The Wolf-Leader Chapter 19

None

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter nineteen of The Wolf Leader by Alexander Dumas, translated
by Alfred Allans in eighteen fifty two nineteen twenty nine.
This LibriVox recording as in the public domain recording by
John Vanstan Savannah, Georgia, chapter nineteen, The Dead and the Living.

(00:21):
At the same moment that the trembling soul of the
young Baron passed away, Tibau, awaking as if from an
agitated sleep full of terrible dreams, set up on his bed.
He was surrounded by fire. Every corner of his hut
was in flames. At first he thought it was a
continuation of his nightmare. But then he heard cries of
death to the Wizard, death to the sorcerer, death to

(00:42):
the were wolf, and he understood that some terrible attack
was being made upon him. The flames came nearer, they
reached the bed, he felt their heat upon him. A
few seconds more and he would be burned alive in
the midst of the flaming pile. Thibau leaped from his bed,
seized his boar spear, and dashed out of the back door.
No sooner did his enemy see him rush through the

(01:03):
fire and emerge from the smoke, than their cries of
death to him death were redoubled. One or two shots
were fired at him. Tibau heard the bullets whiz past.
Those who shot at him were the livery of the
grand Master, and Tibau recalled the menace of the Lord
of Vez uttered against him a few days before. He
was then beyond the pale of the law. He could

(01:24):
be smoked out of his hole like a fox, he
could be shot down like a buck. Luckily for Tibau,
not one of the bullets struck him, and as the
circle of fire made by the burning hut was not
a large one, he was soon safely beyond it, and
once again in shelter of the vast and gloomy forest, where,
had it not been for the cries of the menials
who were burning down his house, the silence would have

(01:46):
been as complete as the darkness. He sat down at
the foot of a tree and buried his head in
his hands. The events of the last forty eight hours
had succeeded each other with such rapidity that there was
no lack of manner to serve as subjects of reflection
to the shoemaker. The twenty four hours during which he
had lived another existence than his own. Seemed to him
like a dream, so much so that he would not

(02:08):
have dared to take his oath that all this recent
affair between the Baron and the Countess Jane and the
Comte de mont Gobert had really taken place. The church
clock of Juan Yee struck ten, and he lifted his
head at ten o'clock, and only half an hour before
he had been still in the body of the Baron Raoul.
As he lay dying in the house of the Cuade

(02:29):
de Puisseau, Ah, he exclaimed, I must find out for
certain what has happened. It is not quite three miles
to Puissau, and I shall be there in half an hour.
I should like to ascertain if the Baron is really dead.
A melancholy howl made answer to his words. He looked around.
His faithful bodyguards were back again. He had his pack

(02:50):
about him once more. Come my wolves, come my only friends,
he cried, Let us be off, and he started with
them across the forest in the direction of pis So.
The huntsmen of the Lord of Vez who were poking
up the remaining embers of the ruined hut, saw a
man pass as in a vision, running at the head
of a dozen or more wolves, they crossed themselves and

(03:11):
became more convinced than ever that Tibau was a wizard,
and anybody else who had seen Tibau flying along as
swiftly as his swiftest wolf and covering the ground between
while Ye and Puissau in less than a quarter of
an hour, would certainly have thought so too. He stopped
at the entrance to the village and turned to his wolves.
He said, friend wolves, I have no further need of

(03:32):
you tonight, and indeed I wish to be alone, amuse
yourselves with the stables in the neighborhood. I give you
leave to do just what you like, and if you
chanced to come across one of these two footed animals
called men, forget friend wolves, that they claimed to be
made in the image of their creator, and never fear
to satisfy your appetite. Whereupon the wolves rushed off in

(03:54):
different directions, uttering howls of joy, while Tibau went on
into the village. The curate house adjoined the church, and
ti Beau made a circuit so as to avoid passing
in front of the cross. When he reached the presbytery.
He looked in through one of the windows, and there
he saw a bed with a lighted wax candle beside it,
and over the bed itself was spread a sheet, and

(04:15):
beneath the sheet could be seen the outlines of a
figure lying rigid in death. There appeared to be no
one in the house, so the priest had no doubt
gone to give notice of the death to the village authorities.
Tibau went inside and called the priest, but no one answered.
He walked up to the bed. There could be no
mistake about the body under the sheet being that of
a dead man. He lifted the sheet. There could be

(04:37):
no mistaking that the dead body was that of Raoul
de Vauparfon on his face lace the still unearthly beauty
which is born of eternity. His features, which in life
had been somewhat too feminine for those of a man,
had now assumed the somber grandeur of death. At the
first glance, you might have thought he only slept, But

(04:57):
on gazing longer, you recognized in that immovable calm something
more profound than sleep, the presence of one who carries
a sickle for scepter and wears a shroud. For mantle
was unmistakable, and you knew King Death was there. Tibau
had left the door open, and he heard the sound
of light footsteps approaching. At the back of the alcove

(05:18):
hung a serge curtain which massed a door by which
he could retreat if necessary, and he now went and
placed himself behind it. A woman dressed in black and
covered with a black veil, paused in some hesitation at
the door. The head of another woman passed in front
of hers, and looked carefully round the room. I think
it's safe for madame to go in. I see no

(05:40):
one about, and besides, I will keep watch. The woman
in black went in, walked slowly towards the bed, stopped
a moment to wipe the perspiration from her forehead. Then,
without further hesitation, lifted the sheet which Tibau had thrown
back over the face of the dead man. Tibau then
saw that it was the Countess alass She said what

(06:01):
they told me was true. Then she fell on her knees,
praying and sobbing. Her prayer being ended, she rose again,
kissed the pale forehead of the dead and the blue
marks of the wound through which the soul had fled.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh, my well beloved, my raoul, She murmured, Who will
tell me the name of your murderer? Who will help
me to avenge your death? As the countess finished speaking,
she gave a cry and started back. She seemed to
hear a voice that answered, I will, And something had
shaken the green serge curtain. The countess, however, was no

(06:37):
chicken hearted woman. She took the candle that was burning
at the head of the bed and went and looked
behind the curtain, but no creature was to be seen.
A closed door was all that met her eye. She
put back the candle, took a pair of gold scissors
from a little pocket case, cut off a curl of
the dead man's hair, placed the curl in a black
velvet satchel, which hung over her heart, gave one last

(07:00):
kiss to her dead lover, laid the sheet over his face,
and left the house. Just as she was crossing the threshold,
she met the priest, and, drawing back, drew her veil
more closely.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
Over her face. Who are you, asked the priest. I
am grief, she answered, and the priest made way for
her to pass. The Countess and her attendant had come
on foot and were returning in the same manner. For
the distance between Puisseaux and Montcubert was not much more
than half a mile, when about half way along their road,

(07:34):
a man who had been hiding behind a willow tree
stepped forward and barred their further passage. Lizette screamed, but
the Countess, without the least sign of fear, went up
to the man and asked, who are you The man
who answered, I will just now when you were asking,
who would denounce the murderer to you? And you can

(07:54):
help me to revenge myself on him whenever you like.
At once, we cannot talk here very well? Where can
we find a better place in your own room? For one,
we must not enter the castle together. No, but I
can go through the breach in the park wall. Mademoiselle

(08:17):
Lizette can wait for me in the hut where Monsieur
Raoul used to leave his horse. She can take me
up the winding stair and into your room. If you
should be in your dressing room, I will wait for
you as Monsieur Raoul waited the night before last. The
two women shuddered from head to foot. Who are you
to know all these details, asked the Countess. I will

(08:40):
tell you when the time comes for me to tell you.
The countess hesitated a moment, then, recovering her resolutions, she said,
very well, then come through the breach. Lizette will wait
for you in the stable. Oh madame, cried the maid.
I shall never dare to go and bring that man
to you. I will go myself, then, said the countess.

(09:04):
Well said put in debau there spoke a woman worth
calling one and so saying, he slid down into a
kind of ravine beside the road and disappeared. Lizette nearly fainted.
Lean on me, Mademoiselle, said the Countess, and let us
walk on. I am anxious to hear what this man
has to say to me. The two women entered the

(09:26):
castle by way of the farm. No one had seen
them go out, and no one saw them return. On
reaching her room, the Countess waited for Lizette to bring
up the stranger. Ten minutes had elapsed when the maid
hurried in with a pale face. Ah, Madame, she said,
there was no need for me to go to fetch him.
What do you mean, asked the countess, because he knew

(09:49):
his way up as well as I did. And oh, Madame,
if you knew what he said to me, that man
is the devil. Madame, I feel sure show him in,
said the count I am here, said Tibaut. You can
leave us now, my girl, said the Countess to Lizette.
The latter quitted the room, and the Countess remained alone

(10:11):
with Tibaux. Tibau's appearance was not one to inspire confidence.
He gave the impression of a man who had once
and for all made up his mind. But it was
also easy to see that it was for no good purpose.
A satanic smile played about his mouth, and there was
a demoniacal light in his eyes. He had made no
attempt to hide his red hairs, but had left them

(10:31):
defiantly uncovered, and they hung over his forehead like a
plume of flame. But still the Countess looked him full
in the face, without changing color. My maid says that
you know the way to my room. Have you ever
been here before? Yes, Madame, once? And when was that?

(10:52):
The day before? Yesterday? At what time? From half past
ten till half past twelve at night? The Countess looked
steadily at him and said, that is not true. Would
you like me to tell you what took place during
the time you mention During the time I mentioned, say On,

(11:16):
replied the Countess, laconically. Tibaut was equally laconic. Monsieur Raoul
came in by that door, he said, pointing to the
one leading into the corridor, and Lizette left him here alone.
You entered the room by that one, he continued, indicating
the dressing room door, and you found him on his knees.

(11:37):
Your hair was unbound, only fastened back by three diamond pins.
You wore a pink silk dressing gown trimmed with lace,
pink silk stockings, cloth of silver slippers, and a chain
of pearls round your neck. You describe my dress exactly,
said the Countess. Continue. You tried to pick a quarrel
with Monsieur Raoul, first because he loitered in the corridors

(12:00):
to kiss your waiting maid. Secondly because some one had
met him late at night on the road between Anneville
and Ville Corterette. Thirdly because at the ball given at
the castle at which you yourself were not present, he danced
four times with Madame de bon Oyle. Continue, in answer
to your accusations. Your lover made excuses for himself, some good,

(12:23):
some bad. You, however, were satisfied with them, for you
were just forgiving him. When Lizette rushed in full of alarm,
calling to Monsieur Raoul to escape, as your husband had
just returned, Lizette was right. You can be nothing less
than the devil, said the Countess, with a sinister laugh.
I think we shall be able to two business together.

(12:45):
Finish your account. Then you and your maid together pushed
Monsieur Raoul, who resisted, into the dressing room. Lizette forced
him along the corridors and through two of the three rooms.
They then went down a winding staircase and the wing
of the castle opposite to one by which they had
gone up on. Arriving at the foot of the staircase,

(13:06):
the fugitives found the door locked. Then they ran into
a kind of office, where Lizette opened the window, which
was about seven or eight feet above the ground. Monsieur
Raoul leaped down out of this window, ran to the stable,
found his horse still there but hamstrung. Then he swore
that if he met the Count at any time, he
would hamstring him, as the Count had hamstrung his horse,
for he thought it a cowardly act to injure a

(13:28):
poor beast so unnecessarily. Then he went on foot to
the breach, climbed it, and found the count awaiting him
outside the park with his sword drawn. The baron had
his hunting knife with him. He drew it and the
duel began. Was the count alone? Wait? The count appeared
to be alone. After the fourth or fifth pass, the

(13:49):
Count was wounded in the shoulder and sank on one knee,
crying help les stalk. Then the baron remembered his oath
and hamstrung the count as he had hamstrung horse. But
as the baron rose the stock drove his knife into
his back. It passed under the shoulder blade and out
through the chest. I need not tell you where you
kissed the wound yourself. And after that the Count and

(14:14):
his huntsmen returned to the castle, leaving the baron lying helpless.
When the latter came too, he made signs to some
passing peasants, who put him on a letter and bore
him away with the intention of taking him to Villare Carteret.
But he was in such pain that they could not
carry him. Farther than Puisso there they laid him on
the bed where you found him, and on which he
breathed his last A second after the half hour. After

(14:36):
nine in the evening, the Countess rose and, without speaking,
went to her jewel case and took out the pearls
she had worn two nights before. She handed them to Devot.
What are they for, he asked, Take them, said the countess.
They are worth fifty thousand livers. Are you still anxious
for revenge, yes, replied the Countess. Revenge will cost more

(15:02):
than that. How much will it cost? Wait for me
tomorrow night, said Tibau, And I will tell you where
shall I await you, asked the Countess. Here, said Tibau,
with the leer of a wild animal. I will await
you here, said the Countess. Till tomorrow. Then till tomorrow

(15:25):
Tibau went out. The countess went and replaced the pearls
in her dressing case, lifted up a false bottom, and
drew from underneath it a small bottle containing an opal
colored liquid and a little dagger with a jeweled handle
and case, and a blade inlaid with gold. She hid
both beneath her pillow, knelt at her pridieu and her
prayer finished, threw herself dressed on to her bed. End

(15:50):
of Chapter nineteen, recording by John Vanstan Savannah Georgia