Scenes from a Courtesan's Life [195]
send one of your men to tell my servants in the Cour de Harlay to come round to the gate. Mine is the only carriage there."
"We can save him yet," said the Countess, walking on with a degree of strength and spirit that surprised her friends. "There are ways of restoring life----"
And she dragged the gentlemen along, crying to the warder:
"Come on, come faster--one second may cost three lives!"
When the cell door was opened, and the Countess saw Lucien hanging as though his clothes had been hung on a peg, she made a spring towards him as if to embrace him and cling to him; but she fell on her face on the floor with smothered shrieks and a sort of rattle in her throat.
Five minutes later she was being taken home stretched on the seat in the Count's carriage, her husband kneeling by her side. Monsieur de Bauvan went off to fetch a doctor to give her the care she needed.
The Governor of the Conciergerie meanwhile was examining the outer gate, and saying to his clerk:
"No expense was spared; the bars are of wrought iron, they were properly tested, and cost a large sum; and yet there was a flaw in that bar."
Monsieur de Granville on returning to his room had other instructions to give to his private secretary. Massol, happily had not yet arrived.
Soon after Monsieur de Granville had left, anxious to go to see Monsieur de Serizy, Massol came and found his ally Chargeboeuf in the public prosecutor's Court.
"My dear fellow," said the young secretary, "if you will do me a great favor, you will put what I dictate to you in your Gazette to-morrow under the heading of Law Reports; you can compose the heading. Write now."
And he dictated as follows:--
"It has been ascertained that the Demoiselle Esther Gobseck killed herself of her own free will.
"Monsieur Lucien de Rubempre satisfactorily proved an alibi, and his innocence leaves his arrest to be regretted, all the more because just as the examining judge had given the order for his release the young gentleman died suddenly."
"I need not point out to you," said the young lawyer to Massol, "how necessary it is to preserve absolute silence as to the little service requested of you."
"Since it is you who do me the honor of so much confidence," replied Massol, "allow me to make one observation. This paragraph will give rise to odious comments on the course of justice----"
"Justice is strong enough to bear them," said the young attache to the Courts, with the pride of a coming magistrate trained by Monsieur de Granville.
"Allow me, my dear sir; with two sentences this difficulty may be avoided."
And the journalist-lawyer wrote as follows:--
"The forms of the law have nothing to do with this sad event. The post-mortem examination, which was at once made, proved that sudden death was due to the rupture of an aneurism in its last stage. If Monsieur Lucien de Rubempre had been upset by his arrest, death must have ensued sooner. But we are in a position to state that, far from being distressed at being taken into custody, the young man, whom all must lament, only laughed at it, and told those who escorted him from Fontainebleau to Paris that as soon as he was brought before a magistrate his innocence would be acknowledged."
"That saves it, I think?" said Massol.
"You are perfectly right."
"The public prosecutor will thank you for it to-morrow," said Massol slyly.
Now to the great majority, as to the more choice reader, it will perhaps seem that this Study is not completed by the death of Esther and of Lucien; Jacques Collin and Asie, Europe and Paccard, in spite of their villainous lives, may have been interesting enough to make their fate a matter of curiosity.
The last act of the drama will also complete the picture of life which this Study is intended to present, and give the issue of various interests which Lucien's career had strangely tangled by bringing some ignoble personages from the hulks into contact with those of the highest rank.
Thus, as may be seen, the greatest events of life
"We can save him yet," said the Countess, walking on with a degree of strength and spirit that surprised her friends. "There are ways of restoring life----"
And she dragged the gentlemen along, crying to the warder:
"Come on, come faster--one second may cost three lives!"
When the cell door was opened, and the Countess saw Lucien hanging as though his clothes had been hung on a peg, she made a spring towards him as if to embrace him and cling to him; but she fell on her face on the floor with smothered shrieks and a sort of rattle in her throat.
Five minutes later she was being taken home stretched on the seat in the Count's carriage, her husband kneeling by her side. Monsieur de Bauvan went off to fetch a doctor to give her the care she needed.
The Governor of the Conciergerie meanwhile was examining the outer gate, and saying to his clerk:
"No expense was spared; the bars are of wrought iron, they were properly tested, and cost a large sum; and yet there was a flaw in that bar."
Monsieur de Granville on returning to his room had other instructions to give to his private secretary. Massol, happily had not yet arrived.
Soon after Monsieur de Granville had left, anxious to go to see Monsieur de Serizy, Massol came and found his ally Chargeboeuf in the public prosecutor's Court.
"My dear fellow," said the young secretary, "if you will do me a great favor, you will put what I dictate to you in your Gazette to-morrow under the heading of Law Reports; you can compose the heading. Write now."
And he dictated as follows:--
"It has been ascertained that the Demoiselle Esther Gobseck killed herself of her own free will.
"Monsieur Lucien de Rubempre satisfactorily proved an alibi, and his innocence leaves his arrest to be regretted, all the more because just as the examining judge had given the order for his release the young gentleman died suddenly."
"I need not point out to you," said the young lawyer to Massol, "how necessary it is to preserve absolute silence as to the little service requested of you."
"Since it is you who do me the honor of so much confidence," replied Massol, "allow me to make one observation. This paragraph will give rise to odious comments on the course of justice----"
"Justice is strong enough to bear them," said the young attache to the Courts, with the pride of a coming magistrate trained by Monsieur de Granville.
"Allow me, my dear sir; with two sentences this difficulty may be avoided."
And the journalist-lawyer wrote as follows:--
"The forms of the law have nothing to do with this sad event. The post-mortem examination, which was at once made, proved that sudden death was due to the rupture of an aneurism in its last stage. If Monsieur Lucien de Rubempre had been upset by his arrest, death must have ensued sooner. But we are in a position to state that, far from being distressed at being taken into custody, the young man, whom all must lament, only laughed at it, and told those who escorted him from Fontainebleau to Paris that as soon as he was brought before a magistrate his innocence would be acknowledged."
"That saves it, I think?" said Massol.
"You are perfectly right."
"The public prosecutor will thank you for it to-morrow," said Massol slyly.
Now to the great majority, as to the more choice reader, it will perhaps seem that this Study is not completed by the death of Esther and of Lucien; Jacques Collin and Asie, Europe and Paccard, in spite of their villainous lives, may have been interesting enough to make their fate a matter of curiosity.
The last act of the drama will also complete the picture of life which this Study is intended to present, and give the issue of various interests which Lucien's career had strangely tangled by bringing some ignoble personages from the hulks into contact with those of the highest rank.
Thus, as may be seen, the greatest events of life