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At this Mimi fastened her large eyes upon Claude with intense interest. "How strangely you talk!" said she. "I'll tell you a secret," said Claude, after a pause. "What?" she asked. "You will never tell it to any one? It's very important." "I tell it?" repeated Mimi; "I! Never. Of course not. So, now, what is the secret?" "Well, it's this: my name is not Motier."
That of Motier, looking upon the lake and sheltered by a hill which commands a view over the whole chain of the Bernese Alps, was especially so.
The people have grown tired of him, too. I am honest, and fear no man, and I say that Motier has long been at the crossroads. He is, or was, an honest man, I hardly know which he is now, and even honest men must suffer for the cause. You say you are his friend, whisper that warning in his ear, if you see him; say you had it from Jacques Sabatier, he will have heard of me."
His excellency will not object to my telling you, I am sure, for he is the soul of goodness, and is full of generous impulses. Very well, then. In the first place you call yourself Claude Motier. Now, this is said to be an assumed name.
"I'll tell you the whole story. There isn't much of it. I always believed myself to be the son of Jean Motier, until a short time ago. We lived near Boston, a place that you, perhaps, have heard of. He was always careful to give me the best education that could be had in a colony, and particularly in all the accomplishments of a gentleman.
The Indian said not a word, but handed Zac a letter. Zac opened it, and read the following: "Claude Motier is free. Indians hafe safed him, and guide him to Louisbourg on the trail of Cazeneau. He wishes that you go to Canso, where you will be useful. He hope to safe Comtesse de Laborde, and want you to help to safe she.
"Besides," continued Cazeneau, "a duel can only take place between two equals; and this Motier is one of the canaille, one not worthy of my sword." "Yet, monsieur," said the priest, "when you arrested him first, it was not as one of the canaille, but as the son of the outlawed Count de Montresor." "True," said Cazeneau; "but I have reason to believe that he is merely some impostor.
"Well," said Mimi, "I'm sure I'm very glad that it isn't; and it seemed strange when you told me first, for Motier is a plebeian name; and you certainly are no plebeian." "I am not a plebeian," said Claude, proudly. "You are right. My name is one of the noblest in France. I wonder if you can tell me what I want to know!" "I! Why, how can I?" said Mimi.
Pons Motier de la Fayette fought at Acre; Jean Motier de la Fayette fell at Poitiers. There were marshals who bore the banner in many a combat of olden times when the life of the country was at stake. It was a Lafayette who won the battle at Beaugé in 1421, when the English Duke of Clarence was defeated and his country was compelled to resign hope of a complete conquest of France.
You must know that when the Count de Montresor and his countess fled, they took with them a servant who had been their steward. This man's name was Motier. Now, both the count and countess died shortly after their arrival in America. The countess died first, somewhere in Canada, and then the count seemed to lose his reason; for he went off into the wilderness, and has never been heard of since.
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