第38章

"Justice must take its course, nothing can stop it, the arrest has been made.""Never mind that, I am at your orders, at your feet." The old man knelt before du Croisier, and stretched out his hands entreatingly.

"What do you want? Our lands, our castle? Take all; withdraw the charge; leave us nothing but life and honor.And over and besides all this, I will be your servant; command and I will obey."Du Croisier sat down in an easy-chair and left the old man to kneel.

"You are not vindictive," pleaded Chesnel; "you are good-hearted, you do not bear us such a grudge that you will not listen to terms.Before daylight the young man ought to be at liberty.""The whole town knows that he has been arrested," returned du Croisier, enjoying his revenge.

"It is a great misfortune, but as there will be neither proofs nor trial, we can easily manage that."Du Croisier reflected.He seemed to be struggling with self-interest;Chesnel thought that he had gained a hold on his enemy through the great motive of human action.At that supreme moment Mme.du Croisier appeared.

"Come here and help me to soften your dear husband, madame?" said Chesnel, still on his knees.Mme.du Croisier made him rise with every sign of profound astonishment.Chesnel explained his errand; and when she knew it, the generous daughter of the intendants of the Ducs de Alencon turned to du Croisier with tears in her eyes.

"Ah! monsieur, can you hesitate? The d'Esgrignons, the honor of the province!" she said.

"There is more in it than that," exclaimed du Croisier, rising to begin his restless walk again.

"More? What more?" asked Chesnel in amazement.

"France is involved, M.Chesnel! It is a question of the country, of the people, of giving my lords your nobles a lesson, and teaching them that there is such a thing as justice, and law, and a bourgeoisie--a lesser nobility as good as they, and a match for them! There shall be no more trampling down half a score of wheat fields for a single hare;no bringing shame on families by seducing unprotected girls; they shall not look down on others as good as they are, and mock at them for ten whole years, without finding out at last that these things swell into avalanches, and those avalanches will fall and crush and bury my lords the nobles.You want to go back to the old order of things.You want to tear up the social compact, the Charter in which our rights are set forth---""And so?"

"Is it not a sacred mission to open the people's eyes?" cried du Croisier."Their eyes will be opened to the morality of your party when they see nobles going to be tried at the Assize Court like Pierre and Jacques.They will say, then, that small folk who keep their self-respect are as good as great folk that bring shame on themselves.The Assize Court is a light for all the world.Here, I am the champion of the people, the friend of law.You yourselves twice flung me on the side of the people--once when you refused an alliance, twice when you put me under the ban of your society.You are reaping as you have sown."If Chesnel was startled by this outburst, so no less was Mme.du Croisier.To her this was a terrible revelation of her husband's character, a new light not merely on the past but on the future as well.Any capitulation on the part of the colossus was apparently out of the question; but Chesnel in no wise retreated before the impossible.

"What, monsieur?" said Mme.du Croisier."Would you not forgive? Then you are not a Christian.""I forgive as God forgives, madame, on certain conditions.""And what are they?" asked Chesnel, thinking that he saw a ray of hope.

"The elections are coming on; I want the votes at your disposal.""You shall have them."

"I wish that we, my wife and I, should be received familiarly every evening, with an appearance of friendliness at any rate, by M.le Marquis d'Esgrignon and his circle," continued du Croisier.

"I do not know how we are going to compass it, but you shall be received.""I wish to have the family bound over by a surety of four hundred thousand francs, and by a written document stating the nature of the compromise, so as to keep a loaded cannon pointed at its heart.""We agree," said Chesnel, without admitting that the three hundred thousand francs was in his possession; "but the amount must be deposited with a third party and returned to the family after your election and repayment.""No; after the marriage of my grand-niece, Mlle.Duval.She will very likely have four million francs some day; the reversion of our property (mine and my wife's) shall be settled upon her by her marriage-contract, and you shall arrange a match between her and the young Count.""Never!"

"NEVER!" repeated du Croisier, quite intoxicated with triumph."Good-night!"

"Idiot that I am," thought Chesnel, "why did I shrink from a lie to such a man?"Du Croisier took himself off; he was pleased with himself; he had enjoyed Chesnel's humiliation; he had held the destinies of a proud house, the representatives of the aristocracy of the province, suspended in his hand; he had set the print of his heel on the very heart of the d'Esgrignons; and, finally, he had broken off the whole negotiation on the score of his wounded pride.He went up to his room, leaving his wife alone with Chesnel.In his intoxication, he saw his victory clear before him.He firmly believed that the three hundred thousand francs had been squandered; the d'Esgrignons must sell or mortgage all that they had to raise the money; the Assize Court was inevitable to his mind.

An affair of forgery can always be settled out of court in France if the missing amount is returned.The losers by the crime are usually well-to-do, and have no wish to blight an imprudent man's character.

But du Croisier had no mind to slacken his hold until he knew what he was about.He meditated until he fell asleep on the magnificent manner in which his hopes would be fulfilled by the way of the Assize Court or by marriage.The murmur of voices below, the lamentations of Chesnel and Mme.du Croisier, sounded sweet in his ears.