Diary fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Mystery fiction; Short stories, English
“You will do this! you will do that!” cried Danville, growing more
and more exasperated, and letting his anger get the better even of his
cunning now. “Talk less confidently of the future--you don’t know what
it has in store for you. Govern your tongue when you are in my presence;
a day may come when you will want my help--my help; do you hear that?”
Trudaine turned his face from his sister, as if he feared to let her see
it when those words were spoken.
“The man who followed me to-day was a spy--Danville’s spy!” That thought
flashed across his mind, but he gave it no utterance. There was an
instant’s pause of silence; and through it there came heavily on the
still night air the rumbling of distant wheels. The sound advanced
nearer and nearer--advanced and ceased under the window.
Danville hurried to it, and looked out eagerly. “I have not hastened my
return without reason. I wouldn’t have missed this arrest for anything!”
thought he, peering into the night.
The stars were out, but there was no moon. He could not recognize either
the coach or the persons who got out of it, and he turned again into the
interior of the room. His wife had sunk into a chair, her brother was
locking up in a cabinet the book which he had promised to take care of
for her. The dead silence made the noise of slowly ascending footsteps
on the stairs painfully audible. At last the door opened softly.
“Citizen Danville, health and fraternity!” said Lomaque, appearing
in the doorway, followed by his agents. “Citizen Louis Trudaine?” he
continued, beginning with the usual form.
Rose started out of her chair; but her brother’s hand was on her lips
before she could speak.
“My name is Louis Trudaine,” he answered.
“Charles!” cried his sister, breaking from him and appealing to her
husband, “who are these men? What are they here for?”
He gave her no answer.
“Louis Trudaine,” said Lomaque, slowly, drawing the order from his
pocket, “in the name of the Republic, I arrest you.”
“Rose, come back,” cried Trudaine.
It was too late; she had broken from him, and in the recklessness of
terror, had seized her husband by the arm.
“Save him!” she cried. “Save him, by all you hold dearest in the world!
You are that man’s superior, Charles--order him from the room!”
Danville roughly shook her hand off his arm.
“Lomaque is doing his duty. Yes,” he added, with a glance of
malicious triumph at Trudaine, “yes, doing his duty. Look at me as you
please--your looks won’t move me. I denounced you! I admit it--I glory
in it! I have rid myself of an enemy, and the State of a bad citizen.
Remember your secret visits to the house in the Rue de Clery!”
His wife uttered a cry of horror. She seized his arm again with both
hands--frail, trembling hands--that seemed suddenly nerved with all the
strength of a man’s.
“Come here--come here! I must and will speak to you!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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