Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

110 A STEP TOWARD THE TOMB. you do not wish to speak,’’ he added, on seeing the hesi- tation of Belle-Rose, ‘‘keep your secret. My brother has always been the most mysterious man in the world; he has a multitude of obscure affairs of which I have never understood anything. If they are yours also—carry them out together.’’ ‘‘ Alas! Monsieur d’Assonville will have them no more!’’ said Belle-Rose, sadly. Monsieur de Naucrais stopped himself short. ‘‘What did you say?’’ he exclaimed. ‘*Monsieur d’Assonville is dead,’’ replied the soldier. ‘*Dead!’’ repeated the captain, and he leaned against the mantel. His legs trembled under him. Belle-Rose related to him the details of the tragic events of which he had been a witness, suppressing, however, the particulars which concerned him personally, as well as Madame de Chateaufort. Monsieur de Naucrais listened to him with eyes fixed on his. Each word of this funereal narrative reached his heart; but he struggled with all his strength against the emotion which seized him. ‘*Yes,’’ said he, after Belle-Rose had ceased speaking, ‘‘that is the way it must have been. My brother was kind, brave, loyal, and frank, the other is a debauched wretch: they have met—my brother is dead; thus goes the world. The coward triumphs where the brave man succumbs. Poor Gaston! to what he might not have arrived! But he loved. A woman has placed herself between him and the marshal’s baton, and this woman has made him stum- ble. May God curse her, the infamous creature!”’ Monsieur de Naucrais, paler than a corpse, raised both his hands to heaven with a frightful expression of hatred and fury. Belle-Rose shivered from head to foot. “Oh! if he were still living,’’ continued the captain, ‘‘with this hand I would snatch from my brother’s heart the memory of that love, even if it resulted in his death. But he is dead, my poor brother! Youdo not know how rough and severe I was with him; but I loved him as a father loves his child.’”’ Conquered this time by grief, the captain fell upon a fauteuil and concealed his head between his hands. He was weeping. Belle-Rose softly approached and took him by the hand. The captain answered this movement by a pressure of the hand. All at once Monsieur de Naucrais arose. ‘*Enough tears,’’ said he. ‘‘A thousand sobs would not give my brother one hour of life. Itis a question of you ” ore O us pie. comicbooks.com - 1 i- oe ie » ; yes iS Ae Sy “e a