The Scarlet Pimpernel

Lady Blakeney arrives at The Fisherman’s Rest late at night. Sally and Mr. Jellyband rouse themselves and make Marguerite comfortable before the fireplace in the empty coffee-room. She reserves rooms for several days for her coachmen. She says she and Sir Andrew will board a boat later tonight. Jellyband nods but privately worries that the two are running off together. Sally, too, wonders.

Marguerite orders a cold supper for later, then waits for Andrew. The wind kicks up, rattling the windows. Andrew arrives, disguised as a servant, and suddenly Marguerite realizes how all of this must look to others. Andrew tells her that the storm’s headwinds prevent all boats from sailing and says to Jellyband that Sir Percy will reward him doubly for the good care of Marguerite and himself. At this, Jellyband’s concern over this suspicious midnight meeting diminishes.

Andrew assures Marguerite that, like them, Chauvelin is stranded in Dover. “Shall I go waylay him and run my sword through him? That were indeed the quickest way out of the difficulty” (116). She shakes her head forcefully, saying that only in France is murder these days legal and respectable.

Famished, Marguerite eats the waiting meal while Andrew regales her with tales of the Scarlet Pimpernel’s many clever disguises and hairs-breadth rescues. He assures her that Percy and Captain Briggs, both excellent sailors, will be safe in the storm. 

Marguerite sleeps poorly and wakes early. She finds Andrew in the coffee-room. He reports that the storm still rages, and the tide is going out, which may cause an additional 12-hour delay. To avoid French spies, they move to a private sitting room, where they take listless bites of meals and wait anxiously. The winds finally change to a favorable direction; Andrew visits the pier and charters a schooner that awaits the tide.

Late in the afternoon, Marguerite and Andrew walk to the pier and board the Foam Crest, and shortly they’re out to sea. They reach Calais after dark, disembark, and make their way toward the rendezvous point through narrow, winding streets that reek of stale fish. The men they pass sport the red caps of the revolution and stare sullenly at the upper-class woman and her servant.

At the edge of town, they arrive at a tiny inn, the Chat Gris, and enter a dilapidated room of half-broken furniture, peeling walls, and a pot of soup over a fire. The proprietor, a heavily built man named Brogard, wearing shabby clothes and smoking a rank pipe, spits on the floor to show contempt for the English, but he lets them in. A woman in rags stirs the soup pot; at Andrew’s request, they prepare a bowl for Lady Blakeney.

They describe Percy to Brogard and ask if he’s been there. The innkeeper replies impatiently that a man of that description has been there and will return shortly with a horse-drawn cart. 

Andrew tells Marguerite that, just before they left Dover, he recognized Chauvelin, in a clever disguise, hiring a boat for Calais. Marguerite’s excitement at the prospect of seeing Percy turns back to fear. With their one-hour advantage over Chauvelin, she insists that they can warn Percy and get him back safely to England. Andrew reminds her that Percy has sworn an oath to protect the Comte de Tournay, Armand, and others and will not back down.

They agree that Andrew will search the town while Marguerite waits in seclusion. Andrew arranges for her use of the attic loft. She climbs the steps and settles in; satisfied, Andrew heads out in search of his leader. 

In the loft, Marguerite watches and waits. Through the curtain, she sees Brogard setting the table for another guest. He goes to some trouble about it, and she guesses it’s for the well-paying Percy.

Outside, footsteps approach, and the door bursts open. It’s Chauvelin, dressed in a cleric’s cassock. He demands soup, wine, and privacy; fearful and obsequious, Brogard complies. A second man, Desgas, updates Chauvelin, saying the Scarlet Pimpernel’s schooner has been sighted offshore, and all preparations are in place.

None of the French yet know where the Pimpernel will meet the escapees; Chauvelin orders Desgas to reinforce the road patrols. He says that whoever finds the tall suspect and then loses him will be executed. Gleefully, he orders the tall man captured alive “if possible.”

A voice breaks through from the outside. It’s her husband, singing “God save the King!” (133) 

Percy enters the little inn, asking loudly for Brogard. He glances over at Chauvelin and walks to him, clapping him on the back and averring that he never thought to see him here. Chauvelin nearly chokes; his face grows purple, and he coughs violently on his soup. Percy pats him again on the back, apologizing and reminiscing about a friend who once choked to death on soup.

Percy sits; cheerfully, he pours himself soup and wine. Chatting and laughing, he seems oblivious to the danger, but Marguerite can see his eyes and knows that Percy is well aware. After finishing the food, Percy goes to the fire and invites Chauvelin to sit. Reluctantly, the French spy does so; Percy, still gabbing, wanders back to the table, secretly pours pepper into his snuffbox, and returns to the fire, where he offers some to Chauvelin. Thinking it’s snuff, Chauvelin accepts. He begins to sneeze violently. Percy picks up his hat and departs. 

Desgas and his men return; Chauvelin, between sneezes, asks if they saw the tall man. They did not, but Desgas says the increased patrols should be enough to find him. Chauvelin insists that they only shadow the Pimpernel and report back on his whereabouts. Desgas reports that the tall man recently hired a horse and cart from a nearby Jew named Reuben Goldstein. Chauvelin orders a search for Reuben.

Shortly, Desgas’s men return with another Jew, who leans on a cane, stooping humbly, and waits. His garb is in the style of Polish Jews, his hat broad-brimmed, face dirty, hair a mass of graying red. Chauvelin demands to know about the tall man; the old Jew replies that the man hired Reuben’s horse and cart but should have hired his better ones instead. Reuben’s horse had to be kicked to get started, but finally, they left about five minutes ago.

The Jew produces several coins that the tall man gave him to ensure his silence. Chauvelin offers him five gold pieces to take him to where the Scarlet Pimpernel is headed; the old Jew accepts. Chauvelin tosses the coins on the floor—he doesn’t want to touch the Jew or get too close—and the old Jew scrambles on hands and knees to retrieve them.

Chauvelin changes out of his clerical robe. He tells Desgas to select soldiers who like a good fight and then catch up with him. They’ll take the Scarlet Pimpernel tonight. 

Marguerite waits until the sounds of the old Jew’s cart fade in the distance, then she climbs down from the loft and sets out to follow them along the dark road. The cart will travel many miles, but it’s slow, and she can keep up. The night is beautiful, with the smell of the sea and the nearby sound of waves crashing, but the long country road is lonely, and Marguerite thinks only of the peril to her husband.

Presently, French troops gallop toward them. The cart halts; Marguerite sneaks closer in the darkness. Behind her, she hears the boots of Desgas’s platoon approaching. The cavalrymen report that they’ve had no sign of the tall man but have found a hut near the suspected rendezvous house, empty of people but with a fire going in a pit. Two men, one young, one old, entered the hut; Marguerite thinks of her brother and the Marquis de St Cyr. The squad left four men on watch.

Chauvelin orders the cavalryman to dismount and guide the cart. They start forward again; Marguerite waits for Degas’s soldiers to march past, removes her shoes, and follows. 

Miles later, cart and soldiers halt at a footpath. Chauvelin jumps down and gives orders; on hands and knees, Marguerite crawls along a hedge and sneaks up close. The cavalryman says the hut is about a half-mile away, perched partway down the ocean cliff. Chauvelin orders him to creep close to the hut with his soldiers and peep inside. If the tall man is there, they’re to rush the place and capture the occupants alive. If the tall man hasn’t yet arrived, they’re to hide in ambush and wait. Quietly, the men move forward down the path.

Chauvelin turns to the old Jew: “Here, you...Aaron, Moses, Abraham, or whatever your confounded name may be” (153). The old man answers, “Benjamin Rosenbaum,” and steps forward. Chauvelin orders him to stay where he is until the soldiers return or face deadly consequences. Shaking with fear, Rosenbaum worries that he might scream or run away if marauders appear. Chauvelin decides it’s safer to bring the old man along. He orders Desgas to put a gag on the driver. They move out down the path; Marguerite follows.

As they near the cliff, the moon comes out, and Marguerite can see the Day Dream at anchor offshore. Crouching along behind the path’s hedge, Marguerite arrives at the cliff ahead of the men. She sees the hut partway down the steep slope and, heedless of soldiers lying in wait, rushes stumbling over rocks toward the hut to warn those inside.

Someone drags her down, and her mouth is quickly gagged. Chauvelin feels her face and laughs with recognition. 

Chauvelin tells Marguerite to make no sound of warning, or he’ll have her brother and the others in the hut shot to death. Her silence will doom Percy but save Armand. He removes the gag, saying it’s her choice. She says nothing; silently, she curses herself for what she’s done.

Suddenly, from out of the dark, a cheerful voice sings, “God Save the King!” (160). 

Marguerite jumps up and screams. She runs to the hut and pounds on its door, begging those inside to fight. She calls out to Percy, telling him to run. She’s quickly thrown to the ground, her head covered in heavy cloth.

Furious, Chauvelin orders the attack. Soldiers push open the hut door, but no one is inside. Chauvelin walks up and checks. He demands to know how the inhabitants got away; a sergeant says their instructions were to keep guard on the hut and to say or do nothing, on pain of death, until the tall man arrived. The people inside snuck out, and the soldiers, as ordered, did nothing.

Gunfire interrupts them, then the sound of oars on water. Chauvelin realizes the refugees are being rowed to the Day Dream. Not long after, a cannon booms, signaling from the schooner that all are aboard safely.

Chauvelin reckons that the Scarlet Pimpernel is still on land. They re-enter the hut and find a scrap of paper: It’s the instructions for escaping from the hut and climbing down to the boat. It also includes instructions for the schooner to meet the Pimpernel at a coastal spot near Calais. One of Chauvelin’s men knows the place; he leads a group of soldiers who rush off to get there before the Pimpernel.

Chauvelin needs to vent his frustration. He remembers the old Jew. They find him where they had tied him up, moaning in fear, some of his ropes loosened, but his legs still tightly wrapped. Chauvelin reminds Rosenbaum that, were he to fail to catch up to the old man, he’d be beaten. He orders the men to do so. Soon, Rosenbaum is howling. Chauvelin feels better.

He stoops, kisses Marguerite’s hand in mock salute, and tells her he’ll leave her and the Jew behind and collect them in the morning. 

Marguerite lies, utterly exhausted, on the steep hill. She hears the French contingent march away. The clear night, the soughing of the surf, and the cool breeze suggest to her a final transition to death and the afterlife. She wants only to lie here forever.

A British voice calls out, “Damn!” She looks around. It’s Percy’s voice. She calls to him. He says he can’t move because he’s tightly trussed up. She rushes to him—he’s disguised as the old Jew, Rosenbaum. With her teeth and aching fingers, she manages to get his ropes loosened. Exhausted from the beating, Percy can barely move; he manages to pull off the wig from his disguise. There’s a small flask of brandy in his pocket; they each drink from it.

He stretches his cramped legs. Marguerite tries to explain her presence, but he stops her. He’s known everything from the beginning, and the fault lies with him, who didn’t trust her. He assures her that Armand and the marquis are safe aboard the Day Dream. Knowing that Chauvelin would dog him, Percy decided to ride along with him. He rented the rig from Reuben and disguised himself as Rosenbaum, knowing the French keep their distance from Jews and wouldn’t inspect him closely.

Near the hut, Percy untied his hands, wrote the escape instructions on paper that he always carries, slipped two notes into the hut—one a false lead for Chauvelin to follow—and the men escaped. He withstood the beating so he could remain by Marguerite’s side.

Andrew arrives—Marguerite had completely forgotten about him—and Percy explains that he met with his lieutenant earlier and gave him instructions. Percy chides Andrew for disobeying his orders to stay in England; Andrew replies cheerily, “Would you have had me allow Lady Blakeney to do the journey alone?” (175).

Marguerite’s feet are damaged from her long, barefoot walk; Percy picks her up and carries her. A long boat awaits them just beyond a coastal promontory. They walk along the coast, whispering sweetly to one another. They arrive at the boat; its crew rows them to the Day Dream.

Not long after, Sir Andrew marries Suzanne in a wedding attended by London’s social elite. The most beautiful couple, though, is the Blakeneys. Missing from the event, and not seen again in London, is Chauvelin.