Chapter XXVII: The Mystery Deepens

But M. de la Rochaigue's bewilderment was by no means at an end.

The baron had fully expected to find the unseen auditors of the foregoing conversation in a state of intense consternation over M. Olivier's refusal.

Far from it.

Mlle. de Beaumesnil and Herminie, clasped in each other's arms, were laughing and crying and kissing each other in a transport of half delirious joy.

"He refused me! He refused me!" exclaimed Ernestine, in accents of ineffable delight.

"Ah, I told you that M. Olivier would not disappoint our expectations, my dear Ernestine," added Herminie.

"Wasn't I right? Didn't I tell you that he would refuse?" cried the marquis, no less delighted.

"Then why the devil did you make such a fuss about gaining my consent?" demanded the baron, forgetting his dignity in his thorough exasperation. "Why did both of you insist upon my making that young idiot such an unheard-of proposal, if you wanted him to refuse it?"

These words seemed to recall Ernestine to the fact of the baron's existence, for, releasing herself from her friend's arms, she turned a radiant face towards her guardian, and exclaimed, in tones of the most profound gratitude:

"Oh, thank you, monsieur, thank you! I shall owe the happiness of my whole life to you, and I assure you, I shall never prove ungrateful."

"But you must have misunderstood him," cried the baron, "he refuses, he refuses, he refuses, I tell you."

"Yes, he refuses," exclaimed Ernestine, ecstatically. "Ah, has he not the noblest of hearts!"

"They have certainly gone mad, every one of them," murmured the poor baron, in despair.

"But this young man is as good as married,--he won't have you! He says nothing would induce him to have you!" he fairly shouted in Ernestine's ear. "His marriage is to take place very shortly."

"Yes, thank God, there is no further obstacle to that marriage now," cried Ernestine, "so I thank you once again, M. de la Rochaigue. I thank you with all my heart, and I shall never, never forget what you have done for me."

Fortunately the hunchback now came to the rescue of the unfortunate baron, who really felt as if his poor brain was about to burst.

"I promised you the answer to the enigma, you remember, my dear baron," said M. de Maillefort.

"I think it is time, quite time for you to give it, then, marquis. If you do not, I believe I shall go mad. There is a strange buzzing in my ears, my head feels as if it would split, there are specks floating before my eyes--and--"

"Well, then, listen to me. This morning your ward declared that she would not marry anybody but M. Olivier Raymond, and that the happiness of her life depended upon it, did she not?"

"You certainly are not going to begin that all over again?" exclaimed M. de la Rochaigue, stamping his foot angrily.

"Have a little patience, baron. I told you afterwards that all the good you had heard in relation to M. Olivier Raymond was nothing in comparison with what you would soon discover for yourself."

"Well, what have I discovered?"

"Is the disinterestedness which you yourself were obliged to admire nothing? To refuse the richest heiress in France to fulfil a promise of marriage previously made to a penniless young girl--is not such conduct as that--?"

"Admirable, commendable, worthy of all praise," exclaimed the baron. "I know all that! But I repeat that I shall go stark staring mad if you don't explain why this refusal, which should fill you and my ward with dismay and consternation, seems to delight you beyond measure,--that is, if you are still anxious for Ernestine to marry Olivier."

"I certainly am."

"Well, I'd like to know how you are going to bring it about, for his heart seems to be set upon marrying the other girl."

"And that is precisely what pleases us so much," said the hunchback.

"Delights us, you mean," corrected Ernestine.

"It delights you because he is determined to marry another girl?" exclaimed the baron, positively furious now.

"Yes, but you see this other girl is she!" explained the marquis.

"She--and who is she?" shouted the baron.

"Your ward."

"But the other girl is my ward."

"Certainly," replied Ernestine, triumphantly, "I am the other girl."

"Yes, baron, the other girl, I tell you, is she, your ward."

"Yes, she is Ernestine," added Herminie.

"It is all perfectly clear now, you see," remarked the marquis.

On hearing this explanation, which was even more incomprehensible to him than what had gone before, the unfortunate baron cast a half frantic glance around him, then, closing his eyes, said to the hunchback, in despairing tones:

"M. de Maillefort, you seem to be absolutely pitiless. I have as strong a mind as anybody else, I think, but it is incapable of unravelling such a mystery as this. You promised to give me the answer to this beastly enigma, but the answer is even more incomprehensible than the enigma itself."

"Come, come, my dear baron, calm yourself, and listen to me."

"I have been listening to you for a quarter of an hour or more," groaned the baron, "and yet I am very much worse off than I was in the beginning."

"Well, well, everything shall be made plain now," said the marquis, soothingly.

"Proceed, then, I beg of you."

"Very well, then, these are the facts of the case: Through a combination of circumstances which will be explained later on, and which have no special bearing on the subject now under consideration, your ward met M. Olivier and passed herself off to him as a poor orphan girl, who was supporting herself by her needle. Do you understand thus far, baron?"

"Yes, I understand thus far. What next?"

"Well, by reason of other circumstances with which you will soon be made conversant, your ward and M. Olivier fell in love with each other, he still supposing Mlle. de Beaumesnil to be a friendless and penniless orphan, and so unhappy in her home relations that he felt that he was, and in fact was, exceedingly generous in offering to marry her when he was made an officer."

"In short," exclaimed the baron, straightening himself up to his full height, and speaking in triumphant tones,--"in short, Ernestine and the other young girl are simply one and the same person."

"Precisely," responded the hunchback.

"And so," continued the baron, wiping the perspiration which his Herculean mental efforts had produced from his brow,--"and so you wished to find out if Olivier loved the other, the poor girl, enough to resist, for her sake, the temptation to marry the richest heiress in France?"

"Exactly, baron."

"Hence your romantic story that Mlle. de Beaumesnil had seen Olivier during his stay at the chateau and had fallen in love with him."

"It was necessary to find some plausible excuse for the proposal you were commissioned to make to him. This story furnished it, and I must say that you played your part admirably. And M. Olivier,--well, was I wrong in assuring you that M. Olivier Raymond was the soul of honour?"

"He is, indeed!" exclaimed the baron. "Listen, marquis. I am not inclined to revert to the past, but I admit that I considered this a very unsuitable marriage for my ward. Ah, well, now I distinctly assert, affirm, and declare that, after what I have just seen and heard, if my ward were my own daughter, I should say to her: 'Marry M. Raymond, by all means. You could not make a better choice.'"

"Ah, monsieur, I shall never forget those words!" cried Ernestine.

"But this is not all, my dear baron."

"What else can there be, pray?" demanded M. de la Rochaigue, uneasily, evidently fearing a fresh imbroglio.

"This test had a twofold object. M. Olivier's extreme sensitiveness in pecuniary matters is so well known to his friends that we feared when he discovered that the young girl whom he thought so poor was really Mlle. de Beaumesnil, he, being only a young lieutenant without either rank or fortune, would absolutely refuse to marry the richest heiress in France, though he had loved her and asked her to be his wife, when he believed her absolutely penniless."

"Such scruples on his part would not surprise me in the least," said the baron. "The fellow is so proud, the slightest hint that he might be considered a fortune-hunter would infuriate him. And now I think of it, the obstacle you fear still exists."

"No, my dear baron."

"But why not?"

"Why, can't you see?" exclaimed Ernestine, joyously. "M. Olivier has positively refused to marry Mlle. de Beaumesnil, the rich heiress, has he not?"

"Unquestionably," said the baron; "still, I don't understand--"

"But when M. Olivier discovers who I really am, how can he feel any fear of being accused of mercenary motives in marrying me, when he had positively refused to accept the proffered hand of the richest heiress in France?"

"Or, in other words, an income of over three million francs," exclaimed the baron, interrupting his ward. "That is true. The idea is an excellent one. I congratulate you upon it, M. le marquis, and I say, with you, that even if M. Olivier were a thousand times more proud and sensitive, he could not hold out against this argument, viz.: 'You positively refused to accept the three million francs when they were offered you, so your motives are necessarily above suspicion.'"

"And it is impossible for M. Olivier to feel any scruples under these circumstances, do you not think so, monsieur?"

"Most assuredly I do, my dear ward. But this revelation will have to be made to M. Olivier sooner or later, I suppose."

"Of course, and I will attend to it," replied the marquis. "I have a plan. We will talk that over together, by and by, baron, that and certain business matters which young girls understand very little about. Am I not right, my child?" added the marquis, with a smile, turning to Ernestine.

"Perfectly right," answered Mlle. de Beanmesnil, "and whatever you and my guardian may decide, I agree to in advance."

"I need not say, my dear baron, that we must maintain the utmost secrecy in relation to all this until the signing of the marriage contract, which I have my reasons for desiring should precede the publishing of the banns. Day after to-morrow will not be too soon, I suppose. What do you think about it, Ernestine?"

"You can guess my reply, monsieur," answered the young girl, blushing and smiling.

Then she added, hastily:

"But mine will not be the only contract to sign. There is another, isn't there, Herminie?"

"That is for M. de Maillefort to decide," replied Herminie, blushingly.

"I approve most decidedly; but who is to attend to all this rather troublesome business?"

"You, of course, M. de Maillefort. You are so good and kind!" cried Ernestine.

"Besides, have you not proved that nothing is impossible to you?" added Herminie.

"Oh, as for the impossibilities achieved, when I think of the scene at your home this morning, you, my dear child, are the one who deserves praise, not I."

On hearing these words, M. de la Rochaigue, who had seemed to be hardly aware of Herminie's presence before, turned to her, and said:

"Pardon me, my dear young lady; my attention has been so engrossed by what has just occurred that--"

"M. de la Rochaigue," said Ernestine, taking Herminie by the hand, "I wish to present to you my dearest friend, or, rather, my sister, for no two sisters could love each other more devotedly than we do."

"But," said the baron, greatly surprised, "if I am not very much mistaken, mademoiselle--mademoiselle is the music teacher we selected for you on account of the extreme delicacy of her conduct in relation to a perfectly just claim upon the Beaumesnil estate."

"You still have some very remarkable things to learn in relation to Mlle. Herminie, my dear baron," said the marquis.

"Indeed? And what are they, may I ask?"

"In the conversation which you and I must have, presently, I will answer your question fully; but now I am sure it will suffice you to know that your ward has placed her friendship as wisely as her love; for I can truly say that the person who would select M. Olivier Raymond for a husband would be certain to select Mlle. Herminie for a friend."

"M. de Maillefort is right," said Mlle. de Beaumesnil, twining her arm affectionately about her friend's waist; "both these greatest blessings came to me the same evening at Madame Herbaut's little party."

"Madame Herbaut's little party!" repeated the baron, opening his eyes wide, in astonishment, "What Madame Herbaut?"

"My dear child, you should be generous, and not give M. de la Rochaigue any more enigmas to solve this evening," said the hunchback.

"I declare myself utterly incapable of solving them," exclaimed the baron. "My poor brain feels as confused and bewildered as if I had just made a balloon ascension."

"Don't be alarmed, baron," said M. de Maillefort, laughing. "I shall spare your imagination any further flights by soon telling you all there is to tell."

"In that case we will leave you," said Ernestine, smiling. Then she added:

"But I feel it my duty to warn you before I go that Herminie and I have entered into a conspiracy, M. de la Rochaigue."

"And what is this conspiracy, young ladies?"

"As it is so late, and as I should certainly become quite crazed with joy if I were left entirely alone with my happiness, Herminie has consented to remain with me until to-morrow morning. We shall dine tete-a-tete, and in the happiest of moods, as you may imagine."

"An admirable arrangement, young ladies, for Madame de la Rochaigue and I have an engagement to dine out this evening," said the baron; "so a pleasant evening to you."

"I shall see you both again to-morrow," said M. de Maillefort. "There are some details which I am sure you will enjoy, that we must discuss together."

The two girls, radiant with delight, returned to Ernestine's apartments, and, after a daintily served dinner,--which they scarcely touched, so absorbed were they in their new-found joy and happiness,--they retired to Ernestine's chamber, to again talk over the strange vicissitudes of their love affairs and of their friendship.

In about a quarter of an hour they were, to their great regret, interrupted by Madame Laine, who entered the room after having rapped in a deprecating manner.

"What do you want, my dear Laine?" asked Ernestine, a trifle impatiently.

"I have a favour to ask of mademoiselle."

"What is it?"

"Mademoiselle is perhaps aware that M. le baron and madame are dining out this evening, and that they will not return home until late."

"Yes, what of it?"

"Mlle. Helena, wishing the servants to profit by the leisure evening monsieur's and madame's absence affords them, secured three loges at the Gaite Theatre this morning, where they are playing 'The Maccabees,' a drama founded on an episode in Bible history."

"And you, too, wish to go, I suppose, my dear Laine?"

"If mademoiselle will not need me until it is time for her to retire."

"You can have the entire evening, my dear Laine, and take Therese with you, if you choose."

"But what if mademoiselle should need something before our return?"

"Oh, I shall not need anything. Mlle. Herminie and I will wait on each other. Go, and enjoy yourself, by all means, my dear Laine, and be sure to take Therese with you."

"Mademoiselle is very kind. I thank her a thousand times. If mademoiselle should need anything, she has only to ring, however, for Mlle. Helena told Placide to come down so as to be ready to answer mademoiselle's bell if she rang."

"Very well, I will ring for her if I want anything. Good night, my dear Laine."

The governess bowed and retired, and the two young girls were left almost alone in the big house, all the other inmates of the dwelling having gone out, with the exception of Mlle. Helena de la Rochaigue and Placide, that lady's personal attendant, who had been instructed to respond to the summons should Mlle. de Beaumesnil ring.