Chapter 97 The Departure for Belgium
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A
FEW MINUTES after the scene of confusion produced in the salons of M.
Danglars by the unexpected appearance of the brigade of soldiers, and by
the disclosure which had followed, the mansion was deserted with as much
rapidity as if a case of plague or of cholera morbus had broken out among
the guests. In a few minutes, through all the doors, down all the
staircases, by every exit, every one hastened to retire, or rather to fly;
for it was a situation where the ordinary condolences,--which even the
best friends are so eager to offer in great catastrophes,--were seen to be
utterly futile. There remained in the banker's house only Danglars,
closeted in his study, and making his statement to the officer of
gendarmes; Madame Danglars, terrified, in the boudoir with which we are
acquainted; and Eugижnie, who with haughty air and disdainful lip had
retired to her room with her inseparable companion, Mademoiselle Louise
d'Armilly. As for the numerous servants (more numerous that evening than
usual, for their number was augmented by cooks and butlers from the Cafиж de Paris), venting on their
employers their anger at what they termed the insult to which they had
been subjected, they collected in groups in the hall, in the kitchens, or
in their rooms, thinking very little of their duty, which was thus
naturally interrupted. Of all this household, only two persons deserve our
notice; these are Mademoiselle Eugижnie
Danglars and Mademoiselle Louise d'Armilly. The
betrothed had retired, as we said, with haughty air, disdainful lip, and
the demeanor of an outraged queen, followed by her companion, who was
paler and more disturbed than herself. On reaching her room Eugижnie locked her door, while Louise
fell on a chair. "Ah, what a dreadful thing," said the young
musician; "who would have suspected it? M. Andrea Cavalcanti a
murderer--a galley-slave escaped--a convict!" An ironical smile
curled the lip of Eugижnie. "In truth I was
fated," said she. "I escaped the Morcerf only to fall into the
Cavalcanti." "Oh,
do not confound the two, Eugижnie."
"Hold
your tongue! The men are all infamous, and I am happy to be able now to do
more than detest them--I despise them." "What
shall we do?" asked Louise. "What
shall we do?" "Yes."
"Why,
the same we had intended doing three days since--set off." "What?--although
you are not now going to be married, you intend still"-- "Listen,
Louise. I hate this life of the fashionable world, always ordered,
measured, ruled, like our music-paper. What I have always wished for,
desired, and coveted, is the life of an artist, free and independent,
relying only on my own resources, and accountable only to myself. Remain
here? What for?--that they may try, a month hence, to marry me again; and
to whom?--M. Debray, perhaps, as it was once proposed. No, Louise, no!
This evening's adventure will serve for my excuse. I did not seek one, I
did not ask for one. God sends me this, and I hail it joyfully!" "How
strong and courageous you are!" said the fair, frail girl to her
brunette companion. "Did
you not yet know me? Come, Louise, let us talk of our affairs. The
post-chaise"-- "Was
happily bought three days since." "Have
you had it sent where we are to go for it?" "Yes."
"Our
passport?" "Here
it is." And
Eugижnie, with her usual precision,
opened a printed paper, and read,-- "M.
Lижon
d'Armilly, twenty years of age; profession, artist; hair black, eyes
black; travelling with his sister." "Capital!
How did you get this passport?" "When
I went to ask M. de Monte Cristo for letters to the directors of the
theatres at Rome and Naples, I expressed my fears of travelling as a
woman; he perfectly understood them, and undertook to procure for me a
man's passport, and two days after I received this, to which I have added
with my own hand, 'travelling with his sister.'" "Well,"
said Eugижnie
cheerfully, "we have then only to pack up our trunks; we shall start
the evening of the signing of the contract, instead of the evening of the
wedding--that is all." "But
consider the matter seriously, Eugижnie!" "Oh,
I am done with considering! I am tired of hearing only of market reports,
of the end of the month, of the rise and fall of Spanish funds, of Haitian
bonds. Instead of that, Louise--do you understand?--air, liberty, melody
of birds, plains of Lombardy, Venetian canals, Roman palaces, the Bay of
Naples. How much have we, Louise?" The young girl to whom this
question was addressed drew from an inlaid secretary a small portfolio
with a lock, in which she counted twenty-three bank-notes. "Twenty-three
thousand francs," I said she. "And
as much, at least, in pearls, diamonds, and jewels," said Eugижnie. "We are rich. With
forty-five thousand francs we can live like princesses for two years, and
comfortably for four; but before six months--you with your music, and I
with my voice--we shall double our capital. Come, you shall take charge of
the money, I of the jewel-box; so that if one of us had the misfortune to
lose her treasure, the other would still have hers left. Now, the
portmanteau--let us make haste--the portmanteau!" "Stop!"
said Louise, going to listen at Madame Danglars' door. "What
do you fear?" "That
we may be discovered." "The
door is locked." "They
may tell us to open it." "They
may if they like, but we will not." "You
are a perfect Amazon, Eugижnie!"
And the two young girls began to heap into a trunk all the things they
thought they should require. "There now," said Eugижnie, "while I change my
costume do you lock the portmanteau." Louise pressed with all the
strength of her little hands on the top of the portmanteau. "But I
cannot," said she; "I am not strong enough; do you shut
it." "Ah,
you do well to ask," said Eugижnie, laughing; "I forgot that I was Hercules,
and you only the pale Omphale!" And the young girl, kneeling on the
top, pressed the two parts of the portmanteau together, and Mademoiselle
d'Armilly passed the bolt of the padlock through. When this was done, Eugижnie opened a drawer, of which she
kept the key, and took from it a wadded violet silk travelling cloak.
"Here," said she, "you see I have thought of everything;
with this cloak you will not be cold." "But
you?" "Oh,
I am never cold, you know! Besides, with these men's clothes"-- "Will
you dress here?" "Certainly."
"Shall
you have time?" "Do
not be uneasy, you little coward! All our servants are busy, discussing
the grand affair. Besides, what is there astonishing, when you think of
the grief I ought to be in, that I shut myself up?--tell me!" "No,
truly--you comfort me." "Come
and help me." From
the same drawer she took a man's complete costume, from the boots to the
coat, and a provision of linen, where there was nothing superfluous, but
every requisite. Then, with a promptitude which indicated that this was
not the first time she had amused herself by adopting the garb of the
opposite sex, Eugижnie drew on the boots and
pantaloons, tied her cravat, buttoned her waistcoat up to the throat, and
put on a coat which admirably fitted her beautiful figure. "Oh, that
is very good--indeed, it is very good!" said Louise, looking at her
with admiration; "but that beautiful black hair, those magnificent
braids, which made all the ladies sigh with envy,--will they go under a
man's hat like the one I see down there?" "You
shall see," said Eugижnie.
And with her left hand seizing the thick mass, which her long fingers
could scarcely grasp, she took in her right hand a pair of long scissors,
and soon the steel met through the rich and splendid hair, which fell in a
cluster at her feet as she leaned back to keep it from her coat. Then she
grasped the front hair, which she also cut off, without expressing the
least regret; on the contrary, her eyes sparkled with greater pleasure
than usual under her ebony eyebrows. "Oh, the magnificent hair!"
said Louise, with regret. "And
am I not a hundred times better thus?" cried Eugижnie, smoothing the scattered
curls of her hair, which had now quite a masculine appearance; "and
do you not think me handsomer so?" "Oh,
you are beautiful--always beautiful!" cried Louise. "Now, where
are you going?" "To
Brussels, if you like; it is the nearest frontier. We can go to Brussels,
Liииge, Aix-la-Chapelle; then up the
Rhine to Strasburg. We will cross Switzerland, and go down into Italy by
the Saint-Gothard. Will that do?" "Yes."
"What
are you looking at?" "I
am looking at you; indeed you are adorable like that! One would say you
were carrying me off." "And
they would be right, par Dieu!" "Oh,
I think you swore, Eugижnie."
And the two young girls, whom every one might have thought plunged in
grief, the one on her own account, the other from interest in her friend,
burst out laughing, as they cleared away every visible trace of the
disorder which had naturally accompanied the preparations for their
escape. Then, having blown out the lights, the two fugitives, looking and
listening eagerly, with outstretched necks, opened the door of a
dressing-room which led by a side staircase down to the yard,--Eugижnie
going first, and holding with one arm the portmanteau, which by the
opposite handle Mademoiselle d'Armilly scarcely raised with both hands.
The yard was empty; the clock was striking twelve. The porter was not yet
gone to bed. Eugижnie approached softly, and saw
the old man sleeping soundly in an arm-chair in his lodge. She returned to
Louise, took up the portmanteau, which she had placed for a moment on the
ground, and they reached the archway under the shadow of the wall. Eugижnie concealed Louise in an angle
of the gateway, so that if the porter chanced to awake he might see but
one person. Then placing herself in the full light of the lamp which lit
the yard,--"Gate!" cried she, with her finest contralto voice,
and rapping at the window. The
porter got up as Eugижnie
expected, and even advanced some steps to recognize the person who was
going out, but seeing a young man striking his boot impatiently with his
riding-whip, he opened it immediately. Louise slid through the half-open
gate like a snake, and bounded lightly forward. Eugижnie, apparently calm, although in all probability
her heart beat somewhat faster than usual, went out in her turn. A porter
was passing and they gave him the portmanteau; then the two young girls,
having told him to take it to No. 36, Rue de la Victoire, walked behind
this man, whose presence comforted Louise. As for Eugижnie, she was as strong as a Judith or a Delilah.
They arrived at the appointed spot. Eugижnie ordered the porter to put down the portmanteau,
gave him some pieces of money, and having rapped at the shutter sent him
away. The shutter where Eugижnie
had rapped was that of a little laundress, who had been previously warned,
and was not yet gone to bed. She opened the door. "Mademoiselle,"
said Eugижnie,
"let the porter get the post-chaise from the coach-house, and fetch
some post-horses from the hotel. Here are five francs for his
trouble." "Indeed,"
said Louise, "I admire you, and I could almost say respect you."
The laundress looked on in astonishment, but as she had been promised
twenty louis, she made no remark. In
a quarter of an hour the porter returned with a post-boy and horses, which
were harnessed, and put in the post-chaise in a minute, while the porter
fastened the portmanteau on with the assistance of a cord and strap.
"Here is the passport," said the postilion, "which way are
we going, young gentleman?" "To
Fontainebleau," replied Eugижnie with an almost masculine voice. "What
do you say?" said Louise. "I
am giving them the slip," said Eugижnie; "this woman to whom we have given twenty
louis may betray us for forty; we will soon alter our direction." And
the young girl jumped into the britzska, which was admirably arranged for
sleeping in, without scarcely touching the step. "You are always
right," said the music teacher, seating herself by the side of her
friend. A
quarter of an hour afterwards the postilion, having been put in the right
road, passed with a crack of his whip through the gateway of the Barriииre Saint-Martin. "Ah,"
said Louise, breathing freely, "here we are out of Paris." "Yes,
my dear, the abduction is an accomplished fact," replied Eugижnie. "Yes, and without
violence," said Louise. "I
shall bring that forward as an extenuating circumstance," replied Eugижnie. These words were lost in the
noise which the carriage made in rolling over the pavement of La Villette.
M. Danglars no longer had a daughter. |
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