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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cd2e320 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52649 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52649) diff --git a/old/52649-8.txt b/old/52649-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 18a7991..0000000 --- a/old/52649-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8530 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Traitor and True, by John Bloundelle-Burton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Traitor and True - A Romance - -Author: John Bloundelle-Burton - -Release Date: July 25, 2016 [EBook #52649] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAITOR AND TRUE *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by -Google Books (Cecil H. Green Library: Stanford University -Libraries) - - - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - 1. Page scan source: - https://books.google.com/books?id=CeEOAAAAIAAJ - (Cecil H. Green Library: Stanford University Libraries) - - 2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe] - - - - - - -Traitor and True - -A Romance - - - -By -John Bloundelle-Burton - - - -London -John Long -13 and 14 Norris Street, Haymarket -[_All rights reserved_] - - - - - - -_First published in 1906_ - - - - - - -TRAITOR AND TRUE - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -The doors of the Taverne Gabrielle, in the Rue des Franc Bourgeois in -the Marais, stood open to all passers-by, and also to the cool wind -blowing from the south-east. This evening, perhaps because it was -summer-time, and perhaps, also, because it was supper-time for all in -Paris from his Splendid Majesty down to the lowest who had any supper -to eat, the appropriately named tavern--since directly opposite to it -was the hôtel which Henri IV. had built for the fair Gabrielle -d'Estrées--was not so full as it would be later on. - -Indeed, it was by no means full, and the landlord, with his family, -was occupying the time during which he scarcely ever had a demand for -a pint of wine, or even a _pigeolet_, to have his own supper. - -There were, however, some customers present--since when was there ever -a time that the doors of a cabaret which is also an eating-house, and -that one of good fame in a populous neighbourhood, did not have some -customers beneath its roof at every hour of the day from the moment -the doors opened until they closed? And the Taverne Gabrielle was no -exception to this almost indisputable fact. - -In one corner of the great, square room there sat an ancient bourgeois -with his cronies sipping a flask of Arbois; in another a young man in -the uniform of the Régiment de Perche was discussing a savoury ragout -with a demoiselle who was masked; close by the open door, with the -tables drawn out in front of it, though not too near to it to prevent -free ingress and egress, were two men who, in an earlier period than -that of Le Dieudonné, might have been termed _marauds_, swashbucklers, -_bretteurs_, or heaven knows what. Now--even in the days which seemed -to those who lived in them to be degenerate ones with all the flame -and excitement of life departed, and which seem to those who have -lived after them to have been so full of a strong, masterfully -pulsating, full-blooded existence, perfumed with all that goes to make -life one long romance--these men might have appeared to be anything -except sober citizens or honest bourgeois carrying on steady, -reputable callings. For, on their faces, in their garb, even in their -wicked-looking side-weapons which now hung peacefully on the wall -close by where they sat, there was an indescribable something which -proclaimed that they were not men bringing up families decently and -honestly. Not men content with small gains obtained by honest labour, -by taking down their shutters at dawn and putting them up again long -after nightfall; not men who walked side by side with their wives to -Saint Eustache or Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois on Sabbath mornings while -leading their children by the hand. Men, indeed, to judge by their -appearance, their words and exclamations--which would not have graced -the salons of St. Germain or Versailles!--and also by their looks and -gestures, more fitted, more suitable to, and better acquainted with a -huge fortress-prison close at hand, termed the Bastille, than any -place of worship. - -"He should be here by now," the elder of the two said to his -companion, whom he addressed frequently as Fleur de Mai. "The sun has -set and, ere long, every bell in Paris will be proclaiming that it is -nine o'clock. If he comes not soon, there will be little time for us -to go to the Hôtel des Muses and have a cast for a pistole or two. Van -den Enden closes his _tripot_ early." - -"He will come, Boisfleury. So will the other. His master and, now, -ours. Yet, remember what I have already told you, treat neither of -them too much _en maître_. Remember also, that we are all officers and -gentlemen--or have been." - -"Yet--_malheur à tous!_ we are no longer officers and, well! they -are." - -"La Truaumont is not. The other, the Chief, is, seeing that he is -actual first in command of all the guards of the Splendid One." - -"If he were not he would not be coming here to-night. That command -gives him the power he desires." - -"Yes, combined with the other power, the other assistance, he -expects." - -"Will he succeed, Fleur de Mai?" - -"Succeed!" the younger man, addressed as Fleur de Mai, exclaimed. -"_Cadédis!_ 'tis to be hoped so. Or else, where are we? We, _mon ami_. -Where are we?" - -"There," Boisfleury said, pointing a finger towards the Rue St. -Antoine, at the end of which the Bastille stood; "or there," directing -an eye towards the vicinity of the Louvre, close by which was the -Place du Carrousel where, when the great _place_ in front of the -Bastille was similarly occupied, the Wheel was set up. - -"Precisely. Therefore, _mon camarade_, he must not fail. There is too -much at stake; our precious lives principally. Afterwards his. Then, -hers. To say nothing of Van den Enden's life." - -"Theirs are of poor account. Yet, _à-propos_ of hers; where is she and -what is she doing now?" - -"Plotting, of course. For him whom she loves and for her province -which, though it treated her but scurvily, she still loves. Being a -woman, neglect on one side and ill-treatment on the other has made her -love grow stronger. It does that with some women and most dogs, since -their love is like tropic flowers that often grow best in dry, -uncared-for soil." - -"But her other love; for him? Does that not prosper?" - -"Again the dog's nature is shown in that. She gets no love, but still -she loves on and on blindly. If that," imitating the other's recently -pointing finger, "or that," imitating his recently directed glance, -"claims him it will claim her too. Should he ever get into the jaws of -Madame la Bastille she will get there also. For, again, dog-like, -where he goes Emérance will follow." - -"Such a love is worth having," his comrade said meditatively, as -though, perhaps in better days, he had once possessed, or dreamed of -possessing, a similar one. - -"For which very reason the Chief does not value it. If he were forced -to sigh and moan for want of it and still find it refused----" - -"He would never do that for any woman!" - -"'Tis true. And in this case he is right. So long as he disdains her -so long will she serve him heart and soul. She will intrigue for him, -spy for him, work for him and, in the end, die with him if he dies -'there' or 'there'," again imitating, saturninely, the other; "or, if -may be, die for him. But, if he succeeds, if he arrives at that which -he hopes to reach, then--well!--they will die apart. For, succeeding, -she will not be able to follow where he goes: the spot where she -remains will have been left far behind by him." - -"'Tis hard on her," the elder man said, still musing. "A woman's love, -a true woman's love, is worth having; it is too good a thing to be -wasted." - -"It is the fate of woman's love where misplaced. Now," he said, "look -behind you down the street. La Truaumont is coming. We shall hear of -our first employment. It will not be a pleasant journey, but we shall -be away from all plotting and we shall be well paid. That is better -than 'there,'" and again Fleur de Mai mockingly imitated his -companion. - -Turning round on his chair and glancing down the street, Boisfleury -saw that a burly, bull-necked man was coming along it with his light -cloak thrown over one arm, since the evening had not yet become cool -enough for it to be worn, and heard the end of the scabbard of his -rapier scraping the cobble stones of the road as he walked, since -there were no footpaths in the Rue des Franc Bourgeois. - -Yet, bull-necked and burly though this man might be, there was about -him something that proclaimed him of better metal than those whom he -was undoubtedly coming to meet, and also that, even as they were men -accustomed to obey, so he was one well used to command. For there was -in him an indescribable yet easily recognised air of command, a look, -an air, that told plainly enough that this man had in his life given -more orders, with the certainty of those orders being obeyed, than he -had ever taken. In age he was perhaps fifty, or a year or two less, he -was plainly but well dressed, and, in spite of the ruggedness of his -appearance, he was a well-favoured, good-looking man. - -He drew near to the Taverne Gabrielle now and entered it as Fleur de -Mai and Boisfleury each rose to their feet and saluted him in a manner -different from that of the other, yet typical of each. The former, -who, though a younger man than his companion, was evidently the -principal of the two, welcomed the Captain La Truaumont more _en -camarade_ than the other; more familiarly indeed, as though feeling -that, in absolute truth, he was his equal. The latter rose with some -sort of quiet dignity which, while expressing the fact that he -considered himself as quite a humble instrument to be bought by money, -was not without a certain self-respect. Also, that dignity seemed to -suggest that, once, the man's position had been different from, and -better than, it was now or would ever be again. - -"So," La Truaumont said, "you keep the rendezvous. It is very well. -Unhappily, I have made it too late. The citizens have supped, their -wives will be putting the children to bed, they will be coming forth -to drink their flask and discuss their neighbours', and their own, -doings. This tavern will be full ere long; we had best go elsewhere -since there is much to talk over." - -"There is Van den Enden's," Fleur de Mai said. "Plenty of rooms there -where none can overhear or intrude! What say you, noble captain? You -know the place and the man. Likewise, _she_ is there and--well! she is -in the affair and deeply too." - -"'Twill do. It is there I have told the Chief I will be between ten -and eleven. He will be back by then from making his last arrangements -for the departure of that other." After which he said, while -addressing both men, "You set out to-morrow night." - -"All nights are the same to us--is it not so, Boisfleury?" Fleur de -Mai exclaimed, slapping his somewhat melancholy comrade on the back as -though to hearten him up. - -"It is," the other said. "All nights and all roads, and all days as -well. Fleur de Mai and I require little preparation. Our horses are in -their stables, our clothes on our backs; our best friends," with a -glance of his eye--that glance with which a Frenchman can infer a -whole sentence!--towards the weapons hanging in their sashes on the -wall, "are there." - -"Good. You will have a light, easy task of it, a pleasant ride through -the sunniest provinces of France; the best of inns to sleep in, eat -in, drink in----" - -"So. So. 'Tis very well," grunted Fleur de Mai approvingly. - -"--and," continued La Truaumont, "your pockets filled with pistoles -ere you set out, replenished with them when you arrive at your -destination, and refilled again when you return to Paris. Can heart of -man desire more?" - -"Whatever the hearts of Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury may desire more," -the former of those two worthies said, "they are not likely to get. -Therefore we are content. We will guard the noble lady valiantly. If -our two swords are not enough to shield her and her companion, 'tis -not very like a dozen others could." - -"There will be one other," La Truaumont said quietly, as now Fleur de -Mai made a sign to the drawer to bring the reckoning. - -"One other!" the latter exclaimed, turning round to look at La -Truaumont. "What other? Any of our 'friends' by chance? Of our noble -and distinguished confraternity?" - -"By no means. The other blade--he is a good one--is a young man who -loves the _demoiselle de compagnie_ of the illustrious traveller; one -who rides half-way upon the long journey to thereby keep his _fiancée_ -company and to act as protector, escort, squire of dames." - -"Who is he? Do we know him?" While, dropping his voice, Fleur de Mai -added, "Is he in the Great Venture?" - -"No, to each and every question. You have never heard of him or seen -him, and he knows no more of the 'Great Venture' than he who is the -object of that great venture's existence knows. The man in question is -an Englishman." - -"An Englishman!" the two companions exclaimed together, while Fleur de -Mai added, "What do we want with him?" - -"Nothing--no more than he wants with you, he going only, as I have -said, to be by the side of his beloved. He goes," La Truaumont -continued with some little emphasis, "unpaid, unhired and -untrammelled. He can turn back when half of the first portion of the -journey is completed, or, arrived at the end of the first portion, he -can, if it so pleases him, encompass the second with the ladies. He is -well-to-do and his pockets are well lined." - -"He is an Englishman all the same," Fleur de Mai grumbled. - -"On one side only. His mother is a Frenchwoman." - -"That's better," both the men said together. After which Fleur de Mai -asked:-- - -"But the Venture? The Great Attempt? You say he knows nought of that. -Yet he will be _there_ as well as we when the illustrious lady has -gone on her way; when Van den Enden----" - -"Hush, idiot. No names." - -"When the emissary, then, comes to meet her. That other whom we shall -see to-night." - -"Again I say he is harmless, since he knows nothing. Now, come. Let us -to the 'emissary's'. The Chief will be there as soon as may be. We -must not be later than he." - -Whereon Fleur de Mai once more crooked a ringer at the drawer lurking -by the window and keeping an eye on those who had been consuming his -master's wine--he being accustomed to trust no one whom he did not -know to be an honest bourgeois of the vicinity; and, at the same time, -each man reached down his hat and sword and buckled the latter around -his waist. - -Then, the reckoning paid, the three went forth into the narrow street -and directed their steps towards the Rue Picpus which was not so very -far off. For it was in that street that there dwelt the man who had, -but a few moments before, been spoken of as Van den Enden and the -"emissary." A man who was as much concerned in that Great Venture, -that Great Attempt referred to, as was either Le Capitaine La -Truaumont or the other man termed the Chief. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -He--Affinius Van den Enden--who spoke and knew eight languages and had -invented a new system of shorthand, who was a physician and was called -a thief by many; who was a Dutch Jew and proclaimed himself an atheist -and an unbeliever in the Christian religion, and had made an atheist -of Spinoza amongst others; who lived well on other people's -weaknesses, and, eventually, was hanged in Paris over the Quillebeuf -affair, kept at this time a bagnio in the Rue Picpus which he called a -_pension_ and styled "L'Hôtel des Muses." And a pension it was in some -ways, though a strange one. In it one might take warm baths, or cold -either, if anybody could be found in Paris disposed towards the -latter; and one could lodge and board there at a more or less fancy -price, while ailing persons could go into retreat in the Dutchman's -house until they were over their maladies. Here, too, _sub rosa_, one -could purchase diamonds and other jewels--always unset!--at a -remarkably cheap price on condition that no questions were asked, and, -for the matter of that, sell them without inconvenient questioning. It -was likewise possible to buy gold dust, ambergris, elephants' teeth, -_Fazzoletti di Napoli_, pills, chocolate and Hogoo (snuff) here; -while, also, conspirators, gamblers and private drinkers could have -rooms in which to meet in this delectable _pension_. Finally, to add -to its charms, one might at night play basset and ombre with some of -the most accomplished _escrocs_ in Paris. - -It will, however, have been gathered that it was neither to buy such -commodities as the above, nor to gamble or drink, that Captain La -Truaumont and his henchmen proceeded to the Hôtel des Muses after -leaving the Taverne Gabrielle. They were, indeed, engaged in a more or -less degree upon so great an undertaking, one having such vast -consequences attending on its success or failure, that, in comparison -with that undertaking, bags of pistoles, or chests full of them--if -such could have been found in Van den Enden's house!--would have -appeared but as dust upon the high road. - -Arriving at the Hôtel des Muses and giving two sharp knocks upon the -door, it was at once opened to them by a red-haired young woman who -was no other than Claire Marie, the daughter of the "physician." -To her La Truaumont instantly made known his desire that they should all -be shown into a private apartment; one that, for choice, had no -occupied room on either side of it. Then, the maiden having escorted -the three men to that which they required, while saying that the house -was almost empty to-night in consequence of the warmth of the evening -and the fineness of the weather, the Captain gave orders that Monsieur -Louis should be brought to this room immediately on his arrival. - -"Also, my child," he said to the red-haired young Jewess to whom Fleur -de Mai had already addressed a series of jokes to which she paid very -little heed, "tell your father to join us when Monsieur Louis arrives. -While as for Madame la Marquise, she is, I should suppose, already -within doors." - -"She is. _Hélas!_ poor lady, she goes out but little now seeing -that she is ashamed of the garb she wears. She has but one robe and -that is torn and frayed. Between you all--Monsieur Louis, you and my -father--though he is not much by way of giving aught--you might well -supply her with better array." - -"She will be supplied soon. Perhaps to-night. Money has not been too -plentiful with us of late. Now, Spain has sent some. Henceforth, -Madame la Marquise will not be without fitting raiment. We may have to -send her travelling. She must travel as becomes a--marquise." - -"She owes money to my father also," the girl added, her hereditary -instincts doubtless causing her to recall the circumstance. - -"Bah! When we are all as rich as heart of man can desire he can pay -himself out of his share of the spoils. Now, _ma belle_, begone and -warn your father to be ready for Monsieur Louis, and tell Madame la -Marquise to prepare to join us." - -Claire Marie went off upon these errands, the former of which she -proceeded to execute by calling over the stair-rails to her father -below--though she was careful not to do so in a tone that could by any -possibility be heard outside the house. After which, and also after -having received from her parent below the answer that he knew Monsieur -Louis was coming as well as, if not better than, any one else in the -house, she made her way to a flight above that on which she stood, -and, going to the end of the passage, rapped on the door of the last -room. - -Being bidden to enter, the girl did so, and, pushing open the door, -found the occupant of that room, a young woman, engaged in arranging -her hair in front of a very small glass. - -"Madame," Claire Marie said, "all the company are below excepting -Monsieur Louis, and he is looked for at once. The Capitaine La -Truaumont has bidden me summon you and my father." - -"I am making ready to descend," the other answered. "I shall be there -ere long." And, she added to herself, after Claire Marie had closed -the door and departed, "a fair object I shall appear in his eyes when -I do so!" While, as she muttered this, she sighed. - -If, however, these reflections were made on her personal appearance, -the woman either did not know herself or misjudged herself. For, -although she was not beautiful as beauty is reckoned, she had charms -that might well be considered the equals of beauty. Her hair, that now -she was endeavouring to arrange into the fashion of the day--the -fashion that Van Dyck and, later, Kneller depicted--was a lustrous -dark auburn; her eyes were dark grey fringed with long black lashes: -her mouth, with its short upper lip and full, pouting, lower one, was -perfect, especially when she smiled and showed her small white teeth. -Her figure, too, was as near perfection as might be. - -But, with these charms, there was mingled that which went far to -detract very seriously from them, namely, a worn, weary look, a pallor -that was hardly ever absent from her face, a lack of colour that spoke -either of bodily ailment or mental trouble. Gazing round the -melancholy room in which this woman sheltered--"harboured" is a more -fitting word--an observer might well have thought that the hardness of -her life, a hardness in which, to the sordidness of the apartment was, -perhaps, added sometimes the want of food or ordinary necessaries, -explained that pallor. Yet, still, in speaking to this woman, in -hearing the tone of melancholy in which she answered, in gazing into -those dark grey eyes and observing the sadness of their glance, an -observer, a listener, would have been disposed to think that the first -supposition was wrong and that not bodily, but mental, trouble was the -cause of her careworn appearance. - -Her hair arranged at last, the woman rose from the chair on which she -had been seated, and, after smoothing out some creases in her dress as -well as, also, endeavouring to remove some of the stains it bore, went -to a drawer and, taking out some various pieces of ribbon and silk, -stood before the glass while endeavouring to discover which of the -poor frayed scraps of colour might best add any charm to her -appearance. - -"Yet," she said bitterly, as at last she made her decision, "of what -use are these efforts of my wretched vanity? He regards me, will ever -regard me, but as a useful auxiliary to his ambitious schemes. I am of -the land and the people whose voice and assistance he seeks--once I -was of the best of those people. So, too, he knows my fierce -determination to stand at last, if Fate so wills it, before those -people as their human saviour and not as the outcast they made of me; -as the woman who, despised of them, has lived to earn their gratitude. -Knowing this, he uses me to aid his own great purpose and will so use -me to the end, and, if that end be successful for him, then cast me -off. Unhappily," she murmured, her face almost the picture of despair, -"I know he will do so, which is for me the worst of all. I serve him -understanding well that I am as nought in his eyes. I work to help -him, starve and go in rags to make his chance better, and--I am but -dust, dross, in his eyes." - -After which she turned away from the glass, into which she looked so -often while hating to look at all, and went towards the door, -muttering, "And still I do it." - -When this woman reached the room into which La Truaumont and his -companions had been shown earlier, she saw at once that she was the -last to arrive at the conference that was about to take place. - -Seated round the table there were, besides the three original -occupants of the room, two others. One was Affinius Van den Enden, the -proprietor of the Hôtel des Muses, the man who had been spoken of as -an "emissary," a central figure in the Great Scheme so often referred -to. The other, who had not taken the trouble to remove his hat, was a -man of not more than thirty years of age and was extremely handsome. -Yet, whatever the charm of his appearance might be, however softly his -deep blue eyes could glance from beneath the long dark lashes, however -well-cut the features were, all was marred by a look of haughty -arrogance that sat perpetually on those features. By an expression -that had, however, been described by some as not so much one of -arrogance as of an evil disposition or a harsh, cruel temper. - -Whatever may have been the cause of this man having continued to wear -his hat before those who were his companions for the moment, and -whether it proceeded from pride, contempt or superciliousness--or -absolute forgetfulness--he instantly removed it on the entrance of -Emérance, Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville, as the new-comer was -termed. Indeed, if she was in this man's eyes that which she had -described herself as being, namely "dust" or "dross," he allowed no -sign of any such appreciation, or rather depreciation, of her to be -perceptible. Instead, he rose quickly from the chair he occupied, and, -while removing his hat from his head with one hand, held out the other -to her. After which he murmured in a low, soft voice some words of -thanks for her presence in the room that night, and added to them -still more thanks for the many services she had performed for him in -what he termed "his dangerous cause." - -But from Emérance there came no words that could be construed as an -acknowledgment of the man's courteous phrases. On entering the room -she had glanced once into his eyes while making some slight -inclination of her head: when he held out his hand she took it -listlessly, and, on seeing that Fleur de Mai was, in a more or less -good-humoured manner, motioning her to the seat that he too had risen -from on her entrance, sank into it. While, as for words, the only ones -she uttered were: "I am glad we have all met here to-night: it is as -well that our plans should now be known to all." - -"They will not occupy much time in exposing," the man who had been -spoken of by La Truaumont and his companions as "Monsieur Louis," -answered. "The time for action is approaching." After which he -continued, "Van den Enden sets out for Spain almost immediately. He -may go to-morrow, or a week hence, or in two weeks at least. He will -return as soon as he has got the promise from Spain and that which is -as necessary, the remainder of the money. Only he will not return to -Paris." - -"Meanwhile?" Emérance asked quietly, "what of the others. Those I have -seen in Normandy are firm." - -"All are firm, madame." - -"That is well. But if he," directing her eyes towards Van den Enden, -who was engaged in turning over a mass of papers that he had brought -into the room, "if he does not return to Paris, to where will he go? - -"Basle is the place appointed." - -"Basle!" Emérance exclaimed, while as she did so her pallor became -even more perceptible than before. "To Basle! Ah, yes, I understand," -and she whispered to herself: "Basle that lies almost half-way betwixt -Nancy and the road to Italy by which _she_ will progress." - -"Perhaps," said Monsieur Louis, "madame does _not_ understand. Basle -lies outside France though close to the frontier--therefore, once -there, all French people are safe." - -"The Colonel of all King Louis' Guards is surely safe anywhere in -France. Monsieur must be thinking of the safety of some other person -than himself. In any case I could never believe monsieur's own safety, -at such a moment as this above all, would induce him to voyage to -Basle." - -"Madame has judged aright. I have no intention of quitting France." - -"Ah!" the marquise exclaimed, a dash of colour springing to her cheeks -at these words. Then she added, "It is very well. Monsieur should be -in France now. Especially, now." - -The other took no notice of this remark and, at this moment, La -Truaumont spoke for the first time. - -"Emérance," he said, addressing her without any ordinary prefix, "you -understand well enough why Basle is chosen for the rendezvous. All -those who will accompany Madame la Duchesse from Paris to Nancy, and -from Nancy to Basle, will leave her there, unless the young English -_fiancé_ of Mlle. D'Angelis chooses to go farther. To go even to -Geneva or across the Alps. Being in no wise concerned in our hopes and -aspirations there is no reason why he should not do so. He knows -nothing of our plans, he will never be permitted to know. Indeed," -continued La Truaumont grimly, "if he were to know of them, if he were -ever to learn them, the knowledge would have to be dearly paid for." - -"It would," Fleur de Mai muttered, as he curled up his great -moustache, while the expression on the faces of all the others--from -the grin on that of Van den Enden to the calm, far-off look in the -eyes of Emérance, showed that La Truaumont had clearly expressed that -which was in all their minds. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -"The Great Attempt," which has been more than once referred to in the -previous pages, was nothing less than a plot devised to remove Louis -XIV. from the throne of France and to place upon that throne Louis, -Prince and Chevalier de Beaurepaire, a man who had been the chosen -playmate of the King in his infancy and was now the Colonel of all his -Majesty's regiments of Guards. - -The infamy of this treachery--infamous as treachery always is!--was -doubly so in such a case as this, and it is not, therefore, surprising -that all the principals concerned in it were spoken of by other names -than their own; that meetings were hardly ever held twice in the same -place, and that, as had happened before now, many such meetings had -even taken place outside of France itself. Amongst those who thus -masqueraded under such aliases--and they were many--were the Prince de -Beaurepaire who was always spoken and written of as "Monsieur Louis," -Van den Enden as the Seigneur de Châteaugrand, Emérance as the -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville--and countless noblemen in Normandy -who did so under other sobriquets. - -For "The Plot" originated in Normandy and owed its rise to a tax which -had been imposed on the wood, or trees, of which the forests in that -province were so full, and which wood was to the landowners a -considerable source of revenue. One of the old original taxes of this -nature had long been submitted to by the Normans, but the imposition -of a new one had caused the discontent that gradually grew into a -plot--it was only one of many formed against Louis XIV. during his -long reign!--to depose him. Gradually too, as the scheme grew, the -wealthy landowners and nobles of Brittany and Guienne also took part -in it. - -A more powerful conspirator against the King of France and his throne -than the inhabitants of three of his most important provinces was, -however, in the field, that conspirator being Spain itself. Louis had, -earlier than this, deprived Spain of some of her possessions, and it -was now suggested to the Spanish Governor of Brussels that, if his -country were willing to supply the Norman conspirators with money, -arms and men, Quillebeuf, at the mouth of the Seine in the Bay of Le -Havre, might easily be seized by a hostile fleet. And, since half the -country between that place and Paris would be favourable to the -designs of the invaders, six hundred men well mounted and equipped -could easily reach Versailles, overpower the detachments of regiments -serving there as the King's Guard, and not only possess themselves of -his person but also of the persons of all the Royal Family. A Republic -such as that of Venice or of Holland was to be founded, De Beaurepaire -was to be the President, and ample funds were to be supplied by Spain. - -It was at this meeting that all was to be decided with regard to a -visit that Van den Enden was now to make to Brussels--in spite of his -seventy-four years of age!--there to draw the promised sum over and -above the trifle that had already been advanced as earnest on the part -of Spain, and to arrange for the attack on Quillebeuf. - -"For," said the old adventurer--whose gifts and talents should -long ago have lifted him far above the level of ordinary adventurers, -and probably would have done so if his sense of rectitude and -plain-dealing had been as considerable as were his acquirements--"the -signal is made by Spain, she joins in. Behold the _Brussels Gazette_," -and he placed before De Beaurepaire and the others a copy of that, -then, well-known paper. - -Leaning over the Prince's shoulder, La Truaumont read out from one -portion of the paper: "His Majesty King Louis XIV. is about to create -two new marshals of France," and from another: "The courier from Spain -is expected shortly." - -Then, seeing on the faces of Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury a look of -bewilderment which showed plainly enough that, however much the other -persons present might understand these apparently uninteresting -portions of general intelligence, they, at least, certainly did not do -so, La Truaumont, addressing them, said:-- - -"It was arranged with the Comte de Montérey, the Spanish Governor of -Brussels, that, if Spain decided to act, these pieces of news should -be inserted in the _Gazette_ by his orders. They have been inserted; -therefore we have won Spain to our side. The fleet specially belonging -to Holland will embark six thousand men at a given moment; arms and -weapons for twenty thousand men will also be put on board, and money -to the extent of two million francs will be provided. Van den Enden -goes now to Brussels to finally decide everything and----" - -"To bring a portion of the money away with him," Van den Enden put in. -"We want money badly in spite of having already received something as -earnest of the matter being considered." - -"But Basle! Why Basle?" Emérance exclaimed, while as she spoke her -eyes rested on De Beaurepaire's face. "It is far away," she continued, -speaking with emphasis. "Far from Paris and farther still from -Normandy. It is going a long distance." - -"It is outside France," La Truaumont said, "and, consequently, safe. -While Spain is doing the business in company with the Normans in the -North-West, those who are directing the puppets will be doing so from -the South-East." - -"_He_ cannot be there," Emérance said, her eyes still fixed on De -Beaurepaire. - -"No," De Beaurepaire replied, "I must remain in Paris. I may indeed -be required in Normandy. But there is a certain lady, a certain -_grande dame de par le monde_ who will pass through Basle from Nancy -on her road to Italy. You know that, Madame de Villiers-Bordéville, as -well as you know that I have promised to see her to, and safely -outside, the gates of Paris." - -"Yes, I know," the woman said, her eyes lowered now as his were raised -to them, while her usual pallor had once more given way to the flush -that at intervals tinged her cheeks, "I know." - -"Also you know, madame, you must in very truth know, that I have -agreed to find for this lady some trifling escort as far as Basle, -whence she may cross the St. Gothard or go to Geneva if she decides to -pass the St. Bernard. Now, that escort will be composed of Fleur de -Mai, as he elects to call himself, and Boisfleury----" - -"Which is a name his fathers bore," that worthy interrupted. - -"Both," went on De Beaurepaire, "are Normans as you, madame, are. -Both, like you, are heart and soul in this great scheme now so near to -its accomplishment. And, since they, perforce, must find themselves at -Basle, though not necessarily at Geneva, it is to Basle that Van den -Enden will go. Thence, from that place, they can all return in safety -to Paris, since who, entering France from Switzerland, can be -suspected of coming from the Spanish Netherlands or of having any -dealings with the Normans?" - -"And I? Where shall I be? I who am as much heart and soul in this as -you, or any of you?" looking round on all present. "I who am Norman as -La Truaumont, Boisfleury and Fleur de Mai are? Though heart and soul -in it from no desire of reward but only in the hope to obtain justice -at last." - -"Later, I will tell you where you will be in this great scheme," De -Beaurepaire said in a low voice, his almost whispered words being -unheard by the others who had begun to read a number of letters that -Van den Enden had produced. Letters that, in those days, had they been -signed by the actual names of the writers instead of by assumed ones, -would have meant death to each and all: letters that now, old and -dingy and with the black ink turned red and rusty, still repose in the -archives of Paris. Yet letters now--and long ago--known to have been -written by those whose names are scrawled plainly across them in a far -more recent hand than those of the original writers; names such as De -Longueville, Saint Ibal, Franquetot-Barberousse, De Fiesque and many -others illustrious for centuries in the North-West. - -"I will speak with you later. To-night," De Beaurepaire said, even as -Fleur de Mai and his companions still conversed and told each other -that, with such men as these at their backs and with, towering over -all, the wealth and power of Spain--though they forgot that Spain -could scarcely be still powerful when ruled over by its baby King, -Charles, who was later to become an idiot in mind and an invalid in -body--they could not fail in their great attempt. - -And so the talk--the discussions of the future arrangements, of how -Van den Enden was to correspond with De Beaurepaire by first sending -his news in cypher to Basle, whence it would be re-written and sent to -him, while other re-written copies would be sent to Rouen--went on -until, at last, the meeting drew near to its end. - -"And you, Emérance," La Truaumont said, as now the men were resuming -their swords and preparing to depart from the Hôtel des Muses, "do you -know what part you have next to play? There are no more hesitating -Norman nobles or gentlemen left in Paris for you to watch; they have -all returned to their homes, being persuaded that the attempt is as -good as made and carried through triumphantly. Likewise, you can do -nought in Normandy yourself." - -"Somewhere I can do something." - -"Doubtless," the man said, looking down on her with a glance that -might well have been taken for one of pity. "And it may be--we will -hope so--under happier, more cheerful circumstances than this," now -looking round the room they were in with a glance that might have been -considered as embracing the whole of Van den Enden's delectable abode. -"Your life," he went on, "has never been a happy one; your -circumstances here, in Paris, are of the worst. They may now improve." - -"What is to be done with me?" the unfortunate woman asked listlessly. -"Or for me? I have no hopes. Or only one--which will never be -realised. My greatest hope," she almost whispered to herself, "is that -at last I may lose all hope." - -"Be cheered," La Truaumont said, the roughness of the old soldier of -fortune--part bravo, part hero, part swashbuckler--the usual -ingredients of most soldiers of fortune!--smoothed out of his features -so that, for the moment, he presented the appearance of a tender -father talking to an unhappy child: "Be cheered. If that which we hope -for and, hoping, greatly dare to attempt, should succeed, you will, -you shall, rise as we rise. Whatever you can wish for, aspire to, he -'Monsieur Louis'--_le Dédaigneux_ as he is sometimes called, will see -that you attain." - -"It is impossible," the girl whispered. "Impossible. What I wish for -he cannot give, not possessing it himself." - -"Be not so sure. He is young, passionate, and, though many a silken -thread has held him lightly for a time----" - -"I have no silken thread wherewith to bind him," Emérance said, her -eyes cast down, her breast heaving painfully. "Nor do I desire any -other woman's--women's----" - -"You do not understand, Emérance," La Truaumont said very gently. -"Much as trouble and sorrow have taught you, you have not yet learnt -all the secrets of a man's heart. A silken thread!" he went on, -turning his back still more on the others so that, while they could -not hear his words, neither should they see the movement of his lips, -which movement, on occasions, will sometimes tell as much as words -themselves. "A silken thread! What species of cord, of thong is that -to hold a strong, reckless man? A thing befitting the place where it -is most often found--a lady's boudoir, her bower, the seat in a tower -window; a gilded chamber where carpets from Smyrna, skins, rugs, make -all soft to the feet; the plaything of a _rêveuse_, a love-lorn dame." - -"Well?" Emérance whispered, lifting her eyes to the other. "Well?" - -"But there are other cords," La Truaumont went on. "The heart-strings -of women to whom dalliance is unknown: women who will starve, -intrigue, follow, dare all for him they love: who will bravely bear -the cords, the threads that make them regard the block, the gibbet, as -a sweeter thing than bowers and tapestry and silken hangings--so long -as block or gibbet are risked with him they love." - -"Ah!" the woman gasped in an indrawn breath. - -"What does he want now with women in their great saloons, their -oratories, their boudoirs? Is he not risking his life upon one cast; -does he not therefore want women as well as men of action to help him, -women who will keep steady before their eyes, even as he keeps, as all -of us keep before our eyes, the diadem of France, the throne of -France--France itself, on one side? As also he keeps, and we keep -before our eyes, the scaffold outside the Bastille, the Wheel at the -Cross Roads, the Gibbet--on the other side? And for such a woman will -there be no reward, no acknowledgment?" - -"Alas!" the unhappy creature murmured. "He is De Beaurepaire. I -am--what?" - -"A sorely tried, a deeply injured woman, a lady. One evilly, wickedly, -entreated by the land she now hopes to aid. One who loves De -Beaurepaire," he added softly. - -"Heaven knows how much," the other whispered. "That only!" - -"To-night the Prince will speak with you," La Truaumont continued. -"To-night he will show to you the absolute faith and belief he will -put in your loyalty to him and his cause, which is yours and mine and -that of all Normans. Emérance, to-night he will confide in you a great -task; he will put himself, his life, his honour, the honour of his -house in your hands; he will place in your hands the chance of sending -him to that wheel, that gibbet I spoke of but now. Does a man trust -any woman with his honour and his life unless he knows that they are -so safe in her hands, that they are so bound up with her own life and -honour, that she needs must guard them safely?" - -"Briefly," the woman said, her eyes raised for a moment to those of La -Truaumont, "he knows I love him. Alas! the shame that any man should -know I have given him my love unasked and unrequited." - -"How can he fail to know? Yes, he does know. But you, Emérance, do you -not know something on your part of how love and, above all, fidelity, -begets love in return?" - - * * * * * * * - -The three men, La Truaumont, Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury had gone, -they having taken the precaution to separate and make their way by -different routes towards the better part of the city. Van den Enden -and De Beaurepaire were in another room concluding their last -arrangements for communicating with each other when the former should -have reached Brussels. And Emérance leant out of the window of the -room in which the meeting had been held and inhaled such air as was to -be obtained from the stuffy street that was little better than an -alley. - -Yet it was not only for the sake of inhaling the air of the warm -summer night that she leant over the sill while idly toying with a -flower that grew, or half-grew and half-withered away, in an imitation -Nevers flowerpot, but also for the sake of gaining time to collect -and, afterwards, arrange her thoughts. - -For she knew that, if La Truaumont's words meant anything at all, -to-night would be fateful to her. She knew that, ere the bell of Saint -Eustache, which had but a moment or so ago struck ten, should strike -another hour, De Beaurepaire would have confided to her some task -which, while it raised her from the almost degraded position of a -spy--from the hateful task of watching Norman gentlemen and noblemen -in Paris to discover if there was any defection on their part from -that which they were deeply sworn to assist in--would not only put his -life in her hands, but also jeopardise her own. - -Nevertheless--as still she trifled with the flower while meditating -deeply--not one of these three things, her own advancement to a -position of trust and importance, or the power over De Beaurepaire's -life and honour which that position would put in her hands, or--and -this was, or would have been with many women, the greatest of all--the -deadly peril in which she herself must stand henceforth, weighed -with her in comparison with a fourth. In comparison with the fact -that, henceforth, no matter whether the Great Attempt succeeded or -failed--as it would most probably do--she and De Beaurepaire must for -ever be associated together. For, if it failed, there could be but one -fate for them to share together: if it, by any chance, succeeded, some -little part of the success must fall to her share. - -That, that only, was all she desired while knowing well there could be -nothing more. She had herself uttered the words to La Truaumont that -told all. The man she loved was De Beaurepaire, and he was far, far -above her; as high above her as the eagle soaring in the skies is -above the field-mouse; while, if the success were achieved, he would -be as much more above her as the sun in its mid-day splendour is above -the eagle. But, still--still--she would have played her part, she -would have helped him to that splendour he had attained, she could -never afterwards be forgotten or put entirely aside. - -"To some women's hearts," she whispered now, "a recollection, the -shadow of a memory, is all that they may dare to crave, all they can -hope for. Happy are some women to obtain so much as that. If I can -help him to succeed it will be enough. It is not much, yet, for me, it -must suffice." - -Then, as thus she mused, she heard the door open behind her, she heard -a step taken into the room and, next, the voice of De Beaurepaire say, -"Madame, I am here to speak with you." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -When first Georges, Sieur de la Truaumont, of an ancient Norman -family, late a captain of "La Garde de Monsieur" and formerly of the -Regiment de Roncherolles, had broached to the Prince Chevalier de -Beaurepaire the suggestion that he should place himself at the head of -the Norman plot for deposing King Louis, he had also indicated to him -a number of persons of whom he might make use. - -Passing over the greatest, since they were all known to the Prince and -were also resident in Normandy, he had described to his half-friend -and half-employer more than one who would be useful in Paris, and, -among them, was Emérance, who styled herself the Marquise de -Villiers-Bordéville. - -"Who and what is she?" De Beaurepaire had asked almost indifferently, -while wondering how a woman who lived in a decayed, though once -fashionable, quarter of Paris and was reported by La Truaumont to be -in an almost penniless condition, could be of the slightest assistance -to him. - -"She is a woman well born, of ancient family, who has been badly -treated by all with whom she has of late had to deal. She was accused -and tried for a crime she never committed and--she was acquitted. But, -with those of her breed, the trial was enough to place her outside the -pale. Fortunately it was the King's own court--not a local Norman -one--that tried her, and, out of that, grew her determination to -assist in wrenching Normandy--nay, France--from his hands, of -reinstating herself in the eyes of our beloved province by acting as -one of its saviours." - -"How?" De Beaurepaire asked, already almost wearied by this short -account of the unhappy woman's life. - -"By spying on those who, having given in their adhesion to the plot, -might, perhaps, find more profit in betraying it than keeping faith -with it. Therefore she came to Paris, and, while watching those who -might become backsliders, learnt that you, whom she had seen before, -were the accepted head of the movement. And she will serve you well. -Never fear for that." - -"Why serve me? At present her pay cannot be great. As yet the bulk of -money we hope to get is not ours." - -"Why! Why! Well! you have known enough of women, young as you still -are. You know why she will serve you." - -"Bah!" De Beaurepaire said, "she works for her pay, poor as it is." - -"Does she?" replied La Truaumont quietly. - -"Georges," De Beaurepaire continued, addressing the other by his -Christian name as he often did in these days, "who _is_ this woman? -You know still more than you will tell." - -"I know nothing more of her except that she is, like myself, from -Normandy. And I know that, for this self-same reason, she will go hand -in hand with us in the scheme we have set afloat when--well!--when -Madame la Duchesse is safe in Italy and we are back in France." - -"You know nothing more of her?" - -"Nothing. Van den Enden brought her to me here and said she might be -useful, being Norman. When she heard you were the head and front of -our future undertaking, she said she would do all we might ask. She -had, as I say, seen you before and--la! la!--admired you. But she was -poor, she said, and she must live. As you now know, the Jew brought -you and her together, and she was finally vowed heart and soul to us, -to the cause--to you. De Beaurepaire, you can grapple her to that -cause, to yourself; you can make her do aught you, or we, desire if -you will but give her a kindly word, a----" - -"I will think upon it," the Prince said, while telling himself that -already he had thought enough. - -"She will be worth it. Do that. Be generous to her and she will go -hand in hand to the scaffold with you if you desire." - -"_Bon Dieu!_ there is no need for that. And the scaffold is not for a -De Beaurepaire." - -"The heavens forbid! Yet, when the time comes--it is at hand--we shall -throw a great stake." - -"And win!" - -"So be it. I live in hopes." - -After De Beaurepaire had seen Emérance again, after he had more -carefully observed her soft features and noted her sad look: above -all, after he had seen one or two of the glances she had cast on him, -he decided he would grapple her to him and to the cause. A woman such -as this was wanted for the scheme he had on foot--the wild, delirious -scheme of striving to find himself ruler of France and with, it might -be, Louis for his subject instead of his king. He would do it, he -would use Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville, as she called herself, to -wheedle and hoodwink others, to sow the poison-seed of treachery and -anarchy and revolt in their souls, to ride for him to other countries -with messages and treaties to be signed and executed; to do all he -bade her. And, as slaves had ere now been crowned with roses and -rewarded, so he would crown and reward her. He would be soft and -gentle to her, he vowed; he would speak her fair and sweet, and she -should be well repaid for her services and no longer go in rags or -live poorly. - -He had decided all this some month or so before the night when now he -came back to Emérance to tell her what further services were required -of her above those she had already rendered, and, during that period, -he had had good opportunities of observing her unfailing fidelity to -him and his cause. One thing, however, that he had resolved to do had -not yet been carried out. The money with which he meant to reward her, -the money that should enable her to be decently housed, well fed and -properly clad and equipped, had not yet been forthcoming. Spain had -sent nothing until a few days before, and that only a trifle, since it -had been arranged that no money was to be paid until the signal was -given in the _Gazette de Bruxelles_, and then she had only sent this -small sum on the representation being made that the conspirators in -France would themselves do nothing until Spain led the way. As for De -Beaurepaire he had nothing; his years of extravagant living and the -expense which his appointments caused him necessitating his -continually asking money from his mother. - -"Madame," he said, as now he entered the room, "I am here to speak -with you." Then, seeing that although Emérance turned away from the -window and faced him, she uttered no word, he continued, "My presence -is not irksome, I trust." - -"There could be no presence less so," the woman answered, regaining -full command of her speech, of which some strange inward agitation had -momentarily deprived her. A moment later, forgetting that the room in -which she was belonged no more to her than to him, she motioned to De -Beaurepaire to be seated and, ere he could place a chair for her, had -seated herself. - -"To-night," she went on, her calmness all returned, "you are -to tell me what farther part I can play in your--our, since I am -Norman--enterprise. Do so, therefore, I entreat of you. And, whatever -it may be, have no fear to name it. What there is to be done, I will -do." - -"Madame is very brave," the Prince said, his voice soft and gentle and -his look--that was so often harsh and contemptuous--equally so. "Very -brave. Madame's heart is in this." - -"It is," Emérance replied. "To the end. I fear nothing in this cause; -nothing. Speak freely." - -"At present," De Beaurepaire said, "there is no danger to madame in -what she is asked to perform. Nay, she is but asked to perform that -which should bring safety to herself in place of danger. I ask her on -behalf of the Attempt and--well!--of myself, to quit France." Then, -seeing that the pallor on the face of Emérance had increased--if that -were possible: seeing, too, that her lips framed, though they did not -utter, the word "Never," he added, "only for a little while. A few -days at most." - -"So!" the woman exclaimed, divining his meaning in a moment, "it is -not to quit France because I am no longer wanted, or am dangerous, or -no longer to be trusted, but because----" - -"Madame, you have guessed aright, or perhaps you know the service I -would demand." - -"It is not hard to guess. The great lady," Emérance said, in a tone -more of sorrow than bitterness, "she who is so great and might, had -she so chosen, have been greater, quits France for Italy. Her journey -is to be well protected. Even Monsieur le Prince will escort her -outside the gates. The guards he commands; the other soldiery to whom -he can issue commands that must be obeyed; the watch, the police, will -be prevented from interfering with her. Ah! it is well to be Madame la -Duchesse de----" - -"Silence, I beg. Do not mention her name. Should it ever become known -that I have lent her assistance in her escape from Paris, I should not -be safe from the King's wrath. And, at present, that wrath is a thing -that even I must fear since, should it fall on me, it might, nay must, -prevent our venture from progressing. The Bastille, Vincennes, some -gloomy fortress far from Paris are not places where plots can well be -carried on." - -"The Bastille, Vincennes--for you!" Emérance exclaimed again, her eyes -fixed on the other. "Ah! That must never be." Then, suddenly, she -leant forward across the table towards De Beaurepaire. "What is it I -am to do? What?" - -"Listen, Emérance--madame," the man replied, correcting himself as he -observed the flush that overcame her features as he mentioned her -name: a flush that, he observed almost with surprise, transformed her -from a pale, careworn woman to a beautiful one. "Listen. There sets -out with madame a party of four, not one of whom I dare trust -entirely. Two of this party are Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury, Normans -like yourself----" - -"You may trust them both. They are too deeply embarked in our scheme -to betray any other." - -"It may be so. Yet the former is a babbler, especially in his cups. -The other is morose and melancholy; one who may possess that -inconvenient thing called a conscience. If this conscience pricks him, -or he should become alarmed as to discovery being made of the Attempt, -he may tell all." - -"Not 'twixt here and Basle. Still, if it is to watch those men until -they are safe in Switzerland that I am being sent, it shall be done." - -"Not that more than to watch the others." - -"The Duchess!" Emérance exclaimed, astonished. "She would not betray -you!" - -"She knows somewhat of the scheme and disbelieves in its chance of -success. Above all, she fears for me and my probable ruin." - -"Therefore, she loves you." - -"Nay. But we have been friends since almost childhood. If by betraying -the scheme to the King, by causing all others who are concerned in it -to be betrayed so that, thereby, she might save me, I do think she -would do it." - -"If she will do it nought can prevent her. In Italy--in Basle--in -Geneva--in Nancy--she can do it. Who can control the posts? One letter -to Louis will be enough." - -"Let her but reach Italy, be once across the Alps, and she may send a -thousand letters if she will. For, by the time they can reach Louis' -hands, he should be powerless. The Dutch fleet will be off Quillebeuf, -the men who are to seize on him will be riding in small troops and -companies, by divers routes towards Versailles or Fontainebleau or -wherever the Court may chance to be. Before a letter can cross the -Alps and reach him there--well! he will be neither at Fontainebleau -nor Versailles to receive it." - -"They will not murder him!" the woman exclaimed, a look of terror in -her face. "That must never be. No Norman would consent to that. He -must not go the way of his grandsire." - -"Fear not. None dream of such a thing, nor, if it were so, would I be -party to any such compact. Instead, he will go at first on the way he -has sent many others. To Pignerol perhaps, or out of France. To -England." After which De Beaurepaire returned to the subject which was -the real object of his interview with Emérance. - -"Besides Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury," he went on now, "two others go -with her. One is Mademoiselle d'Angelis, the daughter of a French -father and English mother, the other is an Englishman named Humphrey -West, the son of an English father and a French mother. They are -lovers. Have you ever heard speak of them?" - -"Of him, never. Of her, yes. Is she not the _demoiselle de compagnie_ -of Madame la Duchesse?" - -"She is." - -"What can they know, or knowing, what harm do?" - -"Listen, Emérance," De Beaurepaire said now, while no longer taking -pains to correct himself since he knew, felt sure, that the unhappy -woman secretly loved him, and, consequently, that this familiar style -of address would be far from displeasing to her. "Listen. The Duchess -is _une folle_, a chatterer. She may talk of, hint at, what she knows. -And a word dropped in the ears of her followers, a hint, would be the -spark that would explode the magazine." - -"What could they do, what should they do? They will be in Italy, too; -if a letter from across the Alps will take so long in reaching Louis; -if, when it reaches Fontainebleau, or Versailles, he shall be no -longer there, how can either this man or the woman he loves travel -back to France faster than it? And why should either do anything?" - -"His Majesty was good to Humphrey West's mother when his father, an -old cavalier, died, and he put pressure on Charles after his -restoration to at last make good to them the money and estate Cromwell -had seized on during his protectorate. D'Angelis, the girl's late -father, was one of Louis' earliest tutors, and Louis loved him and has -also been good to his widow and the girl. If either Humphrey West or -Jacquette d'Angelis should learn that an untoward breath of wind was -like to blow against him, the former, at least, would take horse and -ride back as fast as one steed after another could carry him to -divulge all." - -"What power shall I have to stop them? What can I do?" - -"Follow them, watch them, until they leave Nancy together. If Humphrey -West still forms one of the _cortége_ we are safe until they reach -Basle. At Basle watch them again and again, while, if all leave that -place, either for the St. Gothard or for Geneva, thereby to make the -passage of the St. Bernard--why, then, let them go. Once out of Basle -and on the road to Italy and we are entirely safe. You will have done -your work and," he added with that smile which so stirred the heart of -the unhappy woman, "your friends in Paris will be awaiting you -eagerly." - -"'My friends,'" said Emérance sadly. "I have none. Not one." But, -seeing a look on De Beaurepaire's face that partly made her feel -delirious with delight and partly caused her to feel as though her -heart had turned to ice within her, so wide was the gulf between this -man and her, she quickly returned to the matter in question: "And if I -discover aught that you should know at once? If one or other of the -men sets out for, returns to Paris; if a letter should by chance be -sent--what then?" - -"Then," said De Beaurepaire, "fly back more swiftly than they, if you -can accomplish it. Spare neither pains nor money--to-morrow you shall -be furnished with ample for your needs from the funds Spain has sent. -Outstrip post or horseman, or, failing the possibility of that, follow -as swiftly as may be. Thus, Emérance, my friend, my co-plotter, my -sweet Norman ally, shall you win the deepest gratitude of Louis de -Beaurepaire. Thus, too, if he wins in this great cause, will you make -him your debtor for ever. You will make him one who will never forget -the services Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville has rendered him." - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -Three nights after the conversation between De Beaurepaire and -Emérance, the clock of St. Germain-l'Auxerrois was striking ten and -the _couvre-feu_ was sounding from the steeples of many other church -towers, as a large, substantial travelling carriage drawn by six -horses passed slowly out of the Rue Richelieu and took its way through -the great open Place du Louvre towards where the Bastille stood, and, -beyond that, the Porte St. Antoine. - -A few minutes, perhaps a quarter of an hour, before this time, that -carriage had been stationed in one of the narrow streets running out -of the Rue Richelieu and, to it, there had advanced two young men -dressed in the height of the fashion of the period. But their velvet -and lace, their silk stockings and high red-heeled shoes, and also -their rapiers, were all hidden, since they were covered up by the -large furred _houppelandes_ with which these young gallants were -enveloped from their throats to their heels. So much enveloped that -the patches on their faces were even more invisible than were their -remarkably bright eyes and, indeed, the greater part of their -features. - -Behind these evident scions of the _haut monde_ there walked a young -serving man, or servitor, dressed in a sober, faded-leaf coloured -costume yet having on his head a great hat from which the long -cocks-plumes depended and fell over his face, and, at his side, a -stout rapier of the Flamberg order. - -Drawing near to the carriage at which one or two passers-by were -looking curiously, while one of the night-watch who happened to be in -the neighbourhood was doing the same, one of the two young men turned -round to the servitor behind and said:-- - -"Jean, have you left word that we shall return at midnight from the -masquerade and that we shall require supper?" - -"I have, Monsieur le Vicomte." - -"So be it. Therefore, Pierre," said the vicomte, addressing his -friend, "let us away. Already the first dance will be over and, _me -confond!_ there are plenty of _beaux yeux_ will be looking for our -arrival. Fellows," glancing up at the coachman and footman on the box, -"set out. And miss not your way. Remember," speaking loudly and -harshly, "'tis to the Rue de la Dauphine we go; to the house of -Monsieur le Marquis de Vieuxchastel. If you proceed not straight you -shall be whipped to-morrow. You hear, dog?" - -"I hear, Monsieur le Vicomte," the coachman answered in a surly tone, -though, as he did so, he turned his head and looked at a bystander -under the oil lamp, and thrust his tongue into his cheek and winked -and muttered an offensive word. - -"So be it," the vicomte said, as he got into the carriage after his -friend and while the servitor clambered up behind. "So be it. Now be -off. Do you hear, beasts? _En route_ for the Rue de la Dauphine." - -Slowly, therefore, because all large vehicles progressed but heavily -over the uneven roads of Paris, the great carriage went on its way; -though, since, instead of at once crossing the Pont Neuf--which is so -old!--it continued to remain on the north side of the river, it would -seem that the coachman had, in truth, missed his way in spite of the -injunctions of the vicomte. - -Soon, too, by following this route, the carriage was underneath the -frowning towers of the Bastille and passing by the moat in front of -the great door, and so went on through the Marais and past old streets -and, at last, past old houses standing alone and having, in some -cases, thatched roofs. A few minutes later it neared the Porte St. -Antoine with its great wooden, iron-studded gate closed for the night. - -But, here, by the side of the road, which was but a mass of dry mud, -there stood a house, or rather cottage, with a penthouse roof, having -outside of it a staircase leading to the upper floor. A house that -had, also, a long wall running at right angles from it which threw a -darkness deeper than that of the starlight night itself over all -beneath it. - -"This," said the coachman to the footman, "is the spot," while the -servitor who was behind noticed that the speaker crossed himself. -"_Bon Dieu!_" the man went on, "what a place for a love tryst, an -elopement." - -"'Twill serve," the other fellow said; "and he in there wants neither -De Beaurepaire nor us yet." - -"And never will, _Dieu le plaise_," the trembling coachman said, since -the man who inhabited this house was the executioner. - -Then, the carriage, which had gradually drawn into the deepest shadow -of the wall came to a stop, and, from out that shadow, there stepped -forth a man. A man who, advancing to the door of the vehicle, opened -it and said:-- - -"So! you are here. Both. And, for the third--Humphrey West?" - -"He is here, Monsieur le Chevalier," the supposed servitor behind -replied, jumping down from the banquette. "Here." - -"And you, my noble and illustrious friends," the Prince said, glancing -up at the coachman and footman, "my noble friends of the tripot and -the gargote; how fares it with you? _Cadédis!_ the ride you have -before you will wash all the fumes of Van den Enden's poisoned wine -out of you. When you return to Paris with your pockets stuffed full of -pistoles your mothers will not know you." - -"Now," ignoring the answers which the two men on the box growled back; -men who were, in truth, Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury. "Now, all is -arranged. You, Madame la Duchesse," addressing the handsome young -gallant who had hitherto been termed M. le Vicomte, "will ride through -the gate by my side. You, Mademoiselle d'Angelis, will ride with the -faithful Humphrey. While as for you," looking up at the men above, -"you will follow close behind." - -As thus De Beaurepaire spoke, from behind where Paris lay there fell -upon the ears of those assembled near the gatehouse the sounds of a -horse's hoofs, of a horse in full gallop, while, to them, were added -the jangle of bridle and bridoon as well as another sound which told -of a sword clanking against stirrup and spur in accompaniment with the -action of the horse's body. - -"Are we pursued?" asked Fleur de Mai, his big hand ready to draw his -weapon from its sheath. "If so, one thrust through the horse and then -another through the rider and, lo! there is no further pursuit," and -he laughed, indeed gurgled, deep down in his chest. - -"If it should be my husband or one of his menials!" the Duchess -murmured fearfully. - -"Tush!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire, "there is but one, and we are four. -While if the rider is soldier, gendarme, or police spy, he takes his -orders from me. What have we to fear therefore?" - -Suddenly, however, he gave a laugh and said, "Listen. Hark to him how -he sings as he rides along. 'Tis La Truaumont who has drunk his last -cup in Paris quicker than one might have deemed, and has caught us on -the road sooner than I, who know him well, could have expected." - -And so, in truth, it was. Upon the night air were borne the strains of -a song the adventurer was singing: in a deep, rich voice was being -trilled forth the chanson:-- - - - Pour faire ton âme et ton corps - Le ciel épuisa ses trésors, - Landrirette, Landriri. - - En grâces, en beauté, en attraits - Nul n'égalera jamais, - Landrirette, Landriri. - - -"_Hola!_" he cried, breaking off suddenly in his tribute of admiration -to some real or imaginary beauty while reining in his steed with a -sudden jerk. "_Hola!_ What have we here? Young gallants in cloak, -plume and sword; the great and mighty Prince de----" - -"Peace. No names, imbecile," exclaimed the latter. - -"And all the basketful," La Truaumont continued, taking no notice of -his leader's words. "My own beloved Fleur de Mai, countryman and -companion----" - -"'Tis true, though you say it," growled Fleur de Mai in a harsh, -sonorous voice. - -"And Boisfleury. The illustrious Boisfleury. Good! Good!" When, -addressing De Beaurepaire, La Truaumont continued, "Noble Prince, do -we not pass the barrier to-night, or do we sleep at attention outside -that?" and he nodded to the gloomy house close by. - -"No. Since you are come so much the better. We will all pass through -together," and he repeated the instructions he had given before La -Truaumont came up, while adding, "For your descriptions, remember that -you," to Boisfleury and Fleur de Mai, "are of my following, and you," -to Humphrey, "that which you please to term yourself. You, madame and -mademoiselle," addressing the Duchess and Jacquette with a smile, -"know also who and what you are. Now for the horses. They are here. -Come all and mount, excepting you La Truaumont who are already -provided for." - -Giving his arm to the Duchess as he spoke he led the way to a still -darker portion of the wall, under which were six horses all saddled -and bridled and by the heads of which stood two of his own grooms. - -"Ah, ha!" exclaimed Humphrey, as a grey mare looked round and whinnied -as he approached, "there she is, my pretty 'Soupir,'" and going up to -her he stroked her silky muzzle and whispered to her. - -"To horse," said De Beaurepaire, "to horse all. Madame," to the -Duchess, "mount," while she, obeying him, put her foot in the stirrup -and her hand to the mane and raised herself to the saddle as easily as -she might have done had she been in truth the cavalier she pretended -to be. - -A minute or two after, all were mounted. The Prince was on a great -fiery chestnut which might have been chosen with the purpose of -matching the strong masterful man who now bestrode it; Jacquette was -on a mare lithe as Soupir herself, and the two desperadoes on horses -strong and muscular. - -"Summon the gate," the former said now. "Summon in the name of the -King." - -"Open," cried La Truaumont, "open. _Par ordre du Roi_. Open, I say." - -"Who are you?" cried out a voice from the gatehouse window, at which a -man's face had by now appeared. "Who are you that summon thus in the -name of the King? Stand and answer." - -"The Prince and Chevalier Louis De Beaurepaire, Grand Veneur and -Colonel of all His Majesty's Guards," replied La Truaumont, knowing -well that his master would not deign to answer at all. "Attended by -the Chief of his own bodyguard, the Captain de La Truaumont." - -"And the others, most worshipful sir?" - -"The Vicomte d'Aignay-le-Duc," called back Humphrey, naming, as had -been decided, one of the Duchess's estates, "attended by Monsieur Jean -de Beaufôret," naming another, "followed by their attendant, Monsieur -Homfroi." - -"And the others, who are they, illustrious seigneur?" - -"Le Capitaine Fleur de Mai, Le Colonel Boisfleury, both of Prince de -Beaurepaire's bodyguard," bawled the former in an authoritative, -dictatorial voice. - -"Pass all," the man said now, the gate beginning to creak on its -hinges as he spoke. "Pass. Good-night, noble seigneurs." - -"Bid him let the gate remain open," De Beaurepaire said to La -Truaumont. "Tell him I do but ride outside it, there to make my adieux -to the 'Vicomte'." - -After which, and when this order had been given, all rode through the -gate. The travellers were outside Paris; they had left it behind. - -All had done so with the exception of De Beaurepaire who--since he had -fulfilled his promise of preventing the Duchess from being interfered -with in her flight from a mad husband until, at least, she was outside -the city walls--was about to say farewell to the party. - -"Farewell, Louis de Beaurepaire," that lady said now, as she placed -her long-gloved hand in his, while her soft, dark eyes looked out at -him from under her curled wig and plumed hat, "farewell. You have -placed me in the way that leads to safety and freedom; I beseech of -you to do nothing that may make safety and freedom strangers to you. -Hear my last words before I go. Even as now you turn back to Paris and -all the honours that you have, so turn back from that which may -deprive you of all honour; ay! and more. _Addio_." - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -The road to Nancy from Paris ran through the old province of Champagne -until Lorraine was entered--Lorraine, which, since the peace of -Westphalia, had fallen under French rule. - -Along this road the cavalcade led by La Truaumont progressed day by -day on its way towards Nancy, a hundred and fifty miles and more by -road from Paris. Between each morning and night the members of that -cavalcade rode on and accomplished some thirty miles at a slow pace so -as to spare their horses as much as possible, while halting in the -evenings at old inns where, though they gave no name, their appearance -and their manners proclaimed that they were persons, or at least that -one of them was, of high importance. - -For the Duchess, Jacquette and Humphrey took their meals together -behind a screen in whatever public room they sat down, as was the -custom of the nobility when travelling; La Truaumont took his -alone behind another screen close by, while the _soi-disant_, or, it -may be, the actual Colonel--for Colonels could oft fall low in these -times!--Boisfleury took his in company with the sinister and truculent -Fleur de Mai. - -"And, _sang bleu!_" exclaimed the latter individual on the third night -of their halt, which took place at Vitry, "if we were not ordered to -sit apart and to restore ourselves like serving men and valets by this -insolent La Truaumont, I would be well content with the office. This -ride through the air of Champagne is good for our health, the food and -drink is wholesome and ample, the absence of expense good for our -pockets. Nevertheless, I do think I must stick my rapier through La -Truaumont's midriff at the end of the ride. For his insults," and he -swallowed a large gulp of golden Avize, a local wine. - -"Stick thy fork in thy mouth and thy glass down thy throat!" replied -Boisfleury, tearing the flesh off a chicken's wing with his teeth as -he spoke, "and utter no banalities. You are well paid, you sleep warm -and soft o' nights and eat and drink of the best, and all you have to -do is to ride by my side and listen to my sweet converse and hold your -babbling tongue. While as to rapiers through midriffs--what would the -attempt profit you? La Truaumont is a _ferrailleur_ of the first -water. Better put good food inside you than your vitals outside." - -"I am as good as he," Fleur de Mai replied in a voice which was -getting husky with the Avize, when suddenly Boisfleury interrupted any -further observations by exclaiming:-- - -"Be silent, fool, and stagger to thy feet. See, the Duchess rises -from the table behind the screen. Ha! the Englishman bids madame -good-night. He kissed her hand and, _me damne!_ kisses slyly the ear -of the girl, d'Angelis. Ha! Ha! The kiss, the English kiss! They can -do nothing without that. And, observe, La Truaumont comes this way. -Stand steady on thy feet, _chameau_." - -"Boot and saddle at six o'clock to-morrow," said La Truaumont as he -came down the great inn-room which was part hall, and, at the end, -part kitchen. "Up at five. Boisfleury, see he is up," looking at Fleur -de Mai. - -"I shall be up," muttered that worthy. "Have no fear. A pint of this -wine will not make me sleep heavily. I'll throw the dice with you now -for a bottle of the best." - - - * * * * * * * - - -The noble lady, Ortenzia, Duchesse de Castellucchio, who was now -riding from Paris to Nancy on her way to cross the Alps and, later, to -join her own family, that of the Scoriatis, had some few years before -this made almost a similar journey to France, there to marry her -countryman the Duc de Castellucchio, a man whose family, originally -poor, had followed Concino Concini--the Maréchal d'Ancre--into France, -but had managed to escape the awful end that had overtaken both him -and his wife. - -Having escaped such a fate as the assassination of the former or the -execution by burning of the latter, as well as any other forms of -death which the creatures of those once powerful adventurers might -well have expected to overtake them, the family thrived and prospered. -Steering clear of political machinations until the Concinis were -almost forgotten and, indeed, until Louis le Juste was himself in his -grave, they devoted themselves to commerce and, above all, to money -lending and, thereby, grew rich. - -But when, at last, Mazarin's star was in the ascendant as it became -shortly after the death of Richelieu, they attached themselves to his -fortunes, while, as he grew all powerful, so did they who, coming to -France almost paupers, were now enormously wealthy. - -One grief there was, however, that fell heavily on old Felice Ventura -who had, by this time, become Monsieur le Duc de Castellucchio (he -having decided to confer honour on his birthplace by taking its name -for his title), and that grief was that his only son and successor -gave signs of becoming a maniac, if he were not already one. - -Always strange as a boy, this son had, as a young man, given still -more astonishing signs of mental derangement, and, a short time after -he had espoused Ortenzia Scoriati, the daughter of a noble and wealthy -Milanese family, he was regarded and spoken of not only as a lunatic -but a dangerous one. For, from such outbreaks as rousing the whole -house from their beds by saying that a ghost was wandering round it, -and by dragging his wife out of her own bed by the hair to look for -the apparition; by not allowing any footmen to be in his service who -were under seventy, in case his wife should fall in love with them, -and by breaking up all the statues he owned (which his father had -collected at an enormous cost) since he proclaimed such things to be -heathen and profligate, he proceeded to greater extremities. He -invariably tore the patches off his wife's face whenever she placed -them on it, saying that they were the allurements used by giddy women; -he insisted next that his wife should have her teeth drawn so that she -should become hideous in the eyes of the world, and it was only by the -flight from him which she was now undertaking that the Duchess was -able to prevent herself from being thus disfigured for the rest of her -life. - -But even before this moment had arrived, his conduct had been such as -to induce the unhappy Duchess to determine to leave him. He ruined all -the costly furniture and pictures, as well as the statues, which his -old father had accumulated, on the usual plea that they were not fit -for modest people to gaze upon, while, not six months before this -flight took place, he invited his wife to go for a drive with him in -their coach one afternoon, and, when they had set out, calmly informed -her that they were going to Rome. But that which was worse than all -for the Duchess was that they actually did continue their journey to -that city, though neither of them had either a change of clothes or of -linen with them. - -It was to De Beaurepaire, whom she had known ever since she came to -France, that the Duchess turned for assistance when she determined to -finally quit it, while for a companion in her journey she looked to -her _demoiselle de compagnie_, "Jacquette," or Jacqueline d'Angelis. - -For Jacquette loved her and pitied her sad lot, and, had it not been -for her stronger love for Humphrey, and her hopes for a happy future -with him, she would not only have accompanied the Duchess on this -journey they were making at this moment but would never have -contemplated parting from her. - -And now, therefore, not only was Mademoiselle d'Angelis a member of -that small band but so, also, was Humphrey West, since, having at -present no occupation whatsoever, and no interest in life except to be -by the side of the girl he loved so well, he had made interest with De -Beaurepaire and the Duchess--both of whom had always treated him well -and kindly--to be allowed to form one of the latter's escort as well -as to be the knight and sentinel of his betrothed. - -That these two should love each other was not strange, nor would it -have been strange even if they had met no longer than a year ago. He -was young and good looking enough to win any woman's fancy, while, -beside his sufficiency of good looks, he was tall and broad and gave -signs of health and strength in every action of his body. - -She, "his girl," as he called her to her face and to himself, was -worthy of him. Amidst a Court that, at least from the day when Louis -XIII. died, had been none too moral and, under the influence of the -Queen-Mother and the then young King, had long since verged towards -absolute recklessness, Jacquette moved free and pure herself, while -hating, averting her eyes from, and being unwilling to see, all that -went on around her. For, while the girl was as beautiful as though she -had just left some canvas painted by Correggio, she was, partly and -principally owing to her own nature and partly to her English mother's -training, almost as pure as though she had just left that mother's -side. Similarly, as neither late nights, nor masques, nor dances, nor -any wild dissipations whatever to which the Court and all who were in -it, or of it, gave themselves up, could impair that fair soft beauty, -so neither could whispered words nor looks nor hints from dissolute -courtiers impair her purity of mind. To crown all, she loved one man -and one alone, and she would never love any other. - -And, now, this strangely assorted band of travellers had reached their -third halting-place on the road to Nancy, where shelter was to be -found in the house of De Beaurepaire's mother. This strangely assorted -band consisting of a woman of high rank in two countries, a young girl -whose life had been almost entirely passed in the glamour and ease of -the French Court, a valiant young Englishman who loved that girl, and -three reckless adventurers. - -Yet the first three persons of the number had no thought, no -presentiment that, beneath the apparently insignificant nature of the -journey they were making, there lurked in the hearts of the other -three a deeper, a sterner, a more wicked purpose: a more profound and -horrible reason for their being on the road. The purpose of reaching a -city outside the King's dominions, a Republican city in which no -sympathies for a monarch or a monarchy were likely to exist, even -should that purpose become known; the purpose of there meeting the -arch-plotter of a hideous crime and being able to discuss in safety -how the workings of that crime should be decided on. - -These first three knew this no more than they knew that, following -them, and sometimes preceding them, when opportunity offered, so that -she might await their arrival; spying on all their movements and -communicating those movements to De Beaurepaire as she learnt them, -went a woman whose mad love for him had spurred her on to sink from -what was almost as high as patriotism to that which was the deepest -depths of wicked intrigue. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -Into the open cobble-stone _place_, which, at that period, was -in front of the Krone--at this time the principal hostelry of -Basle--rolled the great travelling carriage in which Emérance sat as -the night was falling over the city. The coachman cracked his whip -loudly as he approached the door, in accordance with the immemorial -custom of drivers bringing travellers to any house kept for the -accommodation of such persons, and the footman blew upon the bugle -which he wore slung round him, partly with the object of warning -pedestrians to get out of the way of the carriage, and partly to -announce to the villages they passed through that some one of -importance was on the road. Now, when the inn was reached, the man -sprang from the box to hold the door open and the maid clambered down -from the banquette, while the landlord rushed out of the door of the -inn followed by two or three _faquins_ and stood bowing bareheaded -before the handsomely arrayed lady who had descended. - -"Madame la Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville," the footman said, while -madame herself entered the porch, "requires rooms for herself and -following. Also accommodation for the carriage and horses. Madame la -Comtesse will repose for some days in Basle." - -The landlord's bows and congees increased in force from the time the -rank of the visitor was proclaimed until he had learnt all her -requirements--which must necessarily be remunerative!--after which he -said in an oily, deferential tone:-- - -"Madame la Marquise shall have one of the best. A suite of apartments -_au premier_; all that Madame la Comtesse can desire. There is -accommodation for all that madame requires." - -"Show me to this suite," Emérance said, speaking now; "let the luggage -be taken off the coach and the animals attended to." - -After which she followed the still bowing host up the extremely narrow -stairs, common enough in those days, to the suite of which he had -spoken. - -Perhaps it was not as elegant a set of rooms as his enthusiastic words -might have led the woman to expect; perhaps the Darneux curtains and -the green printed stuff-hangings were not as fresh as they had once -been, or the narrow windows as clean as they might be; or the iron -bars outside them--which reminded Emérance, she knew not why, of a -gaol-window--as free of rust as they should have been kept. Yet, as -she told herself, this was but the _salon_ of an inn in which she -would pass some week or two ere flying once more to Paris and the man -she loved; therefore it would do very well. The great leather chairs, -picked out with gilt, and threadbare by the constant use of strangers, -would serve her to sit upon as they had served other travellers -before; the odious, awful carpet, with the most horrible subjects from -scripture woven into it--and almost worn out of it again by countless -feet--at least covered the stone floor; while--had she not often -sheltered in worse places! The Hôtel des Muses of Van den Enden, to -wit, was worse and more shabby; the Schwarzer Adler at Nancy was -nothing like so good. - -"It will suffice," she said to herself, "to receive Van den Enden in; -to harbour in till I can go back to _him_ to learn all that is a-doing -and to be done. And then--then--to Louis, my _bien-aimé_, to fortune -and happiness extreme, or--to death. Yet, what matters death, if it be -shared with him. With him! Ah! how I would welcome it if we may not -have life together." - -And now, an hour later, the woman who called herself the Marquise de -Villiers-Bordéville sat over the great fire of pine logs drawn from -the forests on the banks of the Rhine, and ate her supper while her -maid attended to her. As she made that meal she pondered on what her -life was to be in the future, and whether De Beaurepaire would always -be as kind and gentle to her as he was now, and would let her have -some share in his great fortune or great downfall, whichever might -come to him. - -Ere she quitted Paris, the man she had allowed herself to love with an -unsought love had told her that the Spanish Governor of Brussels, with -whom he was in communication through Van den Enden with regard to the -scheme which was on foot for invading France and for the appropriation -of Normandy at least, had at last sent a large sum of money for use in -the scheme. - -"A sum so ample," De Beaurepaire said, "that all employed in helping -this cause may now be well equipped. Therefore, you, my fairest of -conspirators, must take your share of the spoil," while, as he spoke, -he drew from his pocket a wallet stuffed full of drafts and _traites_ -drawn by the Bank of Amsterdam and honoured wherever presented, and -tossed it into the woman's lap. - -"It is not yours?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "If so, I will -take nought." - -"Not even from me--the Chief?" - -"From you less than any. I must be paid to live by those who will -profit most--the Spaniards. For the rest, I am Norman. I shall profit -as well as you." - -"Emérance, you may take it from me. Yet," seeing a look of dissent on -her face at this, "it is not mine. It comes straight from De Montérey -and is to be expended in furtherance of the--the--well! conspiracy in -Normandy. You are one of the intriguers, ay! and the sweetest and best -of all, therefore you must be well paid. Now, listen to what I have -done. A coach is prepared for you to travel in; 'tis yours, and, when -you have no further use for it, yours to dispose of with the horses." - -"Monsieur! I will not----" - -"Tush! It is bought with the money of Spain. With you goes a footman, -a trusty vagabond speaking many tongues; one who will serve you -well both as servant and courier. Also, though he may rob you he will -allow none other to do so. As for a maid, you must find her at some -halting-place at which you stay, saying your own has fallen sick and -been left behind." - -"I require no maid. I can do my own hair a dozen ways myself, and--I -have been used to poverty." - -"You must forget that you have ever been aught but well-to-do. -Remember that you serve Spain now, and Spain pays handsomely for -service. Her instruments, too, must make a brave appearance. -Therefore, provide yourself also with rich apparel at some -halting-place----" - -"I want it, heaven above knows," the adventuress muttered to herself. - -"--while," the Prince continued, "for gems and jewels befitting your -assumed station I will bring you some." - -"Never," Emérance said. "I will have none of them. I," she said, "am -not a De Beaurepaire, yet I, too, am proud. But--but--there is one -thing that I would have. Something, no matter how poor a daub, that I -can wear close to me by day and night; something, if I can have it so, -that shall prick and sting me when I move or turn, and thereby remind -me that the Chief of all is near. Give me your picture and let me wear -it, and I will cherish it. Thus, though I need no spur to that which I -have to do, there will ever be one close to me." - -That which she had to do! Well, she told herself now, she had done it, -or partly done it, and was yet to do more; was to continue doing it -until the Duchess had left Basle far behind her. - -She had done what she had been paid to do--and her face would have -been awful for any one to see as she reflected thus, while sitting -before the logs of the fire and hearing the booming of the quarters -from the old Cathedral tower. Paid to do! by money, with clothes and -the wherewithal to travel sumptuously; with the means to engage a maid -who should attend to her every want--the wants of a woman who, not a -month ago, had nightly to mend and brush her rags ere she could sally -forth the next day!--the means to be able to sleep warm and soft. -Paid--and even this thought was better though still bitter--by a -smile, a kind word from a man whom she had allowed herself to love -without that love having been solicited, without its being returned. - -She had done, must go on doing for a time, that which she was paid to -do. Alas! even as, more than once on this journey, she, all unknown to -those others, had been in the same inns with them; as she had crept -about dark corridors and staircases endeavouring to hear what they -might be saying, above all if they were meditating treachery to _him_, -her _adoré_; as, too, she had tried to see and sometimes to possess -herself of a letter here and there that had been written by any one of -them--so she must continue to do. That those others would put up at -the Krone in this city, she knew: she had not failed to learn that, -either through her maid's gossip or her purse. The purse that was -filled with Spanish gold as payment for her treason to her country and -her King, or, doubly bitter thought, might, for aught she knew, be -filled by the man of whom her mad love had made her the slave! - -"The shame of it," she murmured now. "Oh! the shame, the shame of it. -I, a woman of gentle blood, well-born, well-nurtured, to sink to this. -To this!" and, as she so thought and mused, her eyes would turn -furtively towards the window-curtains that shut out the sight of the -river though not the sound of its rushing, and she wondered if in the -swollen, turbulent stream, there was not a more fitting ending to be -found to all her mad folly, her wicked treachery, than in aught else. - -"If he knew all," she continued to muse now. "If he knew what La -Truaumont knows; if he should hear of what I have been in my time -accused, would he trust me--a spy!--to spy upon those others? -Would he have treated me kindly, or ever, even in his softer -moments, have spoken gently to me. Ah! would he! To me, 'Emérance de -Villiers-Bordéville,'" and she smiled bitterly, "whose name is false, -whose title and rank are spurious. Yet," she went on, endeavouring -perhaps to excuse herself to herself; "my own, my real, name is the -equal of those assumed ones, if he did but know. Ay! as good as those -and, in spite of the cloud that once lowered over it, not smirched and -blackened then with the names of spy, _intrigueuse_, adventuress." - -The logs burnt low and fell together with many a soft clash, while -making the woman feel drowsy with their balmy warmth as she sat before -the hearth; the cathedral bells from above sounded dreamily to her -ears and as though afar off. Even the tall, well-knit and superbly -moulded figure and the handsome, dark face of the man whose image was -never absent from her mind, were vanishing into the light mists of -sleep when, suddenly, she sprang to her feet, startled by what she had -heard outside. - -A bugle had rung below in the open _place_ between the inn and the -Rhine; there was the tramping of many horses' hoofs on the rough -stones beneath the windows; orders were being shouted, and, mixed with -these sounds, the shuffling of feet inside and along the corridors of -the inn and the clatter of the chains of the main door being unloosed -and the bolts drawn back. - -"What is it?" the woman cried to herself, her hand to her breast, her -face white. "What? Nothing can be known yet, nothing discovered to -warrant their taking me, and--pshaw!--this is a Republican city not a -French one. They can do nothing here." - -Yet, notwithstanding, Emérance went towards the window and endeavoured -to see as much as was possible through the long-since uncleaned, -diamond panes of the window, and between the rusty iron bars outside. - -What she could perceive was a dozen or so of horsemen clad in scarlet -and green and armed with swords and musquetoons, who surrounded a -coach bigger than that in which she had herself journeyed; a coach -which had a table inside it and, on that table, a fixed travelling -lamp that shone upon and lit up the faces of two women. One, a woman, -dark, soft-eyed and rich in colouring, who was superbly dressed; the -other, also well favoured but of a more fair complexion and not so -handsomely attired. - -The noise and hubbub below continued as she gazed out; the voice of -the landlord was heard yelling orders downstairs and the voice of the -landlady screaming similar ones above; the escort--for an escort it -was, with which the Duke of Lorraine had furnished the Duchess from -Nancy to Basle--had dismounted and were leading their horses away. A -moment later, Emérance understood that the Duchess and her following -were being shown upstairs. - -"To the next suite to this," she whispered to herself as she heard -voices in the rooms adjoining her own. "Ah! we shall be neighbours. -'Tis well if we encounter each other that she does not know who and -what I am." - -Listening to the sounds proceeding from the next set of rooms, she -endeavoured to discover what person might have taken possession of the -chamber on the other side of the partition wall. - -What she heard, however, gave her no clue to that. Something she did -hear flung down on a table which, by the rattle and clash it made, -gave her, who well knew the sound of such things, the impression of a -rapier being thrown on the table after having been unlooped from the -wearer's body. And she heard also a man's voice giving orders, and a -call from one woman to another in rooms still farther off; but little -more than this. Nothing more than the ordinary sounds which, in all -times, travellers staying in inns and hotels have heard on the arrival -of new-comers in the same house. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -Meanwhile, the sounds that Emérance had heard in that next set of -rooms shut off by the wall from those which she occupied (while being -served outside by the same corridor running at right angles from the -main passage) had been made by Humphrey West in the room appropriated -to him. - -For the Duchesse de Castellucchio besides being a timorous woman -in some things, although one bold enough in others, was by no means -sure whether--even now that she was in a free Swiss Canton and in a -city that claimed to be one of the most free and independent in -Europe--some steps might not be taken to seize upon her and drag her -back to France and into the clutches of her awe-inspiring husband. She -knew that, but a league or so off was the frontier of France, while -she did not know what the myrmidons of that powerful country might not -be able to do against a woman of her position who had fled from a -husband possessing the influence which her husband undoubtedly -possessed, maniac though he might be. And, not knowing what she -feared, she feared doubly. Italian-like, she was naturally -superstitious, while, at the same time, her mind was filled with wild -romances dealing with beautiful and unfortunate heroines shut up in -gloomy castles, or beset in strange inns and out-of-the-way places at -night and hidden in dungeons, or thrown into torrents and rivers not -unlike the rapid swirling river now rushing beneath, or almost -beneath, her windows. - -Therefore, out of this large suite of rooms to which the landlord had -led her and her party, or some members of it--and it is certain it was -the largest and most expensive one now unoccupied!--she had selected -for herself the most interior of these rooms. For Jacquette she had -chosen the one next to hers on the right, with, right of that, a -room for La Truaumont, and, on the left of her room, the one at the -other end for Humphrey. Thus, when the outer main door was securely -fastened and her door fastened on the left side and Jacquette's on the -right--yet both easily to be opened if the assistance of either of her -attendant cavaliers was required--she felt secure. A cry would bring -Humphrey from the left or the captain from the right. Little harm -could come to her. - -On this night of their arrival all sought their beds, or rather their -rooms, as soon as they had refreshed themselves after a journey that -had been a long one, they having set out earlier from Remiremont than -the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville had done from Luxeuil and, as has -been seen, had arrived later. All sought their rooms, that is to say -except La Truaumont, who, on bidding the Duchess and Jacquette -"good-night," had descended to the great general room with a view to -seeing that not only were Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury well disposed -of, but also that the soldiers of the Duc de Lorraine had been -properly housed. - -That this was so he had little cause to doubt on reaching the general -room. The former worthy was busily engaged in making a hearty supper -well washed down with wine, his comrade was keeping him good company, -and the soldiers were eating and drinking with a Teutonic attention to -what was set before them which plainly showed that they had no -intention of going to bed hungry. - -"_O-hé!_ noble captain and leader of all the band," cried Fleur de -Mai, as he espied La Truaumont coming down the room; "here you find us -doing justice to the fare of these worthy Switzers. _Me confound!_ if -t'were not composed so much of veal--for 'tis veal in the _ragoût_, -veal for the _grosse-pièce_, veal in the _potage_, and, I do think, -veal it will be in the next dish--there would be nought to complain -of. Then, too, the wine never grew on any slope of sunny France. Yet -it, also, will pass. 'Tis red, 'tis strong and----" - -"It will make you drowsy. That is enough for you. Besides, it costs -you nothing. You should be content. Now listen. We rest here for some -days----" - -"A month if need be!" cried Fleur de Mai, plunging his knife into a -fillet of veal. "By which time the calves may have turned into beef -and the wine have become more mellow." - -"Think not so much of thy gourmandising. Meanwhile, attend. Beware how -you comport yourself here. This city is given up to good works. -Erasmus reformed it ere he died. If you look at a pretty girl -here----" - -"They mostly look at me," muttered the swashbuckler, his mouth full. - -"--or speak to her, or whisper in a Switzer's wife's ear or sing one -of thy ribald ditties, you are as like to be imprisoned, or burnt, as -not. Therefore, when you walk abroad to-morrow be careful. For if you -get laid by the heels we shall not stop to haul you up again, but -shall go on. At least the Duchess will," La Truaumont added, altering -his statement somewhat. "And, even though you may eventually die in -prison, it had best not be a Swiss one for you." - -"One prison," said Boisfleury who had not hitherto spoken, he being -engaged on a huge veal pasty, "is as good as another to die in." - -"Ay," replied Fleur de Mai. "To die in--yes. But to live in till you -die--_nenni!_ For some prisons there are I know of--or should say, -have heard of--where you may feed fat and drink too----" - -"Peace," said La Truaumont. "And so, good-night. Disturb not the house -with your ribaldries when you have drunk still deeper, nor with any -brawlings with those Lorrainers over there. Keep your swords in your -sheaths. There is no use for them here. Good-night," he said again, -"we have ridden far to-day and I am tired. Here is for bed." - -Yet, had there been any to watch his movements--which there were not, -since the _faquins_ and the _chambrières_ had long since sought their -own beds, while the landlord and his spouse sat below in their parlour -discussing the good fortune that had this day fallen on their house in -the shape of two such arrivals as the Duchesse and the Marquise--the -watchers might have thought he took a strange way to reach the room -allotted to him. For that room was at the farther end of the corridor -which ran to the right of the stairs, while he, stopping at the -immediate head of the stairs, knocked at the door directly in front of -him, after casting a glance above and below and all around. Very -gently he knocked, tapping as lightly as was possible with the knuckle -of his forefinger, yet the summons was enough to bring a response. - -A step and the swish of a long robe were heard upon the carpet -within--the carpet which had so revolted the taste of Emérance some -hour or two before--then the bolt was shot back gently--drawn back -softly, not pushed or dragged--and the woman peered out through the -door that she opened a few inches. - -"So," she said, "it is you. Is there any one about?" - -"No living soul." - -"Come in, then," and now she opened the salon door wide enough to give -admission to him and closed it again, and, softly as before, pushed -the bolt back into its place. - -When La Truaumont had kissed the hand she held out to him and she had -motioned him to a chair in front of the now almost extinct fire, she -said: "What of him? How did you leave him? And is he still in Paris?" - -Imitating the woman's own low tones, which it was natural enough she -should assume when receiving a man in her salon in an inn at nearly -midnight, La Truaumont said, "He is well. I left him so. And he is -still in Paris. Lou--Emérance," he continued, with a laugh, though a -low one, "are you happy now?" - -"Yes. Almost happy." - -"You should be. But you may yet pay a dear price for your happiness." - -"Bah!" - -"You do not fear what failure, treachery, betrayal, may bring to him -and you and me and all of us? You do not fear what may be ahead of -us?" - -"I fear nothing on this earth nor in the world beyond, so that he -trusts me. I longed to serve him since first I saw him ride at the -head of his guards before the King." - -"And now you are happy?" La Truaumont asked again. - -"Now I am almost happy." - -"I rejoice to know it." After which, changing the subject, he said: -"Affinius is on his way here. But this you know. He may arrive at any -moment. Then also, at any moment, the time for action will begin." - -"I deemed as much. Well! what are the plans?" - -"I go to Normandy. You to Paris." - -"Ah! 'Tis there I would be. Ah! the happy day. But--you! To Normandy? -What then of----" with a scornful, bitter intonation, "Madame la -Duchesse!" - -"She sets out for Geneva and thence across the St. Bernard, -accompanied by Mademoiselle d'Angelis and Humphrey West, there to meet -her sister. With her go Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury. Brutes, without -doubt! yet savage, ferocious ones. Good swordsmen both and reckless. I -am not wanted here and I am wanted there" nodding his head in the -direction where he supposed--or perhaps, knew--Normandy might happen -to be. - -"What is Affinius to tell us?" - -"Everything he dared not write in his letter to De Beaurepaire. The -remaining money that Spain puts at our disposal, the hour when the -Dutch fleet will attack, which is again to be made known by an -arranged piece of false news on the subject of the King's creation of -two more new marshals. The time when the Norman gentlemen are to rise -and also be ready to admit the Dutch and Spanish to Quillebeuf." - -"And he? De Beaurepaire?" - -"_Sangdieu!_ he is then to declare himself. Our old Norman aristocracy -will accept a man of high lineage as their leader. Louise----" - -"Ha! What? Hsh." - -"I should say, Emérance. The man you admire may rise even higher yet -than the proud position of a De Beaurepaire. He may become, if all -goes well, the head of a Republic greater than that of Holland, which -follows Spain in her attempts to help us because she must; a Republic -a hundred times greater than this little thing wherein we now are. Or -he may become a----" - -"What?"--the eyes of Emérance sparkling with excitement. - -"He may become a king." - -"Never. He, a king! A member of that great family which has for its -proud motto, '_Après le Roi--moi!_' Never!" - -"They said it, they took that motto," La Truaumont whispered, while -smiling cynically, "when there was no chance, no likelihood of their -ever reaching so dizzy a height as that of king. Let us see what this -member of their house will say if that glittering bauble, a crown, is -held out for him to snatch at." - -"A king," Emérance said again. "A king!" she whispered, "of France. -Oh! it is impossible." - -Nevertheless, as she so thought and spoke her heart was beating -tumultuously within her, her brain was on fire at the very imagining -of such a thing as La Truaumont had conjured up. To see him--him, her -love, her master!--a king. - -"But, ah!" she murmured to herself, as she still sat in front of the -now almost extinct logs on the hearth, while La Truaumont watched her -out of the corners of his eyes, "it is a dream. A dream that he should -be a king or ever any more than, if all goes well, the ruler of a -province, our province. A dream, too, that may have a rude awakening. -What was it he said to me ere I left Paris? That, if he failed, the -cross roads outside some town, a gallows outside the Bastille, would -more likely be his portion. Ah! well, so be it. Throne or gibbet, -whichever you reach, Louis de Beaurepaire, I shall not be far away. If -the throne, then I shall be near you though ever in the dark -background; if the gibbet, by your side. That may be best." - -"Come," she cried, springing to her feet as she heard the cathedral -clock strike twelve; as, too, she saw the last spark of the last log -go out. "See the fire is dead and it is late. Leave me now and go -quietly. To-morrow we will talk more on this." - -"To-morrow Van den Enden should be here." - -"That is well. Now go," while, opening the door and looking out to see -that all was quiet in passages and corridors, she sent La Truaumont -away and softly pushed the bolt back into its place. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -Humphrey West had sought his bed some time before La Truaumont had -descended to speak to Fleur de Mai and his companion, and, -consequently, ere that adventurer had obtained admission to Emérance's -salon he was fast asleep. - -Fast asleep and sleeping well and softly, too, when gradually there -crept into the cells of his brain, heavy with sleep though they were, -the drowsy fancy that he was carrying on a conversation with some -other person. This idea, however--as consciousness became stronger and -stronger--especially after he had rolled over once in his warm, soft -bed, and, once, had thrown out his arms after rubbing his eyes--was -succeeded by a second. The idea, the fancy that, instead of being -engaged in conversation with another person, that person was himself -engaged in talking to some one else. - -A few moments more and Humphrey was wide awake and sitting up in his -bed, while wondering more particularly whence the sound of those -voices proceeded than what the purport of the conversation might be. -For, as was customary with all travellers in these days of insecurity -of life and property, when no one slept in undoubted safety outside -their own particular houses--if they did so much even there!--Humphrey -had, before proceeding to rest, made inspection of the room in which -he was. That is to say, he had peered behind the tapestry that hung -down all round the room over the bare, whitewashed walls; he had -looked behind the bed and its great hangings, full of dust and -flue--to look underneath it was impossible since the frame of the -bedstead was always at this period within an inch or so of the floor, -and only high enough to permit of the castors being inserted -underneath it. In doing all this he had also made sure that there was -no door in the wall by which ingress might be obtained from another -room--other than that in which the Duchesse de Castellucchio was now -sleeping. Consequently, he was at once able to decide that it was not -from her room that the voices proceeded, while, at the same time, his -ears told him also that they were not the voices of either the Duchess -or Jacquette. - -Yet still he heard them. He heard the deep tones of a man subdued -almost to a whisper; the softer, gentler tones of a woman, itself also -subdued. - -Now, Humphrey was no eavesdropper, while, since he had no knowledge of -the existence of Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville, he ascribed the -voices which reached his ears to the conversation of some husband and -wife who were occupying the next room, and, if he felt any curiosity -still on the subject, was only curious as to how he should be able to -overhear them at all. - -Suddenly, however, he heard a word, a name, uttered that caused him -to, in common parlance, prick up those ears and listen with renewed -alertness to what was being said. - -For the name mentioned was that of "De Beaurepaire." - -"Yet, foregad," said Humphrey to himself, "'tis not so strange either. -In the next room to me is the woman who left her husband's house under -his escort to the gates of Paris; the woman who, if all reports are -true, seeks principally freedom from that maniac to thereby become the -chevalier's wife. But, still, who are these who talk at this hour? The -woman's voice, low as it is--and sweet and soft also--is neither the -voice of Jacquette nor of her mistress, and we have no other woman in -our _cortége_. While for the other--ah!" Humphrey exclaimed beneath -his breath, for now a word, uttered in a louder tone than usual by the -man who was speaking, smote his ears. "Ah! 'tis the captain of our -band, La Truaumont! So! So! Yet what does he do in that room when he -sleeps at the farther end of the corridor, and who is the gracious -lady with whom he converses?" - -For, now, that word, the word which Humphrey had caught was -"_Sangdieu_," and _Sangdieu_ was the principal exclamation ever on La -Truaumont's lips. - -Being no eavesdropper, as has been said, Humphrey decided that this -was no discourse for him to be passing his night in listening to. It -concerned him not that the worthy captain should be sitting up towards -the small hours discussing De Beaurepaire and his doings with some -strange woman who, for aught he, Humphrey, knew, was an accessory to -the flight of the Duchess towards her family in Italy. A woman who, he -reflected, might have come from Italy by order of the Duchess to -escort her across the Alps and to assist her in scaling the rugged -pass of the St. Bernard as easily as might be: perhaps a _gouvernante_ -who would take all trouble into her own hands and see her charge -safely delivered into those of her relations. - -"Yes, doubtless that is so," Humphrey said, as he lay back on his -pillow and prepared to continue his night's rest. "Doubtless. And -to-morrow I shall know all. Likewise, by daylight, I will discover how -it is those voices penetrate so easily into this room." - -He turned, therefore, over on his side again and once more prepared to -continue his night's rest, when, almost ere he had closed his eyes in -that vain hope, he plainly heard the word "Louise" uttered, followed -by the sibilant "Hsh" from the woman, this being followed in its turn -by the words, "The man you admire may rise even higher yet than the -proud position of a De Beaurepaire." - -A moment later he heard La Truaumont exclaim clearly and distinctly, -"He may become a king." - -Listening eagerly now--for this was indeed strange matter to stumble -on in the dead of the night, he next heard the low clear voice of the -woman in that room exclaim:-- - -"A king! A king of France! Oh! it is impossible." - -After which there was silence for some moments; a silence followed by -other words uttered so low that Humphrey could not hear them, they -being shortly followed by the sound of a door opened softly and shut -equally softly an instant later, and then by the stealthy, cautious -step of a man passing along the passage. The step of, as Humphrey -understood very well, La Truaumont going to his room at the farther -end of that passage. - -That Humphrey West should find sleep again after overhearing this -conversation was scarcely probable. In listening to it, in being -forced to listen to that conversation when once awakened by it, he had -indeed become possessed of strange knowledge. - -He had become possessed, firstly, of the knowledge that some other -woman than the Duchess admired De Beaurepaire, namely, the woman who -had been in that next room but a short time before, and not the one -who was in the next room on the other side; not the woman whom the -Prince had seen safely through the gates of Paris when escaping from -her cruel husband's house. - -That alone was startling, since, if De Beaurepaire did not love the -Duchesse de Castellucchio, why and wherefore had he jeopardised his -own great position in helping her in such an attempt! Humphrey West -knew well enough the power, often enough exerted, against those who -assisted women of position, girls who were wealthy heiresses, or wards -of _La Grande Chambre_, by _La Grande Chambre_ itself. Were there not -men detained in the Bastille, in Vincennes, in Bicêtre at this very -moment, ay, even in far off Pignerol, for similar actions, while in -their case they had, or pretended to have, the one great, the one -supreme excuse that they loved the women whom they had assisted in -evading their lawful custodians. Yet, he told himself, this excuse was -not available by De Beaurepaire. For here, next to his own room, but a -little while ago, was a woman whom La Truaumont had spoken of as an -admirer of his; one who was doubtless admired by him. Here in the very -same house, under the very same roof, not forty paces from that other -woman! - -"What does it mean?" Humphrey asked himself a dozen times. "What? -While, strange as it all is, it is nought beside this other strange -news. This news that he may be a king. A king! Yet how--and king of -what? Of what. Of what other land than France could he, a De -Beaurepaire, have dreams of becoming king! And by what means? Ah! -great heavens, by what means? In what way but by the most bitter, the -blackest treason! By introducing, by helping to introduce, some -foreign power into the land to--dethrone the present lawful king! Oh! -Oh! it is too awful, too terrible to think upon." - -Yet the young man did think upon it far into the night and until, at -last, through the heavily curtained windows of his room there stole -the first grey streaks and rays of the approaching dawn. He thought of -it unceasingly; he thought of the terrors that must threaten this man -whom he now befriended and helped; this man who, haughty, cruel, -hostile as he often was to others, had never been aught but gentle and -kind to him--this man whom he had learnt to admire and think well of; -whom he was proud to serve in serving the Duchess. - -Yet Humphrey was old enough to know, to remember, that of all the -treacheries and conspiracies which had surrounded the life and throne -of _Le Dieudonné_ since, as a child, he had ascended that throne -thirty years ago, not one of them had ever approached even near to -success. Not one had had any result but a death shameful and ignoble -for the men who had been concerned in those treacheries and -conspiracies. - -"Five years ago," he murmured to himself as he tossed in his bed -where, until he heard those whispering voices, he had been sleeping so -peacefully, "five years ago Roux de Marsilly perished on the wheel for -such a crime as this talked of in that next room this very night. This -very year the Comte de Sardan has suffered in the same way; there have -been a dozen attempts all ending in disaster. And, oh! the wickedness -of it, 'specially in him, the playmate of the King in childhood, his -Grand Veneur, the head of his Guards. In him who, of all men, should -guard his master from treachery." - -The young man thought over all this even as he still sought sleep, -while understanding and acknowledging to himself that he could hope -for little farther rest that night; and, since sleep would come no -more, he endeavoured to arrange some plan of action whereby, if -possible, he, simple gentleman though he was, might be able to prevent -De Beaurepaire from rushing on his ruin. - -But first he must know something further. He must discover more from -those two plotters whom he had chanced to overhear this night. In some -way he must make himself acquainted with who and what this woman was -who harboured in the very house where was now reposing the woman he -had to help escort across the Alps. He would know, if possible, every -thread of the plot now in hand, every ramification of it, every person -concerned in it. - -And then, if he could do that, it would be time for action. - -At last, however, he was enabled to obtain some little rest; at last, -when daylight had come, the workings of his brain ceased, and, for an -hour or so, he slept. - -He did so until the hour of nine was striking from all the clocks in -the city, when he was aroused by a clatter beneath his window not -unlike that which, over night, had aroused Emérance from her -meditations in front of the hearth in her salon. Yet this clatter on -the cobble-stones of the _place_ heralded no such arrival as that -which the woman had witnessed, no handsome travelling carriage -escorted by soldiers and adventurers as represented by La Truaumont, -Boisfleury, Fleur de Mai and even Humphrey himself; no descent at the -inn of a beautiful woman whose wealth and position made her one of the -foremost aristocrats in France, nor any pretty young girl such as -Jacquette. - -Instead, the noise alone testified to, as Humphrey saw when he -approached the window, the arrival of the French public coach -which was, in truth, a vehicle something between the _patache_ of -the time, the diligence of later days, and the various lumbering -travelling-waggons of the period, while being a combination of all. A -frouzy, evil-smelling, dirty thing it was, in which men and women were -huddled together and even thrown into each other's arms and across -each other's knees as the wheels of the cumbersome and almost -springless vehicle jolted into ruts and then jolted out again, yet one -in which travellers compassed hundreds of miles when too poor to pay -for a carriage or to ride post--or when they desired to escape -observation and remark! - -From this conveyance there stepped forth now, amidst the howls of the -driver to his horses who were anxious to be unharnessed and reach -their stalls, and the cries of the ostlers and other noises, a -venerable-looking old man of about seventy whose head was still -enveloped in the cloth in which he had bound it up over night for the -journey. - -An old man who was received by the bowing landlord--the landlords of -those days bowed appreciatively to all and every who arrived at their -doors, no matter whether they were likely to spend one pistole or a -hundred in their houses--with much courtesy. An old man who at once -said:-- - -"I desire accommodation for some nights if it is obtainable. I desire -also that Madame la Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville shall be informed -that her father has arrived." - -"Her father!" the landlord exclaimed, perhaps in some astonishment at -the difference in appearance, as well as in the mode of travelling, -between this old man and his daughter, the illustrious Marquise who -had arrived in a handsome coach. "The father of Madame la Marquise! -But certainly, monsieur, madame shall be apprised. Though I fear she -still sleeps. Nevertheless, her maidservant shall be told." - -"That will do very well. I myself require rest. Later in the day I -will visit my daughter." After which the old man entered the house -and, consequently, was seen no more by Humphrey West. - -Yet what Humphrey did see was that, before this venerable personage -entered the inn preceded by the landlord, he cast his eye suddenly up -at a window which the former had no difficulty in feeling sure was -that of the room to the left of his own. Humphrey saw, too, that he -gave a grin as he did so, while appearing at the same time to thrust -his tongue in his cheek as he slapped a large wallet, or bag, which he -carried slung round him. - -All of which things, added to the fact that the young man had heard -rapid footsteps pass from out of another room into the one where the -conversation with La Truaumont had taken place over night, and the -feet glide swiftly across the floor towards where the window was, -caused Humphrey West to feel sure that the woman occupying that room -had run to the window of the salon to greet the new arrival. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -During the whole of that day, Humphrey, in spite of an extreme desire -to see something of the woman who inhabited that salon on the left of -his bedroom, found no opportunity of setting eyes on her. He was -obliged, as part of the duty he had voluntarily undertaken out of his -love for Jacquette, to pass half a dozen times in the course of the -morning, and equally as often in the course of the afternoon, between -his room and the salon of the Duchesse de Castellucchio, and on each -occasion he hoped to catch some sight of Emérance in the corridor. But -this was denied him. - -Something, however, he was enabled to discover. - -Outside the room beyond the salon which this, to him, unknown woman -occupied, there stood one of those valises, or travelling trunks, so -common in the days not only of Le Roi Soleil and his predecessors but -also of his successors: a squat, square thing made of black pigskin -and contrived so that it would fit into the boot or rumble of a -carriage, or, possibly, if the journey was being made on horseback, -could easily be strapped on the horse's back in front of the saddle. -On this there, also, stood a second box of exactly the same size; the -pair of them--outside the casket or small _coffre-fort_ that all women -of means carried with them in the carriage, and that generally -contained their valuables and the few implements of their toilet with -which they burdened themselves--providing as much luggage as any one -under the rank of a _grand seigneur_ or _grande dame_, accompanied by -many servants, was ever in the habit of transporting. The boxes in -question were quite new and fresh, while the polish on the black -pigskin gleamed so brightly that no doubt could be left in the mind of -those who observed them that they had but recently come from the -trunk-maker's. And, gleaming brightly on their fronts, beneath their -padlocks, were some words and letters painted roughly in white; the -words and letters, "Mme. la M. de Villiers-Bordéville." - -"So," said Humphrey, musing to himself after he had walked softly -along the passage to where the boxes stood, "she is Madame la Marquise -de Villiers-Bordéville. The fair conspirator who plots and intrigues -with De Beaurepaire, or with his followers unknown to him; the woman -who will inveigle him into a conspiracy against, _Grand Dieu!_ the -King and his throne. The woman who knows that old man who leered and -winked at her as he descended from the French coach. Madame la -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville! Well! well! It may hap that the -Duchess, or Jacquette, knows something of the lady." - -As thus the young man mused there came along the passage from the head -of the stairs, which latter she had evidently just ascended, a woman -attired as a maidservant and having in her hands some freshly cleaned -breast lace. A good-looking, though saucy-looking, wench, who, after -quickly observing that Humphrey had been reading the name on the -boxes, allowed her eyes to roam with undisguised admiration over his -handsome face, stalwart figure and well-made travelling costume. Then, -with a coquettish glance, she was about to pass on to the farther room -when, suddenly, she turned and, following Humphrey who by now was at -the head of the stairs, she said:-- - -"Monsieur, Monsieur," while, as Humphrey stopped to look at her, she -continued, "Monsieur is of the following of Madame la Duchesse who is -in the great apartment. Is it not so?" - -"It is so, pretty one," said Humphrey, who considered that, since this -was undoubtedly the maid of the Marquise, a few pleasant words would -probably not be wasted. "What then, mademoiselle?" - -"There is a brigand of your band," the girl said, smiling with a -pleased expression at being called "pretty one" and with a flattered -expression at being addressed as "mademoiselle," "oh! a desperado, a -vagabond. A man with a great moustache and fierce eyes and a huge -sword, who is impertinent. Oh! of the most impertinent." - -"'Tis Fleur de Mai," said Humphrey. "Of a surety it is. Well! is he -insolent enough to presume to admire mademoiselle?" - -"He is. Ah! _Un luron_. And--Fleur de Mai! _Dieu des dieux!_ What a -name for such as that. Monsieur, I seek not his admiration. Nor any -man's." - -"Yet," said Humphrey, gazing into the girl's eyes, which gaze she told -herself afterwards gave her a _frisson_, "who could help but admire. I -blame not Fleur de Mai. _Ma foi_, I, too----" - -"Oh! monsieur----" - -"--should be tempted to admire if we met often. Yet alas! that cannot -be. We set out for Italy in a day or so, while Madame la Marquise -goes, I do fear me, another way. Is it not so, _ma mie?_" venturing on -the _ma mie_ as a further aid towards the information which he was -cunningly feeling his way towards obtaining, if possible, by flattery -no matter how gross. - -"Ah, monsieur!" the frivolous girl exclaimed, her head whirling at the -soft words and lightsome manner of this handsome gentleman. "I know -not. I am new to the service of madame, having been engaged by her but -a few days ago at Épinal." - -"New to her!" exclaimed Humphrey. "And engaged at Épinal. Is that -where she dwells?" - -"Nay. Nay. She came from Nancy. And----" - -"From Nancy," Humphrey said to himself inwardly. "From Nancy. Heavens! -Where the Duchess and all of us were but a few days ago. What is all -this? What does it mean? What does it all point to? This strange -intriguer here in this very house, and known to La Truaumont yet -unknown to the Duchess. I must learn more of this." - -But, aloud, he repeated, "New to her, eh, pretty one?" - -"Ay," the girl replied, her tongue now thoroughly unloosed. "Ay! new -as those valises you were just now regarding; as this," flicking with -her forefinger the lace she held: "as her robes; new even as her -shoes. _Pardie!_ one might almost say she had cast an old skin at -Épinal and put on a new one in its place. The things she left behind -there, that she gave to the maidservant, would scarce have furnished -the wallet of a wandering singer; a Jew would not have given a handful -of sols for all." - -"This is strange matter," thought Humphrey to himself, "and needs -seeing into. There is more here than should be." After which he said, -"And have you come to care for this new mistress of yours, this woman -so new in all things? Is the service soft and easy, and does she treat -you well?" - -"Oh! as for that," the girl said, "there is no cause for plaint. She -is sweet and good and ever soft and gentle, asking but little by way -of service. Also, I do think she dreams on nought but some lover she -has. Listen, _beau monsieur_. Upon her breast she bears day and -night--I have seen it there when I have gone to wake her from her -sleeping!--a miniature of one handsome as a god--handsome as a man may -be. In the day, too, I have seen her take it from her bodice again and -again, and kiss it and whisper foolish words to it, calling it 'Louis, -my soul, my adoration. Louis, my lord and king.' Ah! why do you start, -monsieur? Why?" - -"Louis," Humphrey muttered, forgetting himself. "Louis. Her lord and -king. So! so!" - -"What does monsieur imagine?" - -"There is one such I know of," Humphrey muttered thoughtfully, and, -since he forgot himself, aloud, "One to whom that--that--those -words--that name might well apply and----" - -"And so there is," the girl said, looking into his eyes, while -thinking how soft and clear they were. "I, too, know of one who is a -Louis--handsome, all the world says--a lord--a king, what if she loves -him?" - -"Him! Whom?" - -"Whom! Ah! What if she loves the one Louis. The one king. _The_ king. -It might well be so. She is fair enough to possess even a king's -love." - -"'Tis true," Humphrey said. "'Tis very true. In faith it is. It--it -might be so. Perhaps you have guessed aright. Who shall say it is not -he?" - -Yet, while he threw dust in the eyes of the gossiping girl, he knew -very well that it was not the portrait of Louis the king which lay -upon that woman's breast by day and night; not the portrait of Louis -the superb ruler of France--of, indeed, almost all Europe--but, -instead, that other Louis whom, only last night, he had heard spoken -of as the one who should, if all went well, undo the other. - -"Sweetheart," he said, "my duty calls me now. I must away to the -Duchess. Later, we will meet again. And, be not proud," putting his -hand into his pocket and drawing forth a gold piece, "take this for -spending. We will meet again." - -The woman took the coin with a pretence of demur--though, it may be, -that the demur was not all a pretence. For, in truth, she would, -perhaps, have desired that in place of a piece of gold the donor -should have said some more fine words to her, or looked softly once -more into her eyes, or, instead of contenting himself with saying, "We -will meet again," should have named a time and place for such a -meeting. - -As for Humphrey, whose heart and soul had only room for the image of -one woman, Jacquette, he turned on his heel after a pleasant nod to -his gossip and a promise to speak to Fleur de Mai and bid him be of -better demeanour, and went along the corridor to where the Duchess -was. - -He found her in her salon, occupied much as he had always known her to -be when he had ever been permitted entrance to her apartments in her -husband's house in Paris. Her guitar lay on her knee, the blue silken -ribbons thereof dangling down to her little feet encased in gold -broidered slippers; by her side was a vellum-bound copy of Massuccio's -novellinos: on a table in front of her a flask of Coindrieux. - -Near her, directing a buxom maid to pack into a small valise, or -havresack, all the clothes which the Duchess would carry with her -across the Alps, was Jacquette. - -"Ah, ha!" the Duchess exclaimed. "So 'tis you, monsieur. And did you -sleep well and soft, _amico?_" - -"Yes, I slept well enough, madame. On one side of my room was one -guardian angel--yourself. On the other--perhaps another one. Another -fair lady." - -"Another!" - -"There is a lady, madame," Jacquette said, "who has the apartment of -three rooms next to Humphrey's. Her salon is next to his sleeping -room, her bedroom next to that, and her maid's beyond that." - -"Who is she?" - -"She is, madame, a French lady who has travelled from Nancy. The -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. She----" - -"Ah!" with a slight start. - -"You know her, madame?" Humphrey asked. - -"I know of her," while, turning her head away, she muttered a little -Italian oath that, especially from between her lips, sounded more like -some soft, whispered love-word; after which she said to herself, "That -woman here. That spy in the pay of Spain, as Louis termed her; that -spy of his own, as I do believe. The woman who is steeped to the lips -in the scheme which will lead to his undoing," and she ground her -little white teeth together as thus she pondered. Even, however, as -she recognised that Humphrey's eyes were on her and that he was -waiting to hear more of what she knew of this woman, there came to her -one crumb of satisfaction. The satisfaction that, since this -intriguing woman, this _fine Normande_, as De Beaurepaire had called -Emérance, was here in Basle she was at least far apart from him. - -Hortense had never truly loved De Beaurepaire more than he had loved -her, but to her as well as to him there had come the knowledge that -each might be of great service to the other. The Prince wanted money; -she wanted some one who would help her to evade her husband and to -escape out of France. And, later, if the Pope would grant that which -she so earnestly desired, namely, freedom from the maniac to whom she -was wedded, why then, perhaps, De Beaurepaire would do well enough for -a husband if she ever cared to take another; as well if not better -than any other man. His birth was illustrious, his name was one of the -proudest in France, his position under the King that of the highest, -and--which to an Italian woman was much--he was superbly handsome. He -was a man to whom any woman might be proud to be allied, but--as for -love--no! He had loved and been loved too often; he had been sought -after too much and--though the same thing had been her own lot--she -would not follow in the footsteps, she was too proud to follow in the -footsteps, of those others. But, since she was a woman and that a -beautiful one as well as a woman of high rank, and since this man's -name and hers were coupled together now and must always be so, she was -resolved that, at least, this other woman should not, if possible, -take her place. - -"Humphrey," she said again, "I know of her. She is an intriguer, one -who may do much evil to those who fall into her toils. If you by -chance should learn what brings her to Basle come to me and tell me -all." - -"Can she harm you, madame?" - -"Nay. Since I am no longer in France no one can do so. But--there are -others whom she may injure." - -"I understand, madame. Others in France whom you would not have -harmed." - -"Yes. Others in France whom I would not have harmed." - -"If she works evil, if she should endeavour to work evil to others, -then--then----" - -"Then warn them or warn me. Even though I am out of France I may do -something. This woman," she said, whispering in his ear so that the -stolid maid packing the valise should not overhear her, "is here to -meet other intriguers, another intriguer, an old man. Together they -will plot and plot and draw one of whom we know into their toils for -their own ends. They will do so! nay, they have already almost done -so, though 'tis perhaps not yet too late to save--him! And it is all -madness. Folly! Ruin! They may profit by it--they may win--succeed. -But he must lose. You understand, Humphrey?" - -"I understand, madame. And," with emphasis, "I sleep next to her -salon." - -Then he asked in as easy a tone as possible, "Does Madame la Duchesse -know of any others than those of whom she has spoken who are in this -scheme?" - -"Of others. No! Why! Humphrey, are there others in it?" - -"None of whom I know, madame," Humphrey replied, while determining -that, for the present at least, the Duchess need not know that the -chief of her escort, La Truaumont, was one of the principals in this -plot. - -Later, however, he recognised that not only for him but for De -Beaurepaire, La Truaumont, and the adventuress herself, it would have -been far better if he had spoken out openly and told the Duchess that -La Truaumont and this woman had already met and talked together over -all that was on foot. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - -Before the evening came Humphrey had discovered the manner in which he -had been able to overhear so plainly all that had passed between La -Truaumont and the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville the previous night. - -On returning to his room after his conversation with the Duchess, he -had at once set about looking for the reason why the sounds of their -voices had reached his ears so clearly, and, ere five minutes had -elapsed, that reason was forthcoming. - -The tapestry--if it was worthy of the name, since, in actual fact, it -was nothing but coarse, heavy-coloured cloth which hung in front of -the walls from the ceiling to the wainscot--was quite loose and might -be lifted aside, or drawn forward, by being grasped at the bottom, as -easily as a curtain might be, so that, consequently, when this was -done the whole of the bare wall behind it could be observed. Now, -since Humphrey very well understood that whatever sound had penetrated -to his ears must have come from and through the wall which separated -his bedroom from the salon of his neighbour, it was to that wall that -he at once directed his attention. A moment later he had done this, -and saw that high up in the wall was an orifice of about two feet -square which was strongly crossed with iron bars, and was probably, if -such a thing could have been thought of in even earlier days than -these, intended as a means of permitting air to circulate from one -room to another. If this had not been the original intention, Humphrey -could think of no other reason for the grating being where it was. - -"Yet," he said to himself, as he gazed, or rather peered up, at the -thing from where he stood, his head being under the lower part of the -coarse tapestry, "what matters the cause of its being there since, by -its existence, I have been enabled to hear one portion of this -villainous scheme discussed, and, by God's will, may be enabled to -hear still more. So, too, I observe that the tapestry on the other -side prevents that grating from being visible to any in the woman's -salon, therefore none will guess that there is a listener here. 'Tis -very well. If I know aught of plotters and conspirators there will be -no more talk in there until the night has come and the house is at -rest, wherefore, since this is the time of day when the Duchess -sleeps, as do all her countrywomen and most of her countrymen, I will -go and pass an hour or so with sweet Jacquette. Then will I tell her, -from whom I have no secrets, of how I purpose passing part of my -night." - -At the same time, since he was a young man of method, he looked around -his room while pondering if he could not utilise some piece of -furniture by pushing it up against the wall so that, by standing on -it, he should hear better whatever might be said within that room. All -the same he decided, after a moment's reflection, not to do this. - -"Last night I heard much," he thought to himself, "though that other -and La Truaumont spoke but in whispers: to-night, since I shall not be -in bed but under the hangings, I should hear still better. And, also, -the maid will doubtless come here at night to fill the ewer and -prepare the bed; she would observe the change I have made. Let be. -'Tis best so." - -Upon which he went out after locking his door behind him, a precaution -never to be neglected in such times as these when nothing worth -filching, even down to a plume for a hat or a wisp of lace, was safe -from some one or other's thievish hands. After which he made his way -to Jacquette's room and tapped lightly on the door to call her forth. - -"Sweetheart," he said, when she came to it, "put on thy hood and come -out into the streets of this old city. The Duchess should be sleeping -now and have no need for thee." - -"She is asleep, or seeking sleep. You know, Humphrey, we set out for -Geneva and the Milanese territory to-morrow." - -"I know, dear one, and we will ride together side by side as we have -ridden here from Paris, though by devious ways and far off a straight -route. Yet, as you may guess, there is much to be done by me ere we -set forth." - -"I know. I know. But wait for me below. I will but get my cape and -hood--'tis cold here in this damp, mountainous land--and then be with -you. But for an hour only, Humphrey. Only one hour." - -"It must suffice since it can be no more. Yet we shall still be much -together until," looking softly at her, "we are together for ever." - -After which he descended and went out to the great _place_ between the -inn and the Rhine and waited for his love to descend. - -He waited, idling away the moments until Jacquette came, while seeing -Fleur de Mai sally forth with Boisfleury, the former having a new -plume in his hat and a fresh scarf round him, while the latter -swaggered by his side untidy as ever. He saw, too, La Truaumont across -the river, sitting in a tavern balcony which overhung the rushing -stream, and drinking with an old man of vulpine appearance--the old -man who had early that morning descended from the French coach and -looked up at the window of the Marquise's salon and leered and stuck -his tongue in his cheek, so that Humphrey had felt sure the woman in -that salon was visible. - -"Ha," he said to himself, "so he, too, is in it. He is the intriguer -of whom the Duchess spoke; the man who was to come here. Well! well! -we shall know more to-night." - -As he thought this, however, he determined that he would not wait -until the full night had come ere he retired to his room and began to -keep his watch, since he would thus be ready to hear all that might be -said in the next one. A word to the Duchess, a hint of what he was -about to do, would absolve him from any attendance on her that -evening. - -Jacquette came forth from the inn now, her pretty travelling -_escoffion_ on her head and her little cape around her shoulders, -when, stepping across the place to where he stood with his back to -her, she joined him. Then--after looking across the river towards the -spot where Humphrey told her La Truaumont was seated (La Truaumont -who, having seen her come out of the inn, now waved his hand -gracefully to her, though half _en camarade_ and half with the air of -a roystering, boisterous soldier) she put her hand on her lover's arm -and, together, they walked side by side along the left bank of the -swift, rushing Rhine. - -Of love 'tis certain they should talk at first--just a little--as is -the case with other lovers when first they meet, and always has been -since the world was young and fresh and green, and will be until it is -worn out and dead and gone. Therefore, so it was now with Humphrey and -Jacquette. And once, nay more than once, perhaps, when they had gotten -opposite the great wind-mills on the other side and were shielded from -view by the overhanging banks of the river, and hidden by the acacias -growing wild on those banks, their young lips met and touched as, -sometimes, the petals of one drooping crimson flower will meet and -touch those of another. But each knew that they were here for -something more serious at this moment than even their love, and -gradually they fell to talking on the strange environments with which -they, who had but lately been boy and girl together, were now -surrounded. They talked of the journey that lay before them over the -eternal snows of the St. Bernard or the St. Gothard, of which many -travellers had spoken and written and over the former of which -Humphrey's father had once himself passed on a voyage to Italy. They -wondered, too, how the family of the Duchess would receive her and -make a new home for her, and even wondered what the mad Duke would do -to regain possession of his errant wife. And then, at last, they spoke -of the whisper there was in the air--their air; that air by which they -were surrounded; of the whisper that De Beaurepaire meditated some mad -stroke by which he would set his life upon a cast and either lose all, -including life, in that attempt, or soar still higher than even one of -his house had ever soared before. "To-night," said Humphrey, in answer -to a question from Jacquette, "I shall know more; perhaps all. If that -happens which I think will happen, then I may know enough to prevent -the Prince from rushing on his ruin. For, sweet one, I do not believe, -nor will I ever believe, that he is aught but a tool, a cat's-paw in -the hands of these others. La Truaumont pretends to be his follower, -his servitor, yet he is, if I mistake not, the one who leads or pushes -him towards the end he himself desires to obtain. While for this -woman, who lives so close and snug within her rooms and is seen of -none, who is she, what is she?" - -"I know naught of her, or only that La Truaumont says she secretly, -and unknown to him, loves De Beaurepaire." - -"I understand," her lover answered. "Yet I believe that--that--as with -La Truaumont so it is with this woman; she, too, pushes De Beaurepaire -onward to something he would never otherwise attempt. And if she is -beautiful----" - -"She _is_ beautiful," Jacquette said. "I saw her in Nancy. Poorly clad -'tis true, with poor adornments----" - -"She has others now," Humphrey exclaimed, remembering the tray of -handsome lace that Emérance's maid carried in her hand when they -talked together at the head of the stairs. - -"No doubt, no doubt," the colour returning again to Jacquette's -cheeks as she spoke. "And you would say that, if she is beautiful -she can lead him, wind him round her fingers as a child can wind -a silken thread. He is vain and she may play upon his vanity, -although--although, Humphrey--even as she does so she still may love -him. If all the world speaks true, many women have loved him ere now." - -"If she loves him she should not lure him to his destruction. Yet, if -what I overheard last night has any truth in it, her own destruction -might accompany his. La Truaumont warned her--and, as he spoke, his -voice sounded sinister to me--that she might pay a heavy price for his -love." - -"A woman would not heed that," Jacquette answered softly. "If she -loves a man and would have him love her, the price, even though it be -her life, counts nought." - -"Has he," Humphrey asked now, after gazing into her eyes as she spoke -thus, "confided in the Duchess? Does she know all?" - -"She will _not_ know. She will _not_ hear. She is resolved to know -nothing of De Beaurepaire's share in what is being plotted, I think. -For if 'tis against the King, against his crown, that danger -threatens, then--then--even though it were to bring death to him she -would warn the King. His mother, the Princess, would have told the -Duchess at Nancy, she endeavoured to tell her, to beseech her to -intercede with De Beaurepaire, to beg him to forgo this mad scheme of -which he had whispered the greater part to her, though not mentioning -that he was the head and front of it; but madame would not listen to -her. She will not know it since, knowing, she would feel impelled to -divulge all to the King." - -"Then, somehow, I will save him. He has been ever good to me: once he -offered me a commission in his guards; also 'twas he who pressed King -Louis to make King Charles restore to me all that my father lost in -his father's cause. I must save him." - -"Yet," Jacquette said, toying with the lace of his sleeve, "it does -behove you also to save the King, since, if these conspirators are -backed by the power and wealth of Spain, there is a chance they may -succeed. He, Louis the King, has also been good to you." - -"'Tis true. 'Tis very true," Humphrey said reflectively; "he, too, -when my father was dead and my mother and I borne down by bitter, -grinding poverty, put in our way the wherewithal to live. He placed -her in the suite of Madame Henriette, he made me a page at Vincennes. -In very truth I owe him much." - -"Therefore repay. Endeavour to serve both of those who, in their time, -have served you and yours. Save De Beaurepaire from these huckstering -conspirators, or, better still, save him from himself: save the King -from their assaults upon his great power and position. Yet--yet--ah! -heaven," she broke off to exclaim, "if your knowledge of this plot, if -the knowledge you already possess, or may further possess, should -bring harm to you! Oh! if they should know that you have discovered -all, what--what would they hesitate at? Either here, in this gloomy -town, outside the power of France to help or save you, or--or--when, -later, we are on those icy passes over which we must ride to reach the -Milanese." - -"Why, sweetheart, what can they do?" Humphrey asked, with a smile. -"What! I am as good a man as any one of them, my rapier as stout, my -arm and wrist as strong." - -"There are many of them who may come against you. The bravo, La -Truaumont, the desperado, Fleur de Mai, his boon companion, -Boisfleury. And--and--those others! That old, evil-looking man who -came to-day; this adventuress who lies fast hid within her rooms. Ah! -Humphrey, Humphrey, my love, 'tis not these men's swords I should fear -so much for you as the craft and wickedness of that other pair. For -God's sake, Humphrey, be on your guard." - -"_Ma mie_, fear not. And remember this. If I discover aught that it -behoves me to know, it will not be on the passes or here, in this -auberge, that they will find their opportunity. For, then, soon, I -shall be gone from out their ken----" - -"Gone!" - -"Ay, gone. Either to De Beaurepaire--if he be their tool; to the King -if he be a chief mover in this wickedness. Gone to France, to Paris, -ere they can do aught to stop or harm me." - -"Gone! And the Duchess and I left without you." - -"If it must be it must. And you will be well escorted, even though the -escort is none too trustworthy. For, think. Reflect. La Truaumont's -orders are never to quit Madame la Duchesse until she is safe in the -hands of her sister and her family in Milan. While, as for the others, -his jackals, what can they do without his will? They whom he pays week -by week." - -"And the others? Those two. That old man and that intriguing woman!" - -"They will not cross the pass. Nor, if I must travel back, can they -travel as fast as I on 'Soupir'." - -"But you, my heart, you? My love, my companion, my comrade?" Jacquette -asked. "What if you are gone without one word, one last farewell?" - -"If I am gone, if 'tis necessary that I start even ere dawn, then you -will know the why and the wherefore, my own. You will know 'tis for -life and death, for the sake of one Louis or the other. In hinting -this to the Duchess you will thus obtain my pardon. As for our last -farewell--ah! _ma mie_, we can say it now. We can now take our last -embrace until we meet again. While, if I set not out, 'tis one more to -the good account." - -Whereupon he again drew the girl to him under the shade of the acacias -and kissed her long and fondly. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - -The Duchesse de Castellucchio awoke the next morning an hour after -daybreak, which, at this late summer period, took place at about five -o'clock, and, since it was her intention to set out early that day for -Geneva, thence to commence her journey over the St. Bernard, she -called out at once to Jacquette to summon her maid. Then, that being -done, Jacquette herself appeared from the adjoining room enveloped in -her _robe de chamber_ and asked madame how she had slept that night. - -"Excellently well," Hortense said, sitting up in her bed, and -presenting a charming sight to the girl--who, however, had seen it -often enough before--since her long hair streamed down over her -lace-adorned night attire until it mingled with the great bear-skin -thrown over the bed. "Excellently. A quieter neighbour than Monsieur -West next door no traveller need wish to have. The young man moves -not, neither does he have the nightmare. A pretty youth is Humphrey, -with soft and gentle manners even in his sleep, it would seem. And -you, child, have you too slept well?" - -"Nay, madame, none too well. I was not drowsy and, when I slept at -last, I dreamed. Horrible dreams, madame, of swords and rapiers, and, -oh!--of blood being shed. Yet I know not wherefore I should have -dreamed thus. The house was peaceful, no travellers arrived in the -night, there was no sound to startle sleep; nothing to tease a -would-be sleeper but the noise of that river rushing on and on and -swirling past the crazy wooden bridge in front of us." - -"It may be your rest was disturbed by some haunting recollection in -your brain of the journey that lies before us. Well! it has to be -taken; we cannot abide in this gloomy old place for ever. Therefore, -Jacquette, let us prepare for the day. Bid Suzanne go get my chocolate -ready, forgetting not to put a glass of ratafia in it; and knock on -the wall, child, and arouse that slumbering lover of yours. 'Tis time -he awoke and, awaking, should bid La Truaumont also leave his bed, -since he too, in his turn, must awaken those two brigands who ride -with us and of whom, _Dio mio!_ I like the look none too well." - -Obedient to Hortense's order Jacquette crossed to the other side of -the room and, feeling under the tapestry for the spot where she knew -the closed and heavily bolted door to be, rapped on it with her -knuckles, while saying, "Humphrey, arise! The clocks have struck -seven. Awake, sluggard!" - -But there came no answer to her summons. All was as still as though -she had knocked at, and spoken to, an empty room. - -"Knock again," the Duchess said. "_Basta!_ how the young man sleeps." - -But Jacquette's second knock was productive of no more response than -the first had been, whereon the girl--though turning somewhat white -with a feeling of apprehension in her mind, while recalling at the -same time her dreams of swords and rapiers and blood--whispered to -herself, "He has discovered all and he is gone. Gone to save one Louis -or the other, as he said. Madame," she cried, turning round to the -Duchess who still sat up in her bed listening intently now for some -sound from Humphrey's room, "he is not there. Or being there sleeps so -soundly that I cannot waken him." - -"Doubtless," the Duchess said, "he has awakened before us, and, -knowing of what lies before us, has descended to make preparations for -the journey. That being so, he has done all we would have him do -without being bidden to do it. His is a brave, trustworthy heart. Yet -I do wonder if he has also bethought him of awakening La Truaumont. -The man is, may be, a heavy sleeper: each night he empties his wine -flask to the dregs ere seeking his bed. If Humphrey has not thought to -rouse him, I will dare to say he is still snoring as heavily as a -tired dog." - -"It may be so," Jacquette said aloud, with reference to the Duchess's -opinion that Humphrey had already risen; yet to her heart she -whispered, "but not risen as you think. Instead, more like he has not -sought his bed at all but, overhearing much of the plots of those -conspirators, has set out hours ago. By now he has doubtless been long -in France, the frontier being so near. By now, also, 'tis certain he -is riding post-haste either to save De Beaurepaire or to warn the -King. Oh! Humphrey, Humphrey, my lover, may Heaven have and keep you." - -"Call Suzanne," the Duchess said at this moment, since, always -self-indulgent in her tastes, she saw no reason why her cup of -chocolate should be longer delayed, no matter whether Humphrey West -still slumbered late or had risen betimes: "Call Suzanne and bid her -bring the morning drink. Likewise tell her to go and beat on La -Truaumont's door. 'Tis time he was out of bed. And, Jacquette," as she -always called the girl, "go out into the passage and beat yourself on -Humphrey's door as loud as may be, while, if he answers not, open it -if 'tis not locked and wake him." - -Suzanne was now at hand and, receiving her instructions, set about -obeying them by first going to La Truaumont's room to summon him. At -the same time, and when she had departed on her two missions, -Jacquette going out into the corridor ran to the next room and began -another _tintamarre_ on the other door, calling loudly as she did so, -"Humphrey! Humphrey! Humphrey! Awake! Awake!" - -But there was no more answer from within to this second summons than -there had been to the first. - -"He has gone," she whispered to herself. "He has gone. He has -overheard more strange matter and has deemed it well to set out on the -instant. What an ending to our projects of a happy ride into that -southern land of sunshine, to all that we had dreamt of being to each -other for some weeks or months! To all our hopes of being so much -together." - -Thinking, however, that, ere her lover had set out, as now she felt -sure he must have done, he might by chance have left some carefully -worded line for her, something that she should understand very well, -though, should it chance to fall into the hands of others, it would to -them be unintelligible, she lifted the latch of his door meaning to go -in and see if, on some table or chair, and prominently in view, a -billet might be lying. If that were not so, she would by one glance be -able to discover through the disorder of the room--the absence of his -riding cloak and feathered hat and rapier and pistols--whether he was -definitely gone or only away for some little while. - -As she lifted the latch, however, while pressing on the catch under -her thumb thereby to push open the door, she discovered that either -the latter was locked or the bolt on the inside shot. - -"Locked or bolted!" the girl whispered, her face pale now and her -breath coming fast and short. "Locked or bolted, and from the inside! -And he there. There and silent--speechless. My God! what has happened -to him? What?" - -Faint with fear of some horror she could not express, with some -hideous apprehension of impending evil--nay, of evil that had already -fallen; dreading _what_ might be in that room now, wondering if -Humphrey had been discovered listening to those plotters in that other -room and, in some way, reached, attacked and done to death, the girl -leant helplessly against the door-post endeavouring to think what she -should do next. - -Should she alarm the house, already awakened for the work of the day; -cry to some _faquin_ or waiting woman passing up and down the stairs, -or descend those stairs herself and summon the landlord to come and -burst open the door? What--what should she do? - -Suddenly, however, another thought whirling in her brain, dispersing -and driving forth those which had possessed that brain a moment -earlier, brought ease to her. - -"He has not gone," she whispered to herself, the glow returning to her -bosom that, an instant before, had felt like ice; "he cannot have -gone. He has not discovered or overheard anything to cause him to set -out for France. It must be so. He has descended, as madame supposed, -to take steps for our journey, and, some of his effects being worth -stealing, has locked his door and taken the key with him. Ah! yes. It -must be so. Had he set forth, had he quitted this room for ever, he -would not have locked the door after leaving nothing of his behind." - -Eased therefore by these reflections, Jacquette made her way back to -the Duchess and was about to enter the sleeping-room when she paused -at hearing the voice of Hortense raised shrilly, as though in -excitement. - -"What!" she heard her say. "La Truaumont makes no reply! You cannot -awaken him and his door is locked inside. _Dio mio_, what does it -mean! Have all failed in their trust! All deserted me!" - -"Ah! madame," Jacquette exclaimed, as now she entered the room, "it -must be with the captain as with Humphrey. Both have descended to make -preparations for our departure after leaving their doors locked behind -them for security." - -"It may be so," the Duchess exclaimed. "Yet if it is, 'tis strange. -Humphrey sleeps on my left, yet I heard no sound of movement in his -room late or early, nor did you hear any in the room on your right -where the captain slept. 'Tis passing strange." - -"Yet easily solved, madame," Jacquette replied, "if all is as you -suspect, and I," to herself, "hope. I will but don my clothes and then -descend myself." - -"Instead, send Suzanne. She is dressed and can go down at once." - -Whereupon Suzanne, who had by now returned with the chocolate and chip -bread for their early meal, was bidden to go at once below and see -what had become of the absent men. - -"And," said the Duchess to her ere she went, "seek out that other, if -they are not about. That _matamore_ who styles himself Fleur de Mai. -If you cannot find them bring him here to my presence." - -The girl sped away to do as she was bidden, and, while she was gone, -Hortense, sitting up in her bed, drank her chocolate and seemed more -puzzled at the circumstance that neither she, on one side, had heard a -sound from Humphrey, nor Jacquette, on the other, from La Truaumont, -than at aught else. Then, when five minutes had elapsed, Suzanne, -forgetting in her excitement to knock, and forgetting also all -deference due to her mistress, rushed into the room, exclaiming:-- - -"Oh! madame, neither the illustrious captain nor monsieur the -Englishman have been seen below this morning. Yet--yet--the horses are -all in their stalls, not one is missing." - -"Oh! great heavens," moaned Jacquette at this significant piece of -intelligence. - -"And the other," cried the Duchess, "the great truculent one? The -fellow called Fleur de Mai. What of him? Why is he not here as I -commanded?" - -"Madame," the maid cried, her voice rising almost to a shriek, "he, -too, is missing. He slept before the fire in the great room wrapped in -his cloak, but at daybreak, when the house was opened, he was no -longer there--and--madame, neither can he be found." - -"Not found. Yet there was still another, the meaner one; the one -called Boisfleury," the Duchess cried, springing out of her bed in -beauteous disarray. "What of him? Is he too, missing? And the -landlord, where is he?" - -"The landlord, madame, is bewildered. He comes with the pass-keys to -open all the doors of their rooms. As for the man, Boisfleury, he is -outside. He waits on Madame la Duchesse." - -"Take him into the salon. And, Jacquette, give me my robe. Quick. -'Twill cover this _négligé_." While, as she spoke, she seized the -masses of long hair that hung down her back and twisted them up into a -huge knot upon her head. After which she thrust her little feet into a -pair of warm, soft slippers and entered the salon followed by -Jacquette. - -Before her there stood the man, Boisfleury, white and shaky looking, -so that, as Hortense shrewdly suspected, he had been hastily summoned -from his bed, wherein, she did not doubt, he had been sleeping off the -potency of the draughts in which he and his companion nightly -indulged. - -"What know you of these absent men?" she asked now, while her usually -soft, velvety eyes looked anything but softly into those of the man -before her so that, either from their piercing glance, or from the -vision of beauty _en déshabille_ which confronted him--or, perhaps, -from that other cause which the Duchess had suspected--he shivered and -shook before her. - -"What know you, I say? Answer, man, and stand not trembling thus. -Speak, fellow." - -"Most gracious lady, I know nothing. Last night I sought my bed early, -the better to be ready for our departure this morning and----" - -"Got you that wound on your face in your bed? 'Tis a strange place to -encounter such a thing." - -"Madame la Duchesse, I fell upon the stairs and hurt myself." - -"It resembles not a bruise. More like unto a sharp cut. Yet this is -nought to me. Tell me, I say, what you know of the absence of those -three. Of the young English seigneur, of your leader, the captain, and -your boon companion?" - -"Gracious lady," Boisfleury said again, "I know nothing. The young -English seigneur I saw not at all. Madame la Duchesse will remember -that he abode not with us but with madame and mademoiselle," directing -his eyes towards Jacquette. "The noble captain supped alone very early -and then retired at once. As for Fleur de Mai and me, we supped -together; he drank more than was good for him--as--as I warned -him--and then rolled himself in his cloak and slept before the fire. -Whereon I sought my bed." - -"I will have the house ransacked to find one at least of them," the -Duchess exclaimed, her eyes ablaze; "nay, I will have the whole of -this heretical, canticle-singing town ransacked, if I can do so, to -find him. For the others I care not, no, not even if they have gone to -their master the devil! While as for you----" - -"As for me, most noble dame?" Boisfleury repeated, cringingly, though -with a strange gleam in his eye. "As for me, Madame la Duchesse?" - -"I do not believe you. If we were in Paris you should be sent to the -Bastille or La Tournelle----" - -"Madame la Duchesse has shaken the dust of Paris off her feet," the -man answered, with an insolent leer. "We shall not meet in Paris when -I return to it." - -"Out, dog!" the Duchess cried, advancing towards the fellow, her hot -Italian blood aflame at his insolence and also at the certainty that -he was lying to her. "Out, animal! Or the landlord----" - -At this moment, however, the landlord himself appeared at the -door, and, with many bows and genuflexions, announced that he had -opened the doors of the rooms of all the missing men with his -pass-keys--and--and--it was very strange, but all their effects were -there untouched. - -Then, ere the Duchess could reply to this ominous statement a cry from -Jacquette startled her, and, a moment later, she had rushed toward the -girl and caught her in her arms ere she swooned. - -"Can I lend assistance?" a soft voice asked as this occurred, and -Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville appeared at the open door of the room, -clad, like the Duchess, in a long _robe de chamber_. - -"No," the latter said, looking at her with a glance that would have -withered many another woman, a look full of disdain. "No. And, madame, -this is my private room, therefore I desire to possess it in privacy." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - -"She knows," Emérance muttered to herself as she sought her own rooms -from which, in fact, she had only been brought forth by the noise and -chattering in the passages and the sounds that issued from the -Duchess's salon, owing to the door being open. "She knows--in -part--what I am. That look from those dark, haughty eyes told all. -Yes, she knows something--but only something; not all. She cannot know -of the Great Attempt." - -She took up now a little hand-bell from the table and, ringing it, -brought forth her maid from the bedroom where she was engaged in -arranging that apartment; after which Emérance said:-- - -"What means this turmoil in the inn, this hurly-burly on the stairs -and in the passages? Know you aught?" - -"Madame," the woman replied, only too willing to talk, "there are -strange happenings in this house. The retinue of the Duchesse de -Castellucchio have mostly deserted her. They are missing." - -"Missing!" Emérance exclaimed, while her face blanched. "Missing! Her -retinue missing. Explain to me." - -"Ah! Madame la Marquise. They are gone, vanished. All except one--the -lowest of them. The handsome young man so gay and debonnair, with -shoulders so broad and stalwart and such soft, dark eyes, is gone----" - -"Proceed. No matter for his looks." - -"Also the captain. He who was like a bull. Also the great -swashbuckler, _le fanfaron_, with the red-brown hair." - -"The captain gone," Emérance muttered to herself, "and Fleur de Mai -gone too. 'Tis strange. Wondrous strange." - -"And, above all," the girl persisted, determined that the one who had -been so gentle and courteous to her, so much of an admirer, should not -be overlooked, "the young seigneur, madame! The handsome, courtly -one." - -"Bah!" Emérance exclaimed, "his looks count not." Nor, in truth, would -the looks of any man in all the world have counted with this woman who -had no thoughts or eyes for the beauty of any, or only one, man. Then, -continuing, she said: "And that other? The lowest of them, as you term -him. Where is he?" - -"He saddles his horse below. He rides to the Syndic to beseech his -help in finding them; the Syndic whose lodge is outside the walls upon -the route de France, a league or so from here. He does so, having -spoken first with the venerable father of Madame la Marquise. The -illustrious Seigneur de Châteaugrand." - -"Ah! yes. My father. The Seigneur de Châteaugrand!" and now there came -a look upon her face vastly different from the look of a few minutes -before--one which seemed to speak of some internal spasm of pain, or -regret or self-reproach, so different from this which was one of -irony, of contempt. "Where is he?" - -"He prepares to descend to madame from his room above. He wishes to -know something of these strange doings. He will be here ere many -moments more are past." - -"So be it. He will find me. Now make me ready for the day. Put out my -clothes and toilette necessaries. My father," with a scornful smile, -"hates ever to see a woman in disarray." - -That "father" made his appearance, as the maid had said would be the -case, ere many moments were passed, yet when he did so the interview -that was to take place--if it was an interview--was not of long -duration. Emérance, who was in the bedroom in the hands of the maid -when she heard the door of the salon open, called out to know if it -was he, and, on discovering such to be the case, had her dress put on -hastily and then went to him. After which, without salutation or -greeting, she went close to Van den Enden and, speaking to him in -almost a whisper--for, which there was scarcely any need since she had -carefully shut the door between them and the maid--she said:-- - -"What is this report? And--what does it mean? Where are they all? -All?" - -But the Jew made no reply. Which abstention from speech was, in truth, -the most pregnant of replies. - -"I understand, or almost understand," Emérance whispered, while -as she did so she stepped back some paces from Van den Enden and, -perhaps unconsciously, drew the skirts of her gown closer round her. -"We have been overheard, were overheard, and--and, after you left -me last night you and La Truaumont discovered such to be the case. -And--and--and----" - -But still Van den Enden uttered no word but stood looking strangely at -the woman. - -"Ah," she gasped. "And De Beaurepaire? Louis? Is he safe? Will he be -safe?" - -A moment later, though still the old man had uttered no word but only -let his eyes meet hers, she murmured, "Ah! _malheur!_ Yet--yet--there -is none to harm _him_ now." - - - * * * * * * * - - -Ere Humphrey sought his room the previous afternoon, there to carry -out his determination of keeping a watchful ear open, from then till -the morning, over all that might transpire in the next one to him, he -whispered a last word to Jacquette. - -"Sweetest and dearest," he said, "say no word to the Duchess on what I -am about to do, give her no inkling. Tell her what you will, excepting -only that." - -"What shall I say? I would not willingly deceive her. 'Specially since -she trusts me so." - -"Nor would I have you deceive her. She is too good and kind to -have deception practised on her. Yet, remember, you have said that, -if she were forced to know of what I think is being plotted, she -would find means to bring the news to the King's ears. And that would -not take long in the doing. A trusty messenger, a swift horse or so, -and, ere a week was past, that which hath been plotted here in this -out-of-the-world Swiss place would be known in Paris. And--and--if she -has never loved the King she is well nigh the only one of all women -near him since his youth who has not done so. She would not spare De -Beaurepaire whom, in very fact, she does not love, but has only used -for her purpose of escape from her mad husband." - -"What then shall I say?" asked Jacquette, grasping the force and truth -of her lover's words. - -"What you will. That I have ridden forth to see the beauties of this -great river out there; or to mount to the cathedral, or that I am -indisposed, which in truth I am since I am indisposed to be prevented -from overhearing these tricksters." - -"Short of absolute falsehood, I will tell her," Jacquette said with a -smile; after which, since now they were near the Krone, the girl -added, "Farewell until to-morrow, Humphrey, and may heaven bless you, -my sweet. Oh! I do pray that what you are about to do--it is in a good -cause, He above knows!--may bring no harm to you. Farewell until -to-morrow. To-night I will pray for you, and all night, too." - -So, with a blessing on him from the woman he loved so fondly and -truly, Humphrey West set about his task. - -When he was in his room, after pausing until Jacquette had had time to -rejoin the Duchess, he sat down in the one chair the place possessed -and wondered how long he would have to wait ere anything should happen -in the next one that, by being overheard, might be of service to him. -The day was still young, it being no later than four o'clock, and he -knew that it was more than probable that neither La Truaumont nor that -horrible-looking old man with the vulpine features and the repellent -leer--whom he felt sure was one of those most concerned in what was -hatching--would visit the woman in the next room until late at night -and when most of those in the house had retired. - -One thing, however, he did at once, after observing that his chamber -was made ready for the night--the bed turned down, the ewer filled and -so forth. He quietly lifted his chair up to the wall which divided his -room from the next one and placed it against the wainscot. Thus he -would be nearer to any sound that issued from the lips of those in -that next room and, also, if necessary, he could stand with his head -underneath the frowsy tapestry, and between it and the panelling, and -so hear still better. Next, he locked his door while determining that, -no matter who should come to it, he would give no answer. Those -outside might think that he was absent, or asleep, or what they would, -but he would not reply. - -At first, he thought of sitting down and writing to his mother in -England a long account of his doings of late--there was a standish on -the rickety table, under one leg of which some previous traveller had -thrust a piece of folded paper to steady it, and, in the standish, was -some half-dried ink as well as one or two pens much mended and worn, -and a little jar of sand; but he desisted from following this idea. He -would have to bring the chair back again to do so; if, while writing, -he should move it unthinkingly, it would grate and rasp upon the -parquet floor and warn any who might be in the next room that he was -here, while, also, to obtain his writing-paper (with which educated -travellers always provided themselves ere setting out) he would have -to unroll his valise, the doing which might also betray him if he made -any noise. - -"Therefore," he thought to himself, "I will lie down a little while. -It may hap I shall be awake most of the night, so best that I refresh -myself ere night comes. While if I sleep I will do so like a dog, with -one eye and both ears open. A whisper will awaken me if 'tis loud -enough to penetrate through the tapestry on t'other side and on this." - -That he had slept he discovered later when, suddenly opening his eyes, -he heard the deep-toned clock of the cathedral striking the four -quarters, and, after counting the strokes of the hour, learnt that it -was nine o'clock. He noticed, too, at once--though even now but -half-awake--that the room was in darkness, that night had come. Upon -which he lay quite still a little while, his ears on the alert to -discover if there were any persons in the room to his left. - -There was, however, nothing to tell him that such was the case, -though, from the other side of his room he could hear, in the -apartments of the Duchess, her lute being softly played and the light -tones of her voice as she hummed the words of an Italian _canzone_ to -its accompaniment. Once, too, he heard her call to Jacquette and say -something about her cavalier costume in which he knew that, on the -next day, she purposed setting forth on her long dreary ride across -the Alps--no carriages being possible for that journey. He also heard -her tell Jacquette to bid Suzanne bring a flask of Muscat. - -Then, suddenly, he knew that a door on his left had opened and shut -gently; he heard a voice speaking which he had never, so far as he -knew, heard before. - -"If," that voice said, it being a low rasping one, "they set forth -to-morrow, the captain should be here almost at once. They sup at -eight and should be abed soon after. There is much to talk over since -we all separate to-morrow. La Truaumont's band sets out to escort -madame to Milan, he to go hot foot to Paris afterwards, and then to -Normandy--I to Paris direct and----" - -"I to Paris and Paradise since De Beaurepaire is there." - -That enraptured voice told him at once who this speaker was, it being -the same he had overheard the night before. It was, he knew, the voice -of the woman who occupied those rooms, the woman to whom La Truaumont -had said half-sinisterly, half-warningly, "You may yet pay a dear -price for your happiness." - -Almost ere the man could make any reply to that remark, another, a -deeper, more profound voice seemed to obliterate all other sounds -except those of a second gentle opening and shutting of the door; a -voice, the full though mellow tones of which the owner was undoubtedly -endeavouring to soften. The voice of La Truaumont. - -"So," Humphrey heard the captain say, "we meet to decide all. Now, Van -den Enden, unfold. Speak, and to the purpose. What is done? What will -Spain and Holland do?" - -"To commence with," Humphrey heard the unknown voice of the Jew say, -"I have the money--all of it--in safe keeping." - -"In safe keeping," murmured La Truaumont. "In safe keeping. Where?" - -"Some in the hands of the party. Some in mine." - -"I'll be sworn, and deeply too." - -"Some for those bold hearts who help us with their hands and heads." - -"Good! Good!" the voice, which sounded like the soft rumbling of a -cathedral organ afar off, murmured. - -"Some," Van den Enden went on, as though pleased with his own words, -"put aside for fair ones who, also, have helped and can help well. For -beauty's coaxings and _câlineries_; for love professed; for love false -as beauty's oath or vow----" - -"And as true, too!" Humphrey heard the woman exclaim. - -"All can play their part and play it well, and earn their guerdon," -Van den Enden continued. - -"And the rest? Where is it? _Hein?_" La Truaumont asked in tones that, -though low, did not disguise the cynicism beneath them. - -"The rest! Why in the hands of _Le Dédaigneux_." - -"So!" exclaimed La Truaumont. "So! Good. That binds him. He is -committed to us." - -"He needs no binding, no earnest. He is heart and soul with us. And -you know it," the listener heard the woman say sharply. - -"And the sum total?" La Truaumont asked, ignoring her. - -"A million of livres." - -"Half of what we asked! Half of what is necessary." - -"Added to six thousand Spaniards on board the Dutch Fleet; arms for -twenty thousand men; weapons and instruments of siege against the -fortresses of Quillebeuf and Honfleur." - -"Enough to begin with at least if not enough to complete the glorious -task. Now unfold all that is decided on." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - -"_Le Dédaigneux!_" Humphrey said to himself. "_Le Dédaigneux_. Some -man, some great one masquerading under a sobriquet, a _nom de guerre!_ -Who can it be but one! Who but the one whose proud family motto almost -speaks of their disdain for even kings; whose own life bespeaks his -scorn for all who are not of his blood; who looks down on other men as -other men look down on the insects crawling in their path! Who can it -be but he? Yet--does he lead these conspirators or is he led by them? -Is he their chief or cat's-paw? I must know that." - -"Listen," he heard Van den Enden saying now. "Briefly, all that is -devised is as follows." - -"Those men, that money, and the Dutch Fleet are in our hands, at our -service," Van den Enden continued next; "the moment that your Normandy -is prepared to rise against this tyrant whose tyranny is greater than -was the tyranny of Richelieu, of Mazarin, or of both combined. If your -chiefs, your great noblesse, your merchants of Rouen, Havre and other -cities--all groaning under this tyrant's unjust taxation of them, -specially for his wars; all hating his wantons, his mad extravagance -and love of splendour--are ready to rise and form themselves into a -Republic which shall at last be a Republic formed of the whole of -France, then the Spaniards and Hollanders are ready to play their -part." - -"Republics have heads, dictators, rulers, as well as monarchies. Men -who are yet monarchs though without crowns, or thrones, or rights -hereditary. Whom does Spain produce?" La Truaumont asked. - -"De Montérey at first stipulated for the head of the house of--_Le -Dédaigneux_. The Duke----" - -"Ah!" whispered Humphrey to himself. - -"But finding that this might not be, that the Duke refuses since he -would have to throw too heavy a stake to win even so great a prize as -this, they will accept him." - -"They must," the listener heard the woman say. "He must be head or -nothing." - -"They have agreed," Van den Enden continued. "They desire Quillebeuf, -De Montérey avers, more than all the places of which Le Roi Soleil has -despoiled them. They wish to form a Republic rivalling that of Venice, -one that, in being with them, shall crush all who are against them." - -"And Louis! The King. What of him?" - -"Listen. His guards have been dispatched to join the army. _Le -Dédaigneux_ as their colonel has taken care of that." - -"My God!" Humphrey whispered to himself. "He is in it. The chief -conspirator and no tool!" - -"The King will," Van den Enden went on, "be either at St. Germain or -Fontainebleau for the next few weeks or months. And then--then----" - -"Then?" said La Truaumont. - -"Then five hundred Norman gentlemen will subdue the courtiers and -seize on him. We shall have him. Hold him." - -"Go on!" La Truaumont muttered, his voice husky and deep. "What next? -What will you do with him?" - -"He will sign a renunciation of his throne or----" - -"Or?" - -"He will go to the Bastille, or Pignerol--Pignerol is safer; it is -afar off, out of, lost to, the world. He will experience that which he -has caused countless others to experience. And, later, he will--die." - -"Die! How?" - -"As others have died," the Jew hissed. "As all die who suffer under -his tyranny. By his own hands, or--will--appear--to have done so." - -"My horse is in its stall," Humphrey thought to himself now; "my -rapier to my hand. It is time, and full time, too, for me to be on my -way. On my way to France--thank heaven the frontier is so near at -hand! To Paris, to the King. There is no time to lose. The King to be -seized and, later, the country invaded; the fortresses taken! And I -know all the scheme. All, as well as the names of all concerned." - -"Yet," he went on, "I must contain myself longer. To leave this room -now, however softly; to attempt to unbar the door of this closed -house, if it is yet shut; to saddle 'Soupir' and ride off now is to -tell those wretches in there that they are blown upon. I must -wait--wait till full night has come, till midnight at earliest, or -even until later and, then, off and away. Away through the mountains, -over the plains--on--on--till I stand face to face with the King and -tell him all. Heaven above be praised, he knows me and my name: he has -befriended me and been good to my mother. It will not be hard to do. -Oh! that I could creep out now, at once, so as to waste no precious -moment." - -For an instant, as thus he communed with himself, there had come to -him a thought that he would endeavour to communicate with the Duchess -by tapping gently on the door that was between their rooms; by -attracting the attention of her or Jacquette, both of whom were -probably at supper now in their salon; and by stealing away in that -manner. But no sooner had this idea come to him than it was discarded. -The tapping, or scratching, he must make to call their attention to -him would equally summon the attention of those in that other room, -and might, indeed, reach their ears sooner than it would reach the -ears of the others whose notice he desired to attract. No! he must -stay quiet until, at least, those in the next room had separated, -which, judging by the words he had heard the once unknown voice utter -to the effect that La Truaumont and his party should be abed before -ten--would undoubtedly not be long now. - -Meanwhile, as these reflections passed through his mind his ears were -still on the alert; even as he thought, so he could listen, too, and -not only hear but grasp what was the subject of conversation between -the conspirators in that room. - -From the absolute conspiracy itself the talk had now wandered to other -matters, and at this moment Humphrey heard La Truaumont say:-- - -"I ride with this heroine of romance--this _folle_ who is covered with -jewels but, _sangdieu!_ will not have more than a change of linen with -her--as far as Martigny. There I shall be taken with sudden illness, -the vapours, the falling sickness--the megrims--one will do as well as -t'other, and so I shall be left behind. And then, when they are gone, -hey! for France, for Normandy." - -A moment later, the opening and shutting gently of the door was heard -by Humphrey; a stealthy though heavy tread in the corridor was also -apparent to the young man's ears: he knew, he felt sure he knew, that -the man had left the room. The plot was laid bare by Van den Enden, -the meeting over. - -The other two in that room continued, however, to remain in it, and -more than once Humphrey heard the rasping tones of the voice which he -felt sure belonged to the old man who had descended from the French -coach, and the softer, sweeter ones of the woman who inhabited those -apartments and, as far as he knew, never stirred out of them. But, -though he heard the tones, the words that were uttered were now -unintelligible, and it flashed instantly into Humphrey's mind that the -pair were whispering to each other. - -"Whispering," he said to himself. "Whispering! Yet why now, when the -worst is told and has been told openly and, beyond uncertainty, -without fear of that worst being overheard? Why have the two to speak -in whispers now since, when they were three, they said nothing -that--as they thought--needed suppression?" - -He heard, however, something further. He heard shuffling feet which, -Humphrey did not doubt, were the feet of the old man moving about the -room; a piece of furniture--a chair as it seemed to him--moved from -one part of the apartment to another; a smooth, rubbing sound on the -other side of the wainscot against which he leant with his head -beneath the folds of the frouzy, dusty tapestry, and once--or twice--a -word or the fragments of a question. - -"Are you sure? Certain? It is death if so," the rasping, or feeble, -voice asked, not in one sentence but in three exclamations, while the -clearer, more fresh voice replied, also interjectedly. "Service, I -tell you. Safe. Covered. Impossible." - -To what these words might refer Humphrey could not conceive, no more -than he could conceive to what those various movements in the room -applied. Neither could he form any opinion as to the meaning of what -he next heard clearly and distinctly, since, forgetting himself for -the moment, the man said:-- - -"No chance if that is done. The swiftest portion of the Rhine is -quickly reached by that brawling, rushing river outside. I know, I -have been a refugee in this city ere now--and then, once there, the -secret is hidden for ever. The swirl at that spot is worse than the -grave, since the latter can be made to give up its dead or what is -left of them, but _it_ never." - -Of this speech Humphrey could understand nothing; it conveyed naught -to his mind. Or, if it did convey anything, only the thought that some -proof of their secret, something which he could not guess at or -surmise, was to be consigned to an eternal and unyielding oblivion. - -It seemed as if, now, those two were about to separate for the night. -In still broken, still interjected sentences and scraps of sentences -and stray words, Humphrey could understand that they were telling each -other their future plans. He gathered that the woman had promised to -set out the next day in her coach for Paris, that she would wait at -Mülhausen till the French coach from Basle arrived when she would take -her confederate into her own carriage and convey him with her. He also -found out for certainty what the old man's name was. - -"I will not have you masquerading as my father," he heard the woman -whisper. "You need be no longer the Seigneur de Châteaugrand. Your own -name of Van den Enden will do very well, since nothing connects you -with us or Normandy." - -"It will do very well for me, too," Humphrey said to himself, "since I -know both of them now. And yours also, my lady, thanks to your -chattering maid and your travelling necessaries." - -A moment later he once more heard the door opened and shut, gently as -ever, and knew that the woman was left alone. Still another moment, -and he heard her cross the floor of her salon and knew by the sound of -a closing door--the different sound made by a different door--that she -had entered another room, the one in which she doubtless slept. - -It was now ten o'clock, as Humphrey heard plainly from all the various -clocks in the city, and he knew that he must, as yet, have no thought -of setting out for France. By the absence of all movement whatever in -the Duchess's room to the right he recognised that she had not yet -sought her bed; he heard, too, all the sounds rising up the stairs -from the ground portion of the inn which told him that there was as -yet no likelihood of the place being closed for the night. There were, -he knew well, no other travellers, or at least none of importance, -staying in the house, yet--even in this rigid and now harsh and severe -Protestant city that, nearly a hundred years after Calvin's death, had -not yet shaken off the gloomy asceticism with which he had dyed and -imbued it, as well as Geneva and others--there were wassailers and -carousers who came here to drink nightly. He had seen them and heard -them, too, the evening before, as, also, he had seen Fleur de Mai and -Boisfleury drinking with them. He knew, also, that until midnight, or -at least as long as the landlord would allow them to remain, which was -so long as they would drink and sup, the house would not be closed and -these topers sent forth. - -"Therefore," thought Humphrey, "I must possess my soul in patience. -There is naught else for it." Though, even as he so thought, there -came another reflection to his mind. - -"Foregad!" he said to himself, "if I stay in here until the house is -closed, I am as like not to be unable to leave it. Therefore let me -consider what is best. Either to quit the house before it is shut up -for the night, to get to the stables and remain in them till all is -quiet and then steal away on 'Soupir'--she is fleet of foot and, once -off, none will catch us!--or wait here till all are gone to their beds -and take my chance of finding an exit? Which shall I do?" - -Suddenly, however, he made his final decision. To stay here and risk -being unable to obtain that exit was folly. Better walk about the -streets for hours and then return and make his way to the stables and -obtain his horse--if the stables were not themselves made fast for the -night--than stay here to be shut in till the morning. Consequently, he -decided he would go in an hour's time if not sooner. And, also, it -might be best that then, if he could get into the stables, he should -saddle "Soupir," at once, lead her out gently, and, mounting her -without delay, ride forth out of the town. That he would have to pass -the gate he knew, but, with the passport he carried in his pocket -signed by D'Argenson for the King--the King whom, if possible, he went -forth to warn and save--this would be easy. - -So that he should make no noise which might inform the woman he was -there, if at any minute she should return to the room next to him, he -took off his long boots and walked softly about seeking the few -necessaries which he must take with him: to wit, his rapier, his -pistols and cloak and hat. The other things he had with him, which -were contained in the little valise for strapping in front of the -saddle, he would leave behind. Jacquette, he knew, would understand in -the morning, when he was found to be missing, that he had purposely -left them and would see that they were placed in safe custody, while, -even if she did not do so, their loss would be no serious thing. - -Humphrey went to the door now, turning the key back as softly as might -be so as to make no noise, and, next, took it from the inside and -inserted it in the lock on the outside and pushed the door-to without -shutting it, after which he drew his boots on once more and crept -softly out. Then he locked the door and, dropping the key into his -pocket, descended the stairs. - -He met no one on them and, so far as he knew, no one saw him. The -landlord was not in his room, as he could see through the glass window -giving on to the passage: the door of the great general room was shut, -though from it there issued a hum of voices, above all of which he -could distinguish the loud boasting tones of Fleur de Mai as, -doubtless, he indulged in some of his usual rhodomontades. Likewise, -and he thanked heaven for it, the street door still stood wide open as -though inviting custom. To add to his satisfaction the oil-lamp in the -passage was extinct, it having probably been blown out by the warm -southerly breeze that had arisen with the coming of the night. - -"All is very well," Humphrey said to himself. "Yet a few moments more -and 'Soupir' and I shall be on our road for Paris. Then, catch who -can." - -And he stepped out on to the _place_ between the inn and the river. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - - -To reach the stables which were at the back of the Krone without -passing through the kitchen (and it would have been madness for -Humphrey to attempt to do so unnoticed, since the scullions and -cook-maids were, he imagined, finishing their tasks for the night, -while the drawers and servers were idling about and, probably, in some -cases, emptying down their throats the heel-taps of various flasks and -bottles), it was necessary to proceed to the end of the street, some -houses off. Then, a turn to the left had to be made beneath the -ramparts between the river and the city proper, and, next, still -another to the left to bring Humphrey to the rear of the inn and the -stables themselves. - -This he knew well enough, as, in the morning, he had visited those -stables to see the soldiers of the Duc de Lorraine who had escorted -the Duchess from Nancy set out upon their journey back. And, good -cavalier as he was, he had more than once in the past twenty-four -hours gone to them to see that all was well with "Soupir" and that she -was properly fed and groomed and attended to. - -He strolled on, therefore, in an easy manner towards where the mare -was, assuming the air of one who, after his supper, might be -sauntering about by the side of the river ere seeking his bed, while -inhaling the soft, warm southern breeze of the night. To appear well -in keeping with such a person--one who might be a traveller taking his -ease, or one on the road to or from France or, across the river, to -the German States--he also went on to the bridge and gazed idly into -the turbulent waters rushing beneath, and so walked across to Klein -Basel, all with the desire to kill time. - -"For," said Humphrey to himself, "I must be neither too soon nor too -late. If I go in too early I may come against La Truaumont or his -myrmidons seeking to know if all is well with the animals, which I -desire not to do. While, if I tarry too long I may find the door fast -for the night, whereby 'Soupir' and I cannot come at each other." - -Consequently, he made no movement for still some little time, nor -until all the clocks were once more competing hotly with each other as -to which should be the first or the last to strike the hour. And the -hour which they were striking was eleven. - -"Almost I might venture," Humphrey said to himself now. "The band of -which it is supposed I shall form one," and he smiled at his thoughts, -"sets out early to-morrow for Geneva and Martigny. La Truaumont will -have given his commands by now since he sees to all. Fleur de Mai and -Boisfleury are deep in their cups or gone by this time to their beds. -The rest, the horsekeepers, the stablemen, do not count at all. I -stand as high with the Duchess as does the captain; I may do what I -please." Upon which he rose from his seat on a bench across the river -and made his way back and towards where his mare was. - -Returning to the bottom of that old street which leads down to the -Rhine from the city above, it seemed to Humphrey that he heard, either -ahead of, or behind, him, the ring of spurs upon the stones as well as -the tramp of heavily booted feet: and he heard, or thought he heard, -the well-known click-clack of the point of a rapier sheath against -those stones. - -"Humph!" he said to himself. "One of the watch perhaps, or some -traveller." - -He, however, thought little more of this beyond observing that the -sound of those heavy boots and spurs, and that tap of a rapier, were -becoming fainter, when, suddenly, upon his ears there fell the words: -"Excellency, I will tell him. Be sure of me, Prince." - -"The voice of Fleur de Mai!" Humphrey exclaimed. "And 'Excellency!' -'Prince!' Foregad! whom should he know here--or anywhere for the -matter of that!--to whom such terms apply? And in this Republic where -there are no Excellencies or Princes." - -As he so thought, though heedlessly enough, since to him who, both in -London and Paris, had mixed always with the highest and noblest, such -things counted for little, it seemed that either those footsteps were -returning towards where he was now, or else that they were the -footsteps of some man similarly attired and accoutred who had passed -the other. - -"Perhaps," he mused, "Fleur de Mai is coming this way after greeting -his acquaintance the 'Prince'. It may be so. And to-morrow the -vagabond will boast of his friend, his close and intimate friend the -Prince of this or that, whose acquaintance he has, in truth, only made -to-night in some other hostelry than ours." - -Suddenly, however, as thus he laughed at the bravo's probable -braggadocio, the fellow himself loomed up large before him. - -"'Tis Fleur de Mai, as I thought!" he exclaimed aloud. "I knew there -was but one such rich and unctuous voice in all the wide world." After -which he laughed, while adding, "And the friend of Princes." - -"'Tis very true," the other answered. "Ay, the friend of many princes. -Yet 'twould be best for you, my cock o' the walk, if you too were -thinking of the princes whom you know. Here is De Beaurepaire come -post-haste to Basle." - -"De Beaurepaire here!" Humphrey exclaimed. - -"Ay, and seeking for you everywhere. In my lady's chamber, beating on -your door and cursing you loudly for being a seek-your-bed; making -_poursuivants_ of us to ferret you out, while you, _cadédis!_ are -strolling about the streets making odes to the moon, I do suppose, or -dreaming of the fair Jacquette." - -"Silence, brigand." - -"Silence is best. You will hear enough when De Beaurepaire lets loose -his tongue on you." - -"Bah! I am not his servant nor in his pay as you are. I ride as his -friend and help, not as his varlet. Yet, since he is here, I would see -him. There is no man in all the world on whom I would more willingly -set eyes" ("for his own good," Humphrey added to himself). Then he -said aloud, "Now tell me where he is. Lead me to him." - -"'Tis that which I am here to do," Fleur de Mai said, "though, in -doing it, I bid you observe I obey him, not you. Come, therefore." - -"Where is he, I say?" Humphrey exclaimed again, stamping his foot. - -"At the stables, looking to his horse, as a good soldier should. -_Ciel!_ did you not hear him bid me find you?" - -"I heard you say 'I will tell him,' meaning me I suppose. Well! let us -away to the stables, they are close at hand." - -"Come then, my pretty page," grunted Fleur de Mai contemptuously, and -venting the spite which, from the first, he had conceived against the -good-looking young man who was always so handsomely dressed and made -so much of by the Duchess, as well as always a guest at her table -while he and Boisfleury were relegated to the common living rooms at -whatever hostelry the band put up. - -Following after the fellow, Humphrey drew near the stables while -puzzling his head as to what could have brought De Beaurepaire to -Basle since he knew that, holding the offices he did, the Prince had -no right whatever to be out of France. - -"Has the plot failed already," Humphrey wondered as he went; "is it -blown upon and has De Beaurepaire put himself outside France for -safety? Or has he been unable to stay longer away from his fair -friend, the Marquise? If 'tis the first, he may now ride on with the -Duchess to the Milanese territory: if the second he has fair -surroundings for his amorous dalliance. While as for me--well!--in -either case I am free of my hurried ride to Paris. If the bubble has -burst the King knows as much of it as I: if love has drawn De -Beaurepaire hither, the two principals of that plot, she and he, can -work no harm at present. I shall have time before me to meditate on -what I must do." - -By now, he and Fleur de Mai were outside the stables, one half of the -doors of which stood ajar, while, through the opening thus made, there -streamed out the glimmer of a lantern. When, however, Humphrey had -followed the other in--and when "Soupir," who was in her stall at the -top, turned round and whinnied as she heard her master's voice -exclaim, "Where is the Prince? I see no one"--he noticed, by hearing -the latch fall even as he spoke, that the door had closed--by itself -as it seemed--behind him. Turning round instantly at this, he saw that -a man enveloped in a long cloak had shut it. - -"Who are you?" he exclaimed, addressing this man whose back was -towards him, and whose face was, consequently, invisible, "and why do -you close the door thus?" - -"I am the Captain la Truaumont," the man said now, wheeling round and -facing Humphrey, "and I have to speak with you." - -"Where is De Beaurepaire? He is not here!" while Humphrey, suspecting -some trick, took a step backwards as he spoke, and, dropping his left -hand on his rapier hilt, loosened it in its sheath. - -"Where he should be, I suppose, in Paris attending to his present -duties. Later, as you know, he will have others to attend to. -Meanwhile, loosen not your weapon. It will not save you here. I know a -trick or two more of fence than you." - -"It would seem you know many tricks, Captain La Truaumont. In spite, -however, of your ordinance touching my weapon, I will make bold to -draw it," and, in a moment, Humphrey's right hand had whipped the -rapier from its sheath. - -"So will I mine," he heard Fleur de Mai say. - -"And I mine," exclaimed another voice which Humphrey recognised as -that of Boisfleury. - -"You see," said La Truaumont, "you are caught. Your English blade will -stand you in little stead against three stout French ones. Though I -account mine of so little need that, as yet, it is not drawn." - -"Later," said Humphrey who, while he recognised that he was tricked -and caught in a _guet-apens_ from which there seemed little likelihood -of escape, felt no tremor of fear: "Later, we will see for that. -Meanwhile, ere we commence our play, explain to me what is the meaning -of this--lie--that has been told me." - -"The meaning is," said La Truaumont, "that you were locked in your -room for some hours while I and two friends were in the salon of -Madame La Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. Owing to a grating between -the two rooms, which her respected father discovered later, you were -undoubtedly enabled to overhear all, or the greater part, of what took -place in that salon. Do you deny or acknowledge this?" - -"I deny and acknowledge nothing. What you imagine is of no import to -me. No more than how you have become possessed of this knowledge -through Madame's 'respected father,' or he, himself, of it." - -"Yet you shall learn. The waiting-maid of Madame la Marquise, whom you -bribed with a gold louis and fair words and sweet looks to give you -information of her mistress, was over-bribed with five times the sum -by me--who saw you engaged in talk with her--to give us information of -you." - -"Which, being gained, did not prevent you from speaking out your plot -to one another. Bah! tell a better tale or none at all." - -"Softly, _beau garçon_. The maid was bribed to watch and see that you -entered not into your room, it being thought you were still with your -pretty Jacquette, or her mistress, or outside the house. Later, when -you crept forth from your room, after locking it behind you, I -comprehended that you had been in it all the time and that, also, you -had doubtless heard all, the maid telling me you had not entered it -since she took up her watch. Now, you _have_ heard all, you hold us in -your hand, our lives are at your mercy, unless----" - -"Unless what!" speaking contemptuously. - -"Unless we take yours." - -"Take it then!" though, as Humphrey spoke, he turned his body a little -so that, now, neither Fleur de Mai nor Boisfleury were any longer at -his back but, instead, in a line with La Truaumont. Consequently, he -had them all before him while the outer wall of the stable served as a -base. - -"You mean----" - -"I mean, if you can." - -"_Sangdieu!_" La Truaumont said, "though you are such a pretty youth -you are also a bold one. It must be your mother's French blood makes -you so! Yet, listen, Humphrey. We have all been comrades. Also -remember, you are no tried _ferrailleur_. Fleur de Mai knows more of -fence than you, and I than both." - -"I will make proof of that ere many moments are past." - -"Tush! be not a fool. A word can save you, one easy to speak since -'tis so small. You are of gentle birth in each land from which you -draw your being; give me your word, _foi de gentilhomme_, that no -breath of this ever passes your lips to any mortal soul; say 'Yes' to -my proposal, and we clasp hands here and crack another bottle, as -comrades should do, ere we sleep to-night." - -"There is," said Humphrey quietly, and quietly contemptuous too, -"another word as small as 'Yes' in your tongue. Smaller too, in mine. -As easy, or easier therefore, to say." - -"Fool! you mean----" - -"I mean, 'No'. I mean that to-night I ride her," glancing towards -Soupir, "across the frontier on my road to Paris, Fontainebleau or -Versailles; wherever I may find Louis the King. I mean that every word -I have overheard this night he shall hear from me a week hence or -earlier. With, too, the names of those who have to-night complotted -against his crown, his throne, his life--ah, brute! ruffian!" he broke -off to exclaim as, at this moment, he saw Boisfleury creeping towards -his mare; the sword the fellow held being shortened in his hand. "So, -'tis her you would first disable thereby to disable me." After which, -and grasping his own weapon two feet below the _pas-d'âne_ he swung it -round as he advanced towards the creeping, crouching vagabond and, -striking him full on the temple with the hilt, felled him to the straw -of the stable. - -"Now," Humphrey said, with a look on his face which possibly none had -ever seen there before; a look black as the night outside, savage as -the face of an aroused tiger, and with all of the devil that was in -him aflame. "Now, be quick with your dirty work. There are but two -against one left, and that one draws his thews and sinews from English -loins. Be quick or soon there will be but one; the fight will be man -to man. As for you, bully, come on." While, as Humphrey spoke, he -thrust with his rapier full at the breast of Fleur de Mai and, had the -burly scoundrel not stepped aside swiftly as he parried the blade, -would have run him through from breast to back. - -A moment later all was silent in that stable except for the muttered -ejaculations, mostly of surprised admiration, which he could not -resist, from La Truaumont; the heavy breathing of Fleur de Mai as -Humphrey pressed him hardly, and the adder-like hissing of the two -men's rapiers as they entwined with one another in a struggle _à -outrance_. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - - -"_Dieu des Dieux!_" whispered La Truaumont between pale lips, "it must -be done. It will fall to me to do it. Yet the pity of it! He is a -young lion and brave as a lion, too; one who, if it is not for me, -will have put that _luron_ out of the world for ever ere another -moment is past. And I am a gentleman, yet must now stoop to be a -murderer. I cannot. I cannot. I, Georges du Hamel, Sieur de la -Truaumont! I, to become a murderer!" - -In truth, the scene was a weird one on which the pale, trembling man -gazed; that man who, in all his adventurous career, had never known -what it was to tremble at the most terrible of impending catastrophes: -that man who had looked on tremblings and qualms as fit only for women -and puling children. - -A weird scene, added to and made doubly so by the sickly rays emitted -from the lantern behind whose dirty, horn encasement a guttering -rush-light burned. Added to, also, in weirdness by the whimpering of -the frightened animals who were startled by the clash of steel, and by -the grunts of Fleur de Mai as he fought desperately while knowing, -feeling sure, that his hour--his moment--was come, and by the -occasional contemptuous ejaculations of Humphrey as he bade his -opponent take courage since it was but the first bite of the blade -which was agony, and to utter a prayer if he knew one. - -By now Humphrey had driven the bully into a vacant stall and, having -him there, had ceased to lunge at him, but, instead, with his blade -crossed over the other's was slowly but surely beating down that -other's weapon until the moment came when, swift as the lightning -flash, he would run him through. And Fleur de Mai knew that this was -so, that it would happen: there needed no jeers from his opponent to -tell him what the bite of the steel would feel like. Yet, breathing -heavily, his face, nay, his whole body, reeking with the sweat that -burst from all his pores, he still endeavoured to save himself, to -avert the moment of his doom. As that moment drew near, however, his -heart failed him and he shrieked to La Truaumont for assistance, -knowing full well that from Boisfleury there was none to be hoped, -since he lay stunned outside the next stall and was himself in danger -of his life each moment from the hoofs of the excited animal within -it. - -But from La Truaumont the assistance came not. Rough soldier as the -man was, conspirator as he had become, part-assassin of the King as he -had proposed and still proposed to be, he could not bring himself to -steal up behind the man fighting so gallantly against the great bravo -and run him through the back or maim him. He could not force himself -to become a common murderer. - -"Not yet," La Truaumont whispered to himself. "Not yet. If he kills -Fleur de Mai, as he will, then I must engage him, though not until he -has had breathing time. But not this way. And--my God!--we have been -friends, comrades. Oh! that he had not learnt this secret." - -Suddenly, however, he saw that the fight had taken a different turn. - -Fleur de Mai, desperate, knowing himself lost, had resorted to one -last trick: the last in truth that is left to the swordsman who knows -his chance is gone. A trick that may succeed yet is doubly like to -fail. One that may save an almost beaten man if it succeeds, but that, -in failing, places him in no worse, no more perilous, position than he -was before. - -Therefore he tried it, doubting yet hoping. - -Swiftly, with one last attempt--it was successful!--of escaping his -enemy's blade, Fleur de Mai essayed the once well-known _botte de -lâche_. He fell to the earth on his left hand, catching himself -adroitly on that hand and, ere Humphrey could draw back his weapon to -run him through and through, the other had thrust upwards at his -conqueror's breast. He had thrust up with all his force and, even as -he did so, knew that he had won. With a gasp the young man reeled -backwards, staggered against the stable wall and, a moment later, fell -to the floor insensible. - -"So, so," muttered La Truaumont, "there was no need for me. I am quit -of that." After which he stooped over Humphrey's now inert body, tore -open his jacket at the breast and, thrusting his hand in over the -heart, let it rest there a moment or so. "It beats still," he said. -"It is not pierced. Yet, see," and he drew forth the hand and held it -up before the other, who, by the miserable light of the horn lantern, -saw that it gleamed crimson. "You have given him his death. There is a -wound somewhere here big enough to let his life out, to set his soul -free. What to do now?" - -"Do now!" Fleur de Mai grunted, as he leant, blowing and puffing, -against the side of the stall while supporting himself on the handle -of his sword, from the point of which the red drops ran down and -tinged the straw at his feet. "Do now! Why! Clear ourselves from this, -my most noble captain who would not come to a comrade's help in a dire -hour." - -"I was not wanted. Two men were not needed to kill one. Your own skill -has proved that"--"foul blow though it was," he added inwardly. Then -he continued, "Best we desert the _folle furieuse_ at once and ride to -Paris. De Beaurepaire will absolve us when he knows what we have done -to save him, even though we break faith with her. Add to which, we are -wanted there and in Normandy. She can do without us, or, at least, she -must." - -"No, not ride," Fleur de Mai said, while as he spoke he assumed a -greater tone of equality with La Truaumont than he had done before, if -not a tone of command. For he it was who had vanquished the man who -would have undone them, and he was not disposed to regard the -accomplishment lightly. "No riding on these horses," glancing his eyes -down the line of stalls. "Yet, still, away. To make for, not ride to -Paris." - -"I understand you not." - -"Listen. I will propound to you. Let heaven give you the brains to -comprehend." - -"Beware. No insolence. I bear a sword more cunning than his," looking -down at Humphrey. - -"A _fico_ for your sword! Again I say, listen. Let us back to the inn -and be seen about it. Possibly 'tis not yet closed--you shall pay for -a bottle. Then I will depart. Later you, too, can do so. On foot, -together or alone, we can escape across the frontier; thus we are -safe. In France none can touch us for what we have done amongst these -Switzers, or, if they attempt it, let them beware. As for money, you -have some I know full well. While he, too, perhaps, has some about -him," touching Humphrey's body with the tip of his murderous sword as -he spoke. - -"What! You would rob your victim!" - -"The spoils of war! Feel for his purse." - -"Feel for it yourself. I need not money." - -"I do." Whereon the ruffian calmly knelt down by Humphrey's side, -ransacked his clothes and, at last, drew out a fairly well-filled -purse which he clinked joyously in front of the lantern. "With this," -he said, "we can--I mean, I can--buy me a horse across the frontier or -get a seat in some coach, or _patache_ or waggon for France. You need -not money, you say. Therefore you, too, can do the same." - -"Why not take our own horses?" - -"Because thereby we tell the tale. This butterfly is found here dead; -we are gone and our horses, too. What does that point to, _hein?_ -Whereas, there is mystery in it if we are also gone without our -horses, and he, if dead here, and----" - -The fellow paused, hearing a slight rustle in the straw and whispered, -"Ha! he stirs. 'Tis best to finish the affair," and he lifted his -sword. - -"Nay, fool," said La Truaumont. "'Tis Boisfleury who moves. -And--hark--he moans in his insensibility." - -"Boisfleury! Boisfleury," the other repeated, musing. "Boisfleury. A -crafty knave and violent. Listen again," he continued, whispering, -"perhaps Boisfleury, too, will die. Then 'twill be thought they have -killed each other--Boisfleury's blade is out; he would have maimed the -mare. While," and now Fleur de Mai placed a brawny finger on La -Truaumont's breast and peered into his eyes, "if he does not die, -still," and he tapped the other with the finger, "he will be found -here alive. He cannot stir yet. So, too, will that be found," pointing -at the reddened straw. "So, too, that," pointing at the bruise on -Boisfleury's temple. "You take me? The murder--will--be out. And -Boisfleury will--pay--for it. They execute freely here, they say, for -any little violence. He will not go scot free. But we shall. Come, -man. Come. Away. A flask first and then off--off--to the frontier. And -I have this," shaking the purse. "_Pardie!_ the valet pays better than -_madame la patronne_. Come." - - - * * * * * * * - - -The eternal clocks told the hours again and again; it was growing -late--or early; outside in the street there was now no sound. Perhaps -the watch slept, or, if it did not, at least it came not near that -stable wherein two men lay. Or where, rather, one man lay against the -wall and the other sat up outside a stall peering across the stones at -him. - -"So," that second man said to himself, "'tis Boisfleury who will be -found here with him, is it? 'The murder will out, and Boisfleury will -pay for it.' Ha! Well, we will see for that." - -He rose now from his sitting position, or, instead, he crept -upon his hands and knees towards where Humphrey lay, while as he -did so he muttered to himself. "No. No. No. The body will not be -found. It may be that the murder will not out: that Boisfleury will -not pay--for--it! But," and a hideous grin distorted his face which, -added to the bruise on his temple, would have made him horrible to the -eyes of any who should have beheld him, "others will--others shall. -_Bel homme_," he muttered again, as now he touched Humphrey, "you -will never reach Louis the King, but--another--may. And--and--peace to -your manes!--what you would have told him shall be told by that other -and well told, too. Nought shall be forgotten. Nought. Nought. -Messire Fleur de Mai, M. le Capitaine de la Truaumont, Madame la -Marquise--bah! Madame _la coquine_--de Villiers-Bordéville--Monsieur -le Prince et Chevalier de Beaurepaire"--hissing out sardonically all -these titles and appellations through his white lips as though it -gratified him to repeat them to himself, "and you, Jew, call on your -friend and master, the Devil, to help you when I tell my tale to the -Splendid One." - -And again he muttered, "The murder will out, and Boisfleury will pay -for it," while, as he did so, he once more snarled like a hunted wolf. - -"I cannot feel it beat," he said now, as he placed his hand beneath -Humphrey's satin undervest, much as La Truaumont had done some hour or -two before, "therefore he is dead. Still, the murder must not out. -Boisfleury," he muttered again, as he harped on Fleur de Mai's words, -"must not be made to pay for it. No. No. Instead, this murder must be -hidden away from all men's knowledge. It must never be known. Never. -It is well I was but stunned for a few moments after that blow; that I -lay dark and snug and let them fight it through. Well, very well. Thus -my skin is safe and the secret is mine." - -He rose from the floor and left Humphrey's prostrate body now, and -went to the stable door which the other two had closed behind them, -and, opening it, peered out into the night. He saw then that all was -still dark and black and silent; he also perceived that heavy rain was -falling. There was no living thing about; not so much as a houseless -dog shivering in any porch or stoop; neither was there any light in -any window, nor any sound except the swish of the rain and the noisy -swirl of the Rhine as, rushing by, it sped away upon its course -towards and past France. - -"The murder, for murder it was," he whispered to himself, "will never -out. Never. Boisfleury has no reckoning to make, no scot to pay. But -others have." - -He went back now to where Humphrey lay, and, lifting him up, gradually -got him hoisted on his shoulders, for, though neither big and burly as -Fleur de Mai nor sinewy and bull-shaped as La Truaumont, he was wiry -and strong. Then, going to the stable door again, he pushed it open -with his foot, his hands being engaged in holding his burden on his -back, and went out into the pitiless rain and so across the _place_ to -the high, built-up bank of the river. - -"'Twill carry him on swiftly," he whispered to himself, "through -ravines and past sunny meads until, at last, it throws him ashore -leagues and leagues from here: 'tis better thus than lying in some -town fosse or common graveyard. _Allez, pauvre homme_." - -As he spoke he turned his back to the river, leaning downwards against -the wooden rails erected to prevent the townspeople or children from -falling into it, after which he let go of Humphrey's arms, which he -had drawn over his shoulders, gave a strong, swift throw backwards of -his body against the rails, and knew that his burden was gone. Gone -with one heavy splash into the rushing, tumbling waters beneath; -carried away as a cork thrown into those waters would itself have been -carried away. - -Nor, when he turned round swiftly an instant afterwards, was there any -sign of Humphrey. He could not see a human mass rolling over and over -in those turbulent, leaping waters, nor a white face gleaming from -them, nor any glassy, lifeless eyes glaring up into the leaden skies -above. The body was gone and had left no sign behind. - -Boisfleury went back now to the stable, and, taking the lantern from -the hook on which it hung, placed it on the floor and carefully picked -up all the straw tinged or soaked with blood that he could find. Next, -he picked up Humphrey's rapier--the cloak, he knew well enough, was on -the victim's back excepting that part of it which he had wound tightly -round his arm ere he attacked Fleur de Mai. Finally--after having -carefully arranged some clean straw in the vacant stall with his -hands--while all the time watched by the gleaming, startled eyes of -the horses gazing at him over the divisions of the other stalls--he -blew out the lamp and, shutting the door behind him, went over to the -river again. - -"There is no score to pay now," he murmured, as he flung the tinged -straw and the rapier into the Rhine. "None, here, in Basle. None by -Boisfleury. But elsewhere? And by others! Ah!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - - -"The Splendid One"--"_Le Dieudonné_"--otherwise Louis XIV., King of -France and Navarre, sat in the _Galerie des Cerfs_ at Fontainebleau -before a blazing log fire, his feet and legs encased in long, heavy -riding boots, half a dozen dogs round him, and, on his lap, a little -spaniel of the breed afterwards known in England as that of King -Charles, with whose long silky ears he toyed. - -Near the King, yet still at some distance from him, were many members -of his family and Court, including the Queen, who sat before a second -fire farther down the room in the riding-dress in which she had that -day accompanied her husband to a wild stag hunt in the forest. A -little distance off, chattering, laughing--in discreetly subdued -tones--were women who bore, or were yet to bear, names that the world -will never forget. One there was, who, although already a recipient of -the favours of Le Roi Soleil if not as yet of his love, sat plainly -dressed and with her eyes demurely cast down, near to Madame de -Montespan--_mâitresse en titre_--and only raised those eyes at some -sallies from the children of the latter who played around her knees. -After which she would let them steal swiftly towards the face of the -ruler of France's destiny as well as of the destiny of half Europe. -Yet, sometimes, too, she would smile softly at some thought not -aroused by the children's gambols, when her lips would part and -disclose her teeth which were already giving signs of the decay that, -later, was to take entire possession of them. When this occurred, -those near her would wonder what the woman who, as Françoise -d'Aubigne, had been born in a prison, was thinking of. Perhaps, they -speculated to themselves, on the jokes and gibes of her dead husband, -the diseased and crippled poet, romancer and dramatist, Paul Scarron. -Or, perhaps, on the lovers she had so often run to meet (when she was -supposed to be at mass or confession) in the little, green-hung -_parloir_ lent her by Ninon de l'Enclos for her rendezvous: perhaps of -the manner in which, slowly but surely, she was spinning her web -around the King and enfolding him in it even as the spider spins its -web and enfolds and strangles the fly. - -Near her were, however, other women who, had they had their way, would -themselves have strangled the life out of this woman, now, by creation -and gift of estate and brevet, Madame de Maintenon, as willingly as -she was secretly strangling the will and power out of Louis; women -whom once the King had loved more fiercely than--though not so -subserviently as--he was now beginning to love her. Close by _la femme -funeste_ was the once lovely Duchesse de Châtillon--now grown fat and -troubled with a nervous twitching of the face--who had once disputed -with Madame de Beauvais, who had never been lovely and who squinted, -the right of having been Louis' first love. Here, too, was the -beautiful Mdlle. d'Argenson now married to a husband who was reported -to beat her; and many others. While, had the phantoms of all those -whom the King had adored and then neglected, and then cast off, been -able to appear, the room would have been full of sombre shadows. - -Before the King there was placed a small table on which, at this -moment, was piled up in great disarray a vast heap of letters that had -that afternoon arrived by special courier, and which he was at this -time engaged in reading after his return from the stag hunt. Or -rather, he was engaged in reading all those which a courtier who sat -next to him in a smaller, less comfortable chair, handed to him after -he himself had perused them. This courtier was no less a person than -the Marquis de Louvois, whose precise position was that of Minister of -War but who, during the ascendancy that he had for some years been -gradually obtaining over the King--in which ascendancy he ran a race -of deadly rivalry with Madame de Maintenon--had become his right hand. - -"Two letters, both of the same import," Louis said now, placing one -which he held in his hand face downwards on top of another he had -previously laid on the table; "two letters from two women, and each -telling the same story. Letters coming, you observe, from widely -different cities. One from London. The other from Geneva. Almost, it -seems, there must be some truth in what they tell." - -The King might also have added, had he not doubtless entirely -forgotten the fact, that the two women from whom those letters came -had each been strongly affected towards him and his interests if they -had not, like so many others, allowed themselves to love him. - -"Can it be true?" he went on now. "Can it? Yet, it must be, Louise is -in a position to know all, everything that transpires, everything that -is known in London: the Duchesse de Castellucchio must know every -secret that her admirer possesses." - -"If, sire, he is her admirer." - -"What else should he be?" - -"_Prétendu_, perhaps, sire. Perhaps _soupirant_, awaiting events and -fortune. Needy men have often married rich women, heiresses, women who -can set them on their feet again; and they have done so without loving -them." - -"It is true," the King said, speaking in tones so low that none but -his companion could hear him, but still tones clear, keen, incisive. - -Then, lowering his voice as he changed the subject, the King said, "Is -_he_ gone?" - -"He is, sire, in this room." - -"Summon him." - -Obedient to this order De Louvois rose from the far from comfortable -seat in which he sat, and, proceeding down the gallery while smiling -with a smile that had little mirth in it and scarcely any cordiality, -reached at last a courtier who, clad in a green hunting costume -adorned with gold lace and having on his shoulder the device in gold -of a bugle above a sun, was talking to a lady. This courtier was no -less a person than De Beaurepaire in his dress of Grand Veneur, while -the lady, who possessed a simpering weak face that, in her case, was -no index to her mind, and whose little curls all over her head gave -her an appearance of youth to which she no longer had any claim, was -Madame de Sevigne. - -"His Majesty," De Louvois said to the former, after bowing to the -latter, "desires to speak with you." - -"I am at his service as always," De Beaurepaire replied. "I trust he -is satisfied with the day's sport. It was worthy of a royal hunt, -thirteen stags being killed." - -"No doubt, no doubt," De Louvois muttered, as now De Beaurepaire -followed him to where the King sat, while he observed as they drew -near their master that the two letters were no longer lying on the -table as they had originally been placed. - -"Ah! Louis!" the King said to his namesake, addressing his old -playfellow as he had always done since boyhood, "so you have not yet -left for your house at Saint Mandé, where you now keep yourself so -much when you are not called forth from it by your duties to me. Your -duties of huntsman and Colonel of my Guards." - -"Not yet, sire. The evening runs on; later I will ask your Majesty to -permit me to depart. May I crave to know if your Majesty is contented -with the day's hunt?" - -"Beyond doubt. What you do for me, either as purveyor of sport or as -the chief of my guards," bearing again on the fact of the Prince -occupying the latter position, "is always well done." - -"And always will be, sire. As it has ever been since, if I may recall -the past, it was done when I was permitted to be your Majesty's -principal playmate and comrade." - -"Yes," the King replied, his bright blue eyes resting softly on the -other, "my playmate and comrade. My playmate and comrade," he said -again. "They were happy days. Once, Louis, you saved my life from an -infuriated stag here in this very Forest of Fontainebleau--you -remember?--and once in the Forest of Vincennes from an intending -assassin." - -"I have not forgotten, sire. If your life is ever in danger again, -which heaven forfend, I pray it may be I who shall again save it." - -"I hope so," the King said gently, "I hope so. Having saved that life -before it should be dear to you now. Now, when I am environed with -enemies worse than starving footpads and assassins; when the Dutchman, -Orange, would, they say, go down on his knees and thank God for my -taking off; when the ministers of my imbecile brother-in-law, Charles -of Spain, would have me assassinated on my own hearth if it could be -accomplished. When," he continued, "there is not a country in all -Europe, except that over which Charles Stuart now reigns, that does -not thirst for my life. In truth, I need good friends like you, Louis, -and you, Louvois. The one to whom I have confided the charge of my own -guards, the other the care of my whole army." - -"Your Majesty may rely on me and my guards," De Beaurepaire said. -"Your Majesty may rely on----" - -"I know. I know," Louis said. "Should I have confided that charge to -you otherwise?" - -"And on me for the whole of your Majesty's army," De Louvois -exclaimed. - -"That too, I know. Now," the King said, rising from his chair, at -which action all the others who were seated in the room rose as one -person. "Now, let us prepare for supper. Louis," he said, addressing -De Beaurepaire, "I spoke of an imbecile but now. There is another in -Paris like unto him, who has a reckoning to make with you. The Duc de -Castellucchio. What have you done with his wife?" - -"She should be in Milan now, sire, and in her sister's arms. I sent -her on to Nancy from Paris well escorted. I did my best for her. If -the Duc de Castellucchio has aught to say to me he will know where I -am to be found." - -"He will not endeavour to find you himself. He may, however, persuade -my _Grande Chambre_ to do so." - -"I do not fear even that august assembly, sire, so long as I have your -protection." - -"Do you fear aught on earth, Louis?" - -"Nothing, sire, except your displeasure," the Prince answered with the -courtier's true--yet false--air. - -When, however, some hours later, De Beaurepaire had withdrawn, not -only from the Royal Presence but also from all the crowd of courtiers -who hovered round _Le Roi Soleil_, and he was seated on the back of a -fresh, mettlesome horse which was to bear him to Paris as swiftly as -might be, he rode as one rides whose mind is ill at ease. For his head -was bent forward over the animal's mane, his handsome features were -clouded and the reins in his hand were carelessly held. - -"How he harped on the word assassin," he mused, "how oft he repeated -it. How, too, he dwelt on my command of his guards. Yet I am no -assassin nor would-be assassin. Whatever evil I may meditate against -him, I have never thought of that. Nor has there been any talk of -murder, of assassination--of him--so far as I have heard. La Truaumont -spoke nothing of this after he rode back from Switzerland, but -only that I should put myself at the head of the discontented -nobility of Normandy who so protest against heavy taxation and the -ignoring of their rights. Assassination! God! it is an evil word. -And--assassination of him, my friend, my early playmate! The King who -has showered benefits on me full-handed." - -Musing still, meditating always, he rode on down the great avenue that -led towards the little town of Fontainebleau, and, past it, to Paris -five-and-thirty miles off; while, as he continued upon his way, he -still mused, though now his thoughts took a different turn. - -"A pity 'tis," he pondered, "that Humphrey West pryed into -their--our--secrets. I would have had him spared, or, at least, slain -in open honest fight, not done to death by so foul a thing as that -Boisfleury--as La Truaumont says he was after he confessed that he -knew all. Boisfleury! A piece of vermin fit only to crawl in the -gutters of Paris, to herd with the lowest, but not fit to take the -life of young, handsome Humphrey West. Humphrey, poor Humphrey! And -poor Mademoiselle d'Angelis. She loved him passing well." - -He paused ere concluding what he was saying, and, reining in his -horse, stared fixedly into a dense copse that bordered the side of the -drive. He stared at something he saw moving suspiciously through the -undergrowth and as though with the desire of avoiding attention. -Recollecting, however, that, on such a night as this, and after a -great hunt in the vast forest which, at that time, covered very nearly -a hundred square miles of ground, and where, too, hundreds of -villagers, _vauriens_ and ne'er-do-wells generally would be about, he -muttered, "Psha! what need to be surprised at the sight of any -creeping, crawling vagabond here," and withdrew his hand with almost a -feeling of self-contempt from the holster towards which he had thrust -it. - -As, however, he again set his horse in motion, he saw that which, in -all likelihood, had caused the creeping figure to take shelter in the -undergrowth, if it was not due to his own appearance. Coming up the -long avenue from the direction where, afar off, Paris lay, was one of -those vehicles known as a _chaise roulante_--a small carriage which -would hold but one person; a thing not much larger than a sedan-chair, -but which was transported on two wheels and had a seat in front for -the driver. To-night, since it was entirely dark, a lamp placed by the -driver's side was alight and the rays from it were sufficient to -illuminate the whole of the interior of the small carriage. - -Attracted by the appearance of this vehicle, wondering who could be -coming in so plain and common a conveyance to Fontainebleau at this -hour--Fontainebleau, with the King in residence!--De Beaurepaire could -not resist the impulse of curiosity which impelled him to glance in at -the occupant. - -Then, suddenly, his hands so tightened on the reins they held that his -high-mettled horse rose on its hind legs and, in its rearing, nearly -threw him. - -He had tightened the reins thus as he saw a white, death-like looking -face gazing out as he glanced in at the window; a face from out of -which two hollow eyes stared into the darkness of the night. - -"_Dieu!_" De Beaurepaire whispered, even as he knew, as he divined, -that he had himself turned as white as that sepulchral-looking face -inside the _chaise roulante_, and while he felt his whole body -suffused with the perspiration that burst from every pore. "He is -alive. And he knows all. To-night the King will know all, too. He must -be here to tell him all!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - - -The _chaise roulante_ went on slowly up the avenue towards where, a -quarter of a mile ahead of it, innumerable lights shone from all the -windows of the royal château; the driver, as it passed De Beaurepaire, -saluting obsequiously the man whom, by his rich apparel and quantity -of gold lacing and passementerie, he knew to be some great functionary -of the Court. - -And that great functionary, that man who, but a few moments before had -boasted to himself, who had told himself proudly, that he was no -assassin, sat on his horse revolving hurriedly within his mind whether -he should not now become one. Now, ere another two or three moments -had elapsed; now, ere the conveyance could advance another dozen yards -upon its road. Revolving in his mind whether he should turn rein and -rush at that carriage, thrusting his sword through the driver's heart -and, ere he could help himself or cry for assistance--which would not -be forthcoming!--through the heart of that white, sickly-looking man -within. For, it could be done, he knew. Nothing could prevent him -doing it, nothing could save either passenger or driver if he chose to -do it. Nothing. - -With the exception of that creeping creature who had glided from his -sight into the darkness of the underwood, and who was probably far -away by now, there was no living creature near. No living soul. And it -was dark at last! One thrust at the man who had just saluted him, -another at the other in the vehicle: the light extinguished and the -_chaise roulante_ thrown over on to its side as he, in his great -strength could easily cause it to be--and--and--that was all! All that -was needed. All! The Court was at supper: the menials busy attending -on the Court. It could be done in a moment and he far away half an -hour after. And none would ever know. That was all that was needed! -Yet, was it--all? Would none ever know? Ah, God! would He not know? -Would his own heart not know? Yes, always! Always! Always! He would -have become a twofold murderer. And he was--a De Beaurepaire! - -With a sound that, as it issued from his lips, might have been a -curse--or a sob--he loosed his rein and dug his spurs into his horse -and rode away from that carriage. Away to Paris to meet his -confederates in the great plot; to tell them that they were betrayed; -that the one man outside their own band who knew this secret was alive -and had, must have, divulged it to the King. That this man was alive -while he, their chief, had had the chance of slaying him, of silencing -him for ever--and that he had let the chance pass. - -"Yet," he muttered to himself, "also have I missed being a murderer. I -have missed that. Thank God! And--and--I am a true De Beaurepaire -still. One who has brought no blot upon the name, who has nought to -blench at." - -Meanwhile, the _chaise roulante_ went on until it drew up at a side -door of the château, and two lackeys sauntered down the stone steps to -see what the business of its occupant was. - -"Monsieur desires?" the first inquired, letting his eyes roll -insolently, or, at least, indifferently--which in a menial is the same -thing!--over the terribly ill appearance of the man inside and also -over the shabby hired vehicle in which he arrived. "Monsieur desires?" - -"To see His Majesty the King. At once. On a matter of life and death." - -"To see His Majesty the King," the fellow repeated, while a faint -smile spread over his face. Yet, even as it did so, the footman -felt some wonderment creeping into his mind. For the tone of the -new-comer's voice proclaimed that this was no common person; his white -hand as it lay on the lower part of the window-frame was not white -from ill-health alone: it testified that its owner was of gentle -blood. Also, the look and bearing of the traveller spoke more plainly -than silks and satins and laces would have done of who and what he -might be. - -"To see His Majesty the King," the man repeated again, while his -fellow-servant stood by his side--"On a matter----" - -"Valet!" the new-comer exclaimed now in a tone of command, "open the -door and help me out. Stand not muttering there but do as I bid you, -and then take my name to some chamberlain who will pass it on to His -Majesty. It is known to him. He will see me." - -The words, if not the tone in which they were uttered, had their -effect. In a moment that contemptuous, scornful address, that voice of -command from a superior to an inferior told the footman with what -manner of man he had to deal. The nobility, the gentry, spoke thus--to -such as he was--with sometimes a snarl, with sometimes a curse--often -with a blow--but they alone did so. The rest--who had not yet gathered -themselves together into that black cloud which, more than a hundred -years afterwards, was to burst over France and destroy King, Court, -Nobility and all who were better than themselves--were nothing. They -were nothing but dogs, beasts of burden, toilers for their betters; -providers of playthings, in the shape of their daughters and wives and -sisters, of toys for their rulers and masters, to be afterwards broken -and flung away. - -Obediently to the dictatorial voice of the young man in the -conveyance--whose ill-health they now supposed was due to some form of -long-continued aristocratic debauchery--they did as they were bidden. -They opened the door of the _chaise roulante_ and helped its occupant -out; they assisted him to mount the stone steps and led him to a deep -fauteuil in the richly carpeted vestibule, and then the first lackey -said in a deferential tone:-- - -"His Majesty the King is at supper. But, if the seigneur will give his -name it shall----" - -"My name is Humphrey West. The King is acquainted with it. Here, give -me some writing things. I will set it down. Your master knows it well, -I say. Then lose no time. I tell you, man, I come on serious import." -After which, Humphrey took the pen and paper that the footman brought -and wrote his name as largely and legibly as his weakness would -permit. Bearing the paper in his hand the man went away, while his -fellow walked to the farther end of the vestibule and entered into -conversation with another member of his fraternity who was loitering -about. A few moments later, however, the first one returned followed -by a handsome young page dressed all in crimson and lace, over which -latter his long fair hair streamed--a pretty youth who, bowing to -Humphrey, said:-- - -"If monsieur will give himself the trouble to follow me, I will -conduct him to the apartment of Monsieur le Marquis de Louvois. Yet, I -protest, monsieur," he said, in a well-bred, soft voice as he -witnessed Humphrey's painful attempts to rise, "you will not get so -far alone." An instant later, in a totally different tone, while -stamping his red heel on the richly carpeted floor, he said to the -lackeys: "You dogs, do you not see that monsieur can scarcely rise? -Give him your arms at once. At once, I say, or I will have you both -whipped." - -"At once, Monsieur le Duc. At once," the fellows exclaimed, rushing to -obey the summary orders of this handsome youth. "We but awaited -Monsieur le Duc's commands." After which they assisted Humphrey along -the corridor, while the masterful young sprig of nobility walked -behind them muttering further objurgations as he tossed his fair locks -over his shoulder. - -After traversing two corridors--during which time the aristocratic -page was profuse in his regrets at the distance Humphrey had to -accomplish in his enfeebled state--the group arrived at last in a -large room furnished in dark, highly polished oak on which the lights -from the candles in a huge silver candelabra were reflected as in a -mirror. Then, when the footmen had retired, the page, after saying in -a soft voice, "Monsieur le Marquis is here," bowed to Humphrey and -backed out of the door after the others. - -Looking round the room, which was so vast that one portion of it was -quite in shadow, Humphrey saw that down at the farther end, and -standing before a vast fireplace in which the logs were almost -extinct, was a man. A man richly, handsomely dressed whose eyes were -fixed on him. One who, when the page and the footmen had departed, -advanced towards Humphrey. - -"Nay," this man said, seeing the latter's efforts to rise from a chair -to which the young Duke had motioned him, "do not distress yourself. I -have heard that you are in sore plight. Now, Monsieur West--whose name -I know well and my master, the King, knows better--tell me all you -have to say. I am the Marquis de Louvois," and, as he spoke, he drew -another chair up close to Humphrey and sat down in it. - -That this man was De Louvois--De Louvois called by some "the -terrible," by others "the unscrupulous," and by still others the -"curse of France"--Humphrey knew very well, since he had seen him -often. He knew, also, that not only was De Louvois the Minister of War -but Louis' most confidential minister: the only confidant the latter -had ever possessed since De Louvois had gradually ousted Colbert from -the same position. He had often seen that tall, rugged frame and -coarse-featured face which told of the many vulgar passions beneath, -and of the evil temper and overbearing disposition which caused the -man to be hated by all who surrounded him and were in a position to be -tyrannised over by him, and, consequently, he knew well enough that he -was speaking to the domineering autocrat who, if not the king, was the -King's right hand. - -"Monsieur le Marquis," Humphrey said consequently, "I have come -post-haste from Basle after escaping from death by a miracle, to -reveal to His Majesty the existence of a plot which threatens not only -his throne but his life." - -"His life. _Hein!_" De Louvois muttered, rubbing his square jaw -reflectively; "his life as well as his throne. How is that to be? -Come, tell me that. But, stay, first tell me how you chance to be in -possession of this knowledge. Thereby I shall be better able to judge -of what value that knowledge is." - -Then, as he said this, Humphrey was astonished to see the powerful -minister spring to his feet and assume a most deferential attitude -while, as he did so, Humphrey heard at the same time a low clear voice -say behind him, "And as I, too, shall also be able to judge." - -Looking round as well as the stiffness and soreness from which he was -suffering would permit him to do, the young man saw that the King, who -must have entered the room softly, was standing behind him. The King -who was now dressed in a black velvet Court suit devoid of all -adornment, save a glittering diamond-set semblance of the sun that -sparkled from out the rich lace of his breast. The King who, even as -Humphrey endeavoured to struggle to his feet by aid of pressing his -hands on the arms of the fauteuil, said, "Nay, Monsieur West, be -seated; do not rise," and added, "I grieve to see you in such a -condition," while as he spoke he held out his hand, sparkling with -jewels, to the young man to kiss. - -"Sire," Humphrey muttered, having done so, "I--I--must rise----" - -"Nay. Instead, I will be seated," and Louis subsided into the chair -just vacated by Louvois. Then he said, "Now proceed with your tale. -Tell all you know. Everything." - -It took perhaps not more than a quarter of an hour for Humphrey to -describe all he had overheard in that bedroom of his at Basle; all of -what was said in the adjacent salon. Nevertheless, he told the story -clearly and succinctly, omitting only one thing, namely, all mention -of De Beaurepaire. _His_ name he could not bring himself to pronounce, -remembering that he had ever been treated kindly by the chevalier and -also that, even now, he was not resolved as to whether the former was -the head and front of the whole conspiracy or whether his name and -position were not being used by the conspirators without his consent. - -"So," said the King, "you overheard all this. And--the names of those -who plotted thus? Do you know them? Outside that of La Truaumont with -whom you rode in the train of the Duchesse de Castellucchio, are you -aware of the names of the others? The name of the woman and also of -the man passing as her father?" - -"Sire, the woman is known as the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville." - -"The Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. De Villiers-Bordéville!" the -King repeated. Then, after a moment's reflection, he said, "There is -no such title in France." - -As, however, the words fell from his lips the attitude of De Louvois, -while he leant nearer to him, showed that he desired to speak. - -Whereupon the King said, "You know her, De Louvois?" - -"Sire," the minister answered, "La Reynie, your _Surintendant de -Police_, knows her. He has signalised her to me as dangerous." - -"Who is she?" - -"She is Louise Belleau de Cortonne. Her husband was Jacques de -Mallorties, Seigneur de Villers and Boudéville. Villers and Boudéville -are almost akin to Villiers-Bordéville. That husband died mysteriously -by poison, she was tried at Rouen for his murder but acquitted. -Now----" - -"Yes, now?" - -"She is a spy in the pay of either Holland or Spain or both, and she -loves secretly--the--man--whom--we suspect." - -"_Dieu!_" the King exclaimed, exhibiting, however, as little agitation -as, in all the great crises of his long reign--the plots and -conspiracies against his life, the combinations of half Europe against -him, the treachery of those whom he had enriched and advanced, as well -as the treachery, in one extreme case at least, of the women he had -loved--he was ever known to show. Turning, however, to Humphrey now, -Louis said in a voice that was absolutely calm:-- - -"Was any great name mentioned in this talk you overheard? Any name so -great in all that pertains to it that, almost, it casts a shadow over, -or pretends to cast a shadow over, the name of Louis de Bourbon?" - -"Your Majesty," Humphrey whispered, "such a name was mentioned, hinted -at. But--but----" - -"But what?" - -"More as the name of one who occupied the position spoken of by -Monsieur le Ministre a moment past. As one who is admired, perhaps -loved by----" - -"That woman, the _soi-disant_ Marquise?" - -"Your Majesty has said it. More as that than as the name of a plotter, -an intriguer." - -"So be it. Let us pass from this. Now, Monsieur West, the name of the -other man? The old man who travelled from Paris to take part in this -grievous conference after having travelled beforehand from Holland to -Paris. The man who passed as the woman's father?" - -"Sire, as her father he passed under the name of Châteaugrand. But he -was addressed and spoken of as Van den Enden." - -"A man," exclaimed De Louvois, "well known to La Reynie and to me. A -Dutch Jew, who has been everything: doctor, schoolmaster--he speaks -all languages--a preacher of atheism, keeper of a bagnio, proprietor -of a _tripot_ and spy and plotter. But principally the latter." - -"'Tis well. Very well. Communicate with La Reynie to-night. He will -know his work. Now, Monsieur West, let me hear the rest of your story. -When that is told you will remain here as the guest of the King whom -you have striven so bravely to serve." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - -Half an hour later Humphrey had told all that had happened to him -since he fell senseless from the foul thrust of Fleur de Mai; or -rather he had told all he knew and could remember. - -For memory, consciousness, had failed him from the moment when the -truculent but craven bully had essayed that _botte de lâche_ and he -had sunk insensible upon the straw of the stable until, some two hours -later, he had opened his eyes again upon a scene which brought neither -recollection nor understanding to him. - -He opened his eyes to see a glare shining in them that his -disordered mind could not comprehend until, at last, consciousness -began to regain its hold upon him, when he was enabled to understand -that it proceeded from some miserable light--probably that of a -rush-light--which had been placed behind a common bottle filled with -water, perhaps with the intention of increasing the flare. He saw, -too, that there was a fire burning in the corner of whatever the place -might be in which he was lying: a fire made of sticks, not logs, -which, since they emitted a horribly pungent odour as well as clouds -of smoke, were probably green and damp. Next, as sensibility returned -to him, he knew that he was very cold and wet, that he was shivering -as a man in a fit of ague shivers, and that he ached all over as -though he had been beaten. - -A moment later, and when he was about to call out to know if there -were any person within hail and, if so, to ask where he was, he heard -a woman's voice speaking, yet speaking in so strange a patois, or -dialect, that he had to devote all the attention his still giddy brain -could furnish to grasp what the possessor of that voice said. Still, -he was by a great effort enabled to understand the tenor of the words. - -"Nothing on him, father, nothing!" the voice said. "_Himmel!_ a trout -of a kilo would have been a better haul. I would have cast him back -into the river and have let the rapids have him. Yet," the speaker -added, "his clothes are good, of the best. They are worth something -and he is a handsome man." - -"_Nein, nein_," a man's voice, gruff and harsh, replied. "I could not -do that. Never! My heart is too soft for such deeds as that. And, -Therese, I was once nearly caught and dragged into those accursed -rapids myself, and I remember my awful fears, my sweat and agony as I -was swept along towards them. I could not see another going that way -and let him continue his course, especially since the net had got him. -And, 'Rese, this is a gentleman; look at his hands. Even though he has -no money in his pockets he must have friends and belongings. They will -pay me well for the fish I have caught." - -"He," the woman's voice said, "is handsome as a picture. When he is -well and not so deathly white he must be beautiful as the paintings of -the boy angels in our church. I wish I had not seen so handsome a -face. I shall think of it for long." - -"Bah! you women think of nothing but men and their looks. Now, come, -help me to take off his garments and to put him in the warm straw -before the fire. Maybe he will recover." - -"_Ach, mein Gott!_" the woman screamed, as she drew near to Humphrey -in obedience to the man's command, "look, look, father, his eyes are -open, and, ah! what eyes they are. Oh!" she muttered to herself, "I -have never seen such eyes, such lashes. 'Tis well you saved him. So -handsome a man should never die." - -"Good people," Humphrey said, finding his own voice now and wondering -if it was his voice, it came so weak and thin from out his lips. "Good -people, I pray God to bless you for your mercy to me. And--and--I have -heard all you said. If there is no money on me now, as there should -be, still I can reward you well. I am not poor." - -"Who are you?" the woman, or rather girl, asked in her strange jargon. - -"I am a gentleman. I have substance. You shall be well rewarded." - -"How came you in the river?" - -"Heaven alone knows. I was stabbed in a fight in Basle. Rather tell me -how I came here." - -"I had a net stretched across from this side to the other," the man -said. "The river narrows here and it is easy to get over. When the -storms come, the great salmon trout and the pike come down from -Rheinfelden. I thought I had two at the least, if not three, when I -saw the net nearly torn off its ropes as it caught you." - -"They threw me in the river then," Humphrey mused. "It must be so. Ah! -if I live, _gare à vous_, La Truaumont, and you, Fleur de Mai. Heaven -help you if we ever come face to face again or I live to reach the -King." Then aloud, he said, "How far is this from Basle?" - -"A kilometre. Opposite, across the river, is the Fort de Stein." - -"A kilometre! I have been borne that far and I am alive! God, I thank -Thee." Then turning to the man he said, "Is my wound serious? Have you -looked to it?" - -"Nein. I knew not even that you were wounded. Where is it?" - -"Below my right shoulder. Through the lung, I fear." - -"Rese," the man said to his daughter. "Assist me to remove the -gentleman's garments." - -"Nay, nay. Let the maiden retire. You can do that." - -With a grunt and a laugh the fellow did as Humphrey bade him, and did -it gently too, so that in a few moments the latter's body was bare -while the orifice of a gaping wound was plainly visible two inches -below the shoulder. Yet, probably owing to the action of the water -through which Humphrey had not only been borne but tossed upon, that -wound was neither livid nor covered with blood and was, doubtless, -thereby prevented from mortifying. The man found, too, by running his -hand under Humphrey's back, that the weapon had not passed through the -body, while, by pressing the side and finding that the young man -neither winced nor groaned, he opined that the sword had not entered -very deeply. - -"I am no surgeon," he said; "I can do naught. Yet there are good ones -in Basle. When daylight comes, if you will have it so, I will get out -my mule and cart in which I take the fish I catch to Basle, and will -drive you there." - -"Ay," Humphrey said, "in heaven's name do so, I beseech you. And then -you shall be rewarded. The Duchess with whom I travel----" - -"You are a friend of duchesses?" Therese and her father exclaimed, -while the first added, "Was it for this woman you were stabbed and -thrown into the river?" - -"I rode in her service," Humphrey replied; when, again addressing the -man, he said, "You shall be well paid for your services." - -"Sus! sus!" the latter grunted, "I seek not reward for saving life. -Yet you are rich you say, and we--God help us!--are splitting with -hunger and poverty. Now, let me strip you," he went on, "and wrap you -in the straw--we have no other covering even for ourselves--and I will -dry your habiliments. Meanwhile, a rag to your wound must suffice till -we reach Basle. It will not be long; the dayspring will come soon. -Sleep, seigneur, sleep; sleep is both food and balm to those who have -naught else." - -This story Humphrey told--even more briefly than it has been set -down--to the King sitting before him and to the harsh, severe-looking -minister standing by his master's chair. - -He told, too, of how he reached Basle where his wound was dressed by a -learned doctor, and of how his bruises and contusions--caused by his -being tossed by the rushing river against boulder stones and logs -borne down like himself on its cruel bosom--were soothed by cunning -unguents and salves as well as might be. He narrated, also, how he -found the Duchess and Jacquette almost distraught at his disappearance -as well as at that of La Truaumont and Fleur de Mai, while their -consternation was enhanced by the disappearance next morning of -Boisfleury who had also decamped on the pretence of seeking the -Syndic. All were gone, yet, with the exception of Boisfleury's horse, -upon which the vagabond rode away, their animals remained in the -stalls. - -One thing alone Humphrey did not tell the King and De Louvois. He made -no mention of how he and Jacquette had met and been together again; -how the girl had wept and sighed at his sufferings and laughed and -smiled at having him safe in her arms once more, and how she had -nursed him and cared for him till he was ready to set out for Paris. -Nor did he tell the King how Jacquette swore that the moment her -mistress was safe in Milan she would return to Humphrey, or he should -set out again to her, and how, the next time they met, they would be -wedded and never part more. - -"And this Fleur de Mai, the ruffian who bears this _nom de -fantaisie_," the King asked, "this truculent _luron_, who and what is -he? A hired bravo or a conspirator? What? When we have him fast in our -hands, as we may do yet, which is he most worthy of, the wheel, the -gallows, or the axe?" - -"Your Majesty, I know not. His bearing and manner are those of a -swashbuckler." - -"Sire," De Louvois said now, producing two papers from his pocket, -which papers were the letters the King had been reading before supper, -the letters of two women. "Sire, the Duchess of Portsmouth writes that -in this vile plot which has come to her ears at the English Court, a -name is mentioned. That of the Chevalier la Preaux. This may be he, -for he, too, is Norman like all the rest--except one. Except the -greater one." - -"Monsieur West," the King said, as he rose to his feet, and Humphrey, -determined to be no longer seated while His Majesty stood, struggled -to his feet in spite of Louis' protest, "I would you were a subject of -mine, a man born wholly French. Then I could repay you for your care -of me and my crown and of, perhaps, my life. Yet, though you are none -such, I shall not forget." - -"Sire, I--I--could not learn this and not speak. Had I ne'er been -permitted to enter your presence I could not have done so. But, sire, -my mother! Your Majesty obtained the restoration of our lands and----" - -"Ah," the King said, "your mother. She is well and happy?" - -"She is well and happy, sire. She owes all to your Majesty." - -"She should be proud of you. Proud of such a son." Then, as again he -gave Humphrey his hand to kiss, he bade Louvois see to it that the -former was well lodged in the château and treated as one of his most -honoured guests. - -Whether that treatment would have been good for Humphrey had he been -heart whole up to now may perhaps be doubted. For, although in England -it had been his lot to be surrounded by the butterflies, male and -female, of the giddy Court, there had never been anything which -singled him out as one to whom particular attention should be paid by -the fair sex--except his good looks. - -But here, where--though nothing was absolutely known of what he might -have done to make him signally favoured by the monarch who ruled the -destinies of all in France--the thistle-down of gossip and chatter -blew freely about, and whispers were circulated that Humphrey West was -one marked out by _Le Roi Soleil_ for high distinction, while, as at -Whitehall, his appearance alone would have caused him to be much -courted and petted by the favourites and demoiselles of the superb -Court. - -Therefore, maids of honour, themselves of high birth, vied with those -splendid dames who glittered in the dazzling beams of the great -ruler's smiles: one and all endeavoured to intoxicate the young man -with their charms and their _câlineries_. They played at nursing him, -at waiting on him, even at being driven mad for love of him; and it -may be that, in more than one case, the love was more real than -simulated. They also, when it was possible, abstained from forming -part of the King's retinues that daily set out for the hunts in the -huge forest; of joining those dazzling _cortéges_ of which beautiful -women, soldiers of distinction, courtiers, statesmen, Church -dignitaries, young girls and scheming _intrigantes_ all formed part. -They abstained so that they might be with Humphrey whose heart was far -away, whose mind held only one image, that of Jacquette, and who, in -consequence, could not be tempted by pretty faces and sparkling eyes, -love knots and love-locks, subtle perfumes and flowing robes fashioned -more to suggest than to disguise the shapely forms beneath. - -One woman, too, who, in all that brilliant if garish Court, played the -strongest, most dominating part of any, while pretending to play the -most retiring and self-effacing, had a smile always for Humphrey, a -quiet, modest word and, now and again, a glance which, though it told -the young man nothing, must, at least, have assured him that if her -friendship was worth anything he possessed it. - -The woman who was to be in years to come the evil genius of the -splendid monarch now in the full pride of his manhood; who was to -cause him to commit one of the wickedest acts ever perpetrated by any -monarch--the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. To egg him on to deeds -of aggression and spoliation which, at last, caused the whole of -Europe to enter into a coalition against him that, if it did not -eventually hurl him from his throne, did send him to his grave -unlamented by his people. - -The woman who, a subtle and crafty wanton in her youth, became an -intolerant bigot in her riper years; the woman "so famous, so evil and -so terrible"--as the most celebrated of all diarists, the Duc de St. -Simon, termed her--who had once been the wife of the diseased and -malignant poet, Paul Scarron, and will be known to all time as Madame -de Maintenon. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - -It was a bright, sunny morning when De Beaurepaire drew rein in the -long, dirty street of Charenton, and, turning his horse's head, -directed it towards the hamlet of Saint Mandé where his Lodge was. The -Lodge that, enshrouded in trees, stood on the edge of the Forest of -Vincennes and was one of the many which, wherever there was a royal -forest, were the residences of the Grand Veneur of the time being. - -Leading his animal to the stables, while observing that already the -heavy curtains were drawn apart and the inmates stirring, he tethered -it in a stall and fetched a feed for it from the bin near at hand. -After which he locked the stable door with the key he had drawn from -his pocket, retraced his steps to the garden, and, mounting to the -verandah, went towards the window. - -If, however, he did this with the intention of tapping on it and thus -attracting the notice of whosoever might be, within that room, this -intention was anticipated. - -As his heavy riding-boots sounded on the crushed shell path and his -gilt spurs rang at his heels, he heard the _frou-frou_ of a woman's -long robe on the parquet of the room and saw the thick folds of the -stamped leather hangings drawn aside by a slim white hand, and, next, -one side of the window opened. - -A moment later he was in the room, and the woman who called herself -Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville stood before him. - -"So," she exclaimed in a whisper, the very murmur of which told of her -joy at having him with her once more; "so you are back once more. And -almost to the moment, as you promised. Ah! I have so longed to see you -since you quitted Paris for Fontainebleau." Then she said, "Come, see, -a meal is prepared. Come, refresh yourself, eat and drink and let us -be merry. We meet once more." - -Yet, as she spoke and while gazing up into the handsome face of the -man before her, she saw something in that face, something in the dark -eyes that were looking down into hers, that startled her. - -"What is it?" she asked in a low voice, a voice that was almost hoarse -in its depth. "What?" - -"I will tell you," De Beaurepaire answered, "but first a drink of -wine. I am parched and dry with my ride, and also with a fever that -consumes me within. Give me the drink." - -Obeying him, the woman went over to the table which stood at one side -of the room; a table set out with cold meats, a pasty and some salads -and, also, with a large flask of wine, when, pouring out some into a -goblet, she brought it to the man she loved. As he drank, eagerly, -thirstily, she let her eyes rest on him till he had finished the -draught. After which she said again, "What is it?" - -"This. Humphrey West is alive. La Truaumont has either lied to me or -been deceived." - -"Alive!" Emérance repeated, her face blanching as she spoke, while the -softness of it seemed to vanish, to leave it in a moment, and her \ -eyes became dim. "Humphrey West--the man who heard--as they all -thought--what was said in that room at Basle." - -"Yes. Alive and--at Fontainebleau." - -"_Malheur!_" while, as Emérance spoke, the goblet she had taken from -his hand after he had finished drinking fell to the floor and shivered -into a dozen pieces on the parquet. "At Fontainebleau! Where the King -is. So," and she shuddered as though the room had suddenly grown cold. -"You are undone. Lost. Oh!" - -"You are undone. Lost," she had said. She had not said, "We are -undone." And, as she said it, the man knew, if he had never known -before, how strong her love was for him. There had been no thought of, -no fear for, herself springing quickly to her mind in learning the -danger that overhung them both, though there could have been no -possibility of her failing to understand that what threatened him -threatened her also; she had thought only of him. She had not said, -"We are undone." Her wail, her terror had been for him alone. - -"Emérance," De Beaurepaire said, taking her to his arms now and -kissing her, while--whatever the man's faults were, and they were many -and grievous!--indifference to the self-abnegation of this thing that, -he now knew, loved him so, could not be counted among them. "Emérance, -I think not of myself but you. I have staked and lost. I must stand -the hazard. _Les battus payent l'amende_." - -"No, no," Emérance wailed. "What! You think of me! Of me the schemer, -the adventuress--the woman who is herself of Normandy, who hoped to -see this proud, masterful ruler beaten down by the Normans he -despises and treats evilly. The woman who hoped to see the man she -loves, the man she worships, help in the work and, perhaps, assume -that ruler's place. Who am I that you should think of me? Yet, -nevertheless, this sunders our lives. Or! no--no!" she went on, a wan -smile stealing on to her face. "For though we go out of each other's -lives it may be that we shall set out from each other together, at the -same time--though we go different dark roads at parting." - -Excited, overmastered, by what her imagination conjured up, at what -must be their fate if their conspiracy was known by now to the King, -she went toward the table again and, filling another glass, drank it -to the dregs. After which, as though inspirited by what she had drunk, -she came back to where the other stood, while saying:-- - -"Tell me all. Have you seen him at Fontainebleau?" - -"Five hours past. Ill, white, like a man who has been close to, who -has knocked at, death's door, yet has been refused admittance. In the -great avenue, on his road to the château." - -"You could not have been mistaken?" - -"I was not mistaken. Our eyes did not meet as he looked out of the -crazy conveyance in which he sat. But in seeing him, I learnt all." - -"Was La Truaumont deceived in what he repeated to you--or--or is that -wretch, Van den Enden, a double traitor? Yet--yet--you told me ere you -went to Fontainebleau that the former said La Preaux forced Humphrey -West to fight with him and slew him, leaving the blame to fall on -Boisfleury. That he saw the young man slain." - -"La Truaumont was not deceived nor did he lie. He saw the fight: he -saw the other fall. Yet, now, I have seen him alive. This very day. -Alive and making his way to the King." - -"And ere the Englishman was killed he had killed Boisfleury?" Emérance -asked meditatively. - -"Nay. La Truaumont thought not so but that he only wounded him -sorely." - -"They should have killed him ere they left Basle. They should have -killed them both. They should have made sure of their silence for -ever. Thus, too, when they were found they would have been thought to -have slain each other; their lips would have been sealed--you would -have been safe." - -"Emérance, think not of me alone. I am but one." - -"But one! You are the only one of whom I can think. What are a -thousand lives, a thousand murders, to me so long as you are safe!" - -Before this overmastering passion of the woman for him, this love -that, like the love of the tigress for its mate or its young, would -have swept the lives of all in the world away to preserve the one -thing precious to it, De Beaurepaire stood speechless. In truth it -startled him--startled even him who had known so much of women's love -yet had never known such love as this. - -"Nevertheless," Emérance went on, fearing that the violence of her -passion, of her fears for her lover, might make him deem her what she -was not, "I would have had no blood shed, and treacherously shed, too, -had you been safe. Had I known before what I know now since La -Truaumont and I have met again in Paris, had I guessed that this -Englishman had overheard all, the attempt to do him cruelly to death -should not have been made. At least, that ruffian, La Preaux, who -masquerades under his buffoon's name of Fleur de Mai, should not have -tried his treacherous _botte_ on him. I would have seen the -eavesdropper, have sworn him to secrecy, and have saved him." - -"La Truaumont would have saved him if he could. He endeavoured to -swear him to silence, to make him give a promise to breathe no word. -Had the other consented all would be well. But----" - -"But?"--with an inward catching of her breath. - -"But he refused scornfully. He boasted how, that very night, he would -be on his road to Louis to divulge all. Therefore it had to be. His -blood was on his own head. If he had slain Fleur de Mai, as it appears -he went near to doing, La Truaumont would have slain him." And De -Beaurepaire muttered, "it had to be," while adding, "and still it was -not done." - -Shrugging her shoulders the woman exclaimed, "Yes, and--alas!--still -it was not done. He is alive and the King by now knows all. Only--will -he believe upon this man's testimony alone? Will he act at once, -without further proof or corroboration, ere he is sure?" - -When Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville, as she called herself, asked -this question, she did not know, could not know that there had already -come a letter from England from Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of -Portsmouth--herself a spy of France--to Louis, telling him as much as, -if not more than, Humphrey West could tell him of the Norman plot -against him. Nor could she also know that, from Basle, had come -another letter from the Duchesse de Castellucchio telling him in more -guarded language (since she, at least, could not betray De -Beaurepaire) of what she had gathered, and bidding him beware of Spain -and Holland. - -"I know not what he will do, nor what he will believe, nor if any name -is yet divulged," the Prince replied, "though, when he spoke with me -last evening ere I left him, he dwelt strangely, ay! and strongly too, -on our boyhood's companionship and my command of all his guards. But, -Emérance, tell me what was said of me that night in your room. Was my -name spoken so that this man listening in the next one might easily -catch it; was my share in all laid bare? Think, recall; and speak -boldly to me. For if it was----" - -"Yes; if it was, what then?" - -"Then there is but one thing left. Flight----" - -"Ah! From me?" - -"Nay, never. But flight together. I will never part from you in life. -As man and wife we fly together." - -"Ah!" - -"Never otherwise! Now, Emérance, speak. Tell all." - -"If," Emérance said, after meditating deeply for some moments, while -there was on her face the look which all have seen when those with -whom they converse are thinking carefully, or endeavouring to recall -some once spoken words; "if--if--this man overheard me and La -Truaumont the first night, then--_he_--heard your name. Because La -Truaumont said that you might rise to even higher flights than the -proud position of a De Beaurepaire." - -"_Dieu des Dieux!_ If he did hear! Well! On the next night?" - -"On the next night," Emérance continued, "ah! let me recall. Yes. On -the next night your name was again uttered. By me--accursed be my -tongue!--when I spoke of rejoining you here in Paris, and by La -Truaumont by the sobriquet I love to hear applied to you, that of '_Le -Dédaigneux_.' For disdainful you are to all--except to me," her voice -sinking to a murmur as she added those last two words. - -"Ha!" De Beaurepaire said with a grim smile, "if Humphrey West heard -no mention of my name by you, he would scarce know that I am '_Le -Dédaigneux'_." - -"Alas," the woman almost wailed, "'twas touched upon that the King's -guards had been despatched to join the main body of the army: that _Le -Dédaigneux_ had taken heed for that. _Le Dédaigneux_--their colonel." - -"Enough. With this he knows all. And by now Louis and De Louvois, too, -who never leaves his master's side, know it also. It is enough, more -than enough. When the Court returns from Fontainebleau four days hence -La Reynie will know it as well." - -"Four days! You have four days in which to escape, to hide yourself, -to put some frontier between you and the King's wrath! Ah! heaven! you -are saved." - -"And lost also. Once I cross any frontier I shall never recross it, -never return to France. Never. Never. And I am a De Beaurepaire; my -blood, my life is drawn from France and I shall never see it more." - -"Nay. With time the King will forgive. You have often said his heart -is kindly, that he is never cruel. That he has forgiven much to both -women and men who have deceived him." - -"Ay, to both women and men. But the women were false to his heart -alone, and there are thousands of other women in France as fair as -they: a king woos and wins where he will. And the men he has forgiven -have but forgotten for a moment the difference between him and them; -but when it is his throne, his crown, that is in danger, he never -forgives." - -"Seize then upon these four days; fly to Holland or Switzerland, or -Italy, and escape. Sell your charges to those whom you have oft told -me would buy them, and fly." - -"And you? You--my love?" - -"As you bid me I will do. If you will have me by your side, or go -before you or stay behind, you must but say the word and I obey. Do -with me as you would with your favourite dog; leave me or take me. - -"I will never leave you," her lover murmured. "Never. We escape -together----" - -"Or we fall together. Is it not so?" - -"It is so. And, remember, our danger and our safety go hand in hand. -If either of us is found in Paris when once La Reynie's blood-hounds -are let loose, there will be but one end for both." - -"No matter so that we share that end. Yet," she said suddenly, -recalling what both had forgotten. "There is La Truaumont. Also Van -den Enden and the bully, La Preaux. The former, at least, should be -warned." - -"La Truaumont shall be. As for the Jew and La Preaux, let them look to -themselves." - -"Nay! nay! That is madness. If they are taken ere we are safe they -will divulge all. To save ourselves we must save them." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - -The following day De Beaurepaire rode into the great courtyard of -Versailles, while, as he did so, the sentries of the Garde de Corps du -Roi saluted him, the guard turned out, and the drummers sitting -outside in the morning sun sprang to their drums and hastily beat them -in honour of him who commanded all the various regiments of the King's -Guards. He wore now the superb _justaucorps_ of gold cloth and lace to -which, by virtue of his charge and office, he was entitled; across it, -under his scarlet coat, ran his white satin sash stamped with golden -suns: his three-cornered hat was laced with galloon, his sword was -ivory-hilted, with, surmounting its handle, a gold sun. - -For a moment the man who, as he had said to Emérance had set his life -upon a cast, who had murmured half-bitterly, half-sadly, after knowing -that the die of Fate had gone against him, "_les battus payent -l'amende_," looked round on those receiving him with homage and -deference, and, as before, his thoughts were terribly poignant while -tinged also with self-contempt. - -"And I had all this," he murmured as, mechanically he acknowledged the -salutes; "and have thrown it away for a shadow; a chimera. Never more -will drums roll to salute me nor shall I hold high command. Instead, -there is nought for me but a strange land where all who dwell therein -will know why I am an exile, a fugitive; and I shall know that I am a -traitor. A man false to his King, false to the master who was his -friend in childhood, false to the oath of fidelity he has sworn. Fool, -doubly-accursed fool and knave that I am!" - -Dismounting from his horse and throwing the reins to a soldier who -advanced to take them, he bade another man summon De Brissac, who -commanded the Garde du Corps, to his presence, when, entering the -Lodge, he sat down to await the coming of that person. - -A moment later De Brissac had entered the room, and, after greetings -had been exchanged, that of De Beaurepaire being cordially -condescending while De Brissac's was coldly respectful, the former -said:-- - -"De Brissac, I have ridden here specially to see you and speak with -you----" - -"Your Highness," De Brissac repeated, giving the other the most -superior title by which he had the right to be addressed, "has ridden -here specially to see and speak with me!" while, as he said this, -there came a little nest of wrinkles outside each of his eyes that -gave to his face a look of bewilderment. "To see me! Particularly me?" - -"Particularly you? Yes. Why!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire, with an -attempt at mirth, "is it so strange that I, who am Chief of all the -Guards as you are Chief of the Garde du Corps, should have some matter -on which I desire to speak with you?" - -"No, no. Without doubt not strange. Yet--I am only De Brissac--le -Sieur de Brissac--and you are Prince and Chevalier de Beaurepaire." - -"Nay! We--are--both--soldiers." - -"Yes, we are both soldiers," the other said, yet his tone was so -strange that his Chief should have observed--perhaps did observe--it. -If, however, the latter was the case he made no sign of doing so. -Instead, he continued:-- - -"You spoke to me not long ago of one who was eager to buy some great -charge under the King." - -"Yes. I so spoke. Is, then, such a charge vacant now?" De Brissac's -tone being still cold and distant as he spoke. - -"There is, and if he who would purchase such a charge is sufficiently -high in rank, if the King will permit him to buy it, he may buy mine. -My charge of the guards. That of Grand Veneur cannot be sold." - -"Yours!" De Brissac said, and now he took a step back from where he -stood as a man steps back when utterly astonished at what he hears. -"Yours!" - -"Yes, mine. I--I am not well in health. And--I have other calls on -me." - -For a moment De Brissac said nothing but stood looking at his superior -strangely. Then he said:-- - -"The person of whom I spoke holds so high a position that the King -would not oppose him in his desires. Only----" - -"Only!" - -"He will not buy your charge." - -"What!" De Beaurepaire exclaimed, while, with a sneer, he added, "is -he so high that even it is too low for him. _Cadédis!_ he must be high -indeed." Then, rapping the table irritably, he said, "Come, Monsieur -de Brissac, explain yourself. Who is this man, and why should my -charge be the one he will not buy?" - -Still with a strange look in his eyes and with that little nest of -wrinkles on either side of his face very apparent, De Brissac glanced -out through the window and saw that his men were all engaged at their -various occupations; some fetching water from the spring for their -horses, some attending to their animals and rubbing them down, and -some cleaning and polishing their accoutrements. After having done -which he came nearer to De Beaurepaire than he had been before, and -said:-- - -"I will explain myself. The man of whom I spoke will not purchase your -charge because--it is no longer saleable." - -"What!" exclaimed the other, rising to his feet, while his hand -instinctively sought his sword-hilt. "What? Is this insolence? -Explain, I say." - -"I will. Yet take your hand from off your sword or I may be forced to -draw mine. Likewise, look through that window. Those men are under my -command for the time being, not yours----" - -"Explain," the Prince repeated, stamping his foot angrily. "If they -are not under my immediate command, you are." - -"No, I am not. A general warrant for your arrest is out this morning. -You are no longer in command of the King's Guards nor any portion of -his army. In coming here to-day you have walked into the lion's den. -Prince Louis de Beaurepaire, give me your sword. I arrest you on the -charge of high treason against your King." - -For a moment the Prince stood gazing at the man before him with so -strange a look that the other--brave soldier as he was, and one who -had given his proofs in many a campaign--scarce knew what might happen -next. The handsome face usually so bronzed by the open-air life De -Beaurepaire had always led was bloodless now, so, too, were the lips, -while the veins upon his forehead looked as though they were about to -burst. Yet this transformation was not due to any of those sudden -gusts of passion to which he was known to be so often subject when -thwarted, or contradicted, or addressed familiarly and on terms of -equality by those whom he considered beneath him--as, in truth, he -considered most men to be. - -Instead, his pallor proceeded from far different emotions that had now -taken possession of him. It proceeded from the thought, the -recollection which sprang swift as lightning to his mind that, with -his arrest, all hope, all chance was gone of warning Emérance, of -putting her on her guard and giving her time to escape. This -first--above all things--was what almost stilled the beating of his -heart; this and his fears for the safety of the bold, daring, reckless -woman who loved him so, and who, herself, had thought only of _his_ -safety. This--to which was added in a slighter degree the thought that -La Truaumont, who had served him well and faithfully while serving his -own ends and those of his Norman friends, could no more be warned than -she. - -"You arrest me!" he said now to De Brissac who stood quietly before -him, his eyes upon his face; "you arrest me, you tell me I am removed -from any command. Also, you ask me for my sword and hope to obtain -it--a thing never asked or hoped for by an enemy. So be it. But, -first, I must see your warrant for your demand. If not, you will -have----" - -"My warrant! Prince Louis, do you think that I should act thus to one -who was last night my superior, my commander, if I did not possess a -warrant. It is here," and he went to a table covered with papers and -took up one of them. After which he added, "The same thing will be in -the hands of every officer commanding a garrison or fortress in France -as soon as the couriers can reach them." - -"I left Louis at six on the night before last," De Beaurepaire said -aloud, "and--and--we parted as we have ever parted, as friends." But -to himself he added, "An hour later that man might have seen Louis and -told him all. An hour after that the couriers might have set out. Had -I not tarried at my Lodge, had I but mounted Emérance on another horse -at once, we should have been safe, or almost safe, by now." - -Then he put out his hand and took the warrant from De Brissac and read -it. It was brief and ran thus, after being addressed to various -commanding officers, as the latter had said:-- - -"It is our will and pleasure that Prince Louis de Beaurepaire be -removed from his charge of Colonel of our Guards, and that, wherever -he may be seen, appear, or be signalised, he be arrested and detained -until our further pleasure is known. The which we charge you not to -fail in and to use all proper caution and expedition, subject to our -displeasure if you do so. On which we pray God to have you in His holy -keeping. Written at Fontainebleau this tenth day of September in the -year of our Lord 1674. - -"Signé. Louis R. F. et N. - -"Sousigné. Louvois - -(_Ministre de Guerre_)." - - -"Your highness observes?" De Brissac said; "it is the King's orders." - -"I observe," De Beaurepaire answered in a low tone. - -"Yet take heart," the other said. "This may be no serious thing. -Louvois makes many charges now and pushes the King to many things he -would not do without him at his side." - -"It may be so. Ah! well. My sword! My sword! You would have that?" - -"I must," De Brissac said, not without a tremor in his voice. For he -remembered De Beaurepaire (then a young man of twenty and the -handsomest of all the flower of the _haute noblesse_) at Arras and the -Siege of Laudrécies, and recalled his bravery and reckless daring. And -now it had come to this! - -"Take it," his prisoner said, drawing the blade from its sheath, -kissing it, and then handing it to him, "take it. I pray God that ere -long I may receive it back again." - -"Amen," De Brissac said solemnly. - -"Now, what next?" De Beaurepaire asked. - -"The next is--the Bastille." - -"And after?" - -"I know not." - -"Ere I set out, tell me one thing. And before you answer listen, De -Brissac; listen as a soldier to a soldier, a friend to a friend. There -is a woman whom I have learnt to love----" - -"Ah!" exclaimed the other, recalling how often this handsome -patrician's name had been mixed up with the names of women and -knowing, as all in Paris knew, how the hearts of those women had gone -out to him. - -"A woman whom I love," De Beaurepaire went on, his voice sounding -broken to the other's ear. "A woman who loves me and has long loved me -fondly, tenderly, as I now love her. Not a woman who is one of those -giddy, heartless butterflies who circle round Louis' Court, who change -their lovers as they change their robes; who love one man to-day and -another to-morrow; no! not one of these. But, instead, one who is -poor, unknown to our world, and of, I think, for in truth I do not -know, humble origin--yet whose love and devotion pass aught I have -ever met. One who would rather die with me, for me, than live with -others." - -"_Die!_" De Brissac said, turning away his head as he spoke, since, -rude soldier as he might be, and acquainted only with camps and -battlefields and sieges, there was a heart in his bosom. "Nay, surely -there is no thought of dying for you or--for--her!" - -"Alas! if, as I suspect, this sudden resolve of the King to -dismiss me, to arrest me, points to one thing, the end will not -be far remote from death. For myself I care not, but--ah! not death -for her!" he cried. "She is, as I have said, nought in the world's -eyes--nought--nought! but she is a tender, loving woman, too good to -be hacked to death or mangled on the wheel." - -"What would you have me do?" - -"Cause a letter, permit a letter, to be conveyed to her. Either where -I left her this morning in my Lodge in the Bois de Vincennes, at Saint -Mandé, or where'er she may be in Paris." - -"It is impossible. Not even if your letter was untied, unsealed, so -that all the world might read, could that be done. D'Hautefeuille is -in supreme command at Versailles now; it would have to pass through -his hands but it would pass no farther. It is impossible." - -"Impossible," De Beaurepaire muttered. "Oh! Emérance! Emérance!" - -De Brissac had spoken with his eyes turned to the floor, since he -would not be witness of what, he knew, must be the other's misery when -he learnt that no letter would be permitted to pass between him and -this woman of whom he had spoken so fondly. But now, as the unhappy -man uttered that woman's name, he looked up suddenly and stared -fixedly at him. - -"Who is this woman? What is she?" he asked. - -"As I have told you, the woman I love." - -"And her name is Emérance?" De Brissac said, endeavouring to speak as -lightly as possible and as easily as the present circumstances might -permit. "It is a pretty name. Of the North of France, I think. I have -heard it before." - -If he had not heard it before he had at least read it before. He had -read it only that very morning when the _courrier du Roi_, after -calling on La Reynie, had continued his journey to Versailles and, -besides bringing one of the warrants for the arrest of De Beaurepaire -if he should appear there, also brought with him the copies of the -warrants issued by La Reynie for the arrest of four other persons. -Four other persons, one of whom was described as Louise de Belleau de -Cortonne, styling herself Emérance, Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville, -another who was known as Affinius Van den Enden, which was believed to -be his proper name, and another who passed under the sobriquet of -Fleur de Mai, but whose right name was La Preaux, and who termed -himself Le Chevalier de la Preaux, though unregistered in any order of -knighthood. The fourth was the Sieur Georges du Hamel of La Truaumont, -styled the Captain la Truaumont. - -De Brissac's astonishment, perhaps, also, his emotion, was not -therefore singular, as not only had he seen the warrant with the -woman's name in it, but the task had been deputed to him of proceeding -to Rouen there to arrest the Captain la Truaumont, the Lieutenant of -Police, La Reynie, having received undoubted evidence that the -conspirator was now in the city preparing to levy war against both the -King's throne and his person. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - - -"The hopeless Conspiracy," as it came to be called later, was, from -the moment that De Beaurepaire, the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville -and Van den Enden were arrested, one that caused more sensation in -France than any other event of the period. Not even that of the -Marquise de Brinvilliers for poisoning her own father and brothers at -the instigation of her lover, nor that of "La" Voisin for the sale of -poisons--for the purchase of which the Duchesse de Vivonne and Madame -de Montespan were themselves denounced, while Olympe Mancini fled the -country--were more talked of than this affair. - -In this conspiracy stood, as its head and front, the handsomest -representative of a house that, since the suppression of the family of -De Guise, was the first in the kingdom; while others whose names were -the most notable of the time were strongly suspected of being -implicated in the plot. Among those names was that of the Duc de -Bourbon-Condé, grandson of the Prince de Condé--a man of whom it was -said that he was "an unnatural son, a cruel father, a terrible -husband, a detestable master, an evil neighbour, a man without -friendship or a friend, and equally fit to be his own executioner and -that of others." Another, on whom suspicion rested deeply, was the -brother of the Duc de Guiche; another the Cardinal de Retz. Of these -latter none were ever brought to trial, while the name of Condé's -grandson was, by order of the King himself, omitted from the -interrogatories and trial. For the Condés were of the House of -Bourbon, and the great head of that house could not see one of his own -blood, however evil, receive the ordinary treatment meted out to -suspected men. - -In the Bastille, therefore, Louis de Beaurepaire, Emérance and Van den -Enden, all in separate rooms or _cachots_, awaited the day when they -should be put on their trial, the former inhabiting one of the -principal rooms in the Tour de la Bertaudière, the woman another off -the Chapel, and the Jew a dungeon in the basement. Day after day they -were submitted to interrogatories, sometimes by La Reynie himself, -sometimes by Bezous, _Conseiller au Parliament_, and sometimes by De -Pomereu, _Conseiller d'État_, yet, though not one of them had ever the -least opportunity of communicating with the other, or of knowing what -either of the others had admitted or denied, from none was any -admission obtained. De Beaurepaire asserted that he knew naught of the -conspiracy, while advancing what was an undoubtedly strong, as well as -a true, point in his favour, namely, that his family was not Norman -and that, absolutely, he had never been in Normandy. Emérance stated -that she was of Norman origin but that her social standing was of too -humble a nature for her to be admitted into any such conspiracy as the -one in question, even had she desired to be so admitted; while Van den -Enden said that his various visits to Holland and other places were -connected with the many commercial affairs in which he was concerned. - -While these interrogatories were taking place, however, De Beaurepaire -learned that one person who, perhaps above all, had had it in his -power to testify against him and to include him in his own ruin should -he desire to do, was harmless now. - -As, escorted by the Lieutenant du Roi, second in command of the -Bastille, and by four soldiers, he passed to the _Salle de -Justice_--where the Judges would occasionally, when they had nothing -else to occupy their time, attend with the view of inspecting the -accounts of the prison, the list of the prisoners who were still alive -or who had died since their last visit, and, also occasionally, to -discover if any person had happened to be detained there under a false -charge, or through a mistake, for some years--he observed De Brissac -seated in the Armoury, out of which the _Salle de Justice_ opened. He -observed also something else, namely, that the Commander of the Garde -du Corps was engaged in conversation with a man, well but plainly -dressed, who was standing before him; one whose heavily plumed hat -drawn down over his face partially disguised, but only partially, the -features of Boisfleury. - -"So," De Beaurepaire thought to himself as he passed on, "De Brissac -has laid his hands on that rat. Well! what can he tell? He, who was -subaltern even to La Preaux! Nothing, except that La Preaux attempted -to slay, and thought he slew, Humphrey West." - -His progress was, however, stopped by De Brissac, who, rising suddenly -from his chair, advanced towards the Lieutenant du Roi and, while -requesting him to halt the escort for a moment, stated that he wished -to address a few words to his prisoners. - -"Monsieur le Commandeur," the Lieutenant du Roi replied, "it is -against all orders that any one should hold converse with the Prince -de Beaurepaire, even though it be Monsieur de Brissac, who can -scarcely be suspected of----" - -"Bah! Bah!" De Brissac replied in a low voice, so that the man in -question could not hear his words, "what should I have to say to him -that can do harm, since on me has fallen the task of arresting all -these conspirators. Is De Brissac to be regarded now as one of the -joyous troop! Yet, let us remember that he and you and I have all been -soldiers together, and--_Bon-Dieu!_--good ones too; let us be as kind -to him as we may. Remember, too, that he is not tried yet, therefore -he is not yet pronounced guilty." - -"If--if," replied the Lieutenant, "it is no communication from any of -the other prisoners; no message from----" - -"_Peste!_ I have a message from, or rather an account of--since he of -whom I speak can send no messages now--one who is dead. The birds you -have got fast in this cage are all alive--for the present." - -"Is it about----?" - -"It is." After which De Brissac advanced towards De Beaurepaire while -the Lieutenant du Roi gave an order to the soldiers to stand apart -from their charge during the time he conferred with the Colonel of the -Garde du Corps, and commenced to pace up and down the floor of the -Armoury himself. - -"What is it, De Brissac?" De Beaurepaire said now, on observing that -the others had all withdrawn out of earshot. "What? Have you come to -tell me that you have at last found more _suspects_ for this charge? I -hear--for, even in this hideous place, whispers filter through the -very walls and reach us--that you and your master, De Louvois, seek to -ensnare half the noblesse of France within the net you throw -broadcast." - -"Nay," De Brissac said, understanding yet not resenting the bitterness -of the other, since he recognised how justifiable such bitterness was, -if--as many people thought and openly said--De Beaurepaire's name had -been freely used by the Norman conspirators without his knowledge; -"nay. Instead, on seeing you here I have come to inform you of -that which may bring some calm to your spirit. That fellow over -there--Boisfleury--can tell the whole story of how the young -Englishman was first of all nearly done to death by the vagabond, La -Preaux, while, to make the certainty of death more great, he was -afterwards cast into the Rhine by him." - -"What! Why! La Truaumont----" but he paused. If he repeated to De -Brissac what La Truaumont had told him, then, at once, he divulged -that he and the latter had been in communication with each other. -Added to which he knew also, perhaps by those very whispers which, a -moment before, he had said even filtered through the walls of the -Bastille, that La Truaumont had been in some strange way denounced to -De Louvois and La Reynie as one of the principal leaders of the -conspiracy, and he understood that it was madness to appear to be in -possession of any information furnished by him. Nevertheless, he had -mentioned La Truaumont's name ere he could collect himself and De -Brissac had heard him do so. - -"La Truaumont!" the other exclaimed, while the strange look that was -so apparent at times came into his face. "La Truaumont!" Then, as -though desirous of helping De Beaurepaire out of a snare into which he -had inadvertently fallen, he said, "Ah! yes. It is so. He was in your -service. Did he not ride to Nancy for you?" - -"To Basle in the escort of the Duchesse de Castellucchio. Afterwards -he was to go forward with her to Geneva on the road to Milan. Has -he--have they?" he asked, continuing his attempt to throw dust in De -Brissac's eyes, or, perhaps, with the wish to prevent it appearing -that he and La Truaumont had met in Paris recently, "have they arrived -in Italy?" - -"Madame La Duchesse may have done so," De Brissac replied, while the -inscrutable look in his face became even more pronounced than before. -"As for La Truaumont, he arrived at Rouen the night after you were -arrested by me." - -"Is he arrested, too?" - -"I attempted to arrest him since it was to me that the order to do so -was sent." - -"You attempted to do so! And failed!" - -"Listen. When I, as chief of the King's special Garde du Corps, was -ordered to arrest one who had desired to do for Louis that which no -Garde du Corps could prevent if the opportunity should arise, I, with -four of my men, rode post-haste to Rouen. At six o'clock in the -morning--it was the day after you fell into my hands--walked into -them!--at Versailles, I was in La Truaumont's lodgings and found him -in bed. Awaking him, I told him that I had an order to arrest him, -upon which he exclaimed, 'So be it. I am here. Arrest me,' while, as -he spoke, he produced two pistols from a cabinet at the head of his -bed. 'If you can do so,' he added, pointing the weapon at me. 'Then -you are guilty,' I cried, drawing my sword. 'Guilty!' he exclaimed. -'Be sure I am. _Oui, mort Dieu_, guilty. I alone.'" - -"Ah!" De Beaurepaire exclaimed. - -"Yes. He said it," De Brissac answered. "He _said_ it. I can testify -to that." - -After which the colonel continued, "He called out so loudly as he -spoke and as he leapt from his bed, pistols in hand, that three of my -men--the fourth kept the door below--rushed into the room and a -struggle to the death ensued. La Truaumont discharged both his pistols -at me, killing, instead, however, one of my guards in doing so, and -was himself shot an instant afterwards by the man's comrades." - -"Dead!" De Beaurepaire murmured. "Dead! La Truaumont dead. Ah! we had -been friends, comrades, for years. La Truaumont dead." - -"He died eighteen hours later. Before he did so he called for paper -and ink and wrote that what he had said when I entered the room was -mere braggadocio. That he was not guilty but would have been if he -could have obtained assistance. He said also that, had the King let -him serve him, His Majesty would have had no more faithful subject. -They were the last words he spoke ere receiving the sacrament." - -"And the only ones?" De Beaurepaire asked. - -"The only ones." - -The prisoner drew a long breath as De Brissac answered thus, after -which he said: "I told you but now that strange things reach our ears -in this place. That, from the outer world, comes news----" - -"I know, I know," the other interrupted. "Like most who have lived in -France, in Paris, I have been here myself. Mazarin sent me here when I -was a boy, a _Porte Drapeau_, because I caned one of his bodyguard who -was insolent to me!" After saying which De Brissac continued, "What -other news has reached your ears?" - -"That you have arrested all of us who are now in this fortress on this -charge. All who are here on the same charge as I?" - -"Yes, it is true. As Colonel of the Garde du Corps, it falls to my lot -to seize upon all who aim at the King's body, at his life." - -"Am I charged with that?" - -"It may be. I do not know. Yet--since I arrested you----" - -"I understand. De Louvois and La Reynie cut deep. Like skilful -surgeons they stop not at the surface. And--and--therefore--you -arrested--her?" - -"It is so." - -"What did she say?" - -"Knowing that I had previously arrested you, she thanked me for also -making her a prisoner." - -"Thanked you! Heavens!" De Beaurepaire whispered to himself, "it was a -heart to win. How many of those others would have thanked De Brissac -for that! Rather would they have told all, have witnessed against me -and invented all they did not know, so that, thereby, they might set -themselves free." And again he exclaimed aloud, "she thanked you!" - -"Ay, it is so. While adding, as she spoke and smiled on me, that, -since she could not be at large and free to share your liberty, her -next greatest joy was to be beneath the same prison roof with you." - -De Beaurepaire turned away as the other told him this; turned -away because, perhaps, he knew that the tears had come into -his eyes and he would not have De Brissac see them there. Yet the -latter--from whom the prisoner would have hidden those tears and, it -may be, all other signs of emotion which he knew well enough were on -his face--comprehended that they were there as easily as he -comprehended all that now racked and tore at the heart of the once -strong and masterful man before him. Wherefore, to ease that racked -heart, De Brissac added:-- - -"I likewise arrested the bully who calls himself Fleur de Mai, and the -Jew atheist, Van den Enden. And they too are firm, very firm. Listen, -De Beaurepaire, and, as you do so, deem me no traitor since I am none -such, but only one who has fought by your side and, later, taken the -word of command from you. Listen, I say. De Louvois, La Reynie, will -have to seek further than the walls of this prison to obtain the -conviction of any of you. If you and those who are here can be as -solidly, ay! and as stolidly, silent as you all are now, if you can -hold your peace and acknowledge nothing and deny nothing, they will -have trouble in bringing proof against you. H'st! the Lieutenant -comes. My friendship, my old comradeship with you has forced me to say -this. Think no evil of me for saying so much." - -"God bless you," whispered De Beaurepaire huskily, while wondering as -he did so how long it was since such words had fallen from his lips, -and wondering, too, of how much or little good the prayer could be -productive. Nevertheless, he knew that they had been wrung from his -heart by De Brissac's friendly care for his safety, and recognised -that, evil as his life had been, he had at that moment no power of -repressing those words. - -"It is the hour when the Commission will sit," the Lieutenant du Roi -said to De Brissac, "the Prince de Beaurepaire must tarry no longer. -_En avant!_" he cried now to the soldiers who had once more surrounded -the prisoner as their leader came forward, "_en avant!_" - -"Farewell!" De Beaurepaire said to De Brissac as he set out again. -"Farewell!" - -"Nay," De Brissac replied, "not farewell, instead _au revoir!_" - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - - -A month had passed, the interrogatories had been made to all the -prisoners concerned in the Norman Plot, and the witnesses had been -examined and their depositions signed and sworn to. The day had come -for the Extra-Ordinary Commission to sit at the Arsenal; a Commission -consisting of nineteen carefully selected members who were to deliver -judgment on what was now spoken of in France as "L'affaire du -Chevalier de Beaurepaire." Amongst these members were La Reynie, who -filled on this occasion the office of Procureur-Général du Roi, the -Chancellor d'Aligre who presided over the tribunal, twelve other State -Councillors and five ordinary Judges. - -The prisoners were seated together, the only difference made between -them being that De Beaurepaire, by right of his position as Grand -Veneur, from which he had not yet been removed, as well as, perhaps, -by his birth and rank, sat alone on a bench a few feet apart from, and -nearer to the Judges, than the others. Those others, Emérance, Van den -Enden and La Preaux, or Fleur de Mai, sat together in the order -indicated, whereby the woman who loved De Beaurepaire so madly was -next to him though separated from him by that gap of a few feet. - -But for the fact that around the _Chambre Judiciaire_ stood -various guards and soldiers, such as those of the King's Guards, -several of the Gendarmerie, and a number of men of the garrison of the -Bastille--under whose charge the prisoners were transported from that -fortress--and also various servants and footmen of the Judges, as well -as many members of the police of Paris, known as Archers, there were -no members of the general public present. That such, however, would -not have been the case had the wishes of many members of that -public--and exalted ones, too!--been consulted, was not to be doubted. -Innumerable women of high rank who had once given their hearts, or -what they were pleased to imagine to be their hearts, to the superbly -handsome De Beaurepaire, had applied for permission to be present and -had been decisively refused; so, too, had many men of brilliant -position. The Great Condé who, though cousin to the King and the most -distinguished soldier of his time, if Turenne be excepted, could well -enact the part of bully and braggart when he saw fit, had stormed and -sworn at La Reynie for being refused, as, it was whispered, he had -also stormed and sworn at De Louvois, from whom, however, he was -unable to obtain his desire. - -Therefore, it was with closed doors that the Commission commenced its -labours on this autumn morning, after D'Aligre had addressed a few -remarks to all who were present--except his brother Judges--in which -he stated that, if any account of what took place within the walls of -that room was repeated outside and the culprit could be discovered, -that culprit would undoubtedly be punished with either the galleys or -death. - -Of evidence, beyond whatever might be extorted from the prisoners by -the Judges or the Procureur-Général, there was none to be tendered by -witnesses, with the exception of that which two persons would be -called upon to give, one of those persons being Le Colonel Boisfleury, -the other a gentleman, now an official of the King's _Garde Robe_, -named Humphrey West. Defenders of any of the prisoners there were -none. Until the commencement of the sixteenth century prisoners had -been allowed the right of such counsel; some years later an ordinance -had deprived them of that right, an ordinance which called forth from -the well-known President Lamoignon the still remembered phrase, "Il -vaudrait mieux absoudre mille coupables que de faire mourir un -innocent." A phrase often quoted in English and French law courts to -the present day. - -In the witness chair, Boisfleury took his seat after innumerable -letters had been read, which, coming from various sources, all pointed -to one thing, namely, an attempt of the Spanish and Dutch Governments -to promote an invasion of France on the coast of Normandy with the -ultimate object of deposing the King and of creating a Republic -similar to that of Venice or Holland itself, which should be under the -protection of Spain and Holland while presided over by a Frenchman of -high rank and position. One of these letters was from the Duc de -Saint-Aignan, Governor of Havre, stating that it was impossible to -doubt that a plot of considerable depth was hatching in Normandy and -Picardy. Another was from Louise de Kéroualle, now Duchess of -Portsmouth and favourite mistress of King Charles II., in which she -stated that, from Normandy, in which she possessed some small -property, similar news came to her with regard to this plot, and also -that it was much talked of in Court circles in London. The Duchess -also mentioned the name which was suggested as that of the man who was -to assume the position of President of this new republic, and that -name was De Beaurepaire. From the Duchesse de Castellucchio came -another, imploring the King to be on his guard against a plot which -was brewing against him, while stating that, though she had learnt of -the existence of this plot, she had no knowledge of any who were -concerned in it. - -"Yet," said D'Aligre to a brother Judge, "'tis strange that this -heroine of romance had not heard of the plot ere she left Paris, but -had heard of it when she left Nancy for Basle and Geneva. And there -was but one friend of hers who could have told her anything whatever, -since she would not have stooped to listen to La Truaumont who, in his -turn, would not have babbled. _Hein?_" - -To which observation the other Judge nodded his head without speaking. - -But now the reading of these letters and a dozen others was finished -and La Reynie, leaning over on the crimson cushion before him, -addressed Boisfleury while referring every instant to the deposition -of the man before him. - -"You say here that you knew nothing of this plot when you left Paris -in the suite of the Duchesse de Castellucchio. When, therefore, did -you first know that it was projected?" - -"At Basle. When I was told that I should have to take part in the -slaying of the young Englishman. I refused to play such a part, since -it is not my business to take life except as a soldier, unless I was -told why the Englishman was to be slain." - -"And you were told?" - -"I was told, yet inwardly I resolved to have no share in the matter." - -"All lies!" roared out Fleur de Mai at this. "He asked what his pay -was to be." - -"I will prove they are not lies," the other said, glancing at his -brother vagabond. "When Monsieur le Procureur-Général comes to the -time at which you stabbed the young man." - -"Attend to me and not to the prisoner," La Reynie said to Boisfleury. -"You say you resolved to have no share in the matter unless you were -told why the Englishman was to be slain. Since, therefore, you were -present in the stable--as you affirm in your interrogatory--you had -been told. What _were_ you told?" - -"That the Prince de Beaurepaire, the Capitaine la Truaumont and that -scoundrel there," nodding his head at Fleur de Mai, "were all -concerned in a plot of which the Englishman had discovered the -details. That, also, if La Truaumont were denounced, I, who was truly -in his pay and not in that of either the Prince de Beaurepaire or the -Duchesse de Castellucchio, would also be denounced." - -"Every word a lie!" exclaimed Fleur de Mai who, swaggerer to the last, -behaved more as if he were one of the Commission himself than a -prisoner against whom appearances looked as bad as might well be. - -"Silence," La Reynie said, addressing him. "If you again interrupt you -shall be removed and inquiries made into your actions while you are -absent." Then, turning to Boisfleury, he said: "Therefore, knowing -that this murder was decided on so as to ensure the safety of you all, -you at first resolved to take part in it." - -"No, Monsieur le Procureur-Général," Boisfleury said quietly, "I -decided on no such thing. What I did truly decide on, since I was -informed that the young man would but be drawn into a duel with Fleur -de Mai, in which his chance might be as good as that of the other--was -that I would stand by and see that duel. Thereby I should not appear -to be against those two ruffians, La Truaumont and La Preaux, and -should obtain time in which to come to a conclusion as to how I might -best warn his Majesty against the wicked plot." - -"Such being your praiseworthy resolve why did you not put it in -practice later?" - -"He did," the President whispered to La Reynie. "He went to -Fontainebleau to inform the Marquis de Louvois of that plot." - -"True," La Reynie whispered in turn as he hastily turned over the -depositions. "Yet he did not warn the Marquis. It was to De Brissac -that he unbosomed himself some week or so later. But we will hear his -story. Now," again addressing Boisfleury, "you say in these," tapping -the papers before him, "that you went to Fontainebleau to warn the -King's Ministers of this plot against his Majesty. Yet you failed to -do so. Why did you refrain? Why also wait some week or so ere you -addressed yourself to the Sieur de Brissac?" - -"Monsieur le Procureur-Général, I was too much undone, too startled by -what I saw on my way up the Grand Avenue to the Château. I thought I -had seen a spirit from another world." - -"What!" While, as La Reynie spoke scornfully to the man, all eyes, -including those of the prisoners, were turned on him. What -rhodomontade was this they were listening to, they all wondered; with -what gibberish was this man, half knave and half adventurer and wholly -vagabond, insulting their understandings as he mumbled this buffoonery -about spirits from another world? - -They did not know--not even the most astute Judges and men of law in -France knew or understood, that the fellow before them was but -preparing his final effects, his tableau and _dénoûment_ (which should -crush the man who had meant to crush him and brand him as a secret -midnight assassin) as their own dramatists prepared their tableaux by -exciting curiosity from the commencement. - -"Monsieur le Procureur-Général," Boisfleury replied, speaking with -such well-affected calmness and intensity that his tones became almost -dignified and were entirely impressive. "There is no person in this -court who would not have thought as I thought, have believed as I -believed, that he was looking on a spectre or one who had come back to -this world for some dread purpose, had that person seen what I saw on -that awful night in Basle and then seen what I saw in the Grand -Avenue. A dead man as I thought at first, at the moment,--one who had -come back from the grave. Monsieur le Procureur, Messieurs les Judges, -may I tell all?" - -"'Tis for that you sit in that seat,--that you are here," D'Aligre -said. "Speak, but speak only the truth. Otherwise----" - -"Otherwise, monseigneur!" Boisfleury exclaimed, "otherwise! _Dieu!_ -there is no lie, no fiction that mortal man could invent which can -equal that which I saw at Basle. Horrors have I known; I have been a -soldier"--there were those who said he never had been one but only a -common footpad and cut-throat; but this matters not--"yet never have I -seen so wicked, so bloodthirsty and cruel a night as that." - -"Speak," exclaimed D'Aligre again. "Tell your tale and have done with -it." - -Whereupon the man told it. As he did so all present knew that the axe -was made ready for one neck in that court; for the neck of Fleur de -Mai, if for no other. - -"Messeigneurs," he said, speaking solemnly, effectively, one hand upon -his breast, the other pointing his words, and sometimes, also, -pointing straight at the face of Fleur de Mai: "Messeigneurs, upon -that night the young Englishman, he who sits there before you white -and wan, was set upon in the stable at Basle. He," and he looked at -Humphrey for a moment, "wronged me with an unjust suspicion. He deemed -that I meant evil to him or his horse, when--God alone He knows--that -I did but intend to set that horse free for him, but to cut the halter -rope, so as to enable him to ride off at once if he should vanquish -Fleur de Mai. At once, since La Truaumont had sworn that, if this -happened, he would slay the Englishman the next moment, not in fair -fight but ere he could put himself on guard. - -"Therefore, he struck at me, knocking me senseless to the straw and -there I lay for some moments. But, gradually, as the dizziness left -me, as sense returned, I saw what was happening. By degrees that bully -was being worsted; it seemed as though his last hour was at hand. And -then--then--he tried the coward's ruse--he fell to the earth on his -left hand--with his foot he struck the young man's feet from under him -so that he staggered--a moment later his sword was through the young -man's breast. I deemed him dead. - -"La Truaumont and he thought that I was still insensible, therefore -they heeded me not," Boisfleury went on, his eye, glittering like that -of a snake, fixed full on Fleur de Mai, upon whose face there had -suddenly sprung a drench of sweat--he divining perhaps what was to -come next. "They heeded me not. 'He is finished,' La Truaumont said; -'there is no need for me.' 'Not yet,' this other replied, 'not yet. -There is more to do.' Whereupon he lifted up his craven blade as -though to plunge it through the senseless man's breast, while as he -did so he muttered: 'For De Beaurepaire's safety, for yours, for mine, -for the sake of all'." - -As Boisfleury arrived at this portion of his story--he should have -been one of the French dramatists of the time!--the court was as -silent as though it had been tenanted by the dead alone: as though it -were a tomb and not a room full of living human beings. All eyes were -fastened on the face of the narrator; the eyes of Judges, prisoners, -guards, the one woman present; and all held their breath. For, if the -tale were not true, it sounded like truth. It might be truth. While, -for the corroboration of the early part at least, there was present in -that court the man on whom the foul attack had been made, on whom was -done whatever else they were to hear told. - -"Ere the assassin could plunge his sword into the Englishman's -breast," Boisfleury continued, while marking the effect of his words -on all his listeners, "the hand of La Truaumont fell upon his arm, La -Truaumont whispered: 'Fool. Why leave a trace behind! Look there; -there--there. The river runs swiftly by; what goes into it comes out -no more. There! there! There is the fitting grave for him whom you -have almost slain.' Then he went swiftly away, muttering that he would -enter the inn and keep all engaged in talk until this one had finished -his work. - -"I--I--saw him lift the young man," Boisfleury went on, pointing at -Fleur de Mai as he spoke, "I saw him go out into the awful storm that -had broken over the city; struggling to my feet as he left the stable -with his burden, I would have prevented him from concluding his crime. -But I was weak and faint from my loss of blood, a vertigo seized on -me, I reeled and fell in the straw again. Yet, through the now wide -open door out of which he had borne the body, I saw all. I saw this -man carry the other on his back beneath the pitiless rain, yet rain -that was not as pitiless as he; I saw him turn his back to the river, -I saw him let loose the other's hands--I saw that other's body fall -into the river, and then, once more, I fainted. I have seen horrid -sights, I have been a soldier," Boisfleury repeated, "yet never have I -seen aught like that. Messeigneurs," he concluded, "was it strange -that, when I saw that man at Fontainebleau, white, ghastly as one who -had but just returned from the grave, I deemed that I had seen a -spirit from the other world?" - -As he concluded, and ere the silence could be broken, there came from -the lips of Fleur de Mai an awful sound. One that was neither groan -nor gasp nor wail, but a combination of all three. It seemed to those -present that the ruffian was choking to death or that some terrible -stroke had fallen on him. His great hands tore at the dirty, soiled -lace around his neck and at the tags of his jacket, as though he would -free his throat and obtain breath; his face was purple, his eyes -started from his head, his great, coarse lips were swollen. And -through those lips issued sounds that none could comprehend: a jargon -of oaths and strange words jumbled pell-mell together without sense or -coherence. - -Standing by the chair from which he had risen, looking calmly at him, -Boisfleury muttered inwardly, "The murder will out and Boisfleury pays -for it!" and then turned away his face so that none should see the -look upon it that he knew it bore. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - - -Before the night came and ere that Commission had finished its labours -much more had to be done. Based upon such matter as had been extracted -from them in the numerous interrogatories to which they had all been -subjected since their arrest, each and every one had been examined by -the Court, while, with one exception--that of Van den Enden, who had -not been believed and who was reserved for something still worse than -examination, namely torture--what they had told or refused to tell was -considered sufficient for the purposes of the Judges. One of the -witnesses, however, had been spared the pain of testifying, since -Boisfleury's evidence was considered enough--that one being Humphrey -West. - -"It is true," D'Aligre said to the others seated with him, "that he -overheard the plot discussed at Basle. But all that he heard is -nothing in comparison with what we now know to have taken place in -Brussels, in Normandy, and elsewhere. He has endured enough. We may -absolve him from further suffering." - -"To which has to be added," remarked Laisné de la Marguerie, another -of the Judges, a bitter, sarcastic man, "the fact that the young man -stands high in the graces of his Majesty and is like to stand still -higher ere long." - -"While," said Quintin de Richebourg, _maître de requêtes_, a kindly -hearted lawyer, "he was once a friend of, and befriended by, De -Beaurepaire. No need to force him to speak against one who, at least, -never harmed him." - -Therefore, Humphrey was released from what would have been a hateful -task and left the Arsenal directly he was informed that such was the -case, while the Commission at once proceeded to examine the prisoners, -beginning with De Beaurepaire. - -The answers to the questions put to him were, however, a total denial -of any knowledge of the plot. He had never, he said, dreamed of any -such conspiracy; he loved the King and always had loved him since they -were boys and playmates together. La Truaumont was his factotum and he -regretted his death, but while acknowledging that he had employed the -man in that capacity, he had never heard him breathe a word of any -such a scheme. Had such been the case he would have slain him at his -feet. With Van den Enden he had had little correspondence and that -only on the subject of raising private loans. No one had the slightest -right or justification to use his name in connection with any plot -against the King, and Van den Enden and La Truaumont had done so for -their own purposes, if they had done so at all. - -"That they did so," La Reynie said, "is undoubted, since La Truaumont -met his death in endeavouring to slay those who went to arrest him on -account of his connection with this sinful plot for which you were -yourself arrested on the morning of the previous day." After which he -continued gravely: "It is strange that, if your Highness was unaware -of this plot, you should have been surrounded by so many persons of -Norman birth and extraction who were all interested in it. La -Truaumont was one of these persons." - -"He was equally well known to me ten years ago and more when I first -gave him employment. Was the plot hatched so long ago as that?" - -"The so-called Chevalier la Preaux is another; the man who is -sometimes known as Fleur de Mai." - -"He was as much in the pay of La Truaumont as La Truaumont was in -mine. And he is of the _canaille_. I could have no intercourse with -him. Had I required a tool I should not have taken a dirty one." - -"Dirty tools, or weapons, can be used as well as clean ones. And--in -conspiracies--the tools are never clean. But there is still another -Norman. The woman by your side, near you. She calls herself the -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. She is known to be deeply involved in -this vile plot. She was arrested in the lodge you had lent her and -which was in your possession as Grand Veneur. She went to Basle at -your bidding to meet Van den Enden on the subject of that plot. She is -your accomplice. Yet you learnt nothing of it from her. Surely that is -strange!" - -"She is," De Beaurepaire said, while as he did so he turned towards -where Emérance sat separated from him by only a little space, and -looked her full in the face, "a woman whom I love. One whom, when we -escape from this accursed net you are endeavouring to fling around us, -I will love and cherish till my last hour." - -"_Mon amour!_" Emérance breathed rather than murmured between her -parted lips. - -And the man heard that breath, as perhaps did some of the judges -sitting near the prisoner. - -"Yet," La Reynie said, "loving her thus, you tell us you know not of -what she was vowed to, namely the destruction of the King, of his -throne, of France. You did not know the secret of this woman whom you -love, the woman who, you think, loves you!" - -"Think!" again whispered Emérance, her eyes on La Reynie now. "Think!" - -While De Beaurepaire, speaking at the same time, used the same word. - -"Think!" he said. "Think that she loves me! La Reynie, do you think -there is any man who does not know when a woman truly loves him? If -so, then it is you who have never loved or been loved." - -As he spoke, D'Aligre shot a glance at Laisné de la Marguerie. "The -_riposte_ is deadly," the latter scrawled on a paper in front of him, -a paper which the President could see. For La Reynie's wife was a -shrew who was reported to have married him for anything rather than -love. - -"You know who and what she is?" La Reynie continued savagely. "You -know her past?" - -"No, only her present. Her past is nothing to me. I had no share in -it." - -"You should have informed yourself of it ere you allowed yourself to -love her. You could have learnt that she was, with La Truaumont, the -heart and soul of this conspiracy. A woman ruined by extravagant -living and willing to make money by any means." - -"'Tis false," Emérance exclaimed, looking up at the Judges for the -first time and also speaking aloud for the first time. "My husband -left me with some small means. But--because after treating me cruelly -for months, he was found dead in his bed, for which I was tried at -Rouen for having poisoned him and was at once acquitted and -absolved--not one sol or denier have I ever been able to obtain from -his kinsmen. Extravagant living! I have never yet known what it was to -have a handful of gold pistoles to spend, or fling into the river, if -it pleased me so to do." - -"Madame," La Reynie said quietly, "this is not your final -interrogatory. Later I will deal with you." - -After which he again addressed De Beaurepaire, saying: "Monsieur le -Prince, the man, Van den Enden, states that you have often said in his -presence, and that of others, when speaking of his Majesty the King: -'We shall have him yet. We shall hold him.'" - -"He lies," De Beaurepaire said, shrugging his shoulders with superbly -assumed disdain. "As for the others, who are they and where are they? -Produce them." - -"Also," La Reynie continued, ignoring this challenge, "he states that -you threatened to kill him if he did not act entirely as you bade -him." - -"Pah!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire, with another contemptuous shrug -which, with the exclamation itself, spoke volumes. "If you choose to -believe such babble as this, uttered by such a creature as that, you -may do so," was what the shrug and the word conveyed. - -"Do you deny, monsieur," La Reynie continued, "that you ever uttered -the expression, 'I would die content if I could once draw my sword -against the King in a strong revolution'?" - -"When," exclaimed De Beaurepaire, "you can put me face to face with a -credible witness who can testify to having ever heard me utter any -such expression, I will answer you before him. But not till then." - -"Madame," La Reynie said now to Emérance, while intimating by a look -towards the Prince that he had done with him, for the present at -least, "Madame, give me your attention. What is your relationship with -the last witness?" - -"I love him," Emérance answered, lifting her eyes slowly towards her -questioner. "No more nor less than that." - -"You misapprehend me. I mean as regards his, and your, participation -in this plot?" - -"There was no plot," Emérance replied again, this time with a cynical -look upon her face; "or, at least, none against France or the King of -France. Yet, it is true, there was a plot." - -"You admit that?" D'Aligre exclaimed, bending forward over his -cushions. "You admit it?" - -As he asked the question he was not the only one in that Court who -turned their eyes on the unhappy woman. In solemn truth, there were no -eyes in that Court which did not rest on her now. The eyes of the -Judges and the Procureur-Général, as well as those of her fellow -prisoners. - -"What is she about to say?" the man who loved her asked himself, while -knowing full well that whatever she might say would not be aught that -could harm him, though fearing at the same time that she might say -something which would sacrifice her while shielding him. "What story, -what scheme has she devised?" - -"The she-cat, the tigress!" Van den Enden groaned inwardly. "She will -save him and herself--curse her!--by sacrificing me. Yet, how? How?" - -But still there was another prisoner who heard those words--Fleur de -Mai. But he said nothing to himself and indulged in no speculation as -to what the woman might be about to state. He was doomed, he knew: -nothing could save him. There was for him but one hope left in this -world; the hope that since, vagabond as he was, he was the off-shoot -of an honourable family, he might perish by the axe and not the wheel, -or that still deeper degradation, the rope. - -"You acknowledge that there was a plot?" La Reynie exclaimed, echoing -the President's question. - -"I have said," Emérance replied. "Yet no plot against France or the -King." - -"Explain." - -"He," her eyes turned softly towards her lover and then re-turned -swiftly toward the Judges, "wanted money. His charges and expenses -were great, as you all know. No need to say more of that. As for -myself, I was poor, horribly, bitterly poor, almost at starvation's -door, for the reason I have but now told you. That one," her eyes -looking from underneath their lids at Van den Enden, "would do aught -for money; would betray, steal, murder for the money he always wanted. -La Truaumont--well! he is dead. Of him I will but say that he was -ambitious. He had been a good soldier yet, like many another soldier -as good as he, he had been forgotten, passed over, set aside. We all -wanted money. The others--that assassin, or would be assassin, there," -looking at Fleur de Mai, "was but a hireling, a varlet, to any who -could pay him." - -"It was my mind, mine alone," she continued, "which conceived the -plot. Mine," and Emérance smote her breast as she spoke, as though to -force conviction into the minds of those who heard her. "Mine! Spain -hates the King, France, you, I, all of us in whose veins French blood -runs--you well know why. So, too, does Holland, for baser, meaner -reasons; she hates us because she goes down before us as autumn leaves -go down before the storm. Because her Stadtholder, William, can do -naught against France. Therefore, since France could not be conquered, -defeated, humiliated in the field, other ways were thought of. Shot -and steel were useless. It remained to try gold." - -That Emérance had aroused the interest of her audience, of the Judges, -she knew by now. She had touched that chord, which, as she was well -aware, never fails to respond in the hearts of her countrymen to the -praise of their country. She knew this, she saw it in their proud, -self-satisfied glances as she dwelt on the inferiority of Spain and -Holland before France. Only--she asked herself--would they believe? -Would this attempt, this last chance, enable the man she loved--of -herself she did not think!--to obtain earthly salvation. - -"The scheme was tried," she continued. "Learning as I did through La -Truaumont that there was a large sum of Spanish money ready for those -who would betray France to them, I conceived the idea, not of -betraying, but of pretending to betray, France. I was, as I have been -termed, _une fine Normande_; the Normans were embittered against the -King for his treatment of the province. The instruments were ready to -my hand; the faggots were laid; the spark to ignite them alone was -needed. You know the rest, or almost know it. But some part you do not -know. His, De Beaurepaire's name was used without his knowledge, the -money was obtained from De Montérey, yet not one sol ever reached the -Prince's hands. We hoped that, when the enemies of France learnt that -we had tricked them, robbed them if you will, the plot would be -abandoned without De Beaurepaire ever knowing of the use we had made -of him." - -"The love for him does not appear in this," sneered Laisné de la -Marguerie. "The Prince's name was used unrighteously, judging by your -own story, while even the money you say you received was not shared by -him." - -"Where therefore did it go?" D'Aligre asked, grasping the point which -his more astute brother judge had made. "It was a large sum?" - -"It went to Normandy if it ever came into France," Van den Enden -exclaimed, tottering to his feet in his desire to be listened to by -the Judges. "But it never came. Never. This woman, this adventuress, -has lied to save her lover and herself. There was no plot to either -overthrow France or hoodwink Spain and Holland. There was no money -whatever forthcoming. - -"Nevertheless she was superb. _Splendide mendax!_" murmured Laisné de -la Marguerie. "Yet unavailing." - -While, as he did so, La Reynie was heard addressing Van den Enden in -quiet, impressive tones. - -"You forget," he said, "your interview with this woman in her rooms at -Basle. You forget that the young man whom you sought to have murdered -overheard your conversation with her and La Truaumont. The -conversation in which you stated that you had received a million -livres from the Comte de Montérey. Also you forget, or, perhaps, you -do not know, that that young man's interrogatory is here before us." -While, as the Procureur-Général spoke, he laid his hand on a packet of -papers lying amongst some others. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - - -The confrontations of the prisoners with one another and the -administration of questions, based upon the answers they had made to -their earlier interrogations, were over at last. There remained now -but one thing farther to be done, one further suffering to be endured -by the unhappy conspirators ere their doom, which was certain, was -pronounced; namely, to endeavour to extract their confessions from -them by torture. This system, still in general use in France and -still to remain so for another century, was regarded as the one and -only final opportunity of extracting from criminals--real or -suspected--some confession which should justify their judges in -sentencing them to death. For, if from those criminals who were -innocent there could be wrung the slightest word that even sounded -like an acknowledgment of guilt, the judges could condemn them with a -sound conscience; while, even if the really criminal had already -confessed their guilt, the application of torture was still generally -applied in the hopes that, thereby, some actual or imaginary -accomplices might be implicated. - -La Reynie, determined to extort confessions from the four prisoners -who had appeared before their judges at the Arsenal, had already -decided by midnight that all should be submitted to the "question." -This resolve, however, was negatived by the majority of those judges. - -De Beaurepaire was, they said, too high in position to be treated with -such indignity; he had been too closely allied with the King, both as -friend and exalted subject as well as bearer of great offices, to be -submitted to such degradation; and they had made up their minds that -he was guilty and must die. Therefore he was exempted from torture. - -To their honour, the same exemption was granted to Emérance on the -plea that she was a woman and was also to die. - -"It is a noble resolution," exclaimed the Père Bourdaloue, who had -been deputed to discover by exhortation the truth and extent of their -guilt, if possible. "A noble one. She is a woman. If, like another, -she has sinned, so, also, she has loved and suffered." - -From the two others, however, Fleur de Mai and Van den Enden, nothing -could be obtained in any shape or form at the trial except denials of -every statement made. Therefore both, instead of Van den Enden alone, -were now to be submitted to the torture. - -Yet, once again, as Van den Enden was led into the room where he was -to submit to the trial of the Wedge or _Coin_ as it was termed, -Bourdaloue made a final attempt not only to extract some admission -from him but also, from Christian charity, to spare so old a man -unnecessary pain. - -"My son," he said, "reflect. Why force your judges to obtain by -torture that which may be told freely, since you are surely doomed. -Remember, there is another world to which you are hastening; a God -whom you have outraged----" - -"There is no other world," Van den Enden snarled. "There is no God. I -am a materialist. I believe in nothing but that which is tangible, -that which I can see and recognise. And I have nothing to confess more -than I have told. As for your tortures, it is the fear of them that -alone terrifies." - -Bravely as the old atheist spoke, he was, however, now to learn that -it is sometimes far better to rely less upon oneself and more upon a -Superior Power. - -The torture of the _Coin_ did not vary much in method from that which, -at the same period, was known in the British Islands as the "Boot." -_Brodequins_, or long half-riding boots, were placed upon the feet and -legs of those who were to be put to the question. Into these, which -were sometimes made of wood and sometimes, but not often, of hardened -pigskin almost as tough and firm as wood, the wedges or _coins_ were -thrust, or hammered, one by one according to the stubborn refusals of -the prisoners to reply to the questions put to them. - -To the room where he was to be subjected to this inquisition, Van den -Enden was led. There were present to administer the questions two of -the Councillors of State, De Pomereu and Lefèvre de Caumartin, each of -whom had taken part as judges in the last confrontation of the -prisoners, as well as the Père Bourdaloue who still hoped to either -obtain some amelioration of his sufferings for the wretched man, or to -be able to administer religious consolation to him should he perish -under the torture. To apply the torture there were the executioner's -assistants. - -"You have not told all the truth," De Pomereu said, when the -_brodequins_ had been placed on the legs and feet of Van den Enden and -one of the torturers stood by, a wedge in one hand and a hammer in the -other. "What more have you to tell?" - -"Nothing. You may kill me if you will. I am innocent." - -At a sign from De Pomereu the assistant struck in the first wedge, at -which Van den Enden winced but said again: "I am innocent." - -A second wedge was now inserted and the wretched man emitted a slight -groan, but only exclaimed: "I know nothing. Nothing. Mercy!" - -A third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth were rapidly inserted next, and -Van den Enden cried out: "I am dying. Kill me at once." - -"Answer truly," exclaimed De Pomereu. "Did the Prince say, 'If we -could only have the King's person we should win'?" - -"No. I did not hear it. Yes!" Van den Enden screamed suddenly, as now -other wedges were rapidly hammered in between the boots and his legs -until the ninth--which was much larger than the previous ones--was -inserted. "Yes. He said so. I heard him." - -"Did he say, 'When Quillebeuf is taken we will proceed to Versailles -and seize upon the King's person'?" - -"No. Never. Ah! mercy! mercy! mercy!" for now the last wedge of -all--which was composed of several ordinary wedges bound together--was -being hammered into his crushed and bleeding leg. "Mercy. Oh! my God! -have mercy on me." - -"Stop," exclaimed the Père Bourdaloue advancing, his Crucifix in his -hands. "Stop! He has confessed something far better than that which -you seek to extort from him. Van den Enden," he said, approaching the -old man whose eyes were now so turned up in his head that nothing but -the whites were visible, while his face was a mass of perspiration, -"you are no atheist, praised be God above. You term yourself one, yet -in your hour of tribulation you call upon the God you pretend to deny. -Van den Enden, look upon this symbol, 'tis the symbol of One who -suffered more than you can ever suffer, yet Who was pure and holy; Who -was God incarnate. Kiss it, Van den Enden. Acknowledge at last the -error of your ways." - -"No! no!" groaned the victim, half delirious from pain. "No! no! I -believe nothing. I--I--ah! Ask Spinosa. And--and--I was born a Jew." - -"So," said Bourdaloue, "was He." - -"Mercy! Mercy!" - -"He must reply," De Pomereu said in answer to a look of appeal from -the priest; "or the wedges must be struck deeper. Speak, Van den -Enden," he continued. "Did De Beaurepaire say he would possess himself -of the King's sacred person?" - -"No. Ah!" and again he called on the Deity as the torturer struck at -the great wedge. "Ah! Ah! Yes. Yes. Mercy. I--I--am dying. Save me." - -"Remove him," De Pomereu ordered, "and bring in the other. La Preaux." - -When, however, this adventurer was subjected to similar treatment to -that which Van den Enden had endured nothing was to be obtained from -him. - -Whether, knowing that death was certain in any case, or determined -that, as he had lived without fear--with one exception, namely his -cowardice when thinking he was about to be slain by Humphrey West--so -he would die, it is at least certain that he was bold enough to bear -the torture without uttering one word or one cry. By some superhuman, -perhaps by some devilish, courage, he forced himself to refrain from -emitting any sound when the torture was applied, and, though his great -coarse lips were horribly thrust out and pursed up by the agony he was -suffering, no moan issued from them. To all questions put to him by De -Pomereu and De Caumartin he returned but one answer, "I am innocent of -any knowledge of the plot," and nothing more could be extorted from -him. - - -An hour later, De Beaurepaire accompanied by Bourdaloue and another -priest, Le Père Talon, was led into the prison chapel in which were -already Van den Enden and La Preaux, or Fleur de Mai. The former had -been supported to this spot between two guards; the latter, -indomitable as ever, had managed to limp from his cell to the chapel. -Emérance was not there. - -"To your knees," whispered the priests to the unhappy conspirators. -"To your knees and hear the sentences passed on you." - -"This," said the Greffier of the Judges when all were kneeling, Van -den Enden being assisted and held up between the two guards, "is the -decree of the High Court of his Majesty the King. You, Louis, -Chevalier and Prince de Beaurepaire, late Colonel of all his Majesty's -Guards and Grand Veneur of France, are adjudged guilty of high treason -and _lèse-majeste_. You, Francois Affinius van den Enden, are adjudged -guilty of the same. You, La Preaux, falsely styling yourself Chevalier -and known to many under an assumed name, are adjudged guilty of the -same. The woman Louise de Belleau de Cortonne, widow of Jacques de -Mallorties, Seigneur de Villers and Boudéville, styling herself -falsely Emérance, Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville, is found guilty of -the same." - -"The Lord's will be done," said the two priests solemnly. - -"For you, Louis de Beaurepaire, Prince et Chevalier," continued the -Greffier, "the sentence is that you be decapitated to-morrow at three -of the afternoon in front of this, his Majesty's fortress of the -Bastille. If your body is claimed by your family it will be given up -for burial. At that burial no insignia of your offices of Colonel of -his Majesty's Guards and Grand Veneur may be placed upon your bier, or -coffin, nor may your Chevalier's sword and _fourreau en croix_ be so -placed. All your goods are confiscated to the King." - -"God save the King!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire. - -"For you, La Preaux," continued the Greffier, "the sentence is that -you be decapitated at the same time and place as the Prince Louis de -Beaurepaire, and in company with him and the woman Louise de Belleau -de Cortonne." - -"Ah," murmured De Beaurepaire. "Ah! Emérance and I shall be happy at -last. We dreamt of a union. At last we shall be united." - -"I thank my judges and the King--though they have misjudged me--for -recognising my claims to gentle blood," exclaimed Fleur de Mai. - -"For you, Van den Enden," again went on the Greffier, "the sentence is -that you be hanged by the neck on a gibbet near unto the scaffold on -which your companions in guilt must die. And your goods, like the -goods of those companions, are confiscated to the King. Amen." - -"I shall not leave you till the end," Bourdaloue whispered in De -Beaurepaire's ears as the prisoners were now escorted back to their -cells. "My son, may God have mercy on you." - -"I pray so, holy father. He knows I have need of mercy." - -"As have all of us. Come, my son, come." - - -At the same hour, almost at the same moment, a different scene, though -one which owed its existence to the trial now concluded, was being -enacted at St. Germain, where the Court now was. - -Seated in his chair, advanced three feet from the brilliant circle -that surrounded him, Le Roi Soleil witnessed the representation of -_Cinna_, that superb tragedy which Corneille--stung by the criticisms -on _Le Cid_ of those who were deemed his rivals, and doubly stung by -the criticisms of those who could by no possibility whatever possess -the right of deeming themselves his rivals--had determined should -outvie the former masterpiece. By connivance with those who fondly -hoped that this play--written immediately after a preceding Norman -Rebellion had been crushed--might soften the King's heart towards his -whilom companion, it had been selected by the chamberlains for that -evening's representation. Never, perhaps, had a greater tribute been -paid to genius than this now paid to the dramatist! - -Throughout the play, Louis had sat unmoved in his chair, though all -present remarked that no word or action of the players was lost by -him. - -But when, at the end, Augustus Cæsar, having, discovered the treachery -of Cinna, resolved to pardon the latter and thus win back his -fidelity, the King was observed to move restlessly. - -As Monvel, the actor who played the part of Cæsar, speaking with deep -impressiveness uttered the superb speech commencing:-- - - - Soyons amis, Cinna. - Tu trahis mes bienfaits, je les veux redoubler. - Je t'en avois comblé, je t'en veux accabler, - - -Louis' hand was raised to his head and it seemed as though he swiftly -brushed away some tears that had sprung to his eyes. - -While, a moment later, those seated next to him heard him, or thought -they heard him, mutter the words:-- - -"For the treachery to myself I might have pardoned him. For that -against France, for making a pact with her enemies, I can never pardon -him." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - -The royal supper, _au grand couvert_, was that night a melancholy one. -Surrounded, as was always the case, by the sons and daughters of his -royal house as well as the grandsons and granddaughters, and also by -those ladies of highest rank to whom the right was accorded of supping -at the royal table, the King sat silent and meditative. It was -observed, too, that his Majesty's fine appetite had failed him -to-night and that he scarcely ate anything, in spite of this being the -meal for which he cared most. The thirty violins that usually played -nightly in the gallery of the antechamber were, on this occasion, -silent, since the King had ordered that there should be no music; the -talk and chatter that, in discreet limitation, usually went on at the -second table was now almost entirely suppressed; a gloom had fallen -over the Court which, from the august ruler downwards, none seemed -able to shake off. Rousing himself, however, from the melancholy that -had obtained possession of him to-night--a melancholy produced more by -the knowledge that there was no possibility of pardon for his early -playmate than by even the reflection that, on the morrow, this -playmate was to atone for his treachery on the scaffold--Louis rose -from his seat and left the table, while all present rose at the same -moment. - -"De Brissac," the King said to that officer, who now filled and, until -the new Colonel of Guards should be appointed, would fill the place of -the unhappy man who was to die to-morrow at three o'clock; "there will -be no audience to-night in my bedchamber. Inform the Court," after -which the King bowed to all who were present and retired. Yet, so -strong was habit that, as he passed a little antechamber on his way -to his bedroom he stopped and, going into it alone, saw that his pet -spaniels had been fed and were comfortable for the night. - -"De la Ruffardière," he said to a young nobleman present in the -bedroom, to whom at this time had fallen the privilege of removing the -King's coat, waistcoat and shirt before handing his Majesty over to -the care of the _premier valet_, "I will dispense with your attendance -to-night, and yours," addressing the valet. "I am--fatigued--and would -be alone. Bid De Brissac have the guard set at once in the corridor -and changed as quietly as possible. Good-night. Heaven have you in its -holy keeping." - -"Sire," the Marquis de la Ruffardière ventured to say. "I--I--there is -a----" - -"What is it?" the King asked, looking fixedly at the young man. "What -is it----?" - -"Sire, a--a lady has arrived to-night. She begs audience of your -Majesty. She----" - -"Who is the lady?" - -"Sire, it is the Princesse de Beaurepaire." - -"The Princesse de Beaurepaire! Here! At St. Germain." - -"Here, sire. In the blue antechamber. On her arrival your Majesty's -Intendant had a suite of rooms prepared for her. But, sire, she -implores leave to speak with your Majesty." - -"This is the bitterest stroke of all," the King murmured to himself. -"_His_ mother and almost mine. Heaven!" Then, addressing the Marquis -aloud, he said: "I will, I must, go to her. No," he said, seeing that -the other made as if he would accompany him. "No. Remain here. This -is--I--I--must go alone." Passing through the door which the Marquis -rushed forward to open, Louis went down a small passage and, softly -turning the handle of the door, entered the blue antechamber. -"Madame," he said very gently, as he perceived the Princess rise -suddenly from the fauteuil on which she had been seated, or, rather, -huddled, "Madame. Ah! that we should meet thus. Oh! madame!" and -taking her hand he bent over it and kissed it. - -"Mercy, sire," the Princess cried, flinging herself at once at the -King's feet. "Mercy! Mercy for my unhappy son. Nay," she said, as -Louis endeavoured with extreme gentleness to raise her to her feet, -"nay, nay, let me stay here. Here until you have granted my prayer. -Louis!" throwing aside all ceremony in her agony, "spare him. Spare -him. Ah! you cannot, you will not, slay him, evil as he has been, -evilly as he has acted towards you Louis," she cried again as, -releasing his hand now, she placed both hers upon her bosom. "Louis, -even as he when a child lay on this breast, so, too, did you. As your -mother would take you from her bosom to place on mine, so have I taken -him from mine to place on hers. We were almost foster mothers as you -were almost foster brothers! Ah! sire, as there is One above and He -the only One from whom you can sue for mercy, so let me sue for and -win mercy on earth from the only one who can accord it." -"I am not the only one. He is condemned by his judges. Doomed. If I -spare him, then must I spare all who henceforth conspire against me; -then have I been merciless to all whom I have hitherto refused to -spare for their treachery. For their infidelity." - -"Their treachery! Their infidelity! And his! His treachery and -infidelity! Do you deem that I do not see it, know it, hate and -despise it? Do you think that I, Anne de Beaurepaire--that I, who -was the proudest woman in your father's Court, that I whom your -father--who hated all other women--alone loved, do not hate and -despise my son's acts? Ah! Ah!" she sobbed, "I hate and loathe his -infidelity but, God help and pity me! I love the infidel, and he -is--my--child. Ah! Louis, Louis," she continued, and now not only had -she possessed herself of the King's hand but, with her other -disengaged hand, had grasped him above the elbow so that he could not -free himself from her; "think of it. Think. Think. Short of making me -his Queen, which he could not do, while on my part I would be naught -else than that to him, your father loved me so well that there was -nothing I could ask that he would not have granted. He who detested -all other women; he, the woman hater! It cannot be that his child will -not spare my child. My only child, since his brother, Léon, is -imbecile. Ah! I have but one; do not deprive me of that only one." - -"Madame," the King replied, while still endeavouring to lift the -unhappy Princess to her feet and while the tears streamed from his own -eyes as he witnessed her tears falling. "I--I--it rests not with me. -There are others to whom are confided----" - -"Others," she wailed, yet still with some of her haughty contempt left -in her tones. "Others. What others? De Louvois, who reeks of the -_roture_. De Louvois the plebeian; La Reynie whose name should be Le -Renard; that woman who weaves her toils----" - -"Madame, silence! I command--nay, nay, I beg of you to be silent. Not -a word of----" - -"Ah! I am distraught. I know not what I say. Yet if you will not hear -me nor have mercy on me, at least have mercy on my grief and sorrow. -See--see--Louis de Bourbon--I kneel at your feet in supplication even -as once your father knelt at mine, and--God help me!--you are as -inexorable to me as I was to him; yet I kneel in a better, a nobler -hope. Sire!" she continued in her misery. "Sire, look on me! If you -will not pity me, pity my tears, my supplications; see how abject I -am. I--I--Anne de Beaurepaire, who never thought to sue to mortal man. -Ah! be not so pitiless, Louis! You! of whom it has been said that you -are never wantonly cruel." - -"Nor am I now," the King exclaimed, his face convulsed with grief -and emotion. "It is not I, but France. Had Lou--the Prince de -Beaurepaire--and I been simple gentlemen; had he but aimed his -treacherous shaft against me and my life, then he might have gone in -peace for the sake of our childhood together, for the sake of the -noble Anne, his mother, whom," his voice sinking to a murmur, "my -austere father could not refrain from loving. But it was against -France. France and her ancient laws and rights; her throne; all that -makes France what she is, all that makes your proud race--a race as -proud as my own, or as the race of Guise, or Bretagne, or Montmorenci, -or Courtenai--what it is. France, for which I stand here the symbol -and representative; France which has but one other name--Bourbon." - -"Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!" the Princess wailed. "As you are great, as you -are Louis the Bourbon, be great in your pardon. Show mercy to a -broken-hearted woman." - -"If I might I would. But if I spare him, having spared none other who -conspired against France, will France spare me? Will she pardon her -unjust steward? And there are others. The Council, the great -Ministers----" - -"Yet," the Princess cried, "it is you who have said, '_L'Etat c'est -moi_'. You, whose '_Je le veux_' none have ever dared to question and -still live." - -"Nevertheless," the King said, still very gently while sick at heart -at being forced to so reply, "_he_ dared----" - -"And," she sobbed, loosing her grasp on his hand and arm as she fell -an inert mass to the floor; "therefore must die." - -After which she lay motionless, her superb grey hair, which, in her -emotion had become dishevelled, making a white patch upon the rich, -blood-red Segoda carpet. - -Kneeling now by the side of the unhappy mother upon whose breast, as -she had said, he had so often been soothed in infancy, the King -endeavoured in every way to restore her to sensibility and raise her -from the position to which she had fallen. He kissed and rubbed her -hands again and again; he whispered words of comfort and affection -into her now deaf ears, and said all that one might say to comfort a -broken-hearted woman, except that which alone might have called her -back to sense and happiness--a promise of pardon for her son. - -After which, finding that it was impossible to restore her by his own -efforts, the King left the room quietly, went back to his bedroom and, -summoning the Marquis de la Ruffardière to assist him, returned to the -blue antechamber. - -"Poor lady," he said, looking down at the Princess, "she has swooned -at learning that there is no hope of pardon for him. Can we convey her -to the rooms the Intendant has set apart for her?" - -"Doubtless, sire, if your Majesty will permit yourself----" - -"Permit myself! In my childhood she has often rocked me to sleep in -her arms!" - -"Perhaps one of her women, sire, might also assist----" - -"When we have conveyed her to her apartments. But, first, go out to -the corridor and bid the guard retire for a quarter of an hour. There -must be no prying eyes to witness the weakness of the noble Anne de -Beaurepaire." - -So, when the Marquis had obeyed this order and bidden the sentries -leave the principal corridor till he summoned them back, he and the -King lifted the Princess gently from the floor and conveyed her to the -rooms set apart for her, after which they handed her over to the care -of the women she had brought with her on the long, swift journey from -Nancy. - -Followed by the Marquis, the King returned to his bedchamber and -prepared to retire, the assistance of the former being now accepted. -Yet, while Louis was gradually undressed by De la Ruffardière who -removed his shoes and stockings as well as his clothes, since the -_premier valet_ had long since departed on receiving his dismissal for -the night, the King sighed heavily more than once; and more than once, -too, the Marquis observed that the tears stood in his eyes. And, once -also, he murmured to himself: "It is his last night on earth. His last -night. Stay with me," he commanded as, after rising from his prayers, -he prepared to get into his bed. "Stay with me, De la Ruffardière. You -can sleep here on the lounge or in the antechamber, can you not?" - -"Sire, I will not sleep. Rather may I crave to be allowed to keep -guard in the antechamber." - -"Nay! nay! Sleep. Rest is needful to all. Extinguish all light, except -the night-lamp. Good-night, De la Ruffardière." - -"Good-night, your Majesty. God bless your Majesty and grant you a -peaceful night's rest." - -"Amen," the King said, sighing deeply. - -When, however, the guard was being changed in front of the château, -and the exchange of sign and countersign could be plainly heard by the -Marquis who was lying wide awake on the lounge at the foot of the -great _ruelle_ of the King's bed, Louis spoke and called him by name. - -"Here, sire," the other said, springing off the couch. "How fares it -with your Majesty?" - -"Sad at heart. Sad. Sad. De la Ruffardière, tell me frankly; here -to-night and alone as we are--tell me as man to man--what is the -character I bear with my people? Do they deem me a cruel ruler?" - -"Ah, sire! The noblest King who has ever adorned a throne. Bountiful, -magnanimous----" - -"What," the king continued, scarcely pausing to hear the answer he -knew must come from a courtier, "what is thought of De Beaurepaire's -punishment? Am I deemed implacable?" - -"Sire," the other said, hardly daring to answer him, yet forcing -himself to do so, "if he should go free what shall be the reward of -those who have never wavered in their loyalty to, and love of, your -Majesty?" - -"Ah," Louis said. "Ah, 'tis true." - -After this, the King seemed to sleep, yet, ere the time came for him -to awake and give the usual audience in bed to all the courtiers, he -spoke to the Marquis a second time. - -"You are a friend of De Courtenai?" he asked. - -"I am, sire." - -"Does he, do all of his family, regret the Byzantine throne they once -sat on? Do they who were once Kings, they who are akin to the throne -of France, regret their present poverty and lowliness?" - -"They have never said so, sire, to my knowledge. They are content to -be simple gentlemen. The men are plain soldiers, giving their swords -to France, the women to rearing their children as children having the -blood of De Courtenai in them. Sire, _bon sang ne peut mentir_." - -"They should be happy, very happy," Louis murmured. "The throne they -lost could not outvie the gentle, simple life, nor the absence of -trouble, care and heartache. De la Ruffardière, pray God that none -whom you love may ever attain to a throne." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - -It was, as the King had whispered to himself, De Beaurepaire's last -night on earth, as it was also of those others. Of the woman he loved; -of the vagabond who, bully though he might be, had been staunch and -inflexible; of the old man who, the chief conspirator of all, was now -to suffer the most ignominious of deaths. - -In the chamber in the Bastille allotted to De Beaurepaire the prisoner -sat now before the fire musing on what all would say when they knew of -his end; of what his friends who had loved him well would feel, and of -how his enemies, of whom he had so many, would gloat over his -downfall. Naturally he thought also of the women who had loved him -once and the women who loved him now, in this his darkest hour. - -"The women who love me now!" he said to himself. "Who are they? Who? -My mother and--and--Emérance. Emérance who is not fifty paces away -from me, Emérance who dies by my side to-morrow, yet whom I may not see -until, to-morrow, we stand on the same scaffold together. And then but -for a moment ere the axe falls." - -"Whom I may not see until to-morrow," he repeated. "Not until -to-morrow." - -And again he said to himself, "Not until to-morrow," while adding: -"And there are so many long hours until three o'clock to-morrow!" - -As though to corroborate this thought there boomed out the tones of -the prison clock striking midnight, the sound being followed an -instant later by the deeper boom of the great bell of Notre Dame and -then by that of the other clocks in the city. - -"Midnight," De Beaurepaire said. "Midnight. Fifteen hours yet of life, -fifteen hours spent apart from her! And she here, close by. Ah! it is -hard." - -He rose from the chair he sat in and went across to the other side of -the great fireplace where, in another chair, was seated the Père -Bourdaloue reading his breviary. Some time before this the priest had -prayed with him and would do so again at intervals during the night, -while later--before the end came to-morrow--he would confess and -absolve the condemned man as his brother priest would confess and -absolve the others, with the exception of Van den Enden, who was -resolute not to see either priest or minister of any faith. Now, -however, as has been said, the good man read his breviary. - -"Father," the condemned man said, standing before him and waiting to -speak until he looked up from his book, "Father, help me to see her. I -must see her ere we meet there. Below. Help me to bid her a last, a -long farewell." - -"To see her, my son! The woman who has brought you to this?" - -"Nay! nay! Never. None has brought me to this but my own self; my own -wickedness, my treachery and ambition. Above all, not she. Instead, -her undoing lies heavy at my charge. Had she not loved me with a love -passing the love of women, she might have gone free, have escaped. -But--but--she grappled herself to me out of that great love and, as I -fell, she fell with me. Let me see her once more. Here. To-night." - -"What has this love of yours and hers been, Louis de Beaurepaire? The -love that honours a woman in its choice, or the mad frenzy, the wild -passion, the evil desires that sweep all boundaries and obstacles and -laws aside even as the torrent sweeps aside all that stands in its -way?" - -"An honest love, heaven be praised. On my part the love of the captor -for the poor maimed thing he has caught in his hand, and, even in -bruising, soothes and comforts too. The love of one who cannot put -aside that which, in capturing, he has thus come to love. Yet, -further----" - -"Yes. What?" - -"Our love was not evil. For even as it quickened in our hearts we saw -before us a pure, a nobler life that might, that should, be ours. If -we had escaped from this our doom; had we never been taken, or, being -taken, had we by chance been let go free--we should have wed. Our vows -were sworn and deeply, too; they would have been kept." - -"You would have kept them knowing what she was?" - -"As she would have kept hers knowing what I was. What better am I than -she? An intriguer, a traitor, even as she is an _intrigante_, a -traitress; yet without her reasons, without her love of her own -province as excuse, as extenuation. Had we wedded, our marriage would -have but made us more akin and equal." - -"If this is in your heart, the chance is still yours. Your vows may -still be fulfilled. Louis de Beaurepaire, remembering who and what you -are, remembering also who and what she is--as all learnt who were in -the Arsenal at your confrontations--are you willing to make this woman -your wife to-night?" - -"Willing! To-night! Ay! willing a thousandfold. God help her! she has -had no return for her attachment to such as I am; if this be an -expiation, an atonement from me to her--even at this our last hour--it -shall be hers. And--and--" he murmured so low that scarcely could the -priest hear him, "for me it will be happiness extreme. To die by her -side though only as her lover might have brought its little share of -comfort; to die by her side--I her husband, she my wife--will make -death happiness. Yet," he exclaimed, looking down suddenly at the -priest from his great height, "can you do this? Can this be lawful? -Without flaw or blemish?" - -"In our holy Church's eyes? Yes." - -"And in the law's eyes?" - -"The law cannot over-rule us." - -"Hasten then, father, to make us one." - -"I will go seek the Lieutenant du Roi, yet it needs not even that. -Alas! too often have I passed the last night in this place with other -prisoners to make any permission necessary for what I do. Yet this I -must do," he said, withdrawing the key of the door from his pocket, -putting it in the lock and then opening the door itself. - -And De Beaurepaire, observing, smiled grimly. - -"I could not escape if I would, yet I have no thought of that," he -said. "He who awaits at the altar steps the woman he loves seeks -flight no more than I who now await her." - -After he had heard the key turned in the lock outside, he sat down in -his chair again and gave himself up to further meditation. Perhaps--it -might well be!--he thought in those moments of all that he had thrown -away, with, last of all, his life: perhaps he thought how he, who had -once been the chosen comrade of the King, was now to meet his death -for his treachery to that King. Above all he must have thought of the -proud, handsome woman who was his mother; the woman who, haughty, -disdainful of all others, had worshipped and idolised him. And she was -not yet old, he remembered; in spite of the early blanching of her -hair she was not yet fifty, and he had entailed upon her so bitter a -shame that, henceforth, her once great life must be passed in grey, -dull obscurity. Her life that had hitherto been so splendid and -bright! - -"Almost," he whispered, "I could bring myself to pray that God may see -fit to take her soon. How shall she continue to live when I am dead, -and dead in such a way; for such a sin?" - -He thought also of others now, on whom, perhaps, in different -circumstances, he would scarcely have bestowed a thought or memory. - -He thought of Humphrey West whose death had been so treacherously -attempted--thanking heaven devoutly, fervently, as he did so, that in -this, at least, he had had no hand or knowledge; and he recalled, too, -the gentle loving girl who was, as the Père Bourdaloue had told him -only an hour or so earlier, to become Humphrey's bride within a month. -That it was not in this man's nature to pray for the happiness of any -human being, is not, perhaps, strange, remembering what his own -existence had been; yet now, with more gentle, more humane thoughts -possessing that nature it was also not strange that he should be able -to hope their lives together would be long and pleasant. - -"And," he said to himself, Pagan-like to the last, "had I served -another as he served me, faithfully and honestly, as a friend, so -would I, like him, have denounced that other as he denounced me when -set upon and almost done to death by that other's myrmidons. He held -the ace--he would have been more than man if he refused to throw it." - -Of one other, however, he thought little and cared less. He had never -loved the Duchesse de Castellucchio, beautiful as she was; he had -regarded her only as a woman who might by a fortunate chance, if the -Pope should prove yielding, be able to rehabilitate him in the eyes of -the world--and able also to free him from the load of debt that bore -him down. Able to assist him to regain the pinnacle to which by his -birth and rank he was entitled, but from which by his own failings and -errors he had been hurled headlong. - -"Nor," he said, and once more he smiled bitterly, "did she love me. -Has one of her family ever loved aught but himself or herself? But I -served her turn, I enabled her to escape out of France and from her -demoniac. While, had a _pis-aller_ been required, a De Beaurepaire -might well have replaced a Ventura. Now she is safe in Italy and I am -here. She should be content." - -The key grated in the lock as the doomed man mused thus upon the woman -whom he had helped to save from a hateful life; and the bitterness of -his fate must stand as atonement for his thoughts of one who was far -from being the hard, selfish creature he pronounced her. - -A moment later the other woman, the woman he loved so fondly, was by -his side. Behind her followed the Père Bourdaloue, who, after bidding -two of the gendarmerie to remain outside until he called them, went to -the farther end of the room and left the lovers as much alone as was -possible. - -"Louis!" Emérance exclaimed, as she drew near him. "Louis! Once more -we are together. Louis! Louis! Oh! my love." - -"_Mon amour. Ma mie_," he cried, clasping her in his arms, while, as -he did so, he saw that, though her face was white--white as the long -gown (tied round her waist with a cord) which she now wore, and in -which to-morrow, nay, to-day! she would go to the scaffold--there was -still upon that face, in those soft eyes, a look of happiness extreme. -"Thank God it is so. And he," with a look at the priest at the farther -end of the room, "has told you? We shall die, we shall go to our death -together as man and wife." - -"Nay," Emérance whispered, though as she did so her arms had sought -his neck and enlaced it, "Nay, not as that. But----" - -"Not as that! You--you who love me so--will not be my wife?" - -"I am your wife. In heart, in soul, in every thought, in every fibre -of my being. There is nought of me that is not you, that is not De -Beaurepaire now. What would an idle ceremony, performed over us by -him," with a glance towards the priest, "and witnessed by those -soldiers outside, do for us? Could I love you more in the few hours -that I should be your wife than I have loved you, not being your wife? -Shall we sleep less calmly and peacefully in our graves to-morrow and -for ever--yes, for ever!--because that ceremony has not been -performed? Louis, there is no wedded wife in all this world to-night -who loves her lawful husband more madly than I love you to whom no tie -binds me. And--I was a wife once, and my husband beat and ill-used me, -and I hated him. You are no husband of mine and I adore, I worship, -you." - -"But--but--once--we--spoke of marriage, of being wed. Of a life to be -passed together." - -"There is no life left to us to pass together. Only this hour, these -moments--now. When we spoke of that wedded life which should, which -might, be ours; when you thought of stooping from your high estate to -marry such as I am, there was a hope for us. We might have escaped -when we had failed in our attempt--succeed we never could!--and then -have been together always. Always. Always. Now," and the soft, clear -eyes were very close to the dark eyes of the man so near to her, "we -may not be wedded but--I thank God for it--neither shall we ever -more be parted. Together we have lived and loved for--how long? A -month--six weeks--two months--ah! I cannot well recall. To-morrow -brings us together for all eternity." - -"You will not be my wife!" De Beaurepaire said again, his voice -hoarse, lost in his throat. "You can be so--great--as to reject the -one poor repayment I can make for your sweet, your precious, love?" - -"Repayment! Does love need repayment? Can there be debtor and creditor -in that? And--if so--why, then Louis, Louis, _mon adore_, have you not -repaid? You--such as you--to me!" - -"My children," the Père Bourdaloue said, turning round and advancing -to them, "the night is passing. If you will be wed, now is the time. -The Lieutenant du Roi granted you an hour together for that purpose, -that hour is running through." - -"Father," the woman said, advancing towards him, standing before him -so white and pale, yet with, on her face, so calm, so happy a look -that he could recall no other dying woman--even as she passed -peacefully away surrounded by all who loved her and whom she -loved--who had seemed as calm and happy as she. "Father, there is no -need. We are wedded." - -"Wedded!" he exclaimed. "Wedded! You are wedded?" - -"Ay. As much as two need ever be who love each other as we love, who -go hand in hand to their doom, to their grave; to that eternal parting -which will be an eternal union. Take me," she said now, "back to my -cell. To-morrow I shall come forth a bride." - -"And you?" Bourdaloue asked, looking at De Beaurepaire. "Are you -agreed?" - -"As she will have it so let it be," De Beaurepaire answered. - -"Come then," the priest said. "Come." - -Following him, Emérance took two or three steps towards the door then, -suddenly, she stopped and laid her hand on Bourdaloue's arm, although -as she spoke her eyes were fixed upon her lover. - -"Father," she said, "my life has not been all evil, yet--yet--God help -and pity me!--it has not been that of an upright woman, but of one who -has been a spy, a conspirator. Not that which my mother prayed it -might be as she lay dying. But--if--if--there is aught of atonement -for that life, it is that I freely, gladly, yield it up so that as I -leave the world I leave it with him whom, of all men alone, I have -loved." - -A moment later she was back by her lover's side, once more her arms -were around his neck, once more she was clasped to his heart. - -"To-morrow. To-morrow. To-morrow, we shall be together," she -whispered. "Ah! _mon amour adoré_, to-morrow I shall be yours only. -To-morrow and for ever." - -"You will be brave?" he murmured back. "You will not fear?" - -"Be brave!" she repeated. "Brave! Why! what should I fear when you are -by my side? When I have all I ask." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - -The crowd outside the Bastille had begun to form even before the dawn -of the gloomy November day which was to witness the execution of the -four principal conspirators in the Norman plot; the four conspirators -whom alone, of many others of high and low degree, it had been thought -advisable to bring to trial. This was because, amongst those others, -were names of such importance that, coupled with the name of De -Beaurepaire, they would have revealed the existence of so deep-rooted -a conspiracy against France and the King as to absolutely threaten the -existence of France as a monarchy, as well as the existence of Le Roi -Soleil. Therefore, since justice was now to be done upon those four, -it had been deemed the highest policy to ignore all others concerned, -and thus veil in obscurity the wide-spreading roots of the wicked -scheme. - -By mid-day the crowd was so augmented that one-eighth of the -population of Paris was calculated to be present; the mass of people -was so closely wedged that any movement had become impossible. If -women fainted from the pressure they were subjected to, they had to -remain standing insensible or be supported by others until they -recovered, since there was not room for them to fall to the ground. If -infants in arms--of which, as always at any public "spectacle," many -had been brought--fell or were dropped, it was in most cases -impossible to recover them: several old as well as very young persons -were trampled to death, and more than one birth took place amongst -that crowd. - -And still the mob continued to swell and increase until three o'clock, -while some hundreds of persons helped to add farther to it long after -the "spectacle" was over. - -In front of the great door of the prison, above which was carved a -bas-relief representing two slaves manacled together, a long scaffold -had been erected on which were placed three blocks. Some short -distance off was a small movable rostrum, or smaller scaffold, above -which was reared a gallows with the rope hanging loosely from it. On -this rostrum Van den Enden would later take his stand until, the rope -being fastened tightly round his neck, the rostrum would be pushed -from under his feet and he would be left hanging. Still a farther -distance off was a brazier, the fire in which was not yet ignited. At -three o'clock it would be lit and, into it, a huge bundle of papers -would be cast. These papers were those which had been found in La -Truaumont's possession after death, and contained not only innumerable -letters and other documents dealing with the plot, but also his birth -certificate and his parchment commissions and _brevets_. As far as was -possible his memory, as well as the records of his association with -the conspiracy, were to be effaced for ever. - -Early in the morning three sides of a square had been formed round the -scaffolds and the brazier--the prison wall and the great door of the -prison making the fourth side--by a large body of troops. These troops -consisted of three lines, the innermost one, which was composed of -several companies of the Regiment de Rouen, being so placed owing -partly to the fact that the regiment happened at the moment to be -quartered in Paris, and partly because it was thought well that its -men should witness what had befallen those who had endeavoured to stir -up rebellion in the particular province to which it belonged. - -Behind these soldiers were those of the Garde du Corps du Roi -under the command of De Brissac who, from dawn, had sat his horse -statue-like. Behind this were the Mousquetaires, both black and grey. - -"How slowly that clock moves," a sandy-haired, good-looking girl of -the people said as, at last, the clock of the Bastille struck two and -the final hour of waiting was at hand. "Have you ever seen this -handsome Prince who is to die?" she asked, turning to a big, brawny -man who stood by her side. - -"Ay, often," the man, who was totally unknown to the girl, replied, -looking down at her. "Often. I was a soldier myself until six months -ago. And in the Garde du Corps. Are you an admirer of handsome men?" - -"I have heard so much of his beauty. And of his loves. They say all -the aristocratic women loved him." - -"_Vertu dieu!_" the man said with a laugh; "I wonder then that he did -not disfigure himself. One can be fed too full on love as well as -other things, _ma belle_," he added with a hoarse laugh, while -recalling perhaps some of his own _galanteries de caserne_. - -"There is one who dies with him to-day," a dark, pale woman struck in -now, "whom they say he loved passing well, as she him. _Dieu!_ what is -sweeter than to die with those we love!" - -"To live for them, _bonne femme_," the soldier replied, still -jeeringly. Then, seeing that this woman's face had clouded with a look -of pain, he said in a gentler voice, "Ah! pardon. I have not wounded -you?" - -"Nay. Not much. But I have loved and been left behind. I would I might -have gone too." - -"They say he and the woman and the old Jew who is to hang," a cripple -exclaimed, "sought to kill the King. _Oh-é! Oh-é!_" the creature -grunted, "I would I were tall enough to see the Jew swinging. _Mon -brave_," looking up at the ex-soldier, "will you not lift me to your -shoulder when they come out?" - -"Ay! will I, and fling you at the Jew's head afterwards. If you miss -him mayhap you will fall into the brazier. And, so, an end to you." - -"Is there a brazier! And for the Jew! Oh! Oh! Oh! To burn him all up. -Oh! Oh!" and the cripple, in his efforts to caper about, trod so on -his neighbours' feet that they kicked and cuffed him till he was -almost senseless. - -"The Dutch fleet was off Havre a week ago," one old man remarked to -another in solemn, almost awestruck, whispers. "Ah! if the Normans had -been ready. If the enemy had landed. If France had been invaded. Oh, -_mon Dieu!_" - -"_Pschut!_" exclaimed the other old man, one of different mettle from -his companion. "The Normans ready! _Fichtre pour les Normans!_ There -were none who had the power to cause a single village to rise. France -might have slept in peace." - -"_Attention!_" rang out the voice of the officer in command of the -Mousquetaires a little while later, and, as it did so, the crowd -roared like so many beasts of prey; then, gradually, yet quickly, too, -the roar subsided into a deep, hoarse murmur, and an indescribable -tremor, or movement, passed through the thousands present. - -For, now, the great bell of the Bastille that had, in days past, so -often sounded the tocsin over St. Antoine--and was so often to sound -it again in days to come--was tolling slowly: the huge doors were -open, they were coming forth. - -Ahead of all walked some bareheaded and barefooted Carmelites -chanting the _Salve Regina_: following them, the Governor of the -Bastille and the Lieutenant du Roi marched side by side. Next, came -the headsman and his assistants, masked, the former carrying his axe -over his shoulder. - -Behind them the condemned ones came forth. First, with the Père -Bourdaloue by his side, appeared De Beaurepaire, superb and stately, -his head bare. He was dressed all in black velvet but, underneath his -outer coat might be caught the gleam of his handsome _justaucorps_. -Yet, noble as his presence was, there was missing from his face to-day -the look of arrogance and haughty contempt that had hitherto been the -one disfigurement of his manly beauty. Now, he walked calmly and -solemnly and resigned, as one might walk who followed another to his -grave instead of as one who, with every step he took, drew nearer to -his own. - -Behind him came the woman he loved, the woman who loved him so, the -woman whose eyes were fixed upon him as he preceded her and who, it -seemed to those who were in a position to observe her, would have -drawn closer to him had it been possible. - -But still there were the others. Fleur de Mai, big, stalwart, burly, -marching with a firm, well-assured step; with an eye that seemed to -roam in pride and satisfaction over the vast crowd that was assembled -there to see them die; with lips pursed out as though in contempt of -what he was about to suffer. - -Last of all came Van den Enden, supported, almost dragged along, -between two jailers, and muttering as he went: "An old man. So old. So -old and feeble!" - -That the crowd should make its comments even at such a moment of -supreme solemnity was not to be doubted, and that those comments -should come principally from the female portion of it was equally -certain. The men, excepting only those of the more base and -contemptible kind, were mostly silent while, perhaps, feeling within -their hearts some satisfaction that the two principal sufferers of -their own sex were representing that sex so fearlessly. - -From the women there issued, however, almost universal sobbing and -weeping, coupled with many exclamations on the splendid bearing of De -Beaurepaire as well as the resignation and calm, placid beauty of his -companion. "How pale yet brave she is," some said. "How happy she -should be to die with him--by his side," said others. - -All were now at the foot of the scaffold, Van den Enden going on to -the gallows waiting for him, where, when the heads of the others were -struck off, he would be hanged. Already the executioner's chief -assistant had commenced to cut off the hair from the back of the head -and neck of Emérance; another was tucking the long locks of Fleur de -Mai up above his neck and tying it with a piece of cord, while the -headsman, observing that De Beaurepaire's wavy hair was cut quite -short behind, muttered that "it would not interfere." - -"Has monseigneur a piece of this to spare?" he asked, pointing to the -dark ribbon with which De Beaurepaire's jacket was tied in front. - -"Nay," the doomed man said quietly, while uttering the words which -were long afterwards remembered and, when repeated to his mother, -brought some solace to her bruised heart. "Nay. Bind me with cord. He -Who never sinned was thus bound; shall I go to my death better than -He?" Then, putting his purse into the man's hand, he said: "Strike -quick and hard. Also be merciful to her," turning his eyes towards -Emérance as he spoke. - -"Never fear," the man said under his breath. - -By this time the others were ready. _La toilette des morts_ was made -for all. The hair was now all cut away from the neck of Emérance; the -executioner had gently turned down the collar of her white robe so -that her neck was bare to her shoulders, her wrists were tied together -behind. As regards Fleur de Mai, he also was prepared and stood calmly -regarding the enormous concourse of people, as though endeavouring to -discover among it some friends or acquaintances who might be able to -testify how he had died. Later, when the executioner was interrogated -by La Reynie as to the events of that day, the man stated that Fleur -de Mai hummed a tune as he was being made ready. - -It had been ordained that De Beaurepaire's head was to fall first, -Fleur de Mai's the second, and that of Emérance the third, and, though -the latter had pleaded against this refinement of cruelty to a woman, -she was told that her prayer to be executed first could not be -granted. - -And now the time had come. - -With a touch of his hand, a glance of his eyes through the hideous -mask he wore, the executioner motioned each to their respective -blocks. Fleur de Mai was placed before the outer block on the right of -the scaffold, Emérance before the extreme one on the left, De -Beaurepaire between them. - -"_Altesse_," the headsman whispered. "It is the moment." - -Amidst a silence such as perhaps no crowd--perhaps no French -crowd!--had ever before maintained, De Beaurepaire turned towards the -woman he had learnt to love so fondly. - -"Adieu," he whispered, bending down to her so that, for the last time -in life, their lips met--embrace they could not, since their hands -were tied behind their backs. "Adieu for ever, _ma adorée_." - -But from her lips as they met his, the word "Adieu" did not proceed, -but, instead, the word "Wedded." As she spoke he saw that she smiled -at him. - -Advancing now towards the block, he was about to kneel by it; with a -sign from his eyes he signalled to the executioner's assistant to give -him his hand to assist him in doing so, when, to his astonishment, as -well as to that of all in the vast concourse, De Brissac's powerful -voice rang out on the dense silence. From his lips were heard to issue -the order: "Stop. Defer your task. Proceed no farther in it as yet." - -As he thus commanded, his eyes, glancing over the head of the crowd -from where he sat above them on his horse, were directed towards a man -clad in the _soutane_ of a priest, one who was frantically waving a -paper in the air. A priest who was seated by the side of the coachman -on the box of one of the royal carriages. - -"What does this mean?" De Beaurepaire asked in a hoarse tone, while, -as he did so, his eyes were directed towards Emérance who had reeled -back as she heard De Brissac's stern command and was now supported by -one of the monks who had followed the condemned on to the scaffold. In -that look he saw that she was white as marble, that her eyes had in -them a strange unnatural glance, a glance perceptible even through -their half-closed lids. - -"Has the King relented at the last moment?" De Brissac muttered to -himself. After which he cried to his men: "Make way through your ranks -for the Reverend Father. Let him approach at once. It is," he -whispered to the officer nearest to him, "the King's Confessor." - -This order was easily to be obeyed in so far as the troops were -concerned, but more difficult of accomplishment as regarded the crowd -behind them. Nor--since it must be told!--was the majority of that -crowd very willing to see any interruption of _le spectacle_ take -place. They had stood here since the November dawn had broken, wet, -cold and foggy to observe three men and a woman die, and now, it would -appear, they were to be baulked of their sport. - -Moreover, there was happening to them that which has always been, and -still is, obnoxious to a large multitude of Parisians gathered -together, either for their amusement or for the gratification of a -sickly, a neurotic curiosity. The troops were dominating them; they -were being dispersed, pushed away at the very moment when the great -tableau was to have been presented to their gaze. Slowly backing their -horses, the troopers of the Garde du Roi and of the two corps of -Mousquetaires were driving back, and, above all, parting the mass of -spectators; in a few moments the closely serried gathering was split -apart--the priest escorted by some of the men of the Regiment de Rouen -was nearing the steps of the scaffold. - -"It is an infamy," many in the great gathering muttered. "Has the -Splendid one become a Nero?" exclaimed others. "It is torture to them -and an insult to us," said still more. "In what days are we living?" -While one or two exclaimed, "It has never been done before." - -"You are wrong, my son," the priest said, overhearing this last remark -and turning round to look at one of the speakers. "I myself have stood -on the scaffold and seen a man reprieved, set free; a man to whom I -had already given the last absolution. And your mother could not have -paid for you to learn the history of your own country. Did you never -hear of Saint Vallier, father of Diane de Poitiers, who was spared as -he stood on the scaffold through her prayers to the King, even as this -man is saved from death--but death alone--through the prayers of his -mother to our King?" - -"His mother!" many of the dispersed assembly muttered now, a different -chord struck by that word so sacred to all French. "His mother. Ah! -_Grand Dieu, c'est autre chose_. His mother has saved him! The King -has a heart within his bosom. _Vive le Roi!_" - -By now the priest was upon the scaffold, the paper he had waved in the -air was in the hands of the Lieutenant du Roi, who was scanning it -hurriedly, A moment later he turned round to some of his warders and -said: "Remove the Prince de Beaurepaire. His life is spared. To-morrow -he goes to----" - -"Spared!" De Beaurepaire exclaimed. "Spared, to go where? To -imprisonment for life, doubtless. I will not have it so, not unless -her life is spared too," and, as he spoke, he turned to where he knew -Emérance was. - -As he did so a hoarse cry broke from his lips, and, all bound as he -was, he struggled towards her. What he saw had struck a more icy chill -to his heart than the approach of his now avoided death. Upon his -knees was the monk, on one arm he supported the form of Emérance; with -the hand that was free he held the Cross above her. - -"Emérance, Emérance. My love, my love," De Beaurepaire cried. -"Emérance. Ah! speak to me." - -But the woman's lips did not move. They would never move again. - -"She is dead," the monk said, looking up. "She died but a moment ago. -As the holy father mounted the steps." - -"Dead," De Beaurepaire wailed. "Dead! Gone--and I am here. Emérance is -dead! Without me! Gone without one word to me. I will not believe it. -It cannot be." - -"Not without one word," the monk replied. "As she died I heard her -whisper 'Louis' once. A moment later she murmured 'Saved'. Be content, -my son, she is at rest." - - - - -THE END - - -Humphrey and Jacquette heard the next day of all that had taken place -outside the Bastille and learnt that De Beaurepaire was to be at once -sent to the Ile Ste. Marguerite or the Château d'If, where he would -remain a prisoner for the rest of his life. The prayers of his mother, -aided by the words of the King's Confessor who, though only a humble -priest, was much esteemed by Louis, had saved him from death at least. - -Of those who mourned De Beaurepaire's fate, and they were many, none -did so more than these two who were now about to become man and wife. -For, whatever the character of that unhappy man had been, however his -vaulting ambition may have o'erleaped itself, it became the custom ere -long to speak of him as one who had been more led into error than as -the instigator of "the great crime." Indeed, it was not long ere the -punishment, even still severe, of Louis de Beaurepaire was generally -referred to as one of those _crimes de la cour_ which, in earlier -days, had made victims of Enguerrand de Marigny and Beaune de -Semblançay, of Jacques C[oe]ur and the unfortunate victim of -Richelieu's hate, Cinq-Mars. And, as gradually matters became more and -more unfolded, as Louis XIV. learnt how De Beaurepaire had been -tempted by his enemy, Spain, he himself was known to express regret -for him, and, sometimes, to even hint at eventually forgiving him. - -For Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville if, until it became known who she -was, no sympathy had been expressed in Normandy, some regret for her -unhappy earlier life was at last forthcoming. By her real name she was -afterwards spoken of and written of in the province as a woman who had -been cruelly treated by both her husband and the law, and neglected by -those whom, at least at first, she had striven hard to benefit, though -in a wicked way; and as one whose mad love for De Beaurepaire had -finally led her to her doom. In Paris, those who had witnessed her -death, and, above all, those who had heard, or heard of, her last -words, regarded her as a martyr to that love. Van den Enden has also, -even with all the social prejudice there was against him, at last been -written of as "_un pauvre Utopiste Hollandais_." Fleur de Mai, as the -Chevalier la Preaux chose to call himself, was soon forgotten or, if -ever mentioned, was spoken of as a brigand who had turned conspirator. - -It was a month after the imprisonment of De Beaurepaire and when the -execution of his two companions had taken place, that Humphrey and -Jacquette were married at St. Nicholas-des-Champs preparatory to -setting out for England, which country was henceforth to be their -home. - -"We have done with France for ever, sweetheart," he said to the girl -who was to be his bride on the morrow; "England must henceforth be our -home. My mother has long made it hers and will never leave it; and it -is your mother's land. Jacquette, will it suffice you?" - -"It is your land too," the girl replied. "Where you are there is my -home. There my heart." - -Then, softly, she repeated the words of Ruth which, though not -addressed to one who was a lover, have, through the centuries, been so -often used by women to those whom they love. - -"My own, my very own," Humphrey whispered. "Ah! if it were not that it -was I who took the first step to send that unhappy man and woman to -their fate, I should carry no regrets away with me. De Beaurepaire was -ever kind and gracious to me; I made him but a poor return." - -"Nay, say not so. He would have overthrown the King who had done all -for him; his myrmidons would have slain you. Your duty lay along the -road you took, you could have travelled no other. Had you held your -peace, had you let the King fall a victim to him and those who egged -him on to such wickedness--the King who persuaded your own King to do -justice to you--then would you not have been the hero in my eyes that -you are." - -"A hero. I? Ah, no! What did I do to earn that name? What, except -bring the Prince to his fate?" - -"Humphrey. Humphrey, my love, my husband that is to be, do not palter -with yourself. Did you not risk your life against those men at Basle -rather than consent to keep silence upon their hateful plot? Would you -not have slain that bravo had he not played the coward; would you not -sooner have slain yourself than become one of them? That--that--was -hero's work; as a hero will you ever stand in my eyes." - -Wherefore those words of the old dramatist, Quinault, _Les drames sans -héros ni héroïne sont les vrais drames_, true as their philosophy may -be in general, were not so in this particular. For he who, by his -actions in an actual human drama, can earn the opinion of the creature -he loves best in this world--the woman who is his wife--as well as the -opinion of a despotic monarch, that he is a hero, has scarcely failed -to disprove that old writer's remark. - -It is not, consequently, to be denied that, in the drama of De -Beaurepaire's last year of life, if he was no hero at least Humphrey -West was one, while was not Emérance a heroine in a different manner? -Not a good heroine, it is true, but a heroine in the same manner as -Rodogune, as Phædra, were. A heroine who, though the words were not -written ere she died, justified the poet's line: "All for love and the -world well lost." - - - - -The End. - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Traitor and True, by John Bloundelle-Burton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAITOR AND TRUE *** - -***** This file should be named 52649-8.txt or 52649-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/4/52649/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by -Google Books (Cecil H. Green Library: Stanford University -Libraries) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Traitor and True - A Romance - -Author: John Bloundelle-Burton - -Release Date: July 25, 2016 [EBook #52649] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAITOR AND TRUE *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by -Google Books (Cecil H. Green Library: Stanford University -Libraries) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Notes:<br> -1. Page scan source:<br> -https://books.google.com/books?id=CeEOAAAAIAAJ<br> -(Cecil H. Green Library: Stanford University Libraries)</p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> -<p><a name="div1Ref_01" href="#div1_01">CHAPTER I</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_02" href="#div1_02">CHAPTER II</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_03" href="#div1_03">CHAPTER III</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_04" href="#div1_04">CHAPTER IV</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_05" href="#div1_05">CHAPTER V</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_06" href="#div1_06">CHAPTER VI</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_07" href="#div1_07">CHAPTER VII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_08" href="#div1_08">CHAPTER VIII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_09" href="#div1_09">CHAPTER IX</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_10" href="#div1_10">CHAPTER X</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_11" href="#div1_11">CHAPTER XI</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_12" href="#div1_12">CHAPTER XII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_13" href="#div1_13">CHAPTER XIII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_14" href="#div1_14">CHAPTER XIV</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_15" href="#div1_15">CHAPTER XV</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_16" href="#div1_16">CHAPTER XVI</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_17" href="#div1_17">CHAPTER XVII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_18" href="#div1_18">CHAPTER XVIII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_19" href="#div1_19">CHAPTER XIX</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_20" href="#div1_20">CHAPTER XX</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_21" href="#div1_21">CHAPTER XXI</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_22" href="#div1_22">CHAPTER XXII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_23" href="#div1_23">CHAPTER XXIII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_24" href="#div1_24">CHAPTER XXIV</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_25" href="#div1_25">CHAPTER XXV</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_26" href="#div1_26">CHAPTER XXVI</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_27" href="#div1_27">CHAPTER XXVII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_28" href="#div1_28">CHAPTER XXVIII</a></p> -<p><a name="div1Ref_end" href="#div1_end">END</a></p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>Traitor and True</h3> - -<h4>A Romance</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h5>By</h5> -<h4>John Bloundelle-Burton</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>London<br> -<span style="font-size:larger">John Long</span><br> -13 and 14 Norris Street, Haymarket</h4> -<h5>[<i>All rights reserved</i>]</h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h5><i>First published in 1906</i></h5> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h3>TRAITOR AND TRUE</h3> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_01" href="#div1Ref_01">CHAPTER I</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The doors of the Taverne Gabrielle, in the Rue des Franc Bourgeois in -the Marais, stood open to all passers-by, and also to the cool wind -blowing from the south-east. This evening, perhaps because it was -summer-time, and perhaps, also, because it was supper-time for all in -Paris from his Splendid Majesty down to the lowest who had any supper -to eat, the appropriately named tavern--since directly opposite to it -was the hôtel which Henri IV. had built for the fair Gabrielle -d'Estrées--was not so full as it would be later on.</p> - -<p class="normal">Indeed, it was by no means full, and the landlord, with his family, -was occupying the time during which he scarcely ever had a demand for -a pint of wine, or even a <i>pigeolet</i>, to have his own supper.</p> - -<p class="normal">There were, however, some customers present--since when was there ever -a time that the doors of a cabaret which is also an eating-house, and -that one of good fame in a populous neighbourhood, did not have some -customers beneath its roof at every hour of the day from the moment -the doors opened until they closed? And the Taverne Gabrielle was no -exception to this almost indisputable fact.</p> - -<p class="normal">In one corner of the great, square room there sat an ancient bourgeois -with his cronies sipping a flask of Arbois; in another a young man in -the uniform of the Régiment de Perche was discussing a savoury ragout -with a demoiselle who was masked; close by the open door, with the -tables drawn out in front of it, though not too near to it to prevent -free ingress and egress, were two men who, in an earlier period than -that of Le Dieudonné, might have been termed <i>marauds</i>, swashbucklers, -<i>bretteurs</i>, or heaven knows what. Now--even in the days which seemed -to those who lived in them to be degenerate ones with all the flame -and excitement of life departed, and which seem to those who have -lived after them to have been so full of a strong, masterfully -pulsating, full-blooded existence, perfumed with all that goes to make -life one long romance--these men might have appeared to be anything -except sober citizens or honest bourgeois carrying on steady, -reputable callings. For, on their faces, in their garb, even in their -wicked-looking side-weapons which now hung peacefully on the wall -close by where they sat, there was an indescribable something which -proclaimed that they were not men bringing up families decently and -honestly. Not men content with small gains obtained by honest labour, -by taking down their shutters at dawn and putting them up again long -after nightfall; not men who walked side by side with their wives to -Saint Eustache or Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois on Sabbath mornings while -leading their children by the hand. Men, indeed, to judge by their -appearance, their words and exclamations--which would not have graced -the salons of St. Germain or Versailles!--and also by their looks and -gestures, more fitted, more suitable to, and better acquainted with a -huge fortress-prison close at hand, termed the Bastille, than any -place of worship.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He should be here by now," the elder of the two said to his -companion, whom he addressed frequently as Fleur de Mai. "The sun has -set and, ere long, every bell in Paris will be proclaiming that it is -nine o'clock. If he comes not soon, there will be little time for us -to go to the Hôtel des Muses and have a cast for a pistole or two. Van -den Enden closes his <i>tripot</i> early."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will come, Boisfleury. So will the other. His master and, now, -ours. Yet, remember what I have already told you, treat neither of -them too much <i>en maître</i>. Remember also, that we are all officers and -gentlemen--or have been."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet--<i>malheur à tous!</i> we are no longer officers and, well! they -are."</p> - -<p class="normal">"La Truaumont is not. The other, the Chief, is, seeing that he is -actual first in command of all the guards of the Splendid One."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If he were not he would not be coming here to-night. That command -gives him the power he desires."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, combined with the other power, the other assistance, he -expects."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Will he succeed, Fleur de Mai?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Succeed!" the younger man, addressed as Fleur de Mai, exclaimed. -"<i>Cadédis!</i> 'tis to be hoped so. Or else, where are we? We, <i>mon ami</i>. -Where are we?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There," Boisfleury said, pointing a finger towards the Rue St. -Antoine, at the end of which the Bastille stood; "or there," directing -an eye towards the vicinity of the Louvre, close by which was the -Place du Carrousel where, when the great <i>place</i> in front of the -Bastille was similarly occupied, the Wheel was set up.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Precisely. Therefore, <i>mon camarade</i>, he must not fail. There is too -much at stake; our precious lives principally. Afterwards his. Then, -hers. To say nothing of Van den Enden's life."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Theirs are of poor account. Yet, <i>à-propos</i> of hers; where is she and -what is she doing now?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Plotting, of course. For him whom she loves and for her province -which, though it treated her but scurvily, she still loves. Being a -woman, neglect on one side and ill-treatment on the other has made her -love grow stronger. It does that with some women and most dogs, since -their love is like tropic flowers that often grow best in dry, -uncared-for soil."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But her other love; for him? Does that not prosper?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Again the dog's nature is shown in that. She gets no love, but still -she loves on and on blindly. If that," imitating the other's recently -pointing finger, "or that," imitating his recently directed glance, -"claims him it will claim her too. Should he ever get into the jaws of -Madame la Bastille she will get there also. For, again, dog-like, -where he goes Emérance will follow."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Such a love is worth having," his comrade said meditatively, as -though, perhaps in better days, he had once possessed, or dreamed of -possessing, a similar one.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For which very reason the Chief does not value it. If he were forced -to sigh and moan for want of it and still find it refused----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He would never do that for any woman!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis true. And in this case he is right. So long as he disdains her -so long will she serve him heart and soul. She will intrigue for him, -spy for him, work for him and, in the end, die with him if he dies -'there' or 'there'," again imitating, saturninely, the other; "or, if -may be, die for him. But, if he succeeds, if he arrives at that which -he hopes to reach, then--well!--they will die apart. For, succeeding, -she will not be able to follow where he goes: the spot where she -remains will have been left far behind by him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis hard on her," the elder man said, still musing. "A woman's love, -a true woman's love, is worth having; it is too good a thing to be -wasted."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is the fate of woman's love where misplaced. Now," he said, "look -behind you down the street. La Truaumont is coming. We shall hear of -our first employment. It will not be a pleasant journey, but we shall -be away from all plotting and we shall be well paid. That is better -than 'there,'" and again Fleur de Mai mockingly imitated his -companion.</p> - -<p class="normal">Turning round on his chair and glancing down the street, Boisfleury -saw that a burly, bull-necked man was coming along it with his light -cloak thrown over one arm, since the evening had not yet become cool -enough for it to be worn, and heard the end of the scabbard of his -rapier scraping the cobble stones of the road as he walked, since -there were no footpaths in the Rue des Franc Bourgeois.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet, bull-necked and burly though this man might be, there was about -him something that proclaimed him of better metal than those whom he -was undoubtedly coming to meet, and also that, even as they were men -accustomed to obey, so he was one well used to command. For there was -in him an indescribable yet easily recognised air of command, a look, -an air, that told plainly enough that this man had in his life given -more orders, with the certainty of those orders being obeyed, than he -had ever taken. In age he was perhaps fifty, or a year or two less, he -was plainly but well dressed, and, in spite of the ruggedness of his -appearance, he was a well-favoured, good-looking man.</p> - -<p class="normal">He drew near to the Taverne Gabrielle now and entered it as Fleur de -Mai and Boisfleury each rose to their feet and saluted him in a manner -different from that of the other, yet typical of each. The former, -who, though a younger man than his companion, was evidently the -principal of the two, welcomed the Captain La Truaumont more <i>en -camarade</i> than the other; more familiarly indeed, as though feeling -that, in absolute truth, he was his equal. The latter rose with some -sort of quiet dignity which, while expressing the fact that he -considered himself as quite a humble instrument to be bought by money, -was not without a certain self-respect. Also, that dignity seemed to -suggest that, once, the man's position had been different from, and -better than, it was now or would ever be again.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," La Truaumont said, "you keep the rendezvous. It is very well. -Unhappily, I have made it too late. The citizens have supped, their -wives will be putting the children to bed, they will be coming forth -to drink their flask and discuss their neighbours', and their own, -doings. This tavern will be full ere long; we had best go elsewhere -since there is much to talk over."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is Van den Enden's," Fleur de Mai said. "Plenty of rooms there -where none can overhear or intrude! What say you, noble captain? You -know the place and the man. Likewise, <i>she</i> is there and--well! she is -in the affair and deeply too."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Twill do. It is there I have told the Chief I will be between ten -and eleven. He will be back by then from making his last arrangements -for the departure of that other." After which he said, while -addressing both men, "You set out to-morrow night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"All nights are the same to us--is it not so, Boisfleury?" Fleur de -Mai exclaimed, slapping his somewhat melancholy comrade on the back as -though to hearten him up.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is," the other said. "All nights and all roads, and all days as -well. Fleur de Mai and I require little preparation. Our horses are in -their stables, our clothes on our backs; our best friends," with a -glance of his eye--that glance with which a Frenchman can infer a -whole sentence!--towards the weapons hanging in their sashes on the -wall, "are there."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good. You will have a light, easy task of it, a pleasant ride through -the sunniest provinces of France; the best of inns to sleep in, eat -in, drink in----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"So. So. 'Tis very well," grunted Fleur de Mai approvingly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"--and," continued La Truaumont, "your pockets filled with pistoles -ere you set out, replenished with them when you arrive at your -destination, and refilled again when you return to Paris. Can heart of -man desire more?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Whatever the hearts of Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury may desire more," -the former of those two worthies said, "they are not likely to get. -Therefore we are content. We will guard the noble lady valiantly. If -our two swords are not enough to shield her and her companion, 'tis -not very like a dozen others could."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There will be one other," La Truaumont said quietly, as now Fleur de -Mai made a sign to the drawer to bring the reckoning.</p> - -<p class="normal">"One other!" the latter exclaimed, turning round to look at La -Truaumont. "What other? Any of our 'friends' by chance? Of our noble -and distinguished confraternity?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"By no means. The other blade--he is a good one--is a young man who -loves the <i>demoiselle de compagnie</i> of the illustrious traveller; one -who rides half-way upon the long journey to thereby keep his <i>fiancée</i> -company and to act as protector, escort, squire of dames."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who is he? Do we know him?" While, dropping his voice, Fleur de Mai -added, "Is he in the Great Venture?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, to each and every question. You have never heard of him or seen -him, and he knows no more of the 'Great Venture' than he who is the -object of that great venture's existence knows. The man in question is -an Englishman."</p> - -<p class="normal">"An Englishman!" the two companions exclaimed together, while Fleur de -Mai added, "What do we want with him?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing--no more than he wants with you, he going only, as I have -said, to be by the side of his beloved. He goes," La Truaumont -continued with some little emphasis, "unpaid, unhired and -untrammelled. He can turn back when half of the first portion of the -journey is completed, or, arrived at the end of the first portion, he -can, if it so pleases him, encompass the second with the ladies. He is -well-to-do and his pockets are well lined."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He is an Englishman all the same," Fleur de Mai grumbled.</p> - -<p class="normal">"On one side only. His mother is a Frenchwoman."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That's better," both the men said together. After which Fleur de Mai -asked:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"But the Venture? The Great Attempt? You say he knows nought of that. -Yet he will be <i>there</i> as well as we when the illustrious lady has -gone on her way; when Van den Enden----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hush, idiot. No names."</p> - -<p class="normal">"When the emissary, then, comes to meet her. That other whom we shall -see to-night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Again I say he is harmless, since he knows nothing. Now, come. Let us -to the 'emissary's'. The Chief will be there as soon as may be. We -must not be later than he."</p> - -<p class="normal">Whereon Fleur de Mai once more crooked a ringer at the drawer lurking -by the window and keeping an eye on those who had been consuming his -master's wine--he being accustomed to trust no one whom he did not -know to be an honest bourgeois of the vicinity; and, at the same time, -each man reached down his hat and sword and buckled the latter around -his waist.</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, the reckoning paid, the three went forth into the narrow street -and directed their steps towards the Rue Picpus which was not so very -far off. For it was in that street that there dwelt the man who had, -but a few moments before, been spoken of as Van den Enden and the -"emissary." A man who was as much concerned in that Great Venture, -that Great Attempt referred to, as was either Le Capitaine La -Truaumont or the other man termed the Chief.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_02" href="#div1Ref_02">CHAPTER II</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">He--Affinius Van den Enden--who spoke and knew eight languages and had -invented a new system of shorthand, who was a physician and was called -a thief by many; who was a Dutch Jew and proclaimed himself an atheist -and an unbeliever in the Christian religion, and had made an atheist -of Spinoza amongst others; who lived well on other people's -weaknesses, and, eventually, was hanged in Paris over the Quillebeuf -affair, kept at this time a bagnio in the Rue Picpus which he called a -<i>pension</i> and styled "L'Hôtel des Muses." And a pension it was in some -ways, though a strange one. In it one might take warm baths, or cold -either, if anybody could be found in Paris disposed towards the -latter; and one could lodge and board there at a more or less fancy -price, while ailing persons could go into retreat in the Dutchman's -house until they were over their maladies. Here, too, <i>sub rosa</i>, one -could purchase diamonds and other jewels--always unset!--at a -remarkably cheap price on condition that no questions were asked, and, -for the matter of that, sell them without inconvenient questioning. It -was likewise possible to buy gold dust, ambergris, elephants' teeth, -<i>Fazzoletti di Napoli</i>, pills, chocolate and Hogoo (snuff) here; -while, also, conspirators, gamblers and private drinkers could have -rooms in which to meet in this delectable <i>pension</i>. Finally, to add -to its charms, one might at night play basset and ombre with some of -the most accomplished <i>escrocs</i> in Paris.</p> - -<p class="normal">It will, however, have been gathered that it was neither to buy such -commodities as the above, nor to gamble or drink, that Captain La -Truaumont and his henchmen proceeded to the Hôtel des Muses after -leaving the Taverne Gabrielle. They were, indeed, engaged in a more or -less degree upon so great an undertaking, one having such vast -consequences attending on its success or failure, that, in comparison -with that undertaking, bags of pistoles, or chests full of them--if -such could have been found in Van den Enden's house!--would have -appeared but as dust upon the high road.</p> - -<p class="normal">Arriving at the Hôtel des Muses and giving two sharp knocks upon the -door, it was at once opened to them by a red-haired young woman who -was no other than Claire Marie, the daughter of the "physician." -To her La Truaumont instantly made known his desire that they should all -be shown into a private apartment; one that, for choice, had no -occupied room on either side of it. Then, the maiden having escorted -the three men to that which they required, while saying that the house -was almost empty to-night in consequence of the warmth of the evening -and the fineness of the weather, the Captain gave orders that Monsieur -Louis should be brought to this room immediately on his arrival.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Also, my child," he said to the red-haired young Jewess to whom Fleur -de Mai had already addressed a series of jokes to which she paid very -little heed, "tell your father to join us when Monsieur Louis arrives. -While as for Madame la Marquise, she is, I should suppose, already -within doors."</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is. <i>Hélas!</i> poor lady, she goes out but little now seeing -that she is ashamed of the garb she wears. She has but one robe and -that is torn and frayed. Between you all--Monsieur Louis, you and my -father--though he is not much by way of giving aught--you might well -supply her with better array."</p> - -<p class="normal">"She will be supplied soon. Perhaps to-night. Money has not been too -plentiful with us of late. Now, Spain has sent some. Henceforth, -Madame la Marquise will not be without fitting raiment. We may have to -send her travelling. She must travel as becomes a--marquise."</p> - -<p class="normal">"She owes money to my father also," the girl added, her hereditary -instincts doubtless causing her to recall the circumstance.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah! When we are all as rich as heart of man can desire he can pay -himself out of his share of the spoils. Now, <i>ma belle</i>, begone and -warn your father to be ready for Monsieur Louis, and tell Madame la -Marquise to prepare to join us."</p> - -<p class="normal">Claire Marie went off upon these errands, the former of which she -proceeded to execute by calling over the stair-rails to her father -below--though she was careful not to do so in a tone that could by any -possibility be heard outside the house. After which, and also after -having received from her parent below the answer that he knew Monsieur -Louis was coming as well as, if not better than, any one else in the -house, she made her way to a flight above that on which she stood, -and, going to the end of the passage, rapped on the door of the last -room.</p> - -<p class="normal">Being bidden to enter, the girl did so, and, pushing open the door, -found the occupant of that room, a young woman, engaged in arranging -her hair in front of a very small glass.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," Claire Marie said, "all the company are below excepting -Monsieur Louis, and he is looked for at once. The Capitaine La -Truaumont has bidden me summon you and my father."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am making ready to descend," the other answered. "I shall be there -ere long." And, she added to herself, after Claire Marie had closed -the door and departed, "a fair object I shall appear in his eyes when -I do so!" While, as she muttered this, she sighed.</p> - -<p class="normal">If, however, these reflections were made on her personal appearance, -the woman either did not know herself or misjudged herself. For, -although she was not beautiful as beauty is reckoned, she had charms -that might well be considered the equals of beauty. Her hair, that now -she was endeavouring to arrange into the fashion of the day--the -fashion that Van Dyck and, later, Kneller depicted--was a lustrous -dark auburn; her eyes were dark grey fringed with long black lashes: -her mouth, with its short upper lip and full, pouting, lower one, was -perfect, especially when she smiled and showed her small white teeth. -Her figure, too, was as near perfection as might be.</p> - -<p class="normal">But, with these charms, there was mingled that which went far to -detract very seriously from them, namely, a worn, weary look, a pallor -that was hardly ever absent from her face, a lack of colour that spoke -either of bodily ailment or mental trouble. Gazing round the -melancholy room in which this woman sheltered--"harboured" is a more -fitting word--an observer might well have thought that the hardness of -her life, a hardness in which, to the sordidness of the apartment was, -perhaps, added sometimes the want of food or ordinary necessaries, -explained that pallor. Yet, still, in speaking to this woman, in -hearing the tone of melancholy in which she answered, in gazing into -those dark grey eyes and observing the sadness of their glance, an -observer, a listener, would have been disposed to think that the first -supposition was wrong and that not bodily, but mental, trouble was the -cause of her careworn appearance.</p> - -<p class="normal">Her hair arranged at last, the woman rose from the chair on which she -had been seated, and, after smoothing out some creases in her dress as -well as, also, endeavouring to remove some of the stains it bore, went -to a drawer and, taking out some various pieces of ribbon and silk, -stood before the glass while endeavouring to discover which of the -poor frayed scraps of colour might best add any charm to her -appearance.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," she said bitterly, as at last she made her decision, "of what -use are these efforts of my wretched vanity? He regards me, will ever -regard me, but as a useful auxiliary to his ambitious schemes. I am of -the land and the people whose voice and assistance he seeks--once I -was of the best of those people. So, too, he knows my fierce -determination to stand at last, if Fate so wills it, before those -people as their human saviour and not as the outcast they made of me; -as the woman who, despised of them, has lived to earn their gratitude. -Knowing this, he uses me to aid his own great purpose and will so use -me to the end, and, if that end be successful for him, then cast me -off. Unhappily," she murmured, her face almost the picture of despair, -"I know he will do so, which is for me the worst of all. I serve him -understanding well that I am as nought in his eyes. I work to help -him, starve and go in rags to make his chance better, and--I am but -dust, dross, in his eyes."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which she turned away from the glass, into which she looked so -often while hating to look at all, and went towards the door, -muttering, "And still I do it."</p> - -<p class="normal">When this woman reached the room into which La Truaumont and his -companions had been shown earlier, she saw at once that she was the -last to arrive at the conference that was about to take place.</p> - -<p class="normal">Seated round the table there were, besides the three original -occupants of the room, two others. One was Affinius Van den Enden, the -proprietor of the Hôtel des Muses, the man who had been spoken of as -an "emissary," a central figure in the Great Scheme so often referred -to. The other, who had not taken the trouble to remove his hat, was a -man of not more than thirty years of age and was extremely handsome. -Yet, whatever the charm of his appearance might be, however softly his -deep blue eyes could glance from beneath the long dark lashes, however -well-cut the features were, all was marred by a look of haughty -arrogance that sat perpetually on those features. By an expression -that had, however, been described by some as not so much one of -arrogance as of an evil disposition or a harsh, cruel temper.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whatever may have been the cause of this man having continued to wear -his hat before those who were his companions for the moment, and -whether it proceeded from pride, contempt or superciliousness--or -absolute forgetfulness--he instantly removed it on the entrance of -Emérance, Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville, as the new-comer was -termed. Indeed, if she was in this man's eyes that which she had -described herself as being, namely "dust" or "dross," he allowed no -sign of any such appreciation, or rather depreciation, of her to be -perceptible. Instead, he rose quickly from the chair he occupied, and, -while removing his hat from his head with one hand, held out the other -to her. After which he murmured in a low, soft voice some words of -thanks for her presence in the room that night, and added to them -still more thanks for the many services she had performed for him in -what he termed "his dangerous cause."</p> - -<p class="normal">But from Emérance there came no words that could be construed as an -acknowledgment of the man's courteous phrases. On entering the room -she had glanced once into his eyes while making some slight -inclination of her head: when he held out his hand she took it -listlessly, and, on seeing that Fleur de Mai was, in a more or less -good-humoured manner, motioning her to the seat that he too had risen -from on her entrance, sank into it. While, as for words, the only ones -she uttered were: "I am glad we have all met here to-night: it is as -well that our plans should now be known to all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They will not occupy much time in exposing," the man who had been -spoken of by La Truaumont and his companions as "Monsieur Louis," -answered. "The time for action is approaching." After which he -continued, "Van den Enden sets out for Spain almost immediately. He -may go to-morrow, or a week hence, or in two weeks at least. He will -return as soon as he has got the promise from Spain and that which is -as necessary, the remainder of the money. Only he will not return to -Paris."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Meanwhile?" Emérance asked quietly, "what of the others. Those I have -seen in Normandy are firm."</p> - -<p class="normal">"All are firm, madame."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is well. But if he," directing her eyes towards Van den Enden, -who was engaged in turning over a mass of papers that he had brought -into the room, "if he does not return to Paris, to where will he go?</p> - -<p class="normal">"Basle is the place appointed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Basle!" Emérance exclaimed, while as she did so her pallor became -even more perceptible than before. "To Basle! Ah, yes, I understand," -and she whispered to herself: "Basle that lies almost half-way betwixt -Nancy and the road to Italy by which <i>she</i> will progress."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perhaps," said Monsieur Louis, "madame does <i>not</i> understand. Basle -lies outside France though close to the frontier--therefore, once -there, all French people are safe."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Colonel of all King Louis' Guards is surely safe anywhere in -France. Monsieur must be thinking of the safety of some other person -than himself. In any case I could never believe monsieur's own safety, -at such a moment as this above all, would induce him to voyage to -Basle."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame has judged aright. I have no intention of quitting France."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!" the marquise exclaimed, a dash of colour springing to her cheeks -at these words. Then she added, "It is very well. Monsieur should be -in France now. Especially, now."</p> - -<p class="normal">The other took no notice of this remark and, at this moment, La -Truaumont spoke for the first time.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Emérance," he said, addressing her without any ordinary prefix, "you -understand well enough why Basle is chosen for the rendezvous. All -those who will accompany Madame la Duchesse from Paris to Nancy, and -from Nancy to Basle, will leave her there, unless the young English -<i>fiancé</i> of Mlle. D'Angelis chooses to go farther. To go even to -Geneva or across the Alps. Being in no wise concerned in our hopes and -aspirations there is no reason why he should not do so. He knows -nothing of our plans, he will never be permitted to know. Indeed," -continued La Truaumont grimly, "if he were to know of them, if he were -ever to learn them, the knowledge would have to be dearly paid for."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It would," Fleur de Mai muttered, as he curled up his great -moustache, while the expression on the faces of all the others--from -the grin on that of Van den Enden to the calm, far-off look in the -eyes of Emérance, showed that La Truaumont had clearly expressed that -which was in all their minds.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_03" href="#div1Ref_03">CHAPTER III</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"The Great Attempt," which has been more than once referred to in the -previous pages, was nothing less than a plot devised to remove Louis -XIV. from the throne of France and to place upon that throne Louis, -Prince and Chevalier de Beaurepaire, a man who had been the chosen -playmate of the King in his infancy and was now the Colonel of all his -Majesty's regiments of Guards.</p> - -<p class="normal">The infamy of this treachery--infamous as treachery always is!--was -doubly so in such a case as this, and it is not, therefore, surprising -that all the principals concerned in it were spoken of by other names -than their own; that meetings were hardly ever held twice in the same -place, and that, as had happened before now, many such meetings had -even taken place outside of France itself. Amongst those who thus -masqueraded under such aliases--and they were many--were the Prince de -Beaurepaire who was always spoken and written of as "Monsieur Louis," -Van den Enden as the Seigneur de Châteaugrand, Emérance as the -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville--and countless noblemen in Normandy -who did so under other sobriquets.</p> - -<p class="normal">For "The Plot" originated in Normandy and owed its rise to a tax which -had been imposed on the wood, or trees, of which the forests in that -province were so full, and which wood was to the landowners a -considerable source of revenue. One of the old original taxes of this -nature had long been submitted to by the Normans, but the imposition -of a new one had caused the discontent that gradually grew into a -plot--it was only one of many formed against Louis XIV. during his -long reign!--to depose him. Gradually too, as the scheme grew, the -wealthy landowners and nobles of Brittany and Guienne also took part -in it.</p> - -<p class="normal">A more powerful conspirator against the King of France and his throne -than the inhabitants of three of his most important provinces was, -however, in the field, that conspirator being Spain itself. Louis had, -earlier than this, deprived Spain of some of her possessions, and it -was now suggested to the Spanish Governor of Brussels that, if his -country were willing to supply the Norman conspirators with money, -arms and men, Quillebeuf, at the mouth of the Seine in the Bay of Le -Havre, might easily be seized by a hostile fleet. And, since half the -country between that place and Paris would be favourable to the -designs of the invaders, six hundred men well mounted and equipped -could easily reach Versailles, overpower the detachments of regiments -serving there as the King's Guard, and not only possess themselves of -his person but also of the persons of all the Royal Family. A Republic -such as that of Venice or of Holland was to be founded, De Beaurepaire -was to be the President, and ample funds were to be supplied by Spain.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was at this meeting that all was to be decided with regard to a -visit that Van den Enden was now to make to Brussels--in spite of his -seventy-four years of age!--there to draw the promised sum over and -above the trifle that had already been advanced as earnest on the part -of Spain, and to arrange for the attack on Quillebeuf.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For," said the old adventurer--whose gifts and talents should -long ago have lifted him far above the level of ordinary adventurers, -and probably would have done so if his sense of rectitude and -plain-dealing had been as considerable as were his acquirements--"the -signal is made by Spain, she joins in. Behold the <i>Brussels Gazette</i>," -and he placed before De Beaurepaire and the others a copy of that, -then, well-known paper.</p> - -<p class="normal">Leaning over the Prince's shoulder, La Truaumont read out from one -portion of the paper: "His Majesty King Louis XIV. is about to create -two new marshals of France," and from another: "The courier from Spain -is expected shortly."</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, seeing on the faces of Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury a look of -bewilderment which showed plainly enough that, however much the other -persons present might understand these apparently uninteresting -portions of general intelligence, they, at least, certainly did not do -so, La Truaumont, addressing them, said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"It was arranged with the Comte de Montérey, the Spanish Governor of -Brussels, that, if Spain decided to act, these pieces of news should -be inserted in the <i>Gazette</i> by his orders. They have been inserted; -therefore we have won Spain to our side. The fleet specially belonging -to Holland will embark six thousand men at a given moment; arms and -weapons for twenty thousand men will also be put on board, and money -to the extent of two million francs will be provided. Van den Enden -goes now to Brussels to finally decide everything and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"To bring a portion of the money away with him," Van den Enden put in. -"We want money badly in spite of having already received something as -earnest of the matter being considered."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But Basle! Why Basle?" Emérance exclaimed, while as she spoke her -eyes rested on De Beaurepaire's face. "It is far away," she continued, -speaking with emphasis. "Far from Paris and farther still from -Normandy. It is going a long distance."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is outside France," La Truaumont said, "and, consequently, safe. -While Spain is doing the business in company with the Normans in the -North-West, those who are directing the puppets will be doing so from -the South-East."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>He</i> cannot be there," Emérance said, her eyes still fixed on De -Beaurepaire.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No," De Beaurepaire replied, "I must remain in Paris. I may indeed -be required in Normandy. But there is a certain lady, a certain -<i>grande dame de par le monde</i> who will pass through Basle from Nancy -on her road to Italy. You know that, Madame de Villiers-Bordéville, as -well as you know that I have promised to see her to, and safely -outside, the gates of Paris."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, I know," the woman said, her eyes lowered now as his were raised -to them, while her usual pallor had once more given way to the flush -that at intervals tinged her cheeks, "I know."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Also you know, madame, you must in very truth know, that I have -agreed to find for this lady some trifling escort as far as Basle, -whence she may cross the St. Gothard or go to Geneva if she decides to -pass the St. Bernard. Now, that escort will be composed of Fleur de -Mai, as he elects to call himself, and Boisfleury----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which is a name his fathers bore," that worthy interrupted.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Both," went on De Beaurepaire, "are Normans as you, madame, are. -Both, like you, are heart and soul in this great scheme now so near to -its accomplishment. And, since they, perforce, must find themselves at -Basle, though not necessarily at Geneva, it is to Basle that Van den -Enden will go. Thence, from that place, they can all return in safety -to Paris, since who, entering France from Switzerland, can be -suspected of coming from the Spanish Netherlands or of having any -dealings with the Normans?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And I? Where shall I be? I who am as much heart and soul in this as -you, or any of you?" looking round on all present. "I who am Norman as -La Truaumont, Boisfleury and Fleur de Mai are? Though heart and soul -in it from no desire of reward but only in the hope to obtain justice -at last."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Later, I will tell you where you will be in this great scheme," De -Beaurepaire said in a low voice, his almost whispered words being -unheard by the others who had begun to read a number of letters that -Van den Enden had produced. Letters that, in those days, had they been -signed by the actual names of the writers instead of by assumed ones, -would have meant death to each and all: letters that now, old and -dingy and with the black ink turned red and rusty, still repose in the -archives of Paris. Yet letters now--and long ago--known to have been -written by those whose names are scrawled plainly across them in a far -more recent hand than those of the original writers; names such as De -Longueville, Saint Ibal, Franquetot-Barberousse, De Fiesque and many -others illustrious for centuries in the North-West.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will speak with you later. To-night," De Beaurepaire said, even as -Fleur de Mai and his companions still conversed and told each other -that, with such men as these at their backs and with, towering over -all, the wealth and power of Spain--though they forgot that Spain -could scarcely be still powerful when ruled over by its baby King, -Charles, who was later to become an idiot in mind and an invalid in -body--they could not fail in their great attempt.</p> - -<p class="normal">And so the talk--the discussions of the future arrangements, of how -Van den Enden was to correspond with De Beaurepaire by first sending -his news in cypher to Basle, whence it would be re-written and sent to -him, while other re-written copies would be sent to Rouen--went on -until, at last, the meeting drew near to its end.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And you, Emérance," La Truaumont said, as now the men were resuming -their swords and preparing to depart from the Hôtel des Muses, "do you -know what part you have next to play? There are no more hesitating -Norman nobles or gentlemen left in Paris for you to watch; they have -all returned to their homes, being persuaded that the attempt is as -good as made and carried through triumphantly. Likewise, you can do -nought in Normandy yourself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Somewhere I can do something."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Doubtless," the man said, looking down on her with a glance that -might well have been taken for one of pity. "And it may be--we will -hope so--under happier, more cheerful circumstances than this," now -looking round the room they were in with a glance that might have been -considered as embracing the whole of Van den Enden's delectable abode. -"Your life," he went on, "has never been a happy one; your -circumstances here, in Paris, are of the worst. They may now improve."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is to be done with me?" the unfortunate woman asked listlessly. -"Or for me? I have no hopes. Or only one--which will never be -realised. My greatest hope," she almost whispered to herself, "is that -at last I may lose all hope."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Be cheered," La Truaumont said, the roughness of the old soldier of -fortune--part bravo, part hero, part swashbuckler--the usual -ingredients of most soldiers of fortune!--smoothed out of his features -so that, for the moment, he presented the appearance of a tender -father talking to an unhappy child: "Be cheered. If that which we hope -for and, hoping, greatly dare to attempt, should succeed, you will, -you shall, rise as we rise. Whatever you can wish for, aspire to, he -'Monsieur Louis'--<i>le Dédaigneux</i> as he is sometimes called, will see -that you attain."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is impossible," the girl whispered. "Impossible. What I wish for -he cannot give, not possessing it himself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Be not so sure. He is young, passionate, and, though many a silken -thread has held him lightly for a time----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have no silken thread wherewith to bind him," Emérance said, her -eyes cast down, her breast heaving painfully. "Nor do I desire any -other woman's--women's----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You do not understand, Emérance," La Truaumont said very gently. -"Much as trouble and sorrow have taught you, you have not yet learnt -all the secrets of a man's heart. A silken thread!" he went on, -turning his back still more on the others so that, while they could -not hear his words, neither should they see the movement of his lips, -which movement, on occasions, will sometimes tell as much as words -themselves. "A silken thread! What species of cord, of thong is that -to hold a strong, reckless man? A thing befitting the place where it -is most often found--a lady's boudoir, her bower, the seat in a tower -window; a gilded chamber where carpets from Smyrna, skins, rugs, make -all soft to the feet; the plaything of a <i>rêveuse</i>, a love-lorn dame."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Well?" Emérance whispered, lifting her eyes to the other. "Well?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But there are other cords," La Truaumont went on. "The heart-strings -of women to whom dalliance is unknown: women who will starve, -intrigue, follow, dare all for him they love: who will bravely bear -the cords, the threads that make them regard the block, the gibbet, as -a sweeter thing than bowers and tapestry and silken hangings--so long -as block or gibbet are risked with him they love."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!" the woman gasped in an indrawn breath.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What does he want now with women in their great saloons, their -oratories, their boudoirs? Is he not risking his life upon one cast; -does he not therefore want women as well as men of action to help him, -women who will keep steady before their eyes, even as he keeps, as all -of us keep before our eyes, the diadem of France, the throne of -France--France itself, on one side? As also he keeps, and we keep -before our eyes, the scaffold outside the Bastille, the Wheel at the -Cross Roads, the Gibbet--on the other side? And for such a woman will -there be no reward, no acknowledgment?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Alas!" the unhappy creature murmured. "He is De Beaurepaire. I -am--what?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"A sorely tried, a deeply injured woman, a lady. One evilly, wickedly, -entreated by the land she now hopes to aid. One who loves De -Beaurepaire," he added softly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Heaven knows how much," the other whispered. "That only!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"To-night the Prince will speak with you," La Truaumont continued. -"To-night he will show to you the absolute faith and belief he will -put in your loyalty to him and his cause, which is yours and mine and -that of all Normans. Emérance, to-night he will confide in you a great -task; he will put himself, his life, his honour, the honour of his -house in your hands; he will place in your hands the chance of sending -him to that wheel, that gibbet I spoke of but now. Does a man trust -any woman with his honour and his life unless he knows that they are -so safe in her hands, that they are so bound up with her own life and -honour, that she needs must guard them safely?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Briefly," the woman said, her eyes raised for a moment to those of La -Truaumont, "he knows I love him. Alas! the shame that any man should -know I have given him my love unasked and unrequited."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How can he fail to know? Yes, he does know. But you, Emérance, do you -not know something on your part of how love and, above all, fidelity, -begets love in return?"</p> -<br> - -<p class="center" style="letter-spacing:25px">* * * * *</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The three men, La Truaumont, Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury had gone, -they having taken the precaution to separate and make their way by -different routes towards the better part of the city. Van den Enden -and De Beaurepaire were in another room concluding their last -arrangements for communicating with each other when the former should -have reached Brussels. And Emérance leant out of the window of the -room in which the meeting had been held and inhaled such air as was to -be obtained from the stuffy street that was little better than an -alley.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet it was not only for the sake of inhaling the air of the warm -summer night that she leant over the sill while idly toying with a -flower that grew, or half-grew and half-withered away, in an imitation -Nevers flowerpot, but also for the sake of gaining time to collect -and, afterwards, arrange her thoughts.</p> - -<p class="normal">For she knew that, if La Truaumont's words meant anything at all, -to-night would be fateful to her. She knew that, ere the bell of Saint -Eustache, which had but a moment or so ago struck ten, should strike -another hour, De Beaurepaire would have confided to her some task -which, while it raised her from the almost degraded position of a -spy--from the hateful task of watching Norman gentlemen and noblemen -in Paris to discover if there was any defection on their part from -that which they were deeply sworn to assist in--would not only put his -life in her hands, but also jeopardise her own.</p> - -<p class="normal">Nevertheless--as still she trifled with the flower while meditating -deeply--not one of these three things, her own advancement to a -position of trust and importance, or the power over De Beaurepaire's -life and honour which that position would put in her hands, or--and -this was, or would have been with many women, the greatest of all--the -deadly peril in which she herself must stand henceforth, weighed -with her in comparison with a fourth. In comparison with the fact -that, henceforth, no matter whether the Great Attempt succeeded or -failed--as it would most probably do--she and De Beaurepaire must for -ever be associated together. For, if it failed, there could be but one -fate for them to share together: if it, by any chance, succeeded, some -little part of the success must fall to her share.</p> - -<p class="normal">That, that only, was all she desired while knowing well there could be -nothing more. She had herself uttered the words to La Truaumont that -told all. The man she loved was De Beaurepaire, and he was far, far -above her; as high above her as the eagle soaring in the skies is -above the field-mouse; while, if the success were achieved, he would -be as much more above her as the sun in its mid-day splendour is above -the eagle. But, still--still--she would have played her part, she -would have helped him to that splendour he had attained, she could -never afterwards be forgotten or put entirely aside.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To some women's hearts," she whispered now, "a recollection, the -shadow of a memory, is all that they may dare to crave, all they can -hope for. Happy are some women to obtain so much as that. If I can -help him to succeed it will be enough. It is not much, yet, for me, it -must suffice."</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, as thus she mused, she heard the door open behind her, she heard -a step taken into the room and, next, the voice of De Beaurepaire say, -"Madame, I am here to speak with you."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_04" href="#div1Ref_04">CHAPTER IV</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">When first Georges, Sieur de la Truaumont, of an ancient Norman -family, late a captain of "La Garde de Monsieur" and formerly of the -Regiment de Roncherolles, had broached to the Prince Chevalier de -Beaurepaire the suggestion that he should place himself at the head of -the Norman plot for deposing King Louis, he had also indicated to him -a number of persons of whom he might make use.</p> - -<p class="normal">Passing over the greatest, since they were all known to the Prince and -were also resident in Normandy, he had described to his half-friend -and half-employer more than one who would be useful in Paris, and, -among them, was Emérance, who styled herself the Marquise de -Villiers-Bordéville.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who and what is she?" De Beaurepaire had asked almost indifferently, -while wondering how a woman who lived in a decayed, though once -fashionable, quarter of Paris and was reported by La Truaumont to be -in an almost penniless condition, could be of the slightest assistance -to him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is a woman well born, of ancient family, who has been badly -treated by all with whom she has of late had to deal. She was accused -and tried for a crime she never committed and--she was acquitted. But, -with those of her breed, the trial was enough to place her outside the -pale. Fortunately it was the King's own court--not a local Norman -one--that tried her, and, out of that, grew her determination to -assist in wrenching Normandy--nay, France--from his hands, of -reinstating herself in the eyes of our beloved province by acting as -one of its saviours."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How?" De Beaurepaire asked, already almost wearied by this short -account of the unhappy woman's life.</p> - -<p class="normal">"By spying on those who, having given in their adhesion to the plot, -might, perhaps, find more profit in betraying it than keeping faith -with it. Therefore she came to Paris, and, while watching those who -might become backsliders, learnt that you, whom she had seen before, -were the accepted head of the movement. And she will serve you well. -Never fear for that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why serve me? At present her pay cannot be great. As yet the bulk of -money we hope to get is not ours."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why! Why! Well! you have known enough of women, young as you still -are. You know why she will serve you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah!" De Beaurepaire said, "she works for her pay, poor as it is."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Does she?" replied La Truaumont quietly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Georges," De Beaurepaire continued, addressing the other by his -Christian name as he often did in these days, "who <i>is</i> this woman? -You know still more than you will tell."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know nothing more of her except that she is, like myself, from -Normandy. And I know that, for this self-same reason, she will go hand -in hand with us in the scheme we have set afloat when--well!--when -Madame la Duchesse is safe in Italy and we are back in France."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You know nothing more of her?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing. Van den Enden brought her to me here and said she might be -useful, being Norman. When she heard you were the head and front of -our future undertaking, she said she would do all we might ask. She -had, as I say, seen you before and--la! la!--admired you. But she was -poor, she said, and she must live. As you now know, the Jew brought -you and her together, and she was finally vowed heart and soul to us, -to the cause--to you. De Beaurepaire, you can grapple her to that -cause, to yourself; you can make her do aught you, or we, desire if -you will but give her a kindly word, a----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will think upon it," the Prince said, while telling himself that -already he had thought enough.</p> - -<p class="normal">"She will be worth it. Do that. Be generous to her and she will go -hand in hand to the scaffold with you if you desire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Bon Dieu!</i> there is no need for that. And the scaffold is not for a -De Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The heavens forbid! Yet, when the time comes--it is at hand--we shall -throw a great stake."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And win!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"So be it. I live in hopes."</p> - -<p class="normal">After De Beaurepaire had seen Emérance again, after he had more -carefully observed her soft features and noted her sad look: above -all, after he had seen one or two of the glances she had cast on him, -he decided he would grapple her to him and to the cause. A woman such -as this was wanted for the scheme he had on foot--the wild, delirious -scheme of striving to find himself ruler of France and with, it might -be, Louis for his subject instead of his king. He would do it, he -would use Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville, as she called herself, to -wheedle and hoodwink others, to sow the poison-seed of treachery and -anarchy and revolt in their souls, to ride for him to other countries -with messages and treaties to be signed and executed; to do all he -bade her. And, as slaves had ere now been crowned with roses and -rewarded, so he would crown and reward her. He would be soft and -gentle to her, he vowed; he would speak her fair and sweet, and she -should be well repaid for her services and no longer go in rags or -live poorly.</p> - -<p class="normal">He had decided all this some month or so before the night when now he -came back to Emérance to tell her what further services were required -of her above those she had already rendered, and, during that period, -he had had good opportunities of observing her unfailing fidelity to -him and his cause. One thing, however, that he had resolved to do had -not yet been carried out. The money with which he meant to reward her, -the money that should enable her to be decently housed, well fed and -properly clad and equipped, had not yet been forthcoming. Spain had -sent nothing until a few days before, and that only a trifle, since it -had been arranged that no money was to be paid until the signal was -given in the <i>Gazette de Bruxelles</i>, and then she had only sent this -small sum on the representation being made that the conspirators in -France would themselves do nothing until Spain led the way. As for De -Beaurepaire he had nothing; his years of extravagant living and the -expense which his appointments caused him necessitating his -continually asking money from his mother.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," he said, as now he entered the room, "I am here to speak -with you." Then, seeing that although Emérance turned away from the -window and faced him, she uttered no word, he continued, "My presence -is not irksome, I trust."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There could be no presence less so," the woman answered, regaining -full command of her speech, of which some strange inward agitation had -momentarily deprived her. A moment later, forgetting that the room in -which she was belonged no more to her than to him, she motioned to De -Beaurepaire to be seated and, ere he could place a chair for her, had -seated herself.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To-night," she went on, her calmness all returned, "you are -to tell me what farther part I can play in your--our, since I am -Norman--enterprise. Do so, therefore, I entreat of you. And, whatever -it may be, have no fear to name it. What there is to be done, I will -do."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame is very brave," the Prince said, his voice soft and gentle and -his look--that was so often harsh and contemptuous--equally so. "Very -brave. Madame's heart is in this."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is," Emérance replied. "To the end. I fear nothing in this cause; -nothing. Speak freely."</p> - -<p class="normal">"At present," De Beaurepaire said, "there is no danger to madame in -what she is asked to perform. Nay, she is but asked to perform that -which should bring safety to herself in place of danger. I ask her on -behalf of the Attempt and--well!--of myself, to quit France." Then, -seeing that the pallor on the face of Emérance had increased--if that -were possible: seeing, too, that her lips framed, though they did not -utter, the word "Never," he added, "only for a little while. A few -days at most."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So!" the woman exclaimed, divining his meaning in a moment, "it is -not to quit France because I am no longer wanted, or am dangerous, or -no longer to be trusted, but because----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame, you have guessed aright, or perhaps you know the service I -would demand."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is not hard to guess. The great lady," Emérance said, in a tone -more of sorrow than bitterness, "she who is so great and might, had -she so chosen, have been greater, quits France for Italy. Her journey -is to be well protected. Even Monsieur le Prince will escort her -outside the gates. The guards he commands; the other soldiery to whom -he can issue commands that must be obeyed; the watch, the police, will -be prevented from interfering with her. Ah! it is well to be Madame la -Duchesse de----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Silence, I beg. Do not mention her name. Should it ever become known -that I have lent her assistance in her escape from Paris, I should not -be safe from the King's wrath. And, at present, that wrath is a thing -that even I must fear since, should it fall on me, it might, nay must, -prevent our venture from progressing. The Bastille, Vincennes, some -gloomy fortress far from Paris are not places where plots can well be -carried on."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Bastille, Vincennes--for you!" Emérance exclaimed again, her eyes -fixed on the other. "Ah! That must never be." Then, suddenly, she -leant forward across the table towards De Beaurepaire. "What is it I -am to do? What?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Listen, Emérance--madame," the man replied, correcting himself as he -observed the flush that overcame her features as he mentioned her -name: a flush that, he observed almost with surprise, transformed her -from a pale, careworn woman to a beautiful one. "Listen. There sets -out with madame a party of four, not one of whom I dare trust -entirely. Two of this party are Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury, Normans -like yourself----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You may trust them both. They are too deeply embarked in our scheme -to betray any other."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It may be so. Yet the former is a babbler, especially in his cups. -The other is morose and melancholy; one who may possess that -inconvenient thing called a conscience. If this conscience pricks him, -or he should become alarmed as to discovery being made of the Attempt, -he may tell all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not 'twixt here and Basle. Still, if it is to watch those men until -they are safe in Switzerland that I am being sent, it shall be done."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not that more than to watch the others."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Duchess!" Emérance exclaimed, astonished. "She would not betray -you!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She knows somewhat of the scheme and disbelieves in its chance of -success. Above all, she fears for me and my probable ruin."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Therefore, she loves you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. But we have been friends since almost childhood. If by betraying -the scheme to the King, by causing all others who are concerned in it -to be betrayed so that, thereby, she might save me, I do think she -would do it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If she will do it nought can prevent her. In Italy--in Basle--in -Geneva--in Nancy--she can do it. Who can control the posts? One letter -to Louis will be enough."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Let her but reach Italy, be once across the Alps, and she may send a -thousand letters if she will. For, by the time they can reach Louis' -hands, he should be powerless. The Dutch fleet will be off Quillebeuf, -the men who are to seize on him will be riding in small troops and -companies, by divers routes towards Versailles or Fontainebleau or -wherever the Court may chance to be. Before a letter can cross the -Alps and reach him there--well! he will be neither at Fontainebleau -nor Versailles to receive it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They will not murder him!" the woman exclaimed, a look of terror in -her face. "That must never be. No Norman would consent to that. He -must not go the way of his grandsire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Fear not. None dream of such a thing, nor, if it were so, would I be -party to any such compact. Instead, he will go at first on the way he -has sent many others. To Pignerol perhaps, or out of France. To -England." After which De Beaurepaire returned to the subject which was -the real object of his interview with Emérance.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Besides Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury," he went on now, "two others go -with her. One is Mademoiselle d'Angelis, the daughter of a French -father and English mother, the other is an Englishman named Humphrey -West, the son of an English father and a French mother. They are -lovers. Have you ever heard speak of them?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Of him, never. Of her, yes. Is she not the <i>demoiselle de compagnie</i> -of Madame la Duchesse?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What can they know, or knowing, what harm do?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Listen, Emérance," De Beaurepaire said now, while no longer taking -pains to correct himself since he knew, felt sure, that the unhappy -woman secretly loved him, and, consequently, that this familiar style -of address would be far from displeasing to her. "Listen. The Duchess -is <i>une folle</i>, a chatterer. She may talk of, hint at, what she knows. -And a word dropped in the ears of her followers, a hint, would be the -spark that would explode the magazine."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What could they do, what should they do? They will be in Italy, too; -if a letter from across the Alps will take so long in reaching Louis; -if, when it reaches Fontainebleau, or Versailles, he shall be no -longer there, how can either this man or the woman he loves travel -back to France faster than it? And why should either do anything?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"His Majesty was good to Humphrey West's mother when his father, an -old cavalier, died, and he put pressure on Charles after his -restoration to at last make good to them the money and estate Cromwell -had seized on during his protectorate. D'Angelis, the girl's late -father, was one of Louis' earliest tutors, and Louis loved him and has -also been good to his widow and the girl. If either Humphrey West or -Jacquette d'Angelis should learn that an untoward breath of wind was -like to blow against him, the former, at least, would take horse and -ride back as fast as one steed after another could carry him to -divulge all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What power shall I have to stop them? What can I do?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Follow them, watch them, until they leave Nancy together. If Humphrey -West still forms one of the <i>cortége</i> we are safe until they reach -Basle. At Basle watch them again and again, while, if all leave that -place, either for the St. Gothard or for Geneva, thereby to make the -passage of the St. Bernard--why, then, let them go. Once out of Basle -and on the road to Italy and we are entirely safe. You will have done -your work and," he added with that smile which so stirred the heart of -the unhappy woman, "your friends in Paris will be awaiting you -eagerly."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'My friends,'" said Emérance sadly. "I have none. Not one." But, -seeing a look on De Beaurepaire's face that partly made her feel -delirious with delight and partly caused her to feel as though her -heart had turned to ice within her, so wide was the gulf between this -man and her, she quickly returned to the matter in question: "And if I -discover aught that you should know at once? If one or other of the -men sets out for, returns to Paris; if a letter should by chance be -sent--what then?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then," said De Beaurepaire, "fly back more swiftly than they, if you -can accomplish it. Spare neither pains nor money--to-morrow you shall -be furnished with ample for your needs from the funds Spain has sent. -Outstrip post or horseman, or, failing the possibility of that, follow -as swiftly as may be. Thus, Emérance, my friend, my co-plotter, my -sweet Norman ally, shall you win the deepest gratitude of Louis de -Beaurepaire. Thus, too, if he wins in this great cause, will you make -him your debtor for ever. You will make him one who will never forget -the services Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville has rendered him."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_05" href="#div1Ref_05">CHAPTER V</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Three nights after the conversation between De Beaurepaire and -Emérance, the clock of St. Germain-l'Auxerrois was striking ten and -the <i>couvre-feu</i> was sounding from the steeples of many other church -towers, as a large, substantial travelling carriage drawn by six -horses passed slowly out of the Rue Richelieu and took its way through -the great open Place du Louvre towards where the Bastille stood, and, -beyond that, the Porte St. Antoine.</p> - -<p class="normal">A few minutes, perhaps a quarter of an hour, before this time, that -carriage had been stationed in one of the narrow streets running out -of the Rue Richelieu and, to it, there had advanced two young men -dressed in the height of the fashion of the period. But their velvet -and lace, their silk stockings and high red-heeled shoes, and also -their rapiers, were all hidden, since they were covered up by the -large furred <i>houppelandes</i> with which these young gallants were -enveloped from their throats to their heels. So much enveloped that -the patches on their faces were even more invisible than were their -remarkably bright eyes and, indeed, the greater part of their -features.</p> - -<p class="normal">Behind these evident scions of the <i>haut monde</i> there walked a young -serving man, or servitor, dressed in a sober, faded-leaf coloured -costume yet having on his head a great hat from which the long -cocks-plumes depended and fell over his face, and, at his side, a -stout rapier of the Flamberg order.</p> - -<p class="normal">Drawing near to the carriage at which one or two passers-by were -looking curiously, while one of the night-watch who happened to be in -the neighbourhood was doing the same, one of the two young men turned -round to the servitor behind and said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Jean, have you left word that we shall return at midnight from the -masquerade and that we shall require supper?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have, Monsieur le Vicomte."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So be it. Therefore, Pierre," said the vicomte, addressing his -friend, "let us away. Already the first dance will be over and, <i>me -confond!</i> there are plenty of <i>beaux yeux</i> will be looking for our -arrival. Fellows," glancing up at the coachman and footman on the box, -"set out. And miss not your way. Remember," speaking loudly and -harshly, "'tis to the Rue de la Dauphine we go; to the house of -Monsieur le Marquis de Vieuxchastel. If you proceed not straight you -shall be whipped to-morrow. You hear, dog?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hear, Monsieur le Vicomte," the coachman answered in a surly tone, -though, as he did so, he turned his head and looked at a bystander -under the oil lamp, and thrust his tongue into his cheek and winked -and muttered an offensive word.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So be it," the vicomte said, as he got into the carriage after his -friend and while the servitor clambered up behind. "So be it. Now be -off. Do you hear, beasts? <i>En route</i> for the Rue de la Dauphine."</p> - -<p class="normal">Slowly, therefore, because all large vehicles progressed but heavily -over the uneven roads of Paris, the great carriage went on its way; -though, since, instead of at once crossing the Pont Neuf--which is so -old!--it continued to remain on the north side of the river, it would -seem that the coachman had, in truth, missed his way in spite of the -injunctions of the vicomte.</p> - -<p class="normal">Soon, too, by following this route, the carriage was underneath the -frowning towers of the Bastille and passing by the moat in front of -the great door, and so went on through the Marais and past old streets -and, at last, past old houses standing alone and having, in some -cases, thatched roofs. A few minutes later it neared the Porte St. -Antoine with its great wooden, iron-studded gate closed for the night.</p> - -<p class="normal">But, here, by the side of the road, which was but a mass of dry mud, -there stood a house, or rather cottage, with a penthouse roof, having -outside of it a staircase leading to the upper floor. A house that -had, also, a long wall running at right angles from it which threw a -darkness deeper than that of the starlight night itself over all -beneath it.</p> - -<p class="normal">"This," said the coachman to the footman, "is the spot," while the -servitor who was behind noticed that the speaker crossed himself. -"<i>Bon Dieu!</i>" the man went on, "what a place for a love tryst, an -elopement."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Twill serve," the other fellow said; "and he in there wants neither -De Beaurepaire nor us yet."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And never will, <i>Dieu le plaise</i>," the trembling coachman said, since -the man who inhabited this house was the executioner.</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, the carriage, which had gradually drawn into the deepest shadow -of the wall came to a stop, and, from out that shadow, there stepped -forth a man. A man who, advancing to the door of the vehicle, opened -it and said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"So! you are here. Both. And, for the third--Humphrey West?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He is here, Monsieur le Chevalier," the supposed servitor behind -replied, jumping down from the banquette. "Here."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And you, my noble and illustrious friends," the Prince said, glancing -up at the coachman and footman, "my noble friends of the tripot and -the gargote; how fares it with you? <i>Cadédis!</i> the ride you have -before you will wash all the fumes of Van den Enden's poisoned wine -out of you. When you return to Paris with your pockets stuffed full of -pistoles your mothers will not know you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now," ignoring the answers which the two men on the box growled back; -men who were, in truth, Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury. "Now, all is -arranged. You, Madame la Duchesse," addressing the handsome young -gallant who had hitherto been termed M. le Vicomte, "will ride through -the gate by my side. You, Mademoiselle d'Angelis, will ride with the -faithful Humphrey. While as for you," looking up at the men above, -"you will follow close behind."</p> - -<p class="normal">As thus De Beaurepaire spoke, from behind where Paris lay there fell -upon the ears of those assembled near the gatehouse the sounds of a -horse's hoofs, of a horse in full gallop, while, to them, were added -the jangle of bridle and bridoon as well as another sound which told -of a sword clanking against stirrup and spur in accompaniment with the -action of the horse's body.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Are we pursued?" asked Fleur de Mai, his big hand ready to draw his -weapon from its sheath. "If so, one thrust through the horse and then -another through the rider and, lo! there is no further pursuit," and -he laughed, indeed gurgled, deep down in his chest.</p> - -<p class="normal">"If it should be my husband or one of his menials!" the Duchess -murmured fearfully.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Tush!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire, "there is but one, and we are four. -While if the rider is soldier, gendarme, or police spy, he takes his -orders from me. What have we to fear therefore?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Suddenly, however, he gave a laugh and said, "Listen. Hark to him how -he sings as he rides along. 'Tis La Truaumont who has drunk his last -cup in Paris quicker than one might have deemed, and has caught us on -the road sooner than I, who know him well, could have expected."</p> - -<p class="normal">And so, in truth, it was. Upon the night air were borne the strains of -a song the adventurer was singing: in a deep, rich voice was being -trilled forth the chanson:--</p> -<div style="margin-left:10%"> -<p style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px"> -Pour faire ton âme et ton corps<br> -Le ciel épuisa ses trésors,</p> -<p style="text-indent:5%; margin-top:0px">Landrirette, Landriri.</p> - -<p style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px">En grâces, en beauté, en attraits<br> -Nul n'égalera jamais,</p> -<p style="text-indent:5%; margin-top:0px">Landrirette, Landriri.</p> - -</div> -<p class="normal">"<i>Hola!</i>" he cried, breaking off suddenly in his tribute of admiration -to some real or imaginary beauty while reining in his steed with a -sudden jerk. "<i>Hola!</i> What have we here? Young gallants in cloak, -plume and sword; the great and mighty Prince de----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Peace. No names, imbecile," exclaimed the latter.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And all the basketful," La Truaumont continued, taking no notice of -his leader's words. "My own beloved Fleur de Mai, countryman and -companion----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis true, though you say it," growled Fleur de Mai in a harsh, -sonorous voice.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And Boisfleury. The illustrious Boisfleury. Good! Good!" When, -addressing De Beaurepaire, La Truaumont continued, "Noble Prince, do -we not pass the barrier to-night, or do we sleep at attention outside -that?" and he nodded to the gloomy house close by.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No. Since you are come so much the better. We will all pass through -together," and he repeated the instructions he had given before La -Truaumont came up, while adding, "For your descriptions, remember that -you," to Boisfleury and Fleur de Mai, "are of my following, and you," -to Humphrey, "that which you please to term yourself. You, madame and -mademoiselle," addressing the Duchess and Jacquette with a smile, -"know also who and what you are. Now for the horses. They are here. -Come all and mount, excepting you La Truaumont who are already -provided for."</p> - -<p class="normal">Giving his arm to the Duchess as he spoke he led the way to a still -darker portion of the wall, under which were six horses all saddled -and bridled and by the heads of which stood two of his own grooms.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, ha!" exclaimed Humphrey, as a grey mare looked round and whinnied -as he approached, "there she is, my pretty 'Soupir,'" and going up to -her he stroked her silky muzzle and whispered to her.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To horse," said De Beaurepaire, "to horse all. Madame," to the -Duchess, "mount," while she, obeying him, put her foot in the stirrup -and her hand to the mane and raised herself to the saddle as easily as -she might have done had she been in truth the cavalier she pretended -to be.</p> - -<p class="normal">A minute or two after, all were mounted. The Prince was on a great -fiery chestnut which might have been chosen with the purpose of -matching the strong masterful man who now bestrode it; Jacquette was -on a mare lithe as Soupir herself, and the two desperadoes on horses -strong and muscular.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Summon the gate," the former said now. "Summon in the name of the -King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Open," cried La Truaumont, "open. <i>Par ordre du Roi</i>. Open, I say."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who are you?" cried out a voice from the gatehouse window, at which a -man's face had by now appeared. "Who are you that summon thus in the -name of the King? Stand and answer."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Prince and Chevalier Louis De Beaurepaire, Grand Veneur and -Colonel of all His Majesty's Guards," replied La Truaumont, knowing -well that his master would not deign to answer at all. "Attended by -the Chief of his own bodyguard, the Captain de La Truaumont."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the others, most worshipful sir?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Vicomte d'Aignay-le-Duc," called back Humphrey, naming, as had -been decided, one of the Duchess's estates, "attended by Monsieur Jean -de Beaufôret," naming another, "followed by their attendant, Monsieur -Homfroi."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the others, who are they, illustrious seigneur?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Le Capitaine Fleur de Mai, Le Colonel Boisfleury, both of Prince de -Beaurepaire's bodyguard," bawled the former in an authoritative, -dictatorial voice.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pass all," the man said now, the gate beginning to creak on its -hinges as he spoke. "Pass. Good-night, noble seigneurs."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bid him let the gate remain open," De Beaurepaire said to La -Truaumont. "Tell him I do but ride outside it, there to make my adieux -to the 'Vicomte'."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which, and when this order had been given, all rode through the -gate. The travellers were outside Paris; they had left it behind.</p> - -<p class="normal">All had done so with the exception of De Beaurepaire who--since he had -fulfilled his promise of preventing the Duchess from being interfered -with in her flight from a mad husband until, at least, she was outside -the city walls--was about to say farewell to the party.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Farewell, Louis de Beaurepaire," that lady said now, as she placed -her long-gloved hand in his, while her soft, dark eyes looked out at -him from under her curled wig and plumed hat, "farewell. You have -placed me in the way that leads to safety and freedom; I beseech of -you to do nothing that may make safety and freedom strangers to you. -Hear my last words before I go. Even as now you turn back to Paris and -all the honours that you have, so turn back from that which may -deprive you of all honour; ay! and more. <i>Addio</i>."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_06" href="#div1Ref_06">CHAPTER VI</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The road to Nancy from Paris ran through the old province of Champagne -until Lorraine was entered--Lorraine, which, since the peace of -Westphalia, had fallen under French rule.</p> - -<p class="normal">Along this road the cavalcade led by La Truaumont progressed day by -day on its way towards Nancy, a hundred and fifty miles and more by -road from Paris. Between each morning and night the members of that -cavalcade rode on and accomplished some thirty miles at a slow pace so -as to spare their horses as much as possible, while halting in the -evenings at old inns where, though they gave no name, their appearance -and their manners proclaimed that they were persons, or at least that -one of them was, of high importance.</p> - -<p class="normal">For the Duchess, Jacquette and Humphrey took their meals together -behind a screen in whatever public room they sat down, as was the -custom of the nobility when travelling; La Truaumont took his -alone behind another screen close by, while the <i>soi-disant</i>, or, it -may be, the actual Colonel--for Colonels could oft fall low in these -times!--Boisfleury took his in company with the sinister and truculent -Fleur de Mai.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And, <i>sang bleu!</i>" exclaimed the latter individual on the third night -of their halt, which took place at Vitry, "if we were not ordered to -sit apart and to restore ourselves like serving men and valets by this -insolent La Truaumont, I would be well content with the office. This -ride through the air of Champagne is good for our health, the food and -drink is wholesome and ample, the absence of expense good for our -pockets. Nevertheless, I do think I must stick my rapier through La -Truaumont's midriff at the end of the ride. For his insults," and he -swallowed a large gulp of golden Avize, a local wine.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Stick thy fork in thy mouth and thy glass down thy throat!" replied -Boisfleury, tearing the flesh off a chicken's wing with his teeth as -he spoke, "and utter no banalities. You are well paid, you sleep warm -and soft o' nights and eat and drink of the best, and all you have to -do is to ride by my side and listen to my sweet converse and hold your -babbling tongue. While as to rapiers through midriffs--what would the -attempt profit you? La Truaumont is a <i>ferrailleur</i> of the first -water. Better put good food inside you than your vitals outside."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am as good as he," Fleur de Mai replied in a voice which was -getting husky with the Avize, when suddenly Boisfleury interrupted any -further observations by exclaiming:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Be silent, fool, and stagger to thy feet. See, the Duchess rises -from the table behind the screen. Ha! the Englishman bids madame -good-night. He kissed her hand and, <i>me damne!</i> kisses slyly the ear -of the girl, d'Angelis. Ha! Ha! The kiss, the English kiss! They can -do nothing without that. And, observe, La Truaumont comes this way. -Stand steady on thy feet, <i>chameau</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Boot and saddle at six o'clock to-morrow," said La Truaumont as he -came down the great inn-room which was part hall, and, at the end, -part kitchen. "Up at five. Boisfleury, see he is up," looking at Fleur -de Mai.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall be up," muttered that worthy. "Have no fear. A pint of this -wine will not make me sleep heavily. I'll throw the dice with you now -for a bottle of the best."</p> -<br> - -<p class="center" style="letter-spacing:25px">* * * * *</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The noble lady, Ortenzia, Duchesse de Castellucchio, who was now -riding from Paris to Nancy on her way to cross the Alps and, later, to -join her own family, that of the Scoriatis, had some few years before -this made almost a similar journey to France, there to marry her -countryman the Duc de Castellucchio, a man whose family, originally -poor, had followed Concino Concini--the Maréchal d'Ancre--into France, -but had managed to escape the awful end that had overtaken both him -and his wife.</p> - -<p class="normal">Having escaped such a fate as the assassination of the former or the -execution by burning of the latter, as well as any other forms of -death which the creatures of those once powerful adventurers might -well have expected to overtake them, the family thrived and prospered. -Steering clear of political machinations until the Concinis were -almost forgotten and, indeed, until Louis le Juste was himself in his -grave, they devoted themselves to commerce and, above all, to money -lending and, thereby, grew rich.</p> - -<p class="normal">But when, at last, Mazarin's star was in the ascendant as it became -shortly after the death of Richelieu, they attached themselves to his -fortunes, while, as he grew all powerful, so did they who, coming to -France almost paupers, were now enormously wealthy.</p> - -<p class="normal">One grief there was, however, that fell heavily on old Felice Ventura -who had, by this time, become Monsieur le Duc de Castellucchio (he -having decided to confer honour on his birthplace by taking its name -for his title), and that grief was that his only son and successor -gave signs of becoming a maniac, if he were not already one.</p> - -<p class="normal">Always strange as a boy, this son had, as a young man, given still -more astonishing signs of mental derangement, and, a short time after -he had espoused Ortenzia Scoriati, the daughter of a noble and wealthy -Milanese family, he was regarded and spoken of not only as a lunatic -but a dangerous one. For, from such outbreaks as rousing the whole -house from their beds by saying that a ghost was wandering round it, -and by dragging his wife out of her own bed by the hair to look for -the apparition; by not allowing any footmen to be in his service who -were under seventy, in case his wife should fall in love with them, -and by breaking up all the statues he owned (which his father had -collected at an enormous cost) since he proclaimed such things to be -heathen and profligate, he proceeded to greater extremities. He -invariably tore the patches off his wife's face whenever she placed -them on it, saying that they were the allurements used by giddy women; -he insisted next that his wife should have her teeth drawn so that she -should become hideous in the eyes of the world, and it was only by the -flight from him which she was now undertaking that the Duchess was -able to prevent herself from being thus disfigured for the rest of her -life.</p> - -<p class="normal">But even before this moment had arrived, his conduct had been such as -to induce the unhappy Duchess to determine to leave him. He ruined all -the costly furniture and pictures, as well as the statues, which his -old father had accumulated, on the usual plea that they were not fit -for modest people to gaze upon, while, not six months before this -flight took place, he invited his wife to go for a drive with him in -their coach one afternoon, and, when they had set out, calmly informed -her that they were going to Rome. But that which was worse than all -for the Duchess was that they actually did continue their journey to -that city, though neither of them had either a change of clothes or of -linen with them.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was to De Beaurepaire, whom she had known ever since she came to -France, that the Duchess turned for assistance when she determined to -finally quit it, while for a companion in her journey she looked to -her <i>demoiselle de compagnie</i>, "Jacquette," or Jacqueline d'Angelis.</p> - -<p class="normal">For Jacquette loved her and pitied her sad lot, and, had it not been -for her stronger love for Humphrey, and her hopes for a happy future -with him, she would not only have accompanied the Duchess on this -journey they were making at this moment but would never have -contemplated parting from her.</p> - -<p class="normal">And now, therefore, not only was Mademoiselle d'Angelis a member of -that small band but so, also, was Humphrey West, since, having at -present no occupation whatsoever, and no interest in life except to be -by the side of the girl he loved so well, he had made interest with De -Beaurepaire and the Duchess--both of whom had always treated him well -and kindly--to be allowed to form one of the latter's escort as well -as to be the knight and sentinel of his betrothed.</p> - -<p class="normal">That these two should love each other was not strange, nor would it -have been strange even if they had met no longer than a year ago. He -was young and good looking enough to win any woman's fancy, while, -beside his sufficiency of good looks, he was tall and broad and gave -signs of health and strength in every action of his body.</p> - -<p class="normal">She, "his girl," as he called her to her face and to himself, was -worthy of him. Amidst a Court that, at least from the day when Louis -XIII. died, had been none too moral and, under the influence of the -Queen-Mother and the then young King, had long since verged towards -absolute recklessness, Jacquette moved free and pure herself, while -hating, averting her eyes from, and being unwilling to see, all that -went on around her. For, while the girl was as beautiful as though she -had just left some canvas painted by Correggio, she was, partly and -principally owing to her own nature and partly to her English mother's -training, almost as pure as though she had just left that mother's -side. Similarly, as neither late nights, nor masques, nor dances, nor -any wild dissipations whatever to which the Court and all who were in -it, or of it, gave themselves up, could impair that fair soft beauty, -so neither could whispered words nor looks nor hints from dissolute -courtiers impair her purity of mind. To crown all, she loved one man -and one alone, and she would never love any other.</p> - -<p class="normal">And, now, this strangely assorted band of travellers had reached their -third halting-place on the road to Nancy, where shelter was to be -found in the house of De Beaurepaire's mother. This strangely assorted -band consisting of a woman of high rank in two countries, a young girl -whose life had been almost entirely passed in the glamour and ease of -the French Court, a valiant young Englishman who loved that girl, and -three reckless adventurers.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet the first three persons of the number had no thought, no -presentiment that, beneath the apparently insignificant nature of the -journey they were making, there lurked in the hearts of the other -three a deeper, a sterner, a more wicked purpose: a more profound and -horrible reason for their being on the road. The purpose of reaching a -city outside the King's dominions, a Republican city in which no -sympathies for a monarch or a monarchy were likely to exist, even -should that purpose become known; the purpose of there meeting the -arch-plotter of a hideous crime and being able to discuss in safety -how the workings of that crime should be decided on.</p> - -<p class="normal">These first three knew this no more than they knew that, following -them, and sometimes preceding them, when opportunity offered, so that -she might await their arrival; spying on all their movements and -communicating those movements to De Beaurepaire as she learnt them, -went a woman whose mad love for him had spurred her on to sink from -what was almost as high as patriotism to that which was the deepest -depths of wicked intrigue.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_07" href="#div1Ref_07">CHAPTER VII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Into the open cobble-stone <i>place</i>, which, at that period, was -in front of the Krone--at this time the principal hostelry of -Basle--rolled the great travelling carriage in which Emérance sat as -the night was falling over the city. The coachman cracked his whip -loudly as he approached the door, in accordance with the immemorial -custom of drivers bringing travellers to any house kept for the -accommodation of such persons, and the footman blew upon the bugle -which he wore slung round him, partly with the object of warning -pedestrians to get out of the way of the carriage, and partly to -announce to the villages they passed through that some one of -importance was on the road. Now, when the inn was reached, the man -sprang from the box to hold the door open and the maid clambered down -from the banquette, while the landlord rushed out of the door of the -inn followed by two or three <i>faquins</i> and stood bowing bareheaded -before the handsomely arrayed lady who had descended.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame la Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville," the footman said, while -madame herself entered the porch, "requires rooms for herself and -following. Also accommodation for the carriage and horses. Madame la -Comtesse will repose for some days in Basle."</p> - -<p class="normal">The landlord's bows and congees increased in force from the time the -rank of the visitor was proclaimed until he had learnt all her -requirements--which must necessarily be remunerative!--after which he -said in an oily, deferential tone:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame la Marquise shall have one of the best. A suite of apartments -<i>au premier</i>; all that Madame la Comtesse can desire. There is -accommodation for all that madame requires."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Show me to this suite," Emérance said, speaking now; "let the luggage -be taken off the coach and the animals attended to."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which she followed the still bowing host up the extremely narrow -stairs, common enough in those days, to the suite of which he had -spoken.</p> - -<p class="normal">Perhaps it was not as elegant a set of rooms as his enthusiastic words -might have led the woman to expect; perhaps the Darneux curtains and -the green printed stuff-hangings were not as fresh as they had once -been, or the narrow windows as clean as they might be; or the iron -bars outside them--which reminded Emérance, she knew not why, of a -gaol-window--as free of rust as they should have been kept. Yet, as -she told herself, this was but the <i>salon</i> of an inn in which she -would pass some week or two ere flying once more to Paris and the man -she loved; therefore it would do very well. The great leather chairs, -picked out with gilt, and threadbare by the constant use of strangers, -would serve her to sit upon as they had served other travellers -before; the odious, awful carpet, with the most horrible subjects from -scripture woven into it--and almost worn out of it again by countless -feet--at least covered the stone floor; while--had she not often -sheltered in worse places! The Hôtel des Muses of Van den Enden, to -wit, was worse and more shabby; the Schwarzer Adler at Nancy was -nothing like so good.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It will suffice," she said to herself, "to receive Van den Enden in; -to harbour in till I can go back to <i>him</i> to learn all that is a-doing -and to be done. And then--then--to Louis, my <i>bien-aimé</i>, to fortune -and happiness extreme, or--to death. Yet, what matters death, if it be -shared with him. With him! Ah! how I would welcome it if we may not -have life together."</p> - -<p class="normal">And now, an hour later, the woman who called herself the Marquise de -Villiers-Bordéville sat over the great fire of pine logs drawn from -the forests on the banks of the Rhine, and ate her supper while her -maid attended to her. As she made that meal she pondered on what her -life was to be in the future, and whether De Beaurepaire would always -be as kind and gentle to her as he was now, and would let her have -some share in his great fortune or great downfall, whichever might -come to him.</p> - -<p class="normal">Ere she quitted Paris, the man she had allowed herself to love with an -unsought love had told her that the Spanish Governor of Brussels, with -whom he was in communication through Van den Enden with regard to the -scheme which was on foot for invading France and for the appropriation -of Normandy at least, had at last sent a large sum of money for use in -the scheme.</p> - -<p class="normal">"A sum so ample," De Beaurepaire said, "that all employed in helping -this cause may now be well equipped. Therefore, you, my fairest of -conspirators, must take your share of the spoil," while, as he spoke, -he drew from his pocket a wallet stuffed full of drafts and <i>traites</i> -drawn by the Bank of Amsterdam and honoured wherever presented, and -tossed it into the woman's lap.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is not yours?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "If so, I will -take nought."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not even from me--the Chief?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"From you less than any. I must be paid to live by those who will -profit most--the Spaniards. For the rest, I am Norman. I shall profit -as well as you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Emérance, you may take it from me. Yet," seeing a look of dissent on -her face at this, "it is not mine. It comes straight from De Montérey -and is to be expended in furtherance of the--the--well! conspiracy in -Normandy. You are one of the intriguers, ay! and the sweetest and best -of all, therefore you must be well paid. Now, listen to what I have -done. A coach is prepared for you to travel in; 'tis yours, and, when -you have no further use for it, yours to dispose of with the horses."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur! I will not----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Tush! It is bought with the money of Spain. With you goes a footman, -a trusty vagabond speaking many tongues; one who will serve you -well both as servant and courier. Also, though he may rob you he will -allow none other to do so. As for a maid, you must find her at some -halting-place at which you stay, saying your own has fallen sick and -been left behind."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I require no maid. I can do my own hair a dozen ways myself, and--I -have been used to poverty."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You must forget that you have ever been aught but well-to-do. -Remember that you serve Spain now, and Spain pays handsomely for -service. Her instruments, too, must make a brave appearance. -Therefore, provide yourself also with rich apparel at some -halting-place----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I want it, heaven above knows," the adventuress muttered to herself.</p> - -<p class="normal">"--while," the Prince continued, "for gems and jewels befitting your -assumed station I will bring you some."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never," Emérance said. "I will have none of them. I," she said, "am -not a De Beaurepaire, yet I, too, am proud. But--but--there is one -thing that I would have. Something, no matter how poor a daub, that I -can wear close to me by day and night; something, if I can have it so, -that shall prick and sting me when I move or turn, and thereby remind -me that the Chief of all is near. Give me your picture and let me wear -it, and I will cherish it. Thus, though I need no spur to that which I -have to do, there will ever be one close to me."</p> - -<p class="normal">That which she had to do! Well, she told herself now, she had done it, -or partly done it, and was yet to do more; was to continue doing it -until the Duchess had left Basle far behind her.</p> - -<p class="normal">She had done what she had been paid to do--and her face would have -been awful for any one to see as she reflected thus, while sitting -before the logs of the fire and hearing the booming of the quarters -from the old Cathedral tower. Paid to do! by money, with clothes and -the wherewithal to travel sumptuously; with the means to engage a maid -who should attend to her every want--the wants of a woman who, not a -month ago, had nightly to mend and brush her rags ere she could sally -forth the next day!--the means to be able to sleep warm and soft. -Paid--and even this thought was better though still bitter--by a -smile, a kind word from a man whom she had allowed herself to love -without that love having been solicited, without its being returned.</p> - -<p class="normal">She had done, must go on doing for a time, that which she was paid to -do. Alas! even as, more than once on this journey, she, all unknown to -those others, had been in the same inns with them; as she had crept -about dark corridors and staircases endeavouring to hear what they -might be saying, above all if they were meditating treachery to <i>him</i>, -her <i>adoré</i>; as, too, she had tried to see and sometimes to possess -herself of a letter here and there that had been written by any one of -them--so she must continue to do. That those others would put up at -the Krone in this city, she knew: she had not failed to learn that, -either through her maid's gossip or her purse. The purse that was -filled with Spanish gold as payment for her treason to her country and -her King, or, doubly bitter thought, might, for aught she knew, be -filled by the man of whom her mad love had made her the slave!</p> - -<p class="normal">"The shame of it," she murmured now. "Oh! the shame, the shame of it. -I, a woman of gentle blood, well-born, well-nurtured, to sink to this. -To this!" and, as she so thought and mused, her eyes would turn -furtively towards the window-curtains that shut out the sight of the -river though not the sound of its rushing, and she wondered if in the -swollen, turbulent stream, there was not a more fitting ending to be -found to all her mad folly, her wicked treachery, than in aught else.</p> - -<p class="normal">"If he knew all," she continued to muse now. "If he knew what La -Truaumont knows; if he should hear of what I have been in my time -accused, would he trust me--a spy!--to spy upon those others? -Would he have treated me kindly, or ever, even in his softer -moments, have spoken gently to me. Ah! would he! To me, 'Emérance de -Villiers-Bordéville,'" and she smiled bitterly, "whose name is false, -whose title and rank are spurious. Yet," she went on, endeavouring -perhaps to excuse herself to herself; "my own, my real, name is the -equal of those assumed ones, if he did but know. Ay! as good as those -and, in spite of the cloud that once lowered over it, not smirched and -blackened then with the names of spy, <i>intrigueuse</i>, adventuress."</p> - -<p class="normal">The logs burnt low and fell together with many a soft clash, while -making the woman feel drowsy with their balmy warmth as she sat before -the hearth; the cathedral bells from above sounded dreamily to her -ears and as though afar off. Even the tall, well-knit and superbly -moulded figure and the handsome, dark face of the man whose image was -never absent from her mind, were vanishing into the light mists of -sleep when, suddenly, she sprang to her feet, startled by what she had -heard outside.</p> - -<p class="normal">A bugle had rung below in the open <i>place</i> between the inn and the -Rhine; there was the tramping of many horses' hoofs on the rough -stones beneath the windows; orders were being shouted, and, mixed with -these sounds, the shuffling of feet inside and along the corridors of -the inn and the clatter of the chains of the main door being unloosed -and the bolts drawn back.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is it?" the woman cried to herself, her hand to her breast, her -face white. "What? Nothing can be known yet, nothing discovered to -warrant their taking me, and--pshaw!--this is a Republican city not a -French one. They can do nothing here."</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet, notwithstanding, Emérance went towards the window and endeavoured -to see as much as was possible through the long-since uncleaned, -diamond panes of the window, and between the rusty iron bars outside.</p> - -<p class="normal">What she could perceive was a dozen or so of horsemen clad in scarlet -and green and armed with swords and musquetoons, who surrounded a -coach bigger than that in which she had herself journeyed; a coach -which had a table inside it and, on that table, a fixed travelling -lamp that shone upon and lit up the faces of two women. One, a woman, -dark, soft-eyed and rich in colouring, who was superbly dressed; the -other, also well favoured but of a more fair complexion and not so -handsomely attired.</p> - -<p class="normal">The noise and hubbub below continued as she gazed out; the voice of -the landlord was heard yelling orders downstairs and the voice of the -landlady screaming similar ones above; the escort--for an escort it -was, with which the Duke of Lorraine had furnished the Duchess from -Nancy to Basle--had dismounted and were leading their horses away. A -moment later, Emérance understood that the Duchess and her following -were being shown upstairs.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To the next suite to this," she whispered to herself as she heard -voices in the rooms adjoining her own. "Ah! we shall be neighbours. -'Tis well if we encounter each other that she does not know who and -what I am."</p> - -<p class="normal">Listening to the sounds proceeding from the next set of rooms, she -endeavoured to discover what person might have taken possession of the -chamber on the other side of the partition wall.</p> - -<p class="normal">What she heard, however, gave her no clue to that. Something she did -hear flung down on a table which, by the rattle and clash it made, -gave her, who well knew the sound of such things, the impression of a -rapier being thrown on the table after having been unlooped from the -wearer's body. And she heard also a man's voice giving orders, and a -call from one woman to another in rooms still farther off; but little -more than this. Nothing more than the ordinary sounds which, in all -times, travellers staying in inns and hotels have heard on the arrival -of new-comers in the same house.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_08" href="#div1Ref_08">CHAPTER VIII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Meanwhile, the sounds that Emérance had heard in that next set of -rooms shut off by the wall from those which she occupied (while being -served outside by the same corridor running at right angles from the -main passage) had been made by Humphrey West in the room appropriated -to him.</p> - -<p class="normal">For the Duchesse de Castellucchio besides being a timorous woman -in some things, although one bold enough in others, was by no means -sure whether--even now that she was in a free Swiss Canton and in a -city that claimed to be one of the most free and independent in -Europe--some steps might not be taken to seize upon her and drag her -back to France and into the clutches of her awe-inspiring husband. She -knew that, but a league or so off was the frontier of France, while -she did not know what the myrmidons of that powerful country might not -be able to do against a woman of her position who had fled from a -husband possessing the influence which her husband undoubtedly -possessed, maniac though he might be. And, not knowing what she -feared, she feared doubly. Italian-like, she was naturally -superstitious, while, at the same time, her mind was filled with wild -romances dealing with beautiful and unfortunate heroines shut up in -gloomy castles, or beset in strange inns and out-of-the-way places at -night and hidden in dungeons, or thrown into torrents and rivers not -unlike the rapid swirling river now rushing beneath, or almost -beneath, her windows.</p> - -<p class="normal">Therefore, out of this large suite of rooms to which the landlord had -led her and her party, or some members of it--and it is certain it was -the largest and most expensive one now unoccupied!--she had selected -for herself the most interior of these rooms. For Jacquette she had -chosen the one next to hers on the right, with, right of that, a -room for La Truaumont, and, on the left of her room, the one at the -other end for Humphrey. Thus, when the outer main door was securely -fastened and her door fastened on the left side and Jacquette's on the -right--yet both easily to be opened if the assistance of either of her -attendant cavaliers was required--she felt secure. A cry would bring -Humphrey from the left or the captain from the right. Little harm -could come to her.</p> - -<p class="normal">On this night of their arrival all sought their beds, or rather their -rooms, as soon as they had refreshed themselves after a journey that -had been a long one, they having set out earlier from Remiremont than -the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville had done from Luxeuil and, as has -been seen, had arrived later. All sought their rooms, that is to say -except La Truaumont, who, on bidding the Duchess and Jacquette -"good-night," had descended to the great general room with a view to -seeing that not only were Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury well disposed -of, but also that the soldiers of the Duc de Lorraine had been -properly housed.</p> - -<p class="normal">That this was so he had little cause to doubt on reaching the general -room. The former worthy was busily engaged in making a hearty supper -well washed down with wine, his comrade was keeping him good company, -and the soldiers were eating and drinking with a Teutonic attention to -what was set before them which plainly showed that they had no -intention of going to bed hungry.</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>O-hé!</i> noble captain and leader of all the band," cried Fleur de -Mai, as he espied La Truaumont coming down the room; "here you find us -doing justice to the fare of these worthy Switzers. <i>Me confound!</i> if -t'were not composed so much of veal--for 'tis veal in the <i>ragoût</i>, -veal for the <i>grosse-pièce</i>, veal in the <i>potage</i>, and, I do think, -veal it will be in the next dish--there would be nought to complain -of. Then, too, the wine never grew on any slope of sunny France. Yet -it, also, will pass. 'Tis red, 'tis strong and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It will make you drowsy. That is enough for you. Besides, it costs -you nothing. You should be content. Now listen. We rest here for some -days----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"A month if need be!" cried Fleur de Mai, plunging his knife into a -fillet of veal. "By which time the calves may have turned into beef -and the wine have become more mellow."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Think not so much of thy gourmandising. Meanwhile, attend. Beware how -you comport yourself here. This city is given up to good works. -Erasmus reformed it ere he died. If you look at a pretty girl -here----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"They mostly look at me," muttered the swashbuckler, his mouth full.</p> - -<p class="normal">"--or speak to her, or whisper in a Switzer's wife's ear or sing one -of thy ribald ditties, you are as like to be imprisoned, or burnt, as -not. Therefore, when you walk abroad to-morrow be careful. For if you -get laid by the heels we shall not stop to haul you up again, but -shall go on. At least the Duchess will," La Truaumont added, altering -his statement somewhat. "And, even though you may eventually die in -prison, it had best not be a Swiss one for you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"One prison," said Boisfleury who had not hitherto spoken, he being -engaged on a huge veal pasty, "is as good as another to die in."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay," replied Fleur de Mai. "To die in--yes. But to live in till you -die--<i>nenni!</i> For some prisons there are I know of--or should say, -have heard of--where you may feed fat and drink too----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Peace," said La Truaumont. "And so, good-night. Disturb not the house -with your ribaldries when you have drunk still deeper, nor with any -brawlings with those Lorrainers over there. Keep your swords in your -sheaths. There is no use for them here. Good-night," he said again, -"we have ridden far to-day and I am tired. Here is for bed."</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet, had there been any to watch his movements--which there were not, -since the <i>faquins</i> and the <i>chambrières</i> had long since sought their -own beds, while the landlord and his spouse sat below in their parlour -discussing the good fortune that had this day fallen on their house in -the shape of two such arrivals as the Duchesse and the Marquise--the -watchers might have thought he took a strange way to reach the room -allotted to him. For that room was at the farther end of the corridor -which ran to the right of the stairs, while he, stopping at the -immediate head of the stairs, knocked at the door directly in front of -him, after casting a glance above and below and all around. Very -gently he knocked, tapping as lightly as was possible with the knuckle -of his forefinger, yet the summons was enough to bring a response.</p> - -<p class="normal">A step and the swish of a long robe were heard upon the carpet -within--the carpet which had so revolted the taste of Emérance some -hour or two before--then the bolt was shot back gently--drawn back -softly, not pushed or dragged--and the woman peered out through the -door that she opened a few inches.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," she said, "it is you. Is there any one about?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No living soul."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Come in, then," and now she opened the salon door wide enough to give -admission to him and closed it again, and, softly as before, pushed -the bolt back into its place.</p> - -<p class="normal">When La Truaumont had kissed the hand she held out to him and she had -motioned him to a chair in front of the now almost extinct fire, she -said: "What of him? How did you leave him? And is he still in Paris?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Imitating the woman's own low tones, which it was natural enough she -should assume when receiving a man in her salon in an inn at nearly -midnight, La Truaumont said, "He is well. I left him so. And he is -still in Paris. Lou--Emérance," he continued, with a laugh, though a -low one, "are you happy now?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes. Almost happy."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You should be. But you may yet pay a dear price for your happiness."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You do not fear what failure, treachery, betrayal, may bring to him -and you and me and all of us? You do not fear what may be ahead of -us?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I fear nothing on this earth nor in the world beyond, so that he -trusts me. I longed to serve him since first I saw him ride at the -head of his guards before the King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And now you are happy?" La Truaumont asked again.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now I am almost happy."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I rejoice to know it." After which, changing the subject, he said: -"Affinius is on his way here. But this you know. He may arrive at any -moment. Then also, at any moment, the time for action will begin."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I deemed as much. Well! what are the plans?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I go to Normandy. You to Paris."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! 'Tis there I would be. Ah! the happy day. But--you! To Normandy? -What then of----" with a scornful, bitter intonation, "Madame la -Duchesse!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She sets out for Geneva and thence across the St. Bernard, -accompanied by Mademoiselle d'Angelis and Humphrey West, there to meet -her sister. With her go Fleur de Mai and Boisfleury. Brutes, without -doubt! yet savage, ferocious ones. Good swordsmen both and reckless. I -am not wanted here and I am wanted there" nodding his head in the -direction where he supposed--or perhaps, knew--Normandy might happen -to be.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is Affinius to tell us?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Everything he dared not write in his letter to De Beaurepaire. The -remaining money that Spain puts at our disposal, the hour when the -Dutch fleet will attack, which is again to be made known by an -arranged piece of false news on the subject of the King's creation of -two more new marshals. The time when the Norman gentlemen are to rise -and also be ready to admit the Dutch and Spanish to Quillebeuf."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And he? De Beaurepaire?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Sangdieu!</i> he is then to declare himself. Our old Norman aristocracy -will accept a man of high lineage as their leader. Louise----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha! What? Hsh."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I should say, Emérance. The man you admire may rise even higher yet -than the proud position of a De Beaurepaire. He may become, if all -goes well, the head of a Republic greater than that of Holland, which -follows Spain in her attempts to help us because she must; a Republic -a hundred times greater than this little thing wherein we now are. Or -he may become a----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"What?"--the eyes of Emérance sparkling with excitement.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He may become a king."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never. He, a king! A member of that great family which has for its -proud motto, '<i>Après le Roi--moi!</i>' Never!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"They said it, they took that motto," La Truaumont whispered, while -smiling cynically, "when there was no chance, no likelihood of their -ever reaching so dizzy a height as that of king. Let us see what this -member of their house will say if that glittering bauble, a crown, is -held out for him to snatch at."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A king," Emérance said again. "A king!" she whispered, "of France. -Oh! it is impossible."</p> - -<p class="normal">Nevertheless, as she so thought and spoke her heart was beating -tumultuously within her, her brain was on fire at the very imagining -of such a thing as La Truaumont had conjured up. To see him--him, her -love, her master!--a king.</p> - -<p class="normal">"But, ah!" she murmured to herself, as she still sat in front of the -now almost extinct logs on the hearth, while La Truaumont watched her -out of the corners of his eyes, "it is a dream. A dream that he should -be a king or ever any more than, if all goes well, the ruler of a -province, our province. A dream, too, that may have a rude awakening. -What was it he said to me ere I left Paris? That, if he failed, the -cross roads outside some town, a gallows outside the Bastille, would -more likely be his portion. Ah! well, so be it. Throne or gibbet, -whichever you reach, Louis de Beaurepaire, I shall not be far away. If -the throne, then I shall be near you though ever in the dark -background; if the gibbet, by your side. That may be best."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Come," she cried, springing to her feet as she heard the cathedral -clock strike twelve; as, too, she saw the last spark of the last log -go out. "See the fire is dead and it is late. Leave me now and go -quietly. To-morrow we will talk more on this."</p> - -<p class="normal">"To-morrow Van den Enden should be here."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That is well. Now go," while, opening the door and looking out to see -that all was quiet in passages and corridors, she sent La Truaumont -away and softly pushed the bolt back into its place.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_09" href="#div1Ref_09">CHAPTER IX</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Humphrey West had sought his bed some time before La Truaumont had -descended to speak to Fleur de Mai and his companion, and, -consequently, ere that adventurer had obtained admission to Emérance's -salon he was fast asleep.</p> - -<p class="normal">Fast asleep and sleeping well and softly, too, when gradually there -crept into the cells of his brain, heavy with sleep though they were, -the drowsy fancy that he was carrying on a conversation with some -other person. This idea, however--as consciousness became stronger and -stronger--especially after he had rolled over once in his warm, soft -bed, and, once, had thrown out his arms after rubbing his eyes--was -succeeded by a second. The idea, the fancy that, instead of being -engaged in conversation with another person, that person was himself -engaged in talking to some one else.</p> - -<p class="normal">A few moments more and Humphrey was wide awake and sitting up in his -bed, while wondering more particularly whence the sound of those -voices proceeded than what the purport of the conversation might be. -For, as was customary with all travellers in these days of insecurity -of life and property, when no one slept in undoubted safety outside -their own particular houses--if they did so much even there!--Humphrey -had, before proceeding to rest, made inspection of the room in which -he was. That is to say, he had peered behind the tapestry that hung -down all round the room over the bare, whitewashed walls; he had -looked behind the bed and its great hangings, full of dust and -flue--to look underneath it was impossible since the frame of the -bedstead was always at this period within an inch or so of the floor, -and only high enough to permit of the castors being inserted -underneath it. In doing all this he had also made sure that there was -no door in the wall by which ingress might be obtained from another -room--other than that in which the Duchesse de Castellucchio was now -sleeping. Consequently, he was at once able to decide that it was not -from her room that the voices proceeded, while, at the same time, his -ears told him also that they were not the voices of either the Duchess -or Jacquette.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet still he heard them. He heard the deep tones of a man subdued -almost to a whisper; the softer, gentler tones of a woman, itself also -subdued.</p> - -<p class="normal">Now, Humphrey was no eavesdropper, while, since he had no knowledge of -the existence of Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville, he ascribed the -voices which reached his ears to the conversation of some husband and -wife who were occupying the next room, and, if he felt any curiosity -still on the subject, was only curious as to how he should be able to -overhear them at all.</p> - -<p class="normal">Suddenly, however, he heard a word, a name, uttered that caused him -to, in common parlance, prick up those ears and listen with renewed -alertness to what was being said.</p> - -<p class="normal">For the name mentioned was that of "De Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet, foregad," said Humphrey to himself, "'tis not so strange either. -In the next room to me is the woman who left her husband's house under -his escort to the gates of Paris; the woman who, if all reports are -true, seeks principally freedom from that maniac to thereby become the -chevalier's wife. But, still, who are these who talk at this hour? The -woman's voice, low as it is--and sweet and soft also--is neither the -voice of Jacquette nor of her mistress, and we have no other woman in -our <i>cortége</i>. While for the other--ah!" Humphrey exclaimed beneath -his breath, for now a word, uttered in a louder tone than usual by the -man who was speaking, smote his ears. "Ah! 'tis the captain of our -band, La Truaumont! So! So! Yet what does he do in that room when he -sleeps at the farther end of the corridor, and who is the gracious -lady with whom he converses?"</p> - -<p class="normal">For, now, that word, the word which Humphrey had caught was -"<i>Sangdieu</i>," and <i>Sangdieu</i> was the principal exclamation ever on La -Truaumont's lips.</p> - -<p class="normal">Being no eavesdropper, as has been said, Humphrey decided that this -was no discourse for him to be passing his night in listening to. It -concerned him not that the worthy captain should be sitting up towards -the small hours discussing De Beaurepaire and his doings with some -strange woman who, for aught he, Humphrey, knew, was an accessory to -the flight of the Duchess towards her family in Italy. A woman who, he -reflected, might have come from Italy by order of the Duchess to -escort her across the Alps and to assist her in scaling the rugged -pass of the St. Bernard as easily as might be: perhaps a <i>gouvernante</i> -who would take all trouble into her own hands and see her charge -safely delivered into those of her relations.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, doubtless that is so," Humphrey said, as he lay back on his -pillow and prepared to continue his night's rest. "Doubtless. And -to-morrow I shall know all. Likewise, by daylight, I will discover how -it is those voices penetrate so easily into this room."</p> - -<p class="normal">He turned, therefore, over on his side again and once more prepared to -continue his night's rest, when, almost ere he had closed his eyes in -that vain hope, he plainly heard the word "Louise" uttered, followed -by the sibilant "Hsh" from the woman, this being followed in its turn -by the words, "The man you admire may rise even higher yet than the -proud position of a De Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later he heard La Truaumont exclaim clearly and distinctly, -"He may become a king."</p> - -<p class="normal">Listening eagerly now--for this was indeed strange matter to stumble -on in the dead of the night, he next heard the low clear voice of the -woman in that room exclaim:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"A king! A king of France! Oh! it is impossible."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which there was silence for some moments; a silence followed by -other words uttered so low that Humphrey could not hear them, they -being shortly followed by the sound of a door opened softly and shut -equally softly an instant later, and then by the stealthy, cautious -step of a man passing along the passage. The step of, as Humphrey -understood very well, La Truaumont going to his room at the farther -end of that passage.</p> - -<p class="normal">That Humphrey West should find sleep again after overhearing this -conversation was scarcely probable. In listening to it, in being -forced to listen to that conversation when once awakened by it, he had -indeed become possessed of strange knowledge.</p> - -<p class="normal">He had become possessed, firstly, of the knowledge that some other -woman than the Duchess admired De Beaurepaire, namely, the woman who -had been in that next room but a short time before, and not the one -who was in the next room on the other side; not the woman whom the -Prince had seen safely through the gates of Paris when escaping from -her cruel husband's house.</p> - -<p class="normal">That alone was startling, since, if De Beaurepaire did not love the -Duchesse de Castellucchio, why and wherefore had he jeopardised his -own great position in helping her in such an attempt! Humphrey West -knew well enough the power, often enough exerted, against those who -assisted women of position, girls who were wealthy heiresses, or wards -of <i>La Grande Chambre</i>, by <i>La Grande Chambre</i> itself. Were there not -men detained in the Bastille, in Vincennes, in Bicêtre at this very -moment, ay, even in far off Pignerol, for similar actions, while in -their case they had, or pretended to have, the one great, the one -supreme excuse that they loved the women whom they had assisted in -evading their lawful custodians. Yet, he told himself, this excuse was -not available by De Beaurepaire. For here, next to his own room, but a -little while ago, was a woman whom La Truaumont had spoken of as an -admirer of his; one who was doubtless admired by him. Here in the very -same house, under the very same roof, not forty paces from that other -woman!</p> - -<p class="normal">"What does it mean?" Humphrey asked himself a dozen times. "What? -While, strange as it all is, it is nought beside this other strange -news. This news that he may be a king. A king! Yet how--and king of -what? Of what. Of what other land than France could he, a De -Beaurepaire, have dreams of becoming king! And by what means? Ah! -great heavens, by what means? In what way but by the most bitter, the -blackest treason! By introducing, by helping to introduce, some -foreign power into the land to--dethrone the present lawful king! Oh! -Oh! it is too awful, too terrible to think upon."</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet the young man did think upon it far into the night and until, at -last, through the heavily curtained windows of his room there stole -the first grey streaks and rays of the approaching dawn. He thought of -it unceasingly; he thought of the terrors that must threaten this man -whom he now befriended and helped; this man who, haughty, cruel, -hostile as he often was to others, had never been aught but gentle and -kind to him--this man whom he had learnt to admire and think well of; -whom he was proud to serve in serving the Duchess.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet Humphrey was old enough to know, to remember, that of all the -treacheries and conspiracies which had surrounded the life and throne -of <i>Le Dieudonné</i> since, as a child, he had ascended that throne -thirty years ago, not one of them had ever approached even near to -success. Not one had had any result but a death shameful and ignoble -for the men who had been concerned in those treacheries and -conspiracies.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Five years ago," he murmured to himself as he tossed in his bed -where, until he heard those whispering voices, he had been sleeping so -peacefully, "five years ago Roux de Marsilly perished on the wheel for -such a crime as this talked of in that next room this very night. This -very year the Comte de Sardan has suffered in the same way; there have -been a dozen attempts all ending in disaster. And, oh! the wickedness -of it, 'specially in him, the playmate of the King in childhood, his -Grand Veneur, the head of his Guards. In him who, of all men, should -guard his master from treachery."</p> - -<p class="normal">The young man thought over all this even as he still sought sleep, -while understanding and acknowledging to himself that he could hope -for little farther rest that night; and, since sleep would come no -more, he endeavoured to arrange some plan of action whereby, if -possible, he, simple gentleman though he was, might be able to prevent -De Beaurepaire from rushing on his ruin.</p> - -<p class="normal">But first he must know something further. He must discover more from -those two plotters whom he had chanced to overhear this night. In some -way he must make himself acquainted with who and what this woman was -who harboured in the very house where was now reposing the woman he -had to help escort across the Alps. He would know, if possible, every -thread of the plot now in hand, every ramification of it, every person -concerned in it.</p> - -<p class="normal">And then, if he could do that, it would be time for action.</p> - -<p class="normal">At last, however, he was enabled to obtain some little rest; at last, -when daylight had come, the workings of his brain ceased, and, for an -hour or so, he slept.</p> - -<p class="normal">He did so until the hour of nine was striking from all the clocks in -the city, when he was aroused by a clatter beneath his window not -unlike that which, over night, had aroused Emérance from her -meditations in front of the hearth in her salon. Yet this clatter on -the cobble-stones of the <i>place</i> heralded no such arrival as that -which the woman had witnessed, no handsome travelling carriage -escorted by soldiers and adventurers as represented by La Truaumont, -Boisfleury, Fleur de Mai and even Humphrey himself; no descent at the -inn of a beautiful woman whose wealth and position made her one of the -foremost aristocrats in France, nor any pretty young girl such as -Jacquette.</p> - -<p class="normal">Instead, the noise alone testified to, as Humphrey saw when he -approached the window, the arrival of the French public coach -which was, in truth, a vehicle something between the <i>patache</i> of -the time, the diligence of later days, and the various lumbering -travelling-waggons of the period, while being a combination of all. A -frouzy, evil-smelling, dirty thing it was, in which men and women were -huddled together and even thrown into each other's arms and across -each other's knees as the wheels of the cumbersome and almost -springless vehicle jolted into ruts and then jolted out again, yet one -in which travellers compassed hundreds of miles when too poor to pay -for a carriage or to ride post--or when they desired to escape -observation and remark!</p> - -<p class="normal">From this conveyance there stepped forth now, amidst the howls of the -driver to his horses who were anxious to be unharnessed and reach -their stalls, and the cries of the ostlers and other noises, a -venerable-looking old man of about seventy whose head was still -enveloped in the cloth in which he had bound it up over night for the -journey.</p> - -<p class="normal">An old man who was received by the bowing landlord--the landlords of -those days bowed appreciatively to all and every who arrived at their -doors, no matter whether they were likely to spend one pistole or a -hundred in their houses--with much courtesy. An old man who at once -said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"I desire accommodation for some nights if it is obtainable. I desire -also that Madame la Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville shall be informed -that her father has arrived."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Her father!" the landlord exclaimed, perhaps in some astonishment at -the difference in appearance, as well as in the mode of travelling, -between this old man and his daughter, the illustrious Marquise who -had arrived in a handsome coach. "The father of Madame la Marquise! -But certainly, monsieur, madame shall be apprised. Though I fear she -still sleeps. Nevertheless, her maidservant shall be told."</p> - -<p class="normal">"That will do very well. I myself require rest. Later in the day I -will visit my daughter." After which the old man entered the house -and, consequently, was seen no more by Humphrey West.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet what Humphrey did see was that, before this venerable personage -entered the inn preceded by the landlord, he cast his eye suddenly up -at a window which the former had no difficulty in feeling sure was -that of the room to the left of his own. Humphrey saw, too, that he -gave a grin as he did so, while appearing at the same time to thrust -his tongue in his cheek as he slapped a large wallet, or bag, which he -carried slung round him.</p> - -<p class="normal">All of which things, added to the fact that the young man had heard -rapid footsteps pass from out of another room into the one where the -conversation with La Truaumont had taken place over night, and the -feet glide swiftly across the floor towards where the window was, -caused Humphrey West to feel sure that the woman occupying that room -had run to the window of the salon to greet the new arrival.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_10" href="#div1Ref_10">CHAPTER X</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">During the whole of that day, Humphrey, in spite of an extreme desire -to see something of the woman who inhabited that salon on the left of -his bedroom, found no opportunity of setting eyes on her. He was -obliged, as part of the duty he had voluntarily undertaken out of his -love for Jacquette, to pass half a dozen times in the course of the -morning, and equally as often in the course of the afternoon, between -his room and the salon of the Duchesse de Castellucchio, and on each -occasion he hoped to catch some sight of Emérance in the corridor. But -this was denied him.</p> - -<p class="normal">Something, however, he was enabled to discover.</p> - -<p class="normal">Outside the room beyond the salon which this, to him, unknown woman -occupied, there stood one of those valises, or travelling trunks, so -common in the days not only of Le Roi Soleil and his predecessors but -also of his successors: a squat, square thing made of black pigskin -and contrived so that it would fit into the boot or rumble of a -carriage, or, possibly, if the journey was being made on horseback, -could easily be strapped on the horse's back in front of the saddle. -On this there, also, stood a second box of exactly the same size; the -pair of them--outside the casket or small <i>coffre-fort</i> that all women -of means carried with them in the carriage, and that generally -contained their valuables and the few implements of their toilet with -which they burdened themselves--providing as much luggage as any one -under the rank of a <i>grand seigneur</i> or <i>grande dame</i>, accompanied by -many servants, was ever in the habit of transporting. The boxes in -question were quite new and fresh, while the polish on the black -pigskin gleamed so brightly that no doubt could be left in the mind of -those who observed them that they had but recently come from the -trunk-maker's. And, gleaming brightly on their fronts, beneath their -padlocks, were some words and letters painted roughly in white; the -words and letters, "Mme. la M. de Villiers-Bordéville."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," said Humphrey, musing to himself after he had walked softly -along the passage to where the boxes stood, "she is Madame la Marquise -de Villiers-Bordéville. The fair conspirator who plots and intrigues -with De Beaurepaire, or with his followers unknown to him; the woman -who will inveigle him into a conspiracy against, <i>Grand Dieu!</i> the -King and his throne. The woman who knows that old man who leered and -winked at her as he descended from the French coach. Madame la -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville! Well! well! It may hap that the -Duchess, or Jacquette, knows something of the lady."</p> - -<p class="normal">As thus the young man mused there came along the passage from the head -of the stairs, which latter she had evidently just ascended, a woman -attired as a maidservant and having in her hands some freshly cleaned -breast lace. A good-looking, though saucy-looking, wench, who, after -quickly observing that Humphrey had been reading the name on the -boxes, allowed her eyes to roam with undisguised admiration over his -handsome face, stalwart figure and well-made travelling costume. Then, -with a coquettish glance, she was about to pass on to the farther room -when, suddenly, she turned and, following Humphrey who by now was at -the head of the stairs, she said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur, Monsieur," while, as Humphrey stopped to look at her, she -continued, "Monsieur is of the following of Madame la Duchesse who is -in the great apartment. Is it not so?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is so, pretty one," said Humphrey, who considered that, since this -was undoubtedly the maid of the Marquise, a few pleasant words would -probably not be wasted. "What then, mademoiselle?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is a brigand of your band," the girl said, smiling with a -pleased expression at being called "pretty one" and with a flattered -expression at being addressed as "mademoiselle," "oh! a desperado, a -vagabond. A man with a great moustache and fierce eyes and a huge -sword, who is impertinent. Oh! of the most impertinent."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis Fleur de Mai," said Humphrey. "Of a surety it is. Well! is he -insolent enough to presume to admire mademoiselle?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He is. Ah! <i>Un luron</i>. And--Fleur de Mai! <i>Dieu des dieux!</i> What a -name for such as that. Monsieur, I seek not his admiration. Nor any -man's."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," said Humphrey, gazing into the girl's eyes, which gaze she told -herself afterwards gave her a <i>frisson</i>, "who could help but admire. I -blame not Fleur de Mai. <i>Ma foi</i>, I, too----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! monsieur----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"--should be tempted to admire if we met often. Yet alas! that cannot -be. We set out for Italy in a day or so, while Madame la Marquise -goes, I do fear me, another way. Is it not so, <i>ma mie?</i>" venturing on -the <i>ma mie</i> as a further aid towards the information which he was -cunningly feeling his way towards obtaining, if possible, by flattery -no matter how gross.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, monsieur!" the frivolous girl exclaimed, her head whirling at the -soft words and lightsome manner of this handsome gentleman. "I know -not. I am new to the service of madame, having been engaged by her but -a few days ago at Épinal."</p> - -<p class="normal">"New to her!" exclaimed Humphrey. "And engaged at Épinal. Is that -where she dwells?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. Nay. She came from Nancy. And----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"From Nancy," Humphrey said to himself inwardly. "From Nancy. Heavens! -Where the Duchess and all of us were but a few days ago. What is all -this? What does it mean? What does it all point to? This strange -intriguer here in this very house, and known to La Truaumont yet -unknown to the Duchess. I must learn more of this."</p> - -<p class="normal">But, aloud, he repeated, "New to her, eh, pretty one?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay," the girl replied, her tongue now thoroughly unloosed. "Ay! new -as those valises you were just now regarding; as this," flicking with -her forefinger the lace she held: "as her robes; new even as her -shoes. <i>Pardie!</i> one might almost say she had cast an old skin at -Épinal and put on a new one in its place. The things she left behind -there, that she gave to the maidservant, would scarce have furnished -the wallet of a wandering singer; a Jew would not have given a handful -of sols for all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"This is strange matter," thought Humphrey to himself, "and needs -seeing into. There is more here than should be." After which he said, -"And have you come to care for this new mistress of yours, this woman -so new in all things? Is the service soft and easy, and does she treat -you well?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! as for that," the girl said, "there is no cause for plaint. She -is sweet and good and ever soft and gentle, asking but little by way -of service. Also, I do think she dreams on nought but some lover she -has. Listen, <i>beau monsieur</i>. Upon her breast she bears day and -night--I have seen it there when I have gone to wake her from her -sleeping!--a miniature of one handsome as a god--handsome as a man may -be. In the day, too, I have seen her take it from her bodice again and -again, and kiss it and whisper foolish words to it, calling it 'Louis, -my soul, my adoration. Louis, my lord and king.' Ah! why do you start, -monsieur? Why?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Louis," Humphrey muttered, forgetting himself. "Louis. Her lord and -king. So! so!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"What does monsieur imagine?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is one such I know of," Humphrey muttered thoughtfully, and, -since he forgot himself, aloud, "One to whom that--that--those -words--that name might well apply and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And so there is," the girl said, looking into his eyes, while -thinking how soft and clear they were. "I, too, know of one who is a -Louis--handsome, all the world says--a lord--a king, what if she loves -him?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Him! Whom?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Whom! Ah! What if she loves the one Louis. The one king. <i>The</i> king. -It might well be so. She is fair enough to possess even a king's -love."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis true," Humphrey said. "'Tis very true. In faith it is. It--it -might be so. Perhaps you have guessed aright. Who shall say it is not -he?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet, while he threw dust in the eyes of the gossiping girl, he knew -very well that it was not the portrait of Louis the king which lay -upon that woman's breast by day and night; not the portrait of Louis -the superb ruler of France--of, indeed, almost all Europe--but, -instead, that other Louis whom, only last night, he had heard spoken -of as the one who should, if all went well, undo the other.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sweetheart," he said, "my duty calls me now. I must away to the -Duchess. Later, we will meet again. And, be not proud," putting his -hand into his pocket and drawing forth a gold piece, "take this for -spending. We will meet again."</p> - -<p class="normal">The woman took the coin with a pretence of demur--though, it may be, -that the demur was not all a pretence. For, in truth, she would, -perhaps, have desired that in place of a piece of gold the donor -should have said some more fine words to her, or looked softly once -more into her eyes, or, instead of contenting himself with saying, "We -will meet again," should have named a time and place for such a -meeting.</p> - -<p class="normal">As for Humphrey, whose heart and soul had only room for the image of -one woman, Jacquette, he turned on his heel after a pleasant nod to -his gossip and a promise to speak to Fleur de Mai and bid him be of -better demeanour, and went along the corridor to where the Duchess -was.</p> - -<p class="normal">He found her in her salon, occupied much as he had always known her to -be when he had ever been permitted entrance to her apartments in her -husband's house in Paris. Her guitar lay on her knee, the blue silken -ribbons thereof dangling down to her little feet encased in gold -broidered slippers; by her side was a vellum-bound copy of Massuccio's -novellinos: on a table in front of her a flask of Coindrieux.</p> - -<p class="normal">Near her, directing a buxom maid to pack into a small valise, or -havresack, all the clothes which the Duchess would carry with her -across the Alps, was Jacquette.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, ha!" the Duchess exclaimed. "So 'tis you, monsieur. And did you -sleep well and soft, <i>amico?</i>"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, I slept well enough, madame. On one side of my room was one -guardian angel--yourself. On the other--perhaps another one. Another -fair lady."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Another!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is a lady, madame," Jacquette said, "who has the apartment of -three rooms next to Humphrey's. Her salon is next to his sleeping -room, her bedroom next to that, and her maid's beyond that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who is she?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is, madame, a French lady who has travelled from Nancy. The -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. She----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!" with a slight start.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You know her, madame?" Humphrey asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know of her," while, turning her head away, she muttered a little -Italian oath that, especially from between her lips, sounded more like -some soft, whispered love-word; after which she said to herself, "That -woman here. That spy in the pay of Spain, as Louis termed her; that -spy of his own, as I do believe. The woman who is steeped to the lips -in the scheme which will lead to his undoing," and she ground her -little white teeth together as thus she pondered. Even, however, as -she recognised that Humphrey's eyes were on her and that he was -waiting to hear more of what she knew of this woman, there came to her -one crumb of satisfaction. The satisfaction that, since this -intriguing woman, this <i>fine Normande</i>, as De Beaurepaire had called -Emérance, was here in Basle she was at least far apart from him.</p> - -<p class="normal">Hortense had never truly loved De Beaurepaire more than he had loved -her, but to her as well as to him there had come the knowledge that -each might be of great service to the other. The Prince wanted money; -she wanted some one who would help her to evade her husband and to -escape out of France. And, later, if the Pope would grant that which -she so earnestly desired, namely, freedom from the maniac to whom she -was wedded, why then, perhaps, De Beaurepaire would do well enough for -a husband if she ever cared to take another; as well if not better -than any other man. His birth was illustrious, his name was one of the -proudest in France, his position under the King that of the highest, -and--which to an Italian woman was much--he was superbly handsome. He -was a man to whom any woman might be proud to be allied, but--as for -love--no! He had loved and been loved too often; he had been sought -after too much and--though the same thing had been her own lot--she -would not follow in the footsteps, she was too proud to follow in the -footsteps, of those others. But, since she was a woman and that a -beautiful one as well as a woman of high rank, and since this man's -name and hers were coupled together now and must always be so, she was -resolved that, at least, this other woman should not, if possible, -take her place.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Humphrey," she said again, "I know of her. She is an intriguer, one -who may do much evil to those who fall into her toils. If you by -chance should learn what brings her to Basle come to me and tell me -all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Can she harm you, madame?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. Since I am no longer in France no one can do so. But--there are -others whom she may injure."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand, madame. Others in France whom you would not have -harmed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes. Others in France whom I would not have harmed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If she works evil, if she should endeavour to work evil to others, -then--then----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then warn them or warn me. Even though I am out of France I may do -something. This woman," she said, whispering in his ear so that the -stolid maid packing the valise should not overhear her, "is here to -meet other intriguers, another intriguer, an old man. Together they -will plot and plot and draw one of whom we know into their toils for -their own ends. They will do so! nay, they have already almost done -so, though 'tis perhaps not yet too late to save--him! And it is all -madness. Folly! Ruin! They may profit by it--they may win--succeed. -But he must lose. You understand, Humphrey?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand, madame. And," with emphasis, "I sleep next to her -salon."</p> - -<p class="normal">Then he asked in as easy a tone as possible, "Does Madame la Duchesse -know of any others than those of whom she has spoken who are in this -scheme?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Of others. No! Why! Humphrey, are there others in it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"None of whom I know, madame," Humphrey replied, while determining -that, for the present at least, the Duchess need not know that the -chief of her escort, La Truaumont, was one of the principals in this -plot.</p> - -<p class="normal">Later, however, he recognised that not only for him but for De -Beaurepaire, La Truaumont, and the adventuress herself, it would have -been far better if he had spoken out openly and told the Duchess that -La Truaumont and this woman had already met and talked together over -all that was on foot.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_11" href="#div1Ref_11">CHAPTER XI</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Before the evening came Humphrey had discovered the manner in which he -had been able to overhear so plainly all that had passed between La -Truaumont and the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville the previous night.</p> - -<p class="normal">On returning to his room after his conversation with the Duchess, he -had at once set about looking for the reason why the sounds of their -voices had reached his ears so clearly, and, ere five minutes had -elapsed, that reason was forthcoming.</p> - -<p class="normal">The tapestry--if it was worthy of the name, since, in actual fact, it -was nothing but coarse, heavy-coloured cloth which hung in front of -the walls from the ceiling to the wainscot--was quite loose and might -be lifted aside, or drawn forward, by being grasped at the bottom, as -easily as a curtain might be, so that, consequently, when this was -done the whole of the bare wall behind it could be observed. Now, -since Humphrey very well understood that whatever sound had penetrated -to his ears must have come from and through the wall which separated -his bedroom from the salon of his neighbour, it was to that wall that -he at once directed his attention. A moment later he had done this, -and saw that high up in the wall was an orifice of about two feet -square which was strongly crossed with iron bars, and was probably, if -such a thing could have been thought of in even earlier days than -these, intended as a means of permitting air to circulate from one -room to another. If this had not been the original intention, Humphrey -could think of no other reason for the grating being where it was.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," he said to himself, as he gazed, or rather peered up, at the -thing from where he stood, his head being under the lower part of the -coarse tapestry, "what matters the cause of its being there since, by -its existence, I have been enabled to hear one portion of this -villainous scheme discussed, and, by God's will, may be enabled to -hear still more. So, too, I observe that the tapestry on the other -side prevents that grating from being visible to any in the woman's -salon, therefore none will guess that there is a listener here. 'Tis -very well. If I know aught of plotters and conspirators there will be -no more talk in there until the night has come and the house is at -rest, wherefore, since this is the time of day when the Duchess -sleeps, as do all her countrywomen and most of her countrymen, I will -go and pass an hour or so with sweet Jacquette. Then will I tell her, -from whom I have no secrets, of how I purpose passing part of my -night."</p> - -<p class="normal">At the same time, since he was a young man of method, he looked around -his room while pondering if he could not utilise some piece of -furniture by pushing it up against the wall so that, by standing on -it, he should hear better whatever might be said within that room. All -the same he decided, after a moment's reflection, not to do this.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Last night I heard much," he thought to himself, "though that other -and La Truaumont spoke but in whispers: to-night, since I shall not be -in bed but under the hangings, I should hear still better. And, also, -the maid will doubtless come here at night to fill the ewer and -prepare the bed; she would observe the change I have made. Let be. -'Tis best so."</p> - -<p class="normal">Upon which he went out after locking his door behind him, a precaution -never to be neglected in such times as these when nothing worth -filching, even down to a plume for a hat or a wisp of lace, was safe -from some one or other's thievish hands. After which he made his way -to Jacquette's room and tapped lightly on the door to call her forth.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sweetheart," he said, when she came to it, "put on thy hood and come -out into the streets of this old city. The Duchess should be sleeping -now and have no need for thee."</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is asleep, or seeking sleep. You know, Humphrey, we set out for -Geneva and the Milanese territory to-morrow."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know, dear one, and we will ride together side by side as we have -ridden here from Paris, though by devious ways and far off a straight -route. Yet, as you may guess, there is much to be done by me ere we -set forth."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know. I know. But wait for me below. I will but get my cape and -hood--'tis cold here in this damp, mountainous land--and then be with -you. But for an hour only, Humphrey. Only one hour."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It must suffice since it can be no more. Yet we shall still be much -together until," looking softly at her, "we are together for ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which he descended and went out to the great <i>place</i> between the -inn and the Rhine and waited for his love to descend.</p> - -<p class="normal">He waited, idling away the moments until Jacquette came, while seeing -Fleur de Mai sally forth with Boisfleury, the former having a new -plume in his hat and a fresh scarf round him, while the latter -swaggered by his side untidy as ever. He saw, too, La Truaumont across -the river, sitting in a tavern balcony which overhung the rushing -stream, and drinking with an old man of vulpine appearance--the old -man who had early that morning descended from the French coach and -looked up at the window of the Marquise's salon and leered and stuck -his tongue in his cheek, so that Humphrey had felt sure the woman in -that salon was visible.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha," he said to himself, "so he, too, is in it. He is the intriguer -of whom the Duchess spoke; the man who was to come here. Well! well! -we shall know more to-night."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he thought this, however, he determined that he would not wait -until the full night had come ere he retired to his room and began to -keep his watch, since he would thus be ready to hear all that might be -said in the next one. A word to the Duchess, a hint of what he was -about to do, would absolve him from any attendance on her that -evening.</p> - -<p class="normal">Jacquette came forth from the inn now, her pretty travelling -<i>escoffion</i> on her head and her little cape around her shoulders, -when, stepping across the place to where he stood with his back to -her, she joined him. Then--after looking across the river towards the -spot where Humphrey told her La Truaumont was seated (La Truaumont -who, having seen her come out of the inn, now waved his hand -gracefully to her, though half <i>en camarade</i> and half with the air of -a roystering, boisterous soldier) she put her hand on her lover's arm -and, together, they walked side by side along the left bank of the -swift, rushing Rhine.</p> - -<p class="normal">Of love 'tis certain they should talk at first--just a little--as is -the case with other lovers when first they meet, and always has been -since the world was young and fresh and green, and will be until it is -worn out and dead and gone. Therefore, so it was now with Humphrey and -Jacquette. And once, nay more than once, perhaps, when they had gotten -opposite the great wind-mills on the other side and were shielded from -view by the overhanging banks of the river, and hidden by the acacias -growing wild on those banks, their young lips met and touched as, -sometimes, the petals of one drooping crimson flower will meet and -touch those of another. But each knew that they were here for -something more serious at this moment than even their love, and -gradually they fell to talking on the strange environments with which -they, who had but lately been boy and girl together, were now -surrounded. They talked of the journey that lay before them over the -eternal snows of the St. Bernard or the St. Gothard, of which many -travellers had spoken and written and over the former of which -Humphrey's father had once himself passed on a voyage to Italy. They -wondered, too, how the family of the Duchess would receive her and -make a new home for her, and even wondered what the mad Duke would do -to regain possession of his errant wife. And then, at last, they spoke -of the whisper there was in the air--their air; that air by which they -were surrounded; of the whisper that De Beaurepaire meditated some mad -stroke by which he would set his life upon a cast and either lose all, -including life, in that attempt, or soar still higher than even one of -his house had ever soared before. "To-night," said Humphrey, in answer -to a question from Jacquette, "I shall know more; perhaps all. If that -happens which I think will happen, then I may know enough to prevent -the Prince from rushing on his ruin. For, sweet one, I do not believe, -nor will I ever believe, that he is aught but a tool, a cat's-paw in -the hands of these others. La Truaumont pretends to be his follower, -his servitor, yet he is, if I mistake not, the one who leads or pushes -him towards the end he himself desires to obtain. While for this -woman, who lives so close and snug within her rooms and is seen of -none, who is she, what is she?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know naught of her, or only that La Truaumont says she secretly, -and unknown to him, loves De Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand," her lover answered. "Yet I believe that--that--as with -La Truaumont so it is with this woman; she, too, pushes De Beaurepaire -onward to something he would never otherwise attempt. And if she is -beautiful----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She <i>is</i> beautiful," Jacquette said. "I saw her in Nancy. Poorly clad -'tis true, with poor adornments----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She has others now," Humphrey exclaimed, remembering the tray of -handsome lace that Emérance's maid carried in her hand when they -talked together at the head of the stairs.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No doubt, no doubt," the colour returning again to Jacquette's -cheeks as she spoke. "And you would say that, if she is beautiful -she can lead him, wind him round her fingers as a child can wind -a silken thread. He is vain and she may play upon his vanity, -although--although, Humphrey--even as she does so she still may love -him. If all the world speaks true, many women have loved him ere now."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If she loves him she should not lure him to his destruction. Yet, if -what I overheard last night has any truth in it, her own destruction -might accompany his. La Truaumont warned her--and, as he spoke, his -voice sounded sinister to me--that she might pay a heavy price for his -love."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A woman would not heed that," Jacquette answered softly. "If she -loves a man and would have him love her, the price, even though it be -her life, counts nought."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Has he," Humphrey asked now, after gazing into her eyes as she spoke -thus, "confided in the Duchess? Does she know all?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She will <i>not</i> know. She will <i>not</i> hear. She is resolved to know -nothing of De Beaurepaire's share in what is being plotted, I think. -For if 'tis against the King, against his crown, that danger -threatens, then--then--even though it were to bring death to him she -would warn the King. His mother, the Princess, would have told the -Duchess at Nancy, she endeavoured to tell her, to beseech her to -intercede with De Beaurepaire, to beg him to forgo this mad scheme of -which he had whispered the greater part to her, though not mentioning -that he was the head and front of it; but madame would not listen to -her. She will not know it since, knowing, she would feel impelled to -divulge all to the King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then, somehow, I will save him. He has been ever good to me: once he -offered me a commission in his guards; also 'twas he who pressed King -Louis to make King Charles restore to me all that my father lost in -his father's cause. I must save him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," Jacquette said, toying with the lace of his sleeve, "it does -behove you also to save the King, since, if these conspirators are -backed by the power and wealth of Spain, there is a chance they may -succeed. He, Louis the King, has also been good to you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis true. 'Tis very true," Humphrey said reflectively; "he, too, -when my father was dead and my mother and I borne down by bitter, -grinding poverty, put in our way the wherewithal to live. He placed -her in the suite of Madame Henriette, he made me a page at Vincennes. -In very truth I owe him much."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Therefore repay. Endeavour to serve both of those who, in their time, -have served you and yours. Save De Beaurepaire from these huckstering -conspirators, or, better still, save him from himself: save the King -from their assaults upon his great power and position. Yet--yet--ah! -heaven," she broke off to exclaim, "if your knowledge of this plot, if -the knowledge you already possess, or may further possess, should -bring harm to you! Oh! if they should know that you have discovered -all, what--what would they hesitate at? Either here, in this gloomy -town, outside the power of France to help or save you, or--or--when, -later, we are on those icy passes over which we must ride to reach the -Milanese."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why, sweetheart, what can they do?" Humphrey asked, with a smile. -"What! I am as good a man as any one of them, my rapier as stout, my -arm and wrist as strong."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There are many of them who may come against you. The bravo, La -Truaumont, the desperado, Fleur de Mai, his boon companion, -Boisfleury. And--and--those others! That old, evil-looking man who -came to-day; this adventuress who lies fast hid within her rooms. Ah! -Humphrey, Humphrey, my love, 'tis not these men's swords I should fear -so much for you as the craft and wickedness of that other pair. For -God's sake, Humphrey, be on your guard."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Ma mie</i>, fear not. And remember this. If I discover aught that it -behoves me to know, it will not be on the passes or here, in this -auberge, that they will find their opportunity. For, then, soon, I -shall be gone from out their ken----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Gone!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, gone. Either to De Beaurepaire--if he be their tool; to the King -if he be a chief mover in this wickedness. Gone to France, to Paris, -ere they can do aught to stop or harm me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Gone! And the Duchess and I left without you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If it must be it must. And you will be well escorted, even though the -escort is none too trustworthy. For, think. Reflect. La Truaumont's -orders are never to quit Madame la Duchesse until she is safe in the -hands of her sister and her family in Milan. While, as for the others, -his jackals, what can they do without his will? They whom he pays week -by week."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the others? Those two. That old man and that intriguing woman!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"They will not cross the pass. Nor, if I must travel back, can they -travel as fast as I on 'Soupir'."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But you, my heart, you? My love, my companion, my comrade?" Jacquette -asked. "What if you are gone without one word, one last farewell?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"If I am gone, if 'tis necessary that I start even ere dawn, then you -will know the why and the wherefore, my own. You will know 'tis for -life and death, for the sake of one Louis or the other. In hinting -this to the Duchess you will thus obtain my pardon. As for our last -farewell--ah! <i>ma mie</i>, we can say it now. We can now take our last -embrace until we meet again. While, if I set not out, 'tis one more to -the good account."</p> - -<p class="normal">Whereupon he again drew the girl to him under the shade of the acacias -and kissed her long and fondly.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_12" href="#div1Ref_12">CHAPTER XII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The Duchesse de Castellucchio awoke the next morning an hour after -daybreak, which, at this late summer period, took place at about five -o'clock, and, since it was her intention to set out early that day for -Geneva, thence to commence her journey over the St. Bernard, she -called out at once to Jacquette to summon her maid. Then, that being -done, Jacquette herself appeared from the adjoining room enveloped in -her <i>robe de chamber</i> and asked madame how she had slept that night.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Excellently well," Hortense said, sitting up in her bed, and -presenting a charming sight to the girl--who, however, had seen it -often enough before--since her long hair streamed down over her -lace-adorned night attire until it mingled with the great bear-skin -thrown over the bed. "Excellently. A quieter neighbour than Monsieur -West next door no traveller need wish to have. The young man moves -not, neither does he have the nightmare. A pretty youth is Humphrey, -with soft and gentle manners even in his sleep, it would seem. And -you, child, have you too slept well?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, madame, none too well. I was not drowsy and, when I slept at -last, I dreamed. Horrible dreams, madame, of swords and rapiers, and, -oh!--of blood being shed. Yet I know not wherefore I should have -dreamed thus. The house was peaceful, no travellers arrived in the -night, there was no sound to startle sleep; nothing to tease a -would-be sleeper but the noise of that river rushing on and on and -swirling past the crazy wooden bridge in front of us."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It may be your rest was disturbed by some haunting recollection in -your brain of the journey that lies before us. Well! it has to be -taken; we cannot abide in this gloomy old place for ever. Therefore, -Jacquette, let us prepare for the day. Bid Suzanne go get my chocolate -ready, forgetting not to put a glass of ratafia in it; and knock on -the wall, child, and arouse that slumbering lover of yours. 'Tis time -he awoke and, awaking, should bid La Truaumont also leave his bed, -since he too, in his turn, must awaken those two brigands who ride -with us and of whom, <i>Dio mio!</i> I like the look none too well."</p> - -<p class="normal">Obedient to Hortense's order Jacquette crossed to the other side of -the room and, feeling under the tapestry for the spot where she knew -the closed and heavily bolted door to be, rapped on it with her -knuckles, while saying, "Humphrey, arise! The clocks have struck -seven. Awake, sluggard!"</p> - -<p class="normal">But there came no answer to her summons. All was as still as though -she had knocked at, and spoken to, an empty room.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Knock again," the Duchess said. "<i>Basta!</i> how the young man sleeps."</p> - -<p class="normal">But Jacquette's second knock was productive of no more response than -the first had been, whereon the girl--though turning somewhat white -with a feeling of apprehension in her mind, while recalling at the -same time her dreams of swords and rapiers and blood--whispered to -herself, "He has discovered all and he is gone. Gone to save one Louis -or the other, as he said. Madame," she cried, turning round to the -Duchess who still sat up in her bed listening intently now for some -sound from Humphrey's room, "he is not there. Or being there sleeps so -soundly that I cannot waken him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Doubtless," the Duchess said, "he has awakened before us, and, -knowing of what lies before us, has descended to make preparations for -the journey. That being so, he has done all we would have him do -without being bidden to do it. His is a brave, trustworthy heart. Yet -I do wonder if he has also bethought him of awakening La Truaumont. -The man is, may be, a heavy sleeper: each night he empties his wine -flask to the dregs ere seeking his bed. If Humphrey has not thought to -rouse him, I will dare to say he is still snoring as heavily as a -tired dog."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It may be so," Jacquette said aloud, with reference to the Duchess's -opinion that Humphrey had already risen; yet to her heart she -whispered, "but not risen as you think. Instead, more like he has not -sought his bed at all but, overhearing much of the plots of those -conspirators, has set out hours ago. By now he has doubtless been long -in France, the frontier being so near. By now, also, 'tis certain he -is riding post-haste either to save De Beaurepaire or to warn the -King. Oh! Humphrey, Humphrey, my lover, may Heaven have and keep you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Call Suzanne," the Duchess said at this moment, since, always -self-indulgent in her tastes, she saw no reason why her cup of -chocolate should be longer delayed, no matter whether Humphrey West -still slumbered late or had risen betimes: "Call Suzanne and bid her -bring the morning drink. Likewise tell her to go and beat on La -Truaumont's door. 'Tis time he was out of bed. And, Jacquette," as she -always called the girl, "go out into the passage and beat yourself on -Humphrey's door as loud as may be, while, if he answers not, open it -if 'tis not locked and wake him."</p> - -<p class="normal">Suzanne was now at hand and, receiving her instructions, set about -obeying them by first going to La Truaumont's room to summon him. At -the same time, and when she had departed on her two missions, -Jacquette going out into the corridor ran to the next room and began -another <i>tintamarre</i> on the other door, calling loudly as she did so, -"Humphrey! Humphrey! Humphrey! Awake! Awake!"</p> - -<p class="normal">But there was no more answer from within to this second summons than -there had been to the first.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He has gone," she whispered to herself. "He has gone. He has -overheard more strange matter and has deemed it well to set out on the -instant. What an ending to our projects of a happy ride into that -southern land of sunshine, to all that we had dreamt of being to each -other for some weeks or months! To all our hopes of being so much -together."</p> - -<p class="normal">Thinking, however, that, ere her lover had set out, as now she felt -sure he must have done, he might by chance have left some carefully -worded line for her, something that she should understand very well, -though, should it chance to fall into the hands of others, it would to -them be unintelligible, she lifted the latch of his door meaning to go -in and see if, on some table or chair, and prominently in view, a -billet might be lying. If that were not so, she would by one glance be -able to discover through the disorder of the room--the absence of his -riding cloak and feathered hat and rapier and pistols--whether he was -definitely gone or only away for some little while.</p> - -<p class="normal">As she lifted the latch, however, while pressing on the catch under -her thumb thereby to push open the door, she discovered that either -the latter was locked or the bolt on the inside shot.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Locked or bolted!" the girl whispered, her face pale now and her -breath coming fast and short. "Locked or bolted, and from the inside! -And he there. There and silent--speechless. My God! what has happened -to him? What?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Faint with fear of some horror she could not express, with some -hideous apprehension of impending evil--nay, of evil that had already -fallen; dreading <i>what</i> might be in that room now, wondering if -Humphrey had been discovered listening to those plotters in that other -room and, in some way, reached, attacked and done to death, the girl -leant helplessly against the door-post endeavouring to think what she -should do next.</p> - -<p class="normal">Should she alarm the house, already awakened for the work of the day; -cry to some <i>faquin</i> or waiting woman passing up and down the stairs, -or descend those stairs herself and summon the landlord to come and -burst open the door? What--what should she do?</p> - -<p class="normal">Suddenly, however, another thought whirling in her brain, dispersing -and driving forth those which had possessed that brain a moment -earlier, brought ease to her.</p> - -<p class="normal">"He has not gone," she whispered to herself, the glow returning to her -bosom that, an instant before, had felt like ice; "he cannot have -gone. He has not discovered or overheard anything to cause him to set -out for France. It must be so. He has descended, as madame supposed, -to take steps for our journey, and, some of his effects being worth -stealing, has locked his door and taken the key with him. Ah! yes. It -must be so. Had he set forth, had he quitted this room for ever, he -would not have locked the door after leaving nothing of his behind."</p> - -<p class="normal">Eased therefore by these reflections, Jacquette made her way back to -the Duchess and was about to enter the sleeping-room when she paused -at hearing the voice of Hortense raised shrilly, as though in -excitement.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What!" she heard her say. "La Truaumont makes no reply! You cannot -awaken him and his door is locked inside. <i>Dio mio</i>, what does it -mean! Have all failed in their trust! All deserted me!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! madame," Jacquette exclaimed, as now she entered the room, "it -must be with the captain as with Humphrey. Both have descended to make -preparations for our departure after leaving their doors locked behind -them for security."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It may be so," the Duchess exclaimed. "Yet if it is, 'tis strange. -Humphrey sleeps on my left, yet I heard no sound of movement in his -room late or early, nor did you hear any in the room on your right -where the captain slept. 'Tis passing strange."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet easily solved, madame," Jacquette replied, "if all is as you -suspect, and I," to herself, "hope. I will but don my clothes and then -descend myself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Instead, send Suzanne. She is dressed and can go down at once."</p> - -<p class="normal">Whereupon Suzanne, who had by now returned with the chocolate and chip -bread for their early meal, was bidden to go at once below and see -what had become of the absent men.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And," said the Duchess to her ere she went, "seek out that other, if -they are not about. That <i>matamore</i> who styles himself Fleur de Mai. -If you cannot find them bring him here to my presence."</p> - -<p class="normal">The girl sped away to do as she was bidden, and, while she was gone, -Hortense, sitting up in her bed, drank her chocolate and seemed more -puzzled at the circumstance that neither she, on one side, had heard a -sound from Humphrey, nor Jacquette, on the other, from La Truaumont, -than at aught else. Then, when five minutes had elapsed, Suzanne, -forgetting in her excitement to knock, and forgetting also all -deference due to her mistress, rushed into the room, exclaiming:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! madame, neither the illustrious captain nor monsieur the -Englishman have been seen below this morning. Yet--yet--the horses are -all in their stalls, not one is missing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Oh! great heavens," moaned Jacquette at this significant piece of -intelligence.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the other," cried the Duchess, "the great truculent one? The -fellow called Fleur de Mai. What of him? Why is he not here as I -commanded?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," the maid cried, her voice rising almost to a shriek, "he, -too, is missing. He slept before the fire in the great room wrapped in -his cloak, but at daybreak, when the house was opened, he was no -longer there--and--madame, neither can he be found."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not found. Yet there was still another, the meaner one; the one -called Boisfleury," the Duchess cried, springing out of her bed in -beauteous disarray. "What of him? Is he too, missing? And the -landlord, where is he?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The landlord, madame, is bewildered. He comes with the pass-keys to -open all the doors of their rooms. As for the man, Boisfleury, he is -outside. He waits on Madame la Duchesse."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Take him into the salon. And, Jacquette, give me my robe. Quick. -'Twill cover this <i>négligé</i>." While, as she spoke, she seized the -masses of long hair that hung down her back and twisted them up into a -huge knot upon her head. After which she thrust her little feet into a -pair of warm, soft slippers and entered the salon followed by -Jacquette.</p> - -<p class="normal">Before her there stood the man, Boisfleury, white and shaky looking, -so that, as Hortense shrewdly suspected, he had been hastily summoned -from his bed, wherein, she did not doubt, he had been sleeping off the -potency of the draughts in which he and his companion nightly -indulged.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What know you of these absent men?" she asked now, while her usually -soft, velvety eyes looked anything but softly into those of the man -before her so that, either from their piercing glance, or from the -vision of beauty <i>en déshabille</i> which confronted him--or, perhaps, -from that other cause which the Duchess had suspected--he shivered and -shook before her.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What know you, I say? Answer, man, and stand not trembling thus. -Speak, fellow."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Most gracious lady, I know nothing. Last night I sought my bed early, -the better to be ready for our departure this morning and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Got you that wound on your face in your bed? 'Tis a strange place to -encounter such a thing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame la Duchesse, I fell upon the stairs and hurt myself."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It resembles not a bruise. More like unto a sharp cut. Yet this is -nought to me. Tell me, I say, what you know of the absence of those -three. Of the young English seigneur, of your leader, the captain, and -your boon companion?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Gracious lady," Boisfleury said again, "I know nothing. The young -English seigneur I saw not at all. Madame la Duchesse will remember -that he abode not with us but with madame and mademoiselle," directing -his eyes towards Jacquette. "The noble captain supped alone very early -and then retired at once. As for Fleur de Mai and me, we supped -together; he drank more than was good for him--as--as I warned -him--and then rolled himself in his cloak and slept before the fire. -Whereon I sought my bed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will have the house ransacked to find one at least of them," the -Duchess exclaimed, her eyes ablaze; "nay, I will have the whole of -this heretical, canticle-singing town ransacked, if I can do so, to -find him. For the others I care not, no, not even if they have gone to -their master the devil! While as for you----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As for me, most noble dame?" Boisfleury repeated, cringingly, though -with a strange gleam in his eye. "As for me, Madame la Duchesse?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not believe you. If we were in Paris you should be sent to the -Bastille or La Tournelle----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame la Duchesse has shaken the dust of Paris off her feet," the -man answered, with an insolent leer. "We shall not meet in Paris when -I return to it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Out, dog!" the Duchess cried, advancing towards the fellow, her hot -Italian blood aflame at his insolence and also at the certainty that -he was lying to her. "Out, animal! Or the landlord----"</p> - -<p class="normal">At this moment, however, the landlord himself appeared at the -door, and, with many bows and genuflexions, announced that he had -opened the doors of the rooms of all the missing men with his -pass-keys--and--and--it was very strange, but all their effects were -there untouched.</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, ere the Duchess could reply to this ominous statement a cry from -Jacquette startled her, and, a moment later, she had rushed toward the -girl and caught her in her arms ere she swooned.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Can I lend assistance?" a soft voice asked as this occurred, and -Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville appeared at the open door of the room, -clad, like the Duchess, in a long <i>robe de chamber</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">"No," the latter said, looking at her with a glance that would have -withered many another woman, a look full of disdain. "No. And, madame, -this is my private room, therefore I desire to possess it in privacy."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_13" href="#div1Ref_13">CHAPTER XIII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"She knows," Emérance muttered to herself as she sought her own rooms -from which, in fact, she had only been brought forth by the noise and -chattering in the passages and the sounds that issued from the -Duchess's salon, owing to the door being open. "She knows--in -part--what I am. That look from those dark, haughty eyes told all. -Yes, she knows something--but only something; not all. She cannot know -of the Great Attempt."</p> - -<p class="normal">She took up now a little hand-bell from the table and, ringing it, -brought forth her maid from the bedroom where she was engaged in -arranging that apartment; after which Emérance said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"What means this turmoil in the inn, this hurly-burly on the stairs -and in the passages? Know you aught?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," the woman replied, only too willing to talk, "there are -strange happenings in this house. The retinue of the Duchesse de -Castellucchio have mostly deserted her. They are missing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Missing!" Emérance exclaimed, while her face blanched. "Missing! Her -retinue missing. Explain to me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! Madame la Marquise. They are gone, vanished. All except one--the -lowest of them. The handsome young man so gay and debonnair, with -shoulders so broad and stalwart and such soft, dark eyes, is gone----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Proceed. No matter for his looks."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Also the captain. He who was like a bull. Also the great -swashbuckler, <i>le fanfaron</i>, with the red-brown hair."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The captain gone," Emérance muttered to herself, "and Fleur de Mai -gone too. 'Tis strange. Wondrous strange."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And, above all," the girl persisted, determined that the one who had -been so gentle and courteous to her, so much of an admirer, should not -be overlooked, "the young seigneur, madame! The handsome, courtly -one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah!" Emérance exclaimed, "his looks count not." Nor, in truth, would -the looks of any man in all the world have counted with this woman who -had no thoughts or eyes for the beauty of any, or only one, man. Then, -continuing, she said: "And that other? The lowest of them, as you term -him. Where is he?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He saddles his horse below. He rides to the Syndic to beseech his -help in finding them; the Syndic whose lodge is outside the walls upon -the route de France, a league or so from here. He does so, having -spoken first with the venerable father of Madame la Marquise. The -illustrious Seigneur de Châteaugrand."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! yes. My father. The Seigneur de Châteaugrand!" and now there came -a look upon her face vastly different from the look of a few minutes -before--one which seemed to speak of some internal spasm of pain, or -regret or self-reproach, so different from this which was one of -irony, of contempt. "Where is he?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He prepares to descend to madame from his room above. He wishes to -know something of these strange doings. He will be here ere many -moments more are past."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So be it. He will find me. Now make me ready for the day. Put out my -clothes and toilette necessaries. My father," with a scornful smile, -"hates ever to see a woman in disarray."</p> - -<p class="normal">That "father" made his appearance, as the maid had said would be the -case, ere many moments were passed, yet when he did so the interview -that was to take place--if it was an interview--was not of long -duration. Emérance, who was in the bedroom in the hands of the maid -when she heard the door of the salon open, called out to know if it -was he, and, on discovering such to be the case, had her dress put on -hastily and then went to him. After which, without salutation or -greeting, she went close to Van den Enden and, speaking to him in -almost a whisper--for, which there was scarcely any need since she had -carefully shut the door between them and the maid--she said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is this report? And--what does it mean? Where are they all? -All?"</p> - -<p class="normal">But the Jew made no reply. Which abstention from speech was, in truth, -the most pregnant of replies.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand, or almost understand," Emérance whispered, while -as she did so she stepped back some paces from Van den Enden and, -perhaps unconsciously, drew the skirts of her gown closer round her. -"We have been overheard, were overheard, and--and, after you left -me last night you and La Truaumont discovered such to be the case. -And--and--and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">But still Van den Enden uttered no word but stood looking strangely at -the woman.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah," she gasped. "And De Beaurepaire? Louis? Is he safe? Will he be -safe?"</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later, though still the old man had uttered no word but only -let his eyes meet hers, she murmured, "Ah! <i>malheur!</i> Yet--yet--there -is none to harm <i>him</i> now."</p> -<br> - -<p class="center" style="letter-spacing:25px">* * * * *</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Ere Humphrey sought his room the previous afternoon, there to carry -out his determination of keeping a watchful ear open, from then till -the morning, over all that might transpire in the next one to him, he -whispered a last word to Jacquette.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sweetest and dearest," he said, "say no word to the Duchess on what I -am about to do, give her no inkling. Tell her what you will, excepting -only that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What shall I say? I would not willingly deceive her. 'Specially since -she trusts me so."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nor would I have you deceive her. She is too good and kind to -have deception practised on her. Yet, remember, you have said that, -if she were forced to know of what I think is being plotted, she -would find means to bring the news to the King's ears. And that would -not take long in the doing. A trusty messenger, a swift horse or so, -and, ere a week was past, that which hath been plotted here in this -out-of-the-world Swiss place would be known in Paris. And--and--if she -has never loved the King she is well nigh the only one of all women -near him since his youth who has not done so. She would not spare De -Beaurepaire whom, in very fact, she does not love, but has only used -for her purpose of escape from her mad husband."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What then shall I say?" asked Jacquette, grasping the force and truth -of her lover's words.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What you will. That I have ridden forth to see the beauties of this -great river out there; or to mount to the cathedral, or that I am -indisposed, which in truth I am since I am indisposed to be prevented -from overhearing these tricksters."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Short of absolute falsehood, I will tell her," Jacquette said with a -smile; after which, since now they were near the Krone, the girl -added, "Farewell until to-morrow, Humphrey, and may heaven bless you, -my sweet. Oh! I do pray that what you are about to do--it is in a good -cause, He above knows!--may bring no harm to you. Farewell until -to-morrow. To-night I will pray for you, and all night, too."</p> - -<p class="normal">So, with a blessing on him from the woman he loved so fondly and -truly, Humphrey West set about his task.</p> - -<p class="normal">When he was in his room, after pausing until Jacquette had had time to -rejoin the Duchess, he sat down in the one chair the place possessed -and wondered how long he would have to wait ere anything should happen -in the next one that, by being overheard, might be of service to him. -The day was still young, it being no later than four o'clock, and he -knew that it was more than probable that neither La Truaumont nor that -horrible-looking old man with the vulpine features and the repellent -leer--whom he felt sure was one of those most concerned in what was -hatching--would visit the woman in the next room until late at night -and when most of those in the house had retired.</p> - -<p class="normal">One thing, however, he did at once, after observing that his chamber -was made ready for the night--the bed turned down, the ewer filled and -so forth. He quietly lifted his chair up to the wall which divided his -room from the next one and placed it against the wainscot. Thus he -would be nearer to any sound that issued from the lips of those in -that next room and, also, if necessary, he could stand with his head -underneath the frowsy tapestry, and between it and the panelling, and -so hear still better. Next, he locked his door while determining that, -no matter who should come to it, he would give no answer. Those -outside might think that he was absent, or asleep, or what they would, -but he would not reply.</p> - -<p class="normal">At first, he thought of sitting down and writing to his mother in -England a long account of his doings of late--there was a standish on -the rickety table, under one leg of which some previous traveller had -thrust a piece of folded paper to steady it, and, in the standish, was -some half-dried ink as well as one or two pens much mended and worn, -and a little jar of sand; but he desisted from following this idea. He -would have to bring the chair back again to do so; if, while writing, -he should move it unthinkingly, it would grate and rasp upon the -parquet floor and warn any who might be in the next room that he was -here, while, also, to obtain his writing-paper (with which educated -travellers always provided themselves ere setting out) he would have -to unroll his valise, the doing which might also betray him if he made -any noise.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Therefore," he thought to himself, "I will lie down a little while. -It may hap I shall be awake most of the night, so best that I refresh -myself ere night comes. While if I sleep I will do so like a dog, with -one eye and both ears open. A whisper will awaken me if 'tis loud -enough to penetrate through the tapestry on t'other side and on this."</p> - -<p class="normal">That he had slept he discovered later when, suddenly opening his eyes, -he heard the deep-toned clock of the cathedral striking the four -quarters, and, after counting the strokes of the hour, learnt that it -was nine o'clock. He noticed, too, at once--though even now but -half-awake--that the room was in darkness, that night had come. Upon -which he lay quite still a little while, his ears on the alert to -discover if there were any persons in the room to his left.</p> - -<p class="normal">There was, however, nothing to tell him that such was the case, -though, from the other side of his room he could hear, in the -apartments of the Duchess, her lute being softly played and the light -tones of her voice as she hummed the words of an Italian <i>canzone</i> to -its accompaniment. Once, too, he heard her call to Jacquette and say -something about her cavalier costume in which he knew that, on the -next day, she purposed setting forth on her long dreary ride across -the Alps--no carriages being possible for that journey. He also heard -her tell Jacquette to bid Suzanne bring a flask of Muscat.</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, suddenly, he knew that a door on his left had opened and shut -gently; he heard a voice speaking which he had never, so far as he -knew, heard before.</p> - -<p class="normal">"If," that voice said, it being a low rasping one, "they set forth -to-morrow, the captain should be here almost at once. They sup at -eight and should be abed soon after. There is much to talk over since -we all separate to-morrow. La Truaumont's band sets out to escort -madame to Milan, he to go hot foot to Paris afterwards, and then to -Normandy--I to Paris direct and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I to Paris and Paradise since De Beaurepaire is there."</p> - -<p class="normal">That enraptured voice told him at once who this speaker was, it being -the same he had overheard the night before. It was, he knew, the voice -of the woman who occupied those rooms, the woman to whom La Truaumont -had said half-sinisterly, half-warningly, "You may yet pay a dear -price for your happiness."</p> - -<p class="normal">Almost ere the man could make any reply to that remark, another, a -deeper, more profound voice seemed to obliterate all other sounds -except those of a second gentle opening and shutting of the door; a -voice, the full though mellow tones of which the owner was undoubtedly -endeavouring to soften. The voice of La Truaumont.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," Humphrey heard the captain say, "we meet to decide all. Now, Van -den Enden, unfold. Speak, and to the purpose. What is done? What will -Spain and Holland do?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"To commence with," Humphrey heard the unknown voice of the Jew say, -"I have the money--all of it--in safe keeping."</p> - -<p class="normal">"In safe keeping," murmured La Truaumont. "In safe keeping. Where?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Some in the hands of the party. Some in mine."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I'll be sworn, and deeply too."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Some for those bold hearts who help us with their hands and heads."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good! Good!" the voice, which sounded like the soft rumbling of a -cathedral organ afar off, murmured.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Some," Van den Enden went on, as though pleased with his own words, -"put aside for fair ones who, also, have helped and can help well. For -beauty's coaxings and <i>câlineries</i>; for love professed; for love false -as beauty's oath or vow----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And as true, too!" Humphrey heard the woman exclaim.</p> - -<p class="normal">"All can play their part and play it well, and earn their guerdon," -Van den Enden continued.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the rest? Where is it? <i>Hein?</i>" La Truaumont asked in tones that, -though low, did not disguise the cynicism beneath them.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The rest! Why in the hands of <i>Le Dédaigneux</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So!" exclaimed La Truaumont. "So! Good. That binds him. He is -committed to us."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He needs no binding, no earnest. He is heart and soul with us. And -you know it," the listener heard the woman say sharply.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the sum total?" La Truaumont asked, ignoring her.</p> - -<p class="normal">"A million of livres."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Half of what we asked! Half of what is necessary."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Added to six thousand Spaniards on board the Dutch Fleet; arms for -twenty thousand men; weapons and instruments of siege against the -fortresses of Quillebeuf and Honfleur."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Enough to begin with at least if not enough to complete the glorious -task. Now unfold all that is decided on."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_14" href="#div1Ref_14">CHAPTER XIV</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Le Dédaigneux!</i>" Humphrey said to himself. "<i>Le Dédaigneux</i>. Some -man, some great one masquerading under a sobriquet, a <i>nom de guerre!</i> -Who can it be but one! Who but the one whose proud family motto almost -speaks of their disdain for even kings; whose own life bespeaks his -scorn for all who are not of his blood; who looks down on other men as -other men look down on the insects crawling in their path! Who can it -be but he? Yet--does he lead these conspirators or is he led by them? -Is he their chief or cat's-paw? I must know that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Listen," he heard Van den Enden saying now. "Briefly, all that is -devised is as follows."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Those men, that money, and the Dutch Fleet are in our hands, at our -service," Van den Enden continued next; "the moment that your Normandy -is prepared to rise against this tyrant whose tyranny is greater than -was the tyranny of Richelieu, of Mazarin, or of both combined. If your -chiefs, your great noblesse, your merchants of Rouen, Havre and other -cities--all groaning under this tyrant's unjust taxation of them, -specially for his wars; all hating his wantons, his mad extravagance -and love of splendour--are ready to rise and form themselves into a -Republic which shall at last be a Republic formed of the whole of -France, then the Spaniards and Hollanders are ready to play their -part."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Republics have heads, dictators, rulers, as well as monarchies. Men -who are yet monarchs though without crowns, or thrones, or rights -hereditary. Whom does Spain produce?" La Truaumont asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"De Montérey at first stipulated for the head of the house of--<i>Le -Dédaigneux</i>. The Duke----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!" whispered Humphrey to himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">"But finding that this might not be, that the Duke refuses since he -would have to throw too heavy a stake to win even so great a prize as -this, they will accept him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They must," the listener heard the woman say. "He must be head or -nothing."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They have agreed," Van den Enden continued. "They desire Quillebeuf, -De Montérey avers, more than all the places of which Le Roi Soleil has -despoiled them. They wish to form a Republic rivalling that of Venice, -one that, in being with them, shall crush all who are against them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And Louis! The King. What of him?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Listen. His guards have been dispatched to join the army. <i>Le -Dédaigneux</i> as their colonel has taken care of that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"My God!" Humphrey whispered to himself. "He is in it. The chief -conspirator and no tool!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The King will," Van den Enden went on, "be either at St. Germain or -Fontainebleau for the next few weeks or months. And then--then----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then?" said La Truaumont.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then five hundred Norman gentlemen will subdue the courtiers and -seize on him. We shall have him. Hold him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Go on!" La Truaumont muttered, his voice husky and deep. "What next? -What will you do with him?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will sign a renunciation of his throne or----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Or?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will go to the Bastille, or Pignerol--Pignerol is safer; it is -afar off, out of, lost to, the world. He will experience that which he -has caused countless others to experience. And, later, he will--die."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Die! How?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As others have died," the Jew hissed. "As all die who suffer under -his tyranny. By his own hands, or--will--appear--to have done so."</p> - -<p class="normal">"My horse is in its stall," Humphrey thought to himself now; "my -rapier to my hand. It is time, and full time, too, for me to be on my -way. On my way to France--thank heaven the frontier is so near at -hand! To Paris, to the King. There is no time to lose. The King to be -seized and, later, the country invaded; the fortresses taken! And I -know all the scheme. All, as well as the names of all concerned."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," he went on, "I must contain myself longer. To leave this room -now, however softly; to attempt to unbar the door of this closed -house, if it is yet shut; to saddle 'Soupir' and ride off now is to -tell those wretches in there that they are blown upon. I must -wait--wait till full night has come, till midnight at earliest, or -even until later and, then, off and away. Away through the mountains, -over the plains--on--on--till I stand face to face with the King and -tell him all. Heaven above be praised, he knows me and my name: he has -befriended me and been good to my mother. It will not be hard to do. -Oh! that I could creep out now, at once, so as to waste no precious -moment."</p> - -<p class="normal">For an instant, as thus he communed with himself, there had come to -him a thought that he would endeavour to communicate with the Duchess -by tapping gently on the door that was between their rooms; by -attracting the attention of her or Jacquette, both of whom were -probably at supper now in their salon; and by stealing away in that -manner. But no sooner had this idea come to him than it was discarded. -The tapping, or scratching, he must make to call their attention to -him would equally summon the attention of those in that other room, -and might, indeed, reach their ears sooner than it would reach the -ears of the others whose notice he desired to attract. No! he must -stay quiet until, at least, those in the next room had separated, -which, judging by the words he had heard the once unknown voice utter -to the effect that La Truaumont and his party should be abed before -ten--would undoubtedly not be long now.</p> - -<p class="normal">Meanwhile, as these reflections passed through his mind his ears were -still on the alert; even as he thought, so he could listen, too, and -not only hear but grasp what was the subject of conversation between -the conspirators in that room.</p> - -<p class="normal">From the absolute conspiracy itself the talk had now wandered to other -matters, and at this moment Humphrey heard La Truaumont say:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"I ride with this heroine of romance--this <i>folle</i> who is covered with -jewels but, <i>sangdieu!</i> will not have more than a change of linen with -her--as far as Martigny. There I shall be taken with sudden illness, -the vapours, the falling sickness--the megrims--one will do as well as -t'other, and so I shall be left behind. And then, when they are gone, -hey! for France, for Normandy."</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later, the opening and shutting gently of the door was heard -by Humphrey; a stealthy though heavy tread in the corridor was also -apparent to the young man's ears: he knew, he felt sure he knew, that -the man had left the room. The plot was laid bare by Van den Enden, -the meeting over.</p> - -<p class="normal">The other two in that room continued, however, to remain in it, and -more than once Humphrey heard the rasping tones of the voice which he -felt sure belonged to the old man who had descended from the French -coach, and the softer, sweeter ones of the woman who inhabited those -apartments and, as far as he knew, never stirred out of them. But, -though he heard the tones, the words that were uttered were now -unintelligible, and it flashed instantly into Humphrey's mind that the -pair were whispering to each other.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Whispering," he said to himself. "Whispering! Yet why now, when the -worst is told and has been told openly and, beyond uncertainty, -without fear of that worst being overheard? Why have the two to speak -in whispers now since, when they were three, they said nothing -that--as they thought--needed suppression?"</p> - -<p class="normal">He heard, however, something further. He heard shuffling feet which, -Humphrey did not doubt, were the feet of the old man moving about the -room; a piece of furniture--a chair as it seemed to him--moved from -one part of the apartment to another; a smooth, rubbing sound on the -other side of the wainscot against which he leant with his head -beneath the folds of the frouzy, dusty tapestry, and once--or twice--a -word or the fragments of a question.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Are you sure? Certain? It is death if so," the rasping, or feeble, -voice asked, not in one sentence but in three exclamations, while the -clearer, more fresh voice replied, also interjectedly. "Service, I -tell you. Safe. Covered. Impossible."</p> - -<p class="normal">To what these words might refer Humphrey could not conceive, no more -than he could conceive to what those various movements in the room -applied. Neither could he form any opinion as to the meaning of what -he next heard clearly and distinctly, since, forgetting himself for -the moment, the man said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"No chance if that is done. The swiftest portion of the Rhine is -quickly reached by that brawling, rushing river outside. I know, I -have been a refugee in this city ere now--and then, once there, the -secret is hidden for ever. The swirl at that spot is worse than the -grave, since the latter can be made to give up its dead or what is -left of them, but <i>it</i> never."</p> - -<p class="normal">Of this speech Humphrey could understand nothing; it conveyed naught -to his mind. Or, if it did convey anything, only the thought that some -proof of their secret, something which he could not guess at or -surmise, was to be consigned to an eternal and unyielding oblivion.</p> - -<p class="normal">It seemed as if, now, those two were about to separate for the night. -In still broken, still interjected sentences and scraps of sentences -and stray words, Humphrey could understand that they were telling each -other their future plans. He gathered that the woman had promised to -set out the next day in her coach for Paris, that she would wait at -Mülhausen till the French coach from Basle arrived when she would take -her confederate into her own carriage and convey him with her. He also -found out for certainty what the old man's name was.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will not have you masquerading as my father," he heard the woman -whisper. "You need be no longer the Seigneur de Châteaugrand. Your own -name of Van den Enden will do very well, since nothing connects you -with us or Normandy."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It will do very well for me, too," Humphrey said to himself, "since I -know both of them now. And yours also, my lady, thanks to your -chattering maid and your travelling necessaries."</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later he once more heard the door opened and shut, gently as -ever, and knew that the woman was left alone. Still another moment, -and he heard her cross the floor of her salon and knew by the sound of -a closing door--the different sound made by a different door--that she -had entered another room, the one in which she doubtless slept.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was now ten o'clock, as Humphrey heard plainly from all the various -clocks in the city, and he knew that he must, as yet, have no thought -of setting out for France. By the absence of all movement whatever in -the Duchess's room to the right he recognised that she had not yet -sought her bed; he heard, too, all the sounds rising up the stairs -from the ground portion of the inn which told him that there was as -yet no likelihood of the place being closed for the night. There were, -he knew well, no other travellers, or at least none of importance, -staying in the house, yet--even in this rigid and now harsh and severe -Protestant city that, nearly a hundred years after Calvin's death, had -not yet shaken off the gloomy asceticism with which he had dyed and -imbued it, as well as Geneva and others--there were wassailers and -carousers who came here to drink nightly. He had seen them and heard -them, too, the evening before, as, also, he had seen Fleur de Mai and -Boisfleury drinking with them. He knew, also, that until midnight, or -at least as long as the landlord would allow them to remain, which was -so long as they would drink and sup, the house would not be closed and -these topers sent forth.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Therefore," thought Humphrey, "I must possess my soul in patience. -There is naught else for it." Though, even as he so thought, there -came another reflection to his mind.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Foregad!" he said to himself, "if I stay in here until the house is -closed, I am as like not to be unable to leave it. Therefore let me -consider what is best. Either to quit the house before it is shut up -for the night, to get to the stables and remain in them till all is -quiet and then steal away on 'Soupir'--she is fleet of foot and, once -off, none will catch us!--or wait here till all are gone to their beds -and take my chance of finding an exit? Which shall I do?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Suddenly, however, he made his final decision. To stay here and risk -being unable to obtain that exit was folly. Better walk about the -streets for hours and then return and make his way to the stables and -obtain his horse--if the stables were not themselves made fast for the -night--than stay here to be shut in till the morning. Consequently, he -decided he would go in an hour's time if not sooner. And, also, it -might be best that then, if he could get into the stables, he should -saddle "Soupir," at once, lead her out gently, and, mounting her -without delay, ride forth out of the town. That he would have to pass -the gate he knew, but, with the passport he carried in his pocket -signed by D'Argenson for the King--the King whom, if possible, he went -forth to warn and save--this would be easy.</p> - -<p class="normal">So that he should make no noise which might inform the woman he was -there, if at any minute she should return to the room next to him, he -took off his long boots and walked softly about seeking the few -necessaries which he must take with him: to wit, his rapier, his -pistols and cloak and hat. The other things he had with him, which -were contained in the little valise for strapping in front of the -saddle, he would leave behind. Jacquette, he knew, would understand in -the morning, when he was found to be missing, that he had purposely -left them and would see that they were placed in safe custody, while, -even if she did not do so, their loss would be no serious thing.</p> - -<p class="normal">Humphrey went to the door now, turning the key back as softly as might -be so as to make no noise, and, next, took it from the inside and -inserted it in the lock on the outside and pushed the door-to without -shutting it, after which he drew his boots on once more and crept -softly out. Then he locked the door and, dropping the key into his -pocket, descended the stairs.</p> - -<p class="normal">He met no one on them and, so far as he knew, no one saw him. The -landlord was not in his room, as he could see through the glass window -giving on to the passage: the door of the great general room was shut, -though from it there issued a hum of voices, above all of which he -could distinguish the loud boasting tones of Fleur de Mai as, -doubtless, he indulged in some of his usual rhodomontades. Likewise, -and he thanked heaven for it, the street door still stood wide open as -though inviting custom. To add to his satisfaction the oil-lamp in the -passage was extinct, it having probably been blown out by the warm -southerly breeze that had arisen with the coming of the night.</p> - -<p class="normal">"All is very well," Humphrey said to himself. "Yet a few moments more -and 'Soupir' and I shall be on our road for Paris. Then, catch who -can."</p> - -<p class="normal">And he stepped out on to the <i>place</i> between the inn and the river.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_15" href="#div1Ref_15">CHAPTER XV</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">To reach the stables which were at the back of the Krone without -passing through the kitchen (and it would have been madness for -Humphrey to attempt to do so unnoticed, since the scullions and -cook-maids were, he imagined, finishing their tasks for the night, -while the drawers and servers were idling about and, probably, in some -cases, emptying down their throats the heel-taps of various flasks and -bottles), it was necessary to proceed to the end of the street, some -houses off. Then, a turn to the left had to be made beneath the -ramparts between the river and the city proper, and, next, still -another to the left to bring Humphrey to the rear of the inn and the -stables themselves.</p> - -<p class="normal">This he knew well enough, as, in the morning, he had visited those -stables to see the soldiers of the Duc de Lorraine who had escorted -the Duchess from Nancy set out upon their journey back. And, good -cavalier as he was, he had more than once in the past twenty-four -hours gone to them to see that all was well with "Soupir" and that she -was properly fed and groomed and attended to.</p> - -<p class="normal">He strolled on, therefore, in an easy manner towards where the mare -was, assuming the air of one who, after his supper, might be -sauntering about by the side of the river ere seeking his bed, while -inhaling the soft, warm southern breeze of the night. To appear well -in keeping with such a person--one who might be a traveller taking his -ease, or one on the road to or from France or, across the river, to -the German States--he also went on to the bridge and gazed idly into -the turbulent waters rushing beneath, and so walked across to Klein -Basel, all with the desire to kill time.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For," said Humphrey to himself, "I must be neither too soon nor too -late. If I go in too early I may come against La Truaumont or his -myrmidons seeking to know if all is well with the animals, which I -desire not to do. While, if I tarry too long I may find the door fast -for the night, whereby 'Soupir' and I cannot come at each other."</p> - -<p class="normal">Consequently, he made no movement for still some little time, nor -until all the clocks were once more competing hotly with each other as -to which should be the first or the last to strike the hour. And the -hour which they were striking was eleven.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Almost I might venture," Humphrey said to himself now. "The band of -which it is supposed I shall form one," and he smiled at his thoughts, -"sets out early to-morrow for Geneva and Martigny. La Truaumont will -have given his commands by now since he sees to all. Fleur de Mai and -Boisfleury are deep in their cups or gone by this time to their beds. -The rest, the horsekeepers, the stablemen, do not count at all. I -stand as high with the Duchess as does the captain; I may do what I -please." Upon which he rose from his seat on a bench across the river -and made his way back and towards where his mare was.</p> - -<p class="normal">Returning to the bottom of that old street which leads down to the -Rhine from the city above, it seemed to Humphrey that he heard, either -ahead of, or behind, him, the ring of spurs upon the stones as well as -the tramp of heavily booted feet: and he heard, or thought he heard, -the well-known click-clack of the point of a rapier sheath against -those stones.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Humph!" he said to himself. "One of the watch perhaps, or some -traveller."</p> - -<p class="normal">He, however, thought little more of this beyond observing that the -sound of those heavy boots and spurs, and that tap of a rapier, were -becoming fainter, when, suddenly, upon his ears there fell the words: -"Excellency, I will tell him. Be sure of me, Prince."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The voice of Fleur de Mai!" Humphrey exclaimed. "And 'Excellency!' -'Prince!' Foregad! whom should he know here--or anywhere for the -matter of that!--to whom such terms apply? And in this Republic where -there are no Excellencies or Princes."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he so thought, though heedlessly enough, since to him who, both in -London and Paris, had mixed always with the highest and noblest, such -things counted for little, it seemed that either those footsteps were -returning towards where he was now, or else that they were the -footsteps of some man similarly attired and accoutred who had passed -the other.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perhaps," he mused, "Fleur de Mai is coming this way after greeting -his acquaintance the 'Prince'. It may be so. And to-morrow the -vagabond will boast of his friend, his close and intimate friend the -Prince of this or that, whose acquaintance he has, in truth, only made -to-night in some other hostelry than ours."</p> - -<p class="normal">Suddenly, however, as thus he laughed at the bravo's probable -braggadocio, the fellow himself loomed up large before him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis Fleur de Mai, as I thought!" he exclaimed aloud. "I knew there -was but one such rich and unctuous voice in all the wide world." After -which he laughed, while adding, "And the friend of Princes."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis very true," the other answered. "Ay, the friend of many princes. -Yet 'twould be best for you, my cock o' the walk, if you too were -thinking of the princes whom you know. Here is De Beaurepaire come -post-haste to Basle."</p> - -<p class="normal">"De Beaurepaire here!" Humphrey exclaimed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, and seeking for you everywhere. In my lady's chamber, beating on -your door and cursing you loudly for being a seek-your-bed; making -<i>poursuivants</i> of us to ferret you out, while you, <i>cadédis!</i> are -strolling about the streets making odes to the moon, I do suppose, or -dreaming of the fair Jacquette."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Silence, brigand."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Silence is best. You will hear enough when De Beaurepaire lets loose -his tongue on you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah! I am not his servant nor in his pay as you are. I ride as his -friend and help, not as his varlet. Yet, since he is here, I would see -him. There is no man in all the world on whom I would more willingly -set eyes" ("for his own good," Humphrey added to himself). Then he -said aloud, "Now tell me where he is. Lead me to him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis that which I am here to do," Fleur de Mai said, "though, in -doing it, I bid you observe I obey him, not you. Come, therefore."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where is he, I say?" Humphrey exclaimed again, stamping his foot.</p> - -<p class="normal">"At the stables, looking to his horse, as a good soldier should. -<i>Ciel!</i> did you not hear him bid me find you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I heard you say 'I will tell him,' meaning me I suppose. Well! let us -away to the stables, they are close at hand."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Come then, my pretty page," grunted Fleur de Mai contemptuously, and -venting the spite which, from the first, he had conceived against the -good-looking young man who was always so handsomely dressed and made -so much of by the Duchess, as well as always a guest at her table -while he and Boisfleury were relegated to the common living rooms at -whatever hostelry the band put up.</p> - -<p class="normal">Following after the fellow, Humphrey drew near the stables while -puzzling his head as to what could have brought De Beaurepaire to -Basle since he knew that, holding the offices he did, the Prince had -no right whatever to be out of France.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Has the plot failed already," Humphrey wondered as he went; "is it -blown upon and has De Beaurepaire put himself outside France for -safety? Or has he been unable to stay longer away from his fair -friend, the Marquise? If 'tis the first, he may now ride on with the -Duchess to the Milanese territory: if the second he has fair -surroundings for his amorous dalliance. While as for me--well!--in -either case I am free of my hurried ride to Paris. If the bubble has -burst the King knows as much of it as I: if love has drawn De -Beaurepaire hither, the two principals of that plot, she and he, can -work no harm at present. I shall have time before me to meditate on -what I must do."</p> - -<p class="normal">By now, he and Fleur de Mai were outside the stables, one half of the -doors of which stood ajar, while, through the opening thus made, there -streamed out the glimmer of a lantern. When, however, Humphrey had -followed the other in--and when "Soupir," who was in her stall at the -top, turned round and whinnied as she heard her master's voice -exclaim, "Where is the Prince? I see no one"--he noticed, by hearing -the latch fall even as he spoke, that the door had closed--by itself -as it seemed--behind him. Turning round instantly at this, he saw that -a man enveloped in a long cloak had shut it.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who are you?" he exclaimed, addressing this man whose back was -towards him, and whose face was, consequently, invisible, "and why do -you close the door thus?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am the Captain la Truaumont," the man said now, wheeling round and -facing Humphrey, "and I have to speak with you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where is De Beaurepaire? He is not here!" while Humphrey, suspecting -some trick, took a step backwards as he spoke, and, dropping his left -hand on his rapier hilt, loosened it in its sheath.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where he should be, I suppose, in Paris attending to his present -duties. Later, as you know, he will have others to attend to. -Meanwhile, loosen not your weapon. It will not save you here. I know a -trick or two more of fence than you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It would seem you know many tricks, Captain La Truaumont. In spite, -however, of your ordinance touching my weapon, I will make bold to -draw it," and, in a moment, Humphrey's right hand had whipped the -rapier from its sheath.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So will I mine," he heard Fleur de Mai say.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And I mine," exclaimed another voice which Humphrey recognised as -that of Boisfleury.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You see," said La Truaumont, "you are caught. Your English blade will -stand you in little stead against three stout French ones. Though I -account mine of so little need that, as yet, it is not drawn."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Later," said Humphrey who, while he recognised that he was tricked -and caught in a <i>guet-apens</i> from which there seemed little likelihood -of escape, felt no tremor of fear: "Later, we will see for that. -Meanwhile, ere we commence our play, explain to me what is the meaning -of this--lie--that has been told me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The meaning is," said La Truaumont, "that you were locked in your -room for some hours while I and two friends were in the salon of -Madame La Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. Owing to a grating between -the two rooms, which her respected father discovered later, you were -undoubtedly enabled to overhear all, or the greater part, of what took -place in that salon. Do you deny or acknowledge this?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I deny and acknowledge nothing. What you imagine is of no import to -me. No more than how you have become possessed of this knowledge -through Madame's 'respected father,' or he, himself, of it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet you shall learn. The waiting-maid of Madame la Marquise, whom you -bribed with a gold louis and fair words and sweet looks to give you -information of her mistress, was over-bribed with five times the sum -by me--who saw you engaged in talk with her--to give us information of -you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Which, being gained, did not prevent you from speaking out your plot -to one another. Bah! tell a better tale or none at all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Softly, <i>beau garçon</i>. The maid was bribed to watch and see that you -entered not into your room, it being thought you were still with your -pretty Jacquette, or her mistress, or outside the house. Later, when -you crept forth from your room, after locking it behind you, I -comprehended that you had been in it all the time and that, also, you -had doubtless heard all, the maid telling me you had not entered it -since she took up her watch. Now, you <i>have</i> heard all, you hold us in -your hand, our lives are at your mercy, unless----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Unless what!" speaking contemptuously.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Unless we take yours."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Take it then!" though, as Humphrey spoke, he turned his body a little -so that, now, neither Fleur de Mai nor Boisfleury were any longer at -his back but, instead, in a line with La Truaumont. Consequently, he -had them all before him while the outer wall of the stable served as a -base.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You mean----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I mean, if you can."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Sangdieu!</i>" La Truaumont said, "though you are such a pretty youth -you are also a bold one. It must be your mother's French blood makes -you so! Yet, listen, Humphrey. We have all been comrades. Also -remember, you are no tried <i>ferrailleur</i>. Fleur de Mai knows more of -fence than you, and I than both."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will make proof of that ere many moments are past."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Tush! be not a fool. A word can save you, one easy to speak since -'tis so small. You are of gentle birth in each land from which you -draw your being; give me your word, <i>foi de gentilhomme</i>, that no -breath of this ever passes your lips to any mortal soul; say 'Yes' to -my proposal, and we clasp hands here and crack another bottle, as -comrades should do, ere we sleep to-night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is," said Humphrey quietly, and quietly contemptuous too, -"another word as small as 'Yes' in your tongue. Smaller too, in mine. -As easy, or easier therefore, to say."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Fool! you mean----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I mean, 'No'. I mean that to-night I ride her," glancing towards -Soupir, "across the frontier on my road to Paris, Fontainebleau or -Versailles; wherever I may find Louis the King. I mean that every word -I have overheard this night he shall hear from me a week hence or -earlier. With, too, the names of those who have to-night complotted -against his crown, his throne, his life--ah, brute! ruffian!" he broke -off to exclaim as, at this moment, he saw Boisfleury creeping towards -his mare; the sword the fellow held being shortened in his hand. "So, -'tis her you would first disable thereby to disable me." After which, -and grasping his own weapon two feet below the <i>pas-d'âne</i> he swung it -round as he advanced towards the creeping, crouching vagabond and, -striking him full on the temple with the hilt, felled him to the straw -of the stable.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now," Humphrey said, with a look on his face which possibly none had -ever seen there before; a look black as the night outside, savage as -the face of an aroused tiger, and with all of the devil that was in -him aflame. "Now, be quick with your dirty work. There are but two -against one left, and that one draws his thews and sinews from English -loins. Be quick or soon there will be but one; the fight will be man -to man. As for you, bully, come on." While, as Humphrey spoke, he -thrust with his rapier full at the breast of Fleur de Mai and, had the -burly scoundrel not stepped aside swiftly as he parried the blade, -would have run him through from breast to back.</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later all was silent in that stable except for the muttered -ejaculations, mostly of surprised admiration, which he could not -resist, from La Truaumont; the heavy breathing of Fleur de Mai as -Humphrey pressed him hardly, and the adder-like hissing of the two -men's rapiers as they entwined with one another in a struggle <i>à -outrance</i>.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_16" href="#div1Ref_16">CHAPTER XVI</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Dieu des Dieux!</i>" whispered La Truaumont between pale lips, "it must -be done. It will fall to me to do it. Yet the pity of it! He is a -young lion and brave as a lion, too; one who, if it is not for me, -will have put that <i>luron</i> out of the world for ever ere another -moment is past. And I am a gentleman, yet must now stoop to be a -murderer. I cannot. I cannot. I, Georges du Hamel, Sieur de la -Truaumont! I, to become a murderer!"</p> - -<p class="normal">In truth, the scene was a weird one on which the pale, trembling man -gazed; that man who, in all his adventurous career, had never known -what it was to tremble at the most terrible of impending catastrophes: -that man who had looked on tremblings and qualms as fit only for women -and puling children.</p> - -<p class="normal">A weird scene, added to and made doubly so by the sickly rays emitted -from the lantern behind whose dirty, horn encasement a guttering -rush-light burned. Added to, also, in weirdness by the whimpering of -the frightened animals who were startled by the clash of steel, and by -the grunts of Fleur de Mai as he fought desperately while knowing, -feeling sure, that his hour--his moment--was come, and by the -occasional contemptuous ejaculations of Humphrey as he bade his -opponent take courage since it was but the first bite of the blade -which was agony, and to utter a prayer if he knew one.</p> - -<p class="normal">By now Humphrey had driven the bully into a vacant stall and, having -him there, had ceased to lunge at him, but, instead, with his blade -crossed over the other's was slowly but surely beating down that -other's weapon until the moment came when, swift as the lightning -flash, he would run him through. And Fleur de Mai knew that this was -so, that it would happen: there needed no jeers from his opponent to -tell him what the bite of the steel would feel like. Yet, breathing -heavily, his face, nay, his whole body, reeking with the sweat that -burst from all his pores, he still endeavoured to save himself, to -avert the moment of his doom. As that moment drew near, however, his -heart failed him and he shrieked to La Truaumont for assistance, -knowing full well that from Boisfleury there was none to be hoped, -since he lay stunned outside the next stall and was himself in danger -of his life each moment from the hoofs of the excited animal within -it.</p> - -<p class="normal">But from La Truaumont the assistance came not. Rough soldier as the -man was, conspirator as he had become, part-assassin of the King as he -had proposed and still proposed to be, he could not bring himself to -steal up behind the man fighting so gallantly against the great bravo -and run him through the back or maim him. He could not force himself -to become a common murderer.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not yet," La Truaumont whispered to himself. "Not yet. If he kills -Fleur de Mai, as he will, then I must engage him, though not until he -has had breathing time. But not this way. And--my God!--we have been -friends, comrades. Oh! that he had not learnt this secret."</p> - -<p class="normal">Suddenly, however, he saw that the fight had taken a different turn.</p> - -<p class="normal">Fleur de Mai, desperate, knowing himself lost, had resorted to one -last trick: the last in truth that is left to the swordsman who knows -his chance is gone. A trick that may succeed yet is doubly like to -fail. One that may save an almost beaten man if it succeeds, but that, -in failing, places him in no worse, no more perilous, position than he -was before.</p> - -<p class="normal">Therefore he tried it, doubting yet hoping.</p> - -<p class="normal">Swiftly, with one last attempt--it was successful!--of escaping his -enemy's blade, Fleur de Mai essayed the once well-known <i>botte de -lâche</i>. He fell to the earth on his left hand, catching himself -adroitly on that hand and, ere Humphrey could draw back his weapon to -run him through and through, the other had thrust upwards at his -conqueror's breast. He had thrust up with all his force and, even as -he did so, knew that he had won. With a gasp the young man reeled -backwards, staggered against the stable wall and, a moment later, fell -to the floor insensible.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So, so," muttered La Truaumont, "there was no need for me. I am quit -of that." After which he stooped over Humphrey's now inert body, tore -open his jacket at the breast and, thrusting his hand in over the -heart, let it rest there a moment or so. "It beats still," he said. -"It is not pierced. Yet, see," and he drew forth the hand and held it -up before the other, who, by the miserable light of the horn lantern, -saw that it gleamed crimson. "You have given him his death. There is a -wound somewhere here big enough to let his life out, to set his soul -free. What to do now?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do now!" Fleur de Mai grunted, as he leant, blowing and puffing, -against the side of the stall while supporting himself on the handle -of his sword, from the point of which the red drops ran down and -tinged the straw at his feet. "Do now! Why! Clear ourselves from this, -my most noble captain who would not come to a comrade's help in a dire -hour."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I was not wanted. Two men were not needed to kill one. Your own skill -has proved that"--"foul blow though it was," he added inwardly. Then -he continued, "Best we desert the <i>folle furieuse</i> at once and ride to -Paris. De Beaurepaire will absolve us when he knows what we have done -to save him, even though we break faith with her. Add to which, we are -wanted there and in Normandy. She can do without us, or, at least, she -must."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, not ride," Fleur de Mai said, while as he spoke he assumed a -greater tone of equality with La Truaumont than he had done before, if -not a tone of command. For he it was who had vanquished the man who -would have undone them, and he was not disposed to regard the -accomplishment lightly. "No riding on these horses," glancing his eyes -down the line of stalls. "Yet, still, away. To make for, not ride to -Paris."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand you not."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Listen. I will propound to you. Let heaven give you the brains to -comprehend."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Beware. No insolence. I bear a sword more cunning than his," looking -down at Humphrey.</p> - -<p class="normal">"A <i>fico</i> for your sword! Again I say, listen. Let us back to the inn -and be seen about it. Possibly 'tis not yet closed--you shall pay for -a bottle. Then I will depart. Later you, too, can do so. On foot, -together or alone, we can escape across the frontier; thus we are -safe. In France none can touch us for what we have done amongst these -Switzers, or, if they attempt it, let them beware. As for money, you -have some I know full well. While he, too, perhaps, has some about -him," touching Humphrey's body with the tip of his murderous sword as -he spoke.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What! You would rob your victim!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The spoils of war! Feel for his purse."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Feel for it yourself. I need not money."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do." Whereon the ruffian calmly knelt down by Humphrey's side, -ransacked his clothes and, at last, drew out a fairly well-filled -purse which he clinked joyously in front of the lantern. "With this," -he said, "we can--I mean, I can--buy me a horse across the frontier or -get a seat in some coach, or <i>patache</i> or waggon for France. You need -not money, you say. Therefore you, too, can do the same."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Why not take our own horses?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Because thereby we tell the tale. This butterfly is found here dead; -we are gone and our horses, too. What does that point to, <i>hein?</i> -Whereas, there is mystery in it if we are also gone without our -horses, and he, if dead here, and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">The fellow paused, hearing a slight rustle in the straw and whispered, -"Ha! he stirs. 'Tis best to finish the affair," and he lifted his -sword.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, fool," said La Truaumont. "'Tis Boisfleury who moves. -And--hark--he moans in his insensibility."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Boisfleury! Boisfleury," the other repeated, musing. "Boisfleury. A -crafty knave and violent. Listen again," he continued, whispering, -"perhaps Boisfleury, too, will die. Then 'twill be thought they have -killed each other--Boisfleury's blade is out; he would have maimed the -mare. While," and now Fleur de Mai placed a brawny finger on La -Truaumont's breast and peered into his eyes, "if he does not die, -still," and he tapped the other with the finger, "he will be found -here alive. He cannot stir yet. So, too, will that be found," pointing -at the reddened straw. "So, too, that," pointing at the bruise on -Boisfleury's temple. "You take me? The murder--will--be out. And -Boisfleury will--pay--for it. They execute freely here, they say, for -any little violence. He will not go scot free. But we shall. Come, -man. Come. Away. A flask first and then off--off--to the frontier. And -I have this," shaking the purse. "<i>Pardie!</i> the valet pays better than -<i>madame la patronne</i>. Come."</p> -<br> - -<p class="center" style="letter-spacing:25px">* * * * *</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The eternal clocks told the hours again and again; it was growing -late--or early; outside in the street there was now no sound. Perhaps -the watch slept, or, if it did not, at least it came not near that -stable wherein two men lay. Or where, rather, one man lay against the -wall and the other sat up outside a stall peering across the stones at -him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," that second man said to himself, "'tis Boisfleury who will be -found here with him, is it? 'The murder will out, and Boisfleury will -pay for it.' Ha! Well, we will see for that."</p> - -<p class="normal">He rose now from his sitting position, or, instead, he crept -upon his hands and knees towards where Humphrey lay, while as he -did so he muttered to himself. "No. No. No. The body will not be -found. It may be that the murder will not out: that Boisfleury will -not pay--for--it! But," and a hideous grin distorted his face which, -added to the bruise on his temple, would have made him horrible to the -eyes of any who should have beheld him, "others will--others shall. -<i>Bel homme</i>," he muttered again, as now he touched Humphrey, "you -will never reach Louis the King, but--another--may. And--and--peace to -your manes!--what you would have told him shall be told by that other -and well told, too. Nought shall be forgotten. Nought. Nought. -Messire Fleur de Mai, M. le Capitaine de la Truaumont, Madame la -Marquise--bah! Madame <i>la coquine</i>--de Villiers-Bordéville--Monsieur -le Prince et Chevalier de Beaurepaire"--hissing out sardonically all -these titles and appellations through his white lips as though it -gratified him to repeat them to himself, "and you, Jew, call on your -friend and master, the Devil, to help you when I tell my tale to the -Splendid One."</p> - -<p class="normal">And again he muttered, "The murder will out, and Boisfleury will pay -for it," while, as he did so, he once more snarled like a hunted wolf.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I cannot feel it beat," he said now, as he placed his hand beneath -Humphrey's satin undervest, much as La Truaumont had done some hour or -two before, "therefore he is dead. Still, the murder must not out. -Boisfleury," he muttered again, as he harped on Fleur de Mai's words, -"must not be made to pay for it. No. No. Instead, this murder must be -hidden away from all men's knowledge. It must never be known. Never. -It is well I was but stunned for a few moments after that blow; that I -lay dark and snug and let them fight it through. Well, very well. Thus -my skin is safe and the secret is mine."</p> - -<p class="normal">He rose from the floor and left Humphrey's prostrate body now, and -went to the stable door which the other two had closed behind them, -and, opening it, peered out into the night. He saw then that all was -still dark and black and silent; he also perceived that heavy rain was -falling. There was no living thing about; not so much as a houseless -dog shivering in any porch or stoop; neither was there any light in -any window, nor any sound except the swish of the rain and the noisy -swirl of the Rhine as, rushing by, it sped away upon its course -towards and past France.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The murder, for murder it was," he whispered to himself, "will never -out. Never. Boisfleury has no reckoning to make, no scot to pay. But -others have."</p> - -<p class="normal">He went back now to where Humphrey lay, and, lifting him up, gradually -got him hoisted on his shoulders, for, though neither big and burly as -Fleur de Mai nor sinewy and bull-shaped as La Truaumont, he was wiry -and strong. Then, going to the stable door again, he pushed it open -with his foot, his hands being engaged in holding his burden on his -back, and went out into the pitiless rain and so across the <i>place</i> to -the high, built-up bank of the river.</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Twill carry him on swiftly," he whispered to himself, "through -ravines and past sunny meads until, at last, it throws him ashore -leagues and leagues from here: 'tis better thus than lying in some -town fosse or common graveyard. <i>Allez, pauvre homme</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he spoke he turned his back to the river, leaning downwards against -the wooden rails erected to prevent the townspeople or children from -falling into it, after which he let go of Humphrey's arms, which he -had drawn over his shoulders, gave a strong, swift throw backwards of -his body against the rails, and knew that his burden was gone. Gone -with one heavy splash into the rushing, tumbling waters beneath; -carried away as a cork thrown into those waters would itself have been -carried away.</p> - -<p class="normal">Nor, when he turned round swiftly an instant afterwards, was there any -sign of Humphrey. He could not see a human mass rolling over and over -in those turbulent, leaping waters, nor a white face gleaming from -them, nor any glassy, lifeless eyes glaring up into the leaden skies -above. The body was gone and had left no sign behind.</p> - -<p class="normal">Boisfleury went back now to the stable, and, taking the lantern from -the hook on which it hung, placed it on the floor and carefully picked -up all the straw tinged or soaked with blood that he could find. Next, -he picked up Humphrey's rapier--the cloak, he knew well enough, was on -the victim's back excepting that part of it which he had wound tightly -round his arm ere he attacked Fleur de Mai. Finally--after having -carefully arranged some clean straw in the vacant stall with his -hands--while all the time watched by the gleaming, startled eyes of -the horses gazing at him over the divisions of the other stalls--he -blew out the lamp and, shutting the door behind him, went over to the -river again.</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is no score to pay now," he murmured, as he flung the tinged -straw and the rapier into the Rhine. "None, here, in Basle. None by -Boisfleury. But elsewhere? And by others! Ah!"</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_17" href="#div1Ref_17">CHAPTER XVII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"The Splendid One"--"<i>Le Dieudonné</i>"--otherwise Louis XIV., King of -France and Navarre, sat in the <i>Galerie des Cerfs</i> at Fontainebleau -before a blazing log fire, his feet and legs encased in long, heavy -riding boots, half a dozen dogs round him, and, on his lap, a little -spaniel of the breed afterwards known in England as that of King -Charles, with whose long silky ears he toyed.</p> - -<p class="normal">Near the King, yet still at some distance from him, were many members -of his family and Court, including the Queen, who sat before a second -fire farther down the room in the riding-dress in which she had that -day accompanied her husband to a wild stag hunt in the forest. A -little distance off, chattering, laughing--in discreetly subdued -tones--were women who bore, or were yet to bear, names that the world -will never forget. One there was, who, although already a recipient of -the favours of Le Roi Soleil if not as yet of his love, sat plainly -dressed and with her eyes demurely cast down, near to Madame de -Montespan--<i>mâitresse en titre</i>--and only raised those eyes at some -sallies from the children of the latter who played around her knees. -After which she would let them steal swiftly towards the face of the -ruler of France's destiny as well as of the destiny of half Europe. -Yet, sometimes, too, she would smile softly at some thought not -aroused by the children's gambols, when her lips would part and -disclose her teeth which were already giving signs of the decay that, -later, was to take entire possession of them. When this occurred, -those near her would wonder what the woman who, as Françoise -d'Aubigne, had been born in a prison, was thinking of. Perhaps, they -speculated to themselves, on the jokes and gibes of her dead husband, -the diseased and crippled poet, romancer and dramatist, Paul Scarron. -Or, perhaps, on the lovers she had so often run to meet (when she was -supposed to be at mass or confession) in the little, green-hung -<i>parloir</i> lent her by Ninon de l'Enclos for her rendezvous: perhaps of -the manner in which, slowly but surely, she was spinning her web -around the King and enfolding him in it even as the spider spins its -web and enfolds and strangles the fly.</p> - -<p class="normal">Near her were, however, other women who, had they had their way, would -themselves have strangled the life out of this woman, now, by creation -and gift of estate and brevet, Madame de Maintenon, as willingly as -she was secretly strangling the will and power out of Louis; women -whom once the King had loved more fiercely than--though not so -subserviently as--he was now beginning to love her. Close by <i>la femme -funeste</i> was the once lovely Duchesse de Châtillon--now grown fat and -troubled with a nervous twitching of the face--who had once disputed -with Madame de Beauvais, who had never been lovely and who squinted, -the right of having been Louis' first love. Here, too, was the -beautiful Mdlle. d'Argenson now married to a husband who was reported -to beat her; and many others. While, had the phantoms of all those -whom the King had adored and then neglected, and then cast off, been -able to appear, the room would have been full of sombre shadows.</p> - -<p class="normal">Before the King there was placed a small table on which, at this -moment, was piled up in great disarray a vast heap of letters that had -that afternoon arrived by special courier, and which he was at this -time engaged in reading after his return from the stag hunt. Or -rather, he was engaged in reading all those which a courtier who sat -next to him in a smaller, less comfortable chair, handed to him after -he himself had perused them. This courtier was no less a person than -the Marquis de Louvois, whose precise position was that of Minister of -War but who, during the ascendancy that he had for some years been -gradually obtaining over the King--in which ascendancy he ran a race -of deadly rivalry with Madame de Maintenon--had become his right hand.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Two letters, both of the same import," Louis said now, placing one -which he held in his hand face downwards on top of another he had -previously laid on the table; "two letters from two women, and each -telling the same story. Letters coming, you observe, from widely -different cities. One from London. The other from Geneva. Almost, it -seems, there must be some truth in what they tell."</p> - -<p class="normal">The King might also have added, had he not doubtless entirely -forgotten the fact, that the two women from whom those letters came -had each been strongly affected towards him and his interests if they -had not, like so many others, allowed themselves to love him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Can it be true?" he went on now. "Can it? Yet, it must be, Louise is -in a position to know all, everything that transpires, everything that -is known in London: the Duchesse de Castellucchio must know every -secret that her admirer possesses."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If, sire, he is her admirer."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What else should he be?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Prétendu</i>, perhaps, sire. Perhaps <i>soupirant</i>, awaiting events and -fortune. Needy men have often married rich women, heiresses, women who -can set them on their feet again; and they have done so without loving -them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is true," the King said, speaking in tones so low that none but -his companion could hear him, but still tones clear, keen, incisive.</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, lowering his voice as he changed the subject, the King said, "Is -<i>he</i> gone?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He is, sire, in this room."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Summon him."</p> - -<p class="normal">Obedient to this order De Louvois rose from the far from comfortable -seat in which he sat, and, proceeding down the gallery while smiling -with a smile that had little mirth in it and scarcely any cordiality, -reached at last a courtier who, clad in a green hunting costume -adorned with gold lace and having on his shoulder the device in gold -of a bugle above a sun, was talking to a lady. This courtier was no -less a person than De Beaurepaire in his dress of Grand Veneur, while -the lady, who possessed a simpering weak face that, in her case, was -no index to her mind, and whose little curls all over her head gave -her an appearance of youth to which she no longer had any claim, was -Madame de Sevigne.</p> - -<p class="normal">"His Majesty," De Louvois said to the former, after bowing to the -latter, "desires to speak with you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am at his service as always," De Beaurepaire replied. "I trust he -is satisfied with the day's sport. It was worthy of a royal hunt, -thirteen stags being killed."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No doubt, no doubt," De Louvois muttered, as now De Beaurepaire -followed him to where the King sat, while he observed as they drew -near their master that the two letters were no longer lying on the -table as they had originally been placed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! Louis!" the King said to his namesake, addressing his old -playfellow as he had always done since boyhood, "so you have not yet -left for your house at Saint Mandé, where you now keep yourself so -much when you are not called forth from it by your duties to me. Your -duties of huntsman and Colonel of my Guards."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not yet, sire. The evening runs on; later I will ask your Majesty to -permit me to depart. May I crave to know if your Majesty is contented -with the day's hunt?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Beyond doubt. What you do for me, either as purveyor of sport or as -the chief of my guards," bearing again on the fact of the Prince -occupying the latter position, "is always well done."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And always will be, sire. As it has ever been since, if I may recall -the past, it was done when I was permitted to be your Majesty's -principal playmate and comrade."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes," the King replied, his bright blue eyes resting softly on the -other, "my playmate and comrade. My playmate and comrade," he said -again. "They were happy days. Once, Louis, you saved my life from an -infuriated stag here in this very Forest of Fontainebleau--you -remember?--and once in the Forest of Vincennes from an intending -assassin."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have not forgotten, sire. If your life is ever in danger again, -which heaven forfend, I pray it may be I who shall again save it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I hope so," the King said gently, "I hope so. Having saved that life -before it should be dear to you now. Now, when I am environed with -enemies worse than starving footpads and assassins; when the Dutchman, -Orange, would, they say, go down on his knees and thank God for my -taking off; when the ministers of my imbecile brother-in-law, Charles -of Spain, would have me assassinated on my own hearth if it could be -accomplished. When," he continued, "there is not a country in all -Europe, except that over which Charles Stuart now reigns, that does -not thirst for my life. In truth, I need good friends like you, Louis, -and you, Louvois. The one to whom I have confided the charge of my own -guards, the other the care of my whole army."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your Majesty may rely on me and my guards," De Beaurepaire said. -"Your Majesty may rely on----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know. I know," Louis said. "Should I have confided that charge to -you otherwise?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And on me for the whole of your Majesty's army," De Louvois -exclaimed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"That too, I know. Now," the King said, rising from his chair, at -which action all the others who were seated in the room rose as one -person. "Now, let us prepare for supper. Louis," he said, addressing -De Beaurepaire, "I spoke of an imbecile but now. There is another in -Paris like unto him, who has a reckoning to make with you. The Duc de -Castellucchio. What have you done with his wife?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She should be in Milan now, sire, and in her sister's arms. I sent -her on to Nancy from Paris well escorted. I did my best for her. If -the Duc de Castellucchio has aught to say to me he will know where I -am to be found."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will not endeavour to find you himself. He may, however, persuade -my <i>Grande Chambre</i> to do so."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I do not fear even that august assembly, sire, so long as I have your -protection."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do you fear aught on earth, Louis?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing, sire, except your displeasure," the Prince answered with the -courtier's true--yet false--air.</p> - -<p class="normal">When, however, some hours later, De Beaurepaire had withdrawn, not -only from the Royal Presence but also from all the crowd of courtiers -who hovered round <i>Le Roi Soleil</i>, and he was seated on the back of a -fresh, mettlesome horse which was to bear him to Paris as swiftly as -might be, he rode as one rides whose mind is ill at ease. For his head -was bent forward over the animal's mane, his handsome features were -clouded and the reins in his hand were carelessly held.</p> - -<p class="normal">"How he harped on the word assassin," he mused, "how oft he repeated -it. How, too, he dwelt on my command of his guards. Yet I am no -assassin nor would-be assassin. Whatever evil I may meditate against -him, I have never thought of that. Nor has there been any talk of -murder, of assassination--of him--so far as I have heard. La Truaumont -spoke nothing of this after he rode back from Switzerland, but -only that I should put myself at the head of the discontented -nobility of Normandy who so protest against heavy taxation and the -ignoring of their rights. Assassination! God! it is an evil word. -And--assassination of him, my friend, my early playmate! The King who -has showered benefits on me full-handed."</p> - -<p class="normal">Musing still, meditating always, he rode on down the great avenue that -led towards the little town of Fontainebleau, and, past it, to Paris -five-and-thirty miles off; while, as he continued upon his way, he -still mused, though now his thoughts took a different turn.</p> - -<p class="normal">"A pity 'tis," he pondered, "that Humphrey West pryed into -their--our--secrets. I would have had him spared, or, at least, slain -in open honest fight, not done to death by so foul a thing as that -Boisfleury--as La Truaumont says he was after he confessed that he -knew all. Boisfleury! A piece of vermin fit only to crawl in the -gutters of Paris, to herd with the lowest, but not fit to take the -life of young, handsome Humphrey West. Humphrey, poor Humphrey! And -poor Mademoiselle d'Angelis. She loved him passing well."</p> - -<p class="normal">He paused ere concluding what he was saying, and, reining in his -horse, stared fixedly into a dense copse that bordered the side of the -drive. He stared at something he saw moving suspiciously through the -undergrowth and as though with the desire of avoiding attention. -Recollecting, however, that, on such a night as this, and after a -great hunt in the vast forest which, at that time, covered very nearly -a hundred square miles of ground, and where, too, hundreds of -villagers, <i>vauriens</i> and ne'er-do-wells generally would be about, he -muttered, "Psha! what need to be surprised at the sight of any -creeping, crawling vagabond here," and withdrew his hand with almost a -feeling of self-contempt from the holster towards which he had thrust -it.</p> - -<p class="normal">As, however, he again set his horse in motion, he saw that which, in -all likelihood, had caused the creeping figure to take shelter in the -undergrowth, if it was not due to his own appearance. Coming up the -long avenue from the direction where, afar off, Paris lay, was one of -those vehicles known as a <i>chaise roulante</i>--a small carriage which -would hold but one person; a thing not much larger than a sedan-chair, -but which was transported on two wheels and had a seat in front for -the driver. To-night, since it was entirely dark, a lamp placed by the -driver's side was alight and the rays from it were sufficient to -illuminate the whole of the interior of the small carriage.</p> - -<p class="normal">Attracted by the appearance of this vehicle, wondering who could be -coming in so plain and common a conveyance to Fontainebleau at this -hour--Fontainebleau, with the King in residence!--De Beaurepaire could -not resist the impulse of curiosity which impelled him to glance in at -the occupant.</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, suddenly, his hands so tightened on the reins they held that his -high-mettled horse rose on its hind legs and, in its rearing, nearly -threw him.</p> - -<p class="normal">He had tightened the reins thus as he saw a white, death-like looking -face gazing out as he glanced in at the window; a face from out of -which two hollow eyes stared into the darkness of the night.</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Dieu!</i>" De Beaurepaire whispered, even as he knew, as he divined, -that he had himself turned as white as that sepulchral-looking face -inside the <i>chaise roulante</i>, and while he felt his whole body -suffused with the perspiration that burst from every pore. "He is -alive. And he knows all. To-night the King will know all, too. He must -be here to tell him all!"</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_18" href="#div1Ref_18">CHAPTER XVIII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The <i>chaise roulante</i> went on slowly up the avenue towards where, a -quarter of a mile ahead of it, innumerable lights shone from all the -windows of the royal château; the driver, as it passed De Beaurepaire, -saluting obsequiously the man whom, by his rich apparel and quantity -of gold lacing and passementerie, he knew to be some great functionary -of the Court.</p> - -<p class="normal">And that great functionary, that man who, but a few moments before had -boasted to himself, who had told himself proudly, that he was no -assassin, sat on his horse revolving hurriedly within his mind whether -he should not now become one. Now, ere another two or three moments -had elapsed; now, ere the conveyance could advance another dozen yards -upon its road. Revolving in his mind whether he should turn rein and -rush at that carriage, thrusting his sword through the driver's heart -and, ere he could help himself or cry for assistance--which would not -be forthcoming!--through the heart of that white, sickly-looking man -within. For, it could be done, he knew. Nothing could prevent him -doing it, nothing could save either passenger or driver if he chose to -do it. Nothing.</p> - -<p class="normal">With the exception of that creeping creature who had glided from his -sight into the darkness of the underwood, and who was probably far -away by now, there was no living creature near. No living soul. And it -was dark at last! One thrust at the man who had just saluted him, -another at the other in the vehicle: the light extinguished and the -<i>chaise roulante</i> thrown over on to its side as he, in his great -strength could easily cause it to be--and--and--that was all! All that -was needed. All! The Court was at supper: the menials busy attending -on the Court. It could be done in a moment and he far away half an -hour after. And none would ever know. That was all that was needed! -Yet, was it--all? Would none ever know? Ah, God! would He not know? -Would his own heart not know? Yes, always! Always! Always! He would -have become a twofold murderer. And he was--a De Beaurepaire!</p> - -<p class="normal">With a sound that, as it issued from his lips, might have been a -curse--or a sob--he loosed his rein and dug his spurs into his horse -and rode away from that carriage. Away to Paris to meet his -confederates in the great plot; to tell them that they were betrayed; -that the one man outside their own band who knew this secret was alive -and had, must have, divulged it to the King. That this man was alive -while he, their chief, had had the chance of slaying him, of silencing -him for ever--and that he had let the chance pass.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," he muttered to himself, "also have I missed being a murderer. I -have missed that. Thank God! And--and--I am a true De Beaurepaire -still. One who has brought no blot upon the name, who has nought to -blench at."</p> - -<p class="normal">Meanwhile, the <i>chaise roulante</i> went on until it drew up at a side -door of the château, and two lackeys sauntered down the stone steps to -see what the business of its occupant was.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur desires?" the first inquired, letting his eyes roll -insolently, or, at least, indifferently--which in a menial is the same -thing!--over the terribly ill appearance of the man inside and also -over the shabby hired vehicle in which he arrived. "Monsieur desires?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"To see His Majesty the King. At once. On a matter of life and death."</p> - -<p class="normal">"To see His Majesty the King," the fellow repeated, while a faint -smile spread over his face. Yet, even as it did so, the footman -felt some wonderment creeping into his mind. For the tone of the -new-comer's voice proclaimed that this was no common person; his white -hand as it lay on the lower part of the window-frame was not white -from ill-health alone: it testified that its owner was of gentle -blood. Also, the look and bearing of the traveller spoke more plainly -than silks and satins and laces would have done of who and what he -might be.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To see His Majesty the King," the man repeated again, while his -fellow-servant stood by his side--"On a matter----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Valet!" the new-comer exclaimed now in a tone of command, "open the -door and help me out. Stand not muttering there but do as I bid you, -and then take my name to some chamberlain who will pass it on to His -Majesty. It is known to him. He will see me."</p> - -<p class="normal">The words, if not the tone in which they were uttered, had their -effect. In a moment that contemptuous, scornful address, that voice of -command from a superior to an inferior told the footman with what -manner of man he had to deal. The nobility, the gentry, spoke thus--to -such as he was--with sometimes a snarl, with sometimes a curse--often -with a blow--but they alone did so. The rest--who had not yet gathered -themselves together into that black cloud which, more than a hundred -years afterwards, was to burst over France and destroy King, Court, -Nobility and all who were better than themselves--were nothing. They -were nothing but dogs, beasts of burden, toilers for their betters; -providers of playthings, in the shape of their daughters and wives and -sisters, of toys for their rulers and masters, to be afterwards broken -and flung away.</p> - -<p class="normal">Obediently to the dictatorial voice of the young man in the -conveyance--whose ill-health they now supposed was due to some form of -long-continued aristocratic debauchery--they did as they were bidden. -They opened the door of the <i>chaise roulante</i> and helped its occupant -out; they assisted him to mount the stone steps and led him to a deep -fauteuil in the richly carpeted vestibule, and then the first lackey -said in a deferential tone:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"His Majesty the King is at supper. But, if the seigneur will give his -name it shall----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"My name is Humphrey West. The King is acquainted with it. Here, give -me some writing things. I will set it down. Your master knows it well, -I say. Then lose no time. I tell you, man, I come on serious import." -After which, Humphrey took the pen and paper that the footman brought -and wrote his name as largely and legibly as his weakness would -permit. Bearing the paper in his hand the man went away, while his -fellow walked to the farther end of the vestibule and entered into -conversation with another member of his fraternity who was loitering -about. A few moments later, however, the first one returned followed -by a handsome young page dressed all in crimson and lace, over which -latter his long fair hair streamed--a pretty youth who, bowing to -Humphrey, said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"If monsieur will give himself the trouble to follow me, I will -conduct him to the apartment of Monsieur le Marquis de Louvois. Yet, I -protest, monsieur," he said, in a well-bred, soft voice as he -witnessed Humphrey's painful attempts to rise, "you will not get so -far alone." An instant later, in a totally different tone, while -stamping his red heel on the richly carpeted floor, he said to the -lackeys: "You dogs, do you not see that monsieur can scarcely rise? -Give him your arms at once. At once, I say, or I will have you both -whipped."</p> - -<p class="normal">"At once, Monsieur le Duc. At once," the fellows exclaimed, rushing to -obey the summary orders of this handsome youth. "We but awaited -Monsieur le Duc's commands." After which they assisted Humphrey along -the corridor, while the masterful young sprig of nobility walked -behind them muttering further objurgations as he tossed his fair locks -over his shoulder.</p> - -<p class="normal">After traversing two corridors--during which time the aristocratic -page was profuse in his regrets at the distance Humphrey had to -accomplish in his enfeebled state--the group arrived at last in a -large room furnished in dark, highly polished oak on which the lights -from the candles in a huge silver candelabra were reflected as in a -mirror. Then, when the footmen had retired, the page, after saying in -a soft voice, "Monsieur le Marquis is here," bowed to Humphrey and -backed out of the door after the others.</p> - -<p class="normal">Looking round the room, which was so vast that one portion of it was -quite in shadow, Humphrey saw that down at the farther end, and -standing before a vast fireplace in which the logs were almost -extinct, was a man. A man richly, handsomely dressed whose eyes were -fixed on him. One who, when the page and the footmen had departed, -advanced towards Humphrey.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay," this man said, seeing the latter's efforts to rise from a chair -to which the young Duke had motioned him, "do not distress yourself. I -have heard that you are in sore plight. Now, Monsieur West--whose name -I know well and my master, the King, knows better--tell me all you -have to say. I am the Marquis de Louvois," and, as he spoke, he drew -another chair up close to Humphrey and sat down in it.</p> - -<p class="normal">That this man was De Louvois--De Louvois called by some "the -terrible," by others "the unscrupulous," and by still others the -"curse of France"--Humphrey knew very well, since he had seen him -often. He knew, also, that not only was De Louvois the Minister of War -but Louis' most confidential minister: the only confidant the latter -had ever possessed since De Louvois had gradually ousted Colbert from -the same position. He had often seen that tall, rugged frame and -coarse-featured face which told of the many vulgar passions beneath, -and of the evil temper and overbearing disposition which caused the -man to be hated by all who surrounded him and were in a position to be -tyrannised over by him, and, consequently, he knew well enough that he -was speaking to the domineering autocrat who, if not the king, was the -King's right hand.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur le Marquis," Humphrey said consequently, "I have come -post-haste from Basle after escaping from death by a miracle, to -reveal to His Majesty the existence of a plot which threatens not only -his throne but his life."</p> - -<p class="normal">"His life. <i>Hein!</i>" De Louvois muttered, rubbing his square jaw -reflectively; "his life as well as his throne. How is that to be? -Come, tell me that. But, stay, first tell me how you chance to be in -possession of this knowledge. Thereby I shall be better able to judge -of what value that knowledge is."</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, as he said this, Humphrey was astonished to see the powerful -minister spring to his feet and assume a most deferential attitude -while, as he did so, Humphrey heard at the same time a low clear voice -say behind him, "And as I, too, shall also be able to judge."</p> - -<p class="normal">Looking round as well as the stiffness and soreness from which he was -suffering would permit him to do, the young man saw that the King, who -must have entered the room softly, was standing behind him. The King -who was now dressed in a black velvet Court suit devoid of all -adornment, save a glittering diamond-set semblance of the sun that -sparkled from out the rich lace of his breast. The King who, even as -Humphrey endeavoured to struggle to his feet by aid of pressing his -hands on the arms of the fauteuil, said, "Nay, Monsieur West, be -seated; do not rise," and added, "I grieve to see you in such a -condition," while as he spoke he held out his hand, sparkling with -jewels, to the young man to kiss.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire," Humphrey muttered, having done so, "I--I--must rise----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. Instead, I will be seated," and Louis subsided into the chair -just vacated by Louvois. Then he said, "Now proceed with your tale. -Tell all you know. Everything."</p> - -<p class="normal">It took perhaps not more than a quarter of an hour for Humphrey to -describe all he had overheard in that bedroom of his at Basle; all of -what was said in the adjacent salon. Nevertheless, he told the story -clearly and succinctly, omitting only one thing, namely, all mention -of De Beaurepaire. <i>His</i> name he could not bring himself to pronounce, -remembering that he had ever been treated kindly by the chevalier and -also that, even now, he was not resolved as to whether the former was -the head and front of the whole conspiracy or whether his name and -position were not being used by the conspirators without his consent.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," said the King, "you overheard all this. And--the names of those -who plotted thus? Do you know them? Outside that of La Truaumont with -whom you rode in the train of the Duchesse de Castellucchio, are you -aware of the names of the others? The name of the woman and also of -the man passing as her father?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire, the woman is known as the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. De Villiers-Bordéville!" the -King repeated. Then, after a moment's reflection, he said, "There is -no such title in France."</p> - -<p class="normal">As, however, the words fell from his lips the attitude of De Louvois, -while he leant nearer to him, showed that he desired to speak.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whereupon the King said, "You know her, De Louvois?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire," the minister answered, "La Reynie, your <i>Surintendant de -Police</i>, knows her. He has signalised her to me as dangerous."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who is she?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is Louise Belleau de Cortonne. Her husband was Jacques de -Mallorties, Seigneur de Villers and Boudéville. Villers and Boudéville -are almost akin to Villiers-Bordéville. That husband died mysteriously -by poison, she was tried at Rouen for his murder but acquitted. -Now----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, now?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is a spy in the pay of either Holland or Spain or both, and she -loves secretly--the--man--whom--we suspect."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Dieu!</i>" the King exclaimed, exhibiting, however, as little agitation -as, in all the great crises of his long reign--the plots and -conspiracies against his life, the combinations of half Europe against -him, the treachery of those whom he had enriched and advanced, as well -as the treachery, in one extreme case at least, of the women he had -loved--he was ever known to show. Turning, however, to Humphrey now, -Louis said in a voice that was absolutely calm:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Was any great name mentioned in this talk you overheard? Any name so -great in all that pertains to it that, almost, it casts a shadow over, -or pretends to cast a shadow over, the name of Louis de Bourbon?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your Majesty," Humphrey whispered, "such a name was mentioned, hinted -at. But--but----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But what?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"More as the name of one who occupied the position spoken of by -Monsieur le Ministre a moment past. As one who is admired, perhaps -loved by----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"That woman, the <i>soi-disant</i> Marquise?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your Majesty has said it. More as that than as the name of a plotter, -an intriguer."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So be it. Let us pass from this. Now, Monsieur West, the name of the -other man? The old man who travelled from Paris to take part in this -grievous conference after having travelled beforehand from Holland to -Paris. The man who passed as the woman's father?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire, as her father he passed under the name of Châteaugrand. But he -was addressed and spoken of as Van den Enden."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A man," exclaimed De Louvois, "well known to La Reynie and to me. A -Dutch Jew, who has been everything: doctor, schoolmaster--he speaks -all languages--a preacher of atheism, keeper of a bagnio, proprietor -of a <i>tripot</i> and spy and plotter. But principally the latter."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis well. Very well. Communicate with La Reynie to-night. He will -know his work. Now, Monsieur West, let me hear the rest of your story. -When that is told you will remain here as the guest of the King whom -you have striven so bravely to serve."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_19" href="#div1Ref_19">CHAPTER XIX</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Half an hour later Humphrey had told all that had happened to him -since he fell senseless from the foul thrust of Fleur de Mai; or -rather he had told all he knew and could remember.</p> - -<p class="normal">For memory, consciousness, had failed him from the moment when the -truculent but craven bully had essayed that <i>botte de lâche</i> and he -had sunk insensible upon the straw of the stable until, some two hours -later, he had opened his eyes again upon a scene which brought neither -recollection nor understanding to him.</p> - -<p class="normal">He opened his eyes to see a glare shining in them that his -disordered mind could not comprehend until, at last, consciousness -began to regain its hold upon him, when he was enabled to understand -that it proceeded from some miserable light--probably that of a -rush-light--which had been placed behind a common bottle filled with -water, perhaps with the intention of increasing the flare. He saw, -too, that there was a fire burning in the corner of whatever the place -might be in which he was lying: a fire made of sticks, not logs, -which, since they emitted a horribly pungent odour as well as clouds -of smoke, were probably green and damp. Next, as sensibility returned -to him, he knew that he was very cold and wet, that he was shivering -as a man in a fit of ague shivers, and that he ached all over as -though he had been beaten.</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later, and when he was about to call out to know if there -were any person within hail and, if so, to ask where he was, he heard -a woman's voice speaking, yet speaking in so strange a patois, or -dialect, that he had to devote all the attention his still giddy brain -could furnish to grasp what the possessor of that voice said. Still, -he was by a great effort enabled to understand the tenor of the words.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing on him, father, nothing!" the voice said. "<i>Himmel!</i> a trout -of a kilo would have been a better haul. I would have cast him back -into the river and have let the rapids have him. Yet," the speaker -added, "his clothes are good, of the best. They are worth something -and he is a handsome man."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Nein, nein</i>," a man's voice, gruff and harsh, replied. "I could not -do that. Never! My heart is too soft for such deeds as that. And, -Therese, I was once nearly caught and dragged into those accursed -rapids myself, and I remember my awful fears, my sweat and agony as I -was swept along towards them. I could not see another going that way -and let him continue his course, especially since the net had got him. -And, 'Rese, this is a gentleman; look at his hands. Even though he has -no money in his pockets he must have friends and belongings. They will -pay me well for the fish I have caught."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He," the woman's voice said, "is handsome as a picture. When he is -well and not so deathly white he must be beautiful as the paintings of -the boy angels in our church. I wish I had not seen so handsome a -face. I shall think of it for long."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah! you women think of nothing but men and their looks. Now, come, -help me to take off his garments and to put him in the warm straw -before the fire. Maybe he will recover."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Ach, mein Gott!</i>" the woman screamed, as she drew near to Humphrey -in obedience to the man's command, "look, look, father, his eyes are -open, and, ah! what eyes they are. Oh!" she muttered to herself, "I -have never seen such eyes, such lashes. 'Tis well you saved him. So -handsome a man should never die."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good people," Humphrey said, finding his own voice now and wondering -if it was his voice, it came so weak and thin from out his lips. "Good -people, I pray God to bless you for your mercy to me. And--and--I have -heard all you said. If there is no money on me now, as there should -be, still I can reward you well. I am not poor."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who are you?" the woman, or rather girl, asked in her strange jargon.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am a gentleman. I have substance. You shall be well rewarded."</p> - -<p class="normal">"How came you in the river?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Heaven alone knows. I was stabbed in a fight in Basle. Rather tell me -how I came here."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I had a net stretched across from this side to the other," the man -said. "The river narrows here and it is easy to get over. When the -storms come, the great salmon trout and the pike come down from -Rheinfelden. I thought I had two at the least, if not three, when I -saw the net nearly torn off its ropes as it caught you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They threw me in the river then," Humphrey mused. "It must be so. Ah! -if I live, <i>gare à vous</i>, La Truaumont, and you, Fleur de Mai. Heaven -help you if we ever come face to face again or I live to reach the -King." Then aloud, he said, "How far is this from Basle?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"A kilometre. Opposite, across the river, is the Fort de Stein."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A kilometre! I have been borne that far and I am alive! God, I thank -Thee." Then turning to the man he said, "Is my wound serious? Have you -looked to it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nein. I knew not even that you were wounded. Where is it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Below my right shoulder. Through the lung, I fear."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Rese," the man said to his daughter. "Assist me to remove the -gentleman's garments."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, nay. Let the maiden retire. You can do that."</p> - -<p class="normal">With a grunt and a laugh the fellow did as Humphrey bade him, and did -it gently too, so that in a few moments the latter's body was bare -while the orifice of a gaping wound was plainly visible two inches -below the shoulder. Yet, probably owing to the action of the water -through which Humphrey had not only been borne but tossed upon, that -wound was neither livid nor covered with blood and was, doubtless, -thereby prevented from mortifying. The man found, too, by running his -hand under Humphrey's back, that the weapon had not passed through the -body, while, by pressing the side and finding that the young man -neither winced nor groaned, he opined that the sword had not entered -very deeply.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am no surgeon," he said; "I can do naught. Yet there are good ones -in Basle. When daylight comes, if you will have it so, I will get out -my mule and cart in which I take the fish I catch to Basle, and will -drive you there."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay," Humphrey said, "in heaven's name do so, I beseech you. And then -you shall be rewarded. The Duchess with whom I travel----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are a friend of duchesses?" Therese and her father exclaimed, -while the first added, "Was it for this woman you were stabbed and -thrown into the river?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I rode in her service," Humphrey replied; when, again addressing the -man, he said, "You shall be well paid for your services."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sus! sus!" the latter grunted, "I seek not reward for saving life. -Yet you are rich you say, and we--God help us!--are splitting with -hunger and poverty. Now, let me strip you," he went on, "and wrap you -in the straw--we have no other covering even for ourselves--and I will -dry your habiliments. Meanwhile, a rag to your wound must suffice till -we reach Basle. It will not be long; the dayspring will come soon. -Sleep, seigneur, sleep; sleep is both food and balm to those who have -naught else."</p> - -<p class="normal">This story Humphrey told--even more briefly than it has been set -down--to the King sitting before him and to the harsh, severe-looking -minister standing by his master's chair.</p> - -<p class="normal">He told, too, of how he reached Basle where his wound was dressed by a -learned doctor, and of how his bruises and contusions--caused by his -being tossed by the rushing river against boulder stones and logs -borne down like himself on its cruel bosom--were soothed by cunning -unguents and salves as well as might be. He narrated, also, how he -found the Duchess and Jacquette almost distraught at his disappearance -as well as at that of La Truaumont and Fleur de Mai, while their -consternation was enhanced by the disappearance next morning of -Boisfleury who had also decamped on the pretence of seeking the -Syndic. All were gone, yet, with the exception of Boisfleury's horse, -upon which the vagabond rode away, their animals remained in the -stalls.</p> - -<p class="normal">One thing alone Humphrey did not tell the King and De Louvois. He made -no mention of how he and Jacquette had met and been together again; -how the girl had wept and sighed at his sufferings and laughed and -smiled at having him safe in her arms once more, and how she had -nursed him and cared for him till he was ready to set out for Paris. -Nor did he tell the King how Jacquette swore that the moment her -mistress was safe in Milan she would return to Humphrey, or he should -set out again to her, and how, the next time they met, they would be -wedded and never part more.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And this Fleur de Mai, the ruffian who bears this <i>nom de -fantaisie</i>," the King asked, "this truculent <i>luron</i>, who and what is -he? A hired bravo or a conspirator? What? When we have him fast in our -hands, as we may do yet, which is he most worthy of, the wheel, the -gallows, or the axe?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your Majesty, I know not. His bearing and manner are those of a -swashbuckler."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire," De Louvois said now, producing two papers from his pocket, -which papers were the letters the King had been reading before supper, -the letters of two women. "Sire, the Duchess of Portsmouth writes that -in this vile plot which has come to her ears at the English Court, a -name is mentioned. That of the Chevalier la Preaux. This may be he, -for he, too, is Norman like all the rest--except one. Except the -greater one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur West," the King said, as he rose to his feet, and Humphrey, -determined to be no longer seated while His Majesty stood, struggled -to his feet in spite of Louis' protest, "I would you were a subject of -mine, a man born wholly French. Then I could repay you for your care -of me and my crown and of, perhaps, my life. Yet, though you are none -such, I shall not forget."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire, I--I--could not learn this and not speak. Had I ne'er been -permitted to enter your presence I could not have done so. But, sire, -my mother! Your Majesty obtained the restoration of our lands and----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah," the King said, "your mother. She is well and happy?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is well and happy, sire. She owes all to your Majesty."</p> - -<p class="normal">"She should be proud of you. Proud of such a son." Then, as again he -gave Humphrey his hand to kiss, he bade Louvois see to it that the -former was well lodged in the château and treated as one of his most -honoured guests.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whether that treatment would have been good for Humphrey had he been -heart whole up to now may perhaps be doubted. For, although in England -it had been his lot to be surrounded by the butterflies, male and -female, of the giddy Court, there had never been anything which -singled him out as one to whom particular attention should be paid by -the fair sex--except his good looks.</p> - -<p class="normal">But here, where--though nothing was absolutely known of what he might -have done to make him signally favoured by the monarch who ruled the -destinies of all in France--the thistle-down of gossip and chatter -blew freely about, and whispers were circulated that Humphrey West was -one marked out by <i>Le Roi Soleil</i> for high distinction, while, as at -Whitehall, his appearance alone would have caused him to be much -courted and petted by the favourites and demoiselles of the superb -Court.</p> - -<p class="normal">Therefore, maids of honour, themselves of high birth, vied with those -splendid dames who glittered in the dazzling beams of the great -ruler's smiles: one and all endeavoured to intoxicate the young man -with their charms and their <i>câlineries</i>. They played at nursing him, -at waiting on him, even at being driven mad for love of him; and it -may be that, in more than one case, the love was more real than -simulated. They also, when it was possible, abstained from forming -part of the King's retinues that daily set out for the hunts in the -huge forest; of joining those dazzling <i>cortéges</i> of which beautiful -women, soldiers of distinction, courtiers, statesmen, Church -dignitaries, young girls and scheming <i>intrigantes</i> all formed part. -They abstained so that they might be with Humphrey whose heart was far -away, whose mind held only one image, that of Jacquette, and who, in -consequence, could not be tempted by pretty faces and sparkling eyes, -love knots and love-locks, subtle perfumes and flowing robes fashioned -more to suggest than to disguise the shapely forms beneath.</p> - -<p class="normal">One woman, too, who, in all that brilliant if garish Court, played the -strongest, most dominating part of any, while pretending to play the -most retiring and self-effacing, had a smile always for Humphrey, a -quiet, modest word and, now and again, a glance which, though it told -the young man nothing, must, at least, have assured him that if her -friendship was worth anything he possessed it.</p> - -<p class="normal">The woman who was to be in years to come the evil genius of the -splendid monarch now in the full pride of his manhood; who was to -cause him to commit one of the wickedest acts ever perpetrated by any -monarch--the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. To egg him on to deeds -of aggression and spoliation which, at last, caused the whole of -Europe to enter into a coalition against him that, if it did not -eventually hurl him from his throne, did send him to his grave -unlamented by his people.</p> - -<p class="normal">The woman who, a subtle and crafty wanton in her youth, became an -intolerant bigot in her riper years; the woman "so famous, so evil and -so terrible"--as the most celebrated of all diarists, the Duc de St. -Simon, termed her--who had once been the wife of the diseased and -malignant poet, Paul Scarron, and will be known to all time as Madame -de Maintenon.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_20" href="#div1Ref_20">CHAPTER XX</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">It was a bright, sunny morning when De Beaurepaire drew rein in the -long, dirty street of Charenton, and, turning his horse's head, -directed it towards the hamlet of Saint Mandé where his Lodge was. The -Lodge that, enshrouded in trees, stood on the edge of the Forest of -Vincennes and was one of the many which, wherever there was a royal -forest, were the residences of the Grand Veneur of the time being.</p> - -<p class="normal">Leading his animal to the stables, while observing that already the -heavy curtains were drawn apart and the inmates stirring, he tethered -it in a stall and fetched a feed for it from the bin near at hand. -After which he locked the stable door with the key he had drawn from -his pocket, retraced his steps to the garden, and, mounting to the -verandah, went towards the window.</p> - -<p class="normal">If, however, he did this with the intention of tapping on it and thus -attracting the notice of whosoever might be, within that room, this -intention was anticipated.</p> - -<p class="normal">As his heavy riding-boots sounded on the crushed shell path and his -gilt spurs rang at his heels, he heard the <i>frou-frou</i> of a woman's -long robe on the parquet of the room and saw the thick folds of the -stamped leather hangings drawn aside by a slim white hand, and, next, -one side of the window opened.</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later he was in the room, and the woman who called herself -Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville stood before him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," she exclaimed in a whisper, the very murmur of which told of her -joy at having him with her once more; "so you are back once more. And -almost to the moment, as you promised. Ah! I have so longed to see you -since you quitted Paris for Fontainebleau." Then she said, "Come, see, -a meal is prepared. Come, refresh yourself, eat and drink and let us -be merry. We meet once more."</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet, as she spoke and while gazing up into the handsome face of the -man before her, she saw something in that face, something in the dark -eyes that were looking down into hers, that startled her.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is it?" she asked in a low voice, a voice that was almost hoarse -in its depth. "What?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will tell you," De Beaurepaire answered, "but first a drink of -wine. I am parched and dry with my ride, and also with a fever that -consumes me within. Give me the drink."</p> - -<p class="normal">Obeying him, the woman went over to the table which stood at one side -of the room; a table set out with cold meats, a pasty and some salads -and, also, with a large flask of wine, when, pouring out some into a -goblet, she brought it to the man she loved. As he drank, eagerly, -thirstily, she let her eyes rest on him till he had finished the -draught. After which she said again, "What is it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"This. Humphrey West is alive. La Truaumont has either lied to me or -been deceived."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Alive!" Emérance repeated, her face blanching as she spoke, while the -softness of it seemed to vanish, to leave it in a moment, and her \ -eyes became dim. "Humphrey West--the man who heard--as they all -thought--what was said in that room at Basle."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes. Alive and--at Fontainebleau."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Malheur!</i>" while, as Emérance spoke, the goblet she had taken from -his hand after he had finished drinking fell to the floor and shivered -into a dozen pieces on the parquet. "At Fontainebleau! Where the King -is. So," and she shuddered as though the room had suddenly grown cold. -"You are undone. Lost. Oh!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are undone. Lost," she had said. She had not said, "We are -undone." And, as she said it, the man knew, if he had never known -before, how strong her love was for him. There had been no thought of, -no fear for, herself springing quickly to her mind in learning the -danger that overhung them both, though there could have been no -possibility of her failing to understand that what threatened him -threatened her also; she had thought only of him. She had not said, -"We are undone." Her wail, her terror had been for him alone.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Emérance," De Beaurepaire said, taking her to his arms now and -kissing her, while--whatever the man's faults were, and they were many -and grievous!--indifference to the self-abnegation of this thing that, -he now knew, loved him so, could not be counted among them. "Emérance, -I think not of myself but you. I have staked and lost. I must stand -the hazard. <i>Les battus payent l'amende</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no," Emérance wailed. "What! You think of me! Of me the schemer, -the adventuress--the woman who is herself of Normandy, who hoped to -see this proud, masterful ruler beaten down by the Normans he -despises and treats evilly. The woman who hoped to see the man she -loves, the man she worships, help in the work and, perhaps, assume -that ruler's place. Who am I that you should think of me? Yet, -nevertheless, this sunders our lives. Or! no--no!" she went on, a wan -smile stealing on to her face. "For though we go out of each other's -lives it may be that we shall set out from each other together, at the -same time--though we go different dark roads at parting."</p> - -<p class="normal">Excited, overmastered, by what her imagination conjured up, at what -must be their fate if their conspiracy was known by now to the King, -she went toward the table again and, filling another glass, drank it -to the dregs. After which, as though inspirited by what she had drunk, -she came back to where the other stood, while saying:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"Tell me all. Have you seen him at Fontainebleau?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Five hours past. Ill, white, like a man who has been close to, who -has knocked at, death's door, yet has been refused admittance. In the -great avenue, on his road to the château."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You could not have been mistaken?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I was not mistaken. Our eyes did not meet as he looked out of the -crazy conveyance in which he sat. But in seeing him, I learnt all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Was La Truaumont deceived in what he repeated to you--or--or is that -wretch, Van den Enden, a double traitor? Yet--yet--you told me ere you -went to Fontainebleau that the former said La Preaux forced Humphrey -West to fight with him and slew him, leaving the blame to fall on -Boisfleury. That he saw the young man slain."</p> - -<p class="normal">"La Truaumont was not deceived nor did he lie. He saw the fight: he -saw the other fall. Yet, now, I have seen him alive. This very day. -Alive and making his way to the King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And ere the Englishman was killed he had killed Boisfleury?" Emérance -asked meditatively.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. La Truaumont thought not so but that he only wounded him -sorely."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They should have killed him ere they left Basle. They should have -killed them both. They should have made sure of their silence for -ever. Thus, too, when they were found they would have been thought to -have slain each other; their lips would have been sealed--you would -have been safe."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Emérance, think not of me alone. I am but one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But one! You are the only one of whom I can think. What are a -thousand lives, a thousand murders, to me so long as you are safe!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Before this overmastering passion of the woman for him, this love -that, like the love of the tigress for its mate or its young, would -have swept the lives of all in the world away to preserve the one -thing precious to it, De Beaurepaire stood speechless. In truth it -startled him--startled even him who had known so much of women's love -yet had never known such love as this.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nevertheless," Emérance went on, fearing that the violence of her -passion, of her fears for her lover, might make him deem her what she -was not, "I would have had no blood shed, and treacherously shed, too, -had you been safe. Had I known before what I know now since La -Truaumont and I have met again in Paris, had I guessed that this -Englishman had overheard all, the attempt to do him cruelly to death -should not have been made. At least, that ruffian, La Preaux, who -masquerades under his buffoon's name of Fleur de Mai, should not have -tried his treacherous <i>botte</i> on him. I would have seen the -eavesdropper, have sworn him to secrecy, and have saved him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"La Truaumont would have saved him if he could. He endeavoured to -swear him to silence, to make him give a promise to breathe no word. -Had the other consented all would be well. But----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"But?"--with an inward catching of her breath.</p> - -<p class="normal">"But he refused scornfully. He boasted how, that very night, he would -be on his road to Louis to divulge all. Therefore it had to be. His -blood was on his own head. If he had slain Fleur de Mai, as it appears -he went near to doing, La Truaumont would have slain him." And De -Beaurepaire muttered, "it had to be," while adding, "and still it was -not done."</p> - -<p class="normal">Shrugging her shoulders the woman exclaimed, "Yes, and--alas!--still -it was not done. He is alive and the King by now knows all. Only--will -he believe upon this man's testimony alone? Will he act at once, -without further proof or corroboration, ere he is sure?"</p> - -<p class="normal">When Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville, as she called herself, asked -this question, she did not know, could not know that there had already -come a letter from England from Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of -Portsmouth--herself a spy of France--to Louis, telling him as much as, -if not more than, Humphrey West could tell him of the Norman plot -against him. Nor could she also know that, from Basle, had come -another letter from the Duchesse de Castellucchio telling him in more -guarded language (since she, at least, could not betray De -Beaurepaire) of what she had gathered, and bidding him beware of Spain -and Holland.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know not what he will do, nor what he will believe, nor if any name -is yet divulged," the Prince replied, "though, when he spoke with me -last evening ere I left him, he dwelt strangely, ay! and strongly too, -on our boyhood's companionship and my command of all his guards. But, -Emérance, tell me what was said of me that night in your room. Was my -name spoken so that this man listening in the next one might easily -catch it; was my share in all laid bare? Think, recall; and speak -boldly to me. For if it was----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes; if it was, what then?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Then there is but one thing left. Flight----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! From me?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, never. But flight together. I will never part from you in life. -As man and wife we fly together."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never otherwise! Now, Emérance, speak. Tell all."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If," Emérance said, after meditating deeply for some moments, while -there was on her face the look which all have seen when those with -whom they converse are thinking carefully, or endeavouring to recall -some once spoken words; "if--if--this man overheard me and La -Truaumont the first night, then--<i>he</i>--heard your name. Because La -Truaumont said that you might rise to even higher flights than the -proud position of a De Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Dieu des Dieux!</i> If he did hear! Well! On the next night?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"On the next night," Emérance continued, "ah! let me recall. Yes. On -the next night your name was again uttered. By me--accursed be my -tongue!--when I spoke of rejoining you here in Paris, and by La -Truaumont by the sobriquet I love to hear applied to you, that of '<i>Le -Dédaigneux</i>.' For disdainful you are to all--except to me," her voice -sinking to a murmur as she added those last two words.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ha!" De Beaurepaire said with a grim smile, "if Humphrey West heard -no mention of my name by you, he would scarce know that I am '<i>Le -Dédaigneux'</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Alas," the woman almost wailed, "'twas touched upon that the King's -guards had been despatched to join the main body of the army: that <i>Le -Dédaigneux</i> had taken heed for that. <i>Le Dédaigneux</i>--their colonel."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Enough. With this he knows all. And by now Louis and De Louvois, too, -who never leaves his master's side, know it also. It is enough, more -than enough. When the Court returns from Fontainebleau four days hence -La Reynie will know it as well."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Four days! You have four days in which to escape, to hide yourself, -to put some frontier between you and the King's wrath! Ah! heaven! you -are saved."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And lost also. Once I cross any frontier I shall never recross it, -never return to France. Never. Never. And I am a De Beaurepaire; my -blood, my life is drawn from France and I shall never see it more."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. With time the King will forgive. You have often said his heart -is kindly, that he is never cruel. That he has forgiven much to both -women and men who have deceived him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, to both women and men. But the women were false to his heart -alone, and there are thousands of other women in France as fair as -they: a king woos and wins where he will. And the men he has forgiven -have but forgotten for a moment the difference between him and them; -but when it is his throne, his crown, that is in danger, he never -forgives."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Seize then upon these four days; fly to Holland or Switzerland, or -Italy, and escape. Sell your charges to those whom you have oft told -me would buy them, and fly."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And you? You--my love?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As you bid me I will do. If you will have me by your side, or go -before you or stay behind, you must but say the word and I obey. Do -with me as you would with your favourite dog; leave me or take me.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will never leave you," her lover murmured. "Never. We escape -together----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Or we fall together. Is it not so?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is so. And, remember, our danger and our safety go hand in hand. -If either of us is found in Paris when once La Reynie's blood-hounds -are let loose, there will be but one end for both."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No matter so that we share that end. Yet," she said suddenly, -recalling what both had forgotten. "There is La Truaumont. Also Van -den Enden and the bully, La Preaux. The former, at least, should be -warned."</p> - -<p class="normal">"La Truaumont shall be. As for the Jew and La Preaux, let them look to -themselves."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay! nay! That is madness. If they are taken ere we are safe they -will divulge all. To save ourselves we must save them."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_21" href="#div1Ref_21">CHAPTER XXI</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The following day De Beaurepaire rode into the great courtyard of -Versailles, while, as he did so, the sentries of the Garde de Corps du -Roi saluted him, the guard turned out, and the drummers sitting -outside in the morning sun sprang to their drums and hastily beat them -in honour of him who commanded all the various regiments of the King's -Guards. He wore now the superb <i>justaucorps</i> of gold cloth and lace to -which, by virtue of his charge and office, he was entitled; across it, -under his scarlet coat, ran his white satin sash stamped with golden -suns: his three-cornered hat was laced with galloon, his sword was -ivory-hilted, with, surmounting its handle, a gold sun.</p> - -<p class="normal">For a moment the man who, as he had said to Emérance had set his life -upon a cast, who had murmured half-bitterly, half-sadly, after knowing -that the die of Fate had gone against him, "<i>les battus payent -l'amende</i>," looked round on those receiving him with homage and -deference, and, as before, his thoughts were terribly poignant while -tinged also with self-contempt.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And I had all this," he murmured as, mechanically he acknowledged the -salutes; "and have thrown it away for a shadow; a chimera. Never more -will drums roll to salute me nor shall I hold high command. Instead, -there is nought for me but a strange land where all who dwell therein -will know why I am an exile, a fugitive; and I shall know that I am a -traitor. A man false to his King, false to the master who was his -friend in childhood, false to the oath of fidelity he has sworn. Fool, -doubly-accursed fool and knave that I am!"</p> - -<p class="normal">Dismounting from his horse and throwing the reins to a soldier who -advanced to take them, he bade another man summon De Brissac, who -commanded the Garde du Corps, to his presence, when, entering the -Lodge, he sat down to await the coming of that person.</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later De Brissac had entered the room, and, after greetings -had been exchanged, that of De Beaurepaire being cordially -condescending while De Brissac's was coldly respectful, the former -said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"De Brissac, I have ridden here specially to see you and speak with -you----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Your Highness," De Brissac repeated, giving the other the most -superior title by which he had the right to be addressed, "has ridden -here specially to see and speak with me!" while, as he said this, -there came a little nest of wrinkles outside each of his eyes that -gave to his face a look of bewilderment. "To see me! Particularly me?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Particularly you? Yes. Why!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire, with an -attempt at mirth, "is it so strange that I, who am Chief of all the -Guards as you are Chief of the Garde du Corps, should have some matter -on which I desire to speak with you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, no. Without doubt not strange. Yet--I am only De Brissac--le -Sieur de Brissac--and you are Prince and Chevalier de Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay! We--are--both--soldiers."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, we are both soldiers," the other said, yet his tone was so -strange that his Chief should have observed--perhaps did observe--it. -If, however, the latter was the case he made no sign of doing so. -Instead, he continued:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"You spoke to me not long ago of one who was eager to buy some great -charge under the King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes. I so spoke. Is, then, such a charge vacant now?" De Brissac's -tone being still cold and distant as he spoke.</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is, and if he who would purchase such a charge is sufficiently -high in rank, if the King will permit him to buy it, he may buy mine. -My charge of the guards. That of Grand Veneur cannot be sold."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yours!" De Brissac said, and now he took a step back from where he -stood as a man steps back when utterly astonished at what he hears. -"Yours!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, mine. I--I am not well in health. And--I have other calls on -me."</p> - -<p class="normal">For a moment De Brissac said nothing but stood looking at his superior -strangely. Then he said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"The person of whom I spoke holds so high a position that the King -would not oppose him in his desires. Only----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Only!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He will not buy your charge."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What!" De Beaurepaire exclaimed, while, with a sneer, he added, "is -he so high that even it is too low for him. <i>Cadédis!</i> he must be high -indeed." Then, rapping the table irritably, he said, "Come, Monsieur -de Brissac, explain yourself. Who is this man, and why should my -charge be the one he will not buy?"</p> - -<p class="normal">Still with a strange look in his eyes and with that little nest of -wrinkles on either side of his face very apparent, De Brissac glanced -out through the window and saw that his men were all engaged at their -various occupations; some fetching water from the spring for their -horses, some attending to their animals and rubbing them down, and -some cleaning and polishing their accoutrements. After having done -which he came nearer to De Beaurepaire than he had been before, and -said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will explain myself. The man of whom I spoke will not purchase your -charge because--it is no longer saleable."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What!" exclaimed the other, rising to his feet, while his hand -instinctively sought his sword-hilt. "What? Is this insolence? -Explain, I say."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will. Yet take your hand from off your sword or I may be forced to -draw mine. Likewise, look through that window. Those men are under my -command for the time being, not yours----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Explain," the Prince repeated, stamping his foot angrily. "If they -are not under my immediate command, you are."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, I am not. A general warrant for your arrest is out this morning. -You are no longer in command of the King's Guards nor any portion of -his army. In coming here to-day you have walked into the lion's den. -Prince Louis de Beaurepaire, give me your sword. I arrest you on the -charge of high treason against your King."</p> - -<p class="normal">For a moment the Prince stood gazing at the man before him with so -strange a look that the other--brave soldier as he was, and one who -had given his proofs in many a campaign--scarce knew what might happen -next. The handsome face usually so bronzed by the open-air life De -Beaurepaire had always led was bloodless now, so, too, were the lips, -while the veins upon his forehead looked as though they were about to -burst. Yet this transformation was not due to any of those sudden -gusts of passion to which he was known to be so often subject when -thwarted, or contradicted, or addressed familiarly and on terms of -equality by those whom he considered beneath him--as, in truth, he -considered most men to be.</p> - -<p class="normal">Instead, his pallor proceeded from far different emotions that had now -taken possession of him. It proceeded from the thought, the -recollection which sprang swift as lightning to his mind that, with -his arrest, all hope, all chance was gone of warning Emérance, of -putting her on her guard and giving her time to escape. This -first--above all things--was what almost stilled the beating of his -heart; this and his fears for the safety of the bold, daring, reckless -woman who loved him so, and who, herself, had thought only of <i>his</i> -safety. This--to which was added in a slighter degree the thought that -La Truaumont, who had served him well and faithfully while serving his -own ends and those of his Norman friends, could no more be warned than -she.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You arrest me!" he said now to De Brissac who stood quietly before -him, his eyes upon his face; "you arrest me, you tell me I am removed -from any command. Also, you ask me for my sword and hope to obtain -it--a thing never asked or hoped for by an enemy. So be it. But, -first, I must see your warrant for your demand. If not, you will -have----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"My warrant! Prince Louis, do you think that I should act thus to one -who was last night my superior, my commander, if I did not possess a -warrant. It is here," and he went to a table covered with papers and -took up one of them. After which he added, "The same thing will be in -the hands of every officer commanding a garrison or fortress in France -as soon as the couriers can reach them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I left Louis at six on the night before last," De Beaurepaire said -aloud, "and--and--we parted as we have ever parted, as friends." But -to himself he added, "An hour later that man might have seen Louis and -told him all. An hour after that the couriers might have set out. Had -I not tarried at my Lodge, had I but mounted Emérance on another horse -at once, we should have been safe, or almost safe, by now."</p> - -<p class="normal">Then he put out his hand and took the warrant from De Brissac and read -it. It was brief and ran thus, after being addressed to various -commanding officers, as the latter had said:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is our will and pleasure that Prince Louis de Beaurepaire be -removed from his charge of Colonel of our Guards, and that, wherever -he may be seen, appear, or be signalised, he be arrested and detained -until our further pleasure is known. The which we charge you not to -fail in and to use all proper caution and expedition, subject to our -displeasure if you do so. On which we pray God to have you in His holy -keeping. Written at Fontainebleau this tenth day of September in the -year of our Lord 1674.</p> - -<p style="text-indent:45%">"Signé. <span class="sc">Louis</span> R. F. et N.</p> - -<p style="text-indent:40%">"Sousigné. <span class="sc">Louvois</span></p> - -<p style="text-indent:50%">(<i>Ministre de Guerre</i>)."</p> -<br> -<br> -<p class="normal">"Your highness observes?" De Brissac said; "it is the King's orders."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I observe," De Beaurepaire answered in a low tone.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet take heart," the other said. "This may be no serious thing. -Louvois makes many charges now and pushes the King to many things he -would not do without him at his side."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It may be so. Ah! well. My sword! My sword! You would have that?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I must," De Brissac said, not without a tremor in his voice. For he -remembered De Beaurepaire (then a young man of twenty and the -handsomest of all the flower of the <i>haute noblesse</i>) at Arras and the -Siege of Laudrécies, and recalled his bravery and reckless daring. And -now it had come to this!</p> - -<p class="normal">"Take it," his prisoner said, drawing the blade from its sheath, -kissing it, and then handing it to him, "take it. I pray God that ere -long I may receive it back again."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Amen," De Brissac said solemnly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Now, what next?" De Beaurepaire asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The next is--the Bastille."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And after?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know not."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ere I set out, tell me one thing. And before you answer listen, De -Brissac; listen as a soldier to a soldier, a friend to a friend. There -is a woman whom I have learnt to love----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!" exclaimed the other, recalling how often this handsome -patrician's name had been mixed up with the names of women and -knowing, as all in Paris knew, how the hearts of those women had gone -out to him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"A woman whom I love," De Beaurepaire went on, his voice sounding -broken to the other's ear. "A woman who loves me and has long loved me -fondly, tenderly, as I now love her. Not a woman who is one of those -giddy, heartless butterflies who circle round Louis' Court, who change -their lovers as they change their robes; who love one man to-day and -another to-morrow; no! not one of these. But, instead, one who is -poor, unknown to our world, and of, I think, for in truth I do not -know, humble origin--yet whose love and devotion pass aught I have -ever met. One who would rather die with me, for me, than live with -others."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Die!</i>" De Brissac said, turning away his head as he spoke, since, -rude soldier as he might be, and acquainted only with camps and -battlefields and sieges, there was a heart in his bosom. "Nay, surely -there is no thought of dying for you or--for--her!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Alas! if, as I suspect, this sudden resolve of the King to -dismiss me, to arrest me, points to one thing, the end will not -be far remote from death. For myself I care not, but--ah! not death -for her!" he cried. "She is, as I have said, nought in the world's -eyes--nought--nought! but she is a tender, loving woman, too good to -be hacked to death or mangled on the wheel."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What would you have me do?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Cause a letter, permit a letter, to be conveyed to her. Either where -I left her this morning in my Lodge in the Bois de Vincennes, at Saint -Mandé, or where'er she may be in Paris."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is impossible. Not even if your letter was untied, unsealed, so -that all the world might read, could that be done. D'Hautefeuille is -in supreme command at Versailles now; it would have to pass through -his hands but it would pass no farther. It is impossible."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Impossible," De Beaurepaire muttered. "Oh! Emérance! Emérance!"</p> - -<p class="normal">De Brissac had spoken with his eyes turned to the floor, since he -would not be witness of what, he knew, must be the other's misery when -he learnt that no letter would be permitted to pass between him and -this woman of whom he had spoken so fondly. But now, as the unhappy -man uttered that woman's name, he looked up suddenly and stared -fixedly at him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who is this woman? What is she?" he asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"As I have told you, the woman I love."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And her name is Emérance?" De Brissac said, endeavouring to speak as -lightly as possible and as easily as the present circumstances might -permit. "It is a pretty name. Of the North of France, I think. I have -heard it before."</p> - -<p class="normal">If he had not heard it before he had at least read it before. He had -read it only that very morning when the <i>courrier du Roi</i>, after -calling on La Reynie, had continued his journey to Versailles and, -besides bringing one of the warrants for the arrest of De Beaurepaire -if he should appear there, also brought with him the copies of the -warrants issued by La Reynie for the arrest of four other persons. -Four other persons, one of whom was described as Louise de Belleau de -Cortonne, styling herself Emérance, Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville, -another who was known as Affinius Van den Enden, which was believed to -be his proper name, and another who passed under the sobriquet of -Fleur de Mai, but whose right name was La Preaux, and who termed -himself Le Chevalier de la Preaux, though unregistered in any order of -knighthood. The fourth was the Sieur Georges du Hamel of La Truaumont, -styled the Captain la Truaumont.</p> - -<p class="normal">De Brissac's astonishment, perhaps, also, his emotion, was not -therefore singular, as not only had he seen the warrant with the -woman's name in it, but the task had been deputed to him of proceeding -to Rouen there to arrest the Captain la Truaumont, the Lieutenant of -Police, La Reynie, having received undoubted evidence that the -conspirator was now in the city preparing to levy war against both the -King's throne and his person.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_22" href="#div1Ref_22">CHAPTER XXII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">"The hopeless Conspiracy," as it came to be called later, was, from -the moment that De Beaurepaire, the Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville -and Van den Enden were arrested, one that caused more sensation in -France than any other event of the period. Not even that of the -Marquise de Brinvilliers for poisoning her own father and brothers at -the instigation of her lover, nor that of "La" Voisin for the sale of -poisons--for the purchase of which the Duchesse de Vivonne and Madame -de Montespan were themselves denounced, while Olympe Mancini fled the -country--were more talked of than this affair.</p> - -<p class="normal">In this conspiracy stood, as its head and front, the handsomest -representative of a house that, since the suppression of the family of -De Guise, was the first in the kingdom; while others whose names were -the most notable of the time were strongly suspected of being -implicated in the plot. Among those names was that of the Duc de -Bourbon-Condé, grandson of the Prince de Condé--a man of whom it was -said that he was "an unnatural son, a cruel father, a terrible -husband, a detestable master, an evil neighbour, a man without -friendship or a friend, and equally fit to be his own executioner and -that of others." Another, on whom suspicion rested deeply, was the -brother of the Duc de Guiche; another the Cardinal de Retz. Of these -latter none were ever brought to trial, while the name of Condé's -grandson was, by order of the King himself, omitted from the -interrogatories and trial. For the Condés were of the House of -Bourbon, and the great head of that house could not see one of his own -blood, however evil, receive the ordinary treatment meted out to -suspected men.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the Bastille, therefore, Louis de Beaurepaire, Emérance and Van den -Enden, all in separate rooms or <i>cachots</i>, awaited the day when they -should be put on their trial, the former inhabiting one of the -principal rooms in the Tour de la Bertaudière, the woman another off -the Chapel, and the Jew a dungeon in the basement. Day after day they -were submitted to interrogatories, sometimes by La Reynie himself, -sometimes by Bezous, <i>Conseiller au Parliament</i>, and sometimes by De -Pomereu, <i>Conseiller d'État</i>, yet, though not one of them had ever the -least opportunity of communicating with the other, or of knowing what -either of the others had admitted or denied, from none was any -admission obtained. De Beaurepaire asserted that he knew naught of the -conspiracy, while advancing what was an undoubtedly strong, as well as -a true, point in his favour, namely, that his family was not Norman -and that, absolutely, he had never been in Normandy. Emérance stated -that she was of Norman origin but that her social standing was of too -humble a nature for her to be admitted into any such conspiracy as the -one in question, even had she desired to be so admitted; while Van den -Enden said that his various visits to Holland and other places were -connected with the many commercial affairs in which he was concerned.</p> - -<p class="normal">While these interrogatories were taking place, however, De Beaurepaire -learned that one person who, perhaps above all, had had it in his -power to testify against him and to include him in his own ruin should -he desire to do, was harmless now.</p> - -<p class="normal">As, escorted by the Lieutenant du Roi, second in command of the -Bastille, and by four soldiers, he passed to the <i>Salle de -Justice</i>--where the Judges would occasionally, when they had nothing -else to occupy their time, attend with the view of inspecting the -accounts of the prison, the list of the prisoners who were still alive -or who had died since their last visit, and, also occasionally, to -discover if any person had happened to be detained there under a false -charge, or through a mistake, for some years--he observed De Brissac -seated in the Armoury, out of which the <i>Salle de Justice</i> opened. He -observed also something else, namely, that the Commander of the Garde -du Corps was engaged in conversation with a man, well but plainly -dressed, who was standing before him; one whose heavily plumed hat -drawn down over his face partially disguised, but only partially, the -features of Boisfleury.</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," De Beaurepaire thought to himself as he passed on, "De Brissac -has laid his hands on that rat. Well! what can he tell? He, who was -subaltern even to La Preaux! Nothing, except that La Preaux attempted -to slay, and thought he slew, Humphrey West."</p> - -<p class="normal">His progress was, however, stopped by De Brissac, who, rising suddenly -from his chair, advanced towards the Lieutenant du Roi and, while -requesting him to halt the escort for a moment, stated that he wished -to address a few words to his prisoners.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur le Commandeur," the Lieutenant du Roi replied, "it is -against all orders that any one should hold converse with the Prince -de Beaurepaire, even though it be Monsieur de Brissac, who can -scarcely be suspected of----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Bah! Bah!" De Brissac replied in a low voice, so that the man in -question could not hear his words, "what should I have to say to him -that can do harm, since on me has fallen the task of arresting all -these conspirators. Is De Brissac to be regarded now as one of the -joyous troop! Yet, let us remember that he and you and I have all been -soldiers together, and--<i>Bon-Dieu!</i>--good ones too; let us be as kind -to him as we may. Remember, too, that he is not tried yet, therefore -he is not yet pronounced guilty."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If--if," replied the Lieutenant, "it is no communication from any of -the other prisoners; no message from----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Peste!</i> I have a message from, or rather an account of--since he of -whom I speak can send no messages now--one who is dead. The birds you -have got fast in this cage are all alive--for the present."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is it about----?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is." After which De Brissac advanced towards De Beaurepaire while -the Lieutenant du Roi gave an order to the soldiers to stand apart -from their charge during the time he conferred with the Colonel of the -Garde du Corps, and commenced to pace up and down the floor of the -Armoury himself.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is it, De Brissac?" De Beaurepaire said now, on observing that -the others had all withdrawn out of earshot. "What? Have you come to -tell me that you have at last found more <i>suspects</i> for this charge? I -hear--for, even in this hideous place, whispers filter through the -very walls and reach us--that you and your master, De Louvois, seek to -ensnare half the noblesse of France within the net you throw -broadcast."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay," De Brissac said, understanding yet not resenting the bitterness -of the other, since he recognised how justifiable such bitterness was, -if--as many people thought and openly said--De Beaurepaire's name had -been freely used by the Norman conspirators without his knowledge; -"nay. Instead, on seeing you here I have come to inform you of -that which may bring some calm to your spirit. That fellow over -there--Boisfleury--can tell the whole story of how the young -Englishman was first of all nearly done to death by the vagabond, La -Preaux, while, to make the certainty of death more great, he was -afterwards cast into the Rhine by him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What! Why! La Truaumont----" but he paused. If he repeated to De -Brissac what La Truaumont had told him, then, at once, he divulged -that he and the latter had been in communication with each other. -Added to which he knew also, perhaps by those very whispers which, a -moment before, he had said even filtered through the walls of the -Bastille, that La Truaumont had been in some strange way denounced to -De Louvois and La Reynie as one of the principal leaders of the -conspiracy, and he understood that it was madness to appear to be in -possession of any information furnished by him. Nevertheless, he had -mentioned La Truaumont's name ere he could collect himself and De -Brissac had heard him do so.</p> - -<p class="normal">"La Truaumont!" the other exclaimed, while the strange look that was -so apparent at times came into his face. "La Truaumont!" Then, as -though desirous of helping De Beaurepaire out of a snare into which he -had inadvertently fallen, he said, "Ah! yes. It is so. He was in your -service. Did he not ride to Nancy for you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"To Basle in the escort of the Duchesse de Castellucchio. Afterwards -he was to go forward with her to Geneva on the road to Milan. Has -he--have they?" he asked, continuing his attempt to throw dust in De -Brissac's eyes, or, perhaps, with the wish to prevent it appearing -that he and La Truaumont had met in Paris recently, "have they arrived -in Italy?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame La Duchesse may have done so," De Brissac replied, while the -inscrutable look in his face became even more pronounced than before. -"As for La Truaumont, he arrived at Rouen the night after you were -arrested by me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is he arrested, too?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I attempted to arrest him since it was to me that the order to do so -was sent."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You attempted to do so! And failed!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Listen. When I, as chief of the King's special Garde du Corps, was -ordered to arrest one who had desired to do for Louis that which no -Garde du Corps could prevent if the opportunity should arise, I, with -four of my men, rode post-haste to Rouen. At six o'clock in the -morning--it was the day after you fell into my hands--walked into -them!--at Versailles, I was in La Truaumont's lodgings and found him -in bed. Awaking him, I told him that I had an order to arrest him, -upon which he exclaimed, 'So be it. I am here. Arrest me,' while, as -he spoke, he produced two pistols from a cabinet at the head of his -bed. 'If you can do so,' he added, pointing the weapon at me. 'Then -you are guilty,' I cried, drawing my sword. 'Guilty!' he exclaimed. -'Be sure I am. <i>Oui, mort Dieu</i>, guilty. I alone.'"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah!" De Beaurepaire exclaimed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes. He said it," De Brissac answered. "He <i>said</i> it. I can testify -to that."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which the colonel continued, "He called out so loudly as he -spoke and as he leapt from his bed, pistols in hand, that three of my -men--the fourth kept the door below--rushed into the room and a -struggle to the death ensued. La Truaumont discharged both his pistols -at me, killing, instead, however, one of my guards in doing so, and -was himself shot an instant afterwards by the man's comrades."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Dead!" De Beaurepaire murmured. "Dead! La Truaumont dead. Ah! we had -been friends, comrades, for years. La Truaumont dead."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He died eighteen hours later. Before he did so he called for paper -and ink and wrote that what he had said when I entered the room was -mere braggadocio. That he was not guilty but would have been if he -could have obtained assistance. He said also that, had the King let -him serve him, His Majesty would have had no more faithful subject. -They were the last words he spoke ere receiving the sacrament."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And the only ones?" De Beaurepaire asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The only ones."</p> - -<p class="normal">The prisoner drew a long breath as De Brissac answered thus, after -which he said: "I told you but now that strange things reach our ears -in this place. That, from the outer world, comes news----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I know, I know," the other interrupted. "Like most who have lived in -France, in Paris, I have been here myself. Mazarin sent me here when I -was a boy, a <i>Porte Drapeau</i>, because I caned one of his bodyguard who -was insolent to me!" After saying which De Brissac continued, "What -other news has reached your ears?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"That you have arrested all of us who are now in this fortress on this -charge. All who are here on the same charge as I?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes, it is true. As Colonel of the Garde du Corps, it falls to my lot -to seize upon all who aim at the King's body, at his life."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Am I charged with that?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It may be. I do not know. Yet--since I arrested you----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I understand. De Louvois and La Reynie cut deep. Like skilful -surgeons they stop not at the surface. And--and--therefore--you -arrested--her?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is so."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What did she say?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Knowing that I had previously arrested you, she thanked me for also -making her a prisoner."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Thanked you! Heavens!" De Beaurepaire whispered to himself, "it was a -heart to win. How many of those others would have thanked De Brissac -for that! Rather would they have told all, have witnessed against me -and invented all they did not know, so that, thereby, they might set -themselves free." And again he exclaimed aloud, "she thanked you!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, it is so. While adding, as she spoke and smiled on me, that, -since she could not be at large and free to share your liberty, her -next greatest joy was to be beneath the same prison roof with you."</p> - -<p class="normal">De Beaurepaire turned away as the other told him this; turned -away because, perhaps, he knew that the tears had come into -his eyes and he would not have De Brissac see them there. Yet the -latter--from whom the prisoner would have hidden those tears and, it -may be, all other signs of emotion which he knew well enough were on -his face--comprehended that they were there as easily as he -comprehended all that now racked and tore at the heart of the once -strong and masterful man before him. Wherefore, to ease that racked -heart, De Brissac added:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"I likewise arrested the bully who calls himself Fleur de Mai, and the -Jew atheist, Van den Enden. And they too are firm, very firm. Listen, -De Beaurepaire, and, as you do so, deem me no traitor since I am none -such, but only one who has fought by your side and, later, taken the -word of command from you. Listen, I say. De Louvois, La Reynie, will -have to seek further than the walls of this prison to obtain the -conviction of any of you. If you and those who are here can be as -solidly, ay! and as stolidly, silent as you all are now, if you can -hold your peace and acknowledge nothing and deny nothing, they will -have trouble in bringing proof against you. H'st! the Lieutenant -comes. My friendship, my old comradeship with you has forced me to say -this. Think no evil of me for saying so much."</p> - -<p class="normal">"God bless you," whispered De Beaurepaire huskily, while wondering as -he did so how long it was since such words had fallen from his lips, -and wondering, too, of how much or little good the prayer could be -productive. Nevertheless, he knew that they had been wrung from his -heart by De Brissac's friendly care for his safety, and recognised -that, evil as his life had been, he had at that moment no power of -repressing those words.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is the hour when the Commission will sit," the Lieutenant du Roi -said to De Brissac, "the Prince de Beaurepaire must tarry no longer. -<i>En avant!</i>" he cried now to the soldiers who had once more surrounded -the prisoner as their leader came forward, "<i>en avant!</i>"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Farewell!" De Beaurepaire said to De Brissac as he set out again. -"Farewell!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay," De Brissac replied, "not farewell, instead <i>au revoir!</i>"</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_23" href="#div1Ref_23">CHAPTER XXIII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">A month had passed, the interrogatories had been made to all the -prisoners concerned in the Norman Plot, and the witnesses had been -examined and their depositions signed and sworn to. The day had come -for the Extra-Ordinary Commission to sit at the Arsenal; a Commission -consisting of nineteen carefully selected members who were to deliver -judgment on what was now spoken of in France as "L'affaire du -Chevalier de Beaurepaire." Amongst these members were La Reynie, who -filled on this occasion the office of Procureur-Général du Roi, the -Chancellor d'Aligre who presided over the tribunal, twelve other State -Councillors and five ordinary Judges.</p> - -<p class="normal">The prisoners were seated together, the only difference made between -them being that De Beaurepaire, by right of his position as Grand -Veneur, from which he had not yet been removed, as well as, perhaps, -by his birth and rank, sat alone on a bench a few feet apart from, and -nearer to the Judges, than the others. Those others, Emérance, Van den -Enden and La Preaux, or Fleur de Mai, sat together in the order -indicated, whereby the woman who loved De Beaurepaire so madly was -next to him though separated from him by that gap of a few feet.</p> - -<p class="normal">But for the fact that around the <i>Chambre Judiciaire</i> stood -various guards and soldiers, such as those of the King's Guards, -several of the Gendarmerie, and a number of men of the garrison of the -Bastille--under whose charge the prisoners were transported from that -fortress--and also various servants and footmen of the Judges, as well -as many members of the police of Paris, known as Archers, there were -no members of the general public present. That such, however, would -not have been the case had the wishes of many members of that -public--and exalted ones, too!--been consulted, was not to be doubted. -Innumerable women of high rank who had once given their hearts, or -what they were pleased to imagine to be their hearts, to the superbly -handsome De Beaurepaire, had applied for permission to be present and -had been decisively refused; so, too, had many men of brilliant -position. The Great Condé who, though cousin to the King and the most -distinguished soldier of his time, if Turenne be excepted, could well -enact the part of bully and braggart when he saw fit, had stormed and -sworn at La Reynie for being refused, as, it was whispered, he had -also stormed and sworn at De Louvois, from whom, however, he was -unable to obtain his desire.</p> - -<p class="normal">Therefore, it was with closed doors that the Commission commenced its -labours on this autumn morning, after D'Aligre had addressed a few -remarks to all who were present--except his brother Judges--in which -he stated that, if any account of what took place within the walls of -that room was repeated outside and the culprit could be discovered, -that culprit would undoubtedly be punished with either the galleys or -death.</p> - -<p class="normal">Of evidence, beyond whatever might be extorted from the prisoners by -the Judges or the Procureur-Général, there was none to be tendered by -witnesses, with the exception of that which two persons would be -called upon to give, one of those persons being Le Colonel Boisfleury, -the other a gentleman, now an official of the King's <i>Garde Robe</i>, -named Humphrey West. Defenders of any of the prisoners there were -none. Until the commencement of the sixteenth century prisoners had -been allowed the right of such counsel; some years later an ordinance -had deprived them of that right, an ordinance which called forth from -the well-known President Lamoignon the still remembered phrase, "Il -vaudrait mieux absoudre mille coupables que de faire mourir un -innocent." A phrase often quoted in English and French law courts to -the present day.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the witness chair, Boisfleury took his seat after innumerable -letters had been read, which, coming from various sources, all pointed -to one thing, namely, an attempt of the Spanish and Dutch Governments -to promote an invasion of France on the coast of Normandy with the -ultimate object of deposing the King and of creating a Republic -similar to that of Venice or Holland itself, which should be under the -protection of Spain and Holland while presided over by a Frenchman of -high rank and position. One of these letters was from the Duc de -Saint-Aignan, Governor of Havre, stating that it was impossible to -doubt that a plot of considerable depth was hatching in Normandy and -Picardy. Another was from Louise de Kéroualle, now Duchess of -Portsmouth and favourite mistress of King Charles II., in which she -stated that, from Normandy, in which she possessed some small -property, similar news came to her with regard to this plot, and also -that it was much talked of in Court circles in London. The Duchess -also mentioned the name which was suggested as that of the man who was -to assume the position of President of this new republic, and that -name was De Beaurepaire. From the Duchesse de Castellucchio came -another, imploring the King to be on his guard against a plot which -was brewing against him, while stating that, though she had learnt of -the existence of this plot, she had no knowledge of any who were -concerned in it.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," said D'Aligre to a brother Judge, "'tis strange that this -heroine of romance had not heard of the plot ere she left Paris, but -had heard of it when she left Nancy for Basle and Geneva. And there -was but one friend of hers who could have told her anything whatever, -since she would not have stooped to listen to La Truaumont who, in his -turn, would not have babbled. <i>Hein?</i>"</p> - -<p class="normal">To which observation the other Judge nodded his head without speaking.</p> - -<p class="normal">But now the reading of these letters and a dozen others was finished -and La Reynie, leaning over on the crimson cushion before him, -addressed Boisfleury while referring every instant to the deposition -of the man before him.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You say here that you knew nothing of this plot when you left Paris -in the suite of the Duchesse de Castellucchio. When, therefore, did -you first know that it was projected?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"At Basle. When I was told that I should have to take part in the -slaying of the young Englishman. I refused to play such a part, since -it is not my business to take life except as a soldier, unless I was -told why the Englishman was to be slain."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And you were told?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I was told, yet inwardly I resolved to have no share in the matter."</p> - -<p class="normal">"All lies!" roared out Fleur de Mai at this. "He asked what his pay -was to be."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will prove they are not lies," the other said, glancing at his -brother vagabond. "When Monsieur le Procureur-Général comes to the -time at which you stabbed the young man."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Attend to me and not to the prisoner," La Reynie said to Boisfleury. -"You say you resolved to have no share in the matter unless you were -told why the Englishman was to be slain. Since, therefore, you were -present in the stable--as you affirm in your interrogatory--you had -been told. What <i>were</i> you told?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"That the Prince de Beaurepaire, the Capitaine la Truaumont and that -scoundrel there," nodding his head at Fleur de Mai, "were all -concerned in a plot of which the Englishman had discovered the -details. That, also, if La Truaumont were denounced, I, who was truly -in his pay and not in that of either the Prince de Beaurepaire or the -Duchesse de Castellucchio, would also be denounced."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Every word a lie!" exclaimed Fleur de Mai who, swaggerer to the last, -behaved more as if he were one of the Commission himself than a -prisoner against whom appearances looked as bad as might well be.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Silence," La Reynie said, addressing him. "If you again interrupt you -shall be removed and inquiries made into your actions while you are -absent." Then, turning to Boisfleury, he said: "Therefore, knowing -that this murder was decided on so as to ensure the safety of you all, -you at first resolved to take part in it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, Monsieur le Procureur-Général," Boisfleury said quietly, "I -decided on no such thing. What I did truly decide on, since I was -informed that the young man would but be drawn into a duel with Fleur -de Mai, in which his chance might be as good as that of the other--was -that I would stand by and see that duel. Thereby I should not appear -to be against those two ruffians, La Truaumont and La Preaux, and -should obtain time in which to come to a conclusion as to how I might -best warn his Majesty against the wicked plot."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Such being your praiseworthy resolve why did you not put it in -practice later?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He did," the President whispered to La Reynie. "He went to -Fontainebleau to inform the Marquis de Louvois of that plot."</p> - -<p class="normal">"True," La Reynie whispered in turn as he hastily turned over the -depositions. "Yet he did not warn the Marquis. It was to De Brissac -that he unbosomed himself some week or so later. But we will hear his -story. Now," again addressing Boisfleury, "you say in these," tapping -the papers before him, "that you went to Fontainebleau to warn the -King's Ministers of this plot against his Majesty. Yet you failed to -do so. Why did you refrain? Why also wait some week or so ere you -addressed yourself to the Sieur de Brissac?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur le Procureur-Général, I was too much undone, too startled by -what I saw on my way up the Grand Avenue to the Château. I thought I -had seen a spirit from another world."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What!" While, as La Reynie spoke scornfully to the man, all eyes, -including those of the prisoners, were turned on him. What -rhodomontade was this they were listening to, they all wondered; with -what gibberish was this man, half knave and half adventurer and wholly -vagabond, insulting their understandings as he mumbled this buffoonery -about spirits from another world?</p> - -<p class="normal">They did not know--not even the most astute Judges and men of law in -France knew or understood, that the fellow before them was but -preparing his final effects, his tableau and <i>dénoûment</i> (which should -crush the man who had meant to crush him and brand him as a secret -midnight assassin) as their own dramatists prepared their tableaux by -exciting curiosity from the commencement.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Monsieur le Procureur-Général," Boisfleury replied, speaking with -such well-affected calmness and intensity that his tones became almost -dignified and were entirely impressive. "There is no person in this -court who would not have thought as I thought, have believed as I -believed, that he was looking on a spectre or one who had come back to -this world for some dread purpose, had that person seen what I saw on -that awful night in Basle and then seen what I saw in the Grand -Avenue. A dead man as I thought at first, at the moment,--one who had -come back from the grave. Monsieur le Procureur, Messieurs les Judges, -may I tell all?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis for that you sit in that seat,--that you are here," D'Aligre -said. "Speak, but speak only the truth. Otherwise----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Otherwise, monseigneur!" Boisfleury exclaimed, "otherwise! <i>Dieu!</i> -there is no lie, no fiction that mortal man could invent which can -equal that which I saw at Basle. Horrors have I known; I have been a -soldier"--there were those who said he never had been one but only a -common footpad and cut-throat; but this matters not--"yet never have I -seen so wicked, so bloodthirsty and cruel a night as that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Speak," exclaimed D'Aligre again. "Tell your tale and have done with -it."</p> - -<p class="normal">Whereupon the man told it. As he did so all present knew that the axe -was made ready for one neck in that court; for the neck of Fleur de -Mai, if for no other.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Messeigneurs," he said, speaking solemnly, effectively, one hand upon -his breast, the other pointing his words, and sometimes, also, -pointing straight at the face of Fleur de Mai: "Messeigneurs, upon -that night the young Englishman, he who sits there before you white -and wan, was set upon in the stable at Basle. He," and he looked at -Humphrey for a moment, "wronged me with an unjust suspicion. He deemed -that I meant evil to him or his horse, when--God alone He knows--that -I did but intend to set that horse free for him, but to cut the halter -rope, so as to enable him to ride off at once if he should vanquish -Fleur de Mai. At once, since La Truaumont had sworn that, if this -happened, he would slay the Englishman the next moment, not in fair -fight but ere he could put himself on guard.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Therefore, he struck at me, knocking me senseless to the straw and -there I lay for some moments. But, gradually, as the dizziness left -me, as sense returned, I saw what was happening. By degrees that bully -was being worsted; it seemed as though his last hour was at hand. And -then--then--he tried the coward's ruse--he fell to the earth on his -left hand--with his foot he struck the young man's feet from under him -so that he staggered--a moment later his sword was through the young -man's breast. I deemed him dead.</p> - -<p class="normal">"La Truaumont and he thought that I was still insensible, therefore -they heeded me not," Boisfleury went on, his eye, glittering like that -of a snake, fixed full on Fleur de Mai, upon whose face there had -suddenly sprung a drench of sweat--he divining perhaps what was to -come next. "They heeded me not. 'He is finished,' La Truaumont said; -'there is no need for me.' 'Not yet,' this other replied, 'not yet. -There is more to do.' Whereupon he lifted up his craven blade as -though to plunge it through the senseless man's breast, while as he -did so he muttered: 'For De Beaurepaire's safety, for yours, for mine, -for the sake of all'."</p> - -<p class="normal">As Boisfleury arrived at this portion of his story--he should have -been one of the French dramatists of the time!--the court was as -silent as though it had been tenanted by the dead alone: as though it -were a tomb and not a room full of living human beings. All eyes were -fastened on the face of the narrator; the eyes of Judges, prisoners, -guards, the one woman present; and all held their breath. For, if the -tale were not true, it sounded like truth. It might be truth. While, -for the corroboration of the early part at least, there was present in -that court the man on whom the foul attack had been made, on whom was -done whatever else they were to hear told.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ere the assassin could plunge his sword into the Englishman's -breast," Boisfleury continued, while marking the effect of his words -on all his listeners, "the hand of La Truaumont fell upon his arm, La -Truaumont whispered: 'Fool. Why leave a trace behind! Look there; -there--there. The river runs swiftly by; what goes into it comes out -no more. There! there! There is the fitting grave for him whom you -have almost slain.' Then he went swiftly away, muttering that he would -enter the inn and keep all engaged in talk until this one had finished -his work.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I--I--saw him lift the young man," Boisfleury went on, pointing at -Fleur de Mai as he spoke, "I saw him go out into the awful storm that -had broken over the city; struggling to my feet as he left the stable -with his burden, I would have prevented him from concluding his crime. -But I was weak and faint from my loss of blood, a vertigo seized on -me, I reeled and fell in the straw again. Yet, through the now wide -open door out of which he had borne the body, I saw all. I saw this -man carry the other on his back beneath the pitiless rain, yet rain -that was not as pitiless as he; I saw him turn his back to the river, -I saw him let loose the other's hands--I saw that other's body fall -into the river, and then, once more, I fainted. I have seen horrid -sights, I have been a soldier," Boisfleury repeated, "yet never have I -seen aught like that. Messeigneurs," he concluded, "was it strange -that, when I saw that man at Fontainebleau, white, ghastly as one who -had but just returned from the grave, I deemed that I had seen a -spirit from the other world?"</p> - -<p class="normal">As he concluded, and ere the silence could be broken, there came from -the lips of Fleur de Mai an awful sound. One that was neither groan -nor gasp nor wail, but a combination of all three. It seemed to those -present that the ruffian was choking to death or that some terrible -stroke had fallen on him. His great hands tore at the dirty, soiled -lace around his neck and at the tags of his jacket, as though he would -free his throat and obtain breath; his face was purple, his eyes -started from his head, his great, coarse lips were swollen. And -through those lips issued sounds that none could comprehend: a jargon -of oaths and strange words jumbled pell-mell together without sense or -coherence.</p> - -<p class="normal">Standing by the chair from which he had risen, looking calmly at him, -Boisfleury muttered inwardly, "The murder will out and Boisfleury pays -for it!" and then turned away his face so that none should see the -look upon it that he knew it bore.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_24" href="#div1Ref_24">CHAPTER XXIV</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Before the night came and ere that Commission had finished its labours -much more had to be done. Based upon such matter as had been extracted -from them in the numerous interrogatories to which they had all been -subjected since their arrest, each and every one had been examined by -the Court, while, with one exception--that of Van den Enden, who had -not been believed and who was reserved for something still worse than -examination, namely torture--what they had told or refused to tell was -considered sufficient for the purposes of the Judges. One of the -witnesses, however, had been spared the pain of testifying, since -Boisfleury's evidence was considered enough--that one being Humphrey -West.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is true," D'Aligre said to the others seated with him, "that he -overheard the plot discussed at Basle. But all that he heard is -nothing in comparison with what we now know to have taken place in -Brussels, in Normandy, and elsewhere. He has endured enough. We may -absolve him from further suffering."</p> - -<p class="normal">"To which has to be added," remarked Laisné de la Marguerie, another -of the Judges, a bitter, sarcastic man, "the fact that the young man -stands high in the graces of his Majesty and is like to stand still -higher ere long."</p> - -<p class="normal">"While," said Quintin de Richebourg, <i>maître de requêtes</i>, a kindly -hearted lawyer, "he was once a friend of, and befriended by, De -Beaurepaire. No need to force him to speak against one who, at least, -never harmed him."</p> - -<p class="normal">Therefore, Humphrey was released from what would have been a hateful -task and left the Arsenal directly he was informed that such was the -case, while the Commission at once proceeded to examine the prisoners, -beginning with De Beaurepaire.</p> - -<p class="normal">The answers to the questions put to him were, however, a total denial -of any knowledge of the plot. He had never, he said, dreamed of any -such conspiracy; he loved the King and always had loved him since they -were boys and playmates together. La Truaumont was his factotum and he -regretted his death, but while acknowledging that he had employed the -man in that capacity, he had never heard him breathe a word of any -such a scheme. Had such been the case he would have slain him at his -feet. With Van den Enden he had had little correspondence and that -only on the subject of raising private loans. No one had the slightest -right or justification to use his name in connection with any plot -against the King, and Van den Enden and La Truaumont had done so for -their own purposes, if they had done so at all.</p> - -<p class="normal">"That they did so," La Reynie said, "is undoubted, since La Truaumont -met his death in endeavouring to slay those who went to arrest him on -account of his connection with this sinful plot for which you were -yourself arrested on the morning of the previous day." After which he -continued gravely: "It is strange that, if your Highness was unaware -of this plot, you should have been surrounded by so many persons of -Norman birth and extraction who were all interested in it. La -Truaumont was one of these persons."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He was equally well known to me ten years ago and more when I first -gave him employment. Was the plot hatched so long ago as that?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The so-called Chevalier la Preaux is another; the man who is -sometimes known as Fleur de Mai."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He was as much in the pay of La Truaumont as La Truaumont was in -mine. And he is of the <i>canaille</i>. I could have no intercourse with -him. Had I required a tool I should not have taken a dirty one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Dirty tools, or weapons, can be used as well as clean ones. And--in -conspiracies--the tools are never clean. But there is still another -Norman. The woman by your side, near you. She calls herself the -Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville. She is known to be deeply involved in -this vile plot. She was arrested in the lodge you had lent her and -which was in your possession as Grand Veneur. She went to Basle at -your bidding to meet Van den Enden on the subject of that plot. She is -your accomplice. Yet you learnt nothing of it from her. Surely that is -strange!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is," De Beaurepaire said, while as he did so he turned towards -where Emérance sat separated from him by only a little space, and -looked her full in the face, "a woman whom I love. One whom, when we -escape from this accursed net you are endeavouring to fling around us, -I will love and cherish till my last hour."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Mon amour!</i>" Emérance breathed rather than murmured between her -parted lips.</p> - -<p class="normal">And the man heard that breath, as perhaps did some of the judges -sitting near the prisoner.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," La Reynie said, "loving her thus, you tell us you know not of -what she was vowed to, namely the destruction of the King, of his -throne, of France. You did not know the secret of this woman whom you -love, the woman who, you think, loves you!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Think!" again whispered Emérance, her eyes on La Reynie now. "Think!"</p> - -<p class="normal">While De Beaurepaire, speaking at the same time, used the same word.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Think!" he said. "Think that she loves me! La Reynie, do you think -there is any man who does not know when a woman truly loves him? If -so, then it is you who have never loved or been loved."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he spoke, D'Aligre shot a glance at Laisné de la Marguerie. "The -<i>riposte</i> is deadly," the latter scrawled on a paper in front of him, -a paper which the President could see. For La Reynie's wife was a -shrew who was reported to have married him for anything rather than -love.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You know who and what she is?" La Reynie continued savagely. "You -know her past?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No, only her present. Her past is nothing to me. I had no share in -it."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You should have informed yourself of it ere you allowed yourself to -love her. You could have learnt that she was, with La Truaumont, the -heart and soul of this conspiracy. A woman ruined by extravagant -living and willing to make money by any means."</p> - -<p class="normal">"'Tis false," Emérance exclaimed, looking up at the Judges for the -first time and also speaking aloud for the first time. "My husband -left me with some small means. But--because after treating me cruelly -for months, he was found dead in his bed, for which I was tried at -Rouen for having poisoned him and was at once acquitted and -absolved--not one sol or denier have I ever been able to obtain from -his kinsmen. Extravagant living! I have never yet known what it was to -have a handful of gold pistoles to spend, or fling into the river, if -it pleased me so to do."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," La Reynie said quietly, "this is not your final -interrogatory. Later I will deal with you."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which he again addressed De Beaurepaire, saying: "Monsieur le -Prince, the man, Van den Enden, states that you have often said in his -presence, and that of others, when speaking of his Majesty the King: -'We shall have him yet. We shall hold him.'"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He lies," De Beaurepaire said, shrugging his shoulders with superbly -assumed disdain. "As for the others, who are they and where are they? -Produce them."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Also," La Reynie continued, ignoring this challenge, "he states that -you threatened to kill him if he did not act entirely as you bade -him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Pah!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire, with another contemptuous shrug -which, with the exclamation itself, spoke volumes. "If you choose to -believe such babble as this, uttered by such a creature as that, you -may do so," was what the shrug and the word conveyed.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Do you deny, monsieur," La Reynie continued, "that you ever uttered -the expression, 'I would die content if I could once draw my sword -against the King in a strong revolution'?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"When," exclaimed De Beaurepaire, "you can put me face to face with a -credible witness who can testify to having ever heard me utter any -such expression, I will answer you before him. But not till then."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," La Reynie said now to Emérance, while intimating by a look -towards the Prince that he had done with him, for the present at -least, "Madame, give me your attention. What is your relationship with -the last witness?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I love him," Emérance answered, lifting her eyes slowly towards her -questioner. "No more nor less than that."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You misapprehend me. I mean as regards his, and your, participation -in this plot?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There was no plot," Emérance replied again, this time with a cynical -look upon her face; "or, at least, none against France or the King of -France. Yet, it is true, there was a plot."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You admit that?" D'Aligre exclaimed, bending forward over his -cushions. "You admit it?"</p> - -<p class="normal">As he asked the question he was not the only one in that Court who -turned their eyes on the unhappy woman. In solemn truth, there were no -eyes in that Court which did not rest on her now. The eyes of the -Judges and the Procureur-Général, as well as those of her fellow -prisoners.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is she about to say?" the man who loved her asked himself, while -knowing full well that whatever she might say would not be aught that -could harm him, though fearing at the same time that she might say -something which would sacrifice her while shielding him. "What story, -what scheme has she devised?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The she-cat, the tigress!" Van den Enden groaned inwardly. "She will -save him and herself--curse her!--by sacrificing me. Yet, how? How?"</p> - -<p class="normal">But still there was another prisoner who heard those words--Fleur de -Mai. But he said nothing to himself and indulged in no speculation as -to what the woman might be about to state. He was doomed, he knew: -nothing could save him. There was for him but one hope left in this -world; the hope that since, vagabond as he was, he was the off-shoot -of an honourable family, he might perish by the axe and not the wheel, -or that still deeper degradation, the rope.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You acknowledge that there was a plot?" La Reynie exclaimed, echoing -the President's question.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have said," Emérance replied. "Yet no plot against France or the -King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Explain."</p> - -<p class="normal">"He," her eyes turned softly towards her lover and then re-turned -swiftly toward the Judges, "wanted money. His charges and expenses -were great, as you all know. No need to say more of that. As for -myself, I was poor, horribly, bitterly poor, almost at starvation's -door, for the reason I have but now told you. That one," her eyes -looking from underneath their lids at Van den Enden, "would do aught -for money; would betray, steal, murder for the money he always wanted. -La Truaumont--well! he is dead. Of him I will but say that he was -ambitious. He had been a good soldier yet, like many another soldier -as good as he, he had been forgotten, passed over, set aside. We all -wanted money. The others--that assassin, or would be assassin, there," -looking at Fleur de Mai, "was but a hireling, a varlet, to any who -could pay him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"It was my mind, mine alone," she continued, "which conceived the -plot. Mine," and Emérance smote her breast as she spoke, as though to -force conviction into the minds of those who heard her. "Mine! Spain -hates the King, France, you, I, all of us in whose veins French blood -runs--you well know why. So, too, does Holland, for baser, meaner -reasons; she hates us because she goes down before us as autumn leaves -go down before the storm. Because her Stadtholder, William, can do -naught against France. Therefore, since France could not be conquered, -defeated, humiliated in the field, other ways were thought of. Shot -and steel were useless. It remained to try gold."</p> - -<p class="normal">That Emérance had aroused the interest of her audience, of the Judges, -she knew by now. She had touched that chord, which, as she was well -aware, never fails to respond in the hearts of her countrymen to the -praise of their country. She knew this, she saw it in their proud, -self-satisfied glances as she dwelt on the inferiority of Spain and -Holland before France. Only--she asked herself--would they believe? -Would this attempt, this last chance, enable the man she loved--of -herself she did not think!--to obtain earthly salvation.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The scheme was tried," she continued. "Learning as I did through La -Truaumont that there was a large sum of Spanish money ready for those -who would betray France to them, I conceived the idea, not of -betraying, but of pretending to betray, France. I was, as I have been -termed, <i>une fine Normande</i>; the Normans were embittered against the -King for his treatment of the province. The instruments were ready to -my hand; the faggots were laid; the spark to ignite them alone was -needed. You know the rest, or almost know it. But some part you do not -know. His, De Beaurepaire's name was used without his knowledge, the -money was obtained from De Montérey, yet not one sol ever reached the -Prince's hands. We hoped that, when the enemies of France learnt that -we had tricked them, robbed them if you will, the plot would be -abandoned without De Beaurepaire ever knowing of the use we had made -of him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The love for him does not appear in this," sneered Laisné de la -Marguerie. "The Prince's name was used unrighteously, judging by your -own story, while even the money you say you received was not shared by -him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Where therefore did it go?" D'Aligre asked, grasping the point which -his more astute brother judge had made. "It was a large sum?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It went to Normandy if it ever came into France," Van den Enden -exclaimed, tottering to his feet in his desire to be listened to by -the Judges. "But it never came. Never. This woman, this adventuress, -has lied to save her lover and herself. There was no plot to either -overthrow France or hoodwink Spain and Holland. There was no money -whatever forthcoming.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nevertheless she was superb. <i>Splendide mendax!</i>" murmured Laisné de -la Marguerie. "Yet unavailing."</p> - -<p class="normal">While, as he did so, La Reynie was heard addressing Van den Enden in -quiet, impressive tones.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You forget," he said, "your interview with this woman in her rooms at -Basle. You forget that the young man whom you sought to have murdered -overheard your conversation with her and La Truaumont. The -conversation in which you stated that you had received a million -livres from the Comte de Montérey. Also you forget, or, perhaps, you -do not know, that that young man's interrogatory is here before us." -While, as the Procureur-Général spoke, he laid his hand on a packet of -papers lying amongst some others.</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_25" href="#div1Ref_25">CHAPTER XXV</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The confrontations of the prisoners with one another and the -administration of questions, based upon the answers they had made to -their earlier interrogations, were over at last. There remained now -but one thing farther to be done, one further suffering to be endured -by the unhappy conspirators ere their doom, which was certain, was -pronounced; namely, to endeavour to extract their confessions from -them by torture. This system, still in general use in France and -still to remain so for another century, was regarded as the one and -only final opportunity of extracting from criminals--real or -suspected--some confession which should justify their judges in -sentencing them to death. For, if from those criminals who were -innocent there could be wrung the slightest word that even sounded -like an acknowledgment of guilt, the judges could condemn them with a -sound conscience; while, even if the really criminal had already -confessed their guilt, the application of torture was still generally -applied in the hopes that, thereby, some actual or imaginary -accomplices might be implicated.</p> - -<p class="normal">La Reynie, determined to extort confessions from the four prisoners -who had appeared before their judges at the Arsenal, had already -decided by midnight that all should be submitted to the "question." -This resolve, however, was negatived by the majority of those judges.</p> - -<p class="normal">De Beaurepaire was, they said, too high in position to be treated with -such indignity; he had been too closely allied with the King, both as -friend and exalted subject as well as bearer of great offices, to be -submitted to such degradation; and they had made up their minds that -he was guilty and must die. Therefore he was exempted from torture.</p> - -<p class="normal">To their honour, the same exemption was granted to Emérance on the -plea that she was a woman and was also to die.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is a noble resolution," exclaimed the Père Bourdaloue, who had -been deputed to discover by exhortation the truth and extent of their -guilt, if possible. "A noble one. She is a woman. If, like another, -she has sinned, so, also, she has loved and suffered."</p> - -<p class="normal">From the two others, however, Fleur de Mai and Van den Enden, nothing -could be obtained in any shape or form at the trial except denials of -every statement made. Therefore both, instead of Van den Enden alone, -were now to be submitted to the torture.</p> - -<p class="normal">Yet, once again, as Van den Enden was led into the room where he was -to submit to the trial of the Wedge or <i>Coin</i> as it was termed, -Bourdaloue made a final attempt not only to extract some admission -from him but also, from Christian charity, to spare so old a man -unnecessary pain.</p> - -<p class="normal">"My son," he said, "reflect. Why force your judges to obtain by -torture that which may be told freely, since you are surely doomed. -Remember, there is another world to which you are hastening; a God -whom you have outraged----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is no other world," Van den Enden snarled. "There is no God. I -am a materialist. I believe in nothing but that which is tangible, -that which I can see and recognise. And I have nothing to confess more -than I have told. As for your tortures, it is the fear of them that -alone terrifies."</p> - -<p class="normal">Bravely as the old atheist spoke, he was, however, now to learn that -it is sometimes far better to rely less upon oneself and more upon a -Superior Power.</p> - -<p class="normal">The torture of the <i>Coin</i> did not vary much in method from that which, -at the same period, was known in the British Islands as the "Boot." -<i>Brodequins</i>, or long half-riding boots, were placed upon the feet and -legs of those who were to be put to the question. Into these, which -were sometimes made of wood and sometimes, but not often, of hardened -pigskin almost as tough and firm as wood, the wedges or <i>coins</i> were -thrust, or hammered, one by one according to the stubborn refusals of -the prisoners to reply to the questions put to them.</p> - -<p class="normal">To the room where he was to be subjected to this inquisition, Van den -Enden was led. There were present to administer the questions two of -the Councillors of State, De Pomereu and Lefèvre de Caumartin, each of -whom had taken part as judges in the last confrontation of the -prisoners, as well as the Père Bourdaloue who still hoped to either -obtain some amelioration of his sufferings for the wretched man, or to -be able to administer religious consolation to him should he perish -under the torture. To apply the torture there were the executioner's -assistants.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You have not told all the truth," De Pomereu said, when the -<i>brodequins</i> had been placed on the legs and feet of Van den Enden and -one of the torturers stood by, a wedge in one hand and a hammer in the -other. "What more have you to tell?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nothing. You may kill me if you will. I am innocent."</p> - -<p class="normal">At a sign from De Pomereu the assistant struck in the first wedge, at -which Van den Enden winced but said again: "I am innocent."</p> - -<p class="normal">A second wedge was now inserted and the wretched man emitted a slight -groan, but only exclaimed: "I know nothing. Nothing. Mercy!"</p> - -<p class="normal">A third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth were rapidly inserted next, and -Van den Enden cried out: "I am dying. Kill me at once."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Answer truly," exclaimed De Pomereu. "Did the Prince say, 'If we -could only have the King's person we should win'?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No. I did not hear it. Yes!" Van den Enden screamed suddenly, as now -other wedges were rapidly hammered in between the boots and his legs -until the ninth--which was much larger than the previous ones--was -inserted. "Yes. He said so. I heard him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Did he say, 'When Quillebeuf is taken we will proceed to Versailles -and seize upon the King's person'?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No. Never. Ah! mercy! mercy! mercy!" for now the last wedge of -all--which was composed of several ordinary wedges bound together--was -being hammered into his crushed and bleeding leg. "Mercy. Oh! my God! -have mercy on me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Stop," exclaimed the Père Bourdaloue advancing, his Crucifix in his -hands. "Stop! He has confessed something far better than that which -you seek to extort from him. Van den Enden," he said, approaching the -old man whose eyes were now so turned up in his head that nothing but -the whites were visible, while his face was a mass of perspiration, -"you are no atheist, praised be God above. You term yourself one, yet -in your hour of tribulation you call upon the God you pretend to deny. -Van den Enden, look upon this symbol, 'tis the symbol of One who -suffered more than you can ever suffer, yet Who was pure and holy; Who -was God incarnate. Kiss it, Van den Enden. Acknowledge at last the -error of your ways."</p> - -<p class="normal">"No! no!" groaned the victim, half delirious from pain. "No! no! I -believe nothing. I--I--ah! Ask Spinosa. And--and--I was born a Jew."</p> - -<p class="normal">"So," said Bourdaloue, "was He."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mercy! Mercy!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"He must reply," De Pomereu said in answer to a look of appeal from -the priest; "or the wedges must be struck deeper. Speak, Van den -Enden," he continued. "Did De Beaurepaire say he would possess himself -of the King's sacred person?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"No. Ah!" and again he called on the Deity as the torturer struck at -the great wedge. "Ah! Ah! Yes. Yes. Mercy. I--I--am dying. Save me."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Remove him," De Pomereu ordered, "and bring in the other. La Preaux."</p> - -<p class="normal">When, however, this adventurer was subjected to similar treatment to -that which Van den Enden had endured nothing was to be obtained from -him.</p> - -<p class="normal">Whether, knowing that death was certain in any case, or determined -that, as he had lived without fear--with one exception, namely his -cowardice when thinking he was about to be slain by Humphrey West--so -he would die, it is at least certain that he was bold enough to bear -the torture without uttering one word or one cry. By some superhuman, -perhaps by some devilish, courage, he forced himself to refrain from -emitting any sound when the torture was applied, and, though his great -coarse lips were horribly thrust out and pursed up by the agony he was -suffering, no moan issued from them. To all questions put to him by De -Pomereu and De Caumartin he returned but one answer, "I am innocent of -any knowledge of the plot," and nothing more could be extorted from -him.</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">An hour later, De Beaurepaire accompanied by Bourdaloue and another -priest, Le Père Talon, was led into the prison chapel in which were -already Van den Enden and La Preaux, or Fleur de Mai. The former had -been supported to this spot between two guards; the latter, -indomitable as ever, had managed to limp from his cell to the chapel. -Emérance was not there.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To your knees," whispered the priests to the unhappy conspirators. -"To your knees and hear the sentences passed on you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"This," said the Greffier of the Judges when all were kneeling, Van -den Enden being assisted and held up between the two guards, "is the -decree of the High Court of his Majesty the King. You, Louis, -Chevalier and Prince de Beaurepaire, late Colonel of all his Majesty's -Guards and Grand Veneur of France, are adjudged guilty of high treason -and <i>lèse-majeste</i>. You, Francois Affinius van den Enden, are adjudged -guilty of the same. You, La Preaux, falsely styling yourself Chevalier -and known to many under an assumed name, are adjudged guilty of the -same. The woman Louise de Belleau de Cortonne, widow of Jacques de -Mallorties, Seigneur de Villers and Boudéville, styling herself -falsely Emérance, Marquise de Villiers-Bordéville, is found guilty of -the same."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Lord's will be done," said the two priests solemnly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For you, Louis de Beaurepaire, Prince et Chevalier," continued the -Greffier, "the sentence is that you be decapitated to-morrow at three -of the afternoon in front of this, his Majesty's fortress of the -Bastille. If your body is claimed by your family it will be given up -for burial. At that burial no insignia of your offices of Colonel of -his Majesty's Guards and Grand Veneur may be placed upon your bier, or -coffin, nor may your Chevalier's sword and <i>fourreau en croix</i> be so -placed. All your goods are confiscated to the King."</p> - -<p class="normal">"God save the King!" exclaimed De Beaurepaire.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For you, La Preaux," continued the Greffier, "the sentence is that -you be decapitated at the same time and place as the Prince Louis de -Beaurepaire, and in company with him and the woman Louise de Belleau -de Cortonne."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah," murmured De Beaurepaire. "Ah! Emérance and I shall be happy at -last. We dreamt of a union. At last we shall be united."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I thank my judges and the King--though they have misjudged me--for -recognising my claims to gentle blood," exclaimed Fleur de Mai.</p> - -<p class="normal">"For you, Van den Enden," again went on the Greffier, "the sentence is -that you be hanged by the neck on a gibbet near unto the scaffold on -which your companions in guilt must die. And your goods, like the -goods of those companions, are confiscated to the King. Amen."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I shall not leave you till the end," Bourdaloue whispered in De -Beaurepaire's ears as the prisoners were now escorted back to their -cells. "My son, may God have mercy on you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I pray so, holy father. He knows I have need of mercy."</p> - -<p class="normal">"As have all of us. Come, my son, come."</p> -<br> - -<p class="normal">At the same hour, almost at the same moment, a different scene, though -one which owed its existence to the trial now concluded, was being -enacted at St. Germain, where the Court now was.</p> - -<p class="normal">Seated in his chair, advanced three feet from the brilliant circle -that surrounded him, Le Roi Soleil witnessed the representation of -<i>Cinna</i>, that superb tragedy which Corneille--stung by the criticisms -on <i>Le Cid</i> of those who were deemed his rivals, and doubly stung by -the criticisms of those who could by no possibility whatever possess -the right of deeming themselves his rivals--had determined should -outvie the former masterpiece. By connivance with those who fondly -hoped that this play--written immediately after a preceding Norman -Rebellion had been crushed--might soften the King's heart towards his -whilom companion, it had been selected by the chamberlains for that -evening's representation. Never, perhaps, had a greater tribute been -paid to genius than this now paid to the dramatist!</p> - -<p class="normal">Throughout the play, Louis had sat unmoved in his chair, though all -present remarked that no word or action of the players was lost by -him.</p> - -<p class="normal">But when, at the end, Augustus Cæsar, having, discovered the treachery -of Cinna, resolved to pardon the latter and thus win back his -fidelity, the King was observed to move restlessly.</p> - -<p class="normal">As Monvel, the actor who played the part of Cæsar, speaking with deep -impressiveness uttered the superb speech commencing:--</p> -<div style="margin-left:15%"> -<br> -<p style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px">Soyons amis, Cinna.<br> -Tu trahis mes bienfaits, je les veux redoubler.<br> -Je t'en avois comblé, je t'en veux accabler,</p> -<br> -</div> -<p class="normal">Louis' hand was raised to his head and it seemed as though he swiftly -brushed away some tears that had sprung to his eyes.</p> - -<p class="normal">While, a moment later, those seated next to him heard him, or thought -they heard him, mutter the words:--</p> - -<p class="normal">"For the treachery to myself I might have pardoned him. For that -against France, for making a pact with her enemies, I can never pardon -him."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_26" href="#div1Ref_26">CHAPTER XXVI</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The royal supper, <i>au grand couvert</i>, was that night a melancholy one. -Surrounded, as was always the case, by the sons and daughters of his -royal house as well as the grandsons and granddaughters, and also by -those ladies of highest rank to whom the right was accorded of supping -at the royal table, the King sat silent and meditative. It was -observed, too, that his Majesty's fine appetite had failed him -to-night and that he scarcely ate anything, in spite of this being the -meal for which he cared most. The thirty violins that usually played -nightly in the gallery of the antechamber were, on this occasion, -silent, since the King had ordered that there should be no music; the -talk and chatter that, in discreet limitation, usually went on at the -second table was now almost entirely suppressed; a gloom had fallen -over the Court which, from the august ruler downwards, none seemed -able to shake off. Rousing himself, however, from the melancholy that -had obtained possession of him to-night--a melancholy produced more by -the knowledge that there was no possibility of pardon for his early -playmate than by even the reflection that, on the morrow, this -playmate was to atone for his treachery on the scaffold--Louis rose -from his seat and left the table, while all present rose at the same -moment.</p> - -<p class="normal">"De Brissac," the King said to that officer, who now filled and, until -the new Colonel of Guards should be appointed, would fill the place of -the unhappy man who was to die to-morrow at three o'clock; "there will -be no audience to-night in my bedchamber. Inform the Court," after -which the King bowed to all who were present and retired. Yet, so -strong was habit that, as he passed a little antechamber on his way -to his bedroom he stopped and, going into it alone, saw that his pet -spaniels had been fed and were comfortable for the night.</p> - -<p class="normal">"De la Ruffardière," he said to a young nobleman present in the -bedroom, to whom at this time had fallen the privilege of removing the -King's coat, waistcoat and shirt before handing his Majesty over to -the care of the <i>premier valet</i>, "I will dispense with your attendance -to-night, and yours," addressing the valet. "I am--fatigued--and would -be alone. Bid De Brissac have the guard set at once in the corridor -and changed as quietly as possible. Good-night. Heaven have you in its -holy keeping."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire," the Marquis de la Ruffardière ventured to say. "I--I--there is -a----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"What is it?" the King asked, looking fixedly at the young man. "What -is it----?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire, a--a lady has arrived to-night. She begs audience of your -Majesty. She----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Who is the lady?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire, it is the Princesse de Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Princesse de Beaurepaire! Here! At St. Germain."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Here, sire. In the blue antechamber. On her arrival your Majesty's -Intendant had a suite of rooms prepared for her. But, sire, she -implores leave to speak with your Majesty."</p> - -<p class="normal">"This is the bitterest stroke of all," the King murmured to himself. -"<i>His</i> mother and almost mine. Heaven!" Then, addressing the Marquis -aloud, he said: "I will, I must, go to her. No," he said, seeing that -the other made as if he would accompany him. "No. Remain here. This -is--I--I--must go alone." Passing through the door which the Marquis -rushed forward to open, Louis went down a small passage and, softly -turning the handle of the door, entered the blue antechamber. -"Madame," he said very gently, as he perceived the Princess rise -suddenly from the fauteuil on which she had been seated, or, rather, -huddled, "Madame. Ah! that we should meet thus. Oh! madame!" and -taking her hand he bent over it and kissed it.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mercy, sire," the Princess cried, flinging herself at once at the -King's feet. "Mercy! Mercy for my unhappy son. Nay," she said, as -Louis endeavoured with extreme gentleness to raise her to her feet, -"nay, nay, let me stay here. Here until you have granted my prayer. -Louis!" throwing aside all ceremony in her agony, "spare him. Spare -him. Ah! you cannot, you will not, slay him, evil as he has been, -evilly as he has acted towards you Louis," she cried again as, -releasing his hand now, she placed both hers upon her bosom. "Louis, -even as he when a child lay on this breast, so, too, did you. As your -mother would take you from her bosom to place on mine, so have I taken -him from mine to place on hers. We were almost foster mothers as you -were almost foster brothers! Ah! sire, as there is One above and He -the only One from whom you can sue for mercy, so let me sue for and -win mercy on earth from the only one who can accord it." -"I am not the only one. He is condemned by his judges. Doomed. If I -spare him, then must I spare all who henceforth conspire against me; -then have I been merciless to all whom I have hitherto refused to -spare for their treachery. For their infidelity."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Their treachery! Their infidelity! And his! His treachery and -infidelity! Do you deem that I do not see it, know it, hate and -despise it? Do you think that I, Anne de Beaurepaire--that I, who -was the proudest woman in your father's Court, that I whom your -father--who hated all other women--alone loved, do not hate and -despise my son's acts? Ah! Ah!" she sobbed, "I hate and loathe his -infidelity but, God help and pity me! I love the infidel, and he -is--my--child. Ah! Louis, Louis," she continued, and now not only had -she possessed herself of the King's hand but, with her other -disengaged hand, had grasped him above the elbow so that he could not -free himself from her; "think of it. Think. Think. Short of making me -his Queen, which he could not do, while on my part I would be naught -else than that to him, your father loved me so well that there was -nothing I could ask that he would not have granted. He who detested -all other women; he, the woman hater! It cannot be that his child will -not spare my child. My only child, since his brother, Léon, is -imbecile. Ah! I have but one; do not deprive me of that only one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame," the King replied, while still endeavouring to lift the -unhappy Princess to her feet and while the tears streamed from his own -eyes as he witnessed her tears falling. "I--I--it rests not with me. -There are others to whom are confided----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Others," she wailed, yet still with some of her haughty contempt left -in her tones. "Others. What others? De Louvois, who reeks of the -<i>roture</i>. De Louvois the plebeian; La Reynie whose name should be Le -Renard; that woman who weaves her toils----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Madame, silence! I command--nay, nay, I beg of you to be silent. Not -a word of----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah! I am distraught. I know not what I say. Yet if you will not hear -me nor have mercy on me, at least have mercy on my grief and sorrow. -See--see--Louis de Bourbon--I kneel at your feet in supplication even -as once your father knelt at mine, and--God help me!--you are as -inexorable to me as I was to him; yet I kneel in a better, a nobler -hope. Sire!" she continued in her misery. "Sire, look on me! If you -will not pity me, pity my tears, my supplications; see how abject I -am. I--I--Anne de Beaurepaire, who never thought to sue to mortal man. -Ah! be not so pitiless, Louis! You! of whom it has been said that you -are never wantonly cruel."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nor am I now," the King exclaimed, his face convulsed with grief -and emotion. "It is not I, but France. Had Lou--the Prince de -Beaurepaire--and I been simple gentlemen; had he but aimed his -treacherous shaft against me and my life, then he might have gone in -peace for the sake of our childhood together, for the sake of the -noble Anne, his mother, whom," his voice sinking to a murmur, "my -austere father could not refrain from loving. But it was against -France. France and her ancient laws and rights; her throne; all that -makes France what she is, all that makes your proud race--a race as -proud as my own, or as the race of Guise, or Bretagne, or Montmorenci, -or Courtenai--what it is. France, for which I stand here the symbol -and representative; France which has but one other name--Bourbon."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!" the Princess wailed. "As you are great, as you -are Louis the Bourbon, be great in your pardon. Show mercy to a -broken-hearted woman."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If I might I would. But if I spare him, having spared none other who -conspired against France, will France spare me? Will she pardon her -unjust steward? And there are others. The Council, the great -Ministers----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yet," the Princess cried, "it is you who have said, '<i>L'Etat c'est -moi</i>'. You, whose '<i>Je le veux</i>' none have ever dared to question and -still live."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nevertheless," the King said, still very gently while sick at heart -at being forced to so reply, "<i>he</i> dared----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"And," she sobbed, loosing her grasp on his hand and arm as she fell -an inert mass to the floor; "therefore must die."</p> - -<p class="normal">After which she lay motionless, her superb grey hair, which, in her -emotion had become dishevelled, making a white patch upon the rich, -blood-red Segoda carpet.</p> - -<p class="normal">Kneeling now by the side of the unhappy mother upon whose breast, as -she had said, he had so often been soothed in infancy, the King -endeavoured in every way to restore her to sensibility and raise her -from the position to which she had fallen. He kissed and rubbed her -hands again and again; he whispered words of comfort and affection -into her now deaf ears, and said all that one might say to comfort a -broken-hearted woman, except that which alone might have called her -back to sense and happiness--a promise of pardon for her son.</p> - -<p class="normal">After which, finding that it was impossible to restore her by his own -efforts, the King left the room quietly, went back to his bedroom and, -summoning the Marquis de la Ruffardière to assist him, returned to the -blue antechamber.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Poor lady," he said, looking down at the Princess, "she has swooned -at learning that there is no hope of pardon for him. Can we convey her -to the rooms the Intendant has set apart for her?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Doubtless, sire, if your Majesty will permit yourself----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Permit myself! In my childhood she has often rocked me to sleep in -her arms!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Perhaps one of her women, sire, might also assist----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"When we have conveyed her to her apartments. But, first, go out to -the corridor and bid the guard retire for a quarter of an hour. There -must be no prying eyes to witness the weakness of the noble Anne de -Beaurepaire."</p> - -<p class="normal">So, when the Marquis had obeyed this order and bidden the sentries -leave the principal corridor till he summoned them back, he and the -King lifted the Princess gently from the floor and conveyed her to the -rooms set apart for her, after which they handed her over to the care -of the women she had brought with her on the long, swift journey from -Nancy.</p> - -<p class="normal">Followed by the Marquis, the King returned to his bedchamber and -prepared to retire, the assistance of the former being now accepted. -Yet, while Louis was gradually undressed by De la Ruffardière who -removed his shoes and stockings as well as his clothes, since the -<i>premier valet</i> had long since departed on receiving his dismissal for -the night, the King sighed heavily more than once; and more than once, -too, the Marquis observed that the tears stood in his eyes. And, once -also, he murmured to himself: "It is his last night on earth. His last -night. Stay with me," he commanded as, after rising from his prayers, -he prepared to get into his bed. "Stay with me, De la Ruffardière. You -can sleep here on the lounge or in the antechamber, can you not?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire, I will not sleep. Rather may I crave to be allowed to keep -guard in the antechamber."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay! nay! Sleep. Rest is needful to all. Extinguish all light, except -the night-lamp. Good-night, De la Ruffardière."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Good-night, your Majesty. God bless your Majesty and grant you a -peaceful night's rest."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Amen," the King said, sighing deeply.</p> - -<p class="normal">When, however, the guard was being changed in front of the château, -and the exchange of sign and countersign could be plainly heard by the -Marquis who was lying wide awake on the lounge at the foot of the -great <i>ruelle</i> of the King's bed, Louis spoke and called him by name.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Here, sire," the other said, springing off the couch. "How fares it -with your Majesty?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sad at heart. Sad. Sad. De la Ruffardière, tell me frankly; here -to-night and alone as we are--tell me as man to man--what is the -character I bear with my people? Do they deem me a cruel ruler?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah, sire! The noblest King who has ever adorned a throne. Bountiful, -magnanimous----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"What," the king continued, scarcely pausing to hear the answer he -knew must come from a courtier, "what is thought of De Beaurepaire's -punishment? Am I deemed implacable?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Sire," the other said, hardly daring to answer him, yet forcing -himself to do so, "if he should go free what shall be the reward of -those who have never wavered in their loyalty to, and love of, your -Majesty?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ah," Louis said. "Ah, 'tis true."</p> - -<p class="normal">After this, the King seemed to sleep, yet, ere the time came for him -to awake and give the usual audience in bed to all the courtiers, he -spoke to the Marquis a second time.</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are a friend of De Courtenai?" he asked.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am, sire."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Does he, do all of his family, regret the Byzantine throne they once -sat on? Do they who were once Kings, they who are akin to the throne -of France, regret their present poverty and lowliness?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"They have never said so, sire, to my knowledge. They are content to -be simple gentlemen. The men are plain soldiers, giving their swords -to France, the women to rearing their children as children having the -blood of De Courtenai in them. Sire, <i>bon sang ne peut mentir</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They should be happy, very happy," Louis murmured. "The throne they -lost could not outvie the gentle, simple life, nor the absence of -trouble, care and heartache. De la Ruffardière, pray God that none -whom you love may ever attain to a throne."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_27" href="#div1Ref_27">CHAPTER XXVII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">It was, as the King had whispered to himself, De Beaurepaire's last -night on earth, as it was also of those others. Of the woman he loved; -of the vagabond who, bully though he might be, had been staunch and -inflexible; of the old man who, the chief conspirator of all, was now -to suffer the most ignominious of deaths.</p> - -<p class="normal">In the chamber in the Bastille allotted to De Beaurepaire the prisoner -sat now before the fire musing on what all would say when they knew of -his end; of what his friends who had loved him well would feel, and of -how his enemies, of whom he had so many, would gloat over his -downfall. Naturally he thought also of the women who had loved him -once and the women who loved him now, in this his darkest hour.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The women who love me now!" he said to himself. "Who are they? Who? -My mother and--and--Emérance. Emérance who is not fifty paces away -from me, Emérance who dies by my side to-morrow, yet whom I may not see -until, to-morrow, we stand on the same scaffold together. And then but -for a moment ere the axe falls."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Whom I may not see until to-morrow," he repeated. "Not until -to-morrow."</p> - -<p class="normal">And again he said to himself, "Not until to-morrow," while adding: -"And there are so many long hours until three o'clock to-morrow!"</p> - -<p class="normal">As though to corroborate this thought there boomed out the tones of -the prison clock striking midnight, the sound being followed an -instant later by the deeper boom of the great bell of Notre Dame and -then by that of the other clocks in the city.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Midnight," De Beaurepaire said. "Midnight. Fifteen hours yet of life, -fifteen hours spent apart from her! And she here, close by. Ah! it is -hard."</p> - -<p class="normal">He rose from the chair he sat in and went across to the other side of -the great fireplace where, in another chair, was seated the Père -Bourdaloue reading his breviary. Some time before this the priest had -prayed with him and would do so again at intervals during the night, -while later--before the end came to-morrow--he would confess and -absolve the condemned man as his brother priest would confess and -absolve the others, with the exception of Van den Enden, who was -resolute not to see either priest or minister of any faith. Now, -however, as has been said, the good man read his breviary.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Father," the condemned man said, standing before him and waiting to -speak until he looked up from his book, "Father, help me to see her. I -must see her ere we meet there. Below. Help me to bid her a last, a -long farewell."</p> - -<p class="normal">"To see her, my son! The woman who has brought you to this?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay! nay! Never. None has brought me to this but my own self; my own -wickedness, my treachery and ambition. Above all, not she. Instead, -her undoing lies heavy at my charge. Had she not loved me with a love -passing the love of women, she might have gone free, have escaped. -But--but--she grappled herself to me out of that great love and, as I -fell, she fell with me. Let me see her once more. Here. To-night."</p> - -<p class="normal">"What has this love of yours and hers been, Louis de Beaurepaire? The -love that honours a woman in its choice, or the mad frenzy, the wild -passion, the evil desires that sweep all boundaries and obstacles and -laws aside even as the torrent sweeps aside all that stands in its -way?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"An honest love, heaven be praised. On my part the love of the captor -for the poor maimed thing he has caught in his hand, and, even in -bruising, soothes and comforts too. The love of one who cannot put -aside that which, in capturing, he has thus come to love. Yet, -further----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Yes. What?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Our love was not evil. For even as it quickened in our hearts we saw -before us a pure, a nobler life that might, that should, be ours. If -we had escaped from this our doom; had we never been taken, or, being -taken, had we by chance been let go free--we should have wed. Our vows -were sworn and deeply, too; they would have been kept."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You would have kept them knowing what she was?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As she would have kept hers knowing what I was. What better am I than -she? An intriguer, a traitor, even as she is an <i>intrigante</i>, a -traitress; yet without her reasons, without her love of her own -province as excuse, as extenuation. Had we wedded, our marriage would -have but made us more akin and equal."</p> - -<p class="normal">"If this is in your heart, the chance is still yours. Your vows may -still be fulfilled. Louis de Beaurepaire, remembering who and what you -are, remembering also who and what she is--as all learnt who were in -the Arsenal at your confrontations--are you willing to make this woman -your wife to-night?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Willing! To-night! Ay! willing a thousandfold. God help her! she has -had no return for her attachment to such as I am; if this be an -expiation, an atonement from me to her--even at this our last hour--it -shall be hers. And--and--" he murmured so low that scarcely could the -priest hear him, "for me it will be happiness extreme. To die by her -side though only as her lover might have brought its little share of -comfort; to die by her side--I her husband, she my wife--will make -death happiness. Yet," he exclaimed, looking down suddenly at the -priest from his great height, "can you do this? Can this be lawful? -Without flaw or blemish?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"In our holy Church's eyes? Yes."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And in the law's eyes?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"The law cannot over-rule us."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Hasten then, father, to make us one."</p> - -<p class="normal">"I will go seek the Lieutenant du Roi, yet it needs not even that. -Alas! too often have I passed the last night in this place with other -prisoners to make any permission necessary for what I do. Yet this I -must do," he said, withdrawing the key of the door from his pocket, -putting it in the lock and then opening the door itself.</p> - -<p class="normal">And De Beaurepaire, observing, smiled grimly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"I could not escape if I would, yet I have no thought of that," he -said. "He who awaits at the altar steps the woman he loves seeks -flight no more than I who now await her."</p> - -<p class="normal">After he had heard the key turned in the lock outside, he sat down in -his chair again and gave himself up to further meditation. Perhaps--it -might well be!--he thought in those moments of all that he had thrown -away, with, last of all, his life: perhaps he thought how he, who had -once been the chosen comrade of the King, was now to meet his death -for his treachery to that King. Above all he must have thought of the -proud, handsome woman who was his mother; the woman who, haughty, -disdainful of all others, had worshipped and idolised him. And she was -not yet old, he remembered; in spite of the early blanching of her -hair she was not yet fifty, and he had entailed upon her so bitter a -shame that, henceforth, her once great life must be passed in grey, -dull obscurity. Her life that had hitherto been so splendid and -bright!</p> - -<p class="normal">"Almost," he whispered, "I could bring myself to pray that God may see -fit to take her soon. How shall she continue to live when I am dead, -and dead in such a way; for such a sin?"</p> - -<p class="normal">He thought also of others now, on whom, perhaps, in different -circumstances, he would scarcely have bestowed a thought or memory.</p> - -<p class="normal">He thought of Humphrey West whose death had been so treacherously -attempted--thanking heaven devoutly, fervently, as he did so, that in -this, at least, he had had no hand or knowledge; and he recalled, too, -the gentle loving girl who was, as the Père Bourdaloue had told him -only an hour or so earlier, to become Humphrey's bride within a month. -That it was not in this man's nature to pray for the happiness of any -human being, is not, perhaps, strange, remembering what his own -existence had been; yet now, with more gentle, more humane thoughts -possessing that nature it was also not strange that he should be able -to hope their lives together would be long and pleasant.</p> - -<p class="normal">"And," he said to himself, Pagan-like to the last, "had I served -another as he served me, faithfully and honestly, as a friend, so -would I, like him, have denounced that other as he denounced me when -set upon and almost done to death by that other's myrmidons. He held -the ace--he would have been more than man if he refused to throw it."</p> - -<p class="normal">Of one other, however, he thought little and cared less. He had never -loved the Duchesse de Castellucchio, beautiful as she was; he had -regarded her only as a woman who might by a fortunate chance, if the -Pope should prove yielding, be able to rehabilitate him in the eyes of -the world--and able also to free him from the load of debt that bore -him down. Able to assist him to regain the pinnacle to which by his -birth and rank he was entitled, but from which by his own failings and -errors he had been hurled headlong.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nor," he said, and once more he smiled bitterly, "did she love me. -Has one of her family ever loved aught but himself or herself? But I -served her turn, I enabled her to escape out of France and from her -demoniac. While, had a <i>pis-aller</i> been required, a De Beaurepaire -might well have replaced a Ventura. Now she is safe in Italy and I am -here. She should be content."</p> - -<p class="normal">The key grated in the lock as the doomed man mused thus upon the woman -whom he had helped to save from a hateful life; and the bitterness of -his fate must stand as atonement for his thoughts of one who was far -from being the hard, selfish creature he pronounced her.</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later the other woman, the woman he loved so fondly, was by -his side. Behind her followed the Père Bourdaloue, who, after bidding -two of the gendarmerie to remain outside until he called them, went to -the farther end of the room and left the lovers as much alone as was -possible.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Louis!" Emérance exclaimed, as she drew near him. "Louis! Once more -we are together. Louis! Louis! Oh! my love."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Mon amour. Ma mie</i>," he cried, clasping her in his arms, while, as -he did so, he saw that, though her face was white--white as the long -gown (tied round her waist with a cord) which she now wore, and in -which to-morrow, nay, to-day! she would go to the scaffold--there was -still upon that face, in those soft eyes, a look of happiness extreme. -"Thank God it is so. And he," with a look at the priest at the farther -end of the room, "has told you? We shall die, we shall go to our death -together as man and wife."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay," Emérance whispered, though as she did so her arms had sought -his neck and enlaced it, "Nay, not as that. But----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not as that! You--you who love me so--will not be my wife?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I am your wife. In heart, in soul, in every thought, in every fibre -of my being. There is nought of me that is not you, that is not De -Beaurepaire now. What would an idle ceremony, performed over us by -him," with a glance towards the priest, "and witnessed by those -soldiers outside, do for us? Could I love you more in the few hours -that I should be your wife than I have loved you, not being your wife? -Shall we sleep less calmly and peacefully in our graves to-morrow and -for ever--yes, for ever!--because that ceremony has not been -performed? Louis, there is no wedded wife in all this world to-night -who loves her lawful husband more madly than I love you to whom no tie -binds me. And--I was a wife once, and my husband beat and ill-used me, -and I hated him. You are no husband of mine and I adore, I worship, -you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"But--but--once--we--spoke of marriage, of being wed. Of a life to be -passed together."</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is no life left to us to pass together. Only this hour, these -moments--now. When we spoke of that wedded life which should, which -might, be ours; when you thought of stooping from your high estate to -marry such as I am, there was a hope for us. We might have escaped -when we had failed in our attempt--succeed we never could!--and then -have been together always. Always. Always. Now," and the soft, clear -eyes were very close to the dark eyes of the man so near to her, "we -may not be wedded but--I thank God for it--neither shall we ever -more be parted. Together we have lived and loved for--how long? A -month--six weeks--two months--ah! I cannot well recall. To-morrow -brings us together for all eternity."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You will not be my wife!" De Beaurepaire said again, his voice -hoarse, lost in his throat. "You can be so--great--as to reject the -one poor repayment I can make for your sweet, your precious, love?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Repayment! Does love need repayment? Can there be debtor and creditor -in that? And--if so--why, then Louis, Louis, <i>mon adore</i>, have you not -repaid? You--such as you--to me!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"My children," the Père Bourdaloue said, turning round and advancing -to them, "the night is passing. If you will be wed, now is the time. -The Lieutenant du Roi granted you an hour together for that purpose, -that hour is running through."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Father," the woman said, advancing towards him, standing before him -so white and pale, yet with, on her face, so calm, so happy a look -that he could recall no other dying woman--even as she passed -peacefully away surrounded by all who loved her and whom she -loved--who had seemed as calm and happy as she. "Father, there is no -need. We are wedded."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Wedded!" he exclaimed. "Wedded! You are wedded?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay. As much as two need ever be who love each other as we love, who -go hand in hand to their doom, to their grave; to that eternal parting -which will be an eternal union. Take me," she said now, "back to my -cell. To-morrow I shall come forth a bride."</p> - -<p class="normal">"And you?" Bourdaloue asked, looking at De Beaurepaire. "Are you -agreed?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"As she will have it so let it be," De Beaurepaire answered.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Come then," the priest said. "Come."</p> - -<p class="normal">Following him, Emérance took two or three steps towards the door then, -suddenly, she stopped and laid her hand on Bourdaloue's arm, although -as she spoke her eyes were fixed upon her lover.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Father," she said, "my life has not been all evil, yet--yet--God help -and pity me!--it has not been that of an upright woman, but of one who -has been a spy, a conspirator. Not that which my mother prayed it -might be as she lay dying. But--if--if--there is aught of atonement -for that life, it is that I freely, gladly, yield it up so that as I -leave the world I leave it with him whom, of all men alone, I have -loved."</p> - -<p class="normal">A moment later she was back by her lover's side, once more her arms -were around his neck, once more she was clasped to his heart.</p> - -<p class="normal">"To-morrow. To-morrow. To-morrow, we shall be together," she -whispered. "Ah! <i>mon amour adoré</i>, to-morrow I shall be yours only. -To-morrow and for ever."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You will be brave?" he murmured back. "You will not fear?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Be brave!" she repeated. "Brave! Why! what should I fear when you are -by my side? When I have all I ask."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_28" href="#div1Ref_28">CHAPTER XXVIII</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">The crowd outside the Bastille had begun to form even before the dawn -of the gloomy November day which was to witness the execution of the -four principal conspirators in the Norman plot; the four conspirators -whom alone, of many others of high and low degree, it had been thought -advisable to bring to trial. This was because, amongst those others, -were names of such importance that, coupled with the name of De -Beaurepaire, they would have revealed the existence of so deep-rooted -a conspiracy against France and the King as to absolutely threaten the -existence of France as a monarchy, as well as the existence of Le Roi -Soleil. Therefore, since justice was now to be done upon those four, -it had been deemed the highest policy to ignore all others concerned, -and thus veil in obscurity the wide-spreading roots of the wicked -scheme.</p> - -<p class="normal">By mid-day the crowd was so augmented that one-eighth of the -population of Paris was calculated to be present; the mass of people -was so closely wedged that any movement had become impossible. If -women fainted from the pressure they were subjected to, they had to -remain standing insensible or be supported by others until they -recovered, since there was not room for them to fall to the ground. If -infants in arms--of which, as always at any public "spectacle," many -had been brought--fell or were dropped, it was in most cases -impossible to recover them: several old as well as very young persons -were trampled to death, and more than one birth took place amongst -that crowd.</p> - -<p class="normal">And still the mob continued to swell and increase until three o'clock, -while some hundreds of persons helped to add farther to it long after -the "spectacle" was over.</p> - -<p class="normal">In front of the great door of the prison, above which was carved a -bas-relief representing two slaves manacled together, a long scaffold -had been erected on which were placed three blocks. Some short -distance off was a small movable rostrum, or smaller scaffold, above -which was reared a gallows with the rope hanging loosely from it. On -this rostrum Van den Enden would later take his stand until, the rope -being fastened tightly round his neck, the rostrum would be pushed -from under his feet and he would be left hanging. Still a farther -distance off was a brazier, the fire in which was not yet ignited. At -three o'clock it would be lit and, into it, a huge bundle of papers -would be cast. These papers were those which had been found in La -Truaumont's possession after death, and contained not only innumerable -letters and other documents dealing with the plot, but also his birth -certificate and his parchment commissions and <i>brevets</i>. As far as was -possible his memory, as well as the records of his association with -the conspiracy, were to be effaced for ever.</p> - -<p class="normal">Early in the morning three sides of a square had been formed round the -scaffolds and the brazier--the prison wall and the great door of the -prison making the fourth side--by a large body of troops. These troops -consisted of three lines, the innermost one, which was composed of -several companies of the Regiment de Rouen, being so placed owing -partly to the fact that the regiment happened at the moment to be -quartered in Paris, and partly because it was thought well that its -men should witness what had befallen those who had endeavoured to stir -up rebellion in the particular province to which it belonged.</p> - -<p class="normal">Behind these soldiers were those of the Garde du Corps du Roi -under the command of De Brissac who, from dawn, had sat his horse -statue-like. Behind this were the Mousquetaires, both black and grey.</p> - -<p class="normal">"How slowly that clock moves," a sandy-haired, good-looking girl of -the people said as, at last, the clock of the Bastille struck two and -the final hour of waiting was at hand. "Have you ever seen this -handsome Prince who is to die?" she asked, turning to a big, brawny -man who stood by her side.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay, often," the man, who was totally unknown to the girl, replied, -looking down at her. "Often. I was a soldier myself until six months -ago. And in the Garde du Corps. Are you an admirer of handsome men?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"I have heard so much of his beauty. And of his loves. They say all -the aristocratic women loved him."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Vertu dieu!</i>" the man said with a laugh; "I wonder then that he did -not disfigure himself. One can be fed too full on love as well as -other things, <i>ma belle</i>," he added with a hoarse laugh, while -recalling perhaps some of his own <i>galanteries de caserne</i>.</p> - -<p class="normal">"There is one who dies with him to-day," a dark, pale woman struck in -now, "whom they say he loved passing well, as she him. <i>Dieu!</i> what is -sweeter than to die with those we love!"</p> - -<p class="normal">"To live for them, <i>bonne femme</i>," the soldier replied, still -jeeringly. Then, seeing that this woman's face had clouded with a look -of pain, he said in a gentler voice, "Ah! pardon. I have not wounded -you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay. Not much. But I have loved and been left behind. I would I might -have gone too."</p> - -<p class="normal">"They say he and the woman and the old Jew who is to hang," a cripple -exclaimed, "sought to kill the King. <i>Oh-é! Oh-é!</i>" the creature -grunted, "I would I were tall enough to see the Jew swinging. <i>Mon -brave</i>," looking up at the ex-soldier, "will you not lift me to your -shoulder when they come out?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Ay! will I, and fling you at the Jew's head afterwards. If you miss -him mayhap you will fall into the brazier. And, so, an end to you."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Is there a brazier! And for the Jew! Oh! Oh! Oh! To burn him all up. -Oh! Oh!" and the cripple, in his efforts to caper about, trod so on -his neighbours' feet that they kicked and cuffed him till he was -almost senseless.</p> - -<p class="normal">"The Dutch fleet was off Havre a week ago," one old man remarked to -another in solemn, almost awestruck, whispers. "Ah! if the Normans had -been ready. If the enemy had landed. If France had been invaded. Oh, -<i>mon Dieu!</i>"</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Pschut!</i>" exclaimed the other old man, one of different mettle from -his companion. "The Normans ready! <i>Fichtre pour les Normans!</i> There -were none who had the power to cause a single village to rise. France -might have slept in peace."</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Attention!</i>" rang out the voice of the officer in command of the -Mousquetaires a little while later, and, as it did so, the crowd -roared like so many beasts of prey; then, gradually, yet quickly, too, -the roar subsided into a deep, hoarse murmur, and an indescribable -tremor, or movement, passed through the thousands present.</p> - -<p class="normal">For, now, the great bell of the Bastille that had, in days past, so -often sounded the tocsin over St. Antoine--and was so often to sound -it again in days to come--was tolling slowly: the huge doors were -open, they were coming forth.</p> - -<p class="normal">Ahead of all walked some bareheaded and barefooted Carmelites -chanting the <i>Salve Regina</i>: following them, the Governor of the -Bastille and the Lieutenant du Roi marched side by side. Next, came -the headsman and his assistants, masked, the former carrying his axe -over his shoulder.</p> - -<p class="normal">Behind them the condemned ones came forth. First, with the Père -Bourdaloue by his side, appeared De Beaurepaire, superb and stately, -his head bare. He was dressed all in black velvet but, underneath his -outer coat might be caught the gleam of his handsome <i>justaucorps</i>. -Yet, noble as his presence was, there was missing from his face to-day -the look of arrogance and haughty contempt that had hitherto been the -one disfigurement of his manly beauty. Now, he walked calmly and -solemnly and resigned, as one might walk who followed another to his -grave instead of as one who, with every step he took, drew nearer to -his own.</p> - -<p class="normal">Behind him came the woman he loved, the woman who loved him so, the -woman whose eyes were fixed upon him as he preceded her and who, it -seemed to those who were in a position to observe her, would have -drawn closer to him had it been possible.</p> - -<p class="normal">But still there were the others. Fleur de Mai, big, stalwart, burly, -marching with a firm, well-assured step; with an eye that seemed to -roam in pride and satisfaction over the vast crowd that was assembled -there to see them die; with lips pursed out as though in contempt of -what he was about to suffer.</p> - -<p class="normal">Last of all came Van den Enden, supported, almost dragged along, -between two jailers, and muttering as he went: "An old man. So old. So -old and feeble!"</p> - -<p class="normal">That the crowd should make its comments even at such a moment of -supreme solemnity was not to be doubted, and that those comments -should come principally from the female portion of it was equally -certain. The men, excepting only those of the more base and -contemptible kind, were mostly silent while, perhaps, feeling within -their hearts some satisfaction that the two principal sufferers of -their own sex were representing that sex so fearlessly.</p> - -<p class="normal">From the women there issued, however, almost universal sobbing and -weeping, coupled with many exclamations on the splendid bearing of De -Beaurepaire as well as the resignation and calm, placid beauty of his -companion. "How pale yet brave she is," some said. "How happy she -should be to die with him--by his side," said others.</p> - -<p class="normal">All were now at the foot of the scaffold, Van den Enden going on to -the gallows waiting for him, where, when the heads of the others were -struck off, he would be hanged. Already the executioner's chief -assistant had commenced to cut off the hair from the back of the head -and neck of Emérance; another was tucking the long locks of Fleur de -Mai up above his neck and tying it with a piece of cord, while the -headsman, observing that De Beaurepaire's wavy hair was cut quite -short behind, muttered that "it would not interfere."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Has monseigneur a piece of this to spare?" he asked, pointing to the -dark ribbon with which De Beaurepaire's jacket was tied in front.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay," the doomed man said quietly, while uttering the words which -were long afterwards remembered and, when repeated to his mother, -brought some solace to her bruised heart. "Nay. Bind me with cord. He -Who never sinned was thus bound; shall I go to my death better than -He?" Then, putting his purse into the man's hand, he said: "Strike -quick and hard. Also be merciful to her," turning his eyes towards -Emérance as he spoke.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Never fear," the man said under his breath.</p> - -<p class="normal">By this time the others were ready. <i>La toilette des morts</i> was made -for all. The hair was now all cut away from the neck of Emérance; the -executioner had gently turned down the collar of her white robe so -that her neck was bare to her shoulders, her wrists were tied together -behind. As regards Fleur de Mai, he also was prepared and stood calmly -regarding the enormous concourse of people, as though endeavouring to -discover among it some friends or acquaintances who might be able to -testify how he had died. Later, when the executioner was interrogated -by La Reynie as to the events of that day, the man stated that Fleur -de Mai hummed a tune as he was being made ready.</p> - -<p class="normal">It had been ordained that De Beaurepaire's head was to fall first, -Fleur de Mai's the second, and that of Emérance the third, and, though -the latter had pleaded against this refinement of cruelty to a woman, -she was told that her prayer to be executed first could not be -granted.</p> - -<p class="normal">And now the time had come.</p> - -<p class="normal">With a touch of his hand, a glance of his eyes through the hideous -mask he wore, the executioner motioned each to their respective -blocks. Fleur de Mai was placed before the outer block on the right of -the scaffold, Emérance before the extreme one on the left, De -Beaurepaire between them.</p> - -<p class="normal">"<i>Altesse</i>," the headsman whispered. "It is the moment."</p> - -<p class="normal">Amidst a silence such as perhaps no crowd--perhaps no French -crowd!--had ever before maintained, De Beaurepaire turned towards the -woman he had learnt to love so fondly.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Adieu," he whispered, bending down to her so that, for the last time -in life, their lips met--embrace they could not, since their hands -were tied behind their backs. "Adieu for ever, <i>ma adorée</i>."</p> - -<p class="normal">But from her lips as they met his, the word "Adieu" did not proceed, -but, instead, the word "Wedded." As she spoke he saw that she smiled -at him.</p> - -<p class="normal">Advancing now towards the block, he was about to kneel by it; with a -sign from his eyes he signalled to the executioner's assistant to give -him his hand to assist him in doing so, when, to his astonishment, as -well as to that of all in the vast concourse, De Brissac's powerful -voice rang out on the dense silence. From his lips were heard to issue -the order: "Stop. Defer your task. Proceed no farther in it as yet."</p> - -<p class="normal">As he thus commanded, his eyes, glancing over the head of the crowd -from where he sat above them on his horse, were directed towards a man -clad in the <i>soutane</i> of a priest, one who was frantically waving a -paper in the air. A priest who was seated by the side of the coachman -on the box of one of the royal carriages.</p> - -<p class="normal">"What does this mean?" De Beaurepaire asked in a hoarse tone, while, -as he did so, his eyes were directed towards Emérance who had reeled -back as she heard De Brissac's stern command and was now supported by -one of the monks who had followed the condemned on to the scaffold. In -that look he saw that she was white as marble, that her eyes had in -them a strange unnatural glance, a glance perceptible even through -their half-closed lids.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Has the King relented at the last moment?" De Brissac muttered to -himself. After which he cried to his men: "Make way through your ranks -for the Reverend Father. Let him approach at once. It is," he -whispered to the officer nearest to him, "the King's Confessor."</p> - -<p class="normal">This order was easily to be obeyed in so far as the troops were -concerned, but more difficult of accomplishment as regarded the crowd -behind them. Nor--since it must be told!--was the majority of that -crowd very willing to see any interruption of <i>le spectacle</i> take -place. They had stood here since the November dawn had broken, wet, -cold and foggy to observe three men and a woman die, and now, it would -appear, they were to be baulked of their sport.</p> - -<p class="normal">Moreover, there was happening to them that which has always been, and -still is, obnoxious to a large multitude of Parisians gathered -together, either for their amusement or for the gratification of a -sickly, a neurotic curiosity. The troops were dominating them; they -were being dispersed, pushed away at the very moment when the great -tableau was to have been presented to their gaze. Slowly backing their -horses, the troopers of the Garde du Roi and of the two corps of -Mousquetaires were driving back, and, above all, parting the mass of -spectators; in a few moments the closely serried gathering was split -apart--the priest escorted by some of the men of the Regiment de Rouen -was nearing the steps of the scaffold.</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is an infamy," many in the great gathering muttered. "Has the -Splendid one become a Nero?" exclaimed others. "It is torture to them -and an insult to us," said still more. "In what days are we living?" -While one or two exclaimed, "It has never been done before."</p> - -<p class="normal">"You are wrong, my son," the priest said, overhearing this last remark -and turning round to look at one of the speakers. "I myself have stood -on the scaffold and seen a man reprieved, set free; a man to whom I -had already given the last absolution. And your mother could not have -paid for you to learn the history of your own country. Did you never -hear of Saint Vallier, father of Diane de Poitiers, who was spared as -he stood on the scaffold through her prayers to the King, even as this -man is saved from death--but death alone--through the prayers of his -mother to our King?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"His mother!" many of the dispersed assembly muttered now, a different -chord struck by that word so sacred to all French. "His mother. Ah! -<i>Grand Dieu, c'est autre chose</i>. His mother has saved him! The King -has a heart within his bosom. <i>Vive le Roi!</i>"</p> - -<p class="normal">By now the priest was upon the scaffold, the paper he had waved in the -air was in the hands of the Lieutenant du Roi, who was scanning it -hurriedly, A moment later he turned round to some of his warders and -said: "Remove the Prince de Beaurepaire. His life is spared. To-morrow -he goes to----"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Spared!" De Beaurepaire exclaimed. "Spared, to go where? To -imprisonment for life, doubtless. I will not have it so, not unless -her life is spared too," and, as he spoke, he turned to where he knew -Emérance was.</p> - -<p class="normal">As he did so a hoarse cry broke from his lips, and, all bound as he -was, he struggled towards her. What he saw had struck a more icy chill -to his heart than the approach of his now avoided death. Upon his -knees was the monk, on one arm he supported the form of Emérance; with -the hand that was free he held the Cross above her.</p> - -<p class="normal">"Emérance, Emérance. My love, my love," De Beaurepaire cried. -"Emérance. Ah! speak to me."</p> - -<p class="normal">But the woman's lips did not move. They would never move again.</p> - -<p class="normal">"She is dead," the monk said, looking up. "She died but a moment ago. -As the holy father mounted the steps."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Dead," De Beaurepaire wailed. "Dead! Gone--and I am here. Emérance is -dead! Without me! Gone without one word to me. I will not believe it. -It cannot be."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Not without one word," the monk replied. "As she died I heard her -whisper 'Louis' once. A moment later she murmured 'Saved'. Be content, -my son, she is at rest."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4><a name="div1_end" href="#div1Ref_end">THE END</a></h4> -<br> - -<p class="normal">Humphrey and Jacquette heard the next day of all that had taken place -outside the Bastille and learnt that De Beaurepaire was to be at once -sent to the Ile Ste. Marguerite or the Château d'If, where he would -remain a prisoner for the rest of his life. The prayers of his mother, -aided by the words of the King's Confessor who, though only a humble -priest, was much esteemed by Louis, had saved him from death at least.</p> - -<p class="normal">Of those who mourned De Beaurepaire's fate, and they were many, none -did so more than these two who were now about to become man and wife. -For, whatever the character of that unhappy man had been, however his -vaulting ambition may have o'erleaped itself, it became the custom ere -long to speak of him as one who had been more led into error than as -the instigator of "the great crime." Indeed, it was not long ere the -punishment, even still severe, of Louis de Beaurepaire was generally -referred to as one of those <i>crimes de la cour</i> which, in earlier -days, had made victims of Enguerrand de Marigny and Beaune de -Semblançay, of Jacques Cœur and the unfortunate victim of -Richelieu's hate, Cinq-Mars. And, as gradually matters became more and -more unfolded, as Louis XIV. learnt how De Beaurepaire had been -tempted by his enemy, Spain, he himself was known to express regret -for him, and, sometimes, to even hint at eventually forgiving him.</p> - -<p class="normal">For Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville if, until it became known who she -was, no sympathy had been expressed in Normandy, some regret for her -unhappy earlier life was at last forthcoming. By her real name she was -afterwards spoken of and written of in the province as a woman who had -been cruelly treated by both her husband and the law, and neglected by -those whom, at least at first, she had striven hard to benefit, though -in a wicked way; and as one whose mad love for De Beaurepaire had -finally led her to her doom. In Paris, those who had witnessed her -death, and, above all, those who had heard, or heard of, her last -words, regarded her as a martyr to that love. Van den Enden has also, -even with all the social prejudice there was against him, at last been -written of as "<i>un pauvre Utopiste Hollandais</i>." Fleur de Mai, as the -Chevalier la Preaux chose to call himself, was soon forgotten or, if -ever mentioned, was spoken of as a brigand who had turned conspirator.</p> - -<p class="normal">It was a month after the imprisonment of De Beaurepaire and when the -execution of his two companions had taken place, that Humphrey and -Jacquette were married at St. Nicholas-des-Champs preparatory to -setting out for England, which country was henceforth to be their -home.</p> - -<p class="normal">"We have done with France for ever, sweetheart," he said to the girl -who was to be his bride on the morrow; "England must henceforth be our -home. My mother has long made it hers and will never leave it; and it -is your mother's land. Jacquette, will it suffice you?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"It is your land too," the girl replied. "Where you are there is my -home. There my heart."</p> - -<p class="normal">Then, softly, she repeated the words of Ruth which, though not -addressed to one who was a lover, have, through the centuries, been so -often used by women to those whom they love.</p> - -<p class="normal">"My own, my very own," Humphrey whispered. "Ah! if it were not that it -was I who took the first step to send that unhappy man and woman to -their fate, I should carry no regrets away with me. De Beaurepaire was -ever kind and gracious to me; I made him but a poor return."</p> - -<p class="normal">"Nay, say not so. He would have overthrown the King who had done all -for him; his myrmidons would have slain you. Your duty lay along the -road you took, you could have travelled no other. Had you held your -peace, had you let the King fall a victim to him and those who egged -him on to such wickedness--the King who persuaded your own King to do -justice to you--then would you not have been the hero in my eyes that -you are."</p> - -<p class="normal">"A hero. I? Ah, no! What did I do to earn that name? What, except -bring the Prince to his fate?"</p> - -<p class="normal">"Humphrey. Humphrey, my love, my husband that is to be, do not palter -with yourself. Did you not risk your life against those men at Basle -rather than consent to keep silence upon their hateful plot? Would you -not have slain that bravo had he not played the coward; would you not -sooner have slain yourself than become one of them? That--that--was -hero's work; as a hero will you ever stand in my eyes."</p> - -<p class="normal">Wherefore those words of the old dramatist, Quinault, <i>Les drames sans -héros ni héroïne sont les vrais drames</i>, true as their philosophy may -be in general, were not so in this particular. For he who, by his -actions in an actual human drama, can earn the opinion of the creature -he loves best in this world--the woman who is his wife--as well as the -opinion of a despotic monarch, that he is a hero, has scarcely failed -to disprove that old writer's remark.</p> - -<p class="normal">It is not, consequently, to be denied that, in the drama of De -Beaurepaire's last year of life, if he was no hero at least Humphrey -West was one, while was not Emérance a heroine in a different manner? -Not a good heroine, it is true, but a heroine in the same manner as -Rodogune, as Phædra, were. A heroine who, though the words were not -written ere she died, justified the poet's line: "All for love and the -world well lost."</p> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<h4>The End.</h4> -<br> -<br> -<br> -<br> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Traitor and True, by John Bloundelle-Burton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAITOR AND TRUE *** - -***** This file should be named 52649-h.htm or 52649-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/4/52649/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by -Google Books (Cecil H. 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