In which I go all serious again
At the close of The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy gives this speech to poor old Chauvelin:
"I only regret one thing, my dear M. Chambertin," he said after a while. "And that is, that you and I will never measure wits again after this. Your damnable revolution is dead... I am glad I was never tempted to kill you. I might have succumbed, and in very truth robbed the guillotine of an interesting prey. Without any doubt, they will guillotine the lot of you, my good M. Chambertin. Robespierre to-morrow; then his friends, his sycophants, his imitators - you amongst the rest.... 'Tis a pity! You have so often amused me. Especially after you had put a brand on Rateau's arm, and thought you would always know him after that. Think it all out, my dear sir! Remember our happy conversation in the warehouse down below, and my denunciation of citoyenne Cabarrus... You gazed upon my branded arm then and were quite satisfied. My denunciation was a false one, of course! 'Tis I who put the letters and the rags in the beautiful Theresia's apartments. But she will bear me no malice, I dare swear; for I shall have redeemed my promise. To-morrow, after Robespierre's head has fallen, Tallien will be the greatest man in France and his Theresia a virtual queen. Think it all out, my dear Monsieur Chambertin! You have plenty of time. Some one is sure to drift up here presently, and will free you and the two soldiers, whom I left out on the landing. But no one will free you from the guillotine when the time comes, unless I myself...."
Apart from the fact that the Baroness decided it was, do you think that this is the end? Would the Pimpernel have returned for some more 'sport' with his amiable friend? Could he be spiteful enough to regard Chauvelin's fate as poetic justice, or would he enjoy more the irony of rescuing Bibi, as he did Fleurette in Sir Percy Hits Back? Would Chauvelin even let Sir Percy save him, or would he prefer to die with Robespierre et al?simply_kelp 's story has started me thinking! (Not that my trivia-centric brain needs encouraging, so blame me!)
Also, what about the White Terror that followed immediately after the Reign of Terror? There is always the debate as to what motivates Sir Percy - is he primarily a humanitarian, saving the weak and innocent, or is it because those sent for the chop are aristocrats? I, personally, would go with the former - he recognises the faults of the old regime, but also the individual merits of men and women within that class. If, however, he is saving lives and not his own kind, then shouldn't he have returned to intervene when the Jacobins were facing the same persecution?
What futures do you imagine for Percy, Marguerite and Chauvelin after Triumph?
"I only regret one thing, my dear M. Chambertin," he said after a while. "And that is, that you and I will never measure wits again after this. Your damnable revolution is dead... I am glad I was never tempted to kill you. I might have succumbed, and in very truth robbed the guillotine of an interesting prey. Without any doubt, they will guillotine the lot of you, my good M. Chambertin. Robespierre to-morrow; then his friends, his sycophants, his imitators - you amongst the rest.... 'Tis a pity! You have so often amused me. Especially after you had put a brand on Rateau's arm, and thought you would always know him after that. Think it all out, my dear sir! Remember our happy conversation in the warehouse down below, and my denunciation of citoyenne Cabarrus... You gazed upon my branded arm then and were quite satisfied. My denunciation was a false one, of course! 'Tis I who put the letters and the rags in the beautiful Theresia's apartments. But she will bear me no malice, I dare swear; for I shall have redeemed my promise. To-morrow, after Robespierre's head has fallen, Tallien will be the greatest man in France and his Theresia a virtual queen. Think it all out, my dear Monsieur Chambertin! You have plenty of time. Some one is sure to drift up here presently, and will free you and the two soldiers, whom I left out on the landing. But no one will free you from the guillotine when the time comes, unless I myself...."
Apart from the fact that the Baroness decided it was, do you think that this is the end? Would the Pimpernel have returned for some more 'sport' with his amiable friend? Could he be spiteful enough to regard Chauvelin's fate as poetic justice, or would he enjoy more the irony of rescuing Bibi, as he did Fleurette in Sir Percy Hits Back? Would Chauvelin even let Sir Percy save him, or would he prefer to die with Robespierre et al?simply_kelp 's story has started me thinking! (Not that my trivia-centric brain needs encouraging, so blame me!)
Also, what about the White Terror that followed immediately after the Reign of Terror? There is always the debate as to what motivates Sir Percy - is he primarily a humanitarian, saving the weak and innocent, or is it because those sent for the chop are aristocrats? I, personally, would go with the former - he recognises the faults of the old regime, but also the individual merits of men and women within that class. If, however, he is saving lives and not his own kind, then shouldn't he have returned to intervene when the Jacobins were facing the same persecution?
What futures do you imagine for Percy, Marguerite and Chauvelin after Triumph?