A Woman of Thirty [86]
Chill and narrow social conventions faded away before this picture. All these things the old soldier felt, and saw no less how impossible it was that his daughter should give up so wide a life, a life so variously rich, filled to the full with such passionate love. And Helene had tasted danger without shrinking; how could she return to the pretty stage, the superficial circumscribed life of society?
It was the captain who broke the silence at last.
"Am I in the way?" he asked, looking at his wife.
"No," said the General, answering for her. "Helene has told me all. I see that she is lost to us--"
"No," the captain put in quickly; "in a few years' time the statute of limitations will allow me to go back to France. When the conscience is clear, and a man has broken the law in obedience to----" he stopped short, as if scorning to justify himself.
"How can you commit new murders, such as I have seen with my own eyes, without remorse?"
"We had no provisions," the privateer captain retorted calmly.
"But if you had set the men ashore--"
"They would have given the alarm and sent a man-of-war after us, and we should never have seen Chili again."
"Before France would have given warning to the Spanish admiralty--" began the General.
"But France might take it amiss that a man, with a warrant still out against him, should seize a brig chartered by Bordeaux merchants. And for that matter, have you never fired a shot or so too many in battle?"
The General shrank under the other's eyes. He said no more, and his daughter looked at him half sadly, half triumphant.
"General," the privateer continued, in a deep voice, "I have made it a rule to abstract nothing from booty. But even so, my share will be beyond a doubt far larger than your fortune. Permit me to return it to you in another form--"
He drew a pile of banknotes from the piano, and without counting the packets handed a million of francs to the Marquis.
"You can understand," he said, "that I cannot spend my time in watching vessels pass by to Bordeaux. So unless the dangers of this Bohemian life of ours have some attraction for you, unless you care to see South America and the nights of the tropics, and a bit of fighting now and again for the pleasure of helping to win a triumph for a young nation, or for the name of Simon Bolivar, we must part. The long boat manned with a trustworthy crew is ready for you. And now let us hope that our third meeting will be completely happy."
"Victor," said Helene in a dissatisfied tone, "I should like to see a little more of my father."
"Ten minutes more or less may bring up a French frigate. However, so be it, we shall have a little fun. The men find things dull."
"Oh, father, go!" cried Helene, "and take these keepsakes from me to my sister and brothers and--mother," she added. She caught up a handful of jewels and precious stones, folded them in an Indian shawl, and timidly held it out.
"But what shall I say to them from you?" asked he. Her hesitation on the word "mother" seemed to have struck him.
"Oh! can you doubt me? I pray for their happiness every day."
"Helene," he began, as he watched her closely, "how if we should not meet again? Shall I never know why you left us?"
"That secret is not mine," she answered gravely. "Even if I had the right to tell it, perhaps I should not. For ten years I was more miserable than words can say--"
She broke off, and gave her father the presents for her family. The General had acquired tolerably easy views as to booty in the course of a soldier's career, so he took Helene's gifts and comforted himself with the reflection that the Parisian captain was sure to wage war against the Spaniards as an honorable man, under the influence of Helene's pure and high-minded nature. His passion for courage carried all before it. It was ridiculous, he thought, to be squeamish in the matter; so he shook hands cordially with his captor, and kissed Helene, his only daughter, with a soldier's expansiveness; letting fall a tear on the face with the proud, strong
It was the captain who broke the silence at last.
"Am I in the way?" he asked, looking at his wife.
"No," said the General, answering for her. "Helene has told me all. I see that she is lost to us--"
"No," the captain put in quickly; "in a few years' time the statute of limitations will allow me to go back to France. When the conscience is clear, and a man has broken the law in obedience to----" he stopped short, as if scorning to justify himself.
"How can you commit new murders, such as I have seen with my own eyes, without remorse?"
"We had no provisions," the privateer captain retorted calmly.
"But if you had set the men ashore--"
"They would have given the alarm and sent a man-of-war after us, and we should never have seen Chili again."
"Before France would have given warning to the Spanish admiralty--" began the General.
"But France might take it amiss that a man, with a warrant still out against him, should seize a brig chartered by Bordeaux merchants. And for that matter, have you never fired a shot or so too many in battle?"
The General shrank under the other's eyes. He said no more, and his daughter looked at him half sadly, half triumphant.
"General," the privateer continued, in a deep voice, "I have made it a rule to abstract nothing from booty. But even so, my share will be beyond a doubt far larger than your fortune. Permit me to return it to you in another form--"
He drew a pile of banknotes from the piano, and without counting the packets handed a million of francs to the Marquis.
"You can understand," he said, "that I cannot spend my time in watching vessels pass by to Bordeaux. So unless the dangers of this Bohemian life of ours have some attraction for you, unless you care to see South America and the nights of the tropics, and a bit of fighting now and again for the pleasure of helping to win a triumph for a young nation, or for the name of Simon Bolivar, we must part. The long boat manned with a trustworthy crew is ready for you. And now let us hope that our third meeting will be completely happy."
"Victor," said Helene in a dissatisfied tone, "I should like to see a little more of my father."
"Ten minutes more or less may bring up a French frigate. However, so be it, we shall have a little fun. The men find things dull."
"Oh, father, go!" cried Helene, "and take these keepsakes from me to my sister and brothers and--mother," she added. She caught up a handful of jewels and precious stones, folded them in an Indian shawl, and timidly held it out.
"But what shall I say to them from you?" asked he. Her hesitation on the word "mother" seemed to have struck him.
"Oh! can you doubt me? I pray for their happiness every day."
"Helene," he began, as he watched her closely, "how if we should not meet again? Shall I never know why you left us?"
"That secret is not mine," she answered gravely. "Even if I had the right to tell it, perhaps I should not. For ten years I was more miserable than words can say--"
She broke off, and gave her father the presents for her family. The General had acquired tolerably easy views as to booty in the course of a soldier's career, so he took Helene's gifts and comforted himself with the reflection that the Parisian captain was sure to wage war against the Spaniards as an honorable man, under the influence of Helene's pure and high-minded nature. His passion for courage carried all before it. It was ridiculous, he thought, to be squeamish in the matter; so he shook hands cordially with his captor, and kissed Helene, his only daughter, with a soldier's expansiveness; letting fall a tear on the face with the proud, strong