CHAPTER VIII. HOW THE MONEY OF THE DIRECTORY WAS USED
Every one hastened to obey. The monks lowered the hoods of their longrobes over their faces, Morgan replaced his mask.
"Enter!" said the superior.
The door opened and the serving-brother appeared.
"An emissary from General Georges Cadoudal asks to be admitted," saidhe.
"Did he reply to the three passwords?"
"Perfectly."
"Then let him in."
The lay brother retired to the subterranean passage, and reappeared acouple of minutes later leading a man easily recognized by his costumeas a peasant, and by his square head with its shock of red hair for aBreton. He advanced in the centre of the circle without appearing inthe least intimidated, fixing his eyes on each of the monks in turn, andwaiting until one of these twelve granite statues should break silence.The president was the first to speak to him.
"From whom do you come?" he asked him.
"He who sent me," replied the peasant, "ordered me to answer, if I wereasked that question, that I was sent by Jehu."
"Are you the bearer of a verbal or written message?"
"I am to reply to the questions which you ask me, and exchange a slip ofpaper for some money."
"Very good; we will begin with the questions. What are our brothers inthe Vendee doing?"
"They have laid down their arms and are awaiting only a word from you totake them up again."
"And why did they lay down their arms?"
"They received the order to do so from his Majesty Louis XVIII."
"There is talk of a proclamation written by the King's own hand. Havethey received it?"
"Here is a copy."
The peasant gave a paper to the person who was interrogating him. Thelatter opened it and read:
The war has absolutely no result save that of making the monarchy odious and threatening. Monarchs who return to their own through its bloody succor are never loved; these sanguinary measures must therefore be abandoned; confide in the empire of opinion which returns of itself to its saving principles. "God and the King," will soon be the rallying cry of all Frenchmen. The scattered elements of royalism must be gathered into one formidable sheaf; militant Vendee must be abandoned to its unhappy fate and marched within a more pacific and less erratic path. The royalists of the West have fulfilled their duty; those of Paris, who have prepared everything for the approaching Restoration, must now be relied upon--
The president raised his head, and, seeking Morgan with a flash of theeye which his hood could not entirely conceal, said: "Well, brother,I think this is the fulfilment of your wish of a few moments ago.The royalists of the Vendee and the Midi will have the merit of puredevotion." Then, lowering his eyes to the proclamation, of which therestill remained a few lines to read, he continued:
The Jews crucified their King, and since that time they have wandered over the face of the earth. The French guillotined theirs, and they shall be dispersed throughout the land.
Given at Blankenbourg, this 25th of August, 1799, on the day of St. Louis and the sixth year of our reign.
(Signed) LOUIS.
The young men looked at each other.
"'Quos vult perdere Jupiter dementat!'" said Morgan.
"Yes," said the president; "but when those whom Jupiter wishes todestroy represent a principle, they must be sustained not only againstJupiter but against themselves. Ajax, in the midst of the bolts andlightning, clung to a rock, and, threatening Heaven with his clinchedhand, he cried, 'I will escape in spite of the gods!'" Then turningtoward Cadoudal's envoy, "And what answer did he who sent you make tothis proclamation?"
"About what you yourself have just answered. He told me to come andinform myself whether you had decided to hold firm in spite of all, inspite of the King himself."
"By Heavens! yes," said Morgan.
"We are determined," said the President.
"In that case," replied the peasant, "all is well. Here are the realnames of our new chiefs, and their assumed names. The general recommendsthat you use only the latter as far as is possible in your despatches.He observes that precaution when he, on his side, speaks of you."
"Have you the list?" asked the President.
"No; I might have been stopped, and the list taken. Write yourself; Iwill dictate them to you."
The president seated himself at the table, took a pen, and wrote thefollowing names under the dictation of the Breton peasant:
"Georges Cadoudal, Jehu or Roundhead; Joseph Cadoudal, Judas Maccabeus;Lahaye Saint-Hilaire, David; Burban-Malabry, Brave-la-Mort; Poulpiquez,Royal-Carnage; Bonfils, Brise-Barriere; Dampherne, Piquevers; Duchayla,La Couronne; Duparc, Le Terrible; La Roche, Mithridates; Puisaye, Jeanle Blond."
"And these are the successors of Charette, Stoffiet, Cathelineau,Bonchamp, d'Elbee, la Rochejaquelin, and Lescure!" cried a voice.
The Breton turned toward him who had just spoken.
"If they get themselves killed like their predecessors," said he, "whatmore can you ask of them?"
"Well answered," said Morgan, "so that--"
"So that, as soon as our general has your reply," answered the peasant,"he will take up arms again."
"And suppose our reply had been in the negative?" asked another voice.
"So much the worse for you," replied the peasant; "in any case theinsurrection is fixed for October 20."
"Well," said the president, "thanks to us, the general will have thewherewithal for his first month's pay. Where is your receipt?"
"Here," said the peasant, drawing a paper from his pocket on which werewritten these words:
Received from our brothers of the Midi and the East, to be employed for the good of the cause, the sum of....
GEORGES CADOUDAL, General commanding the Royalist army of Brittany.
The sum was left blank.
"Do you know how to write?" asked the president.
"Enough to fill in the three or four missing words."
"Very well. Then write, 'one hundred thousand francs.'"
The Breton wrote; then extending the paper to the president, he said:"Here is your receipt; where is the money?"
"Stoop and pick up the bag at your feet; it contains sixty thousandfrancs." Then addressing one of the monks, he asked: "Montbard, whereare the remaining forty thousand?"
The monk thus interpellated opened a closet and brought forth abag somewhat smaller than the one Morgan had brought, but which,nevertheless, contained the good round sum of forty thousand francs.
"Here is the full amount," said the monk.
"Now, my friend," said the president, "get something to eat and somerest; to-morrow you will start."
"They are waiting for me yonder," said the Breton. "I will eat and sleepon horseback. Farewell, gentlemen. Heaven keep you!" And he went towardthe door by which he had entered.
"Wait," said Morgan.
The messenger paused.
"News for news," said Morgan; "tell General Cadoudal that GeneralBonaparte has left the army in Egypt, that he landed at Frejus, daybefore yesterday, and will be in Paris in three days. My news is fullyworth yours, don't you think so? What do you think of it?"
"Impossible!" exclaimed all the monks with one accord.
"Nevertheless nothing is more true, gentlemen. I have it from our friendthe Priest (Lepretre), [Footnote: The name Lepretre is a contractionof the two words "le pretre," meaning the priest; hence the name underwhich this man died.] who saw him relay at Lyons one hour before me, andrecognized him."
"What has he come to France for?" demanded several voices.
"Faith," said Morgan, "we shall know some day. It is probable that hehas not returned to Paris to remain there incognito."
"Don't lose an instant in carrying this news to our brothers in theWest," said the president to the peasant. "A moment ago I wished todetain you; now I say to you: 'Go!'"
The peasant bowed and withdrew. The president waited until the door wasc
losed.
"Gentlemen," said he, "the news which our brother Morgan has justimparted to us is so grave that I wish to propose a special measure."
"What is it?" asked the Companions of Jehu with one voice.
"It is that one of us, chosen by lot, shall go to Paris and keep therest informed, with the cipher agreed upon, of all that happens there."
"Agreed!" they replied.
"In that case," resumed the president, "let us write our thirteen names,each on a slip of paper. We put them in a hat. He whose name is firstdrawn shall start immediately."
The young men, one and all, approached the table, and wrote theirnames on squares of paper which they rolled and dropped into a hat. Theyoungest was told to draw the lots. He drew one of the little rolls ofpaper and handed it to the president, who unfolded it.
"Morgan!" said he.
"What are my instructions?" asked the young man.
"Remember," replied the president, with a solemnity to which thecloistral arches lent a supreme grandeur, "that you bear the name andtitle of Baron de Sainte-Hermine, that your father was guillotined onthe Place de la Revolution and that your brother was killed in Conde'sarmy. Noblesse oblige! Those are your instructions."
"And what else?" asked the young man.
"As to the rest," said the president, "we rely on your royalistprinciples and your loyalty."
"Then, my friends, permit me to bid you farewell at once. I would liketo be on the road to Paris before dawn, and I must pay a visit before mydeparture."
"Go!" said the president, opening his arms to Morgan. "I embrace youin the name of the Brotherhood. To another I should say, 'Be brave,persevering and active'; to you I say, 'Be prudent.'"
The young man received the fraternal embrace, smiled to his otherfriends, shook hands with two or three of them, wrapped himself in hismantle, pulled his hat over his eyes and departed.