CHAPTER XI.

by Alexandre Dumas

　　FROM the top of the steps by which one reached the door of the chateauusually inhabited by Madame de Franchi and her son, one could lookover the square.This square, so silent the night before, was now full of people, butcuriously enough there was not a man to be seen, the crowd wascomposed of women and children under twelve.On the lowest step of the church door we could perceive a man girdledwith a tri-coloured sash. This was the mayor.Under the portico, another man clothed in black was seated at a table.This was the notary, and the written paper under his hand was the actof reconciliation.I took my place beside the table with the sponsors of the Orlandi. Onthe other sida were the sponsors of the Colona faction. Lucien stoodbehind the notary so as to show that he acted for both.In the choir of the church one could perceive the priests ready tosolemnize the mass.The clock struck ten.At that moment a shiver pervaded the crowd and all eyes were turnedtowards the end of the street, if one could so call the unequalinterval between the houses.Immediately on the mountain side appeared the Orlandi, and in thedirection of the river was the Colona, each followed by his partisans,but as had been arranged neither party carried arms.The two chiefs presented a very vivid contrast.Orlandi, as I said, was tall, brown, agile and thin.Colona, on the other hand, was short, stoutish, and vigorous; he hadred hair and beard, both of which wore short and curly.Both men carried olive branches, the symbol of peace, which was theidea of the worthy mayor.But besides this olive branch, the Colona held a white fowl by thefeet; this bird was destined to replace that which had given rise tothe quarrel, and the fowl was alive.This last was a point that had long been discussed, and had verynearly upset the whole arrangement. The Colona looked upon it as adouble humiliation to have to render back a living fowl for the onewhich his aunt had thrown dead in the face of the cousin of theOrlandi.However, by force of reasoning, Lucien had persuaded the Colona toprovide the fowl, as he had managed to induce the Orlandi to acceptit.When the two rivals appeared, the bells, which until now had beensilent, broke forth into a merry peal.When they caught sight of each other both Orlandi and his brother madea similar movement of repulsion, but, nevertheless, they bothcontinued their way.Just opposite the church door they stopped, a few paces only dividingthem.If three days previously these men had caught sight of each otherwithin a hundred paces, one of the two certainly would have remainedon the field.For about five minutes there was a profound silence, a silence which,notwithstanding the peaceful nature of the ceremony, was anything butpacific.Then at length the mayor spoke."Well, Colona," he said, "do you not know that you have to speakfirst?"Colona made an effort and muttered some words in the Corsican patois.I fancied I understood him to say that he regretted having been inVendetta with his good neighbour Orlandi, and that he offered inreparation the white hen which he held in his hand.Orlandi waited until his adversary had finished speaking, and repliedin some words which I took to be a promise that he would forgeteverything but the solemn reconciliation that had that day taken placein the presence of Monsieur Lucien and the notary.After that the rivals preserved a dogged silence."Now, gentlemen," said the mayor, "you have only got to shake hands."By a simultaneous movement the rivals clasped their hands behind theirbacks.The mayor descended from his elevated seat, and seizing the hand ofColona sought for the hand of the Orlandi, and having possessedhimself of both he, with some effort, which he endeavoured to concealwith a smile, succeeded in joining the two hands.The notary seized the moment, while the mayor held the two handstogether, to stand up and read the deed declaring the feud to be at anend. The document was as follows:--"In the presence of us, Giuseppe Antonia Sarrola, Notary Royal ofSullacaro in the Province of Sartène."In the grand place of the village opposite the church, in thepresence of the mayor, the sponsors, and all the population."Between Gaetano Orso Orlandi, called Orlandini."And Marco Vincenzio Colona, called Schioppone."It is solemnly ratified as follows:--"From this day, 4th of March, 1841, the Vendetta declared between thefamilies shall cease."From the same period they shall live together as good neighbours andfriends, as their relatives did before the unhappy disunion which hasso long alienated their families."In witness whereof they have signed these presents under the porticoof the village church, with Monsieur Polo Arbori, mayor of thecommune, Monsieur Lucien de Franchi, arbitrator, the sponsors of thetwo contracting parties, and ourselves the Notary."Sullacaro, 4th of March, 1841."I note with admiration that the mayor had very prudently omitted allmention of the hen which had put the Colona in such a bad positionwith the Orlandi.So the face of the Colona got brighter in proportion as the figure ofthe Orlandi clouded; the latter looked at the hen which he was holdingin his hand as if he had a great idea to throw it in the face of theColona. But a glance from Lucien de Franchi checked this intention inthe bud.The mayor saw that he had no time to lose; he stepped back, holdingthe hands of the rivals, and without loosing them for a moment.Then, in order to anticipate any discussion at the moment ofsignature, in view of each considering it a concession to sign beforethe other, he took the pen and wrote his own name first, and thusconverting the shame into an honour, passed the pen to Orlandi, whotook it, signed, and passed it to Lucien, who in his turn handed it toColona, who made a cross.At that moment the Te Deum was chanted as if for a victory.We all signed afterwards, without distinction of rank or title, as thenobility of France a hundred years before had signed the protestationagainst Monsieur le Due du Maine.Then the heroes of the day entered the church, and knelt in the placesappointed for them.I saw that from this moment Lucien appeared perfectly at ease. All hadbeen finished satisfactorily: the reconciliation had taken place notonly before man but before Heaven.The service terminated without any incident worth recording; and whenit was over, Orlandi and Colona passed out with the same ceremony asbefore.At the church door, at the instance of the mayor, they once againshook hands; and then each one, attended by his friends and relatives,made his way to his house, which for three years he had not entered.Lucien and myself went back to Madame de Franchi's house, where dinnerawaited us.It is not difficult to perceive by the attentions I received thatLucien had read my name over my shoulder when I was signing the paper,and the name was not altogether unknown to him.In the morning I had announced to Lucien my intention to depart afterdinner. I was urgently recalled to Paris by the rehearsals of "UnMariage sous Louis XV.," and notwithstanding the importunities ofmother and son, I persisted in adhering to my first determination.Lucien then asked permission to take advantage of my offer, and totake a letter to his brother; and Madame Franchi made me promise thatI would hand this letter myself to her son.There was really no trouble in the matter, for Louis de Franchi, likea true Parisian as he was, lived at No. 7, Rue du Helder.I asked permission to see Lucien's room once again, and he himselfconducted me thither, explaining everything to me."You know," he said, "if anything strikes you I hope you will take it,it is yours."I unhooked a small poignard hanging in an obscure corner, as if toshow that it had no value attached to it; and as I had seen Luciennotice with some curiosity my hunting-belt and its appurtenances, Ibegged him to accept it, and he had the good taste to take it withoutbeing pressed.At that moment Griffo appeared to tell me that the horse was saddledand the guide waiting.I put aside the little present I had intended to give to Griffo, whichconsisted of a hunting-knife and two pistols attached to it, thebarrels of which were hidden in the hilt.I never saw anybody so delighted as he was at this present.I descended, and found Madame de Franchi at the bottom of thestaircase, where she was waiting to bid me good-bye, in the same placewhere she had bade me welcome. I kissed her hand, feeling greatrespect for such a simple-minded and yet so dignified a woman.Lucien accompanied me to the door."On any other day," he said, "I would saddle my horse, and ride withyou beyond the mountain, but to-day I dare not quit Sullacaro for fearthat one or other of the newly-made friends might commit some folly.""You are quite right," I said; "and for my own part, I am very glad tohave assisted at a ceremony so new to Corsica.""Yes," he said, "you may well congratulate yourself, for you haveto-day witnessed a thing which is enough to make our ancestors turn intheir graves.""I understand--their word was sufficient; they did not need a notaryto reconcile them, I suppose?""They were never reconciled at all."He then shook me by the hand."Have you no message for your brother?" I said."Yes, certainly, if it will not incommode you to deliver it.""Well, then, let us embrace. I can only deliver that which I am ableto receive." [See "Transcriber's Note."]So we embraced each other."We shall see you again some day?" I said."Yes, if you come to Corsica.""No, but won't you come to Paris?""I shall never go there," replied Lucien."In any case, you will find my card on the mantelpiece in yourbrother's room--do not forget the address.""I will promise you that should any event call me to the Continent youshall have my first visit.""Very well, that is agreed."We shook hands once again and parted; but I noticed, so long as hecould see me, he followed me with his eyes.All was quiet in the village, although, of course, there was the usualagitation which follows the completion of a great public act; and as Iwent along the street I sought my friend Orlandi, who had neveraddressed a word to me, nor even thanked me; and so I passed the lasthouse in the village, and entered the open country without having seenany one like him.I thought he had entirely forgotten me, and under the circumstances Iquite excused him, but before I got very far out of the village Iperceived a man stride from the underwood, and place himself in themiddle of the road. I recognized him at once as the man who in mygreat regard for appearances, and in my impatience, I had accused ofingratitude.He was dressed in the same costume as he had appeared in the previousevening in the ruins of Vicentello.When I was about twenty paces distant from him he took off his hat;while I spurred my horse so as not to keep Orlandi waiting."Monsieur," he said, "I did not wish you to quit Sullacaro withoutaccepting my thanks for the kindness you have shown to a poor peasantlike myself, and as in the village I had not the heart, and could notcommand the language, to thank you, I waited for you here.""I am obliged to you," I said; "but it was not necessary to take anytrouble about it, and all the honour has been mine.""And after all, monsieur," continued the bandit, "the habit of fouryears is not easily overcome. The mountain air is strong at first,almost suffocating--but now when I go to sleep in a house I should beafraid the roof would fall upon me.""But surely," I said, "you will now resume your former habits. Iunderstand you have a house, a field, and a vineyard.""Yes, but my sister looks after the house; but the Lucquois are thereto work in the field, and to raise the grapes. We Corsicans do notwork.""What do you do, then?""We overlook the labourers. We walk about with a gun upon ourshoulders.""Well, my dear Monsieur Orlandi," I said, extending my hand, "I wishyou good luck; but recollect that my honour as well as your own willbe compromised if you fire at anything but game or wild animals. Youmust never on any account draw a trigger on the Colona family.""Ah! your Excellency," he replied, with an expression of countenancewhich I never remarked except amongst the natives of Normandy, "thathen they gave us was a very thin one."And without another word he disappeared in the brushwood.I continued my journey thinking that it was very likely that themeagre fowl would be the cause of another rupture between the Orlandiand the Colona.That evening I slept at Albitucia, next day I reached Ajaccio.Eight days afterwards I was in Paris.