On the following morning I was at breakfast, when Alphonse said to me:
"I made last night sir, pretense of following monsieur, and discovered
that another man was doing the same thing. Circumstances permitted me
to observe that he was stupid, but monsieur will perceive that either
I am mistrusted by the police, or that the affair of madame is growing
more difficult and has so far baffled the detectives. The count must
have mentioned your name to them." There he paused and busied himself
with the coffee-urn, and, for my part, I sat still, wondering whether
I had not better be more entirely frank with this unusual valet. He
knew enough to be very dangerous, and now stood at ease, evidently
expecting some comment on my part. I had asked Merton to breakfast,
and a half-hour later he came in, apologizing and laughing.
"Well," he said, "I am late. I had Lieutenant West to see me, and, to
my grief, Aramis is out of it and has explained, and so on; but
Porthos is inexorable. I said at last I was so tired of them all that
I should accept rapiers if the big man would give me time. The fact
is, we must first dispose of this other business. A wound, or what
not, might cripple me. I am not a bad hand with the sword, and I take
lessons twice a day. But now about the other affair. This duel is a
trifle to it."
Alphonse had meanwhile gone, at a word from me, and I was free to open
my mind to Merton. He did not hesitate a moment. "Call him back," he
said, "and let me talk to him."
Alphonse reappeared.
"I gave you three hundred francs," said Merton.
"Yes, monsieur."
"Where is it?"
"My mother has it."
"Very good. Are you for the emperor?"
The man's face changed. "M. le Capitaine knows that a man must live. I
was of the police, but my father was shot in the coup d'etat. I am a
republican."
"If so," said Merton, "for what amount would you sell your republican
body and soul?"
"As to my body, monsieur, that is for sale cheap."
"And souls are not dear in France," said Merton.
"Yes, monsieur; but the price varies."
"What would you say to--well, a thousand francs down and a thousand in
three months?"
"If monsieur would explain."
I did not dislike his caution, but I still had a residue of doubt as
to the man who was serving two masters. Merton had none. He went on:
"We mean to be plain with you. We are caught in the net of a big and
dangerous business."
"I had thought as much," said Alphonse. "Would M. le Capitaine
explain? No doubt there are circumstances--"
"Precisely. A woman has done what makes it necessary for us to recover
a certain document despite the police and the government. Understand
that if we succeed you get two thousand francs and run meanwhile risks
of a very serious nature."
"And my master?"
"Oh, he may lose his position. You and I and madame may be worse off."
"As to my position," I said, "leave me out of the question. We shall
all take risks."
"Then I accept," said Alphonse. "Monsieur has been most kind to my
mother, and circumstances have always attracted me--monsieur will
understand. What am I to do?"
"You are to examine the outside of Madame Bellegarde's villa by day
and at night--to-night--and report to us to-morrow morning. I have a
scheme for entering it and securing the document we want, but of that
we will speak when we hear your report. I have already ridden around
the place. I am trusting you entirely."
"No, monsieur, not quite entirely," said Alphonse, smiling.
Merton understood this queer fellow as I did not, for, as I sat
wondering what he meant, my friend said quietly: "No we have not told
you where the papers are concealed nor what they are. And you want to
know?"
A sudden panic seemed to fall on the valet. He winked rapidly, looked
to right and left, and then cried in a decisive way, with open hands
upraised as if to push away something: "No, monsieur, no.
Circumstances make it not to be desired."
From that moment I trusted the man. "Is that all, monsieur?" he said.
"No. I do not want you to act without knowing that we, all of us, are
about to undertake what is against the law and may bring death or, to
you at least, the galleys."
"I accept." He said it very quietly. "What other directions has
monsieur, or am I merely to report about the house and the guards? It
is easy."
"Yes, that is all at present. The danger comes later. Let us hear at
nine to-morrow morning."
His report at that time was clear and not very reassuring. There were
guards at or near the gateway. At night a patrol moved at times around
the outside. He saw a man enter the garden and remain within. He could
not say whether there was another one in the house. It was likely.
Madame Bellegarde had driven to the villa. She had been allowed to
enter, and came out with a basket of flowers. As no one went in with
her, it was pretty sure that they trusted some one within to watch
her.
Merton said: "And now, Alphonse, have you any plan, any means by which
we can enter that house at night and get away safe without violent
methods?"
"If there was no one within."
"But we do not know, and that we must risk."
"It would be necessary," said Alphonse, "to get the police away from
the gate for a time, and, if I am not mistaken, their orders will be
capture, dead or alive. They believe your papers are still hidden in
that house and that an effort may be made to secure them. You observe,
monsieur, that all this care would never be taken in an ordinary case.
If monsieur proposes to enter the house and take away certain papers,
the guard may resist, and in that case--"
"In that case," laughed Merton, "circumstances--"
"Monsieur does not desire me to enter the house."
I said promptly that we did not. Alphonse seemed relieved, and Merton
went on to state with care his own plan. Alphonse listened with the
joy of an expert, adding suggestions and twice making very good
comments on our arrangements. It would be necessary he thought, to
wait for a stormy night, but already it was overclouded.
Alphonse went away to see his mother and to make his own preparations
for the share assigned to him in an adventure to which I looked
forward with keen interest and with small satisfaction.
Not so Merton. When the valet left us, the captain said: "We are
utterly in the hands of that man."
"Yes," I returned thoughtfully.
"If he knew," said Merton, "he might--"
"No. That he did not want to know what these papers are was an
expression of his own doubt concerning the extent to which he might
trust himself. I think we must trust him."
"Yes," returned the captain. "Whether or not we have been wise to use
him, I rather doubted, but now I do not. The limitations of the moral
code of a man like Alphonse are strange enough. It is hard to guess
beforehand what he will do and what he will not. However, we are in
for it. You have a revolver?"
"No."
"I will lend you mine."
I said I should be glad to borrow it, but I may say that I took care,
before we set out, to see that the barrels were not loaded. I might
use it to threaten, but was resolute not to fire on any one, even if
not to do so involved failure of our purpose. I, too, had my moral
limitations.
We lost a day, but on the following night there was such a storm as
satisfied us to the full.