ket, in order still to cover it with
his body.

Surmounting at length the embarrassment caused by the steadfast look
of the soldier, Father d'Aigrigny raised his head, and repeated. "I ask
you, sir, who you are, and what you want?"

"Do you not recognize me?" said Dagobert, hardly able to restrain
himself.

"No, sir--"

"In truth," returned the soldier, with profound contempt, "You cast
down your eyes for shame when, at Leipsic, you fought for the Russians
against the French, and when General Simon, covered with wounds,
answered you, renegade that you were, when you asked him for his sword,
'I do not surrender to a traitor!'--and dragged himself along to one of
the Russian grenadiers, to whom he yielded up his weapon. Well! there
was then a wounded soldier by the side of General Simon--I am he."

"In brief, sir, what do you want?" said Father d'Aigrigny, hardly, able
to control himself.

"I have come to unmask you--you, that are as false and hateful a priest,
as Gabriel is admirable and beloved by all."

"Sir!" cried the marquis, becoming livid with rage and emotion.

"I tell you, that you are infamous," resumed the soldier, with still
greater force. "To rob Marshal Simon's daughters, and Gabriel, and
Mdlle. de Cardoville of their inheritance, you have had recourse to the
most shameful means."

"What do you say?" cried Gabriel. "The daughters of Marshal Simon?"

"Are your relations, my dear boy, as is also that worthy Mdlle. de
Cardoville, the benefactress of Agricola. Now, this priest," he added,
pointing to Father d'Aigrigny, "has had them shut up--the one as mad,
in a lunatic asylum--the others in a convent. As for you, my dear boy, I
did not hope to find you here, believing that they would have prevented
you, like the others, from coming hither this morning. But, thank God,
you are here, and I arrive in time. I should have been sooner, but for
my wound. I have lost so much blood, that I have done nothing but faint
all the morning."

"Truly!" cried Gabriel, with uneasiness. "I had not remarked your arm in
a sling. What is the wound?"

At a sign from Agricola, Dagobert answered: "Nothing; the consequence of
a fall. But here I am, to unveil many infamies."

It is impossible to paint the curiosity, anguish, surprise, or fear,
of the different actors in this scene, as they listened to Dagobert's
threatening words. But the most overcome was Gabriel. His angelic
countenance was distorted, his knees tremble