📖 La véritable histoire de Montecristo 2/3

A lady goes to the Loupion Café and asks for the owner. She confides to him that his family was indebted to a poor man, ruined by the events of 1814, but so disinterested that he did not want to receive any reward. He only wanted to enter, as a limonadier boy, in an establishment where he would be treated with disdain. He was younger, he seemed to be 50 years old. However, to determine Mr. Loupion to take him, the owner would be given 100 francs per month at the boy's request. Loupion accepts. A man introduces himself, quite ugly and poorly dressed. The lady of the place, Mrs. Loupion, examines him carefully, believes to find in his features a figure of knowledge, but, lost in the middle of his memories, does not understand anything that satisfies her, and forgets this circumstance. The next day goes by without him appearing more. What is he doing? Guilhem Solari promises to know the reason for his absence. He returns to the café around 9pm, and, all consterned, tells that, on the Pont des Arts, at 5am, the body of the unfortunate Chobar was found pierced by a blow to the wrist. The weapon remained in the wound, and on the sleeve we read these words formed by the means of the letters printed, number 1. The conjectures were not lacking. God knows all those we gave. The police returned to the sky and earth, but the culprit escaped all investigations. Some time later, a superb hunting dog, belonging to the café's owner, was poisoned, and a young boy declared to have seen a customer throwing biscuits at the poor beast. This young man gave the customer's statement. An enemy of Loupion was recognized who, to make fun of him, came to the café where Loupion was, in a way, at his orders. A trial was attempted against the misdemeanor customer, but he proved his innocence by showing an alibi. He was a suppliant courier of the Malpost, and on the day of the crime, he arrived in Strasbourg. Two weeks later, Madame Loupion's favorite perroquet suffered the fate of the hunting dog and was poisoned with bitter almonds and parsley. Researches were resumed. They were without results. Loupion, of a first marriage, had a 16-year-old daughter. She was as beautiful as an angel. A wonderful life, and went crazy. He spent extravagant sums to win the boys' interest in the café and the lady's. And he also had many interviews with interesting people, seducing her by pretending to be a marquis and a millionaire. The lady only realized her imprudence when her corset had to be widened. Then, she confessed to her parents her weakness, irreparable despair. The family spoke to the gentleman. They sold their fortune, consented to the marriage, showed family acts, titles of property. Joy was born in Loupion's house. In short, the wedding was held, and the husband who wanted a splendid wedding ordered for the evening a meal of 150 cuverts at the blue dial. At the appointed time, the guests arrived, but the marquis was nowhere to be found. A letter, however, arrived. It announced that, ordered by the king, the marquis had gone to the castle. He apologized for his delay, prayed that he would be worthy without waiting for him, and would be returned to his wife at 10 o'clock. He was therefore worthy, but without the kind gender. Bad mood of the bride, congratulated on the glorious position of the husband. Two servants hurried. At dessert, a boy puts a letter on the plate of each guest. It is learned that the husband is a free gallerian and that he has fled. The consternation of Loupion is awful, and yet he does not see clearly in his misfortunes. Four days later, on a Sunday, while the whole family is distracted in the countryside, the fire is put out in nine different places in the apartment above the café. The miserable run away, under the pretext of this course. They steal, steal, break, devastate. The flames win the house and consume it. The owner exercises a course against Loupion. This one is completely ruined. There is only this unhappy husband left, who has a little good on the side of the woman. All the valuables of cash, public assets and real estate have been destroyed or stolen The Loupions, as a result, are abandoned by their friends. A sculptor remains faithful. The vocation prospers. This one does not want to leave them. He will follow them without a gauge, content to share the bread of his masters. He is admired, he is praised. And a new but very modest café is established, rue Saint-Antoine. There comes Solary again, who, one evening, when returning home, is taken by atrocious pain. A doctor is called. He declares Solary poisoned, and despite all the rescues, the unfortunate dies in the most terrible convulsions. Twelve hours later, when, according to the use, the beer was exposed under the front door of the house where Solary lived, a black sheet was found covering the chest, a paper where these two sinister words were inscribed by means of printed characters. Number 2 In addition to the girl, whose destiny had been so unfortunate, Loupion had a son. This young boy, pursued by bad subjects, seduced by public creatures, first struggled and ended up giving in to debauchery. One night, his comrades propose a farce. You have to push a liquor store, remove 12 bottles, drink them and pay them the next day. Eugène Loupion, already half drunk, gives up this beautiful project. But when the door was locked, when the bottles were chosen, that each of the gang put two in their pockets, the police, warned by a fake brother, comes. The six culprits or imprudents are arrested and a judgment for night flight with effraction is made against them. Royal pity saved the young man from infamy, despite the efforts of money and seduction attempted to divert the sovereign's mercy. The son Loupion had to undergo 20 years in prison. This catastrophe completed the ruin and misfortune of the Loupions. The beautiful and rich Thérèse died of grief without leaving any posterity. It was necessary to make up for the loss of the dowry. The unfortunate Loupion and his daughter were left without any resources. Then, the honest boy who had savings offered them to the young woman, but he put a price on this service and made very odious propositions to Madame Loupion. In the hope of saving his father, and in their extreme misery, she accepted the shame of a concubinage which brought down the unfortunate to the last floor of the mansion. Loupion barely existed, his misfortunes had shaken his reason. One evening, while he was walking in a dark alley of the Tuileries garden, a masked man appears before him. Loupion, he shouts. Do you remember 1807? Why? Is it the crime you committed at that time? A crime? An infamous crime! Out of jealousy, you had your friend Pico plunged in a cachot. Do you remember? Ah, God would punish me harshly. No, but Pico himself, he who, to receive his revenge, stabbed Chobard under the Pont des Arts, poisoned Salary, forced your daughter to marry him, and led the plot where your son fell. His hand killed your dog and your wife's wig. She set fire to your house and drove away the thieves. It was finally he who made your wife die of pain. The one whose daughter became the concubine, yes. In your prosperous boy recognizes Pico, but only when he places his number 3. The furious says, and with a blow of the dagger reaches so well to the heart his victim that Lupien falls and dies, having barely been able to make a faint cry. This last act of his revenge accomplished, Pico thought of getting out of the tiles. When an iron hand, grabbing him by the collar, threw himself on the ground, near the corpse. And a man, bound his hands and feet, bayoneted him strongly, then, taking him off in his own coat, carried him away hastily.