"Well, Paul," said he, "what do you think of all this?"Like all men with weak and ductile natures, Paul, after being almost prostrated by the first discovery of his master's villainy, had now succeeded in smothering the dictates of his conscience, and adopted a cynical tone quite worthy of his companions.
"I see," said he, "that you have need of me. Well, I am not a Marquis, but you will find me quite as trustworthy and obedient."Paul's reply did not seem to surprise Mascarin, but it is doubtful whether he was pleased by it, for his countenance showed traces of a struggle between extreme satisfaction and intense annoyance, while the doctor was surprised at the cool audacity of the young man whose mind he had undertaken to form.
Paul was a little disturbed by the long and continued silence of his patron, and at last he ventured to say timidly,--"Well, sir, I am anxious to know under what conditions I am to be shown the way to make my fortune and marry Mademoiselle Flavia Rigal, whom I love."Mascarin gave a diabolical smile.
"Whose dowry you love," he observed. "Let us speak plainly.""Pardon me, sir, I said just what I meant."
The doctor, who had not Mascarin's reasons for gravity, now burst into a jovial laugh.
"And that pretty Rose," said he, "what of her?""Rose is a creature of the past," answered Paul. "I can now see what an idiot I was, and I have entirely effaced her from my memory, and Iam half inclined to deplore that Mademoiselle Rigal is an heiress, the more so if it is to form a barrier between us."This declaration seemed to make Mascarin more easy.
"Reassure yourself, my boy," said he, "we will remove that barrier;but I will not conceal from you that the part you have to play is much more difficult than that assigned to the Marquis de Croisenois; but if it is harder and more perilous, the reward will be proportionately greater.""With your aid and advice I feel capable of doing everything necessary," returned Paul.
"You will need great self-confidence, the utmost self-possession, and as a commencement you must utterly destroy your present identity.""That I will do with the utmost willingness.""You must become another person entirely; you must adopt his name, his gait, his behavior, his virtues, and even his failings. You must forget all that you have either said or done. You must always think that you are in reality the person you represent yourself to be, for this is the only way in which you can lead others into a similar belief. Your task will be a heavy one.""Ah, sir," cried the young man, enthusiastically, "can you doubt me?""The glorious beam of success that shines ahead of you will take your attention from the difficulties and dangers of the road that you are treading."The genial Dr. Hortebise rubbed his hands.
"You are right," cried he, "quite right."
