第116章

Happily for me, he also had an interval of reflection.The first idea that must have occurred to him was that his brother had betrayed him, by telling me one-half of the truth, so as to deliver him up to my vengeance.The second, no doubt, was that, for a son who came to avenge his dead father, I was making a good deal of delay about it.There was a momentary silence between us.This allowed me to regain my coolness, and to say: "You are mistaken,"so quietly that his amazement was visible in his face.He looked at me, then closed his eyes, and knitted his brow.I felt that he could not endure my resemblance to my father.

"Yes, you are mistaken," I continued deliberately, giving the tone of a business conversation to this terrible interview."I have not come here either to have you arrested or to kill you.Unless," Iadded, "you oblige me to do so yourself, as I feared just now you would oblige me.I have come to propose a bargain to you, but it is on the condition that you listen, as I shall speak, with coolness."Once more we were both silent.In the corridor, almost at the door of the room, there were sounds of feet, voices, and peals of laughter.This was enough to recall me to the necessity of controlling myself, and him to the consciousness that he was playing a dangerous game.A shot, a cry, and someone would enter the room, for it opened upon the corridor.Edmond Termonde had heard me with extreme attention; a gleam of hope, succeeded by a singular look of suspicion, had passed over his face.

"Make your conditions," said he.

"If I had intended to kill you," I resumed, so as to convince him of my sincerity by the evidence of his senses, "you would be dead already." I raised the revolver."If I had intended to have you arrested, I would not have taken the trouble to come here myself;two policemen would have been sufficient, for you don't forget that you are a deserter, and still amenable to the law.""True," he replied simply, and then added, following out a mental argument which was of vital importance to the issue of our interview:

"If it is not Jacques, then who is it that has sold me?""I held you at my disposal," I continued, without noticing what he had said, "and I have not availed myself of that.Therefore I had a strong reason for sparing you yesterday, ere yesterday, this morning, a little while ago, at the present moment; and it depends upon yourself whether I spare you altogether.""And you want me to believe you," he answered, pointing to my revolver which I still continued to hold in my hand, but no longer covering him with it."No, no," and he added, with an expression which smacked of the barrack-room, "I don't tumble to that sort of thing.""Listen to me," said I, now assuming a tone of extreme contempt.

"The powerful motive which I have for not shooting you like a mad dog, you shall learn.I do not choose that my mother should ever know what a man she married in your brother.Do you now understand why I resolved to let you go? Provided you are of the same mind, however; for even the idea of my mother would not stop me, if you pushed me too far.I will add, for your guidance, that the limitation by which you supposed yourself to be safe from pursuit for the murder in 1864 has been traversed; you are therefore staking your head at this moment.For ten years past you have been successfully levying blackmail on your brother.I do not suppose you have merely played upon the chord of fraternal love.When you came from America to assume the personality of Rochdale, it was clearly necessary that he should send you some instructions.You have kept those letters.I offer you one hundred thousand francs for them.""Sir," he replied slowly, and his tone showed me that for the moment he had recovered his self-control, "how can you imagine that I should take such a proposal seriously? Admitting that any such letters were ever written, and that I had kept them, why should Igive up a document of this kind to you? What security should Ihave that you would not have me laid by the heels the moment after!

Ah!" he cried, looking me straight in the face, "you know nothing!

That name! That likeness! Idiot that I am, you have tricked me."His face turned crimson with rage, and he uttered an oath.

"You shall pay for this!" he cried; and at the same instant, when he was no longer covered by my pistol, he pushed the table upon me so violently, that if I had not sprung backwards I must have been thrown down; but he already had time to fling himself upon me and seize me round the body.Happily for me the violence of the attack had knocked the pistol out of my hands, so that I could not be tempted to use it, and a struggle began between us in which not one word was spoken by either.

With his first rush he had flung me to the ground; but I was strong, and the strange premonitions of danger, from which Isuffered in my youth, had led me to develop all my physical energy and adroitness.

I felt his breath on my face, his skin upon my skin, his muscles striving against mine, and at the same time the dread that our conflict might be overheard gave me the coolness which he had lost.

After a few minutes of this tussle, and just as his strength was failing, he fastened his teeth in my shoulder so savagely that the pain of the bite maddened me.I wrenched one of my arms from his grasp and seized him by the throat at the risk of choking him.Iheld him under me now, and I struck his bead against the floor as though I meant to smash it.He remained motionless for a minute, and I thought I had killed him.I first picked up my pistol, which had rolled away to the door, and then bathed his forehead with water in order to revive him.