"De Balzac, Honore - Modeste Mignon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Balzac Honore De)

Latournelle. "Butscha knows very well that a mere glance at Modeste
would cost him a Breton ducking. Not a soul has any communication with
this house. Madame Latournelle who takes Modeste to church ever since
your--your misfortune, madame, has carefully watched her on the way
and all through the service, and has seen nothing suspicious. In
short, if I must confess the truth, I have myself raked all the paths
about the house every evening for the last month, and found no trace
of footsteps in the morning."

"Rakes are neither costly nor difficult to handle," remarked the
daughter of Germany.

"But the dogs?" cried Dumay.

"Lovers have philters even for dogs," answered Madame Mignon.

"If you are right, my honor is lost! I may as well blow my brains
out," exclaimed Dumay.

"Why so, Dumay?" said the blind woman.

"Ah, madame, I could never meet my colonel's eye if he did not find
his daughter--now his only daughter--as pure and virtuous as she was
when he said to me on the vessel, 'Let no fear of the scaffold hinder
you, Dumay, if the honor of my Modeste is at stake.'"

"Ah! I recognize you both," said Madame Mignon in a voice of strong
emotion.

"I'll wager my salvation that Modeste is as pure as she was in her
cradle," exclaimed Madame Dumay.

"Well, I shall make certain of it," replied her husband, "if Madame la
Comtesse will allow me to employ certain means; for old troopers
understand strategy."

"I will allow you to do anything that shall enlighten us, provided it
does no injury to my last child."

"What are you going to do, Jean?" asked Madame Dumay; "how can you
discover a young girl's secret if she means to hide it?"

"Obey me, all!" cried the lieutenant, "I shall need every one of you."

If this rapid sketch were clearly developed it would give a whole
picture of manners and customs in which many a family could recognize
the events of their own history; but it must suffice as it is to
explain the importance of the few details heretofore given about
persons and things on the memorable evening when the old soldier had
made ready his plot against the young girl, intending to wrench from