MYSTERIOUS PROCEEDINGS.
The doctor pointed to a chair, looked at his watch, and said:--
"I hope you have had a pleasant journey. Arrived this morning?"
There was not the faintest gleam of recognition on his face. Not a
smile; not a glance; nothing but the easy politeness of a stranger to
a stranger.
"N--not exactly," I faltered. "Yesterday morning, sir."
"Ah, indeed! Spent the day in sight-seeing, I dare say. Admire Paris?"
Too much astonished to speak, I took refuge in a bow.
"Not found any lodgings yet, I presume?" asked the doctor, mending a pen
very deliberately.
"N--not yet, sir."
"I concluded so The English do not seek apartments on Sunday. You
observe the day very strictly, no doubt?"
Blushing and confused, I stammered some incoherent words and sat
twirling my hat, the very picture of remorse.
"At what hotel have you put up?" he next inquired, without appearing to
observe my agitation.
"The--the Hôtel des Messageries."
"Good, but expensive. You must find a lodging to-day."
I bowed again.
"And, as your father's representative, I must take care that you procure
something suitable, and are not imposed upon. My valet shall go
with you."
He rang the bell, and the sad-colored footman appeared on the threshold.
"Desire Brunet to be in readiness to walk out with this gentleman," he
said, briefly, and the servant retired.
"Brunet," he continued, addressing me again, "is faithful and sagacious.
He will instruct you on certain points indispensable to a resident in
Paris, and will see that you are not ill-accommodated or overcharged. A
young man has few wants, and I should infer that a couple of rooms in
some quiet street will be all that you require?"
"I--I am very grateful."
He waved down my thanks with an air of cold but polite authority; took
out his note-book and pencil; (I could have sworn to that massive gold
pencil!) and proceeded to question me.
"Your age, I think," said he, "is twenty-one?"
"Twenty, sir."
"Ah--twenty. You desire to be entered upon the list of visiting students
at the Hotel Dieu, to be free of the library and lecture-rooms, and to
be admitted into my public classes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Also, to attend here in my house for private instruction."
"Yes, sir."
He filled in a few words upon a printed form, and handed it to me with
his visiting card.
"You will present these, and your passport, to the secretary at the
hospital," said he, "and will receive in return the requisite tickets of
admission. Your fees have already been paid in, and your name has been
entered. You must see to this matter at once, for the _bureau_ closes
at two o'clock. You will then require the rest of the day for
lodging-seeking, moving, and so forth. To-morrow morning, at nine
o'clock, I shall expect you here."
"Indeed, sir," I murmured, "I am more obliged than...."
"Not in the least," he interrupted, decisively; "your father's son has
every claim upon me. I object to thanks. All that I require from you are
habits of industry, punctuality, and respect. Your father speaks well of
you, and I have no doubt I shall find you all that he represents. Can I
do anything more for you this morning?"
I hesitated; could not bring myself to utter one word of that which I
had come to say; and murmured--
"Nothing more, I thank you, sir."
He looked at me piercingly, paused an instant, and then rang the bell.
"I am about to order my carriage," he said; "and, as I am going in that
direction, I will take you as far as the Hôtel Dieu."
"But--but I have a cab at the door," I faltered, remembering, with a
sinking heart, that I had not a sou to pay the driver.
The servant appeared again.
"Let the carriage be brought round immediately, and dismiss this
gentleman's cab."
The man retired, and I heaved a sigh of relief. The doctor bent low over
the papers on his desk, and I fancied for the moment that a faint smile
flitted over his face. Then he took up his hat, and pointed to the door.
"Now, my young friend," he said authoritatively, "we must be gone. Time
is gold. After you."
I bowed and preceded him. His very courtesy was sterner than the
displeasure of another, and I already felt towards him a greater degree
of awe than I should have quite cared to confess. The carriage was
waiting in the courtyard. I placed myself with my back to the horses;
Dr. Chéron flung himself upon the opposite seat; a servant out of livery
sprang up beside the coachman; the great gates were flung open; and we
glided away on the easiest of springs and the softest of cushions.
Dr. Chéron took a newspaper from his pocket, and began to read; so
leaving me to my own uncomfortable reflections.
And, indeed, when I came to consider my position I was almost in
despair. Moneyless, what was to become of me? Watchless and moneyless,
with a bill awaiting me at my hotel, and not a stiver in my pocket
wherewith to pay it.... Miserable pupil of a stern master! luckless son
of a savage father! to whom could I turn for help? Not certainly to Dr.
Chéron, whom I had been ready to accuse, half an hour ago, of having
stolen my watch and purse. Petty larceny and Dr. Chéron! how ludicrously
incongruous! And yet, where was my property? Was the Hôtel des
Messageries a den of thieves? And again, how was it that this same Dr.
Chéron looked, and spoke, and acted, as if he had never seen me in his
life till this morning? Was I mad, or dreaming, or both?
The carriage stopped and the door opened.
"Hôtel Dieu, M'sieur," said the servant, touching his hat.
Dr. Chéron just raised his eyes from the paper.
"This is your first destination," he said. "I would advise you, on
leaving here, to return to your hotel. There may be letters awaiting
you. Good-morning."
With this he resumed his paper, the carriage rolled away, and I found
myself at the Hôtel Dieu, with the servant out of livery standing
respectfully behind me.
Go back to my hotel! Why should I go back? Letters there could be none,
unless at the Poste Restante. I thought this a very unnecessary piece of
advice, rejected it in my own mind, and so went into the hospital
_bureau_, and transacted my business. When I came out again, Brunet
took the lead.
He was an elderly man with a solemn countenance and a mysterious voice.
His manner was oppressively respectful; his address diplomatic; his step
stealthy as a courtier's. When we came to a crossing he bowed, stood
aside, and followed me; then took the lead again; and so on, during a
brisk walk of about half an hour. All at once, I found myself at the
Hôtel des Messageries.
"Monsieur's hotel," said the doctor's valet, touching his hat.
"You are mistaken," said I, rather impatiently. "I did not ask to be
brought here. My object this morning is to look for apartments."
"Post in at mid-day, Monsieur," he observed, gravely. "Monsieur's
letters may have arrived."
"I expect none, thank you."
"Monsieur will, nevertheless, permit me to inquire," said the
persevering valet, and glided in before my eyes.
The thing was absurd! Both master and servant insisted that I must have
letters, whether I would, or no! To my amazement, however, Brunet came
back with a small sealed box in his hands.
"No letters have arrived for Monsieur," he said; "but this box was left
with the porter about an hour ago."
I weighed it, shook it, examined the seals, and, going into the public
room, desired Brunet to follow me. There I opened it. It contained a
folded paper, a quantity of wadding, my purse, my roll of bank-notes,
and my watch! On the paper, I read the following words:--
"Learn from the events of last night the value of temperance, the wisdom
of silence, and the danger of chance acquaintanceships. Accept the
lesson, and he by whom it is administered will forget the error."
The paper dropped from my hands and fell upon the floor. The
impenetrable Brunet picked it up, and returned it to me.
"Brunet!" I ejaculated.
"Monsieur?" said he, interrogatively, raising his hand to his forehead
by force of habit, although his hat stood beside him on the floor.
There was not a shadow of meaning in his face--not a quiver to denote
that he knew anything of what had passed. To judge by the stolid
indifference of his manner, one might have supposed that the delivery of
caskets full of watches and valuables was an event of daily occurrence
in the house of Dr. Chéron. His coolness silenced me. I drew a long
breath; hastened to put my watch in my pocket, and lock up my money in
my room; and then went to the master of the hotel, and informed him of
the recovery of my property. He smiled and congratulated me; but he did
not seem to be in the least surprised. I fancied, some how, that matters
were not quite so mysterious to him as they had been to me.
I also fancied that I heard a suspicious roar of laughter as I passed
out into the street.
It was not long before I found such apartments as I required, Piloted by
Brunet through some broad thoroughfares and along part of the
Boulevards, I came upon a cluster of narrow streets branching off
through a massive stone gateway from the Rue du Faubourg Montmartre.
This little nook was called the Cité Bergère. The houses were white and
lofty. Some had courtyards, and all were decorated with pretty iron
balconies and delicately-tinted Venetian shutters. Most of them bore the
announcement--"_Apartements à louer_"--suspended above the door. Outside
one of these houses sat two men with a little table between them. They
were playing at dominoes, and wore the common blue blouse of the
mechanic class. A woman stood by, paring celery, with an infant playing
on the mat inside the door and a cat purring at her feet. It was a
pleasant group. The men looked honest, the woman good-tempered, and the
house exquisitely clean; so the diplomatic Brunet went forward to
negotiate, while I walked up and down outside. There were rooms to be
let on the second, third and fifth floors. The fifth was too high, and
the second too expensive; but the third seemed likely to suit me. The
_suite_ consisted of a bed-room, dressing-room, and tiny _salon_, and
was furnished with the elegant uncomfortableness characteristic of our
French neighbors. Here were floors shiny and carpetless; windows that
objected to open, and drawers that refused to shut; mirrors all round
the walls a set of hanging shelves; an ormolu time piece that struck all
kinds of miscellaneous hours at unexpected times; an abundance of vases
filled with faded artificial flowers; insecure chairs of white and gold;
and a round table that had a way of turning over suddenly like a table
in a pantomime, if you ventured to place anything on any part but the
inlaid star in the centre. Above all, there was a balcony big enough for
a couple of chairs, and some flower-pots, overlooking the street.
I was delighted with everything. In imagination I beheld my balcony
already blooming with roses, and my shelves laden with books. I admired
the white and gold chairs with all my heart, and saw myself reflected in
half a dozen mirrors at once with an innocent pride of ownership which
can only be appreciated by those who have tasted the supreme luxury of
going into chambers for the first time.
"Shall I conclude for Monsieur at twenty francs a week?" murmured the
sagacious Brunet.
"Of course," said I, laying the first week's rent upon the table.
And so the thing was done, and, brimful of satisfaction, I went off to
the hotel for my luggage, and moved in immediately.
* * * * *