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第15章

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stranger silently seated himself on the farther side of the bed;

and its drapery screened him; as he sat; from the eyes of a man

who now entered on tiptoe; it was the same person who had passed

him on the stairs。  The new…comer took up the candle and

approached the bed。  The old man's face was turned to the pillow;

but he lay so still; and his breathing was so inaudible; that his

sleep might well; by that hasty; shrinking; guilty glance; be

mistaken for the repose of death。  The new…comer drew back; and a

grim smile passed over his face:  he replaced the candle on the

table; opened the bureau with a key which he took from his

pocket; and loaded himself with several rouleaus of gold that he

found in the drawers。  At this time the old man began to wake。

He stirred; he looked up; he turned his eyes towards the light

now waning in its socket; he saw the robber at his work; he sat

erect for an instant; as if transfixed; more even by astonishment

than terror。  At last he sprang from his bed。



〃Just Heaven! do I dream!  Thouthouthou; for whom I toiled

and starved!THOU!〃



The robber started; the gold fell from his hand; and rolled on

the floor。



〃What!〃 he said; 〃art thou not dead yet?  Has the poison failed?〃



〃Poison; boy!  Ah!〃 shrieked the old man; and covered his face

with his hands; then; with sudden energy; he exclaimed; 〃Jean!

Jean! recall that word。  Rob; plunder me if thou wilt; but do not

say thou couldst murder one who only lived for thee!  There;

there; take the gold; I hoarded it but for thee。  Go! go!〃 and

the old man; who in his passion had quitted his bed; fell at the

feet of the foiled assassin; and writhed on the ground;the

mental agony more intolerable than that of the body; which he had

so lately undergone。  The robber looked at him with a hard

disdain。

〃What have I ever done to thee; wretch?〃 cried the old man;

〃what but loved and cherished thee?  Thou wert an orphan;an

outcast。  I nurtured; nursed; adopted thee as my son。  If men

call me a miser; it was but that none might despise thee; my

heir; because Nature has stunted and deformed thee; when I was no

more。  Thou wouldst have had all when I was dead。  Couldst thou

not spare me a few months or days;nothing to thy youth; all

that is left to my age?  What have I done to thee?〃



〃Thou hast continued to live; and thou wouldst make no will。〃



〃Mon Dieu!  Mon Dieu!〃



〃TON DIEU!  Thy God!  Fool!  Hast thou not told me; from my

childhood; that there is NO God?  Hast thou not fed me on

philosophy?  Hast thou not said; 'Be virtuous; be good; be just;

for the sake of mankind:  but there is no life after this life'?

 Mankind! why should I love mankind?  Hideous and misshapen;

mankind jeer at me as I pass the streets。  What hast thou done to

me?  Thou hast taken away from me; who am the scoff of this

world; the hopes of another!  Is there no other life?  Well;

then; I want thy gold; that at least I may hasten to make the

best of this!〃



〃Monster!  Curses light on thy ingratitude; thy〃



〃And who hears thy curses?  Thou knowest there is no God!  Mark

me; I have prepared all to fly。  See;I have my passport; my

horses wait without; relays are ordered。  I have thy gold。〃  (And

the wretch; as he spoke; continued coldly to load his person with

the rouleaus)。  〃And now; if I spare thy life; how shall I be

sure that thou wilt not inform against mine?〃  He advanced with a

gloomy scowl and a menacing gesture as he spoke。



The old man's anger changed to fear。  He cowered before the

savage。  〃Let me live! let me live!thatthat〃



〃Thatwhat?〃



〃I may pardon thee!  Yes; thou hast nothing to fear from me。  I

swear it!〃



〃Swear!  But by whom and what; old man?  I cannot believe thee;

if thou believest not in any God!  Ha; ha! behold the result of

thy lessons。〃



Another moment and those murderous fingers would have strangled

their prey。  But between the assassin and his victim rose a form

that seemed almost to both a visitor from the world that both

denied;stately with majestic strength; glorious with awful

beauty。



The ruffian recoiled; looked; trembled; and then turned and fled

from the chamber。  The old man fell again to the ground

insensible。





CHAPTER 1。VIII。



To know how a bad man will act when in power; reverse all the

doctrines he preaches when obscure。S。 Montague。



Antipathies also form a part of magic (falsely) so…called。  Man

naturally has the same instinct as the animals; which warns them

involuntarily against the creatures that are hostile or fatal to

their existence。  But HE so often neglects it; that it becomes

dormant。  Not so the true cultivator of the Great Science; etc。

Trismegistus the Fourth (a Rosicrucian)。



When he again saw the old man the next day; the stranger found

him calm; and surprisingly recovered from the scene and

sufferings of the night。  He expressed his gratitude to his

preserver with tearful fervour; and stated that he had already

sent for a relation who would make arrangements for his future

safety and mode of life。  〃For I have money yet left;〃 said the

old man; 〃and henceforth have no motive to be a miser。〃  He

proceeded then briefly to relate the origin and circumstances of

his connection with his intended murderer。



It seems that in earlier life he had quarrelled with his

relations;from a difference in opinions of belief。  Rejecting

all religion as a fable; he yet cultivated feelings that inclined

himfor though his intellect was weak; his dispositions were

goodto that false and exaggerated sensibility which its dupes

so often mistake for benevolence。  He had no children; he

resolved to adopt an enfant du peuple。  He resolved to educate

this boy according to 〃reason。〃  He selected an orphan of the

lowest extraction; whose defects of person and constitution only

yet the more moved his pity; and finally engrossed his affection。

In this outcast he not only loved a son; he loved a theory!  He

brought him up most philosophically。  Helvetius had proved to him

that education can do all; and before he was eight years old; the

little Jean's favourite expressions were; 〃La lumiere et la

vertu。〃  (Light and virtue。)  The boy showed talents; especially

in art。



The protector sought for a master who was as free from

〃superstition〃 as himself; and selected the painter David。  That

person; as hideous as his pupil; and whose dispositions were as

vicious as his professional abilities were undeniable; was

certainly as free from 〃superstition〃 as the protector could

desire。  It was reserved for Robespierre hereafter to make the

sanguinary painter believe in the Etre Supreme。  The boy was

early sensible of his ugliness; which was almost preternatural。

His benefactor found it in vain to reconcile him to the malice of

Nature by his philosophical aphorisms; but when he pointed out to

him that in this world money; like charity; covers a multitude of

defects; the boy listened eagerly and was consoled。  To save

money for his protege;for the only thing in the world he

loved;this became the patron's passion。  Verily; he had met

with his reward。



〃But I am thankful he has escaped;〃 said the old man; wiping his

eyes。  〃Had he left me a beggar; I could never have accused him。〃



〃No; for you are the author of his crimes。〃



〃How!  I; who never ceased to inculcate the beauty of virtue?

Explain yourself。〃



〃Alas! if thy pupil did not make this clear to thee last night

from his own lips; an angel might come from heaven to preach to

thee in vain。〃



The old man moved uneasily; and was about to reply; when the

relative he had sent forand who; a native of Nancy; happened to

be at Paris at the timeentered the room。  He was a man somewhat

past thirty; and of a dry; saturnine; meagre countenance;

restless eyes; and compressed lips。  He listened; with many

ejaculations of horror; to his relation's recital; and sought

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