A VISIT.
The mirror room was an immense apartment, only separated from the
covered gallery by two anterooms. It was furnished with princely luxury,
and it was here that the general gave those sumptuous _tertulias,_ which
are still talked about in the highest Mexican circles, although so many
years have elapsed.
This room, merely lighted by two lamps, standing on a console, was at
this moment plunged into a semi-obscurity, when compared with the other
apartments in the mansion, which were full of light.
A gentleman, dressed in full black, and with the red ribbon of the
Legion of Honour carelessly knotted in a buttonhole of his coat, was
leaning his elbow on the console where the lamps stood, and seemed so
lost in thought, that, when the general entered the room, the sound of
his steps, half subdued by the petates, did not reach the visitor's
ears, and he did not turn to receive him.
Don Sebastian, after closing the door behind him, walked towards his
visitor, attempting to recognize him, which, however, the stranger's
position rendered temporarily impossible. It was not till he came almost
near enough to touch him that the stranger, at length warned of the
general's presence, raised his head; in spite of all the command Don
Sebastian had over himself, he started and fell back a couple of yards
on recognizing him.
"Don Valentine!" he said, in a stifled voice, "you here?"
"Myself, general," he replied, with an almost imperceptible smile and a
profound bow; "did you not expect a visit from me?"
The Trail-hunter, according to his habit, at once assumed his position
before his adversary. A bitter smile played round the general's pale
lips, and mastering his emotion, he replied, sarcastically--
"Certainly, caballero, I hoped to receive a visit from you; but not
here, and under such conditions, I did not venture, I confess, to
anticipate such an honour."
"I am delighted," he replied, with another bow, "that I have thus
anticipated your wishes."
"I will prove to you, señor," the general said, with set teeth, "the
value I attach to the visit you have been pleased to pay me."
While saying this, he stretched out his arm towards a bell.
"I beg your pardon, general," the Frenchman said, with imperturbable
coolness, "but I believe that you intend to summon some of your people?"
"And supposing that was my intention, señor?" the general said,
haughtily.
"If it were so," he replied, with icy politeness, "I think it would be
better for you to do nothing of the sort."
"Oh, indeed, and for what reason, may I ask?"
"For the simple reason, general, that as I have the honour to know you
thoroughly, I was not such a fool as to place myself in your power.
My carriage is waiting at this moment in front of your door; in that
carriage are two of my friends, and, in all probability, if they do not
see me come down the steps again in half an hour, they will not hesitate
to ask you what has taken place between us, and what has become of me."
The general bit his lips.
"You are mistaken as to my intentions, señor," he said. "I fear you no
more than you appear to do me. I am a gentleman, and were you ten times
more my enemy than you are, I would never attempt to free myself from
you by an assassination."
"Be it so, general; I should be glad to be mistaken, and in that case I
beg you to accept my apologies; moreover, in coming thus to see you, I
give you, I believe, a proof of confidence."
"For which I thank you, señor; but as I suppose that reasons of the
highest gravity alone induced you to present yourself here, and the
interview you ask of me must be long, I wished to give my people orders
to take out the horses, and take care that we are not interrupted."
Valentine bowed without replying, but with an imperceptible smile, and
leaning again on the console, he twisted his long, fair, light moustache
while the general rang the bell. A servant came in.
"Have the horses taken out," the general said, "and I am not at home to
anybody."
The servant bowed, and prepared to leave the room.
"Ah!" said the general, suddenly stopping him, "on the part of this
caballero ask the gentlemen in his carriage to do me the honour of
coming up to my apartments, where they can await more comfortably the
end of a conversation which will probably be rather prolonged. You will
serve refreshments to these gentlemen in the blue room," he added,
looking fixedly at the Frenchman, "the one that follows this room."
The servant retired.
"If you still apprehend a trap, señor," he continued, turning to the
Frenchman, "your friends will be at hand, if necessary, to come to your
help."
"I knew that you were brave to rashness, general," the Frenchman
answered politely, "and I am happy to see that you are no less
honourable."
"And now, señor, be kind enough to sit down," Don Sebastian said,
pointing to a chair. "May I venture to offer you any refreshments?"
"General," Valentine answered, as he seated himself, "permit me, for the
present, to decline them. In my youth I served in Africa, and in that
country people are only wont to break their fast with friends. As we
are, temporarily at least, enemies, I must ask you to let me retain my
present position toward you."
"The custom to which you allude, señor, is also met with on our
prairies," the general replied; "still people sometimes depart from
it. However, act as you think proper. I wait till it may please you
to explain the purpose of this visit, at which I have a right to feel
surprised."
"I will not abuse your patience any longer, general," he replied with a
bow. "I have merely come to propose a bargain."
"A bargain?" Don Sebastian exclaimed with surprise, "I do not understand
you."
"I will have the honour of explaining myself, señor."
The general bowed and said, "I await your pleasure."
"You are a diplomatist, general," Valentine continued, "and in that
capacity are, doubtless, aware that a bad treaty is better than a good
war."
"In certain cases I allow it is so; but I will take the liberty of
remarking that, under present circumstances, señor, I must await your
propositions, instead of offering any of mine, as the war, to employ
your own expression, was not begun by me, but by you."
"I think it will be better not to discuss that point, in which we should
find it difficult to agree; still, in order to remove any ambiguity, and
lay down the point at issue distinctly, I will remind you in a few words
of the motives which produced the hatred that divides us."
"Those motives, señor, you have already explained to me most fully at
the Fort of the Chichimèques. Without discussing their validity with
you, I will content myself with saying that hatred, like friendship,
being a matter of sympathy, and not the result of reason, it is better
to confess frankly that we hate or love each other, without trying to
account for either of these feelings, which I consider completely beyond
the will."
"You are at liberty to think so, señor, and though I do not agree
with you, I will not discuss the point; it is, however, certain that
the hatred we bear each other is implacable, and cannot possibly be
extinguished."
"Still you spoke only a minute back of a bargain."
"Certainly; but bargaining is not forgetting. I can, for certain
reasons, abstain from that hatred without renouncing it; and though
I may cease to injure you, I do not, on that account, contract the
slightest friendship with you."
"I admit that in principle, señor; let us, therefore, come to facts
without further delay; be good enough to explain to me the nature of the
bargain which you think proper to propose to me today."
"Allow me, in the first place, according to my notions of honour, to
explain to you what our position to each other is."
"Since the beginning of this interview, señor, I must confess that you
have been talking enigmas inexplicable to me."
"I will try to be clear, señor, and if I tell you what your plans
are, and the means you have employed for their realization, you will
understand, I have no doubt, that I have succeeded in countermining them
sufficiently to prevent a favourable issue."
"Go on, señor," the general remarked, with a smile.
"In two words, this is your position. In the first, you wish, by
a pronunciamiento, to overthrow General R----, and have yourself
proclaimed President of the Republic in his place."
"Ah, ah," said the general, with a forced laugh; "you must know, señor,
that in our blessed country this ambition is constantly attributed to
all officers who, either on account of their fortune or personal merit,
hold a public position. This accusation, therefore, is not very serious."
"It would not be so, if you limited yourself to mere wishes, possibly
legitimate in the present state of the country; but, unfortunately, it
is not so."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, general, that you are the head of a conspiracy; that this
conspiracy, several times already a failure in Sonora, you have renewed
in Mexico, under almost infallible conditions of success, and which,
in my opinion, would succeed, had I not resolved on causing them to
fail. I mean that, only a few days ago, your conspirators assembled in
a velorio kept by a certain Ño Lusacho. Through the agency of Don Jaime
Lupo, you divided among them two bags of gold, brought by you for them,
and emptied in your presence. I mean that, after this distribution,
the final arrangements were made, and the day was almost fixed for the
pronunciamiento. Am I deceived, general, or do you now see that I am
well informed, and that my spies are quite equal to yours, who were not
even able to inform you of my arrival at the Ciudad, where I have been
for more than a week, and you have not known a word about it?"
"While Valentine was speaking thus, in his mocking way, with his elbow
carelessly laid on the arm of his chair, and his body slightly bent
forward, the general was in a state of passion which he tried in vain
to repress, his pale face assumed a cadaverous hue, his eyebrows met,
and his clenched teeth found difficulty in keeping the words back which
tried each moment to burst forth. When the Frenchman ceased speaking
he made a violent effort to check his rage which was on the point of
breaking out, and he answered in a hollow voice which emotion caused
involuntary to tremble--
"I will imitate your frankness, señor. Of what use would it be to
dissimulate with an enemy so well informed as you pretend to be? What
you have said about a conspiracy is perfectly correct. Yes, I intend to
make a pronunciamiento, and that shortly. You see that I do not attempt
to conceal anything from you."
"I presume, because you consider it useless," Valentine answered
sarcastically.
"Perhaps so, señor. Although you are so well informed, you do not know
everything."
"Do you think so?"
"I am sure of it."
"What is the thing I am ignorant of?"
"That you will not leave this house again, and that I am going to blow
out your brains," the general exclaimed, as he started up and cocked a
pistol.
The Frenchman did not make the slightest movement to prevent the
execution of the general's threat; he contented himself with looking
firmly at him, and saying, coldly--
"I defy you."
Don Sebastian remained motionless, with haggard eye, pale brow, and
trembling hand; then, in a few seconds, he uncocked the pistol, and fell
back utterly crushed in his chair.
"You have gone too far or not far enough, caballero," Valentine went on
with perfect calmness. "Every threat should be executed at all risks so
soon as it is made. You have reflected, so let us say no more about it,
but resume our conversation."
In a discussion of this nature, all the advantage is on the side
of the adversary who retains his coolness. The general, ashamed of
the passionate impulse to which he had yielded, and crushed by his
enemy's sarcastically contemptuous answer, remained dumb; he at length
understood that, with a man like the one before him, any contest must
turn to his disadvantage, unless he employed treachery, which his pride
forbade.
"Let us, for the present," Valentine went on, still calmly and coldly,
"leave this conspiracy, to which we will revert presently, and pass to
a no less interesting subject. If I am correctly informed, Señor Don
Sebastian, you have a ward of the name of Doña Anita de Torrés?"
The general started, but remained silent.
"Now," continued Valentine, "in consequence of a frightful catastrophe,
this young lady became insane. But that does not prevent you from
insisting on marrying her, in contempt of all law, divine and human,
for the simple reason that she is enormously rich and you require her
fortune for the execution of your ambitious plans. It is true that the
young lady does not love you, and never did love you; it is also true
that her father intended her for another, and that other you insist on
declaring to be dead, although he is alive; but what do you care for
that? Unfortunately, one of my intimate friends, of whom you probably
never heard, Señor Don Serapio de la Ronda, has heard this affair
alluded to. I will tell you confidentially that Don Serapio is greatly
respected by certain parties, and has very considerable power. Don
Serapio, I know not why, takes an interest in Doña Anita, and has made
up his mind, whether you like it or not, to marry her to the man she
loves, and for whom her father intended her."
"The villain is dead," the general exclaimed, furiously.
"You are perfectly well aware of the contrary," Señor Valentine
answered, "and to remove any doubts you may still happen to have, I will
give you the proof. Don Martial," he said aloud, "come in, pray, and
tell General Guerrero yourself that you are not dead."
"Oh!" the general muttered furiously, "this man is a demon."
At this moment the door opened, and a new personage entered the room.