The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

CHAPTER IX.

The Courtier's Plot is herein unfolded—The reader is told
how Fabien receives the instructions given him : in common
parlance, " the horse kicks over the traces."
Let us now return to Fabien de Croissi, who was left
in the hostelrie of the "Three Pigeons," at the moment
the Baron his step-brother was about to reveal to him the
object of his visit to Paris, and why he was brought to
the "Three Pigeons" with such circumspection and
speed.
The brothers were seated so near to one another, that
their garments touched. The Baron, having assured
himself that the walls and wainscots of the chamber
were too thick to admit of eavesdroppers gathering any-
thing from their conversation, casting his eye upon Fa-
bien, said in a tone of kindness, " I think, my dear bro-
ther, that I have ever acted towards you as a good and
kind relation, and that I have not belied the promise I
made at the deathbed of our father, to watch over you as
if you were my own child. Ido not now wish to reEal
to your mind the proofs of confidence and affection that I
have ever given you, as well as to Madame Rieul your
mother ; but you know how I acted at the time of the
death of M. le Baron de Croissi, when I was made the
master of my patrimonial rights, and nothing was left but
a convent for your mother, and the cowl of a monk or the
livery of a page of some Normandy gentleman for your-
self. I abandoned to you the enjoyment of all my es-
tates, and hardly ever asked you to give me an account
of your expenditure ; and if, up to this time, my dear
Fabien, I have not placed you in a position independent
of myself, it is because I have sought for an opportunity
such as that which now presents itself, by which you can
make a brilliant fortune. I hope, then, that the propo-
sition which I have now to present to you, you will
at once accept, coming as it does from a brother to
whom, as your elder and your benefactor, you owe re-
spect and gratitude."
It has been already said that Fabien possessed a strong
sense of rectitude and justice, which stood him in the
place of experience. He at once perceived that these
insinuating words, and this enumeration of benefits never
conferred, were intended to lull his penetration to sleep
on the subject of the important proposals which had to
be made. Fabien, therefore, stood on his guard, and
determined to dissimulate in his turn. Without indulg-
ing in recriminations, useless at any rate at the moment,
in a tone somewhat bordering on reserve, he replied "that
he had never been unmindful of the many kindnesses
which his brother had conferred upon him, that he should
all his life remember them, and he was ready and willing
to prove his gratitude if the proofs sought for were such
as his honour permitted him to bestow." The concluding
portion of this reply did not appear entirely to suit the
taste of the Baron, whose eyebrows lowered considerably.
" Honour ! honour !" repeated be with no little impa-
tience ; " it would be well to know in what you believe
it to consist. We sometimes attach most singular
ideas to such words, when we are young both in life
and worldly experience. But I. hope, Fabien, you will
permit me to be a judge of what is fitting or not for you
to do." . . _

Sir, said the youth, with a look of pride, " I never
have allowed any one to judge for me but my conscience ;
nevertheless," he added somewhat mildly, " there is no
one whose advice I would so soon receive as that of my
elder brother."
" Come, that is well said," replied Albert, in a half-
satisfied tone. "We will in future avoid this delicate
point, but now let us come to the true object of our con-
versation."

The Baron paused awhile, as if to reflect how be could
best commence the subject.
" Fabien," said he at length, in that silky tone of voice
he so well knew how tl assume, " you gave me yesterday
much satisfaction in showing your repugnance to wear
the yellow scarf, which I wished you to assume for your
safety. Matters of state need now no longer be concealed
from you. I followed in the train of the Prince, while I
thought he was moderate and just; but I abandoned him
when I saw the excesses his party committed. I now
have attached myself hand and heart to the service of the
Queen. and I advise you to enlist with me in her cause."
Fabien was so much struck with this speech, that he
did not wait for him to proceed. _ _ _

" Is it possible?" asked he, overwhelmed with asto-
nishment. " I frankly avow to you that your conduct
since yesterday appeared to contradict your words on the
subject of your breaking off with the party of the Conde.
You refused to afford assistance to persons attached to
the Queen, who were in great danger; while the Coadju-
tor and his party appeared to stand still worse in your
opinion! 1 must, therefore, suppose that the faction
whose colours you wear is that in which your friends are
enrolled."

The Baron smi'ed goodnaturedly, but with an sir of
embarrassment. " Without doubt, without doubt," re-
plied he ; " but where have you discovered, Fabien, that
to be of one party is to oblige a man to break with his
friends, in an opposing faction, when both are dwelling in
one city ? You see the reverse of it every tiny in parlia-
ment. The gentlemen of the Coadjutor's party are obliged
to wrangle with the Prince's, but this does not hinder
them from pledging together a social cup. This is the
ludicrous side of these civil disorders. As for me. I have
not broken faith or quarrelled with the Prince's party ;
but all the world knows that I have a leaning towards
the Court, and that I have now become almost what is
termed ' a Mazarin.' You will see abundant and irre-
fragable proofs of my sincerity in my devotedness to the
party I have adopted."
Although these explanations would have appeared ra-
ther obscure to any one who had a perfect knowledge of
affairs of the times, they appeared satisfactory and sincere
to Fabien, and awoke in his breast a regret that he should
have suspected the secret intentions of his brother.
'
" Baron, said he, with a cordial air, " forgive me the
evil thoughts that I involuntarily conceived respecting
your projects in my behalf. I confess, with sincerity,
the party with whom I believed you engaged, notwith-
standing your negations,
.made me fear that you were
about to address a proposition to me which my
loyalty
and my respect for the lawful authorities would prevent
roe undertaking."
The Baron could not resist an elevation of the shoul-
ders. " I have," said he with severity, " endeavoured
to put you on your guard against entertaining any de-
pressing fancies which my conduct might suggest ; but I
excuse your ingratitude, Fabien, because we do not know
each other yet, although we are united by the ties of
blood. I hope that soon I may not be the subject of
such suspicions, and that you will not withhold from me
the affection of a brother,"

Fabien made a sign of assent, and replied, in a tone
which had no longer that coldness and reserve in it which
it had at first, " Speak on, my dear Albert. lam im-
patient to know how I can serve the royal mistress of my
beloved Elizabeth."
" And, you may add, of Mlle. de Montglat hOrself,"
said the Baron impressively. " I have already told you,
fabien, that you are destined to great things. I may add,
that never had any one a chance—nay a certainty—of so
great a recompense as you have now within your grasp, if
you worthily do your duty. Thus must you act :—The
friends of the Queen, amongst whose number I am, have
conceived the idea of a great stroke of policy, which would
put an end at once to our civil discords ; but to make it
succeed, it must be done by a gentleman—young, strong,
and bold, unknown in Paris—in fact, a perfect stranger
to both factions, and who would not fear, in case of a
want of success, to suffer imprisonment, torture, even
death itself, without betraying or compromising any one
—a man whose devotedness was such, as to be content to
die in having endeavoured to obey his Sovereign and pre-
serve the safety of all."
" And you have fixed upon me for this great enter-
prise?"
" I thought at once of you," replied the Baron calmly.
" I said to myself that you, Fabien, were obscure and
poor in your country home, and that you would have to,
feel that you were so should anything divert from you
my interest. I reflected that you loved a noble lady, to
whom you were for ever precluded being united by your
humble position in life. It then came to my mind that
you were the man of all others to undertake this task, and
that you would not fail to endeavour to accompliih what
I know to be the summit of your desires, and that y.>u
would not object to risk your life to obtain what you so
ardently covet. I avow to you that the undertaking is
hazardous. I restrained my affection for you, and re-
frained from speaking of you to the noble personages who
direct this affair, as a kinsman, but mentioned you as a
person highly fitting to accomplish their designs. I did
this in case they might suspect the deep interest I take in
you. I spoke of you as I knew you ; and they accepted
you as their champion—even the Queen and the Cardinal
Mazarin."
Fabien listened attentively to these words, while the
Baron seemed to calculate upon their effect. Perceiving
that he had stopped, the youth replied, warmly, " I am
proud, Sir, that so many illustrious, persons should be
willing to trust an affair, which appears to be so de ply
interesting, in my hands, and I thank you sincerely for
having offered the means of exchanging my present posi-
tion, for a high estate, at the risk of an honourable grave.
But you have not yet told me what is expected at my
hands."

"I am about to do so," said the Baron. "You know
well, Fable!), that there is a man in Paris whose disap-

pearance the royal authority would purchase by the most
magnificent gifts. This man places the state in peril every
day—every hour of his life, and can cause at any moment
a frightful revolution that would place France in the
hands of the stranger."

He offends the Queen by his insolencT ; he irritates her
by his bold speeches, and by the libellous calumnies of
his minions, in fact, my brother, things have come to this
point, this man must cease to be dangerous or we
must allow him a power equal to that of the Queen.
" Well," interrupted Fabien impetuously, " has not the
Queen faithful servants to execute her orders, prisons to
shut up traitors and all those that are factious?"
" Without doubt," replied the Baron, who grew cold
as his brother became warm, " but we live in unhappy
times, Fabien, and the legitimate authority has not that
degree of force and solidity that it formerly had. There
are factious persons who can struggle with advantage
against all the troops of the regent, and he of whom we
speak is amongst the number; he has himself a great
many followers and friends, all ready to draw swords to
defend him and their cause. To attack them openly would
be to accelerate the catastrophe that we fear will ensue.
It was determined in a secret council, held by the parti-
zans of the Queen, to put a project in execution which
will be confided to you. Listen to me. By means which
you shall presently know, we will place you in the way of
this person, where you will be alone with him, and in a
position that will enable you to deliver him into our
hands."
"But, Sir," said Fabien ingeniously, "such an arrest
is the business of a captain of the guards."
The Baron smiled in a significant manner.

"You do not undereand," said he tranquilly," a civi-

Tian, or a captain of the guards, or any one, might con-
trive that—that arrest, but it must not be by an official.
Understand me well. This undertaking must not appear
to be projected by the court against the person alluded to.
It is necessary thaa he should disappear all at once from
the political arena without the spectators knowing what
has become of him. It was for this that we chose a plain
country gentleman like yourself. If the blow fails you
must disavow those who employed you, as I have told you
before, and your humble position will not compromise
any one. If it succeeds, a profound mystery will be thrown
over the enterprise, and you will, in open day, receive
under some Plausible pretext, a reward for a service done
by you in the shade. You now see under what conditions
you can accept the commission offered to you."
Fabien evidently did not understand what was expected
of him.

" Excuse me, Baron," said he, " excuse my simplicity,
but is there not in all Paris a person of strength of body,
and resolute of disposition, who would execute this enter-
prize, without going so far into the country to seek a
young countryman like myself, whose inexperience in such
matters will only perhaps bring about a failure. ?"
" It is necessary that the person we intrust with this
grave and important work should be a gentleman, and
that he can present excellent proofs of good faith. You
must be aware, Fabien, that if we addressed an ambitious
man, or one who was covetous, and in whom we could
place no faith, we should perhaps be only selling the se-
cret for the benefit of the person against whom the enter-
prize is directed, who is wealthy enough to pay a great
price for it. it is necessary to find a man both of firmness
of disposition, and honesty of purpose, who will place im-
plicit faith in those who employ him, or who can give
perfect sincerity for his discretion."
"This may be very true, Baron de Croissi, but it is
strange that there should he so great a danger to he encoun-
tered for one who has to execute a mandate, legally or-
dered by a superior authority."
De Croissi looked steadfastly upon his brother without
replying. " Perhaps," said he, at length, coldly, " this foe
to the state may make some resistance; so to have done
with him it will be desirable to give him a few cuts with a
sharp sword, or a stab or two with a poignard."
Fabien turned pale ; a cold sweat stood upon his fore-
head. " And do you believe," asked he, disguising, with
difficulty, his agitation, " that this person will make any
resistance ?"

" He is sure to do so," replied the Baron; " he is not
one of those who will tamely submit to a capture without
a struggle. The person alluded to is tle PRINCE DE
CONDE.

(To be continued.)

SELECTIONS.

COOL COURAGE.—About this time, and while the Vic-
tory was in the thickest of the fight, the smoke not per-
mitting the commander-in-chief to see all the ships of his
squadron as distinctly as he wished, he went to the poop
to obtain a clearer sight of the battle. While he was there,
coolly observing them, a marine close by him was struck
by a cannon-shot, which smashed his head, and Earl St.
Vincent was literally covered from hat. to knees by the
man's brains and blood. Seeing him in that state, and
fearing he was wounded, Captain Grey ran up, making
the most earnest inquiries. "I am not at all hurt," re-
plied the Admiral, calmly, and at the same time wiping
his mouth, into which a quantity of blood had flown ;
" but do, George, try if you can get me an orange." A.
youthful aid-de-camp soon brought one from the cockpit,
and Sir John rinsed his mouth with the utmost compo-
sure.—Memoirs of Earl St. Vincent, just published. •

ASSOCIATIONS OF SCENERY.—To the Christian the
whole world is a great church, in which the worship of
the Divine Creator is being perpetually celebrated. Con-
verse with nature is to him converse with God ; for nature
is to him, in the expressive words of Archdeacon Hare,
Another and a prior Bible, which, when man's secondary
writing has been rubbed out, and when the original char-
acters have been brought forth, and rightly interpreted,
as with the help of the other it may be, unites from all
its regions and spheres in declaring the glory of God, and
in shewing his handiwork. But the manuscript of nature
can only be made legible by the illumination of Scripture.
It is only when the Angel of Truth goes before us through
the fields and valleys that the landscape shines out in its
beauty and charms; it is only beneath the lustrous shadow
cast by its expanded wings that the moral of the grass and
the fluwer can be understood. In this spirit has nature
been studied by Cowper and Wordsworth.—Fraser'g
Magazine.

THE CHANGE WROUGHT.—But he was early at the
office next morning. Oh he was early there. If lie could
only be there first, and catch Bob Cratchit coming late !
That was the thing lie had set his heart upon. And he
did it ; yes, he did ! The clock struck nine. No Bob.
A quarter past. No Bob. He was full eighteen minutes
and a half behind his time. Scrooge sat with his door
wide open, that he might see him come into tLe Tank.
His hat was off, before he opened the door ; his comforter
too. He was on his stool in a jiffy; driving away with
his pen, as if he were trying to overtake nine o'clock.
" Hallo ! " growled Scrooge, in his accustomed voice as
near as he could feign it. " What do you mean by com-
ing here at this time of day ?" " I'm very sorry, sir,"
said Bob. "I am behind my time." " You are ?" re-
peated Scrooge. " Yes, I think you are. Step this way,
if you please." "It 'a only once a year, sir," pleaded
Bob, appearing from the Tank. " It shall not be repeated.
I was making rather merry yesterday, sir." " Now, I'll
tell you what, my friend," said Scrooge, " I am not
going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And there-
fore, he continued, leaping from his stool, and giving
Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back
into the Tank again : " and therefore I am about to raise
your salary ! " Bob trembled, and got a little nearer to
the ruler. He had a momentary idea of knocking Scrooge
down with it, holding him, and calling to the people in
the court for help and a strait-waistcoat. " A merry
Christmas, Bob!' said Scrooge, with an earnestness
that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the
back. " A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow,
than I have given you, for many a year! I 'II raise your
salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family ;
and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over
a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob ! Make up
the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot
another i, Bob Cratchit ! "—Dickens's Christmas Carol.

CURIOUS FACT.—If England paid her national debt, it
would take £46 9s. 2d. from each person to pay it ; it
would take £ll 9s. 2d. from each Frenchman to pay the
debt of France; it would taka £55 Bs. 4d. from each
Dutchman to pay the debt of Holland; and it would only
take £4 13s. 9d. from each Pennsylvanian to pay the debt
repudiated.