第16章 V(2)

This man was,as the reader will have already guessed,Maitre Quennebert.As soon as the chevalier and the duke had disappeared,the notary had run towards the corner where the widow lay,and having made sure that she was really unconscious,and unable to see or hear anything,so that it would be quite safe to tell her any story he pleased next day,he returned to his former position,and applying his shoulder to the partition,easily succeeded in freeing the ends of the rotten laths from the nails which held there,and,pushing them before him,made an aperture large enough to allow of his passing through into the next apartment.He applied himself to this task with such vigour,and became so absorbed in its accomplishment,that he entirely forgot the bag of twelve hundred livres which the widow had given him.

"Who are you?What do you want with me?"cried Mademoiselle de Guerchi,struggling to free herself.

"Silence!"was Quennebert's answer.

"Don't kill me,for pity's sake!"

"Who wants to kill you?But be silent;I don't want your shrieks to call people here.I must be alone with you for a few moments.Once more I tell you to be quiet,unless you want me to use violence.If you do what I tell you,no harm shall happen to you.""But who are you,monsieur?"

"I am neither a burglar nor a murderer;that's all you need to know;the rest is no concern of yours.Have you writing materials at hand?""Yes,monsieur;there they are,on that table.""Very well.Now sit down at the table."

"Why?"

"Sit down,and answer my questions."

"The first man who visited you this evening was M.Jeannin,was he not?""Yes,M.Jeannin de Castille."

"The king's treasurer?"

"Yes."

"All right.The second was Commander de Jars,and the young man he brought with him was his nephew,the Chevalier de Moranges.The last comer was a duke;am I not right?""The Duc de Vitry."

"Now write from my dictation."

He spoke very slowly,and Mademoiselle de Guerchi,obeying his commands,took up her pen.

"'To-day,'"dictated Quennebert,--"'to-day,this twentieth day of the month of November,in the year of the Lord 1658,I--"What is your full name?"

"Angelique-Louise de Guerchi."

"Go on!'I,Angelique-Louise de Guerchi,was visited,in the rooms which--I occupy,in the mansion of the Duchesse d'Etampes,corner of the streets Git-le-Coeur and du Hurepoix,about half-past seven o'clock in the evening,in the first place,by Messire Jeannin de Castille,King's Treasurer;in the second place,by Commander de Jars,who was accompanied by a young man,his nephew,the Chevalier de Moranges ;in the third place,after the departure of Commander de Jars,and while I was alone with the Chevalier de Moranges,by the Duc de Vitry,who drew his sword upon the said chevalier and forced him to take flight.'

"Now put in a line by itself,and use capitals "'DEION OF THE CHEVALIER DE MORANGES.""But I only saw him for an instant,"said Angelique,"and I can't recall----"Write,and don't talk.I can recall everything,and that is all that is wanted.""'Height about five feet.'The chevalier,"said Quennebert,interrupting himself,"is four feet eleven inches three lines and a half,but I don't need absolute exactness."Angelique gazed at him in utter stupefaction.

"Do you know him,then?"she asked.

"I saw him this evening for the first time,but my eye is very accurate.

"'Height about five feet;hair black,eyes ditto,nose aquiline,mouth large,lips compressed,forehead high,face oval,complexion pale,no beard.'

"Now another line,and in capitals 'SPECIAL MARKS.'

"'A small mole on the neck behind the right ear,a smaller mole on the left hand.'

"Have you written that?Now sign it with your full name.""What use are you going to make of this paper?""I should have told you before,if I had desired you to know.Any questions are quite useless.I don't enjoin secrecy on you,however,"added the notary,as he folded the paper and put it into his doublet pocket."You are quite free to tell anyone you like that you have written the deion of the Chevalier de Moranges at the dictation of an unknown man,who got into your room you don't know how,by the chimney or through the ceiling perhaps,but who was determined to leave it by a more convenient road.Is there not a secret staircase?Show me where it is.I don't want to meet anyone on my way out."Angelique pointed out a door to him hidden by a damask curtain,and Quennebert saluting her,opened it and disappeared,leaving Angelique convinced that she had seen the devil in person.Not until the next day did the sight of the displaced partition explain the apparition,but even then so great was her fright,so deep was the terror which the recollection of the mysterious man inspired,that despite the permission to tell what had happened she mentioned her adventure to no one,and did not even complain to her neighbour,Madame Rapally,of the inquisitiveness which had led the widow to spy on her actions.