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The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Chapter 11. The Corsican Ogre (1)

Chapter 11. The Corsican Ogre (1)

At the sight of this agitation Louis XVIII. pushed from him violently the table at which he was sitting.

"What ails you, baron?" he exclaimed. "You appear quite aghast. Has your uneasiness anything to do with what M. de Blacas has told me, and M. de Villefort has just confirmed?" M. de Blacas moved suddenly towards the baron, but the fright of the courtier pleaded for the forbearance of the statesman; and besides, as matters were, it was much more to his advantage that the prefect of police should triumph over him than that he should humiliate the prefect.

"Sire"--stammered the baron. "Well, what is it?" asked Louis XVIII. The minister of police, giving way to an impulse of despair, was about to throw himself at the feet of Louis XVIII., who retreated a step and frowned.

"Will you speak?" he said.

"Oh, sire, what a dreadful misfortune! I am, indeed, to be pitied. I can never forgive myself!" "Monsieur," said Louis XVIII., "I command you to speak." "Well, sire, the usurper left Elba on the 26th February, and landed on the 1st of March." "And where? In Italy?" asked the king eagerly.

"In France, sire,--at a small port, near Antibes, in the Gulf of Juan." "The usurper landed in France, near Antibes, in the Gulf of Juan, two hundred and fifty leagues from Paris, on the 1st of March, and you only acquired this information to-day, the 4th of March! Well, sir, what you tell me is impossible. You must have received a false report, or you have gone mad." "Alas, sire, it is but too true!" Louis made a gesture of indescribable anger and alarm, and then drew himself up as if this sudden blow had struck him at the same moment in heart and countenance.

"In France!" he cried, "the usurper in France! Then they did not watch over this man. Who knows? they were, perhaps, in league with him." "Oh, sire," exclaimed the Duc de Blacas, "M. Dandre is not a man to be accused of treason! Sire, we have all been blind, and the minister of police has shared the general blindness, that is all." "But"--said Villefort, and then suddenly checking himself, he was silent; then he continued, "Your pardon, sire," he said, bowing, "my zeal carried me away. Will your majesty deign to excuse me?" "Speak, sir, speak boldly," replied Louis. "You alone forewarned us of the evil; now try and aid us with the remedy." "Sire," said Villefort, "the usurper is detested in the south; and it seems to me that if he ventured into the south, it would be easy to raise Languedoc and Provence against him." "Yes, assuredly," replied the minister; "but he is advancing by Gap and Sisteron." "Advancing--he is advancing!" said Louis XVIII. "Is he then advancing on Paris?" The minister of police maintained a silence which was equivalent to a complete avowal.

"And Dauphine, sir?" inquired the king, of Villefort. "Do you think it possible to rouse that as well as Provence?" "Sire, I am sorry to tell your majesty a cruel fact; but the feeling in Dauphine is quite the reverse of that in Provence or Languedoc. The mountaineers are Bonapartists, sire." "Then," murmured Louis, "he was well informed. And how many men had he with him?" "I do not know, sire," answered the minister of police. "What, you do not know! Have you neglected to obtain information on that point? Of course it is of no consequence," he added, with a withering smile. "Sire, it was impossible to learn; the despatch simply stated the fact of the landing and the route taken by the usurper." "And how did this despatch reach you?" inquired the king. The minister bowed his head, and while a deep color overspread his cheeks, he stammered out,--

"By the telegraph, sire." --Louis XVIII. advanced a step, and folded his arms over his chest as Napoleon would have done.


Chapter 11. The Corsican Ogre (1) Capítulo 11. El ogro corso (1) Глава 11. Корсиканский людоед (1)

At the sight of this agitation Louis XVIII. pushed from him violently the table at which he was sitting.

"What ails you, baron?" he exclaimed. "You appear quite aghast. « Vous avez l'air assez atterré. Has your uneasiness anything to do with what M. de Blacas has told me, and M. de Villefort has just confirmed?" M. de Blacas moved suddenly towards the baron, but the fright of the courtier pleaded for the forbearance of the statesman; and besides, as matters were, it was much more to his advantage that the prefect of police should triumph over him than that he should humiliate the prefect. M. de Blacas se dirigea tout à coup vers le baron, mais l'effroi du courtisan implorait la patience de l'homme d'État ; et d'ailleurs, en l'état, il était bien plus à son avantage que le préfet de police triomphe de lui que de l'humilier le préfet.

"Sire"--stammered the baron. "Well, what is it?" asked Louis XVIII. The minister of police, giving way to an impulse of despair, was about to throw himself at the feet of Louis XVIII., who retreated a step and frowned.

"Will you speak?" he said.

"Oh, sire, what a dreadful misfortune! I am, indeed, to be pitied. Je suis, en effet, à plaindre. I can never forgive myself!" "Monsieur," said Louis XVIII., "I command you to speak." "Well, sire, the usurper left Elba on the 26th February, and landed on the 1st of March." "And where? In Italy?" asked the king eagerly.

"In France, sire,--at a small port, near Antibes, in the Gulf of Juan." "The usurper landed in France, near Antibes, in the Gulf of Juan, two hundred and fifty leagues from Paris, on the 1st of March, and you only acquired this information to-day, the 4th of March! Well, sir, what you tell me is impossible. You must have received a false report, or you have gone mad." "Alas, sire, it is but too true!" Louis made a gesture of indescribable anger and alarm, and then drew himself up as if this sudden blow had struck him at the same moment in heart and countenance. Louis fit un geste d'une colère et d'un effroi indescriptibles, puis se redressa comme si ce coup soudain l'avait frappé à la fois au cœur et au visage.

"In France!" he cried, "the usurper in France! Then they did not watch over this man. Alors ils n'ont pas veillé sur cet homme. Who knows? they were, perhaps, in league with him." ils étaient peut-être de connivence avec lui. "Oh, sire," exclaimed the Duc de Blacas, "M. Dandre is not a man to be accused of treason! Sire, we have all been blind, and the minister of police has shared the general blindness, that is all." "But"--said Villefort, and then suddenly checking himself, he was silent; then he continued, "Your pardon, sire," he said, bowing, "my zeal carried me away. "Mais", a dit Villefort, et puis tout à coup se retenant, il s'est tu ; puis il reprit : « Pardon, Sire, dit-il en s'inclinant, mon zèle m'a emporté. -- Но, -- сказал Вильфор и вдруг, спохватившись, промолчал; затем он продолжал: «Извините, сир, — сказал он, кланяясь, — мое рвение увлекло меня. Will your majesty deign to excuse me?" "Speak, sir, speak boldly," replied Louis. "You alone forewarned us of the evil; now try and aid us with the remedy." "Sire," said Villefort, "the usurper is detested in the south; and it seems to me that if he ventured into the south, it would be easy to raise Languedoc and Provence against him." "Yes, assuredly," replied the minister; "but he is advancing by Gap and Sisteron." "Advancing--he is advancing!" said Louis XVIII. "Is he then advancing on Paris?" The minister of police maintained a silence which was equivalent to a complete avowal.

"And Dauphine, sir?" inquired the king, of Villefort. "Do you think it possible to rouse that as well as Provence?" "Sire, I am sorry to tell your majesty a cruel fact; but the feeling in Dauphine is quite the reverse of that in Provence or Languedoc. The mountaineers are Bonapartists, sire." "Then," murmured Louis, "he was well informed. And how many men had he with him?" "I do not know, sire," answered the minister of police. "What, you do not know! Have you neglected to obtain information on that point? Of course it is of no consequence," he added, with a withering smile. Bien sûr, cela n'a aucune conséquence", a-t-il ajouté, avec un sourire foudroyant. "Sire, it was impossible to learn; the despatch simply stated the fact of the landing and the route taken by the usurper." "And how did this despatch reach you?" — Et comment cette dépêche vous est-elle parvenue ? inquired the king. The minister bowed his head, and while a deep color overspread his cheeks, he stammered out,--

"By the telegraph, sire." --Louis XVIII. advanced a step, and folded his arms over his chest as Napoleon would have done. avança d'un pas et croisa les bras sur sa poitrine comme aurait fait Napoléon.