{"product_id":"2940013758001","title":"The Folding Doors","description":"A young man was coming slowly down the wide staircase of a palace in the\u003cbr\u003eRue de Vaugirard. It was, by the new reckoning, the 13th of Brumaire;\u003cbr\u003eevening, and cold, moonlit, and clear; these things being the same by\u003cbr\u003eany reckoning, as the young man thought, pausing by the tall window on\u003cbr\u003ethe landing-place that looked out on to the blue-shadowed, silent\u003cbr\u003estreet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was a ball overhead in the great state rooms, and he could hear\u003cbr\u003ethe music, violins, flutes and harpsichord, distinctly, though he had\u003cbr\u003eclosed the door behind him. He was one of the guests, and had the\u003cbr\u003ewatchful, furtive air of one who has stolen away unperceived, and fears\u003cbr\u003ethat he may be discovered. He seemed now to have stopped with an idea of\u003cbr\u003eascertaining if anyone was abroad, for he leant over the smooth gilt\u003cbr\u003ebanisters and listened. The great staircase was empty, and empty the\u003cbr\u003evast hall below.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpposite the landing window was a long mirror, with three branched\u003cbr\u003ecandles before it. The young man turned to this quickly and noiselessly,\u003cbr\u003eand pulled from the pocket of his coat a strip of gilt-edged paper,\u003cbr\u003efolded tightly. He unrolled this and read the message it contained,\u003cbr\u003ewritten in a light pencil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"At half-past ten knock four times on the folding doors. _Do not be\u003cbr\u003elate; every moment is one of terror. I am afraid of HIM_.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe last two sentences were underlined, the last word twice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe young man looked up and down the stairs, twisted the paper up, and\u003cbr\u003ewas about to thrust it into the flame of one of the candles, when he\u003cbr\u003ecaught sight of himself in the tall mirror, and stood staring at the\u003cbr\u003eimage with the paper held out in his hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe saw a figure that to his thinking was that of a mountebank, for it\u003cbr\u003ehad once been that of the Due de Jaurès--Citizen Jaurès now--courtier of\u003cbr\u003ehis one-time Christian Majesty Louis XVI., beheaded recently as Louis\u003cbr\u003eCapet in the great square now called by the people the Place de la\u003cbr\u003eRevolution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe People had altered everything, even the person of M. de Jaurès, who\u003cbr\u003ewore the classic mode beloved of liberty--the fashion of this year one\u003cbr\u003eof freedom, hair _à la_ Titus and a black stock swathing the chin. His\u003cbr\u003eface was without colour, the black, hollow eyes and black hair\u003cbr\u003eaccentuating this pallor; his countenance, though sombre in expression,\u003cbr\u003ewas beautiful by reason of the exquisite lines of the mouth and\u003cbr\u003enostrils, and something elevated and noble in the turn of the head. As\u003cbr\u003ehe stared at himself a slow flush of terrible shame overspread his\u003cbr\u003epaleness; with something like a suppressed shudder, he gave the paper to\u003cbr\u003ethe flame, and scattered the ashes down the stairs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen he pulled out the watch hanging from the black watered-silk fob.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt wanted ten minutes to half-past ten. The dance music ceased overhead;\u003cbr\u003ein its place came laughter, loud talking, and presently a woman singing\u003cbr\u003ein a rapt and excited fashion.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47145776972016,"sku":"2940013758001","price":1.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013758001_p0.jpg?v=1763598603","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013758001","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}