The Queen's Necklace by Alexandre Dumas père (best e books to read .TXT) 📕

men up-stairs.

"Ask him to walk in," said, from within, a voice at once manly and gentle.

"Excuse me, sir," said the chevalier to a man whom we have already seen, first at the table of M. de Richelieu, then at the exhibition of M. Mesmer, in Oliva's room, and with her at the Opera ball.

"For what, sir?" replied he.

"Because I prevent you from going out."

"You would have needed an excuse had you been much later, for I was waiting for you."

"For me?"

"Yes, I was forewarned of your visit."

"Of my visit?"

"Yes; two hours ago. It is about that time, is it not, since you were coming here before, when an interruption caused you to postpone the execution of your project?"

Philippe began to experience the same strange sensation with which this man inspired every one.

"Sit down, M. de Taverney," continued he; "this armchair was placed for you."

"A truce to pleasantry, sir," said Philippe, in a voice which he vainly tried to render calm.

"I do not jest, sir."

"Then a truce to charlatanism. If you are a sorcerer, I did not come to make trial of your skill; but if you are, so much the better, for you must know what I am come to say to you."

"Oh, yes, you are come to seek a quarrel."

"You know that? perhaps you also know why?"

"On account of the queen. Now, sir, I am ready to listen;" and these last words were no longer pronounced in the courteous tones of a host, but in the hard and dry ones of an adversary.

"Sir, there exists a certain publication."

"There are many publications," said Cagliostro.

"Well, this publication to-day was written against the queen."

Cagliostro did not reply.

"You know what I refer to, count?"

"Yes, sir."

"You have bought one thousand copies of it?"

"I do not deny it."

"Luckily, they have not reached your hands."

"What makes you think so, sir?"

"Because I met the porter, paid him, and sent him with them to my house; and my servant, instructed by me, will destroy them."

"You should always finish yourself the work you commence, sir. Are you sure these thousand copies are at your house?"

"Certainly."

"You deceive yourself, sir; they are here. Ah, you thought that I, sorcerer that I am, would let myself be foiled in that way. You thought it a brilliant idea to buy off my messenger. Well, I have a steward, and you see it is natural for the steward of a sorcerer to be one also. He divined that you would go to the journalist, and that you would meet my messenger, whom he afterwards followed, and threatened to make him give back the gold you had given him, if he did not follow his original instructions, instead of taking them to you. But I see you doubt."

"I do."

"Look, then, and you will believe;" and, opening an oak cabinet, he showed the astonished chevalier the thousand copies lying there.

Philippe approached the count in a menacing attitude, but he did not stir. "Sir," said Philippe, "you appear a man of courage; I call upon you to give me immediate satisfaction."

"Satisfaction for what?"

"For the insult to the queen, of which you render yourself an accomplice while you keep one number of this vile paper."

"Monsieur," said Cagliostro, "you are in error; I like novelties, scandalous reports, and other amusing things, and collect them, that I may remember at a later day what I should otherwise forget."

"A man of honor, sir, does not collect infamies."

"But, if I do not think this an infamy?"

"You will allow at least that it is a lie."

"You deceive yourself, sir. The queen was at M. Mesmer's."

"It is false, sir."

"You mean to tell me I lie?"

"I do."

"Well, I will reply in a few words--I saw her there."

"You saw her!"

"As plainly as I now see you."

Philippe looked full at Cagliostro. "I still say, sir, that you lie."

Cagliostro shrugged his shoulders, as though he were talking to a madman.

"Do you not hear me, sir?" said Philippe.

"Every word."

"And do you not know what giving the lie deserves?"

"Yes, sir; there is a French proverb which says it merits a box on the ears."

"Well, sir, I am astonished that your hand has not been already raised to give it, as you are a French gentleman, and know the proverb."

"Although a French gentleman, I am a man, and love my brother."

"Then you refuse me satisfaction?"

"I only pay what I owe."

"Then you will compel me to take satisfaction in another manner."

"How?"

"I exact that you burn the numbers before my eyes, or I will proceed with you as with the journalist."

"Oh! a beating," said Cagliostro, laughing.

"Neither more nor less, sir. Doubtless you can call your servants."

"Oh, I shall not call my servants; it is my own business. I am stronger than you, and if you approach me with your cane, I shall take you in my arms and throw you across the room, and shall repeat this as often as you repeat your attempt."

"Well, M. Hercules, I accept the challenge," said Philippe, throwing himself furiously upon Cagliostro, who, seizing him round the neck and waist with a grasp of iron, threw him on a pile of cushions, which lay some way off, and then remained standing as coolly as ever.

Philippe rose as pale as death. "Sir," said he, in a hoarse voice, "you are in fact stronger than I am, but your logic is not as strong as your arm; and you forgot, when you treated me thus, that you gave me the right to say, 'Defend yourself, count, or I will kill you.'"

Cagliostro did not move.

"Draw your sword, I tell you, sir, or you are a dead man."

"You are not yet sufficiently near for me to treat you as before, and I will not expose myself to be killed by you, like poor Gilbert."

"Gilbert!" cried Philippe, reeling back. "Did you say Gilbert?"

"Happily you have no gun this time, only a sword."

"Monsieur," cried Philippe, "you have pronounced a name----"

"Which has awakened a terrible echo in your remembrance, has it not? A name that you never thought to hear again, for you were alone with the poor boy, in the grotto of Acores, when you assassinated him."

"Oh!" said Philippe, "will you not draw?"

"If you knew," said Cagliostro, "how easily I could make your sword fly from your hand!"

"With your sword?"

"Yes, with my sword, if I wished."

"Then try."

"No, I have a still surer method."

"For the last time, defend yourself," said Philippe, advancing towards him.

Then the count took from his pocket a little bottle, which he uncorked, and threw the contents in Philippe's face. Scarcely had it touched him, when he reeled, let his sword drop, and fell senseless.

Cagliostro picked him up, put him on a sofa, waited for his senses to return, and then said, "At your age, chevalier, we should have done with follies; cease, therefore, to act like a foolish boy, and listen to me."

Philippe made an effort to shake off the torpor which still held possession of him, and murmured, "Oh, sir, do you call these the weapons of a gentleman?"

Cagliostro shrugged his shoulders. "You repeat forever the same word," he said; "when we of the nobility have opened our mouths wide enough to utter the word gentleman, we think we have said everything. What do you call the weapons of a gentleman? Is it your sword, which served you so badly against me, or is it your gun, which served you so well against Gilbert? What makes some men superior to others? Do you think that it is that high-sounding word gentleman? No; it is first reason, then strength, most of all, science. Well, I have used all these against you. With my reason I braved your insults, with my strength I conquered yours, and with my science I extinguished at once your moral and physical powers. Now I wish to show you that you have committed two faults in coming here with menaces in your mouth. Will you listen to me?"

"You have overpowered me," replied Philippe; "I can scarcely move. You have made yourself master of my muscles and of my mind, and then you ask me if I will listen!"

Then Cagliostro took down from the chimney-piece another little gold phial. "Smell this, chevalier," said he.

Philippe obeyed, and it seemed to him that the cloud which hung over him dispersed. "Oh, I revive!" he cried.

"And you feel free and strong?"

"Yes."

"With your full powers and memory of the past?"

"Yes."

"Then this memory gives me an advantage over you."

"No," said Philippe, "for I acted in defense of a vital and sacred principle."

"What do you mean?"

"I defended the monarchy."

"You defended the monarchy!--you, who went to America to defend a republic. Ah, mon Dieu! be frank; it is not the monarchy you defend."

Philippe colored.

"To love those who disdain you," continued Cagliostro, "who deceive and forget you, is the attribute of great souls. It is the law of the Scriptures to return good for evil. You are a Christian, M. de Taverney."

"Monsieur," cried Philippe, "not a word more; if I did not defend the monarchy, I defended the queen, that is to say, an innocent woman, and to be respected even if she were not so, for it is a divine law not to attack the weak."

"The weak! the queen--you call a feeble being her to whom twenty-eight million human beings bow the knee!"

"Monsieur, they calumniate her."

"How do you know?"

"I believe it."

"Well, I believe the contrary; we have each the right to think as we please."

"But you act like an evil genius."

"Who tells you so?" cried Cagliostro, with sparkling eyes. "How, have you the temerity to assume that you are right, and that I am wrong? You defend royalty; well, I defend the people. You say, render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and I say, render to God the things that are God's. Republican of America, I recall you to the love of the people, to the love of equality. You trample on the people to kiss the hands of a queen; I would throw down a queen to elevate a people. I do not disturb you in your adoration; leave me in peace at my work. You say to me, die, for you have offended the object of my worship; and I say to you, who combat mine, live, for I feel myself so strong in my principles, that neither you nor any one else can retard my progress for an instant."

"Sir, you frighten me," said Philippe; "you show me the danger in which our monarchy is."

"Then be prudent, and shun the opening gulf."

"You know," replied Philippe, "that I would sooner entomb myself in it, than see those whom I defend in danger."

"Well, I have warned you."

"And I," said Philippe, "I, who am but a feeble individual, will use against you the arms