The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-10-04
A NIGHT ADVENTURE.
From the French Of Gsslsn.

A EIGHT ADVENTURE.
From the French Of Gsslsn.
About half-past seven I'm the even
ing, toward the fall Of the year 1874
two men were seated ut tabie-BaIzat
the host, Vidocq the guest. y
Said the latter IN. de Balzac, why
do you tax your imagination for fiction
when you can get reality, before youl
eyes, close to your ears, under YOU
hand?n
"You believe in reality9 pm de.
lighted. did not Imagine you &c
innocent. 'Tis only noveIists who
create reality and make 1t visible.
Whenever anv one comes to me with
Monsieur de Balzac. I've got splen-
did subject for you,' / know before
hearing it that it's worthless. If the
subject is good there are no details IL
the details are excellent there is no
subject. No reality-only half o fact. u
"But can give you one."
Complete ?'
Complete.
"Ahm
And Vidocq commenced: "On the
18th Of December, 1884 or '35, q fear
fully cold night, I was on duty at the
prefecture de police. The room in
which my colleagues and myself were
st8tioned opened on the staircase lead
ing to the Offices of Monsieur le Prefet.
The glass on the upper part on the
door was rendered almost opaque by
the condensed moisture which had
settled on it; but about one O'Clock
noticed two shadows fit past, and
opening the door saw two women, q
lady and her servant, the former dress
ed ih full evening costume. This
puzzled me. What could o lady want,
one hour after midnight, with the pre-
feet Of police? Strangely dressed too;
the flowers in her hair put in at hap
hazard her hair hardly even looked
as il 1t had been combed, and beneath
her rouge flor she had used some, al
though she was young and marvellous
ly beautifully her face was CHASTITY pale
But what struck me rs being the most
extraordinary in this strange toilette
was that, while on the one foot she
wore black boot, the other was pro-
tected by a white satin slipper.
"On my asking what brought her
there, the lady, without even stopping
or looking round, answered curtly that
she wanted to speak to Monsieur le
Prefet, and before was able to reply
that he could not be seen at such an
hour Of the night, the door Of the mag
istrate's apartment opened and the
lady entered; it was closed again inn
mediately, and the servant, thus left
alone on the staircase, accepted my in
vitatiOn to come into the room l had
just left. Although her dress was not
as strange as that OF her mistress, she
was equally excited, and in the few
words she spoke in answer to me 1
noticed a nervous trembling which
was not caused by cold alone. In our
profession we are obliged to study and
examine well oil signs OF emotion that
for II ever saw fear 1t was shown by
that woman. A dismay so terrible /
had never seen before in any one ex-
cept her mistress; and yet, as the
woman was strong-minded, energetic
and resOlute, it must be case Of the
mOet urgent importance that could
effect her in SO startling a manner.
Her mind was preOccupied, so troubled
and uneasy that she could not remain
quiet for two consecutive moments.
She started up every few seconds,
wiped with her glOved hands a small
space clear on the logged windows,
and looked out intently into the street;
and then / noticed that her gloves had
been drawn on carelessly, as though in
great hurry. 1 followed her to see
what the object of her anxiety was; q
private carriage-not a hired one or
common cab; no doubt the one in
which she and her mistress had come,
for 1t was driven up close to the door
of the prefecture. Why was she 20
anxious? Was che afraid the coach
man might drive off? or was there
some one in it waiting the result of
this nocturnal visit to the chief of
police? could not make it out, snd
the puzzle became more complicated
and interesting when the woman, her
eyes intently fixed on the driver, and
not knowing how close / was to her,
let fall, in q strange and undefiDable
tone of voice, the exclamation,
'Asleepn with convulsive movement
of the lip that betOkened not only joy,
but dismay-a sense of security, yet
also feeling Of danger.
"But let us see what was taking
place in the perfet's apartments. After
an exceptionally heavy and fatiguing
days work he had gone to bed at mid
night, giving orders that he was not
to be awakened till eight o'clock on
any pretext whatever; and such orders
were never to be disObeyed. The huis-
sier, astonished that both the sentinel
and the porter had allowed the two
women to enter, desired to know the
object Of the lady's visit.
"'To see Monsieur lie Prefet.'
"sImpossible.'
"The lady stormed, entreated,
threatened but all i'm vain, till at last,
tearing off her pearl necklace aud dia-
mond bracelets, she thrust them excit-
edly into Pere Caron's hand, crying:
"Ten thousand francs twenty
thousand-I don't know, more or less.
But now, go" f.... ...........
The went; how could he resist
Timorously he set about his task, and
at last succeeded; while the magis-
trate, irritated and savage at being
thus disturbed, sprang out Of bed with
a sudken bound. .
"'Scamp, scoundrelv he stormed.
"What were your orders 2"
"'A-a-a lady, SIR stammered the
unfortunate huissier. -
"tWell, even then !?
"'MOst urgent and important res
sons, SIR --s~
"'A lady-at this hour and in such
weather! Let her go to the devilv
"'The lady knows Monsieur LIE
Prefet?
"'Of co,fYse-who doesn't? But suffi-
cient / want to sleep; and the next
time you disobey my orders you march.
Now co.
1.-THE hussier retired crestfallen; but
the lady was not to be discouraged.
He must not be allowed to fall asleep
again. she rrged. Run back at
once
"sNo, madame interrupted Pere
Caron. Il shall lose my place, and /
have a wife and children to support
"'Is that alp cried the lady. If
you lose your place through me