"No, chevalier; but I have some terrible revelations to make to you. First of all, be good enough to give me that cordial, so that I may obtain sufficient strength to speak.—Good—thanks!"
"You seem to be in great pain.—Shall I not first——"
"No one but you and myself; for it is not now a question of preserving my life—it is my honor that must be saved—for my father's sake and my child's. Then I will die; indeed, I must; and if this wound is not sufficient, I will find some other way to put an end to my life!"
"You make me shudder!"
"When you have heard me through—then you will indeed shudder with horror.—Come here—close to my bed—so that I need not raise my voice."
The chevalier did what the wounded man desired; and then Léodgard, collecting what little strength remained to him, made his confession in a low voice.
"You will remember, Jarnonville, that time when I was at the end of my resources; I had foolishly wasted all the property that I inherited from my mother; my father, who had just paid my debts once more, had declared that I could not count upon him again. The cards continued to be unfavorable to me, and I was in debt to all my friends; I had staked and lost even my cloak! I could no longer find a Jew or a usurer to lend me money! I was in that plight, when, on returning to Paris one night from Montrevert's, where I had lost more than I could pay, we stopped near the Pont-aux-Choux. We waited there for Montrevert, who was to overtake us. He arrived at last, pale as death and disarmed; he had been attacked and robbed by Giovanni. That bold brigand had stripped me too, several months before; and, situated as I was, having nothing to lose and consequently nothing to fear, I determined to punish the villain and avenge myself. And so, refusing to let my companions go with me, I hurried away in the direction of the spot where Giovanni had attacked Montrevert.
"I walked a long while across the fields, without meeting anyone. Day was beginning to break, but the country was still deserted. I advanced slowly, avoiding making a sound with my footfall. Suddenly I saw a man within twenty yards of me, seated close to a bush and busily engaged in counting the contents of a purse; by his costume I recognized the bandit who had once attacked me. He had not observed my approach, and I was careful to get behind the bush; being behind him, I approached him, unheard. The opportunity was favorable; just as I reached him, he started to turn his head, and I ran my sword through his body; he attempted then to rise to defend himself, but I had given him a mortal blow, and I followed it with two others which stretched him dead at my feet.
"When he fell, the brigand lost his beard and his cap. They lay on the ground before me; as my eye fell on them, as I stooped to pick up two purses full of gold, a hellish thought took possession of my mind. I said to myself that no one had seen me kill Giovanni; that if I threw his body into the Fossés-Jaunes, which were near by, it would never be discovered; and, moreover, that if I should take away his weapons and his disguise, there would be nothing by which to identify the body as Giovanni's, even if it should be found. In short, the devil urged me on to my destruction. I thought of my plight, of my debts; eager for enjoyment, for dissipation, as I was, I had an insatiable thirst for gold; and with the Italian bandit's disguise it would be so easy to obtain it!—Ah! my brain was in a whirl—I was in a fever—a delirium, no doubt; those thoughts were horrible; but instead of spurning them, I dragged Giovanni's body to the Fossés-Jaunes and threw it in; then, carefully concealing in some thick bushes the robber's weapons, cloak, and cap, I returned to my friends, and told them that, after an indecisive battle, Giovanni had escaped my vengeance once more. A few days later the celebrated brigand began once more to attack and rob the good people of Paris.—Ah! you shudder, Jarnonville, you turn your face away!—I must be an object of horror to you.—Yes, I am a vile wretch!—This is what the thirst for gold, unbridled passions, may lead to—crime—forgetfulness of all that is most sacred, most worthy of respect!—However, I have not, at all events, to reproach myself with bloodshed. No! my presence caused such a panic, that those whom I detained never thought of defending themselves, but instantly turned over all that they possessed.—I am none the less an infamous villain!—To-day, the Providence that I defied has put an end to my crimes.—Ah, me! if I had listened to the cry of nature, if I had obeyed that delicious sentiment to which the sight of my daughter, my Blanche, gave birth in my heart!—Leaving the career of crime forever, perhaps these ghastly passages of my life would never have become known, the honor of my name would have been safe.—O father! this is what I held in reserve for your old age! And my daughter! my daughter!"
Léodgard paused, his eyes closed; he could say no more.