第51章

"You do not yet love me enough to have the right to run such risks.""Do be a little calmer," said Gilbert."You displayed just now a gentleness and wisdom which enchanted me.Take care; Ivan might wake and come up.""These walls are deafened, the flagging is thick; between this room and the staircase there is an alcove, a vestibule, and two large closed doors; and between the rail of this staircase and the cage of my jailer, there is a long corridor.Besides, he is capable of everything but rambling at night round my apartment; but what matters it?--Let him come to surprise us, this hateful Ivan! Iwill resign myself to everything rather than see you put your feet upon that horrible ladder again.And take my word for it, if you violate my injunction,--at that very moment before your eyes, Iwill throw myself headlong down the precipice.""You are extremely unreasonable," replied Gilbert, in a severe tone; "I must leave here at any cost.Since my ladder displeases you, instead of uttering a thousand follies, try rather to discover--"Stephen struck his forehead.

"Here is my discovery," interrupted he; "opposite this window, on the other side of the roof, there is another, which, if you can only open it, will certainly let you into some empty lofts.Where these lofts will take you I don't exactly know, for Ivan told me once when he wanted to store some broken furniture there, that he had not been able to find the entrance; but you will no doubt discover some window near, by which you can get out upon the great roof, half-way from your turret, and so you will be spared a great deal of trouble and danger.Ah! if this proves so, how proud Ishall be of finding it out."

"Now you are as I like to see you," said Gilbert; "instead of prancing like a badly-bitted horse, you are calm, and you reason.""So to reward me you will permit me to accompany you.""God forbid! and if you presume to go without my permission, Iswear to you that I will never come here again."And as Stephane resisted and chafed, Gilbert took his head between his hands, and drawing him to his breast, pressed a paternal kiss on his forehead, just at the roots of his hair.This kiss produced an extraordinary effect, which alarmed him; Stephane shuddered from head to foot, and a cry escaped him.

"Awkward fellow that I am," said Gilbert in an uneasy tone; "I have wounded you without intending it.""No," murmured he, "it is of no consequence; but that was the place where my mother used to kiss me.May the saints be with you.Ilove you.Good-bye!"

And thus speaking he covered his face which was on fire, with both hands.

Ah! if Gilbert had understood! But he divined nothing; he descended to the roof, crossed it, and discovered as he groped about, a window, all the panes of which were broken; which saved him the trouble of opening it.When he found himself in the lofts, he lighted the candle which he had taken the precaution to bring in his pocket.The place which he had just entered was a wretched garret, three or four feet wide.In front of him he noticed four or five steps, ascended them, and opened an old door without any fastening.This let him into a vast corridor, which had no visible place of exit at the other end; it was infested by spiders and rats, and encumbered with dilapidated old furniture.Gilbert discovered, on raising his eyes, that he was in the mansard, lighted by the great dormer window.The bolt which held the shutter was so high up that he could not reach it with his hand.

An old rickety table stood in the corner, buried under a triple coating of dust.Having reached the window by its aid, Gilbert drew the bolt; he mounted upon the roof and, supporting himself by one of the projecting timbers of the pediment, restored the shutter to its embrasure and fastened it as well as he could; after which he made his way once more towards the small roof; for, before returning to his lodging, it was necessary at any cost to detach and draw up the rope, an unimpeachable witness which would have testified against him.While Gilbert was extended at length, fully occupied in this delicate operation, Stephane, standing at his window and trembling like a leaf, was tearing his handkerchief with his beautiful teeth.The ladder withdrawn, Gilbert cried out to him:

"Your lofts are admirable.Hereafter, coming to see you will only be a pleasure trip."When he found himself again upon his balcony, dawn began to break, and a screech owl, returning from his hunt after field mice, passed before him and regained his hole.Gilbert waved his hand to this nocturnal adventurer whose confrere he felt himself, and leaping lightly into his room, was sleeping profoundly in five minutes.At the same moment Stephane, raising his eyes to the holy images to which he had given such terrible blows, exclaimed with a passionate gesture: "Oh! St.George, St.Sergius, help me to keep my secret."