"Will monsieur be kind enough to come in?"
I immediately heard the footsteps of my visitor crossing the ante-chamber, and sure enough, at the door there appeared M. de Franchi.
I confess that I was terrified, and took a step backwards as he approached.
"I trust you will excuse my appearance so late," said my visitor; "I only arrived ten minutes ago, and you will understand that I could not wait till tomorrow without seeing you."
"Oh, my dear Lucien," I exclaimed, advancing quickly, and embracing him. "Then it is really you." And, in spite of myself, tears really came into my eyes.
"Yes," he said, "it is I."
I made a calculation of the time that had elapsed, and could scarcely imagine that he had received the letter--it could hardly have reached Ajaccio yet.
"Good Heavens! then you do not know what has happened?" I exclaimed.
"I know all," was his reply.
"Victor," I said, turning towards my servant, who was still rather embarra.s.sed, "leave us, and return in a quarter of an hour with some supper. You will have something to eat, and will sleep here of course."
"With great pleasure," he replied. "I have eaten nothing since we left Auxerre. Then, as to lodgings, as n.o.body knew me in the Rue de Helder, or rather," he added, with a sad smile, "as everybody recognized me there, they declined to let me in, so I left the whole house in a state of alarm."
"In fact, my dear Lucien, your resemblance to Louis is so very striking that even I myself was just now taken aback."
"How," exclaimed Victor, who had not yet ventured to leave us. "Is monsieur the brother----"
"Yes," I replied, "go and get supper."
Victor went out, and we found ourselves alone.
I took Lucien by the hand, and leading him to an easy chair seated myself near him.
"I suppose (I began) you were on your way to Paris when the fatal news met you?"
"No, I was at Sullacaro!"
"Impossible! Why your brother"s letter could not have reached you."
"You forget the ballad of _Burger,_ my dear Alexander--_the dead travel fast!_"
I shuddered! "I do not understand," I said.
"Have you forgotten what I told you about the apparitions familiar to our family?"
"Do you mean to say that you have _seen_ your dead brother?"-- "Yes."--"When?"
"On the night of the 16th inst."
"And he told you everything?"--"All!"
"That he was dead?"
"He told me that he had been killed. The dead never lie!"
"And he said in what way?"
"In a duel."
"By whom?"
"By M. de Chateau Renaud."
"Oh no, Lucien, that cannot be," I exclaimed, "you have obtained your information in some other way."
"Do you think I am likely to joke at such a time?"
"I beg your pardon. But truly what you tell me is so strange, and everything that relates to you and your brother so out of ordinary nature, that----"
"That you hesitate to believe it. Well, I can understand the feeling.
But wait. My brother was. .h.i.t here," he continued, as he opened his shirt and showed me the blue mark of the bullet on his flesh, "he was wounded above the sixth rib on the right side--do you believe that?"
"As a matter of fact," I replied, "that is the very spot where he was. .h.i.t."
"And the bullet went out here," continued Lucien, putting his finger just above his left hip.
"It is miraculous," I exclaimed.
"And now," he went on, "do you wish me to tell you the time he died?"
"Tell me!"
"At ten minutes past nine."
"That will do, Lucien;" I said, "but I lose myself in questions. Give me a connected narrative of the events. I should prefer it."
CHAPTER XIX.
LUCIEN settled himself comfortably in his arm-chair and looking at me fixedly, resumed:--
"It is very simple. The day my brother was killed I was riding very early, and went out to visit the shepherds, when soon after I had looked at my watch and replaced it in my pocket, I received a blow in the side, so violent that I fainted. When I recovered I found myself lying on the ground in the arms of the Orlandini, who was bathing my face with water. My horse was close by.
""Well," said Orlandini, "what has happened?"
""I know no more about it than you do. Did you not hear a gun fired?"
""No."
""It appears to me that I have received a ball in the side," and I put my hand upon the place where I felt pain.