After her death the Marquis, who had no intention of either breaking his oath or foregoing his vengeance, shut up his château and went to Paris, though it was in the height of the Terror; for he had heard that his enemy was there, and was resolved to find him. He was a cousin of the young Marquise, the Chevalier de ——, who had in the early days of their marriage stayed a good deal at the château of the Marquis de ——, and had requited the unsuspicious trust and hospitality of his host by making love to his wife. Then, influenced by the remorse and entreaties of the Marquise, he had gone to Paris, and not been heard of for some time, but was believed to be living there in concealment.
The death of his wife and the revelation she had made to him, plunged the Marquis de —— into such a fearful state that at first his reason was almost overcome; and as he gradually recovered his self-possession the idea occurred to him to take advantage for his own purposes of the rumour circulated, that grief for the loss of his wife had affected his reason.
Accordingly he pretended to be mad, and wandered all day about the streets of Paris, wearing an old Court dress and an enormous wig, talking extravagantly, making foolish jokes, but all the time looking for the Chevalier ——.
His plan succeeded perfectly. He was soon well known to the police as an ex-noble driven mad by the death of his wife, and being considered harmless, was allowed to go where he pleased unmolested.
It was the only safeguard he could have found, as his rank and well-known opinions would have otherwise marked him for destruction.
At last, one day in the rue St. Honoré, he came suddenly face to face with his enemy, disguised as a workman.
Rushing to him, he threw his arms round his neck, exclaiming—
“Eh! how are you, mon ami? I am delighted to see you, my dear Chevalier de——”
The Chevalier tried in vain to escape. The apparent madman seized him by the arm.