Belle-Rose — page 373: what you’re looking at

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

— — 362 THE RUE DE L’ARBRE-SEC. and hand; she took a bunch of roses and scented them; a splendid fruit followed the roses, and she was already car- rying it to her lips when the door opened violently. De- route, frightened and dusty, appeared upon the threshold; in a bound he had reached Suzanne, snatched the fruit from her hands, and sent it through the window. ‘““My God! what is the matter with you?’’ exclaimed Suzanne. Déroute, without answering, overturned the basket. ‘Do not touch it!’’ he finally exclaimed; ‘‘this cursed basket comes from Monsieur de Charny.’’ This terrible name caused fright to pass into the soul of Suzanne. Genevieve grew horribly pale and fell to her seat. Claudine, who noticed it, rushed to the abbess. “Oh! how I suffer!’’ she exclaimed, with her hands — clasped to her breast. Suzanne and Claudine felt chilled to the heart. es ‘Water, give me water,’’ repeated Genevieve; ‘“‘my body is on fire.’ Her face became livid. Déroute saw upon the floor the rind of an orange and understood all. ‘‘She is poisoned!”’ said he. Madame de Chateaufort heard him. ‘‘Send for Gaston!’’ exclaimed the poor mother, who felt herself dying. Her features changed rapidly, she already had the leaden eyes and hollow cheeks of a woman whvu has been devoured by fever for ten days. A physician was called, and at the first word he confirmed the fears of Déroute. Genevieve was poisoned; the evil had made irreparable progress; the most energetic remedies could scarcely prolong life for~ some hours. ‘The duchess received the news with a pro- found calm. ‘A victim was necessary,’’ said she, ‘‘'God has chosen me; God punishes those whom he: loves.”’ While these things were taking place at St. Claire d’En- nery, Belle Rose was finishing the report concerning the passage of the Rhine at Tolhus. Monsieur de Louvois was 99 alone and delivered to the serious meditations which soli-. tude gives birth to. His damned soul, the pale and lugu- brious Monsieur de Charny, was no longer there; the thoughts of the minister, a moment excited by the somber words of that gentleman, had taken an austere course. Before his eyes was displayed the letter of Louis XIV., his looks could not detach themselves from it, and it seemed to him that the characters were of fire. The king had comicbooks.co te