The Wandering Jew — Volume 01 by Eugène Sue
CHAPTER XII.
THE BURGOMASTER.
Dagobert's anxiety increased every moment. Certain that his horse had notentered the shed of its own accord, he attributed the event which hadtaken place to the spite of the brute-tamer; but he sought in vain forthe motive of this wretch's animosity, and he reflected with dismay, thathis cause, however just, would depend on the good or bad humor of a judgedragged from his slumbers and who might be ready to condemn uponfallacious appearances.
Fully determined to conceal, as long as possible, from the orphans thefresh misfortunes, which had befallen them, he was proceeding to open thedoor of their chamber, when he stumbled over Spoil-sport--for the dog hadrun back to his post, after vainly trying to prevent the Prophet fromleading away Jovial. "Luckily the dog has returned; the poor littlethings have been well guarded," said the soldier, as he opened the door.To his great surprise, the room was in utter darkness.
"My children," cried he, "why are you without a light?" There was noanswer. In terror he groped his way to the bed, and took the hand of oneof the sisters; the hand was cold as ice.
"Rose, my children!" cried he. "Blanche! Give me some answer! youfrighten me." Still the same silence continued; the hand which he heldremained cold and powerless, and yielded passively to his touch.
Just then, the moon emerged from the black clouds that surrounded her,and threw sufficient light into the little room, and upon the bed, whichfaced the window, for the soldier to see that the two sisters hadfainted. The bluish light of the moon added to the paleness of theorphans; they held each other in a half embrace, and Rose had buried herhead on Blanche's bosom.
"They must have fainted through fear," exclaimed Dagobert, running tofetch his gourd. "Poor things! after a day of so much excitement, it isnot surprising." And moistening the corner of a handkerchief with a fewdrops of brandy, the soldier knelt beside the bed, gently chafed thetemples of the two sisters, and held the linen, wet with the spirituousliquor, to their little pink nostrils.
Still on his knees, and bending his dark, anxious face over the orphans,he waited some moments before again resorting to the only restorative inhis power. A slight shiver of Rose gave him renewed hope; the young girlturned her head on the pillow with a sigh; then she started, and openedher eyes with an expression of astonishment and alarm; but, notimmediately recognizing Dagobert, she exclaimed: "Oh, sister!" and threwherself into the arms of Blanche.
The latter also was beginning to experience the effect of the soldier'scare. The exclamation of Rose completely roused her from her lethargy,and she clung to her sister, again sharing the fright without knowing itscause.
"They've come to--that's the chief point," said Dagobert, "now we shallsoon get rid of these foolish fears." Then softening his voice, he added:"Well, my children, courage? You are better. It is I who am here--me,Dagobert!"
The orphans made a hasty movement, and, turning towards the soldier theirsweet faces, which were still full of dismay and agitation, they both, bya graceful impulse, extended their arms to him and cried: "It is you,Dagobert--then we are safe!"
"Yes, my children, it is I," said the veteran, taking their hands in his,and pressing them joyfully. "So you have been much frightened during myabsence?"
"Oh, frightened to death!"
"If you knew--oh, goodness! if you knew--"
"But the lamp is extinguished--why is that?"
"We did not do it."
"Come--recover yourselves, poor children, and tell me all about it. Ihave no good opinion of this inn; but, luckily, we shall soon leave it.It was an ill wind that blew me hither--though, to be sure, there was noother in the village. But what has happened?"
"You were hardly gone, when the window flew open violently, and the lampand table fell together with a loud crash."
"Then our courage failed--we screamed and clasped each other, for wethought we could hear some one moving in the room."
"And we were so frightened, that we fainted away."
Unfortunately, persuaded that it was the violence of the wind which hadalready broken the glass, and shaken the window, Dagobert attributed thissecond accident to the same cause as the first, thinking that he had notproperly secured the fastening and that the orphans had been deceived bya false alarm. "Well, well--it is over now," said he to them: "Calmyourselves, and don't think of it any more."
"But why did you leave us so hastily, Dagobert?"
"Yes, now I remember--did we not hear a great noise, sister, and seeDagobert run to the staircase, crying: 'My horse! what are they doing tomy horse?'"
"It was then Jovial who neighed?"
These questions renewed the anguish of the soldier; he feared to answerthem, and said, with a confused air: "Yes--Jovial neighed--but it wasnothing. By the by, we must have a light here. Do you know where I put myflint and steel last evening? Well, I have lost my senses; it is here inmy pocket. Luckily, too, we have a candle, which I am going to light; Iwant to look in my knapsack for some papers I require."
Dagobert struck a few sparks, obtained a light, and saw that the windowwas indeed open, the table thrown down, and the lamp lying by the side ofthe knapsack. He shut the window, set the little table on its feet again,placed the knapsack upon it, and began to unbuckle this last in order totake out his portfolio, which had been deposited along with his cross andpurse, in a kind of pocket between the outside and the lining. The strapshad been readjusted with so much care, that there was no appearance ofthe knapsack having been disturbed; but when the soldier plunged his handinto the pocket above-mentioned, he found it empty. Struck withconsternation, he grew pale, and retreated a step, crying: "How isthis?--Nothing!"
"What is the matter?" said Blanche. He made her no answer. Motionless, heleaned against the table, with his hand still buried in the pocket. Then,yielding to a vague hope--for so cruel a reality did not appearpossible--he hastily emptied the contents of the knapsack on thetable--his poor half-worn clothes--his old uniform-coat of thehorse-grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, a sacred relic for thesoldiers--but, turn and return them as he would, he found neither hispurse, nor the portfolio that contained his papers, the letters ofGeneral Simon, and his cross.
In vain, with that serious childishness which always accompanies ahopeless search, he took the knapsack by the two ends, and shook itvigorously; nothing came out. The orphans looked on with uneasiness, notunderstanding his silence or his movements, for his back was turned tothem. Blanche ventured to say to him in a timid voice: "What ailsyou--you don't answer us.--What is it you are looking for in yourknapsack?"
Still mute, Dagobert searched his own person, turned out all hispockets--nothing!--For the first time in his life, perhaps, his twochildren, as he called them, had spoken to him without receiving a reply.Blanche and Rose felt the big tears start into their eyes; thinking thatthe soldier was angry, they darst not again address him.
"No, no! it is impossible--no!" said the veteran, pressing his hand tohis forehead, and seeking in his memory where he might have put thoseprecious objects, the loss of which he could not yet bring himself tobelieve. A sudden beam of joy flashed from his eyes. He ran to a chair,and took from it the portmanteau of the orphans; it contained a littlelinen, two black dresses, and a small box of white wood, in which were asilk handkerchief that had belonged to their mother, two locks of herhair, and a black ribbon she had worn round her neck. The little shepossessed had been seized by the Russian government, in pursuance of theconfiscation. Dagobert searched and researched every article--peeped intoall the corners of the portmanteau--still nothing!
This time, completely worn out, leaning against the table, the strong,energetic man felt himself giving way. His face was burning, yet bathedin a cold sweat; his knees trembled under him. It is a common saying,that drowning men will catch at straws; and so it is with the despairthat still clings to some shred of hope. Catching at a lastchance--absurd, insane, impossible--he turned abruptly towards theorphans, and said to them, without considering the alteration in hisvoice an
Instead of answering, Rose and Blanche, terrified at his paleness and theexpression of his countenance, uttered a cry. "Good heavens! what is thematter with you?" murmured Rose.
"Have you got them--yes, or no?" cried in a voice of thunder theunfortunate, distracted man. "If you have not--I'll take the first knifeI meet with, and stick it into my body!"
"Alas! You are so good: pardon us if we have done anything to afflictyou! You love us so much, you would not do us any harm." The orphansbegan to weep, as they stretched forth their hands in supplicationtowards the soldier.
He looked at them with haggard eye, without even seeing them; till, asthe delusion passed away, the reality presented itself to his mind withall its terrible consequences. Then he clasped his hands together, fellon his knees before the bed of the orphans, leaned his forehead upon it,and amid his convulsive sobs--for the man of iron sobbed like achild--these broken words were audible: "Forgive me--forgive!--I do notknow how it can be!--Oh! what a misfortune!--what a misfortune!--Forgiveme!"
At this outbreak of grief, the cause of which they understood not, butwhich in such a man was heart-rending, the two sisters wound their armsabout his old gray head, and exclaimed amid their tears: "Look at us!Only tell us what is the matter with you?--Is it our fault?"
At this instant, the noise of footsteps resounded from the stairs,mingled with the barking of Spoil-sport, who had remained outside thedoor. The nearer the steps approached, the more furious became thebarking; it was no doubt accompanied with hostile demonstrations, for thehost was heard to cry out in an angry tone: "Hollo! you there! Call offyour dog, or speak to him. It is Mr. Burgomaster who is coming up."
"Dagobert--do you hear?--it is the burgomaster," said Rose.
"They are coming upstairs--a number of people," resumed Blanche.
The word burgomaster recalled whatever had happened to the mind ofDagobert, and completed, so to express it, the picture of his terribleposition. His horse was dead, he had neither papers nor money, and a day,a single day's detention, might defeat the last hope of the sisters, andrender useless this long and toilsome journey.
Men of strong minds, and the veteran was of the number, prefer greatperils, positions of danger accurately defined, to the vague anxietieswhich precede a settled misfortune. Guided by his good sense andadmirable devotion, Dagobert understood at once, that his only resourcewas now in the justice of the burgomaster, and that all his effortsshould tend to conciliate the favor of that magistrate. He thereforedried his eyes with the sheet, rose from the ground, erect, calm, andresolute, and said to the orphans: "Fear nothing, my children; it is ourdeliverer who is at hand."
"Will you call off your dog or no?" cried the host, still detained on thestairs by Spoil-sport, who, as a vigilant sentinel, continued to disputethe passage. "Is the animal mad, I say? Why don't you tie him up? Haveyou not caused trouble enough in my house? I tell you, that Mr.Burgomaster is waiting to examine you in your turn, for he has finishedwith Morok."
Dagobert drew his fingers through his gray locks and across hismoustache, clasped the collar of his top-coat, and brushed the sleeveswith his hand, in order to give himself the best appearance possible; forhe felt that the fate of the orphans must depend on his interview withthe magistrate. It was not without a violent beating of the heart, thathe laid his hand upon the door-knob, saying to the young girls, who weregrowing more and more frightened by such a succession of events: "Hideyourselves in your bed, my children; if any one must needs enter, itshall be the burgomaster alone."
Thereupon, opening the door, the soldier stepped out on the landingplace, and said: "Down, Spoil-sport!--Here!"
The dog obeyed, but with manifest repugnance. His master had to speaktwice, before he would abstain from all hostile movements towards thehost. This latter, with a lantern in one hand and his cap in the other,respectfully preceded the burgomaster, whose magisterial proportions werelost in the half shadows of the staircase. Behind the judge, and a fewsteps lower, the inquisitive faces of the people belonging to the innwere dimly visible by the light of another lantern.
Dagobert, having turned the dog into the room, shut the door after him,and advanced two steps on the landing-place, which was sufficientlyspacious to hold several persons, and had in one corner a wooden benchwith a back to it. The burgomaster, as he ascended the last stair, wassurprised to see Dagobert close the door of the chamber, as though hewished to forbid his entrance. "Why do you shut that door?" asked he inan abrupt tone.
"First, because two girls, whom I have the charge of, are in bed in thatroom; secondly, because your examination would alarm them," repliedDagobert. "Sit down upon this bench, Mr. Burgomaster, and examine mehere; it will not make any difference, I should think."
"And by what right," asked the judge, with a displeased air, "do youpretend to dictate to me the place of your examination?"
"Oh, I have no such pretension, Mr. Burgomaster!" said the soldierhastily, fearing above all things to prejudice the judge against him:"only, as the girls are in bed, and already much frightened, it would bea proof of your good heart to examine me where I am."
"Humph!" said the magistrate, with ill-humor; "a pretty state of things,truly!--It was much worth while to disturb me in the middle of the night.But, come, so be it; I will examine you here." Then, turning to thelandlord, he added: "Put your lantern upon this bench, and leave us."
The innkeeper obeyed, and went down, followed by his people, asdissatisfied as they were at being excluded from the examination. Theveteran was left alone with the magistrate.