There are men whose influence upon certain others is like a charm; without any seeming effort--without apparently a care on the subject--the words sink deep into the heart and carry persuasion with them. Of these was De Noe. Poor and miserable as he was, the stamp of gentleman was indelibly on him; and as Gerald sat and listened, the other's opinions and views stole gradually into his mind with a power scarcely conceivable.
The ranges of his knowledge, too, seemed marvellous. He knew not only the theory of each pretender to popular favour, but the names and plans of their opponents. His firm conviction was that Mirabeau not only could, but would have saved the monarchy.
'And now?' cried Gerald, eager to hear what he had to predict.
'And now the cards are shuffling for a new deal, Gerald, but the game will be a stormy one. The men who have convulsed France have not received their wages; they are growing hourly more and more impatient, and the end will be they 'll murder the paymasters.'
By a long but not wearisome line of argument he went on to show that the Revolution would consume itself. Out of anarchy and blood men would seek the deliverance of a dictator, and the real hope of the monarchists was in making terms with him.
'You will meet no acceptance for those opinions from your friends; they are too lukewarm for sanguine loyalty; they are, besides, to be the work of time. But think and ponder them, Fitzgerald. Go out to-morrow into the streets, and count how many heads must fall before men will condescend to reason; the gaunt and famished faces you will meet are scarcely the guarantees of a long tranquillity. If the Monarchy is ever to come back to France, it is the mob must restore it.'
'These are Mirabeau's words,' said Gerald quickly.
'It was a craftier than Mirabeau explained them, though,' broke in De Noe, 'the shrewd and subtle Maurice de Talleyrand! But let us turn to ourselves and our own fortunes. What are we to do that France may benefit by our valuable services? How are our grand intelligences to redound to the advantage of the nation?'
'I confess I have no plans. I grow weary of this inglorious life I lead. If there was an army in whose ranks I could fight, I 'd turn a soldier, and care little in what cause.'