In one of these alleys, there lived at that time a man named Jean Monette, who was tolerably well stricken in years, but still a hearty5 man. He was a widower6, and, with an only daughter, occupied a floor, au quatrième, in one of the courts; people said he had been in business and grown rich, but that he had not the heart to spend his money, which year after year accumulated, and would make a splendid fortune for his daughter at his death. With this advantage, Emma, who was really a handsome girl, did not want for suitors, and thought that, being an heiress, she might wait till she really felt a reciprocal passion for some one, and not throw herself away upon the first tolerable match that presented itself. It was on a Sunday, the first in the month of June, that Emma had, as an especial treat, obtained sufficient money from her father for an excursion with some friends to see the fountains of Versailles.
It was a beautiful day, and the basin was thronged7 around with thousands and thousands of persons, looking, from the variety of their dresses, more like the colors of a splendid rainbow than aught besides; and when, at four o’clock, Triton and his satellites threw up their immense volumes of water, all was wonder, astonishment8, and delight; but none were more delighted than Emma, to whom the scene was quite new.
And, then, it was so pleasant to have found a gentleman who could explain everything and everybody; point out the duke of this, and the count that, and the other lions of Paris; besides, such an agreeable and well-dressed man; it was really quite condescending9 in him to notice them! And then, toward evening, he would insist they should all go home together in a fiacre, and that he alone should pay all the expenses, and when, with a gentle pressure of the hand and a low whisper, he begged her to say where he might come and throw himself at her feet, she thought her feelings were different to what they had ever been before. But how could she give her address—tell so dashing a man that she lived in such a place? No, she could not do that, but she would meet him at the Jardin d’Eté next Sunday evening, and dance with no one else all night.
She met him on the Sunday, and again and again, until her father began to suspect, from her frequent absence of an evening—which was formerly10 an unusual circumstance with her—that something must be wrong. The old man loved his money, but he loved his daughter more. She was the only link in life that kept together the chain of his affections. He had been passionately11 fond of his wife, and when she died, Emma had filled up the void in his heart. They were all, save his money, that he had ever loved. The world had cried out against him as a hard-hearted, rapacious12 man, and he, in return, despised the world.
He was, therefore, much grieved at her conduct, and questioned Emma as to where her frequent visits led her, but could only obtain for answer that she was not aware she had been absent so much as to give him uneasiness. This was unsatisfactory, and so confirmed the old man in his suspicions that he determined13 to have his daughter watched.
This he effected through the means of an ancien ami, then in the profession of what he called an “inspector14,” though his enemies (and all men have such) called him a mouchard, or spy. However, by whatever name he called himself, or others called him, he understood his business, and so effectually watched the young lady that he discovered her frequent absences to be for the purpose of meeting a man who, after walking some distance with her, managed, despite the inspector’s boasted abilities, to give him the slip.
This naturally puzzled him, and so it would any man in his situation. Fancy the feelings of one of the government’s employees in the argus line of business, a man renowned15 for his success in almost all the arduous16 and intricate affairs that had been committed to his care, to find himself baffled in a paltry17 private intrigue18, and one which he had merely undertaken for the sake of friendship!
For a second time, he tried the plan of fancying himself to be well paid, thinking this would stimulate19 his dormant20 energies, knowing well that a thing done for friendship’s sake is always badly done; but even here he failed. He watched them to a certain corner, but, before he could get around it, they were nowhere to be seen. This was not to be borne. It was setting him at defiance21. Should he call in the assistance of a brother in the line? No, that would be to acknowledge himself beaten, and the disgrace he could not bear—his honor was concerned, and he would achieve it single handed; but, then, it was very perplexing.
The man, to his experienced eye, seemed not, as he had done to Emma, a dashing gentleman, but more like a foul22 bird in fine feathers. Something must be wrong, and he must find it out—but, then, again came that confounded question, how?
He would go and consult old Monette—he could, perhaps, suggest something; and, musing23 on the strangeness of the adventure, he walked slowly toward the house of the old man to hold a council with him on the situation.
On the road, his attention was attracted by a disturbance in the street, and mingling24 with the crowd, in hope of seizing some of his enemies exercising their illegal functions on whom the whole weight of his official vengeance25 might fall, he for the time forgot his adventure. The crowd had been drawn26 together by a difference of opinion between two gentlemen of the vehicular profession, respecting some right of way, and, after all the usual expressions of esteem27 common on such occasions had been exhausted28, one of them drove off, leaving the other at least master of the field, if he had not got the expected job.
The crowd began to disperse29, and with them also was going our friend, the detective, when, on turning round, he came in contact with Mlle. Monette, leaning on the arm of her mysterious lover. The light from a lamp above his head shone immediately on the face of Emma and her admirer, showing them both as clear as noonday, so that when his glance turned from the lady to the gentleman, and he obtained a full view of his face, he expressed his joy at the discovery by a loud “Whew!” which, though a short sound and soon pronounced, meant a great deal.
For first, it meant that he had made a great discovery; secondly30, that he was not now astonished because he had not succeeded before in his watchfulness31; thirdly—but perhaps the two mentioned may be sufficient; for, turning sharply round, he made the greatest haste to reach Monette and inform him, this time, of the result of his espionage32.
After a long prelude33, stating how fortunate Monette was to have such a friend as himself, a man who knew everybody and everything, he proceeded to inform him of the pleasing intelligence that his daughter was in the habit of meeting, and going to some place (he forgot to say where) with the most desperate and abandoned character in Paris—one who was so extremely dexterous34 in all his schemes that the police, though perfectly35 aware of his intentions, had not been able to fix upon him the commission of any one of his criminal acts, for he changed his appearance so often as to set at naught36 all the assiduous exertions37 of the Corps38 des Espions.
The unhappy father received from his friend at parting the assurance that they would catch him yet, and give him an invitation to pass the rest of his days in the seclusion39 of a prison.
On Emma’s return, he told her the information he had received, wisely withholding40 the means from which his knowledge came, saying that he knew she had that moment parted from a man who would lead her to the brink41 of destruction, and then cast her off like a child’s broken play-thing. He begged, nay42, he besought43 her, with tears in his eyes, to promise she would never again see him. Emma was thunderstruck, not only at the accuracy of her father’s information, but at hearing such a character of one whom she had painted as perfection’s self; and, calling to her aid those never-failing woman’s arguments, a copious44 flood of tears, fell on her father’s neck and promised never again to see her admirer and, if possible, to banish45 all thoughts of him from her mind.
“My child,” said the old man, “I believe you from my heart—I believe you. I love you, but the world says I am rich—why, I know not. You know I live in a dangerous neighborhood, and all my care will be necessary to prevent my losing either my child or my reputed wealth; therefore, to avoid all accidents, I will take care you do not leave this house for the next six months to come, and in that time your lover will have forgotten you, or what will amount to the same thing, you will have forgotten him; but I am much mistaken if the man’s intentions are not to rob me of my money, rather than my child.”
The old man kept his word, and Emma was not allowed for several days to leave the rooms on the fourth floor.
She tried, during the time, if it were possible to forget the object of her affections, and thought if she could but see him once more, to bid him a long and last farewell, she might in time wear out his remembrance from her heart; but in order to do that, she must see him once more; and having made up her mind that this interview would be an essential requisite46 to the desired end, she took counsel with herself how it was to be accomplished47. There was only one great obstacle presenting itself to her view, which was that “she couldn’t get out.”
Now women’s invention never fails them, when they have set their hearts upon any desired object; and it occurred to her, that although she could not get out, yet it was not quite so apparent that he could not get in; and this point being settled, it was no very difficult matter to persuade the old woman who occasionally assisted her in the household arrangements, to be the bearer of a short note, purporting48 to say that her father having been unwell for the last few days, usually retired49 early to rest, and that if her dear Despreau would come about eleven o’clock on the following evening, her father would be asleep, and she would be on the watch for a signal, which was to be three gentle taps on the door.
The old woman executed her commission so well that she brought back an answer vowing50 eternal fidelity51, and promising52 a punctual attendance at the rendezvous53. Nor was it likely that he meant to fail—seeing it was the object he had had for months in view, and he reasoned with himself that if he once got there, he would make such good use of his time as to render a second visit perfectly unnecessary.
Therefore it would be a pity to disappoint any one, and he immediately communicated his plans to two of his confederates, promising them a good share of the booty, and also the girl herself, if either of them felt that way inclined, as a reward for their assistance.
His plans were very well managed, and would have gone on exceedingly well, but for one small accident which happened through the officious interference of the inspector, who, the moment he had discovered who the Lothario was, had taken all the steps he could to catch him, and gain the honor of having caught so accomplished a gentleman. He rightly judged that it would not be long before he would pay a visit to Monette’s rooms, and the letters, before their delivery by the old woman, had been read by him, and met with his full approbation54.
I was much pleased on being informed by the inspector that he wanted my assistance, one evening, to apprehend55 the celebrated56 Despreau, who had planned a robbery near the Rue St. Antoine, and make me acquainted with nearly all the circumstances. So, about half past ten o’clock, I posted myself with the inspector and four men where I could see Despreau pass, and at eleven o’clock, punctual to the moment, he and his two associates began to ascend57 the stairs.
The two confederates were to wait some time, when he was to come to the door on some pretext58 and let them in.
After the lapse59 of half an hour they were let in, when we ascended60 after them, and the inspector, having a duplicate key, we let ourselves gently in, standing61 in the passage, so as to prevent our being seen; in a few minutes we heard a loud shriek62 from Emma, and old Monette’s voice most vociferously63 crying “Murder!” and “Thieves!” On entering the rooms, we perceived that the poor girl was lying on the ground, while one of the men was endeavoring to stifle64 her cries by either gagging or suffocating65 her, though in the way he was doing it, the latter would have soon been the case.
The old man had been dragged from his bed, and Despreau stood over him with a knife, swearing that unless he showed him the place where his money and valuables were deposited, it should be the last hour of his existence.
Despreau, on seeing us, seemed inclined to make a most desperate resistance, but not being seconded by his associates, submitted to be pinioned66, expressing his regret that we had not come half an hour later, when we might have been saved the trouble.
Despreau was shortly after tried for the offense67, which was too clearly proved to admit of any doubt. He was sentenced to the galleys68 for life, and is now at Brest, undergoing his sentence. Emma, soon afterward69, married a respectable man, and old Monette behaved on the occasion much more liberally than was expected.
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1
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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widower
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| n.鳏夫 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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9
condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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10
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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rapacious
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| adj.贪婪的，强夺的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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14
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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16
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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18
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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19
stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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20
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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21
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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22
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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23
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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24
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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25
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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26
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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28
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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29
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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30
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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31
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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32
espionage
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| n.间谍行为，谍报活动 | |
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33
prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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35
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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36
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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37
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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38
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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39
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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40
withholding
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| 扣缴税款 | |
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41
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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42
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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43
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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44
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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45
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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46
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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47
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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48
purporting
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| v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的现在分词 ) | |
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49
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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50
vowing
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式） | |
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51
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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52
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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53
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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54
approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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55
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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56
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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57
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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58
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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59
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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60
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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62
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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63
vociferously
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| adv.喊叫地，吵闹地 | |
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64
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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66
pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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68
galleys
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| n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房 | |
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69
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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