A TRUSTWORTHY SERVANT.
In the City of Paris it is impossible to find a more fashionable quarter
than the one which is bounded on the one side by the Rue Faubourg Saint
Honore and on the other by the Seine, and commences at the Place de la
Concorde and ends at the Avenue de l’Imperatrice. In this favored spot
millionaires seem to bloom like the rhododendron in the sunny south.
There are the magnificent palaces which they have erected for their
accommodation, where the turf is ever verdant, and where the flowers
bloom perennially; but the most gorgeous of all these mansions was the
Hotel de Mussidan, the last _chef d’oeuvre_ of Sevair, that skilful
architect who died just as the world was beginning to recognize his
talents. With a spacious courtyard in front and a magnificent garden in
the rear, the Hotel de Mussidan is as elegant as it is commodious.
The exterior was extremely plain, and not disfigured by florid
ornamentation. White marble steps, with a light and elegant railing at
the sides, lead to the wide doors which open into the hall. The busy hum
of the servants at work at an early hour in the yard tells that an ample
establishment is kept up. There can be seen luxurious carriages, for
occasions of ceremony, and the park phaeton, and the simple brougham
which the Countess uses when she goes out shopping; and that carefully
groomed thoroughbred is Mirette, the favorite riding horse of
Mademoiselle Sabine. Mascarin and his confederate descended from their
cab a little distance at the corner of the Avenue Matignon. Mascarin, in
his dark suit, with his spotless white cravat and glittering spectacles,
looked like some highly respectable functionary of State. Hortebise wore
his usual smile, though his cheek was pale.
“Now,” remarked Mascarin, “let me see,--on what footing do you stand
with the Mussidans? Do they look upon you as a friend?”
“No, no; a poor doctor, whose ancestors were not among the Crusades,
could not be the intimate friend of such haughty nobles as the
Mussidans.”
“But the Countess knows you, and will not refuse to receive you, nor
have you turned out as soon as you begin to speak; for, taking shelter
behind some rogue without a name, you can shelter your own reputation. I
will see the Count.”
“Take care of him,” said Hortebise thoughtfully. “He has a reputation
for being a man of ungovernable temper, and, at the first word from you
that he objects to, would throw you out of the window as soon as look at
you.”
Mascarin shrugged his shoulders. “I can bring him to reason,” answered
he.
The two confederates walked a little past the Hotel de Mussidan, and the
doctor explained the interior arrangements of the house.
“I,” continued Mascarin, “will insist upon the Count’s breaking off his
daughter’s engagement with M. de Breulh-Faverlay, but shall not say
a word about the Marquis de Croisenois, while you will take the
opportunity of putting his pretensions before the Countess, and will not
say a word of M. de Breulh-Faverlay.”
“I have learned my lesson, and shall not forget it.”
“You see, doctor, the beauty of the whole affair is, that the Countess
will wonder how her husband will take her interference, while he will be
at a loss how to break the news to his wife. How surprised they will be
when they find that they have both the same end in view!”
There was something so droll in the whole affair, that the doctor burst
into a loud laugh.
“We go by such different roads,” said he, “that they will never suspect
that we are working together. Faith! my dear Baptiste, you are much more
clever than I thought.”
“Don’t praise me until you see that I am successful.”
Mascarin stopped opposite to a _café_ in the Faubourg Saint Honore.
“Wait here for me, doctor,” said he, “while I make a little call. If all
is all right; I will come for you again; then I will see the Count, and
twenty minutes later do you go to the house and ask for the Countess.”
The clock struck four as the worthy confederates parted, and Mascarin
continued his way along the Faubourg Saint Honore, and again stopped
before a public house, which he entered, the master of which, Father
Canon, was so well known in the neighborhood that he had not thought it
worth while to have his name painted over the door. He did not profess
to serve his best wine to casual customers, but for regular frequenters
of his house, chiefly the servants of noble families, he kept a better
brand of wine. Mascarin’s respectable appearance inclined the landlord
to step forward. Among Frenchmen, who are always full of gayety, a
serious exterior is ever an excellent passport.
“What can I do for you, sir?” asked he with great politeness.
“Can I see Florestan?”
“In Count de Mussidan’s service, I believe?”
“Just so; I have an appointment with him here.”
“He is downstairs in the band-room,” replied the landlord. “I will send
for him.”
“Don’t trouble; I will go down,” and, without waiting for permission,
Mascarin descended some steps that apparently led to a cellar.
“It appears to me,” murmured Father Canon, “that I have seen this cove’s
face before.”
Mascarin pushed open a door at the bottom of the flight of stairs, and
a strange and appalling noise issued from within (but this neither
surprised nor alarmed him), and entered a vaulted room arranged like a
_café_, with seats and tables, filled with customers. In the centre, two
men, in their shirt sleeves, with crimson faces, were performing upon
horns; while an old man, with leather gaiters, buttoning to the knee,
and a broad leather belt, was whistling the air the hornplayers were
executing. As Mascarin politely took off his hat, the performers ceased,
and the old man discontinued his whistling, while a well-built young
fellow, with pumps and stockings, and wearing a fashionable mustache,
exclaimed,--
“Aha, it is that good old Mascarin. I was expecting you; will you
drink?”
Without waiting for further invitation Mascarin helped himself from a
bottle that stood near.
“Did Father Canon tell you that I was here?” asked the young man, who
was the Florestan Mascarin had been inquiring for. “You see,” continued
he, “that the police will not permit us to practise the horn; so, you
observe, Father Canon has arranged this underground studio, from whence
no sound reaches the upper world.”
The hornplayers had now resumed their lessons, and Florestan was
compelled to place both hands to the side of his mouth, in order to
render himself audible, and to shout with all his might.
“That old fellow there is a huntsman in the service of the Duke de
Champdoce, and is the finest hornplayer going. I have only had twenty
lessons from him, and am getting on wonderfully.”
“Ah!” exclaimed Mascarin, “when I have more time I must hear your
performance; but to-day I am in a hurry, and want to say a few words to
you in private.”
“Certainly, but suppose we go upstairs and ask for a private room.”
The rooms he referred to were not very luxuriously furnished, but were
admirably suited for confidential communications; and had the walls been
able to speak, they could have told many a strange tale.
Florestan and Mascarin seated themselves in one of these before a small
table, upon which Father Canon placed a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“I asked you to meet me here, Florestan,” began Mascarin, “because you
can do me a little favor.”
“Anything that is in my power I will do,” said the young man.
“First, a few words regarding yourself. How do you get on with Count de
Mussidan?”
Mascarin had adopted an air of familiarity which he knew would please
his companion.
“I don’t care about the place,” replied Florestan, “and I am going to
ask Beaumarchef to look out another one for me.”
“I am surprised at that; all your predecessors said that the Count was a
perfect gentleman--”
“Just try him yourself,” broke in the valet. “In the first place he is
as fickle as the wind, and awfully suspicious. He never leaves anything
about,--no letters, no cigars, and no money. He spends half his time in
locking things up, and goes to bed with his keys under his pillow.”
“I allow that such suspicion on his part is most unpleasant.”
“It is indeed, and besides he is awfully violent. He gets in a rage
about nothing, and half a dozen times in the day he looks ready to
murder you. On my word, I am really frightened at him.”
This account, coupled with what he had heard from Hortebise seemed to
render Mascarin very thoughtful.
“Is he always like this, or only at intervals?”
“He is always a beast, but he is worse after drink or losing at cards.
He is never home until after four in the morning.”
“And what does his wife say?”
The query made Florestan laugh.
“Madame does not bother herself about her lord and master, I can assure
you. Sometimes they don’t meet for weeks. All she wants is plenty of
money. And ain’t we just dunned!”
“But the Mussidans are wealthy?”
“Tremendously so, but at times there is not the value of a franc in the
house. Then Madame is like a tigress, and would sent to borrow from all
her friends.”
“But she must feel much humiliated?”
“Not a bit; when she wants a heavy amount, she sends off to the Duke de
Champdoce, and he always parts; but she doesn’t mince matters with him.”
“It would seem as if you had known the contents of your mistress’s
letters?” remarked Mascarin with a smile.
“Of course I have; I like to know what is in the letters I carry about.
She only says, ‘My good friend, I want so much,’ and back comes the
money without a word. Of course it is easy to see that there has been
something between them.”
“Yes, evidently.”
“And when master and missus do meet they only have rows, and such rows!
When the working man has had a drop too much, he beats his wife, she
screams, then they kiss and make it up; but the Mussidans say things to
each other in cold blood that neither can ever forgive.”
From the air with which Mascarin listened to these details, it almost
seemed as if he had been aware of them before.
“Then,” said he, “Mademoiselle Sabine is the only nice one in the
house?”
“Yes, she is always gentle and considerate.”
“Then you think that M. de Breulh-Faverlay will be a happy man?”
“Oh, yes; but perhaps this marriage will----” but here Florestan
interrupted himself and assumed an air of extreme caution. After looking
carefully round, he lowered his voice, and continued, “Mademoiselle
Sabine has been left so much to herself that she acts just as she thinks
fit.”
“Do you mean,” asked Mascarin, “that the young lady has a lover?”
“Just so.”
“But that must be wrong; and let me tell you that you ought not to
repeat such a story.”
The man grew quite excited.
“Story,” repeated he; “I know what I know. If I spoke of a lover, it is
because I have seen him with my own eyes, not once, but twice.”
From the manner in which Mascarin received this intelligence, Florestan
saw that he was interested in the highest degree.
“I’ll tell you all about it,” continued he. “The first time was when she
went to mass; it came on to rain suddenly, and Modeste, her maid, begged
me to go for an umbrella. As soon as I came back I went in and saw
Mademoiselle Sabine standing by the receptacle for holy water, talking
to a young fellow. Of course I dodged behind a pillar, and kept a watch
on the pair--”
“But you don’t found all your story on this?”
“I think you would, had you seen the way they looked into each other’s
eyes.”
“What was he like?”
“Very good looking, about my height, with an aristocratic air.”
“How about the second time?”
“Ah, that is a longer story. I went one day with Mademoiselle when she
was going to see a friend in the Rue Marboeuf. She waited at a corner of
the street, and beckoned me to her. ‘Florestan,’ said she, ‘I forgot to
post this letter; go and do so; I will wait here for you.’”
“Of course you read it?”
“No. I thought there was something wrong. She wants to get rid of you,
so, instead of posting it, I slunk behind a tree and waited. I had
hardly done so, when the young fellow I had seen at the chapel came
round the corner; but I scarcely knew him. He was dressed just like a
working man, in a blouse all over plaster. They talked for about
ten minutes, and Mademoiselle Sabine gave him what looked like a
photograph.”
By this time the bottle was empty, and Florestan was about to call for
another, when Mascarin checked him, saying--
“Not to-day; it is growing late, and I must tell you what I want you to
do for me. Is the Count at home now?”
“Of course he is; he has not left his room for two days, owing to having
slipped going downstairs.”
“Well, my lad, I must see your master; and if I sent up my card, the
odds are he would not see me, so I rely upon you to show me up without
announcing me.”
Florestan remained silent for a few minutes.
“It is no easy job,” he muttered, “for the Count does not like
unexpected visitors, and the Countess is with him just now. However, as
I am not going to stay, I’ll chance it.”
Mascarin rose from his seat.
“We must not be seen together,” said he; “I’ll settle the score; do you
go on, and I will follow in five minutes. Remember we don’t know each
other.”
“I am fly; and mind you look out a good place for me.”
Mascarin paid the bill, and then looked into the _café_ to inform the
doctor of his movements, and a few minutes later, Florestan in his
most sonorous voice, threw open the door of his master’s room and
announced,--
“M. Mascarin.”