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cousin betty-第90部分

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distinction; they have pared down even the Ministers' paythat says
everything! Ask them for money for an old servant!What can you
expect of men who pay a whole class so badly as they pay the
Government legal officials?who give thirty sous a day to the
laborers on the works at Toulon; when it is a physical impossibility
to live there and keep a family on less than forty sous?who never
think of the atrocity of giving salaries of six hundred francs; up to
a thousand or twelve hundred perhaps; to clerks living in Paris; and
who want to secure our places for themselves as soon as the pay rises
to forty thousand?who; finally; refuse to restore to the Crown a
piece of Crown property confiscated from the Crown in 1830property
acquired; too; by Louis XVI。 out of his privy purse!If you had no
private fortune; Prince; you would be left high and dry; like my
brother; with your pay and not another sou; and no thought of your
having saved the army; and me with it; in the boggy plains of Poland。〃

〃You have robbed the State! You have made yourself liable to be
brought before the bench at Assizes;〃 said the Marshal; 〃like that
clerk of the Treasury! And you take this; monsieur; with such levity。〃

〃But there is a great difference; monseigneur!〃 cried the baron。 〃Have
I dipped my hands into a cash box intrusted to my care?〃

〃When a man of your rank commits such an infamous crime;〃 said the
Marshal; 〃he is doubly guilty if he does it clumsily。 You have
compromised the honor of our official administration; which hitherto
has been the purest in Europe!And all for two hundred thousand
francs and a hussy!〃 said the Marshal; in a terrible voice。 〃You are a
Councillor of Stateand a private soldier who sells anything
belonging to his regiment is punished with death! Here is a story told
to me one day by Colonel Pourin of the Second Lancers。 At Saverne; one
of his men fell in love with a little Alsatian girl who had a fancy
for a shawl。 The jade teased this poor devil of a lancer so
effectually; that though he could show twenty years' service; and was
about to be promoted to be quartermasterthe pride of the regiment
to buy this shawl he sold some of his company's kit。Do you know what
this lancer did; Baron d'Ervy? He swallowed some window…glass after
pounding it down; and died in eleven hours; of an illness; in
hospital。Try; if you please; to die of apoplexy; that we may not see
you dishonored。〃

Hulot looked with haggard eyes at the old warrior; and the Prince;
reading the look which betrayed the coward; felt a flush rise to his
cheeks; his eyes flamed。

〃Will you; sir; abandon me?〃 Hulot stammered。

Marshal Hulot; hearing that only his brother was with the Minister;
ventured at this juncture to come in; and; like all deaf people; went
straight up to the Prince。

〃Oh;〃 cried the hero of Poland; 〃I know what you are here for; my old
friend! But we can do nothing。〃

〃Do nothing!〃 echoed Marshal Hulot; who had heard only the last word。

〃Nothing; you have come to intercede for your brother。 But do you know
what your brother is?〃

〃My brother?〃 asked the deaf man。

〃Yes; he is a damned infernal blackguard; and unworthy of you。〃

The Marshal in his rage shot from his eyes those fulminating fires
which; like Napoleon's; broke a man's will and judgment。

〃You lie; Cottin!〃 said Marshal Hulot; turning white。 〃Throw down your
baton as I throw mine! I am ready。〃

The Prince went up to his old comrade; looked him in the face; and
shouted in his ear as he grasped his hand:

〃Are you a man?〃

〃You will see that I am。〃

〃Well; then; pull yourself together! You must face the worst
misfortune that can befall you。〃

The Prince turned round; took some papers from the table; and placed
them in the Marshal's hands; saying; 〃Read that。〃

The Comte de Forzheim read the following letter; which lay
uppermost:

  〃To his Excellency the President of the Council。

〃/Private and Confidential/。

〃ALGIERS。

  〃MY DEAR PRINCE;We have a very ugly business on our hands; as
  you will see by the accompanying documents。

  〃The story; briefly told; is this: Baron Hulot d'Ervy sent out to
  the province of Oran an uncle of his as a broker in grain and
  forage; and gave him an accomplice in the person of a storekeeper。
  This storekeeper; to curry favor; has made a confession; and
  finally made his escape。 The Public Prosecutor took the matter up
  very thoroughly; seeing; as he supposed; that only two inferior
  agents were implicated; but Johann Fischer; uncle to your Chief of
  the Commissariat Department; finding that he was to be brought up
  at the Assizes; stabbed himself in prison with a nail。

  〃That would have been the end of the matter if this worthy and
  honest man; deceived; it would seem; by his agent and by his
  nephew; had not thought proper to write to Baron Hulot。 This
  letter; seized as a document; so greatly surprised the Public
  Prosecutor; that he came to see me。 Now; the arrest and public
  trial of a Councillor of State would be such a terrible thingof
  a man high in office too; who has a good record for loyal service
  for after the Beresina; it was he who saved us all by
  reorganizing the administrationthat I desired to have all the
  papers sent to me。

  〃Is the matter to take its course? Now that the principal agent is
  dead; will it not be better to smother up the affair and sentence
  the storekeeper in default?

  〃The Public Prosecutor has consented to my forwarding the
  documents for your perusal; the Baron Hulot d'Ervy; being resident
  in Paris; the proceedings will lie with your Supreme Court。 We
  have hit on this rather shabby way of ridding ourselves of the
  difficulty for the moment。

  〃Only; my dear Marshal; decide quickly。 This miserable business is
  too much talked about already; and it will do as much harm to us
  as to you all if the name of the principal culpritknown at
  present only to the Public Prosecutor; the examining judge; and
  myselfshould happen to leak out。〃

At this point the letter fell from Marshal Hulot's hands; he looked at
his brother; he saw that there was no need to examine the evidence。
But he looked for Johann Fischer's letter; and after reading it at a
glance; held it out to Hector:

〃FROM THE PRISON AT ORAN。

  〃DEAR NEPHEW;When you read this letter; I shall have ceased to
  live。

  〃Be quite easy; no proof can be found to incriminate you。 When I
  am dead and your Jesuit of a Chardin fled; the trial must
  collapse。 The face of our Adeline; made so happy by you; makes
  death easy to me。 Now you need not send the two hundred thousand
  francs。 Good…bye。

  〃This letter will be delivered by a prisoner for a short term whom
  I can trust; I believe。

〃JOHANN FISCHER。〃


〃I beg your pardon;〃 said Marshal Hulot to the Prince de Wissembourg
with pathetic pride。

〃Come; come; say /tu/; not the formal /vous/;〃 replied the Minister;
clasping his old friend's hand。 〃The poor lancer killed no one but
himself;〃 he added; with a thunderous look at Hulot d'Ervy。

〃How much have you had?〃 said the Comte de Forzheim to his brother。

〃Two hundred thousand francs
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