the collection of antiquities-第18部分

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al；　she　was　sitting　in　Victurnien's　gondola；　he　was　telling　her　what　happiness　it　had　been　to　feel　that　the　Duchess'　beautiful　hand　lay　in　his　own；　to　know　that　she　loved　him　as　they　floated　together　on　the　breast　of　the　amorous　Queen　of　Italian　seas。　But　even　in　that　moment　of　bliss；　such　as　angels　know；　some　one　appeared　in　the　garden　walk。　It　was　Chesnel！　Alas！　the　sound　of　his　tread　on　the　gravel　might　have　been　the　sound　of　the　sands　running　from　Death's　hour…glass　to　be　trodden　under　his　unshod　feet。　The　sound；　the　sight　of　a　dreadful　hopelessness　in　Chesnel's　face；　gave　her　that　painful　shock　which　follows　a　sudden　recall　of　the　senses　when　the　soul　has　sent　them　forth　into　the　world　of　dreams。

〃What　is　it？〃　she　cried；　as　if　some　stab　had　pierced　to　her　heart。

〃All　is　lost！〃　said　Chesnel。　〃M。　le　Comte　will　bring　dishonor　upon　the　house　if　we　do　not　set　it　in　order。〃　He　held　out　the　bills；　and　described　the　agony　of　the　last　few　days　in　a　few　simple　but　vigorous　and　touching　words。

〃He　is　deceiving　us！　The　miserable　boy！〃　cried　Mlle。　Armande；　her　heart　swelling　as　the　blood　surged　back　to　it　in　heavy　throbs。

〃Let　us　both　say　mea　culpa；　mademoiselle；〃　the　old　lawyer　said　stoutly；　〃we　have　always　allowed　him　to　have　his　own　way；　he　needed　stern　guidance；　he　could　not　have　it　from　you　with　your　inexperience　of　life；　nor　from　me；　for　he　would　not　listen　to　me。　He　has　had　no　mother。〃

〃Fate　sometimes　deals　terribly　with　a　noble　house　in　decay；〃　said　Mlle。　Armande；　with　tears　in　her　eyes。

The　Marquis　came　up　as　she　spoke。　He　had　been　walking　up　and　down　the　garden　while　he　read　the　letter　sent　by　his　son　after　his　return。　Victurnien　gave　his　itinerary　from　an　aristocrat's　point　of　view；　telling　how　he　had　been　welcomed　by　the　greatest　Italian　families　of　Genoa；　Turin；　Milan；　Florence；　Venice；　Rome；　and　Naples。　This　flattering　reception　he　owed　to　his　name；　he　said；　and　partly；　perhaps；　to　the　Duchess　as　well。　In　short；　he　had　made　his　appearance　magnificently；　and　as　befitted　a　d'Esgrignon。

〃Have　you　been　at　your　old　tricks；　Chesnel？〃　asked　the　Marquis。

Mlle。　Armande　made　Chesnel　an　eager　sign；　dreadful　to　see。　They　understood　each　other。　The　poor　father；　the　flower　of　feudal　honor；　must　die　with　all　his　illusions。　A　compact　of　silence　and　devotion　was　ratified　between　the　two　noble　hearts　by　a　simple　inclination　of　the　head。

〃Ah！　Chesnel；　it　was　not　exactly　in　this　way　that　the　d'Esgrignons　went　into　Italy　at　the　end　of　the　fourteenth　century；　when　Marshal　Trivulzio；　in　the　service　of　the　King　of　France；　served　under　a　d'Esgrignon；　who　had　a　Bayard　too　under　his　orders。　Other　times；　other　pleasures。　And；　for　that　matter；　the　Duchesse　de　Maufrigneuse　is　at　least　the　equal　of　a　Marchesa　di　Spinola。〃

And；　on　the　strength　of　his　genealogical　tree；　the　old　man　swung　himself　off　with　a　coxcomb's　air；　as　if　he　himself　had　once　made　a　conquest　of　the　Marchesa　di　Spinola；　and　still　possessed　the　Duchess　of　to…day。

The　two　companions　in　unhappiness　were　left　together　on　the　garden　bench；　with　the　same　thought　for　a　bond　of　union。　They　sat　for　a　long　time；　saying　little　save　vague；　unmeaning　words；　watching　the　father　walk　away　in　his　happiness；　gesticulating　as　if　he　were　talking　to　himself。

〃What　will　become　of　him　now？〃　Mlle。　Armande　asked　after　a　while。

〃Du　Croisier　has　sent　instructions　to　the　MM。　Keller；　he　is　not　to　be　allowed　to　draw　any　more　without　authorization。〃

〃And　there　are　debts；〃　continued　Mlle。　Armande。

〃I　am　afraid　so。〃

〃If　he　is　left　without　resources；　what　will　he　do？〃

〃I　dare　not　answer　that　question　to　myself。〃

〃But　he　must　be　drawn　out　of　that　life；　he　must　come　back　to　us；　or　he　will　have　nothing　left。〃

〃And　nothing　else　left　to　him；〃　Chesnel　said　gloomily。　But　Mlle。　Armande　as　yet　did　not　and　could　not　understand　the　full　force　of　those　words。

〃Is　there　any　hope　of　getting　him　away　from　that　woman；　that　Duchess？　Perhaps　she　leads　him　on。〃

〃He　would　not　stick　at　a　crime　to　be　with　her；〃　said　Chesnel；　trying　to　pave　the　way　to　an　intolerable　thought　by　others　less　intolerable。

〃Crime；〃　repeated　Mlle。　Armande。　〃Oh；　Chesnel；　no　one　but　you　would　think　of　such　a　thing！〃　she　added；　with　a　withering　look；　before　such　a　look　from　a　woman's　eyes　no　mortal　can　stand。　〃There　is　but　one　crime　that　a　noble　can　committhe　crime　of　high　treason；　and　when　he　is　beheaded；　the　block　is　covered　with　a　black　cloth；　as　it　is　for　kings。〃

〃The　times　have　changed　very　much；〃　said　Chesnel；　shaking　his　head。　Victurnien　had　thinned　his　last　thin；　white　hairs。　〃Our　Martyr…King　did　not　die　like　the　English　King　Charles。〃

That　thought　soothed　Mlle。　Armande's　splendid　indignation；　a　shudder　ran　through　her；　but　still　she　did　not　realize　what　Chesnel　meant。

〃To…morrow　we　will　decide　what　we　must　do；〃　she　said；　〃it　needs　thought。　At　the　worst；　we　have　our　lands。〃

〃Yes；〃　said　Chesnel。　〃You　and　M。　le　Marquis　own　the　estate　conjointly；　but　the　larger　part　of　it　is　yours。　You　can　raise　money　upon　it　without　saying　a　word　to　him。〃

The　players　at　whist；　reversis；　boston；　and　backgammon　noticed　that　evening　that　Mlle。　Armande's　features；　usually　so　serene　and　pure；　showed　signs　of　agitation。

〃That　poor　heroic　child！〃　said　the　old　Marquise　de　Casteran；　〃she　must　be　suffering　still。　A　woman　never　knows　what　her　sacrifices　to　her　family　may　cost　her。〃

Next　day　it　was　arranged　with　Chesnel　that　Mlle。　Armande　should　go　to　Paris　to　snatch　her　nephew　from　perdition。　If　any　one　could　carry　off　Victurnien；　was　it　not　the　woman　whose　motherly　heart　yearned　over　him？　Mlle。　Armande　made　up　her　mind　that　she　would　go　to　the　Duchesse　de　Maufrigneuse　and　tell　her　all。　Still；　some　sort　of　pretext　was　necessary　to　explain　the　journey　to　the　Marquis　and　the　whole　town。　At　some　cost　to　her　maidenly　delicacy；　Mlle。　Armande　allowed　it　to　be　thought　that　she　was　suffering　from　a　complaint　which　called　for　a　consultation　of　skilled　and　celebrated　physicians。　Goodness　knows　whether　the　town　talked　of　this　or　no！　But　Mlle。　Armande　saw　that　something　far　more　than　her　own　reputation　was　at　stake。　She　set　out。　Chesnel　brought　her　his　last　bag　of　louis；　she　took　it；　without　paying　any　attention　to　it；　as　she　took　her　white　capuchine　and　thread　mittens。

〃Generous　girl！　What　grace！〃　he　said；　as　he　put　her　into　the　carriage　with　her　maid；　a　woman　who　looked　like　a　gray　sister。

Du　Croisier　had　thought　out　his　revenge；　as　provincials　think　out　everything。　For　studying　out　a　question　in　all　its　bearings；　there　are　no　folk　in　this　world　like　savages；　peasants；　and　provincials；　and　this　is　how；　when　they　proceed　from　thought　to　action；　you　find　every　contingency　provided　for　from　beginning　to　end。　Diplomatists　are　children　compared　with　these　classes　of　mammals；　they　have　time　before　them；　an　element　which　is　lacking　to　those　people　who　are　obliged　to　think　about　a　great　many　things；　to　superintend　the　progress　of　all　kinds　of　schemes；　to　look　forward　for　all　sorts　of　contingencies　in　the　wider　interests　of　human　affairs。　Had　de　Croisier　sounded　poor　Victurnien's　nature　so　well；　that　he　foresaw　how　easily　the　young　Count　would　lend　himself　to　his　schemes　of　revenge？　Or　was　he　merely　profiting　by　an　opportunity　for　which　he　had　been　on　the　watch　for　years？　One　circumstance　there　was；　to　be　sure；　in　his　manner　of　preparing　his　stroke；　which　shows　a　certain　skill。　Who　was　it　that　gave　du　Croisier　warning　of　the　moment？　Was　it　the　Kellers？　Or　could　it　have　been　President　du　Ronceret's　son；　then　finishing　his　law　studies　in　Paris？

Du　Croisier　wrote　to　Victurnien；　telling　him　that　the　Kellers　had　been　instructed　to　advance　no　more　money；　and　that　letter　was　timed　to　arrive　just　as　the　Duchesse　de　Maufrigneuse　was　in　the　utmost　perplexity；　and　the　Comte　d'Esgrignon　consumed　by　the　sense　of　poverty　as　dreadful　as　it　was　cunningly　hidden。　The　wretched　young　man　was　exerting　all　his　ingenuity　to　seem　as　if　he　were　wealthy！

Now　in　the　letter　which　informed　the　victim　that　in　future　the　Kellers　would　make　no　further　advances　without　security；　there　was　a　tolerably　wide　space　left　between　the　forms　of　an　exaggerated　respect　and　the　signature。　It　was　quite　easy　to　tear　off　the　best　part　of　the　letter　and　convert　it　into　a　bill　of　exchange　for　any　amount。　The　diabolical　missive　had　been　enclosed　in　an　envelope；　so　that　the　other　side　of　the　sheet　was　blank。　When　it　arrived；　Victurnien　was　writhing　in　the　lowest　depths　of　despair。　After　two　years　of　the　most　prosperous；　sensual；　thoughtless；　and　luxurious　life；　he　found　himself　face　to　face　with　the　most　inexorable　poverty；　it　was　an　absolute　impossibility　to　procure　money。　There　had　been　some　throes　of　crisis　before　the　journey　came　to　an　end。　With　the　Duchess'　help　he　had　managed　to　extort　various　sums　from　bankers；　but　it　had　been　with　the　greatest　difficulty；　and；　moreover；　those　very　amounts　were　about　to　start　up　again　before　him　as　overdue　bills　of　exchange　in　all　their　rigor；　with　a　stern　summons　to　pay　from　the　Bank　of　France　and　the　commercial　court。　All　through　the　enjoyments　of　those　last　weeks　the　unhappy　boy　had　felt　the　point　of　the　Commander's　sword；　at　every　supper…party　he　heard；　like　Don　Juan；　the　heavy　tread　of　the　statue　outside　upon　the　stairs。　H