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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..a82ed5f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67339 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67339) diff --git a/old/67339-0.txt b/old/67339-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c3298c2..0000000 --- a/old/67339-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12540 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Two Dianas Volume 3 (of 03), by -Alexandre Dumas - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Two Dianas Volume 3 (of 03) - -Authors: Alexandre Dumas - Paul Meurice - -Illustrator: E. Van Meyden - -Release Date: February 6, 2022 [eBook #67339] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by - Hathi Trust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TWO DIANAS VOLUME 3 (OF -03) *** - - -THE TWO DIANAS. - - - - -BY - -ALEXANDRE DUMAS. - - - - -IN THREE VOLUMES. - - -VOL. III. - - - - -LONDON: J. M. DENT & CO. - -BOSTON, LITTLE, BROWN, & CO. - -1894. - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS - -DRAWN AND ETCHED BY E. VAN MUYDEN. - -The Fatal Joust - -A Criminal's Speech against himself - -The Forest of Château-Regnault - - - - -[Illustration: The Fatal Joust.] - - - - -CONTENTS - -Chapter - -I. Wherein It Seems As If The Misunderstandings -Were About To Begin Again - -II. A Criminal's Speech against Himself - -III. Justice - -IV. Two Letters - -V. A Protestant Conventicle - -VI. Another Trial - -VII. A Perilous Step - -VIII. The Imprudence of Precaution - -IX. Opportunity - -X. Between two Duties - -XI. Omens - -XII. The Fatal Joust - -XIII. A New Order of Affairs - -XIV. Results of Gabriel's Vengeance - -XV. Change of Temperature - -XVI. Guise and Coligny - -XVII. Reports and Denunciations - -XVIII. A Spy - -XIX. An Informer - -XX. A Child King and Queen - -XXI. End of the Italian Journey - -XXII. Two Appeals - -XXIII. A Perilous Confidence - -XXIV. The Disloyalty of Loyalty - -XXV. The Beginning of the End - -XXVI. The Forest of Château-Begnault - -XXVII. A Glimpse at the Politics of the -Sixteenth Century - -XXVIII. The Tumult of Amboise - -XXIX. An Act of Faith - -XXX. Another Specimen of Politics - -XXXI. A Ray of Hope - -XXXII. Well-Guarded Slumber - -XXXIII. A King's Death-Bed - -XXXIV. Adieu, France! - -Conclusion - - - - -THE TWO DIANAS - - - - -CHAPTER I - -WHEREIN IT SEEMS AS IF THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS WERE -ABOUT TO BEGIN AGAIN - - -Arnauld du Thill was not at once taken back to the dungeon which he -occupied in the conciergerie of Rieux. He was taken to a room adjoining -that where the court was sitting, and was left alone for a few moments. - -It might be, they told him, that after questioning his adversary, the -judges would desire to hear him further. Left to his own reflections, -the crafty scamp began by congratulating himself upon the effect he had -evidently produced by his clever and bold speech. Brave Martin-Guerre, -notwithstanding the righteousness of his cause, would surely find it -hard to be so persuasive. - -At all events Arnauld had gained time. But on thinking matters over more -carefully he could not conceal from himself that he had gained nothing -else. The truth which he had so audaciously distorted would finally -overwhelm him on all sides. Could he hope that Monsieur de Montmorency -himself, whose testimony he had dared to invoke, would take the risk of -using his position to shield the avowed misdeeds of his spy? It was -doubtful, to say the least. - -The result of Arnauld's cogitations was that he gradually relapsed from -hope to anxiety, and all things considered, said to himself that his -position was not the most encouraging in the world. - -He lowered his head under these discouraging thoughts, when some one -came to take him back to prison. - -So the tribunal had not thought best to question him further after -Martin-Guerre's explanations! Another cause for anxiety. - -All this, nevertheless, did not prevent Arnauld du Thill, who noticed -everything, from observing that it was not his ordinary jailer who had -come to take him, and was with him at that moment. - -Why the change? Were they redoubling their precautions against his -escape? Did they hope to make him confess? Arnauld determined to be on -his guard, and said not a word during the whole walk. - -But behold! another cause of amazement. The room to which this new -custodian conducted Arnauld was not the one he ordinarily occupied. - -The latter had a barred window and a high chimneypiece, which were -lacking in the other. - -However, everything bore witness to the recent presence of a -prisoner,--crumbs of bread still fresh, a half-emptied cup of water, a -straw pallet, and a half-opened chest within which could be seen a man's -clothes. - -Arnauld du Thill, who was well used to restraining his emotions, made no -sign of surprise, but as soon as he found himself alone, he hastened to -overhaul the chest. - -He found nothing but clothes in it; nothing else to indicate its owner. -But the clothes were of a color and cut which Arnauld seemed to -remember. Especially two jerkins of brown cloth, and yellow tricot -breeches, which were neither of a common shade nor shape. - -"Oho," said Arnauld, "that would be strange!" - -Just as night began to fall, the unknown jailer entered. - -"Hallo, Master Martin-Guerre!" said he, laying his hand familiarly upon -the pensive Arnauld's shoulder in a way to signify that the jailer knew -his prisoner very well, even if the prisoner did not know his jailer. - -"What is the matter, pray?" Arnauld asked this very friendly official. - -"Well, it's just this, my dear fellow," the man replied; "your affair -seems to be looking brighter and brighter. Who do you suppose has -obtained leave from the judges, and now asks of yourself the favor of a -few moments' conversation?" - -"My faith, I can't imagine!" said Arnauld. "How should I know? Who can -it be?" - -"Your wife, my friend; even Bertrande de Rolles herself, who is -beginning to see, doubtless, which one of you has the right on his side. -But if I were in your place, I would refuse to receive her,--that I -would." - -"Why so?" asked Arnauld du Thill. - -"Why?" repeated the jailer. "Why, because she has denied you for so -long, of course! It is quite time for her to come over to the side of -justice and truth, just when to-morrow at the latest the decree of the -court will proclaim it publicly and officially! You agree with me, do -you not? and I will send your ungrateful spouse about her business -without ceremony." - -The jailer took a step toward the door, but Arnauld stopped him with a -gesture. - -"No, no!" said he, "don't send her away. On the other hand, I want to -see her. In short, since she has obtained leave from the judges, show -Bertrande de Rolles in, my dear friend." - -"Hum! Always the same," said the jailer. "Always easy-going and -good-natured. If you allow your wife to reassert her former ascendency -so quickly, you take a great risk. However, that's your business." - -The jailer withdrew, shrugging his shoulders compassionately. - -Two minutes later he returned with Bertrande de Rolles. It was growing -darker every instant. - -"I will leave you alone," said the jailer, "but I shall come to take -Bertrande away before it is quite dark: those are the orders. So you -have hardly a quarter of an hour; use it to quarrel or to make up, as -you choose." - -And he left the cell again. - -Bertrande de Rolles came forward, shame-faced and with bent head, toward -the pretended Martin-Guerre, who remained seated and silent, leaving it -for her to begin the conversation. - -"Oh, Martin!" said she at last, in a weak and hesitating voice, when she -was at his side; "Martin, can you ever forgive me?" - -Her eyes were wet with tears, and she was literally trembling in every -limb. - -"Forgive you for what?" replied Arnauld, who did not propose to commit -himself. - -"Why, for my stupid mistake," said Bertrande. "Of course I did very -wrong not to recognize you. But was there not some excuse for my -mistake, since it seems that at times you were deceived yourself? So it -was necessary, I confess, to make me believe in my error, that the whole -province, Monsieur le Comte de Montgommery, and justice, which knows -everything, should prove to me that you are my true husband, and that -the other is only a fraud and an impostor." - -"But let us see," said Arnauld; "which is the acknowledged -impostor,--the one whom Monsieur de Montgommery brought hither, or the -one whom they found in possession of Martin-Guerre's goods and name?" - -"Why, the other!" replied Bertrande; "the one who deceived me so, and -whom during the last week I have still called my husband, stupid, blind -fool that I was!" - -"Aha, so the thing seems to be pretty well established now, does it?" -asked Arnauld, with emotion. - -"_Mon Dieu_! yes, Martin," Bertrande replied in some confusion. "The -gentlemen of the court and your master, the worthy nobleman, told me -just now that they had no longer any doubt, and that you were surely the -true Martin-Guerre, my dear, good husband." - -"Ah, indeed," said Arnauld, whose cheek paled in spite of himself. - -"Thereupon," continued Bertrande, "they gave me to understand that I -would do well to ask your forgiveness, and to become reconciled to you -before they pronounce judgment; so I asked and obtained leave to see -you." - -She stopped a moment, but seeing that her pretended husband gave no sign -of replying, she went on,-- - -"It is only too certain, good Martin-Guerre, that I have been very -guilty toward you. But I implore you to reflect that it has been -entirely involuntary on my part, as I call the Holy Virgin and the child -Jesus to witness! My first mistake was the not having unmasked and -discovered the fraud of this Arnauld du Thill. But could I imagine that -there could be such a perfect resemblance in the world, and that the -good God would amuse Himself by making two of His creatures so exactly -alike? Alike in feature and in form, but not, it is true, in character -and heart; and it was that difference which should have opened my eyes, -I confess. But why? Nothing warned me to be on my guard. Arnauld du -Thill talked to me of the past just as you yourself would have done. He -had your ring and your papers, and not a single one of his friends or -relatives suspected him. I acted in good faith. I attributed the change -in your disposition to the experience you had gained in your extensive -travels. Consider, my dear husband, that under the name of that stranger -it was you whom I always loved, you to whom I submitted joyfully. -Consider that, and you will forgive me for the first mistake, which led -me--without intending it or knowing it, so help me God!--to commit the -sin for which I shall pass the remainder of my days asking pardon from -Heaven and from you." - -Bertrande de Rolles again paused in her justification to see if -Martin-Guerre would not speak to her and encourage her a little. But he -remained persistently silent, and poor Bertrande, with sinking heart, -continued,-- - -"Even if it be impossible, Martin, for you to bear ill-will toward me -for this first involuntary wrong, the second, unfortunately, deserves -beyond question all your reproaches and all your anger. When you were -not at hand, I might mistake another for you; but when you had presented -yourself, and I had leisure to compare you with the other, I should have -recognized you at once. But consider whether even in that matter my -conduct does not admit of some excuse. In the first place, Arnauld du -Thill was, as you say, in possession of the title and name which belong -to you, and it was extremely repugnant to my feelings to admit a -supposition which would make me guilty. In the second place, I was -hardly allowed to see you and speak with you. When I was confronted with -you, you were not dressed in your ordinary dress, but were wrapped in a -long coat which hid your form and your gait from me. Then, too, I was -kept secluded almost as closely as Arnauld du Thill and yourself, and I -hardly saw either of you except before the court, always separately and -at a considerable distance. In the face of that terrifying resemblance, -what means had I of determining the truth? I made up my mind, almost -haphazard, in favor of him whom I had called my husband just before. I -implore you not to be angry with me for it. The judges to-day assure me -that I was mistaken, and that they have abundant proofs of it. Thereupon -I come to you, penitent and abashed, trusting only in your kind heart -and the love of former days. Was I wrong to rely thus on your -indulgence?" - -After this direct question, Bertrande made another pause; but the false -Martin still remained dumb. - -Surely, in thus renouncing Arnauld du Thill Bertrande was adopting a -curious method of softening his heart toward her; but she was acting in -perfect good faith, and committed herself more and more irrevocably to -that view which she believed to be the true one, in order to touch the -heart of him whose forgiveness she supposed herself to be imploring. - -"As for myself," she resumed humbly, "you will find my disposition much -altered. I am no longer the scornful, capricious, ill-tempered virago -who made life such a burden to you. The cruel treatment which I have -undergone at the hands of that wretched Arnauld, and which ought to have -condemned him in my eyes, has had one good result, at least,--in bending -and taming my spirit; and you may expect to find me in future as easily -managed and obliging as you yourself are gentle and kind-hearted. For -you will be gentle and kind with me as you used to be, will you not? You -are going to prove that now by forgiving me; and then I shall know you -by your good heart, as I know you already by your features." - -"So you do recognize me now, do you?" said Arnauld du Thill, at last. - -"Oh, yes! indeed, I do," replied Bertrande; "but I blame myself for -having waited for the judgment and decree of the court." - -"So you do recognize me?" said Arnauld, persisting in his question. "You -do realize now that I am not that intriguing scoundrel who had the -assurance to call himself your husband no longer ago than last week, but -that I am the real, legitimate Martin-Guerre, whom you have not seen -before for many years? Look at me. Do you recognize me now, and -acknowledge me as your first and only husband?" - -"To be sure I do," said Bertrande. - -"By what marks do you recognize me?" asked Arnauld. - -"Alas!" said Bertrande, frankly, "only by the outward appearance of your -person, I confess. Were you beside Arnauld du Thill and dressed like -him, the resemblance is so exact that very likely I could not tell you -apart even now. I know you for my true husband because I was told that I -was to be taken to him, because you occupy this cell, and not Arnauld's, -and because you receive me with the calm severity which I deserve; while -Arnauld would be trying still to abuse me and deceive me--" - -"Wretched Arnauld!" cried Arnauld himself, harshly. "And you, weak and -credulous woman--" - -"Don't spare me!" was Bertrande's rejoinder. "I much prefer your -reproaches to your silence. When you have said to me all that you have -at heart--for I know how kind and indulgent you are--you will soften -toward me and forgive me!" - -"Very well!" said Arnauld, in a somewhat milder tone. "Don't be -downhearted, Bertrande; we will see." - -"Ah!" exclaimed Bertrande, "what did I say? Yes, you are, indeed, my own -dear Martin-Guerre!" - -She threw herself at his feet, and bathed his hands with her honest -tears,--for she really believed she was talking with her husband; and -Arnauld du Thill, who was observing her distrustfully, could find no -excuse for the least suspicion. Her expressions of joy and penitence -were not ambiguous. - -"Very good!" Arnauld muttered to himself; "you shall pay for all this -some day, ingrate!" - -Meanwhile he seemed to give way to an irresistible impulse of affection. - -"I am weak, and I feel that I am yielding," said he, pretending to wipe -away a tear which was not there; and, as if in spite of himself, he -breathed a kiss upon the lowly head of the fair penitent. - -"What ecstasy!" cried Bertrande; "he has almost forgiven me!" - -At this moment the door opened, and the jailer reappeared. - -"Humph! Made it up, have you?" said he, testily, as his eye fell upon -the sentimental tableau presented by the happy pair. "I was sure of -it,--you're such a milksop, Martin!" - -"What's that? Do you blame him for his kind heart?" said Bertrande. - -"Ha, ha! Come, come!" said Arnauld, laughing in the most fatherly way. - -"Well, as I said before, it's his business," replied the unmoved jailer; -"and it's my business now to carry out my orders. The time has expired, -and you cannot stay a minute longer, my weeping beauty." - -"What! must I leave him already?" asked Bertrande. - -"Yes. You will have time enough to see him to-morrow and all the rest of -your days," was the reply. - -"True, he will be free to-morrow!" rejoined Bertrande. "To-morrow, dear, -we will begin again our peaceful life of former days." - -"Postpone your caresses till to-morrow, too," observed the fierce -jailer, "for now you must leave." - -Bertrande kissed once more the hand which Arnauld du Thill held out to -her royally, waved a last adieu to him, and preceded the jailer from the -cell. - -As the latter was closing the door, Arnauld called him back. - -"May I not have a light, a lamp?" he asked. - -"Yes, to be sure, just as you have every evening," said the jailer; -"that is, until curfew,--nine o'clock. By our Lady! we don't treat you -as harshly as Arnauld du Thill; and then, too, your master, the Comte de -Montgommery, is so generous! You are well taken care of to oblige him. -In five minutes I will bring your candle, friend Martin." - -The light was brought to him very shortly by a turnkey, who withdrew at -once, wishing the prisoner good-night, and reminding him anew to -extinguish it at curfew. - -Arnauld du Thill, when he found himself alone, quickly removed the linen -suit that he wore, and clothed himself no less speedily in one of the -famous suits, composed of a brown jerkin and yellow tricot -small-clothes, which he had discovered in Martin-Guerre's chest. - -Then he burned his former costume piece by piece in the flame of his -candle, and mingled the ashes with those which were lying on the hearth. - -It was all done in less than an hour; and he was enabled to extinguish -his light and go virtuously to bed even before the curfew tolled. - -"Now, we will see!" said he. "I seem to have been beaten before the -court; but it will be very pleasant to succeed in deriving the means of -victory from my defeat." - - - - -CHAPTER II - -A CRIMINAL'S SPEECH AGAINST HIMSELF - - -We can readily understand that sleep hardly visited Arnauld du Thill's -eyes that night. He lay stretched upon his straw litter, his eyes wide -open, entirely engrossed with reckoning up his chances, laying plans, -and marshalling his resources. The scheme he had devised, of -substituting himself for poor Martin-Guerre once more, was an audacious -one doubtless, but its very impudence endowed it with some chance of -success. - -Since luck favored him so marvellously, should he let his own audacity -betray him? - -No; he quickly adopted the course he was to follow, and left himself -free to adapt his movements to events as they might shape themselves, -and to unforeseen circumstances. - -When day broke, he examined his costume, found it unexceptionable, and -devoted himself anew to acquiring Martin-Guerre's gait and attitudes. -His mimicry of his double's good-natured demeanor was so perfect as -almost to be exaggerated. It must be confessed that the miserable -blackguard would have made an excellent comedian. - -About eight o'clock in the morning, the cell-door grated on its hinges. - -Arnauld du Thill suppressed a startled movement, and assumed an air of -tranquil indifference. - -The jailer of the night before reappeared, introducing the Comte de -Montgommery. - -"The devil! now the crisis is at hand!" said Arnauld du Thill to -himself. "I must be on my guard." - -He waited anxiously for Gabriel's first word when he should look at him. - -"Good-morning, my poor Martin-Guerre," Gabriel began. - -Arnauld breathed again. The Comte de Montgommery had looked him straight -in the face as he called him by name. The misunderstanding began again, -and Arnauld was saved! - -"Good-morning, my dear, kind Master," he said to Gabriel, with an -effusiveness of gratitude which was in truth not wholly feigned. - -He had the assurance to add,-- - -"Is there anything new, Monseigneur?" - -"The sentence will be pronounced this morning in all probability," -Gabriel replied. - -"At last! God be praised!" cried Arnauld. "I long for the end, I -confess. There is no conceivable doubt now,--nothing more to fear, is -there, Monseigneur? The right will surely triumph?" - -"Indeed I hope so," said Gabriel, gazing at Arnauld more intently than -ever. "That villanous Arnauld du Thill is reduced to desperate -remedies." - -"Is he really? And what infernal scheme is he hatching now?" asked -Arnauld. - -"Would you believe it?" said Gabriel; "the impostor is trying to renew -the old confusion." - -"Can it be?" cried Arnauld, with uplifted hands. "What is his pretext, -in God's name?" - -"Why, he has the assurance to claim," Gabriel replied, "that after the -hearing was at an end, yesterday, the jailers made a mistake, and took -him to Arnauld's cell, and you to his." - -"Is it possible?" said Arnauld, with a capitally feigned gesture of -surprise and indignation. "What proof does he give in support of that -impudent statement,--upon what does he base it?" - -"This is what he says," said Gabriel. "It seems that he, like you, was -not taken back at once to prison yesterday. The court, when they -withdrew to consult, thought that they might desire to question one or -both of you further; so the guards left him in the vestibule below, as -they left you in the courtyard. Now he swears that was the cause of -the error, and that it had been the custom to leave Arnauld in the -vestibule and Martin in the courtyard. The jailers, when they went to -take their respective prisoners, naturally confused the one with the -other, according to his story. As for the guards concerned, they are the -same ones who 'have always had charge of the two, and these human -machines only know their prisoners, without being able to distinguish -their persons. He bases his new claims upon such absurd reasons as -those; and he is weeping and shrieking and asking to see me." - -"Have you seen him, Monseigneur?" asked Arnauld, eagerly. - -"My faith, no!" said Gabriel. "I am afraid of his tricks and his wiles. -He would be quite capable of deceiving me and leading me astray again. -The blackguard is so bold and clever withal." - -"Ah, Monseigneur defends him now!" rejoined Arnauld, feigning -discontent. - -"I am not defending him, Martin," said Gabriel; "but we must agree that -his brain is full of expedients, and that if he had applied himself to -earning an honest living with half the skill--" - -"He's an infamous villain!" cried Arnauld, vehemently. - -"How severe you are upon him to-day!" replied Gabriel. "But I was -thinking to myself as I came along, that after all he has not caused -anybody's death; that if his condemnation is pronounced in a few hours, -he will surely be hanged within a week; that capital punishment is -perhaps an excessive penalty for his crimes, and that in short we might, -if you choose, ask for mercy to be shown him." - -"Mercy for him!" Arnauld du Thill repeated with some hesitation. - -"It requires thought, I know," said Gabriel; "but come now,--you have -thought about it; what do you say?" - -Arnauld, with his chin in one hand, and rubbing his cheek with the -other, remained for some seconds pensive without replying; but at last, -having made up his mind, he said firmly,-- - -"No, no! no mercy! That will be much better." - -"Oho!" replied Gabriel, "I did not know you were so vindictive, Martin; -you are not generally so, and only yesterday you were pitying your -adversary, and would have asked nothing better than to save his life." - -"Yesterday, yesterday," muttered Arnauld, "yesterday he had not played -us this last trick, which is to my mind more shameful than all the -others." - -"That is very true," Gabriel remarked. "So you are very decidedly of the -opinion that the culprit should die?" - -"_Mon Dieu_!" replied Arnauld, with a sanctified air, "you know, -Monseigneur, how my soul revolts at violence and revenge, and all deeds -of blood. My heart is torn to be compelled to yield to so cruel a -necessity, but it is a necessity. Consider, Monseigneur, that so long as -this man who resembles me so closely is still in the land of the living, -I can never lead a peaceful, happy life. This last bold stroke which he -has just struck shows that he is incorrigible. If he is sentenced to be -kept in prison he will escape; if he is banished he will return, and -therefore I shall always be anxious and in torment, expecting every -moment that he will come back to worry me, and unsettle my whole life -again. My friends and my wife will never be sure that they really are -dealing with me, and suspicion will always be rife. I must always be on -the watch for renewed struggles and fresh attacks on my identity. In -short, I can never say I am really in possession of my own personality. -Therefore I must in my grief and despair do violence to my character, -Monseigneur; I shall doubtless mourn all the rest of my days for having -caused the death of a fellow-creature; but it must be, it must be! -To-day's imposture removes my last scruples. Arnauld du Thill must die! -I yield to necessity." - -"So be it, then, he shall die," said Gabriel. "That is to say, he shall -die if he is condemned, for judgment has not been pronounced yet." - -"What do you say? Isn't it certain?" asked Arnauld. - -"It is probable, but not certain," was Gabriel's reply. "That devil of -an Arnauld addressed a very crafty and convincing speech to the judges -yesterday." - -"Cursed fool that I was!" thought Arnauld. - -"While you, on the other hand, Martin," continued Gabriel, "you, who -have just demonstrated to me with such admirable eloquence and -conviction the necessity for Arnauld's death, could not, you will -remember, find a single word to say before the court yesterday, nor -could you adduce a single argument or a single fact to aid in the -triumph of truth. You were confused and remained almost dumb, in spite -of my urgency. Although you had been informed as to your adversary's -arguments, you did not know how to meet and reply to them." - -"The reason is, Monseigneur," was Arnauld's response, "that I am at my -ease with you alone, while all those judges frightened me. Besides, I -confess that I relied upon the righteousness of my cause. It seemed to -me that justice would plead for me better than I could for myself. But -that seems not to be the case with these men of the law. They want -words, nothing but words, I can see now. Ah, if it could only begin -again, or if they would hear me even now!" - -"Why, what would you do, Martin?" - -"Oh, I would pluck up a little courage, and then I would speak. It would -not be a difficult matter by any means to demolish all the proofs and -allegations of Arnauld du Thill." - -"I tell you that would not be an easy matter!" said Gabriel. - -"Pardon me, Monseigneur," replied Arnauld; "I can see the weak points in -his strategy as clearly as he can see them himself, and if I had been -less timid, and if words had not failed me, I would have told the -judges--" - -"Well, what would you have told them, pray? Just tell me." - -"What would I have told them? Why, nothing could be simpler." - -Thereupon Arnauld du Thill set to work to refute his speech of the -evening before, point by point. He unravelled the events and the -mistakes of the double existence of Martin-Guerre and Arnauld with so -much the more facility, because he had tangled them up himself. The -Comte de Montgommery had left certain matters still obscure in the minds -of the judges, because he had been unable to explain them to his own -satisfaction, but Arnauld du Thill elucidated them with marvellous -clearness. The result of his discourse was to show Gabriel the two -destinies of the honest man and the rascal as clearly and sharply -defined and distinguished, for all the confusion there had been in. -regard to them, as that between oil and water when put in the same -vessel. - -"Have you then been collecting information at Paris on your own -account?" asked Gabriel. - -"Without doubt I have, Monseigneur; and in case of need I could furnish -proofs of what I say. I am not easily excited, but when I am driven into -my last intrenchments, I can make energetic sorties." - -"But," Gabriel continued, "Arnauld du Thill invoked the testimony of -Monsieur de Montmorency, and you do not reply to that." - -"Indeed, I do, Monseigneur. It is very true that this Arnauld has been -in the constable's service, but his was a disgraceful employment. He -must have been a sort of spy for him, and that fully explains why he -attached himself to you, to follow you about and watch your movements. -But though such people are employed, they are not acknowledged. Do you -suppose that Monsieur de Montmorency would choose to accept the -responsibility for the doings and sayings of his emissary? No, indeed! -Arnauld du Thill, perched at the bottom of the wall, would not really -dare to call upon the constable; or if he did venture in despair of his -cause, Monsieur de Montmorency would deny him. Now, to sum up--" - -And in his clear and logical resume, Arnauld successfully demolished, -bit by bit, the edifice of fraud which he had so skilfully constructed -the preceding day. - -With such facility in argument, and such a flow of words, Arnauld du -Thill would have made a very distinguished advocate of our times. He had -the misfortune to live three hundred years too soon. Let us have pity on -his shade! - -"I believe that all this is unanswerable," he remarked to Gabriel when -he had finished. "What a pity it is that the judges cannot hear me -again, or that they have not heard me now!" - -"They have heard you," said Gabriel. - -"How so?" - -"Look!" - -The door of the cell opened, and Arnauld, entirely bewildered and -somewhat alarmed, saw the president of the tribunal and two of the -judges, standing grave and motionless on the threshold. - -"What does this mean?" asked Arnauld, turning toward Gabriel. - -"It means," replied Monsieur de Montgommery, "that I suspected my poor -Martin-Guerre's timidity, and wished that his judges, without his -knowledge, should hear the unanswerable speech they have just heard." - -"Wonderfully well done!" rejoined Arnauld, breathing freely once more. -"I am a thousand times obliged to you, Monseigneur." - -Turning to the judges, he said in a tone which he tried to render -bashful,-- - -"May I think, may I hope, that my words have really established the -justice of my cause in the enlightened minds which are at this moment -arbiters of my destiny?" - -"Yes," said the president; "the proofs which have been furnished us have -convinced us." - -"Ah!" said Arnauld du Thill, triumphantly. - -"But," continued the president, "other proofs, no less certain and -conclusive, compel us to state that there was a mistake yesterday in -remanding the two prisoners to their cells,--that Martin-Guerre was -taken to yours, Arnauld du Thill, and that you are now occupying his." - -"What!--how's that?" stammered Arnauld, thunderstruck. "What do you say -to it, Monseigneur?" he added, addressing Gabriel. - -"I say that I knew it," replied Gabriel, sternly. "I say again, -_Arnauld_, that I desired to make you out of your own mouth furnish -proofs of Martin's innocence and your own guilt. You have forced me, -villain, to play a part which I abhor; but your unparalleled insolence -yesterday made me understand that when one enters upon a struggle with -such as you he must use the same weapons, and that frauds can only be -conquered by fraud. However, you have left me nothing to do, but have -been in such haste to betray your own cause that your cowardice has led -you on to meet the trap that was set for you." - -"To meet the trap, eh?" echoed Arnauld. "So there was a trap, was there? -But, in any event, you are abandoning your own Martin in my person; -don't deceive yourself about that, Monseigneur!" - -"Do not persist, Arnauld du Thill," interposed the president. "The -mistake about the cells was contrived and ordered by the court. You are -unmasked beyond a peradventure, I assure you." - -"But since you agree that there was a mistake," cried the irrepressible -Arnauld, "who can assure you, Monsieur le President, that a mistake was -not made in executing your orders?" - -"The testimony of the guards and jailers," said the president. - - -[Illustration: A Criminal's Speech against himself.] - - -"They are in error," retorted Arnauld. "I am really Martin-Guerre, -Monsieur de Montgommery's squire, and I will not submit to be convicted -in this way. Confront me with your other prisoner, and when we stand -beside one another dare to choose between us,--dare to distinguish -Arnauld du Thill from Martin-Guerre, the culprit from the innocent! As -if there had not already been confusion enough in this cause, you must -needs add to it. Your conscience will prevent your coming to any such -conclusion. I will persist to the end, and in spite of everything, in -crying, 'I am Martin-Guerre!' and I defy the whole world to give me the -lie or to produce facts to contradict me." - -The judges and Gabriel shook their heads, and smiled gravely and -sorrowfully at this shameless and unblushing obstinacy. - -"Once more, Arnauld du Thill," said the president, "I tell you that -there is no longer any possibility of confusion between Martin-Guerre -and yourself." - -"Why not?" said Arnauld. "How can he be recognized? What mark -distinguishes us?" - -"You shall know, miserable wretch!" said Gabriel, indignantly. - -He made a sign, and Martin-Guerre appeared upon the threshold. - -Martin-Guerre without a cloak! Martin-Guerre mutilated, and with a -wooden leg! - -"Martin, my good squire," said Gabriel to Arnauld, "after miraculously -escaping from the gallows which you helped him to ascend at Noyon, was -less fortunate at Calais in avoiding an act of vengeance which was only -too justifiable, intended to punish one of your infamous deeds: he was -hurled headlong into an abyss in your stead, and compelled to suffer -amputation of one leg; but by the mysterious working of the divine will, -which is just when it appears most cruel, that catastrophe has now -served to establish a point of distinction between the persecutor and -the victim. The judges here present can no longer be deceived, since -they may now recognize the criminal by his shamelessness, and the -innocent man by his disfigurement." - -Arnauld du Thill, pale and overwhelmed, and crushed beneath the terrible -words and withering glances of Gabriel, no longer tried to defend or to -deny himself; the sight of poor crippled Martin-Guerre rendered all his -lies of no effect. - -He fell heavily to the floor, an inert mass. - -"I am lost!" he muttered,--"lost!" - - - - -CHAPTER III - -JUSTICE - - -Arnauld du Thill was, indeed, lost beyond recall. The judges at once met -for deliberation, and within a quarter of an hour the accused was -summoned before them to listen to the following decree, which we -transcribe literally from the records of the time:-- - - -"In consideration of the examination of Arnauld du Thill, called -Sancette, alias Martin-Guerre, now confined in the conciergerie at -Rieux: - -"In consideration of the testimony of divers witnesses, to wit, -Martin-Guerre, Bertrande de Rolles, Carbon Barreau, etc., and especially -that of Monsieur le Comte de Montgommery: - -"In consideration of the avowals of the accused himself, who, after -trying in vain to deny it, finally confessed his crime: - -"From which said examination, depositions, and avowals it appears: - -"That said Arnauld du Thill has been duly convicted of fraud, forgery, -false assumption of surname and baptismal name, adultery, rape, -sacrilege, larceny, and other crimes: - -"The court has condemned, and does now condemn and sentence said Arnauld -du Thill: - -"First. To do penance in front of the church of Artigues, on his knees, -clad only in his shirt, with head and feet bare, having a halter about -his neck, and holding in his hands a torch of burning wax: - -"Secondly. To ask pardon publicly of God and the king and the outraged -law, as well of the said Martin-Guerre and Bertrande de Rolles, husband -and wife: - -"And this done, said Arnauld du Thill shall be delivered into the hands -of the public executioner, who shall cause him to be led through the -streets and public places of the said village of Artigues, still with -the halter around his neck, until he shall be before the house of said -Martin-Guerre: - -"There to be hanged by the neck upon a gallows to be erected to that end -on that spot, and his body to be afterward burned. - -"And, in addition, the court has discharged from custody said -Martin-Guerre and said Bertrande de Rolles, and does now remand said -Arnauld du Thill to the judge of Artigues, who will cause this decree to -be carried into effect according to its form and tenor. - -"Given at Rieux the 12th day of July, 1558." - - -Arnauld du Thill listened to this anticipated judgment with a gloomy and -sombre air, although he repeated his confession, recognized the justice -of the decree, and showed some repentance. - -"I implore God's clemency," said he, "and the pardon of mankind, and am -disposed to meet my fate like a Christian." - -Martin-Guerre, who was present at this scene, furnished fresh proof of -his identity by bursting into tears at the words of his arch-enemy, -hypocritical though they might be. - -He conquered his ordinary bashfulness so far as to ask the president if -there were not some means of obtaining mercy for Arnauld du Thill, whom -he freely forgave for the past so far as he was concerned. - -But good Martin-Guerre was informed that the king alone had the right to -interpose, and that for such an extraordinary and notorious crime he -would surely refuse to exercise his right of pardon, even though the -judges themselves should ask it of him. - -"Yes," Gabriel muttered to himself; "yes, the king would refuse to show -mercy. And yet he may well need that mercy should be shown himself! But -in this case he would do right to be inflexible. No mercy! Never any -mercy! Justice!" - -Martin-Guerre's thoughts probably did not resemble his master's; for in -his absolute need to forgive somebody, he at once opened his arms and -his heart to the penitent and humble Bertrande de Rolles. - -Bertrande was not even put to the trouble of repeating the prayers and -promises which in her last very useful blunder she had poured out upon -the forger Arnauld du Thill, when she believed she was speaking to her -husband. Martin-Guerre gave her no time to lament anew her errors and -her weakness. He cut short her first attempt to speak with a loud kiss, -and carried her off, triumphant and delighted, to the blissful little -house which he had not seen for so many years. - -In front of that very house, which had at last reverted to the hands of -its true owner, Arnauld du Thill, a week after his conviction, suffered -the penalty which his crimes so well deserved. - -Folks came from twenty leagues around to be present at the execution, -and the streets of the wretched village of Artigues were more densely -thronged that day than those of the capital. - -The culprit, it must be said, showed a certain amount of courage in his -last moments, and at least ended his shameful life exemplarily. - -When the executioner had cried aloud to the people three times, -according to custom: "Justice is done!" and while the crowd was slowly -melting away in horrified silence, within the house of the victim of the -culprit's wiles a man was weeping, and a woman praying; they were -Martin-Guerre and Bertrande de Rolles. - -His native air, the sight of the locality in which his youth had been -passed, the affection of his kinsfolk and his old friends, and, above -all, the loving attentions of Bertrande, in a very few days banished -from Martin's face every trace of unhappiness. - -One evening in this same month of July he was seated under the vine at -his door, after a peaceful, happy day. - -His wife was within, busy with her housekeeping cares, but Martin could -hear her coming and going, so that he was not alone; and he looked off -to the right at the sun, which was just setting in all his glory, giving -promise for the morrow of as beautiful a day as that which had just -passed. - -Martin did not see a horseman who rode up on his left, and dismounting, -approached him noiselessly. - -He stood a moment observing with a grave smile Martin's attitude of -dreamy and peaceful contemplation. Then he reached out his hand, and -without a word touched him on the shoulder. - -Martin-Guerre quickly turned, and rose with his hand to his cap. - -"What! You, Monseigneur!" he said, with much emotion. "Pardon me, I did -not see you coming." - -"Don't apologize, my good Martin," replied Gabriel (for it was he); "I -did not come to disturb your peace of mind, but on the other hand to -assure myself of it." - -"Oh, Monseigneur has only to look at me, then!" said Martin. - -"That's what I was doing, Martin," observed Gabriel. "So you are happy, -are you?" - -"Happier, Monseigneur, than the birds of the air or the fish in the -sea." - -"That is easily explained," returned Gabriel, "for you have found rest -and plenty in your own home." - -"Yes," said Martin-Guerre, "without doubt that is one of the reasons of -my contentment. It may be that I have travelled sufficiently, seen -enough battles, watched and fasted and suffered in a hundred ways -sufficiently, to have earned the right, Monseigneur, to take pleasure in -refreshing myself with a few days' rest. As for the plenty," he -continued, in more serious fashion, "I have found the house well -supplied,--too well supplied, in fact. The money does not belong to me, -and I don't want to touch it. Arnauld du Thill brought it here, and I -propose to restore it to its rightful owners. Much the greater part of -it belongs to you, Monseigneur, for it was the money intended for your -ransom which he stole. That sum is put aside all ready to be handed to -you. As for the balance, it makes little difference how or where Arnauld -obtained it; the gold would soil my fingers. Master Carbon Barreau -thinks as I do, honest man, and having enough to live on, he declines to -accept the unworthy heritage of his nephew. When the expenses of the -trial are paid, the rest will go to the poor of the province." - -"But in that case your property will not amount to much, my poor -Martin," said Gabriel. - -"I ask your pardon, Monseigneur. One does not serve a master so generous -and open-handed as yourself for a long while without having something -laid by. I brought a very respectable sum in my wallet from Paris. -Besides, Bertrande's family were comfortably situated, and have left her -some property. In short, we shall still be the magnates of the -neighborhood when I have paid our debts and made all proper -restitution." - -"Touching this matter of restitution, Martin, I hope you will not refuse -from my hand that which you scorned as a legacy from Arnauld. I beg you, -my faithful servant, to keep, as a remembrance and a slight recompense, -the sum which you say belongs to me." - -"What, Monseigneur?" cried Martin,--"a gift of such magnificence to me!" - -"Go to!" replied Gabriel; "do you imagine that I can pretend to pay you -for your devotion? Shall I not always be your debtor? Have no scruples -of pride with me, Martin, and let us say no more about it. It is -understood that you will accept the trifle that I offer you--less to you -than to me, in truth; for you tell me that you do not need this sum to -live in comfort and to be highly considered in your province, -consequently this will not add much to your happiness. Now as to this -happiness of yours; you have not spoken very fully to me about it, but -it ought to consist principally in your return to the loved spots which -your infancy and your youth knew. Am I not right?" - -"Yes, Monseigneur, that is quite true," said Martin-Guerre. "I have felt -very contented and happy since I returned, just because I am at home. I -gaze with emotion upon the houses and trees and roads, which no stranger -would ever look at a second time. In fact, it seems that one never -breathes so freely as in the air which he breathed the first day of his -life." - -"And your friends, Martin?" asked Gabriel. "I told you that I came to -set my mind at rest on all matters touching your welfare. Have you found -all your old friends again?" - -"Alas! Monseigneur, some have died; but I have found a goodly number of -the companions of my early days, and they all seem as fond of me as -ever. They, too, are glad to acknowledge my frankness, my faithful -friendship, and my devotion. My word! but they are ashamed that they -could ever have mistaken Arnauld du Thill for me, for he seems to have -given them some specimens of a nature very different from mine. There -were two or three of them who quarrelled with the false Martin-Guerre -because of his evil actions. You should see how proud and contented they -are now! In short, they all vie with one another in overwhelming me with -tokens of esteem and affection,--in order to make up for lost time, I -fancy. Since we are talking about the causes of my happiness, -Monseigneur, that is a very potent one, I assure you." - -"I believe it, good Martin, I can well believe it. Ah, but in speaking -of all the affection which sweetens your life you do not mention your -wife." - -"Ah, my wife," replied Martin, scratching his ear with an embarrassed -air. - -"To be sure, your wife," said Gabriel, anxiously. "What! it can't be -that Bertrande still torments you as before? Has not her disposition -changed for the better? Is she still ungrateful for the kindness of -heart and the relenting fate which have given her such a loyal and -affectionate husband? Is she still trying, Martin, with her shrewish and -quarrelsome ways, to force you to leave your home and your dear old -haunts a second time?" - -"Oh, no, quite the contrary, Monseigneur," said Martin-Guerre; "she -makes me too fond of my haunts and my native province. She waits upon -me, coddles me, and kisses me. No more whims or domestic rebellions. Ah, -indeed she is so sweet and equable as I never remember to have seen her -before. I can't open my mouth that she doesn't come running to me; and -she never waits for me to express my wishes, but seems to divine them. -It is wonderful! and as I am naturally easy-going and good-natured -myself, rather than despotic and domineering, our life is all honey, and -our household the most united and happy one in the world." - -"I am glad to hear it," said Gabriel; "but you almost frightened me at -first." - -"The reason for that, Monseigneur, was that I feel a little -embarrassment and confusion, if I may say so, when this subject is under -discussion. The sentiment I find in my heart when I examine myself on -that subject is a very singular one, and makes me a little ashamed. But -with you, Monseigneur, I may speak in all frankness and sincerity, may I -not?" - -"To be sure," said Gabriel. - -Martin-Guerre looked carefully around to see that no one was listening, -and especially that no one was within hearing. Then he said in a low -voice,-- - -"Well, Monseigneur, I not only forgive poor Arnauld du Thill, at this -moment I bless him. What a service he rendered me! He made a lamb out of -a tigress, an angel out of a devil. I welcome the fortunate results of -his brutal manners, without having to reproach myself for them. For all -tormented and harassed husbands, and they say the number of them is -enormous, I can wish nothing better than a double,--a double -as--persuasive as mine. In short, Monseigneur, although Arnauld du Thill -did most certainly cause me much annoyance and suffering, still do you -not think that those troubles are more than atoned for, if he did but -know it, by his energetic system, whereby he assured my domestic -happiness and tranquillity for the rest of my days?" - -"There's no doubt of that," said the young count, smiling. - -"I am right, then," said Martin, joyfully, "in blessing Arnauld, even -though I do it in secret, since I am reaping every hour the happy fruits -of his involuntary collaboration. I am somewhat of a philosopher, as you -know, Monseigneur, and I always look on the bright side. Therefore I am -bound to say that Arnauld has done me more good than harm at every -point. He has been my wife's husband in the interim; but he has given -her back to me sweeter than a day in June. He stole my property and my -friends from me temporarily; but thanks to him, my property returns to -my possession in increased amount, and my friends even more closely -bound to me. In fact, he was the means of subjecting me to some very -rough experiences, notably at Noyon and at Calais; but my life to-day -seems only more agreeable for his meddling with it. Wherefore I have -every reason to be, and I am, well satisfied with this good Arnauld." - -"You have a grateful heart," said Gabriel. - -"Oh, but he whom, before all and above all, my grateful heart ought to -thank and to reverence," continued Martin, becoming serious again, "is -not Arnauld du Thill, my involuntary benefactor, but you, Monseigneur, -you, to whom I really owe all these benefits,--my country, fortune, -friends, and wife!" - -"Again I repeat, enough of that, Martin," said Gabriel. "I ask only that -you should have all these good things. And you have them, haven't you? -Tell me again if you are happy." - -"I repeat, Monseigneur, I am happier than I have ever been." - -"That is all I desire to know," remarked Gabriel. "And now I must go." - -"What, go?" cried Martin. "Are you really thinking of going so soon, -Monseigneur?" - -"Yes, Martin, there is nothing to keep me here." - -"Pardon me, of course there is nothing. When do you mean to leave?" - -"This very evening." - -"And you never told me!" cried Martin-Guerre. "And I, sluggard! was -dreaming away in utter forgetfulness. But wait, wait, Monseigneur, it -will not be long!" - -"Wait for what?" asked Gabriel. - -"Why, for me to make my preparations for departure, to be sure!" - -He rose nimbly and hastily, and ran to the door of the house. - -"Bertrande, Bertrande!" he called. - -"Why do you call your wife, Martin?" asked Gabriel. - -"To get my things ready, and to say adieu, Monseigneur." - -"But that's useless, my good Martin; for you are not going with me." - -"What! You are not going to take me, Monseigneur!" - -"No, I must go alone." - -"Never to return?" - -"Not for a long while, surely." - -"What fault have you to find with me, Monseigneur, I pray you tell me?" -asked Martin, sadly. - -"None at all, my good Martin; you are the most devoted and faithful of -servants." - -"Yet you do not take me with you," returned Martin, "although it is -natural that the servant should follow his master, that the squire -should attend upon his lord." - -"I have the best of reasons for it, Martin." - -"May I venture to ask what they are, Monseigneur?" - -"In the first place," replied Gabriel, "it would be downright cruelty -for me to tear you away from this happy life which has come to you so -lately, and from the repose you have so well earned." - -"Oh, as for that, it is my duty to accompany you, Monseigneur, and to -serve you to my last hour; and I would give up Paradise, I believe, for -the sake of being at your side." - -"Yes, but it is my duty not to abuse your zeal, for which I am grateful -with all my heart," said Gabriel. "In the second place, the sad casualty -which befell you at Calais will not allow you hereafter to render me -such active service as you have done formerly." - -"It is true, alas! Monseigneur, that I can no longer light by your side, -or attend you in the saddle. But at Paris, at Montgommery, or in the -field even, there are many confidential commissions with which you can -still intrust the poor cripple, I hope, and which he will execute to the -best of his ability." - -"I know it, Martin; and I might perhaps be selfish enough to accept your -sacrifice were it not for a third reason." - -"May I know that, Monseigneur?" - -"Yes," Gabriel replied with melancholy gravity; "but only on condition -that you will not seek to go to the bottom of it, and that you will be -content with it, and not persist any further in following me." - -"It must be a very serious and very imperious reason, then, -Monseigneur?" - -"It is a sorrowful and unanswerable one, Martin," said Gabriel, in a -hollow voice. "Until now my life has been an honorable one; and if I had -chosen to allow my name to be uttered more freely it would have been a -glorious one. In fact, I believe that I may claim, without boasting, to -have rendered France and her king great and valuable services; for to -speak only of St. Quentin and Calais, I think I may say that at those -two places I discharged my debt to my country to the full." - -"Who knows it better than I?" said Martin-Guerre. - -"Very true, Martin; but in the same degree as this first part of my life -has been loyal and unselfish and open to the broad light of day, the -balance of my days will be passed in gloom and fear, always seeking to -hide itself in the darkness. Doubtless, I shall have the same vigor at -my command; but it will be exerted for a cause which I cannot avow, and -to attain an end which I must conceal. Thus far, in the open field, -before God and man, it has been my pleasure to strive manfully and -joyously for the reward of gallantry. Hereafter it is my duty, in -darkness and suffering, to avenge a crime. Hitherto I have fought; now I -must punish. From being a soldier of France I have become the executor -of the will of God." - -"Holy Jesus!" cried Martin-Guerre, with hands clasped as if in -supplication. - -"Therefore," continued Gabriel, "I must needs undertake alone this -ill-omened task,--in which I pray Heaven to employ my arm only, not my -will, and in which I desire to be merely the blind instrument, not the -guiding and directing brain. Since I ask, since I hope and trust, that -my fearful duty will employ only half of my own being, how can you think -that I would dream of associating you with it?" - -"That is very true, and I understand, Monseigneur," said the faithful -squire, with lowered head. "I thank you for having condescended to give -me this explanation, much as it grieves me; and I accept it, as I -promised to do." - -"I thank you, too, for your submissiveness," replied Gabriel; "for I -assure you that your devotion helps to lighten the heavy burden which is -almost too much for me even now." - -"But, Monseigneur, is there absolutely nothing that I can do to serve -you at this crisis?" - -"You can pray God, Martin, to spare me the necessity of taking the -initiative in this struggle, which I contemplate with such bitter pain. -You have a devout heart, and have led an honest and pure life, my -friend, and your prayers may be of more help to me now than your arm." - -"I will pray, Monseigneur, I will pray,--how ardently I need not tell -you!" - -"And now, adieu, Martin," said Gabriel; "I must leave you and return to -Paris, to be prepared and on the spot whenever it pleases God to give -the signal. All my life I have defended the right, fighting on the side -of justice; may God remember that in my favor at the supreme hour of -which I speak! May He mete out justice to His servant, even as I have -done to mine!" - -With his eyes upturned to heaven, the noble youth repeated,-- - -"Justice! justice!" - -For six months past, whenever Gabriel's eyes had been open, they were -generally intently fixed upon that Heaven at whose hands he asked for -justice; when they were closed, he seemed always to see once more the -gloomy Châtelet, in his gloomier reflections, which would at such times -make him cry aloud, "Vengeance!" - -Ten minutes later he tore himself away with great difficulty from the -tearful farewells of Martin-Guerre and Bertrande de Rolles, who had come -at her husband's summons. - -"Adieu, adieu, good Martin, my faithful friend!" he said, releasing his -hands almost by force from the fervent grasp of his squire, who was -kissing and sobbing over them. "I must go now. Adieu! We shall meet -again." - -"Adieu, Monseigneur! God preserve you!--oh, I pray that He will preserve -you!" - -Poor Martin, choked with grief, could say no more than that. - -Through his tears he saw his master and benefactor remount his horse in -the fast-gathering darkness, which soon hid from his eyes the sombre -figure of the horseman, as it had hidden his life from him for a long -time past. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -TWO LETTERS - - -After the happy ending of the complicated trial between the two -Martin-Guerres, Gabriel de Montgommery disappeared again for several -months, and resumed his wandering, mysterious, and apparently -purposeless existence. Again he was seen and recognized in twenty -different places; nevertheless, he was never far away from the -neighborhood of Paris and the court, always standing back in shadow, so -that he might see everything without being seen. - -He awaited events; but events arranged themselves very little to his -liking. The soul of the young man, entirely absorbed by one idea, did -not yet see its way clear to the issue which his righteous vengeance -awaited. - -The only important occurrence in the world of politics during these -months was the conclusion of peace by the treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis. - -The Constable de Montmorency, jealous of the exploits of the Duc de -Guise, and of the new claims to the gratitude of the nation and to his -master's favor which his rival was acquiring every day, had finally -extorted Henri's consent to that treaty through the all-powerful -influence of Diane de Poitiers. - -The treaty was signed April 3, 1559. Although concluded in the full tide -of victory, it was hardly advantageous to France. - -She retained the three bishoprics Metz, Toul, and Verdun, with their -dependencies; she was to keep Calais for eight years only, and to pay -eight hundred thousand crowns to Great Britain if the place was not -restored within that period (but it never was restored, and the eight -hundred thousand crowns were never paid). France regained possession of -St. Quentin and Ham, and retained Turin and Pignerol in Piedmont. - -But Philip II. obtained unconditional cession of the strong posts of -Thionville, Marienbourg, and Hesdin. The walls of Thérouanne and Yvoy -were razed. He caused the restitution of Bouillon to the bishopric of -Liège, the Isle of Corsica to Genoa, and to Philibert of Savoy the -greater part of Savoy and Piedmont, which had been conquered under -François I.; finally, he insisted upon his own marriage with the king's -daughter Élisabeth, and that the Duke of Savoy should be united to the -Princess Marguerite. These terms were very advantageous for him, and he -could have demanded none more favorable even after the battle of St. -Laurent. - -The Duc de Guise, coming back in hot haste and furious with rage from -the army, warmly and not unjustly accused Montmorency of treason, and -the king of fatal weakness in having thus surrendered by a stroke of the -pen what the Spanish forces had failed to wrest from France after thirty -years of successful fighting. - -But the harm was done, and the ominous discontent of Le Balafré was of -no avail to repair it. - -Gabriel found no satisfaction in this state of things. His vengeance -pursued the man in the person of the king, not the king to the detriment -of the nation. He would have been glad to avenge himself with his -country behind him, but not against her. - -However, he made a note in his mind of the natural resentment of the Duc -de Guise at seeing the sublime efforts of his genius paralyzed and -rendered of no account by underhand intriguing. - -The wrath of a Coriolanus might well, if occasion offered, serve to aid -Gabriel's projects. Besides, François de Lorraine was not the only -malcontent in the kingdom,--far from it. - -One day Gabriel encountered near the Pré-aux-Clercs Baron de la -Renaudie, whom he had not seen since the morning conference in the Rue -St. Jacques. - -Instead of avoiding a familiar face whenever he saw it approaching, as -he had been in the habit of doing, Gabriel accosted the baron. - -The two men seemed made to appreciate each other; they were much alike -in more than one respect,--notably in steadfastness and energy of -character. Both were born for action, and were passionately devoted to -every just cause. - -After exchanging salutations, La Renaudie said confidently,-- - -"Well, I have seen Master Ambroise Paré. You are one of us, are you -not?" - -"In heart, yes; but in appearance, no," Gabriel replied. - -"And when may we expect that you will give yourself to our cause -absolutely and without concealment?" - -"I will no longer hold with you the selfish language which perhaps -angered you against me," Gabriel replied. "On the other hand, I answer -thus: I will be at your service when you need me, and when I no longer -need you." - -"That is generous, indeed!" was La Renaudie's response. "As a gentleman -I admire, but as a party man I cannot hope to imitate you. However, if -you but await the moment when we need the help of all our friends, know -that moment has arrived." - -"Pray, what has happened?" asked Gabriel. - -"A secret blow is in preparation against those of the Religion. They -propose to get rid of all the Protestants at once." - -"What leads you to think so?" - -"Why, they scarcely take pains to hide it," replied the baron. "Antoine -Minard, President of the Parliament, said boldly at a council meeting at -St. Germain that it was necessary to strike a decisive blow, if they did -not wish to become a sort of republic like the Swiss States." - -"What! he uttered the word 'republic'?" cried Gabriel, in surprise. -"Doubtless he exaggerated the danger so that an exaggerated remedy might -be applied." - -"Not so much," rejoined La Renaudie, in a lower tone. "He did not -exaggerate very much, in truth; for we, too, have changed our views -somewhat since our meeting in Calvin's chamber, and Ambroise Paré's -ideas do not seem so bold to us to-day; and then, you see, they are -driving us to extreme measures." - -"In that case," said Gabriel, eagerly, "I may be one of you sooner than -I thought." - -"That is pleasant to hear," cried La Renaudie. - -"In what direction must I keep my eyes?" asked Gabriel. - -"Upon the parliament," said the baron, "for there the issue will be -joined. The Evangelical party has a strong minority there,--Anne -Dubourg, Henri Dufaur, Nicolas Duval, Eustache de la Porte, and twenty -others. To the harangues which call for the vigorous prosecution of -heretics, the adherents of Calvinism reply by demanding the convocation -of a general council to deal with religious affairs in accordance with -the terms of the decrees of Constance and Bâle. They have right on -their side; therefore it will be necessary to use violence against them. -But we are watching, and do you watch with us." - -"Very well," said Gabriel. - -"Remain at your house in Paris until you are notified that we have need -of you," continued La Renaudie. - -"That will be painful for me," observed Gabriel; "but I will do it, -provided that you do not leave me to pine in idleness too long. You have -written and talked enough, I should think, and now you ought to lay -aside words for deeds." - -"That is my opinion," rejoined La Renaudie. "Hold yourself in readiness, -and be tranquil." - -They parted, and Gabriel walked thoughtfully away. - -In his thirst for vengeance, was he not allowing his conscience to go -astray somewhat? Already it seemed to be driving him on toward civil -war; but since events would not come to him, he must go to them. - -That same day he returned to his house in the Rue des Jardins St. Paul, -where he found his faithful Aloyse alone. Martin-Guerre was no longer -there; André had remained with Madame de Castro; Jean and Babette -Peuquoy had returned to Calais with the intention of going thence to St. -Quentin, whose gates had been opened to the loyal weaver by the treaty -of Cateau-Cambrésis. - -Thus the master's return to his lonesome abode was more melancholy even -than usual. Ah, but did not the motherly old nurse love him enough for -all? We despair of picturing the worthy creature's joy when Gabriel -informed her that he had come to stay with her for some time in all -probability. He lived in most absolute secrecy and solitude, to be sure; -but he was there by her side, and very rarely left the house. Aloyse -could feast her eyes on him, and wait upon him. It was a long time since -she had been so happy. - -Gabriel, smiling sadly upon her, envied her loving heart its happiness. -Alas! he could not share it with her. His life henceforth was even to -himself a terrible enigma, of which he both dreaded and longed to know -the solution. - -Thus his days passed in impatience and apprehension, anxious and bored -for more than a month. - -As he had promised his nurse, he hardly ever left the house; but -sometimes in the evening he would go and prowl around the Châtelet, and -on his return would shut himself up for hours at a time in the funeral -vault, whither the unknown bearers had secretly brought his father's -body. - -Gabriel seemed to take a gloomy pleasure in going back thus to the day -when the outrage had been put upon him, that he might keep up his -courage with his wrath. - -When he looked upon the forbidding walls of the Châtelet, but above all -when he contemplated the marble tomb where the sufferings of that noble -life had finally found rest, the terrible morning when he had closed the -eyes of his murdered father came back to him in all its horror. - -Then his hands would move convulsively, his hair stand on end, and his -chest heave with passion; and he would emerge from that terrible -communion with the dead with his hatred renewed and more bitter than -ever. - -During such moments of anguish, Gabriel regretted having allowed his -vengeance to follow in the wake of circumstances, for it seemed -insupportable to him to have to wait for it. - -His blood boiled to think that while he was waiting so patiently his -murderous enemies were triumphant and joyous. The king sat peaceably on -his throne at the Louvre. The constable was growing rich on the miseries -of the people, and Diane de Poitiers rioting in infamous debauchery. - -This state of things could not last. Since God's vengeance was sleeping, -and the sufferings of the oppressed were growing daily greater, Gabriel -determined that he would do without the help of God or man, or rather -that he would constitute himself the instrument of divine justice and of -human wrath. - -Thereupon, carried away by an irresistible impulse, he would place his -hand on the hilt of his sword, and make a motion as if to go and seek -his revenge. - -But then his conscience would awake and remind him of Diane de Castro's -letter, written at Calais, in which his beloved had implored him not to -undertake to chastise with his own hand, and not to strike even the -guilty unless he were to do it involuntarily, and by the will of God. - -Then he would read again that affecting missive, and involuntarily let -his sword fall back into its scabbard. Stricken with remorse, he would -resign himself once more to wait. - -Gabriel was one of those men who are born for action, but have not -executive ability. His vigor and energy were marvellous when supported -by an army, or a small party, or even one great man; but he was not -fitted by nature to carry out extraordinary achievements alone, even for -a good object, and still less when they were to end in a crime. He was -neither a powerful prince nor a startling genius by birth, and the power -and the will to take the initiative were equally lacking in him. - -When beside Coligny, and again when with the Duc de Guise, he had -accomplished marvellous exploits. But now, as he had given Martin-Guerre -to understand, his task was a very different one; instead of having -enemies to fight in the open field, he had to chastise a king, and there -was no one to assist him in that fearful work. - -Nevertheless he still relied upon the same men who had formerly lent him -their powerful aid,--Coligny the Protestant, and the ambitious Duc de -Guise. - -A civil war for the defence of religious truth, a revolution to assist -in the triumph of a great genius,--such were the objects of Gabriel's -secret hopes. The death or deposition of Henri II., or at all events his -punishment, would be the result of either of the uprisings. Gabriel -would show himself in the second rank, but as one worthy to be in the -first. He would faithfully keep the oath he had sworn to the king -himself; he would visit his perjury upon his children and his children's -children. - -If these two chances failed him, then he would have no other resource -but to leave everything to God. - -But it seemed at first as if these two chances were not likely to fail -him. One day, it was the 13th of June, 1559, Gabriel received two -letters almost at the same time. - -The first was handed to him about five o'clock in the afternoon by a -mysterious individual, who refused to deliver it except to himself in -person, and would not deliver it to him until he had compared his -features with the details of an exact description. - -This letter read as follows:-- - - -FRIEND AND BROTHER,--The hour has come; the persecutors have thrown away -their masks. Let us thank God! Martyrdom leads to victory. - -This evening at nine o'clock call at the house with a brown door, Number -11 Place Maubert. - -You must strike three blows upon the door at regular intervals. A man -will open it and will say to you, "Do not enter, for you cannot see -clearly." You will reply, "I have my light with me." He will then lead -you to a stairway with seventeen steps, which you must ascend in -darkness. At the top another acolyte will thus accost you, "What do you -seek?" Reply, "What is right." You will then be shown into an -unfurnished room where some one will whisper in your ear the password, -"Genève," to which you will reply with the counter-sign, "Gloire." -Thereupon you will be at once conducted to those who have need of you -to-day. - -Till this evening, friend and brother, prudence and courage. Burn this -letter. - - L. R. - - -Gabriel called for a lighted lamp, burned the letter in the messenger's -presence, and replied simply,-- - -"I will be there." - -The man bowed and withdrew. - -"Well," said Gabriel, "at last the Reformers are losing their patience." - -About eight o'clock, as he was still deep in thought concerning La -Renaudie's summons, Aloyse entered his room with a page in the Lorraine -livery. - -He brought a letter which read thus:-- - - -MONSIEUR AND DEAR FRIEND,--I have been six weeks at Paris, having taken -my leave of the army, where there was nothing more for me to do. I am -assured that you also nave been at home for some time. Why have I not -seen you? Have you forgotten me in these days of short memories and -ingratitude? No, I know you too well; it is impossible. - -Come to me, pray. I will expect you, if you please, to-morrow morning at -ten in my apartments at the Tournelles. - -Come, if only that we may condole with each other on the profit that has -been made of our success. - - Your very affectionate friend, - - François de Lorraine. - - -"I will be there," said Gabriel to the page. - -When the boy had withdrawn,-- - -"Well, well," he thought, "the ambitious man too is awake." - -Thus encouraged by a twofold hope, he set out a quarter of an hour -later for the Place Maubert. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -A PROTESTANT CONVENTICLE - - -The house Number 11 Place Maubert, where La Renaudie had appointed a -rendezvous with Gabriel, belonged to an advocate named Trouillard. It -was already vaguely pointed at among the people as a place of resort for -heretics; and the fact that psalms were sometimes heard sung there in -the evening gave some credibility to these dangerous rumors. But after -all they were only rumors, and it had never occurred to the police to -investigate them. - -Gabriel had no difficulty in finding the brown door, and following his -instructions, he knocked three times at regular intervals. - -The door opened as if of itself, but a hand seized Gabriel's in the -darkness within, and a voice said,-- - -"Do not enter, for you cannot see clearly." - -"I have my light with me," replied Gabriel, following the formula -prescribed by the letter. - -"Enter, then," said the voice, "and follow the hand that guides you." - -Gabriel obeyed, and took a few steps in that way; then the hand released -its hold, and the voice said,-- - -"Go on by yourself now." - -Gabriel felt with his foot the first step of a staircase; he ascended, -counting seventeen steps, then stopped. - -"What do you seek?" said a different voice. - -"What is right," was his reply. - -A door opened at once in front of him, and he entered a room very dimly -lighted. - -A man was there alone; he approached Gabriel and said in a low tone,-- - -"Genève." - -"Gloire," returned the young count at once. - -The man then struck a bell, and La Renaudie himself entered by a -concealed door. - -He came directly to Gabriel and pressed his hand affectionately. - -"Do you know what took place in parliament to-day?" he asked. - -"I have not left my house until now," replied Gabriel. - -"You will learn all about it here, then," said La Renaudie. "You have -not yet bound yourself to us, but no matter; we will bind ourselves to -you. You shall know our plans, and our strength; there shall be nothing -concealed from you henceforth in the affairs of our party, while you may -remain free to act alone or with us as you choose. You have told me that -you were one of us in spirit, and that is sufficient. I do not even ask -your word as a gentleman not to disclose anything that you may see or -hear. With you it is a needless precaution." - -"Thanks for your confidence," said Gabriel, much affected. "I will give -you no cause to repent it." - -"Come in with me," continued La Renaudie, "and stay by my side; I will -tell you the names of those of our brethren whom you do not know. You -can judge for yourself of everything else. Come." - -He took Gabriel's hand, pressed the secret spring of the concealed door, -and together they entered a large oblong hall, where about two hundred -persons were gathered. - -A few torches scattered here and there cast only a dim light upon the -moving groups. Otherwise there was no furniture, nor hangings, nor -seats; a common wooden pulpit for the preacher or orator,--that was all. - -The presence of a score or so of women explained, but did not justify -(let us hasten to say), the scandalous reports which were spread among -the Catholics as to these secret nocturnal meetings of the Reformers. - -No one noticed the entrance of Gabriel and his guide. All eyes and all -thoughts were fixed upon him who stood on the rostrum at that moment, a -sectary of sad mien and grave speech. - -La Renaudie told Gabriel his name. - -"It is Nicolas Duval, a councillor of parliament," he said beneath his -breath. "He is just beginning to describe what took place to-day at the -Augustins. Listen." - -And Gabriel listened. - -"Our regular place of meeting at the palace," the orator continued, -"being occupied by the preparations for the celebration of Princess -Élisabeth's marriage, we sat temporarily for the first time at the -Augustins; and in some mysterious way the appearance of that -unaccustomed apartment made us from the very first feel a vague -presentiment that something out of the usual course would occur. - -"However, Giles Lemaître, the president, opened the sitting in the -customary form; and there seemed to be nothing to justify the -apprehensions by which some of us had been disturbed. - -"The question that had been discussed the Wednesday preceding was -reopened. It related to the regulation of religious opinion. Antoine -Fumée, Paul de Foix, and Eustache de la Porte spoke successively in -favor of toleration, and their eloquent and vigorous language seemed to -have made a marked impression on the majority. - -"Eustache de la Porte resumed his seat amid loud applause, and Henri -Dufaur was just opening his mouth to complete the conquest of those who -were still hesitating, when suddenly the great door opened, and the -usher of parliament announced in a loud voice, 'The king!' - -"The president did not seem in the least surprised, but descended -hastily from his chair to meet the king. All the members arose in -confusion, some altogether amazed, others very calm, as if they quite -anticipated the event. - -"The king entered, accompanied by the Cardinal de Lorraine and the -constable. - -"'I do not come to disturb your labors, Messieurs of the parliament,' he -said in the first place, 'but to assist them.' - -"After a few meaningless compliments, he concluded his remarks thus:-- - -"'Peace has been concluded with Spain; but the fomenters of scandalous -heresies have taken advantage of the wars in which we have been engaged -to gain a foothold in the kingdom; and they must be stamped out, now -that the war is over. Why have you not ratified the edict against the -Lutherans which I caused to be submitted to you? However, I repeat, go -on freely in my presence with the deliberations you have already begun.' - -"Henri Dufaur, who had the floor, boldly resumed his speech at the -king's command, pleaded earnestly for liberty of conscience, and even -ventured to add to his outspoken discourse some sorrowful but severe -strictures upon the measures adopted by the king's government. - -"'Do you complain of disturbances?' he cried. 'Very well, we know their -author.' I might reply as Elias replied to Ahab, "It is thou who -tormentest Israel!"' - -"Henri II. bit his lips and turned pale, but said nothing. - -"Then Dubourg rose, and gave utterance to still more direct and weighty -remonstrances. - -"'I consider, Sire,' said he, 'that there are certain crimes which -should be pitilessly punished, such as adultery, blasphemy, and perjury, -but which are condoned every day amid the prevailing licentiousness of -the time. But of what are the men accused who are thus to be delivered -over to the hand of the executioner? Is it of _lèse-majesté_? They -never omit the name of the prince in their prayers. They have never -preached revolution or treason. What! Because they have discovered the -great vices and the shameful shortcomings of the Roman hierarchy, by the -light of the Holy Scriptures, and because they have demanded that they -should be reformed, have they assumed a license which makes them worthy -of the stake?' - -"Still the king never moved; but we could see that he was with -difficulty restraining an outburst of indignation. - -"Giles Lemaître, the president, basely essayed to foment his mute -wrath. - -"'Talk about heretics!' cried he, with feigned indignation. 'Let us deal -with them as with the Albigenses; Philippe Auguste burned six hundred of -them in one day.' - -"This violent language perhaps served our cause better than the more -moderate steadfastness of our friends. It became evident that the final -result would be at least evenly balanced. - -"Henri II. understood that, and determined to carry everything with a -sudden _coup d'état_. - -"'Monsieur le Président is right,' said he; 'we must put an end to -these heretics, or they will escape us. To begin with, Monsieur le -Connétable, let those two rebels be arrested on the spot.' - -"With his finger he pointed out Henri Dufaur and Anne Dubourg, and then -hurriedly left the hall, as if he could no longer contain himself. - -"I need not tell you, friends and brothers, that Monsieur de Montmorency -obeyed the king's orders. Dubourg and Dufaur were seized and carried -away while occupying their seats as councillors of parliament, and we -were left in utter consternation. - -"Giles Lemaître alone found courage to speak:-- - -"'It is just,' said he. 'So may all those be punished who dare to fail -of respect to the majesty of royalty!' - -"But as if to give the lie to his words, the guards at that moment -entered the hall, and proceeded to execute orders which they produced, -by arresting De Foix, Fumée, and De la Porte, all of whom had spoken -before the king appeared at all, and had confined themselves to -defending the principle of toleration in matters of religion, without -suggesting the least reproach against the sovereign. - -"Thus it became evident that it was not for their remonstrances uttered -in the king's presence, but simply for their religious opinions, that -five members of parliament, inviolable by law, had been charged with a -capital crime, by means of a shameful subterfuge." - -Nicolas Duval ceased to speak. Mutterings of grief and anger had -interrupted him twenty times, only to follow more closely than ever his -description of that momentous and stormy session, which to us at this -distance in time seems as if it must have been told of another assembly, -and bears a startling resemblance to scenes that were enacted two -hundred and thirty years later. - -But there was this important difference,--that at the later epoch it was -liberty and not royalty which had the last word to say! - -The minister David followed Nicolas Duval upon the rostrum. - -"Brothers," said he, "before we take counsel together, let us lift up -our voices and our hearts to God with a psalm, that He may quicken the -spirit of truth in us." - -"Psalm forty!" cried several voices in the assemblage, and they all -began to sing the stirring words of that psalm. - -It was an extraordinary selection to calm excited imaginations. It was -much more like a strain of menace, it must be confessed, than like a -prayer for guidance. - -But wrath was uppermost at that moment in those sturdy souls, and it was -with marvellous impressiveness that all present joined in singing these -verses, in which the lack of poetic talent was replaced by the emotion -which animated them:-- - - - "Gens insensés, où avez-vous les cœurs - De faire guerre à Jésus-Christ? - Pour soutenir cet Ante-Christ, - Jusques à quand serez persécuteurs? - Traîtres abominables! - Le service des diables, - Vous allez soutenant: - Et de Dieu les édits - Par vous sont interdits - À tout homme vivant."[1] - - -The last stanza was especially significant:-- - - - "N'empêchez plus la predication, - De la parole et vive voix - De notre Dieu, le roi des rois! - Où vous verrez sa malédiction, - Sur vous, prompte s'étendre, - Qui vous fera descendre - Aux enfers ténébreux, - Où vous serez punis - Des maux qu'avez commis - Par tourmens douloureux."[2] - - -The psalm at an end, it was as if this appeal to God had relieved the -oppressed heart at once; silence was restored, and the assemblage was in -readiness to deliberate. - -La Renaudie was the first to speak, in order to state concisely the -condition of affairs and its import. - -"Brothers," said he, from where he stood on the floor, "being thus -brought face to face with an unprecedented proceeding which overturns -all preconceived notions of right and justice, we have now to decide -what course of conduct should be adopted by the adherents of the -Reformed religion. Shall we still suffer our burdens patiently, or shall -we act? Such are the questions which each one of us must propound to his -own conscience and answer according to its dictates. You see that our -oppressors propose nothing less than a general massacre, and propose to -strike us out from the list of the living, as one erases a badly written -word from a manuscript. Shall we wait like sheep for the fatal blow; or -shall we rather (since law and justice are thus violated by those very -persons whose sacred duty it is to protect them) try to do justice with -our own hands, and to that end temporarily substitute force for law? It -is for you to reply, friends and brothers." - -La Renaudie made a short pause, as if to afford time for all their -intellects to digest the momentous question; then he resumed, desirous -at once to facilitate and hasten the conclusion:-- - -"Those whom the cause of religion and of truth should hand together are -unfortunately, as we all know, divided into two factions,--that of -Geneva, and that of the nobility; but when face to face with danger and -a common foe, it is fitting, it seems to me, that we should have only -one heart and one will. The members of both factions are alike invited -to state their opinions and suggest the remedies that occur to them. The -advice which offers the best chance of success should be unanimously -adopted, from whatever quarter it comes; and now, my friends and -brothers, speak freely and confidently." - -La Renaudie's speech was followed by a considerable period of -hesitation. - -Those who listened to him were lacking in just those two qualities, -courage and confidence; and in the first instance, notwithstanding the -bitter indignation which really filled all their hearts, the power of -royalty then enjoyed such great prestige that the Reformers, who were -novices at conspiring, did not dare to express at once and without -reserve their ideas on the subject of armed rebellion. They were devoted -to their opinions, and determined as a body; but each individual -recoiled before the responsibility of striking the first blow. They were -all ready to follow, but no one dared to lead. - -Then, too, as La Renaudie had said, they were suspicious of one another; -neither of the two parties knew whither the other would lead it; and -their objects were, in truth, too dissimilar to make the choice of roads -and guides a matter of indifference to them. - -The Geneva faction were really aiming at the foundation of a republic, -while that of the nobility simply desired to bring about a change of -dynasty. - -The elective forms of Calvinism, the principle of equality which was -everywhere inculcated by the new church, tended directly toward the -republican system as it was in vogue in the Swiss cantons; but the -nobility did not wish to go so far, and would have been content, in -accordance with the advice of Élisabeth of England, to depose Henri -II., and replace him with a Calvinist king. The Prince de Condé's name -was whispered about as a suitable selection. - -It would be difficult to imagine two more diametrically opposed elements -co-operating in a common cause. - -Therefore, Gabriel saw regretfully that after La Renaudie's address the -two almost hostile camps eyed each other askance, without appearing to -think of drawing conclusions from the premises he had so boldly laid -down. - -A moment or two passed in this unfortunate indecision, amid a confused -murmuring of many voices. La Renaudie could but ask himself whether he -had not, by being too blunt and outspoken, unwittingly done away with -all the effect of Nicolas Duval's recital; but having started on that -course, he determined to put everything to the touch, to win or lose -all, and so he thus addressed a thin, puny little man with bristling -eyebrows and bilious appearance, who made one of a group near him:-- - -"Well, Lignières, are you not going to speak to our brothers, and tell -them what you have at heart?" - -"So be it!" replied the little man, and his gloomy countenance lighted -up. "I will speak; but I will not yield an inch, or extenuate anything." - -"Go on,--you are among friends," said La Renaudie. While Lignières was -on his way to the rostrum the baron whispered to Gabriel,-- - -"That is a dangerous instrument to make use of Lignières is a -fanatic,--whether in good or bad faith I know not,--who urges everything -to extremes, and is always more repellent than attractive. But no -matter! We must know at any price what we have to rely upon, must we -not?" - -"Yes," said Gabriel, "so that all these closed hearts may open to emit -the truth." - -"Lignières and his doctrines hot from Geneva will wake them up, never -fear," rejoined La Renaudie. - -The orator plunged at once _in médias res_. - -"The law has brought about its own condemnation," said he. "What -resource remains? An appeal to force, and nothing else. You ask what we -ought to do! If I do not reply to that question, here is something which -will reply for me." - -He held up a silver medal. - -"This medal," he continued, "is far more eloquent than any words of -mine. For the benefit of those who are too far away to see it I will say -what it represents. It bears the image of a flaming sword cutting off -the blossom of a lily, whose stalk bends and falls near by; the sceptre -and the crown are rolling in the dust." - -Then he added, as if he feared that he might be misunderstood,-- - -"Medals ordinarily serve to commemorate accomplished facts; may this one -serve as prophetic of something yet to occur! I will say no more." - -Indeed, he had said enough. He came down from the pulpit amid the -plaudits of an inconsiderable portion of the assembly, and the in -mutterings of a much larger number. - -But the general attitude was of stupefied silence. - -"Well," said La Renaudie, in a low voice, to Gabriel, "that is clearly -not the right chord to strike. We must try another." - -"Monsieur le Baron de Castelnau," he continued aloud, addressing a young -man of thoughtful appearance and handsomely clad, who was leaning -against the wall ten feet from him,--"Monsieur de Castelnau, have you -not a word to say to us?" - -"I might perhaps have had nothing to say independently; but I should -like to say a word or two in reply," the young man responded. - -"We are all attention," said La Renaudie. - -"This young man," he added, speaking in Gabriel's ear again, "belongs to -the party of the nobility; and you should have seen him at the Louvre -the day you brought the news of the capture of Calais. Castelnau is -frank, loyal, and brave. He will set up his flag as boldly as -Lignières, and we shall see if he will be received any more warmly." - -Castelnau mounted one of the steps of the rostrum, and spoke from that -slight elevation. - -"I will begin," he said, "like the orators who have preceded me. We have -been iniquitously attacked; let us use like weapons to defend ourselves. -Let us do in the open field, amid the panoply of war, what they have -done in parliament among the red robes! But I differ in opinion from -Monsieur de Lignières as to the rest. I, too, have a medal to show you. -Here it is; it is not his. From a distance it seems to you to resemble -the crowns from the royal mint which we carry in our purses, and in -fact, like them, it does bear the stamp of a crowned head; but in lieu -of 'Henricus II, rex Galliæ,' its legend reads, 'Ludovicus XIII., rex -Galliæ.'[3] I have done." - -The Baron de Castelnau left his place with his head proudly erect. His -allusion to the Prince de Condé was flagrant. Those who had applauded -Lignières muttered at his words, and vice versa. - -But the large majority of those present were still motionless and -speechless between the two minorities. - -"What do they want, pray?" Gabriel softly asked La Renaudie. - -"I am afraid that they don't want anything," was the baron's reply. - -At that moment the advocate Des Avenelles asked a hearing. - -"This is their man, I fancy," La Renaudie remarked. "Des Avenelles is my -host when I am in Paris,--an honest and sagacious fellow, but too -cautious, almost to timidity even. His word will be law with them." - -Des Avenelles from the beginning justified La Renaudie's prediction. - -Said he: "We have listened to many bold and even audacious words; but -has the moment really arrived to utter them? Are we not going a little -too fast? We are shown a very worthy and lofty purpose, but not a word -is said as to the means of attaining it. They must needs be criminal. My -heart is more oppressed by the severities to which we are subjected than -that of any other member of this assemblage. But when we have so many -prejudices to overcome, should we add to the burden by casting upon the -cause of our religion the odium of an assassination?--yes, of an -assassination; for you cannot obtain by any other means the result which -you dare to propose." - -Des Avenelles was interrupted by almost unanimous applause. - -"What did I say?" whispered La Renaudie. "This advocate is the real -expositor of their views." - -Des Avenelles continued,-- - -"The king is in the very bloom and flower of his vigor. To wrest the -throne from him, he must be hurled headlong from it. What living man -would take upon himself that act of violence? Kings are divine, and God -only has the right to govern them. Ah, suppose that some accident, some -unforeseen ill, some blow struck by a private hand, should take away the -king's life at this moment, and leave the guardianship of an infant -monarch in the hands of those arrogant subjects who are our veritable -oppressors!--then it would be this guardianship, and not royalty itself, -the Guises and not François II., against whom our attacks would be -directed. Civil war would be not only justifiable but laudable, and -revolution a sacred duty, and I would be the first to cry, 'To arms!'" - -This energetic moderation moved the assembly to admiration; and fresh -tokens of approbation were showered upon Des Avenelles as a recompense -for his prudent courage. - -"Ah!" muttered La Renaudie to Gabriel, "I regret now having asked you to -come, for you will begin to compassionate us." - -But Gabriel, lost in thought, was saying to himself,-- - -"No, I have no right to reproach them for their weakness, for it is much -like my own. While I was secretly relying upon them, they seem to have -been relying upon me." - -"What do you mean to do, pray?" cried La Renaudie to his triumphant -host. - -"To maintain a legal attitude and wait!" replied the advocate, firmly. -"Anne Dubourg, Henri Dufaur, and three others of our friends in -parliament have been arrested; but who says that they will dare to -convict them, or even to accuse them? My opinion is that any overt act -of violence on our part would result simply in provoking reprisals on -the part of those in authority. And who knows that our moderation may -not be the salvation of the victims? Let us have the tranquillity of -conscious strength, and the dignity which befits a righteous cause. Let -us leave all the wrong-doing to our persecutors. Let us wait. When they -see that we are moderate in our demands, but resolute, they will think -twice before declaring war upon us,--just as I implore you, friends and -brothers, to think twice before you give them the signal for reprisals." - -Des Avenelles ceased, and the applause was renewed. - -The advocate, vain of his success, desired to confirm his victory. - -"Let all who agree with me raise their hand," he added. - -Almost every hand was raised to assure Des Avenelles that he had spoken -the mind of the gathering. - -"Let us see, then," said he: "our decision is--" - -"To decide nothing at all," interposed Castelnau. - -"To postpone until a more favorable moment any extreme measures," Des -Avenelles concluded, casting an angry glance at the interrupter. - -The minister David suggested singing another psalm to beseech God to -deliver the poor prisoners. - -"Come, let us be going," said La Renaudie to Gabriel; "all this annoys -and angers me. These people only know how to sing. They have nothing -seditious but their psalms." - -When they were on the street they walked along in silence, both deeply -absorbed in their reflections. - -At the Pont Notre Dame they parted, La Renaudie returning to the -Faubourg St. Germain, and Gabriel going toward the Arsenal. - -"Adieu, Monsieur d'Exmès," said the former. "I am sorry to have caused -you to waste your time thus. But believe me, I pray, when I assure you -that this is not our last word. The prince, Coligny, and some of our -most reliable heads were absent this evening." - -"My time with you has not been wasted," replied Gabriel. "You will be -convinced of that very shortly." - -"So much the better, so much the better," rejoined La Renaudie. -"Nevertheless, doubt--" - -"Have no doubt at all," said Gabriel. "It was necessary for me to know -if the Protestants were really beginning to lose patience. It is of more -use to me than you can imagine to have learned that they are not tired -out yet." - - -[Footnote 1: "Ye men of wrath, why thus conspire ye - To wage mad war against your Saviour Christ, - By showing favor to this Anti-Christ, - Till ye yourselves shall persecutors be? - Ye doers of evil, - The works of the Devil, - You thus are upholding: - And with impious hands - From the Lord's high commands - Are the people withholding."] - -[Footnote 2: "No longer now, with loud unseemly noise, - Seek to delay the utterance of the word - Of the great King of Kings, our God the Lord! - Else shall His malediction from the skies, - Upon ye descending, - To woe never-ending - In hell's darkest recess - Consign ye, to languish - In torment and anguish - Your sins to redress."] - -[Footnote 3: These two rare and curious medals are to be seen to-day -in the "Cabinet des Médailles."] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ANOTHER TRIAL - - -The disaffection of the Protestants having failed him, there remained -still one more hope of assistance for Gabriel in his thirst for -vengeance; namely, that furnished by the ambition of the Duc de Guise. - -Consequently he was very prompt the next morning at ten o'clock in -keeping the appointment François de Lorraine had made with him at the -Tournelles. - -It was evident that the young Comte de Montgommery was expected; for as -soon as his name was announced he was shown into the presence of him who -was now called the conqueror of Calais, thanks to Gabriel's daring -scheme. - -Le Balafré came eagerly forward to meet him, and grasped both his hands -affectionately. - -"Ah, here you are at last, my forgetful friend," said he. "I have been -obliged to send for you, to follow you into your retirement, and if I -had not done so God only knows when I should have seen you! Why is it? -Why have you not been to visit me since my return?" - -"Monseigneur," said Gabriel, in a low tone, "much distressing anxiety--" - -"Ah! There it is! I was sure of it!" the duke interrupted him. "So they -were false, were they, to the promises they made you h They deceived -you, and insulted and tormented you. Oh, I was very suspicious that -there was some infamy at the bottom of it all! My brother, the Cardinal -de Lorraine, who was present when you arrived at the Louvre from Calais, -and heard you spoken of as the Comte de Montgommery, imagined, with his -priestly keenness, that you were destined to be the dupe or the victim -of those people. Why did you not apply to him? He might have been of -some assistance to you in my absence." - -"I thank you, Monseigneur," replied Gabriel, gravely, "but you are -mistaken, I assure you. All their promises to me were redeemed with the -utmost exactitude." - -"Oho, but you have such a way of saying it, my friend!" - -"I speak as I feel, Monseigneur; but I will repeat that I make no -complaints, and that the promises upon which I relied have been -fulfilled--to the letter. So let us talk no more of my affairs, I beg, -for you know that subject of conversation was never agreeable to -me, and it is to-day more painful than ever. I ask you, Monseigneur, in -pity not to insist upon your kindly meant inquiries." - -The duke was struck with Gabriel's dolorous tone. - -"Very well, my friend," said he; "I shall be afraid now of touching -unintentionally upon some one of your scarcely healed scars, and I will -question you no further about yourself." - -"Thanks, Monseigneur," was Gabriel's reply, in a dignified tone, by no -means free from emotion. - -"But I wish you to be sure of this," continued Le Balafré, "that at all -times and places, and for any purpose whatsoever, my influence, my -fortune, and my life are at your service, Gabriel; and that if I am ever -to be so fortunate as that you should need my help, you have but to hold -out your hand to grasp mine." - -"Thanks, Monseigneur," Gabriel said again. - -"That being agreed between us," said the duke, "on what subject is it -your pleasure that we should converse?" - -"Why, of yourself, Monseigneur," replied the young count,--"of your -glory and of your future plans; those are the subjects which interest -rue. In them you will find the magnet which has drawn me to you in all -haste at your first call." - -"My glory? my plans for the future?" retorted François de Lorraine, -with a shake of the head. "Alas! those are gloomy subjects of -conversation for me as well." - -"What mean you, Monseigneur?" Gabriel exclaimed. - -"What I say, my friend. Yes, I confess that I did think I had won some -renown; it seemed to me that my name deserved to be pronounced with some -respect in France to-day, and with a certain degree of awe throughout -Europe. And since my not unworthy past made it my duty to think of the -future, I was forming plans based upon my reputation, and dreaming of -great achievements,--great for my country, and for myself as well. I -would have accomplished them, I have faith to believe--" - -"Well, Monseigneur?" said Gabriel, inquiringly. - -"Well, Gabriel, since my return to this court six months since, I have -ceased to believe in my glory, and have abandoned all my plans." - -"Why so, in God's name?" - -"Why, in the first place, don't you know of the shameful treaty with -which they have crowned our victories? If we had been forced to raise -the siege of Calais, if the English still had the gateways of France in -their hands,--in short, if defeat at all points had demonstrated the -insufficiency or incompetency of our forces, and the impossibility of -continuing an unequal conflict, we could not have been asked -to sign a more unfavorable and dishonorable treaty than that of -Cateau-Cambrésis." - -"That is true, Monseigneur," Gabriel remarked; "and every one grieves to -think that such a magnificent harvest yielded so little fruit." - -"Oh, well," rejoined the duke; "how can you expect me to sow for people -who know so little about reaping? And then, too, have they not forced me -to remain ingloriously idle by this glorious peace of theirs? There is -my sword, doomed for a long time to rust in its scabbard. War everywhere -at an end, at whatever cost, puts an end at the same time to my fair -dreams of glory; and between ourselves that was one of the main objects -sought to be accomplished." - -"But you are no less mighty even in this forced inaction, Monseigneur," -said Gabriel. "You are respected at court, worshipped by the people, and -dreaded by foreign nations." - -"Yes, I believe I am beloved at home, and feared abroad," Le Balafré -replied; "but do not tell me, my friend, that I am respected at the -Louvre. While they are thus publicly reducing to nought the certain -results of our success, they are threatening my private influence as -well. When I returned from the North, whom did I find in greater favor -than ever? That insolent, beaten hound of St. Laurent fame,--that -Montmorency, whom I detest!" - -"Oh, no more than I do, surely!" muttered Gabriel. - -"It was by his influence and for his own purposes that this peace for -which we are all blushing was concluded. Not content with thus making my -efforts appear of less account, he was very careful to look after his -own interests in the treaty, and to have the amount of his ransom after -being taken prisoner at St. Laurent repaid to him,--for the second or -third time, I believe! To such a degree does he speculate upon his -defeat and disgrace." - -"And does the Duc de Guise enter upon a rivalry with such as he?" asked -Gabriel, with a disdainful smile. - -"He shudders at the thought, my friend; but you can see that it is -forced upon him! You can see that Monsieur le Connétable is protected -by something stronger than glory or renown,--by some person more -powerful than the king himself! You can see that my services can never -equal those of Madame Diane de Poitiers, whom may the lightning wither!" - -"Oh, that God might listen to you!" muttered Gabriel. - -"What has that woman done to the king, in Heaven's name?" continued the -duke. "Are the people really in the right when they speak of philters -and charms? For my part, I believe that they are bound together by some -stronger tie than love. It cannot be passion alone which thus -indissolubly connects them; it must be fellowship in crime. I would -swear that remorse has a place among their souvenirs of the past, and -that they are more than lovers,--they are accomplices!" - -The Comte de Montgommery shivered from head to foot. - -"Do you not agree with me, Gabriel?" Le Balafré asked him. - -"I do, indeed, Monseigneur," replied Gabriel, in a hollow voice. - -"And to put the finishing touch to my humiliation," the duke went on, -"do you know, my friend, what reward I found awaiting me here at Paris, -over and above the monstrous treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis? The immediate -revocation of my appointment as lieutenant-general of the kingdom. These -extraordinary functions became unnecessary in time of peace, so I was -told; and without a word of warning, without even a word of thanks, they -erased that title, just as one throws upon the dust-heap a piece of -drapery which is of no further use." - -"Is it possible that no more consideration than that was shown you?" -cried Gabriel, desirous to add fuel to the fire which was burning in -that incensed heart. - -"Why should they show more consideration to a superfluous servant?" said -the duke, with clinched teeth. "As for Monsieur de Montmorency, that is -another affair altogether. He was and he remains constable. That, mind -you, is an honor of which they do not think of depriving him, and which -he has earned by forty years of defeat and failure! Oh, by the cross of -Lorraine, if the war-wind blows again, they may come and go on their -knees to me and implore me, and call me the savior of my country! I will -send them to their constable then; let him save them if he can. That is -his business, and the duty that devolves upon the office he holds. But -for myself, since they condemn me to idleness, I accept the sentence, -and will take my ease until the dawn of better days." - -Gabriel, after a pause, replied with much gravity of manner,-- - -"This determination on your part is a grievous one, Monseigneur, and I -greatly deplore it; for I was just about to make a proposition to you--" - -"Useless, my friend, useless!" exclaimed Le Balafré. "My mind is made -up. And then, too, I repeat, and you know it as well as I, the peace has -taken from us every hope of renown." - -"Pardon, Monseigneur," rejoined Gabriel, "but the peace is the one thing -that makes my plan feasible." - -"Really?" said François de Lorraine, tempted in spite of himself. -"Pray, is it some bold stroke like the siege of Calais?" - -"Something still bolder, Monseigneur." - -"How can that be?" exclaimed the duke. "Upon my word, you have succeeded -in arousing my curiosity thoroughly." - -"May I tell you about it, then?" - -"To be sure you may; in fact, I beg you to do so." - -"Are we quite alone?" - -"Entirely; not a living soul is within the sound of our voices." - -"Well, then, Monseigneur," Gabriel began resolutely, "this is what I -have to say to you: This king and this constable choose to dispense with -your services; why do not you dispense with them? They have ejected you -from the office of lieutenant-general of the kingdom; assume it once -more on your own responsibility." - -"How do you mean? Explain yourself!" said the duke. - -"Monseigneur, foreign princes fear you, the people adore you, and the -army is at your command to a man; you are already more of a king in -France than the king himself. You are king by right of genius, he only -because the crown is on his head. Dare to speak with the voice of a -master, and the nation will listen to you like obedient subjects. Will -Henri II. be any stronger in the Louvre than you in your camp? He who -now speaks to you will be proud and happy to be the first to address you -as 'your Majesty.'" - -"Well, this is an audacious and daring scheme of yours, Gabriel," -commented the Duc de Guise. - -But he did not give the least sign of irritation; on the contrary, his -features wore a smile under their simulated expression of surprise. - -"If it is an audacious scheme, it is a heart of extraordinary daring to -which I propose it," replied Gabriel, firmly. "I speak for the good of -France. We need a great man for king. Is it not calamitous that all your -ideas of grandeur and of conquest should be thus disgracefully impeded -by the caprice of a wanton and the jealousy of a favorite? If you were -once at the helm with unfettered hands, where would your genius stop? -You would renew the glory of Charlemagne." - -"You know the house of Lorraine can trace its descent from him!" said Le -Balafré, eagerly. - -"Who could doubt it after seeing you in action?" replied Gabriel. "Be in -your turn another Hugh Capet for the Valois." - -"Yes, but suppose I should be only a Constable de Bourbon?" - -"You slander yourself, Monseigneur. The Constable de Bourbon called -foreigners to his assistance,--foes they were too. You need make use of -none but your own country's forces." - -"But where are these forces, which, according to you, are at my -disposal?" asked Le Balafré. - -"Two parties are offered to you," was Gabriel's reply. - -"Who are they, pray?--for you see I allow you to go on, as if all this -were something more than a mere figment of your imagination. Who are -these two parties?" - -"The army and the Protestants, Monseigneur," Gabriel answered. "You have -it in your power to assume the position of a military chieftain at -once." - -"A usurper!" exclaimed Le Balafré. - -"Say a conqueror! But if you would prefer, Monseigneur, be the king of -the Huguenots." - -"How about the Prince de Condé?" said the duke, smiling. - -"He is fascinating and clever, but you are great and brilliant. Do you -suppose that Calvin would hesitate between you?--and there is no doubt -that the son of the cooper of Noyon is the dictator of his party. Say -one word, and to-morrow you have at your command thirty thousand -Reformers." - -"But I am a Catholic prince, Gabriel." - -"Glory is the true religion of heroes like yourself, Monseigneur." - -"I should involve myself in trouble at Rome." - -"That will be an excuse for making yourself her master." - -"Ah, my friend, my friend!" rejoined the duke, looking keenly at -Gabriel, "you hate Henri II. bitterly!" - -"As much as I love you, I confess," said the youth, with noble -frankness. - -"I prize your sincerity, Gabriel," said Le Balafré, with a more serious -manner; "and to prove it to you, I will lay bare my heart to you." - -"And my heart will close its door forever upon what you may confide to -it." - -"Listen, then," continued the duke. "I will confess that I have before -now sometimes dreamed of this end which you suggest to me to-day. But I -think you will agree with me, my friend, in this, that when one sets out -with such a goal in view, he should at least be reasonably sure of -reaching it, and that to hazard such a step prematurely is to invite -destruction." - -"True," replied Gabriel. - -"Very well," the duke went on, "do you really consider that the time is -ripe for the fulfilment of my ambition? Preparations for so momentous a -stroke should be made long beforehand, and men's minds must be made up -and ready to second them. Now, do you believe that the people have -accustomed themselves in advance, so to speak, to the idea of a change -of dynasty?" - -"They are accustomed to it," said Gabriel. - -"I doubt it," returned the duke. "I have commanded armies, have defended -Metz and taken Calais, and have twice been lieutenant-general of the -kingdom; but all that is not sufficient. I have not yet come near enough -to royal power. Doubtless there are discontents, but factions are not a -people. Henri II. is young, clever, and brave, and he is the son of -François I. There is no such danger in delay as to make one dream of -dispossessing him." - -"And so you hesitate, Monseigneur?" asked Gabriel. - -"I do more than that, my friend, I refuse," replied Le Balafré. "Ah, if -Henri II. should die suddenly to-morrow, by accident or disease--" - -"So he thinks of that as well!" said Gabriel to himself. "Well, -Monseigneur, if that unexpected blow should fall, what would you do?" he -continued aloud. - -"Then," rejoined the duke, "with a young and inexperienced king, -altogether under my influence, I would become in some sort the regent of -the kingdom. And if the queen-mother or Monsieur le Connétable -undertook to act in opposition to me; if the Protestants raised a -revolution,--if, in short, the State should be in danger and needed a -firm hand at the helm, opportunities would arise of themselves, and I -should become almost necessary. In such a case your scheme might be very -welcome, my friend, and I would gladly hearken to you." - -"But until then," said Gabriel,--"until this very improbable death of -the king?" - -"I will resign myself to wait, my friend, and will content myself with -preparations for the future. And if the seeds sown in my mind bear fruit -only for my son, it will be because God so willed it." - -"Is this your last word, Monseigneur?" - -"It is my last word," replied the duke. "But I am no less grateful to -you, Gabriel, for having had this confidence in my destiny." - -"And I, Monseigneur, am grateful to you for having had so much -confidence in my discretion." - -"Yes," rejoined the duke; "it is understood that all that has passed -between us is as if it had never been said." - -"Now I will take my leave," said Gabriel, rising. - -"What, already!" exclaimed the duke. - -"Yes, Monseigneur, I have learned what I desired to know. I will -remember your words; they are safely buried in my heart, yet I will -remember them. Excuse me, but it was essential for me to ascertain -whether the royal ambition of the Duc de Guise was still slumbering. -Adieu, Monseigneur." - -"_Au revoir_, my friend." - -Gabriel left the Tournelles even more gloomy and anxious than when he -had entered there. - -"So," said he to himself, "both the human auxiliaries upon whom I -thought I could rely have failed me. I have none but God to look to -now!" - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -A PERILOUS STEP - - -Diane de Castro in her apartments in the royal palace was meanwhile -leading a miserable existence of grief and mortal terror. - -Yet every tie was not broken that bound her to him who had loved her so -dearly. Almost every week André the page was sent to the Rue des -Jardins St. Paul, to make inquiries of Aloyse concerning Gabriel's -welfare. - -The information which he brought back to Diane was far from reassuring. -The young Comte de Montgommery was always the same,--moody and anxious -and gloomy. The good nurse could not speak of him that her eyes did not -fill with tears, and her cheeks lose their color. - -Diane hesitated fora long while. Finally, one morning during this same -month of June she took a decided step in order to put an end to her -dread. - -She wrapped herself in a very modest cloak, hid her face under a veil, -and left the Louvre at an hour when people were scarcely stirring there, -accompanied by André alone, with the purpose of visiting Gabriel at his -house. - -Since he avoided her and made no sign, she would go to him. - -Surely a sister might visit her brother! Indeed, was it not her duty to -warn him or console him? - -Unfortunately, all the courage which it had cost Diane to resolve upon -that step was to be in vain. - -Gabriel also selected the lonely hours of the early morning for his -wanderings, which he had by no means abandoned; and when Diane knocked -with trembling hand at the door of his house, he had already been gone -more than half an hour. - -Should she await his return? It was always uncertain, and a too long -absence from the Louvre might expose Diane to slander. - -But no matter; she determined to wait at least until the expiration of -the time she had set aside for the visit. - -She inquired for Aloyse, for she also desired to see her, and question -her with her own lips. - -André escorted his mistress into an unoccupied room, and went to inform -the nurse. - -Not for many years, not since the happy days of Montgommery and -Vimoutiers, had Aloyse and Diane met,--the woman of the people and the -daughter of the king. - -Yet both their lives had been engrossed by the same thought, and anxiety -upon the same subject still filled their days with dread, and robbed -their nights of sleep. - -So when Aloyse, coming hurriedly into the room, would have bowed low -before Madame de Castro, Diane threw herself into the good woman's arms, -and warmly embraced her, saying as she used to say in the old days,-- - -"Dear nurse!" - -"What, Madame!" exclaimed Aloyse, moved to tears, "do you really -remember me? Do you recognize me?" - -"Do I remember you! do I recognize you!" returned Diane; "you might as -well ask me if I remember Enguerrand's house, or if I would recognize -the Château de Montgommery!" - -Meanwhile Aloyse with clasped hands was looking at Diane more -attentively. - -"How beautiful you are!" she cried, sighing and smiling at once. - -She smiled, for she had dearly loved the young girl who had developed -into the beautiful lady before her. She sighed, for as she dwelt upon -her lovely features she could better estimate Gabriel's wretchedness. - -Diane understood this look, which was both melancholy and enraptured, -and hastened to say, with a slight blush,-- - -"I have not come to talk of myself, nurse." - -"Is it of him, then?" said Aloyse. - -"Of whom else, pray? for to you I can lay bare my heart. How unfortunate -that I did not find him! I came to console him and myself at the same -time. How is he? Always dejected and despairing, is he not? Why has he -not been once to the Louvre to see me? What does he say? What is he -doing? Tell me, oh, pray tell me, nurse!" - -"Alas! Madame," replied Aloyse, "you are quite right in thinking that he -is dejected and despairing. Imagine--" - -Diane interrupted her. - -"Wait a moment, good Aloyse," said she; "before you begin I have a word -to say. I could stay here till to-morrow listening to you, you know, -without growing weary, or without noticing the flight of time. But I -must return to the Louvre before my absence is noticed. So promise me -one thing: when I have been here an hour, whether he has returned or -not, tell me so, and send me away." - -"But, Madame," said Aloyse, "I am quite capable of forgetting the hour -myself, and I should not grow weary of talking to you any sooner than -you would of listening to me, you see." - -"What can we do, then?" asked Diane. "I dread the effect of our combined -weakness." - -"Let us intrust the difficult duty to some third person," said Aloyse. - -"The very thing! André." - -The page, who had remained in an adjoining room, undertook to rap at the -door when an hour had passed. - -"And now," said Diane, taking her seat by the nurse's side, "we can talk -at our ease, and tranquilly, if not joyfully." - -But this interview, though of the deepest interest to these two -afflicted creatures, was nevertheless full of difficulty and bitterness. - -In the first place, neither of them knew how far the other was cognizant -of the terrible secrets of the Montgommery family. - -Then, too, in what Aloyse did know of her young master's later life -there were many troublesome matters which she was afraid to mention. In -what way could she explain his long absences, his sudden returns, his -preoccupation, and his silence? - -At last, however, the good nurse did tell Diane all that she knew,--that -is to say, all that she had seen; and Diane while listening to her -doubtless experienced a delicious pleasure in hearing Gabriel spoken of, -mingled though it was with deep grief at learning such sad news of him. - -In truth, Aloyse's revelations were not of a nature calculated to calm -Madame de Castro's apprehensions, but rather to rekindle them; for this -earnest and impassioned witness of the young count's anguish and -suffering brought vividly before Diane's mind all the torments by which -his life was harassed. - -Diane became more and more fully persuaded that if she wished to save -those whom she loved it was high time for her to intervene. - -An hour is quickly gone, no matter how painful the subject of -conversation. Diane and Aloyse were startled and amazed when Andre's rap -was heard at the door. - -"What! already?" they cried in one breath. - -"Well, be it so!" said Diane. "I am going to stay just a quarter of an -hour longer." - -"Be careful, Madame!" said the nurse. - -"You are right, nurse; I must and will go now. But one word: in all that -you have told me of Gabriel you have omitted--I mean, does he never -speak of me?" - -"Never, Madame, I must agree." - -"Oh, it is better so!" sighed Diane. - -"And he would do better still never even to think of you any more." - -"Do you believe, nurse, that he does think of me, then?" asked Madame de -Castro, eagerly. - -"I am only too sure of it, Madame," said Aloyse. - -"Nevertheless, he carefully avoids me; he even shuns the Louvre." - -"If he does avoid the Louvre, Madame," said Aloyse, shaking her head, -"it is not because of her whom he loves." - -"I understand," thought Diane, shuddering; "it is because of him whom he -hates. - -"Oh!" she said aloud, "I must see him,--absolutely I must." - -"Do you wish me, Madame, to tell him from you to go to the Louvre to -seek you?" - -"No, no,--not to the Louvre!" exclaimed Diane, in alarm. "Don't let him -come to the Louvre! I will see--I will be on the lookout for another -opportunity like this morning. I will come here again myself." - -"But suppose that he has gone out again?" observed Aloyse. "What day -will you come, what week,--can you tell at all? He will wait for you; -have no fear of that." - -"Alas!" said Diane, "poor king's child that I am, how can I say that at -such a day or such an hour I shall be free? However, if it is possible, -I will send André on before to warn him." - -At this moment the page rapped a second time, fearful that he had not -been heard before. - -"Madame," he cried, "the streets and squares about the Louvre are -beginning to be thronged." - -"I am coming," replied Madame de Castro; "I am coming. - -"Well, we must part, my good nurse," she continued. "Embrace me as you -used to do when I was a child, you know, in the old, old happy days." - -While Aloyse, unable to utter a word, held Diane close to her breast,-- - -"Oh, watch over him! take good care of him!" she said in the nurse's -ear. - -"As I did when he was a child, in the old, old happy days," said Aloyse. - -"Oh, better, even better, Aloyse! In that time he was not in such sore -need." - -Diane left the house without having met Gabriel, and half an hour later -she was safely in her apartments at the Louvre. But if she had no reason -to feel disturbed at the result of the hazardous step she had taken, her -anguish and dread on the subject of Gabriel's unknown designs were even -greater than before. - -The forebodings of a woman's loving heart are apt to be only too -accurate forecasts of the future. - -Gabriel did not return home until the day was well advanced. The heat -was intense, and he was wearied in body and mind. - -But when Aloyse uttered Diane's name and told of her visit, he stood -erect with new life, his chest heaving and his heart throbbing. - -"What did she want? What did she say? What did she do? Oh, why was I not -here? Come, tell me everything, Aloyse,--every word, every movement." - -He took his turn at questioning the nurse, hardly giving her time to -reply. - -"She wants to see me?" he cried. "She has something to say to me? And -she doesn't know when she may be able to come again? Oh, Aloyse, Aloyse, -I cannot wait in such uncertainty! surely you can see that. I shall go -to the Louvre at once." - -"To the Louvre! Oh, Heaven preserve us!" ejaculated Aloyse, in terror. - -"Yes, to be sure," replied Gabriel, calmly. "I am not banished from the -Louvre, so far as I know; and the man who had the honor of restoring -Madame de Castro to liberty at Calais surely has the right to pay his -respects to her in Paris." - -"Of course," said Aloyse, trembling like a leaf; "but Madame de Castro -was very particular to say that you were not to come to the Louvre to -see her." - -"Have I anything to fear there?" said Gabriel, proudly. "That would be -one reason more for me to go." - -"No," replied the nurse; "it was probably on her own account that Madame -de Castro feared your coming." - -"Her reputation would suffer much more from a secret and surreptitious -action, if discovered, than from a public visit in broad daylight, such -as I propose to pay,--such as I will pay her to-day, at this moment." - -He called for a servant to bring him a change of clothes. - -"But, Monseigneur," said poor Aloyse, at the end of her arguments, -"Madame de Castro herself has remarked that you have shunned the Louvre -hitherto. You have not thought best to go there once since your return." - -"I have not been to see Madame de Castro because she has not summoned -me," said Gabriel. "I have avoided the Louvre because I had no reason to -go there; but to-day a feeling that I cannot resist urges me to go -(although my action may result in nothing), for Madame de Castro wishes -to see me. I have sworn, Aloyse, to allow my own will to slumber, and to -leave everything to God and my destiny, and I am going to the Louvre at -once." - -Thus Diane's step bade fair to produce the opposite effect from that -contemplated by her. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE IMPRUDENCE OF PRECAUTION - - -Gabriel met with no opposition to his entrance to the Louvre. Since the -taking of Calais the name of the young Comte de Montgommery had been -heard too often for any one to think of refusing him leave to enter the -suite of apartments occupied by Madame de Castro. - -Diane, with one of her women, was engaged at the moment on some -fancy-work. Very frequently she involuntarily let her hands fall in her -lap, and would sit and dream about her interview with Aloyse that -morning. - -Suddenly André entered in great bewilderment. - -"Madame, Monsieur le Vicomte d'Exmès!" he announced. (The boy had not -ceased to call his old master by that name.) - -"Who? Monsieur d'Exmès! here!" Diane repeated, overwhelmed. - -"Yes, Madame, he is close behind me," said the page. "Here he is." - -Gabriel appeared at the door, doing his best to control his emotion. He -bowed low to Madame de Castro, who, in her confusion, did not at first -return his salute. - -However, she dismissed the page and her maid with a gesture, and they -were left alone. Then they approached, and their hands met in a cordial -grasp. - -For some seconds they remained with hands joined, gazing at each other -in silence. - -"You thought best to come to my house, Diane," said Gabriel at last, in -a deep voice. "You wished to see me, to speak with me; so I have -hastened to you." - -"Did it need that action on my part, Gabriel, to apprise you that I -wanted to see you? Did you not know it well enough without that?" - -"Diane," Gabriel replied with his sad smile, "I have given sufficient -proofs of courage heretofore, so I may venture to confess that in coming -to the Louvre, I am afraid." - -"Afraid of whom?" asked Diane, who was herself afraid of the effect of -her own question. - -"Afraid of you!--of myself!" replied Gabriel. - -"And that is why you chose rather to forget our former affection?--I -speak of the legitimate and sanctified side of it," she hastened to add. - -"I should have preferred to forget everything, I confess, Diane, rather -than put foot inside the Louvre. But alas! I could not. And the proof--" - -"The proof?" - -"The proof is that I seek you always and everywhere; that though -dreading your presence I would have given anything in the world to see -you a moment in the distance. The proof is, too, that while prowling -about Fontainebleau, or Paris, or St. Germain, around the royal -châteaux, instead of desiring what I was supposed to be on the lookout -for, it has been you, your sweet and lovely face, a sight of your dress -among the trees, or on some terrace, that I have longed for and invoked -and coveted! Last of all the proof lies in this fact: that you had only -to take one step toward me to make me forget prudence, duty, terror, -everything! And here I am in the Louvre, which I ought to shun. I reply -to all your questions. I feel that all this is hazardous and insane, -nevertheless I do it. Have I given you proof enough now, Diane?" - -"Oh, yes, Gabriel, yes," said Diane, hastily, trembling with excitement -and emotion. - -"Ah, would to Heaven that I had been wiser," continued Gabriel, "and had -adhered to my former resolution to see you no more, to flee from you if -you summoned me, and to keep silence if you questioned me! That would -have been much better for both of us, Diane, believe me. I knew what I -was doing. I preferred to cause you anxiety rather than real grief. Oh, -my God! why am I without power to withstand your voice and your look?" - -Diane began to understand that she had really been wrong in her desire -to be relieved from her mortal uncertainty. Every subject of -conversation was painful for them, every question concealed a danger. -Between these two beings whom God had created for happiness perhaps, -there was no possibility of aught but doubt and peril and misery, thanks -to the machinations of man. - -But since Diane had thus challenged fate, she had no desire to avoid it; -quite the contrary. She would go to the bottom of the abyss to which her -anxiety had exposed her, though she were to find there nought but -despair and death. - -After a thoughtful silence, she began thus:-- - -"I was desirous to see you, Gabriel, for two reasons; - -"I had an explanation to make to you in the first instance, as well as -one to ask at your hands." - -"Speak, Diane," replied Gabriel. "Lay bare my heart, and rend it at your -will. It is yours." - -"In the first place, Gabriel, I felt that I must let you know why, after -I received your message, I did not at once assume the veil you sent back -to me, and enter some convent immediately, as I expressed my intention -of doing in our last sad interview at Calais." - -"Have I reproached you in the least as to that, Diane?" returned -Gabriel. "I told André to say to you that I gave you back your promise, -and those were no mere empty words on my part; I meant what I said." - -"I also mean to become a nun, Gabriel, and be sure that I have simply -postponed carrying out my resolve." - -"But why, Diane,--why renounce the world in which you were made to -shine?" - -"Set your mind at rest upon that point, dear friend; it is not -altogether to remain faithful to the oath I took, but to satisfy the -secret longing of my soul as well, that I intend to leave this world -where I have suffered so bitterly. I must have peace and rest, and I -know not now where to find either except with God. Do not envy me this -last refuge." - -"Oh, but I do envy you!" said Gabriel. - -"But you see," continued Diane, "I have had a good reason for not at -once carrying out my unalterable purpose; I wished to be sure that you -gratified the request I made in my last letter,--that you forbore to -make yourself judge and executioner; that you did not attempt to -anticipate God's will." - -"If one only could anticipate it!" muttered Gabriel. - -"In short, I hoped," Diane went on, "that I might be able, in case of -need, to throw myself between the two men whom I love, but who abhor -each other; and who can say that I might not thus prevent a disaster, or -a crime? Surely you do not blame me for such a thought as that, -Gabriel?" - -"I cannot blame an angel for doing what the angelic nature prompts, -Diane. You have been very generous, but it is easy to understand it of -you." - -"Ah!" cried Madame de Castro, "how can I know that I have been generous, -or to what extent I am generous now? I am wandering in darkness and at -hazard! Besides, it is upon that very point that I wish to question you, -Gabriel; for I desire to know my destiny in all its horror." - -"Diane, Diane, it is a fatal curiosity!" said Gabriel. - -"No matter!" replied Diane, "I will not live in this fearful perplexity -and anxiety another day. Tell me, Gabriel, have you become convinced -that I am really your sister, or have you absolutely lost all hope of -ever learning the truth as to that strange secret? Tell me, I ask,--nay, -I implore you!" - -"I will tell you," said Gabriel, mournfully. "Diane, there is an old -Spanish proverb which says that we must always be prepared for the -worst. I have, therefore, accustomed myself, since our parting, to look -upon you in my thoughts as my sister. But the truth is that I have -obtained no new proof; only, as you say, I have no more hope, no more -means of acquiring proof." - -"God in Heaven!" cried Diane. "The--he who might furnish these proofs, -was he no longer alive when you returned from Calais?" - -"He was, Diane." - -"Ah, I see, then, that the sacred promise made to you was not redeemed? -Who, then, told me that the king had received you with wonderful favor?" - -"All that was promised, Diane, was strictly performed." - -"Oh, Gabriel, with what an ominous expression you say that! What fearful -puzzle still underlies all this, Holy Mother of God!" - -"You have asked me, Diane, and you shall know the whole," said Gabriel. -"You shall share equally with me in my awful secret. And, indeed, I -shall be glad to know what you think of what I am about to disclose to -you,--whether, after you have heard it you will still persist in your -clemency, and whether your tone and your features and your movements -will not in any event belie the words of forgiveness which may come to -your lips.--Listen." - -"I listen in fear and trembling, Gabriel." - -Thereupon, Gabriel, in a breathless, quivering voice, told Madame de -Castro the whole sombre story: of the king's reception of him, and how -Henri had again reaffirmed his promise; the remonstrances which Madame -de Poitiers and the constable had seemed to be making to him; of the -night of feverish anguish that he had passed; of his second visit to the -Châtelet, his descent into the bowels of the pestilence-laden prison, -and the lugubrious narrative of Monsieur de Sazerac,--in short, -everything. - -Diane listened without interrupting him, without an exclamation or a -movement, as mute and rigid as a statue, her eyes fixed in their -sockets, and her very hair fairly standing on end. - -There was a long pause when Gabriel had finished his gloomy story. Then -Diane tried to speak, but could not, for her tongue refused to perform -its office. Gabriel seemed to feel a dreadful species of pleasure as he -observed her anguish and her terror. At last, she succeeded in -ejaculating,-- - -"Mercy for the king!" - -"Ah!" cried Gabriel, "do you ask for mercy for him? Then you, too, must -judge him guilty! Mercy? Ah, your very appeal is a condemnation! Mercy? -He deserves death, does he not?" - -"Oh, I did not say that," replied Diane, in dismay. - -"Indeed you did say it, in effect! I see that you agree with me, Diane. -You think and feel as I do. But we come to different conclusions in -accordance with the difference in our natures. The woman pleads for -mercy, and the man demands justice!" - -"Ah!" cried Diane, "rash, insane creature that I am! Why did I tempt you -to come to the Louvre?" - -As she said these words some one rapped softly at the door. - -"Who is there? What is wanted? _Mon Dieu_!" exclaimed Madame de Castro. - -André partially opened the door. - -"Excuse me, Madame," said he, "a message from the king." - -"From the king!" echoed Gabriel, whose face lighted up. - -"Why do you bring me this letter now, André?" - -"Madame, they told me it was urgent." - -"Very well, give it me. What does the king want of me? You may go, -André. If there is any reply, I will call you." - -André left the room. Diane broke the seal of the king's letter, and -read in a low tone, and with increasing terror, what follows:-- - - -MY DEAR DIANE,--I am told that you are at the Louvre; do not go out, I -beg you, until I have visited you in your apartments. I am at a sitting -of the council which is likely to end at any moment. When I leave the -council-chamber I will come immediately to you. Expect me very soon. - -It is a long while since I have seen you alone! I am in low spirits, and -feel that I must have a few moments' talk with my beloved daughter. -Farewell for the moment. - - HENRI. - - -Diane, with colorless cheeks, crumpled the letter in her hands when she -had read it. - -What should she do? - -Dismiss Gabriel at once? But suppose on his way out he should meet the -king, who might arrive at any moment! - -Should she keep the youth with her? The king would find him there when -he came in. - -To warn the king would excite his suspicion, while on the other hand to -warn Gabriel would simply arouse his anger by seeming to dread it. - -A meeting between these two men, each of whom was so threatening to the -other, now appeared inevitable, and it was she herself, Diane, who would -gladly shed her own blood to save them, who had brought about the fatal -encounter! - -"What does the king write to you, Diane?" asked Gabriel, with an assumed -tranquillity which was belied by the trembling of his voice. - -"Nothing, nothing, really," replied Diane. "A reminder of the reception -this evening." - -"Perhaps I discommode you, Diane," Gabriel remarked. "If so, I will go." - -"No, no, don't go!" cried Diane, hastily. "But then," she continued, "if -you have any business which demands your immediate attention elsewhere, -I should not like to detain you." - -"That letter has troubled you, Diane. I fear that I have wearied you, -and will take my leave." - -"You weary me, my friend! Can you believe it?" said Madame de Castro. -"Was it not I who went in search of you, in some measure? Alas! I fear, -very imprudently. I will see you again, but not here--at your own house. -The first opportunity that presents itself for me to get away, I will -come to see you, and resume this sweet though painful interview. I -promise you. Rely upon me. At the moment, you are right, I confess; I am -somewhat preoccupied and in pain. I feel as if I were in a burning -fever--" - -"I see, Diane, and I will leave you," replied Gabriel, sadly. - -"We shall meet again soon, my friend," said she. "Now go, go!" - -She accompanied him as far as the door. - -"If I keep him here," she thought, "it is certain that he will see the -king; if he goes away at once, there is at least a chance that they may -not meet." - -Yet she hesitated still, and was anxious and tremulous. - -"Pardon me, Gabriel," said she, quite beside herself, as they stood on -the threshold; "just a word more. _Mon Dieu_! Your narrative has upset -me so that it is hard for me to collect my thoughts. What was I about to -ask you? Ah, I know! Just one word, but one of much importance. You have -not yet told me what you intend to do. I begged for mercy, and you -cried, 'Justice!' Pray tell me how you hope to obtain justice!" - -"I do not know yet," said Gabriel, gloomily; "I trust in God for the -event and the opportunity." - -"For the opportunity!" repeated Diane, with a shudder. "For the -opportunity,--what do you mean by that? Oh, come back, come back! I -cannot let you go, Gabriel, until you have explained to me that word -'opportunity;' stay, I implore you!" - -Taking his hand, she led him back into the room. - -"If he meets the king elsewhere," thought poor Diane, "they will be -quite alone,--the king without attendants, and Gabriel with his sword at -his side; whereas if I am present, I can at least throw myself between -them, and implore Gabriel to withhold his hand, or intercept his blow. -Yes, he must remain. - -"I feel better now," said she, aloud. "Remain, Gabriel, and let us renew -our conversation, and do you give me the explanation I ask. I am much -better." - -"No, Diane; you are even more excited than you were," replied Gabriel. -"Do you know what has come into my mind as an explanation of your -alarm?" - -"No, indeed, Gabriel. How should I know?" - -"Well," said Gabriel, "just as your cry for mercy was an avowal that the -crime was patent in your eyes, so your present apprehensions show that -you believe the chastisement would be legitimate. You dread my vengeance -for the culprit; and since you appreciate the justice of it, you are -keeping me here to warn him of possible reprisals on my part, which, -though they might terrify and afflict you, would not astonish -you,--which would, on the other hand, seem quite natural to you. Am I -not right?" - -Diane was startled, so truly had the blow struck home. Nevertheless, -collecting all her force, she said,-- - -"Oh, Gabriel, how can you believe that I could conceive such thoughts of -you? You, my own Gabriel, a murderer! you deal a blow from behind at one -who could not defend himself! Impossible! It would be worse than a -crime; it would be dastardly. Do you imagine that I am trying to keep -you? Oh, no, far from it; go whenever you please, and I will open the -door for you. I am perfectly calm; _mon Dieu_, yes!--perfectly calm upon -this point at least. If anything worries me, it is no such idea as that, -I assure you. Leave me, leave the Louvre, with your mind at rest. I will -come again to your house to finish our conversation. Go, my friend, go! -You see how anxious I am to keep you!" - -As she spoke she had led him into the anteroom, where the page was in -attendance. Diane thought of ordering him to stay with Gabriel until he -had left the Louvre; but that precaution would have betrayed her -suspicion. - -However, she could not resist the impulse to call André to her side by -a sign, and whisper in his ear,-- - -"Do you know if the council is at an end?" - -"Not yet, Madame," replied André, beneath his breath. "I have not yet -seen the councillors leave the hall." - -"Adieu, Gabriel," resumed Diane, aloud, with much animation. "Adieu, my -friend. You almost force me to send you away, to prove that I have no -such object as you allege in keeping you here. Adieu!--but for only a -short time." - -"For only a short time," said the youth, with a melancholy smile, as he -pressed her hand. - -He left her: but she stood looking after him until the last door had -closed behind him. - -Then returning to her room, she fell upon her knees before her -_prie-Dieu_, weeping bitterly, and with palpitating heart. - -"O _mon Dieu_, _mon Dieu_!" she prayed, "in Jesus' name, watch over him -who is perhaps my brother, as well as over him who is perhaps my father! -Preserve the two beings whom I love, O my God! Thou alone canst do it -now." - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -OPPORTUNITY - - -In spite of her earnest efforts to prevent it, or rather because of -those very efforts, events occurred as Madame de Castro had foreseen and -dreaded. - -Gabriel had gone from her presence sorrowful and agitated. Diane's fever -had communicated itself to him in some measure, and clouded his eyes and -confused his thoughts. - -He passed mechanically down the stairways and along the familiar -corridors of the Louvre, without paying much attention to exterior -objects. - -Nevertheless, as he was on the point of opening the door of the great -gallery, he did remember that on his return from St. Quentin it was -there that he had met Mary Stuart, and through the intervention of the -young queen-dauphine had succeeded in reaching the king's presence, -where the first fraud and humiliation had been practised upon him. - -For he had not been deceived and outraged on one occasion only; several -times had his enemies trampled upon his hope before its life was finally -extinct. After he had first been made their dupe, he would have done -well to expect similar treatment, and to have anticipated such -exaggerated and cowardly interpretations of the letter of a sacred -agreement. - -While these irritating reminiscences were coursing through his brain, he -opened the door and entered the gallery. - -At the other end of the gallery, the corresponding door opened at the -same moment. - -A man entered. - -It was Henri II.,--Henri, the author of, or at least the principal -accessory in, the foul and dastardly deception which had forever -withered Gabriel's heart and poisoned his life. - -The king came forward alone, unarmed and unattended. - -The offender and the offended, for the first time since the perpetration -of the outrage, found themselves face to face, alone, and scarcely one -hundred feet apart,--a distance which could be traversed in twenty -seconds with twenty steps. - -We have said that Gabriel had stopped short, motionless and rigid as a -statue,--like a statue of Vengeance or of Hatred. - -The king halted, as he suddenly espied the man whom for nearly a year he -had seen only in his dreams. - -The two stood thus for a moment without moving, as if mutually -fascinated by each other. - -In the whirl of sensations and thoughts which filled Gabriel's brain, -the poor fellow in his distraction could fix upon no course to adopt, -and form no resolution. He waited. - -As for Henri, despite his proved courage, the sensation that he -experienced was beyond question fear; but at the humiliating thought he -held his head erect, banished his first cowardly impulse, and made up -his mind what to do. - -To call fur help would have been to show fear; to retire as he had come -would have been to flee. - -He pursued his way toward the door, where Gabriel remained as if nailed -to the spot. - -Moreover, a superior force, a sort of irresistible and fatal -fascination, urged him on toward the pale phantom who seemed to be -waiting for him. - -The perplexities of his destiny began to unfold themselves around him. - -Gabriel experienced a species of blind, instinctive satisfaction as he -saw him approach; but still he could not succeed in evolving any -distinct thought from the clouds that obscured his intellect. He simply -laid his hand upon the hilt of his sword. - -When the king was within a few steps of Gabriel, the personal dread -which he had previously thrust away seized him anew, and held his heart -fast, as it were in a vice. - -He said to himself in a vague way that his last hour had come, and that -it was just. - -However, his step did not falter. His feet seemed to carry him along of -their own accord, and independently of his own dazed will. It is thus -that somnambulists go about. - -When he was directly in front of Gabriel, so that he could hear his -quick breathing, and might touch him with his hand, he mechanically -raised his hand to his velvet cap, and saluted the young count. - -Gabriel did not acknowledge the salute. He maintained his marble-like -attitude; and his hand, like that of a graven image, never left his -sword. - -In the king's eyes Gabriel was no longer a subject, but a messenger of -God, before whom he must bow; while to Gabriel Henri was no longer a -king, but a man, who had slain his father, and to whom he owed nothing -but bitter hatred. - -However, he allowed him to pass without doing aught, and without a word. - -The king, on his part, did not move aside nor turn around nor express -any feeling at such lack of respect. - -When the door had closed between the two men, and the charm was broken, -each of them awoke, as it were, rubbed his eyes, and asked himself,-- - -"Was it not a dream?" - -Gabriel slowly left the Louvre. He did not regret the lost opportunity, -nor did he repent that he had allowed it to escape him. - -He felt a sort of confused joy. - -"My prey is coming to me," he thought; "already he is fluttering around -my nets, and getting within reach of my spear." - -He slept that night more soundly than he had done for a long while. - -The king, however, was not so tranquil. He went on to Diane's -apartments, where she was expecting him, and welcomed him with such -transports of delight as we can imagine. - -But Henri was absorbed and restless. He did not venture to speak of the -Comte de Montgommery, although he fancied that Gabriel was doubtless -coming from his daughter's apartments when they met. However, he did not -choose to touch that chord; therefore, while he had set out to pay Diane -this visit in a spirit of effusive affection and confidence, he -maintained from beginning to end an air of suspicion and constraint. - -He then returned to his own apartments, sad and gloomy. He felt -displeased with himself and others, and his sleep that night was very -troubled and broken. - -It seemed to him that he was becoming involved in a labyrinth from which -he should never come out alive. - -"However," he said to himself, "I offered myself to that man's sword -to-day in a measure; so it is evident that he does not wish to kill me." - -The king, in order to distract his thoughts and seek forgetfulness for -his troubles, determined to leave Paris for a time. During the days -immediately following his encounter with the Comte de Montgommery, he -went successively to St. Germain, Chambord, and Madame de Poitiers's -Château d'Anet. - -Toward the close of the month of June he was at Fontainebleau. - -He was constantly moving about, and had the appearance of a man wishing -to drown his trouble in motion and noise and excitement. - -The approaching fêtes in connection with his daughter Élisabeth's -marriage with Philip II. afforded an excuse as well as opportunity for -this feverish need of continual action. - -At Fontainebleau he desired to entertain the Spanish ambassador with the -spectacle of a great hunt in the forest, and it was appointed to take -place on the 23d of June. - -The day broke hot and threatening, and the weather became very -tempestuous. - -Nevertheless Henri did not countermand the orders he had given, for the -excitement would surely be no less in a storm. - -He selected the fleetest and highest-mettled horse in his stables, and -followed the hunt with a sort of fury; and it happened at one time that -carried away by his own ardor and the temper of his horse, he -outstripped all his companions, lost sight of the hunt completely, and -missed his way in the forest. - -Clouds were piling up in the sky, and ominous rumblings were heard in -the distance. The storm was about to break. - -Henri, leaning forward upon his foaming steed, whose headlong pace he -made no attempt to slacken, but on the contrary, urging him on with -voice and spur, rode on and on, more swiftly than the wind, among the -trees and rocks; the dizzy gallop seemed to suit his humor, for he -laughed loud and long. - -For a few moments he had forgotten his troubles. - -Suddenly his horse reared in terror; a dazzling flash lighted up the -sky, and the sudden apparition of one of those huge white rocks which -abound in the forest of Fontainebleau, towering aloft at a corner of the -path, had startled him. - -A loud peal of thunder increased twofold the fear of the skittish -animal. He bounded forward, and the sudden movement broke the rein close -to the bit, so that Henri entirely lost control. - -Then began a furious, fearful mad race. - -The horse, with mane erect, foaming flanks, and rigid legs, shot through -the air like an arrow. - -The king, clinging to the animal's neck to save himself from falling, -his hair on end, and his clothes blowing about in the wind, vainly tried -to seize the rein, which would have been of no use in his hands. - -Any one seeing the horse and his rider pass thus in the tempest would -have infallibly taken them for a vision from the infernal regions, and -would have thought only of exorcising the evil spirit with the sign of -the cross. - -But no one was at hand; not a living soul, not an inhabited dwelling. -That last chance of safety which the presence of a fellow-man affords to -one in peril was lacking to this anointed horseman. - -Not a woodcutter, not a beggar, not a poacher, not even a thief, to save -this crowned king! - -The pouring rain, and the more and more frequent peals of thunder, ever -nearer at hand, drove the maddened steed to an even more headlong and -terrific pace. - -Henri, with staring eyes, tried in vain to recognize the path along -which the fatal race was being run. At last he did succeed in fixing his -position at a certain cleared space among the trees, and then he fairly -shook with terror, for the path led straight to the summit of a steep -rock, whose perpendicular wall overhung a deep chasm, a veritable abyss! - -The king did his utmost to stop the horse with his hand and voice, but -to no purpose. - -To throw himself from the saddle was to break his neck against some -tree-trunk or granite bowlder, and it was better not to resort to that -desperate measure until the last moment. - -In any event Henri felt that he was lost, and full of remorse and dread, -was already commending his soul to God. - -He did not know at just what part of the path he was, or whether the -precipice was close at hand or at some distance; but he must be ready, -and he was just about to let himself to the ground, at all hazards. - -At this moment, as he cast a last look about him in all directions, he -saw a man at the end of the path, mounted like himself, but standing -beneath the shelter of an oak. - -At that distance he could not recognize the man, whose features and -form, in addition, were hidden by a long cloak and a broad-rimmed hat. -But it was doubtless some gentleman who had lost his way in the forest, -as he himself had done. - -At last Henri felt that his safety was assured. The path was narrow, and -the stranger had only to move his horse forward a step or two to block -the king's passage; or by simply reaching out his hand he might stop him -in his headlong course. - -Nothing could be easier; and even though there were some risk attending -it, the unknown, on recognizing the king, ought not to think twice about -incurring the risk to save his master. - -In less than one twentieth of the time it has taken to read these words, -the three or four hundred paces which separated Henri from his rescuer -had been traversed. - -Henri, to attract attention, uttered a cry of distress and waved his -hand. The stranger saw him, and made a movement; he was doubtless making -ready. - -But oh, in terror's name! although the maddened horse passed directly -before the unknown horseman, he failed to make the slightest attempt to -stop him. - -Indeed, it seemed as if he fell back somewhat, to avoid any possible -contact. - -The king uttered a second cry, no longer appealing and imploring, but of -rage and despair. - -However, he thought that the iron feet of his horse seemed to be now -striking on stone, and not on the sod. He had arrived at the fatal -precipice. - -He whispered the name of God, released his foot from the stirrup, and -let himself fall to the ground, at every risk. - -The rebound carried him some fifteen paces away; but miraculously, as it -appeared, he fell upon a little mound of moss and grass, and sustained -no injury. It was full time! Less than twenty feet away was the sheer -precipice. - -The poor horse, amazed at being thus relieved of his burden, gradually -lessened his pace, so that when he reached the edge of the chasm, he had -time to measure its width, and instinctively threw himself upon his -haunches, with flaming eyes and disordered mane, and foam flying from -his distended nostrils. - -But if the king had been still upon his back, the shock of his sudden -stop would surely have thrown him into the abyss. - -Having offered a fervent prayer of thanksgiving to God, who had so -evidently protected him, and having soothed and remounted his horse, his -first thought was to hasten back and vent his anger upon the wretch who -would so basely have left him to die, except for the intervention of -God. - -The stranger had remained in the same spot, still motionless beneath the -folds of his black cloak. - -"Wretch!" cried the king, when he had approached within ear-shot. "Did -you not see the danger I was in? Did you not recognize me, regicide? And -even though it were not your king, ought you not to rescue any man in -such peril of his life, when you have only to stretch out your arm to do -it, miscreant?" - -The stranger did not move, nor did he reply; he simply raised his head -slightly, which was shaded from Henri's eyes by his broad felt hat. - -The king recoiled as he recognized the pale and dejected features of -Gabriel. He said no more, but muttered to himself, lowering his head,-- - -"The Comte de Montgommery! Then I have nothing more to say." - -And without another word, he put spurs to his horse and galloped off -into the forest. - -"He would not kill me," he said to himself, seized with a death-like -tremor; "but it seems that he would let me die." - -Gabriel, once more alone, repeated with a gloomy smile,-- - -"I feel that my prey is coming nearer, and the hour is approaching." - - - - -CHAPTER X - -BETWEEN TWO DUTIES - - -The marriage contracts of Élisabeth and Marguerite de France were to be -signed at the Louvre on the 28th of June, and the king returned to Paris -on the 25th, more cast down and preoccupied than ever. - -Especially since Gabriel's last appearance, his life had become a -torment to him. He avoided being left alone, and constantly sought means -of banishing temporarily the sombre thought by which he was possessed, -so to speak. - -But he had not mentioned that second encounter to a single soul; he was -at once anxious and afraid to unbosom himself on the subject to some -devoted and faithful heart; for he himself no longer knew what to think -or what course to adopt, and the fearful thought which haunted him had -thrown his mind into utter confusion. - -Finally he determined to open his heart to Diane de Castro. - -Diane had surely seen Gabriel again, he said to himself; there was no -question that the young count had just left her when he encountered him -the first time, so that Diane might possibly know his plans. In that -case, she could and she ought either to set her father's mind at rest or -to warn him; and Henri, despite the bitter doubts with which he was -ceaselessly assailed, did not believe his beloved daughter capable of -treachery toward him, or of conniving at it. - -A mysterious instinct seemed to whisper to him that Diane was no less -anxious than he. In fact, Diane de Castro, although she knew nothing of -the two strange meetings which had taken place between the king and -Gabriel, was equally ignorant as to what had become of the latter during -the last few days. André, whom she had despatched several times to the -house in the Rue des Jardins St. Paul to learn something of Gabriel's -movements, had brought her no information. He had disappeared from Paris -again. We have seen him haunting the king at Fontainebleau. - -In the afternoon of June 26 Diane was sitting pensively in her -apartments, quite alone, when one of her women came hurriedly in to -announce the king. - -Henri's face wore its ordinary grave expression. After the first -greetings, he plunged at once into the matter in hand, as if to throw -off his troublesome anxiety at the first opportunity. - -"Dear Diane," said he, gazing intently into his daughter's eyes, "it is -a long time since we have spoken together of Monsieur d'Exmès, who has -now taken the title of Comte de Montgommery. It is a long time also -since you have seen him, is it not? Tell me." - -Diane at Gabriel's name turned pale and shuddered. - -"Sire," she replied, "I have seen Monsieur d'Exmès once only since my -return from Calais." - -"Where did you see him, Diane?" asked the king. - -"At the Louvre, Sire, in this very room." - -"About a fortnight ago, was it not?" - -"I should think it was about that time, Sire," replied Madame de Castro. - -"I suspected as much," returned the king. - -He paused a moment, as if to rearrange his ideas. - -Diane observed him attentively and fearfully, trying to divine the -purpose of his unexpected question. - -But Henri's serious expression seemed impenetrable. - -"Excuse me, Sire," she said, mustering all her courage. "May I venture -to ask your Majesty why, after your long silence as to him who saved me -from disgrace at Calais, you have done me the honor to pay me this visit -to-day, and at this hour, expressly, I should judge, to interrogate me -about him?" - -"Do you wish to know, Diane?" asked the king. - -"Sire, I am so bold," she replied. - -"Very well, then, you shall know all," said Henri; "and I pray that my -confidence may invite and induce yours. You have often told me that you -loved me, my child." - -"I have said it, and I say it again, Sire," cried Diane: "I love you as -my sovereign, my benefactor, and my father." - -"Therefore I may reveal everything to my loyal and loving daughter," -said the king; "so listen, Diane." - -"I listen with all my soul, Sire." - -Henri then described his two encounters with Gabriel,--the first in the -gallery of the Louvre, and the other in the forest of Fontainebleau. He -told Diane of the strange demeanor, as of mute rebellion, which the -young man had adopted, and how on the first occasion he had declined to -raise his hand to salute his king, and the second time had declined to -raise his hand to save his life. - -Diane at this recital could not conceal her grief and her alarm. The -conflict which she so dreaded between Gabriel and the king had already -manifested itself on two occasions, and might soon appear again in a -still more dangerous and terrible form. - -Henri, affecting not to notice his daughter's emotion, ended with these -words:-- - -"These are serious offences, are they not, Diane? They almost amount to -_lèse-majesté_! And yet I have concealed these insults from everybody, -and dissembled my indignation, because this young man has really -suffered at my hands in the past, notwithstanding the glorious service -he has rendered my kingdom, which ought doubtless to have been rewarded -much more generously." Fixing a piercing glance upon Diane, the king -continued,-- - -"I do not know, Diane, nor do I wish to know, whether you have been made -acquainted with the wrong I have done Monsieur d'Exmès; I only wish you -to feel that my silence has been due to my appreciation of that wrong -and my regret for it. But is it not imprudent for me to maintain -silence? Do not these outrages give warning of others more flagrant -still? Ought I not to have an eye to Monsieur d'Exmès? Upon these -points I have come, Diane, to ask for your friendly advice." - -"I am grateful for your confidence in me, Sire," replied Diane, -sorrowfully, being thus forced to choose between the duty which she owed -respectively to the two men who were dearest to her on earth. - -"It is a very natural confidence, Diane," the king returned. "Well?" he -added, observing that his daughter seemed to be at a loss. - -"Well, Sire," replied Diane, with an effort, "I think that your Majesty -is right, and that for you to take some notice of Monsieur d'Exmès's -movements will perhaps be the wisest course you can adopt." - -"Do you think, then, Diane, that my life is in danger from him?" asked -Henri. - -"Oh, I did not say that, Sire!" cried Diane, warmly. "But Monsieur -d'Exmès seems to have been wounded to the quick, and there may be -danger perhaps--" - -Poor Diane stopped abruptly, quivering with the torture she was -undergoing, the perspiration standing on her forehead in great beads. -This species of denunciation, which her moral sense had almost torn from -her, was very repugnant to her noble heart. - -But Henri put a wholly different construction upon her very evident -distress. - -"I understand you, Diane," said he, rising and pacing heavily to and -fro. "Yes, I foresaw it clearly. You see I must be suspicious of this -young man; but to live with this Damocles's sword forever hanging over -my head is impossible. The obligations of kings are not the same as -those by which other gentlemen are governed. I propose to take effective -measures to protect myself against Monsieur d'Exmès." - -He walked toward the door as if to leave the room, but Diane threw -herself in his path. - -What, Gabriel to be accused and perhaps imprisoned! And it was she, -Diane, who had betrayed him! She could not abide the thought. After all, -Gabriel's words had not been so full of menace. - -"Sire, one moment, pray!" she cried. "You are mistaken; I swear that you -are mistaken! I have not said a word to imply that your doubly sacred -head is in danger. Nothing in Monsieur d'Exmès's confidences could ever -make me suspect him capable of crime. Otherwise, great God! would I not -have told you everything?" - -"Very true," said Henri, stopping once more; "but what did you mean to -say, then, Diane?" - -"I meant to say simply that I thought it would be well for your Majesty -to avoid as far as possible these vexatious encounters where an offended -subject is enabled to show his forgetfulness of the respect due to his -king. But a regicide's failure to show respect is a very different -matter. Sire, would it be worthy of you to try to remedy one unjust act -by another equally iniquitous?" - -"No, surely not; I had no such intention," said the king; "and I have -proved it by keeping these occurrences to myself. Since you have -dissipated my suspicions, Diane; since you will answer for my bodily -safety to your own conscience and before God; and since in your opinion -I may be perfectly tranquil--" - -"Tranquil!" Diane interrupted with a shudder. "Ah, I didn't go so far as -that, Sire. With what a terrible load of responsibility you overwhelm -me! On the contrary, your Majesty ought to be careful and on your -guard--" - -"No," said the king, "I cannot live in a condition of never-ending dread -and apprehension. For two weeks I have entirely ceased to enjoy life. -This state of affairs must come to an end. One of two things must -happen: either trusting in your word, Diane, I shall go tranquilly on -with my life, thinking of the welfare of my realm, and not of my -enemy,--in short, without troubling myself further about Vicomte -d'Exmès; or I shall see that this man who bears me ill-will is put -where he can no longer injure me, by giving information of his outrages; -and since I occupy too proud and lofty a position to defend myself, I -shall leave that task to those whose duty it is to safeguard my person." - -"And who are they, Sire?" asked Diane. - -"Why, Monsieur de Montmorency, first of all, as constable and -commander-in-chief of the army." - -"Monsieur de Montmorency!" echoed Diane, with an accent of horror. - -That detested name at once recalled to her mind all the misfortunes of -Gabriel's father, his long and harsh captivity, and his death. If -Gabriel in turn should fall into the constable's hands, a like fate was -in store for him, and his destruction was certain. - -In her imagination Diane saw him whom she had loved so dearly immured in -a dungeon without light or air, and dying there in one night, or, more -fearful still, lingering on for twenty years, and dying at the last -cursing God and man, but more than all Diane the traitress, who with her -equivocal and hesitating words had basely betrayed him. - -There was no proof that Gabriel wished to slay the king, or would be -able to do it, while there was no room for doubt that the bitter enmity -of Monsieur de Montmorency would have no mercy on Gabriel. - -Diane went over all this in her mind in a few seconds, and when the king -finally propounded the direct question to her,-- - -"Well, Diane, what advice do you give me? Since you are better able than -I to form an opinion as to the perils which beset my path, your word -shall be my law. Ought I to think no more about Monsieur d'Exmès, or -ought I, on the other hand, to busy myself with him exclusively?" - -She replied in an agony of terror at his last words, "I have no other -counsel to offer your Majesty than that of your own conscience. If any -other than a man whom you had offended, Sire, had failed to show proper -respect to you, or had basely abandoned you when in danger of your life, -you would not, I fancy, have come to ask my advice as to the fit -punishment to be meted out to the culprit. Therefore some very weighty -motive must have constrained your Majesty to adopt a policy of silence -which seems to imply forgiveness. Now I confess that I can see no reason -why you should not continue to act as you have begun; for it seems to me -that if Monsieur d'Exmès had been capable of meditating a crime against -you, he could hardly have expected two fairer opportunities than those -which were offered him in a lonely gallery in the Louvre, and in the -forest of Fontainebleau on the edge of a precipice--" - -"You need say no more, Diane," said Henri; "and I will not ask you -another question. You have banished a serious anxiety from my heart, and -I thank you sincerely for it, my dear child. Let us say no more about -this. Now I shall be able to devote my thoughts freely to our -approaching marriage festivities. I desire that they shall be -magnificent, and that you shall be as magnificent as they. Diane, do you -hear?" - -"I beg your Majesty to excuse me," said Diane; "but I was just about to -ask leave to absent myself from these festivities. I should much prefer, -if I must confess it, to remain here by myself." - -"What!" exclaimed the king; "but do you know, Diane, that this will be -truly a royal display? There will be games and tournaments, all on the -most splendid scale, and I myself shall be one of those who hold the -lists against all comers. What pressing affairs can you have to keep you -away from such superb spectacles, my darling daughter?" - -"Sire," replied Diane, in a tone of the utmost gravity, "I have to -pray." - -A few minutes later the king quitted Madame de Castro, with his heart -relieved of part of its anguish. - -But alas! he left poor Diane with so much the more anguish at her heart. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -OMENS - - -The king, thenceforth almost free from the anxiety which had weighed -upon him, urged on most energetically the preparations for the -magnificent fêtes which he proposed to provide for his fair city of -Paris, on the occasion of the happy marriages of his daughter Élisabeth -with Philip II., and his sister Marguerite with the Duke of Savoy. - -Very happy marriages, in sooth, and which surely deserved to be -celebrated with such rejoicing and splendor. The author of Don Carlos -has told us so well that we need not repeat it, what was the result of -the first. We shall see to what the preliminaries of the other led. - -The contract of marriage between Philibert Emmanuel and Marguerite de -France was to be signed on the 28th of June. - -Henri caused the announcement to be made that on that and the two -following days there would be lists open at the Tournelles for tilting -and other knightly sports. - -And upon the pretext of paying a higher compliment to the bride and -groom, but really to gratify his own intense passion for sport of that -nature, the king declared that he would himself be among the -challengers. - -But on the morning of the 28th the queen, Catherine de Médicis, who at -that time scarcely ever showed herself in public, sent an urgent request -to the king for an interview with him. - -Henri, we need not say, acquiesced at once in his wife's desire. - -Catherine thereupon entered his apartment in much emotion. - -"Ah, dear Sire," she exclaimed as soon as she saw him, "in Jesus' name, -I implore you not to leave the Louvre until the end of this month of -June." - -"Why so, Madame, pray?" asked Henri, amazed at this unexpected request. - -"Sire, because you are threatened by great peril during these last few -days." - -"Who has told you that?" demanded the king. - -"Your star, Sire, which appeared last night in an observation made by -myself and my Italian astrologer, with most threatening indications of -danger,--of mortal danger!" - -We must know that Catherine de Médicis about this time began to devote -herself to those magical and astrological practices which very rarely -deceived her in the whole course of her life, if we may trust the -memoirs of the time. - -But Henri was a confirmed scoffer in this matter of reading the stars, -and he smilingly replied to the queen,-- - -"Well, Madame, if my star portends danger, it may come to me here as -well as elsewhere." - -"No, Sire," Catherine replied; "it is beneath the vault of heaven and in -the open air that peril awaits you." - -"Really!--a tempest perhaps?" said Henri. - -"Sire, do not joke about such things!" retorted the queen. "The stars -are the written word of God." - -"Well, then, we must agree," said Henri, "that the divine handwriting is -generally very obscure and confused." - -"How so, Sire?" - -"The erasures seem to me to make the text unintelligible, so that each -one may decipher it almost to suit himself. You have read, Madame, in -the celestial conjuring book, as you say, that my life is threatened if -I quit the Louvre?" - -"Yes, Sire." - -"Very well. Now, Forcatel only last month saw something very different -there. You think highly of Forcatel, Madame, I believe?" - -"Yes," said the queen; "he is a learned man, who has already learned to -read in the book where we are just beginning to spell." - -"Know, then, Madame," rejoined the king, "that Forcatel read for me in -these stars of yours this beautiful verse, which has no other fault -except that it is utterly unintelligible:--" - - -"'If this is not Mars, dread his image.'" - - -"In what does that prediction weaken the one I have told you of?" asked -Catherine. - -"Just wait, Madame!" said Henri: "I have somewhere the nativity which -was cast for me last year. Do you remember what destiny it foretold for -me?" - -"Very indistinctly, Sire." - -"According to that horoscope, Madame, it is written in the stars that I -shall die in a duel! Surely, that would be a rare and novel experience -for a king. But a duel, in my humble opinion, is not the image of Mars, -but the god himself." - -"What is your conclusion from that, Sire?" - -"Why, this, Madame: that since all these prophecies are contradictory -and inconsistent, the surest way is to have no faith in any of them. The -deceitful things give one another the lie, you can see yourself." - -"So your Majesty will persist in leaving the Louvre during the next few -days?" - -"Under any other circumstances I should be most happy, Madame, to -gratify you by remaining with you; but I have promised and publicly -announced that I would be present at these festivities; so I must attend -them." - -"At all events, Sire, you will not enter the lists, will you?" - -"There, again, my pledged word requires me, to my great regret, to -refuse you, Madame. But what possible danger can there be for me in -these sports? I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart for your -solicitude; yet let me assure you that your fears are altogether -imaginary, and that to yield to them would be to imply a false belief -that danger could possibly attend this courtly, good-natured jousting, -which I by no means propose to have done away with on my account." - -"Sire," rejoined Catherine, "I am accustomed to give way to your will, -and to-day again I resign myself, but with grief and alarm at my heart." - -"You will come to the Tournelles, Madame, will you not?" said the king, -kissing Catherine's hand,--"were it for no other object than to applaud -my prowess with the lance and convince yourself of the absurdity of your -fears." - -"I will obey you to the end," replied the queen, as she withdrew. - -Along with all the court, except Diane de Castro, Catherine was present -at the first day's tilting, where throughout the day the king crossed -lances with all comers. - -"Well, Madame, the stars seem to have been mistaken," he said jokingly -to the queen in the evening. - -Catherine sadly shook her head. - -"Alas!" said she, "the month of June is not yet at an end." - -The second day, the 29th, likewise passed off equally uneventfully. -Henri did not leave the lists; and his good fortune was in proportion to -his daring. - -"You see, Madame, that the stars proved deceptive as to this day also," -he again observed to Catherine, when they returned to the Louvre. - -"Ah, Sire, now I only dread the third day!" cried the queen. - -The last day of the tournament, June 30, was Friday, and was intended to -be the most brilliant and splendid of the three, and to bring the -festivities to a fitting close. - -The four challengers were-- - -The king, who wore a white and black favor,--the colors of Madame de -Poitiers; - -The Duc de Guise, who wore white and pink; - -Alphonse d'Este, Duc de Ferrare, who wore yellow and red; and - -Jacques de Savoie, Duc de Nemours, whose colors were black and yellow. - -Says Brantôme:-- - - -"These four princes were the most skilful knights who could be found at -that time, not in France alone, but in all countries. Thus on that day -they performed prodigies of valor; and it was impossible to know to whom -the palm should be awarded, although the king was one of the best and -most expert horsemen in his realm." - - -Fortune seemed to divide her favors with impartial hand among these four -dexterous and renowned challengers; and as course succeeded course, and -the day drew to its close, it was hard to say to which of them the honor -of the tournament belonged. - -Henri was throughout in an almost feverish state of excitement. He was -in his element in all such sports and passages-at-arms; and he was quite -as eager to be victorious on such occasions as on a real battle-field. - -However, the evening came on apace, and the trumpets and clarions -sounded the signal for the last course. - -It was Monsieur le Duc de Guise's turn to hold the lists, and he did it -in such knightly fashion as to win hearty applause from the ladies and -the assembled multitude. - -Then the queen, who began to breathe freely once more, rose from her -seat. - -It was the signal for departure. - -"What! is everything over?" cried the excited and jealous king. "Wait, -Mesdames, wait a moment! Is it not my turn to run a course?" - -Monsieur de Vieilleville reminded the king that he had opened the lists; -that the four challengers had all run the same number of courses: that -they had all met with equal success, to be sure, and no one could be -declared victor, but that the lists were closed and the day at an end. - -"What!" retorted Henri, impatiently; "if the king is the first to enter -the lists, he should be the last to leave them. I do not choose that the -day should end in this way. See, there are still two unbroken lances." - -"But there are no more assailants, Sire," replied Monsieur de -Vieilleville. - -"I beg your pardon," said the king; "do you not see that man who has -kept his visor down all the time, and has not yet run? Who is it, -Vieilleville?" - -"Sire, I don't know,--I had not noticed him." - -"Monsieur," said Henri, approaching the unknown, "you will, if you -please, break this last lance with me." - -The individual addressed did not reply for a moment, but at last in a -deep and solemn voice, which he struggled to control, he said,-- - -"I beg your Majesty to allow me to decline this honor." - -The tone of his voice caused Henri, without knowing why, to feel a -strange uneasiness mingled with his feverish excitement. - -"Allow you to decline! no, I cannot allow that, Monsieur," said he, with -a gesture of nervous anger. - -Then the stranger silently raised his visor. - -For the third time within a fortnight, the king saw the pale and -dejected countenance of Gabriel de Montgommery. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE FATAL JOUST - - -At sight of the solemn and ominous features of the young count, the king -felt an involuntary tremor of surprise, perhaps of terror, which set -every nerve quivering. - -But he would not confess to himself, still less let others observe that -first shudder, which he at once repressed. His heart reacted against his -instinct; and just because he had been afraid for one second, he -afterward exhibited a degree of courage which amounted to recklessness. - -Gabriel said again in his slow, grave tones,-- - -"I implore your Majesty not to persist in your desire!" - -"Nevertheless I do persist in it, Monsieur de Montgommery," the king -replied. - -His perception being obscured by so many contending emotions, Henri -imagined that he could detect a sort of challenge in Gabriel's words, -and the tone in which they were uttered. Alarmed by the sudden return of -that anxious feeling which Diane de Castro had relieved temporarily, he -bore up vigorously against his weakness, and determined to have done -with this dastardly terror, which he deemed unworthy of himself,--Henri -II., a son of France, and a king! - -Therefore he said to Gabriel with a firmness that was almost overdone,-- - -"Make your preparations, Monsieur, to run a course against me." - -Gabriel, whose whole being was in as confused and overwrought a state as -that of the king, bowed without replying. - -At that moment, Monsieur de Boisy, the grand equerry, approached the -king and said to him that the queen had sent him to implore his Majesty -to tilt no more that day for love of her. - -"Say to the queen," replied Henri, "that it is just for love of her that -I am going to run this one course." - -Turning to Monsieur de Vieilleville, he said,-- - -"Come, Monsieur de Vieilleville, put on my armor at once." - -In his preoccupation, he demanded from Monsieur de Vieilleville a -service which was an attribute of the office of Monsieur de Boisy, the -grand equerry, and Monsieur de Vieilleville in his surprise respectfully -reminded him of that fact. - -"To be sure!" said the king, putting his hand to his forehead. "What has -become of my brains, I wonder?" - -He met Gabriel's cold and statue-like glance, and continued -impatiently,-- - -"But no, I was right. Was it not Monsieur de Boisy's place to finish his -commission from the queen, by reporting my words to her? I knew -perfectly well what I was doing and what I said! Give me my armor, -Monsieur de Vieilleville." - -"That being so, Sire," said Monsieur de Vieilleville, "and since your -Majesty is absolutely determined to break one lance more, I beg to -remind you that it is my turn to run against you, and I claim my right. -In fact, Monsieur de Montgommery did not present himself at the opening -of the lists, and only entered when he believed them closed." - -"You are right, Monsieur," said Gabriel, earnestly; "and I will gladly -withdraw, and give place to you." - -But in the count's eagerness to shun the combat with him, the king -persisted in fancying that he detected the insulting reflections of an -enemy upon his courage. - -"No, no!" he replied, stamping his foot on the ground. "It is against -Monsieur de Montgommery and no other that I propose to run this course, -and there has been enough delay! Give me my armor." - -He met the count's fixed, stern gaze with a proud and haughty glance, -and without more words he put his head forward that Monsieur de -Vieilleville might adjust his casque. - -Clearly his destiny had blinded him. - -Monsieur de Savoie came to renew Catherine de Médicis's entreaties that -the king would leave the field. - -As Henri did not trouble himself to reply to these urgent -representations, the duke added in a low tone,-- - -"Madame Diane de Poitiers, Sire, also asked me to warn you secretly to -be on your guard against him with whom you are to dispute this bout." - -At Diane's name, Henri started in spite of himself, but again he -repressed his emotion. - -"Shall I show myself a craven, then, before my beloved?" he asked -himself. - -And he maintained the dignified silence of one who is importuned to -depart from an unalterable resolution. - -Meanwhile, Monsieur de Vieilleville, while adjusting his armor, took -occasion to say to him beneath his breath,-- - -"Sire, I swear by the living God that for three nights I have dreamed of -nothing but that some mishap would befall you to-day, and that this last -day of June would be a fatal one for you."[4] - -But the king did not appear to have heard him; he was already armed, and -he seized his lance. - -Gabriel was handed his, and also entered the lists. - -The two combatants mounted their horses and took the field. - -A deep, awful silence pervaded the entire assemblage; all eyes were so -intent upon the spectacle before them that breathing seemed almost to be -suspended. - -However, the constable and Diane de Castro being absent, every one in -that vast throng, except Madame de Poitiers, was in ignorance of the -fact that there were between the king and the Comte de Montgommery any -causes of enmity or any wrongs to be avenged. No one clearly foreboded a -bloody issue to a mock combat. The king, accustomed to these sports -unattended with danger, had shown himself in the arena a hundred times -within three days, under conditions which apparently differed in no -respect from those existing at this moment. - -And yet there was a vague sensation of something awe-inspiring and out -of the common course in this adversary who had remained shrouded in -mystery until the very end, in his significant reluctance to enter the -lists,--likewise in the king's stubborn obstinacy; and in the face of -this unknown danger, every one waited in breathless silence. Why? No one -could have told. But a stranger arriving at that moment, and observing -the expression on every face, would have said,-- - -"Some critical event is about to take place." - -There was terror in the very air. - -One extraordinary circumstance demonstrated clearly the sinister -complexion of the thoughts of the throng. - -In ordinary combats, and as long as they lasted, the clarions and -trumpets never ceased their deafening flourishes. They were the very -incarnation of the spirit of enjoyment that pervaded the tournament. - -But when the king and Gabriel entered the lists, the trumpets suddenly, -as if by common consent, were still; not a sound was to be heard from -one of them, and the pervading horrified expectancy became doubly -painful in that unwonted silence. - -The two champions felt even more than the spectators the influence of -these extraordinary tokens of disquiet which seemed to fill the air, so -to speak. - -Gabriel no longer thought or saw,--in fact, he hardly breathed. He went -on mechanically and as if in a dream, doing by instinct what he had -formerly done under similar circumstances, but guided in some measure by -a secret and potent will, which surely was not his own. - -The king was even more passive and lost in abstraction than he. He also -seemed to have a sort of cloud before his eyes, and had the appearance -of acting and moving in a mental phantasmagoria, which was neither -reality nor a dream. - -Every now and then a ray of light shone in upon his brain, so that he -reviewed clearly and all at once the predictions which the queen had -made two days before, as well as those of his horoscope, and those of -Forcatel. Suddenly, by the help of some awe-inspiring gleam of -intelligence, he understood the meaning and the correlation of all those -ominous auguries. A cold sweat bathed him from head to foot. For an -instant he felt an almost irresistible impulse to give up the combat and -leave the lists; but the thousands of eyes that were gazing eagerly upon -him nailed him to his place. - -Moreover, Monsieur de Vieilleville was just giving the signal for the -onset. - -The die was cast. Forward! and God's will be done! - -The two horses set off at a gallop, at that moment being more -intelligent and less blinded perhaps than their riders, heavily barbed -and armored. - -Gabriel and the king met in the centre of the arena. Their lances came -together and were shattered upon their shields, and they passed on -without any other mishap. - -So the presentiments of evil had been false! There was a great murmur of -satisfaction uttered with one accord by all those lightened hearts. The -queen cast a grateful glance toward heaven. - -But their rejoicing was premature. - -The horsemen were still within the lists. After having galloped each to -the opposite end from that at which he had entered, they must return to -their respective points of departure, and thus meet a second time. - -But what danger was to be apprehended now? They would pass without -coming in contact. - -But whether because of his anxiety, whether it was by intention or by -accident (for who besides God can tell the reason?), Gabriel, when he -rode back, did not throw away, as the custom was, the broken shaft of -the lance, which had been left in his hand. He carried it lowered in -front of him. - -As he rode along at a gallop, the shaft came in contact with Henri's -head. - -The visor of the casque was broken by the force of the blow, and the -lance pierced the king's eye and came out at his ear. - -Not more than half of the spectators, who were already rising to leave -the lists, witnessed that fearful blow; but those who did gave utterance -to a loud cry, which told the others. - -Meanwhile Henri had let his reins drop from his hands, and clinging to -his horse's neck, had reached the end of the arena, where Messieurs de -Vieilleville and de Boisy were waiting to receive him. - -"Ah, I am killed!" were the king's first words. - -Then he muttered,-- - -"Let no one molest Monsieur de Montgommery! It was no more than just--I -forgive him." - -And with that he lost consciousness. - -We will not try to depict the confusion that ensued. Catherine de -Médicis was carried from the spot, half dead with grief and terror. The -king was at once borne to his own apartment at the Tournelles, without -regaining consciousness for an instant. - -Gabriel dismounted and stood leaning against the barrier as motionless -as if turned to stone, and seemingly overcome with horror at the blow he -had struck. - -The king's last words had been understood and repeated, and no one -ventured to molest Gabriel; but every one around was whispering, and -looking askance at him in awe. - -Admiral de Coligny, who had been a spectator of the tournament, alone -had courage to approach the young count; and as he passed by at his left -side, he said to him in a low voice,-- - -"A terrible accident, my friend! I know well that it was all chance; our -ideas and the speeches you heard, as La Renaudie has informed me, at the -meeting in the Place Maubert, surely had no connection with this -fatality. No matter! although you cannot be punished for what was but an -accident, be on your guard. I advise you to disappear for a time, and to -get away from Paris, if not from France. Rely always upon me; _au -revoir_." - -"Thanks," Gabriel replied without moving, - -A mournful and feeble smile flickered about his colorless lips while the -Protestant leader was speaking to him. - -Coligny nodded to him, and went on. - -Some moments later, the Duc de Guise, who had superintended the king's -removal, also came toward Gabriel, as he was giving certain orders to -the attendants. - -He passed very near the young count, on the right side, and as he -passed, whispered in his ear,-- - -"An unfortunate blow, Gabriel! But no one can blame you for it; you are -only to be pitied. But just think! if any one had overheard our -conversation at the Tournelles, what fearful conjectures the -evil-disposed might draw from this very easily explained but very -distressing accident! But it makes no difference, for I am powerful now; -and I am always your friend, as you know. However, do not show yourself -for a few days; but do not leave Paris,--that would be useless. If any -one should dare to make a criminal accusation against you, remember what -I say to you: rely upon me everywhere and always, and in any emergency." - -"Thanks, Monseigneur," said Gabriel again, in the same tone, and with -the same melancholy smile. - -It was very clear that both the Duc de Guise and Coligny had, not an -absolute conviction, but a vague suspicion, that the accident which they -pretended to deplore had not been altogether unintentional. In their -hearts, the religious zealot and the ambitious noble, without wishing to -do violence to their respective consciences, were satisfied,--the latter -that Gabriel had seized at any risk the opportunity to make himself -useful to the fortune of a patron whom he adored, and the former that -the fanaticism of the young Huguenot had attained sufficient strength to -urge him on to deliver his oppressed brethren from their persecutor. - -Therefore both felt in duty bound to say a few words to their discreet -and devoted auxiliary: and that explains why they had, one after the -other, approached him as we have related, and Gabriel's appreciation of -their motives had made him receive their double error with that sad -smile. - -Meanwhile the Duc de Guise had returned to the anxious groups who were -standing around. Gabriel cast a glance about him, saw the alarmed -curiosity with which he was regarded, and with a deep sigh determined to -leave the fatal spot. - -He returned to his house in the Rue des Jardins St. Paul without -molestation or question. - -At the Tournelles the king's apartment was closed to everybody except -the queen and their children and the surgeons who had come to the relief -of the royal patient. - -But Fernel and all the other doctors very soon recognized the fact that -there was no hope, and that Henri II. must die. - -Ambroise Paré was at Peronne, and it did not occur to the Duc de Guise -to send for him. - -The king lay in an unconscious state for four days. - -On the fifth day he came to himself sufficiently to give some -orders,--notably to command that his sister's marriage should be -celebrated at once. - -He saw the queen also, and made certain suggestions to her concerning -his children and the affairs of the kingdom. - -Then fever seized him; he became delirious, and suffered torments. - -At last, on the 10th of July, 1559, on the day following that on which, -in accordance with his last wish, his weeping sister Marguerite had -married the Duke of Savoy, Henri II. breathed his last, after eleven -long days of agony. - -The same day Madame Diane de Castro took her departure, or rather her -flight, for her old home,--the Benedictine convent at St. Quentin, which -had been reopened after the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. - - -[Footnote 4: "Mémoires de Vincent Carloix," secretary to Monsieur -de Vieilleville.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A NEW ORDER OF AFFAIRS - - -For the mistress, as well as for the favorite male dependant of a king, -true death comes, not with death itself, but with disgrace. - -Consequently the son of the Comte de Montgommery might feel that he had -taken ample vengeance for his father's horrible entombment and death -upon both the constable and Diane de Poitiers, if through his -instrumentality those two guilty ones should fall from power to exile, -and from lofty and brilliant position to obscurity. - -It was this result that Gabriel was still awaiting in the gloomy and -anxious solitude of his dwelling, where he had buried himself after the -fatal blow of June 30. It was not his own punishment that he dreaded, if -Montmorency and his accomplice should remain in power, but he loathed -the thought of their chastisement being remitted. He therefore waited. - -During the eleven days that elapsed before Henri's agony was relieved by -death, the Constable de Montmorency had put forth every effort to retain -his share of influence in the government. He had written to all the -princes of the blood, urging them to take their seats in the council of -the young king. Above all, he had impressed the consequence of this -proceeding upon Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, the next heir to -the throne after the king's brothers. He had written him to make all -haste, inasmuch as the least delay would enable strangers to assume a -supremacy from which they could not afterward be easily dislodged. In -fact, he had sent couriers here and there in all directions, urging some -and imploring others, and had omitted nothing in his vigorous attempts -to form a party capable of making head against that of the Guises. - -Diane de Poitiers, despite her deep affliction, had done her best to -second his efforts, for her fate now was indissolubly connected with -that of her old lover. - -With him in power she might still reign, to good effect at all events, -although not openly. - -When, on the 10th of July, 1559, the eldest son of Henri II. was -proclaimed king by the herald-at-arms, under the name of François II., -the young prince was only sixteen; and although he had in the eyes of -the law attained his majority, his youth and inexperience, as well as -his feeble health, would compel him, for several years at least, to -relinquish the conduct of affairs to a minister who in his name would be -far more powerful than himself. - -Now who should be that minister,--say rather, that tutor,--the Duc de -Guise or the constable; Catherine de Médicis or Antoine de Bourbon? - -That was the question of absorbing interest on the day following the -death of Henri II. - -On that day François II. was to receive the deputies of parliament at -three o'clock. The person whose name he should present to them as that -of his minister might well be saluted by them as their real sovereign. - -All energies were therefore bent in that direction; and on the morning -of the 12th of July Catherine de Médicis and François de Lorraine both -waited upon the young king, upon the pretext that they had come to offer -him their condolence, but really to whisper their advice into his ear. - -The widow of Henri II., with such an important end in view, had even -broken through the etiquette which required that she should remain in -seclusion for forty days. - -Catherine de Médicis, although slighted and cast aside by her husband, -had felt for the last twelve years the first symptoms of that vast and -far-reaching ambition which governed the rest of her life. - -But since she could not be regent over a king who had attained his -majority, her only chance was to reign by the hand of a minister who was -devoted to her interests. - -The Constable de Montmorency would not meet the occasion; for he had -under the late reign contributed in no slight degree to the substitution -of the influence of Diane de Poitiers for that which Catherine might -legitimately have exercised. The queen-mother had not forgiven his -actions in that regard, and thought much more seriously about chastising -him for his always harsh and often cruel treatment of her. - -Antoine de Bourbon would have been a more docile instrument in her -hands; but he was of the Reformed religion, and his wife, Jeanne -d'Albret, had her own ambition to satisfy; and then, too, his title as a -prince of the blood might arouse dangerous desires in him if conjoined -with the real power of a minister. - -The Duc de Guise remained; but would François de Lorraine acknowledge -with good grace the queen-mother's right to exercise a sort of moral -authority, or would he refuse to admit anybody to a share in his power? - -The last point was one on which Catherine was very anxious to be -enlightened; and so she welcomed with joy the prospect of an interview -in the king's presence which chance had brought about between her and -the duke on the morning in question. - -She determined to find or to invent opportunities to test Le Balafré, -and to ascertain his disposition toward her. - -But the Duc de Guise was no less expert in politics than in war, and -maintained a careful watch upon himself. - -This prologue to the drama took place at the Louvre, in the royal -apartment where François II. had been installed the day before; and the -only _dramatis personæ_ were the queen-mother, Le Balafré, the young -king, and Mary Stuart. - -François and his youthful queen contrasted with the cold and selfish -ambitions of Catherine and the Duc de Guise were like two fascinating -children, frankly and ingenuously in love with each other, and ready to -bestow their confidence upon the first passer-by who should be adroit -enough to win their hearts. - -They were in sincere affliction for the death of the king their father; -and Catherine found them very sad and cast down. - -"My son," said she to François, "it is well for you to shed these tears -to the memory of him whom you, above all others, should regret. You know -that I share your bitter grief. However, you must remember that you have -other duties than those of a son to fulfil. You are also a father,--the -father of your people. After you have paid this fitting tribute of -sorrow to the past, turn your face to the future. Remember that you are -king, my son,--I should say your Majesty, to use a form of address which -will remind you of your duties and your rights at the same time." - -"Alas!" said François, shaking his head, "it is a very heavy burden, -Madame, this sceptre of France, for the hands of sixteen years to carry; -and nothing warned me to expect that my inexperienced and light-minded -youth would so soon be overwhelmed with such a weighty responsibility." - -"Sire," Catherine replied, "accept with resignation and gratitude the -office which God lays upon you; it will be for those who surround and -love you to lighten your burden to the best of their ability, and to add -their efforts to your own to assist you to bear it worthily." - -"Madame, I thank you," murmured the young king, much embarrassed to know -what reply to make to these advances. - -Mechanically he glanced toward the Duc de Guise, as if to ask the advice -of his wife's uncle. - -At his very first step as king, even in his mother's presence, the poor -youth, with the crown on his head, seemed instinctively to appreciate -the pitfalls which lay in his path. - -But the Duc de Guise said, with no sign of hesitation,-- - -"Yes, Sire; your Majesty is right,--thank the queen, thank her with all -your heart, for her kind and encouraging words. But be not content with -being grateful to her; tell her boldly that among those who love you and -whom you love she occupies the foremost place, and that for that reason -you ought to and do rely upon her invaluable maternal co-operation in -the difficult task which you have been called upon so young to -undertake." - -"My uncle De Guise is a faithful interpreter of my thoughts, Madame," -said the delighted young king to his mother; "and even if I do not -repeat his words for fear that I may weaken their force, consider them, -I pray, Madame and beloved mother, as if I had myself uttered them, and -vouchsafe to promise me your priceless help in my weakness." - -The queen-mother had already favored the Duc de Guise with a grateful -and approving glance. - -"Sire," she said to her son, "the little talent that I can boast of is -at your service, and I shall be proud and happy every time that you care -to consult me. But I am only a woman; and you need beside your throne a -defender who knows how to wield a sword. The strong arm and manly vigor -that are requisite your Majesty will doubtless discover among those -whose alliance and relationship make you look naturally to them for -support." - -Thus Catherine lost no time in paying her debt to the Duc de Guise for -his fair words. - -A tacit bargain was thus made between them by a single glance; but let -us say at once that it was not sincerely entered into on either side, -and was not destined, as we shall see, to be of long duration. - -The young king understood his mother, and encouraged by a glance from -Mary, held out his hand timidly to Le Balafré. - -With that grasp of the hand he conferred upon him the government of -France. - -However, Catherine de Médicis did not choose to allow her son to bind -himself prematurely, nor until the Duc de Guise had given to herself -certain pledges of his goodwill. - -So she anticipated the king, who would probably have gone on to confirm -his confidential impulse by some formal promise, and was the first to -speak. - -"In any event, Sire, before you have a minister, your mother has, not a -favor to ask at your hands, but a demand to make." - -"Say, then, a command, Madame," replied François. "Speak, I beg you." - -"Well, then, my son," Catherine continued, "I refer to a woman who has -done me much harm, but has injured France even more. It is not for us to -censure the failings of one who is more than ever sacred in our eyes -now. But unfortunately your father is no more, Sire; his will is no -longer supreme in this château; and yet this woman, whom I will not -call by name, dares still to remain here, and to inflict upon me the -outrage of her presence even to the end. During the king's protracted -unconsciousness, it was suggested to her that it was not decent for her -to remain at the Louvre. 'Is the king dead?' she asked. 'No, he still -breathes.' 'Very well! none but he has the right to give orders to me.' -And she had the brazen impudence to remain." - -The Duc de Guise interrupted the queen-mother at this point, and -hastened to say,-- - -"Pardon me, Madame, but I think that I know his Majesty's intentions -with regard to her of whom you are speaking." - -Without other preamble, he struck a bell, and a valet appeared. - -"Let Madame de Poitiers be informed," said he, "that the king wishes to -speak with her at once." - -The valet bowed, and withdrew to carry out the order. The young monarch -gave no sign whatever of surprise or dissatisfaction at seeing his -authority thus taken from his hands without a word from him. The fact is -that he was overjoyed at anything that tended to lessen his -responsibility, and release him from the necessity of giving orders or -acting as king. - -However, Le Balafré thought best to give to his proceeding the sanction -of royal approbation. - -"I trust I do not presume too far, Sire," he continued, "in feeling -confident of your Majesty's wishes touching this matter?" - -"No, surely not, my dear uncle," François replied eagerly. "Go on, -pray. I know beforehand that whatever you do will be well done." - -"And what you say is well said, darling," whispered Mary Stuart, softly, -in her husband's ear. - -François blushed with pride and pleasure. For a word or a glance of -approbation from his adored Mary he would, in very truth, have bartered -and abandoned all the kingdoms on earth. - -The queen-mother awaited with impatient curiosity the course which the -Duc de Guise proposed to adopt. - -She thought best, however, to add, as much to break the silence as to -better signify her own purpose,-- - -"She whom you have sent for, Sire, may well, in my opinion, leave the -Louvre in the possession of the only legitimate queen of the late king, -as well as the charming queen of the present one;" here she bowed -graciously to Mary Stuart. "Has not this beautiful and wealthy lady her -superb royal Château d'Anet, where she can seek shelter and -consolation?--a much more royal and superb establishment, certainly, -than my modest dwelling of Chaumont-sur-Loire." - -The Duc de Guise said nothing, but did not fail to note down that hint -in his mind. - -We must avow that he hated Diane de Poitiers no less bitterly than -Catherine de Médicis did. For it was Madame de Valentinois who up to -that time, to please the constable, had used all her influence to hinder -and frustrate Le Balafré's fortune and his schemes; and she doubtless -would have succeeded in relegating him forever into obscurity if -Gabriel's lance had not shattered the enchantress's power when it struck -down Henri II. in the prime of life. - -But François de Lorraine's day of vengeance had come at last, and he -knew how to hate as well as to love. - -At this moment the usher announced in a loud voice,-- - -"Madame le Duchesse de Valentinois." - -Diane de Poitiers entered, evidently in much anxiety, but with her head -still erect as of yore. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -RESULTS OF GABRIEL'S VENGEANCE - - -Madame de Valentinois made a slight reverence to the young king, a still -slighter one to Catherine de Médicis and Mary Stuart, but seemed not to -see the Duc de Guise. - -"Sire," said she, "your Majesty has sent me your commands to appear -before you--" - -She checked herself. François II., at once indignant and embarrassed by -the insolent bearing of the ex-favorite, hesitated, blushed, and finally -said,-- - -"Our uncle De Guise has consented to take it upon himself to make known -our intentions with regard to you, Madame." - -Diane turned slowly toward Le Balafré, and seeing the bitter, mocking -smile which was playing about his lips, tried to wither him with the -most imperious of her Juno-like glances. - -But Le Balafré was much less easily frightened than his royal nephew. - -"Madame," said he to Diane, after bestowing a profound salute upon her, -"the king has noticed your sincere grief, caused by the terrible -calamity which has overwhelmed us all. He is grateful to you for it. His -Majesty trusts that he anticipates your dearest wish by permitting you -to leave the court for a more retired spot. You are at liberty to go as -soon as you find it convenient; this evening, for instance." - -A tear of rage appeared in Diane's flaming eye. - -"His Majesty has gratified my most earnest desire," said she. "What is -there here for me to do now? I have nothing so much at heart as to -withdraw to my place of exile, Monsieur, at the earliest possible -moment, never fear!" - -"Everything turns out for the best, then," replied the Duc de Guise, -carelessly playing with the knots of his velvet cloak. "But, Madame," he -added more gravely, and imparting to his words the significant accent of -an order, "your Château d'Anet, which you owe to the benevolence of the -late king, is something too worldly, too exposed, and too frivolous a -retreat for a desolate recluse like yourself. Therefore Queen Catherine -offers you in exchange for it her Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, which -is farther from Paris, and proportionately better suited to your present -tastes and needs, I presume. It will be at your disposal as soon as you -desire." - -Madame de Poitiers very well understood that this pretended exchange was -simply a mask to cover an arbitrary confiscation. But what could she do? -How resist? She no longer possessed either influence or power. All her -friends of the day before were her enemies of to-day. She must needs bow -to fate, and she did so. - -"I shall be only too happy," said she, in a hollow voice, "to offer to -the queen the magnificent domain which I owe to the generosity of her -royal spouse." - -"I accept the reparation, Madame," said Catherine de Médicis, dryly, -casting a disdainful glance at Diane, and one full of gratitude to the -Duc de Guise. - -In truth, it was he who presented Anet to her. - -"The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is at your disposal, Madame," she -added, "and shall be put in condition to receive its new proprietress -worthily." - -"And there," resumed the Duc de Guise, meeting the withering -glances with which Diane was favoring him by a little harmless -raillery,--"there, in peace, Madame, you may employ your leisure in -resting from the weariness which has, I am informed, been caused during -the last few days by your frequent correspondence and interviews with -Monsieur de Montmorency." - -"I did not think that I was doing a disservice to him who was then -king," Diane retorted, "by conferring with the great statesman and great -warrior of his reign as to whatever concerned the welfare of the -kingdom." - -In her eagerness to repay sharp words in kind, Madame de Poitiers did -not reflect that she was thus furnishing arms against herself, and -reminding Catherine de Médicis of her other enemy, the constable. - -"It is true," said the relentless queen-mother: "Monsieur de Montmorency -has shed the light of his glory and his good works upon two entire -reigns; and it is full time, my son," she added, addressing the young -king, "that you should consider how you may assure him also the -honorable retirement he has so laboriously earned." - -"Monsieur de Montmorency," Diane retorted bitterly, "agreed with me in -anticipating such an acknowledgment and recompense of his long and -arduous services. He was with me when your Majesty commanded my -presence. He is probably still in my apartments, and I will seek him -there, and notify him of the generous consideration that is in store for -him; he should come at once to offer his gratitude to the king with his -leave-taking. And he is a man, remember; he is constable, and one of the -powerful noblemen of the realm! Rest assured that sooner or later he -will find an opportunity to demonstrate more forcibly than by words his -profound gratitude to a king so filled with pious regard for the past, -and to the new advisers who show themselves such valuable assistants in -the work of justice and of public interest which he has at heart." - -"A threat!" said Le Balafré to himself. "The viper squirms under the -heel. Oh, well, so much the better! I prefer it so!" - -"The king is always ready to receive Monsieur le Connétable," observed -the queen-mother, pale with rage. "And if Monsieur le Connétable has -any demands to present to his Majesty's consideration, or any -observations to address to him, he has but to come forward. He will be -listened to, and, as you say, Madame, justice will be done!" - -"I will send him hither at once," was Madame de Poitiers's defiant -reply. - -She again bestowed a superb bow upon the king and the two queens, and -left the room, with head still erect, but wounded to her very -soul,--with pride on her features, but death at her heart. - -If Gabriel could have seen her, he would have felt sufficiently revenged -upon her. - -Even Catherine de Médicis, at the price of that humiliation, consented -to forego any further reprisals against Diane! - -But the queen-mother had noticed with some uneasiness that at the name -of the constable the Duc de Guise had remained silent, and had paid no -further attention to Madame de Poitiers's irritating insolence. - -Could it be that Le Balafré feared Monsieur de Montmorency, and wished -to spare him? Would he, in case of need, form an alliance with -Catherine's old foe? - -It was essential that the Florentine should know what to expect in that -direction before she allowed the power to fall without resistance into -the hands of François de Lorraine. - -Therefore, in order to ascertain his views and those of the king as -well, she remarked, after Diane had gone: - -"Madame de Poitiers is very impudent, and seems very strong in her -reliance upon her constable. Be sure, my son, that if you allow Monsieur -de Montmorency to retain any authority, be it much or little, he will -share it with Madame Diane." - -Still the Duc de Guise said nothing. - -"As for me," continued Catherine, "if I were to offer my opinion to your -Majesty, it would be that you should not divide your confidence among -several persons, but that you should select for your sole minister -either Monsieur de Montmorency or your uncle De Guise or your uncle De -Bourbon, as you choose. But let it be one or the other, and not all. Let -there be only one will in the State,--that of the king, advised by the -small number of persons who have no other interest than in its welfare -and glory. Is not that your opinion, Monsieur de Lorraine?" - -"Yes, Madame, if it is yours," replied the duke, condescendingly. - -"Aha!" said Catherine to herself, "I guessed aright: he was thinking of -allying himself with the constable. But he must decide between him and -me, and I think he cannot hesitate long. - -"It seems to me, Monsieur de Guise," she continued aloud, "that you -ought to share my opinion so much the more fully, because it will be to -your advantage; for the king knows my thought, and that it is neither -the Constable de Montmorency nor Antoine de Navarre whom I would like to -have him select for his adviser; and when I thus declare my sentiments -in favor of the exclusion of a multiplicity of advisers, I do not aim my -remarks against you." - -"Madame," said the Duc de Guise, "accept with my heartfelt gratitude my -no less entire devotion." - -The subtle politician emphasized the last words, as if he had made up -his mind and had definitely sacrificed the constable to Catherine. - -"That is very well," said the queen-mother. "When these gentlemen of the -parliament arrive, it is fitting that they should find among us this -rare and affecting unanimity of views and feelings." - -"I, above all others, am overjoyed at this cordial agreement," cried the -young king, clapping his hands. "With my mother to advise me and my -uncle for minister, I begin to feel on better terms with this royalty -which terrified me so at first." - -"We will reign _en famille_," added Mary Stuart, gayly. - -Catherine de Médicis and François de Lorraine smiled pityingly at -these hopes--illusions, rather--of the young king and queen. Each of -them had for the moment what they most desired,--he the certainty that -the queen-mother would not object to allowing the supreme power to be -intrusted to him, and she the belief that the minister would share his -supreme power with her. - -Meanwhile Monsieur de Montmorency was announced. The constable, it must -be said, was at first more dignified and calm than Madame de -Valentinois. Doubtless he had been forewarned by her, and had determined -at least to fall with colors flying. - -He bowed respectfully before François II., and began at once to speak. - -"Sire," said he, "I anticipated that the old servant of your father and -grandfather would meet with little favor from you. I have no complaint -to make of this sudden change of fortune which I foresaw; I will go into -retirement without a murmur. If the king or France ever have need of me, -I shall be found at Chantilly, Sire; and my property, my children, and -my own life,--all that I possess will always be at your Majesty's -service." - -This moderation seemed to move the young king, who, more embarrassed -than ever, turned in his distress to his mother. - -But the Duc de Guise, feeling that no intervention could so surely turn -the old constable's reserve to anger as his own, interposed with the -most courteous formality of manner,-- - -"Since Monsieur de Montmorency is about to quit the court, he would do -well, I think, before his departure, to hand to his Majesty the royal -seal, which the late king intrusted to him, and which we need from this -time." - -Le Balafré was not mistaken. These apparently simple words excited the -jealous constable's wrath to the highest pitch. - -"Here is the seal," he said bitterly, as he produced it from beneath his -doublet. "I intended to hand it to his Majesty without requiring him to -ask it of me; but I see that his Majesty is surrounded by persons -disposed to advise him to heap insults upon those who deserve nothing -but gratitude." - -"To whom does Monsieur de Montmorency mean to refer?" asked Catherine, -haughtily. - -"What? I spoke of those by whom his Majesty is surrounded, Madame," -snarled the constable, giving the rein to his natural testiness and -brutality. - -But he had chosen his time ill; and Catherine was only awaiting an -opportunity to burst out. - -She rose, and casting all decorum to the winds, began to reproach the -constable for the harsh and disdainful manner he had always adopted -toward her, his hostility for everything Florentine, the preference -which he had openly shown to the mistress over the lawful wife. She was -not ignorant of the fact that it was to him that all the humiliation -suffered by her countrymen who had followed her to France was to be -attributed. She knew, too, that during the early years of her married -life Montmorency had had the hardihood to suggest to Henri that he -should cast her off as being barren, and that since then he had basely -slandered her. - -To this the constable, who was little accustomed to reproof, replied -with a sneer, which was in itself a fresh affront. - -Meanwhile the Duc de Guise had had time to take François II.'s orders, -or rather to dictate those orders to him in a low tone; and now, calmly -raising his voice, he proceeded to crush his rival, to the unbounded -delight of Catherine de Médicis. - -"Monsieur le Connétable," said he, with his jeering courtesy, "your -friends and creatures who sit with you at the council-board--Bochetel, -L'Aubespine, and the rest, notably his Eminence the Keeper of the Seals, -Jean Bertrandi--may probably prefer to imitate you in your longing for -retirement. The king desires you to express his gratitude to them. -To-morrow they will be quite at liberty, and their places will have been -filled." - -"'T is well," muttered Monsieur de Montmorency between his clinched -teeth. - -"As for your nephew, Monsieur de Coligny, who is at once governor of -Picardy and of the Île de France," continued Le Balafré, "the king -considers that the double task is altogether too heavy for one man, and -desires to relieve him of one of his governments at his choice. You will -have the kindness to notify Monsieur l'Amiral to that effect, will you -not?" - -"To be sure," rejoined the constable, with a bitter sneer. - -"As for yourself, Monsieur le Connétable--" the duke continued quietly. - -"Am I to be deprived of my constable's bâton?" interrupted Monsieur de -Montmorency, sharply. - -"Oh," replied François de Lorraine, "you know that it is impossible, -and that the office of constable is not like that of lieutenant-general -of the kingdom, but that the former is conferred for life. However, is -it not incompatible with that of grand master, which you also hold? It -seems to be so to his Majesty, who asks for your resignation of the -last-named charge, Monsieur, and deigns to confer it upon me, since I -have no other." - -"It is for the best," retorted Montmorency, grinding his teeth. "Is that -all, Monsieur?" - -"Why, yes; I think so," said the Duc de Guise, resuming his seat. - -The constable felt that it would be difficult for him to restrain his -rage any longer,--that he should perhaps make a scene, and by failing in -respect for the king become a rebellious subject instead of a disgraced -one. He did not wish to afford his triumphant foe that satisfaction; so -he saluted the king abruptly, and made ready to take his leave. - -However, before departing, and as if thinking better of his -determination,-- - -"Sire," said he, "allow me one word more, to fulfil my last duty to the -memory of your glorious father. He who struck the fatal blow, the author -of all our grief, was not perhaps simply careless, Sire,--at least I -have reason to think so. In this melancholy catastrophe there may have -been--in my opinion, there was--an element of criminal intent. The man -whom I accuse did, I know, consider himself wronged by the late king. -Your Majesty will without doubt order a strict inquiry into this -matter." - -The Duc de Guise was alarmed at this formal and dangerous charge against -Gabriel; but Catherine de Médicis took it upon herself to reply. - -"Be assured, Monsieur," said she to the constable, "that your -intervention was not needed to remind us of such a deed as that; for the -necessity of dealing promptly with the offender is not forgotten by -those to whom the kingly existence so cruelly terminated was quite as -precious as to you. I, the widow of Henri II., cannot yield to any other -person in the world the initiative in such a matter. Therefore be quite -easy, Monsieur; your solicitude is premature. You may withdraw with your -mind at rest on that point." - -"I have nothing further to say, then," said the constable. - -He was not even to be allowed to gratify in person his implacable -resentment to the Comte de Montgommery, and to pose as the denouncer of -the culprit and the avenger of his master. - -Suffocated with shame and anger, he went from the royal presence in -despair. - -He departed the same evening for his estate at Chantilly. - -That day Madame de Valentinois also quitted the Louvre, where she had -been more of a queen than the queen herself, for her gloomy and distant -exile at Chaumont-sur-Loire, whence she never returned while she lived. - -Thus Gabriel's vengeance upon Madame de Poitiers was complete. - -It is true that the ex-favorite had in store a terrible vengeance for -him who had thus hurled her from her lofty position. - -As for the constable, Gabriel had not done with him, but would be on the -watch for the day when he should regain his influence. - -However, we will not anticipate events, but return in haste to the -Louvre, where the deputies of parliament are just being announced to -François II. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -CHANGE OF TEMPERATURE - - -In accordance with Catherine de Médicis's wish, the deputies found the -most perfect unanimity of sentiment prevailing at the Louvre. François -II., his wife at his right hand, and his mother at his left, presented -the Duc de Guise to them as lieutenant-general of the kingdom, the -Cardinal of Lorraine as superintendent of the finances, and François -Olivier as keeper of the seals. Le Balafré was triumphant, the -queen-mother smiled upon his triumph, and everything went off as -smoothly as possible; and no suspicion of a misunderstanding appeared to -cast a shadow upon the fortunate auspices which inaugurated this reign, -which bade fair to be as long as its opening was happy. - -One of the councillors of the parliament apparently thought that a -suggestion of clemency would not be ill-timed amid so much happiness, -and as he passed before the king with a group of others he cried,-- - -"Mercy for Anne Dubourg!" - -But the good councillor forgot how zealous a Catholic the new minister -was. Le Balafré, as his habit was, pretended to have misunderstood; and -without going through the formality of consulting the king or the -queen-mother, so sure was he of their approbation, he replied in a loud, -firm voice,-- - -"Yes, Messieurs, yes; the prosecution of Anne Dubourg and those accused -with him will be at once taken up and carried to its close, never fear!" - -With this assurance, the members of parliament left the Louvre, sad or -joyous according to their respective opinions, but all convinced that -never were the governing powers more united in sentiment and better -pleased with one another than those to whom they had just paid their -respects. - -After their departure, the Duc de Guise still noticed upon Catherine's -lips the smile which every time that she glanced at him seemed to be -stereotyped there. - -François II. rose from his seat, tired out with the formalities he had -gone through. - -"At last we are done for to-day, I trust, with business and ceremony," -said he. "Mother, uncle, may we not one of these days leave Paris for a -while, and pass the balance of our period of mourning at Blois, for -instance, on the banks of the Loire, that Mary loves so dearly? Oh, can -we not, tell me?" - -"Oh, do try to make it possible!" said Mary Stuart. "In these lovely -summer days Paris is so wearisome and the country so charming!" - -"Monsieur de Guise will attend to that," said Catherine. "But your -labors are not yet quite at an end for to-day, my son; before I leave -you to yourself I must ask for half an hour more of your time, for you -have a sacred duty yet to perform." - -"What is it, Mother?" asked François. - -"A duty which devolves upon you as the guardian of public justice, -Sire," said Catherine,--"the same one in which Monsieur le Connétable -flattered himself that he would anticipate me; but a wife's justice is -keener than a friend's." - -"What does she mean?" the Duc de Guise asked himself, in alarm. - -"Sire, your august father died a violent death. The man who dealt the -blow either is simply an unfortunate wretch or a culprit. For my own -part, I incline to the latter supposition; but in any event the question -is worth the trouble of solving. If we treat such an attack with -indifference, without even taking pains to ascertain whether it was -involuntary or not, what risks do not all kings run,--you, above all, -Sire? Therefore an inquiry into what is called the 'accident' of the -30th of June is essential." - -"But in that case," said Le Balafré, "it would be necessary to order -Monsieur de Montgommery's arrest at once, Madame, as a regicide." - -"Monsieur de Montgommery has been under arrest since morning," said -Catherine. - -"Under arrest! And upon whose order, pray!" cried the Duc de Guise. - -"Upon mine," replied the queen-mother. "There was no regularly -constituted authority at that time, and I took it upon myself to issue -that order. Monsieur de Montgommery might take flight at any moment, and -it was of the utmost importance to prevent it. He has been brought to -the Louvre without disturbance or excitement. I ask you, my son, to -question him." - -Without waiting for permission, she touched a bell, as the Duc de Guise -had done two hours earlier. But this time Le Balafré scowled heavily; a -storm was brewing. - -"Order the prisoner to be brought hither," said Catherine to the usher -who appeared. - -There was an embarrassing silence when the usher had left the room. The -king seemed undecided, Mary Stuart anxious, and the Duc de Guise very -much displeased. The queen-mother alone affected an air of dignity and -assurance. - -The Duc de Guise alone broke the silence with these words,-- - -"It seems to me that if Monsieur de Montgommery had desired to make his -escape, nothing would have been easier during the last fortnight." - -Catherine had no time to reply, for Gabriel was led in at that moment. - -He was pale but composed. That morning very early four armed domestics -had come to seek him at his house, to the great dismay of Aloyse. He had -accompanied them without any attempt at resistance, and since then had -awaited events without apparent anxiety. - -When Gabriel entered the apartment with a firm step and tranquil -bearing, the young king changed color, whether from emotion at sight of -him who had stricken his father to death, or from alarm at having for -the first time to perform the functions of dispenser of justice of which -his mother had spoken,--in very truth the most awe-inspiring duty which -the Lord has imposed upon the kings of the earth. - -Consequently, it was with a scarcely audible voice that he said to -Catherine, turning toward her,-- - -"Speak, Madame; it is for you to speak." - -Catherine de Médicis made haste to avail herself of this permission. -She now believed herself to be certain of her omnipotence with François -and his minister. She addressed Gabriel in a haughty, magisterial tone. - -"Monsieur," said she, "we have thought fit, before any other steps were -taken, to cause you to appear before his Majesty in person, and to -question you with our own lips, so that there may be no necessity of -offering you any reparation if we find you innocent, and that justice -may be the more prompt and effective if we find you guilty. -Extraordinary crimes demand extraordinary tribunals. Are you ready to -reply to our questions, Monsieur?" - -"I am ready to listen to you, Madame," was Gabriel's reply. - -Catherine was rather irritated than convinced by the calm demeanor of -the man whom she had bitterly hated even before he had made her a -widow,--whom she hated the more for all the love which for one moment -she had felt for him. She continued with an offensive bitterness in her -tone,-- - -"Several curious circumstances conspire to throw suspicion on you, -Monsieur, and to accuse you,--your long absences from Paris, your -voluntary exile from court for nearly two years, your presence and your -mysterious demeanor at the fatal tournament, your very refusal to enter -the lists against the king. How did it happen that you, who are -accustomed to these sports and passages-at-arms, omitted the ordinary -and necessary precaution of throwing away the shaft of your lance as you -were riding back? How do you explain such strange forgetfulness? -Answer! What have you to say to all this?" - -"Nothing, Madame," said Gabriel. - -"Nothing?" said the queen-mother, completely taken aback. - -"Absolutely nothing." - -"What!" rejoined Catherine; "you confess, then? You avow that--" - -"I neither avow nor confess anything, Madame." - -"Oho! then you deny?" - -"Nor do I deny anything. I simply say nothing." - -Mary Stuart could not restrain a movement of approbation. François II. -listened and looked on with eager curiosity; and the Duc de Guise -remained mute and motionless. - -Catherine began again in a tone which became momentarily more and more -biting,-- - -"Monsieur, be careful! You would do better, perhaps, to try to defend or -justify your action. Understand one thing: Monsieur de Montmorency, who -can, in case of need, be heard as a witness, declares that to his -certain knowledge you might well have certain grievances against the -king, some grounds for personal enmity." - -"What were they, Madame? Did Monsieur de Montmorency say what they -were?" - -"Not yet, but doubtless he will tell." - -"Very well! let him tell them, if he dares!" retorted Gabriel, with a -proud but quiet smile. - -"So you refuse altogether to speak, do you?" Catherine persisted. - -"I refuse." - -"Do you know that the torture may bring your disdainful silence to -terms?" - -"I do not think it, Madame." - -"By proceeding in this way, you risk your life, I warn you." - -"I will not defend it, Madame. It is no longer worth the trouble." - -"You are fully determined, then, Monsieur? Not a word?" - -"Not one single word, Madame," said Gabriel, shaking his head. - -"And quite right, too!" cried Mary Stuart, as if carried away by an -irresistible impulse. "Noble and grand this silence is! It is the course -of a gentleman who does not even choose to repel suspicion for fear that -suspicion may fall upon him. I say, for my part, that this very refusal -to speak is the most eloquent and convincing of justifications!" - -During this outburst the old queen was gazing at the younger one with a -stern and angry expression. - -"Yes, I may be wrong to speak thus," continued Mary; "but I care not! I -speak as I feel and as I think. My heart will never allow my lips to -remain closed. My impressions and my emotions must find vent. My -instinct is the only policy that I recognize, and it cries out to me now -that Monsieur d'Exmès never conceived and executed such a crime in cold -blood, but that he was only the blind instrument of fate, and believes -himself to be above any other supposition, and therefore scorns to -justify himself. My instinct tells me this, and I give it voice. Why -not?" - -The young king gazed joyfully and affectionately at his _mignonne_, as -he called her, while she expressed herself with an eloquence and -animation which made her twenty times more fascinating than usual. - -Gabriel cried in a touched and penetrating voice,-- - -"Oh, thanks, Madame! I thank you! And you have done well; not on my -account, but your own, you have done well to act thus." - -"Indeed, I know it," replied Mary, with the most gracious accent that -one could dream of. - -"Well, have we reached the end of this sentimental childishness!" cried -Catherine, indignantly. - -"No, Madame," said Mary Stuart, wounded in her self-respect as a young -wife and a young queen, "no; if you have made an end of your -childishness, we, who are young, thank God! are only just beginning. Am -I not right, my gentle Sire?" she added, turning prettily toward her -youthful spouse. - -The king did not reply in words, but touched with his lips the ends of -the lovely fingers Mary held out to him. - -Catherine's wrath, which she had restrained up to that time, now burst -forth; she had not yet succeeded in accustoming to treat as king a son -who was still almost a child; moreover, she believed herself to be -secure in the support of the Duc de Guise, who had not declared himself -thus far, and whom she did not know to be the devoted patron, and, we -might almost say, a tacit accomplice of the Comte de Montgommery. Thus -she dared to give free vent to her ire. - -"Ah, this is the way matters stand!" she said in reply to Mary Stuart's -last words, which were slightly contemptuous. "I claim a right, and I am -laughed at. I ask, in all moderation, that the murderer of Henri II. may -at least be interrogated: and when he declines to justify his act, his -silence is approved,--nay, more, it is even applauded. Very well! since -things have come to such a pass, away with cowardly reserve and -half-measures! I proclaim myself aloud as the accuser of the Comte de -Montgommery. Will the king refuse justice to his mother because she is -his mother? We will examine the constable, and Madame de Poitiers, too, -if necessary! The truth shall be brought to light; and if secrets of -State are involved in this affair, we will have the judgment and -sentence kept secret. But the death of a king treacherously murdered -before the eyes of all his subjects shall, at any price, be avenged." - -During this harangue of the queen-mother, a sad and resigned smile -played about Gabriel's lips. - -He recalled, in his own mind, the last two lines of Nostradamus's -prediction,-- - - - "Enfin, l'aimera, puis las! le tuera, - Dame du roy." - - -And so the prophecy, thus far so faithfully fulfilled, was to be -accomplished to the end! Catherine would cause the condemnation and -death of him whom she had loved! Gabriel expected it, and was ready for -it. - -However, the Florentine, thinking perhaps that she might have gone too -far, checked herself a moment; and turning with her most gracious manner -to the Duc de Guise, who was still silent, she said,-- - -"But you say nothing, Monsieur de Guise. You are of my opinion, are you -not?" - -"No, Madame," replied Le Balafré, slowly; "no, I confess that I am not -of your opinion, and that is why I said nothing." - -"Ah, you too turn against me!" rejoined Catherine, in a hollow, -threatening voice. - -"I am so unfortunate as to disagree with you in this matter, Madame," -said the duke. "However, you see that until now I have been heartily -with you, and that in everything concerning the constable and Madame de -Valentinois I entirely agreed with your plans." - -"Yes, because they served your own," muttered Catherine. "I see it now -when it is too late." - -"But as for Monsieur de Montgommery," continued Le Balafré, calmly, "I -cannot conscientiously share in your feeling, Madame. It seems to me -impossible to hold a brave and loyal gentleman answerable for a pure -accident. Prosecution would result in a triumph for him, and his -accusers would be confounded. And concerning the risks to which, in your -opinion, Madame, the lives of our kings would be exposed by an indulgent -mode of dealing which prefers to believe in misfortune rather than in -crime, why, I am convinced, on the other hand, that the real danger -would lie in making the people too familiar with the idea that royal -lives are not held in such sacred reverence as they have supposed." - -"Doubtless these are very exalted political maxims," retorted Catherine, -bitterly. - -"I consider them true and in good sense, at all events, Madame," added -Le Balafré; "and for all these reasons, and others besides, I am of -opinion that what we ought now to do is to apologize to Monsieur de -Montgommery for this arbitrary arrest, which happily has been kept -secret,--more happily for us than for him; and when our apologies have -been accepted, we have only to restore him to the world, free and -honorable and honored as he was yesterday, and as he will be to-morrow -and forever after. I have spoken." - -"Superb!" sneered Catherine. - -Turning sharply to the young king, she asked,-- - -"And does this fine opinion that we have just listened to happen to -coincide with yours, my son?" - -The demeanor of Mary Stuart, who was bestowing a grateful glance and -smile upon the Duc de Guise, left François II. no room for hesitation. - -"Yes, Mother," he replied, "I confess that my uncle's opinion is mine." - -"And so you betray your father's memory, do you?" retorted Catherine, in -a deep voice which she struggled to render unmoved. - -"On the other hand, Madame, I respect it," said François. "My father's -first words after his wound were to request that Monsieur de Montgommery -should not be molested, were they not? And did he not, in one of his -rare intervals of consciousness while he lay dying, repeat that request, -or rather command? Allow his son, Madame, to obey him." - -"Very well! and you thrust aside at the very beginning your mother's -devout will--" - -"Madame," interrupted the Duc de Guise, "allow me to remind you of your -own words, 'only one will in the kingdom.'" - -"But I also said, Monsieur, that of the minister should always be -subordinate to that of the king," cried Catherine. - -"Yes, Madame," observed Mary Stuart, "but you added, the king's will -should be enlightened by those persons who are interested only in his -glory and his welfare. Now, no one is more interested than I, his wife, -in either of those subjects, I fancy; and I advise him, as my uncle De -Guise does, to believe rather in the loyalty than in the perfidy of a -tried and valiant subject, and not to begin his reign with an iniquitous -act." - -"Do you yield to such suggestions as these, my son?" Catherine asked -once more. - -"I yield to the voice of my conscience, Mother," replied the young king, -with more firmness than could have been expected of him. - -"Is this your last word, François?" continued Catherine. "Be careful! -If you refuse your mother the first request that she makes of you; if -you thus assume the attitude of an independent master toward her, and -act like the docile instrument of others,--you may reign alone, with or -without your faithful ministers. I will have nothing more to do with -anything that concerns king or kingdom, but I will deprive you of the -benefit of my experience and devotion. I will return to my retirement, -and abandon you, my son. Consider, consider well!" - -"We should deplore her retirement, but would resign ourselves to bear -it," murmured Mary Stuart, in a low voice which none but François -heard. - -But the amorous, imprudent youth, like a faithful echo, repeated -aloud,-- - -"We should deplore your retirement, but would resign ourselves to bear -it, Madame." - -"Ah, very good!" was all Catherine said. - -Then she continued in a voice of suppressed rage, pointing at Gabriel,-- - -"As for that villain, I shall meet with him again, sooner or later." - -"I know it, Madame," replied the young man, whose mind was still -dwelling on the horoscope. - -But Catherine heard him not. - -In a perfect fury of wrath, she included the charming young king and -queen and the Duc de Guise in a baleful glance, viperish and awful,--a -fatal glance, wherein one might have read the promise of all the crimes -dictated by Catherine's ambition and the whole sombre history of the -last kings of the Valois line. - -Without another word she left the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -GUISE AND COLIGNY - - -After Catherine de Médicis's departure, there was a moment of silence. -The young king seemed amazed at his own hardihood; while Mary, with the -keen intuition of affection, could not avoid a shudder at the thought of -the queen-mother's last threatening glance. The Duc de Guise was -secretly delighted to find himself thus freed from an ambitious and -dangerous associate before his first hour of authority was at an end. - -Gabriel, who was the occasion of all this trouble, was the first to -speak. - -"Sire," said he, "and you, Madame, and you also, Monseigneur, I thank -you with all my heart for your kind and generous treatment of a poor -wretch whom Heaven itself has abandoned. But notwithstanding my profound -gratitude, with which my heart is overflowing, I ask you of what use is -it to turn aside danger and death from so mournful and hopeless an -existence as mine? My life is of no value for any purpose, or to any -person, not even myself. For that reason I would not have disputed -Madame Catherine's right to take it, because henceforth it is useless to -me." - -He added sorrowfully in his own mind, "And because it may yet become a -nuisance." - -"Gabriel," the Duc de Guise rejoined, "your life has been gloriously and -worthily lived in the past, and contains equal possibilities for the -future. You are a man of vigor and energy, such as are in great request -by those who govern empires, and are seldom available." - -"Then, too," the sweet and soothing voice of Mary Stuart chimed in, -"yours is a great and noble heart, Monsieur de Montgommery. I have known -you for a long while, and Madame de Castro and myself have very often -talked together about you." - -"In short," observed François II., "your past services, Monsieur, -justify me in relying upon you for like services in the future. The -embers of war, which are now smouldering, may burst into a blaze at any -moment, and I do not wish that a momentary despair, whatever be its -cause, should deprive the country forever of a defender who is, I am -sure, as loyal as he is gallant." - -Gabriel listened with a grave and wondering sadness to these kind words -of hope and encouragement. He gazed in turn at each of the exalted -personages who had addressed them to him, and appeared to be in very -deep thought. - -"Well," he at last replied, "this unexpected good-will which all of you, -who ought perhaps to hate me, thus demonstrate, has changed my heart and -my destiny. At your service, Sire, at yours, Madame and Monseigneur, so -long as you live, I place the existence of which you have made me a -gift, so to speak. I was not born a villain, and your kindness touches -me deeply. I was born to be devoted to somebody, to sacrifice myself, -and to serve as the instrument of noble ideas and great men,--sometimes -a happy, but at others a fatal instrument, alas! as God, in His wrath, -knows only too well! But let us speak no more of the gloomy past, since -you are good enough to believe in the possibility of a future for me. -That future, however, belongs not to me, but to you; and henceforth I -cherish what you admire, and think as you think. I abdicate my will. Let -the beings and the objects in whom I believe, do with me as they please. -My sword, my blood, my life,--all that I am, is theirs. I give my arm -unreservedly and irrevocably to assist your genius, Monseigneur, as I -devote my soul to religion." - -He did not say which religion; but those who heard him were such devoted -Catholics that no thought of the Reformed religion entered their minds. - -The eloquent abnegation of the young count deeply touched them all. Mary -had tears in her eyes; and the king congratulated himself on having been -firm enough to rescue such a grateful heart. As for the Duc de Guise, he -believed that he knew better than any one how far Gabriel's ardent -self-sacrifice might go. - -"Yes, my friend," said he, "I have need of you. I shall call upon you -some day, in the name of France and the king, to draw the sword you -promise us." - -"It shall be ready, Monseigneur,--to-morrow, to-day, always!" - -"Keep it in its scabbard for the present," said the duke. "As his -Majesty has said, peace prevails at the moment,--there is a truce to war -and faction. So rest on your sword awhile, Gabriel, and give this -unfortunate notoriety which your name has attained of late time to die -away. Surely, not a soul of those who are entitled to the name and -possess the heart of a gentleman will ever dream of accusing you for -your misfortune. But your real glory demands that this undesirable -renown should sink into oblivion. Hereafter, say in a year or two, I -will ask the king to bestow upon you again the office of captain of the -Guards, of which you have never ceased to be worthy." - -"Ah," said Gabriel, "it is not honors that I covet, but opportunities to -be useful to my king and country, opportunities to fight. I dare not say -opportunities to die, for fear that I may seem ungrateful." - -"Do not talk so, Gabriel," replied Le Balafré. "Just say that when the -king shall call upon you for assistance against his foes, you will -respond to the summons without delay." - -"I will, Monseigneur, wherever I am, or may be required to go." - -"It is well," said the Duc de Guise; "I ask no more than that of you." - -"For my part," said François II., "I thank you for your promise, and -you may rely upon me to see that you do not repent having redeemed it." - -"While I," added Mary Stuart, "assure you that your devotion always will -meet with equal confidence on our part, and that you shall be one of -those friends from whom we have no secrets, and to whom we will refuse -nothing." - -The young count, more deeply touched than he chose to confess to -himself, bowed, and touched respectfully with his lips the hand which -the queen held out to him. - -He then pressed the hand of the Duc de Guise, and receiving his -dismissal by a kindly gesture from the king, withdrew, being thenceforth -bound, by force of a generous action, to the son of the man upon whom he -had sworn to be revenged even in the persons of his children. - -Gabriel found Admiral de Coligny awaiting him when he reached home. - -Aloyse had informed the admiral, who had come to pay a friendly visit to -his companion-in-arms at St. Quentin, that her master had been summoned -to the Louvre that morning; she had imparted her anxiety to him, and -Coligny had determined to remain until the count's return should -reassure them both. - -He received Gabriel with much cordiality, and questioned him as to what -had taken place. - -Without going into details, Gabriel merely told him that upon his -offering a simple explanation of his connection with the deplorable -death of Henri II. he had been dismissed unharmed personally and with -his honor unsullied. - -"It could not have been otherwise," exclaimed the admiral; "for the -whole nobility of France would have protested as one man against any -suspicion which would have cast a blot upon the fame of one of its -worthiest members." - -"Let us drop the subject," said Gabriel, with sorrowful constraint. "I -am very glad to see you, Monsieur l'Amiral. You know that I am already -at heart a member of your sect, for I have told you and written you to -that effect. Since you think that I would not bring discredit upon the -faith in which I believe, I not only wish to, but I do now abjure the -faith in which I was brought up; your discourse and Master Paré's, the -books I have read and my own reflections, have completely convinced me, -and I am with you heart and soul." - -"Welcome news! and it comes very opportunely," said the admiral. - -"I think, however," said Gabriel, "that even in the interest of the -Religion itself, it might perhaps be better to keep my conversion secret -for a time. As Monsieur de Guise just observed, any sort of notoriety is -best avoided for the present. Besides, this delay will conform better -with the new duties I have to perform." - -"We shall always be proud to announce your name publicly as one of us," -said the admiral. - -"But my proper course is to decline, or at all events postpone, this -priceless token of your esteem," Gabriel replied. "But I do wish to give -you this pledge of my utter, immovable faith, and to be able to call -myself in my own mind one of your brethren, both in purpose and in -fact." - -"This is glorious, indeed!" exclaimed Monsieur de Coligny. "All that I -ask is your permission to inform the leaders of our party of the notable -conquest which our ideas have definitively made." - -"Oh, I consent to that with all my heart," said Gabriel. "The Prince de -Condé," continued the admiral, "La Renaudie, and Baron de Castelnau, -already know you, and appreciate your merit fully." - -"Alas! I much fear that they overestimate it; for, viewed in the most -favorable light, my merit is very slight." - -"No, no!" returned Coligny; "they do well to rely upon it. I know you -well also. Besides," continued he, in a lower tone, "we may perhaps have -an opportunity to put your new zeal to the proof very soon." - -"Indeed!" said Gabriel, in surprise. "You know, Monsieur l'Amiral, that -you can rely upon me,--nevertheless, with certain reservations, which I -must make known to you." - -"Who has not his reservations to make!" rejoined the admiral. "But -listen, Gabriel: It was not only as a friend, but as a partisan as well, -that I came to visit you to-day. We have spoken of you with the prince -and La Renaudie. Even before your definite adhesion to our principles we -looked upon you as an auxiliary of peculiar merit, and of impregnable -honesty; in fact, we all agreed in regarding you as a man capable of -serving us if you chose, but incapable of betraying us, whatever might -happen." - -"Indeed, I do possess that last qualification, in default of the -former," Gabriel replied. "You may always rely upon my word, if not upon -my assistance." - -"Then we resolved to have no secrets from you," said the admiral. "You -will be, like one of our leaders, made acquainted with all our plans, -and you will be held to no responsibility except silence. You are not -like other men; and exceptional measures must be taken with exceptional -men. You will remain quite free, and we only shall be bound." - -"Such confidence!" exclaimed Gabriel. - -"Your engagement is left entirely to your own discretion, I repeat," -said the admiral. "To begin with, let me tell you one fact: the schemes -which were revealed to you in the Place Maubert, and which were then -postponed, are practicable to-day. The weakness of the young king, the -domineering arrogance of the Guises, the purpose of persecuting us which -is no longer hidden,--all urge us to action; and we are about to act." - -"Pardon me," Gabriel interrupted him; "I have already told you, Monsieur -l'Amiral, that I can only give myself to your cause with certain -limitations. Before you go any further with your confidences, I ought to -tell you definitely that I do not mean to concern myself with the -political aspects of the Reformation,--at least during the continuance -of the present reign. I freely offer my fortune, my time, and my life to -assist in the propagation of our principles and in extending our moral -influence; but I have no right to view the movement except in its -religious bearing, and in no sense as a party question. François II., -Mary Stuart, as well as the Duc de Guise himself, have treated me very -generously,--yes, nobly. I will not betray their confidence any more -than yours. Allow me to refrain from action, and occupy myself only with -the principle for which we strive. Demand my testimony whenever you -please; but I reserve the independence of my sword." - -Monsieur de Coligny replied, after a moment's reflection,-- - -"My words, Gabriel, were not mere empty sounds. You are and shall still -be quite free. Go on alone in your own path if you please; act -independently of us or not at all. We shall never call you to account. -We know," he added, with a significant expression, "that it is sometimes -your way to prefer to dispense with associates or advisers." - -"What do you mean?" asked Gabriel, in surprise. - -"I know what I mean," replied the admiral. "For the present you ask that -you may take no part in our conspiracies against the royal authority. So -be it! Our duty will be done when we have given you notice of our -movements and purposes. Then you may follow us or stand apart; that is -your affair, and yours only. You will always know, either by letter or -messenger, when and where we have need of you, and then you will act as -seems good to you. If you come to us, you will always be welcome; if you -stay away, no one will have any fault to find. Such is the agreement to -which the leaders of the party have come concerning you, even before you -had told me where you stood. You can accept such conditions, I should -think." - -"Indeed, I do accept them; and I thank you heartily," said Gabriel. - -During the night which followed that eventful day, Gabriel, kneeling -before his father's tomb in the mortuary vault of the counts of -Montgommery, communed with his dead in these words:-- - -"Yes, my Father, I did indeed take oath not only to punish your murderer -in his own lifetime, but also to visit his sins upon his children after -him. There is no doubt of it, O my Father, no doubt! But I did not -anticipate what has happened. Are there not obligations even more sacred -than the fulfilment of an oath? What duty can compel one to strike down -an enemy who puts the sword in one's hand, and presents his bare breast -to receive the blow? If you were living, my Father, I am sure you would -advise me to postpone my wrath, and not to meet confidence with -treachery. Forgive me, then, from the grave, for doing what if you were -living you would require me to do. Moreover, something seems to tell me -that my vengeance is merely suspended, and that but for a short time. -You know on high what we can only feel a presentiment of here below. But -the pallor of this sickly king, and the frightful glance with which his -mother threatened him, and the predictions (which have thus far proved -accurate, and which decree that my own life must fall a prey to that -woman's rancorous hatred), and the conspiracies already set on foot -against the reign which began only yesterday,--all combine to lead me to -think it probable that the boy of sixteen will occupy the throne for a -much less time even than the man of forty, and that I shall very soon be -able to resume my task and my oath of expiation, my Father, under the -reign of another of the sons of Henri II." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -REPORTS AND DENUNCIATIONS - - -Seven or eight months passed by, unmarked by any important occurrences -either for the personages of this story, or for the actors upon the -stage of history. - -Nevertheless, during that time events of considerable importance were -preparing. - -To understand what they were, and learn all about them, we have only to -pay a visit, on the 25th of February, 1560, to the place of all others -where news is supposed to be most plentiful; that is to say, the cabinet -of Monsieur le Lieutenant de Police, who was at that time one Monsieur -de Braguelonne. - -On the evening of the 25th of February, Monsieur de Braguelonne, -lounging carelessly on his Cordova leather couch, was listening to the -report of Master Arpion, one of his secretaries. - -Master Arpion was reading aloud as follows,-- - - -"To-day the notorious thief, Gilles Rose, was arrested in the great hall -of the palace, in the act of cutting off the end of a golden girdle, on -the person of a canon of Ste. Chapelle." - - -"A canon of Ste. Chapelle! Well, upon my word!" exclaimed Monsieur de -Braguelonne. - -"It was a very sacrilegious performance," observed Master Arpion. - -"And very clever, too," replied the lieutenant of police, "very clever! -for your canon is a suspicious mortal. I will tell you presently, Master -Arpion, what must be done with this cunning thief. Go on." - - -"The demoiselles of the hovels in the Rue du Grand-Heuleu," continued -Arpion, "are in a state of open revolt." - - -"For what cause, in God's name?" - -"They claim to have addressed a petition directly to our lord the king, -asking to be allowed to retain their establishments, and meanwhile they -have had an encounter with the watch and put them to rout." - -"That is very amusing!" laughed Monsieur de Braguelonne. "We can easily -set that to rights. Poor girls! Is there anything else?" - -Master Arpion continued,-- - - -"Messieurs les Deputés de la Sorbonne having presented themselves at -Madame la Princesse de Condé's house at Paris, to insist that she -should not eat flesh during Lent, were received with jeers and derision -by Monsieur de Sechelles, who said to them, among other insulting -things, that he liked them less than a boil on his nose, and that such -calves as they made strange ambassadors." - - -"Ah, that is a serious matter!" said the lieutenant, rising. "Refusing -to abstain from meat, and poking fun at Messieurs de la Sorbonne! This -tends to swell your account, Madame de Condé; and when we present you -with the total--Arpion, is that all?" - -"_Mon Dieu_, yes! for to-day. Monseigneur has not told me what to do -with this Gilles Rose." - -"In the first place," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "you will take him, -together with the most adroit pickpockets and burglars you can find in -the prison, and send the whole lot of fine fellows to Blois, where they -can have an opportunity to exhibit their tricks and cleverness for the -king's entertainment during the fêtes which are being arranged for his -Majesty." - -"But, Monseigneur, suppose they retain the articles they have stolen in -fun?" - -"Then they shall be hung." - -At this moment an usher entered and announced,-- - -"Monsieur le Inquisiteur de la Foi!" - -Master Arpion did not need to be told to withdraw, He bowed respectfully -and left the room. - -The man who was ushered in was, in fact, a notable and formidable -personage. - -To his every-day titles of Doctor of the Sorbonne and Canon of Noyon, he -added the extraordinary and high-sounding appellation of 'Grand -Inquisitor of the Faith in France.' And in order that he might bear a -name as sonorous as his title, he called himself Démocharès, although -he was really plain Antoine de Mouchy. The people had christened his -subordinates _mouchards_,--police spies. - -"Good-evening, Monsieur le Lieutenant de Police," said the grand -inquisitor. - -"The same to you, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur," responded the -lieutenant. - -"Any news in Paris?" - -"I was just about to ask you that very question." - -"That means that there is none," observed Démocharès, with a profound -sigh. "Ah, these are hard times! There is nothing going on,--no -conspiracies, and no crime at all! What cowardly wretches these -Huguenots are! Our profession has a decided grievance against them, -Monsieur de Braguelonne!" - -"No, no!" replied Monsieur de Braguelonne, emphatically. "No, -governments change, but the police remains." - -"Nevertheless," retorted Monsieur de Mouchy, bitterly, "see what the -result has been of our descent upon the main army of the Reformers in -the Rue des Marais. By surprising them at table in the midst of their -dinner, we hoped to take them in the act of eating pork in the guise of -the paschal lamb, as you had told us; but the only result of that -magnificent expedition was one poor little larded chicken. Can such -exploits as that reflect much credit upon your organization, Monsieur le -Lieutenant de Police?" - -"One can't always succeed," said Monsieur de Braguelonne. "Were you any -more fortunate yourself, in the matter of the advocate of Place -Maubert,--Trouillard, was it not? Yet you expected great things of it." - -"I admit it," said Démocharès, piteously. - -"You expected to prove as clearly as the day," continued Monsieur de -Braguelonne, "that this Trouillard had abandoned his two daughters to -the tender mercies of his fellow-enthusiasts after a frightful orgy; -but, behold! the witnesses whom you had bought at such a high price -suddenly retracted everything and gave you the lie." - -"The traitors!" muttered De Mouchy. - -"More than that," said the lieutenant, pitilessly pursuing his -advantage, "I received reports from various sources, all of which went -to show that the virtue of the two young girls was without a stain." - -"It was infamous," grumbled Démocharès. - -"A bad failure, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi, a bad failure!" -repeated Monsieur de Braguelonne, with much complacency. - -"Well," cried Démocharès, impatiently, "if the affair did miscarry, it -was all your fault!" - -"What, my fault!" ejaculated the amazed lieutenant. - -"To be sure. You content yourself with reports and retractations, and -such nonsense. Of what consequence are these repulses and -contradictions? We must go ahead all the same, and boldly accuse the -villains as if we had met no rebuff at all." - -"What! without proofs?" - -"Yes, and convict them." - -"When they have committed no crime?" - -"Yes, and hang them." - -"Without judges?" - -"Yes, a hundred times yes! Without judge or crime or proof! There's no -great merit in hanging only those who are really guilty." - -"But what an outcry of rage there will be against us then!" said -Monsieur de Braguelonne. - -"Ah! that is what I expected you would say," rejoined Démocharès, -triumphantly. "That is the very corner-stone of my whole system, -Monsieur. For what does this rage of which you speak lead to? -Conspiracy. What is the outcome of conspiracy? Revolution. And what is -the principal result of revolution? Why, to make your office and mine of -very great importance and utility." - -"To be sure, from that point of view!" said Monsieur de Braguelonne, -laughing. - -"Ah, Monsieur," observed Démocharès, with the air of a master, -"remember this principle, 'In order to reap crimes we must first sow -them.' Persecution is a very great force." - -"Well, I must say," rejoined the lieutenant, "that it seems to me we -have not been behindhand in that direction since the beginning of this -reign. It would be difficult to stir up and provoke the discontented of -all sorts more than we have done." - -"Pshaw! what have we done?" asked the grand inquisitor, scornfully. - -"Well, in the first place, do you consider the daily domiciliary visits -and despoiling of all the Huguenots, innocent or guilty, of no account?" - -"My faith! yes, I consider them of absolutely no account," was -Démocharès's reply; "for you see with what tranquil patience they bear -these annoyances, which are altogether too trifling." - -"And the punishment of Anne Dubourg, nephew of a chancellor of France, -who was burned two months since in the Place de Grève,--was that -nothing?" - -"It was a very small thing," said the fastidious De Mouchy. "What was -the result of it? The murder of President Minard, one of his judges, and -an apocryphal conspiracy of which we never, succeeded in finding any -traces. So that was nothing to make a very great amount of talk about." - -"Well, what do you say to the last edict?" asked Monsieur de -Braguelonne,--"the last edict, which strikes, not at the Huguenots -alone, but at the whole nobility of the kingdom. For my own part, I said -frankly to Monsieur le Cardinal de Lorraine that I thought it went a -little too far." - -"Are you speaking of the ordinance suppressing pensions?" said -Démocharès. - -"No, indeed, but of the one which requires all suitors, whether of high -or low birth, to quit the court within twenty-four hours, under pain of -being hanged. You must agree that to decree the halter for gentlemen and -clowns alike is rather severe, and likely to lead to trouble." - -"Yes, the order does not lack audacity," said Démocharès, with a smile -of satisfaction. "Fifty years ago such an edict would, I confess, have -excited the whole nobility to revolt. But now you see they only -complain, and do nothing overt. Not one of them has raised a hand." - -"That's where you are mistaken, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur," said -Braguelonne, lowering his voice; "and though they may not be stirring at -Paris, there is trouble brewing in the Provinces." - -"Aha!" cried De Mouchy, eagerly, "you have some intelligence of that -sort?" - -"Not yet, but I expect it every moment." - -"From what quarter?" - -"From the Loire." - -"Have you agents there?" - -"Only one, but he is a good one." - -"Only one? that's very risky," remarked Démocharès, with a very -knowing air. - -"I much prefer, myself," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne, "to pay a -single trustworthy man, who is at once intelligent and reliable, the -price of twenty stupid rascals. That is my way; what do you think?" - -"Oh, that's all very well; but who is responsible to you for this man?" - -"Well, his head in the first place; and then his past services, too, for -he has been put to the proof." - -"Never mind; it's very risky," persisted Démocharès. Master Arpion -came softly in while Monsieur de Mouchy was speaking, and whispered in -his master's ear. - -"Aha!" cried the lieutenant, triumphantly. "Very well! Arpion, introduce -Lignières at once. Yes, while Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur is here; -for is he not one of us?" - -Arpion saluted and withdrew. - -"This Lignières is the very man of whom I was speaking to you," -continued Monsieur de Braguelonne, rubbing his hands. "You shall hear -what he says. He has just arrived from Nantes. We have no secrets from -each other, have we?--and I am very glad to have an opportunity to prove -to you that my way is as good as another." - -At this point Master Arpion opened the door to Lignières. - -It was the selfsame little fellow, lean and hungry-looking, whose -acquaintance we have already made at the Protestant meeting in the Place -Maubert,--the same who had so boldly exhibited the republican medal, and -prated about decapitated lilies and crowns trodden under foot. - -Thus we may see that even if the name of instigating agent (_agent -provocateur_) had not come into use at that time, the article itself was -in a flourishing condition. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -A SPY - - -Lignières, as he entered the room, cast a look of cold distrust upon -Démocharès, and after he had saluted Monsieur de Braguelonne, remained -cautiously silent and motionless, waiting to be questioned. - -"I am delighted to see you, Monsieur Lignières," was Monsieur de -Braguelonne's greeting. "You may speak with perfect freedom before -Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi en France." - -"Oh, to be sure!" Lignières made haste to exclaim; "and if I had had -any idea that I was in the presence of the illustrious Démocharès, -pray believe, Monseigneur, that I should not have hesitated as I have." - -"Very well!" said De Mouchy, nodding his head approvingly, and evidently -much flattered by the spy's respectful deference. - -"Come, speak, Monsieur Lignières!--waste no time," said the lieutenant -of police. - -"But it may be," suggested Lignières, "that Monsieur is not thoroughly -conversant with what took place at the last meeting but one held by the -Protestants at La Ferté?" - -"In fact, I know very little about it," replied Démocharès. - -"Then if I may," added Lignières, "I will briefly recount the serious -facts which I have gathered recently; that course will be better, and -make what comes after more readily understood." - -Monsieur de Braguelonne gave the signal of assent, for which Lignières -was waiting. This little delay was doubtless annoying to the impatient -lieutenant; but it also flattered his pride by affording an opportunity -of showing off to the grand inquisitor the superior capacity and -extraordinary eloquence of the agent he had chosen. - -It is certain that Démocharès was not only surprised, but that he felt -the delight of a skilful connoisseur who recognizes a more -unexceptionable and perfect instrument than he has himself previously -possessed. - -Lignières, much excited by this appreciation in such a high quarter, -tried to show himself worthy of it, and his performance was really very -fine. - -"That first assemblage at La Ferté was really not of very much -importance," he began. "There was nothing done or said that was not very -insipid; and it was to no purpose that I proposed overthrowing his -Majesty, and establishing in France a constitution like that in vogue -among the Swiss cantons; my suggestions found no echo but insulting -remarks. It was only provisionally determined to present a petition to -the king, praying that there might be an end to the persecutions of the -Reformers, and that the Guises should be dismissed, a ministry formed, -headed by the princes of the blood, and the States-General be convoked -forthwith. Simply a petition!--a very meagre result that. However, they -made an accurate computation of their numbers and effected an -organization; that is something tangible. Then the matter of choosing -leaders came up. So long as it was only a question of the subordinate -leaders in the different districts there was no trouble; but the -commander-in-chief, the head and front of the conspiracy,--that is where -the difficulty began. Monsieur de Coligny and the Prince de Condé -declined through their respective mouthpieces the dangerous honor which -it was proposed to confer upon one or the other of them. It would be -much better, so we were told in their behalf, to select some Huguenot -who occupied a less lofty position, so that the movement might bear a -more unmistakable stamp of its popular character,--a fine excuse for the -simpletons! However, they were content with it; and after much debate -they finally elected Godefroid de Barry, Seigneur de la Renaudie." - -"La Renaudie!" Démocharès repeated the name. "Yes, he is in fact one -of the ardent ringleaders of these scoundrels. I know him to be an -energetic and resolute man." - -"You will soon know him for a Catiline!" said Lignières. - -"Oh, ho!" said the lieutenant of police; "I think that is going a little -too far." - -"You will see," returned the spy,--"you will see if I am going too far! -I come now to our second convocation, which met at Nantes the 5th of -this month of February." - -"Aha!" cried Démocharès and Braguelonne together. - -Both moved closer to Master Lignières, with eager curiosity. - -"That was the time," said Lignières, bursting with importance, "when -they no longer confined themselves to mere talk. Listen! Shall I give -your Lordships at length all the details and the proofs, or shall I -hasten at once to the results?" added the villain, as if he wished to -continue to hold their two hearts dependent on his words as long as -possible. - -"Give us the facts--the facts!" cried the lieutenant, impatiently. - -"Very well, then, and you will shudder when you hear them. After some -unimportant preliminary speechmaking, La Renaudie took the floor; and -this, in substance, is what he said: 'Last year, when the Queen of -Scotland desired to try the ministers at Stirling, all their -parishioners determined to follow them to that place; and although they -were unarmed, this extensive movement was quite sufficient to frighten -the regent and induce her to forego the violent measures she had -meditated. I propose that here in France we begin in like manner,--that -a great multitude of those of our belief should make their way to Blois, -where the king is living for the moment, and should present themselves -without arms before his Majesty, and hand him a petition wherein he will -be implored to recall the edicts of persecution, and allow the Reformers -the free exercise of their religion; and since their secret meetings in -the night-time have been falsely slandered, he will be asked to permit -them to assemble in their places of worship under the eyes of the -constituted authorities.'" - -"Well, well, always the same thing!" Démocharès interrupted, in a tone -of disappointment. "Peaceful and respectful demonstrations, which amount -to nothing! Petitions! protests! supplications! Is this the -awe-inspiring news you had to give us, Master Lignières?" - -"Oh, wait,--just wait!" replied Lignières. "You can understand that I -cried down this innocent proposition of La Renaudie's just as you -do,--nay, even more than you. To what, I asked, had such purposeless -steps led before, or to what could they be expected to lead? Others of -the Protestants spoke in the same strain. Thereupon La Renaudie, with -much satisfaction, disclosed the true inwardness of his heart, and -betrayed the audacious scheme which lay hidden beneath his innocent -words." - -"Let us hear this audacious scheme," said Démocharès, with the air of -a man not easily to be astonished. - -"It is well worth the trouble of frustrating, I think," continued -Lignières. "While men's minds are occupied with the mob of timid, -unarmed petitioners, who approach the throne as suppliants, five hundred -horsemen and a thousand foot,--you understand, Messieurs, fifteen -hundred men,--selected from among the noblemen who are most determined -and most devoted to the Reformation and to the princes, are to come -together from the various provinces, under thirty chosen leaders, to -advance quietly upon Blois by different roads, enter the town, with or -without force,--with or without force, I say,--carry off the king, the -queen-mother, and Monsieur de Guise, and bring them to trial, and fill -their places with the princes of the blood, leaving it for the -States-General to decide upon the form of government which shall finally -be adopted. There, Messieurs, is the plot. What do you say to it? Is it -a childish one? Should it be passed by without being noticed? In short, -am I good for nothing, or am I useful to some extent?" - -He came to an end with an expression of triumph. The grand inquisitor -and the lieutenant exchanged glances of surprise, not unmixed with -alarm. There was a long pause, during which their minds were busy with -reflections of various descriptions. - -"By the Mass, but this is admirable, I declare!" cried Démocharès, at -last. - -"Say rather that it is terrible," observed Monsieur de Braguelonne. - -"We shall see; we shall see!" continued the grand inquisitor, shaking -his head very knowingly. - -"Why," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "we only know the schemes which -this La Renaudie avows; but it is very easy to guess that nothing will -come of them; that Messieurs de Guise will be on their guard; that they -will all be cut in pieces; and that if his Majesty intrusts the power to -the Prince de Condé, it will only be by force." - -"But we are forewarned!" returned Démocharès. "All that these poor -fools mean to do against us will turn against themselves, and they will -fall into their own trap. I promise you that Monsieur le Cardinal will -be delighted, and would have paid a high price for such an opportunity -of making an end of his enemies." - -"God grant that he may continue to be delighted to the end!" said -Monsieur de Braguelonne. - -Addressing Lignières, who had now become a man to be treated well, an -invaluable ally, and of great consequence, he said,-- - -"As for you, Monsieur le Marquis," (the rascal was really a marquis) -"you have rendered a most valuable service to his Majesty and to the -State. You shall be worthily rewarded for it, never fear!" - -"Yes, my word for it!" added Démocharès; "you deserve a handsome -reward, Monsieur, and you possess all my esteem! To you, also, Monsieur -de Braguelonne, my sincere congratulations upon your choice of agents. -Ah, Monsieur de Lignières has a claim to my highest consideration, in -truth!" - -"That is a very generous recompense for what little I have been able to -do," said Lignières, bowing modestly. - -"You know that we are not ungrateful, Monsieur de Lignières," continued -the lieutenant. "But come, you have not told us everything, have you? -Did they fix a time, or a place of rendezvous?" - -"They are to meet in the neighborhood of Blois on the 15th of March," -replied Lignières. - -"The 15th of March! Well, well!" exclaimed Monsieur de Braguelonne. "We -have only twenty days before us, and Monsieur le Cardinal de Lorraine is -at Blois! It will take about two days to notify him and receive his -orders. What a responsibility!" - -"But what a triumph at the end!" said Démocharès. - -"Have you the names of the leaders, dear Monsieur de Lignières?" asked -the lieutenant. - -"Yes, I have them written down," was the reply. - -"What a jewel of a man!" exclaimed Démocharès, admiringly. "He helps -to reconcile me to human nature." - -Lignières unbuttoned an inner pocket in his doublet, and drew from it a -scrap of paper, and having unfolded it, he read aloud as follows:-- - - -"List of the leaders, with the names of the provinces which -they respectively command:-- - -"Castelnau de Chalosses,--Gascogne. - -"Mazères,--Béarn. - -"Du Mesnil,--Périgord. - -"Maillé de Brézé,--Poitou. - -"La Chesnaye,--Maine. - -"Sainte-Marie,--Normandie. - -"Cocqueville,--Picardie. - -"De Ferrières-Maligny,--Île de France and Champagne. - -"Châteauvieux,--Provence, etc. - - -"You can read that list and make your comments upon it at your leisure, -Monsieur," said Lignières, handing the treacherous paper to the -lieutenant. - -"This is nought but organized civil war!" exclaimed Monsieur de -Braguelonne. - -"Take notice too," added Lignières, "that while these detachments are -making their way toward Blois, other leaders in each province are to -hold themselves in readiness to put down any movement that may be -attempted in behalf of Messieurs de Guise." - -"Good! We will have them all as in a great net!" said Démocharès, -rubbing his hands. "Why, you seem overwhelmed, Monsieur de Braguelonne! -After the first feeling of surprise, I declare that, for my own part, I -should be very sorry if all this had not taken place." - -"But just see how little time we have left!" observed the lieutenant. -"In truth, my good Lignières, while I would not for the world reproach, -I must say that since the 5th of February you have had time enough to -notify me." - -"How could I?" asked Lignières. "I was intrusted by La Renaudie with -more than twenty commissions between Nantes and Paris. And not only have -I succeeded in gleaning some valuable information, but to have neglected -or postponed his commissions would have been to arouse suspicion, while -to write you a letter or send a messenger would have been to compromise -our secrets." - -"Very true," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "you are always right. Let us -say no more about what is done, but consider what there remains to do. -You have told us nothing of the Prince de Condé. Was he not with you at -Nantes?" - -"He was there," Lignières replied. "But before taking any decided step -he wished to consult Chaudieu and the English ambassador, and so he said -that he would accompany La Renaudie to Paris for that purpose." - -"Is he coming to Paris, then? And is La Renaudie also coming?" - -"Better than that; they ought both to be here ere this." said -Lignières. - -"And where do they lodge?" asked Monsieur de Braguelonne, eagerly. - -"That I can't tell you. I took pains to ask, in a careless way, where I -might find our leader if I had any communication to make; but they only -gave me an indirect channel of correspondence. La Renaudie probably does -not wish to compromise the prince." - -"That is a great pity, I must admit," reflected the lieutenant. "We -shall have difficulty in finding traces of them." - -At this moment Master Arpion entered once more with his soft and -mysterious tread. - -"Well, what is it, Arpion?" asked Monsieur de Braguelonne, sharply. "You -knew very well that we were engaged with important business, and why the -devil do you interrupt us?" - -"I should not have ventured to enter unless for something of equal -importance," replied Arpion. - -"Well, what is it? Tell me quickly, and aloud; for we are all friends -here." - -"A man named Pierre des Avenelles--" began Arpion. - -De Braguelonne, Démocharès, and Lignières exclaimed simultaneously,-- - -"Pierre des Avenelles!" - -"That's the advocate of the Rue des Marmousets, who ordinarily -entertains the Protestants at Paris," said Démocharès. - -"And upon whose house I have long had my eye," added De Braguelonne. -"But the good man is very sly and careful, and has always eluded my -surveillance. What does he want, Arpion?" - -"To speak with Monseigneur at once," replied the secretary. "He seems to -me to be in a state of great alarm." - -"He cannot know anything," said Lignières, quickly and jealously. -"Besides," he added, with lofty scorn, "he is an honest man." - -"We shall see; we shall see!" observed the grand inquisitor. (That was -his favorite expression.) - -"Arpion," Monsieur de Braguelonne said to the secretary, "show this man -in immediately." - -"I will, Monseigneur," said Arpion, leaving the room. - -"Pardon me, my dear Marquis," continued De Braguelonne, addressing -Lignières, "this Des Avenelles knows you, and the unexpected sight of -you might disturb him. And then, too, neither you nor I would care to -have him know you were one of us. Be good enough to step into Arpion's -closet while this interview is in progress; it is there at the end of -the passage. I will recall you as soon as we have done with him. You -might remain, if you will, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur, for your -imposing presence cannot fail to be useful." - -"Very well; I will remain to please you," said Démocharès, well -content. - -"And I will withdraw," said Lignières; "but remember what I say, -Monsieur le Lieutenant. You will not learn anything of importance from -this fellow Des Avenelles. A poor fool! A timid but upright soul! But of -no particular account,--of no account at all." - -"We will do the best we can. But go, go, my dear Lignières! here is our -man." - -In fact, Lignières had but just time to make his escape when a man -entered, pale and trembling with nervous excitement, escorted, indeed, -almost carried, by Master Arpion. - -It was Pierre des Avenelles, the advocate, whom we first-met with Sieur -Lignières, at the meeting in the Place Maubert, where he made the -success of the evening, if our readers remember, with his courageously -timid speech. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -AN INFORMER - - -On the occasion of this, our second meeting with Pierre des Avenelles, -he was all timidity, and had lost his courage. - -After bowing to the floor before Démocharès and De Braguelonne, he -began in a faltering voice,-- - -"I am, I presume, in the presence of Monsieur le Lieutenant de Police?" - -"And of Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi," added De Braguelonne, -waving his hand toward De Mouchy. - -"Oh, Holy Virgin!" cried poor Des Avenelles, turning still paler if that -were possible. "Messeigneurs, you see, being a very great -culprit,--alas! one who has been too guilty,--may I hope for mercy? I -know not. Can my sincere wish to atone for my sins help me to lighten -their punishment? It is for your clemency to reply." - -Monsieur de Braguelonne saw at once with what manner of man he had to -do. - -"To confess is not sufficient," he said harshly; "there must be -reparation as well." - -"Oh, there shall be, Monseigneur, if I can accomplish it!" returned Des -Avenelles. - -"Very well; but in order to accomplish it," continued the lieutenant, -"you must have it in your power to be of some service to us, or to give -us some valuable information." - -"I will try to do so," said the advocate, almost choked with terror. - -"It will be very difficult," retorted De Braguelonne, carelessly, "for -we already know all there is to know." - -"What! you know--" - -"Everything, I tell you; and in this pass to which you have brought -yourself your tardy repentance will hardly avail to save your head, I -promise you." - -"My head! Oh, Heaven! My head in danger? Yet I have come--" - -"Too late," said the inflexible De Braguelonne. "You cannot now be of -any use to us, and we know in advance everything that you can tell us." - -"Perhaps not," said Des Avenelles. "Excuse my question, but what do you -know?" - -"In the first place, that you are one of these damned heretics," -interposed Démocharès, in a voice of thunder. - -"Alas, alas! that is only too true!" replied Des Avenelles. "Yes, I am -of the Religion,--why, I'm sure I have no idea; but I will abjure it, -Monseigneur, if you will only spare my life. The meeting-house is -surrounded by too many perils, and I will go back to Mass." - -"That is not all," said Démocharès; "you are in the habit of -entertaining Huguenots at your house." - -"No one has ever been able to find one in any of their visitations," -returned the advocate, eagerly. - -"Very true," said Monsieur de Braguelonne; "for you probably have some -secret exit from your house,--some hidden passage, some as yet unknown -means of communication with the outer world. But one of these days we -will not leave one stone of your house standing on another, and it will -be forced to yield us its secret." - -"I will give it up to you myself," said the advocate; "for I admit, -Monseigneur, that I have at times furnished board and lodging to those -of the Religion. They pay well; and my profession is so unremunerative! -One must live! But it shall never happen again; and if my abjuration is -accepted, no Huguenot will ever dare to knock at my door again." - -"You have also spoken frequently at the Protestant meetings," continued -Démocharès. - -"I am an advocate," whined Des Avenelles. "Besides, I have always spoken -in favor of moderate measures. You ought to know that, since you know -everything." - -Summoning courage to raise his eyes to these two forbidding personages, -Des Avenelles went on,-- - -"But, asking your pardon, it seems to me that you do not know -everything; for you speak only about me, and have nothing to say about -the affairs of the party in general, which are in truth of vast moment. -Therefore I am glad to see that there are many things of which you still -know nothing." - -"That is just where you are mistaken," retorted the lieutenant; "and we -will prove it to you." - -Démocharès motioned him to be careful. - -"I understand you, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur," said he; "but there -can be no imprudence in showing our hand to Monsieur, for Monsieur will -not leave this place for a long time to come." - -"What! not leave here for a long time?" cried Pierre des Avenelles, in -affright. - -"No, certainly not," coolly remarked Monsieur de Braguelonne. "Do you -imagine, pray, that under color of coming here to make revelations, you -will be allowed at your ease to observe our position, and assure -yourself as to the extent of our information, and then go and report -everything to your accomplices? That won't do, my dear Monsieur; and you -are our prisoner from this moment." - -"Prisoner!" Des Avenelles repeated the word as if overwhelmed at the -thought; but upon reflection he adopted a different tone. Our man, we -remember, had the courage of cowardice in the highest degree. - -"Oh, well,--in fact, I much prefer it so!" he cried. "I am much safer -here with you than I should be at home, in the midst of all their -plot-hatching. And since you have determined to keep me here, Monsieur -le Lieutenant, you will have no scruples now about consenting to reply -to some of my respectful questions. In my humble opinion, you are not so -thoroughly well informed as you believe, and I think I may find some way -of proving my good faith and my loyalty by some valuable revelation." - -"Hum! I much doubt it," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne. - -"In the first place, what do you know about the latest meetings of the -Huguenots, Monseigneur?" asked the advocate. - -"Do you mean the one held at Nantes?" said the lieutenant. - -"Ah! do you know that? Very well! Yes, the one held at Nantes. What took -place there?" - -"Do you refer to the conspiracy that was formed there?" rejoined -Monsieur de Braguelonne, slyly. - -"Alas, yes! I see that I can tell you nothing of consequence on that -subject," replied Des Avenelles. "That conspiracy--" - -"Has for its object to carry off the king from Blois, substitute the -princes for Messieurs de Guise by force, convoke the States-General, -etc. All this is ancient history, my dear Monsieur des Avenelles, for it -happened way back on the 5th of February." - -"And the conspirators who feel so sure of their secret!" exclaimed the -advocate. "They are lost, and myself with them; for doubtless you know -the leaders of the conspiracy?" - -"The secret leaders as well as the avowed ones. The former are the -Prince de Condé and the admiral; while the avowed leaders are La -Renaudie, Castelnau, Mazères--But it would take too long to enumerate -them all. See, here is a list of their names, and of the provinces as -well which they are respectively expected to incite to rebellion." - -"Great God of mercy! How skilful are the police, and what fools the -conspirators!" cried Des Avenelles. "Is there not, then, the least -little word which I can tell you, which you do not already know? The -Prince de Condé and La Renaudie, for instance,--do you know where they -are?" - -"Together in Paris." - -"Why, this is frightful! And there is nothing left for me to do but to -commend my soul to God! Yet, stay!--one word more, in pity's name! -Whereabouts in Paris are they?" - -Monsieur de Braguelonne did not immediately reply, but with his clear -and piercing glance seemed to be reading Des Avenelles's soul and his -eyes to their lowest depths. - -The latter, with labored breath, repeated his question,--"Do you know in -what part of Paris the Prince de Condé and La Renaudie now are, -Monseigneur?" - -"We shall have no difficulty in finding them," replied Monsieur de -Braguelonne. - -"But you haven't found them yet!" cried Des Avenelles, with delight. -"Ah! God be praised! I may still win my pardon. _I_ know where they are, -Monseigneur." - -Démocharès's eye glistened; but the lieutenant of police concealed his -satisfaction. - -"Pray, where are they?" he said in the most indifferent tone imaginable. - -"At my house, Messieurs, at my house!" said the advocate, proudly. - -"I knew it," calmly replied Monsieur de Braguelonne. "What do you -say,--you knew that, too?" ejaculated Des Avenelles, whose cheeks lost -their color again. - -"To be sure I did; but I wished to test your good faith. Come, it is all -right, and I am content with you! Your case was a very serious one, to -say the least. To think of having sheltered such great villains!" - -"You made yourself quite as guilty as they," said Démocharès, -sententiously. - -"Oh, don't say so, Monseigneur!" rejoined Des Avenelles. "I feared I was -incurring great risks, and I have hardly dared to breathe since I have -known the horrible plans of my two guests. But I have known them only -three days,--only three days, I solemnly swear! You should know that I -was not present at the Nantes gathering. When the Prince de Condé and -the Seigneur de la Renaudie arrived at my house in the early part of -this week, I believed myself to be harboring adherents of the Reformed -religion, but not conspirators. I have a holy horror of conspirators and -conspiracies! They said nothing to me on the subject at first; and it is -that for which I am angry with them. Thus to expose to deadly peril, -without his knowledge, a poor fellow who had never done them aught but -good turns,--that was very wrong. But these great personages never do -otherwise." - -"What's that?" was Monsieur de Braguelonne's sharp retort,--for he -considered himself a very great man indeed. - -"I refer to the great personages of the Reformed religion," the advocate -made haste to explain. "However, they began by keeping everything from -me; but they were whispering together all day long, and writing day and -night; visits they received every minute. I watched and listened; in -short, I guessed at the beginning of the plot, so that they were obliged -to tell me everything,--their meeting at Nantes, their great conspiracy; -in fact, all this that you know, and which they thought so carefully -concealed. But since that revelation I have not been able to sleep or -eat; I have just existed. Every time that anybody came to my house--and -God knows how often people have come there!--I would imagine that they -had come to carry me before the judges. During the night, in my rare -moments of feverish sleep, I dreamed of nothing but courts and scaffolds -and executioners, and I would awake bathed in a cold perspiration, to -begin again my unceasing attempts to foresee and estimate the risk I was -running." - -"The risk you were running, did you say?" said Monsieur de Braguelonne. -"Why, prison in the first place--" - -"And torture in the second," added Démocharès. - -"To be followed probably by hanging," said the lieutenant. - -"Or the stake, possibly," continued the grand inquisitor. - -"The wheel has been known to be used in such cases," the lieutenant put -in, as a suitably effective end to the list. - -"Imprisoned! tortured! hanged! burned alive! broken on the wheel!" Poor -Des Avenelles repeated every word as if he had actually undergone each -of the punishments they enumerated. - -"_Dame_! You are an advocate, and should know the law," retorted -Monsieur de Braguelonne. - -"Indeed, I know it only too well!" cried Des Avenelles. "Therefore, -after three days of mortal anguish, I could restrain myself no longer: I -felt that such a secret was too heavy a burden for my responsibility, -and I came to deposit it in your hands, Monsieur le Lieutenant de -Police." - -"That was the safest course to pursue," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne; -"and although, as you see, your revelation is of no great service to us, -still we will take your good intentions into consideration." - -He talked for some moments in a low tone with De Mouchy, who seemed to -be urging him, not without much resistance, to adopt a certain course of -action. - -"Before everything, I beg you, for mercy's sake," said Des Avenelles, -imploringly, "not to betray my defection to my former--accomplices; for, -alas! they who murdered President Minard might well do me an ill turn -also." - -"We will keep your secret," replied the lieutenant of police. - -"But you propose to keep me a prisoner, do you not?" said Des Avenelles, -with a very humbled and frightened air. - -"No; you may return freely to your own house at any moment," replied De -Braguelonne. - -"Do you mean it?" said the advocate. "Ah! I see you propose to arrest my -guests?" - -"Not your guests, either. They will remain as free as yourself." - -"How is that?" asked Des Avenelles, in amazement. - -"Just listen to me a moment," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne, in an -authoritative tone, "and pay good heed to my words. You will return at -once to your own house, lest a too long absence should arouse suspicion. -You will say not a word more to your guests, either as to your own fears -or their secrets. You will act, and leave them to act, as if you had not -been in this room to-day. Do you understand me? Hinder nothing, and -express surprise at nothing. Let things take their course." - -"That is easily done," said Des Avenelles. - -"However," added Monsieur de Braguelonne, "if we need any information, -we will either send to you for it or summon you hither, and you will -hold yourself always in readiness to serve us in either way. If a -descent upon your house is judged necessary, you will lend a hand in -making it effective." - -"Since I have done so much merely to make a beginning, I will go through -with it," said Des Avenelles, with a sigh. - -"Very well. One word in conclusion. If matters progress in a way to -prove that you have obeyed these very simple instructions, you shall -have your pardon; but if we have reason to suspect that you have been in -the least degree indiscreet, you will be the first to be punished, and -will suffer worse than all the others." - -"You shall be burned alive, by our Lady!" chimed in Démocharès, in his -deep and gloomy voice. - -"However--" began the trembling advocate. - -"That is sufficient," said De Braguelonne. "You have heard; see that you -remember. _Au revoir_." - -He made an imperious motion with his hand. The too prudent advocate left -the room, relieved and anxious at the same time. - -After his departure, for a moment nothing was said by the two others. - -"You wished it so, and I yielded," said the lieutenant, finally; "but I -confess that I have serious doubts as to the wisdom of that mode of -procedure." - -"No, everything is as well as can be," replied Démocharès. "This -business must be allowed to take its own course, and with that in view, -the important point was not to give the alarm to the conspirators. Let -them think themselves sure of their secret, and go ahead in their false -security. They fancy that they are marching in darkness, while we are -following all their movements in the broad daylight. It is superb! Such -another occasion to strike a deadly blow at the root of the heresy will -not present itself in twenty years. Besides, I know the ideas of his -Eminence the Cardinal de Lorraine upon this matter." - -"Better than I do, to be sure," said De Braguelonne. "What are we to do -now?" - -"You will remain at Paris," said Démocharès, "and with the assistance -of Lignières and Des Avenelles, keep a strict watch upon the two -leading conspirators. I shall set out in an hour for Blois, to warn -Messieurs de Guise. The cardinal will be somewhat alarmed at first, but -Le Balafré is with him to encourage him; and when he comes to think it -over, he will be in an ecstasy of delight. It is for those two to -assemble in a fortnight around the king, without disturbance, all the -forces they have available. Meanwhile, our Huguenots will have nothing -to startle them; they will fall in a body, or one by one, into the trap -we have laid, the blind fools, and they will be at our mercy. We shall -have them, and then,--'General slaughter!'" - -The grand inquisitor stalked up and down the room rubbing his hands for -joy. - -"May God grant," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "that no unforeseen event -shall reduce this splendid scheme to nought!" - -"Impossible!" Démocharès made haste to say. "General slaughter! We -have them on the hip! Call Lignières back, if you will, so that he may -finish with the information he has for us, which I am to report to the -Cardinal de Lorraine. But I look upon the heresy as already extinct. -General slaughter!" - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -A CHILD KING AND QUEEN - - -If in imagination we go forward two days, and traverse forty leagues of -space, we may fancy ourselves on the 27th of February at the splendid -Château de Blois, where the court was temporarily established. - -There had been a great celebration at the château the day before, with -jousting and ballets and allegorical representations, all under the -direction of Monsieur Antoine de Baïf the poet. - -So that on the morning in question the young king and his queen, for -whose entertainment the fête had been given, had risen rather later -than usual, and not fully rested from the fatigue of their -holiday-making. - -Fortunately no reception was appointed for that day, so that they were -at liberty to amuse themselves by chatting over at their leisure the -things that had pleased their fancy. - -"For my own part," said Mary Stuart, "I thought all the entertainments -the finest and rarest things imaginable." - -"Yes," replied François, "especially the ballets and the scenes that -were acted. But I must confess that the sonnets and madrigals seemed to -me a trifle tiresome." - -"What!" cried Mary; "why, they were very bright and clever, I assure -you." - -"But too everlastingly eulogistic, you must agree, _mignonne_. You see, -it's not especially amusing to hear one's self praised thus by the hour; -and I could not help fancying last evening that the good God Himself -must sometimes have His moments of being bored in His Paradise. Then you -must remember, too, that these gentlemen, especially Messieurs de Baïf -and de Maisonfleur, have a way of interlarding their discourse with -numbers of Latin words, which I do not always understand." - -"But that has a very learned air," said Mary, "and it is a fashion which -makes me feel very literary and of very correct taste." - -"Ah, Mary, you know so much yourself!" replied the young king, smiling. -"You can make verses, and you understand Latin, too, while I have never -succeeded in making any headway in it." - -"But study is our lot, and the only amusement we women have, just as you -men and princes are born to action and command." - -"Nevertheless," rejoined François, "just for the sake of equalling you -in one thing, I would like to know as much as my brother Charles." - -"Apropos of our brother Charles," Mary interrupted, "did you notice him -yesterday in the part he assumed in the allegory of 'Religion defended -by the Three Divine Virtues'?" - -"Yes," said the king; "he was one of the horsemen who represented the -virtues,--Charity, I think." - -"The very same," replied Mary. "Well, did you see, Sire, with what fury -he belabored the head of poor Heresy?" - -"Yes, indeed, when she came forward in the midst of the flames with the -body of a serpent. Charles seemed to be quite beside himself, really." - -"And, tell me, gentle Sire," continued the queen, "did not that head of -Heresy seem to you to resemble some one?" - -"Why, yes," said François, "I thought I must be mistaken; but it -assuredly wore the expression of Monsieur de Coligny, did it not?" - -"Say, rather, that it was Monsieur l'Amiral, feature for feature." - -"And all those devils who carried him off!" said the king. - -"And the joy of our uncle the cardinal!" - -"And my mother's smile." - -"It was almost frightful!" said the young queen. "And yet, François, -your mother was very beautiful last evening with her dress of shimmering -gold and her tan-colored veil,--a magnificent costume!" - -"Yes, it was," replied the king; "and so, my _mignonne_, I have ordered -a similar dress for you at Constantinople, through Monsieur de -Grandchamp, and you shall also have a veil of Roman gauze like my -mother's." - -"Oh, thanks, my gallant spouse! Thanks! I certainly do not envy the fate -of our sister Élisabeth of Spain, who, they say, never wears the same -dress twice. And yet I should not like to have any woman in France, even -your mother, seem to be more finely dressed than I, especially in your -eyes." - -"Ah, what difference does it make, after all?" said the king; "for will -you not always be the loveliest of them all?" - -"It hardly seemed so yesterday," pouted Mary; "for after the torch-dance -that I danced, you never said a single word to me. I must needs think -that you did not like it." - -"Indeed I did!" cried François; "but what could I say, in God's name, -beside all those clever wits of the court who were pouring compliments -upon you in prose and verse? Dubellay claimed that you had no need of a -torch like the other ladies, but that the light that shone from your -eyes was sufficient. Maisonfleur was appalled at the danger from the -vivid sparks from your eyes which were never extinguished and might -destroy the entire hall. Whereupon Ronsard added that the stars which -shone in your head might serve to lighten the darkness of the night, and -to put the sun to shame by day. Was there any need, pray, after all -those poetic flights for me to come and add my poor testimony that I -thought you and your dance fascinating?" - -"Why not?" was Mary's playful retort. "That little word from you would -have rejoiced my heart more than all their tasteless flattery." - -"Well, then, I say it this morning, _mignonne_, with all my heart; for -the dance was perfect, and almost made me forget the Spanish _pavane_ -which I used to like so much, and the Italian _pazzemeni_, which you and -poor Élisabeth danced together so divinely. In fact, dear, whatever you -do is always done better than what others do; for you are the fairest of -the fair, and the prettiest women look like chambermaids beside you! -Yes, in your royal attire or in this simple dishabille, you are always -the same, my queen and my love. I see only you, and I love none but -you!" - -"Dear _mignon_!" - -"My adored darling!" - -"My life!" - -"My supreme and only good! See! Though you had but a peasant's hood, I -would love you better than all the queens of the earth!" - -"For my own part," replied Mary, "though you were but a simple page, you -and none other would reign in my heart." - -"Oh, _mon Dieu_!" added François, "how I love to pass my fingers -through your soft silky, fair hair, and to play with it and tangle it! I -can well imagine that your women might often ask leave to kiss that -round white neck, and those arms, so beautifully turned and so plump. -But don't you let them any more, Mary!" - -"Why not, pray?" - -"Because I am jealous!" said the king. - -"Foolish child!" laughed Mary, with an adorable childish gesture. - -"Ah!" cried François, passionately, "if I had to choose between -renouncing my crown and my Mary, the choice would soon be made." - -"What madness!" exclaimed Mary. "How could any one give up the crown of -France, which is the fairest of all after the heavenly crown?" - -"Because of the mark it makes upon my brow!" said François, with a -smile that was half playful and half sad. - -"What!" said Mary. "Oh, but I forgot that we have one matter to -settle--and a matter of the most supreme importance--which my uncle De -Lorraine has thrust upon us." - -"Oh, ho!" cried the king; "that does not often happen." - -"He leaves it for us," said Mary, very seriously, "to decide upon the -color of the uniform of our Swiss Guards." - -"That is a mark of confidence which does us great honor. Let us consult -upon it. What is your Majesty's opinion upon this difficult question, -Madame?" - -"Oh, I must only speak after you, Sire." - -"Well, then, I think that the style of the coat should remain the -same,--a broad doublet with full sleeves, with slashings in three -colors. Am I not right?" - -"Yes, Sire; but what shall the colors be? That is the question?" - -"It is not an easy one; but that is because you do not help me, my fair -adviser. The first color?" - -"It ought to be white," said Mary,--"the color of France." - -"Then the second," declared François, "shall be that of -Scotland,--blue." - -"Very well; but the third?" - -"How would yellow do?" - -"Oh, no; that is the color of Spain. Green would be better." - -"That is the color of the Guises," said the king. - -"Very well, Monsieur; is that a reason for excluding it?" - -"No, indeed; but will these three colors harmonize well?" - -"Well thought of!" cried Mary Stuart. "Let us take red, the color of -Switzerland; it will be in a measure a reminder of their country to the -poor fellows." - -"An idea as kind as your heart, Mary," the king responded. "There! that -momentous affair has come to a glorious conclusion. Ouf! we have had -enough trouble with it; fortunately, more serious matters do not give us -so much. And your dear uncles, Mary, are so willing to relieve me of all -the burden of government! it is delightful! They do the writing, and I -have only to sign my name, sometimes without even reading; so that my -crown placed upon my royal couch would serve quite as well as I, if the -whim should seize me to take a journey." - -"Do you not feel sure, Sire," asked Mary, "that my uncles will never -have aught at heart save your interest and that of France?" - -"How can I help knowing it?" was the reply. "They tell me of it too -often to give me any hope of forgetting it. For instance, it is the day -for a meeting of the council to-day: and we shall see Monsieur le -Cardinal de Lorraine come in with his deep humility and his overdone -respect,--which do not always amuse me, I confess,--and shall hear him -say in his soft voice, bowing at every word, 'Sire, the suggestion I -have the honor to make to your Majesty is aimed only at maintaining the -honor of your crown. Your Majesty cannot doubt the zeal for the glory of -your reign and the welfare of your people by which we are animated. -Sire, the splendor of the throne and of the Church is the only end,' -etc." - -"How perfectly you imitate him!" cried Mary, laughing and clapping her -hands. - -But in a more serious tone she continued,-- - -"We must be indulgent and generous, François. Pray, do you suppose that -your lady-mother, Catherine de Médicis, gives me much pleasure when, -with her pale face sternly set, she reads me endless sermons upon my -dress and my servants and my establishment? Can you not hear her now -saying to me, with her lips pursed up, 'My daughter, you are the queen. -I am to-day only the second woman in the kingdom; but if I were in your -place, I should require my women to attend Mass no less regularly than -vespers and the sermon; if I were in your place, I would never wear -carnation velvet, because it is too gaudy a color; if I were in your -place, I would have my silver-gray dress made over, because it is too -_décollettée_; if I were in your place, I would never dance myself, -but would be content to watch others; if I were in your place--'" - -"Oh, oh!" cried the king, shrieking with laughter; "it is my mother -herself! But then, you see, _mignonne_, she is my mother, after all; and -I have already offended her grievously by leaving no share for her in -the affairs of State, which are entirely administered by your uncles; so -we must put up with some things we don't like, and respectfully bear -with her scolding. I, too, will resign myself to the gentle tutelage of -the Cardinal de Lorraine, just because you are his niece, do you hear?" - -"Thanks, dear Sire!--thanks for the sacrifice!" and Mary emphasized her -words with a kiss. - -"But, joking apart," continued François, "there are times when I am -tempted to renounce the title of king, as I have already abandoned the -power." - -"Oh, why do you say that?" cried Mary. - -"Because I feel it, Mary. Ah, if only it were not necessary to be King -of France in order to be your husband! Just consider a moment! I have -nought but the weariness and restraints of royalty. The humblest of our -subjects is freer than I. Why, if I had not been downright angry at the -suggestion, we should have had to occupy separate apartments! Why, do -you suppose? Because they alleged that it was the custom of kings and -queens of France!" - -"How ridiculous they are with their customs!" exclaimed Mary. "Oh, well, -we have changed all that, and established a new custom,--which, thank -God, is much better than the other." - -"To be sure it is, Mary. But, tell me, do you know the secret desire I -have been cherishing for a long time?" - -"No,--indeed I do not." - -"Well, it is to break loose for a while,--to fly or steal away, and -leave the throne to take care of itself; to turn our backs upon Paris, -Blois, yes, even upon France itself, and go--where? I don't know nor -care, so long as it is far away from here, where we can breathe at our -ease for a little while like other people. Mary, would not such a -journey, say for six months or a year, please you?" - -"Oh, I should be perfectly delighted, my beloved Sire," replied Mary, -"especially for your sake; for I am sometimes unquiet about your health, -and you suffer too frequently with these distressing headaches. The -change of air and of scene would distract your thoughts, and be a most -excellent thing for you. Yes, let us go, let us go! But, oh! the -cardinal and the queen-mother,--will they listen to such a plan?" - -"Well, after I am king and I am master," said François. "The kingdom is -quiet and peaceable; and since they get along very well without my will -in the government, they can do quite as well without my presence. We -will take our flight in advance of the winter, Mary, like the swallows. -Let us see. Where would you like to go? Suppose we were to visit your -Scottish States?" - -"What! cross the seal," said Mary. "Expose your delicate chest, my -_mignon_, to those dangerous fogs? No! I should prefer our smiling -Touraine and this fair Château de Blois. But why should we not pay a -visit to our sister Élisabeth in Spain?" - -"The air of Madrid is not wholesome for kings of France, Mary." - -"Oh, well! Italy, then!" suggested Mary. "It is always lovely there, and -always warm,--blue sky and blue water; orange-trees in flower, and -music, and continual holiday-making!" - -"Italy accepted!" cried the king, joyously. "We will see the Holy -Catholic Religion in all its glory,--the magnificent churches and the -relics of the saints." - -"And Raphael's paintings," added Mary, "and St. Peter's, and the -Vatican." - -"We will ask the Holy Father for his blessing, and will bring back our -hands full of indulgences." - -"Oh, it will be delightful," said the queen, "to realize this lovely -dream together, side by side, beloved and loving, with heaven in our -hearts, and on our heads--" - -"Paradise!" cried François, enthusiastically. - -But even as he spoke, carried away by the fascinating thought, the door -opened suddenly, and the Cardinal de Lorraine, pushing aside the usher -in attendance, who had no time to announce him, burst into the royal -apartment, pale and breathless. - -The Duc de Guise, less excited but quite as serious, followed his -brother at a short distance, and his measured step could be heard in the -antechamber through the door, which remained open. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -END OF THE ITALIAN JOURNEY - - -"Well, Monsieur le Cardinal," said the young king, warmly, "am I not to -be allowed a moment of leisure and freedom even in this place?" - -"Sire," replied Charles de Lorraine, "I am very sorry to disobey your -Majesty's orders; but the affair which has led my brother and myself -hither is of too great moment to admit of delay." - -As he spoke, the Duc de Guise came gravely in, saluted the king and -queen silently, and remained standing behind his brother, mute, -immovable, and very serious. - -"Very well! I am listening, Monsieur; therefore speak," said François -to the cardinal. - -"Sire," continued the latter, "a conspiracy against your Majesty has -been discovered, and your life is no longer safe in this Château de -Blois; you should depart hence immediately." - -"A conspiracy! Depart from Blois!" exclaimed the king. "Pray, what does -all this mean?" - -"It means, Sire, that evil-minded men are conspiring against the life -and the crown of your Majesty." - -"What!" said François, "can they have any ill-will against me, so young -as I am, and only seated on the throne yesterday! against me, who have -never injured a single soul,--that is to say, knowingly or wilfully! Who -are these evil-minded men, Monsieur le Cardinal?" - -"Why, who should they be," rejoined Charles de Lorraine, "if not these -cursed Huguenot heretics?" - -"Heretics again!" cried the king. "Are you sure, Monsieur, that you are -not allowing yourself to be led astray by suspicions which have no -foundation in fact?" - -"Alas!" said the cardinal, "there is, unhappily, no room for doubt now." - -The young king, whose delightful dreams were thus interrupted by this -unpleasant reality, seemed greatly annoyed; Mary was much disturbed by -his ill-humor, and the cardinal very anxious over the news he had -brought. Le Balafré, alone calm and self-controlled, awaited the result -of all this talk in an attitude of utter impassibility. - -"In God's name, what have I done to my people that they love me no -longer!" continued François, bitterly. - -"I think I told your Majesty that it is only the Huguenots who are -rebellious," said the Cardinal de Lorraine. - -"Well, they are Frenchmen!" rejoined the king. "In fact, Monsieur le -Cardinal, I have intrusted all my power to your hands in the hope that -you would cause it to be blessed, and yet I am continually encompassed -by anxiety and complaints and discontent." - -"Oh, Sire, Sire!" exclaimed Mary Stuart, reproachfully. - -The Cardinal de Lorraine retorted dryly,-- - -"It would be hardly fair, Sire, to hold us responsible for ills which -are due entirely to the troublous condition of the time." - -"Nevertheless, Monsieur," continued the youthful king, "I should like -for once to know the real condition of affairs, and to be without you at -my side for a while, so that I might ascertain whether the disaffection -is directed against myself or you." - -"Oh, your Majesty!" cried Mary Stuart, in great alarm. - -François said no more, for he already reproached himself for having -gone too far. The Duc de Guise did not manifest the least disturbance. -Charles de Lorraine, after an embarrassing silence, replied, with the -dignified and constrained air of a man unjustly offended,-- - -"Sire, since we are unfortunate enough to see that our efforts are -misunderstood or not appreciated, and are therefore useless, it only -remains for us, as your loyal subjects and devoted kinsmen, to give -place to others more worthy or more fortunate--" - -The king, in his confusion, said nothing; and the cardinal continued, -after a pause,-- - -"Your Majesty has only to tell us in whose hands to place our seals of -office. So far as I am concerned, nothing will be easier than to fill my -place. Your Majesty will simply have to choose between Monsieur le -Chancelier Olivier, Monsieur le Cardinal de Tournon, and Monsieur de -l'Hôpital." - -Mary Stuart hid her face in her hands in despair; while poor repentant -François would have asked for nothing better than to recall his -childish indignation, but the haughty silence of Le Balafré frightened -him. - -Charles de Lorraine continued: "The office of grand master, however, and -the management of affairs in case of war, demand such extraordinary -talents and such lofty renown that, after my brother, I can think of -only two men who could venture to pretend to fill his place,--Monsieur -de Brissac, perhaps--" - -"Oh, Brissac is always scolding, and always in a passion!" exclaimed the -king; "he is not to be thought of!" - -"Well, the other one," continued the cardinal, "is Monsieur de -Montmorency, who surely has the renown even though he lacks the -necessary talents." - -"Oh, no!" François objected again; "Monsieur le Connétable is too old -for me, and he formerly treated the dauphin too slightingly to make it -probable that he would serve the king with due respect to-day. But, -Monsieur le Cardinal, why do you omit to mention my other kinsmen, the -princes of the blood,--the Prince de Condé, for example?" - -"Sire," said the cardinal, "it is with deep regret that I inform your -Majesty of the fact, but among the names of the secret leaders of the -conspiracy that has been unearthed, that of the Prince de Condé stands -first." - -"Is it possible?" asked the young king, almost stupefied. - -"Sire, there is no doubt about it." - -"Then this must be really a serious conspiracy against the State?" said -François. - -"It is almost a rebellion, Sire," replied the cardinal; "and since your -Majesty relieves my brother and myself from the most awful -responsibility that has ever been laid upon us, my duty compels me to -implore you to name our successors as soon as possible,--for the -Huguenots will be under the walls of Blois in a few days." - -"What do you say, my uncle?" cried Mary, in dismay. - -"The truth, Madame." - -"Are the rebels numerous?" asked the king. - -"Sire, they are said to be two thousand strong," replied the cardinal. -"There were rumors that their advance-guard was already near La -Carrelière, but I could hardly believe them until Monsieur de Mouchy -brought me intelligence of the conspiracy from Paris. We will withdraw -now, Sire, Monsieur de Guise and myself--" - -"What's that?" exclaimed François. "Do you both select such a time of -danger as this to desert me?" - -"But I thought I understood, Sire," returned Charles de Lorraine, "that -such was your Majesty's intention." - -"What do you wish?" said the king. "I cannot help being sad when I see -how many enemies you have made--I mean how many enemies I have! But -come, let us say no more about it, good uncle; give me more details as -to the insolent attempt of these rebels." - -"Pardon, Sire!" retorted the cardinal, still standing on his dignity; -"after what your Majesty has said, it seems to me that others than -ourselves--" - -"Oh, dear uncle, I implore you to say no more about my hasty words, -which I am sorry for," said François II. "What more can I say? Must I -apologize, pray, and ask your pardon?" - -"Oh, Sire!" said Charles de Lorraine, "at the moment that your Majesty -restores his precious confidence to us--" - -"Entirely, and with all my heart," added the king, offering his hand to -the cardinal. - -"Just so much valuable time lost!" said the Duc de Guise, gravely. - -It was the first word he had uttered since the beginning of the -interview. - -He came forward now, as if all that had gone before had been simply -unimportant preliminaries a wearisome prologue, in which he had allowed -the Cardinal de Lorraine to sustain the principal part; but these -puerile discussions being at an end, he haughtily took the floor and -assumed the initiative. - -"Sire," said he to the king, "this, in brief, is the condition of -affairs: two thousand rebels, commanded by Baron de la Renaudie, and -encouraged underhand by the Prince de Condé, are preparing a descent at -this time from Poitou, Béarn, and other provinces, with the view of -surprising Blois and carrying off your Majesty." - -François made a gesture of indignation and surprise. - -"Carry off the king!" cried Mary Stuart. - -"And you with him, Madame," continued Le Balafré. "But never fear; we -will take good care of your Majesties." - -"What measures do you propose to take?" asked the king. - -"We received warning of this only an hour since," said the Duc de Guise. -"But the first thing to do, Sire, is to assure the safety of your sacred -person. For that purpose, it is necessary that you should leave this -unfortified town of Blois and its unprotected château this very day, to -withdraw to Amboise, where there is a fortified château which will -protect you against a sudden blow." - -"What!" said the queen; "imprison ourselves in that vile Château -d'Amboise, perched up on top of a rock, and so gloomy and sad!" - -"Child!" was what Le Balafré's harsh look said to his niece, though he -did not put it in words. - -He said simply,-- - -"Madame, it must be done!" - -"But that will be flying from these rebels!" said the young king, -trembling with rage. - -"Sire," rejoined the duke, "you cannot fly from an enemy who has not yet -attacked you, nor even declared war against you. We are supposed to be -in ignorance of the guilty designs of these factionists." - -"However, we do know them," said François. - -"I beg your Majesty to rely upon me as regards these questions of -honor," replied François de Lorraine. "We do not shun the combat simply -by changing the field of battle; and I sincerely hope that the rebels -will take the trouble of following us to Amboise." - -"Why do you say that you hope so, Monsieur?" asked the king. - -"Why?" said Le Balafré, with his superb smile. "Because it will be a -good opportunity to put an end once for all to heretics and heresy; -because it is high time to strike at them in some other way than in -fiction and allegory; because I would have given two fingers of my -hand--my left hand--to bring about without difficulty the decisive -struggle which these reckless fools are inviting, for our triumph." - -"Alas!" sighed the king, "is this struggle anything less than civil -war?" - -"Let us accept it for the sake of having done with it," replied the Duc -de Guise. "This, in a word, is my plan,--your Majesty must remember that -we have only these rebels to deal with: Saving this retreat from Blois, -which will not arouse their suspicions, I hope, we will affect the most -complete security and most utter ignorance in regard to their plans. And -when they advance upon us, like the traitors that they are, to surprise -us, we shall be the ones to surprise them, and catch them in their own -trap. Therefore let no sign of alarm escape you, or any appearance of -flight; this advice is meant especially for you, Madame," he said, -turning to Mary. "My orders will be given, and your people notified to -be ready, but it will be done secretly. Let there be no suspicion -outside of our preparations or our apprehensions, and I will answer for -everything." - -"What hour is fixed for our departure?" asked François, with a dejected -air of resignation. - -"Sire, three in the afternoon," said the duke; "I have taken all needful -steps." - -"What! before coming to me?" - -"Even so, Sire," replied Le Balafré, firmly; "for before I came to you, -I was perfectly sure that your Majesty would listen to the voice of -reason and honor." - -"Very well!" said the young king, with a feeble smile, completely -conquered, "we will be ready at three o'clock, Monsieur; we have every -confidence in you." - -"Sire," said the duke, "I thank you for your confidence, and will strive -to merit it. But I beg your Majesty to excuse me, for at such times -minutes are precious, and I have twenty letters to write, and a hundred -commissions to give out. Therefore my brother and myself will humbly -take leave of your Majesty." - -He saluted the king and queen quite abruptly, and went out with the -cardinal. - -François and Mary gazed at each other ruefully for a moment without -speaking. - -"Well, my darling," said the king at last, "how about our fair vision of -a journey to Rome?" - -"It seems to have resolved itself into a flight to Amboise," sighed -Mary. - -At this moment Madame Dayelle, the queen's first lady-in-waiting, -appeared. - -"Pray, Madame, is this true that I have heard?" said she, after the -ordinary salutation. "Must we break up our establishment here at once, -and quit Bloise for Amboise?" - -"It is only too true, my poor Dayelle," replied Mary. - -"Do you know, Madame, that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in that -château?--not even a decent mirror!" - -"Then we must carry everything from here, Dayelle," said the queen. -"Write out at once a list of the things we must have; I will dictate to -you. In the first place, my new dress of crimson damask with gold lace -trimming--" - -Turning to the king, who was still standing in the window recess, -thoughtful and sad,-- - -"Just fancy, Sire," said she, "the audacity of these Reformers! But, -pardon me, you ought also to be thinking about what things you will need -at Amboise, so that you will not be unprovided." - -"No," said François; "I will leave all that to Aubert, my _valet de -chambre_. I myself can think of nothing but my disappointment." - -"Do you think mine is any less bitter?" said Mary. "Madame Dayelle, put -down my violet farthingale covered with gold camblet, and my white -damask dress with silver trimming. But we must make the best of it," she -continued, addressing the king, "and not run the risk of being without -articles of the first importance. Madame Dayelle, don't forget my -bedgown of plain cloth-of-gold trimmed with lynx. Not for ages, Sire, -has the old Château d'Amboise been inhabited by the court, has it?" - -"Since the days of Charles VIII.," said François, "I do not think that -a king of France has ever lived there for more than two or three days." - -"And we may have to stay there a whole month!" exclaimed Mary. "Oh, -those wretched Huguenots! Don't you think, Madame Dayelle, that the -bedchamber at all events will be partly furnished?" - -"The surest way, Madame," said the lady-in-waiting, shaking her head, -"will be to go prepared to find nothing at all there." - -"Then put down the gold-framed mirror," said the queen, "the violet -velvet jewel-case, and the shaggy carpet to put around the bed. But have -subjects ever before been known, Sire," she continued in a low tone, -returning to the king's side, "to march against their master thus, and -drive him from his own house, so to speak?" - -"Never, I think, Mary," was François's melancholy reply. "Sometimes -scoundrels have been known to resist the execution of the king's -commands, as was the case fifteen years since at Mérindol and La -Cabrière; but to attack the king in the first place,--I could never -have imagined such a thing, I declare!" - -"Oh, my uncle Guise is right, then! We cannot take too many precautions -against these hot-headed rebels. Madame Dayelle, add a dozen or so pairs -of shoes, and twelve pillows and sheets. Is that all? Really, I believe -I am losing my mind! Wait a moment, my dear! Here, put in this velvet -pincushion and this gold candlestick and bodkin and gilt needle-case. -There, I see nothing else." - -"Will not Madame carry her two jewel-cases?" - -"Yes, indeed, I will carry them!" cried Mary, eagerly. "Leave them here! -Why, they might fall into the hands of these miscreants, might they not, -Sire? I am quite sure I will carry them." - -"It will be a wise precaution," said François, with a slight smile. - -"I think I have omitted nothing else of consequence, my dear Dayelle?" -continued Mary, looking around the room. - -"Madame will remember her 'Book of Hours,' I trust," said the -maid-of-honor, rather affectedly. - -"Ah, I should have forgotten them," said Mary, ingenuously. "Let me have -the finest ones,--the one which my uncle the cardinal gave me and the -scarlet velvet one with the gold ornaments. Madame Dayelle, I leave you -to look after all this. You see how preoccupied the king and myself are -by the disagreeable necessity for this sudden departure." - -"Madame has no need to quicken my zeal," said the duenna. "How many -chests and trunks must I order to carry everything! Five will suffice, I -should think." - -"Order six, and go now!" replied the queen. "We must not fall short in -this deplorable extremity,--six, without counting those of my women, -remember! But let them make their own arrangements, for I haven't the -heart to attend to all these details. Yes, François, I am like you; I -can think of nothing but these Huguenots, alas! You may go now, -Dayelle." - -"Any orders for the footmen and coachmen, Madame?" - -"Let them wear simply their cloth coats," said the queen. "Go, dear -Dayelle, without further loss of time." - -Dayelle bowed and had taken three or four steps toward the door, when -Mary called her back. - -"Dayelle," said she, "when I said that our people should wear only their -cloth coats, you understand that I meant for the journey. Let them not -fail to take with them their capes of violet velvet and their violet -cloaks lined with yellow velvet. Do you understand?" - -"Yes, Madame. Has Madame any other orders to give?" - -"No, nothing more," said Mary. "But see that everything is done -promptly; we have only about three hours. Don't forget the footmen's -cloaks." - -Dayelle left the room without further hindrance. - -Mary then turned to the king. - -"You approve of these cloaks for our people, Sire, do you not?" she -asked. "The Reformers will surely allow us to dress our household as we -think fitting. We must not humiliate royalty too much before the rebels. -I even venture to hope, Sire, that we may find it possible to give a -little fête in their faces at Amboise, though it be such a detestable -place." - -François shook his head rather gloomily. - -"Oh, don't you sneer at the idea!" said Mary. "That would intimidate -them more than you think, by letting them see that, after all, we are -not much afraid of them. A ball under such circumstances would be most -excellent politics, I am not afraid to say; and even your mother, -capable woman that she is, could suggest nothing better. But no matter! -For all that I say, my heart is none the less torn, my poor, dear Sire. -Ah, the villanous Huguenots!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -TWO APPEALS - - -Since the fatal tournament Gabriel had led a calm and retired but gloomy -life. This man of energetic movement and action, whose days had formerly -been so filled with life and excitement, now seemed to take delight only -in solitude and forgetfulness. - -He never appeared at court, never saw a friend, and scarcely ever left -his house, where he passed the long, sad, and dreamy hours with his -faithful old nurse Aloyse and the page André, who had come back to him -when Diane de Castro had taken her sudden flight to the Benedictine -convent at St. Quentin. - -Gabriel, still a young man in years, had grown old from grief. He -brooded over the past, and had no longer any hope. - -How many times during those months, each of which was years long, had he -regretted that he was still alive! How many times did he wonder why the -Duc de Guise and Mary Stuart had placed themselves between him and the -anger of Catherine de Médicis, and had laid upon him the bitter burden -of life! What had he to do on earth? What was he good for? Could the -tomb be any more barren of result than this existence in which he was -languishing,--if, indeed, it could be called an existence! - -There were moments, however, when his youthful vigor rose in protest in -spite of himself. - -Then he would stretch his arms and raise his head and gaze at his sword. -At such times he would have a vague feeling that his life was not ended, -but that there was still a future for him, and that hours of hot -fighting, and perhaps of victory, might sooner or later enter again into -his destiny. - -In view of everything, however, he could see only two chances of -returning to the life of action for which he was best fitted,--a foreign -war or religious persecution. - -If France, if the king, should find themselves involved in some new war, -undertaken for conquest, or to repel invasion, the Comte de Montgommery -told himself that his youthful ardor would at once return, and that it -would be pleasant for him to die as he had lived,--fighting. - -And then how glad he would be to pay the involuntary debt he owed the -Duc de Guise and young King François! - -Again Gabriel would reflect that it would be a glorious thing to die in -defence of the new truths which had shed their light upon his soul -during the later days. The cause of the Reformation--in his eyes the -cause of justice and liberty--was also a noble and saintly cause to -serve. - -The young count read assiduously the controversial books and sermons -which then abounded. He burned with excitement over the great principles -revealed in lofty and soul-stirring words by Luther, Melanchton, Calvin, -Theodore de Bèze, and so many others. The books of all these -untrammelled thinkers had fascinated and convinced him, and drawn him on -to adopt their principles. He would have been proud and happy to sign -the attestation of his faith with his blood. - -It was always the noble instinct of this noble heart to devote his life -to some person or some cause. - -Not long since he had risked his life a hundred times to save or to -avenge, it might be his father or his beloved Diane,--oh, memories -forever bleeding in that wounded heart!--and now, in default of those -cherished beings, he would have been glad to struggle in defence of -sacred ideas,-- - -His country in his father's place; his religion in place of his love. - -Alas, alas! it is in vain to talk, for it is not the same thing; and -enthusiasm for abstract principles can never equal, either in its -suffering or its delight, the enthusiasm of fondness for our -fellow-creatures. - -But yet for one or the other of these two causes, the Reformation or -France, Gabriel would have been content to sacrifice his life; and he -relied upon one of them to bring about the desired termination of his -career. - -On the morning of the 6th of March Gabriel was leaning back in his chair -in the corner of his fireplace, brooding over the thoughts which had -become his very life, when Aloyse brought in to him a messenger, booted -and spurred and covered with mud, as if he had just travelled a long -way. - -It was a rainy morning. - -The courier had just arrived from Amboise, under a strong escort, the -bearer of several letters from Monsieur le Duc de Guise, -lieutenant-general of the kingdom. - -One of the letters was addressed to Gabriel, and its contents were as -follows:-- - - -MY DEAR COMPANION,--I am writing this to you in great haste, with -neither leisure nor possibility of explaining myself. You told the king -and myself that you were devoted to us, and that if ever we were in need -of your devoted service, we had only to call upon you. - -We do call upon you to-day. - -Set out at once for Amboise, where the king and queen are now installed -for some weeks. I will tell you on your arrival in what way you can be -of use. - -It is always understood that you are quite at liberty to act or to hold -aloof. Your zeal is too valuable for me to wish to make a bad use of it, -or compromise you. But whether you are with us or prefer to remain -neutral, I should think I was neglecting a duty if I failed to have -confidence in you. - -Come, therefore, in all haste, and you will be, as always, most welcome. - - - Your affectionate friend, - - FRANÇOIS DE LORRAINE. - -Amboise, the 4th March, 1560. - -P.S. Herewith is a safe-conduct, for use in case you should be -questioned _en route_ by some royal troop. - - -The messenger from the Duc de Guise had already departed to execute his -other commissions when Gabriel finished the letter. - -The eager youth rose at once, and said without hesitation to the -nurse,-- - -"Good Aloyse, call André, please, and tell him to have the dapple-gray -saddled and to prepare my travelling wallet." - -"Are you going away, Monseigneur?" the good woman asked. - -"Yes, nurse, to Amboise, within two hours." - -There was nothing more to be said; and Aloyse, without a word, went -sadly from the room to see that her young master's orders were carried -out. - -But while his preparations were being made, behold, another messenger -appeared, and demanded to speak with the Comte de Montgommery alone. - -He made no commotion, and, unlike his predecessor, had no escort. He -came in silently and very modestly, and without uttering a sound, handed -Gabriel a letter which he had in charge. - -Gabriel started as he thought that he recognized him as the same who had -formerly brought him La Renaudie's invitation to attend the Protestant -meeting in the Place Maubert. - -It was in fact the same man; and the letter bore the same signature. It -said:-- - - -FRIEND AND BROTHER,--I did not wish to leave Paris without having seen -you; but I had no time, for events came thick and fast, and hurried me -on. I must go now, and have not even pressed your hand, nor have I told -you our plans and our hopes. - -But we know that you are with us, and I know what manner of man you are. - -With such as you there is no need of preparation, of meetings, and -speech-making,--a word is sufficient. - -This is the word: We need you. Come. - -Be at Noizai near Amboise by the 10th or 12th of this month of March. -You will find there your brave and noble friend De Castelnau. He will -tell you what is going on, for I dare not trust it to paper. - -It is agreed that you are in no wise bound; that you have a perfect -right to stand apart; and that you may always abstain from acting with -us without incurring the least suspicion or receiving the slightest -reproach. - -But in any event come to Noizai, I will meet you there, and we will seek -your advice, if we cannot have your assistance. - -Then, too, can anything be accomplished by our party unless you are -informed with regard to it? - -So adieu till we meet at Noizai. We rely upon your presence, at all -events. - - L. R. - -P.S. If any troop of our friends should fall in with you _en route_, our -password is, once more, _Genève_, and our countersign, _Gloire de -Dieu_! - - -"In an hour I set out," said Gabriel to the silent messenger, who bowed -and took his leave. - -"What does all this signify?" Gabriel asked himself when he was alone; -"and what is the meaning of these two appeals coming from parties so -hostile, and appointing a rendezvous at almost the same place? But it -makes no difference at all! My obligations toward the omnipotent duke -and toward the oppressed Reformers are equally certain. My duty is to -set out at once. Then come what come may! However difficult my position -may become, my conscience knows well that I shall never turn traitor." - -An hour later Gabriel began his journey, accompanied only by André. - -But he hardly foresaw the extraordinary and terrible alternative by -which his loyal soul was to be confronted. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -A PERILOUS CONFIDENCE - - -In the Duc de Guise's apartments at the Château d'Amboise, Le Balafré -himself was interrogating a tall, vigorous, nervous individual, with -strongly marked features and proud and fearless bearing, who wore the -uniform of a captain of arquebusiers. - -"Maréchal de Brissac," said the duke, "has assured me, Captain -Richelieu, that I may have the fullest confidence in you." - -"Monsieur le Maréchal is very kind," said Richelieu. - -"It seems that you are ambitious, Monsieur," continued Le Balafré. - -"Monseigneur, I am at least ambitious not to remain captain of -arquebusiers all my life. Although I come of very good stock (for there -were lords of Plessis on the field at Bovines), I am the fifth of six -brothers, and consequently I have to do my best to eke out my little -fortune, and not depend too much upon my patrimony." - -"Good!" said the Duc de Guise, with an air of satisfaction. "You have -the opportunity now, Monsieur, to do us good service, and you shall not -repent it." - -"Behold me, Monseigneur, ready to undertake whatever you please to -intrust to me." - -"To begin with," said Le Balafré, "I have ordered that you command the -guard at the principal entrance of the château." - -"Where I promise to give a good account of myself, Monseigneur." - -"In my opinion," continued the duke, "it is not likely that the -Protestants will be sufficiently ill-advised to make their assault on a -side where they will be obliged to carry seven doors one after the -other; but as nobody is to be allowed to enter or leave the place by any -other entrance, the post will be of the greatest importance. Therefore -let nobody pass, either from within or without, without a special order -signed by me." - -"It shall be done, Monseigneur. By the way, a young gentleman, called -the Comte de Montgommery, has just arrived, with no special order, but -with a safe-conduct bearing your signature. He comes from Paris, he -says. Shall I allow him to come in, as he asks, Monseigneur?" - -"Yes, yes, at once!" said the Duc de Guise, eagerly. "But wait a moment; -I have not completed my instructions to you. To-day, about noon, the -Prince de Condé will present himself at the gate where you are to be on -guard: we have sent for him that we might have at our hand the reputed -chief of the rebels, who, I'll wager, will not dare to furnish food for -our suspicions by failing to neglect our summons. You will open to him, -Captain Richelieu, but to no other--not even to such as come with him. -You will be careful to have all the recesses and casemates which there -are in the arch well filled with men; and as soon as he arrives, you -will parade them all, arquebuse in hand, and matches lighted, under -pretence of receiving him with the proper honors." - -"It shall be done as you say, Monseigneur," said Richelieu. - -"When the Huguenots attack," continued the duke, "and the action begins, -you must personally keep your eye upon our man, Captain; and, mark my -words well, if he stirs one step, or gives the least sign of an -inclination to join the assailants, or if he even hesitates to draw his -sword against them, as his duty calls upon him to do, do not hesitate -with your own hands to strike him down." - -"I can see no difficulty about this, Monseigneur," said Captain -Richelieu, simply, "except that my rank as a simple captain of -arquebusiers will make it rather hard, perhaps, for me to be always as -near him as I ought to be." - -Le Balafré reflected a minute, and said,-- - -"Monsieur le Grand Prieur and the Duc d'Aumale, who will never quit the -supposed traitor's side for a moment, will give you the signal, and you -will obey them." - -"I will obey them, Monseigneur," replied Richelieu. - -"Good!" said the Duc de Guise; "I have no other orders to give you, -Captain. You may go. If the glory of your house began with Philippe -Auguste, you may well begin it anew with the Duc de Guise. I rely upon -you, and you may rely upon me. Go. Introduce Monsieur de Montgommery at -once, if you please." - -Captain Richelieu bowed deeply and withdrew. - -A few minutes later Gabriel was announced. He was sad and pale; and the -cordial welcome which the Duc de Guise extended to him did not smooth -the trouble from his brow. - -In fact, after putting together his own conjectures and a few words -which the guards had not scrupled to let fall in the presence of a -gentleman bearing the duke's safe-conduct, the young enthusiast had -almost arrived at the truth. - -The king who had pardoned him and the party to which he was devoted, -body and soul, were openly at war, and his loyalty was likely to be -compromised in the struggle. - -"Well, Gabriel," began the duke, "you ought to know by this time why I -have sent for you." - -"I suspect the reason, but am not altogether sure of it, Monseigneur," -Gabriel replied. - -"The Protestants are in open rebellion," said Le Balafré, "and are in -arms, and on their way to attack the Château d'Amboise,--that is our -latest intelligence." - -"It is a grievous and appalling state of things," observed Gabriel, -reflecting on his own situation. - -"Why, my friend, it is a magnificent opportunity," retorted the duke. - -"What do you mean, Monseigneur?" said Gabriel, in amazement. - -"I mean that the Huguenots expect to surprise us, whereas we are all -ready for them. I mean that their plans are discovered and betrayed. It -is fair warfare, since they have been the first to draw the sword; but -our enemies are about to deliver themselves into our hands. They are -lost, I tell you." - -"Is it possible?" exclaimed the Comte de Montgommery, completely -crushed. - -"Judge for yourself," continued Le Balafré, "to what extent all the -details of their insane enterprise are known to us. On the 16th of -March, at noon, they are to assemble before the town and attack us. They -have friends in the king's guard; therefore the guard was changed. Their -friends were to open the western gate to them; but that gate is walled -up. Lastly, their different bands were to proceed secretly hither -through certain paths in the forest of Château-Begnault. The royal -troops will fall upon these detached parties unexpectedly as fast as -they appear, and will not allow half of their forces to reach Amboise. -We are accurately informed, and thoroughly upon our guard, I should -say!" - -"Thoroughly!" replied Gabriel, in great alarm. "But who has been able to -furnish you with such complete information?" he added in his perplexity, -and without realizing what he said. - -"Ah," rejoined Le Balafré, "there are two who have betrayed all their -plans,--one for money, the other from fear. Two traitors they are, I -admit,--one a paid spy, the other a faint-hearted alarmist. The -spy--whom you know perhaps, as many of our friends do, and whom you -should distrust--is the Marquis de ----." - -"No, do not tell me!" cried Gabriel, quickly; "do not give me their -names! I asked you for them thoughtlessly. You have already told me -quite enough; but there is nothing more difficult for a man of honor -than not to betray traitors." - -"Oh," said the Duc de Guise, with some surprise, "we all have perfect -confidence in you, Gabriel. We were speaking of you only yesterday with -the queen; I told her that I had written you, and she was very much -pleased." - -"Why did you write to me, Monseigneur? You have not yet informed me." - -"Why?" rejoined Le Balafré. "Because the king has but a few devoted and -reliable servants. You are among them, and you are to command a party -against the rebels." - -"Against the rebels? Impossible!" said Gabriel. - -"Impossible! And why impossible, pray?" returned Le Balafré. "I am not -in the habit of hearing that word from your lips, Gabriel." - -"Monseigneur," said Gabriel, "I also am of the Religion." - -The Duc de Guise leaped to his feet, and gazed at the count with an -expression of wonder which amounted almost to terror. - -"Matters are in this condition," Gabriel continued, smiling sadly: "if -it be your pleasure, Monseigneur, to put me face to face with the -English or Spaniards, you know that I will not draw back, but that I -will offer my life for my country with joy, as well as with devotion; -but in a civil, a religious, war against my fellow-countrymen, my -brothers, I am compelled, Monseigneur, to reserve the freedom of action -which you were good enough to insure me." - -"You a Huguenot!" the duke finally succeeded in ejaculating. - -"And a most devoted one, Monseigneur," said Gabriel; "it is my crime, -and my excuse therefor as well. I believe utterly in the new ideas, and -have given my heart to them." - -"And your sword too, without doubt?" was the duke's biting rejoinder. - -"No, Monseigneur," said Gabriel, gravely. - -"Come, come!" retorted Le Balafré; "do you expect to make me believe -that you know nothing of this plot which has been concocted against the -king by your brothers, as you call them, and that these same brothers -cheerfully renounce so gallant an ally as you?" - -"You must believe just that," said the young count, more seriously than -ever. - -"Then you must be the one to desert them," rejoined the duke; "for your -new faith compels you to choose between two breaches of faith,--that's -all." - -"Oh, Monsieur!" cried Gabriel, reproachfully, - -"Well, how can you arrange matters otherwise?" asked Le Balafré, -throwing his cap with an angry movement upon the chair he had just -quitted. - -"How can I arrange matters otherwise?" repeated Gabriel, with a cold and -almost stern demeanor. "Why, it's very simple. In my opinion, the falser -the position in which a man is placed the more sincere and outspoken he -should be. When I became a Protestant I steadfastly and loyally declared -to the leaders of the sect that my sacred obligations to the king and -queen and the Duc de Guise would absolutely prevent me from bearing arms -in their ranks during this reign, if indeed the occasion should arise. -They know that in my eyes the Reformation is a matter of religious -belief, and not of party feeling. With them as with you, Monseigneur, I -stipulated for absolute freedom of action; and I have the right to -refuse my aid to them, as I refuse it to you. In this desperate conflict -between my gratitude and my faith my heart will bleed with every blow -that is struck; but my arm will not strike one. That, Monseigneur, is -wherein you have failed to understand me; and in this way, I trust, by -remaining neutral, to continue to be honorable and honored." - -Gabriel spoke proudly and with much animation. Le Balafré, gradually -regaining his tranquillity, could but admire the frankness and the -nobleness of heart of his former comrade-in-arms. - -"You are a strange man, Gabriel," he pensively remarked. - -"Why strange, Monseigneur? Is it because I speak as I act and act as I -speak? I knew nothing of this conspiracy of the Protestants, I swear. -However, I admit that when I was at Paris I received, on the same day -that your letter arrived, a letter from one of them; but this letter was -as barren of explanation as yours, and said simply, 'Come.' I had a -foreboding of the dread dilemma in which I should be involved; but I -have, nevertheless, responded to this twofold appeal. Monseigneur, I -have come so that I might prove recreant to neither of my duties; I have -come to say to you, 'I cannot fight against those whose faith I share,' -and to say to them, 'I cannot fight against those who have spared my -life.'" - -The Duc de Guise held out his hand to the count. - -"I was wrong," said he, cordially. "Pray, attribute my angry impulse to -my chagrin at finding you, upon whom I have relied so confidently, among -my enemies." - -"Your enemy!" exclaimed Gabriel. "Ah, no!--I am not and never can be -that, Monseigneur. Because I have declared myself more openly than they, -am I any more your enemy than the Prince de Condé and Monsieur de -Coligny, who are, as I am, Protestants, and not under arms?" - -"Under arms! I beg your pardon, but they are," returned Le Balafré. "I -know it,--I know all! But their arms are hidden. Nevertheless, if we -should meet, it is certain that I should dissimulate even as they do, -should call them my friends, and in case of need officially bear witness -to their entire innocence,--a comedy, it is true, but a necessary one." - -"Well, then, Monseigneur," said Gabriel, "since you are so kind as -sometimes to lay aside conventionalities in dealing with me, tell me, I -beg you, that when politics are not in question, you can still believe -in my devotion to you, and my honor, Huguenot though I be; above all -things, assure me that if a foreign war should break out some day, you -would do me the favor to remind me of my word, and give me an -opportunity to die for my king and country." - -"Yes, Gabriel," said the duke, "while I deplore the difference in faith -which now separates us, I trust you and shall always trust you the same; -and in order to prove it to you and to redeem the momentary suspicion -which I so deeply regret, take this and make such use of it as you -please." - -He sat down at a table and wrote a line which he signed and handed to -the young count. - -"It is an order allowing you to leave Amboise, wherever you may wish to -go," said he. "With this paper you are entirely at liberty. And you may -be sure that I would not give any such mark of esteem and confidence to -the Prince de Condé, whom you just mentioned, and that the moment he -sets foot in this château he will be watched from a distance like an -enemy, and guarded unknowingly as closely as a prisoner." - -"In that case, I refuse this mark of your confidence and esteem, -Monseigneur," said Gabriel. - -"What! Why so?" asked the amazed duke. - -"Monseigneur, do you know whither I shall go at once, if you allow me to -leave Amboise?" - -"That is your affair, and I do not even ask to know," rejoined Le -Balafré. - -"But I propose to tell you," said Gabriel. "When I leave you, -Monseigneur, I shall go to fulfil my other duty: I shall go at once -among the rebels, and shall seek for one of them at Noizai." - -"At Noizai? Castelnau is in command there," remarked the duke. - -"Yes, he is; you are indeed well informed in every detail, Monseigneur." - -"What do you propose to do at Noizai, my unfortunate friend?" Le -Balafré asked him. - -"Ah, what shall I do indeed? Say to them, 'You summoned me, and I am -here; but I can do nothing for you;' and if they question me as to what -I have heard and noticed on the road, I must keep silent and not warn -them of the trap that you have laid for them, for your confidence in me -takes away my right to do that. Therefore, Monseigneur, I ask a favor at -your hands--" - -"What is it?" - -"Retain me in custody here, and thus save me from cruel perplexity,--for -if you allow me to go, I must make my appearance among those who are -bent on their own destruction; and if I do go to them, I shall not be at -liberty to save them." - -"Gabriel," returned the Duc de Guise, "upon due reflection I neither can -nor will exhibit such suspicion. I have unfolded to you my whole plan of -campaign, and you are going among your friends, who are vitally -interested in knowing that plan,--yet here is your passport." - -"Then, Monseigneur," replied Gabriel, overwhelmed, "at least grant me -this last favor in the name of what little I was able to do to enhance -your renown at Metz and in Italy and at Calais, and in the name of what -I have suffered since,--and indeed, I have suffered bitterly." - -"To what do you refer?" said the duke. "If I can, I will grant it, my -friend." - -"You can, Monseigneur, and I think that you ought, because those who are -in arms against you are Frenchmen. I ask you, then, to allow me to -divert them from their fatal project, not by revealing to them its -inevitable issue, but by advising them, and beseeching and imploring -them." - -"Gabriel, be careful!" said the duke, solemnly; "if one word as to our -preparations falls from your lips, the rebels will persist in their -design, simply modifying their mode of execution; and in that event the -king and Mary Stuart and myself will be the ones to be destroyed. Weigh -this well. Will you bind yourself upon your honor as a gentleman that -you will not let them divine or even suspect, by a word or an allusion -or a gesture, anything of what is going on here?" - -"Upon my honor as a gentleman, I swear it!" - -"Go, then," said the Duc de Guise, "and do your best to induce them to -abandon their criminal purpose, and I will gladly renounce my easy -victory, thinking how much French blood is spared. But if, as I believe, -our last reports are well-founded, they have such blind and obstinate -confidence in the success of their enterprise that you will fail, -Gabriel. But no matter! go and make a last effort. For their sakes, and -still more for yours, I have no disposition to refuse." - -"In their names and my own I thank you, Monseigneur." - -A quarter of an hour later he was on his way to Noizai. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THE DISLOYALTY OF LOYALTY - - -Baron Castelnau de Chalosses was a gallant, noble-minded youth to whom -the Protestants had assigned by no means the least difficult task when -they sent him to forestall the royal troops at the Château de Noizai, -which was the place appointed for the general rendezvous of the -different sections of the disaffected on the 16th of March. It was -essential that he should be visible to the Huguenots, but should conceal -himself from the Catholics; and his delicate position called for the -display of as much caution and presence of mind as courage. - -Thanks to the password contained in La Renaudie's letter, Gabriel met -with no hindrance in making his way to Baron de Castelnau's quarters. - -It was already afternoon of the 15th. - -Within eighteen hours the Protestants were to assemble at Noizai, and to -attack Amboise before twenty-four hours had elapsed; so that it is clear -there was no time to lose if they were to be dissuaded from their -design. - -Baron de Castelnau knew Comte de Montgommery well, for he had often met -him at the Louvre, and besides, the chief men of the party had often -spoken of him in his presence. - -He came forward to meet him, and received him as a friend and an ally. - -"So you have come, Monsieur de Montgommery," he remarked when they were -alone. "To tell the truth, I hoped that you would be here, but hardly -dared to expect you. La Renaudie was much blamed by the admiral for -writing you as he did. 'It was essential,' he said, 'to advise the Comte -de Montgommery of our plans, but not to summon him to join us. He might -have been left to do as he chose. Has the count not given us fair -warning that so long as François II. reigned, his sword did not belong -to us; in fact, that it did not even belong to himself?' La Renaudie's -reply to all this was that his letter bound you to nothing, but left you -in possession of absolute independence of action." - -"That is quite true," replied Gabriel. - -"Nevertheless, we thought that you would come," continued Castelnau, -"for the letter of that hot-headed baron gave you no information as to -what was going on, and I am intrusted with the duty of informing you of -our plan and our hopes." - -"I am listening," said the Comte de Montgommery. - -Castelnau then repeated to Gabriel everything that the Duc de Guise had -previously told him in detail. - -Gabriel saw with horror how exact Le Balafré's information was. Not one -single point in the report of his spies and informers was inaccurate, -nor had they omitted to apprise him of one single detail of the plot. - -The conspirators were really lost beyond recall. - -"Now you know everything," said Castelnau, as he brought his narration -to a close, leaving his listener a prey to most cruel perplexity. "I -have now only to put to you a question to which I can easily forecast -your reply. I am right, am I not, in thinking that you cannot join us?" - -"I cannot," replied Gabriel, sadly shaking his head. - -"Very good!" added Castelnau; "we shall be none the less good friends -for that. I know that you stipulated in advance for the privilege of -holding aloof from the combat; and you are doubly entitled to exercise -it, since we are sure of victory." - -"Are you then indeed so sure?" asked Gabriel, significantly. - -"Perfectly so," rejoined the baron; "for the enemy have no suspicion of -our movements, and will be taken unawares. We were afraid for a moment, -when the king and court transferred their quarters from the unfortified -town of Blois to the strong Château d'Amboise, for they clearly had a -suspicion that something was wrong." - -"That embarrassed you, no doubt," observed Gabriel. - -"Yes, but our hesitation soon came to an end," continued Castelnau; "for -we found that this unexpected change of residence, far from injuring our -prospects, on the contrary, served marvellously well to make them -brighter. The Duc de Guise is now sleeping in false security; and you -must know, dear Count, that we are in correspondence with some who are -within the town, and the western gate will be put into our hands as soon -as we present ourselves before it. Oh, success is beyond doubt, I assure -you; and you may, without scruple, hold aloof from the battle." - -"The most magnificent expectations are sometimes deceived by the event," -was Gabriel's grave comment. - -"But in this instance we have not a single chance against us,--not one!" -Castelnau repeated, rubbing his hands with delight. "To-morrow will -behold the triumph of our party and the fall of the Guises." - -"And--how about treachery?" said Gabriel, struggling with his emotion, -and with his heart torn to see such youthful gallantry rushing headlong -into the abyss with eyes closed. - -"Treachery is impossible," was Castelnau's imperturbable response to -that suggestion. "Only the leaders are in the secret, and not one of -them is capable of it. Upon my word, Monsieur de Montgommery," he -exclaimed, interrupting himself, "I believe that you are jealous of us; -and it seems to me as if you were trying with all your might to throw -cold water on our undertaking, because of your chagrin at having no -share in it. Fie, my envious friend!" - -"Yes, indeed, I do envy you!" returned Gabriel, gloomily. - -"There! I was sure of it," laughingly exclaimed the young baron. - -"But stay a moment; you have some confidence in me, have you not?" - -"Blind confidence, if we are to speak soberly." - -"Very well; are you willing to listen to good advice, coming from a true -friend?" - -"To what purpose?" - -"Abandon your design of taking Amboise to-morrow. Send trusty messengers -at once to all of our brethren who are to join you here to-night or in -the morning, to let them know that the plan has miscarried, or has at -least been postponed." - -"Why so, pray? Why?" demanded Castelnau, beginning to take alarm. "You -must surely have some weighty reason for speaking thus to me." - -"_Mon Dieu_, no!" replied Gabriel, with a constraint that cost him dear. - -"It cannot be," said Castelnau, "that you advise me for no reason -whatever to abandon, and cause my brethren to abandon likewise, a -project which seems to progress so favorably?" - -"No, there is a reason; you are quite right, but I cannot explain to -you. Can you not, will you not, believe my word? I have already gone -further in this matter than I should have done. Do me the honor to trust -my word, dear friend." - -"Consider," rejoined Castelnau, very seriously, "that if I take upon -myself this extraordinary course of turning back at the last moment, I -shall have to answer for it to La Renaudie and the other leaders. May I -refer them to you?" - -"Yes," replied Gabriel. - -"Will you tell them," continued Castelnau, "the motives which dictate -your advice?" - -"Alas! I have not the right to do it." - -"How can you expect me to yield to your representations, then? Should I -not be bitterly reproached for having thus, for a single word, destroyed -our hopes, which were almost certainty? Howsoever vast and well-deserved -is the confidence we all have in you, Monsieur de Montgommery, still a -man is but a man, and may be deceived, no matter how good his -intentions. If no one is allowed to consider and pass judgment upon your -reasons, we shall certainly be obliged to neglect your counsel." - -"Then beware!" rejoined Gabriel, harshly; "on your head alone be the -responsibility for all the calamities that may ensue!" - -Castelnau was struck with the accent with which the count uttered these -words. - -"Monsieur de Montgommery," said he, "light has suddenly come to me, and -I think I can descry the true state of affairs. You have either been -intrusted with or have surmised some secret which you are not permitted -to disclose. You have some important information as to the probable -result of our enterprise,--that we have been betrayed, for instance. Am -I not right?" - -"I did not say that!" cried Gabriel, eagerly. - -"Or else," continued Castelnau, "you saw your friend, the Duc de Guise, -on your way here, and he, in ignorance of your fellowship with us, has -given you an insight into the real state of things." - -"Nothing I have said can have given rise to any such supposition!" cried -Gabriel. - -"Or again," Castelnau went on, "you have, as you passed through Amboise, -noticed preparations being made, overheard conversations, or induced -confidences,--in short, our plot is discovered!" - -"Do you mean to say," said Gabriel, horror-stricken, "that I have given -you any reason to believe anything of the sort?" - -"No, Monsieur le Comte; no, indeed, for you were bound to secrecy, I can -see. Therefore I do not even ask you for a positive assurance that I am -right, not even a word, if you prefer not. But if I am mistaken, a -gesture, a glance of the eye, or your silence, even, will be sufficient -to enlighten me." - -Gabriel, meanwhile, sorely perplexed, was recalling the last part of the -obligation he had given the Duc de Guise. - -Upon his honor as a gentleman he had bound himself not to allow any -person to divine or even to suspect, from any word or allusion or -gesture on his part, what was taking place at Amboise. - -As he kept silence for a long while, the Baron de Castelnau, whose eyes -were riveted upon Gabriel's face, spoke again. - -"Do you mean to say nothing more?" said he. "You are silent; I -understand you, and shall act accordingly." - -"What do you propose to do?" asked Gabriel, hastily. - -"To warn La Renaudie and the other leaders, as you advised me to do in -the first place, that they must cease their preparations, and to -announce to our friends when they reach here that some one in whom we -have perfect confidence has made known to me--has made known to me -probable treachery--" - -"But there is nothing of the sort!" Gabriel hurriedly interrupted. "I -have given you no information at all, Monsieur de Castelnau!" - -"Count," rejoined Castelnau, seizing Gabriel's hand in a grasp that -spoke louder than his words, "may not your reticence itself be a -warning, and our salvation? And once put on our guard, then--" - -"Well, what then?" echoed Gabriel. - -"Everything will go well for us, and ill for them," said Castelnau. "We -will postpone our enterprise to a more propitious time; discover at any -cost the informers, if there be any among us; redouble our precautions -and our mystery; and one fine day, when everything is thoroughly -prepared, certain then of our aim, we will renew our attempt, and, -thanks to you, will not fail, but achieve a triumphant success." - -"That is precisely what I wish to avoid!" cried Gabriel, who was -horrified to find himself upon the verge of involuntary betrayal of -confidence. "There, Monsieur de Castelnau, is the real reason of my -warning and my advice. In my mind, your enterprise is absolutely a -culpable one, to say nothing of its danger. By attacking the Catholics -you put yourselves entirely in the wrong, and justify any reprisals they -may resort to. From being unjustly oppressed subjects, you become -rebels. If you have complaints to make of the ministers, must you avenge -yourselves upon our young king? Ah, I feel sad even unto death as I -reflect upon all this misery! For the good of the cause you ought -forever to renounce this unholy strife. Rather let your principles do -battle for you! No bloodshed for the truth! That is all that I wished to -say to you; that is why I conjure you and all our brethren to hold your -hand from these grievous civil wars, which can only retard the spread of -our principles." - -"Is that really the only motive of all your talk?" asked Castelnau. - -"The only one," Gabriel replied in a hollow voice. - -"Then I must thank you for your good intentions, Monsieur le Comte," -retorted Castelnau, coldly; "but I must no less continue to act on the -lines laid down for me by the leaders of the Reformed party. I can -readily conceive that it must be very painful for a gentleman like -yourself, being debarred from the combat, to see others fighting without -you; but you alone cannot be allowed to fetter and paralyze a whole -army." - -"You propose, then," said Gabriel, pale and dejected, "to allow the -others to go on with this fatal design, and to go on with it yourself?" - -"Yes, Monsieur le Comte," responded Castelnau, whose words had a -firmness in them that admitted no argument; "and with your permission, I -will now go to issue the necessary orders for to-morrow's assault." - -He saluted Gabriel, and left the room without awaiting his reply. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -THE BEGINNING OF THE END - - -Gabriel did not leave the Château de Noizai, however, but determined to -pass the night there. His presence would afford the Reformers a pledge -of his good faith, in case they were attacked; and beyond that, he still -retained some slight hope that in the morning he might prevail, if not -upon Castelnau, upon some other leader who was less blindly obstinate. -If La Renaudie would only come! - -Castelnau left him entirely free, and seemed inclined to be rather -disdainful in his avoidance of him. - -Gabriel encountered him several times during the evening in the halls -and corridors of the château, going hither and thither, giving orders -for reconnoitring parties and the forwarding of supplies. - -But not a single word was exchanged between the two youths, each as -proud and as noble as the other. - -During the long hours of that night of anguish the Comte de Montgommery, -too restless and anxious to sleep, remained upon the ramparts, -listening, meditating, and praying. - -With the first glimmer of dawn, the Protestant troops began to arrive in -small detached parties. - -At eight o'clock they had already assembled in large numbers; and at -eleven Castelnau could count all whom he expected. - -But not one of the leaders was known to Gabriel. La Renaudie had sent -word that he and his forces would make their way to Amboise by way of -the forest of Château-Regnault. - -Everything was ready for departure. Captains Mazères and Raunay, who -were to lead the advance-guard, had already gone down to the terrace in -front of the château to form their detachments in marching order. -Castelnau was triumphant. - -"Well," he remarked to Gabriel as he encountered him,--he had, in his -satisfaction, forgiven the conversation of the night before,--"well, you -see, Monsieur le Comte, that you were wrong; and everything is going on -as well as possible!" - -"Wait!" said Gabriel, shaking his head. - -"Indeed, we must wait, if we are to believe you, doubter!" said -Castelnau, smiling. "Not one of our people has failed to keep his -engagement; they have all arrived at the time appointed, with more men -than they had promised. They have all marched through their respective -provinces without being disturbed, and--what is perhaps even -better--without having created any disturbance. Is it not, in truth, -almost too good fortune?" - -The baron was interrupted by the sound of trumpets and the clangor of -arms and a great noise outside; but in the intoxication of his -confidence he was in no degree alarmed, and thought of nothing but some -fortunate event. - -"See!" said he to Gabriel; "I will engage that those are more unexpected -reinforcements,--Lamothe, doubtless, and Deschamps, with the -conspirators of Picardy. They were not due to arrive until to-morrow; -but they must have made forced marches, the brave fellows, in order to -bear their part of the conflict and share in the victory. Those are -friends." - -"Ah, but are they?" asked Gabriel, whose face changed color when he -heard the trumpets. - -"Who else can they be?" rejoined Castelnau. "Come into this gallery, -Monsieur le Comte; through the embrasures we can look down upon the -terrace whence the noise comes." - -He drew Gabriel after him; but when they had reached the edge of the -wall he uttered a loud cry, raised his arms, and stood as if turned to -stone. - -The confusion had been occasioned not by Protestant troops, but by a -body of Royalists. The new-comers were not commanded by Lamothe, but by -Jacques de Savoie, Duc de Nemours. - -Under cover of the woods which surrounded the Château de Noizai, the -royal troops had succeeded before they were discovered in getting within -close range of the open terrace, where the advance-guard of the rebels -was being drawn up in order of battle. - -There was no show of resistance whatever, for the Duc de Nemours had -made it his first care to seize the stacks of arms. - -Mazères and Raunay had been obliged to surrender without striking a -blow; and just at the moment when Castelnau looked down from the -battlements, his troops, conquered without a struggle, were handing -their swords to the enemy. On the spot where he had thought he should -see his soldiers, he saw nought but a band of prisoners. - -He could scarcely believe his eyes. For a moment he stood motionless, -stupefied, bewildered, and speechless. Such an event was so entirely at -variance with his thoughts that at first he found it difficult to -understand it. - -Gabriel, who was less surprised at this sudden blew, was no less -overwhelmed. - -As they stood gazing at each other, equally pale and dejected, an ensign -entered hastily in search of Castelnau. - -"What is the condition of affairs?" the latter asked him, recovering his -voice, by force of his anxiety. - -"Monsieur le Baron," the ensign replied, "they have gained possession of -the drawbridge and the first gate. We only had time to close the second -one; but we shall not be able to hold it, and in less than a quarter of -an hour they will be in the courtyard. Shall we, nevertheless, try to -resist, or send them a flag of truce? We await your orders." - -"Give me but time to put on my armor, and I will come down," said -Castelnau. - -He hastened into one of the apartments of the château to buckle on his -sword and cuirass, and Gabriel followed him. - -"What do you propose to do?" he asked him, sadly. - -"I know not; I know not!" replied Castelnau, excitedly; "but I can at -least die." - -"Alas!" sighed Gabriel; "why did you not hearken to me yesterday?" - -"Yes, you were right, I can see now," returned the baron. "You -anticipated what has happened; perhaps you knew of it beforehand." - -"Perhaps," observed Gabriel; "and therein lies my greatest suffering. -But remember, Castelnau, that life is full of strange and awful caprices -of fate! Suppose that I was not at liberty to dissuade you by divulging -the real reasons, which were struggling for utterance? Suppose that I -had given my word of honor as a gentleman not to give you any occasion, -directly or indirectly, to suspect the truth?" - -"In such case you would have done quite right to say nothing," said -Castelnau; "and in your place I should have done just as you did. It was -I, madman, who should have understood you; I who should have known that -a valiant heart like yours would not try to dissuade me from battle -except for most potent reasons. But I will expiate my mistake by death." - -"Then I will die with you," said Gabriel, calmly. - -"You! and why?" cried Castelnau. "The one thing that you say you are -absolutely compelled to do is to refrain from fighting." - -"True, I shall not fight," said Gabriel; "I cannot. But life has become -a grievous burden to me; the apparently two-faced part I am playing is -intolerable. I shall go into the fray unarmed. I will slay no one, but -will allow myself to be slain. I may be able to intercept the blow aimed -at you. If I cannot wear a sword, I may still be a buckler." - -"No," rejoined Castelnau, "remain here. I ought not to involve you in my -destruction, nor will I do it." - -"Ah, but think!" exclaimed Gabriel, earnestly; "you are about to involve -in it, uselessly and hopelessly, all of our brethren who are confined in -this château with you. My life is much less useful than theirs." - -"Can I do otherwise for the glory of our faith than ask them to make -this sacrifice?" said Castelnau. "Martyrs often bring more renown to -their cause, and are more useful to it, than victors." - -"Very true," replied Gabriel; "but is it not your first duty as leader -to do your utmost to save the forces which have been intrusted to you; -to die finally at their head, if their salvation is not to be reconciled -with honor?" - -"So you advise me--" said Castelnau. - -"To try every peaceable means of accommodation. If you resist, you have -no possible chance of escaping defeat and massacre. If you yield to -necessity, they will not have the right, in my opinion, to punish the -instigators of a plan that has been left unexecuted. Mere projects -cannot be punished, since they can only be conjectured. By laying down -your arms, you will disarm your enemies." - -"I so bitterly repent not having followed your previous advice," said -Castelnau, "that I prefer to follow it now; and yet I confess that I -hesitate, for it is very distasteful to me to draw back." - -"In order to draw back, you must first have taken a step forward," said -Gabriel. "Now what is there up to this point to prove your rebellion? -You do not declare yourself culpable until you actually draw your sword. -Hold! My presence may even yet, thank God! be of some advantage to you. -I was unable to save you yesterday, but do you wish that I should try to -save you to-day?" - -"What will you do?" asked Castelnau, completely unmanned. - -"Nothing unworthy of you, be assured! I will go to the Duc de Nemours, -who commands the royal soldiery. I will inform him that no resistance -will be offered, that the gates will be opened, and you will surrender, -but upon certain conditions: he must engage his ducal word that no harm -shall befall you or your comrades, and that after he has escorted you to -the king, in order to submit to him your grievances and requests, he -will cause you to be set at liberty." - -"And if he refuses?" asked Castelnau. - -"If he refuses, the fault will be on his side; he will have declined a -perfectly frank and honorable adjustment of the affair, and all the -responsibility for the bloodshed will fall upon his head. If he refuses, -Castelnau, I will return to you, to die at your side." - -"Do you believe," said Castelnau, "that La Renaudie, were he placed as I -am, would agree to what you propose?" - -"Upon my soul! I believe that any reasonable man would agree to it." - -"Go on, then!" exclaimed Castelnau; "our despair will be so much the -more to be dreaded if your mission to the duke fails, as I fear it -will." - -"Thanks!" said Gabriel. "I have strong hopes myself that I shall -succeed, and thus, with God's help, preserve all these gallant and noble -lives." - -He went quickly down, and caused the door leading to the courtyard to be -opened; and with a flag of truce in his hand, he walked toward the Duc -de Nemours, who, sitting on his horse in the midst of his troops, was -awaiting the issue. - -"I do not know whether Monseigneur recognizes me," said Gabriel to the -duke; "but I am the Comte de Montgommery." - -"Yes, Monsieur de Montgommery, I do recognize you," replied Jacques de -Savoie. "Monsieur de Guise advised me that I should find you here, but -said that you had his permission, and charged me to treat you as a -friend." - -"A precaution which may be of ill service to me with other less -fortunate friends," observed Gabriel, with a sorrowful shake of the -head. "However, Monseigneur, may I venture to beg a moment's -conversation with you?" - -"I am at your service," said Monsieur de Nemours. Castelnau, who was -following distractedly all the movements of the duke and Gabriel from a -grated window of the château, saw them draw aside from the rest, and -converse for some moments with much animation. Then Jacques de Savoie -called for writing materials, and using a drumhead for a table, wrote a -few rapid lines, which he handed to Gabriel, who seemed to be profuse in -his thanks. - -"There must be some hope for us," thought Castelnau. Gabriel rushed -headlong back into the château, and a moment later, breathless and -without a word, placed the following document in Castelnau's hands:-- - - -Monsieur de Castelnau and his companions now within the Château de -Noizai having agreed upon my arrival to lay down their arms and -surrender to me, I, the undersigned, Jacques de Savoie, have sworn upon -my princely faith, upon my honor, and as I hope for the salvation of my -soul, that they shall not be molested, but shall be set at liberty -entirely unharmed, fifteen of them only, including Monsieur de -Castelnau, to go with me to Amboise, to present their grievances to the -king in a peaceable manner. - -Given at the Château de Noizai this 16th of March, 1560. - - JACQUES DE SAVOIE. - - -"Thanks, my friend," Castelnau said to Gabriel, after he had read the -foregoing; "you have saved our lives, and our honor, which is dearer -than life. On these conditions I am ready to follow Monsieur de Nemours -to Amboise; for we shall not appear there as prisoners before their -conqueror, but as oppressed subjects before their king. Once more I -thank you." - -But as he warmly clasped the hand of his preserver, Castelnau remarked -that Gabriel had relapsed into his former state of melancholy. - -"What troubles you now, pray?" he asked. - -"I am thinking now about La Renaudie and the other Protestants who were -to attack Amboise to-night," replied Gabriel. "Alas! I fear it is too -late to save them; but I will at least make the attempt. La Renaudie was -to advance by the forest of Château-Regnault, was he not?" - -"Yes," said Castelnau, earnestly; "and there is yet time for you to find -him there, and save him as you have saved us." - -"At all events, I will do my best," said Gabriel. "The Duc de Nemours -will leave me at liberty, I think. Adieu, then, dear friend; I go to -continue, if possible, my work of conciliation. _Au revoir_!--at -Amboise." - -"_Au revoir_!" Castelnau replied. - -As Gabriel had anticipated, the Duc de Nemours made no opposition to his -leaving Noizai and its detachment of royal troops. - -The zealous, devoted youth was free to urge his horse in the direction -of the forest of Château-Regnault. - -Castelnau and those who remained with him followed Jacques de Savoie to -Amboise, trusting and tranquil. - -But upon their arrival they were at once lodged in prison. There they -were to remain, so they were informed, until the affray was at an end, -and there was no longer any danger to be apprehended in allowing them -access to the king. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -THE FOREST OF CHÂTEAU-REGNAULT - - -The forest of Château-Régnault was fortunately only about a league and -a half distant from Noizai. Gabriel urged his horse thither at a gallop; -but after he had reached the spot, he rode about in every direction for -more than an hour without falling in with any party, either of friends -or foes. - -At last he thought he distinguished the regular gallop of cavalry beyond -a bend in the path he was pursuing; but they could not be Huguenots, for -they were laughing and talking, while the Huguenots were too vitally -concerned to conceal their movements not to preserve most complete -silence. - -"No matter!" thought Gabriel; and he hurried on, and soon came upon the -red scarfs of the king's troops. - -As he made his way toward their leader he recognized him, and was -recognized by him. - -It was Baron de Pardaillan,--a gallant young officer who had made the -Italian campaign with him under Monsieur de Guise. - -"Ah, it is the Comte de Montgommery!" cried Pardaillan. "I thought you -were at Noizai, Count." - -"I have just come from there," said Gabriel. - -"Well, what has occurred there?--ride by my side awhile and tell me." - -Gabriel told the story of the sudden arrival of the Duc de Nemours, of -his carrying the terrace and the drawbridge, of his own mediation -between the parties, and the peaceful submission which had been its -happy result. - -"_Pardieu_!" exclaimed Pardaillan; "Monsieur de Nemours was in luck, and -I should be glad to be equally fortunate myself. Do you know, Monsieur -de Montgommery, against whom my own movements are directed at this -moment?" - -"La Renaudie, doubtless." - -"Precisely. And do you know what La Renaudie is to me?" - -"Why, your cousin, I believe,--yes, I remember." - -"Yes, he is my cousin," Pardaillan said; "and more than that, he is my -friend and my comrade-in-arms. Ah, do you know how bitter a thing it is -to fight against one who has so often fought at one's side?" - -"Yes, indeed," replied Gabriel; "but you are not sure of meeting him, -are you?" - -"Alas! I am only too sure!" returned Pardaillan. "My instructions are -exact; and the reports of those who have betrayed him are only too -accurate. See! after marching another fifteen minutes I shall find -myself face to face with La Renaudie in the second path to the left." - -"But suppose you were to avoid that path?" whispered Gabriel. - -"I should be false to my honor and to my duty as a soldier," was -Pardaillan's reply. "Besides, it is better that I should not be able to -do it. My two lieutenants received Monsieur de Guise's orders as well as -myself, and they would interfere to prevent my running counter to them. -No; my only hope is that La Renaudie will consent to surrender, and a -faint hope it is; for he is as proud as Lucifer, and as brave as a lion. -Moreover, he has an opportunity to fight, and will not be taken by -surprise, as Castelnau was; and again, we are not very superior to him -in point of numbers. However, you will assist me, will you not, Monsieur -de Montgommery, in urging him to yield?" - -"Alas!" said Gabriel, with a sigh, "I will do my best." - -"The Devil take these civil wars!" cried Pardaillan, in conclusion. - -They rode along in silence for almost ten minutes. - -When they had taken the second path to the left, Pardaillan said,-- - -"Now we should be approaching them. How my heart beats! For the first -time in my life, I believe, as God hears me, that I am afraid." - -The royal troops were no longer laughing and talking, but advanced -slowly and cautiously. - -They had not gone two hundred paces, when they thought they could see -through a thicket of trees the glistening of weapons upon a path, which -ran parallel with the main road. - -Their uncertainty was not of long duration, for almost immediately a -firm voice cried out,-- - -"Halt! Who goes there?" - -"It is La Renaudie's voice," Pardaillan said to Gabriel. - -Then he replied to the challenge,-- - -"Valois and Lorraine!" - -Instantly, La Renaudie on horseback, followed by his little band, -debouched from the bypath. - -However, he ordered his troops to halt, and rode forward a few steps -alone. - -Pardaillan imitated him by crying to his people, "Halt!" and riding -toward him accompanied only by Gabriel. - -One would have said they were two friends in haste to meet after a long -separation, rather than two foes ready to meet in deadly conflict. - -"I should have already replied to you as I ought," said La Renaudie, as -he approached, "if I had not thought that I recognized the voice of a -friend. Unless I am greatly mistaken, that visor conceals the features -of my dear Pardaillan." - -"Yes, it is I, my poor La Renaudie," replied Pardaillan; "and if I may -give you a brother's advice, it is to abandon your enterprise, dear -friend, and lay down your arms at once." - -"Oh, yes! that is indeed brotherly advice!" retorted La Renaudie, -ironically. - -"Yes, Monsieur de la Renaudie," interposed Gabriel, coming forward, "it -is the advice of a loyal friend, I bear you witness. Castelnau -surrendered to the Duc de Nemours this morning; and if you do not follow -his example, you are lost." - -"Aha, Monsieur de Montgommery!" exclaimed La Renaudie, "are you with -these fellows?" - -"I am neither with them nor with yourself," said Gabriel, in a grave and -melancholy tone. "I stand between you." - -"Oh, forgive me, Monsieur le Comte," added La Renaudie, deeply moved by -the noble and dignified bearing of Gabriel. "I had no wish to wound you, -and I think I would doubt my own loyalty rather than yours." "Pray -believe me, then," said Gabriel, "and do not hazard a useless and -disastrous conflict. Surrender." - -"Impossible!" replied La Renaudie. - -"But reflect, I beg you," said Pardaillan, "that we are no more than a -feeble advance-guard." - -"For Heaven's sake," retorted the Protestant leader, "do you suppose -that my whole force consists of this handful of gallant fellows whom you -see?" - -"I warn you," said Pardaillan, "that you have traitors in your ranks." - -"Well, they are in yours now," returned La Renaudie. "I will undertake -to obtain your pardon from Monsieur de Guise," cried Pardaillan, who -knew not which way to turn. - -"My pardon!" exclaimed La Renaudie; "I hope to be more concerned with -granting than receiving pardons!" - -"Oh, La Renaudie! La Renaudie! Surely you do not wish to compel me to -draw my sword against you,--Godefroy, my old comrade, my play-fellow?" - -"We must be prepared even for that, Pardaillan; for you know me too well -to believe that I am inclined to yield the field to you." - -"Monsieur de la Renaudie," cried Gabriel, "once more I tell you that you -are wrong." - -But he was rudely interrupted. - -The horsemen on both sides, Remaining apart, but in full view of one -another, could not understand the meaning of all this parleying between -their chiefs, and were burning with eagerness to come to closer -quarters. - -"In God's name, what do they find to talk about at such length?" -muttered the troopers of Pardaillan. - -"Ah!" said the Huguenots, "do they think that we came here to watch them -while they talk over their private business?" - -"Wait a moment! wait!" said one of La Renaudie's band, in which every -soldier was a leader, "I know a way to cut short their conversation;" -and just as Gabriel began to speak, he fired a pistol-shot at the king's -troops. - -"You see," cried Pardaillan, sorrowfully, "your people have struck the -first blow!" - -"But without any order from me!" retorted La Renaudie, warmly. "However, -the die is cast, and it makes no difference now. Forward, my friends, -forward!" - -He turned toward his men as he spoke, and Pardaillan, not to be taken by -surprise, did the same, and also shouted, "Forward!" - -The firing began. - -Gabriel, however, remained motionless between the red and the white, the -Royalists and the rebels. He scarcely even drew his horse aside, but -sustained the fire of both parties. - -At the first volley the plume of his helmet was cut through by a ball, -and his horse killed under him. - -He extricated his feet from the stirrups and stood in the same spot -without a tremor, and like one dreaming in the midst of that terrible -affray. - -The supply of powder was soon exhausted; and the two little bands rushed -forward, and continued the combat with their swords. - -Gabriel, amid all the clashing and clanging, never stirred from his -place, nor did he once lay his hand upon his sword; he simply stood -gazing at the mad blows which were raining about him, as if he had been -the image of France among her foes. - -The Protestants, inferior in numbers and in discipline, began to falter. - -La Renaudie in the tumult found himself face to face with Pardaillan -once more. - -"Engage with me!" he cried; "let me at least die by your hand." - -"Ah!" said Pardaillan, "the one of us two who slays the other will be -the more generous." - -They crossed swords with much vigor. The blows they dealt resounded upon -their coats-of-mail like hammer-strokes upon the anvil. La Renaudie -circled about Pardaillan, who, sitting firmly on his saddle, parried and -thrust without token of weariness. Two rivals thirsting for vengeance -could not have seemed more implacable. - -At last La Renaudie buried his sword in the breast of Pardaillan, who -fell headlong from his horse. - -But the cry which followed the fatal blow came from the lips of La -Renaudie. - -Happily for the victor, he had not even the time to look upon his -disastrous victory, for Montigny, Pardaillan's page, levelled his -arquebuse at him and fired, and he fell from his horse mortally wounded. - -Nevertheless, before he expired La Renaudie yet retained strength -sufficient to strike dead upon the spot, with a backward stroke of his -sword, the page who had shot him. - -Around these three bodies the battle waged more furiously than ever. - -But the Huguenots were clearly worsted; and in a short time, being -deprived of their leader, they were utterly routed. - -The greater number of them were killed; but a few were taken prisoners, -and some escaped. - -This horrible bloody affray lasted less than ten minutes. - -The royal troopers prepared to return to Amboise, and the bodies of La -Renaudie and Pardaillan were placed upon the same horse. - - -[Illustration: The Forest of Château-Regnault.] - - -Gabriel, who, despite his eager longing, and spared without doubt by -both sides, had not received a scratch, gazed mournfully at the two -lifeless bodies in which, but a few moments before, had beat the two -noblest hearts he had ever known. - -"Which of the two was the braver?" he asked himself. "Which better loved -the other? Which is the greater loss to his unhappy country?" - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -A GLIMPSE AT THE POLITICS OF THE SIXTEENTH -CENTURY - - -Even after the surrender of the Château de Noizai, and the skirmish in -the forest of Château-Regnault, the whole affair was not at an end. - -The majority of the conspirators of Nantes had not been notified of -these two repulses which their party had met with, and were still on -their way to Amboise, prepared to assault the place that night. - -But we know that thanks to the precise information furnished by -Lignières, they were expected. - -The youthful king had no inclination to retire, but walked anxiously, -with feverish tread, up and down the vast unfurnished hall which had -been set apart for his accommodation. - -Mary Stuart, the Duc de Guise, and the Cardinal de Lorraine were also -watching and waiting with him. - -"What an everlasting night!" ejaculated François. "I am in agony; my -head is on fire; and those intolerable pains in my ear are beginning to -torment me again. What a night! Oh, what a night!" - -"Poor dear Sire!" said Mary, soothingly, "do not excite yourself so, I -pray; you only increase your bodily and mental anguish as well. Take a -few moments' rest, in pity's name!" - -"What! how can I rest, Mary?" said the king,--"how can I keep calm when -my people are rebelling, and are in arms against me? Ah, all this -trouble will surely shorten the small portion of life God has granted -me!" - -Mary replied only by the tears which streamed down her lovely face. - -"Your Majesty ought not to be so deeply affected," said Le Balafré. "I -have already had the honor to assure you that our measures were taken, -and that victory is beyond peradventure. I give you my personal guaranty -of it, Sire." - -"Have we not begun well, Sire?" added the Cardinal de Lorraine. -"Castelnau a prisoner, and La Renaudie slain,--are these not happy omens -for the issue of this affair?" - -"Happy omens indeed!" said François, bitterly. - -"To-morrow everything will be at an end," continued the cardinal; "the -other leaders of the rebels will be in our power, and we can terrify, by -force of a frightful example, those who might venture to try to emulate -them. It must be done, Sire," said he, replying to the king's -involuntary movement of horror. "A solemn 'Act of Faith,' as they say in -Spain, is essential for the outraged glory of the Catholic religion, and -the threatened security of the throne. To begin with, Castelnau must -die. Monsieur de Nemours took it upon himself to swear that he should be -spared; but that is not our affair, and we have promised nothing -ourselves. La Renaudie has escaped punishment by death; but I have -already given orders that at daybreak to-morrow his head be exposed upon -the bridge of Amboise with this inscription: 'Leader of the rebels.'" - -"Leader of the rebels!" echoed the king; "why, you yourself say that he -was not the leader, and that the confessions and the correspondence of -the conspirators point to the Prince de Condé alone as the real prime -mover of the undertaking." - -"In Heaven's name, speak not so loud, Sire, I implore you!" the -cardinal exclaimed. "Yes, it is true, the prince has led and directed -the whole affair, but from afar. These rascals call him the 'Silent -Captain;' and he was to unmask himself after their first success. But -failing that first success, he has not unmasked himself, nor will he do -so. Therefore let us not drive him to that perilous extremity. Let us -not seem to recognize in him the mighty head and front of the rebellion. -Let us pretend not to see it, so that we may incur no risk of showing -our feeling." - -"Nevertheless, Monsieur de Condé is the real arch-rebel!" said -François, whose youthful impatience was little in sympathy with all -these "governmental fictions," as they came to be called at a later day. - -"Very true, Sire," said Le Balafré; "but the prince, far from avowing -his schemes, denies them. Let us pretend to believe his word. He came -to-day to shut himself up here in Amboise, where he has been kept in -sight, just as he has conspired, from a safe distance. Let us feign to -accept him as an ally, which will be less hazardous than to have him for -an avowed enemy. The prince, in fact, will assist us, if need be, to -repel his own accomplices to-night, and be present at their execution -to-morrow. Does he not thereby undergo a penalty a thousand times more -grievous than any which is imposed upon us?" - -"Yes, indeed he does," replied the king; "but will he do that; and if he -does, can it be possible that he is guilty?" - -"Sire," said the cardinal, "we have in our hands, and will deliver to -your Majesty, if you desire, irrefragable proof of Monsieur de Condé's -secret complicity. But the more flagrant and undeniable these proofs -are, the more necessary is it for us to dissimulate; and, for my part, I -deeply regret certain words which I have let fall, and which, if -reported to the prince, might offend him." - -"What, you fear to _offend_ a culprit such as you say he is!" cried -François. "But what is all this uproar without, in God's name? Can it -be the rebels already?" - -"I will go and see," said the Duc de Guise. - -But before he had crossed the threshold, Richelieu, the captain of -arquebusiers, entered, and said hastily to the king,-- - -"Pardon, Sire, but Monsieur de Condé thinks he overheard certain words -reflecting upon his honor, and he urgently demands the privilege of -clearing himself from these insulting suspicions in your Majesty's -presence, once for all." - -The king might have refused to see the prince; but the Duc de Guise had -already made a sign. Captain Richelieu's arquebusiers stepped aside, and -Monsieur de Condé entered, with head erect and cheeks flushed. - -He was followed by a few nobles, and a number of canons of St. -Florentin, regular attaches of the Château d'Amboise, whom the cardinal -had transformed into soldiers that night to assist in the defence, and -who, as was frequently the case in those days, carried the arquebuse -with the rosary, and wore the helmet under their cowl. - -"Sire, I trust you will pardon my boldness," said the prince, after -saluting the king; "but it is perhaps justified in advance by the -insolence of certain charges, which are made, it seems, in the dark by -my foes against my loyalty, and which I feel called upon to bring forth -into the light that I may confound and chastise them." - -"To what do you refer, my cousin?" asked the king, gravely. - -"Sire," replied Condé, "they dare to say that I am the real leader of -the rebels, whose foolhardy and impious undertaking is at this moment -throwing the realm into confusion, and filling your Majesty's heart with -dismay." - -"Ah, they say that, do they?" returned François. "Who says it, pray?" - -"I succeeded just now in surprising these hateful slanders, Sire, upon -the lips of these reverend brothers of St. Florentin, who, believing -doubtless that they were among friends, did not scruple to repeat aloud -what had been whispered in their ears." - -"Do you mean to accuse those who repeated the offensive words, or those -who whispered them in the first place?" asked François. - -"Both, Sire," replied Condé, "but especially the instigators of these -foul and cowardly calumnies." - -As he said these words, he turned his gaze full upon the face of the -Cardinal de Lorraine, who did his best to hide his embarrassed -countenance behind his brother. - -"Very well, my good cousin," replied the king, "you have our permission -to disprove the slander, and to accuse the slanderers. Proceed." - -"To disprove the slander, Sire?" repeated the prince. "Ah, will not my -actions do that better than any words of mine! Did I not come at the -first summons to this château, to take my place among your Majesty's -defenders? Is that the act of a guilty man, Sire?--I put the question to -yourself, Sire?" - -"Then proceed to accuse the slanderers," said François, who chose to -make no more direct reply. - -"I will do so, not in words, but by deeds, Sire," said Monsieur de -Condé. "They must, if they have the courage, themselves accuse me in -the light of day. I here cast down my glove to them before God and the -king. Let the man, of whatever rank or quality he may be, who dares to -affirm that I am the author of this conspiracy come forward! I offer to -do battle with him when and where he chooses; and if in any point he be -not upon a level with me, I agree to make myself his equal in every way -for this combat." - -The Prince de Condé, as he ceased to speak, threw his glove at his -feet. His glance had not ceased to form an eloquent commentary upon his -challenge, and had fixed itself proudly upon the Duc de Guise, who did -not move a muscle. - -There was a moment of silence,--every one reflecting, no doubt, upon -this extraordinary spectacle of the lie given by a prince of the blood -to the whole court, where there was not a page who did not know him to -be guilty twenty times over of that offence from which he defended -himself with such well-simulated indignation. - -And, in truth, the youthful king was probably the only one who was -innocent enough to be astonished; and no one thought any the worse of -the prince's valor or virtue. - -The political theories of the Italian courts, brought into France by -Catherine de Médicis and her Florentines, were then fashionable in -France. He who was most skilful in deceit was considered the most -clever; and to conceal one's thoughts and disguise one's purpose was the -acme of political skill. Frankness would have been looked upon as folly. - -The noblest and purest characters of the time--Coligny, Condé, the -Chancellor Olivier--had not succeeded in keeping clear of the contagion. - -Therefore the Duc de Guise did not despise the Prince de Condé; he -rather admired him. But he said to himself, smiling, that he was at -least as good an actor as the other. Taking a step forward, he slowly -removed his glove, and cast it beside that of the prince. - -There was a murmur of surprise; and the first impression was that he -proposed to answer Monsieur de Condé's defiant challenge. - -But in that case he would not have been the subtle politician he prided -himself on being. - -In a loud, firm voice, and as if really convinced by the prince's -demeanor, he said,-- - -"I approve Monsieur le Prince de Condé's words, and support him in -them; and I am so devotedly his humble servant, having the honor to be -his kinsman, that I here offer myself as his second, and will assist him -in his just defence against all comers." - -Le Balafré, with these words, let his inquiring glance rove boldly upon -all those who stood around. - -The Prince de Condé could only lower his own. He felt himself more -thoroughly worsted than if he had been overthrown in the lists. - -"Will no one," continued the Duc de Guise, "take up either the Prince de -Condé's glove or mine?" - -No one stirred, of course. - -"My cousin," observed François II., with a melancholy smile, "you are, -as you desired, thoroughly cleared of all suspicion of felony, in my -opinion." - -"Yes, Sire," said the "Silent Captain," with ingenuous impudence; "and I -thank your Majesty for having assisted me." - -He turned with an effort to Le Balafré, and added,-- - -"I also am grateful to my good ally and kinsman, Monsieur de Guise. I -hope to prove afresh to him, and to all others, by my behavior to-night -against the rebels, if there be an attack, that he was not wrong in -taking my part." - -Thereupon the Prince de Condé and the Duc de Guise exchanged most -profoundly courteous salutations. - -Then the prince, being well and duly justified, and having no further -business there, bowed to the king, and left the room, followed by those -who had come in with him. - -None were left in the royal apartment but the four personages whose -dreary waiting had been enlivened and their apprehension distracted for -a moment by this singular comedy. - -It was a chivalrous scene, peculiar to the politics of the sixteenth -century. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -THE TUMULT OF AMBOISE - - -After the departure of the Prince de Condé, neither the king nor Mary -Stuart nor the brothers De Lorraine referred to what had just taken -place. They seemed to avoid the dangerous subject by tacit -understanding. - -Minutes and hours passed away in the gloomy and restless silence of -expectation. - -François II. often passed his hand across his burning brow; while Mary, -seated apart, gazed sorrowfully at the pale, thin face of her young -spouse, and furtively brushed away a tear from time to time. The -Cardinal de Lorraine was wholly intent upon the sounds to be heard -without; while Le Balafré, whose dispositions were all made, and whose -rank, as well as his office, obliged him to stay by the king's side, -seemed to chafe bitterly at his forced inaction, and every now and then -quivered with impatience and stamped upon the floor, as a fiery -war-horse chafes at the rein which restrains him. - -However, the night drew to a close; the bell of the château, followed -by that on St. Florentin, struck six, then half after six. The day began -to break; and there had been no sign of an assault, no alarm given by -the sentinels. - -"Well," said the king, with a sigh of relief, "I begin to believe, -Monsieur le Cardinal, that Lignières has misled your Eminence, or else -that the Huguenots have changed their minds." - -"So much the worse if they have," replied Charles de Lorraine, "for we -are sure to put down the rebellion." - -"Oh, no! so much the better!" exclaimed François; "for the contest of -itself would be a humiliation for royalty--" - -But his sentence was yet unfinished when two shots of an arquebuse, the -signal which had been agreed upon as an alarm, were fired, and the shout -was heard, repeated from post to post along the ramparts,-- - -"To arms! to arms! to arms!" - -"There can be no doubt that the enemy are upon us!" cried the cardinal, -turning pale in spite of himself. - -The Duc de Guise rose, apparently well content, and said simply as he -saluted the king, "Sire, I shall soon be with you again," and went -hurriedly from the room. - -His powerful voice could be plainly heard, giving orders in the -antechamber, when there was a second volley of arquebuses. - -"You see, Sire," said the cardinal, perhaps to put his fear to shame -with the sound of his voice,--"you see that Lignières was well -informed, and only made an error of a few hours." - -But the king heard him not; angrily biting his colorless lips, he had -ears only for the ever-growing noise of artillery and arquebuses. - -"Even yet I can hardly believe in the possibility of such audacity!" he -muttered. "Such an outrage upon the crown--" - -"Can only result in shame and abasement for the wretches, Sire," -rejoined the cardinal. - -"Alas!" returned the king, "if we may judge by the noise they make, the -Protestants are present in large force, and are scarcely afraid." - -"This disturbance will be quenched at once like a fire of straw," said -Charles de Lorraine. - -"It doesn't seem so, for the noise is coming nearer," replied François; -"and the fire instead of being quenched is blazing brighter, I think." - -"Holy Virgin!" cried Mary Stuart, in terror; "do you hear the bullets -ringing against the walls?" - -"Yet it seems to me, Madame--" stammered the cardinal. "I think, your -Majesty--As for me, I cannot see that the uproar increases any." - -But his words were drowned by a fearful explosion. - -"There is your answer," retorted the king, smiling bitterly, "even if -your pale and terrified face were not enough to contradict you." - -"I can detect the odor of powder," cried Mary. "And oh, just hear those -piercing shrieks!" - -"Better and better!" exclaimed François. "Come, come! The Reformers -have carried the walls of the town by this time, doubtless, and propose -to besiege us in the château in regular form." - -"But, Sire," the cardinal stammered, shaking like a leaf, "in this -conjuncture would it not be better for your Majesty to withdraw to the -donjon? We may be sure that they will not carry that at all events." - -"Who,--I?" cried the king; "hide myself from my own subjects! from -heretics! Let them come even as far as this, my good uncle,--I shall be -very glad to know to what point they will carry their insolence. You -will hear them beg us to sing a psalm or two with them in French, and to -turn our chapel of St. Florentin into a meeting-house." - -"Sire, for Heaven's sake, think a little of what is prudent," said Mary. - -"No," replied the king, "I propose to see this matter through to the -bitter end. I will await these faithful subjects on this spot; and by my -royal name! let one of them but fail to show me the respect that is my -due, and he shall learn whether this dagger hangs at my side for show -only!" - -The minutes rolled on, and the arquebuse-firing grew more and more -brisk. The poor cardinal could no longer utter a word, and the king was -wringing his hands in helpless wrath. - -"In God's name," exclaimed Mary, "will no one come to give us news? Is -the danger so pressing that no one can leave his place for an instant?" - -"Ah!" said the king, quite beside himself with excitement, "this waiting -is intolerable, and anything else would be preferable to it, I think! I -know one way of ascertaining what is going on, and that is to go to the -scene of the affray myself. Monsieur le Lieutenant-General cannot refuse -to receive me as a volunteer." - -François took two or three, steps toward the door, but Mary threw -herself in front of him. - -"Sire," she cried, "consider! Ill as you are!" - -"I no longer feel my pain," said the king. "Indignation has taken the -place of suffering." - -"Wait yet a moment, Sire!" urged the cardinal. "I am sure that the -uproar is really growing fainter now. Yes, the reports are much less -frequent. Ah! here is a page, with news, no doubt." - -"Sire," said the page, "I am instructed by Monsieur le Duc de Guise to -say to your Majesty that the Protestants have given way and are in full -retreat." - -"At last! That is happy news!" cried the king. - -"As soon as Monsieur le Lieutenant-General thinks that he can safely -leave the walls," continued the page, "he will hasten to make his report -to the king." - -The page thereupon left the room. - -"Well, Sire," observed the Cardinal de Lorraine, triumphantly, "was I -not right in predicting that it would be mere child's play, and that -Monsieur my illustrious and gallant brother would soon give a good -account of these singers of hymns?" - -"Oh, my dear uncle," François retorted ironically, "how suddenly your -courage has returned!" - -As he spoke, a second explosion was heard, much louder and more awful -than the first. - -"What can that noise mean?" said the king. - -"In truth, it is strange," the cardinal replied, beginning to tremble -afresh. - -Fortunately his alarm did not last long. Richelieu, the captain of -arquebusiers, came in almost immediately with his face begrimed with -powder, and a bloody sword in his hand. - -"Sire," Richelieu thus addressed the king, "the rebels are utterly -routed. They scarcely had time to explode a quantity of powder which -they had deposited near one of the gates, and which inflicted no damage -on us. Those who were not taken or slain recrossed the bridge and have -barricaded themselves in one of the houses in the Faubourg du -Vendômois, where we shall have an easy prey. Your Majesty may see from -this window how we will treat them." - -The king ran quickly to the window, followed by the cardinal, and more -slowly by the queen. - -"Yes, indeed," said he, "there they are, having their turn at being -besieged. But what is this I see? What is all the smoke pouring from the -house?" - -"Sire, it has been set on fire," said the captain. - -"Very good! marvellously well done!" ejaculated the cardinal. "Look, -Sire, see them leaping from the window! Two, three, four,--more, more! -Do you hear their shrieks?" - -"Oh, God! the poor wretches!" cried Mary Stuart, clasping her hands. - -"It seems to me," observed the king, "that I can distinguish at the head -of our troops the plume and scarf of our cousin De Condé. Is it really -he, Captain?" - -"Yes, your Majesty," replied Richelieu. "He has been among us all the -time, sword in hand, fighting beside Monsieur de Guise." - -"Well, Monsieur le Cardinal," said François, "you see that he did not -wait to be asked." - -"He could not have afforded to, Sire!" replied Charles de Lorraine. -"Monsieur le Prince would have risked too much if he had acted otherwise -than he has." - -"Oh, see!" cried Mary, repelled and fascinated at once by the horrible -spectacle without; "the flames are much more intense! the house will -fall in upon the poor wretches!" - -"It has fallen!" said the king. - -"Thank God, it is all over!" cried the cardinal. - -"Ah, let us leave the place, Sire; it makes me ill," said Mary, drawing -the king away from the window. - -"Yes," said François, "I can feel nought but pity now." - -He left the cardinal standing alone at the window in great exultation; -but he soon turned away too, as he heard the voice of the Duc de Guise. - -Le Balafré entered, proud and unmoved, accompanied by the Prince de -Condé, who, for his part, had much ado to hide his grief and shame. - -"Sire, it is all over," said the Duc de Guise to the king; "and the -rebels have paid the penalty of their crime. I render thanks to God, who -has delivered your Majesty from this peril; for from what I have seen, I -conclude it was greater than I supposed. We have traitors among us." - -"Can it be?" cried the cardinal. - -"Yes," replied Le Balafré; "when they made their first assault, they -were seconded by the men-at-arms who came hither with Lamothe. They -attacked us in flank, and for a moment were masters of the town." - -"That is terrible!" said Mary, pressing close to the king. - -"It would have been much more so, Madame," continued the duke, "if the -rebels had also been seconded, as they hoped to be, by an attack which -Chaudieu, brother of the minister, was to make upon the Porte des Bons -Hommes." - -"Did the attack fail?" asked the king. - -"It did not take place, Sire. Captain Chaudieu, thank Heaven! was -delayed, and will arrive only to find his friends annihilated. Now let -him come at his leisure! he will find everything ready for him both -within and without the walls. And, to give him food for reflection, I -have ordered that twenty or thirty of his accomplices should be hanged -on top of the battlements of Amboise. The spectacle will prove a -sufficient warning to him, I fancy." - -"That was well thought of!" said the cardinal. - -"I thank you, my cousin," said the king to Le Balafré; "but I see that -God's merciful protection has been most bountifully shown in this -affair, since to Him alone we must attribute the confusion that -prevailed in the counsels of our enemies. Let us in the first place, -then, repair to the chapel to return thanks to Him." - -"After that," said the cardinal, "we will issue orders for the -punishment of the surviving culprits. Sire, you will be present at their -execution with the queen and queen-mother, will you not?" - -"Why, will that be necessary, pray?" asked the youthful king, walking -toward the door, much annoyed. - -"Sire, it is indispensable," urged the cardinal, following him. "The -glorious King François I. and your father, of illustrious memory, Sire, -never failed to be present at the burning of heretics. As for the King -of Spain, Sire--" - -"Other kings may do as they please," said François, still going toward -the door, "and I, too, propose to have my own way." - -"I ought to inform your Majesty that the nuncio from his Holiness -absolutely relies upon your presence at the first 'Act of Faith' of your -reign," added the pitiless cardinal. "When everybody else is -present,--even the Prince de Condé, I venture to say,--is it fitting -that your Majesty should be absent?" - -"Alas, _mon Dieu_! we will talk of this matter again presently," -rejoined François. "The guilty men are not yet condemned." - -"Oh, I beg your Majesty's pardon, but they are!" said the cardinal, -earnestly. - -"So be it! Thus you impose this terrible necessity upon me in my -feebleness," replied the king. "But now, Monsieur le Cardinal, let us -go, as I said, to kneel before the altar and thank God, who has deigned -to turn aside from us the peril of this conspiracy." - -"Sire," said the Duc de Guise, "we must not exaggerate these things, and -give them more importance than they deserve, therefore I trust that your -Majesty will not speak of this movement as a conspiracy; it was, in -truth, nought but a _tumult_." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -AN ACT OF FAITH - - -Although the conspirators had inserted in a manifesto, seized among La -Renaudie's papers, a declaration that they would "attempt nothing -against the king's majesty, nor the princes of the blood, nor the good -of the kingdom," they had, nevertheless, been taken in open rebellion, -and might well expect to meet the fate of those who are vanquished in -civil wars. - -The mode of treatment that had been adopted with regard to those who -professed the principles of the Reformation, while they were conducting -themselves as peaceful and submissive subjects, left little room for -hope of pardon now. - -In fact, the Cardinal de Lorraine hurried on their condemnation with a -passionate zeal that was quite characteristic of the ecclesiastic of -those days, though it was hardly Christlike. - -He intrusted the proceedings against the nobles who were implicated in -the deplorable affair to the parliament of Paris and the Chancellor -Olivier. Thus matters progressed finely. The interrogations were quickly -gone through, and the sentences pronounced still more quickly. - -They dispensed with even these empty formalities in the cases of the -less highly placed abettors of the rebellion, people of small -importance, who were being broken on the wheel or hanged every day at -Amboise without wearying parliament with their cases. The honor and -expense of a trial were only accorded to persons of some quality or -note. - -At last, thanks to the pious ardor of Charles de Lorraine, everything -was concluded in their cases as well in less than three weeks. - -The 15th of April was fixed for the public execution at Amboise of -twenty-seven barons, eleven counts, and seven marquises; in all, fifty -gentlemen, leaders of the Protestants, were to meet their death that -day. - -Nothing was neglected which could assist in imparting to that -extraordinary religious function all desirable pomp and splendor. -Extensive preparations were made. From Paris to Nantes public curiosity -was inflamed by all the expedients in vogue at that time; that is to -say, the execution was announced by all preachers and curés from their -pulpits. - -On the appointed day, three superb galleries, the central and most -sumptuous of which was reserved for the royal family, were erected on -the platform of the château at the foot of which the bloody drama was -to be enacted. - -Around the square were wooden benches filled with all the faithful from -the neighborhood who could be got together, willingly or on compulsion. -The bourgeoisie and peasants, who might have had some distaste for such -a grewsome spectacle, were induced to go either by threats or bribes; -some had their taxes remitted; others were threatened with the loss of -their offices or their privileges as freemen. All these divers motives, -added to the morbid curiosity of some and the fanaticism of others, -caused such a concourse of people at Amboise that more than ten thousand -were encamped in the fields the night before the fatal day. - -Early in the morning of the 15th the roofs of all the houses in the town -were covered with a moving mass; and windows looking upon the square -were let for ten crowns,--which was an enormous price for the time. - -A vast scaffold, draped in black cloth, was erected in the middle of the -enclosure. On it was to be seen the _chouquet_,--a block upon which each -of the condemned had to rest his head while he knelt to receive the -blow. Near by a chair draped in black was reserved for the clerk, whose -duty it was to call the names of the gentlemen one by one, and read -aloud the sentence of each in succession. - -The square was guarded by the Scotch company and the gendarmes of the -royal household. - -After solemn Mass in the chapel of St. Florentin, the condemned men were -led to the foot of the scaffold. Several of them had already been -subjected to the torture. They were surrounded by monks, who tried to -make them renounce their heretical principles; but not one of the -Huguenots consented thus to apostatize before death, and they -steadfastly refused to reply to the monks, whom they suspected of being -spies of the Cardinal de Lorraine. - -Meanwhile the galleries reserved for the court were filled, except the -one in the centre. The king and queen, whose consent to be present at -the execution had almost to be torn from them by force, had at last -succeeded in obtaining leave to postpone their attendance till toward -the end, when only the principal chiefs remained to be punished. If they -would but come at some time, that was all the cardinal asked. Poor royal -children! Poor crowned slaves! They, as well as the peasants, had been -prevailed upon by arousing their fear for their offices and privileges. - -At noon the execution began. - -When the first of the condemned men mounted the steps of the scaffold, -his companions thundered out a French psalm, translated by Clément -Marot, as much to afford him on whom the punishment was about to fall -some last consolation as to mark their own constancy in the face of -their enemies and their doom. - -Therefore they sang at the foot of the scaffold,-- - - - "Dieu nous soit doux et favorable, - Nous bénissant par sa bonté, - Et de son visage adorable - Nous fasse luire sa clarté."[5] - - -A verse was sung for every head as it fell; but every head that fell -made one voice less in the chorus. - -In an hour but twelve gentlemen remained, and they the most prominent -leaders of the conspiracy. - -Then there was a pause. The two executioners were weary, and the king -was arriving. - -François II. was more than pale; he was absolutely livid. Mary Stuart -took her place at his right, and Catherine de Médicis at his left. - -The Cardinal de Lorraine took his place beside the queen-mother; and the -Prince de Condé was shown to a seat beside the young queen. - -When the prince appeared upon the platform, almost as pale as the young -king himself, the twelve condemned men saluted him. - -He gravely responded to their salutation. - -"I always bow in the presence of death," he remarked aloud. - -The king was received, however, with less respect than the Prince de -Condé. No acclamation welcomed him upon his arrival. He noticed the -omission, and turning to the cardinal, he said, with an angry frown,-- - -"Ah, Monsieur le Cardinal, I will never forgive you for forcing us to -come hither!" - -Charles de Lorraine, however, had raised his hand as a signal for the -marks of devotion to be manifested, and a few voices scattered through -the crowd cried,-- - -"_Vive le roi_!" - -"You hear, Sire?" rejoined the cardinal. - -"Yes," said the king, sadly; "I hear a few awkward fellows, who but -serve to make the general silence more noticeable." - -Meanwhile the remainder of the royal gallery had been occupied. The -king's brothers, the papal nuncio, the Duchesse de Guise, had taken -their places there one after another. - -Then came the Duc de Nemours, also very pale, and looking as if he were -the prey of bitter remorse. - -Last of all two men took their stations there, behind the others, whose -presence in that place and at that time was perhaps not less remarkable -than that of the Prince de Condé. - -They were Ambroise Paré and Gabriel de Montgommery. - -They had been led thither by very different motives. - -Ambroise Paré had been summoned to Amboise some days before by the Duc -de Guise, who was decidedly alarmed concerning the health of his royal -nephew; and Mary Stuart, no less alarmed than her uncle, and seeing how -dejected François was at the mere thought of the _auto-da-fè_ implored -the surgeon to be at hand to assist the king in case he should faint. - -Gabriel, however, had come to make one last supreme effort to save at -least one of the condemned,--the one who was to suffer last, and whom he -reproached himself for having involuntarily, by his well-meant advice, -led into this fatal extremity,--the young and gallant Castelnau de -Chalosses. - -Castelnau, we must remember, had surrendered only upon the written and -subscribed assurance of the Duc de Nemours, who had guaranteed his life -and liberty; whereas, immediately upon reaching Amboise he had been -cast into prison, and to-day was to be beheaded,--last of all, as being -the most guilty of all. - -We must, however, be just to the Duc de Nemours. When he saw his word -and honor as a gentleman thus compromised, he was in despair, and -indignant to the highest degree; and for three weeks he went ceaselessly -from the Cardinal de Lorraine to the Duc de Guise, and from Mary Stuart -to, the king, begging and demanding and imploring the release of him to -whom he owed this debt of honor. But the Chancellor Olivier, to whom -they referred the question, declared, according to Monsieur de -Vieilleville, that "a king is in nowise bound by his word to a -rebellious subject, nor by any promise whatsoever made to him on his -[the king's] behalf." This almost broke the heart of the Duc de Nemours, -"who," the chronicler naïvely adds, "was worried only about his -signature; for as to his word, he would always have given the lie to any -one without exception who dared to upbraid him for it, save his Majesty -alone, so valiant and noble-hearted a prince was he!" - -Like Gabriel, the Duc de Nemours had been drawn to the place of -execution--which was more terrible to him than to any other--by a secret -hope of still saving Castelnau at the last moment. - -Meanwhile the Duc de Guise, on horseback, with his captains beneath the -gallery, had given a signal to the executioners; and the punishments and -singing of psalms began again after the brief interruption. - -In less than a quarter of an hour eight heads fell. The fair young queen -was almost fainting. - -Only four conspirators remained at the foot of the scaffold. - -The clerk read in a loud voice,-- - -"Albert Edmond Roger, Comte de Mazères, guilty of heresy, of the crime -of _lèse-majesté_, and of attacking with arms in his hand the person -of the king." - -"'T is false!" cried the Comte de Mazères from the scaffold. - -Then, showing to the people his blackened arms and his breast all -bruised by the torture, he continued: "See the condition to which I have -been reduced in the king's name! But I know that he knows nothing of it; -and so I still cry, _Vive le roi_!" - -His head fell. The last three Protestants who were awaiting their turns -at the foot of the scaffold sang again the first verse of the psalm,-- - - - "Dieu nous soit doux et favorable, - Nous bénissant par sa bonté, - Et de son visage adorable - Nous fasse luire sa clarté."[6] - - -The clerk's voice was heard once more,-- - -"Jean Louis Alberic, Baron de Raunay, guilty of heresy, of the crime of -_lèse-majesté_, and of attacking with arms in his hand the person of -the king." - -"You lie like two clowns, you and your cardinal," said De Raunay; "it is -only against him and his brother that we took up arms. I hope they may -both meet death as peacefully and as pure in heart as I." - -Thereupon he laid his head upon the block. - -The last two condemned men sang on,-- - - - - "Dieu tu nous as mis à l'épreuve, - Et tu nous as examinés; - Comme l'argent que l'on épreuve, - Par feu tu nous as affinés."[7] - - -Again the clerk resumed his deadly summons,-- - -"Robert Jean René Briquemaut, Comte de Villemongis, guilty of heresy, -of the crime of _lèse-majesté_, and of a criminal attempt against the -king's person." - -Villemongis bathed his hands in De Raunay's blood; and raising them -toward heaven, he cried,-- - -"Heavenly Father, Thou seest the blood of Thy children! Thou wilt avenge -them!" - -He fell lifeless as he spoke. - -Castelnau, left quite alone, still sang,-- - - - "Tu nous as fait entrer et joindre - Aux pièges de nos ennemis; - Tu nous as fait les reins astreindre - Des filets où tu nous as mis."[8] - - -The Duc de Nemours had been lavish with his gold in furtherance of his -hope of saving Castelnau. The clerk and even the executioners were -interested in his salvation. The first executioner said that he was -exhausted; and there was a necessary interruption while the other was -preparing to relieve him. - -Gabriel took advantage of it to urge the duke to renewed efforts. - -Jacques de Savoie thereupon leaned toward the Duchesse de Guise, with -whom he was said to be on the very best terms, and whispered in her ear. -The duchess had much influence over the mind of the queen. - -She at once rose, as if she could not bear any more of the sad -spectacle, and said loud enough for Mary to hear: "Ah, this is too -horrible for ladies! Do you see how ill the queen is? Let us go." - -But the Cardinal de Lorraine gazed sternly at his sister-in-law. - -"A little more firmness, Madame," said he, harshly. "Remember that you -are of the blood of D'Este and the wife of the Duc de Guise." - -"Ah, and that is just why I am so troubled!" retorted the duchess. "No -mother ever had better cause for suffering; for all this bloodshed and -all the hatred aroused by this day's work will fall upon our innocent -children." - -"How weak women are!" muttered the cardinal, who was an arrant coward. - -"However," said the Duc de Nemours, "one does not need to be a woman to -be touched by this mournful picture. Tell me, Prince," said he to -Monsieur de Condé, "are not you moved by it?" - -"Oh, ho!" sneered the cardinal; "the prince is a soldier, accustomed to -see death in all forms." - -"Yes, on the battle-field," replied the prince, courageously; "but upon -the scaffold, and in cold blood,--that's quite another matter!" - -"Has a prince of the blood so much pity for rebels, pray?" It was again -the sneering voice of Charles de Lorraine which asked the question. - -"I have unlimited pity and sympathy," retorted the prince, "for gallant -officers who have always worthily served their king and country." - -What more could the prince do or say in his position, himself the object -of suspicion? The Duc de Nemours understood, and addressed himself next -to the queen-mother. - -"See, Madame, but one remains," said he, without calling Castelnau's -name. "Can we not at least save him?" - -"I can do nothing," replied Catherine, turning her head away. - -Meanwhile the unfortunate Castelnau was ascending the steps to the -scaffold, singing as he went,-- - - - "Dieu _me_ soit doux et favorable, - _Me_ bénissant par sa bonté, - Et de son visage adorable - _Me_ fasse luire sa clarté."[9] - -The people, deeply affected, forgot the fear inspired by spies and -_mouchards_, and cried as with one voice,-- - -"Mercy, mercy!" - -The Duc de Nemours was struggling at that moment to soften the heart of -the young Duc d'Orléans. - -"Monseigneur," said he, "have you forgotten that it was Castelnau who, -in this same town of Amboise, saved the life of the late Duc d'Orléans, -when it was in great danger during an _émeute_?" - -"I will do whatever my mother decides," replied the Duc d'Orléans. - -"But," said the Duc de Nemours, imploringly, "if you would but address -the king; a single word from you--" - -"I tell you again," rejoined the young prince, dryly, "that I await my -mother's commands." - -"Ah, Prince!" said the Duc de Nemours, reproachfully. - -He made a motion to Gabriel expressive of discouragement and despair. - -Thereupon the clerk read slowly,-- - -"Michel Jean Louis, Baron de Castelnau-Chalosses, accused and convicted -of the crime of _lèse-majesté_, of heresy, and an attack upon the -king's person." - -"I call my judges themselves to witness," cried Castelnau, "that the -declaration is false,--unless, indeed, it be _lèse-majesté_ to oppose -with all my strength the tyranny of the Guises. If it is to be -understood in that way, they should have begun by declaring them kings. -Perhaps it will yet come to that; but it will be for those who survive -me to deal with that matter." - -Addressing the executioner, he said in a firm voice,-- - -"Now do your office." - -But the headsman, who noticed some commotion in the galleries, pretended -to be arranging his axe so as to gain time. - -"The axe is dull, Monsieur le Baron," he said in a low voice; "and you -are surely worthy to die at a single blow. And who knows but that a -moment more--It seems to me that something of good omen for you is going -on down below there." - -Again the people cried,-- - -"Mercy! mercy!" - -Gabriel, losing all self-control at that supreme moment, ventured to cry -aloud to Mary Stuart,-- - -"Mercy, Madame the Queen!" - -Mary turned, met Gabriel's heart-rending glance, and understood his -despairing cry. - -Bending her knee before the king, she said,-- - -"Sire, this mercy at least; I ask it of you on my knees!" - -"Sire," cried the Duc de Nemours, "has not enough blood been shed? And -yet, you know, there should be mercy in the king's countenance." - -François, trembling in every limb, seemed struck by these words. He -seized the queen's hand. - -"Remember, Sire," said the stern voice of the nuncio, who wished to -recall the king to a more severe view of his duty,--"remember that you -are the very Christian king." - -"Yes, I do remember it," replied François II., firmly. "Let mercy be -shown to the Baron de Castelnau!" - -But the Cardinal de Lorraine, feigning to misinterpret the meaning of -the king's first phrase, had made an imperative sign to the executioner. - -As François pronounced the word "mercy," Castelnau's head rolled upon -the planks of the scaffold. - -The next day the Prince de Condé set out for Navarre. - - -[Footnote 5: "O Lord, to us be merciful, - And bless us with Thy grace, - And show unto our humble hearts - The brightness of Thy face."] - -[Footnote 6: "O Lord, to us be merciful, - And bless us with Thy grace, - And show unto our humble hearts - The brightness of Thy face."] - -[Footnote 7: "Thou hast put us to the proof when we - To Thy guidance did aspire; - Like gold, Thou hast refined us - By the ordeal of fire."] - -[Footnote 8: "Into the snare our foes have laid - Thou, Lord, hast made us fall; - And there, fast hound, we lie, and wait - Thy word, O Lord of all!"] - -[Footnote 9: "O Lord, to _me_ be merciful, - And bless _me_ with Thy grace, - And show unto _my_ humble heart - The brightness of Thy face."] - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -ANOTHER SPECIMEN OF POLITICS - - -From the day of that fatal execution, the feeble health of François II. -grew steadily worse. - -Seven months later (at the end of November, 1560), the court being then -at Orléans, where the States-General had been convoked by the Duc de -Guise, the poor boy-king of seventeen was obliged to take to his bed. - -Beside that bed of sorrow where Mary Stuart prayed and watched and wept, -a most interesting drama depended for its conclusion upon the life or -death of the son of Henri II. - -The real question, although others were interested in its solution, lay -between a pale woman and a sinister-looking man, who were seated side by -side in the evening of December 4 a few steps from the sleeping invalid, -and from Mary, who was weeping silently at his pillow. - -The man was Charles de Lorraine, the woman Catherine de Médicis. - -The revengeful queen-mother, who had at first been as one dead after the -struggle which we have related at the accession of her son, had awakened -during the last eight months, since the "Tumult of Amboise." - -This, in brief, is what she had done in the bitterness of her hatred -against the Guises: she had entered into a secret alliance with the -Prince de Condé and Antoine de Bourbon; she had effected a -reconciliation secretly with the old Constable de Montmorency. Nought -but hatred can cause hatred to be forgotten. - -Her new and ill-assorted friends, urged on by her, had fomented -rebellion in various provinces, had aroused Dauphiné under Montbrun, -and Provence under the brothers Mouvans, and had caused an attempt to be -made upon Lyons by Maligny. - -The Guises, on their side, were by no means asleep. They had assembled -the States-General at Orléans, and had taken care to have a majority -devoted to them. - -Then, too, they had summoned the King of Navarre and the Prince de -Condé to attend the States-General, as was their right. - -Catherine de Médicis sent warning after warning to the princes to -dissuade them from putting themselves in their enemy's power; but their -duty called them, and the Cardinal de Lorraine gave them the king's word -as a pledge of their security. - -Therefore they came to Orléans. - -The very day of their arrival Antoine de Navarre was consigned to a -certain house in the city where he was kept continually in sight, and -the Prince de Condé was cast into prison. - -Then an extraordinary commission issued to try the prince; and he was -condemned to death at Orléans by the procurement of the Guises,--the -very man whose innocence the Duc de Guise himself at Amboise had -announced his willingness to answer for with his sword. - -Only one or two signatures were still to be procured, which the -Chancellor l'Hôpital was delaying, before the sentence would be -executed. - -The foregoing statement will serve to show how matters stood on the -evening of the 4th of December, as regards the party of the Guises, of -which Le Balafré was the arm and the cardinal the head, and the Bourbon -faction, of which Catherine de Médicis was the secret soul. - -Everything depended, for both sides, upon the expiring breath of the -anointed youth. - -If François II. could only live a few days longer, the Prince de Condé -would be executed, the King of Navarre might be accidentally slain in -some altercation, and Catherine de Médicis banished to Florence. So far -as the States-General were concerned, the Guises were masters, and if -necessary, kings. - -If, on the other hand, the young king should die before his uncles were -relieved of their enemies, the struggle would begin again, with the -chances against them rather than in their favor. - -Therefore what Catherine de Médicis and Charles de Lorraine were -waiting and watching for with such an anguish of interest on that cold -night of the 4th of December, in that apartment in the city of Orléans, -was not so much the life or death of their royal son and nephew as the -triumph or defeat of their cause. - -Mary Stuart alone watched over her young, dearly loved husband without -thinking what loss his death might entail upon her. - -However, we must not think that the bitter antagonism of the -queen-mother and the cardinal betrayed itself to outside observers in -their manners or their conversation. On the contrary, they had never -seemed to be more confiding or more affectionate to each other. - -At the moment at which we look in upon them, taking advantage of -François's slumber, they were talking in a low voice and in the most -friendly way imaginable about their most secret interests and their -inmost thoughts. - -For the better to conform to that Italian policy of which we have -already given specimens, Catherine had sedulously dissembled her -underhand proceedings, and Charles de Lorraine had always pretended to -know nothing of them. - -Thus they had not ceased to converse as allies and as friends. They were -like two gamblers, each of whom cheats loyally for his own side, and who -openly use cogged dice against each other. - -"Yes, Madame," the cardinal was saying,--"yes, that stubborn Chancellor -de l'Hôpital obstinately refuses to sign the decree for the prince's -death. Ah! you were indeed in the right, Madame, six months ago, to -oppose his succession to Olivier so vigorously! If I had only understood -you then!" - -"What? is it absolutely impossible to overcome his resistance?" asked -Catherine, who had in reality instructed the chancellor to resist. - -"I have tried flattery and threats," Charles de Lorraine replied, "and -have found him inflexible." - -"Suppose Monsieur le Duc should try his hand?" - -"Nothing will move that Auvergne mule," said the cardinal. "Besides, my -brother has declared that he does not propose to meddle in the affair at -all." - -"It becomes embarrassing," remarked Catherine, secretly delighted beyond -expression. - -"There is one way, however," said the cardinal, "by resorting to which -we can get along without all the chancellors in the world." - -"Is there, indeed? What way is that?" cried the queen-mother, uneasily. - -"To have the decree signed by the king." - -"By the king!" echoed Catherine. "But can he do it? Has he the right?" - -"Yes," replied the cardinal, "we have proceeded thus far in this very -matter by the advice of the best jurists, who have declared that the -matter may be pushed forward to judgment in spite of the prince's -refusal to reply." - -"But what will the chancellor say?" cried Catherine, really alarmed. - -"He will grumble, as he always does," replied the cardinal, calmly; "he -will threaten to resign the seals." - -"And if he does really carry out his threat?" - -"It will be doubly advantageous, for we shall be well rid of a most -inconvenient critic." - -"When do you propose that this decree should be signed?" asked -Catherine, after a pause. - -"To-night, Madame." - -"And you will cause it to be executed--?" - -"To-morrow." - -The queen-mother absolutely shuddered, for the blow was sudden. - -"To-night! to-morrow! you do not reflect," she replied. "The king is too -ill and weak, and his intellect is not clear enough to understand what -you mean to ask of him." - -"There is no necessity that he should understand, provided that he -signs," retorted the cardinal. - -"But his hand is not strong enough to hold a pen." - -"It can be guided for him," taking keen delight in the alarm which he -saw depicted in the expression of his dear foe. - -"Listen," said Catherine, very gravely. "I must give you a warning and -some good advice. My poor son's end is nearer than you think. Do you -know what Chapelain, the first physician, told me?--that he did not -think the king would be alive to-morrow evening, unless by a miracle." - -"So much the more reason for us to hasten," said the cardinal, coldly. - -"Yes," rejoined Catherine, "but if François II. is not alive to-morrow, -Charles IX. reigns; and the King of Navarre will perhaps be regent. What -a terrible reckoning would he demand for the infamous punishment of his -brother? Would you not be in your turn tried and condemned?" - -"Oh, well, Madame, he who risks nothing has nothing!" cried the -cardinal, with angry warmth. "Besides, who says that Antoine de Navarre -will be appointed regent? Who says that this Chapelain is not mistaken? -Bah! the king is alive now!" - -"Not so loud! not so loud, uncle!" said Mary Stuart, rising in fright. -"You will wake the king! See! you have waked him." - -"Mary, where are you?" said the feeble voice of François. - -"Here, always by your side, dear Sire," replied Mary. - -"Oh, how I suffer!" groaned the poor youth. "My head is as if it were on -fire; and this pain in my ear is like a continual sword-thrust. Even in -my sleep I have continued to suffer. Ah! all is at an end with me; all -is at an end!" - -"Don't say so! oh, don't say so!" replied Mary, struggling to restrain -her tears. - -"My memory is failing," said François. "Have I received the Holy -Sacrament? I wish to do so as soon as possible." - -"All your duties shall be fulfilled, dear Sire; do not be anxious about -them." - -"I want to see my confessor, Monsieur de Brichanteau." - -"He will be with you immediately," said Mary. - -"Are prayers being said for me?" asked the king. - -"I have hardly ceased since the morning." - -"Poor dear Mary! Where is Chapelain?" - -"In the next room, ready to answer your call. Your mother and my uncle -the cardinal are there also. Do you wish to see them, Sire?" - -"No, no; none but you, Mary!" said the dying man. "Turn a little this -way--there--so that I may at least see you once more." - -"Courage!" replied Mary. "God is so kind! and I pray to Him with such a -full heart." - -"Oh, the pain!" moaned François. "I cannot see, and can scarcely hear. -Give me your hand, Mary." - -"There! rest upon me," said Mary, soothingly, supporting the small pale -face of her husband upon her shoulder. - -"My soul to God! my heart to thee, Mary! Forever! Alas! to die at -seventeen!" - -"No, no! you shall not die!" cried Mary. "What ill have we done to God -on high that He should thus afflict us?" - -"Do not weep, Mary," said the king. "We shall meet again above. I regret -nothing in this world but you. If I could carry you with me, I should be -glad to die. The journey to heaven is even more beautiful than that to -Italy; and then, too, I fear that without me you will never know any -joy. They will make you suffer,--you will be cold and lonely; they will -kill you, my poor dear heart! It is that which afflicts me much more -than death." - -The king sank back upon his pillow exhausted, and maintained a dejected -silence. - -"But you shall not die; you shall not die, Sire!" cried Mary. "Listen, I -have a great hope. One chance in which I have faith is left us." - -"What do you mean?" Catherine de Médicis, drawing near in her amazement, -interrupted her. - -"Yes," continued Mary Stuart, "the king may yet he and shall be saved. -Something within me tells me that all these physicians by whom he is -surrounded and wearied to death are ignorant and blind. But there is a -skilful man, learned and famous,--a man who preserved my uncle's life at -Calais--" - -"Master Ambroise Paré?" suggested the cardinal. - -"Master Ambroise Paré!" Mary repeated. "They say that this man ought -not to have the king's life in his hands, and would himself prefer not -to; that he is a heretic and accursed; and that even if he would accept -the responsibility of such a case, it ought not to be intrusted to him." - -"That is very certain," said the queen-mother, scornfully. - -"What! if I intrust it to him myself?" cried Mary. "Can a man of genius -be a traitor! A great man, Madame, is always a good man." - -"But," said the cardinal, "my brother has not delayed thinking of -Ambroise Paré until to-day. He has already been approached." - -"Yes, but who have been sent to him?" retorted Mary,--"those who took no -interest in the matter, or even his enemies, perhaps. But I sent a -trusted friend to him, and he will come." - -"It will take some time for him to come from Paris," observed Catherine. - -"He is on the way; in fact, he ought to have arrived," rejoined the -young queen. "The friend of whom I spoke promised to bring him here -to-day." - -"Who is this mysterious friend, pray?" asked the queen-mother. - -"Comte Gabriel de Montgommery, Madame." - -Before Catherine had time to utter a word, Dayelle, Mary's first -lady-in-waiting, came in and said to her mistress,-- - -"Comte Gabriel de Montgommery is below, and awaits Madame's commands." - -"Oh, let him come in! let him come in!" cried Mary, eagerly. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -A RAY OF HOPE - - -"One moment!" interposed Catherine de Médicis, in a cold, hard voice. -"Before allowing that man to enter, pray wait at least until I can take -my leave. If it pleases you to intrust the life of the son to him who -cut short the life of the father, I, at all events, do not propose to -meet the murderer of my husband again, or hear his voice. Therefore I -enter my protest against his presence in this place, and withdraw at his -approach." - -She did, in fact, leave the room without bestowing a glance upon her -dying son or giving him a mother's farewell blessing. - -Was it because the detested name of Gabriel de Montgommery recalled to -her mind the first outrage the late king had put upon her? It may be so; -nevertheless, it is certain that she had no such horror as she pretended -of the sight of Gabriel and the sound of his voice; for when she -withdrew to her own apartment, which adjoined that of the king, she was -careful to leave the door half open, and had no sooner closed another -door which opened upon a corridor quite deserted at that late hour than -she applied both eye and ear to the aperture, in order to see and hear -what took place after her abrupt departure. - -Gabriel appeared, ushered in by Dayelle, and knelt to kiss the hand the -queen held out to him, before making a profound salutation to the -cardinal. - -"Well?" asked Mary Stuart, anxiously. - -"Madame, I have prevailed upon Master Paré," said Gabriel. "He is -below." - -"Oh, thank you, thank you, my faithful friend!" cried Mary. - -"Pray, Madame, is the king failing?" said Gabriel, in a low voice, -casting an uneasy glance at the bed, where François II. lay without -color or motion. - -"Alas! he never seems to gain," replied the queen; "and I was very -impatient to see you. Did Master Ambroise object seriously to coming?" - -"No, Madame," replied Gabriel. "He had already been sent for, but in -such a way, he told me, as to invite a refusal. He was expected to bind -himself in advance, upon his life and his honor, to save the king, when -he had not even seen him. He was given to understand that, being himself -a Protestant, he was open to the suspicion of desiring the death of a -persecutor of Protestants. In short, he was treated with such insulting -distrust, and such severe conditions were imposed upon him, that unless -he had been utterly devoid of self-respect, to say nothing of caution, -he must unavoidably have been led to hold himself aloof. He did so, to -his great regret, and was not urged any further by those who had been -sent to him." - -"Can it be that our intentions were thus misrepresented to Master -Paré?" the Cardinal de Lorraine hastily interposed. "Yet my brother and -myself have sent to him two or three times, and have been always told of -his obstinate refusal to come, and his extraordinary suspicions. We -believed those whom we sent to seek him to be most trustworthy!" - -"But were they really so, Monseigneur?" asked Gabriel. "Master Paré -thinks otherwise, now that I have told him your real sentiments toward -him, and the queen's kind words. He is convinced that, unknown to you, -persistent efforts have been made for some guilty purpose to keep him -from the king's bedside." - -"It must be so," returned Charles de Lorraine; "I recognize the -queen-mother's hand in this," he muttered, "for she is deeply interested -that her son should not be saved. But will she thus corrupt all those -upon whose devotion we rely? This is a counterpart of the appointment of -her friend L'Hôpital! How she does make sport of us!" - -Mary Stuart, meanwhile, leaving the cardinal to his reflections upon -what had taken place, and his anxiety as to what was to come, was saying -to Gabriel,-- - -"Monsieur Paré did finally come with you, did he not?" - -"At my first request," replied the young count. - -"And he is here?" - -"Awaiting only your gracious permission to enter, Madame." - -"Pray let him come in at once!" cried Mary Stuart. - -Gabriel de Montgommery went for a moment to the door at which he had -entered, and returned with the surgeon. - -Sheltered behind her door, Catherine de Médicis was still watching, -more engrossed than ever. - -Mary Stuart ran forward to meet Ambroise, took his hand, led him herself -to the cherished patient's bedside, and said on the way, as if to cut -short all complimentary salutations,-- - -"Thanks to you for coming, Master Paré. I relied upon your zeal to do -good, even as I now rely upon your skill. Come quickly; come to the -king!" - -Ambroise Paré, yielding to the queen's restless impatience, without -having time to utter a word, was soon standing by the bed where -François II., vanquished by suffering, so to speak, had only sufficient -strength to breathe, almost imperceptibly and with a feeble, moaning -sound. - -The great physician stood a moment gazing at the young face, drawn and -emaciated by suffering. - -Then he stooped over the king, who was to him only a patient, and felt -and probed the terrible swelling of the right ear with a touch as light -and gentle as Mary's own. - -The king instinctively recognized the touch of a physician, and yielded -to it without opening his heavy eyes. - -"Oh, such agony!" he moaned piteously; "such agony! Can you do nothing -to relieve me?" - -The light was too far away for Ambroise's purpose, and he made a sign to -Gabriel to bring it nearer; but Mary seized it first, and herself held -it for the surgeon while he made a long and careful examination of the -seat of pain. - -This silent, minute study lasted perhaps ten minutes; at the end of -which Ambroise Paré rose to an erect posture again, and let the -bed-curtain fall, apparently deeply absorbed in meditating upon his -diagnosis. - -Mary Stuart, waiting breathlessly, did not dare to ask him a question, -lest she might disturb the current of his thoughts; but she scanned his -features in an anguish of suspense. What would be his decision? - -The famous physician sadly shook his head; and the movement seemed to -the distracted queen like a sentence of death. - -"Oh!" she exclaimed at last, unable to control her anxiety any longer; -"pray tell me, is there no chance of saving him?" - -"There is but one, Madame," replied Ambroise Paré. - -"Is there even one?" cried the queen. - -"Yes, Madame; and although, alas! it is not an absolutely certain one, -still it exists, and I should be very hopeful if--" - -"If?" asked Mary. - -"If the man to be saved were not the king, Madame." - -"Oh, that indeed!" cried Mary; "treat him, and save him as if he were -the meanest of his subjects!" - -"But suppose I fail?" demanded Ambroise; "for God alone is master. Shall -I not be accused of having caused his death, being, as I am, a Huguenot? -Might not such an awfully heavy responsibility unnerve me and make my -hand tremble, when I should be in need of such absolute calmness and -self-confidence?" - -"Listen," was Mary's reply: "if he lives, I will bless you all my life, -and if--if he dies, I will defend you to the death. Therefore make the -effort! make the effort, I beg, I implore you! Since you say it is the -last and only chance, for the love of God, do not let it pass, for it -would be a crime!" - -"You are right, Madame," said Ambroise, "and I will try,--that is, if I -am allowed; if you yourself will allow me, for I cannot conceal from you -that the remedy to which I must resort is an extreme and unusual one, -and, so far as appearances go, violent and dangerous." - -"Really?" said Mary, trembling like a leaf; "and is there no other?" - -"No other, Madame! There is still time to employ it; in twenty-four -hours at the utmost, and perhaps in twelve, it will be too late. An -abscess has formed in the king's head; and unless it is relieved and -discharged by a speedy operation, it will burst upon the brain and cause -death." - -"Must you therefore operate upon the king immediately?" said the -cardinal. "I will not take the responsibility upon myself." - -"Ah, you see that you already begin to doubt me!" said Ambroise. "No, I -must have the daylight; and besides, I need the rest of the night to -think it over, to get my hand in practice, and make one or two -experiments. But to-morrow morning, at nine o'clock, I will be here. -Please be here then, Madame, and you, Monseigneur; I should be glad if -Monsieur le Lieutenant-General would also attend, in order that those -whose devotion to the king is well tried may be present; but no -others,--as few physicians as possible. I will then explain what I -propose to do, and if you authorize me to proceed, with God's grace, I -will try the last chance He has left us." - -"And is there no danger before to-morrow?" the queen asked. - -"No, Madame," said Master Paré. "But it is most essential that the king -should rest quietly, and gather strength for the operation he is to -undergo. I will mix with the harmless beverage I see on the table two -drops of this elixir," he added, suiting the action to the word. "Let -the king take this immediately, Madame, and he will at once fall into a -deep, untroubled sleep. Watch him carefully, watch him yourself, if -possible, to see that his sleep be not disturbed." - -"Never fear! I will answer for that," replied Mary. "I will not leave -his side to-night." - -"That is of the utmost importance," said Ambroise. "Now I can do nothing -more here, and I ask your permission to retire, Madame,--still to devote -myself to the king, however, and to prepare for my great task." - -"Go, good Master, go!" said Mary; "and accept in advance my thanks and -blessing. Until to-morrow!" - -"Until to-morrow, Madame," replied Ambrose Paré. "Be of good cheer!" - -"I shall not cease to pray," said Mary. "And you also, Monsieur le -Comte, once more I thank you," she continued, addressing Gabriel. "You -are of those of whom Master Paré has spoken, whose devotion to the king -has been put to the proof; therefore come to-morrow, I beg you, to give -your illustrious friend the moral support of your presence." - -"I will be here, Madame," said Gabriel, as he withdrew with the surgeon -after respectfully saluting the queen and the cardinal. - -"Yes, and I will be here too," said Catherine de Médicis to herself -from her post of observation,--"yes, I will be here; for this Paré is -quite capable of saving the king's life with his great skill, and of -thus destroying his own party, as well as the prince and myself. The -imbecile! But I will be here!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -WELL-GUARDED SLUMBER - - -Catherine de Médicis remained at her post for some time, although none -but Mary Stuart and the cardinal were left in the king's chamber; but -she neither saw nor heard anything of interest. The queen administered -the sleeping-draught to François, who seemed, as Ambroise Paré had -promised, to fall at once into a more peaceful slumber. Then everything -was still. The cardinal, seated in his chair, was deep in thought; while -Mary, on her knees, was pouring out her very soul in prayer. - -The queen-mother softly withdrew to her own room to imitate the -cardinal's reflective mood. - -If she had remained a few moments longer, however, she would have -witnessed a scene quite worthy of herself. - -Mary Stuart, rising from her knees, said to the cardinal,-- - -"There is no reason why you should stay to watch with me, dear uncle; -for I intend to remain here till the king awakes. Dayelle, the -physicians, and the servants in attendance will be quite sufficient for -any emergency that can arise; so that you may go and take a little rest. -I will send to you if it is necessary." - -"No," said the cardinal; "the Duc de Guise, who has been delayed by a -number of pressing matters, told me that before he retired he would come -to learn the latest news of the king, and I promised to await him here. -Hark! do I not hear his step now?" - -"Oh, don't let him make any noise!" cried Mary, rushing to the door to -warn Le Balafré. - -The Duc de Guise entered, pale and excited. He saluted the queen, but in -his preoccupation did not think to ask for the king's welfare; he went -straight to his brother, and led him aside to a window-recess. - -"Terrible news!" he began,--"a veritable thunder-stroke!" - -"In Heaven's name, what is it?" asked the cardinal. - -"The Constable de Montmorency has left Chantilly with fifteen hundred -gentlemen," said the Duc de Guise. "The better to conceal his movements, -he made a detour around Paris, and came from Ecouen and Corbeil to -Pithiviers by the valley of Essonne. He will be at the gates of Orléans -with his troop to-morrow; and I have just received warning of his -coming." - -"That is indeed terrible!" said the cardinal. "The old villain wishes to -save his nephew's head. I will warrant that it was the queen-mother who -notified him. Oh, this feeling of utter helplessness against that -woman!" - -"This is no time to proceed against her, but to bestir ourselves in our -own interests," said Le Balafré. "What shall we do?" - -"Go at once with our forces to meet the constable," replied Charles de -Lorraine. - -"Will you guarantee to hold Orléans when I am no longer here with my -troops?" - -"Alas! no,--indeed, I cannot," replied the cardinal. "All the Orléans -people are disaffected,--Huguenots and Bourbons at heart. But in any -event the States-General are on our side." - -"And L'Hôpital against us, remember, my brother. Ah, it is a hard -position? How does the king?" the duke asked finally, danger reminding -him of his last resource. - -"The king is in bad condition," was the cardinal's reply; "but Ambroise -Paré, who has come to Orléans at the queen's request (I will explain -this to you later), still hopes to save the king by a hazardous but -necessary operation to-morrow morning, which may have happy results. Do -not fail to be here at nine o'clock, brother, to sustain Ambroise, if -need be." - -"Surely I will be here," rejoined Le Balafré, "for that is our only -hope. Our authority would die with François's last breath; but on the -other hand, it would be a fine thing to frighten the constable, and -perhaps make him retrace his steps, by sending him, by way of a welcome, -the head of his handsome nephew, De Condé." - -"Yes, that would be a very eloquent greeting, in my opinion," said the -cardinal, reflectively. - -"But this infernal L'Hôpital impedes everything!" exclaimed Le -Balafré. - -"If we had the king's signature upon the decree for the prince's death, -instead of L'Hôpital's," suggested Charles de Lorraine, "there would be -no further difficulty, brother,--am I not right?--about this execution -taking place to-morrow morning before Montmorency's arrival, and before -Master Paré's operation." - -"That would not be strictly legal; but it would be possible," replied Le -Balafré. - -"Very well, then!" cried Charles de Lorraine, eagerly. "Leave me here, -my brother; there is nothing more for you to do to-night, and you must -need rest, for two o'clock will soon strike. You must husband your -strength for to-morrow. Retire, and leave me here. I mean to make a -desperate effort myself to retrieve our fortunes." - -"What is it to be?" the duke asked. "Pray, take no definite step without -first consulting me, brother." - -"Never fear! If I have what I want, I will wake you before daybreak to -perfect our plans." - -"Very well," said Le Balafré; "with this assurance I will retire, for -it is true that I am exhausted. But be cautious!" - -He said a few consoling words to Mary Stuart, and left the room with as -little noise as possible. - -Meanwhile the cardinal had seated himself at a table, and was making a -copy of the decree of the commission, of which he had the original -before him. - -That done, he rose and walked toward the king's bed. But Mary Stuart -stood erect in front of him, and stopped him with a gesture. - -"Where are you going?" said she, in a low tone, but firmly, and with -signs of growing anger. - -"Madame," replied the cardinal, "it is important, indispensable, that -the king should sign this paper." - -"What is most important, and most indispensable, is that the king should -rest quietly," said Mary. - -"Let me have his name at the bottom of this writing, Madame, and I will -importune you no more." - -"But you will awake him," retorted the queen; "and I do not choose that -you shall. Besides, he is not capable of holding a pen at this moment." - -"I will hold it for him," said the cardinal. - -"I have told you that I will not have it!" replied Mary Stuart, -authoritatively. - -The cardinal stopped a moment, amazed at this obstacle, which he had -never dreamed of. - -Then he continued in his most insinuating tones,-- - -"Listen to me, Madame,--my dear niece, listen to me; I will tell you -what is at stake. You understand very well that I would respect the -king's repose if I were not constrained by the most urgent necessity. It -is our fortune and yours, our welfare and yours, which are at stake. -Understand me. This paper must be signed before daybreak, or we are -lost!--lost, I tell you." - -"That does not concern me," said Mary, calmly. - -"Indeed it does! Once more I tell you, our ruin is your ruin, child that -you are!" - -"Even so, what does it matter to me?" the queen replied. "Do you suppose -I concern myself with your ambition? My ambition is to save my beloved, -to preserve his life if I can, and meanwhile to guard his priceless -repose. Master Paré constituted me the guardian of the king's slumber. -I forbid you to disturb it, Monsieur! Understand me! I forbid you! If -the king dies, my royalty dies too!--it is all one to me! But as long as -one breath remains in his body, I will defend it against the hateful -demands of your intrigues. I have contributed more than I ought, my -uncle, to the strengthening of your power and influence when my -François was still well and strong; but I take your power from your -hands again as soon as I have to concern myself with forcing respect to -be shown to what may be the last hours of peace on earth that God will -vouchsafe this poor life. The king, Master Paré said, would need -to-morrow all of the little strength he has left. No one on earth, on -any pretext whatsoever, shall deprive him of one moment of this -refreshing slumber." - -"But when the motive is such an important and urgent one?" said the -cardinal. - -"Upon no pretext whatever shall any one on earth awaken the king," -repeated Mary, firmly. - -"Ah, but it must be done!" retorted the cardinal, ashamed at last of -having been so long delayed by the unaided resistance of a mere child, -and she his niece. "The interests of State, Madame, are not consistent -with these sentimental considerations. The king's signature is essential -to me at once; and I will have it." - -"You shall not have it, Monsieur le Cardinal," replied Mary. - -The cardinal took a step toward the king's bedside, but again Mary -Stuart faced him and barred his passage. - -The queen and the minister looked in each other's eyes for an instant, -each as excited and angry as the other. - -"I will pass," said Charles de Lorraine, in a quick, short voice. - -"Do you dare to lay your hand upon me, Monsieur?" - -"My niece!" - -"Your niece no longer, but your queen!" - -These words were uttered in so firm, and withal dignified and queenly a -tone, that the astonished cardinal recoiled. - -"Yes, your queen," Mary continued; "and if you approach one step nearer, -or make another motion, as if to make your way to the king, I will go to -that door; I will call those who are on guard there; and though you be -my uncle, though you be minister and cardinal, I, your queen, will order -your arrest upon the spot, as guilty of _lèse-majesté_." - -"Such a scandal!" muttered the cardinal, in affright. - -"Which of us is responsible for it, Monsieur?" - -The sparkling eye, the inflated nostrils, the heaving bosom of the young -queen, and her whole determined bearing were a sufficient guarantee that -she would carry out her threat. - -And then, too, she was so lovely and so haughty, and withal so touching, -that even the priest, with his heart of bronze, felt moved and beaten. - -The man yielded to the child; and the affairs of State obeyed the cry of -natural affection. - -"Well!" said the cardinal, drawing a long breath, "I will wait, then, -until the king awakes." - -"Thanks!" said Mary, resuming the gentle and melancholy demeanor which -had become customary to her since the king's illness. - -"But as soon as he awakes--" continued Charles. - -"If he is then in condition to hear what you have to say, and do what -you wish, I will interpose no further obstacle." - -The cardinal was perforce contented with this promise. He returned to -his seat at the table, and Mary to her _prie-Dieu_,--he waiting, and she -hoping. - -The slow hours of that night of watching dragged themselves along, and -François II. did not awake. The promise of Ambroise Paré was not a -vain one: not for many nights had the king known such long and peaceful -slumber. - -From time to time he made a slight movement or uttered a feeble moan; -sometimes he pronounced a word or a name, generally Mary's. But he would -relapse at once into his deep sleep; and the cardinal, who did not once -fail to rise in haste at the least sound, would return dejectedly to his -seat. - -He crumpled in his hand uneasily the useless, fatal decree, which -without the king's signature might well serve for his own death-warrant. - -He watched the torches gradually burn out or grow pale, as the cold -December dawn whitened the windows. - -At last, as eight o'clock struck, the king moved, then opened his eyes, -and called, "Mary! are you there, Mary?" - -"Always at your side," replied the queen. - -Charles de Lorraine rushed forward with the paper in his hand. Perhaps -there was time even yet; a scaffold is soon erected. - -But at that instant Catherine de Médicis re-entered the royal -apartments by the door leading to her own. - -"Too late!" muttered the cardinal. "Ah, fortune turns her back upon us! -Now, if Ambroise does not save the king's life, we are lost indeed!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -A KING'S DEATH-BED - - -The queen-mother during that night had not thrown away her time. In the -first place, she had sent her creature, Cardinal de Tournon, to the King -of Navarre, and had settled terms with the Bourbons in writing. Then -before daybreak she had received the Chancellor l'Hôpital, and had -learned from him of the expected arrival at Orléans of her ally, the -constable; L'Hôpital, by her instructions, promised to be in the great -hall, which was next to the king's apartments, at nine o'clock, and to -have with him as many of her partisans as he could find. Last of all, -she had made an appointment for half after eight with Chapelain and two -or three others of the royal physicians, whose mediocre talent was the -natural-born enemy of the genius of Ambroise Paré. - -Having thus taken her precautions, she was the first, as we have seen, -to enter the king's chamber just as he awoke. She went at once to her -son's bedside, gazed at him for a few moments with bent head, like a -grief-stricken mother, pressed a kiss upon his hand, which was hanging -listlessly down, and wiping away a tear or two, took her seat in such a -position as to have him always in sight. - -She, as well as Mary Stuart, was determined from that time on to watch -over that bed of suffering, for her own purposes. - -The Duc de Guise entered almost immediately. After exchanging a few -words with Mary, he walked toward his brother. - -"Have you done nothing?" he asked. - -"Alas! I have not been able to do anything," was the reply. - -"Fortune is turning against us, then," said the duke. "There is a great -crowd in Antoine de Navarre's antechamber this morning." - -"Have you any news of De Montmorency?" - -"None at all. I have tried in vain to learn something thus far. He could -not have taken the most direct road, and he may be even now at the gates -of the city. If Ambroise Paré is not successful in his operation, -farewell to our fortune." - -At this moment the physicians who had been summoned by Catherine de -Médicis entered. - -The queen-mother herself led them to the bedside of the king, whose -suffering and groaning had begun again. - -The physicians examined the royal patient, each in turn, and then -retired to a corner to consult. Chapelain proposed a poultice to draw -out the foreign matter; but the others declared in favor of injecting a -certain medicated water into the ear. - -They were just agreeing on the last-named method when Ambroise Paré -entered, accompanied by Gabriel. After having examined into the king's -condition, he joined his professional brethren. - -Ambroise Paré, surgeon to the Duc de Guise, whose professional renown -was already established, was now an authority to be reckoned with. The -physicians told him what they had resolved to do. - -"The remedy proposed is inadequate, I am sure," said Ambroise Paré, -aloud; "but we must make haste, for the brain will be filled sooner than -I thought." - -"Oh, hasten, then, in Heaven's name!" cried Mary Stuart, who had -overheard. - -The queen-mother and the two Guises thereupon drew near the physicians, -and joined their group. - -"Have you any better and more speedy means than ours to suggest, Master -Paré?" asked Chapelain. - -"Yes," said Paré. - -"What is it?" - -"We must trepan the king," said Paré. - -"Trepan the king!" cried the three physicians, in tones expressive of -the utmost horror. - -"In what does this operation consist?" asked the Duc de Guise. - -"It is little known as yet, Monseigneur," replied the surgeon. "It -consists in making upon the top of the head, or rather upon the lateral -part of the brain, with an instrument I have invented, called the -'trepan,' an opening about the size of an angelot." - -"God of mercy!" cried Catherine de Médicis, indignantly. "Put the knife -to the king's head! And you would dare to do it?" - -"Yes, Madame," replied Ambroise, simply. - -"But it would be murder!" exclaimed Catherine. - -"Why, Madame," added Ambroise, "I propose scientifically and carefully -to bore a hole in the head, which is only what the blind and heedless do -every day upon the battle-field. Yet see how many such wounds are -cured!" - -"Will you be answerable for the king's life, Master Ambroise?" asked the -cardinal; "that is the question." - -"God alone has the life and death of mortals in His hand, as you should -know better than I, Monsieur le Cardinal. All that I can promise is that -this is the last and only chance of saving the king. Yes, it is the only -chance; but it is only a chance." - -"But you say that your operation may be successful, do you not, -Ambroise?" said Le Balafré. "Tell me, have you ever performed it -successfully?" - -"Yes, Monseigneur," replied Paré,--"only a short time since upon -Monsieur de la Bretesche, at the sign of the Red Rose, in Rue de la -Harpe; and to mention a case of which Monseigneur may perhaps have some -knowledge, I performed it at the siege of Calais upon Monsieur de -Pienne, who was wounded while fighting at the breach." - -It may have been with intention that Ambroise Paré recalled the memory -of Calais. It is certain that he succeeded, and that the Duc de Guise -seemed moved. - -"Yes, I remember," said he, "I have no longer any hesitation; I consent -to the operation." - -"And so do I," said Mary Stuart, enlightened, no doubt, by her love. - -"But not I!" cried Catherine. - -"What, Madame! not when you have been told that it is our only chance?" -said Mary. - -"Who says so?" demanded the queen-mother. "Master Ambroise Paré, a -heretic, forsooth! Besides, it is not the opinion of the physicians." - -"No, Madame," said Chapelain; "and these gentlemen and myself protest -against the remedy that Master Paré proposes." - -"Ah, do you hear?" cried Catherine, in triumph. - -Le Balafré, in great agitation, led the queen-mother into the embrasure -of a window, and said in an undertone, with clinched teeth,-- - -"Madame, hearken to me! You wish that your son should die, and the -Prince de Condé should live! You are in accord with the Bourbons and -the Montmorencys! The bargain is made, and the spoils divided in -advance! I know everything! Take care! I know everything, I tell you!" - -But Catherine de Médicis was not one of those who are easily -intimidated; and the Duc de Guise made a serious mistake. She only -understood the better how essential it was for her to adopt a bold -course, since her enemy thus removed his mask. She cast a withering -glance upon him, and breaking away from his grasp with a sudden -movement, ran to the folding-doors, and herself threw them open to their -fullest extent. - -"Monsieur le Chancelier!" she cried. - -L'Hôpital, according to the orders he had received, was waiting in the -large hall. He had collected there all of the partisans of the -queen-mother and the princes whom he had been able to find. - -At Catherine's call he came quickly forward, and the group of nobles -pressed inquisitively toward the open door. - -"Monsieur le Chancelier," continued Catherine, raising her voice that -she might be heard by all, "it is proposed to authorize a violent and -desperate operation upon the person of the king. Master Paré proposes -to pierce his head with an instrument of his own devising. I, his -mother, with these three physicians, protest against this crime. -Monsieur le Chancelier, record my protest." - -"Close that door!" cried the Duc de Guise. - -Despite the remonstrances of the gentlemen collected in the great hall, -Gabriel did as the duke ordered. - -The chancellor alone remained in the king's chamber. - -"Now, Monsieur le Chancelier," said Le Balafré, "be pleased to -understand that the operation which has been mentioned is absolutely -necessary; and that the queen and myself, lieutenant-general of the -kingdom, will be answerable, if not for the operation, at all events for -the surgeon." - -"And I," cried Ambroise Paré, "at this supreme moment, assume all the -responsibility that you choose to impose upon me; yes, I consent that my -own life may pay the forfeit if I do not succeed in saving the king's. -But, alas! it is full time. Look at the king! look!" - -François lay there, livid, without motion, and with dull, lifeless -eyes, and seemed to see and hear nothing,--scarcely to exist, in fact. -He no more responded to Mary's caresses or her beloved voice. - -"Oh, hasten, hasten, in the name of God!" she said appealingly to -Ambroise. "Oh, try to save the life of the king, and I will protect -yours!" - -"I have no right to forbid these proceedings," said the impassive -chancellor; "but it is my duty to state the protest of Madame the -Queen-mother." - -"Monsieur de l'Hôpital, you are no longer chancellor," rejoined the Duc -de Guise, coldly. "Go on, Ambroise," he said to the surgeon. - -"We will withdraw," said Chapelain, speaking for the physicians. - -"So be it," replied Ambroise. "I must have most perfect quiet around me; -so leave me, if you please, gentlemen. For the sake of being sole master -for the moment, I assume the sole responsibility." - -For some moments Catherine neither spoke nor moved. She had withdrawn to -a window, and was looking out into the courtyard, where there was a -great commotion; but in the crisis that was approaching, no one beside -herself paid any heed to the tumult without. - -All others, even the chancellor himself, had their eyes riveted upon -Ambroise Paré, who had resumed the cool demeanor of a great surgeon, -and was making ready his instruments. - -But just as he was leaning toward François, the uproar came nearer, and -seemed to be in the adjoining hall. A bitter and joyous smile played -about the bloodless lips of Catherine. The door was violently thrown -open; and the Constable de Montmorency, in full armor, appeared -threateningly upon the threshold. - -"I arrive most opportunely," cried the constable. - -"What means this intrusion?" demanded the Duc de Guise, laying his hand -upon his sword. - -Ambroise Paré had no choice but to stay his hand. Twenty gentlemen -accompanied Montmorency, and poured into the chamber after him. At his -side were Antoine de Navarre and the Prince de Condé. Moreover, the -queen-mother and L'Hôpital joined them. There was no longer any hope of -maintaining the mastery even by force. - -"In my turn," said Ambroise Paré, hopelessly, "I withdraw." - -"Master Paré," cried Mary Stuart, "I, the queen, command you to proceed -with your operation!" - -"But, Madame," replied the surgeon, "I told you that most perfect quiet -was necessary! and you see!" he added expressively, pointing to the -constable and his train. - -"Monsieur Chapelain," said he to the first physician, "try your -injection." - -"That will take but an instant," said Chapelain, quickly. "Everything is -prepared." - -With the assistance of his _confrères_, he injected his preparation -into the king's ear. - -Mary Stuart, the Guises, Gabriel, and Ambroise allowed them to do as -they chose, and said nothing; they were completely crushed, and as if -turned to stone. - -The constable chattered away like a madman. - -"This is very well!" said he, well pleased with the forced docility of -Master Paré. "When I think that if it had not been for me you would -have opened the king's head in such fashion! Kings of France are only -wounded so upon the battle-field, do you see? The steel of an enemy may -touch them, but a surgeon's knife never!" - -And then, exulting over the dejected attitude of the Duc de Guise, he -continued,-- - -"It was quite time that I should arrive, thank God! Ah, Messieurs, they -tell me that you proposed to cut off the head of my dear brave nephew, -the Prince de Condé! But you aroused the old lion in his lair, and -behold him! I have delivered the prince; I have addressed the -States-General, who are restive under your oppression. I have, as -constable, dismissed the guards you stationed at the gates of Orléans. -Since when has it been customary thus to furnish guards to the king, as -if he were not safe in the midst of his loyal subjects?" - -"Of what king are you speaking?" demanded Ambroise Paré; "for soon -there will be no king save Charles IX.,--for you see, Messieurs," said -he to the physicians, "that despite your injection, the brain is already -affected, and is beginning to be filled." - -Catherine de Médicis clearly read in the hopeless air of Ambroise that -all hope was at an end. - -"Your reign is over, then, Monsieur," she could not forbear remarking to -Le Balafré. - -François II. at that moment suddenly raised himself in bed, opened his -great staring eyes, moved his lips as if struggling to pronounce a name, -then fell heavily back upon his pillow. - -He was dead. - -Ambroise Paré, with a sorrowful gesture, made the fact known to those -present. - -"Ah, Madame, Madame! you have killed your son!" cried Mary Stuart to -Catherine, leaping toward her in a frenzy of despair. - -The queen-mother bestowed upon her daughter-in-law a venomous, icy -glance, in which shone all the hatred she had concealed for eighteen -months. - -"You, my dear," she sneered, "have no longer the right to speak thus, -remember; for you are no longer queen. Ah, I beg your pardon!--queen of -Scotland. And we will send you over as soon as possible to reign in your -land of fogs." - -Mary, with the reaction inevitable after her first burst of grief, fell -on her knees, exhausted and sobbing bitterly, at the foot of the bed -where the king was lying. - -"Madame de Fiesque," continued Catherine, calmly, "go at once and bring -the Duc d'Orléans." - -"Messieurs," she resumed, glancing at the Duc de Guise and the cardinal, -"the States-General, which were devoted to you, it may be, an hour -since, are now at our service, be assured. It is understood between -Monsieur de Bourbon and myself that I shall be queen-regent, and he -lieutenant-general of the kingdom; but you are still grand master, -Monsieur de Guise. Therefore perform the functions of your office, and -announce the demise of King François II." - -"The king is dead!" said Le Balafré, in a deep, hollow voice. - -The king-at-arms cried aloud on the threshold of the apartment, -according to ancient ceremonial,-- - -"The king is dead! The king is dead! The king is dead! Pray God for the -salvation of his soul!" - -"Long live the king!" replied the first gentleman of the chamber. - -At the same moment Madame de Fiesque brought the Duc d'Orléans to the -queen-mother's side, who took him by the hand, and led him out to show -to the courtiers, who were lustily shouting,-- - -"Long live our good king, Charles IX.!" - -"Our fortunes are at an end now!" said the cardinal, gloomily, to his -brother, as they were left standing almost alone. - -"Ours, perhaps, but not that of our family," replied the ambitious Duc -de Guise. "We must think now about preparing the way for my son." - -"How can we renew our alliance with the queen-mother?" - -"Oh, let us leave her to quarrel with her Bourbons and her Huguenots," -said Le Balafré. - -They left the room by a secret door, still busily conversing. - -"Alas! alas!" murmured Mary Stuart, kissing the cold hand of poor -François; "there is no one but me to weep for him, my poor darling, who -loved me so dearly." - -"And me, Madame," said Gabriel de Montgommery, who had thus far kept in -the background, but now came forward with tears in his eyes. - -"Oh, thanks, my friend!" said Mary, with a grateful look in which her -whole soul shone out. - -"And I will do more than weep," said Gabriel, beneath his breath, -following from afar, with an angry eye, the Constable de Montmorency, -who was strutting about beside Catherine de Médicis. "Yes, perhaps I -may avenge him, when I begin anew the unfinished work of my own -vengeance. Now that this constable has returned to power, the contest -between us is not at an end!" - -Thus, even in the presence of death Gabriel, alas! kept in view his -personal affairs. - -Surely Regnier la Planche was right in saying "that it is a bad thing to -be king simply to die." - -And he was equally right when he added, "During the reign of François -II. France was the theatre whereon were enacted many horrible tragedies -which posterity will contemplate with wonder and abhorrence." - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -ADIEU, FRANCE! - - -On the 15th of August, 1561, eight months after the demise of François -II., Mary Stuart was at Calais, on the point of taking her departure for -her Scottish kingdom. - -During these eight months she had been engaged in an unceasing struggle, -day by day and hour by hour, with Catherine de Médicis and with her -uncles as well, who were as impatient as the regent, though for -different reasons, to have her well away from France; but Mary found it -hard to make up her mind to leave behind her that fair land where she -had been a queen, so happy and so well beloved. Even in the sorrowful -memories which recalled her premature widowhood, these loved spots held -for her a poetic charm which made it difficult for her to tear herself -away. - -Mary Stuart not only felt that poetic charm, but she herself gave -expression to it. She not only wept for the demise of François as a -loving wife, but she sang of it like one of the Muses. Brantôme, in his -admiration for her, has preserved for us the sweet, plaintive verses -which she composed in her tribulation, and which bear comparison with -the most notable poetry of that age: - - - "En mon triste et doux chant, - D'un ton fort lamentable, - Je jette un deuil tranchant - De perte incomparable, - Et en soupirs croissans - Passent mes meilleurs ans. - - "Fut-il un tel malheur - De dure destinée, - Ni si triste douleur - De dame fortunée, - Que mon cœur et mon œil - Voient en bière et cercueil! - - "Que dans mon doux printemps, - À fleur de ma jeunesse, - Toutes les peines sens - D'une extrême tristesse - Et en rien n'ai plaisir - Qu'en regret et désir. - - "Ce qui m'était plaisant - Me devient peine dure! - Le jour le plus luisant - Est pour moi nuit obscure, - Et n'est rien si exquis - Qui de moi soit requis! - - "Si en quelque séjour, - Soit en bois, soit en prée, - Soit à l'aube du jour - Ou soit sur la vesprée, - Sans cesse mon cœur sent - Le regret d'un absent. - - "Si parfois vers les cieux - Viens à dresser ma vue, - Le doux trait de ses yeux - Je vois en une nue. - Si les baisse vers l'eau, - Vois comme en un tombeau. - - "Si je suis en repos - Sommeillant sur ma couche, - J'oy qu'il me tient propos, - Je le sens qui me touche! - En labeur, en recoy, - Toujours est près de moi. - - "Mets, chanson, ici fin - À ta triste complainte - Dont sera le refrain: - Amour vraie et sans feinte - Qui pour séparation - N'aura diminution."[10] - - -It was while at Reims, to which city she at first withdrew with her -uncle De Lorraine, that Mary Stuart produced these melodious and -touching strains. She remained in Champagne until the end of the spring. -Then the religious troubles which had broken out in Scotland urgently -demanded her presence in that country. On the other side, the almost -passionate admiration which the boy Charles IX. expressed whenever he -mentioned his sister-in law disturbed the suspicious regent, Catherine. -Therefore it was necessary that Mary Stuart should resign herself to -depart. - -She came to pay her parting respects to the court at St. Germain in -July; and the marks of devotion, of adoration almost, which were -showered upon her there, served only to augment, if that were possible, -her bitter regret. - -Her dowry, charged upon Touraine and Poitou, had been fixed at twenty -thousand livres annually; she also carried many superb jewels with her -to Scotland, and it was thought that the hope of obtaining such rich -treasure might tempt some freebooter. Still more fear was entertained -that her safety might be endangered by some act of violence on the part -of Élisabeth of England, who already saw in the young Queen of Scots a -dangerous rival. Consequently a number of gentlemen proposed to escort -Mary to her own dominions; and when she reached Calais, she found -herself attended not only by her uncles, but by Messieurs de Damville -and de Brantôme,--in fact, by the better part of that splendid, -chivalrous court. - -She found two galleys awaiting her in the harbor of Calais, ready to set -sail as soon as she should give the word; but she remained at Calais six -days, so painful was the final parting from those who had accompanied -her thus far on her way. - -At last the 15th of August, as we have said, was definitely fixed upon -for her departure. It was a gloomy, threatening day, but without wind or -rain. - -Upon the shore, and before setting foot upon the deck of the vessel -which was to bear her away, Mary, as a mark of her gratitude to all who -had thus escorted her to the utmost verge of their country, gave each of -them her hand to kiss as a last farewell. - -They all came forward, and kneeling before her one after another pressed -their lips upon her beloved hand. - -Last of all was a gentleman who had never ceased to follow in Mary's -train since she left St. Germain, but had always kept in the background -on the road, hidden by his broad hat and the ample folds of his cloak, -and had neither made himself known nor spoken to a soul. - -But when he came in turn to kneel before the queen, hat in hand, Mary -recognized Gabriel de Montgommery. - -"Ah, is it you, Count?" said she. "I am indeed happy to see you once -more, my faithful friend, who wept with me for my poor dead king. But -why have you never spoken to me, if you were with these other -gentlemen?" - -"I felt that I must see you without being seen, Madame," replied -Gabriel. "In my loneliness I could better collect my remembrances, and -enjoy more fully the pleasure that it gave me to perform so grateful a -duty." - -"Thanks once more for this final proof of your attachment, Monsieur le -Comte," said Mary. "I should be glad if I might show my gratitude -otherwise than by mere words. I can do nothing more, unless it please -you to accompany me to my poor Scotland with Messieurs Damville and -Brantôme--" - -"Ah, that would be my most devout wish, Madame!" cried Gabriel; "but -another duty binds me to France. One who is dearer to me than life, and -consecrated in my eyes, and whom I have not seen for more than two -years, is expecting me at this moment." - -"Do you mean Diane de Castro?" asked Mary, eagerly. - -"Yes, Madame," said Gabriel. "By a letter I received last month she -requested me to be at St. Quentin to-day, August 15. I shall not be with -her until to-morrow; but whatever may have been her motive in summoning -me, she will forgive me, I am sure, when she learns that I did not -desire to leave you until you were actually leaving France." - -"Dear Diane!" remarked Mary, pensively; "yes, she also loved me well, -was like a sister to me. Hold, Monsieur de Montgommery; take this ring -to her as a remembrance from me, and go to her as quickly as you can. -She may need your help; and when her welfare is concerned, I do not wish -to detain you. Adieu! adieu, all my dear friends! They wait for me, and -I must go,--alas! I must." - -She tore herself away from the arms of those who would still have held -her, stepped aboard the small boat, and was at once transferred to -Monsieur de Mévillon's galley, followed by the envied gentlemen who -were to go with her to Scotland. - -But even as Scotland could not supply the void left by France in Mary's -heart, so those who accompanied her could not make her forget those she -had left behind; indeed, she seemed to love the latter the more dearly. -Standing at the stern of the galley, she never ceased to wave her -handkerchief, wet with tears, to the kinsfolk and friends whom she left -upon the shore. - -At last they were in the open sea: and Mary's eyes were drawn in spite -of herself toward a vessel which was just entering the harbor she had -quitted, and which her gaze followed longingly in envy of its -destination. Suddenly the vessel pitched forward, as if she had struck -beneath the water-line; and trembling from stem to stern, she began to -sink, amid the piercing shrieks of her crew. It was all done so rapidly -that she was out of sight before Monsieur de Mévillon had time to send -a skiff to her assistance. For an instant a few heads could be seen -struggling in the water near the spot where the vessel had gone down, -but they disappeared one by one before they could be reached, although -the men pulled lustily; and the skiff returned without having saved a -single one of the poor wretches. - -"Oh, Lord! oh, my God! what a fearful omen for my voyage is this!" cried -Mary Stuart. - -Meanwhile the wind had freshened; and the galley began to attain some -speed, so that the crew had an opportunity to rest. Mary, seeing that -she was rapidly leaving the shore behind her, leaned against the -bulwarks with her eyes fixed upon the harbor, her sight dimmed by great -tears, and repeated again and again,-- - -"Adieu, France! adieu, France!" - -She remained in that position nearly five hours,--that is to say, until -night fell; indeed, she would probably not have thought of leaving the -deck even then, had not Brantôme come to inform her that her presence -was awaited at supper. - -Thereupon, weeping and sobbing more bitterly than before,-- - -"Now, dear France," she cried, "I lose thee indeed; since Night, jealous -of my last happiness, pulls her dark veil before my eyes to deprive me -of my pleasure in gazing at thee. So adieu, dear France! I shall never -see thee more!" - -Then with a sign to Brantôme that she would follow him at once, she -drew forth her tablets, seated herself upon a bench, and wrote these -familiar lines by the last rays of daylight,-- - - - "Adieu, plaisant pays de France! - O ma patrie - La plus chérie, - Qui a nourri ma jeune enfance! - Adieu, France! adieu, mes beaux jours! - La nef qui disjoint nos amours - N'a eu de moi que la moitié: - Une part te reste, elle est tienne. - Je la fie à ton amitié, - Pour que de l'autre il te souvienne."[11] - - -At last she went below, and said as she joined her shipmates who were -awaiting her,-- - -"I have done just the opposite of what the Queen of Carthage did; for -Dido, when Æneas left her, gazed ceaselessly at the waves, while I find -it hard to take my eyes from the land." - -They urged her to be seated, and to sup with them; but she could eat -nothing, and withdrew at once to her cabin, charging the helmsman to -arouse her at break of day if the land were still in sight. - -On this point at least fortune smiled upon poor Mary; for the wind died -away, and the galley scarcely moved during the night, except with the -aid of oars; so that when day broke they were still within sight of -France. - -The helmsman entered the queen's cabin, as she had ordered him to do; -but he found her already awake and seated upon her berth, gazing out -through an open porthole at the beloved shore. - -However, this pleasure was of short duration; for the wind freshened -again, and France was soon lost to sight. Mary had only one hope left: -that was that an English fleet would appear in the offing, and they -would be obliged to turn back. But that last hope proved futile, like -the others; a fog, so dense that they could not see from one end of the -vessel to the other, came down upon the ocean,--almost miraculously, as -it seemed, being midsummer. They sailed on at hazard, incurring the risk -of going astray, but avoiding all danger of being seen by the enemy. - -At last, on the third day, the fog lifted; and they found themselves -close upon a rocky shore, where the galley would doubtless have gone to -pieces if they had sailed two cables' lengths farther. The pilot took an -observation, and found that he was off the coast of Scotland, and having -skilfully extricated the vessel from the breakers which surrounded her, -made the port of Leith, near Edinburgh. - -The wits who accompanied Mary said that they had landed in a fog in a -mischief-making country of marplots.[12] Mary's coming was entirely -unexpected; so that she and her suite were, perforce, content to make -their way to Edinburgh upon donkeys, wretchedly equipped, many of which -were without saddles, and had nought but cords for reins and stirrups. -Mary could not refrain from contrasting these sorry nags with the superb -French palfreys which she was accustomed to see caracoling about in the -hunting-field, or the lists. She shed a few tears of regret as she -compared the fair land she had left with that upon which she now stood. -But soon, with her fascinating grace, and struggling to smile through -her tears, she said,-- - -"I must bear my ills in patience, since I have exchanged my paradise for -a hell." - -In such manner did Mary Stuart arrive on British soil. We have narrated -elsewhere ("Les Stuarts") the story of the rest of her life and her -demise; and how impious England, the arch-enemy of all that France holds -sacred, slew grace in her person, as it had already slain inspiration in -that of Jeanne d'Arc, and was subsequently to make an end of genius in -the person of Napoleon. - - -[Footnote 10: "Sad and plaintive is my song - Of the days now gone forever; - And I mourn the whole day long - The loss of him whom I shall never - More behold. In grief and pain, alas! - The fairest years of my life must pass. - - "How pitiless and stern is fate! - That I, to fortune born and pleasure, - Must bend beneath the cruel weight - Of pain and sorrow without measure; - While Destiny thus bounds my whole career - By the dark shadow of the funeral bier. - - "In the bright springtime of my life, - Of my youth the very flower, - A melancholy, widowed wife, - I sit and sob the weary hour; - Nor can my heart a taste of joy acquire - In aught save vain regret or vain desire. - - "That to me now is bitter pain - Whereat my face was wont to lighten; - And God's bright sunshine seeks in vain - The darkness of my night to brighten: - Nor in my sight is aught so fair or fine - As to arouse a wish that it were mine. - - "Wheresoe'er my steps may lead,-- - Whether through the forest roaming. - Or perchance by flowery mead, - Or at dawn or in the gloaming,-- - Still my fond heart doth ceaselessly deplore, - And mourn the loss of him who is no more. - - "If to heaven my eyes I raise, - In some cloud-shape, outlined faintly, - I behold my dear one's face - Smiling with his smile so saintly; - If my glance wanders o'er the ocean's wave, - I seem to see him beckoning from the grave. - - "If my eyes in slumber close, - I can hear his dear voice calling; - And my soul with rapture glows - At his soft touch so lightly falling - Upon my cheek. Thus is he near me ever, - Whether I toil or rest; nor can grim Death us sever. - - "Have done, O Muse, with thy sad strain! - What boots it to be ever singing? - Yet of my song, this sweet refrain - Is ever in my ears ringing: - The love that's true, with adoration blending, - In absence loseth nought; its growth is never ending."] - -[Footnote 11: "Farewell to thee, thou pleasant shore, - The loved, the cherished home to me, - Of infant joy a dream that's o'er! - Farewell, dear France! farewell to thee! - - "The sail that wafts me bears away - From thee but half my soul alone: - Its fellow-half will fondly stay, - And back to thee has faithful flown. - - "I trust it to thy gentle care; - For all that here remains with me - Lives but to think of all that's there, - To love and to remember thee."] - -[Footnote 12: It is impossible to translate this passage so as -adequately to convey the meaning of the text, "on avait pris terre par -un _brouillard_ dans un pays _brouillé_ et _brouillon_."--TRANSLATOR.] - - - - -CONCLUSION - - -Gabriel did not reach St. Quentin until August 16. At the entrance to -the town he found Jean Peuquoy awaiting him. - -"Ah, here you are at last, Monsieur le Comte!" cried the honest weaver. -"I was sure that you would come! But you are too late, alas! too late!" - -"What! too late?" asked Gabriel, in alarm. - -"Alas! yes. Did not Madame Diane de Castro in her letter ask you to be -here yesterday, the 15th?" - -"To be sure," said Gabriel; "but no particular stress was laid upon the -date, nor did Madame de Castro say why she desired my presence." - -"Well, Monsieur le Comte," rejoined Jean, "yesterday was the day on -which Madame de Castro--I should say, Sister Bénie--pronounced the -words which make her a nun forever, with no possibility of returning to -the world." - -"Ah!" said Gabriel, turning pale. - -"Whereas, if you had been at hand," continued Jean, "you might perhaps -have been able to prevent what is now an accomplished fact." - -"No," said Gabriel, gloomily, "no, I could not, I ought not, nor would I -have attempted even to oppose that step. Providence doubtless kept me at -Calais, for my heart would have broken by its helplessness in the face -of her sacrificial act; and the poor, dear, afflicted soul which thus -gave itself to God's service might have had to suffer more from my -presence than she did when left alone at that solemn moment." - -"Oh, but she was not alone," said Jean. - -"Of course you were there, Jean, and Babette, and the poor and -unfortunate, her devoted friends." - -"We were not the only ones, Monsieur le Comte," said Jean. "Sister -Bénie's mother was also with her." - -"Who,--Madame de Poitiers?" exclaimed Gabriel. - -"Yes, Monsieur le Comte, Madame de Poitiers herself, who, on receipt of -a letter from her daughter, hastened hither from her retirement at -Chaumont-sur-Loire, was present at the ceremonial yesterday, and should -be with the new nun at this moment." - -"Oh!" said Gabriel, in terror, "why did Madame de Castro send for that -woman?" - -"Why, Monseigneur, as she said to Babette, that woman is, after all, her -mother." - -"Alas! I begin to think I ought to have been here yesterday," said -Gabriel. "If Madame de Poitiers is here, it can be with no good purpose, -nor to fulfil any pious maternal duty. Let us go to the Benedictine -convent, if you please, Master Jean. I am in greater haste than ever now -to see Madame de Castro, for I fear that she needs me. Come, let us -hurry!" - -Gabriel was shown without objection into the parlor of the convent, -where he had been expected since the preceding day. - -Diane was waiting in the parlor with her mother. Gabriel, upon seeing -her once more after so long a separation, was carried away by an -irresistible impulse, and fell on his knees, pale and dejected, before -the grating which separated them forever from each other. - -"My sister! my sister!" was all he could say. - -"My brother!" replied Sister Bénie, softly. - -A tear rolled slowly down her cheek; but at the same time she smiled as -the angels should smile. - -Gabriel, turning his head slightly, met the gaze of the other Diane, -Madame de Poitiers. She was laughing, as demons should laugh. - -But Gabriel, with careless contempt for her exasperating demeanor, -concentrated his regard and his thought entirely upon Sister Bénie. - -"My sister!" he repeated eagerly, and with bitter anguish. - -Diane de Poitiers at this point coldly remarked,-- - -"It is as your sister in Jesus Christ, doubtless, Monsieur, that you -call by that title her who yesterday was still Madame de Castro?" - -"What do you mean, Madame? Great God! what do mean?" asked Gabriel, with -a shudder, as he rose to his feet. - -Diane de Poitiers, without replying directly to his question, addressed -her daughter:-- - -"The time has arrived, my child, I think, to reveal to you the secret of -which I spoke yesterday, and which, in my opinion, my bounden duty -forbids me to conceal from you any longer." - -"Oh, what can it be?" cried Gabriel, distractedly. - -"My child," continued Madame de Poitiers, calmly, "as I have told you, -it was not simply to give you my blessing that I have emerged from the -retirement in which I have been living for nearly two years, thanks to -Monsieur de Montgommery. Pray do not consider my words ironical, -Monsieur," she added in a tone of bitter irony in reply to a gesture of -Gabriel's. "In truth, I am extremely obliged to you for having torn me -away, with or without violence, from an impious and corrupt world. I am -happy now! The divine grace has touched me, and my whole heart is filled -with the love of God. To show my gratitude to you, I wish to save you -from the commission of a sin,--a crime, it may be." - -"Oh, what can it be?" It was Sister Bénie who asked the question now -with fast-beating heart. - -"My child," continued Diane de Poitiers, in her infernal, cool tones, "I -imagine that I might yesterday, with a single word, have arrested upon -your lips the sacred vows you were about to utter. But was it for me, -miserable sinner that I am, and so happy to be free from earthly -bonds,--was it for me to steal from God a soul which was about to -confide itself to Him, free and pure? No! and I held my peace." - -"I dare not guess! I dare not!" muttered Gabriel. - -"To-day, my child," the ex-favorite resumed, "I break my silence, -because I see from Monsieur de Montgommery's grief and earnestness that -you still possess his entire soul. Now he must make up his mind to -forget you; he must do it. But if he continues to soothe himself with -the fancy that you may be his sister, the daughter of the Comte de -Montgommery, he can allow his memory to return to you now and then -without remorse. That would be a crime! —a crime to which I, having -been converted since yesterday, do not propose to be accessory. You are -not the sister of Monsieur le Comte, but are really the daughter of King -Henri II., whom Monsieur le Comte so unfortunately slew in that fatal -tournament." - -"Oh, horror!" cried Sister Bénie, hiding her face in her hands. - -"You lie, Madame!" said Gabriel, vehemently. "It must be that you lie! -Where is your proof that you speak the truth?" - -"Here," replied Diane de Poitiers, in a most peaceful tone, handing him -a paper which she took from her bosom. - -Gabriel seized the paper with trembling hand, and read it eagerly. - -"It is a letter from your father," continued Madame de Poitiers, -"written a few days before his death, as you see. He complains of my -cruelty, as you will see again; but he submits, as you may also see, -reflecting that in any event I shall soon be his wife, and that the -lover will have suffered disappointment only to make the husband's -happiness more pure and perfect. Oh, the words of that letter, which is -signed and dated, are in no wise equivocal! Am I not right? So you see, -Monsieur de Montgommery, that it would have been criminal for you to -think of Sister Bénie; for you are bound by no tie of blood to her who -is now the spouse of Jesus Christ. And in saving you from such impiety, -I hope that I have acquitted my debt to you, and have more than repaid -you for the bliss I enjoy in my solitude. We are quits now, Monsieur de -Montgommery, and I have no more to say to you." - -Gabriel, while this bitter, mocking speech was being delivered, had -finished reading the baleful but sacred letter. It left no room whatever -for doubt. It was to Gabriel like the voice of his father rising from -the tomb to make known the truth. - -When the wretched young man raised his wild, haggard eyes, he saw Diane -de Castro lying unconscious before a _prie-Dieu_. - -He rushed instinctively toward her; but the heavy iron bars arrested his -steps. - -As he turned back he saw Diane de Poitiers, and upon her lips was -playing a smile of placid contentment. - -Mad with grief, he took two steps toward her with uplifted hand. - -But he stopped in terror at his own act; and beating his brow like an -insane man, he cried simply,-- - -"Adieu, Diane! adieu!" and fled. - -If he had remained a second more, he could not have forborne to -annihilate that blaspheming mother like the viper that she was! - -Outside the convent Jean Peuquoy was anxiously awaiting him. - -"Do not question me! Ask me nothing!" exclaimed Gabriel at once, in a -frenzy of despair. - -And as honest Peuquoy gazed at him in sorrowful astonishment, he said -more gently,-- - -"Forgive me! I fear I am almost mad. I cannot collect my thoughts, you -see. It is to avoid the necessity of thinking that I propose to go, to -fly, to Paris. Go with me, if you will, my friend, as far as the gate -where I left my horse. But, in God's name, talk about yourself; say -nothing of me or my affairs!" - -The worthy weaver, as much to comply with Gabriel's wish as to try to -distract his thoughts, went on to tell how Babette was marvellously -well, and had recently presented him with a young Peuquoy,--a splendid -fellow; how their brother Pierre had established himself in business as -an armorer at St. Quentin; and how, only the month before, they had had -news from Martin-Guerre, by a Picardy trooper returning home, and had -learned that he was still happy with his reformed Bertrande. - -But it must be confessed that Gabriel, who was, as it were, made blind -and deaf by his grief, did not understand and only partly heard this -joyous narration. - -However, when he and Jean Peuquoy arrived at the Paris gate, he warmly -pressed the honest burgher's hand. - -"Adieu, my friend," said he. "Thanks for your affectionate kindness. -Remember me most kindly to all your loving circle. I am glad to know -that you are happy; think sometimes in your prosperity of me in my -wretchedness." - -And without waiting for any other response than the tears which shone in -Jean's eyes, Gabriel mounted his horse, and set off at a gallop. - -When he reached Paris (as if fate had determined to overwhelm him with -affliction of every sort at once), he found that Aloyse, his dear nurse, -had died, after a short illness, without having seen him again. - -The next day he called upon Admiral de Coligny. - -"Monsieur l'Amiral," said he, "I know that the persecutions and -religious wars will soon begin anew, despite all the efforts to prevent -them. Understand that henceforth I can offer to the Reformed cause not -only my heart, but my sword as well. My life is good for nothing except -to serve you; so take it, and spare it not. Moreover, in your ranks I -can best defend myself against one of my enemies, and finish the -punishment of the other." - -Gabriel had in his mind the queen-regent and the constable. - -It is needless to say that Coligny enthusiastically welcomed the -invaluable auxiliary whose courage and vigor had been put to the proof -so many times. - -The count's history from that moment is identical with that of the -religious wars which drenched the reign of Charles IX. with blood. - -Gabriel de Montgommery played a terrible part in those wars; and at -every momentous crisis the mere mention of his name drove the color from -the cheeks of Catherine de Médicis. - -When, after the massacre at Vassy in 1562, Rouen and the whole of -Normandy openly declared themselves for the Huguenots, the Comte de -Montgommery was named as the principal author of this uprising of an -entire province. - -The same year the Comte de Montgommery was at the battle of Dreux, where -he performed prodigies of valor. - -It was he, they said, who wounded with a pistol-ball the Constable de -Montmorency, who commanded in chief, and would have made an end of him -if the Prince de Porcien had not sheltered the constable and received -him as a prisoner. - -Every one knows that a month after this battle, where Le Balafré had -wrested victory from the constable's unskilful hands, the noble Duc de -Guise was treacherously murdered before Orléans by the fanatic Poltrot. - -Montmorency, relieved of a rival, but also deprived of his ally, was -less fortunate at the battle of St. Denis in 1567 than at that of Dreux. - -The Scotchman Robert Stuart called upon him to surrender. He replied by -striking him across the face with the flat of his sword, whereupon some -one fired a pistol at him (the constable); the ball pierced his side, -and he fell, mortally wounded. - -Through the stream of blood which obscured his sight he thought that he -recognized the features of Gabriel. - -The constable breathed his last the following day. - -Although he had now no direct personal foes, the Comte de Montgommery -did not lessen the force of his blows. He seemed invincible and -immortal. - -When Catherine de Médicis asked who had compelled Béarn to submit to -the King of Navarre, and had caused the Prince of Béarn to be -recognized as general-in-chief of the Huguenots, the answer -was--Montgommery. - -When, on the day following the massacre of St. Bartholomew (1572), the -queen-mother, in her thirst for vengeance, inquired, not as to those who -had perished, but as to those who had escaped, the first name mentioned -was--Montgommery. - -Montgommery threw himself into Rochelle with Lanoue. The town sustained -nine fierce assaults, and cost the royal army forty thousand men. In the -capitulation which ensued, it retained its freedom; and Gabriel was -allowed to depart, safe and sound. - -He then made his way into Sancerre, which was besieged by the governor -of Berri. He was well skilled, our readers will remember, in the defence -of beleaguered towns. A handful of Sancerrois, with no other arms than -iron-shod clubs, held out for four months against a body of six thousand -soldiers. When at last they capitulated, they obtained the same terms -granted at Rochelle,--liberty of conscience and immunity of person. - -Catherine de Médicis viewed with ever-growing fury the continual -escapes of her old unconquerable foe. - -Montgommery left Poitou, which was in a blaze, and returned to Normandy -to rekindle the flames which were subsiding there. - -Setting out from St. Lo, within three days he had taken Carentan and -despoiled Valognes of all her supplies. All the Norman nobility ranged -themselves under his standard. - -Catherine de Médicis and the king at once put three armies in the -field, and proclaimed the ban and the _arrière-ban_ in Mans and in -Perche. The royal forces were led by the Duc de Matignon. - -This time Montgommery no longer fought individually. Lost in the ranks -of the Reformers, he devoted himself to thwarting Charles IX., and had -his army, as the king had his. - -He formed an admirable plan, which bade fair to assure him a brilliant -victory. - -He left Matignon besieging St. Lô with his whole force, secretly -quitted the town, and made his way to Domfront. There François du -Hallot was to join him with all the cavalry of Bretagne, Anjou, and the -Caux country. With these forces he proposed to fall unexpectedly upon -the royal army before St. Lô, which, being thus caught between two -fires, would be annihilated. - -But treachery conquered the unconquerable. An ensign warned Matignon of -Montgommery's secret departure for Domfront, whither he was accompanied -by only forty horsemen. - -Matignon cared much less about reducing St. Lô than about capturing -Montgommery; so he left the siege in charge of one of his inferior -officers, and hastened to Domfront with two regiments of foot, six -hundred horse, and a strong artillery force. - -Any other than Gabriel de Montgommery would have surrendered without -entering upon a resistance sure to be of no effect; but he, with his -forty men, determined to show a bold front to that army. - -In De Thou's history the incredible narrative of that siege may be read. - -Domfront held out for twelve days, during which time the Comte de -Montgommery made seven furious sallies; at last, when the walls of the -town, riddled and tottering, were practically in the enemies' hands, -Gabriel abandoned them, but only to ensconce himself in what was called -the Tower of Guillaume de Bellême, and fight on. - -He had only thirty men with him. - -Matignon ordered to the assault a battery of five pieces of heavy -artillery, a hundred cuirassiers, seven hundred musketeers, and a -hundred pikemen. - -The attack lasted five hours; and six hundred cannon-shot were fired -into the old donjon. - -In the evening Montgommery had but sixteen men left; but he still held -out. He passed the night working at the breach like a common laborer. - -The assault began again with daybreak. Matignon had received -reinforcements during the night, and had under his command around the -tower of the Bellême donjon and its seventeen defenders fifteen -thousand soldiers and eighteen pieces of artillery! - -The courage of the besieged did not fail; but their powder was -exhausted. - -Montgommery, rather than fall into the hands of his enemies alive, -determined to fall upon his own sword; but Matignon sent him a flag of -truce, the bearer of which swore in the name of his chief "that his life -should be spared, and he should be allowed to depart." - -Montgommery thereupon gave himself up, trusting to the oath. He should -have remembered the fate of Castelnau. - -On the same day he was sent to Paris in fetters. Catherine de Médicis -at last had him in her power. It was by treachery, to be sure; but what -mattered that? Charles IX. was dead; and pending the return of Henri -III. from Poland she was queen-regent and omnipotent. - -Montgommery was dragged before parliament, and condemned to death June -26, 1574. - -For fourteen years he had been fighting against the wife and children of -Henri II. - -On the 27th of June, the Comte de Montgommery--to whom, in mere -refinement of cruelty, the extraordinary torture had been applied--was -carried to the scaffold and beheaded. His body was subsequently drawn -and quartered. - -Catherine de Médicis was present at the execution. - -Thus closed the career of that extraordinary man,--one of the noblest -and bravest souls that the sixteenth century had seen. He had never -risen above the second rank, but had always shown himself worthy of a -place in the first. His death fulfilled to the letter the predictions of -Nostradamus,-- - - - "Enfin, l'aimera, puis las! le tuera - Dame du roy." - - -Diane de Castro did not survive him. 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text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i8 {display: block; margin-left: 4em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i9 {display: block; margin-left: 4.5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i10 {display: block; margin-left: 5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i11 {display: block; margin-left: 5.5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i12 {display: block; margin-left: 6em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Two Dianas Volume 3 (of 03), by Alexandre Dumas</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Two Dianas Volume 3 (of 03)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Authors: Alexandre Dumas</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em;'>Paul Meurice</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: E. Van Meyden</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: February 6, 2022 [eBook #67339]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by Hathi Trust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TWO DIANAS VOLUME 3 (OF 03) ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/dianes03_cover.jpg" width="500" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h1>THE TWO DIANAS.</h1> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h4>BY</h4> - -<h2>ALEXANDRE DUMAS.</h2> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h3>IN THREE VOLUMES.</h3> - - -<h4>VOL. III.</h4> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h4>LONDON: J. M. DENT & CO.</h4> - -<h4>BOSTON, LITTLE, BROWN, & CO.</h4> - -<h5>1894.</h5> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="frontispiece"></a> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="center">The Fatal Joust.</p> -</div></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>ILLUSTRATIONS</h4> - -<h4>ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS</h4> - -<h4>DRAWN AND ETCHED BY E. VAN MUYDEN.</h4> - -<p class="nind"><a href="#frontispiece">The Fatal Joust</a></p> - -<p class="nind"><a href="#figure01">A Criminal's Speech against himself</a></p> - -<p class="nind"><a href="#figure02">The Forest of Château-Regnault</a></p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> - -<p class="nind">Chapter -<br /> -<a href="#chap01">I. Wherein It Seems As If The Misunderstandings<br /> -Were About To Begin Again</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap02">II. A Criminal's Speech against Himself</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap03">III. Justice</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap04">IV. Two Letters</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap05">V. A Protestant Conventicle</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap06">VI. Another Trial</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap07">VII. A Perilous Step</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap08">VIII. The Imprudence of Precaution</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap09">IX. Opportunity</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap10">X. Between two Duties</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap11">XI. Omens</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap12">XII. The Fatal Joust</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap13">XIII. A New Order of Affairs</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap14">XIV. Results of Gabriel's Vengeance</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap15">XV. Change of Temperature</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap16">XVI. Guise and Coligny</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap17">XVII. Reports and Denunciations</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap18">XVIII. A Spy</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap19">XIX. An Informer</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap20">XX. A Child King and Queen</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap21">XXI. End of the Italian Journey</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap22">XXII. Two Appeals</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap23">XXIII. A Perilous Confidence</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap24">XXIV. The Disloyalty of Loyalty</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap25">XXV. The Beginning of the End</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap26">XXVI. The Forest of Château-Begnault</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap27">XXVII. A Glimpse at the Politics of the<br /> -Sixteenth Century</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap28">XXVIII. The Tumult of Amboise</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap29">XXIX. An Act of Faith</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap30">XXX. Another Specimen of Politics</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap31">XXXI. A Ray of Hope</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap32">XXXII. Well-Guarded Slumber</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap33">XXXIII. A King's Death-Bed</a><br /> - -<a href="#chap34">XXXIV. Adieu, France!</a><br /> - -<a href="#Conclusion">Conclusion</a></p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>THE TWO DIANAS</h4> - -<p><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap01"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER I -<br /><br /> -WHEREIN IT SEEMS AS IF THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS WERE<br /> -ABOUT TO BEGIN AGAIN</h4> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill was not at once taken back to the dungeon which he -occupied in the conciergerie of Rieux. He was taken to a room adjoining -that where the court was sitting, and was left alone for a few moments. -</p> - -<p> -It might be, they told him, that after questioning his adversary, the -judges would desire to hear him further. Left to his own reflections, -the crafty scamp began by congratulating himself upon the effect he had -evidently produced by his clever and bold speech. Brave Martin-Guerre, -notwithstanding the righteousness of his cause, would surely find it -hard to be so persuasive. -</p> - -<p> -At all events Arnauld had gained time. But on thinking matters over more -carefully he could not conceal from himself that he had gained nothing -else. The truth which he had so audaciously distorted would finally -overwhelm him on all sides. Could he hope that Monsieur de Montmorency -himself, whose testimony he had dared to invoke, would take the risk of -using his position to shield the avowed misdeeds of his spy? It was -doubtful, to say the least. -</p> - -<p> -The result of Arnauld's cogitations was that he gradually relapsed from -hope to anxiety, and all things considered, said to himself that his -position was not the most encouraging in the world. -</p> - -<p> -He lowered his head under these discouraging thoughts, when some one -came to take him back to prison. -</p> - -<p> -So the tribunal had not thought best to question him further after -Martin-Guerre's explanations! Another cause for anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -All this, nevertheless, did not prevent Arnauld du Thill, who noticed -everything, from observing that it was not his ordinary jailer who had -come to take him, and was with him at that moment. -</p> - -<p> -Why the change? Were they redoubling their precautions against his -escape? Did they hope to make him confess? Arnauld determined to be on -his guard, and said not a word during the whole walk. -</p> - -<p> -But behold! another cause of amazement. The room to which this new -custodian conducted Arnauld was not the one he ordinarily occupied. -</p> - -<p> -The latter had a barred window and a high chimneypiece, which were -lacking in the other. -</p> - -<p> -However, everything bore witness to the recent presence of a -prisoner,—crumbs of bread still fresh, a half-emptied cup of water, a -straw pallet, and a half-opened chest within which could be seen a man's -clothes. -</p> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill, who was well used to restraining his emotions, made no -sign of surprise, but as soon as he found himself alone, he hastened to -overhaul the chest. -</p> - -<p> -He found nothing but clothes in it; nothing else to indicate its owner. -But the clothes were of a color and cut which Arnauld seemed to -remember. Especially two jerkins of brown cloth, and yellow tricot -breeches, which were neither of a common shade nor shape. -</p> - -<p> -"Oho," said Arnauld, "that would be strange!" -</p> - -<p> -Just as night began to fall, the unknown jailer entered. -</p> - -<p> -"Hallo, Master Martin-Guerre!" said he, laying his hand familiarly upon -the pensive Arnauld's shoulder in a way to signify that the jailer knew -his prisoner very well, even if the prisoner did not know his jailer. -</p> - -<p> -"What is the matter, pray?" Arnauld asked this very friendly official. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, it's just this, my dear fellow," the man replied; "your affair -seems to be looking brighter and brighter. Who do you suppose has -obtained leave from the judges, and now asks of yourself the favor of a -few moments' conversation?" -</p> - -<p> -"My faith, I can't imagine!" said Arnauld. "How should I know? Who can -it be?" -</p> - -<p> -"Your wife, my friend; even Bertrande de Rolles herself, who is -beginning to see, doubtless, which one of you has the right on his side. -But if I were in your place, I would refuse to receive her,—that I -would." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so?" asked Arnauld du Thill. -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" repeated the jailer. "Why, because she has denied you for so -long, of course! It is quite time for her to come over to the side of -justice and truth, just when to-morrow at the latest the decree of the -court will proclaim it publicly and officially! You agree with me, do -you not? and I will send your ungrateful spouse about her business -without ceremony." -</p> - -<p> -The jailer took a step toward the door, but Arnauld stopped him with a -gesture. -</p> - -<p> -"No, no!" said he, "don't send her away. On the other hand, I want to -see her. In short, since she has obtained leave from the judges, show -Bertrande de Rolles in, my dear friend." -</p> - -<p> -"Hum! Always the same," said the jailer. "Always easy-going and -good-natured. If you allow your wife to reassert her former ascendency -so quickly, you take a great risk. However, that's your business." -</p> - -<p> -The jailer withdrew, shrugging his shoulders compassionately. -</p> - -<p> -Two minutes later he returned with Bertrande de Rolles. It was growing -darker every instant. -</p> - -<p> -"I will leave you alone," said the jailer, "but I shall come to take -Bertrande away before it is quite dark: those are the orders. So you -have hardly a quarter of an hour; use it to quarrel or to make up, as -you choose." -</p> - -<p> -And he left the cell again. -</p> - -<p> -Bertrande de Rolles came forward, shame-faced and with bent head, toward -the pretended Martin-Guerre, who remained seated and silent, leaving it -for her to begin the conversation. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Martin!" said she at last, in a weak and hesitating voice, when she -was at his side; "Martin, can you ever forgive me?" -</p> - -<p> -Her eyes were wet with tears, and she was literally trembling in every -limb. -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive you for what?" replied Arnauld, who did not propose to commit -himself. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, for my stupid mistake," said Bertrande. "Of course I did very -wrong not to recognize you. But was there not some excuse for my -mistake, since it seems that at times you were deceived yourself? So it -was necessary, I confess, to make me believe in my error, that the whole -province, Monsieur le Comte de Montgommery, and justice, which knows -everything, should prove to me that you are my true husband, and that -the other is only a fraud and an impostor." -</p> - -<p> -"But let us see," said Arnauld; "which is the acknowledged -impostor,—the one whom Monsieur de Montgommery brought hither, or the -one whom they found in possession of Martin-Guerre's goods and name?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, the other!" replied Bertrande; "the one who deceived me so, and -whom during the last week I have still called my husband, stupid, blind -fool that I was!" -</p> - -<p> -"Aha, so the thing seems to be pretty well established now, does it?" -asked Arnauld, with emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>! yes, Martin," Bertrande replied in some confusion. "The -gentlemen of the court and your master, the worthy nobleman, told me -just now that they had no longer any doubt, and that you were surely the -true Martin-Guerre, my dear, good husband." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, indeed," said Arnauld, whose cheek paled in spite of himself. -</p> - -<p> -"Thereupon," continued Bertrande, "they gave me to understand that I -would do well to ask your forgiveness, and to become reconciled to you -before they pronounce judgment; so I asked and obtained leave to see -you." -</p> - -<p> -She stopped a moment, but seeing that her pretended husband gave no sign -of replying, she went on,— -</p> - -<p> -"It is only too certain, good Martin-Guerre, that I have been very -guilty toward you. But I implore you to reflect that it has been -entirely involuntary on my part, as I call the Holy Virgin and the child -Jesus to witness! My first mistake was the not having unmasked and -discovered the fraud of this Arnauld du Thill. But could I imagine that -there could be such a perfect resemblance in the world, and that the -good God would amuse Himself by making two of His creatures so exactly -alike? Alike in feature and in form, but not, it is true, in character -and heart; and it was that difference which should have opened my eyes, -I confess. But why? Nothing warned me to be on my guard. Arnauld du -Thill talked to me of the past just as you yourself would have done. He -had your ring and your papers, and not a single one of his friends or -relatives suspected him. I acted in good faith. I attributed the change -in your disposition to the experience you had gained in your extensive -travels. Consider, my dear husband, that under the name of that stranger -it was you whom I always loved, you to whom I submitted joyfully. -Consider that, and you will forgive me for the first mistake, which led -me—without intending it or knowing it, so help me God!—to -commit the sin for which I shall pass the remainder of my days asking -pardon from Heaven and from you." -</p> - -<p> -Bertrande de Rolles again paused in her justification to see if -Martin-Guerre would not speak to her and encourage her a little. But he -remained persistently silent, and poor Bertrande, with sinking heart, -continued,— -</p> - -<p> -"Even if it be impossible, Martin, for you to bear ill-will toward me -for this first involuntary wrong, the second, unfortunately, deserves -beyond question all your reproaches and all your anger. When you were -not at hand, I might mistake another for you; but when you had presented -yourself, and I had leisure to compare you with the other, I should have -recognized you at once. But consider whether even in that matter my -conduct does not admit of some excuse. In the first place, Arnauld du -Thill was, as you say, in possession of the title and name which belong -to you, and it was extremely repugnant to my feelings to admit a -supposition which would make me guilty. In the second place, I was -hardly allowed to see you and speak with you. When I was confronted with -you, you were not dressed in your ordinary dress, but were wrapped in a -long coat which hid your form and your gait from me. Then, too, I was -kept secluded almost as closely as Arnauld du Thill and yourself, and I -hardly saw either of you except before the court, always separately and -at a considerable distance. In the face of that terrifying resemblance, -what means had I of determining the truth? I made up my mind, almost -haphazard, in favor of him whom I had called my husband just before. I -implore you not to be angry with me for it. The judges to-day assure me -that I was mistaken, and that they have abundant proofs of it. Thereupon -I come to you, penitent and abashed, trusting only in your kind heart -and the love of former days. Was I wrong to rely thus on your -indulgence?" -</p> - -<p> -After this direct question, Bertrande made another pause; but the false -Martin still remained dumb. -</p> - -<p> -Surely, in thus renouncing Arnauld du Thill Bertrande was adopting a -curious method of softening his heart toward her; but she was acting in -perfect good faith, and committed herself more and more irrevocably to -that view which she believed to be the true one, in order to touch the -heart of him whose forgiveness she supposed herself to be imploring. -</p> - -<p> -"As for myself," she resumed humbly, "you will find my disposition much -altered. I am no longer the scornful, capricious, ill-tempered virago -who made life such a burden to you. The cruel treatment which I have -undergone at the hands of that wretched Arnauld, and which ought to have -condemned him in my eyes, has had one good result, at least,—in -bending and taming my spirit; and you may expect to find me in future as -easily managed and obliging as you yourself are gentle and kind-hearted. -For you will be gentle and kind with me as you used to be, will you not? -You are going to prove that now by forgiving me; and then I shall know you -by your good heart, as I know you already by your features." -</p> - -<p> -"So you do recognize me now, do you?" said Arnauld du Thill, at last. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, yes! indeed, I do," replied Bertrande; "but I blame myself for -having waited for the judgment and decree of the court." -</p> - -<p> -"So you do recognize me?" said Arnauld, persisting in his question. "You -do realize now that I am not that intriguing scoundrel who had the -assurance to call himself your husband no longer ago than last week, but -that I am the real, legitimate Martin-Guerre, whom you have not seen -before for many years? Look at me. Do you recognize me now, and -acknowledge me as your first and only husband?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure I do," said Bertrande. -</p> - -<p> -"By what marks do you recognize me?" asked Arnauld. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Bertrande, frankly, "only by the outward appearance of your -person, I confess. Were you beside Arnauld du Thill and dressed like -him, the resemblance is so exact that very likely I could not tell you -apart even now. I know you for my true husband because I was told that I -was to be taken to him, because you occupy this cell, and not Arnauld's, -and because you receive me with the calm severity which I deserve; while -Arnauld would be trying still to abuse me and deceive me—" -</p> - -<p> -"Wretched Arnauld!" cried Arnauld himself, harshly. "And you, weak and -credulous woman—" -</p> - -<p> -"Don't spare me!" was Bertrande's rejoinder. "I much prefer your -reproaches to your silence. When you have said to me all that you have -at heart—for I know how kind and indulgent you are—you will -soften toward me and forgive me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Very well!" said Arnauld, in a somewhat milder tone. "Don't be -downhearted, Bertrande; we will see." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" exclaimed Bertrande, "what did I say? Yes, you are, indeed, my own -dear Martin-Guerre!" -</p> - -<p> -She threw herself at his feet, and bathed his hands with her honest -tears,—for she really believed she was talking with her husband; and -Arnauld du Thill, who was observing her distrustfully, could find no -excuse for the least suspicion. Her expressions of joy and penitence -were not ambiguous. -</p> - -<p> -"Very good!" Arnauld muttered to himself; "you shall pay for all this -some day, ingrate!" -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile he seemed to give way to an irresistible impulse of affection. -</p> - -<p> -"I am weak, and I feel that I am yielding," said he, pretending to wipe -away a tear which was not there; and, as if in spite of himself, he -breathed a kiss upon the lowly head of the fair penitent. -</p> - -<p> -"What ecstasy!" cried Bertrande; "he has almost forgiven me!" -</p> - -<p> -At this moment the door opened, and the jailer reappeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Humph! Made it up, have you?" said he, testily, as his eye fell upon -the sentimental tableau presented by the happy pair. "I was sure of -it,—you're such a milksop, Martin!" -</p> - -<p> -"What's that? Do you blame him for his kind heart?" said Bertrande. -</p> - -<p> -"Ha, ha! Come, come!" said Arnauld, laughing in the most fatherly way. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, as I said before, it's his business," replied the unmoved jailer; -"and it's my business now to carry out my orders. The time has expired, -and you cannot stay a minute longer, my weeping beauty." -</p> - -<p> -"What! must I leave him already?" asked Bertrande. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes. You will have time enough to see him to-morrow and all the rest of -your days," was the reply. -</p> - -<p> -"True, he will be free to-morrow!" rejoined Bertrande. "To-morrow, dear, -we will begin again our peaceful life of former days." -</p> - -<p> -"Postpone your caresses till to-morrow, too," observed the fierce -jailer, "for now you must leave." -</p> - -<p> -Bertrande kissed once more the hand which Arnauld du Thill held out to -her royally, waved a last adieu to him, and preceded the jailer from the -cell. -</p> - -<p> -As the latter was closing the door, Arnauld called him back. -</p> - -<p> -"May I not have a light, a lamp?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, to be sure, just as you have every evening," said the jailer; -"that is, until curfew,—nine o'clock. By our Lady! we don't treat you -as harshly as Arnauld du Thill; and then, too, your master, the Comte de -Montgommery, is so generous! You are well taken care of to oblige him. -In five minutes I will bring your candle, friend Martin." -</p> - -<p> -The light was brought to him very shortly by a turnkey, who withdrew at -once, wishing the prisoner good-night, and reminding him anew to -extinguish it at curfew. -</p> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill, when he found himself alone, quickly removed the linen -suit that he wore, and clothed himself no less speedily in one of the -famous suits, composed of a brown jerkin and yellow tricot -small-clothes, which he had discovered in Martin-Guerre's chest. -</p> - -<p> -Then he burned his former costume piece by piece in the flame of his -candle, and mingled the ashes with those which were lying on the hearth. -</p> - -<p> -It was all done in less than an hour; and he was enabled to extinguish -his light and go virtuously to bed even before the curfew tolled. -</p> - -<p> -"Now, we will see!" said he. "I seem to have been beaten before the -court; but it will be very pleasant to succeed in deriving the means of -victory from my defeat." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap02"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER II -<br /><br /> -A CRIMINAL'S SPEECH AGAINST HIMSELF</h4> - -<p> -We can readily understand that sleep hardly visited Arnauld du Thill's -eyes that night. He lay stretched upon his straw litter, his eyes wide -open, entirely engrossed with reckoning up his chances, laying plans, -and marshalling his resources. The scheme he had devised, of -substituting himself for poor Martin-Guerre once more, was an audacious -one doubtless, but its very impudence endowed it with some chance of -success. -</p> - -<p> -Since luck favored him so marvellously, should he let his own audacity -betray him? -</p> - -<p> -No; he quickly adopted the course he was to follow, and left himself -free to adapt his movements to events as they might shape themselves, -and to unforeseen circumstances. -</p> - -<p> -When day broke, he examined his costume, found it unexceptionable, and -devoted himself anew to acquiring Martin-Guerre's gait and attitudes. -His mimicry of his double's good-natured demeanor was so perfect as -almost to be exaggerated. It must be confessed that the miserable -blackguard would have made an excellent comedian. -</p> - -<p> -About eight o'clock in the morning, the cell-door grated on its hinges. -</p> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill suppressed a startled movement, and assumed an air of -tranquil indifference. -</p> - -<p> -The jailer of the night before reappeared, introducing the Comte de -Montgommery. -</p> - -<p> -"The devil! now the crisis is at hand!" said Arnauld du Thill to -himself. "I must be on my guard." -</p> - -<p> -He waited anxiously for Gabriel's first word when he should look at him. -</p> - -<p> -"Good-morning, my poor Martin-Guerre," Gabriel began. -</p> - -<p> -Arnauld breathed again. The Comte de Montgommery had looked him straight -in the face as he called him by name. The misunderstanding began again, -and Arnauld was saved! -</p> - -<p> -"Good-morning, my dear, kind Master," he said to Gabriel, with an -effusiveness of gratitude which was in truth not wholly feigned. -</p> - -<p> -He had the assurance to add,— -</p> - -<p> -"Is there anything new, Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"The sentence will be pronounced this morning in all probability," -Gabriel replied. -</p> - -<p> -"At last! God be praised!" cried Arnauld. "I long for the end, I -confess. There is no conceivable doubt now,—nothing more to fear, is -there, Monseigneur? The right will surely triumph?" -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed I hope so," said Gabriel, gazing at Arnauld more intently than -ever. "That villanous Arnauld du Thill is reduced to desperate -remedies." -</p> - -<p> -"Is he really? And what infernal scheme is he hatching now?" asked -Arnauld. -</p> - -<p> -"Would you believe it?" said Gabriel; "the impostor is trying to renew -the old confusion." -</p> - -<p> -"Can it be?" cried Arnauld, with uplifted hands. "What is his pretext, -in God's name?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, he has the assurance to claim," Gabriel replied, "that after the -hearing was at an end, yesterday, the jailers made a mistake, and took -him to Arnauld's cell, and you to his." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it possible?" said Arnauld, with a capitally feigned gesture of -surprise and indignation. "What proof does he give in support of that -impudent statement,—upon what does he base it?" -</p> - -<p> -"This is what he says," said Gabriel. "It seems that he, like you, was -not taken back at once to prison yesterday. The court, when they -withdrew to consult, thought that they might desire to question one or -both of you further; so the guards left him in the vestibule below, as -they left you in the courtyard. Now he swears that was the cause of -the error, and that it had been the custom to leave Arnauld in the -vestibule and Martin in the courtyard. The jailers, when they went to -take their respective prisoners, naturally confused the one with the -other, according to his story. As for the guards concerned, they are the -same ones who 'have always had charge of the two, and these human -machines only know their prisoners, without being able to distinguish -their persons. He bases his new claims upon such absurd reasons as -those; and he is weeping and shrieking and asking to see me." -</p> - -<p> -"Have you seen him, Monseigneur?" asked Arnauld, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"My faith, no!" said Gabriel. "I am afraid of his tricks and his wiles. -He would be quite capable of deceiving me and leading me astray again. -The blackguard is so bold and clever withal." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Monseigneur defends him now!" rejoined Arnauld, feigning -discontent. -</p> - -<p> -"I am not defending him, Martin," said Gabriel; "but we must agree that -his brain is full of expedients, and that if he had applied himself to -earning an honest living with half the skill—" -</p> - -<p> -"He's an infamous villain!" cried Arnauld, vehemently. -</p> - -<p> -"How severe you are upon him to-day!" replied Gabriel. "But I was -thinking to myself as I came along, that after all he has not caused -anybody's death; that if his condemnation is pronounced in a few hours, -he will surely be hanged within a week; that capital punishment is -perhaps an excessive penalty for his crimes, and that in short we might, -if you choose, ask for mercy to be shown him." -</p> - -<p> -"Mercy for him!" Arnauld du Thill repeated with some hesitation. -</p> - -<p> -"It requires thought, I know," said Gabriel; "but come now,—you have -thought about it; what do you say?" -</p> - -<p> -Arnauld, with his chin in one hand, and rubbing his cheek with the -other, remained for some seconds pensive without replying; but at last, -having made up his mind, he said firmly,— -</p> - -<p> -"No, no! no mercy! That will be much better." -</p> - -<p> -"Oho!" replied Gabriel, "I did not know you were so vindictive, Martin; -you are not generally so, and only yesterday you were pitying your -adversary, and would have asked nothing better than to save his life." -</p> - -<p> -"Yesterday, yesterday," muttered Arnauld, "yesterday he had not played -us this last trick, which is to my mind more shameful than all the -others." -</p> - -<p> -"That is very true," Gabriel remarked. "So you are very decidedly of the -opinion that the culprit should die?" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>!" replied Arnauld, with a sanctified air, "you know, -Monseigneur, how my soul revolts at violence and revenge, and all deeds -of blood. My heart is torn to be compelled to yield to so cruel a -necessity, but it is a necessity. Consider, Monseigneur, that so long as -this man who resembles me so closely is still in the land of the living, -I can never lead a peaceful, happy life. This last bold stroke which he -has just struck shows that he is incorrigible. If he is sentenced to be -kept in prison he will escape; if he is banished he will return, and -therefore I shall always be anxious and in torment, expecting every -moment that he will come back to worry me, and unsettle my whole life -again. My friends and my wife will never be sure that they really are -dealing with me, and suspicion will always be rife. I must always be on -the watch for renewed struggles and fresh attacks on my identity. In -short, I can never say I am really in possession of my own personality. -Therefore I must in my grief and despair do violence to my character, -Monseigneur; I shall doubtless mourn all the rest of my days for having -caused the death of a fellow-creature; but it must be, it must be! -To-day's imposture removes my last scruples. Arnauld du Thill must die! -I yield to necessity." -</p> - -<p> -"So be it, then, he shall die," said Gabriel. "That is to say, he shall -die if he is condemned, for judgment has not been pronounced yet." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you say? Isn't it certain?" asked Arnauld. -</p> - -<p> -"It is probable, but not certain," was Gabriel's reply. "That devil of -an Arnauld addressed a very crafty and convincing speech to the judges -yesterday." -</p> - -<p> -"Cursed fool that I was!" thought Arnauld. -</p> - -<p> -"While you, on the other hand, Martin," continued Gabriel, "you, who -have just demonstrated to me with such admirable eloquence and -conviction the necessity for Arnauld's death, could not, you will -remember, find a single word to say before the court yesterday, nor -could you adduce a single argument or a single fact to aid in the -triumph of truth. You were confused and remained almost dumb, in spite -of my urgency. Although you had been informed as to your adversary's -arguments, you did not know how to meet and reply to them." -</p> - -<p> -"The reason is, Monseigneur," was Arnauld's response, "that I am at my -ease with you alone, while all those judges frightened me. Besides, I -confess that I relied upon the righteousness of my cause. It seemed to -me that justice would plead for me better than I could for myself. But -that seems not to be the case with these men of the law. They want -words, nothing but words, I can see now. Ah, if it could only begin -again, or if they would hear me even now!" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, what would you do, Martin?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I would pluck up a little courage, and then I would speak. It would -not be a difficult matter by any means to demolish all the proofs and -allegations of Arnauld du Thill." -</p> - -<p> -"I tell you that would not be an easy matter!" said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me, Monseigneur," replied Arnauld; "I can see the weak points in -his strategy as clearly as he can see them himself, and if I had been -less timid, and if words had not failed me, I would have told the -judges—" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what would you have told them, pray? Just tell me." -</p> - -<p> -"What would I have told them? Why, nothing could be simpler." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon Arnauld du Thill set to work to refute his speech of the -evening before, point by point. He unravelled the events and the -mistakes of the double existence of Martin-Guerre and Arnauld with so -much the more facility, because he had tangled them up himself. The -Comte de Montgommery had left certain matters still obscure in the minds -of the judges, because he had been unable to explain them to his own -satisfaction, but Arnauld du Thill elucidated them with marvellous -clearness. The result of his discourse was to show Gabriel the two -destinies of the honest man and the rascal as clearly and sharply -defined and distinguished, for all the confusion there had been in. -regard to them, as that between oil and water when put in the same -vessel. -</p> - -<p> -"Have you then been collecting information at Paris on your own -account?" asked Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Without doubt I have, Monseigneur; and in case of need I could furnish -proofs of what I say. I am not easily excited, but when I am driven into -my last intrenchments, I can make energetic sorties." -</p> - -<p> -"But," Gabriel continued, "Arnauld du Thill invoked the testimony of -Monsieur de Montmorency, and you do not reply to that." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, I do, Monseigneur. It is very true that this Arnauld has been -in the constable's service, but his was a disgraceful employment. He -must have been a sort of spy for him, and that fully explains why he -attached himself to you, to follow you about and watch your movements. -But though such people are employed, they are not acknowledged. Do you -suppose that Monsieur de Montmorency would choose to accept the -responsibility for the doings and sayings of his emissary? No, indeed! -Arnauld du Thill, perched at the bottom of the wall, would not really -dare to call upon the constable; or if he did venture in despair of his -cause, Monsieur de Montmorency would deny him. Now, to sum up—" -</p> - -<p> -And in his clear and logical resume, Arnauld successfully demolished, -bit by bit, the edifice of fraud which he had so skilfully constructed -the preceding day. -</p> - -<p> -With such facility in argument, and such a flow of words, Arnauld du -Thill would have made a very distinguished advocate of our times. He had -the misfortune to live three hundred years too soon. Let us have pity on -his shade! -</p> - -<p> -"I believe that all this is unanswerable," he remarked to Gabriel when -he had finished. "What a pity it is that the judges cannot hear me -again, or that they have not heard me now!" -</p> - -<p> -"They have heard you," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"How so?" -</p> - -<p> -"Look!" -</p> - -<p> -The door of the cell opened, and Arnauld, entirely bewildered and -somewhat alarmed, saw the president of the tribunal and two of the -judges, standing grave and motionless on the threshold. -</p> - -<p> -"What does this mean?" asked Arnauld, turning toward Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"It means," replied Monsieur de Montgommery, "that I suspected my poor -Martin-Guerre's timidity, and wished that his judges, without his -knowledge, should hear the unanswerable speech they have just heard." -</p> - -<p> -"Wonderfully well done!" rejoined Arnauld, breathing freely once more. -"I am a thousand times obliged to you, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -Turning to the judges, he said in a tone which he tried to render -bashful,— -</p> - -<p> -"May I think, may I hope, that my words have really established the -justice of my cause in the enlightened minds which are at this moment -arbiters of my destiny?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said the president; "the proofs which have been furnished us have -convinced us." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" said Arnauld du Thill, triumphantly. -</p> - -<p> -"But," continued the president, "other proofs, no less certain and -conclusive, compel us to state that there was a mistake yesterday in -remanding the two prisoners to their cells,—that Martin-Guerre was -taken to yours, Arnauld du Thill, and that you are now occupying his." -</p> - -<p> -"What!—how's that?" stammered Arnauld, thunderstruck. "What do you -say to it, Monseigneur?" he added, addressing Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"I say that I knew it," replied Gabriel, sternly. "I say again, -<i>Arnauld</i>, that I desired to make you out of your own mouth furnish -proofs of Martin's innocence and your own guilt. You have forced me, -villain, to play a part which I abhor; but your unparalleled insolence -yesterday made me understand that when one enters upon a struggle with -such as you he must use the same weapons, and that frauds can only be -conquered by fraud. However, you have left me nothing to do, but have -been in such haste to betray your own cause that your cowardice has led -you on to meet the trap that was set for you." -</p> - -<p> -"To meet the trap, eh?" echoed Arnauld. "So there was a trap, was there? -But, in any event, you are abandoning your own Martin in my person; -don't deceive yourself about that, Monseigneur!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do not persist, Arnauld du Thill," interposed the president. "The -mistake about the cells was contrived and ordered by the court. You are -unmasked beyond a peradventure, I assure you." -</p> - -<p> -"But since you agree that there was a mistake," cried the irrepressible -Arnauld, "who can assure you, Monsieur le President, that a mistake was -not made in executing your orders?" -</p> - -<p> -"The testimony of the guards and jailers," said the president. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure01"></a> -<img src="images/figure01.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="center">A Criminal's Speech against himself.</p> -</div></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -"They are in error," retorted Arnauld. "I am really Martin-Guerre, -Monsieur de Montgommery's squire, and I will not submit to be convicted -in this way. Confront me with your other prisoner, and when we stand -beside one another dare to choose between us,—dare to distinguish -Arnauld du Thill from Martin-Guerre, the culprit from the innocent! As -if there had not already been confusion enough in this cause, you must -needs add to it. Your conscience will prevent your coming to any such -conclusion. I will persist to the end, and in spite of everything, in -crying, 'I am Martin-Guerre!' and I defy the whole world to give me the -lie or to produce facts to contradict me." -</p> - -<p> -The judges and Gabriel shook their heads, and smiled gravely and -sorrowfully at this shameless and unblushing obstinacy. -</p> - -<p> -"Once more, Arnauld du Thill," said the president, "I tell you that -there is no longer any possibility of confusion between Martin-Guerre -and yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"Why not?" said Arnauld. "How can he be recognized? What mark -distinguishes us?" -</p> - -<p> -"You shall know, miserable wretch!" said Gabriel, indignantly. -</p> - -<p> -He made a sign, and Martin-Guerre appeared upon the threshold. -</p> - -<p> -Martin-Guerre without a cloak! Martin-Guerre mutilated, and with a -wooden leg! -</p> - -<p> -"Martin, my good squire," said Gabriel to Arnauld, "after miraculously -escaping from the gallows which you helped him to ascend at Noyon, was -less fortunate at Calais in avoiding an act of vengeance which was only -too justifiable, intended to punish one of your infamous deeds: he was -hurled headlong into an abyss in your stead, and compelled to suffer -amputation of one leg; but by the mysterious working of the divine will, -which is just when it appears most cruel, that catastrophe has now -served to establish a point of distinction between the persecutor and -the victim. The judges here present can no longer be deceived, since -they may now recognize the criminal by his shamelessness, and the -innocent man by his disfigurement." -</p> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill, pale and overwhelmed, and crushed beneath the terrible -words and withering glances of Gabriel, no longer tried to defend or to -deny himself; the sight of poor crippled Martin-Guerre rendered all his -lies of no effect. -</p> - -<p> -He fell heavily to the floor, an inert mass. -</p> - -<p> -"I am lost!" he muttered,—"lost!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap03"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER III -<br /><br /> -JUSTICE</h4> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill was, indeed, lost beyond recall. The judges at once met -for deliberation, and within a quarter of an hour the accused was -summoned before them to listen to the following decree, which we -transcribe literally from the records of the time:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"In consideration of the examination of Arnauld du Thill, called -Sancette, alias Martin-Guerre, now confined in the conciergerie at -Rieux: -</p> - -<p> -"In consideration of the testimony of divers witnesses, to wit, -Martin-Guerre, Bertrande de Rolles, Carbon Barreau, etc., and especially -that of Monsieur le Comte de Montgommery: -</p> - -<p> -"In consideration of the avowals of the accused himself, who, after -trying in vain to deny it, finally confessed his crime: -</p> - -<p> -"From which said examination, depositions, and avowals it appears: -</p> - -<p> -"That said Arnauld du Thill has been duly convicted of fraud, forgery, -false assumption of surname and baptismal name, adultery, rape, -sacrilege, larceny, and other crimes: -</p> - -<p> -"The court has condemned, and does now condemn and sentence said Arnauld -du Thill: -</p> - -<p> -"First. To do penance in front of the church of Artigues, on his knees, -clad only in his shirt, with head and feet bare, having a halter about -his neck, and holding in his hands a torch of burning wax: -</p> - -<p> -"Secondly. To ask pardon publicly of God and the king and the outraged -law, as well of the said Martin-Guerre and Bertrande de Rolles, husband -and wife: -</p> - -<p> -"And this done, said Arnauld du Thill shall be delivered into the hands -of the public executioner, who shall cause him to be led through the -streets and public places of the said village of Artigues, still with -the halter around his neck, until he shall be before the house of said -Martin-Guerre: -</p> - -<p> -"There to be hanged by the neck upon a gallows to be erected to that end -on that spot, and his body to be afterward burned. -</p> - -<p> -"And, in addition, the court has discharged from custody said -Martin-Guerre and said Bertrande de Rolles, and does now remand said -Arnauld du Thill to the judge of Artigues, who will cause this decree to -be carried into effect according to its form and tenor. -</p> - -<p> -"Given at Rieux the 12th day of July, 1558." -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -Arnauld du Thill listened to this anticipated judgment with a gloomy and -sombre air, although he repeated his confession, recognized the justice -of the decree, and showed some repentance. -</p> - -<p> -"I implore God's clemency," said he, "and the pardon of mankind, and am -disposed to meet my fate like a Christian." -</p> - -<p> -Martin-Guerre, who was present at this scene, furnished fresh proof of -his identity by bursting into tears at the words of his arch-enemy, -hypocritical though they might be. -</p> - -<p> -He conquered his ordinary bashfulness so far as to ask the president if -there were not some means of obtaining mercy for Arnauld du Thill, whom -he freely forgave for the past so far as he was concerned. -</p> - -<p> -But good Martin-Guerre was informed that the king alone had the right to -interpose, and that for such an extraordinary and notorious crime he -would surely refuse to exercise his right of pardon, even though the -judges themselves should ask it of him. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," Gabriel muttered to himself; "yes, the king would refuse to show -mercy. And yet he may well need that mercy should be shown himself! But -in this case he would do right to be inflexible. No mercy! Never any -mercy! Justice!" -</p> - -<p> -Martin-Guerre's thoughts probably did not resemble his master's; for in -his absolute need to forgive somebody, he at once opened his arms and -his heart to the penitent and humble Bertrande de Rolles. -</p> - -<p> -Bertrande was not even put to the trouble of repeating the prayers and -promises which in her last very useful blunder she had poured out upon -the forger Arnauld du Thill, when she believed she was speaking to her -husband. Martin-Guerre gave her no time to lament anew her errors and -her weakness. He cut short her first attempt to speak with a loud kiss, -and carried her off, triumphant and delighted, to the blissful little -house which he had not seen for so many years. -</p> - -<p> -In front of that very house, which had at last reverted to the hands of -its true owner, Arnauld du Thill, a week after his conviction, suffered -the penalty which his crimes so well deserved. -</p> - -<p> -Folks came from twenty leagues around to be present at the execution, -and the streets of the wretched village of Artigues were more densely -thronged that day than those of the capital. -</p> - -<p> -The culprit, it must be said, showed a certain amount of courage in his -last moments, and at least ended his shameful life exemplarily. -</p> - -<p> -When the executioner had cried aloud to the people three times, -according to custom: "Justice is done!" and while the crowd was slowly -melting away in horrified silence, within the house of the victim of the -culprit's wiles a man was weeping, and a woman praying; they were -Martin-Guerre and Bertrande de Rolles. -</p> - -<p> -His native air, the sight of the locality in which his youth had been -passed, the affection of his kinsfolk and his old friends, and, above -all, the loving attentions of Bertrande, in a very few days banished -from Martin's face every trace of unhappiness. -</p> - -<p> -One evening in this same month of July he was seated under the vine at -his door, after a peaceful, happy day. -</p> - -<p> -His wife was within, busy with her housekeeping cares, but Martin could -hear her coming and going, so that he was not alone; and he looked off -to the right at the sun, which was just setting in all his glory, giving -promise for the morrow of as beautiful a day as that which had just -passed. -</p> - -<p> -Martin did not see a horseman who rode up on his left, and dismounting, -approached him noiselessly. -</p> - -<p> -He stood a moment observing with a grave smile Martin's attitude of -dreamy and peaceful contemplation. Then he reached out his hand, and -without a word touched him on the shoulder. -</p> - -<p> -Martin-Guerre quickly turned, and rose with his hand to his cap. -</p> - -<p> -"What! You, Monseigneur!" he said, with much emotion. "Pardon me, I did -not see you coming." -</p> - -<p> -"Don't apologize, my good Martin," replied Gabriel (for it was he); "I -did not come to disturb your peace of mind, but on the other hand to -assure myself of it." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Monseigneur has only to look at me, then!" said Martin. -</p> - -<p> -"That's what I was doing, Martin," observed Gabriel. "So you are happy, -are you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Happier, Monseigneur, than the birds of the air or the fish in the -sea." -</p> - -<p> -"That is easily explained," returned Gabriel, "for you have found rest -and plenty in your own home." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Martin-Guerre, "without doubt that is one of the reasons of -my contentment. It may be that I have travelled sufficiently, seen -enough battles, watched and fasted and suffered in a hundred ways -sufficiently, to have earned the right, Monseigneur, to take pleasure in -refreshing myself with a few days' rest. As for the plenty," he -continued, in more serious fashion, "I have found the house well -supplied,—too well supplied, in fact. The money does not belong to -me, and I don't want to touch it. Arnauld du Thill brought it here, and I -propose to restore it to its rightful owners. Much the greater part of -it belongs to you, Monseigneur, for it was the money intended for your -ransom which he stole. That sum is put aside all ready to be handed to -you. As for the balance, it makes little difference how or where Arnauld -obtained it; the gold would soil my fingers. Master Carbon Barreau -thinks as I do, honest man, and having enough to live on, he declines to -accept the unworthy heritage of his nephew. When the expenses of the -trial are paid, the rest will go to the poor of the province." -</p> - -<p> -"But in that case your property will not amount to much, my poor -Martin," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"I ask your pardon, Monseigneur. One does not serve a master so generous -and open-handed as yourself for a long while without having something -laid by. I brought a very respectable sum in my wallet from Paris. -Besides, Bertrande's family were comfortably situated, and have left her -some property. In short, we shall still be the magnates of the -neighborhood when I have paid our debts and made all proper -restitution." -</p> - -<p> -"Touching this matter of restitution, Martin, I hope you will not refuse -from my hand that which you scorned as a legacy from Arnauld. I beg you, -my faithful servant, to keep, as a remembrance and a slight recompense, -the sum which you say belongs to me." -</p> - -<p> -"What, Monseigneur?" cried Martin,—"a gift of such magnificence to -me!" -</p> - -<p> -"Go to!" replied Gabriel; "do you imagine that I can pretend to pay you -for your devotion? Shall I not always be your debtor? Have no scruples -of pride with me, Martin, and let us say no more about it. It is -understood that you will accept the trifle that I offer you—less to -you than to me, in truth; for you tell me that you do not need this sum to -live in comfort and to be highly considered in your province, -consequently this will not add much to your happiness. Now as to this -happiness of yours; you have not spoken very fully to me about it, but -it ought to consist principally in your return to the loved spots which -your infancy and your youth knew. Am I not right?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monseigneur, that is quite true," said Martin-Guerre. "I have felt -very contented and happy since I returned, just because I am at home. I -gaze with emotion upon the houses and trees and roads, which no stranger -would ever look at a second time. In fact, it seems that one never -breathes so freely as in the air which he breathed the first day of his -life." -</p> - -<p> -"And your friends, Martin?" asked Gabriel. "I told you that I came to -set my mind at rest on all matters touching your welfare. Have you found -all your old friends again?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! Monseigneur, some have died; but I have found a goodly number of -the companions of my early days, and they all seem as fond of me as -ever. They, too, are glad to acknowledge my frankness, my faithful -friendship, and my devotion. My word! but they are ashamed that they -could ever have mistaken Arnauld du Thill for me, for he seems to have -given them some specimens of a nature very different from mine. There -were two or three of them who quarrelled with the false Martin-Guerre -because of his evil actions. You should see how proud and contented they -are now! In short, they all vie with one another in overwhelming me with -tokens of esteem and affection,—in order to make up for lost time, I -fancy. Since we are talking about the causes of my happiness, -Monseigneur, that is a very potent one, I assure you." -</p> - -<p> -"I believe it, good Martin, I can well believe it. Ah, but in speaking -of all the affection which sweetens your life you do not mention your -wife." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, my wife," replied Martin, scratching his ear with an embarrassed -air. -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure, your wife," said Gabriel, anxiously. "What! it can't be -that Bertrande still torments you as before? Has not her disposition -changed for the better? Is she still ungrateful for the kindness of -heart and the relenting fate which have given her such a loyal and -affectionate husband? Is she still trying, Martin, with her shrewish and -quarrelsome ways, to force you to leave your home and your dear old -haunts a second time?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, no, quite the contrary, Monseigneur," said Martin-Guerre; "she -makes me too fond of my haunts and my native province. She waits upon -me, coddles me, and kisses me. No more whims or domestic rebellions. Ah, -indeed she is so sweet and equable as I never remember to have seen her -before. I can't open my mouth that she doesn't come running to me; and -she never waits for me to express my wishes, but seems to divine them. -It is wonderful! and as I am naturally easy-going and good-natured -myself, rather than despotic and domineering, our life is all honey, and -our household the most united and happy one in the world." -</p> - -<p> -"I am glad to hear it," said Gabriel; "but you almost frightened me at -first." -</p> - -<p> -"The reason for that, Monseigneur, was that I feel a little -embarrassment and confusion, if I may say so, when this subject is under -discussion. The sentiment I find in my heart when I examine myself on -that subject is a very singular one, and makes me a little ashamed. But -with you, Monseigneur, I may speak in all frankness and sincerity, may I -not?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -Martin-Guerre looked carefully around to see that no one was listening, -and especially that no one was within hearing. Then he said in a low -voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Monseigneur, I not only forgive poor Arnauld du Thill, at this -moment I bless him. What a service he rendered me! He made a lamb out of -a tigress, an angel out of a devil. I welcome the fortunate results of -his brutal manners, without having to reproach myself for them. For all -tormented and harassed husbands, and they say the number of them is -enormous, I can wish nothing better than a double,—a double -as—persuasive as mine. In short, Monseigneur, although Arnauld du -Thill did most certainly cause me much annoyance and suffering, still do -you not think that those troubles are more than atoned for, if he did but -know it, by his energetic system, whereby he assured my domestic -happiness and tranquillity for the rest of my days?" -</p> - -<p> -"There's no doubt of that," said the young count, smiling. -</p> - -<p> -"I am right, then," said Martin, joyfully, "in blessing Arnauld, even -though I do it in secret, since I am reaping every hour the happy fruits -of his involuntary collaboration. I am somewhat of a philosopher, as you -know, Monseigneur, and I always look on the bright side. Therefore I am -bound to say that Arnauld has done me more good than harm at every -point. He has been my wife's husband in the interim; but he has given -her back to me sweeter than a day in June. He stole my property and my -friends from me temporarily; but thanks to him, my property returns to -my possession in increased amount, and my friends even more closely -bound to me. In fact, he was the means of subjecting me to some very -rough experiences, notably at Noyon and at Calais; but my life to-day -seems only more agreeable for his meddling with it. Wherefore I have -every reason to be, and I am, well satisfied with this good Arnauld." -</p> - -<p> -"You have a grateful heart," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, but he whom, before all and above all, my grateful heart ought to -thank and to reverence," continued Martin, becoming serious again, "is -not Arnauld du Thill, my involuntary benefactor, but you, Monseigneur, -you, to whom I really owe all these benefits,—my country, fortune, -friends, and wife!" -</p> - -<p> -"Again I repeat, enough of that, Martin," said Gabriel. "I ask only that -you should have all these good things. And you have them, haven't you? -Tell me again if you are happy." -</p> - -<p> -"I repeat, Monseigneur, I am happier than I have ever been." -</p> - -<p> -"That is all I desire to know," remarked Gabriel. "And now I must go." -</p> - -<p> -"What, go?" cried Martin. "Are you really thinking of going so soon, -Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Martin, there is nothing to keep me here." -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me, of course there is nothing. When do you mean to leave?" -</p> - -<p> -"This very evening." -</p> - -<p> -"And you never told me!" cried Martin-Guerre. "And I, sluggard! was -dreaming away in utter forgetfulness. But wait, wait, Monseigneur, it -will not be long!" -</p> - -<p> -"Wait for what?" asked Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, for me to make my preparations for departure, to be sure!" -</p> - -<p> -He rose nimbly and hastily, and ran to the door of the house. -</p> - -<p> -"Bertrande, Bertrande!" he called. -</p> - -<p> -"Why do you call your wife, Martin?" asked Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"To get my things ready, and to say adieu, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -"But that's useless, my good Martin; for you are not going with me." -</p> - -<p> -"What! You are not going to take me, Monseigneur!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, I must go alone." -</p> - -<p> -"Never to return?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not for a long while, surely." -</p> - -<p> -"What fault have you to find with me, Monseigneur, I pray you tell me?" -asked Martin, sadly. -</p> - -<p> -"None at all, my good Martin; you are the most devoted and faithful of -servants." -</p> - -<p> -"Yet you do not take me with you," returned Martin, "although it is -natural that the servant should follow his master, that the squire -should attend upon his lord." -</p> - -<p> -"I have the best of reasons for it, Martin." -</p> - -<p> -"May I venture to ask what they are, Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"In the first place," replied Gabriel, "it would be downright cruelty -for me to tear you away from this happy life which has come to you so -lately, and from the repose you have so well earned." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, as for that, it is my duty to accompany you, Monseigneur, and to -serve you to my last hour; and I would give up Paradise, I believe, for -the sake of being at your side." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, but it is my duty not to abuse your zeal, for which I am grateful -with all my heart," said Gabriel. "In the second place, the sad casualty -which befell you at Calais will not allow you hereafter to render me -such active service as you have done formerly." -</p> - -<p> -"It is true, alas! Monseigneur, that I can no longer light by your side, -or attend you in the saddle. But at Paris, at Montgommery, or in the -field even, there are many confidential commissions with which you can -still intrust the poor cripple, I hope, and which he will execute to the -best of his ability." -</p> - -<p> -"I know it, Martin; and I might perhaps be selfish enough to accept your -sacrifice were it not for a third reason." -</p> - -<p> -"May I know that, Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," Gabriel replied with melancholy gravity; "but only on condition -that you will not seek to go to the bottom of it, and that you will be -content with it, and not persist any further in following me." -</p> - -<p> -"It must be a very serious and very imperious reason, then, -Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is a sorrowful and unanswerable one, Martin," said Gabriel, in a -hollow voice. "Until now my life has been an honorable one; and if I had -chosen to allow my name to be uttered more freely it would have been a -glorious one. In fact, I believe that I may claim, without boasting, to -have rendered France and her king great and valuable services; for to -speak only of St. Quentin and Calais, I think I may say that at those -two places I discharged my debt to my country to the full." -</p> - -<p> -"Who knows it better than I?" said Martin-Guerre. -</p> - -<p> -"Very true, Martin; but in the same degree as this first part of my life -has been loyal and unselfish and open to the broad light of day, the -balance of my days will be passed in gloom and fear, always seeking to -hide itself in the darkness. Doubtless, I shall have the same vigor at -my command; but it will be exerted for a cause which I cannot avow, and -to attain an end which I must conceal. Thus far, in the open field, -before God and man, it has been my pleasure to strive manfully and -joyously for the reward of gallantry. Hereafter it is my duty, in -darkness and suffering, to avenge a crime. Hitherto I have fought; now I -must punish. From being a soldier of France I have become the executor -of the will of God." -</p> - -<p> -"Holy Jesus!" cried Martin-Guerre, with hands clasped as if in -supplication. -</p> - -<p> -"Therefore," continued Gabriel, "I must needs undertake alone this -ill-omened task,—in which I pray Heaven to employ my arm only, not my -will, and in which I desire to be merely the blind instrument, not the -guiding and directing brain. Since I ask, since I hope and trust, that -my fearful duty will employ only half of my own being, how can you think -that I would dream of associating you with it?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is very true, and I understand, Monseigneur," said the faithful -squire, with lowered head. "I thank you for having condescended to give -me this explanation, much as it grieves me; and I accept it, as I -promised to do." -</p> - -<p> -"I thank you, too, for your submissiveness," replied Gabriel; "for I -assure you that your devotion helps to lighten the heavy burden which is -almost too much for me even now." -</p> - -<p> -"But, Monseigneur, is there absolutely nothing that I can do to serve -you at this crisis?" -</p> - -<p> -"You can pray God, Martin, to spare me the necessity of taking the -initiative in this struggle, which I contemplate with such bitter pain. -You have a devout heart, and have led an honest and pure life, my -friend, and your prayers may be of more help to me now than your arm." -</p> - -<p> -"I will pray, Monseigneur, I will pray,—how ardently I need not tell -you!" -</p> - -<p> -"And now, adieu, Martin," said Gabriel; "I must leave you and return to -Paris, to be prepared and on the spot whenever it pleases God to give -the signal. All my life I have defended the right, fighting on the side -of justice; may God remember that in my favor at the supreme hour of -which I speak! May He mete out justice to His servant, even as I have -done to mine!" -</p> - -<p> -With his eyes upturned to heaven, the noble youth repeated,— -</p> - -<p> -"Justice! justice!" -</p> - -<p> -For six months past, whenever Gabriel's eyes had been open, they were -generally intently fixed upon that Heaven at whose hands he asked for -justice; when they were closed, he seemed always to see once more the -gloomy Châtelet, in his gloomier reflections, which would at such times -make him cry aloud, "Vengeance!" -</p> - -<p> -Ten minutes later he tore himself away with great difficulty from the -tearful farewells of Martin-Guerre and Bertrande de Rolles, who had come -at her husband's summons. -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, adieu, good Martin, my faithful friend!" he said, releasing his -hands almost by force from the fervent grasp of his squire, who was -kissing and sobbing over them. "I must go now. Adieu! We shall meet -again." -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, Monseigneur! God preserve you!—oh, I pray that He will -preserve you!" -</p> - -<p> -Poor Martin, choked with grief, could say no more than that. -</p> - -<p> -Through his tears he saw his master and benefactor remount his horse in -the fast-gathering darkness, which soon hid from his eyes the sombre -figure of the horseman, as it had hidden his life from him for a long -time past. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap04"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER IV -<br /><br /> -TWO LETTERS</h4> - -<p> -After the happy ending of the complicated trial between the two -Martin-Guerres, Gabriel de Montgommery disappeared again for several -months, and resumed his wandering, mysterious, and apparently -purposeless existence. Again he was seen and recognized in twenty -different places; nevertheless, he was never far away from the -neighborhood of Paris and the court, always standing back in shadow, so -that he might see everything without being seen. -</p> - -<p> -He awaited events; but events arranged themselves very little to his -liking. The soul of the young man, entirely absorbed by one idea, did -not yet see its way clear to the issue which his righteous vengeance -awaited. -</p> - -<p> -The only important occurrence in the world of politics during these -months was the conclusion of peace by the treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis. -</p> - -<p> -The Constable de Montmorency, jealous of the exploits of the Duc de -Guise, and of the new claims to the gratitude of the nation and to his -master's favor which his rival was acquiring every day, had finally -extorted Henri's consent to that treaty through the all-powerful -influence of Diane de Poitiers. -</p> - -<p> -The treaty was signed April 3, 1559. Although concluded in the full tide -of victory, it was hardly advantageous to France. -</p> - -<p> -She retained the three bishoprics Metz, Toul, and Verdun, with their -dependencies; she was to keep Calais for eight years only, and to pay -eight hundred thousand crowns to Great Britain if the place was not -restored within that period (but it never was restored, and the eight -hundred thousand crowns were never paid). France regained possession of -St. Quentin and Ham, and retained Turin and Pignerol in Piedmont. -</p> - -<p> -But Philip II. obtained unconditional cession of the strong posts of -Thionville, Marienbourg, and Hesdin. The walls of Thérouanne and Yvoy -were razed. He caused the restitution of Bouillon to the bishopric of -Liège, the Isle of Corsica to Genoa, and to Philibert of Savoy the -greater part of Savoy and Piedmont, which had been conquered under -François I.; finally, he insisted upon his own marriage with the king's -daughter Élisabeth, and that the Duke of Savoy should be united to the -Princess Marguerite. These terms were very advantageous for him, and he -could have demanded none more favorable even after the battle of St. -Laurent. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise, coming back in hot haste and furious with rage from -the army, warmly and not unjustly accused Montmorency of treason, and -the king of fatal weakness in having thus surrendered by a stroke of the -pen what the Spanish forces had failed to wrest from France after thirty -years of successful fighting. -</p> - -<p> -But the harm was done, and the ominous discontent of Le Balafré was of -no avail to repair it. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel found no satisfaction in this state of things. His vengeance -pursued the man in the person of the king, not the king to the detriment -of the nation. He would have been glad to avenge himself with his -country behind him, but not against her. -</p> - -<p> -However, he made a note in his mind of the natural resentment of the Duc -de Guise at seeing the sublime efforts of his genius paralyzed and -rendered of no account by underhand intriguing. -</p> - -<p> -The wrath of a Coriolanus might well, if occasion offered, serve to aid -Gabriel's projects. Besides, François de Lorraine was not the only -malcontent in the kingdom,—far from it. -</p> - -<p> -One day Gabriel encountered near the Pré-aux-Clercs Baron de la -Renaudie, whom he had not seen since the morning conference in the Rue -St. Jacques. -</p> - -<p> -Instead of avoiding a familiar face whenever he saw it approaching, as -he had been in the habit of doing, Gabriel accosted the baron. -</p> - -<p> -The two men seemed made to appreciate each other; they were much alike -in more than one respect,—notably in steadfastness and energy of -character. Both were born for action, and were passionately devoted to -every just cause. -</p> - -<p> -After exchanging salutations, La Renaudie said confidently,— -</p> - -<p> -"Well, I have seen Master Ambroise Paré. You are one of us, are you -not?" -</p> - -<p> -"In heart, yes; but in appearance, no," Gabriel replied. -</p> - -<p> -"And when may we expect that you will give yourself to our cause -absolutely and without concealment?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will no longer hold with you the selfish language which perhaps -angered you against me," Gabriel replied. "On the other hand, I answer -thus: I will be at your service when you need me, and when I no longer -need you." -</p> - -<p> -"That is generous, indeed!" was La Renaudie's response. "As a gentleman -I admire, but as a party man I cannot hope to imitate you. However, if -you but await the moment when we need the help of all our friends, know -that moment has arrived." -</p> - -<p> -"Pray, what has happened?" asked Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"A secret blow is in preparation against those of the Religion. They -propose to get rid of all the Protestants at once." -</p> - -<p> -"What leads you to think so?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, they scarcely take pains to hide it," replied the baron. "Antoine -Minard, President of the Parliament, said boldly at a council meeting at -St. Germain that it was necessary to strike a decisive blow, if they did -not wish to become a sort of republic like the Swiss States." -</p> - -<p> -"What! he uttered the word 'republic'?" cried Gabriel, in surprise. -"Doubtless he exaggerated the danger so that an exaggerated remedy might -be applied." -</p> - -<p> -"Not so much," rejoined La Renaudie, in a lower tone. "He did not -exaggerate very much, in truth; for we, too, have changed our views -somewhat since our meeting in Calvin's chamber, and Ambroise Paré's -ideas do not seem so bold to us to-day; and then, you see, they are -driving us to extreme measures." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case," said Gabriel, eagerly, "I may be one of you sooner than -I thought." -</p> - -<p> -"That is pleasant to hear," cried La Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -"In what direction must I keep my eyes?" asked Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Upon the parliament," said the baron, "for there the issue will be -joined. The Evangelical party has a strong minority there,—Anne -Dubourg, Henri Dufaur, Nicolas Duval, Eustache de la Porte, and twenty -others. To the harangues which call for the vigorous prosecution of -heretics, the adherents of Calvinism reply by demanding the convocation -of a general council to deal with religious affairs in accordance with -the terms of the decrees of Constance and Bâle. They have right on -their side; therefore it will be necessary to use violence against them. -But we are watching, and do you watch with us." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Remain at your house in Paris until you are notified that we have need -of you," continued La Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -"That will be painful for me," observed Gabriel; "but I will do it, -provided that you do not leave me to pine in idleness too long. You have -written and talked enough, I should think, and now you ought to lay -aside words for deeds." -</p> - -<p> -"That is my opinion," rejoined La Renaudie. "Hold yourself in readiness, -and be tranquil." -</p> - -<p> -They parted, and Gabriel walked thoughtfully away. -</p> - -<p> -In his thirst for vengeance, was he not allowing his conscience to go -astray somewhat? Already it seemed to be driving him on toward civil -war; but since events would not come to him, he must go to them. -</p> - -<p> -That same day he returned to his house in the Rue des Jardins St. Paul, -where he found his faithful Aloyse alone. Martin-Guerre was no longer -there; André had remained with Madame de Castro; Jean and Babette -Peuquoy had returned to Calais with the intention of going thence to St. -Quentin, whose gates had been opened to the loyal weaver by the treaty -of Cateau-Cambrésis. -</p> - -<p> -Thus the master's return to his lonesome abode was more melancholy even -than usual. Ah, but did not the motherly old nurse love him enough for -all? We despair of picturing the worthy creature's joy when Gabriel -informed her that he had come to stay with her for some time in all -probability. He lived in most absolute secrecy and solitude, to be sure; -but he was there by her side, and very rarely left the house. Aloyse -could feast her eyes on him, and wait upon him. It was a long time since -she had been so happy. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, smiling sadly upon her, envied her loving heart its happiness. -Alas! he could not share it with her. His life henceforth was even to -himself a terrible enigma, of which he both dreaded and longed to know -the solution. -</p> - -<p> -Thus his days passed in impatience and apprehension, anxious and bored -for more than a month. -</p> - -<p> -As he had promised his nurse, he hardly ever left the house; but -sometimes in the evening he would go and prowl around the Châtelet, and -on his return would shut himself up for hours at a time in the funeral -vault, whither the unknown bearers had secretly brought his father's -body. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel seemed to take a gloomy pleasure in going back thus to the day -when the outrage had been put upon him, that he might keep up his -courage with his wrath. -</p> - -<p> -When he looked upon the forbidding walls of the Châtelet, but above all -when he contemplated the marble tomb where the sufferings of that noble -life had finally found rest, the terrible morning when he had closed the -eyes of his murdered father came back to him in all its horror. -</p> - -<p> -Then his hands would move convulsively, his hair stand on end, and his -chest heave with passion; and he would emerge from that terrible -communion with the dead with his hatred renewed and more bitter than -ever. -</p> - -<p> -During such moments of anguish, Gabriel regretted having allowed his -vengeance to follow in the wake of circumstances, for it seemed -insupportable to him to have to wait for it. -</p> - -<p> -His blood boiled to think that while he was waiting so patiently his -murderous enemies were triumphant and joyous. The king sat peaceably on -his throne at the Louvre. The constable was growing rich on the miseries -of the people, and Diane de Poitiers rioting in infamous debauchery. -</p> - -<p> -This state of things could not last. Since God's vengeance was sleeping, -and the sufferings of the oppressed were growing daily greater, Gabriel -determined that he would do without the help of God or man, or rather -that he would constitute himself the instrument of divine justice and of -human wrath. -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon, carried away by an irresistible impulse, he would place his -hand on the hilt of his sword, and make a motion as if to go and seek -his revenge. -</p> - -<p> -But then his conscience would awake and remind him of Diane de Castro's -letter, written at Calais, in which his beloved had implored him not to -undertake to chastise with his own hand, and not to strike even the -guilty unless he were to do it involuntarily, and by the will of God. -</p> - -<p> -Then he would read again that affecting missive, and involuntarily let -his sword fall back into its scabbard. Stricken with remorse, he would -resign himself once more to wait. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel was one of those men who are born for action, but have not -executive ability. His vigor and energy were marvellous when supported -by an army, or a small party, or even one great man; but he was not -fitted by nature to carry out extraordinary achievements alone, even for -a good object, and still less when they were to end in a crime. He was -neither a powerful prince nor a startling genius by birth, and the power -and the will to take the initiative were equally lacking in him. -</p> - -<p> -When beside Coligny, and again when with the Duc de Guise, he had -accomplished marvellous exploits. But now, as he had given Martin-Guerre -to understand, his task was a very different one; instead of having -enemies to fight in the open field, he had to chastise a king, and there -was no one to assist him in that fearful work. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless he still relied upon the same men who had formerly lent him -their powerful aid,—Coligny the Protestant, and the ambitious Duc de -Guise. -</p> - -<p> -A civil war for the defence of religious truth, a revolution to assist -in the triumph of a great genius,—such were the objects of Gabriel's -secret hopes. The death or deposition of Henri II., or at all events his -punishment, would be the result of either of the uprisings. Gabriel -would show himself in the second rank, but as one worthy to be in the -first. He would faithfully keep the oath he had sworn to the king -himself; he would visit his perjury upon his children and his children's -children. -</p> - -<p> -If these two chances failed him, then he would have no other resource -but to leave everything to God. -</p> - -<p> -But it seemed at first as if these two chances were not likely to fail -him. One day, it was the 13th of June, 1559, Gabriel received two -letters almost at the same time. -</p> - -<p> -The first was handed to him about five o'clock in the afternoon by a -mysterious individual, who refused to deliver it except to himself in -person, and would not deliver it to him until he had compared his -features with the details of an exact description. -</p> - -<p> -This letter read as follows:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -FRIEND AND BROTHER,—The hour has come; the persecutors have thrown -away their masks. Let us thank God! Martyrdom leads to victory. -</p> - -<p> -This evening at nine o'clock call at the house with a brown door, Number -11 Place Maubert. -</p> - -<p> -You must strike three blows upon the door at regular intervals. A man -will open it and will say to you, "Do not enter, for you cannot see -clearly." You will reply, "I have my light with me." He will then lead -you to a stairway with seventeen steps, which you must ascend in -darkness. At the top another acolyte will thus accost you, "What do you -seek?" Reply, "What is right." You will then be shown into an -unfurnished room where some one will whisper in your ear the password, -"Genève," to which you will reply with the counter-sign, "Gloire." -Thereupon you will be at once conducted to those who have need of you -to-day. -</p> - -<p> -Till this evening, friend and brother, prudence and courage. Burn this -letter. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">L. R.</p> -</blockquote> - -<p> -Gabriel called for a lighted lamp, burned the letter in the messenger's -presence, and replied simply,— -</p> - -<p> -"I will be there." -</p> - -<p> -The man bowed and withdrew. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said Gabriel, "at last the Reformers are losing their patience." -</p> - -<p> -About eight o'clock, as he was still deep in thought concerning La -Renaudie's summons, Aloyse entered his room with a page in the Lorraine -livery. -</p> - -<p> -He brought a letter which read thus:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -MONSIEUR AND DEAR FRIEND,—I have been six weeks at Paris, having -taken my leave of the army, where there was nothing more for me to do. I am -assured that you also nave been at home for some time. Why have I not -seen you? Have you forgotten me in these days of short memories and -ingratitude? No, I know you too well; it is impossible. -</p> - -<p> -Come to me, pray. I will expect you, if you please, to-morrow morning at -ten in my apartments at the Tournelles. -</p> - -<p> -Come, if only that we may condole with each other on the profit that has -been made of our success. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">Your very affectionate friend,</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">François de Lorraine.</p> -</blockquote> - -<p> -"I will be there," said Gabriel to the page. -</p> - -<p> -When the boy had withdrawn,— -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well," he thought, "the ambitious man too is awake." -</p> - -<p> -Thus encouraged by a twofold hope, he set out a quarter of an hour -later for the Place Maubert. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap05"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER V -<br /><br /> -A PROTESTANT CONVENTICLE</h4> - -<p> -The house Number 11 Place Maubert, where La Renaudie had appointed a -rendezvous with Gabriel, belonged to an advocate named Trouillard. It -was already vaguely pointed at among the people as a place of resort for -heretics; and the fact that psalms were sometimes heard sung there in -the evening gave some credibility to these dangerous rumors. But after -all they were only rumors, and it had never occurred to the police to -investigate them. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel had no difficulty in finding the brown door, and following his -instructions, he knocked three times at regular intervals. -</p> - -<p> -The door opened as if of itself, but a hand seized Gabriel's in the -darkness within, and a voice said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Do not enter, for you cannot see clearly." -</p> - -<p> -"I have my light with me," replied Gabriel, following the formula -prescribed by the letter. -</p> - -<p> -"Enter, then," said the voice, "and follow the hand that guides you." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel obeyed, and took a few steps in that way; then the hand released -its hold, and the voice said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Go on by yourself now." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel felt with his foot the first step of a staircase; he ascended, -counting seventeen steps, then stopped. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you seek?" said a different voice. -</p> - -<p> -"What is right," was his reply. -</p> - -<p> -A door opened at once in front of him, and he entered a room very dimly -lighted. -</p> - -<p> -A man was there alone; he approached Gabriel and said in a low tone,— -</p> - -<p> -"Genève." -</p> - -<p> -"Gloire," returned the young count at once. -</p> - -<p> -The man then struck a bell, and La Renaudie himself entered by a -concealed door. -</p> - -<p> -He came directly to Gabriel and pressed his hand affectionately. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know what took place in parliament to-day?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"I have not left my house until now," replied Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"You will learn all about it here, then," said La Renaudie. "You have -not yet bound yourself to us, but no matter; we will bind ourselves to -you. You shall know our plans, and our strength; there shall be nothing -concealed from you henceforth in the affairs of our party, while you may -remain free to act alone or with us as you choose. You have told me that -you were one of us in spirit, and that is sufficient. I do not even ask -your word as a gentleman not to disclose anything that you may see or -hear. With you it is a needless precaution." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks for your confidence," said Gabriel, much affected. "I will give -you no cause to repent it." -</p> - -<p> -"Come in with me," continued La Renaudie, "and stay by my side; I will -tell you the names of those of our brethren whom you do not know. You -can judge for yourself of everything else. Come." -</p> - -<p> -He took Gabriel's hand, pressed the secret spring of the concealed door, -and together they entered a large oblong hall, where about two hundred -persons were gathered. -</p> - -<p> -A few torches scattered here and there cast only a dim light upon the -moving groups. Otherwise there was no furniture, nor hangings, nor -seats; a common wooden pulpit for the preacher or orator,—that was -all. -</p> - -<p> -The presence of a score or so of women explained, but did not justify -(let us hasten to say), the scandalous reports which were spread among -the Catholics as to these secret nocturnal meetings of the Reformers. -</p> - -<p> -No one noticed the entrance of Gabriel and his guide. All eyes and all -thoughts were fixed upon him who stood on the rostrum at that moment, a -sectary of sad mien and grave speech. -</p> - -<p> -La Renaudie told Gabriel his name. -</p> - -<p> -"It is Nicolas Duval, a councillor of parliament," he said beneath his -breath. "He is just beginning to describe what took place to-day at the -Augustins. Listen." -</p> - -<p> -And Gabriel listened. -</p> - -<p> -"Our regular place of meeting at the palace," the orator continued, -"being occupied by the preparations for the celebration of Princess -Élisabeth's marriage, we sat temporarily for the first time at the -Augustins; and in some mysterious way the appearance of that -unaccustomed apartment made us from the very first feel a vague -presentiment that something out of the usual course would occur. -</p> - -<p> -"However, Giles Lemaître, the president, opened the sitting in the -customary form; and there seemed to be nothing to justify the -apprehensions by which some of us had been disturbed. -</p> - -<p> -"The question that had been discussed the Wednesday preceding was -reopened. It related to the regulation of religious opinion. Antoine -Fumée, Paul de Foix, and Eustache de la Porte spoke successively in -favor of toleration, and their eloquent and vigorous language seemed to -have made a marked impression on the majority. -</p> - -<p> -"Eustache de la Porte resumed his seat amid loud applause, and Henri -Dufaur was just opening his mouth to complete the conquest of those who -were still hesitating, when suddenly the great door opened, and the -usher of parliament announced in a loud voice, 'The king!' -</p> - -<p> -"The president did not seem in the least surprised, but descended -hastily from his chair to meet the king. All the members arose in -confusion, some altogether amazed, others very calm, as if they quite -anticipated the event. -</p> - -<p> -"The king entered, accompanied by the Cardinal de Lorraine and the -constable. -</p> - -<p> -"'I do not come to disturb your labors, Messieurs of the parliament,' he -said in the first place, 'but to assist them.' -</p> - -<p> -"After a few meaningless compliments, he concluded his remarks thus:— -</p> - -<p> -"'Peace has been concluded with Spain; but the fomenters of scandalous -heresies have taken advantage of the wars in which we have been engaged -to gain a foothold in the kingdom; and they must be stamped out, now -that the war is over. Why have you not ratified the edict against the -Lutherans which I caused to be submitted to you? However, I repeat, go -on freely in my presence with the deliberations you have already begun.' -</p> - -<p> -"Henri Dufaur, who had the floor, boldly resumed his speech at the -king's command, pleaded earnestly for liberty of conscience, and even -ventured to add to his outspoken discourse some sorrowful but severe -strictures upon the measures adopted by the king's government. -</p> - -<p> -"'Do you complain of disturbances?' he cried. 'Very well, we know their -author.' I might reply as Elias replied to Ahab, "It is thou who -tormentest Israel!"' -</p> - -<p> -"Henri II. bit his lips and turned pale, but said nothing. -</p> - -<p> -"Then Dubourg rose, and gave utterance to still more direct and weighty -remonstrances. -</p> - -<p> -"'I consider, Sire,' said he, 'that there are certain crimes which -should be pitilessly punished, such as adultery, blasphemy, and perjury, -but which are condoned every day amid the prevailing licentiousness of -the time. But of what are the men accused who are thus to be delivered -over to the hand of the executioner? Is it of <i>lèse-majesté</i>? They -never omit the name of the prince in their prayers. They have never -preached revolution or treason. What! Because they have discovered the -great vices and the shameful shortcomings of the Roman hierarchy, by the -light of the Holy Scriptures, and because they have demanded that they -should be reformed, have they assumed a license which makes them worthy -of the stake?' -</p> - -<p> -"Still the king never moved; but we could see that he was with -difficulty restraining an outburst of indignation. -</p> - -<p> -"Giles Lemaître, the president, basely essayed to foment his mute -wrath. -</p> - -<p> -"'Talk about heretics!' cried he, with feigned indignation. 'Let us deal -with them as with the Albigenses; Philippe Auguste burned six hundred of -them in one day.' -</p> - -<p> -"This violent language perhaps served our cause better than the more -moderate steadfastness of our friends. It became evident that the final -result would be at least evenly balanced. -</p> - -<p> -"Henri II. understood that, and determined to carry everything with a -sudden <i>coup d'état</i>. -</p> - -<p> -"'Monsieur le Président is right,' said he; 'we must put an end to -these heretics, or they will escape us. To begin with, Monsieur le -Connétable, let those two rebels be arrested on the spot.' -</p> - -<p> -"With his finger he pointed out Henri Dufaur and Anne Dubourg, and then -hurriedly left the hall, as if he could no longer contain himself. -</p> - -<p> -"I need not tell you, friends and brothers, that Monsieur de Montmorency -obeyed the king's orders. Dubourg and Dufaur were seized and carried -away while occupying their seats as councillors of parliament, and we -were left in utter consternation. -</p> - -<p> -"Giles Lemaître alone found courage to speak:— -</p> - -<p> -"'It is just,' said he. 'So may all those be punished who dare to fail -of respect to the majesty of royalty!' -</p> - -<p> -"But as if to give the lie to his words, the guards at that moment -entered the hall, and proceeded to execute orders which they produced, -by arresting De Foix, Fumée, and De la Porte, all of whom had spoken -before the king appeared at all, and had confined themselves to -defending the principle of toleration in matters of religion, without -suggesting the least reproach against the sovereign. -</p> - -<p> -"Thus it became evident that it was not for their remonstrances uttered -in the king's presence, but simply for their religious opinions, that -five members of parliament, inviolable by law, had been charged with a -capital crime, by means of a shameful subterfuge." -</p> - -<p> -Nicolas Duval ceased to speak. Mutterings of grief and anger had -interrupted him twenty times, only to follow more closely than ever his -description of that momentous and stormy session, which to us at this -distance in time seems as if it must have been told of another assembly, -and bears a startling resemblance to scenes that were enacted two -hundred and thirty years later. -</p> - -<p> -But there was this important difference,—that at the later epoch it -was liberty and not royalty which had the last word to say! -</p> - -<p> -The minister David followed Nicolas Duval upon the rostrum. -</p> - -<p> -"Brothers," said he, "before we take counsel together, let us lift up -our voices and our hearts to God with a psalm, that He may quicken the -spirit of truth in us." -</p> - -<p> -"Psalm forty!" cried several voices in the assemblage, and they all -began to sing the stirring words of that psalm. -</p> - -<p> -It was an extraordinary selection to calm excited imaginations. It was -much more like a strain of menace, it must be confessed, than like a -prayer for guidance. -</p> - -<p> -But wrath was uppermost at that moment in those sturdy souls, and it was -with marvellous impressiveness that all present joined in singing these -verses, in which the lack of poetic talent was replaced by the emotion -which animated them:— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Gens insensés, où avez-vous les cœurs</span><br /> -<span class="i4">De faire guerre à Jésus-Christ?</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Pour soutenir cet Ante-Christ,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Jusques à quand serez persécuteurs?</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Traîtres abominables!</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Le service des diables,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Vous allez soutenant:</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Et de Dieu les édits</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Par vous sont interdits</span><br /> -<span class="i4">À tout homme vivant."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -The last stanza was especially significant:— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"N'empêchez plus la predication,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">De la parole et vive voix</span><br /> -<span class="i4">De notre Dieu, le roi des rois!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Où vous verrez sa malédiction,</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Sur vous, prompte s'étendre,</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Qui vous fera descendre</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Aux enfers ténébreux,</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Où vous serez punis</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Des maux qu'avez commis</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Par tourmens douloureux."<a name="FNanchor_2_1" id="FNanchor_2_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_1" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -The psalm at an end, it was as if this appeal to God had relieved the -oppressed heart at once; silence was restored, and the assemblage was in -readiness to deliberate. -</p> - -<p> -La Renaudie was the first to speak, in order to state concisely the -condition of affairs and its import. -</p> - -<p> -"Brothers," said he, from where he stood on the floor, "being thus -brought face to face with an unprecedented proceeding which overturns -all preconceived notions of right and justice, we have now to decide -what course of conduct should be adopted by the adherents of the -Reformed religion. Shall we still suffer our burdens patiently, or shall -we act? Such are the questions which each one of us must propound to his -own conscience and answer according to its dictates. You see that our -oppressors propose nothing less than a general massacre, and propose to -strike us out from the list of the living, as one erases a badly written -word from a manuscript. Shall we wait like sheep for the fatal blow; or -shall we rather (since law and justice are thus violated by those very -persons whose sacred duty it is to protect them) try to do justice with -our own hands, and to that end temporarily substitute force for law? It -is for you to reply, friends and brothers." -</p> - -<p> -La Renaudie made a short pause, as if to afford time for all their -intellects to digest the momentous question; then he resumed, desirous -at once to facilitate and hasten the conclusion:— -</p> - -<p> -"Those whom the cause of religion and of truth should hand together are -unfortunately, as we all know, divided into two factions,—that of -Geneva, and that of the nobility; but when face to face with danger and -a common foe, it is fitting, it seems to me, that we should have only -one heart and one will. The members of both factions are alike invited -to state their opinions and suggest the remedies that occur to them. The -advice which offers the best chance of success should be unanimously -adopted, from whatever quarter it comes; and now, my friends and -brothers, speak freely and confidently." -</p> - -<p> -La Renaudie's speech was followed by a considerable period of -hesitation. -</p> - -<p> -Those who listened to him were lacking in just those two qualities, -courage and confidence; and in the first instance, notwithstanding the -bitter indignation which really filled all their hearts, the power of -royalty then enjoyed such great prestige that the Reformers, who were -novices at conspiring, did not dare to express at once and without -reserve their ideas on the subject of armed rebellion. They were devoted -to their opinions, and determined as a body; but each individual -recoiled before the responsibility of striking the first blow. They were -all ready to follow, but no one dared to lead. -</p> - -<p> -Then, too, as La Renaudie had said, they were suspicious of one another; -neither of the two parties knew whither the other would lead it; and -their objects were, in truth, too dissimilar to make the choice of roads -and guides a matter of indifference to them. -</p> - -<p> -The Geneva faction were really aiming at the foundation of a republic, -while that of the nobility simply desired to bring about a change of -dynasty. -</p> - -<p> -The elective forms of Calvinism, the principle of equality which was -everywhere inculcated by the new church, tended directly toward the -republican system as it was in vogue in the Swiss cantons; but the -nobility did not wish to go so far, and would have been content, in -accordance with the advice of Élisabeth of England, to depose Henri -II., and replace him with a Calvinist king. The Prince de Condé's name -was whispered about as a suitable selection. -</p> - -<p> -It would be difficult to imagine two more diametrically opposed elements -co-operating in a common cause. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore, Gabriel saw regretfully that after La Renaudie's address the -two almost hostile camps eyed each other askance, without appearing to -think of drawing conclusions from the premises he had so boldly laid -down. -</p> - -<p> -A moment or two passed in this unfortunate indecision, amid a confused -murmuring of many voices. La Renaudie could but ask himself whether he -had not, by being too blunt and outspoken, unwittingly done away with -all the effect of Nicolas Duval's recital; but having started on that -course, he determined to put everything to the touch, to win or lose -all, and so he thus addressed a thin, puny little man with bristling -eyebrows and bilious appearance, who made one of a group near him:— -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Lignières, are you not going to speak to our brothers, and tell -them what you have at heart?" -</p> - -<p> -"So be it!" replied the little man, and his gloomy countenance lighted -up. "I will speak; but I will not yield an inch, or extenuate anything." -</p> - -<p> -"Go on,—you are among friends," said La Renaudie. While Lignières was -on his way to the rostrum the baron whispered to Gabriel,— -</p> - -<p> -"That is a dangerous instrument to make use of Lignières is a -fanatic,—whether in good or bad faith I know not,—who urges -everything to extremes, and is always more repellent than attractive. But -no matter! We must know at any price what we have to rely upon, must we -not?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Gabriel, "so that all these closed hearts may open to emit -the truth." -</p> - -<p> -"Lignières and his doctrines hot from Geneva will wake them up, never -fear," rejoined La Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -The orator plunged at once <i>in médias res</i>. -</p> - -<p> -"The law has brought about its own condemnation," said he. "What -resource remains? An appeal to force, and nothing else. You ask what we -ought to do! If I do not reply to that question, here is something which -will reply for me." -</p> - -<p> -He held up a silver medal. -</p> - -<p> -"This medal," he continued, "is far more eloquent than any words of -mine. For the benefit of those who are too far away to see it I will say -what it represents. It bears the image of a flaming sword cutting off -the blossom of a lily, whose stalk bends and falls near by; the sceptre -and the crown are rolling in the dust." -</p> - -<p> -Then he added, as if he feared that he might be misunderstood,— -</p> - -<p> -"Medals ordinarily serve to commemorate accomplished facts; may this one -serve as prophetic of something yet to occur! I will say no more." -</p> - -<p> -Indeed, he had said enough. He came down from the pulpit amid the -plaudits of an inconsiderable portion of the assembly, and the in -mutterings of a much larger number. -</p> - -<p> -But the general attitude was of stupefied silence. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said La Renaudie, in a low voice, to Gabriel, "that is clearly -not the right chord to strike. We must try another." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Baron de Castelnau," he continued aloud, addressing a young -man of thoughtful appearance and handsomely clad, who was leaning -against the wall ten feet from him,—"Monsieur de Castelnau, have you -not a word to say to us?" -</p> - -<p> -"I might perhaps have had nothing to say independently; but I should -like to say a word or two in reply," the young man responded. -</p> - -<p> -"We are all attention," said La Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -"This young man," he added, speaking in Gabriel's ear again, "belongs to -the party of the nobility; and you should have seen him at the Louvre -the day you brought the news of the capture of Calais. Castelnau is -frank, loyal, and brave. He will set up his flag as boldly as -Lignières, and we shall see if he will be received any more warmly." -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau mounted one of the steps of the rostrum, and spoke from that -slight elevation. -</p> - -<p> -"I will begin," he said, "like the orators who have preceded me. We have -been iniquitously attacked; let us use like weapons to defend ourselves. -Let us do in the open field, amid the panoply of war, what they have -done in parliament among the red robes! But I differ in opinion from -Monsieur de Lignières as to the rest. I, too, have a medal to show you. -Here it is; it is not his. From a distance it seems to you to resemble -the crowns from the royal mint which we carry in our purses, and in -fact, like them, it does bear the stamp of a crowned head; but in lieu -of 'Henricus II, rex Galliæ,' its legend reads, 'Ludovicus XIII., rex -Galliæ.'<a name="FNanchor_3_1" id="FNanchor_3_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_1" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> I have done." -</p> - -<p> -The Baron de Castelnau left his place with his head proudly erect. His -allusion to the Prince de Condé was flagrant. Those who had applauded -Lignières muttered at his words, and vice versa. -</p> - -<p> -But the large majority of those present were still motionless and -speechless between the two minorities. -</p> - -<p> -"What do they want, pray?" Gabriel softly asked La Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -"I am afraid that they don't want anything," was the baron's reply. -</p> - -<p> -At that moment the advocate Des Avenelles asked a hearing. -</p> - -<p> -"This is their man, I fancy," La Renaudie remarked. "Des Avenelles is my -host when I am in Paris,—an honest and sagacious fellow, but too -cautious, almost to timidity even. His word will be law with them." -</p> - -<p> -Des Avenelles from the beginning justified La Renaudie's prediction. -</p> - -<p> -Said he: "We have listened to many bold and even audacious words; but -has the moment really arrived to utter them? Are we not going a little -too fast? We are shown a very worthy and lofty purpose, but not a word -is said as to the means of attaining it. They must needs be criminal. My -heart is more oppressed by the severities to which we are subjected than -that of any other member of this assemblage. But when we have so many -prejudices to overcome, should we add to the burden by casting upon the -cause of our religion the odium of an assassination?—yes, of an -assassination; for you cannot obtain by any other means the result which -you dare to propose." -</p> - -<p> -Des Avenelles was interrupted by almost unanimous applause. -</p> - -<p> -"What did I say?" whispered La Renaudie. "This advocate is the real -expositor of their views." -</p> - -<p> -Des Avenelles continued,— -</p> - -<p> -"The king is in the very bloom and flower of his vigor. To wrest the -throne from him, he must be hurled headlong from it. What living man -would take upon himself that act of violence? Kings are divine, and God -only has the right to govern them. Ah, suppose that some accident, some -unforeseen ill, some blow struck by a private hand, should take away the -king's life at this moment, and leave the guardianship of an infant -monarch in the hands of those arrogant subjects who are our veritable -oppressors!—then it would be this guardianship, and not royalty -itself, the Guises and not François II., against whom our attacks would be -directed. Civil war would be not only justifiable but laudable, and -revolution a sacred duty, and I would be the first to cry, 'To arms!'" -</p> - -<p> -This energetic moderation moved the assembly to admiration; and fresh -tokens of approbation were showered upon Des Avenelles as a recompense -for his prudent courage. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" muttered La Renaudie to Gabriel, "I regret now having asked you to -come, for you will begin to compassionate us." -</p> - -<p> -But Gabriel, lost in thought, was saying to himself,— -</p> - -<p> -"No, I have no right to reproach them for their weakness, for it is much -like my own. While I was secretly relying upon them, they seem to have -been relying upon me." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean to do, pray?" cried La Renaudie to his triumphant -host. -</p> - -<p> -"To maintain a legal attitude and wait!" replied the advocate, firmly. -"Anne Dubourg, Henri Dufaur, and three others of our friends in -parliament have been arrested; but who says that they will dare to -convict them, or even to accuse them? My opinion is that any overt act -of violence on our part would result simply in provoking reprisals on -the part of those in authority. And who knows that our moderation may -not be the salvation of the victims? Let us have the tranquillity of -conscious strength, and the dignity which befits a righteous cause. Let -us leave all the wrong-doing to our persecutors. Let us wait. When they -see that we are moderate in our demands, but resolute, they will think -twice before declaring war upon us,—just as I implore you, friends -and brothers, to think twice before you give them the signal for -reprisals." -</p> - -<p> -Des Avenelles ceased, and the applause was renewed. -</p> - -<p> -The advocate, vain of his success, desired to confirm his victory. -</p> - -<p> -"Let all who agree with me raise their hand," he added. -</p> - -<p> -Almost every hand was raised to assure Des Avenelles that he had spoken -the mind of the gathering. -</p> - -<p> -"Let us see, then," said he: "our decision is—" -</p> - -<p> -"To decide nothing at all," interposed Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -"To postpone until a more favorable moment any extreme measures," Des -Avenelles concluded, casting an angry glance at the interrupter. -</p> - -<p> -The minister David suggested singing another psalm to beseech God to -deliver the poor prisoners. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, let us be going," said La Renaudie to Gabriel; "all this annoys -and angers me. These people only know how to sing. They have nothing -seditious but their psalms." -</p> - -<p> -When they were on the street they walked along in silence, both deeply -absorbed in their reflections. -</p> - -<p> -At the Pont Notre Dame they parted, La Renaudie returning to the -Faubourg St. Germain, and Gabriel going toward the Arsenal. -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, Monsieur d'Exmès," said the former. "I am sorry to have caused -you to waste your time thus. But believe me, I pray, when I assure you -that this is not our last word. The prince, Coligny, and some of our -most reliable heads were absent this evening." -</p> - -<p> -"My time with you has not been wasted," replied Gabriel. "You will be -convinced of that very shortly." -</p> - -<p> -"So much the better, so much the better," rejoined La Renaudie. -"Nevertheless, doubt—" -</p> - -<p> -"Have no doubt at all," said Gabriel. "It was necessary for me to know -if the Protestants were really beginning to lose patience. It is of more -use to me than you can imagine to have learned that they are not tired -out yet." -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Ye men of wrath, why thus conspire ye</span><br /> -<span class="i2">To wage mad war against your Saviour Christ,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">By showing favor to this Anti-Christ,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Till ye yourselves shall persecutors be?</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Ye doers of evil,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">The works of the Devil,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">You thus are upholding:</span><br /> -<span class="i4">And with impious hands</span><br /> -<span class="i4">From the Lord's high commands</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Are the people withholding."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_1" id="Footnote_2_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_1"><span class="label">[2]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"No longer now, with loud unseemly noise,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Seek to delay the utterance of the word</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Of the great King of Kings, our God the Lord!</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Else shall His malediction from the skies,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Upon ye descending,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">To woe never-ending</span><br /> -<span class="i2">In hell's darkest recess</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Consign ye, to languish</span><br /> -<span class="i4">In torment and anguish</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Your sins to redress."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_3_1" id="Footnote_3_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_1"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>These two rare and curious medals are to be seen to-day -in the "Cabinet des Médailles."</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap06"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER VI -<br /><br /> -ANOTHER TRIAL</h4> - -<p> -The disaffection of the Protestants having failed him, there remained -still one more hope of assistance for Gabriel in his thirst for -vengeance; namely, that furnished by the ambition of the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -Consequently he was very prompt the next morning at ten o'clock in -keeping the appointment François de Lorraine had made with him at the -Tournelles. -</p> - -<p> -It was evident that the young Comte de Montgommery was expected; for as -soon as his name was announced he was shown into the presence of him who -was now called the conqueror of Calais, thanks to Gabriel's daring -scheme. -</p> - -<p> -Le Balafré came eagerly forward to meet him, and grasped both his hands -affectionately. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, here you are at last, my forgetful friend," said he. "I have been -obliged to send for you, to follow you into your retirement, and if I -had not done so God only knows when I should have seen you! Why is it? -Why have you not been to visit me since my return?" -</p> - -<p> -"Monseigneur," said Gabriel, in a low tone, "much distressing -anxiety—" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! There it is! I was sure of it!" the duke interrupted him. "So they -were false, were they, to the promises they made you h They deceived -you, and insulted and tormented you. Oh, I was very suspicious that -there was some infamy at the bottom of it all! My brother, the Cardinal -de Lorraine, who was present when you arrived at the Louvre from Calais, -and heard you spoken of as the Comte de Montgommery, imagined, with his -priestly keenness, that you were destined to be the dupe or the victim -of those people. Why did you not apply to him? He might have been of -some assistance to you in my absence." -</p> - -<p> -"I thank you, Monseigneur," replied Gabriel, gravely, "but you are -mistaken, I assure you. All their promises to me were redeemed with the -utmost exactitude." -</p> - -<p> -"Oho, but you have such a way of saying it, my friend!" -</p> - -<p> -"I speak as I feel, Monseigneur; but I will repeat that I make no -complaints, and that the promises upon which I relied have been -fulfilled—to the letter. So let us talk no more of my affairs, I beg, -for you know that subject of conversation was never agreeable to -me, and it is to-day more painful than ever. I ask you, Monseigneur, in -pity not to insist upon your kindly meant inquiries." -</p> - -<p> -The duke was struck with Gabriel's dolorous tone. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, my friend," said he; "I shall be afraid now of touching -unintentionally upon some one of your scarcely healed scars, and I will -question you no further about yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks, Monseigneur," was Gabriel's reply, in a dignified tone, by no -means free from emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"But I wish you to be sure of this," continued Le Balafré, "that at all -times and places, and for any purpose whatsoever, my influence, my -fortune, and my life are at your service, Gabriel; and that if I am ever -to be so fortunate as that you should need my help, you have but to hold -out your hand to grasp mine." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks, Monseigneur," Gabriel said again. -</p> - -<p> -"That being agreed between us," said the duke, "on what subject is it -your pleasure that we should converse?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, of yourself, Monseigneur," replied the young count,—"of your -glory and of your future plans; those are the subjects which interest -rue. In them you will find the magnet which has drawn me to you in all -haste at your first call." -</p> - -<p> -"My glory? my plans for the future?" retorted François de Lorraine, -with a shake of the head. "Alas! those are gloomy subjects of -conversation for me as well." -</p> - -<p> -"What mean you, Monseigneur?" Gabriel exclaimed. -</p> - -<p> -"What I say, my friend. Yes, I confess that I did think I had won some -renown; it seemed to me that my name deserved to be pronounced with some -respect in France to-day, and with a certain degree of awe throughout -Europe. And since my not unworthy past made it my duty to think of the -future, I was forming plans based upon my reputation, and dreaming of -great achievements,—great for my country, and for myself as well. I -would have accomplished them, I have faith to believe—" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Monseigneur?" said Gabriel, inquiringly. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Gabriel, since my return to this court six months since, I have -ceased to believe in my glory, and have abandoned all my plans." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so, in God's name?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, in the first place, don't you know of the shameful treaty with -which they have crowned our victories? If we had been forced to raise -the siege of Calais, if the English still had the gateways of France in -their hands,—in short, if defeat at all points had demonstrated the -insufficiency or incompetency of our forces, and the impossibility of -continuing an unequal conflict, we could not have been asked -to sign a more unfavorable and dishonorable treaty than that of -Cateau-Cambrésis." -</p> - -<p> -"That is true, Monseigneur," Gabriel remarked; "and every one grieves to -think that such a magnificent harvest yielded so little fruit." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, well," rejoined the duke; "how can you expect me to sow for people -who know so little about reaping? And then, too, have they not forced me -to remain ingloriously idle by this glorious peace of theirs? There is -my sword, doomed for a long time to rust in its scabbard. War everywhere -at an end, at whatever cost, puts an end at the same time to my fair -dreams of glory; and between ourselves that was one of the main objects -sought to be accomplished." -</p> - -<p> -"But you are no less mighty even in this forced inaction, Monseigneur," -said Gabriel. "You are respected at court, worshipped by the people, and -dreaded by foreign nations." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I believe I am beloved at home, and feared abroad," Le Balafré -replied; "but do not tell me, my friend, that I am respected at the -Louvre. While they are thus publicly reducing to nought the certain -results of our success, they are threatening my private influence as -well. When I returned from the North, whom did I find in greater favor -than ever? That insolent, beaten hound of St. Laurent fame,—that -Montmorency, whom I detest!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, no more than I do, surely!" muttered Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"It was by his influence and for his own purposes that this peace for -which we are all blushing was concluded. Not content with thus making my -efforts appear of less account, he was very careful to look after his -own interests in the treaty, and to have the amount of his ransom after -being taken prisoner at St. Laurent repaid to him,—for the second or -third time, I believe! To such a degree does he speculate upon his -defeat and disgrace." -</p> - -<p> -"And does the Duc de Guise enter upon a rivalry with such as he?" asked -Gabriel, with a disdainful smile. -</p> - -<p> -"He shudders at the thought, my friend; but you can see that it is -forced upon him! You can see that Monsieur le Connétable is protected -by something stronger than glory or renown,—by some person more -powerful than the king himself! You can see that my services can never -equal those of Madame Diane de Poitiers, whom may the lightning wither!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, that God might listen to you!" muttered Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"What has that woman done to the king, in Heaven's name?" continued the -duke. "Are the people really in the right when they speak of philters -and charms? For my part, I believe that they are bound together by some -stronger tie than love. It cannot be passion alone which thus -indissolubly connects them; it must be fellowship in crime. I would -swear that remorse has a place among their souvenirs of the past, and -that they are more than lovers,—they are accomplices!" -</p> - -<p> -The Comte de Montgommery shivered from head to foot. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you not agree with me, Gabriel?" Le Balafré asked him. -</p> - -<p> -"I do, indeed, Monseigneur," replied Gabriel, in a hollow voice. -</p> - -<p> -"And to put the finishing touch to my humiliation," the duke went on, -"do you know, my friend, what reward I found awaiting me here at Paris, -over and above the monstrous treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis? The immediate -revocation of my appointment as lieutenant-general of the kingdom. These -extraordinary functions became unnecessary in time of peace, so I was -told; and without a word of warning, without even a word of thanks, they -erased that title, just as one throws upon the dust-heap a piece of -drapery which is of no further use." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it possible that no more consideration than that was shown you?" -cried Gabriel, desirous to add fuel to the fire which was burning in -that incensed heart. -</p> - -<p> -"Why should they show more consideration to a superfluous servant?" said -the duke, with clinched teeth. "As for Monsieur de Montmorency, that is -another affair altogether. He was and he remains constable. That, mind -you, is an honor of which they do not think of depriving him, and which -he has earned by forty years of defeat and failure! Oh, by the cross of -Lorraine, if the war-wind blows again, they may come and go on their -knees to me and implore me, and call me the savior of my country! I will -send them to their constable then; let him save them if he can. That is -his business, and the duty that devolves upon the office he holds. But -for myself, since they condemn me to idleness, I accept the sentence, -and will take my ease until the dawn of better days." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, after a pause, replied with much gravity of manner,— -</p> - -<p> -"This determination on your part is a grievous one, Monseigneur, and I -greatly deplore it; for I was just about to make a proposition to -you—" -</p> - -<p> -"Useless, my friend, useless!" exclaimed Le Balafré. "My mind is made -up. And then, too, I repeat, and you know it as well as I, the peace has -taken from us every hope of renown." -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon, Monseigneur," rejoined Gabriel, "but the peace is the one thing -that makes my plan feasible." -</p> - -<p> -"Really?" said François de Lorraine, tempted in spite of himself. -"Pray, is it some bold stroke like the siege of Calais?" -</p> - -<p> -"Something still bolder, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -"How can that be?" exclaimed the duke. "Upon my word, you have succeeded -in arousing my curiosity thoroughly." -</p> - -<p> -"May I tell you about it, then?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure you may; in fact, I beg you to do so." -</p> - -<p> -"Are we quite alone?" -</p> - -<p> -"Entirely; not a living soul is within the sound of our voices." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, Monseigneur," Gabriel began resolutely, "this is what I -have to say to you: This king and this constable choose to dispense with -your services; why do not you dispense with them? They have ejected you -from the office of lieutenant-general of the kingdom; assume it once -more on your own responsibility." -</p> - -<p> -"How do you mean? Explain yourself!" said the duke. -</p> - -<p> -"Monseigneur, foreign princes fear you, the people adore you, and the -army is at your command to a man; you are already more of a king in -France than the king himself. You are king by right of genius, he only -because the crown is on his head. Dare to speak with the voice of a -master, and the nation will listen to you like obedient subjects. Will -Henri II. be any stronger in the Louvre than you in your camp? He who -now speaks to you will be proud and happy to be the first to address you -as 'your Majesty.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, this is an audacious and daring scheme of yours, Gabriel," -commented the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -But he did not give the least sign of irritation; on the contrary, his -features wore a smile under their simulated expression of surprise. -</p> - -<p> -"If it is an audacious scheme, it is a heart of extraordinary daring to -which I propose it," replied Gabriel, firmly. "I speak for the good of -France. We need a great man for king. Is it not calamitous that all your -ideas of grandeur and of conquest should be thus disgracefully impeded -by the caprice of a wanton and the jealousy of a favorite? If you were -once at the helm with unfettered hands, where would your genius stop? -You would renew the glory of Charlemagne." -</p> - -<p> -"You know the house of Lorraine can trace its descent from him!" said Le -Balafré, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"Who could doubt it after seeing you in action?" replied Gabriel. "Be in -your turn another Hugh Capet for the Valois." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, but suppose I should be only a Constable de Bourbon?" -</p> - -<p> -"You slander yourself, Monseigneur. The Constable de Bourbon called -foreigners to his assistance,—foes they were too. You need make use -of none but your own country's forces." -</p> - -<p> -"But where are these forces, which, according to you, are at my -disposal?" asked Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -"Two parties are offered to you," was Gabriel's reply. -</p> - -<p> -"Who are they, pray?—for you see I allow you to go on, as if all this -were something more than a mere figment of your imagination. Who are -these two parties?" -</p> - -<p> -"The army and the Protestants, Monseigneur," Gabriel answered. "You have -it in your power to assume the position of a military chieftain at -once." -</p> - -<p> -"A usurper!" exclaimed Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -"Say a conqueror! But if you would prefer, Monseigneur, be the king of -the Huguenots." -</p> - -<p> -"How about the Prince de Condé?" said the duke, smiling. -</p> - -<p> -"He is fascinating and clever, but you are great and brilliant. Do you -suppose that Calvin would hesitate between you?—and there is no doubt -that the son of the cooper of Noyon is the dictator of his party. Say -one word, and to-morrow you have at your command thirty thousand -Reformers." -</p> - -<p> -"But I am a Catholic prince, Gabriel." -</p> - -<p> -"Glory is the true religion of heroes like yourself, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -"I should involve myself in trouble at Rome." -</p> - -<p> -"That will be an excuse for making yourself her master." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, my friend, my friend!" rejoined the duke, looking keenly at -Gabriel, "you hate Henri II. bitterly!" -</p> - -<p> -"As much as I love you, I confess," said the youth, with noble -frankness. -</p> - -<p> -"I prize your sincerity, Gabriel," said Le Balafré, with a more serious -manner; "and to prove it to you, I will lay bare my heart to you." -</p> - -<p> -"And my heart will close its door forever upon what you may confide to -it." -</p> - -<p> -"Listen, then," continued the duke. "I will confess that I have before -now sometimes dreamed of this end which you suggest to me to-day. But I -think you will agree with me, my friend, in this, that when one sets out -with such a goal in view, he should at least be reasonably sure of -reaching it, and that to hazard such a step prematurely is to invite -destruction." -</p> - -<p> -"True," replied Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well," the duke went on, "do you really consider that the time is -ripe for the fulfilment of my ambition? Preparations for so momentous a -stroke should be made long beforehand, and men's minds must be made up -and ready to second them. Now, do you believe that the people have -accustomed themselves in advance, so to speak, to the idea of a change -of dynasty?" -</p> - -<p> -"They are accustomed to it," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"I doubt it," returned the duke. "I have commanded armies, have defended -Metz and taken Calais, and have twice been lieutenant-general of the -kingdom; but all that is not sufficient. I have not yet come near enough -to royal power. Doubtless there are discontents, but factions are not a -people. Henri II. is young, clever, and brave, and he is the son of -François I. There is no such danger in delay as to make one dream of -dispossessing him." -</p> - -<p> -"And so you hesitate, Monseigneur?" asked Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"I do more than that, my friend, I refuse," replied Le Balafré. "Ah, if -Henri II. should die suddenly to-morrow, by accident or disease—" -</p> - -<p> -"So he thinks of that as well!" said Gabriel to himself. "Well, -Monseigneur, if that unexpected blow should fall, what would you do?" he -continued aloud. -</p> - -<p> -"Then," rejoined the duke, "with a young and inexperienced king, -altogether under my influence, I would become in some sort the regent of -the kingdom. And if the queen-mother or Monsieur le Connétable -undertook to act in opposition to me; if the Protestants raised a -revolution,—if, in short, the State should be in danger and needed a -firm hand at the helm, opportunities would arise of themselves, and I -should become almost necessary. In such a case your scheme might be very -welcome, my friend, and I would gladly hearken to you." -</p> - -<p> -"But until then," said Gabriel,—"until this very improbable death of -the king?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will resign myself to wait, my friend, and will content myself with -preparations for the future. And if the seeds sown in my mind bear fruit -only for my son, it will be because God so willed it." -</p> - -<p> -"Is this your last word, Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is my last word," replied the duke. "But I am no less grateful to -you, Gabriel, for having had this confidence in my destiny." -</p> - -<p> -"And I, Monseigneur, am grateful to you for having had so much -confidence in my discretion." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," rejoined the duke; "it is understood that all that has passed -between us is as if it had never been said." -</p> - -<p> -"Now I will take my leave," said Gabriel, rising. -</p> - -<p> -"What, already!" exclaimed the duke. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monseigneur, I have learned what I desired to know. I will -remember your words; they are safely buried in my heart, yet I will -remember them. Excuse me, but it was essential for me to ascertain -whether the royal ambition of the Duc de Guise was still slumbering. -Adieu, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Au revoir</i>, my friend." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel left the Tournelles even more gloomy and anxious than when he -had entered there. -</p> - -<p> -"So," said he to himself, "both the human auxiliaries upon whom I -thought I could rely have failed me. I have none but God to look to -now!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap07"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER VII -<br /><br /> -A PERILOUS STEP</h4> - -<p> -Diane de Castro in her apartments in the royal palace was meanwhile -leading a miserable existence of grief and mortal terror. -</p> - -<p> -Yet every tie was not broken that bound her to him who had loved her so -dearly. Almost every week André the page was sent to the Rue des -Jardins St. Paul, to make inquiries of Aloyse concerning Gabriel's -welfare. -</p> - -<p> -The information which he brought back to Diane was far from reassuring. -The young Comte de Montgommery was always the same,—moody and anxious -and gloomy. The good nurse could not speak of him that her eyes did not -fill with tears, and her cheeks lose their color. -</p> - -<p> -Diane hesitated fora long while. Finally, one morning during this same -month of June she took a decided step in order to put an end to her -dread. -</p> - -<p> -She wrapped herself in a very modest cloak, hid her face under a veil, -and left the Louvre at an hour when people were scarcely stirring there, -accompanied by André alone, with the purpose of visiting Gabriel at his -house. -</p> - -<p> -Since he avoided her and made no sign, she would go to him. -</p> - -<p> -Surely a sister might visit her brother! Indeed, was it not her duty to -warn him or console him? -</p> - -<p> -Unfortunately, all the courage which it had cost Diane to resolve upon -that step was to be in vain. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel also selected the lonely hours of the early morning for his -wanderings, which he had by no means abandoned; and when Diane knocked -with trembling hand at the door of his house, he had already been gone -more than half an hour. -</p> - -<p> -Should she await his return? It was always uncertain, and a too long -absence from the Louvre might expose Diane to slander. -</p> - -<p> -But no matter; she determined to wait at least until the expiration of -the time she had set aside for the visit. -</p> - -<p> -She inquired for Aloyse, for she also desired to see her, and question -her with her own lips. -</p> - -<p> -André escorted his mistress into an unoccupied room, and went to inform -the nurse. -</p> - -<p> -Not for many years, not since the happy days of Montgommery and -Vimoutiers, had Aloyse and Diane met,—the woman of the people and the -daughter of the king. -</p> - -<p> -Yet both their lives had been engrossed by the same thought, and anxiety -upon the same subject still filled their days with dread, and robbed -their nights of sleep. -</p> - -<p> -So when Aloyse, coming hurriedly into the room, would have bowed low -before Madame de Castro, Diane threw herself into the good woman's arms, -and warmly embraced her, saying as she used to say in the old days,— -</p> - -<p> -"Dear nurse!" -</p> - -<p> -"What, Madame!" exclaimed Aloyse, moved to tears, "do you really -remember me? Do you recognize me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do I remember you! do I recognize you!" returned Diane; "you might as -well ask me if I remember Enguerrand's house, or if I would recognize -the Château de Montgommery!" -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Aloyse with clasped hands was looking at Diane more -attentively. -</p> - -<p> -"How beautiful you are!" she cried, sighing and smiling at once. -</p> - -<p> -She smiled, for she had dearly loved the young girl who had developed -into the beautiful lady before her. She sighed, for as she dwelt upon -her lovely features she could better estimate Gabriel's wretchedness. -</p> - -<p> -Diane understood this look, which was both melancholy and enraptured, -and hastened to say, with a slight blush,— -</p> - -<p> -"I have not come to talk of myself, nurse." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it of him, then?" said Aloyse. -</p> - -<p> -"Of whom else, pray? for to you I can lay bare my heart. How unfortunate -that I did not find him! I came to console him and myself at the same -time. How is he? Always dejected and despairing, is he not? Why has he -not been once to the Louvre to see me? What does he say? What is he -doing? Tell me, oh, pray tell me, nurse!" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! Madame," replied Aloyse, "you are quite right in thinking that he -is dejected and despairing. Imagine—" -</p> - -<p> -Diane interrupted her. -</p> - -<p> -"Wait a moment, good Aloyse," said she; "before you begin I have a word -to say. I could stay here till to-morrow listening to you, you know, -without growing weary, or without noticing the flight of time. But I -must return to the Louvre before my absence is noticed. So promise me -one thing: when I have been here an hour, whether he has returned or -not, tell me so, and send me away." -</p> - -<p> -"But, Madame," said Aloyse, "I am quite capable of forgetting the hour -myself, and I should not grow weary of talking to you any sooner than -you would of listening to me, you see." -</p> - -<p> -"What can we do, then?" asked Diane. "I dread the effect of our combined -weakness." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us intrust the difficult duty to some third person," said Aloyse. -</p> - -<p> -"The very thing! André." -</p> - -<p> -The page, who had remained in an adjoining room, undertook to rap at the -door when an hour had passed. -</p> - -<p> -"And now," said Diane, taking her seat by the nurse's side, "we can talk -at our ease, and tranquilly, if not joyfully." -</p> - -<p> -But this interview, though of the deepest interest to these two -afflicted creatures, was nevertheless full of difficulty and bitterness. -</p> - -<p> -In the first place, neither of them knew how far the other was cognizant -of the terrible secrets of the Montgommery family. -</p> - -<p> -Then, too, in what Aloyse did know of her young master's later life -there were many troublesome matters which she was afraid to mention. In -what way could she explain his long absences, his sudden returns, his -preoccupation, and his silence? -</p> - -<p> -At last, however, the good nurse did tell Diane all that she -knew,—that is to say, all that she had seen; and Diane while -listening to her doubtless experienced a delicious pleasure in hearing -Gabriel spoken of, mingled though it was with deep grief at learning -such sad news of him. -</p> - -<p> -In truth, Aloyse's revelations were not of a nature calculated to calm -Madame de Castro's apprehensions, but rather to rekindle them; for this -earnest and impassioned witness of the young count's anguish and -suffering brought vividly before Diane's mind all the torments by which -his life was harassed. -</p> - -<p> -Diane became more and more fully persuaded that if she wished to save -those whom she loved it was high time for her to intervene. -</p> - -<p> -An hour is quickly gone, no matter how painful the subject of -conversation. Diane and Aloyse were startled and amazed when Andre's rap -was heard at the door. -</p> - -<p> -"What! already?" they cried in one breath. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, be it so!" said Diane. "I am going to stay just a quarter of an -hour longer." -</p> - -<p> -"Be careful, Madame!" said the nurse. -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, nurse; I must and will go now. But one word: in all that -you have told me of Gabriel you have omitted—I mean, does he never -speak of me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Never, Madame, I must agree." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, it is better so!" sighed Diane. -</p> - -<p> -"And he would do better still never even to think of you any more." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you believe, nurse, that he does think of me, then?" asked Madame de -Castro, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"I am only too sure of it, Madame," said Aloyse. -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless, he carefully avoids me; he even shuns the Louvre." -</p> - -<p> -"If he does avoid the Louvre, Madame," said Aloyse, shaking her head, -"it is not because of her whom he loves." -</p> - -<p> -"I understand," thought Diane, shuddering; "it is because of him whom he -hates. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh!" she said aloud, "I must see him,—absolutely I must." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you wish me, Madame, to tell him from you to go to the Louvre to -seek you?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no,—not to the Louvre!" exclaimed Diane, in alarm. "Don't let -him come to the Louvre! I will see—I will be on the lookout for -another opportunity like this morning. I will come here again myself." -</p> - -<p> -"But suppose that he has gone out again?" observed Aloyse. "What day -will you come, what week,—can you tell at all? He will wait for you; -have no fear of that." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Diane, "poor king's child that I am, how can I say that at -such a day or such an hour I shall be free? However, if it is possible, -I will send André on before to warn him." -</p> - -<p> -At this moment the page rapped a second time, fearful that he had not -been heard before. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," he cried, "the streets and squares about the Louvre are -beginning to be thronged." -</p> - -<p> -"I am coming," replied Madame de Castro; "I am coming. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, we must part, my good nurse," she continued. "Embrace me as you -used to do when I was a child, you know, in the old, old happy days." -</p> - -<p> -While Aloyse, unable to utter a word, held Diane close to her -breast,— -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, watch over him! take good care of him!" she said in the nurse's -ear. -</p> - -<p> -"As I did when he was a child, in the old, old happy days," said Aloyse. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, better, even better, Aloyse! In that time he was not in such sore -need." -</p> - -<p> -Diane left the house without having met Gabriel, and half an hour later -she was safely in her apartments at the Louvre. But if she had no reason -to feel disturbed at the result of the hazardous step she had taken, her -anguish and dread on the subject of Gabriel's unknown designs were even -greater than before. -</p> - -<p> -The forebodings of a woman's loving heart are apt to be only too -accurate forecasts of the future. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel did not return home until the day was well advanced. The heat -was intense, and he was wearied in body and mind. -</p> - -<p> -But when Aloyse uttered Diane's name and told of her visit, he stood -erect with new life, his chest heaving and his heart throbbing. -</p> - -<p> -"What did she want? What did she say? What did she do? Oh, why was I not -here? Come, tell me everything, Aloyse,—every word, every movement." -</p> - -<p> -He took his turn at questioning the nurse, hardly giving her time to -reply. -</p> - -<p> -"She wants to see me?" he cried. "She has something to say to me? And -she doesn't know when she may be able to come again? Oh, Aloyse, Aloyse, -I cannot wait in such uncertainty! surely you can see that. I shall go -to the Louvre at once." -</p> - -<p> -"To the Louvre! Oh, Heaven preserve us!" ejaculated Aloyse, in terror. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, to be sure," replied Gabriel, calmly. "I am not banished from the -Louvre, so far as I know; and the man who had the honor of restoring -Madame de Castro to liberty at Calais surely has the right to pay his -respects to her in Paris." -</p> - -<p> -"Of course," said Aloyse, trembling like a leaf; "but Madame de Castro -was very particular to say that you were not to come to the Louvre to -see her." -</p> - -<p> -"Have I anything to fear there?" said Gabriel, proudly. "That would be -one reason more for me to go." -</p> - -<p> -"No," replied the nurse; "it was probably on her own account that Madame -de Castro feared your coming." -</p> - -<p> -"Her reputation would suffer much more from a secret and surreptitious -action, if discovered, than from a public visit in broad daylight, such -as I propose to pay,—such as I will pay her to-day, at this moment." -</p> - -<p> -He called for a servant to bring him a change of clothes. -</p> - -<p> -"But, Monseigneur," said poor Aloyse, at the end of her arguments, -"Madame de Castro herself has remarked that you have shunned the Louvre -hitherto. You have not thought best to go there once since your return." -</p> - -<p> -"I have not been to see Madame de Castro because she has not summoned -me," said Gabriel. "I have avoided the Louvre because I had no reason to -go there; but to-day a feeling that I cannot resist urges me to go -(although my action may result in nothing), for Madame de Castro wishes -to see me. I have sworn, Aloyse, to allow my own will to slumber, and to -leave everything to God and my destiny, and I am going to the Louvre at -once." -</p> - -<p> -Thus Diane's step bade fair to produce the opposite effect from that -contemplated by her. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap08"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER VIII -<br /><br /> -THE IMPRUDENCE OF PRECAUTION</h4> - -<p> -Gabriel met with no opposition to his entrance to the Louvre. Since the -taking of Calais the name of the young Comte de Montgommery had been -heard too often for any one to think of refusing him leave to enter the -suite of apartments occupied by Madame de Castro. -</p> - -<p> -Diane, with one of her women, was engaged at the moment on some -fancy-work. Very frequently she involuntarily let her hands fall in her -lap, and would sit and dream about her interview with Aloyse that -morning. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly André entered in great bewilderment. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame, Monsieur le Vicomte d'Exmès!" he announced. (The boy had not -ceased to call his old master by that name.) -</p> - -<p> -"Who? Monsieur d'Exmès! here!" Diane repeated, overwhelmed. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame, he is close behind me," said the page. "Here he is." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel appeared at the door, doing his best to control his emotion. He -bowed low to Madame de Castro, who, in her confusion, did not at first -return his salute. -</p> - -<p> -However, she dismissed the page and her maid with a gesture, and they -were left alone. Then they approached, and their hands met in a cordial -grasp. -</p> - -<p> -For some seconds they remained with hands joined, gazing at each other -in silence. -</p> - -<p> -"You thought best to come to my house, Diane," said Gabriel at last, in -a deep voice. "You wished to see me, to speak with me; so I have -hastened to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Did it need that action on my part, Gabriel, to apprise you that I -wanted to see you? Did you not know it well enough without that?" -</p> - -<p> -"Diane," Gabriel replied with his sad smile, "I have given sufficient -proofs of courage heretofore, so I may venture to confess that in coming -to the Louvre, I am afraid." -</p> - -<p> -"Afraid of whom?" asked Diane, who was herself afraid of the effect of -her own question. -</p> - -<p> -"Afraid of you!—of myself!" replied Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"And that is why you chose rather to forget our former affection?—I -speak of the legitimate and sanctified side of it," she hastened to add. -</p> - -<p> -"I should have preferred to forget everything, I confess, Diane, rather -than put foot inside the Louvre. But alas! I could not. And the -proof—" -</p> - -<p> -"The proof?" -</p> - -<p> -"The proof is that I seek you always and everywhere; that though -dreading your presence I would have given anything in the world to see -you a moment in the distance. The proof is, too, that while prowling -about Fontainebleau, or Paris, or St. Germain, around the royal -châteaux, instead of desiring what I was supposed to be on the lookout -for, it has been you, your sweet and lovely face, a sight of your dress -among the trees, or on some terrace, that I have longed for and invoked -and coveted! Last of all the proof lies in this fact: that you had only -to take one step toward me to make me forget prudence, duty, terror, -everything! And here I am in the Louvre, which I ought to shun. I reply -to all your questions. I feel that all this is hazardous and insane, -nevertheless I do it. Have I given you proof enough now, Diane?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, yes, Gabriel, yes," said Diane, hastily, trembling with excitement -and emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, would to Heaven that I had been wiser," continued Gabriel, "and had -adhered to my former resolution to see you no more, to flee from you if -you summoned me, and to keep silence if you questioned me! That would -have been much better for both of us, Diane, believe me. I knew what I -was doing. I preferred to cause you anxiety rather than real grief. Oh, -my God! why am I without power to withstand your voice and your look?" -</p> - -<p> -Diane began to understand that she had really been wrong in her desire -to be relieved from her mortal uncertainty. Every subject of -conversation was painful for them, every question concealed a danger. -Between these two beings whom God had created for happiness perhaps, -there was no possibility of aught but doubt and peril and misery, thanks -to the machinations of man. -</p> - -<p> -But since Diane had thus challenged fate, she had no desire to avoid it; -quite the contrary. She would go to the bottom of the abyss to which her -anxiety had exposed her, though she were to find there nought but -despair and death. -</p> - -<p> -After a thoughtful silence, she began thus:— -</p> - -<p> -"I was desirous to see you, Gabriel, for two reasons; -</p> - -<p> -"I had an explanation to make to you in the first instance, as well as -one to ask at your hands." -</p> - -<p> -"Speak, Diane," replied Gabriel. "Lay bare my heart, and rend it at your -will. It is yours." -</p> - -<p> -"In the first place, Gabriel, I felt that I must let you know why, after -I received your message, I did not at once assume the veil you sent back -to me, and enter some convent immediately, as I expressed my intention -of doing in our last sad interview at Calais." -</p> - -<p> -"Have I reproached you in the least as to that, Diane?" returned -Gabriel. "I told André to say to you that I gave you back your promise, -and those were no mere empty words on my part; I meant what I said." -</p> - -<p> -"I also mean to become a nun, Gabriel, and be sure that I have simply -postponed carrying out my resolve." -</p> - -<p> -"But why, Diane,—why renounce the world in which you were made to -shine?" -</p> - -<p> -"Set your mind at rest upon that point, dear friend; it is not -altogether to remain faithful to the oath I took, but to satisfy the -secret longing of my soul as well, that I intend to leave this world -where I have suffered so bitterly. I must have peace and rest, and I -know not now where to find either except with God. Do not envy me this -last refuge." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, but I do envy you!" said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"But you see," continued Diane, "I have had a good reason for not at -once carrying out my unalterable purpose; I wished to be sure that you -gratified the request I made in my last letter,—that you forbore to -make yourself judge and executioner; that you did not attempt to -anticipate God's will." -</p> - -<p> -"If one only could anticipate it!" muttered Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"In short, I hoped," Diane went on, "that I might be able, in case of -need, to throw myself between the two men whom I love, but who abhor -each other; and who can say that I might not thus prevent a disaster, or -a crime? Surely you do not blame me for such a thought as that, -Gabriel?" -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot blame an angel for doing what the angelic nature prompts, -Diane. You have been very generous, but it is easy to understand it of -you." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" cried Madame de Castro, "how can I know that I have been generous, -or to what extent I am generous now? I am wandering in darkness and at -hazard! Besides, it is upon that very point that I wish to question you, -Gabriel; for I desire to know my destiny in all its horror." -</p> - -<p> -"Diane, Diane, it is a fatal curiosity!" said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"No matter!" replied Diane, "I will not live in this fearful perplexity -and anxiety another day. Tell me, Gabriel, have you become convinced -that I am really your sister, or have you absolutely lost all hope of -ever learning the truth as to that strange secret? Tell me, I -ask,—nay, I implore you!" -</p> - -<p> -"I will tell you," said Gabriel, mournfully. "Diane, there is an old -Spanish proverb which says that we must always be prepared for the -worst. I have, therefore, accustomed myself, since our parting, to look -upon you in my thoughts as my sister. But the truth is that I have -obtained no new proof; only, as you say, I have no more hope, no more -means of acquiring proof." -</p> - -<p> -"God in Heaven!" cried Diane. "The—he who might furnish these proofs, -was he no longer alive when you returned from Calais?" -</p> - -<p> -"He was, Diane." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, I see, then, that the sacred promise made to you was not redeemed? -Who, then, told me that the king had received you with wonderful favor?" -</p> - -<p> -"All that was promised, Diane, was strictly performed." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Gabriel, with what an ominous expression you say that! What fearful -puzzle still underlies all this, Holy Mother of God!" -</p> - -<p> -"You have asked me, Diane, and you shall know the whole," said Gabriel. -"You shall share equally with me in my awful secret. And, indeed, I -shall be glad to know what you think of what I am about to disclose to -you,—whether, after you have heard it you will still persist in your -clemency, and whether your tone and your features and your movements -will not in any event belie the words of forgiveness which may come to -your lips.—Listen." -</p> - -<p> -"I listen in fear and trembling, Gabriel." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon, Gabriel, in a breathless, quivering voice, told Madame de -Castro the whole sombre story: of the king's reception of him, and how -Henri had again reaffirmed his promise; the remonstrances which Madame -de Poitiers and the constable had seemed to be making to him; of the -night of feverish anguish that he had passed; of his second visit to the -Châtelet, his descent into the bowels of the pestilence-laden prison, -and the lugubrious narrative of Monsieur de Sazerac,—in short, -everything. -</p> - -<p> -Diane listened without interrupting him, without an exclamation or a -movement, as mute and rigid as a statue, her eyes fixed in their -sockets, and her very hair fairly standing on end. -</p> - -<p> -There was a long pause when Gabriel had finished his gloomy story. Then -Diane tried to speak, but could not, for her tongue refused to perform -its office. Gabriel seemed to feel a dreadful species of pleasure as he -observed her anguish and her terror. At last, she succeeded in -ejaculating,— -</p> - -<p> -"Mercy for the king!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" cried Gabriel, "do you ask for mercy for him? Then you, too, must -judge him guilty! Mercy? Ah, your very appeal is a condemnation! Mercy? -He deserves death, does he not?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I did not say that," replied Diane, in dismay. -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed you did say it, in effect! I see that you agree with me, Diane. -You think and feel as I do. But we come to different conclusions in -accordance with the difference in our natures. The woman pleads for -mercy, and the man demands justice!" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" cried Diane, "rash, insane creature that I am! Why did I tempt you -to come to the Louvre?" -</p> - -<p> -As she said these words some one rapped softly at the door. -</p> - -<p> -"Who is there? What is wanted? <i>Mon Dieu</i>!" exclaimed Madame de -Castro. -</p> - -<p> -André partially opened the door. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, Madame," said he, "a message from the king." -</p> - -<p> -"From the king!" echoed Gabriel, whose face lighted up. -</p> - -<p> -"Why do you bring me this letter now, André?" -</p> - -<p> -"Madame, they told me it was urgent." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, give it me. What does the king want of me? You may go, -André. If there is any reply, I will call you." -</p> - -<p> -André left the room. Diane broke the seal of the king's letter, and -read in a low tone, and with increasing terror, what follows:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -MY DEAR DIANE,—I am told that you are at the Louvre; do not go out, I -beg you, until I have visited you in your apartments. I am at a sitting -of the council which is likely to end at any moment. When I leave the -council-chamber I will come immediately to you. Expect me very soon. -</p> - -<p> -It is a long while since I have seen you alone! I am in low spirits, and -feel that I must have a few moments' talk with my beloved daughter. -Farewell for the moment. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">HENRI.</p> -</blockquote> - -<p> -Diane, with colorless cheeks, crumpled the letter in her hands when she -had read it. -</p> - -<p> -What should she do? -</p> - -<p> -Dismiss Gabriel at once? But suppose on his way out he should meet the -king, who might arrive at any moment! -</p> - -<p> -Should she keep the youth with her? The king would find him there when -he came in. -</p> - -<p> -To warn the king would excite his suspicion, while on the other hand to -warn Gabriel would simply arouse his anger by seeming to dread it. -</p> - -<p> -A meeting between these two men, each of whom was so threatening to the -other, now appeared inevitable, and it was she herself, Diane, who would -gladly shed her own blood to save them, who had brought about the fatal -encounter! -</p> - -<p> -"What does the king write to you, Diane?" asked Gabriel, with an assumed -tranquillity which was belied by the trembling of his voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing, nothing, really," replied Diane. "A reminder of the reception -this evening." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps I discommode you, Diane," Gabriel remarked. "If so, I will go." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no, don't go!" cried Diane, hastily. "But then," she continued, "if -you have any business which demands your immediate attention elsewhere, -I should not like to detain you." -</p> - -<p> -"That letter has troubled you, Diane. I fear that I have wearied you, -and will take my leave." -</p> - -<p> -"You weary me, my friend! Can you believe it?" said Madame de Castro. -"Was it not I who went in search of you, in some measure? Alas! I fear, -very imprudently. I will see you again, but not here—at your own -house. The first opportunity that presents itself for me to get away, I -will come to see you, and resume this sweet though painful interview. I -promise you. Rely upon me. At the moment, you are right, I confess; I am -somewhat preoccupied and in pain. I feel as if I were in a burning -fever—" -</p> - -<p> -"I see, Diane, and I will leave you," replied Gabriel, sadly. -</p> - -<p> -"We shall meet again soon, my friend," said she. "Now go, go!" -</p> - -<p> -She accompanied him as far as the door. -</p> - -<p> -"If I keep him here," she thought, "it is certain that he will see the -king; if he goes away at once, there is at least a chance that they may -not meet." -</p> - -<p> -Yet she hesitated still, and was anxious and tremulous. -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me, Gabriel," said she, quite beside herself, as they stood on -the threshold; "just a word more. <i>Mon Dieu</i>! Your narrative has upset -me so that it is hard for me to collect my thoughts. What was I about to -ask you? Ah, I know! Just one word, but one of much importance. You have -not yet told me what you intend to do. I begged for mercy, and you -cried, 'Justice!' Pray tell me how you hope to obtain justice!" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not know yet," said Gabriel, gloomily; "I trust in God for the -event and the opportunity." -</p> - -<p> -"For the opportunity!" repeated Diane, with a shudder. "For the -opportunity,—what do you mean by that? Oh, come back, come back! I -cannot let you go, Gabriel, until you have explained to me that word -'opportunity;' stay, I implore you!" -</p> - -<p> -Taking his hand, she led him back into the room. -</p> - -<p> -"If he meets the king elsewhere," thought poor Diane, "they will be quite -alone,—the king without attendants, and Gabriel with his sword at -his side; whereas if I am present, I can at least throw myself between -them, and implore Gabriel to withhold his hand, or intercept his blow. -Yes, he must remain. -</p> - -<p> -"I feel better now," said she, aloud. "Remain, Gabriel, and let us renew -our conversation, and do you give me the explanation I ask. I am much -better." -</p> - -<p> -"No, Diane; you are even more excited than you were," replied Gabriel. -"Do you know what has come into my mind as an explanation of your -alarm?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, indeed, Gabriel. How should I know?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said Gabriel, "just as your cry for mercy was an avowal that the -crime was patent in your eyes, so your present apprehensions show that -you believe the chastisement would be legitimate. You dread my vengeance -for the culprit; and since you appreciate the justice of it, you are -keeping me here to warn him of possible reprisals on my part, which, -though they might terrify and afflict you, would not astonish -you,—which would, on the other hand, seem quite natural to you. Am I -not right?" -</p> - -<p> -Diane was startled, so truly had the blow struck home. Nevertheless, -collecting all her force, she said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Gabriel, how can you believe that I could conceive such thoughts of -you? You, my own Gabriel, a murderer! you deal a blow from behind at one -who could not defend himself! Impossible! It would be worse than a -crime; it would be dastardly. Do you imagine that I am trying to keep -you? Oh, no, far from it; go whenever you please, and I will open the -door for you. I am perfectly calm; <i>mon Dieu</i>, yes!—perfectly -calm upon this point at least. If anything worries me, it is no such -idea as that, I assure you. Leave me, leave the Louvre, with your mind -at rest. I will come again to your house to finish our conversation. Go, -my friend, go! You see how anxious I am to keep you!" -</p> - -<p> -As she spoke she had led him into the anteroom, where the page was in -attendance. Diane thought of ordering him to stay with Gabriel until he -had left the Louvre; but that precaution would have betrayed her -suspicion. -</p> - -<p> -However, she could not resist the impulse to call André to her side by -a sign, and whisper in his ear,— -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know if the council is at an end?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet, Madame," replied André, beneath his breath. "I have not yet -seen the councillors leave the hall." -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, Gabriel," resumed Diane, aloud, with much animation. "Adieu, my -friend. You almost force me to send you away, to prove that I have no -such object as you allege in keeping you here. Adieu!—but for only a -short time." -</p> - -<p> -"For only a short time," said the youth, with a melancholy smile, as he -pressed her hand. -</p> - -<p> -He left her: but she stood looking after him until the last door had -closed behind him. -</p> - -<p> -Then returning to her room, she fell upon her knees before her -<i>prie-Dieu</i>, weeping bitterly, and with palpitating heart. -</p> - -<p> -"O <i>mon Dieu</i>, <i>mon Dieu</i>!" she prayed, "in Jesus' name, watch -over him who is perhaps my brother, as well as over him who is perhaps -my father! Preserve the two beings whom I love, O my God! Thou alone -canst do it now." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap09"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER IX -<br /><br /> -OPPORTUNITY</h4> - -<p> -In spite of her earnest efforts to prevent it, or rather because of -those very efforts, events occurred as Madame de Castro had foreseen and -dreaded. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel had gone from her presence sorrowful and agitated. Diane's fever -had communicated itself to him in some measure, and clouded his eyes and -confused his thoughts. -</p> - -<p> -He passed mechanically down the stairways and along the familiar -corridors of the Louvre, without paying much attention to exterior -objects. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless, as he was on the point of opening the door of the great -gallery, he did remember that on his return from St. Quentin it was -there that he had met Mary Stuart, and through the intervention of the -young queen-dauphine had succeeded in reaching the king's presence, -where the first fraud and humiliation had been practised upon him. -</p> - -<p> -For he had not been deceived and outraged on one occasion only; several -times had his enemies trampled upon his hope before its life was finally -extinct. After he had first been made their dupe, he would have done -well to expect similar treatment, and to have anticipated such -exaggerated and cowardly interpretations of the letter of a sacred -agreement. -</p> - -<p> -While these irritating reminiscences were coursing through his brain, he -opened the door and entered the gallery. -</p> - -<p> -At the other end of the gallery, the corresponding door opened at the -same moment. -</p> - -<p> -A man entered. -</p> - -<p> -It was Henri II.,—Henri, the author of, or at least the principal -accessory in, the foul and dastardly deception which had forever -withered Gabriel's heart and poisoned his life. -</p> - -<p> -The king came forward alone, unarmed and unattended. -</p> - -<p> -The offender and the offended, for the first time since the perpetration -of the outrage, found themselves face to face, alone, and scarcely one -hundred feet apart,—a distance which could be traversed in twenty -seconds with twenty steps. -</p> - -<p> -We have said that Gabriel had stopped short, motionless and rigid as a -statue,—like a statue of Vengeance or of Hatred. -</p> - -<p> -The king halted, as he suddenly espied the man whom for nearly a year he -had seen only in his dreams. -</p> - -<p> -The two stood thus for a moment without moving, as if mutually -fascinated by each other. -</p> - -<p> -In the whirl of sensations and thoughts which filled Gabriel's brain, -the poor fellow in his distraction could fix upon no course to adopt, -and form no resolution. He waited. -</p> - -<p> -As for Henri, despite his proved courage, the sensation that he -experienced was beyond question fear; but at the humiliating thought he -held his head erect, banished his first cowardly impulse, and made up -his mind what to do. -</p> - -<p> -To call fur help would have been to show fear; to retire as he had come -would have been to flee. -</p> - -<p> -He pursued his way toward the door, where Gabriel remained as if nailed -to the spot. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, a superior force, a sort of irresistible and fatal -fascination, urged him on toward the pale phantom who seemed to be -waiting for him. -</p> - -<p> -The perplexities of his destiny began to unfold themselves around him. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel experienced a species of blind, instinctive satisfaction as he -saw him approach; but still he could not succeed in evolving any -distinct thought from the clouds that obscured his intellect. He simply -laid his hand upon the hilt of his sword. -</p> - -<p> -When the king was within a few steps of Gabriel, the personal dread -which he had previously thrust away seized him anew, and held his heart -fast, as it were in a vice. -</p> - -<p> -He said to himself in a vague way that his last hour had come, and that -it was just. -</p> - -<p> -However, his step did not falter. His feet seemed to carry him along of -their own accord, and independently of his own dazed will. It is thus -that somnambulists go about. -</p> - -<p> -When he was directly in front of Gabriel, so that he could hear his -quick breathing, and might touch him with his hand, he mechanically -raised his hand to his velvet cap, and saluted the young count. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel did not acknowledge the salute. He maintained his marble-like -attitude; and his hand, like that of a graven image, never left his -sword. -</p> - -<p> -In the king's eyes Gabriel was no longer a subject, but a messenger of -God, before whom he must bow; while to Gabriel Henri was no longer a -king, but a man, who had slain his father, and to whom he owed nothing -but bitter hatred. -</p> - -<p> -However, he allowed him to pass without doing aught, and without a word. -</p> - -<p> -The king, on his part, did not move aside nor turn around nor express -any feeling at such lack of respect. -</p> - -<p> -When the door had closed between the two men, and the charm was broken, -each of them awoke, as it were, rubbed his eyes, and asked himself,— -</p> - -<p> -"Was it not a dream?" -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel slowly left the Louvre. He did not regret the lost opportunity, -nor did he repent that he had allowed it to escape him. -</p> - -<p> -He felt a sort of confused joy. -</p> - -<p> -"My prey is coming to me," he thought; "already he is fluttering around -my nets, and getting within reach of my spear." -</p> - -<p> -He slept that night more soundly than he had done for a long while. -</p> - -<p> -The king, however, was not so tranquil. He went on to Diane's -apartments, where she was expecting him, and welcomed him with such -transports of delight as we can imagine. -</p> - -<p> -But Henri was absorbed and restless. He did not venture to speak of the -Comte de Montgommery, although he fancied that Gabriel was doubtless -coming from his daughter's apartments when they met. However, he did not -choose to touch that chord; therefore, while he had set out to pay Diane -this visit in a spirit of effusive affection and confidence, he -maintained from beginning to end an air of suspicion and constraint. -</p> - -<p> -He then returned to his own apartments, sad and gloomy. He felt -displeased with himself and others, and his sleep that night was very -troubled and broken. -</p> - -<p> -It seemed to him that he was becoming involved in a labyrinth from which -he should never come out alive. -</p> - -<p> -"However," he said to himself, "I offered myself to that man's sword -to-day in a measure; so it is evident that he does not wish to kill me." -</p> - -<p> -The king, in order to distract his thoughts and seek forgetfulness for -his troubles, determined to leave Paris for a time. During the days -immediately following his encounter with the Comte de Montgommery, he -went successively to St. Germain, Chambord, and Madame de Poitiers's -Château d'Anet. -</p> - -<p> -Toward the close of the month of June he was at Fontainebleau. -</p> - -<p> -He was constantly moving about, and had the appearance of a man wishing -to drown his trouble in motion and noise and excitement. -</p> - -<p> -The approaching fêtes in connection with his daughter Élisabeth's -marriage with Philip II. afforded an excuse as well as opportunity for -this feverish need of continual action. -</p> - -<p> -At Fontainebleau he desired to entertain the Spanish ambassador with the -spectacle of a great hunt in the forest, and it was appointed to take -place on the 23d of June. -</p> - -<p> -The day broke hot and threatening, and the weather became very -tempestuous. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless Henri did not countermand the orders he had given, for the -excitement would surely be no less in a storm. -</p> - -<p> -He selected the fleetest and highest-mettled horse in his stables, and -followed the hunt with a sort of fury; and it happened at one time that -carried away by his own ardor and the temper of his horse, he -outstripped all his companions, lost sight of the hunt completely, and -missed his way in the forest. -</p> - -<p> -Clouds were piling up in the sky, and ominous rumblings were heard in -the distance. The storm was about to break. -</p> - -<p> -Henri, leaning forward upon his foaming steed, whose headlong pace he -made no attempt to slacken, but on the contrary, urging him on with -voice and spur, rode on and on, more swiftly than the wind, among the -trees and rocks; the dizzy gallop seemed to suit his humor, for he -laughed loud and long. -</p> - -<p> -For a few moments he had forgotten his troubles. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly his horse reared in terror; a dazzling flash lighted up the -sky, and the sudden apparition of one of those huge white rocks which -abound in the forest of Fontainebleau, towering aloft at a corner of the -path, had startled him. -</p> - -<p> -A loud peal of thunder increased twofold the fear of the skittish -animal. He bounded forward, and the sudden movement broke the rein close -to the bit, so that Henri entirely lost control. -</p> - -<p> -Then began a furious, fearful mad race. -</p> - -<p> -The horse, with mane erect, foaming flanks, and rigid legs, shot through -the air like an arrow. -</p> - -<p> -The king, clinging to the animal's neck to save himself from falling, -his hair on end, and his clothes blowing about in the wind, vainly tried -to seize the rein, which would have been of no use in his hands. -</p> - -<p> -Any one seeing the horse and his rider pass thus in the tempest would -have infallibly taken them for a vision from the infernal regions, and -would have thought only of exorcising the evil spirit with the sign of -the cross. -</p> - -<p> -But no one was at hand; not a living soul, not an inhabited dwelling. -That last chance of safety which the presence of a fellow-man affords to -one in peril was lacking to this anointed horseman. -</p> - -<p> -Not a woodcutter, not a beggar, not a poacher, not even a thief, to save -this crowned king! -</p> - -<p> -The pouring rain, and the more and more frequent peals of thunder, ever -nearer at hand, drove the maddened steed to an even more headlong and -terrific pace. -</p> - -<p> -Henri, with staring eyes, tried in vain to recognize the path along -which the fatal race was being run. At last he did succeed in fixing his -position at a certain cleared space among the trees, and then he fairly -shook with terror, for the path led straight to the summit of a steep -rock, whose perpendicular wall overhung a deep chasm, a veritable abyss! -</p> - -<p> -The king did his utmost to stop the horse with his hand and voice, but -to no purpose. -</p> - -<p> -To throw himself from the saddle was to break his neck against some -tree-trunk or granite bowlder, and it was better not to resort to that -desperate measure until the last moment. -</p> - -<p> -In any event Henri felt that he was lost, and full of remorse and dread, -was already commending his soul to God. -</p> - -<p> -He did not know at just what part of the path he was, or whether the -precipice was close at hand or at some distance; but he must be ready, -and he was just about to let himself to the ground, at all hazards. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment, as he cast a last look about him in all directions, he -saw a man at the end of the path, mounted like himself, but standing -beneath the shelter of an oak. -</p> - -<p> -At that distance he could not recognize the man, whose features and -form, in addition, were hidden by a long cloak and a broad-rimmed hat. -But it was doubtless some gentleman who had lost his way in the forest, -as he himself had done. -</p> - -<p> -At last Henri felt that his safety was assured. The path was narrow, and -the stranger had only to move his horse forward a step or two to block -the king's passage; or by simply reaching out his hand he might stop him -in his headlong course. -</p> - -<p> -Nothing could be easier; and even though there were some risk attending -it, the unknown, on recognizing the king, ought not to think twice about -incurring the risk to save his master. -</p> - -<p> -In less than one twentieth of the time it has taken to read these words, -the three or four hundred paces which separated Henri from his rescuer -had been traversed. -</p> - -<p> -Henri, to attract attention, uttered a cry of distress and waved his -hand. The stranger saw him, and made a movement; he was doubtless making -ready. -</p> - -<p> -But oh, in terror's name! although the maddened horse passed directly -before the unknown horseman, he failed to make the slightest attempt to -stop him. -</p> - -<p> -Indeed, it seemed as if he fell back somewhat, to avoid any possible -contact. -</p> - -<p> -The king uttered a second cry, no longer appealing and imploring, but of -rage and despair. -</p> - -<p> -However, he thought that the iron feet of his horse seemed to be now -striking on stone, and not on the sod. He had arrived at the fatal -precipice. -</p> - -<p> -He whispered the name of God, released his foot from the stirrup, and -let himself fall to the ground, at every risk. -</p> - -<p> -The rebound carried him some fifteen paces away; but miraculously, as it -appeared, he fell upon a little mound of moss and grass, and sustained -no injury. It was full time! Less than twenty feet away was the sheer -precipice. -</p> - -<p> -The poor horse, amazed at being thus relieved of his burden, gradually -lessened his pace, so that when he reached the edge of the chasm, he had -time to measure its width, and instinctively threw himself upon his -haunches, with flaming eyes and disordered mane, and foam flying from -his distended nostrils. -</p> - -<p> -But if the king had been still upon his back, the shock of his sudden -stop would surely have thrown him into the abyss. -</p> - -<p> -Having offered a fervent prayer of thanksgiving to God, who had so -evidently protected him, and having soothed and remounted his horse, his -first thought was to hasten back and vent his anger upon the wretch who -would so basely have left him to die, except for the intervention of -God. -</p> - -<p> -The stranger had remained in the same spot, still motionless beneath the -folds of his black cloak. -</p> - -<p> -"Wretch!" cried the king, when he had approached within ear-shot. "Did -you not see the danger I was in? Did you not recognize me, regicide? And -even though it were not your king, ought you not to rescue any man in -such peril of his life, when you have only to stretch out your arm to do -it, miscreant?" -</p> - -<p> -The stranger did not move, nor did he reply; he simply raised his head -slightly, which was shaded from Henri's eyes by his broad felt hat. -</p> - -<p> -The king recoiled as he recognized the pale and dejected features of -Gabriel. He said no more, but muttered to himself, lowering his -head,— -</p> - -<p> -"The Comte de Montgommery! Then I have nothing more to say." -</p> - -<p> -And without another word, he put spurs to his horse and galloped off -into the forest. -</p> - -<p> -"He would not kill me," he said to himself, seized with a death-like -tremor; "but it seems that he would let me die." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, once more alone, repeated with a gloomy smile,— -</p> - -<p> -"I feel that my prey is coming nearer, and the hour is approaching." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap10"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER X -<br /><br /> -BETWEEN TWO DUTIES</h4> - -<p> -The marriage contracts of Élisabeth and Marguerite de France were to be -signed at the Louvre on the 28th of June, and the king returned to Paris -on the 25th, more cast down and preoccupied than ever. -</p> - -<p> -Especially since Gabriel's last appearance, his life had become a -torment to him. He avoided being left alone, and constantly sought means -of banishing temporarily the sombre thought by which he was possessed, -so to speak. -</p> - -<p> -But he had not mentioned that second encounter to a single soul; he was -at once anxious and afraid to unbosom himself on the subject to some -devoted and faithful heart; for he himself no longer knew what to think -or what course to adopt, and the fearful thought which haunted him had -thrown his mind into utter confusion. -</p> - -<p> -Finally he determined to open his heart to Diane de Castro. -</p> - -<p> -Diane had surely seen Gabriel again, he said to himself; there was no -question that the young count had just left her when he encountered him -the first time, so that Diane might possibly know his plans. In that -case, she could and she ought either to set her father's mind at rest or -to warn him; and Henri, despite the bitter doubts with which he was -ceaselessly assailed, did not believe his beloved daughter capable of -treachery toward him, or of conniving at it. -</p> - -<p> -A mysterious instinct seemed to whisper to him that Diane was no less -anxious than he. In fact, Diane de Castro, although she knew nothing of -the two strange meetings which had taken place between the king and -Gabriel, was equally ignorant as to what had become of the latter during -the last few days. André, whom she had despatched several times to the -house in the Rue des Jardins St. Paul to learn something of Gabriel's -movements, had brought her no information. He had disappeared from Paris -again. We have seen him haunting the king at Fontainebleau. -</p> - -<p> -In the afternoon of June 26 Diane was sitting pensively in her -apartments, quite alone, when one of her women came hurriedly in to -announce the king. -</p> - -<p> -Henri's face wore its ordinary grave expression. After the first -greetings, he plunged at once into the matter in hand, as if to throw -off his troublesome anxiety at the first opportunity. -</p> - -<p> -"Dear Diane," said he, gazing intently into his daughter's eyes, "it is -a long time since we have spoken together of Monsieur d'Exmès, who has -now taken the title of Comte de Montgommery. It is a long time also -since you have seen him, is it not? Tell me." -</p> - -<p> -Diane at Gabriel's name turned pale and shuddered. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," she replied, "I have seen Monsieur d'Exmès once only since my -return from Calais." -</p> - -<p> -"Where did you see him, Diane?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"At the Louvre, Sire, in this very room." -</p> - -<p> -"About a fortnight ago, was it not?" -</p> - -<p> -"I should think it was about that time, Sire," replied Madame de Castro. -</p> - -<p> -"I suspected as much," returned the king. -</p> - -<p> -He paused a moment, as if to rearrange his ideas. -</p> - -<p> -Diane observed him attentively and fearfully, trying to divine the -purpose of his unexpected question. -</p> - -<p> -But Henri's serious expression seemed impenetrable. -</p> - -<p> -"Excuse me, Sire," she said, mustering all her courage. "May I venture -to ask your Majesty why, after your long silence as to him who saved me -from disgrace at Calais, you have done me the honor to pay me this visit -to-day, and at this hour, expressly, I should judge, to interrogate me -about him?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you wish to know, Diane?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, I am so bold," she replied. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, then, you shall know all," said Henri; "and I pray that my -confidence may invite and induce yours. You have often told me that you -loved me, my child." -</p> - -<p> -"I have said it, and I say it again, Sire," cried Diane: "I love you as -my sovereign, my benefactor, and my father." -</p> - -<p> -"Therefore I may reveal everything to my loyal and loving daughter," -said the king; "so listen, Diane." -</p> - -<p> -"I listen with all my soul, Sire." -</p> - -<p> -Henri then described his two encounters with Gabriel,—the first in -the gallery of the Louvre, and the other in the forest of Fontainebleau. He -told Diane of the strange demeanor, as of mute rebellion, which the -young man had adopted, and how on the first occasion he had declined to -raise his hand to salute his king, and the second time had declined to -raise his hand to save his life. -</p> - -<p> -Diane at this recital could not conceal her grief and her alarm. The -conflict which she so dreaded between Gabriel and the king had already -manifested itself on two occasions, and might soon appear again in a -still more dangerous and terrible form. -</p> - -<p> -Henri, affecting not to notice his daughter's emotion, ended with these -words:— -</p> - -<p> -"These are serious offences, are they not, Diane? They almost amount to -<i>lèse-majesté</i>! And yet I have concealed these insults from everybody, -and dissembled my indignation, because this young man has really -suffered at my hands in the past, notwithstanding the glorious service -he has rendered my kingdom, which ought doubtless to have been rewarded -much more generously." Fixing a piercing glance upon Diane, the king -continued,— -</p> - -<p> -"I do not know, Diane, nor do I wish to know, whether you have been made -acquainted with the wrong I have done Monsieur d'Exmès; I only wish you -to feel that my silence has been due to my appreciation of that wrong -and my regret for it. But is it not imprudent for me to maintain -silence? Do not these outrages give warning of others more flagrant -still? Ought I not to have an eye to Monsieur d'Exmès? Upon these -points I have come, Diane, to ask for your friendly advice." -</p> - -<p> -"I am grateful for your confidence in me, Sire," replied Diane, -sorrowfully, being thus forced to choose between the duty which she owed -respectively to the two men who were dearest to her on earth. -</p> - -<p> -"It is a very natural confidence, Diane," the king returned. "Well?" he -added, observing that his daughter seemed to be at a loss. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Sire," replied Diane, with an effort, "I think that your Majesty -is right, and that for you to take some notice of Monsieur d'Exmès's -movements will perhaps be the wisest course you can adopt." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you think, then, Diane, that my life is in danger from him?" asked -Henri. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I did not say that, Sire!" cried Diane, warmly. "But Monsieur -d'Exmès seems to have been wounded to the quick, and there may be -danger perhaps—" -</p> - -<p> -Poor Diane stopped abruptly, quivering with the torture she was -undergoing, the perspiration standing on her forehead in great beads. -This species of denunciation, which her moral sense had almost torn from -her, was very repugnant to her noble heart. -</p> - -<p> -But Henri put a wholly different construction upon her very evident -distress. -</p> - -<p> -"I understand you, Diane," said he, rising and pacing heavily to and -fro. "Yes, I foresaw it clearly. You see I must be suspicious of this -young man; but to live with this Damocles's sword forever hanging over -my head is impossible. The obligations of kings are not the same as -those by which other gentlemen are governed. I propose to take effective -measures to protect myself against Monsieur d'Exmès." -</p> - -<p> -He walked toward the door as if to leave the room, but Diane threw -herself in his path. -</p> - -<p> -What, Gabriel to be accused and perhaps imprisoned! And it was she, -Diane, who had betrayed him! She could not abide the thought. After all, -Gabriel's words had not been so full of menace. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, one moment, pray!" she cried. "You are mistaken; I swear that you -are mistaken! I have not said a word to imply that your doubly sacred -head is in danger. Nothing in Monsieur d'Exmès's confidences could ever -make me suspect him capable of crime. Otherwise, great God! would I not -have told you everything?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very true," said Henri, stopping once more; "but what did you mean to -say, then, Diane?" -</p> - -<p> -"I meant to say simply that I thought it would be well for your Majesty -to avoid as far as possible these vexatious encounters where an offended -subject is enabled to show his forgetfulness of the respect due to his -king. But a regicide's failure to show respect is a very different -matter. Sire, would it be worthy of you to try to remedy one unjust act -by another equally iniquitous?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, surely not; I had no such intention," said the king; "and I have -proved it by keeping these occurrences to myself. Since you have -dissipated my suspicions, Diane; since you will answer for my bodily -safety to your own conscience and before God; and since in your opinion -I may be perfectly tranquil—" -</p> - -<p> -"Tranquil!" Diane interrupted with a shudder. "Ah, I didn't go so far as -that, Sire. With what a terrible load of responsibility you overwhelm -me! On the contrary, your Majesty ought to be careful and on your -guard—" -</p> - -<p> -"No," said the king, "I cannot live in a condition of never-ending dread -and apprehension. For two weeks I have entirely ceased to enjoy life. -This state of affairs must come to an end. One of two things must -happen: either trusting in your word, Diane, I shall go tranquilly on -with my life, thinking of the welfare of my realm, and not of my -enemy,—in short, without troubling myself further about Vicomte -d'Exmès; or I shall see that this man who bears me ill-will is put -where he can no longer injure me, by giving information of his outrages; -and since I occupy too proud and lofty a position to defend myself, I -shall leave that task to those whose duty it is to safeguard my person." -</p> - -<p> -"And who are they, Sire?" asked Diane. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, Monsieur de Montmorency, first of all, as constable and -commander-in-chief of the army." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Montmorency!" echoed Diane, with an accent of horror. -</p> - -<p> -That detested name at once recalled to her mind all the misfortunes of -Gabriel's father, his long and harsh captivity, and his death. If -Gabriel in turn should fall into the constable's hands, a like fate was -in store for him, and his destruction was certain. -</p> - -<p> -In her imagination Diane saw him whom she had loved so dearly immured in -a dungeon without light or air, and dying there in one night, or, more -fearful still, lingering on for twenty years, and dying at the last -cursing God and man, but more than all Diane the traitress, who with her -equivocal and hesitating words had basely betrayed him. -</p> - -<p> -There was no proof that Gabriel wished to slay the king, or would be -able to do it, while there was no room for doubt that the bitter enmity -of Monsieur de Montmorency would have no mercy on Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -Diane went over all this in her mind in a few seconds, and when the king -finally propounded the direct question to her,— -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Diane, what advice do you give me? Since you are better able than -I to form an opinion as to the perils which beset my path, your word -shall be my law. Ought I to think no more about Monsieur d'Exmès, or -ought I, on the other hand, to busy myself with him exclusively?" -</p> - -<p> -She replied in an agony of terror at his last words, "I have no other -counsel to offer your Majesty than that of your own conscience. If any -other than a man whom you had offended, Sire, had failed to show proper -respect to you, or had basely abandoned you when in danger of your life, -you would not, I fancy, have come to ask my advice as to the fit -punishment to be meted out to the culprit. Therefore some very weighty -motive must have constrained your Majesty to adopt a policy of silence -which seems to imply forgiveness. Now I confess that I can see no reason -why you should not continue to act as you have begun; for it seems to me -that if Monsieur d'Exmès had been capable of meditating a crime against -you, he could hardly have expected two fairer opportunities than those -which were offered him in a lonely gallery in the Louvre, and in the -forest of Fontainebleau on the edge of a precipice—" -</p> - -<p> -"You need say no more, Diane," said Henri; "and I will not ask you -another question. You have banished a serious anxiety from my heart, and -I thank you sincerely for it, my dear child. Let us say no more about -this. Now I shall be able to devote my thoughts freely to our -approaching marriage festivities. I desire that they shall be -magnificent, and that you shall be as magnificent as they. Diane, do you -hear?" -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your Majesty to excuse me," said Diane; "but I was just about to -ask leave to absent myself from these festivities. I should much prefer, -if I must confess it, to remain here by myself." -</p> - -<p> -"What!" exclaimed the king; "but do you know, Diane, that this will be -truly a royal display? There will be games and tournaments, all on the -most splendid scale, and I myself shall be one of those who hold the -lists against all comers. What pressing affairs can you have to keep you -away from such superb spectacles, my darling daughter?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," replied Diane, in a tone of the utmost gravity, "I have to -pray." -</p> - -<p> -A few minutes later the king quitted Madame de Castro, with his heart -relieved of part of its anguish. -</p> - -<p> -But alas! he left poor Diane with so much the more anguish at her heart. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap11"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XI -<br /><br /> -OMENS</h4> - -<p> -The king, thenceforth almost free from the anxiety which had weighed -upon him, urged on most energetically the preparations for the -magnificent fêtes which he proposed to provide for his fair city of -Paris, on the occasion of the happy marriages of his daughter Élisabeth -with Philip II., and his sister Marguerite with the Duke of Savoy. -</p> - -<p> -Very happy marriages, in sooth, and which surely deserved to be -celebrated with such rejoicing and splendor. The author of Don Carlos -has told us so well that we need not repeat it, what was the result of -the first. We shall see to what the preliminaries of the other led. -</p> - -<p> -The contract of marriage between Philibert Emmanuel and Marguerite de -France was to be signed on the 28th of June. -</p> - -<p> -Henri caused the announcement to be made that on that and the two -following days there would be lists open at the Tournelles for tilting -and other knightly sports. -</p> - -<p> -And upon the pretext of paying a higher compliment to the bride and -groom, but really to gratify his own intense passion for sport of that -nature, the king declared that he would himself be among the -challengers. -</p> - -<p> -But on the morning of the 28th the queen, Catherine de Médicis, who at -that time scarcely ever showed herself in public, sent an urgent request -to the king for an interview with him. -</p> - -<p> -Henri, we need not say, acquiesced at once in his wife's desire. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine thereupon entered his apartment in much emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, dear Sire," she exclaimed as soon as she saw him, "in Jesus' name, -I implore you not to leave the Louvre until the end of this month of -June." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so, Madame, pray?" asked Henri, amazed at this unexpected request. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, because you are threatened by great peril during these last few -days." -</p> - -<p> -"Who has told you that?" demanded the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Your star, Sire, which appeared last night in an observation made by -myself and my Italian astrologer, with most threatening indications of -danger,—of mortal danger!" -</p> - -<p> -We must know that Catherine de Médicis about this time began to devote -herself to those magical and astrological practices which very rarely -deceived her in the whole course of her life, if we may trust the -memoirs of the time. -</p> - -<p> -But Henri was a confirmed scoffer in this matter of reading the stars, -and he smilingly replied to the queen,— -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Madame, if my star portends danger, it may come to me here as -well as elsewhere." -</p> - -<p> -"No, Sire," Catherine replied; "it is beneath the vault of heaven and in -the open air that peril awaits you." -</p> - -<p> -"Really!—a tempest perhaps?" said Henri. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, do not joke about such things!" retorted the queen. "The stars -are the written word of God." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, we must agree," said Henri, "that the divine handwriting is -generally very obscure and confused." -</p> - -<p> -"How so, Sire?" -</p> - -<p> -"The erasures seem to me to make the text unintelligible, so that each -one may decipher it almost to suit himself. You have read, Madame, in -the celestial conjuring book, as you say, that my life is threatened if -I quit the Louvre?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Sire." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well. Now, Forcatel only last month saw something very different -there. You think highly of Forcatel, Madame, I believe?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said the queen; "he is a learned man, who has already learned to -read in the book where we are just beginning to spell." -</p> - -<p> -"Know, then, Madame," rejoined the king, "that Forcatel read for me in -these stars of yours this beautiful verse, which has no other fault -except that it is utterly unintelligible:—" -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"'If this is not Mars, dread his image.'"</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"In what does that prediction weaken the one I have told you of?" asked -Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"Just wait, Madame!" said Henri: "I have somewhere the nativity which -was cast for me last year. Do you remember what destiny it foretold for -me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Very indistinctly, Sire." -</p> - -<p> -"According to that horoscope, Madame, it is written in the stars that I -shall die in a duel! Surely, that would be a rare and novel experience -for a king. But a duel, in my humble opinion, is not the image of Mars, -but the god himself." -</p> - -<p> -"What is your conclusion from that, Sire?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, this, Madame: that since all these prophecies are contradictory -and inconsistent, the surest way is to have no faith in any of them. The -deceitful things give one another the lie, you can see yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"So your Majesty will persist in leaving the Louvre during the next few -days?" -</p> - -<p> -"Under any other circumstances I should be most happy, Madame, to -gratify you by remaining with you; but I have promised and publicly -announced that I would be present at these festivities; so I must attend -them." -</p> - -<p> -"At all events, Sire, you will not enter the lists, will you?" -</p> - -<p> -"There, again, my pledged word requires me, to my great regret, to -refuse you, Madame. But what possible danger can there be for me in -these sports? I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart for your -solicitude; yet let me assure you that your fears are altogether -imaginary, and that to yield to them would be to imply a false belief -that danger could possibly attend this courtly, good-natured jousting, -which I by no means propose to have done away with on my account." -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," rejoined Catherine, "I am accustomed to give way to your will, -and to-day again I resign myself, but with grief and alarm at my heart." -</p> - -<p> -"You will come to the Tournelles, Madame, will you not?" said the king, -kissing Catherine's hand,—"were it for no other object than to -applaud my prowess with the lance and convince yourself of the absurdity -of your fears." -</p> - -<p> -"I will obey you to the end," replied the queen, as she withdrew. -</p> - -<p> -Along with all the court, except Diane de Castro, Catherine was present -at the first day's tilting, where throughout the day the king crossed -lances with all comers. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Madame, the stars seem to have been mistaken," he said jokingly -to the queen in the evening. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine sadly shook her head. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said she, "the month of June is not yet at an end." -</p> - -<p> -The second day, the 29th, likewise passed off equally uneventfully. -Henri did not leave the lists; and his good fortune was in proportion to -his daring. -</p> - -<p> -"You see, Madame, that the stars proved deceptive as to this day also," -he again observed to Catherine, when they returned to the Louvre. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Sire, now I only dread the third day!" cried the queen. -</p> - -<p> -The last day of the tournament, June 30, was Friday, and was intended to -be the most brilliant and splendid of the three, and to bring the -festivities to a fitting close. -</p> - -<p> -The four challengers were— -</p> - -<p> -The king, who wore a white and black favor,—the colors of Madame de -Poitiers; -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise, who wore white and pink; -</p> - -<p> -Alphonse d'Este, Duc de Ferrare, who wore yellow and red; and -</p> - -<p> -Jacques de Savoie, Duc de Nemours, whose colors were black and yellow. -</p> - -<p> -Says Brantôme:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"These four princes were the most skilful knights who could be found at -that time, not in France alone, but in all countries. Thus on that day -they performed prodigies of valor; and it was impossible to know to whom -the palm should be awarded, although the king was one of the best and -most expert horsemen in his realm." -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -Fortune seemed to divide her favors with impartial hand among these four -dexterous and renowned challengers; and as course succeeded course, and -the day drew to its close, it was hard to say to which of them the honor -of the tournament belonged. -</p> - -<p> -Henri was throughout in an almost feverish state of excitement. He was -in his element in all such sports and passages-at-arms; and he was quite -as eager to be victorious on such occasions as on a real battle-field. -</p> - -<p> -However, the evening came on apace, and the trumpets and clarions -sounded the signal for the last course. -</p> - -<p> -It was Monsieur le Duc de Guise's turn to hold the lists, and he did it -in such knightly fashion as to win hearty applause from the ladies and -the assembled multitude. -</p> - -<p> -Then the queen, who began to breathe freely once more, rose from her -seat. -</p> - -<p> -It was the signal for departure. -</p> - -<p> -"What! is everything over?" cried the excited and jealous king. "Wait, -Mesdames, wait a moment! Is it not my turn to run a course?" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Vieilleville reminded the king that he had opened the lists; -that the four challengers had all run the same number of courses: that -they had all met with equal success, to be sure, and no one could be -declared victor, but that the lists were closed and the day at an end. -</p> - -<p> -"What!" retorted Henri, impatiently; "if the king is the first to enter -the lists, he should be the last to leave them. I do not choose that the -day should end in this way. See, there are still two unbroken lances." -</p> - -<p> -"But there are no more assailants, Sire," replied Monsieur de -Vieilleville. -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your pardon," said the king; "do you not see that man who has -kept his visor down all the time, and has not yet run? Who is it, -Vieilleville?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, I don't know,—I had not noticed him." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," said Henri, approaching the unknown, "you will, if you -please, break this last lance with me." -</p> - -<p> -The individual addressed did not reply for a moment, but at last in a -deep and solemn voice, which he struggled to control, he said,— -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your Majesty to allow me to decline this honor." -</p> - -<p> -The tone of his voice caused Henri, without knowing why, to feel a -strange uneasiness mingled with his feverish excitement. -</p> - -<p> -"Allow you to decline! no, I cannot allow that, Monsieur," said he, with -a gesture of nervous anger. -</p> - -<p> -Then the stranger silently raised his visor. -</p> - -<p> -For the third time within a fortnight, the king saw the pale and -dejected countenance of Gabriel de Montgommery. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap12"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XII -<br /><br /> -THE FATAL JOUST</h4> - -<p> -At sight of the solemn and ominous features of the young count, the king -felt an involuntary tremor of surprise, perhaps of terror, which set -every nerve quivering. -</p> - -<p> -But he would not confess to himself, still less let others observe that -first shudder, which he at once repressed. His heart reacted against his -instinct; and just because he had been afraid for one second, he -afterward exhibited a degree of courage which amounted to recklessness. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel said again in his slow, grave tones,— -</p> - -<p> -"I implore your Majesty not to persist in your desire!" -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless I do persist in it, Monsieur de Montgommery," the king -replied. -</p> - -<p> -His perception being obscured by so many contending emotions, Henri -imagined that he could detect a sort of challenge in Gabriel's words, -and the tone in which they were uttered. Alarmed by the sudden return of -that anxious feeling which Diane de Castro had relieved temporarily, he -bore up vigorously against his weakness, and determined to have -done with this dastardly terror, which he deemed unworthy of -himself,—Henri II., a son of France, and a king! -</p> - -<p> -Therefore he said to Gabriel with a firmness that was almost -overdone,— -</p> - -<p> -"Make your preparations, Monsieur, to run a course against me." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, whose whole being was in as confused and overwrought a state as -that of the king, bowed without replying. -</p> - -<p> -At that moment, Monsieur de Boisy, the grand equerry, approached the -king and said to him that the queen had sent him to implore his Majesty -to tilt no more that day for love of her. -</p> - -<p> -"Say to the queen," replied Henri, "that it is just for love of her that -I am going to run this one course." -</p> - -<p> -Turning to Monsieur de Vieilleville, he said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Come, Monsieur de Vieilleville, put on my armor at once." -</p> - -<p> -In his preoccupation, he demanded from Monsieur de Vieilleville a -service which was an attribute of the office of Monsieur de Boisy, the -grand equerry, and Monsieur de Vieilleville in his surprise respectfully -reminded him of that fact. -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure!" said the king, putting his hand to his forehead. "What has -become of my brains, I wonder?" -</p> - -<p> -He met Gabriel's cold and statue-like glance, and continued -impatiently,— -</p> - -<p> -"But no, I was right. Was it not Monsieur de Boisy's place to finish his -commission from the queen, by reporting my words to her? I knew -perfectly well what I was doing and what I said! Give me my armor, -Monsieur de Vieilleville." -</p> - -<p> -"That being so, Sire," said Monsieur de Vieilleville, "and since your -Majesty is absolutely determined to break one lance more, I beg to -remind you that it is my turn to run against you, and I claim my right. -In fact, Monsieur de Montgommery did not present himself at the opening -of the lists, and only entered when he believed them closed." -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, Monsieur," said Gabriel, earnestly; "and I will gladly -withdraw, and give place to you." -</p> - -<p> -But in the count's eagerness to shun the combat with him, the king -persisted in fancying that he detected the insulting reflections of an -enemy upon his courage. -</p> - -<p> -"No, no!" he replied, stamping his foot on the ground. "It is against -Monsieur de Montgommery and no other that I propose to run this course, -and there has been enough delay! Give me my armor." -</p> - -<p> -He met the count's fixed, stern gaze with a proud and haughty glance, -and without more words he put his head forward that Monsieur de -Vieilleville might adjust his casque. -</p> - -<p> -Clearly his destiny had blinded him. -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Savoie came to renew Catherine de Médicis's entreaties that -the king would leave the field. -</p> - -<p> -As Henri did not trouble himself to reply to these urgent -representations, the duke added in a low tone,— -</p> - -<p> -"Madame Diane de Poitiers, Sire, also asked me to warn you secretly to -be on your guard against him with whom you are to dispute this bout." -</p> - -<p> -At Diane's name, Henri started in spite of himself, but again he -repressed his emotion. -</p> - -<p> -"Shall I show myself a craven, then, before my beloved?" he asked -himself. -</p> - -<p> -And he maintained the dignified silence of one who is importuned to -depart from an unalterable resolution. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, Monsieur de Vieilleville, while adjusting his armor, took -occasion to say to him beneath his breath,— -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, I swear by the living God that for three nights I have dreamed of -nothing but that some mishap would befall you to-day, and that this last -day of June would be a fatal one for you."<a name="FNanchor_4_1" id="FNanchor_4_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_1" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> -</p> - -<p> -But the king did not appear to have heard him; he was already armed, and -he seized his lance. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel was handed his, and also entered the lists. -</p> - -<p> -The two combatants mounted their horses and took the field. -</p> - -<p> -A deep, awful silence pervaded the entire assemblage; all eyes were so -intent upon the spectacle before them that breathing seemed almost to be -suspended. -</p> - -<p> -However, the constable and Diane de Castro being absent, every one in -that vast throng, except Madame de Poitiers, was in ignorance of the -fact that there were between the king and the Comte de Montgommery any -causes of enmity or any wrongs to be avenged. No one clearly foreboded a -bloody issue to a mock combat. The king, accustomed to these sports -unattended with danger, had shown himself in the arena a hundred times -within three days, under conditions which apparently differed in no -respect from those existing at this moment. -</p> - -<p> -And yet there was a vague sensation of something awe-inspiring and out -of the common course in this adversary who had remained shrouded in -mystery until the very end, in his significant reluctance to enter the -lists,—likewise in the king's stubborn obstinacy; and in the face of -this unknown danger, every one waited in breathless silence. Why? No one -could have told. But a stranger arriving at that moment, and observing -the expression on every face, would have said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Some critical event is about to take place." -</p> - -<p> -There was terror in the very air. -</p> - -<p> -One extraordinary circumstance demonstrated clearly the sinister -complexion of the thoughts of the throng. -</p> - -<p> -In ordinary combats, and as long as they lasted, the clarions and -trumpets never ceased their deafening flourishes. They were the very -incarnation of the spirit of enjoyment that pervaded the tournament. -</p> - -<p> -But when the king and Gabriel entered the lists, the trumpets suddenly, -as if by common consent, were still; not a sound was to be heard from -one of them, and the pervading horrified expectancy became doubly -painful in that unwonted silence. -</p> - -<p> -The two champions felt even more than the spectators the influence of -these extraordinary tokens of disquiet which seemed to fill the air, so -to speak. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel no longer thought or saw,—in fact, he hardly breathed. He -went on mechanically and as if in a dream, doing by instinct what he had -formerly done under similar circumstances, but guided in some measure by -a secret and potent will, which surely was not his own. -</p> - -<p> -The king was even more passive and lost in abstraction than he. He also -seemed to have a sort of cloud before his eyes, and had the appearance -of acting and moving in a mental phantasmagoria, which was neither -reality nor a dream. -</p> - -<p> -Every now and then a ray of light shone in upon his brain, so that he -reviewed clearly and all at once the predictions which the queen had -made two days before, as well as those of his horoscope, and those of -Forcatel. Suddenly, by the help of some awe-inspiring gleam of -intelligence, he understood the meaning and the correlation of all those -ominous auguries. A cold sweat bathed him from head to foot. For an -instant he felt an almost irresistible impulse to give up the combat and -leave the lists; but the thousands of eyes that were gazing eagerly upon -him nailed him to his place. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, Monsieur de Vieilleville was just giving the signal for the -onset. -</p> - -<p> -The die was cast. Forward! and God's will be done! -</p> - -<p> -The two horses set off at a gallop, at that moment being more -intelligent and less blinded perhaps than their riders, heavily barbed -and armored. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel and the king met in the centre of the arena. Their lances came -together and were shattered upon their shields, and they passed on -without any other mishap. -</p> - -<p> -So the presentiments of evil had been false! There was a great murmur of -satisfaction uttered with one accord by all those lightened hearts. The -queen cast a grateful glance toward heaven. -</p> - -<p> -But their rejoicing was premature. -</p> - -<p> -The horsemen were still within the lists. After having galloped each to -the opposite end from that at which he had entered, they must return to -their respective points of departure, and thus meet a second time. -</p> - -<p> -But what danger was to be apprehended now? They would pass without -coming in contact. -</p> - -<p> -But whether because of his anxiety, whether it was by intention or by -accident (for who besides God can tell the reason?), Gabriel, when he -rode back, did not throw away, as the custom was, the broken shaft of -the lance, which had been left in his hand. He carried it lowered in -front of him. -</p> - -<p> -As he rode along at a gallop, the shaft came in contact with Henri's -head. -</p> - -<p> -The visor of the casque was broken by the force of the blow, and the -lance pierced the king's eye and came out at his ear. -</p> - -<p> -Not more than half of the spectators, who were already rising to leave -the lists, witnessed that fearful blow; but those who did gave utterance -to a loud cry, which told the others. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Henri had let his reins drop from his hands, and clinging to -his horse's neck, had reached the end of the arena, where Messieurs de -Vieilleville and de Boisy were waiting to receive him. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, I am killed!" were the king's first words. -</p> - -<p> -Then he muttered,— -</p> - -<p> -"Let no one molest Monsieur de Montgommery! It was no more than -just—I forgive him." -</p> - -<p> -And with that he lost consciousness. -</p> - -<p> -We will not try to depict the confusion that ensued. Catherine de -Médicis was carried from the spot, half dead with grief and terror. The -king was at once borne to his own apartment at the Tournelles, without -regaining consciousness for an instant. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel dismounted and stood leaning against the barrier as motionless -as if turned to stone, and seemingly overcome with horror at the blow he -had struck. -</p> - -<p> -The king's last words had been understood and repeated, and no one -ventured to molest Gabriel; but every one around was whispering, and -looking askance at him in awe. -</p> - -<p> -Admiral de Coligny, who had been a spectator of the tournament, alone -had courage to approach the young count; and as he passed by at his left -side, he said to him in a low voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"A terrible accident, my friend! I know well that it was all chance; our -ideas and the speeches you heard, as La Renaudie has informed me, at the -meeting in the Place Maubert, surely had no connection with this -fatality. No matter! although you cannot be punished for what was but an -accident, be on your guard. I advise you to disappear for a time, and to -get away from Paris, if not from France. Rely always upon me; <i>au -revoir</i>." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks," Gabriel replied without moving, -</p> - -<p> -A mournful and feeble smile flickered about his colorless lips while the -Protestant leader was speaking to him. -</p> - -<p> -Coligny nodded to him, and went on. -</p> - -<p> -Some moments later, the Duc de Guise, who had superintended the king's -removal, also came toward Gabriel, as he was giving certain orders to -the attendants. -</p> - -<p> -He passed very near the young count, on the right side, and as he -passed, whispered in his ear,— -</p> - -<p> -"An unfortunate blow, Gabriel! But no one can blame you for it; you are -only to be pitied. But just think! if any one had overheard our -conversation at the Tournelles, what fearful conjectures the -evil-disposed might draw from this very easily explained but very -distressing accident! But it makes no difference, for I am powerful now; -and I am always your friend, as you know. However, do not show yourself -for a few days; but do not leave Paris,—that would be useless. If any -one should dare to make a criminal accusation against you, remember what -I say to you: rely upon me everywhere and always, and in any emergency." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks, Monseigneur," said Gabriel again, in the same tone, and with -the same melancholy smile. -</p> - -<p> -It was very clear that both the Duc de Guise and Coligny had, not an -absolute conviction, but a vague suspicion, that the accident which they -pretended to deplore had not been altogether unintentional. In their -hearts, the religious zealot and the ambitious noble, without wishing to -do violence to their respective consciences, were satisfied,—the -latter that Gabriel had seized at any risk the opportunity to make himself -useful to the fortune of a patron whom he adored, and the former that -the fanaticism of the young Huguenot had attained sufficient strength to -urge him on to deliver his oppressed brethren from their persecutor. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore both felt in duty bound to say a few words to their discreet -and devoted auxiliary: and that explains why they had, one after the -other, approached him as we have related, and Gabriel's appreciation of -their motives had made him receive their double error with that sad -smile. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the Duc de Guise had returned to the anxious groups who were -standing around. Gabriel cast a glance about him, saw the alarmed -curiosity with which he was regarded, and with a deep sigh determined to -leave the fatal spot. -</p> - -<p> -He returned to his house in the Rue des Jardins St. Paul without -molestation or question. -</p> - -<p> -At the Tournelles the king's apartment was closed to everybody except -the queen and their children and the surgeons who had come to the relief -of the royal patient. -</p> - -<p> -But Fernel and all the other doctors very soon recognized the fact that -there was no hope, and that Henri II. must die. -</p> - -<p> -Ambroise Paré was at Peronne, and it did not occur to the Duc de Guise -to send for him. -</p> - -<p> -The king lay in an unconscious state for four days. -</p> - -<p> -On the fifth day he came to himself sufficiently to give some -orders,—notably to command that his sister's marriage should be -celebrated at once. -</p> - -<p> -He saw the queen also, and made certain suggestions to her concerning -his children and the affairs of the kingdom. -</p> - -<p> -Then fever seized him; he became delirious, and suffered torments. -</p> - -<p> -At last, on the 10th of July, 1559, on the day following that on which, -in accordance with his last wish, his weeping sister Marguerite had -married the Duke of Savoy, Henri II. breathed his last, after eleven -long days of agony. -</p> - -<p> -The same day Madame Diane de Castro took her departure, or rather her -flight, for her old home,—the Benedictine convent at St. Quentin, -which had been reopened after the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_4_1" id="Footnote_4_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_1"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>"Mémoires de Vincent Carloix," secretary to Monsieur -de Vieilleville.</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap13"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XIII -<br /><br /> -A NEW ORDER OF AFFAIRS</h4> - -<p> -For the mistress, as well as for the favorite male dependant of a king, -true death comes, not with death itself, but with disgrace. -</p> - -<p> -Consequently the son of the Comte de Montgommery might feel that he had -taken ample vengeance for his father's horrible entombment and death -upon both the constable and Diane de Poitiers, if through his -instrumentality those two guilty ones should fall from power to exile, -and from lofty and brilliant position to obscurity. -</p> - -<p> -It was this result that Gabriel was still awaiting in the gloomy and -anxious solitude of his dwelling, where he had buried himself after the -fatal blow of June 30. It was not his own punishment that he dreaded, if -Montmorency and his accomplice should remain in power, but he loathed -the thought of their chastisement being remitted. He therefore waited. -</p> - -<p> -During the eleven days that elapsed before Henri's agony was relieved by -death, the Constable de Montmorency had put forth every effort to retain -his share of influence in the government. He had written to all the -princes of the blood, urging them to take their seats in the council of -the young king. Above all, he had impressed the consequence of this -proceeding upon Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, the next heir to -the throne after the king's brothers. He had written him to make all -haste, inasmuch as the least delay would enable strangers to assume a -supremacy from which they could not afterward be easily dislodged. In -fact, he had sent couriers here and there in all directions, urging some -and imploring others, and had omitted nothing in his vigorous attempts -to form a party capable of making head against that of the Guises. -</p> - -<p> -Diane de Poitiers, despite her deep affliction, had done her best to -second his efforts, for her fate now was indissolubly connected with -that of her old lover. -</p> - -<p> -With him in power she might still reign, to good effect at all events, -although not openly. -</p> - -<p> -When, on the 10th of July, 1559, the eldest son of Henri II. was -proclaimed king by the herald-at-arms, under the name of François II., -the young prince was only sixteen; and although he had in the eyes of -the law attained his majority, his youth and inexperience, as well as -his feeble health, would compel him, for several years at least, to -relinquish the conduct of affairs to a minister who in his name would be -far more powerful than himself. -</p> - -<p> -Now who should be that minister,—say rather, that tutor,—the -Duc de Guise or the constable; Catherine de Médicis or Antoine de Bourbon? -</p> - -<p> -That was the question of absorbing interest on the day following the -death of Henri II. -</p> - -<p> -On that day François II. was to receive the deputies of parliament at -three o'clock. The person whose name he should present to them as that -of his minister might well be saluted by them as their real sovereign. -</p> - -<p> -All energies were therefore bent in that direction; and on the morning -of the 12th of July Catherine de Médicis and François de Lorraine both -waited upon the young king, upon the pretext that they had come to offer -him their condolence, but really to whisper their advice into his ear. -</p> - -<p> -The widow of Henri II., with such an important end in view, had even -broken through the etiquette which required that she should remain in -seclusion for forty days. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis, although slighted and cast aside by her husband, -had felt for the last twelve years the first symptoms of that vast and -far-reaching ambition which governed the rest of her life. -</p> - -<p> -But since she could not be regent over a king who had attained his -majority, her only chance was to reign by the hand of a minister who was -devoted to her interests. -</p> - -<p> -The Constable de Montmorency would not meet the occasion; for he had -under the late reign contributed in no slight degree to the substitution -of the influence of Diane de Poitiers for that which Catherine might -legitimately have exercised. The queen-mother had not forgiven his -actions in that regard, and thought much more seriously about chastising -him for his always harsh and often cruel treatment of her. -</p> - -<p> -Antoine de Bourbon would have been a more docile instrument in her -hands; but he was of the Reformed religion, and his wife, Jeanne -d'Albret, had her own ambition to satisfy; and then, too, his title as a -prince of the blood might arouse dangerous desires in him if conjoined -with the real power of a minister. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise remained; but would François de Lorraine acknowledge -with good grace the queen-mother's right to exercise a sort of moral -authority, or would he refuse to admit anybody to a share in his power? -</p> - -<p> -The last point was one on which Catherine was very anxious to be -enlightened; and so she welcomed with joy the prospect of an interview -in the king's presence which chance had brought about between her and -the duke on the morning in question. -</p> - -<p> -She determined to find or to invent opportunities to test Le Balafré, -and to ascertain his disposition toward her. -</p> - -<p> -But the Duc de Guise was no less expert in politics than in war, and -maintained a careful watch upon himself. -</p> - -<p> -This prologue to the drama took place at the Louvre, in the royal -apartment where François II. had been installed the day before; and the -only <i>dramatis personæ</i> were the queen-mother, Le Balafré, the young -king, and Mary Stuart. -</p> - -<p> -François and his youthful queen contrasted with the cold and selfish -ambitions of Catherine and the Duc de Guise were like two fascinating -children, frankly and ingenuously in love with each other, and ready to -bestow their confidence upon the first passer-by who should be adroit -enough to win their hearts. -</p> - -<p> -They were in sincere affliction for the death of the king their father; -and Catherine found them very sad and cast down. -</p> - -<p> -"My son," said she to François, "it is well for you to shed these tears -to the memory of him whom you, above all others, should regret. You know -that I share your bitter grief. However, you must remember that you have -other duties than those of a son to fulfil. You are also a -father,—the father of your people. After you have paid this -fitting tribute of sorrow to the past, turn your face to the future. -Remember that you are king, my son,—I should say your Majesty, to -use a form of address which will remind you of your duties and your -rights at the same time." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said François, shaking his head, "it is a very heavy burden, -Madame, this sceptre of France, for the hands of sixteen years to carry; -and nothing warned me to expect that my inexperienced and light-minded -youth would so soon be overwhelmed with such a weighty responsibility." -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," Catherine replied, "accept with resignation and gratitude the -office which God lays upon you; it will be for those who surround and -love you to lighten your burden to the best of their ability, and to add -their efforts to your own to assist you to bear it worthily." -</p> - -<p> -"Madame, I thank you," murmured the young king, much embarrassed to know -what reply to make to these advances. -</p> - -<p> -Mechanically he glanced toward the Duc de Guise, as if to ask the advice -of his wife's uncle. -</p> - -<p> -At his very first step as king, even in his mother's presence, the poor -youth, with the crown on his head, seemed instinctively to appreciate -the pitfalls which lay in his path. -</p> - -<p> -But the Duc de Guise said, with no sign of hesitation,— -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Sire; your Majesty is right,—thank the queen, thank her with -all your heart, for her kind and encouraging words. But be not content with -being grateful to her; tell her boldly that among those who love you and -whom you love she occupies the foremost place, and that for that reason -you ought to and do rely upon her invaluable maternal co-operation in -the difficult task which you have been called upon so young to -undertake." -</p> - -<p> -"My uncle De Guise is a faithful interpreter of my thoughts, Madame," -said the delighted young king to his mother; "and even if I do not -repeat his words for fear that I may weaken their force, consider them, -I pray, Madame and beloved mother, as if I had myself uttered them, and -vouchsafe to promise me your priceless help in my weakness." -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother had already favored the Duc de Guise with a grateful -and approving glance. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," she said to her son, "the little talent that I can boast of is -at your service, and I shall be proud and happy every time that you care -to consult me. But I am only a woman; and you need beside your throne a -defender who knows how to wield a sword. The strong arm and manly vigor -that are requisite your Majesty will doubtless discover among those -whose alliance and relationship make you look naturally to them for -support." -</p> - -<p> -Thus Catherine lost no time in paying her debt to the Duc de Guise for -his fair words. -</p> - -<p> -A tacit bargain was thus made between them by a single glance; but let -us say at once that it was not sincerely entered into on either side, -and was not destined, as we shall see, to be of long duration. -</p> - -<p> -The young king understood his mother, and encouraged by a glance from -Mary, held out his hand timidly to Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -With that grasp of the hand he conferred upon him the government of -France. -</p> - -<p> -However, Catherine de Médicis did not choose to allow her son to bind -himself prematurely, nor until the Duc de Guise had given to herself -certain pledges of his goodwill. -</p> - -<p> -So she anticipated the king, who would probably have gone on to confirm -his confidential impulse by some formal promise, and was the first to -speak. -</p> - -<p> -"In any event, Sire, before you have a minister, your mother has, not a -favor to ask at your hands, but a demand to make." -</p> - -<p> -"Say, then, a command, Madame," replied François. "Speak, I beg you." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, my son," Catherine continued, "I refer to a woman who has -done me much harm, but has injured France even more. It is not for us to -censure the failings of one who is more than ever sacred in our eyes -now. But unfortunately your father is no more, Sire; his will is no -longer supreme in this château; and yet this woman, whom I will not -call by name, dares still to remain here, and to inflict upon me the -outrage of her presence even to the end. During the king's protracted -unconsciousness, it was suggested to her that it was not decent for her -to remain at the Louvre. 'Is the king dead?' she asked. 'No, he still -breathes.' 'Very well! none but he has the right to give orders to me.' -And she had the brazen impudence to remain." -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise interrupted the queen-mother at this point, and -hastened to say,— -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me, Madame, but I think that I know his Majesty's intentions -with regard to her of whom you are speaking." -</p> - -<p> -Without other preamble, he struck a bell, and a valet appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Let Madame de Poitiers be informed," said he, "that the king wishes to -speak with her at once." -</p> - -<p> -The valet bowed, and withdrew to carry out the order. The young monarch -gave no sign whatever of surprise or dissatisfaction at seeing his -authority thus taken from his hands without a word from him. The fact is -that he was overjoyed at anything that tended to lessen his -responsibility, and release him from the necessity of giving orders or -acting as king. -</p> - -<p> -However, Le Balafré thought best to give to his proceeding the sanction -of royal approbation. -</p> - -<p> -"I trust I do not presume too far, Sire," he continued, "in feeling -confident of your Majesty's wishes touching this matter?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, surely not, my dear uncle," François replied eagerly. "Go on, -pray. I know beforehand that whatever you do will be well done." -</p> - -<p> -"And what you say is well said, darling," whispered Mary Stuart, softly, -in her husband's ear. -</p> - -<p> -François blushed with pride and pleasure. For a word or a glance of -approbation from his adored Mary he would, in very truth, have bartered -and abandoned all the kingdoms on earth. -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother awaited with impatient curiosity the course which the -Duc de Guise proposed to adopt. -</p> - -<p> -She thought best, however, to add, as much to break the silence as to -better signify her own purpose,— -</p> - -<p> -"She whom you have sent for, Sire, may well, in my opinion, leave the -Louvre in the possession of the only legitimate queen of the late king, -as well as the charming queen of the present one;" here she bowed -graciously to Mary Stuart. "Has not this beautiful and wealthy lady her -superb royal Château d'Anet, where she can seek shelter and -consolation?—a much more royal and superb establishment, certainly, -than my modest dwelling of Chaumont-sur-Loire." -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise said nothing, but did not fail to note down that hint -in his mind. -</p> - -<p> -We must avow that he hated Diane de Poitiers no less bitterly than -Catherine de Médicis did. For it was Madame de Valentinois who up to -that time, to please the constable, had used all her influence to hinder -and frustrate Le Balafré's fortune and his schemes; and she doubtless -would have succeeded in relegating him forever into obscurity if -Gabriel's lance had not shattered the enchantress's power when it struck -down Henri II. in the prime of life. -</p> - -<p> -But François de Lorraine's day of vengeance had come at last, and he -knew how to hate as well as to love. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment the usher announced in a loud voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Madame le Duchesse de Valentinois." -</p> - -<p> -Diane de Poitiers entered, evidently in much anxiety, but with her head -still erect as of yore. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap14"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XIV -<br /><br /> -RESULTS OF GABRIEL'S VENGEANCE</h4> - -<p> -Madame de Valentinois made a slight reverence to the young king, a still -slighter one to Catherine de Médicis and Mary Stuart, but seemed not to -see the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said she, "your Majesty has sent me your commands to appear -before you—" -</p> - -<p> -She checked herself. François II., at once indignant and embarrassed by -the insolent bearing of the ex-favorite, hesitated, blushed, and finally -said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Our uncle De Guise has consented to take it upon himself to make known -our intentions with regard to you, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -Diane turned slowly toward Le Balafré, and seeing the bitter, mocking -smile which was playing about his lips, tried to wither him with the -most imperious of her Juno-like glances. -</p> - -<p> -But Le Balafré was much less easily frightened than his royal nephew. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," said he to Diane, after bestowing a profound salute upon her, -"the king has noticed your sincere grief, caused by the terrible -calamity which has overwhelmed us all. He is grateful to you for it. His -Majesty trusts that he anticipates your dearest wish by permitting you -to leave the court for a more retired spot. You are at liberty to go as -soon as you find it convenient; this evening, for instance." -</p> - -<p> -A tear of rage appeared in Diane's flaming eye. -</p> - -<p> -"His Majesty has gratified my most earnest desire," said she. "What is -there here for me to do now? I have nothing so much at heart as to -withdraw to my place of exile, Monsieur, at the earliest possible -moment, never fear!" -</p> - -<p> -"Everything turns out for the best, then," replied the Duc de Guise, -carelessly playing with the knots of his velvet cloak. "But, Madame," he -added more gravely, and imparting to his words the significant accent of -an order, "your Château d'Anet, which you owe to the benevolence of the -late king, is something too worldly, too exposed, and too frivolous a -retreat for a desolate recluse like yourself. Therefore Queen Catherine -offers you in exchange for it her Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, which -is farther from Paris, and proportionately better suited to your present -tastes and needs, I presume. It will be at your disposal as soon as you -desire." -</p> - -<p> -Madame de Poitiers very well understood that this pretended exchange was -simply a mask to cover an arbitrary confiscation. But what could she do? -How resist? She no longer possessed either influence or power. All her -friends of the day before were her enemies of to-day. She must needs bow -to fate, and she did so. -</p> - -<p> -"I shall be only too happy," said she, in a hollow voice, "to offer to -the queen the magnificent domain which I owe to the generosity of her -royal spouse." -</p> - -<p> -"I accept the reparation, Madame," said Catherine de Médicis, dryly, -casting a disdainful glance at Diane, and one full of gratitude to the -Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -In truth, it was he who presented Anet to her. -</p> - -<p> -"The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is at your disposal, Madame," she -added, "and shall be put in condition to receive its new proprietress -worthily." -</p> - -<p> -"And there," resumed the Duc de Guise, meeting the withering -glances with which Diane was favoring him by a little harmless -raillery,—"there, in peace, Madame, you may employ your leisure in -resting from the weariness which has, I am informed, been caused during -the last few days by your frequent correspondence and interviews with -Monsieur de Montmorency." -</p> - -<p> -"I did not think that I was doing a disservice to him who was then -king," Diane retorted, "by conferring with the great statesman and great -warrior of his reign as to whatever concerned the welfare of the -kingdom." -</p> - -<p> -In her eagerness to repay sharp words in kind, Madame de Poitiers did -not reflect that she was thus furnishing arms against herself, and -reminding Catherine de Médicis of her other enemy, the constable. -</p> - -<p> -"It is true," said the relentless queen-mother: "Monsieur de Montmorency -has shed the light of his glory and his good works upon two entire -reigns; and it is full time, my son," she added, addressing the young -king, "that you should consider how you may assure him also the -honorable retirement he has so laboriously earned." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Montmorency," Diane retorted bitterly, "agreed with me in -anticipating such an acknowledgment and recompense of his long and -arduous services. He was with me when your Majesty commanded my -presence. He is probably still in my apartments, and I will seek him -there, and notify him of the generous consideration that is in store for -him; he should come at once to offer his gratitude to the king with his -leave-taking. And he is a man, remember; he is constable, and one of the -powerful noblemen of the realm! Rest assured that sooner or later he -will find an opportunity to demonstrate more forcibly than by words his -profound gratitude to a king so filled with pious regard for the past, -and to the new advisers who show themselves such valuable assistants in -the work of justice and of public interest which he has at heart." -</p> - -<p> -"A threat!" said Le Balafré to himself. "The viper squirms under the -heel. Oh, well, so much the better! I prefer it so!" -</p> - -<p> -"The king is always ready to receive Monsieur le Connétable," observed -the queen-mother, pale with rage. "And if Monsieur le Connétable has -any demands to present to his Majesty's consideration, or any -observations to address to him, he has but to come forward. He will be -listened to, and, as you say, Madame, justice will be done!" -</p> - -<p> -"I will send him hither at once," was Madame de Poitiers's defiant -reply. -</p> - -<p> -She again bestowed a superb bow upon the king and the two queens, and -left the room, with head still erect, but wounded to her very -soul,—with pride on her features, but death at her heart. -</p> - -<p> -If Gabriel could have seen her, he would have felt sufficiently revenged -upon her. -</p> - -<p> -Even Catherine de Médicis, at the price of that humiliation, consented -to forego any further reprisals against Diane! -</p> - -<p> -But the queen-mother had noticed with some uneasiness that at the name -of the constable the Duc de Guise had remained silent, and had paid no -further attention to Madame de Poitiers's irritating insolence. -</p> - -<p> -Could it be that Le Balafré feared Monsieur de Montmorency, and wished -to spare him? Would he, in case of need, form an alliance with -Catherine's old foe? -</p> - -<p> -It was essential that the Florentine should know what to expect in that -direction before she allowed the power to fall without resistance into -the hands of François de Lorraine. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore, in order to ascertain his views and those of the king as -well, she remarked, after Diane had gone: -</p> - -<p> -"Madame de Poitiers is very impudent, and seems very strong in her -reliance upon her constable. Be sure, my son, that if you allow Monsieur -de Montmorency to retain any authority, be it much or little, he will -share it with Madame Diane." -</p> - -<p> -Still the Duc de Guise said nothing. -</p> - -<p> -"As for me," continued Catherine, "if I were to offer my opinion to your -Majesty, it would be that you should not divide your confidence among -several persons, but that you should select for your sole minister -either Monsieur de Montmorency or your uncle De Guise or your uncle De -Bourbon, as you choose. But let it be one or the other, and not all. Let -there be only one will in the State,—that of the king, advised by the -small number of persons who have no other interest than in its welfare -and glory. Is not that your opinion, Monsieur de Lorraine?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame, if it is yours," replied the duke, condescendingly. -</p> - -<p> -"Aha!" said Catherine to herself, "I guessed aright: he was thinking of -allying himself with the constable. But he must decide between him and -me, and I think he cannot hesitate long. -</p> - -<p> -"It seems to me, Monsieur de Guise," she continued aloud, "that you -ought to share my opinion so much the more fully, because it will be to -your advantage; for the king knows my thought, and that it is neither -the Constable de Montmorency nor Antoine de Navarre whom I would like to -have him select for his adviser; and when I thus declare my sentiments -in favor of the exclusion of a multiplicity of advisers, I do not aim my -remarks against you." -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," said the Duc de Guise, "accept with my heartfelt gratitude my -no less entire devotion." -</p> - -<p> -The subtle politician emphasized the last words, as if he had made up -his mind and had definitely sacrificed the constable to Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"That is very well," said the queen-mother. "When these gentlemen of the -parliament arrive, it is fitting that they should find among us this -rare and affecting unanimity of views and feelings." -</p> - -<p> -"I, above all others, am overjoyed at this cordial agreement," cried the -young king, clapping his hands. "With my mother to advise me and my -uncle for minister, I begin to feel on better terms with this royalty -which terrified me so at first." -</p> - -<p> -"We will reign <i>en famille</i>," added Mary Stuart, gayly. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis and François de Lorraine smiled pityingly at -these hopes—illusions, rather—of the young king and queen. -Each of them had for the moment what they most desired,—he the -certainty that the queen-mother would not object to allowing the supreme -power to be intrusted to him, and she the belief that the minister would -share his supreme power with her. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Monsieur de Montmorency was announced. The constable, it must -be said, was at first more dignified and calm than Madame de -Valentinois. Doubtless he had been forewarned by her, and had determined -at least to fall with colors flying. -</p> - -<p> -He bowed respectfully before François II., and began at once to speak. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said he, "I anticipated that the old servant of your father and -grandfather would meet with little favor from you. I have no complaint -to make of this sudden change of fortune which I foresaw; I will go into -retirement without a murmur. If the king or France ever have need of me, -I shall be found at Chantilly, Sire; and my property, my children, and -my own life,—all that I possess will always be at your Majesty's -service." -</p> - -<p> -This moderation seemed to move the young king, who, more embarrassed -than ever, turned in his distress to his mother. -</p> - -<p> -But the Duc de Guise, feeling that no intervention could so surely turn -the old constable's reserve to anger as his own, interposed with the -most courteous formality of manner,— -</p> - -<p> -"Since Monsieur de Montmorency is about to quit the court, he would do -well, I think, before his departure, to hand to his Majesty the royal -seal, which the late king intrusted to him, and which we need from this -time." -</p> - -<p> -Le Balafré was not mistaken. These apparently simple words excited the -jealous constable's wrath to the highest pitch. -</p> - -<p> -"Here is the seal," he said bitterly, as he produced it from beneath his -doublet. "I intended to hand it to his Majesty without requiring him to -ask it of me; but I see that his Majesty is surrounded by persons -disposed to advise him to heap insults upon those who deserve nothing -but gratitude." -</p> - -<p> -"To whom does Monsieur de Montmorency mean to refer?" asked Catherine, -haughtily. -</p> - -<p> -"What? I spoke of those by whom his Majesty is surrounded, Madame," -snarled the constable, giving the rein to his natural testiness and -brutality. -</p> - -<p> -But he had chosen his time ill; and Catherine was only awaiting an -opportunity to burst out. -</p> - -<p> -She rose, and casting all decorum to the winds, began to reproach the -constable for the harsh and disdainful manner he had always adopted -toward her, his hostility for everything Florentine, the preference -which he had openly shown to the mistress over the lawful wife. She was -not ignorant of the fact that it was to him that all the humiliation -suffered by her countrymen who had followed her to France was to be -attributed. She knew, too, that during the early years of her married -life Montmorency had had the hardihood to suggest to Henri that he -should cast her off as being barren, and that since then he had basely -slandered her. -</p> - -<p> -To this the constable, who was little accustomed to reproof, replied -with a sneer, which was in itself a fresh affront. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the Duc de Guise had had time to take François II.'s orders, -or rather to dictate those orders to him in a low tone; and now, calmly -raising his voice, he proceeded to crush his rival, to the unbounded -delight of Catherine de Médicis. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Connétable," said he, with his jeering courtesy, "your -friends and creatures who sit with you at the council-board—Bochetel, -L'Aubespine, and the rest, notably his Eminence the Keeper of the Seals, -Jean Bertrandi—may probably prefer to imitate you in your longing for -retirement. The king desires you to express his gratitude to them. -To-morrow they will be quite at liberty, and their places will have been -filled." -</p> - -<p> -"'T is well," muttered Monsieur de Montmorency between his clinched -teeth. -</p> - -<p> -"As for your nephew, Monsieur de Coligny, who is at once governor of -Picardy and of the Île de France," continued Le Balafré, "the king -considers that the double task is altogether too heavy for one man, and -desires to relieve him of one of his governments at his choice. You will -have the kindness to notify Monsieur l'Amiral to that effect, will you -not?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure," rejoined the constable, with a bitter sneer. -</p> - -<p> -"As for yourself, Monsieur le Connétable—" the duke continued -quietly. -</p> - -<p> -"Am I to be deprived of my constable's bâton?" interrupted Monsieur de -Montmorency, sharply. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh," replied François de Lorraine, "you know that it is impossible, -and that the office of constable is not like that of lieutenant-general -of the kingdom, but that the former is conferred for life. However, is -it not incompatible with that of grand master, which you also hold? It -seems to be so to his Majesty, who asks for your resignation of the -last-named charge, Monsieur, and deigns to confer it upon me, since I -have no other." -</p> - -<p> -"It is for the best," retorted Montmorency, grinding his teeth. "Is that -all, Monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, yes; I think so," said the Duc de Guise, resuming his seat. -</p> - -<p> -The constable felt that it would be difficult for him to restrain his -rage any longer,—that he should perhaps make a scene, and by failing -in respect for the king become a rebellious subject instead of a disgraced -one. He did not wish to afford his triumphant foe that satisfaction; so -he saluted the king abruptly, and made ready to take his leave. -</p> - -<p> -However, before departing, and as if thinking better of his -determination,— -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said he, "allow me one word more, to fulfil my last duty to the -memory of your glorious father. He who struck the fatal blow, the author -of all our grief, was not perhaps simply careless, Sire,—at least I -have reason to think so. In this melancholy catastrophe there may have -been—in my opinion, there was—an element of criminal intent. -The man whom I accuse did, I know, consider himself wronged by the late -king. Your Majesty will without doubt order a strict inquiry into this -matter." -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise was alarmed at this formal and dangerous charge against -Gabriel; but Catherine de Médicis took it upon herself to reply. -</p> - -<p> -"Be assured, Monsieur," said she to the constable, "that your -intervention was not needed to remind us of such a deed as that; for the -necessity of dealing promptly with the offender is not forgotten by -those to whom the kingly existence so cruelly terminated was quite as -precious as to you. I, the widow of Henri II., cannot yield to any other -person in the world the initiative in such a matter. Therefore be quite -easy, Monsieur; your solicitude is premature. You may withdraw with your -mind at rest on that point." -</p> - -<p> -"I have nothing further to say, then," said the constable. -</p> - -<p> -He was not even to be allowed to gratify in person his implacable -resentment to the Comte de Montgommery, and to pose as the denouncer of -the culprit and the avenger of his master. -</p> - -<p> -Suffocated with shame and anger, he went from the royal presence in -despair. -</p> - -<p> -He departed the same evening for his estate at Chantilly. -</p> - -<p> -That day Madame de Valentinois also quitted the Louvre, where she had -been more of a queen than the queen herself, for her gloomy and distant -exile at Chaumont-sur-Loire, whence she never returned while she lived. -</p> - -<p> -Thus Gabriel's vengeance upon Madame de Poitiers was complete. -</p> - -<p> -It is true that the ex-favorite had in store a terrible vengeance for -him who had thus hurled her from her lofty position. -</p> - -<p> -As for the constable, Gabriel had not done with him, but would be on the -watch for the day when he should regain his influence. -</p> - -<p> -However, we will not anticipate events, but return in haste to the -Louvre, where the deputies of parliament are just being announced to -François II. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap15"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XV -<br /><br /> -CHANGE OF TEMPERATURE</h4> - -<p> -In accordance with Catherine de Médicis's wish, the deputies found the -most perfect unanimity of sentiment prevailing at the Louvre. François -II., his wife at his right hand, and his mother at his left, presented -the Duc de Guise to them as lieutenant-general of the kingdom, the -Cardinal of Lorraine as superintendent of the finances, and François -Olivier as keeper of the seals. Le Balafré was triumphant, the -queen-mother smiled upon his triumph, and everything went off as -smoothly as possible; and no suspicion of a misunderstanding appeared to -cast a shadow upon the fortunate auspices which inaugurated this reign, -which bade fair to be as long as its opening was happy. -</p> - -<p> -One of the councillors of the parliament apparently thought that a -suggestion of clemency would not be ill-timed amid so much happiness, -and as he passed before the king with a group of others he cried,— -</p> - -<p> -"Mercy for Anne Dubourg!" -</p> - -<p> -But the good councillor forgot how zealous a Catholic the new minister -was. Le Balafré, as his habit was, pretended to have misunderstood; and -without going through the formality of consulting the king or the -queen-mother, so sure was he of their approbation, he replied in a loud, -firm voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Messieurs, yes; the prosecution of Anne Dubourg and those accused -with him will be at once taken up and carried to its close, never fear!" -</p> - -<p> -With this assurance, the members of parliament left the Louvre, sad or -joyous according to their respective opinions, but all convinced that -never were the governing powers more united in sentiment and better -pleased with one another than those to whom they had just paid their -respects. -</p> - -<p> -After their departure, the Duc de Guise still noticed upon Catherine's -lips the smile which every time that she glanced at him seemed to be -stereotyped there. -</p> - -<p> -François II. rose from his seat, tired out with the formalities he had -gone through. -</p> - -<p> -"At last we are done for to-day, I trust, with business and ceremony," -said he. "Mother, uncle, may we not one of these days leave Paris for a -while, and pass the balance of our period of mourning at Blois, for -instance, on the banks of the Loire, that Mary loves so dearly? Oh, can -we not, tell me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, do try to make it possible!" said Mary Stuart. "In these lovely -summer days Paris is so wearisome and the country so charming!" -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Guise will attend to that," said Catherine. "But your -labors are not yet quite at an end for to-day, my son; before I leave -you to yourself I must ask for half an hour more of your time, for you -have a sacred duty yet to perform." -</p> - -<p> -"What is it, Mother?" asked François. -</p> - -<p> -"A duty which devolves upon you as the guardian of public justice, -Sire," said Catherine,—"the same one in which Monsieur le Connétable -flattered himself that he would anticipate me; but a wife's justice is -keener than a friend's." -</p> - -<p> -"What does she mean?" the Duc de Guise asked himself, in alarm. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, your august father died a violent death. The man who dealt the -blow either is simply an unfortunate wretch or a culprit. For my own -part, I incline to the latter supposition; but in any event the question -is worth the trouble of solving. If we treat such an attack with -indifference, without even taking pains to ascertain whether it was -involuntary or not, what risks do not all kings run,—you, above all, -Sire? Therefore an inquiry into what is called the 'accident' of the -30th of June is essential." -</p> - -<p> -"But in that case," said Le Balafré, "it would be necessary to order -Monsieur de Montgommery's arrest at once, Madame, as a regicide." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Montgommery has been under arrest since morning," said -Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"Under arrest! And upon whose order, pray!" cried the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -"Upon mine," replied the queen-mother. "There was no regularly -constituted authority at that time, and I took it upon myself to issue -that order. Monsieur de Montgommery might take flight at any moment, and -it was of the utmost importance to prevent it. He has been brought to -the Louvre without disturbance or excitement. I ask you, my son, to -question him." -</p> - -<p> -Without waiting for permission, she touched a bell, as the Duc de Guise -had done two hours earlier. But this time Le Balafré scowled heavily; a -storm was brewing. -</p> - -<p> -"Order the prisoner to be brought hither," said Catherine to the usher -who appeared. -</p> - -<p> -There was an embarrassing silence when the usher had left the room. The -king seemed undecided, Mary Stuart anxious, and the Duc de Guise very -much displeased. The queen-mother alone affected an air of dignity and -assurance. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise alone broke the silence with these words,— -</p> - -<p> -"It seems to me that if Monsieur de Montgommery had desired to make his -escape, nothing would have been easier during the last fortnight." -</p> - -<p> -Catherine had no time to reply, for Gabriel was led in at that moment. -</p> - -<p> -He was pale but composed. That morning very early four armed domestics -had come to seek him at his house, to the great dismay of Aloyse. He had -accompanied them without any attempt at resistance, and since then had -awaited events without apparent anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -When Gabriel entered the apartment with a firm step and tranquil -bearing, the young king changed color, whether from emotion at sight of -him who had stricken his father to death, or from alarm at having for -the first time to perform the functions of dispenser of justice of which -his mother had spoken,—in very truth the most awe-inspiring duty -which the Lord has imposed upon the kings of the earth. -</p> - -<p> -Consequently, it was with a scarcely audible voice that he said to -Catherine, turning toward her,— -</p> - -<p> -"Speak, Madame; it is for you to speak." -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis made haste to avail herself of this permission. -She now believed herself to be certain of her omnipotence with François -and his minister. She addressed Gabriel in a haughty, magisterial tone. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur," said she, "we have thought fit, before any other steps were -taken, to cause you to appear before his Majesty in person, and to -question you with our own lips, so that there may be no necessity of -offering you any reparation if we find you innocent, and that justice -may be the more prompt and effective if we find you guilty. -Extraordinary crimes demand extraordinary tribunals. Are you ready to -reply to our questions, Monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am ready to listen to you, Madame," was Gabriel's reply. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine was rather irritated than convinced by the calm demeanor of -the man whom she had bitterly hated even before he had made her a -widow,—whom she hated the more for all the love which for one moment -she had felt for him. She continued with an offensive bitterness in her -tone,— -</p> - -<p> -"Several curious circumstances conspire to throw suspicion on you, -Monsieur, and to accuse you,—your long absences from Paris, your -voluntary exile from court for nearly two years, your presence and your -mysterious demeanor at the fatal tournament, your very refusal to enter -the lists against the king. How did it happen that you, who are -accustomed to these sports and passages-at-arms, omitted the ordinary -and necessary precaution of throwing away the shaft of your lance as you -were riding back? How do you explain such strange forgetfulness? -Answer! What have you to say to all this?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing, Madame," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing?" said the queen-mother, completely taken aback. -</p> - -<p> -"Absolutely nothing." -</p> - -<p> -"What!" rejoined Catherine; "you confess, then? You avow that—" -</p> - -<p> -"I neither avow nor confess anything, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Oho! then you deny?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nor do I deny anything. I simply say nothing." -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart could not restrain a movement of approbation. François II. -listened and looked on with eager curiosity; and the Duc de Guise -remained mute and motionless. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine began again in a tone which became momentarily more and more -biting,— -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur, be careful! You would do better, perhaps, to try to defend or -justify your action. Understand one thing: Monsieur de Montmorency, who -can, in case of need, be heard as a witness, declares that to his -certain knowledge you might well have certain grievances against the -king, some grounds for personal enmity." -</p> - -<p> -"What were they, Madame? Did Monsieur de Montmorency say what they -were?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet, but doubtless he will tell." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well! let him tell them, if he dares!" retorted Gabriel, with a -proud but quiet smile. -</p> - -<p> -"So you refuse altogether to speak, do you?" Catherine persisted. -</p> - -<p> -"I refuse." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know that the torture may bring your disdainful silence to -terms?" -</p> - -<p> -"I do not think it, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"By proceeding in this way, you risk your life, I warn you." -</p> - -<p> -"I will not defend it, Madame. It is no longer worth the trouble." -</p> - -<p> -"You are fully determined, then, Monsieur? Not a word?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not one single word, Madame," said Gabriel, shaking his head. -</p> - -<p> -"And quite right, too!" cried Mary Stuart, as if carried away by an -irresistible impulse. "Noble and grand this silence is! It is the course -of a gentleman who does not even choose to repel suspicion for fear that -suspicion may fall upon him. I say, for my part, that this very refusal -to speak is the most eloquent and convincing of justifications!" -</p> - -<p> -During this outburst the old queen was gazing at the younger one with a -stern and angry expression. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I may be wrong to speak thus," continued Mary; "but I care not! I -speak as I feel and as I think. My heart will never allow my lips to -remain closed. My impressions and my emotions must find vent. My -instinct is the only policy that I recognize, and it cries out to me now -that Monsieur d'Exmès never conceived and executed such a crime in cold -blood, but that he was only the blind instrument of fate, and believes -himself to be above any other supposition, and therefore scorns to -justify himself. My instinct tells me this, and I give it voice. Why -not?" -</p> - -<p> -The young king gazed joyfully and affectionately at his <i>mignonne</i>, as -he called her, while she expressed herself with an eloquence and -animation which made her twenty times more fascinating than usual. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel cried in a touched and penetrating voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, thanks, Madame! I thank you! And you have done well; not on my -account, but your own, you have done well to act thus." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, I know it," replied Mary, with the most gracious accent that -one could dream of. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, have we reached the end of this sentimental childishness!" cried -Catherine, indignantly. -</p> - -<p> -"No, Madame," said Mary Stuart, wounded in her self-respect as a young -wife and a young queen, "no; if you have made an end of your -childishness, we, who are young, thank God! are only just beginning. Am -I not right, my gentle Sire?" she added, turning prettily toward her -youthful spouse. -</p> - -<p> -The king did not reply in words, but touched with his lips the ends of -the lovely fingers Mary held out to him. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine's wrath, which she had restrained up to that time, now burst -forth; she had not yet succeeded in accustoming to treat as king a son -who was still almost a child; moreover, she believed herself to be -secure in the support of the Duc de Guise, who had not declared himself -thus far, and whom she did not know to be the devoted patron, and, we -might almost say, a tacit accomplice of the Comte de Montgommery. Thus -she dared to give free vent to her ire. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, this is the way matters stand!" she said in reply to Mary Stuart's -last words, which were slightly contemptuous. "I claim a right, and I am -laughed at. I ask, in all moderation, that the murderer of Henri II. may -at least be interrogated: and when he declines to justify his act, his -silence is approved,—nay, more, it is even applauded. Very well! -since things have come to such a pass, away with cowardly reserve and -half-measures! I proclaim myself aloud as the accuser of the Comte de -Montgommery. Will the king refuse justice to his mother because she is -his mother? We will examine the constable, and Madame de Poitiers, too, -if necessary! The truth shall be brought to light; and if secrets of -State are involved in this affair, we will have the judgment and -sentence kept secret. But the death of a king treacherously murdered -before the eyes of all his subjects shall, at any price, be avenged." -</p> - -<p> -During this harangue of the queen-mother, a sad and resigned smile -played about Gabriel's lips. -</p> - -<p> -He recalled, in his own mind, the last two lines of Nostradamus's -prediction,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Enfin, l'aimera, puis las! le tuera,</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Dame du roy."</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -And so the prophecy, thus far so faithfully fulfilled, was to be -accomplished to the end! Catherine would cause the condemnation and -death of him whom she had loved! Gabriel expected it, and was ready for -it. -</p> - -<p> -However, the Florentine, thinking perhaps that she might have gone too -far, checked herself a moment; and turning with her most gracious manner -to the Duc de Guise, who was still silent, she said,— -</p> - -<p> -"But you say nothing, Monsieur de Guise. You are of my opinion, are you -not?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Madame," replied Le Balafré, slowly; "no, I confess that I am not -of your opinion, and that is why I said nothing." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, you too turn against me!" rejoined Catherine, in a hollow, -threatening voice. -</p> - -<p> -"I am so unfortunate as to disagree with you in this matter, Madame," -said the duke. "However, you see that until now I have been heartily -with you, and that in everything concerning the constable and Madame de -Valentinois I entirely agreed with your plans." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, because they served your own," muttered Catherine. "I see it now -when it is too late." -</p> - -<p> -"But as for Monsieur de Montgommery," continued Le Balafré, calmly, "I -cannot conscientiously share in your feeling, Madame. It seems to me -impossible to hold a brave and loyal gentleman answerable for a pure -accident. Prosecution would result in a triumph for him, and his -accusers would be confounded. And concerning the risks to which, in your -opinion, Madame, the lives of our kings would be exposed by an indulgent -mode of dealing which prefers to believe in misfortune rather than in -crime, why, I am convinced, on the other hand, that the real danger -would lie in making the people too familiar with the idea that royal -lives are not held in such sacred reverence as they have supposed." -</p> - -<p> -"Doubtless these are very exalted political maxims," retorted Catherine, -bitterly. -</p> - -<p> -"I consider them true and in good sense, at all events, Madame," added -Le Balafré; "and for all these reasons, and others besides, I am of -opinion that what we ought now to do is to apologize to Monsieur de -Montgommery for this arbitrary arrest, which happily has been kept -secret,—more happily for us than for him; and when our apologies have -been accepted, we have only to restore him to the world, free and -honorable and honored as he was yesterday, and as he will be to-morrow -and forever after. I have spoken." -</p> - -<p> -"Superb!" sneered Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -Turning sharply to the young king, she asked,— -</p> - -<p> -"And does this fine opinion that we have just listened to happen to -coincide with yours, my son?" -</p> - -<p> -The demeanor of Mary Stuart, who was bestowing a grateful glance and -smile upon the Duc de Guise, left François II. no room for hesitation. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Mother," he replied, "I confess that my uncle's opinion is mine." -</p> - -<p> -"And so you betray your father's memory, do you?" retorted Catherine, in -a deep voice which she struggled to render unmoved. -</p> - -<p> -"On the other hand, Madame, I respect it," said François. "My father's -first words after his wound were to request that Monsieur de Montgommery -should not be molested, were they not? And did he not, in one of his -rare intervals of consciousness while he lay dying, repeat that request, -or rather command? Allow his son, Madame, to obey him." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well! and you thrust aside at the very beginning your mother's -devout will—" -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," interrupted the Duc de Guise, "allow me to remind you of your -own words, 'only one will in the kingdom.'" -</p> - -<p> -"But I also said, Monsieur, that of the minister should always be -subordinate to that of the king," cried Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame," observed Mary Stuart, "but you added, the king's will -should be enlightened by those persons who are interested only in his -glory and his welfare. Now, no one is more interested than I, his wife, -in either of those subjects, I fancy; and I advise him, as my uncle De -Guise does, to believe rather in the loyalty than in the perfidy of a -tried and valiant subject, and not to begin his reign with an iniquitous -act." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you yield to such suggestions as these, my son?" Catherine asked -once more. -</p> - -<p> -"I yield to the voice of my conscience, Mother," replied the young king, -with more firmness than could have been expected of him. -</p> - -<p> -"Is this your last word, François?" continued Catherine. "Be careful! -If you refuse your mother the first request that she makes of you; if -you thus assume the attitude of an independent master toward her, and -act like the docile instrument of others,—you may reign alone, with -or without your faithful ministers. I will have nothing more to do with -anything that concerns king or kingdom, but I will deprive you of the -benefit of my experience and devotion. I will return to my retirement, -and abandon you, my son. Consider, consider well!" -</p> - -<p> -"We should deplore her retirement, but would resign ourselves to bear -it," murmured Mary Stuart, in a low voice which none but François -heard. -</p> - -<p> -But the amorous, imprudent youth, like a faithful echo, repeated -aloud,— -</p> - -<p> -"We should deplore your retirement, but would resign ourselves to bear -it, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, very good!" was all Catherine said. -</p> - -<p> -Then she continued in a voice of suppressed rage, pointing at -Gabriel,— -</p> - -<p> -"As for that villain, I shall meet with him again, sooner or later." -</p> - -<p> -"I know it, Madame," replied the young man, whose mind was still -dwelling on the horoscope. -</p> - -<p> -But Catherine heard him not. -</p> - -<p> -In a perfect fury of wrath, she included the charming young king and -queen and the Duc de Guise in a baleful glance, viperish and awful,—a -fatal glance, wherein one might have read the promise of all the crimes -dictated by Catherine's ambition and the whole sombre history of the -last kings of the Valois line. -</p> - -<p> -Without another word she left the room. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap16"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XVI -<br /><br /> -GUISE AND COLIGNY</h4> - -<p> -After Catherine de Médicis's departure, there was a moment of silence. -The young king seemed amazed at his own hardihood; while Mary, with the -keen intuition of affection, could not avoid a shudder at the thought of -the queen-mother's last threatening glance. The Duc de Guise was -secretly delighted to find himself thus freed from an ambitious and -dangerous associate before his first hour of authority was at an end. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, who was the occasion of all this trouble, was the first to -speak. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said he, "and you, Madame, and you also, Monseigneur, I thank -you with all my heart for your kind and generous treatment of a poor -wretch whom Heaven itself has abandoned. But notwithstanding my profound -gratitude, with which my heart is overflowing, I ask you of what use is -it to turn aside danger and death from so mournful and hopeless an -existence as mine? My life is of no value for any purpose, or to any -person, not even myself. For that reason I would not have disputed -Madame Catherine's right to take it, because henceforth it is useless to -me." -</p> - -<p> -He added sorrowfully in his own mind, "And because it may yet become a -nuisance." -</p> - -<p> -"Gabriel," the Duc de Guise rejoined, "your life has been gloriously and -worthily lived in the past, and contains equal possibilities for the -future. You are a man of vigor and energy, such as are in great request -by those who govern empires, and are seldom available." -</p> - -<p> -"Then, too," the sweet and soothing voice of Mary Stuart chimed in, -"yours is a great and noble heart, Monsieur de Montgommery. I have known -you for a long while, and Madame de Castro and myself have very often -talked together about you." -</p> - -<p> -"In short," observed François II., "your past services, Monsieur, -justify me in relying upon you for like services in the future. The -embers of war, which are now smouldering, may burst into a blaze at any -moment, and I do not wish that a momentary despair, whatever be its -cause, should deprive the country forever of a defender who is, I am -sure, as loyal as he is gallant." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel listened with a grave and wondering sadness to these kind words -of hope and encouragement. He gazed in turn at each of the exalted -personages who had addressed them to him, and appeared to be in very -deep thought. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," he at last replied, "this unexpected good-will which all of you, -who ought perhaps to hate me, thus demonstrate, has changed my heart and -my destiny. At your service, Sire, at yours, Madame and Monseigneur, so -long as you live, I place the existence of which you have made me a -gift, so to speak. I was not born a villain, and your kindness touches -me deeply. I was born to be devoted to somebody, to sacrifice myself, -and to serve as the instrument of noble ideas and great -men,—sometimes a happy, but at others a fatal instrument, alas! as -God, in His wrath, knows only too well! But let us speak no more of the -gloomy past, since you are good enough to believe in the possibility of -a future for me. That future, however, belongs not to me, but to you; -and henceforth I cherish what you admire, and think as you think. I -abdicate my will. Let the beings and the objects in whom I believe, do -with me as they please. My sword, my blood, my life,—all that I -am, is theirs. I give my arm unreservedly and irrevocably to assist your -genius, Monseigneur, as I devote my soul to religion." -</p> - -<p> -He did not say which religion; but those who heard him were such devoted -Catholics that no thought of the Reformed religion entered their minds. -</p> - -<p> -The eloquent abnegation of the young count deeply touched them all. Mary -had tears in her eyes; and the king congratulated himself on having been -firm enough to rescue such a grateful heart. As for the Duc de Guise, he -believed that he knew better than any one how far Gabriel's ardent -self-sacrifice might go. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my friend," said he, "I have need of you. I shall call upon you -some day, in the name of France and the king, to draw the sword you -promise us." -</p> - -<p> -"It shall be ready, Monseigneur,—to-morrow, to-day, always!" -</p> - -<p> -"Keep it in its scabbard for the present," said the duke. "As his -Majesty has said, peace prevails at the moment,—there is a truce to -war and faction. So rest on your sword awhile, Gabriel, and give this -unfortunate notoriety which your name has attained of late time to die -away. Surely, not a soul of those who are entitled to the name and -possess the heart of a gentleman will ever dream of accusing you for -your misfortune. But your real glory demands that this undesirable -renown should sink into oblivion. Hereafter, say in a year or two, I -will ask the king to bestow upon you again the office of captain of the -Guards, of which you have never ceased to be worthy." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah," said Gabriel, "it is not honors that I covet, but opportunities to -be useful to my king and country, opportunities to fight. I dare not say -opportunities to die, for fear that I may seem ungrateful." -</p> - -<p> -"Do not talk so, Gabriel," replied Le Balafré. "Just say that when the -king shall call upon you for assistance against his foes, you will -respond to the summons without delay." -</p> - -<p> -"I will, Monseigneur, wherever I am, or may be required to go." -</p> - -<p> -"It is well," said the Duc de Guise; "I ask no more than that of you." -</p> - -<p> -"For my part," said François II., "I thank you for your promise, and -you may rely upon me to see that you do not repent having redeemed it." -</p> - -<p> -"While I," added Mary Stuart, "assure you that your devotion always will -meet with equal confidence on our part, and that you shall be one of -those friends from whom we have no secrets, and to whom we will refuse -nothing." -</p> - -<p> -The young count, more deeply touched than he chose to confess to -himself, bowed, and touched respectfully with his lips the hand which -the queen held out to him. -</p> - -<p> -He then pressed the hand of the Duc de Guise, and receiving his -dismissal by a kindly gesture from the king, withdrew, being thenceforth -bound, by force of a generous action, to the son of the man upon whom he -had sworn to be revenged even in the persons of his children. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel found Admiral de Coligny awaiting him when he reached home. -</p> - -<p> -Aloyse had informed the admiral, who had come to pay a friendly visit to -his companion-in-arms at St. Quentin, that her master had been summoned -to the Louvre that morning; she had imparted her anxiety to him, and -Coligny had determined to remain until the count's return should -reassure them both. -</p> - -<p> -He received Gabriel with much cordiality, and questioned him as to what -had taken place. -</p> - -<p> -Without going into details, Gabriel merely told him that upon his -offering a simple explanation of his connection with the deplorable -death of Henri II. he had been dismissed unharmed personally and with -his honor unsullied. -</p> - -<p> -"It could not have been otherwise," exclaimed the admiral; "for the -whole nobility of France would have protested as one man against any -suspicion which would have cast a blot upon the fame of one of its -worthiest members." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us drop the subject," said Gabriel, with sorrowful constraint. "I -am very glad to see you, Monsieur l'Amiral. You know that I am already -at heart a member of your sect, for I have told you and written you to -that effect. Since you think that I would not bring discredit upon the -faith in which I believe, I not only wish to, but I do now abjure the -faith in which I was brought up; your discourse and Master Paré's, the -books I have read and my own reflections, have completely convinced me, -and I am with you heart and soul." -</p> - -<p> -"Welcome news! and it comes very opportunely," said the admiral. -</p> - -<p> -"I think, however," said Gabriel, "that even in the interest of the -Religion itself, it might perhaps be better to keep my conversion secret -for a time. As Monsieur de Guise just observed, any sort of notoriety is -best avoided for the present. Besides, this delay will conform better -with the new duties I have to perform." -</p> - -<p> -"We shall always be proud to announce your name publicly as one of us," -said the admiral. -</p> - -<p> -"But my proper course is to decline, or at all events postpone, this -priceless token of your esteem," Gabriel replied. "But I do wish to give -you this pledge of my utter, immovable faith, and to be able to call -myself in my own mind one of your brethren, both in purpose and in -fact." -</p> - -<p> -"This is glorious, indeed!" exclaimed Monsieur de Coligny. "All that I -ask is your permission to inform the leaders of our party of the notable -conquest which our ideas have definitively made." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I consent to that with all my heart," said Gabriel. "The Prince de -Condé," continued the admiral, "La Renaudie, and Baron de Castelnau, -already know you, and appreciate your merit fully." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! I much fear that they overestimate it; for, viewed in the most -favorable light, my merit is very slight." -</p> - -<p> -"No, no!" returned Coligny; "they do well to rely upon it. I know you -well also. Besides," continued he, in a lower tone, "we may perhaps have -an opportunity to put your new zeal to the proof very soon." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed!" said Gabriel, in surprise. "You know, Monsieur l'Amiral, that -you can rely upon me,—nevertheless, with certain reservations, which -I must make known to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Who has not his reservations to make!" rejoined the admiral. "But -listen, Gabriel: It was not only as a friend, but as a partisan as well, -that I came to visit you to-day. We have spoken of you with the prince -and La Renaudie. Even before your definite adhesion to our principles we -looked upon you as an auxiliary of peculiar merit, and of impregnable -honesty; in fact, we all agreed in regarding you as a man capable of -serving us if you chose, but incapable of betraying us, whatever might -happen." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, I do possess that last qualification, in default of the -former," Gabriel replied. "You may always rely upon my word, if not upon -my assistance." -</p> - -<p> -"Then we resolved to have no secrets from you," said the admiral. "You -will be, like one of our leaders, made acquainted with all our plans, -and you will be held to no responsibility except silence. You are not -like other men; and exceptional measures must be taken with exceptional -men. You will remain quite free, and we only shall be bound." -</p> - -<p> -"Such confidence!" exclaimed Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Your engagement is left entirely to your own discretion, I repeat," -said the admiral. "To begin with, let me tell you one fact: the schemes -which were revealed to you in the Place Maubert, and which were then -postponed, are practicable to-day. The weakness of the young king, the -domineering arrogance of the Guises, the purpose of persecuting us which -is no longer hidden,—all urge us to action; and we are about to act." -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me," Gabriel interrupted him; "I have already told you, Monsieur -l'Amiral, that I can only give myself to your cause with certain -limitations. Before you go any further with your confidences, I ought to -tell you definitely that I do not mean to concern myself with the -political aspects of the Reformation,—at least during the continuance -of the present reign. I freely offer my fortune, my time, and my life to -assist in the propagation of our principles and in extending our moral -influence; but I have no right to view the movement except in its -religious bearing, and in no sense as a party question. François II., -Mary Stuart, as well as the Duc de Guise himself, have treated me very -generously,—yes, nobly. I will not betray their confidence any more -than yours. Allow me to refrain from action, and occupy myself only with -the principle for which we strive. Demand my testimony whenever you -please; but I reserve the independence of my sword." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Coligny replied, after a moment's reflection,— -</p> - -<p> -"My words, Gabriel, were not mere empty sounds. You are and shall still -be quite free. Go on alone in your own path if you please; act -independently of us or not at all. We shall never call you to account. -We know," he added, with a significant expression, "that it is sometimes -your way to prefer to dispense with associates or advisers." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean?" asked Gabriel, in surprise. -</p> - -<p> -"I know what I mean," replied the admiral. "For the present you ask that -you may take no part in our conspiracies against the royal authority. So -be it! Our duty will be done when we have given you notice of our -movements and purposes. Then you may follow us or stand apart; that is -your affair, and yours only. You will always know, either by letter or -messenger, when and where we have need of you, and then you will act as -seems good to you. If you come to us, you will always be welcome; if you -stay away, no one will have any fault to find. Such is the agreement to -which the leaders of the party have come concerning you, even before you -had told me where you stood. You can accept such conditions, I should -think." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, I do accept them; and I thank you heartily," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -During the night which followed that eventful day, Gabriel, kneeling -before his father's tomb in the mortuary vault of the counts of -Montgommery, communed with his dead in these words:— -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my Father, I did indeed take oath not only to punish your murderer -in his own lifetime, but also to visit his sins upon his children after -him. There is no doubt of it, O my Father, no doubt! But I did not -anticipate what has happened. Are there not obligations even more sacred -than the fulfilment of an oath? What duty can compel one to strike down -an enemy who puts the sword in one's hand, and presents his bare breast -to receive the blow? If you were living, my Father, I am sure you would -advise me to postpone my wrath, and not to meet confidence with -treachery. Forgive me, then, from the grave, for doing what if you were -living you would require me to do. Moreover, something seems to tell me -that my vengeance is merely suspended, and that but for a short time. -You know on high what we can only feel a presentiment of here below. But -the pallor of this sickly king, and the frightful glance with which his -mother threatened him, and the predictions (which have thus far proved -accurate, and which decree that my own life must fall a prey to that -woman's rancorous hatred), and the conspiracies already set on foot -against the reign which began only yesterday,—all combine to lead me -to think it probable that the boy of sixteen will occupy the throne for a -much less time even than the man of forty, and that I shall very soon be -able to resume my task and my oath of expiation, my Father, under the -reign of another of the sons of Henri II." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap17"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XVII -<br /><br /> -REPORTS AND DENUNCIATIONS</h4> - -<p> -Seven or eight months passed by, unmarked by any important occurrences -either for the personages of this story, or for the actors upon the -stage of history. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless, during that time events of considerable importance were -preparing. -</p> - -<p> -To understand what they were, and learn all about them, we have only to -pay a visit, on the 25th of February, 1560, to the place of all others -where news is supposed to be most plentiful; that is to say, the cabinet -of Monsieur le Lieutenant de Police, who was at that time one Monsieur -de Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -On the evening of the 25th of February, Monsieur de Braguelonne, -lounging carelessly on his Cordova leather couch, was listening to the -report of Master Arpion, one of his secretaries. -</p> - -<p> -Master Arpion was reading aloud as follows,— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"To-day the notorious thief, Gilles Rose, was arrested in the great hall -of the palace, in the act of cutting off the end of a golden girdle, on -the person of a canon of Ste. Chapelle." -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -"A canon of Ste. Chapelle! Well, upon my word!" exclaimed Monsieur de -Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"It was a very sacrilegious performance," observed Master Arpion. -</p> - -<p> -"And very clever, too," replied the lieutenant of police, "very clever! -for your canon is a suspicious mortal. I will tell you presently, Master -Arpion, what must be done with this cunning thief. Go on." -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"The demoiselles of the hovels in the Rue du Grand-Heuleu," continued -Arpion, "are in a state of open revolt." -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -"For what cause, in God's name?" -</p> - -<p> -"They claim to have addressed a petition directly to our lord the king, -asking to be allowed to retain their establishments, and meanwhile they -have had an encounter with the watch and put them to rout." -</p> - -<p> -"That is very amusing!" laughed Monsieur de Braguelonne. "We can easily -set that to rights. Poor girls! Is there anything else?" -</p> - -<p> -Master Arpion continued,— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"Messieurs les Deputés de la Sorbonne having presented themselves at -Madame la Princesse de Condé's house at Paris, to insist that she -should not eat flesh during Lent, were received with jeers and derision -by Monsieur de Sechelles, who said to them, among other insulting -things, that he liked them less than a boil on his nose, and that such -calves as they made strange ambassadors." -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -"Ah, that is a serious matter!" said the lieutenant, rising. "Refusing -to abstain from meat, and poking fun at Messieurs de la Sorbonne! This -tends to swell your account, Madame de Condé; and when we present you -with the total—Arpion, is that all?" -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>, yes! for to-day. Monseigneur has not told me what to do -with this Gilles Rose." -</p> - -<p> -"In the first place," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "you will take him, -together with the most adroit pickpockets and burglars you can find in -the prison, and send the whole lot of fine fellows to Blois, where they -can have an opportunity to exhibit their tricks and cleverness for the -king's entertainment during the fêtes which are being arranged for his -Majesty." -</p> - -<p> -"But, Monseigneur, suppose they retain the articles they have stolen in -fun?" -</p> - -<p> -"Then they shall be hung." -</p> - -<p> -At this moment an usher entered and announced,— -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Inquisiteur de la Foi!" -</p> - -<p> -Master Arpion did not need to be told to withdraw, He bowed respectfully -and left the room. -</p> - -<p> -The man who was ushered in was, in fact, a notable and formidable -personage. -</p> - -<p> -To his every-day titles of Doctor of the Sorbonne and Canon of Noyon, he -added the extraordinary and high-sounding appellation of 'Grand -Inquisitor of the Faith in France.' And in order that he might bear a -name as sonorous as his title, he called himself Démocharès, although -he was really plain Antoine de Mouchy. The people had christened his -subordinates <i>mouchards</i>,—police spies. -</p> - -<p> -"Good-evening, Monsieur le Lieutenant de Police," said the grand -inquisitor. -</p> - -<p> -"The same to you, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur," responded the -lieutenant. -</p> - -<p> -"Any news in Paris?" -</p> - -<p> -"I was just about to ask you that very question." -</p> - -<p> -"That means that there is none," observed Démocharès, with a profound -sigh. "Ah, these are hard times! There is nothing going on,—no -conspiracies, and no crime at all! What cowardly wretches these -Huguenots are! Our profession has a decided grievance against them, -Monsieur de Braguelonne!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no!" replied Monsieur de Braguelonne, emphatically. "No, -governments change, but the police remains." -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless," retorted Monsieur de Mouchy, bitterly, "see what the -result has been of our descent upon the main army of the Reformers in -the Rue des Marais. By surprising them at table in the midst of their -dinner, we hoped to take them in the act of eating pork in the guise of -the paschal lamb, as you had told us; but the only result of that -magnificent expedition was one poor little larded chicken. Can such -exploits as that reflect much credit upon your organization, Monsieur le -Lieutenant de Police?" -</p> - -<p> -"One can't always succeed," said Monsieur de Braguelonne. "Were you any -more fortunate yourself, in the matter of the advocate of Place -Maubert,—Trouillard, was it not? Yet you expected great things of -it." -</p> - -<p> -"I admit it," said Démocharès, piteously. -</p> - -<p> -"You expected to prove as clearly as the day," continued Monsieur de -Braguelonne, "that this Trouillard had abandoned his two daughters to -the tender mercies of his fellow-enthusiasts after a frightful orgy; -but, behold! the witnesses whom you had bought at such a high price -suddenly retracted everything and gave you the lie." -</p> - -<p> -"The traitors!" muttered De Mouchy. -</p> - -<p> -"More than that," said the lieutenant, pitilessly pursuing his -advantage, "I received reports from various sources, all of which went -to show that the virtue of the two young girls was without a stain." -</p> - -<p> -"It was infamous," grumbled Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"A bad failure, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi, a bad failure!" -repeated Monsieur de Braguelonne, with much complacency. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," cried Démocharès, impatiently, "if the affair did miscarry, it -was all your fault!" -</p> - -<p> -"What, my fault!" ejaculated the amazed lieutenant. -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure. You content yourself with reports and retractations, and -such nonsense. Of what consequence are these repulses and -contradictions? We must go ahead all the same, and boldly accuse the -villains as if we had met no rebuff at all." -</p> - -<p> -"What! without proofs?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, and convict them." -</p> - -<p> -"When they have committed no crime?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, and hang them." -</p> - -<p> -"Without judges?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, a hundred times yes! Without judge or crime or proof! There's no -great merit in hanging only those who are really guilty." -</p> - -<p> -"But what an outcry of rage there will be against us then!" said -Monsieur de Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! that is what I expected you would say," rejoined Démocharès, -triumphantly. "That is the very corner-stone of my whole system, -Monsieur. For what does this rage of which you speak lead to? -Conspiracy. What is the outcome of conspiracy? Revolution. And what is -the principal result of revolution? Why, to make your office and mine of -very great importance and utility." -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure, from that point of view!" said Monsieur de Braguelonne, -laughing. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Monsieur," observed Démocharès, with the air of a master, -"remember this principle, 'In order to reap crimes we must first sow -them.' Persecution is a very great force." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, I must say," rejoined the lieutenant, "that it seems to me we -have not been behindhand in that direction since the beginning of this -reign. It would be difficult to stir up and provoke the discontented of -all sorts more than we have done." -</p> - -<p> -"Pshaw! what have we done?" asked the grand inquisitor, scornfully. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, in the first place, do you consider the daily domiciliary visits -and despoiling of all the Huguenots, innocent or guilty, of no account?" -</p> - -<p> -"My faith! yes, I consider them of absolutely no account," was -Démocharès's reply; "for you see with what tranquil patience they bear -these annoyances, which are altogether too trifling." -</p> - -<p> -"And the punishment of Anne Dubourg, nephew of a chancellor of France, -who was burned two months since in the Place de Grève,—was that -nothing?" -</p> - -<p> -"It was a very small thing," said the fastidious De Mouchy. "What was -the result of it? The murder of President Minard, one of his judges, and -an apocryphal conspiracy of which we never, succeeded in finding any -traces. So that was nothing to make a very great amount of talk about." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what do you say to the last edict?" asked Monsieur de -Braguelonne,—"the last edict, which strikes, not at the Huguenots -alone, but at the whole nobility of the kingdom. For my own part, I said -frankly to Monsieur le Cardinal de Lorraine that I thought it went a -little too far." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you speaking of the ordinance suppressing pensions?" said -Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"No, indeed, but of the one which requires all suitors, whether of high -or low birth, to quit the court within twenty-four hours, under pain of -being hanged. You must agree that to decree the halter for gentlemen and -clowns alike is rather severe, and likely to lead to trouble." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, the order does not lack audacity," said Démocharès, with a smile -of satisfaction. "Fifty years ago such an edict would, I confess, have -excited the whole nobility to revolt. But now you see they only -complain, and do nothing overt. Not one of them has raised a hand." -</p> - -<p> -"That's where you are mistaken, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur," said -Braguelonne, lowering his voice; "and though they may not be stirring at -Paris, there is trouble brewing in the Provinces." -</p> - -<p> -"Aha!" cried De Mouchy, eagerly, "you have some intelligence of that -sort?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not yet, but I expect it every moment." -</p> - -<p> -"From what quarter?" -</p> - -<p> -"From the Loire." -</p> - -<p> -"Have you agents there?" -</p> - -<p> -"Only one, but he is a good one." -</p> - -<p> -"Only one? that's very risky," remarked Démocharès, with a very -knowing air. -</p> - -<p> -"I much prefer, myself," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne, "to pay a -single trustworthy man, who is at once intelligent and reliable, the -price of twenty stupid rascals. That is my way; what do you think?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, that's all very well; but who is responsible to you for this man?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, his head in the first place; and then his past services, too, for -he has been put to the proof." -</p> - -<p> -"Never mind; it's very risky," persisted Démocharès. Master Arpion -came softly in while Monsieur de Mouchy was speaking, and whispered in -his master's ear. -</p> - -<p> -"Aha!" cried the lieutenant, triumphantly. "Very well! Arpion, introduce -Lignières at once. Yes, while Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur is here; -for is he not one of us?" -</p> - -<p> -Arpion saluted and withdrew. -</p> - -<p> -"This Lignières is the very man of whom I was speaking to you," -continued Monsieur de Braguelonne, rubbing his hands. "You shall hear -what he says. He has just arrived from Nantes. We have no secrets from -each other, have we?—and I am very glad to have an opportunity to -prove to you that my way is as good as another." -</p> - -<p> -At this point Master Arpion opened the door to Lignières. -</p> - -<p> -It was the selfsame little fellow, lean and hungry-looking, whose -acquaintance we have already made at the Protestant meeting in the Place -Maubert,—the same who had so boldly exhibited the republican medal, -and prated about decapitated lilies and crowns trodden under foot. -</p> - -<p> -Thus we may see that even if the name of instigating agent (<i>agent -provocateur</i>) had not come into use at that time, the article itself was -in a flourishing condition. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap18"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XVIII -<br /><br /> -A SPY</h4> - -<p> -Lignières, as he entered the room, cast a look of cold distrust upon -Démocharès, and after he had saluted Monsieur de Braguelonne, remained -cautiously silent and motionless, waiting to be questioned. -</p> - -<p> -"I am delighted to see you, Monsieur Lignières," was Monsieur de -Braguelonne's greeting. "You may speak with perfect freedom before -Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi en France." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, to be sure!" Lignières made haste to exclaim; "and if I had had -any idea that I was in the presence of the illustrious Démocharès, -pray believe, Monseigneur, that I should not have hesitated as I have." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well!" said De Mouchy, nodding his head approvingly, and evidently -much flattered by the spy's respectful deference. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, speak, Monsieur Lignières!—waste no time," said the lieutenant -of police. -</p> - -<p> -"But it may be," suggested Lignières, "that Monsieur is not thoroughly -conversant with what took place at the last meeting but one held by the -Protestants at La Ferté?" -</p> - -<p> -"In fact, I know very little about it," replied Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"Then if I may," added Lignières, "I will briefly recount the serious -facts which I have gathered recently; that course will be better, and -make what comes after more readily understood." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Braguelonne gave the signal of assent, for which Lignières -was waiting. This little delay was doubtless annoying to the impatient -lieutenant; but it also flattered his pride by affording an opportunity -of showing off to the grand inquisitor the superior capacity and -extraordinary eloquence of the agent he had chosen. -</p> - -<p> -It is certain that Démocharès was not only surprised, but that he felt -the delight of a skilful connoisseur who recognizes a more -unexceptionable and perfect instrument than he has himself previously -possessed. -</p> - -<p> -Lignières, much excited by this appreciation in such a high quarter, -tried to show himself worthy of it, and his performance was really very -fine. -</p> - -<p> -"That first assemblage at La Ferté was really not of very much -importance," he began. "There was nothing done or said that was not very -insipid; and it was to no purpose that I proposed overthrowing his -Majesty, and establishing in France a constitution like that in vogue -among the Swiss cantons; my suggestions found no echo but insulting -remarks. It was only provisionally determined to present a petition to -the king, praying that there might be an end to the persecutions of the -Reformers, and that the Guises should be dismissed, a ministry formed, -headed by the princes of the blood, and the States-General be convoked -forthwith. Simply a petition!—a very meagre result that. However, -they made an accurate computation of their numbers and effected an -organization; that is something tangible. Then the matter of choosing -leaders came up. So long as it was only a question of the subordinate -leaders in the different districts there was no trouble; but the -commander-in-chief, the head and front of the conspiracy,—that is -where the difficulty began. Monsieur de Coligny and the Prince de Condé -declined through their respective mouthpieces the dangerous honor which -it was proposed to confer upon one or the other of them. It would be -much better, so we were told in their behalf, to select some Huguenot -who occupied a less lofty position, so that the movement might bear a -more unmistakable stamp of its popular character,—a fine excuse for -the simpletons! However, they were content with it; and after much debate -they finally elected Godefroid de Barry, Seigneur de la Renaudie." -</p> - -<p> -"La Renaudie!" Démocharès repeated the name. "Yes, he is in fact one -of the ardent ringleaders of these scoundrels. I know him to be an -energetic and resolute man." -</p> - -<p> -"You will soon know him for a Catiline!" said Lignières. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, ho!" said the lieutenant of police; "I think that is going a little -too far." -</p> - -<p> -"You will see," returned the spy,—"you will see if I am going too -far! I come now to our second convocation, which met at Nantes the 5th of -this month of February." -</p> - -<p> -"Aha!" cried Démocharès and Braguelonne together. -</p> - -<p> -Both moved closer to Master Lignières, with eager curiosity. -</p> - -<p> -"That was the time," said Lignières, bursting with importance, "when -they no longer confined themselves to mere talk. Listen! Shall I give -your Lordships at length all the details and the proofs, or shall I -hasten at once to the results?" added the villain, as if he wished to -continue to hold their two hearts dependent on his words as long as -possible. -</p> - -<p> -"Give us the facts—the facts!" cried the lieutenant, impatiently. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, then, and you will shudder when you hear them. After some -unimportant preliminary speechmaking, La Renaudie took the floor; and -this, in substance, is what he said: 'Last year, when the Queen of -Scotland desired to try the ministers at Stirling, all their -parishioners determined to follow them to that place; and although they -were unarmed, this extensive movement was quite sufficient to frighten -the regent and induce her to forego the violent measures she had -meditated. I propose that here in France we begin in like -manner,—that a great multitude of those of our belief should make -their way to Blois, where the king is living for the moment, and should -present themselves without arms before his Majesty, and hand him a -petition wherein he will be implored to recall the edicts of -persecution, and allow the Reformers the free exercise of their -religion; and since their secret meetings in the night-time have been -falsely slandered, he will be asked to permit them to assemble in their -places of worship under the eyes of the constituted authorities.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, well, always the same thing!" Démocharès interrupted, in a tone -of disappointment. "Peaceful and respectful demonstrations, which amount -to nothing! Petitions! protests! supplications! Is this the -awe-inspiring news you had to give us, Master Lignières?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, wait,—just wait!" replied Lignières. "You can understand that I -cried down this innocent proposition of La Renaudie's just as you -do,—nay, even more than you. To what, I asked, had such purposeless -steps led before, or to what could they be expected to lead? Others of -the Protestants spoke in the same strain. Thereupon La Renaudie, with -much satisfaction, disclosed the true inwardness of his heart, and -betrayed the audacious scheme which lay hidden beneath his innocent -words." -</p> - -<p> -"Let us hear this audacious scheme," said Démocharès, with the air of -a man not easily to be astonished. -</p> - -<p> -"It is well worth the trouble of frustrating, I think," continued -Lignières. "While men's minds are occupied with the mob of timid, -unarmed petitioners, who approach the throne as suppliants, five hundred -horsemen and a thousand foot,—you understand, Messieurs, fifteen -hundred men,—selected from among the noblemen who are most determined -and most devoted to the Reformation and to the princes, are to come -together from the various provinces, under thirty chosen leaders, to -advance quietly upon Blois by different roads, enter the town, with or -without force,—with or without force, I say,—carry off the -king, the queen-mother, and Monsieur de Guise, and bring them to trial, and -fill their places with the princes of the blood, leaving it for the -States-General to decide upon the form of government which shall finally -be adopted. There, Messieurs, is the plot. What do you say to it? Is it -a childish one? Should it be passed by without being noticed? In short, -am I good for nothing, or am I useful to some extent?" -</p> - -<p> -He came to an end with an expression of triumph. The grand inquisitor -and the lieutenant exchanged glances of surprise, not unmixed with -alarm. There was a long pause, during which their minds were busy with -reflections of various descriptions. -</p> - -<p> -"By the Mass, but this is admirable, I declare!" cried Démocharès, at -last. -</p> - -<p> -"Say rather that it is terrible," observed Monsieur de Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"We shall see; we shall see!" continued the grand inquisitor, shaking -his head very knowingly. -</p> - -<p> -"Why," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "we only know the schemes which -this La Renaudie avows; but it is very easy to guess that nothing will -come of them; that Messieurs de Guise will be on their guard; that they -will all be cut in pieces; and that if his Majesty intrusts the power to -the Prince de Condé, it will only be by force." -</p> - -<p> -"But we are forewarned!" returned Démocharès. "All that these poor -fools mean to do against us will turn against themselves, and they will -fall into their own trap. I promise you that Monsieur le Cardinal will -be delighted, and would have paid a high price for such an opportunity -of making an end of his enemies." -</p> - -<p> -"God grant that he may continue to be delighted to the end!" said -Monsieur de Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -Addressing Lignières, who had now become a man to be treated well, an -invaluable ally, and of great consequence, he said,— -</p> - -<p> -"As for you, Monsieur le Marquis," (the rascal was really a marquis) -"you have rendered a most valuable service to his Majesty and to the -State. You shall be worthily rewarded for it, never fear!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, my word for it!" added Démocharès; "you deserve a handsome -reward, Monsieur, and you possess all my esteem! To you, also, Monsieur -de Braguelonne, my sincere congratulations upon your choice of agents. -Ah, Monsieur de Lignières has a claim to my highest consideration, in -truth!" -</p> - -<p> -"That is a very generous recompense for what little I have been able to -do," said Lignières, bowing modestly. -</p> - -<p> -"You know that we are not ungrateful, Monsieur de Lignières," continued -the lieutenant. "But come, you have not told us everything, have you? -Did they fix a time, or a place of rendezvous?" -</p> - -<p> -"They are to meet in the neighborhood of Blois on the 15th of March," -replied Lignières. -</p> - -<p> -"The 15th of March! Well, well!" exclaimed Monsieur de Braguelonne. "We -have only twenty days before us, and Monsieur le Cardinal de Lorraine is -at Blois! It will take about two days to notify him and receive his -orders. What a responsibility!" -</p> - -<p> -"But what a triumph at the end!" said Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"Have you the names of the leaders, dear Monsieur de Lignières?" asked -the lieutenant. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I have them written down," was the reply. -</p> - -<p> -"What a jewel of a man!" exclaimed Démocharès, admiringly. "He helps -to reconcile me to human nature." -</p> - -<p> -Lignières unbuttoned an inner pocket in his doublet, and drew from it a -scrap of paper, and having unfolded it, he read aloud as follows:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"List of the leaders, with the names of the provinces which -they respectively command:— -</p> - -<p> -"Castelnau de Chalosses,—Gascogne. -</p> - -<p> -"Mazères,—Béarn. -</p> - -<p> -"Du Mesnil,—Périgord. -</p> - -<p> -"Maillé de Brézé,—Poitou. -</p> - -<p> -"La Chesnaye,—Maine. -</p> - -<p> -"Sainte-Marie,—Normandie. -</p> - -<p> -"Cocqueville,—Picardie. -</p> - -<p> -"De Ferrières-Maligny,—Île de France and Champagne. -</p> - -<p> -"Châteauvieux,—Provence, etc. -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -"You can read that list and make your comments upon it at your leisure, -Monsieur," said Lignières, handing the treacherous paper to the -lieutenant. -</p> - -<p> -"This is nought but organized civil war!" exclaimed Monsieur de -Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"Take notice too," added Lignières, "that while these detachments are -making their way toward Blois, other leaders in each province are to -hold themselves in readiness to put down any movement that may be -attempted in behalf of Messieurs de Guise." -</p> - -<p> -"Good! We will have them all as in a great net!" said Démocharès, -rubbing his hands. "Why, you seem overwhelmed, Monsieur de Braguelonne! -After the first feeling of surprise, I declare that, for my own part, I -should be very sorry if all this had not taken place." -</p> - -<p> -"But just see how little time we have left!" observed the lieutenant. -"In truth, my good Lignières, while I would not for the world reproach, -I must say that since the 5th of February you have had time enough to -notify me." -</p> - -<p> -"How could I?" asked Lignières. "I was intrusted by La Renaudie with -more than twenty commissions between Nantes and Paris. And not only have -I succeeded in gleaning some valuable information, but to have neglected -or postponed his commissions would have been to arouse suspicion, while -to write you a letter or send a messenger would have been to compromise -our secrets." -</p> - -<p> -"Very true," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "you are always right. Let us -say no more about what is done, but consider what there remains to do. -You have told us nothing of the Prince de Condé. Was he not with you at -Nantes?" -</p> - -<p> -"He was there," Lignières replied. "But before taking any decided step -he wished to consult Chaudieu and the English ambassador, and so he said -that he would accompany La Renaudie to Paris for that purpose." -</p> - -<p> -"Is he coming to Paris, then? And is La Renaudie also coming?" -</p> - -<p> -"Better than that; they ought both to be here ere this." said -Lignières. -</p> - -<p> -"And where do they lodge?" asked Monsieur de Braguelonne, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"That I can't tell you. I took pains to ask, in a careless way, where I -might find our leader if I had any communication to make; but they only -gave me an indirect channel of correspondence. La Renaudie probably does -not wish to compromise the prince." -</p> - -<p> -"That is a great pity, I must admit," reflected the lieutenant. "We -shall have difficulty in finding traces of them." -</p> - -<p> -At this moment Master Arpion entered once more with his soft and -mysterious tread. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what is it, Arpion?" asked Monsieur de Braguelonne, sharply. "You -knew very well that we were engaged with important business, and why the -devil do you interrupt us?" -</p> - -<p> -"I should not have ventured to enter unless for something of equal -importance," replied Arpion. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what is it? Tell me quickly, and aloud; for we are all friends -here." -</p> - -<p> -"A man named Pierre des Avenelles—" began Arpion. -</p> - -<p> -De Braguelonne, Démocharès, and Lignières exclaimed simultaneously,— -</p> - -<p> -"Pierre des Avenelles!" -</p> - -<p> -"That's the advocate of the Rue des Marmousets, who ordinarily -entertains the Protestants at Paris," said Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"And upon whose house I have long had my eye," added De Braguelonne. -"But the good man is very sly and careful, and has always eluded my -surveillance. What does he want, Arpion?" -</p> - -<p> -"To speak with Monseigneur at once," replied the secretary. "He seems to -me to be in a state of great alarm." -</p> - -<p> -"He cannot know anything," said Lignières, quickly and jealously. -"Besides," he added, with lofty scorn, "he is an honest man." -</p> - -<p> -"We shall see; we shall see!" observed the grand inquisitor. (That was -his favorite expression.) -</p> - -<p> -"Arpion," Monsieur de Braguelonne said to the secretary, "show this man -in immediately." -</p> - -<p> -"I will, Monseigneur," said Arpion, leaving the room. -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon me, my dear Marquis," continued De Braguelonne, addressing -Lignières, "this Des Avenelles knows you, and the unexpected sight of -you might disturb him. And then, too, neither you nor I would care to -have him know you were one of us. Be good enough to step into Arpion's -closet while this interview is in progress; it is there at the end of -the passage. I will recall you as soon as we have done with him. You -might remain, if you will, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur, for your -imposing presence cannot fail to be useful." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well; I will remain to please you," said Démocharès, well -content. -</p> - -<p> -"And I will withdraw," said Lignières; "but remember what I say, -Monsieur le Lieutenant. You will not learn anything of importance from -this fellow Des Avenelles. A poor fool! A timid but upright soul! But of -no particular account,—of no account at all." -</p> - -<p> -"We will do the best we can. But go, go, my dear Lignières! here is our -man." -</p> - -<p> -In fact, Lignières had but just time to make his escape when a man -entered, pale and trembling with nervous excitement, escorted, indeed, -almost carried, by Master Arpion. -</p> - -<p> -It was Pierre des Avenelles, the advocate, whom we first-met with Sieur -Lignières, at the meeting in the Place Maubert, where he made the -success of the evening, if our readers remember, with his courageously -timid speech. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap19"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XIX -<br /><br /> -AN INFORMER</h4> - -<p> -On the occasion of this, our second meeting with Pierre des Avenelles, -he was all timidity, and had lost his courage. -</p> - -<p> -After bowing to the floor before Démocharès and De Braguelonne, he -began in a faltering voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"I am, I presume, in the presence of Monsieur le Lieutenant de Police?" -</p> - -<p> -"And of Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi," added De Braguelonne, -waving his hand toward De Mouchy. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Holy Virgin!" cried poor Des Avenelles, turning still paler if that -were possible. "Messeigneurs, you see, being a very great -culprit,—alas! one who has been too guilty,—may I hope for -mercy? I know not. Can my sincere wish to atone for my sins help me to -lighten their punishment? It is for your clemency to reply." -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Braguelonne saw at once with what manner of man he had to -do. -</p> - -<p> -"To confess is not sufficient," he said harshly; "there must be -reparation as well." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, there shall be, Monseigneur, if I can accomplish it!" returned Des -Avenelles. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well; but in order to accomplish it," continued the lieutenant, -"you must have it in your power to be of some service to us, or to give -us some valuable information." -</p> - -<p> -"I will try to do so," said the advocate, almost choked with terror. -</p> - -<p> -"It will be very difficult," retorted De Braguelonne, carelessly, "for -we already know all there is to know." -</p> - -<p> -"What! you know—" -</p> - -<p> -"Everything, I tell you; and in this pass to which you have brought -yourself your tardy repentance will hardly avail to save your head, I -promise you." -</p> - -<p> -"My head! Oh, Heaven! My head in danger? Yet I have come—" -</p> - -<p> -"Too late," said the inflexible De Braguelonne. "You cannot now be of -any use to us, and we know in advance everything that you can tell us." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps not," said Des Avenelles. "Excuse my question, but what do you -know?" -</p> - -<p> -"In the first place, that you are one of these damned heretics," -interposed Démocharès, in a voice of thunder. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas, alas! that is only too true!" replied Des Avenelles. "Yes, I am -of the Religion,—why, I'm sure I have no idea; but I will abjure it, -Monseigneur, if you will only spare my life. The meeting-house is -surrounded by too many perils, and I will go back to Mass." -</p> - -<p> -"That is not all," said Démocharès; "you are in the habit of -entertaining Huguenots at your house." -</p> - -<p> -"No one has ever been able to find one in any of their visitations," -returned the advocate, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"Very true," said Monsieur de Braguelonne; "for you probably have some -secret exit from your house,—some hidden passage, some as yet unknown -means of communication with the outer world. But one of these days we -will not leave one stone of your house standing on another, and it will -be forced to yield us its secret." -</p> - -<p> -"I will give it up to you myself," said the advocate; "for I admit, -Monseigneur, that I have at times furnished board and lodging to those -of the Religion. They pay well; and my profession is so unremunerative! -One must live! But it shall never happen again; and if my abjuration is -accepted, no Huguenot will ever dare to knock at my door again." -</p> - -<p> -"You have also spoken frequently at the Protestant meetings," continued -Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"I am an advocate," whined Des Avenelles. "Besides, I have always spoken -in favor of moderate measures. You ought to know that, since you know -everything." -</p> - -<p> -Summoning courage to raise his eyes to these two forbidding personages, -Des Avenelles went on,— -</p> - -<p> -"But, asking your pardon, it seems to me that you do not know -everything; for you speak only about me, and have nothing to say about -the affairs of the party in general, which are in truth of vast moment. -Therefore I am glad to see that there are many things of which you still -know nothing." -</p> - -<p> -"That is just where you are mistaken," retorted the lieutenant; "and we -will prove it to you." -</p> - -<p> -Démocharès motioned him to be careful. -</p> - -<p> -"I understand you, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur," said he; "but there -can be no imprudence in showing our hand to Monsieur, for Monsieur will -not leave this place for a long time to come." -</p> - -<p> -"What! not leave here for a long time?" cried Pierre des Avenelles, in -affright. -</p> - -<p> -"No, certainly not," coolly remarked Monsieur de Braguelonne. "Do you -imagine, pray, that under color of coming here to make revelations, you -will be allowed at your ease to observe our position, and assure -yourself as to the extent of our information, and then go and report -everything to your accomplices? That won't do, my dear Monsieur; and you -are our prisoner from this moment." -</p> - -<p> -"Prisoner!" Des Avenelles repeated the word as if overwhelmed at the -thought; but upon reflection he adopted a different tone. Our man, we -remember, had the courage of cowardice in the highest degree. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, well,—in fact, I much prefer it so!" he cried. "I am much safer -here with you than I should be at home, in the midst of all their -plot-hatching. And since you have determined to keep me here, Monsieur -le Lieutenant, you will have no scruples now about consenting to reply -to some of my respectful questions. In my humble opinion, you are not so -thoroughly well informed as you believe, and I think I may find some way -of proving my good faith and my loyalty by some valuable revelation." -</p> - -<p> -"Hum! I much doubt it," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"In the first place, what do you know about the latest meetings of the -Huguenots, Monseigneur?" asked the advocate. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean the one held at Nantes?" said the lieutenant. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah! do you know that? Very well! Yes, the one held at Nantes. What took -place there?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you refer to the conspiracy that was formed there?" rejoined -Monsieur de Braguelonne, slyly. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas, yes! I see that I can tell you nothing of consequence on that -subject," replied Des Avenelles. "That conspiracy—" -</p> - -<p> -"Has for its object to carry off the king from Blois, substitute the -princes for Messieurs de Guise by force, convoke the States-General, -etc. All this is ancient history, my dear Monsieur des Avenelles, for it -happened way back on the 5th of February." -</p> - -<p> -"And the conspirators who feel so sure of their secret!" exclaimed the -advocate. "They are lost, and myself with them; for doubtless you know -the leaders of the conspiracy?" -</p> - -<p> -"The secret leaders as well as the avowed ones. The former are the -Prince de Condé and the admiral; while the avowed leaders are La -Renaudie, Castelnau, Mazères—But it would take too long to enumerate -them all. See, here is a list of their names, and of the provinces as -well which they are respectively expected to incite to rebellion." -</p> - -<p> -"Great God of mercy! How skilful are the police, and what fools the -conspirators!" cried Des Avenelles. "Is there not, then, the least -little word which I can tell you, which you do not already know? The -Prince de Condé and La Renaudie, for instance,—do you know where they -are?" -</p> - -<p> -"Together in Paris." -</p> - -<p> -"Why, this is frightful! And there is nothing left for me to do but to -commend my soul to God! Yet, stay!—one word more, in pity's name! -Whereabouts in Paris are they?" -</p> - -<p> -Monsieur de Braguelonne did not immediately reply, but with his clear -and piercing glance seemed to be reading Des Avenelles's soul and his -eyes to their lowest depths. -</p> - -<p> -The latter, with labored breath, repeated his question,—"Do you know -in what part of Paris the Prince de Condé and La Renaudie now are, -Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"We shall have no difficulty in finding them," replied Monsieur de -Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"But you haven't found them yet!" cried Des Avenelles, with delight. -"Ah! God be praised! I may still win my pardon. <i>I</i> know where they -are, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -Démocharès's eye glistened; but the lieutenant of police concealed his -satisfaction. -</p> - -<p> -"Pray, where are they?" he said in the most indifferent tone imaginable. -</p> - -<p> -"At my house, Messieurs, at my house!" said the advocate, proudly. -</p> - -<p> -"I knew it," calmly replied Monsieur de Braguelonne. "What do you -say,—you knew that, too?" ejaculated Des Avenelles, whose cheeks lost -their color again. -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure I did; but I wished to test your good faith. Come, it is all -right, and I am content with you! Your case was a very serious one, to -say the least. To think of having sheltered such great villains!" -</p> - -<p> -"You made yourself quite as guilty as they," said Démocharès, -sententiously. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, don't say so, Monseigneur!" rejoined Des Avenelles. "I feared I was -incurring great risks, and I have hardly dared to breathe since I have -known the horrible plans of my two guests. But I have known them only -three days,—only three days, I solemnly swear! You should know that I -was not present at the Nantes gathering. When the Prince de Condé and -the Seigneur de la Renaudie arrived at my house in the early part of -this week, I believed myself to be harboring adherents of the Reformed -religion, but not conspirators. I have a holy horror of conspirators and -conspiracies! They said nothing to me on the subject at first; and it is -that for which I am angry with them. Thus to expose to deadly peril, -without his knowledge, a poor fellow who had never done them aught but -good turns,—that was very wrong. But these great personages never do -otherwise." -</p> - -<p> -"What's that?" was Monsieur de Braguelonne's sharp retort,—for he -considered himself a very great man indeed. -</p> - -<p> -"I refer to the great personages of the Reformed religion," the advocate -made haste to explain. "However, they began by keeping everything from -me; but they were whispering together all day long, and writing day and -night; visits they received every minute. I watched and listened; in -short, I guessed at the beginning of the plot, so that they were obliged -to tell me everything,—their meeting at Nantes, their great -conspiracy; in fact, all this that you know, and which they thought so -carefully concealed. But since that revelation I have not been able to -sleep or eat; I have just existed. Every time that anybody came to my -house—and God knows how often people have come there!—I -would imagine that they had come to carry me before the judges. During -the night, in my rare moments of feverish sleep, I dreamed of nothing -but courts and scaffolds and executioners, and I would awake bathed in a -cold perspiration, to begin again my unceasing attempts to foresee and -estimate the risk I was running." -</p> - -<p> -"The risk you were running, did you say?" said Monsieur de Braguelonne. -"Why, prison in the first place—" -</p> - -<p> -"And torture in the second," added Démocharès. -</p> - -<p> -"To be followed probably by hanging," said the lieutenant. -</p> - -<p> -"Or the stake, possibly," continued the grand inquisitor. -</p> - -<p> -"The wheel has been known to be used in such cases," the lieutenant put -in, as a suitably effective end to the list. -</p> - -<p> -"Imprisoned! tortured! hanged! burned alive! broken on the wheel!" Poor -Des Avenelles repeated every word as if he had actually undergone each -of the punishments they enumerated. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Dame</i>! You are an advocate, and should know the law," retorted -Monsieur de Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, I know it only too well!" cried Des Avenelles. "Therefore, -after three days of mortal anguish, I could restrain myself no longer: I -felt that such a secret was too heavy a burden for my responsibility, -and I came to deposit it in your hands, Monsieur le Lieutenant de -Police." -</p> - -<p> -"That was the safest course to pursue," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne; -"and although, as you see, your revelation is of no great service to us, -still we will take your good intentions into consideration." -</p> - -<p> -He talked for some moments in a low tone with De Mouchy, who seemed to -be urging him, not without much resistance, to adopt a certain course of -action. -</p> - -<p> -"Before everything, I beg you, for mercy's sake," said Des Avenelles, -imploringly, "not to betray my defection to my former—accomplices; -for, alas! they who murdered President Minard might well do me an ill turn -also." -</p> - -<p> -"We will keep your secret," replied the lieutenant of police. -</p> - -<p> -"But you propose to keep me a prisoner, do you not?" said Des Avenelles, -with a very humbled and frightened air. -</p> - -<p> -"No; you may return freely to your own house at any moment," replied De -Braguelonne. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean it?" said the advocate. "Ah! I see you propose to arrest my -guests?" -</p> - -<p> -"Not your guests, either. They will remain as free as yourself." -</p> - -<p> -"How is that?" asked Des Avenelles, in amazement. -</p> - -<p> -"Just listen to me a moment," replied Monsieur de Braguelonne, in an -authoritative tone, "and pay good heed to my words. You will return at -once to your own house, lest a too long absence should arouse suspicion. -You will say not a word more to your guests, either as to your own fears -or their secrets. You will act, and leave them to act, as if you had not -been in this room to-day. Do you understand me? Hinder nothing, and -express surprise at nothing. Let things take their course." -</p> - -<p> -"That is easily done," said Des Avenelles. -</p> - -<p> -"However," added Monsieur de Braguelonne, "if we need any information, -we will either send to you for it or summon you hither, and you will -hold yourself always in readiness to serve us in either way. If a -descent upon your house is judged necessary, you will lend a hand in -making it effective." -</p> - -<p> -"Since I have done so much merely to make a beginning, I will go through -with it," said Des Avenelles, with a sigh. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well. One word in conclusion. If matters progress in a way to -prove that you have obeyed these very simple instructions, you shall -have your pardon; but if we have reason to suspect that you have been in -the least degree indiscreet, you will be the first to be punished, and -will suffer worse than all the others." -</p> - -<p> -"You shall be burned alive, by our Lady!" chimed in Démocharès, in his -deep and gloomy voice. -</p> - -<p> -"However—" began the trembling advocate. -</p> - -<p> -"That is sufficient," said De Braguelonne. "You have heard; see that you -remember. <i>Au revoir</i>." -</p> - -<p> -He made an imperious motion with his hand. The too prudent advocate left -the room, relieved and anxious at the same time. -</p> - -<p> -After his departure, for a moment nothing was said by the two others. -</p> - -<p> -"You wished it so, and I yielded," said the lieutenant, finally; "but I -confess that I have serious doubts as to the wisdom of that mode of -procedure." -</p> - -<p> -"No, everything is as well as can be," replied Démocharès. "This -business must be allowed to take its own course, and with that in view, -the important point was not to give the alarm to the conspirators. Let -them think themselves sure of their secret, and go ahead in their false -security. They fancy that they are marching in darkness, while we are -following all their movements in the broad daylight. It is superb! Such -another occasion to strike a deadly blow at the root of the heresy will -not present itself in twenty years. Besides, I know the ideas of his -Eminence the Cardinal de Lorraine upon this matter." -</p> - -<p> -"Better than I do, to be sure," said De Braguelonne. "What are we to do -now?" -</p> - -<p> -"You will remain at Paris," said Démocharès, "and with the assistance -of Lignières and Des Avenelles, keep a strict watch upon the two -leading conspirators. I shall set out in an hour for Blois, to warn -Messieurs de Guise. The cardinal will be somewhat alarmed at first, but -Le Balafré is with him to encourage him; and when he comes to think it -over, he will be in an ecstasy of delight. It is for those two to -assemble in a fortnight around the king, without disturbance, all the -forces they have available. Meanwhile, our Huguenots will have nothing -to startle them; they will fall in a body, or one by one, into the trap -we have laid, the blind fools, and they will be at our mercy. We shall -have them, and then,—'General slaughter!'" -</p> - -<p> -The grand inquisitor stalked up and down the room rubbing his hands for -joy. -</p> - -<p> -"May God grant," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "that no unforeseen event -shall reduce this splendid scheme to nought!" -</p> - -<p> -"Impossible!" Démocharès made haste to say. "General slaughter! We -have them on the hip! Call Lignières back, if you will, so that he may -finish with the information he has for us, which I am to report to the -Cardinal de Lorraine. But I look upon the heresy as already extinct. -General slaughter!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap20"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XX -<br /><br /> -A CHILD KING AND QUEEN</h4> - -<p> -If in imagination we go forward two days, and traverse forty leagues of -space, we may fancy ourselves on the 27th of February at the splendid -Château de Blois, where the court was temporarily established. -</p> - -<p> -There had been a great celebration at the château the day before, with -jousting and ballets and allegorical representations, all under the -direction of Monsieur Antoine de Baïf the poet. -</p> - -<p> -So that on the morning in question the young king and his queen, for -whose entertainment the fête had been given, had risen rather later -than usual, and not fully rested from the fatigue of their -holiday-making. -</p> - -<p> -Fortunately no reception was appointed for that day, so that they were -at liberty to amuse themselves by chatting over at their leisure the -things that had pleased their fancy. -</p> - -<p> -"For my own part," said Mary Stuart, "I thought all the entertainments -the finest and rarest things imaginable." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied François, "especially the ballets and the scenes that -were acted. But I must confess that the sonnets and madrigals seemed to -me a trifle tiresome." -</p> - -<p> -"What!" cried Mary; "why, they were very bright and clever, I assure -you." -</p> - -<p> -"But too everlastingly eulogistic, you must agree, <i>mignonne</i>. You -see, it's not especially amusing to hear one's self praised thus by the -hour; and I could not help fancying last evening that the good God -Himself must sometimes have His moments of being bored in His Paradise. -Then you must remember, too, that these gentlemen, especially Messieurs -de Baïf and de Maisonfleur, have a way of interlarding their discourse -with numbers of Latin words, which I do not always understand." -</p> - -<p> -"But that has a very learned air," said Mary, "and it is a fashion which -makes me feel very literary and of very correct taste." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Mary, you know so much yourself!" replied the young king, smiling. -"You can make verses, and you understand Latin, too, while I have never -succeeded in making any headway in it." -</p> - -<p> -"But study is our lot, and the only amusement we women have, just as you -men and princes are born to action and command." -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless," rejoined François, "just for the sake of equalling you -in one thing, I would like to know as much as my brother Charles." -</p> - -<p> -"Apropos of our brother Charles," Mary interrupted, "did you notice him -yesterday in the part he assumed in the allegory of 'Religion defended -by the Three Divine Virtues'?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said the king; "he was one of the horsemen who represented the -virtues,—Charity, I think." -</p> - -<p> -"The very same," replied Mary. "Well, did you see, Sire, with what fury -he belabored the head of poor Heresy?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed, when she came forward in the midst of the flames with the -body of a serpent. Charles seemed to be quite beside himself, really." -</p> - -<p> -"And, tell me, gentle Sire," continued the queen, "did not that head of -Heresy seem to you to resemble some one?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, yes," said François, "I thought I must be mistaken; but it -assuredly wore the expression of Monsieur de Coligny, did it not?" -</p> - -<p> -"Say, rather, that it was Monsieur l'Amiral, feature for feature." -</p> - -<p> -"And all those devils who carried him off!" said the king. -</p> - -<p> -"And the joy of our uncle the cardinal!" -</p> - -<p> -"And my mother's smile." -</p> - -<p> -"It was almost frightful!" said the young queen. "And yet, François, -your mother was very beautiful last evening with her dress of shimmering -gold and her tan-colored veil,—a magnificent costume!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, it was," replied the king; "and so, my <i>mignonne</i>, I have -ordered a similar dress for you at Constantinople, through Monsieur de -Grandchamp, and you shall also have a veil of Roman gauze like my -mother's." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, thanks, my gallant spouse! Thanks! I certainly do not envy the fate -of our sister Élisabeth of Spain, who, they say, never wears the same -dress twice. And yet I should not like to have any woman in France, even -your mother, seem to be more finely dressed than I, especially in your -eyes." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, what difference does it make, after all?" said the king; "for will -you not always be the loveliest of them all?" -</p> - -<p> -"It hardly seemed so yesterday," pouted Mary; "for after the torch-dance -that I danced, you never said a single word to me. I must needs think -that you did not like it." -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed I did!" cried François; "but what could I say, in God's name, -beside all those clever wits of the court who were pouring compliments -upon you in prose and verse? Dubellay claimed that you had no need of a -torch like the other ladies, but that the light that shone from your -eyes was sufficient. Maisonfleur was appalled at the danger from the -vivid sparks from your eyes which were never extinguished and might -destroy the entire hall. Whereupon Ronsard added that the stars which -shone in your head might serve to lighten the darkness of the night, and -to put the sun to shame by day. Was there any need, pray, after all -those poetic flights for me to come and add my poor testimony that I -thought you and your dance fascinating?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why not?" was Mary's playful retort. "That little word from you would -have rejoiced my heart more than all their tasteless flattery." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, I say it this morning, <i>mignonne</i>, with all my heart; -for the dance was perfect, and almost made me forget the Spanish -<i>pavane</i> which I used to like so much, and the Italian -<i>pazzemeni</i>, which you and poor Élisabeth danced together so -divinely. In fact, dear, whatever you do is always done better than what -others do; for you are the fairest of the fair, and the prettiest women -look like chambermaids beside you! Yes, in your royal attire or in this -simple dishabille, you are always the same, my queen and my love. I see -only you, and I love none but you!" -</p> - -<p> -"Dear <i>mignon</i>!" -</p> - -<p> -"My adored darling!" -</p> - -<p> -"My life!" -</p> - -<p> -"My supreme and only good! See! Though you had but a peasant's hood, I -would love you better than all the queens of the earth!" -</p> - -<p> -"For my own part," replied Mary, "though you were but a simple page, you -and none other would reign in my heart." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, <i>mon Dieu</i>!" added François, "how I love to pass my fingers -through your soft silky, fair hair, and to play with it and tangle it! I -can well imagine that your women might often ask leave to kiss that -round white neck, and those arms, so beautifully turned and so plump. -But don't you let them any more, Mary!" -</p> - -<p> -"Why not, pray?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because I am jealous!" said the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Foolish child!" laughed Mary, with an adorable childish gesture. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" cried François, passionately, "if I had to choose between -renouncing my crown and my Mary, the choice would soon be made." -</p> - -<p> -"What madness!" exclaimed Mary. "How could any one give up the crown of -France, which is the fairest of all after the heavenly crown?" -</p> - -<p> -"Because of the mark it makes upon my brow!" said François, with a -smile that was half playful and half sad. -</p> - -<p> -"What!" said Mary. "Oh, but I forgot that we have one matter to -settle—and a matter of the most supreme importance—which my -uncle De Lorraine has thrust upon us." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, ho!" cried the king; "that does not often happen." -</p> - -<p> -"He leaves it for us," said Mary, very seriously, "to decide upon the -color of the uniform of our Swiss Guards." -</p> - -<p> -"That is a mark of confidence which does us great honor. Let us consult -upon it. What is your Majesty's opinion upon this difficult question, -Madame?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I must only speak after you, Sire." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, I think that the style of the coat should remain the -same,—a broad doublet with full sleeves, with slashings in three -colors. Am I not right?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Sire; but what shall the colors be? That is the question?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is not an easy one; but that is because you do not help me, my fair -adviser. The first color?" -</p> - -<p> -"It ought to be white," said Mary,—"the color of France." -</p> - -<p> -"Then the second," declared François, "shall be that of -Scotland,—blue." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well; but the third?" -</p> - -<p> -"How would yellow do?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, no; that is the color of Spain. Green would be better." -</p> - -<p> -"That is the color of the Guises," said the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, Monsieur; is that a reason for excluding it?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, indeed; but will these three colors harmonize well?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well thought of!" cried Mary Stuart. "Let us take red, the color of -Switzerland; it will be in a measure a reminder of their country to the -poor fellows." -</p> - -<p> -"An idea as kind as your heart, Mary," the king responded. "There! that -momentous affair has come to a glorious conclusion. Ouf! we have had -enough trouble with it; fortunately, more serious matters do not give us -so much. And your dear uncles, Mary, are so willing to relieve me of all -the burden of government! it is delightful! They do the writing, and I -have only to sign my name, sometimes without even reading; so that my -crown placed upon my royal couch would serve quite as well as I, if the -whim should seize me to take a journey." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you not feel sure, Sire," asked Mary, "that my uncles will never -have aught at heart save your interest and that of France?" -</p> - -<p> -"How can I help knowing it?" was the reply. "They tell me of it too -often to give me any hope of forgetting it. For instance, it is the day -for a meeting of the council to-day: and we shall see Monsieur le -Cardinal de Lorraine come in with his deep humility and his overdone -respect,—which do not always amuse me, I confess,—and shall -hear him say in his soft voice, bowing at every word, 'Sire, the suggestion -I have the honor to make to your Majesty is aimed only at maintaining the -honor of your crown. Your Majesty cannot doubt the zeal for the glory of -your reign and the welfare of your people by which we are animated. -Sire, the splendor of the throne and of the Church is the only end,' -etc." -</p> - -<p> -"How perfectly you imitate him!" cried Mary, laughing and clapping her -hands. -</p> - -<p> -But in a more serious tone she continued,— -</p> - -<p> -"We must be indulgent and generous, François. Pray, do you suppose that -your lady-mother, Catherine de Médicis, gives me much pleasure when, -with her pale face sternly set, she reads me endless sermons upon my -dress and my servants and my establishment? Can you not hear her now -saying to me, with her lips pursed up, 'My daughter, you are the queen. -I am to-day only the second woman in the kingdom; but if I were in your -place, I should require my women to attend Mass no less regularly than -vespers and the sermon; if I were in your place, I would never wear -carnation velvet, because it is too gaudy a color; if I were in your -place, I would have my silver-gray dress made over, because it is too -<i>décollettée</i>; if I were in your place, I would never dance myself, -but would be content to watch others; if I were in your place—'" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, oh!" cried the king, shrieking with laughter; "it is my mother -herself! But then, you see, <i>mignonne</i>, she is my mother, after all; -and I have already offended her grievously by leaving no share for her in -the affairs of State, which are entirely administered by your uncles; so -we must put up with some things we don't like, and respectfully bear -with her scolding. I, too, will resign myself to the gentle tutelage of -the Cardinal de Lorraine, just because you are his niece, do you hear?" -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks, dear Sire!—thanks for the sacrifice!" and Mary emphasized -her words with a kiss. -</p> - -<p> -"But, joking apart," continued François, "there are times when I am -tempted to renounce the title of king, as I have already abandoned the -power." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, why do you say that?" cried Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Because I feel it, Mary. Ah, if only it were not necessary to be King -of France in order to be your husband! Just consider a moment! I have -nought but the weariness and restraints of royalty. The humblest of our -subjects is freer than I. Why, if I had not been downright angry at the -suggestion, we should have had to occupy separate apartments! Why, do -you suppose? Because they alleged that it was the custom of kings and -queens of France!" -</p> - -<p> -"How ridiculous they are with their customs!" exclaimed Mary. "Oh, well, -we have changed all that, and established a new custom,—which, thank -God, is much better than the other." -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure it is, Mary. But, tell me, do you know the secret desire I -have been cherishing for a long time?" -</p> - -<p> -"No,—indeed I do not." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, it is to break loose for a while,—to fly or steal away, and -leave the throne to take care of itself; to turn our backs upon Paris, -Blois, yes, even upon France itself, and go—where? I don't know nor -care, so long as it is far away from here, where we can breathe at our -ease for a little while like other people. Mary, would not such a -journey, say for six months or a year, please you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I should be perfectly delighted, my beloved Sire," replied Mary, -"especially for your sake; for I am sometimes unquiet about your health, -and you suffer too frequently with these distressing headaches. The -change of air and of scene would distract your thoughts, and be a most -excellent thing for you. Yes, let us go, let us go! But, oh! the -cardinal and the queen-mother,—will they listen to such a plan?" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, after I am king and I am master," said François. "The kingdom is -quiet and peaceable; and since they get along very well without my will -in the government, they can do quite as well without my presence. We -will take our flight in advance of the winter, Mary, like the swallows. -Let us see. Where would you like to go? Suppose we were to visit your -Scottish States?" -</p> - -<p> -"What! cross the seal," said Mary. "Expose your delicate chest, my -<i>mignon</i>, to those dangerous fogs? No! I should prefer our smiling -Touraine and this fair Château de Blois. But why should we not pay a -visit to our sister Élisabeth in Spain?" -</p> - -<p> -"The air of Madrid is not wholesome for kings of France, Mary." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, well! Italy, then!" suggested Mary. "It is always lovely there, and -always warm,—blue sky and blue water; orange-trees in flower, and -music, and continual holiday-making!" -</p> - -<p> -"Italy accepted!" cried the king, joyously. "We will see the Holy -Catholic Religion in all its glory,—the magnificent churches and the -relics of the saints." -</p> - -<p> -"And Raphael's paintings," added Mary, "and St. Peter's, and the -Vatican." -</p> - -<p> -"We will ask the Holy Father for his blessing, and will bring back our -hands full of indulgences." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, it will be delightful," said the queen, "to realize this lovely -dream together, side by side, beloved and loving, with heaven in our -hearts, and on our heads—" -</p> - -<p> -"Paradise!" cried François, enthusiastically. -</p> - -<p> -But even as he spoke, carried away by the fascinating thought, the door -opened suddenly, and the Cardinal de Lorraine, pushing aside the usher -in attendance, who had no time to announce him, burst into the royal -apartment, pale and breathless. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise, less excited but quite as serious, followed his -brother at a short distance, and his measured step could be heard in the -antechamber through the door, which remained open. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap21"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXI -<br /><br /> -END OF THE ITALIAN JOURNEY</h4> - -<p> -"Well, Monsieur le Cardinal," said the young king, warmly, "am I not to -be allowed a moment of leisure and freedom even in this place?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," replied Charles de Lorraine, "I am very sorry to disobey your -Majesty's orders; but the affair which has led my brother and myself -hither is of too great moment to admit of delay." -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke, the Duc de Guise came gravely in, saluted the king and -queen silently, and remained standing behind his brother, mute, -immovable, and very serious. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well! I am listening, Monsieur; therefore speak," said François -to the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," continued the latter, "a conspiracy against your Majesty has -been discovered, and your life is no longer safe in this Château de -Blois; you should depart hence immediately." -</p> - -<p> -"A conspiracy! Depart from Blois!" exclaimed the king. "Pray, what does -all this mean?" -</p> - -<p> -"It means, Sire, that evil-minded men are conspiring against the life -and the crown of your Majesty." -</p> - -<p> -"What!" said François, "can they have any ill-will against me, so young -as I am, and only seated on the throne yesterday! against me, who have -never injured a single soul,—that is to say, knowingly or wilfully! -Who are these evil-minded men, Monsieur le Cardinal?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, who should they be," rejoined Charles de Lorraine, "if not these -cursed Huguenot heretics?" -</p> - -<p> -"Heretics again!" cried the king. "Are you sure, Monsieur, that you are -not allowing yourself to be led astray by suspicions which have no -foundation in fact?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said the cardinal, "there is, unhappily, no room for doubt now." -</p> - -<p> -The young king, whose delightful dreams were thus interrupted by this -unpleasant reality, seemed greatly annoyed; Mary was much disturbed by -his ill-humor, and the cardinal very anxious over the news he had -brought. Le Balafré, alone calm and self-controlled, awaited the result -of all this talk in an attitude of utter impassibility. -</p> - -<p> -"In God's name, what have I done to my people that they love me no -longer!" continued François, bitterly. -</p> - -<p> -"I think I told your Majesty that it is only the Huguenots who are -rebellious," said the Cardinal de Lorraine. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, they are Frenchmen!" rejoined the king. "In fact, Monsieur le -Cardinal, I have intrusted all my power to your hands in the hope that -you would cause it to be blessed, and yet I am continually encompassed -by anxiety and complaints and discontent." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Sire, Sire!" exclaimed Mary Stuart, reproachfully. -</p> - -<p> -The Cardinal de Lorraine retorted dryly,— -</p> - -<p> -"It would be hardly fair, Sire, to hold us responsible for ills which -are due entirely to the troublous condition of the time." -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless, Monsieur," continued the youthful king, "I should like -for once to know the real condition of affairs, and to be without you at -my side for a while, so that I might ascertain whether the disaffection -is directed against myself or you." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, your Majesty!" cried Mary Stuart, in great alarm. -</p> - -<p> -François said no more, for he already reproached himself for having -gone too far. The Duc de Guise did not manifest the least disturbance. -Charles de Lorraine, after an embarrassing silence, replied, with the -dignified and constrained air of a man unjustly offended,— -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, since we are unfortunate enough to see that our efforts are -misunderstood or not appreciated, and are therefore useless, it only -remains for us, as your loyal subjects and devoted kinsmen, to give -place to others more worthy or more fortunate—" -</p> - -<p> -The king, in his confusion, said nothing; and the cardinal continued, -after a pause,— -</p> - -<p> -"Your Majesty has only to tell us in whose hands to place our seals of -office. So far as I am concerned, nothing will be easier than to fill my -place. Your Majesty will simply have to choose between Monsieur le -Chancelier Olivier, Monsieur le Cardinal de Tournon, and Monsieur de -l'Hôpital." -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart hid her face in her hands in despair; while poor repentant -François would have asked for nothing better than to recall his -childish indignation, but the haughty silence of Le Balafré frightened -him. -</p> - -<p> -Charles de Lorraine continued: "The office of grand master, however, and -the management of affairs in case of war, demand such extraordinary -talents and such lofty renown that, after my brother, I can think of -only two men who could venture to pretend to fill his place,—Monsieur -de Brissac, perhaps—" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Brissac is always scolding, and always in a passion!" exclaimed the -king; "he is not to be thought of!" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, the other one," continued the cardinal, "is Monsieur de -Montmorency, who surely has the renown even though he lacks the -necessary talents." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, no!" François objected again; "Monsieur le Connétable is too old -for me, and he formerly treated the dauphin too slightingly to make it -probable that he would serve the king with due respect to-day. But, -Monsieur le Cardinal, why do you omit to mention my other kinsmen, the -princes of the blood,—the Prince de Condé, for example?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said the cardinal, "it is with deep regret that I inform your -Majesty of the fact, but among the names of the secret leaders of the -conspiracy that has been unearthed, that of the Prince de Condé stands -first." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it possible?" asked the young king, almost stupefied. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, there is no doubt about it." -</p> - -<p> -"Then this must be really a serious conspiracy against the State?" said -François. -</p> - -<p> -"It is almost a rebellion, Sire," replied the cardinal; "and since your -Majesty relieves my brother and myself from the most awful -responsibility that has ever been laid upon us, my duty compels me to -implore you to name our successors as soon as possible,—for the -Huguenots will be under the walls of Blois in a few days." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you say, my uncle?" cried Mary, in dismay. -</p> - -<p> -"The truth, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Are the rebels numerous?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, they are said to be two thousand strong," replied the cardinal. -"There were rumors that their advance-guard was already near La -Carrelière, but I could hardly believe them until Monsieur de Mouchy -brought me intelligence of the conspiracy from Paris. We will withdraw -now, Sire, Monsieur de Guise and myself—" -</p> - -<p> -"What's that?" exclaimed François. "Do you both select such a time of -danger as this to desert me?" -</p> - -<p> -"But I thought I understood, Sire," returned Charles de Lorraine, "that -such was your Majesty's intention." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you wish?" said the king. "I cannot help being sad when I see -how many enemies you have made—I mean how many enemies I have! But -come, let us say no more about it, good uncle; give me more details as -to the insolent attempt of these rebels." -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon, Sire!" retorted the cardinal, still standing on his dignity; -"after what your Majesty has said, it seems to me that others than -ourselves—" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, dear uncle, I implore you to say no more about my hasty words, -which I am sorry for," said François II. "What more can I say? Must I -apologize, pray, and ask your pardon?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Sire!" said Charles de Lorraine, "at the moment that your Majesty -restores his precious confidence to us—" -</p> - -<p> -"Entirely, and with all my heart," added the king, offering his hand to -the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Just so much valuable time lost!" said the Duc de Guise, gravely. -</p> - -<p> -It was the first word he had uttered since the beginning of the -interview. -</p> - -<p> -He came forward now, as if all that had gone before had been simply -unimportant preliminaries a wearisome prologue, in which he had allowed -the Cardinal de Lorraine to sustain the principal part; but these -puerile discussions being at an end, he haughtily took the floor and -assumed the initiative. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said he to the king, "this, in brief, is the condition of -affairs: two thousand rebels, commanded by Baron de la Renaudie, and -encouraged underhand by the Prince de Condé, are preparing a descent at -this time from Poitou, Béarn, and other provinces, with the view of -surprising Blois and carrying off your Majesty." -</p> - -<p> -François made a gesture of indignation and surprise. -</p> - -<p> -"Carry off the king!" cried Mary Stuart. -</p> - -<p> -"And you with him, Madame," continued Le Balafré. "But never fear; we -will take good care of your Majesties." -</p> - -<p> -"What measures do you propose to take?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"We received warning of this only an hour since," said the Duc de Guise. -"But the first thing to do, Sire, is to assure the safety of your sacred -person. For that purpose, it is necessary that you should leave this -unfortified town of Blois and its unprotected château this very day, to -withdraw to Amboise, where there is a fortified château which will -protect you against a sudden blow." -</p> - -<p> -"What!" said the queen; "imprison ourselves in that vile Château -d'Amboise, perched up on top of a rock, and so gloomy and sad!" -</p> - -<p> -"Child!" was what Le Balafré's harsh look said to his niece, though he -did not put it in words. -</p> - -<p> -He said simply,— -</p> - -<p> -"Madame, it must be done!" -</p> - -<p> -"But that will be flying from these rebels!" said the young king, -trembling with rage. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," rejoined the duke, "you cannot fly from an enemy who has not yet -attacked you, nor even declared war against you. We are supposed to be -in ignorance of the guilty designs of these factionists." -</p> - -<p> -"However, we do know them," said François. -</p> - -<p> -"I beg your Majesty to rely upon me as regards these questions of -honor," replied François de Lorraine. "We do not shun the combat simply -by changing the field of battle; and I sincerely hope that the rebels -will take the trouble of following us to Amboise." -</p> - -<p> -"Why do you say that you hope so, Monsieur?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" said Le Balafré, with his superb smile. "Because it will be a -good opportunity to put an end once for all to heretics and heresy; -because it is high time to strike at them in some other way than in -fiction and allegory; because I would have given two fingers of my -hand—my left hand—to bring about without difficulty the -decisive struggle which these reckless fools are inviting, for our -triumph." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" sighed the king, "is this struggle anything less than civil -war?" -</p> - -<p> -"Let us accept it for the sake of having done with it," replied the Duc de -Guise. "This, in a word, is my plan,—your Majesty must remember that -we have only these rebels to deal with: Saving this retreat from Blois, -which will not arouse their suspicions, I hope, we will affect the most -complete security and most utter ignorance in regard to their plans. And -when they advance upon us, like the traitors that they are, to surprise -us, we shall be the ones to surprise them, and catch them in their own -trap. Therefore let no sign of alarm escape you, or any appearance of -flight; this advice is meant especially for you, Madame," he said, -turning to Mary. "My orders will be given, and your people notified to -be ready, but it will be done secretly. Let there be no suspicion -outside of our preparations or our apprehensions, and I will answer for -everything." -</p> - -<p> -"What hour is fixed for our departure?" asked François, with a dejected -air of resignation. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, three in the afternoon," said the duke; "I have taken all needful -steps." -</p> - -<p> -"What! before coming to me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Even so, Sire," replied Le Balafré, firmly; "for before I came to you, -I was perfectly sure that your Majesty would listen to the voice of -reason and honor." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well!" said the young king, with a feeble smile, completely -conquered, "we will be ready at three o'clock, Monsieur; we have every -confidence in you." -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said the duke, "I thank you for your confidence, and will strive -to merit it. But I beg your Majesty to excuse me, for at such times -minutes are precious, and I have twenty letters to write, and a hundred -commissions to give out. Therefore my brother and myself will humbly -take leave of your Majesty." -</p> - -<p> -He saluted the king and queen quite abruptly, and went out with the -cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -François and Mary gazed at each other ruefully for a moment without -speaking. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, my darling," said the king at last, "how about our fair vision of -a journey to Rome?" -</p> - -<p> -"It seems to have resolved itself into a flight to Amboise," sighed -Mary. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment Madame Dayelle, the queen's first lady-in-waiting, -appeared. -</p> - -<p> -"Pray, Madame, is this true that I have heard?" said she, after the -ordinary salutation. "Must we break up our establishment here at once, -and quit Bloise for Amboise?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is only too true, my poor Dayelle," replied Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you know, Madame, that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in that -château?—not even a decent mirror!" -</p> - -<p> -"Then we must carry everything from here, Dayelle," said the queen. -"Write out at once a list of the things we must have; I will dictate to -you. In the first place, my new dress of crimson damask with gold lace -trimming—" -</p> - -<p> -Turning to the king, who was still standing in the window recess, -thoughtful and sad,— -</p> - -<p> -"Just fancy, Sire," said she, "the audacity of these Reformers! But, -pardon me, you ought also to be thinking about what things you will need -at Amboise, so that you will not be unprovided." -</p> - -<p> -"No," said François; "I will leave all that to Aubert, my <i>valet de -chambre</i>. I myself can think of nothing but my disappointment." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you think mine is any less bitter?" said Mary. "Madame Dayelle, put -down my violet farthingale covered with gold camblet, and my white -damask dress with silver trimming. But we must make the best of it," she -continued, addressing the king, "and not run the risk of being without -articles of the first importance. Madame Dayelle, don't forget my -bedgown of plain cloth-of-gold trimmed with lynx. Not for ages, Sire, -has the old Château d'Amboise been inhabited by the court, has it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Since the days of Charles VIII.," said François, "I do not think that -a king of France has ever lived there for more than two or three days." -</p> - -<p> -"And we may have to stay there a whole month!" exclaimed Mary. "Oh, -those wretched Huguenots! Don't you think, Madame Dayelle, that the -bedchamber at all events will be partly furnished?" -</p> - -<p> -"The surest way, Madame," said the lady-in-waiting, shaking her head, -"will be to go prepared to find nothing at all there." -</p> - -<p> -"Then put down the gold-framed mirror," said the queen, "the violet -velvet jewel-case, and the shaggy carpet to put around the bed. But have -subjects ever before been known, Sire," she continued in a low tone, -returning to the king's side, "to march against their master thus, and -drive him from his own house, so to speak?" -</p> - -<p> -"Never, I think, Mary," was François's melancholy reply. "Sometimes -scoundrels have been known to resist the execution of the king's -commands, as was the case fifteen years since at Mérindol and La -Cabrière; but to attack the king in the first place,—I could never -have imagined such a thing, I declare!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, my uncle Guise is right, then! We cannot take too many precautions -against these hot-headed rebels. Madame Dayelle, add a dozen or so pairs -of shoes, and twelve pillows and sheets. Is that all? Really, I believe -I am losing my mind! Wait a moment, my dear! Here, put in this velvet -pincushion and this gold candlestick and bodkin and gilt needle-case. -There, I see nothing else." -</p> - -<p> -"Will not Madame carry her two jewel-cases?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed, I will carry them!" cried Mary, eagerly. "Leave them here! -Why, they might fall into the hands of these miscreants, might they not, -Sire? I am quite sure I will carry them." -</p> - -<p> -"It will be a wise precaution," said François, with a slight smile. -</p> - -<p> -"I think I have omitted nothing else of consequence, my dear Dayelle?" -continued Mary, looking around the room. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame will remember her 'Book of Hours,' I trust," said the -maid-of-honor, rather affectedly. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, I should have forgotten them," said Mary, ingenuously. "Let me have -the finest ones,—the one which my uncle the cardinal gave me and the -scarlet velvet one with the gold ornaments. Madame Dayelle, I leave you -to look after all this. You see how preoccupied the king and myself are -by the disagreeable necessity for this sudden departure." -</p> - -<p> -"Madame has no need to quicken my zeal," said the duenna. "How many -chests and trunks must I order to carry everything! Five will suffice, I -should think." -</p> - -<p> -"Order six, and go now!" replied the queen. "We must not fall short in -this deplorable extremity,—six, without counting those of my women, -remember! But let them make their own arrangements, for I haven't the -heart to attend to all these details. Yes, François, I am like you; I -can think of nothing but these Huguenots, alas! You may go now, -Dayelle." -</p> - -<p> -"Any orders for the footmen and coachmen, Madame?" -</p> - -<p> -"Let them wear simply their cloth coats," said the queen. "Go, dear -Dayelle, without further loss of time." -</p> - -<p> -Dayelle bowed and had taken three or four steps toward the door, when -Mary called her back. -</p> - -<p> -"Dayelle," said she, "when I said that our people should wear only their -cloth coats, you understand that I meant for the journey. Let them not -fail to take with them their capes of violet velvet and their violet -cloaks lined with yellow velvet. Do you understand?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame. Has Madame any other orders to give?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, nothing more," said Mary. "But see that everything is done -promptly; we have only about three hours. Don't forget the footmen's -cloaks." -</p> - -<p> -Dayelle left the room without further hindrance. -</p> - -<p> -Mary then turned to the king. -</p> - -<p> -"You approve of these cloaks for our people, Sire, do you not?" she -asked. "The Reformers will surely allow us to dress our household as we -think fitting. We must not humiliate royalty too much before the rebels. -I even venture to hope, Sire, that we may find it possible to give a -little fête in their faces at Amboise, though it be such a detestable -place." -</p> - -<p> -François shook his head rather gloomily. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, don't you sneer at the idea!" said Mary. "That would intimidate -them more than you think, by letting them see that, after all, we are -not much afraid of them. A ball under such circumstances would be most -excellent politics, I am not afraid to say; and even your mother, -capable woman that she is, could suggest nothing better. But no matter! -For all that I say, my heart is none the less torn, my poor, dear Sire. -Ah, the villanous Huguenots!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap22"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXII -<br /><br /> -TWO APPEALS</h4> - -<p> -Since the fatal tournament Gabriel had led a calm and retired but gloomy -life. This man of energetic movement and action, whose days had formerly -been so filled with life and excitement, now seemed to take delight only -in solitude and forgetfulness. -</p> - -<p> -He never appeared at court, never saw a friend, and scarcely ever left -his house, where he passed the long, sad, and dreamy hours with his -faithful old nurse Aloyse and the page André, who had come back to him -when Diane de Castro had taken her sudden flight to the Benedictine -convent at St. Quentin. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, still a young man in years, had grown old from grief. He -brooded over the past, and had no longer any hope. -</p> - -<p> -How many times during those months, each of which was years long, had he -regretted that he was still alive! How many times did he wonder why the -Duc de Guise and Mary Stuart had placed themselves between him and the -anger of Catherine de Médicis, and had laid upon him the bitter burden -of life! What had he to do on earth? What was he good for? Could the -tomb be any more barren of result than this existence in which he was -languishing,—if, indeed, it could be called an existence! -</p> - -<p> -There were moments, however, when his youthful vigor rose in protest in -spite of himself. -</p> - -<p> -Then he would stretch his arms and raise his head and gaze at his sword. -At such times he would have a vague feeling that his life was not ended, -but that there was still a future for him, and that hours of hot -fighting, and perhaps of victory, might sooner or later enter again into -his destiny. -</p> - -<p> -In view of everything, however, he could see only two chances of -returning to the life of action for which he was best fitted,—a -foreign war or religious persecution. -</p> - -<p> -If France, if the king, should find themselves involved in some new war, -undertaken for conquest, or to repel invasion, the Comte de Montgommery -told himself that his youthful ardor would at once return, and that it -would be pleasant for him to die as he had lived,—fighting. -</p> - -<p> -And then how glad he would be to pay the involuntary debt he owed the -Duc de Guise and young King François! -</p> - -<p> -Again Gabriel would reflect that it would be a glorious thing to die in -defence of the new truths which had shed their light upon his soul -during the later days. The cause of the Reformation—in his eyes the -cause of justice and liberty—was also a noble and saintly cause to -serve. -</p> - -<p> -The young count read assiduously the controversial books and sermons -which then abounded. He burned with excitement over the great principles -revealed in lofty and soul-stirring words by Luther, Melanchton, Calvin, -Theodore de Bèze, and so many others. The books of all these -untrammelled thinkers had fascinated and convinced him, and drawn him on -to adopt their principles. He would have been proud and happy to sign -the attestation of his faith with his blood. -</p> - -<p> -It was always the noble instinct of this noble heart to devote his life -to some person or some cause. -</p> - -<p> -Not long since he had risked his life a hundred times to save or to -avenge, it might be his father or his beloved Diane,—oh, memories -forever bleeding in that wounded heart!—and now, in default of those -cherished beings, he would have been glad to struggle in defence of -sacred ideas,— -</p> - -<p> -His country in his father's place; his religion in place of his love. -</p> - -<p> -Alas, alas! it is in vain to talk, for it is not the same thing; and -enthusiasm for abstract principles can never equal, either in its -suffering or its delight, the enthusiasm of fondness for our -fellow-creatures. -</p> - -<p> -But yet for one or the other of these two causes, the Reformation or -France, Gabriel would have been content to sacrifice his life; and he -relied upon one of them to bring about the desired termination of his -career. -</p> - -<p> -On the morning of the 6th of March Gabriel was leaning back in his chair -in the corner of his fireplace, brooding over the thoughts which had -become his very life, when Aloyse brought in to him a messenger, booted -and spurred and covered with mud, as if he had just travelled a long -way. -</p> - -<p> -It was a rainy morning. -</p> - -<p> -The courier had just arrived from Amboise, under a strong escort, the -bearer of several letters from Monsieur le Duc de Guise, -lieutenant-general of the kingdom. -</p> - -<p> -One of the letters was addressed to Gabriel, and its contents were as -follows:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -MY DEAR COMPANION,—I am writing this to you in great haste, with -neither leisure nor possibility of explaining myself. You told the king -and myself that you were devoted to us, and that if ever we were in need -of your devoted service, we had only to call upon you. -</p> - -<p> -We do call upon you to-day. -</p> - -<p> -Set out at once for Amboise, where the king and queen are now installed -for some weeks. I will tell you on your arrival in what way you can be -of use. -</p> - -<p> -It is always understood that you are quite at liberty to act or to hold -aloof. Your zeal is too valuable for me to wish to make a bad use of it, -or compromise you. But whether you are with us or prefer to remain -neutral, I should think I was neglecting a duty if I failed to have -confidence in you. -</p> - -<p> -Come, therefore, in all haste, and you will be, as always, most welcome. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 30%;">Your affectionate friend,</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">FRANÇOIS DE LORRAINE.</p> - -<p> -Amboise, the 4th March, 1560. -</p> - -<p> -P.S. Herewith is a safe-conduct, for use in case you should be -questioned <i>en route</i> by some royal troop. -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -The messenger from the Duc de Guise had already departed to execute his -other commissions when Gabriel finished the letter. -</p> - -<p> -The eager youth rose at once, and said without hesitation to the -nurse,— -</p> - -<p> -"Good Aloyse, call André, please, and tell him to have the dapple-gray -saddled and to prepare my travelling wallet." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you going away, Monseigneur?" the good woman asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, nurse, to Amboise, within two hours." -</p> - -<p> -There was nothing more to be said; and Aloyse, without a word, went -sadly from the room to see that her young master's orders were carried -out. -</p> - -<p> -But while his preparations were being made, behold, another messenger -appeared, and demanded to speak with the Comte de Montgommery alone. -</p> - -<p> -He made no commotion, and, unlike his predecessor, had no escort. He -came in silently and very modestly, and without uttering a sound, handed -Gabriel a letter which he had in charge. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel started as he thought that he recognized him as the same who had -formerly brought him La Renaudie's invitation to attend the Protestant -meeting in the Place Maubert. -</p> - -<p> -It was in fact the same man; and the letter bore the same signature. It -said:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -FRIEND AND BROTHER,—I did not wish to leave Paris without having seen -you; but I had no time, for events came thick and fast, and hurried me -on. I must go now, and have not even pressed your hand, nor have I told -you our plans and our hopes. -</p> - -<p> -But we know that you are with us, and I know what manner of man you are. -</p> - -<p> -With such as you there is no need of preparation, of meetings, and -speech-making,—a word is sufficient. -</p> - -<p> -This is the word: We need you. Come. -</p> - -<p> -Be at Noizai near Amboise by the 10th or 12th of this month of March. -You will find there your brave and noble friend De Castelnau. He will -tell you what is going on, for I dare not trust it to paper. -</p> - -<p> -It is agreed that you are in no wise bound; that you have a perfect -right to stand apart; and that you may always abstain from acting with -us without incurring the least suspicion or receiving the slightest -reproach. -</p> - -<p> -But in any event come to Noizai, I will meet you there, and we will seek -your advice, if we cannot have your assistance. -</p> - -<p> -Then, too, can anything be accomplished by our party unless you are -informed with regard to it? -</p> - -<p> -So adieu till we meet at Noizai. We rely upon your presence, at all -events. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">L. R.</p> - -<p> -P.S. If any troop of our friends should fall in with you <i>en route</i>, -our password is, once more, <i>Genève</i>, and our countersign, <i>Gloire -de Dieu</i>! -</p></blockquote> - -<p> -"In an hour I set out," said Gabriel to the silent messenger, who bowed -and took his leave. -</p> - -<p> -"What does all this signify?" Gabriel asked himself when he was alone; -"and what is the meaning of these two appeals coming from parties so -hostile, and appointing a rendezvous at almost the same place? But it -makes no difference at all! My obligations toward the omnipotent duke -and toward the oppressed Reformers are equally certain. My duty is to -set out at once. Then come what come may! However difficult my position -may become, my conscience knows well that I shall never turn traitor." -</p> - -<p> -An hour later Gabriel began his journey, accompanied only by André. -</p> - -<p> -But he hardly foresaw the extraordinary and terrible alternative by -which his loyal soul was to be confronted. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap23"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXIII -<br /><br /> -A PERILOUS CONFIDENCE</h4> - -<p> -In the Duc de Guise's apartments at the Château d'Amboise, Le Balafré -himself was interrogating a tall, vigorous, nervous individual, with -strongly marked features and proud and fearless bearing, who wore the -uniform of a captain of arquebusiers. -</p> - -<p> -"Maréchal de Brissac," said the duke, "has assured me, Captain -Richelieu, that I may have the fullest confidence in you." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Maréchal is very kind," said Richelieu. -</p> - -<p> -"It seems that you are ambitious, Monsieur," continued Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -"Monseigneur, I am at least ambitious not to remain captain of -arquebusiers all my life. Although I come of very good stock (for there -were lords of Plessis on the field at Bovines), I am the fifth of six -brothers, and consequently I have to do my best to eke out my little -fortune, and not depend too much upon my patrimony." -</p> - -<p> -"Good!" said the Duc de Guise, with an air of satisfaction. "You have -the opportunity now, Monsieur, to do us good service, and you shall not -repent it." -</p> - -<p> -"Behold me, Monseigneur, ready to undertake whatever you please to -intrust to me." -</p> - -<p> -"To begin with," said Le Balafré, "I have ordered that you command the -guard at the principal entrance of the château." -</p> - -<p> -"Where I promise to give a good account of myself, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -"In my opinion," continued the duke, "it is not likely that the -Protestants will be sufficiently ill-advised to make their assault on a -side where they will be obliged to carry seven doors one after the -other; but as nobody is to be allowed to enter or leave the place by any -other entrance, the post will be of the greatest importance. Therefore -let nobody pass, either from within or without, without a special order -signed by me." -</p> - -<p> -"It shall be done, Monseigneur. By the way, a young gentleman, called -the Comte de Montgommery, has just arrived, with no special order, but -with a safe-conduct bearing your signature. He comes from Paris, he -says. Shall I allow him to come in, as he asks, Monseigneur?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, yes, at once!" said the Duc de Guise, eagerly. "But wait a moment; -I have not completed my instructions to you. To-day, about noon, the -Prince de Condé will present himself at the gate where you are to be on -guard: we have sent for him that we might have at our hand the reputed -chief of the rebels, who, I'll wager, will not dare to furnish food for -our suspicions by failing to neglect our summons. You will open to him, -Captain Richelieu, but to no other—not even to such as come with him. -You will be careful to have all the recesses and casemates which there -are in the arch well filled with men; and as soon as he arrives, you -will parade them all, arquebuse in hand, and matches lighted, under -pretence of receiving him with the proper honors." -</p> - -<p> -"It shall be done as you say, Monseigneur," said Richelieu. -</p> - -<p> -"When the Huguenots attack," continued the duke, "and the action begins, -you must personally keep your eye upon our man, Captain; and, mark my -words well, if he stirs one step, or gives the least sign of an -inclination to join the assailants, or if he even hesitates to draw his -sword against them, as his duty calls upon him to do, do not hesitate -with your own hands to strike him down." -</p> - -<p> -"I can see no difficulty about this, Monseigneur," said Captain -Richelieu, simply, "except that my rank as a simple captain of -arquebusiers will make it rather hard, perhaps, for me to be always as -near him as I ought to be." -</p> - -<p> -Le Balafré reflected a minute, and said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Grand Prieur and the Duc d'Aumale, who will never quit the -supposed traitor's side for a moment, will give you the signal, and you -will obey them." -</p> - -<p> -"I will obey them, Monseigneur," replied Richelieu. -</p> - -<p> -"Good!" said the Duc de Guise; "I have no other orders to give you, -Captain. You may go. If the glory of your house began with Philippe -Auguste, you may well begin it anew with the Duc de Guise. I rely upon -you, and you may rely upon me. Go. Introduce Monsieur de Montgommery at -once, if you please." -</p> - -<p> -Captain Richelieu bowed deeply and withdrew. -</p> - -<p> -A few minutes later Gabriel was announced. He was sad and pale; and the -cordial welcome which the Duc de Guise extended to him did not smooth -the trouble from his brow. -</p> - -<p> -In fact, after putting together his own conjectures and a few words -which the guards had not scrupled to let fall in the presence of a -gentleman bearing the duke's safe-conduct, the young enthusiast had -almost arrived at the truth. -</p> - -<p> -The king who had pardoned him and the party to which he was devoted, -body and soul, were openly at war, and his loyalty was likely to be -compromised in the struggle. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Gabriel," began the duke, "you ought to know by this time why I -have sent for you." -</p> - -<p> -"I suspect the reason, but am not altogether sure of it, Monseigneur," -Gabriel replied. -</p> - -<p> -"The Protestants are in open rebellion," said Le Balafré, "and are in -arms, and on their way to attack the Château d'Amboise,—that is our -latest intelligence." -</p> - -<p> -"It is a grievous and appalling state of things," observed Gabriel, -reflecting on his own situation. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, my friend, it is a magnificent opportunity," retorted the duke. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean, Monseigneur?" said Gabriel, in amazement. -</p> - -<p> -"I mean that the Huguenots expect to surprise us, whereas we are all -ready for them. I mean that their plans are discovered and betrayed. It -is fair warfare, since they have been the first to draw the sword; but -our enemies are about to deliver themselves into our hands. They are -lost, I tell you." -</p> - -<p> -"Is it possible?" exclaimed the Comte de Montgommery, completely -crushed. -</p> - -<p> -"Judge for yourself," continued Le Balafré, "to what extent all the -details of their insane enterprise are known to us. On the 16th of -March, at noon, they are to assemble before the town and attack us. They -have friends in the king's guard; therefore the guard was changed. Their -friends were to open the western gate to them; but that gate is walled -up. Lastly, their different bands were to proceed secretly hither -through certain paths in the forest of Château-Begnault. The royal -troops will fall upon these detached parties unexpectedly as fast as -they appear, and will not allow half of their forces to reach Amboise. -We are accurately informed, and thoroughly upon our guard, I should -say!" -</p> - -<p> -"Thoroughly!" replied Gabriel, in great alarm. "But who has been able to -furnish you with such complete information?" he added in his perplexity, -and without realizing what he said. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah," rejoined Le Balafré, "there are two who have betrayed all their -plans,—one for money, the other from fear. Two traitors they are, I -admit,—one a paid spy, the other a faint-hearted alarmist. The -spy—whom you know perhaps, as many of our friends do, and whom you -should distrust—is the Marquis de ——." -</p> - -<p> -"No, do not tell me!" cried Gabriel, quickly; "do not give me their -names! I asked you for them thoughtlessly. You have already told me -quite enough; but there is nothing more difficult for a man of honor -than not to betray traitors." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh," said the Duc de Guise, with some surprise, "we all have perfect -confidence in you, Gabriel. We were speaking of you only yesterday with -the queen; I told her that I had written you, and she was very much -pleased." -</p> - -<p> -"Why did you write to me, Monseigneur? You have not yet informed me." -</p> - -<p> -"Why?" rejoined Le Balafré. "Because the king has but a few devoted and -reliable servants. You are among them, and you are to command a party -against the rebels." -</p> - -<p> -"Against the rebels? Impossible!" said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Impossible! And why impossible, pray?" returned Le Balafré. "I am not -in the habit of hearing that word from your lips, Gabriel." -</p> - -<p> -"Monseigneur," said Gabriel, "I also am of the Religion." -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise leaped to his feet, and gazed at the count with an -expression of wonder which amounted almost to terror. -</p> - -<p> -"Matters are in this condition," Gabriel continued, smiling sadly: "if -it be your pleasure, Monseigneur, to put me face to face with the -English or Spaniards, you know that I will not draw back, but that I -will offer my life for my country with joy, as well as with devotion; -but in a civil, a religious, war against my fellow-countrymen, my -brothers, I am compelled, Monseigneur, to reserve the freedom of action -which you were good enough to insure me." -</p> - -<p> -"You a Huguenot!" the duke finally succeeded in ejaculating. -</p> - -<p> -"And a most devoted one, Monseigneur," said Gabriel; "it is my crime, -and my excuse therefor as well. I believe utterly in the new ideas, and -have given my heart to them." -</p> - -<p> -"And your sword too, without doubt?" was the duke's biting rejoinder. -</p> - -<p> -"No, Monseigneur," said Gabriel, gravely. -</p> - -<p> -"Come, come!" retorted Le Balafré; "do you expect to make me believe -that you know nothing of this plot which has been concocted against the -king by your brothers, as you call them, and that these same brothers -cheerfully renounce so gallant an ally as you?" -</p> - -<p> -"You must believe just that," said the young count, more seriously than -ever. -</p> - -<p> -"Then you must be the one to desert them," rejoined the duke; "for your -new faith compels you to choose between two breaches of faith,—that's -all." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Monsieur!" cried Gabriel, reproachfully, -</p> - -<p> -"Well, how can you arrange matters otherwise?" asked Le Balafré, -throwing his cap with an angry movement upon the chair he had just -quitted. -</p> - -<p> -"How can I arrange matters otherwise?" repeated Gabriel, with a cold and -almost stern demeanor. "Why, it's very simple. In my opinion, the falser -the position in which a man is placed the more sincere and outspoken he -should be. When I became a Protestant I steadfastly and loyally declared -to the leaders of the sect that my sacred obligations to the king and -queen and the Duc de Guise would absolutely prevent me from bearing arms -in their ranks during this reign, if indeed the occasion should arise. -They know that in my eyes the Reformation is a matter of religious -belief, and not of party feeling. With them as with you, Monseigneur, I -stipulated for absolute freedom of action; and I have the right to -refuse my aid to them, as I refuse it to you. In this desperate conflict -between my gratitude and my faith my heart will bleed with every blow -that is struck; but my arm will not strike one. That, Monseigneur, is -wherein you have failed to understand me; and in this way, I trust, by -remaining neutral, to continue to be honorable and honored." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel spoke proudly and with much animation. Le Balafré, gradually -regaining his tranquillity, could but admire the frankness and the -nobleness of heart of his former comrade-in-arms. -</p> - -<p> -"You are a strange man, Gabriel," he pensively remarked. -</p> - -<p> -"Why strange, Monseigneur? Is it because I speak as I act and act as I -speak? I knew nothing of this conspiracy of the Protestants, I swear. -However, I admit that when I was at Paris I received, on the same day -that your letter arrived, a letter from one of them; but this letter was -as barren of explanation as yours, and said simply, 'Come.' I had a -foreboding of the dread dilemma in which I should be involved; but I -have, nevertheless, responded to this twofold appeal. Monseigneur, I -have come so that I might prove recreant to neither of my duties; I have -come to say to you, 'I cannot fight against those whose faith I share,' -and to say to them, 'I cannot fight against those who have spared my -life.'" -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise held out his hand to the count. -</p> - -<p> -"I was wrong," said he, cordially. "Pray, attribute my angry impulse to -my chagrin at finding you, upon whom I have relied so confidently, among -my enemies." -</p> - -<p> -"Your enemy!" exclaimed Gabriel. "Ah, no!—I am not and never can be -that, Monseigneur. Because I have declared myself more openly than they, -am I any more your enemy than the Prince de Condé and Monsieur de -Coligny, who are, as I am, Protestants, and not under arms?" -</p> - -<p> -"Under arms! I beg your pardon, but they are," returned Le Balafré. "I -know it,—I know all! But their arms are hidden. Nevertheless, if we -should meet, it is certain that I should dissimulate even as they do, -should call them my friends, and in case of need officially bear witness -to their entire innocence,—a comedy, it is true, but a necessary -one." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, then, Monseigneur," said Gabriel, "since you are so kind as -sometimes to lay aside conventionalities in dealing with me, tell me, I -beg you, that when politics are not in question, you can still believe -in my devotion to you, and my honor, Huguenot though I be; above all -things, assure me that if a foreign war should break out some day, you -would do me the favor to remind me of my word, and give me an -opportunity to die for my king and country." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Gabriel," said the duke, "while I deplore the difference in faith -which now separates us, I trust you and shall always trust you the same; -and in order to prove it to you and to redeem the momentary suspicion -which I so deeply regret, take this and make such use of it as you -please." -</p> - -<p> -He sat down at a table and wrote a line which he signed and handed to -the young count. -</p> - -<p> -"It is an order allowing you to leave Amboise, wherever you may wish to -go," said he. "With this paper you are entirely at liberty. And you may -be sure that I would not give any such mark of esteem and confidence to -the Prince de Condé, whom you just mentioned, and that the moment he -sets foot in this château he will be watched from a distance like an -enemy, and guarded unknowingly as closely as a prisoner." -</p> - -<p> -"In that case, I refuse this mark of your confidence and esteem, -Monseigneur," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"What! Why so?" asked the amazed duke. -</p> - -<p> -"Monseigneur, do you know whither I shall go at once, if you allow me to -leave Amboise?" -</p> - -<p> -"That is your affair, and I do not even ask to know," rejoined Le -Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -"But I propose to tell you," said Gabriel. "When I leave you, -Monseigneur, I shall go to fulfil my other duty: I shall go at once -among the rebels, and shall seek for one of them at Noizai." -</p> - -<p> -"At Noizai? Castelnau is in command there," remarked the duke. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, he is; you are indeed well informed in every detail, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you propose to do at Noizai, my unfortunate friend?" Le -Balafré asked him. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, what shall I do indeed? Say to them, 'You summoned me, and I am -here; but I can do nothing for you;' and if they question me as to what -I have heard and noticed on the road, I must keep silent and not warn -them of the trap that you have laid for them, for your confidence in me -takes away my right to do that. Therefore, Monseigneur, I ask a favor at -your hands—" -</p> - -<p> -"What is it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Retain me in custody here, and thus save me from cruel -perplexity,—for if you allow me to go, I must make my appearance -among those who are bent on their own destruction; and if I do go to -them, I shall not be at liberty to save them." -</p> - -<p> -"Gabriel," returned the Duc de Guise, "upon due reflection I neither can -nor will exhibit such suspicion. I have unfolded to you my whole plan of -campaign, and you are going among your friends, who are vitally -interested in knowing that plan,—yet here is your passport." -</p> - -<p> -"Then, Monseigneur," replied Gabriel, overwhelmed, "at least grant me -this last favor in the name of what little I was able to do to enhance -your renown at Metz and in Italy and at Calais, and in the name of what -I have suffered since,—and indeed, I have suffered bitterly." -</p> - -<p> -"To what do you refer?" said the duke. "If I can, I will grant it, my -friend." -</p> - -<p> -"You can, Monseigneur, and I think that you ought, because those who are -in arms against you are Frenchmen. I ask you, then, to allow me to -divert them from their fatal project, not by revealing to them its -inevitable issue, but by advising them, and beseeching and imploring -them." -</p> - -<p> -"Gabriel, be careful!" said the duke, solemnly; "if one word as to our -preparations falls from your lips, the rebels will persist in their -design, simply modifying their mode of execution; and in that event the -king and Mary Stuart and myself will be the ones to be destroyed. Weigh -this well. Will you bind yourself upon your honor as a gentleman that -you will not let them divine or even suspect, by a word or an allusion -or a gesture, anything of what is going on here?" -</p> - -<p> -"Upon my honor as a gentleman, I swear it!" -</p> - -<p> -"Go, then," said the Duc de Guise, "and do your best to induce them to -abandon their criminal purpose, and I will gladly renounce my easy -victory, thinking how much French blood is spared. But if, as I believe, -our last reports are well-founded, they have such blind and obstinate -confidence in the success of their enterprise that you will fail, -Gabriel. But no matter! go and make a last effort. For their sakes, and -still more for yours, I have no disposition to refuse." -</p> - -<p> -"In their names and my own I thank you, Monseigneur." -</p> - -<p> -A quarter of an hour later he was on his way to Noizai. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap24"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXIV -<br /><br /> -THE DISLOYALTY OF LOYALTY</h4> - -<p> -Baron Castelnau de Chalosses was a gallant, noble-minded youth to whom -the Protestants had assigned by no means the least difficult task when -they sent him to forestall the royal troops at the Château de Noizai, -which was the place appointed for the general rendezvous of the -different sections of the disaffected on the 16th of March. It was -essential that he should be visible to the Huguenots, but should conceal -himself from the Catholics; and his delicate position called for the -display of as much caution and presence of mind as courage. -</p> - -<p> -Thanks to the password contained in La Renaudie's letter, Gabriel met -with no hindrance in making his way to Baron de Castelnau's quarters. -</p> - -<p> -It was already afternoon of the 15th. -</p> - -<p> -Within eighteen hours the Protestants were to assemble at Noizai, and to -attack Amboise before twenty-four hours had elapsed; so that it is clear -there was no time to lose if they were to be dissuaded from their -design. -</p> - -<p> -Baron de Castelnau knew Comte de Montgommery well, for he had often met -him at the Louvre, and besides, the chief men of the party had often -spoken of him in his presence. -</p> - -<p> -He came forward to meet him, and received him as a friend and an ally. -</p> - -<p> -"So you have come, Monsieur de Montgommery," he remarked when they were -alone. "To tell the truth, I hoped that you would be here, but hardly -dared to expect you. La Renaudie was much blamed by the admiral for -writing you as he did. 'It was essential,' he said, 'to advise the Comte -de Montgommery of our plans, but not to summon him to join us. He might -have been left to do as he chose. Has the count not given us fair -warning that so long as François II. reigned, his sword did not belong -to us; in fact, that it did not even belong to himself?' La Renaudie's -reply to all this was that his letter bound you to nothing, but left you -in possession of absolute independence of action." -</p> - -<p> -"That is quite true," replied Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless, we thought that you would come," continued Castelnau, -"for the letter of that hot-headed baron gave you no information as to -what was going on, and I am intrusted with the duty of informing you of -our plan and our hopes." -</p> - -<p> -"I am listening," said the Comte de Montgommery. -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau then repeated to Gabriel everything that the Duc de Guise had -previously told him in detail. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel saw with horror how exact Le Balafré's information was. Not one -single point in the report of his spies and informers was inaccurate, -nor had they omitted to apprise him of one single detail of the plot. -</p> - -<p> -The conspirators were really lost beyond recall. -</p> - -<p> -"Now you know everything," said Castelnau, as he brought his narration -to a close, leaving his listener a prey to most cruel perplexity. "I -have now only to put to you a question to which I can easily forecast -your reply. I am right, am I not, in thinking that you cannot join us?" -</p> - -<p> -"I cannot," replied Gabriel, sadly shaking his head. -</p> - -<p> -"Very good!" added Castelnau; "we shall be none the less good friends -for that. I know that you stipulated in advance for the privilege of -holding aloof from the combat; and you are doubly entitled to exercise -it, since we are sure of victory." -</p> - -<p> -"Are you then indeed so sure?" asked Gabriel, significantly. -</p> - -<p> -"Perfectly so," rejoined the baron; "for the enemy have no suspicion of -our movements, and will be taken unawares. We were afraid for a moment, -when the king and court transferred their quarters from the unfortified -town of Blois to the strong Château d'Amboise, for they clearly had a -suspicion that something was wrong." -</p> - -<p> -"That embarrassed you, no doubt," observed Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, but our hesitation soon came to an end," continued Castelnau; "for -we found that this unexpected change of residence, far from injuring our -prospects, on the contrary, served marvellously well to make them -brighter. The Duc de Guise is now sleeping in false security; and you -must know, dear Count, that we are in correspondence with some who are -within the town, and the western gate will be put into our hands as soon -as we present ourselves before it. Oh, success is beyond doubt, I assure -you; and you may, without scruple, hold aloof from the battle." -</p> - -<p> -"The most magnificent expectations are sometimes deceived by the event," -was Gabriel's grave comment. -</p> - -<p> -"But in this instance we have not a single chance against us,—not -one!" Castelnau repeated, rubbing his hands with delight. "To-morrow will -behold the triumph of our party and the fall of the Guises." -</p> - -<p> -"And—how about treachery?" said Gabriel, struggling with his emotion, -and with his heart torn to see such youthful gallantry rushing headlong -into the abyss with eyes closed. -</p> - -<p> -"Treachery is impossible," was Castelnau's imperturbable response to -that suggestion. "Only the leaders are in the secret, and not one of -them is capable of it. Upon my word, Monsieur de Montgommery," he -exclaimed, interrupting himself, "I believe that you are jealous of us; -and it seems to me as if you were trying with all your might to throw -cold water on our undertaking, because of your chagrin at having no -share in it. Fie, my envious friend!" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed, I do envy you!" returned Gabriel, gloomily. -</p> - -<p> -"There! I was sure of it," laughingly exclaimed the young baron. -</p> - -<p> -"But stay a moment; you have some confidence in me, have you not?" -</p> - -<p> -"Blind confidence, if we are to speak soberly." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well; are you willing to listen to good advice, coming from a true -friend?" -</p> - -<p> -"To what purpose?" -</p> - -<p> -"Abandon your design of taking Amboise to-morrow. Send trusty messengers -at once to all of our brethren who are to join you here to-night or in -the morning, to let them know that the plan has miscarried, or has at -least been postponed." -</p> - -<p> -"Why so, pray? Why?" demanded Castelnau, beginning to take alarm. "You -must surely have some weighty reason for speaking thus to me." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>, no!" replied Gabriel, with a constraint that cost him -dear. -</p> - -<p> -"It cannot be," said Castelnau, "that you advise me for no reason -whatever to abandon, and cause my brethren to abandon likewise, a -project which seems to progress so favorably?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, there is a reason; you are quite right, but I cannot explain to -you. Can you not, will you not, believe my word? I have already gone -further in this matter than I should have done. Do me the honor to trust -my word, dear friend." -</p> - -<p> -"Consider," rejoined Castelnau, very seriously, "that if I take upon -myself this extraordinary course of turning back at the last moment, I -shall have to answer for it to La Renaudie and the other leaders. May I -refer them to you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Will you tell them," continued Castelnau, "the motives which dictate -your advice?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! I have not the right to do it." -</p> - -<p> -"How can you expect me to yield to your representations, then? Should I -not be bitterly reproached for having thus, for a single word, destroyed -our hopes, which were almost certainty? Howsoever vast and well-deserved -is the confidence we all have in you, Monsieur de Montgommery, still a -man is but a man, and may be deceived, no matter how good his -intentions. If no one is allowed to consider and pass judgment upon your -reasons, we shall certainly be obliged to neglect your counsel." -</p> - -<p> -"Then beware!" rejoined Gabriel, harshly; "on your head alone be the -responsibility for all the calamities that may ensue!" -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau was struck with the accent with which the count uttered these -words. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de Montgommery," said he, "light has suddenly come to me, and -I think I can descry the true state of affairs. You have either been -intrusted with or have surmised some secret which you are not permitted -to disclose. You have some important information as to the probable -result of our enterprise,—that we have been betrayed, for instance. -Am I not right?" -</p> - -<p> -"I did not say that!" cried Gabriel, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"Or else," continued Castelnau, "you saw your friend, the Duc de Guise, -on your way here, and he, in ignorance of your fellowship with us, has -given you an insight into the real state of things." -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing I have said can have given rise to any such supposition!" cried -Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Or again," Castelnau went on, "you have, as you passed through Amboise, -noticed preparations being made, overheard conversations, or induced -confidences,—in short, our plot is discovered!" -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean to say," said Gabriel, horror-stricken, "that I have given -you any reason to believe anything of the sort?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Monsieur le Comte; no, indeed, for you were bound to secrecy, I can -see. Therefore I do not even ask you for a positive assurance that I am -right, not even a word, if you prefer not. But if I am mistaken, a -gesture, a glance of the eye, or your silence, even, will be sufficient -to enlighten me." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, meanwhile, sorely perplexed, was recalling the last part of the -obligation he had given the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -Upon his honor as a gentleman he had bound himself not to allow any -person to divine or even to suspect, from any word or allusion or -gesture on his part, what was taking place at Amboise. -</p> - -<p> -As he kept silence for a long while, the Baron de Castelnau, whose eyes -were riveted upon Gabriel's face, spoke again. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean to say nothing more?" said he. "You are silent; I -understand you, and shall act accordingly." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you propose to do?" asked Gabriel, hastily. -</p> - -<p> -"To warn La Renaudie and the other leaders, as you advised me to do in -the first place, that they must cease their preparations, and to -announce to our friends when they reach here that some one in whom we -have perfect confidence has made known to me—has made known to me -probable treachery—" -</p> - -<p> -"But there is nothing of the sort!" Gabriel hurriedly interrupted. "I -have given you no information at all, Monsieur de Castelnau!" -</p> - -<p> -"Count," rejoined Castelnau, seizing Gabriel's hand in a grasp that -spoke louder than his words, "may not your reticence itself be a -warning, and our salvation? And once put on our guard, then—" -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what then?" echoed Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Everything will go well for us, and ill for them," said Castelnau. "We -will postpone our enterprise to a more propitious time; discover at any -cost the informers, if there be any among us; redouble our precautions -and our mystery; and one fine day, when everything is thoroughly -prepared, certain then of our aim, we will renew our attempt, and, -thanks to you, will not fail, but achieve a triumphant success." -</p> - -<p> -"That is precisely what I wish to avoid!" cried Gabriel, who was -horrified to find himself upon the verge of involuntary betrayal of -confidence. "There, Monsieur de Castelnau, is the real reason of my -warning and my advice. In my mind, your enterprise is absolutely a -culpable one, to say nothing of its danger. By attacking the Catholics -you put yourselves entirely in the wrong, and justify any reprisals they -may resort to. From being unjustly oppressed subjects, you become -rebels. If you have complaints to make of the ministers, must you avenge -yourselves upon our young king? Ah, I feel sad even unto death as I -reflect upon all this misery! For the good of the cause you ought -forever to renounce this unholy strife. Rather let your principles do -battle for you! No bloodshed for the truth! That is all that I wished to -say to you; that is why I conjure you and all our brethren to hold your -hand from these grievous civil wars, which can only retard the spread of -our principles." -</p> - -<p> -"Is that really the only motive of all your talk?" asked Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -"The only one," Gabriel replied in a hollow voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Then I must thank you for your good intentions, Monsieur le Comte," -retorted Castelnau, coldly; "but I must no less continue to act on the -lines laid down for me by the leaders of the Reformed party. I can -readily conceive that it must be very painful for a gentleman like -yourself, being debarred from the combat, to see others fighting without -you; but you alone cannot be allowed to fetter and paralyze a whole -army." -</p> - -<p> -"You propose, then," said Gabriel, pale and dejected, "to allow the -others to go on with this fatal design, and to go on with it yourself?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monsieur le Comte," responded Castelnau, whose words had a -firmness in them that admitted no argument; "and with your permission, I -will now go to issue the necessary orders for to-morrow's assault." -</p> - -<p> -He saluted Gabriel, and left the room without awaiting his reply. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap25"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXV -<br /><br /> -THE BEGINNING OF THE END</h4> - -<p> -Gabriel did not leave the Château de Noizai, however, but determined to -pass the night there. His presence would afford the Reformers a pledge -of his good faith, in case they were attacked; and beyond that, he still -retained some slight hope that in the morning he might prevail, if not -upon Castelnau, upon some other leader who was less blindly obstinate. -If La Renaudie would only come! -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau left him entirely free, and seemed inclined to be rather -disdainful in his avoidance of him. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel encountered him several times during the evening in the halls -and corridors of the château, going hither and thither, giving orders -for reconnoitring parties and the forwarding of supplies. -</p> - -<p> -But not a single word was exchanged between the two youths, each as -proud and as noble as the other. -</p> - -<p> -During the long hours of that night of anguish the Comte de Montgommery, -too restless and anxious to sleep, remained upon the ramparts, -listening, meditating, and praying. -</p> - -<p> -With the first glimmer of dawn, the Protestant troops began to arrive in -small detached parties. -</p> - -<p> -At eight o'clock they had already assembled in large numbers; and at -eleven Castelnau could count all whom he expected. -</p> - -<p> -But not one of the leaders was known to Gabriel. La Renaudie had sent -word that he and his forces would make their way to Amboise by way of -the forest of Château-Regnault. -</p> - -<p> -Everything was ready for departure. Captains Mazères and Raunay, who -were to lead the advance-guard, had already gone down to the terrace in -front of the château to form their detachments in marching order. -Castelnau was triumphant. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," he remarked to Gabriel as he encountered him,—he had, in his -satisfaction, forgiven the conversation of the night before,—"well, -you see, Monsieur le Comte, that you were wrong; and everything is going on -as well as possible!" -</p> - -<p> -"Wait!" said Gabriel, shaking his head. -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed, we must wait, if we are to believe you, doubter!" said -Castelnau, smiling. "Not one of our people has failed to keep his -engagement; they have all arrived at the time appointed, with more men -than they had promised. They have all marched through their respective -provinces without being disturbed, and—what is perhaps even -better—without having created any disturbance. Is it not, in truth, -almost too good fortune?" -</p> - -<p> -The baron was interrupted by the sound of trumpets and the clangor of -arms and a great noise outside; but in the intoxication of his -confidence he was in no degree alarmed, and thought of nothing but some -fortunate event. -</p> - -<p> -"See!" said he to Gabriel; "I will engage that those are more unexpected -reinforcements,—Lamothe, doubtless, and Deschamps, with the -conspirators of Picardy. They were not due to arrive until to-morrow; -but they must have made forced marches, the brave fellows, in order to -bear their part of the conflict and share in the victory. Those are -friends." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, but are they?" asked Gabriel, whose face changed color when he -heard the trumpets. -</p> - -<p> -"Who else can they be?" rejoined Castelnau. "Come into this gallery, -Monsieur le Comte; through the embrasures we can look down upon the -terrace whence the noise comes." -</p> - -<p> -He drew Gabriel after him; but when they had reached the edge of the -wall he uttered a loud cry, raised his arms, and stood as if turned to -stone. -</p> - -<p> -The confusion had been occasioned not by Protestant troops, but by a -body of Royalists. The new-comers were not commanded by Lamothe, but by -Jacques de Savoie, Duc de Nemours. -</p> - -<p> -Under cover of the woods which surrounded the Château de Noizai, the -royal troops had succeeded before they were discovered in getting within -close range of the open terrace, where the advance-guard of the rebels -was being drawn up in order of battle. -</p> - -<p> -There was no show of resistance whatever, for the Duc de Nemours had -made it his first care to seize the stacks of arms. -</p> - -<p> -Mazères and Raunay had been obliged to surrender without striking a -blow; and just at the moment when Castelnau looked down from the -battlements, his troops, conquered without a struggle, were handing -their swords to the enemy. On the spot where he had thought he should -see his soldiers, he saw nought but a band of prisoners. -</p> - -<p> -He could scarcely believe his eyes. For a moment he stood motionless, -stupefied, bewildered, and speechless. Such an event was so entirely at -variance with his thoughts that at first he found it difficult to -understand it. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, who was less surprised at this sudden blew, was no less -overwhelmed. -</p> - -<p> -As they stood gazing at each other, equally pale and dejected, an ensign -entered hastily in search of Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -"What is the condition of affairs?" the latter asked him, recovering his -voice, by force of his anxiety. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Baron," the ensign replied, "they have gained possession of -the drawbridge and the first gate. We only had time to close the second -one; but we shall not be able to hold it, and in less than a quarter of -an hour they will be in the courtyard. Shall we, nevertheless, try to -resist, or send them a flag of truce? We await your orders." -</p> - -<p> -"Give me but time to put on my armor, and I will come down," said -Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -He hastened into one of the apartments of the château to buckle on his -sword and cuirass, and Gabriel followed him. -</p> - -<p> -"What do you propose to do?" he asked him, sadly. -</p> - -<p> -"I know not; I know not!" replied Castelnau, excitedly; "but I can at -least die." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" sighed Gabriel; "why did you not hearken to me yesterday?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, you were right, I can see now," returned the baron. "You -anticipated what has happened; perhaps you knew of it beforehand." -</p> - -<p> -"Perhaps," observed Gabriel; "and therein lies my greatest suffering. -But remember, Castelnau, that life is full of strange and awful caprices -of fate! Suppose that I was not at liberty to dissuade you by divulging -the real reasons, which were struggling for utterance? Suppose that I -had given my word of honor as a gentleman not to give you any occasion, -directly or indirectly, to suspect the truth?" -</p> - -<p> -"In such case you would have done quite right to say nothing," said -Castelnau; "and in your place I should have done just as you did. It was -I, madman, who should have understood you; I who should have known that -a valiant heart like yours would not try to dissuade me from battle -except for most potent reasons. But I will expiate my mistake by death." -</p> - -<p> -"Then I will die with you," said Gabriel, calmly. -</p> - -<p> -"You! and why?" cried Castelnau. "The one thing that you say you are -absolutely compelled to do is to refrain from fighting." -</p> - -<p> -"True, I shall not fight," said Gabriel; "I cannot. But life has become -a grievous burden to me; the apparently two-faced part I am playing is -intolerable. I shall go into the fray unarmed. I will slay no one, but -will allow myself to be slain. I may be able to intercept the blow aimed -at you. If I cannot wear a sword, I may still be a buckler." -</p> - -<p> -"No," rejoined Castelnau, "remain here. I ought not to involve you in my -destruction, nor will I do it." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, but think!" exclaimed Gabriel, earnestly; "you are about to involve -in it, uselessly and hopelessly, all of our brethren who are confined in -this château with you. My life is much less useful than theirs." -</p> - -<p> -"Can I do otherwise for the glory of our faith than ask them to make -this sacrifice?" said Castelnau. "Martyrs often bring more renown to -their cause, and are more useful to it, than victors." -</p> - -<p> -"Very true," replied Gabriel; "but is it not your first duty as leader -to do your utmost to save the forces which have been intrusted to you; -to die finally at their head, if their salvation is not to be reconciled -with honor?" -</p> - -<p> -"So you advise me—" said Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -"To try every peaceable means of accommodation. If you resist, you have -no possible chance of escaping defeat and massacre. If you yield to -necessity, they will not have the right, in my opinion, to punish the -instigators of a plan that has been left unexecuted. Mere projects -cannot be punished, since they can only be conjectured. By laying down -your arms, you will disarm your enemies." -</p> - -<p> -"I so bitterly repent not having followed your previous advice," said -Castelnau, "that I prefer to follow it now; and yet I confess that I -hesitate, for it is very distasteful to me to draw back." -</p> - -<p> -"In order to draw back, you must first have taken a step forward," said -Gabriel. "Now what is there up to this point to prove your rebellion? -You do not declare yourself culpable until you actually draw your sword. -Hold! My presence may even yet, thank God! be of some advantage to you. -I was unable to save you yesterday, but do you wish that I should try to -save you to-day?" -</p> - -<p> -"What will you do?" asked Castelnau, completely unmanned. -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing unworthy of you, be assured! I will go to the Duc de Nemours, -who commands the royal soldiery. I will inform him that no resistance -will be offered, that the gates will be opened, and you will surrender, -but upon certain conditions: he must engage his ducal word that no harm -shall befall you or your comrades, and that after he has escorted you to -the king, in order to submit to him your grievances and requests, he -will cause you to be set at liberty." -</p> - -<p> -"And if he refuses?" asked Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -"If he refuses, the fault will be on his side; he will have declined a -perfectly frank and honorable adjustment of the affair, and all the -responsibility for the bloodshed will fall upon his head. If he refuses, -Castelnau, I will return to you, to die at your side." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you believe," said Castelnau, "that La Renaudie, were he placed as I -am, would agree to what you propose?" -</p> - -<p> -"Upon my soul! I believe that any reasonable man would agree to it." -</p> - -<p> -"Go on, then!" exclaimed Castelnau; "our despair will be so much the -more to be dreaded if your mission to the duke fails, as I fear it -will." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks!" said Gabriel. "I have strong hopes myself that I shall -succeed, and thus, with God's help, preserve all these gallant and noble -lives." -</p> - -<p> -He went quickly down, and caused the door leading to the courtyard to be -opened; and with a flag of truce in his hand, he walked toward the Duc -de Nemours, who, sitting on his horse in the midst of his troops, was -awaiting the issue. -</p> - -<p> -"I do not know whether Monseigneur recognizes me," said Gabriel to the -duke; "but I am the Comte de Montgommery." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monsieur de Montgommery, I do recognize you," replied Jacques de -Savoie. "Monsieur de Guise advised me that I should find you here, but -said that you had his permission, and charged me to treat you as a -friend." -</p> - -<p> -"A precaution which may be of ill service to me with other less -fortunate friends," observed Gabriel, with a sorrowful shake of the -head. "However, Monseigneur, may I venture to beg a moment's -conversation with you?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am at your service," said Monsieur de Nemours. Castelnau, who was -following distractedly all the movements of the duke and Gabriel from a -grated window of the château, saw them draw aside from the rest, and -converse for some moments with much animation. Then Jacques de Savoie -called for writing materials, and using a drumhead for a table, wrote a -few rapid lines, which he handed to Gabriel, who seemed to be profuse in -his thanks. -</p> - -<p> -"There must be some hope for us," thought Castelnau. Gabriel rushed -headlong back into the château, and a moment later, breathless and -without a word, placed the following document in Castelnau's hands:— -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -Monsieur de Castelnau and his companions now within the Château de -Noizai having agreed upon my arrival to lay down their arms and -surrender to me, I, the undersigned, Jacques de Savoie, have sworn upon -my princely faith, upon my honor, and as I hope for the salvation of my -soul, that they shall not be molested, but shall be set at liberty -entirely unharmed, fifteen of them only, including Monsieur de -Castelnau, to go with me to Amboise, to present their grievances to the -king in a peaceable manner. -</p> - -<p> -Given at the Château de Noizai this 16th of March, 1560. -</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 60%;">JACQUES DE SAVOIE.</p> -</blockquote> - -<p> -"Thanks, my friend," Castelnau said to Gabriel, after he had read the -foregoing; "you have saved our lives, and our honor, which is dearer -than life. On these conditions I am ready to follow Monsieur de Nemours -to Amboise; for we shall not appear there as prisoners before their -conqueror, but as oppressed subjects before their king. Once more I -thank you." -</p> - -<p> -But as he warmly clasped the hand of his preserver, Castelnau remarked -that Gabriel had relapsed into his former state of melancholy. -</p> - -<p> -"What troubles you now, pray?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"I am thinking now about La Renaudie and the other Protestants who were -to attack Amboise to-night," replied Gabriel. "Alas! I fear it is too -late to save them; but I will at least make the attempt. La Renaudie was -to advance by the forest of Château-Regnault, was he not?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Castelnau, earnestly; "and there is yet time for you to find -him there, and save him as you have saved us." -</p> - -<p> -"At all events, I will do my best," said Gabriel. "The Duc de Nemours -will leave me at liberty, I think. Adieu, then, dear friend; I go to -continue, if possible, my work of conciliation. <i>Au revoir</i>!—at -Amboise." -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Au revoir</i>!" Castelnau replied. -</p> - -<p> -As Gabriel had anticipated, the Duc de Nemours made no opposition to his -leaving Noizai and its detachment of royal troops. -</p> - -<p> -The zealous, devoted youth was free to urge his horse in the direction -of the forest of Château-Regnault. -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau and those who remained with him followed Jacques de Savoie to -Amboise, trusting and tranquil. -</p> - -<p> -But upon their arrival they were at once lodged in prison. There they -were to remain, so they were informed, until the affray was at an end, -and there was no longer any danger to be apprehended in allowing them -access to the king. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap26"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXVI -<br /><br /> -THE FOREST OF CHÂTEAU-REGNAULT</h4> - -<p> -The forest of Château-Régnault was fortunately only about a league and -a half distant from Noizai. Gabriel urged his horse thither at a gallop; -but after he had reached the spot, he rode about in every direction for -more than an hour without falling in with any party, either of friends -or foes. -</p> - -<p> -At last he thought he distinguished the regular gallop of cavalry beyond -a bend in the path he was pursuing; but they could not be Huguenots, for -they were laughing and talking, while the Huguenots were too vitally -concerned to conceal their movements not to preserve most complete -silence. -</p> - -<p> -"No matter!" thought Gabriel; and he hurried on, and soon came upon the -red scarfs of the king's troops. -</p> - -<p> -As he made his way toward their leader he recognized him, and was -recognized by him. -</p> - -<p> -It was Baron de Pardaillan,—a gallant young officer who had made the -Italian campaign with him under Monsieur de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, it is the Comte de Montgommery!" cried Pardaillan. "I thought you -were at Noizai, Count." -</p> - -<p> -"I have just come from there," said Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, what has occurred there?—ride by my side awhile and tell me." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel told the story of the sudden arrival of the Duc de Nemours, of -his carrying the terrace and the drawbridge, of his own mediation -between the parties, and the peaceful submission which had been its -happy result. -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Pardieu</i>!" exclaimed Pardaillan; "Monsieur de Nemours was in luck, -and I should be glad to be equally fortunate myself. Do you know, Monsieur -de Montgommery, against whom my own movements are directed at this -moment?" -</p> - -<p> -"La Renaudie, doubtless." -</p> - -<p> -"Precisely. And do you know what La Renaudie is to me?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, your cousin, I believe,—yes, I remember." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, he is my cousin," Pardaillan said; "and more than that, he is my -friend and my comrade-in-arms. Ah, do you know how bitter a thing it is -to fight against one who has so often fought at one's side?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed," replied Gabriel; "but you are not sure of meeting him, -are you?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! I am only too sure!" returned Pardaillan. "My instructions are -exact; and the reports of those who have betrayed him are only too -accurate. See! after marching another fifteen minutes I shall find -myself face to face with La Renaudie in the second path to the left." -</p> - -<p> -"But suppose you were to avoid that path?" whispered Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"I should be false to my honor and to my duty as a soldier," was -Pardaillan's reply. "Besides, it is better that I should not be able to -do it. My two lieutenants received Monsieur de Guise's orders as well as -myself, and they would interfere to prevent my running counter to them. -No; my only hope is that La Renaudie will consent to surrender, and a -faint hope it is; for he is as proud as Lucifer, and as brave as a lion. -Moreover, he has an opportunity to fight, and will not be taken by -surprise, as Castelnau was; and again, we are not very superior to him -in point of numbers. However, you will assist me, will you not, Monsieur -de Montgommery, in urging him to yield?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" said Gabriel, with a sigh, "I will do my best." -</p> - -<p> -"The Devil take these civil wars!" cried Pardaillan, in conclusion. -</p> - -<p> -They rode along in silence for almost ten minutes. -</p> - -<p> -When they had taken the second path to the left, Pardaillan said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Now we should be approaching them. How my heart beats! For the first -time in my life, I believe, as God hears me, that I am afraid." -</p> - -<p> -The royal troops were no longer laughing and talking, but advanced -slowly and cautiously. -</p> - -<p> -They had not gone two hundred paces, when they thought they could see -through a thicket of trees the glistening of weapons upon a path, which -ran parallel with the main road. -</p> - -<p> -Their uncertainty was not of long duration, for almost immediately a -firm voice cried out,— -</p> - -<p> -"Halt! Who goes there?" -</p> - -<p> -"It is La Renaudie's voice," Pardaillan said to Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -Then he replied to the challenge,— -</p> - -<p> -"Valois and Lorraine!" -</p> - -<p> -Instantly, La Renaudie on horseback, followed by his little band, -debouched from the bypath. -</p> - -<p> -However, he ordered his troops to halt, and rode forward a few steps -alone. -</p> - -<p> -Pardaillan imitated him by crying to his people, "Halt!" and riding -toward him accompanied only by Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -One would have said they were two friends in haste to meet after a long -separation, rather than two foes ready to meet in deadly conflict. -</p> - -<p> -"I should have already replied to you as I ought," said La Renaudie, as -he approached, "if I had not thought that I recognized the voice of a -friend. Unless I am greatly mistaken, that visor conceals the features -of my dear Pardaillan." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, it is I, my poor La Renaudie," replied Pardaillan; "and if I may -give you a brother's advice, it is to abandon your enterprise, dear -friend, and lay down your arms at once." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, yes! that is indeed brotherly advice!" retorted La Renaudie, -ironically. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monsieur de la Renaudie," interposed Gabriel, coming forward, "it -is the advice of a loyal friend, I bear you witness. Castelnau -surrendered to the Duc de Nemours this morning; and if you do not follow -his example, you are lost." -</p> - -<p> -"Aha, Monsieur de Montgommery!" exclaimed La Renaudie, "are you with -these fellows?" -</p> - -<p> -"I am neither with them nor with yourself," said Gabriel, in a grave and -melancholy tone. "I stand between you." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, forgive me, Monsieur le Comte," added La Renaudie, deeply moved by -the noble and dignified bearing of Gabriel. "I had no wish to wound you, -and I think I would doubt my own loyalty rather than yours." "Pray -believe me, then," said Gabriel, "and do not hazard a useless and -disastrous conflict. Surrender." -</p> - -<p> -"Impossible!" replied La Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -"But reflect, I beg you," said Pardaillan, "that we are no more than a -feeble advance-guard." -</p> - -<p> -"For Heaven's sake," retorted the Protestant leader, "do you suppose -that my whole force consists of this handful of gallant fellows whom you -see?" -</p> - -<p> -"I warn you," said Pardaillan, "that you have traitors in your ranks." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, they are in yours now," returned La Renaudie. "I will undertake -to obtain your pardon from Monsieur de Guise," cried Pardaillan, who -knew not which way to turn. -</p> - -<p> -"My pardon!" exclaimed La Renaudie; "I hope to be more concerned with -granting than receiving pardons!" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, La Renaudie! La Renaudie! Surely you do not wish to compel me to -draw my sword against you,—Godefroy, my old comrade, my play-fellow?" -</p> - -<p> -"We must be prepared even for that, Pardaillan; for you know me too well -to believe that I am inclined to yield the field to you." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de la Renaudie," cried Gabriel, "once more I tell you that you -are wrong." -</p> - -<p> -But he was rudely interrupted. -</p> - -<p> -The horsemen on both sides, Remaining apart, but in full view of one -another, could not understand the meaning of all this parleying between -their chiefs, and were burning with eagerness to come to closer -quarters. -</p> - -<p> -"In God's name, what do they find to talk about at such length?" -muttered the troopers of Pardaillan. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" said the Huguenots, "do they think that we came here to watch them -while they talk over their private business?" -</p> - -<p> -"Wait a moment! wait!" said one of La Renaudie's band, in which every -soldier was a leader, "I know a way to cut short their conversation;" -and just as Gabriel began to speak, he fired a pistol-shot at the king's -troops. -</p> - -<p> -"You see," cried Pardaillan, sorrowfully, "your people have struck the -first blow!" -</p> - -<p> -"But without any order from me!" retorted La Renaudie, warmly. "However, -the die is cast, and it makes no difference now. Forward, my friends, -forward!" -</p> - -<p> -He turned toward his men as he spoke, and Pardaillan, not to be taken by -surprise, did the same, and also shouted, "Forward!" -</p> - -<p> -The firing began. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, however, remained motionless between the red and the white, the -Royalists and the rebels. He scarcely even drew his horse aside, but -sustained the fire of both parties. -</p> - -<p> -At the first volley the plume of his helmet was cut through by a ball, -and his horse killed under him. -</p> - -<p> -He extricated his feet from the stirrups and stood in the same spot -without a tremor, and like one dreaming in the midst of that terrible -affray. -</p> - -<p> -The supply of powder was soon exhausted; and the two little bands rushed -forward, and continued the combat with their swords. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, amid all the clashing and clanging, never stirred from his -place, nor did he once lay his hand upon his sword; he simply stood -gazing at the mad blows which were raining about him, as if he had been -the image of France among her foes. -</p> - -<p> -The Protestants, inferior in numbers and in discipline, began to falter. -</p> - -<p> -La Renaudie in the tumult found himself face to face with Pardaillan -once more. -</p> - -<p> -"Engage with me!" he cried; "let me at least die by your hand." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" said Pardaillan, "the one of us two who slays the other will be -the more generous." -</p> - -<p> -They crossed swords with much vigor. The blows they dealt resounded upon -their coats-of-mail like hammer-strokes upon the anvil. La Renaudie -circled about Pardaillan, who, sitting firmly on his saddle, parried and -thrust without token of weariness. Two rivals thirsting for vengeance -could not have seemed more implacable. -</p> - -<p> -At last La Renaudie buried his sword in the breast of Pardaillan, who -fell headlong from his horse. -</p> - -<p> -But the cry which followed the fatal blow came from the lips of La -Renaudie. -</p> - -<p> -Happily for the victor, he had not even the time to look upon his -disastrous victory, for Montigny, Pardaillan's page, levelled his -arquebuse at him and fired, and he fell from his horse mortally wounded. -</p> - -<p> -Nevertheless, before he expired La Renaudie yet retained strength -sufficient to strike dead upon the spot, with a backward stroke of his -sword, the page who had shot him. -</p> - -<p> -Around these three bodies the battle waged more furiously than ever. -</p> - -<p> -But the Huguenots were clearly worsted; and in a short time, being -deprived of their leader, they were utterly routed. -</p> - -<p> -The greater number of them were killed; but a few were taken prisoners, -and some escaped. -</p> - -<p> -This horrible bloody affray lasted less than ten minutes. -</p> - -<p> -The royal troopers prepared to return to Amboise, and the bodies of La -Renaudie and Pardaillan were placed upon the same horse. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure02"></a> -<img src="images/figure02.jpg" width="400" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"> -<p class="center">The Forest of Château-Regnault.</p> -</div></div> - -<p><br /></p> - -<p> -Gabriel, who, despite his eager longing, and spared without doubt by -both sides, had not received a scratch, gazed mournfully at the two -lifeless bodies in which, but a few moments before, had beat the two -noblest hearts he had ever known. -</p> - -<p> -"Which of the two was the braver?" he asked himself. "Which better loved -the other? Which is the greater loss to his unhappy country?" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap27"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXVII -<br /><br /> -A GLIMPSE AT THE POLITICS OF THE SIXTEENTH<br /> -CENTURY</h4> - -<p> -Even after the surrender of the Château de Noizai, and the skirmish in -the forest of Château-Regnault, the whole affair was not at an end. -</p> - -<p> -The majority of the conspirators of Nantes had not been notified of -these two repulses which their party had met with, and were still on -their way to Amboise, prepared to assault the place that night. -</p> - -<p> -But we know that thanks to the precise information furnished by -Lignières, they were expected. -</p> - -<p> -The youthful king had no inclination to retire, but walked anxiously, -with feverish tread, up and down the vast unfurnished hall which had -been set apart for his accommodation. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart, the Duc de Guise, and the Cardinal de Lorraine were also -watching and waiting with him. -</p> - -<p> -"What an everlasting night!" ejaculated François. "I am in agony; my -head is on fire; and those intolerable pains in my ear are beginning to -torment me again. What a night! Oh, what a night!" -</p> - -<p> -"Poor dear Sire!" said Mary, soothingly, "do not excite yourself so, I -pray; you only increase your bodily and mental anguish as well. Take a -few moments' rest, in pity's name!" -</p> - -<p> -"What! how can I rest, Mary?" said the king,—"how can I keep calm -when my people are rebelling, and are in arms against me? Ah, all this -trouble will surely shorten the small portion of life God has granted -me!" -</p> - -<p> -Mary replied only by the tears which streamed down her lovely face. -</p> - -<p> -"Your Majesty ought not to be so deeply affected," said Le Balafré. "I -have already had the honor to assure you that our measures were taken, -and that victory is beyond peradventure. I give you my personal guaranty -of it, Sire." -</p> - -<p> -"Have we not begun well, Sire?" added the Cardinal de Lorraine. -"Castelnau a prisoner, and La Renaudie slain,—are these not happy -omens for the issue of this affair?" -</p> - -<p> -"Happy omens indeed!" said François, bitterly. -</p> - -<p> -"To-morrow everything will be at an end," continued the cardinal; "the -other leaders of the rebels will be in our power, and we can terrify, by -force of a frightful example, those who might venture to try to emulate -them. It must be done, Sire," said he, replying to the king's -involuntary movement of horror. "A solemn 'Act of Faith,' as they say in -Spain, is essential for the outraged glory of the Catholic religion, and -the threatened security of the throne. To begin with, Castelnau must -die. Monsieur de Nemours took it upon himself to swear that he should be -spared; but that is not our affair, and we have promised nothing -ourselves. La Renaudie has escaped punishment by death; but I have -already given orders that at daybreak to-morrow his head be exposed upon -the bridge of Amboise with this inscription: 'Leader of the rebels.'" -</p> - -<p> -"Leader of the rebels!" echoed the king; "why, you yourself say that he -was not the leader, and that the confessions and the correspondence of -the conspirators point to the Prince de Condé alone as the real prime -mover of the undertaking." -</p> - -<p> -"In Heaven's name, speak not so loud, Sire, I implore you!" the -cardinal exclaimed. "Yes, it is true, the prince has led and directed -the whole affair, but from afar. These rascals call him the 'Silent -Captain;' and he was to unmask himself after their first success. But -failing that first success, he has not unmasked himself, nor will he do -so. Therefore let us not drive him to that perilous extremity. Let us -not seem to recognize in him the mighty head and front of the rebellion. -Let us pretend not to see it, so that we may incur no risk of showing -our feeling." -</p> - -<p> -"Nevertheless, Monsieur de Condé is the real arch-rebel!" said -François, whose youthful impatience was little in sympathy with all -these "governmental fictions," as they came to be called at a later day. -</p> - -<p> -"Very true, Sire," said Le Balafré; "but the prince, far from avowing -his schemes, denies them. Let us pretend to believe his word. He came -to-day to shut himself up here in Amboise, where he has been kept in -sight, just as he has conspired, from a safe distance. Let us feign to -accept him as an ally, which will be less hazardous than to have him for -an avowed enemy. The prince, in fact, will assist us, if need be, to -repel his own accomplices to-night, and be present at their execution -to-morrow. Does he not thereby undergo a penalty a thousand times more -grievous than any which is imposed upon us?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed he does," replied the king; "but will he do that; and if he -does, can it be possible that he is guilty?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said the cardinal, "we have in our hands, and will deliver to -your Majesty, if you desire, irrefragable proof of Monsieur de Condé's -secret complicity. But the more flagrant and undeniable these proofs -are, the more necessary is it for us to dissimulate; and, for my part, I -deeply regret certain words which I have let fall, and which, if -reported to the prince, might offend him." -</p> - -<p> -"What, you fear to <i>offend</i> a culprit such as you say he is!" cried -François. "But what is all this uproar without, in God's name? Can it -be the rebels already?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will go and see," said the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -But before he had crossed the threshold, Richelieu, the captain of -arquebusiers, entered, and said hastily to the king,— -</p> - -<p> -"Pardon, Sire, but Monsieur de Condé thinks he overheard certain words -reflecting upon his honor, and he urgently demands the privilege of -clearing himself from these insulting suspicions in your Majesty's -presence, once for all." -</p> - -<p> -The king might have refused to see the prince; but the Duc de Guise had -already made a sign. Captain Richelieu's arquebusiers stepped aside, and -Monsieur de Condé entered, with head erect and cheeks flushed. -</p> - -<p> -He was followed by a few nobles, and a number of canons of St. -Florentin, regular attaches of the Château d'Amboise, whom the cardinal -had transformed into soldiers that night to assist in the defence, and -who, as was frequently the case in those days, carried the arquebuse -with the rosary, and wore the helmet under their cowl. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, I trust you will pardon my boldness," said the prince, after -saluting the king; "but it is perhaps justified in advance by the -insolence of certain charges, which are made, it seems, in the dark by -my foes against my loyalty, and which I feel called upon to bring forth -into the light that I may confound and chastise them." -</p> - -<p> -"To what do you refer, my cousin?" asked the king, gravely. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," replied Condé, "they dare to say that I am the real leader of -the rebels, whose foolhardy and impious undertaking is at this moment -throwing the realm into confusion, and filling your Majesty's heart with -dismay." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, they say that, do they?" returned François. "Who says it, pray?" -</p> - -<p> -"I succeeded just now in surprising these hateful slanders, Sire, upon -the lips of these reverend brothers of St. Florentin, who, believing -doubtless that they were among friends, did not scruple to repeat aloud -what had been whispered in their ears." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean to accuse those who repeated the offensive words, or those -who whispered them in the first place?" asked François. -</p> - -<p> -"Both, Sire," replied Condé, "but especially the instigators of these -foul and cowardly calumnies." -</p> - -<p> -As he said these words, he turned his gaze full upon the face of the -Cardinal de Lorraine, who did his best to hide his embarrassed -countenance behind his brother. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, my good cousin," replied the king, "you have our permission -to disprove the slander, and to accuse the slanderers. Proceed." -</p> - -<p> -"To disprove the slander, Sire?" repeated the prince. "Ah, will not my -actions do that better than any words of mine! Did I not come at the -first summons to this château, to take my place among your Majesty's -defenders? Is that the act of a guilty man, Sire?—I put the question -to yourself, Sire?" -</p> - -<p> -"Then proceed to accuse the slanderers," said François, who chose to -make no more direct reply. -</p> - -<p> -"I will do so, not in words, but by deeds, Sire," said Monsieur de -Condé. "They must, if they have the courage, themselves accuse me in -the light of day. I here cast down my glove to them before God and the -king. Let the man, of whatever rank or quality he may be, who dares to -affirm that I am the author of this conspiracy come forward! I offer to -do battle with him when and where he chooses; and if in any point he be -not upon a level with me, I agree to make myself his equal in every way -for this combat." -</p> - -<p> -The Prince de Condé, as he ceased to speak, threw his glove at his -feet. His glance had not ceased to form an eloquent commentary upon his -challenge, and had fixed itself proudly upon the Duc de Guise, who did -not move a muscle. -</p> - -<p> -There was a moment of silence,—every one reflecting, no doubt, upon -this extraordinary spectacle of the lie given by a prince of the blood -to the whole court, where there was not a page who did not know him to -be guilty twenty times over of that offence from which he defended -himself with such well-simulated indignation. -</p> - -<p> -And, in truth, the youthful king was probably the only one who was -innocent enough to be astonished; and no one thought any the worse of -the prince's valor or virtue. -</p> - -<p> -The political theories of the Italian courts, brought into France by -Catherine de Médicis and her Florentines, were then fashionable in -France. He who was most skilful in deceit was considered the most -clever; and to conceal one's thoughts and disguise one's purpose was the -acme of political skill. Frankness would have been looked upon as folly. -</p> - -<p> -The noblest and purest characters of the time—Coligny, Condé, the -Chancellor Olivier—had not succeeded in keeping clear of the -contagion. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore the Duc de Guise did not despise the Prince de Condé; he -rather admired him. But he said to himself, smiling, that he was at -least as good an actor as the other. Taking a step forward, he slowly -removed his glove, and cast it beside that of the prince. -</p> - -<p> -There was a murmur of surprise; and the first impression was that he -proposed to answer Monsieur de Condé's defiant challenge. -</p> - -<p> -But in that case he would not have been the subtle politician he prided -himself on being. -</p> - -<p> -In a loud, firm voice, and as if really convinced by the prince's -demeanor, he said,— -</p> - -<p> -"I approve Monsieur le Prince de Condé's words, and support him in -them; and I am so devotedly his humble servant, having the honor to be -his kinsman, that I here offer myself as his second, and will assist him -in his just defence against all comers." -</p> - -<p> -Le Balafré, with these words, let his inquiring glance rove boldly upon -all those who stood around. -</p> - -<p> -The Prince de Condé could only lower his own. He felt himself more -thoroughly worsted than if he had been overthrown in the lists. -</p> - -<p> -"Will no one," continued the Duc de Guise, "take up either the Prince de -Condé's glove or mine?" -</p> - -<p> -No one stirred, of course. -</p> - -<p> -"My cousin," observed François II., with a melancholy smile, "you are, -as you desired, thoroughly cleared of all suspicion of felony, in my -opinion." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Sire," said the "Silent Captain," with ingenuous impudence; "and I -thank your Majesty for having assisted me." -</p> - -<p> -He turned with an effort to Le Balafré, and added,— -</p> - -<p> -"I also am grateful to my good ally and kinsman, Monsieur de Guise. I -hope to prove afresh to him, and to all others, by my behavior to-night -against the rebels, if there be an attack, that he was not wrong in -taking my part." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon the Prince de Condé and the Duc de Guise exchanged most -profoundly courteous salutations. -</p> - -<p> -Then the prince, being well and duly justified, and having no further -business there, bowed to the king, and left the room, followed by those -who had come in with him. -</p> - -<p> -None were left in the royal apartment but the four personages whose -dreary waiting had been enlivened and their apprehension distracted for -a moment by this singular comedy. -</p> - -<p> -It was a chivalrous scene, peculiar to the politics of the sixteenth -century. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap28"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXVIII -<br /><br /> -THE TUMULT OF AMBOISE</h4> - -<p> -After the departure of the Prince de Condé, neither the king nor Mary -Stuart nor the brothers De Lorraine referred to what had just taken -place. They seemed to avoid the dangerous subject by tacit -understanding. -</p> - -<p> -Minutes and hours passed away in the gloomy and restless silence of -expectation. -</p> - -<p> -François II. often passed his hand across his burning brow; while Mary, -seated apart, gazed sorrowfully at the pale, thin face of her young -spouse, and furtively brushed away a tear from time to time. The -Cardinal de Lorraine was wholly intent upon the sounds to be heard -without; while Le Balafré, whose dispositions were all made, and whose -rank, as well as his office, obliged him to stay by the king's side, -seemed to chafe bitterly at his forced inaction, and every now and then -quivered with impatience and stamped upon the floor, as a fiery -war-horse chafes at the rein which restrains him. -</p> - -<p> -However, the night drew to a close; the bell of the château, followed -by that on St. Florentin, struck six, then half after six. The day began -to break; and there had been no sign of an assault, no alarm given by -the sentinels. -</p> - -<p> -"Well," said the king, with a sigh of relief, "I begin to believe, -Monsieur le Cardinal, that Lignières has misled your Eminence, or else -that the Huguenots have changed their minds." -</p> - -<p> -"So much the worse if they have," replied Charles de Lorraine, "for we -are sure to put down the rebellion." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, no! so much the better!" exclaimed François; "for the contest of -itself would be a humiliation for royalty—" -</p> - -<p> -But his sentence was yet unfinished when two shots of an arquebuse, the -signal which had been agreed upon as an alarm, were fired, and the shout -was heard, repeated from post to post along the ramparts,— -</p> - -<p> -"To arms! to arms! to arms!" -</p> - -<p> -"There can be no doubt that the enemy are upon us!" cried the cardinal, -turning pale in spite of himself. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise rose, apparently well content, and said simply as he -saluted the king, "Sire, I shall soon be with you again," and went -hurriedly from the room. -</p> - -<p> -His powerful voice could be plainly heard, giving orders in the -antechamber, when there was a second volley of arquebuses. -</p> - -<p> -"You see, Sire," said the cardinal, perhaps to put his fear to shame -with the sound of his voice,—"you see that Lignières was well -informed, and only made an error of a few hours." -</p> - -<p> -But the king heard him not; angrily biting his colorless lips, he had -ears only for the ever-growing noise of artillery and arquebuses. -</p> - -<p> -"Even yet I can hardly believe in the possibility of such audacity!" he -muttered. "Such an outrage upon the crown—" -</p> - -<p> -"Can only result in shame and abasement for the wretches, Sire," -rejoined the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas!" returned the king, "if we may judge by the noise they make, the -Protestants are present in large force, and are scarcely afraid." -</p> - -<p> -"This disturbance will be quenched at once like a fire of straw," said -Charles de Lorraine. -</p> - -<p> -"It doesn't seem so, for the noise is coming nearer," replied François; -"and the fire instead of being quenched is blazing brighter, I think." -</p> - -<p> -"Holy Virgin!" cried Mary Stuart, in terror; "do you hear the bullets -ringing against the walls?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yet it seems to me, Madame—" stammered the cardinal. "I think, your -Majesty—As for me, I cannot see that the uproar increases any." -</p> - -<p> -But his words were drowned by a fearful explosion. -</p> - -<p> -"There is your answer," retorted the king, smiling bitterly, "even if -your pale and terrified face were not enough to contradict you." -</p> - -<p> -"I can detect the odor of powder," cried Mary. "And oh, just hear those -piercing shrieks!" -</p> - -<p> -"Better and better!" exclaimed François. "Come, come! The Reformers -have carried the walls of the town by this time, doubtless, and propose -to besiege us in the château in regular form." -</p> - -<p> -"But, Sire," the cardinal stammered, shaking like a leaf, "in this -conjuncture would it not be better for your Majesty to withdraw to the -donjon? We may be sure that they will not carry that at all events." -</p> - -<p> -"Who,—I?" cried the king; "hide myself from my own subjects! from -heretics! Let them come even as far as this, my good uncle,—I shall -be very glad to know to what point they will carry their insolence. You -will hear them beg us to sing a psalm or two with them in French, and to -turn our chapel of St. Florentin into a meeting-house." -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, for Heaven's sake, think a little of what is prudent," said Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"No," replied the king, "I propose to see this matter through to the -bitter end. I will await these faithful subjects on this spot; and by my -royal name! let one of them but fail to show me the respect that is my -due, and he shall learn whether this dagger hangs at my side for show -only!" -</p> - -<p> -The minutes rolled on, and the arquebuse-firing grew more and more -brisk. The poor cardinal could no longer utter a word, and the king was -wringing his hands in helpless wrath. -</p> - -<p> -"In God's name," exclaimed Mary, "will no one come to give us news? Is -the danger so pressing that no one can leave his place for an instant?" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" said the king, quite beside himself with excitement, "this waiting -is intolerable, and anything else would be preferable to it, I think! I -know one way of ascertaining what is going on, and that is to go to the -scene of the affray myself. Monsieur le Lieutenant-General cannot refuse -to receive me as a volunteer." -</p> - -<p> -François took two or three, steps toward the door, but Mary threw -herself in front of him. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," she cried, "consider! Ill as you are!" -</p> - -<p> -"I no longer feel my pain," said the king. "Indignation has taken the -place of suffering." -</p> - -<p> -"Wait yet a moment, Sire!" urged the cardinal. "I am sure that the -uproar is really growing fainter now. Yes, the reports are much less -frequent. Ah! here is a page, with news, no doubt." -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said the page, "I am instructed by Monsieur le Duc de Guise to -say to your Majesty that the Protestants have given way and are in full -retreat." -</p> - -<p> -"At last! That is happy news!" cried the king. -</p> - -<p> -"As soon as Monsieur le Lieutenant-General thinks that he can safely -leave the walls," continued the page, "he will hasten to make his report -to the king." -</p> - -<p> -The page thereupon left the room. -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Sire," observed the Cardinal de Lorraine, triumphantly, "was I -not right in predicting that it would be mere child's play, and that -Monsieur my illustrious and gallant brother would soon give a good -account of these singers of hymns?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, my dear uncle," François retorted ironically, "how suddenly your -courage has returned!" -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke, a second explosion was heard, much louder and more awful -than the first. -</p> - -<p> -"What can that noise mean?" said the king. -</p> - -<p> -"In truth, it is strange," the cardinal replied, beginning to tremble -afresh. -</p> - -<p> -Fortunately his alarm did not last long. Richelieu, the captain of -arquebusiers, came in almost immediately with his face begrimed with -powder, and a bloody sword in his hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," Richelieu thus addressed the king, "the rebels are utterly -routed. They scarcely had time to explode a quantity of powder which -they had deposited near one of the gates, and which inflicted no damage -on us. Those who were not taken or slain recrossed the bridge and have -barricaded themselves in one of the houses in the Faubourg du -Vendômois, where we shall have an easy prey. Your Majesty may see from -this window how we will treat them." -</p> - -<p> -The king ran quickly to the window, followed by the cardinal, and more -slowly by the queen. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, indeed," said he, "there they are, having their turn at being -besieged. But what is this I see? What is all the smoke pouring from the -house?" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, it has been set on fire," said the captain. -</p> - -<p> -"Very good! marvellously well done!" ejaculated the cardinal. "Look, -Sire, see them leaping from the window! Two, three, four,—more, more! -Do you hear their shrieks?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, God! the poor wretches!" cried Mary Stuart, clasping her hands. -</p> - -<p> -"It seems to me," observed the king, "that I can distinguish at the head -of our troops the plume and scarf of our cousin De Condé. Is it really -he, Captain?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, your Majesty," replied Richelieu. "He has been among us all the -time, sword in hand, fighting beside Monsieur de Guise." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Monsieur le Cardinal," said François, "you see that he did not -wait to be asked." -</p> - -<p> -"He could not have afforded to, Sire!" replied Charles de Lorraine. -"Monsieur le Prince would have risked too much if he had acted otherwise -than he has." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, see!" cried Mary, repelled and fascinated at once by the horrible -spectacle without; "the flames are much more intense! the house will -fall in upon the poor wretches!" -</p> - -<p> -"It has fallen!" said the king. -</p> - -<p> -"Thank God, it is all over!" cried the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, let us leave the place, Sire; it makes me ill," said Mary, drawing -the king away from the window. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said François, "I can feel nought but pity now." -</p> - -<p> -He left the cardinal standing alone at the window in great exultation; -but he soon turned away too, as he heard the voice of the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -Le Balafré entered, proud and unmoved, accompanied by the Prince de -Condé, who, for his part, had much ado to hide his grief and shame. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, it is all over," said the Duc de Guise to the king; "and the -rebels have paid the penalty of their crime. I render thanks to God, who -has delivered your Majesty from this peril; for from what I have seen, I -conclude it was greater than I supposed. We have traitors among us." -</p> - -<p> -"Can it be?" cried the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied Le Balafré; "when they made their first assault, they -were seconded by the men-at-arms who came hither with Lamothe. They -attacked us in flank, and for a moment were masters of the town." -</p> - -<p> -"That is terrible!" said Mary, pressing close to the king. -</p> - -<p> -"It would have been much more so, Madame," continued the duke, "if the -rebels had also been seconded, as they hoped to be, by an attack which -Chaudieu, brother of the minister, was to make upon the Porte des Bons -Hommes." -</p> - -<p> -"Did the attack fail?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"It did not take place, Sire. Captain Chaudieu, thank Heaven! was -delayed, and will arrive only to find his friends annihilated. Now let -him come at his leisure! he will find everything ready for him both -within and without the walls. And, to give him food for reflection, I -have ordered that twenty or thirty of his accomplices should be hanged -on top of the battlements of Amboise. The spectacle will prove a -sufficient warning to him, I fancy." -</p> - -<p> -"That was well thought of!" said the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"I thank you, my cousin," said the king to Le Balafré; "but I see that -God's merciful protection has been most bountifully shown in this -affair, since to Him alone we must attribute the confusion that -prevailed in the counsels of our enemies. Let us in the first place, -then, repair to the chapel to return thanks to Him." -</p> - -<p> -"After that," said the cardinal, "we will issue orders for the -punishment of the surviving culprits. Sire, you will be present at their -execution with the queen and queen-mother, will you not?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, will that be necessary, pray?" asked the youthful king, walking -toward the door, much annoyed. -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, it is indispensable," urged the cardinal, following him. "The -glorious King François I. and your father, of illustrious memory, Sire, -never failed to be present at the burning of heretics. As for the King -of Spain, Sire—" -</p> - -<p> -"Other kings may do as they please," said François, still going toward -the door, "and I, too, propose to have my own way." -</p> - -<p> -"I ought to inform your Majesty that the nuncio from his Holiness -absolutely relies upon your presence at the first 'Act of Faith' of your -reign," added the pitiless cardinal. "When everybody else is -present,—even the Prince de Condé, I venture to say,—is it -fitting that your Majesty should be absent?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas, <i>mon Dieu</i>! we will talk of this matter again presently," -rejoined François. "The guilty men are not yet condemned." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, I beg your Majesty's pardon, but they are!" said the cardinal, -earnestly. -</p> - -<p> -"So be it! Thus you impose this terrible necessity upon me in my -feebleness," replied the king. "But now, Monsieur le Cardinal, let us -go, as I said, to kneel before the altar and thank God, who has deigned -to turn aside from us the peril of this conspiracy." -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," said the Duc de Guise, "we must not exaggerate these things, and -give them more importance than they deserve, therefore I trust that your -Majesty will not speak of this movement as a conspiracy; it was, in -truth, nought but a <i>tumult</i>." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap29"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXIX -<br /><br /> -AN ACT OF FAITH</h4> - - -<p> -Although the conspirators had inserted in a manifesto, seized among La -Renaudie's papers, a declaration that they would "attempt nothing -against the king's majesty, nor the princes of the blood, nor the good -of the kingdom," they had, nevertheless, been taken in open rebellion, -and might well expect to meet the fate of those who are vanquished in -civil wars. -</p> - -<p> -The mode of treatment that had been adopted with regard to those who -professed the principles of the Reformation, while they were conducting -themselves as peaceful and submissive subjects, left little room for -hope of pardon now. -</p> - -<p> -In fact, the Cardinal de Lorraine hurried on their condemnation with a -passionate zeal that was quite characteristic of the ecclesiastic of -those days, though it was hardly Christlike. -</p> - -<p> -He intrusted the proceedings against the nobles who were implicated in -the deplorable affair to the parliament of Paris and the Chancellor -Olivier. Thus matters progressed finely. The interrogations were quickly -gone through, and the sentences pronounced still more quickly. -</p> - -<p> -They dispensed with even these empty formalities in the cases of the -less highly placed abettors of the rebellion, people of small -importance, who were being broken on the wheel or hanged every day at -Amboise without wearying parliament with their cases. The honor and -expense of a trial were only accorded to persons of some quality or -note. -</p> - -<p> -At last, thanks to the pious ardor of Charles de Lorraine, everything -was concluded in their cases as well in less than three weeks. -</p> - -<p> -The 15th of April was fixed for the public execution at Amboise of -twenty-seven barons, eleven counts, and seven marquises; in all, fifty -gentlemen, leaders of the Protestants, were to meet their death that -day. -</p> - -<p> -Nothing was neglected which could assist in imparting to that -extraordinary religious function all desirable pomp and splendor. -Extensive preparations were made. From Paris to Nantes public curiosity -was inflamed by all the expedients in vogue at that time; that is to -say, the execution was announced by all preachers and curés from their -pulpits. -</p> - -<p> -On the appointed day, three superb galleries, the central and most -sumptuous of which was reserved for the royal family, were erected on -the platform of the château at the foot of which the bloody drama was -to be enacted. -</p> - -<p> -Around the square were wooden benches filled with all the faithful from -the neighborhood who could be got together, willingly or on compulsion. -The bourgeoisie and peasants, who might have had some distaste for such -a grewsome spectacle, were induced to go either by threats or bribes; -some had their taxes remitted; others were threatened with the loss of -their offices or their privileges as freemen. All these divers motives, -added to the morbid curiosity of some and the fanaticism of others, -caused such a concourse of people at Amboise that more than ten thousand -were encamped in the fields the night before the fatal day. -</p> - -<p> -Early in the morning of the 15th the roofs of all the houses in the town -were covered with a moving mass; and windows looking upon the square -were let for ten crowns,—which was an enormous price for the time. -</p> - -<p> -A vast scaffold, draped in black cloth, was erected in the middle of the -enclosure. On it was to be seen the <i>chouquet</i>,—a block upon -which each of the condemned had to rest his head while he knelt to receive -the blow. Near by a chair draped in black was reserved for the clerk, whose -duty it was to call the names of the gentlemen one by one, and read -aloud the sentence of each in succession. -</p> - -<p> -The square was guarded by the Scotch company and the gendarmes of the -royal household. -</p> - -<p> -After solemn Mass in the chapel of St. Florentin, the condemned men were -led to the foot of the scaffold. Several of them had already been -subjected to the torture. They were surrounded by monks, who tried to -make them renounce their heretical principles; but not one of the -Huguenots consented thus to apostatize before death, and they -steadfastly refused to reply to the monks, whom they suspected of being -spies of the Cardinal de Lorraine. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the galleries reserved for the court were filled, except the -one in the centre. The king and queen, whose consent to be present at -the execution had almost to be torn from them by force, had at last -succeeded in obtaining leave to postpone their attendance till toward -the end, when only the principal chiefs remained to be punished. If they -would but come at some time, that was all the cardinal asked. Poor royal -children! Poor crowned slaves! They, as well as the peasants, had been -prevailed upon by arousing their fear for their offices and privileges. -</p> - -<p> -At noon the execution began. -</p> - -<p> -When the first of the condemned men mounted the steps of the scaffold, -his companions thundered out a French psalm, translated by Clément -Marot, as much to afford him on whom the punishment was about to fall -some last consolation as to mark their own constancy in the face of -their enemies and their doom. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore they sang at the foot of the scaffold,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Dieu nous soit doux et favorable,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Nous bénissant par sa bonté,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Et de son visage adorable</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Nous fasse luire sa clarté."<a name="FNanchor_5_1" id="FNanchor_5_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_1" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -A verse was sung for every head as it fell; but every head that fell -made one voice less in the chorus. -</p> - -<p> -In an hour but twelve gentlemen remained, and they the most prominent -leaders of the conspiracy. -</p> - -<p> -Then there was a pause. The two executioners were weary, and the king -was arriving. -</p> - -<p> -François II. was more than pale; he was absolutely livid. Mary Stuart -took her place at his right, and Catherine de Médicis at his left. -</p> - -<p> -The Cardinal de Lorraine took his place beside the queen-mother; and the -Prince de Condé was shown to a seat beside the young queen. -</p> - -<p> -When the prince appeared upon the platform, almost as pale as the young -king himself, the twelve condemned men saluted him. -</p> - -<p> -He gravely responded to their salutation. -</p> - -<p> -"I always bow in the presence of death," he remarked aloud. -</p> - -<p> -The king was received, however, with less respect than the Prince de -Condé. No acclamation welcomed him upon his arrival. He noticed the -omission, and turning to the cardinal, he said, with an angry frown,— -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Monsieur le Cardinal, I will never forgive you for forcing us to -come hither!" -</p> - -<p> -Charles de Lorraine, however, had raised his hand as a signal for the -marks of devotion to be manifested, and a few voices scattered through -the crowd cried,— -</p> - -<p> -"<i>Vive le roi</i>!" -</p> - -<p> -"You hear, Sire?" rejoined the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said the king, sadly; "I hear a few awkward fellows, who but -serve to make the general silence more noticeable." -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the remainder of the royal gallery had been occupied. The -king's brothers, the papal nuncio, the Duchesse de Guise, had taken -their places there one after another. -</p> - -<p> -Then came the Duc de Nemours, also very pale, and looking as if he were -the prey of bitter remorse. -</p> - -<p> -Last of all two men took their stations there, behind the others, whose -presence in that place and at that time was perhaps not less remarkable -than that of the Prince de Condé. -</p> - -<p> -They were Ambroise Paré and Gabriel de Montgommery. -</p> - -<p> -They had been led thither by very different motives. -</p> - -<p> -Ambroise Paré had been summoned to Amboise some days before by the Duc -de Guise, who was decidedly alarmed concerning the health of his royal -nephew; and Mary Stuart, no less alarmed than her uncle, and seeing how -dejected François was at the mere thought of the <i>auto-da-fè</i> implored -the surgeon to be at hand to assist the king in case he should faint. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, however, had come to make one last supreme effort to save at -least one of the condemned,—the one who was to suffer last, and whom -he reproached himself for having involuntarily, by his well-meant advice, -led into this fatal extremity,—the young and gallant Castelnau de -Chalosses. -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau, we must remember, had surrendered only upon the written and -subscribed assurance of the Duc de Nemours, who had guaranteed his life -and liberty; whereas, immediately upon reaching Amboise he had been -cast into prison, and to-day was to be beheaded,—last of all, as -being the most guilty of all. -</p> - -<p> -We must, however, be just to the Duc de Nemours. When he saw his word -and honor as a gentleman thus compromised, he was in despair, and -indignant to the highest degree; and for three weeks he went ceaselessly -from the Cardinal de Lorraine to the Duc de Guise, and from Mary Stuart -to, the king, begging and demanding and imploring the release of him to -whom he owed this debt of honor. But the Chancellor Olivier, to whom -they referred the question, declared, according to Monsieur de -Vieilleville, that "a king is in nowise bound by his word to a -rebellious subject, nor by any promise whatsoever made to him on his -[the king's] behalf." This almost broke the heart of the Duc de Nemours, -"who," the chronicler naïvely adds, "was worried only about his -signature; for as to his word, he would always have given the lie to any -one without exception who dared to upbraid him for it, save his Majesty -alone, so valiant and noble-hearted a prince was he!" -</p> - -<p> -Like Gabriel, the Duc de Nemours had been drawn to the place of -execution—which was more terrible to him than to any other—by a -secret hope of still saving Castelnau at the last moment. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the Duc de Guise, on horseback, with his captains beneath the -gallery, had given a signal to the executioners; and the punishments and -singing of psalms began again after the brief interruption. -</p> - -<p> -In less than a quarter of an hour eight heads fell. The fair young queen -was almost fainting. -</p> - -<p> -Only four conspirators remained at the foot of the scaffold. -</p> - -<p> -The clerk read in a loud voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Albert Edmond Roger, Comte de Mazères, guilty of heresy, of the crime -of <i>lèse-majesté</i>, and of attacking with arms in his hand the person -of the king." -</p> - -<p> -"'T is false!" cried the Comte de Mazères from the scaffold. -</p> - -<p> -Then, showing to the people his blackened arms and his breast all -bruised by the torture, he continued: "See the condition to which I have -been reduced in the king's name! But I know that he knows nothing of it; -and so I still cry, <i>Vive le roi</i>!" -</p> - -<p> -His head fell. The last three Protestants who were awaiting their turns -at the foot of the scaffold sang again the first verse of the psalm,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Dieu nous soit doux et favorable,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Nous bénissant par sa bonté,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Et de son visage adorable</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Nous fasse luire sa clarté."<a name="FNanchor_6_1" id="FNanchor_6_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_1" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -The clerk's voice was heard once more,— -</p> - -<p> -"Jean Louis Alberic, Baron de Raunay, guilty of heresy, of the crime of -<i>lèse-majesté</i>, and of attacking with arms in his hand the person of -the king." -</p> - -<p> -"You lie like two clowns, you and your cardinal," said De Raunay; "it is -only against him and his brother that we took up arms. I hope they may -both meet death as peacefully and as pure in heart as I." -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon he laid his head upon the block. -</p> - -<p> -The last two condemned men sang on,— -</p> - - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Dieu tu nous as mis à l'épreuve,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Et tu nous as examinés;</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Comme l'argent que l'on épreuve,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Par feu tu nous as affinés."<a name="FNanchor_7_1" id="FNanchor_7_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_1" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -Again the clerk resumed his deadly summons,— -</p> - -<p> -"Robert Jean René Briquemaut, Comte de Villemongis, guilty of heresy, -of the crime of <i>lèse-majesté</i>, and of a criminal attempt against the -king's person." -</p> - -<p> -Villemongis bathed his hands in De Raunay's blood; and raising them -toward heaven, he cried,— -</p> - -<p> -"Heavenly Father, Thou seest the blood of Thy children! Thou wilt avenge -them!" -</p> - -<p> -He fell lifeless as he spoke. -</p> - -<p> -Castelnau, left quite alone, still sang,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Tu nous as fait entrer et joindre</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Aux pièges de nos ennemis;</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Tu nous as fait les reins astreindre</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Des filets où tu nous as mis."<a name="FNanchor_8_1" id="FNanchor_8_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_1" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -The Duc de Nemours had been lavish with his gold in furtherance of his -hope of saving Castelnau. The clerk and even the executioners were -interested in his salvation. The first executioner said that he was -exhausted; and there was a necessary interruption while the other was -preparing to relieve him. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel took advantage of it to urge the duke to renewed efforts. -</p> - -<p> -Jacques de Savoie thereupon leaned toward the Duchesse de Guise, with -whom he was said to be on the very best terms, and whispered in her ear. -The duchess had much influence over the mind of the queen. -</p> - -<p> -She at once rose, as if she could not bear any more of the sad -spectacle, and said loud enough for Mary to hear: "Ah, this is too -horrible for ladies! Do you see how ill the queen is? Let us go." -</p> - -<p> -But the Cardinal de Lorraine gazed sternly at his sister-in-law. -</p> - -<p> -"A little more firmness, Madame," said he, harshly. "Remember that you -are of the blood of D'Este and the wife of the Duc de Guise." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, and that is just why I am so troubled!" retorted the duchess. "No -mother ever had better cause for suffering; for all this bloodshed and -all the hatred aroused by this day's work will fall upon our innocent -children." -</p> - -<p> -"How weak women are!" muttered the cardinal, who was an arrant coward. -</p> - -<p> -"However," said the Duc de Nemours, "one does not need to be a woman to -be touched by this mournful picture. Tell me, Prince," said he to -Monsieur de Condé, "are not you moved by it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, ho!" sneered the cardinal; "the prince is a soldier, accustomed to -see death in all forms." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, on the battle-field," replied the prince, courageously; "but upon -the scaffold, and in cold blood,—that's quite another matter!" -</p> - -<p> -"Has a prince of the blood so much pity for rebels, pray?" It was again -the sneering voice of Charles de Lorraine which asked the question. -</p> - -<p> -"I have unlimited pity and sympathy," retorted the prince, "for gallant -officers who have always worthily served their king and country." -</p> - -<p> -What more could the prince do or say in his position, himself the object -of suspicion? The Duc de Nemours understood, and addressed himself next -to the queen-mother. -</p> - -<p> -"See, Madame, but one remains," said he, without calling Castelnau's -name. "Can we not at least save him?" -</p> - -<p> -"I can do nothing," replied Catherine, turning her head away. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the unfortunate Castelnau was ascending the steps to the -scaffold, singing as he went,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Dieu <i>me</i> soit doux et favorable,</span><br /> -<span class="i4"><i>Me</i> bénissant par sa bonté,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Et de son visage adorable</span><br /> -<span class="i4"><i>Me</i> fasse luire sa clarté."<a name="FNanchor_9_1" id="FNanchor_9_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_1" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -The people, deeply affected, forgot the fear inspired by spies and -<i>mouchards</i>, and cried as with one voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Mercy, mercy!" -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Nemours was struggling at that moment to soften the heart of -the young Duc d'Orléans. -</p> - -<p> -"Monseigneur," said he, "have you forgotten that it was Castelnau who, -in this same town of Amboise, saved the life of the late Duc d'Orléans, -when it was in great danger during an <i>émeute</i>?" -</p> - -<p> -"I will do whatever my mother decides," replied the Duc d'Orléans. -</p> - -<p> -"But," said the Duc de Nemours, imploringly, "if you would but address -the king; a single word from you—" -</p> - -<p> -"I tell you again," rejoined the young prince, dryly, "that I await my -mother's commands." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Prince!" said the Duc de Nemours, reproachfully. -</p> - -<p> -He made a motion to Gabriel expressive of discouragement and despair. -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon the clerk read slowly,— -</p> - -<p> -"Michel Jean Louis, Baron de Castelnau-Chalosses, accused and convicted -of the crime of <i>lèse-majesté</i>, of heresy, and an attack upon the -king's person." -</p> - -<p> -"I call my judges themselves to witness," cried Castelnau, "that the -declaration is false,—unless, indeed, it be <i>lèse-majesté</i> to -oppose with all my strength the tyranny of the Guises. If it is to be -understood in that way, they should have begun by declaring them kings. -Perhaps it will yet come to that; but it will be for those who survive -me to deal with that matter." -</p> - -<p> -Addressing the executioner, he said in a firm voice,— -</p> - -<p> -"Now do your office." -</p> - -<p> -But the headsman, who noticed some commotion in the galleries, pretended -to be arranging his axe so as to gain time. -</p> - -<p> -"The axe is dull, Monsieur le Baron," he said in a low voice; "and you -are surely worthy to die at a single blow. And who knows but that a -moment more—It seems to me that something of good omen for you is -going on down below there." -</p> - -<p> -Again the people cried,— -</p> - -<p> -"Mercy! mercy!" -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, losing all self-control at that supreme moment, ventured to cry -aloud to Mary Stuart,— -</p> - -<p> -"Mercy, Madame the Queen!" -</p> - -<p> -Mary turned, met Gabriel's heart-rending glance, and understood his -despairing cry. -</p> - -<p> -Bending her knee before the king, she said,— -</p> - -<p> -"Sire, this mercy at least; I ask it of you on my knees!" -</p> - -<p> -"Sire," cried the Duc de Nemours, "has not enough blood been shed? And -yet, you know, there should be mercy in the king's countenance." -</p> - -<p> -François, trembling in every limb, seemed struck by these words. He -seized the queen's hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Remember, Sire," said the stern voice of the nuncio, who wished to -recall the king to a more severe view of his duty,—"remember that you -are the very Christian king." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I do remember it," replied François II., firmly. "Let mercy be -shown to the Baron de Castelnau!" -</p> - -<p> -But the Cardinal de Lorraine, feigning to misinterpret the meaning of -the king's first phrase, had made an imperative sign to the executioner. -</p> - -<p> -As François pronounced the word "mercy," Castelnau's head rolled upon -the planks of the scaffold. -</p> - -<p> -The next day the Prince de Condé set out for Navarre. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_1" id="Footnote_5_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_1"><span class="label">[5]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"O Lord, to us be merciful,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">"And bless us with Thy grace,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">"And show unto our humble hearts</span><br /> -<span class="i2">The brightness of Thy face."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_1" id="Footnote_6_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_1"><span class="label">[6]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">""O Lord, to us be merciful,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">And bless us with Thy grace,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">"And show unto our humble hearts</span><br /> -<span class="i2">The brightness of Thy face."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_1" id="Footnote_7_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_1"><span class="label">[7]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">""Thou hast put us to the proof when we</span><br /> -<span class="i2">To Thy guidance did aspire;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">"Like gold, Thou hast refined us</span><br /> -<span class="i2">By the ordeal of fire."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_1" id="Footnote_8_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_1"><span class="label">[8]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">""Into the snare our foes have laid</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Thou, Lord, hast made us fall;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">"And there, fast hound, we lie, and wait</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Thy word, O Lord of all!"</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_1" id="Footnote_9_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_1"><span class="label">[9]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">""O Lord, to <i>me</i> be merciful,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">And bless <i>me</i> with Thy grace,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">"And show unto <i>my</i> humble heart</span><br /> -<span class="i2">The brightness of Thy face."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap30"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXX -<br /><br /> -ANOTHER SPECIMEN OF POLITICS</h4> - -<p> -From the day of that fatal execution, the feeble health of François II. -grew steadily worse. -</p> - -<p> -Seven months later (at the end of November, 1560), the court being then -at Orléans, where the States-General had been convoked by the Duc de -Guise, the poor boy-king of seventeen was obliged to take to his bed. -</p> - -<p> -Beside that bed of sorrow where Mary Stuart prayed and watched and wept, -a most interesting drama depended for its conclusion upon the life or -death of the son of Henri II. -</p> - -<p> -The real question, although others were interested in its solution, lay -between a pale woman and a sinister-looking man, who were seated side by -side in the evening of December 4 a few steps from the sleeping invalid, -and from Mary, who was weeping silently at his pillow. -</p> - -<p> -The man was Charles de Lorraine, the woman Catherine de Médicis. -</p> - -<p> -The revengeful queen-mother, who had at first been as one dead after the -struggle which we have related at the accession of her son, had awakened -during the last eight months, since the "Tumult of Amboise." -</p> - -<p> -This, in brief, is what she had done in the bitterness of her hatred -against the Guises: she had entered into a secret alliance with the -Prince de Condé and Antoine de Bourbon; she had effected a -reconciliation secretly with the old Constable de Montmorency. Nought -but hatred can cause hatred to be forgotten. -</p> - -<p> -Her new and ill-assorted friends, urged on by her, had fomented -rebellion in various provinces, had aroused Dauphiné under Montbrun, -and Provence under the brothers Mouvans, and had caused an attempt to be -made upon Lyons by Maligny. -</p> - -<p> -The Guises, on their side, were by no means asleep. They had assembled -the States-General at Orléans, and had taken care to have a majority -devoted to them. -</p> - -<p> -Then, too, they had summoned the King of Navarre and the Prince de -Condé to attend the States-General, as was their right. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis sent warning after warning to the princes to -dissuade them from putting themselves in their enemy's power; but their -duty called them, and the Cardinal de Lorraine gave them the king's word -as a pledge of their security. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore they came to Orléans. -</p> - -<p> -The very day of their arrival Antoine de Navarre was consigned to a -certain house in the city where he was kept continually in sight, and -the Prince de Condé was cast into prison. -</p> - -<p> -Then an extraordinary commission issued to try the prince; and he was -condemned to death at Orléans by the procurement of the Guises,—the -very man whose innocence the Duc de Guise himself at Amboise had -announced his willingness to answer for with his sword. -</p> - -<p> -Only one or two signatures were still to be procured, which the -Chancellor l'Hôpital was delaying, before the sentence would be -executed. -</p> - -<p> -The foregoing statement will serve to show how matters stood on the -evening of the 4th of December, as regards the party of the Guises, of -which Le Balafré was the arm and the cardinal the head, and the Bourbon -faction, of which Catherine de Médicis was the secret soul. -</p> - -<p> -Everything depended, for both sides, upon the expiring breath of the -anointed youth. -</p> - -<p> -If François II. could only live a few days longer, the Prince de Condé -would be executed, the King of Navarre might be accidentally slain in -some altercation, and Catherine de Médicis banished to Florence. So far -as the States-General were concerned, the Guises were masters, and if -necessary, kings. -</p> - -<p> -If, on the other hand, the young king should die before his uncles were -relieved of their enemies, the struggle would begin again, with the -chances against them rather than in their favor. -</p> - -<p> -Therefore what Catherine de Médicis and Charles de Lorraine were -waiting and watching for with such an anguish of interest on that cold -night of the 4th of December, in that apartment in the city of Orléans, -was not so much the life or death of their royal son and nephew as the -triumph or defeat of their cause. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart alone watched over her young, dearly loved husband without -thinking what loss his death might entail upon her. -</p> - -<p> -However, we must not think that the bitter antagonism of the -queen-mother and the cardinal betrayed itself to outside observers in -their manners or their conversation. On the contrary, they had never -seemed to be more confiding or more affectionate to each other. -</p> - -<p> -At the moment at which we look in upon them, taking advantage of -François's slumber, they were talking in a low voice and in the most -friendly way imaginable about their most secret interests and their -inmost thoughts. -</p> - -<p> -For the better to conform to that Italian policy of which we have -already given specimens, Catherine had sedulously dissembled her -underhand proceedings, and Charles de Lorraine had always pretended to -know nothing of them. -</p> - -<p> -Thus they had not ceased to converse as allies and as friends. They were -like two gamblers, each of whom cheats loyally for his own side, and who -openly use cogged dice against each other. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame," the cardinal was saying,—"yes, that stubborn -Chancellor de l'Hôpital obstinately refuses to sign the decree for the -prince's death. Ah! you were indeed in the right, Madame, six months ago, -to oppose his succession to Olivier so vigorously! If I had only understood -you then!" -</p> - -<p> -"What? is it absolutely impossible to overcome his resistance?" asked -Catherine, who had in reality instructed the chancellor to resist. -</p> - -<p> -"I have tried flattery and threats," Charles de Lorraine replied, "and -have found him inflexible." -</p> - -<p> -"Suppose Monsieur le Duc should try his hand?" -</p> - -<p> -"Nothing will move that Auvergne mule," said the cardinal. "Besides, my -brother has declared that he does not propose to meddle in the affair at -all." -</p> - -<p> -"It becomes embarrassing," remarked Catherine, secretly delighted beyond -expression. -</p> - -<p> -"There is one way, however," said the cardinal, "by resorting to which -we can get along without all the chancellors in the world." -</p> - -<p> -"Is there, indeed? What way is that?" cried the queen-mother, uneasily. -</p> - -<p> -"To have the decree signed by the king." -</p> - -<p> -"By the king!" echoed Catherine. "But can he do it? Has he the right?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," replied the cardinal, "we have proceeded thus far in this very -matter by the advice of the best jurists, who have declared that the -matter may be pushed forward to judgment in spite of the prince's -refusal to reply." -</p> - -<p> -"But what will the chancellor say?" cried Catherine, really alarmed. -</p> - -<p> -"He will grumble, as he always does," replied the cardinal, calmly; "he -will threaten to resign the seals." -</p> - -<p> -"And if he does really carry out his threat?" -</p> - -<p> -"It will be doubly advantageous, for we shall be well rid of a most -inconvenient critic." -</p> - -<p> -"When do you propose that this decree should be signed?" asked -Catherine, after a pause. -</p> - -<p> -"To-night, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"And you will cause it to be executed—?" -</p> - -<p> -"To-morrow." -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother absolutely shuddered, for the blow was sudden. -</p> - -<p> -"To-night! to-morrow! you do not reflect," she replied. "The king is too -ill and weak, and his intellect is not clear enough to understand what -you mean to ask of him." -</p> - -<p> -"There is no necessity that he should understand, provided that he -signs," retorted the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"But his hand is not strong enough to hold a pen." -</p> - -<p> -"It can be guided for him," taking keen delight in the alarm which he -saw depicted in the expression of his dear foe. -</p> - -<p> -"Listen," said Catherine, very gravely. "I must give you a warning and -some good advice. My poor son's end is nearer than you think. Do you -know what Chapelain, the first physician, told me?—that he did not -think the king would be alive to-morrow evening, unless by a miracle." -</p> - -<p> -"So much the more reason for us to hasten," said the cardinal, coldly. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," rejoined Catherine, "but if François II. is not alive to-morrow, -Charles IX. reigns; and the King of Navarre will perhaps be regent. What -a terrible reckoning would he demand for the infamous punishment of his -brother? Would you not be in your turn tried and condemned?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, well, Madame, he who risks nothing has nothing!" cried the -cardinal, with angry warmth. "Besides, who says that Antoine de Navarre -will be appointed regent? Who says that this Chapelain is not mistaken? -Bah! the king is alive now!" -</p> - -<p> -"Not so loud! not so loud, uncle!" said Mary Stuart, rising in fright. -"You will wake the king! See! you have waked him." -</p> - -<p> -"Mary, where are you?" said the feeble voice of François. -</p> - -<p> -"Here, always by your side, dear Sire," replied Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, how I suffer!" groaned the poor youth. "My head is as if it were on -fire; and this pain in my ear is like a continual sword-thrust. Even in -my sleep I have continued to suffer. Ah! all is at an end with me; all -is at an end!" -</p> - -<p> -"Don't say so! oh, don't say so!" replied Mary, struggling to restrain -her tears. -</p> - -<p> -"My memory is failing," said François. "Have I received the Holy -Sacrament? I wish to do so as soon as possible." -</p> - -<p> -"All your duties shall be fulfilled, dear Sire; do not be anxious about -them." -</p> - -<p> -"I want to see my confessor, Monsieur de Brichanteau." -</p> - -<p> -"He will be with you immediately," said Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Are prayers being said for me?" asked the king. -</p> - -<p> -"I have hardly ceased since the morning." -</p> - -<p> -"Poor dear Mary! Where is Chapelain?" -</p> - -<p> -"In the next room, ready to answer your call. Your mother and my uncle -the cardinal are there also. Do you wish to see them, Sire?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no; none but you, Mary!" said the dying man. "Turn a little this -way—there—so that I may at least see you once more." -</p> - -<p> -"Courage!" replied Mary. "God is so kind! and I pray to Him with such a -full heart." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, the pain!" moaned François. "I cannot see, and can scarcely hear. -Give me your hand, Mary." -</p> - -<p> -"There! rest upon me," said Mary, soothingly, supporting the small pale -face of her husband upon her shoulder. -</p> - -<p> -"My soul to God! my heart to thee, Mary! Forever! Alas! to die at -seventeen!" -</p> - -<p> -"No, no! you shall not die!" cried Mary. "What ill have we done to God -on high that He should thus afflict us?" -</p> - -<p> -"Do not weep, Mary," said the king. "We shall meet again above. I regret -nothing in this world but you. If I could carry you with me, I should be -glad to die. The journey to heaven is even more beautiful than that to -Italy; and then, too, I fear that without me you will never know any -joy. They will make you suffer,—you will be cold and lonely; they -will kill you, my poor dear heart! It is that which afflicts me much more -than death." -</p> - -<p> -The king sank back upon his pillow exhausted, and maintained a dejected -silence. -</p> - -<p> -"But you shall not die; you shall not die, Sire!" cried Mary. "Listen, I -have a great hope. One chance in which I have faith is left us." -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean?" Catherine de Médicis, drawing near in her amazement, -interrupted her. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," continued Mary Stuart, "the king may yet he and shall be saved. -Something within me tells me that all these physicians by whom he is -surrounded and wearied to death are ignorant and blind. But there is a -skilful man, learned and famous,—a man who preserved my uncle's life -at Calais—" -</p> - -<p> -"Master Ambroise Paré?" suggested the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Master Ambroise Paré!" Mary repeated. "They say that this man ought -not to have the king's life in his hands, and would himself prefer not -to; that he is a heretic and accursed; and that even if he would accept -the responsibility of such a case, it ought not to be intrusted to him." -</p> - -<p> -"That is very certain," said the queen-mother, scornfully. -</p> - -<p> -"What! if I intrust it to him myself?" cried Mary. "Can a man of genius -be a traitor! A great man, Madame, is always a good man." -</p> - -<p> -"But," said the cardinal, "my brother has not delayed thinking of -Ambroise Paré until to-day. He has already been approached." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, but who have been sent to him?" retorted Mary,—"those who took -no interest in the matter, or even his enemies, perhaps. But I sent a -trusted friend to him, and he will come." -</p> - -<p> -"It will take some time for him to come from Paris," observed Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"He is on the way; in fact, he ought to have arrived," rejoined the -young queen. "The friend of whom I spoke promised to bring him here -to-day." -</p> - -<p> -"Who is this mysterious friend, pray?" asked the queen-mother. -</p> - -<p> -"Comte Gabriel de Montgommery, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -Before Catherine had time to utter a word, Dayelle, Mary's first -lady-in-waiting, came in and said to her mistress,— -</p> - -<p> -"Comte Gabriel de Montgommery is below, and awaits Madame's commands." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, let him come in! let him come in!" cried Mary, eagerly. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap31"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXXI -<br /><br /> -A RAY OF HOPE</h4> - -<p> -"One moment!" interposed Catherine de Médicis, in a cold, hard voice. -"Before allowing that man to enter, pray wait at least until I can take -my leave. If it pleases you to intrust the life of the son to him who -cut short the life of the father, I, at all events, do not propose to -meet the murderer of my husband again, or hear his voice. Therefore I -enter my protest against his presence in this place, and withdraw at his -approach." -</p> - -<p> -She did, in fact, leave the room without bestowing a glance upon her -dying son or giving him a mother's farewell blessing. -</p> - -<p> -Was it because the detested name of Gabriel de Montgommery recalled to -her mind the first outrage the late king had put upon her? It may be so; -nevertheless, it is certain that she had no such horror as she pretended -of the sight of Gabriel and the sound of his voice; for when she -withdrew to her own apartment, which adjoined that of the king, she was -careful to leave the door half open, and had no sooner closed another -door which opened upon a corridor quite deserted at that late hour than -she applied both eye and ear to the aperture, in order to see and hear -what took place after her abrupt departure. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel appeared, ushered in by Dayelle, and knelt to kiss the hand the -queen held out to him, before making a profound salutation to the -cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Well?" asked Mary Stuart, anxiously. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame, I have prevailed upon Master Paré," said Gabriel. "He is -below." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, thank you, thank you, my faithful friend!" cried Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Pray, Madame, is the king failing?" said Gabriel, in a low voice, -casting an uneasy glance at the bed, where François II. lay without -color or motion. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! he never seems to gain," replied the queen; "and I was very -impatient to see you. Did Master Ambroise object seriously to coming?" -</p> - -<p> -"No, Madame," replied Gabriel. "He had already been sent for, but in -such a way, he told me, as to invite a refusal. He was expected to bind -himself in advance, upon his life and his honor, to save the king, when -he had not even seen him. He was given to understand that, being himself -a Protestant, he was open to the suspicion of desiring the death of a -persecutor of Protestants. In short, he was treated with such insulting -distrust, and such severe conditions were imposed upon him, that unless -he had been utterly devoid of self-respect, to say nothing of caution, -he must unavoidably have been led to hold himself aloof. He did so, to -his great regret, and was not urged any further by those who had been -sent to him." -</p> - -<p> -"Can it be that our intentions were thus misrepresented to Master -Paré?" the Cardinal de Lorraine hastily interposed. "Yet my brother and -myself have sent to him two or three times, and have been always told of -his obstinate refusal to come, and his extraordinary suspicions. We -believed those whom we sent to seek him to be most trustworthy!" -</p> - -<p> -"But were they really so, Monseigneur?" asked Gabriel. "Master Paré -thinks otherwise, now that I have told him your real sentiments toward -him, and the queen's kind words. He is convinced that, unknown to you, -persistent efforts have been made for some guilty purpose to keep him -from the king's bedside." -</p> - -<p> -"It must be so," returned Charles de Lorraine; "I recognize the -queen-mother's hand in this," he muttered, "for she is deeply interested -that her son should not be saved. But will she thus corrupt all those -upon whose devotion we rely? This is a counterpart of the appointment of -her friend L'Hôpital! How she does make sport of us!" -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart, meanwhile, leaving the cardinal to his reflections upon -what had taken place, and his anxiety as to what was to come, was saying -to Gabriel,— -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Paré did finally come with you, did he not?" -</p> - -<p> -"At my first request," replied the young count. -</p> - -<p> -"And he is here?" -</p> - -<p> -"Awaiting only your gracious permission to enter, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Pray let him come in at once!" cried Mary Stuart. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel de Montgommery went for a moment to the door at which he had -entered, and returned with the surgeon. -</p> - -<p> -Sheltered behind her door, Catherine de Médicis was still watching, -more engrossed than ever. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart ran forward to meet Ambroise, took his hand, led him herself -to the cherished patient's bedside, and said on the way, as if to cut -short all complimentary salutations,— -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks to you for coming, Master Paré. I relied upon your zeal to do -good, even as I now rely upon your skill. Come quickly; come to the -king!" -</p> - -<p> -Ambroise Paré, yielding to the queen's restless impatience, without -having time to utter a word, was soon standing by the bed where -François II., vanquished by suffering, so to speak, had only sufficient -strength to breathe, almost imperceptibly and with a feeble, moaning -sound. -</p> - -<p> -The great physician stood a moment gazing at the young face, drawn and -emaciated by suffering. -</p> - -<p> -Then he stooped over the king, who was to him only a patient, and felt -and probed the terrible swelling of the right ear with a touch as light -and gentle as Mary's own. -</p> - -<p> -The king instinctively recognized the touch of a physician, and yielded -to it without opening his heavy eyes. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, such agony!" he moaned piteously; "such agony! Can you do nothing -to relieve me?" -</p> - -<p> -The light was too far away for Ambroise's purpose, and he made a sign to -Gabriel to bring it nearer; but Mary seized it first, and herself held -it for the surgeon while he made a long and careful examination of the -seat of pain. -</p> - -<p> -This silent, minute study lasted perhaps ten minutes; at the end of -which Ambroise Paré rose to an erect posture again, and let the -bed-curtain fall, apparently deeply absorbed in meditating upon his -diagnosis. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart, waiting breathlessly, did not dare to ask him a question, -lest she might disturb the current of his thoughts; but she scanned his -features in an anguish of suspense. What would be his decision? -</p> - -<p> -The famous physician sadly shook his head; and the movement seemed to -the distracted queen like a sentence of death. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh!" she exclaimed at last, unable to control her anxiety any longer; -"pray tell me, is there no chance of saving him?" -</p> - -<p> -"There is but one, Madame," replied Ambroise Paré. -</p> - -<p> -"Is there even one?" cried the queen. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame; and although, alas! it is not an absolutely certain one, -still it exists, and I should be very hopeful if—" -</p> - -<p> -"If?" asked Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"If the man to be saved were not the king, Madame." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, that indeed!" cried Mary; "treat him, and save him as if he were -the meanest of his subjects!" -</p> - -<p> -"But suppose I fail?" demanded Ambroise; "for God alone is master. Shall -I not be accused of having caused his death, being, as I am, a Huguenot? -Might not such an awfully heavy responsibility unnerve me and make my -hand tremble, when I should be in need of such absolute calmness and -self-confidence?" -</p> - -<p> -"Listen," was Mary's reply: "if he lives, I will bless you all my life, -and if—if he dies, I will defend you to the death. Therefore make the -effort! make the effort, I beg, I implore you! Since you say it is the -last and only chance, for the love of God, do not let it pass, for it -would be a crime!" -</p> - -<p> -"You are right, Madame," said Ambroise, "and I will try,—that is, if -I am allowed; if you yourself will allow me, for I cannot conceal from you -that the remedy to which I must resort is an extreme and unusual one, -and, so far as appearances go, violent and dangerous." -</p> - -<p> -"Really?" said Mary, trembling like a leaf; "and is there no other?" -</p> - -<p> -"No other, Madame! There is still time to employ it; in twenty-four -hours at the utmost, and perhaps in twelve, it will be too late. An -abscess has formed in the king's head; and unless it is relieved and -discharged by a speedy operation, it will burst upon the brain and cause -death." -</p> - -<p> -"Must you therefore operate upon the king immediately?" said the -cardinal. "I will not take the responsibility upon myself." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, you see that you already begin to doubt me!" said Ambroise. "No, I -must have the daylight; and besides, I need the rest of the night to -think it over, to get my hand in practice, and make one or two -experiments. But to-morrow morning, at nine o'clock, I will be here. -Please be here then, Madame, and you, Monseigneur; I should be glad if -Monsieur le Lieutenant-General would also attend, in order that those -whose devotion to the king is well tried may be present; but no -others,—as few physicians as possible. I will then explain what I -propose to do, and if you authorize me to proceed, with God's grace, I -will try the last chance He has left us." -</p> - -<p> -"And is there no danger before to-morrow?" the queen asked. -</p> - -<p> -"No, Madame," said Master Paré. "But it is most essential that the king -should rest quietly, and gather strength for the operation he is to -undergo. I will mix with the harmless beverage I see on the table two -drops of this elixir," he added, suiting the action to the word. "Let -the king take this immediately, Madame, and he will at once fall into a -deep, untroubled sleep. Watch him carefully, watch him yourself, if -possible, to see that his sleep be not disturbed." -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear! I will answer for that," replied Mary. "I will not leave -his side to-night." -</p> - -<p> -"That is of the utmost importance," said Ambroise. "Now I can do nothing -more here, and I ask your permission to retire, Madame,—still to -devote myself to the king, however, and to prepare for my great task." -</p> - -<p> -"Go, good Master, go!" said Mary; "and accept in advance my thanks and -blessing. Until to-morrow!" -</p> - -<p> -"Until to-morrow, Madame," replied Ambrose Paré. "Be of good cheer!" -</p> - -<p> -"I shall not cease to pray," said Mary. "And you also, Monsieur le -Comte, once more I thank you," she continued, addressing Gabriel. "You -are of those of whom Master Paré has spoken, whose devotion to the king -has been put to the proof; therefore come to-morrow, I beg you, to give -your illustrious friend the moral support of your presence." -</p> - -<p> -"I will be here, Madame," said Gabriel, as he withdrew with the surgeon -after respectfully saluting the queen and the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, and I will be here too," said Catherine de Médicis to herself -from her post of observation,—"yes, I will be here; for this Paré is -quite capable of saving the king's life with his great skill, and of -thus destroying his own party, as well as the prince and myself. The -imbecile! But I will be here!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap32"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXXII -<br /><br /> -WELL-GUARDED SLUMBER</h4> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis remained at her post for some time, although none -but Mary Stuart and the cardinal were left in the king's chamber; but -she neither saw nor heard anything of interest. The queen administered -the sleeping-draught to François, who seemed, as Ambroise Paré had -promised, to fall at once into a more peaceful slumber. Then everything -was still. The cardinal, seated in his chair, was deep in thought; while -Mary, on her knees, was pouring out her very soul in prayer. -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother softly withdrew to her own room to imitate the -cardinal's reflective mood. -</p> - -<p> -If she had remained a few moments longer, however, she would have -witnessed a scene quite worthy of herself. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart, rising from her knees, said to the cardinal,— -</p> - -<p> -"There is no reason why you should stay to watch with me, dear uncle; -for I intend to remain here till the king awakes. Dayelle, the -physicians, and the servants in attendance will be quite sufficient for -any emergency that can arise; so that you may go and take a little rest. -I will send to you if it is necessary." -</p> - -<p> -"No," said the cardinal; "the Duc de Guise, who has been delayed by a -number of pressing matters, told me that before he retired he would come -to learn the latest news of the king, and I promised to await him here. -Hark! do I not hear his step now?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, don't let him make any noise!" cried Mary, rushing to the door to -warn Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise entered, pale and excited. He saluted the queen, but in -his preoccupation did not think to ask for the king's welfare; he went -straight to his brother, and led him aside to a window-recess. -</p> - -<p> -"Terrible news!" he began,—"a veritable thunder-stroke!" -</p> - -<p> -"In Heaven's name, what is it?" asked the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"The Constable de Montmorency has left Chantilly with fifteen hundred -gentlemen," said the Duc de Guise. "The better to conceal his movements, -he made a detour around Paris, and came from Ecouen and Corbeil to -Pithiviers by the valley of Essonne. He will be at the gates of Orléans -with his troop to-morrow; and I have just received warning of his -coming." -</p> - -<p> -"That is indeed terrible!" said the cardinal. "The old villain wishes to -save his nephew's head. I will warrant that it was the queen-mother who -notified him. Oh, this feeling of utter helplessness against that -woman!" -</p> - -<p> -"This is no time to proceed against her, but to bestir ourselves in our -own interests," said Le Balafré. "What shall we do?" -</p> - -<p> -"Go at once with our forces to meet the constable," replied Charles de -Lorraine. -</p> - -<p> -"Will you guarantee to hold Orléans when I am no longer here with my -troops?" -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! no,—indeed, I cannot," replied the cardinal. "All the Orléans -people are disaffected,—Huguenots and Bourbons at heart. But in any -event the States-General are on our side." -</p> - -<p> -"And L'Hôpital against us, remember, my brother. Ah, it is a hard -position? How does the king?" the duke asked finally, danger reminding -him of his last resource. -</p> - -<p> -"The king is in bad condition," was the cardinal's reply; "but Ambroise -Paré, who has come to Orléans at the queen's request (I will explain -this to you later), still hopes to save the king by a hazardous but -necessary operation to-morrow morning, which may have happy results. Do -not fail to be here at nine o'clock, brother, to sustain Ambroise, if -need be." -</p> - -<p> -"Surely I will be here," rejoined Le Balafré, "for that is our only -hope. Our authority would die with François's last breath; but on the -other hand, it would be a fine thing to frighten the constable, and -perhaps make him retrace his steps, by sending him, by way of a welcome, -the head of his handsome nephew, De Condé." -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, that would be a very eloquent greeting, in my opinion," said the -cardinal, reflectively. -</p> - -<p> -"But this infernal L'Hôpital impedes everything!" exclaimed Le -Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -"If we had the king's signature upon the decree for the prince's death, -instead of L'Hôpital's," suggested Charles de Lorraine, "there would be -no further difficulty, brother,—am I not right?—about this -execution taking place to-morrow morning before Montmorency's arrival, and -before Master Paré's operation." -</p> - -<p> -"That would not be strictly legal; but it would be possible," replied Le -Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -"Very well, then!" cried Charles de Lorraine, eagerly. "Leave me here, -my brother; there is nothing more for you to do to-night, and you must -need rest, for two o'clock will soon strike. You must husband your -strength for to-morrow. Retire, and leave me here. I mean to make a -desperate effort myself to retrieve our fortunes." -</p> - -<p> -"What is it to be?" the duke asked. "Pray, take no definite step without -first consulting me, brother." -</p> - -<p> -"Never fear! If I have what I want, I will wake you before daybreak to -perfect our plans." -</p> - -<p> -"Very well," said Le Balafré; "with this assurance I will retire, for -it is true that I am exhausted. But be cautious!" -</p> - -<p> -He said a few consoling words to Mary Stuart, and left the room with as -little noise as possible. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the cardinal had seated himself at a table, and was making a -copy of the decree of the commission, of which he had the original -before him. -</p> - -<p> -That done, he rose and walked toward the king's bed. But Mary Stuart -stood erect in front of him, and stopped him with a gesture. -</p> - -<p> -"Where are you going?" said she, in a low tone, but firmly, and with -signs of growing anger. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame," replied the cardinal, "it is important, indispensable, that -the king should sign this paper." -</p> - -<p> -"What is most important, and most indispensable, is that the king should -rest quietly," said Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Let me have his name at the bottom of this writing, Madame, and I will -importune you no more." -</p> - -<p> -"But you will awake him," retorted the queen; "and I do not choose that -you shall. Besides, he is not capable of holding a pen at this moment." -</p> - -<p> -"I will hold it for him," said the cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"I have told you that I will not have it!" replied Mary Stuart, -authoritatively. -</p> - -<p> -The cardinal stopped a moment, amazed at this obstacle, which he had -never dreamed of. -</p> - -<p> -Then he continued in his most insinuating tones,— -</p> - -<p> -"Listen to me, Madame,—my dear niece, listen to me; I will tell you -what is at stake. You understand very well that I would respect the -king's repose if I were not constrained by the most urgent necessity. It -is our fortune and yours, our welfare and yours, which are at stake. -Understand me. This paper must be signed before daybreak, or we are -lost!—lost, I tell you." -</p> - -<p> -"That does not concern me," said Mary, calmly. -</p> - -<p> -"Indeed it does! Once more I tell you, our ruin is your ruin, child that -you are!" -</p> - -<p> -"Even so, what does it matter to me?" the queen replied. "Do you suppose -I concern myself with your ambition? My ambition is to save my beloved, -to preserve his life if I can, and meanwhile to guard his priceless -repose. Master Paré constituted me the guardian of the king's slumber. -I forbid you to disturb it, Monsieur! Understand me! I forbid you! If -the king dies, my royalty dies too!—it is all one to me! But as long -as one breath remains in his body, I will defend it against the hateful -demands of your intrigues. I have contributed more than I ought, my -uncle, to the strengthening of your power and influence when my -François was still well and strong; but I take your power from your -hands again as soon as I have to concern myself with forcing respect to -be shown to what may be the last hours of peace on earth that God will -vouchsafe this poor life. The king, Master Paré said, would need -to-morrow all of the little strength he has left. No one on earth, on -any pretext whatsoever, shall deprive him of one moment of this -refreshing slumber." -</p> - -<p> -"But when the motive is such an important and urgent one?" said the -cardinal. -</p> - -<p> -"Upon no pretext whatever shall any one on earth awaken the king," -repeated Mary, firmly. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, but it must be done!" retorted the cardinal, ashamed at last of -having been so long delayed by the unaided resistance of a mere child, -and she his niece. "The interests of State, Madame, are not consistent -with these sentimental considerations. The king's signature is essential -to me at once; and I will have it." -</p> - -<p> -"You shall not have it, Monsieur le Cardinal," replied Mary. -</p> - -<p> -The cardinal took a step toward the king's bedside, but again Mary -Stuart faced him and barred his passage. -</p> - -<p> -The queen and the minister looked in each other's eyes for an instant, -each as excited and angry as the other. -</p> - -<p> -"I will pass," said Charles de Lorraine, in a quick, short voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Do you dare to lay your hand upon me, Monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -"My niece!" -</p> - -<p> -"Your niece no longer, but your queen!" -</p> - -<p> -These words were uttered in so firm, and withal dignified and queenly a -tone, that the astonished cardinal recoiled. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, your queen," Mary continued; "and if you approach one step nearer, -or make another motion, as if to make your way to the king, I will go to -that door; I will call those who are on guard there; and though you be -my uncle, though you be minister and cardinal, I, your queen, will order -your arrest upon the spot, as guilty of <i>lèse-majesté</i>." -</p> - -<p> -"Such a scandal!" muttered the cardinal, in affright. -</p> - -<p> -"Which of us is responsible for it, Monsieur?" -</p> - -<p> -The sparkling eye, the inflated nostrils, the heaving bosom of the young -queen, and her whole determined bearing were a sufficient guarantee that -she would carry out her threat. -</p> - -<p> -And then, too, she was so lovely and so haughty, and withal so touching, -that even the priest, with his heart of bronze, felt moved and beaten. -</p> - -<p> -The man yielded to the child; and the affairs of State obeyed the cry of -natural affection. -</p> - -<p> -"Well!" said the cardinal, drawing a long breath, "I will wait, then, -until the king awakes." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks!" said Mary, resuming the gentle and melancholy demeanor which -had become customary to her since the king's illness. -</p> - -<p> -"But as soon as he awakes—" continued Charles. -</p> - -<p> -"If he is then in condition to hear what you have to say, and do what -you wish, I will interpose no further obstacle." -</p> - -<p> -The cardinal was perforce contented with this promise. He returned to -his seat at the table, and Mary to her <i>prie-Dieu</i>,—he waiting, -and she hoping. -</p> - -<p> -The slow hours of that night of watching dragged themselves along, and -François II. did not awake. The promise of Ambroise Paré was not a -vain one: not for many nights had the king known such long and peaceful -slumber. -</p> - -<p> -From time to time he made a slight movement or uttered a feeble moan; -sometimes he pronounced a word or a name, generally Mary's. But he would -relapse at once into his deep sleep; and the cardinal, who did not once -fail to rise in haste at the least sound, would return dejectedly to his -seat. -</p> - -<p> -He crumpled in his hand uneasily the useless, fatal decree, which -without the king's signature might well serve for his own death-warrant. -</p> - -<p> -He watched the torches gradually burn out or grow pale, as the cold -December dawn whitened the windows. -</p> - -<p> -At last, as eight o'clock struck, the king moved, then opened his eyes, -and called, "Mary! are you there, Mary?" -</p> - -<p> -"Always at your side," replied the queen. -</p> - -<p> -Charles de Lorraine rushed forward with the paper in his hand. Perhaps -there was time even yet; a scaffold is soon erected. -</p> - -<p> -But at that instant Catherine de Médicis re-entered the royal -apartments by the door leading to her own. -</p> - -<p> -"Too late!" muttered the cardinal. "Ah, fortune turns her back upon us! -Now, if Ambroise does not save the king's life, we are lost indeed!" -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap33"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXXIII -<br /><br /> -A KING'S DEATH-BED</h4> - -<p> -The queen-mother during that night had not thrown away her time. In the -first place, she had sent her creature, Cardinal de Tournon, to the King -of Navarre, and had settled terms with the Bourbons in writing. Then -before daybreak she had received the Chancellor l'Hôpital, and had -learned from him of the expected arrival at Orléans of her ally, the -constable; L'Hôpital, by her instructions, promised to be in the great -hall, which was next to the king's apartments, at nine o'clock, and to -have with him as many of her partisans as he could find. Last of all, -she had made an appointment for half after eight with Chapelain and two -or three others of the royal physicians, whose mediocre talent was the -natural-born enemy of the genius of Ambroise Paré. -</p> - -<p> -Having thus taken her precautions, she was the first, as we have seen, -to enter the king's chamber just as he awoke. She went at once to her -son's bedside, gazed at him for a few moments with bent head, like a -grief-stricken mother, pressed a kiss upon his hand, which was hanging -listlessly down, and wiping away a tear or two, took her seat in such a -position as to have him always in sight. -</p> - -<p> -She, as well as Mary Stuart, was determined from that time on to watch -over that bed of suffering, for her own purposes. -</p> - -<p> -The Duc de Guise entered almost immediately. After exchanging a few -words with Mary, he walked toward his brother. -</p> - -<p> -"Have you done nothing?" he asked. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! I have not been able to do anything," was the reply. -</p> - -<p> -"Fortune is turning against us, then," said the duke. "There is a great -crowd in Antoine de Navarre's antechamber this morning." -</p> - -<p> -"Have you any news of De Montmorency?" -</p> - -<p> -"None at all. I have tried in vain to learn something thus far. He could -not have taken the most direct road, and he may be even now at the gates -of the city. If Ambroise Paré is not successful in his operation, -farewell to our fortune." -</p> - -<p> -At this moment the physicians who had been summoned by Catherine de -Médicis entered. -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother herself led them to the bedside of the king, whose -suffering and groaning had begun again. -</p> - -<p> -The physicians examined the royal patient, each in turn, and then -retired to a corner to consult. Chapelain proposed a poultice to draw -out the foreign matter; but the others declared in favor of injecting a -certain medicated water into the ear. -</p> - -<p> -They were just agreeing on the last-named method when Ambroise Paré -entered, accompanied by Gabriel. After having examined into the king's -condition, he joined his professional brethren. -</p> - -<p> -Ambroise Paré, surgeon to the Duc de Guise, whose professional renown -was already established, was now an authority to be reckoned with. The -physicians told him what they had resolved to do. -</p> - -<p> -"The remedy proposed is inadequate, I am sure," said Ambroise Paré, -aloud; "but we must make haste, for the brain will be filled sooner than -I thought." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, hasten, then, in Heaven's name!" cried Mary Stuart, who had -overheard. -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother and the two Guises thereupon drew near the physicians, -and joined their group. -</p> - -<p> -"Have you any better and more speedy means than ours to suggest, Master -Paré?" asked Chapelain. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes," said Paré. -</p> - -<p> -"What is it?" -</p> - -<p> -"We must trepan the king," said Paré. -</p> - -<p> -"Trepan the king!" cried the three physicians, in tones expressive of -the utmost horror. -</p> - -<p> -"In what does this operation consist?" asked the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -"It is little known as yet, Monseigneur," replied the surgeon. "It -consists in making upon the top of the head, or rather upon the lateral -part of the brain, with an instrument I have invented, called the -'trepan,' an opening about the size of an angelot." -</p> - -<p> -"God of mercy!" cried Catherine de Médicis, indignantly. "Put the knife -to the king's head! And you would dare to do it?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame," replied Ambroise, simply. -</p> - -<p> -"But it would be murder!" exclaimed Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"Why, Madame," added Ambroise, "I propose scientifically and carefully -to bore a hole in the head, which is only what the blind and heedless do -every day upon the battle-field. Yet see how many such wounds are -cured!" -</p> - -<p> -"Will you be answerable for the king's life, Master Ambroise?" asked the -cardinal; "that is the question." -</p> - -<p> -"God alone has the life and death of mortals in His hand, as you should -know better than I, Monsieur le Cardinal. All that I can promise is that -this is the last and only chance of saving the king. Yes, it is the only -chance; but it is only a chance." -</p> - -<p> -"But you say that your operation may be successful, do you not, -Ambroise?" said Le Balafré. "Tell me, have you ever performed it -successfully?" -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monseigneur," replied Paré,—"only a short time since upon -Monsieur de la Bretesche, at the sign of the Red Rose, in Rue de la -Harpe; and to mention a case of which Monseigneur may perhaps have some -knowledge, I performed it at the siege of Calais upon Monsieur de -Pienne, who was wounded while fighting at the breach." -</p> - -<p> -It may have been with intention that Ambroise Paré recalled the memory -of Calais. It is certain that he succeeded, and that the Duc de Guise -seemed moved. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, I remember," said he, "I have no longer any hesitation; I consent -to the operation." -</p> - -<p> -"And so do I," said Mary Stuart, enlightened, no doubt, by her love. -</p> - -<p> -"But not I!" cried Catherine. -</p> - -<p> -"What, Madame! not when you have been told that it is our only chance?" -said Mary. -</p> - -<p> -"Who says so?" demanded the queen-mother. "Master Ambroise Paré, a -heretic, forsooth! Besides, it is not the opinion of the physicians." -</p> - -<p> -"No, Madame," said Chapelain; "and these gentlemen and myself protest -against the remedy that Master Paré proposes." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, do you hear?" cried Catherine, in triumph. -</p> - -<p> -Le Balafré, in great agitation, led the queen-mother into the embrasure -of a window, and said in an undertone, with clinched teeth,— -</p> - -<p> -"Madame, hearken to me! You wish that your son should die, and the -Prince de Condé should live! You are in accord with the Bourbons and -the Montmorencys! The bargain is made, and the spoils divided in -advance! I know everything! Take care! I know everything, I tell you!" -</p> - -<p> -But Catherine de Médicis was not one of those who are easily -intimidated; and the Duc de Guise made a serious mistake. She only -understood the better how essential it was for her to adopt a bold -course, since her enemy thus removed his mask. She cast a withering -glance upon him, and breaking away from his grasp with a sudden -movement, ran to the folding-doors, and herself threw them open to their -fullest extent. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Chancelier!" she cried. -</p> - -<p> -L'Hôpital, according to the orders he had received, was waiting in the -large hall. He had collected there all of the partisans of the -queen-mother and the princes whom he had been able to find. -</p> - -<p> -At Catherine's call he came quickly forward, and the group of nobles -pressed inquisitively toward the open door. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur le Chancelier," continued Catherine, raising her voice that -she might be heard by all, "it is proposed to authorize a violent and -desperate operation upon the person of the king. Master Paré proposes -to pierce his head with an instrument of his own devising. I, his -mother, with these three physicians, protest against this crime. -Monsieur le Chancelier, record my protest." -</p> - -<p> -"Close that door!" cried the Duc de Guise. -</p> - -<p> -Despite the remonstrances of the gentlemen collected in the great hall, -Gabriel did as the duke ordered. -</p> - -<p> -The chancellor alone remained in the king's chamber. -</p> - -<p> -"Now, Monsieur le Chancelier," said Le Balafré, "be pleased to -understand that the operation which has been mentioned is absolutely -necessary; and that the queen and myself, lieutenant-general of the -kingdom, will be answerable, if not for the operation, at all events for -the surgeon." -</p> - -<p> -"And I," cried Ambroise Paré, "at this supreme moment, assume all the -responsibility that you choose to impose upon me; yes, I consent that my -own life may pay the forfeit if I do not succeed in saving the king's. -But, alas! it is full time. Look at the king! look!" -</p> - -<p> -François lay there, livid, without motion, and with dull, lifeless -eyes, and seemed to see and hear nothing,—scarcely to exist, in fact. -He no more responded to Mary's caresses or her beloved voice. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, hasten, hasten, in the name of God!" she said appealingly to -Ambroise. "Oh, try to save the life of the king, and I will protect -yours!" -</p> - -<p> -"I have no right to forbid these proceedings," said the impassive -chancellor; "but it is my duty to state the protest of Madame the -Queen-mother." -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur de l'Hôpital, you are no longer chancellor," rejoined the Duc -de Guise, coldly. "Go on, Ambroise," he said to the surgeon. -</p> - -<p> -"We will withdraw," said Chapelain, speaking for the physicians. -</p> - -<p> -"So be it," replied Ambroise. "I must have most perfect quiet around me; -so leave me, if you please, gentlemen. For the sake of being sole master -for the moment, I assume the sole responsibility." -</p> - -<p> -For some moments Catherine neither spoke nor moved. She had withdrawn to -a window, and was looking out into the courtyard, where there was a -great commotion; but in the crisis that was approaching, no one beside -herself paid any heed to the tumult without. -</p> - -<p> -All others, even the chancellor himself, had their eyes riveted upon -Ambroise Paré, who had resumed the cool demeanor of a great surgeon, -and was making ready his instruments. -</p> - -<p> -But just as he was leaning toward François, the uproar came nearer, and -seemed to be in the adjoining hall. A bitter and joyous smile played -about the bloodless lips of Catherine. The door was violently thrown -open; and the Constable de Montmorency, in full armor, appeared -threateningly upon the threshold. -</p> - -<p> -"I arrive most opportunely," cried the constable. -</p> - -<p> -"What means this intrusion?" demanded the Duc de Guise, laying his hand -upon his sword. -</p> - -<p> -Ambroise Paré had no choice but to stay his hand. Twenty gentlemen -accompanied Montmorency, and poured into the chamber after him. At his -side were Antoine de Navarre and the Prince de Condé. Moreover, the -queen-mother and L'Hôpital joined them. There was no longer any hope of -maintaining the mastery even by force. -</p> - -<p> -"In my turn," said Ambroise Paré, hopelessly, "I withdraw." -</p> - -<p> -"Master Paré," cried Mary Stuart, "I, the queen, command you to proceed -with your operation!" -</p> - -<p> -"But, Madame," replied the surgeon, "I told you that most perfect quiet -was necessary! and you see!" he added expressively, pointing to the -constable and his train. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur Chapelain," said he to the first physician, "try your -injection." -</p> - -<p> -"That will take but an instant," said Chapelain, quickly. "Everything is -prepared." -</p> - -<p> -With the assistance of his <i>confrères</i>, he injected his preparation -into the king's ear. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart, the Guises, Gabriel, and Ambroise allowed them to do as -they chose, and said nothing; they were completely crushed, and as if -turned to stone. -</p> - -<p> -The constable chattered away like a madman. -</p> - -<p> -"This is very well!" said he, well pleased with the forced docility of -Master Paré. "When I think that if it had not been for me you would -have opened the king's head in such fashion! Kings of France are only -wounded so upon the battle-field, do you see? The steel of an enemy may -touch them, but a surgeon's knife never!" -</p> - -<p> -And then, exulting over the dejected attitude of the Duc de Guise, he -continued,— -</p> - -<p> -"It was quite time that I should arrive, thank God! Ah, Messieurs, they -tell me that you proposed to cut off the head of my dear brave nephew, -the Prince de Condé! But you aroused the old lion in his lair, and -behold him! I have delivered the prince; I have addressed the -States-General, who are restive under your oppression. I have, as -constable, dismissed the guards you stationed at the gates of Orléans. -Since when has it been customary thus to furnish guards to the king, as -if he were not safe in the midst of his loyal subjects?" -</p> - -<p> -"Of what king are you speaking?" demanded Ambroise Paré; "for soon -there will be no king save Charles IX.,—for you see, Messieurs," said -he to the physicians, "that despite your injection, the brain is already -affected, and is beginning to be filled." -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis clearly read in the hopeless air of Ambroise that -all hope was at an end. -</p> - -<p> -"Your reign is over, then, Monsieur," she could not forbear remarking to -Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -François II. at that moment suddenly raised himself in bed, opened his -great staring eyes, moved his lips as if struggling to pronounce a name, -then fell heavily back upon his pillow. -</p> - -<p> -He was dead. -</p> - -<p> -Ambroise Paré, with a sorrowful gesture, made the fact known to those -present. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, Madame, Madame! you have killed your son!" cried Mary Stuart to -Catherine, leaping toward her in a frenzy of despair. -</p> - -<p> -The queen-mother bestowed upon her daughter-in-law a venomous, icy -glance, in which shone all the hatred she had concealed for eighteen -months. -</p> - -<p> -"You, my dear," she sneered, "have no longer the right to speak thus, -remember; for you are no longer queen. Ah, I beg your pardon!—queen -of Scotland. And we will send you over as soon as possible to reign in your -land of fogs." -</p> - -<p> -Mary, with the reaction inevitable after her first burst of grief, fell -on her knees, exhausted and sobbing bitterly, at the foot of the bed -where the king was lying. -</p> - -<p> -"Madame de Fiesque," continued Catherine, calmly, "go at once and bring -the Duc d'Orléans." -</p> - -<p> -"Messieurs," she resumed, glancing at the Duc de Guise and the cardinal, -"the States-General, which were devoted to you, it may be, an hour -since, are now at our service, be assured. It is understood between -Monsieur de Bourbon and myself that I shall be queen-regent, and he -lieutenant-general of the kingdom; but you are still grand master, -Monsieur de Guise. Therefore perform the functions of your office, and -announce the demise of King François II." -</p> - -<p> -"The king is dead!" said Le Balafré, in a deep, hollow voice. -</p> - -<p> -The king-at-arms cried aloud on the threshold of the apartment, -according to ancient ceremonial,— -</p> - -<p> -"The king is dead! The king is dead! The king is dead! Pray God for the -salvation of his soul!" -</p> - -<p> -"Long live the king!" replied the first gentleman of the chamber. -</p> - -<p> -At the same moment Madame de Fiesque brought the Duc d'Orléans to the -queen-mother's side, who took him by the hand, and led him out to show -to the courtiers, who were lustily shouting,— -</p> - -<p> -"Long live our good king, Charles IX.!" -</p> - -<p> -"Our fortunes are at an end now!" said the cardinal, gloomily, to his -brother, as they were left standing almost alone. -</p> - -<p> -"Ours, perhaps, but not that of our family," replied the ambitious Duc -de Guise. "We must think now about preparing the way for my son." -</p> - -<p> -"How can we renew our alliance with the queen-mother?" -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, let us leave her to quarrel with her Bourbons and her Huguenots," -said Le Balafré. -</p> - -<p> -They left the room by a secret door, still busily conversing. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! alas!" murmured Mary Stuart, kissing the cold hand of poor -François; "there is no one but me to weep for him, my poor darling, who -loved me so dearly." -</p> - -<p> -"And me, Madame," said Gabriel de Montgommery, who had thus far kept in -the background, but now came forward with tears in his eyes. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, thanks, my friend!" said Mary, with a grateful look in which her -whole soul shone out. -</p> - -<p> -"And I will do more than weep," said Gabriel, beneath his breath, -following from afar, with an angry eye, the Constable de Montmorency, -who was strutting about beside Catherine de Médicis. "Yes, perhaps I -may avenge him, when I begin anew the unfinished work of my own -vengeance. Now that this constable has returned to power, the contest -between us is not at an end!" -</p> - -<p> -Thus, even in the presence of death Gabriel, alas! kept in view his -personal affairs. -</p> - -<p> -Surely Regnier la Planche was right in saying "that it is a bad thing to -be king simply to die." -</p> - -<p> -And he was equally right when he added, "During the reign of François -II. France was the theatre whereon were enacted many horrible tragedies -which posterity will contemplate with wonder and abhorrence." -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="chap34"></a></h4> - -<h4>CHAPTER XXXIV -<br /><br /> -ADIEU, FRANCE!</h4> - -<p> -On the 15th of August, 1561, eight months after the demise of François -II., Mary Stuart was at Calais, on the point of taking her departure for -her Scottish kingdom. -</p> - -<p> -During these eight months she had been engaged in an unceasing struggle, -day by day and hour by hour, with Catherine de Médicis and with her -uncles as well, who were as impatient as the regent, though for -different reasons, to have her well away from France; but Mary found it -hard to make up her mind to leave behind her that fair land where she -had been a queen, so happy and so well beloved. Even in the sorrowful -memories which recalled her premature widowhood, these loved spots held -for her a poetic charm which made it difficult for her to tear herself -away. -</p> - -<p> -Mary Stuart not only felt that poetic charm, but she herself gave -expression to it. She not only wept for the demise of François as a -loving wife, but she sang of it like one of the Muses. Brantôme, in his -admiration for her, has preserved for us the sweet, plaintive verses -which she composed in her tribulation, and which bear comparison with -the most notable poetry of that age: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"En mon triste et doux chant,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">D'un ton fort lamentable,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Je jette un deuil tranchant</span><br /> -<span class="i4">De perte incomparable,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Et en soupirs croissans</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Passent mes meilleurs ans.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Fut-il un tel malheur</span><br /> -<span class="i4">De dure destinée,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Ni si triste douleur</span><br /> -<span class="i4">De dame fortunée,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Que mon cœur et mon œil</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Voient en bière et cercueil!</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Que dans mon doux printemps,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">À fleur de ma jeunesse,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Toutes les peines sens</span><br /> -<span class="i4">D'une extrême tristesse</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Et en rien n'ai plaisir</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Qu'en regret et désir.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Ce qui m'était plaisant</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Me devient peine dure!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Le jour le plus luisant</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Est pour moi nuit obscure,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Et n'est rien si exquis</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Qui de moi soit requis!</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Si en quelque séjour,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Soit en bois, soit en prée,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Soit à l'aube du jour</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Ou soit sur la vesprée,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Sans cesse mon cœur sent</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Le regret d'un absent.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Si parfois vers les cieux</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Viens à dresser ma vue,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Le doux trait de ses yeux</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Je vois en une nue.</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Si les baisse vers l'eau,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Vois comme en un tombeau.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Si je suis en repos</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Sommeillant sur ma couche,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">J'oy qu'il me tient propos,</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Je le sens qui me touche!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">En labeur, en recoy,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Toujours est près de moi.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Mets, chanson, ici fin</span><br /> -<span class="i4">À ta triste complainte</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Dont sera le refrain:</span><br /> -<span class="i4">Amour vraie et sans feinte</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Qui pour séparation</span><br /> -<span class="i2">N'aura diminution."<a name="FNanchor_10_1" id="FNanchor_10_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_1" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -It was while at Reims, to which city she at first withdrew with her -uncle De Lorraine, that Mary Stuart produced these melodious and -touching strains. She remained in Champagne until the end of the spring. -Then the religious troubles which had broken out in Scotland urgently -demanded her presence in that country. On the other side, the almost -passionate admiration which the boy Charles IX. expressed whenever he -mentioned his sister-in law disturbed the suspicious regent, Catherine. -Therefore it was necessary that Mary Stuart should resign herself to -depart. -</p> - -<p> -She came to pay her parting respects to the court at St. Germain in -July; and the marks of devotion, of adoration almost, which were -showered upon her there, served only to augment, if that were possible, -her bitter regret. -</p> - -<p> -Her dowry, charged upon Touraine and Poitou, had been fixed at twenty -thousand livres annually; she also carried many superb jewels with her -to Scotland, and it was thought that the hope of obtaining such rich -treasure might tempt some freebooter. Still more fear was entertained -that her safety might be endangered by some act of violence on the part -of Élisabeth of England, who already saw in the young Queen of Scots a -dangerous rival. Consequently a number of gentlemen proposed to escort -Mary to her own dominions; and when she reached Calais, she found -herself attended not only by her uncles, but by Messieurs de Damville -and de Brantôme,—in fact, by the better part of that splendid, -chivalrous court. -</p> - -<p> -She found two galleys awaiting her in the harbor of Calais, ready to set -sail as soon as she should give the word; but she remained at Calais six -days, so painful was the final parting from those who had accompanied -her thus far on her way. -</p> - -<p> -At last the 15th of August, as we have said, was definitely fixed upon -for her departure. It was a gloomy, threatening day, but without wind or -rain. -</p> - -<p> -Upon the shore, and before setting foot upon the deck of the vessel -which was to bear her away, Mary, as a mark of her gratitude to all who -had thus escorted her to the utmost verge of their country, gave each of -them her hand to kiss as a last farewell. -</p> - -<p> -They all came forward, and kneeling before her one after another pressed -their lips upon her beloved hand. -</p> - -<p> -Last of all was a gentleman who had never ceased to follow in Mary's -train since she left St. Germain, but had always kept in the background -on the road, hidden by his broad hat and the ample folds of his cloak, -and had neither made himself known nor spoken to a soul. -</p> - -<p> -But when he came in turn to kneel before the queen, hat in hand, Mary -recognized Gabriel de Montgommery. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, is it you, Count?" said she. "I am indeed happy to see you once -more, my faithful friend, who wept with me for my poor dead king. But -why have you never spoken to me, if you were with these other -gentlemen?" -</p> - -<p> -"I felt that I must see you without being seen, Madame," replied -Gabriel. "In my loneliness I could better collect my remembrances, and -enjoy more fully the pleasure that it gave me to perform so grateful a -duty." -</p> - -<p> -"Thanks once more for this final proof of your attachment, Monsieur le -Comte," said Mary. "I should be glad if I might show my gratitude -otherwise than by mere words. I can do nothing more, unless it please -you to accompany me to my poor Scotland with Messieurs Damville and -Brantôme—" -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, that would be my most devout wish, Madame!" cried Gabriel; "but -another duty binds me to France. One who is dearer to me than life, and -consecrated in my eyes, and whom I have not seen for more than two -years, is expecting me at this moment." -</p> - -<p> -"Do you mean Diane de Castro?" asked Mary, eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Madame," said Gabriel. "By a letter I received last month she -requested me to be at St. Quentin to-day, August 15. I shall not be with -her until to-morrow; but whatever may have been her motive in summoning -me, she will forgive me, I am sure, when she learns that I did not -desire to leave you until you were actually leaving France." -</p> - -<p> -"Dear Diane!" remarked Mary, pensively; "yes, she also loved me well, -was like a sister to me. Hold, Monsieur de Montgommery; take this ring -to her as a remembrance from me, and go to her as quickly as you can. -She may need your help; and when her welfare is concerned, I do not wish -to detain you. Adieu! adieu, all my dear friends! They wait for me, and -I must go,—alas! I must." -</p> - -<p> -She tore herself away from the arms of those who would still have held -her, stepped aboard the small boat, and was at once transferred to -Monsieur de Mévillon's galley, followed by the envied gentlemen who -were to go with her to Scotland. -</p> - -<p> -But even as Scotland could not supply the void left by France in Mary's -heart, so those who accompanied her could not make her forget those she -had left behind; indeed, she seemed to love the latter the more dearly. -Standing at the stern of the galley, she never ceased to wave her -handkerchief, wet with tears, to the kinsfolk and friends whom she left -upon the shore. -</p> - -<p> -At last they were in the open sea: and Mary's eyes were drawn in spite -of herself toward a vessel which was just entering the harbor she had -quitted, and which her gaze followed longingly in envy of its -destination. Suddenly the vessel pitched forward, as if she had struck -beneath the water-line; and trembling from stem to stern, she began to -sink, amid the piercing shrieks of her crew. It was all done so rapidly -that she was out of sight before Monsieur de Mévillon had time to send -a skiff to her assistance. For an instant a few heads could be seen -struggling in the water near the spot where the vessel had gone down, -but they disappeared one by one before they could be reached, although -the men pulled lustily; and the skiff returned without having saved a -single one of the poor wretches. -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, Lord! oh, my God! what a fearful omen for my voyage is this!" cried -Mary Stuart. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile the wind had freshened; and the galley began to attain some -speed, so that the crew had an opportunity to rest. Mary, seeing that -she was rapidly leaving the shore behind her, leaned against the -bulwarks with her eyes fixed upon the harbor, her sight dimmed by great -tears, and repeated again and again,— -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, France! adieu, France!" -</p> - -<p> -She remained in that position nearly five hours,—that is to say, -until night fell; indeed, she would probably not have thought of leaving -the deck even then, had not Brantôme come to inform her that her presence -was awaited at supper. -</p> - -<p> -Thereupon, weeping and sobbing more bitterly than before,— -</p> - -<p> -"Now, dear France," she cried, "I lose thee indeed; since Night, jealous -of my last happiness, pulls her dark veil before my eyes to deprive me -of my pleasure in gazing at thee. So adieu, dear France! I shall never -see thee more!" -</p> - -<p> -Then with a sign to Brantôme that she would follow him at once, she -drew forth her tablets, seated herself upon a bench, and wrote these -familiar lines by the last rays of daylight,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Adieu, plaisant pays de France!</span><br /> -<span class="i10">O ma patrie</span><br /> -<span class="i10">La plus chérie,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Qui a nourri ma jeune enfance!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Adieu, France! adieu, mes beaux jours!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">La nef qui disjoint nos amours</span><br /> -<span class="i2">N'a eu de moi que la moitié:</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Une part te reste, elle est tienne.</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Je la fie à ton amitié,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Pour que de l'autre il te souvienne."<a name="FNanchor_11_1" id="FNanchor_11_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_1" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -At last she went below, and said as she joined her shipmates who were -awaiting her,— -</p> - -<p> -"I have done just the opposite of what the Queen of Carthage did; for -Dido, when Æneas left her, gazed ceaselessly at the waves, while I find -it hard to take my eyes from the land." -</p> - -<p> -They urged her to be seated, and to sup with them; but she could eat -nothing, and withdrew at once to her cabin, charging the helmsman to -arouse her at break of day if the land were still in sight. -</p> - -<p> -On this point at least fortune smiled upon poor Mary; for the wind died -away, and the galley scarcely moved during the night, except with the -aid of oars; so that when day broke they were still within sight of -France. -</p> - -<p> -The helmsman entered the queen's cabin, as she had ordered him to do; -but he found her already awake and seated upon her berth, gazing out -through an open porthole at the beloved shore. -</p> - -<p> -However, this pleasure was of short duration; for the wind freshened -again, and France was soon lost to sight. Mary had only one hope left: -that was that an English fleet would appear in the offing, and they -would be obliged to turn back. But that last hope proved futile, like -the others; a fog, so dense that they could not see from one end of the -vessel to the other, came down upon the ocean,—almost miraculously, -as it seemed, being midsummer. They sailed on at hazard, incurring the risk -of going astray, but avoiding all danger of being seen by the enemy. -</p> - -<p> -At last, on the third day, the fog lifted; and they found themselves -close upon a rocky shore, where the galley would doubtless have gone to -pieces if they had sailed two cables' lengths farther. The pilot took an -observation, and found that he was off the coast of Scotland, and having -skilfully extricated the vessel from the breakers which surrounded her, -made the port of Leith, near Edinburgh. -</p> - -<p> -The wits who accompanied Mary said that they had landed in a fog in a -mischief-making country of marplots.<a name="FNanchor_12_1" id="FNanchor_12_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_1" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> Mary's coming was entirely -unexpected; so that she and her suite were, perforce, content to make -their way to Edinburgh upon donkeys, wretchedly equipped, many of which -were without saddles, and had nought but cords for reins and stirrups. -Mary could not refrain from contrasting these sorry nags with the superb -French palfreys which she was accustomed to see caracoling about in the -hunting-field, or the lists. She shed a few tears of regret as she -compared the fair land she had left with that upon which she now stood. -But soon, with her fascinating grace, and struggling to smile through -her tears, she said,— -</p> - -<p> -"I must bear my ills in patience, since I have exchanged my paradise for -a hell." -</p> - -<p> -In such manner did Mary Stuart arrive on British soil. We have narrated -elsewhere ("Les Stuarts") the story of the rest of her life and her -demise; and how impious England, the arch-enemy of all that France holds -sacred, slew grace in her person, as it had already slain inspiration in -that of Jeanne d'Arc, and was subsequently to make an end of genius in -the person of Napoleon. -</p> - -<p><br /></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_1" id="Footnote_10_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_1"><span class="label">[10]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Sad and plaintive is my song</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Of the days now gone forever;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">And I mourn the whole day long</span><br /> -<span class="i2">The loss of him whom I shall never</span><br /> -<span class="i0">More behold. In grief and pain, alas!</span><br /> -<span class="i0">The fairest years of my life must pass.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"How pitiless and stern is fate!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">That I, to fortune born and pleasure,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Must bend beneath the cruel weight</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Of pain and sorrow without measure;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">While Destiny thus bounds my whole career</span><br /> -<span class="i0">By the dark shadow of the funeral bier.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"In the bright springtime of my life,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Of my youth the very flower,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">A melancholy, widowed wife,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">I sit and sob the weary hour;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Nor can my heart a taste of joy acquire</span><br /> -<span class="i0">In aught save vain regret or vain desire.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"That to me now is bitter pain</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Whereat my face was wont to lighten;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">And God's bright sunshine seeks in vain</span><br /> -<span class="i2">The darkness of my night to brighten:</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Nor in my sight is aught so fair or fine</span><br /> -<span class="i0">As to arouse a wish that it were mine.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Wheresoe'er my steps may lead,—</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Whether through the forest roaming.</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Or perchance by flowery mead,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Or at dawn or in the gloaming,—</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Still my fond heart doth ceaselessly deplore,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">And mourn the loss of him who is no more.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"If to heaven my eyes I raise,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">In some cloud-shape, outlined faintly,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">I behold my dear one's face</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Smiling with his smile so saintly;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">If my glance wanders o'er the ocean's wave,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">I seem to see him beckoning from the grave.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"If my eyes in slumber close,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">I can hear his dear voice calling;</span><br /> -<span class="i0">And my soul with rapture glows</span><br /> -<span class="i2">At his soft touch so lightly falling</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Upon my cheek. Thus is he near me ever,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Whether I toil or rest; nor can grim Death us sever.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Have done, O Muse, with thy sad strain!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">What boots it to be ever singing?</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Yet of my song, this sweet refrain</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Is ever in my ears ringing:</span><br /> -<span class="i0">The love that's true, with adoration blending,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">In absence loseth nought; its growth is never ending."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_1" id="Footnote_11_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_1"><span class="label">[11]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Farewell to thee, thou pleasant shore,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">The loved, the cherished home to me,</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Of infant joy a dream that's o'er!</span><br /> -<span class="i2">Farewell, dear France! farewell to thee!</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"The sail that wafts me bears away</span><br /> -<span class="i2">From thee but half my soul alone:</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Its fellow-half will fondly stay,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">And back to thee has faithful flown.</span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"I trust it to thy gentle care;</span><br /> -<span class="i2">For all that here remains with me</span><br /> -<span class="i0">Lives but to think of all that's there,</span><br /> -<span class="i2">To love and to remember thee."</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a name="Footnote_12_1" id="Footnote_12_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_1"><span class="label">[12]</span></a>It is impossible to translate this passage so as -adequately to convey the meaning of the text, "on avait pris -terre par un <i>brouillard</i> dans un pays <i>brouillé</i> et -<i>brouillon</i>."—TRANSLATOR.</p></div> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4><a id="Conclusion"></a></h4> - -<h4>CONCLUSION</h4> - -<p> -Gabriel did not reach St. Quentin until August 16. At the entrance to -the town he found Jean Peuquoy awaiting him. -</p> - -<p> -"Ah, here you are at last, Monsieur le Comte!" cried the honest weaver. -"I was sure that you would come! But you are too late, alas! too late!" -</p> - -<p> -"What! too late?" asked Gabriel, in alarm. -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! yes. Did not Madame Diane de Castro in her letter ask you to be -here yesterday, the 15th?" -</p> - -<p> -"To be sure," said Gabriel; "but no particular stress was laid upon the -date, nor did Madame de Castro say why she desired my presence." -</p> - -<p> -"Well, Monsieur le Comte," rejoined Jean, "yesterday was the day on which -Madame de Castro—I should say, Sister Bénie—pronounced the -words which make her a nun forever, with no possibility of returning to -the world." -</p> - -<p> -"Ah!" said Gabriel, turning pale. -</p> - -<p> -"Whereas, if you had been at hand," continued Jean, "you might perhaps -have been able to prevent what is now an accomplished fact." -</p> - -<p> -"No," said Gabriel, gloomily, "no, I could not, I ought not, nor would I -have attempted even to oppose that step. Providence doubtless kept me at -Calais, for my heart would have broken by its helplessness in the face -of her sacrificial act; and the poor, dear, afflicted soul which thus -gave itself to God's service might have had to suffer more from my -presence than she did when left alone at that solemn moment." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, but she was not alone," said Jean. -</p> - -<p> -"Of course you were there, Jean, and Babette, and the poor and -unfortunate, her devoted friends." -</p> - -<p> -"We were not the only ones, Monsieur le Comte," said Jean. "Sister -Bénie's mother was also with her." -</p> - -<p> -"Who,—Madame de Poitiers?" exclaimed Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"Yes, Monsieur le Comte, Madame de Poitiers herself, who, on receipt of -a letter from her daughter, hastened hither from her retirement at -Chaumont-sur-Loire, was present at the ceremonial yesterday, and should -be with the new nun at this moment." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh!" said Gabriel, in terror, "why did Madame de Castro send for that -woman?" -</p> - -<p> -"Why, Monseigneur, as she said to Babette, that woman is, after all, her -mother." -</p> - -<p> -"Alas! I begin to think I ought to have been here yesterday," said -Gabriel. "If Madame de Poitiers is here, it can be with no good purpose, -nor to fulfil any pious maternal duty. Let us go to the Benedictine -convent, if you please, Master Jean. I am in greater haste than ever now -to see Madame de Castro, for I fear that she needs me. Come, let us -hurry!" -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel was shown without objection into the parlor of the convent, -where he had been expected since the preceding day. -</p> - -<p> -Diane was waiting in the parlor with her mother. Gabriel, upon seeing -her once more after so long a separation, was carried away by an -irresistible impulse, and fell on his knees, pale and dejected, before -the grating which separated them forever from each other. -</p> - -<p> -"My sister! my sister!" was all he could say. -</p> - -<p> -"My brother!" replied Sister Bénie, softly. -</p> - -<p> -A tear rolled slowly down her cheek; but at the same time she smiled as -the angels should smile. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, turning his head slightly, met the gaze of the other Diane, -Madame de Poitiers. She was laughing, as demons should laugh. -</p> - -<p> -But Gabriel, with careless contempt for her exasperating demeanor, -concentrated his regard and his thought entirely upon Sister Bénie. -</p> - -<p> -"My sister!" he repeated eagerly, and with bitter anguish. -</p> - -<p> -Diane de Poitiers at this point coldly remarked,— -</p> - -<p> -"It is as your sister in Jesus Christ, doubtless, Monsieur, that you -call by that title her who yesterday was still Madame de Castro?" -</p> - -<p> -"What do you mean, Madame? Great God! what do mean?" asked Gabriel, with -a shudder, as he rose to his feet. -</p> - -<p> -Diane de Poitiers, without replying directly to his question, addressed -her daughter:— -</p> - -<p> -"The time has arrived, my child, I think, to reveal to you the secret of -which I spoke yesterday, and which, in my opinion, my bounden duty -forbids me to conceal from you any longer." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, what can it be?" cried Gabriel, distractedly. -</p> - -<p> -"My child," continued Madame de Poitiers, calmly, "as I have told you, -it was not simply to give you my blessing that I have emerged from the -retirement in which I have been living for nearly two years, thanks to -Monsieur de Montgommery. Pray do not consider my words ironical, -Monsieur," she added in a tone of bitter irony in reply to a gesture of -Gabriel's. "In truth, I am extremely obliged to you for having torn me -away, with or without violence, from an impious and corrupt world. I am -happy now! The divine grace has touched me, and my whole heart is filled -with the love of God. To show my gratitude to you, I wish to save you -from the commission of a sin,—a crime, it may be." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, what can it be?" It was Sister Bénie who asked the question now -with fast-beating heart. -</p> - -<p> -"My child," continued Diane de Poitiers, in her infernal, cool tones, "I -imagine that I might yesterday, with a single word, have arrested upon -your lips the sacred vows you were about to utter. But was it for me, -miserable sinner that I am, and so happy to be free from earthly -bonds,—was it for me to steal from God a soul which was about to -confide itself to Him, free and pure? No! and I held my peace." -</p> - -<p> -"I dare not guess! I dare not!" muttered Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -"To-day, my child," the ex-favorite resumed, "I break my silence, -because I see from Monsieur de Montgommery's grief and earnestness that -you still possess his entire soul. Now he must make up his mind to -forget you; he must do it. But if he continues to soothe himself with -the fancy that you may be his sister, the daughter of the Comte de -Montgommery, he can allow his memory to return to you now and then -without remorse. That would be a crime! —a crime to which I, having -been converted since yesterday, do not propose to be accessory. You are -not the sister of Monsieur le Comte, but are really the daughter of King -Henri II., whom Monsieur le Comte so unfortunately slew in that fatal -tournament." -</p> - -<p> -"Oh, horror!" cried Sister Bénie, hiding her face in her hands. -</p> - -<p> -"You lie, Madame!" said Gabriel, vehemently. "It must be that you lie! -Where is your proof that you speak the truth?" -</p> - -<p> -"Here," replied Diane de Poitiers, in a most peaceful tone, handing him -a paper which she took from her bosom. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel seized the paper with trembling hand, and read it eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -"It is a letter from your father," continued Madame de Poitiers, -"written a few days before his death, as you see. He complains of my -cruelty, as you will see again; but he submits, as you may also see, -reflecting that in any event I shall soon be his wife, and that the -lover will have suffered disappointment only to make the husband's -happiness more pure and perfect. Oh, the words of that letter, which is -signed and dated, are in no wise equivocal! Am I not right? So you see, -Monsieur de Montgommery, that it would have been criminal for you to -think of Sister Bénie; for you are bound by no tie of blood to her who -is now the spouse of Jesus Christ. And in saving you from such impiety, -I hope that I have acquitted my debt to you, and have more than repaid -you for the bliss I enjoy in my solitude. We are quits now, Monsieur de -Montgommery, and I have no more to say to you." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel, while this bitter, mocking speech was being delivered, had -finished reading the baleful but sacred letter. It left no room whatever -for doubt. It was to Gabriel like the voice of his father rising from -the tomb to make known the truth. -</p> - -<p> -When the wretched young man raised his wild, haggard eyes, he saw Diane -de Castro lying unconscious before a <i>prie-Dieu</i>. -</p> - -<p> -He rushed instinctively toward her; but the heavy iron bars arrested his -steps. -</p> - -<p> -As he turned back he saw Diane de Poitiers, and upon her lips was -playing a smile of placid contentment. -</p> - -<p> -Mad with grief, he took two steps toward her with uplifted hand. -</p> - -<p> -But he stopped in terror at his own act; and beating his brow like an -insane man, he cried simply,— -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, Diane! adieu!" and fled. -</p> - -<p> -If he had remained a second more, he could not have forborne to -annihilate that blaspheming mother like the viper that she was! -</p> - -<p> -Outside the convent Jean Peuquoy was anxiously awaiting him. -</p> - -<p> -"Do not question me! Ask me nothing!" exclaimed Gabriel at once, in a -frenzy of despair. -</p> - -<p> -And as honest Peuquoy gazed at him in sorrowful astonishment, he said -more gently,— -</p> - -<p> -"Forgive me! I fear I am almost mad. I cannot collect my thoughts, you -see. It is to avoid the necessity of thinking that I propose to go, to -fly, to Paris. Go with me, if you will, my friend, as far as the gate -where I left my horse. But, in God's name, talk about yourself; say -nothing of me or my affairs!" -</p> - -<p> -The worthy weaver, as much to comply with Gabriel's wish as to try to -distract his thoughts, went on to tell how Babette was marvellously -well, and had recently presented him with a young Peuquoy,—a splendid -fellow; how their brother Pierre had established himself in business as -an armorer at St. Quentin; and how, only the month before, they had had -news from Martin-Guerre, by a Picardy trooper returning home, and had -learned that he was still happy with his reformed Bertrande. -</p> - -<p> -But it must be confessed that Gabriel, who was, as it were, made blind -and deaf by his grief, did not understand and only partly heard this -joyous narration. -</p> - -<p> -However, when he and Jean Peuquoy arrived at the Paris gate, he warmly -pressed the honest burgher's hand. -</p> - -<p> -"Adieu, my friend," said he. "Thanks for your affectionate kindness. -Remember me most kindly to all your loving circle. I am glad to know -that you are happy; think sometimes in your prosperity of me in my -wretchedness." -</p> - -<p> -And without waiting for any other response than the tears which shone in -Jean's eyes, Gabriel mounted his horse, and set off at a gallop. -</p> - -<p> -When he reached Paris (as if fate had determined to overwhelm him with -affliction of every sort at once), he found that Aloyse, his dear nurse, -had died, after a short illness, without having seen him again. -</p> - -<p> -The next day he called upon Admiral de Coligny. -</p> - -<p> -"Monsieur l'Amiral," said he, "I know that the persecutions and -religious wars will soon begin anew, despite all the efforts to prevent -them. Understand that henceforth I can offer to the Reformed cause not -only my heart, but my sword as well. My life is good for nothing except -to serve you; so take it, and spare it not. Moreover, in your ranks I -can best defend myself against one of my enemies, and finish the -punishment of the other." -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel had in his mind the queen-regent and the constable. -</p> - -<p> -It is needless to say that Coligny enthusiastically welcomed the -invaluable auxiliary whose courage and vigor had been put to the proof -so many times. -</p> - -<p> -The count's history from that moment is identical with that of the -religious wars which drenched the reign of Charles IX. with blood. -</p> - -<p> -Gabriel de Montgommery played a terrible part in those wars; and at -every momentous crisis the mere mention of his name drove the color from -the cheeks of Catherine de Médicis. -</p> - -<p> -When, after the massacre at Vassy in 1562, Rouen and the whole of -Normandy openly declared themselves for the Huguenots, the Comte de -Montgommery was named as the principal author of this uprising of an -entire province. -</p> - -<p> -The same year the Comte de Montgommery was at the battle of Dreux, where -he performed prodigies of valor. -</p> - -<p> -It was he, they said, who wounded with a pistol-ball the Constable de -Montmorency, who commanded in chief, and would have made an end of him -if the Prince de Porcien had not sheltered the constable and received -him as a prisoner. -</p> - -<p> -Every one knows that a month after this battle, where Le Balafré had -wrested victory from the constable's unskilful hands, the noble Duc de -Guise was treacherously murdered before Orléans by the fanatic Poltrot. -</p> - -<p> -Montmorency, relieved of a rival, but also deprived of his ally, was -less fortunate at the battle of St. Denis in 1567 than at that of Dreux. -</p> - -<p> -The Scotchman Robert Stuart called upon him to surrender. He replied by -striking him across the face with the flat of his sword, whereupon some -one fired a pistol at him (the constable); the ball pierced his side, -and he fell, mortally wounded. -</p> - -<p> -Through the stream of blood which obscured his sight he thought that he -recognized the features of Gabriel. -</p> - -<p> -The constable breathed his last the following day. -</p> - -<p> -Although he had now no direct personal foes, the Comte de Montgommery -did not lessen the force of his blows. He seemed invincible and -immortal. -</p> - -<p> -When Catherine de Médicis asked who had compelled Béarn to submit to -the King of Navarre, and had caused the Prince of Béarn to be -recognized as general-in-chief of the Huguenots, the answer -was—Montgommery. -</p> - -<p> -When, on the day following the massacre of St. Bartholomew (1572), the -queen-mother, in her thirst for vengeance, inquired, not as to those who -had perished, but as to those who had escaped, the first name mentioned -was—Montgommery. -</p> - -<p> -Montgommery threw himself into Rochelle with Lanoue. The town sustained -nine fierce assaults, and cost the royal army forty thousand men. In the -capitulation which ensued, it retained its freedom; and Gabriel was -allowed to depart, safe and sound. -</p> - -<p> -He then made his way into Sancerre, which was besieged by the governor -of Berri. He was well skilled, our readers will remember, in the defence -of beleaguered towns. A handful of Sancerrois, with no other arms than -iron-shod clubs, held out for four months against a body of six thousand -soldiers. When at last they capitulated, they obtained the same terms -granted at Rochelle,—liberty of conscience and immunity of person. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis viewed with ever-growing fury the continual -escapes of her old unconquerable foe. -</p> - -<p> -Montgommery left Poitou, which was in a blaze, and returned to Normandy -to rekindle the flames which were subsiding there. -</p> - -<p> -Setting out from St. Lo, within three days he had taken Carentan and -despoiled Valognes of all her supplies. All the Norman nobility ranged -themselves under his standard. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis and the king at once put three armies in the -field, and proclaimed the ban and the <i>arrière-ban</i> in Mans and in -Perche. The royal forces were led by the Duc de Matignon. -</p> - -<p> -This time Montgommery no longer fought individually. Lost in the ranks -of the Reformers, he devoted himself to thwarting Charles IX., and had -his army, as the king had his. -</p> - -<p> -He formed an admirable plan, which bade fair to assure him a brilliant -victory. -</p> - -<p> -He left Matignon besieging St. Lô with his whole force, secretly -quitted the town, and made his way to Domfront. There François du -Hallot was to join him with all the cavalry of Bretagne, Anjou, and the -Caux country. With these forces he proposed to fall unexpectedly upon -the royal army before St. Lô, which, being thus caught between two -fires, would be annihilated. -</p> - -<p> -But treachery conquered the unconquerable. An ensign warned Matignon of -Montgommery's secret departure for Domfront, whither he was accompanied -by only forty horsemen. -</p> - -<p> -Matignon cared much less about reducing St. Lô than about capturing -Montgommery; so he left the siege in charge of one of his inferior -officers, and hastened to Domfront with two regiments of foot, six -hundred horse, and a strong artillery force. -</p> - -<p> -Any other than Gabriel de Montgommery would have surrendered without -entering upon a resistance sure to be of no effect; but he, with his -forty men, determined to show a bold front to that army. -</p> - -<p> -In De Thou's history the incredible narrative of that siege may be read. -</p> - -<p> -Domfront held out for twelve days, during which time the Comte de -Montgommery made seven furious sallies; at last, when the walls of the -town, riddled and tottering, were practically in the enemies' hands, -Gabriel abandoned them, but only to ensconce himself in what was called -the Tower of Guillaume de Bellême, and fight on. -</p> - -<p> -He had only thirty men with him. -</p> - -<p> -Matignon ordered to the assault a battery of five pieces of heavy -artillery, a hundred cuirassiers, seven hundred musketeers, and a -hundred pikemen. -</p> - -<p> -The attack lasted five hours; and six hundred cannon-shot were fired -into the old donjon. -</p> - -<p> -In the evening Montgommery had but sixteen men left; but he still held -out. He passed the night working at the breach like a common laborer. -</p> - -<p> -The assault began again with daybreak. Matignon had received -reinforcements during the night, and had under his command around the -tower of the Bellême donjon and its seventeen defenders fifteen -thousand soldiers and eighteen pieces of artillery! -</p> - -<p> -The courage of the besieged did not fail; but their powder was -exhausted. -</p> - -<p> -Montgommery, rather than fall into the hands of his enemies alive, -determined to fall upon his own sword; but Matignon sent him a flag of -truce, the bearer of which swore in the name of his chief "that his life -should be spared, and he should be allowed to depart." -</p> - -<p> -Montgommery thereupon gave himself up, trusting to the oath. He should -have remembered the fate of Castelnau. -</p> - -<p> -On the same day he was sent to Paris in fetters. Catherine de Médicis -at last had him in her power. It was by treachery, to be sure; but what -mattered that? Charles IX. was dead; and pending the return of Henri -III. from Poland she was queen-regent and omnipotent. -</p> - -<p> -Montgommery was dragged before parliament, and condemned to death June -26, 1574. -</p> - -<p> -For fourteen years he had been fighting against the wife and children of -Henri II. -</p> - -<p> -On the 27th of June, the Comte de Montgommery—to whom, in mere -refinement of cruelty, the extraordinary torture had been applied—was -carried to the scaffold and beheaded. His body was subsequently drawn -and quartered. -</p> - -<p> -Catherine de Médicis was present at the execution. -</p> - -<p> -Thus closed the career of that extraordinary man,—one of the noblest -and bravest souls that the sixteenth century had seen. He had never -risen above the second rank, but had always shown himself worthy of a -place in the first. His death fulfilled to the letter the predictions of -Nostradamus,— -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Enfin, l'aimera, puis las! le tuera</span><br /> -<span class="i6">Dame du roy."</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -Diane de Castro did not survive him. She had died -the year before, abbess of the Benedictines of St. -Quentin. -</p> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<h4>THE END.</h4> - -<p><br /><br /><br /></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TWO DIANAS VOLUME 3 (OF 03) ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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