16Dr. Hortebise was the first to arrive. It was a terrible thing for himto get up so early; but for Mascarin's sake he consented even to thisinconvenience. When he passed through the office, the room was full ofclients; but this did not prevent the doctor from noticing thenegligence of Beaumarchef's costume.
"Aha!" remarked the doctor, "on the drunk again, I am afraid.""M. Mascarin is within," answered the badgered clerk, endeavoring toput on an air of dignity; "and M. Tantaine is with him."A brilliant idea flashed across the doctor's mind, but it was with anair of gravity that he said,--"I shall be charmed to meet that most worthy old gentleman."When, however, he entered the inner sanctum, he found Mascarin alone,occupied in sorting the eternal pieces of pasteboard.
"Well, what news?" asked he.
"There is none that I know of.""What, have you not seen Paul?""No.""Will he be here?""Certainly."Mascarin was often laconic, but he seldom gave such short answers asthis.
"What is the matter?" asked the doctor. "Your greeting is quitefunereal. Are you not well?""I am merely preoccupied, and that is excusable on the eve of thebattle we are about to fight," returned Mascarin.
He only, however, told a portion of the truth; for there was more inthe background, which he did not wish to confide to his friend. TotoChupin's revolt had disquieted him. Let there be but a single flaw inthe axletree, and one day it will snap in twain; and Mascarin wantedto eliminate this flaw.
"Pooh!" remarked the doctor, playing with his locket, "we shallsucceed. What have we to fear, after all,--opposition on Paul's part?""Paul may resent a little," answered Mascarin disdainfully; "but Ihave decided that he shall be present at our meeting of to-day. Itwill be a stormy one, so be prepared. We might give him his medicinein minims, but I prefer the whole dose at once.""The deuce you do! Suppose he should be frightened, and make off withour secret.""He won't make off," replied Mascarin in a tone which froze hislistener's blood. "He can't escape from us any more than thecockchafer can from the string that a child has fastened to it. Do younot understand weak natures like his? He is the glove, I the stronghand beneath it."The doctor did not argue this point, but merely murmured,--"Let us hope that it is so.""Should we have any opposition, resumed Mascarin, "it will come fromCatenac. I may be able to force him into co-operation with us, but hisheart will not be in the enterprise.""Do you propose to bring Catenac into this affair?" asked Hortebise ingreat surprise.
"Assuredly.""Why have you changed your plan?""Simply because I have recognized the fact that, if we dispensed withhis services, we should be entirely at the mercy of a shrewd man ofbusiness, because----"He broke off, listened for a moment, and then said,--"Hush! I can hear his footstep."A dry cough was heard outside, and in another moment Catenac enteredthe room.
Nature, or profound dissimulation, had gifted Catenac with an exteriorwhich made every one, when first introduced to him, exclaim, "This isan honest and trustworthy man." Catenac always looked his clientsboldly in the face. His voice was pleasant, and had a certain ring ofjoviality in it, and his manner was one of those easy ones whichalways insure popularity. He was looked upon as a shrewd lawyer; butyet he did not shine in court. He must therefore, to make those thirtythousand francs a year which he was credited with doing, have somespecial line of business. He assayed rather risky matters, which mightbring both parties into the clutches of the criminal law, or, at anyrate, leave them with a taint upon both their names. A sensationallawsuit is begun, and the public eagerly await the result; suddenlythe whole thing collapses, for Catenac has acted as mediator. He haseven settled the disputes of murderers quarreling over their booty.
But he has even gone farther than this. More than once he has said ofhimself, "I have passed through the vilest masses of corruption." Inhis office in the Rue Jacob he has heard whispered conferences whichwere enough to bring down the roof above his head. Of course this wasthe most lucrative business that passed into Catenac's hands. Theclient conceals nothing from his attorney, and he belongs to him asabsolutely as the sick man belongs to his physician or the penitent tohis confessor.
"Well, my dear Baptiste," said he, "here I am; you summoned me, and Iam obedient to the call.""Sit down," replied Mascarin gravely.
"Thanks, my friend, many thanks, a thousand thanks; but I am muchhurried; indeed I have not a moment to spare. I have matters on myhands of life and death.""But for all that," remarked Hortebise, "you can sit down for amoment. Baptiste has something to say to you which is as important asany of your matters can be."With a frank and genial smile Catenac obeyed; but in his heart wereanger and an abject feeling of alarm.
"What is it that is so important?" asked he.
Mascarin had risen and locked the door. When he had resumed his seathe said,--"The facts are very simple. Hortebise and I have decided to put ourgreat plan into execution, which we have as yet only discussedgenerally with you. We have the Marquis de Croisenois with us.""My dear sir," broke in the lawyer.
"Wait a little; we must have your assistance, and----"Catenac rose from his seat. "That is enough," said he. "You have madea very great mistake if it is on this matter that you have sent forme; I told you this before."He was turning away, and looking for his hat, proposed to beat aretreat; but Dr. Hortebise stood between him and the door, gazing uponhim with no friendly expression of countenance. Catenac was not a manto be easily alarmed, but the doctor's appearance was so threatening,and the smile upon Mascarin's lips was of so deadly a character, thathe stood still, positively frightened into immobility.
"What do you mean?" stammered he; "what is it you say now?""First," replied the doctor, speaking slowly and distinctly,--"first,we wish that you should listen to us when we speak to you.""I am listening.""Then sit down again, and hear what Baptiste has to say."The command Catenac had over his countenance was so great that it wasimpossible to see to what conclusion he had arrived from the words andmanner of his confederates.
"Then let Baptiste explain himself," said he.
"Before entering into matters completely," said he coolly, "I firstwant to ask our dear friend and associate if he is prepared to actwith us?""Why should there be any doubt on that point?" asked the lawyer. "Doall my repeated assurances count as nothing?""We do not want promises now; what we do want is good faith and realco-operation.""Can it be that you--""I ought to inform you," continued Mascarin, unheeding theinterruption, "that we have every prospect of success; and, if wecarry the matter through, we shall certainly have a million apiece."Hortebise had not the calm patience of his confederate, andexclaimed,--"You understand it well enough. Say Yes or No."Catenac was in the agonies of indecision, and for fully a minute madeno reply.
"/No/, then!" he broke out in a manner which betrayed his intenseagitation. "After due consideration, and having carefully weighed thechances for and against, I answer you decidedly, No."Mascarin and Hortebise evidently expected this reply, and exchangedglances.
"Permit me to explain," said Catenac, "what you consider as a cowardlywithdrawal upon my part--""Call it treachery.""I will not quibble about words. I wish to be perfectlystraightforward with you.""I am glad to hear it," sneered the doctor, "though that is not yourusual form.""And yet I do not think that I have ever concealed my real opinionfrom you. It is fully ten years ago since I spoke to you of thenecessity of breaking up this association. Can you recall what I said?
I said only our extreme need and griping poverty justified our acts.
They are now inexcusable.""You talked very freely of your scruples," observed Mascarin.
"You remember my words then?""Yes, and I remember too that those inner scruples never hindered youfrom drawing your share of the profits.""That is to say," burst in the doctor, "you repudiated the work, butshared the booty. You wished to play the game without stakinganything."Catenac was in no way disconcerted at this trenchant argument.
"Quite true," said he, "I always received my share; but I have donequite as much as you in putting the agency in its present prosperouscondition. Does it not work smoothly like a perfect piece ofmechanism? Have we not succeeded in nearly all our schemes? The incomecomes in monthly with extreme regularity, and I, according to myrights, have received one-third. If you desire to throw up thisperilous means of livelihood, say so, and I will not oppose it.""You are really too good," sneered the doctor, with a look of menacein his glance.
"Nor," continued Catenac, "will I oppose you if you prefer to letmatters stand as they are; but if you start on fresh enterprises, andembark on the tempestuous sea of danger, then I put down my foot andvery boldly 'halt.' I will not take another step with you. I can seeby the looks of both of you that you think me a fool and a coward.
Heaven grant that the future may not show you only too plainly that Ihave been in the right. Think over this. For twenty years fortune hasfavored us, but, b............