The White House Part 67

"No, indeed; that is, if we are to believe your servants; for I confess, for my own part, that I have seen nothing; but your groom declares that the North Tower is visited at night by a phantom; and Vincent, your gardener, claims to have met in the garden, in the evening, a mysterious personage who fled at his approach. That at least is what Francois, your valet, told me, and he asked me if it were I who had been in the tower and in the garden at night."

Robineau, seeing that Edouard was speaking seriously, could not conceal the emotion which this news caused him.

"What!" he cried, "my servants have seen all this and have said nothing to me about it! You know so many things, Monsieur Ferulus--how does it happen that you did not know this?"

"Monseigneur," said Ferulus, "I had had wind of these vague rumors; but it seemed to me that it was useless to mention them to you until I was certain that there was something extraordinary in them."

"Why useless, pray? Am I not the owner of this chateau? Should I not be told first of everything that happens here?"

"_Recte dicis_, monseigneur; but no thief has entered the chateau, since nothing has been stolen. In that case it must have been a ghost that they saw. But are there ghosts? That is the question. The Egyptians, the Gauls, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths affirm----"

"Monsieur Ferulus, this is not a question of Ostrogoths! I want an explanation of what my servants saw that was extraordinary.--Francois, tell my groom and my gardener to come here; summon the concierge too, and the whole household, that will be the best way."

Francois went off to collect his fellows, while Cornelie said to Robineau:

"Really, monsieur, you display an interest, an eagerness, in this matter!--I can well believe that you do not believe in ghosts! Ah! mon Dieu! a cowardly man is a pitiful creature!"

"Certainly, mademoiselle, my courage is well known; my friends can tell you that we pa.s.sed the night in the mountains, in a wretched hovel, the door of which had no lock."

"Yes, mademoiselle," observed Alfred, "and that night La Roche-Noire did some things--which I would not have done."

"To be sure," said Robineau, compressing his lips. "As for ghosts, I do not believe in them the least in the world. But I propose to find out why my servants presume to spread reports which are utterly absurd."

"Oh! yes, monsieur," said Eudoxie; "we must find out what it is, for I am afraid of everything; and it would be a shameful thing to bring us to a chateau inhabited by ghosts."

"Indeed, it would be dishonorable," said Uncle Mignon in an undertone, as he followed the company, who left the table to repair to the salon, where all the servants soon arrived in a body, in accordance with their master's orders.

"Which of you is it who saw something or somebody at night in the North Tower?" asked Robineau, perching himself gracefully in a large easy-chair, while the ladies and the two young men talked together on an enormous couch at a little distance.

The servants looked at one another for some time without replying; at last Benoit stepped forward and said:

"I believe it was me, monseigneur."

"You see! he is uncertain about it already," said Ferulus; "_oculos habent et non videbunt_!"

"Monsieur Ferulus," said Robineau testily, "why do you speak Latin to my people? You know very well that they don't understand it! Parbleu! if I chose, I could speak Latin to them too; and even cookery Latin, which would be much more within their reach."

"Monseigneur, I was quoting a pa.s.sage of Scripture."

"You are a terrible man with your pa.s.sages! But, when one is with ladies, one should never use a dead language."

Ferulus bowed, and seated himself in a corner of the salon, whence he ogled Jeannette. Robineau resumed his examination.

"Tell me, Benoit, what it was that frightened you?"

"Frightened! Oh! I wasn't frightened, monseigneur! I was just surprised, that's all!"

"He is lying like a tooth-puller!" cried Mademoiselle Cheval; "he was so frightened that when he told us about it the next day he was still as pale as a turnip."

"Yes," said Cunette, who was standing behind his comrades, because he had dined and did not feel very firm upon his legs, which fact he was terribly afraid that his master would discover; but which did not prevent his persisting in talking all the time. "Yes, he was frightened!

He pretends to be brave, and he hasn't any marrow in his bones!"

"Hold your tongue, you others, and let Benoit speak.--What was it you saw at night?"

"Monseigneur," said Benoit, "I was at my window because I couldn't sleep."

"Well, you ought to sleep," said Cunette. Robineau made a threatening gesture and the concierge said no more.

"I happened to look at the old tower, where no one lives, and I saw a light in the windows on top."

"In the first place, there ain't any windows on top, because the platform's there," said Cunette under his breath.

"What did that light do?" inquired Robineau with keen interest.

"What did it do! It went back and forth; and then I didn't see it any more, monseigneur."

"Which one of you has been in the old tower at night with a candle, my men?"

"Not me," said all the servants in chorus.

"In that case, this is very peculiar," said Robineau.--"And you, Vincent, whom did you meet in the garden?"

The gardener came forward with his customary air of ill humor, wearing his livery which was hardly recognizable, it was so stained and covered with dirt, and exclaimed:

"Who did I meet? Pardi! If I knew who it was, it would be all right; but you see I don't know."

"You ought to have called for help, and to have arrested the person who dared to walk in my garden at night without my permission."

"Oho! I ought to have done that! I can't do everything all alone!

Besides, I couldn't run, my clothes are too tight for that!"

"How is this? Is this your livery, ruined like this already, Monsieur Vincent?"

"You shouldn't give me a color so easy to dirt, master, if you want me to plant and dig and water flowers; that's the trouble!"

"My friends," continued Robineau, addressing his servants, "as you don't know just what it was that frightened you, I will let it go at that for to-day; but the next time that you hear anything, or see anything suspicious in the chateau, I order you to find out instantly what it is, under pain of being discharged; because I do not choose that anyone in my service shall be afraid.--Go."

All the servants took their leave, and Robineau walked toward the ladies, saying:

"It seems to me that I talked to them rather decidedly."

"It seems to me, monsieur, that you have made a great deal of noise over nothing," said Cornelie.

"I am not so brave as my sister," said Madame de Hautmont, "and I am sure that I shall dream to-night of imps and will-o'-the-wisps, in spite of myself. And then, too, this chateau has such a Gothic appearance! In pity's name, Monsieur de la Roche-Noire, do not give us rooms very far from these gentlemen, for if I should hear anything in the night, if I should be afraid, who would come to my a.s.sistance?"

"Have no fear, madame," said Alfred, "my room also opens on the large gallery; my door is almost opposite yours; at the slightest sound I shall hasten to offer you my services."

"Ah! that is very nice, monsieur; I place myself under your safeguard, under your protection!"