友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
cousin betty-第90部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
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
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!