Alfred de Rosann by G.W.M. Reynolds — page 157: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

' 180 Alfred de Rosann. ‘6 Fin contre fin,* my dear De Rosann. Did you deem it possible to deceive Pierre Belle-Rose, whose Janus head and Argus glances may be matched in penetration against those of Vidocq himself? Was it probable that your secret could have escaped me? Oh1 De Rosann, I always declared you were a fine gentleman, but a bad rogue. The noise you made in opening the cupboards of the haunted room at Louis Dorval’s old house awoke me. But I did not move; I feigned sleep, and watched all your motions. The instant I saw the papers in your hands, I recollected Francois’ tale; and I relied upon your honour, as a friend, to entrust me with the secret; seeing that when men travel together, every thing is in common _ between them,—an apophthegm I once whispered to a gentleman whom I eased of his watch in a crowd last summer on the Place de la Bastille. ‘¢ But you did not utter one word; and I kept my couneel till the proper opportunity arrived. You read the documents at the hotel in St. Malo ; and your subsequent gaiety, added to the sud- den change in your determination relative to our journey to Paris, et cetera, betrayed the result of the perusal, and the favourable contents of the papers. ‘¢ Had you acted honourably, Alfred De Rosann, I should never have thought of outwitting you ; but, if we ever meet again, recol- lect that scarcely your own thoughts are concealed from an ex- perienced personage like Pierre Belle-Rose. Towards a companion myself invariably observe a straight-forward conduct; and I expect it in others, or else the hypocrite and the deceiver shall be themselves deceived. ‘<I merely scribble this to save you an useless journey to Lon- don, where—if you persist in going thither on a fool’s errand—we may haply meet. Adieu.” This letter, which was without signature or date, fell from De Rosann’s hands as his eye glanced over the last syllable; and he threw himself upon a chair, overcome by the fermentation of in- ward passions, and the working of terrible emotions. He could not have fancied Belle-Rose capable of so much duplicity; but, on reflection, he knew that, according to the loose ideas of self- appropriation professed by all adventurers living on their wits, his own conduct in concealing the papers must have appeared strange. He could now account for the coldness, and ready acquiescence, with which Belle-Rose heard his plan of leaving France and undertaking a journey to London. He remembered that Belle- Rose had himself insisted upon purchasing the two portmanteaus ; and made no doubt but that he had procured a couple exactly resembling each other. He called to mind his late companion’s attention to the packing and unpacking of the baggage, and a thousand little circumstances hitherto unaccountable. But he could not help feeling an internal satisfaction when he said to * Cunning against cunning,—diamond cut diamond. COnicbooolks (GO)