Spaniards, and wore 
 a cap of the same hue, from which two black 
 feathers fell gracefully on her left shoulder. This 
 costume, her decided step, and the animation 
 which sparkled in her black eyes, gave to the 
 whole person of the young Italian, a strangely 
 fantastic distinction, but Marguerite did not notice 
 all this, and exclaimed on seeing her, 
 
 " Have you brought me back my dear Blanche ? " 
 
 " Not yet, but I shall make every effort that 
 you may soon see her again. In order to do this 
 it is necessary that I should talk with you ; take 
 me to your room." 
 
 " But my master has forbidden me to receive 
 anybody," said Marguerite, who began to regard 
 Julia more attentively. 
 
 " Your master has gone out." 
 
 "He may come in at any moment." 
 
 " I know how to avoid him. You are very 
 much afraid of him, are you not ? " 
 
 " He's so strict."
 
 1 86 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Come, my good Marguerite, don't let the 
 fear you feel for the barber make you forget your 
 dear Blanche. Upon the conversation which we 
 shall have together, upon the information which 
 you will give me, depends perhaps the success of 
 my enterprise." 
 
 " Oh, to see my darling girl again, I feel that 
 I would dare everything ! Come, madame, fol- 
 low me." 
 
 Marguerite went up to her room, followed by 
 Julia, who closely scrutinized everything that 
 she saw. While the old woman placed her lamp 
 on the table and drew up some chairs, Julia took 
 off her mantle ; she wore beneath it a red robe, 
 and in a black belt which surrounded her waist, 
 she had stuck a little stiletto with an ebony 
 handle. 
 
 This combination of red and black, which, fol- 
 lowing the old woman's chronicles, had always 
 been the costume favored by magicians, the 
 weapon which glittered in Julia's belt, all united 
 to inspire Marguerite with a secret terror. She 
 looked uneasily at the young woman and mur- 
 mured, while offering her a seat, 
 
 "May I know, madame, who you are, and 
 where you have known my poor Blanche ? " 
 
 "Who I am," answered Julia, smiling bitterly, 
 " has no connection with the motive which brings 
 me here. What does it matter, in fact, who I 
 am, provided that I am willing to help you find
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 187 
 
 the one for whose loss you are grieving, and that 
 I have the power to do so." 
 
 " The power," repeated Marguerite, who began 
 to be afraid of a private conversation with one 
 who frequented witches' sabbaths, " Oh, you have 
 the power ? " 
 
 " As to your dear Blanche, I do not know her, 
 and I have never even seen her." 
 
 These words greatly increased Marguerite's ter- 
 ror, but Julia continued without paying any at- 
 tention to it, 
 
 " Listen to me, good woman, my personal in- 
 terest leads me to seek Blanche. The one who 
 abducted her was everything to me, I adored him, 
 I would have sacrificed my life for him, and the un- 
 grateful man has forgotten me. Do you under- 
 stand now, the motive which has caused me to 
 act?" 
 
 " Oh, I breathe more freely," said Marguerite, 
 " yes, madame, I understand ; this seigneur who 
 came here is perhaps your husband. Alas ! that 
 does not astonish me, men are truly most unac- 
 countable creatures." 
 
 " Tell me all that you know, good Marguer- 
 ite." 
 
 Marguerite told her of the marquis' visit and 
 of all that he had said. 
 
 " He had never seen her before that day ? " 
 
 " Never, I can certify to that." 
 
 " And you left the marquis with the barber ? "
 
 188 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " The marquis ? was he a marquis then ? Well, 
 I had my doubts about it." 
 
 " Please answer me." 
 
 " Yes, madame, my master ordered me to go, 
 and I left him with this marquis." 
 
 " And what followed ? " 
 
 " I went to bed, madame, and I think that my 
 dear Blanche did the same." 
 
 " That wretch Touquet was in league with the 
 marquis. It was he who delivered up to him that 
 young girl." 
 
 " What do you say, madame ? do you think 
 that my master ? " 
 
 " Is a scoundrel ! " 
 
 " Speak lower, I beg of you ; if he should come 
 in, if he should hear you. But you are mistaken, 
 madame, my master had consented to Blanche's 
 marriage to Urbain." 
 
 " The better to hide his plans." 
 
 " Poor Urbain, I never see him ; no doubt he 
 is still looking for our dear little one." 
 
 " Where was Blanche's chamber ? " said Julia, 
 looking curiously around her. 
 
 " On the first floor looking on the street, ma- 
 dame. Since she came to this house she had oc- 
 cupied no other." 
 
 " It was to this house that she came, then, with 
 her father who was murdered ? " 
 
 "Yes, madame." 
 
 " Were you then in the barber's service ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 189 
 
 " No, madame, I didn't come here until three 
 years after." 
 
 " Where does your master sleep ? " 
 
 " Directly underneath this. This is why, if he 
 should come in, I am afraid that he would hear 
 us speak." 
 
 " Have you always had this room ? " 
 
 " No, madame, I formerly had the one above 
 Blanche's, and I liked it much better than this 
 gloomy chamber, which has been unoccupied for 
 a long time, and which I believe was formerly the 
 dwelling of a magician named Odoard." 
 
 Julia arose and for some moments walked 
 silently about the room. All of a sudden she 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " Oh, if these walls could only speak ! " 
 
 " In fact," said Marguerite shaking her head, 
 " I believe that we should learn some terrible 
 things ; a tier of tags, a sorcerer." 
 
 Julia seemed to be thinking deeply when they 
 heard the street door shut. 
 
 " O my God ! here is my master, I am lost," 
 cried Marguerite ; " he has expressly forbidden 
 me to receive anybody." 
 
 " Keep still, he shall not know that I am here. 
 Does he sometimes come up into your room ? " 
 
 "No, but good Saint Margaret if he 
 should discover " 
 
 Julia put a finger on her mouth, as a sign for 
 the old servant to be silent. Presently the bar-
 
 190 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 her was heard calling Marguerite; who was trem- 
 bling so that she did not know how to stand. 
 
 "Tell him that you are going down," said 
 Julia. 
 
 Marguerite approached the door, then, thinking 
 she heard her master coming upstairs, 
 
 " Here he is he'll see you," said she to Julia. 
 
 " You must hide me." 
 
 " Wait, I had forgotten it quick quick 
 in this closet." 
 
 Marguerite ran to her alcove, passed behind the 
 bed, opened the little door hidden by the tapes- 
 try, and Julia, as quick as lightning, entered the 
 closet. The old servant shut the door on her, 
 took her lamp and hastened to go downstairs. 
 Her master was in the lower room. 
 
 " You were very slow in coming down," said 
 the barber, looking at Marguerite. 
 
 " Monsieur, at my age one cannot move 
 quickly." 
 
 " Has anybody been here during my absence ? " 
 
 " No, monsieur, nobody." 
 
 " Urbain, perhaps ? " 
 
 " I assure you I haven't seen him." 
 
 " Chaudoreille ? " 
 
 " No, nor him either." 
 
 The barber asked for what he needed and then 
 made a sign to Marguerite to retire. 
 
 "Is monsieur going to stay up late?" asked 
 she.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 191 
 
 " What does that matter to you ? " asked Tou- 
 quet looking sternly at her, " I've already told you 
 that I hate curious people as well as gossips." 
 
 " That's true. I'm going to bed, monsieur." 
 
 The old woman regained her room, closed the 
 door carefully, and then went to release Julia, 
 who had remained without a light in the little 
 closet. 
 
 " Come, madame," said she, "come, you needn't 
 stay in there now." 
 
 " A moment," said Julia, taking the lamp from 
 Marguerite's hand, " I should like to examine this 
 place." 
 
 " Oh, mercy ! you will find nothing curious 
 there. We went into it once, Blanche and I " 
 
 " There is a door here," said Julia holding the 
 light to the wall at the back. 
 
 " A door ? do you think so ? We didn't see 
 it, but then we only remained for a moment and 
 without a light." 
 
 Julia tried to open the door which led to the 
 staircase, but she was not successful. 
 
 " This door is closed from the other side," said 
 she, " it must communicate with some secret pas- 
 sage." 
 
 " What does it matter to you, madame? Come, 
 I beg of you." 
 
 "It matters greatly to me. Oh, if I could ac- 
 quire some proof to undo him." 
 
 " Proof of what, madame ? "
 
 192 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " It's impossible to force this door." 
 
 Julia lowered the lamp and examined the floor 
 to see if she could discover a trap door, while 
 Marguerite remained at the entrance to the alcove 
 to listen if her master should come up. 
 
 " What is in this big chest ? " said Julia. 
 
 " It is empty, as you see. I don't know what 
 use it is here, I shall burn it some day." 
 
 Julia stooped and lifted the chest, the better to 
 examine it, then she thought she saw some object 
 on the floor. She carried her light there, and 
 found that it was an old portfolio of brown 
 leather, which seemed to have been hidden be- 
 neath the chest, and appeared to have been there 
 for some years, for the dust was thick around it. 
 Julia uttered a joyful cry and seized the portfolio. 
 
 "What is it?" said Marguerite, "what have 
 you got there ? " 
 
 "Something tells me that in this portfolio I 
 shall find that for which I am looking." 
 
 " This portfolio ? O my God ! where was it, 
 then?" 
 
 " Silence come, let us shut this door again." 
 
 Julia left the closet, shutting the door, and when 
 she had replaced the lamp on the table, hastened 
 to examine the portfolio and the papers which it 
 held. Meanwhile, Marguerite, still uneasy, re- 
 mained listening near the door, but while doing 
 so she watched Julia, whose features expressed 
 the most lively agitation. Suddenly a cruel joy
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 193 
 
 flashed in the young Italian's eyes, and she dropped 
 on a. seat near the table, exclaiming, 
 
 " I shall be avenged." 
 
 " But who can that portfolio belong to ? " said 
 Marguerite. 
 
 "To an unfortunate man whom your master 
 murdered." 
 
 " Murdered ! ah, madame, what are you say- 
 ing?" 
 
 " Yes, everything proves it to me. This was 
 the chamber in which he was lodged, because the 
 secret passage would assist the murderer in the 
 perpetration of his crime. The unfortunate man 
 had, no doubt, visited this closet, and, without 
 divining the misfortune which awaited him, had 
 judged it prudent to hide under the chest his 
 portfolio, which contains the proofs of an impor- 
 tant secret." 
 
 " Ah, you make me, shudder, madame." 
 
 Julia continued to examine the papers. Joy, 
 surprise, hope, vengeance, were expressed in turn 
 on her face. 
 
 "At last his fate is in my hands," exclaimed 
 she, "perfidious man, to have betrayed me; 
 tremble lest I inflict upon you torments more 
 cruel than those you have made me suffer. And 
 you, his odious accomplice, I will see that the 
 marquis knows the monster who has assisted him 
 in his amours." 
 
 Tremblingly Marguerite listened to Julia. The 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 194 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 latter put back the papers in the portfolio and 
 carefully hid it in her bosom, then resuming her 
 mantle she prepared to depart. 
 
 " And Blanche," said the good old woman, 
 " you have not told me more about Blanche, 
 madame." 
 
 " Reassure yourself," answered Julia in a solemn 
 tone, " Blanche's condition will now be changed, 
 you will see her again. Good-by, my good wo- 
 man, keep the closest silence in regard to the 
 portfolio ; Blanche's fate depends upon it." 
 
 " Fear nothing, madame." 
 
 "I'm going down without a light; Touquet 
 should be in his room by now." 
 
 " If you should meet him ? " 
 
 " I will not make the least noise." 
 
 " But it is necessary that I should go with you 
 to open the door." 
 
 " You need not, I can open it myself." 
 
 " There is a secret in opening it. O my God, 
 for a mere nothing I would go with you from this 
 house. All that you've said about my master 
 makes me shudder, and since my dear child is no 
 longer here I find this dwelling very gloomy." 
 
 " It's very necessary that you should remain 
 here in order to give me, as well as Urbain, in- 
 formation in regard to all that the barber does. 
 Before long, good Marguerite, you shall be hap- 
 pier, and reunited to your dear Blanche." 
 
 " Oh, may all that you say prove true,"
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 195 
 
 " Open your door ; I don't hear the least sound 
 on the staircase ; let us hasten." 
 
 The old woman groped her way down, Julia 
 followed her; they arrived at the foot of the stairs 
 and were about to enter the alleyway when the 
 barber, coming brusquely from the corridor which 
 led to the lower room, met them, bearing a light 
 in his hand. Marguerite uttered a cry of fear ; the 
 barber quickly held the light against Julia's face. 
 
 " Well, do you recognize me ? " she said to him 
 in an imperious tone. 
 
 Touquet started with surprise, but forcing him- 
 self to restrain his anger, he answered, 
 
 " You, at my house, madame ! and what did 
 you come to seek here ? " 
 
 " Some news of Blanche." 
 
 " Of Blanche ? " 
 
 " Yes, that astonishes you ! you did not sup- 
 pose that I knew this young girl ? You be- 
 lieved that the Marquis de Villebelle could yield 
 to his new passion without my knowing the 
 object of it, without my learning that you were 
 still the confidant of his amours." 
 
 Touquet's eyes blazed with fury as he said to 
 Julia, 
 
 " Jealousy has disturbed your reason, madame. 
 If your lover has left you is it to me that you 
 should betake yourself? Why should you sup- 
 pose that the marquis is the abductor of a young 
 girl whom he has never seen ? "
 
 196 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Your falsehoods are useless. I know a great 
 deal more than you think. If you should see the 
 marquis before I do, advise him to hasten to re- 
 store Blanche to Urbain. If by your perfidious 
 counsels he should become guilty of he would 
 be the first to punish you for your crime. As for 
 me, you will see me again ; I also have a secret 
 to reveal to you." 
 
 Thus speaking, Julia walked towards the door. 
 The barber made a movement as if to stop her, 
 but she turned and her hand still grasped her 
 stiletto. Turning on Touquet a terrible look, 
 she rapidly left his house.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 THE STORM BREWS 
 
 Too greatly agitated by what she had learned 
 to retire and compose herself to rest, Julia sev- 
 eral times during the night reperused the papers 
 contained in the portfolio which she had found at 
 the barber's, and she busied herself in forming 
 new plans and meditating other projects of ven- 
 geance. The sleep she had defied did not once 
 greet her eyelids, and dawn found her seated be- 
 fore a little table on which the portfolio was lying 
 examining again a letter which she had taken 
 from it. 
 
 At this moment, however, the bell rang thrice, 
 and Julia hastened to lock the papers into their 
 receptacle, and presently Chaudoreille entered her 
 room. 
 
 "Well," was Julia's brusque greeting to the 
 chevalier, "what have you learned?" 
 
 " Thanks to my assiduity I am at last enabled 
 to bring you some important news," cried the 
 little Gascon with a self-satisfied air. " For the 
 past forty-eight hours I have not budged from 
 before the marquis' hotel, minutely examining all 
 who came or went." 
 
 197
 
 198 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " Well, indeed ! The marquis has returned." 
 
 " He is here ? " 
 
 "Yes, signora, at his hotel. I saw him arrive 
 this morning in a travelling carriage." 
 
 " Very well, I shall see him, I hope." 
 
 " What orders have you to give me now ? 
 Where is it necessary for me to go ? I am ready." 
 
 "You have not yet seen this young Urbain?" 
 
 "Alas, no, I'm of the opinion that the poor 
 boy is dead from love ; he was as thin as a 
 cuckoo. I don't see what could have prevented 
 his coming to our rendezvous." 
 
 " Return to the hotel. I tremble lest the 
 marquis should leave without our knowing it, and 
 in order to recover Blanche it is important that I 
 should know the least step that Villebelle takes." 
 
 "That's very right. I'll return then to my 
 post." 
 
 "Take this gold, but redouble your zeal; 
 hasten ; if you are tired, take a chair." 
 
 " I, take a sedan chair ? I would much rather 
 crawl all the way there. Don't disturb yourself, 
 signora, my legs are always at my service." 
 
 Chaudoreille gone, Julia seated herself at her 
 desk and prepared to write, but suddenly, throw- 
 ing the pen far from her, she rose, exclaiming, 
 
 " It's urgently necessary that I should see him, 
 that I should speak to him ; I will go to his 
 hotel."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 199 
 
 She immediately rang for her maid, and began 
 to make her toilet. Despite the uneasiness she 
 experienced, her mirror was often consulted, and 
 she neglected nothing that would add to her 
 charm. This important task accomplished, Julia 
 sent for a sedan chair, and was carried to the 
 marquis* dwelling. On entering the immense 
 court of this magnificent hotel, the young Italian 
 could hardly master her agitation. 
 
 " What does madame desire ? " said the porter. 
 
 " To see the Marquis de Villebelle." 
 
 " Monseigneur returned from England only 
 this morning, and as yet receives nobody." 
 
 " It is absolutely necessary that I should speak 
 to him." 
 
 " That is impossible." 
 
 " Go, at least, and tell him that the Signora 
 Julia desires to see him immediately." 
 
 The porter sent a lackey with this message, 
 who soon returned, and said to Julia, with an im- 
 pertinent air, 
 
 " Monseigneur cannot receive you, and begs 
 you to leave the hotel." 
 
 Julia could not swallow this affront ; she looked 
 furiously at the valet and abruptly left. Arrived 
 at home she went to her desk and wrote the fol- 
 lowing note to the marquis, 
 
 You refuse to see me ; it depends, however, upon me to 
 render you the most happy or most unhappy of men. I know 
 that you are Blanche's abductor. Respect that young girl.
 
 200 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Hasten to listen to me ; I still wish to forgive you, but at some 
 moment* I listen to nothing but my fury. 
 
 The letter written, she entrusted it to a faithful 
 man, and awaited his return with the most lively 
 impatience. The messenger at length came and 
 brought an answer from the marquis. Julia 
 seized it, and hastily read the following, 
 
 My little Julia : your sweet note made me laugh a good 
 dealj I find nothing more pleasing than those women who 
 threaten us with their fury. The only vengeance which a 
 woman in your situation can take upon a man is to deceive him, 
 and God knows whether you would use this means ; but it 
 is necessary, in order that the charm may work effectually, that 
 it should be taken while he still loves you, without which it 
 fails of its object. Your reign is past, my dear friend. You 
 undoubtedly did not think to captivate the Marquis de Ville- 
 belle for long, and I sent you a check on my banker to settle 
 the account. I do not know who could have told you that I 
 had abducted a certain Blanche ; once more, what does it 
 matter to you ? Am I not entitled to abduct ten women if that 
 pleases me. Believe me, you had better not disquiet yourself 
 about my actions or give yourself the further trouble of writing 
 to me, for your letters will be returned to you unopened. 
 Good-by, hot-head, I wish you a faithful lover, since you hold 
 so much to fidelity. 
 
 Julia remained motionless, the letter was still 
 in her hands, but she did not see it ; one thought 
 alone occupied her, the thought of vengeance, 
 she seemed to give herself up to it with delight. 
 
 " You will have it, will you ? " said she, " I will 
 not hesitate longer."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 201 
 
 However, the marquis was very much surprised 
 that the young Italian should know who had ab- 
 ducted Blanche, and as soon as night came he 
 wrapped himself in his cloak and went to the bar- 
 ber's house. Touquet himself opened to the no- 
 bleman, for the events of the night before and the 
 fear which she had experienced seemed to have 
 paralyzed old Marguerite, who was unable to 
 leave her room. 
 
 " You here, monseigneur ? " said the barber, 
 with surprise, " I imagined that you were at your 
 chateau, all taken up with your new love. Can it 
 be that Blanche is already forgotten ? " 
 
 " Forgotten ? Why, I love her more than ever. 
 But I was forced to come to Paris for some days, 
 though I hope soon to return to Sarcus ; each 
 moment that I pass away from Blanche seems to 
 me a century. However, I have not yet suc- 
 ceeded, and the remembrance of her Urbain 
 but let us come to the motive which has brought 
 me hither. How is it that Julia knows that I have 
 abducted Blanche ? how could she have come to 
 know this lovely child whom you kept with so 
 much care ? " 
 
 " You find me as much surprised as yourself, 
 monseigneur. This young Italian had the auda- 
 city to introduce herself into my house yesterday 
 evening ; she presented herself, so my old house- 
 keeper tells me, as bringing news of Blanche, but 
 really she came to gather the details of her flight."
 
 202 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " She came also to my hotel ; I refused to see 
 her ; she wrote to me, she threatened me. My 
 fate is, said she, in her hands. You may imagine 
 that I only laughed at these threats as inspired by 
 the jealousy and spite of a woman. However, 
 there's something very singular to me about it all." 
 
 " Wait, monseigneur, I believe I have a glimpse 
 of light. Who informed you yourself that there 
 was a charming young girl in my house ? " 
 
 " Hang it ! you recall it to my recollection. It 
 was an original, a little man whom I found at my 
 house in the Faubourg, hidden under a statue, and 
 who pretended to have helped in the abduction 
 of Julia." 
 
 " Chaudoreille ? " 
 
 " It's that same." 
 
 " I should have divined it ; there's no doubt 
 of it, it was he who told Julia that you had ab- 
 ducted Blanche. If he should happen to know 
 Urbain, I should not be astonished if he has told 
 him also." 
 
 " The little clown ! I paid him well enough for 
 everything." 
 
 " After having caused the abduction, he does 
 his best to help someone to find Blanche." 
 
 " Truly, that is not so very stupid ; this is a 
 boy who follows in your footsteps; but if you meet 
 him, I recommend him to you. Give him a good 
 beating." 
 
 " Be easy about that, monseigneur."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 203 
 
 " For the rest, they may do what they please, 
 they cannot snatch Blanche from my hands. This 
 young girl has more power than all of them put 
 together ; one tear from her could, I feel, change 
 all my resolutions. When I see her beautiful eyes 
 turned towards me with a supplicating look, I am 
 often about to sacrifice my love and to restore her 
 to him whom she regrets, in the hope of at least 
 obtaining her friendship." 
 
 " O monseigneur, what folly! Why, Blanche is 
 in your power, and you are going " 
 
 " No, no, she must belong to me ; henceforth 
 for me to separate from her is impossible. Be- 
 sides, has she not told me that she is disposed to 
 love me ? " 
 
 " Come, monseigneur, pull yourself together. 
 They will say that you yield to the threats of this 
 little Julia." 
 
 " My uncle is very ill, perhaps he will not last 
 through the night. I shall soon return to Sarcus, 
 then I will not again leave Blanche, I will listen 
 to nothing but my love." 
 
 " With women, monseigneur, that causes every- 
 thing to be forgiven." 
 
 Since the barber knew that the marquis sus- 
 pected where he had obtained his fortune, he be- 
 lieved that it was for his interest to lose sight of 
 Blanche. If Villebelle dreamed of reentering the 
 path of honor, Touquet could no longer feel easy 
 as to himself.
 
 204 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The marquis regained his hotel. As he had 
 foreseen, his uncle expired during the night, leav- 
 ing him immense wealth ; which would lead one 
 to think that fortune does not show her prefer- 
 ence to those who make good use of her favors. 
 But someone answers to that, that fortune does not 
 make happiness ; it is, therefore, necessary to con- 
 sole the unhappy a little. 
 
 A week sufficed the marquis to settle his affairs. 
 At the end of that time he prepared to return to 
 Blanche, to whom he carried presents of every 
 kind, which were carefully packed in the travel- 
 ling carriage. 
 
 Chaudoreille, who was continually on the watch 
 about the hotel, saw these preparations for depart- 
 ure, and ran to tell Julia. 
 
 " Enough," said the young Italian, " I have 
 long been prepared for this, and I have bought 
 two good horses. You shall come with me." 
 
 " To the end of the world ; I am devoted to 
 you." 
 
 " I do not think that we shall have to go very 
 far,, we shall have nothing to do but follow the mar- 
 quis' carriage." 
 
 " I understand you." 
 
 " You can ride a horse ? " 
 
 " Perfectly ; however, I prefer donkeys, they 
 don't trot so fast." 
 
 " Idiot ! can one hope to follow a post-chaise 
 on an ass ? Make all your preparations."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 205 
 
 "They are made. I have my wardrobe upon 
 me ; as to my purse, yesterday evening I had 
 some cursed ill-luck while you relieved me at the 
 hotel. I didn't remain in the gambling-house 
 longer than between five and ten minutes, and I 
 had well calculated my play ; well, I can say with 
 Francis the First, I have lost everything but 
 honor." 
 
 While Chaudoreille rattled on, Julia donned a 
 large cloak, and took all the money which remained 
 to her. Then she sent the Gascon to his post, 
 while she went to get the horses. Towards seven 
 o'clock in the evening the marquis got into his 
 carriage with Germain and started for the Chateau 
 de Sarcus, not for one moment thinking that Julia 
 and Chaudoreille were following his carriage from 
 afar. 
 
 Leaving the travellers to make their way we 
 will return to poor Urbain, who, for a long time 
 past, had languished on his bed, kept there by 
 illness and grief. He was heartbroken at being 
 without strength to go in search of his dear 
 Blanche, and the good girl who gave him every 
 care, incessantly repeated to him, 
 
 " The more you disquiet yourself, the longer 
 you retard your cure." 
 
 Someone had told him that a great nobleman 
 was Blanche's abductor, and he was in despair at 
 not having been able to keep his appointment with 
 this man, who would have told him his rival's
 
 2o6 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 name. But at last he felt better and could go out, 
 and the first use which he made of his returning 
 strength was to go to the barber's house. It was 
 closed on every side, the shutters had not been 
 taken down from the shop, although the hours of 
 labor had long since begun ; Urbain knocked, but 
 no one opened to him. 
 
 " It is useless for you to knock," said a neigh- 
 bor to him, " the house is empty and is for sale. 
 You must inquire at the agent's, Rue des Mau- 
 vaises-Paroles." 
 
 "And the barber?" 
 
 " The barber has left it, I tell you, there's no- 
 body there." 
 
 " And Marguerite ? " 
 
 " She died a week ago." 
 
 " Marguerite is dead is it possible ? " 
 
 " Why, what is there so extraordinary in that ? 
 The poor woman wasn't young." 
 
 " Where can I find M. Touquet now ? " 
 
 " I can't give you any information. That man 
 was a bear, and he spoke to nobody." 
 
 Urbain departed, discouraged at this new event. 
 He grieved for the good Marguerite, who had 
 been the witness of his love and his happiness. 
 He had no idea of any way in which he could 
 obtain information as to Blanche's fate. He went 
 to the Porte Montmartre and waited for three 
 hours, in the hope that he who had given him an 
 appointment would come there ; but he waited in
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 207 
 
 vain, and then turned despairingly towards his 
 lodging. The good-natured girl, to whom he made 
 his lament, tried to console him by saying, 
 
 " If it's a nobleman who has abducted your 
 mistress, you must go and ask for her at all the 
 great noblemen's houses." 
 
 Suddenly Urbain uttered a joyful exclamation, 
 and a slight smile animated his pale and sorrow- 
 ful features. 
 
 " There still remains one hope," he said. 
 
 " And what is that, monsieur ? " 
 
 "In the midst of all these events I had forgot- 
 ten that adventure, however, it may yet serve me." 
 
 " What adventure ; monsieur?" 
 
 " Listen to me. You remember that in order 
 to see Blanche I was for some time obliged to 
 disguise myself as a woman." 
 
 " Oh, yes, monsieur, I remember very well. 
 Didn't I help to dress you and to put in your 
 pins ? " 
 
 The girl smiled. Urbain paid no attention and 
 continued, 
 
 " One evening, I think it was the first time that 
 I wore my disguise, having been accosted by 
 several men, I escaped them by traversing many 
 streets and it was very late when I found myself 
 in the Grand Pre-aux-Clercs. I had almost reached 
 my dwelling when I was stopped by four men, 
 whom by their language I recognized as noble- 
 men of the court. I confessed to them that I was
 
 208 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 a man, hoping by that means to escape them, but 
 one of them wanted me to tell him the motive for 
 my disguise. I refused, he persisted ; I got angry, 
 he threatened ; in short, one of his companions 
 lent me his sword and we fought, I wounded my 
 adversary, but very slightly, I think. c My friend,' 
 he said to me then, tendering me his hand, c you 
 are a brave man and I am very pleased to have 
 made your acquaintance ; if you should some day 
 have need of a protector, come to my hotel, ask 
 for the Marquis de Villebelle and you shall find 
 me ready to oblige you/ Those are his exact 
 words." 
 
 "The Marquis de Villebelle? Oh, I have 
 sometimes heard my master speak of him. They 
 say that he is a great nobleman, very generous, 
 but a very wild fellow." 
 
 " No matter, he offered me his protection, and 
 I shall have recourse to it." 
 
 " Mercy, monsieur, you will do well, and who 
 knows whether he's not acquainted with the rascal 
 who has stolen your darling." 
 
 " Yes, I hope that the marquis will help me to 
 recover Blanche. These great noblemen tell each 
 other their adventures, their good luck ; such a 
 brave man should have some pity on my torture. 
 Why have I not already spoken to him but his 
 hotel?" 
 
 " Oh, he's very well known, monsieur, and it 
 will be very easy for you to find that out."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 209 
 
 On the morrow, as soon as it was day, Urbain 
 went out to try and find the one on whom he 
 placed his last hopes. He obtained information as 
 to the marquis' hotel, and he soon arrived there. 
 
 " Monsieur le Marquis de Villebelle ? " said 
 he entering the court, and timidly addressing the 
 porter. 
 
 " This is his hotel, but monsieur le marquis is 
 not in Paris." 
 
 "Is not in Paris ? " exclaimed Urbain, his heart 
 contracting. 
 
 " No, he is travelling." 
 
 " Travelling ? And will he soon be back ? " 
 
 " He'll come back when he pleases. Do you 
 think monseigneur needs your permission in order 
 to go travelling ? " 
 
 " That was not what I wished to say, monsieur, 
 but I am in such haste to see monsieur le marquis, 
 to speak to him." 
 
 " You can see him when he comes back, when- 
 ever monseigneur is willing to receive you." 
 
 The insolent porter returned to his lodge, took 
 his glass and his fork, and resumed a copious 
 breakfast, without paying any further attention to 
 the young student, who remained in the court, 
 heaving big sighs, as he said, 
 
 " He's not in Paris ; how unfortunate I am." 
 
 Ten minutes later Urbain softly approached 
 the porter's lodge, and said to him in a suppli- 
 cating tone, 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 2IO 
 
 " Monsieur, can you not tell me where the 
 marquis has gone ? " 
 
 " What ? Are you still there ? " answered the 
 porter without turning his head. " Can't you leave 
 me to eat my breakfast in peace ? I tell you that 
 monseigneur is travelling. There are some peo- 
 ple who are so stubborn ; they all say the same 
 thing, ' I wish to see monseigneur,' and they 
 bother my head from morning till night." 
 
 Urbain would not be repulsed ; he knew the 
 customs of Paris, and took out his purse, in which 
 he had put several crowns, and made it chink in 
 his hand. Then the porter deigned to turn 
 towards him, and said to him, a little more po- 
 litely, 
 
 " I'm truly sorry, but monseigneur is really 
 absent, and between ourselves, I believe he will 
 be so for a long time." 
 
 " O heavens ! " said Urbain, " and he is my 
 only hope. Oh, monsieur, if you know where 
 monseigneur is, I entreat you to give me his 
 address." 
 
 The young man held out his purse and ad- 
 vanced. 
 
 " Come in for a moment," said the porter open- 
 ing the little door of his lodge ; " yes, of course, 
 I know where monseigneur is. It's very neces- 
 sary that we should know that, in order that we 
 may send him any important letters that may be 
 addressed to him; but it's a secret. However,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 211 
 
 if you'll promise to be discreet, and to let nobody 
 know that it was I who told you, " 
 
 " I swear to you not to do so." 
 
 " Then I'll tell you. Monsieur le marquis is at 
 his Chateau de Sarcus, situated in the neighbor- 
 hood of Grandvilliers. Take the road to Beauvais 
 and " 
 
 Urbain did not wait to hear more ; he threw 
 his purse on the porter's table, hastily left the 
 hotel, ran to his lodging, took all the money he 
 had left, and the same day set out to seek the 
 marquis at his chateau.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE RETURN TO THE CHATEAU 
 
 DURING the absence of the marquis from the 
 Chateau de Sarcus the unhappy Blanche had 
 passed some sad and monotonous days ; she had 
 grown used to seeing and talking with him, and 
 hoped to induce him to allow her to rejoin 
 Urbain ; so the day after Villebelle's departure, 
 astonished at not receiving his accustomed visit, 
 she believed that he was disposed to take her 
 back to Paris ; but in the evening, not meeting 
 him in the park as usual, Blanche, on her return 
 to her room, asked the maid for some news of 
 her host. 
 
 " Monseigneur has gone, he went away yes- 
 terday," answered the country girl. 
 
 " Gone without me ! " exclaimed Blanche, rais- 
 ing to heaven her beautiful eyes, rilled with tears 
 and despair; "can it be possible that he wishes 
 to keep me always a prisoner in this chateau, 
 then?" 
 
 " Don't grieve, mademoiselle," said the good- 
 natured girl, "monseigneur said that he would 
 not be long absent." 
 
 Blanche made no answer, but returned to her
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 213 
 
 room, and there passed her days in grief and dis- 
 couragement. She regretted the absence of the 
 marquis, for the sweet child flattered herself that 
 he would yet yield to her prayers. She had sev- 
 eral times seen that her tears caused him emotion, 
 and she still hoped that he would reunite her to 
 Urbain ; but left alone she no longer hoped, and 
 the days rolled slowly by for the young prisoner. 
 However, the return of springtime embellished 
 the earth ; the trees regained their foliage and the 
 grass its verdure, the meadows were dotted with 
 flowers, and the birds came again to the groves to 
 sing the season of love. But, indifferent to the 
 scenes which spread before her eyes, Blanche 
 looked without pleasure on this charming per- 
 spective, with which at any other time she would 
 have been delighted. The sorrow with which her 
 heart was filled, threw a gloomy veil over all the 
 objects which surrounded her. 
 
 Sometimes while walking in the park, Blanche 
 considered the idea of escaping ; but in what di- 
 rection could she take her flight ? Besides, the 
 park was surrounded with very high walls, and 
 the doors which led to the country were always 
 scrupulously closed. The young girl was ignorant 
 of the fact that in the absence of the marquis, two 
 men servants watched her every step. 
 
 A deep melancholy seized her, the servant, 
 Marie, tried in vain to distract her ; sighs and tears 
 were the only response which she obtained. Ten
 
 2i 4 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 days had passed when Marie came running one 
 morning to tell Blanche her master had arrived. 
 
 This news seemed to reanimate the young pris- 
 oner, and she waited impatiently for the marquis 
 to come and speak to her. Villebelle, who ar- 
 dently desired to see his captive, did not tarry in 
 coming to her, and was greatly struck by the 
 changes which had been wrought in her whole 
 person. 
 
 " You have forgotten me, then, in this cha- 
 teau ? " said Blanche sighing. 
 
 " I forgotten you ? " 
 
 " Why did you not take me to Paris, then ? 
 Are you going to keep me here long ? " 
 
 " At least, Blanche, I will not leave you again." 
 
 " Let Urbain come to us, and I will not ask you 
 to let me go away again." 
 
 The marquis knit his brows and tried to distract 
 Blanche by offering her several pretty trifles which 
 he had brought from Paris ; but these presents 
 were no better received than the first, and did not 
 even evoke a smile from the young girl. In the 
 evening Blanche and the marquis again walked in 
 the park. Villebelle, more in love than ever, re- 
 called the barber's counsels and promised himself 
 the conquest of his captive, but when he was near 
 Blanche, he felt all his resolutions vanish. One 
 look from the lovely child put a curb on his de- 
 sire, though it penetrated to the depth of his heart, 
 and Villebelle said to himself,
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 215 
 
 " By what magic does this young girl inspire me 
 with a respect that is stronger than my love ? " 
 
 Blanche, rendered confiding by her innocence, 
 was seated at the entrance of a grotto which was 
 surrounded by thick shrubbery. The marquis 
 placed himself beside her. For a long time he 
 remained silent, tenderly watching her. Then he 
 took Blanche in his arms and was about to cull a 
 kiss from her charming mouth, when she turned 
 her supplicating eyes towards him, saying, 
 
 " In pity, monseigneur, let me go." 
 
 Without knowing why he did so, he allowed the 
 lovely girl to escape from his arms. He remained 
 alone in the grotto ; Blanche, experiencing a novel 
 fear of the marquis, had fled, and the latter, curs- 
 ing his weakness, returned to the chateau, vowing 
 that he would no longer tremble before a child. 
 
 Julia and her companion had arrived at Sarcus 
 and had seen the marquis enter the chateau. 
 Chaudoreille had only fallen three times on the 
 way, but he asserted that that was because his 
 horse had been frightened. However, he com- 
 plained greatly of fatigue, to which his companion 
 appeared insensible, as she scrutinized the chateau 
 which the marquis had entered, and its high tow- 
 ers illuminated by the sun. 
 
 " This is where he went, then," said the young 
 Amazon, guiding her horse close against the walls. 
 
 " Yes, signora, there's not the least doubt that 
 he went there, since we have seen him go in,"
 
 216 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 answered Chaudoreille, who had alighted from his 
 horse, where he was not comfortable. 
 
 " That's the Chateau de Sarcus, according to 
 what a peasant told me." 
 
 "It is, in faith, a very fine castle. My ances- 
 tors had ten or a dozen like that ; but they played 
 for one every evening at piquet, and you know 
 that luck is not always favorable. But ugh ! how 
 tired I am, this palfrey trotted so hard." 
 
 " And within these walls Blanche is shut up." 
 
 " That's very probable. By jingo ! but we came 
 at a good pace, and at the present time I would 
 defy the best jockey in France," 
 
 " How shall we know on which side this young 
 girl is?" 
 
 " I think it's first necessary to know where we 
 can get some breakfast ; you must be terribly fa- 
 tigued, signora." 
 
 " I don't feel in the least tired, the hope of 
 vengeance has doubled my strength." 
 
 " I have had nothing to double mine ; I'm 
 knocked up, exhausted, and I'm as hungry as a 
 hunter." 
 
 Julia alighted from her horse and led the ani- 
 mal to Chaudoreille. 
 
 " Mount him," she said, " and take the other 
 by the bridle. Go to the village, which you see 
 over there, find an inn, arid there wait for me. 
 I wish to examine the chateau." 
 
 " Enough, I'll go and make them get breakfast
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 217 
 
 ready. Oh, under what title shall we present our- 
 selves ? I have been thinking that it would be 
 better to preserve our incognito in this part of the 
 country." 
 
 " Say what you like." 
 
 " I shall say that we are Moors from Spain, 
 that we have come from Granada to give lessons 
 in castanets. That will prevent all suspicion, and 
 our rather dark skins will foster the supposition." 
 
 Julia did not listen further to Chaudoreille and 
 walked towards the chateau, while the chevalier, 
 not caring to remount, took both horses by their 
 bridles and went hobbling along to the village. 
 
 Chaudoreille inquired for the best inn. There 
 was only one in the village and he reached it, lead- 
 ing his two horses after him. The master of the 
 inn came to meet him, and Chaudoreille, trying 
 to pull himself up, said to him, 
 
 " I am Malek-al-Chiras of Granada, professor 
 of castanets in the two Spains, and come to France 
 with my sister, Salamalech, to dance the bolero be- 
 fore Cardinal Richelieu. We shall perhaps stay 
 for some time in this village, but we wish to pre- 
 serve the strictest incognito. Do you under- 
 stand?" 
 
 " I don't understand very well," said the inn- 
 keeper, looking stupidly at him. 
 
 "In that case, prepare at once an omelette with 
 bacon, give me a room, and take care of my 
 horses, which are Arabian."
 
 2i 8 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The innkeeper understood this better, and led 
 his guest to a chamber on the first floor, to which 
 Chaudoreille mounted with pain, so greatly had 
 his long ride on horseback discommoded him. 
 
 After resting for some hours he went to the 
 table, and had been there for a long time when 
 Julia came in search of him. 
 
 " I awaited you with impatience," said Chau- 
 doreille, while dismembering his third pigeon. 
 
 " Well, what have you learned ? " 
 
 " My faith, I've learned that we shall not have 
 fish for dinner." 
 
 " Idiot ! I was speaking to you of the mar- 
 quis." 
 
 "It seems to me that as I left you at the cha- 
 teau, you should know more than me." 
 
 " I have been all around it, but I did not see 
 anybody. You should have asked these peasants 
 what they know of the chateau." 
 
 " They look as stupid as geese. How should 
 these people know anything? By the way, you 
 are my sister and you are called Salamalech." 
 
 " Chaudoreille, do you think that I brought you 
 here to listen to your foolishness ? Make haste 
 and rest yourself and we will visit the neighbor- 
 hood of the chateau ; we will see if there is any 
 way of introducing ourselves into the park." 
 
 " Begging your pardon, it will be very difficult 
 for me to stir today. I am nailed before this 
 table."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 219 
 
 Finding it would be impossible to get her com- 
 panion on his feet again, Julia left the inn, after 
 taking a little nourishment, and again went to 
 prowl around the walls of the chateau. 
 
 " The devil's in that woman," said Chaudoreille 
 to himself as he got into bed, "she would be wor- 
 thy to carry Rolande at her side. My good host, 
 put Rolande there, under my bolster. That's it, 
 so that at the first alarm I can get him. Now see 
 that you shut my door, and when my sister Sala- 
 malech returns tell her that I beg of her not to 
 waken me before tomorrow at midday." 
 
 While Chaudoreille slept, Julia made the tour 
 of the park and noticed a place where the wall was 
 broken, and where it was possible to introduce 
 one's self into the interior of the garden ; but not 
 wishing yet to risk it, she returned to her inn and 
 tried to obtain some information about the inhab- 
 itants of the chateau. The peasants knew but 
 one thing, and that was, that for the present, their 
 lord was at Sarcus." 
 
 " But did not somebody bring a young girl to 
 the chateau, some days ago ? " asked Julia. 
 
 " When monseigneur is here the house is full of 
 ladies and gentlemen," answered the host; who be- 
 lieved that the brother and sister had come to play 
 their castanets before the marquis. 
 
 Julia decided to take a little rest, but the next 
 day at dawn she repaired to Chaudoreille's room. 
 
 " Monsieur, your brother, is still sleeping," said
 
 220 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the host whom she met, " and M. Malek-Al-de 
 Granada has forbidden that anyone should wake 
 him before noon." 
 
 Julia, without listening to the host, went into 
 the chevalier's room. He was sleeping soundly, 
 and she pulled him rudely by the ear. 
 
 " Did I bring you here with me," said she, "that 
 you might sleep ? " 
 
 " Oh, by jingo ! how cruel you are, I was in 
 my first slumber." 
 
 " Come, get up ! " 
 
 " Get up ? get up ? I respect decency too much 
 to rise before you." 
 
 " Get up, I tell you." 
 
 " Well, since you will have it so," and Chau- 
 doreille put his two little thin legs out of bed, 
 saying, "It appears that I cannot make her run 
 away." 
 
 "You will go to the chateau, you will enter 
 the first court, under the pretext of admiring the 
 architecture, and you will chat with the porter." 
 
 " And if I am recognized ? " 
 
 " By whom ? " 
 
 " By monseigneur." 
 
 " Do you think he amuses himself by walking 
 in the court ? He is with his young captive." 
 
 " That is presumable." 
 
 " We will meet here presently and you will tell 
 me all that you shall have learned. For my part, 
 I am going to find my way into the park."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 221 
 
 After a good breakfast, Chaudoreille started, 
 enveloping himself in a mantle or cloak which 
 Julia had given him, and which was so much too 
 large for him that part of it dragged on the 
 ground ; but he admired himself very much in 
 it, and felt himself six inches taller. 
 
 As he drew near the chateau, his first care was 
 to look and see if there were a sentinel upon the 
 wall, but perceiving nothing that seemed to indi- 
 cate that the castle was upon a war footing he 
 decided to advance. On arriving before the princi- 
 pal gate he walked for an hour, far and wide, be- 
 fore knowing if he should go into the chateau or 
 not. The old porter, smoking his pipe before his 
 door, perceived this little figure, trailing a cloak, 
 and coming and going for a long while in the same 
 circle. Irritated by this conduct, the porter left 
 the chateau and walked towards Chaudoreille, to 
 ask him what he did there. The latter, seeing a 
 man walk with long steps towards him, imagined 
 that the porter suspected him and was about to 
 arrest him. Immediately he began to run on the 
 sward, but presently his feet became entangled in 
 the train of his cloak and he rolled on the grass. 
 The porter, hearing someone calling in the cha- 
 teau, did not continue his walk, and on rising 
 Chaudoreille saw nobody. He then hastened to 
 take the way to the village. 
 
 " This is enough of it for today," said he, " an- 
 other time I shall not be so imprudent, I'll hide
 
 222 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 in the thickets which are within cannon shot of 
 the castle," and he returned to his inn where, 
 while awaiting dinner, he played at little quoits 
 with his host, and insisted on teaching madame, 
 his wife, to dance the bolero. Julia, hearing the 
 noise, found Chaudoreille in the courtyard of the 
 inn, in the midst of the fowls and manure, mak- 
 ing many bows to a little woman of forty years, 
 and beating time with Rolande, saying, 
 
 "In Granada nobody dances except sword in 
 hand. Ah, here is my sister Salamalech, she can 
 make curtseys without touching her heels." 
 
 Julia pushed the dancing master into her room, 
 saying to him, 
 
 " What are you doing in that courtyard ? " 
 
 " What the deuce ! I did it the better to pre- 
 serve our incognito, for prudence* sake." 
 
 " What have you learned this morning ? " 
 
 " Many things. I believe there is a garrison at 
 the chateau. I saw an armed man come out. As 
 to little Blanche, I have a suspicion that they are 
 keeping her in a subterranean dungeon." 
 
 "You're a fool. I've spoken to a young girl 
 who lives at the chateau ; I made her gossip. 
 Blanche is in one of the towers which overlook 
 the lake." 
 
 " Then the soldier whom I questioned must 
 have lied to me. I had him, however, with my 
 sword at his throat." 
 
 a Nobody has arrived at the chateau ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 223 
 
 "Oh, nobody, I'm sure of that, I have not lost 
 sight of it." 
 
 " This evening I shall introduce myself into the 
 park and I hope " 
 
 "I hope that I'm not to introduce myself there." 
 
 " No, you are to watch outside." 
 
 "Ah, I'm good at watching outside; besides, 
 I have the eyes of a cat, I can see clearly at night." 
 
 According to his custom the marquis went to 
 visit Blanche on the day after the scene in the 
 grotto, but she experienced a new dread at sight of 
 him. She recalled how passionately he had folded 
 her in his arms, and despite her innocence she felt 
 a degree of fear as she saw him approach and seat 
 himself at her side. The marquis knew women 
 too well not to perceive the change in Blanche's 
 manner. He tried to read the young girl's eyes, 
 he wished to see again the sweet expression which 
 so charmed him, but Blanche kept her eyes down- 
 cast, she trembled, and feared to meet those of the 
 marquis. After a shorter visit than usual Ville- 
 belle left Blanche, and went to reflect on the 
 means which he should employ to overcome her 
 resistance. He awaited the evening impatiently, 
 he flattered himself that he should be more fortu- 
 nate in the gardens in making his peace with his 
 young prisoner ; but Blanche listened to a secret 
 voice which told her she was not safe in the park 
 with the marquis, and she did not intend to go 
 there.
 
 224 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 It had long been night, and vainly had Ville- 
 belle walked up and down the pathways where 
 the young girl walked every evening. He did 
 not meet her. 
 
 " She fears me," said he, " however, she does 
 not hate me, she herself has told me so." 
 
 On passing before the grotto where they had 
 sat the evening before, the marquis believed that 
 he saw a shadow flit before him. Persuaded that 
 it was Blanche, he ran to seize her. The person 
 whom he pursued paused, turned, and, by the light 
 of the moon, the marquis recognized Julia. 
 
 " You in this neighborhood, and in my park ? " 
 said Villebelle, with the greatest astonishment. 
 
 " Yes, monsieur le marquis," said Julia with a 
 bitter smile, " does that astonish you ? Monsieur 
 de Villebelle should, however, understand all the 
 pleasure which I experience in being near him." 
 
 " Once more, what are you doing here ? " 
 
 " There was a time, monsieur le marquis, when 
 my presence caused you no weariness, when you 
 told me with the most tender vows that you would 
 love me forever. Remember how often it was 
 necessary to repeat those vows in order to make 
 me yours." 
 
 The marquis made a gesture of impatience and 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " And is it to tell me this that you introduced 
 yourself at night into my chateau ? " 
 
 " No," said Julia, giving way to all her fury.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 225 
 
 "Another motive led me to this place ; it was the 
 hope of vengeance. You have laughed at my 
 love, at my grief; I will revel in your sufferings, 
 you shall shed tears of blood when it will be too 
 late." 
 
 " This is too much ; your threats weary and 
 make me despise you. If you have the power 
 to fulfil them, why are you waiting for your 
 revenge?" 
 
 " I am awaiting the presence of an indispen- 
 sable witness, your worthy confidant, the barber 
 Touquet." 
 
 Saying these words Julia glided among the 
 trees, and disappeared before the marquis could 
 stop her. Greatly surprised at this singular meet- 
 ing, he was careful on reentering the chateau to 
 warn Germain ; and ordered him to redouble his 
 watchfulness in order that no one might gain 
 access to Blanche. 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE MARQUIS VISITS BLANCHE AT NIGHT 
 
 THE marquis returned in great agitation to his 
 apartments. He was greatly incensed, but not 
 at all intimidated by Julia's threats, which he at- 
 tributed to spite and her jealousy. However, 
 despite his lack of consideration for her he had 
 cast off, there was something in the voice of the 
 young Italian which carried conviction, and her 
 eyes appeared to be animated by a barbaric joy 
 when she had fixed them on those of the marquis, 
 and warned him to beware. 
 
 Vexed at not having forced Julia to explain 
 herself, Villebelle called his valet, and ordered 
 him to search the park with some of his people, 
 and if he met a woman to bring her immediately 
 to the chateau. Germain, the gardener, and three 
 men servants hastened to investigate the park and 
 gardens, but they returned to the chateau without 
 meeting anybody, and the marquis passed the 
 night in reflecting upon the event. The pres- 
 ence of Julia had disturbed his peace ; he feared 
 that she would come and bring Blanche news of 
 her lover. At daybreak he wrote to the barber 
 and ordered him to come to the chateau. 
 
 326
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 227 
 
 Marguerite was dead; the old servant could 
 not bear the loss of Blanche, and the fury of her 
 master after Julia's visit. The barber, who had for 
 a long time desired to sell his house, was about to 
 go to a lawyer, when a letter was brought to him 
 by a messenger from the marquis. 
 
 " He wishes that I should go to Sarcus," said 
 Touquet to himself, after reading the note ; " the 
 marquis still has need of me. He has at times, 
 an inclination for virtue which causes me uneasi- 
 ness, but he pays generously ; besides I can refuse 
 him nothing. He has divined a part of my con- 
 duct, and if some day he should desire to ruin 
 me as an expiation for all his own follies for it 
 is often in this manner that great folks repair 
 their errors but no, the marquis will commit 
 follies as long as he lives; it is above all necessary 
 that he should triumph over Blanche's virtue, for 
 that would insure my safety." 
 
 Touquet made the preparations for his depar- 
 ture, and on the next day but one he arrived at 
 the chateau, and presented himself to the marquis, 
 who was awaiting him in his apartment. 
 
 " You see, monseigneur, with what haste I have 
 obeyed your orders," said the barber, bowing. 
 
 " That is well ; your presence here may be very 
 useful to me. I feel that I need someone who 
 will make me ashamed of my weakness. Would 
 you believe that I am no further advanced in re- 
 gard to Blanche ? "
 
 228 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " I shouldn't believe it unless you told me so, 
 monseigneur." 
 
 " It is certain that I should never have dreamed 
 of it myself. She has been for three weeks at the 
 chateau, and I have hardly dared to kiss her 
 hand. Some days ago we were in the park, and 
 I tried to advance a little further, but she suppli- 
 cated me to let her go in so touching a voice, it 
 affects me in a manner which I cannot account 
 for, but I was nearly heartbroken at having 
 caused her pain ; since that time she has not left 
 her room. When near me, she is fearful, embar- 
 rassed, and always in tears." 
 
 " All that will end, when you have made her 
 yours, monseigneur." 
 
 " Have you seen her lover ? This Urbain of 
 whom she talks incessantly, and whom she calls 
 at every moment of the day." 
 
 " No, monseigneur, and I presume that young 
 Urbain, more reasonable than Blanche, has al- 
 ready forgotten that little love affair." 
 
 " The poor little thing is always thinking of 
 him. If I could persuade her that he no longer 
 loves her, she would not, however, believe me. 
 But in speaking to you of Blanche I forget the 
 motive which induced me to send for you. You 
 can never divine whom I met the day before yes- 
 terday, in the evening, in my park Julia." 
 
 " Julia ! " cried the barber, starting with sur- 
 prise.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 229 
 
 " Yes, she had entered these premises. But how 
 could she have discovered that I was here ? " 
 
 " I can't imagine, monseigneur." 
 
 " She had the audacity to threaten me, jeal- 
 ousy and rage shone in her eyes ; she also spoke 
 to me of you. I didn't understand all she was 
 saying to me, and she disappeared when I was 
 about to force her to explain further." 
 
 " Monseigneur, this young girl has some evil 
 design." 
 
 " I think that, also. However, she has not re- 
 appeared since, and every evening my people 
 make a general search in the park." 
 
 " No matter, Julia will do her utmost to take 
 Blanche away from you." 
 
 " How do you think she will do it ? You must 
 visit the neighborhood, and if you discover Julia, 
 tell her from me that I forbid her to present her- 
 self on these premises. If she still dares to come 
 I can easily obtain a lettre-de-cachet, which will 
 relieve me from her importunities." 
 
 " That will be the best thing you can do, mon- 
 seigneur. Tomorrow I'll begin my researches." 
 
 " During the time which you are at the chateau, 
 avoid passing through the park by the side of the 
 lake, for you might be seen by Blanche, and 
 I don't wish that she shall know you are here ; I 
 don't think that the sight of you would give her 
 pleasure, and I desire to keep her from all that 
 might add to her grief."
 
 230 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 "I've never seen monseigneur so much in love." 
 
 " No, never has any woman inspired me with 
 that which I feel for Blanche." 
 
 " I'm going to get some rest. Tomorrow at 
 daybreak I shall take my way ; I will search the 
 neighborhood, I will visit the smallest cottages ; 
 Julia cannot evade my search, and as soon as I 
 know where she is, I answer for it, monseigneur, 
 that you will not see her again." 
 
 The barber was about to go as he said these 
 words, but there was an expression on his face 
 which did not escape the marquis. Villebelle ran 
 to him and stopped him, saying in a severe tone, 
 
 " Touquet, you have misunderstood me. Re- 
 member that I do not wish that any harm should 
 come to Julia. That young girl is passionate, 
 headstrong, but her love excuses it. One should 
 always forgive the faults of which one is the first 
 cause. I should, perhaps, have further considered 
 her sensibility ; I have treated her with too much 
 disdain. If she will consent to become reason- 
 able, promise her all that she shall ask. Scatter 
 gold, that she may be happy. In addition to that, 
 I wish to speak to her myself, that she may ex- 
 plain to me what she wished to tell in her letter." 
 
 "In that case, monseigneur, as soon as I have 
 discovered her retreat, I will hasten to let you 
 know it." 
 
 The barber bowed low to the marquis and left 
 the apartment.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 231 
 
 " That man is a deep scoundrel," said Ville- 
 belle, as he watched Touquet depart. " For a long 
 time I thought he was only a schemer and a thief; 
 why should he still be necessary to me ? But I 
 can't charge Germain to speak to Julia. Julia ! 
 I believed for a little while that I loved her. Ah, 
 what a difference there is between that passionate, 
 vindictive woman and the sweet and charming 
 Blanche. Why should Julia love me so passion- 
 ately, and yet I cannot kindle in the breast of that 
 timid child a spark of the fire which consumes 
 me?" 
 
 While the marquis was dreaming of Blanche, 
 who, sad and solitary in her lonely room, passed 
 her days in praying to Heaven and weeping for 
 her lover, Julia, tfter her nocturnal meeting with 
 Villebelle, sought to gain speech with the young 
 prisoner. The watchfulness of the marquis' peo- 
 ple did not prevent her from gliding through the 
 park ; but though she drew near the lake it was 
 impossible to reach the tower; they had taken 
 away all the boats for fear that one of them should 
 serve as a means of approaching Blanche's win- 
 dows. As for Chaudoreille, being ordered to watch 
 all who entered or left the chateau, he hid himself 
 in a thick bush, which was about two cannon shots 
 from the entrance to the castle ; and there, hav- 
 ing Rolande bare at one side by way of precau- 
 tion, and a bottle of wine at the other, he passed 
 his day with a pack of cards, studying a new man-
 
 232 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 ner of turning the king and of re-turning the aces, 
 hiding entirely under his immense mantle at the 
 slightest sound. 
 
 The day after his arrival at the chateau, the bar- 
 ber commenced his search. Not imagining for a 
 moment that Julia would conceal herself at Sarcus, 
 he visited Damerancourt, and Grandvilliers, and 
 returned towards the evening to Sarcus. As he 
 approached the village, he perceived in front of 
 him a little man enveloped in a brown cloak, 
 under which it was difficult to distinguish his body, 
 but a long sword, whose handle protruded from 
 one side of his cloak, betrayed who carried it. 
 
 " It's Chaudoreille," said the barber to himself, 
 and he hastened that he might catch up with him. 
 The little man, when he heard someone behind 
 him, was seized with terror, and also tried to walk 
 faster, but the unfortunate cloak entangled his legs 
 at every step, and soon he felt himself pulled by 
 the handle of his sword. He turned and was pet- 
 rified at seeing the barber Touquet. 
 
 " Where are you going, Chevalier Chaudo- 
 reille ? " said the barber, in a mocking tone. 
 
 " Where am I going ? By jingo ! How are you, 
 my good friend ? " 
 
 "You clown," said the barber/ 1 I've heard some 
 fine things about you." 
 
 " One mustn't believe all that one hears, my 
 dear Touquet." 
 
 " And don't you think I ought to believe mon-
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 233 
 
 sieur le marquis ? It was you who told him about 
 Blanche, despite your vows." 
 
 " You know very well that between ourselves 
 an oath is not binding, and what have you to com- 
 plain of? I was the means of your obtaining a 
 large sum of money." 
 
 " And do you serve Julia now ? " 
 
 " Yes, I serve Julia. I will serve you, if you 
 wish, I will serve anybody ; I have always been 
 very obliging." 
 
 " Where is Julia ? " 
 
 " She wishes to preserve her incognito." 
 
 "Answer, wretch, no more lies." 
 
 " Ow ! leave go of my ear, you are hurting me. 
 We are lodging in this village at the inn ; there is 
 only one here. Julia passes as my sister, and I for 
 a Moor of Granada, professor of castanets." 
 
 " What are Julia's plans ? " 
 
 " The devil carry me away if I have any idea 
 of them. She passes her days and a part of her 
 nights in prowling about the chateau, like a fox 
 watching a chicken. Between ourselves I believe 
 she's a little cracked." 
 
 "And with what design did she bring you 
 here ? " 
 
 " Simply to keep her company. She likes my 
 society very much, I sing villanclles to her." 
 
 " Listen to me, I ought to break your back to 
 punish you for what you've done." 
 
 " O my dear Touquet, that was a joke."
 
 234 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Get along with you, I despise you too much 
 to strike you." 
 
 " That's very civil on your part." 
 
 " Have you told me the truth ? " 
 
 " If you doubt it, come with me to the inn. 
 Julia will not be long before she comes in." 
 
 " No, I can't go there this evening ; but I for- 
 bid you to say a word to her about our meet- 
 ing." 
 
 " As soon as you forbid me, it's as if you had 
 cut out my tongue." 
 
 " If I don't find Julia tomorrow in the place 
 you have told me of, monsieur le marquis himself 
 will see that you are punished, and this time there 
 will be no quarter given you." 
 
 "You may be sure I'll obey you." 
 
 " Good-by, I'm going back to the chateau." 
 
 " And I to the village where I shall not await 
 your visit," said Chaudoreille, in a low tone, gath- 
 ering his cloak up under his arm that he might 
 walk more quickly. 
 
 Touquet returned to the chateau and sought the 
 marquis. It was night, and Villebelle was seated 
 before a table as sumptuously furnished as was 
 possible at the chateau ; but the marquis, presum- 
 ing that he should make a long sojourn there, had 
 had his cellars replenished, and if the fare was not 
 so delicate as in Paris, the wines were no less ex- 
 quisite. The marquis appeared gayer than usual. 
 He had already emptied several bottles, and near
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 235 
 
 him were several letters which he read while sup- 
 ping. 
 
 " What news ? " said he, on perceiving the bar- 
 ber. 
 
 " My researches have not proved vain, mon- 
 seigneur, Julia is at the village ; she is living at 
 the inn under an assumed name. I have seen 
 Chaudoreille, who is now her confidant." 
 
 " Ah, the little Gascon. Have you thrashed 
 him soundly ? " 
 
 " Not yet, monseigneur, I wished first to get 
 your orders, and I have not seen Julia." 
 
 " You have done well, I will speak to her my- 
 self. Tomorrow we will go together to the vil- 
 lage ; I shall make the heedless girl hear reason, 
 and we shall know this grand secret which she pre- 
 tends she has to tell me." 
 
 "A secret?" 
 
 "Yes, and it's necessary, she says, that you 
 should be present when she tells it." 
 
 " Me ? monseigneur." 
 
 " Tomorrow she shall be satisfied. Do you see 
 those letters ? All of those were sent to me from 
 Paris. They are from the great ladies who regret 
 me ; there are reproaches, promises, vows, and a 
 little of everything. Here, throw all that in the 
 fire." 
 
 " What, monsieur le marquis, even those which 
 are unopened ? " 
 
 " Yes, of course ; do they not all say the same
 
 236 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 thing? Ah, a single smile from Blanche is worth 
 all the sweet nothings of these ladies. Why is 
 she not here, near me ? " 
 
 " If monseigneur desires it " 
 
 "That she may come with her eyes full of 
 tears ? No." 
 
 The marquis filled a large glass with wine, 
 which he drank at a draught, when he exclaimed, 
 
 " I'm commencing, however, to fear that I sigh 
 in vain ; Blanche is near me, in my chateau, but 
 I dare not but to employ violence, I cannot 
 resort to that." 
 
 "Without employing violence, monseigneur, 
 are there not a thousand ways ? She sleeps un- 
 defended and you have double keys to all the 
 rooms." 
 
 "What perfidy!" 
 
 " Not greater, monseigneur, than taking her in 
 a carriage, telling her that she was going to join 
 Urbain." 
 
 " Be silent, you are a monster ; and to listen 
 to your horrible counsels renders me more crimi- 
 nal than yourself." 
 
 " It was not I, monseigneur, who counselled 
 you to fall in love with Blanche, but since she is 
 in your power, it seems to me that your scruples 
 are a little tardy." 
 
 The marquis remained silent for some moments ; 
 then he resumed, 
 
 " This morning she spoke to me less coldly ; I
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 237 
 
 remained several hours with her ; she seemed to 
 me less timid. I took her hand, and she left it 
 for a long time in mine." 
 
 " What more do you wish for, monseigneur ? 
 In secret Blanche loves you ; but do you think 
 that so timid a young girl will confess what is 
 passing in her heart? It is not until after she 
 has yielded that she banishes all constraint." 
 
 " Blanche loves me, say you ? Ah, if it were 
 true. But it is late ; go and take some rest. 
 Tomorrow we will go and see Julia." 
 
 Touquet bowed to the marquis, and looked 
 stealthily and scrutinizingly at him ; then he took 
 a candle, and departed in silence. For a long 
 while the marquis remained at the table, buried in 
 thought, or drinking glass after glass of wine. 
 He seemed to wish to drown in the liquor the 
 thoughts which pursued him. Finally he rang 
 for Germain, and said to him in a gloomy voice, 
 
 " Who has the double keys to the chateau ? " 
 
 " The porter should have them, monseigneur." 
 
 " Bid him come here, I wish to speak to him." 
 
 The old porter hastened to obey his master's 
 orders. 
 
 " Are there some double keys for these apart- 
 ments ? " said the marquis. 
 
 " Yes, monseigneur, there are even triple keys ; 
 'tis an ancient usage that dates from " 
 
 " Go and get me those of the tower which 
 looks on the lake."
 
 238 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 The porter departed, and soon returned with 
 a bunch of keys, saying, 
 
 " If monseigneur wishes I will conduct him 
 through the chateau," 
 
 " Give me those and go, I do not need your 
 assistance," said the marquis, snatching the keys 
 from his hand. 
 
 The old man, stupefied, bowed and departed, 
 without daring to raise his eyes on his master. 
 The marquis dismissed his servants, saying that 
 he had need of rest, and presently the most pro- 
 found silence reigned in the chateau and in the 
 grounds pertaining to it. 
 
 As for the Marquis de Villebelle, he walked ir- 
 resolutely about his apartment, holding the bunch 
 of keys in his hand, and meditating deeply. He 
 was apparently still undecided as to what course 
 he should take, and muttered to himself from 
 time to time, 
 
 " No, I cannot make use of these keys she 
 seemed to give me her confidence and I dare not 
 abuse it ; but must she pass her life thus ? To be 
 so near her, to have abducted her in vain. What 
 would all the libertines say of me, all the people 
 of fashion, if they knew of my conduct ? But if 
 they could see Blanche ! Why did that cursed 
 Touquet speak to me of these keys ? I should 
 have divined that when he entered this chateau, 
 that man would advise me to commit some wicked 
 action." 

 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 239 
 
 Some moments passed, and at last the marquis 
 took up a candle, and exclaimed, 
 
 " It is settled ; I will listen only to the passion 
 which leads me." 
 
 He left his room, which was separated from 
 the tower where Blanche was lodged by a long 
 gallery adorned with portraits of the marquis' 
 ancestors. Villebelle walked slowly, pausing often 
 to listen, and trembling for fear he should meet 
 someone ; he kept his eyes down, and seemed 
 afraid to look at the portraits of his ancestors, 
 who, for the most part, had honored their country 
 by their bravery and virtue. At this moment 
 something told him he was about to commit an 
 act which was unworthy of the name which they 
 had transmitted to him, and when his eyes met 
 by chance one of those noble faces with which 
 the gallery was hung, he seemed to read in it an 
 expression of indignation and scorn. At last he 
 reached the end of the gallery, and never had it 
 seemed to him so long; he mounted a grand 
 staircase, crossed several rooms, and entered the 
 tower which held the young girl. A violent 
 trembling seized him. Wishing to master his 
 uneasiness, he hastened his walk. All the doors 
 of communication were open, and he soon found 
 Blanche's room. He paused, and looked at the 
 keys which he held in his hand ; he still hesitated, 
 but, seeking to deaden himself to the crime which 
 he was about to commit, he tried several keys,
 
 2 4 o THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 and was soon in Blanche's room. The deepest 
 silence reigned in this place ; the marquis stepped 
 very softly, taking each step with precaution. 
 The door of the bedroom was not closed. Ville- 
 belle looked in, and by the light of the lamp 
 placed on the hearth, perceived the young girl 
 asleep. 
 
 " She sleeps," said the marquis ; " she thinks 
 herself safe in this shelter, but her breathing is 
 oppressed ; she seems as though she were going to 
 speak ; if I could but hear her." 
 
 He approached the bed. Blanche was dream- 
 ing of her lover ; softly she breathed Urbain's 
 name, and extended her arms as if imploring 
 someone ; then she murmured, 
 
 " O dear God ! they still keep us apart." 
 
 Villebelle felt moved and softened. 
 
 " No, she does not love me," said he softly ; 
 " in her sleep she is always thinking of Urbain." 
 
 He sighed profoundly, and was about to depart, 
 when Blanche awakened, opened her eyes, and 
 called out in terror, 
 
 " O heavens ! who is there ? " 
 
 " It is I, Blanche," answered the marquis in a 
 halting voice. 
 
 " You seigneur ? so late in my room ? What 
 do you want with me ? " 
 
 " Be calm, I beg of you." 
 
 " But you arc trembling yourself, seigneur, 
 what has happened ? "
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 241 
 
 " Nothing, nothing; I wished to see you to 
 speak to you, to look at you once more." 
 
 " Ah, don't look at me so, monsieur le marquis, 
 you frighten me." 
 
 " Frighten you ? Ah, Blanche, is that the feel- 
 ing with which the most faithful lover should in- 
 spire you ? Yes, my love is at its height ; I can 
 no longer master it ; you must make me happy ; 
 you must be mine." 
 
 The marquis already held Blanche in his arms. 
 The young girl uttered a piercing cry, and gath- 
 ering her strength, disengaged herself, jumping 
 lightly from her bed, but Villebelle again seized 
 her ; he tried to cover her with kisses ; he tried 
 to stifle her cries. Blanche threw herself at his 
 feet, extended her arms towards him, supplicat- 
 ingly, and cried in a heart-breaking voice, 
 
 " Mercy ! mercy ! if only for today." 
 
 These accents penetrated to the depths of the 
 marquis' soul. The sight of Blanche at his feet, 
 of her tears and of her despair, restored him to 
 reason, but fearing that he might no longer be 
 able to master his passion, he precipitately left 
 the young girl, and distractedly fled to his room. 
 
 Vol. VIII
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 URBAIN'S VISIT TO THE MARQUIS. CHAUDO- 
 REILLE'S LAST ADVENTURE 
 
 BLANCHE remained motionless and silent for 
 a long time in the place where she had implored, 
 and her loveliness and the nameless charm of her 
 innocence had obtained, the pity, the forbearance 
 of a man who had been about to wrong her wo- 
 manhood. At last a flood of tears relieved her 
 heart. She rose and then looked about her with 
 terror ; she listened tremblingly ; at the least 
 sound caused by the wind on the lake she shud- 
 dered, and imagined she heard the marquis return- 
 ing. She passed the night in cruel anxiety. 
 
 " All is over," she said, weeping ; " my hope 
 of happiness is completely shattered. O my well- 
 beloved Urbain, I shall see you no more; they 
 will separate us forever, but I will die rather than 
 cease to be worthy of thee." 
 
 The marquis had rested no better than his vic- 
 tim. Divided between love and remorse, regret- 
 ting at times having yielded to what he called his 
 weakness, and cursing a passion which made 
 Blanche unhappy, he saw day break without hav- 
 ing closed his eyes.
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 243 
 
 Astonished at having received no orders in 
 regard to Julia, Touquet presented himself before 
 the marquis ; he remarked the dejection of the 
 latter's features, and sought to divine the cause 
 of it. Villebelle's gloomy and melancholy tone 
 did not indicate that he was happy; he remained 
 silent, and the barber dared not question him. 
 At this moment Germain entered the room, and 
 announced to his master that a young man had 
 presented himself at the chateau, and begged the 
 favor of speech with him. 
 
 " A young man ? " said the marquis. " Is he 
 an inhabitant of the neighborhood ? " 
 
 " No, monseigneur, his dress is that of a young 
 student ; he expresses himself well, and appears 
 to have the greatest desire to see you." 
 
 " He did not tell you his name ?" 
 
 " He says that you know him without knowing 
 his name." 
 
 " How very singular, can he be a messenger 
 from Julia? " said Villebelle, looking at the barber. 
 
 " I don't think so, monsieur le marquis. The 
 description which Germain has given of the 
 stranger is not that of Chaudoreille." 
 
 " When they introduce this young man, Tou- 
 quet, step into the next room ; it is possible he 
 wishes to speak to me alone." 
 
 The barber departed and Germain returned with 
 Urbain, who, having travelled without stopping, 
 had arrived at Sarcus, and was waiting impatiently
 
 244 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 at the porter's lodge for the answer which the 
 marquis should send him." 
 
 " My master consents to see you. Follow me, 
 monsieur, I will take you to him," said Germain 
 to Urbain ; the latter joyfully hastened to follow 
 the valet, who introduced him to the marquis. 
 
 Urbain entered the room trembling ; approach- 
 ing with embarrassment the great nobleman, who 
 was seated on a sofa, and who looked curiously at 
 the young man, unable to resist a certain interest 
 which Urbain's refined and distinguished face in- 
 spired. 
 
 " Deign to excuse, seigneur, the liberty which 
 I take," said the young bachelor, bowing low to 
 the marquis. 
 
 " Speak, monsieur, what do you want of me ? " 
 
 " I come to implore your protection. You gave 
 me permission to have recourse to it. We have 
 already seen each other at Paris, some time ago ; 
 I was disguised, I met you at night in the Grand 
 Pre-aux-Clercs, fought a duel " 
 
 " What, my brave fellow, was that you, who 
 were dressed as a girl ? " 
 
 " Yes, seigneur, I had the misfortune to wound 
 you in the arm." 
 
 " And I tell you that that was just, for I was 
 wrong, as I usually am. Hang it ! I'm delighted 
 to see you again ; give me your hand, you are a 
 brave fellow." 
 
 The marquis rose, came towards Urbain and
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 245 
 
 cordially shook him by the hand. The latter, de- 
 lighted by this welcome, did not know how to 
 evince his gratitude. 
 
 " Seat yourself near me," said Villebelle, " and 
 tell me what has procured me the pleasure of re- 
 ceiving you in my chateau." 
 
 " Monseigneur, you had the goodness to offer 
 me your protection if I were unfortunate, and I 
 come to claim it." 
 
 " You do well, my dear fellow ; speak without 
 fear. Is it money that you need, I have it at your 
 service ; don't spare it, I often enough make a bad 
 use of it, once at least let it serve me in making 
 somebody happy." 
 
 " Fortune could not render me happy, for it is 
 love which causes my trouble, monseigneur." 
 
 " Oh, you are in love ; that's different, I am in 
 love, also ; and at this moment it does not make 
 me very happy, either. But come, tell me your 
 love affairs." 
 
 "I love, I adore, a charming young girl ah, 
 monseigneur, there is nobody to be compared to 
 her." 
 
 " Perhaps, but go on." 
 
 " She did not know her parents, but the man 
 who had brought her up gave me her hand. Only 
 one day and we should have been united, when a 
 wretch introduced himself into the house where 
 she lived and carried off from me the one who 
 was about to become my wife."
 
 246 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " That's very singular," said the marquis, struck 
 by Urbain's recital, " and do you know the name 
 of this ravisher ? " 
 
 " No, monsieur le marquis, but after that I 
 learned that it was a great nobleman, a rich and 
 powerful man Ah, my only hope of discover- 
 ing this monster lies in you, for you perhaps know 
 the place where he lives. Monseigneur, have pity 
 on my torture, help me to recover her whom they 
 have stolen from me, help me to recover Blanche, 
 and the unfortunate Urbain will owe you more 
 than life." 
 
 At the name of Blanche the marquis rose ab- 
 ruptly. Urbain threw himself at his feet, seized 
 one of his hands and looked imploringly at him ; 
 but Villebelle turned his head that the young man 
 might not see the change which had come over 
 his face. 
 
 " Get up, get up," said the marquis, seeking to 
 master his emotion ; " I wish to serve you, yes, 
 but I cannot promise to restore to you the one 
 whom you have loved." 
 
 " Among the noblemen of the court, there are 
 men who glory in betraying innocence and snatch- 
 ing a young girl from her relations ; seigneur, if 
 you have the least suspicion sometimes the 
 slightest indication will put one on the track." 
 
 The marquis appeared to reflect deeply ; Ur- 
 bain, who believed that he sought to recall some 
 circumstance which had interested him, waited with
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 247 
 
 most lively anxiety for him to speak. After a 
 long silence Villebelle said, 
 
 " You are very young, Urbain." 
 
 " I am nineteen years old, seigneur." 
 
 " This Blanche is, no doubt, the first woman 
 whom you have loved ? " 
 
 " Yes, seigneur, and she will be the last." 
 
 " You are mistaken, my friend ; at your age 
 one loves ardently, but it is a flame which quickly 
 evaporates. It is only to one like me that 
 bereft of the illusions of youth and wearied with 
 change a true love is a need of the heart 
 and should be an insurmountable feeling. Like 
 you, at nineteen years of age, I believed that I 
 should love for life ; I deceived myself. Believe 
 me, you will still be happy." 
 
 " Without Blanche ? That is impossible." 
 
 " You have some little fortune ? " 
 
 " I have a little country house which my father 
 left me, and twelve hundred livres income." 
 
 " With so little, distraction is not easy. I wish 
 that you could taste some of the pleasures of your 
 age, and in their vortex you would soon forget 
 your first love." 
 
 " I thank you, seigneur, but I cannot accept 
 your benefits. I repeat to you, I can never taste 
 pleasure separated from her I love." 
 
 " Well, what I have offered you would facili- 
 tate your researches. Do not refuse me, it is only 
 on that condition that I promise you to second
 
 248 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 your efforts. Wait for me here, do not leave this 
 room." 
 
 So saying, the marquis went into the room 
 where Touquet was waiting. 
 
 " Urbain is there," said he, "the young stranger 
 who asked to see me is Blanche's lover." 
 
 " I know it, seigneur, I recognized his voice 
 and I listened." 
 
 " He comes to beg my help in discovering the 
 abductor of her he loves." 
 
 " He could not better address himself." 
 
 " I almost felt ready to give him his sweet- 
 heart." 
 
 "What folly!" 
 
 " But Blanche's image is too deeply graven in 
 my heart. However, I wish to try and indem- 
 nify poor Urbain for the evil which I have caused 
 him ; and the power of gold " 
 
 " It is the remedy for all evils, seigneur." 
 
 " Yes, to a venial soul like yours ; you have 
 never known the sweetness of love." 
 
 " But it is necessary, seigneur, to get rid of this 
 young man for a long time. What prevents you 
 by means of false advice from sending him 
 to England, to Turkey, to the devil even ? " 
 
 "In fact, I comprehend." 
 
 " Travel will distract him from his love ; you 
 are a generous rival. Some others in your place, 
 profiting by the occasion, would shut this young 
 man up in some dungeon in this chateau."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 249 
 
 " Oh, how horrible ! to betray the confidence 
 of this mere boy." 
 
 "In place of that you will give him money, so 
 that he can live like a great lord." 
 
 " Could I ever pay him for the treasure I have 
 taken from him ? " 
 
 The marquis opened a desk, took sixty thou- 
 sand livres in notes, which he placed in a pocket- 
 book and returned to find Urbain. The young 
 bachelor, as he noted the elegance of the interior 
 of the chateau, said to himself, 
 
 "It is, perhaps, in a similar abode that Blanche 
 is lamenting at this moment." 
 
 "In thinking of what you have told me," said 
 Villebelle, " I recall certain circumstances which 
 might, perhaps, put you on the track of her whom 
 you are seeking." 
 
 " O monsieur le marquis, deign to tell me." 
 
 " The Marquis de Chavagnac has often made 
 people talk about him by abducting beautiful girls ; 
 he has suddenly left Paris, and one may presume 
 that it was on some similar adventure." 
 
 " Ah, it is he who has stolen Blanche from me." 
 
 " Remember well that I do not affirm any- 
 thing." 
 
 " And does anyone know to which of his cha- 
 teaux he has gone ? " 
 
 "He is not in France, and, according to what 
 I have learned, has betaken himself to Italy." 
 
 " To Italy ? Then that is where I must go."
 
 250 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Take this pocketbook as a mark of my es- 
 teem, and do not spare that which it holds." 
 
 " Seigneur, I do not know if I should." 
 
 " Believe my experience ; with gold one may 
 gain the duennas, one may seduce jailers, one may 
 surmount many obstacles." 
 
 "It will be to you, then, that I shall owe my 
 happiness, my felicity. O seigneur, I do not know 
 how to express my gratitude to you." 
 
 " Go, Urbain, make a tour of Italy, and per- 
 haps you will there find happiness." 
 
 The young bachelor still wished to express to 
 the marquis all his gratitude, but the latter would 
 not permit him, and again wishing him a pleasant 
 journey, he rang for Germain, who conducted 
 Urbain to the door of the chateau. Hardly had 
 the young lover quitted the marquis* apartments, 
 when Villebelle called Touquet, and ordered him 
 to follow Urbain at a distance, and not to lose 
 sight of him until he was certain that the bachelor 
 had left Sarcus. Urbain departed, penetrated 
 with gratitude to the marquis, but while passing 
 through the great gate, he experienced a sadness 
 for which he could not account. He could hardly 
 leave the chateau, and turned to cast a last glance 
 at the antique towers of Sarcus. Wrapped in 
 thought, he walked slowly down the first road 
 which he came to, greatly touched at the welcome 
 which he had received at the chateau. He hoped, 
 thanks to the benevolence of the marquis, soon
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 251 
 
 to be in Italy, not doubting that it could be any 
 other than the Seigneur de Chavagnac who had 
 carried Blanche off. 
 
 Urbain had already gone some distance from 
 the chateau, and was about to enter a lane which 
 led to the village, when a shout of, " Take care 
 there ! " made him raise his head, and he saw 
 before him a man on horseback. The rider, 
 however, managed his horse so badly that the 
 animal was standing across the path, having his 
 head resting on a bush, to which he seemed to be 
 attached. 
 
 " By jingo ! won't you turn, proud animal ; 
 beware lest in place of the spur I bury Rolande's 
 point in your side. Tajce care there, what the 
 deuce ! My horse is skittish, you frighten him." 
 
 The voice and accent of the chevalier immedi- 
 ately struck Urbain ; he recognized the man who 
 had made an appointment with him at the Porte 
 Montmartre. Chaudoreille, after his meeting 
 with the barber, had had no thought except to 
 leave the neighborhood of the chateau, and with- 
 out making his resolution known to Julia, who 
 would, he was very certain, oppose it, he had 
 waited till the next day, when she had left the inn ; 
 then, taking the bag which contained the effects 
 and money of his companion, he had sold one of 
 their horses and, under the pretext of exploring 
 the neighborhood had started on his way, with 
 the intention of escaping to parts unknown. But
 
 252 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 the fugitive did not know how to hold his horse, 
 although since his journey to Sarcus he had be- 
 lieved himself one of the best jockeys in France. 
 Continually twitching the bridle of his horse for 
 fear the animal should run away, it had taken 
 him an hour to cover barely half a mile of road. 
 He commenced to fear that he could not depart 
 quickly enough by this mode of travel, when 
 Urbain met him in the little lane, which the 
 horse refused to leave. 
 
 Urbain, delighted at seeing the man again who 
 had promised to tell him the name of Blanche's 
 ravisher, uttered a joyful exclamation, and ran 
 towards Chaudoreille. The sudden cry and ap- 
 proach of the young man frightened the horse, 
 which jumped, and sent his rider six feet from 
 him into a thick hedge. 
 
 " All the bones in my body are broken," cried 
 Chaudoreille, while falling. 
 
 Urbain ran to help him up, and to make his 
 excuses, but the chevalier drew away from him, 
 and while rubbing himself looked at Urbain, who 
 did not cease to repeat, 
 
 " I am Blanche's lover, the young man whom 
 you met that night, and whom you promised to 
 meet at Porte Montmartre." 
 
 " My faith, that's true, I recognize you now ; 
 but why the deuce did you run at me, and shout 
 so loud ? This is the first time that I have been 
 unhorsed."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 253 
 
 " Monsieur, oblige me by keeping your prom- 
 ise ; tell me the name of Blanche's abductor. I 
 can now recompense you beyond your hopes." 
 
 " Hush ! " said Chaudoreille, drawing Urbain 
 towards the hedge which hid them from sight of 
 the chateau ; "imprudent young man, don't speak 
 so loud." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Silence, I tell you. What ! you are at Sarcus, 
 and you don't know the name of your sweet- 
 heart's abductor ? " 
 
 "No, of course not; I came to beg the Mar- 
 quis de Villebelle's protection, and thanks to him 
 I hope " 
 
 " Oh, for once this is too much ! Young man, 
 you interest me. I am about to risk myself for 
 you ; but you have promised me a liberal recom- 
 pense." 
 
 " Here, take this gold, these notes, and speak 
 at once." 
 
 " Your sweetheart's abductor is no other than 
 the Marquis de Villebelle." 
 
 " The marquis ? " 
 
 " Why yes, by jingo ! and your little girl is 
 now at the Chateau de Sarcus." 
 
 " No, that is not possible ; you are deceiving 
 me. The marquis has heaped benefits upon me." 
 
 " The better to disarm your suspicions. Zounds ! 
 how young you still are. I tell you that your 
 Blanche is at the chateau, and that the barber "
 
 254 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " Is before you," said a stern voice, which came 
 from the other side of the hedge, and, at the same 
 moment, the foliage parted and Touquet appeared 
 before the astonished Urbain ; while Chaudoreille, 
 whose legs failed him at this sudden apparition, 
 fell again into the hedge, muttering, 
 
 " It's the devil." 
 
 " This wretch has not told you all, Seigneur 
 Urbain," said the barber. " Under pretext of 
 serving you he has given you some half con- 
 fidences, but I wish you should know all the ob- 
 ligation under which you lie to him. You were 
 about to wed Blanche, and nothing was opposed 
 to your marriage ; the marquis had never heard 
 of that young girl, whom I had carefully kept from 
 his sight, foreseeing to what excesses he would be 
 carried , but Chaudoreille, in spite of his promises, 
 gave the marquis a most seductive portrait of your 
 sweetheart and told him of your approaching mar- 
 riage. Finally, it is to him that you owe Blanche's 
 abduction and the loss of your happiness. An- 
 swer, clown, is not this the truth ? " 
 
 " I cannot deny it," answered the chevalier, 
 half dead with fright, " however, circumstances " 
 
 " Wretch ! " cried Urbain, " you are the cause 
 of all my suffering, defend yourself. The first 
 act of my vengeance shall be your death." 
 
 While travelling, Urbain carried a sword ; he 
 drew his weapon from the scabbard and advanced 
 towards Chaudoreille, but the words, " by your
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 255 
 
 death," and the sight of the naked sword put new 
 strength into the legs of the little man. Abandon- 
 ing the cloak which impeded his flight, he ran with 
 all his might, pursued by Urbain, who still threat- 
 ened him with his sword ; while the barber, mount- 
 ing Chaudoreille's horse, went at full gallop to the 
 chateau. The chevalier, who imagined that he 
 felt the point of Urbain's sword pricking his back, 
 redoubled his speed ; but Urbain, animated by a 
 desire for vengeance, had very nearly caught up 
 to him, and was not more than twenty paces be- 
 hind him when they entered the village. This 
 flying man, pursued by another with a sword in 
 his hand, attracted everyone's attention. 
 
 " Out of the way ! out of the way ! " cried Chau- 
 doreille to the crowd, while Urbain shouted, 
 
 " Stop that wretch." 
 
 The innkeeper who was at his door said, 
 
 "Why, that's Monsieur Malek-Al-Chiras, 
 Castanet teacher. What can he have done with 
 his Arabian steed ? " 
 
 The fugitive entered the first door that he found 
 open, which was one in the house of an old dow- 
 ager. Chaudoreille mounted the staircase ; arrived 
 at the first floor he perceived a key in a door, he 
 entered precipitantly, carefully taking the key with 
 him and locking it after him. At the same in- 
 stant, a voice cried, 
 
 " Monsieur, what are you doing here ? Nobody 
 can come in, I am not visible."
 
 256 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 It was the dowager, who was dressing at the 
 moment when the chevalier, entered her chamber, 
 desperate. Chaudoreille did not answer, he heard 
 nothing but Urbain's steps. 
 
 " Monsieur, I am making my toilet." 
 
 " Make anything you please," said he at last, 
 " I shall scarcely worry myself about it." 
 
 " Leave this room, monsieur." 
 
 " Me, leave the room ? By jingo ! I'll take 
 very good care not to do that. Do you wish me 
 to go to my death ? I'm pursued by a man who 
 absolutely wishes to fight with me." 
 
 " Well, then, fight. Can't you defend your- 
 self?" 
 
 " I can only defend myself when I am not at- 
 tacked." 
 
 " What use is your sword then, monsieur?" 
 
 " That does not matter to you. Ah, zounds ! 
 I hear him." 
 
 In fact, Urbain had discovered Chaudoreille's 
 retreat. He knocked at the door and ordered him 
 to open. 
 
 " Answer that there is nobody here," said Chau- 
 doreille to the dowager, " you will save the life of 
 the most amiable man in Europe." 
 
 The old woman answered on the contrary, 
 
 " He is here, but he has locked himself up 
 with me and he has taken the key." 
 
 " Oh, well, one can break in the door," said 
 Urbain, " if this wretch refuses to open it."
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 257 
 
 Chaudoreille looked round in search of a hid- 
 ing-place, but feared the dowager would betray 
 him. Finally his glance rested on the chimney, and 
 seeing no other means of escape, he ran and 
 climbed into it with the agility of a squirrel. At 
 that moment someone forced the door, and Urbain 
 entered, followed by some of the village people. 
 They did not see Chaudoreille, but the dowager 
 indicated the way by which he had fled. Going 
 down into the court they perceived the chevalier 
 on the roof, creeping along a gutter and endeavor- 
 ing to reach the neighboring house. The way was 
 dangerous, but the fear of fighting seemed to have 
 blinded Chaudoreille to all other perils. Already 
 his foot touched the next roof, and, using Rolande 
 to feel his way, he turned his head to see if Urbain 
 was behind him ; this movement made him lose 
 his equilibrium, he slipped, then disappeared. 
 They ran to the place where he had fallen ; the 
 descendant of Delilah had fallen on some cabbages, 
 but not having loosened his hold of Rolande, the 
 long sword had passed through the middle of his 
 body. Thus perished the prudent Chaudoreille, 
 while trying to avoid a combat.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 JULIA'S STORY. WHAT WAS CONTAINED IN 
 THE PORTFOLIO 
 
 THE barber left Urbain in full pursuit of the 
 luckless chevalier and putting his horse at full 
 gallop tore back to the Chateau de Sarcus, in 
 order that he might immediately apprise the mar- 
 quis of that which had taken place. He arrived 
 in short order at the chateau and hastened to pre- 
 sent himself to Villebelle, whom he informed of 
 the meeting of Urbain and Chaudoreille and the 
 disclosures that had been made. 
 
 "Then this young man is aware that I have 
 grossly deceived him, that I am Blanche's abduc- 
 tor and that she is now at the chateau ? " said the 
 marquis. " He is young and ingenuous, his love 
 for this hapless child is pure and virtuous, he 
 sought to honor her in making her his wife, 
 how vile and dishonorable must I appear in his 
 eyes!" 
 
 " What does the opinion of this beardless boy 
 matter to you, monsieur le marquis ? The most 
 important thing you have to think of is how to 
 prevent his coming in contact with Blanche, and 
 that, now, will be rather difficult. Now that he
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 259 
 
 is sure that she is here, he will employ a thou- 
 sand stratagems to introduce himself into the 
 chateau " 
 
 " No, this boy shall not rob me of the woman 
 whom I love." 
 
 " If he comes, as I am certain he will, to de- 
 mand satisfaction, it's a sure thing that you can- 
 not refuse to fight him, and that will be the best 
 means of disembarrassing yourself of him. With 
 your cool blood and your skill with the sword, 
 you ought easily to be able to vanquish a man 
 blinded by fury." 
 
 " Wretch ! do you wish that I should be bathed 
 in the blood of this child ? No, I am already 
 guilty enough. But what prevents me from leav- 
 ing Sarcus, from carrying Blanche to a country 
 where Urbain cannot discover her ? Yes, tonight 
 even, we will start. We will go to unknown parts. 
 Go immediately and find Germain. The prepara- 
 tions for our departure must be made in the great- 
 est secrecy, and Blanche must not know of them 
 until the last moment ; at midnight we will leave 
 the chateau. By this means I hope to make all 
 traces of Blanche lost to Urbain forever." 
 
 " That is a very good idea, monseigneur, but 
 Julia" 
 
 " I shall trouble myself no more about her now, 
 besides, this step will also relieve me from her 
 importunities. Go, run, and order everything for 
 tonight."
 
 260 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 Touquet hastened to execute the marquis* or- 
 ders ; it was already late, and there remained only 
 a short time to Villebelle in which to make his 
 preparations for a voyage which he presumed 
 would be of long duration. The more he re- 
 flected, the more he approved of his plan. He 
 imagined that Blanche would find, in travelling in 
 strange countries, distractions which would make 
 her soon forget the persons whom she had left in 
 France, and he flattered himself that he would 
 soon see the consummation of all his wishes. 
 
 Eleven o'clock struck. The night was fine; 
 everything was in readiness for their start, some 
 fresh and lively horses were harnessed to a travel- 
 ling carriage. The marquis was still in his apart- 
 ment, occupied in finishing some letters to his 
 stewards and some intimate friends in Paris Near 
 him was the barber, to whom he gave his last in- 
 structions ; charging him in case he should see 
 Urbain again, to advise that young man to forget 
 a woman whom he could never possess ; and to 
 enjoy himself with the large fortune which Ville- 
 belle had placed at his disposal. 
 
 The barber listened quietly to the marquis ; his 
 eyes were fixed on the gold and the bills of ex- 
 change spread on the desk by the side of a pair of 
 travelling pistols. A few moments later Villebelle 
 was about to tell Marie to go and call Blanche, 
 when the door of the room opened softly. The 
 marquis, surprised that anyone should dare to
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 261 
 
 come into his room so late, raised his eyes and rec- 
 ognized Julia, wrapped in her black mantle. 
 
 " This woman again ! " exclaimed Villebelle, 
 while Touquet turned and remained struck with 
 astonishment on perceiving the Italian. 
 
 " Calm yourself, seigneur," said Julia, closing 
 the door of the room, " this visit will be the last 
 that I shall make you." 
 
 " How did you come here ? What do you want? 
 Speak, hasten to answer me unless you expect me 
 to punish you for your strange conduct." 
 
 " I fear nothing, seigneur, it is very little mat- 
 ter what becomes of me after this. I find you here 
 with your confidant, which is just what I wish. 
 Deign to listen attentively to me. That which I 
 am about to tell you will, I am sure, change all 
 your resolutions, and your departure will not take 
 place." 
 
 Julia's singular tone, and her unexpected ap- 
 pearance at so late an hour, inspired Villebelle 
 with curiosity and a secret terror. He signed to 
 the young Italian to speak. The latter seated 
 herself between the marquis and the barber, who 
 waited impatiently for her explanation, and after 
 looking attentively at them for some time with a 
 peculiar expression, she at length began her story. 
 
 " It is first necessary, monsieur le marquis, that 
 you should know that I am the daughter of a man 
 named Cesar Perditor, who passed for a sorcerer 
 in the eyes of ignorant people, and whose reputa-
 
 262 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 tion became such that he was obliged to quit Paris 
 to protect himself from death, or, at least, from a 
 perpetual prison in the dungeons of the Bastile." 
 
 " Cesar ! I often heard speak of that famous 
 sorcerer," said the marquis. " Did he not hold 
 his conferences in a quarry near Gentilly ? " 
 
 " Yes, seigneur ; and there it was that an old 
 man came to consult him, an old man whose 
 daughter you had abducted, and whom you had 
 wounded with your sword the unfortunate 
 Delmar." 
 
 "Estrelle's father?" 
 
 " Exactly, monseigneur. Old Delmar told his 
 troubles to my father, and begged him to give 
 him the means to revenge himself upon you ; but 
 despite all his skill Cesar would have had diffi- 
 culty in satisfying the old man if, while receiving 
 the confidences of a great part of the noblemen 
 and of the women of fashion, he had not learned 
 where your little house was situated, and to what 
 neighborhood you had taken the young Estrelle. 
 He told it to the old man, and the latter rescued 
 his daughter from your hands." 
 
 " What ? It was her father who took her from 
 the shelter where I had placed her ? " said the 
 marquis with surprise, and appearing at every 
 moment more interested in Julia's tale. "And 
 what became of her ? " 
 
 " One moment, seigneur, you will learn all if 
 you will allow me to continue. Old Delmar had
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 263 
 
 regained his daughter, but you had dishonored 
 her, and the adventure had caused too much stir 
 to allow them to remain in the city that you lived 
 in. He possessed some fortune ; he sold every- 
 thing, realized his property, recompensed my 
 father for the service he had rendered him, and 
 carried Estrelle to the depths of Lorraine, and 
 there she gave birth to her child." 
 
 " Good God ! she was a mother ! can it be 
 possible that Estrelle made me a father? Ah, 
 Julia, in mercy finish." 
 
 Julia seemed to enjoy for some moments the 
 marquis' uneasiness, then she resumed her story. 
 
 "It was at this time that my father was obliged 
 to escape from Paris in order to avoid arrest, and 
 the report spread that he had perished in a dun- 
 geon of the Bastile ; but he had amassed sufficient 
 for his subsistence, and leaving his dangerous oc- 
 cupation, he had no thought but to live in peace. 
 I was then in Italy, my birthplace. My father 
 came to seek me, and brought me to France, the 
 climate of which pleased him. Unable to return 
 to Paris, where he would have been recognized, 
 my father settled in the neighborhood of Nancy; 
 there he again saw old Delmar and his sad daugh- 
 ter, secretly bringing up a child of whom she could 
 only call herself the mother with blushes. Later 
 he became acquainted with a poor farmer who 
 had been reduced to poverty by the misconduct 
 of his son, a wretch who, after committing a crime
 
 264 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 in the country where he was born, had fled, carry- 
 ing away from his parents all that they possessed, 
 and leaving them in the direst poverty." 
 
 " The history of this man can have no connec- 
 tion with Estrelle's child," said the marquis, im- 
 patiently ; " in pity, Julia, finish what you have 
 to say to me." 
 
 " Pardon me, monsieur le marquis, that is more 
 important than you think, and it is very interest- 
 ing to your worthy confidant, who has already 
 recognized his father in the old farmer of whom I 
 have spoken." 
 
 The barber, who had given great attention to 
 Julia's last words, immediately exclaimed, 
 
 " Oh, was that my father ? I was guilty towards 
 him I confess; love of gold made me commit 
 many faults, but I always had the intention of 
 repairing the wrong I had done, and there is still 
 time for it." 
 
 " No, it is too late," said Julia, casting at the 
 barber a terrible look. 
 
 "Is he dead?" 
 
 Julia remained silent. The marquis rose ab- 
 ruptly, exclaiming, 
 
 " Well, then, cruel woman, have you amused 
 yourself sufficiently with my torture ? When are 
 you going to make an end of this ?" 
 
 " You are both very impatient," said the young 
 Italian, smiling bitterly ; " but there is little more 
 to tell you. Old Touquet asked my father
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 265 
 
 whether he had, in his travels, heard his eon 
 spoken of. My father could tell him nothing 
 satisfactory. Soon after we went to dwell in a 
 village near Amiens ; it was there that I lived up 
 to the age of fifteen years. Then my father died ; 
 and I came to Paris, where I went into a shop as 
 a simple workwoman. My father had left me no 
 property except a manuscript containing the most 
 curious adventures of his life, and the secret his- 
 tory of the persons who had consulted him. This 
 is how I learned, monsieur le marquis, of the ab- 
 duction of poor Estrelle, and it was in examining 
 these notes of my father that I saw in what man- 
 ner the barber Touquet had acted toward his 
 parents." 
 
 " Is that all that you know ? " said the marquis. 
 "Have you learned nothing more in regard to Es- 
 trelle and her child ? " 
 
 " A short time ago I did not know anything 
 further, seigneur, but chance has put me in pos- 
 session of all that you would know, thanks to a 
 visit which I paid to the barber, for it was at his 
 house that I found the clew to the mystery." 
 
 "At my house?" said Touquet, looking at 
 Julia in surprise. 
 
 " Yes, at your house, in the closet hidden at the 
 back of the alcove in Marguerite's chamber." 
 
 Pale and trembling, the barber muttered, 
 
 " You have been in that closet but there was 
 nothing there ; no, I am very certain of it."
 
 266 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 " You are mistaken, for in disturbing, by chance, 
 a chest which stood on the floor, I found this port- 
 folio, which probably had been hidden by the per- 
 son whom you lodged there, who, not knowing 
 how to dispose of these important papers, had 
 deemed it wise to put them in this secret place 
 during the time that he stayed at your house." 
 
 The barber looked with terror on the portfolio 
 which Julia had drawn from beneath her cloak, 
 while the marquis exclaimed, 
 
 " Do these papers come from Blanche's father ?" 
 
 " They come, in fact, from the person who 
 brought that young girl to the barber's house. 
 Seigneur, read first that one." 
 
 Julia gave a paper to Villebelle, who uttered a 
 cry of surprise as he read, 
 
 " Certificate of the birth of Blanche, daughter 
 of Estrelle Delmar." 
 
 " O my God ! " said the marquis, breathing with 
 difficulty, " can it be ? " 
 
 " Wait, seigneur, do you know Estrelle's writ- 
 ing?" 
 
 "Yes, that is it, I recognize it." 
 
 " Read this note." 
 
 The marquis took the letter and eagerly read 
 it, 
 
 I feel that I am about to die, but, at least, my father has 
 forgiven me. He had forbidden me to make Blanche's exis- 
 tence known to her father, and, as long as he lived, I respected 
 his orders ; but he is no more, and I am about to follow him to
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 267 
 
 the tomb. Villebelle, Blanche is your daughter, the fruit of our 
 love. Good-by. Love her more than you have loved her 
 mother. I forgive you. 
 
 ESTRELLE DELMAR. 
 
 " O Blanche, O my daughter ! " exclaimed the 
 marquis, abandoning himself by turns to his joy 
 and his remorse, " I am your father and I have 
 made you unhappy." 
 
 " Finish this letter, seigneur," said Julia, " there 
 is something there which concerns your confidant." 
 
 The marquis saw some lines added by Estrelle's 
 hand and read, 
 
 I have no relations ; my daughter will be presented to you 
 by a worthy friend in whom I have every confidence, and who 
 goes to Paris under a fictitious name to try to obtain some in- 
 formation about a son who has dishonored him. I have con- 
 fided to him the fortune which I have left Blanche ; my daugh- 
 ter needs nothing but her father's friendship, but if he repulses 
 her, the old Touquet will take his place. 
 
 " Touquet," cried the marquis, looking at the 
 barber. 
 
 The latter appeared thunderstruck. He looked 
 at the letter, a cold sweat stood out on his fore- 
 head ; he could not utter a word. 
 
 " Yes," said Julia, " yes, unhappy wretch, it was 
 your father who came to your house with Blanche, 
 whom he was taking to the marquis ; he had taken 
 the name of Moranval, no doubt, that he might 
 be more likely to get news of his son in Paris. 
 Perhaps he even knew in whose house he was tak-
 
 268 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 ing lodgings. Answer, wretch, how did you treat 
 that traveller ? " 
 
 " Do not question me," said the barber, walk- 
 ing wildly about the room, " I am a monster. Do 
 not come near me ; I have murdered my father ! " 
 
 a And for ten years you have deprived me of 
 my daughter," cried the marquis, starting from 
 Touquet with horror. " You were about to make 
 me the most guilty of men, your horrible coun- 
 sels were thrusting me to a crime wait, wretch, 
 and receive the price of all your misdeeds." 
 
 The marquis seized one of the pistols which 
 were on the desk and directed it towards Touquet. 
 The shot sped, and Julia looked coldly on, as the 
 barber fell at her feet. 
 
 " That death was too kind for you," said the 
 marquis, "but, thanks to Heaven, I have not 
 committed the last crime. O my dear Blanche, 
 you are my daughter ; that was the cause of the 
 secret feeling which pled for you. I will make 
 you happy, and you shall forget my unworthy 
 love ; henceforth, it is only a father who presses 
 you in his arms." 
 
 The marquis left the room followed by Julia. 
 He did not walk, he flew towards the tower in- 
 habited by Blanche. As he approached, his voice, 
 calling Blanche, woke the echoes. They reached 
 the door of the room, which was locked on the 
 inside ; the marquis, who had not taken his keys, 
 knocked and reknocked, calling Blanche and
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 269 
 
 ring her to open. Nobody answered, but 
 presently a sound reached the marquis* ears, which 
 seemed to be caused by the fall of some object in 
 the waters of the lake. Villebelle experienced a sen- 
 sation which he could not define ; he ran and called 
 Germain, obtained his keys and entered Blanche's" 
 apartment; it was empty, and everything an- 
 nounced that the young girl had not gone to bed ; 
 but one of the windows looking on the lake was 
 open. Led by a secret presentiment, the marquis 
 went on to the balcony. His eyes searched the 
 lake, and he called again, 
 
 " Blanche, my daughter." 
 
 Nobody answered, but an object showed at in- 
 tervals on the surface of the lake, and seemed to 
 move. 
 
 "It is she," cried Villebelle, and immediately 
 jumped into the lake. It was indeed the unfortu- 
 nate Blanche, who, since the scene of the preced- 
 ing night, expecting at every moment some new 
 attempt on the part of the marquis, had not tasted 
 a moment's rest. She had not gone to bed, fear- 
 ing to be surprised in her sleep, and watched 
 trembling, believing at the slightest noise, that her 
 abductor was about to appear. Blanche had de- 
 cided to die rather than cease to be worthy of 
 Urbain. On hearing hasty steps approaching her 
 room, and recognizing Villebelle's voice calling 
 her loudly, a most violent terror had seized her; 
 and not doubting but that he had come to ac-
 
 270 THE BARBER OF PARIS 
 
 complish his infamous purpose, she had thrown 
 herself into the lake, pronouncing Urbain's name. 
 
 The marquis swam towards the object which 
 he perceived in the water, but another person 
 who had been in the park, had also thrown him- 
 self into the lake. It was Urbain, who, certain 
 that his sweetheart was in the chateau, had profited 
 by the night to introduce himself into the gar- 
 dens. The young bachelor had heard Blanche's 
 sweet voice uttering his name, then a sudden 
 sound caused him to look towards the lake and 
 he had flown to the help of the unfortunate girl, 
 with whom he had at length reached the brink; 
 where presently he was joined by the marquis, 
 Julia, and the people of the chateau, attracted by 
 their master's shouts. Blanche was stretched on 
 the grass, while Urbain on his knees beside her 
 called her loudly, when the marquis came running 
 in the greatest despair and threw himself on the 
 ground, supplicating Heaven to give him back 
 his daughter. 
 
 " His daughter ? " cried all those around him. 
 
 " Yes," said Villebelle, gazing on Blanche's 
 discolored features with despair, " yes, it is my 
 daughter, my child, whom I have made unhappy, 
 whose death I have caused. Ah, I would have 
 given all my fortune to kiss Estrelle's daughter, 
 to hear her call me father, and by my passions, 
 my vices, I am deprived of my greatest treasure. 
 Oh, my dear Blanche, return to life ; before death
 
 CHARLES PAUL DE KOCK 271 
 
 closes your mouth, tell me, at least, that you will 
 forgive me. But no, I shall not have even that last 
 consolation; she is dead without having once 
 called me father." 
 
 The marquis threw himself on the body of his 
 daughter, which Urbain watered with his tears ; he 
 took Blanche's hands and held them against his 
 heart, seeking to rewarm them, to reanimate them, 
 but all efforts were vain. Blanche could no longer 
 hear her father's cries, nor the sobs of her lover.
 
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