Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 239: what you’re looking at

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

THE DARK SIDE OF THE PICTURE. 223 ‘‘Your protegee, my cousin, is very much in love witha certain scoundrel named Belle-Rose.’”’ ‘That is romantic!’’ “This Belle-Rose was on his way to the citadel of Chalons when she procured his escape in the direction of Villejuif. The police officer has been locked up in the car- riage, and the prisoners have taken the horses.”’ “That was not so awkwardly done.’’ ‘“You think so! Well, I think that so beautiful a feat deserves its recompense. Iimprison the mistress until I get possession of the lover.”’ ‘*What good will you accomplish by that?”’ ‘‘My cousin, I am only a poor minister, but I have every reason to believe that when he learns that she is in prison, he will return, I shall entrap him, and we will proceed to hang him.”’ ‘And I tell you he will not return. What kind of an idea do you possess of the captains and marquises of this time? The captain no longer thinks of her now, and the marquise will no longer think of him to-morrow.”’ “That is your belief.’’ ‘*Parbleu!”’ “Then it would not displease you too much to marry her.’ ‘*Me!’’ said Monsieur de Pomereux, in surprise. ‘Yes, you, and to explain myself more clearly, would you have, monsieur, any repugnance to marry the mar- quise in whom you are so much interested ?’’ ‘*My faith, though marriage is a pitiful thing, in con- sideration of Madame d’Albergotti, I will commit this folly.”’ ‘*And you have no fear of Belle-Rose?”’ **Not at all!”’ ‘*‘Well, Madame d’Albergotti’s pardon is at this price; let her marry you, and I forget her fault.’’ ‘‘Agreed! Madame d’Albergotti has some fortune, and I have always had some taste for her.’ “See to it, then, that Madame d’Albergotti comes to a decision, or she will have to remain in a convent the rest of her life.” ‘*She shall not go to the convent.”’ **Are you quite sure of it?”’ ‘‘We are no longer in the time of pastorals, monseig- neur.”’ **You are going to make a test of the fact.”’ Monsieur de Louvois called an usher and gave him an Gomicboo Ss ( 3