“Then you never believed in the principality?”
“Yes! in the principality, but not in the prince.”
“Not so bad,” said Beauchamp; “still, I assure you, he passed very well with many people; I saw him at the ministers’ houses.”
“Ah, yes!” said Chateau-Renaud. “The idea of thinking ministers understand anything about princes!”
“There is something in what you have just said,” said Beauchamp, laughing. “The phrase is brief and striking; may I use it in my report?”
“But,” said Debray to Beauchamp, “if I spoke to the president, you must have spoken with the procureur du roi.”
“It was an impossibility; for the last week M. de Villefort has secluded himself. It is natural enough; this strange chain of domestic afflictions, followed by the no less strange death of his daughter –”
“Strange! What do you mean, Beauchamp?”
“Oh, yes! Do you play the ignorant, under the pretense that all this took place at the minister’s?” said Beauchamp, placing his eye-glass in his eye, where he tried to make it remain.
“My dear sir,” said Chateau-Renaud, “allow me to tell you that you do not understand that manoeuvre with the eye-glass half so well as Debray. Give him a lesson, Debray.”
“Stay,” said Beauchamp, “surely I am not deceived.”
“What is it?”
“It is she!”
“Whom do you mean?”
“They said she had left.”
“Mademoiselle Eugenie?”said Chateau-Renaud; “has she returned?”
“No! but her mother.”
“Madame Danglars? Nonsense! Impossible!” said Chateau-Renaud; “only ten days after the flight of her daughter, and three days from the bankruptcy of her husband?”
Debray colored slightly, and followed with his eyes the direction of Beauchamp’s glance.
“Come,” he said, “it is only a veiled lady, some foreign princess; perhaps the mother of Cavalcanti. But you were just speaking on a very interesting topic, Beauchamp.”
“I?”
“Yes; you were telling us about the extraordinary death of Valentine.”
“Ah, yes, so I was. But how is it that Madame de Villefort is not here?”
“Poor, dear woman!” said Debray, “she is no doubt occupied in distilling balm for the hospitals, or in making cosmetics for herself or friends. Do you know she spends two or three thousand crowns a year in this amusement? But I wonder she is not here. I should have been pleased to see her, for I like her very much.”
“And I hate her,” said Chateau-Renaud.
“Why?”
“I do not know. Why do we love? Why do we hate? I detest her, from antipathy.”
“Or, rather, by instinct.”
“Perhaps so. But to return to what you were saying, Beauchamp.”
“Well! do you know why people die so thick in M. de Villefort’s house?”
“Thick is good,” said Chateau-Renaud.
“My dear fellow, the word is found in Saint-Simon.”
“But the thing is found at M. de Villefort’s. Let us return to the subject.”
“Talking of that,” said Debray, “I have not lost sight of that house of mourning for three months, and only two days ago madame was making inquiries about that house.”
“Who is madame?” asked Chateau-Renaud.
“The minister’s wife, pardieu!”
“Oh, your pardon! I never visit ministers; I leave that to the princes.”
“Really, you were before only sparkling, but now you are brilliant; take compassion on us, or, like Jupiter, you will burn us.”
“I will not speak again!” said Chateau-Renaud; “pray have compassion upon me, and do not take up every word I say.”
“Come, let us endeavor to hear the end of your story, Beauchamp: I told you that yesterday madame made inquiries of me upon the subject: enlighten me, and I will then communicate my information to her.”
“Well, gentlemen, the reason people die so thick at M. de Villefort’s is, that there is an assassin in the house!”