Show The RED ROSE ROSEBY BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS Translated Jr from m the French by Mark Mayo and published here for the first time This story do does s snot not a appear in the collected works of Dumas PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS General Marceau Marceau-A Marceau A distinguished general of the republican army engaged In suppressing the royalist revolt In la Vendee 1793 An historical personage Blanche de Beaulieu Beaulieu Daughter Daughter of the Marquis de Beaulieu leader of the royalist royalist royalist roy roy- alist Insurgents In la Ia Vendee A A A servant of the marquis devoted to the the- family and the royal cause always alwa's on the spot when wanted General Dumas Bosom Dumas Bosom friend of Marceau historical personage and father of the author Delmer Delmer A A Conventional or representative of the people under whose di direction dl- dl the campaign against the rebels I Is being carried on Carrier Carrier Carrier-Au An historical l personage pro-consul pro of Nantes noted for his brutality At At the height of his power A A. priest Scene atene L I. I Not Not ot far from Cholet In the department department- of Ia la Vendee Scene II Afterward n.-Afterward Afterward at Nantes and Paris Time Time December December January 1793 93 CHAPTER V. V V. Continued I I 1 have been slandered Marceau You iou are one of those few men to whom I desire to be bEl really known what doI doI do doSI SI I care caTe for the jud judgment of those I 1 dot do donot not t esteem 7 Listen then three assemblies assem assem blies have in turn shaken the destinies of ot France have e been summed up in one Lone man and have accomplished the task with which the age them E The constituent represented by 1 Mirabeau shook the throne the legislative legis legis- lathe embodied in Danton overthrew it t. t The work of the convention is immense immense im- im im- im mense mense for it must complete this overthrow overthrow over over- throw throw and then begin to rebuild I Ii h have ye great hopes of becoming the type of this age alte as Mirabeau and Danton were of theirs There will then be bo three men in the history of France 91 9 9 92 represented by three numbers numbe and 93 If the supreme being berng spares me till my work is done then my name will stand above all others I 1 shall have ha done one more than Lycurgus among the Greeks than Numa Nurna in in Rome or Washington Wahington in America for each of these men had but to reduce to order ordera a nation in its infancy while I have ha an obsolete social system to reg regener- regener ner- ner fate ate If I fall fall my my God save sa me from blasphemy against thee in in my mv my last hour if if I f fall Il before the goal is s reached mv my name which will have accomplished only one one-balf one half of what it had bad to do will keep the bloody stain which the otherS other S half would have obliterated The revolution revo revo- lution ution will fall faU with it and both will bs ba accursed That is what I had bad to say uY to you Marceau Jarceau for I wish there thereto to be it a few men at all events in inS whose hearts my name will live I S viled like the flame of lamp in theS the S ta tabernacle bernacle and you ou are one of those men en t He finished writing writ his name X Now ow here is your wife's pardon You on can go without even ven taking my hand Ih 1 But ut Marceau took it and clasped it w warmly He tried to speak but tears d his utterance and it was Robes Robes- who first pierce pierre spoke Come you must go o there is is not moment to lose Goodbye Marceau Jarceau rushed to the stairs On his lila w way wy r down he met General Dumas coming com corn jog ing up I r have hate her pardon cried Marceau Mar Mar- eau throwing himself into the others other's arms I I have her pardon and lanche j is saved J i H Congratulate mer too me replied his friend I I have hae just been appointed Jeneral in command of the army of the Alps and I am here her to thank Robes Robes- pierre They embraced Marceau hurried i into the street ran to the Place du Palais Egalite where his carria carriage e awaited him read ready to return with the same ume rapidity with which It had brought him What a load was lifted from his heart beart What joy awaited him What happiness after so so much sorrow His imagination plunged ed into the future He Ie saw the moment when from the threshold of the dun dungeon eon he would shout to his wife Blanche you are free I 1 have saved you Come Blanche and with your love and your kisses pay for the Ii life e you owe me inc From time to hm time however a ague uneasiness would oppress him a sudden udden shudder would seize his Dig heart Jen henhe he would urge e the on promise them gold and shower it on th them m with the promise of f still more Carria Carriage e and horses swept along at full speed peed and yet it seemed to him that scarce carce an any advance was made Every- Every I here whew relays were ready There wa was no o hindrance of any sort eort Everything Seemed to share the excitement which possessed essed him bim He had left behind him bim Ver Versailles Chartres Le Mans La Fleche he be He was already in sight ht of An Angers Suddenly he felt a violent and terrible shock The carriage was overturn overturned overturned over over- over over- turn turned d and broken braken He jumped up bruised and bleeding With a stroke of his sword be he cut the traces of one of the horses sprang prang on aD to its back and rode hard bard to the next posting postin house I There he took a saddle horse and ad continued continued con con- his journey with even en greater peed At At last he is beyond Angers He sees ingrande nr-ingrande reaches Varades passes I through Anc Ancenis n s. s His IUs horse is stream stream- streaming 1 ing inE with ith foam and blood blond He c comes comes mes within sight Bight of Saint Donation then thee of Nantes Nantes Nantes which holds his soul his life his future A few moments more and he hi will be in the city He re reaches ches the gates pates His horse bone falls lalIs belore be be- i lore the doors prison What cares net liet He has arrived Blanche Blanche I Two Two carts carts ha have 6 just left th the prison replied the keeper she he he is ill in inthe inthe the first fiut Wi With h a 8 muttered curse cune Marceau M iu rushes hes off on oil foot through the mob of people eople hurrying toward the main quate square He overtakes the second cart One Oneo o of the th condemned men recognizes him Save Have her general I could not 1 I wag caught Long Lotif live the king and nd th ife good cause It was Tin guy Yes Yes Yes I- I And Mar eaU tries to force a p postage nage b the crowd He is jo jostled hemmed in and dra dragged jt d on till at at Jen length th he reaches the main mam square f He ic is before the scaffold A young 5 woman is is bein being laid on 00 the guillotine her her head head toward the the- crowd The exec has bas raised hi his arm to release the knife He lowers Jowers it again stoops toward toward to to- ward the woman and rudely plucks dome ome object from her lips At Al that very instant from the midst of the silent ilent thron throng is heard beard a cry of fury a aery cry ery on which all the strength th of some ome human bein being seems to have been neen expended expended ex ex- ex in the frenzy of de despair pair H A A pardon I A pardon The The- executioner pauses and looks looke looks'S S 'S down upon the mob He sees stes a haggard haggard haggard hag hag- gard man struggling Jin through the foremost foremost fore fore- most ranks of ot the crowd with a a. paper held aloft A shout from the officer in command of the troops guarding irdill the scaffold stays the executioners executioner's 11 hand liend Tie The 1 e officer r reads a 8 the paper frantically thrust bore before him t then en turns and b hast hast- st st. ily mounts the steps leaning leading to the instrument in instrument in in- strument of death Marceau follows closely at his bis heels and a moment later he is clasping in his arms the now unconscious form of Blanche de do Beaulieu The headsman stands aloof After a moments moment's hesitation he moves toward Marceau and thrusts into his hand the object he had plucked from the young girls girl's irl's mouth at the very instant in instant in in- I stant when his arm was raised to re rc rc- rc lease the tho fatal knife Marceau looks at it and understands for he has recognized ree- ree the red ros rose that he gave to 1 his young youn bride I I The End |