"You don"t take in what I am telling you," answered Sariette. "The book belongs to the d"Esparvieu library; I must restore it to its place."
"_Pas de ca, Lisette_"---- hummed Guinardon.
"The book belongs to me, I tell you!"
"You are crazy, my good Sariette!"
And noticing that, as a matter of fact, the librarian had a wandering look in his eye, he took the book from him, and tried to change the conversation.
"Have you seen, Sariette, that the rascals are going to rip up the Palais Mazarin, and cover up the very heart and centre of the Old Town, the finest and most venerable place in the whole of Paris, with the deuce knows what works of art of theirs? They are worse than the Vandals, for the Vandals, although they destroyed the buildings of antiquity, did not replace them with hideous and disgusting erections and atrocious bridges like the Pont d"Alexandre. And your poor Rue Garanciere, Sariette, has fallen a prey to the barbarians. What have they done with the pretty bronze mask of the Palace fountain?"
Monsieur Sariette never listened to a word of all this.
"Guinardon, you have not understood me. Now listen. This book belongs to the d"Esparvieu library. It was taken away, how or by whom I know not.
Dreadful and mysterious things went on in that library. But, anyhow, the book was stolen. I need scarcely appeal to your sentiments of scrupulous probity, my dear friend. You would not like to be regarded as the receiver of stolen goods. Give me the book. I will return it to Monsieur d"Esparvieu, who will duly requite you; of that you may be sure. Rely on his generosity, and you will be acting like the downright good fellow that you are."
The antiquary smiled a bitter smile.
"Catch me relying on the generosity of that old curmudgeon of a d"Esparvieu. Why, he"d skin a flea to get its coat. Look at me, Sariette, old boy, and tell me if I look like a dunderhead. You know perfectly well that d"Esparvieu refused to give fifty francs in a second-hand shop for a portrait of Alexandre d"Esparvieu, the founder of the family, by Hersent, and that consequently the founder of the family has had to remain on the Boulevard Montparna.s.se, propped against a Jew hawker"s stall, just opposite the cemetery, where all the dogs of the neighbourhood come and make water on him. Catch me trusting to Monsieur d"Esparvieu"s liberality! You"ve got some bright ideas in your head, you have!"
"Very well, Guinardon, I myself will undertake to pay you any indemnity that a board of arbitrators may fix upon. Do you hear?"
"Now don"t go and do the handsome for people who won"t give you so much as a thank-you. This man, d"Esparvieu, has taken your knowledge, your energies, your whole life for a salary that even a valet wouldn"t accept. So leave that idea alone. In any case it is too late. The book is sold."
"Sold? To whom?" asked Sariette in agonized tones.
"What does that matter? You"ll never see it again. You"ll hear no more about it; it"s off to America."
"To America! The _Lucretius_ with the arms of Philippe de Vendome and marginalia in Voltaire"s own hand! My _Lucretius_ off to America!"
Pere Guinardon began to laugh.
"My dear Sariette, you remind me of the Chevalier des Grieux when he learns that his darling mistress is to be transported to the Mississippi. "My dear mistress going to the Mississippi!" says he."
"No! no!" answered Sariette, very pale, "this book shall not go to America. It shall return, as it ought, to the d"Esparvieu library. Let me have it, Guinardon."
The antiquary made a second attempt to put an end to an interview that now looked as if it might take an ugly turn.
"My good Sariette, you haven"t told me what you think of my Greco. You never so much as glanced at it. It is an admirable piece of work all the same."
And Guinardon, putting the picture in a good light, went on:
"Now just look at Saint Francis here, the poor man of the Lord, the brother of Jesus. See how his fuliginous body rises heavenward like the smoke from an agreeable sacrifice, like the sacrifice of Abel."
"Give me the book, Guinardon," said Sariette, without turning his head; "give me the book."
The blood suddenly flew to Pere Guinardon"s head.
"That"s enough of it," he shouted, as red as a turkey-c.o.c.k, the veins standing out on his forehead.
And he dropped the _Lucretius_ into his jacket pocket.
Straightway old Sariette flew at the antiquary, a.s.sailed him with sudden fury, and, frail and weakly as he was, b.u.t.ted him back into young Octavie"s arm-chair.
Guinardon, in furious amazement, belched forth the most horrible abuse on the old maniac and gave him a punch that sent him staggering back four paces against the _Coronation of the Virgin_, by Fra Angelico, which fell down with a crash. Sariette returned to the charge, and tried to drag the book out of the pocket in which it lay hid. This time Pere Guinardon would really have floored him had he not been blinded by the blood that was rushing to his head, and hit sideways at the work-table of his absent mistress. Sariette fastened himself on to his bewildered adversary, held him down in the arm-chair, and with his little bony hands clutched him by the neck, which, red as it was already, became a deep crimson. Guinardon struggled to get free, but the little fingers, feeling the ma.s.s of soft, warm flesh about them, embedded themselves in it with delicious ecstasy. Some unknown force made them hold fast to their prey. Guinardon"s throat began to rattle, saliva was oozing from one corner of his mouth. His enormous frame quivered now and again beneath the grasp; but the tremors grew more and more intermittent and spasmodic. At last they ceased. The murderous hands did not let go their hold. Sariette had to make a violent effort to loose them. His temples were buzzing. Nevertheless he could hear the rain falling outside, m.u.f.fled steps going past on the pavement, newspaper men shouting in the distance. He could see umbrellas pa.s.sing along in the dim light. He drew the book from the dead man"s pocket and fled.
The fair Octavie did not go back to the shop that night. She went to sleep in a little entresol underneath the bric-a-brac stores which Monsieur de Blancmesnil had recently bought for her in this same Rue de Courcelles. The workman whose task it was to shut up the shop found the antiquary"s body still warm. He called Madame Lenain, the concierge, who laid Guinardon on the couch, lit a couple of candles, put a sprig of box in a saucer of holy water, and closed the dead man"s eyes. The doctor who was called in to certify the death ascribed it to apoplexy.
Zephyrine, informed of what had happened by Madame Lenain, hastened to the house, and sat up all night with the body. The dead man looked as if he were sleeping. In the flickering light of the candles El Greco"s Saint mounted upwards like a wreath of smoke, the gold of the Primitives gleamed in the shadows. Near the deathbed a little woman by Baudouin was plainly discernible giving herself a douche. All through the night Zephyrine"s lamentations could be heard fifty yards away.
"He"s dead, he"s dead!" she kept saying. "My friend, my divinity, my all, my love---- But no! he is not dead, he moves. It is I, Michel; I, your Zephyrine. Awake, hear me! Answer me; I love you; if ever I caused you pain, forgive me. Dead! dead! O my G.o.d! See how beautiful he is. He was so good, so clever, so kind. My G.o.d! My G.o.d! My G.o.d! If I had been there he would not now be lying dead. Michel! Michel!"
When morning came she was silent. They thought she had fallen asleep.
She was dead too.
CHAPTER x.x.xII
WHICH DESCRIBES HOW NECTAIRE"S FLUTE WAS HEARD IN THE TAVERN OF CLODOMIR
Madame de la Verdeliere having failed to force an _entree_ as sick-nurse, returned after several days had elapsed,--during the absence of Madame des Aubels,--to ask Maurice d"Esparvieu for his subscription to the French churches. Arcade led her to the bedside of the convalescent. Maurice whispered in the angel"s ear:
"Traitor, deliver me from this ogress immediately, or you will be answerable for the evil which will soon befall."
"Be calm," said Arcade, with a confident air.
After the conventional complimentary flourishes, Madame de la Verdeliere signed to Maurice to dismiss the angel. Maurice feigned not to understand. And Madame de la Verdeliere disclosed the ostensible reason of her visit.
"Our churches," she said, "our beloved country churches,--what is to become of them?"
Arcade gazed at her angelically and sighed.
"They will disappear, Madame; they will fall into ruin. And what a pity!
I shall be inconsolable. The church amid the villagers" cottages is like the hen amidst her chickens."
"Just so!" exclaimed Madame de la Verdeliere with a delighted smile. "It is just like that."
"And the spires, Madame?"
"Oh, Monsieur, the spires!..."
"Yes, the spires, Madame, that stick up into the skies towards the little Cherubim, like so many syringes."
Madame de la Verdeliere incontinently left the place.