The Bath Keepers Volume Ii Part 60

Then, handing Bathilde a bundle which he had thus far kept out of sight, he said:

"Put this in the fireplace, madame, and set fire to it at once."

"What, monsieur! this garment?"

"Be good enough to obey me, madame; everything that I ask you to do at this moment is of more importance than you suppose."

The young woman did what the count ordered. The olive-green cloak was soon in a blaze. As he watched it burn, Leodgard seemed to breathe more freely, and when it was entirely consumed he muttered:

"Good! now there is nothing else to betray me except his sword. That cannot be burned; but it may at least be hidden from all eyes."

And having carefully concealed the short sword under his coverlid, Leodgard held out his hand to Bathilde, who took it and pressed it to her heart, hardly able to credit that mark of affection on her husband's part.

"I have caused you much unhappiness, Bathilde," said Leodgard, pausing frequently between his words; "but heaven has punished me! I shall cause you no more after this!"

"Mon Dieu! monsieur le comte, what do you mean? Your wound is not dangerous, I hope?"

"No, Bathilde, no; be not alarmed. But now, when we are alone, I am anxious to let you know that I repent of my wrongdoing--that I implore your forgiveness."

"O Leodgard! dear Leodgard! If it is true that you have come back at last to stay with us always--if my presence is no longer offensive to you--am I not the happiest of women?--It is not for me to forgive you, but I offer you all my love as in the old days!"

"Thanks, Bathilde, thanks! Our daughter is an angel. I love her--ah!

yes, I love her with all my heart! Dear child!--You will send her to me to-morrow, as soon as she wakes, will you not?"

"As soon as you wish, my dear."

"Oh! let her sleep; do not disturb her rest.--And now, listen to me, Bathilde; I must see the Sire de Jarnonville at the earliest possible moment. Write him a line--ask him to come here, without giving him any details. Send to him at daybreak. You understand? beg him to come at once."

"You shall be obeyed, my dear; and the Sire de Jarnonville is such a kind friend to us, that I doubt not that he will hasten to gratify your wish."

"That is well. As soon as Jarnonville arrives, let him be sent to me.

And now, Bathilde, return to your rest."

"Do you expect me to leave you, my dear, when you are wounded? Oh! I entreat you, let me sit up with you, let me pa.s.s the night by your side.--And then, too, it seems to me that we should send for the doctor."

"I tell you again, madame, that you would aggravate my condition by doing so. And you do not wish to do that, I think?"

"What I would like, monsieur le comte, would be to have your wound examined. You seem to be in pain."

"You are mistaken.--Follow my instructions, and do not go beyond them.--Adieu, Bathilde!"

"You wish me to leave you?"

"I do. But first--come nearer--let me kiss your forehead."

"Dear Leodgard! I am so happy!"

The wounded man put his pallid lips to Bathilde's brow; then he motioned to her to go, whispering:

"Jarnonville--at daybreak--do not forget!"

Bathilde left the room most regretfully; but she dared not disobey him whose lightest wish was sacred to her.

Left to himself, Leodgard tried in vain to obtain a little rest. His wound, being unskilfully dressed, pained him terribly, and his blood was already boiling with fever. When he closed his eyes, terrifying images, horrible visions, added to his misery; and in that state, bordering on delirium, he awaited the end of that cruel night. The day appeared at last; and not half an hour had elapsed since the dawn had driven away the shadows, when the Sire de Jarnonville entered the wounded man's bedroom.

At sight of the chevalier, Leodgard seemed to revive.

"You wish to speak with me, count," said Jarnonville; "and you are wounded. Is it to the Marquis de Santoval again that you owe this new misfortune?"

"No, chevalier; but I have some terrible revelations to make to you.

First of all, be good enough to give me that cordial, so that I may obtain sufficient strength to speak.--Good--thanks!"

"You seem to be in great pain.--Shall I not first----"

"No one but you and myself; for it is not now a question of preserving my life--it is my honor that must be saved--for my father's sake and my child's. Then I will die; indeed, I must; and if this wound is not sufficient, I will find some other way to put an end to my life!"

"You make me shudder!"

"When you have heard me through--then you will indeed shudder with horror.--Come here--close to my bed--so that I need not raise my voice."

The chevalier did what the wounded man desired; and then Leodgard, collecting what little strength remained to him, made his confession in a low voice.

"You will remember, Jarnonville, that time when I was at the end of my resources; I had foolishly wasted all the property that I inherited from my mother; my father, who had just paid my debts once more, had declared that I could not count upon him again. The cards continued to be unfavorable to me, and I was in debt to all my friends; I had staked and lost even my cloak! I could no longer find a Jew or a usurer to lend me money! I was in that plight, when, on returning to Paris one night from Montrevert's, where I had lost more than I could pay, we stopped near the Pont-aux-Choux. We waited there for Montrevert, who was to overtake us. He arrived at last, pale as death and disarmed; he had been attacked and robbed by Giovanni. That bold brigand had stripped me too, several months before; and, situated as I was, having nothing to lose and consequently nothing to fear, I determined to punish the villain and avenge myself. And so, refusing to let my companions go with me, I hurried away in the direction of the spot where Giovanni had attacked Montrevert.

"I walked a long while across the fields, without meeting anyone. Day was beginning to break, but the country was still deserted. I advanced slowly, avoiding making a sound with my footfall. Suddenly I saw a man within twenty yards of me, seated close to a bush and busily engaged in counting the contents of a purse; by his costume I recognized the bandit who had once attacked me. He had not observed my approach, and I was careful to get behind the bush; being behind him, I approached him, unheard. The opportunity was favorable; just as I reached him, he started to turn his head, and I ran my sword through his body; he attempted then to rise to defend himself, but I had given him a mortal blow, and I followed it with two others which stretched him dead at my feet.

"When he fell, the brigand lost his beard and his cap. They lay on the ground before me; as my eye fell on them, as I stooped to pick up two purses full of gold, a h.e.l.lish thought took possession of my mind. I said to myself that no one had seen me kill Giovanni; that if I threw his body into the Fosses-Jaunes, which were near by, it would never be discovered; and, moreover, that if I should take away his weapons and his disguise, there would be nothing by which to identify the body as Giovanni's, even if it should be found. In short, the devil urged me on to my destruction. I thought of my plight, of my debts; eager for enjoyment, for dissipation, as I was, I had an insatiable thirst for gold; and with the Italian bandit's disguise it would be so easy to obtain it!--Ah! my brain was in a whirl--I was in a fever--a delirium, no doubt; those thoughts were horrible; but instead of spurning them, I dragged Giovanni's body to the Fosses-Jaunes and threw it in; then, carefully concealing in some thick bushes the robber's weapons, cloak, and cap, I returned to my friends, and told them that, after an indecisive battle, Giovanni had escaped my vengeance once more. A few days later the celebrated brigand began once more to attack and rob the good people of Paris.--Ah! you shudder, Jarnonville, you turn your face away!--I must be an object of horror to you.--Yes, I am a vile wretch!--This is what the thirst for gold, unbridled pa.s.sions, may lead to--crime--forgetfulness of all that is most sacred, most worthy of respect!--However, I have not, at all events, to reproach myself with bloodshed. No! my presence caused such a panic, that those whom I detained never thought of defending themselves, but instantly turned over all that they possessed.--I am none the less an infamous villain!--To-day, the Providence that I defied has put an end to my crimes.--Ah, me! if I had listened to the cry of nature, if I had obeyed that delicious sentiment to which the sight of my daughter, my Blanche, gave birth in my heart!--Leaving the career of crime forever, perhaps these ghastly pa.s.sages of my life would never have become known, the honor of my name would have been safe.--O father! this is what I held in reserve for your old age! And my daughter! my daughter!"

Leodgard paused, his eyes closed; he could say no more.

Jarnonville hastened to his a.s.sistance; some cold water and a few swallows of cordial soon revived him, and he was about to continue; but Jarnonville urged him to rest a moment.

After a little while, there came a gentle tap at the door, and they heard Bathilde's voice, asking if the count could receive her, and if he wished her to bring his daughter to him.

"Not yet," said Leodgard; "I have not finished what I have to say to you. Ask the countess to return to Blanche; I will send for her."

Jarnonville, having done what the wounded man requested, returned to his bedside, saying:

"What reason have you to fear now that the truth may be known? Were you recognized by anyone last night?"

"Yes. Listen. I had returned to my house in Rue de Bretonvilliers to live, because there are secret exits there, leading to unoccupied land.

I could don Giovanni's costume and go out and in unseen by my people."

"And one night Ambroisine saw you in that guise; but she was very far from suspecting that it was not Giovanni."

"True; but when she described that incident she made me s.h.i.+ver; I thought that she knew my secret!--But last night--I still needed money; Valentine--the Marquise de Santoval--I was to fly with her; and that is why I had resumed the Italian's disguise.--Yes, Jarnonville, I was about to abandon my wife and my daughter again--a wife so worthy of all my love, and a child who had opened my heart to repentance.--Ah! I deserved to be punished.--However, last night I had just attacked a financier; soldiers came running to the spot, and I had hardly time to make my escape. They fired at me, and I received a bullet, here, in the shoulder."

"And the bullet?"