|
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
Chapter 40 `
`
The Breakfast. `
`
`
`
"And what sort of persons do you expect to breakfast?" said `
`
Beauchamp. `
`
`
`
"A gentleman, and a diplomatist." `
`
`
`
"Then we shall have to wait two hours for the gentleman, and `
`
three for the diplomatist. I shall come back to dessert; `
`
keep me some strawberries, coffee, and cigars. I shall take `
`
a cutlet on my way to the Chamber." `
`
`
`
"Do not do anything of the sort; for were the gentleman a `
`
Montmorency, and the diplomatist a Metternich, we will `
`
breakfast at eleven; in the meantime, follow Debray's `
`
example, and take a glass of sherry and a biscuit." `
`
`
`
"Be it so; I will stay; I must do something to distract my `
`
thoughts." `
`
`
`
"You are like Debray, and yet it seems to me that when the `
`
minister is out of spirits, the opposition ought to be `
`
joyous." `
`
`
`
"Ah, you do not know with what I am threatened. I shall hear `
`
this morning that M. Danglars make a speech at the Chamber `
`
of Deputies, and at his wife's this evening I shall hear the `
`
tragedy of a peer of France. The devil take the `
`
constitutional government, and since we had our choice, as `
`
they say, at least, how could we choose that?" `
`
`
`
"I understand; you must lay in a stock of hilarity." `
`
`
`
"Do not run down M. Danglars' speeches," said Debray; "he `
`
votes for you, for he belongs to the opposition." `
`
`
`
"Pardieu, that is exactly the worst of all. I am waiting `
`
until you send him to speak at the Luxembourg, to laugh at `
`
my ease." `
`
`
`
"My dear friend," said Albert to Beauchamp, "it is plain `
`
that the affairs of Spain are settled, for you are most `
`
desperately out of humor this morning. Recollect that `
`
Parisian gossip has spoken of a marriage between myself and `
`
Mlle. Eugenie Danglars; I cannot in conscience, therefore, `
`
let you run down the speeches of a man who will one day say `
`
to me, `Vicomte, you know I give my daughter two millions.'" `
`
`
`
"Ah, this marriage will never take place," said Beauchamp. `
`
"The king has made him a baron, and can make him a peer, but `
`
he cannot make him a gentleman, and the Count of Morcerf is `
`
too aristocratic to consent, for the paltry sum of two `
`
million francs, to a mesalliance. The Viscount of Morcerf `
`
can only wed a marchioness." `
`
`
`
"But two million francs make a nice little sum," replied `
`
Morcerf. `
`
`
`
"It is the social capital of a theatre on the boulevard, or `
`
a railroad from the Jardin des Plantes to La Rapee." `
`
`
`
"Never mind what he says, Morcerf," said Debray, "do you `
`
marry her. You marry a money-bag label, it is true; well, `
`
but what does that matter? It is better to have a blazon `
`
less and a figure more on it. You have seven martlets on `
`
your arms; give three to your wife, and you will still have `
`
four; that is one more than M. de Guise had, who so nearly `
`
became King of France, and whose cousin was Emperor of `
`
Germany." `
`
`
`
"On my word, I think you are right, Lucien," said Albert `
`
absently. `
`
`
`
"To be sure; besides, every millionaire is as noble as a `
`
bastard -- that is, he can be." `
`
`
`
"Do not say that, Debray," returned Beauchamp, laughing, `
`
"for here is Chateau-Renaud, who, to cure you of your mania `
`
for paradoxes, will pass the sword of Renaud de Montauban, `
`
his ancestor, through your body." `
`
`
`
"He will sully it then," returned Lucien; "for I am low -- `
`
very low." `
`
`
`
"Oh, heavens," cried Beauchamp, "the minister quotes `
`
Beranger, what shall we come to next?" `
`
`
`
"M. de Chateau-Renaud -- M. Maximilian Morrel," said the `
`
servant, announcing two fresh guests. `
`
`
`
"Now, then, to breakfast," said Beauchamp; "for, if I `
`
remember, you told me you only expected two persons, `
`
Albert." `
`
`
`
"Morrel," muttered Albert -- "Morrel -- who is he?" But `
`
before he had finished, M. de Chateau-Renaud, a handsome `
`
young man of thirty, gentleman all over, -- that is, with `
`
the figure of a Guiche and the wit of a Mortemart, -- took `
`
Albert's hand. "My dear Albert," said he, "let me introduce `
`
to you M. Maximilian Morrel, captain of Spahis, my friend; `
`
and what is more -- however the man speaks for himself ---my `
`
preserver. Salute my hero, viscount." And he stepped on one `
`
side to give place to a young man of refined and dignified `
`
bearing, with large and open brow, piercing eyes, and black `
`
mustache, whom our readers have already seen at Marseilles, `
`
under circumstances sufficiently dramatic not to be `
`
forgotten. A rich uniform, half French, half Oriental, set `
`
off his graceful and stalwart figure, and his broad chest `
`
was decorated with the order of the Legion of Honor. The `
`
young officer bowed with easy and elegant politeness. `
`
"Monsieur," said Albert with affectionate courtesy, "the `
`
count of Chateau-Renaud knew how much pleasure this `
`
introduction would give me; you are his friend, be ours `
`
also." `
`
`
`
"Well said," interrupted Chateau-Renaud; "and pray that, if `
`
you should ever be in a similar predicament, he may do as `
`
much for you as he did for me." `
`
`
`
"What has he done?" asked Albert. `
`
`
`
"Oh, nothing worth speaking of," said Morrel; "M. de `
`
Chateau-Renaud exaggerates." `
`
`
`
"Not worth speaking of?" cried Chateau-Renaud; "life is not `
`
worth speaking of! -- that is rather too philosophical, on `
`
my word, Morrel. It is very well for you, who risk your life `
`
every day, but for me, who only did so once" -- `
`
`
`
"We gather from all this, baron, that Captain Morrel saved `
`
your life." `
`
`
`
"Exactly so." `
`
`
`
"On what occasion?" asked Beauchamp. `
`
`
`
"Beauchamp, my good fellow, you know I am starving," said `
`
Debray: "do not set him off on some long story." `
`
`
`
"Well, I do not prevent your sitting down to table," replied `
`
Beauchamp, "Chateau-Renaud can tell us while we eat our `
`
breakfast." `
`
`
`
"Gentlemen," said Morcerf, "it is only a quarter past ten, `
`
and I expect some one else." `
`
`
`
"Ah, true, a diplomatist!" observed Debray. `
`
`
`
"Diplomat or not, I don't know; I only know that he charged `
`
himself on my account with a mission, which he terminated so `
`
entirely to my satisfaction, that had I been king, I should `
`
have instantly created him knight of all my orders, even had `
`
I been able to offer him the Golden Fleece and the Garter." `
`
`
`
"Well, since we are not to sit down to table," said Debray, `
`
"take a glass of sherry, and tell us all about it." `
`
`
`
"You all know that I had the fancy of going to Africa." `
`
`
`
"It is a road your ancestors have traced for you," said `
`
Albert gallantly. `
`
`
`
"Yes? but I doubt that your object was like theirs -- to `
`
rescue the Holy Sepulchre." `
`
`
`
"You are quite right, Beauchamp," observed the young `
`
aristocrat. "It was only to fight as an amateur. I cannot `
`
bear duelling since two seconds, whom I had chosen to `
`
arrange an affair, forced me to break the arm of one of my `
`
best friends, one whom you all know -- poor Franz d'Epinay." `
`
`
`
"Ah, true," said Debray, "you did fight some time ago; about `
`
what?" `
`
`
`
"The devil take me, if I remember," returned Chateau-Renaud. `
`
"But I recollect perfectly one thing, that, being unwilling `
`
to let such talents as mine sleep, I wished to try upon the `
`
Arabs the new pistols that had been given to me. In `
`
consequence I embarked for Oran, and went from thence to `
`
Constantine, where I arrived just in time to witness the `
`
raising of the siege. I retreated with the rest, for eight `
`
and forty hours. I endured the rain during the day, and the `
`
cold during the night tolerably well, but the third morning `
`
my horse died of cold. Poor brute -- accustomed to be `
`
covered up and to have a stove in the stable, the Arabian `
`
finds himself unable to bear ten degrees of cold in Arabia." `
`
`
`
"That's why you want to purchase my English horse," said `
`
Debray, "you think he will bear the cold better." `
`
`
`
"You are mistaken, for I have made a vow never to return to `
`
Africa." `
`
`
`
"You were very much frightened, then?" asked Beauchamp. `
`
`
`
"Well, yes, and I had good reason to be so," replied `
`
|