Chapter 18

CONTRARY to custom, the duel was very little talked about; even the papers were silent on the subject.

A few intimate friends followed the body to P�re la Chaise. Chateau Renaud refused to quit Paris, although pressed to do so.

At one time I thought of following Louis� letter to Corsica with one from myself, but although my intentions were good, the misleading statements I should have to make were so repugnant to me that I did not do so. Besides, I was quite convinced that Louis himself had fully weighed before he had decided upon his course of action.

So at the risk of being thought indifferent, or even ungrateful, I kept silence, and I was sure that the Baron Giordano had done as much.

Five days after the duel, at about eleven o�clock in the evening, I was seated by my table in a rather melancholy frame of mind, when my servant entered and shutting the door quickly behind him said, in an agitated whisper, that M. de Franchi desired to speak with me.

I looked at him steadily; he was quite pale.

�Whom did you say, Victor?� I asked.

�Oh, monsieur, in truth I hardly know myself.�

�What M. de Franchi wishes to speak to me?�

�Monsieur�s friend. The gentleman who was here two or three times.�

�You are mad, my good man. Do you not know that I had the misfortune to lose my friend five days ago?�

�Yes, sir; and that is the reason I am so upset. He rang, I was in the ante-chamber, and opened the door, but recoiled at his appearance. However, he entered, and asked if you were at home. I replied that you were, and then he said, �Go and announce M. de Franchi, who wishes to speak with your master,� and so I came.�

�You are stupid, Victor, the ante-chamber is not properly lighted. You were asleep, no doubt, and did not hear correctly. Go, and ask the gentleman his name.�

�It would be useless, sir. I swear to you I am not deceived. I heard him, and saw him, distinctly.�

�Then go and show him in.�

Victor turned tremblingly to the door, opened it, and then standing still in the room, said�

�Will monsieur be kind enough to come in?�

I immediately heard the footsteps of my visitor crossing the ante-chamber, and sure enough, at the door there appeared M. de Franchi.

I confess that I was terrified, and took a step backwards as he approached.

�I trust you will excuse my appearance so late,� said my visitor; �I only arrived ten minutes ago, and you will understand that I could not wait till tomorrow without seeing you.�

�Oh, my dear Lucien,� I exclaimed, advancing quickly, and embracing him. �Then it is really you.� And, in spite of myself, tears really came into my eyes.

�Yes,� he said, �it is I.�

I made a calculation of the time that had elapsed, and could scarcely imagine that he had received the letter�it could hardly have reached Ajaccio yet.

�Good Heavens! then you do not know what has happened?� I exclaimed.

�I know all,� was his reply.

�Victor,� I said, turning towards my servant, who was still rather embarrassed, �leave us, and return in a quarter of an hour with some supper. You will have something to eat, and will sleep here of course.�

�With great pleasure,� he replied. �I have eaten nothing since we left Auxerre. Then, as to lodgings, as nobody knew me in the Rue de Helder, or rather,� he added, with a sad smile, �as everybody recognized me there, they declined to let me in, so I left the whole house in a state of alarm.�

�In fact, my dear Lucien, your resemblance to Louis is so very striking that even I myself was just now taken aback.�

�How,� exclaimed Victor, who had not yet ventured to leave us. �Is monsieur the brother���

�Yes,� I replied, �go and get supper.�

Victor went out, and we found ourselves alone.

I took Lucien by the hand, and leading him to an easy chair seated myself near him.

�I suppose (I began) you were on your way to Paris when the fatal news met you?�

�No, I was at Sullacaro!�

�Impossible! Why your brother�s letter could not have reached you.�

�You forget the ballad of Burger, my dear Alexander�the dead travel fast!�

I shuddered! �I do not understand,� I said.

�Have you forgotten what I told you about the apparitions familiar to our family?�

�Do you mean to say that you have seen your dead brother?���Yes.���When?�

�On the night of the 16th inst.�

�And he told you everything?���All!�

�That he was dead?�

�He told me that he had been killed. The dead never lie!�

�And he said in what way?�

�In a duel.�

�By whom?�

�By M. de Chateau Renaud.�

�Oh no, Lucien, that cannot be,� I exclaimed, �you have obtained your information in some other way.�

�Do you think I am likely to joke at such a time?�

�I beg your pardon. But truly what you tell me is so strange, and everything that relates to you and your brother so out of ordinary nature, that���

�That you hesitate to believe it. Well, I can understand the feeling. But wait. My brother was hit here,� he continued, as he opened his shirt and showed me the blue mark of the bullet on his flesh, �he was wounded above the sixth rib on the right side�do you believe that?�

�As a matter of fact,� I replied, �that is the very spot where he was hit.�

�And the bullet went out here,� continued Lucien, putting his finger just above his left hip.

�It is miraculous,� I exclaimed.

�And now,� he went on, �do you wish me to tell you the time he died?�

�Tell me!�

�At ten minutes past nine.�

�That will do, Lucien;� I said, �but I lose myself in questions. Give me a connected narrative of the events. I should prefer it.�