339


CHAPTER  XII

Six  days  after  these  events,  Samuel  Brohl,
having  passed  through  Namur  and  Lie*ge  without
stopping  at  either  place,  arrived  by  rail  at  Aix-la-
Chapelle.  He  went  directly  to  the  H6tel  Royal,
close  to  the  railroad-station  ;  he  ordered  a  hearty
dinner  to  be  served  him,  which  he  washed  down
with  foaming  champagne.  He  had  an  excellent
appetite  ;  his  soul  kept  holiday  ;  his  heart  was  ex-
panded, inflated  with  joy,  and  his  brain  intoxi-
cated. He  had  revenged  himself ;  he  had  meted
out  justice  to  that  insolent  fellow,  his  rival.  Mile.
Moriaz  did  not  belong  to  Samuel  Brohl,  but  she
never  would  belong  to  Camille  Langis.  Near  the
Franco-Belgian  frontier,  on  the  verge  of  a  forest,
a  man  had  been  shot  in  the  breast ;  Samuel  Brohl
had  seen  him  fall ;  and  some  one  had  cried,  "  He
is  dead  ! "  It  is  asserted  that  Aix-la-Chapelle  is  a
very  dull  city,  that  the  very  dogs  suffer  so  sadly
from  ennui  that  they  piteously  beg  passers-by  to
kick  them,  with  a  view  to  having  a  little  excite-
ment. Samuel  never  felt  one  moment's  ennui
during  the  evening  that  he  spent  in  Charlemagne's

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Samuel  Brohl  and  Company

city.  He  had  constantly  in  mind  a  certain  spot  in
a  forest,  and  a  man  falling ;  and  he  experienced  a
thrill  of  delight.
