Tales Of The Trains Part 10

"'Ihave heard of him, but no more.'

"'What a "fripon" he is! There is not such a scoundrel living; but I 'll have him yet. Let him not think to escape me! Pardon, Madame, does my tail inconvenience you?'

"'Not at all, sir. Pray don't stir.'

"I must say that, in his excitement, the beast whisked the appendage to and fro with his paw in a very furious manner.

"'Only conceive, Madame, I have pa.s.sed the night in the open air; hunted, chased, pursued,--all on account of the accursed M. Laborde.

I that was reared in a warm climate, brought up in every comfort, and habituated to the most tender care,--exposed, during six hours, to the damp dews of a night in the Bois de Boulogne. I know it will fall on my chest, or I shall have an attack of rheumatism. Ah, _mon Dieu!_ if I shouldn't be able to climb and jump, it would be better for me to be dead.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: 622]

"'No, no,' said I, trying to soothe him, 'don't say that. Here am I, very happy and contented, and could n't spring over a street gutter if you gave me the Tuileries for doing it.'

"'"What has that to say to it?' cried he, fiercely. 'Our instincts and pursuits are very different.'

"'Yes, thank G.o.d,' muttered I, below my breath, 'I trust they are.'

"'You live at Versailles,' said he, suddenly. 'Do you happen to know Antoine Geoffroy, greffier of the Tribunal?'

"'Yes, _parbleu!_' said I; 'he is my husband.'

"'Oh, Madame! what good fortune! He is the only man in France can a.s.sist me. I want him to catch M. Laborde. When can I see him?'

"'He will be down in the ten o'clock train,' said I. 'You can see him then, Rue du Pet.i.t Lait.'

"'Ah, but where shall I lie concealed till then? If they should overtake me and catch me,--if they found me out, I should be ruined.'

"'Come with me, then. I 'll hide you safe enough.'

"The beast fell on its knees, and kissed my hand like a Christian, and muttered his grat.i.tude till we reached the station.

"Early as it was--only six o'clock--I confess I did not half like the notion of taking the creature's arm, which he offered me, as we got out; but I was so fearful of provoking him, knowing their vindictive nature, that I a.s.sented with as good a grace as I was able; and away we went, he holding his tail festooned over his wrist, and carrying my carpet-bag in the other hand. So full was he of his anger against M. Laborde, and his grat.i.tude to me, that he could talk of nothing else as we went along, nor did he pay the slightest attention to the laughter and jesting our appearance excited from the workmen who pa.s.sed by.

"'Madame has good taste in a cavalier,' cried one.

"'There 'll be a reward for that fellow to-morrow or next day,' cried another.

"'Yes, yes,--he is the biggest in the whole Jardin des Plantes,' said a third.

"Such were the pleasant commentaries that met my ears, even at that quiet hour.

"When we reached the Rue du Pet.i.t Lait, however, a very considerable crowd followed us, consisting of laborers and people on their way to work; and I a.s.sure you I repented me sorely of the good nature that had exposed me to such consequences; for the mob pressed us closely, many being curious to examine the creature near, and some even going so far as to pat him with their hands, and take up the tip of his tail in their fingers. The beast, however, with admirable tact, never spoke a word, but endured the annoyance without any signs of impatience,--hoping, of course, that the house would soon screen him from their view; but only think of the bad luck. When we arrived at the door, we rung and rung, again and again, but no one came. In fact, the servant, not expecting me home before noon, had spent the night at a friend's house; and there we were, in the open street, with a crowd increasing every moment around us.

"'What is to be done?' said I, in utter despair; but before I had even uttered the words, the beast disengaged himself from me, and, springing to the 'jalousies,' scrambled his way up to the top of them. In a moment more he was in the window of the second story, and then, again ascending in the same way, reached the third, the mob hailing him with cries of 'Bravo, Singe!--well done, ape!--mind your tail, old fellow!--that's it, monkey!'--and so on, until with a bound he sprung in through an open window, and then, popping out his head, and with a gesture of little politeness, made by his outstretched fingers on his nose, he cried out, 'Messieurs, j'ai l'honneur de vous saluer.'

"If every beast in the Jardin des Plantes, from the giraffe down to the chimpanzee, had spoken, the astonishment could not have been more general; at first the mob were struck mute with amazement, but, after a moment, burst forth into a roar of laughter.

"'Ah! I know that fellow,--I have paid twenty sons to see him before now,' cried one.

"'So have I,' said another; 'and it's rare fun to look at him cracking nuts, and swinging himself on the branch of a tree by his tail.'

"At this moment the door opened, and I slipped in without hearing farther of the commentaries of the crowd. In a little time the servant returned, and prepared the breakfast; and although, as you may suppose, I was very ignorant what was exactly the kind of entertainment to set before my guest, I got a great dish of apples and a plate of chestnuts, and down we sat to our meal.

"'That was a ring at the door, I think,' said he; and as he spoke, my husband entered the room.

"'Ah! you here?' cried he, addressing M. le Singe.

'_Parbleu!_ there's a pretty work in Paris about you,--it is all over the city this morning that you are off.'

"'And the Director?' said the ape.

"'The old bear, he is off too.'

"'So, thought I to myself,--' 'it would appear the other beasts have made their escape too.'

"'Then, I suppose,' said the ape, 'there will be no catching him.'

"'I fear not,' said my husband; 'but if they do succeed in overtaking the old fox, they 'll have the skin off him.'

"Cruel enough, thought I to myself, considering it was the creature's instinct.

"'These, however, are the orders of the Court; and when you have signed this one, I shall set off in pursuit of him at once.' So said my husband, as he produced a roll of papers from his pocket, which the ape perused with the greatest avidity.

"'He'll be for crossing the water, I warrant.'

"'No doubt of it,' said my husband. 'France will be too hot for him for a while.'

"'Poor beast,' said I, 'he'll be happier in his native snows.'

"At this they both laughed heartily; and the ape signed his name to the papers, and brushed the sand over them with the tip of his tail.

"'We must get back to Paris at once,' said he, 'and in a coach too, for I cannot have a mob after me again.'

"'Leave that to me,' said my husband. 'I'll see you safely home.

Meanwhile let me lend you a cloak and a hat;' and, with these words, he dressed up the creature so that when the collar was raised you would not have known him from that gentleman opposite.

"'Adieu,' said he, 'Madame,' with a wave of his hand, '_au revoir_, I hope, if it would give you any pleasure to witness our little performances--'

"'No, no,' said I, 'there's a small creature goes about here, on an organ, in a three-cornered c.o.c.ked-hat and a red coat, and I can have him for half an hour for two sous.'

"'Votre serviteur, Madame,' said he, with an angry whisk of his tail; for although I did not intend it, the beast was annoyed at my remark.

"Away they went, Messieurs, and from that hour to this I never heard more of the creature, nor of his companions; for my husband makes it a rule never to converse on topics relating to his business,--and it seems he was, somehow or other, mixed up in the transaction."

"But, Madame," cried one of the pa.s.sengers, "you don't mean to palm this fable on us for reality, and make us believe something more absurd than aesop himself ever invented?"

"If it be only an impertinent allegory," said the old gentleman opposite, "I must say, it is in the worst possible taste."