"He entered slowly," resumed Alfred, "stopped a moment at the threshold, as if to fascinate me with his look, atrocious as it was, then he advanced towards me, pausing at each step, and piercing me through with his eye, but not uttering a word,--straight, mute, and threatening as a phantom!"
"I declare, my very heart aches to hear him," said Anastasie.
"I remained still more motionless, and glued to my chair; Cabrion still advanced slowly towards me, fixing his eye as the serpent glares at the bird; he so frightened me that, in spite of myself, I kept my eye on him; he came close to me, and then I could no longer endure his revolting aspect, it was too much, and I could not. I shut my eyes, and then I felt that he dared to place his hands upon my hat, which he took by the crown and lifted gently off my head, leaving it bare. I began to be seized with vertigo, my breathing was suspended, there was a singing in my ears, and I was completely fastened to my seat, and I closed my eyes still closer and closer. Then Cabrion stooped, took my head between his hands, which were as cold as death, and on my forehead, covered with an icy damp, he deposited a brazen kiss, indecent wretch!"
Anastasie lifted her hands towards heaven.
"My enemy, the most deadly, imprinted a kiss on my forehead; such a monstrosity overcame and paralysed me. Cabrion profited by my stupor to place my hat on my head, and then, with a blow of his fist, drove it down over my eyes, as you saw. This last outrage destroyed me; the measure was full, all about me was turning around, and I fainted at the moment when I saw him, from under the rim of my hat, leave the lodge as quietly and slowly as he had entered."
Then, as if the recital had exhausted all his strength, M. Pipelet fell back in his chair, raising his hands to heaven in a manner of mute imprecation. Rigolette went out quickly; she could not restrain herself any longer; her desire to laugh almost stifled her. Rodolph had the greatest difficulty to keep his countenance.
Suddenly there was a confused murmur, such as announces the arrival of a mob, heard from the street, and a great noise came from the door at the top of the entrance, and then b.u.t.ts of grounded muskets were heard on the steps of the door.
CHAPTER II.
THE ARREST.
"Good gracious! M. Rodolph," exclaimed Rigolette, running in, pale and trembling, "a commissary of police and the guard have come here."
"Divine justice watches over me," said M. Pipelet, in a transport of pious grat.i.tude. "They have come to arrest Cabrion; unfortunately it is too late."
A commissary of police, wearing his tricoloured scarf around his waist underneath his black coat, entered the lodge. His countenance was impressive, magisterial, and serious.
"M. le Commissaire is too late; the malefactor has escaped," said M.
Pipelet, in a sorrowful voice; "but I will give you his description,--villainous smile, impudent look, insulting--"
"Of whom do you speak?" inquired the magistrate.
"Of Cabrion, M. le Commissaire; but, perhaps, if you make all haste, it is not yet too late to catch him," added M. Pipelet.
"I know nothing about any Cabrion," said the magistrate, impatiently.
"Does one Jerome Morel, a working lapidary, live in this house?"
"Yes, mon commissaire," said Madame Pipelet, putting herself into a military att.i.tude.
"Conduct me to his apartment."
"Morel, the lapidary!" said the porteress, excessively surprised; "why, he is the mildest lambkin in the world. He is incapable of--"
"Does Jerome Morel live here or not?"
"He lives here, sir, with his family, in one of the attics."
"Lead me to his attic."
Then, addressing himself to a man who accompanied him, the magistrate said:
"Let two of the munic.i.p.al guard wait below, and not leave the entrance.
Send Justing for a hackney-coach."
The man left the lodge to put these orders in execution.
"Now," continued the magistrate, addressing himself to M. Pipelet, "lead me to Morel."
"If it is all the same to you, mon commissaire, I will do that for Alfred; he is indisposed from Cabrion"s behaviour, which, just as the cabbage does, troubles his pylorus."
"You or your husband, it is no matter which. Go forward."
And, preceded by Madame Pipelet, he ascended the staircase, but soon stopped when he saw Rodolph and Rigolette following him.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" he inquired.
"They are two lodgers in the fourth story," said Madame Pipelet.
"I beg your pardon, sir, I did not know that you belonged to the house,"
said he to Rodolph.
The latter, auguring well from the polite behaviour of the magistrate, said to him:
"You are going to see a family in a state of deep misery, sir. I do not know what fresh stroke of ill fortune threatens this unhappy artisan, but he has been cruelly tried last night,--one of his daughters, worn down by illness, is dead before his eyes,--dead from cold and misery."
"Is it possible?"
"It is, indeed, the fact, mon commissaire," said Madame Pipelet. "But for this gentleman who speaks to you, and who is a king of lodgers, for he has saved poor Morel from prison by his generosity, the whole family of the lapidary must have died of hunger."
The commissary looked at Rodolph with equal surprise and interest.
"Nothing is more easily explained, sir," said Rodolph. "A person who is very charitable, learning that Morel, whose honour and honesty I will guarantee to you, was in a most deplorable and unmerited state of distress, authorised me to pay a bill of exchange for which the bailiffs were about to drag off to prison this poor workman, the sole support of his numerous family."
The magistrate, in his turn, struck by the n.o.ble physiognomy of Rodolph, as well as the dignity of his manners, replied:
"I have no doubt of Morel"s probity. I only regret I have to fulfil a painful duty in your presence, sir, who have so deeply interested yourself in this family."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"From the services you have rendered to the Morels, and your language, I see, sir, that you are a worthy person. Having, besides, no reason for concealing the object of the warrant which I have to execute, I will confess to you that I am about to apprehend Louise Morel, the lapidary"s daughter."
The recollection of the rouleau of gold, offered to the bailiffs by the young girl, occurred to Rodolph.
"Of what is she then accused?"
"She lies under a charge of child-murder."
"She! she! Oh, her poor father!"