As he spoke, he drew forth a large silver-clasped pocket-book, and, opening it, took out a ma.s.s of papers.
"I do not ask you to take any part of this on trust," continued he.
"There, with the seal of the chancellor, and the date, January the 5th, 1720, is his patent as comptroller-general of France. Here are letters from the Regent, the Prince of Deux-Ponts, the Duke of Rohan; I leave them in your hands, and will send you others that authenticate all I have stated. Of my own life, humble and uneventful, I have no wish to speak; more than this I know, for I have long studied the great principles of my father"s secret. The causes of his reverses I have thoroughly investigated; they are not inherent in the system, nor are they reasonably attributable to it in any way. His discovery must not be disparaged by the vices of a profligate prince, a venal administration, and an ignorant cabinet; nor must the grandeur of his conception be charged with the rash infatuation of a nation of gamblers. Law"s system stands free from every taint of dishonesty, when dissociated with the names of those who prost.i.tuted it. For years long have I studied the theory, and tested it by every proof within my power. To make the fact known to the world; to publish abroad the great truth, that credit well based and fortified is national wealth, and that national wealth, so based, is almost boundless,--this became the object of my whole life. I knew that a certain time must elapse ere the disasters that followed my father"s downfall were forgotten, and that I should, in all likelihood, never live to see the day when his glorious system would be revived, and his memory vindicated; but I hoped to have found one worthy to inherit this secret, and in whose keeping it might be transmitted to after ages. I will not weary you with the story of all my disappointments, the betrayals, and the treachery, and the falsehoods I have endured. Enough!
I became a recluse from mankind. I gave myself up to my old pursuits of calculation and combination, undisturbed; and I have lived on, to this hour, with one thought ever before me, and one fear,--is this great secret to die out with me? and are countless millions of men destined to toil and slavery, while this vast source of affluence and power shall lie rusting and unused?"
The intense fervor of his voice, and his tone of self-conviction as he spoke, had evidently impressed my mother strongly in his favor; and when she turned over one by one the letters before her, and read pa.s.sages penned by the hand of Du Pin, the chief secretary of the Regent, D"Argen-son, Alberoni the Cardinal, and others of like station, and then turned to look on the feeble and wasted figure of the old man, her eyes filled with tears of pity and compa.s.sion.
"My heart is now relieved of a weary load," said he, sighing. "Now I shall go back to my home, and to-morrow, if I be not able to come here, you and Jasper will visit me, for I have still much to tell you."
My mother did her utmost to detain him where he was. She saw that the excitement of his narrative had greatly increased the symptoms of fever upon him, and she wished to tend and watch over him; but he was resolute in his determination, and left us, almost abruptly.
Raper and myself went several times that evening to see him, but he would not receive us. The reply to our inquiries was, that he was deeply engaged, and could not be disturbed. I remember well how often during the night I arose from my bed to look out at the little window of the tollhouse, which was that of Herr Robert"s room. A light burned there the whole night through, and more than once I could see his figure pa.s.s between it and the window. Poor old man!--was it that he was devoting the last few hours of his life to the weary task that had worn him to a very shadow? Towards daybreak I sank into a heavy sleep, from which I was suddenly awakened by Raper calling on me to get up and dress at once.
"Herr Robert is dying!" said he, "and wishes to see you and speak with you. Be quick, for there is not a moment to lose."
I dressed myself as speedily as my trembling limbs would permit, and followed Raper down the stairs and into the street. My mother was already there, waiting for us, and we hurried along towards the toll-house without a word.
The toll-keeper"s wife beckoned to us impatiently as we came in sight, and we pressed eagerly on, and entered the little chamber where Herr Robert lay half-dressed upon his bed. He knew us, and took each of us by the hand as we came forward. His face was greatly flushed, and his eyes stared wildly, and his dry, cracked lips muttered frequently and fast.
Several large packages of papers lay beside him, sealed and addressed, and to these he made a motion with his hand, as if he would speak of them.
"Tell us of yourself, Herr Robert," said my mother, in a kind voice, as she sat down beside him. "Do you feel any pain?"
He seemed not to hear her, but muttered indistinctly to himself. Then, turning short round to me, he said,--
"I have forgotten the number of the house, but you can"t mistake it. It is the only one with a stone balcony over the entrance gate. It was well enough known once. John Law"s house,--the "Rue Quincampoix." The room looks to the back--and the safe--Who is listening to us?"
I rea.s.sured him, and he went on:--
"The ingots were forged as if coming from the gold mines of Louisiana.
D"Argenson knew the trick, and the Regent too. They it was who wrecked him,--they and Tencivi."
His eyes grew heavy, and his voice subsided to a mere murmur after this, and he seemed to fall off in a drowsy stupor. The whole of that day and the next he lingered on thus, breathing heavily, and at intervals seeming to endeavor to rally himself from the oppression of sleep; but in vain! Exhaustion was complete, and he pa.s.sed away calmly, and so quietly that we did not mark the moment when he ceased to breathe.
My mother led me away weeping from the room, and Raper remained to look after his papers and make the few arrangements for his humble burial.
The same day that we laid him in the earth came a letter from the Count de Gabriac to say that he would be with us on the morrow. It was the only letter he had written for several months past, and my mother"s joy was boundless at the prospect of seeing him. Thus did sunshine mingle with shadow in our life, and tears of happiness mingle with those of sorrow!
CHAPTER XXV. THE COUNT DE GABRIAC
I had often heard that the day which should see the Count restored to us would be one of festivity and enjoyment. Again and again had we talked over all our plans of pleasure for that occasion; but the reality was destined to bring back disappointment! We were returning in sadness from the toll-house, when a messenger came running to tell of the Count"s arrival; and my mother, leaving me with Raper, to whom she whispered a few hurried words, hastened homewards.
I thought it strange that she had not taken me along with her; but I walked along silently at Raper"s side, lost in my own thoughts, and not sorry to have for my companion one little likely to disturb them. We sauntered onward through some meadows that skirted the river; and at last, coming down to the stream, seated ourselves by the brink, each still sunk in his own reflections.
It was a bright day of midsummer: the air had all that exhilaration peculiar to the season in these Alpine districts. The stream ran clear as crystal at our feet; and the verdure of gra.s.s and foliage was in its full perfection. But one single object recalled a thought of sorrow, and that was the curtained window of the little chamber wherein Herr Robert lay dead.
To this spot my eyes would return, do what I could; and thither, too, sped all my thoughts, in spite of me. The influence which for some time back he had possessed over me was perfectly distinct from that which originates in affectionate attachment. Indeed, all his appeals to me were the very reverse of such. His constant argument was, that a man fettered by affection, and restricted by ties of family, was worthless for all purposes of high ambition, and that for the real successes of life, one must sacrifice everything like individual enjoyment. So far had he impressed me with these notions that I already felt a kind of pleasure in little acts of self-denial, and rose in my own esteem by slight traits of self-restraint. The comparative isolation in which I lived, and my estrangement from those of my own age, favored this impression, and I grew by degrees to look upon the sports and pleasures of boyhood with all the disdainful compa.s.sion of an old ascetic.
I remember well how, as I lay in the deep gra.s.s and watched the rippling circles of the fast-flowing river, that a sudden thought shot through me. What if all this theory should prove but a well-disguised avarice,--that this pa.s.sion for distinction be only the thirst for wealth,--these high purposes of philanthropy but another scheme for self-advancement! Is it possible that for such a price as this I would surrender all the enjoyments of youth, and all the budding affections of coming manhood?
"Mr. Joseph," said I, suddenly, "what is the best life?"
"How do you mean, Jasper? Is it, how shall a man do most good to others?" said he.
"Not alone that; but how shall he best employ his faculties for his own sake?"
"That may mean for his personal advancement, Jasper, for objects purely selfish, and be the reverse of what your first question implied."
"When I said the best, I meant the wisest," replied I.
"The wisest choice is that of a career, every duty of which can be fulfilled without the sacrifice of kindly affections or the relinquishment of family ties. He who can adopt such is both wise and happy."
"Are you happy, Mr. Joseph?" asked I; "for I know you are wise."
"Far more happy than wise, Jasper," said he, smiling. "For one like me, life has borne many blessings."
"Like you!" exclaimed I, in surprise, for to my thinking he was a most enviable mortal; I knew of no one so learned, nor of such varied acquirements. "Like you, Mr. Joseph!"
"Just so, Jasper; I, who have had neither home nor family, have yet found both; I, whom no ties of affection encircled, have lived to feel what it is to be cared for; and I, that almost despaired of being aught to any one, have found that I can be of use to those whom it is my chief happiness to love."
"Tell me your history, Mr. Joseph, or at least tell me something about yourself."
"My story, my dear Jasper, is but the history of my own day. The least eventful of lives would be adventurous if placed alongside of mine. I began the world such as you see me, poor, humble-minded, and lowly. I continue my journey in the same spirit that I set out. The tastes and pursuits that then gave me pleasure are still the same real sources of enjoyment to me. What were duties are now delights. Your dear mother was once my pupil, as you are now; and it is my pride to see that she has neither forgotten our old lessons, nor lived to think them valueless.
Even here have I seen her fall back upon the pursuits which occupied her childhood--ay, and they have served to lighten some gloomy hours too."
Raper quickly perceived, from the anxiety with which I had listened, that he had already spoken too much; and he abruptly changed the topic by saying,--
"How we shall miss the poor Herr Robert! He had grown to seem one of ourselves."
"And is my mother unhappy, Mr. Joseph?" said I, recurring to the former remarks.
"Which of us can claim an exemption from sorrow, Jasper? Do you not think that the little village yonder, in that cleft of the mountain--secluded as it looks--has not its share of this world"s griefs? Are there not the jealousies, and the rivalries, and the heartburnings of large communities within that narrow spot?"
While he was yet speaking, a messenger came to summon me home. The Countess, he said, was waiting dinner for me, and yet no invitation came for Raper. He seemed, however, not to notice the omission, but, taking my hand, led me along homeward. I saw that some strong feeling was working within, for twice or thrice he pressed my hand fervently, and seemed as if about to say something; and then, subduing the impulse, he walked on in silence.
"Make my respectful compliments to the Count, Jasper," said he, as we came to the door, "and say that I will wait upon him when it is his pleasure to see me."
"That would be now, I "m sure," said I, eagerly.
"Perhaps not so soon; he will have so much to say to your mother.
Another time;" and, hurriedly shaking my hand, he retired.
As I slowly, step by step, mounted the stair, I could not help asking myself, was this the festive occasion I had so often pictured to myself?--was this the happy meeting I had looked forward to so longingly? As I drew near the door, I thought I heard a sound like a.
heavy sob; my hand trembled when I turned the handle of the lock and entered the room.
"This is Jasper," said my mother, coming towards me, and trying to smile through what I could see were recent tears.