The Mysteries of Paris, vol 2 | Page 5

The artisan was therefore resigned.
"Come, come, let's be marching some time to-day," said Bourdin to
him.
"I cannot leave these diamonds here, my wife is half mad," said Morel,
pointing to the stones scattered upon the bench; "the person for whom I
work will come for them this morning, or in the course of the day.
Their amount is considerable."
"Good!" said Hoppy, who still remained near the half-open door: "good,
good! Screech-Owl shall know that."
"Grant me only till to-morrow," urged Morel, "that I may restore the
diamonds."
"Impossible! We must go immediately."
"But I cannot, by leaving the diamonds here, run the risk of their being
lost."

"Take them with you, a coach waits at the door, which you will have to
pay for, with the other expenses. We can call on the owner of the stones;
if he is not at home you can place them in the registry at Clichy; they
will be as safe there as in the bank. Come, make haste; we will slip
away before your wife or children are aware of it."
"Grant me only till to-morrow, that I may bury my child!" entreated
Morel, with a supplicating voice, half stifled with the sobs he
endeavored to restrain.
"No! we have already lost more than an hour waiting here."
"This burying still worries you, then?" added Malicorne.
"Oh! yes, it makes me sad," said Morel, with bitterness; "you so much
fear to grieve people. Well, then, a last farewell!"
"There, again! confound you, make haste!" said Malicorne, with brutal
impatience.
"How long have you had the order to arrest me?"
"The judgment was signed four months since; but it was only yesterday
that our officer received instructions from the lawyer to put it in
execution."
"Yesterday only. Why was it delayed so long?"
"How can I tell? Come, pack up."
"Yesterday! and Louise not yet here! Where can she be? what has
become of her?" said the lapidary, taking from the bench a card-box
filled with cotton, in which he arranged the jewels. "But never mind
that; in prison I shall have plenty of time for thinking."
"Come, pack up the duds to take with you, and make haste and dress
yourself."
"I have no clothes to pack up: I have only these diamonds to take away,

and place in the prison registry."
"Well, then, dress yourself."
"I have no other clothes than these."
"Going out in these rags?" said Bourdin.
"You will be ashamed of me, doubtless," said the lapidary, bitterly.
"No, it is of no consequence, since we go in your coach," answered
Malicorne.
"Father, father! mother is calling you," said one of the children.
"You hear?" muttered Morel, rapidly, appealing to one of the bailiffs;
"do not be inhuman; grant me a last favor. I have not the courage to say
farewell to my wife and children; it would break my heart. If they see
you take me away they will run after me, and I would avoid that. I
therefore beg of you to say aloud that you will return in three or four
days, and pretend to go away; you can wait for me on the landing
below; I will come to you in less than five minutes. That will spare me
the pain of saying farewell. I will no longer resist, I promise you. I shall
go stark mad; I was nearly so just now."
"Not so green!--you want to give us the slip!" said Malicorne, "want to
bolt, old son!"
"Oh, God! God!" cried Morel, with mournful indignation.
"I don't think he intends to chouse us," said Bourdin, in a low tone to
his companion; "let us do as he wishes, or we'll never get away. I will
wait outside the door, there is no other outlet from the garret-- he
cannot escape us."
"Very well; but he needn't be so particular about leaving the mucky
crib!" Then, addressing Morel in a low voice, he said: "Now then, look
sharp, and we will wait for you below. Make haste, and offer some
pretense for our going."

"I thank you," said Morel.
"Very well, it shall be so," said Bourdin, in a loud voice, and looking
significantly at the artisan; "in such case, as you promise to pay in a
short time, we will leave you for the present, and call again in four or
five days; but then you must be punctual."
"Yes, gentlemen, I trust I shall then be able to pay you."
The bailiffs left the room; while Hoppy, for fear of being seen, had
disappeared down the staircase at the same time the bailiffs quitted the
garret.
"Madame Morel, do you hear?" said Miss Dimpleton, trying to
withdraw the attention of the mother from her melancholy abstraction;
"they will not take away your husband--the