The Wolf-Leader Chapter 16

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter sixteen of The Wolf Leader by Alexander Dumas, translated
by Alfred Allinson eighteen fifty two to nineteen twenty nine.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by
John Vanstand Savannah, Georgia, Chapter sixteen, My Lady's Lady. Tibau
was delighted at seeing what had happened to the young

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baron whose hand anything but light had so shortly before
made use of his whip on Tibau's shoulders, which still
smarted with the blow. The latter now ran at full
speed to see how far Mansheur Rahoul de Varparfond was injured.
He found a body lying insensible, stretched across the road,
with the horse standing and snorting beside it. But Tibau

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could hardly believe his senses on perceiving that the figure
lying in the road was not the same as had
but five minutes previously ridden past him and given him
the lash with the whip. In the first place, his
figure was not in the dress of a gentleman, but
clothed like a peasant. And what was more, the clothes
he had on seemed to bow to be the same
as he himself had been wearing only a moment before.

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His surprise increased more and more, and amounted almost to stupefaction.
On further recognizing in the inert, unconscious figure not only
his own clothes but his own face. His astonishment naturally
led him to turn his eyes from this second ty
bow to his own person when he became aware that
an equally remarkable change had come over his costume. Instead

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of shoes and gaiters, his legs were now encased in
an elegant pair of hunting boots reaching to the knee,
as soft and smooth as a pair of silk stockings,
with a roll over the instep, and finished off with
a pair of fine silver spurs. The knee breeches were
no longer of corduroy, but of the most beautiful buckskin,
fastened with little gold buckles. His long course olive colored

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coat was replaced by a handsome green hunting coat with
gold lace facings, thrown open to display a waistcoat of
fine white jeane, while over the artistically pleated shirt hung
the soft wavyfold of a cambric cravat. Not a single
article of dress about him, but had been transformed even
to his old lantern shaped hat, which was now a
three cornered one, trimmed with gold lace to match the coat.

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The stick, also such as workmen carry, partly for walking
and partly for self defense, and which he had been
holding in his hand a minute before, had now given
place to a light whip, with which he gave a
cut through the air, listening with a sense of aristocratic
pleasure to the whistling sounded made. And finally his slender
figure was drawn in at the waist by a belt

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from which hung a hunting knife, half sword, half dagger.
Tibau was pleased beyond measure at finding himself clothed in
such a delightful costume, and with a feeling of vanity
natural under the circumstances. He was overcome with the desire
to ascertain without delay how the dress suited his face.
But where could he go to look at himself out

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there in the midst of pitch darkness. Then looking about him,
he saw that he was only a stone's throw from
his own hut. Ah to be sure, he said, nothing easier,
for I have my glass there, And he made haste
towards his hut, intending like narcissists to enjoy his own
beauty and peace and all to himself. But the door

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of the hut was locked, and Tibau felt vainly for
the key. All he could find in his pockets was
a well fitted purse, a sweet meat box containing scented lozenges,
and a little mother of pearl and gold penknife. What
could he have done then with his door key? Then
suddenly a bright thought occurred to him, Possibly the key

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was in the pocket of that other t Beau who
was lying out there in the road. He went back
and felt in the breech's pocket, where he discovered the
key at once, In company with a few sous. Holding
the rough, clumsy thing in the tips of his fingers,
he returned to open the door. The inside of the
hut was even darker than the night outside, and Tebau
groped about to find the steel, the tinder and flint,

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and the matches, and then proceeded to try and light
the candle, which consisted of an end stuck into an
empty In a second or two this was accomplished, but
in the course of the operation Tibau was obliged to
take hold of the candle with his fingers. Pah, he said,
what pigs. These peasants are I wonder how they can
live in this dirty sort of way. However, the candle

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was a light, which was the chief matter, and Tibau
now took down his mirror, and, bringing it to the light,
looked at himself in it. His eye had scarcely caught
sight of the reflected image, than he uttered a cry
of astonishment. It was no longer himself that he saw,
or rather, although it was still Tebau and spirit, it
was no longer Tibau and body. His spirit had entered

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into the body of a handsome young man of twenty
five or twenty six years of age, with blue eyes,
pink fresh cheeks, red lips, and white teeth. In short,
it had entered into the body of the Baron Raoul
of vl Parfan. Then Tibau recalled the wish that he
had uttered in the moment of his anger after the
blow from the whip and his collision with the horse.

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His wish had been that for four and twenty hours
he might be the barend eh of our Parfond, and
the Baron of al Parfond be Tibau, which now explained
to him what had at first seemed inexplicable why the
unconscious man now lying in the road was dressed in
his clothes and had his face. But I must not
forget one thing, he said, that is that although I

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seem to be here, I am not really here, but
lying out there. So I must be careful to see
that during the twenty four hours during which I shall
be imprudent enough to be away from myself, no irreparable
harm comes to me. Come now, Monsieur de all Parfond,
do not be so fastidious. Carry the poor man in
and lay him gently on his bed there. And although

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with his aristocratic instincts, Monsieur de all Parfond found the
task very repugnant to him, Tibau nevertheless courageously took up
his own body in his arms and carried himself from
the road to the bed. Having thus placed the body
of safety, he blew out the light for fear that
any harm should come to his other self before he
came to. Then, carefully locking the door, he hid the

(06:03):
key in the hollow of a tree, where he was
in the habit of leaving it when not wishing to
take it with him. The next thing to do was
to get hold of the horse's bridle and mount into
the saddle. Once there, Tibau had a preliminary moment of
some uneasiness, for, having traveled more on foot than on horseback,
he was not an accomplished rider, and he naturally feared

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that he might not be able to keep his seat
when the horse began to move. But it seemed that
while inheriting Raoul's body, he also inherited his physical qualities.
For the horse, being an intelligent beast and perfectly conscious
of the momentary want of assurance on the part of
his rider, made an effort to throw him, whereupon Tiboux
instinctively gathered up the reins, pressed his knees against the

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horse's sides, dug his spurs into them, and gave the
animal two or three cuts of the whip, which brought
it to order on the spot. Tibau, perfectly unknown to himself,
was a past master in horsemanship. This little affair with
the horse enabled to Beau more fully to realize his duality.
As far as the body was concerned, he was the
Baron Raoul de Vanparfond from top to toe, but as

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far as the spirit was concerned, he was still Tebau.
It was therefore certain that the spirit of the young
lord who had lent him his body, was now sleeping
in the form of the unconscious te Beaux which he
had left behind in the hut. The division of substance
and spirit between himself and the baron, however, left him
with a very vague idea of what he was going
or would have to do. That he was going to

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mont Gobert in answer to the Countess's letter, so much
he knew, But what was in the letter? At what
hour was he expected? How was he to gain admission
to the castle? Not one of these questions could he answer,
and it only remained for him to discover what to
do step by step as he proceeded. Suddenly it flashed
across him that probably the Countess's letter was somewhere on

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his person. He felt about his dress, and sure enough,
inside the side pocket of his coat was something which,
by its shape seemed to be the article he wanted.
He stopped his horse, and, putting his hand into his pocket,
drew out a little scented leather case lined with white satin.
In one side of the case were several letters, in
the other only one, No doubt the latter would tell

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him what he wanted to know if he could once
get to read it. He was now only a short
distance from the village of Fleurhe and he galloped on,
hoping that he might find a house still lighted up.
But villagers go to bed early in those days, even
earlier than they do now, and Tibau went from one
end of the street to the other without seeing a
single light. At last, thinking he heard some kind of

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movement in the stables of an inn, he called a
stable boy sallied out with a lantern, and Tibau, forgetting
for the moment that he was a lord, said, friend,
could you show me a light for a moment, you
would be doing me a service, And that's what you
go and call a chap out of bed for, answered
the stable boy rudely, Well, you're a nice sort of

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young and you are, and turning his back on Tibau.
He was just going to re enter the stable when
Tibau perceived that he had gone on a wrong tack
now raised his voice, calling out, look here, Sarah, bring
your lantern here and give me a light, or I'll
lay my whip across your back. Ah. Pardon my lord,
said the stable boy, I did not see who it

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was I was speaking to, and he immediately stood on tiptoe,
holding the lantern up as Tibau directed him. Tibou unfolded
the letter and read, my dear Raoul, the Goddess Venus
has certainly taken us under her protection. A grand hunt
of some kind is to take place tomorrow out in
the direction of Turrey. I know no particulars about it.

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All I do know is that he is going away
this evening. You therefore, start at nine o'clock so as
to be here at half past ten. Come in by
the way. You know, someone whom you know will be
awaiting you and will bring you you know where last
time you came. I don't mean to upbraid you, but
it did seem to me you stayed a long time

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in the corridors Jane. Devil take it, murmured Tibau. I
beg your pardon, my lord, said the stable boy. Nothing
you lout, except that I do not require you any longer,
and you can go a good journey to you, my lord,
said the stable boy, bowing to the ground, and he
went back to his stable. Devil take it, repeated Tibau.

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The letter gives me precious little information, except that we
are under the protection of the goddess Venus, and that
he goes away this evening, and that the Comptessa de
mont Gobert expects me at half past ten, and that
her Christian name is Jane. As for the rest, I
am to go in by the way I know, I
shall be awaited by someone I know, and taken where

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I know. Tibau scratched his ear, which is what everybody
does in every country in the world when plunged into
awkward circumstances. He longed to go and wake up the
Lord of Valparfon's spirit, which was just now sleeping in
Tibau's body on Tibau's bed. But apart from the loss
of time which this would involve, it might also cause
considerable inconvenience, for the Baron's spirit, on seeing its own

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body so near to it, might be taken with the
desire of re entering it. This would give rise to
a struggle in which Tibau could not well defend himself
without doing serious harm to his own person. Some other
way out of the difficulty must therefore be found. He
had heard a great deal about the wonderful sagacity of animals,
and had himself, during his life in the country, had

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occasion more than once to admire their instinct, and he
now determined to trust to that of his horse. Riding
back into the main road, he turned the horse in
the direction of Montgabert and let it have its head.
The horse immediately started off at a gallop. It had
evidently understood. Thibau troubled himself no further. It was now
the horse's affair to bring him safely to his destination.

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On reaching the corner of the park wall, the animal stopped,
not apparently because it was in doubt as to which
road to take, but something seemed to make it uneasy,
and it pricked its ears. At the same time, Tibau
also fancied that he caught sight of two shadows, but
they must have been only shadows, for although he stood
up in his stirrups and looked all around him, he
could see absolutely nothing. They were probably poachers, he thought,

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who had reasons like himself for wishing to get inside
the park. There being no longer anything the bar his passage,
he had only as before to let the horse go
its own way, and he accordingly did so. The horse
followed the walls of the park at a quick trot,
carefully choosing the soft edge of the road and not
uttering a single nay. The intelligent animal seemed as if

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it knew that it must make no sound, or at
least as little sound as possible. In this way. They
went along the hole of one side of the park,
and on reaching the corner, the horse turned as the
wall turned, and stopped before a small breach in the
same It's through here, evidently, said Tibau, that we have
to go. The horse answered by sniffing at the breach

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and scraping the ground with its foot. Tebau gave the
animal the rein, and it managed to climb up and
through the breach, over the loose stones which rolled away
beneath its hoof. Horse and rider were now within the
par dark. One of the three difficulties had been successfully overcome.
Tibaut had got in by the way he knew. It
now remained to find the person whom he knew, and

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he thought it wisest to leave this also to his horse.
The horse went on for another five minutes, and then
stopped at a short distance from the castle, before the
door of one of those little huts of rough logs
and bark and clay which are built up in parks,
as painters introduced buildings into their landscapes solely for the
sake of ornament. On hearing the horse's hoofs, someone partly

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opened the door, and the horse stopped in front of it.
A pretty girl came out and asked, in a low voice,
is it you, monsieur Raoul. Yes, my child, it is,
I answered Tibau, dismounting Madame was terribly afraid that drunken
fool of a Champagne might not have given you the letter.
She need not have been afraid. Champagne brought it me
with the most exemplary punctuality. Leave you a horse then,

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and come. But who will look after it? Why cromwass see,
of course, the man who always does. Ah. Yes, to
be sure, said Tibau, as if these details were familiar
to him. Cromoissie will look after it. Come, come, said
the maid. We must make haste door. Madame will complain
again that we loiter in the corridors. And as she

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spoke these words, which recalled a phrase in the letter
which had been written to Raoul, she laughed and showed
a row of pearly white teeth, and Tibau felt that
he should like to loiter in the park before waiting
to get into the corridors. Then the maids suddenly stood
still a moment with her head bent listening. What is it,
asked Tibau. I thought I heard the sound of a

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branch creaking under somebody's foot. Very likely, said Tibau. No
doubt Cromoissie's foot. All the more reason that you should
be careful what you do at all events out here.
I don't understand. Do you not know that Cromoissie is
the man I am engaged to Ah, to be sure,

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But when I am alone with you, my dear Rose,
I always forget that I am called Rose, now am I?
I never knew such a forgetful man as you, Monsieur Raoul.
I call you Rose, my pretty one, because the Rose
is the queen of flowers, and you are the queen
of waiting maids. In good truth, my Lord, said the maid.

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I have always found you a lively, witty gentleman, but
you surpassed yourself this evening. Tibau drew himself up flattered
by this remark. Really a letter addressed to the baron
by which it had fallen to the shoemaker to unseal
let us. Hope your mistress will think the same, he said.
As to that, said the waiting maid. Any man can

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make one of these ladies of fashion think him the
cleverest and wittiest in the world, simply by holding his tongue.
Thank you, he said, I will remember what you say. Hush,
said the woman to de Beaux. There is madame behind
the dressing room curtains. Follow me now steadily, for they
had now to cross an open space that lay between

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the wooded part of the park and the flight of
steps leading up to the castle. Tibau began walking towards
the ladder. Now now, said the maid, catching hold of
him by the arm. What are you doing, you foolish man?
What am I doing? Well, I confess, Suzetta. I don't
know in the least what I am doing. Suzetta. So
that's my name, now, is it? I think Monsieur does

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me the honor of calling me in turn by the
name of all his mistresses. But come this way, you
are not dreaming. I suppose of going through the great
reception rooms that would give a fine opportunity to my lord.
The count truly and the maid hurried Tebau towards a
little door to the right of which was a spiral staircase.
Half way up. Tibau put his arm round his companion's waist,

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which was as slender and supple as a snake. I
think we must be in the corridors now, eh, he asked,
trying to kiss the young woman's pretty cheek. No, not yet,
she answered, But never mind that. By my faith, he said,
if my name this evening were Tibau instead of Raoul,
I would carry you up with me to the garrets
instead of stopping on the first floor. At that moment,

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a door was heard grating on its hinges. Quick quick,
Monsieur said. The maid madame is growing impatient, and drawing
Thibaud after her, she ran up the remaining stairs to
the corridor, opened a door, pushed Tiabaux into a room,
and shut the door after him, firmly believing that it
was the Baron Raoul de parparfond or, as she herself
called him, the most forgetful man in the world, whom

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she had thus secured. End of chapter sixteen. Recording by
John vanstand Savannah Georgia