登陆注册
15456600000051

第51章 'A Priest in Spite of Himself'(4)

'"That will suit me admirably," I says. "Red Jacket will be in town again by then, and the moment he gives me leave I'll claim the money."

'He had a hard fight to be civil, but he come out smiling.

'"Monsieur," he says, "I beg your pardon as sincerely as I envy the noble Huron your loyalty. Do me the honour to sit down while I explain."

'There wasn't another chair, so I sat on the button-box.

'He was a clever man. He had got hold of the gossip that the President meant to make a peace treaty with England at any cost.

He had found out - from Genet, I reckon, who was with the President on the day the two chiefs met him. He'd heard that Genet had had a huff with the President and had ridden off leaving his business at loose ends. What he wanted - what he begged and blustered to know - was just the very words which the President had said to his gentlemen after Genet had left, concerning the peace treaty with England. He put it to me that in helping him to those very words I'd be helping three great countries as well as mankind. The room was as bare as the palm of your hand, but I couldn't laugh at him.

'"I'm sorry," I says, when he wiped his forehead. "As soon as Red Jacket gives permission -"

'"You don't believe me, then?" he cuts in.

'"Not one little, little word, Abbe," I says; "except that you mean to be on the winning side. Remember, I've been fiddling to all your old friends for months."

'Well, then his temper fled him and he called me names.

'"Wait a minute, ci-devant," I says at last. "I am half English and half French, but I am not the half of a man. I will tell thee something the Indian told me. Has thee seen the President?"

'"Oh yes!" he sneers. "I had letters from the Lord Lansdowne to that estimable old man."

'"Then," I says, "thee will understand. The Red Skin said that when thee has met the President thee will feel in thy heart he is a stronger man than thee."

'"Go!" he whispers. "Before I kill thee, go."

'He looked like it. So I left him.'

'Why did he want to know so badly?' said Dan.

'The way I look at it is that if he had known for certain that Washington meant to make the peace treaty with England at any price, he'd ha' left old Faucher fumbling about in Philadelphia while he went straight back to France and told old Danton - "It's no good your wasting time and hopes on the United States, because she won't fight on our side - that I've proof of!" Then Danton might have been grateful and given Talleyrand a job, because a whole mass of things hang on knowing for sure who's your friend and who's your enemy. just think of us poor shop-keepers, for instance.'

'Did Red Jacket let you tell, when he came back?' Una asked.

'Of course not. He said, "When Cornplanter and I ask you what Big Hand said to the whites you can tell the Lame Chief. All that talk was left behind in the timber, as Big Hand ordered. Tell the Lame Chief there will be no war. He can go back to France with that word."

'Talleyrand and me hadn't met for a long time except at emigre parties. When I give him the message he just shook his head. He was sorting buttons in the shop.

'I cannot return to France with nothing better than the word of an unsophisticated savage," he says.

'"Hasn't the President said anything to you?" I asked him.

'"He has said everything that one in his position ought to say, but - but if only I had what he said to his Cabinet after Genet rode off I believe I could change Europe - the world, maybe."

'"I'm sorry," I says. "Maybe you'll do that without my help."

'He looked at me hard. "Either you have unusual observation for one so young, or you choose to be insolent," he says.

'"It was intended for a compliment," I says. "But no odds.

We're off in a few days for our summer trip, and I've come to make my good-byes."

'"I go on my travels too," he says. "If ever we meet again you may be sure I will do my best to repay what I owe you."

'"Without malice, Abbe, I hope," I says.

'"None whatever," says he. "Give my respects to your adorable Dr Pangloss" (that was one of his side-names for Toby)

"and the Huron." I never could teach him the difference betwixt Hurons and Senecas.

'Then Sister Haga came in for a paper of what we call "pilly buttons," and that was the last I saw of Talleyrand in those parts.'

'But after that you met Napoleon, didn't you?' said Una.

'Wait Just a little, dearie. After that, Toby and I went to Lebanon and the Reservation, and, being older and knowing better how to manage him, I enjoyed myself well that summer with fiddling and fun. When we came back, the Brethren got after Toby because I wasn't learning any lawful trade, and he had hard work to save me from being apprenticed to Helmbold and Geyer the printers. 'Twould have ruined our music together, indeed it would. And when we escaped that, old Mattes Roush, the leather-breeches maker round the corner, took a notion I was cut out for skin-dressing. But we were rescued. Along towards Christmas there comes a big sealed letter from the Bank saying that a Monsieur Talleyrand had put five hundred dollars - a hundred pounds - to my credit there to use as I pleased. There was a little note from him inside - he didn't give any address - to thank me for past kindnesses and my believing in his future, which he said was pretty cloudy at the time of writing. I wished Toby to share the money. I hadn't done more than bring Talleyrand up to Hundred and Eighteen. The kindnesses were Toby's. But Toby said, "No! Liberty and Independence for ever. I have all my wants, my son." So I gave him a set of new fiddle-strings, and the Brethren didn't advise us any more. Only Pastor Meder he preached about the deceitfulness of riches, and Brother Adam Goos said if there was war the English 'ud surely shoot down the Bank. I knew there wasn't going to be any war, but I drew the money out and on Red Jacket's advice I put it into horse-flesh, which I sold to Bob Bicknell for the Baltimore stage-coaches.

That way, I doubled my money inside the twelvemonth.'

'You gipsy! You proper gipsy!' Puck shouted.

同类推荐
  • 六十种曲紫钗记

    六十种曲紫钗记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 维摩义记

    维摩义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • The Voice

    The Voice

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 鲙残篇

    鲙残篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 瀛涯胜览

    瀛涯胜览

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 地府归来

    地府归来

    学渣小子偶得阎王传承,绝美校花深夜敲开房门……“定人生死、执掌轮回!这一世,我为在世阎王!”——邓九灵
  • 必学的作文描写

    必学的作文描写

    这套“中小学生语文爱好培养”丛书,包括《必用的好词好句》、《必懂的常用词语》、《必用的成语经典》、《必用的谚语荟萃》、《必用的歇后语精选》、《必用的古文名句》、《必读的语文故事》、《必学的作文描写》、《必听的语文之谜》、《必知的语文学家》十册,丛书重视语文的基础知识训练,选编了常用词语、好词好句、古文名句解读,谚语、歇后语集萃,还有语文趣味故事、语文之谜以及语文大家的故事等等,目的是使中小学生在快乐的阅读中逐步提高语文知识,增加文学素养,为将来走出社会自立人生打下坚实的基础。
  • 江湖错错爱

    江湖错错爱

    [花雨授权]她有一对传奇的父母,度过了传奇的童年,拜入传奇的师门,再加“悬崖定律”经历传奇的初恋(差点被初恋情人杀死……)结拜传奇性的义兄(江湖二公子之一,英俊多金只是本份,最重要的是,他是一位bl…
  • 蜜爱百分百:腹黑校草99次

    蜜爱百分百:腹黑校草99次

    【看完这个请搜,蜜爱百分百:宝贝我爱你】小时候他们在街上见面,却在他们心里散下了一颗爱的种子,长大后他认出了她,她却不记得他了!她竟然对他说喜欢上一个学长,让他帮她。好!他忍无可忍了这小丫头竟然完全忘了他这一回事,还对他说她喜欢上学长让他帮她,他把她咚在墙上,呼着热气还说到“不记得本少了?嗯哼!“说完不等她注意就吻了过去,她初吻被他抢走了!“这是我初吻!”“嗯?初吻?看来...宝贝记忆不怎么好啊。”“你记忆才不好,什么宝贝!”就这样一对欢喜冤家拉开了序幕....QQ群:205136471
  • 梦想青春,lovely

    梦想青春,lovely

    一个美丽的女孩,在生活中的故事,青春而又清纯
  • 我和女尸有约会

    我和女尸有约会

    坊间流传,尚氏一族拥有三宝,此三宝中隐藏着长生的秘密,作为尚氏一族唯一的传人,我传承了尚家一脉相传的阴阳眼,守着祖辈传下来的正一堂,每天伺候祖宗留下的两只僵尸,但我不觉得这三样是宝,我觉得是麻烦,特别是两只僵尸……
  • 御龙战帝

    御龙战帝

    一代绝世高手携带前世记忆异界转世重生,以流氓性格,玩转异世,会炼药,懂炼器,精通阵法,这年头全职业才是王道,流氓不可怕,就怕流氓有文化。忽悠神兽为坐骑,拐骗美女做妻妾,逍遥异世,傲视苍穹。武者等级划分:战兵、战将、战灵、战狂、战王、战皇、战宗、战尊、战圣
  • 永安散文集

    永安散文集

    用文字描绘着生活,记录着生活的趣事、人情。本书分为风土人情,生活随笔,杂文三个部分。
  • 魔垣战纪

    魔垣战纪

    上古之时,大禹在回山设魔垣秘境,囚禁阻挠治水的各路神魔。千百年后,西晋武帝获得一份玄文拓片,得知此处,不料早亡,其子惠帝密令清河王司马遐前往寻之,以求长生不老之术,并解自己受困之危。途经安定郡,司马遐失踪,其子司马克允遂开启误入魔垣、逐渐强大之旅程。
  • 胡凃是我的青春

    胡凃是我的青春

    一份友谊,两种人生,一段青春,百感交集。他们的命运本没有交集,却选择并肩前行。成长的道路上,一方坎坷崎岖,一方春风得意。是读书还是随母行医,是打拼还是子承父业,不同的抉择能否碰撞出别样的人生?面临辍学的好友,他如何伸出援手,面对要远走异国的伙伴,他又该如何摈弃自私,坦诚相待?归家的云,他乡的雾,友情与利益的选项中,他又该做出怎样的抉择?意气风发是少年,一抔黄土对愁颜。他日故人再难见,只饮空樽盼月圆。