THE ARREST.
"The details of this affair may some day escape my memory, but the
impression it made will never be effaced. I had not the shadow of a
doubt; and this prediction took the aspect of a reality, as far as I was
concerned. Yes," continued Pontcalec, "even though you should laugh,
like my Uncle Crysogon, you would never change my opinion, or take away
from me the conviction that the prediction will be realized; therefore,
I tell you, were it true that we are pursued by Dubois's exempts--were
there a boat ready to take us to Belle Isle to escape them, so convinced
am I that the sea will be fatal to me, and that no other death has any
power over me, that I would give myself up to my pursuers, and say, 'Do
your worst; I shall not die by your hands.'"
The three Bretons had listened in silence to this strange declaration,
which gathered solemnity from the circumstances in which they stood.
"Then," said Du Couedic, after a pause, "we understand your courage, my
friend; believing yourself destined to one sort of death, you are
indifferent to all other danger; but take care, if the anecdote were
known, it would rob you of all merit; not in our eyes, for we know what
you really are; but others would say that you entered this conspiracy
because you can neither be beheaded, shot, nor killed by the dagger, but
that it would have been very different if conspirators were drowned."
"And perhaps they would speak the truth," said Pontcalec, smiling.
"But, my dear marquis," said Montlouis, "we, who have not the same
grounds for security, should, I think, pay some attention to the advice
of our unknown friend, and leave Nantes, or even France, as soon as
possible."
"But this may be wrong," said Pontcalec; "and I do not believe our
projects are known at Nantes or elsewhere."
"And probably nothing will be known till Gaston has done his work," said
Talhouet, "and then we shall have nothing to fear but enthusiasm, and
that does not kill. As to you, Pontcalec, never approach a seaport,
never go to sea, and you will live to the age of Methuselah!"
The conversation might have continued in this jocular strain; but at
this moment several gentlemen, with whom they had appointed a meeting,
came in by different secret ways, and in different costumes.
It was not that they had much to fear from the provincial police--that
of Nantes, though Nantes was a large town, was not sufficiently well
organized to alarm conspirators, who had in the locality the influence
of name and social position--but the police of Paris--the regent's
police, or that of Dubois--sent down spies, who were easily detected by
their ignorance of the place, and the difference of their dress and
speech.
Though this Breton association was numerous, we shall only occupy
ourselves with its four chiefs, who were beyond all the others in name,
fortune, courage, and intelligence.
They discussed a new edict of Montesquieu's, and the necessity of arming
themselves in case of violence on the marshal's part: thus it was
nothing less than the beginning of a civil war, for which the pretexts
were the impiety of the regent's court and Dubois's sacrileges; pretexts
which would arouse the anathemas of an essentially religious province,
against a reign so little worthy to succeed that of Louis XIV.
Pontcalec explained their plan, not suspecting that at that moment
Dubois's police had sent a detachment to each of their dwellings, and
that an exempt was even then on the spot with orders to arrest them.
Thus all who had taken part in the meeting, saw, from afar, the bayonets
of soldiers at their houses: and thus, being forewarned, they might
probably escape by a speedy flight; they might easily find retreats
among their numerous friends: many of them might gain the coast, and
escape to Holland, Spain, or England.
Pontcalec, Du Couedic, Montlouis, and Talhouet, as usual, went out
together; but, on arriving at the end of the street where Montlouis's
house was situated, they perceived lights crossing the windows of the
apartments, and a sentinel barring the door with his musket.
"Oh," said Montlouis, stopping his companions, "what is going on at my
house?"
"Indeed, there is something," said Talhouet; "and just now I fancied I
saw a sentinel at the Hotel de Rouen."
"Why did you not say so?" asked Du Couedic, "it was surely worth
mentioning."
"Oh, I was afraid of appearing an alarmist, and I thought it might be
only a patrol."
"But this man belongs to the regiment of Picardy," said Montlouis,
stepping back.
"It is strange," said Pontcalec; "let me go up the lane which leads to
my house--if that also be guarded, there will be no further doubt."
Keeping together, in case of an attack, they went on silently till they
saw a detachment of twenty men grouped round Pontcalec's house.
"This passes a joke," said Du Couedic, "and unless our houses have all
caught fire at once, I do not understand these uniforms around them; as
to me, I shall leave mine, most certainly."
"And I," said Talhouet, "shall be off to Saint-Nazaire, and from thence
to Le Croisic; take my advice and come with me. I know a brig about to
start for Newfoundland, and the captain is a servant of mine; if the air
on shore becomes too bad, we will embark, set sail, and vogue la
galeres; come, Pontcalec, forget your old witch and come with us."
"No, no," said Pontcalec, "I will not rush on my fate; reflect, my
friends; we are the chiefs, and we should set a strange example by
flying before we even know if a real danger exists. There is no proof
against us. La Jonquiere is incorruptible; Gaston is intrepid; our
letters from him say that all will soon be over; perhaps, at this very
moment, France may be delivered and the regent dead. What would be
thought of us if, at such a time, we had taken flight? the example of
our desertion would ruin everything here. Consider it well; I do not
command you as a chief, but I counsel you as a friend; you are not
obliged to obey, for I free you from your oath, but in your place I
would not go. We have given an example of devotion; the worst that can
happen to us is to give that of martyrdom; but this will not, I hope, be
the case. If we are arrested, the Breton parliament will judge us. Of
what is it composed?--of our friends and accomplices. We are safer in a
prison of which they hold the key, than on a vessel at the mercy of the
winds; besides, before the parliament has assembled, all Bretagne will
be in arms; tried, we are absolved; absolved, we are triumphant!"
"He is right," said Talhouet; "my uncle, my brothers, all my family are
compromised with me. I shall save myself with them, or die with him."
"My dear Talhouet," said Montlouis, "all this is very fine; but I have a
worse opinion of this affair than you have. If we are in the hands of
any one, it is Dubois, who is not a gentleman, and hates those who are.
I do not like these people who belong to no class--who are neither
nobles, soldiers, nor priests. I like better a true gentleman, a
soldier, or a monk: at least they are all supported by the authority of
their profession. However, I appeal, as we generally do, to the
majority; but I confess, that if it be for flight, I shall fly most
willingly."
"And I," said Du Couedic; "Montesquieu may be better informed than we
suppose; and if it be Dubois who holds us in his clutches, we shall have
some difficulty in freeing ourselves."
"And I repeat, we must remain," said Pontcalec; "the duty of a general
is to remain at the head of his soldiers; the duty of the chief of a
conspiracy is to die at the head of the plot."
"My dear friend," said Montlouis, "your sorceress blinds you; to gain
credence for her prediction, you are ready to drown yourself
intentionally. I am less enthusiastic about this pythoness, I confess;
and as I do not know what kind of death is in store for me, I am
somewhat uneasy."
"You are mistaken, Montlouis," said Pontcalec, "it is duty above all
which influences me, and besides, if I do not die for this, you will
not, for I am your chief, and certainly before the judges I should
reclaim the title which I have abjured to-day. If I do not die by
Dubois, neither will you. We soldiers, and afraid to pay an official
visit to parliament, for that is it, after all, and nothing else;
benches covered with black robes--smiles of intelligence between the
accused and the judge: it is a battle with the regent; let us accept
it, and when parliament shall absolve us, we shall have done as well as
if we had put to flight all the troops in Bretagne."
"Montlouis proposed to refer it to a majority," said Du Couedic, "let us
do so."
"I did not speak from fear," said Montlouis; "but I do not see the use
of walking into the lion's mouth if we can muzzle him."
"That was unnecessary, Montlouis," said Pontcalec; "we all know you, and
we accept your proposition. Let those who are for flight hold up their
hands."
Montlouis and Du Couedic raised their hands.
"We are two and two," said Montlouis; "we must, then, trust to
inspiration."
"You forget," said Pontcalec, "that, as president, I have two votes."
"It is true."
"Let those, then, who are for remaining here hold up their hands."
Pontcalec and Talhouet raised their hands; thus the majority was fixed.
This deliberation in the open street might have seemed absurd, had it
not involved in its results the question of life or death to four of the
noblest gentlemen in Bretagne.
"Well," said Montlouis, "it appears, Du Couedic, that we were wrong: and
now, marquis, we obey your orders."
"See what I do," said Pontcalec, "and then do as you like."
And he walked straight up to his house, followed by his three friends.
Arriving at the door, he tapped a soldier on the shoulder.
"My friend," said he, "call your officer, I beg."
The soldier passed the order to the sergeant, who called the captain.
"What do you want?" asked the latter.----"I want to come into my house."
"Who are you?"
"I am the Marquis de Pontcalec."
"Silence!" said the officer, in a low voice, "and fly instantly--I am
here to arrest you." Then aloud, "You cannot pass," said he, pushing
back the marquis, and closing in his soldiers before him.
Pontcalec took the officer's hand, pressed it, and said:
"You are a brave fellow, but I must go in. I thank you, and may God
reward you!"
The officer, surprised, opened his ranks, and Pontcalec, followed by his
friends, crossed the court. On seeing him, his family uttered cries of
terror.
"What is it?" asked the marquis, calmly; "and what is going on here?"
"I arrest you, Monsieur le Marquis," said an exempt of the provost of
Paris.
"Pardieu! what a fine exploit!" said Montlouis; "and you seem a clever
fellow--you, a provost's exempt, and absolutely those whom you are sent
to arrest are obliged to come and take you by the collar."
The exempt saluted this gentleman, who joked so pleasantly at such a
time, and asked his name.
"I am Monsieur de Montlouis. Look, my dear fellow, if you have not got
an order against me, too--if you have, execute it."
"Monsieur," said the exempt, bowing lower as he became more astonished,
"it is not I, but my comrade, Duchevon, who is charged to arrest you;
shall I tell him?"----"Where is he?"
"At your house, waiting for you."
"I should be sorry to keep you waiting long," said Montlouis, "and I
will go to him. Thanks, my friend."
The exempt was bewildered.
Montlouis pressed Pontcalec's hand and those of the others; then,
whispering a few words to them, he set out for his house, and was
arrested.
Talhouet and Du Couedic did the same; so that by eleven at night the
work was over.
The news of the arrest ran through the town, but every one said, "The
parliament will absolve them."
The next day, however, their opinions changed, for there arrived from
Nantes the commission, perfectly constituted, and wanting, as we have
said, neither president, procureur du roi, secretary, nor even
executioners. We use the plural, for there were three.
The bravest men are sometimes stupefied by great misfortune. This fell
on the province with the power and rapidity of a thunderstroke; it made
no cry, no movement; Bretagne expired.
The commission installed itself at once, and expected that, in
consideration of its powers, people would bow before it rather than give
offense; but the terror was so great, that each one thought of
themselves alone, and merely deplored the fate of the others.
This, then, was the state of affairs in Bretagne three or four days
after the arrest of Pontcalec and his three friends. Let us leave them
awhile at Nantes, in Dubois's toils, and see what was passing in Paris.