iliarly frequenting his apartment, or to whose houses he used
to go at night, were disaffected to the Government,--not by any means
of the lowest rank,--some of them rich malcontents who had been devoted
Orleanists; others, disappointed aspirants to office or the 'cross;'
one or two well-born and opulent fanatics dreaming of another Republic.
Certain very able articles in the journals of the excitable Midi,
though bearing another signature, were composed or dictated by this
man,--articles evading the censure and penalties of the law, but very
mischievous in their tone. All who had come into familiar communication
with this person were impressed with a sense of his powers; and also
with a vague belief that he belonged to a higher class in breeding and
education than that of a petty agent de change. My colleague set himself
to watch the man, and took occasions of business at his little office to
enter into talk with him. Not by personal appearance, but by voice, he
came to a conclusion that the man was not wholly a stranger to him,--a
peculiar voice with a slight Norman breadth of pronunciation, though a
Parisian accent; a voice very low, yet very distinct; very masculine,
yet very gentle. My colleague was puzzled till late one evening
he observed the man coming out of the house of one of these rich
malcontents, the rich malcontent himself accompanying him. My colleague,
availing himself of the dimness of light, as the two passed into a lane
which led to the agent's apartment, contrived to keep close behind and
listen to their conversation; but of this he heard nothing,--only,
when at the end of the lane, the rich man turned abruptly, shook his
companion warmly by the hand, and parted from him, saying, 'Never fear;
all shall go right with you, my dear Victor.' At the sound of that
name 'Victor,' my colleague's memories, before so confused, became
instantaneously clear. Previous to entering our service, he had been in
the horse business, a votary of the turf; as such he had often seen the
brilliant 'sportman,' Victor de Mauleon; sometimes talked to him. Yes,
that was the voice,--the slight Norman intonation (Victor de Mauleon's
father had it strongly, and Victor had passed some of his early
childhood in Normandy), the subdued modulation of speech which had
made so polite the offence to men, or so winning the courtship to
women,--that was Victor de Mauleon. But why there in that disguise? What
was his real business and object