a younger, more vivacious, and more brilliant royalty rose
up before him, like a new and more painful provocation.
Madame perfectly understood the sufferings of that timid,
gloomy heart; she rose from the table, Monsieur imitated her
mechanically, and all the domestics, with a buzzing like
that of several bee-hives, surrounded Raoul for the purpose
of questioning him.
Madame saw this movement, and called M. de Saint Remy. “This
is not the time for gossiping, but working,” said she, with
the tone of an angry housekeeper.
M. de Saint-Remy hastened to break the circle formed by the
officers round Raoul, so that the latter was able to gain
the ante-chamber.
“Care will be taken of that gentleman, I hope,” added
Madame, addressing M. de Saint-Remy.
The worthy man immediately hastened after Raoul. “Madame
desires refreshments to be offered to you,” said he; “and
there is, besides, a lodging for you in the castle.”
Page 17
Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later
“Thanks, M. de Saint-Remy,” replied Raoul; “but you know how
anxious I must be to pay my duty to M. le Comte, my father.”
“That is true, that is true, Monsieur Raoul; present him, at
the same time, my humble respects, if you please.”
Raoul thus once more got rid of the old gentleman, and
pursued his way. As he was passing under the porch, leading
his horse by the bridle, a soft voice called him from the
depths of an obscure path.
“Monsieur Raoul!” said the voice.
The young man turned round, surprised, and saw a dark
complexioned girl, who, with a finger on her lip, held out
her other hand to him. This young lady was an utter
stranger.
CHAPTER 3
The Interview.
Raoul made one step towards the girl who thus called him.
“But my horse, madame?” said he.
“Oh! you are terribly embarrassed! Go yonder way — there is
a shed in the outer court: fasten your horse, and return
quickly!”
“I obey, madame.”
Raoul was not four minutes in performing what he had been
directed to do; he returned to the little door, where, in
the gloom, he found his mysterious conductress waiting for
him, on the first steps of a winding staircase.
“Are you brave enough to follow me, monsieur knight errant?”
asked the girl, laughing at the momentary hesitation Raoul
had manifested.
The latter replied by springing up the dark staircase after
her. They thus climbed up three stories, he behind her,
touching with his hands, when he felt for the banister, a
silk dress which rubbed against each side of the staircase.
At every false step made by Raoul, his conductress cried,
“Hush!” and held out to him a soft and perfumed hand.
“One would mount thus to the belfry of the castle without
being conscious of fatigue,” said Raoul.
“All of which means, monsieur, that you are very much
perplexed, very tired, and very uneasy. But be of good
cheer, monsieur; here we are, at our destination.”
The girl threw open a door, which immediately, without any
transition, filled with a flood of light the landing of the
staircase, at the top of which Raoul appeared, holding fast
by the balustrade.
Page 18
Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later
The girl continued to walk on — he followed her; she
entered a chamber — he did the same.
As soon as he was fairly in the net he heard a loud cry,
and, turning round, saw at two paces from him, with her
hands clasped and her eyes closed, that beautiful fair girl
with blue eyes and white shoulders, who, recognizing him,
called him Raoul.
He saw her, and divined at once so much love and so much joy
in the expression of her countenance, that he sank on his
knees in the middle of the chamber, murmuring, on his part,
the name of Louise.
“Ah! Montalais — Montalais!” she sighed, “it is very wicked
to deceive me so.”
“Who, I? I have deceived you?”
“Yes; you told me you would go down to inquire the news, and
you have brought up monsieur!”
“Well, I was obliged to do so — how else could he have
received the letter you wrote him?” And she pointed with her
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