"Well, suppose, to punish one of your refractory lads, you were to shut him in the cellar. A storm comes on during the night, the gutter gets choked up, the cellar fills with water, and next morning you find the little cherub drowned like a rat in his hole?"Perpignan's face was livid.
"Well, and what then?" asked he.
"Ah! now the awkward part of the matter comes. You would not care to send for the police, that might excite suspicion; the easiest thing is to dig a hole and shove the body into it."Perpignan got up and placed his back against the door.
"You know too much, M. Tantaine,--a great deal too much," said he.
Perpignan's manner was most threatening; but Tantaine still smiled pleasantly, like a child who had just committed some simply mischievous act, the results of which it cannot foresee.
"The sentence isn't heavy," he continued; "five years' penal servitude, if evidence of previous good conduct could be put in; but if former antecedents were disclosed, such as a journey to Nancy----"This was the last straw, and Perpignan broke out,--"What do you mean?" said he; "and what do you want me to do?""Only a trifling service, as I told you before. My dear sir, do not put yourself in a rage," he added, as Perpignan seemed disposed to speak again. "Was it not you who first began to talk of your, 'em--well, let us say business?"
"Then you wanted to make yourself agreeable by talking all this rot to me. Well, shall I tell you in my turn what I think?""By all means, if it will not be giving you too much trouble.""Then I tell you that you have come here on an errand which no man should venture to do alone. You are not of the age and build for business like this. It is a misfortune--a fatal one perhaps--to put yourself in my power, in such a house as this.""But, my dear sir, what is likely to happen to me?"The features of the ex-cook were convulsed with fury; he was in that mad state of rage in which a man has no control over himself.
Mechanically his hand slipped into his pocket; but before he could draw it out again, Tantaine who had not lost one of his movements, sprang upon him and grasped him so tightly by the throat that he was powerless to adopt any offensive measures, in spite of his great strength and robust build. The struggle was not a long one; the old man hurled his adversary to the ground, and placed his foot on his chest, and held him down, his whole face and figure seemingly transfigured with the glories of strength and success.
"And so you wished to stab me,--to murder a poor and inoffensive old man. Do you think that I was fool enough to enter your cut-throat door without taking proper precautions?" And as he spoke he drew a revolver from his bosom. "Throw away your knife," added he sternly.
In obedience to this mandate, Perpignan, who was now entirely demoralized, threw the sharp-pointed weapon which he had contrived to open in his pocket into a corner of the room.
"Good," said Tantaine. "You are growing more reasonable now. Of course I came alone, but do you think that plenty of people did not know where I was going to? Had I not returned to-night, do you think that my master, M. Mascarin, would have been satisfied? and how long do you think it would have been before he and the police would have been here. If you do not do all that I wish for the rest of your life, you will be the most ungrateful fellow in the world."Perpignan was deeply mortified; he had been worsted in single combat, and now he was being found out, and these things had never happened to him before.
"Well, I suppose that I must give in," answered he sulkily.
"Quite so; it is a pity that you did not think of that before.""You vexed me and made me angry."
"Just so; well, now, get up, take that chair, and let us talk reasonably."Perpignan obeyed without a word.
"Now," said Tantaine, "I came here with a really magnificent proposal.
But I adopted the course I pursued because I wished to prove to you that /you/ belonged more absolutely to Mascarin than did your wretched foreign slaves to you. You are absolutely at his mercy, and he can crush you to powder whenever he likes.""Your Mascarin is Satan himself," muttered the discomfited man. "Who can resist him?""Come, as you think thus, we can talk sensibly at last.""Well," answered Perpignan ruefully, as he adjusted his disordered necktie, "say what you like, I have no answer to make.""Let us begin at the commencement," said Tantaine. "For some days past your people have been following a certain Caroline Schimmel. A fellow of sixteen called Ambrose, a lad with a harp, was told off for this duty. He is not to be trusted. Only a night or two ago one of my men made him drunk; and fearing lest his absence might create surprise, drove him here in a cab, and left him at the corner."The ex-cook uttered an oath.
"Then you too are watching Caroline," said he. "I knew well that there was some one else in the field, but that was no matter of mine.""Well, tell me why you are watching her?"
"How can you ask me? You know that my motto is silence and discretion, and that this is a secret intrusted to my honor."Tantaine shrugged his shoulders.
"Why do you talk like that, when you know very well that you are following Ambrose on your own account, hoping by that means to penetrate a secret, only a small portion of which has been intrusted to you?" remarked he.
"Are you certain of this statement?" asked the man, with a cunning look.
"So sure that I can tell you that the matter was placed in your hands by a certain M. Catenac."The expression in Perpignan's face changed from astonishment to fear.
"Why, this Mascarin knows everything," muttered he.
