With stealthy step the two men drew near the journalist. Fandor walked on unsuspicious at a slow regular pace, his head lowered. The two bandits came up to within a yard of him. Noiselessly, savagely determined, Nibet lifted his arm for a murderous stroke. At this precise moment Fandor stopped at the verge of the exit, by which the sewer discharged its burden steeply into the Seine.
Yet a moment: Nibet"s knife was poised for the rapid and terrible stroke; it was about to bury itself in the neck of the journalist up to the hilt, when Cranajour lifted his foot, as if inspired by an idea on the spur of the moment, gave the journalist a violent kick in the lower part of the back, and sent him flying into s.p.a.ce!
They heard his body fall heavily into the Seine.... So roughly sudden had been Cranajour"s movement that Nibet stood dumbfounded, arm in air, and staring at Cranajour:
Cranajour smiled his most idiotic smile, nodded, but did not utter one word!...
It was formidable, the rage of Nibet! Here had that cra.s.s fool, Cranajour, kicked away the warder"s chance of ridding himself of the journalist for good and all! This. .h.i.t-and-miss made Nibet foam with rage. Of all the exasperating simpletons, this fool of a Cranajour took the cake!
The two made their way back to the store, where Mother Toulouche and big Ernestine anxiously awaited results; and now not only had the two men returned stuttering over their statements and with no news of the boatman, who was generally up to time, but they had missed a fine opportunity chance had offered them!
Nibet hated the journalist like all the poisons. Taunts, jeers, abuse were heaped on the silly head of Cranajour, who, all in vain, raised his eyes to heaven, beat his chest, shrugged his shoulders, stammered, mumbled vague excuses:
"He didn"t know exactly why he had done it! He thought he was helping Nibet!"
They disputed and contended for two hours. Suddenly Cranajour broke a long silence and demanded, looking as stupid as a half-witted owl:
"What have I done then? What are you scolding me for?"
Mother Toulouche, big Ernestine, and the wrathful Nibet stared at one another, taken aback--then they understood: two hours had gone by, and Cranajour no longer remembered what had happened!
Decidedly he was more innocent than a new-born babe! There was nothing whatever to be done with such an idiot, that was certain!
VI
IN THE OPPOSITE SENSE
When Jerome Fandor had been precipitated into the Seine so unexpectedly and with such violence he kept control of his wits: he did not utter a cry as he fell head foremost into the darkling river. He was an excellent swimmer: all aching as he was, he let himself go with the current and presently reached the sheltering arch of the Pont Neuf.
There he took breath for a minute:
"Queer!" was all he murmured. Then with regular strokes he made for the steep bank of the Seine opposite. Quitting the river, he secreted himself behind a heap of stones which lay on the quay. He took off his soaked garments and wrung the water out of them. This done, and clad in what looked like dry clothes, Fandor walked along the quay, hailed a pa.s.sing cabman half asleep on his seat, jumped inside, and gave his address to the Jehu.
When he arrived at _La Capitale_ on the Friday morning a boy approached him, and whispered mysteriously:
"Monsieur Fandor, there"s a very nice little woman in the sitting-room, who has been waiting for over an hour. She wishes to see you. She will not give her name: she declares that you know who she is."
"What is she like?" Fandor asked. His curiosity was not much aroused.
"Pretty, fair, all in black," replied the boy.
"Good. I"ll go in," interrupted Fandor.
He entered the sitting-room and stood face to face with Mademoiselle Elizabeth Dollon. She came forward, her eyes shining, her face alight with welcome:
"Ah, monsieur," she cried, taking his hands in hers, a movement of pure grat.i.tude: "Ah, monsieur, I knew you would come to my help! I have read your article of yesterday. Thank you again and again! But, I implore you, since my brother is alive, tell me where I can see him! For mercy"s sake don"t keep me waiting!"
Surprise kept Fandor silent a moment.
_La Capitale_ had published the evening before a sensational article by Fandor, in which, under the guise of suppositions and interrogations, he had narrated the various adventures as they had happened to himself, concluding with the question--really an ironical one: "If Jacques Dollon, who had disappeared from his cell, where he had been left for dead, had escaped from the Depot by way of the famous chimney of Marie Antoinette, had reached the roof of the Palais, had redescended by another pa.s.sageway to the sewer opening on to the Seine, did it not seem possible that Dollon had escaped alive from the Depot?"
Fandor had indulged in a gentle irony, despite the gravity of the circ.u.mstances, in order to complicate the already complicated affair, and so plunge the police into a confusion worse confounded: this, in spite of his conviction that Dollon was dead, dead as dead could be!
Now the cruelty of this professional game was brought home to him. His article had raised fresh hopes in Dollon"s poor sister! At sight of this charming girl, brightened with hope, Fandor felt all pity and guilt. He pressed her hands; he hesitated; he was troubled. He did not know how to explain. At last he murmured:
"It was wrong of me, mademoiselle, very wrong to write that article in such a way without warning you beforehand. Alas! You must not cherish illusions, illusions which this unfortunate article has given rise to, illusions I cannot believe in myself. I speak with all the sincerity of which I am capable, with the keenest desire to be of service to you: I dare not let you buoy yourself up with false hopes.... I a.s.sure you then, that from what I have been able to learn, to see, to know, I am convinced that your unfortunate brother is no more!... If there have been moments when I have doubted this, I am now morally certain that he is dead. Take courage, mademoiselle! Try, try to forget--to--to ..."
Fandor was trembling with emotion: he could not continue. Elizabeth bent her head, her eyes full of tears. She could not speak. She was overcome by this cruel dashing to the ground of her hopes. Never, never, to see her brother again!
An agonising silence reigned.
Fandor was profoundly troubled by this mute grief. He sought in vain for some word of comfort, of encouragement.
Elizabeth rose to go. The poor girl realised that nothing could be gained by prolonging the interview. Her one need now was to be alone, for then she could weep.
Fandor was about to accompany her to the door, when a boy entered:
"Monsieur Fandor, there"s a man wishes to speak to you!"
"Say I am not here," replied our journalist: he had no wish to see strangers just then.
"But Monsieur Fandor, he says he is the keeper of the landing stage of the pa.s.senger boat service, and he comes with reference to the Dollon affair!"
Both Elizabeth Dollon and Jerome Fandor started. She was trembling. Our journalist said at once:
"Bring him in then!"
The boy went off, and Fandor turned to the trembling girl.
"Tell me, Mademoiselle Elizabeth, do you feel equal to hearing what this man has to tell us? It is not improbable that he has seen something--something it would be best you should not hear--had you not better avoid it?"
Elizabeth shook her head in the negative. She was collecting all her forces: she would not remain ignorant of any detail of the terrible tragedy which had cost her brother so dear:
"I shall be strong enough," she announced firmly.
The boy ushered in the visitor. He looked a good specimen of his cla.s.s, a man about forty. On his cap were the gold anchors of those in the employ of the Paris boat service.
"Monsieur!... Madame!... At your service!" The good fellow was very much embarra.s.sed:
"Monsieur Fandor," he went on, "you do not know me, but I know you very well, that I do!... I read your articles every day in _La Capitale_.
They"re jolly good! What I say is ..."