Yielding to the wish of Samuel, the notary examined the envelope with attention."Good Heaven!" he cried suddenly; "what do I see?--Ah! so much the better!"
At this exclamation all eyes turned upon the notary."Oh! read, read, sir!" cried Samuel, clasping his hands together."My presentiments have not then deceived me!"
"But, sir," said Father d'Aigrigny to the notary, for he began to share in the anxiety of Rodin, "what is this paper?"
"A codicil," answered the notary; "a codicil, which reopens the whole question."
"How, sir?" cried Father d'Aigrigny, in a fury, as he hastily drew nearer to the notary, "reopens the whole question! By what right?"
"It is impossible," added Rodin."We protest against it.
"Gabriel! father! listen," cried Agricola, "all is not lost.There is yet hope.Do you hear, Gabriel? There is yet hope."
"What do you say?" exclaimed the young priest, rising, and hardly believing the words of his adopted brother.
"Gentlemen," said the notary; "I will read to you the superscription of this envelope.It changes, or rather, it adjourns, the whole of the testamentary provisions."
"Gabriel!" cried Agricola, throwing himself on the neck of the missionary, "all is adjourned, nothing is lost!"
"Listen, gentlemen," said the notary; and he read as follows:
"'This is a Codicil, which for reasons herein stated, adjourns and prorogues to the 1st day of June, 1832, though without any other change, all the provisions contained in the testament made by me, at one o'clock this afternoon.The house shall be reclosed, and the funds left in the hands of the same trustee, to be distributed to the rightful claimants on the 1st of June, 1832.
"`Villetaneuse, this 13th of February, 1682, eleven o'clock at night.
"'MARIUS DE RENNEPONT.'"
"I protest against this codicil as a forgery!" cried Father d'Aigrigny livid with rage and despair.
"The woman who delivered it to the notary is a suspicious character,"
added Rodin."The codicil has been forged."
"No, sir," said the notary, severely; "I have just compared the two signatures, and they are absolutely alike.For the rest--what I said this morning, with regard to the absent heirs, is now applicable to you--
the law is open; you may dispute the authenticity of this codicil.
Meanwhile, everything will remain suspended--since the term for the adjustment of the inheritance is prolonged for three months and a half."
When the notary had uttered these last words, Rodin's nails dripped blood; for the first time, his wan lips became red.
"Oh, God! Thou hast heard and granted my prayer!" cried Gabriel, kneeling down with religious fervor, and turning his angelic face towards heaven.
"Thy sovereign justice has not let iniquity triumph!"
"What do you say, my brave boy?" cried Dagobert, who, in the first tumult of joy, had not exactly understood the meaning of the codicil.
"All is put off, father!" exclaimed the smith; "the heirs will have three months and a half more to make their claim.And now that these people are unmasked," added Agricola, pointing to Rodin and Father d'Aigrigny, "we have nothing more to fear from them.We shall be on our guard; and the orphans, Mdlle.de Cardoville, my worthy master, M.Hardy, and this young Indian, will all recover their own."
We must renounce the attempt to paint the delight, the transport of Gabriel and Agricola, of Dagobert, and Marshal Simon's father, of Samuel and Bathsheba.Faringhea alone remained in gloomy silence, before the portrait of the man with the black-barred forehead.As for the fury of Father d'Aigrigny and Rodin, when they saw Samuel retake possession of the casket, we must also renounce any attempt to describe it.On the notary's suggestion, who took with him the codicil, to have it opened according to the formalities of the law, Samuel agreed that it would be more prudent to deposit in the Bank of France the securities of immense value that were now known to be in his possession.
While all the generous hearts, which had for a moment suffered so much, were overflowing with happiness, hope, and joy, Father d'Aigrigny and Rodin quitted the house with rage and death in their souls.The reverend father got into his carriage, and said to his servants: "To Saint-Dizier House!"--Then, worn out and crushed, he fell back upon the seat, and hid his face in his hands, while he uttered a deep groan.Rodin sat next to him, and looked with a mixture of anger and disdain at this so dejected and broken-spirited man.
"The coward!" said he to himself."He despairs--and yet--"
A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped in the Rue de Babylone, in the court-yard of Saint-Dizier House.