The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-05-24 00:00:00

BY FORTUNE DU BOISGOBEY

Trenstata from the French.

CHAPTER XXI.

THI3 intriguer well knew how much faith to
Tepose in M. Paulet's protestations of disin-
terestedness. He sent away his little clerk, who
was cracking stilts in the ante-room. He re-entered
his private study, but instead of sitting down in
front of the writing-table, he applied his ear to the
partition, and after a moment gave three knocks in
a peculiar manner.
The signal was answered by three cautious taps
struck at regular intervals.
Blanchelaine stretched out his right hand, pressed
a small brass knob cleverly concealed in the wains-
coat, and immediately a panel, sliding in a groove,
discovered an opening large enough for a man to
pass through.
It was a woman who slipped by this secret door
into the chamber of Blanchelaine—a woman dressed
in a long black gown and a turban of red silk.
Under such a singular costume Paul Freneuse
would have been puzzled to recognise the person
Whom he had seen at the cemetery of Saint Ouen and
in the orchestra of the theatre of Porte Saint
Martin.
Nevertheless, it was none other, and in truth her
soothsayer's dress was far from unbecoming. The
colour of her turban toned down her complexion,
and the flowing robe gave height to her figure.
Only she looked careworn.
"I have just seen her," she said, without preamble.
" Who ? " inquired Blanchelaine, impatiently.
"Sophie Cornu. She came ,to consult me, and I
took the opportunity of asking her some of the
details, but those she has given me are not very in-
teresting."
"Well, what did she say ? "
' "Why, it was -ninon who told her at the funeral
yesterday that Bianca had a sister; Sophie had not
seen he then, but she met her to-day at the ceme-
tery."
"You told me all that just now; if you know
nothing further--"
"I know how Binos discovered the relationship
of the model; he explained everything to Sophie,
who has just told me the whole story. It appears
that the day before yesterday he went to see a
• painter who lives in the Place Pigalle."
'Paul Freneuse., the man who tried to track us
the other evening after the theatre, and whom we
sold so cleverly.
"I laugh whenever I think of it. It was I who
invented the little cab dodge. Well, Binos burst-
ing in upon his •friend, began to exclaim that the
name of the girl exposed at the Morgue had been
discovered, and that she was called Bianca Astrodi."
Ah, the scoundrel! I charged him above all
not to let his tongue run."
"Whereupon Pia, who was sitting, fainted, fall-
ing on to the floor and crying out, 'lt is my sister ! '
That is how the thing became known."
"I hope this brute Binos did not mention me
before Freneuse ! "
"He did not boast about you, at any rate, or
Sophie would have told me."
"Has helpoken of me to the old woman?"
"No, certainly not. She does not know you, but
she always calls me Madame Blanchelaine, so your
name must have struck her."
"But Binos does not know my name. To all the
habitues of the 'Grand Bok,' I call myself
Piedouche."
"That is true. I was forgetting."
"And also he does not know where I live. It is
to be hoped your friend Sophie, will not take it into
her head to inform him of my domicile."
"Oh dear, no. What makes you think she would
drag you into this affair? She does not even dream
you know any of the persons concerned."
"AU the better, for if she chattered, we should
-have one more bad card in our hands. Binos would
• set fire to the powder train. He is in league with
Freneuse, who has already tried to spy upon us, and
Who was only eluded by a miracle, and if he dis-
• covered that Blanchelaine was Piedouche, and had
-• a private enquiry office, Rue de la Sourdier6, there
would be nothing. for us but to cut and run."
"Bali! That will never happen. Besides, what
does it matter that Bianca has a sister? Paulet will
come into the money all the same, and you will get
Your hundred thousand francs."
"You think so, eh?" said Blanchelaine, with an
angry gesture.
"Why not? What do you mean F" asked Stella
quickly.
" This. That M. Paulet has just been here and
informed me that his brother had two daughters--
Bianca and Pia, and left his fortune divided equally
between them, so that now one is gone to the next
World the other comes in for the whole."
"Ah !" murmured the fortune-teller, in conster-
nation; "then our risk has been all in vain."
"Yes, it is a pretty hard blow. Still, I don't
despair yet. If I lose the hundred thousand francs
Paulet engaged to pay me the day he inherited the
• property, I will make it up another way. It shall
not be said that I compromised myself for nothing."
" I should never get over it," said the clair-
voyante ; "but what is to be done? You do not
think of repeating the story of Bianca, I should
Lope. It would be far too dangerous."
"And also quite useless," added Blanchelaine.
"There are ways of managing a woman who is in
one's path."
"I only know of one," said Stella gloomily; "we
have already tried it, and to do so again would be
Playing too risky a game."
"It is quite out of question," replied Auguste
Blanchelaine, emphatically.
'The situation has entirely altered since the
• father's death. If Pitt died to-morrow she would
have none the less inherited the money, and in
default of relations the State would lay claim to
it. It is essential to our interests that she should
live. I would rather have to deal with her than
with the Italian Government!' -
"What can you hope to got out of her ? "
"Nothing at present. Later on things will be
otherwise. It will be a long business."
• "I do not take in your idea.
- "My idea is to make Pia Astrodi conduce directly
to our profit. Here is the basis of the plan: She
is aware that Bianca was her sister, but she is
ignorant of the will. In fact, no one knows its
• contents save Paulet and the notary. Paulet will
take good care not to inform the child, and the
notary is going back into the country. The succes-
-12,10n will remain undecided, and no one can touch
Inc money unless the heiress presents herself, and
that is just what we will prevent."
"Well, and then?"
"Then we shall have to play with all our wits
--bring much diplomacy to bear."
" Diplomacy ? I don't understand."
‘` You will have to understand, because it is upon
you I shall count for trapping the little one; and I
-am certain you will succeed if you are careful."
"You forget I do not know her."
" You have seen her, and she has seen you.".
. Yes, at the cemetery. but I did not speak to
her."
0
"That does not matter. As soon as I can find out
where she lives you shall go to see her."
"I can tell you where she lives. Tier lodging is
in the Rue des Fosses Saint Bernard. The painter
mentioned this to Sophie Cornu, who told me."
"Then it must have been she whom Bianca went
to sce every evening. If we had known that before
We would have managed differently. But the thing is
done now. We must look at the situation as it is,
and try to turn it to the best account we can."
"Yes; but upon what pretext can I introduce
myself to Pia ? "
'On the pretext that you were in the habit of
visiting her sister at her.lculgin in the tue des
.L• Abbesses. She will be only too glad to talk to you
, about her, you will find."
" That may be; hut what shall I tell her?"
" Begin by cajoling her. Pity her, swear that
her fester loved you dearly, and try to console
her."
"It Will not be easy. At Saint Ouen shE cried
, like a Niobe, and when she Was kneeling by the
grave I scarcely thought she would have strength to
gOt up 2,
Just what will suit us: She is no doubt excit-
able, like all Italians. You will have no trouble in
working upon her."
" To what end !A'
Th "In the first place to change her mode of life
e main to thing is to Pau
prevent her Losing back again
he l Freneuse, who is greatly inclined to befriend
IT,jaci l Can trust you to invent some story—never
hes. exactly what. You will see how the land
With huPßose, for instance, you End she is in love
" She is. Binos said as much to Sophie Cornu."
" Then that simpli fief; matters. You can tell her
he m
is only akin fun of her."
" Binos thinks guess of whom— jealous, and you will never
"Not Possible! And Paulet !"
yet it is certain Freneuse
earns a good deal of
Paulet might very well think of
money, and that stupid old
.daughter. Freneuse goes into their box at the
giving him his
theatre."
"And Mdlle. Paulet made her father take her to
see Freneuse. She there met Pia, who went away in
a fury,: and vows, so Binos declares, that she will
not sit again."
C 4 strate ! The game is already bagged. .17,,
Will find her only too ready to listen, and you Wili
get into her confidence at once. You must beg her
19 let you transfer all the affection you felt for her
sister to her, and must be anxious to assist her
Should she ever require it; and you might end by
Offering her a home with you, or even to take her
• • back to he'..r ow there." n country if she pines to return
• .•
" What ! Yon would send meinto Italy ? "
"No. I muclrprefer havink this little heiress in.
' our own hands ; but we must be prepared for e -
thing. It is of the first importance to keepvieq7a
communication with her, whereVer she way be, and
to lead her to brelk-with the people she ni'Ow knows.
1
do not want -her' to go to either Freneuso or

As** .

Binos ; and the executor of-the late Francis Bozer
must not know what has become of her." _

"Very good; but supposing we succeed in all
this' ;how will it advantage us? '
"I will explain my plan," said Blanchelaine ; "it
turns two ways, and can be modified according to
the direction affairs may take. As you know,
Paulet signed an engagement to make over a hun-
dred thousand francs to me on the day he came into
his brother's fortune. He can only now come into
it if Pia Astrodi abandons her claim."

"And that will be never," interpolated Stella.
"Why not? One can renounce an inheritance;
it is done by a legal act which establishes the right
of the nearest natural heir."

" rhen you fancy to be able to induce Pia to
despoil herself for the benefit of a man she does not
know ? "

"Did she know him, the matter would be far more
difficult," said Blanchelaine, "because she is j ealous
of Mademoiselle Paulet, but she is totally unaware
that her father was Paulet's half-brother, and I will
take good care she does not find it out. I must add
that to sign a legal act one has to be of age, and pro.
bably this girl is not."
"She looks to be about sixteen," said Stella.
"We should have then to wait several years, and
there would be time to further our project. Poi-
instance, she might be persuaded to take the veil."
"A bad expedient. She would give all her means
to the convent."

"Not at all, seeing she would not know she pos-
sessed any."
"Then how could she renounce a fortune she did
not know to exist ? " asked the woman.

"The truth might be revealed at the last moment,
when she was duly prepared. Her generous im-
pulses would have to be played upon; she would
have to be persuaded that M. Francis Bozer com-
mitted a great wrong in disinheriting his brother,
which wrong it would be for her to repair."
"I very much question whether she would swallow
such reasoning."
"It would depend upon many things," said
Blanchelaine. "By clever management one can get
anything out of an excitable girl. If, as Binos, de-
clares, she is in despair because Freneuse does not
ve her, she will follow the counsel of those who
are ready to receive her with open arms, and cherish
and try to consels her."
"Perhaps so, after a time; but surely it cannot
be worth while to take so much trouble and to work
for years just to get 100,000 francs commission,
which, after all, Monsieur Paulet may refuse to pay
you.,,
"I defy him to refuse. I have his written word
and a letter that compromises him. He would not
dare to dispute it. But you are right about the
100,000 francs being little, seeing that Paulet will
come into 600,000 francs."
"Why cannot we come into it_instead?" exclaimed
Stella.

I love hr, ahe

" Ah, now! You have hit it at last! We can
just as easily persuade Pia to leave us her money as
to make it over to him, and that is the point I have
in view. Only to reach it will require strong
measures."
"What ?"
"In the first place to take her away from
Paris."

"Just so. It appears she has a great wish to
return to her own country. Sophie Corrm heard
her tell the painter that she would sit to him no
more."

"Capital! She shall accompany us into Italy."

_
"But what as ?"
" Parbleau! As a friend! You must win her
confidence by offering to pay her journey. I don't
. suppose she is rolling in money. You can tell her that
intending on account of your health to pass two
years in Rome you require a young compannn who
speaks Italian, and that you apply to her because
the good dame who lodged her sister highly rec ,m-
-mended you to do so. Of course, you must add that
you are going with your husband, for I shall make
one of the party."
"Then you mean to give up all your business ?"
"I have none that will pay so well as this.
Besides, it is quite as well we should leave Paris for
a time. I have no confidence in Binos' discretion,
and lam afraid of Freneuse. If he discovered us,
and, above all, if he found out we lived together, he
would at once remember the omnibus, and would
not treat us tenderly; whereas, in two years time
the accident to Bianca Astrodi will be ancient
history."
" What ! Shall we have to stay two years over
there ?"

"Two or three; more if necessary. We shall
stay till the girl is old enough to make a will; that
is to say till she is eighteen."
,‘ And do you think it will occur to her to make
a will i."

"I will take care to suggest it. And then to
whom should she leave her worldly goods if not to
her benafactors ? She has no relatives."

" Good ! But she may live longer than we do."
"I hardly think so," said Blanchelaine, with a
sneer. "You seem to forget that the fool Binos
me back the pin you lost."
(To be continued.)