"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 |
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