CHAPTER XIII
THE PURSUIT
Fanfaro looked gratefully at the young nobleman and then said:
"Please tell me your name, so that I may know whom I am underobligations to?"
"My name is Arthur de Montferrand," said the nobleman, handing his cardto the young man, whose profession he knew, with the same politeness asif he were a peer of France.
Fanfaro bowed and then hurriedly said:
"Let us not lose any more time; I--"
Loud knocking at the house-door and the murmur of several voices, whichcame from below, made the young man pause. The planting of muskets onthe pavement was now heard and a coarse voice cried:
"Open in the name of the law!"
Fanfaro trembled.
"The police!" exclaimed Aube, breathing more freely; "perhaps therobbers have already been captured."
Fanfaro laid his hand upon Aube's shoulder.
"Monsieur Aube," he said bitterly, "the police to-day do not botherabout such trivial affairs. The minions of Louis XVIII. hunt differentgame."
"Open," came louder than before, "or we shall burst in the door."
"My God! my God! what a day this is," complained Aube, sinkinghelplessly on a chair; "what do the police want in my house?"
"Monsieur Aube, they seek conspirators, heroes of freedom and justice,"said Fanfaro earnestly.
"How so? What do you mean?" asked Aube, opening wide his eyes andlooking at the young man.
"I am one of the men the police are looking for," exclaimed Fanfarocoolly.
"You!" exclaimed Montferrand in terror, "then you are lost."
"Not yet," laughed Fanfaro. "Monsieur Aube, hurry and open the door andtry to detain the people. That is all that is necessary. Good-by for thepresent, and do not forget to hunt for the girl; with the aid of God wewill find her."
He ran out, and the nobleman and the landlord heard him bound up thestairs. Aube now began to push back the iron bolt of the street door,and when it opened several policemen and an inspector entered.
"I must say, Monsieur Aube," cried the inspector angrily, "you took along time to obey his majesty's order."
"But at this time of night," stammered Aube. "What are you looking for,inspector?"
"Ask rather whom I am looking for?" retorted the inspector.
His gaze fell on Arthur, who did not look very attractive with hisbloody clothes and torn shirt.
"Who is this tramp?" asked the inspector roughly.
"The tramp will have you thrown out if you are impertinent. My name isArthur de Montferrand, and I am the son of the Marquis of Montferrand."
The inspector opened his eyes wide with astonishment. How could such amistake happen to him? The son of the Marquis of Montferrand. Theinspector would have preferred just now to hide himself in a corner. Hestammered apology upon apology, and then in an embarrassed way muttered:
"I have got a painful mission. I am to look for a 'suspect' in thishouse."
"A 'suspect'?" whispered Aube, anxiously.
"Yes; conspirators who threaten the sacred person of the king."
"And you are looking for these people in my house?" asked Aube,apparently overwhelmed at the intelligence.
"Yes, they are said to live here; two acrobats, named Girdel andFanfaro."
"Inspector, I am inconsolable; but I will not oppose you; do your duty,"said Aube, with the mien of a man who gives a kingdom away.
Arthur and the landlord exchanged knowing looks as the inspector strodetoward the door. Fanfaro must be in safety by this time.
"The house is surrounded," said the inspector, as he went away, "and Ithink we shall have little to do."
Montferrand trembled. Suppose Fanfaro had been captured! The policemenwent to the upper story, which had been pointed out to them by thelandlord as the residence of Girdel and Fanfaro.
"Open, in the name of the law!" thundered a voice, which shook thehouse; and then followed, hardly less loud, the angry exclamation:
"By Jupiter, the nest is empty; the birds have flown!"
At this moment a voice cried from the street:
"Inspector, they are escaping over the roofs."
It was Simon, the worthy steward of the Marquis of Fougereuse, whoassisted the police to-day. He had stationed himself, with severalofficers, in front of the house, and had noticed two shadows glidingover the roofs.
"Forward, men," cried the inspector. "We must catch them, dead oralive."
In a moment, Simon had bounded up the stairs and now stood near theofficial at the skylight.
"How slanting that roof is!" growled the inspector. "One misstep and youlie in the street."
He carefully climbed out; Simon followed, and then they both lookedaround for the escaped conspirators.
"There they are!" exclaimed the steward, hastily. "Look, they havereached the edge of the roof and are going to swing themselves over tothe neighboring roof! They are fools; the distance must be at least tenfeet. They will either fall down and smash their heads on the pavement,or else fall into our hands."
Simon had seen aright. Girdel and Fanfaro were at the edge of the roof,and now the young man bent down and swung something his pursuers couldnot make out.
"Surrender!" cried the inspector, holding himself on a chimney.
Fanfaro now rose upright. He made a jump and the next minute he was onthe neighboring roof.
The inspector and Simon uttered a cry of rage, and redoubled it whenthey saw Fanfaro busying himself tying a stout rope to an iron hookwhich he connected with another hook on the roof he had just left.
Girdel now clambered to the edge of the roof, grasped the rope with bothhands, and began to work his way across to Fanfaro.
"Quick, a knife!" cried the inspector.
Simon handed him his pocket-knife and the policeman began to saw therope through. Luckily for Girdel, the work went very slow, for the knifewas as dull as the rope was thick, and Simon, who only now began toremember that Girdel must not be killed at any price, loudly exclaimed:
"Stop, inspector, are you out of your senses?"
The policeman was no longer able to heed the warning. The knife had doneits duty, the rope was cut!
Girdel did not fall to the pavement though. At the decisive momentFanfaro bent far over the roof, and with superhuman strength held on tothe rope on which Girdel was, at the same time crying to him:
"Attention, the rope is cut, take your teeth."
Girdel understood at once, and his mighty jaws held the rope firmly.
Fanfaro had bent far forward to hinder Girdel from being dashed againstthe wall, and kept in that position, until the athlete could workhimself with his hands and teeth to the edge of the roof.
The roof was at length reached. Fanfaro swung his arms about Girdel, andthe next minute they both disappeared behind a tall chimney!
"Papa Girdel, we have nothing to fear now," said Fanfaro, laughing; butsoon he thought of Louison, and he sighed heavily.
"What is the matter with you, my boy?" asked Girdel, in amazement.
"I will tell you some other time. Let us try to reach the street first,for our pursuers will surely try to get into the house and begin thehunt anew."
The athlete saw he was right, and they both began their perilous flightover the roofs. For a time everything went right, but suddenly Fanfaropaused and said:
"We are at a street corner."
"That is a fatal surprise," growled Girdel; "what shall we do now?"
"We must try to reach a roof-pipe and glide down."
"That is easier said than done. Where will you find a roof-pipe able tosustain my weight?"
Fanfaro looked at Girdel in amazement. He had not thought of that.
"Then let us try to find a skylight and get into some house," he said,after a pause.
"Suppose the window leads to an inhabited room?" observed Girdel.
"Then we can explain our perilous position. We will not be likely totumble into a policeman's house."
"Let u
s hope for the best," replied Girdel.
At the same moment a terrific crash was heard and Fanfaro saw hisfoster-father sink away. Girdel had unconsciously trodden on awindow-pane and fallen through!
"That is a new way of paying visits," cried a voice which Fanfarothought he recognized, and while Girdel made desperate attempts to swinghimself again on the roof, a hand armed with a tallow candle appearedin the opening.
"I will light the gentlemen," continued the voice.
"Bobichel, is it you?" cried Fanfaro, joyously.
"Certainly, and I ought to know you," was the reply; "really, the masterand Fanfaro."
"Bobichel," said Girdel, greatly astonished, "is it really you? Wethought you were dead!"
"Bah! a clown can stand a scratch; but come quickly into my room, it iscold outside."
Girdel and Fanfaro entered the small attic and Bobichel received his oldcomrades cordially.
"The ball did not hit you, then?" asked Girdel; "we thought you weregone."
"Almost," replied the clown; "I dragged myself a few steps further, withthe bullet in my side, and then sank down unconscious. When I awoke Ifound myself in the hospital at Remiremont, where I remained until aweek ago. Later on I will give you all the details. For to-day I willonly say that I arrived in Paris yesterday and rented this room here. Iexpected to find you here, and I intended to look about to-morrowmorning. What happy accident brought you here?"
"In the first place, the police," replied Fanfaro; "they hunted us likea pack of dogs a wild animal, and if we had not escaped over the roofswe would now be behind lock and key."
"But why are you pursued?" asked Bobichel, anxiously. "Do you belong tothe conspiracy of which there is so much talk?"
"Probably," replied Girdel.
"Is there a place for me in the conspiracy?" asked the clown,vivaciously, "I am without employment just now, and if you wish to takeme in tow, I--"
"We shall attend to it," said Fanfaro, cordially.
"How is little Caillette getting on?" asked Bobichel, after a pause.
"Very well, thank you. We shall let her know to-morrow morning that weare safe."
"Then she is in Paris, too?"
"Certainly. We lived up till now in the Golden Calf. However, we mustlook for other rooms now. We can speak about that to-morrow. Let us goto sleep now, it must be very late," said Girdel; and looking at hiswatch, he added: "Really it is two o'clock."
"Bobichel's eyes knew that long ago," laughed Fanfaro. "Go to bed, oldfriend, you are tired."
"Oh, I am not tired," said the clown, yawning in spite of himself. "Iwill not go to bed after I have found you again."
"You must do so, Bobichel," said Fanfaro, earnestly. "You are still weakand must husband your strength. Go calmly to bed. Girdel and I havestill a great deal to consider, and we are both glad that we need notcamp in the street."
Bobichel hesitated no longer; he threw himself on his hard couch and inless than five minutes he was fast asleep.
As soon as Girdel found himself alone with Fanfaro, he said, in ananxious voice:
"Fanfaro, tell me what ails you. I know you too well not to be awarethat something extraordinary has happened. Place confidence in me;perhaps I can help you."
"If you only could," sighed Fanfaro; "but you are right, I will tellyou all. First, Papa Girdel, I must ask you a few questions about mypast--"
"Speak; what do you wish to know?"
"What did you find out about my mother?"
"That she was the victim of a conflagration. She was in a farmhousewhich had been set fire to by Cossacks."
"And my father?"
"He died the death of a hero, fighting for his country."
"As far as my memory goes," said Fanfaro, pensively, "I was in a large,dark room. It must have been a subterranean chamber. My parents hadintrusted my little sister to my care. I held her by the hand, butsuddenly I lost her and could never find her again."
"I know, I know," said Girdel, sorrowfully.
"Since this evening," continued the young man, "I have been thinking ofmy poor little Louison. I have not been able to tell you yet that arespectable young girl, who earns her living by singing, was forciblyabducted from the Golden Calf this evening."
"Impossible! Monsieur Aube is a brave man," exclaimed Girdel,impatiently.
"Ah! Aube knows nothing of the matter. He is innocent. The villain whodid it is a bad man, who has already crossed our path."
"And his name?"
"Vicomte de Talizac."
"Talizac? Has this family got a thousand devils in its service? It wasthe vicomte's father, the Marquis of Fougereuse, who wished to kill usat Sainte-Ame; his steward ran to Remiremont to get the police."
"Like father like son. The proverb says that the apple doesn't fall farfrom the tree. The young girl whom Talizac abducted is named Louison,and I--"
"My poor boy, you do not really think--"
"That this Louison is my poor lost sister? Yes, I fear so, Papa Girdel.When I heard the name, I trembled in every limb, and since then thethought haunts me. If I knew that Louison were dead I would thank God onmy knees, but it is terrible to think that she is in the power of thatscoundrel. The fact that Robeckal has a hand in the affair stamps it atonce as a piece of villany."
"Robeckal is the vicomte's accomplice?" cried Girdel, springing up. "Oh,Fanfaro, why did you not say so at once? We must not lose a minute! Ah,now I understand all! Robeckal abducted the poor child and brought it toRolla. I know they are both in Paris, and I will move heaven and earthto find them!"
"May God reward you, Papa Girdel," said Fanfaro, with deep emotion. "Iwill in the meantime try to find the invalid with whom the street-singerlives, and--"
"Is there nothing for Bobichel to do?" asked the clown, sitting up inhis bed.
"Oh, Bobichel!" exclaimed Fanfaro, gratefully, "if you want to help us?"
"Of course I do. I will accompany master to Robeckal, for I also have abone to pick with the scoundrel."