Monsieur de Chauvelin's Will Author:Alexandre Dumas Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: " No, really not. I am very glad to see you. What have you there ? " "Ah! I beg your pardon, I forgot. A letter for you." "So! an autograph? Whose is it... more »? " " No, it's not an autograph; it's simply a letter, at least so I imagine." "Oh! yes, a letter!" " A letter that came by post and was given me by FraiiQoise to bring to you. Here it is." " Thanks. Just put out your hand, please, and give me — " "What?" "A match. Really, I am still as dull and confused as possible. If I were superstitious, I should believe something was going to happen." He took the match I handed him and lighted it in the hot ashes on the hearth. As it burned, the room became brighter and made it possible to distinguish the different objects. " Mon Dieu ! " I cried suddenly. " What's the matter ? " Monsieur de Villenave asked, as he lighted the candle. " Mon Dieu ! your lovely pastel! What in heaven's name has happened to it ? " " You see," replied Monsieur de Villenave, sadly, " I have put it there by the chimney. I am expecting the picture-framer and the glazier." " True, the frame is broken, and the glass shattered into a thousand pieces." "Yes," said Monsieur de Villenave, looking at the portrait with a melancholy air, and forgetting his letter. " Yes, it's an incomprehensible thing." " Why, did some accident happen to it? " " Day before yesterday I had worked all the evening. It was about a quarter to twelve. I went to bed, placed my candle on my night table, and was preparing to look over the proofs of a small compact edition of my Ovid, when I chanced to cast my eyes on my poor friend's portrait. I nodded a good-night to her as usual. The wind was blowing gently through the window, which had been left open, and it made the flame of my candle flicke...« less