Causes Célèbres.
307
CAUSES CÉLÈBRES. XIX. DESRUES. [1777 ] /"N the morning of the 3d of February, 1777, a little man, rather elderly in appearance, dressed after the fashion of the day in a lilac coat, d FAnglaisc, and carry ing in his hand a gold-headed cane, walked slowly through the narrow, dirty Rue de la Mortellerie, near the H6tel de Ville in Paris. His small, piercing black eyes wan dered in all directions, and seemed to be seeking something upon the front of the buildings. Finally they rested upon a sign bearing these words : " A cellar to let." Planting his cane in the mud in the middle of the street, the little man took out his snuff-box, and while taking a pinch of snuff, examined the outside of the building bear ing the sign. It was distinguished, accord ing to the custom of the time, not by a number but by a name, "The Pewter Pot." Having finished his examination, this pe culiar individual entered a narrow passage way which led from the street to the house, and accosted a woman, of whom he asked if he could speak to the owner of the building. The house belonged to a woman named Masson, and having obtained her address, the little man presented himself at her resi dence, and said very politely : " I am, madame, the owner of an estate in Beauvoisis, and also possess property in Paris in the Rue Montmartre and elsewhere. My name is Du Coudray. I see that you have a cellar to let; and as I have just received some wine from Spain, for which I have no room in my house, I wish to find a place to store it." Madame Masson replied that the cellar would not be free until the next day. Du Coudray seemed greatly annoyed; the wine was lying on the wharf, and he desired to store it at once. However, he engaged the cellar, paying one quarter's rent in advance.
On the morning of the 4th, this same lit— tle'man might be seen wandering about the Quay Saint-Nicholas. He there hired a cart, bought a cask of cider, and caused his pur chase to be conveyed to the Louvre. Ar riving there, he entered the atelier of a sculptor named Mouchy. He found only a pupil in the room, to whom he said : "My dear sir, I have come to take away a trunk which I left yesterday with my friend Mouchy; will you thank him for me for his kindness in taking charge of it?" The trunk, which was very long and pecu liar in shape, was thten placed upon the cart, having first been carefully wrapped in a large piece of canvas, provided by the little man. Half an hour later, Du Coudray started for the Rue de la Mortellerie with the trunk and cask of cider. At the corner of the Rue des Haudriettes he perceived two men, who were following the cart at a distance. Leaving the driver to continue his way, he fell back, and watched these two individuals. Then one of them approached and placed his hand upon Du Coudray's shoulder. Trembling visibly, the little man raised his eyes, and recognized a certain Mevret, to whom he had owed seven thousand livres for a long time. "I have caught you at last," cried Mevret; "I have been seeking for you for a long time. I tell you this affair has got to be ended; I have an order for your arrest! So, you see, further words are useless. When will you pay me?" "My dear sir," replied Du Coudray, whose limbs were trembling violently, and who kept his gaze fixed intently on the cart, " I regret exceedingly having obliged you to wait so long; but now I am in a condition to assure you that you shall be paid at once."
