登陆注册
20042400000070

第70章 CHAPTER XXI(1)

THE ARREST

Facts proved how correct had been La Boulaye's anticipations of the course that Cecile would adopt, Within a half-hour of his having quitted the house of Billaud Varennes, she presented herself there, and demanded to see the Deputy. Upon being told that he was absent she determined to await his return.

And so, for the matter of an hour, she remained in the room where the porter had offered her accommodation, fretting at the delay, and only restrained from repairing to some other member of the Convention by the expectation that the next moment would see Varennes arrive.

Arrive he did at last, when her patience was all but exhausted, and excitedly she told her tale of what had taken place. Varennes listened gravely, and cross-questioned her in his unbelief - for it seemed, indeed, monstrous that a man of La Boulaye's position should ruin so promising a future as was his by an act for which Varennes could not so much as divine a motive. But her story hung together so faithfully, and was so far borne out by the fact that Varennes himself had indeed signed such a document as she described, that in the end the Deputy determined to take some steps to neutralise the harm that might have been done.

Dismissing the girl with the assurance that the matter should have his attention, he began by despatching a courier to Robespierre at Chartres - where he knew the Incorruptible to be. That done, he resorted to measures for La Boulaye's detention. But this proved a grave matter. What if, after all, that half-hysterical girl's story should be inaccurate? In what case would he find himself if, acting upon it in the meantime, he should order Caron's arrest? The person of a Deputy was not one to be so lightly treated, and he might find himself constrained to answer a serious charge in consequence. Thus partly actuated by patriotism and the fear of Robespierre, and partly restrained by patriotism and the fear of La Boulaye, he decided upon a middle course: that of simply detaining La Boulaye at his lodging until Robespierre should either return or send an answer to his message. Thus, whilst leaving him perfect freedom of movement within his own apartments, he would yet ensure against his escape so that should Robespierre demand him he could without difficulty be produced.

To this end he repaired with a sous-lieutenant and six men to La Boulaye's house in the Rue Nationale, intending to station the soldiers there with orders not to allow the Deputy to go out, and to detain and question all who sought admittance to him. He nourished the hope that the ci-devant Vicomte might still be with La Boulaye. At the Rue Nationale, however, he was to discover that neither Deputy nor aristocrat was to be found. Brutus informed him that he was expecting the Citizen La Boulaye, but beyond that he would say nothing, and he wisely determined to hold his peace touching the valise that he had been ordered to pack and the fact that he knew the Deputy meditated leaving Paris. Brutus had learnt the value of silence, especially when those who sought information were members of the Convention.

Alarmed at this further corroboration of Cecile's story of treachery Varennes left the military at Caron's house, with orders not to allow the Deputy to again depart if in the meantime he should happen to return, whilst to every barrier of Paris he sent instructions to have La Boulaye detained if he should present himself. By these measures he hoped still to be able to provide against the possibility of Caron's seeking to leave Paris.

But Caron had been gone over an hour, and as a matter of fact, he was back again in Paris within a very little time of these orders having been issued. At the Barriere d'Enfer, although recognised, he was not molested, since the orders only, and distinctly, concerned his departure and nowise his arrival.

Thus, not until he had reached his lodgings did he realise that all was not as he had hoped. And even then it was only within doors that he made the discovery, when he found himself suddenly confronted by the sous-lieutenant, who was idling in the passage. The officer saluted him respectfully, and no less respectfully, though firmly, informed him that, by order of the Citizen-deputy Billaud Varennes, he must ask him to confine himself to his own apartments until further orders.

"But why, Citizen-officer?" La Boulaye demanded, striving to exclude from his voice any shade of the chagrin that was besetting him.

"What do these orders mean?"

The officer was courtesy personified, but explanations he had none to give, for the excellent reason, he urged that he was possessed of none. He was a soldier, and he had received orders which he must obey, without questioning either their wisdom or their justice.

Appreciating the futility of bearing himself otherwise, since his retreat was already blocked by a couple of gendarmes, Caron submitted to the inevitable.

He mounted leisurely to his study, and the ruin that stared him in the eyes was enough to have daunted the boldest of men. Yet, to do him justice, he was more concerned at the moment with the consequences this turn of affairs might have for Mademoiselle than with his own impending downfall. That he had Cecile to thank for his apprehension he never doubted. Yet it was a reflection that he readily dismissed from his mind. In such a pass as he now found himself none but a weakling could waste time and energy in bewailing the circumstances that had conspired to it. In a man of La Boulaye's calibre and mettle it was more befitting to seek a means to neutralise as much as possible the evil done.

He called Brutus and cross-questioned him regarding the attitude and behaviour of the soldiery since their coming. He learnt that nothing had been touched by them, and that they were acting with the utmost discreetness, taking scrupulous care not to exceed the orders they had received, which amounted to detaining La Boulaye and nothing more.

"You think, then, that you might come and go unmolested?" he asked.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 最强修炼系统

    最强修炼系统

    游戏玩家王浩,带着九龙系统穿越元武大陆,从此踩天才,灭凶兽,怀搂绝世美女,成就无上霸业!
  • 铁血湘西

    铁血湘西

    一部再现近代大湘西人民百年斗争的史书!一部引人走进大湘西人火样情感的诗书!《铁血湘西》是一部最湘西的长篇小说!《铁血湘西》从乱世的家仇私怨切入,以湘西纵队的始末为主线,纵横开合地艺术再现了中国近代大湘西数十年各类人物生存较量的漫长岁月和宏阔场面。各派党、政、军要员和地方武装首领间错综复杂的恩仇关系、十分尖锐的生死斗争和成败得失的最终归宿尽收眼底;奇险的湘西铁血战事,奇秀的湘西山水画卷,奇异的湘西神巫文化,奇妙的湘西人物心灵史尽显其中;大湘西山水养育的智者、勇者、仁者、信者、文者、武者,无不跃然纸上。
  • 作别少女时代

    作别少女时代

    二十九岁的叶扶凌得肺癌去世,却在某天醒来发现自己回到十二岁,她身边的事物都在悄然改变......
  • 东方未杪

    东方未杪

    初入异世,是劫难,是宿命?师入长留,是阴谋,是转机?异朽东方,是邂逅,是注定?魂断妖台,紫阳尽毁,世世复尽,终是不悔。东方彧卿,那些你曾经受过的伤,尝过的痛,今生今世,都由我来为你一一抚平。
  • 飞龙探云手异界游

    飞龙探云手异界游

    一个年仅十五岁,天真善良外加一点傻气的少年生怀李逍遥传于后人的绝学——飞龙探云手。为了能让重病的父亲吃上一口饱饭,少年李凯开始人生的第一次盗窃。不幸的是他竟然遇上了由盘古元神三化而成、道术的老祖宗——原始天尊!被原始天尊附身之后,李凯被送到了异世界,接受了发扬道术光大!盗取异界至宝的光荣任务。就让我们来看看,一个天真善良外加一点傻气的少年和一个诡计多端外加一点阴险狡诈的天尊拼在一起能演一场怎样惊天动地的好戏。
  • 侯门恶妻

    侯门恶妻

    腹黑如狼,狡猾如狐,睿智如鹰的她,是全国各地乃至全世界杀手们的头号捕猎对象,却不曾想到如此威武霸气的她居然会因为一场枪战而自此狗血穿越,为什么让我穿越到一个智商、情商都为负数的相门庶女的身上?什么?门外还有大花轿,今天要嫁天下第一美男?
  • 教师必备的哲学基础

    教师必备的哲学基础

    本书针对目前新课程教育改革中的中小学教师在教学和育人过程中存在的问题展开论述,老师在课堂上怎样把自己的知识更好地传给学生,使其转化为学生内在的知识;如何处理灵活多变的课堂教学与学生获得知识途径的多样化之间的矛盾;如何让学生在快乐中学到真正的知识;怎样展现和突出教师在教学中的地位和作用等,这些已成为许多老师经常反思的问题。本书对这些问题做了诠释和解答。
  • 心如流水

    心如流水

    贫困地区更期待着由它自孕言和培荞的优秀人才有朝一日能够重返故里,用他们的才智,让这一方负重的贫瘠之地尽曱地摆脱“贫困循环”的窘境。在贫困地区自身利用政策吸引和激励机制之外,这一份期待的实现,来自干贫闲地区真正高素质人才队伍群体的培芥和形成。我们拭目以待。
  • 生米遇上熟饭:总裁,滚开

    生米遇上熟饭:总裁,滚开

    六年前他从虚拟的网络中跳脱出来强硬介入她单纯的生活,霸道的纠缠,小人的生米煮成熟饭。但是当她狠心抛弃父母离家出走投奔他时,却是换来一场痛彻心扉的背叛。一周后她匆匆的跟师兄远赴美国。六年后再见面时他却完全忘了她,好吧,忘了也好!但是为什么她准备接受一直暗恋她的师兄时他又霸道的介入?哪怕她说自己已经背叛了他仍不肯放弃纠缠?!孩子不是他的?又一个男人?为什么当初的小竹竿变得这么招蜂引蝶了?
  • 要嫁就嫁灰太狼

    要嫁就嫁灰太狼

    要嫁就嫁灰太狼,什么,灰太狼有红太狼了?没关系,这个灰太狼没有!她跟着赶时尚也穿了一回。好不容易嫁了一个又帅又多金的老公,可到最后才知道自己嫁的不是“人”而是一头狼,这下老天爷跟她的玩笑开大了。