FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  
r other circumstances, he would have hesitated to employ so hazardous an expedient as the one he was about to resort to, but the character of his adversaries justified any course; besides, time was passing, and he had no choice of resources. As soon as the waiter served him, he drained his glass of beer to give himself an inspiration, and then, in his finest hand, he wrote: "MY DEAR VISCOUNT--Here's the amount--one hundred francs--that I lost to you last evening at piquet. When shall I have my revenge? Your friend, "VALORSAY." When he had finished this letter he read it over three or four times, asking himself if this were the style of composition that very fashionable folks employ in repaying their debts. To tell the truth, he doubted it. In the rough draft which he penned at first, he had written bezique, but in the copy he wrote piquet, which he deemed a more aristocratic game. "However," said he, "no one will examine it closely!" Then, as soon as the ink was dry, he folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope with a hundred franc-note which he drew from an old pocketbook. He next addressed the envelope as follows: "Monsieur le Vicomte de Coralth, En Ville," and having completed his preparations, he paid his score, and hastened to Brebant's. Two waiters were standing at the doorway, and, showing them the letter, he politely asked: "Do you happen to know this name? A gentleman dropped this letter on leaving your place last evening. I ran after him to return it; but I couldn't overtake him." The waiters examined the address. "Coralth!" they replied. "We scarcely know him. He isn't a regular customer, but he comes here occasionally." "And where does he live?" "Why do you wish to know?" "So as to take him this letter, to be sure!" The waiters shrugged their shoulders. "Let the letter go; it is not worth while to trouble yourself." Chupin had foreseen this objection, and was prepared for it. "But there's money in the letter," he remonstrated. And opening the envelope, he showed the bank-note which he had taken from his own pocket-book. This changed the matter entirely. "That is quite a different thing," remarked one of the waiters. "If you find money, you are, of course, responsible for it. But just leave it here at the desk, and the next time the viscount comes in, the cashier will give it to him." A cold chill crept over Chupin a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
letter
 

waiters

 

envelope

 

Chupin

 

piquet

 
evening
 
hundred
 

Coralth

 
employ
 

occasionally


replied

 

examined

 
address
 

regular

 
customer
 

scarcely

 
leaving
 
politely
 

showing

 

doorway


hastened

 

Brebant

 

standing

 

happen

 

return

 

couldn

 

gentleman

 

dropped

 

overtake

 

trouble


matter

 
changed
 

pocket

 

remarked

 

cashier

 
viscount
 

responsible

 
shrugged
 

shoulders

 
prepared

remonstrated
 

opening

 
showed
 
objection
 

foreseen

 

folded

 
amount
 

francs

 
VISCOUNT
 

finest