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"We have no one to give us a signal," said Miraudin lightly, "But there is a cloud on the moon. When it passes, shall we fire?" The Marquis bowed assent. For a moment the moon-rays were obscured, and a faint sigh from the wind stirred the long dry grass. A bat flew by, scurrying towards the Catacombs of Alexander, a shadow lay upon the land.
There I found everything in confusion; Miraudin and a soubrette named Jeanne Richaud, had left Rome the previous evening so the box-keeper said, and there was no news of either of them beyond a note from the girl saying she had returned alone to Paris by the first morning train.
Thinking over these things his handsome face grew flushed and anon pale again, as from time to time he stole a vexed side glance at the easy Miraudin, so like him in features and unfortunately so equally like him in morals!
We might almost be brothers by our looks and also I believe by our temperaments!" Fontenelle's hazel eyes flashed angrily. "I think not!" he said coldly, "A certain resemblance between totally unrelated persons is quite common. For the rest, we are absolutely different absolutely!" Again Miraudin laughed. "As you will, Marquis!" and he raised his hat with a light, half- mocking air, "Au revoir!"
Side by side they lay, strangely alike in death, men to whom the possibilities of noble living had been abundantly given, and who had wasted all their substance on vanity. For Victor Miraudin, despite his genius and the brilliancy of his art, was not likely to be longer remembered or mourned than the Marquis Fontenelle.
"Yes, I spoke to you, Marquis!" he replied, "I said that the public confession of our dear priest Vergniaud was a veritable drame!" "An unfortunate scandal in the Church!" said Fontenelle curtly. "Yes!" went on the unabashed Miraudin, "If it were on the stage it would be taken as a matter of course. An actor's follies help to populate the world.
And so dismissing all fears from his mind he took Fontenelle's letters in his charge, and went straight out of the hotel singing gaily, charmed with the exciting thought of the midnight chase which was going on, and the possible drubbing and discomfiture of the "celebrated" Miraudin.
Leigh You DO know, you MUST know that a coarse discussion over her name was the cause of the duel between the Marquis Fontenelle and that miserable vaurien of the stage, Miraudin, gossip generously lays the two deaths at her door and the poor child is as innocent of harm as the lilies we have just seen left to die in the darkness of St. Cecilia's tomb.
He did unworthy things, which I could not, with all my admiration for him, gloze over or excuse; in fact, I found that in his private life and code of honour he was very little better than Miraudin, and Miraudin, as you know, one CANNOT receive!" "He is in Rome also," said Madame Bozier, "I saw his name placarded in the streets only yesterday, and also outside one of the leading theatres.
In Paris, in Rome, in Vienna, in Buda-Pesth always a conqueror of ignorant women who saw him in his beautiful 'make-up'! Yes, he was perfectly delightful, this big Miraudin, till he became his own manager and his own leading actor as well! Helas! What it is to be a manager! Do you know?
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