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Updated: May 5, 2025
The door was at once opened, and the Duchesse de Sairmeuse hastily alighted. Without stopping to look to the right or to the left, she hurried across the open space. A man, by no means prepossessing in appearance, with a long beard, and with a pipe in his mouth, and clad in a workman's blouse, was seated upon a large block of stone not far off. "Will you hold my horse a moment?" inquired Martial.
Evidently he had received a terrible blow; and undoubtedly, as often happens under such circumstances, the unfortunate man was reviewing all the different phases of his life. At twenty Lacheneur was only a poor ploughboy in the service of the Sairmeuse family. His ambition was modest then. When stretched beneath a tree at the hour of noonday rest, his dreams were as simple as those of an infant.
"article II. Whoever shall deliver the body of the elder Lacheneur, dead or alive, will receive a reward of twenty thousand francs." This was signed Duc de Sairmeuse. "God be praised!" exclaimed Maurice, "Marie-Anne's father has escaped! He had a good horse, and in two hours " A glance and a nudge of the elbow from the abbe checked him. The abbe drew his attention to the man standing near them.
Martial had returned; and they had taken up their abode at the Hotel de Sairmeuse. The young duchess was now compelled to live under the scrutiny of fifty servants of fifty enemies, more or less, interested in watching her, in criticising her every act, and in discovering her inmost thoughts. Aunt Medea, it is true, was of great assistance to her.
From that moment his popularity waned. The patriots who had applauded the ploughboy, cursed the capitalist. He discreetly left them to recover from their rage as best they could, and returned to Sairmeuse. There everyone bowed low before Citoyen Lacheneur. Unlike most people, he did not forget his past hopes at the moment when they might be realized.
It was not from anything like cowardice on the part of the Marquis de Sairmeuse that he decided to fire upon an unarmed foe; but the affront which he had received was so deadly and so ignoble in his opinion, that he would have shot Maurice like a dog, rather than feel the weight of his finger upon him again.
Blanche decided to break the silence. "What do you wish?" she demanded. With many circumlocutions Chupin explained that he had been obliged to leave Sairmeuse on account of the numerous enemies he had there, that he had been unable to find his father's hidden treasure, and that he was consequently without resources. "Enough!" interrupted Mme. Blanche.
M. de Courtornieu, by his avariciousness, had made even more enemies than the Duc de Sairmeuse; and all the peasants who thought they had more or less reason to complain of his extortions were delighted at this opportunity to frighten him. For, that they were not thinking of vengeance, is conclusively proved by the sequel.
With a furious gesture she tore her bridal veil and the wreath of orange flowers from her head, and trampled them under foot. A servant was passing through the hall; she stopped him. "Extinguish the lights everywhere!" she ordered, with an angry stamp of her foot as if she had been in her own father's house, and not at Sairmeuse.
All that she said, and all her answers to questions must tend to prove that Baron d'Escorval was concealed near Turin. The plan was carried out in every particular; and the next day, about eight o'clock, the people of Sairmeuse were greatly astonished to see Marie-Anne alight from the diligence. "Monsieur Lacheneur's daughter has returned!"
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