An Historical Mystery Part 29

Those who have the means of judging, and who have known persons who were well-informed, are fully aware that Bonaparte was handled like a child by Talleyrand and Fouche, who were determined to alienate him irrevocably from the House of Bourbon, whose agents were even then, at the last moment, endeavoring to negotiate with the First Consul."

"Talleyrand was playing whist in the salon of Madame de Luynes," said a personage who had been listening attentively to de Marsay's narrative.

"It was about three o'clock in the morning, when he pulled out his watch, looked at it, stopped the game, and asked his three companions abruptly and without any preface whether the Prince de Conde had any other children than the Duc d'Enghien. Such an absurd inquiry from the lips of Talleyrand caused the utmost surprise. 'Why do you ask us what you know perfectly well yourself?' they said to him. 'Only to let you know that the House of Conde comes to an end at this moment.'

Now Monsieur de Talleyrand had been at the hotel de Luynes the entire evening, and he must have known that Bonaparte was absolutely unable to grant the pardon."

"But," said Eugene de Rastignac, "I don't see in all this any connection with Madame de Cinq-Cygnes and her troubles."

"Ah, you were so young at that time, my dear fellow; I forgot to explain the conclusion. You all know the affair of the abduction of the Comte de Gondreville, then senator of the Empire, for which the Simeuse brothers and the two d'Hauteserres were condemned to the galleys,--an affair which did, in fact, lead to their death."

De Marsay, entreated by several persons present to whom the circ.u.mstances were unknown, related the whole trial, stating that the mysterious abductors were five sharks of the secret service of the ministry of the police, who were ordered to obtain the proclamations of the would-be Directory which Malin had surrept.i.tiously taken from his house in Paris, and which he had himself come to Gondreville for the express purpose of destroying, being convinced at last that the Empire was on a sure foundation and could not be overthrown. "I have no doubt,"

added de Marsay, "that Fouche took the opportunity to have the house searched for the correspondence between Malin and Louis XVIII., which was always kept up, even during the Terror. But in this cruel affair there was a private element, a pa.s.sion of revenge in the mind of the leader of the party, a man named Corentin, who is still living, and who is one of those subaltern agents whom nothing can replace and who makes himself felt by his amazing ability. It appears that Madame, then Mademoiselle de Cinq-Cygne, had ill-treated him on a former occasion when he attempted to arrest the Simeuse brothers. What happened afterwards in connection with the senator's abduction was the result of his private vengeance.

"These facts were known, of course, to Malin, and through him to Louis XVIII. You may therefore," added de Marsay, turning to the Princesse de Cadignan, "explain the whole matter to the Marquise de Cinq-Cygne, and show her why Louis XVIII. thought fit to keep silence." ADDENDUM

The following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy.

Beauvisage The Member for Arcis

Berthier, Alexandre The Chouans

Bonaparte, Lucien The Vendetta

Bordin The Seamy Side of History The Commission in Lunacy Jealousies of a Country Town

Cinq-Cygne, Laurence, Comtesse (afterwards Marquise de) The Secrets of a Princess The Seamy Side of History The Member for Arcis

Corentin The Chouans Scenes from a Courtesan's Life The Middle Cla.s.ses

Derville Gobseck A Start in Life Father Goriot Colonel Chabert Scenes from a Courtesan's Life

Duroc, Gerard-Christophe-Michel A Woman of Thirty

Espard, Jeanne-Clementine-Athenais de Blamont-Chauvry, Marquise d'

The Commission in Lunacy A Distinguished Provincial at Paris Scenes from a Courtesan's Life Letters of Two Brides Another Study of Woman The Secrets of a Princess A Daughter of Eve Beatrix

Fouche, Joseph The Chouans Scenes from a Courtesan's Life

Giguet, Colonel The Member for Arcis

Gondreville, Malin, Comte de A Start in Life Domestic Peace The Member for Arcis

Gothard The Member for Arcis

Goujet, Abbe The Member for Arcis

Grandlieu, Duc Ferdinand de The Thirteen A Bachelor's Establishment Modeste Mignon Scenes from a Courtesan's Life

Granville, Vicomte de A Second Home Farewell (Adieu) Cesar Birotteau Scenes from a Courtesan's Life A Daughter of Eve Cousin Pons

Grevin A Start in Life The Member for Arcis

Hauteserre, D'

The Member for Arcis

Lefebvre, Robert Cousin Betty

Lenoncourt, Duc de The Lily of the Valley Cesar Birotteau Jealousies of a Country Town Beatrix

Louis XVIII., Louis-Stanislas-Xavier The Chouans The Seamy Side of History Scenes from a Courtesan's Life The Ball at Sceaux The Lily of the Valley Colonel Chabert The Government Clerks

Marion (of Arcis) The Member for Arcis

Marion (brother) The Member for Arcis

Marsay, Henri de The Thirteen The Unconscious Humorists Another Study of Woman The Lily of the Valley Father Goriot Jealousies of a Country Town Ursule Mirouet A Marriage Settlement Lost Illusions A Distinguished Provincial at Paris Letters of Two Brides The Ball at Sceaux Modeste Mignon The Secrets of a Princess A Daughter of Eve

Maufrigneuse, d.u.c.h.esse de The Secrets of a Princess Modeste Mignon Jealousies of a Country Town The Muse of the Department Scenes from a Courtesan's Life Letters of Two Brides Another Study of Woman The Member for Arcis

Maufrigneuse, Georges de The Secrets of a Princess Beatrix The Member for Arcis

Maufrigneuse, Berthe de Beatrix The Member for Arcis

Michu, Francois Jealousies of a Country Town The Member for Arcis

Michu, Madame Francois The Member for Arcis

Murat, Joachim, Prince The Vendetta Colonel Chabert Domestic Peace The Country Doctor

Navarreins, Duc de A Bachelor's Establishment Colonel Chabert The Muse of the Department The Thirteen Jealousies of a Country Town The Peasantry Scenes from a Courtesan's Life The Country Parson The Magic Skin The Secrets of a Princess Cousin Betty

Peyrade Scenes from a Courtesan's Life

Rapp The Vendetta

Rastignac, Eugene de Father Goriot A Distinguished Provincial at Paris Scenes from a Courtesan's Life The Ball at Sceaux The Commission in Lunacy A Study of Woman Another Study of Woman The Magic Skin The Secrets of a Princess A Daughter of Eve The Firm of Nucingen Cousin Betty The Member for Arcis The Unconscious Humorists

Regnier, Claude-Antoine A Second Home

Simeuse, Admiral de Beatrix Jealousies of a Country Town

Steingel The Peasantry

Talleyrand-Perigord, Charles-Maurice de The Chouans The Thirteen Letters of Two Brides Gaudissart II.

Vandenesse, Comte Felix de The Lily of the Valley Lost Illusions A Distinguished Provincial at Paris Cesar Birotteau Letters of Two Brides A Start in Life The Marriage Settlement The Secrets of a Princess Another Study of Woman A Daughter of Eve

Varlet The Gondreville Mystery The Member for Arcis