Avarice - Anger: Two of the Seven Cardinal Sins

"I don't, I am sure, monsieur."

Segoffin would perhaps have attempted to prolong the illusion by endowing the light with all the other colours of the rainbow, but the approach of another and even greater danger extinguished his inventive genius.

He heard Sabine's voice only a few feet from him, exclaiming:

"What are you all looking at, my dear Suzanne?"

"Mlle. Sabine!" Segoffin mentally exclaimed. "All is lost! Poor child! Such a revelation will kill her, I fear."

CHAPTER XVI.

SEGOFFIN'S RUSE

On seeing Sabine, M. Floridor Verduron began his reverential evolutions all over again, and the girl returned his bows blushingly, for she had not expected to meet a stranger in the garden.

Segoffin, terrified at the thought that Cloarek's secret might be revealed at any moment, resolved to get the visitor away at any cost; so, interrupting him in the midst of his genuflections, he said:

"And now, M. Verduron, if you will come with me I will take you to monsieur at once."

"But my father has gone out, Segoffin," said Sabine.

"Never mind, mademoiselle, I know where to find him."

"But it would be much better for monsieur to wait for my father here, I think," insisted the girl. "He said he would soon be back, and if you go out in search of him you run a great risk of missing him, Segoffin, and of giving this gentleman a long walk for nothing, perhaps."

"No, no, mademoiselle, it is such a delightful day monsieur will enjoy a little walk, and I know a very pleasant road your father is sure to return by."

"But he might not return that way, Segoffin," interposed Suzanne, favourably disposed toward the visitor, by reason of his extreme politeness, and consequently anxious to enjoy his society as long as possible.

"But I tell you that — "

"My good friend," interrupted M. Verduron, "I must admit that I am too gallant, or rather not sufficiently unselfish, to debar myself of the pleasure of waiting here for the return of — "

"Very well, very well," interposed Segoffin, quickly, "we won't say any more about it. I thought mine would be the better plan; but it doesn't matter in the least, in fact, now I think of it, there is something particular that I want to speak to you about. I only ask two minutes of your time — "

"Two minutes, fair ladies!" exclaimed the visitor, laughing, "as if two minutes spent out of such delightful society was not two centuries of time."

"Ah, monsieur, you are really too kind," exclaimed Suzanne, bridling coquettishly in her delight at this new compliment.

"You will have to make up your mind to it, Segoffin," said Sabine, who was beginning to find M. Verduron very amusing.

"But I really must speak to you in private, monsieur, and at once," exclaimed the head gunner, greatly alarmed now.

"Come, come, my worthy friend, don't speak in such thunder tones, you will frighten these fair ladies," said M. Verduron, too anxious to exercise his fascinations upon the ladies to comply with Segoffin's request. "I will promise you a private audience after they have deprived us of the light of their presence, but not until then."

"But at least listen to what I have to say," insisted poor Segoffin, desperate now, and trying to get near enough to the visitor to whisper a few words in his ear.

But that gentleman hastily drew back with a loud laugh.

"No whispering in the presence of ladies, man! What do you take me for, a savage, a cannibal? This indiscreet friend of mine seems to be resolved to ruin me in your estimation, my dear ladies."

"Oh, you have no idea how obstinate M. Segoffin is," remarked Suzanne. "When he once gets anything into his head there is no moving him."

The head gunner made no reply. Foiled in his efforts to get the visitor away, he now came a little closer to the trio, with the expression of a person who is prepared for the worst.

"So it is to Mlle. Cloarek that I have the honour of speaking," said the ship owner, gallantly, turning to Sabine.

"Yes, monsieur, and you, I understand, are one of my father's friends."

"He has no more devoted friend and admirer, I assure you, mademoiselle. I should be very ungrateful if I were not; I am under such great obligations to him."

"My father has been fortunate enough to render you some service, then, monsieur."

"Some service, mademoiselle? He has made my fortune for me."

"Your fortune, and how?" asked Sabine, much surprised.

"Why, mademoiselle," interrupted Segoffin, hastily, "it is in this gentleman's interest that your father has made so many — so many trips."

"That is true, mademoiselle," replied the ship owner, "and every one, almost without exception, has yielded rich returns."

"Yes, he is a great manufacturer," whispered Segoffin, edging in between Sabine and Suzanne. "We sell lots of goods for him during our trips."

"Then you are at least partially accountable for the anxiety which my father's frequent absences cause me, monsieur," remarked Sabine.

"And you have no idea how unreasonable mademoiselle is, monsieur," chimed in Suzanne. "She frets just as much as if her father were really in some danger — "

"Some danger! Ah, my dear lady, you may well say — "

"Yes, it is astonishing how people deceive themselves," interrupted Segoffin, with great volubility. "Everybody thinks that everybody else has an easy time of it, and because a person makes a good deal of money, other people think he has only to stop and rake it up."

"Appearances are, indeed, very deceitful, my dear young lady," remarked the ship owner, "and though your father makes so light of the danger he incurs, I assure you that in the last fight — "

"Fight?" exclaimed the young girl, in astonishment; "fight?"

"What fight are you speaking of, monsieur?" asked Suzanne, in her turn, no less amazed.

"Why, a desperate fight, a fight to the death," whispered Segoffin, "with a merchant who didn't find our goods to his taste, but M. Cloarek and I finally succeeded so well in bringing him around to our way of thinking that he ended by taking a hundred pieces from us — "

"What on earth is the fellow talking about, my dear ladies?" cried M. Verduron, who had tried several times to interrupt Segoffin, but in vain. "Has my worthy friend gone stark, staring mad?"

"Mad!" exclaimed Segoffin, in a voice of thunder. Then advancing toward M. Verduron, he said, in threatening tones:

"You call me a madman, do you, you old rascal!"

For the fact is the head gunner, finding himself at the end of his resources, and despairing of averting the evil moment much longer, had resolved upon heroic measures; so, taking advantage of the amazement of the ship owner, who was very naturally stupefied by this sudden change of manner, Segoffin continued, in still more violent tones:

"Yes, you are an insolent old rascal, and if you try any more of your impudence on me, I'll shake you out of your boots."

"Segoffin, what are you saying, in Heaven's name?" cried Sabine, all of a tremble.

"What! you have the audacity to speak to me in this way, and in the presence of ladies, too!" exclaimed the ship owner.

"Take mademoiselle away from here at once," Segoffin said to Suzanne, sotto voce. "We are going to have a row, and it will be sure to throw her into a spasm. Get her away, get her away at once, I say."

Then, rushing upon the ship owner, and seizing him by the collar, he shouted:

"I've a great mind to hurl you down the cliff through that gap in the wall, you old bergamot-scented fop."

"Why, this poor man has gone stark, staring mad. Did any one ever see the like of it? What has happened to him?" stammered the amazed visitor.

"In God's name, take mademoiselle away!" thundered Segoffin, again turning to the housekeeper.

That lady, seeing Sabine turn pale and tremble like a leaf, had not waited to hear this injunction repeated before trying to lead Sabine to the house, but the young girl, in spite of her terror and the housekeeper's entreaties, could not be induced to leave the spot, deeming it cowardly to desert her father's friend under such circumstances; so, releasing herself from Suzanne's grasp, she approached the two men and cried, indignantly:

"Segoffin, your conduct is outrageous. In my father's name I command you to stop such scandalous behaviour at once."

"Help, help, he is strangling me!" murmured M. Verduron, feebly. "Ah, when the captain — "

The word captain sealed the ship owner's fate. In the twinkling of an eye Segoffin had seized M. Verduron around the waist, and had sprung with him over the low parapet on to the grassy slope below, where, still locked in each other's arms, they rolled unharmed to the bottom of the cliff, while Sabine, unable to control the terror which this last incident had excited, swooned in Suzanne's arms.

"Help, Thérèse, help! Mademoiselle has fainted; help!" cried the housekeeper. The servant came running in answer to the summons, and with her assistance Sabine was carried to the house.

This call was heard by Segoffin, who at once said to himself: "There is no farther cause for fear; our secret is safe!"

So he released his hold upon M. Floridor Verduron, who staggered to his feet, panting and dishevelled, and so angry that he was unable to utter a word, though his eyes spoke volumes. Segoffin, profiting by this silence, said to the ship owner, with the most good-humoured air imaginable, quite as if they were continuing a friendly conversation, in fact:

"Now, my dear M. Verduron, I will explain why I was obliged to force you to follow me to this rather lonely retreat."

"Wretch, how dare you insult me in this fashion?" yelled the ship owner, exasperated beyond endurance by the head gunner's coolness.

"It was all your fault, M. Verduron."

"My fault? How outrageous!"

"I asked you to give me a moment's conversation in private, but you wouldn't do it, so I was obliged to resort to this little manœuvre to secure it."

"Very well, very well, we will see what the captain says about all this. To place me in such a position, and in the presence of ladies!"

"I really ask your pardon for the liberty I took, M. Verduron," said Segoffin, seriously enough this time, "but upon my honour I was absolutely compelled to do it."

"What! you dare — "

"Listen to me. For several very important reasons M. Cloarek has carefully concealed from his daughter the fact that he has been engaged in privateering."

"Is that really so?" exclaimed the ship owner, his wrath giving place to profound astonishment. "Possibly that is the reason he took such pains to conceal his real name and address from me, then."

"Yes, and in order to explain his frequent absences he has given his daughter to understand that he sells dry goods on a commission, so you can understand my embarrassment when I saw you drop down upon us from the clouds."

"But why didn't you ask me to keep the secret?"

"That was what I wanted to speak to you in private about. After you refused, it was like treading on live coals to continue the conversation, and when I saw you were certain to let the cat out of the bag there was nothing for me to do but tumble you down the cliff to get you away from Mlle. Sabine and the housekeeper. It was pretty rough treatment, I admit, but I could see no other way out of the difficulty."

"I forgive you, Segoffin," said M. Verduron, magnanimously. "I must even admit that it was very clever of you to — "

"Where are they? Where are they?" shouted M. Cloarek's voice high above their heads.

"They both fell over the cliff, monsieur," replied the voice of Thérèse.

Almost immediately Yvon's head appeared above the parapet.

On seeing the ship owner, he stood a moment as if stupefied, then remembering that M. Verduron's presence imperilled the secret he was so anxious to guard, he exclaimed:

"Damnation! You here, monsieur! How dare you — "

But with three bounds Segoffin had reached the brow of the cliff.

"Don't be alarmed; Mlle. Sabine and Suzanne know nothing," he cried.

"Thank God! I can breathe again!" murmured Cloarek, relieved of a terrible apprehension.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE VOICE OF THE TEMPTER

Cloarek, reassured in regard to the probable consequences of the ship owner's visit, was anxious to ascertain the object of his coming, but it was first necessary to devise some way of helping him up the cliff, so Segoffin went in search of a rope. They threw one end of it to M. Verduron, and he soon made the ascent, thanks to its aid.

"Come in the house," said Cloarek, without making any attempt to conceal his annoyance. "I want to know why you ventured to come and search me out when I had taken such pains to conceal my identity."

"Well, to make a long story short, I came to hold a council of war with you."

"A council of war? Are you mad?"

"By no means, my brave captain, as you will profit by it to the extent of at least four or five hundred thousand francs."

"In other words, you want me to put to sea again, I suppose. But one question, here and now: What right had you to make a confidential letter that I wrote to you — what right, I say, had you to make such a letter public?"

"I thought it would give such pleasure to the many readers of the Journal, all of whom are hungering for news of the bravest and most renowned of privateers."

"You are very complimentary, I am sure, but this indiscretion on your part has annoyed me greatly."

"In that case your modesty will certainly suffer very much from the article in to-day's paper."

"What article? Let me tell you once for all — "

"Don't be alarmed, my dear captain. It merely described how the brave Captain l'Endurci conducted an attack, how like a tiger he fought, etc. It said nothing in relation to his private life."

"This is unbearable," said Cloarek, impatiently, though he was in reality greatly relieved.

"I was certainly actuated by no evil motive, in any event; besides, as Segoffin says, there is no undoing that which is done, or words to that effect."

"It is useless to discuss the matter further. You came here to ask me to put to sea again. I shall do nothing of the kind. That is the end of it."

"But it is not the end of it by any means, my dear captain. Just give me your attention for a moment. A three-master belonging to the East India Company, with two million francs in bullion, will soon be along. Two million francs, do you hear?"

"If she had ten millions aboard it would make no difference to me. I shall not put to sea again. I have said it, and I mean it."

"It is true that you have said so, my dear captain, but you will change your mind — for many reasons."

"I never go back on my word, monsieur."

"No more do I; but often, and in spite of ourselves, circumstances force — "

"Once again I tell you that I said no, and no it is."

"You said no, I admit! You will say yes, too, my dear captain," responded the ship owner, with an air of profound conviction.

"Enough, M. Verduron, enough!" cried Cloarek, stamping his foot, angrily.

"Don't irritate M. Yvon," Segoffin remarked to the ship owner, sotto voce. "I know him. You'll only bring down a terrific storm upon your head."

"All I ask, my dear captain," persisted M. Verduron, "is that you will give me your attention for five minutes, that is all."

"Go on, then."

"You will see by this clipping from an English newspaper, — and the sources of information seem to be perfectly trustworthy, by the way, — you will see that the British cruiser Vanguard which is convoying the richly laden vessel is commanded by Captain Blake."

"Captain Blake?"

"The same," replied the ship owner. "He is, as you know, one of the most daring officers in the British navy, and, unfortunately for us, he has always come off victorious in his encounters with our vessels."

"Oh, if I could only have been lucky enough to get a shot at him!" muttered Segoffin.

"You will, never fear, you old sea-wolf. As for you, my dear captain, your silence means consent, I am sure. Think of the honour, as well as the profit, to be derived from the operation: four or five hundred thousand francs and the Vanguard in tow of the Hell-hound, all in forty-eight hours."

Segoffin, who had been accustomed for years to make a profound study of his employer's physiognomy, and who had been carefully noting the effect of these proposals, said in a low tone to the ship owner, shaking his head the while:

"The bait is tempting, but he isn't going to swallow it this time."

His prognostications proved correct; the flush of anger gradually faded from Cloarek's face; his contracted features relaxed, and it was calmly, half-smilingly, that he at last said to M. Verduron:

"You are a clever tempter, but I have a talisman against you. It is the promise I have made to my daughter not to leave her again. You have seen her, and you must feel that I shall keep my word."

"Mlle. Cloarek is a charming girl. There is not the slightest doubt of that, my dear captain, but you would be very foolish to miss such a fine opportunity as this."

"It is impossible, I tell you."

"Help me persuade him, Segoffin, and then you will get your wished-for shot at Captain Blake, I promise you."

"Segoffin knows that I never break my word, M. Verduron. I said no, and no it is."

"Sacre bleu! it is amazing how atrociously selfish some people are!" exclaimed the ship owner, highly incensed by Cloarek's refusal.

"You must be jesting, M. Verduron," responded Cloarek, who could not help smiling at this outbreak. "It is all very easy for you to talk about stirring conflicts. I, for my part, should like to know which is the most selfish, you who remain safe and comfortable in your office at Dieppe, or the sailor who mans your ship, and exposes himself to all the perils of deadly combats."

"You talk as if I had to run no risk whatever," exclaimed Verduron. "You forget to say anything about the bullets I receive."

"Well, upon my word! I never knew before that you, too, were in the habit of exposing yourself to a shower of bullets!" cried Segoffin.

"Isn't my vessel under fire if I am not? And how about all the repairs, and all the damages your humble servant has to pay for? And the wounds, and the legs and arms, you have forgotten what they cost me, I suppose. Didn't I have to pay for five legs and three arms lost in that last fight of yours? Reckon them up at the rate of fifty crowns a limb, and see what they come to."

"But you must remember that you don't have to pay a sou when a man loses his head," retorted Segoffin.

"This is no subject for jesting, I want you to understand," snapped the ship owner, who was evidently becoming more and more excited, "for am I not doing everything on earth to secure you the best of crews? For don't you think, yourself, captain, that the prospect of a small pension in case of serious injuries encourages our sailors and makes regular devils of them under fire? And yet when I am bleeding myself in this fashion, I am repaid by the blackest ingratitude."

"What you say is absurd," replied Cloarek, shrugging his shoulders. "I have quadrupled your fortune."

"And because Captain l'Endurci has made all the money he wants, he doesn't care in the least whether other persons have or not," persisted the ship owner.

"There is not the slightest need of your working yourself into such a passion, Verduron," replied Cloarek. "There are plenty of brave sea-captains in Dieppe, thank Heaven! quite as capable of commanding the Hell-hound and contending successfully with Captain Blake as I am."

"Then you refuse, captain?"

"For the tenth time, yes."

"Positively?"

"Positively."

"Very well, then, captain," responded the ship owner, resolutely. "What I have been unable to obtain by persuasion and entreaties, I shall obtain in some other way."

"What does he mean?" asked Cloarek, turning to Segoffin.

"I mean that it is not easy to resign oneself to the loss of at least half a million, captain," responded Verduron, threateningly; "so, though I had no idea that you would persist in your refusal, I was prudent enough to take my precautions."

"Your precautions?"

"The Hell-hound is now in Havre, where she arrived this morning."

"Then it was the Hell-hound I saw!" cried Segoffin. "I thought I couldn't be mistaken."

"The brig is at Havre?" exclaimed Cloarek.

"Yes, M. Yvon, but disguised beyond any possibility of recognition. She has been painted gray with a broad yellow band, and not a sign of a gun is visible."

"And now will you be kind enough to tell me what all this signifies?" demanded Cloarek.

"It means that I have changed the appearance of the brig as much as possible, because all the British cruisers are on the lookout for her, and now, thanks to this disguise, you will be able to reach Jersey with little or no trouble."

"You are persistent, I must say," said Cloarek, restraining himself only by a powerful effort.

"Yes, captain, and what is more, I've got you, and I mean to keep you. The crew are wild with enthusiasm; the prospect of another voyage under you has made them frantic with delight. They expect to see you this evening, and I warn you that if you are not in Havre within an hour, they will be here in two hours."

"What! You will dare — " began Cloarek, in a voice choked with anger.

"I? Why, I have nothing to do with it, captain. It is your sailors that you will have to deal with, and you have had a chance to find out whether they are milk-sops or not. If you persist in your refusal, you will see one hundred and fifty of those dare-devils here with drums and fifes, and resolved to have their brave captain, whether or no. I am afraid those drums and fifes will destroy your incognito effectually this time."

"Wretch!" roared Cloarek, realising how entirely feasible the ship owner's plan was, and he would have precipitated himself upon his tormentor if Segoffin had not suddenly interposed his own body between the two men and said to Cloarek:

"Remember that there are white hairs under his musk-scented powder, M. Yvon."

"Oh, knock me down! Kill me, if you like! that will not prevent the crew from coming for you, nor you from going with them," snarled the ship owner.

"Don't talk so loud, gentlemen, I beg of you. I hear somebody coming now."

In another instant Suzanne appeared, pale and terrified.

"Oh, monsieur, — come, — come quick!" she cried.

"What is the matter?"

"Mademoiselle — "

"Is my daughter worse?"

"Oh, monsieur, I am so frightened, — come, come!"

Cloarek, forgetting everything else in his alarm, rushed off, leaving Segoffin and the ship owner alone together.

"M. Verduron, I tell you very plainly, you have had a narrow escape," said the head gunner. "I have only one piece of advice to give you. Get away from here as soon as possible."