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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..876e3c4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69331 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69331) diff --git a/old/69331-0.txt b/old/69331-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2a83671..0000000 --- a/old/69331-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11547 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré -Vol. 01 (of 2), by George Sand - -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: Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré Vol. 01 (of 2) - The masterpieces of George Sand Vol. 9 - -Author: George Sand - -Translator: G. Burnham Ives - -Illustrator: H. Atalaya - -Release Date: November 12, 2022 [eBook #69331] -[Most recently updated: December 18, 2022] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by - Hathi Trust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE -BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) *** - - - THE MASTERPIECES OF - - GEORGE SAND - - - - - AMANDINE LUCILLE AURORE DUPIN, - BARONESS DUDEVANT - - - - - VOLUME IX - - - - - LES BEAUX - MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - - - - -[Illustration: _MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE -BREUVE._ - -_He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she -had placed her feet, and gazed at her speechless. -At last he ventured to take her hands._] - - - - - The Masterpieces of George Sand - Amandine Lucille Aurore Dupin, Baroness - Dudevant, _NOW FOR THE FIRST - TIME COMPLETELY TRANSLATED - INTO ENGLISH LES - BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - BY G. BURNHAM IVES_ - - - - - _WITH TWELVE PHOTOGRAVURES AFTER PAINTINGS BY - H. ATALAYA._ - - - - - _VOLUME I_ - - - - - _PRINTED ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS BY - GEORGE BARRIE & SON - PHILADELPHIA_ - - - - -CONTENTS -CHAPTER I -CHAPTER II -CHAPTER III -CHAPTER IV -CHAPTER V -CHAPTER VI -CHAPTER VII -CHAPTER VIII -CHAPTER IX -CHAPTER X -CHAPTER XI -CHAPTER XII -CHAPTER XIII -CHAPTER XIV -CHAPTER XV -CHAPTER XVI -CHAPTER XVII -CHAPTER XVIII -CHAPTER XIX -CHAPTER XX -CHAPTER XXI -CHAPTER XXII -CHAPTER XXIII -CHAPTER XXIV -CHAPTER XXV -CHAPTER XXVI -CHAPTER XXVII -CHAPTER XXVIII -CHAPTER XXIX -CHAPTER XXX -CHAPTER XXXI -CHAPTER XXXII -CHAPTER XXXIII -CHAPTER XXXIV -CHAPTER XXXV -CHAPTER XXXVI -CHAPTER XXXVII -CHAPTER XXXVIII -CHAPTER XXXIX - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - -VOLUME I - -MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE BEUVRE - -MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR - -BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS PROTÉGÉ - -MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN THE MARQUIS - -MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY - -THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS AND D'ALVIMAR - - - - -LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - - - - -I - - -Among the numerous protégés of the favorite Concini, one of the least -remarked, yet one of the most remarkable by reason of his wit, -education, and the distinction of his manners, was Don Antonio -d'Alvimar, a Spaniard of Italian origin, who styled himself Sciarra -d'Alvimar. He was a very pretty cavalier, whose face denoted a man of no -more than twenty years, although at that time he confessed to thirty. -Rather short than tall, muscular without seeming to be so, skilful in -all manly exercises, he was certain to interest the ladies by the gleam -of his bright and penetrating eyes and by the charm of his conversation, -which was as light and agreeable with the fair sex as it was solid and -substantial with serious-minded men. He spoke the principal languages of -Europe almost without accent, and was no less versed in the ancient -languages. - -Despite all these appearances of merit, Sciarra d'Alvimar formed no -scheme for his own advancement amid the constant intriguing at the court -of the Regent; at all events, any that he may have dreamed of came to -nothing. He confessed afterward, in the strictest privacy, that he had -aspired to make himself agreeable to no less a personage than Marie de -Médicis herself, and to replace his own master and patron, Maréchal -d'Ancre, in that queen's good graces. - -But the _balorda_, as Leonora Galigai called her, paid no attention to -the humble Spaniard, and saw in him only a paltry adventurer--a -subaltern without future prospects. Did she even notice Monsieur -d'Alvimar's real or feigned passion? That is something that history does -not divulge and that D'Alvimar himself never knew. - -It is not an unreasonable supposition that he would have been capable of -pleasing the Regent by his wit and the charms of his person, had not her -thoughts been occupied by Concini. The favorite was of even lower -origin, and was not half so intelligent as he. But D'Alvimar had within -himself an obstacle to his attainment of the exalted fortune enjoyed by -the successful courtiers of the day--an obstacle which his ambition -could not overcome. - -He was a bigoted Catholic, and he had all the faults of the intolerant -Catholics of the Spain of Philip II. Suspicious, restless, vindictive, -implacable, he had abundance of faith nevertheless; but faith without -love and without light, faith falsified by the passions and hatreds of a -political system which identified itself with religion, "to the great -displeasure of the merciful and indulgent God, whose kingdom is not so -much of this world as of the other;" that is to say, if we apprehend -aright the thought of the contemporary author to whom we look for -information from time to time, the God whose conquests are supposed to -extend through the moral world by charity, and not through the material -world by the use of violence. - -It is impossible to say that France would not have been subjected in -some degree to the régime of the Inquisition, in the event that -Monsieur d'Alvimar had obtained possession of the Regent's heart and -mind; but such was not the case, and Concini, whose sole crime was that -he was not noble enough by birth to be entitled to rob and pillage as -freely as a genuine great nobleman of those days, remained until his -tragic death the arbiter of the Regents uncertain and venal policy. - -After the murder of the favorite, D'Alvimar, who had compromised himself -seriously in his service in the affair of the _Paris serjean_,[1] was -compelled to disappear to avoid being involved in the prosecution of -Leonora. - -He would have been very glad to insinuate himself into the service of -the new favorite, the king's favorite, Monsieur de Luynes, but he could -not bring it about; and, although he had no more scruples than "most -courtiers of his time, he felt that he could not stoop to the shuffling -of the royal party, whose policy was to yield many points to the -Calvinists, whenever they saw reason to hope that they could purchase -the submission of the princes who made use of the Reformed religion to -forward their ambition." - -When Queen Marie was in open disgrace, Sciarra d'Alvimar considered it -to be for his interest to display his fidelity to her cause. He -reflected that parties are never without resources, and that they all -have their day. Moreover, the queen, even though she were to remain in -exile, might still make the fortunes of her faithful adherents. -Everything is relative, and D'Alvimar was so poor that the gifts of a -royal personage, however nearly ruined she might be, offered an -excellent chance for him. - -He exerted himself, therefore, to assist in planning the escape from the -château of Blois, even as he had been employed, several years before, -in the third or fourth rôles in the various political dramas evolved -sometimes by the diplomatic manœuvres of Philip III., sometimes by -those of Marie de Médicis, their aim being to bring about _the -marriages_.[2] - -This Monsieur d'Alvimar was, generally speaking, sufficiently shrewd in -the interests of others, discreet and ready for work; but he was often -reproached with having a mania for giving his advice "where he should -have been content to follow that of other people," and for exhibiting an -ability of which he should have been content to leave the credit to his -superiors, "being as yet only an unimportant personage." - -Thus, despite his zeal, he did not succeed in drawing upon himself the -queen mothers attention, and, at the time of Marie's retirement to -Angers, he was lost to sight among the subaltern officers, tolerated -rather than popular. - -D'Alvimar was touched by these numerous rebuffs. Nothing seemed to -profit him, neither his comely face nor his fine manners, nor his -respectable birth, nor his learning, his penetration, his courage, his -agreeable and instructive conversation: "people did not like him." He -made a pleasant impression at first, but then--very quickly too--people -were disgusted by a touch of bitterness which he soon displayed; or else -they distrusted a flavor of ambition which he inopportunely allowed to -appear. He was neither Spanish enough nor Italian enough, or, perhaps, -he was too much of both: one day as talkative, persuasive and supple as -a young Venetian; the next day as haughty, obstinate and gloomy as an -old Castilian. - -All his disappointments were intensified by a certain secret remorse -which he did not reveal until his last hour, and which, as the narrative -proceeds, will be forcibly dragged forth from the oblivion in which he -wished to bury it. - -Despite our careful investigations, we lose sight of him more than once -during the years that elapsed between the death of Concini and the last -year of Luynes's life; with the exception of a few words in our -manuscript concerning his presence at Blois and at Angers, we find no -fact worthy of mention in his obscure and unhappy life until the year -1621, when, while the king was carrying on the siege of Montauban with -such ill success, young D'Alvimar was in Paris, still in the suite of -the queen-mother, who had been reconciled with her son after the affair -of the Ponts-de-Cé. - -At that time D'Alvimar had renounced the hope of winning her favor, and -perhaps he, too, in his rancorous heart called her _balorda_, although -for the first time she had given proof of good sense by bestowing her -confidence--and it was said her heart--upon Armand Duplessis. There was -a rival whom D'Alvimar could hardly hope to outshine! Moreover, the -queen, under Richelieu's guidance, adopted the policy of Henry IV. and -Sully. She combated for the moment the Spanish influence in Germany, and -D'Alvimar found himself almost in disgrace, when, to cap the climax of -his misfortunes, he became involved in a most unpleasant affair. - -He fell into a dispute with another Sciarra, a Sciarra Martinengo, whom -Marie de Médicis employed much more freely, and who refused to -acknowledge him as a kinsman. They fought: Sciarra Martinengo was -severely wounded, and it came to Marie's ears that Monsieur Sciarra -d'Alvimar had not scrupulously observed the laws of the duello as -practised in France. - -She summoned him to her presence and reprimanded him most brutally; -whereupon D'Alvimar retorted with the bitterness that had been long -heaping up within him. He succeeded in leaving Paris before measures -were taken for his arrest, and, early in November, arrived at the -château of Ars, in Berry, in the Duchy of Châteauroux. - -It will be well enough to state the reasons which led him to seek that -place of refuge in preference to any other. - -About six weeks before his unfortunate duel, Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar -had been brought into social relations with Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, an -amiable and wealthy young man, descended in a straight line from the -gallant Louis d'Ars, who had effected the honorable retreat from -Venouze, in 1504, and was killed at the battle of Pavia. - -Guillaume d'Ars had been fascinated by D'Alvimar's wit and by the very -great affability of which he was capable when the spirit moved him. He -had not had time to become well enough acquainted with him to conceive -the species of antipathy which the unfortunate young man almost -inevitably inspired, after a few weeks, in those who were much in his -company. - -Moreover, Monsieur d'Ars was a youth with little experience of the -world, and, as may well be believed, without great penetration. He had -been reared in the provinces, and had just made his first appearance in -Parisian society, when he met D'Alvimar, and became infatuated with him -because of the superior skill which he displayed, on occasion, in -horsemanship, hunting and tennis-playing. Generous and lavish, Guillaume -placed his purse and his arm at the Spaniard's service, and warmly urged -him to visit him at his château in Berry, whither he was recalled by -business of some sort. - -D'Alvimar profited discreetly by his new friend's generosity. Although -he had many faults, he could not be accused of showing any lack of pride -in the way of accepting offers of money, and yet God knows that he was -not rich, and that the whole of his slender revenue was none too much to -meet the demands of his wardrobe and his horses. He indulged in no -follies, and, "by the most painstaking economy, succeeded in appearing -as well clad and mounted as many others whose pockets were better lined -than his." - -But when he found that he was threatened with a criminal prosecution, he -remembered the overtures and invitations of the young Berry squire, and -adopted the wise plan of seeking refuge with him. - -He judged from what Guillaume had told him of his district, that it was -at that period the most tranquil province in France. - -Monsieur le Prince de Condé was its governor, and, being thoroughly -content with the fat sum by which he had been bought, he passed his time -partly in his château of Montrond at Saint Amand, partly in his good -city of Bourges, where he was heartily engaged in the king's service, -and even more heartily in that of the Jesuits. - -This so-called tranquillity of Berry would be considered in our day a -state of civil war, for many things were taking place there which we -shall narrate in their proper time and place; but it was a state of -perfect peace and orderliness if we compare it with what was taking -place elsewhere, and especially with what had taken place in the -preceding century. - -Thus Sciarra d'Alvimar was justified in hoping that he would not be -molested in one of the old châteaux of lower Berry, where the -Calvinists had attempted no sudden outbreaks for several years, and -where the royalist nobles, former Leaguers, _politiques_ and others, no -longer had the opportunity or the pretext to revictual their men-at-arms -at the expense of their neighbors, friends or foes. - -D'Alvimar reached the château of Ars one morning in autumn, about eight -o'clock, accompanied by a single servant, an old Spaniard, who claimed -to be of noble birth, but whom want had reduced to the necessity of -taking service, and who seemed in little danger of betraying his -master's secrets, for he spoke very little--sometimes not three words a -week. - -Both were well mounted, and, although their horses were laden with heavy -boxes, they had made the journey from Paris in less than seven days. - -The first person whom they saw in the courtyard of the castle was its -young lord, Guillaume, just mounting for something more than a morning's -ride, for he was attended by several of his retainers, prepared to ride -forth with him--that is to say, with their horses laden with luggage. - -"Ah! you arrive in the nick of time!" he cried, hastening to embrace -D'Alvimar; "I am just setting out to witness the fêtes to be given by -Monsieur le Prince at Bourges, to celebrate the birth of his son, the -Duc d'Enghien.[3] There will be whole days of dancing and play-acting, -target-shooting, fireworks, and a thousand other amusing things. Now you -have come, I will postpone my departure for a few hours so that you can -go with me. Come into my house, and rest and eat. I will see to it that -you are supplied with a fresh horse, for the one you are riding, well as -he looks, can hardly be in condition to do eighteen more leagues -to-day." - -When D'Alvimar was alone with his host, he told him confidentially that -he could not dream of attending any public festivities, and that what he -desired of him was not to be taken to any such function, however -diverting, but to be concealed in his château for a few weeks. Nothing -more was needed in those days to assure oblivion touching an affair so -frequent and so simple as death or wounds inflicted on an enemy, whether -in single combat or otherwise. It was merely a matter of securing a -protector at court, and D'Alvimar was relying upon the speedy arrival at -Paris of the Duke of Lerma, whose kinsman he was or claimed to be. The -duke was a personage of sufficient note to obtain his pardon, and even -to place his fortunes upon a better footing than before. - -Our Spaniard's version of his duel with Sciarra Martinengo--whether he -attempted to explain his having attacked him in violation of the rules, -or claimed to have been slandered in that respect, to Queen Marie as -well as to Monsieur de Luynes--was a matter to which Guillaume d'Ars -paid little heed. Like the loyal gentleman that he was, he had been -fascinated by D'Alvimar, and had no distrust of him. Moreover, he was -much more anxious to start than to remain behind, and it would have been -impossible to surprise him when he was less inclined to discuss any -question whatsoever. - -So he dismissed the serious part of the affair very lightly, and was -disturbed only by the possibility of being detained another day from the -fêtes at the capital of Berry. Doubtless there was, behind his -impatience, some _amourette_ to be carried to a conclusion. - -D'Alvimar, who saw his embarrassment, urged him to make no change in his -plans, but to suggest some village or farm on his domain where he could -safely remain. - -"It is my desire to shelter and conceal you in my own château, and not -in a village or a farm-house," Guillaume replied. "And yet I fear you -will be sadly bored in such seclusion, and, upon reflection, I have -thought of a better plan. Eat and drink; then I will myself escort you -to the abode of a kinsman and friend of my own who lives not more than -an hour's ride from here. There you will be as pleasantly entertained -and in as perfect security as possible in our province of Lower Berry. -In four or five days I will come and take you away again." - -D'Alvimar would have preferred to remain alone, but, as Guillaume -insisted, courtesy compelled him to assent. He refused to eat or drink, -and, remounting at once, he followed Guillaume d'Ars, who took with him -his retinue all equipped for travelling, as the road they were to take -deviated very slightly from the Bourges road. - - -[Footnote 1: Picard the shoemaker, a sergeant in the bourgeois -train-bands, where he possessed great influence. Concini, having -undertaken to disregard an order which Picard compelled him to obey, -caused the sergeant to be cudgelled. The popular wrath was so fierce -that Concini deemed his life in danger and left Paris. Two valets who -had acted for him were hanged.] - -[Footnote 2: Of Louis XIII. to Anne of Austria, and of Elisabeth, the -young king's sister.] - - -[Footnote 3: Who became the great Condé.] - - - - -II - - -They left the château by way of the warren, rode through a by-path to -the Bourges highroad, from which they soon turned to the right, and then -through other by-paths to the Château Meillant road, leaving on their -right the baronial town of La Châtre, and finally, leaving the -last-mentioned road, they descended across the fields to the château -and village of Briantes, which was the goal of their journey. - -As the country was really peaceful, the two gentlemen had ridden on -ahead of their little escort, in order that they might converse without -restraint; and this is how young D'Ars enlightened D'Alvimar: - -"The friend upon whom I propose to quarter you," he said, "is the most -extraordinary personage in Christendom. You must keep a close watch upon -yourself in order to stifle a wild desire to laugh when you are with -him; but you will be well rewarded for such tolerance as you may display -of his mental peculiarities by the great kindness of heart he will -manifest to everybody he meets. He is so kind-hearted that, if you -should happen to forget his name and ask the first passer-by, noble or -serf, where the _kind gentleman_ lives, he will direct you, and never -make a mistake as to the person you mean. But this requires an -explanation, and, as your horse has no great desire to hurry, and as it -is only nine o'clock at the latest, I propose to entertain you with your -host's story. Listen, I begin! _Story of the kind Monsieur de -Bois-Doré_! - -"As you are a foreigner, and have been in France no more than ten years, -you can hardly have met him, because he has been living on his estate -about the same time. Otherwise, you would certainly have remarked, -wherever you might have chanced to see him, the good, mad, gallant, -noble old Marquis de Bois-Doré, to-day lord of Briantes, Guinard, -Validé and other places; also, _abbé fiduciaire_ of Varennes, etc., -etc. - -"Despite all these titles, Bois-Doré does not belong to the great -nobility of the province, and we are related to him by marriage only. He -is a simple gentleman whom the late King Henri IV. made a marquis solely -through friendship, and who made a fortune, no one very well knows how, -in the wars of the Béarnais. We are compelled to believe that he must -have done more or less sacking and pillaging, as the custom was in those -days, and as is the well recognized privilege of partisan warfare. - -"I will not attempt to describe Bois-Doré's campaigns; it would take -too long. Let me tell you his family history simply. His father, -Monsieur de----" - -"Stay," said Monsieur d'Alvimar; "so this Monsieur de Bois-Doré is a -heretic, is he?" - -"Ah! deuce take it," replied his guide, laughing, "I forgot that you are -a zealot--a genuine Spaniard! We fellows hereabout do not care so much -about these religious disputes. The province has suffered too much -because of them, and we long for the time when France shall suffer no -more. We hope that the king will soon bring all those fanatics of the -South to terms at Montauban. We want them to have a sound thrashing, but -not the cord and the stake to which our fathers would have treated them. -Political parties are not what they used to be, and in our day people -don't damn one another so much as they used. But I see that my remarks -displease you, and I hasten to inform you that Monsieur de Bois-Doré is -to-day as good a Catholic as many others who have never ceased to be -Catholics. On the day when the Béarnais concluded that Paris was well -worth a mass, Bois-Doré concluded that the king could not be in error, -and he abjured the doctrine of Geneva, without publicity, but sincerely, -I think." - -"Return to the story of Monsieur de Bois-Doré's family," said -D'Alvimar, who did not choose to let his companion see with what -suspicious contempt he regarded new converts. - -"As you please," replied the young man. "Our marquis's father was the -sturdiest Leaguer in the neighborhood. He was the _âme damnée_ of -Monsieur Claude de la Châtre and the Barbançois; I need say no more. -He had, in the château where he lived, a nice little assortment of -instruments of torture for such Huguenots as he might capture, and did -not hesitate to plant his own vassals on the wooden horse when they -could not pay their dues. - -"He was so feared and detested by everybody, that he was universally -known as the _cheti' monsieur_, and with good reason. - -"His son, now Marquis de Bois-Doré, whose baptismal name is Sylvain, -suffered so heavily from his father's cruel disposition, that he began -at an early age to take an entirely different view of life, and showed -toward his father's prisoners and vassals a gentleness and condescension -that were perhaps too great on the part of a man of war toward rebels -and of a noble toward inferiors; witness the fact that these qualities, -instead of making him popular, caused him to be despised by the -majority, and that the peasants, who are ungrateful and suspicious as a -class, said of him and his father: - -"'One weighs more than he ought to; the other weighs nothing at all.' - -"They considered the father a hard man, but of sound understanding, -fearless, and quite capable, after squeezing and tormenting them, of -protecting them against the exactions of the tax-gatherer and the -pillaging of the brutal soldiery; whereas, in their opinion, young -Monsieur Sylvain would allow them to be devoured and trampled upon for -lack of heart and brain. - -"Now I don't know what it was that passed through Monsieur Sylvain's -brain one fine day, when he was sadly bored at the château; but the -result was that he fled from Briantes, where his good father blushed for -him, and considering him an imbecile, would never permit him to rise -above the station of a page, and joined the moderate Catholics, who were -then called the third party. As you know, that party many a time lent a -hand to the Calvinists; so that, proceeding from one error to another, -Monsieur Sylvain found himself one fine morning a full-fledged Huguenot, -and a close friend and well-beloved servitor of the young king of -Navarre. His father, having learned of it, cursed him, and, to be even -with him, conceived the scheme of marrying in his old age and presenting -him with a brother. - -"That meant a reduction by one-half of Monsieur Sylvain's already -slender inheritance; for, as a Huguenot, he was in danger of losing his -right of primogeniture, and the _cheti' monsieur_ was not very rich, his -estates having been laid waste many times by the Calvinists. - -"But observe the young man's natural goodness of heart! Far from being -angry, or even complaining of his father's marriage and the birth of the -child who bit his future crowns in two, he drew himself up proudly when -he heard the news. - -"'Look you!' he said to his companions. 'Monsieur my father has passed -his sixtieth year, and here he is begetting a fine boy! I tell you -that's good blood, which I trust that I inherit!' - -"He carried his good-humor farther than that; for, seven years later, -his father having left Berry to join Le Balafré against Monsieur -d'Alençon's expedition, and our soft-hearted Sylvain having heard that -his stepmother was dead, which left the child almost unprotected at the -château of Briantes, he returned secretly to the province, to defend -him at need, and, also, he said, for the pleasure of seeing him and -embracing him. - -"He passed the whole winter with the little fellow, playing with him and -carrying him in his arms, as a nurse or governess would have done; the -which made the neighbors laugh and think that he was far too -simple-minded--_innocent_--to use the term they apply to a man deprived -of his reason. - -"When the stern father returned after the Peace of Monsieur, -ill-pleased, as you can imagine, to see the rebels more generously -rewarded than the friends of the true faith, he flew into a furious rage -against the whole world, even against God Himself, who had allowed his -young wife to die of the plague in his absence. Looking about for -somebody to be revenged upon, he declared that his older son had -returned solely for the purpose of destroying the son of his old age by -witchcraft. - -"It was a most villainous charge on the old corsair's part, for the -child had never been in better health nor better cared for, and poor -Sylvain was as incapable of an evil design as the child unborn." - -Guillaume d'Ars had reached this point in his narrative, which had -brought them in sight of Briantes, when a sort of bourgeois maiden, -dressed in black, red and gray, with her dress turned up at the bottom -and cut high at the neck, came toward them, and, approaching young -D'Ars' stirrup, said, with repeated reverences: - -"Alas! monsieur, I fear that you have come to ask my honored master, the -Marquis de Bois-Doré, to entertain you at dinner. But you will not find -him: he is at La Motte-Seuilly for the day, having given us our liberty -until night." - -This intelligence was exceedingly annoying to young D'Ars, but he was -too well-bred to allow his annoyance to appear. He instantly determined -what course to pursue, and said, courteously uncovering: - -"Very well, Demoiselle Bellinde; we will go on to La Motte-Seuilly. A -pleasant walk and _bonjour_!" - -Then, to relieve his vexation, he said to Monsieur d'Alvimar, after -pointing out their new direction: - -"Is she not a most toothsome housekeeper, whose comely aspect gives one -a captivating idea of our dear Bois-Doré's abode?" - -Bellinde, who overhead this query, which was propounded aloud and in a -jovial tone, bridled up, smiled, and, summoning a little groom by whom -she was escorted as by a page, produced from her flowing sleeves two -small white dogs, which she bade him deposit gently on the turf, as if -to give them exercise, but in reality to have an excuse for facing the -cavaliers, and affording them a longer view of her fine new serge gown -and her plump figure. - -She was a damsel of some thirty-five years, high-colored, with hair of a -shade approaching red and by no means unpleasant to the eye; for she had -a great quantity of it, and wore it in curls under her cap, to the great -scandal of the ladies of the province, who reproached her for seeking to -rise above her station. But she had a malicious expression, even when -she strove to be agreeable. - -"Why do you call her Bellinde?" queried D'Alvimar, "Is it a common name -in the province?" - -"Oh! by no means; her name is Guillette Carcot; Monsieur de Bois-Doré -christened her according to his custom. It's a mania of his, which I -will explain to you very soon. I must first tell you the rest of his -story." - -"It is needless," replied D'Alvimar, stopping his horse. "Despite your -courtesy and the good grace with which you endure disappointment, I see -plainly enough that I am a considerable burden to you. Let us go on to -the château of Briantes, and do you leave me there with a letter to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, introducing me to him. As he is to return -to-night, I will wait for him and rest a little meanwhile." - -"No, no!" cried Guillaume, "I should prefer to abandon the pleasures of -Bourges, and I should have done so already, were it not for the promise -I have made to some of my friends to be there this evening. But I -certainly will not leave you until I have myself commended you to the -care of an agreeable and faithful friend. La Motte-Seuilly is not a -league away, and there is no need to tire our horses. Let us take our -time. I shall reach Bourges an hour or two later, but in these holiday -times I am sure to find the gates open." - -And he resumed Bois-Doré's history, to which D'Alvimar hardly listened. -That gentleman was anxious concerning his own safety, and it did not -seem to him that the country through which they were riding was very -well adapted to his plan of lying hidden. - -It was a flat, open country, where, in case of an unpleasant meeting, it -was hardly possible to find the shelter of a wood, or even of a clump of -trees. The tillage land is too rich there ever to have been wasted in -tree-planting. It is a fine reddish soil, which stretches away in vast, -broadly-undulating fields, melancholy to look upon, although bordered by -lovely hills and strewn with picturesque little castles. - -Briantes, however, to which our travellers had drawn very near, had -impressed D'Alvimar much more favorably. - -Within ten minutes' walk of the château, the land suddenly slopes -downward, and leads gradually down into a narrow, well-wooded valley. - -The château itself cannot be seen until one is on top of it, as they -say in the province; and the expression is quite accurate, for the -slated belfry of its highest tower rises very little above the plateau, -and when, from the plain beyond, you see it gleaming in the rays of the -setting sun, you would say that it was a tiny lantern hung on the brink -of the ravine. - -Almost the same may be said of the château of La Motte-Seuilly,[4] -which lies below the plain of Chaumois, but in a less charming location -than Briantes; a dull, flat country, instead of a lovely valley. - -Before reaching the cross-road which leads to the castle, Guillaume had -told his companion in a few words the remaining vicissitudes in the life -of Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré; how his father had attempted to -confine him in his tower, to prevent his returning to the Huguenots; how -the young man had escaped by scaling the walls, and had gone off to join -his dear Henri de Navarre, with whom, after the death of King Henri -III., he had fought nine years; how, finally, having contributed to the -utmost of his ability to place him on the throne, he had returned to -live on his estates, where his tyrant of a father had ceased to live and -drive his neighbors mad. - -"And what became of his young brother?" queried D'Alvimar, making an -effort to become interested in the narrative. - -"The young brother is no more," replied D'Ars. "Bois-Doré knew but -little of him, for his father sent him when he was very young to serve -under the Duc de Savoie, and while in his service he met his death in -a----" - -At this point Guillaume was interrupted once more by an incident which -seemed to annoy D'Alvimar exceedingly, whether because he was beginning -to be interested in his companion's information, or because, being a -Spaniard, he had a marked repugnance for interrupters. - - -[Footnote 4: Now Feuilly; formerly and successively Seuly, Sully and -Seuilly.] - - - - -III - - -It was a band of gypsies, who were lying flat in a ditch, and rose at -the approach of the horsemen like a flock of sparrows, causing Monsieur -d'Alvimar's horse to shy. But they were very well tamed sparrows, for, -instead of flying away, they threw themselves almost under the legs of -the horses, jumping, yelling and holding out their hands in a piteous -and hypocritical way. - -It did not occur to Guillaume to do anything else than laugh at their -strange actions, and he bestowed alms on them very generously; but -D'Alvimar was extraordinarily surly, and said again and again, -threatening them with his whip: - -"Away! away! away from me, canaille!" - -He went so far as to attempt to strike a lad who was clinging to his -boot, with the look, at once mocking and imploring, of children trained -to the trade of begging on the highway. He avoided the whip, and -Guillaume, who was riding behind, saw him pick up a stone, which he -would have hurled at D'Alvimar, if another boy, somewhat older than he, -had not caught his arm, scolding and threatening him. - -But the incident did not end there: a small woman, of not unattractive -appearance, albeit sadly faded and poorly dressed, seized the child, -and, speaking to him as if she were his mother, pushed him toward -Guillaume, then ran after D'Alvimar, holding out her hand, but at the -same time gazing at him as if she wished never to forget his face. - -D'Alvimar, with increasing irritation, urged his horse toward the woman, -and would have ridden her down had she not quickly stepped aside; he -even put his hand to the butt of one of the pistols in his holsters, as -if he would readily have fired on one of those wretched beasts of -idolaters. - -Thereupon the gypsies exchanged glances, and drew together as if to -consult. - -"_Avanti_! _avanti_!" Guillaume shouted to D'Alvimar. - -He loved to use Italian words, to show that he had been to the -queen-mother's court; or perhaps he fancied that an _i_ at the end of a -word was sufficient to make it unintelligible to those gypsies. - -"Why _avanti_?" said D'Alvimar, declining to urge his horse. - -"Because you have irritated yonder blackbirds. See! they are crowding -together like cranes in distress; and, faith! there are a score of them -and only seven of us." - -"How now, my dear Guillaume! Can it be that you have any fear of those -feeble, cowardly animals?" - -"I am not accustomed to fear," replied the young man, slightly piqued, -"but it would be exceedingly distasteful to me to fire on the poor, -ragged wretches; and I am surprised that they have roused your temper -so, when it would have been a very simple matter to rid yourself of them -with a little small change." - -"I never give to such people," said Sciarra D'Alvimar, in a short dry -tone, which surprised the good-humored Guillaume. - -The latter felt that his companion had what we should call to-day an -attack of the nerves, and he abstained from reproving him. But he -insisted on quickening their pace, for the gypsies, running faster than -the horses trotted, followed them, and even went before them, divided -into two bands, one on each side of the road. - -They had not a hostile air, however, and it was difficult to guess what -their purpose was in escorting the horsemen thus. - -They talked among themselves in an unintelligible jargon, and seemed, -one and all, intent upon watching the woman at their head. - -The child whom Monsieur d'Alvimar had tried to strike with his whip -trotted along beside Monsieur d'Ars, as if he relied upon his -protection, and seemed to take great interest in this extraordinary -race. Guillaume noticed that the little fellow was less black and less -dirty than the others, and that his refined and attractive features bore -no racial resemblance to those of the gypsies. - -If he had paid the same attention to the woman whom D'Alvimar had -insulted and threatened, he would have noticed also that, while she did -not resemble the child in the slightest degree, she resembled no more -her other companions in misery. Her bearing was noble and less rough. -She was clearly not of European race, although she wore the costume of a -mountaineer of the Pyrenees. - - -[Illustration: _MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR._ - -_She walked boldly by his side, no longer trying -to beg from him, nor with any appearance of threatening -him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention._] - - -The most surprising fact was that, while she had understood perfectly -the movement which Sciarra made to draw his pistol, and despite the -natural cowardliness of beggars and mountebanks of that species, she -walked boldly by his side, no longer trying to beg from him, nor with -any appearance of threatening him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention. - -Her conduct seemed downright insolent to D'Alvimar, and he was on the -verge of listening to the promptings of his capricious and violent -temper. - -Guillaume saw that such was the case, and, being apprehensive of some -unpleasant outbreak, and of being obliged to take sides with the -overbearing gentleman against the inoffensive canaille, he urged his -horse between Sciarra and the little woman, motioned to her to stop, and -said to her, half-laughing, half-serious: - -"Would you deign to tell us, queen of the genesta and the heather, -whether it is to put shame upon us or to do us honor that you follow us -in this way, and whether we should be pleased or displeased at the -ceremony with which you treat us?" - -The Egyptian--these nomadic hordes of unknown origin were called -Egyptians or Bohemians indifferently in those days--shook her head and -motioned to the boy who had taken the stone from the child's hand. - -He walked toward them, and, pointing to the silent woman, said, with an -impudent manner, but in a wheedling tone, speaking French with no marked -accent: - -"Mercedes doesn't understand your lordships' language. I always speak -for those of our people who can't make themselves understood." - -"Ah! yes," said Guillaume, "you are the orator of the tribe; what is -your name, Master Impertinent?" - -"_La Flèche_, at your service. I have the honor to have been born a -Frenchman, in the town of which I bear the name." - -"The honor is on France's side, assuredly! Now, then, Master La Flèche, -tell your comrades to let us go our way in peace. I have given you -enough for a man who is travelling, and to make us swallow your dust is -not the way to thank me for it. Adieu, and leave us, or, if you have -some further request to make, do it quickly, for we are in a hurry." - -La Flèche rapidly translated Guillaume's words to her whom he called -Mercedes, and who seemed to be treated with peculiar deference by -himself as well as by all the others. - -She replied with a few words in Spanish, whereupon La Flèche said to -D'Ars: - -"This worthy woman humbly requests your lordships' names, so that she -may pray for you." - -Guillaume laughed. - -"That is an amusing request," he said. "Advise this worthy woman, friend -La Flèche, to pray for us without knowing our names. The good Lord -knows us well, and we can tell him nothing about ourselves that he does -not know better than we do." - -La Flèche saluted humbly with his dirty cap, and our travellers, -spurring their steeds, soon left the gypsies behind. - -"By the way," said D'Alvimar to Guillaume, as the bell-tower of La -Motte-Seuilly appeared on the horizon, "you have not told me where you -are going. Does that château belong to another of your friends who -would, doubtless, think me an intruder?" - -"Yonder château is the home of a young and lovely woman, who lives -there with her father, and they will both receive you courteously. They -will keep you until evening, not only in order not to be deprived of the -company of Monsieur de Bois-Doré, whom they esteem very highly, but -also to prove to you that we are not savages in our poor country -province, and that we know how to practise hospitality in the old French -way." - -D'Alvimar replied that he had no manner of doubt of it, and succeeded in -making some other courteous remarks to his companion, for no man was -ever better taught; but his bitter thoughts soon turned to another -subject. - -"According to what you have told me of this Bois-Doré, my host that is -to be," he said, "he is an old mannikin, I should judge, whose vassals -enjoy themselves to their hearts' content?" - -"No," replied Monsieur d'Ars. "Those gypsies interrupted me. I was -about to tell you that, when he returned to the country, wealthy and -bemarquised, people were surprised to find that he was as brave as a -lion, despite his mild aspect, and that, while he had some laughable -foibles, he also had some Christian virtues which are a very comfortable -possession for a man." - -"Do you reckon temperance and chastity among your Christian virtues?" - -"Why not, I pray you?" - -"Because that housekeeper with the glowing mane, whom we saw at the gate -of his domain, seemed to me something lusty for so demure a man." - -"Evil to him who evil thinks!" rejoined Guillaume, with a smile. "I -would not take my oath that our marquis was altogether insensible to the -cajoleries of Queen Catherine's maids of honor; but that was a long -while ago! I am strongly of the opinion that you could tell Bellinde -about it without offending her or causing her pain. But here we are. I -need not tell you that such subjects are not in season here. Our fair -widow, Madame de Beuvre, is no prude, but at her age and in her -position----" - -Our friends rode over the drawbridge, which, in view of the tranquil -state of the province, was lowered all day; the portcullis was closed. - -Thus they rode, without hindrance or ceremony, into the courtyard of the -manor, where they dismounted. - -"One moment!" said Sciarra d'Alvimar to Guillaume, as they were about to -enter the house; "do not, I beg you, mention my name here, on account of -the servants." - -"Neither here nor elsewhere," Monsieur d'Ars replied. "You have almost -no foreign accent; so there is no need to say that you are Spanish. For -which of my friends in Paris do you wish me to pass you off?" - -"I should be sadly embarrassed to play a rôle other than my own. I -prefer to remain almost myself, and simply to assume one of my family -names. I will be a Villareal, if you choose, and as an explanation of my -flight from Paris----" - -"You can talk confidentially with the marquis, and arrange matters as -you choose. There is nothing for me to do but to tell him how dear a -friend of mine you are; that you are running away from some persecution -or other; and that I beg him to take as good care of you as he would of -myself." - - - - -IV - - -The château of La Motte-Seuilly,--that name finally carried the -day,--which is still standing and almost intact to-day, is a small -manor-house consisting of a hexagonal entrance tower, purely feudal in -style, of a main building, very plain, with windows far apart, and of -two wings at right angles thereto, one of which is a donjon. In the left -wing are the stables, with arched ceilings and heavy timbers, the -kitchens and the servants' quarters; in the other, the chapel with its -ogival windows, of the time of Louis XII., spans a short open gallery, -supported by two heavy pillars surrounded by mouldings in relief, like -huge tree-trunks in the embrace of creeping plants. - -This gallery leads to the large tower or donjon, which, like the -entrance tower, dates from the twelfth century. The rooms within are -circular, decorated very simply but very prettily with columns set in -claw-shaped pedestals. The winding staircase, which is in a small tower -built against the larger one, leads to one of those old-fashioned -_charpentes_, cunningly and boldly fashioned, which are to this day -considered objects of art. - -This one bore, at the centre of its radiating spokes, a _chevalet_ or -wooden horse, an instrument of torture, the use of which was regulated -in cold blood by ordinance as late as 1670. This horrible machine dates -from the construction of the building, for it is built into the -_charpente_. - -It was in this poor, cramped, dismal manor that the beautiful Charlotte -d'Albret, wife of the ill-omened Cæsar Borgia, passed fifteen years and -died, still quite young, after a life of sorrow and sanctity. - -Everyone knows that the infamous cardinal, the pope's bastard, the -incestuous, blood-stained debauchee, the lover of his sister Lucretia, -and the murderer of his own brother and rival, divested himself of the -dignities of the church one fine day, to seek fortune and a wife in -France. - -Louis XII. desired to break off his own marriage with Jeanne, daughter -of Louis XI., in order to marry Anne de Bretagne. The pope's assent was -required. He obtained it on condition that he should give the duchy of -Valentinois and the hand of a princess to the bastard--the brigand -cardinal. - -Charlotte d'Albret, a lovely, pure and learned maiden, was sacrificed; a -few months later she was abandoned and looked upon as a widow. - -She purchased this dismal castle and took up her abode there to educate -her daughter.[5] Her only external pleasure was an occasional journey to -Bourges, to see her mysterious companion in misfortune, Jeanne de -France, the cast-off queen, who had become the Duchesse de Berry and the -foundress of the _Annonciade_. - -But Jeanne died, and Charlotte, then twenty-four years old, put on -mourning, which she never laid aside, and did not leave La Motte-Seuilly -again until her own death, which occurred nine years later--in 1514. - -Her body was taken to Bourges and buried beside Jeanne's, to be exhumed, -insulted and burned by the Calvinists half a century later, together -with that of the other poor saint. Her body rested in peace somewhat -longer in the rustic chapel of La Motte-Seuilly, under a pretty monument -which her daughter erected to her. - -But it was written that no earthly trace of that melancholy destiny -should be respected. In 1793 the peasants, venting upon that tomb the -hatred they bore their lord, burned it to the ground, and its débris -lie scattered over the pavement to-day. The statue of Charlotte is -propped against the wall, broken in three pieces. The chapel, utterly -neglected, is crumbling to decay. The victim's heart was in all -probability sealed up in a gold or silver casket: what has become of it? -Sold perhaps at a low price; perhaps simply hidden away or buried, in -consequence of a sudden return of fear or devotion, that poor heart may -be reposing in some village hovel, unknown to its new occupant, under -the hearthstone, or under the briar hedge. - -To-day the castle, restored in some degree, brightens up a little in the -sunlight, which finds its way into the gravelled courtyard through a -great breach in the wall. The water from the ancient moats, fed, I -believe, by a spring near by, flows in a charming little stream through -the newly laid out English garden. - -The enormous yew, which dates from the time of Charlotte d'Albret, rests -its venerable, drooping branches on blocks of stone, arranged with pious -care to support its monumental decrepitude. A few flowers and a solitary -swan cast a sort of melancholy smile about the sorrowful manor-house. - -The outlook is still gloomy; the landscape most depressing; the tower of -sinister aspect--and yet an artistic generation loves these dismal -abodes, these old, desolate nests, solid structures of a stern and -bitter past of which the common people know nothing, which they had -forgotten as early as 1793, since they shattered poor Charlotte's tomb -and left untouched the triumphant wooden horse of La Motte-Seuilly. - -At the time of our narrative, the manor-house, closed on all sides, was -at once more dismal and more comfortable than to-day. People lived in -the cold obscurity of those little fortresses; therefore, they must have -been able to make themselves comfortable in them. - -The huge fireplaces, all sheathed in cast-iron at the back, filled the -vast apartments with an intense heat. The former hangings on the walls -were replaced by felt paper of extraordinary thickness and beauty; -instead of our pretty Persian curtains, which quiver in the draughts -from the windows, were heavy folds of damask, or, in more modest -dwellings, of wadded silk, that lasted fifty years. On the sandstone -floors of corridors and living-rooms were rugs of a new kind, made of -wool, cotton, flax and hemp. - -Very handsome marquetry floors were made in those days, and in the -central provinces people ate from lovely Nevers porcelain, while the -sideboards were resplendent with those curious goblets of colored glass, -used only on grand occasions, and representing fanciful monuments, -plants, vessels or animals. - -Thus, despite the modest appearance of the exterior of the wing set -aside for the apartments of the masters--for the nobles had already -ceased to live near the roofs of their old feudal donjons--Monsieur -d'Alvimar found an attractive interior, neat and not unrefined, which -denoted genuine ease, at least, if not great wealth. - -La Motte-Seuilly had passed, by the marriage of Louis Borgia, into the -family of La Trémouille, to which Monsieur de Beuvre belonged through -his mother. - -He was a rough and gallant gentleman, who never hesitated to promulgate -his opinions and beliefs. His only daughter, Lauriane, had married, at -the age of twelve, her cousin Hélyon de Beuvre, aged sixteen. - -The two children had been kept apart, with the greater ease in that the -province was suddenly stirred by a commotion in which Messieurs de -Beuvre felt that they were in duty bound to take part. They left La -Motte on the very day of the marriage, to go to the succor of the -Duchesse de Nevers, who had declared for the Prince de Condé, and who -was besieged in her good city by Monsieur de Montigny--François de la -Grange. - -While making a bold attempt to force his way into Nevers, under the eyes -of the Catholics, young Hélyon was killed. On his return from that -campaign, therefore, Monsieur de Beuvre had the painful task of -informing his darling daughter that she had passed without transition -from the state of a virgin to that of a widow. - -Lauriane[6] wept bitterly for her young cousin. But can a maiden weep -incessantly at twelve years of age? And then her father gave her such a -lovely doll!--a doll with a dress of cloth of silver, and red velvet -slippers pinked like a crab's tail! And then, when she was fourteen, he -gave her such a pretty little horse, from Monsieur le Prince's own stud! -And then, too, Lauriane, who, at the time of her marriage, was only a -pale, slender chit, became at fifteen a dainty blonde, so graceful and -rosy and lovable, that there was no great danger that she would remain a -widow. - -But she was so happy with her father, and reigned so absolutely in the -little château he had given her by way of dowry, that she felt in no -manner of haste to enter the marriage state a second time. Was she not -called _madame_? And is not the childish desire to be so called one of -the most potent reasons which induce young girls to marry?--that and the -gifts and the fêtes and the wedding trousseau? - -"I have already had all the joys and all the sorrows of married life," -Lauriane would say artlessly. - -And yet, although he had a considerable fortune, managed by him with -great prudence, to which his retired life enabled him to add materially, -Monsieur de Beuvre did not find it a simple matter to arrange a second -marriage for his daughter. - -He had embraced the cause of the Reformed religion at the moment that -that cause, drained of men and of money, had no other alternative in our -provinces than to keep in the shadow and obtain toleration. - -Everybody in his neighborhood was a Catholic, or pretended to be; for, -in Berry, Calvinism had only a single moment of power and a single real -stronghold. But - - _The year fifteen sixty-two_ - -when - - _Bourges lacked priests and beggars too_, - -was already far away, and Sancerre, the _troublesome mountain_, had its -walls razed to the ground. - -The Berrichon character naturally inclines neither to persecution nor -fanaticism; and, after a moment of surprise and agitation, when the -passions of those outside their borders had intoxicated the common -people and the bourgeoisie, they had fallen back under the influence of -that fear of the great, which is the unchanging foundation of the -politics of that province. - -The great men, for their part, had sold their submission, in accordance -with their invariable custom. Condé had become a zealous Catholic. -Monsieur de Beuvre, who had first served the father, then lost his own -son-in-law in the son's cause, was, naturally enough, altogether in -disgrace, and appeared no more at Bourges. Jesuits had been sent to him -by the prince, to urge him to make solemn abjuration. - -De Beuvre was no fanatic in religious matters. He had yielded to -political passions when he embraced the Lutheran faith, and he realized -that he had made a mistake so far as his fortunes were concerned. He was -too recent a convert to make it worth their while to purchase him. They -contented themselves with attempting to intimidate him, and it had been -hinted to him most adroitly that he could not find a husband for his -daughter in the province if he persisted in his heresy. Having held his -head proudly erect before their threats, he had felt somewhat shaken at -the idea of Lauriane remaining a widow and her patrimony falling to -another branch of the family. - -But Lauriane had prevented him from giving way. Reared by him as a very -lukewarm adherent of the Protestant religion, she was only partially -instructed in its doctrines, and freely mingled the ceremonies and -prayers of both forms of worship in her heart. - -She did not go to the meeting-house over the long, wretched roads at -Issoudun or Linières, and when she passed a Catholic church, she did -not leap with indignation at the sound of the bell. But she sometimes -displayed beneath her smiling, childlike sweetness the germs of an -intense pride; and when she saw how her father suffered at the -humiliating thought of public abjuration, she came to his assistance -with surprising energy, saying to the Jesuits from Bourges: - -"It is of no use for you to seek to convert me with the bait of a -handsome Catholic husband, for I have sworn in my heart that I will -rather belong to a detestable husband of my own communion." - - -[Footnote 5: Louise Borgia, afterward married to Louis de Trémouille, -and later to Philippe de Bourbon-Busset.] - -[Footnote 6: Saint Laurian was one of the saints held in highest honor -in Berry.] - - - - -V - - -Only a few weeks had elapsed since the visit of the Jesuits to La -Motte-Seuilly, when Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar appeared there, -introduced by Guillaume d'Ars. They were received by the father and the -daughter, Monsieur de Bois-Doré having gone out to shoot a hare with -Monsieur de Beuvre's keeper. - -This was a fresh disappointment to Guillaume, who found himself delayed -again and again, and was beginning to despair of reaching Bourges that -day. - -Sciarra d'Alvimar conducted himself with much charm of manner, and, from -the first words he uttered, De Beuvre, who was familiar with social -usages, not because he had seen much of Paris, but because he had -frequented the petty provincial courts, where there was as much state -and ceremony as at the king's own court, saw that he had to do with a -man accustomed to the best society. - -As for D'Alvimar, who was deeply impressed by Lauriane's youth and -grace, he took her for a younger daughter of Monsieur de Beuvre, and -still awaited the appearance of the widow of whom D'Ars had spoken. - -Not for some time did he realize that that lovely child was the mistress -of the house. - -In those days dinner was served at ten in the morning, and Guillaume, -having gone out to the fields in quest of the marquis, returned to take -leave. - -"I have told the marquis," he said to Sciarra; "he is coming in; he has -promised solemnly to be your host and your friend until my return. So I -leave you in good company, and I shall do my best to make up for lost -time." - -They tried in vain to keep him to dinner. He departed, having kissed the -fair Lauriane's hand, pressed his good neighbor Monsieur de Beuvre's, -and embraced D'Alvimar, swearing that he would return to Briantes before -the end of the week to take him to his château of Ars, and keep him -there as long as possible. - -"Now," said Monsieur de Beuvre to D'Alvimar, "give the châtelaine your -hand and let us to the table. Do not be surprised if we do not wait for -our friend Bois-Doré. He is accustomed to spend an hour over his -toilet, even when he has hunted less than fifteen minutes; and not for -anything in the world would he appear before a lady--even this lady, who -is like his own child in his eyes, for he saw her at her birth--without -having washed and perfumed, and changed his clothing from head to foot. -That is his whim, and there is no great harm in it. We stand on no -ceremony with him, and we should offend him by delaying our repast to -await his coming." - -"Should I not," said D'Alvimar, when he had been seated at the upper end -of the table, "go and present my respects to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in -his apartments, before taking my place at the table?" - -"No," laughed Lauriane, "you would vex him terribly by surprising him at -his toilet. Do not ask us why; you will understand for yourself as soon -as you see him." - -"Moreover," added Monsieur de Beuvre, "except by reason of your youth, -you owe him no attentions, for in his capacity of _fiduciary_ host he is -called upon to make all the advances. And I will undertake the duty of -presenting you to him, Monsieur d'Ars having requested me to do so." - -In referring to D'Alvimar's youth, Monsieur de Beuvre fell into the -error which his appearance caused at first sight. - -Although he was at this time close upon forty, he seemed less than -thirty, and it may be that Monsieur de Beuvre mentally compared his -temporary guest's comely face with that of his dear Lauriane. It was his -constant thought to find for her some husband, outside the province, who -would not demand a solemn abjuration. - -The worthy gentleman did not know that the Jesuits already reigned -everywhere, and that Berry was one of the provinces which were least -affected by their propaganda. - -Nor did he know that D'Alvimar was in his heart a perfect knight of the -blessed Dame Inquisition. - -Guillaume, wishing to assure his friend a cordial welcome, was very -careful not to describe him as too sensitive in his orthodoxy. Himself a -Catholic, but extremely tolerant in his views and by no means a devout -believer, like most of the young men of fashion, he had not, in -introducing him to the master of the house, or in commending him to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, touched at all upon the religious questions to -which those gentlemen attached little more weight in their ordinary -relations than D'Ars himself. But he had informed Monsieur de Beuvre, -briefly, that Monsieur de Villareal--the name they had agreed upon--was -of good family--that fact was certain--and in a fair way to make his -fortune, which Guillaume believed to be true, for Monsieur D'Alvimar -concealed his poverty with all the pride of which a Spaniard is capable -in that direction. - -The first course was served with the characteristic moderation of -Berrichon servants, and discussed with the premeditated moderation of -well-bred people who do not choose to be considered gluttons. - -This patient deglutition, the long pauses between every mouthful, the -host's anecdotes between the courses, are still esteemed the elements of -good breeding among the old men in Berry. The peasants of our day have -carried the same theory still farther, and, when you break bread with -them, you can be certain of remaining three full hours at the table, -though there be nothing upon it but a bit of cheese and a bottle of sour -wine. - -D'Alvimar, whose active and restless mind could not fall asleep in the -joys of eating, took advantage of Monsieur de Beuvre's stately -mastication to talk with his daughter, who ate quickly and sparingly, -paying more attention to her father and her guest than to herself. - -He was surprised to find so much wit in a country girl who had never -gone beyond the limits of her own domain, save for one or two trips to -Bourges and Nevers. - -Lauriane was not very well cultivated, and it may be that she could not -have written a long letter without making mistakes in grammar; but she -talked well, and, by dint of listening while her father and his -neighbors discussed the affairs of the time, she was familiar with -history, and accurate in her judgment thereof, from the reign of Louis -XII. and the first religious wars. - -However, as she gloried in her descent from Charlotte d'Albret, as that -martyr's memory was in her eyes worthy of reverence and was revered by -her, she had no occasion to let D'Alvimar see that she was a heretic; -moreover, the laws of civility of that period ordained that people -should never discuss their own religious beliefs without adequate cause, -even when they were of the same communion; for the shades of belief were -without number, and controversy was rampant everywhere. - -In addition to her delicate tact and great good sense, there was a -flavor of frankness and mischief in her wit, a purely Berrichon -combination, the result of a blending of two contrary qualities being a -decidedly original way of looking at things and of speaking. She was of -the province where the truth is told with a smile on the lips, and where -everyone knows that he is understood without having to lose his temper. - -D'Alvimar, who was overbearing rather than affable, and more vindictive -than sincere, felt somewhat abashed in presence of that young woman, nor -had he any very clear conception of the cause of that feeling. - -At times it seemed to him that she divined his character, his past life, -or his recent adventure, and that her manner seemed to say to him: - -"For all that, we are none the less hospitable folk, ready to entertain -you." - -At last the time arrived to serve the joint, and, amid a great banging -of doors and clashing of plates, Monsieur de Bois-Doré appeared, -preceded by a diminutive retainer richly costumed, whom under his breath -he called his page, as if to justify this verse, which, however, had not -yet appeared to bring ridicule upon his like: - - _Every marquis must have pages_, - -and in contravention of the royal ordinances, which allowed pages only -to princes and to the very greatest noblemen. - -Despite his habitual dejection and his present discomfort, D'Alvimar had -difficulty in restraining his laughter at the appearance of his -_fiduciary_ host. - -Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré had been one of the handsome men of his -time. Tall, well-made, black hair, white skin, magnificent eyes, fine -features, physically strong and active, he had won the favor of many -ladies, but had never inspired a violent or lasting passion. It was the -fault of his own fickleness and of the sparing use he made of his own -emotions. - -Boundless charity, a loyalty that was most remarkable when we consider -the time and his environment, princely lavishness when fortune chanced -to smile upon him, a stoical philosophy in his hours of ill-luck, with -all the amiable and free-and-easy qualities of the adventurous champions -of the Béarnais, did not suffice to make an impassioned hero of the -type that was popular in his youthful days. - -It was an epoch of excitement and bloodshed, when love-making needed a -little ferocity in order to become romantic attachment; and Bois-Doré, -apart from actual battle, wherein he bore himself valiantly, was -disgustingly kind and gentle. He had never murdered a husband or -brother; he had poniarded no rival in the arms of an unfaithful -mistress; Javotte or Nanette readily consoled him for the treachery of -Diane or Blanche. And so, notwithstanding his taste for romances of -pastoral life and of chivalry, he was considered to have a paltry mind -and a lukewarm heart. - -He was the more readily reconciled to being tricked and cozened by the -ladies, in that he had never noticed it. He knew that he was handsome, -generous and brave; his adventures were brief but numerous; his heart -craved friendship rather than wild passion; and by his discretion and -his gentle manners he had earned the privilege of remaining everybody's -friend. He had been quite happy, therefore, without exerting himself to -be adored, and, to speak frankly, he had loved all the ladies more or -less without adoring any one of them. - -He might have been accused of egotism, had it been possible to reconcile -such an accusation with the other one freely brought against him, of -being too kind and too humane. He was in some measure a caricature of -the good Henri, whom many called an ingrate and a traitor, but whom one -and all loved none the less after they had come in contact with him. - -But time had moved on, and that was a fact which Monsieur de Bois-Doré -had not deigned to perceive. His supple frame had hardened and -stiffened, his shapely legs had withered, the hair had receded from his -noble brow, his great eye was surrounded with wrinkles as the sun is -with rays, and of all his vanished youth he had retained naught save the -teeth, somewhat long, but still white and even, with which he -ostentatiously cracked nuts at dessert in order to draw attention to -them. Indeed it was a common remark among his neighbors that he was much -annoyed if they forgot to place some nuts on the table before him. - -When we say that Monsieur de Bois-Doré had not observed the inroads of -time, it is simply another way of expressing his perfect satisfaction -with himself; for it is certain that he saw that he was growing old, and -that he fought against the effect of advancing years with valiant -determination. I believe that the utmost energy of which he was capable -was put forth in that struggle. - -When he saw that his hair was turning white and falling out, he made the -journey to Paris for the sole purpose of ordering a wig from the best -artist in wigs. Wigmaking was becoming an art; but the investigators of -details have informed us that at least sixty pistoles were required to -obtain one with a white silk parting, and the hairs inserted one by one. - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré was not deterred by that trifling sum, for he was -a rich man, and could well afford to expend twelve to fifteen hundred -francs of our money upon a semi-ceremonious costume, and five or six -thousand upon a full dress-coat. He hastened to provide himself with a -stock of wigs: first he fell in love with a flaxen mane, which was -wonderfully becoming to him, according to the wigmaker. Bois-Doré, who -had never before seen himself as a blond, was beginning to believe it, -when he tried on one of a chestnut hue, which, still according to the -dealer, was no less becoming than the other. The two were of the same -price: but Bois-Doré tried on a third, which cost ten crowns more, and -which caused the dealer's enthusiasm to overflow: that was really the -only one, he said, which brought out Monsieur le marquis's fine points. - -Bois-Doré thought of the time when the ladies used to say that it was -very unusual to see hair as black as his with so white a skin. - -"This wigmaker must be right," he thought. - -But, standing before the mirror a few moments, he was surprised to see -that that dark mane gave him a harsh, savage air. - -"It is astonishing how it changes me," he said to himself. "However, -this is my natural color. In my youth my appearance was as mild as it is -now. My thick black hair never gave me this cutthroat look." - -It did not occur to him that all things harmonize in the operations of -nature, whether it is putting us together or taking us apart, and that -with the gray hair his appearance was as it should be. - -But the wigmaker told him so many times that he looked no more than -thirty years old with that lovely wig, that he purchased it, and at once -ordered another, for economy's sake, as he said, in order to save the -first one. - -However, he changed his mind the next day. He considered that he looked -older than before with that youthful head, and all the friends whom he -consulted shared that opinion. - -The wigmaker explained to him that the hair, eyebrows and beard must be -made to correspond, and he sold him the dye. But thereupon, Bois-Doré -found that his face was so deathly pale amid those blotches of ink, that -it was necessary to explain to him that he would require rouge. - -"It would seem," he said, "that when you begin to resort to artificial -methods, you can never stop?" - -"That is the general rule," replied the rejuvenator; "choose whether you -will be old or appear old?" - -"But am I old, pray?" - -"No, since you can still appear to be young by the use of my receipts." - -From that day Bois-Doré wore a wig; eyebrows, moustaches and beard -painted and waxed; chalk on his nose; rouge on his cheeks; fragrant -powders in every fold of his wrinkles; and, lastly, perfumes and -scent-bags all over his person; so that, when he left his room, you -could smell him in the poultry-yard; and if he simply passed the kennel, -all his coursing dogs sneezed and made wry faces for an hour. - -When he had thoroughly succeeded in making an absurd old automaton out -of the handsome old man he had been, he took measures to spoil his -figure, which had the dignity befitting his years, by having his -doublets and short-clothes lined with double rows of steel, and holding -himself so erect that he went to bed every night with a lame back. - -It would have killed him, had not the fashion changed, luckily for him. - -The stiff, close-fitting doublets of Henry IV. gave way to the light -surtouts of the young favorites of Louis XIII. The hoop-shaped -short-clothes were succeeded by broad, full breeches which yielded to -every movement of the body. - -It cost Bois-Doré a pang to give way to these innovations, and to part -with his rigid _godronné_ ruffs just to be a little more comfortable in -the light _rotondes_. He sorely regretted the stiff lace, but ribbons -and fluffy laces seduced him by slow degrees, and he returned from a -brief visit to Paris dressed in the style affected by young men of -fashion, and imitating their heedless, exhausted airs, sprawling in easy -chairs, striking weary attitudes, rising from his seat in waltz time; in -a word, enacting, with his tall figure and strongly-marked features, the -rôle of insipid little marquis, which Molière, thirty years later, -found complete in its absurdity and ripe for his satire. - -This method enabled Bois-Doré to conceal the real burden of his years -beneath a disguise which transformed him into a sort of absurd ghost. - -To D'Alvimar he seemed an appalling spectacle, at first sight. The -Spaniard could not understand that profusion of ebon curls around the -wrinkled face, those heavy, awe-inspiring eyebrows over the soft, mild -eyes, that brilliant rouge, which seemed like a mask placed in jest upon -a venerable and benevolent face. - -As for the costume, its extreme elegance, the quantity of lace, -embroidery, rosettes and plumes, made it ridiculous beyond words at -midday, in the country; not to mention the fact that the pale, delicate -hues which our marquis affected were horribly out of harmony with the -lion-like aspect of his bristling moustache and his borrowed mane. - -But the old gentleman's greeting neutralized most agreeably the -repellent effect produced upon D'Alvimar by that burlesque figure. - -Monsieur de Beuvre had risen to present Guillaume's friend to the -marquis, and to remind him that he was placed in his care for several -days. - -"It is a pleasure and an honor which I should claim for myself," said -Monsieur de Beuvre, "if I were in my own house; but I must not forget -that I am under my daughter's roof. Moreover, this house is much less -rich and splendid than yours, my dear Sylvain, and we do not wish to -deprive Monsieur Villareal of the pleasures that await him there." - -"I accept your hyperbolical statements," replied Bois-Doré, "if they -will but dazzle Monsieur de Villareal so far as to induce him to remain -a long while under my care." - -Whereupon he extended his arms, swathed in lace to the elbow, and -embraced the pretended Villareal, saying with a frank laugh that showed -his fine white teeth: - -"Were you the devil himself, monsieur, from the moment that you are -entrusted to me, you become as a brother to me." - -He was careful not to say "as a son." He would have been afraid of -revealing the number of his years, which number he believed to be -shrouded in mystery because he had forgotten it himself. - -Villareal d'Alvimar could readily have dispensed with that embrace on -the part of a Catholic of such recent date, especially as the perfumes -with which the marquis was reeking took away the little appetite he had, -and as, after embracing him, he pressed his hands vigorously between his -dry fingers, armed with enormous rings. But D'Alvimar had to consider -his own safety first of all, and he felt sure, from Monsieur Sylvain's -cordial and hearty manner, that he had really been placed in loyal and -trustworthy hands. - -He adopted the plan, therefore, of expressing profound gratitude for the -twofold hospitality of which he was the object, exhibiting himself in a -most favorable light; and when they left the table, the two old noblemen -were delighted with him. - -He would have been glad to take a little rest, but the châtelain -incited him to a game of draughts, then to one of billiards with -Bois-Doré, who allowed himself to be beaten. - -D'Alvimar loved all games, and was by no means averse to winning a few -gold crowns. - -The hours passed away in what might be called a resultless association, -since these diversions led to no conversation sufficiently serious to -place the three gentlemen in a position to know one another. - -Madame de Beuvre, who had retired after dinner, reappeared about four -o'clock, when she saw preparations being made in the courtyard for the -departure of her guests. - -She proposed a walk in the garden before separating. - - - - -VI - - -It was late in October. The days had grown short, but were still mild -and bright, the St. Martin's summer having not yet come to an end. The -trees were quite bare, their graceful tracery outlined against the -bright red sun just sinking behind the black thickets along the horizon. - -They walked over a bed of dry leaves along the paths lined with box-wood -and trimmed yews, which imparted an orderly and dignified stiffness to -the gardens of that period. - -In the moats fine old carp followed the promenaders, looking for the -bread crumbs which Lauriane was accustomed to bring them. - -A little tame wolf also followed her like a dog, but was held in awe and -tyrannized over by Monsieur de Beuvre's favorite spaniel, a playful -young beast, who showed no aversion for his suspicious companion, but -rolled him over and snapped at him with the superb indifference of a -child of noble birth deigning to play with a serf. - -D'Alvimar, on the point of offering his arm to the fair Lauriane, paused -as he saw Monsieur de Bois-Doré approach her, apparently with the same -purpose. - -But the courtly marquis also stepped back. - -"It is your right," he said; "a guest like yourself should take -precedence of friends; but pray appreciate the sacrifice I make to you." - -"I do appreciate it fully," replied D'Alvimar, as Lauriane placed her -little hand lightly on his arm; "and of all your kindnesses to me, I -value this most." - -"I am rejoiced to see," replied Bois-Doré, walking at Madame de -Beuvre's left hand, "that you understand French gallantry as did his -late majesty, our Henri, of blessed memory." - -"I trust that I have a better understanding of it than he, by your -leave." - -"Oh! that is much to claim!" - -"We Spaniards understand it differently, at all events. We believe that -a faithful attachment to a single woman is preferable to unmeaning -gallantry toward all." - -"Oho! in that case, my dear count--you are a count, are you not, or a -duke?--I beg your pardon, but you are a Spanish grandee, I know that, I -can see it.--So you believe in the perfect loyalty of romance? There is -nothing nobler, my dear guest, nothing nobler, on my word!" - -Monsieur de Beuvre called Bois-Doré away, to show him some trees that -he had recently set out, and D'Alvimar took advantage of the -interruption to ask Lauriane if Monsieur de Bois-Doré had intended to -make sport of him. - -"By no means," she replied; "you must know that our dear marquis's -favorite food is D'Urfé's romance, and he almost knows it by heart." - -"How does he reconcile this taste for a noble passion with the tastes of -the old court?" - -"That is a very simple matter. When our friend was young, he loved all -the ladies, so they say. As he grew older, his heart grew cold; but he -thinks that he conceals that fact, as he thinks that he conceals his -wrinkles, by pretending to have been converted to the superior virtue of -noble sentiments by the example of the heroes of _Astrée_. So that, to -excuse himself for not paying court to any fair lady, he boasts that he -is faithful to a single one, whom he never names, whom no one ever has -seen or ever will see, for the excellent reason that she exists only in -his imagination." - -"Is it possible that at his age he still feels bound to pretend to be in -love?" - -"He must do so, since he wishes to pass for a young man. If he were -willing to admit that all women had become equally indifferent to him, -why should he take the trouble to smear his face and to wear false -hair?" - -"So in your opinion it is not possible to be young without being -enamored of some woman?" - -"Oh! I know nothing about it," replied Madame de Beuvre gayly; "I have -had no experience and I know nothing of men's hearts. But I sometimes -hear it said that such is the fact, and Monsieur de Bois-Doré seems to -be convinced of it. What is your own opinion thereon, messire?" - -"It seems to me," said D'Alvimar, who was curious to know the young -woman's ideas, "that one can live a long while on a past love, awaiting -a love to come." - -She made no reply, but looked up at the sky with her lovely blue eyes. - -"Of what are you thinking?" he asked her, with a familiarity that was -perhaps a little too sympathetic. Lauriane seemed surprised at this -impertinent question. She looked him straight in the face with an -expression that seemed to say: "What business is that of yours?" But she -replied with a smile, not seeking to defend herself with unnecessarily -stern words: - -"I was not thinking of anything." - -"That is impossible," rejoined D'Alvimar; "one is always thinking of -something or somebody." - -"But we think vaguely, so vaguely that in a moment we have forgotten." - -Lauriane did not speak truly. She had been thinking of Charlotte -d'Albret, and we will translate all that had passed through her mind in -that brief reverie. - -That poor princess had appeared to her, as it were, to make the reply -which D'Alvimar was seeking, and that reply was as follows: - -"A maiden who has never loved sometimes accepts rashly the first love -that presents itself, because she feels impatient to love, and sometimes -she falls into the arms of a knave who tortures her, wrecks her life and -deserts her." - -D'Alvimar was far from suspecting the curious warning that that young -heart had received; he fancied that she was indulging in a bit of -coquetry, and the game attracted him, although his heart was as cold as -marble. He persisted. - -"I will warrant," he said, "that you have dreamed of a love more real -than that which Monsieur de Bois-Doré parades before you; of such a -love as you could inspire in a man of heart, even if you could not -yourself feel it." - -No sooner had he uttered these commonplace words of challenge, in a tone -to which he was able to give a melting quality and which he deemed most -persuasive, than Lauriane suddenly withdrew her arm from his, turned -pale and stepped back. - -"What is it, in heaven's name?" he exclaimed, trying to recover her arm. - -"Nothing, nothing," she said, trying hard to smile. "I saw a snake among -the rushes and it frightened me; I am going to call my father to kill -it." - -And she hastened toward Monsieur de Beuvre, leaving D'Alvimar beating -the rushes on the sloping bank of the moat with his cane, in search of -the accursed reptile. - -But no reptile, beautiful or ugly, made its appearance, and when he -looked after Madame de Beuvre, he saw her just going from the garden -into the courtyard. - -"There's a sensitive plant," he thought as he watched her! "whether she -really was frightened by a snake, or whether my words caused this sudden -disturbance. Ah! why have not queens and princesses, who hold exalted -destinies in their hands, the amorous sincerity of these little country -dames!" - -While his vanity thus accounted for Lauriane's emotion, she had gone up -to Charlotte d'Albret's chapel, not to pray--she did not often visit -that Catholic oratory, ordinarily closed as the sanctuary of a venerable -memory--but to make sure of a fact which had caused her a violent shock. - -In that little chapel there was a portrait, blackened and discolored by -the lapse of years, which was never shown to any one, but was preserved -there, where it had been found, out of respect for those articles which -had belonged to the saint of the family. - -Lauriane had seen the portrait but twice in her life. Once by chance, -when an old woman employed to clean the chapel had opened the sort of -closet in which it was kept, in order to dust it. - -Lauriane was a child at that time. The portrait had frightened her, -although she could not tell why. - -The second time, not long before, her father had told her the poor -duchess's story, with certain details, furnished by tradition, and had -said to her: - -"And yet our saintly ancestress did not abhor _that monster_. Whether -she had actually loved him for a moment before she knew of the crimes -with which his hands were stained, or whether she made it her duty to -pray for him, impelled solely by Christian charity, she had his portrait -in her chapel." - -Thereupon Lauriane, having learned whose terrifying features were -represented in that old painting, had felt a desire to see it again. She -had scrutinized it carefully, coolly, and had made a mental vow that she -would never marry a man who bore the faintest resemblance to that -terrible face. - -Although she had examined the portrait without the slightest agitation, -the spectre had haunted her eyes for some time, and, whenever they fell -upon a repellent face, she involuntarily compared it with the abhorred -type; but she had eventually forgotten the incident, for she was -naturally cheerful and placid, and as stout-hearted as most of the young -châtelaines of the period of commotion and danger which was hardly at -an end. - -And so, when she met D'Alvimar, it had not once occurred to her to -compare his face with the picture; and even in the garden, as she -chatted merrily with him, her arm in his, and looked him in the face, -she had felt no apprehension. But why had she thought of Charlotte -d'Albret while he was speaking to her? She had no idea; she paid no -great heed to the coincidence at first. - -But D'Alvimar had insisted upon knowing her thoughts; he had almost -spoken to her of love. At all events he had said more to her on that -subject in two words, although she had never seen him before, than any -of the masculine friends, young or old, whom she met frequently, had -ever dared to do. - -Surprised by such excessive audacity, she had looked at him again, but -this time by stealth. She had detected a treacherous smile on that -charming face; and at the same time his profile, outlined against the -ruddy background of the horizon, had extorted a cry of alarm from her. - -That handsome youth, who seemed determined to provoke the first -pulsations of her heart, resembled Cæsar Borgia! - -Whether that was a mere fancy or a certainty, it was impossible for her -to remain an instant longer on his arm. - -She had invented a pretext for her alarm. She had fled, and she had gone -to look at the portrait, in order to banish or confirm her suspicions. - - - - -VII - - -As the daylight was rapidly fading and it was already dark on the -courtyard side of the château, she turned back and went for a light to -her room, which was in the wing adjoining the little gallery under the -chapel. - -The closet containing the portrait was nothing more than a square -cupboard of plain boards, fastened to the wall, like those in village -churches in which are kept the banners used in processions. She hastily -opened it, placed her candle so that its light fell upon the picture, -and gazed at the infamous wretch's features. - -It was a fine painting. Cæsar and Lucretia Borgia were contemporaries -of Raphael and Michelangelo, and this portrait, somewhat dry in -execution, was in Raphael's first manner. It belonged to the same -school. - -The face of the Duc de Valentinois showed no sign of the livid blotches -and hideous pustules which some historians describe, nor the squinting -eyes, "gleaming with an infernal brilliancy which even his comrades and -chosen intimates could not endure." Whether because the artist had -flattered him, or because he had painted him at a period of his life -when vice and crime did not as yet "stand out" on his face, he had not -made him ugly. He had painted the cardinal brigand in profile, and that -one of his eyes which he had copied was looking straight ahead. - -The face was pale, ghastly pale, and thin, the nose sharp and narrow, -the mouth almost lipless, so pale and colorless were the lips, the chin -angular, the outlines pure, the beard and moustache red and carefully -combed, and the general effect distinguished. But seen thus in its most -favorable aspect, that knavish face was perhaps more repulsive than if -it had been eaten by leprosy. It was calm and thoughtful, and it bore no -resemblance to the flat head of the viper. - -No, no, It was much worse; it was a well-shaped man's face, with all the -intellectual faculties admirably developed for evil. The long, half-shut -eye seemed absorbed in blissful meditation of a crime, and the -imperceptible smile on the transparent lips had the drowsy mildness of -sated ferocity. - -It was impossible to say definitely in what the horror of the expression -consisted: it was everywhere. One felt chilled in body and mind as one -questioned that cruel and insolent countenance.[7] - -"I dreamed it!" said Lauriane, scrutinizing the features one by one. -"That is not the Spaniard's brow, nor his eye, nor his mouth. It is of -no use for me to look, I can find nothing of him here." - -She closed her eyes to recall his features without looking at the -portrait. She saw him full face: he was charming, with a proud and -resigned expression of melancholy. She saw him in profile: he was -playful, a little satirical perhaps, he smiled.--But as soon as she -recalled that smile, she saw the profile of the infamous Cæsar, and it -was impossible for her to separate the two impressions, as if they were -glued together. - -She closed the cupboard, and glanced at the pulpit of carved wood, the -little altar, and the black velvet cushion whitened and worn threadbare -by Charlotte's knees. She fell on her knees upon it and prayed, not -pausing to think whether she was in a church or a meeting-house, whether -she was Catholic or Protestant. - -She prayed to the God of the weak and afflicted, the God of Charlotte -d'Albret and Jeanne de France. - -Then, feeling somewhat reassured, and seeing that her guests' horses -were ready, she went down to the salon to receive their adieux. - -She found her father greatly excited. - -"Come here, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand to lead her -to the chair which Bois-Doré and D'Alvimar hastened to bring forward -for her; "you will restore harmony among us. When the ladies leave the -men together, they become bad-tempered, they talk of politics or -religion, and on those points no two men can ever agree. You are most -welcome therefore, who are as mild and gentle as the doves; come and -tell us about your doves, whom, I suppose, you have just been putting to -bed." - -Lauriane confessed that she had forgotten her pets. She felt that -D'Alvimar's keen and piercing eye was fixed upon her. She made bold to -look at him. It was certain that he bore no more resemblance to Borgia -than good Monsieur Sylvain himself. - -"So you have been quarrelling with our neighbor again?" she said to her -father as she kissed him, while she held the old marquis's hand. "Well, -what harm is done, since you confess that you need a little -contradiction to assist your digestion?" - -"_Mordi_! no," rejoined Monsieur de Beuvre, "if it were with him I would -not confess, for I should simply have committed an everyday sin; but I -have allowed myself to fall into a contradictory mood with Monsieur de -Villareal, and that is contrary to all the laws of hospitality and -propriety. Make peace between us, my dear daughter, and tell him, for -you know me, that I am a pig-headed, quarrelsome old Huguenot, but -honest as gold, and entirely at his service none the less." - -Monsieur de Beuvre exaggerated. He was not a very bloodthirsty Huguenot, -and religious ideas were sadly tangled in his brain. But he harbored -some intense political hatreds and animosities, and he could not hear -the names of certain of his adversaries without giving vent to his -uncompromising frankness of speech. - -Now, D'Alvimar had offended him by assuming the defence of the -ex-Governor of Berry, Monsieur le Duc de la Châtre, to whom the -conversation had drifted. - -Lauriane, being informed of the subject of dispute, gently delivered her -verdict. - -"I absolve you both," she said; "you, monsieur my father, for the -thought that the example of the late Monsieur de la Châtre is not -worthy to be followed in any particular save physical bravery and -wit;--you, Monsieur de Villareal, for having pleaded the cause of a man -who is not here to defend himself." - -"Well judged!" cried Bois-Doré; "now let us change the subject." - -"Yes, to be sure, let us say no more of that tyrant!" rejoined the old -Huguenot; "let us say no more of that fanatic!" - -"It pleases you to call him a fanatic," retorted D'Alvimar, who was -incapable of yielding an inch; "for my own part, and I knew him well at -court, if I had ventured to reproach him at all, it would have been for -not being zealous enough in his love for the true religion, and for -looking upon it solely as an instrument with which to crush rebellion." - -"True, true," said Bois-Doré, who abhorred disputes and thought of -nothing but putting an end to one in progress, whereas De Beuvre moved -uneasily in his chair, making it very plain that he had not done with -it. - -"After all," continued D'Alvimar, hoping to make his peace, "did he not -faithfully and zealously serve King Henri, to whose memory you all seem -to be devoted hereabout?" - -"And with reason, monsieur!" cried De Beuvre; "with reason, _mordi_! -Where will you find a wiser and more humane king? But for how long a -time did your frantic Leaguer of a La Châtre fight against him? how -many times did he betray him? how much money had to be paid him to -induce him to remain quiet? You are a young man, and a society man; you -saw only the courtier and the smooth talker; but we old provincials know -our petty provincial tyrants, I tell you! I wish that Monsieur de -Bois-Doré would tell you how that illustrious warrior effected the -glorious conquest of Sancerre by falsehood and treachery!" - -"Bless my soul!" said Bois-Doré, with some temper, "how do you expect -me to remember such things?" - -"Why should it not please you to remember them, I pray to know?" -retorted De Beuvre, paying no heed to the marquis's annoyance; "you were -not at the breast, I fancy?" - -"But I was so young, that I remember nothing about it." - -"Well, I remember," cried De Beuvre, vexed by his friend's defection. -"Now, I am ten years younger than you, my friend, and I was not there; I -was a page to young Condé, the grandfather of the present one, and a -very different man, I promise you." - -"Come, come," said Lauriane, venturing upon a most mischievous step in -order to pacify her father and turn the quarrel aside from its main -subject; "our dear marquis must needs confess that he was at the siege -of Sancerre and bore himself valiantly there, for everybody knows it, -and modesty alone leads him to refuse to remember it." - -"You know very well that I was not there," said Bois-Doré, "since I was -here with you." - -"Oh! I am not speaking of the last siege, which lasted only twenty-four -hours, last May, and which was simply the _coup de grâce_; I refer to -the great, the famous siege of 1572." - -Bois-Doré had a horror of dates. He coughed, moved about, and poked the -fire, which did not need it; but Lauriane was determined to immolate him -under bouquets of praise. - -"I know that you were very young," she said, "but even then you fought -like a lion." - -"It is true that my friends performed wonders," replied Bois-Doré, "and -that it was a very hot struggle; but I could not strike very hard, -however eager I may have been, at that age." - -"_Mordi_! you took two prisoners yourself!" cried De Beuvre, stamping on -the floor. "Look you, it drives me frantic to see a stout-hearted old -fighter like you deny his gallant exploits rather than admit his age!" - -Bois-Doré was deeply wounded, and his face became sad; it was his only -way of manifesting his displeasure to his friends. - -Lauriane saw that she had gone too far; for she was sincerely attached -to her old neighbor, and when he ceased to laugh at her teasing, she no -longer cared to laugh herself. - -"No, monsieur," she said to her father, "permit your daughter to tell -you that you are only jesting. The marquis was much less than twenty, -and his conduct was all the more glorious." - -"What! he was not twenty years old?" cried De Beuvre; "can it be that I -have become, all of a sudden, the older of the two?" - -"One is never older than one appears," replied Lauriane, "and it is only -necessary to look at the marquis----" - -She paused, lacking the courage to tell a downright falsehood even to -console him; but the intention was enough, for Bois-Doré was content -with very little. - -He thanked her with a glance, his brow cleared; De Beuvre began to -laugh, D'Alvimar admired Lauriane's charming delicacy, and the storm was -turned aside. - - -[Footnote 7: I do not know what has become of the portrait here -described. I saw one like it in the possession of the illustrious -General Pepe. It is well known that there is a portrait by Raphael which -is a masterpiece. In it Borgia is almost handsome; at all events there -is so much distinction in his face and refinement in his person that one -hesitates to detest him. But close scrutiny causes a sensation of -genuine terror. The hand, straight, slender and white as a woman's, -tranquilly grasps the hilt of a dagger hanging at his side. It holds it -with remarkable grace; it is ready to strike. The impending movement is -so admirably foreshadowed, that we can see in anticipation how the blow -is to be dealt, downward, into his victim's heart. There is grandeur in -that portrait, in the sense that the great artist has left his stamp -upon it, but without attempting to disguise the moral wickedness of his -model, which he makes to shine forth triumphantly through the appalling -tranquillity of his features.] - - - - -VIII - - -They conversed pleasantly for a few moments. Monsieur de Beuvre urged -D'Alvimar not to take fright at his outbreaks, and to come again on the -second day thereafter with Bois-Doré, who was accustomed to dine at La -Motte every Sunday. Thereupon a servant announced that _la carroche_ of -monsieur le marquis was ready.--Everyone knows that, previous to the -time of Louis XIV., who ordered otherwise, _carrosse_ was of both -genders, and more frequently feminine, after the Italian _carrozza_. - -Now, Monsieur de Bois-Doré's _carroche_ or _carrosse_ was an enormous, -lumbering chariot, which four fine strong Percheron horses drew with -admirable courage; they were somewhat too fat, perhaps, for one and all, -men and beasts alike, were well-fed under worthy Monsieur Sylvain's -roof. - -This venerable equipage, constructed to defy the difficulties of roads -carriageable or not, was stout enough to stand any test, and, if it left -something to be desired in the way of ease, one was assured at all -events of not breaking many bones in case of an upset, because the -interior was so bountifully stuffed. There were six inches of wool and -tow under the damask lining, so that one had a sense of security, if not -all possible comfort. - -For the rest, it was a handsome chariot, all covered with leather, -embellished with gilt nails which formed a decorative border for the -panels. For convenience in entering and alighting, there was a small -ladder, which was placed inside when not in use. - -In the four corners of this citadel on wheels, there was a very arsenal -of swords and pistols, not forgetting the powder and ball; so that, at -need, they could sustain a siege therein. - -Two servants on horseback, carrying torches, headed the procession; two -other torch-bearers rode behind the carriage with D'Alvimar's servant, -who led his master's horse. - -The marquis's young page sat on the box beside the coachman. - -The party clattered noisily under the portcullis of La Motte-Seuilly; -and the rattling of the chains of the drawbridge as it rose behind the -procession, amid the joyous barking of the watch dogs as they were set -loose in the courtyard, combined to make an uproar which could be heard -as far as the hamlet of Champillé, a good fourth of a league away. - -D'Alvimar felt called upon to say a few words to Bois-Doré in praise of -his fine carriage, an article of comfort and luxury still rare in the -country districts, and considered a marvel of magnificence, particularly -in Berry. - -"I did not expect," he said, "to find the luxury of the great cities in -the heart of Berry, and I see, monsieur le marquis, that you lead the -life of a man of quality." - -Nothing could have been more flattering to the marquis than this last -expression. Being a simple gentleman, he was not and could not be, -despite his title, a _man of quality_. His marquisate was a little farm -in the Beauvoisis which he did not even own. On a certain day of fatigue -and peril, Henri IV., arriving with him and a very small escort at that -farm, where the chances of partisan warfare had compelled them to halt, -and which they found entirely abandoned,--Henri IV., we say, was in -great danger of not breakfasting at all, when Monsieur Sylvain, who was -a most resourceful man in adventures of this sort, discovered in a -thicket a number of fowls which had been left behind and had become -wild. The Béarnais had taken part in the hunt with great zest, and -Sylvain had undertaken to cook the game to a turn. - -This unlooked-for repast had put the King of Navarre in excellent humor, -and he had conferred the farm upon his loyal retainer, erecting it into -a marquisate by his good pleasure, to reward him, he said, for having -rescued a king from death by starvation. - -His possession was limited to this sojourn of a few hours on the little -fief he had won without striking a blow. It had been retaken on the -following day by the contrary party; and, after the peace, its lawful -owners had re-entered into possession. - -It mattered little to Bois-Doré, who cared nothing for that hovel but -much for his title, and to whom the King of France afterward laughingly -fulfilled the promise he had made as King of Navarre. The dignity was -not conferred upon the Berrichon squire by any parchment; but, under the -protection of the omnipotent monarch, the title was tolerated, and the -obscure country gentleman admitted to the king's select circle as -Marquis de Bois-Doré. - -As no one made any objection, the king's jest and his sufferance created -a precedent at least, if not a right, and to no purpose did people make -merry at the expense of Monsieur Sylvain Bouron du Noyer--such was his -real name,--he esteemed himself a man of quality despite the scoffers. -After all he had a better claim to the title and bore it more honorably -than many other partisans. - -D'Alvimar was not aware of any of these circumstances. He had paid -little attention to what Guillaume d'Ars had told him hurriedly. It did -not occur to him to scoff at his host's nobility, and our marquis, being -accustomed to be teased upon that point, was infinitely grateful to him -for his courtesy. - -However he felt bound to assume the airs of a man in robust health, in -order to neutralize that troublesome date of the siege of Sancerre. - -"I keep this carriage," he said, "for no other purpose than that I may -be able to offer it to the ladies in my neighborhood when occasion -offers; for, so far as I am concerned, I much prefer the saddle. One -travels faster and with less hindrance." - -"So you treated me like a lady," rejoined D'Alvimar, "by sending for -this carriage during the day. I am overwhelmed, and if I had thought -that you did not fear the cool evening air, I should have begged you to -make no change in your habits." - -"But I thought that, after the long journey you have taken, you had -ridden enough for to-day; and as to the cold, to tell you the truth, I -am a terribly lazy mortal, and indulge myself in many little comforts -which are not at all necessary to my health." - -Bois-Doré attempted to reconcile the slothful nonchalance of young -courtiers with the sturdy vigor of young country gentlemen, and he was -sometimes sorely embarrassed over it. He was, in truth, still hale and -hearty, a good horseman and in good health, despite occasional twinges -of rheumatism which he never mentioned, and a slight deafness which he -did not admit, attributing the mistakes made by his ear to his -absent-mindedness. - -"I must needs apologize to you for the discourtesy of my friend De -Beuvre," he said. "Nothing can be in worse taste than these religious -discussions, which are no longer in fashion. But you will pardon an old -man's obstinacy. In reality De Beuvre worries no more than I do about -these subtleties. It is infatuation for the past which causes now and -then an attack of inveighing against the dead, and thereby making -himself a good deal of a bore to the living. I do not see why old age is -so pedantic over its reminiscences, as if, at any age, one had not seen -enough things and enough people to be as much of a philosopher as is -necessary! Ah! commend me to the good people of Paris, my dear guest, -for ability to talk with refinement and moderation on every subject of -controversy! Commend me to the Hôtel de Rambouillet for example! Of -course you have frequented the _blue salon of Arthenice_?"[8] - -D'Alvimar was able to reply that he was received by the marchioness, -without departing from the truth. His wit and his learning had thrown -open to him the doors of the fashionable Parnassus; but he had acquired -no footing there, his intolerance having made itself manifest too soon -in that sanctuary of French urbanity. - -Moreover he had little taste for the literary sheepfold. The ambition of -the age was consuming him, and the pastoral, which is the ideal of -repose and unostentatious leisure, was not at all in his line. So that -he was overcome with fatigue and drowsiness when Bois-Doré, overjoyed -to have somebody to talk with, began to recite whole pages from -_Astrée_. - -"What can be more beautiful," he cried, "than this letter from the -shepherdess to her lover: - -"'I am suspicious, I am jealous, I am hard to win and easy to lose, and -more easy to offend and most exceeding hard to appease. My desires must -be decrees of fate, my opinions arguments, and my commands inviolable -laws.' - -"What style! and what beautiful character painting! And does not the -sequel contain all the wisdom, all the philosophy and morality that a -man can need? Listen to this, Sylvie's reply to Galatée: - -"'You must not doubt that this shepherd is in love, being so honorable a -man!' - -"Do you understand, monsieur, the deep meaning of that sentiment? -However, Sylvie herself explains it: - -"'The lover desires nothing so much as to be loved; to be loved one must -make oneself lovable; and that which makes one lovable is the same which -makes one an honorable man?'" - -"What? what does that mean?" cried D'Alvimar, awakened with a start by -the remarks of the learned shepherdess, which Bois-Doré roared into his -ear to drown the clattering of the _carrosse_ over the hard pavement of -the old Roman road from La Châtre to Château-Meillant. - -"Yes, monsieur, yes, I would maintain it against all the world!" -rejoined Bois-Doré, not observing his guest's start; "and I tire myself -out repeating it to that old dotard, that old heretic in matters of -sentiment!" - -"Who?" queried D'Alvimar in dismay. - -"I am speaking of my neighbor De Beuvre, a most excellent man, I promise -you, but infatuated with the idea that virtue is found only in -theological works, which he does not read, inasmuch as he could not -understand them; whereas I maintain that it is found in poetic works, in -agreeable and becoming thoughts, which every man, however simple he may -be, may turn to his advantage. For example, when young Lycidas yields to -the mad love of Olympe----" - -At this juncture D'Alvimar resolutely went to sleep again, and -Bois-Doré was still declaiming when the chariot and the escort woke the -echoes on the drawbridge of Briantes, with an uproar equal to that they -had made on leaving La Motte. - -It had grown quite dark; D'Alvimar could see naught of the château but -the interior, which seemed to him very small, and which was so, in fact, -compared with the enormous dwellings common at that period. - -To-day the apartments in the château would seem very large, but in -those days they seemed very diminutive. - -The portion occupied by the marquis, which had been ruined by the bands -of partisans in 1594, was of recent construction. It was a square -pavilion, flanked by a very old tower and by another even more ancient -building, the whole forming a single mass of composite architecture, -graceful in its narrow proportions, and of attractive and picturesque -aspect. - -"Do not be dismayed at the poor appearance of my cottage," said the -marquis, leading the way into the hall, while the page and Bellinde -lighted them; "it is just a hunting-box and bachelor's den. If I should -ever take it into my head to marry, I should have to build; but I have -not thought of it thus far, and I trust that, being yourself a bachelor, -you will not find this hovel too inconvenient." - - -[Footnote 8: Arthenice, an anagram of _Catherine_ Marquise de -Rambouillet; it is said to have been invented by Malherbe.] - - - - -IX - - -In truth the bachelor's den was arranged, carpeted and decorated with a -magnificence of which the low carved door and the narrow vestibule, from -which the spiral staircase rose abruptly, gave no indication. - -On the flagged hall were excellent Berry mats, on the wood floors richer -carpets from the looms of Aubusson, and in the salon and the master's -bedroom Persian rugs of very great value. - -The window-panes were large and of plain glass; that is to say, they -were diamond-shaped, about two inches square and unstained, with -medallions, bearing a coat-of-arms in colors, in relief. The hangings -represented slender, fascinating ladies and dainty little gentlemen, -whom it was very easy to identify as shepherds and shepherdesses by -their satchels and crooks. - -The names of the principal characters of _Astrée_ were embroidered in -the grass under their feet, and their eloquent speeches were issuing -from their mouths, meeting the no less eloquent replies of their -neighbors. - -On a panel in the _salon de compagnie_ the ill-fated Celadon was -represented, plunging with graceful contortions into the blue waters of -the Lignon, which rippled in circles in anticipation of his fall. Behind -him the incomparable Astrée, giving free vent to her tears, ran up too -late to stop him, although his foot was almost in the shepherdess's -hand. Above this pathetic group a tree, more like a sheep than the sheep -themselves in those fantastic fields, reared to the ceiling its fleecy, -curly branches. - -But, in order not to rend the heart by this lamentable spectacle of the -demise of Celadon, the artist had represented him, on the same panel, on -the other side of the Lignon, tossed up by the water, and lying betwixt -life and death among the bushes, but rescued by "three lovely nymphs, -whose unbound hair fell in waves over their shoulders, covered with a -garland of pearls of divers shapes. The sleeves of their gowns were -turned back to the elbow, whence a shirred undersleeve of thin lawn -extended to the wrist, where two large bracelets of pearls secured it. -Each one had at her side the quiver filled with arrows, and carried in -her hand an ivory bow. Their dresses were turned up so that their gilded -buskins could be seen halfway to the knee." - -Beside these lovely creatures stood little Meril guarding their chariot, -shaped like a shell, with a parasol above, and drawn by two horses which -might readily have been mistaken for sheep, their eyes were so mild and -their heads so round. - -The next panel represented the shepherd, saved and supported by the -obliging nymphs, and busily discharging through his mouth all the water -of the Lignon which he had swallowed; which occupation did not prevent -his saying, in words written all along the gushing stream: "If I -survive, how can Astrée's cruelty fail to kill me?" - -During this soliloquy Sylvie said to Galatée: "There is in his manners -and his speech something more noble than the title of shepherd denotes." - -And, above the group, Cupid discharged an arrow larger than himself into -Galatée's heart, although he aimed at her shoulder, through the fault -of a tree which prevented him from taking the proper position. But the -arrows of love are so adroit! - -What shall I say of the third panel, which pictured the terrible combat -between the blond Filandre and the redoubtable Moor, who held his -opponent spitted through the body, while the valiant shepherd, in nowise -disconcerted, skilfully buried the iron-shod point of his crook between -the monster's eyes? - -And of the fourth panel, whereon the fair Mélandre, in the armor of -Chevalier Triste, was led into the presence of the cruel Lypandas? - -But who does not know the marvels of that _fair land of tapestry_, as -one of our poets calls it, a fantastic, smiling land, wherein our -youthful imaginations saw and dreamed of so many wondrous things? - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's hangings were put together with marvellous -skill, in the sense that several adventures were successfully combined -in a single one, by the agency of distant groups scattered over the -landscape, and the honest nobleman had the pleasure of viewing all the -scenes of his favorite poem while making the circuit of his apartment. -But there were the most absurd drawings and the most impossible -combinations of colors that one can imagine, and there could have been -no better exemplification of the wretched taste, false and insipid, -which in those days was found side by side with Rubens's magnificent -work and the bold and lifelike drawings of Callot. - -Every epoch runs thus to extremes; that is why we need never despair of -the one in which we live. - -We must recognize the fact, however, that certain periods of the history -of art are more favored than others, and that there are some periods -whereof the taste is so pure and so fruitful, that the sentiment of the -beautiful finds its way into all the details of everyday life and into -all the strata of society. - -When the Renaissance is at its height everything assumes a character of -refined originality, and one feels, even in the most trivial details, -that the excitements of social life have marvellously quickened the -flight of the imagination. The imaginative instinct descends from the -region of lofty intellects to the humble artisan; from the palace to the -hovel, nothing can accustom the eye and the mind to the sight of the -ugly and the trivial. - -It had already ceased to be so under Louis XIII., and the provincials in -the neighborhood preferred Monsieur de Bois-Doré's modern tapestries -and furniture to the valuable specimens of the style of the last -century, which the _reiters_ had pillaged or broken in his father's -château fifty years before. - -As for the marquis, who considered himself artistic, he did not regret -those antiquities, and whenever he could pick up some landscape-dauber -on the highway, he would bid him sketch before his eyes what he -artlessly called his ideas, in the way of furniture and decorations, and -would then have them manufactured at great expense, for he shrank from -no outlay to gratify his mania for tawdry and eccentric splendor. - -Thus the château was filled to overflowing with buffets with secret -compartments and curious cabinets,--those wonderful cabinets, like great -boxes with drawers, where the pressure of a spring causes an enchanted -palace in miniature to appear, supported by twisted pillars, incrusted -with enormous false precious stones, and occupied by diminutive figures -in lapis-lazuli, ivory or jasper. - -Other cabinets, sheathed in transparent shell over a red ground, with -gleaming copper ornaments in relief, or all inlaid with carved ivory, -contained some marvellous toy, of which the ingenious and mystery-laden -mechanism served to conceal billets-doux, portraits, locks of hair, -rings, flowers and other love-relics dear to the beaux of the period. - -Bois-Doré hinted that those specimens of the cabinet-maker's art were -stuffed with treasures of that sort; some evil-minded scoffers declared -that they were empty. - -Despite all these vagaries of his magnificence, Bois-Doré had -transformed his little manor-house into a luxurious nest, warm and -cheery, which had cost him more than it was worth, but which it would be -most delightful to find intact in one of the little provincial -châteaux, which to-day are neglected, dilapidated, falling in ruins, or -changed into farmhouses. - -It would have taken three days to inspect all the curious trifles which -are described to-day by the new name of _bibelots_, but which would be -more appropriately called _bribelots_.[9] Our inquisitive and -investigating generation is entitled, however, to give whatever name it -chooses to a variety of exploration which is peculiar to it, and we -gladly accept the verb _bibeloter_, although it is only used by the -initiated. - -However, we will not _bibeloter_--catalogue--here the interesting -collection of curios at Briantes; it would take too long; we will say -simply that Monsieur d'Alvimar might well have fancied himself in the -shop of a second-hand dealer, so striking was the contrast between the -profusion of gewgaws heaped upon sideboards and mantels, or piled in -pyramids on the tables, and the chilling bareness of the Spanish palaces -in which he had passed his youth. - -Amid all that glass and porcelain, flagons, candlesticks, chandeliers, -punch-bowls, urns, to say nothing of the ewers, cups and small dishes of -gold, silver, amber or agate; the chairs of all shapes and sizes, -nailed, fringed and covered with Chinese silk; the benches and cupboards -of carved oak, with great clasps of openwork iron over a background of -scarlet cloth; the curtains of satin worked with gold flowers, large and -small, and embellished with gold-fringed lambrequins, etc., etc., there -were certainly some beautiful objects of art and charming products of -industry, mingled with much worthless trash and much inappropriate -elegance. In a word the general effect was brilliant and agreeable, -although there was altogether too much of it, and one hardly dared move -for fear of breaking something. - -When D'Alvimar had expressed his surprise at finding that palace of the -fairy Babiole in the modest valleys of Berry, and Bois-Doré had -obligingly exhibited the principal treasures of his salon, Bellinde the -housekeeper, who went in and out issuing orders in a clear and resonant -voice, announced to her master in an undertone that the supper was -ready, while the page threw the doors wide open, shouting the usual -formula, and the clock of the château struck seven with a burst of -music in the Flemish style. - -D'Alvimar, who had never been able to accustom himself to the abundance -of dishes in France, was surprised to find the table covered, not only -with gold plate and candlesticks adorned with glass flowers of all -colors, but with a quantity of food sufficient to have satisfied a dozen -persons with hearty appetites. - -"Oh! this is not a supper," said Bois-Doré, whom he gently chid for -treating him like a gourmand; "this is simply a little lunch by -candlelight. Make an effort, and if my chief cook has not got tipsy in -my absence, you will see that the rascal knows how to awaken the -sluggish appetite." - -D'Alvimar made no further remonstrance, and found that his appetite did -in fact come to him in spite of himself. - -Never had he tasted such exquisite cheer at the table of the great -noblemen of his own nation, nor anything more exquisite in the most -splendid mansions in Paris. There were none but the daintiest little -dishes, deliciously seasoned, and most scientifically compounded after -the fashion of the time: bisque of crab, fat quail stuffed, pastry light -as air, perfumed creams of several flavors in marchpane shells, biscuits -with saffron and with clove, fine native wines, among which the old wine -of Issoudun could hold its own with the best vintages of Bourgogne; and -at dessert the headiest wines of Greece and Spain. - -They passed two hours tasting a little of everything, Bois-Doré talking -of the cellar and cuisine like a consummate master, and Bellinde -directing the servants with unequalled knowledge and skill. - -The young page played the theorbo very pleasantly during the first two -courses; but simultaneously with the third a new personage appeared and -caused D'Alvimar some uneasiness, although he could not tell why. - - -[Footnote 9: A coined word, derived from _bribes_, scraps or refuse.] - - - - -X - - -He was a man of some forty years, whom the marquis greeted by the name -of Master Jovelin, and who, without speaking, seated himself on a -leather-covered gilt chair in a corner of the room, in such way as not -to interfere with the going to and fro of the servants. He carried a -little red serge bag which he placed on his knees, and he glanced at the -table companions with a pleasant, smiling expression. - -His face was handsome, although the features were without distinction. -His nose and mouth were large, he had a retreating chin and a low -forehead. - -Despite these defects, it was impossible for an honest man to look upon -him without interest; and if one paid the slightest heed to his -beautiful black hair, which was sadly neglected, but of fine texture and -naturally curly, his magnificent white teeth which his melancholy but -cordial smile revealed, and his black eyes, so keen and intelligent, so -kind and sympathetic, that his yellow face was lighted up by them, one -felt as it were compelled to love him, ay, and to respect him. - -He was dressed like a petty bourgeois, but very neatly, in a suit of -bluish-gray, with woollen stockings; the coat long and tightly buttoned, -a wide collar turned down and cut square across the chest, open sleeves -in the Flemish style, and a broad-brimmed felt hat without feathers. - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, having asked politely as to his health and -ordered a servant to give him a glass of Cyprus, which he declined with -a wave of his hand, said no more to him, but bestowed his attention on -his guest exclusively. - -Such was the etiquette of that time, a man of quality being prohibited -from showing much consideration for an inferior, under pain of seeming -to insult his equals. - -But D'Alvimar noticed that their eyes met frequently and that, after -every remark made by the marquis, they exchanged a smile of -intelligence, as if he desired to share all his thoughts with the -new-comer, perhaps to obtain his approbation, perhaps to divert his mind -from some secret trouble. - -Surely, in all this there was no cause for alarm on D'Alvimar's part. -But it may be that he was not on very good terms with his conscience; -for that handsome and honest face, far from being attractive to him, -caused him a great mental perturbation and sudden distrust. - -The marquis, however, did not say a word or ask a question referring to -the reasons of the Spaniard's flight to Berry. He talked entirely of -himself, and therein gave proof of great tact, for D'Alvimar had as yet -shown no inclination to be confidential, and his host found a way to -keep up the conversation without questioning him upon any subject -whatsoever. - -"You find me in comfortable, well-furnished quarters and well-served," -he said; "that is quite true. It is several years"--he did not say how -many--"since I withdrew from society to rest a while and recover from -the fatigues of war, awaiting events. I confess that, since the death of -our great King Henri, I care not at all for the court or the city. I am -not given to complaining, and I take the times as they come; but I have -had three great sorrows in my life: the first was when I lost my mother, -the second when I lost my younger brother, the third when I lost my -great and good king. And there is this peculiarity in my story, that all -three of those persons who were so dear to me died a violent death. My -king was assassinated, my mother fell from her horse, and my -brother--But this is too sad a subject, and I do not choose to tell you -unpleasant tales to prepare you for your first night under my roof. I -will simply tell you what it was that made me slothful and inclined to -domesticity. When I saw my King Henri breathe his last, I reasoned thus -with myself: 'You have lost all those you loved, you have nobody left -but yourself to lose; now then, if you do not wish your turn to come -soon, you will do well to turn your back on these regions of commotion -and intriguing, and go and nurse your poor, afflicted and weary person -in your native province.' You were right therefore to esteem me as -fortunate as a man can be, since I was wise enough to adopt the course -best suited to me, and to save myself from all annoyance; but you would -have made a mistake to think that I lack nothing; for, while I desire -nothing, I cannot say that I regret nobody. But I have regaled you -enough with my sorrows and I am not one of those who feed upon them, -refusing to be comforted or diverted. While we taste this jelly, do you -care to listen to a more skilful musician than our little page?--Do you -listen to him, too, my young friend," he added, addressing the page; "it -will do you no harm." - -As he spoke to D'Alvimar, he had bestowed upon him he called Master -Jovelin one of those affectionate glances which resembled prayers rather -than commands. - -The man in the gray suit unbuttoned the flowing sleeve which covered -another tighter sleeve of a dull red color, and threw it over his -shoulder; then he took from his bag one of those little bag-pipes with a -short, carved bass, which were then called _sourdelines_, and were -employed in chamber music. - -This instrument, the tone of which was as sweet and veiled as the -bag-pipes of our own minstrels of to-day are noisy and shrill, was much -in vogue, and before Master Jovelin had concluded his prelude, he had -taken possession not only of the attention but of the very soul of his -hearers; for he performed marvellously on the _sourdeline_, and made it -sing like a human voice. - -D'Alvimar was a connoisseur, and beautiful music possessed the power of -making his natural melancholy less bitter than usual. He abandoned -himself the more readily to this sort of relief, because his mind was -set at rest when he discovered that this silent and watchful individual, -whom he had taken at first for an insinuating spy, was an accomplished -and harmless musician. - -As for the marquis, he loved the art and the artist, and he always -listened to his _master sourdelinier_ with religious emotion. - -D'Alvimar expressed his admiration in well-chosen terms. Whereupon, the -supper being at an end, he asked leave to retire. - -The marquis rose at once, motioned to Master Jovelin to await his return -and to the page to take a light, and himself escorted his guest to the -room that had been prepared for him; after which he returned to the -table, removed his hat, which, in those days, was a sign that ceremony -was dispensed with, contrary to the usage introduced at a later date, -ordered a sort of punch called _clairette_, compounded of white wine, -honey, musk, saffron and cloves, and invited Master Jovelin to sit -opposite him in the place D'Alvimar had just vacated. - -"Now, Messire Clindor," said the marquis, smiling good-humoredly at the -page, whom, in accordance with his usual custom, he had burdened with a -name taken from _Astrée_, "you may go to sup with Bellinde. Leave us, -and tell her to take care of you.--Stay," he added, as the page was -about to leave the room, "I have been intending all day to reprove you -for your manner of walking. I have noticed, my young friend, that you -have adopted some habits which you may think are military, but which are -simply vulgar. Do not forget, therefore, that, although you are not -noble, you are in a way to become so, and that a well-mannered little -bourgeois in the service of a man of quality is on the road to the -acquisition of a little fief of which he may assume the name. But what -will it avail you that I assist you to rub the dirt off your birth, if -you persist in befouling your manners? Try to be a gentleman, monsieur, -not a peasant. Now then, adopt an easy carriage, try to put your whole -foot on the floor when you walk, and not begin your step with the heel -and end on the great toe; a trick which makes your gait and the clatter -of your shoes resemble the amble of a millers horse. Go now in peace, -eat well and sleep well, or else beware of the stirrup-leathers!" - -Little Clindor, whose real name was Jean Fachot--his father was an -apothecary at Saint-Amand,--received the sermon of his lord and master -with great respect, saluted and left the room on tiptoe, like a -ballet-dancer, to make it perfectly evident that he could not touch his -heels first, since he did not touch them at all. - -The old servant, who always remained to the last, having gone likewise -to his supper, the marquis said to his _sourdelinier_: - -"Come, my dear friend, just take off that great hat, and eat, without -fear of the servants, a good slice of this paté and another of this -ham, as you do every evening when we are alone." - -Master Jovelin uttered some inarticulate sounds by way of thanks, and -began to eat, while the marquis slowly sipped his _clairette_, less from -desire than from courtesy, to bear him company; for it is well to say -that, although the old man had many absurd foibles, he had not a single -vice. - -Then, while the poor mute ate, the good châtelain carried on the -conversation all by himself, which was a very great pleasure to the -musician, for no other person would take the trouble to speak to a man -who could not answer. People had become accustomed to treat him as a -deaf-mute; that is to say, knowing that he could not repeat what he -heard, they indulged without hesitation in lying or slander in his -hearing. The marquis alone talked directly to him, with much deference -for his noble character, his great learning and his misfortunes, of -which the following is a brief narrative: - -Lucilio Giovellino, a native of Florence, was a friend and disciple of -the unfortunate and illustrious Giordano Bruno. Trained in the sublime -ideas and vast learning of his master, he had, in addition, great -aptitude for the fine arts, poetry and languages. Lovable, eloquent and -persuasive, he had propagated with success the bold doctrine of the -plurality of worlds. - -On the day when Giordano died at the stake with the calm dignity of a -martyr, Giovellino was banished from Italy forever. - -This happened at Rome two years before the period of our narrative. - -Under the hand of the tormenters, Giovellino had not chosen to adhere to -all of Giordano's doctrines. Although he was deeply attached to his -master, he had declined to accept certain of his errors, and as they -were able to convict him of only the half of his heresy, they had -inflicted only the half of his punishment: they had cut out his tongue. - -Ruined, banished, exhausted by the torture, Giovellino had come to -France, where he played his sweet-toned bag-pipe from door to door, for -a crust of bread; and, Providence having guided him to the marquis's -door, he was taken in, nursed, cured, entertained by him, and--which was -worth far more to the poor fellow--appreciated and loved. He had told -him of his misfortunes in writing. - -Bois-Doré was neither a scholar nor a philosopher; he had become -interested in him at first as a man who was persecuted, as he himself -had been for a long time, by Catholic intolerance. He would not, -however, have become attached to a savage, violent sectary, of the type -of a goodly number of Huguenots, who were no less addicted to -persecution in those days than their adversaries. He had a vague -knowledge of the blasphemies imputed to Giordano Bruno; he bade -Giovellino explain his doctrines to him. The mute wrote rapidly, and -with that refined lucidity of expression which great minds were -beginning not to disdain, wishing to instruct everybody, even the common -herd, in those great questions which Galileo was already investigating -in the domain of pure science. - -The marquis enjoyed this conversation in writing, in which the essential -points were summarized soberly, and without the inevitable digressions -of speech. Gradually he conceived an enthusiastic, passionate interest -in these new definitions which afforded him repose and relieved him from -tedious disputes. He desired to read an exposition of Giordano's ideas, -also of those of his predecessor Vanini. Lucilio was able to express -them so that he could understand them, pointing out the weak or false -passages, in order to lead him to the only conclusions which human -knowledge asserts with certainty to-day: a creation as infinite as the -Creator, an infinity of stars peopling infinite space, not to serve as -luminaries and objects of interest to our little planet, but as sources -and sustenance of universal life. - -This was very easy to understand, and man had understood it ever since -the first ray of genius had made itself manifest in mankind. But the -doctrines of the Church in the Middle Ages had reduced God and Heaven to -the proportions of our little world, and the marquis thought that he was -dreaming when he learned that the existence of the real universe was -not--as he had always imagined, so he said--a poet's fancy. - -He did not rest until he had procured a telescope, and he expected, the -dear man, to see the inhabitants of the moon distinctly, his ideas were -raised so high. He had to abandon that hope; but he passed all his -evenings reading Giovellino's explanation of the movements of the stars, -and of the wonderful celestial mechanism, which Galileo was destined to -be condemned to abjure as heretical, a few years later, under torture, -on his knees, with a torch in his hand. - - - - -XI - - -"Well," cried the marquis, while his friend ate, hastening as a matter -of course, although his amiable and obliging host urged him to take his -time, "what have you done to-day, my redoubtable scholar? Yes, I -understand, pages of fine writing. Do not lose a line, I pray you! Those -are words of refined gold which will go down to posterity; for these -days of gloom will go hence into the dungeons of the past! Meanwhile, -always conceal your sheets carefully in the secret drawer of the -cupboard I have had placed in your chamber, when you do not write in -mine." - -The mute made a sign that he had been writing in the marquis's study, -and that his sheets were in a certain ebony casket where the marquis -kept them. He made himself understood by gestures with great ease. - -"That is still better," continued Bois-Doré; "they are even safer -there, as no woman enters the room. It is not that I distrust Bellinde, -but she seems to me altogether too devoutly inclined since the arrival -of this new rector whom Monseigneur de Bourges has sent us, and who is -not to be compared, I fear, with our old friend the former curé, whom -we owed to the last archbishop, Jean de Beaune. - -"Ah! if only we had retained that excellent prelate, with his flowing -beard, his gigantic stature, his fat paunch, his Gargantuan appetite, -his handsome face, his great mind and his vast learning! one of the -shrewdest and best men in the kingdom, although, to look at him, one -would have taken him for a _bon vivant_ and nothing more! - -"If you had come in his time, my dear friend, you would not have had to -keep out of sight in this little hunting-box; you would not have been -obliged to translate your name into French, to lock up your learning, to -pass for a poor bagpiper, and to give people hereabout to understand -that you were mutilated by the Huguenots; our excellent primate would -have taken you under his protection, and you would have printed your -noble thoughts at Bourges, to the great honor of your name and of our -province; whereas we now have for archbishops none but Condé's too -zealous servants. - -"Yes, yes, I learned some fine things to-day, at De Beuvre's, concerning -that prince, a renegade to the faith of his fathers and the friendships -of his youth! He inundates us with Jesuits, and, if poor Henri IV. -should return to life, he would see some diverting masquerading! -Monsieur de Sully is falling deeper and deeper into disgrace. Condé is -purchasing from him by threats all his estates in Berry. Fancy! he has -forced him to give up the grand-bailiwick and the command of the great -tower! He is king of our province now, and people say that he dreams of -becoming King of France. So, you see, affairs are going badly -out-of-doors, and there is no safety except in our little fortresses, -and that only on condition that we are prudent and wait patiently for -the end of it all." - - -[Illustration: _BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS -PROTÉGÉ._ - -_Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to -him over the table, and kissed it with the eloquent -warmth which took the place of speech with him._] - - -Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to him over the -table, and kissed it with the eloquent warmth which took the place of -speech with him. At the same time, he made him understand, by pantomime -and by his expression, that he was happy with him, that he did not -regret glory and the tumult of the world, and that he was altogether -disposed to be prudent, lest he should compromise his protector. - -"As to the young gentleman whom I brought home with me and have done my -best to entertain," continued Bois-Doré, "you must know that I know -nothing about him except that he is a friend of Messire Guillaume d'Ars, -that he is threatened with some danger, and that he is to be concealed -and defended at need. But do you not think it odd that this stranger did -not once take me aside to confide his story to me, or that he did not do -it when we were naturally left together on our return hither?" - -Lucilio, who always had a pencil and paper beside him on the table, -wrote to Bois-Doré: - -"Spanish pride." - -"Yes," rejoined the marquis, reading, so to speak, before he had -written, so accustomed had he become, in two years, to divine his words -from the first letters; "'Castilian pride,' that is what I said to -myself. I have known a goodly number of these hidalgos, and I know that -they do not consider it discourteous to show lack of confidence. So I -must needs exercise hospitality here in the old-fashioned way, respect -my guest's secrets and treat him courteously, as an old friend whom one -believes to be the most honorable man on earth. But that does not compel -me to accord him the confidence that he denies me, and that is why, as -you saw, I left you in a corner, like a poor, paid musician, when he was -here. And hereupon, my dear friend, I ask you to forgive me, once for -all, for any apparent lack of affection or courtesy to which I am forced -by regard for your safety, just as I clothe you in these common, -ill-fitting clothes." - -Poor Giovellino, who had never been so well dressed and so tenderly -cared for in his whole life, interrupted the marquis by pressing his -hands, and Bois-Doré was deeply moved to see tears of gratitude fall -upon his friend's long, black moustache. - -"Nay," he said, "you overpay me by loving me so dearly! I must reward -you now by speaking to you of the sweet Lauriane. But must I repeat what -she said to me about you? You will not be too puffed-up by it? No?--Well -then, here goes. In the first place: - -"'How is your druid?' - -"I replied that the said druid was hers much more than mine, and that -she ought to remember that Climante, in _Astrée_, was only a false -druid, as deep in love as every other lover in that beautiful story. - -"'Nay, nay,' she replied, 'you are deceiving me; if your Climante were -as much in love with me as you represent him, he would have come with -you to-day, whereas two whole weeks have passed since we saw him. Will -you tell me that he starts when he hears my name, as in _Astrée_, and -that he utters sighs which seem _to rend his stomach in twain_? I do not -believe a word of it, and look upon him as an inconstant Hylas rather!' - -"You see that the charming Lauriane continues to make sport of -_Astrée_, of you and of me. However, when I took leave of her at -nightfall, she said to me: - -"'I insist upon your bringing the druid and his bag-pipe to us the day -after to-morrow, or I will give you a cool reception, I promise you.'" - -The poor druid listened with a smile to Bois-Doré's story; he knew how -to jest on occasion, that is to say to take others' jesting in good -part. Lauriane was to him nothing more than a lovely child, whose father -he might have been; but he was still young enough to remember that he -had loved, and in the depths of his heart his sense of isolation was -exceedingly bitter to him. - -As he thought of the past he stifled a sigh of regret, and began -instinctively to play an Italian air which the marquis loved above all -others. - -He played it with so much grace and passion that Bois-Doré said to him, -resorting to his favorite oath, borrowed from Monsieur d'Urfé: - -"_Numes célestes_! you need no tongue to talk of love, my dear friend, -and if the object of your passion were here, she must be deaf to avoid -understanding that your heart is pouring itself forth to hers. But come, -will you not let me read those pages of sublime learning?" - -Lucilio signified that his head was a little tired, and Bois-Doré at -once sent him off to bed, after embracing him fraternally. - -Giovellino, in truth, often felt that he was more of an artist and a -creature of sentiment, than a scholar and philosopher. His nature was at -once enthusiastic and meditative. - -Meanwhile Monsieur de Bois-Doré had retired to his "night apartment," -situated above the salon. He had spoken truly when he said to Lucilio -that no woman ever entered that sanctuary of repose or the cabinets -connected therewith; Bellinde herself was forbidden to cross the -threshold under the severest penalties. - -Only old Mathias--dubbed Adamas, for the same reason that Guillette -Carcat was obliged to call herself Bellinde, and Jean Fachot, -Clindor--was privileged to assist in the mysteries of the marquis's -toilet, so perfectly sincere was he in the belief that the secret of his -rouge and his dyes could be revealed only by the arsenal of boxes, -phials and jars spread out upon his tables. - -As usual, therefore, he found Adamas alone, preparing the curl-papers, -powders and perfumed unguents which were to preserve the marquis's -beauty even in his slumber. - - - - -XII - - -Adamas was a pure-blooded Gascon: stout of heart, keen of wit, untiring -of tongue. Bois-Doré artlessly called him his old servant, although he -himself was at least ten years his senior. - -This Adamas, who had accompanied him in his last campaigns, was his -_âme damnée_, and filled his nostrils with the incense of perpetual -admiration, the more injurious to his mental equilibrium in that it was -the result of a sincere infatuation. It was he who persuaded him that he -was still young, that he could not grow old, and that, when he went -forth from his hands, glistening and high-colored like a page from a -missal, he was certain to supplant all the coxcombs and deceive all the -fair. - -No man is great in the eyes of his valet de chambre, witness Sancho -Panza who told his master such sound truths. But Bois-Doré, who was -simply an excellent man, enjoyed the privilege of being a demi-god in -the eyes of his servant; and, while some heroes have been the -laughing-stock of their retainers, this laughable old man was taken -quite seriously by the majority of his. - -So things go in this world. Everyone must have noticed, as I have, that -they sometimes go entirely contrary to logic and common-sense. - -The old nobleman's extraordinary kindliness was responsible for this -state of affairs. Great characters make people too exacting. At the -slightest weakness on their part, people are astonished; at the -slightest impatience they are scandalized. He who has no character at -all never irritates anybody and reaps the advantages of his -never-failing good nature. - -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, kneeling on the floor to remove his -old idol's boots, "I must tell you a very strange occurrence that -happened to-day on your domain." - -"Speak, my friend, speak, since you desire to speak," replied -Bois-Doré, who allowed his dresser to chatter familiarly with him, and -furthermore, when he was half asleep, loved to be soothed by some bit of -harmless gossip. - -"You must know, then, my dear and well-beloved master," said Adamas, -with his Gascon accent, which we will not attempt to reproduce, "that, -about five o'clock this evening, a very extraordinary woman came here, -one of those poor creatures of whom we saw so many on the shores of the -Mediterranean and the Southern provinces; you know, monsieur, not very -dark women, with heavy lips, fine eyes, and black hair--like yours!" - -As he made this comparison, in perfect good faith, Adamas respectfully -placed his master's wig on an ivory block. - -"Do you mean those Egyptian women, who play all kinds of tricks?" said -Bois-Doré, paying no heed to the subject of the comparison. - -"No, monsieur, no! This one is a Spaniard, who swears by Mahomet, I am -sure, when she is all alone." - -"Then you mean that she is a Moor?" - -"That's it exactly, monsieur le marquis; she's a Moor, and she doesn't -know a word of French." - -"But you know a little Spanish?" - -"A little, monsieur. I remember so well what I used to know of it, that -I talked with that woman almost as readily as I am speaking to you." - -"Well, is that the whole story?" - -"Oh! no; but give me time! It seems that this Moorish woman was one of -the great band of a hundred and fifty thousand, who perished, almost all -of them, some half score years ago, some by hunger and murder on the -galleys that were taking them to Africa, others by want and disease on -the shores of Languedoc and Provence." - -"Poor creatures!" said Bois-Doré. "That was the most detestable deed -that ever was done!" - -"Is it true, monsieur, that Spain drove out a million of these Moors, -and that barely a hundred thousand arrived in Tunis?" - -"I couldn't tell you the number; but I can tell you that it was -downright butchery, and that beasts of burden were never treated like -those wretched human beings. You know that our Henri would fain have -made Calvinists of them, which would have saved them by making them -French." - -"I remember very well, monsieur, that the Catholics of the South -wouldn't listen to such a thing, and said that they would murder them -all rather than go to mass with those devils. The Calvinists were not -any more reasonable, and the result was that our good king left the poor -wretches at peace in the Pyrenees, waiting for an opportunity to do -something for them. But after his death the queen regent wanted to rid -Spain of them, so they drove them into the sea, with or without ships. -Some, however, consented to be baptized and became Christians, to escape -that cruel fate, and the woman in question followed that wise course, -although I suspect her of not being perfectly sincere." - -"What difference does that make to you, Adamas? Do you think that the -great Maker of the sun, the moon and the Milky Way----" - -"I beg your pardon, monsieur?" said Adamas, who had not a very clear -understanding of his master's recently acquired knowledge, and indeed -was somewhat disturbed about it; "I don't recognize _milky voice_[10] as -a French expression." - -"I will tell you about that another time," said the marquis yawning, for -he was drowsing in front of the fire that crackled on the hearth. -"Finish your story." - -"Well, monsieur," Adamas continued, "this Moorish woman remained till -last year in the Pyrenees mountains, where she watched the flocks for -poor farmers; so that she continued to speak her Catalan patois, which -people understand well enough on the other side of the mountains." - -"And that explains to me how, with your Gascon patois, which is not very -different from the mountain patois, you were able to talk Spanish with -this woman." - -"That is as monsieur pleases; all the same, I said many Spanish words -which she understood perfectly.--And then I must tell you that she had a -little child with her, who isn't her own child, but of whom she is as -fond as a goat of her kid, and the pretty little lad, whose mind is -bigger than his body, speaks French as well as you and I. Now, monsieur, -this Moorish woman, whose name in French is Mercedes----" - -"Mercedes is a Spanish name!" said the marquis, climbing into his great -bed with Adamas's aid. - -"I meant to say that it was a Christian name," continued the servant. -"Six months ago, Mercedes took it into her head to go and find Monsieur -de Rosny, whom she had heard spoken of as the late king's right arm, and -who, she had been told, although he was in disgrace, was still powerful -because of his wealth and his virtue. So she started for Poitou, where -she was told Monsieur de Sully lived. Aren't you surprised, monsieur, at -the resolution of such a poor, ignorant woman, to travel across half of -France, on foot, with only a little child who is hardly ten years old, -with the idea of calling on such an exalted personage?" - -"But you don't tell me what this woman's reason was for acting thus?" - -"That is the wonderful part of the story, monsieur! What can it be, do -you think?" - -"I could never guess! tell me at once, for it is late." - -"I would tell you if I knew; but I know no more about it than you do, -and, try as hard as I would, I could not induce her to tell." - -"Good-night, then." - -"Wait till I cover the fire, monsieur." - -And, as he covered the fire, Adamas continued, raising his voice: - -"That woman is altogether mysterious, monsieur le marquis, and I would -like to have you see her!" - -"Now?" said the marquis, rousing himself with a start. "You are joking; -it is time to go to sleep." - -"To be sure; but to-morrow morning?" - -"Is she in the house, pray?" - -"Why, yes, monsieur! She asked for a corner to pass the night under -shelter. I gave her some supper, for I know monsieur does not wish us to -refuse bread to the unfortunate, and I sent her to lie on the straw -after talking with her." - -"And you did wrong, monsieur; a woman is always a woman. And--I hope -that there are no other beggars there? I do not want any indecency on my -premises." - -"Nor do I, monsieur! I put her and her child, all alone, in the small -cellar, where they are quite comfortable, I assure you; they do not seem -accustomed to such good quarters, poor things! And yet this Mercedes is -as neat and clean as one can be in such poverty. Moreover, she is not at -all ugly." - -"I trust, Adamas, that you will not impose upon her destitute condition. -Hospitality is a sacred thing!" - -"Monsieur is making fun of a poor old man! It is all very well for -monsieur le marquis to have virtuous principles! For my part, I assure -you that I have little need of them, being no longer tempted by the -devil. Besides, the woman seems very honest, and she does not take a -step without her child clinging to her dress. She must have run other -risks than that of pleasing me too much, for she has been travelling -with gypsies who passed through this region to-day. There was a large -party of them, partly Egyptians, partly picked up here and there, as -their custom is. She says that the vagabonds were not unkind to her, so -true it is that beggars stand by one another. As she did not know the -roads, she followed them, because they said they were going to Poitou; -but she left them to-night, saying that she had no further need of them, -and that she had business in this province. Now, monsieur, that is -another thing that seems very strange to me, for she would not tell me -why she acted so. What do you think of it, monsieur?" - -Bois-Doré did not reply. He was sleeping soundly, despite the noise -that Adamas made, to some extent wilfully, to force him to listen to his -story. - -When the old retainer saw that the marquis had really set out for the -land of dreams, he tucked in the sheets carefully, placed his beautiful -pistols in the morocco bag hanging at the head of his bed; on a table at -his right, his rapier unsheathed and his hunting knife, his folio -edition of _Astrée_, a superb volume with engravings, a large goblet of -hippocras, a bell with its hammer, and a handkerchief of fine Holland -linen saturated with musk. Then he lighted the night lamp, blew out the -multicolored candles, and arranged at the foot of the bed the red -velvet slippers and the dressing-gown of flowered silk serge, -light-green on dark-green. - -Then, as he was about to leave the room, the faithful Adamas gazed at -his master, his friend, his demigod. - -The marquis, with all his cosmetics washed off, was a handsome old man, -and the tranquillity of his conscience imparted a venerable air to his -face as he lay asleep. While his wig reposed on the table, and his -garments, stuffed to conceal the hollows that age had made in his -shoulders and his legs, lay scattered about on chairs, the angular -outlines of his great body, shrunken to half its size, could be traced -under a _lodier_ or coverlet of white satin, with coats-of-arms in -silver purl in relief at the four corners. - -The headboard of the bed, a single panel ten feet high, as well as the -fringed tester connected therewith in the shape of a canopy, was also of -white satin stitched on thick wadding, and with large silver figures in -relief. The inside of the bed-curtains was of similar material; the -outer surface was of pink damask. - -In that comfortable and sumptuous bed, that strongly-marked, venerable -face, martial still with all its gentleness, with its moustache -bristling with curl-papers, and its night-cap of wadded silk in the -shape of half a mortar, embellished with rich lace that stood erect like -a crown, presented a most singular combination of absurdity and -austerity in the bluish light of the night lamp. - -"Monsieur is sleeping quietly," said Adamas to himself; "but he forgot -to say his prayers, and it is my fault. I will do it for him." - -He knelt and prayed very fervently; after which he withdrew to his own -room, which was separated only by a partition from his master's. - -The arsenal that Adamas had arranged around the marquis's bed was only a -matter of habit or luxury. - -Everything was perfectly quiet around the little château; within the -château everybody was sleeping soundly. - - -[Footnote 10: Bois-Doré said _voie_ lactée; Adamas understood him to -say _voix_ lactée.] - - - - -XIII - - -The first to awake was Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, who had also been the -first to fall asleep, being thoroughly tired out. - -He did not like to remain in bed, and the habit born of straitened -circumstances, skilfully concealed, made the attentions of his valet -useless to him. This was the more fortunate, inasmuch as the old -Spaniard who was in attendance upon him would not readily have consented -to perform other functions than those of an esquire. - -And yet that man was as devoted to him as Adamas was to Bois-Doré; but -there was as much difference in their relations as in their characters -and their respective situations. - -They talked but little to each other, perhaps because they were -disinclined, perhaps because they understood each other on all subjects -at a single word. Moreover, the valet considered himself, up to a -certain point, his master's equal, for their families were equally -ancient and equally pure--such at least was their claim--of all -admixture with the Moorish or Jewish races, so solemnly ostracized, and -so solemnly persecuted in Spain. - -Sancho of Cordova--such was the old esquire's name,--had been present at -young D'Alvimar's birth in the castle of the village where he himself -was living, reduced by poverty to the trade of swineherd. The young -châtelain, who was little richer than he, had taken him into his -service on the very day when he had determined to go to seek his fortune -in foreign lands. - -It was said in that Castilian village that Sancho had loved Madame -Isabella, D'Alvimar's mother, and even that she had not been indifferent -to his passion. In this way they explained the attachment of that -taciturn and morose man for a cold and haughty youth, who treated him, -not as a valet properly so-called, but as an unintelligent inferior. - -Thus Sancho, meditative or brutish, passed his life grooming horses and -keeping his master's weapons sharp and bright. The rest of the time he -played, slept or mused, avoiding familiarity with the other servants, -whom he looked upon as his inferiors, and forming no intimacies, for he -was suspicious of everybody, ate little, drank little, and never looked -a person in the face. - -D'Alvimar dressed himself therefore and went out to inspect his -surroundings, although it was hardly daylight. - -The manor house looked upon a small pond, from which a broad moat -issued, to return to it at another point after making the circuit of the -buildings, which consisted, as we have said, of a conglomerate mass of -architecture of several periods. - -1st. An entirely new white pavilion, small in size, covered with -slates--a great luxury in a province where even tiles were rare--and -crowned with a double mansard roof with carved spandrels adorned with -balls.[11] - -2d. Another pavilion, very old but completely restored, with a roof of -oaken tiles, and resembling certain Swiss chalets in shape. This -building, which contained the kitchens, offices and guest chambers, was -arranged after the fashion of the wild old days of unrest. It had no -outer door, and could be entered only through the other buildings; its -windows looked on the courtyard, and its façade, turned toward the -fields, had no other openings than two small square holes in the gable, -like two suspicious little eyes in a silent face. - -3d. A prism-shaped tower with an ogival door of delicate workmanship; -the tower had a slated roof, also pentagonal, and surmounted by a belfry -and a slender weather-vane. This tower contained the only staircase in -the château, and connected the old and new buildings. - -Other low structures attached to the main pile stood on the edge of the -moat, and were occupied by the indoor servants. - -The courtyard, with its well in the centre, was surrounded by the -château, the pond, another building of a single story, with mansards -and stone balls, used for stables, hunting equipments and visitors' -servants; and lastly, by the entrance tower, which was smaller and less -beautiful than that at La Motte-Seuilly, but was flanked by a wall -pierced with loop-holes for falconets, covering the approaches to the -bridge. - -This trivial fortification was sufficient because of the two moats: the -first around the courtyard, wide and deep, with running water; the -second around the poultry-yard, marshy and stagnant, but protected by -stout walls. - -Between the two moats, at the right of the drawbridge, lay the garden; -it was of considerable size and enclosed by high walls and well-kept -ditches; on the left the mall, the kennels, the orchard, the farm and -the meadow, with the seignioral dove-cote, heron yard and falconry; an -immense enclosure reaching to the houses of the village, almost all of -which belonged to the marquis. - -The village was fortified, and in some places the solid foundation of -its low walls was said to date from the time of Cæsar. - -Comparing the small proportions of the manor-house with the extent of -the domain, with the rich furniture heaped up in the apartments, and the -master's luxurious habits, Monsieur d'Alvimar tried to divine the reason -of the contrast; and as he was by no means charitably inclined, he -concluded that the marquis concealed his wealth, not from avarice, but -because the source of that wealth was not altogether pure. - -Therein he was not entirely in error. - -The marquis had this in common with a great number of gentlemen of his -time, that he had lined his pockets somewhat unscrupulously during the -civil commotions, at the expense of the rich abbeys, and by means of the -exactions of the war time, rights of conquest, and the smuggling of -salt. - -Pillage was a sort of recognized right in those days; witness the -petition of Monsieur d'Arquian, who appealed to the courts because his -château was burned by Monsieur de la Châtre, "contrary to all the -usages of war; for he would not have mentioned the destruction and -sacking of his furniture." - -As for the contraband trade in salt, it would have been difficult, at -the beginning of the seventeenth century, to find a nobleman in our -provinces who considered himself insulted by the epithet, _gentilhomme -faux saulnier_.[12] - -So that the wealth of which, by the way, Monsieur de Bois-Doré made an -excellent use by his inexhaustible generosity and charity, was not a -mystery in the region about La Châtre; but he wisely avoided drawing -the attention of the provincial government upon himself, by an enormous -house and a too splendid household. - -He was well aware that the petty tyrants who were dividing among -themselves the wealth of France would not have lacked so-called legal -pretexts for making him disgorge. - -D'Alvimar walked through the gardens, a laughable creation of his host, -of which he was unquestionably more vain than of his most glorious feats -of arms. - -He had undertaken to produce, upon rather a limited space, the gardens -of _Isaure_, as they are described in _Astrée_: "That enchanted spot -was all fountains and flower-beds, avenues and noble trees."--The great -forest which formed such a charming labyrinth was represented by a -labyrinthine thicket wherein he had forgotten neither the square of -hazel-trees, nor the _fountain of the verity of love_, nor the _cavern -of Damon and Fortune_, nor the _den of old Mandrague_. - -All these things seemed exceedingly childish to Monsieur d'Alvimar, but -not so utterly ridiculous as they would seem to us to-day. - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's monomania was sufficiently prevalent in his day -not to be considered eccentric. Henri IV. and his court devoured -_Astrée_, and in the petty German courts even princes and princesses -assumed the resounding names that the marquis imposed upon his servants -and his animals. The extreme popularity of Monsieur d'Urfé's romance -lasted two centuries; it touched and charmed Jean-Jacques Rousseau; nor -must we forget that, on the eve of the Terror, the skilful engraver -Moreau still introduced in his works ladies named Chloris, and gentlemen -named Hylas and Cidamant. But these illustrious names were borne, in the -engravings and in the romance, by imaginary marquises; while the new -shepherds were called Colin or Colas. Only a short step had been taken -toward the real; the shepherds and shepherdesses were not improved; from -being heroic they had become obscene. - -D'Alvimar, wishing to obtain an idea of the surrounding country, walked -through the hamlet, which consisted of about a hundred hearth-stones and -was literally situated in a hole. It is so with many of those old -places. When they are not powerful enough to perch proudly and -threateningly upon some precipitous height, they seem to cower -designedly in the valleys, as if to avoid the eyes of marauding bands. - -The locality is, however, one of the most charming in Lower Berry. The -gravelled roads leading thither are hard and clean at all seasons. Two -pretty little streams form a natural defence, which may have been turned -to advantage long ago for Cæsar's camp. - -One of these streams fed the moats of the château; the other flowed -through two small ponds below the village. - -The Indre, which is near at hand, receives these streams and hurries -them along a narrow valley, cut by sunken roads, heavily shaded, and -running through unenclosed, untilled land of wild aspect. - -You must expect to find not grandeur but charm, in that little desert, -where virgin fields, thickets, wild grasses, genesta, heather and -chestnut trees encompass you on all sides. - -On the bank of the Indre, which becomes a brook as you ascend toward the -source, wild flowers grow in a profusion most delightful to see.[13] The -placid, transparent stream has torn apart the fields that blocked its -path, and formed islets of verdure whereon trees grow vigorously. -Standing too close together to be imposing, they extend an arch of -foliage over the water. - -The ground is fertile around the village. Magnificent walnuts and a -large number of tall fruit trees make it a very nest of verdure. - -The greater part of the land belonged to Monsieur de Bois-Doré. He -farmed out the best portions; the others were his hunting-grounds. - -Monsieur d'Alvimar, having explored this little bailiwick, which by -reason of its isolation and the absence of communications, led him to -hope for a like absence of unpleasant meetings, returned to the village -and deliberated whether he should pay a visit to the rector. - -Monsieur de Beuvre had happened to say to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in his -presence: - -"How about your new priest? does he still preach sermons after the -pattern of the League?" - -This expression had attracted the Spaniard's attention. - -"If this priest is zealous for the good cause," he thought, "he may be a -useful friend to me; for that De Beuvre is a Huguenot, and Bois-Doré -with his tolerance is little better. Who knows if I shall be able to -live, on friendly terms with such people?" - -He began by inspecting the church, and was scandalized by its -dilapidated and bare condition, which bore witness to the neglect of the -last incumbent, the indifference of the lord of the manor, and the -lukewarmness of the parishioners. - -Bois-Doré, whose abjuration, real or feigned, had caused a sensation, -had not thought of signalizing his return to orthodoxy by gifts to the -village church and alms to the chaplain. His vassals, who hated the -Huguenots, had not hailed his final return, in 1610, with truly -heartfelt rejoicing; but their suspicions had speedily given place to a -deep attachment, since, in place of a steward who drained them dry, they -had found a free-and-easy lord, lavish of benefactions. - -Thus the good people of the village of Briantes were only moderately -devout; and, the peasants having resisted the payment of tithes to some -monastery or other, the archbishop had sent them a man exceedingly well -adapted to lead those stray lambs back to virtuous principles, and to -spy upon the châtelain's opinions. - -The pious Sciarra knelt in the church and murmured some formula of -prayer; but he did not feel inclined to pray with the heart, and he soon -went out and bent his steps toward the rector's house. - -He had not the trouble of going all the way thither; for he saw him in -the village square talking with Bellinde, and had an opportunity to -examine him. - -He was a man still young, with a bilious, wheedling, treacherous face. -Probably his interest in temporal affairs was as keen as D'Alvimar's; -for he had no sooner spied that grave and fashionably dressed stranger -coming from the church, than his only thought was to wonder who he could -be. - -He knew already that a new guest had arrived at the manor-house the -night before, for he had little other occupation than to make inquiries -about the marquis's doings; but how could a man, so devout as this early -visit of D'Alvimar's to the church seemed to indicate, consort with so -problematical a convert as Bois-Doré? - -While he tried to obtain information on that subject from the -housekeeper at the château, he noticed that he could not look up -without finding the stranger's eyes fixed upon him. - -He walked a few steps with Bellinde, in order to avoid his gaze, like -one who did not wish to risk a salutation before he knew with whom he -had to deal. - -D'Alvimar, who understood or guessed his purpose, remained behind and -waited for him in the little cemetery which surrounded the church, fully -determined, after the examination he had made of his face, to address -him and form an alliance with him. - -He stood there, musing upon his destiny, a problem by which he was -constantly beset, and which the sight of the scattered gravestones -seemed to render more irritating to him than usual. - -D'Alvimar believed in the church, but he did not believe in the true -God. The church was to him above all else an institution of discipline -and terror, the instrument of torture of which a ferocious and -implacable God made use to establish his authority. If he had given his -mind to it, he would readily have persuaded himself that the merciful -Jesus was stained with heresy. - -The idea of death was abhorrent to him. He dreaded hell, and--a natural -result of evil beliefs--he could not make his life conform to his rigid -principles. - -He had no ardor except for discussion; when alone with himself, he found -that his heart was dry, his mind overstrained and confused by worldly -ambition. In vain did he reproach himself therefor. The thought of -damnation could not be fruitful of good, and terror is not remorse. - -"So I must die!" he said to himself, gazing at the turf-covered mounds, -like furrows in a field, which covered the graves of those obscure -villagers; "die, it may be, penniless and without power, like the -wretched serfs who have not left even a name to be inscribed on these -little crosses of rotten wood! Neither influence nor renown in this -world! Wrath, disappointment, useless labors, useless efforts--crimes, -perhaps!--and all to reach the threshold of eternity, having never been -able to forward the glory of the church in this life, and having failed -to earn my pardon in the other!" - -By dint of thinking about destiny, he persuaded himself that it was the -influence of the devil that had ruined his. - -He thought for an instant of confessing to this priest, whose eyes had -seemed to him to glow with intelligence; but he was afraid to confide to -any person the secrets which were consuming his life and his repose. - -Engrossed by these black thoughts, he saw Monsieur Poulain enter the -cemetery at last, and, coming toward him, salute him deferentially. - -The acquaintance was soon made. With the first words they exchanged, the -two men felt that they were equally ambitious. - -The rector invited D'Alvimar to breakfast with him. - -"I can offer you only a very scanty repast," he said; "my cuisine does -not resemble that at the château. I have neither vassals nor valets at -my beck and call to serve as purveyors for my table. So that my frugal -fare will enable you to retain sufficient appetite to do honor to the -marquis's, whose bell will not ring for two or three hours to come." - -There was, in this exordium, an undercurrent of jealous resentment -against the château which did not escape the Spaniard. He made haste to -accept the rector's invitation, feeling certain that he should learn -from him all that he had reason to hope or fear from the marquis's -hospitality. - - -[Footnote 11: This ornament, common in the time of Henri IV., may have -come to France with Marie de Médicis, as an allusion to the arms of her -family, which are, as everyone knows, seven little balls, literally -pellets, in memory of the profession of the founder of the family.] - -[Footnote 12: Salt-smuggling nobleman.] - -[Footnote 13: This is one of the few spots where we can still find the -wild balsam with yellow flowers.] - - - - -XIV - - -The rector began by speaking well of the marquis. He was a very good -man; his intentions were excellent; he gave freely to the poor, there -was no denying that; unfortunately he lacked judgment, he distributed -his benefactions helter-skelter, without consulting the _natural -intermediary_ between the château and the cottage, to wit the rector of -the parish. He was a little mad, harmless in himself, dangerous by -reason of his rank, his wealth, and the example of refined sensuality, -of frivolity and indifference in religious matters, which he afforded -those about him. - -And then he had a very suspicious individual in his household: that -bagpipe player, who was not so dumb perhaps as he pretended to be, some -heretic or sham scholar, who dabbled in astronomy, perhaps in astrology! - -Old Adamas was no better: he was a base flatterer and hypocrite; and -that page, so absurdly tricked out as a petty gentleman, who, being a -bourgeois, was not entitled to wear satin, and who came to mass on -Sundays in some sort of damask doublet! - -The servants as a whole were a worthless lot. They were civil, nothing -more, to Monsieur Poulain; no marked attentions; he had not yet received -a special pressing invitation to dinner. They had simply told him once -for all, that a cover was always laid for him. That was too -unceremonious treatment. It was surprising on the part of a man who had -lived a long while at court. To be sure, at the court of the Béarnais, -they did not pride themselves on being over-refined, and nobodies were -petted and spoiled there most shamefully. In short, Bellinde alone of -all the people _at the château_ seemed to him a person of sense. - -D'Alvimar considered Monsieur Poulain's judgment excellent; the bagpiper -especially seemed to him more than ever deserving of suspicion. - -However, he did not dwell long upon these trivial matters. As soon as he -was assured that he would do well to repose no confidence in the old -marquis, he advanced a step in his investigations, and wished to know -what opinion he should hold of the leading men of the province. - -Monsieur Poulain was well posted as to all the little secrets of the -provincial government at Bourges. He understood politics as D'Alvimar -did: to pry into everyone's private life as a step toward acquiring a -predominant influence in public affairs. - -That evil-minded priest saw that he could safely speak; he admitted that -he was mortally bored in that little hamlet, but that he was patient, -because, some day or other, Monsieur de Bois-Doré or his neighbor -Monsieur de Beuvre might well afford him an opportunity for a little -petty persecution, of which he desired to be the victim rather than the -author. - -"You understand me; it is much better to be on the defensive on solid -ground, than on the offensive and in the breach. One is never safe in a -breach; if these Berrichon heathen would only threaten me or even injure -me a little, I would make noise enough about it to obtain my release -from these paltry functions and this deserted province. Do not think me -ambitious; I am ambitious only to serve the Church, and, in order to be -of use, one must bow to the necessity of keeping oneself in view." - -"This little priestling is shrewder than I am," said D'Alvimar to -himself; "he knows enough to wait until he is in a favorable position to -fire on the enemy; I have always been aggressive, that is what has -ruined me. But it is not too late to profit by good advice; I will come -often to this man in search of it." - -In very truth, this priest, who seemed to be engrossed by church-porch -gossip, but who really was not at all interested in it except in so far -as he could make something out of it, was a shrewder man than D'Alvimar; -so much so that in an hour he fathomed him completely, distrustful as he -was, and learned, if not the secrets of his life, at all events those of -his character, and his disappointments, his defeats, his desires and his -needs. - -When he had extorted his confession, seeming all the while to confess -himself, he spoke thus to him, going straight to his goal: - -"You have more chances of success than I, since wealth is the great -element of power. A priest cannot make a fortune as a layman can. He -must be content to progress slowly, by the power of his intellect and -his zeal alone. He must not forget that wealth is not his goal, and he -cannot desire it except as an instrument As for you, you are at liberty -to acquire wealth at any time. You have simply to marry." - -"I do not think it!" said D'Alvimar. "Women in these corrupt days are -more likely to make their lovers' fortunes than their husbands'." - -"So I have heard," rejoined Monsieur Poulain; "but I know the remedy." - -"Indeed! You possess a valuable secret!" - -"Very simple and very easy. You must not aim so high as you have done, -perhaps. You must not marry a woman of the highest rank. You must look -for a substantial dowry and a modest wife in the provinces. Do you -understand me? You must spend your money at the court, and not take your -wife there." - -"What! marry a bourgeoise?" - -"There are young ladies of noble birth who are richer and more modest -than bourgeoises." - -"I know of none such." - -"There is one in this province, not very far away! The little widow of -La Motte-Seuilly." - -"She has a competence at the most." - -"You judge by appearances. People hereabout are not accustomed to -luxurious living. With the exception of this mad marquis, all the -resident nobility live without display; but there is plenty of money -here. Salt smuggling and the spoils of the convents have made the nobles -rich. Whenever you choose, I will convince you that, with Madame de -Beuvre's revenues, you will be able to live very handsomely in Paris. -Moreover she is connected with the best families in France, and none of -them would be sorry to have a Spaniard of the true faith become allied -to them." - -"But isn't she a Calvinist like her father?" - -"You will convert her, unless her Calvinism is simply a pretext for -allowing her to live at peace in her little château." - -"You are far-sighted, monsieur le recteur! But suppose you declare war -upon that family some fine day?" - -"Provided that I do not cause it to be despoiled of its property, such a -was might be of advantage to you under certain circumstances. Pray -observe that I do not advise you to maltreat and desert your wife, but -to insist upon being at liberty to absent yourself from her, to fulfil -the duties of your position. If she becomes bitter or rebellious, you -can checkmate her by her heresy. The freedom of conscience granted to -those people is dependent upon conditions which they often fail to -observe. So that we always have them in our power, witness the fact that -this same little widow finds it impossible to marry again. The young men -of the province, who are weary of the war between châteaux, are afraid -of marrying a war. So you would have no rival at this moment, except -possibly Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, who is a moderate Catholic, and a -constant visitor at La Motte; but they will find a way at Bourges to -impose other bonds on him. He is a young popinjay, easily diverted. -Furthermore, given a widow who must be weary of solitude, such a man as -you are must be very awkward indeed to fail. I see, by your smile, that -you are not doubtful of success." - -"Well, I admit that you speak truly," replied D'Alvimar, to whom there -suddenly came a vivid remembrance of the emotion which the young lady -had not succeeded in concealing from him, and the source of which he -might readily have misunderstood. "I think that, if I chose----" - -"You must choose--Think about it," continued Monsieur Poulain, rising. -"If you have decided, I will write confidentially to certain persons who -can assist you materially." - -He referred to the Jesuits, who had already shaken Monsieur de Beuvre's -resolution by threatening to prevent his daughters marriage. That -gentleman's own tranquillity could be assured, at the price of this -marriage. D'Alvimar understood the hint, promised the rector to consider -the matter seriously and give him an answer two days later, since, as it -happened, he was to pass the following day at Madame de Beuvre's. - -The bell on the château announced the marquis's dinner. Monsieur -d'Alvimar took leave of the priest who had caused him to think more -hopefully of his destiny, and retraced his steps to the manor. - -He felt more at ease and more light-hearted than he had been for several -days, because he felt that he was in communication with a keen mind, -ready to support him at need. His courage returned. This flight into -Berry, this disquieting residence with those who were hostile to his -faith and opinions, and this species of isolation which, two hours -earlier, had assumed the gloomiest colors in his mind, now smiled upon -him as the forerunners of a fortunate event. - -"Yes, yes, that man is right," he thought. "That marriage would be my -salvation. I have only to make up my mind. Let me once turn that little -provincial's head, and I shall be able to confess to her my disgrace at -court. She will consider herself bound in honor to make up to me for it. -And even if I must play the _moderate_ for a few days--well, I will try -it! Courage! my horizon is brightening, and perhaps the star of my -fortune is about to come forth from the clouds at last." - -He raised his hand as he spoke, and saw in front of him, on the bridge -leading to the courtyard, the Moorish woman's child boldly riding one of -the marquis's chariot horses. - -Mercedes had asked leave of Adamas to pass the day at the château, and -the goodman had granted it in his master's name, proposing to present -her to him as soon as he should be visible. - -As he was playing in the courtyard, the child had made a favorable -impression on the coachman--_cocher_; in those days the common term was -_carrossier_ or _carrosseur_; in Berry _carrosseux_--and he had -consented to put him upon _Squilindre_, while he himself, mounted on -_Pimante_, his mate, held the rein and led the team to the brook for its -daily leg-bath. - -D'Alvimar was struck by the face of that child, who, on the preceding -day, had darted among his horse's legs to beg, and had fled from his -whip, and now, perched on the monumental Squilindre, looked down upon -him with an air of kindly triumph. - -It was impossible to imagine a more interesting and touching face than -that little vagrant's. His beauty was of a quiet type, however; he was -pale, sunburned, and seemed not strong. His features were not absolutely -perfect, but there was in the expression of his soft black eyes and in -the sweet, sly smile that played about his delicately-chiselled mouth, a -something absolutely irresistible to all whose hearts were not closed to -the divine charm of childhood. - -Adamas had yielded instinctively to that gentle influence, and the -rudest servants in the barnyard had yielded to it no less. Such rough -natures were oftentimes so kindly! Was it not of such that Madame de -Sévigné wrote that there were "peasants whose hearts were straighter -than straight lines, loving virtue as naturally as horses trot?" - -But D'Alvimar, not being fond of innocence, was not fond of children, -and this one in particular caused in him a sense of discomfort which he -could not understand. - -He had a shuddering, dizzy sensation, as if the portcullis had fallen -upon his head as he was returning to the château of Briantes, more -tranquil and less dejected than when he went forth. - -He had been subject for some years to these sudden attacks of vertigo, -and he readily attributed to the faces that happened to be before him at -such times a phenomenon the cause of which was really in himself. He -believed in mysterious influences, and, to avert them, he denied and -cursed inwardly with great warmth the persons who seemed possessed of -that occult power. - -"May that big horse break your neck!" he muttered, as he raised two -fingers of his left hand, under his cloak, to exorcise the evil eye. - -He repeated that cabalistic gesture when he saw the Moorish woman coming -toward him across the courtyard. - -She stopped for a moment, and, as on the preceding day, gazed at him -with an earnestness which irritated him. - -"What do you want with me?" he demanded abruptly, walking toward her. - -She made no reply, but, courtesying to him, hurried to her child, -alarmed to see him on horseback. - -The marquis came forward with Lucilio Giovellino, to meet his guest. - -"Pray, come and eat," he said to him; "you must be dying of hunger! -Bellinde is in despair because she did not see you go out this morning, -and consequently allowed you to take your walk without breaking your -fast." - -Monsieur d'Alvimar thought it best not to mention his visit to the -vicarage and his breakfast there. He dilated upon the rural beauty of -the neighborhood, and on the soft, bright autumn morning. - -"Yes," said Bois-Doré, "we shall have several days of it, for the -sun----" - -He was interrupted by a piercing shriek outside the enclosure, and ran -as fast as he could to the bridge, whither D'Alvimar had preceded him -and Lucilio instinctively followed him. - -They saw the Moorish woman on the edge of the moat, holding out her arms -in an agony of fear toward her child, whom the huge horse was bearing -down stream, and she was apparently on the point of throwing herself in -from the elevated point where she stood. - - - - -XV - - -This is what had happened. - -The little gypsy, proud and overjoyed to be riding such a big -rocking-horse all by himself, had cajoled the coachman into allowing him -to hold the halter. Honest Squilindre, feeling that he had been turned -over to that tiny hand, and excited by the merry little heels drumming -against his sides, had ventured too far to the right, missed the ford, -and swum under the bridge. The coachman tried to go to his assistance, -but Pimante, being more suspicious than his mate, refused to leave the -solid ground; and the child, clinging to the mane, was delighted with -the adventure. - -His mothers shrieks calmed his excitement, however, and he shouted to -her, in a tone which Lucilio alone understood: - -"Don't be afraid, mother, I am holding on tight." - -But they were fairly in the current of the little river which fed the -moat. The bulky, phlegmatic Squilindre had already had enough of it, and -his nostrils, tremendously dilated, betrayed his discomfort and his -anxiety. - -He had not the wit to turn back. He was heading straight for the pond, -where the impossibility of passing the dam might well exhaust what -little swimming strength he still retained. - -However, the danger was not imminent as yet, and Lucilio strove by -gestures to make the Moor understand that she must not jump into the -water. She paid no heed, and was descending the grassy bank, when the -marquis, realizing the danger that threatened those two poor creatures, -attempted to unbutton his cloak. - -He would have thrown himself into the stream; indeed, he was about to do -it without consulting anybody, and before D'Alvimar had any suspicion of -his purpose, when Lucilio, who did detect it, and who wore nothing to -impede his freedom of movement, leaped from the bridge and swam -vigorously toward the child. - -"Ah! dear, brave Giovellino!" cried the marquis, forgetting in his -emotion the French translation which disguised his friend's name. - -D'Alvimar recorded that name in the archives of his memory, which was -very reliable, and, while the marquis approached the bank to pacify and -restrain the Moor, he remained on the bridge, awaiting with strange -interest the conclusion of the adventure. - -His interest was not of the sort that every kind heart would have felt -at such a time, and yet the Spaniard was conscious of a keen anxiety. - -He did not desire the death of the mute, which was in nowise likely to -result; but he did desire the death of the child, which seemed more than -possible. He did not pray to heaven to abandon that poor creature; he -did not seek the explanation of his cruel instinct; he submitted to it, -in spite of himself, as to a strange, unconquerable disease. He was more -and more conscious that that child inspired him with superstitious -terror. - -"If this that I feel is a revelation of my destiny," he thought, "it is -in the balance and is being decided at this moment. If the child dies, I -am saved; if he is saved, I am lost." - -The child was saved. - -Lucilio overtook the horse, grasped his little rider by the collar of -his jacket, and tossed him to the bank, into the arms of his mother, who -had followed the changing scenes of this little drama, running by the -stream and shrieking. - -Then he calmly returned to the too simple-minded Squilindre, who was -making a desperate assault on the dam at the pond, and, forcing him to -turn back, delivered him safe and sound to the frantic coachman. - -The whole house had been attracted by the Moorish woman's shrieks, and -they were deeply moved to see her, weeping copiously the while, hug -Lucilio's knees and speak earnestly to him in Arabic, greatly surprised -that he did not say a word to her in reply, although he seemed to -understand the language, and did in fact understand it perfectly. - -The marquis embraced Lucilio, saying to him in an undertone: - -"Ah! my poor friend! for a man who has suffered at the hands of the -torturer, even to the very marrow of his bones, you are a sturdy -swimmer! God, who knows that you live only to do good, has deigned to -perform miracles in your person. Now go at once and change everything, -and do you, Adamas, see that yonder little devil is thoroughly dried and -warmed; he seems no more frightened than if he were just out of bed. I -wish you to bring him to me with his mother, after my breakfast; so make -them as clean as you can. Why, where has Monsieur de Villareal gone?" - -The pretended Villareal had returned to the château, and was praying, -alone in his room, to the revengeful God in whom he believed, not to -punish him too severely for the eagerness with which he had, _without -just cause_, longed for the little gypsy's death. - -We give the child this title, following the example of the servants of -the château, by whom he was surrounded at that moment; but when, after -his repast, Monsieur de Bois-Doré betook himself to an ancient -apartment of his castle, which Adamas dignified with the title of _salle -des audiences_, and sometimes of _salle de justice_; when that old -minister of the interior to the marquis introduced the Moorish woman and -her child, the marquis's first words, after a moment of impressive -silence, were these: - -"The more I look at this little fellow, the more certain I feel that he -is neither Egyptian nor Moor, but rather a Spaniard of good family, -perhaps of French blood." - -It was not necessary to be a magician to make that discovery; -nevertheless it was listened to with great respect by Adamas, who, in -his capacity of introducer, remained at the conference. Monsieur -d'Alvimar and Lucilio had been invited by the marquis to be present. - -"See," continued Bois-Doré, with ingenuous pride in his own -penetration, putting aside the child's coarse white shirt, "his face is -sun-burned, but no more than our peasants are in harvest-time; his neck -is as white as snow, and he has feet and hands so small that serf or -villein never could show the like. Come, my little imp, be not ashamed; -and, as I am told that you understand French, answer our questions. What -is your name?" - -"Mario," the child replied without hesitation. - -"Mario? That is an Italian name!" - -"I don't know." - -"From what country are you?" - -"I am French, I think." - -"Where were you born?" - -"I don't remember." - -"I should think not," laughed the marquis; "but ask your mother." - -Mario turned to the Moor, and opened his mouth to speak to her. His face -wore an expression of satisfaction and joy, because he had been welcomed -so like a father by this fine gentleman who held him between his legs, -and whose beautiful silk clothes and pretty little beribboned dog he -stroked timidly with the tips of his little fingers. - -But when he met his mother's eyes, he seemed to read therein a warning -of great importance; for he gently extricated himself from Monsieur de -Bois-Doré's grasp, and went to the Moor, lowering his eyes and not -speaking. - -The marquis asked him divers other questions to which he did not reply, -although he seemed, by the sweet and melting glance he turned upon him, -to apologize furtively for his discourtesy. - -"It is my opinion, friend Adamas, that you exaggerated a trifle when you -declared that this boy spoke our language fluently," said the marquis. -"It is true that his pronunciation is very good, and that he says -several words without much foreign accent; but I fancy that that is all -he knows. As you know Spanish so well--for my part, I confess that I -know very little of it--make him explain himself." - -"Useless, monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, not at all disconcerted, "I -give you my word that the little rascal speaks French like a clerk; but -he is frightened in your presence, that's the whole story." - -"No, indeed!" rejoined the marquis; "he's a little lion and afraid of -nothing. He came out of the water laughing as heartily as when he went -in, and he must see that we are kind-hearted people." - -Mario seemed to understand perfectly; for his affectionate eye said yes, -while the Moorish woman's intelligent and timid eyes, resting upon -D'Alvimar, seemed to say no, so far as she was concerned. - -"Come, come," continued worthy Monsieur Sylvain, taking Mario between -his legs again, "I propose that we shall be good friends. I love -children and this one attracts me. Tell me, Master Jovelin, isn't it -true that that face was not made to deceive, and that that innocent -glance goes straight to the heart? There is some mystery under all this, -and I propose to solve it. Listen, Master Mario, if you answer me -truthfully, I will give you--What would you like me to give you?" - -The child, obeying the artless impulse of his age, pounced upon -Fleurial, the beautiful little white dog which never left its master's -chair when he was seated. - -It seemed that Mario was determined to risk everything to possess the -creature; but another glance from Mercedes warned him to restrain -himself, and he replaced the little dog on the marquis's knees, to the -great satisfaction of the latter, who had feared for a moment that he -had gone too far. - -The child sadly shook his head and made a sign that he wanted nothing. - -Thus far D'Alvimar had said nothing; as he recited his prayer after the -scene at the moat, he had reviewed rapidly, but with unerring accuracy, -all the events of his life. Nothing had come to his memory which could -have any connection, direct or indirect, with a woman and child in the -situation of these two. - -The emotion he had felt therefore must have been purely imaginary; he -had regretted his failure to overcome it at once; he had recovered -possession of his reason. - -During dinner the marquis had not mentioned Adamas's story concerning -Mercedes's mysterious journey. He himself had only listened to it with -one ear, as he was falling asleep the night before. So that D'Alvimar -eyed the two vagrants with calm contempt, and fancied that he had -discovered at last the commonplace explanation of his repugnance for -them. - -He joined in the conversation. - -"Monsieur le marquis," he said, "if you will permit me to retire, I am -sure that with a little money you will make this varlet talk all you -desire. It is possible that he is a Christian child stolen by this Moor, -for I have no question as to her nationality. However, you are much -mistaken, if you think that the color of the skin is a certain sign. -Some of these wretched children are as white as yourself, and if you -wish to make sure, you will do well to raise the hair that covers this -brat's forehead; perhaps you will find there the brand of the red-hot -iron." - -"What!" said the marquis with a smile, "are they so afraid of the water -of baptism that they efface the sign by fire?" - -"The mark I refer to is the brand of slavery," replied D'Alvimar. "The -Spanish law inflicts it upon them. They are branded on the forehead with -an S. and a nail's head, which represents in figurative language the -word _slave_." - -"Yes," said the marquis, "I remember, it is a rebus! Well, for my part, -I consider it very shocking, and if this poor child is branded with it -and is a slave by your laws, I will purchase him and set him free on -good French soil." - -Mercedes had not understood a word of what was being said. But she -watched with intense anxiety D'Alvimar approach Mario, as if to touch -him; but not for anything in the world would D'Alvimar have sullied his -gloved hand by contact with a Moor, and he waited for the marquis to -lift the child's hair; but the marquis did nothing of the kind, from a -feeling of generous compassion for the poor mother, whose humiliation -and anxiety he thought that he could understand. - -As for Mario, he understood what was taking place; but controlled and, -as it were, fascinated by Mercedes's glance, he took refuge in stolid -silence. - -"You see," said D'Alvimar to the marquis, "he hangs his head and -conceals his shame. Well, I know all I wish to know about them, and I -leave you in this respectable society. There is no danger that they will -unclench their teeth before a Spaniard, and they evidently know that I -am one. There is an instinctive aversion between that degraded race and -ours, so unerring that they scent our approach as wild game scents the -approach of the hunter. I met this woman yesterday on the highroad, and -I am sure that she put some spell on my horse, for he is lame this -morning. If I were the master of this house, such vermin would not -remain in it another instant!" - -"You are my guest," rejoined Bois-Doré, blending with his courtesy an -accent of dignity and resolution of which Monsieur d'Alvimar deemed him -incapable, "and, in that capacity, you are entitled to entertain your -opinions without being called upon to defend them, whether they are or -are not identical with my own. If the sight of these unfortunate -creatures is distasteful to you, as I do not wish it to be said that you -were annoyed in any manner under my roof, I will arrange that they shall -not offend your eyes; but you cannot demand that I shall brutally turn a -woman and a child out-of-doors." - -"Surely not, monsieur," said D'Alvimar, recovering his self-possession; -"by so doing I should ill requite your courtesy, and I ask your pardon -for my vehemence. You are aware of the horror with which my nation -regards these infidels, and I know that I should have held it in check -here." - -"What do you mean?" demanded Bois-Doré, somewhat testily; "do you take -us for Mussulmans?" - -"God forbid, monsieur le marquis! I intended to refer to the tolerant -spirit of the French in general; and as it is a law of civility that we -must conform to the customs of the country in which we accept -hospitality, I promise to keep watch upon myself, and to meet without -repugnance whomever it may please you to receive." - -"Very good!" replied the honest marquis, offering him his hand; "in a -few moments, when I have finished here, is it your pleasure to go out -and kill a hare or two?" - -"You are too kind," said D'Alvimar, as he was leaving the room; "but do -not disturb yourself on my account; with your permission I will go to -write some letters, awaiting the supper hour." - -The marquis, having risen to salute him, seated himself again with his -careless grace, and said to Lucilio: - -"Our guest is a very well-bred knight, but he is quick-tempered, and, -all things considered, he has one great drawback, which is that he is -too much of a Spaniard. Those sublime mortals despise everything that is -not Spanish; but I believe that they have crushed out their own life by -martyrizing and exterminating those wretched Moors. They will gnaw their -hands over it some day. The Moors were untiring workers and scrupulously -neat, in a land of sloth and vermin. They were gentle and humane before -they were tormented so cruelly. Well, well, if we have here a poor -remnant of that race which was so great in the past, let us not trample -on it. Let us be merciful! God for us all!" - -Lucilio had listened to the marquis with religious attention, but while -he was saying the last words he was writing. - -"What are you doing?" said Bois-Doré. - -Lucilio handed him the paper, which seemed to the marquis an -undecipherable scrawl. - -"This," said the mute with his pencil, "is a translation in Arabic of -the noble words you just said. See if the child knows how to read, and -if he understands that language." - -Mario glanced at the paper which was handed him, ran to the Moor and -read it to her; she listened with great emotion, kissed the paper and -fell on her knees at the marquis's feet. - -Then she turned to Giovellino and said to him in Arabic: - -"Man of courage and virtue, say to this good man what I am going to say -to you. I did not wish you to speak my language before the Spaniard. I -was not willing that the child should say a word before him. The -Spaniard hates us, and, wherever he meets us, he does us harm. But the -child is a Christian, he is not a slave. You can see on my brow the -brand of the Inquisition; it is still there, although I was very small -when they branded me." - -As she spoke, she untied the kerchief of multicolored sackcloth which -confined her long black hair, and pointed to her forehead on which there -was no sign of the red-hot iron. But she rubbed it with her hand, and -the ghastly _rebus_ stood out in white on the red skin. - -"But look at this youthful brow," she said, lifting Mario's abundant, -silky locks. "If it had been branded like mine, it would not be possible -to mistake the mark. This brow was baptized by a priest of your -religion; the child has been reared in the faith and the language of his -fathers." - -While the Moor was speaking, Lucilio had written a translation of her -words, and the marquis read as he wrote. - -"Ask her for her story," he said to the mute; "make her understand that -we are interested in her misfortunes and that we will take her under our -protection." - -It was not necessary for Lucilio to write Bois-Doré's interruptions. -Mario, who spoke Arabic as readily as French and Catalan, translated it -to his adoptive mother with remarkable fidelity. - -We will continue the interview of those four persons, as if they had all -spoken the same language, and as if Lucilio, quick as he was with his -pencil, had not been incapable of speaking any language. - - - - -XVI - - -The Moorish woman began thus: - -"Mario, my beloved, say to this kind-hearted nobleman that I speak -Spanish very little, and French still less; I will tell my story to his -_scrivener_, and he can read it. - -"I am the daughter of a poor farmer of Catalonia. It was in Catalonia -that the few Moors who were spared by the Inquisition lived at peace, -hoping that they would be allowed to remain there and earn their living -by toil, since we had taken no part in the recent wars which were so -disastrous to our brothers in the other provinces of Spain. - -"My father's name was Yesid in Arabic and Juan in Spanish; I was -baptized by _aspersion_ like the others, my Christian name was Mercedes, -my Moorish name Ssobyha.[14] - -"I am now thirty years old. I was thirteen when we began to receive -secret warnings that we were to be stripped and driven from the country -in our turn. - -"Even before I was born the terrible King Philip II. had ordered that -all Moors must learn the Castilian language within three years, and must -no longer speak, read or write in Arabic, openly or secretly; that all -contracts made in that language should be void; that all our books -should be burned; that we should exchange our national costumes for the -dress worn by Christians; that the Moorish women should go out without -veils, with faces uncovered; that we should have no national festivals -or songs or dances; that we should lay aside our family and individual -names and take Christian names; that no Moor, male or female, should -bathe in the future, and that the baths in the houses should be -destroyed. - -"Thus they insulted us even in the decency of our manners and the health -of our bodies! My parents submitted. When they saw that it availed them -nothing, and that they were persecuted solely because of their money, -they thought only of collecting and concealing all that they could, -intending to fly when they should again be in danger of death. - -"By dint of hard work and patience they amassed a little hoard. It was -to prevent the necessity of my begging, they said, as so many others had -had to do who had allowed themselves to be taken by surprise. But it was -written that I should ask alms like all the rest. - -"We were still happy enough, notwithstanding the humiliation they heaped -upon us. Our Spanish lords did not love us; but, as they realized that -we alone in Spain were able and willing to till their lands, they asked -their king to spare us. - -"When I was seventeen years old, King Philip suddenly issued a new -decree against all the Catalan Moors. We were banished from the kingdom -with such goods and chattels as we could carry on our bodies. We must -leave our houses within three days, under pain of death, and go, under -escort, to the place of embarkation. Every Christian who harbored a Moor -would be sent to the galleys for six years. - -"We were ruined. However, my father and I concealed about our persons -such gold as we could carry, and we left our home without a complaint. -They promised to take us to Africa, the home of our ancestors. Thereupon -we prayed to the God of our fathers to take us once more for his -faithful children. - -"They allowed us on the journey to resume our former costumes, which had -been preserved in our families for a whole century, and to chant our -prayers in our own language, which we had not forgotten; for, in spite -of the decrees, we used no other among ourselves. - -"We were packed on the state galleys like sheep, but were no sooner on -board than they called upon us to pay for our passage. The majority had -nothing. They insisted that the rich should pay for the poor. - -"My father, seeing that they cast into the sea those who could find no -one to help them, paid without regret for all those who were on our -ship; but when they saw that he had nothing left, they tossed him into -the sea with the rest!" - -At this point the Moorish woman stopped. She did not weep, but her -breast was heaving with sobs. - -"Execrable hounds of Spaniards! Poor Moors!" muttered the marquis. -"Alas!" he added, as if warned by a melancholy glance from Lucilio, -"France has done no better; the Regent treated them just the same way!" - -"Finding myself alone in the world," continued Mercedes, "without a sou, -and deprived of all I loved, I tried to follow my poor father; they -prevented me. I was pretty. The commander of the galley wanted me for a -slave. But God unloosed the tempest, and they had to give all their -thought to struggling against it. Several vessels sank, thousands of -Moors perished with their persecutors. The galley upon which we were was -hurled by the storm on the coast of France, and was dashed to pieces -near a place of which I have never learned the name. - -"I was washed upon the shore amid the dead and dying; that was my -salvation. I dragged myself among the rocks, and there, drenched to the -skin and utterly exhausted, having carefully concealed myself, for I had -no strength to go farther, I slept for the first time for many days and -nights. - -"When I awoke the storm was at an end. It was quite warm. I was alone. -The wretched ship lay off the shore, the dead bodies on the beach. I was -hungry, but I had strength enough to walk. - -"I left the shore as quickly as I could, fearing to encounter Spaniards -there, and walked toward the mountains, begging bread, water and -lodging. I was received very coldly; my costume made the peasants -suspicious. - -"At last I met several women of my own race, who were settled in a -certain village, and who gave me other clothes. They advised me to -conceal my birth and my religion, because the people thereabout did not -like foreigners, and detested Moors above all others. Alas! it seems -that they are detested everywhere, for I was told later that, instead of -welcoming as brothers those who succeeded in reaching Africa, the men of -Barbary massacred them or reduced them to a worse slavery than that of -Spain. - -"How could I follow the advice that was given me to conceal my origin? I -did not know the Catalan language well enough for that. At first people -gave me alms; but, when a Spaniard passed, he would say to the people of -the neighborhood: - -"'You have a Moorish woman among you.' - -"And they would turn me away. I wandered from valley to valley. - -"One day I found myself on a highroad--I learned afterward that it was -the Pau road--and there it was that heaven caused me to fall in with a -woman even more unhappy than myself. She was the mother of the child -before you, who has become mine." - -"Go on," said the marquis. - -But Mercedes paused, seemed to reflect, and finally said to Lucilio: - -"I cannot tell the story of the child's parents except to you -alone--you, who saved his life, and who seem to me to be an angel on -earth. If I may remain here a few days, and if I see no danger for -Mario, I swear that I will tell the whole story; but I am afraid of the -Spaniard, and I saw this old gentleman put his hand in his, after -reproving him for his harshness toward us. I understood it all with my -eyes; nobles are nobles, and we poor slaves cannot hope that the -kindest-hearted of them all will take our part against their equals." - -"Equality has nothing to do with it!" cried the marquis as soon as -Lucilio had translated Mercedes's words for him in writing. "I swear, on -my faith as a Christian and my honor as a gentleman, to protect the weak -against the whole world." - -The Moor replied that she would tell the truth, but that she should omit -certain unimportant details. - -Then she resumed her narrative in these words: - -"I was on the Pau road, but at a very lonely spot in the heart of the -mountains. There, as I was taking a little rest, having concealed myself -for fear of the wicked men whom one is likely to meet in all countries, -I saw a man pass with his wife. - -"The woman was walking a little in advance; brigands ran up behind them, -and killed and robbed the man so quickly that his wife did not see it, -and, when she turned to speak to him, found him lying dead across the -road. - -"At that sight she fell in a swoon, and I saw that she was _enceinte_. - -"I did not know how to take her up and comfort her. I was on my knees -beside her, praying and weeping, when a man on horseback, dressed in -black, and with a gray moustache, suddenly appeared and asked me why I -was weeping so. I pointed to the woman lying on her husband's body. He -spoke to her in several languages, for he was a great scholar; but he -very soon saw that she was in no condition to reply. - -"The shock that she had received hastened her labor. - -"Some shepherds passed with their flocks. He called to them, and as they -saw that that good man was a priest of their Christian religion, they -obeyed his orders and carried the woman to their house, where she died -an hour after bringing Mario into the world, and giving the priest the -wedding-ring she wore on her finger, unable to say anything, but -pointing to the child and to heaven! - -"The priest stayed at the shepherd's house until the two unfortunate -creatures were buried, and as he supposed that I had been the lady's -slave, he entrusted the child to me and bade me accompany him. But I did -not choose to deceive him, having seen that he was learned and humane. I -told him my story and how I happened to be a witness of the peddler's -murder." - -"So he was a peddler?" said the marquis. - -"Or a gentleman in disguise," Mercedes replied; "for his wife wore the -clothing of a lady under her cloak, and when we undressed him to lay him -out, we found a shirt of fine linen and silk short clothes under his -coarser garments. His hands were white, and we also found upon him a -seal on which there was a crest." - -"Show me the seal!" cried Bois-Doré deeply moved. - -The Moor shook her head, saying: - -"I haven't it." - -"This woman distrusts us," rejoined the marquis, addressing Lucilio, -"and yet this story interests me more than she thinks! Who knows -that--Come, my dear friend, try to make her tell us at least the precise -date of this adventure she is describing." - -Lucilio motioned to the marquis to question the child, who answered -without hesitation: - -"I was born an hour after my father's death and an hour before the death -of good King Henri the Fourth of France. That is what Monsieur l'Abbé -Anjorrant, who took care of me, told me, bidding me never forget it, and -my mother Mercedes said I might tell you, on condition that the Spaniard -shall not know it." - -"Why?" said Adamas. - -"I do not know," replied Mario. - -"In that case beg your mother to go on with her story," said Monsieur de -Bois-Doré, "and rely upon our keeping her secret, as we have promised -to do." - -The Moor resumed her narrative thus: - -"The good priest, having procured a goat to nourish the child, took us -away, saying: - -"'We will talk about religion later. You are unfortunate, and it is my -duty to have pity upon you.' - -"He lived some distance away, in the heart of the mountain. He placed us -in a little cabin built of blocks of marble and covered with great flat -black stones, and there was nothing in the house but dried grass. That -saint had nothing better to give us than a roof over our heads and the -word of God. He lived in a house little more luxurious than the hut in -which we were. - -"But I had not been there a week before the child was neat and well -cared for, and the house quite comfortable. The shepherds and peasants -did not turn their backs upon me, their priest had so thoroughly imbued -them with gentleness and pity. I soon taught them certain things about -the care of their flocks and the cultivation of their fields which they -did not know, but which are familiar to all Moorish husbandmen. They -listened to me, and, finding that I could help them, they allowed me to -lack nothing that I needed. - -"I should have been very happy at falling in with that man of peace and -that indulgent country, if I could have forgotten my poor father, the -house in which I was born, my kinsmen and my friends, whom I was never -to see again; but I came to love the poor orphan so dearly, that little -by little I was consoled for everything. - -"The priest educated him and taught him French and Spanish, while I -taught him my language, so that I might have one person in the world -with whom I could speak it; but, do not think that, in teaching him -Arabian prayers, I turned him away from the religion the priest was -teaching him. Do not think that I spurn your God. No, no! when I saw -that sincere, compassionate, learned, virtuous man, who talked so -eloquently of his prophet _Issa_[15] and of the beautiful precepts of -the _Engil_,[16] which do not tell us to do what the Koran forbids, it -seemed to me that the best religion must be the one that he practised; -and as I had not received baptism, despite the immersion of the Spanish -priests--for I sheltered myself with my hands so that no drop of -Christian water should fall on my head,--I consented to be baptized anew -by that holy man, and I swore to Allah that I would never again deny in -my heart the worship of Issa and Paraclet."[17] - -This artless declaration gave great satisfaction to the marquis, who, -despite his recent philosophical notions, was, no more than Adamas, an -upholder of the heathen idolatry attributed to the Moors of Spain. - -"So," he said, patting Mario's brown cheeks, "we are not dealing with -devils, but with human beings of our own species. _Numes célestes_! I -am very glad to hear it, for this poor woman interests me and this -orphan touches my heart. And so, my handsome friend Mario, you were -brought up by an excellent and learned curé of the Pyrenees! and you -are a little scholar yourself! I cannot speak Arabic to you; but if your -mother will consent to give you to me, I promise to have you brought up -as a gentleman." - -Mario did not know what being a gentleman was. He was unquestionably -very far advanced for his age, and for the period and the environment in -which he had been reared; but, in every other direction than religion, -morality and languages, he was a genuine little savage, having no -conception of the society which the marquis invited him to enter. - -He saw in the proposal nothing but ribbons, sweetmeats, pet dogs, and -beautiful rooms filled with _bibelots_, which he took for toys. His eyes -shone with ingenuous greed, and Bois-Doré, who was as ingenuous as he -in his way, cried: - -"_Vive Dieu_! Master Jovelin, this child was born to high station. Did -you see how his eyes sparkled at the word gentleman? Come, Mario, ask -Mercedes to remain with us." - -"And me too!" said the child, naturally assuming that the offer was made -first of all to his adopted mother. - -"You and she," replied Bois-Doré; "I know that it would be very cruel -to separate you." - -Mario, overjoyed, hastened to say to the Moorish woman in Arabic, -covering her with kisses: - -"Mother, we are not to travel the highroads any more. This kind lord is -going to keep us here in his fine house!" - -Mercedes expressed her thanks with a sigh. - -"The child is not mine," she said, "he is God's, who has placed him in -my care. I must seek his family until I find it. If his family no longer -exists, or does not want him, I will return here, and on my knees I will -say to you: 'Take him and turn me away if you will. I prefer to weep -alone outside the door of the house where he lives and is happy, than to -make him beg his bread any more." - -"This woman has a noble heart," said the marquis. "We will assist her -with our money and our influence to find the persons she is seeking; but -why does she not tell us what she knows of them? Perhaps we shall be -able to assist her at once when we know the child's family name." - -"I do not know his name," said the Moor. - -"What hope had she then, when she left the mountains?" - -"Tell them what they want to know," said Mercedes to Mario, "but nothing -of that which they must not know yet." - - -[Footnote 14: Aurora.] - -[Footnote 15: Jesus.] - -[Footnote 16: The Gospel.] - -[Footnote 17: The Holy Spirit.] - - - - -XVII - - -Mario, enchanted to have an opportunity to tell his story, but without -imprudence or affectation, with all the charm of his natural candor and -of his limpid glance, began as follows: - -"We were very happy there; there were grottoes, cascades, high peaks and -tall trees; everything was much bigger than it is here, and the water -made much more noise. My mother kept some very good cows, and she dyed -and spun wool and made a very strong cloth. Look at my white cap and her -red cape. She made the material for both of them. I worked too. I made -baskets; oh! I can make very nice ones! If I come back here to be a -gentleman, you shall see! I will make all the baskets for the house! - -"I spent two hours every day learning to read and write French and -Spanish with Monsieur le Curé Anjorrant. He never scolded me, he was -always pleased with me. No one ever saw such a kind-hearted man! He -loved me so much that my mother was jealous sometimes. She used to say -to me: - -"'Come, I will wager that you love the priest better than you do me!' - -"But I would say: - -"'No, indeed! I love you both the same. I love you as much as I can. I -love you as big as the mountains, and more too; as big as the sky!' - -"But when I was ten years old, everything changed. All of a sudden -Monsieur Anjorrant was taken very sick, because he walked too much in -the snow to save some little children who were lost and whom he found, -for we used to have snow in winter, sometimes as high as the top of your -house. And all of a sudden Monsieur Anjorrant died. - -"My mother and I cried so much that I don't see how we have any eyes -left to see with. - -"Then my mother said to me: - -"'We must do what our father, our friend who is dead, wanted us to do. -He has left with us the papers and jewels which may serve to make your -family acknowledge you. He has written to the French minister about you -many times. He never had any answer. Perhaps they did not get his -letters. We will go and see the king, or someone who can speak to him -for us, and if you have a grandmother or aunts or cousins, they will see -to it that you do not remain a slave, because you were born free, and -freedom is the greatest thing in the world.' - -"We started with very little money. Good Monsieur Anjorrant left nothing -for anybody. As soon as he got a piece of money he would give it to -somebody who needed it. We walked and walked; France is so big! For -three months now we have been on the road. My mother, when she saw how -far it was, was afraid we should never get there, and we begged bread -and shelter at every door. People always gave us something, because my -mother is so sweet, and they thought I was a pretty boy. But we did not -know the roads, and we took many steps which delayed us instead of -taking us forward. - -"Then we met some very funny people, who called themselves Egyptians, -and they told us we could go to Poitou with them if we knew how to do -anything. My mother can sing very well in Arabic, and I can play the -_tympanon_ a little, and the guitar of the Pyrenees. I will play for you -all you want. Those people thought that we knew enough. They were not -unkind to us, and there was a little Moorish girl with them named Pilar, -whom I was very fond of, and a bigger boy, La Flèche, who is a -Frenchman and who amused me with his wry faces and his stories. But they -were almost all thieves, and it pained my mother to see how gluttonous -and lazy they were. - -"That is why she said to me every day: - -"'We must leave these people, they are good for nothing.' - -"We finally left them yesterday, because----" - -"Because?" repeated the marquis. - -"That is something my mother Mercedes will tell you later, perhaps, when -she has prayed to God to reveal the truth to her. That is what she told -me, and it is all I know." - -"Taking everything into consideration," said the marquis, rising, "I am -deeply interested in these people, and I propose that they shall be well -treated and cared for under my roof, until it shall please God to point -out to me in what way I can assist them further. But did you not tell -me, my faithful Adamas, that this Mercedes had a letter for Monsieur de -Sully?" - -"Yes, yes!" cried Mario. "That is the name on Monsieur Anjorrant's -letter." - -"Very well, that simplifies matters. I am very much attached to him, and -I will undertake to send you to him without fatigue or discomfort. So -make yourself at home here and ask for whatever you want.--Adamas, both -the mother and the child are very neat and clean, and their mountain -garb is not unbecoming. But have they every thing that they possess on -their bodies?" - -"Yes, monsieur, except the much shabbier clothes that they wore last -night and this morning; they have two shirts each and other things in -proportion. But the woman washes and combs the child and mends his -clothes whenever she is not walking. See how nicely kept his hair is! -She knows all sorts of Arabian secrets for maintaining cleanliness; she -knows how to make powders and elixirs which I intend to learn from her." - -"That is a very good idea; but remember to give her some linen and other -materials, so that she may be well provided. As she is so clever with -her fingers, she will make the most of them. I am going out for a walk; -after which, if she has no objection to singing one of her national -songs to the accompaniment of the little fellow's guitar, I shall be -very glad to hear their outlandish music. Au revoir, Master Mario! As -you have talked very civilly, I intend to give you something soon; be -sure that I shall not forget it." - -The lovely boy kissed the marquis's hand, not without a most expressive -glance at Fleurial, the little dog, whom he would have preferred to all -the treasures in the house. - -To be sure Fleurial was a marvel; of the marquis's three canine pets, he -was justly enough the favorite, and never left his master when he was in -the house. He was as white as snow, woolly as a muff, and, in contrast -to the ways of most spoiled curs, as gentle as a lamb. - -When the marquis had taken his accustomed walk, spoken kindly to those -of his vassals whom he met, and inquired for those who were ill, so that -he could send them what they needed, he returned and sent for Adamas. - -"What shall I give this pretty little Mario?" he said. "We must find -some plaything suited to his years, and there are none such here. Alas! -my friend, there are three of us in this house who are fast turning into -old bachelors: Master Jovelin and you and I." - -"I have been thinking about it, monsieur," said Adamas. - -"About what, my old servant? marriage?" - -"No, monsieur; as that isn't to your taste, it isn't to mine either; but -I have thought of the plaything to give the child." - -"Go to fetch it at once." - -"Here it is, monsieur!" said Adamas, producing the object, which he had -deposited in the window recess. "As I noticed that the child was dying -with longing for Fleurial, and as you could not give him Fleurial, I -remembered seeing in the garret a number of toys that had been lying -there a long while, and, among others, this dog of tow, which is not -very badly worm-eaten, and which resembles Fleurial, except that its -coat is like a black sheep's and it hasn't much tail left." - -"And except a thousand other differences, which result in its not -looking in the least like him! But where did you say this toy came from, -Adamas?" - -"From the garret, monsieur." - -"Very good; and you say that there are others there?" - -"Yes, monsieur; a little horse with only three legs, a broken drum, some -little toy weapons, the remains of a feudal donjon----" - -Adamas paused abruptly as he noticed that the marquis was gazing with an -absorbed expression at the stuffed dog, while a tear made a furrow -through the paint on his cheek. - -"I have done some stupid thing!" said the old servant to himself; "for -God's sake, my dear good master, what makes you weep?" - -"I do not know--a moment's weakness!" said the marquis, wiping his cheek -with his perfumed handkerchief, upon which a considerable portion of the -roses of his complexion remained; "I fancied that I recognized that -plaything, and if I am right, Adamas, it is a relic that must not be -given away! It was my poor brother's!" - -"Really, monsieur? Ah! I am nothing but an old fool! I ought to have -thought of that. I supposed that it was something that you used to play -with when you were a little child." - -"No! when I was a child, I had no playthings. It was a time of war and -sorrow in this country; my father was a terrible man, and to amuse me -showed me fetters and chains, peasants astride the wooden horse, and -prisoners hanging on the elms in the park. Later, much later, he had a -second wife and a second son." - -"I know it, monsieur--young Monsieur Florimond, whom you loved so -dearly! The flower of young gentlemen, most assuredly! And he -disappeared in such a strange way!" - -"I loved him more than I can say, Adamas! not so much for any relations -we had together after he grew to manhood, for then we followed different -banners, and met very seldom, just long enough to embrace and to tell -each other that we were friends and brothers in spite of everything; but -for his sweet, charming ways in his childhood, when, as I have told you, -I had occasion to take care of him and watch over him during one of my -father's absences which lasted about a year. His second wife was dead -and the province very unsettled. I knew that the Calvinists detested my -father, and I thought it my duty to protect that poor child, whom I did -not know, and who grew to love me as if he realized our father's -injustice to me. He was as gentle and beautiful as this little Mario. He -had neither kindred nor friends about him, for in those days some died -of the plague and others of fright. He would have died, too, for lack of -care and cheer, had not I become so attached to him that I played with -him for whole days at a time. It was I who brought him these toys, and I -have good reason to remember them, now I think about it, for they came -within an ace of costing me very dear." - -"Tell me about it, monsieur; it will divert your thoughts." - -"I will gladly do so, Adamas. It was in fifteen hundred--never mind the -date!" - -"Of course not, of course not, monsieur, the date is of no importance." - -"My dear little Florimond was tired of having to stay in the house, but -I dared not take him out-of-doors, because parties of troops of all -factions were constantly passing, who killed everybody and recognized no -friends. I happened to think of a diversion which had tempted me sorely -in my own childhood. At the château of Sarzay I had seen many of those -stuffed animals and other toys with which the young Barbançois used to -play. The lords of Barbançois, who held that fief of Sarzay, from -father to son, for many years, were among the fiercest enemies of the -poor Calvinists, and at that time they were at Issoudun, hanging and -burning as many as they could. In their absence the manor of Sarzay was -not very carefully guarded. The country roundabout being absolutely -devoted to the Catholics and to Monsieur de la Châtre, they had no -suspicion of poor me, for I was too entirely alone and too poor to -undertake anything. - -"It occurred to me to go thither on some pretext, and to lay violent -hands on the toys, unless some servant would sell them to me, for it was -useless to try to find any elsewhere. They were luxuries, and were not -sold in out of the way places. - -"I presented myself, therefore, as coming from my father, and asked to -be admitted to the château to speak to the young folks' nurse, for they -were then old enough to ride, like myself, and were scouring the -country. I went in, explained my errand, and was coldly received by the -nurse. She knew that I had already fought with the Calvinists and that -my father did not love me: but money softened her. She went to a room at -the top of the house and brought down what the children, now full-grown, -had injured least. - -"So away I went with a horse, a dog, a citadel, six cannons, a chariot -and many little iron dishes, the whole in a big basket covered with a -cloth, which I had fastened upon my horse behind me. It came up to my -shoulders, and, as I rode out of the courtyard, I heard the servants -laughing at the window and saying to one another: - -"'He's a great booby, and, if we never have to deal with any Reformers -of a different stamp, we will soon settle their business.' - -"Some were inclined to shoot at me, but I escaped with nothing worse -than a fright. I dug my spurs into my horse, my baggage jingling behind -like a Limousin tinker's bag of old iron. - -"However, all went well, and I rode tranquilly along the crossroad, in -order not to pass through La Châtre with that outfit; but I had to -cross the Couarde, by the bridge on the Aigurande road, and there I -found myself face to face with a party of ten or twelve reiters riding -toward the town. - -"They were simply marauders, but they had with them one of the vilest -partisan troopers of the time, a certain knave whose father or uncle was -in command of the great tower of Bourges, and was known as Captain -Macabre. - -"This fellow, who was about my own age but already old in villainy, -acted as guide to such bands of pillagers, who were very willing to let -him try his hand with them. I had fallen in with him several times, and -he knew that, having fought for the Calvinists, I ought not to be -roughly handled by the Germans. But when he saw the load I was carrying, -he concluded that I was a valuable prize, and, assuming a mighty -swagger, he ordered me to dismount and turn over horse and baggage to -his men, who called themselves for the moment cavalry of the Duc -d'Alençon. - -"As they did not know a word of French, and young Macabre acted as their -interpreter, it would have been utterly useless for me to try to parley -with them. Knowing with whom I had to deal, and that, after I had -submitted and dismounted, I should be soundly beaten and possibly shot, -by way of pastime, as was the habit of the marauding bands, I risked all -to win all. - -"With my boot and stirrup together I kicked Macabre violently in the -stomach--he had already dismounted to unhorse me--and stretched him flat -on his back, swearing like forty devils." - -"And you did well, monsieur!" cried Adamas, enthusiastically. - -"The others," continued Bois-Doré, "were so far from expecting to see a -stripling like me do such a thing under their noses, they being old -troopers one and all, and armed to the teeth, that they began to laugh; -whereof I took advantage to ride away like a shot; but, having recovered -from their amazement, they sent after me a hailstorm of German plums, -which they called in those days Monsieur's plums, because those Germans -used the plans drawn by Monsieur, the king's brother, against the -queen-mother's troops. - -"Fate willed that I should not be hit, and, thanks to my excellent mare, -who carried me swiftly through the tortuous sunken roads of the Couarde, -I returned home safe and sound. Great was the joy of my little brother -as he watched me unpack all those gewgaws. - -"'My dear,' I said to him, as I gave him the citadel, 'it was very lucky -for me that I was so well fortified, for, if it had not been for these -stout walls which I had over my spine, I fancy that you would never have -seen me again.' - -"Indeed, Adamas, I believe that if you should take this stuffed dog to -pieces, you would find some lead inside; and that, if the citadel did -not protect me, the animals protected the citadel at all events." - -"If that is the case, monsieur, I shall keep all the things most -carefully, and place them as a trophy in some room in the château." - -"No, Adamas, people would laugh at us. And here comes that beautiful -boy; we must give him the dog and all the rest, for the things that come -from an angel should go to another angel, and I see in this Mario's eyes -the innocence and affection that were in my young brother's eyes.--Yes, -it is certain," continued the marquis, glancing at Mario and Mercedes, -as they entered the room, escorted by Clindor the page, "that if -Florimond had had a son, he would have been exactly like this boy; and, -if you wish me to tell you why I was attracted to him at first sight, it -was because he recalled to my mind, not so much by his features as by -his bearing, his soft voice and his gentle manners, my brother as he was -at about that age." - -"Monsieur your brother never married," said Adamas, whose mind was even -more romantic than his master's; "but he may have had natural children, -and who knows whether----" - -"No, no, my friend, let us not dream! I had a vision while this Moorish -woman was telling us the story of the murdered gentleman. Would you -believe that I actually fancied that it might have been my brother?" - -"Well, and why should it not have been, monsieur, since no one knows how -he died?" - -"It was not he," replied the marquis, "for this little Mario's father -was killed before the death of our good King Henri, whereas my last -letter from my brother was dated at Genoa on June 16th, that is to say -about a month after that event. It is not possible to reconcile the -two." - - - - -XVIII - - -While the marquis and Adamas exchanged these reflections, the Moorish -woman had made her preparations for singing, and Lucilio had arrived to -listen to her. - -The marquis was so pleased with her manner that he begged Lucilio to -write down the airs she sung. Lucilio was even more captivated by them, -as being, he said, "very old and rare, of great beauty and perfect in -their way." - - -[Illustration: _MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN -THE MARQUIS._ - -_Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged -her, and Mario played her accompaniments very well._] - - -Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged her, and Mario played -her accompaniments very well. - -He was so fascinating with his long guitar, his wise expression, his -lips half-parted and his beautiful hair falling in waves over his -shoulders, that one could never weary of looking at him. His costume, -which consisted of a coarse white shirt, and brown woollen -knee-breeches, with a red girdle and gray stockings with strips of red -cloth wound around the legs, heightened the grace of his movements and -the elegance of his shapely figure. - -He received with joyous bewilderment the toys which were brought from -the garret, and the marquis was gratified to see that, after an admiring -scrutiny of all those marvellous things, he arranged them in a corner -with a sort of respect. - -The fact was that they did not appeal to him very strongly, and that, -when his surprise had passed, his thoughts returned to Fleurial, who was -alive, playful and affectionate, and would have followed him in his -wandering life, whereas the possession of horses, cannon and citadels -was only the dream of an instant in that life of want and constant -motion. - -The rest of the day passed with no new outbreak on the part of Monsieur -d'Alvimar. - -He saw Monsieur Poulain again and told him that he had decided to lay -siege to the fair Lauriane. - -At supper he did his best to avoid having in the person of the marquis -an enemy or an obstacle in his intercourse with her, and he succeeded in -creating a favorable impression. He did not encounter the Moor or the -child, nor did he hear them mentioned, and he retired early to muse upon -his projects. - -The marquis's whole retinue was overjoyed to keep Mario a few days; so -Adamas announced. He had covers laid for the child and his mother at the -second table, at which he himself ate, in the capacity of valet de -chambre, with Master Jovelin, whom Bois-Doré purposely treated as an -inferior, and with Bellinde the housekeeper and Clindor the page. - -The coachman and other servants ate at different hours and in a -different place. Theirs was the third table. - -There was a fourth for the farm hands, wayfarers, poor travellers and -mendicant monks; so that, from dawn until dark, that is to say, until -eight or nine o'clock at night, eating was in progress at the château -of Briantes, and some chimney was always pouring forth a rich, greasy -smoke, which attracted swarms of urchins and beggars from a long way -off. They always received a bountiful supply of broken food at the main -gate, and laid the fifth table on the turf along the avenue, or on the -banks of the ditches. - -Despite this generous hospitality and this numerous retinue, which did -not correspond with the narrow proportions of the château itself, the -marquis's income met all demands, and he always had money to spare for -his innocent whims. - -He lost very little by peculation, although he kept no accounts; as -Adamas and Bellinde detested each other, they watched each other -closely, and although Bellinde was not the woman to abstain altogether -from plunder, the fear of arousing suspicion made her prudent and -necessarily moderate in the matter of profit. Being handsomely paid, and -always magnificently dressed at the expense of the châtelain, who did -not choose to see rags or dirt about him, she certainly had no excuse -for malversation; but she complained none the less, being one of those -who cherish a stolen sou and disdain an honestly acquired louis. - -As for Adamas, if he was not the soul of probity in all his -relations--for he had fought in the civil wars and had acquired the -manners of the partisan troops,--he was so devoted to his master, that -if, in the eminent post of confidential servant which he had attained, -he had dared to pillage other people and hold them to ransom, it would -have been solely to enrich the manor of Briantes. - -Clindor made common cause with him against Bellinde, who hated him and -treated him like a dog dressed in boy's clothes. - -He was an honest little fellow, half clever, half stupid, uncertain as -yet whether he should pose as a man of the third estate, a title which -was assuming more real importance every day, or should assume the airs -of a future gentleman, a species of vanity which was to keep the third -estate for a long time to come in an equivocal attitude and cause it to -play the rôle of dupe between factions, despite its intellectual -superiority. - -The secret of the Moorish woman's nationality was not divulged. In order -not to expose her to the suspicious intolerance of Bellinde, who made a -great show of piety, Adamas represented her as a Spaniard pure and -simple. - -Not a word of her story or of Mario's transpired. - -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas to his master as he undressed him, -"we are children and know nothing at all of the artifices of the toilet. -This Moor, with whom I have been talking upon serious subjects, has -taught me more in an hour than all your Parisian artists know. She has -the most valuable secrets about all sorts of things, and knows how to -extract miraculous juices from plants." - -"Very good, very good, Adamas! Talk about something else. Recite some -verses to me as you shave me; for I feel depressed, and I might truly -say with Monsieur d'Urfé, speaking of Astrée, that the effervescence -of my ennui disturbs the repose of my stomach and the breath of my -life." - -"_Numes célestes_! monsieur," cried the faithful Adamas, who loved to -use his master's favorite expressions; "so you are still thinking of -your brother?" - -"Alas! his memory came back to me yesterday, I don't know why. There are -such days in every man's life, you know, when a slumbering sorrow wakes. -It is like the wounds one brings back from the war. Let me tell you -something of which that orphan's pretty ways made me think just now. It -is that I am growing old, my poor Adamas!" - -"Monsieur is jesting!" - -"No, we are growing old, my friend, and my name will die with me. I have -a few distant cousins, to be sure, for whom I care but little, and who -will perpetuate my father's name, if they can; but I shall be the first -and last of the Bois-Dorés, and my marquisate will descend to no one, -being entirely honorary and determinable at the king's pleasure." - -"I have often thought about it, and I regret that monsieur has always -been too active to consent to put an end to his bachelor life and marry -some beautiful nymph of this neighborhood." - -"To be sure, I have done wrong not to think of it. I have roamed too -much from fair to fair, and although I never met Monsieur d'Urfé, I -would stake my life that, having heard of me somewhere, he intended to -describe me under the features of Hylas the shepherd." - -"And suppose it were so? That shepherd is a very amiable man, -exceedingly clever, and the most entertaining, in my opinion, of all the -heroes of the book." - -"True; but he is young, and I tell you again that I am beginning not to -be young any more and to regret very bitterly my having no family. Do -you know that I have had the idea of adopting a child, or have been -conscious of a longing to do so, at least a score of times?" - -"I know it, monsieur; whenever you see a pretty, attractive little baby, -that idea comes back to you. Well, what prevents you?" - -"The difficulty of finding one with an attractive face and a good -disposition, who has no parents likely to take him away from me when I -have brought him up; for to dote on a child just to have him taken from -you at the age of twenty or twenty-five----" - -"But the interval, monsieur." - -"Oh! time flies so fast! one is not conscious of its flight! You know -that I once thought of taking some young poor relation into my house; -but my family are all old Leaguers, and their children are ugly, or -obstreperous, or dirty." - -"It is certain, monsieur, that the younger branch of the Bourons is not -attractive. You appropriated the stature, all the charm and all the -gallantry of the family, and no one but yourself can give you an heir -worthy of you." - -"Myself!" said Bois-Doré, slightly dazed by this declaration. - -"Yes, monsieur, I am speaking seriously. Since you are tired of your -liberty; since I hear you say, for the tenth time, that you mean to -settle down----" - -"Why, Adamas, you speak of me as if I were an old rake! It seems to me -that, since our Henri's sad death, I have lived as becomes a man -overwhelmed by grief, and a resident nobleman in duty bound to set a -good example." - -"Certainly, certainly, monsieur, you can say all that you please to me -on that subject It is my duty not to contradict you. You are not obliged -to tell me of your delightful adventures in the châteaux or groves of -the neighborhood, eh, monsieur? That is nobody's business but yours. A -faithful servant ought not to spy upon his master, and I do not think -that I have ever asked monsieur any indiscreet questions." - -"I do justice to your delicacy, my dear Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, at -once embarrassed, disturbed and flattered by the chimerical suppositions -of his idolatrous valet. "Let us talk of something else," he added, -afraid to dwell upon so delicate a subject, and trying to believe that -Adamas knew of adventures of his of which he had no knowledge himself. - -The marquis did not boast openly. He was too well bred to tell of the -love-affairs he had had and to invent others that he had never had. But -he was delighted that he should still be accredited with them, and -provided that no particular woman was compromised, he did not contradict -those who said that he was favored of all women. His friends connived at -his modest conceit, and it was the great delight of the younger men, of -Guillaume d'Ars in particular, to tease him on that point, knowing how -agreeable such teasing was to him. - -But Adamas was not so ceremonious. He was not very much of a Gascon on -his own account; having blended his personality with the radiations from -his master's, he was a Gascon for him and in his place. - -So he continued the discussion with much self-possession, declaring that -monsieur was quite right to think of marrying. It was a subject which -was often renewed between them, and of which neither of them wearied, -although it had never had any other result in thirty years than this -reflection from Bois-Doré: - -"To be sure! to be sure! but I am so peaceful and so happy thus! There -is no hurry, we will talk about it again." - -This time, however, he seemed to listen to Adamas's boasting on his -account with more attention than usual. - -"If I thought that there was no danger of my marrying a barren woman," -he said to his confidant, "I would marry, on my word! Perhaps I should -do well to marry a widow with children?" - -"Fie! monsieur," cried Adamas, "do not think of such a thing. Take some -young and lovely demoiselle, who will give you children after your own -image." - -"Adamas!" said the marquis, after a moment's hesitation, "I have some -doubt whether heaven will send me that blessing. But you suggest an -attractive thought, which is to marry a woman so young that I can -imagine that she is my daughter and love her as if I were her father. -What do you say to that?" - -"I say, that if she is young, very young, monsieur can at need imagine -that he has adopted a child. And if that is monsieur's idea, there is no -need to go very far; the little lady of La Motte-Seuilly is exactly -suited to monsieur's wants. She is beautiful, she is good, she is -virtuous, she is merry; those qualities are what we need to brighten up -our manor-house, and I am very sure that her father has thought of it -more than once." - -"Do you think so, Adamas?" - -"To be sure! and so has she! Do you suppose that, when they come here, -she draws no comparison between her old château and yours, which is a -fairy palace? Do you suppose, that, for all she is so young and -innocent, she has never discovered what sort of man you are compared -with all the other suitors whom she has ever seen?" - -Bois-Doré fell asleep thinking of the absence of suitors about the fair -Lauriane, of the enmity that the neighbors bore the rough and outspoken -De Beuvre, and of the annoyance which De Beuvre felt on account of that -state of things, temporary doubtless, but of which he exaggerated the -possible duration. - -The marquis persuaded himself that his proposal would be hailed as one -of fortune's greatest boons. - -The religious question would adjust itself as between them. In any -event, if Lauriane should reproach him for having abjured Calvinism, he -saw no objection to embracing it a second time. - -His self-conceit did not permit him to consider the possibility of an -objection based upon his age. Adamas had the gift of dispelling that -unpleasant memory every night by his flatteries. - -Honest Sylvain therefore fell asleep on that evening more absurd than -ever; but whoever could have read in his heart the purely paternal -feeling that guided his course, the boundless philosophical tolerance -with which he looked forward to the possibility of being made a cuckold, -and the projects of indulgence, of submission and absolute devotion -which he formed with regard to his youthful helpmeet, would certainly -have forgiven him, even while laughing at him. - -When Adamas went into his own room, it seemed to him that he heard the -rustling of a dress in the secret stairway. He rushed into the passage -as quickly as possible, but failed to catch Bellinde, who had time to -disappear, after overhearing, as she had often done before, all the -conversation between the two old fellows. - -Adamas knew her to be quite capable of playing the spy. But he concluded -that he was mistaken, and barricaded all the doors when there was -nothing to be heard save the loud snoring of the marquis and the muffled -yelping of little Fleurial, who lay at the foot of the bed dreaming of a -certain black cat, which was to him what Bellinde was to Adamas. - - - - -XIX - - -They arrived at La Motte-Seuilly about nine o'clock the next morning. -The reader has not forgotten that in those days dinner was served at ten -in the morning, supper at six in the evening. - -On this occasion our marquis, who was fully determined to open his -matrimonial projects, had deemed it best to use some lighter and less -cumbersome means of locomotion than his magnificent lumbering chariot. - -He had mounted, not without a mighty effort, his pretty Andalusian -steed, called _Rosidor_--another name from _Astrée_,--an excellent -beast with an easy gait and placid disposition, a little mischievous, as -it was fitting that he should be in order to give his rider a chance to -shine--that is to say, ready at the slightest sign with leg or hand, to -roll his eyes savagely, curvet, dilate his nostrils like a wicked devil, -rear to a respectable height, and, in a word, assume the airs of a -bad-tempered brute. - - - "For all that, the best fellow in the world." - - -As he dismounted, the marquis ordered Clindor to lead his horse around -the courtyard for a quarter of an hour, on the pretext that he was too -warm to be taken to the stable at once, but in reality so that his hosts -might know that he still rode that restive palfrey. - -Before he entered Lauriane's presence, honest Sylvain went to the room -set aside for him in his neighbor's house, to readjust his clothes, and -perfume and beautify himself in the jauntiest and most refined manner. - -On his side Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, dressed in black velvet and -satin, after the Spanish fashion, with hair cut short and a ruff of rich -lace, had only to change his boots for silk hose and shoes bedecked with -ribbons, to show himself at his best. - -Although his sedate costume, then considered old-fashioned in France, -was better suited to Bois-Doré's age than his own, it gave him an -indefinable air of a diplomat and a priest at once, which emphasized the -more strongly his extraordinarily well-preserved youth and the -self-assured refinement of his person. - -It seemed that old De Beuvre had anticipated a day of offers of -marriage; for he had made himself less like a Huguenot, that is to say -less austere in his dress than usual, and, deeming his daughter's dress -too simple, he had urged her to don a handsomer one. So she made herself -as fine as the widow's weeds, which she was in duty bound to wear until -she married again, would permit. In those days custom was not to be -trifled with. - -She arrayed herself in white taffeta, with a raised skirt over an -underskirt of grayish white, called _rye bread color_. She put on a lace -neckband and wristbands, and as the widow's hood--Mary Stuart's little -cap--relieved her from the necessity of conforming to the fashion of -wearing the ugly powdered wigs which were then in vogue, she was able to -show her lovely fair hair brushed back in a wavy mass which left her -beautiful forehead bare and framed her finely-veined temples. - -In order not to seem too provincial, she sprinkled her hair with Cyprus -powder, which made her more than ever like a child. Although the two -suitors had severally determined to be agreeable, they were somewhat -embarrassed during the dinner, as if they had conceived some suspicion -that they were rivals. - -Indeed, Bellinde had repeated to Monsieur Poulain's housekeeper the -conversation she had overheard. The housekeeper had told the rector, who -had put D'Alvimar on his guard by a note thus conceived: - -"You have, in the person of your host, a rival with whom you can amuse -yourself; make the most of the opportunity." - -D'Alvimar laughed in his sleeve at the idea of rivalry from such a -quarter; his plan was to attack the young lady's heart at once. Little -he cared for her father's approval. He thought that, if he were once in -control of Lauriane's feelings, there would be no difficulty about the -rest. - -Bois-Doré reasoned differently. He could not doubt the esteem and -attachment of both father and daughter for him. He did not hope to take -her imagination by surprise and turn her head; he would have liked to be -alone with them, to set forth in simple terms his advantages in the way -of rank and wealth; after which he hoped, by humble attentions, to make -his purpose manifest ingeniously and honorably. In short, he determined -to act the part of a well-bred youth of good family, while his rival -preferred to carry the place by storm like a hero of romance. - -De Beuvre, who saw that D'Alvimar was becoming sentimental, vexed his -old friend sorely by leading him away along the little stream, to ask -him numerous questions touching his guest's rank and fortune; to which -Bois-Doré could make no other reply than that Monsieur d'Ars had -recommended him to him as a man of quality to whom he was much attached. - -"Guillaume is young," said Monsieur de Beuvre; "but he realizes too well -what he owes us to introduce to us a man unworthy of a cordial reception -at our hands. Still, I am surprised that he told you nothing more; but -Monsieur de Villareal must have confided to you his motive in coming -hither. How does it happen that he did not accompany Guillaume to the -fêtes at Bourges?" - -Bois-Doré could not answer that question; but in his inmost heart De -Beuvre was convinced that this mystery concealed no other design than -that of paying court to his daughter. - -"He must have seen her somewhere, when she did not notice him," he said -to himself; "and although he seems a very earnest Catholic, he also -seems very much in love with her." - -He said to himself further that, in the then state of affairs, a -Catholic Spanish son-in-law might restore the fortunes of his house and -repair the wrong he had done his daughter by joining the ranks of the -Reformers. - -If for no other reason than to give the lie to the Jesuits, who had -threatened him, he would have been glad to learn that the Spaniard was -of sufficiently good family to pretend to the hand of Lauriane, even if -he were only moderately wealthy. - -Monsieur de Beuvre reasoned like a sceptic. He did not talk so loudly of -Montaigne's _Essays_, as Bois-Doré did of _Astrée_, but he fed his -mind upon them assiduously, and he read no other book. - -Bois-Doré, being more straightforward in his politics than his -neighbor, would not have reasoned as he did if he had been a father. He -was no more attached than he to religion; but of the beliefs of the -olden time, he had never laid aside the love of country, and the spirit -of the League would never have induced him to trifle with it. - -He did not suspect the thoughts of his friend, absorbed as he was by his -own, and during a quarter of an hour, as if playing at cross purposes, -they discussed, without understanding each other, the urgent need of a -good marriage for Lauriane. - -At last light was thrown upon the discussion. - -"You!" cried De Beuvre in stupefaction, when the marquis had declared -himself. "Bless my soul! who the devil could have expected that? I -imagined that you were talking in veiled words about your Spaniard, and -it seems that you mean yourself! Look you! neighbor, are you in your -right mind, and don't you mistake yourself for your grandson?" - -Bois-Doré gnawed his moustache; but, being accustomed to his friend's -jesting, he soon recovered himself, and strove to persuade him that -people were mistaken about his age, and that he was not so old as his -own father was when he remarried, at the age of sixty, with most -successful results. - -While he was wasting time thus, D'Alvimar was striving to make the most -of it. - -He had succeeded in bringing Madame de Beuvre to a halt under the great -yew, whose branches, drooping to the ground, formed a sort of apartment -of dark verdure, where one was entirely isolated in the middle of the -garden. - -He began awkwardly enough with extravagant compliments. - -Lauriane was not on her guard against the poison of praise; she knew -little of the refined manners of young men of quality, and was not able -to distinguish the false from the true; but, luckily for her, her heart -had not yet felt the tedium of solitude, and she was much more of a -child than she seemed to be. She considered D'Alvimar's hyperbolical -language highly amusing, and laughed at his gallantry with a heartiness -that disconcerted him. - -He saw that his fine phrases had no luck, so strove to talk of love in a -more natural vein. Perhaps he would have succeeded and would have sown -confusion in that young heart; but Lucilio suddenly appeared, as if sent -by Providence, to interrupt this dangerous interview with the sweet -notes of his _sourdeline_. - -He had been averse to coming with Bois-Doré, knowing that he would be -made to dine in the servants' quarters and would not see Lauriane before -noon. - -Lauriane, as well as her father, was acquainted with the tragic story of -Bruno's disciple, and, following Bois-Doré's example, they -ostentatiously treated him at La Motte-Seuilly as a musician simply, -fearing to compromise him, although they really entertained for him the -high esteem that he deserved. - -Lucilio was the only one who had not thought of making a toilet for the -occasion. He had no hope of attracting attention; indeed, he had no -desire to draw any eye upon himself, knowing that the mysterious -intercourse of minds was the most to which he could aspire. - -So he approached the yew without useless timidity or pretended caution; -and, relying upon the beauty and sincerity of what he had to say in -music, he began to play, to the great displeasure and vexation of -D'Alvimar. - -Lauriane, too, was annoyed for a moment by the interruption, but she -reproached herself when she read on the bagpiper's beautiful face an -ingenuous purpose to gratify her. - -"I do not know why it is," she thought, "that there seems to be on that -face a sort of radiance of genuine affection and of a healthy -conscience, which I do not find on the _other's_ face." - -And she glanced once more at D'Alvimar, now thoroughly irritated, morose -and overbearing, and felt something like a shiver of fear--perhaps of -him, perhaps of herself. - -Again, whether because she was very sensitive to music, or because her -emotions were keyed up to a high pitch, she fancied that she could hear -in her brain the words of the beautiful airs Lucilio was playing to her, -and those imaginary words were: - -"See the bright sun shining in the clear sky, and the swift streams -receiving its rays on their changing surfaces! - -"See the beautiful trees bent in black arches against the pale golden -background of the meadows, and the meadows themselves, as cheery and -bright as in the springtime, under the embroidery of the pink flowers of -autumn; and the graceful swan, that seems to paddle rhythmically at your -feet; and the migratory birds flying across yonder multicolored clouds. - -"All these are the music that I sing to thee: youth, purity, faith, love -and happiness. - -"Listen not to the strange voice which thou dost not understand. It is -soft but deceptive. It would extinguish the sun over your head; it would -dry up the water under your feet; it would wither the flowers in the -fields and shatter the wings of the birds among the clouds; it would -cause cold, fear and death to descend upon thee, and would exhaust -forever the source of the divine harmonies I sing to thee." - -Lauriane no longer saw D'Alvimar. Lost in a delicious reverie, she did -not see Lucilio. She was transported into the past, and, thinking of -Charlotte d'Albret, she said to herself: - -"No, no, I will never listen to the voice of the demon!--My friend," she -said aloud, rising, when the musician stopped, "you have done me an -immense amount of good, and I thank you. I have nothing to give you -which can pay for the noble thoughts which you are able to suggest to -us; that is why I beg you to accept these fragrant violets, which are -the emblem of your modesty." - -She had refused to give D'Alvimar the violets, and she ostentatiously -gave them to the poor musician, before his face. - -D'Alvimar smiled triumphantly, thinking that she meant to incite him by -a challenge more stimulating than an avowal. But such was not Lauriane's -thought, for, making a pretence of fastening the flowers in Lucilio's -hat, she said to him under her breath: - -"Master Giovellino, I ask you to be a father to me, and not to stir from -my side until I tell you to." - -Thanks to his keen Italian penetration, Lucilio grasped her meaning. - -"Yes, yes, I understand, rely on me!" his expressive eyes replied. - -And he seated himself on the huge roots of the yew, at a respectful -distance, like a servant awaiting such orders as may be given him, but -near enough to make it impossible for D'Alvimar to say a word which he -did not hear. - -D'Alvimar divined the whole plan. She was afraid of him; that was still -better! He held the bagpiper in such utter contempt that he began anew -to pay court to his hostess before him as if he were a log of wood. - -But his dangerous magnetism lost all its virtue. - -It seemed to Lauriane that the presence of a calm, virtuous man like -Lucilio was an antidote. She would have blushed to display any vanity -before him. She felt that his eyes were upon her, and that feeling was a -protection. She saw that the Spaniard was piqued, and was gradually -growing angry. She tried her strength by resisting him. - -He wanted her to dismiss that interloper, and he told her so, -designedly, in a tone loud enough to be overheard by him. - -Lauriane flatly refused, saying that she desired more music. - -Lucilio at once began to inflate his bagpipe. - -D'Alvimar put his hand to his breast, drew a very sharp Spanish knife, -and, having removed it from its sheath, began to play with it as if to -keep himself in countenance; sometimes pretending to write with the -point on the old yew, sometimes to hurl it at something as if to show -his dexterity. - -Lauriane did not understand his threat. - -Lucilio was impassive, and yet he was too much of an Italian not to be -familiar with the cold-blooded anger of a Spaniard, and with the -possible destination of a stiletto apparently thrown at random. - -Under any other circumstances he would have been anxious concerning his -instrument, which D'Alvimar's eye seemed to be watching, as if for a -chance to pierce it. But he was complying with Lauriane's wish; he was -fighting in behalf of innocence, as Orpheus fought for love with his -triumphant lyre; and he courageously attacked one of the Moorish airs -which he had heard and written down the day before. - -D'Alvimar felt that he was defied, and the fire of wrath that was -smouldering within him began to burn him. - -Being as dexterous as a Chinaman in throwing the knife, he determined to -frighten the impertinent minstrel, and began to make the gleaming blade -fly all around him, drawing nearer and nearer as he proceeded with his -soft and plaintive song. Lauriane had walked away a few steps, and at -that moment her back was turned to that horrible scene. - -"I have defied tortures and death," said Giovellino to himself. "I will -defy them again, and this Spaniard shall not have the pleasure of seeing -me turn pale." - -He turned his eyes in another direction and played as carefully and -accurately as if he were at Bois-Doré's table. - -Meanwhile D'Alvimar, moving hither and thither, amused himself by -standing in front of him and aiming at him, as if he were tempted to -take him for a target; and by virtue of one of those inexplicable -fascinations which are as it were the punishment of cruel jests, he -began really to feel that horrible temptation. - -The cold perspiration stood out on his body and a film passed over his -eyes. - -Lucilio felt it rather than saw it; but he chose to risk everything -rather than show a moment's fear in the face of the enemy of his native -land, who likewise cast contempt upon his manly dignity. - - - - -XX - - -While this terrible game was in progress, a strange spectator was -looking on within two steps of the heedless Lauriane; it was the young -wolf brought up in the kennels, who had adopted the habits and manners -of a dog, but not his instincts and nature. He fawned upon everybody but -was attached to nobody. - -Lying at Lucilio's feet, he had watched the Spaniard's cruel game with -evident uneasiness, and, the dagger having fallen close beside him -several times, he had risen and sought shelter behind the tree, thinking -of nothing but his own safety. - -However, as the game continued, the animal, who was just beginning to -feel his teeth, showed them several times in silence, and, considering -that he was attacked, felt for the first time in his life the instinct -of hatred of man. - -With his eye on fire, muscles tense, hair erect and quivering, he was -concealed from D'Alvimar by the colossal trunk of the yew, where he -watched for a favorable moment, and suddenly sprang out and tried to -seize him by the throat. - -He would have wounded him at least, if he had not strangled him, had he -not been thrown back by a vigorous kick from Lucilio, which sent him -rolling over and over along the ground. - -The sudden interruption of the music, and the plaintive sound made by -the bagpipe as the artist dropped it, caused Lauriane to turn hastily. -Entirely ignorant of what was taking place, she ran up in time to see -D'Alvimar, frantic with rage, disemboweling the beast with his knife. - -He performed that act of reprisal with all the heat of revenge. It was -easy to read on his pale face and in his bloodshot eye the profound and -incomprehensible joy that he felt in having something to murder. - -Thrice he buried the blade in the throbbing entrails, and at the sight -of blood his lips contracted with an expression of voluptuous pleasure, -while Lauriane, trembling from head to foot, pressed Lucilio's arms with -both hands, saying in a low voice: - -"Look! look! Cæsar Borgia! it is he in person!" - -Lucilio, who had often seen at Rome the portrait painted by Raphael, was -even better able to appreciate the resemblance, and nodded his head to -indicate that he was deeply impressed by it. - -"How now, monsieur?" said the young woman, deeply moved, to the -triumphant Spaniard; "do you think that you are in the heart of the -forest, and do you expect to make yourself agreeable to me by presenting -me with the head or the claws of a creature that I have fed with my own -hands, and that I was caressing before you a moment ago? For shame! you -are not civil; and with that bloody knife in your hand, you look more -like a butcher than a gentleman!" - -Lauriane was angry; she had no other feeling now for the stranger than -one of aversion. - -He, as if emerging from a dream, apologized, saying that the wolf had -tried to devour him; that such creatures were bad company in a house, -and that he was very glad to have rescued _madame_ from an accident -which might as well have happened to her as to him. - -"Do you mean that he attacked you?" she said, and glanced at Lucilio, -who nodded assent.--"Did he bite you?" she added; "where is the wound?" - -And as D'Alvimar had not even a scratch, she was indignant that he had -manifested fear of a beast that was so young and so far from dangerous. - -"The word fear is not very fair to me," he replied in a sort of frenzy; -"I did not suppose that it could be thrown at one who still holds the -instrument of death in his hands." - -"How proud you are of having killed that young wolf! A child could have -done it, and it would have been pardonable in a child, but not in a man, -who could easily have got rid of him with a blow of a whip. I tell you, -messire, you were terribly frightened, and fright is the disease of -those who love to shed blood." - -"I see," said the Spaniard, suddenly downcast, "that I am in disgrace -with you, and I recognize in this, as in everything else, the effect of -my ill luck. It is so persistent that there have been many times when I -have thought of yielding to it as victor in a battle in which I find -naught save discomfort and discomfiture." - -There was much truth in what D'Alvimar had said; and as, after he had -instinctively wiped his dagger, he seemed to hesitate to replace it in -its sheath, Lauriane, impressed by the sinister gleam in his eye, -concluded that he was a little mad, as the result of some great -misfortune, and inclined to take his own life. - -"If I am to forgive you," she said, "I demand that you hand me the -weapon of which you have just made such an unworthy use. I do not like -that treacherous blade, which French gentlemen no longer carry, except -when hunting. The sword is enough for a true knight, and one should take -time for reflection before unsheathing it in a lady's presence. I should -always be afraid of a man who conceals about his person a weapon so easy -to handle and so prompt to kill; and as this one does not seem to be of -great value, I ask you to sacrifice it to me, by way of reparation for -the pain you have caused me." - -D'Alvimar thought that in thus disarming him she intended to caress him. -Nevertheless, it cost him a pang to part with so trusty a weapon, and he -hesitated. - -"I see," said Lauriane, "that it is a gift from some fair dame whom you -are not at liberty to disobey." - -"If you have any such thought as that," he retorted, "I will very -quickly disabuse you of it." - -And, kneeling on one knee, he handed her the poniard. - -"It is well," she said, withdrawing her hand, which he tried to kiss. "I -forgive you, as a guest whom I do not desire to humiliate; but that is -all, I assure you; and as for this wretched blade, if I keep it, I do so -not for love of you, but to prevent the evil that it might do." - -They were then at the foot of the donjon, where they met the marquis and -Monsieur de Beuvre, engaged in earnest conversation. - -Lauriane was about to tell them what had happened, but her father did -not give her time. - -"Look you, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand and putting it -through the marquis's arm; "our friend wishes to tell you a secret, and -while he is telling it, I will do my best to entertain Monsieur de -Villareal. You see," he added, addressing Monsieur de Bois-Doré, "I -entrust my lamb to you without fear of your sharp teeth, and I say -nothing to her to lower you in her estimation! Speak to her therefore as -you choose. If you are burned, I wash my hands of it, it will be of your -own seeking." - -"I see," said Madame de Beuvre to the marquis, "that you have some -request to make." - -And as she supposed that it referred, as usual, to some hunting party on -his estates, she added that, whatever it might be, she granted it -beforehand. - -"Beware, my child!" laughed Monsieur de Beuvre; "you don't know what you -are pledging yourself to!" - -"You do not frighten me," she replied; "he can speak quickly." - -"Indeed! you think so! but you are sadly mistaken," rejoined Monsieur de -Beuvre. "I will wager that his compliments will last more than an hour. -So go, both of you, to some room where you will not be disturbed, and -when you have said all you have to say, you can join us again." - -The marquis was not disconcerted by this jesting. He had not reached the -resolution to prefer his request without stifling some vivid -apprehensions touching the marriage state, into which he had delayed -entering for about forty years. - -If he had decided at last, it was because he wished to make someone else -rich and happy, and, having once adopted that idea, he considered it his -duty not to allow himself to be turned aside from it. - -No sooner had they reached the salon, therefore, than he offered his -heart, his name and his fortune, after the style in vogue in _Astrée_, -with the unbridled passion which knows nothing milder than horrible -torments, sighs that rend the heart, terrors that cause a thousand -deaths, hopes that take away the reason, etc.; and all this with such -chaste and cold propriety that the most timid virtue could not take -alarm. - -When Lauriane realized that he was talking about marriage, she was as -surprised as her father. - -She knew that the marquis was capable of anything, and instead of -laughing at him she felt sorry for him. She had a warm friendship for -him, and respect for his goodness of heart and loyalty. She felt that -the poor old man would lay himself open to interminable taunts, if she -should set the example, and that the friendly and kindly raillery of -which he had hitherto been the object, would become stinging and cruel. - -"No," thought the judicious child, "it shall not be so, I will not -suffer my old friend to be the laughing-stock of his servants.--My dear -marquis," she said, exerting herself to speak after his style, "I have -often reflected upon the possibility and the suitability of the plan -which you propose to me. I had divined your noble and virtuous flame, -and, if I have not reciprocated it, it is only because I am still so -young that mischievous Cupid has paid no attention to me as yet. Allow -me therefore to frolic yet a little while in the enchanted isle of -Ignorance of Love; I can be in no haste to come forth, since I am happy -in your friendship. Of all the men whom I know, you are the best and -most lovable, and, when my heart speaks, it may well be that it will -speak to me of you. But that is written in the book of destinies, and -you must e'en give me time to question mine. If, by some fatality, it -should be my destiny to be ungrateful to you, I would confess it -honestly and sorrowfully, for it would be my loss and my shame; but your -heart is so great and so kind that you would still be my brother and my -friend despite my folly." - -"That would I, I swear it!" cried Bois-Doré with ingenuous warmth. - -"Very well, my loyal friend," continued Lauriane, "let us wait awhile. I -ask you for a seven years' trial as the ancient custom is among knights -without reproach; and do me the favor to allow this agreement to remain -a secret between us two. Seven years hence, if my heart has remained -insensible to love, you will renounce me; and in like manner, if I share -your passion, I will tell you so without mystery. I swear to you -likewise, that if, before the expiration of our agreement, I am moved, -despite myself, by another's attentions, I will humbly and frankly make -confession to you thereof. Of that there seems but little likelihood; -yet do I seek to provide for everything, so earnestly do I desire to -preserve at least your friendship, if I lose your love." - -"I submit to all your conditions," replied the marquis, "and I pledge to -you, adorable Lauriane, the faith of a gentleman and the fidelity of a -perfect lover." - -"I rely thereupon," she said, offering him her hand; "I know that you -are a man of heart and an incomparable lover. And now, let us return to -my father, and let me tell him of that which is agreed between us, so -that our secret may be shared by him alone." - -"I agree," said the marquis; "but shall we not exchange pledges?" - -"What shall they be? I am willing; but let it not be a ring. Remember -that, being a widow, I can wear no other ring than the gift of a second -husband." - -"Permit me to send you to-morrow a present worthy of you." - -"No, no! that would mean admitting others to our confidence. Give me any -trinket that you have about you. See, that little box of ivory and -enamel that you have in your hand!" - -"'Tis well! but what will you give me? I see you have the right -understanding of this exchange. It must be something that we have upon -us when we exchange promises." - -Lauriane looked in her pockets and found there only her gloves, her -handkerchief, her purse and Monsieur Sciarra's dagger. The purse came to -her from her another: she gave him the dagger. - -"Hide it carefully," she said, "and, so long as I allow you to keep it, -hope. In like manner, if I come and ask you for it----" - -"I will pierce my bosom with it!" cried the old Celadon. - -"No! that is something that you will not do," said Lauriane, with the -utmost seriousness, "for I should die of grief; and, moreover, you would -break the promise you have given me to remain my friend whatever -happens." - -"That is true," said Bois-Doré, kneeling to receive the pledge. "I -swear to you that I will not die, even as I swear that I will neither -love nor glance at any other fair, so long as you shall not have torn -from my heart the hope of winning yours." - - - - -XXI - - -They returned to the garden, where Monsieur de Beuvre greeted them with -a bantering air. The grave and tranquil demeanor of Lauriane, the -radiant and tender expression which the marquis could not dissemble, -surprised him so that he could not refrain from questioning them, -covertly though transparently, in D'Alvimar's presence. - -But Lauriane replied that she and the marquis were in perfect accord, -and D'Alvimar, unwilling to believe his ears, took that assertion for a -bit of coquetry aimed at him. - -Thereupon Monsieur de Beuvre's anxiety became very keen, and, leading -his daughter aside, he asked her if she were speaking seriously, and if -she were insane enough or ambitious enough to accept a spark born in the -reign of Henri II. - -Lauriane told him how she had postponed her reply and any definitive -agreement for seven years. - -After laughing as if he would burst, De Beuvre, when Lauriane urged him -to keep her secret, had some difficulty in understanding his daughter's -kindly delicacy. - -He would have enjoyed making merry over the marquis's discomfiture, and -he considered that to have laughed in his face would have been an -excellent way to teach him a lesson. - -"No, father," replied Lauriane; "on the contrary, it would have grieved -him terribly, and nothing more. He is too old to correct his foibles, -and I cannot see what we should gain by insulting so excellent a man, -when it is easy for us to lull him to sleep in his reveries. Believe me, -if coquetry is ever innocent in a woman, it is innocent when practised -upon old men; indeed, it is often an act of kindness to allow them to -enjoy their fantasy. Be assured that, if I should ever tell him that I -am in love with some other man, he would be well pleased; whereas, if I -had told him that I could never love him, he would very probably be ill -at this moment, not so much because of my cruelty as of the cruelty of -his old age, which I should have placed squarely before him without -consideration or compassion." - -Lauriane had some influence over her father. She procured his promise -that he would abstain from teasing the marquis about his love-affair -with her, and D'Alvimar, with all his penetration, suspected nothing of -what had taken place between them. - -It was really a kind action that Lauriane had performed; and, as there -is an open account between us and Providence, she was rewarded for it at -once by that invisible assistance which is the recompense, often -immediate, of every generous impulse of our hearts. - -Lauriane was a good deal of a child, but there was the making of a -strong woman in her; and, even if she was capable, like every daughter -of Eve, of yielding momentarily to a dangerous fascination, she was also -capable of recovering herself and of finding a firm support in her -conscience. - -She passed the rest of the day, therefore, untouched by D'Alvimar's -gallant hints; and it seemed to her that, by giving her dagger to the -marquis as the pledge of a generous affection, she had rid herself of -something that had disturbed her and burned her hands. She took pains -not to be left alone with the Spaniard, and not to encourage any of the -efforts he made to lead the conversation back to the delicate -commonplaces of love. - -Moreover, all private conversation was interrupted and the attention of -the whole party diverted by a strange incident. - -A young gypsy appeared and requested permission to entertain the -illustrious company by his accomplishments; I believe that the rascal -said "his genius." - -He had no sooner made his appearance than D'Alvimar recognized the young -vagabond who had served as interpreter between Monsieur D'Ars and the -Moorish woman on the moor of Champillé, and who had declared that he -was French by birth and that his name was La Flèche. - -He was a young man of some twenty years, with a handsome face, although -it already showed the ravages of debauchery. His eye was keen and -insolent; his lips flat and treacherous; his speech conceited, impudent -and satirical; he was short of stature, but well-formed, as active with -his body as a pantomimist, and with his hands as a thief; intelligent in -everything that is serviceable in evil-doing; stupid in respect to any -useful work or any sound reasoning. - -Like all of his profession, he possessed a few rags in addition to what -he wore, and these he used as a costume in which to perform his tricks. - -He made his appearance dressed in a sort of Genoese cloak lined with -red; on his head one of those hats bristling with cocks' feathers, hats -without name or shape or excuse for being; pretentious yet despairing -ruins, whose gorgeous improbability Callot has immortalized in his -Italian grotesques. - -Short, slashed boots, one much too large, the other much too small for -his foot, disclosed stockings once red, now faded to the hue of wine -lees. An enormous scapulary covered the miscreant's breast, a safeguard -against the charge of paganism and sorcery that was constantly hanging -over his head. Lustreless light hair, of absurd length, fell over his -lean face, aflame with red ochre, and an incipient moustache joined two -patches of downy white hair planted under his smooth and glistening -chin. - -He began in a voice like a cracked trumpet: - -"I beg this illustrious company to deign to excuse the assurance with -which I venture to throw myself at the feet of its indulgence. In truth, -does it befit a varlet of my sort, with his bristling face, his scarred -doublet and hat, which have long been candidates for the post of -scarecrow, to appear before a lady whose eyes put the sunlight to shame, -and to utter a multiplicity of foolish things? She will tell me perhaps, -that I must take heart, that I am not a peasant pack-saddler, nor a -miserable spy, nor a servant to be beaten from morning till night, for -it is said of servants that they are like walnut-trees, the more they -are beaten the more they bear. She will tell me too that I am neither a -sharper, nor a pickpocket, nor a coxcomb, nor a bully, nor an arrogant -cur, nor a puppy, nor a giant-killer, nor a barbarian, nor a snail; that -I am not an evil-looking fellow, despite a slightly vulgar countenance; -but in the face of such qualities as those of the lady I see before -me--it doesn't cripple a goddess to look at her,--and before an -assemblage of noble lords who resemble a party of monarchs more than a -cartload of calves at market, the bravest man in the world loses his -bearings and becomes simply a gutter of ignorance, a sewer of -stupidities, and the cesspool of all sorts of impudence." - -Master La Flèche might have chattered on for two hours in this strain, -with intolerable volubility, had they not interrupted him to ask him -what he could do. - -"Everything!" cried the good-for-naught. "I can dance on my feet, on my -hands, on my head and on my back; on a rope, on a broomstick, on the -point of a steeple or on the point of a lance; on eggs, on bottles, on a -galloping horse, on a hoop, on a cask, and on running water, but this -last only on condition that some one of the company will deign to be my -vis-à-vis on stagnant water. I can sing and rhyme in thirty-seven -languages and a half, provided that some one of the company will deign -to answer me, without an error, in thirty-seven languages and a half. I -can eat rats, hemp, swords, fire----" - -"Enough, enough," said De Beuvre impatiently; "we know your catalogue: -it is the same with all such braggarts as you. You claim to know -everything, and you know but one thing, which is how to tell fortunes." - -"To be quite frank," retorted La Flèche, "that is what I excel in, and -if your radiant highnesses will write your names, I will draw to see -with whom I shall begin; for destiny is an ill-tempered fellow who knows -no distinction of rank or sex." - -"Go on and draw; here is my token," said Monsieur De Beuvre, tossing him -a piece of money. "Your turn, my child." - -Lauriane tossed him a larger coin, the marquis a gold crown, Lucilio -some copper, and D'Alvimar a pebble, saying: - -"I see that you all give money to the conjurer, but in my opinion he -deserves only to be stoned." - -"Beware," said Lauriane, smiling, "he will predict only unpleasant -things for you; everyone knows that, in the matter of horoscopes, you -only get what you pay for." - -"Do not think that; destiny is my master," said La Flèche, putting the -money into a box, and suddenly affecting to speak simply and with a -fatalistic air. - -He turned his indescribable hat, which seemed to threaten heaven like an -insolent castle tower, pulled it over his eyes like an extinguisher, -made several wry faces, pronounced divers unmeaning words supposed to be -cabalistic formulas, and, having turned his back in order to wipe off -the coarse paint unseen, showed his face made pale by prophetic -inspiration. - -Then he traced upon the gravel the great _asphère_ of ignorant -necromancers, with all the symbols of street-corner astrology; he placed -a stone in the centre and threw the box at it, which broke and -distributed the contents over the symbols drawn in the different -compartments. - -Thereupon D'Alvimar stooped to pick up his pebble. - -"No, no!" cried the gypsy, darting into the circle with the agility of a -monkey, and placing his foot on D'Alvimar's token, without effacing any -of the signs that surrounded it; "no, messire, you cannot interfere with -destiny. It is above you as it is above me!" - -"Certainly not," said Lauriane, putting her little cane between -D'Alvimar and La Flèche. "The magician is master in his magic circle, -and by disarranging your destiny, you may disarrange ours too." - -D'Alvimar submitted; but his face betrayed an extraordinary agitation -which he instantly suppressed. - - - - -XXII - - -La Flèche began with the token nearest the central stone, which he -called Sinai. - -It was Lucilio's; the gypsy pretended to measure angles and make -computations, then said in rhyming prose: - - - "Homme sans langue et de grand cœur, - Savoir de misere est vainqueur."[18] - - -"You see," whispered Bois-Doré to D'Alvimar, "the rascal has divined -our musician's melancholy plight." - -"That was not very difficult," rejoined D'Alvimar contemptuously. "For a -quarter of an hour past the mute has been talking to you by signs." - -"So you have no faith at all in divination?" replied Bois-Doré, while -La Flèche continued his calculations with a preoccupied air, but with -his ears open to all that was going on about him. - -"Why, do you believe in it yourself, messire, I would ask?" said -D'Alvimar, pretending to be surprised at the seriousness with which the -marquis asked the question. - -"I? Why--yes, more or less, like everybody else!" - -"No one believes in this nonsense nowadays!" - -"Oh! yes; I believe in it quite seriously," said Lauriane. "I beg you, -sorcerer, if my destiny is unfavorable, either to leave me a little -hope, or to find in your learning some means of averting it." - -"Illustrious queen of hearts," replied La Flèche, "I obey your -commands. You are threatened by a great danger; but if, during three -days from the present moment, - - - 'Vous ne donnez point votre cœur, - Du diable il sera le vainqueur."[19] - - -"Can you invent no other rhymes?" exclaimed D'Alvimar. "Your vocabulary -is not rich!" - -"Everyone is not rich who wishes to be, messire," rejoined the gypsy; -"and yet there are those who wish it very earnestly, so earnestly that -they do everything to obtain wealth, even at the risk of the axe and the -halter!" - -"Do you read such things in this gentleman's destiny?" said Lauriane, -who had been deeply impressed by the conjurer's warning to herself, and -now strove to turn the whole affair into a jest. - -"Perhaps!" said Monsieur d'Alvimar carelessly; "one never knows what may -happen." - -"But one can find out!" cried La Flèche. "Come who wants to know?" - -"No one," said the marquis, "no one, if there is anything unpleasant in -store for any of us." - -"Well, neighbor, you have faith, on my word!" said De Beuvre, who did -not exactly believe in anything. "You are an excellent customer for any -mountebank who chooses to fill your ears with idle tales!" - -"As you please," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but I cannot help it. I have seen -such surprising things! A score of times things that have been predicted -have happened to me." - -"How can you believe that an ignorant idiot like this fellow can look -into the future, of which God alone knows the secrets?" said D'Alvimar. - -"I do not believe in the knowledge of the operator himself," replied -Bois-Doré, "except in so far as, by long practice, he knows how to -compute numbers, and those numbers are to him like letters in a book -whereof the peculiar quality of numbers composes words and phrases." - -De Beuvre laughed at the marquis, and called upon the gypsy to tell all -he knew. - -D'Alvimar would have been glad of a different result of the discussion, -for his incredulity was only feigned; he believed that the devil had a -hand in all evil, and he determined inwardly to commend La Flèche to -the attention of Monsieur Poulain, to be locked up and burned at the -first opportunity. But he was none the less consumed, in spite of -himself, with anxiety to open the book of his destiny, and he was -strongly impelled, moreover, to assume the rôle of a man free from -superstitions, before Madame de Beuvre. - -La Flèche, being called upon to speak, since he had studied his chart -sufficiently, indulged in some serious reflections. He was afraid of the -Spaniard. He knew that he ran no risk with people who believed in -nothing, for they are not the sort who denounce or accuse sorcerers; and -he was too sharp not to understand that, when he tried to withdraw his -token, D'Alvimar's object was to escape the revelations which he -pretended to despise. - -He adopted the course to which he was accustomed to resort when he had -to do with people who were inclined to become over-excited--he began to -make meaningless remarks to everybody. - -He hoped that D'Alvimar would retire, and that he could make some -pleasant prediction for the others, for which they would pay handsomely; -for in the three days that he had been wandering about the neighborhood, -prowling everywhere, listening at doors, or pretending not to understand -French to induce people to talk in his presence, he had learned many -things; and he knew one fact about D'Alvimar which that gentleman would -have been very glad to bury in profound oblivion. - -But D'Alvimar, tranquillized by the trivial nature of the predictions, -did not retire; La Flèche had ceased to entertain any of the party, and -was on the point of making a fiasco, after great preparations to reap a -fine harvest. - -They were about to dismiss him. He drew himself up. - -"Illustrious noble lords," he said, "I am not a sorcerer, I swear it by -the image of my patron saint which I wear upon my breast; I protest -against any compact with the devil. I practise only white magic, -permitted by the ecclesiastical authorities; but----" - -"Well, if you are not pledged to the devil, go to the devil!" laughed -Monsieur de Beuvre; "you bore us!" - -"Very good," said La Flèche insolently; "you want black magic, and you -shall have it, at your own risk and peril! but I will have nothing to do -with it, I wash my hands of it!" - -He turned at once to a basket which he had brought with him, and in -which they supposed that he kept some juggling apparatus or some strange -beast, and took from it a little girl of eight or ten years, who seemed -to be no more than four or five, she was so small and slender; and, with -all the rest, dark-skinned, with a tangled mass of hair; a veritable -imp, dressed all in red, who began, while he held her in his arms, by -striking him again and again, pulling his hair, and tearing his face -with her nails. - -They thought at first that this frantic resistance was part of the -performance, until they saw the blood flowing in a stream down the -gypsy's nose. - -He paid little heed to it, but said, as he wiped his face with his -sleeve: - -"That is nothing; the princess was asleep in her basket, and she is -always cross when she wakes." - -Then he added in Spanish, speaking to the child in an undertone. - -"Never fear! you shall dance for this to-night!" - -The child, whom he had deposited on the stone of Sinai, cowered like a -monkey and glared about her with the eyes of a wild cat. - -In her emaciated ugliness there were such strongly marked indications of -suffering and of fierce temper, of unhappiness and of hatred, that she -was almost beautiful, and indubitably terrifying. - -It made Lauriane's heart ache to see the extreme emaciation of the -wretched creature, who was almost naked under the gaudy, but filthy rags -she wore. She shuddered as she thought of the probable fate of that -child, driven to frenzy doubtless by the tyranny and the blows of a vile -mountebank; and she walked away a few steps, leaning on the arm of her -good Celadon, Bois-Doré, who, although he did not say so, felt almost -as distressed as she. - -But De Beuvre was of tougher fibre, and he urged La Flèche to make the -evil spirit speak. - -"Come, my lovely Pilar," said La Flèche, accompanying each word with a -gesture big with threats, which were readily intelligible to his victim; -"come, queen of the elves and hobgoblins, you must speak. Pick up that -coin which is nearest you." - -Pilar sat motionless for a long time, pretending to be asleep; she was -shivering with fever. - -"Come, come, gallows-bird, tow for the stake!" continued La Flèche, -"pick up that gold piece, and I will tell you where Mario, your beloved -Mario, is." - -"What's that!" said the marquis, turning back; "what does he say about -Mario?" - -"Who is Mario?" asked Lauriane. - -"Silence!" cried De Beuvre; "the devil speaks, and you are interested, -neighbor!" - -The child spoke thus in French, in a shrill voice and with a strongly -marked accent: - - - "Celui de qui depend ce gage, - S'il veut ecouter le presage - Et se bien garer de l'amour--[20] - - -"I have said enough, I won't say any more," she added in Spanish. - -She had forgotten her lesson. Neither prayers nor threats availed to -refresh her memory; but she did not admit that she had been coached; she -was already a sorceress and proud of her profession. She knew the magic -chart much better than La Flèche, and she loved to prophesy. By trying -to teach her poetry, which she called another kind of magic, La Flèche -had irritated her, and the feeling that she should not succeed had -wounded her self-esteem. - -She shook her head, bristling with hair as black as ink, stamped her -foot and gave way to a paroxysm of pythoness-like rage. - -"Good! good!" cried La Flèche, determined to make use of her, in one -way or another. "Now it is coming! the devil is entering her body, she -will speak in a moment!" - -"Yes," said the child in Spanish, darting madly into the circle, "and I -know it all better than you, better than all the others. Come! come! -come! I know; question me!" - -"Let us speak French," said La Flèche. "What will happen to the noble -lord whose token I hold?" - -It was the marquis's. - -"Joy and consolation!" said the child. - -"Very good! but in what form?" - -"Vengeance!" - -"I, vengeance?" said Bois-Doré. "That is not my disposition." - -"No, surely not," said Lauriane, glancing involuntarily at D'Alvimar. -"The devil must have mistaken the token." - -"No! I am not mistaken," replied the elf. - -"Really?" said La Flèche. "If you are quite sure, speak, she-devil! So -you think that this noble lord here present has some insult to avenge?" - -"In blood!" replied Pilar, with the energy of a tragic actress. - -"Alas!" said the marquis to Lauriane under his breath, "that is only too -true, I doubt not! My poor brother, you know!" And he added, aloud: "I -wish to question this little soothsayer myself." - -"Do so, monseigneur," said La Flèche. "Listen, black fly! and speak -truly to a gentleman who is of much more consequence than you!" - -Thereupon, the marquis, turning to Pilar, questioned her gently: - -"Tell me, my poor little girl, what I have lost?" - -"_A son_!" she replied. - -"Don't laugh, neighbor," said the marquis to De Beuvre, "she tells the -truth. He was like a son to me!" - -And to Pilar: - -"When did I lose him?" - -"Eleven years and five months since." - -"And how many days?" - -"Less five days." - -"She is mistaken there," said the marquis to Lucilio; "for I heard from -him after the time she mentions; but let us see if she can read the -rest." - -Again he turned to the child. - -"How did I lose him?" he asked. - -"By a violent death!" she replied; "but you will have consolation." - -"When?" - -"Within three months, three weeks or three days." - -"What sort of consolation?" - -"Three sorts: vengeance, wisdom, a family." - -"A family? Am I to be married, pray?" - -"No; you will be a father!" - -"Really?" cried the marquis, undisturbed by Monsieur de Beuvre's hearty -laughter. "When shall I be a father?" - -"Within three months, three weeks or three days. I have told everything -about you, and I want to rest." - -The sitting was suspended with a deluge of jests showered by Monsieur de -Beuvre on the marquis. - -In order that the predicted advent of an heir should take place within -three months, three weeks or three days, three women must have "received -the order." - -The poor marquis was so well aware of the contrary that all his faith in -magic was destroyed. - -He submitted to be made fun of, protesting his innocence, but not over -desirous that they should believe it to be so absolute as it really was. - -The child asked leave to prepare her conjurations for the last token. - -It was D'Alvimar's pebble. - -But in order that the reader may understand what follows, it is -necessary that he should know what Pilar and her master, La Flèche, had -agreed upon. - -What La Flèche knew and wished to impart to Bois-Doré, he expected to -have the child divulge when D'Alvimar was not present. The child, from -caprice and vanity, refused to adhere to the agreement made between -them. She insisted upon reciting her whole lesson, even though she had -to suffer for it, and though La Flèche might lose his life or his -liberty. - -It may be that these perils, in which, as she well knew, she could -involve him, sharpened her instincts of hate. - -So she spoke as she chose, despite the warning gestures and grimaces of -her master, who could say nothing to her in Spanish which D'Alvimar -would not understand. - -She picked up the stone, examined the signs that surrounded it, -pretended to make a computation, and said in Spanish, threateningly and -with appalling vehemence: - -"Woe and disgrace to him whose token fell on the red star!" - -"Bravo!" said D'Alvimar, with a nervous, forced laugh; "go on, filthy -creature! Go on, go on, progeny of dogs, offscouring of the earth, tell -us the decrees of heaven!" - -Pilar, angered by these insults, became so wild that she terrified all -who saw her, even La Flèche himself. - -"Blood and murder!" she shrieked, jumping up and down with convulsive -gestures; "murder and damnation! blood, blood, blood!" - -"All this for me?" said D'Alvimar, unable to conceal his terror at that -moment. - -"For you! for you!" cried the frenzied creature, "and death and hell! -soon, instantly, within three months, three weeks or three days! damned! -damned! hell!" - -"Enough! enough!" said Bois-Doré, who understood but little Spanish, -but who saw that D'Alvimar was pale and on the verge of swooning; "this -child is possessed of a bad devil, and it may be that it is sinful to -listen to her." - -"Yes, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, "doubtless she is possessed of the -devil, and her threats are vain and beneath contempt, for hell is -powerless against the will of God; but if I were châtelain and -dispenser of justice here, I would throw this brigand and this vile worm -into prison, and I would hand them over to----" - -"La la!" said Monsieur de Beuvre, "there is no reason for being so -angry. I don't know what was said to you, but I am surprised that you -ended by sneering at it. However, I agree that this mad young monkey's -gusts of temper are a disgusting comedy, and I see that my daughter is -disturbed by them. Come, knave," he said to La Flèche, "we have had -enough. Keep the tokens, if all consent, and go and get yourself hanged -elsewhere." - -La Flèche had not awaited this permission to decamp. He was in great -haste to elude the Spaniard's benevolent designs in respect to him. - -Little Pilar was not at all disturbed. On the contrary, she picked up -the gold and silver pieces which had served as tokens, and when she came -to D'Alvimar's stone she threw it disdainfully at his feet. He was so -angered that he would perhaps have treated her as he did the young wolf, -had he still the weapon of which he had made such prompt and deadly use. - -But when he involuntarily felt for it, he found nothing, and Lauriane, -who was watching him, congratulated herself upon having disarmed him. He -met her eyes and made haste to smile; then he tried to change the -conversation, and Bois-Doré asked Lucilio for an air on the bagpipe to -dispel the unpleasant effect of this episode, while La Flèche, carrying -his great basket on his head and his instruments of magic under his arm, -and dragging along with the other hand the little sybil, still quivering -from head to foot, hastily passed the drawbridge and portcullis. - -"Now will you give me something to eat?" she said, when they were in the -open country. - -"No, you did your work too badly." - -"I am hungry." - -"So much the better!" - -"I am hungry, I can't walk any more." - -"Into your cage you go, then!" - -And he put her in the basket, despite her resistance, and ran away with -her at full speed. - -The unfortunate creature's shrieks died away without echo in the vast -plain. - -"Mario! Mario!" she wailed in a voice broken by sobs; "I want to see -Mario. Villain! assassin! You promised that I should see Mario, who used -to give me things to eat and play with me, and his mother, who kept me -from being beaten! Mercedes! Mario! come to help me! Kill him! he is -hurting me, he is shaking me, he is killing me, he is starving me to -death! Damnation on him! death and blood and murder! The lash, the -stake, the wheel, hell itself for the wicked!" - - -[Footnote 18: - Man without tongue and of great heart, - Learning has triumphed over misery.] - -[Footnote 19: - You do not give your heart away, - It will triumph over the devil.] - -[Footnote 20: - He from whom this token comes. - If he but heed to the presage - And hold aloof from love--] - - - - -XXIII - - -While the gypsy fled toward the north, the marquis, with D'Alvimar and -Lucilio, rode in the opposite direction toward Briantes. - -He was most anxious to tell his faithful Adamas of what he regarded as a -happy issue of his enterprise; and, although he thought that he owed it -to his love to indulge in a few stifled sighs of anxiety or impatience, -he was by no means ill-pleased, taking everything into consideration, to -have seven years before him in which to adopt a new matrimonial -resolution. - -D'Alvimar was in a very bad humor, not only because of the predictions -which had stirred his bile and disturbed his brain, but also because of -the tranquil manner in which Madame de Beuvre had taken leave of him, -while she had given both her little hands to the marquis, as she gayly -promised him a visit on the second day following. - -"Can it be possible," he thought, "that she has accepted that old man's -gold pieces, and that I am supplanted by a rival of seventy?" - -He was exceedingly desirous to question his host, to poke fun at him, to -quarrel with him. But it was impossible to enter into conversation with -Bois-Doré on that subject. The marquis bore himself with an air of -discreet and modest triumph, which caused him to outdo himself in -courteous attentions to his guest. - -D'Alvimar was able to avenge himself for his discomfiture in no other -way than by doing his best to splash Master Jovelin, who rode behind the -marquis. - -When they reached the château, as the supper hour had not arrived, he -walked to the rectory to consult with Monsieur Poulain. - -"Well, monsieur," said the trusty Adamas, as he removed his master's -boots--in his capacity of _homme de chambre_ he almost never left the -château of Briantes--"well, monsieur, must we think about preparing the -betrothal banquet?" - -"To be sure, my friend. We must think about it at once." - -"Really, monsieur? Well, I was sure of it, and I am so pleased that I -don't know where I am. Just fancy, monsieur, that that red hackney whom -you call Bellinde, and who would be better named Tisiphone----" - -"Fie! fie, Adamas! You know that I do not like to hear one of the sex -spoken of in a slighting manner. What new trouble is there between you?" - -"Pardon me, my noble master, but the trouble is that that ill-tempered -creature listens at doors, and that she knows of the step monsieur has -taken to-day. Only a little while ago she was laughing about it like a -cackling hen with that stupid housekeeper of the rector." - -"How do you know that, Adamas?" - -"I know it by magic, monsieur; but, at all events, I know it!" - -"By magic? Since when have you been dabbling in the occult sciences?" - -"I will tell you, monsieur. I have nothing to hide from you, but will -you not deign to tell me first how you made your sentiments known to the -peerless lady of your thoughts, and how she replied; for I am sure that -nothing so eloquent was ever said under the heavens since the world was -made, and I would like to be able to write as fast as Master Jovelin, so -that I could put it on paper as monsieur repeats it to me." - -"No, Adamas, no word of it shall ever issue from my mouth, sealed as it -is by the oath of a loyal knight. I swore that I would not divulge the -secret of my felicity. All that I can say to you, my friend, is to -rejoice now with your master, and to hope with him in the future!" - -"Then it is all arranged, is it, monsieur, and----" - -Adamas was interrupted by a soft scratching, as of a cat, at the door. - -"Ah!" he said, after he had looked out, "it is the child; he wants to -bid you good-night.--Go away, my young friend, monseigneur will see you -later; he is busy now." - -"Yes, yes, Adamas, let him come again! I have something to say about -children. Some very strange ideas on the subject of paternity came into -my head yesterday. This freak is worthy of the lowest bourgeois! No! no! -I am no longer the old bachelor who wanted to marry in hot haste, to -have done with it. I am a young man, Adamas, yes, a young lover, a -dandy, on my word, affectionately sentenced to prove his constancy by -the test of time, to sigh and write poetry; in a word, to await, in the -torments and ecstasies of hope, the good pleasure of my sovereign." - -"If I understand rightly," said Adamas, "this jealous divinity mistrusts -my master's fickle humor, and demands that he renounce all love-making!" - -"Yes, yes, that is it, Adamas; that must be it! A little distrust! That -is a fitting punishment for my wild youth; but I shall be so well able -to prove my sincerity--Go to the door; he is still knocking!" - -"What!" said Adamas seriously to Mario, opening the door slightly, "is -it you again, my little imp? Did I not tell you to wait?" - -"I have waited," Mario replied, in his soft voice--soft and caressing -even in his mischief; "you told me to go away and come back. I went to -the end of the next room, and now I have come back." - -"The little rascal!" said the marquis; "let him come in.--_Bonjour_, my -young friend; just come to kiss me, then play quietly with Fleurial. I -have some important business to discuss with good Monsieur Adamas. Come, -Adamas, the day after to-morrow I am to entertain my incomparable -neighbor. We must be preparing for it; a little informal dinner, -fourteen courses at the most." - -"You shall have them, monsieur. Do you wish me to call the master-cook?" - -"No, I do not like to order my repasts, and, however clean and neat the -kitchen people may be, they always smell of the kitchen. Help me to -plan----" - -"What knife is that?" said Mario, very earnestly, as the marquis, always -good-humored and momentarily preoccupied, held him between his legs and -allowed him to ransack his pockets. - -"Nothing, nothing," said the marquis, trying to recover the pledge that -Lauriane had given him. "Give it back to me, my boy; children must not -touch such things. They bite, you see! Give it to me!" - -"Yes, yes, here it is!" said Mario; "but I saw what was written on it, -and I know whose it is." - -"You don't know what you are saying!" - -"Yes, I do; I say that it belongs to the Spanish gentleman you call -Villareal. Did he give it to you?" - -"Come, come, what is this you are muttering? You are dreaming!" - -"No, kind monsieur! I saw the device on the blade. It is in Spanish, and -I know it very well; my mother Mercedes has one just like it, with the -same device." - -"What does the device mean?" - -"_I serve God_.--_S. A._" - -"What does S. A. mean?" - -"They must be the initials of the man who owns the dagger. That is where -they are usually put, in open work, near the hilt." - -"I know that; but why do you say that this dagger belongs to the Spanish -gentleman named Villareal?" - -The child made no reply and seemed embarrassed. He was no longer under -the Moorish woman's watchful and suspicious eye. He had said more than -he ought, and he remembered her injunctions too late. - -"_Mon Dieu_! monsieur," said Adamas, "children talk sometimes for the -sake of talking without knowing what they say. Let us go back to the -important subject. Your keeper, Père Andoche, brought in to-day a -string of birds so fat that----" - -"Yes, yes, you are right, my friend; let us arrange about the dinner. -But, I don't know--I wonder how she had that Spanish dagger in the -pocket of her skirt?" - -"Who, monsieur?" - -"Why, _she_, _parbleu_! Of whom else can I speak henceforth?" - -"To be sure; I beg pardon, monsieur! Let us talk about the dagger. I -supposed that it was a gift from Monsieur de Villareal, or that he had -lent it to you. For it is the truth that it comes from him. Those -letters S. A. are on his other weapons, which are very handsome, and -which I noticed this morning while his servant was polishing them." - -The marquis relapsed into meditation. - -How did Lauriane obtain Villareal's dagger? She must have received it -from him, since she had disposed of it as her own property. - -In vain did he search the genealogical tree of the De Beuvres, he found -there no name to which the initials S. A. could refer. - -"Can it be," he said to himself, "that she made the same agreement with -him that she afterward made with me?" - -He consoled himself, however, by the thought that she apparently cared -but little for the former compact, since she had sacrificed it to him; -but there was none the less something incomprehensible in the episode, -and the honest marquis was not yet foolish enough not to fear that he -was the victim of some practical joke. - -And then, what the child had said complicated the confusion in his mind, -and he could not imagine what intrigue of destiny or mystification -encompassed that dagger. - -He was inclined to go to have an explanation at once with his guest; but -he remembered that Lauriane had urged him to conceal her pledge and to -let no one see it. - -Adamas saw the anxiety on his master's brow and was touched by it. - -"What is it, monsieur," he said, "what can your poor old Adamas do to -relieve your perplexity?" - -"I do not know, my friend. I would like to be able to divine how it -happens that the Moor has a weapon like this, bearing the same device -and the same initials." - -Then, lowering his voice so that Mario could not hear: - -"You told me, and it has seemed to me that that young woman was very -honest. But can she have stolen this dagger from our guest? That is -something that I cannot endure, that there should be thieving in my -house." - -Adamas instantly espoused his master's suspicions, especially as Mario, -feeling that he had spoken heedlessly, was gliding out of the room on -tiptoe, to avoid further questions. Adamas detained him. - -"You have been telling us fairy tales, my pretty boy," said he, "and for -that you deserve to lose my lord and master's favor. It is not true that -your Mercedes has what you say she has, or----" - -The marquis interrupted him, not wishing that the charge should be made -before the child. - -"Has your mother had the dagger a long time, my boy?" he said. - -The child had passed some time with the gypsies, so he knew what -stealing was. He was blest, moreover, with extraordinary shrewdness. He -understood the suspicion he had brought on his adopted mother, and he -preferred to disobey her rather than not justify her. - -"Yes," he replied, "a very long time." - -And, as he had assumed an exceedingly proud and self-assured air, the -marquis and Adamas felt that they had in their hands a means of making -him speak. - -"Then it was Monsieur de Villareal who gave it to her?" said Adamas. - -"Oh! no, he left it behind----" - -"Where?" queried the marquis. "Come, you must tell us, or I shall have -no more confidence in you, boy. Where did he leave it?" - -"In my father's heart!" replied Mario, in whose eyes there shone an -extraordinary light. He longed to pour out his heart; the mystery -weighed heavily upon him; he had said the first word and he could not -keep silent. - -"Adamas," said the marquis, moved by a sudden, indefinable emotion, -"close the doors, and do you, my child, come here and speak out. You are -with friends, have no fear, we will defend you, we will see that you -have justice. Tell me all that you know about your family?" - -"If you love me," said the child, "you must punish Monsieur de -Villareal, because he murdered my father." - -"Murdered him?" - -"Yes, Mercedes saw him!" - -"When was that?" - -"The day I was born, the day my mother died." - -"Why did he murder him?" - -"To get a lot of money and jewels that my father had." - -"Robber and assassin!" said the marquis, looking at Adamas; "a man of -quality! a friend of Guillaume d'Ars! Is it conceivable?" - -"Monsieur," said Adamas, "children often invent stories, and I believe -that this boy is making sport of us." - -The blood rose in Mario's cheeks. - -"I never tell a lie!" he said with touching vehemence. "Monsieur -Anjorrant always said: 'That child is not at all untruthful.' My -Mercedes always told me that I must never lie, but keep silent when I -didn't wish to reply. Since you make me speak, I say what is true." - -"He is right," exclaimed the marquis, "and I see that he has noble blood -in his heart, the beautiful boy!--Say on, I believe you. Tell me what -your father's name was." - -"Ah! that I do not know." - -"On your honor, my boy?" - -"It is the truth," replied the child; "my mother's name was Marie, that -is all I know, and that is why Monsieur Anjorrant gave me the name of -Mario when he baptized me." - -"But I remember that Mercedes said that the lady gave the curé a -wedding ring," said Adamas; "she also spoke of a seal." - -"Yes," said Mario, "the seal belonged to my father, there was a coat of -arms on it: but it was stolen from us not long ago. As for the ring, -neither Monsieur Anjorrant, nor my Mercedes, who is very clever, nor I, -nor anybody has ever been able to open it. But there's something inside. -My mother, who died without saying a word except her name, Marie, -motioned to the curé to open her ring. She had not the strength to do -it; but he could not." - -"Go and get it," said the marquis, "perhaps we can do it." - -"Oh! no," replied Mario in dismay; "my Mercedes won't like it, and, if -she knows that I have spoken, she will be very sorry." - -"But, after all, why does she conceal all this from us, who may be able -to help her to find your family?" - -"Because she thinks that you will listen to the Spaniard, and that he -will kill her if he learns that she has recognized him." - -"But does he not recognize her?" - -"He never saw her, for she was hiding." - -"Has she ever seen him since that terrible business?" - -"No, never." - -"And, after ten years, she feels sure that she can identify him! It is -very doubtful." - -"She says that she is sure of it, that he has grown hardly any older, -that he is dressed in black as he was then; and she is very sure that -his old servant is the same man who was with him then. Oh! she looked -closely at them. When we met them three days ago, near another château -not far from here----" - -"Ah! yes," said the marquis, "tell us how she met him." - -"He was with a kind, handsome young lord, whom I have since heard spoken -of as Guillaume. Monsieur Guillaume had given a lot of money to the -gypsies we were with. And suddenly, when the Spaniard looked very stern -and was going to strike me, Mercedes said: - -"'It is he! look! it is he! and the other, the old valet is the other!' - -"And she ran after them to see them better, until Monsieur Guillaume -told us that we annoyed him. Then Mercedes made some one ask him his -name and his friend's name, so that we could pray for them, she said. -But Monsieur Guillaume laughed at us, and the gypsies went off in -another direction. My Mercedes let them go without us, and said to me: - -"'We have your father's murderers, I promise you. We must find out their -names.' - -"Then we turned back and went to the château of La Motte to beg; and as -they didn't pay much attention to us, Mercedes told me to listen to what -the servants and the peasants said; and in that way we found out that -the Spaniard was going to stay with the _marquis_, because the _marquis_ -had sent for his chariot and ordered his guest chamber to be prepared -for a stranger. And then we talked with a shepherdess in a field near -there. She told us: - -"'The marquis is the kindest of men. You can go to pass the night at his -château; he will treat you well. That's his château yonder.' - -"So then we came here at once, and yesterday morning we saw the murderer -again, the two murderers! And when I saw the letters on the pistols and -the great sword that the servant had, and I said to Mercedes: - -"'Show me the wicked knife that killed my poor papa; I think those are -the same letters that are on it.'" - -"And are you sure of it?" said the marquis. - -"I am very sure; and you will see for yourself if Mercedes will show -them to you." - -"Where is she now?" - -"With Monsieur Jovelin, whom she is very fond of because he jumped into -the water for me." - -"Jovelin absolutely must extort her secret from her," said the marquis -to Adamas; "go, bring him here, that I may speak with him." - - - - -XXIV - - -Adamas went out and soon returned to say that Jovelin would come at -once. He had found him engaged in a very animated conversation with the -Moor, she speaking Arabic, he writing down all that she said, and making -many gestures which she seemed to understand. - -"He motioned to me that he must not be interrupted," said Adamas; "I -think, monsieur, that he is inducing her to tell the truth by gentleness -and persuasion; let us not disturb him. He writes quickly, but she does -not read very well, even in her own language, and it is wonderful to see -how he makes himself understood with his hands. Be patient, monsieur; we -shall soon find out something." - -They waited a quarter of an hour, which to the marquis seemed a century. - -Time was flying; the first bell had rung for supper. It would be -necessary to sit at the table with Villareal, without having obtained -any definite information. - -The marquis was in a state of intense excitement. He kept rising and -sitting down again, muttering to himself unintelligible words which -sorely puzzled Adamas. - -Mario, thinking that he was angry with him, stood apart in a corner, -thoughtful and abashed. Fleurial, seeing his master's perplexity, gazed -steadfastly at him, followed his every step and whined from time to -time, wagging his tail, as if to say: "What is the matter, pray?" - -At last Adamas ventured to put the question in words. - -"Monsieur," he cried, "you have something in your mind which you are -concealing from your servant, and in that way you make your trouble -still more painful to him. Speak, monsieur, speak to old Adamas as you -would to your night-cap; he will no more repeat what you say than your -night-cap would, and it will relieve you so much." - -"Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, "I greatly fear that I am mad; for there -is something about this child and the story he tells us that excites me -more than is natural. You must know that I had my fortune told by a -gypsy to-day, and that she used some very obscure words, which may -however be fully explained by the interest I feel for this poor little -fellow. I was told, among other strange things, that I should be a -father within three months, three weeks or three days. Now, as I swear -to you, Adamas, that I can look forward to no direct paternity within so -short a period, it is evident that I am to become a father by adoption. -But another part of that prediction perplexes me even more: my brother's -death was referred to as having taken place at exactly the same date -that the Moor assigns for the death of this child's father. How can that -be explained? The witch spoke in veiled, symbolical words, but she fixed -that date clearly, computing the years, months and days that have passed -since. And I made the same computation as I was riding home and I found -that it carried me back to the very day of our King Henri's death. Come -here, Mario; didn't you say that was the day?" - -"But, monsieur," observed Adamas, "didn't you say yourself yesterday -that Monsieur Florimond's last letter was dated at Genoa on the -sixteenth of June?" - -"True, my friend; but one may make a mistake in a date and put one month -instead of another; that has happened to everybody." - -"But, monsieur, isn't the city of Genoa, in Italy, very far from the -place where this child puts his father's death?" - -"Undoubtedly, my friend. I twist the probabilities in order to confirm -the fortune-teller's words, and that is a whim for which I give you -leave to rebuke me. But open the cupboard in which my brother's -cherished records are kept, including that last letter which I have read -so many times without fathoming its meaning." - -"_Mon Dieu_! monsieur," said Adamas, opening the drawer and handing his -master the letter, "you divined and understood clearly enough at the -time everything that happened and was likely to happen. You heard from -Monsieur Florimond very seldom, because of the weighty secret -employments he had in the Italian courts, to which his master the Duc de -Savoie sent him. He wrote of his journeys without telling you of their -object, because he was forbidden to do that by the political party with -which he acted, which was not always yours. This last letter tells you -of other journeys to be undertaken after that from which he had just -returned, and this is what he says to you in his very words: 'If you do -not hear of me before autumn, do not be alarmed. My health is good and -my personal affairs are not in bad condition.'--The date is evidently -accurate, for he begins by saying: 'Monsieur and dear brother, doubtless -you received my letter of January last; in the past five months----'" - -"I know all that, Adamas, I know it by heart; and, nevertheless, when I -went to Italy in 1611, to make personal inquiries for that poor brother -of mine, from whom I had never heard again, I was told that he had never -returned from a mission to Rome, on which he had set out fifteen months -before. And, when I went to Rome, he had not been seen there for more -than two years. I travelled all over Italy until late in 1612, without -finding any trace of him, so that I finally concluded that he must have -undertaken some long voyage, to the East or West Indies, on his own -account, and that I should see him again some day; but at last I made up -my mind that he had certainly been murdered by the brigands who infest -Italy, or had perished in a storm at sea. He had not acquired great -wealth in the Savoyard's service, although he never complained; and I -think that he seldom had companions in his journeys. In the end I lost -all hope of finding him, but not of learning his fate and avenging him -if he was slain by treachery." - -While the marquis and Adamas were talking thus, Mario, whose presence -they had forgotten, had glided behind the marquis's chair. - -He listened, and he looked closely at the letter Bois-Doré held in his -hands. He could read very well, as we have said, even manuscript; but he -was in dire perplexity, fearing lest he should make a mistake and should -be accused again of speaking at random. - -At last he felt almost perfectly sure of his facts, not only because of -the handwriting, but because of the expressions used in the letter and -of the peculiar coincidences. - -"What!" he cried. - -And he ran from the room, his heart swelling with determination and joy, -scarcely heeded by the marquis, who was absorbed by his reflections. - -Mario knew Master Jovelin's room, and he found his mother there, just -about to withdraw without exhibiting the articles of which she was so -jealous and distrustful a guardian. - -Lucilio had been as profoundly impressed as the marquis by the -coincidence of the date fixed in the child's mind by Abbé Anjorrant -with that mentioned by the little gypsy as the date of Florimond's -death. He had not the slightest belief in magic; but, as he was also -struck by La Flèche's mention of the name of Mario, he feared that the -marquis was the dupe of some juggling scheme. - -He began to suspect the Moorish woman herself, and his first act, on -returning to the château, was to send for her and question her in -writing, with much conciseness and severity. He insisted that she should -produce the ring and the letter from Monsieur Anjorrant of which she had -spoken; and, although she felt profound respect and sympathy for him, as -his persistence led her to fear the indirect intervention of D'Alvimar -in this examination she was undergoing, she had taken refuge in agonized -silence. - -As soon as Mario appeared, her wounded heart gave vent in the complaint -which it dared not address directly to Lucilio. - -"Come, my poor child," she said, "we must go away from here, for we are -accused of seeking to deceive and of having told a story that is not -true. Come, let us go at once, so that they may know that we seek aid -only from God and ourselves." - -But Mario held her back. - -"We have had enough of distrust," he said to her; "we must do what they -ask, mother. Give me the letter and the ring! They are mine; I want them -this moment!" - -Lucilio was impressed by the child's vehemence, and the Moor, utterly -dumbfounded, said nothing for several moments. - -Never before had Mario spoken so to her; never had she detected in him -the slightest tendency to independence; and now, in the most peremptory -way, he ordered her to do his bidding. - -She was afraid; she thought that some miracle had happened; all her -strength of will vanished before the idea that fate had intervened. She -took from her belt the sheepskin bag in which she had sewn the precious -objects. - -"That is not all, mother," said Mario; "I must have the knife too." - -"You will not dare to touch it, boy! it is the knife that killed----" - -"I know it; I have seen it before now. It is necessary that I should -touch it, and I will touch it. Give it to me!" - -Mercedes handed him the knife, and said, clasping her hands: - -"If it is the evil spirit that guides my son's hand and tongue, we are -lost, Mario!" - -He did not listen to her, but, placing the little bag on Lucilio's -table, hastily ripped it open with the dagger. He took from it the ring, -which he placed on his thumb, and Abbé Anjorrant's letter to Monsieur -Sully, of which he burst the seal and silk thread, to Mercedes's dire -consternation. - - -[Illustration: _MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY._ - -_He darted into the hall, ran back to the marquis's chamber, -snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings_,...] - - -That done, he opened the letter, took out a stained and spotted paper, -kissed it and examined it carefully; then, shouting: "Come, mother! -Come, Monsieur Jovelin!" he darted into the hall, ran back to the -marquis's chamber, snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings, and, -thrusting everything that he held, letters, ring and dagger, into -Adamas's hand, leaped on the marquis's knees, threw his arms about his -neck, and hugged him so tight that the worthy man was almost suffocated -for a moment. - -"Come, come!" said Bois-Doré at last, somewhat annoyed by this -familiarity, which he did not expect, and which had seriously deranged -his wig, "this is not the time for play of this sort, my young friend, -and you are taking liberties which--Whom is this you have brought here -and why?" - -The marquis paused when he saw Mario burst into tears. - -The child had acted in obedience to an inspiration, he had had faith; -but, as the minds of the others did not move so fast or so straight as -his, doubt, fear and shame returned to him. He had disobeyed Mercedes, -who was weeping and trembling. - -Lucilio watched him so closely that he felt intimidated; the marquis -repelled his passionate embrace, and Adamas was dazed, and did not seem -to recognize unhesitatingly the similarity of the handwritings. - -"Come, do not weep, my child," said the perturbed marquis, taking from -Adamas's hands his brother's letter and the worn and crumpled paper that -Mario had brought. "What is the matter, Adamas, and why are you -trembling so? What is that paper, all covered with black spots? _Vrai -Dieu_! those are blood-stains! Bring the candle nearer, Adamas, and let -me look! Why, my friends! O Lord God in Heaven! Jovelin! Adamas! Look at -this! I am not dreaming, am I? It is the handwriting of my darling -brother! every letter is his! And this blood----Ah! my friends! that is -a very cruel thing to see. But--where did you get this, Mario?" - -"Read, read, monsieur," cried Adamas, "make sure that you are right." - -"I cannot," said the marquis, turning deathly pale; "my heart fails me! -Whence comes this paper?" - -"It was found on my father," said Mario, recovering his courage; "look, -see if it is not a letter for you that he intended to send you. Monsieur -Anjorrant made me read it many times; but your name was not on it, and -we never knew to whom to send it." - -"Your father!" repeated the marquis, as if waking from a dream; "your -father!" - -"Pray read it, monsieur!" cried Adamas; "make sure." - -"No! not yet," said the marquis. "If I am dreaming, I do not desire to -be awakened. Let me fancy that this lovely child--Come here, boy, to my -arms.--And do you, Adamas, read it if you can! I could never do it!" - -"I will read it," said Mario; "follow with your eyes." And he read as -follows: - - -"Monsieur and dear brother: - -"Pay no heed to the letter you will receive after this, which I wrote at -Genoa, under date of the sixteenth of next month, in anticipation of a -long and dangerous journey, during which, as I feared that you would be -anxious on my account, I desired to allay your anxiety by a post-dated -letter, and thereby prevent your making inquiries for me in that -country, where I desired that my absence should not be noticed. - -"As I have arrived here, thank God! more quickly and with less trouble -than I dared hope, and am now out of difficulty and danger, I propose to -tell you of my adventures, which I am at last able to do without -concealment or reserve, leaving the details, however, for the -approaching, eagerly anticipated moment when I shall be with you, -accompanied by my beloved and honored wife, and, God willing, by the -child of whom she will make me the father in a few days! - -"It will suffice for you to know to-day, that, having been married -secretly last year, in Spain, to a beautiful lady of noble birth, -against the will of her parents, I was obliged to leave her on my -master's service, and to return to her, with the same secrecy, to rescue -her from the tyranny of her parents and take her to France, where we -have at last arrived to-day, under favor of our precautions and -disguises. - -"We expect to stop at Pau, whence I shall forward this letter to you, to -be followed by another which will announce, if it be God's pleasure, my -wife's safe delivery, and in which I shall have the leisure that I have -not at this moment, to tell you----" - - -At this point the letter had been interrupted by some unexpected -occurrence. It had been folded and carried about in the traveller's -pocket, to be finished and sealed at Pau, in all probability, and there -entrusted to the carriers who, at that time, conducted the mail service, -with more or less despatch, between places of importance. - - - - -XXV - - -Bois-Doré wept copiously as he listened to this letter, which, being -read by Mario, penetrated the more deeply into his heart. - -"Alas!" he said, "I often accused him of neglect, and he thought of me -on the very first day of his happiness and safety! He intended doubtless -to bring his wife and child to me, and place them in my care, and I -should not have passed my life alone, without a family! But rest in -peace in God's bosom, my poor boy! your son shall be my son, and in my -grief at having so cruelly lost you, I have at all events the -consolation of embracing your living image! for it is his very manner -and his charm, my dear Jovelin, and my heart was stirred at the first -glance I cast upon the child. And now, Mario, let us embrace as uncle -and nephew, which we are, or rather as father and son, which we are to -be from this moment." - -The marquis worried little about his wig this time, but embraced his -adopted son with an affectionate warmth which changed to heartfelt joy -the painful memories evoked by the letter. - -Meanwhile Mercedes, heartbroken by Lucilio's suspicions, had resolved to -make known the truth in all its details. - -"Give them the ring," she said to Mario; "perhaps they will be able to -open it, and you will learn your mother's name." - -The marquis took the heavy gold ring and turned it in every direction; -but, versed as he was in mechanical secrets, he could not succeed in -opening it. - -Neither Jovelin nor Adamas was more adroit, and they were obliged to -abandon the project temporarily. - -"Never mind!" said the marquis to Mario, "let us not worry about it. You -are my brother's son, I can entertain no doubt of that. Judging from his -letter, you descend from a family of higher rank than ours; but we have -no need to know your Spanish ancestors to cherish you and rejoice in -you!" - -Meanwhile Mercedes continued to weep. - -"What is the matter with that poor creature?" the marquis asked Adamas. - -"I do not understand what she says to Master Jovelin, monsieur," was the -reply; "but I see plainly enough that she is afraid that she will not be -allowed to remain with her child." - -"Who will prevent her, I wonder? Am I likely to do it, who owe her so -much gratitude and am indebted to her for so much joy? Come hither, my -excellent girl, and ask me whatever you will. If you want a house, -lands, flocks and servants, aye, and a good husband to your taste, you -shall have them all, or may I lose my name!" - -The Moor, to whom Mario translated these words, replied that she desired -nothing except to work for her living, but somewhere where she could see -her dear Mario every day. - -"Granted!" said the marquis, offering her both hands, which she covered -with kisses; "you shall remain in my house, and, if you are willing to -see my son every hour in the day, you will confer a great favor on me; -for, since you love him so dearly, no other woman than you shall take -care of him. And now, my friends, congratulate me on the great -consolation which has come to me, and which, as you know, Jovelin, -confirms in every point the gypsy's prediction." - -Thereupon he embraced Lucilio, and also, for the first time in his life, -the faithful Adamas, who wrote that glorious fact in letters of gold on -his tablets. - -Then the marquis took Mario in his arms, placed him on the table in the -middle of the room, and, walking a few steps away, began to gaze at him -as if he had not seen him at all as yet. He was his own, his heir, his -son, the greatest joy of his whole life. - -He examined him from head to foot, smiling, with a blending of -affection, pride and childish delight, as if he were a superb picture or -piece of furniture; and as he already had the feelings of a father and -did not wish to make that noble child absurdly vain, he forced back his -exclamations and contented himself by rolling his great black eyes, -showing his great white teeth, and moving his head with a self-satisfied -air to the right and left, as if to say to Adamas and Lucilio; "Just -look! what a fine fellow, what a figure, what eyes, what a bearing, what -pretty ways, what a son!" - -His two friends shared his delight, and Mario endured their scrutinizing -with a confident and affectionate air, which seemed to say to them: "You -can look at me, you will find no evil in me." But he seemed to say more -particularly to the old marquis: "You can love me with all your -strength, I will pay you back." - -And when the scrutiny was at an end, they embraced again, as if they -would fain exchange in a kiss all the kisses of which the childhood of -the one and the others old age had been deprived. - -"You see, my dear friend," the marquis in his joy said to Lucilio, "that -we must not make sport of soothsayers, when they predict our future by -the stars. You shake your dear old head? Yet you surely believe that our -planet----" - -The worthy marquis would doubtless have attempted to elucidate some -theory of his own invention, wherein astronomy, to which he was devoted, -was in some measure confirmed by astrology, to which he was even more -devoted, had not Lucilio interrupted him by handing him a note in which -he urged a consultation as to the means of unmasking his brother's -murderer. - -"You are quite right," said Bois-Doré; "and yet, on this day of -incomparable bliss, it hurts me to think of inflicting punishment. But I -must do it, and, if you please, we will discuss the matter -together.--Go, Adamas, and say to this Monsieur D'Alvimar that I beg him -to excuse a slight delay in serving supper; and above all, let us not -divulge a syllable of the great discovery we have made.--Go, my -friend.--What are you doing there?" he added, as he saw Adamas looking -into the great mirror, framed in gilt network, and making strange faces -at himself. - -"Nothing, monsieur," replied Adamas; "I am just studying my smile." - -"For what purpose, I pray to know?" - -"Is it not fitting, monsieur, that I should make up a treacherous -expression to speak to that traitor?" - -"No, my friend; for, before we adjudge him a traitor, we must examine -into the affair more carefully, and that is what we are about to do." - -At that moment Clindor knocked at the door. He announced that Monsieur -de Villareal was indisposed and desired to keep his chamber. - -"That is so much the better," said the marquis; "I will go to pay him a -visit. After which we will have a preliminary hearing in his case among -ourselves." - -"You must not go alone, monsieur," said Adamas. "How can we be sure that -this indisposition is not feigned, and that the knave has not laid some -trap for you, being warned by his conscience?" - -"You are talking nonsense, my dear Adamas. Even if he killed my brother, -he certainly never knew his name, since he remains under my roof without -uneasiness." - -"But look at this dagger, my dear master! You have not yet looked at -this proof." - -"Alas!" said Bois-Doré, "do you think that I can examine it -dispassionately?" - -Lucilio advised the marquis to see his guest before pursuing his -investigations, so that he might be sure of being calm enough to conceal -his suspicions. - -Adamas allowed the marquis to go; but he glided close on his heels to -the door of the Spaniard's apartment. - -D'Alvimar was really ill. He was subject to nervous sick-headaches of -great violence, which were often brought on by paroxysms of anger, and -he had had more than one of the latter in the course of the day. - -He thanked the marquis for his solicitude and begged him not to put -himself out on his account. He needed nothing more than careful diet, -silence and rest until the following day. - -Bois-Doré withdrew, telling Bellinde, without obtruding, to see to it -that his guest lacked nothing; and he took advantage of this visit to -examine the features of old Sancho, to whom he had previously paid no -attention. - -The former swineherd, tall, lean and sallow, but wiry and muscular, was -sitting in a deep window-recess, reading by the last rays of daylight a -religious book from which he never parted, and which he did not -understand. To spell out with his lips the words in that book and to -tell his beads mechanically, such was his principal occupation, and, -apparently, his only pleasure! - -Bois-Doré glanced furtively from the master lying stretched out on the -bed, with an air of utter prostration, to the calm, stern, devout -servant, whose monkish profile was outlined against the window. - -"These are not highwaymen," he thought. "What the devil! this fair, -slender young man, with an eye as soft as a girl's--To be sure, this -morning when he was angry with the gypsies, and yesterday when he -inveighed against the Moors, his expression was less benignant than -usual. But this old esquire with the Capuchin's beard, who is so -profoundly engrossed in his religious book--To be sure, there is nothing -so like an honest man as a knave who knows his business! No, my -penetration is insufficient in this matter, and we must weigh all the -facts." - -He returned to the pavilion, the whole of which was given over to his -suite of apartments, each floor consisting of one large and one small -room: on the ground floor, the dining-room with a serving-room; on the -first floor, the salon and boudoir; on the second, the châtelain's -bedroom and another boudoir; on the third, the large, so-called _Salle -des Verdures_[21] which Adamas sometimes honored with the title of -_Salle de Justice_; on the fourth, an unfinished, vacant room. - -In the later building attached to the side of this pavilion, were the -apartments of Adamas, Clindor and Jovelin, connecting with those in the -_grand'maison_, as the marquis's little pavilion was ingenuously and in -all seriousness called in the village. - -He found his friends assembled in the _Salle des Verdures_, and not -until then did he remember that in the general excitement the Moorish -woman had been admitted to his chamber. He was grateful to Adamas for -having transferred the session to some place other than his sanctuary. -He saw that Jovelin was writing busily, and, not wishing to disturb him, -he sat down and perused the letter written by Abbé Anjorrant to -Monsieur de Sully, with the view of putting him on the track of Mario's -family. - -That letter was written very soon after Florimond's death, before -Monsieur Anjorrant knew of the death of Henri IV. and Sully's fall from -power; it had not reached its destination. This was a copy, which the -abbé had retained and bequeathed to Mario with Florimond's unfinished -letter. The abbé's letter--it was more properly a memorial--contained -most precise details of the murder of the pretended peddler, as the -abbé had received them from Mercedes, and as they had been confirmed by -various incidents. - -In it all there was nothing to fasten the guilt upon d'Alvimar and his -valet. The assassins had not been discovered. Both, it is true, were -minutely described in the Moorish woman's statement contained in the -memorial; but, although she declared now that she recognized them, she -might very well be mistaken, and her accusation was not sufficient to -condemn them. - -The Catalan dagger, the instrument of murder, being placed beside the -one given by Lauriane to the marquis, was more convincing evidence. The -two weapons were, if not identical, so nearly alike that at the first -glance one had difficulty in distinguishing them. The initials and the -device were made with the same instrument, and the blades were of the -same make. - -But Florimond might have been killed with a weapon stolen from Monsieur -de Villareal, or lost by him. - -Nor was there any proof that the one given by Lauriane to the marquis -came from the Spaniard. - -And, lastly, the initials seen by Mario, Mercedes and Adamas on his -other weapons could not be his, for he had been introduced by Guillaume -under the name of Antonio de Villareal. - - -[Footnote 21: The name Verdures d'Auvergne was given to the tapestry -hangings representing trees, foliage and birds, without figures, and -with no definite landscape. They were made, I believe, at Clermont.] - - - - -XXVI - - -The fair-minded Bois-Doré was making these observations aloud to -Adamas, when the mute handed him the sheet upon which he had just been -writing. - -It was a brief narrative of what had taken place at La Motte-Seuilly in -the morning, between Lauriane, the Spaniard and himself: how Villareal -had hurled the knife again and again to frighten him and interrupt his -music, how he had plunged it into the entrails of the wolf, and lastly -how he had given it to Madame de Beuvre as a token of submission and -penitence before Jovelin's eyes. - -"Oho! this is becoming serious!" said the marquis, lost in thought, "and -I see that this Villareal is a very bad man. However, it may be that -none of these weapons were in his possession ten years ago, and that he -has received them since by gift or by inheritance. In that case he must -have been the assassin's kinsman or friend; there are villains and -cowards in the best families. Like yourself, Master Jovelin, I have a -bad opinion of our guest; but I am certain that, like me, you still -hesitate to condemn him on this evidence." - -Lucilio nodded assent and advised the marquis to try to make him confess -the truth by surprise or by stratagem. - -"We will deliberate with care thereupon," replied Bois-Doré, "and you -will assist us, my dear friend. For the moment, we must go to supper, -and since we have no guests, we will give ourselves the pleasure of -eating with our little marquis that is to be, who no more belongs in the -servants' quarters than you do yourself." - -"Still, monsieur, if you take my advice," said Adamas, "you will leave -things as they are for to-day. Bellinde is a wicked creature and a -plague, and to my mind she is on much too friendly terms with the -rectory, which is a sink of slanderous remarks against all of us." - -"Hoity-toity! Adamas, what in God's name is the trouble between you and -the rectory?" - -"The trouble is, monsieur, that I have been consulting a magician too. -You had hardly gone away this morning, when a certain La Flèche, the -same gypsy, doubtless, whom you saw later in the day at La Motte, came -prowling around the château and offered to tell my fortune. I refused; -I am too much afraid of prophecies, and I hold that any harm that is -destined to happen to us happens twice over when we know it beforehand. -I contented myself by asking him who had stolen the key of the wine -closet, and he answered without hesitation: - -"'The one you suspect!' - -"'Tell me her name,' I replied, knowing well enough that it was -Bellinde, but wishing to test the clever rascal's skill. - -"'The stars forbid me,' he said; 'but I can tell what the person is -doing at this moment. She is at the rector's, where she is chattering -about you, saying that you put it into the head of the lord of this -château to marry young Madame----" - -"Hush, hush, Adamas!" cried the marquis modesty; "you should not repeat -such nonsense." - -"No, monsieur, no! I will say nothing; but, as I was determined to know -whether the sorcerer told the truth, I went out as if for a walk, as -soon as he had gone; and as I passed the rectory I saw Bellinde at a -window with the housekeeper, and both of them began to laugh and to mock -at me behind my back." - -Jovelin asked if the gypsy had entered the château. - -"He would have liked to right well," said Adamas, "but Mercedes, who -watched him from the kitchen without letting him see her, begged me not -to admit him, saying that he was likely to steal; so I did not let him -into the courtyard. He gazed at the door with much emotion, and, when I -asked him what he saw there, he answered: - -"'I see great events about to take place in this house; so great and so -surprising that it is my duty to warn your master. Let me speak to him.' - -"'You cannot,' said, 'he is not within.' - -"'I know where he is,' said he; 'he is at La Motte-Seuilly, where I will -try to see him; but if I am not able to speak with him there without -witnesses, I will come back here, and I assure you that if you refuse me -admission again, you will live to regret it, for many destinies are in -my hands.'" - -"All this is very remarkable," said the marquis, artlessly. "It is a -fact that he predicted all that has happened, and I regret now that I -did not question him further. If he returns, Adamas, you must bring him -to me. Did not you say, my dear Mario, that he was an intelligent -fellow?" - -"He is very amusing," replied Mario, "but my Mercedes doesn't like him. -She thinks it was he who stole my father's seal. I don't think so, -because he helped us to look for it and to ask the other gypsies about -it. He seemed to be very fond of us, and he did all we asked him to." - -"And what was there on the seal, my dear boy?" - -"A crest. Wait! Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant looked at it with a glass and -it looked big, for it was so small--so small that you couldn't make it -out; and he said to me: - -"'Remember this: _Argent with a tree sinople_.'" - -"That is right," said the marquis; "that is my father's crest! It would -be mine if King Henri had not composed another for me to suit himself." - -"Both are carved on the courtyard door," wrote Lucilio. "Ask the child -if he did not see them when he came here." - -"How could he have seen them?" said Adamas, who read Lucilio's words -simultaneously with his master. "The masons who were repairing the arch -had their scaffolding in front of them." - -"Could the gypsy see the escutcheons this morning," said Lucilio with -his pencil, "when he looked at the gate?" - -"Yes," replied Adamas, "the stagings had been taken down, and the masons -were at work elsewhere. The escutcheons were made over--But now I think -of it, Master Jovelin, this La Flèche must know something of our dear -child's story, as they had travelled together?" - -"I don't think so," said Mario. "We never mentioned it to anyone." - -"But you and Mercedes talked about it?" wrote Lucilio. "Does La Flèche -understand Arabic?" - -"No, he understands Spanish; but I always talked Arabic with Mercedes." - -"Were there no other Moors in that band of gypsies?" - -"There was little Pilar, who understands Arabic because she is the child -of a Moor and a _gitana_." - -"In that case," wrote Lucilio to the marquis, "abandon your belief in -the supernatural. La Flèche attempted to make money out of what he had -learned. He knew Mario's story down to a certain point; he learned yours -in the neighborhood, and the fact of your brother's having disappeared -ten years ago. He had stolen the seal. He recognized the coat-of-arms on -the door. He remembered the dates. He divined or imagined the whole -truth. He hurried to La Motte to make his prediction, which he taught -the little _gitana_ by heart. To-night or to-morrow he will bring you -the seal, expecting to solve for you the mystery which you have already -solved, and to receive a handsome reward. He is a thief and a schemer; -nothing more." - -It cost the marquis a pang to assent to this reasonable and probable -explanation. However, he did so. - -Adamas still held out. - -"How can you explain what he told me about Bellinde and the rectory?" he -asked Lucilio. - -Lucilio replied that that was very easy. Bellinde had listened at the -door of the marquis's apartment the night before; La Flèche had -listened in the morning at the door or under the windows of the rectory. - -"You state the case very sensibly," cried the marquis, "and I see -plainly enough that there is no other magic in all this than the magic -of Divine Providence, which has brought truth and joy into my house with -this child. Let us go to supper! our minds will be clearer afterward." - -The marquis supped hastily and without enjoyment. He felt that he was -being spied upon by Bellinde, who was no longer able to listen in the -secret passages; for Adamas, while the masons were on the spot, had had -that passage closed; but the prying and malevolent creature had observed -the long interviews of the marquis and Jovelin with Mercedes and the -child, behind closed doors, and, above all, the self-important and -triumphant airs of Adamas, whose every glance seemed to say to her: "You -shall know nothing!" - -She was not intelligent enough to divine anything. She imagined that the -marquis, following up the project of marriage, was arranging an -entertainment for the young widow, with the assistance of the -"Egyptians." - -There was nothing in that which she could use against Adamas, her -personal enemy; but she was consumed with a jealousy of him and of the -Moorish woman which sought only an opportunity for revenge. - -When Bois-Doré was alone with Jovelin, they concerted and agreed upon a -plan of action for the following day with respect to D'Alvimar. - -They reread Monsieur Anjorrant's letter carefully and analyzed it. Then, -honest Sylvain, who was not fond of giving his mind to serious and -depressing subjects, sent for his heir and passed the evening chatting -and playing with him. Therein he showed a marked resemblance to his dear -master, Henri IV., although he did not think of imitating him. He adored -the charms of childhood, and, except for the stiffness of his old bones, -would gladly have played horse for him around the room. - -"Now," he said to Adamas, when he saw Mario's silky eyelashes drooping -with sleep, "we must give him to the Moor, so that she may take care of -him one night more. But to-morrow, when we have settled this Villareal -business, there will be no further occasion to conceal the truth, and I -propose that my heir shall have his bed in the boudoir adjoining my own -bedroom.--See, my child," he said to Mario, "look at this little nest, -all silk and gold, which has long been waiting for a noble fellow like -you! Do you like the pink silk hangings, and this low furniture inlaid -with mother-of-pearl? Doesn't it seem as if it were made for a young man -of your height? We shall have to arrange a bed for him that will be a -genuine chef-d'œuvre, Adamas. What say you to twisted columns of ivory, -with a great bunch of red plumes at each corner?" - -"As soon as our minds are at rest, monsieur," said Adamas, "I will turn -my attention to the question, in order to gratify you, for nothing is -too fine for your heir. We will consider the matter of clothes too, -which must be suited to his rank." - -"I will think about it, I will think about it, Adamas!" cried the -marquis, "and I propose that his wardrobe shall be just like mine. You -will send for the best tailors, linen-drapers, shoemakers, hatters and -plumemakers in the province, and for a whole month, if necessary, they -shall work day and night, under my eye, preparing my nephew's outfit." - -"And my Mercedes," said Mario, leaping for joy, "will you give her -beautiful dresses too, like Bellinde's?" - -"Mercedes shall have beautiful dresses, dresses of gold and silver, if -such is her whim. And that reminds me--Look you, my dear Jovelin, this -woman is lovely, so it seems to me, and still young. Would you not think -it well to allow her to resume the Moorish costume, which is very -pretty, except the veil, which is altogether too Mohammedan? As the -excellent creature is a sincere Christian now, and we live in a -neighborhood where the common people never saw a Moor, that costume will -offend nobody and will gratify our eyes. What is your wisdom's opinion?" - -Lucilio's wisdom had much ado to reconcile the warm affection which the -marquis really deserved with the feelings naturally aroused by his -childishness. But, hopeless of correcting so old a child, reason advised -him to make the best of him and to love him as he was. - -The philosopher would have preferred that Mario should not be -overwhelmed with splendor and finery at the outset of his new career, -but rather that he should be told something of the new duties he had to -fulfil. He found some consolation in the fact that the child was less -intoxicated by the possession of all those things, than overjoyed and -touched by the affection and endearments of which he found himself the -object. - -On the following day D'Alvimar, who had passed a sleepless night, -requested through Bellinde, who obligingly acted as his nurse, -permission to keep his room until afternoon. - -The marquis paid him another brief visit, and was struck by the -alteration of his features. He had had ghastly visions, under the spell -of the sinister prophecies that had been hurled at him. - -Daylight had finally revived hope in his heart, and he slept part of the -day. - - - - -XXVII - - -The marquis took advantage of this respite to recur to the subject of -dress. - -He went up with Mario and Adamas to the vacant room on the fourth floor, -that is to say, immediately over the _Salle des Verdures_. - -That unfinished apartment was strewn with innumerable chests and -cupboards; and Mario, as soon as the padlocks were removed, and the lids -raised and doors thrown open, fancied that he was in fairyland. There -was a bewildering mass of magnificent stuffs, dazzling gold lace, -ribbons, laces, feathers and jewels, rich hangings, cordovan leather, -furniture in parts, all new and ready to be put together, reliquaries -heavy with precious stones, beautiful paintings on glass which needed -only to be assembled, lovely enamelled mosaics, arranged in piles and -numbered, whole pieces of fine linen, enormous guipure curtains, with -gold and silver stripes; in a word, a hoard of plunder, which smelt of -the partisan warrior a league away, and which the marquis considered to -have been legally acquired at the sword's point. - -This receptacle of rich spoil was known in the household as the -store-room, the garret. It was supposed to contain spare articles of -furniture, together with what was broken or discarded. - -Adamas alone was aware of the contents of those wonderful chests, and -under his breath he called that room the _treasure_ or the _abbey_. -There were no fashionable gewgaws, as in the marquis's apartments, but -artistic objects and fabrics of great value and great beauty, some of -great antiquity, and the more valuable on that account: stuffs -manufactured by processes no longer known, weapons of all sizes and of -all nations, many excellent pictures, valuable manuscripts, etc. - -All this rarely saw the light, the marquis fearing lest he might arouse -the cupidity of some of his neighbors, and producing his treasures only -one at a time and in the guise of a recent purchase. - -However, it was very rarely the case that the pillaging heroes of those -days were compelled to make restitution; but it might well happen that -some powerful individual, acting on his own account, but claiming to act -in the name of the Church or the State, would calmly appropriate an -article in dispute. - -It was thus that Catherine de Médicis, to reward Jean de Hangest--called -Capitaine d'Yvoi--for treacherously surrendering Bourges to her, seized -the superb chalice, decorated with precious stones, which he had taken -from the treasure-chest of Sainte-Chapelle in that city, and had put -aside as his share of the plunder. - -From all these marvels the marquis selected what was required for -Mario's outfit, calling upon him to make known his taste with regard to -the colors. - -One would but imperfectly understand the manners of that period, who -should assume that it was necessary, as it is to-day, to go to Paris to -learn the fashions and to find skilled workmen in the art of dress and -decoration. It was not until the reign of Louis XIV. that the -civilization of luxury and fashion made of Paris the school of good -taste and the arbiter of refinement. Richelieu began this work of -centralization by destroying the power of the nobles. Before his time, -the princes held court in the great provincial centres, and the artisans -of the smallest places supplied the needs of the nobility with -traditional skill. A rich châtelain had artisans among his vassals; -and, even in bourgeois houses, furniture, clothes, boots and shoes were -made at home. - -Bois-Doré therefore had only to select the materials and order the -articles that Adamas was to have made under his own eyes. - -In the matter of dress Adamas was beyond praise. He could safely be -trusted, and, at need, he could put his own hand to the work with -success. - -The ivory columns and cornices destined for the child's bed were found -after some searching. - -"I knew that there was something here like that," said the marquis -smiling. "They are of beautiful workmanship; they came from a state -canopy taken from the chapel of the Abbey of Fontgombaud, of which I was -abbot, that is to say, lord by right of conquest, for a whole fortnight. -When I took possession of it, I remember saying to myself: 'If the new -Abbot of Fontgombaud could become a father soon, this would be a fitting -canopy for his first-born son!'--But, alas! my friend, I did not inherit -all the monkish virtues, and in order to have a son, I was obliged to -find one by a miracle long after I came to maturity. Never mind! he will -be none the less dear, and he will none the less sleep his angel's sleep -under the canopy of the Virgin of Fontgombaud." - -The marquis was interrupted in his reminiscences by the arrival of La -Flèche, who asked to speak with him. - -The chests and the door of the treasury were carefully locked, and the -vagabond was received in the barnyard. - -It was beautiful weather, and Jovelin was of opinion that a trickster of -that sort should not be admitted to the house. - -What he had foreseen actually happened. La Flèche brought with him the -seal, which he claimed to have found in little Pilar's possession; he -also assumed to reveal the mystery of Mario's birth and of the murder of -Florimond by Monsieur de Villareal. - -The marquis allowed him to say all that he had to say, then dismissed -him, with a crown, for the trouble he had taken to bring back the seal; -but he pretended not to understand the story he had told, to place no -faith in it, and to be much shocked that he should dare to accuse -Monsieur de Villareal, against whom he had no other proof than the -Moorish woman's excitement and her exclamation when she thought that she -recognized him on the moor of Champillé. - -Herein the marquis, advised by Lucilio, acted wisely. If he had seemed -to credit the accusation, La Flèche would have been quite capable of -giving the Spaniard warning, in order to have two strings to his bow. - -La Flèche, bitterly disappointed by his fiasco, sheepishly withdrew, -and was walking along the outer wall of Galatée's garden, when he -heard a soft voice calling his name. - -It was Mario, whom the marquis had not chosen to admit to the interview, -desiring that all relations between his heir and gypsydom should be -severed irrevocably. But as he had not explained his wishes in that -respect, the child did not know that he was acting in opposition to them -when he glided through the labyrinth and watched for the gypsy to pass, -through a little loophole looking toward the village. - -"Who calls me?" he said, looking about him. - -"I," said Mario. "I want you to tell me about Pilar." - -"What will you give for that?" - -"I can't give you anything. I haven't anything!" - -"Idiot! steal something!" - -"No, never! Will you answer me?" - -"In a minute; answer me first. What do you do in this château?" - -"Play music." - -"What else?--Aha! you don't choose to speak? All right. Adieu!" - -"And you won't tell me where Pilar is?" - -"She is dead," replied the gypsy brutally, and he walked away whistling. - -Mario tried in vain to recall him. When he could no longer hear him, he -began to run about and play in the labyrinth, trying to convince himself -that La Flèche had made sport of him. But the idea of his little -companion's death caused a terrible shock to his vivid imagination. - -"She used to say that La Flèche beat her," he thought; "but I didn't -believe her. He never beat her before us. But perhaps she didn't lie; -perhaps he beat her until he killed her." - -And, as he reflected thus, the child shed a few tears. Pilar was not a -very amiable creature; but there was something of the Bois-Doré in dear -Mario; he was particularly sensitive to pity, and the Abbé Anjorrant -had brought him up to abhor violence and cruelty. But he concealed his -tears, fearing to pain his uncle, whom he already loved passionately. - -D'Alvimar left his room at last. - -The rest that he had taken, a lovely sunset and the joyous song of the -thrushes dispelled the black presentiments by which he had been besieged -for several days. - -Having dressed and perfumed himself, he sought the marquis and thanked -him for the interest he had shown and the care that had been taken of -him. Bois-Doré could not make up his mind to accuse even inwardly a -man, still so young, of a bearing so distinguished, and a countenance -whose habitual melancholy seemed to him genuinely touching; but when -they were seated at the supper table, Lucilio being there, as usual, to -furnish music, Bois-Doré remembered their agreement, and collected what -he called his siege-guns, to make a violent assault upon his guest's -conscience. - -He had seen too much fighting and had had too many perilous adventures -not to be able to arrange his bearing and his features, without having, -like Adamas, to make preparatory studies before a mirror. Although his -life had long been so placid that he had not been obliged to depart from -his natural mildness of manner, he was too much the man of his time not -to be able to make his glance say, twenty times a day if need be: - -"Vive le roi! Vive la Ligue!" - -The sweet notes of the bagpipe relieved him from the necessity of -carrying on a commonplace conversation which would have seemed to him -very tedious. - -The music which helped to produce the tranquillity that he needed, now -caused a feverish excitement in D'Alvimar. - -He really hated Lucilio. He knew his baptismal name, which the marquis -had let fall in his presence, and Monsieur Poulain, who was thoroughly -posted in contemporary heresy, had divined from that circumstance that -_Jovelin_ was a free translation of Giovellino. The fact of his -mutilation confirmed him in that suspicion, and he was already -deliberating upon the means of making perfectly sure, and of stirring up -some new persecution against him. - -D'Alvimar would readily have assisted him, if he had not been forced to -keep out of sight for some time, and the poor philosopher was the more -antipathetic to him because he could take no steps against him at -present. His beautiful music, by which he had been charmed at the first -hearing, seemed to him now intolerable bravado, and the ill-humor which -took possession of him did not dispose him to undergo patiently the -examination that was being prepared for him. - -After the supper the marquis proposed a game of chess in the boudoir -adjoining his salon. - -"I agree," the Spaniard replied, "on condition that we have no music -there. I cannot play with that to distract my attention." - -"Nor I, most certainly," said the marquis.--"Put your sweet voice away -in its box, good Master Jovelin, and come to watch our peaceful battle. -I know that you enjoy a well-fought game." - -They went into the boudoir, and found there a magnificent chess-board of -crystal with gold mountings, comfortable chairs, and many lighted -candles. - -D'Alvimar had not as yet seen that small room, one of the most sumptuous -in the _grand'maison_; he cast a distraught glance at the trinkets with -which it was filled, then sat down, and the game began. - - - - -XXVIII - - -The marquis, exceedingly calm and courteous, seemed to give his whole -attention to his game. Lucilio, standing behind him, was able to watch -the slightest movement, the slightest change of expression on the -Spaniard's face, which was in a bright light. - -D'Alvimar played promptly and with resolution. Bois-Doré, more moderate -in his play, made long pauses, during which the Spaniard gazed with some -impatience at the objects that surrounded him. His eyes naturally rested -more than once on a sort of what-not that stood against the wall at his -left, quite near him. Gradually the object that was most prominent among -the _bibelots_ with which the little piece of furniture was covered, -attracted and monopolized his attention, and Lucilio noticed that he -smiled satirically and angrily every time that his eyes fell upon that -object. - -It was a naked, gleaming dagger, lying on a black velvet cushion with -gold fringe, and protected by a glass globe. - -"What is it?" said the marquis at last. "You seem distraught. You are in -check, messire, and I do not wish to beat you so easily. Something -disturbs or annoys you. Are we too near that piece of furniture, would -you like to move the table away from it?" - -"No," replied D'Alvimar, "I am very comfortable; but I confess that -there is something in that pretty stand which distracts my mind. Will -you answer a single question, if it be not impertinent?" - -"You could ask no question which would be, messire. Speak, I beg you." - -"Very well, I ask you, my dear marquis, how it happens that you have -here reposing triumphantly on a cushion, under glass, your humble -servant's travelling weapon?" - -"Oh! you are mistaken, my guest! I did not obtain that knife from you." - -"I know that I did not give it to you; but I know that it was given to -you by the one to whom I gave it, of which fact, perhaps, you may not be -ignorant. I understand that any gift from a fair hand is precious to -you; but it seems to me very hard upon those less fortunate to exhibit -thus the trophy of your victory before the eyes of a discarded rival." - -"Your words are enigmas to me." - -"What! surely my sight is not failing me! Will you allow me to raise the -glass and obtain a closer view?" - -"Look and touch, messire; after which I will tell you, if you desire, -why this relic of love and sorrow is kept here among other souvenirs of -the past." - -D'Alvimar took up the knife, examined it closely, handled it, and said, -suddenly replacing it on the cushion: - -"I was mistaken, and I beg your pardon. It is not the weapon that I -thought." - -Lucilio, who was watching him attentively, fancied that he saw his -mobile, delicate nostrils dilate with fear or surprise. But that slight -facial contraction was noticeable in him on the slightest pretext, -sometimes even without any pretext at all. - -He resumed his game. - -But Bois-Doré stopped him. - -"Excuse me," he said; "but as you recognize that object it is my duty to -question you; you may be able perhaps to throw some light upon a -mysterious occurrence by which my life has been disturbed and made -wretched for many years. Be kind enough to tell me, Monsieur de -Villareal, if you know the device and initials engraved on this blade. -Do you wish to look at it again?" - -"It is useless, monsieur le marquis, I do not recognize the weapon; it -never belonged to me." - -"Do you feel any repugnance to making sure of that fact?" - -"Repugnance? Why that question, messire?" - -"I will explain. You may, perhaps, have recognized the weapon as having -belonged to someone whose compatriot you blush to be, but whose name you -would tell me none the less if I should appeal to your sense of honor." - -"If you treat this as a serious matter," replied D'Alvimar, "although it -is my turn not to understand you, I will examine it again." - -He took up the dagger, scrutinized it very calmly, and said: - -"This is of Spanish workmanship, a weapon in very common use among us. -There is no man of noble birth--I may say no free man--who does not -carry a similar one in his belt or his sleeve. The device is one of the -most common and most widely used: _I serve God_, or _I serve my master_, -or _I serve honor_. We find something of that sort on the majority of -our arms, whether rapiers, pistols or cutlasses." - -"Very good; but these two letters S. A., which seem to be a private -cipher?" - -"You can find them on my own weapons, as well as this device; they are -the private marks of the Salamanca factory." - -Bois-Doré felt his suspicions fade away in face of such a natural -explanation. - -Lucilio's suspicions, on the contrary, increased in force. He considered -that D'Alvimar was altogether too eager to anticipate the explanation he -might be asked to give concerning his own motto and his own initials, -which they were supposed not to know. - -He touched the marquis's knee while pretending to pat Fleurial, and thus -warned him not to abandon his investigation. - -D'Alvimar seemed desirous to forward it himself, for he asked with an -air of wounded pride the reason of this interrogatory. - -"You might also ask me," Bois-Doré replied, "for what reason an object -which is horrible for me to look upon lies there before my eyes every -hour. Let me tell you, monsieur, that that accursed weapon is the one -that killed my brother, and I have made it a point of not putting it out -of sight solely that I might constantly be reminded that I have to -discover his murderer and avenge his death." - -D'Alvimar's face expressed deep emotion, but it might well be -sympathetic and magnanimous emotion. - -"You do well to call it a relic of sorrow," he said, pushing the dagger -away. "Was it your brother to whom you referred yesterday morning, when -you consulted those gypsies as to the time and manner of some person's -death?" - -"Yes; I asked for something which I knew perfectly well, wishing to test -their knowledge, and, upon my word, that little demon of a girl answered -me so accurately that I had good reason to be astonished. Did you not -notice, messire, that she gave me figures which fixed the date of the -occurrence as the tenth day of May in the year 1610?" - -"I did not follow the calculation. Was that actually the day when your -brother was killed?" - -"That was the day. I see that you are much surprised!" - -"Surprised, I? Why should I be? I fancy that soothsayers reveal only so -much of the past as they know. But tell me, I beg you, how that sad -affair came to pass. Have you never known the authors of the crime?" - -"You are right in saying the authors, for there were two of them--two -men whom I would like right well to find. But you cannot help me, I see, -since that accusing weapon bears no private mark." - -"So there were no witnesses of the deed?" - -"Pardon me, there were." - -"Who could give you no information as to the perpetrators?" - -"They could describe them, but not tell their names. If this painful -story interests you, I can tell it to you in all its details." - -"Most certainly I am interested in your sorrows, and I am pleased to -listen." - -"Very well," said the marquis, pushing the chessboard away and drawing -his chair nearer to the table, "I will tell you all that I learned from -an investigation communicated to me by the curé of Urdoz." - -"Urdoz? Where is Urdoz? I do not remember." - -"It is a place that you must have passed through, if you have ever been -to Pau." - -"No, I came into France by way of Toulouse." - -"In that case you don't know it. I will describe it to you directly. -First let me tell you that my brother, being a simple gentleman and only -moderately rich, but of an honorable name, noble in feature, of an -amiable disposition, and a fine fellow if ever there was one, while -sojourning in some Spanish city, which I cannot name, won the heart of a -lady or maiden of quality, whom he married secretly against the will of -her family." - -"Her name was----?" - -"I do not know. All this was an affair of the heart, as to which I never -received his full confidence, and which I could not afterwards unravel. -I found out simply that he eloped with his wife, and that they made -their way into France by way of the Urdoz road, disguised as poor -people. The lady was near her time. They were travelling in a small -vehicle of shabby aspect, a sort of peddler's cart, drawn by a single -horse, purchased on the road, whose gait hardly kept time with their -impatience. However, they reached without hindrance the last Spanish -settlement, and, after passing the night in a wretched tavern, my -brother was imprudent enough to try to exchange Spanish for French gold, -and to ask a soi-disant nobleman who was in the house, attended by an -old servant, and who offered to assist him, if he could procure French -money for a thousand pistoles. - -"The individual in question was able to offer him only a trifling sum, -and when my brother mounted his wagon again with his cloaked and veiled -companion, the people at the inn noticed that the two strangers, as they -bade him farewell, gazed earnestly at the two boxes which he himself -loaded, one containing his money, the other his wife's jewels, and that -they started off at once on his track, although they had previously -announced their purpose to go in the opposite direction. The villains -were described in such a way as to leave no manner of doubt as to their -identity when a description of my brother's murderers was furnished." - -"Ah!" said D'Alvimar, "so you had a description of them?" - -"Exact. One had a handsome face and was so young that he seemed little -more than a boy. He was of medium height but well proportioned. His hand -was as white and slender as a woman's, he had an incipient beard, very -black, silky hair, a noble bearing, a rich travelling costume, but -little else, for his valise weighed nothing; a good Andalusian horse, -and yonder infernal knife, which he used for eating and killing. The -other----" - -"No matter, messire. Your brother----?" - -"I must describe the other miscreant, as he was described to me. He was -a man in middle life, who had something of the monk and something of the -hired bravo in his appearance. A long nose overhanging a gray moustache, -a shifty eye, a callous hand, and of a taciturn humor; a genuine Spanish -brute----" - -"I beg pardon, messire?" - -"A brute of the sort that we find in all countries where men are taught -that they can save their souls from hell by reciting paternosters. The -brigands followed my poor brother as two fierce, cowardly wolves follow -the victim they dare not attack, and pounced upon him--What is it, -messire? Are you too warm in this small room?" - -"Perhaps so, messire," replied D'Alvimar excitedly. "I feel difficulty -in breathing the air of a house where the name of Spaniard seems to be -held in such contempt as by yourself." - -"Not at all, monsieur. Let me reassure you on that point. I do not hold -your nation responsible for the degradation of a few. There are infamous -villains everywhere. If I speak bitterly of those who robbed me of a -brother, you must pardon me." - -D'Alvimar apologized in his turn for his sensitiveness, and begged the -marquis to continue his narrative. - -"It was about a league from the hamlet of Urdoz that my brother and his -wife found themselves entirely alone on a rocky road skirting a very -deep precipice. The road was winding and the ascent so steep, that the -horse balked for a moment, and my brother, fearing that he would back -into the ravine, hastily alighted and lifted his wife out of the wagon. -It was very warm, so he pointed out a grove of firs ahead of them where -she could find shelter from the sun, and she walked thither slowly while -he gave the horse an opportunity to breathe." - -"Did the lady see her husband killed?" - -"No! she had just turned a little shoulder of the mountain when the -disaster occurred. It was God's will that the child she bore should be -saved; for, if the assassins had seen her they would not have spared -her." - -"In that case who can say how your brother died?" - -"Another woman whom chance had brought thither, who was hidden behind a -rock, and who had no time to call for aid, the horrible crime was -committed so quickly. My brother was trying to urge the horse forward -when the assassins overtook him. The youngest dismounted, saying with -hypocritical courtesy: - -"'Why, your horse is foundered, my poor man! Don't you need help?' - -"The old cutthroat who followed him also dismounted, and they both -approached my brother as if they really intended to put their shoulders -to the wheel; he had no suspicion of them, and at the same instant the -witness whom heaven had placed there saw him totter and fall at full -length between the wheels, without a cry to indicate that he had been -struck. That dagger had been buried in his heart up to the hilt, by a -hand too well skilled in its use." - -"Then you do not know which of the two, whether the master or the -servant, dealt the blow? You say that the master was very young; it is -hardly conceivable that it was he." - -"It matters little, messire. I deem them equally vile; for the gentleman -behaved exactly as the servant did. He jumped into the wagon without -taking time to remove the knife, he was in such frantic haste to steal -the two boxes. He tossed them to his companion, who put them under his -cloak, and they both fled, retracing their steps, spurred on, not by -remorse and shame, human sentiments which they were incapable of -feeling, but by fear of the scourge and the rack, which are the just -reward and the end of such villainy!" - -"You lie, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, springing to his feet, beside -himself and deathly pale with rage. "The scourge and the rack--You lie -in your throat! and you shall give me satisfaction!" - -He fell back upon his chair, suffocated, strangled by the confession -that wrath had extorted from him at last. - - - - -XXIX - - -The marquis was thunderstruck by this outbreak, for which he was -entirely unprepared, the culprit had up to that moment put so bold a -face on the matter, and made his frequent interruptions with so natural -an air. - -He recovered first, as may be imagined, and grasping D'Alvimar's -convulsively twitching wrist with his long, sinewy hand: - -"Miserable wretch!" he exclaimed with crushing contempt, "you should -thank Heaven for making you my guest; for, were it not for the promise I -have given to protect you, a promise which protects you from myself, I -would beat out your brains against the wall of this room!" - -Lucilio, fearing a struggle, had seized the knife which lay on the -table. D'Alvimar saw his movement and was afraid. He threw off the -marquis's hands and grasped the hilt of his sword. - -"Let your mind be at rest, fear nothing in this house," said Bois-Doré, -calmly. "_We_ are not assassins!" - -"Nor am I, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, seemingly overcome by this -dignified procedure, "and since you do not propose to disregard the laws -of honor, I will attempt to justify myself." - -"Justify yourself? Nonsense! you are convicted and doomed by your -contradiction of me, and that is why I disdain to notice it!" - -"Keep your disdain for those who endure insult in silence. If I had done -so, you would not have suspected me! I repelled the insult! I repel it -again!" - -"Ah! you propose to deny the act now, do you?" - -"No! I killed your brother--or somebody else. I do not know the name of -the man I killed--or allowed to be killed! But what do you know of the -reasons that impelled me to that murder? How do you know that I was not -wreaking a just vengeance? How do you know that that woman--whose name -you do not know--was not my sister, and that while avenging the honor of -my family, I did not take back the gold and jewels stolen by a seducer?" - -"Hold your peace, monsieur! do not insult my brother's memory." - -"You have yourself admitted that he was not rich; where did he obtain a -thousand pistoles with which to elope with a woman?" - -Bois-Doré was shaken. His brother, because of the difference in their -political opinions, would never consent to accept from him the smallest -portion of a fortune which he rightly considered as derived from the -despoiling of his own party. He was obliged to fall back on the -allegation that his brother's wife was entitled to carry off what -belonged to her. But D'Alvimar retorted that the family was entitled to -consider that it belonged to it. Therefore he vehemently denied the -charge of robbery. - -"You are a traitor none the less," said the marquis, "for having stabbed -a gentleman like a coward instead of demanding satisfaction from him." - -"Charge it to your brother's disguise," retorted D'Alvimar, warmly. "Say -to yourself that, seeing him in the garb of a serf, I may well have -thought that I had the right to bid my servant kill him like a serf." - -"Why did you not have him detained at that tavern, where you must have -recognized your sister, instead of following and taking him in a trap?" - -"Presumably," replied D'Alvimar, still proud and animated, "because I -did not choose to create a scandal, and compromise my sister before the -populace." - -"And why, instead of hurrying after her to take her back to her family, -did you leave her on that lonely road, where she died in agony an hour -later, no one having come in search of her meanwhile?" - -"How could I run after her, when I did not know that she was there, so -near to me? Your witness could not hear all the questions I put to the -seducer, I had no need to shout them at the top of my voice. How do you -know that he did not tell me that my sister had remained at Urdoz, and -that what the witness took for flight on my part was not simply -eagerness to return to her?" - -"And not finding her at Urdoz, you never learned of her deplorable -death? You did not even try to find the place where she was buried?" - -"How do you know, monsieur, that I am not more familiar than you with -all the details of this painful story? Would you, in my place, being -unable to remedy the evil that was done, have made an outcry in a -country where no one could possibly divine your sister's name or the -dishonor of your family?" - -The marquis, crushed by the reasonableness of these explanations, made -no reply. - -He was so deeply absorbed in his reflections that he hardly heard the -announcement of a visitor. Guillaume D'Ars was ushered into the -adjoining salon. - -Lucilio detected a gleam of joy in D'Alvimar's eyes, caused it may be by -the pleasure of meeting a friend, or by the hope of finding a means of -escape from a perilous situation. - -D'Alvimar rushed from the boudoir, and the heavy folding door was closed -for an instant between him and his host. - -Lucilio, seeing that the marquis was buried in painful thoughts, touched -him as if to question him. - -"Ah! my friend!" cried Bois-Doré, "to think that I cannot make up my -mind what to do, and that I am in all likelihood the dupe of the most -infernal knave that ever lived! I have taken the wrong course. I have -exposed the good Mooress, and perhaps my child as well, to the vengeance -and the snares of a most dangerous foe; I have been clumsy; I have -furnished him with his grounds of defence by admitting that I did not -know the lady's name, and now, whether the murderer's excuse is false or -true, I no longer have the right to take his life. O God, Lord God! is -it possible that honest men are doomed to be gulled by knaves, and that, -in all sorts of war, the wicked are the most adroit and the strongest!" - -As he spoke, the marquis, wroth with himself, struck the table a violent -blow with his fist; then he rose to go to receive Guillaume D'Ars, whose -jovial and untroubled voice he could hear in the next room. - -But the mute hastily seized his arm with an inarticulate exclamation. He -had in his hand an object to which he called the other's attention with -a murmur of surprise and delight. - -It was the ring, which the marquis had placed on his little finger, the -mysterious ring which he had been unable to open, and which, as a result -of the blow he had dealt the table, had separated into two hoops, one -within the other. There was nothing in the way of secret mechanism. The -parts fitted very closely, and a violent blow was necessary to separate -them--that was all. - -To read the names engraved on the two circles was a matter of an -instant. They were the names of Florimond and his wife. Instantly they -realized that they held the key to the situation. - -The marquis rapidly gave Lucilio his orders, and went, with a light -heart and smiling face, to press Guillaume's hand. - -D'Alvimar and D'Ars had had barely time to exchange a few words -concerning the former's agreeable surprise and the latter's pleasant -journey. Guillaume, however, had noticed some alteration in his friend's -face, which the Spaniard attributed to his headache of the preceding -day. - -The marquis, after exchanging greetings with his young kinsman, was -about to order supper for him. - -"No, thanks!" said Guillaume; "I took a mouthful on the road, while my -horses were resting, for I must start again at once. You see I am -returning sooner than I intended. I was advised yesterday at -Saint-Armand, whither I had gone with a party of the young men of the -province, as an honorary escort to Monseigneur de Condé, that my -steward was very ill in my house. Fearing that he was going to die, the -honest fellow sent a messenger to me to urge me to return as soon as -possible, so that he might inform me as to the condition of my most -important affairs, of which I confess that I know nothing at all. I have -come here, however, in the first place, to ascertain if it will be -convenient for Monsieur D'Alvimar to accompany me to-night, or if he is -so attached to your gardens of Astrée, that he desires to pass another -night amid their fascinations." - -"No!" replied D'Alvimar hastily; "I have imposed upon monsieur le -marquis's civility long enough. I am not well, and I might become -ill-humored. I prefer to go with you now, and I will go to order my -horses to be prepared as quickly as possible." - -"That is unnecessary," said the marquis; "I will ring; I shall have the -pleasure of seeing you again soon, Monsieur de Villareal." - -"I shall come to-morrow to learn your wishes, monsieur le marquis, and -to give you whatever satisfaction you desire--touching the game we were -playing just now." - -"What game were you playing?" said Guillaume. - -"A very scientific game of chess," replied the marquis. - -Adamas answered the bell. - -"Monsieur de Villareal's horses and luggage," said Bois-Doré. - -While the order was being executed, the marquis, with a tranquillity -which led D'Alvimar to hope that everything was adjusted between them, -told Guillaume how they had employed their time at Briantes and La -Motte-Seuilly during his absence. Then he questioned him about the -splendid festivities at Bourges. - -The young man asked nothing better than to talk about them: he described -the excitement of the target-shooting, or rather, as they said in those -days, "of the honorable sport of arquebus-shooting." - -The targets had been set up in the Fichaux meadow's, and a great tent -decorated with tapestry and green boughs for the ladies, young and old. -The contestants were stationed on a stand, a hundred and fifty paces -from the tent. Six hundred and fifty-three arquebusiers entered the -competition. Triboudet of Sancerre alone had won the prize: but he w as -obliged to divide it with Boiron of Bourges, because he had taken a -false name in order to be nearer the head of the list; whereat the -people of Sancerre had made a great outcry, for they were bent upon -proving that their marksmen were the best in the kingdom, and they -considered the division of the prize very unfair. The unjust decision -had evidently been made to avoid displeasing the people of Bourges. - -"After all," said Guillaume, telling his story with the fire of youth, -"Triboudet either won or lost. If he won, he is entitled to all the -honor and all the profit of the victory. I agree that he is blameworthy -for having taken a false name. Very good; for that lapse let them punish -him by a fine or a few days in prison, but let him none the less be -declared the winner of the prize; for the honor due to skill is a sacred -thing, and although we were not at all fond of the old Sancerre -sorcerers, there was not a gentleman who did not protest against the -trick played on Triboudet. But what can you expect? the large places -always consume the small ones, and the fat pettifoggers of Bourges -unceremoniously take precedence over all the bourgeoisie of the -province. They would gladly take precedence over the nobility, if they -were allowed! I am only surprised that Issoudun concurred. Argenton -abstained from voting, saying that the prize was awarded beforehand and -that no one except the champions of Bourges had any chance before the -judges of Bourges." - -"And do you not believe that the prince had a hand in this injustice?" -asked the marquis. - -"I would not dare swear that he did not! He is paying assiduous court to -the people of his good city; witness the fact that he has incurred -considerable expense, although he is not at all fond of spending his -money for the entertainment of other people. He is supporting at this -moment two troupes of players, one French, the other Italian, who -perform in the tennis-courts, beautifully decorated for the purpose." - -"What!" said Bois-Doré, "did you see Monsieur de Belleroze's _tragic -actors_? They are as tiresome as forty days of rain!" - -"No, no; this troupe is called Sieur de Lambour's _French Comedians_, -and there are some very clever people in it. But time flies, and here -comes the faithful Adamas to say that the horses are ready, does he not? -So let us be off, my dear Villareal, and as you have promised the -marquis to come to-morrow to thank him, I invite myself to come with -you." - -"I rely upon seeing you," rejoined Bois-Doré. - -"And you can also rely upon my furnishing you with proofs of all that I -have alleged," said D'Alvimar, bowing very low. - -Bois-Doré replied only with a bow. - -Guillaume, who was in great haste to start, did not notice that the -marquis, despite his apparent courtesy, refrained from offering his hand -to the Spaniard, who dared not ask leave to touch his. - - - - -XXX - - -No sooner were they in the saddle than the marquis, turning to Adamas, -said with much excitement: - -"Quickly, my gorget, my helmet, my weapons, my horse and two men!" - -"Everything is ready, monsieur," Adamas replied. "Master Jovelin advised -us to prepare everything, saying that if Monsieur d'Ars went away again -to-night, you would escort him. But for what purpose?" - -"You shall know when I return," said the marquis, going up to his -chamber to don his armor. "Was care taken to saddle the horses in the -small stable, so that only the men who are to accompany me will know of -our departure?" - -"Yes, monsieur, I myself looked to it." - -"Are you going very far?" cried Mario, who had just supped with Mercedes -and was returning to his bedroom. - -"No, my son, I am not going far. I shall return in two short hours. You -must sleep quietly. Come quickly and kiss me!" - -"Oh! how handsome you are!" said Mario, artlessly. "Are you going to La -Motte-Seuilly again?" - -"No, no, I am going to dance at a ball," the marquis replied with a -smile. - -"Take me, so that I can see you dance," said the child. - -"I cannot; but be patient, my little cupid, for after to-morrow I will -not take a step without you." - -When the old nobleman had donned his little cap of yellow leather -striped with silver, with an inner lining of iron, and adorned with long -plumes drooping over his shoulder; when he was arrayed in his short -military cloak, his long sword, and his gorget of shining steel buckled -beneath his lace ruff, Adamas could vow, without flattery, that he had -an air of grandeur, especially as the excitement of the evening had -caused his paint to disappear, so that he wore almost his natural face, -by no means that of a popinjay. - -"Now you are ready, monsieur," said Adamas. "But am I not to go with -you?" - -"No, my friend; you will close all the doors of my pavilion and pass the -evening with my son. If he falls asleep, you will make up a camp-bed for -him with cushions. I desire to find him here when I return; and now, -hold a light for me, I want to talk with Master Jovelin in the salon." - -He kissed Mario several times with deep emotion, and went down to the -lower floor. - -"What have you determined upon and where are you going?" Lucilio's -expressive eyes inquired. - -"I am going to Ars to finish the investigation. And after that, eh? -After that, if there is occasion to do so, I shall concert measures with -Guillaume to prevent the traitor's escape, and return and advise with -you as to our next move. _Au revoir_ for a time, my dear friend." - -Lucilio sighed as he looked after the marquis. He seemed to him to be -intent upon some more serious project than he had admitted in his -programme. - -While the marquis, without haste, was making his preparations for -departure, Guillaume and D'Alvimar, the latter attended by Sancho, the -other by his escort of four men-at-arms, were riding slowly toward the -château of Ars, by the lower road; that is to say, the road that leaves -the plateau of Le Chaumois on the right and passes quite near La -Châtre. - -As the moon had not risen, and Guillaume's horses were very tired, they -could not travel very quickly. - -D'Alvimar took advantage of this circumstance to ride a little in -advance with his squire, as if involuntarily, because their horses were -fresher. Then, slackening his pace, he said: - -"Sancho, you did not leave anything belonging to me at Briantes?" - -"I never forget anything, Antonio." - -"Yes, you do; you forget daggers and leave them in the bodies of the -people you kill." - -"That reproach again?" - -"I have my reasons for making it to-day. My horse no longer goes lame, -but do you think he is in condition to take a long journey to-night?" - -"Yes. What is there new?" - -"Listen carefully and try to understand quickly. The _peddler_ was a -gentleman, the Marquis de Bois-Doré's brother. The knife that you used -is in that old man's possession. He has sworn vengeance, and he accuses -us on the testimony of some witness, I know not whom." - -"The Moorish woman." - -"Why the Moorish woman?" - -"Because those accursed creatures always bring misfortune." - -"If you have no other reason----" - -"I have others; I will tell you what they are." - -"Yes, later. We must consider now how we are to leave this neighborhood -without any further explanation with that old idiot. I told him enough -to induce him to be patient. He expects me to-morrow." - -"For a duel?" - -"No; he is too old!" - -"But he is very cunning; are you anxious to rot in some dungeon in his -château? No matter, I will go there with you, if you go." - -"I shall not go. A certain prophecy makes me very prudent. When we are -within a short distance of that little town of which you see the lights -yonder, leave the escort, disappear, and return a quarter of an hour -later and say that someone in the town handed you a letter for me. I -will go to the château of Ars before reading it, but, as soon as I have -read it, I will say to Monsieur d'Ars that I must go away at once. Do -you understand?" - -"I understand." - -"Let us wait for Monsieur d'Ars then, and display no haste." - -When honest Bois-Doré, armed to the teeth and firmly seated on the -stately Rosidor, had passed the confines of the village of Briantes, he -discovered Adamas, mounted on a little hackney of placid disposition, -ambling at his side. - -"What! is that you, master rebel?" he said, in a tone which did not -succeed in being angry; "did I not forbid you to follow me and order you -to keep watch over my heir?" - -"Your heir is well guarded, monsieur; Master Jovelin gave me his word -not to leave him, and, moreover, I do not see that he incurs any risk in -your château, now that the enemy has left it and we are charging upon -him." - -"I know that we are the ones who are in danger now, Adamas, and that is -why I did not want you here, for you are old and broken, and besides, -you never were a great warrior." - -"It is true, monsieur, that I am not overfond of receiving blows, but I -like to deal them when I can. I am no longer a young man; but if I am -not quick of foot, I have a sharp eye, and I propose to see that you -don't fall into any ambush. That is why I have brought two more men with -me, who will overtake us in three minutes. Besides, I should have gone -mad to have to wait for you, knowing nothing and doing nothing. By the -way, my dear master, where are we going and what are we going to do?" - -"You will soon see, my friend, you will soon see! But let us make haste. -We have no time to lose if we would overtake them half way to Ars." - -They urged their horses to a gallop, and in less than a quarter of an -hour came in sight of Guillaume and his escort, who were still riding -very slowly. - -The moon was rising and shone on the weapons of the horsemen. - -They had reached a spot then and now called La Rochaille, a spot not far -from numerous houses to-day, but in those days completely deserted and -barren. - -The road was on a slope, with a small ravine on one side, and on the -other a hill-top strewn with great gray boulders, with an occasional -stunted chestnut tree growing among them. The place bore a bad name; the -peasants have always had superstitious ideas concerning the boulders, -perhaps because they vaguely attribute their presence to the efforts of -the demons of ancient Gaul, perhaps because they believe that they fell -from heaven to destroy the worship of those wicked demons. - -The marquis ordered his little troop to halt before it had been -discovered by Guillaume and his men, and rode forward alone at full -speed, intending to bar his young kinsman's passage. - -When they heard the noise of the galloping hoofs, Guillaume and -D'Alvimar turned, the former perfectly calm, supposing that it was some -frightened traveller, the latter sorely perturbed, and still dwelling on -the prediction which the events of that evening seemed to confirm and to -hasten to its fulfilment. - -When Bois-Doré passed on the left of the escort, Guillaume did not -recognize him in his military costume; but D'Alvimar recognized him by -the throbbing of his agitated heart; and old Sancho, warned by a similar -sensation, rode nearer to him. - -Their anxiety was dispelled when Bois-Doré rode on without speaking to -them. They concluded then that it was not he. But when he drew rein and -wheeled about with his horse's head almost touching theirs, they glanced -at each other and instinctively drew close together. - -"What does this mean, monsieur?" said Guillaume, taking one of his -pistols from the holster at his saddlebow. "Who are you and what do you -want?" - -But before Bois-Doré had time to reply, a pistol was discharged between -them, and the ball grazed the marquis's cap, as he, seeing Sancho's -movement to murder him, hastily stooped, crying: - -"It is I, Guillaume!" - -"Ten thousand devils!" cried Guillaume in dismay; "who fired on the -marquis? In heaven's name, marquis, are you hit?" - -"Not a scratch," replied Bois-Doré; "but I must say that you have some -vile hounds in your party, to fire on a single man before they know -whether he is friend or foe!" - -"You are right, and I will do justice on them instantly," rejoined the -wrathful young man. "Miserable knaves, which of you fired on the best -man in the realm?" - -"Not I! nor I! nor I! nor I!" cried Monsieur d'Ars's four servants with -one voice. - -"No, no!" said the marquis, "none of these honest fellows would have -done such a thing. I saw the man who fired the shot, and there he is!" - -As he spoke, Bois-Doré, with a dexterity, agility and force worthy of -his best days, struck Sancho across the face with his whip, and, as the -assassin put his hands to his eyes, he seized him by the collar, and, -dragging him from his saddle, threw him to the ground and lashed his -horse, which galloped away and disappeared in the direction of Briantes. - -At the same instant the marquis's four men, disregarding his orders to -await a summons from him, rode up at full speed, with Adamas, in whom -the report of the pistol and the sight of the flying horse had aroused -the keenest anxiety. - -"Ah! here you are," said the marquis. "Very good; pick up yonder -unhorsed cavalier; he belongs to me, as I have the _droit d'épave_[22] -on this road. He is my prisoner. Bind him; there is reason to distrust -his hands." - - -[Footnote 22: That is to say, the right of the lord of the manor to -claim all property found on his domain, to which nobody can prove -title.] - - - - -XXXI - - -While the colossal charioteer, Aristandre, bound Sancho's hands--he was -still dazed by his fall--and stripped him of his arms, D'Alvimar emerged -at last from the stupor caused by this swiftly enacted scene. - -For an instant he had thought of abandoning his ill-omened confederate -to Bois-Doré's wrath; but when he saw him treated so roughly because he -had once more risked his life for him, a remnant of pride and shame -compelled him to remonstrate. - -"I can understand, messire," he said, "that you are angered by the -stupidity of that old man, who was asleep in his saddle, and being -awakened by a sudden shock, thought that he was attacked by a band of -robbers. He certainly deserves punishment, but not to be treated as a -prisoner within your seignioral jurisdiction; for he belongs to me, and -it is my prerogative and mine alone to punish him for the insult he -offered you." - -"Do you call that an insult, Monsieur de Villareal?" retorted the -marquis in a tone of contempt. "But it is not with you that I have to -deal, but with my friend and kinsman Guillaume d'Ars." - -"I will permit no explanation," rejoined D'Alvimar with feigned passion, -"until my servant is restored to me, and if you desire a duel----" - -"Listen to me, Guillaume," said Bois-Doré. - -"No, no one shall listen to you," shouted D'Alvimar, trying to release -his horse, which Guillaume, having taken his stand between him and -Bois-Doré, was holding in order to prevent a conflict. "Monsieur d'Ars, -I am your friend and your guest, you invited me to visit you and made me -welcome; you promised me loyal assistance on every occasion; you will -not allow me to be outraged, even by a member of your family. Under such -circumstances, I am the one to whom you owe support and fair play, even -against your own brother." - -"I am aware of it," replied Guillaume, "and it shall be so. But calm -yourself first of all, and allow Monsieur de Bois-Doré to speak. I know -him well enough to be sure of his courtesy to you and his generous -treatment of your servant. Make due allowance for a moment of anger; it -is the first time I have ever seen him so wrathful, and, although he has -good reason, I am certain that I can pacify him. Come, come, be quiet, -my dear fellow! You are in a passion too; but you are the younger, and -my cousin is the insulted party. I will confess that, if he had received -the slightest scratch, I would have killed your servant on the spot, -though I had to give you satisfaction afterward." - -"But what the devil, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, still hoping to avoid -the impending explanation by a quarrel, and, if necessary, by a scuffle, -"wherein was my servant at fault, I pray to know? What sort of a caprice -was it that induced monsieur le marquis to ride by us without making -himself known, and then to block our road, at the risk of being taken -for a lunatic? Did not you yourself seize your pistol and shout _qui -vive_?" - -"To be sure; but I should not have fired without awaiting a reply, nor -would you, I imagine, and you cannot excuse your servant's stupid or -evil act. Come, be calm. If you wish me to succeed in arranging the -affair to your honor and satisfaction, do not make it impossible by your -violence." - -While D'Alvimar continued to argue vehemently, and the marquis to listen -with entire tranquillity, Adamas, anxious concerning the result of the -affair, had spoken to Guillaume's men upon his own authority. He had -told them all that he knew, and they had sworn that in case Monsieur -d'Ars should feel compelled to order them to defend Monsieur D'Alvimar -against the Bois-Doré party, they would only pretend to fight, and -would leave the field clear for anybody whose right it was, to deal out -justice to the assassins. - -All the men in both parties were relations or friends to one another, -and they were in no wise inclined to exchange blows for love of a -foreigner, whether guilty or under suspicion only. - -Thus the time that D'Alvimar strove to gain by his remonstrances turned -against him; and when Guillaume, annoyed and disgusted by his obstinacy, -turned his back on him to go to talk with the marquis a few steps away, -D'Alvimar was at once surrounded by the servants of the latter, without -the slightest opposition on the part of Guillaume's men. - -Thereupon he became very seriously alarmed and glanced about him, -estimating the slight chance that remained of successful flight, unless -he were resigned to risk the loss of honor or of life in the attempt. - -But hope revived when he heard Guillaume, to whom Bois-Doré had briefly -recounted his grievances, refuse to believe that he was not misled by -deceptive appearances. - -"Monsieur de Villareal?" he said. "That is utterly impossible, and I -should have had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. Now, as you -did not see it, and as you must have been deceived by false reports, -permit me to defend this gentleman's honor, and do not think, monsieur -and dear cousin, that, deeply as I respect you, I will allow a friend -who has placed himself under my protection to be insulted and outraged -without proofs. Moreover, you have not that right, for every gentleman -is subject to the king's justice alone. So calm your excited nerves, I -implore you, and allow me to return home, where you know that I am very -anxious to be." - -"I am not excited," rejoined Bois-Doré, raising his voice and with an -air of dignity that Guillaume had never seen him assume, "and I -anticipated your reply, my good friend and cousin. It is such a reply as -I should make in your place, and I find no fault with it. Having -expected that you would act as you have done, I determined to make my -conduct conform to the consideration which I owe you, and that is why -you see me here, halfway between our respective abodes, on neutral, -public ground. To be sure I have some rights over this road; but three -steps away, among yonder old rocks, I am neither on your property nor -mine. Know therefore that I have determined to fight a duel to the death -with this traitor, who cannot refuse to fight with me, since I have -designedly assaulted and insulted him in the person of his servant, and -since I do at this moment insult and challenge him in his own person, -branding him before God, before you and before the honest fellows who -attend us, as a cowardly and despicable murderer! I do not think that -you can justly take it ill of me that I do what I am doing; for I beg -you to observe that, so long as you and he were in my house, I refrained -from anything approaching insult or bad temper, wherein I kept my -promise to be a loyal host to him; and I beg you to observe also that I -took my measures to meet you in the open fields, in order to avoid doing -violence under your roof, for I would not for anything in the world have -imposed upon you the necessity of bearing aid to this vile creature. -Lastly, my cousin, I beg you to consider this, which is the greatest -sacrifice I can make to you: instead of having him beaten to death by my -servants, as he deserves, I myself, a nobleman, deserving of my rank, -stoop to measure swords with a cutthroat of the vilest sort. Were it not -for the friendship with which you honor me, I would have thrown him into -an underground dungeon; but, desirous to show my respect for you, even -in the error into which you have fallen with regard to him, I renounce -all my honorable privileges, to fight him, a vile, degraded creature, -with the weapons of men of honor.--I have said what I have to say, and -you can make no further objection. Be his second, unworthy as he is of -your kindness; Adamas will be mine. I will content myself with the aid -of that honest man, since in such an affair there can be no question of -a combat between the seconds." - -"Assuredly," cried Guillaume, deeply moved by the old man's greatness of -heart, "conduct more loyal than yours cannot be imagined, my cousin, -and, in view of the suspicions you entertain, you display such -generosity as is rarely seen. But those suspicions being unfounded----" - -"It is no longer a question of suspicions," replied the marquis, "since -you do not choose to listen to them; I insult one of your friends, and I -fancy that you would not consider as a friend a man capable of shrinking -from a combat." - -"Surely not!" cried Guillaume; "but I will not permit this duel, which -does not befit your years, my cousin! I would prefer to fight in your -stead. Come, will you accept my promise? I promise to avenge your -brother's death with my own hand if you succeed in proving incontestably -that Monsieur D'Alvimar was the dastardly and wicked author thereof. -Wait until to-morrow, and I will constitute myself justiciary of my -family, as my duty to you demands." - -Guillaume's impulse was worthy of the marquis's noble heart; but, by -letting slip an allusion to his years, Guillaume had mortified him -exceedingly. - -"My cousin," he said, recurring to that puerility of mind which -contrasted so strongly with the nobility of his instincts, "you take me -for an old _Signor Pantaleone_, with a rusty sword and a trembling hand. -Before consigning me to crutches, remember, I beg, the consideration I -have shown you, which does not deserve the affront you put upon me by -offering to avenge my dearest brother's execrable murder in my stead. -Come, it seems to me that we have had words enough, and my patience is -exhausted. Your Monsieur de Villareal has more than I, for he listens to -all this without finding a word to say." - -Guillaume saw that matters had gone so far that any reconciliation was -impossible; and, as he agreed with the marquis that D'Alvimar had -suddenly become much too patient, he turned to him and said sharply: - -"Come, my dear fellow, why do you not answer, I will not say this -challenge, which has no just foundation, but a charge which you surely -cannot deserve?" - -D'Alvimar had reflected during the discussion. He affected a disdainful -and satirical calmness. - -"I accept the challenge, monsieur," he replied, "and I do not think that -I deserve great credit for so doing, being, as you know, most expert in -the use of all weapons. As for the accusation, it is so absurd and -unjust that I am waiting for you yourself to explain it to me before -disproving it; for I do not know as yet what the marquis has said to you -about me, as he whispered it in your ear, and I desire him to repeat it -aloud." - -"I am quite willing, and it will not take long," retorted Bois-Doré. "I -said that you were a brigand, an assassin and a thief. You desire more, -but I can find nothing worse to say of you than the bare truth." - -"You pay me strange compliments, monsieur le marquis!" said the Spaniard -coolly. "You have already regaled me, under your own roof, with a -lugubrious tale wherein you were pleased to represent me as the slayer -of your brother. Whether I am or not, I do not know, as I told you; I -simply know that I bade my servant kill a man dressed as a peddler, who -was carrying away by force a lady whose defence I took upon myself, as I -told you, and whose honor I avenged." - -"Oho!" cried the marquis, "that is your text now, is it? The lady who -was flying with my brother was abducted against her will, and you don't -remember saying that she was your----" - -"Lower, monsieur, I beg you. If Monsieur d'Ars will kindly listen to me -a few steps away from here, I will tell him who that woman was, unless -you prefer to vilify and besmirch her name before your servants." - -"My servants are better men than you and yours, monsieur! No matter! I -am exceedingly desirous that you should impart your secret to Monsieur -d'Ars, but in my presence, as you have already given me one version of -it." - -The three walked away from the group, and the marquis spoke first. - -"Come," he said, "explain yourself! You allege as your defence that that -woman was your sister!" - -"And do you, monsieur," retorted D'Alvimar, "propose to vent your -factitious rage by giving me the lie again?" - -"By no means, monsieur. I ask you to tell us your sister's name; for it -seems that your own name is not Villareal." - -"Why so, monsieur?" - -"Because I know it now. Dare to contradict me before Monsieur d'Ars, -whom you are also deceiving by an assumed name!" - -"No, no!" said Guillaume; "monsieur is concealing his identity under one -of his family names, and I know perfectly well the name he usually -bears." - -"In that case, cousin, let him say what it is, and I swear that, if it -proves to be the same as my deceased sister-in-law's, I will retire with -apologies to both of you." - -"And I refuse to tell it," said D'Alvimar. "I supposed that between -gentlemen a simple assertion should suffice; but you insult me without -pause or prudence. A duel is what you seek, and your wish shall be -gratified." - -"No! a hundred times no!" cried Guillaume. "Let us have done with this; -and as nothing more is necessary than to tell the marquis your name to -induce him to withdraw in peace, I----" - -"I beg you not to forget," interposed D'Alvimar, "that you expose -me----" - -"No! my cousin is too honorable a man to betray you to your enemies. -Understand, marquis, and I place this information under the safeguard of -your honor, that monsieur's name is Sciarra d'Alvimar." - -"Oho!" rejoined the marquis with a sneer. "So monsieur's initials happen -to be identical with those of the stamp of the Salamanca factory?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Nothing! I am simply nailing another of monsieur's lies as I pass; but -this one is so trifling compared with the others----" - -"What others? Come, come, marquis, you are too persistent!" - -"Hush, Guillaume!" said D'Alvimar, still affecting a disdainful -attitude. "This must end in a sword thrust. We are simply wasting time." - -"Ah! but I am not in so much haste now," rejoined the marquis. "I insist -upon knowing the baptismal name and the family name of the sister of -Monsieur de Villareal, de Sciarra and d'Alvimar. I know that the -Spaniards have many names; but if he will tell me simply that lady's -real name, her family name----" - -"If you know it," retorted D'Alvimar, "your persistence in making me -tell it is an additional insult." - -"Oh! do not take it so, D'Alvimar," cried Guillaume testily. "Give her -your own name, unless you propose that we shall pass the night here!" - -"Nay, cousin," said the marquis; "I myself will supply this mysterious -name. Monsieur de Villareal's alleged sister was called Julie de -Sandoval." - -"Well, why not, monsieur?" said D'Alvimar, seizing eagerly upon what he -believed to be a monstrous blunder on the old man's part. "I did not -wish to mention that name. It was not becoming in me to reveal it, and -I thought that you did not know it. Since you yourself, by asserting -that to be the fact, have been guilty of one of those falsehoods which -you rebuke so sharply in others, let me tell you, monsieur, that Julie -de Sandoval was my mother's daughter, by her first husband." - -"In that case, monsieur," replied Bois-Doré uncovering, "I am ready to -withdraw, and to apologize for my violence, if you will swear to me on -your honor that you recognized your half-sister, Julie de Sandoval, -under her veil, at the tavern of----" - -"I swear it to satisfy you. Indeed, I saw her without her veil in that -tavern." - -"For the third time--pardon my persistence, I owe it to my brother's -memory--for the third time, it was really your sister, Julie de -Sandoval? The ring which she wore on her finger and is now on mine, and -which bears that name in full, can have belonged to no other than her? -You swear it?" - -"I swear it! Are you satisfied?" - -"Stay! there is a crest on the bezel of this ring; _a shield azure with -a head or_. Are those the arms of the Sandovals of your family?" - -"Yes, monsieur, the very same." - -"Then, monsieur," said Bois-Doré, replacing his cap, "I declare once -more that you have lied like the impudent dastard that you are; for I -have been making sport of you: your alleged sister's ring bears the name -of Maria de Merida, and the arms are simple with a cross argent. I can -prove it." - - - - -XXXII - - -Guillaume was shaken; but D'Alvimar reflected rapidly. - -The moon, even though it had been much brighter, would not have enabled -one to see the tiny letters and microscopic crest engraved in a ring, -and in those times people had not, as they have to-day, a light all -ready in the pocket. - -It was necessary therefore to postpone to some other time the -examination of this evidence. The only course for the culprit to adopt -was to seek, not to avoid, a duel. What he dreaded was that they would -deny him that honorable chance of escape, and that he would be made a -prisoner of the marquis or of the provincial authorities. - -He hurriedly led Guillaume aside and said to him, with a forced laugh: - -"I am fairly caught. I attempted to be good-natured, as you requested, -in order to put an end to the discussion and to get rid of this old -lunatic. I said everything that he tried to make me say, and now his -caprice is taking another flight, in which I cannot follow it. It is all -my fault; I ought to have told you, immediately on leaving his house, -that he has been mad for two days; witness the fact that he asked for -Madame de Beuvre's hand yesterday, as others can tell you, and that all -this day he has been inventing the most extraordinary fables concerning -his brother's death, taking sometimes me, sometimes his mute, sometimes -his little dog for the murderer. I was unable to avoid coming to blows -with him except by inventing tales which served as small change for his; -but he did not calm down until you arrived." - -"Why didn't you tell me all this?" exclaimed Guillaume. - -"I did not wish to complain of the vexations I had endured in his -company; you would have thought that I meant to reproach you for leaving -me there. Now, there is only one way to have done with it. Let me fight -With him." - -"With an old man and a madman? I cannot permit it." - -"Come, come, Guillaume," exclaimed Bois-Doré, impatiently, "are you -ready now to let me avenge my wrongs, and must I do Monsieur d'Alvimar -the honor of striking him, in order to rouse him?" - -"We are at your service, monsieur," replied D'Alvimar, shrugging his -shoulders. "Come, my dear fellow," he said in a low tone to Guillaume, -"you see that it must be! Don't be afraid! I will soon bring this old -automaton to reason, and I promise you to strike his sword out of his -hand as many times as you please. I will undertake to tire him out so -effectually that he will want to hurry home and go to bed, and to-morrow -we will laugh over the adventure." - -Guillaume was reassured by his merriment. - -"I am glad to find you in the proper mood," he said in an undertone, -"and I warn you that in putting forth your skill with yonder old man, -you would not act a gallant part, and would cause me great pain. I -believe that he is mad, but that is an additional reason for using your -science with moderation and sending him home with no greater hurt than -lame muscles." - -Guillaume knew, however, that Bois-Doré was very strong in fencing, But -his was an antiquated method which younger men disdained, and he knew, -also, that while the marquis's wrist was still supple, he was not firm -enough on his legs to hold out more than two or three minutes. Moreover, -D'Alvimar was exceedingly expert; so he constantly exhorted him to -magnanimity. - -The champions having dismounted, the servants were left in the road to -watch the horses and the prisoner, Sancho, whom Guillaume ordered them -not to set free until the duel was at an end, in order that the -difficulties of the situation might not be complicated by unexpected -interference from any quarter. - -Sancho was very desirous to be at liberty. He felt that he might be -useful to his master, as he never recoiled from the most difficult -undertaking; but he was too proud to complain and cry out. He remained -silent and stoical under guard of Bois-Doré's servants. - -While Guillaume, with the two adversaries, was seeking a suitable spot -between the road and the boulders, Adamas and Aristandre were engaged in -an animated whispered colloquy. Aristandre was desperate, Adamas was in -a state of feverish excitement; but the idea that his master might fall -a victim to his own generous behavior never entered his head. He was -drunk, as it were, in his confidence in the marquis's strength and -skill. - -"Why do you tremble like a child?" he asked the coachman. "Don't you -know that monsieur is capable of eating up thirty-six fellows like this -coxcomb of a Spaniard? Nothing but treachery could overcome such a -valiant man as he is; but the knave Sancho is carefully guarded, and -Monsieur Guillaume and I will have an eye to everything. Am I not a -second? Monsieur said so. You heard him. We are two honorable seconds, -and we will not allow a thrust or a parry that isn't within the rules." - -"But you know no more than I do about the rules of duels between -gentlemen! Look you, I have a mind to climb up yonder without anyone -seeing me, and, if the Spaniard has too much luck, roll one of those big -stones down on him." - -"As to that, if I could be sure that you wouldn't crush monsieur with -him, I wouldn't advise you not to do it, any more than I would think it -was a crime to put two bullets into his head myself, if I wasn't a -second. But my master is calling me. Don't you be afraid, all will go -well!" - -Meanwhile the ground was chosen, a clear space of sufficient size, well -lighted by the moon. The swords were measured, Guillaume performing the -functions of second impartially for both champions, who had sworn to -rely upon him; for Adamas's presence could be only a matter of form. - -The duel began. - -Thereupon, despite his confidence and his enthusiasm, Adamas felt a cold -shudder run through every limb. He became dumb; with his mouth wide -open, his eyes starting from his head, he was unconscious of the -perspiration and the tears that rolled down his laughable yet touching -face. - -Guillaume too had done his utmost to persuade himself that the results -of that strange combat could not be serious. But when the swords met, -his confidence vanished, and he blamed himself for not having prevented, -at any price, a meeting which, from the outset, threatened to have -serious consequences. - -D'Alvimar had promised to place his adversary at his mercy and to spare -his life; but, in so far as the moonlight enabled him to distinguish his -expression, it seemed to Guillaume that rage and hate were exhibited -therein with increasing intensity, and his sharp, close sword-play gave -no indication of prudence or of generous purpose. Luckily the marquis -was still calm and held his ground with more endurance and elasticity -than could have been expected. - -Guillaume could say nothing, and contented himself with coughing two or -three times, to warn D'Alvimar to show more moderation, without arousing -the sensibility of the marquis, who might have lost his head altogether, -if he had suspected that he was not taken seriously. - - -[Illustration: _THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS -AND D'ALVIMAR._ - -_His game was a difficult one to -play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally._] - - -But the contest was serious enough. D'Alvimar felt that he had an -adversary inferior to himself in theory; but he was himself disturbed -and preoccupied and inferior to himself in practice. His game was a -difficult one to play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally. - -So he tried to make him run himself through, by acting on the defensive; -and the marquis seemed to detect his stratagem, for he acted cautiously. - -The duel was prolonged for some time without result. Guillaume relied on -the marquis's fatigue, thinking that D'Alvimar would not strike him -down. D'Alvimar found that the marquis showed no signs of giving way; he -tried to excite him by feints, hoping that a feeling of impatience would -lead him to depart from the surprising prudence of his play. - -Suddenly the moon was veiled by a dark cloud, and Guillaume tried to -interpose to suspend the combat; he had not time: the two champions were -rolling on the ground. - -A third champion rushed toward them, at the risk of being spitted; it -was Adamas, who, having lost his head and not knowing which had the -advantage, plunged wildly into the fray. Guillaume threw him back with -violence, and saw the marquis kneeling on D'Alvimar's body. - -"Mercy, cousin!" he cried; "mercy for him who would have spared you!" - -"It is too late, cousin," replied the marquis, rising. "Justice is -done!" - -D'Alvimar was nailed to the earth by the marquis's long rapier; he had -ceased to live. - -Adamas had swooned. - -At the cry of mercy, Bois-Doré's servants had hurried to the spot. The -marquis was leaning against a rock, breathless and exhausted. But he -showed no weakness, and, the moon having emerged from the cloud, he -stood erect again to look at the body, and stooped to touch it. - -"He is quite dead!" said Guillaume in a reproachful tone. "You have -killed a friend of mine, monsieur, and I am unable to congratulate you -upon it; for your suspicions must be unjust." - -"I will prove to you that they were not, Guillaume," replied Bois-Doré, -with a dignity which shook his kinsman's confidence anew; "until then, -suspend your displeasure against me and your regrets for this wicked -man. When you know the truth, perhaps you will regret having compelled -me to risk my life in order to take his." - -"But what shall we do with this unfortunate body now?" said Guillaume, -downcast and dismayed. - -"I will not leave you in any difficulty on my account," said Bois-Doré. -"My men will carry it to the Carmelite convent of La Châtre, where the -monks will give it such burial as they choose. I have no idea of -concealing from anyone what I have done, especially as I still have to -punish the other assassin. But I cannot perform that distasteful task in -cold blood, and I propose to turn him over to the provost's lieutenant, -so that exemplary punishment may be dealt out to him. You will escort -him thither, Adamas. Why, where is my trusty Adamas?" - -"Alas, monsieur," replied Adamas in a cavernous voice, "here I am at -your knees, and very ill over this affair. For a moment I thought that -you were dead, and I believe that I was dead myself for a good quarter -of an hour. Do not send me anywhere; I have no legs, and I feel as if I -had a millwheel in my head." - -"Well, my poor fellow, if you are not good for anything more we will -send somebody else. I told you that you were too old to endure -excitement!" - -The marquis walked back toward the horses, while his servants and -Guillaume's took up the dead body and covered it with a cloak. But when -they looked for the prisoner, they looked in vain. - -They had not taken the precaution to bind his legs. Taking advantage of -a moment of excitement and confusion, when the servants, disturbed -concerning the result of the duel, had left the horses in charge of two -of their number, who had had much difficulty in holding them, he had -taken flight, or rather had stolen away and hidden somewhere in the -ravine. - -"Never fear, monsieur le marquis," said Aristandre. "A man with his -hands bound can neither run very fast nor conceal himself very -skilfully; I promise you that I will catch him; I will undertake to do -it. Ride home and rest; you have well earned it!" - -"No," said the marquis; "I must see that murderer again. Do two of you -search for him, while I and the other two ride with Monsieur d'Ars to -the Carmelite convent." - -D'Alvimar's body was laid across his horse, and Guillaume's servants -assisted Bois-Doré's to transport it. - -Bois-Doré rode on ahead with Guillaume, to have the gates of the town -opened, if necessary, for it was nearly ten o'clock. - -On the road, Bois-Doré furnished his young kinsman with such precise -details concerning his brother's death, the recovery of his nephew, the -episode of the Catalan knife, the admission extorted from the culprit by -his indignation, and finally the testimony of the ring, that Guillaume -could not persist in upholding his friend's honor. He admitted that he -really knew very little of him, having become intimate with him on -slight acquaintance, and that at Bourges there had come to his ears some -reports, far from honorable if they were true, concerning the duel which -had forced the Spaniard to disappear. Monsieur Sciarra Martinengo was -said to have been struck by him, contrary to all the laws of honor, at a -moment when he had asked for a suspension of the combat, his sword being -broken. - -Guillaume had refused to credit that charge; but Bois-Doré's -revelations made him look upon it as more serious, and he promised to go -to Briantes the next morning to inspect the evidence, and make the -acquaintance of the beautiful Mario. - - - - -XXXIII - - -In proportion as conviction entered his mind, Guillaume became expansive -and friendly with the marquis, no less from a sense of natural equity -than from an inborn tendency to be governed absolutely by his latest -impression. - -"By my soul!" he said, when they were near the town, "you have acted -like a gallant man, and the blow that you dealt him, which nailed him to -the turf, was one of the most beautiful sword thrusts that I have ever -heard of. I have never seen its like, and when you have proved to me -that poor Sciarra was such a vile wretch as you say, I shall not be -sorry to have seen this one. If I had been less pained, I would have -congratulated you upon it. But whatever regret or satisfaction I may -feel because of this death I declare that you are a superb swordsman, -and I would that I were your equal at that sport!" - -Our two cavaliers were already on the Pont des Scabinats--now des -Cabignats,--riding toward the gate in the fortifications, when Adamas, -who had recovered his courage and had duly reflected, overtook them and -begged them to listen to him. - -"Do you not think, messires," he said, "that the bringing-in of this -body will cause a great commotion in the town?" - -"Even so," said the marquis, "do you suppose that I wish to conceal the -fact that I have avenged my honor and my brother's death?" - -"True, monsieur, you may well boast of it as a noble deed, but not until -the body has been consigned to the earth; for in these small places a -great noise is often made over a small matter, and the spectacle of a -gentleman carried across his horse in this way will make these bourgeois -of La Châtre open their eyes. You have enemies, monsieur, and at the -present moment Monseigneur de Condé is a very devout Catholic. If he -should learn that this Spaniard was covered with strings of beads and -blessed relics, that he had confessed to Monsieur Poulain, whose -housekeeper is lauding him to the skies in the village of Briantes as a -perfect Christian----" - -"Well, well, what are you coming at with your old woman's gossip, my -dear Adamas?" said the marquis, impatiently. - -Guillaume interposed. - -"Cousin," he said, "Adamas is right. The laws against the duello are -respected by nobody; but evil-minded persons can invoke them at any -moment. This D'Alvimar had some powerful friends in Paris; and -unfriendly reports may, at one time or another, cause this to be used -against you and me, especially against you, who are not esteemed a very -ardent Catholic. Take my advice therefore, and let us not go into the -town but decide upon some other means of ridding ourselves of this dead -man. You are sure of your people and I can answer for mine. Let us have -no confidants among the churchmen and bourgeois of a small town, all of -whom, in this province, are very bitter against men who have opposed the -League and served under the late king." - -"There is much truth in what you say," replied Bois-Doré; "but it is -most distasteful to me to tie a stone around a dead man's neck and toss -him into the river like a dog." - -"Why, monsieur," said Adamas, "that man was worth less than any dog!" - -"That is true, my friend; I thought so myself an hour ago; but I have no -hatred for a corpse." - -"Very good, monsieur," said Adamas, "I have an idea which will make -everything all right; if we retrace our steps, we shall find within a -hundred yards, near the Chambon meadow, the gardener's cottage." - -"What gardener? Marie la Caille-Bottée?" - -"She is very devoted to monsieur, and they say that she was not always -pock-marked." - -"Tush, tush! Adamas, this is no time for jesting!" - -"I am not jesting, monsieur, and I say that that old woman will keep our -secret faithfully." - -"And you propose to disturb her peace of mind by carrying a dead man to -her? She will die of fright!" - -"No, monsieur, for she is not alone in her little isolated cottage. I -will take my oath that we shall find a good Carmelite there, who will -give the Spanish gentleman Christian burial in a grave somewhere on the -gardener's premises." - -"You are too much of a Huguenot, Adamas," said Monsieur d'Ars. "The -Carmelites are not such dissolute fellows as you imply." - -"I say no evil of them, messire; I am speaking of a single one, whom I -know, and who has nothing of the monk except the frock and the -paternosters. It is Jean le Clope, who followed monsieur le marquis to -the war, and for whom monsieur le marquis procured admission to the -convent as a disabled veteran." - -"On my word, this is excellent advice," said the marquis. - -"Jean le Clope is a reliable man, and he has seen too many bloodless -faces lying on the ground on battlefields to take fright at the task we -propose to entrust to him." - -"Let us make haste then," said Monsieur d'Ars, "for my steward is dying, -as you know, and I would like to see him if it is not too late." - -"Go, cousin," said the marquis. "Attend now to your own affairs; this -concerns me and me alone henceforth!" - -They shook hands. Guillaume joined his escort and rode away with them -toward his château. The marquis and Adamas halted at La -Caille-Bottée's cottage, where they did in fact find Jean le Clope, who -warmly greeted his patron, calling him his captain. - -As is well known, the convents were compelled to take charge of soldiers -disabled in the service of the king or of the lord of the province. Most -of the religious communities were bound by contract to receive and -support these relics of the calamities of war, who were sometimes too -fond of high living for pious recluses, sometimes much less corrupt than -the monks themselves. However it may have been with the Carmelites of La -Châtre, with whose history we are not here concerned, the secular -brother Jean le Clope was but little hampered by the rules of the -community, and, if he was not missing at meal hours, he was often -missing at curfew. - -While the marquis was explaining what he expected from his devotion and -discretion, Adamas superintended the bringing of the body into the -lonely house, and, a quarter of an hour later, Bois-Doré and his -attendants rode homeward by way of La Rochaille. - -They found Aristandre and his comrades profoundly disappointed at their -inability to discover what had become of Sancho. - -"Well, monsieur," said Adamas, "perhaps God wills it so! That villain -will be very careful never to appear in a neighborhood where he knows -that he is unmasked, and he would have been a source of fresh -embarrassment to you." - -"I confess that I have little taste for executions when my excitement -has subsided," replied Bois-Doré, "and that I should have avoided -witnessing that one. If I had turned him over to the provost, I should -have been obliged to say what I had done with his master, and, as we -must keep quiet on that point for the moment, it is all for the best. I -consider my dear Florimond's death sufficiently avenged, although the -Moor did not see which of the two, the master or the servant, dealt the -blow that ended his poor life; but in affairs of this sort, Adamas, the -most guilty, perhaps the real culprit, is he who directs it. The servant -sometimes deems it his duty to obey a wicked order, and this fellow -evidently did not act on his own account or profit by my brother's -wealth, since he has remained a servant as before." - -Adamas did not share the longing to be indulgent which the marquis -experienced after his outburst of energy. He hated Sancho even more -bitterly than D'Alvimar, because of his arrogant manner toward his -equals, and because of his wariness, in which he had been unable to find -any flaw. He considered him quite capable of having advised and executed -the crime, but the thing that he dreaded more than all else was the -possible persecution of the marquis; so he assisted him to deceive -himself concerning the importance of the capture which he was compelled -to renounce. - -When they reached the gate of the manor of Briantes, they heard the -irregular galloping of a riderless horse. It proved to be Sancho's, -which had returned to its lost stable. He exchanged a plaintive, almost -funereal neigh with D'Alvimar's steed, which a servant was leading by -the rein. - -"These poor creatures feel the disasters that befall their masters, so -it is said," observed the marquis to Adamas: "they are intelligent -beasts and live in a state of innocence. For that reason I shall not -have these two killed; but as I do not choose to have anything on my -estate that ever belonged to that D'Alvimar, and as the price of his -property would soil our hands, I propose that they shall be taken ten or -twelve leagues away to-morrow night and set at liberty. Whoever will may -reap the benefit." - -"And in that way," said Adamas, "no one will know where they come from. -You can entrust Aristandre with that mission, monsieur. He will not -yield to the temptation to sell them for his own benefit, and, if you -take my advice, you will let him start at once, and not take them into -the courtyard. It is useless to allow these horses to be seen in your -stable to-morrow." - -"Do what you choose, Adamas," replied the marquis. "I am reminded that -that miserable wretch must have had money upon him, and that I should -have remembered to take it and give it to the poor." - -"Let the lay brother have the benefit of it, monsieur," said the shrewd -Adamas; "the more he finds in the dead man's pockets, the better assured -you will be of his silence." - -It was eleven o'clock when the marquis returned to his salon. Jovelin -rushed forward and threw his arms about him. His face sufficiently -indicated the agonizing anxiety he had felt. - -"My dear friend," said Bois-Doré, "I deceived you; but rejoice, that -man is no more; and I return with a light heart. Doubtless my child is -asleep at this moment; let us not wake him. I will tell you----" - -"The child is not asleep," the mute replied with his pencil. "He divined -my apprehensions: he is crying and praying and tossing about in his -bed." - -"Let us go and comfort the dear heart!" cried Bois-Doré; "but look at -me first, my friend, and see if I have no stain on my clothes made by -that treacherous blood. I do not wish that the child should know fear or -hatred at an age too early for the calmness of conscious strength." - -Lucilio relieved the marquis of his cloak, his helmet and his arms, and -when they had ascended the stairs they found Mario, barefooted, at the -door of his chamber. - -"Ah!" cried the child, clinging passionately to his uncle's long legs, -and speaking to him with the familiarity which he did not as yet know to -be contrary to the customs of the nobility, "so you have come back at -last? You are not hurt, my dear uncle? No one has hurt you, eh? I -thought that that wicked man meant to kill you, and I wanted to run -after you! I was very unhappy! Another time, when you go out to fight, -you must take me, since I am your nephew." - -"My nephew! my nephew! that is not enough," said the marquis taking him -back to his bed. "I mean to be your father. Will that displease you, to -be my son? And, by the way," he added, stooping to receive little -Fleurial's caresses, who seemed to have realized and shared the distress -of Jovelin and Mario, "here is a little friend of mine who no longer -belongs to me. Here, Mario, you were so anxious to have him! I give him -to you to console you for your unhappiness this evening." - -"Yes," said Mario, putting Fleurial beside him on his pillow, "I -consent, on condition that he is to belong to us both, and is to love us -both alike. But tell me, father, has the wicked man gone away forever?" - -"Yes, my son, forever." - -"And the king will punish him for killing your brother?" - -"Yes, my son, he will be punished." - -"What will they do to him?" inquired Mario, thoughtfully. - -"I will tell you later, my son. Think only how happy we are to be -together." - -"They will never take me away from you?" - -"Never!" - -"Master Jovelin," he said, addressing the mute, "is it not a melancholy -thing to think of changing this child's sweet mode of speech, which -strikes so melodiously upon the ear? Nay, we will allow him to use the -familiar form of address to me in private, since in his mouth that -familiarity is a sign of affection." - -"Must I say _vous_ to you?" queried Mario in amazement. - -"Yes, my child, at least before other people. That is the custom." - -"Ah! yes, that is how I spoke to Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant! But I love -you more than I loved him." - -"So you love me already, Mario? I am very glad! But how does it happen? -You do not know me yet." - -"No matter, I love you." - -"And you do not know why?" - -"Yes I do! I love you because I love you." - -"My friend," said the marquis to Lucilio, "there is nothing so lovely -and so lovable as childhood! It speaks as the angels must speak among -themselves, and its reasons, which are no reasons, are worth more than -all the wisdom of older heads. You must teach this cherub for me. You -must fashion for him a noble brain like your own; for I am only an -ignorant creature and I wish him to know much more than I do. The times -are not so wholly given up to civil war as they were in my youth, and I -think that gentlemen should turn their thoughts toward the enlightenment -of the mind. But try to let him retain the pretty simple ways that he -owes to his life among the shepherds. In truth he is my ideal of the -lovely children who play among the flowers on the enchanted banks of the -Lignon with its transparent waves." - -The marquis, having received from the hands of Adamas a cordial to -refresh him after the exertions of the evening, went to bed and slept -soundly, the happiest of men. - -At a time when, in default of regular legal processes, people were -accustomed to take the law into their own hands, and when a suggestion -of pardon would have been considered blameworthy and cowardly weakness, -the marquis, although far more disposed than most of his contemporaries -to display great gentleness in all his dealings, thought that he had -performed the most sacred of duties, and therein he followed the ideas -and usages in vogue when chivalry was in its prime. - -Certainly in those days it would have been impossible to find one -gentleman in a thousand who would not have deemed himself possessed of -the right to put to death by torture, or at least to order hanged before -his eyes, a guilty wretch like D'Alvimar, and who would not have -censured or ridiculed the excessively romantic sense of honor which -Bois-Doré had displayed in his duel. - -Bois-Doré was well aware of it and was not disturbed by the knowledge. -He had three reasons for being what he was: first of all his instinct, -next the example of humanity set by Henri IV, who was one of the first -men of his time to express disgust at the shedding of blood without -peril to him who shed it. Henri III, when mortally wounded by Jacques -Clement, was so upborne by rage and thirst for vengeance that he was -able himself to strike his assassin, and to look on with joy when he was -thrown from the window; when Henri IV was wounded in the face by -Chastel, his first impulse was to say: "Let that man go!"--And thirdly, -Bois-Doré's religious code was found in the acts and exploits of the -heroes of _Astrée_. - -In that ideal romance, it was without example that an honorable knight -should avenge love, honor or friendship without exposing himself to the -greatest dangers. We must not laugh too much at _Astrée_; indeed the -popularity of the book is most interesting to observe. Amid the sanguinary -villainies of civil discords, it is a cry of humanity, a song of -innocence, a dream of virtue ascending heavenward. - - - - -XXXIV - - -The marquis's first thought on waking was for his heir, whom, to conform -to the title which was finally adopted, we will call his son. - -He recalled somewhat confusedly the events of that agitated night, but -he recalled perfectly the great questions of dress that had been raised -the day before in connection with his dear Mario. He called him in order -to resume the interview they had begun in the _treasure-room_. But he -received no reply and was beginning to be anxious, when the child, who -had waked and risen before dawn, came in and threw his arms about his -neck, all redolent with the fresh fragrance of the morning. - -"Where have you been so early, my young friend?" inquired the old man. - -"Father," replied Mario, gayly, "I have been to see Adamas, who has -forbidden me to tell you a secret that we have between us. Don't ask me -what it is; we are going to give you a surprise." - -"Very good, my son; I will ask no questions. I like to be surprised. But -aren't we going to breakfast together on this little table by my bed?" - -"I haven't time, little father! I must go back to Adamas, who says that -he begs you to go to sleep for another hour unless you want to spoil -everything." - -The marquis did his best to go to sleep again, but to no purpose. He was -disturbed about many things. Madame de Beuvre was to come early on that -day with her father; Guillaume, too, in case his steward should be -better. Had suitable arrangements been made for the dinner? and could -Mario properly be presented to a lady in the costume of a mountain -shepherd? And, then, the poor child did not even know how to bow, to -kiss a lady's hand, or say a word or two of flattery? Would not all his -beauty, all his fascinating ways be ridiculed and treated with contempt -by those who were not blinded by the voice of blood? - -Moreover, no adequate preparations had been made for the hunting party. -He had had too much excitement and anxiety to give any thought to that. - -"If Adamas, who is never at a loss, were only here, he would console -me," thought the marquis. - -But so great was his consideration for his faithful servant that he -would have pretended to sleep all day, if Adamas had demanded it. - -He remained in bed until nine o'clock, but no one came to his relief; -and, as hunger and uneasiness began to make a serious impression upon -him, he determined to rise. - -"What is Adamas thinking about?" he said to himself. "My guests will -soon be here. Does he want them to surprise me in my dressing-gown and -with this sallow face?" - -At last Adamas entered the room. - -"Oh! set your mind at rest, monsieur!" he exclaimed. "Do you think me -capable of forgetting you? There is no hurry. You will have no company -until two o'clock this afternoon; Madame de Beuvre has just sent word to -me to that effect." - -"To you, Adamas?" - -"Yes, monsieur, to me, for I devised the scheme of sending a messenger -to her to say that you had a great surprise in store for her, but that -nothing was ready. I took all the blame on myself, and I humbly -requested her not to arrive before the hour I have mentioned, adding -that you desired to keep her here to-night, with monsieur her father, -and not to offer her the diversion of hunting until to-morrow." - -"What have you done, villain? She will think me insane or uncivil." - -"No, monsieur, she took the thing very well, saying that everything that -you did was certain to prove your wisdom or your gallantry." - -"In that case, my friend, we must think seriously----" - -"About nothing, monsieur, nothing at all, I beseech you. You did enough -with your brain and your sword last night; for what purpose can God have -placed poor Adamas on earth if not to spare you all anxiety about the -details of simple matters?" - -"Alas! my friend, it will not be easy--not possible even--in so short a -time, to make my heir presentable?" - -"Do you think so, monsieur?" said Adamas, with an indescribable smile of -satisfaction. "I would like to see the thing that you desire that is not -possible! Yes, indeed, I would! I would like to see it! But permit me to -ask you, monsieur, how your heir is to be announced when he enters the -salon?" - -"That is a very grave question, my friend; I have already been thinking -of the name and title the dear child should bear. Neither his father nor -mine was a man of quality; but as I propose to provide for his -succession to my title by the proper process and by obtaining the king's -consent, if necessary, I think that I can bestow upon him, in -anticipation, the title that my own son would have. Therefore, in my -house he will be called monsieur le comte." - -"There can be no doubt about the propriety of that, monsieur! But the -name? Do you propose to call him plain Bouron, that poor child who -deserves so well to bear a more illustrious name?" - -"Understand, Adamas, that I do not blush for my father's name, and that -that name, which was borne by my brother, will always be dear to me. But -as I am much more attached to the name that my king gave me, I propose -that Mario, also, shall bear it, and shall be Bouron de Bois-Doré, -which, by the customary abbreviation, will become plain Bois-Doré." - -"That is what I intended to suggest! Come, monsieur, dress yourself and -eat your breakfast here in your bedroom with the child, for the hall -below is in the hands of my decorators; then I will make your toilet. -But you must wear to-day the clothes that I ask you to put on." - -"Do what you please, Adamas, as you are responsible for everything!" - -While eating and laughing and talking with his heir, honest Sylvain -suddenly fell into profound melancholy. He succeeded in concealing it -from the boy. But when Adamas, declaring that everything was going -satisfactorily, came to make him up for the day, he opened his heart to -him, while the child played about the château. - -"My poor friend," he said, "I am amazed that the _numes célestes_, who -have watched over me with such paternal care of late, have allowed me -none the less to become involved in a terrible embarrassment." - -"What embarrassment, monsieur?" - -"Have you already forgotten, Adamas, that I offered my heart and my life -to a beautiful enchantress on the morning of the very day when I found -Mario? Now, as she did not reject, but simply postponed my offer, the -result is that I run the risk--according to you!--of having other heirs -than this child, to whom I would gladly devote my life and bequeath my -property." - -"The devil! monsieur, I did not think of that! But do not be disturbed! -As it was I who put the fatal plan into your mind, it is for me to find -you a way out of the dilemma. I will think about it, monsieur, I will -think about it! Don't forget to beautify yourself and to make merry -to-day." - -"Indeed I will not. But what coat is that you are giving me, my friend!" - -"Your coat _à la paysanne_, monsieur; it is one of the handsomest you -have." - -"In truth, I think it is the very handsomest; and it pains me to make -myself so fine when my poor Mario----" - -"Monsieur, monsieur, let me arrange everything; our Mario will be very -presentable." - -The marquis's "peasant" coat was white velvet and white satin, with a -profusion of silver lace and magnificent ruffles. White was then the -color of the peasants, who dressed in white linen or coarse fustian at -all seasons; so that whenever a person was dressed all in white, that -person was said to be dressed _à la paysanne_, and it was one of the -most popular fashions. - -The marquis was certainly very amusing in that dress; but everybody was -so accustomed to see him disguised as a young man; he was tricked out -from head to foot with such beautiful things and such curious baubles; -his perfumes were so exquisite, and, in spite of everything, there was -so much nobility in his elderly charms, and so much kindly amiability in -his ways, that if people had found him suddenly transformed into the -serious, methodical personage that his years would naturally import, -they would have regretted the pleasure he gave the eyes and the -satisfaction he was able to afford the mind. - -About two o'clock a scullion, dressed in ancient feudal costume for the -occasion, and stationed at the top of the entrance tower, blew a blast -on an old horn to announce the approach of a cavalcade. - -The marquis, accompanied by Lucilio, betook himself to that tower to -receive the lady of his thoughts. He would have been glad to take his -heir with him; but Mario was in Adamas's hands, and, moreover, it was -part of a plan finally proposed by the latter, and adopted with some -modifications by his master, that the child's appearance on the scene -should be postponed until the conclusion of an explanation on a delicate -subject with Madame de Beuvre. - - - - -XXXV - - -Lauriane arrived, riding a beautiful little white horse which her father -had trained for her, and which she managed with remarkable grace. - -Thanks to her mourning, which the fashion of that day permitted to be -white, she, too, was dressed _à la paysanne_, with a habit of fine -white broadcloth, a waist with stripes of silver lace, and a light lace -handkerchief over the inevitable widow's cap. - -"Well, well!" cried the downright De Beuvre, when he saw the marquis's -costume, "so you have already assumed your lady's colors, my dear -son-in-law?" - -His daughter succeeded in making him hold his peace before the servants; -but, when they were in the salon, despite the promise he had made her to -refrain from all jesting on the subject, he could not contain himself, -and asked with deep interest when the wedding was to be. - -Instead of being annoyed or embarrassed, the marquis was exceedingly -pleased at this opening, and requested a secret interview touching a -matter of great gravity. - -The valets were dismissed, the doors closed, and Bois-Doré, kneeling at -dear little Lauriane's feet, addressed her in these terms: - -"Queen of youth and beauty, you see at your feet a loyal servant whom a -most momentous event has filled with pleasure and embarrassment, with -joy and grief, with hope and fear. When, two days since, I offered my -heart, my name and my fortune to the most amiable of nymphs, I deemed -myself unfettered by any other duty or attachment. But----" - -Here the marquis was interrupted. - -"Gadzooks! monsieur my son-in-law," cried De Beuvre, affecting violent -indignation and rolling his eyes fiercely, "you make sport of us, do -you, and think that I am a man to allow you to retract your word after -you have transfixed my poor child's heart with the deadly shaft of -love?" - -"Oh! hush, pray, my dear father!" said Lauriane, smilingly and sweetly; -"you compromise me. Luckily I can be certain that the marquis will not -believe me to be so capricious that, after I have asked him for seven -years for reflection, I can be already so eager to summon him to keep -his word." - -"Allow me to speak," said the marquis, taking Lauriane's hand in his. "I -know, my sovereign, that you have no love in your heart, and it is that -which gives me the courage to crave your pardon. And do you, my dear -neighbor, laugh with all your strength, for there is abundant occasion. -And I will laugh with you to-day, although yesterday I shed many tears." - -"Really, my good neighbor?" said honest De Beuvre, taking his other -hand. "If you are speaking as seriously as you seem to be, I will laugh -no more. Have you any trouble of which we can assist to relieve you?" - -"Tell us, my dear Celadon," added Lauriane, affectionately, "tell us -your sorrows!" - -"My sorrows are dispelled, and, if you allow me to retain your -friendship, I am the most fortunate of men. Listen, my friends," he -said, rising with some effort. "The day before yesterday you heard a -prophecy made by people who were not really sorcerers: 'Within three -days, three weeks, or three months, you will be a father?'" - -"Even so," said De Beuvre, recurring to his jesting humor; "do you -believe that the prophecy will be fulfilled?" - -"It is fulfilled, my good neighbor. I am a father, and it is no longer -for myself that I ask, from you and the divine Lauriane, seven years of -hope and sincere affection: but for my heir, my only son, for----" - -At that moment the folding-doors were thrown open, and Adamas, arrayed -in state, announced in a ringing voice and with an air of triumph: - -"Monsieur le Comte Mario de Bois-Doré!" - -Everybody was surprised; for the marquis did not expect his son to -appear so soon, and he did not know what sort of costume they would -succeed in arranging for him. - -What was his joy when he saw that Mario also was dressed _à la -paysanne_, that is to say in a costume exactly similar in material and -cut to that which he himself wore; the satin doublet with innumerable -little slashes on the arms; the _colletin sans ailerons_, or shoulder -cape without flowing sleeves, of white velvet slashed with silver; the -full trunk hose, four ells in width, gathered below the knee, fastened -with pearl buttons, and open a little at the side to show the -rose-shaped buckle of the garter; silk-stockings, and shoes _à -pont-levis_, fastened with buckles in the shape of roses; the ruff _à -confusion_, that is to say of several rows of unequal size, with tucks -of varied patterns; the plumed hat, diamonds everywhere, a little -baldric all studded with pearls, and a tiny rapier which was a veritable -chef-d'œuvre! - -Adamas had passed the night selecting, planning, cutting and fitting; -the morning in trying on. The skilful Moor and four other women had -risen before daylight and sewed for their lives. Clindor had ridden ten -leagues to procure the hat and the shoes. Adamas had arranged feathers -and decorations and ornaments; and the costume, which was in most -excellent taste, well cut and substantial enough to last several days -without being made over, was a wonderful success. - -Mario, beribboned and perfumed like the marquis, with his naturally -curly hair, and over his left ear a rosette of white ribbons with a huge -diamond in the centre and silver lace below, came forward with much -grace. He was no more awkward than if he had been brought up as a -gentleman. He wore his rapier gracefully, and his appealing beauty was -heightened by all that white, which gave him the aspect of an innocent -maiden. - -Lauriane and her father were so thunderstruck by his face and his -bearing, that they rose spontaneously as if to receive a king's son. - -But there was more to come. Adamas, while coaching his young lord, had -tried to teach him a complimentary speech, taken from _Astrée_, for -Lauriane. To learn a few sentences by heart was a small matter to the -intelligent Mario. - -"Madame," he said, with a fascinating smile, "it is impossible to see -you without loving you, but even more impossible to love you without -loving you beyond words. Allow me to kiss your lovely hands thousands of -times, which number will fall far below the number of deaths which your -denial of this petition will inflict upon me." - -Mario paused. He had learned very rapidly, without reflecting or -understanding. The meaning of the words he was repeating suddenly struck -him as very comical; for he was in no wise inclined to suffer so -terribly if Lauriane refused to receive the thousands of kisses which he -was not particularly desirous to give her. He was sorely tempted to -laugh, and he glanced at the young lady, who had a similar desire, and -who offered him both hands with a playful and sympathetic air. - -He cast etiquette to the winds, and following the impulse of his natural -trustfulness, threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on both -cheeks, saying out of his own head: - -"Bonjour, madame; I beg you to like me, for I think you are a lovely -lady, and I love you dearly already." - -"Forgive him," said the marquis, "he is a child of nature." - -"That is why he attracts me," Lauriane replied, "and I waive all -ceremony." - -"Hoity-toity!" exclaimed De Beuvre, "what does this mean, neighbor, this -pretty boy? If he is yours, I congratulate you: but I would not have -believed----" - -Guillaume d'Ars was here announced, with Louis de Villemort and one of -the young Chabannes, who had called upon him in the morning, and to whom -he had told the tale of the miraculous recovery of Florimond's son. - -"Is this he?" cried D'Ars, as he entered the room and gazed at Mario. -"Yes, it is my little gypsy. But how pretty he is now, mon Dieu! and how -happy you should be, my cousin! _Tudieu_, my gentleman," he said to the -child, "what a fine sword you have there, and what a gallant costume! -You wish to put your friends and neighbors to the blush! You outdo us -entirely, that is clear, and we cut no figure at all beside you. Come, -tell us your pet name, and let us become acquainted; for we are kinsmen, -by your leave, and it may be that I can serve you in some thing, were it -only to teach you to ride!" - -"Oh! I know how," said Mario. "I have ridden _Squilindre_!" - -"The big carriage horse? Tell me, my boy, did you find his trot -comfortable?" - -"Not very," said Mario, laughing. - -And he began to play and chatter with Guillaume and his friends. - -"Come," said De Beuvre, leading Bois-Doré aside, "let me into the -secret, for I am wholly in the dark. You are gulling us, my dear -neighbor! you did not engender that noble boy! He is too young for that. -Is he an adopted child?" - -"He is my own nephew," Bois-Doré replied; "he is the son of my dear -Florimond, whom you also loved, my neighbor!" - -And he told Mario's story before them all, producing the evidence in -support of its truth, but without mentioning the name of D'Alvimar or -Villareal, and without hinting that he had discovered his brother's -assassins. - - - - -XXXVI - - -In face of the letters, the ring and the seal, it was impossible to -treat this romantic adventure as a fable. - -Everybody showered attentions on pretty Mario, who, by his ingenuous -nature, his affectionate manner and his fearless glance, won every heart -spontaneously and irresistibly. - -"So you are no longer betrothed to our old neighbor," said De Beuvre to -his daughter, leading her apart, "but to his brat; for that seems to be -the scheme he has in mind now." - -"God grant it, father!" replied Lauriane, "and if he recurs to the -subject, I beg you to do as I shall,--pretend to assent to that -arrangement, which the dear man is quite capable of taking seriously." - -"He took it seriously enough when he sued in his own behalf!" rejoined -De Beuvre. "The difference in age between you and this little fellow is -reckoned by years, whereas, between the marquis and you, it can properly -be reckoned by fourths of a century. No matter! I see that the dear man -has lost all idea of time with respect to other people as well as -himself; but here he comes; I am going to stir him up a little." - -Bois-Doré, being called upon by De Beuvre to explain, declared most -solemnly that he had but one word, and that, having pledged his liberty -and his faith to Lauriane, he considered himself her slave, unless she -gave him back his promise. - -"I give it back to you, dear Celadon!" cried Lauriane. - -But her father interposed. He chose to tease her also. - -"No, no, my child; this concerns the honor of the family, and your -father is not in the habit of allowing himself to be hoodwinked! I see -plainly enough that your whimsical and imaginative Celadon has conceived -a paternal affection for this handsome nephew, and that he is quite -content to be a father without having to take the trouble to be a -husband. Moreover, I see that he has taken it into his head to bequeath -his property to him, without regard to his future children; that is -something which I will not permit, and which it is your duty to prevent -by calling upon him to redeem his plighted word." - -Monsieur de Beuvre spoke with such a serious face that the marquis was -deceived for an instant. - -"I can but believe," he thought, "that my good fortune rejuvenates me -much, and that my neighbor, who used to gird at me so, does not deem me -so venerable now. Where the devil did Adamas get the idea of suggesting -that step to me?" - -Lauriane read his perplexity on his face and generously came to his -assistance. - -"My honored father," she said, "this does not concern you, since our -dear marquis did not ask for my hand without my heart; so that, inasmuch -as my heart has not spoken, the marquis is free." - -"Ta! ta! ta!" cried De Beuvre, "your heart speaks very loud, my child, -and it is easy to see, by your indulgence to the marquis, that it is of -him that it speaks!" - -"Can it be true?" said Bois-Doré, faltering in his resolution; "if I -had that good fortune, nephew or no nephew, by my faith!----" - -"No, marquis, no!" said Lauriane, determined to have done with her old -Celadon's dreamy projects. "My heart has spoken, it is true, but only a -moment ago, since I first saw your charming nephew. Destiny so willed, -because of my very great affection for you, which made it impossible for -me to have eyes except for someone of your family and someone who -resembles you. Therefore I am the one to break the bond between us and -declare myself unfaithful; but I do it without remorse, since he whom I -prefer to you is as dear to you as to myself. Let us say no more about -it then until Mario is old enough to entertain affection for me, if that -blessed day is destined to arrive. Meanwhile, I will try to be patient, -and we will remain friends." - -Bois-Doré, enchanted by this conclusion, warmly kissed the amiable -Lauriane's hand; but at that moment a terrific fusillade made the -windows rattle and brought all the guests to their feet. They ran to the -windows. It was Adamas, making a terrific uproar with all the falconets, -arquebuses and pistols that his little arsenal contained. - -At the same time they saw the marquis's vassals and all the people of -the village thronging into the courtyard, shouting as if they would -split their throats, in concert with all the retainers and servants of -the château: - -"Vive monsieur le marquis! Vive monsieur le comte!" - -The good people were acting in implicit obedience to an order issued by -Aristandre, having no idea what it was all about; but what they did know -was that they were never summoned to the château without receiving a -banquet or some form of bounty, and they came without urging. - -The windows of the salon were thrown open that the guests might listen -to the harangue, in the form of a proclamation, which Adamas declaimed -to that numerous audience. - -Standing on the well, which had been covered by his orders so that he -might indulge without peril in animated pantomime, the radiant Adamas -improvised the most dazzling bit of eloquence that his Gascon ingenuity -had ever produced, that his ringing voice, with its soft southern -inflection, had ever thrown to the echoes. His gesticulation was no less -extraordinary than his diction. - -It is to be regretted that history has not preserved the exact language -of this masterpiece; it had the fate of all products of inspiration: it -flew away with the breath that had given birth to it. - -However, it produced a great effect. The result of poor Monsieur -Florimond's tragic death caused many tears to flow; and, as Adamas wept -easily and was ingenuously moved by his own eloquence, he was listened -to with the closest attention, even from the windows of the salon. - -The guests were amused by the pathetic outburst of joy with which he -proclaimed the recovery of Mario, but the rustic auditory did not -consider it overdone. The peasant understands gestures, not words, which -he does not take the trouble to listen to; that would be labor, and -labor of the mind seems to him contrary to nature. He listens with his -eyes. So they were enchanted with the peroration, and good judges -declared that Monsieur Adamas preached better than the rector of the -parish. - -The discourse at an end, the marquis went down with his heir and his -guests, and Mario fascinated and won the hearts of the peasants by his -affable manners and his sweet speech. - -Being instructed by his father to bid the whole village to a grand -festival on the following Sunday, he did it so naturally and in terms -indicating such perfect equality, that Guillaume and his friends, and -even the republican Monsieur de Beuvre, had to remember that the child -himself was fresh from the sheepfold, to avoid being shocked. - -The marquis, detecting their feeling, deliberated whether he should not -recall Mario, who was going from group to group, allowing himself to be -kissed, and returning the caresses with great heartiness. - -But an old woman, the patriarch of the village, hobbled to him on her -crutches, and said in a a quavering voice: - -"Monseigneur, you are blessed by the good Lord for being gentle and kind -to the poor and infirm. You have made us forget your father who was a -harsh man--harsh to you as well as to others. Here is a child who will -be like you and will keep us from forgetting you!" - -The marquis pressed the old woman's hands and allowed Mario to do the -same by everybody. He asked them to drink his son's health, and himself -toasted the parish, while Adamas continued to wake the echoes with his -artillery. - -As the multitude departed, the marquis spied Monsieur Poulain, who was -watching the proceedings from a small shed, where he had taken up his -position as in a box at the play. He cut off his retreat by going to him -and inviting him to supper, at the same time reproaching him for the -infrequency of his visits. - -The rector thanked him with equivocal courtesy, saying with feigned -embarrassment that his principles did not permit him to break bread with -_pretenders_. - -In those days men were called _reformers_ or _pretended reformers_, -according to the supposed earnestness of their religious opinions. When -a person said _pretenders_ simply, he thereby proclaimed for himself an -orthodoxy which refused to admit the bare idea of a possible -reformation. - -This contemptuous expression wounded the marquis, and, playing upon the -word, he replied that he had no fiancés in his house.[23] - -"I thought that Monsieur and Madame de Beuvre were affianced to the -errors of Geneva," retorted the rector, with a sneering smile. "Have -they procured a divorce from them, following the example of monsieur le -marquis?" - -"Monsieur le recteur," said Bois-Doré, "this is no time to talk -theology, and I admit that I understand nothing about it. Once, twice, -will you join us, with or without heretics?" - -"As I have told you, monsieur le marquis, with them, it is impossible." - -"Very well, monsieur," retorted Bois-Doré, with a display of temper -which he could not control, "that is as you choose; but, on those days -when you do not deem me worthy to receive you in my house, you will, -perhaps, do well not to come to my house to tell me so; for, as you are -unwilling to enter, I am wondering why you came here, unless it was to -insult those who do me the honor of being my guests." - -The rector was seeking what he called persecution; that is to say, he -wished to irritate the marquis so as to put him in the wrong as between -themselves. - -"As monsieur le marquis admitted all the people of my family to a -merry-making," he replied, "I supposed that I was bidden like the rest. -Indeed, I had imagined that this charming child, whose recovery you are -celebrating, would need my ministry to be received into the bosom of the -Church--a ceremony whereby the rejoicings should have been inaugurated -perhaps." - -"My child has been brought up by a true Christian and a true priest, -monsieur! He needs no reconciliation with God; and as to the Moorish -woman, concerning whom you esteem yourself so fully informed, let me -tell you that she is a better Christian than many people who pride -themselves on their piety. Let your mind be at rest, therefore, and come -to my house, I beg you, with an open countenance and no mental -reservations, or do not come at all. That is my advice to you." - -"I propose to deal frankly with you, monsieur le marquis," replied the -rector, raising his voice. "Witness the fact that I ask you plainly -where Monsieur de Villareal is, and how it happens that I do not see him -among your guests." - -This insidious and abrupt attack nearly unhorsed Bois-Doré. - -Luckily Guillaume d'Ars, who approached him at that moment, heard the -question and took it upon himself to answer it. - -"You ask for Monsieur de Villareal," he said, bowing to Monsieur -Poulain. "He left the château with me last evening." - -"Pardon me," replied the rector, saluting Guillaume with more courtesy -than he displayed toward Bois-Doré. "Then I can address a letter to him -at your residence, monsieur le comte?" - -"No, monsieur," replied Guillaume, annoyed by this persistence. "He is -not at my house to-day." - -"But if he has gone temporarily only, you expect him to return this -evening, or to-morrow at latest, I presume?" - -"I do not know what day he will return, monsieur; I am not accustomed to -question my guests. But come, marquis; they are calling for you in the -salon." - -He led Bois-Doré away toward the De Beuvres, to cut short the -interrogatories of the rector, who withdrew with a strange smile and -threatening humility. - -"You were speaking of Monsieur de Villareal," said De Beuvre to the -marquis; "I heard you mention his name. How does it happen that we do -not see him here? Is he ill?" - -"He has gone," said Guillaume, who was much embarrassed and disturbed by -all these questions before numerous witnesses. - -"Gone not to return?" inquired Lauriane. - -"Not to return," replied Bois-Doré firmly. - -"Well," said she, after a brief pause, "I am very glad of it." - -"Did you not like him?" said the marquis, offering her his arm, while -Guillaume walked by her side. - -"You will think me very foolish," replied the young woman, "but I will -make my confession none the less. I ask your pardon, Monsieur d'Ars, but -your friend frightened me." - -"Frightened you?--That is strange; other people have said the same thing -to me about him! How was it that he frightened you, madame?" - -"He bears a striking resemblance to a portrait at our house, which you -probably have never seen--in our little chapel! Have you seen it?" - -"Yes!" cried Guillaume, as if struck by a sudden thought; "I know what -you mean. He did resemble it, on my word!" - -"He _did_ resemble it! You speak of your friend as if he were dead!" - -Mario interrupted the conversation. Lauriane, who had already conceived -a warm affection for him, chose to take his arm to return in doors. - -Guillaume and Bois-Doré were left alone for an instant, behind the -others. - -"Ah! cousin," said the young man, "what an extremely unpleasant thing it -is to have to conceal a man's death, as if one had reason to blush for -some dastardly deed, when, on the contrary----" - -"For my own part, I should prefer to have no concealment whatsoever," -the marquis replied. "It was you who urged me to this deception; but if -it is burdensome to you----" - -"No, no! Your rector seems to have some suspicions. My D'Alvimar made a -great show of piety. The cassock would be on his side, and it is too -dangerous a game to play in this neighborhood. Let us continue to hold -our peace until the story of your brother's cowardly murder has -circulated thoroughly, and do you show the proofs of it to everybody, -without naming the culprits. Then, when you do name them, everybody will -be disposed to condemn them. But tell me, marquis, do you know whether -the wretched man's body----" - -"Yes, Aristandre has inquired. The lay brother did his duty." - -"But there was something about this D'Alvimar that I cannot understand, -cousin. A man so well-born, and whose manners were so refined!" - -"The ambition of a courtier and Spanish poverty!" replied Bois-Doré. -"And furthermore, cousin, there is a philosophical paradox that has -often come to my mind: that we are all equal before God, and that he -sets no more store by a nobleman's soul than by a serf's. On that point, -it may be that the Calvinist doctrine is not far out of the way." - -"By the way," rejoined Guillaume, "speaking of Calvinists, cousin, do -you know that the king's affairs are going badly over yonder, and that -he is having no success at all in taking Montauban? I learned at -Bourges, from some very well-informed persons, that on the first pretext -the siege would be raised, and that may change the whole political -status once more. Perhaps you were a little too hasty about abjuring!" - -"Abjuring! abjuring!" echoed Bois-Doré, shaking his head; "I never -abjured anything. I reflect, I discuss matters with myself, and I take -one side or the other, according to the arguments that come to my mind. -In reality----" - -"In reality, you are like me," laughed Guillaume; "you think of nothing -except being an honest man." - -The supper, although the party was small, was served with extraordinary -magnificence. The hall was decorated with flowers and foliage entwined -with gold and silver ribbons; the most beautiful pieces of silverware -and porcelain were brought forth; the dishes and wines were most -exquisite. - -Five or six of the most intimate friends and neighbors had arrived at -the last stroke of the bell; their coming was another surprise for the -marquis. Adamas had sent messengers all over the neighborhood. - -There was no music during the banquet; they preferred to talk, for they -had so much to say to one another! Adamas contented himself with a -flourish of trumpets in the courtyard to announce each course. - -Lauriane was seated opposite the marquis, with Mario at her right. - -Lucilio was of the party; they had no reason to fear the evil intentions -of any guest. - - -[Footnote 23: The play upon words consisted in the fact that -_prétendus_, the word used by Monsieur Poulain, also, means _suitors_. -(Cf. the colloquial English phrase: his _intended_.)] - - - - - -XXXVII - - -Half an hour after they left the table, Adamas requested his master to -ascend with his guests to the Salle des Verdures, where a fresh surprise -was prepared. - -It was an entertainment after the fashion then in vogue, carried out as -well as it was possible to do it on such brief notice and in so confined -a space. - -The end of the room was fitted up as a stage, with rich carpets laid -upon trestles, bearing hangings for a frame, and natural foliage for -wings. - -When they had taken their places, Lucilio played a beautiful piece by -way of overture, and Clindor the page appeared on the scene, in the -costume of a shepherd of romance. He sang divers pretty rustic couplets, -of Master Jovelin's composition; then he set about watching his flocks, -consisting of real lambs, well-washed and decked in ribbons, who behaved -exceedingly well on the stage. Fleurial the shepherd dog, also played -his part becomingly. - -Soft, soporific music was played on the _sourdeline_ to which the -shepherd fell asleep. - -Thereupon a venerable old man came forward and searched the sleeper's -pockets and even the fleeces of the sheep with agonizing suspense. His -beard was so luxuriant, his white hair and eyebrows so bushy, that -nobody recognized him at first; but when he declaimed some lines of his -own composition to set forth the cause of his sorrow, they laughed -heartily as they recognized Adamas's Gascon accent. - -That despairing old man was in pursuit of Destiny, which had stolen his -young master, his lord's beloved child. - -The shepherd, suddenly awakened, asked him what he wanted. There was an -animated dialogue between them, wherein they repeated the same thing -many times, which, according to Adamas, had the advantage of forcing the -spectators to grasp what he called the _knot of the play_. - -The shepherd assisted the old man in his search, and they were going -forward to attack a small fort among the branches at the back of the -stage, supposed to be in the distance, which was no other than that -formerly brought by the marquis _en croupe_ from the château of Sarzay, -when a terrible giant, dressed in fantastic fashion, opposed their -progress. - -This giant, enacted by Aristandre, expressed himself at first in an -unknown tongue. As he had declared that he was incapable of remembering -three words, Lucilio, who had consented to assist Adamas in staging his -work, had instructed the charioteer, in his rôle of giant, to use, at -random, any meaningless, incoherent syllables; it was enough that he -should have an awe-inspiring manner and an appalling voice. - -Aristandre followed these instructions very well, but when Adamas -insulted and irritated him in the most stinging way, calling him -monster, ogre and wizard, the honest giant, not choosing to be outdone, -emitted such horrifying oaths in good Berrichon that they had to make -haste to kill him, to prevent him from shocking the audience. - -This scene offended Fleurial, who was not brave, and who leaped over the -candle footlights to take refuge between his master's legs. - -When the monstrous coachman was laid low by Adamas's trusty blade, the -little fort crumbled away as if by magic, and in its place a sibyl -appeared. - -It was the Moor, to whom they had given some beautiful Oriental fabrics -in which she had arrayed herself with much taste and poetic beauty. - -She was very lovely so, and was received with loud applause. - -Poor woman! brought up in bondage and her spirit broken by persecution, -and thereafter happy with a thatched roof and the humblest employment, -under the protection of a poor priest, this was the first time in her -life that she had ever been richly clad, greeted affectionately by -wealthy people, and applauded for her grace and beauty without any -insulting hidden motive. - -At first she did not understand; she was afraid and would have fled. But -Adamas opportunely made use of the five or six Spanish words he knew, to -encourage her under his breath and make her understand that she gave -pleasure to the audience. - -Mercedes looked about for the one person who interested her most deeply, -and saw close beside her, in the wings, Lucilio the manager, also -applauding. - -A flame darted from his black eyes; then, terrified by that gleam of -happiness, which she did not fully appreciate, she lowered her long -lashes until their velvety shadow fell upon her burning cheeks. She -seemed even more beautiful--why, no one could say--and the applause -burst forth anew. - -When she had recovered her courage, she sang in Arabic; after which she -replied to Adamas's questions in a way that seemed not to satisfy him. - -After a discussion in pantomime, accompanied by music, she promised the -child he sought, on condition that he should submit to the test of -fighting a horrible monster made of gilt paper, who came upon the stage, -bounding and vomiting flames. - -The intrepid Adamas, determined to dare anything to bring back his -master's child to the fold, rushed to meet the dragon, and was on the -point of running him through with his invincible blade, when the -creature was rent in twain like an old glove, and the comely Mario -stepped forth, dressed as Cupid, that is to say, in pink and gold satin -embroidered with flowers, with a wreath of roses and feathers on his -head, bow in hand and quiver slung over his shoulder. - -The transformation of a child into Cupid in a dragon's belly is not -readily discovered in Adamas's manuscript stage-directions; but it seems -that it was accepted as very pleasing, for that episode won the greatest -success. - -Mario recited some complimentary lines in praise of his uncle and his -friends, and the sibyl predicted the loftiest destiny for him. She -produced from the bushes divers marvellous things: a horn of plenty -filled with flowers and bonbons, which the child tossed to the -spectators; then the portrait of the marquis, which the child kissed -with pious veneration; and, finally, two escutcheons of colored glass, -one with the arms of the Bourons de Noyer, the other with those of -Bois-Doré, united under a coronet from which ascended fireworks on a -small scale, in the shape of a sun. - -Let us say a word in passing concerning this coat-of-arms of the -marquis. It was very interesting, because it was invented by Henry IV. -himself. - -In heraldic language, it was thus described: "_Gules, a naked arm or, -coming from a cloud, holding a sword uppointed, accompanied, in chief, -by three hens diademed argent_;" that is to say, a deep red shield, in -the centre of which a right arm, coming forth from a cloud, held a sword -with the point in the air, pointed toward three hens wearing silver -crowns, placed above the said arm. - -Around the crest was this motto: _All men are thus before me_. - -If we remember how our good Sylvain was created a marquis, we shall -readily understand this emblem, which might have been considered -derisory, except for the corrective afforded by the motto, which might -be thus translated: "Before this arm there is no foe who does not -display the heart of a chicken." - -The play was enthusiastically applauded. - -The marquis wept tears of joy to see the charming manners of his son and -the zeal of old Adamas. - -They ate sweetmeats, they fought for Mario's kisses, and they separated -at eleven o'clock, which was very late, according to the provincial -ideas in those days. - -The next day there was a bird-hunt. Lauriane insisted that Mario should -be of the party. She lent him her white horse, which was gentle and -docile, while she courageously mounted Rosidor. The marquis did not lack -spare mounts. The sport was mild, as befitted those who were the heroes -of the day. Mario took so much pleasure in it that Lucilio feared that -the sudden excitement would be too much for that youthful brain, and -that it would make him ill or delirious. But the child proved that he -had an excellent mental organization: he was intensely amused by all -those novel experiences, and still he did not become over-excited; at -the slightest appeal to his reason he recovered his composure and obeyed -with angelic sweetness. His nerves were not overwrought, and he entered -into happiness as into a paradise of love and liberty of which he felt -that he was worthy. - -The supper on this second day of rejoicing gathered other friends at -Briantes; on the following day occurred the fête given to the vassals, -a Pantagruelian banquet and dancing under the old walnut trees in the -enclosure. - -A competition in arquebus shooting was organized by Guillaume d'Ars. - -Mario suggested to the village urchins trials of skill in running and -sling-throwing, and obtained permission to resume, for the purposes of -that contest, his mountaineer's costume, in which he felt much more at -ease. - -He displayed an agility and skill which filled his competitors with -admiration. No one could dream for an instant of disputing the prize -with him; so he modestly withdrew from the competition, in order that -the prize might be awarded equitably to some other. - -The festivities were brought to a close by a ceremony at once artless -and ostentatious, and at bottom really touching. - -In the centre of the labyrinth in the garden rose a little -thatch-covered structure in imitation of a cottage. - -The marquis called it the _Palace of Astrée_. - -They carried thither the coarse patched clothes which Mario wore when he -first entered the domain of his ancestors. They fashioned them into a -sort of rustic trophy, with the poor guitar which had been his -breadwinner on his journey, and hung the whole inside the cottage, with -garlands of foliage and a card, whereon were written, under date of that -memorable day, these simple words, selected and executed in his finest -script by Lucilio: "_Remember that thou wast poor once on a time_." - -At the same time Mario was presented with a great basket containing -twelve new suits, which he had the pleasure of distributing to twelve -poor little boys grouped on the tiny stoop of the cottage. - -Lastly, the marquis ordered placed in the chapel of the parish church a -small mausoleum in marble, dedicated to the memory of the kindly and -saintly Abbé Anjorrant. Lucilio made the drawing and composed the -inscription. - -The guests separated and quiet reigned once more at the château of -Briantes. - -The marquis thereupon began to think seriously of his son's education. -But if he had been left to himself, amid the preoccupations concerning -dress which filled so much space in his life, his heir might very well -have forgotten what Abbé Anjorrant had taught him, to acquire valuable -notions concerning the art of the tailor, bootmaker, armorer and -decorator. Luckily, Lucilio was there, and he was able to steal a few -hours every day from those trivial pursuits. - -He too, the loving heart, grew to be ardently attached to his friend's -child, not only because of the friend, but also because of the child -himself, who, by virtue of his affectionate docility and the keenness of -his intellect, made the task of tutor, ordinarily so unpleasant and -wearing, most pleasurable. - -And yet Lucilio's task was not an easy one. He felt that he had charge -of a soul, and of an infinitely pure and precious soul. He strove, first -of all, to protect that youthful conscience with a fortress of beliefs -and convictions against all the tempests of the future. The times they -lived in were so unsettled! - -Certainly there was no lack of enlightenment or of most excellent -progressive ideas. It was the age of novelties, people said: detestable -novelties according to some, providential according to others. -Discussion was rife everywhere and among all classes; and then, just as -to-day and yesterday and always, vulgar minds believed that they had -discovered infallible truths. - -But the world of intellect had lost its unity. Calm and impartial minds -sought justice, sometimes in one camp, sometimes in the other; and as in -both camps intolerance, error and cruelty were of common occurrence, -scepticism found its profit in folding its arms and asserting the -incurable blindness and weakness of the human race. - -It was a period just subsequent to the bloody conflicts between the -Gomarists and Arminians. Arminius was no more; but Barneveldt had just -mounted the scaffold. Hugo Grotius had been sentenced to imprisonment -for life, and was meditating in prison his noble _Theory of the Law of -Nations_. The Reformers were widely at variance on the question of -predestination. Calvinism, with its appalling fatalistic doctrine, was -doomed in the consciences of right-minded men. The French Lutherans, -imitating Melancthon's return to the truth, and abandoning Luther's -deplorable doctrines concerning _free will_, now upheld divine justice -and human liberty. - -But right-minded men are scarce at all periods. The Calvinist sect and -its fervent ministers protested in a large part of France against what -they called a return to the heresy of Rome. - -The events that took place in our Southern provinces, the frenzied -meetings determining upon a resistance that had become anti-French, the -republican spirit, ill understood, seconding by obstinacy and ignorance -the deplorable projects of the Austro-Spanish policy, which aimed at -kindling civil war in France; the glorious but regrettable resistance at -Montauban; so much blood shed, so much heroism expended to perpetuate -the struggle which Rome and Austria found to their advantage, proved -plainly enough that the light of intelligence was behind a cloud, and -that no liberal mind could say to itself: "I will go into this church, I -will go into this army, and there I shall find unadulterated the best -social truths of my time." - -It was not advisable therefore to pay too much heed to facts, and when -one was well-informed and intelligent, to believe in any special truth -above all those which were preached throughout the world, since the -sword, the halter, the stake, murder, rape and pillage were the methods -of conversion used by the opposing parties in dealing with one another. - -Lucilio Giovellino reflected upon all these things and resolved to -proceed according to the Gospel as expounded by his own heart; for he -saw too clearly that that divine Book, in the hands of certain Catholics -and certain Protestants, might become and was becoming every day a code -of fatalism, a body of doctrine leading to brutalization and frenzy. - -So he began to instruct Mario in philosophy, history, languages and the -natural sciences all at the same time, trying to deduce from them all -the logic and kindness of God. His method was clear and his explanations -concise. - -Poor Lucilio had once been eloquent and had detested written speech; and -sometimes even now he suffered from being obliged to compress his -thought in a few words; but misfortune is always of some profit to the -elect. It happened that his disinclination to write long, and his -impatience to disclose his thought, compelled him and accustomed him to -summarize his ideas with marvellous clearness and force, and that the -child was nourished upon facts, without useless details and fatiguing -repetitions. - -The lessons were surprisingly short, and carried with them to that young -mind a certainty of insight which was exceedingly rare at that time, and -for good reason. - -Bois-Doré, for his part, albeit he directed his child's attention to -trivial and foolish things, kept him pure and good, by virtue of that -mysterious insufflation which takes place between one noble nature and -another, without volition or knowledge. - -All children are naturally disposed to resist too precise instruction; -they follow more readily an instinct which leads them, having itself no -knowledge where it is going. - -When the marquis was disturbed in his puerile occupations, to render a -service or give alms, he never displayed either vexation or weariness. -He would rise, listen, ask questions, encourage and act. - -Although naturally indolent and easy-going, he was never bored by any -complaint, never lost patience with any poor old woman's loquacity. -Thus, while apparently devoting his life to trifles, he passed very few -moments in that placid, benevolent life without doing good or affording -pleasure to somebody. - -Thus his day, always begun with fine projects of work for his son--he -gave the name of work to attention to the toilet and instruction in good -manners,--was passed without deciding upon anything, without undertaking -anything, and leaving everything to the wise decisions of Adamas and the -captivating caprices of the child. - - - - -XXXVIII - - -Meanwhile, after the lapse of a few weeks, they had succeeded in -equipping Mario as a gentleman of quality, thanks to Adamas's untiring -zeal and the Moorish woman's clever wit, and the marquis had succeeded -in giving him some notions of horsemanship and fencing. - -Moreover the old man and the child held mutually agreeable sessions -every morning for lessons in manners. The marquis would make his pupil -go in and out of the room ten times, to teach him how to enter -gracefully and courteously and how to retire modestly. - -"You see, my dear count," he would say--that was the hour at which they -were supposed to address each other with graceful formality,--"when a -gentleman has crossed the threshold and advanced three steps into an -apartment, judgment has already been passed upon him by such persons of -merit or of quality as happen to be present. It is most essential -therefore that all of his own merit and quality must appear in the -carriage of his body and the expression of his face. Until this day, you -have been received with caresses and affectionate familiarity, and have -been relieved from the necessity of conforming to social -conventionalities of which you could know nothing; but this indulgence -will speedily cease, and if people see that you retain rustic manners -under such garments as these, they will blame your own disposition or my -indifference. So let us work, my dear count; let us work seriously: let -us repeat that last courtesy, which lacks brilliancy, and try once more -entering the room, which you did languidly and without dignity." - -Mario was entertained by this sort of instruction, which gave him an -opportunity to array himself in his finest clothes, look at himself in -the mirrors and stalk proudly across the room. He was so clever and so -graceful, that it cost him little trouble to learn that species of -majestic ballet, in the most minute details of which he was carefully -drilled, and his old father, who was much more of a child than he, knew -how to make the lesson amusing. It was a complete course in pantomime, -wherein the marquis, despite his years, was still an excellent -performer. - -"Look you, my son," he would say, arranging his hair and his clothes in -a certain way, "this is the _matamora_ style; look carefully at what I -do, in order that you may avoid doing it, unless in sport, and always -abstain from it in good society." - -Thereupon he would represent a swaggering captain to the life, and Mario -would laugh until he rolled on the floor. For his own amusement he would -be permitted to enact the captain in his turn, and then it was the -marquis's turn to laugh until he fell back upon his chair exhausted; the -little fellow was such a clever, fascinating imp! - -But we must return to the lesson. - -Next the marquis would portray a loutish, dull, obtrusive boor, or a -sour, disagreeable pedant, or a sheepish simpleton; and as other actors -were needed to make the scene impressive, he would send for some members -of the household. They were fortunate when they could enlist Adamas and -Mercedes, who entered into the spirit of the thing with much zest and -cleverness. But Adamas was active and the Moor hardworking; they always -asked leave to go back to their work for Mario. - -Then they would fall back upon Clindor, who was most willing, but was -built like a jumping-jack, and Bellinde, who was delighted to represent -a lady of quality, but who played that part in the most absurd and -laughable way. The marquis rallied her good-humoredly and called -attention to her absurdities, to enforce his precepts upon Mario, who -was much given to mockery and who made merry over the housekeeper's -foibles in a way to mortify her exceedingly. - -She would go away in a rage, and Mario, laughing uproariously, and -forgetting that it was the hour for stately demeanor, would leap on the -marquis's knees, and kiss and fondle him; nor would the old man have the -courage to forbid him; for he too enjoyed it, nor was anything sweeter -to him than to have his child play with him as with a playmate of his -own age. - -After dinner, they rode together. The marquis had procured for his heir -several of the prettiest jennets in the world, and he was an excellent -teacher. And so with fencing; but these exercises fatigued the old man -exceedingly, and he substituted other teachers, limiting his efforts to -directing them. - -There was also a master in heraldry, who came twice each week. He bored -Mario considerably; but he made up his mind, with a resolution very rare -in a child, to object to nothing that his father imposed upon him so -gently. - -He consoled himself for his studies in heraldry with his beautiful -little horses, his pretty little arquebuses, and Lucilio's lessons, -which attracted and interested him deeply. - -He entertained for the mute a profound instinctive respect, whether -because his noble mind felt the superiority of so grand an intellect, or -because Mercedes's fervent veneration for Lucilio exerted a magnetic -influence upon him; for he remained in his heart the Moorish woman's -son, and, feeling that there existed a gentle jealousy between the -marquis and her on his account, he had the delicacy and the art to -devote himself equally to both, without arousing the apprehension of -those two childish hearts, at once generous and sensitive. - -He had already served an apprenticeship in this matter of consideration -for his adopted mother, when they were living with Abbé Anjorrant; it -was not difficult for him to continue. - -The study in which he took the most pleasure was that of music. - -In that too, Lucilio was an admirable teacher. His delightful talent -charmed the child and plunged him into blissful reveries. But this task, -which would have absorbed all the rest, was thwarted to some extent by -the marquis, who considered that a gentleman should not study an art to -the point of becoming an artist, but should learn first what was called -the profession of arms, then a little of everything; "the best possible -subjects," he would say, "but not too much of anything; for a man who is -very learned in one subject disdains all others, and ceases to be -attractive." - -Amid all these employments and amusements Mario grew to be the prettiest -boy imaginable. His complexion, naturally white, assumed a soft tone -like that of the inner petals of a flower, beneath the warm sun of -autumn in our provinces. His little hands, once rough and covered with -scratches, now gloved and cared for, became as soft as Lauriane's. His -magnificent chestnut hair was the pride and admiration of the -ex-wigmaker Adamas. - -The marquis had wasted his efforts to teach him grace and charm of -manner by rules; he had retained his natural charm, and, as for the -graceful manners of a gentleman, he had acquired them instinctively on -the first day, when he put on the satin doublet. - -So that the lessons in dancing which he received served only to develop -his physical organization, which was one of those which cannot be -destroyed. - -As soon as his wardrobe was supplied, the marquis took him to pay visits -to all the neighbors within ten leagues. - -The actual appearance of the child was a great event in the province, -for the jealous folk and the gossips had sneered about him at first as a -chimera and a shadow; but he assumed substance and reality every day. - -When people saw him riding rapidly through the streets of La Châtre on -his little horse, escorted by Clindor and Aristandre, they began to -screw up their eyes and say to one another: - -"So it was really true?" - -They asked what his name was and what his name was to be. Would the -marquis, a man of quality, be content to have for his heir a petty -country squire? But had he the right to bequeath his title and his -_three hens diademed argent_ to a Bouron? Would the present king permit -it? Was it not contrary to the laws and customs of the nobility? - -A momentous question! - -It was discussed for a fortnight, and then people ceased to discuss it; -for one soon wearies of subjects that require deep thought, and when -they saw the old marquis and the little count go out to dine with some -neighbor, both dressed exactly alike, whether in white _à la paysanne_, -or in sky blue trimmed with silver purl, or in apricot satin with white -feathers, or in _light green_, or in _peach pink_, with ribbons -interwoven with gold and silver, and both reposing gracefully on the -crimson cushions of the stately chariot, drawn by their beautiful great -horses as beplumed as themselves, and followed by an escort of servants -whom one might have taken for noblemen, so well mounted and well armed -they were, and resplendent with gold lace, there was not a noble, -bourgeois or villein, in town or village, who did not jump to his feet, -crying: - -"Up! up! I hear the marquis's carriage coming! Come quickly and let us -see the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré ride by!" - -While these things were taking place in the fortunate province of Berry, -the effervescence in the South of France was increasing in intensity. - -About the 15th of November, there came reliable intelligence that the -king had been obliged to raise the siege of Montauban. - -The young king was brave; he wept when he withdrew his forces. - -Luynes, who had declared that he would subdue the party by corrupting -its leaders, had failed to seduce Rohan, the commanding-general in the -province and defender of the city. It was proved, unfortunately, that -that high-spirited nobleman was one of the rare exceptions, and that -Luynes's system was successful with the majority of the rebellious -nobles; but that system of _purchase_ ruined France and debased the -nobility. - -Louis XIII. was conscious of it at times, and found his efforts -neutralized by the incapacity and unworthiness of his favorite. - -The army was inadequately supplied and poorly paid. The confusion was -scandalous; the king paid the wages of thirty thousand combatants, and -there was not an effective force of twelve thousand to take the field. -The officers were disheartened. Mayenne had been killed. The Spanish -Carmelite Domingo de Jesu-Maria, to whose sanctity and enthusiasm the -German fanatics attributed the victory of Prague, had prophesied in vain -under the walls of Montauban. - -False miracles find fewer believers in France than elsewhere. The -Calvinists raised their heads, and in the early days of December -Monsieur de Bois-Doré received a visit from Monsieur de Beuvre, who was -in a state of intense excitement and said to him in confidence: - -"I have come to consult you concerning a most important matter, my dear -neighbor. You know that, being closely allied to the Duc de Thouars, -head of the house of La Trémouille, to which I have the honor to -belong, I thought last spring of joining the people of La Rochelle. You -prevented me, assuring me that the duke would melt away like snow before -the king; and it happened as you predicted. But because my kinsman the -duke committed an error, it does not follow that I was justified in -doing the like, and I reproach myself for abandoning my cause, -especially at the moment when it is recovering strength." - -"Evidently your tongue betrays you, neighbor," replied Bois-Doré -artlessly; "you mean that the cause is in great need of you; for, if you -hurry to its assistance because it has the upper hand, I do not see -wherein your merit lies." - -"My dear marquis," replied De Beuvre, "you have always prided yourself -on your chivalrous notions; but I am a plain man, and I speak of things -as they are. You are rich, your fortune is made, your career is -finished; you can afford to philosophize. I, although I am not poor, -have lost much of my property through having played my hand badly in -these last years. I feel active still, and inaction is tedious to me. -And then I cannot endure the airs of superiority that the old Leaguers -assume here in our province. The mischief-making of the Jesuits drives -me frantic. Must I abjure, pray, if I wish to live in peace, like you?" - -"Like me?" said the marquis, with a smile. - -"I know that your abjuration did not make a great sensation," replied De -Beuvre; "but, however that may be, it is too early for me to do it; I -prefer to fight, and I have five or six years of activity and good -health to do it." - -"But you are very stout, neighbor!" - -"You think that I am growing stout, because you do not see yourself -getting thin, neighbor! It is you who are becoming hollower, not I more -corpulent." - -"Very well! I understand your reasons for making this campaign. You -think that it will be successful; but you are mistaken. The leaders and -the troops, the bourgeois and the ministers, all fight gallantly on a -certain day; but on the following day, they separate; they abhor one -another, they insult one another and each goes his own way. The game has -been lost ever since Saint Bartholomew, and the King of the Huguenots -won it only by abandoning the cause. He chose to be a Frenchman first of -all; and this that you propose will be of advantage neither to France -nor to yourself." - -De Beuvre could not endure contradiction. He persisted, and taunted the -marquis with his lack of religious principle, albeit he himself was the -most sceptical of men. - -As he listened to him, Bois-Doré saw plainly that he was tempted by the -excellent terms which the king was compelled to grant the Calvinist -nobles, whenever the royal cause received a check. De Beuvre was not a -man to sell himself, like so many others, but to fight stubbornly, and, -if victorious, to take advantage without scruple of the opportunity to -be most exacting in his demands. - -"Since your mind is made up," said the marquis gently, "you ought to -have told me so at once, instead of asking my advice. I have only one -other consideration to urge upon you. You propose to equip yourself and -take the best of your people with you for this campaign. Think of the -annoyance that may be caused your daughter if the Jesuits should take it -into their heads to call Monsieur de Condé's attention to your absence! -And be sure that they will not fail to do it, that the château of La -Motte-Seuilly will be occupied in the king's name by evil-minded men; -that your daughter will be exposed to insult----" - -"I do not fear that," said De Beuvre. "I shall be supposed to be at -Orléans, where everyone knows that I have a law-suit. I will go thence, -quietly, toward Guyenne, where I will assume some old _nom de guerre_, -as the custom is, to protect my property and my family during my -absence; I will be Captain Chandelle or Captain La Paille, or -Captain--no matter what." - -"All that is often done, I know," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but it doesn't -always succeed; I promise to defend your château as effectively as I -and my people can do it; but if I were not afraid of making an -indelicate suggestion, I would offer to take your Lauriane into my -family during your absence." - -"Offer, offer, neighbor! I accept, nor do I see wherein the indelicacy -consists. There is no impropriety in a woman's being in any place where -her virtue or her good name are not in danger, and I am entirely unable -to see that my daughter runs the risk of losing her heart or her reason, -with you who might be her grandfather, your little one who is only a -school-boy, your philosopher whose tongue cannot offend, and your page -who looks like a monkey. So I will bring her to you to-morrow, and leave -her with you until my return, well-assured that she will be happy and -safe under your roof, and that you will be to her, as to me, the best of -friends and neighbors." - -"You can rely upon it," replied Bois-Doré. "I will go to fetch her -myself. My chariot is large enough; she can put her most valuable -property in it, without letting the neighbors know too soon that she is -doing anything more than taking one of her ordinary excursions." - - - - -XXXIX - - -On the following morning Lauriane was installed at Briantes, in the -Salle des Verdures, which the ingenious Adamas soon converted into a -luxurious and comfortable apartment. - -The Moor asked leave to wait upon the young lady, who inspired -confidence and sympathy in her, and Lauriane, who on her side had much -regard and liking for her, asked her to sleep in the closet adjoining -her enormous room. - -Lauriane parted from her father most courageously. The noble-hearted -child, living herself on faith and enthusiasm, suspected no selfish -calculation on his part. She would have found it difficult to understand -what it meant to be guided in one's reasoning, doubts and decisions by -personal interest. She knew that her father was as brave as a lion and -that his quick temper and the pride of gentle birth made him frank and -outspoken; that was enough for her to make a hero of him. - -He was conscious of the innocence and the noble instincts of that young -mind, and he would not have dared to lower himself in her esteem by -allowing her to discover how much more truly than she supposed he was -the _honest man_ of his time; that is to say, the man who did as little -harm as possible, while taking care to keep his neck out of the collar. - -The day of ideal virtues had passed: the world had entered "the brambles -of that shocking 17th century; an imposing desert, wherein moral and -material subsistence becomes more and more inadequate, wherein nature at -last ceases to support man; wherein the exhausted earth fails under -him."[24] Men who had grown old in the struggles of the preceding -century were not the men to rejuvenate the new century. But the children -had courage; they always have when they are left to themselves! - -Lauriane, moved to enthusiasm by the gallant conduct of the Rohans and -La Forces at Montauban, urged her father to go, believing that his only -thought was to uphold the honor of the cause, and that he, like herself, -had naught in view but to preserve, at the price of fortune, of life, if -need be, the dignity and liberty of conscience granted by Henri IV. - -She did not shed a tear as she gave him the last kiss; she followed him -with her eyes along the road, as long as she could see him; and, when he -was out of sight, she returned to her room and fell to sobbing. - -Mercedes, who was working in the closet, heard her and walked to the -door, but dared not approach. She regretted that she did not know her -language so that she could comfort her. - -The maternal instinct was so strong within her that she could not see a -young heart suffer without suffering herself, and without a feeling that -she must go to its aid. She thought of going in search of Mario; it -seemed to her that no sorrow could hold out against the aspect and the -caresses of her beloved child. - -Mario came softly in on tiptoe and stood close beside Lauriane without -betraying his presence. Lauriane was already his darling sister. She was -so kind to him, so playful, so anxious to amuse him when he passed the -day with her! - -Seeing her weep, he was frightened; he believed, with everybody else, -that Monsieur de Beuvre was absent for a few days only. - -He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she had placed her feet, -and gazed at her speechless. At last he ventured to take her hands. - -She started, looked up, and saw before her that angelic face, smiling at -her through tear-bedewed eyes. Touched by the child's sensibility, she -pressed him to her heart with the utmost warmth and kissed his lovely -hair. - -"What is the matter, pray, my Lauriane?" he asked, emboldened by this -outburst. - -"Why, my poor darling," she replied, "your Lauriane is grieved, as you -would be if your dear father the marquis should go away." - -"But your papa will return soon; he told you so when he went." - -"Alas! my Mario, who can say that he will return at all? When one is -travelling, you know----" - -"Has he gone very far away?" - -"No, but--Nay, nay, I will not make you unhappy. I must go out and take -the air. Will you come with me and find your dear father?" - -"Yes," said Mario, "he is in the garden. Let us go. Would you like me to -go and get my white goat to amuse you with her capers?" - -"We will go together to look for her; come!" - -She went out leaning on his arm, not like a lady leaning on the arm of a -gallant, but like a mother, with her boy's arm passed through hers. - -As they descended the stairs they found Mercedes, whose lovely eyes -rested caressingly on them as they passed. Lauriane, who could make -herself understood by signs, needed only to look at her to understand -her. She divined her loving solicitude and held out her hand, which -Mercedes would have kissed. But Lauriane would not permit it, and kissed -her on both cheeks. - -Never before had a Christian kissed the Moor, although she was herself a -Christian. Bellinde would have considered that she disgraced herself by -bestowing the slightest caress upon her, and, deeming her a heathen, she -even objected to eating in her company. - -The noble-hearted little dame's fascinating cordiality was therefore one -of the greatest joys in that poor creature's life, and, from that -moment, she almost divided her affection between her and Mario. - -She had always refused to try to learn a word of French, even striving -to forget the little Spanish that she knew, having an exaggerated fear -of forgetting the language of her fathers, as she had sometimes found -that it was forgotten by Moors isolated from their countrymen in foreign -lands, to whom she had not been able to make herself intelligible. -Hitherto it had been sufficient for her to be able to speak with the -learned Abbé Anjorrant, with Mario, and of late with Lucilio. But the -longing to talk with Lauriane and the kind-hearted marquis caused her to -overcome her repugnance. Indeed, she felt that it was her duty to -acquire the language of those affectionate people, who treated her as a -member of their race and their family. - -Lauriane undertook to act as her teacher, and in a short time they were -able to understand each other. - -Lauriane soon found herself very happy at Briantes, and, if it had not -been for the absence of her father, from whom, however, she soon -received good news, she would have been happier than she had ever been -in her life. - -At La Motte-Seuilly she was almost always alone, as the robust De Beuvre -hunted in all weathers, loving to tire himself out; and, despite his -affection for her, he neglected the innumerable little delicate -attentions, the ingenious indulgences which the marquis placed at the -service of women and children. - -Brought up somewhat sternly, she had had to resign herself to be a -little stern to herself, especially as the idea of a long widowhood had -presented itself to her mind as a result of the environment and the -circumstances in which her lot was cast. There had been moments when, -although she was not as yet conscious of a desire to lean upon a heart -not far removed in age from her own, she had felt that her own courage -bruised her, like a suit of armor that was too heavy for her slender -limbs. She had hardened herself by outbursts of piety and of resolution; -she had already almost succeeded in forcing herself to laugh when she -longed to weep; but nature resumed its rights. - -When alone, she often wept in spite of herself, involuntarily yearning -for companionship, affection, a mother, a sister, a brother, a smile, a -pleasant word which would assist her to breathe and bloom in a softer -air than that of the chilling gloom of her old manor-house, the -depressing memory of the Borgias, and the political harangues of her -satirical and discontented father. - -Thus a rapid transformation took place in her at Briantes. She became -what she longed to be, what she could not have ceased to be except for a -painful straining of her will, and what nature willed that she should be -once more: a child. - -The marquis, having joyously cast aside the thought of making her his -wife, resolutely treated her as his daughter, taking pleasure in the -idea that she was so young that he could readily, without making himself -out too old, look upon her as Mario's older sister. - -Moreover it happened that his extraordinary coquetry was even better -served by two children than by a single one. Those youthful companions, -whose delicate colors he loved to wear, and whose innocent amusements he -loved to partake, made him younger in his own opinion, to such a degree -that he sometimes persuaded himself that he was a mere boy. - -"There are people who grow old, you see," he would say to Adamas; "I am -not one of that sort, for I enjoy myself only with innocent youth. I -tell you, my friend, I have returned to my golden age, and my ideas are -as pure and joyous as those of the little sweetheart and cherub yonder." - -Thus Lauriane, Mario and the marquis became inseparable, and their days -passed in a constant succession of amusements interspersed with earnest -study and good deeds. - -Lauriane had had no education at all. She knew nothing. She desired to -attend the lessons Jovelin gave Mario in the large salon. She would -listen, embroidering the marquis's crest upon a piece of tapestry; and -when Mario had read or recited his lesson, he would place Lucilio's -written demonstrations on her lap and read them over with her. Lauriane -was amazed to find how readily she understood things that she had -believed to be beyond a woman's intelligence. - -She enjoyed the music lesson exceedingly, and sometimes played the -theorbo prettily while the Moor sang her sweet laments. - -The marquis would lie stretched out in his long chair throughout these -little concerts, gazing at the characters on the _Astrée_ tapestry, and -would doze beatifically, fancying that he saw them move or heard them -sing. - -Lucilio too had his share in this family happiness, which caused him to -forget to some extent the solitude of his heart and his ghastly future. - -The stern yet simple-minded philosopher was not yet too old to love; but -he thought that he ought not to aspire to it, and, after having felt its -ardent flames more than once, he feared that he might fall into some -mere sensual connection, in which his heart would not be included. He -resigned himself therefore to live by devotion to others and to abandon -all illusions finally and absolutely. - -He who had endured imprisonment, exile and poverty, and had undergone -martyrdom, appealed to himself to conquer the craving for happiness as -he had conquered all the rest, and he always emerged tranquillized and -triumphant from these meditations; but triumphant as one is after the -torture: a blending of feverish excitement and prostration, on one side -the heart, on the other the body; a life whose equilibrium is destroyed -and in which the mind can no longer tell in what sort of a world it is. - -And yet Lucilio exaggerated his misfortune to himself. He was beloved, -not by a mind of rare intelligence--that is what he needed, at least he -thought so, to reconcile himself to his tragic destiny--but by a heart. - -Before his learning and his genius, Mercedes was like a rose before the -sun. She drank in its rays without understanding them; but she was -enamored of his gentleness, his courage and his virtue, and her loving -heart was prostrate before him. She did not resist the sentiment, but -cherished it as a religious duty; she said nothing, however, because she -had more fear than hope. - -We must not forget to mention in its place a little domestic revolution -that occurred at the château of Briantes a few days after Monsieur de -Beuvre's departure; for the importance of this seemingly trivial -incident became grievously manifest later to the too happy inmates of -the château. - -Although the younger of the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré was not always -the more child-like, Mario sometimes displayed a mischievous tendency, -especially when, as Adamas expressed it, "he and the little madame had -had their heads together." He was too kind-hearted and affectionate ever -to torment animals or human beings; he never had occasion to reproach -himself for pulling Fleurial's ear or addressing an unpleasant word to -Clindor; but inanimate things did not always inspire in him the respect -that certain of them inspired in the marquis. Of this number were the -little statues from the romance of _Astrée_, which embellished the -gardens of _Isaure_ and the famous labyrinth, and the den of old Mandrague, -by which he had been much entertained at first, but which gradually -began to pall upon him as playthings too utterly devoid of life. - -One day, when he was trying a great wooden sabre which Aristandre had -carved for him, he pretended to threaten with it one of the stucco -personages representing the disguised Filandre, that is to say the -_pretended_ Filandre, because, as everyone knows, resembling his sister -Callirée so closely that it was impossible to distinguish them, he -donned female clothes in order to obtain admission to the private -apartments of the nymph he loved. - -The shepherd was represented in that female disguise, and the artist -employed to mould the figures, trusting to the explicitly alleged -resemblance of the brother and sister, had ventured to spare his -imagination some labor by employing the same model for the two figures -facing each other, with those of Amidor, Daphnis, etc., in the -_rond-point_ of verdure, called the _grove of the errors of love_. - -So, to distinguish the brother from the sister, the marquis had written -on the pedestal of the brother a fragment of the long monologue which -begins thus: "O vainglorious Filandre, who can ever pardon thy fault, -etc.?" - -That crafty individual's face was so stupid, that Mario, while not -precisely hating him, loved to laugh at him and threaten him. He had -previously dealt him several harmless blows; but on this day, seeing -that the challenge he hurled at him amused Lauriane, he aimed a -sword-thrust at him with more force than he intended, and sent poor -Filandre's nose flying to the ground. - -The exploit was no sooner performed than the child regretted it. His -father was as fond of Filandre as of the other shepherds. - -Lauriane, after much searching, found the unfortunate nose in the grass, -and Mario, climbing on the pedestal, stuck it on as well as he could -with clay. But it was frosty weather and the next morning the nose was -on the ground. They stuck it on again; but the disguised Filandre was -such an idiot that he could not keep his nose, and at last the marquis -passed by at a time when he was without it. - -Mario confessed; kind-hearted Sylvain saw his remorse and did not scold -him. But the next day not only was Filandre minus his nose, but his -sister Callirée; and on the next day Filidas and the incomparable Diane -herself were in the same plight. - -This time Bois-Doré was seriously distressed and sorrowfully reproved -his child, who began to weep bitterly, declaring with evident sincerity -that he had never in his life broken off any other nose than the -vainglorious Filandre's. Lauriane also asserted her young friend's -innocence. - -"I believe you, my children, I believe you," said the marquis, dismayed -by Mario's tears. "But why this grief, my son, since you are not the -culprit? Come, come, do not weep any more. I blamed you too hastily; do -not punish me for it by your tears." - -They embraced affectionately, but this massacre of noses was most -surprising, and Lauriane observed to the marquis that some crafty and -evil disposed person must have done it for the purpose of making Mario -guilty in his eyes. - -"That is certain," replied the marquis, thoughtfully. "It is one of the -vilest deeds imaginable, and I would like right well to find the author -of it and condemn him to lose his own nose! I would give him a good -fright, on my word!" - -However, they tried to look upon it as nothing more than a piece of -childish folly, and suspicion fell upon the youngest person in the -château next to Mario. But Clindor displayed such righteous indignation -that the marquis had to apologize to him too. - -On the following day, two or three more noses were missing, and the -indignant Adamas caused a guard to be stationed day and night in the -garden. - -The vandalism ceased, and honest Lucilio, touched by Bois-Doré's -distress, compounded an Italian paste by means of which, with much -patience, he neatly replaced all the noses. - -But who could be the perpetrator of the crime? Adamas suspected; but the -marquis, refusing to believe that anyone in his household was capable of -such infamous conduct, attributed it to some agent of Monsieur Poulain. - -"That hypocrite," he said, "considering us all heathens and idolaters, -probably imagined that we worshipped those statues! And yet, Adamas, -they are all modest and decently dressed, as it is fitting that they -should be in a place where our children go to and fro." - -"I would say with you that it is some villain who very evidently -entertains the detestable desire to cause monsieur le comte to be -scolded. Now, everybody here would lay down his life for him, they all -love him so, except one detestable creature----" - -"No, no, Adamas!" rejoined the generous-hearted marquis. "It is -impossible! It would be too hateful on the part of one of the fair sex." - -They were beginning to forget this momentous affair when something even -more unpleasant occurred. - - -[Footnote 24: Michelet, unpublished letter.] - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE -BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <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:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré Vol. 01 (of 2)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>The masterpieces of George Sand Vol. 9</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: George Sand</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: G. Burnham Ives</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: H. Atalaya</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 12, 2022 [eBook #69331]<br> -[Most recently updated: December 18, 2022]</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 LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" alt="500"> -</div> - -<h1>THE MASTERPIECES OF -<br> -GEORGE SAND</h1> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h2>AMANDINE LUCILLE AURORE DUPIN,<br> -BARONESS DUDEVANT</h2> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3>VOLUME IX</h3> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3>LES BEAUX<br> -MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ</h3> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="frontispiece"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/bois01_frontispiece.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE -BREUVE.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"><i>He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she -had placed her feet, and gazed at her speechless. -At last he ventured to take her hands.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2>The Masterpieces of George Sand<br> -Amandine Lucille Aurore Dupin, Baroness<br> -Dudevant, <i>NOW FOR THE FIRST<br> -TIME COMPLETELY TRANSLATED<br> -INTO ENGLISH LES<br> -BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ<br> -BY G. BURNHAM IVES</i></h2> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3><i>WITH TWELVE PHOTOGRAVURES AFTER PAINTINGS BY<br> -H. ATALAYA.</i></h3> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3><i>VOLUME I</i></h3> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h4><i>PRINTED ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS BY<br> -GEORGE BARRIE & SON<br> -PHILADELPHIA</i></h4> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> -<p class="nind"> -CHAPTER <a href="#I">I</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#II">II</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#III">III</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#IV">IV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#V">V</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#VI">VI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#VII">VII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#VIII">VIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#IX">IX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#X">X</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XI">XI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XII">XII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XIII">XIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XIV">XIV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XV">XV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XVI">XVI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XVII">XVII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XVIII">XVIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XIX">XIX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XX">XX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXI">XXI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXII">XXII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXIII">XXIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXIV">XXIV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXV">XXV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXVI">XXVI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXVII">XXVII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXVIII">XXVIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXIX">XXIX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXX">XXX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXI">XXXI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXII">XXXII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXIII">XXXIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXIV">XXXIV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXV">XXXV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXVI">XXXVI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXVII">XXXVII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXVIII">XXXVIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXIX">XXXIX</a></p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -<br> -LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ -<br> -VOLUME I -</h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<a href="#frontispiece">MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE BEUVRE</a><br> - -<a href="#figure01">MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR</a><br> - -<a href="#figure02">BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS PROTÉGÉ</a><br> - -<a href="#figure03">MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN THE MARQUIS</a><br> - -<a href="#figure04">MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY</a><br> - -<a href="#figure05">THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS AND D'ALVIMAR</a></p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4>LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ</h4> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="I">I</a></h4> - -<p> -Among the numerous protégés of the favorite Concini, one of the least -remarked, yet one of the most remarkable by reason of his wit, -education, and the distinction of his manners, was Don Antonio -d'Alvimar, a Spaniard of Italian origin, who styled himself Sciarra -d'Alvimar. He was a very pretty cavalier, whose face denoted a man of no -more than twenty years, although at that time he confessed to thirty. -Rather short than tall, muscular without seeming to be so, skilful in -all manly exercises, he was certain to interest the ladies by the gleam -of his bright and penetrating eyes and by the charm of his conversation, -which was as light and agreeable with the fair sex as it was solid and -substantial with serious-minded men. He spoke the principal languages of -Europe almost without accent, and was no less versed in the ancient -languages. -</p> -<p> -Despite all these appearances of merit, Sciarra d'Alvimar formed no -scheme for his own advancement amid the constant intriguing at the court -of the Regent; at all events, any that he may have dreamed of came to -nothing. He confessed afterward, in the strictest privacy, that he had -aspired to make himself agreeable to no less a personage than Marie de -Médicis herself, and to replace his own master and patron, Maréchal -d'Ancre, in that queen's good graces. -</p> -<p> -But the <i>balorda</i>, as Leonora Galigai called her, paid no attention to -the humble Spaniard, and saw in him only a paltry adventurer—a -subaltern without future prospects. Did she even notice Monsieur -d'Alvimar's real or feigned passion? That is something that history does -not divulge and that D'Alvimar himself never knew. -</p> -<p> -It is not an unreasonable supposition that he would have been capable of -pleasing the Regent by his wit and the charms of his person, had not her -thoughts been occupied by Concini. The favorite was of even lower -origin, and was not half so intelligent as he. But D'Alvimar had within -himself an obstacle to his attainment of the exalted fortune enjoyed by -the successful courtiers of the day—an obstacle which his ambition -could not overcome. -</p> -<p> -He was a bigoted Catholic, and he had all the faults of the intolerant -Catholics of the Spain of Philip II. Suspicious, restless, vindictive, -implacable, he had abundance of faith nevertheless; but faith without -love and without light, faith falsified by the passions and hatreds of a -political system which identified itself with religion, "to the great -displeasure of the merciful and indulgent God, whose kingdom is not so -much of this world as of the other;" that is to say, if we apprehend -aright the thought of the contemporary author to whom we look for -information from time to time, the God whose conquests are supposed to -extend through the moral world by charity, and not through the material -world by the use of violence. -</p> -<p> -It is impossible to say that France would not have been subjected in -some degree to the régime of the Inquisition, in the event that -Monsieur d'Alvimar had obtained possession of the Regent's heart and -mind; but such was not the case, and Concini, whose sole crime was that -he was not noble enough by birth to be entitled to rob and pillage as -freely as a genuine great nobleman of those days, remained until his -tragic death the arbiter of the Regents uncertain and venal policy. -</p> -<p> -After the murder of the favorite, D'Alvimar, who had compromised himself -seriously in his service in the affair of the <i>Paris serjean</i>,<a id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> was -compelled to disappear to avoid being involved in the prosecution of -Leonora. -</p> -<p> -He would have been very glad to insinuate himself into the service of -the new favorite, the king's favorite, Monsieur de Luynes, but he could -not bring it about; and, although he had no more scruples than "most -courtiers of his time, he felt that he could not stoop to the shuffling -of the royal party, whose policy was to yield many points to the -Calvinists, whenever they saw reason to hope that they could purchase -the submission of the princes who made use of the Reformed religion to -forward their ambition." -</p> -<p> -When Queen Marie was in open disgrace, Sciarra d'Alvimar considered it -to be for his interest to display his fidelity to her cause. He -reflected that parties are never without resources, and that they all -have their day. Moreover, the queen, even though she were to remain in -exile, might still make the fortunes of her faithful adherents. -Everything is relative, and D'Alvimar was so poor that the gifts of a -royal personage, however nearly ruined she might be, offered an -excellent chance for him. -</p> -<p> -He exerted himself, therefore, to assist in planning the escape from the -château of Blois, even as he had been employed, several years before, -in the third or fourth rôles in the various political dramas evolved -sometimes by the diplomatic manœuvres of Philip III., sometimes by -those of Marie de Médicis, their aim being to bring about <i>the -marriages</i>.<a id="FNanchor_2_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_1" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> -</p> -<p> -This Monsieur d'Alvimar was, generally speaking, sufficiently shrewd in -the interests of others, discreet and ready for work; but he was often -reproached with having a mania for giving his advice "where he should -have been content to follow that of other people," and for exhibiting an -ability of which he should have been content to leave the credit to his -superiors, "being as yet only an unimportant personage." -</p> -<p> -Thus, despite his zeal, he did not succeed in drawing upon himself the -queen mothers attention, and, at the time of Marie's retirement to -Angers, he was lost to sight among the subaltern officers, tolerated -rather than popular. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was touched by these numerous rebuffs. Nothing seemed to -profit him, neither his comely face nor his fine manners, nor his -respectable birth, nor his learning, his penetration, his courage, his -agreeable and instructive conversation: "people did not like him." He -made a pleasant impression at first, but then—very quickly -too—people were disgusted by a touch of bitterness which he soon -displayed; or else they distrusted a flavor of ambition which he -inopportunely allowed to appear. He was neither Spanish enough nor -Italian enough, or, perhaps, he was too much of both: one day as -talkative, persuasive and supple as a young Venetian; the next day as -haughty, obstinate and gloomy as an old Castilian. -</p> -<p> -All his disappointments were intensified by a certain secret remorse -which he did not reveal until his last hour, and which, as the narrative -proceeds, will be forcibly dragged forth from the oblivion in which he -wished to bury it. -</p> -<p> -Despite our careful investigations, we lose sight of him more than once -during the years that elapsed between the death of Concini and the last -year of Luynes's life; with the exception of a few words in our -manuscript concerning his presence at Blois and at Angers, we find no -fact worthy of mention in his obscure and unhappy life until the year -1621, when, while the king was carrying on the siege of Montauban with -such ill success, young D'Alvimar was in Paris, still in the suite of -the queen-mother, who had been reconciled with her son after the affair -of the Ponts-de-Cé. -</p> -<p> -At that time D'Alvimar had renounced the hope of winning her favor, and -perhaps he, too, in his rancorous heart called her <i>balorda</i>, -although for the first time she had given proof of good sense by -bestowing her confidence—and it was said her heart—upon -Armand Duplessis. There was a rival whom D'Alvimar could hardly hope to -outshine! Moreover, the queen, under Richelieu's guidance, adopted the -policy of Henry IV. and Sully. She combated for the moment the Spanish -influence in Germany, and D'Alvimar found himself almost in disgrace, -when, to cap the climax of his misfortunes, he became involved in a most -unpleasant affair. -</p> -<p> -He fell into a dispute with another Sciarra, a Sciarra Martinengo, whom -Marie de Médicis employed much more freely, and who refused to -acknowledge him as a kinsman. They fought: Sciarra Martinengo was -severely wounded, and it came to Marie's ears that Monsieur Sciarra -d'Alvimar had not scrupulously observed the laws of the duello as -practised in France. -</p> -<p> -She summoned him to her presence and reprimanded him most brutally; -whereupon D'Alvimar retorted with the bitterness that had been long -heaping up within him. He succeeded in leaving Paris before measures -were taken for his arrest, and, early in November, arrived at the -château of Ars, in Berry, in the Duchy of Châteauroux. -</p> -<p> -It will be well enough to state the reasons which led him to seek that -place of refuge in preference to any other. -</p> -<p> -About six weeks before his unfortunate duel, Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar -had been brought into social relations with Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, an -amiable and wealthy young man, descended in a straight line from the -gallant Louis d'Ars, who had effected the honorable retreat from -Venouze, in 1504, and was killed at the battle of Pavia. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume d'Ars had been fascinated by D'Alvimar's wit and by the very -great affability of which he was capable when the spirit moved him. He -had not had time to become well enough acquainted with him to conceive -the species of antipathy which the unfortunate young man almost -inevitably inspired, after a few weeks, in those who were much in his -company. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, Monsieur d'Ars was a youth with little experience of the -world, and, as may well be believed, without great penetration. He had -been reared in the provinces, and had just made his first appearance in -Parisian society, when he met D'Alvimar, and became infatuated with him -because of the superior skill which he displayed, on occasion, in -horsemanship, hunting and tennis-playing. Generous and lavish, Guillaume -placed his purse and his arm at the Spaniard's service, and warmly urged -him to visit him at his château in Berry, whither he was recalled by -business of some sort. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar profited discreetly by his new friend's generosity. Although -he had many faults, he could not be accused of showing any lack of pride -in the way of accepting offers of money, and yet God knows that he was -not rich, and that the whole of his slender revenue was none too much to -meet the demands of his wardrobe and his horses. He indulged in no -follies, and, "by the most painstaking economy, succeeded in appearing -as well clad and mounted as many others whose pockets were better lined -than his." -</p> -<p> -But when he found that he was threatened with a criminal prosecution, he -remembered the overtures and invitations of the young Berry squire, and -adopted the wise plan of seeking refuge with him. -</p> -<p> -He judged from what Guillaume had told him of his district, that it was -at that period the most tranquil province in France. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur le Prince de Condé was its governor, and, being thoroughly -content with the fat sum by which he had been bought, he passed his time -partly in his château of Montrond at Saint Amand, partly in his good -city of Bourges, where he was heartily engaged in the king's service, -and even more heartily in that of the Jesuits. -</p> -<p> -This so-called tranquillity of Berry would be considered in our day a -state of civil war, for many things were taking place there which we -shall narrate in their proper time and place; but it was a state of -perfect peace and orderliness if we compare it with what was taking -place elsewhere, and especially with what had taken place in the -preceding century. -</p> -<p> -Thus Sciarra d'Alvimar was justified in hoping that he would not be -molested in one of the old châteaux of lower Berry, where the -Calvinists had attempted no sudden outbreaks for several years, and where -the royalist nobles, former Leaguers, <i>politiques</i> and others, no -longer had the opportunity or the pretext to revictual their men-at-arms -at the expense of their neighbors, friends or foes. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar reached the château of Ars one morning in autumn, about eight -o'clock, accompanied by a single servant, an old Spaniard, who claimed -to be of noble birth, but whom want had reduced to the necessity of -taking service, and who seemed in little danger of betraying his -master's secrets, for he spoke very little—sometimes not three words -a week. -</p> -<p> -Both were well mounted, and, although their horses were laden with heavy -boxes, they had made the journey from Paris in less than seven days. -</p> -<p> -The first person whom they saw in the courtyard of the castle was its -young lord, Guillaume, just mounting for something more than a morning's -ride, for he was attended by several of his retainers, prepared to ride -forth with him—that is to say, with their horses laden with luggage. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! you arrive in the nick of time!" he cried, hastening to embrace -D'Alvimar; "I am just setting out to witness the fêtes to be given by -Monsieur le Prince at Bourges, to celebrate the birth of his son, the -Duc d'Enghien.<a id="FNanchor_3_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_1" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> There will be whole days of dancing and play-acting, -target-shooting, fireworks, and a thousand other amusing things. Now you -have come, I will postpone my departure for a few hours so that you can -go with me. Come into my house, and rest and eat. I will see to it that -you are supplied with a fresh horse, for the one you are riding, well as -he looks, can hardly be in condition to do eighteen more leagues -to-day." -</p> -<p> -When D'Alvimar was alone with his host, he told him confidentially that -he could not dream of attending any public festivities, and that what he -desired of him was not to be taken to any such function, however -diverting, but to be concealed in his château for a few weeks. Nothing -more was needed in those days to assure oblivion touching an affair so -frequent and so simple as death or wounds inflicted on an enemy, whether -in single combat or otherwise. It was merely a matter of securing a -protector at court, and D'Alvimar was relying upon the speedy arrival at -Paris of the Duke of Lerma, whose kinsman he was or claimed to be. The -duke was a personage of sufficient note to obtain his pardon, and even -to place his fortunes upon a better footing than before. -</p> -<p> -Our Spaniard's version of his duel with Sciarra Martinengo—whether he -attempted to explain his having attacked him in violation of the rules, -or claimed to have been slandered in that respect, to Queen Marie as -well as to Monsieur de Luynes—was a matter to which Guillaume d'Ars -paid little heed. Like the loyal gentleman that he was, he had been -fascinated by D'Alvimar, and had no distrust of him. Moreover, he was -much more anxious to start than to remain behind, and it would have been -impossible to surprise him when he was less inclined to discuss any -question whatsoever. -</p> -<p> -So he dismissed the serious part of the affair very lightly, and was -disturbed only by the possibility of being detained another day from the -fêtes at the capital of Berry. Doubtless there was, behind his -impatience, some <i>amourette</i> to be carried to a conclusion. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who saw his embarrassment, urged him to make no change in his -plans, but to suggest some village or farm on his domain where he could -safely remain. -</p> -<p> -"It is my desire to shelter and conceal you in my own château, and not -in a village or a farm-house," Guillaume replied. "And yet I fear you -will be sadly bored in such seclusion, and, upon reflection, I have -thought of a better plan. Eat and drink; then I will myself escort you -to the abode of a kinsman and friend of my own who lives not more than -an hour's ride from here. There you will be as pleasantly entertained -and in as perfect security as possible in our province of Lower Berry. -In four or five days I will come and take you away again." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar would have preferred to remain alone, but, as Guillaume -insisted, courtesy compelled him to assent. He refused to eat or drink, -and, remounting at once, he followed Guillaume d'Ars, who took with him -his retinue all equipped for travelling, as the road they were to take -deviated very slightly from the Bourges road. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>Picard the shoemaker, a sergeant in the bourgeois -train-bands, where he possessed great influence. Concini, having -undertaken to disregard an order which Picard compelled him to obey, -caused the sergeant to be cudgelled. The popular wrath was so fierce -that Concini deemed his life in danger and left Paris. Two valets who -had acted for him were hanged.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_2_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_1"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>Of Louis XIII. to Anne of Austria, and of Elisabeth, the -young king's sister.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_3_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_1"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>Who became the great Condé.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="II">II</a></h4> - -<p> -They left the château by way of the warren, rode through a by-path to -the Bourges highroad, from which they soon turned to the right, and then -through other by-paths to the Château Meillant road, leaving on their -right the baronial town of La Châtre, and finally, leaving the -last-mentioned road, they descended across the fields to the château -and village of Briantes, which was the goal of their journey. -</p> -<p> -As the country was really peaceful, the two gentlemen had ridden on -ahead of their little escort, in order that they might converse without -restraint; and this is how young D'Ars enlightened D'Alvimar: -</p> -<p> -"The friend upon whom I propose to quarter you," he said, "is the most -extraordinary personage in Christendom. You must keep a close watch upon -yourself in order to stifle a wild desire to laugh when you are with -him; but you will be well rewarded for such tolerance as you may display -of his mental peculiarities by the great kindness of heart he will -manifest to everybody he meets. He is so kind-hearted that, if you -should happen to forget his name and ask the first passer-by, noble or -serf, where the <i>kind gentleman</i> lives, he will direct you, and never -make a mistake as to the person you mean. But this requires an -explanation, and, as your horse has no great desire to hurry, and as it -is only nine o'clock at the latest, I propose to entertain you with your -host's story. Listen, I begin! <i>Story of the kind Monsieur de -Bois-Doré</i>! -</p> -<p> -"As you are a foreigner, and have been in France no more than ten years, -you can hardly have met him, because he has been living on his estate -about the same time. Otherwise, you would certainly have remarked, -wherever you might have chanced to see him, the good, mad, gallant, -noble old Marquis de Bois-Doré, to-day lord of Briantes, Guinard, -Validé and other places; also, <i>abbé fiduciaire</i> of Varennes, etc., -etc. -</p> -<p> -"Despite all these titles, Bois-Doré does not belong to the great -nobility of the province, and we are related to him by marriage only. He -is a simple gentleman whom the late King Henri IV. made a marquis solely -through friendship, and who made a fortune, no one very well knows how, -in the wars of the Béarnais. We are compelled to believe that he must -have done more or less sacking and pillaging, as the custom was in those -days, and as is the well recognized privilege of partisan warfare. -</p> -<p> -"I will not attempt to describe Bois-Doré's campaigns; it would take -too long. Let me tell you his family history simply. His father, -Monsieur de——" -</p> -<p> -"Stay," said Monsieur d'Alvimar; "so this Monsieur de Bois-Doré is a -heretic, is he?" -</p> -<p> -"Ah! deuce take it," replied his guide, laughing, "I forgot that you are -a zealot—a genuine Spaniard! We fellows hereabout do not care so much -about these religious disputes. The province has suffered too much -because of them, and we long for the time when France shall suffer no -more. We hope that the king will soon bring all those fanatics of the -South to terms at Montauban. We want them to have a sound thrashing, but -not the cord and the stake to which our fathers would have treated them. -Political parties are not what they used to be, and in our day people -don't damn one another so much as they used. But I see that my remarks -displease you, and I hasten to inform you that Monsieur de Bois-Doré is -to-day as good a Catholic as many others who have never ceased to be -Catholics. On the day when the Béarnais concluded that Paris was well -worth a mass, Bois-Doré concluded that the king could not be in error, -and he abjured the doctrine of Geneva, without publicity, but sincerely, -I think." -</p> -<p> -"Return to the story of Monsieur de Bois-Doré's family," said -D'Alvimar, who did not choose to let his companion see with what -suspicious contempt he regarded new converts. -</p> -<p> -"As you please," replied the young man. "Our marquis's father was the -sturdiest Leaguer in the neighborhood. He was the <i>âme damnée</i> of -Monsieur Claude de la Châtre and the Barbançois; I need say no more. -He had, in the château where he lived, a nice little assortment of -instruments of torture for such Huguenots as he might capture, and did -not hesitate to plant his own vassals on the wooden horse when they -could not pay their dues. -</p> -<p> -"He was so feared and detested by everybody, that he was universally -known as the <i>cheti' monsieur</i>, and with good reason. -</p> -<p> -"His son, now Marquis de Bois-Doré, whose baptismal name is Sylvain, -suffered so heavily from his father's cruel disposition, that he began -at an early age to take an entirely different view of life, and showed -toward his father's prisoners and vassals a gentleness and condescension -that were perhaps too great on the part of a man of war toward rebels -and of a noble toward inferiors; witness the fact that these qualities, -instead of making him popular, caused him to be despised by the -majority, and that the peasants, who are ungrateful and suspicious as a -class, said of him and his father: -</p> -<p> -"'One weighs more than he ought to; the other weighs nothing at all.' -</p> -<p> -"They considered the father a hard man, but of sound understanding, -fearless, and quite capable, after squeezing and tormenting them, of -protecting them against the exactions of the tax-gatherer and the -pillaging of the brutal soldiery; whereas, in their opinion, young -Monsieur Sylvain would allow them to be devoured and trampled upon for -lack of heart and brain. -</p> -<p> -"Now I don't know what it was that passed through Monsieur Sylvain's -brain one fine day, when he was sadly bored at the château; but the -result was that he fled from Briantes, where his good father blushed for -him, and considering him an imbecile, would never permit him to rise -above the station of a page, and joined the moderate Catholics, who were -then called the third party. As you know, that party many a time lent a -hand to the Calvinists; so that, proceeding from one error to another, -Monsieur Sylvain found himself one fine morning a full-fledged Huguenot, -and a close friend and well-beloved servitor of the young king of -Navarre. His father, having learned of it, cursed him, and, to be even -with him, conceived the scheme of marrying in his old age and presenting -him with a brother. -</p> -<p> -"That meant a reduction by one-half of Monsieur Sylvain's already -slender inheritance; for, as a Huguenot, he was in danger of losing his -right of primogeniture, and the <i>cheti' monsieur</i> was not very rich, -his estates having been laid waste many times by the Calvinists. -</p> -<p> -"But observe the young man's natural goodness of heart! Far from being -angry, or even complaining of his father's marriage and the birth of the -child who bit his future crowns in two, he drew himself up proudly when -he heard the news. -</p> -<p> -"'Look you!' he said to his companions. 'Monsieur my father has passed -his sixtieth year, and here he is begetting a fine boy! I tell you -that's good blood, which I trust that I inherit!' -</p> -<p> -"He carried his good-humor farther than that; for, seven years later, -his father having left Berry to join Le Balafré against Monsieur -d'Alençon's expedition, and our soft-hearted Sylvain having heard that -his stepmother was dead, which left the child almost unprotected at the -château of Briantes, he returned secretly to the province, to defend -him at need, and, also, he said, for the pleasure of seeing him and -embracing him. -</p> -<p> -"He passed the whole winter with the little fellow, playing with him and -carrying him in his arms, as a nurse or governess would have done; the -which made the neighbors laugh and think that he was far too -simple-minded—<i>innocent</i>—to use the term they apply to a -man deprived of his reason. -</p> -<p> -"When the stern father returned after the Peace of Monsieur, -ill-pleased, as you can imagine, to see the rebels more generously -rewarded than the friends of the true faith, he flew into a furious rage -against the whole world, even against God Himself, who had allowed his -young wife to die of the plague in his absence. Looking about for -somebody to be revenged upon, he declared that his older son had -returned solely for the purpose of destroying the son of his old age by -witchcraft. -</p> -<p> -"It was a most villainous charge on the old corsair's part, for the -child had never been in better health nor better cared for, and poor -Sylvain was as incapable of an evil design as the child unborn." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume d'Ars had reached this point in his narrative, which had -brought them in sight of Briantes, when a sort of bourgeois maiden, -dressed in black, red and gray, with her dress turned up at the bottom -and cut high at the neck, came toward them, and, approaching young -D'Ars' stirrup, said, with repeated reverences: -</p> -<p> -"Alas! monsieur, I fear that you have come to ask my honored master, the -Marquis de Bois-Doré, to entertain you at dinner. But you will not find -him: he is at La Motte-Seuilly for the day, having given us our liberty -until night." -</p> -<p> -This intelligence was exceedingly annoying to young D'Ars, but he was -too well-bred to allow his annoyance to appear. He instantly determined -what course to pursue, and said, courteously uncovering: -</p> -<p> -"Very well, Demoiselle Bellinde; we will go on to La Motte-Seuilly. A -pleasant walk and <i>bonjour</i>!" -</p> -<p> -Then, to relieve his vexation, he said to Monsieur d'Alvimar, after -pointing out their new direction: -</p> -<p> -"Is she not a most toothsome housekeeper, whose comely aspect gives one -a captivating idea of our dear Bois-Doré's abode?" -</p> -<p> -Bellinde, who overhead this query, which was propounded aloud and in a -jovial tone, bridled up, smiled, and, summoning a little groom by whom -she was escorted as by a page, produced from her flowing sleeves two -small white dogs, which she bade him deposit gently on the turf, as if -to give them exercise, but in reality to have an excuse for facing the -cavaliers, and affording them a longer view of her fine new serge gown -and her plump figure. -</p> -<p> -She was a damsel of some thirty-five years, high-colored, with hair of a -shade approaching red and by no means unpleasant to the eye; for she had -a great quantity of it, and wore it in curls under her cap, to the great -scandal of the ladies of the province, who reproached her for seeking to -rise above her station. But she had a malicious expression, even when -she strove to be agreeable. -</p> -<p> -"Why do you call her Bellinde?" queried D'Alvimar, "Is it a common name -in the province?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! by no means; her name is Guillette Carcot; Monsieur de Bois-Doré -christened her according to his custom. It's a mania of his, which I -will explain to you very soon. I must first tell you the rest of his -story." -</p> -<p> -"It is needless," replied D'Alvimar, stopping his horse. "Despite your -courtesy and the good grace with which you endure disappointment, I see -plainly enough that I am a considerable burden to you. Let us go on to -the château of Briantes, and do you leave me there with a letter to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, introducing me to him. As he is to return -to-night, I will wait for him and rest a little meanwhile." -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" cried Guillaume, "I should prefer to abandon the pleasures of -Bourges, and I should have done so already, were it not for the promise -I have made to some of my friends to be there this evening. But I -certainly will not leave you until I have myself commended you to the -care of an agreeable and faithful friend. La Motte-Seuilly is not a -league away, and there is no need to tire our horses. Let us take our -time. I shall reach Bourges an hour or two later, but in these holiday -times I am sure to find the gates open." -</p> -<p> -And he resumed Bois-Doré's history, to which D'Alvimar hardly listened. -That gentleman was anxious concerning his own safety, and it did not -seem to him that the country through which they were riding was very -well adapted to his plan of lying hidden. -</p> -<p> -It was a flat, open country, where, in case of an unpleasant meeting, it -was hardly possible to find the shelter of a wood, or even of a clump of -trees. The tillage land is too rich there ever to have been wasted in -tree-planting. It is a fine reddish soil, which stretches away in vast, -broadly-undulating fields, melancholy to look upon, although bordered by -lovely hills and strewn with picturesque little castles. -</p> -<p> -Briantes, however, to which our travellers had drawn very near, had -impressed D'Alvimar much more favorably. -</p> -<p> -Within ten minutes' walk of the château, the land suddenly slopes -downward, and leads gradually down into a narrow, well-wooded valley. -</p> -<p> -The château itself cannot be seen until one is on top of it, as they -say in the province; and the expression is quite accurate, for the -slated belfry of its highest tower rises very little above the plateau, -and when, from the plain beyond, you see it gleaming in the rays of the -setting sun, you would say that it was a tiny lantern hung on the brink -of the ravine. -</p> -<p> -Almost the same may be said of the château of La Motte-Seuilly,<a id="FNanchor_4_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_1" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> -which lies below the plain of Chaumois, but in a less charming location -than Briantes; a dull, flat country, instead of a lovely valley. -</p> -<p> -Before reaching the cross-road which leads to the castle, Guillaume had -told his companion in a few words the remaining vicissitudes in the life -of Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré; how his father had attempted to -confine him in his tower, to prevent his returning to the Huguenots; how -the young man had escaped by scaling the walls, and had gone off to join -his dear Henri de Navarre, with whom, after the death of King Henri -III., he had fought nine years; how, finally, having contributed to the -utmost of his ability to place him on the throne, he had returned to -live on his estates, where his tyrant of a father had ceased to live and -drive his neighbors mad. -</p> -<p> -"And what became of his young brother?" queried D'Alvimar, making an -effort to become interested in the narrative. -</p> -<p> -"The young brother is no more," replied D'Ars. "Bois-Doré knew but -little of him, for his father sent him when he was very young to serve -under the Duc de Savoie, and while in his service he met his death in -a——" -</p> -<p> -At this point Guillaume was interrupted once more by an incident which -seemed to annoy D'Alvimar exceedingly, whether because he was beginning -to be interested in his companion's information, or because, being a -Spaniard, he had a marked repugnance for interrupters. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_4_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_1"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>Now Feuilly; formerly and successively Seuly, Sully and -Seuilly.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="III">III</a></h4> - -<p> -It was a band of gypsies, who were lying flat in a ditch, and rose at -the approach of the horsemen like a flock of sparrows, causing Monsieur -d'Alvimar's horse to shy. But they were very well tamed sparrows, for, -instead of flying away, they threw themselves almost under the legs of -the horses, jumping, yelling and holding out their hands in a piteous -and hypocritical way. -</p> -<p> -It did not occur to Guillaume to do anything else than laugh at their -strange actions, and he bestowed alms on them very generously; but -D'Alvimar was extraordinarily surly, and said again and again, -threatening them with his whip: -</p> -<p> -"Away! away! away from me, canaille!" -</p> -<p> -He went so far as to attempt to strike a lad who was clinging to his -boot, with the look, at once mocking and imploring, of children trained -to the trade of begging on the highway. He avoided the whip, and -Guillaume, who was riding behind, saw him pick up a stone, which he -would have hurled at D'Alvimar, if another boy, somewhat older than he, -had not caught his arm, scolding and threatening him. -</p> -<p> -But the incident did not end there: a small woman, of not unattractive -appearance, albeit sadly faded and poorly dressed, seized the child, -and, speaking to him as if she were his mother, pushed him toward -Guillaume, then ran after D'Alvimar, holding out her hand, but at the -same time gazing at him as if she wished never to forget his face. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, with increasing irritation, urged his horse toward the woman, -and would have ridden her down had she not quickly stepped aside; he -even put his hand to the butt of one of the pistols in his holsters, as -if he would readily have fired on one of those wretched beasts of -idolaters. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon the gypsies exchanged glances, and drew together as if to -consult. -</p> -<p> -"<i>Avanti</i>! <i>avanti</i>!" Guillaume shouted to D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -He loved to use Italian words, to show that he had been to the -queen-mother's court; or perhaps he fancied that an <i>i</i> at the end of -a word was sufficient to make it unintelligible to those gypsies. -</p> -<p> -"Why <i>avanti</i>?" said D'Alvimar, declining to urge his horse. -</p> -<p> -"Because you have irritated yonder blackbirds. See! they are crowding -together like cranes in distress; and, faith! there are a score of them -and only seven of us." -</p> -<p> -"How now, my dear Guillaume! Can it be that you have any fear of those -feeble, cowardly animals?" -</p> -<p> -"I am not accustomed to fear," replied the young man, slightly piqued, -"but it would be exceedingly distasteful to me to fire on the poor, -ragged wretches; and I am surprised that they have roused your temper -so, when it would have been a very simple matter to rid yourself of them -with a little small change." -</p> -<p> -"I never give to such people," said Sciarra D'Alvimar, in a short dry -tone, which surprised the good-humored Guillaume. -</p> -<p> -The latter felt that his companion had what we should call to-day an -attack of the nerves, and he abstained from reproving him. But he -insisted on quickening their pace, for the gypsies, running faster than -the horses trotted, followed them, and even went before them, divided -into two bands, one on each side of the road. -</p> -<p> -They had not a hostile air, however, and it was difficult to guess what -their purpose was in escorting the horsemen thus. -</p> -<p> -They talked among themselves in an unintelligible jargon, and seemed, -one and all, intent upon watching the woman at their head. -</p> -<p> -The child whom Monsieur d'Alvimar had tried to strike with his whip -trotted along beside Monsieur d'Ars, as if he relied upon his -protection, and seemed to take great interest in this extraordinary -race. Guillaume noticed that the little fellow was less black and less -dirty than the others, and that his refined and attractive features bore -no racial resemblance to those of the gypsies. -</p> -<p> -If he had paid the same attention to the woman whom D'Alvimar had -insulted and threatened, he would have noticed also that, while she did -not resemble the child in the slightest degree, she resembled no more -her other companions in misery. Her bearing was noble and less rough. -She was clearly not of European race, although she wore the costume of a -mountaineer of the Pyrenees. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure01"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure01.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>She walked boldly by his side, no longer trying -to beg from him, nor with any appearance of threatening -him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The most surprising fact was that, while she had understood perfectly -the movement which Sciarra made to draw his pistol, and despite the -natural cowardliness of beggars and mountebanks of that species, she -walked boldly by his side, no longer trying to beg from him, nor with -any appearance of threatening him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention. -</p> -<p> -Her conduct seemed downright insolent to D'Alvimar, and he was on the -verge of listening to the promptings of his capricious and violent -temper. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume saw that such was the case, and, being apprehensive of some -unpleasant outbreak, and of being obliged to take sides with the -overbearing gentleman against the inoffensive canaille, he urged his -horse between Sciarra and the little woman, motioned to her to stop, and -said to her, half-laughing, half-serious: -</p> -<p> -"Would you deign to tell us, queen of the genesta and the heather, -whether it is to put shame upon us or to do us honor that you follow us -in this way, and whether we should be pleased or displeased at the -ceremony with which you treat us?" -</p> -<p> -The Egyptian—these nomadic hordes of unknown origin were called -Egyptians or Bohemians indifferently in those days—shook her head and -motioned to the boy who had taken the stone from the child's hand. -</p> -<p> -He walked toward them, and, pointing to the silent woman, said, with an -impudent manner, but in a wheedling tone, speaking French with no marked -accent: -</p> -<p> -"Mercedes doesn't understand your lordships' language. I always speak -for those of our people who can't make themselves understood." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! yes," said Guillaume, "you are the orator of the tribe; what is -your name, Master Impertinent?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>La Flèche</i>, at your service. I have the honor to have been born a -Frenchman, in the town of which I bear the name." -</p> -<p> -"The honor is on France's side, assuredly! Now, then, Master La Flèche, -tell your comrades to let us go our way in peace. I have given you -enough for a man who is travelling, and to make us swallow your dust is -not the way to thank me for it. Adieu, and leave us, or, if you have -some further request to make, do it quickly, for we are in a hurry." -</p> -<p> -La Flèche rapidly translated Guillaume's words to her whom he called -Mercedes, and who seemed to be treated with peculiar deference by -himself as well as by all the others. -</p> -<p> -She replied with a few words in Spanish, whereupon La Flèche said to -D'Ars: -</p> -<p> -"This worthy woman humbly requests your lordships' names, so that she -may pray for you." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume laughed. -</p> -<p> -"That is an amusing request," he said. "Advise this worthy woman, friend -La Flèche, to pray for us without knowing our names. The good Lord -knows us well, and we can tell him nothing about ourselves that he does -not know better than we do." -</p> -<p> -La Flèche saluted humbly with his dirty cap, and our travellers, -spurring their steeds, soon left the gypsies behind. -</p> -<p> -"By the way," said D'Alvimar to Guillaume, as the bell-tower of La -Motte-Seuilly appeared on the horizon, "you have not told me where you -are going. Does that château belong to another of your friends who -would, doubtless, think me an intruder?" -</p> -<p> -"Yonder château is the home of a young and lovely woman, who lives -there with her father, and they will both receive you courteously. They -will keep you until evening, not only in order not to be deprived of the -company of Monsieur de Bois-Doré, whom they esteem very highly, but -also to prove to you that we are not savages in our poor country -province, and that we know how to practise hospitality in the old French -way." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar replied that he had no manner of doubt of it, and succeeded in -making some other courteous remarks to his companion, for no man was -ever better taught; but his bitter thoughts soon turned to another -subject. -</p> -<p> -"According to what you have told me of this Bois-Doré, my host that is -to be," he said, "he is an old mannikin, I should judge, whose vassals -enjoy themselves to their hearts' content?" -</p> -<p> -"No," replied Monsieur d'Ars. "Those gypsies interrupted me. I was -about to tell you that, when he returned to the country, wealthy and -bemarquised, people were surprised to find that he was as brave as a -lion, despite his mild aspect, and that, while he had some laughable -foibles, he also had some Christian virtues which are a very comfortable -possession for a man." -</p> -<p> -"Do you reckon temperance and chastity among your Christian virtues?" -</p> -<p> -"Why not, I pray you?" -</p> -<p> -"Because that housekeeper with the glowing mane, whom we saw at the gate -of his domain, seemed to me something lusty for so demure a man." -</p> -<p> -"Evil to him who evil thinks!" rejoined Guillaume, with a smile. "I -would not take my oath that our marquis was altogether insensible to the -cajoleries of Queen Catherine's maids of honor; but that was a long -while ago! I am strongly of the opinion that you could tell Bellinde -about it without offending her or causing her pain. But here we are. I -need not tell you that such subjects are not in season here. Our fair -widow, Madame de Beuvre, is no prude, but at her age and in her -position——" -</p> -<p> -Our friends rode over the drawbridge, which, in view of the tranquil -state of the province, was lowered all day; the portcullis was closed. -</p> -<p> -Thus they rode, without hindrance or ceremony, into the courtyard of the -manor, where they dismounted. -</p> -<p> -"One moment!" said Sciarra d'Alvimar to Guillaume, as they were about to -enter the house; "do not, I beg you, mention my name here, on account of -the servants." -</p> -<p> -"Neither here nor elsewhere," Monsieur d'Ars replied. "You have almost -no foreign accent; so there is no need to say that you are Spanish. For -which of my friends in Paris do you wish me to pass you off?" -</p> -<p> -"I should be sadly embarrassed to play a rôle other than my own. I -prefer to remain almost myself, and simply to assume one of my family -names. I will be a Villareal, if you choose, and as an explanation of my -flight from Paris——" -</p> -<p> -"You can talk confidentially with the marquis, and arrange matters as -you choose. There is nothing for me to do but to tell him how dear a -friend of mine you are; that you are running away from some persecution -or other; and that I beg him to take as good care of you as he would of -myself." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="IV">IV</a></h4> - -<p> -The château of La Motte-Seuilly,—that name finally carried the -day,—which is still standing and almost intact to-day, is a small -manor-house consisting of a hexagonal entrance tower, purely feudal in -style, of a main building, very plain, with windows far apart, and of -two wings at right angles thereto, one of which is a donjon. In the left -wing are the stables, with arched ceilings and heavy timbers, the -kitchens and the servants' quarters; in the other, the chapel with its -ogival windows, of the time of Louis XII., spans a short open gallery, -supported by two heavy pillars surrounded by mouldings in relief, like -huge tree-trunks in the embrace of creeping plants. -</p> -<p> -This gallery leads to the large tower or donjon, which, like the -entrance tower, dates from the twelfth century. The rooms within are -circular, decorated very simply but very prettily with columns set in -claw-shaped pedestals. The winding staircase, which is in a small tower -built against the larger one, leads to one of those old-fashioned -<i>charpentes</i>, cunningly and boldly fashioned, which are to this day -considered objects of art. -</p> -<p> -This one bore, at the centre of its radiating spokes, a <i>chevalet</i> or -wooden horse, an instrument of torture, the use of which was regulated -in cold blood by ordinance as late as 1670. This horrible machine dates -from the construction of the building, for it is built into the -<i>charpente</i>. -</p> -<p> -It was in this poor, cramped, dismal manor that the beautiful Charlotte -d'Albret, wife of the ill-omened Cæsar Borgia, passed fifteen years and -died, still quite young, after a life of sorrow and sanctity. -</p> -<p> -Everyone knows that the infamous cardinal, the pope's bastard, the -incestuous, blood-stained debauchee, the lover of his sister Lucretia, -and the murderer of his own brother and rival, divested himself of the -dignities of the church one fine day, to seek fortune and a wife in -France. -</p> -<p> -Louis XII. desired to break off his own marriage with Jeanne, daughter -of Louis XI., in order to marry Anne de Bretagne. The pope's assent was -required. He obtained it on condition that he should give the duchy of -Valentinois and the hand of a princess to the bastard—the brigand -cardinal. -</p> -<p> -Charlotte d'Albret, a lovely, pure and learned maiden, was sacrificed; a -few months later she was abandoned and looked upon as a widow. -</p> -<p> -She purchased this dismal castle and took up her abode there to educate -her daughter.<a id="FNanchor_5_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_1" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Her only external pleasure was an occasional journey to -Bourges, to see her mysterious companion in misfortune, Jeanne de -France, the cast-off queen, who had become the Duchesse de Berry and the -foundress of the <i>Annonciade</i>. -</p> -<p> -But Jeanne died, and Charlotte, then twenty-four years old, put on -mourning, which she never laid aside, and did not leave La Motte-Seuilly -again until her own death, which occurred nine years later—in 1514. -</p> -<p> -Her body was taken to Bourges and buried beside Jeanne's, to be exhumed, -insulted and burned by the Calvinists half a century later, together -with that of the other poor saint. Her body rested in peace somewhat -longer in the rustic chapel of La Motte-Seuilly, under a pretty monument -which her daughter erected to her. -</p> -<p> -But it was written that no earthly trace of that melancholy destiny -should be respected. In 1793 the peasants, venting upon that tomb the -hatred they bore their lord, burned it to the ground, and its débris -lie scattered over the pavement to-day. The statue of Charlotte is -propped against the wall, broken in three pieces. The chapel, utterly -neglected, is crumbling to decay. The victim's heart was in all -probability sealed up in a gold or silver casket: what has become of it? -Sold perhaps at a low price; perhaps simply hidden away or buried, in -consequence of a sudden return of fear or devotion, that poor heart may -be reposing in some village hovel, unknown to its new occupant, under -the hearthstone, or under the briar hedge. -</p> -<p> -To-day the castle, restored in some degree, brightens up a little in the -sunlight, which finds its way into the gravelled courtyard through a -great breach in the wall. The water from the ancient moats, fed, I -believe, by a spring near by, flows in a charming little stream through -the newly laid out English garden. -</p> -<p> -The enormous yew, which dates from the time of Charlotte d'Albret, rests -its venerable, drooping branches on blocks of stone, arranged with pious -care to support its monumental decrepitude. A few flowers and a solitary -swan cast a sort of melancholy smile about the sorrowful manor-house. -</p> -<p> -The outlook is still gloomy; the landscape most depressing; the tower of -sinister aspect—and yet an artistic generation loves these dismal -abodes, these old, desolate nests, solid structures of a stern and -bitter past of which the common people know nothing, which they had -forgotten as early as 1793, since they shattered poor Charlotte's tomb -and left untouched the triumphant wooden horse of La Motte-Seuilly. -</p> -<p> -At the time of our narrative, the manor-house, closed on all sides, was -at once more dismal and more comfortable than to-day. People lived in -the cold obscurity of those little fortresses; therefore, they must have -been able to make themselves comfortable in them. -</p> -<p> -The huge fireplaces, all sheathed in cast-iron at the back, filled the -vast apartments with an intense heat. The former hangings on the walls -were replaced by felt paper of extraordinary thickness and beauty; -instead of our pretty Persian curtains, which quiver in the draughts -from the windows, were heavy folds of damask, or, in more modest -dwellings, of wadded silk, that lasted fifty years. On the sandstone -floors of corridors and living-rooms were rugs of a new kind, made of -wool, cotton, flax and hemp. -</p> -<p> -Very handsome marquetry floors were made in those days, and in the -central provinces people ate from lovely Nevers porcelain, while the -sideboards were resplendent with those curious goblets of colored glass, -used only on grand occasions, and representing fanciful monuments, -plants, vessels or animals. -</p> -<p> -Thus, despite the modest appearance of the exterior of the wing set -aside for the apartments of the masters—for the nobles had already -ceased to live near the roofs of their old feudal donjons—Monsieur -d'Alvimar found an attractive interior, neat and not unrefined, which -denoted genuine ease, at least, if not great wealth. -</p> -<p> -La Motte-Seuilly had passed, by the marriage of Louis Borgia, into the -family of La Trémouille, to which Monsieur de Beuvre belonged through -his mother. -</p> -<p> -He was a rough and gallant gentleman, who never hesitated to promulgate -his opinions and beliefs. His only daughter, Lauriane, had married, at -the age of twelve, her cousin Hélyon de Beuvre, aged sixteen. -</p> -<p> -The two children had been kept apart, with the greater ease in that the -province was suddenly stirred by a commotion in which Messieurs de -Beuvre felt that they were in duty bound to take part. They left La -Motte on the very day of the marriage, to go to the succor of the -Duchesse de Nevers, who had declared for the Prince de Condé, and who -was besieged in her good city by Monsieur de Montigny—François de la -Grange. -</p> -<p> -While making a bold attempt to force his way into Nevers, under the eyes -of the Catholics, young Hélyon was killed. On his return from that -campaign, therefore, Monsieur de Beuvre had the painful task of -informing his darling daughter that she had passed without transition -from the state of a virgin to that of a widow. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane<a id="FNanchor_6_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_1" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> wept bitterly for her young cousin. But can a maiden weep -incessantly at twelve years of age? And then her father gave her such a -lovely doll!—a doll with a dress of cloth of silver, and red velvet -slippers pinked like a crab's tail! And then, when she was fourteen, he -gave her such a pretty little horse, from Monsieur le Prince's own stud! -And then, too, Lauriane, who, at the time of her marriage, was only a -pale, slender chit, became at fifteen a dainty blonde, so graceful and -rosy and lovable, that there was no great danger that she would remain a -widow. -</p> -<p> -But she was so happy with her father, and reigned so absolutely in the -little château he had given her by way of dowry, that she felt in no -manner of haste to enter the marriage state a second time. Was she not -called <i>madame</i>? And is not the childish desire to be so called one of -the most potent reasons which induce young girls to marry?—that and -the gifts and the fêtes and the wedding trousseau? -</p> -<p> -"I have already had all the joys and all the sorrows of married life," -Lauriane would say artlessly. -</p> -<p> -And yet, although he had a considerable fortune, managed by him with -great prudence, to which his retired life enabled him to add materially, -Monsieur de Beuvre did not find it a simple matter to arrange a second -marriage for his daughter. -</p> -<p> -He had embraced the cause of the Reformed religion at the moment that -that cause, drained of men and of money, had no other alternative in our -provinces than to keep in the shadow and obtain toleration. -</p> -<p> -Everybody in his neighborhood was a Catholic, or pretended to be; for, -in Berry, Calvinism had only a single moment of power and a single real -stronghold. But -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>The year fifteen sixty-two</i></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -when -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>Bourges lacked priests and beggars too</i>,</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -was already far away, and Sancerre, the <i>troublesome mountain</i>, had -its walls razed to the ground. -</p> -<p> -The Berrichon character naturally inclines neither to persecution nor -fanaticism; and, after a moment of surprise and agitation, when the -passions of those outside their borders had intoxicated the common -people and the bourgeoisie, they had fallen back under the influence of -that fear of the great, which is the unchanging foundation of the -politics of that province. -</p> -<p> -The great men, for their part, had sold their submission, in accordance -with their invariable custom. Condé had become a zealous Catholic. -Monsieur de Beuvre, who had first served the father, then lost his own -son-in-law in the son's cause, was, naturally enough, altogether in -disgrace, and appeared no more at Bourges. Jesuits had been sent to him -by the prince, to urge him to make solemn abjuration. -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre was no fanatic in religious matters. He had yielded to -political passions when he embraced the Lutheran faith, and he realized -that he had made a mistake so far as his fortunes were concerned. He was -too recent a convert to make it worth their while to purchase him. They -contented themselves with attempting to intimidate him, and it had been -hinted to him most adroitly that he could not find a husband for his -daughter in the province if he persisted in his heresy. Having held his -head proudly erect before their threats, he had felt somewhat shaken at -the idea of Lauriane remaining a widow and her patrimony falling to -another branch of the family. -</p> -<p> -But Lauriane had prevented him from giving way. Reared by him as a very -lukewarm adherent of the Protestant religion, she was only partially -instructed in its doctrines, and freely mingled the ceremonies and -prayers of both forms of worship in her heart. -</p> -<p> -She did not go to the meeting-house over the long, wretched roads at -Issoudun or Linières, and when she passed a Catholic church, she did -not leap with indignation at the sound of the bell. But she sometimes -displayed beneath her smiling, childlike sweetness the germs of an -intense pride; and when she saw how her father suffered at the -humiliating thought of public abjuration, she came to his assistance -with surprising energy, saying to the Jesuits from Bourges: -</p> -<p> -"It is of no use for you to seek to convert me with the bait of a -handsome Catholic husband, for I have sworn in my heart that I will -rather belong to a detestable husband of my own communion." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_5_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_1"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>Louise Borgia, afterward married to Louis de Trémouille, -and later to Philippe de Bourbon-Busset.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_6_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_1"><span class="label">[6]</span></a>Saint Laurian was one of the saints held in highest honor -in Berry.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="V">V</a></h4> - -<p> -Only a few weeks had elapsed since the visit of the Jesuits to La -Motte-Seuilly, when Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar appeared there, -introduced by Guillaume d'Ars. They were received by the father and the -daughter, Monsieur de Bois-Doré having gone out to shoot a hare with -Monsieur de Beuvre's keeper. -</p> -<p> -This was a fresh disappointment to Guillaume, who found himself delayed -again and again, and was beginning to despair of reaching Bourges that -day. -</p> -<p> -Sciarra d'Alvimar conducted himself with much charm of manner, and, from -the first words he uttered, De Beuvre, who was familiar with social -usages, not because he had seen much of Paris, but because he had -frequented the petty provincial courts, where there was as much state -and ceremony as at the king's own court, saw that he had to do with a -man accustomed to the best society. -</p> -<p> -As for D'Alvimar, who was deeply impressed by Lauriane's youth and -grace, he took her for a younger daughter of Monsieur de Beuvre, and -still awaited the appearance of the widow of whom D'Ars had spoken. -</p> -<p> -Not for some time did he realize that that lovely child was the mistress -of the house. -</p> -<p> -In those days dinner was served at ten in the morning, and Guillaume, -having gone out to the fields in quest of the marquis, returned to take -leave. -</p> -<p> -"I have told the marquis," he said to Sciarra; "he is coming in; he has -promised solemnly to be your host and your friend until my return. So I -leave you in good company, and I shall do my best to make up for lost -time." -</p> -<p> -They tried in vain to keep him to dinner. He departed, having kissed the -fair Lauriane's hand, pressed his good neighbor Monsieur de Beuvre's, -and embraced D'Alvimar, swearing that he would return to Briantes before -the end of the week to take him to his château of Ars, and keep him -there as long as possible. -</p> -<p> -"Now," said Monsieur de Beuvre to D'Alvimar, "give the châtelaine your -hand and let us to the table. Do not be surprised if we do not wait for -our friend Bois-Doré. He is accustomed to spend an hour over his -toilet, even when he has hunted less than fifteen minutes; and not for -anything in the world would he appear before a lady—even this -lady, who is like his own child in his eyes, for he saw her at her -birth—without having washed and perfumed, and changed his clothing -from head to foot. That is his whim, and there is no great harm in it. -We stand on no ceremony with him, and we should offend him by delaying -our repast to await his coming." -</p> -<p> -"Should I not," said D'Alvimar, when he had been seated at the upper end -of the table, "go and present my respects to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in -his apartments, before taking my place at the table?" -</p> -<p> -"No," laughed Lauriane, "you would vex him terribly by surprising him at -his toilet. Do not ask us why; you will understand for yourself as soon -as you see him." -</p> -<p> -"Moreover," added Monsieur de Beuvre, "except by reason of your youth, -you owe him no attentions, for in his capacity of <i>fiduciary</i> host he -is called upon to make all the advances. And I will undertake the duty of -presenting you to him, Monsieur d'Ars having requested me to do so." -</p> -<p> -In referring to D'Alvimar's youth, Monsieur de Beuvre fell into the -error which his appearance caused at first sight. -</p> -<p> -Although he was at this time close upon forty, he seemed less than -thirty, and it may be that Monsieur de Beuvre mentally compared his -temporary guest's comely face with that of his dear Lauriane. It was his -constant thought to find for her some husband, outside the province, who -would not demand a solemn abjuration. -</p> -<p> -The worthy gentleman did not know that the Jesuits already reigned -everywhere, and that Berry was one of the provinces which were least -affected by their propaganda. -</p> -<p> -Nor did he know that D'Alvimar was in his heart a perfect knight of the -blessed Dame Inquisition. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume, wishing to assure his friend a cordial welcome, was very -careful not to describe him as too sensitive in his orthodoxy. Himself a -Catholic, but extremely tolerant in his views and by no means a devout -believer, like most of the young men of fashion, he had not, in -introducing him to the master of the house, or in commending him to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, touched at all upon the religious questions to -which those gentlemen attached little more weight in their ordinary -relations than D'Ars himself. But he had informed Monsieur de Beuvre, -briefly, that Monsieur de Villareal—the name they had agreed -upon—was of good family—that fact was certain—and in a -fair way to make his fortune, which Guillaume believed to be true, for -Monsieur D'Alvimar concealed his poverty with all the pride of which a -Spaniard is capable in that direction. -</p> -<p> -The first course was served with the characteristic moderation of -Berrichon servants, and discussed with the premeditated moderation of -well-bred people who do not choose to be considered gluttons. -</p> -<p> -This patient deglutition, the long pauses between every mouthful, the -host's anecdotes between the courses, are still esteemed the elements of -good breeding among the old men in Berry. The peasants of our day have -carried the same theory still farther, and, when you break bread with -them, you can be certain of remaining three full hours at the table, -though there be nothing upon it but a bit of cheese and a bottle of sour -wine. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, whose active and restless mind could not fall asleep in the -joys of eating, took advantage of Monsieur de Beuvre's stately -mastication to talk with his daughter, who ate quickly and sparingly, -paying more attention to her father and her guest than to herself. -</p> -<p> -He was surprised to find so much wit in a country girl who had never -gone beyond the limits of her own domain, save for one or two trips to -Bourges and Nevers. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was not very well cultivated, and it may be that she could not -have written a long letter without making mistakes in grammar; but she -talked well, and, by dint of listening while her father and his -neighbors discussed the affairs of the time, she was familiar with -history, and accurate in her judgment thereof, from the reign of Louis -XII. and the first religious wars. -</p> -<p> -However, as she gloried in her descent from Charlotte d'Albret, as that -martyr's memory was in her eyes worthy of reverence and was revered by -her, she had no occasion to let D'Alvimar see that she was a heretic; -moreover, the laws of civility of that period ordained that people -should never discuss their own religious beliefs without adequate cause, -even when they were of the same communion; for the shades of belief were -without number, and controversy was rampant everywhere. -</p> -<p> -In addition to her delicate tact and great good sense, there was a -flavor of frankness and mischief in her wit, a purely Berrichon -combination, the result of a blending of two contrary qualities being a -decidedly original way of looking at things and of speaking. She was of -the province where the truth is told with a smile on the lips, and where -everyone knows that he is understood without having to lose his temper. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who was overbearing rather than affable, and more vindictive -than sincere, felt somewhat abashed in presence of that young woman, nor -had he any very clear conception of the cause of that feeling. -</p> -<p> -At times it seemed to him that she divined his character, his past life, -or his recent adventure, and that her manner seemed to say to him: -</p> -<p> -"For all that, we are none the less hospitable folk, ready to entertain -you." -</p> -<p> -At last the time arrived to serve the joint, and, amid a great banging -of doors and clashing of plates, Monsieur de Bois-Doré appeared, -preceded by a diminutive retainer richly costumed, whom under his breath -he called his page, as if to justify this verse, which, however, had not -yet appeared to bring ridicule upon his like: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>Every marquis must have pages</i>,</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -and in contravention of the royal ordinances, which allowed pages only -to princes and to the very greatest noblemen. -</p> -<p> -Despite his habitual dejection and his present discomfort, D'Alvimar had -difficulty in restraining his laughter at the appearance of his -<i>fiduciary</i> host. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré had been one of the handsome men of his -time. Tall, well-made, black hair, white skin, magnificent eyes, fine -features, physically strong and active, he had won the favor of many -ladies, but had never inspired a violent or lasting passion. It was the -fault of his own fickleness and of the sparing use he made of his own -emotions. -</p> -<p> -Boundless charity, a loyalty that was most remarkable when we consider -the time and his environment, princely lavishness when fortune chanced -to smile upon him, a stoical philosophy in his hours of ill-luck, with -all the amiable and free-and-easy qualities of the adventurous champions -of the Béarnais, did not suffice to make an impassioned hero of the -type that was popular in his youthful days. -</p> -<p> -It was an epoch of excitement and bloodshed, when love-making needed a -little ferocity in order to become romantic attachment; and Bois-Doré, -apart from actual battle, wherein he bore himself valiantly, was -disgustingly kind and gentle. He had never murdered a husband or -brother; he had poniarded no rival in the arms of an unfaithful -mistress; Javotte or Nanette readily consoled him for the treachery of -Diane or Blanche. And so, notwithstanding his taste for romances of -pastoral life and of chivalry, he was considered to have a paltry mind -and a lukewarm heart. -</p> -<p> -He was the more readily reconciled to being tricked and cozened by the -ladies, in that he had never noticed it. He knew that he was handsome, -generous and brave; his adventures were brief but numerous; his heart -craved friendship rather than wild passion; and by his discretion and -his gentle manners he had earned the privilege of remaining everybody's -friend. He had been quite happy, therefore, without exerting himself to -be adored, and, to speak frankly, he had loved all the ladies more or -less without adoring any one of them. -</p> -<p> -He might have been accused of egotism, had it been possible to reconcile -such an accusation with the other one freely brought against him, of -being too kind and too humane. He was in some measure a caricature of -the good Henri, whom many called an ingrate and a traitor, but whom one -and all loved none the less after they had come in contact with him. -</p> -<p> -But time had moved on, and that was a fact which Monsieur de Bois-Doré -had not deigned to perceive. His supple frame had hardened and -stiffened, his shapely legs had withered, the hair had receded from his -noble brow, his great eye was surrounded with wrinkles as the sun is -with rays, and of all his vanished youth he had retained naught save the -teeth, somewhat long, but still white and even, with which he -ostentatiously cracked nuts at dessert in order to draw attention to -them. Indeed it was a common remark among his neighbors that he was much -annoyed if they forgot to place some nuts on the table before him. -</p> -<p> -When we say that Monsieur de Bois-Doré had not observed the inroads of -time, it is simply another way of expressing his perfect satisfaction -with himself; for it is certain that he saw that he was growing old, and -that he fought against the effect of advancing years with valiant -determination. I believe that the utmost energy of which he was capable -was put forth in that struggle. -</p> -<p> -When he saw that his hair was turning white and falling out, he made the -journey to Paris for the sole purpose of ordering a wig from the best -artist in wigs. Wigmaking was becoming an art; but the investigators of -details have informed us that at least sixty pistoles were required to -obtain one with a white silk parting, and the hairs inserted one by one. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré was not deterred by that trifling sum, for he was -a rich man, and could well afford to expend twelve to fifteen hundred -francs of our money upon a semi-ceremonious costume, and five or six -thousand upon a full dress-coat. He hastened to provide himself with a -stock of wigs: first he fell in love with a flaxen mane, which was -wonderfully becoming to him, according to the wigmaker. Bois-Doré, who -had never before seen himself as a blond, was beginning to believe it, -when he tried on one of a chestnut hue, which, still according to the -dealer, was no less becoming than the other. The two were of the same -price: but Bois-Doré tried on a third, which cost ten crowns more, and -which caused the dealer's enthusiasm to overflow: that was really the -only one, he said, which brought out Monsieur le marquis's fine points. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré thought of the time when the ladies used to say that it was -very unusual to see hair as black as his with so white a skin. -</p> -<p> -"This wigmaker must be right," he thought. -</p> -<p> -But, standing before the mirror a few moments, he was surprised to see -that that dark mane gave him a harsh, savage air. -</p> -<p> -"It is astonishing how it changes me," he said to himself. "However, -this is my natural color. In my youth my appearance was as mild as it is -now. My thick black hair never gave me this cutthroat look." -</p> -<p> -It did not occur to him that all things harmonize in the operations of -nature, whether it is putting us together or taking us apart, and that -with the gray hair his appearance was as it should be. -</p> -<p> -But the wigmaker told him so many times that he looked no more than -thirty years old with that lovely wig, that he purchased it, and at once -ordered another, for economy's sake, as he said, in order to save the -first one. -</p> -<p> -However, he changed his mind the next day. He considered that he looked -older than before with that youthful head, and all the friends whom he -consulted shared that opinion. -</p> -<p> -The wigmaker explained to him that the hair, eyebrows and beard must be -made to correspond, and he sold him the dye. But thereupon, Bois-Doré -found that his face was so deathly pale amid those blotches of ink, that -it was necessary to explain to him that he would require rouge. -</p> -<p> -"It would seem," he said, "that when you begin to resort to artificial -methods, you can never stop?" -</p> -<p> -"That is the general rule," replied the rejuvenator; "choose whether you -will be old or appear old?" -</p> -<p> -"But am I old, pray?" -</p> -<p> -"No, since you can still appear to be young by the use of my receipts." -</p> -<p> -From that day Bois-Doré wore a wig; eyebrows, moustaches and beard -painted and waxed; chalk on his nose; rouge on his cheeks; fragrant -powders in every fold of his wrinkles; and, lastly, perfumes and -scent-bags all over his person; so that, when he left his room, you -could smell him in the poultry-yard; and if he simply passed the kennel, -all his coursing dogs sneezed and made wry faces for an hour. -</p> -<p> -When he had thoroughly succeeded in making an absurd old automaton out -of the handsome old man he had been, he took measures to spoil his -figure, which had the dignity befitting his years, by having his -doublets and short-clothes lined with double rows of steel, and holding -himself so erect that he went to bed every night with a lame back. -</p> -<p> -It would have killed him, had not the fashion changed, luckily for him. -</p> -<p> -The stiff, close-fitting doublets of Henry IV. gave way to the light -surtouts of the young favorites of Louis XIII. The hoop-shaped -short-clothes were succeeded by broad, full breeches which yielded to -every movement of the body. -</p> -<p> -It cost Bois-Doré a pang to give way to these innovations, and to part with -his rigid <i>godronné</i> ruffs just to be a little more comfortable in -the light <i>rotondes</i>. He sorely regretted the stiff lace, but ribbons -and fluffy laces seduced him by slow degrees, and he returned from a -brief visit to Paris dressed in the style affected by young men of -fashion, and imitating their heedless, exhausted airs, sprawling in easy -chairs, striking weary attitudes, rising from his seat in waltz time; in -a word, enacting, with his tall figure and strongly-marked features, the -rôle of insipid little marquis, which Molière, thirty years later, -found complete in its absurdity and ripe for his satire. -</p> -<p> -This method enabled Bois-Doré to conceal the real burden of his years -beneath a disguise which transformed him into a sort of absurd ghost. -</p> -<p> -To D'Alvimar he seemed an appalling spectacle, at first sight. The -Spaniard could not understand that profusion of ebon curls around the -wrinkled face, those heavy, awe-inspiring eyebrows over the soft, mild -eyes, that brilliant rouge, which seemed like a mask placed in jest upon -a venerable and benevolent face. -</p> -<p> -As for the costume, its extreme elegance, the quantity of lace, -embroidery, rosettes and plumes, made it ridiculous beyond words at -midday, in the country; not to mention the fact that the pale, delicate -hues which our marquis affected were horribly out of harmony with the -lion-like aspect of his bristling moustache and his borrowed mane. -</p> -<p> -But the old gentleman's greeting neutralized most agreeably the -repellent effect produced upon D'Alvimar by that burlesque figure. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre had risen to present Guillaume's friend to the -marquis, and to remind him that he was placed in his care for several -days. -</p> -<p> -"It is a pleasure and an honor which I should claim for myself," said -Monsieur de Beuvre, "if I were in my own house; but I must not forget -that I am under my daughter's roof. Moreover, this house is much less -rich and splendid than yours, my dear Sylvain, and we do not wish to -deprive Monsieur Villareal of the pleasures that await him there." -</p> -<p> -"I accept your hyperbolical statements," replied Bois-Doré, "if they -will but dazzle Monsieur de Villareal so far as to induce him to remain -a long while under my care." -</p> -<p> -Whereupon he extended his arms, swathed in lace to the elbow, and -embraced the pretended Villareal, saying with a frank laugh that showed -his fine white teeth: -</p> -<p> -"Were you the devil himself, monsieur, from the moment that you are -entrusted to me, you become as a brother to me." -</p> -<p> -He was careful not to say "as a son." He would have been afraid of -revealing the number of his years, which number he believed to be -shrouded in mystery because he had forgotten it himself. -</p> -<p> -Villareal d'Alvimar could readily have dispensed with that embrace on -the part of a Catholic of such recent date, especially as the perfumes -with which the marquis was reeking took away the little appetite he had, -and as, after embracing him, he pressed his hands vigorously between his -dry fingers, armed with enormous rings. But D'Alvimar had to consider -his own safety first of all, and he felt sure, from Monsieur Sylvain's -cordial and hearty manner, that he had really been placed in loyal and -trustworthy hands. -</p> -<p> -He adopted the plan, therefore, of expressing profound gratitude for the -twofold hospitality of which he was the object, exhibiting himself in a -most favorable light; and when they left the table, the two old noblemen -were delighted with him. -</p> -<p> -He would have been glad to take a little rest, but the châtelain -incited him to a game of draughts, then to one of billiards with -Bois-Doré, who allowed himself to be beaten. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar loved all games, and was by no means averse to winning a few -gold crowns. -</p> -<p> -The hours passed away in what might be called a resultless association, -since these diversions led to no conversation sufficiently serious to -place the three gentlemen in a position to know one another. -</p> -<p> -Madame de Beuvre, who had retired after dinner, reappeared about four -o'clock, when she saw preparations being made in the courtyard for the -departure of her guests. -</p> -<p> -She proposed a walk in the garden before separating. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="VI">VI</a></h4> - -<p> -It was late in October. The days had grown short, but were still mild -and bright, the St. Martin's summer having not yet come to an end. The -trees were quite bare, their graceful tracery outlined against the -bright red sun just sinking behind the black thickets along the horizon. -</p> -<p> -They walked over a bed of dry leaves along the paths lined with box-wood -and trimmed yews, which imparted an orderly and dignified stiffness to -the gardens of that period. -</p> -<p> -In the moats fine old carp followed the promenaders, looking for the -bread crumbs which Lauriane was accustomed to bring them. -</p> -<p> -A little tame wolf also followed her like a dog, but was held in awe and -tyrannized over by Monsieur de Beuvre's favorite spaniel, a playful -young beast, who showed no aversion for his suspicious companion, but -rolled him over and snapped at him with the superb indifference of a -child of noble birth deigning to play with a serf. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, on the point of offering his arm to the fair Lauriane, paused -as he saw Monsieur de Bois-Doré approach her, apparently with the same -purpose. -</p> -<p> -But the courtly marquis also stepped back. -</p> -<p> -"It is your right," he said; "a guest like yourself should take -precedence of friends; but pray appreciate the sacrifice I make to you." -</p> -<p> -"I do appreciate it fully," replied D'Alvimar, as Lauriane placed her -little hand lightly on his arm; "and of all your kindnesses to me, I -value this most." -</p> -<p> -"I am rejoiced to see," replied Bois-Doré, walking at Madame de -Beuvre's left hand, "that you understand French gallantry as did his -late majesty, our Henri, of blessed memory." -</p> -<p> -"I trust that I have a better understanding of it than he, by your -leave." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! that is much to claim!" -</p> -<p> -"We Spaniards understand it differently, at all events. We believe that -a faithful attachment to a single woman is preferable to unmeaning -gallantry toward all." -</p> -<p> -"Oho! in that case, my dear count—you are a count, are you not, or -a duke?—I beg your pardon, but you are a Spanish grandee, I know -that, I can see it.—So you believe in the perfect loyalty of -romance? There is nothing nobler, my dear guest, nothing nobler, on my -word!" -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre called Bois-Doré away, to show him some trees that -he had recently set out, and D'Alvimar took advantage of the -interruption to ask Lauriane if Monsieur de Bois-Doré had intended to -make sport of him. -</p> -<p> -"By no means," she replied; "you must know that our dear marquis's -favorite food is D'Urfé's romance, and he almost knows it by heart." -</p> -<p> -"How does he reconcile this taste for a noble passion with the tastes of -the old court?" -</p> -<p> -"That is a very simple matter. When our friend was young, he loved all -the ladies, so they say. As he grew older, his heart grew cold; but he -thinks that he conceals that fact, as he thinks that he conceals his -wrinkles, by pretending to have been converted to the superior virtue of -noble sentiments by the example of the heroes of <i>Astrée</i>. So that, to -excuse himself for not paying court to any fair lady, he boasts that he -is faithful to a single one, whom he never names, whom no one ever has -seen or ever will see, for the excellent reason that she exists only in -his imagination." -</p> -<p> -"Is it possible that at his age he still feels bound to pretend to be in -love?" -</p> -<p> -"He must do so, since he wishes to pass for a young man. If he were -willing to admit that all women had become equally indifferent to him, -why should he take the trouble to smear his face and to wear false -hair?" -</p> -<p> -"So in your opinion it is not possible to be young without being -enamored of some woman?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! I know nothing about it," replied Madame de Beuvre gayly; "I have -had no experience and I know nothing of men's hearts. But I sometimes -hear it said that such is the fact, and Monsieur de Bois-Doré seems to -be convinced of it. What is your own opinion thereon, messire?" -</p> -<p> -"It seems to me," said D'Alvimar, who was curious to know the young -woman's ideas, "that one can live a long while on a past love, awaiting -a love to come." -</p> -<p> -She made no reply, but looked up at the sky with her lovely blue eyes. -</p> -<p> -"Of what are you thinking?" he asked her, with a familiarity that was -perhaps a little too sympathetic. Lauriane seemed surprised at this -impertinent question. She looked him straight in the face with an -expression that seemed to say: "What business is that of yours?" But she -replied with a smile, not seeking to defend herself with unnecessarily -stern words: -</p> -<p> -"I was not thinking of anything." -</p> -<p> -"That is impossible," rejoined D'Alvimar; "one is always thinking of -something or somebody." -</p> -<p> -"But we think vaguely, so vaguely that in a moment we have forgotten." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane did not speak truly. She had been thinking of Charlotte -d'Albret, and we will translate all that had passed through her mind in -that brief reverie. -</p> -<p> -That poor princess had appeared to her, as it were, to make the reply -which D'Alvimar was seeking, and that reply was as follows: -</p> -<p> -"A maiden who has never loved sometimes accepts rashly the first love -that presents itself, because she feels impatient to love, and sometimes -she falls into the arms of a knave who tortures her, wrecks her life and -deserts her." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was far from suspecting the curious warning that that young -heart had received; he fancied that she was indulging in a bit of -coquetry, and the game attracted him, although his heart was as cold as -marble. He persisted. -</p> -<p> -"I will warrant," he said, "that you have dreamed of a love more real -than that which Monsieur de Bois-Doré parades before you; of such a -love as you could inspire in a man of heart, even if you could not -yourself feel it." -</p> -<p> -No sooner had he uttered these commonplace words of challenge, in a tone -to which he was able to give a melting quality and which he deemed most -persuasive, than Lauriane suddenly withdrew her arm from his, turned -pale and stepped back. -</p> -<p> -"What is it, in heaven's name?" he exclaimed, trying to recover her arm. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing, nothing," she said, trying hard to smile. "I saw a snake among -the rushes and it frightened me; I am going to call my father to kill -it." -</p> -<p> -And she hastened toward Monsieur de Beuvre, leaving D'Alvimar beating -the rushes on the sloping bank of the moat with his cane, in search of -the accursed reptile. -</p> -<p> -But no reptile, beautiful or ugly, made its appearance, and when he -looked after Madame de Beuvre, he saw her just going from the garden -into the courtyard. -</p> -<p> -"There's a sensitive plant," he thought as he watched her! "whether she -really was frightened by a snake, or whether my words caused this sudden -disturbance. Ah! why have not queens and princesses, who hold exalted -destinies in their hands, the amorous sincerity of these little country -dames!" -</p> -<p> -While his vanity thus accounted for Lauriane's emotion, she had gone up -to Charlotte d'Albret's chapel, not to pray—she did not often visit -that Catholic oratory, ordinarily closed as the sanctuary of a venerable -memory—but to make sure of a fact which had caused her a violent -shock. -</p> -<p> -In that little chapel there was a portrait, blackened and discolored by -the lapse of years, which was never shown to any one, but was preserved -there, where it had been found, out of respect for those articles which -had belonged to the saint of the family. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane had seen the portrait but twice in her life. Once by chance, -when an old woman employed to clean the chapel had opened the sort of -closet in which it was kept, in order to dust it. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was a child at that time. The portrait had frightened her, -although she could not tell why. -</p> -<p> -The second time, not long before, her father had told her the poor -duchess's story, with certain details, furnished by tradition, and had -said to her: -</p> -<p> -"And yet our saintly ancestress did not abhor <i>that monster</i>. Whether -she had actually loved him for a moment before she knew of the crimes -with which his hands were stained, or whether she made it her duty to -pray for him, impelled solely by Christian charity, she had his portrait -in her chapel." -</p> -<p> -Thereupon Lauriane, having learned whose terrifying features were -represented in that old painting, had felt a desire to see it again. She -had scrutinized it carefully, coolly, and had made a mental vow that she -would never marry a man who bore the faintest resemblance to that -terrible face. -</p> -<p> -Although she had examined the portrait without the slightest agitation, -the spectre had haunted her eyes for some time, and, whenever they fell -upon a repellent face, she involuntarily compared it with the abhorred -type; but she had eventually forgotten the incident, for she was -naturally cheerful and placid, and as stout-hearted as most of the young -châtelaines of the period of commotion and danger which was hardly at -an end. -</p> -<p> -And so, when she met D'Alvimar, it had not once occurred to her to -compare his face with the picture; and even in the garden, as she -chatted merrily with him, her arm in his, and looked him in the face, -she had felt no apprehension. But why had she thought of Charlotte -d'Albret while he was speaking to her? She had no idea; she paid no -great heed to the coincidence at first. -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar had insisted upon knowing her thoughts; he had almost -spoken to her of love. At all events he had said more to her on that -subject in two words, although she had never seen him before, than any -of the masculine friends, young or old, whom she met frequently, had -ever dared to do. -</p> -<p> -Surprised by such excessive audacity, she had looked at him again, but -this time by stealth. She had detected a treacherous smile on that -charming face; and at the same time his profile, outlined against the -ruddy background of the horizon, had extorted a cry of alarm from her. -</p> -<p> -That handsome youth, who seemed determined to provoke the first -pulsations of her heart, resembled Cæsar Borgia! -</p> -<p> -Whether that was a mere fancy or a certainty, it was impossible for her -to remain an instant longer on his arm. -</p> -<p> -She had invented a pretext for her alarm. She had fled, and she had gone -to look at the portrait, in order to banish or confirm her suspicions. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="VII">VII</a></h4> - -<p> -As the daylight was rapidly fading and it was already dark on the -courtyard side of the château, she turned back and went for a light to -her room, which was in the wing adjoining the little gallery under the -chapel. -</p> -<p> -The closet containing the portrait was nothing more than a square -cupboard of plain boards, fastened to the wall, like those in village -churches in which are kept the banners used in processions. She hastily -opened it, placed her candle so that its light fell upon the picture, -and gazed at the infamous wretch's features. -</p> -<p> -It was a fine painting. Cæsar and Lucretia Borgia were contemporaries -of Raphael and Michelangelo, and this portrait, somewhat dry in -execution, was in Raphael's first manner. It belonged to the same -school. -</p> -<p> -The face of the Duc de Valentinois showed no sign of the livid blotches -and hideous pustules which some historians describe, nor the squinting -eyes, "gleaming with an infernal brilliancy which even his comrades and -chosen intimates could not endure." Whether because the artist had -flattered him, or because he had painted him at a period of his life -when vice and crime did not as yet "stand out" on his face, he had not -made him ugly. He had painted the cardinal brigand in profile, and that -one of his eyes which he had copied was looking straight ahead. -</p> -<p> -The face was pale, ghastly pale, and thin, the nose sharp and narrow, -the mouth almost lipless, so pale and colorless were the lips, the chin -angular, the outlines pure, the beard and moustache red and carefully -combed, and the general effect distinguished. But seen thus in its most -favorable aspect, that knavish face was perhaps more repulsive than if -it had been eaten by leprosy. It was calm and thoughtful, and it bore no -resemblance to the flat head of the viper. -</p> -<p> -No, no, It was much worse; it was a well-shaped man's face, with all the -intellectual faculties admirably developed for evil. The long, half-shut -eye seemed absorbed in blissful meditation of a crime, and the -imperceptible smile on the transparent lips had the drowsy mildness of -sated ferocity. -</p> -<p> -It was impossible to say definitely in what the horror of the expression -consisted: it was everywhere. One felt chilled in body and mind as one -questioned that cruel and insolent countenance.<a id="FNanchor_7_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_1" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> -</p> -<p> -"I dreamed it!" said Lauriane, scrutinizing the features one by one. -"That is not the Spaniard's brow, nor his eye, nor his mouth. It is of -no use for me to look, I can find nothing of him here." -</p> -<p> -She closed her eyes to recall his features without looking at the -portrait. She saw him full face: he was charming, with a proud and -resigned expression of melancholy. She saw him in profile: he was -playful, a little satirical perhaps, he smiled.—But as soon as she -recalled that smile, she saw the profile of the infamous Cæsar, and it -was impossible for her to separate the two impressions, as if they were -glued together. -</p> -<p> -She closed the cupboard, and glanced at the pulpit of carved wood, the -little altar, and the black velvet cushion whitened and worn threadbare -by Charlotte's knees. She fell on her knees upon it and prayed, not -pausing to think whether she was in a church or a meeting-house, whether -she was Catholic or Protestant. -</p> -<p> -She prayed to the God of the weak and afflicted, the God of Charlotte -d'Albret and Jeanne de France. -</p> -<p> -Then, feeling somewhat reassured, and seeing that her guests' horses -were ready, she went down to the salon to receive their adieux. -</p> -<p> -She found her father greatly excited. -</p> -<p> -"Come here, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand to lead her -to the chair which Bois-Doré and D'Alvimar hastened to bring forward -for her; "you will restore harmony among us. When the ladies leave the -men together, they become bad-tempered, they talk of politics or -religion, and on those points no two men can ever agree. You are most -welcome therefore, who are as mild and gentle as the doves; come and -tell us about your doves, whom, I suppose, you have just been putting to -bed." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane confessed that she had forgotten her pets. She felt that -D'Alvimar's keen and piercing eye was fixed upon her. She made bold to -look at him. It was certain that he bore no more resemblance to Borgia -than good Monsieur Sylvain himself. -</p> -<p> -"So you have been quarrelling with our neighbor again?" she said to her -father as she kissed him, while she held the old marquis's hand. "Well, -what harm is done, since you confess that you need a little -contradiction to assist your digestion?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mordi</i>! no," rejoined Monsieur de Beuvre, "if it were with him I -would not confess, for I should simply have committed an everyday sin; but -I have allowed myself to fall into a contradictory mood with Monsieur de -Villareal, and that is contrary to all the laws of hospitality and -propriety. Make peace between us, my dear daughter, and tell him, for -you know me, that I am a pig-headed, quarrelsome old Huguenot, but -honest as gold, and entirely at his service none the less." -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre exaggerated. He was not a very bloodthirsty Huguenot, -and religious ideas were sadly tangled in his brain. But he harbored -some intense political hatreds and animosities, and he could not hear -the names of certain of his adversaries without giving vent to his -uncompromising frankness of speech. -</p> -<p> -Now, D'Alvimar had offended him by assuming the defence of the -ex-Governor of Berry, Monsieur le Duc de la Châtre, to whom the -conversation had drifted. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, being informed of the subject of dispute, gently delivered her -verdict. -</p> -<p> -"I absolve you both," she said; "you, monsieur my father, for the -thought that the example of the late Monsieur de la Châtre is not -worthy to be followed in any particular save physical bravery and -wit;—you, Monsieur de Villareal, for having pleaded the cause of a -man who is not here to defend himself." -</p> -<p> -"Well judged!" cried Bois-Doré; "now let us change the subject." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, to be sure, let us say no more of that tyrant!" rejoined the old -Huguenot; "let us say no more of that fanatic!" -</p> -<p> -"It pleases you to call him a fanatic," retorted D'Alvimar, who was -incapable of yielding an inch; "for my own part, and I knew him well at -court, if I had ventured to reproach him at all, it would have been for -not being zealous enough in his love for the true religion, and for -looking upon it solely as an instrument with which to crush rebellion." -</p> -<p> -"True, true," said Bois-Doré, who abhorred disputes and thought of -nothing but putting an end to one in progress, whereas De Beuvre moved -uneasily in his chair, making it very plain that he had not done with -it. -</p> -<p> -"After all," continued D'Alvimar, hoping to make his peace, "did he not -faithfully and zealously serve King Henri, to whose memory you all seem -to be devoted hereabout?" -</p> -<p> -"And with reason, monsieur!" cried De Beuvre; "with reason, <i>mordi</i>! -Where will you find a wiser and more humane king? But for how long a -time did your frantic Leaguer of a La Châtre fight against him? how -many times did he betray him? how much money had to be paid him to -induce him to remain quiet? You are a young man, and a society man; you -saw only the courtier and the smooth talker; but we old provincials know -our petty provincial tyrants, I tell you! I wish that Monsieur de -Bois-Doré would tell you how that illustrious warrior effected the -glorious conquest of Sancerre by falsehood and treachery!" -</p> -<p> -"Bless my soul!" said Bois-Doré, with some temper, "how do you expect -me to remember such things?" -</p> -<p> -"Why should it not please you to remember them, I pray to know?" -retorted De Beuvre, paying no heed to the marquis's annoyance; "you were -not at the breast, I fancy?" -</p> -<p> -"But I was so young, that I remember nothing about it." -</p> -<p> -"Well, I remember," cried De Beuvre, vexed by his friend's defection. -"Now, I am ten years younger than you, my friend, and I was not there; I -was a page to young Condé, the grandfather of the present one, and a -very different man, I promise you." -</p> -<p> -"Come, come," said Lauriane, venturing upon a most mischievous step in -order to pacify her father and turn the quarrel aside from its main -subject; "our dear marquis must needs confess that he was at the siege -of Sancerre and bore himself valiantly there, for everybody knows it, -and modesty alone leads him to refuse to remember it." -</p> -<p> -"You know very well that I was not there," said Bois-Doré, "since I was -here with you." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! I am not speaking of the last siege, which lasted only twenty-four -hours, last May, and which was simply the <i>coup de grâce</i>; I refer to -the great, the famous siege of 1572." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré had a horror of dates. He coughed, moved about, and poked the -fire, which did not need it; but Lauriane was determined to immolate him -under bouquets of praise. -</p> -<p> -"I know that you were very young," she said, "but even then you fought -like a lion." -</p> -<p> -"It is true that my friends performed wonders," replied Bois-Doré, "and -that it was a very hot struggle; but I could not strike very hard, -however eager I may have been, at that age." -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mordi</i>! you took two prisoners yourself!" cried De Beuvre, stamping -on the floor. "Look you, it drives me frantic to see a stout-hearted old -fighter like you deny his gallant exploits rather than admit his age!" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was deeply wounded, and his face became sad; it was his only -way of manifesting his displeasure to his friends. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane saw that she had gone too far; for she was sincerely attached -to her old neighbor, and when he ceased to laugh at her teasing, she no -longer cared to laugh herself. -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur," she said to her father, "permit your daughter to tell -you that you are only jesting. The marquis was much less than twenty, -and his conduct was all the more glorious." -</p> -<p> -"What! he was not twenty years old?" cried De Beuvre; "can it be that I -have become, all of a sudden, the older of the two?" -</p> -<p> -"One is never older than one appears," replied Lauriane, "and it is only -necessary to look at the marquis——" -</p> -<p> -She paused, lacking the courage to tell a downright falsehood even to -console him; but the intention was enough, for Bois-Doré was content -with very little. -</p> -<p> -He thanked her with a glance, his brow cleared; De Beuvre began to -laugh, D'Alvimar admired Lauriane's charming delicacy, and the storm was -turned aside. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_7_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_1"><span class="label">[7]</span></a>I do not know what has become of the portrait here -described. I saw one like it in the possession of the illustrious -General Pepe. It is well known that there is a portrait by Raphael which -is a masterpiece. In it Borgia is almost handsome; at all events there -is so much distinction in his face and refinement in his person that one -hesitates to detest him. But close scrutiny causes a sensation of -genuine terror. The hand, straight, slender and white as a woman's, -tranquilly grasps the hilt of a dagger hanging at his side. It holds it -with remarkable grace; it is ready to strike. The impending movement is -so admirably foreshadowed, that we can see in anticipation how the blow -is to be dealt, downward, into his victim's heart. There is grandeur in -that portrait, in the sense that the great artist has left his stamp -upon it, but without attempting to disguise the moral wickedness of his -model, which he makes to shine forth triumphantly through the appalling -tranquillity of his features.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="VIII">VIII</a></h4> - -<p> -They conversed pleasantly for a few moments. Monsieur de Beuvre urged -D'Alvimar not to take fright at his outbreaks, and to come again on the -second day thereafter with Bois-Doré, who was accustomed to dine at La -Motte every Sunday. Thereupon a servant announced that <i>la -carroche</i> of monsieur le marquis was ready.—Everyone knows -that, previous to the time of Louis XIV., who ordered otherwise, -<i>carrosse</i> was of both genders, and more frequently feminine, after -the Italian <i>carrozza</i>. -</p> -<p> -Now, Monsieur de Bois-Doré's <i>carroche</i> or <i>carrosse</i> was an -enormous, lumbering chariot, which four fine strong Percheron horses -drew with admirable courage; they were somewhat too fat, perhaps, for -one and all, men and beasts alike, were well-fed under worthy Monsieur -Sylvain's roof. -</p> -<p> -This venerable equipage, constructed to defy the difficulties of roads -carriageable or not, was stout enough to stand any test, and, if it left -something to be desired in the way of ease, one was assured at all -events of not breaking many bones in case of an upset, because the -interior was so bountifully stuffed. There were six inches of wool and -tow under the damask lining, so that one had a sense of security, if not -all possible comfort. -</p> -<p> -For the rest, it was a handsome chariot, all covered with leather, -embellished with gilt nails which formed a decorative border for the -panels. For convenience in entering and alighting, there was a small -ladder, which was placed inside when not in use. -</p> -<p> -In the four corners of this citadel on wheels, there was a very arsenal -of swords and pistols, not forgetting the powder and ball; so that, at -need, they could sustain a siege therein. -</p> -<p> -Two servants on horseback, carrying torches, headed the procession; two -other torch-bearers rode behind the carriage with D'Alvimar's servant, -who led his master's horse. -</p> -<p> -The marquis's young page sat on the box beside the coachman. -</p> -<p> -The party clattered noisily under the portcullis of La Motte-Seuilly; -and the rattling of the chains of the drawbridge as it rose behind the -procession, amid the joyous barking of the watch dogs as they were set -loose in the courtyard, combined to make an uproar which could be heard -as far as the hamlet of Champillé, a good fourth of a league away. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar felt called upon to say a few words to Bois-Doré in praise of -his fine carriage, an article of comfort and luxury still rare in the -country districts, and considered a marvel of magnificence, particularly -in Berry. -</p> -<p> -"I did not expect," he said, "to find the luxury of the great cities in -the heart of Berry, and I see, monsieur le marquis, that you lead the -life of a man of quality." -</p> -<p> -Nothing could have been more flattering to the marquis than this last -expression. Being a simple gentleman, he was not and could not be, -despite his title, a <i>man of quality</i>. His marquisate was a little -farm in the Beauvoisis which he did not even own. On a certain day of -fatigue and peril, Henri IV., arriving with him and a very small escort -at that farm, where the chances of partisan warfare had compelled them -to halt, and which they found entirely abandoned,—Henri IV., we -say, was in great danger of not breakfasting at all, when Monsieur -Sylvain, who was a most resourceful man in adventures of this sort, -discovered in a thicket a number of fowls which had been left behind and -had become wild. The Béarnais had taken part in the hunt with great -zest, and Sylvain had undertaken to cook the game to a turn. -</p> -<p> -This unlooked-for repast had put the King of Navarre in excellent humor, -and he had conferred the farm upon his loyal retainer, erecting it into -a marquisate by his good pleasure, to reward him, he said, for having -rescued a king from death by starvation. -</p> -<p> -His possession was limited to this sojourn of a few hours on the little -fief he had won without striking a blow. It had been retaken on the -following day by the contrary party; and, after the peace, its lawful -owners had re-entered into possession. -</p> -<p> -It mattered little to Bois-Doré, who cared nothing for that hovel but -much for his title, and to whom the King of France afterward laughingly -fulfilled the promise he had made as King of Navarre. The dignity was -not conferred upon the Berrichon squire by any parchment; but, under the -protection of the omnipotent monarch, the title was tolerated, and the -obscure country gentleman admitted to the king's select circle as -Marquis de Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -As no one made any objection, the king's jest and his sufferance created -a precedent at least, if not a right, and to no purpose did people make -merry at the expense of Monsieur Sylvain Bouron du Noyer—such was his -real name,—he esteemed himself a man of quality despite the scoffers. -After all he had a better claim to the title and bore it more honorably -than many other partisans. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was not aware of any of these circumstances. He had paid -little attention to what Guillaume d'Ars had told him hurriedly. It did -not occur to him to scoff at his host's nobility, and our marquis, being -accustomed to be teased upon that point, was infinitely grateful to him -for his courtesy. -</p> -<p> -However he felt bound to assume the airs of a man in robust health, in -order to neutralize that troublesome date of the siege of Sancerre. -</p> -<p> -"I keep this carriage," he said, "for no other purpose than that I may -be able to offer it to the ladies in my neighborhood when occasion -offers; for, so far as I am concerned, I much prefer the saddle. One -travels faster and with less hindrance." -</p> -<p> -"So you treated me like a lady," rejoined D'Alvimar, "by sending for -this carriage during the day. I am overwhelmed, and if I had thought -that you did not fear the cool evening air, I should have begged you to -make no change in your habits." -</p> -<p> -"But I thought that, after the long journey you have taken, you had -ridden enough for to-day; and as to the cold, to tell you the truth, I -am a terribly lazy mortal, and indulge myself in many little comforts -which are not at all necessary to my health." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré attempted to reconcile the slothful nonchalance of young -courtiers with the sturdy vigor of young country gentlemen, and he was -sometimes sorely embarrassed over it. He was, in truth, still hale and -hearty, a good horseman and in good health, despite occasional twinges -of rheumatism which he never mentioned, and a slight deafness which he -did not admit, attributing the mistakes made by his ear to his -absent-mindedness. -</p> -<p> -"I must needs apologize to you for the discourtesy of my friend De -Beuvre," he said. "Nothing can be in worse taste than these religious -discussions, which are no longer in fashion. But you will pardon an old -man's obstinacy. In reality De Beuvre worries no more than I do about -these subtleties. It is infatuation for the past which causes now and -then an attack of inveighing against the dead, and thereby making -himself a good deal of a bore to the living. I do not see why old age is -so pedantic over its reminiscences, as if, at any age, one had not seen -enough things and enough people to be as much of a philosopher as is -necessary! Ah! commend me to the good people of Paris, my dear guest, -for ability to talk with refinement and moderation on every subject of -controversy! Commend me to the Hôtel de Rambouillet for example! Of -course you have frequented the <i>blue salon of Arthenice</i>?"<a id="FNanchor_8_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_1" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was able to reply that he was received by the marchioness, -without departing from the truth. His wit and his learning had thrown -open to him the doors of the fashionable Parnassus; but he had acquired -no footing there, his intolerance having made itself manifest too soon -in that sanctuary of French urbanity. -</p> -<p> -Moreover he had little taste for the literary sheepfold. The ambition of -the age was consuming him, and the pastoral, which is the ideal of -repose and unostentatious leisure, was not at all in his line. So that -he was overcome with fatigue and drowsiness when Bois-Doré, overjoyed -to have somebody to talk with, began to recite whole pages from -<i>Astrée</i>. -</p> -<p> -"What can be more beautiful," he cried, "than this letter from the -shepherdess to her lover: -</p> -<p> -"'I am suspicious, I am jealous, I am hard to win and easy to lose, and -more easy to offend and most exceeding hard to appease. My desires must -be decrees of fate, my opinions arguments, and my commands inviolable -laws.' -</p> -<p> -"What style! and what beautiful character painting! And does not the -sequel contain all the wisdom, all the philosophy and morality that a -man can need? Listen to this, Sylvie's reply to Galatée: -</p> -<p> -"'You must not doubt that this shepherd is in love, being so honorable a -man!' -</p> -<p> -"Do you understand, monsieur, the deep meaning of that sentiment? -However, Sylvie herself explains it: -</p> -<p> -"'The lover desires nothing so much as to be loved; to be loved one must -make oneself lovable; and that which makes one lovable is the same which -makes one an honorable man?'" -</p> -<p> -"What? what does that mean?" cried D'Alvimar, awakened with a start by -the remarks of the learned shepherdess, which Bois-Doré roared into his -ear to drown the clattering of the <i>carrosse</i> over the hard pavement -of the old Roman road from La Châtre to Château-Meillant. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, yes, I would maintain it against all the world!" -rejoined Bois-Doré, not observing his guest's start; "and I tire myself -out repeating it to that old dotard, that old heretic in matters of -sentiment!" -</p> -<p> -"Who?" queried D'Alvimar in dismay. -</p> -<p> -"I am speaking of my neighbor De Beuvre, a most excellent man, I promise -you, but infatuated with the idea that virtue is found only in -theological works, which he does not read, inasmuch as he could not -understand them; whereas I maintain that it is found in poetic works, in -agreeable and becoming thoughts, which every man, however simple he may -be, may turn to his advantage. For example, when young Lycidas yields to -the mad love of Olympe——" -</p> -<p> -At this juncture D'Alvimar resolutely went to sleep again, and -Bois-Doré was still declaiming when the chariot and the escort woke the -echoes on the drawbridge of Briantes, with an uproar equal to that they -had made on leaving La Motte. -</p> -<p> -It had grown quite dark; D'Alvimar could see naught of the château but -the interior, which seemed to him very small, and which was so, in fact, -compared with the enormous dwellings common at that period. -</p> -<p> -To-day the apartments in the château would seem very large, but in -those days they seemed very diminutive. -</p> -<p> -The portion occupied by the marquis, which had been ruined by the bands -of partisans in 1594, was of recent construction. It was a square -pavilion, flanked by a very old tower and by another even more ancient -building, the whole forming a single mass of composite architecture, -graceful in its narrow proportions, and of attractive and picturesque -aspect. -</p> -<p> -"Do not be dismayed at the poor appearance of my cottage," said the -marquis, leading the way into the hall, while the page and Bellinde -lighted them; "it is just a hunting-box and bachelor's den. If I should -ever take it into my head to marry, I should have to build; but I have -not thought of it thus far, and I trust that, being yourself a bachelor, -you will not find this hovel too inconvenient." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_8_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_1"><span class="label">[8]</span></a>Arthenice, an anagram of <i>Catherine</i> Marquise de -Rambouillet; it is said to have been invented by Malherbe.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="IX">IX</a></h4> - -<p> -In truth the bachelor's den was arranged, carpeted and decorated with a -magnificence of which the low carved door and the narrow vestibule, from -which the spiral staircase rose abruptly, gave no indication. -</p> -<p> -On the flagged hall were excellent Berry mats, on the wood floors richer -carpets from the looms of Aubusson, and in the salon and the master's -bedroom Persian rugs of very great value. -</p> -<p> -The window-panes were large and of plain glass; that is to say, they -were diamond-shaped, about two inches square and unstained, with -medallions, bearing a coat-of-arms in colors, in relief. The hangings -represented slender, fascinating ladies and dainty little gentlemen, -whom it was very easy to identify as shepherds and shepherdesses by -their satchels and crooks. -</p> -<p> -The names of the principal characters of <i>Astrée</i> were embroidered in -the grass under their feet, and their eloquent speeches were issuing -from their mouths, meeting the no less eloquent replies of their -neighbors. -</p> -<p> -On a panel in the <i>salon de compagnie</i> the ill-fated Celadon was -represented, plunging with graceful contortions into the blue waters of -the Lignon, which rippled in circles in anticipation of his fall. Behind -him the incomparable Astrée, giving free vent to her tears, ran up too -late to stop him, although his foot was almost in the shepherdess's -hand. Above this pathetic group a tree, more like a sheep than the sheep -themselves in those fantastic fields, reared to the ceiling its fleecy, -curly branches. -</p> -<p> -But, in order not to rend the heart by this lamentable spectacle of the -demise of Celadon, the artist had represented him, on the same panel, on -the other side of the Lignon, tossed up by the water, and lying betwixt -life and death among the bushes, but rescued by "three lovely nymphs, -whose unbound hair fell in waves over their shoulders, covered with a -garland of pearls of divers shapes. The sleeves of their gowns were -turned back to the elbow, whence a shirred undersleeve of thin lawn -extended to the wrist, where two large bracelets of pearls secured it. -Each one had at her side the quiver filled with arrows, and carried in -her hand an ivory bow. Their dresses were turned up so that their gilded -buskins could be seen halfway to the knee." -</p> -<p> -Beside these lovely creatures stood little Meril guarding their chariot, -shaped like a shell, with a parasol above, and drawn by two horses which -might readily have been mistaken for sheep, their eyes were so mild and -their heads so round. -</p> -<p> -The next panel represented the shepherd, saved and supported by the -obliging nymphs, and busily discharging through his mouth all the water -of the Lignon which he had swallowed; which occupation did not prevent -his saying, in words written all along the gushing stream: "If I -survive, how can Astrée's cruelty fail to kill me?" -</p> -<p> -During this soliloquy Sylvie said to Galatée: "There is in his manners -and his speech something more noble than the title of shepherd denotes." -</p> -<p> -And, above the group, Cupid discharged an arrow larger than himself into -Galatée's heart, although he aimed at her shoulder, through the fault -of a tree which prevented him from taking the proper position. But the -arrows of love are so adroit! -</p> -<p> -What shall I say of the third panel, which pictured the terrible combat -between the blond Filandre and the redoubtable Moor, who held his -opponent spitted through the body, while the valiant shepherd, in nowise -disconcerted, skilfully buried the iron-shod point of his crook between -the monster's eyes? -</p> -<p> -And of the fourth panel, whereon the fair Mélandre, in the armor of -Chevalier Triste, was led into the presence of the cruel Lypandas? -</p> -<p> -But who does not know the marvels of that <i>fair land of tapestry</i>, as -one of our poets calls it, a fantastic, smiling land, wherein our -youthful imaginations saw and dreamed of so many wondrous things? -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's hangings were put together with marvellous -skill, in the sense that several adventures were successfully combined -in a single one, by the agency of distant groups scattered over the -landscape, and the honest nobleman had the pleasure of viewing all the -scenes of his favorite poem while making the circuit of his apartment. -But there were the most absurd drawings and the most impossible -combinations of colors that one can imagine, and there could have been -no better exemplification of the wretched taste, false and insipid, -which in those days was found side by side with Rubens's magnificent -work and the bold and lifelike drawings of Callot. -</p> -<p> -Every epoch runs thus to extremes; that is why we need never despair of -the one in which we live. -</p> -<p> -We must recognize the fact, however, that certain periods of the history -of art are more favored than others, and that there are some periods -whereof the taste is so pure and so fruitful, that the sentiment of the -beautiful finds its way into all the details of everyday life and into -all the strata of society. -</p> -<p> -When the Renaissance is at its height everything assumes a character of -refined originality, and one feels, even in the most trivial details, -that the excitements of social life have marvellously quickened the -flight of the imagination. The imaginative instinct descends from the -region of lofty intellects to the humble artisan; from the palace to the -hovel, nothing can accustom the eye and the mind to the sight of the -ugly and the trivial. -</p> -<p> -It had already ceased to be so under Louis XIII., and the provincials in -the neighborhood preferred Monsieur de Bois-Doré's modern tapestries -and furniture to the valuable specimens of the style of the last -century, which the <i>reiters</i> had pillaged or broken in his father's -château fifty years before. -</p> -<p> -As for the marquis, who considered himself artistic, he did not regret -those antiquities, and whenever he could pick up some landscape-dauber -on the highway, he would bid him sketch before his eyes what he -artlessly called his ideas, in the way of furniture and decorations, and -would then have them manufactured at great expense, for he shrank from -no outlay to gratify his mania for tawdry and eccentric splendor. -</p> -<p> -Thus the château was filled to overflowing with buffets with secret -compartments and curious cabinets,—those wonderful cabinets, like -great boxes with drawers, where the pressure of a spring causes an -enchanted palace in miniature to appear, supported by twisted pillars, -incrusted with enormous false precious stones, and occupied by -diminutive figures in lapis-lazuli, ivory or jasper. -</p> -<p> -Other cabinets, sheathed in transparent shell over a red ground, with -gleaming copper ornaments in relief, or all inlaid with carved ivory, -contained some marvellous toy, of which the ingenious and mystery-laden -mechanism served to conceal billets-doux, portraits, locks of hair, -rings, flowers and other love-relics dear to the beaux of the period. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré hinted that those specimens of the cabinet-maker's art were -stuffed with treasures of that sort; some evil-minded scoffers declared -that they were empty. -</p> -<p> -Despite all these vagaries of his magnificence, Bois-Doré had -transformed his little manor-house into a luxurious nest, warm and -cheery, which had cost him more than it was worth, but which it would be -most delightful to find intact in one of the little provincial -châteaux, which to-day are neglected, dilapidated, falling in ruins, or -changed into farmhouses. -</p> -<p> -It would have taken three days to inspect all the curious trifles which -are described to-day by the new name of <i>bibelots</i>, but which would be -more appropriately called <i>bribelots</i>.<a id="FNanchor_9_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_1" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> Our inquisitive and -investigating generation is entitled, however, to give whatever name it -chooses to a variety of exploration which is peculiar to it, and we -gladly accept the verb <i>bibeloter</i>, although it is only used by the -initiated. -</p> -<p> -However, we will not <i>bibeloter</i>—catalogue—here the -interesting collection of curios at Briantes; it would take too long; we -will say simply that Monsieur d'Alvimar might well have fancied himself -in the shop of a second-hand dealer, so striking was the contrast -between the profusion of gewgaws heaped upon sideboards and mantels, or -piled in pyramids on the tables, and the chilling bareness of the -Spanish palaces in which he had passed his youth. -</p> -<p> -Amid all that glass and porcelain, flagons, candlesticks, chandeliers, -punch-bowls, urns, to say nothing of the ewers, cups and small dishes of -gold, silver, amber or agate; the chairs of all shapes and sizes, -nailed, fringed and covered with Chinese silk; the benches and cupboards -of carved oak, with great clasps of openwork iron over a background of -scarlet cloth; the curtains of satin worked with gold flowers, large and -small, and embellished with gold-fringed lambrequins, etc., etc., there -were certainly some beautiful objects of art and charming products of -industry, mingled with much worthless trash and much inappropriate -elegance. In a word the general effect was brilliant and agreeable, -although there was altogether too much of it, and one hardly dared move -for fear of breaking something. -</p> -<p> -When D'Alvimar had expressed his surprise at finding that palace of the -fairy Babiole in the modest valleys of Berry, and Bois-Doré had -obligingly exhibited the principal treasures of his salon, Bellinde the -housekeeper, who went in and out issuing orders in a clear and resonant -voice, announced to her master in an undertone that the supper was -ready, while the page threw the doors wide open, shouting the usual -formula, and the clock of the château struck seven with a burst of -music in the Flemish style. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who had never been able to accustom himself to the abundance -of dishes in France, was surprised to find the table covered, not only -with gold plate and candlesticks adorned with glass flowers of all -colors, but with a quantity of food sufficient to have satisfied a dozen -persons with hearty appetites. -</p> -<p> -"Oh! this is not a supper," said Bois-Doré, whom he gently chid for -treating him like a gourmand; "this is simply a little lunch by -candlelight. Make an effort, and if my chief cook has not got tipsy in -my absence, you will see that the rascal knows how to awaken the -sluggish appetite." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar made no further remonstrance, and found that his appetite did -in fact come to him in spite of himself. -</p> -<p> -Never had he tasted such exquisite cheer at the table of the great -noblemen of his own nation, nor anything more exquisite in the most -splendid mansions in Paris. There were none but the daintiest little -dishes, deliciously seasoned, and most scientifically compounded after -the fashion of the time: bisque of crab, fat quail stuffed, pastry light -as air, perfumed creams of several flavors in marchpane shells, biscuits -with saffron and with clove, fine native wines, among which the old wine -of Issoudun could hold its own with the best vintages of Bourgogne; and -at dessert the headiest wines of Greece and Spain. -</p> -<p> -They passed two hours tasting a little of everything, Bois-Doré talking -of the cellar and cuisine like a consummate master, and Bellinde -directing the servants with unequalled knowledge and skill. -</p> -<p> -The young page played the theorbo very pleasantly during the first two -courses; but simultaneously with the third a new personage appeared and -caused D'Alvimar some uneasiness, although he could not tell why. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_9_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_1"><span class="label">[9]</span></a>A coined word, derived from <i>bribes</i>, scraps or refuse.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="X">X</a></h4> - -<p> -He was a man of some forty years, whom the marquis greeted by the name -of Master Jovelin, and who, without speaking, seated himself on a -leather-covered gilt chair in a corner of the room, in such way as not -to interfere with the going to and fro of the servants. He carried a -little red serge bag which he placed on his knees, and he glanced at the -table companions with a pleasant, smiling expression. -</p> -<p> -His face was handsome, although the features were without distinction. -His nose and mouth were large, he had a retreating chin and a low -forehead. -</p> -<p> -Despite these defects, it was impossible for an honest man to look upon -him without interest; and if one paid the slightest heed to his -beautiful black hair, which was sadly neglected, but of fine texture and -naturally curly, his magnificent white teeth which his melancholy but -cordial smile revealed, and his black eyes, so keen and intelligent, so -kind and sympathetic, that his yellow face was lighted up by them, one -felt as it were compelled to love him, ay, and to respect him. -</p> -<p> -He was dressed like a petty bourgeois, but very neatly, in a suit of -bluish-gray, with woollen stockings; the coat long and tightly buttoned, -a wide collar turned down and cut square across the chest, open sleeves -in the Flemish style, and a broad-brimmed felt hat without feathers. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, having asked politely as to his health and -ordered a servant to give him a glass of Cyprus, which he declined with -a wave of his hand, said no more to him, but bestowed his attention on -his guest exclusively. -</p> -<p> -Such was the etiquette of that time, a man of quality being prohibited -from showing much consideration for an inferior, under pain of seeming -to insult his equals. -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar noticed that their eyes met frequently and that, after -every remark made by the marquis, they exchanged a smile of -intelligence, as if he desired to share all his thoughts with the -new-comer, perhaps to obtain his approbation, perhaps to divert his mind -from some secret trouble. -</p> -<p> -Surely, in all this there was no cause for alarm on D'Alvimar's part. -But it may be that he was not on very good terms with his conscience; -for that handsome and honest face, far from being attractive to him, -caused him a great mental perturbation and sudden distrust. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, however, did not say a word or ask a question referring to -the reasons of the Spaniard's flight to Berry. He talked entirely of -himself, and therein gave proof of great tact, for D'Alvimar had as yet -shown no inclination to be confidential, and his host found a way to -keep up the conversation without questioning him upon any subject -whatsoever. -</p> -<p> -"You find me in comfortable, well-furnished quarters and well-served," -he said; "that is quite true. It is several years"—he did not say how -many—"since I withdrew from society to rest a while and recover from -the fatigues of war, awaiting events. I confess that, since the death of -our great King Henri, I care not at all for the court or the city. I am -not given to complaining, and I take the times as they come; but I have -had three great sorrows in my life: the first was when I lost my mother, -the second when I lost my younger brother, the third when I lost my -great and good king. And there is this peculiarity in my story, that all -three of those persons who were so dear to me died a violent death. My -king was assassinated, my mother fell from her horse, and my -brother—But this is too sad a subject, and I do not choose to tell -you unpleasant tales to prepare you for your first night under my roof. I -will simply tell you what it was that made me slothful and inclined to -domesticity. When I saw my King Henri breathe his last, I reasoned thus -with myself: 'You have lost all those you loved, you have nobody left -but yourself to lose; now then, if you do not wish your turn to come -soon, you will do well to turn your back on these regions of commotion -and intriguing, and go and nurse your poor, afflicted and weary person -in your native province.' You were right therefore to esteem me as -fortunate as a man can be, since I was wise enough to adopt the course -best suited to me, and to save myself from all annoyance; but you would -have made a mistake to think that I lack nothing; for, while I desire -nothing, I cannot say that I regret nobody. But I have regaled you -enough with my sorrows and I am not one of those who feed upon them, -refusing to be comforted or diverted. While we taste this jelly, do you -care to listen to a more skilful musician than our little page?—Do -you listen to him, too, my young friend," he added, addressing the page; -"it will do you no harm." -</p> -<p> -As he spoke to D'Alvimar, he had bestowed upon him he called Master -Jovelin one of those affectionate glances which resembled prayers rather -than commands. -</p> -<p> -The man in the gray suit unbuttoned the flowing sleeve which covered -another tighter sleeve of a dull red color, and threw it over his -shoulder; then he took from his bag one of those little bag-pipes with a -short, carved bass, which were then called <i>sourdelines</i>, and were -employed in chamber music. -</p> -<p> -This instrument, the tone of which was as sweet and veiled as the -bag-pipes of our own minstrels of to-day are noisy and shrill, was much -in vogue, and before Master Jovelin had concluded his prelude, he had -taken possession not only of the attention but of the very soul of his -hearers; for he performed marvellously on the <i>sourdeline</i>, and made -it sing like a human voice. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was a connoisseur, and beautiful music possessed the power of -making his natural melancholy less bitter than usual. He abandoned -himself the more readily to this sort of relief, because his mind was -set at rest when he discovered that this silent and watchful individual, -whom he had taken at first for an insinuating spy, was an accomplished -and harmless musician. -</p> -<p> -As for the marquis, he loved the art and the artist, and he always -listened to his <i>master sourdelinier</i> with religious emotion. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar expressed his admiration in well-chosen terms. Whereupon, the -supper being at an end, he asked leave to retire. -</p> -<p> -The marquis rose at once, motioned to Master Jovelin to await his return -and to the page to take a light, and himself escorted his guest to the -room that had been prepared for him; after which he returned to the -table, removed his hat, which, in those days, was a sign that ceremony -was dispensed with, contrary to the usage introduced at a later date, -ordered a sort of punch called <i>clairette</i>, compounded of white wine, -honey, musk, saffron and cloves, and invited Master Jovelin to sit -opposite him in the place D'Alvimar had just vacated. -</p> -<p> -"Now, Messire Clindor," said the marquis, smiling good-humoredly at the -page, whom, in accordance with his usual custom, he had burdened with a -name taken from <i>Astrée</i>, "you may go to sup with Bellinde. Leave us, -and tell her to take care of you.—Stay," he added, as the page was -about to leave the room, "I have been intending all day to reprove you -for your manner of walking. I have noticed, my young friend, that you -have adopted some habits which you may think are military, but which are -simply vulgar. Do not forget, therefore, that, although you are not -noble, you are in a way to become so, and that a well-mannered little -bourgeois in the service of a man of quality is on the road to the -acquisition of a little fief of which he may assume the name. But what -will it avail you that I assist you to rub the dirt off your birth, if -you persist in befouling your manners? Try to be a gentleman, monsieur, -not a peasant. Now then, adopt an easy carriage, try to put your whole -foot on the floor when you walk, and not begin your step with the heel -and end on the great toe; a trick which makes your gait and the clatter -of your shoes resemble the amble of a millers horse. Go now in peace, -eat well and sleep well, or else beware of the stirrup-leathers!" -</p> -<p> -Little Clindor, whose real name was Jean Fachot—his father was an -apothecary at Saint-Amand,—received the sermon of his lord and master -with great respect, saluted and left the room on tiptoe, like a -ballet-dancer, to make it perfectly evident that he could not touch his -heels first, since he did not touch them at all. -</p> -<p> -The old servant, who always remained to the last, having gone likewise -to his supper, the marquis said to his <i>sourdelinier</i>: -</p> -<p> -"Come, my dear friend, just take off that great hat, and eat, without -fear of the servants, a good slice of this paté and another of this -ham, as you do every evening when we are alone." -</p> -<p> -Master Jovelin uttered some inarticulate sounds by way of thanks, and -began to eat, while the marquis slowly sipped his <i>clairette</i>, less -from desire than from courtesy, to bear him company; for it is well to say -that, although the old man had many absurd foibles, he had not a single -vice. -</p> -<p> -Then, while the poor mute ate, the good châtelain carried on the -conversation all by himself, which was a very great pleasure to the -musician, for no other person would take the trouble to speak to a man -who could not answer. People had become accustomed to treat him as a -deaf-mute; that is to say, knowing that he could not repeat what he -heard, they indulged without hesitation in lying or slander in his -hearing. The marquis alone talked directly to him, with much deference -for his noble character, his great learning and his misfortunes, of -which the following is a brief narrative: -</p> -<p> -Lucilio Giovellino, a native of Florence, was a friend and disciple of -the unfortunate and illustrious Giordano Bruno. Trained in the sublime -ideas and vast learning of his master, he had, in addition, great -aptitude for the fine arts, poetry and languages. Lovable, eloquent and -persuasive, he had propagated with success the bold doctrine of the -plurality of worlds. -</p> -<p> -On the day when Giordano died at the stake with the calm dignity of a -martyr, Giovellino was banished from Italy forever. -</p> -<p> -This happened at Rome two years before the period of our narrative. -</p> -<p> -Under the hand of the tormenters, Giovellino had not chosen to adhere to -all of Giordano's doctrines. Although he was deeply attached to his -master, he had declined to accept certain of his errors, and as they -were able to convict him of only the half of his heresy, they had -inflicted only the half of his punishment: they had cut out his tongue. -</p> -<p> -Ruined, banished, exhausted by the torture, Giovellino had come to -France, where he played his sweet-toned bag-pipe from door to door, for -a crust of bread; and, Providence having guided him to the marquis's door, -he was taken in, nursed, cured, entertained by him, and—which was -worth far more to the poor fellow—appreciated and loved. He had told -him of his misfortunes in writing. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was neither a scholar nor a philosopher; he had become -interested in him at first as a man who was persecuted, as he himself -had been for a long time, by Catholic intolerance. He would not, -however, have become attached to a savage, violent sectary, of the type -of a goodly number of Huguenots, who were no less addicted to -persecution in those days than their adversaries. He had a vague -knowledge of the blasphemies imputed to Giordano Bruno; he bade -Giovellino explain his doctrines to him. The mute wrote rapidly, and -with that refined lucidity of expression which great minds were -beginning not to disdain, wishing to instruct everybody, even the common -herd, in those great questions which Galileo was already investigating -in the domain of pure science. -</p> -<p> -The marquis enjoyed this conversation in writing, in which the essential -points were summarized soberly, and without the inevitable digressions -of speech. Gradually he conceived an enthusiastic, passionate interest -in these new definitions which afforded him repose and relieved him from -tedious disputes. He desired to read an exposition of Giordano's ideas, -also of those of his predecessor Vanini. Lucilio was able to express -them so that he could understand them, pointing out the weak or false -passages, in order to lead him to the only conclusions which human -knowledge asserts with certainty to-day: a creation as infinite as the -Creator, an infinity of stars peopling infinite space, not to serve as -luminaries and objects of interest to our little planet, but as sources -and sustenance of universal life. -</p> -<p> -This was very easy to understand, and man had understood it ever since -the first ray of genius had made itself manifest in mankind. But the -doctrines of the Church in the Middle Ages had reduced God and Heaven to -the proportions of our little world, and the marquis thought that he was -dreaming when he learned that the existence of the real universe was -not—as he had always imagined, so he said—a poet's fancy. -</p> -<p> -He did not rest until he had procured a telescope, and he expected, the -dear man, to see the inhabitants of the moon distinctly, his ideas were -raised so high. He had to abandon that hope; but he passed all his -evenings reading Giovellino's explanation of the movements of the stars, -and of the wonderful celestial mechanism, which Galileo was destined to -be condemned to abjure as heretical, a few years later, under torture, -on his knees, with a torch in his hand. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XI">XI</a></h4> - -<p> -"Well," cried the marquis, while his friend ate, hastening as a matter -of course, although his amiable and obliging host urged him to take his -time, "what have you done to-day, my redoubtable scholar? Yes, I -understand, pages of fine writing. Do not lose a line, I pray you! Those -are words of refined gold which will go down to posterity; for these -days of gloom will go hence into the dungeons of the past! Meanwhile, -always conceal your sheets carefully in the secret drawer of the -cupboard I have had placed in your chamber, when you do not write in -mine." -</p> -<p> -The mute made a sign that he had been writing in the marquis's study, -and that his sheets were in a certain ebony casket where the marquis -kept them. He made himself understood by gestures with great ease. -</p> -<p> -"That is still better," continued Bois-Doré; "they are even safer -there, as no woman enters the room. It is not that I distrust Bellinde, -but she seems to me altogether too devoutly inclined since the arrival -of this new rector whom Monseigneur de Bourges has sent us, and who is -not to be compared, I fear, with our old friend the former curé, whom -we owed to the last archbishop, Jean de Beaune. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! if only we had retained that excellent prelate, with his flowing -beard, his gigantic stature, his fat paunch, his Gargantuan appetite, -his handsome face, his great mind and his vast learning! one of the -shrewdest and best men in the kingdom, although, to look at him, one -would have taken him for a <i>bon vivant</i> and nothing more! -</p> -<p> -"If you had come in his time, my dear friend, you would not have had to -keep out of sight in this little hunting-box; you would not have been -obliged to translate your name into French, to lock up your learning, to -pass for a poor bagpiper, and to give people hereabout to understand -that you were mutilated by the Huguenots; our excellent primate would -have taken you under his protection, and you would have printed your -noble thoughts at Bourges, to the great honor of your name and of our -province; whereas we now have for archbishops none but Condé's too -zealous servants. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, I learned some fine things to-day, at De Beuvre's, concerning -that prince, a renegade to the faith of his fathers and the friendships -of his youth! He inundates us with Jesuits, and, if poor Henri IV. -should return to life, he would see some diverting masquerading! -Monsieur de Sully is falling deeper and deeper into disgrace. Condé is -purchasing from him by threats all his estates in Berry. Fancy! he has -forced him to give up the grand-bailiwick and the command of the great -tower! He is king of our province now, and people say that he dreams of -becoming King of France. So, you see, affairs are going badly -out-of-doors, and there is no safety except in our little fortresses, -and that only on condition that we are prudent and wait patiently for -the end of it all." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure02"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure02.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS -PROTÉGÉ.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to -him over the table, and kissed it with the eloquent -warmth which took the place of speech with him.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to him over the -table, and kissed it with the eloquent warmth which took the place of -speech with him. At the same time, he made him understand, by pantomime -and by his expression, that he was happy with him, that he did not -regret glory and the tumult of the world, and that he was altogether -disposed to be prudent, lest he should compromise his protector. -</p> -<p> -"As to the young gentleman whom I brought home with me and have done my -best to entertain," continued Bois-Doré, "you must know that I know -nothing about him except that he is a friend of Messire Guillaume d'Ars, -that he is threatened with some danger, and that he is to be concealed -and defended at need. But do you not think it odd that this stranger did -not once take me aside to confide his story to me, or that he did not do -it when we were naturally left together on our return hither?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, who always had a pencil and paper beside him on the table, -wrote to Bois-Doré: -</p> -<p> -"Spanish pride." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," rejoined the marquis, reading, so to speak, before he had -written, so accustomed had he become, in two years, to divine his words -from the first letters; "'Castilian pride,' that is what I said to -myself. I have known a goodly number of these hidalgos, and I know that -they do not consider it discourteous to show lack of confidence. So I -must needs exercise hospitality here in the old-fashioned way, respect -my guest's secrets and treat him courteously, as an old friend whom one -believes to be the most honorable man on earth. But that does not compel -me to accord him the confidence that he denies me, and that is why, as -you saw, I left you in a corner, like a poor, paid musician, when he was -here. And hereupon, my dear friend, I ask you to forgive me, once for -all, for any apparent lack of affection or courtesy to which I am forced -by regard for your safety, just as I clothe you in these common, -ill-fitting clothes." -</p> -<p> -Poor Giovellino, who had never been so well dressed and so tenderly -cared for in his whole life, interrupted the marquis by pressing his -hands, and Bois-Doré was deeply moved to see tears of gratitude fall -upon his friend's long, black moustache. -</p> -<p> -"Nay," he said, "you overpay me by loving me so dearly! I must reward -you now by speaking to you of the sweet Lauriane. But must I repeat what -she said to me about you? You will not be too puffed-up by it? -No?—Well then, here goes. In the first place: -</p> -<p> -"'How is your druid?' -</p> -<p> -"I replied that the said druid was hers much more than mine, and that -she ought to remember that Climante, in <i>Astrée</i>, was only a false -druid, as deep in love as every other lover in that beautiful story. -</p> -<p> -"'Nay, nay,' she replied, 'you are deceiving me; if your Climante were -as much in love with me as you represent him, he would have come with -you to-day, whereas two whole weeks have passed since we saw him. Will -you tell me that he starts when he hears my name, as in <i>Astrée</i>, and -that he utters sighs which seem <i>to rend his stomach in twain</i>? I do -not believe a word of it, and look upon him as an inconstant Hylas rather!' -</p> -<p> -"You see that the charming Lauriane continues to make sport of -<i>Astrée</i>, of you and of me. However, when I took leave of her at -nightfall, she said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'I insist upon your bringing the druid and his bag-pipe to us the day -after to-morrow, or I will give you a cool reception, I promise you.'" -</p> -<p> -The poor druid listened with a smile to Bois-Doré's story; he knew how -to jest on occasion, that is to say to take others' jesting in good -part. Lauriane was to him nothing more than a lovely child, whose father -he might have been; but he was still young enough to remember that he -had loved, and in the depths of his heart his sense of isolation was -exceedingly bitter to him. -</p> -<p> -As he thought of the past he stifled a sigh of regret, and began -instinctively to play an Italian air which the marquis loved above all -others. -</p> -<p> -He played it with so much grace and passion that Bois-Doré said to him, -resorting to his favorite oath, borrowed from Monsieur d'Urfé: -</p> -<p> -"<i>Numes célestes</i>! you need no tongue to talk of love, my dear friend, -and if the object of your passion were here, she must be deaf to avoid -understanding that your heart is pouring itself forth to hers. But come, -will you not let me read those pages of sublime learning?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio signified that his head was a little tired, and Bois-Doré at -once sent him off to bed, after embracing him fraternally. -</p> -<p> -Giovellino, in truth, often felt that he was more of an artist and a -creature of sentiment, than a scholar and philosopher. His nature was at -once enthusiastic and meditative. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile Monsieur de Bois-Doré had retired to his "night apartment," -situated above the salon. He had spoken truly when he said to Lucilio -that no woman ever entered that sanctuary of repose or the cabinets -connected therewith; Bellinde herself was forbidden to cross the -threshold under the severest penalties. -</p> -<p> -Only old Mathias—dubbed Adamas, for the same reason that Guillette -Carcat was obliged to call herself Bellinde, and Jean Fachot, -Clindor—was privileged to assist in the mysteries of the marquis's -toilet, so perfectly sincere was he in the belief that the secret of his -rouge and his dyes could be revealed only by the arsenal of boxes, -phials and jars spread out upon his tables. -</p> -<p> -As usual, therefore, he found Adamas alone, preparing the curl-papers, -powders and perfumed unguents which were to preserve the marquis's -beauty even in his slumber. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XII">XII</a></h4> - -<p> -Adamas was a pure-blooded Gascon: stout of heart, keen of wit, untiring -of tongue. Bois-Doré artlessly called him his old servant, although he -himself was at least ten years his senior. -</p> -<p> -This Adamas, who had accompanied him in his last campaigns, was his -<i>âme damnée</i>, and filled his nostrils with the incense of perpetual -admiration, the more injurious to his mental equilibrium in that it was -the result of a sincere infatuation. It was he who persuaded him that he -was still young, that he could not grow old, and that, when he went -forth from his hands, glistening and high-colored like a page from a -missal, he was certain to supplant all the coxcombs and deceive all the -fair. -</p> -<p> -No man is great in the eyes of his valet de chambre, witness Sancho -Panza who told his master such sound truths. But Bois-Doré, who was -simply an excellent man, enjoyed the privilege of being a demi-god in -the eyes of his servant; and, while some heroes have been the -laughing-stock of their retainers, this laughable old man was taken -quite seriously by the majority of his. -</p> -<p> -So things go in this world. Everyone must have noticed, as I have, that -they sometimes go entirely contrary to logic and common-sense. -</p> -<p> -The old nobleman's extraordinary kindliness was responsible for this -state of affairs. Great characters make people too exacting. At the -slightest weakness on their part, people are astonished; at the -slightest impatience they are scandalized. He who has no character at -all never irritates anybody and reaps the advantages of his -never-failing good nature. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, kneeling on the floor to remove his -old idol's boots, "I must tell you a very strange occurrence that -happened to-day on your domain." -</p> -<p> -"Speak, my friend, speak, since you desire to speak," replied -Bois-Doré, who allowed his dresser to chatter familiarly with him, and -furthermore, when he was half asleep, loved to be soothed by some bit of -harmless gossip. -</p> -<p> -"You must know, then, my dear and well-beloved master," said Adamas, -with his Gascon accent, which we will not attempt to reproduce, "that, -about five o'clock this evening, a very extraordinary woman came here, -one of those poor creatures of whom we saw so many on the shores of the -Mediterranean and the Southern provinces; you know, monsieur, not very -dark women, with heavy lips, fine eyes, and black hair—like yours!" -</p> -<p> -As he made this comparison, in perfect good faith, Adamas respectfully -placed his master's wig on an ivory block. -</p> -<p> -"Do you mean those Egyptian women, who play all kinds of tricks?" said -Bois-Doré, paying no heed to the subject of the comparison. -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, no! This one is a Spaniard, who swears by Mahomet, I am -sure, when she is all alone." -</p> -<p> -"Then you mean that she is a Moor?" -</p> -<p> -"That's it exactly, monsieur le marquis; she's a Moor, and she doesn't -know a word of French." -</p> -<p> -"But you know a little Spanish?" -</p> -<p> -"A little, monsieur. I remember so well what I used to know of it, that -I talked with that woman almost as readily as I am speaking to you." -</p> -<p> -"Well, is that the whole story?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! no; but give me time! It seems that this Moorish woman was one of -the great band of a hundred and fifty thousand, who perished, almost all -of them, some half score years ago, some by hunger and murder on the -galleys that were taking them to Africa, others by want and disease on -the shores of Languedoc and Provence." -</p> -<p> -"Poor creatures!" said Bois-Doré. "That was the most detestable deed -that ever was done!" -</p> -<p> -"Is it true, monsieur, that Spain drove out a million of these Moors, -and that barely a hundred thousand arrived in Tunis?" -</p> -<p> -"I couldn't tell you the number; but I can tell you that it was -downright butchery, and that beasts of burden were never treated like -those wretched human beings. You know that our Henri would fain have -made Calvinists of them, which would have saved them by making them -French." -</p> -<p> -"I remember very well, monsieur, that the Catholics of the South -wouldn't listen to such a thing, and said that they would murder them -all rather than go to mass with those devils. The Calvinists were not -any more reasonable, and the result was that our good king left the poor -wretches at peace in the Pyrenees, waiting for an opportunity to do -something for them. But after his death the queen regent wanted to rid -Spain of them, so they drove them into the sea, with or without ships. -Some, however, consented to be baptized and became Christians, to escape -that cruel fate, and the woman in question followed that wise course, -although I suspect her of not being perfectly sincere." -</p> -<p> -"What difference does that make to you, Adamas? Do you think that the -great Maker of the sun, the moon and the Milky Way——" -</p> -<p> -"I beg your pardon, monsieur?" said Adamas, who had not a very clear -understanding of his master's recently acquired knowledge, and indeed -was somewhat disturbed about it; "I don't recognize <i>milky voice</i><a id="FNanchor_10_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_1" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> as -a French expression." -</p> -<p> -"I will tell you about that another time," said the marquis yawning, for -he was drowsing in front of the fire that crackled on the hearth. -"Finish your story." -</p> -<p> -"Well, monsieur," Adamas continued, "this Moorish woman remained till -last year in the Pyrenees mountains, where she watched the flocks for -poor farmers; so that she continued to speak her Catalan patois, which -people understand well enough on the other side of the mountains." -</p> -<p> -"And that explains to me how, with your Gascon patois, which is not very -different from the mountain patois, you were able to talk Spanish with -this woman." -</p> -<p> -"That is as monsieur pleases; all the same, I said many Spanish words -which she understood perfectly.—And then I must tell you that she had -a little child with her, who isn't her own child, but of whom she is as -fond as a goat of her kid, and the pretty little lad, whose mind is -bigger than his body, speaks French as well as you and I. Now, monsieur, -this Moorish woman, whose name in French is Mercedes——" -</p> -<p> -"Mercedes is a Spanish name!" said the marquis, climbing into his great -bed with Adamas's aid. -</p> -<p> -"I meant to say that it was a Christian name," continued the servant. -"Six months ago, Mercedes took it into her head to go and find Monsieur -de Rosny, whom she had heard spoken of as the late king's right arm, and -who, she had been told, although he was in disgrace, was still powerful -because of his wealth and his virtue. So she started for Poitou, where -she was told Monsieur de Sully lived. Aren't you surprised, monsieur, at -the resolution of such a poor, ignorant woman, to travel across half of -France, on foot, with only a little child who is hardly ten years old, -with the idea of calling on such an exalted personage?" -</p> -<p> -"But you don't tell me what this woman's reason was for acting thus?" -</p> -<p> -"That is the wonderful part of the story, monsieur! What can it be, do -you think?" -</p> -<p> -"I could never guess! tell me at once, for it is late." -</p> -<p> -"I would tell you if I knew; but I know no more about it than you do, -and, try as hard as I would, I could not induce her to tell." -</p> -<p> -"Good-night, then." -</p> -<p> -"Wait till I cover the fire, monsieur." -</p> -<p> -And, as he covered the fire, Adamas continued, raising his voice: -</p> -<p> -"That woman is altogether mysterious, monsieur le marquis, and I would -like to have you see her!" -</p> -<p> -"Now?" said the marquis, rousing himself with a start. "You are joking; -it is time to go to sleep." -</p> -<p> -"To be sure; but to-morrow morning?" -</p> -<p> -"Is she in the house, pray?" -</p> -<p> -"Why, yes, monsieur! She asked for a corner to pass the night under -shelter. I gave her some supper, for I know monsieur does not wish us to -refuse bread to the unfortunate, and I sent her to lie on the straw -after talking with her." -</p> -<p> -"And you did wrong, monsieur; a woman is always a woman. And—I hope -that there are no other beggars there? I do not want any indecency on my -premises." -</p> -<p> -"Nor do I, monsieur! I put her and her child, all alone, in the small -cellar, where they are quite comfortable, I assure you; they do not seem -accustomed to such good quarters, poor things! And yet this Mercedes is -as neat and clean as one can be in such poverty. Moreover, she is not at -all ugly." -</p> -<p> -"I trust, Adamas, that you will not impose upon her destitute condition. -Hospitality is a sacred thing!" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur is making fun of a poor old man! It is all very well for -monsieur le marquis to have virtuous principles! For my part, I assure -you that I have little need of them, being no longer tempted by the -devil. Besides, the woman seems very honest, and she does not take a -step without her child clinging to her dress. She must have run other -risks than that of pleasing me too much, for she has been travelling -with gypsies who passed through this region to-day. There was a large -party of them, partly Egyptians, partly picked up here and there, as -their custom is. She says that the vagabonds were not unkind to her, so -true it is that beggars stand by one another. As she did not know the -roads, she followed them, because they said they were going to Poitou; -but she left them to-night, saying that she had no further need of them, -and that she had business in this province. Now, monsieur, that is -another thing that seems very strange to me, for she would not tell me -why she acted so. What do you think of it, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré did not reply. He was sleeping soundly, despite the noise -that Adamas made, to some extent wilfully, to force him to listen to his -story. -</p> -<p> -When the old retainer saw that the marquis had really set out for the -land of dreams, he tucked in the sheets carefully, placed his beautiful -pistols in the morocco bag hanging at the head of his bed; on a table at -his right, his rapier unsheathed and his hunting knife, his folio -edition of <i>Astrée</i>, a superb volume with engravings, a large goblet -of hippocras, a bell with its hammer, and a handkerchief of fine Holland -linen saturated with musk. Then he lighted the night lamp, blew out the -multicolored candles, and arranged at the foot of the bed the red -velvet slippers and the dressing-gown of flowered silk serge, -light-green on dark-green. -</p> -<p> -Then, as he was about to leave the room, the faithful Adamas gazed at -his master, his friend, his demigod. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, with all his cosmetics washed off, was a handsome old man, -and the tranquillity of his conscience imparted a venerable air to his -face as he lay asleep. While his wig reposed on the table, and his -garments, stuffed to conceal the hollows that age had made in his -shoulders and his legs, lay scattered about on chairs, the angular -outlines of his great body, shrunken to half its size, could be traced -under a <i>lodier</i> or coverlet of white satin, with coats-of-arms in -silver purl in relief at the four corners. -</p> -<p> -The headboard of the bed, a single panel ten feet high, as well as the -fringed tester connected therewith in the shape of a canopy, was also of -white satin stitched on thick wadding, and with large silver figures in -relief. The inside of the bed-curtains was of similar material; the -outer surface was of pink damask. -</p> -<p> -In that comfortable and sumptuous bed, that strongly-marked, venerable -face, martial still with all its gentleness, with its moustache -bristling with curl-papers, and its night-cap of wadded silk in the -shape of half a mortar, embellished with rich lace that stood erect like -a crown, presented a most singular combination of absurdity and -austerity in the bluish light of the night lamp. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur is sleeping quietly," said Adamas to himself; "but he forgot -to say his prayers, and it is my fault. I will do it for him." -</p> -<p> -He knelt and prayed very fervently; after which he withdrew to his own -room, which was separated only by a partition from his master's. -</p> -<p> -The arsenal that Adamas had arranged around the marquis's bed was only a -matter of habit or luxury. -</p> -<p> -Everything was perfectly quiet around the little château; within the -château everybody was sleeping soundly. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_10_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_1"><span class="label">[10]</span></a>Bois-Doré said <i>voie</i> lactée; Adamas understood him to -say <i>voix</i> lactée.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XIII">XIII</a></h4> - -<p> -The first to awake was Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, who had also been the -first to fall asleep, being thoroughly tired out. -</p> -<p> -He did not like to remain in bed, and the habit born of straitened -circumstances, skilfully concealed, made the attentions of his valet -useless to him. This was the more fortunate, inasmuch as the old -Spaniard who was in attendance upon him would not readily have consented -to perform other functions than those of an esquire. -</p> -<p> -And yet that man was as devoted to him as Adamas was to Bois-Doré; but -there was as much difference in their relations as in their characters -and their respective situations. -</p> -<p> -They talked but little to each other, perhaps because they were -disinclined, perhaps because they understood each other on all subjects -at a single word. Moreover, the valet considered himself, up to a -certain point, his master's equal, for their families were equally -ancient and equally pure—such at least was their claim—of all -admixture with the Moorish or Jewish races, so solemnly ostracized, and -so solemnly persecuted in Spain. -</p> -<p> -Sancho of Cordova—such was the old esquire's name,—had been -present at young D'Alvimar's birth in the castle of the village where he -himself was living, reduced by poverty to the trade of swineherd. The -young châtelain, who was little richer than he, had taken him into his -service on the very day when he had determined to go to seek his fortune -in foreign lands. -</p> -<p> -It was said in that Castilian village that Sancho had loved Madame -Isabella, D'Alvimar's mother, and even that she had not been indifferent -to his passion. In this way they explained the attachment of that -taciturn and morose man for a cold and haughty youth, who treated him, -not as a valet properly so-called, but as an unintelligent inferior. -</p> -<p> -Thus Sancho, meditative or brutish, passed his life grooming horses and -keeping his master's weapons sharp and bright. The rest of the time he -played, slept or mused, avoiding familiarity with the other servants, -whom he looked upon as his inferiors, and forming no intimacies, for he -was suspicious of everybody, ate little, drank little, and never looked -a person in the face. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar dressed himself therefore and went out to inspect his -surroundings, although it was hardly daylight. -</p> -<p> -The manor house looked upon a small pond, from which a broad moat -issued, to return to it at another point after making the circuit of the -buildings, which consisted, as we have said, of a conglomerate mass of -architecture of several periods. -</p> -<p> -1st. An entirely new white pavilion, small in size, covered with -slates—a great luxury in a province where even tiles were -rare—and crowned with a double mansard roof with carved spandrels -adorned with balls.<a id="FNanchor_11_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_1" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> -</p> -<p> -2d. Another pavilion, very old but completely restored, with a roof of -oaken tiles, and resembling certain Swiss chalets in shape. This -building, which contained the kitchens, offices and guest chambers, was -arranged after the fashion of the wild old days of unrest. It had no -outer door, and could be entered only through the other buildings; its -windows looked on the courtyard, and its façade, turned toward the -fields, had no other openings than two small square holes in the gable, -like two suspicious little eyes in a silent face. -</p> -<p> -3d. A prism-shaped tower with an ogival door of delicate workmanship; -the tower had a slated roof, also pentagonal, and surmounted by a belfry -and a slender weather-vane. This tower contained the only staircase in -the château, and connected the old and new buildings. -</p> -<p> -Other low structures attached to the main pile stood on the edge of the -moat, and were occupied by the indoor servants. -</p> -<p> -The courtyard, with its well in the centre, was surrounded by the -château, the pond, another building of a single story, with mansards -and stone balls, used for stables, hunting equipments and visitors' -servants; and lastly, by the entrance tower, which was smaller and less -beautiful than that at La Motte-Seuilly, but was flanked by a wall -pierced with loop-holes for falconets, covering the approaches to the -bridge. -</p> -<p> -This trivial fortification was sufficient because of the two moats: the -first around the courtyard, wide and deep, with running water; the -second around the poultry-yard, marshy and stagnant, but protected by -stout walls. -</p> -<p> -Between the two moats, at the right of the drawbridge, lay the garden; -it was of considerable size and enclosed by high walls and well-kept -ditches; on the left the mall, the kennels, the orchard, the farm and -the meadow, with the seignioral dove-cote, heron yard and falconry; an -immense enclosure reaching to the houses of the village, almost all of -which belonged to the marquis. -</p> -<p> -The village was fortified, and in some places the solid foundation of -its low walls was said to date from the time of Cæsar. -</p> -<p> -Comparing the small proportions of the manor-house with the extent of -the domain, with the rich furniture heaped up in the apartments, and the -master's luxurious habits, Monsieur d'Alvimar tried to divine the reason -of the contrast; and as he was by no means charitably inclined, he -concluded that the marquis concealed his wealth, not from avarice, but -because the source of that wealth was not altogether pure. -</p> -<p> -Therein he was not entirely in error. -</p> -<p> -The marquis had this in common with a great number of gentlemen of his -time, that he had lined his pockets somewhat unscrupulously during the -civil commotions, at the expense of the rich abbeys, and by means of the -exactions of the war time, rights of conquest, and the smuggling of -salt. -</p> -<p> -Pillage was a sort of recognized right in those days; witness the -petition of Monsieur d'Arquian, who appealed to the courts because his -château was burned by Monsieur de la Châtre, "contrary to all the -usages of war; for he would not have mentioned the destruction and -sacking of his furniture." -</p> -<p> -As for the contraband trade in salt, it would have been difficult, at -the beginning of the seventeenth century, to find a nobleman in our -provinces who considered himself insulted by the epithet, <i>gentilhomme -faux saulnier</i>.<a id="FNanchor_12_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_1" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> -</p> -<p> -So that the wealth of which, by the way, Monsieur de Bois-Doré made an -excellent use by his inexhaustible generosity and charity, was not a -mystery in the region about La Châtre; but he wisely avoided drawing -the attention of the provincial government upon himself, by an enormous -house and a too splendid household. -</p> -<p> -He was well aware that the petty tyrants who were dividing among -themselves the wealth of France would not have lacked so-called legal -pretexts for making him disgorge. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar walked through the gardens, a laughable creation of his host, -of which he was unquestionably more vain than of his most glorious feats -of arms. -</p> -<p> -He had undertaken to produce, upon rather a limited space, the gardens -of <i>Isaure</i>, as they are described in <i>Astrée</i>: "That -enchanted spot was all fountains and flower-beds, avenues and noble -trees."—The great forest which formed such a charming labyrinth -was represented by a labyrinthine thicket wherein he had forgotten -neither the square of hazel-trees, nor the <i>fountain of the verity of -love</i>, nor the <i>cavern of Damon and Fortune</i>, nor the <i>den of -old Mandrague</i>. -</p> -<p> -All these things seemed exceedingly childish to Monsieur d'Alvimar, but -not so utterly ridiculous as they would seem to us to-day. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's monomania was sufficiently prevalent in his day -not to be considered eccentric. Henri IV. and his court devoured -<i>Astrée</i>, and in the petty German courts even princes and princesses -assumed the resounding names that the marquis imposed upon his servants -and his animals. The extreme popularity of Monsieur d'Urfé's romance -lasted two centuries; it touched and charmed Jean-Jacques Rousseau; nor -must we forget that, on the eve of the Terror, the skilful engraver -Moreau still introduced in his works ladies named Chloris, and gentlemen -named Hylas and Cidamant. But these illustrious names were borne, in the -engravings and in the romance, by imaginary marquises; while the new -shepherds were called Colin or Colas. Only a short step had been taken -toward the real; the shepherds and shepherdesses were not improved; from -being heroic they had become obscene. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, wishing to obtain an idea of the surrounding country, walked -through the hamlet, which consisted of about a hundred hearth-stones and -was literally situated in a hole. It is so with many of those old -places. When they are not powerful enough to perch proudly and -threateningly upon some precipitous height, they seem to cower -designedly in the valleys, as if to avoid the eyes of marauding bands. -</p> -<p> -The locality is, however, one of the most charming in Lower Berry. The -gravelled roads leading thither are hard and clean at all seasons. Two -pretty little streams form a natural defence, which may have been turned -to advantage long ago for Cæsar's camp. -</p> -<p> -One of these streams fed the moats of the château; the other flowed -through two small ponds below the village. -</p> -<p> -The Indre, which is near at hand, receives these streams and hurries -them along a narrow valley, cut by sunken roads, heavily shaded, and -running through unenclosed, untilled land of wild aspect. -</p> -<p> -You must expect to find not grandeur but charm, in that little desert, -where virgin fields, thickets, wild grasses, genesta, heather and -chestnut trees encompass you on all sides. -</p> -<p> -On the bank of the Indre, which becomes a brook as you ascend toward the -source, wild flowers grow in a profusion most delightful to see.<a id="FNanchor_13_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_1" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> The -placid, transparent stream has torn apart the fields that blocked its -path, and formed islets of verdure whereon trees grow vigorously. -Standing too close together to be imposing, they extend an arch of -foliage over the water. -</p> -<p> -The ground is fertile around the village. Magnificent walnuts and a -large number of tall fruit trees make it a very nest of verdure. -</p> -<p> -The greater part of the land belonged to Monsieur de Bois-Doré. He -farmed out the best portions; the others were his hunting-grounds. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur d'Alvimar, having explored this little bailiwick, which by -reason of its isolation and the absence of communications, led him to -hope for a like absence of unpleasant meetings, returned to the village -and deliberated whether he should pay a visit to the rector. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre had happened to say to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in his -presence: -</p> -<p> -"How about your new priest? does he still preach sermons after the -pattern of the League?" -</p> -<p> -This expression had attracted the Spaniard's attention. -</p> -<p> -"If this priest is zealous for the good cause," he thought, "he may be a -useful friend to me; for that De Beuvre is a Huguenot, and Bois-Doré -with his tolerance is little better. Who knows if I shall be able to -live, on friendly terms with such people?" -</p> -<p> -He began by inspecting the church, and was scandalized by its -dilapidated and bare condition, which bore witness to the neglect of the -last incumbent, the indifference of the lord of the manor, and the -lukewarmness of the parishioners. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, whose abjuration, real or feigned, had caused a sensation, -had not thought of signalizing his return to orthodoxy by gifts to the -village church and alms to the chaplain. His vassals, who hated the -Huguenots, had not hailed his final return, in 1610, with truly -heartfelt rejoicing; but their suspicions had speedily given place to a -deep attachment, since, in place of a steward who drained them dry, they -had found a free-and-easy lord, lavish of benefactions. -</p> -<p> -Thus the good people of the village of Briantes were only moderately -devout; and, the peasants having resisted the payment of tithes to some -monastery or other, the archbishop had sent them a man exceedingly well -adapted to lead those stray lambs back to virtuous principles, and to -spy upon the châtelain's opinions. -</p> -<p> -The pious Sciarra knelt in the church and murmured some formula of -prayer; but he did not feel inclined to pray with the heart, and he soon -went out and bent his steps toward the rector's house. -</p> -<p> -He had not the trouble of going all the way thither; for he saw him in -the village square talking with Bellinde, and had an opportunity to -examine him. -</p> -<p> -He was a man still young, with a bilious, wheedling, treacherous face. -Probably his interest in temporal affairs was as keen as D'Alvimar's; -for he had no sooner spied that grave and fashionably dressed stranger -coming from the church, than his only thought was to wonder who he could -be. -</p> -<p> -He knew already that a new guest had arrived at the manor-house the -night before, for he had little other occupation than to make inquiries -about the marquis's doings; but how could a man, so devout as this early -visit of D'Alvimar's to the church seemed to indicate, consort with so -problematical a convert as Bois-Doré? -</p> -<p> -While he tried to obtain information on that subject from the -housekeeper at the château, he noticed that he could not look up -without finding the stranger's eyes fixed upon him. -</p> -<p> -He walked a few steps with Bellinde, in order to avoid his gaze, like -one who did not wish to risk a salutation before he knew with whom he -had to deal. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who understood or guessed his purpose, remained behind and -waited for him in the little cemetery which surrounded the church, fully -determined, after the examination he had made of his face, to address -him and form an alliance with him. -</p> -<p> -He stood there, musing upon his destiny, a problem by which he was -constantly beset, and which the sight of the scattered gravestones -seemed to render more irritating to him than usual. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar believed in the church, but he did not believe in the true -God. The church was to him above all else an institution of discipline -and terror, the instrument of torture of which a ferocious and -implacable God made use to establish his authority. If he had given his -mind to it, he would readily have persuaded himself that the merciful -Jesus was stained with heresy. -</p> -<p> -The idea of death was abhorrent to him. He dreaded hell, and—a -natural result of evil beliefs—he could not make his life conform -to his rigid principles. -</p> -<p> -He had no ardor except for discussion; when alone with himself, he found -that his heart was dry, his mind overstrained and confused by worldly -ambition. In vain did he reproach himself therefor. The thought of -damnation could not be fruitful of good, and terror is not remorse. -</p> -<p> -"So I must die!" he said to himself, gazing at the turf-covered mounds, -like furrows in a field, which covered the graves of those obscure -villagers; "die, it may be, penniless and without power, like the -wretched serfs who have not left even a name to be inscribed on these -little crosses of rotten wood! Neither influence nor renown in this -world! Wrath, disappointment, useless labors, useless efforts—crimes, -perhaps!—and all to reach the threshold of eternity, having never -been able to forward the glory of the church in this life, and having -failed to earn my pardon in the other!" -</p> -<p> -By dint of thinking about destiny, he persuaded himself that it was the -influence of the devil that had ruined his. -</p> -<p> -He thought for an instant of confessing to this priest, whose eyes had -seemed to him to glow with intelligence; but he was afraid to confide to -any person the secrets which were consuming his life and his repose. -</p> -<p> -Engrossed by these black thoughts, he saw Monsieur Poulain enter the -cemetery at last, and, coming toward him, salute him deferentially. -</p> -<p> -The acquaintance was soon made. With the first words they exchanged, the -two men felt that they were equally ambitious. -</p> -<p> -The rector invited D'Alvimar to breakfast with him. -</p> -<p> -"I can offer you only a very scanty repast," he said; "my cuisine does -not resemble that at the château. I have neither vassals nor valets at -my beck and call to serve as purveyors for my table. So that my frugal -fare will enable you to retain sufficient appetite to do honor to the -marquis's, whose bell will not ring for two or three hours to come." -</p> -<p> -There was, in this exordium, an undercurrent of jealous resentment -against the château which did not escape the Spaniard. He made haste to -accept the rector's invitation, feeling certain that he should learn -from him all that he had reason to hope or fear from the marquis's -hospitality. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_11_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_1"><span class="label">[11]</span></a>This ornament, common in the time of Henri IV., may have -come to France with Marie de Médicis, as an allusion to the arms of her -family, which are, as everyone knows, seven little balls, literally -pellets, in memory of the profession of the founder of the family.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_12_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_1"><span class="label">[12]</span></a>Salt-smuggling nobleman.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_13_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_1"><span class="label">[13]</span></a>This is one of the few spots where we can still find the -wild balsam with yellow flowers.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XIV">XIV</a></h4> - -<p> -The rector began by speaking well of the marquis. He was a very good -man; his intentions were excellent; he gave freely to the poor, there -was no denying that; unfortunately he lacked judgment, he distributed -his benefactions helter-skelter, without consulting the <i>natural -intermediary</i> between the château and the cottage, to wit the rector of -the parish. He was a little mad, harmless in himself, dangerous by -reason of his rank, his wealth, and the example of refined sensuality, -of frivolity and indifference in religious matters, which he afforded -those about him. -</p> -<p> -And then he had a very suspicious individual in his household: that -bagpipe player, who was not so dumb perhaps as he pretended to be, some -heretic or sham scholar, who dabbled in astronomy, perhaps in astrology! -</p> -<p> -Old Adamas was no better: he was a base flatterer and hypocrite; and -that page, so absurdly tricked out as a petty gentleman, who, being a -bourgeois, was not entitled to wear satin, and who came to mass on -Sundays in some sort of damask doublet! -</p> -<p> -The servants as a whole were a worthless lot. They were civil, nothing -more, to Monsieur Poulain; no marked attentions; he had not yet received -a special pressing invitation to dinner. They had simply told him once -for all, that a cover was always laid for him. That was too -unceremonious treatment. It was surprising on the part of a man who had -lived a long while at court. To be sure, at the court of the Béarnais, -they did not pride themselves on being over-refined, and nobodies were -petted and spoiled there most shamefully. In short, Bellinde alone of -all the people <i>at the château</i> seemed to him a person of sense. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar considered Monsieur Poulain's judgment excellent; the bagpiper -especially seemed to him more than ever deserving of suspicion. -</p> -<p> -However, he did not dwell long upon these trivial matters. As soon as he -was assured that he would do well to repose no confidence in the old -marquis, he advanced a step in his investigations, and wished to know -what opinion he should hold of the leading men of the province. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur Poulain was well posted as to all the little secrets of the -provincial government at Bourges. He understood politics as D'Alvimar -did: to pry into everyone's private life as a step toward acquiring a -predominant influence in public affairs. -</p> -<p> -That evil-minded priest saw that he could safely speak; he admitted that -he was mortally bored in that little hamlet, but that he was patient, -because, some day or other, Monsieur de Bois-Doré or his neighbor -Monsieur de Beuvre might well afford him an opportunity for a little -petty persecution, of which he desired to be the victim rather than the -author. -</p> -<p> -"You understand me; it is much better to be on the defensive on solid -ground, than on the offensive and in the breach. One is never safe in a -breach; if these Berrichon heathen would only threaten me or even injure -me a little, I would make noise enough about it to obtain my release -from these paltry functions and this deserted province. Do not think me -ambitious; I am ambitious only to serve the Church, and, in order to be -of use, one must bow to the necessity of keeping oneself in view." -</p> -<p> -"This little priestling is shrewder than I am," said D'Alvimar to -himself; "he knows enough to wait until he is in a favorable position to -fire on the enemy; I have always been aggressive, that is what has -ruined me. But it is not too late to profit by good advice; I will come -often to this man in search of it." -</p> -<p> -In very truth, this priest, who seemed to be engrossed by church-porch -gossip, but who really was not at all interested in it except in so far -as he could make something out of it, was a shrewder man than D'Alvimar; -so much so that in an hour he fathomed him completely, distrustful as he -was, and learned, if not the secrets of his life, at all events those of -his character, and his disappointments, his defeats, his desires and his -needs. -</p> -<p> -When he had extorted his confession, seeming all the while to confess -himself, he spoke thus to him, going straight to his goal: -</p> -<p> -"You have more chances of success than I, since wealth is the great -element of power. A priest cannot make a fortune as a layman can. He -must be content to progress slowly, by the power of his intellect and -his zeal alone. He must not forget that wealth is not his goal, and he -cannot desire it except as an instrument As for you, you are at liberty -to acquire wealth at any time. You have simply to marry." -</p> -<p> -"I do not think it!" said D'Alvimar. "Women in these corrupt days are -more likely to make their lovers' fortunes than their husbands'." -</p> -<p> -"So I have heard," rejoined Monsieur Poulain; "but I know the remedy." -</p> -<p> -"Indeed! You possess a valuable secret!" -</p> -<p> -"Very simple and very easy. You must not aim so high as you have done, -perhaps. You must not marry a woman of the highest rank. You must look -for a substantial dowry and a modest wife in the provinces. Do you -understand me? You must spend your money at the court, and not take your -wife there." -</p> -<p> -"What! marry a bourgeoise?" -</p> -<p> -"There are young ladies of noble birth who are richer and more modest -than bourgeoises." -</p> -<p> -"I know of none such." -</p> -<p> -"There is one in this province, not very far away! The little widow of -La Motte-Seuilly." -</p> -<p> -"She has a competence at the most." -</p> -<p> -"You judge by appearances. People hereabout are not accustomed to -luxurious living. With the exception of this mad marquis, all the -resident nobility live without display; but there is plenty of money -here. Salt smuggling and the spoils of the convents have made the nobles -rich. Whenever you choose, I will convince you that, with Madame de -Beuvre's revenues, you will be able to live very handsomely in Paris. -Moreover she is connected with the best families in France, and none of -them would be sorry to have a Spaniard of the true faith become allied -to them." -</p> -<p> -"But isn't she a Calvinist like her father?" -</p> -<p> -"You will convert her, unless her Calvinism is simply a pretext for -allowing her to live at peace in her little château." -</p> -<p> -"You are far-sighted, monsieur le recteur! But suppose you declare war -upon that family some fine day?" -</p> -<p> -"Provided that I do not cause it to be despoiled of its property, such a -was might be of advantage to you under certain circumstances. Pray -observe that I do not advise you to maltreat and desert your wife, but -to insist upon being at liberty to absent yourself from her, to fulfil -the duties of your position. If she becomes bitter or rebellious, you -can checkmate her by her heresy. The freedom of conscience granted to -those people is dependent upon conditions which they often fail to -observe. So that we always have them in our power, witness the fact that -this same little widow finds it impossible to marry again. The young men -of the province, who are weary of the war between châteaux, are afraid -of marrying a war. So you would have no rival at this moment, except -possibly Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, who is a moderate Catholic, and a -constant visitor at La Motte; but they will find a way at Bourges to -impose other bonds on him. He is a young popinjay, easily diverted. -Furthermore, given a widow who must be weary of solitude, such a man as -you are must be very awkward indeed to fail. I see, by your smile, that -you are not doubtful of success." -</p> -<p> -"Well, I admit that you speak truly," replied D'Alvimar, to whom there -suddenly came a vivid remembrance of the emotion which the young lady -had not succeeded in concealing from him, and the source of which he -might readily have misunderstood. "I think that, if I chose——" -</p> -<p> -"You must choose—Think about it," continued Monsieur Poulain, rising. -"If you have decided, I will write confidentially to certain persons who -can assist you materially." -</p> -<p> -He referred to the Jesuits, who had already shaken Monsieur de Beuvre's -resolution by threatening to prevent his daughters marriage. That -gentleman's own tranquillity could be assured, at the price of this -marriage. D'Alvimar understood the hint, promised the rector to consider -the matter seriously and give him an answer two days later, since, as it -happened, he was to pass the following day at Madame de Beuvre's. -</p> -<p> -The bell on the château announced the marquis's dinner. Monsieur -d'Alvimar took leave of the priest who had caused him to think more -hopefully of his destiny, and retraced his steps to the manor. -</p> -<p> -He felt more at ease and more light-hearted than he had been for several -days, because he felt that he was in communication with a keen mind, -ready to support him at need. His courage returned. This flight into -Berry, this disquieting residence with those who were hostile to his -faith and opinions, and this species of isolation which, two hours -earlier, had assumed the gloomiest colors in his mind, now smiled upon -him as the forerunners of a fortunate event. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, that man is right," he thought. "That marriage would be my -salvation. I have only to make up my mind. Let me once turn that little -provincial's head, and I shall be able to confess to her my disgrace at -court. She will consider herself bound in honor to make up to me for it. -And even if I must play the <i>moderate</i> for a few days—well, I -will try it! Courage! my horizon is brightening, and perhaps the star of -my fortune is about to come forth from the clouds at last." -</p> -<p> -He raised his hand as he spoke, and saw in front of him, on the bridge -leading to the courtyard, the Moorish woman's child boldly riding one of -the marquis's chariot horses. -</p> -<p> -Mercedes had asked leave of Adamas to pass the day at the château, and -the goodman had granted it in his master's name, proposing to present -her to him as soon as he should be visible. -</p> -<p> -As he was playing in the courtyard, the child had made a favorable -impression on the coachman—<i>cocher</i>; in those days the common -term was <i>carrossier</i> or <i>carrosseur</i>; in Berry -<i>carrosseux</i>—and he had consented to put him upon -<i>Squilindre</i>, while he himself, mounted on <i>Pimante</i>, his -mate, held the rein and led the team to the brook for its daily -leg-bath. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was struck by the face of that child, who, on the preceding -day, had darted among his horse's legs to beg, and had fled from his -whip, and now, perched on the monumental Squilindre, looked down upon -him with an air of kindly triumph. -</p> -<p> -It was impossible to imagine a more interesting and touching face than -that little vagrant's. His beauty was of a quiet type, however; he was -pale, sunburned, and seemed not strong. His features were not absolutely -perfect, but there was in the expression of his soft black eyes and in -the sweet, sly smile that played about his delicately-chiselled mouth, a -something absolutely irresistible to all whose hearts were not closed to -the divine charm of childhood. -</p> -<p> -Adamas had yielded instinctively to that gentle influence, and the -rudest servants in the barnyard had yielded to it no less. Such rough -natures were oftentimes so kindly! Was it not of such that Madame de -Sévigné wrote that there were "peasants whose hearts were straighter -than straight lines, loving virtue as naturally as horses trot?" -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar, not being fond of innocence, was not fond of children, -and this one in particular caused in him a sense of discomfort which he -could not understand. -</p> -<p> -He had a shuddering, dizzy sensation, as if the portcullis had fallen -upon his head as he was returning to the château of Briantes, more -tranquil and less dejected than when he went forth. -</p> -<p> -He had been subject for some years to these sudden attacks of vertigo, -and he readily attributed to the faces that happened to be before him at -such times a phenomenon the cause of which was really in himself. He -believed in mysterious influences, and, to avert them, he denied and -cursed inwardly with great warmth the persons who seemed possessed of -that occult power. -</p> -<p> -"May that big horse break your neck!" he muttered, as he raised two -fingers of his left hand, under his cloak, to exorcise the evil eye. -</p> -<p> -He repeated that cabalistic gesture when he saw the Moorish woman coming -toward him across the courtyard. -</p> -<p> -She stopped for a moment, and, as on the preceding day, gazed at him -with an earnestness which irritated him. -</p> -<p> -"What do you want with me?" he demanded abruptly, walking toward her. -</p> -<p> -She made no reply, but, courtesying to him, hurried to her child, -alarmed to see him on horseback. -</p> -<p> -The marquis came forward with Lucilio Giovellino, to meet his guest. -</p> -<p> -"Pray, come and eat," he said to him; "you must be dying of hunger! -Bellinde is in despair because she did not see you go out this morning, -and consequently allowed you to take your walk without breaking your -fast." -</p> -<p> -Monsieur d'Alvimar thought it best not to mention his visit to the -vicarage and his breakfast there. He dilated upon the rural beauty of -the neighborhood, and on the soft, bright autumn morning. -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Bois-Doré, "we shall have several days of it, for the -sun——" -</p> -<p> -He was interrupted by a piercing shriek outside the enclosure, and ran -as fast as he could to the bridge, whither D'Alvimar had preceded him -and Lucilio instinctively followed him. -</p> -<p> -They saw the Moorish woman on the edge of the moat, holding out her arms -in an agony of fear toward her child, whom the huge horse was bearing -down stream, and she was apparently on the point of throwing herself in -from the elevated point where she stood. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XV">XV</a></h4> - -<p> -This is what had happened. -</p> -<p> -The little gypsy, proud and overjoyed to be riding such a big -rocking-horse all by himself, had cajoled the coachman into allowing him -to hold the halter. Honest Squilindre, feeling that he had been turned -over to that tiny hand, and excited by the merry little heels drumming -against his sides, had ventured too far to the right, missed the ford, -and swum under the bridge. The coachman tried to go to his assistance, -but Pimante, being more suspicious than his mate, refused to leave the -solid ground; and the child, clinging to the mane, was delighted with -the adventure. -</p> -<p> -His mothers shrieks calmed his excitement, however, and he shouted to -her, in a tone which Lucilio alone understood: -</p> -<p> -"Don't be afraid, mother, I am holding on tight." -</p> -<p> -But they were fairly in the current of the little river which fed the -moat. The bulky, phlegmatic Squilindre had already had enough of it, and -his nostrils, tremendously dilated, betrayed his discomfort and his -anxiety. -</p> -<p> -He had not the wit to turn back. He was heading straight for the pond, -where the impossibility of passing the dam might well exhaust what -little swimming strength he still retained. -</p> -<p> -However, the danger was not imminent as yet, and Lucilio strove by -gestures to make the Moor understand that she must not jump into the -water. She paid no heed, and was descending the grassy bank, when the -marquis, realizing the danger that threatened those two poor creatures, -attempted to unbutton his cloak. -</p> -<p> -He would have thrown himself into the stream; indeed, he was about to do -it without consulting anybody, and before D'Alvimar had any suspicion of -his purpose, when Lucilio, who did detect it, and who wore nothing to -impede his freedom of movement, leaped from the bridge and swam -vigorously toward the child. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! dear, brave Giovellino!" cried the marquis, forgetting in his -emotion the French translation which disguised his friend's name. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar recorded that name in the archives of his memory, which was -very reliable, and, while the marquis approached the bank to pacify and -restrain the Moor, he remained on the bridge, awaiting with strange -interest the conclusion of the adventure. -</p> -<p> -His interest was not of the sort that every kind heart would have felt -at such a time, and yet the Spaniard was conscious of a keen anxiety. -</p> -<p> -He did not desire the death of the mute, which was in nowise likely to -result; but he did desire the death of the child, which seemed more than -possible. He did not pray to heaven to abandon that poor creature; he -did not seek the explanation of his cruel instinct; he submitted to it, -in spite of himself, as to a strange, unconquerable disease. He was more -and more conscious that that child inspired him with superstitious -terror. -</p> -<p> -"If this that I feel is a revelation of my destiny," he thought, "it is -in the balance and is being decided at this moment. If the child dies, I -am saved; if he is saved, I am lost." -</p> -<p> -The child was saved. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio overtook the horse, grasped his little rider by the collar of -his jacket, and tossed him to the bank, into the arms of his mother, who -had followed the changing scenes of this little drama, running by the -stream and shrieking. -</p> -<p> -Then he calmly returned to the too simple-minded Squilindre, who was -making a desperate assault on the dam at the pond, and, forcing him to -turn back, delivered him safe and sound to the frantic coachman. -</p> -<p> -The whole house had been attracted by the Moorish woman's shrieks, and -they were deeply moved to see her, weeping copiously the while, hug -Lucilio's knees and speak earnestly to him in Arabic, greatly surprised -that he did not say a word to her in reply, although he seemed to -understand the language, and did in fact understand it perfectly. -</p> -<p> -The marquis embraced Lucilio, saying to him in an undertone: -</p> -<p> -"Ah! my poor friend! for a man who has suffered at the hands of the -torturer, even to the very marrow of his bones, you are a sturdy -swimmer! God, who knows that you live only to do good, has deigned to -perform miracles in your person. Now go at once and change everything, -and do you, Adamas, see that yonder little devil is thoroughly dried and -warmed; he seems no more frightened than if he were just out of bed. I -wish you to bring him to me with his mother, after my breakfast; so make -them as clean as you can. Why, where has Monsieur de Villareal gone?" -</p> -<p> -The pretended Villareal had returned to the château, and was praying, -alone in his room, to the revengeful God in whom he believed, not to -punish him too severely for the eagerness with which he had, <i>without -just cause</i>, longed for the little gypsy's death. -</p> -<p> -We give the child this title, following the example of the servants of -the château, by whom he was surrounded at that moment; but when, after -his repast, Monsieur de Bois-Doré betook himself to an ancient -apartment of his castle, which Adamas dignified with the title of <i>salle -des audiences</i>, and sometimes of <i>salle de justice</i>; when that old -minister of the interior to the marquis introduced the Moorish woman and -her child, the marquis's first words, after a moment of impressive -silence, were these: -</p> -<p> -"The more I look at this little fellow, the more certain I feel that he -is neither Egyptian nor Moor, but rather a Spaniard of good family, -perhaps of French blood." -</p> -<p> -It was not necessary to be a magician to make that discovery; -nevertheless it was listened to with great respect by Adamas, who, in -his capacity of introducer, remained at the conference. Monsieur -d'Alvimar and Lucilio had been invited by the marquis to be present. -</p> -<p> -"See," continued Bois-Doré, with ingenuous pride in his own -penetration, putting aside the child's coarse white shirt, "his face is -sun-burned, but no more than our peasants are in harvest-time; his neck -is as white as snow, and he has feet and hands so small that serf or -villein never could show the like. Come, my little imp, be not ashamed; -and, as I am told that you understand French, answer our questions. What -is your name?" -</p> -<p> -"Mario," the child replied without hesitation. -</p> -<p> -"Mario? That is an Italian name!" -</p> -<p> -"I don't know." -</p> -<p> -"From what country are you?" -</p> -<p> -"I am French, I think." -</p> -<p> -"Where were you born?" -</p> -<p> -"I don't remember." -</p> -<p> -"I should think not," laughed the marquis; "but ask your mother." -</p> -<p> -Mario turned to the Moor, and opened his mouth to speak to her. His face -wore an expression of satisfaction and joy, because he had been welcomed -so like a father by this fine gentleman who held him between his legs, -and whose beautiful silk clothes and pretty little beribboned dog he -stroked timidly with the tips of his little fingers. -</p> -<p> -But when he met his mother's eyes, he seemed to read therein a warning -of great importance; for he gently extricated himself from Monsieur de -Bois-Doré's grasp, and went to the Moor, lowering his eyes and not -speaking. -</p> -<p> -The marquis asked him divers other questions to which he did not reply, -although he seemed, by the sweet and melting glance he turned upon him, -to apologize furtively for his discourtesy. -</p> -<p> -"It is my opinion, friend Adamas, that you exaggerated a trifle when you -declared that this boy spoke our language fluently," said the marquis. -"It is true that his pronunciation is very good, and that he says -several words without much foreign accent; but I fancy that that is all -he knows. As you know Spanish so well—for my part, I confess that I -know very little of it—make him explain himself." -</p> -<p> -"Useless, monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, not at all disconcerted, "I -give you my word that the little rascal speaks French like a clerk; but -he is frightened in your presence, that's the whole story." -</p> -<p> -"No, indeed!" rejoined the marquis; "he's a little lion and afraid of -nothing. He came out of the water laughing as heartily as when he went -in, and he must see that we are kind-hearted people." -</p> -<p> -Mario seemed to understand perfectly; for his affectionate eye said yes, -while the Moorish woman's intelligent and timid eyes, resting upon -D'Alvimar, seemed to say no, so far as she was concerned. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come," continued worthy Monsieur Sylvain, taking Mario between -his legs again, "I propose that we shall be good friends. I love -children and this one attracts me. Tell me, Master Jovelin, isn't it -true that that face was not made to deceive, and that that innocent -glance goes straight to the heart? There is some mystery under all this, -and I propose to solve it. Listen, Master Mario, if you answer me -truthfully, I will give you—What would you like me to give you?" -</p> -<p> -The child, obeying the artless impulse of his age, pounced upon -Fleurial, the beautiful little white dog which never left its master's -chair when he was seated. -</p> -<p> -It seemed that Mario was determined to risk everything to possess the -creature; but another glance from Mercedes warned him to restrain -himself, and he replaced the little dog on the marquis's knees, to the -great satisfaction of the latter, who had feared for a moment that he -had gone too far. -</p> -<p> -The child sadly shook his head and made a sign that he wanted nothing. -</p> -<p> -Thus far D'Alvimar had said nothing; as he recited his prayer after the -scene at the moat, he had reviewed rapidly, but with unerring accuracy, -all the events of his life. Nothing had come to his memory which could -have any connection, direct or indirect, with a woman and child in the -situation of these two. -</p> -<p> -The emotion he had felt therefore must have been purely imaginary; he -had regretted his failure to overcome it at once; he had recovered -possession of his reason. -</p> -<p> -During dinner the marquis had not mentioned Adamas's story concerning -Mercedes's mysterious journey. He himself had only listened to it with -one ear, as he was falling asleep the night before. So that D'Alvimar -eyed the two vagrants with calm contempt, and fancied that he had -discovered at last the commonplace explanation of his repugnance for -them. -</p> -<p> -He joined in the conversation. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le marquis," he said, "if you will permit me to retire, I am -sure that with a little money you will make this varlet talk all you -desire. It is possible that he is a Christian child stolen by this Moor, -for I have no question as to her nationality. However, you are much -mistaken, if you think that the color of the skin is a certain sign. -Some of these wretched children are as white as yourself, and if you -wish to make sure, you will do well to raise the hair that covers this -brat's forehead; perhaps you will find there the brand of the red-hot -iron." -</p> -<p> -"What!" said the marquis with a smile, "are they so afraid of the water -of baptism that they efface the sign by fire?" -</p> -<p> -"The mark I refer to is the brand of slavery," replied D'Alvimar. "The -Spanish law inflicts it upon them. They are branded on the forehead with -an S. and a nail's head, which represents in figurative language the -word <i>slave</i>." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said the marquis, "I remember, it is a rebus! Well, for my part, -I consider it very shocking, and if this poor child is branded with it -and is a slave by your laws, I will purchase him and set him free on -good French soil." -</p> -<p> -Mercedes had not understood a word of what was being said. But she -watched with intense anxiety D'Alvimar approach Mario, as if to touch -him; but not for anything in the world would D'Alvimar have sullied his -gloved hand by contact with a Moor, and he waited for the marquis to -lift the child's hair; but the marquis did nothing of the kind, from a -feeling of generous compassion for the poor mother, whose humiliation -and anxiety he thought that he could understand. -</p> -<p> -As for Mario, he understood what was taking place; but controlled and, -as it were, fascinated by Mercedes's glance, he took refuge in stolid -silence. -</p> -<p> -"You see," said D'Alvimar to the marquis, "he hangs his head and -conceals his shame. Well, I know all I wish to know about them, and I -leave you in this respectable society. There is no danger that they will -unclench their teeth before a Spaniard, and they evidently know that I -am one. There is an instinctive aversion between that degraded race and -ours, so unerring that they scent our approach as wild game scents the -approach of the hunter. I met this woman yesterday on the highroad, and -I am sure that she put some spell on my horse, for he is lame this -morning. If I were the master of this house, such vermin would not -remain in it another instant!" -</p> -<p> -"You are my guest," rejoined Bois-Doré, blending with his courtesy an -accent of dignity and resolution of which Monsieur d'Alvimar deemed him -incapable, "and, in that capacity, you are entitled to entertain your -opinions without being called upon to defend them, whether they are or -are not identical with my own. If the sight of these unfortunate -creatures is distasteful to you, as I do not wish it to be said that you -were annoyed in any manner under my roof, I will arrange that they shall -not offend your eyes; but you cannot demand that I shall brutally turn a -woman and a child out-of-doors." -</p> -<p> -"Surely not, monsieur," said D'Alvimar, recovering his self-possession; -"by so doing I should ill requite your courtesy, and I ask your pardon -for my vehemence. You are aware of the horror with which my nation -regards these infidels, and I know that I should have held it in check -here." -</p> -<p> -"What do you mean?" demanded Bois-Doré, somewhat testily; "do you take -us for Mussulmans?" -</p> -<p> -"God forbid, monsieur le marquis! I intended to refer to the tolerant -spirit of the French in general; and as it is a law of civility that we -must conform to the customs of the country in which we accept -hospitality, I promise to keep watch upon myself, and to meet without -repugnance whomever it may please you to receive." -</p> -<p> -"Very good!" replied the honest marquis, offering him his hand; "in a -few moments, when I have finished here, is it your pleasure to go out -and kill a hare or two?" -</p> -<p> -"You are too kind," said D'Alvimar, as he was leaving the room; "but do -not disturb yourself on my account; with your permission I will go to -write some letters, awaiting the supper hour." -</p> -<p> -The marquis, having risen to salute him, seated himself again with his -careless grace, and said to Lucilio: -</p> -<p> -"Our guest is a very well-bred knight, but he is quick-tempered, and, -all things considered, he has one great drawback, which is that he is -too much of a Spaniard. Those sublime mortals despise everything that is -not Spanish; but I believe that they have crushed out their own life by -martyrizing and exterminating those wretched Moors. They will gnaw their -hands over it some day. The Moors were untiring workers and scrupulously -neat, in a land of sloth and vermin. They were gentle and humane before -they were tormented so cruelly. Well, well, if we have here a poor -remnant of that race which was so great in the past, let us not trample -on it. Let us be merciful! God for us all!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio had listened to the marquis with religious attention, but while -he was saying the last words he was writing. -</p> -<p> -"What are you doing?" said Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio handed him the paper, which seemed to the marquis an -undecipherable scrawl. -</p> -<p> -"This," said the mute with his pencil, "is a translation in Arabic of -the noble words you just said. See if the child knows how to read, and -if he understands that language." -</p> -<p> -Mario glanced at the paper which was handed him, ran to the Moor and -read it to her; she listened with great emotion, kissed the paper and -fell on her knees at the marquis's feet. -</p> -<p> -Then she turned to Giovellino and said to him in Arabic: -</p> -<p> -"Man of courage and virtue, say to this good man what I am going to say -to you. I did not wish you to speak my language before the Spaniard. I -was not willing that the child should say a word before him. The -Spaniard hates us, and, wherever he meets us, he does us harm. But the -child is a Christian, he is not a slave. You can see on my brow the -brand of the Inquisition; it is still there, although I was very small -when they branded me." -</p> -<p> -As she spoke, she untied the kerchief of multicolored sackcloth which -confined her long black hair, and pointed to her forehead on which there -was no sign of the red-hot iron. But she rubbed it with her hand, and -the ghastly <i>rebus</i> stood out in white on the red skin. -</p> -<p> -"But look at this youthful brow," she said, lifting Mario's abundant, -silky locks. "If it had been branded like mine, it would not be possible -to mistake the mark. This brow was baptized by a priest of your -religion; the child has been reared in the faith and the language of his -fathers." -</p> -<p> -While the Moor was speaking, Lucilio had written a translation of her -words, and the marquis read as he wrote. -</p> -<p> -"Ask her for her story," he said to the mute; "make her understand that -we are interested in her misfortunes and that we will take her under our -protection." -</p> -<p> -It was not necessary for Lucilio to write Bois-Doré's interruptions. -Mario, who spoke Arabic as readily as French and Catalan, translated it -to his adoptive mother with remarkable fidelity. -</p> -<p> -We will continue the interview of those four persons, as if they had all -spoken the same language, and as if Lucilio, quick as he was with his -pencil, had not been incapable of speaking any language. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XVI">XVI</a></h4> - -<p> -The Moorish woman began thus: -</p> -<p> -"Mario, my beloved, say to this kind-hearted nobleman that I speak -Spanish very little, and French still less; I will tell my story to his -<i>scrivener</i>, and he can read it. -</p> -<p> -"I am the daughter of a poor farmer of Catalonia. It was in Catalonia -that the few Moors who were spared by the Inquisition lived at peace, -hoping that they would be allowed to remain there and earn their living -by toil, since we had taken no part in the recent wars which were so -disastrous to our brothers in the other provinces of Spain. -</p> -<p> -"My father's name was Yesid in Arabic and Juan in Spanish; I was baptized -by <i>aspersion</i> like the others, my Christian name was Mercedes, -my Moorish name Ssobyha.<a id="FNanchor_14_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_1" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> -</p> -<p> -"I am now thirty years old. I was thirteen when we began to receive -secret warnings that we were to be stripped and driven from the country -in our turn. -</p> -<p> -"Even before I was born the terrible King Philip II. had ordered that -all Moors must learn the Castilian language within three years, and must -no longer speak, read or write in Arabic, openly or secretly; that all -contracts made in that language should be void; that all our books -should be burned; that we should exchange our national costumes for the -dress worn by Christians; that the Moorish women should go out without -veils, with faces uncovered; that we should have no national festivals -or songs or dances; that we should lay aside our family and individual -names and take Christian names; that no Moor, male or female, should -bathe in the future, and that the baths in the houses should be -destroyed. -</p> -<p> -"Thus they insulted us even in the decency of our manners and the health -of our bodies! My parents submitted. When they saw that it availed them -nothing, and that they were persecuted solely because of their money, -they thought only of collecting and concealing all that they could, -intending to fly when they should again be in danger of death. -</p> -<p> -"By dint of hard work and patience they amassed a little hoard. It was -to prevent the necessity of my begging, they said, as so many others had -had to do who had allowed themselves to be taken by surprise. But it was -written that I should ask alms like all the rest. -</p> -<p> -"We were still happy enough, notwithstanding the humiliation they heaped -upon us. Our Spanish lords did not love us; but, as they realized that -we alone in Spain were able and willing to till their lands, they asked -their king to spare us. -</p> -<p> -"When I was seventeen years old, King Philip suddenly issued a new -decree against all the Catalan Moors. We were banished from the kingdom -with such goods and chattels as we could carry on our bodies. We must -leave our houses within three days, under pain of death, and go, under -escort, to the place of embarkation. Every Christian who harbored a Moor -would be sent to the galleys for six years. -</p> -<p> -"We were ruined. However, my father and I concealed about our persons -such gold as we could carry, and we left our home without a complaint. -They promised to take us to Africa, the home of our ancestors. Thereupon -we prayed to the God of our fathers to take us once more for his -faithful children. -</p> -<p> -"They allowed us on the journey to resume our former costumes, which had -been preserved in our families for a whole century, and to chant our -prayers in our own language, which we had not forgotten; for, in spite -of the decrees, we used no other among ourselves. -</p> -<p> -"We were packed on the state galleys like sheep, but were no sooner on -board than they called upon us to pay for our passage. The majority had -nothing. They insisted that the rich should pay for the poor. -</p> -<p> -"My father, seeing that they cast into the sea those who could find no -one to help them, paid without regret for all those who were on our -ship; but when they saw that he had nothing left, they tossed him into -the sea with the rest!" -</p> -<p> -At this point the Moorish woman stopped. She did not weep, but her -breast was heaving with sobs. -</p> -<p> -"Execrable hounds of Spaniards! Poor Moors!" muttered the marquis. -"Alas!" he added, as if warned by a melancholy glance from Lucilio, -"France has done no better; the Regent treated them just the same way!" -</p> -<p> -"Finding myself alone in the world," continued Mercedes, "without a sou, -and deprived of all I loved, I tried to follow my poor father; they -prevented me. I was pretty. The commander of the galley wanted me for a -slave. But God unloosed the tempest, and they had to give all their -thought to struggling against it. Several vessels sank, thousands of -Moors perished with their persecutors. The galley upon which we were was -hurled by the storm on the coast of France, and was dashed to pieces -near a place of which I have never learned the name. -</p> -<p> -"I was washed upon the shore amid the dead and dying; that was my -salvation. I dragged myself among the rocks, and there, drenched to the -skin and utterly exhausted, having carefully concealed myself, for I had -no strength to go farther, I slept for the first time for many days and -nights. -</p> -<p> -"When I awoke the storm was at an end. It was quite warm. I was alone. -The wretched ship lay off the shore, the dead bodies on the beach. I was -hungry, but I had strength enough to walk. -</p> -<p> -"I left the shore as quickly as I could, fearing to encounter Spaniards -there, and walked toward the mountains, begging bread, water and -lodging. I was received very coldly; my costume made the peasants -suspicious. -</p> -<p> -"At last I met several women of my own race, who were settled in a -certain village, and who gave me other clothes. They advised me to -conceal my birth and my religion, because the people thereabout did not -like foreigners, and detested Moors above all others. Alas! it seems -that they are detested everywhere, for I was told later that, instead of -welcoming as brothers those who succeeded in reaching Africa, the men of -Barbary massacred them or reduced them to a worse slavery than that of -Spain. -</p> -<p> -"How could I follow the advice that was given me to conceal my origin? I -did not know the Catalan language well enough for that. At first people -gave me alms; but, when a Spaniard passed, he would say to the people of -the neighborhood: -</p> -<p> -"'You have a Moorish woman among you.' -</p> -<p> -"And they would turn me away. I wandered from valley to valley. -</p> -<p> -"One day I found myself on a highroad—I learned afterward that it was -the Pau road—and there it was that heaven caused me to fall in with a -woman even more unhappy than myself. She was the mother of the child -before you, who has become mine." -</p> -<p> -"Go on," said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -But Mercedes paused, seemed to reflect, and finally said to Lucilio: -</p> -<p> -"I cannot tell the story of the child's parents except to you -alone—you, who saved his life, and who seem to me to be an angel on -earth. If I may remain here a few days, and if I see no danger for -Mario, I swear that I will tell the whole story; but I am afraid of the -Spaniard, and I saw this old gentleman put his hand in his, after -reproving him for his harshness toward us. I understood it all with my -eyes; nobles are nobles, and we poor slaves cannot hope that the -kindest-hearted of them all will take our part against their equals." -</p> -<p> -"Equality has nothing to do with it!" cried the marquis as soon as -Lucilio had translated Mercedes's words for him in writing. "I swear, on -my faith as a Christian and my honor as a gentleman, to protect the weak -against the whole world." -</p> -<p> -The Moor replied that she would tell the truth, but that she should omit -certain unimportant details. -</p> -<p> -Then she resumed her narrative in these words: -</p> -<p> -"I was on the Pau road, but at a very lonely spot in the heart of the -mountains. There, as I was taking a little rest, having concealed myself -for fear of the wicked men whom one is likely to meet in all countries, -I saw a man pass with his wife. -</p> -<p> -"The woman was walking a little in advance; brigands ran up behind them, -and killed and robbed the man so quickly that his wife did not see it, -and, when she turned to speak to him, found him lying dead across the -road. -</p> -<p> -"At that sight she fell in a swoon, and I saw that she was <i>enceinte</i>. -</p> -<p> -"I did not know how to take her up and comfort her. I was on my knees -beside her, praying and weeping, when a man on horseback, dressed in -black, and with a gray moustache, suddenly appeared and asked me why I -was weeping so. I pointed to the woman lying on her husband's body. He -spoke to her in several languages, for he was a great scholar; but he -very soon saw that she was in no condition to reply. -</p> -<p> -"The shock that she had received hastened her labor. -</p> -<p> -"Some shepherds passed with their flocks. He called to them, and as they -saw that that good man was a priest of their Christian religion, they -obeyed his orders and carried the woman to their house, where she died -an hour after bringing Mario into the world, and giving the priest the -wedding-ring she wore on her finger, unable to say anything, but -pointing to the child and to heaven! -</p> -<p> -"The priest stayed at the shepherd's house until the two unfortunate -creatures were buried, and as he supposed that I had been the lady's -slave, he entrusted the child to me and bade me accompany him. But I did -not choose to deceive him, having seen that he was learned and humane. I -told him my story and how I happened to be a witness of the peddler's -murder." -</p> -<p> -"So he was a peddler?" said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"Or a gentleman in disguise," Mercedes replied; "for his wife wore the -clothing of a lady under her cloak, and when we undressed him to lay him -out, we found a shirt of fine linen and silk short clothes under his -coarser garments. His hands were white, and we also found upon him a -seal on which there was a crest." -</p> -<p> -"Show me the seal!" cried Bois-Doré deeply moved. -</p> -<p> -The Moor shook her head, saying: -</p> -<p> -"I haven't it." -</p> -<p> -"This woman distrusts us," rejoined the marquis, addressing Lucilio, -"and yet this story interests me more than she thinks! Who knows -that—Come, my dear friend, try to make her tell us at least the -precise date of this adventure she is describing." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio motioned to the marquis to question the child, who answered -without hesitation: -</p> -<p> -"I was born an hour after my father's death and an hour before the death -of good King Henri the Fourth of France. That is what Monsieur l'Abbé -Anjorrant, who took care of me, told me, bidding me never forget it, and -my mother Mercedes said I might tell you, on condition that the Spaniard -shall not know it." -</p> -<p> -"Why?" said Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"I do not know," replied Mario. -</p> -<p> -"In that case beg your mother to go on with her story," said Monsieur de -Bois-Doré, "and rely upon our keeping her secret, as we have promised -to do." -</p> -<p> -The Moor resumed her narrative thus: -</p> -<p> -"The good priest, having procured a goat to nourish the child, took us -away, saying: -</p> -<p> -"'We will talk about religion later. You are unfortunate, and it is my -duty to have pity upon you.' -</p> -<p> -"He lived some distance away, in the heart of the mountain. He placed us -in a little cabin built of blocks of marble and covered with great flat -black stones, and there was nothing in the house but dried grass. That -saint had nothing better to give us than a roof over our heads and the -word of God. He lived in a house little more luxurious than the hut in -which we were. -</p> -<p> -"But I had not been there a week before the child was neat and well -cared for, and the house quite comfortable. The shepherds and peasants -did not turn their backs upon me, their priest had so thoroughly imbued -them with gentleness and pity. I soon taught them certain things about -the care of their flocks and the cultivation of their fields which they -did not know, but which are familiar to all Moorish husbandmen. They -listened to me, and, finding that I could help them, they allowed me to -lack nothing that I needed. -</p> -<p> -"I should have been very happy at falling in with that man of peace and -that indulgent country, if I could have forgotten my poor father, the -house in which I was born, my kinsmen and my friends, whom I was never -to see again; but I came to love the poor orphan so dearly, that little -by little I was consoled for everything. -</p> -<p> -"The priest educated him and taught him French and Spanish, while I -taught him my language, so that I might have one person in the world -with whom I could speak it; but, do not think that, in teaching him -Arabian prayers, I turned him away from the religion the priest was -teaching him. Do not think that I spurn your God. No, no! when I saw -that sincere, compassionate, learned, virtuous man, who talked so -eloquently of his prophet <i>Issa</i><a id="FNanchor_15_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_1" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> and of the beautiful precepts of -the <i>Engil</i>,<a id="FNanchor_16_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_1" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> which do not tell us to do what the Koran forbids, it -seemed to me that the best religion must be the one that he practised; -and as I had not received baptism, despite the immersion of the Spanish -priests—for I sheltered myself with my hands so that no drop of -Christian water should fall on my head,—I consented to be baptized -anew by that holy man, and I swore to Allah that I would never again deny -in my heart the worship of Issa and Paraclet."<a id="FNanchor_17_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_1" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> -</p> -<p> -This artless declaration gave great satisfaction to the marquis, who, -despite his recent philosophical notions, was, no more than Adamas, an -upholder of the heathen idolatry attributed to the Moors of Spain. -</p> -<p> -"So," he said, patting Mario's brown cheeks, "we are not dealing with -devils, but with human beings of our own species. <i>Numes célestes</i>! I -am very glad to hear it, for this poor woman interests me and this -orphan touches my heart. And so, my handsome friend Mario, you were -brought up by an excellent and learned curé of the Pyrenees! and you -are a little scholar yourself! I cannot speak Arabic to you; but if your -mother will consent to give you to me, I promise to have you brought up -as a gentleman." -</p> -<p> -Mario did not know what being a gentleman was. He was unquestionably -very far advanced for his age, and for the period and the environment in -which he had been reared; but, in every other direction than religion, -morality and languages, he was a genuine little savage, having no -conception of the society which the marquis invited him to enter. -</p> -<p> -He saw in the proposal nothing but ribbons, sweetmeats, pet dogs, and -beautiful rooms filled with <i>bibelots</i>, which he took for toys. His -eyes shone with ingenuous greed, and Bois-Doré, who was as ingenuous as he -in his way, cried: -</p> -<p> -"<i>Vive Dieu</i>! Master Jovelin, this child was born to high station. Did -you see how his eyes sparkled at the word gentleman? Come, Mario, ask -Mercedes to remain with us." -</p> -<p> -"And me too!" said the child, naturally assuming that the offer was made -first of all to his adopted mother. -</p> -<p> -"You and she," replied Bois-Doré; "I know that it would be very cruel -to separate you." -</p> -<p> -Mario, overjoyed, hastened to say to the Moorish woman in Arabic, -covering her with kisses: -</p> -<p> -"Mother, we are not to travel the highroads any more. This kind lord is -going to keep us here in his fine house!" -</p> -<p> -Mercedes expressed her thanks with a sigh. -</p> -<p> -"The child is not mine," she said, "he is God's, who has placed him in -my care. I must seek his family until I find it. If his family no longer -exists, or does not want him, I will return here, and on my knees I will -say to you: 'Take him and turn me away if you will. I prefer to weep -alone outside the door of the house where he lives and is happy, than to -make him beg his bread any more." -</p> -<p> -"This woman has a noble heart," said the marquis. "We will assist her -with our money and our influence to find the persons she is seeking; but -why does she not tell us what she knows of them? Perhaps we shall be -able to assist her at once when we know the child's family name." -</p> -<p> -"I do not know his name," said the Moor. -</p> -<p> -"What hope had she then, when she left the mountains?" -</p> -<p> -"Tell them what they want to know," said Mercedes to Mario, "but nothing -of that which they must not know yet." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_14_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_1"><span class="label">[14]</span></a>Aurora.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_15_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_1"><span class="label">[15]</span></a>Jesus.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_16_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_1"><span class="label">[16]</span></a>The Gospel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_17_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_1"><span class="label">[17]</span></a>The Holy Spirit.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XVII">XVII</a></h4> - -<p> -Mario, enchanted to have an opportunity to tell his story, but without -imprudence or affectation, with all the charm of his natural candor and -of his limpid glance, began as follows: -</p> -<p> -"We were very happy there; there were grottoes, cascades, high peaks and -tall trees; everything was much bigger than it is here, and the water -made much more noise. My mother kept some very good cows, and she dyed -and spun wool and made a very strong cloth. Look at my white cap and her -red cape. She made the material for both of them. I worked too. I made -baskets; oh! I can make very nice ones! If I come back here to be a -gentleman, you shall see! I will make all the baskets for the house! -</p> -<p> -"I spent two hours every day learning to read and write French and -Spanish with Monsieur le Curé Anjorrant. He never scolded me, he was -always pleased with me. No one ever saw such a kind-hearted man! He -loved me so much that my mother was jealous sometimes. She used to say -to me: -</p> -<p> -"'Come, I will wager that you love the priest better than you do me!' -</p> -<p> -"But I would say: -</p> -<p> -"'No, indeed! I love you both the same. I love you as much as I can. I -love you as big as the mountains, and more too; as big as the sky!' -</p> -<p> -"But when I was ten years old, everything changed. All of a sudden -Monsieur Anjorrant was taken very sick, because he walked too much in -the snow to save some little children who were lost and whom he found, -for we used to have snow in winter, sometimes as high as the top of your -house. And all of a sudden Monsieur Anjorrant died. -</p> -<p> -"My mother and I cried so much that I don't see how we have any eyes -left to see with. -</p> -<p> -"Then my mother said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'We must do what our father, our friend who is dead, wanted us to do. -He has left with us the papers and jewels which may serve to make your -family acknowledge you. He has written to the French minister about you -many times. He never had any answer. Perhaps they did not get his -letters. We will go and see the king, or someone who can speak to him -for us, and if you have a grandmother or aunts or cousins, they will see -to it that you do not remain a slave, because you were born free, and -freedom is the greatest thing in the world.' -</p> -<p> -"We started with very little money. Good Monsieur Anjorrant left nothing -for anybody. As soon as he got a piece of money he would give it to -somebody who needed it. We walked and walked; France is so big! For -three months now we have been on the road. My mother, when she saw how -far it was, was afraid we should never get there, and we begged bread -and shelter at every door. People always gave us something, because my -mother is so sweet, and they thought I was a pretty boy. But we did not -know the roads, and we took many steps which delayed us instead of -taking us forward. -</p> -<p> -"Then we met some very funny people, who called themselves Egyptians, -and they told us we could go to Poitou with them if we knew how to do -anything. My mother can sing very well in Arabic, and I can play the -<i>tympanon</i> a little, and the guitar of the Pyrenees. I will play for -you all you want. Those people thought that we knew enough. They were not -unkind to us, and there was a little Moorish girl with them named Pilar, -whom I was very fond of, and a bigger boy, La Flèche, who is a -Frenchman and who amused me with his wry faces and his stories. But they -were almost all thieves, and it pained my mother to see how gluttonous -and lazy they were. -</p> -<p> -"That is why she said to me every day: -</p> -<p> -"'We must leave these people, they are good for nothing.' -</p> -<p> -"We finally left them yesterday, because——" -</p> -<p> -"Because?" repeated the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"That is something my mother Mercedes will tell you later, perhaps, when -she has prayed to God to reveal the truth to her. That is what she told -me, and it is all I know." -</p> -<p> -"Taking everything into consideration," said the marquis, rising, "I am -deeply interested in these people, and I propose that they shall be well -treated and cared for under my roof, until it shall please God to point -out to me in what way I can assist them further. But did you not tell -me, my faithful Adamas, that this Mercedes had a letter for Monsieur de -Sully?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes!" cried Mario. "That is the name on Monsieur Anjorrant's -letter." -</p> -<p> -"Very well, that simplifies matters. I am very much attached to him, and -I will undertake to send you to him without fatigue or discomfort. So -make yourself at home here and ask for whatever you want.—Adamas, -both the mother and the child are very neat and clean, and their mountain -garb is not unbecoming. But have they every thing that they possess on -their bodies?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, except the much shabbier clothes that they wore last -night and this morning; they have two shirts each and other things in -proportion. But the woman washes and combs the child and mends his -clothes whenever she is not walking. See how nicely kept his hair is! -She knows all sorts of Arabian secrets for maintaining cleanliness; she -knows how to make powders and elixirs which I intend to learn from her." -</p> -<p> -"That is a very good idea; but remember to give her some linen and other -materials, so that she may be well provided. As she is so clever with -her fingers, she will make the most of them. I am going out for a walk; -after which, if she has no objection to singing one of her national -songs to the accompaniment of the little fellow's guitar, I shall be -very glad to hear their outlandish music. Au revoir, Master Mario! As -you have talked very civilly, I intend to give you something soon; be -sure that I shall not forget it." -</p> -<p> -The lovely boy kissed the marquis's hand, not without a most expressive -glance at Fleurial, the little dog, whom he would have preferred to all -the treasures in the house. -</p> -<p> -To be sure Fleurial was a marvel; of the marquis's three canine pets, he -was justly enough the favorite, and never left his master when he was in -the house. He was as white as snow, woolly as a muff, and, in contrast -to the ways of most spoiled curs, as gentle as a lamb. -</p> -<p> -When the marquis had taken his accustomed walk, spoken kindly to those -of his vassals whom he met, and inquired for those who were ill, so that -he could send them what they needed, he returned and sent for Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"What shall I give this pretty little Mario?" he said. "We must find -some plaything suited to his years, and there are none such here. Alas! -my friend, there are three of us in this house who are fast turning into -old bachelors: Master Jovelin and you and I." -</p> -<p> -"I have been thinking about it, monsieur," said Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"About what, my old servant? marriage?" -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur; as that isn't to your taste, it isn't to mine either; but -I have thought of the plaything to give the child." -</p> -<p> -"Go to fetch it at once." -</p> -<p> -"Here it is, monsieur!" said Adamas, producing the object, which he had -deposited in the window recess. "As I noticed that the child was dying -with longing for Fleurial, and as you could not give him Fleurial, I -remembered seeing in the garret a number of toys that had been lying -there a long while, and, among others, this dog of tow, which is not -very badly worm-eaten, and which resembles Fleurial, except that its -coat is like a black sheep's and it hasn't much tail left." -</p> -<p> -"And except a thousand other differences, which result in its not -looking in the least like him! But where did you say this toy came from, -Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"From the garret, monsieur." -</p> -<p> -"Very good; and you say that there are others there?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur; a little horse with only three legs, a broken drum, some -little toy weapons, the remains of a feudal donjon——" -</p> -<p> -Adamas paused abruptly as he noticed that the marquis was gazing with an -absorbed expression at the stuffed dog, while a tear made a furrow -through the paint on his cheek. -</p> -<p> -"I have done some stupid thing!" said the old servant to himself; "for -God's sake, my dear good master, what makes you weep?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know—a moment's weakness!" said the marquis, wiping his -cheek with his perfumed handkerchief, upon which a considerable portion -of the roses of his complexion remained; "I fancied that I recognized -that plaything, and if I am right, Adamas, it is a relic that must not -be given away! It was my poor brother's!" -</p> -<p> -"Really, monsieur? Ah! I am nothing but an old fool! I ought to have -thought of that. I supposed that it was something that you used to play -with when you were a little child." -</p> -<p> -"No! when I was a child, I had no playthings. It was a time of war and -sorrow in this country; my father was a terrible man, and to amuse me -showed me fetters and chains, peasants astride the wooden horse, and -prisoners hanging on the elms in the park. Later, much later, he had a -second wife and a second son." -</p> -<p> -"I know it, monsieur—young Monsieur Florimond, whom you loved so -dearly! The flower of young gentlemen, most assuredly! And he -disappeared in such a strange way!" -</p> -<p> -"I loved him more than I can say, Adamas! not so much for any relations -we had together after he grew to manhood, for then we followed different -banners, and met very seldom, just long enough to embrace and to tell -each other that we were friends and brothers in spite of everything; but -for his sweet, charming ways in his childhood, when, as I have told you, -I had occasion to take care of him and watch over him during one of my -father's absences which lasted about a year. His second wife was dead -and the province very unsettled. I knew that the Calvinists detested my -father, and I thought it my duty to protect that poor child, whom I did -not know, and who grew to love me as if he realized our father's -injustice to me. He was as gentle and beautiful as this little Mario. He -had neither kindred nor friends about him, for in those days some died -of the plague and others of fright. He would have died, too, for lack of -care and cheer, had not I become so attached to him that I played with -him for whole days at a time. It was I who brought him these toys, and I -have good reason to remember them, now I think about it, for they came -within an ace of costing me very dear." -</p> -<p> -"Tell me about it, monsieur; it will divert your thoughts." -</p> -<p> -"I will gladly do so, Adamas. It was in fifteen hundred—never mind -the date!" -</p> -<p> -"Of course not, of course not, monsieur, the date is of no importance." -</p> -<p> -"My dear little Florimond was tired of having to stay in the house, but -I dared not take him out-of-doors, because parties of troops of all -factions were constantly passing, who killed everybody and recognized no -friends. I happened to think of a diversion which had tempted me sorely -in my own childhood. At the château of Sarzay I had seen many of those -stuffed animals and other toys with which the young Barbançois used to -play. The lords of Barbançois, who held that fief of Sarzay, from -father to son, for many years, were among the fiercest enemies of the -poor Calvinists, and at that time they were at Issoudun, hanging and -burning as many as they could. In their absence the manor of Sarzay was -not very carefully guarded. The country roundabout being absolutely -devoted to the Catholics and to Monsieur de la Châtre, they had no -suspicion of poor me, for I was too entirely alone and too poor to -undertake anything. -</p> -<p> -"It occurred to me to go thither on some pretext, and to lay violent -hands on the toys, unless some servant would sell them to me, for it was -useless to try to find any elsewhere. They were luxuries, and were not -sold in out of the way places. -</p> -<p> -"I presented myself, therefore, as coming from my father, and asked to -be admitted to the château to speak to the young folks' nurse, for they -were then old enough to ride, like myself, and were scouring the -country. I went in, explained my errand, and was coldly received by the -nurse. She knew that I had already fought with the Calvinists and that -my father did not love me: but money softened her. She went to a room at -the top of the house and brought down what the children, now full-grown, -had injured least. -</p> -<p> -"So away I went with a horse, a dog, a citadel, six cannons, a chariot -and many little iron dishes, the whole in a big basket covered with a -cloth, which I had fastened upon my horse behind me. It came up to my -shoulders, and, as I rode out of the courtyard, I heard the servants -laughing at the window and saying to one another: -</p> -<p> -"'He's a great booby, and, if we never have to deal with any Reformers -of a different stamp, we will soon settle their business.' -</p> -<p> -"Some were inclined to shoot at me, but I escaped with nothing worse -than a fright. I dug my spurs into my horse, my baggage jingling behind -like a Limousin tinker's bag of old iron. -</p> -<p> -"However, all went well, and I rode tranquilly along the crossroad, in -order not to pass through La Châtre with that outfit; but I had to -cross the Couarde, by the bridge on the Aigurande road, and there I -found myself face to face with a party of ten or twelve reiters riding -toward the town. -</p> -<p> -"They were simply marauders, but they had with them one of the vilest -partisan troopers of the time, a certain knave whose father or uncle was -in command of the great tower of Bourges, and was known as Captain -Macabre. -</p> -<p> -"This fellow, who was about my own age but already old in villainy, -acted as guide to such bands of pillagers, who were very willing to let -him try his hand with them. I had fallen in with him several times, and -he knew that, having fought for the Calvinists, I ought not to be -roughly handled by the Germans. But when he saw the load I was carrying, -he concluded that I was a valuable prize, and, assuming a mighty -swagger, he ordered me to dismount and turn over horse and baggage to -his men, who called themselves for the moment cavalry of the Duc -d'Alençon. -</p> -<p> -"As they did not know a word of French, and young Macabre acted as their -interpreter, it would have been utterly useless for me to try to parley -with them. Knowing with whom I had to deal, and that, after I had -submitted and dismounted, I should be soundly beaten and possibly shot, -by way of pastime, as was the habit of the marauding bands, I risked all -to win all. -</p> -<p> -"With my boot and stirrup together I kicked Macabre violently in the -stomach—he had already dismounted to unhorse me—and stretched -him flat on his back, swearing like forty devils." -</p> -<p> -"And you did well, monsieur!" cried Adamas, enthusiastically. -</p> -<p> -"The others," continued Bois-Doré, "were so far from expecting to see a -stripling like me do such a thing under their noses, they being old -troopers one and all, and armed to the teeth, that they began to laugh; -whereof I took advantage to ride away like a shot; but, having recovered -from their amazement, they sent after me a hailstorm of German plums, -which they called in those days Monsieur's plums, because those Germans -used the plans drawn by Monsieur, the king's brother, against the -queen-mother's troops. -</p> -<p> -"Fate willed that I should not be hit, and, thanks to my excellent mare, -who carried me swiftly through the tortuous sunken roads of the Couarde, -I returned home safe and sound. Great was the joy of my little brother -as he watched me unpack all those gewgaws. -</p> -<p> -"'My dear,' I said to him, as I gave him the citadel, 'it was very lucky -for me that I was so well fortified, for, if it had not been for these -stout walls which I had over my spine, I fancy that you would never have -seen me again.' -</p> -<p> -"Indeed, Adamas, I believe that if you should take this stuffed dog to -pieces, you would find some lead inside; and that, if the citadel did -not protect me, the animals protected the citadel at all events." -</p> -<p> -"If that is the case, monsieur, I shall keep all the things most -carefully, and place them as a trophy in some room in the château." -</p> -<p> -"No, Adamas, people would laugh at us. And here comes that beautiful -boy; we must give him the dog and all the rest, for the things that come -from an angel should go to another angel, and I see in this Mario's eyes -the innocence and affection that were in my young brother's -eyes.—Yes, it is certain," continued the marquis, glancing at -Mario and Mercedes, as they entered the room, escorted by Clindor the -page, "that if Florimond had had a son, he would have been exactly like -this boy; and, if you wish me to tell you why I was attracted to him at -first sight, it was because he recalled to my mind, not so much by his -features as by his bearing, his soft voice and his gentle manners, my -brother as he was at about that age." -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur your brother never married," said Adamas, whose mind was even -more romantic than his master's; "but he may have had natural children, -and who knows whether——" -</p> -<p> -"No, no, my friend, let us not dream! I had a vision while this Moorish -woman was telling us the story of the murdered gentleman. Would you -believe that I actually fancied that it might have been my brother?" -</p> -<p> -"Well, and why should it not have been, monsieur, since no one knows how -he died?" -</p> -<p> -"It was not he," replied the marquis, "for this little Mario's father -was killed before the death of our good King Henri, whereas my last -letter from my brother was dated at Genoa on June 16th, that is to say -about a month after that event. It is not possible to reconcile the -two." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XVIII">XVIII</a></h4> - -<p> -While the marquis and Adamas exchanged these reflections, the Moorish -woman had made her preparations for singing, and Lucilio had arrived to -listen to her. -</p> -<p> -The marquis was so pleased with her manner that he begged Lucilio to -write down the airs she sung. Lucilio was even more captivated by them, -as being, he said, "very old and rare, of great beauty and perfect in -their way." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure03"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure03.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN -THE MARQUIS.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged -her, and Mario played her accompaniments very well.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged her, and Mario played -her accompaniments very well. -</p> -<p> -He was so fascinating with his long guitar, his wise expression, his -lips half-parted and his beautiful hair falling in waves over his -shoulders, that one could never weary of looking at him. His costume, -which consisted of a coarse white shirt, and brown woollen -knee-breeches, with a red girdle and gray stockings with strips of red -cloth wound around the legs, heightened the grace of his movements and -the elegance of his shapely figure. -</p> -<p> -He received with joyous bewilderment the toys which were brought from -the garret, and the marquis was gratified to see that, after an admiring -scrutiny of all those marvellous things, he arranged them in a corner -with a sort of respect. -</p> -<p> -The fact was that they did not appeal to him very strongly, and that, -when his surprise had passed, his thoughts returned to Fleurial, who was -alive, playful and affectionate, and would have followed him in his -wandering life, whereas the possession of horses, cannon and citadels -was only the dream of an instant in that life of want and constant -motion. -</p> -<p> -The rest of the day passed with no new outbreak on the part of Monsieur -d'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -He saw Monsieur Poulain again and told him that he had decided to lay -siege to the fair Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -At supper he did his best to avoid having in the person of the marquis -an enemy or an obstacle in his intercourse with her, and he succeeded in -creating a favorable impression. He did not encounter the Moor or the -child, nor did he hear them mentioned, and he retired early to muse upon -his projects. -</p> -<p> -The marquis's whole retinue was overjoyed to keep Mario a few days; so -Adamas announced. He had covers laid for the child and his mother at the -second table, at which he himself ate, in the capacity of valet de -chambre, with Master Jovelin, whom Bois-Doré purposely treated as an -inferior, and with Bellinde the housekeeper and Clindor the page. -</p> -<p> -The coachman and other servants ate at different hours and in a -different place. Theirs was the third table. -</p> -<p> -There was a fourth for the farm hands, wayfarers, poor travellers and -mendicant monks; so that, from dawn until dark, that is to say, until -eight or nine o'clock at night, eating was in progress at the château -of Briantes, and some chimney was always pouring forth a rich, greasy -smoke, which attracted swarms of urchins and beggars from a long way -off. They always received a bountiful supply of broken food at the main -gate, and laid the fifth table on the turf along the avenue, or on the -banks of the ditches. -</p> -<p> -Despite this generous hospitality and this numerous retinue, which did -not correspond with the narrow proportions of the château itself, the -marquis's income met all demands, and he always had money to spare for -his innocent whims. -</p> -<p> -He lost very little by peculation, although he kept no accounts; as -Adamas and Bellinde detested each other, they watched each other -closely, and although Bellinde was not the woman to abstain altogether -from plunder, the fear of arousing suspicion made her prudent and -necessarily moderate in the matter of profit. Being handsomely paid, and -always magnificently dressed at the expense of the châtelain, who did -not choose to see rags or dirt about him, she certainly had no excuse -for malversation; but she complained none the less, being one of those -who cherish a stolen sou and disdain an honestly acquired louis. -</p> -<p> -As for Adamas, if he was not the soul of probity in all his -relations—for he had fought in the civil wars and had acquired the -manners of the partisan troops,—he was so devoted to his master, that -if, in the eminent post of confidential servant which he had attained, -he had dared to pillage other people and hold them to ransom, it would -have been solely to enrich the manor of Briantes. -</p> -<p> -Clindor made common cause with him against Bellinde, who hated him and -treated him like a dog dressed in boy's clothes. -</p> -<p> -He was an honest little fellow, half clever, half stupid, uncertain as -yet whether he should pose as a man of the third estate, a title which -was assuming more real importance every day, or should assume the airs -of a future gentleman, a species of vanity which was to keep the third -estate for a long time to come in an equivocal attitude and cause it to -play the rôle of dupe between factions, despite its intellectual -superiority. -</p> -<p> -The secret of the Moorish woman's nationality was not divulged. In order -not to expose her to the suspicious intolerance of Bellinde, who made a -great show of piety, Adamas represented her as a Spaniard pure and -simple. -</p> -<p> -Not a word of her story or of Mario's transpired. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas to his master as he undressed him, -"we are children and know nothing at all of the artifices of the toilet. -This Moor, with whom I have been talking upon serious subjects, has -taught me more in an hour than all your Parisian artists know. She has -the most valuable secrets about all sorts of things, and knows how to -extract miraculous juices from plants." -</p> -<p> -"Very good, very good, Adamas! Talk about something else. Recite some -verses to me as you shave me; for I feel depressed, and I might truly -say with Monsieur d'Urfé, speaking of Astrée, that the effervescence -of my ennui disturbs the repose of my stomach and the breath of my -life." -</p> -<p> -"<i>Numes célestes</i>! monsieur," cried the faithful Adamas, who loved to -use his master's favorite expressions; "so you are still thinking of -your brother?" -</p> -<p> -"Alas! his memory came back to me yesterday, I don't know why. There are -such days in every man's life, you know, when a slumbering sorrow wakes. -It is like the wounds one brings back from the war. Let me tell you -something of which that orphan's pretty ways made me think just now. It -is that I am growing old, my poor Adamas!" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur is jesting!" -</p> -<p> -"No, we are growing old, my friend, and my name will die with me. I have -a few distant cousins, to be sure, for whom I care but little, and who -will perpetuate my father's name, if they can; but I shall be the first -and last of the Bois-Dorés, and my marquisate will descend to no one, -being entirely honorary and determinable at the king's pleasure." -</p> -<p> -"I have often thought about it, and I regret that monsieur has always -been too active to consent to put an end to his bachelor life and marry -some beautiful nymph of this neighborhood." -</p> -<p> -"To be sure, I have done wrong not to think of it. I have roamed too -much from fair to fair, and although I never met Monsieur d'Urfé, I -would stake my life that, having heard of me somewhere, he intended to -describe me under the features of Hylas the shepherd." -</p> -<p> -"And suppose it were so? That shepherd is a very amiable man, -exceedingly clever, and the most entertaining, in my opinion, of all the -heroes of the book." -</p> -<p> -"True; but he is young, and I tell you again that I am beginning not to -be young any more and to regret very bitterly my having no family. Do -you know that I have had the idea of adopting a child, or have been -conscious of a longing to do so, at least a score of times?" -</p> -<p> -"I know it, monsieur; whenever you see a pretty, attractive little baby, -that idea comes back to you. Well, what prevents you?" -</p> -<p> -"The difficulty of finding one with an attractive face and a good -disposition, who has no parents likely to take him away from me when I -have brought him up; for to dote on a child just to have him taken from -you at the age of twenty or twenty-five——" -</p> -<p> -"But the interval, monsieur." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! time flies so fast! one is not conscious of its flight! You know -that I once thought of taking some young poor relation into my house; -but my family are all old Leaguers, and their children are ugly, or -obstreperous, or dirty." -</p> -<p> -"It is certain, monsieur, that the younger branch of the Bourons is not -attractive. You appropriated the stature, all the charm and all the -gallantry of the family, and no one but yourself can give you an heir -worthy of you." -</p> -<p> -"Myself!" said Bois-Doré, slightly dazed by this declaration. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I am speaking seriously. Since you are tired of your -liberty; since I hear you say, for the tenth time, that you mean to -settle down——" -</p> -<p> -"Why, Adamas, you speak of me as if I were an old rake! It seems to me -that, since our Henri's sad death, I have lived as becomes a man -overwhelmed by grief, and a resident nobleman in duty bound to set a -good example." -</p> -<p> -"Certainly, certainly, monsieur, you can say all that you please to me -on that subject It is my duty not to contradict you. You are not obliged -to tell me of your delightful adventures in the châteaux or groves of -the neighborhood, eh, monsieur? That is nobody's business but yours. A -faithful servant ought not to spy upon his master, and I do not think -that I have ever asked monsieur any indiscreet questions." -</p> -<p> -"I do justice to your delicacy, my dear Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, at -once embarrassed, disturbed and flattered by the chimerical suppositions -of his idolatrous valet. "Let us talk of something else," he added, -afraid to dwell upon so delicate a subject, and trying to believe that -Adamas knew of adventures of his of which he had no knowledge himself. -</p> -<p> -The marquis did not boast openly. He was too well bred to tell of the -love-affairs he had had and to invent others that he had never had. But -he was delighted that he should still be accredited with them, and -provided that no particular woman was compromised, he did not contradict -those who said that he was favored of all women. His friends connived at -his modest conceit, and it was the great delight of the younger men, of -Guillaume d'Ars in particular, to tease him on that point, knowing how -agreeable such teasing was to him. -</p> -<p> -But Adamas was not so ceremonious. He was not very much of a Gascon on -his own account; having blended his personality with the radiations from -his master's, he was a Gascon for him and in his place. -</p> -<p> -So he continued the discussion with much self-possession, declaring that -monsieur was quite right to think of marrying. It was a subject which -was often renewed between them, and of which neither of them wearied, -although it had never had any other result in thirty years than this -reflection from Bois-Doré: -</p> -<p> -"To be sure! to be sure! but I am so peaceful and so happy thus! There -is no hurry, we will talk about it again." -</p> -<p> -This time, however, he seemed to listen to Adamas's boasting on his -account with more attention than usual. -</p> -<p> -"If I thought that there was no danger of my marrying a barren woman," -he said to his confidant, "I would marry, on my word! Perhaps I should -do well to marry a widow with children?" -</p> -<p> -"Fie! monsieur," cried Adamas, "do not think of such a thing. Take some -young and lovely demoiselle, who will give you children after your own -image." -</p> -<p> -"Adamas!" said the marquis, after a moment's hesitation, "I have some -doubt whether heaven will send me that blessing. But you suggest an -attractive thought, which is to marry a woman so young that I can -imagine that she is my daughter and love her as if I were her father. -What do you say to that?" -</p> -<p> -"I say, that if she is young, very young, monsieur can at need imagine -that he has adopted a child. And if that is monsieur's idea, there is no -need to go very far; the little lady of La Motte-Seuilly is exactly -suited to monsieur's wants. She is beautiful, she is good, she is -virtuous, she is merry; those qualities are what we need to brighten up -our manor-house, and I am very sure that her father has thought of it -more than once." -</p> -<p> -"Do you think so, Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure! and so has she! Do you suppose that, when they come here, -she draws no comparison between her old château and yours, which is a -fairy palace? Do you suppose, that, for all she is so young and -innocent, she has never discovered what sort of man you are compared -with all the other suitors whom she has ever seen?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré fell asleep thinking of the absence of suitors about the fair -Lauriane, of the enmity that the neighbors bore the rough and outspoken -De Beuvre, and of the annoyance which De Beuvre felt on account of that -state of things, temporary doubtless, but of which he exaggerated the -possible duration. -</p> -<p> -The marquis persuaded himself that his proposal would be hailed as one -of fortune's greatest boons. -</p> -<p> -The religious question would adjust itself as between them. In any -event, if Lauriane should reproach him for having abjured Calvinism, he -saw no objection to embracing it a second time. -</p> -<p> -His self-conceit did not permit him to consider the possibility of an -objection based upon his age. Adamas had the gift of dispelling that -unpleasant memory every night by his flatteries. -</p> -<p> -Honest Sylvain therefore fell asleep on that evening more absurd than -ever; but whoever could have read in his heart the purely paternal -feeling that guided his course, the boundless philosophical tolerance -with which he looked forward to the possibility of being made a cuckold, -and the projects of indulgence, of submission and absolute devotion -which he formed with regard to his youthful helpmeet, would certainly -have forgiven him, even while laughing at him. -</p> -<p> -When Adamas went into his own room, it seemed to him that he heard the -rustling of a dress in the secret stairway. He rushed into the passage -as quickly as possible, but failed to catch Bellinde, who had time to -disappear, after overhearing, as she had often done before, all the -conversation between the two old fellows. -</p> -<p> -Adamas knew her to be quite capable of playing the spy. But he concluded -that he was mistaken, and barricaded all the doors when there was -nothing to be heard save the loud snoring of the marquis and the muffled -yelping of little Fleurial, who lay at the foot of the bed dreaming of a -certain black cat, which was to him what Bellinde was to Adamas. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XIX">XIX</a></h4> - -<p> -They arrived at La Motte-Seuilly about nine o'clock the next morning. -The reader has not forgotten that in those days dinner was served at ten -in the morning, supper at six in the evening. -</p> -<p> -On this occasion our marquis, who was fully determined to open his -matrimonial projects, had deemed it best to use some lighter and less -cumbersome means of locomotion than his magnificent lumbering chariot. -</p> -<p> -He had mounted, not without a mighty effort, his pretty Andalusian -steed, called <i>Rosidor</i>—another name from -<i>Astrée</i>,—an excellent beast with an easy gait and placid -disposition, a little mischievous, as it was fitting that he should be -in order to give his rider a chance to shine—that is to say, ready -at the slightest sign with leg or hand, to roll his eyes savagely, -curvet, dilate his nostrils like a wicked devil, rear to a respectable -height, and, in a word, assume the airs of a bad-tempered brute. -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"For all that, the best fellow in the world."</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -As he dismounted, the marquis ordered Clindor to lead his horse around -the courtyard for a quarter of an hour, on the pretext that he was too -warm to be taken to the stable at once, but in reality so that his hosts -might know that he still rode that restive palfrey. -</p> -<p> -Before he entered Lauriane's presence, honest Sylvain went to the room -set aside for him in his neighbor's house, to readjust his clothes, and -perfume and beautify himself in the jauntiest and most refined manner. -</p> -<p> -On his side Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, dressed in black velvet and -satin, after the Spanish fashion, with hair cut short and a ruff of rich -lace, had only to change his boots for silk hose and shoes bedecked with -ribbons, to show himself at his best. -</p> -<p> -Although his sedate costume, then considered old-fashioned in France, -was better suited to Bois-Doré's age than his own, it gave him an -indefinable air of a diplomat and a priest at once, which emphasized the -more strongly his extraordinarily well-preserved youth and the -self-assured refinement of his person. -</p> -<p> -It seemed that old De Beuvre had anticipated a day of offers of -marriage; for he had made himself less like a Huguenot, that is to say -less austere in his dress than usual, and, deeming his daughter's dress -too simple, he had urged her to don a handsomer one. So she made herself -as fine as the widow's weeds, which she was in duty bound to wear until -she married again, would permit. In those days custom was not to be -trifled with. -</p> -<p> -She arrayed herself in white taffeta, with a raised skirt over an -underskirt of grayish white, called <i>rye bread color</i>. She put on a -lace neckband and wristbands, and as the widow's hood—Mary -Stuart's little cap—relieved her from the necessity of conforming -to the fashion of wearing the ugly powdered wigs which were then in -vogue, she was able to show her lovely fair hair brushed back in a wavy -mass which left her beautiful forehead bare and framed her finely-veined -temples. -</p> -<p> -In order not to seem too provincial, she sprinkled her hair with Cyprus -powder, which made her more than ever like a child. Although the two -suitors had severally determined to be agreeable, they were somewhat -embarrassed during the dinner, as if they had conceived some suspicion -that they were rivals. -</p> -<p> -Indeed, Bellinde had repeated to Monsieur Poulain's housekeeper the -conversation she had overheard. The housekeeper had told the rector, who -had put D'Alvimar on his guard by a note thus conceived: -</p> -<p> -"You have, in the person of your host, a rival with whom you can amuse -yourself; make the most of the opportunity." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar laughed in his sleeve at the idea of rivalry from such a -quarter; his plan was to attack the young lady's heart at once. Little -he cared for her father's approval. He thought that, if he were once in -control of Lauriane's feelings, there would be no difficulty about the -rest. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré reasoned differently. He could not doubt the esteem and -attachment of both father and daughter for him. He did not hope to take -her imagination by surprise and turn her head; he would have liked to be -alone with them, to set forth in simple terms his advantages in the way -of rank and wealth; after which he hoped, by humble attentions, to make -his purpose manifest ingeniously and honorably. In short, he determined -to act the part of a well-bred youth of good family, while his rival -preferred to carry the place by storm like a hero of romance. -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre, who saw that D'Alvimar was becoming sentimental, vexed his -old friend sorely by leading him away along the little stream, to ask -him numerous questions touching his guest's rank and fortune; to which -Bois-Doré could make no other reply than that Monsieur d'Ars had -recommended him to him as a man of quality to whom he was much attached. -</p> -<p> -"Guillaume is young," said Monsieur de Beuvre; "but he realizes too well -what he owes us to introduce to us a man unworthy of a cordial reception -at our hands. Still, I am surprised that he told you nothing more; but -Monsieur de Villareal must have confided to you his motive in coming -hither. How does it happen that he did not accompany Guillaume to the -fêtes at Bourges?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré could not answer that question; but in his inmost heart De -Beuvre was convinced that this mystery concealed no other design than -that of paying court to his daughter. -</p> -<p> -"He must have seen her somewhere, when she did not notice him," he said -to himself; "and although he seems a very earnest Catholic, he also -seems very much in love with her." -</p> -<p> -He said to himself further that, in the then state of affairs, a -Catholic Spanish son-in-law might restore the fortunes of his house and -repair the wrong he had done his daughter by joining the ranks of the -Reformers. -</p> -<p> -If for no other reason than to give the lie to the Jesuits, who had -threatened him, he would have been glad to learn that the Spaniard was -of sufficiently good family to pretend to the hand of Lauriane, even if -he were only moderately wealthy. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre reasoned like a sceptic. He did not talk so loudly of -Montaigne's <i>Essays</i>, as Bois-Doré did of <i>Astrée</i>, but he fed -his mind upon them assiduously, and he read no other book. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, being more straightforward in his politics than his -neighbor, would not have reasoned as he did if he had been a father. He -was no more attached than he to religion; but of the beliefs of the -olden time, he had never laid aside the love of country, and the spirit -of the League would never have induced him to trifle with it. -</p> -<p> -He did not suspect the thoughts of his friend, absorbed as he was by his -own, and during a quarter of an hour, as if playing at cross purposes, -they discussed, without understanding each other, the urgent need of a -good marriage for Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -At last light was thrown upon the discussion. -</p> -<p> -"You!" cried De Beuvre in stupefaction, when the marquis had declared -himself. "Bless my soul! who the devil could have expected that? I -imagined that you were talking in veiled words about your Spaniard, and -it seems that you mean yourself! Look you! neighbor, are you in your -right mind, and don't you mistake yourself for your grandson?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré gnawed his moustache; but, being accustomed to his friend's -jesting, he soon recovered himself, and strove to persuade him that -people were mistaken about his age, and that he was not so old as his -own father was when he remarried, at the age of sixty, with most -successful results. -</p> -<p> -While he was wasting time thus, D'Alvimar was striving to make the most -of it. -</p> -<p> -He had succeeded in bringing Madame de Beuvre to a halt under the great -yew, whose branches, drooping to the ground, formed a sort of apartment -of dark verdure, where one was entirely isolated in the middle of the -garden. -</p> -<p> -He began awkwardly enough with extravagant compliments. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was not on her guard against the poison of praise; she knew -little of the refined manners of young men of quality, and was not able -to distinguish the false from the true; but, luckily for her, her heart -had not yet felt the tedium of solitude, and she was much more of a -child than she seemed to be. She considered D'Alvimar's hyperbolical -language highly amusing, and laughed at his gallantry with a heartiness -that disconcerted him. -</p> -<p> -He saw that his fine phrases had no luck, so strove to talk of love in a -more natural vein. Perhaps he would have succeeded and would have sown -confusion in that young heart; but Lucilio suddenly appeared, as if sent -by Providence, to interrupt this dangerous interview with the sweet -notes of his <i>sourdeline</i>. -</p> -<p> -He had been averse to coming with Bois-Doré, knowing that he would be -made to dine in the servants' quarters and would not see Lauriane before -noon. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, as well as her father, was acquainted with the tragic story of -Bruno's disciple, and, following Bois-Doré's example, they -ostentatiously treated him at La Motte-Seuilly as a musician simply, -fearing to compromise him, although they really entertained for him the -high esteem that he deserved. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was the only one who had not thought of making a toilet for the -occasion. He had no hope of attracting attention; indeed, he had no -desire to draw any eye upon himself, knowing that the mysterious -intercourse of minds was the most to which he could aspire. -</p> -<p> -So he approached the yew without useless timidity or pretended caution; -and, relying upon the beauty and sincerity of what he had to say in -music, he began to play, to the great displeasure and vexation of -D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, too, was annoyed for a moment by the interruption, but she -reproached herself when she read on the bagpiper's beautiful face an -ingenuous purpose to gratify her. -</p> -<p> -"I do not know why it is," she thought, "that there seems to be on that -face a sort of radiance of genuine affection and of a healthy -conscience, which I do not find on the <i>other's</i> face." -</p> -<p> -And she glanced once more at D'Alvimar, now thoroughly irritated, morose -and overbearing, and felt something like a shiver of fear—perhaps of -him, perhaps of herself. -</p> -<p> -Again, whether because she was very sensitive to music, or because her -emotions were keyed up to a high pitch, she fancied that she could hear -in her brain the words of the beautiful airs Lucilio was playing to her, -and those imaginary words were: -</p> -<p> -"See the bright sun shining in the clear sky, and the swift streams -receiving its rays on their changing surfaces! -</p> -<p> -"See the beautiful trees bent in black arches against the pale golden -background of the meadows, and the meadows themselves, as cheery and -bright as in the springtime, under the embroidery of the pink flowers of -autumn; and the graceful swan, that seems to paddle rhythmically at your -feet; and the migratory birds flying across yonder multicolored clouds. -</p> -<p> -"All these are the music that I sing to thee: youth, purity, faith, love -and happiness. -</p> -<p> -"Listen not to the strange voice which thou dost not understand. It is -soft but deceptive. It would extinguish the sun over your head; it would -dry up the water under your feet; it would wither the flowers in the -fields and shatter the wings of the birds among the clouds; it would -cause cold, fear and death to descend upon thee, and would exhaust -forever the source of the divine harmonies I sing to thee." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane no longer saw D'Alvimar. Lost in a delicious reverie, she did -not see Lucilio. She was transported into the past, and, thinking of -Charlotte d'Albret, she said to herself: -</p> -<p> -"No, no, I will never listen to the voice of the demon!—My friend," -she said aloud, rising, when the musician stopped, "you have done me an -immense amount of good, and I thank you. I have nothing to give you -which can pay for the noble thoughts which you are able to suggest to -us; that is why I beg you to accept these fragrant violets, which are -the emblem of your modesty." -</p> -<p> -She had refused to give D'Alvimar the violets, and she ostentatiously -gave them to the poor musician, before his face. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar smiled triumphantly, thinking that she meant to incite him by -a challenge more stimulating than an avowal. But such was not Lauriane's -thought, for, making a pretence of fastening the flowers in Lucilio's -hat, she said to him under her breath: -</p> -<p> -"Master Giovellino, I ask you to be a father to me, and not to stir from -my side until I tell you to." -</p> -<p> -Thanks to his keen Italian penetration, Lucilio grasped her meaning. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, I understand, rely on me!" his expressive eyes replied. -</p> -<p> -And he seated himself on the huge roots of the yew, at a respectful -distance, like a servant awaiting such orders as may be given him, but -near enough to make it impossible for D'Alvimar to say a word which he -did not hear. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar divined the whole plan. She was afraid of him; that was still -better! He held the bagpiper in such utter contempt that he began anew -to pay court to his hostess before him as if he were a log of wood. -</p> -<p> -But his dangerous magnetism lost all its virtue. -</p> -<p> -It seemed to Lauriane that the presence of a calm, virtuous man like -Lucilio was an antidote. She would have blushed to display any vanity -before him. She felt that his eyes were upon her, and that feeling was a -protection. She saw that the Spaniard was piqued, and was gradually -growing angry. She tried her strength by resisting him. -</p> -<p> -He wanted her to dismiss that interloper, and he told her so, -designedly, in a tone loud enough to be overheard by him. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane flatly refused, saying that she desired more music. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio at once began to inflate his bagpipe. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar put his hand to his breast, drew a very sharp Spanish knife, -and, having removed it from its sheath, began to play with it as if to -keep himself in countenance; sometimes pretending to write with the -point on the old yew, sometimes to hurl it at something as if to show -his dexterity. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane did not understand his threat. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was impassive, and yet he was too much of an Italian not to be -familiar with the cold-blooded anger of a Spaniard, and with the -possible destination of a stiletto apparently thrown at random. -</p> -<p> -Under any other circumstances he would have been anxious concerning his -instrument, which D'Alvimar's eye seemed to be watching, as if for a -chance to pierce it. But he was complying with Lauriane's wish; he was -fighting in behalf of innocence, as Orpheus fought for love with his -triumphant lyre; and he courageously attacked one of the Moorish airs -which he had heard and written down the day before. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar felt that he was defied, and the fire of wrath that was -smouldering within him began to burn him. -</p> -<p> -Being as dexterous as a Chinaman in throwing the knife, he determined to -frighten the impertinent minstrel, and began to make the gleaming blade -fly all around him, drawing nearer and nearer as he proceeded with his -soft and plaintive song. Lauriane had walked away a few steps, and at -that moment her back was turned to that horrible scene. -</p> -<p> -"I have defied tortures and death," said Giovellino to himself. "I will -defy them again, and this Spaniard shall not have the pleasure of seeing -me turn pale." -</p> -<p> -He turned his eyes in another direction and played as carefully and -accurately as if he were at Bois-Doré's table. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile D'Alvimar, moving hither and thither, amused himself by -standing in front of him and aiming at him, as if he were tempted to -take him for a target; and by virtue of one of those inexplicable -fascinations which are as it were the punishment of cruel jests, he -began really to feel that horrible temptation. -</p> -<p> -The cold perspiration stood out on his body and a film passed over his -eyes. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio felt it rather than saw it; but he chose to risk everything -rather than show a moment's fear in the face of the enemy of his native -land, who likewise cast contempt upon his manly dignity. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XX">XX</a></h4> - -<p> -While this terrible game was in progress, a strange spectator was -looking on within two steps of the heedless Lauriane; it was the young -wolf brought up in the kennels, who had adopted the habits and manners -of a dog, but not his instincts and nature. He fawned upon everybody but -was attached to nobody. -</p> -<p> -Lying at Lucilio's feet, he had watched the Spaniard's cruel game with -evident uneasiness, and, the dagger having fallen close beside him -several times, he had risen and sought shelter behind the tree, thinking -of nothing but his own safety. -</p> -<p> -However, as the game continued, the animal, who was just beginning to -feel his teeth, showed them several times in silence, and, considering -that he was attacked, felt for the first time in his life the instinct -of hatred of man. -</p> -<p> -With his eye on fire, muscles tense, hair erect and quivering, he was -concealed from D'Alvimar by the colossal trunk of the yew, where he -watched for a favorable moment, and suddenly sprang out and tried to -seize him by the throat. -</p> -<p> -He would have wounded him at least, if he had not strangled him, had he -not been thrown back by a vigorous kick from Lucilio, which sent him -rolling over and over along the ground. -</p> -<p> -The sudden interruption of the music, and the plaintive sound made by -the bagpipe as the artist dropped it, caused Lauriane to turn hastily. -Entirely ignorant of what was taking place, she ran up in time to see -D'Alvimar, frantic with rage, disemboweling the beast with his knife. -</p> -<p> -He performed that act of reprisal with all the heat of revenge. It was -easy to read on his pale face and in his bloodshot eye the profound and -incomprehensible joy that he felt in having something to murder. -</p> -<p> -Thrice he buried the blade in the throbbing entrails, and at the sight -of blood his lips contracted with an expression of voluptuous pleasure, -while Lauriane, trembling from head to foot, pressed Lucilio's arms with -both hands, saying in a low voice: -</p> -<p> -"Look! look! Cæsar Borgia! it is he in person!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, who had often seen at Rome the portrait painted by Raphael, was -even better able to appreciate the resemblance, and nodded his head to -indicate that he was deeply impressed by it. -</p> -<p> -"How now, monsieur?" said the young woman, deeply moved, to the -triumphant Spaniard; "do you think that you are in the heart of the -forest, and do you expect to make yourself agreeable to me by presenting -me with the head or the claws of a creature that I have fed with my own -hands, and that I was caressing before you a moment ago? For shame! you -are not civil; and with that bloody knife in your hand, you look more -like a butcher than a gentleman!" -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was angry; she had no other feeling now for the stranger than -one of aversion. -</p> -<p> -He, as if emerging from a dream, apologized, saying that the wolf had -tried to devour him; that such creatures were bad company in a house, -and that he was very glad to have rescued <i>madame</i> from an accident -which might as well have happened to her as to him. -</p> -<p> -"Do you mean that he attacked you?" she said, and glanced at Lucilio, -who nodded assent.—"Did he bite you?" she added; "where is the -wound?" -</p> -<p> -And as D'Alvimar had not even a scratch, she was indignant that he had -manifested fear of a beast that was so young and so far from dangerous. -</p> -<p> -"The word fear is not very fair to me," he replied in a sort of frenzy; -"I did not suppose that it could be thrown at one who still holds the -instrument of death in his hands." -</p> -<p> -"How proud you are of having killed that young wolf! A child could have -done it, and it would have been pardonable in a child, but not in a man, -who could easily have got rid of him with a blow of a whip. I tell you, -messire, you were terribly frightened, and fright is the disease of -those who love to shed blood." -</p> -<p> -"I see," said the Spaniard, suddenly downcast, "that I am in disgrace -with you, and I recognize in this, as in everything else, the effect of -my ill luck. It is so persistent that there have been many times when I -have thought of yielding to it as victor in a battle in which I find -naught save discomfort and discomfiture." -</p> -<p> -There was much truth in what D'Alvimar had said; and as, after he had -instinctively wiped his dagger, he seemed to hesitate to replace it in -its sheath, Lauriane, impressed by the sinister gleam in his eye, -concluded that he was a little mad, as the result of some great -misfortune, and inclined to take his own life. -</p> -<p> -"If I am to forgive you," she said, "I demand that you hand me the -weapon of which you have just made such an unworthy use. I do not like -that treacherous blade, which French gentlemen no longer carry, except -when hunting. The sword is enough for a true knight, and one should take -time for reflection before unsheathing it in a lady's presence. I should -always be afraid of a man who conceals about his person a weapon so easy -to handle and so prompt to kill; and as this one does not seem to be of -great value, I ask you to sacrifice it to me, by way of reparation for -the pain you have caused me." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar thought that in thus disarming him she intended to caress him. -Nevertheless, it cost him a pang to part with so trusty a weapon, and he -hesitated. -</p> -<p> -"I see," said Lauriane, "that it is a gift from some fair dame whom you -are not at liberty to disobey." -</p> -<p> -"If you have any such thought as that," he retorted, "I will very -quickly disabuse you of it." -</p> -<p> -And, kneeling on one knee, he handed her the poniard. -</p> -<p> -"It is well," she said, withdrawing her hand, which he tried to kiss. "I -forgive you, as a guest whom I do not desire to humiliate; but that is -all, I assure you; and as for this wretched blade, if I keep it, I do so -not for love of you, but to prevent the evil that it might do." -</p> -<p> -They were then at the foot of the donjon, where they met the marquis and -Monsieur de Beuvre, engaged in earnest conversation. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was about to tell them what had happened, but her father did -not give her time. -</p> -<p> -"Look you, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand and putting it -through the marquis's arm; "our friend wishes to tell you a secret, and -while he is telling it, I will do my best to entertain Monsieur de -Villareal. You see," he added, addressing Monsieur de Bois-Doré, "I -entrust my lamb to you without fear of your sharp teeth, and I say -nothing to her to lower you in her estimation! Speak to her therefore as -you choose. If you are burned, I wash my hands of it, it will be of your -own seeking." -</p> -<p> -"I see," said Madame de Beuvre to the marquis, "that you have some -request to make." -</p> -<p> -And as she supposed that it referred, as usual, to some hunting party on -his estates, she added that, whatever it might be, she granted it -beforehand. -</p> -<p> -"Beware, my child!" laughed Monsieur de Beuvre; "you don't know what you -are pledging yourself to!" -</p> -<p> -"You do not frighten me," she replied; "he can speak quickly." -</p> -<p> -"Indeed! you think so! but you are sadly mistaken," rejoined Monsieur de -Beuvre. "I will wager that his compliments will last more than an hour. -So go, both of you, to some room where you will not be disturbed, and -when you have said all you have to say, you can join us again." -</p> -<p> -The marquis was not disconcerted by this jesting. He had not reached the -resolution to prefer his request without stifling some vivid -apprehensions touching the marriage state, into which he had delayed -entering for about forty years. -</p> -<p> -If he had decided at last, it was because he wished to make someone else -rich and happy, and, having once adopted that idea, he considered it his -duty not to allow himself to be turned aside from it. -</p> -<p> -No sooner had they reached the salon, therefore, than he offered his -heart, his name and his fortune, after the style in vogue in <i>Astrée</i>, -with the unbridled passion which knows nothing milder than horrible -torments, sighs that rend the heart, terrors that cause a thousand -deaths, hopes that take away the reason, etc.; and all this with such -chaste and cold propriety that the most timid virtue could not take -alarm. -</p> -<p> -When Lauriane realized that he was talking about marriage, she was as -surprised as her father. -</p> -<p> -She knew that the marquis was capable of anything, and instead of -laughing at him she felt sorry for him. She had a warm friendship for -him, and respect for his goodness of heart and loyalty. She felt that -the poor old man would lay himself open to interminable taunts, if she -should set the example, and that the friendly and kindly raillery of -which he had hitherto been the object, would become stinging and cruel. -</p> -<p> -"No," thought the judicious child, "it shall not be so, I will not suffer -my old friend to be the laughing-stock of his servants.—My dear -marquis," she said, exerting herself to speak after his style, "I have -often reflected upon the possibility and the suitability of the plan -which you propose to me. I had divined your noble and virtuous flame, -and, if I have not reciprocated it, it is only because I am still so -young that mischievous Cupid has paid no attention to me as yet. Allow -me therefore to frolic yet a little while in the enchanted isle of -Ignorance of Love; I can be in no haste to come forth, since I am happy -in your friendship. Of all the men whom I know, you are the best and -most lovable, and, when my heart speaks, it may well be that it will -speak to me of you. But that is written in the book of destinies, and -you must e'en give me time to question mine. If, by some fatality, it -should be my destiny to be ungrateful to you, I would confess it -honestly and sorrowfully, for it would be my loss and my shame; but your -heart is so great and so kind that you would still be my brother and my -friend despite my folly." -</p> -<p> -"That would I, I swear it!" cried Bois-Doré with ingenuous warmth. -</p> -<p> -"Very well, my loyal friend," continued Lauriane, "let us wait awhile. I -ask you for a seven years' trial as the ancient custom is among knights -without reproach; and do me the favor to allow this agreement to remain -a secret between us two. Seven years hence, if my heart has remained -insensible to love, you will renounce me; and in like manner, if I share -your passion, I will tell you so without mystery. I swear to you -likewise, that if, before the expiration of our agreement, I am moved, -despite myself, by another's attentions, I will humbly and frankly make -confession to you thereof. Of that there seems but little likelihood; -yet do I seek to provide for everything, so earnestly do I desire to -preserve at least your friendship, if I lose your love." -</p> -<p> -"I submit to all your conditions," replied the marquis, "and I pledge to -you, adorable Lauriane, the faith of a gentleman and the fidelity of a -perfect lover." -</p> -<p> -"I rely thereupon," she said, offering him her hand; "I know that you -are a man of heart and an incomparable lover. And now, let us return to -my father, and let me tell him of that which is agreed between us, so -that our secret may be shared by him alone." -</p> -<p> -"I agree," said the marquis; "but shall we not exchange pledges?" -</p> -<p> -"What shall they be? I am willing; but let it not be a ring. Remember -that, being a widow, I can wear no other ring than the gift of a second -husband." -</p> -<p> -"Permit me to send you to-morrow a present worthy of you." -</p> -<p> -"No, no! that would mean admitting others to our confidence. Give me any -trinket that you have about you. See, that little box of ivory and -enamel that you have in your hand!" -</p> -<p> -"'Tis well! but what will you give me? I see you have the right -understanding of this exchange. It must be something that we have upon -us when we exchange promises." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane looked in her pockets and found there only her gloves, her -handkerchief, her purse and Monsieur Sciarra's dagger. The purse came to -her from her another: she gave him the dagger. -</p> -<p> -"Hide it carefully," she said, "and, so long as I allow you to keep it, -hope. In like manner, if I come and ask you for it——" -</p> -<p> -"I will pierce my bosom with it!" cried the old Celadon. -</p> -<p> -"No! that is something that you will not do," said Lauriane, with the -utmost seriousness, "for I should die of grief; and, moreover, you would -break the promise you have given me to remain my friend whatever -happens." -</p> -<p> -"That is true," said Bois-Doré, kneeling to receive the pledge. "I -swear to you that I will not die, even as I swear that I will neither -love nor glance at any other fair, so long as you shall not have torn -from my heart the hope of winning yours." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXI">XXI</a></h4> - -<p> -They returned to the garden, where Monsieur de Beuvre greeted them with -a bantering air. The grave and tranquil demeanor of Lauriane, the -radiant and tender expression which the marquis could not dissemble, -surprised him so that he could not refrain from questioning them, -covertly though transparently, in D'Alvimar's presence. -</p> -<p> -But Lauriane replied that she and the marquis were in perfect accord, -and D'Alvimar, unwilling to believe his ears, took that assertion for a -bit of coquetry aimed at him. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon Monsieur de Beuvre's anxiety became very keen, and, leading -his daughter aside, he asked her if she were speaking seriously, and if -she were insane enough or ambitious enough to accept a spark born in the -reign of Henri II. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane told him how she had postponed her reply and any definitive -agreement for seven years. -</p> -<p> -After laughing as if he would burst, De Beuvre, when Lauriane urged him -to keep her secret, had some difficulty in understanding his daughter's -kindly delicacy. -</p> -<p> -He would have enjoyed making merry over the marquis's discomfiture, and -he considered that to have laughed in his face would have been an -excellent way to teach him a lesson. -</p> -<p> -"No, father," replied Lauriane; "on the contrary, it would have grieved -him terribly, and nothing more. He is too old to correct his foibles, -and I cannot see what we should gain by insulting so excellent a man, -when it is easy for us to lull him to sleep in his reveries. Believe me, -if coquetry is ever innocent in a woman, it is innocent when practised -upon old men; indeed, it is often an act of kindness to allow them to -enjoy their fantasy. Be assured that, if I should ever tell him that I -am in love with some other man, he would be well pleased; whereas, if I -had told him that I could never love him, he would very probably be ill -at this moment, not so much because of my cruelty as of the cruelty of -his old age, which I should have placed squarely before him without -consideration or compassion." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane had some influence over her father. She procured his promise -that he would abstain from teasing the marquis about his love-affair -with her, and D'Alvimar, with all his penetration, suspected nothing of -what had taken place between them. -</p> -<p> -It was really a kind action that Lauriane had performed; and, as there -is an open account between us and Providence, she was rewarded for it at -once by that invisible assistance which is the recompense, often -immediate, of every generous impulse of our hearts. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was a good deal of a child, but there was the making of a -strong woman in her; and, even if she was capable, like every daughter -of Eve, of yielding momentarily to a dangerous fascination, she was also -capable of recovering herself and of finding a firm support in her -conscience. -</p> -<p> -She passed the rest of the day, therefore, untouched by D'Alvimar's -gallant hints; and it seemed to her that, by giving her dagger to the -marquis as the pledge of a generous affection, she had rid herself of -something that had disturbed her and burned her hands. She took pains -not to be left alone with the Spaniard, and not to encourage any of the -efforts he made to lead the conversation back to the delicate -commonplaces of love. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, all private conversation was interrupted and the attention of -the whole party diverted by a strange incident. -</p> -<p> -A young gypsy appeared and requested permission to entertain the -illustrious company by his accomplishments; I believe that the rascal -said "his genius." -</p> -<p> -He had no sooner made his appearance than D'Alvimar recognized the young -vagabond who had served as interpreter between Monsieur D'Ars and the -Moorish woman on the moor of Champillé, and who had declared that he -was French by birth and that his name was La Flèche. -</p> -<p> -He was a young man of some twenty years, with a handsome face, although -it already showed the ravages of debauchery. His eye was keen and -insolent; his lips flat and treacherous; his speech conceited, impudent -and satirical; he was short of stature, but well-formed, as active with -his body as a pantomimist, and with his hands as a thief; intelligent in -everything that is serviceable in evil-doing; stupid in respect to any -useful work or any sound reasoning. -</p> -<p> -Like all of his profession, he possessed a few rags in addition to what -he wore, and these he used as a costume in which to perform his tricks. -</p> -<p> -He made his appearance dressed in a sort of Genoese cloak lined with -red; on his head one of those hats bristling with cocks' feathers, hats -without name or shape or excuse for being; pretentious yet despairing -ruins, whose gorgeous improbability Callot has immortalized in his -Italian grotesques. -</p> -<p> -Short, slashed boots, one much too large, the other much too small for -his foot, disclosed stockings once red, now faded to the hue of wine -lees. An enormous scapulary covered the miscreant's breast, a safeguard -against the charge of paganism and sorcery that was constantly hanging -over his head. Lustreless light hair, of absurd length, fell over his -lean face, aflame with red ochre, and an incipient moustache joined two -patches of downy white hair planted under his smooth and glistening -chin. -</p> -<p> -He began in a voice like a cracked trumpet: -</p> -<p> -"I beg this illustrious company to deign to excuse the assurance with -which I venture to throw myself at the feet of its indulgence. In truth, -does it befit a varlet of my sort, with his bristling face, his scarred -doublet and hat, which have long been candidates for the post of -scarecrow, to appear before a lady whose eyes put the sunlight to shame, -and to utter a multiplicity of foolish things? She will tell me perhaps, -that I must take heart, that I am not a peasant pack-saddler, nor a -miserable spy, nor a servant to be beaten from morning till night, for -it is said of servants that they are like walnut-trees, the more they -are beaten the more they bear. She will tell me too that I am neither a -sharper, nor a pickpocket, nor a coxcomb, nor a bully, nor an arrogant -cur, nor a puppy, nor a giant-killer, nor a barbarian, nor a snail; that -I am not an evil-looking fellow, despite a slightly vulgar countenance; -but in the face of such qualities as those of the lady I see before -me—it doesn't cripple a goddess to look at her,—and before an -assemblage of noble lords who resemble a party of monarchs more than a -cartload of calves at market, the bravest man in the world loses his -bearings and becomes simply a gutter of ignorance, a sewer of -stupidities, and the cesspool of all sorts of impudence." -</p> -<p> -Master La Flèche might have chattered on for two hours in this strain, -with intolerable volubility, had they not interrupted him to ask him -what he could do. -</p> -<p> -"Everything!" cried the good-for-naught. "I can dance on my feet, on my -hands, on my head and on my back; on a rope, on a broomstick, on the -point of a steeple or on the point of a lance; on eggs, on bottles, on a -galloping horse, on a hoop, on a cask, and on running water, but this -last only on condition that some one of the company will deign to be my -vis-à-vis on stagnant water. I can sing and rhyme in thirty-seven -languages and a half, provided that some one of the company will deign -to answer me, without an error, in thirty-seven languages and a half. I -can eat rats, hemp, swords, fire——" -</p> -<p> -"Enough, enough," said De Beuvre impatiently; "we know your catalogue: -it is the same with all such braggarts as you. You claim to know -everything, and you know but one thing, which is how to tell fortunes." -</p> -<p> -"To be quite frank," retorted La Flèche, "that is what I excel in, and -if your radiant highnesses will write your names, I will draw to see -with whom I shall begin; for destiny is an ill-tempered fellow who knows -no distinction of rank or sex." -</p> -<p> -"Go on and draw; here is my token," said Monsieur De Beuvre, tossing him -a piece of money. "Your turn, my child." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane tossed him a larger coin, the marquis a gold crown, Lucilio -some copper, and D'Alvimar a pebble, saying: -</p> -<p> -"I see that you all give money to the conjurer, but in my opinion he -deserves only to be stoned." -</p> -<p> -"Beware," said Lauriane, smiling, "he will predict only unpleasant -things for you; everyone knows that, in the matter of horoscopes, you -only get what you pay for." -</p> -<p> -"Do not think that; destiny is my master," said La Flèche, putting the -money into a box, and suddenly affecting to speak simply and with a -fatalistic air. -</p> -<p> -He turned his indescribable hat, which seemed to threaten heaven like an -insolent castle tower, pulled it over his eyes like an extinguisher, -made several wry faces, pronounced divers unmeaning words supposed to be -cabalistic formulas, and, having turned his back in order to wipe off -the coarse paint unseen, showed his face made pale by prophetic -inspiration. -</p> -<p> -Then he traced upon the gravel the great <i>asphère</i> of ignorant -necromancers, with all the symbols of street-corner astrology; he placed -a stone in the centre and threw the box at it, which broke and -distributed the contents over the symbols drawn in the different -compartments. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon D'Alvimar stooped to pick up his pebble. -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" cried the gypsy, darting into the circle with the agility of a -monkey, and placing his foot on D'Alvimar's token, without effacing any -of the signs that surrounded it; "no, messire, you cannot interfere with -destiny. It is above you as it is above me!" -</p> -<p> -"Certainly not," said Lauriane, putting her little cane between -D'Alvimar and La Flèche. "The magician is master in his magic circle, -and by disarranging your destiny, you may disarrange ours too." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar submitted; but his face betrayed an extraordinary agitation -which he instantly suppressed. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXII">XXII</a></h4> - -<p> -La Flèche began with the token nearest the central stone, which he -called Sinai. -</p> -<p> -It was Lucilio's; the gypsy pretended to measure angles and make -computations, then said in rhyming prose: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Homme sans langue et de grand cœur,</span><br> -<span class="i2">Savoir de misere est vainqueur."<a id="FNanchor_18_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_1" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"You see," whispered Bois-Doré to D'Alvimar, "the rascal has divined -our musician's melancholy plight." -</p> -<p> -"That was not very difficult," rejoined D'Alvimar contemptuously. "For a -quarter of an hour past the mute has been talking to you by signs." -</p> -<p> -"So you have no faith at all in divination?" replied Bois-Doré, while -La Flèche continued his calculations with a preoccupied air, but with -his ears open to all that was going on about him. -</p> -<p> -"Why, do you believe in it yourself, messire, I would ask?" said -D'Alvimar, pretending to be surprised at the seriousness with which the -marquis asked the question. -</p> -<p> -"I? Why—yes, more or less, like everybody else!" -</p> -<p> -"No one believes in this nonsense nowadays!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! yes; I believe in it quite seriously," said Lauriane. "I beg you, -sorcerer, if my destiny is unfavorable, either to leave me a little -hope, or to find in your learning some means of averting it." -</p> -<p> -"Illustrious queen of hearts," replied La Flèche, "I obey your -commands. You are threatened by a great danger; but if, during three -days from the present moment, -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">'Vous ne donnez point votre cœur,</span><br> -<span class="i2">Du diable il sera le vainqueur."<a id="FNanchor_19_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_1" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"Can you invent no other rhymes?" exclaimed D'Alvimar. "Your vocabulary -is not rich!" -</p> -<p> -"Everyone is not rich who wishes to be, messire," rejoined the gypsy; -"and yet there are those who wish it very earnestly, so earnestly that -they do everything to obtain wealth, even at the risk of the axe and the -halter!" -</p> -<p> -"Do you read such things in this gentleman's destiny?" said Lauriane, -who had been deeply impressed by the conjurer's warning to herself, and -now strove to turn the whole affair into a jest. -</p> -<p> -"Perhaps!" said Monsieur d'Alvimar carelessly; "one never knows what may -happen." -</p> -<p> -"But one can find out!" cried La Flèche. "Come who wants to know?" -</p> -<p> -"No one," said the marquis, "no one, if there is anything unpleasant in -store for any of us." -</p> -<p> -"Well, neighbor, you have faith, on my word!" said De Beuvre, who did -not exactly believe in anything. "You are an excellent customer for any -mountebank who chooses to fill your ears with idle tales!" -</p> -<p> -"As you please," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but I cannot help it. I have seen -such surprising things! A score of times things that have been predicted -have happened to me." -</p> -<p> -"How can you believe that an ignorant idiot like this fellow can look -into the future, of which God alone knows the secrets?" said D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -"I do not believe in the knowledge of the operator himself," replied -Bois-Doré, "except in so far as, by long practice, he knows how to -compute numbers, and those numbers are to him like letters in a book -whereof the peculiar quality of numbers composes words and phrases." -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre laughed at the marquis, and called upon the gypsy to tell all -he knew. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar would have been glad of a different result of the discussion, -for his incredulity was only feigned; he believed that the devil had a -hand in all evil, and he determined inwardly to commend La Flèche to -the attention of Monsieur Poulain, to be locked up and burned at the -first opportunity. But he was none the less consumed, in spite of -himself, with anxiety to open the book of his destiny, and he was -strongly impelled, moreover, to assume the rôle of a man free from -superstitions, before Madame de Beuvre. -</p> -<p> -La Flèche, being called upon to speak, since he had studied his chart -sufficiently, indulged in some serious reflections. He was afraid of the -Spaniard. He knew that he ran no risk with people who believed in -nothing, for they are not the sort who denounce or accuse sorcerers; and -he was too sharp not to understand that, when he tried to withdraw his -token, D'Alvimar's object was to escape the revelations which he -pretended to despise. -</p> -<p> -He adopted the course to which he was accustomed to resort when he had -to do with people who were inclined to become over-excited—he began -to make meaningless remarks to everybody. -</p> -<p> -He hoped that D'Alvimar would retire, and that he could make some -pleasant prediction for the others, for which they would pay handsomely; -for in the three days that he had been wandering about the neighborhood, -prowling everywhere, listening at doors, or pretending not to understand -French to induce people to talk in his presence, he had learned many -things; and he knew one fact about D'Alvimar which that gentleman would -have been very glad to bury in profound oblivion. -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar, tranquillized by the trivial nature of the predictions, -did not retire; La Flèche had ceased to entertain any of the party, and -was on the point of making a fiasco, after great preparations to reap a -fine harvest. -</p> -<p> -They were about to dismiss him. He drew himself up. -</p> -<p> -"Illustrious noble lords," he said, "I am not a sorcerer, I swear it by -the image of my patron saint which I wear upon my breast; I protest -against any compact with the devil. I practise only white magic, -permitted by the ecclesiastical authorities; but——" -</p> -<p> -"Well, if you are not pledged to the devil, go to the devil!" laughed -Monsieur de Beuvre; "you bore us!" -</p> -<p> -"Very good," said La Flèche insolently; "you want black magic, and you -shall have it, at your own risk and peril! but I will have nothing to do -with it, I wash my hands of it!" -</p> -<p> -He turned at once to a basket which he had brought with him, and in -which they supposed that he kept some juggling apparatus or some strange -beast, and took from it a little girl of eight or ten years, who seemed -to be no more than four or five, she was so small and slender; and, with -all the rest, dark-skinned, with a tangled mass of hair; a veritable -imp, dressed all in red, who began, while he held her in his arms, by -striking him again and again, pulling his hair, and tearing his face -with her nails. -</p> -<p> -They thought at first that this frantic resistance was part of the -performance, until they saw the blood flowing in a stream down the -gypsy's nose. -</p> -<p> -He paid little heed to it, but said, as he wiped his face with his -sleeve: -</p> -<p> -"That is nothing; the princess was asleep in her basket, and she is -always cross when she wakes." -</p> -<p> -Then he added in Spanish, speaking to the child in an undertone. -</p> -<p> -"Never fear! you shall dance for this to-night!" -</p> -<p> -The child, whom he had deposited on the stone of Sinai, cowered like a -monkey and glared about her with the eyes of a wild cat. -</p> -<p> -In her emaciated ugliness there were such strongly marked indications of -suffering and of fierce temper, of unhappiness and of hatred, that she -was almost beautiful, and indubitably terrifying. -</p> -<p> -It made Lauriane's heart ache to see the extreme emaciation of the -wretched creature, who was almost naked under the gaudy, but filthy rags -she wore. She shuddered as she thought of the probable fate of that -child, driven to frenzy doubtless by the tyranny and the blows of a vile -mountebank; and she walked away a few steps, leaning on the arm of her -good Celadon, Bois-Doré, who, although he did not say so, felt almost -as distressed as she. -</p> -<p> -But De Beuvre was of tougher fibre, and he urged La Flèche to make the -evil spirit speak. -</p> -<p> -"Come, my lovely Pilar," said La Flèche, accompanying each word with a -gesture big with threats, which were readily intelligible to his victim; -"come, queen of the elves and hobgoblins, you must speak. Pick up that -coin which is nearest you." -</p> -<p> -Pilar sat motionless for a long time, pretending to be asleep; she was -shivering with fever. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come, gallows-bird, tow for the stake!" continued La Flèche, -"pick up that gold piece, and I will tell you where Mario, your beloved -Mario, is." -</p> -<p> -"What's that!" said the marquis, turning back; "what does he say about -Mario?" -</p> -<p> -"Who is Mario?" asked Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -"Silence!" cried De Beuvre; "the devil speaks, and you are interested, -neighbor!" -</p> -<p> -The child spoke thus in French, in a shrill voice and with a strongly -marked accent: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Celui de qui depend ce gage,</span><br> -<span class="i2">S'il veut ecouter le presage</span><br> -<span class="i2">Et se bien garer de l'amour—<a id="FNanchor_20_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_1" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"I have said enough, I won't say any more," she added in Spanish. -</p> -<p> -She had forgotten her lesson. Neither prayers nor threats availed to -refresh her memory; but she did not admit that she had been coached; she -was already a sorceress and proud of her profession. She knew the magic -chart much better than La Flèche, and she loved to prophesy. By trying -to teach her poetry, which she called another kind of magic, La Flèche -had irritated her, and the feeling that she should not succeed had -wounded her self-esteem. -</p> -<p> -She shook her head, bristling with hair as black as ink, stamped her -foot and gave way to a paroxysm of pythoness-like rage. -</p> -<p> -"Good! good!" cried La Flèche, determined to make use of her, in one -way or another. "Now it is coming! the devil is entering her body, she -will speak in a moment!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said the child in Spanish, darting madly into the circle, "and I -know it all better than you, better than all the others. Come! come! -come! I know; question me!" -</p> -<p> -"Let us speak French," said La Flèche. "What will happen to the noble -lord whose token I hold?" -</p> -<p> -It was the marquis's. -</p> -<p> -"Joy and consolation!" said the child. -</p> -<p> -"Very good! but in what form?" -</p> -<p> -"Vengeance!" -</p> -<p> -"I, vengeance?" said Bois-Doré. "That is not my disposition." -</p> -<p> -"No, surely not," said Lauriane, glancing involuntarily at D'Alvimar. -"The devil must have mistaken the token." -</p> -<p> -"No! I am not mistaken," replied the elf. -</p> -<p> -"Really?" said La Flèche. "If you are quite sure, speak, she-devil! So -you think that this noble lord here present has some insult to avenge?" -</p> -<p> -"In blood!" replied Pilar, with the energy of a tragic actress. -</p> -<p> -"Alas!" said the marquis to Lauriane under his breath, "that is only too -true, I doubt not! My poor brother, you know!" And he added, aloud: "I -wish to question this little soothsayer myself." -</p> -<p> -"Do so, monseigneur," said La Flèche. "Listen, black fly! and speak -truly to a gentleman who is of much more consequence than you!" -</p> -<p> -Thereupon, the marquis, turning to Pilar, questioned her gently: -</p> -<p> -"Tell me, my poor little girl, what I have lost?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>A son</i>!" she replied. -</p> -<p> -"Don't laugh, neighbor," said the marquis to De Beuvre, "she tells the -truth. He was like a son to me!" -</p> -<p> -And to Pilar: -</p> -<p> -"When did I lose him?" -</p> -<p> -"Eleven years and five months since." -</p> -<p> -"And how many days?" -</p> -<p> -"Less five days." -</p> -<p> -"She is mistaken there," said the marquis to Lucilio; "for I heard from -him after the time she mentions; but let us see if she can read the -rest." -</p> -<p> -Again he turned to the child. -</p> -<p> -"How did I lose him?" he asked. -</p> -<p> -"By a violent death!" she replied; "but you will have consolation." -</p> -<p> -"When?" -</p> -<p> -"Within three months, three weeks or three days." -</p> -<p> -"What sort of consolation?" -</p> -<p> -"Three sorts: vengeance, wisdom, a family." -</p> -<p> -"A family? Am I to be married, pray?" -</p> -<p> -"No; you will be a father!" -</p> -<p> -"Really?" cried the marquis, undisturbed by Monsieur de Beuvre's hearty -laughter. "When shall I be a father?" -</p> -<p> -"Within three months, three weeks or three days. I have told everything -about you, and I want to rest." -</p> -<p> -The sitting was suspended with a deluge of jests showered by Monsieur de -Beuvre on the marquis. -</p> -<p> -In order that the predicted advent of an heir should take place within -three months, three weeks or three days, three women must have "received -the order." -</p> -<p> -The poor marquis was so well aware of the contrary that all his faith in -magic was destroyed. -</p> -<p> -He submitted to be made fun of, protesting his innocence, but not over -desirous that they should believe it to be so absolute as it really was. -</p> -<p> -The child asked leave to prepare her conjurations for the last token. -</p> -<p> -It was D'Alvimar's pebble. -</p> -<p> -But in order that the reader may understand what follows, it is -necessary that he should know what Pilar and her master, La Flèche, had -agreed upon. -</p> -<p> -What La Flèche knew and wished to impart to Bois-Doré, he expected to -have the child divulge when D'Alvimar was not present. The child, from -caprice and vanity, refused to adhere to the agreement made between -them. She insisted upon reciting her whole lesson, even though she had -to suffer for it, and though La Flèche might lose his life or his -liberty. -</p> -<p> -It may be that these perils, in which, as she well knew, she could -involve him, sharpened her instincts of hate. -</p> -<p> -So she spoke as she chose, despite the warning gestures and grimaces of -her master, who could say nothing to her in Spanish which D'Alvimar -would not understand. -</p> -<p> -She picked up the stone, examined the signs that surrounded it, -pretended to make a computation, and said in Spanish, threateningly and -with appalling vehemence: -</p> -<p> -"Woe and disgrace to him whose token fell on the red star!" -</p> -<p> -"Bravo!" said D'Alvimar, with a nervous, forced laugh; "go on, filthy -creature! Go on, go on, progeny of dogs, offscouring of the earth, tell -us the decrees of heaven!" -</p> -<p> -Pilar, angered by these insults, became so wild that she terrified all -who saw her, even La Flèche himself. -</p> -<p> -"Blood and murder!" she shrieked, jumping up and down with convulsive -gestures; "murder and damnation! blood, blood, blood!" -</p> -<p> -"All this for me?" said D'Alvimar, unable to conceal his terror at that -moment. -</p> -<p> -"For you! for you!" cried the frenzied creature, "and death and hell! -soon, instantly, within three months, three weeks or three days! damned! -damned! hell!" -</p> -<p> -"Enough! enough!" said Bois-Doré, who understood but little Spanish, -but who saw that D'Alvimar was pale and on the verge of swooning; "this -child is possessed of a bad devil, and it may be that it is sinful to -listen to her." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, "doubtless she is possessed of the -devil, and her threats are vain and beneath contempt, for hell is -powerless against the will of God; but if I were châtelain and -dispenser of justice here, I would throw this brigand and this vile worm -into prison, and I would hand them over to——" -</p> -<p> -"La la!" said Monsieur de Beuvre, "there is no reason for being so -angry. I don't know what was said to you, but I am surprised that you -ended by sneering at it. However, I agree that this mad young monkey's -gusts of temper are a disgusting comedy, and I see that my daughter is -disturbed by them. Come, knave," he said to La Flèche, "we have had -enough. Keep the tokens, if all consent, and go and get yourself hanged -elsewhere." -</p> -<p> -La Flèche had not awaited this permission to decamp. He was in great -haste to elude the Spaniard's benevolent designs in respect to him. -</p> -<p> -Little Pilar was not at all disturbed. On the contrary, she picked up -the gold and silver pieces which had served as tokens, and when she came -to D'Alvimar's stone she threw it disdainfully at his feet. He was so -angered that he would perhaps have treated her as he did the young wolf, -had he still the weapon of which he had made such prompt and deadly use. -</p> -<p> -But when he involuntarily felt for it, he found nothing, and Lauriane, -who was watching him, congratulated herself upon having disarmed him. He -met her eyes and made haste to smile; then he tried to change the -conversation, and Bois-Doré asked Lucilio for an air on the bagpipe to -dispel the unpleasant effect of this episode, while La Flèche, carrying -his great basket on his head and his instruments of magic under his arm, -and dragging along with the other hand the little sybil, still quivering -from head to foot, hastily passed the drawbridge and portcullis. -</p> -<p> -"Now will you give me something to eat?" she said, when they were in the -open country. -</p> -<p> -"No, you did your work too badly." -</p> -<p> -"I am hungry." -</p> -<p> -"So much the better!" -</p> -<p> -"I am hungry, I can't walk any more." -</p> -<p> -"Into your cage you go, then!" -</p> -<p> -And he put her in the basket, despite her resistance, and ran away with -her at full speed. -</p> -<p> -The unfortunate creature's shrieks died away without echo in the vast -plain. -</p> -<p> -"Mario! Mario!" she wailed in a voice broken by sobs; "I want to see -Mario. Villain! assassin! You promised that I should see Mario, who used -to give me things to eat and play with me, and his mother, who kept me -from being beaten! Mercedes! Mario! come to help me! Kill him! he is -hurting me, he is shaking me, he is killing me, he is starving me to -death! Damnation on him! death and blood and murder! The lash, the -stake, the wheel, hell itself for the wicked!" -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_18_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_1"><span class="label">[18]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Man without tongue and of great heart,</span><br> -<span class="i0">Learning has triumphed over misery.</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_19_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_1"><span class="label">[19]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">You do not give your heart away,</span><br> -<span class="i0">It will triumph over the devil.</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_20_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_1"><span class="label">[20]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">He from whom this token comes.</span><br> -<span class="i0">If he but heed to the presage</span><br> -<span class="i0">And hold aloof from love—</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXIII">XXIII</a></h4> - -<p> -While the gypsy fled toward the north, the marquis, with D'Alvimar and -Lucilio, rode in the opposite direction toward Briantes. - -He was most anxious to tell his faithful Adamas of what he regarded as a -happy issue of his enterprise; and, although he thought that he owed it -to his love to indulge in a few stifled sighs of anxiety or impatience, -he was by no means ill-pleased, taking everything into consideration, to -have seven years before him in which to adopt a new matrimonial -resolution. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was in a very bad humor, not only because of the predictions -which had stirred his bile and disturbed his brain, but also because of -the tranquil manner in which Madame de Beuvre had taken leave of him, -while she had given both her little hands to the marquis, as she gayly -promised him a visit on the second day following. -</p> -<p> -"Can it be possible," he thought, "that she has accepted that old man's -gold pieces, and that I am supplanted by a rival of seventy?" -</p> -<p> -He was exceedingly desirous to question his host, to poke fun at him, to -quarrel with him. But it was impossible to enter into conversation with -Bois-Doré on that subject. The marquis bore himself with an air of -discreet and modest triumph, which caused him to outdo himself in -courteous attentions to his guest. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was able to avenge himself for his discomfiture in no other -way than by doing his best to splash Master Jovelin, who rode behind the -marquis. -</p> -<p> -When they reached the château, as the supper hour had not arrived, he -walked to the rectory to consult with Monsieur Poulain. -</p> -<p> -"Well, monsieur," said the trusty Adamas, as he removed his master's -boots—in his capacity of <i>homme de chambre</i> he almost never -left the château of Briantes—"well, monsieur, must we think about -preparing the betrothal banquet?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure, my friend. We must think about it at once." -</p> -<p> -"Really, monsieur? Well, I was sure of it, and I am so pleased that I -don't know where I am. Just fancy, monsieur, that that red hackney whom -you call Bellinde, and who would be better named Tisiphone——" -</p> -<p> -"Fie! fie, Adamas! You know that I do not like to hear one of the sex -spoken of in a slighting manner. What new trouble is there between you?" -</p> -<p> -"Pardon me, my noble master, but the trouble is that that ill-tempered -creature listens at doors, and that she knows of the step monsieur has -taken to-day. Only a little while ago she was laughing about it like a -cackling hen with that stupid housekeeper of the rector." -</p> -<p> -"How do you know that, Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"I know it by magic, monsieur; but, at all events, I know it!" -</p> -<p> -"By magic? Since when have you been dabbling in the occult sciences?" -</p> -<p> -"I will tell you, monsieur. I have nothing to hide from you, but will -you not deign to tell me first how you made your sentiments known to the -peerless lady of your thoughts, and how she replied; for I am sure that -nothing so eloquent was ever said under the heavens since the world was -made, and I would like to be able to write as fast as Master Jovelin, so -that I could put it on paper as monsieur repeats it to me." -</p> -<p> -"No, Adamas, no word of it shall ever issue from my mouth, sealed as it -is by the oath of a loyal knight. I swore that I would not divulge the -secret of my felicity. All that I can say to you, my friend, is to -rejoice now with your master, and to hope with him in the future!" -</p> -<p> -"Then it is all arranged, is it, monsieur, and——" -</p> -<p> -Adamas was interrupted by a soft scratching, as of a cat, at the door. -</p> -<p> -"Ah!" he said, after he had looked out, "it is the child; he wants to -bid you good-night.—Go away, my young friend, monseigneur will see -you later; he is busy now." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, Adamas, let him come again! I have something to say about -children. Some very strange ideas on the subject of paternity came into -my head yesterday. This freak is worthy of the lowest bourgeois! No! no! -I am no longer the old bachelor who wanted to marry in hot haste, to -have done with it. I am a young man, Adamas, yes, a young lover, a -dandy, on my word, affectionately sentenced to prove his constancy by -the test of time, to sigh and write poetry; in a word, to await, in the -torments and ecstasies of hope, the good pleasure of my sovereign." -</p> -<p> -"If I understand rightly," said Adamas, "this jealous divinity mistrusts -my master's fickle humor, and demands that he renounce all love-making!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, that is it, Adamas; that must be it! A little distrust! That -is a fitting punishment for my wild youth; but I shall be so well able -to prove my sincerity—Go to the door; he is still knocking!" -</p> -<p> -"What!" said Adamas seriously to Mario, opening the door slightly, "is -it you again, my little imp? Did I not tell you to wait?" -</p> -<p> -"I have waited," Mario replied, in his soft voice—soft and caressing -even in his mischief; "you told me to go away and come back. I went to -the end of the next room, and now I have come back." -</p> -<p> -"The little rascal!" said the marquis; "let him come -in.—<i>Bonjour</i>, my young friend; just come to kiss me, then -play quietly with Fleurial. I have some important business to discuss -with good Monsieur Adamas. Come, Adamas, the day after to-morrow I am to -entertain my incomparable neighbor. We must be preparing for it; a -little informal dinner, fourteen courses at the most." -</p> -<p> -"You shall have them, monsieur. Do you wish me to call the master-cook?" -</p> -<p> -"No, I do not like to order my repasts, and, however clean and neat the -kitchen people may be, they always smell of the kitchen. Help me to -plan——" -</p> -<p> -"What knife is that?" said Mario, very earnestly, as the marquis, always -good-humored and momentarily preoccupied, held him between his legs and -allowed him to ransack his pockets. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing, nothing," said the marquis, trying to recover the pledge that -Lauriane had given him. "Give it back to me, my boy; children must not -touch such things. They bite, you see! Give it to me!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, here it is!" said Mario; "but I saw what was written on it, -and I know whose it is." -</p> -<p> -"You don't know what you are saying!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, I do; I say that it belongs to the Spanish gentleman you call -Villareal. Did he give it to you?" -</p> -<p> -"Come, come, what is this you are muttering? You are dreaming!" -</p> -<p> -"No, kind monsieur! I saw the device on the blade. It is in Spanish, and -I know it very well; my mother Mercedes has one just like it, with the -same device." -</p> -<p> -"What does the device mean?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>I serve God</i>.—<i>S. A.</i>" -</p> -<p> -"What does S. A. mean?" -</p> -<p> -"They must be the initials of the man who owns the dagger. That is where -they are usually put, in open work, near the hilt." -</p> -<p> -"I know that; but why do you say that this dagger belongs to the Spanish -gentleman named Villareal?" -</p> -<p> -The child made no reply and seemed embarrassed. He was no longer under -the Moorish woman's watchful and suspicious eye. He had said more than -he ought, and he remembered her injunctions too late. -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>! monsieur," said Adamas, "children talk sometimes for the -sake of talking without knowing what they say. Let us go back to the -important subject. Your keeper, Père Andoche, brought in to-day a -string of birds so fat that——" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, you are right, my friend; let us arrange about the dinner. -But, I don't know—I wonder how she had that Spanish dagger in the -pocket of her skirt?" -</p> -<p> -"Who, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -"Why, <i>she</i>, <i>parbleu</i>! Of whom else can I speak henceforth?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure; I beg pardon, monsieur! Let us talk about the dagger. I -supposed that it was a gift from Monsieur de Villareal, or that he had -lent it to you. For it is the truth that it comes from him. Those -letters S. A. are on his other weapons, which are very handsome, and -which I noticed this morning while his servant was polishing them." -</p> -<p> -The marquis relapsed into meditation. -</p> -<p> -How did Lauriane obtain Villareal's dagger? She must have received it -from him, since she had disposed of it as her own property. -</p> -<p> -In vain did he search the genealogical tree of the De Beuvres, he found -there no name to which the initials S. A. could refer. -</p> -<p> -"Can it be," he said to himself, "that she made the same agreement with -him that she afterward made with me?" -</p> -<p> -He consoled himself, however, by the thought that she apparently cared -but little for the former compact, since she had sacrificed it to him; -but there was none the less something incomprehensible in the episode, -and the honest marquis was not yet foolish enough not to fear that he -was the victim of some practical joke. -</p> -<p> -And then, what the child had said complicated the confusion in his mind, -and he could not imagine what intrigue of destiny or mystification -encompassed that dagger. -</p> -<p> -He was inclined to go to have an explanation at once with his guest; but -he remembered that Lauriane had urged him to conceal her pledge and to -let no one see it. -</p> -<p> -Adamas saw the anxiety on his master's brow and was touched by it. -</p> -<p> -"What is it, monsieur," he said, "what can your poor old Adamas do to -relieve your perplexity?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know, my friend. I would like to be able to divine how it -happens that the Moor has a weapon like this, bearing the same device -and the same initials." -</p> -<p> -Then, lowering his voice so that Mario could not hear: -</p> -<p> -"You told me, and it has seemed to me that that young woman was very -honest. But can she have stolen this dagger from our guest? That is -something that I cannot endure, that there should be thieving in my -house." -</p> -<p> -Adamas instantly espoused his master's suspicions, especially as Mario, -feeling that he had spoken heedlessly, was gliding out of the room on -tiptoe, to avoid further questions. Adamas detained him. -</p> -<p> -"You have been telling us fairy tales, my pretty boy," said he, "and for -that you deserve to lose my lord and master's favor. It is not true that -your Mercedes has what you say she has, or——" -</p> -<p> -The marquis interrupted him, not wishing that the charge should be made -before the child. -</p> -<p> -"Has your mother had the dagger a long time, my boy?" he said. -</p> -<p> -The child had passed some time with the gypsies, so he knew what -stealing was. He was blest, moreover, with extraordinary shrewdness. He -understood the suspicion he had brought on his adopted mother, and he -preferred to disobey her rather than not justify her. -</p> -<p> -"Yes," he replied, "a very long time." -</p> -<p> -And, as he had assumed an exceedingly proud and self-assured air, the -marquis and Adamas felt that they had in their hands a means of making -him speak. -</p> -<p> -"Then it was Monsieur de Villareal who gave it to her?" said Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"Oh! no, he left it behind——" -</p> -<p> -"Where?" queried the marquis. "Come, you must tell us, or I shall have -no more confidence in you, boy. Where did he leave it?" -</p> -<p> -"In my father's heart!" replied Mario, in whose eyes there shone an -extraordinary light. He longed to pour out his heart; the mystery -weighed heavily upon him; he had said the first word and he could not -keep silent. -</p> -<p> -"Adamas," said the marquis, moved by a sudden, indefinable emotion, -"close the doors, and do you, my child, come here and speak out. You are -with friends, have no fear, we will defend you, we will see that you -have justice. Tell me all that you know about your family?" -</p> -<p> -"If you love me," said the child, "you must punish Monsieur de -Villareal, because he murdered my father." -</p> -<p> -"Murdered him?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, Mercedes saw him!" -</p> -<p> -"When was that?" -</p> -<p> -"The day I was born, the day my mother died." -</p> -<p> -"Why did he murder him?" -</p> -<p> -"To get a lot of money and jewels that my father had." -</p> -<p> -"Robber and assassin!" said the marquis, looking at Adamas; "a man of -quality! a friend of Guillaume d'Ars! Is it conceivable?" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur," said Adamas, "children often invent stories, and I believe -that this boy is making sport of us." -</p> -<p> -The blood rose in Mario's cheeks. -</p> -<p> -"I never tell a lie!" he said with touching vehemence. "Monsieur -Anjorrant always said: 'That child is not at all untruthful.' My -Mercedes always told me that I must never lie, but keep silent when I -didn't wish to reply. Since you make me speak, I say what is true." -</p> -<p> -"He is right," exclaimed the marquis, "and I see that he has noble blood -in his heart, the beautiful boy!—Say on, I believe you. Tell me what -your father's name was." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! that I do not know." -</p> -<p> -"On your honor, my boy?" -</p> -<p> -"It is the truth," replied the child; "my mother's name was Marie, that -is all I know, and that is why Monsieur Anjorrant gave me the name of -Mario when he baptized me." -</p> -<p> -"But I remember that Mercedes said that the lady gave the curé a -wedding ring," said Adamas; "she also spoke of a seal." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Mario, "the seal belonged to my father, there was a coat of -arms on it: but it was stolen from us not long ago. As for the ring, -neither Monsieur Anjorrant, nor my Mercedes, who is very clever, nor I, -nor anybody has ever been able to open it. But there's something inside. -My mother, who died without saying a word except her name, Marie, -motioned to the curé to open her ring. She had not the strength to do -it; but he could not." -</p> -<p> -"Go and get it," said the marquis, "perhaps we can do it." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! no," replied Mario in dismay; "my Mercedes won't like it, and, if -she knows that I have spoken, she will be very sorry." -</p> -<p> -"But, after all, why does she conceal all this from us, who may be able -to help her to find your family?" -</p> -<p> -"Because she thinks that you will listen to the Spaniard, and that he -will kill her if he learns that she has recognized him." -</p> -<p> -"But does he not recognize her?" -</p> -<p> -"He never saw her, for she was hiding." -</p> -<p> -"Has she ever seen him since that terrible business?" -</p> -<p> -"No, never." -</p> -<p> -"And, after ten years, she feels sure that she can identify him! It is -very doubtful." -</p> -<p> -"She says that she is sure of it, that he has grown hardly any older, -that he is dressed in black as he was then; and she is very sure that -his old servant is the same man who was with him then. Oh! she looked -closely at them. When we met them three days ago, near another château -not far from here——" -</p> -<p> -"Ah! yes," said the marquis, "tell us how she met him." -</p> -<p> -"He was with a kind, handsome young lord, whom I have since heard spoken -of as Guillaume. Monsieur Guillaume had given a lot of money to the -gypsies we were with. And suddenly, when the Spaniard looked very stern -and was going to strike me, Mercedes said: -</p> -<p> -"'It is he! look! it is he! and the other, the old valet is the other!' -</p> -<p> -"And she ran after them to see them better, until Monsieur Guillaume -told us that we annoyed him. Then Mercedes made some one ask him his -name and his friend's name, so that we could pray for them, she said. -But Monsieur Guillaume laughed at us, and the gypsies went off in -another direction. My Mercedes let them go without us, and said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'We have your father's murderers, I promise you. We must find out their -names.' -</p> -<p> -"Then we turned back and went to the château of La Motte to beg; and as -they didn't pay much attention to us, Mercedes told me to listen to what -the servants and the peasants said; and in that way we found out that -the Spaniard was going to stay with the <i>marquis</i>, because the -<i>marquis</i> had sent for his chariot and ordered his guest chamber to -be prepared for a stranger. And then we talked with a shepherdess in a -field near there. She told us: -</p> -<p> -"'The marquis is the kindest of men. You can go to pass the night at his -château; he will treat you well. That's his château yonder.' -</p> -<p> -"So then we came here at once, and yesterday morning we saw the murderer -again, the two murderers! And when I saw the letters on the pistols and -the great sword that the servant had, and I said to Mercedes: -</p> -<p> -"'Show me the wicked knife that killed my poor papa; I think those are -the same letters that are on it.'" -</p> -<p> -"And are you sure of it?" said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"I am very sure; and you will see for yourself if Mercedes will show -them to you." -</p> -<p> -"Where is she now?" -</p> -<p> -"With Monsieur Jovelin, whom she is very fond of because he jumped into -the water for me." -</p> -<p> -"Jovelin absolutely must extort her secret from her," said the marquis -to Adamas; "go, bring him here, that I may speak with him." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXIV">XXIV</a></h4> - -<p> -Adamas went out and soon returned to say that Jovelin would come at -once. He had found him engaged in a very animated conversation with the -Moor, she speaking Arabic, he writing down all that she said, and making -many gestures which she seemed to understand. -</p> -<p> -"He motioned to me that he must not be interrupted," said Adamas; "I -think, monsieur, that he is inducing her to tell the truth by gentleness -and persuasion; let us not disturb him. He writes quickly, but she does -not read very well, even in her own language, and it is wonderful to see -how he makes himself understood with his hands. Be patient, monsieur; we -shall soon find out something." -</p> -<p> -They waited a quarter of an hour, which to the marquis seemed a century. -</p> -<p> -Time was flying; the first bell had rung for supper. It would be -necessary to sit at the table with Villareal, without having obtained -any definite information. -</p> -<p> -The marquis was in a state of intense excitement. He kept rising and -sitting down again, muttering to himself unintelligible words which -sorely puzzled Adamas. -</p> -<p> -Mario, thinking that he was angry with him, stood apart in a corner, -thoughtful and abashed. Fleurial, seeing his master's perplexity, gazed -steadfastly at him, followed his every step and whined from time to -time, wagging his tail, as if to say: "What is the matter, pray?" -</p> -<p> -At last Adamas ventured to put the question in words. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur," he cried, "you have something in your mind which you are -concealing from your servant, and in that way you make your trouble -still more painful to him. Speak, monsieur, speak to old Adamas as you -would to your night-cap; he will no more repeat what you say than your -night-cap would, and it will relieve you so much." -</p> -<p> -"Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, "I greatly fear that I am mad; for there -is something about this child and the story he tells us that excites me -more than is natural. You must know that I had my fortune told by a -gypsy to-day, and that she used some very obscure words, which may -however be fully explained by the interest I feel for this poor little -fellow. I was told, among other strange things, that I should be a -father within three months, three weeks or three days. Now, as I swear -to you, Adamas, that I can look forward to no direct paternity within so -short a period, it is evident that I am to become a father by adoption. -But another part of that prediction perplexes me even more: my brother's -death was referred to as having taken place at exactly the same date -that the Moor assigns for the death of this child's father. How can that -be explained? The witch spoke in veiled, symbolical words, but she fixed -that date clearly, computing the years, months and days that have passed -since. And I made the same computation as I was riding home and I found -that it carried me back to the very day of our King Henri's death. Come -here, Mario; didn't you say that was the day?" -</p> -<p> -"But, monsieur," observed Adamas, "didn't you say yourself yesterday -that Monsieur Florimond's last letter was dated at Genoa on the -sixteenth of June?" -</p> -<p> -"True, my friend; but one may make a mistake in a date and put one month -instead of another; that has happened to everybody." -</p> -<p> -"But, monsieur, isn't the city of Genoa, in Italy, very far from the -place where this child puts his father's death?" -</p> -<p> -"Undoubtedly, my friend. I twist the probabilities in order to confirm -the fortune-teller's words, and that is a whim for which I give you -leave to rebuke me. But open the cupboard in which my brother's -cherished records are kept, including that last letter which I have read -so many times without fathoming its meaning." -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>! monsieur," said Adamas, opening the drawer and handing -his master the letter, "you divined and understood clearly enough at the -time everything that happened and was likely to happen. You heard from -Monsieur Florimond very seldom, because of the weighty secret -employments he had in the Italian courts, to which his master the Duc de -Savoie sent him. He wrote of his journeys without telling you of their -object, because he was forbidden to do that by the political party with -which he acted, which was not always yours. This last letter tells you -of other journeys to be undertaken after that from which he had just -returned, and this is what he says to you in his very words: 'If you do -not hear of me before autumn, do not be alarmed. My health is good and -my personal affairs are not in bad condition.'—The date is -evidently accurate, for he begins by saying: 'Monsieur and dear brother, -doubtless you received my letter of January last; in the past five -months——'" -</p> -<p> -"I know all that, Adamas, I know it by heart; and, nevertheless, when I -went to Italy in 1611, to make personal inquiries for that poor brother -of mine, from whom I had never heard again, I was told that he had never -returned from a mission to Rome, on which he had set out fifteen months -before. And, when I went to Rome, he had not been seen there for more -than two years. I travelled all over Italy until late in 1612, without -finding any trace of him, so that I finally concluded that he must have -undertaken some long voyage, to the East or West Indies, on his own -account, and that I should see him again some day; but at last I made up -my mind that he had certainly been murdered by the brigands who infest -Italy, or had perished in a storm at sea. He had not acquired great -wealth in the Savoyard's service, although he never complained; and I -think that he seldom had companions in his journeys. In the end I lost -all hope of finding him, but not of learning his fate and avenging him -if he was slain by treachery." -</p> -<p> -While the marquis and Adamas were talking thus, Mario, whose presence -they had forgotten, had glided behind the marquis's chair. -</p> -<p> -He listened, and he looked closely at the letter Bois-Doré held in his -hands. He could read very well, as we have said, even manuscript; but he -was in dire perplexity, fearing lest he should make a mistake and should -be accused again of speaking at random. -</p> -<p> -At last he felt almost perfectly sure of his facts, not only because of -the handwriting, but because of the expressions used in the letter and -of the peculiar coincidences. -</p> -<p> -"What!" he cried. -</p> -<p> -And he ran from the room, his heart swelling with determination and joy, -scarcely heeded by the marquis, who was absorbed by his reflections. -</p> -<p> -Mario knew Master Jovelin's room, and he found his mother there, just -about to withdraw without exhibiting the articles of which she was so -jealous and distrustful a guardian. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio had been as profoundly impressed as the marquis by the -coincidence of the date fixed in the child's mind by Abbé Anjorrant -with that mentioned by the little gypsy as the date of Florimond's -death. He had not the slightest belief in magic; but, as he was also -struck by La Flèche's mention of the name of Mario, he feared that the -marquis was the dupe of some juggling scheme. -</p> -<p> -He began to suspect the Moorish woman herself, and his first act, on -returning to the château, was to send for her and question her in -writing, with much conciseness and severity. He insisted that she should -produce the ring and the letter from Monsieur Anjorrant of which she had -spoken; and, although she felt profound respect and sympathy for him, as -his persistence led her to fear the indirect intervention of D'Alvimar -in this examination she was undergoing, she had taken refuge in agonized -silence. -</p> -<p> -As soon as Mario appeared, her wounded heart gave vent in the complaint -which it dared not address directly to Lucilio. -</p> -<p> -"Come, my poor child," she said, "we must go away from here, for we are -accused of seeking to deceive and of having told a story that is not -true. Come, let us go at once, so that they may know that we seek aid -only from God and ourselves." -</p> -<p> -But Mario held her back. -</p> -<p> -"We have had enough of distrust," he said to her; "we must do what they -ask, mother. Give me the letter and the ring! They are mine; I want them -this moment!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was impressed by the child's vehemence, and the Moor, utterly -dumbfounded, said nothing for several moments. -</p> -<p> -Never before had Mario spoken so to her; never had she detected in him -the slightest tendency to independence; and now, in the most peremptory -way, he ordered her to do his bidding. -</p> -<p> -She was afraid; she thought that some miracle had happened; all her -strength of will vanished before the idea that fate had intervened. She -took from her belt the sheepskin bag in which she had sewn the precious -objects. -</p> -<p> -"That is not all, mother," said Mario; "I must have the knife too." -</p> -<p> -"You will not dare to touch it, boy! it is the knife that -killed——" -</p> -<p> -"I know it; I have seen it before now. It is necessary that I should -touch it, and I will touch it. Give it to me!" -</p> -<p> -Mercedes handed him the knife, and said, clasping her hands: -</p> -<p> -"If it is the evil spirit that guides my son's hand and tongue, we are -lost, Mario!" -</p> -<p> -He did not listen to her, but, placing the little bag on Lucilio's -table, hastily ripped it open with the dagger. He took from it the ring, -which he placed on his thumb, and Abbé Anjorrant's letter to Monsieur -Sully, of which he burst the seal and silk thread, to Mercedes's dire -consternation. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure04"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure04.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>He darted into the hall, ran back to the marquis's chamber, -snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings</i>,...</p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -That done, he opened the letter, took out a stained and spotted paper, -kissed it and examined it carefully; then, shouting: "Come, mother! -Come, Monsieur Jovelin!" he darted into the hall, ran back to the -marquis's chamber, snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings, and, -thrusting everything that he held, letters, ring and dagger, into -Adamas's hand, leaped on the marquis's knees, threw his arms about his -neck, and hugged him so tight that the worthy man was almost suffocated -for a moment. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come!" said Bois-Doré at last, somewhat annoyed by this -familiarity, which he did not expect, and which had seriously deranged -his wig, "this is not the time for play of this sort, my young friend, -and you are taking liberties which—Whom is this you have brought here -and why?" -</p> -<p> -The marquis paused when he saw Mario burst into tears. -</p> -<p> -The child had acted in obedience to an inspiration, he had had faith; -but, as the minds of the others did not move so fast or so straight as -his, doubt, fear and shame returned to him. He had disobeyed Mercedes, -who was weeping and trembling. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio watched him so closely that he felt intimidated; the marquis -repelled his passionate embrace, and Adamas was dazed, and did not seem -to recognize unhesitatingly the similarity of the handwritings. -</p> -<p> -"Come, do not weep, my child," said the perturbed marquis, taking from -Adamas's hands his brother's letter and the worn and crumpled paper that -Mario had brought. "What is the matter, Adamas, and why are you -trembling so? What is that paper, all covered with black spots? <i>Vrai -Dieu</i>! those are blood-stains! Bring the candle nearer, Adamas, and let -me look! Why, my friends! O Lord God in Heaven! Jovelin! Adamas! Look at -this! I am not dreaming, am I? It is the handwriting of my darling -brother! every letter is his! And this blood——Ah! my friends! -that is a very cruel thing to see. But—where did you get this, -Mario?" -</p> -<p> -"Read, read, monsieur," cried Adamas, "make sure that you are right." -</p> -<p> -"I cannot," said the marquis, turning deathly pale; "my heart fails me! -Whence comes this paper?" -</p> -<p> -"It was found on my father," said Mario, recovering his courage; "look, -see if it is not a letter for you that he intended to send you. Monsieur -Anjorrant made me read it many times; but your name was not on it, and -we never knew to whom to send it." -</p> -<p> -"Your father!" repeated the marquis, as if waking from a dream; "your -father!" -</p> -<p> -"Pray read it, monsieur!" cried Adamas; "make sure." -</p> -<p> -"No! not yet," said the marquis. "If I am dreaming, I do not desire to be -awakened. Let me fancy that this lovely child—Come here, boy, to my -arms.—And do you, Adamas, read it if you can! I could never do it!" -</p> -<p> -"I will read it," said Mario; "follow with your eyes." And he read as -follows: -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"Monsieur and dear brother: -</p> -<p> -"Pay no heed to the letter you will receive after this, which I wrote at -Genoa, under date of the sixteenth of next month, in anticipation of a -long and dangerous journey, during which, as I feared that you would be -anxious on my account, I desired to allay your anxiety by a post-dated -letter, and thereby prevent your making inquiries for me in that -country, where I desired that my absence should not be noticed. -</p> -<p> -"As I have arrived here, thank God! more quickly and with less trouble -than I dared hope, and am now out of difficulty and danger, I propose to -tell you of my adventures, which I am at last able to do without -concealment or reserve, leaving the details, however, for the -approaching, eagerly anticipated moment when I shall be with you, -accompanied by my beloved and honored wife, and, God willing, by the -child of whom she will make me the father in a few days! -</p> -<p> -"It will suffice for you to know to-day, that, having been married -secretly last year, in Spain, to a beautiful lady of noble birth, -against the will of her parents, I was obliged to leave her on my -master's service, and to return to her, with the same secrecy, to rescue -her from the tyranny of her parents and take her to France, where we -have at last arrived to-day, under favor of our precautions and -disguises. -</p> -<p> -"We expect to stop at Pau, whence I shall forward this letter to you, to -be followed by another which will announce, if it be God's pleasure, my -wife's safe delivery, and in which I shall have the leisure that I have -not at this moment, to tell you——" -</p></blockquote> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -At this point the letter had been interrupted by some unexpected -occurrence. It had been folded and carried about in the traveller's -pocket, to be finished and sealed at Pau, in all probability, and there -entrusted to the carriers who, at that time, conducted the mail service, -with more or less despatch, between places of importance. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXV">XXV</a></h4> - -<p> -Bois-Doré wept copiously as he listened to this letter, which, being -read by Mario, penetrated the more deeply into his heart. -</p> -<p> -"Alas!" he said, "I often accused him of neglect, and he thought of me -on the very first day of his happiness and safety! He intended doubtless -to bring his wife and child to me, and place them in my care, and I -should not have passed my life alone, without a family! But rest in -peace in God's bosom, my poor boy! your son shall be my son, and in my -grief at having so cruelly lost you, I have at all events the -consolation of embracing your living image! for it is his very manner -and his charm, my dear Jovelin, and my heart was stirred at the first -glance I cast upon the child. And now, Mario, let us embrace as uncle -and nephew, which we are, or rather as father and son, which we are to -be from this moment." -</p> -<p> -The marquis worried little about his wig this time, but embraced his -adopted son with an affectionate warmth which changed to heartfelt joy -the painful memories evoked by the letter. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile Mercedes, heartbroken by Lucilio's suspicions, had resolved to -make known the truth in all its details. -</p> -<p> -"Give them the ring," she said to Mario; "perhaps they will be able to -open it, and you will learn your mother's name." -</p> -<p> -The marquis took the heavy gold ring and turned it in every direction; -but, versed as he was in mechanical secrets, he could not succeed in -opening it. -</p> -<p> -Neither Jovelin nor Adamas was more adroit, and they were obliged to -abandon the project temporarily. -</p> -<p> -"Never mind!" said the marquis to Mario, "let us not worry about it. You -are my brother's son, I can entertain no doubt of that. Judging from his -letter, you descend from a family of higher rank than ours; but we have -no need to know your Spanish ancestors to cherish you and rejoice in -you!" -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile Mercedes continued to weep. -</p> -<p> -"What is the matter with that poor creature?" the marquis asked Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"I do not understand what she says to Master Jovelin, monsieur," was the -reply; "but I see plainly enough that she is afraid that she will not be -allowed to remain with her child." -</p> -<p> -"Who will prevent her, I wonder? Am I likely to do it, who owe her so -much gratitude and am indebted to her for so much joy? Come hither, my -excellent girl, and ask me whatever you will. If you want a house, -lands, flocks and servants, aye, and a good husband to your taste, you -shall have them all, or may I lose my name!" -</p> -<p> -The Moor, to whom Mario translated these words, replied that she desired -nothing except to work for her living, but somewhere where she could see -her dear Mario every day. -</p> -<p> -"Granted!" said the marquis, offering her both hands, which she covered -with kisses; "you shall remain in my house, and, if you are willing to -see my son every hour in the day, you will confer a great favor on me; -for, since you love him so dearly, no other woman than you shall take -care of him. And now, my friends, congratulate me on the great -consolation which has come to me, and which, as you know, Jovelin, -confirms in every point the gypsy's prediction." -</p> -<p> -Thereupon he embraced Lucilio, and also, for the first time in his life, -the faithful Adamas, who wrote that glorious fact in letters of gold on -his tablets. -</p> -<p> -Then the marquis took Mario in his arms, placed him on the table in the -middle of the room, and, walking a few steps away, began to gaze at him -as if he had not seen him at all as yet. He was his own, his heir, his -son, the greatest joy of his whole life. -</p> -<p> -He examined him from head to foot, smiling, with a blending of -affection, pride and childish delight, as if he were a superb picture or -piece of furniture; and as he already had the feelings of a father and -did not wish to make that noble child absurdly vain, he forced back his -exclamations and contented himself by rolling his great black eyes, -showing his great white teeth, and moving his head with a self-satisfied -air to the right and left, as if to say to Adamas and Lucilio; "Just -look! what a fine fellow, what a figure, what eyes, what a bearing, what -pretty ways, what a son!" -</p> -<p> -His two friends shared his delight, and Mario endured their scrutinizing -with a confident and affectionate air, which seemed to say to them: "You -can look at me, you will find no evil in me." But he seemed to say more -particularly to the old marquis: "You can love me with all your -strength, I will pay you back." -</p> -<p> -And when the scrutiny was at an end, they embraced again, as if they -would fain exchange in a kiss all the kisses of which the childhood of -the one and the others old age had been deprived. -</p> -<p> -"You see, my dear friend," the marquis in his joy said to Lucilio, "that -we must not make sport of soothsayers, when they predict our future by -the stars. You shake your dear old head? Yet you surely believe that our -planet——" -</p> -<p> -The worthy marquis would doubtless have attempted to elucidate some -theory of his own invention, wherein astronomy, to which he was devoted, -was in some measure confirmed by astrology, to which he was even more -devoted, had not Lucilio interrupted him by handing him a note in which -he urged a consultation as to the means of unmasking his brother's -murderer. -</p> -<p> -"You are quite right," said Bois-Doré; "and yet, on this day of -incomparable bliss, it hurts me to think of inflicting punishment. But I -must do it, and, if you please, we will discuss the matter -together.—Go, Adamas, and say to this Monsieur D'Alvimar that I beg -him to excuse a slight delay in serving supper; and above all, let us not -divulge a syllable of the great discovery we have made.—Go, my -friend.—What are you doing there?" he added, as he saw Adamas looking -into the great mirror, framed in gilt network, and making strange faces -at himself. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing, monsieur," replied Adamas; "I am just studying my smile." -</p> -<p> -"For what purpose, I pray to know?" -</p> -<p> -"Is it not fitting, monsieur, that I should make up a treacherous -expression to speak to that traitor?" -</p> -<p> -"No, my friend; for, before we adjudge him a traitor, we must examine -into the affair more carefully, and that is what we are about to do." -</p> -<p> -At that moment Clindor knocked at the door. He announced that Monsieur -de Villareal was indisposed and desired to keep his chamber. -</p> -<p> -"That is so much the better," said the marquis; "I will go to pay him a -visit. After which we will have a preliminary hearing in his case among -ourselves." -</p> -<p> -"You must not go alone, monsieur," said Adamas. "How can we be sure that -this indisposition is not feigned, and that the knave has not laid some -trap for you, being warned by his conscience?" -</p> -<p> -"You are talking nonsense, my dear Adamas. Even if he killed my brother, -he certainly never knew his name, since he remains under my roof without -uneasiness." -</p> -<p> -"But look at this dagger, my dear master! You have not yet looked at -this proof." -</p> -<p> -"Alas!" said Bois-Doré, "do you think that I can examine it -dispassionately?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio advised the marquis to see his guest before pursuing his -investigations, so that he might be sure of being calm enough to conceal -his suspicions. -</p> -<p> -Adamas allowed the marquis to go; but he glided close on his heels to -the door of the Spaniard's apartment. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was really ill. He was subject to nervous sick-headaches of -great violence, which were often brought on by paroxysms of anger, and -he had had more than one of the latter in the course of the day. -</p> -<p> -He thanked the marquis for his solicitude and begged him not to put -himself out on his account. He needed nothing more than careful diet, -silence and rest until the following day. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré withdrew, telling Bellinde, without obtruding, to see to it -that his guest lacked nothing; and he took advantage of this visit to -examine the features of old Sancho, to whom he had previously paid no -attention. -</p> -<p> -The former swineherd, tall, lean and sallow, but wiry and muscular, was -sitting in a deep window-recess, reading by the last rays of daylight a -religious book from which he never parted, and which he did not -understand. To spell out with his lips the words in that book and to -tell his beads mechanically, such was his principal occupation, and, -apparently, his only pleasure! -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré glanced furtively from the master lying stretched out on the -bed, with an air of utter prostration, to the calm, stern, devout -servant, whose monkish profile was outlined against the window. -</p> -<p> -"These are not highwaymen," he thought. "What the devil! this fair, -slender young man, with an eye as soft as a girl's—To be sure, this -morning when he was angry with the gypsies, and yesterday when he -inveighed against the Moors, his expression was less benignant than -usual. But this old esquire with the Capuchin's beard, who is so -profoundly engrossed in his religious book—To be sure, there is -nothing so like an honest man as a knave who knows his business! No, my -penetration is insufficient in this matter, and we must weigh all the -facts." -</p> -<p> -He returned to the pavilion, the whole of which was given over to his -suite of apartments, each floor consisting of one large and one small -room: on the ground floor, the dining-room with a serving-room; on the -first floor, the salon and boudoir; on the second, the châtelain's -bedroom and another boudoir; on the third, the large, so-called <i>Salle -des Verdures</i><a id="FNanchor_21_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_1" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> which Adamas sometimes honored with the title of -<i>Salle de Justice</i>; on the fourth, an unfinished, vacant room. -</p> -<p> -In the later building attached to the side of this pavilion, were the -apartments of Adamas, Clindor and Jovelin, connecting with those in the -<i>grand'maison</i>, as the marquis's little pavilion was ingenuously and -in all seriousness called in the village. -</p> -<p> -He found his friends assembled in the <i>Salle des Verdures</i>, and not -until then did he remember that in the general excitement the Moorish -woman had been admitted to his chamber. He was grateful to Adamas for -having transferred the session to some place other than his sanctuary. -He saw that Jovelin was writing busily, and, not wishing to disturb him, -he sat down and perused the letter written by Abbé Anjorrant to -Monsieur de Sully, with the view of putting him on the track of Mario's -family. -</p> -<p> -That letter was written very soon after Florimond's death, before -Monsieur Anjorrant knew of the death of Henri IV. and Sully's fall from -power; it had not reached its destination. This was a copy, which the -abbé had retained and bequeathed to Mario with Florimond's unfinished -letter. The abbé's letter—it was more properly a -memorial—contained most precise details of the murder of the -pretended peddler, as the abbé had received them from Mercedes, and as -they had been confirmed by various incidents. -</p> -<p> -In it all there was nothing to fasten the guilt upon d'Alvimar and his -valet. The assassins had not been discovered. Both, it is true, were -minutely described in the Moorish woman's statement contained in the -memorial; but, although she declared now that she recognized them, she -might very well be mistaken, and her accusation was not sufficient to -condemn them. -</p> -<p> -The Catalan dagger, the instrument of murder, being placed beside the -one given by Lauriane to the marquis, was more convincing evidence. The -two weapons were, if not identical, so nearly alike that at the first -glance one had difficulty in distinguishing them. The initials and the -device were made with the same instrument, and the blades were of the -same make. -</p> -<p> -But Florimond might have been killed with a weapon stolen from Monsieur -de Villareal, or lost by him. -</p> -<p> -Nor was there any proof that the one given by Lauriane to the marquis -came from the Spaniard. -</p> -<p> -And, lastly, the initials seen by Mario, Mercedes and Adamas on his -other weapons could not be his, for he had been introduced by Guillaume -under the name of Antonio de Villareal. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_21_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_1"><span class="label">[21]</span></a>The name Verdures d'Auvergne was given to the tapestry -hangings representing trees, foliage and birds, without figures, and -with no definite landscape. They were made, I believe, at Clermont.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXVI">XXVI</a></h4> - -<p> -The fair-minded Bois-Doré was making these observations aloud to -Adamas, when the mute handed him the sheet upon which he had just been -writing. -</p> -<p> -It was a brief narrative of what had taken place at La Motte-Seuilly in -the morning, between Lauriane, the Spaniard and himself: how Villareal -had hurled the knife again and again to frighten him and interrupt his -music, how he had plunged it into the entrails of the wolf, and lastly -how he had given it to Madame de Beuvre as a token of submission and -penitence before Jovelin's eyes. -</p> -<p> -"Oho! this is becoming serious!" said the marquis, lost in thought, "and -I see that this Villareal is a very bad man. However, it may be that -none of these weapons were in his possession ten years ago, and that he -has received them since by gift or by inheritance. In that case he must -have been the assassin's kinsman or friend; there are villains and -cowards in the best families. Like yourself, Master Jovelin, I have a -bad opinion of our guest; but I am certain that, like me, you still -hesitate to condemn him on this evidence." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio nodded assent and advised the marquis to try to make him confess -the truth by surprise or by stratagem. -</p> -<p> -"We will deliberate with care thereupon," replied Bois-Doré, "and you -will assist us, my dear friend. For the moment, we must go to supper, -and since we have no guests, we will give ourselves the pleasure of -eating with our little marquis that is to be, who no more belongs in the -servants' quarters than you do yourself." -</p> -<p> -"Still, monsieur, if you take my advice," said Adamas, "you will leave -things as they are for to-day. Bellinde is a wicked creature and a -plague, and to my mind she is on much too friendly terms with the -rectory, which is a sink of slanderous remarks against all of us." -</p> -<p> -"Hoity-toity! Adamas, what in God's name is the trouble between you and -the rectory?" -</p> -<p> -"The trouble is, monsieur, that I have been consulting a magician too. -You had hardly gone away this morning, when a certain La Flèche, the -same gypsy, doubtless, whom you saw later in the day at La Motte, came -prowling around the château and offered to tell my fortune. I refused; -I am too much afraid of prophecies, and I hold that any harm that is -destined to happen to us happens twice over when we know it beforehand. -I contented myself by asking him who had stolen the key of the wine -closet, and he answered without hesitation: -</p> -<p> -"'The one you suspect!' -</p> -<p> -"'Tell me her name,' I replied, knowing well enough that it was -Bellinde, but wishing to test the clever rascal's skill. -</p> -<p> -"'The stars forbid me,' he said; 'but I can tell what the person is -doing at this moment. She is at the rector's, where she is chattering -about you, saying that you put it into the head of the lord of this -château to marry young Madame——" -</p> -<p> -"Hush, hush, Adamas!" cried the marquis modesty; "you should not repeat -such nonsense." -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, no! I will say nothing; but, as I was determined to know -whether the sorcerer told the truth, I went out as if for a walk, as -soon as he had gone; and as I passed the rectory I saw Bellinde at a -window with the housekeeper, and both of them began to laugh and to mock -at me behind my back." -</p> -<p> -Jovelin asked if the gypsy had entered the château. -</p> -<p> -"He would have liked to right well," said Adamas, "but Mercedes, who -watched him from the kitchen without letting him see her, begged me not -to admit him, saying that he was likely to steal; so I did not let him -into the courtyard. He gazed at the door with much emotion, and, when I -asked him what he saw there, he answered: -</p> -<p> -"'I see great events about to take place in this house; so great and so -surprising that it is my duty to warn your master. Let me speak to him.' -</p> -<p> -"'You cannot,' said, 'he is not within.' -</p> -<p> -"'I know where he is,' said he; 'he is at La Motte-Seuilly, where I will -try to see him; but if I am not able to speak with him there without -witnesses, I will come back here, and I assure you that if you refuse me -admission again, you will live to regret it, for many destinies are in -my hands.'" -</p> -<p> -"All this is very remarkable," said the marquis, artlessly. "It is a -fact that he predicted all that has happened, and I regret now that I -did not question him further. If he returns, Adamas, you must bring him -to me. Did not you say, my dear Mario, that he was an intelligent -fellow?" -</p> -<p> -"He is very amusing," replied Mario, "but my Mercedes doesn't like him. -She thinks it was he who stole my father's seal. I don't think so, -because he helped us to look for it and to ask the other gypsies about -it. He seemed to be very fond of us, and he did all we asked him to." -</p> -<p> -"And what was there on the seal, my dear boy?" -</p> -<p> -"A crest. Wait! Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant looked at it with a glass and -it looked big, for it was so small—so small that you couldn't make it -out; and he said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'Remember this: <i>Argent with a tree sinople</i>.'" -</p> -<p> -"That is right," said the marquis; "that is my father's crest! It would -be mine if King Henri had not composed another for me to suit himself." -</p> -<p> -"Both are carved on the courtyard door," wrote Lucilio. "Ask the child -if he did not see them when he came here." -</p> -<p> -"How could he have seen them?" said Adamas, who read Lucilio's words -simultaneously with his master. "The masons who were repairing the arch -had their scaffolding in front of them." -</p> -<p> -"Could the gypsy see the escutcheons this morning," said Lucilio with -his pencil, "when he looked at the gate?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes," replied Adamas, "the stagings had been taken down, and the masons -were at work elsewhere. The escutcheons were made over—But now I -think of it, Master Jovelin, this La Flèche must know something of our dear -child's story, as they had travelled together?" -</p> -<p> -"I don't think so," said Mario. "We never mentioned it to anyone." -</p> -<p> -"But you and Mercedes talked about it?" wrote Lucilio. "Does La Flèche -understand Arabic?" -</p> -<p> -"No, he understands Spanish; but I always talked Arabic with Mercedes." -</p> -<p> -"Were there no other Moors in that band of gypsies?" -</p> -<p> -"There was little Pilar, who understands Arabic because she is the child -of a Moor and a <i>gitana</i>." -</p> -<p> -"In that case," wrote Lucilio to the marquis, "abandon your belief in -the supernatural. La Flèche attempted to make money out of what he had -learned. He knew Mario's story down to a certain point; he learned yours -in the neighborhood, and the fact of your brother's having disappeared -ten years ago. He had stolen the seal. He recognized the coat-of-arms on -the door. He remembered the dates. He divined or imagined the whole -truth. He hurried to La Motte to make his prediction, which he taught -the little <i>gitana</i> by heart. To-night or to-morrow he will bring you -the seal, expecting to solve for you the mystery which you have already -solved, and to receive a handsome reward. He is a thief and a schemer; -nothing more." -</p> -<p> -It cost the marquis a pang to assent to this reasonable and probable -explanation. However, he did so. -</p> -<p> -Adamas still held out. -</p> -<p> -"How can you explain what he told me about Bellinde and the rectory?" he -asked Lucilio. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio replied that that was very easy. Bellinde had listened at the -door of the marquis's apartment the night before; La Flèche had -listened in the morning at the door or under the windows of the rectory. -</p> -<p> -"You state the case very sensibly," cried the marquis, "and I see -plainly enough that there is no other magic in all this than the magic -of Divine Providence, which has brought truth and joy into my house with -this child. Let us go to supper! our minds will be clearer afterward." -</p> -<p> -The marquis supped hastily and without enjoyment. He felt that he was -being spied upon by Bellinde, who was no longer able to listen in the -secret passages; for Adamas, while the masons were on the spot, had had -that passage closed; but the prying and malevolent creature had observed -the long interviews of the marquis and Jovelin with Mercedes and the -child, behind closed doors, and, above all, the self-important and -triumphant airs of Adamas, whose every glance seemed to say to her: "You -shall know nothing!" -</p> -<p> -She was not intelligent enough to divine anything. She imagined that the -marquis, following up the project of marriage, was arranging an -entertainment for the young widow, with the assistance of the -"Egyptians." -</p> -<p> -There was nothing in that which she could use against Adamas, her -personal enemy; but she was consumed with a jealousy of him and of the -Moorish woman which sought only an opportunity for revenge. -</p> -<p> -When Bois-Doré was alone with Jovelin, they concerted and agreed upon a -plan of action for the following day with respect to D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -They reread Monsieur Anjorrant's letter carefully and analyzed it. Then, -honest Sylvain, who was not fond of giving his mind to serious and -depressing subjects, sent for his heir and passed the evening chatting -and playing with him. Therein he showed a marked resemblance to his dear -master, Henri IV., although he did not think of imitating him. He adored -the charms of childhood, and, except for the stiffness of his old bones, -would gladly have played horse for him around the room. -</p> -<p> -"Now," he said to Adamas, when he saw Mario's silky eyelashes drooping -with sleep, "we must give him to the Moor, so that she may take care of -him one night more. But to-morrow, when we have settled this Villareal -business, there will be no further occasion to conceal the truth, and I -propose that my heir shall have his bed in the boudoir adjoining my own -bedroom.—See, my child," he said to Mario, "look at this little nest, -all silk and gold, which has long been waiting for a noble fellow like -you! Do you like the pink silk hangings, and this low furniture inlaid -with mother-of-pearl? Doesn't it seem as if it were made for a young man -of your height? We shall have to arrange a bed for him that will be a -genuine chef-d'œuvre, Adamas. What say you to twisted columns of ivory, -with a great bunch of red plumes at each corner?" -</p> -<p> -"As soon as our minds are at rest, monsieur," said Adamas, "I will turn -my attention to the question, in order to gratify you, for nothing is -too fine for your heir. We will consider the matter of clothes too, -which must be suited to his rank." -</p> -<p> -"I will think about it, I will think about it, Adamas!" cried the -marquis, "and I propose that his wardrobe shall be just like mine. You -will send for the best tailors, linen-drapers, shoemakers, hatters and -plumemakers in the province, and for a whole month, if necessary, they -shall work day and night, under my eye, preparing my nephew's outfit." -</p> -<p> -"And my Mercedes," said Mario, leaping for joy, "will you give her -beautiful dresses too, like Bellinde's?" -</p> -<p> -"Mercedes shall have beautiful dresses, dresses of gold and silver, if -such is her whim. And that reminds me—Look you, my dear Jovelin, this -woman is lovely, so it seems to me, and still young. Would you not think -it well to allow her to resume the Moorish costume, which is very -pretty, except the veil, which is altogether too Mohammedan? As the -excellent creature is a sincere Christian now, and we live in a -neighborhood where the common people never saw a Moor, that costume will -offend nobody and will gratify our eyes. What is your wisdom's opinion?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio's wisdom had much ado to reconcile the warm affection which the -marquis really deserved with the feelings naturally aroused by his -childishness. But, hopeless of correcting so old a child, reason advised -him to make the best of him and to love him as he was. -</p> -<p> -The philosopher would have preferred that Mario should not be -overwhelmed with splendor and finery at the outset of his new career, -but rather that he should be told something of the new duties he had to -fulfil. He found some consolation in the fact that the child was less -intoxicated by the possession of all those things, than overjoyed and -touched by the affection and endearments of which he found himself the -object. -</p> -<p> -On the following day D'Alvimar, who had passed a sleepless night, -requested through Bellinde, who obligingly acted as his nurse, -permission to keep his room until afternoon. -</p> -<p> -The marquis paid him another brief visit, and was struck by the -alteration of his features. He had had ghastly visions, under the spell -of the sinister prophecies that had been hurled at him. -</p> -<p> -Daylight had finally revived hope in his heart, and he slept part of the -day. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXVII">XXVII</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis took advantage of this respite to recur to the subject of -dress. -</p> -<p> -He went up with Mario and Adamas to the vacant room on the fourth floor, -that is to say, immediately over the <i>Salle des Verdures</i>. -</p> -<p> -That unfinished apartment was strewn with innumerable chests and -cupboards; and Mario, as soon as the padlocks were removed, and the lids -raised and doors thrown open, fancied that he was in fairyland. There -was a bewildering mass of magnificent stuffs, dazzling gold lace, -ribbons, laces, feathers and jewels, rich hangings, cordovan leather, -furniture in parts, all new and ready to be put together, reliquaries -heavy with precious stones, beautiful paintings on glass which needed -only to be assembled, lovely enamelled mosaics, arranged in piles and -numbered, whole pieces of fine linen, enormous guipure curtains, with -gold and silver stripes; in a word, a hoard of plunder, which smelt of -the partisan warrior a league away, and which the marquis considered to -have been legally acquired at the sword's point. -</p> -<p> -This receptacle of rich spoil was known in the household as the -store-room, the garret. It was supposed to contain spare articles of -furniture, together with what was broken or discarded. -</p> -<p> -Adamas alone was aware of the contents of those wonderful chests, and -under his breath he called that room the <i>treasure</i> or the -<i>abbey</i>. There were no fashionable gewgaws, as in the marquis's -apartments, but artistic objects and fabrics of great value and great -beauty, some of great antiquity, and the more valuable on that account: -stuffs manufactured by processes no longer known, weapons of all sizes -and of all nations, many excellent pictures, valuable manuscripts, etc. -</p> -<p> -All this rarely saw the light, the marquis fearing lest he might arouse -the cupidity of some of his neighbors, and producing his treasures only -one at a time and in the guise of a recent purchase. -</p> -<p> -However, it was very rarely the case that the pillaging heroes of those -days were compelled to make restitution; but it might well happen that -some powerful individual, acting on his own account, but claiming to act -in the name of the Church or the State, would calmly appropriate an -article in dispute. -</p> -<p> -It was thus that Catherine de Médicis, to reward Jean de -Hangest—called Capitaine d'Yvoi—for treacherously -surrendering Bourges to her, seized the superb chalice, decorated with -precious stones, which he had taken from the treasure-chest of -Sainte-Chapelle in that city, and had put aside as his share of the -plunder. -</p> -<p> -From all these marvels the marquis selected what was required for -Mario's outfit, calling upon him to make known his taste with regard to -the colors. -</p> -<p> -One would but imperfectly understand the manners of that period, who -should assume that it was necessary, as it is to-day, to go to Paris to -learn the fashions and to find skilled workmen in the art of dress and -decoration. It was not until the reign of Louis XIV. that the -civilization of luxury and fashion made of Paris the school of good -taste and the arbiter of refinement. Richelieu began this work of -centralization by destroying the power of the nobles. Before his time, -the princes held court in the great provincial centres, and the artisans -of the smallest places supplied the needs of the nobility with -traditional skill. A rich châtelain had artisans among his vassals; -and, even in bourgeois houses, furniture, clothes, boots and shoes were -made at home. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré therefore had only to select the materials and order the -articles that Adamas was to have made under his own eyes. -</p> -<p> -In the matter of dress Adamas was beyond praise. He could safely be -trusted, and, at need, he could put his own hand to the work with -success. -</p> -<p> -The ivory columns and cornices destined for the child's bed were found -after some searching. -</p> -<p> -"I knew that there was something here like that," said the marquis -smiling. "They are of beautiful workmanship; they came from a state -canopy taken from the chapel of the Abbey of Fontgombaud, of which I was -abbot, that is to say, lord by right of conquest, for a whole fortnight. -When I took possession of it, I remember saying to myself: 'If the new -Abbot of Fontgombaud could become a father soon, this would be a fitting -canopy for his first-born son!'—But, alas! my friend, I did not -inherit all the monkish virtues, and in order to have a son, I was -obliged to find one by a miracle long after I came to maturity. Never -mind! he will be none the less dear, and he will none the less sleep his -angel's sleep under the canopy of the Virgin of Fontgombaud." -</p> -<p> -The marquis was interrupted in his reminiscences by the arrival of La -Flèche, who asked to speak with him. -</p> -<p> -The chests and the door of the treasury were carefully locked, and the -vagabond was received in the barnyard. -</p> -<p> -It was beautiful weather, and Jovelin was of opinion that a trickster of -that sort should not be admitted to the house. -</p> -<p> -What he had foreseen actually happened. La Flèche brought with him the -seal, which he claimed to have found in little Pilar's possession; he -also assumed to reveal the mystery of Mario's birth and of the murder of -Florimond by Monsieur de Villareal. -</p> -<p> -The marquis allowed him to say all that he had to say, then dismissed -him, with a crown, for the trouble he had taken to bring back the seal; -but he pretended not to understand the story he had told, to place no -faith in it, and to be much shocked that he should dare to accuse -Monsieur de Villareal, against whom he had no other proof than the -Moorish woman's excitement and her exclamation when she thought that she -recognized him on the moor of Champillé. -</p> -<p> -Herein the marquis, advised by Lucilio, acted wisely. If he had seemed -to credit the accusation, La Flèche would have been quite capable of -giving the Spaniard warning, in order to have two strings to his bow. -</p> -<p> -La Flèche, bitterly disappointed by his fiasco, sheepishly withdrew, -and was walking along the outer wall of Galatée's garden, when he -heard a soft voice calling his name. -</p> -<p> -It was Mario, whom the marquis had not chosen to admit to the interview, -desiring that all relations between his heir and gypsydom should be -severed irrevocably. But as he had not explained his wishes in that -respect, the child did not know that he was acting in opposition to them -when he glided through the labyrinth and watched for the gypsy to pass, -through a little loophole looking toward the village. -</p> -<p> -"Who calls me?" he said, looking about him. -</p> -<p> -"I," said Mario. "I want you to tell me about Pilar." -</p> -<p> -"What will you give for that?" -</p> -<p> -"I can't give you anything. I haven't anything!" -</p> -<p> -"Idiot! steal something!" -</p> -<p> -"No, never! Will you answer me?" -</p> -<p> -"In a minute; answer me first. What do you do in this château?" -</p> -<p> -"Play music." -</p> -<p> -"What else?—Aha! you don't choose to speak? All right. Adieu!" -</p> -<p> -"And you won't tell me where Pilar is?" -</p> -<p> -"She is dead," replied the gypsy brutally, and he walked away whistling. -</p> -<p> -Mario tried in vain to recall him. When he could no longer hear him, he -began to run about and play in the labyrinth, trying to convince himself -that La Flèche had made sport of him. But the idea of his little -companion's death caused a terrible shock to his vivid imagination. -</p> -<p> -"She used to say that La Flèche beat her," he thought; "but I didn't -believe her. He never beat her before us. But perhaps she didn't lie; -perhaps he beat her until he killed her." -</p> -<p> -And, as he reflected thus, the child shed a few tears. Pilar was not a -very amiable creature; but there was something of the Bois-Doré in dear -Mario; he was particularly sensitive to pity, and the Abbé Anjorrant -had brought him up to abhor violence and cruelty. But he concealed his -tears, fearing to pain his uncle, whom he already loved passionately. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar left his room at last. -</p> -<p> -The rest that he had taken, a lovely sunset and the joyous song of the -thrushes dispelled the black presentiments by which he had been besieged -for several days. -</p> -<p> -Having dressed and perfumed himself, he sought the marquis and thanked -him for the interest he had shown and the care that had been taken of -him. Bois-Doré could not make up his mind to accuse even inwardly a -man, still so young, of a bearing so distinguished, and a countenance -whose habitual melancholy seemed to him genuinely touching; but when -they were seated at the supper table, Lucilio being there, as usual, to -furnish music, Bois-Doré remembered their agreement, and collected what -he called his siege-guns, to make a violent assault upon his guest's -conscience. -</p> -<p> -He had seen too much fighting and had had too many perilous adventures -not to be able to arrange his bearing and his features, without having, -like Adamas, to make preparatory studies before a mirror. Although his -life had long been so placid that he had not been obliged to depart from -his natural mildness of manner, he was too much the man of his time not -to be able to make his glance say, twenty times a day if need be: -</p> -<p> -"Vive le roi! Vive la Ligue!" -</p> -<p> -The sweet notes of the bagpipe relieved him from the necessity of -carrying on a commonplace conversation which would have seemed to him -very tedious. -</p> -<p> -The music which helped to produce the tranquillity that he needed, now -caused a feverish excitement in D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -He really hated Lucilio. He knew his baptismal name, which the marquis -had let fall in his presence, and Monsieur Poulain, who was thoroughly -posted in contemporary heresy, had divined from that circumstance that -<i>Jovelin</i> was a free translation of Giovellino. The fact of his -mutilation confirmed him in that suspicion, and he was already -deliberating upon the means of making perfectly sure, and of stirring up -some new persecution against him. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar would readily have assisted him, if he had not been forced to -keep out of sight for some time, and the poor philosopher was the more -antipathetic to him because he could take no steps against him at -present. His beautiful music, by which he had been charmed at the first -hearing, seemed to him now intolerable bravado, and the ill-humor which -took possession of him did not dispose him to undergo patiently the -examination that was being prepared for him. -</p> -<p> -After the supper the marquis proposed a game of chess in the boudoir -adjoining his salon. -</p> -<p> -"I agree," the Spaniard replied, "on condition that we have no music -there. I cannot play with that to distract my attention." -</p> -<p> -"Nor I, most certainly," said the marquis.—"Put your sweet voice away -in its box, good Master Jovelin, and come to watch our peaceful battle. -I know that you enjoy a well-fought game." -</p> -<p> -They went into the boudoir, and found there a magnificent chess-board of -crystal with gold mountings, comfortable chairs, and many lighted -candles. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar had not as yet seen that small room, one of the most sumptuous -in the <i>grand'maison</i>; he cast a distraught glance at the trinkets -with which it was filled, then sat down, and the game began. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXVIII">XXVIII</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis, exceedingly calm and courteous, seemed to give his whole -attention to his game. Lucilio, standing behind him, was able to watch -the slightest movement, the slightest change of expression on the -Spaniard's face, which was in a bright light. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar played promptly and with resolution. Bois-Doré, more moderate -in his play, made long pauses, during which the Spaniard gazed with some -impatience at the objects that surrounded him. His eyes naturally rested -more than once on a sort of what-not that stood against the wall at his -left, quite near him. Gradually the object that was most prominent among -the <i>bibelots</i> with which the little piece of furniture was covered, -attracted and monopolized his attention, and Lucilio noticed that he -smiled satirically and angrily every time that his eyes fell upon that -object. -</p> -<p> -It was a naked, gleaming dagger, lying on a black velvet cushion with -gold fringe, and protected by a glass globe. -</p> -<p> -"What is it?" said the marquis at last. "You seem distraught. You are in -check, messire, and I do not wish to beat you so easily. Something -disturbs or annoys you. Are we too near that piece of furniture, would -you like to move the table away from it?" -</p> -<p> -"No," replied D'Alvimar, "I am very comfortable; but I confess that -there is something in that pretty stand which distracts my mind. Will -you answer a single question, if it be not impertinent?" -</p> -<p> -"You could ask no question which would be, messire. Speak, I beg you." -</p> -<p> -"Very well, I ask you, my dear marquis, how it happens that you have -here reposing triumphantly on a cushion, under glass, your humble -servant's travelling weapon?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! you are mistaken, my guest! I did not obtain that knife from you." -</p> -<p> -"I know that I did not give it to you; but I know that it was given to -you by the one to whom I gave it, of which fact, perhaps, you may not be -ignorant. I understand that any gift from a fair hand is precious to -you; but it seems to me very hard upon those less fortunate to exhibit -thus the trophy of your victory before the eyes of a discarded rival." -</p> -<p> -"Your words are enigmas to me." -</p> -<p> -"What! surely my sight is not failing me! Will you allow me to raise the -glass and obtain a closer view?" -</p> -<p> -"Look and touch, messire; after which I will tell you, if you desire, -why this relic of love and sorrow is kept here among other souvenirs of -the past." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar took up the knife, examined it closely, handled it, and said, -suddenly replacing it on the cushion: -</p> -<p> -"I was mistaken, and I beg your pardon. It is not the weapon that I -thought." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, who was watching him attentively, fancied that he saw his -mobile, delicate nostrils dilate with fear or surprise. But that slight -facial contraction was noticeable in him on the slightest pretext, -sometimes even without any pretext at all. -</p> -<p> -He resumed his game. -</p> -<p> -But Bois-Doré stopped him. -</p> -<p> -"Excuse me," he said; "but as you recognize that object it is my duty to -question you; you may be able perhaps to throw some light upon a -mysterious occurrence by which my life has been disturbed and made -wretched for many years. Be kind enough to tell me, Monsieur de -Villareal, if you know the device and initials engraved on this blade. -Do you wish to look at it again?" -</p> -<p> -"It is useless, monsieur le marquis, I do not recognize the weapon; it -never belonged to me." -</p> -<p> -"Do you feel any repugnance to making sure of that fact?" -</p> -<p> -"Repugnance? Why that question, messire?" -</p> -<p> -"I will explain. You may, perhaps, have recognized the weapon as having -belonged to someone whose compatriot you blush to be, but whose name you -would tell me none the less if I should appeal to your sense of honor." -</p> -<p> -"If you treat this as a serious matter," replied D'Alvimar, "although it -is my turn not to understand you, I will examine it again." -</p> -<p> -He took up the dagger, scrutinized it very calmly, and said: -</p> -<p> -"This is of Spanish workmanship, a weapon in very common use among us. -There is no man of noble birth—I may say no free man—who -does not carry a similar one in his belt or his sleeve. The device is -one of the most common and most widely used: <i>I serve God</i>, or <i>I -serve my master</i>, or <i>I serve honor</i>. We find something of that -sort on the majority of our arms, whether rapiers, pistols or -cutlasses." -</p> -<p> -"Very good; but these two letters S. A., which seem to be a private -cipher?" -</p> -<p> -"You can find them on my own weapons, as well as this device; they are -the private marks of the Salamanca factory." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré felt his suspicions fade away in face of such a natural -explanation. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio's suspicions, on the contrary, increased in force. He considered -that D'Alvimar was altogether too eager to anticipate the explanation he -might be asked to give concerning his own motto and his own initials, -which they were supposed not to know. -</p> -<p> -He touched the marquis's knee while pretending to pat Fleurial, and thus -warned him not to abandon his investigation. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar seemed desirous to forward it himself, for he asked with an -air of wounded pride the reason of this interrogatory. -</p> -<p> -"You might also ask me," Bois-Doré replied, "for what reason an object -which is horrible for me to look upon lies there before my eyes every -hour. Let me tell you, monsieur, that that accursed weapon is the one -that killed my brother, and I have made it a point of not putting it out -of sight solely that I might constantly be reminded that I have to -discover his murderer and avenge his death." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar's face expressed deep emotion, but it might well be -sympathetic and magnanimous emotion. -</p> -<p> -"You do well to call it a relic of sorrow," he said, pushing the dagger -away. "Was it your brother to whom you referred yesterday morning, when -you consulted those gypsies as to the time and manner of some person's -death?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes; I asked for something which I knew perfectly well, wishing to test -their knowledge, and, upon my word, that little demon of a girl answered -me so accurately that I had good reason to be astonished. Did you not -notice, messire, that she gave me figures which fixed the date of the -occurrence as the tenth day of May in the year 1610?" -</p> -<p> -"I did not follow the calculation. Was that actually the day when your -brother was killed?" -</p> -<p> -"That was the day. I see that you are much surprised!" -</p> -<p> -"Surprised, I? Why should I be? I fancy that soothsayers reveal only so -much of the past as they know. But tell me, I beg you, how that sad -affair came to pass. Have you never known the authors of the crime?" -</p> -<p> -"You are right in saying the authors, for there were two of them—two -men whom I would like right well to find. But you cannot help me, I see, -since that accusing weapon bears no private mark." -</p> -<p> -"So there were no witnesses of the deed?" -</p> -<p> -"Pardon me, there were." -</p> -<p> -"Who could give you no information as to the perpetrators?" -</p> -<p> -"They could describe them, but not tell their names. If this painful -story interests you, I can tell it to you in all its details." -</p> -<p> -"Most certainly I am interested in your sorrows, and I am pleased to -listen." -</p> -<p> -"Very well," said the marquis, pushing the chessboard away and drawing -his chair nearer to the table, "I will tell you all that I learned from -an investigation communicated to me by the curé of Urdoz." -</p> -<p> -"Urdoz? Where is Urdoz? I do not remember." -</p> -<p> -"It is a place that you must have passed through, if you have ever been -to Pau." -</p> -<p> -"No, I came into France by way of Toulouse." -</p> -<p> -"In that case you don't know it. I will describe it to you directly. -First let me tell you that my brother, being a simple gentleman and only -moderately rich, but of an honorable name, noble in feature, of an -amiable disposition, and a fine fellow if ever there was one, while -sojourning in some Spanish city, which I cannot name, won the heart of a -lady or maiden of quality, whom he married secretly against the will of -her family." -</p> -<p> -"Her name was——?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know. All this was an affair of the heart, as to which I never -received his full confidence, and which I could not afterwards unravel. -I found out simply that he eloped with his wife, and that they made -their way into France by way of the Urdoz road, disguised as poor -people. The lady was near her time. They were travelling in a small -vehicle of shabby aspect, a sort of peddler's cart, drawn by a single -horse, purchased on the road, whose gait hardly kept time with their -impatience. However, they reached without hindrance the last Spanish -settlement, and, after passing the night in a wretched tavern, my -brother was imprudent enough to try to exchange Spanish for French gold, -and to ask a soi-disant nobleman who was in the house, attended by an -old servant, and who offered to assist him, if he could procure French -money for a thousand pistoles. -</p> -<p> -"The individual in question was able to offer him only a trifling sum, -and when my brother mounted his wagon again with his cloaked and veiled -companion, the people at the inn noticed that the two strangers, as they -bade him farewell, gazed earnestly at the two boxes which he himself -loaded, one containing his money, the other his wife's jewels, and that -they started off at once on his track, although they had previously -announced their purpose to go in the opposite direction. The villains -were described in such a way as to leave no manner of doubt as to their -identity when a description of my brother's murderers was furnished." -</p> -<p> -"Ah!" said D'Alvimar, "so you had a description of them?" -</p> -<p> -"Exact. One had a handsome face and was so young that he seemed little -more than a boy. He was of medium height but well proportioned. His hand -was as white and slender as a woman's, he had an incipient beard, very -black, silky hair, a noble bearing, a rich travelling costume, but -little else, for his valise weighed nothing; a good Andalusian horse, -and yonder infernal knife, which he used for eating and killing. The -other——" -</p> -<p> -"No matter, messire. Your brother——?" -</p> -<p> -"I must describe the other miscreant, as he was described to me. He was -a man in middle life, who had something of the monk and something of the -hired bravo in his appearance. A long nose overhanging a gray moustache, -a shifty eye, a callous hand, and of a taciturn humor; a genuine Spanish -brute——" -</p> -<p> -"I beg pardon, messire?" -</p> -<p> -"A brute of the sort that we find in all countries where men are taught -that they can save their souls from hell by reciting paternosters. The -brigands followed my poor brother as two fierce, cowardly wolves follow -the victim they dare not attack, and pounced upon him—What is it, -messire? Are you too warm in this small room?" -</p> -<p> -"Perhaps so, messire," replied D'Alvimar excitedly. "I feel difficulty -in breathing the air of a house where the name of Spaniard seems to be -held in such contempt as by yourself." -</p> -<p> -"Not at all, monsieur. Let me reassure you on that point. I do not hold -your nation responsible for the degradation of a few. There are infamous -villains everywhere. If I speak bitterly of those who robbed me of a -brother, you must pardon me." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar apologized in his turn for his sensitiveness, and begged the -marquis to continue his narrative. -</p> -<p> -"It was about a league from the hamlet of Urdoz that my brother and his -wife found themselves entirely alone on a rocky road skirting a very -deep precipice. The road was winding and the ascent so steep, that the -horse balked for a moment, and my brother, fearing that he would back -into the ravine, hastily alighted and lifted his wife out of the wagon. -It was very warm, so he pointed out a grove of firs ahead of them where -she could find shelter from the sun, and she walked thither slowly while -he gave the horse an opportunity to breathe." -</p> -<p> -"Did the lady see her husband killed?" -</p> -<p> -"No! she had just turned a little shoulder of the mountain when the -disaster occurred. It was God's will that the child she bore should be -saved; for, if the assassins had seen her they would not have spared -her." -</p> -<p> -"In that case who can say how your brother died?" -</p> -<p> -"Another woman whom chance had brought thither, who was hidden behind a -rock, and who had no time to call for aid, the horrible crime was -committed so quickly. My brother was trying to urge the horse forward -when the assassins overtook him. The youngest dismounted, saying with -hypocritical courtesy: -</p> -<p> -"'Why, your horse is foundered, my poor man! Don't you need help?' -</p> -<p> -"The old cutthroat who followed him also dismounted, and they both -approached my brother as if they really intended to put their shoulders -to the wheel; he had no suspicion of them, and at the same instant the -witness whom heaven had placed there saw him totter and fall at full -length between the wheels, without a cry to indicate that he had been -struck. That dagger had been buried in his heart up to the hilt, by a -hand too well skilled in its use." -</p> -<p> -"Then you do not know which of the two, whether the master or the -servant, dealt the blow? You say that the master was very young; it is -hardly conceivable that it was he." -</p> -<p> -"It matters little, messire. I deem them equally vile; for the gentleman -behaved exactly as the servant did. He jumped into the wagon without -taking time to remove the knife, he was in such frantic haste to steal -the two boxes. He tossed them to his companion, who put them under his -cloak, and they both fled, retracing their steps, spurred on, not by -remorse and shame, human sentiments which they were incapable of -feeling, but by fear of the scourge and the rack, which are the just -reward and the end of such villainy!" -</p> -<p> -"You lie, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, springing to his feet, beside -himself and deathly pale with rage. "The scourge and the rack—You lie -in your throat! and you shall give me satisfaction!" -</p> -<p> -He fell back upon his chair, suffocated, strangled by the confession -that wrath had extorted from him at last. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXIX">XXIX</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis was thunderstruck by this outbreak, for which he was -entirely unprepared, the culprit had up to that moment put so bold a -face on the matter, and made his frequent interruptions with so natural -an air. -</p> -<p> -He recovered first, as may be imagined, and grasping D'Alvimar's -convulsively twitching wrist with his long, sinewy hand: -</p> -<p> -"Miserable wretch!" he exclaimed with crushing contempt, "you should -thank Heaven for making you my guest; for, were it not for the promise I -have given to protect you, a promise which protects you from myself, I -would beat out your brains against the wall of this room!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, fearing a struggle, had seized the knife which lay on the -table. D'Alvimar saw his movement and was afraid. He threw off the -marquis's hands and grasped the hilt of his sword. -</p> -<p> -"Let your mind be at rest, fear nothing in this house," said Bois-Doré, -calmly. "<i>We</i> are not assassins!" -</p> -<p> -"Nor am I, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, seemingly overcome by this -dignified procedure, "and since you do not propose to disregard the laws -of honor, I will attempt to justify myself." -</p> -<p> -"Justify yourself? Nonsense! you are convicted and doomed by your -contradiction of me, and that is why I disdain to notice it!" -</p> -<p> -"Keep your disdain for those who endure insult in silence. If I had done -so, you would not have suspected me! I repelled the insult! I repel it -again!" -</p> -<p> -"Ah! you propose to deny the act now, do you?" -</p> -<p> -"No! I killed your brother—or somebody else. I do not know the -name of the man I killed—or allowed to be killed! But what do you -know of the reasons that impelled me to that murder? How do you know -that I was not wreaking a just vengeance? How do you know that that -woman—whose name you do not know—was not my sister, and that -while avenging the honor of my family, I did not take back the gold and -jewels stolen by a seducer?" -</p> -<p> -"Hold your peace, monsieur! do not insult my brother's memory." -</p> -<p> -"You have yourself admitted that he was not rich; where did he obtain a -thousand pistoles with which to elope with a woman?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was shaken. His brother, because of the difference in their -political opinions, would never consent to accept from him the smallest -portion of a fortune which he rightly considered as derived from the -despoiling of his own party. He was obliged to fall back on the -allegation that his brother's wife was entitled to carry off what -belonged to her. But D'Alvimar retorted that the family was entitled to -consider that it belonged to it. Therefore he vehemently denied the -charge of robbery. -</p> -<p> -"You are a traitor none the less," said the marquis, "for having stabbed -a gentleman like a coward instead of demanding satisfaction from him." -</p> -<p> -"Charge it to your brother's disguise," retorted D'Alvimar, warmly. "Say -to yourself that, seeing him in the garb of a serf, I may well have -thought that I had the right to bid my servant kill him like a serf." -</p> -<p> -"Why did you not have him detained at that tavern, where you must have -recognized your sister, instead of following and taking him in a trap?" -</p> -<p> -"Presumably," replied D'Alvimar, still proud and animated, "because I -did not choose to create a scandal, and compromise my sister before the -populace." -</p> -<p> -"And why, instead of hurrying after her to take her back to her family, -did you leave her on that lonely road, where she died in agony an hour -later, no one having come in search of her meanwhile?" -</p> -<p> -"How could I run after her, when I did not know that she was there, so -near to me? Your witness could not hear all the questions I put to the -seducer, I had no need to shout them at the top of my voice. How do you -know that he did not tell me that my sister had remained at Urdoz, and -that what the witness took for flight on my part was not simply -eagerness to return to her?" -</p> -<p> -"And not finding her at Urdoz, you never learned of her deplorable -death? You did not even try to find the place where she was buried?" -</p> -<p> -"How do you know, monsieur, that I am not more familiar than you with -all the details of this painful story? Would you, in my place, being -unable to remedy the evil that was done, have made an outcry in a -country where no one could possibly divine your sister's name or the -dishonor of your family?" -</p> -<p> -The marquis, crushed by the reasonableness of these explanations, made -no reply. -</p> -<p> -He was so deeply absorbed in his reflections that he hardly heard the -announcement of a visitor. Guillaume D'Ars was ushered into the -adjoining salon. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio detected a gleam of joy in D'Alvimar's eyes, caused it may be by -the pleasure of meeting a friend, or by the hope of finding a means of -escape from a perilous situation. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar rushed from the boudoir, and the heavy folding door was closed -for an instant between him and his host. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, seeing that the marquis was buried in painful thoughts, touched -him as if to question him. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! my friend!" cried Bois-Doré, "to think that I cannot make up my -mind what to do, and that I am in all likelihood the dupe of the most -infernal knave that ever lived! I have taken the wrong course. I have -exposed the good Mooress, and perhaps my child as well, to the vengeance -and the snares of a most dangerous foe; I have been clumsy; I have -furnished him with his grounds of defence by admitting that I did not -know the lady's name, and now, whether the murderer's excuse is false or -true, I no longer have the right to take his life. O God, Lord God! is -it possible that honest men are doomed to be gulled by knaves, and that, -in all sorts of war, the wicked are the most adroit and the strongest!" -</p> -<p> -As he spoke, the marquis, wroth with himself, struck the table a violent -blow with his fist; then he rose to go to receive Guillaume D'Ars, whose -jovial and untroubled voice he could hear in the next room. -</p> -<p> -But the mute hastily seized his arm with an inarticulate exclamation. He -had in his hand an object to which he called the other's attention with -a murmur of surprise and delight. -</p> -<p> -It was the ring, which the marquis had placed on his little finger, the -mysterious ring which he had been unable to open, and which, as a result -of the blow he had dealt the table, had separated into two hoops, one -within the other. There was nothing in the way of secret mechanism. The -parts fitted very closely, and a violent blow was necessary to separate -them—that was all. -</p> -<p> -To read the names engraved on the two circles was a matter of an -instant. They were the names of Florimond and his wife. Instantly they -realized that they held the key to the situation. -</p> -<p> -The marquis rapidly gave Lucilio his orders, and went, with a light -heart and smiling face, to press Guillaume's hand. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar and D'Ars had had barely time to exchange a few words -concerning the former's agreeable surprise and the latter's pleasant -journey. Guillaume, however, had noticed some alteration in his friend's -face, which the Spaniard attributed to his headache of the preceding -day. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, after exchanging greetings with his young kinsman, was -about to order supper for him. -</p> -<p> -"No, thanks!" said Guillaume; "I took a mouthful on the road, while my -horses were resting, for I must start again at once. You see I am -returning sooner than I intended. I was advised yesterday at -Saint-Armand, whither I had gone with a party of the young men of the -province, as an honorary escort to Monseigneur de Condé, that my -steward was very ill in my house. Fearing that he was going to die, the -honest fellow sent a messenger to me to urge me to return as soon as -possible, so that he might inform me as to the condition of my most -important affairs, of which I confess that I know nothing at all. I have -come here, however, in the first place, to ascertain if it will be -convenient for Monsieur D'Alvimar to accompany me to-night, or if he is -so attached to your gardens of Astrée, that he desires to pass another -night amid their fascinations." -</p> -<p> -"No!" replied D'Alvimar hastily; "I have imposed upon monsieur le -marquis's civility long enough. I am not well, and I might become -ill-humored. I prefer to go with you now, and I will go to order my -horses to be prepared as quickly as possible." -</p> -<p> -"That is unnecessary," said the marquis; "I will ring; I shall have the -pleasure of seeing you again soon, Monsieur de Villareal." -</p> -<p> -"I shall come to-morrow to learn your wishes, monsieur le marquis, and -to give you whatever satisfaction you desire—touching the game we -were playing just now." -</p> -<p> -"What game were you playing?" said Guillaume. -</p> -<p> -"A very scientific game of chess," replied the marquis. -</p> -<p> -Adamas answered the bell. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur de Villareal's horses and luggage," said Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -While the order was being executed, the marquis, with a tranquillity -which led D'Alvimar to hope that everything was adjusted between them, -told Guillaume how they had employed their time at Briantes and La -Motte-Seuilly during his absence. Then he questioned him about the -splendid festivities at Bourges. -</p> -<p> -The young man asked nothing better than to talk about them: he described -the excitement of the target-shooting, or rather, as they said in those -days, "of the honorable sport of arquebus-shooting." -</p> -<p> -The targets had been set up in the Fichaux meadow's, and a great tent -decorated with tapestry and green boughs for the ladies, young and old. -The contestants were stationed on a stand, a hundred and fifty paces -from the tent. Six hundred and fifty-three arquebusiers entered the -competition. Triboudet of Sancerre alone had won the prize: but he w as -obliged to divide it with Boiron of Bourges, because he had taken a -false name in order to be nearer the head of the list; whereat the -people of Sancerre had made a great outcry, for they were bent upon -proving that their marksmen were the best in the kingdom, and they -considered the division of the prize very unfair. The unjust decision -had evidently been made to avoid displeasing the people of Bourges. -</p> -<p> -"After all," said Guillaume, telling his story with the fire of youth, -"Triboudet either won or lost. If he won, he is entitled to all the -honor and all the profit of the victory. I agree that he is blameworthy -for having taken a false name. Very good; for that lapse let them punish -him by a fine or a few days in prison, but let him none the less be -declared the winner of the prize; for the honor due to skill is a sacred -thing, and although we were not at all fond of the old Sancerre -sorcerers, there was not a gentleman who did not protest against the -trick played on Triboudet. But what can you expect? the large places -always consume the small ones, and the fat pettifoggers of Bourges -unceremoniously take precedence over all the bourgeoisie of the -province. They would gladly take precedence over the nobility, if they -were allowed! I am only surprised that Issoudun concurred. Argenton -abstained from voting, saying that the prize was awarded beforehand and -that no one except the champions of Bourges had any chance before the -judges of Bourges." -</p> -<p> -"And do you not believe that the prince had a hand in this injustice?" -asked the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"I would not dare swear that he did not! He is paying assiduous court to -the people of his good city; witness the fact that he has incurred -considerable expense, although he is not at all fond of spending his -money for the entertainment of other people. He is supporting at this -moment two troupes of players, one French, the other Italian, who -perform in the tennis-courts, beautifully decorated for the purpose." -</p> -<p> -"What!" said Bois-Doré, "did you see Monsieur de Belleroze's <i>tragic -actors</i>? They are as tiresome as forty days of rain!" -</p> -<p> -"No, no; this troupe is called Sieur de Lambour's <i>French Comedians</i>, -and there are some very clever people in it. But time flies, and here -comes the faithful Adamas to say that the horses are ready, does he not? -So let us be off, my dear Villareal, and as you have promised the -marquis to come to-morrow to thank him, I invite myself to come with -you." -</p> -<p> -"I rely upon seeing you," rejoined Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -"And you can also rely upon my furnishing you with proofs of all that I -have alleged," said D'Alvimar, bowing very low. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré replied only with a bow. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume, who was in great haste to start, did not notice that the -marquis, despite his apparent courtesy, refrained from offering his hand -to the Spaniard, who dared not ask leave to touch his. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXX">XXX</a></h4> - -<p> -No sooner were they in the saddle than the marquis, turning to Adamas, -said with much excitement: -</p> -<p> -"Quickly, my gorget, my helmet, my weapons, my horse and two men!" -</p> -<p> -"Everything is ready, monsieur," Adamas replied. "Master Jovelin advised -us to prepare everything, saying that if Monsieur d'Ars went away again -to-night, you would escort him. But for what purpose?" -</p> -<p> -"You shall know when I return," said the marquis, going up to his -chamber to don his armor. "Was care taken to saddle the horses in the -small stable, so that only the men who are to accompany me will know of -our departure?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I myself looked to it." -</p> -<p> -"Are you going very far?" cried Mario, who had just supped with Mercedes -and was returning to his bedroom. -</p> -<p> -"No, my son, I am not going far. I shall return in two short hours. You -must sleep quietly. Come quickly and kiss me!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! how handsome you are!" said Mario, artlessly. "Are you going to La -Motte-Seuilly again?" -</p> -<p> -"No, no, I am going to dance at a ball," the marquis replied with a -smile. -</p> -<p> -"Take me, so that I can see you dance," said the child. -</p> -<p> -"I cannot; but be patient, my little cupid, for after to-morrow I will -not take a step without you." -</p> -<p> -When the old nobleman had donned his little cap of yellow leather -striped with silver, with an inner lining of iron, and adorned with long -plumes drooping over his shoulder; when he was arrayed in his short -military cloak, his long sword, and his gorget of shining steel buckled -beneath his lace ruff, Adamas could vow, without flattery, that he had -an air of grandeur, especially as the excitement of the evening had -caused his paint to disappear, so that he wore almost his natural face, -by no means that of a popinjay. -</p> -<p> -"Now you are ready, monsieur," said Adamas. "But am I not to go with -you?" -</p> -<p> -"No, my friend; you will close all the doors of my pavilion and pass the -evening with my son. If he falls asleep, you will make up a camp-bed for -him with cushions. I desire to find him here when I return; and now, -hold a light for me, I want to talk with Master Jovelin in the salon." -</p> -<p> -He kissed Mario several times with deep emotion, and went down to the -lower floor. -</p> -<p> -"What have you determined upon and where are you going?" Lucilio's -expressive eyes inquired. -</p> -<p> -"I am going to Ars to finish the investigation. And after that, eh? -After that, if there is occasion to do so, I shall concert measures with -Guillaume to prevent the traitor's escape, and return and advise with -you as to our next move. <i>Au revoir</i> for a time, my dear friend." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio sighed as he looked after the marquis. He seemed to him to be -intent upon some more serious project than he had admitted in his -programme. -</p> -<p> -While the marquis, without haste, was making his preparations for -departure, Guillaume and D'Alvimar, the latter attended by Sancho, the -other by his escort of four men-at-arms, were riding slowly toward the -château of Ars, by the lower road; that is to say, the road that leaves -the plateau of Le Chaumois on the right and passes quite near La -Châtre. -</p> -<p> -As the moon had not risen, and Guillaume's horses were very tired, they -could not travel very quickly. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar took advantage of this circumstance to ride a little in -advance with his squire, as if involuntarily, because their horses were -fresher. Then, slackening his pace, he said: -</p> -<p> -"Sancho, you did not leave anything belonging to me at Briantes?" -</p> -<p> -"I never forget anything, Antonio." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, you do; you forget daggers and leave them in the bodies of the -people you kill." -</p> -<p> -"That reproach again?" -</p> -<p> -"I have my reasons for making it to-day. My horse no longer goes lame, -but do you think he is in condition to take a long journey to-night?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes. What is there new?" -</p> -<p> -"Listen carefully and try to understand quickly. The <i>peddler</i> was a -gentleman, the Marquis de Bois-Doré's brother. The knife that you used -is in that old man's possession. He has sworn vengeance, and he accuses -us on the testimony of some witness, I know not whom." -</p> -<p> -"The Moorish woman." -</p> -<p> -"Why the Moorish woman?" -</p> -<p> -"Because those accursed creatures always bring misfortune." -</p> -<p> -"If you have no other reason——" -</p> -<p> -"I have others; I will tell you what they are." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, later. We must consider now how we are to leave this neighborhood -without any further explanation with that old idiot. I told him enough -to induce him to be patient. He expects me to-morrow." -</p> -<p> -"For a duel?" -</p> -<p> -"No; he is too old!" -</p> -<p> -"But he is very cunning; are you anxious to rot in some dungeon in his -château? No matter, I will go there with you, if you go." -</p> -<p> -"I shall not go. A certain prophecy makes me very prudent. When we are -within a short distance of that little town of which you see the lights -yonder, leave the escort, disappear, and return a quarter of an hour -later and say that someone in the town handed you a letter for me. I -will go to the château of Ars before reading it, but, as soon as I have -read it, I will say to Monsieur d'Ars that I must go away at once. Do -you understand?" -</p> -<p> -"I understand." -</p> -<p> -"Let us wait for Monsieur d'Ars then, and display no haste." -</p> -<p> -When honest Bois-Doré, armed to the teeth and firmly seated on the -stately Rosidor, had passed the confines of the village of Briantes, he -discovered Adamas, mounted on a little hackney of placid disposition, -ambling at his side. -</p> -<p> -"What! is that you, master rebel?" he said, in a tone which did not -succeed in being angry; "did I not forbid you to follow me and order you -to keep watch over my heir?" -</p> -<p> -"Your heir is well guarded, monsieur; Master Jovelin gave me his word -not to leave him, and, moreover, I do not see that he incurs any risk in -your château, now that the enemy has left it and we are charging upon -him." -</p> -<p> -"I know that we are the ones who are in danger now, Adamas, and that is -why I did not want you here, for you are old and broken, and besides, -you never were a great warrior." -</p> -<p> -"It is true, monsieur, that I am not overfond of receiving blows, but I -like to deal them when I can. I am no longer a young man; but if I am -not quick of foot, I have a sharp eye, and I propose to see that you -don't fall into any ambush. That is why I have brought two more men with -me, who will overtake us in three minutes. Besides, I should have gone -mad to have to wait for you, knowing nothing and doing nothing. By the -way, my dear master, where are we going and what are we going to do?" -</p> -<p> -"You will soon see, my friend, you will soon see! But let us make haste. -We have no time to lose if we would overtake them half way to Ars." -</p> -<p> -They urged their horses to a gallop, and in less than a quarter of an -hour came in sight of Guillaume and his escort, who were still riding -very slowly. -</p> -<p> -The moon was rising and shone on the weapons of the horsemen. -</p> -<p> -They had reached a spot then and now called La Rochaille, a spot not far -from numerous houses to-day, but in those days completely deserted and -barren. -</p> -<p> -The road was on a slope, with a small ravine on one side, and on the -other a hill-top strewn with great gray boulders, with an occasional -stunted chestnut tree growing among them. The place bore a bad name; the -peasants have always had superstitious ideas concerning the boulders, -perhaps because they vaguely attribute their presence to the efforts of -the demons of ancient Gaul, perhaps because they believe that they fell -from heaven to destroy the worship of those wicked demons. -</p> -<p> -The marquis ordered his little troop to halt before it had been -discovered by Guillaume and his men, and rode forward alone at full -speed, intending to bar his young kinsman's passage. -</p> -<p> -When they heard the noise of the galloping hoofs, Guillaume and -D'Alvimar turned, the former perfectly calm, supposing that it was some -frightened traveller, the latter sorely perturbed, and still dwelling on -the prediction which the events of that evening seemed to confirm and to -hasten to its fulfilment. -</p> -<p> -When Bois-Doré passed on the left of the escort, Guillaume did not -recognize him in his military costume; but D'Alvimar recognized him by -the throbbing of his agitated heart; and old Sancho, warned by a similar -sensation, rode nearer to him. -</p> -<p> -Their anxiety was dispelled when Bois-Doré rode on without speaking to -them. They concluded then that it was not he. But when he drew rein and -wheeled about with his horse's head almost touching theirs, they glanced -at each other and instinctively drew close together. -</p> -<p> -"What does this mean, monsieur?" said Guillaume, taking one of his -pistols from the holster at his saddlebow. "Who are you and what do you -want?" -</p> -<p> -But before Bois-Doré had time to reply, a pistol was discharged between -them, and the ball grazed the marquis's cap, as he, seeing Sancho's -movement to murder him, hastily stooped, crying: -</p> -<p> -"It is I, Guillaume!" -</p> -<p> -"Ten thousand devils!" cried Guillaume in dismay; "who fired on the -marquis? In heaven's name, marquis, are you hit?" -</p> -<p> -"Not a scratch," replied Bois-Doré; "but I must say that you have some -vile hounds in your party, to fire on a single man before they know -whether he is friend or foe!" -</p> -<p> -"You are right, and I will do justice on them instantly," rejoined the -wrathful young man. "Miserable knaves, which of you fired on the best -man in the realm?" -</p> -<p> -"Not I! nor I! nor I! nor I!" cried Monsieur d'Ars's four servants with -one voice. -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" said the marquis, "none of these honest fellows would have -done such a thing. I saw the man who fired the shot, and there he is!" -</p> -<p> -As he spoke, Bois-Doré, with a dexterity, agility and force worthy of -his best days, struck Sancho across the face with his whip, and, as the -assassin put his hands to his eyes, he seized him by the collar, and, -dragging him from his saddle, threw him to the ground and lashed his -horse, which galloped away and disappeared in the direction of Briantes. -</p> -<p> -At the same instant the marquis's four men, disregarding his orders to -await a summons from him, rode up at full speed, with Adamas, in whom -the report of the pistol and the sight of the flying horse had aroused -the keenest anxiety. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! here you are," said the marquis. "Very good; pick up yonder -unhorsed cavalier; he belongs to me, as I have the <i>droit d'épave</i><a id="FNanchor_22_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_1" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> -on this road. He is my prisoner. Bind him; there is reason to distrust -his hands." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_22_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_1"><span class="label">[22]</span></a>That is to say, the right of the lord of the manor to -claim all property found on his domain, to which nobody can prove -title.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXI">XXXI</a></h4> - -<p> -While the colossal charioteer, Aristandre, bound Sancho's hands—he -was still dazed by his fall—and stripped him of his arms, -D'Alvimar emerged at last from the stupor caused by this swiftly enacted -scene. -</p> -<p> -For an instant he had thought of abandoning his ill-omened confederate -to Bois-Doré's wrath; but when he saw him treated so roughly because he -had once more risked his life for him, a remnant of pride and shame -compelled him to remonstrate. -</p> -<p> -"I can understand, messire," he said, "that you are angered by the -stupidity of that old man, who was asleep in his saddle, and being -awakened by a sudden shock, thought that he was attacked by a band of -robbers. He certainly deserves punishment, but not to be treated as a -prisoner within your seignioral jurisdiction; for he belongs to me, and -it is my prerogative and mine alone to punish him for the insult he -offered you." -</p> -<p> -"Do you call that an insult, Monsieur de Villareal?" retorted the -marquis in a tone of contempt. "But it is not with you that I have to -deal, but with my friend and kinsman Guillaume d'Ars." -</p> -<p> -"I will permit no explanation," rejoined D'Alvimar with feigned passion, -"until my servant is restored to me, and if you desire a -duel——" -</p> -<p> -"Listen to me, Guillaume," said Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -"No, no one shall listen to you," shouted D'Alvimar, trying to release -his horse, which Guillaume, having taken his stand between him and -Bois-Doré, was holding in order to prevent a conflict. "Monsieur d'Ars, -I am your friend and your guest, you invited me to visit you and made me -welcome; you promised me loyal assistance on every occasion; you will -not allow me to be outraged, even by a member of your family. Under such -circumstances, I am the one to whom you owe support and fair play, even -against your own brother." -</p> -<p> -"I am aware of it," replied Guillaume, "and it shall be so. But calm -yourself first of all, and allow Monsieur de Bois-Doré to speak. I know -him well enough to be sure of his courtesy to you and his generous -treatment of your servant. Make due allowance for a moment of anger; it -is the first time I have ever seen him so wrathful, and, although he has -good reason, I am certain that I can pacify him. Come, come, be quiet, -my dear fellow! You are in a passion too; but you are the younger, and -my cousin is the insulted party. I will confess that, if he had received -the slightest scratch, I would have killed your servant on the spot, -though I had to give you satisfaction afterward." -</p> -<p> -"But what the devil, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, still hoping to avoid -the impending explanation by a quarrel, and, if necessary, by a scuffle, -"wherein was my servant at fault, I pray to know? What sort of a caprice -was it that induced monsieur le marquis to ride by us without making -himself known, and then to block our road, at the risk of being taken -for a lunatic? Did not you yourself seize your pistol and shout <i>qui -vive</i>?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure; but I should not have fired without awaiting a reply, nor -would you, I imagine, and you cannot excuse your servant's stupid or -evil act. Come, be calm. If you wish me to succeed in arranging the -affair to your honor and satisfaction, do not make it impossible by your -violence." -</p> -<p> -While D'Alvimar continued to argue vehemently, and the marquis to listen -with entire tranquillity, Adamas, anxious concerning the result of the -affair, had spoken to Guillaume's men upon his own authority. He had -told them all that he knew, and they had sworn that in case Monsieur -d'Ars should feel compelled to order them to defend Monsieur D'Alvimar -against the Bois-Doré party, they would only pretend to fight, and -would leave the field clear for anybody whose right it was, to deal out -justice to the assassins. -</p> -<p> -All the men in both parties were relations or friends to one another, -and they were in no wise inclined to exchange blows for love of a -foreigner, whether guilty or under suspicion only. -</p> -<p> -Thus the time that D'Alvimar strove to gain by his remonstrances turned -against him; and when Guillaume, annoyed and disgusted by his obstinacy, -turned his back on him to go to talk with the marquis a few steps away, -D'Alvimar was at once surrounded by the servants of the latter, without -the slightest opposition on the part of Guillaume's men. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon he became very seriously alarmed and glanced about him, -estimating the slight chance that remained of successful flight, unless -he were resigned to risk the loss of honor or of life in the attempt. -</p> -<p> -But hope revived when he heard Guillaume, to whom Bois-Doré had briefly -recounted his grievances, refuse to believe that he was not misled by -deceptive appearances. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur de Villareal?" he said. "That is utterly impossible, and I -should have had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. Now, as you -did not see it, and as you must have been deceived by false reports, -permit me to defend this gentleman's honor, and do not think, monsieur -and dear cousin, that, deeply as I respect you, I will allow a friend -who has placed himself under my protection to be insulted and outraged -without proofs. Moreover, you have not that right, for every gentleman -is subject to the king's justice alone. So calm your excited nerves, I -implore you, and allow me to return home, where you know that I am very -anxious to be." -</p> -<p> -"I am not excited," rejoined Bois-Doré, raising his voice and with an -air of dignity that Guillaume had never seen him assume, "and I -anticipated your reply, my good friend and cousin. It is such a reply as -I should make in your place, and I find no fault with it. Having -expected that you would act as you have done, I determined to make my -conduct conform to the consideration which I owe you, and that is why -you see me here, halfway between our respective abodes, on neutral, -public ground. To be sure I have some rights over this road; but three -steps away, among yonder old rocks, I am neither on your property nor -mine. Know therefore that I have determined to fight a duel to the death -with this traitor, who cannot refuse to fight with me, since I have -designedly assaulted and insulted him in the person of his servant, and -since I do at this moment insult and challenge him in his own person, -branding him before God, before you and before the honest fellows who -attend us, as a cowardly and despicable murderer! I do not think that -you can justly take it ill of me that I do what I am doing; for I beg -you to observe that, so long as you and he were in my house, I refrained -from anything approaching insult or bad temper, wherein I kept my -promise to be a loyal host to him; and I beg you to observe also that I -took my measures to meet you in the open fields, in order to avoid doing -violence under your roof, for I would not for anything in the world have -imposed upon you the necessity of bearing aid to this vile creature. -Lastly, my cousin, I beg you to consider this, which is the greatest -sacrifice I can make to you: instead of having him beaten to death by my -servants, as he deserves, I myself, a nobleman, deserving of my rank, -stoop to measure swords with a cutthroat of the vilest sort. Were it not -for the friendship with which you honor me, I would have thrown him into -an underground dungeon; but, desirous to show my respect for you, even -in the error into which you have fallen with regard to him, I renounce -all my honorable privileges, to fight him, a vile, degraded creature, -with the weapons of men of honor.—I have said what I have to say, and -you can make no further objection. Be his second, unworthy as he is of -your kindness; Adamas will be mine. I will content myself with the aid -of that honest man, since in such an affair there can be no question of -a combat between the seconds." -</p> -<p> -"Assuredly," cried Guillaume, deeply moved by the old man's greatness of -heart, "conduct more loyal than yours cannot be imagined, my cousin, -and, in view of the suspicions you entertain, you display such -generosity as is rarely seen. But those suspicions being -unfounded——" -</p> -<p> -"It is no longer a question of suspicions," replied the marquis, "since -you do not choose to listen to them; I insult one of your friends, and I -fancy that you would not consider as a friend a man capable of shrinking -from a combat." -</p> -<p> -"Surely not!" cried Guillaume; "but I will not permit this duel, which -does not befit your years, my cousin! I would prefer to fight in your -stead. Come, will you accept my promise? I promise to avenge your -brother's death with my own hand if you succeed in proving incontestably -that Monsieur D'Alvimar was the dastardly and wicked author thereof. -Wait until to-morrow, and I will constitute myself justiciary of my -family, as my duty to you demands." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume's impulse was worthy of the marquis's noble heart; but, by -letting slip an allusion to his years, Guillaume had mortified him -exceedingly. -</p> -<p> -"My cousin," he said, recurring to that puerility of mind which -contrasted so strongly with the nobility of his instincts, "you take me -for an old <i>Signor Pantaleone</i>, with a rusty sword and a trembling -hand. Before consigning me to crutches, remember, I beg, the -consideration I have shown you, which does not deserve the affront you -put upon me by offering to avenge my dearest brother's execrable murder -in my stead. Come, it seems to me that we have had words enough, and my -patience is exhausted. Your Monsieur de Villareal has more than I, for -he listens to all this without finding a word to say." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume saw that matters had gone so far that any reconciliation was -impossible; and, as he agreed with the marquis that D'Alvimar had -suddenly become much too patient, he turned to him and said sharply: -</p> -<p> -"Come, my dear fellow, why do you not answer, I will not say this -challenge, which has no just foundation, but a charge which you surely -cannot deserve?" -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar had reflected during the discussion. He affected a disdainful -and satirical calmness. -</p> -<p> -"I accept the challenge, monsieur," he replied, "and I do not think that -I deserve great credit for so doing, being, as you know, most expert in -the use of all weapons. As for the accusation, it is so absurd and -unjust that I am waiting for you yourself to explain it to me before -disproving it; for I do not know as yet what the marquis has said to you -about me, as he whispered it in your ear, and I desire him to repeat it -aloud." -</p> -<p> -"I am quite willing, and it will not take long," retorted Bois-Doré. "I -said that you were a brigand, an assassin and a thief. You desire more, -but I can find nothing worse to say of you than the bare truth." -</p> -<p> -"You pay me strange compliments, monsieur le marquis!" said the Spaniard -coolly. "You have already regaled me, under your own roof, with a -lugubrious tale wherein you were pleased to represent me as the slayer -of your brother. Whether I am or not, I do not know, as I told you; I -simply know that I bade my servant kill a man dressed as a peddler, who -was carrying away by force a lady whose defence I took upon myself, as I -told you, and whose honor I avenged." -</p> -<p> -"Oho!" cried the marquis, "that is your text now, is it? The lady who -was flying with my brother was abducted against her will, and you don't -remember saying that she was your——" -</p> -<p> -"Lower, monsieur, I beg you. If Monsieur d'Ars will kindly listen to me -a few steps away from here, I will tell him who that woman was, unless -you prefer to vilify and besmirch her name before your servants." -</p> -<p> -"My servants are better men than you and yours, monsieur! No matter! I -am exceedingly desirous that you should impart your secret to Monsieur -d'Ars, but in my presence, as you have already given me one version of -it." -</p> -<p> -The three walked away from the group, and the marquis spoke first. -</p> -<p> -"Come," he said, "explain yourself! You allege as your defence that that -woman was your sister!" -</p> -<p> -"And do you, monsieur," retorted D'Alvimar, "propose to vent your -factitious rage by giving me the lie again?" -</p> -<p> -"By no means, monsieur. I ask you to tell us your sister's name; for it -seems that your own name is not Villareal." -</p> -<p> -"Why so, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -"Because I know it now. Dare to contradict me before Monsieur d'Ars, -whom you are also deceiving by an assumed name!" -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" said Guillaume; "monsieur is concealing his identity under one -of his family names, and I know perfectly well the name he usually -bears." -</p> -<p> -"In that case, cousin, let him say what it is, and I swear that, if it -proves to be the same as my deceased sister-in-law's, I will retire with -apologies to both of you." -</p> -<p> -"And I refuse to tell it," said D'Alvimar. "I supposed that between -gentlemen a simple assertion should suffice; but you insult me without -pause or prudence. A duel is what you seek, and your wish shall be -gratified." -</p> -<p> -"No! a hundred times no!" cried Guillaume. "Let us have done with this; -and as nothing more is necessary than to tell the marquis your name to -induce him to withdraw in peace, I——" -</p> -<p> -"I beg you not to forget," interposed D'Alvimar, "that you expose -me——" -</p> -<p> -"No! my cousin is too honorable a man to betray you to your enemies. -Understand, marquis, and I place this information under the safeguard of -your honor, that monsieur's name is Sciarra d'Alvimar." -</p> -<p> -"Oho!" rejoined the marquis with a sneer. "So monsieur's initials happen -to be identical with those of the stamp of the Salamanca factory?" -</p> -<p> -"What do you mean?" -</p> -<p> -"Nothing! I am simply nailing another of monsieur's lies as I pass; but -this one is so trifling compared with the others——" -</p> -<p> -"What others? Come, come, marquis, you are too persistent!" -</p> -<p> -"Hush, Guillaume!" said D'Alvimar, still affecting a disdainful -attitude. "This must end in a sword thrust. We are simply wasting time." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! but I am not in so much haste now," rejoined the marquis. "I insist -upon knowing the baptismal name and the family name of the sister of -Monsieur de Villareal, de Sciarra and d'Alvimar. I know that the -Spaniards have many names; but if he will tell me simply that lady's -real name, her family name——" -</p> -<p> -"If you know it," retorted D'Alvimar, "your persistence in making me -tell it is an additional insult." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! do not take it so, D'Alvimar," cried Guillaume testily. "Give her -your own name, unless you propose that we shall pass the night here!" -</p> -<p> -"Nay, cousin," said the marquis; "I myself will supply this mysterious -name. Monsieur de Villareal's alleged sister was called Julie de -Sandoval." -</p> -<p> -"Well, why not, monsieur?" said D'Alvimar, seizing eagerly upon what he -believed to be a monstrous blunder on the old man's part. "I did not -wish to mention that name. It was not becoming in me to reveal it, and -I thought that you did not know it. Since you yourself, by asserting -that to be the fact, have been guilty of one of those falsehoods which -you rebuke so sharply in others, let me tell you, monsieur, that Julie -de Sandoval was my mother's daughter, by her first husband." -</p> -<p> -"In that case, monsieur," replied Bois-Doré uncovering, "I am ready to -withdraw, and to apologize for my violence, if you will swear to me on -your honor that you recognized your half-sister, Julie de Sandoval, -under her veil, at the tavern of——" -</p> -<p> -"I swear it to satisfy you. Indeed, I saw her without her veil in that -tavern." -</p> -<p> -"For the third time—pardon my persistence, I owe it to my brother's -memory—for the third time, it was really your sister, Julie de -Sandoval? The ring which she wore on her finger and is now on mine, and -which bears that name in full, can have belonged to no other than her? -You swear it?" -</p> -<p> -"I swear it! Are you satisfied?" -</p> -<p> -"Stay! there is a crest on the bezel of this ring; <i>a shield azure with -a head or</i>. Are those the arms of the Sandovals of your family?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, the very same." -</p> -<p> -"Then, monsieur," said Bois-Doré, replacing his cap, "I declare once -more that you have lied like the impudent dastard that you are; for I -have been making sport of you: your alleged sister's ring bears the name -of Maria de Merida, and the arms are simple with a cross argent. I can -prove it." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXII">XXXII</a></h4> - -<p> -Guillaume was shaken; but D'Alvimar reflected rapidly. -</p> -<p> -The moon, even though it had been much brighter, would not have enabled -one to see the tiny letters and microscopic crest engraved in a ring, -and in those times people had not, as they have to-day, a light all -ready in the pocket. -</p> -<p> -It was necessary therefore to postpone to some other time the -examination of this evidence. The only course for the culprit to adopt -was to seek, not to avoid, a duel. What he dreaded was that they would -deny him that honorable chance of escape, and that he would be made a -prisoner of the marquis or of the provincial authorities. -</p> -<p> -He hurriedly led Guillaume aside and said to him, with a forced laugh: -</p> -<p> -"I am fairly caught. I attempted to be good-natured, as you requested, -in order to put an end to the discussion and to get rid of this old -lunatic. I said everything that he tried to make me say, and now his -caprice is taking another flight, in which I cannot follow it. It is all -my fault; I ought to have told you, immediately on leaving his house, -that he has been mad for two days; witness the fact that he asked for -Madame de Beuvre's hand yesterday, as others can tell you, and that all -this day he has been inventing the most extraordinary fables concerning -his brother's death, taking sometimes me, sometimes his mute, sometimes -his little dog for the murderer. I was unable to avoid coming to blows -with him except by inventing tales which served as small change for his; -but he did not calm down until you arrived." -</p> -<p> -"Why didn't you tell me all this?" exclaimed Guillaume. -</p> -<p> -"I did not wish to complain of the vexations I had endured in his -company; you would have thought that I meant to reproach you for leaving -me there. Now, there is only one way to have done with it. Let me fight -With him." -</p> -<p> -"With an old man and a madman? I cannot permit it." -</p> -<p> -"Come, come, Guillaume," exclaimed Bois-Doré, impatiently, "are you -ready now to let me avenge my wrongs, and must I do Monsieur d'Alvimar -the honor of striking him, in order to rouse him?" -</p> -<p> -"We are at your service, monsieur," replied D'Alvimar, shrugging his -shoulders. "Come, my dear fellow," he said in a low tone to Guillaume, -"you see that it must be! Don't be afraid! I will soon bring this old -automaton to reason, and I promise you to strike his sword out of his -hand as many times as you please. I will undertake to tire him out so -effectually that he will want to hurry home and go to bed, and to-morrow -we will laugh over the adventure." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume was reassured by his merriment. -</p> -<p> -"I am glad to find you in the proper mood," he said in an undertone, -"and I warn you that in putting forth your skill with yonder old man, -you would not act a gallant part, and would cause me great pain. I -believe that he is mad, but that is an additional reason for using your -science with moderation and sending him home with no greater hurt than -lame muscles." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume knew, however, that Bois-Doré was very strong in fencing, But -his was an antiquated method which younger men disdained, and he knew, -also, that while the marquis's wrist was still supple, he was not firm -enough on his legs to hold out more than two or three minutes. Moreover, -D'Alvimar was exceedingly expert; so he constantly exhorted him to -magnanimity. -</p> -<p> -The champions having dismounted, the servants were left in the road to -watch the horses and the prisoner, Sancho, whom Guillaume ordered them -not to set free until the duel was at an end, in order that the -difficulties of the situation might not be complicated by unexpected -interference from any quarter. -</p> -<p> -Sancho was very desirous to be at liberty. He felt that he might be -useful to his master, as he never recoiled from the most difficult -undertaking; but he was too proud to complain and cry out. He remained -silent and stoical under guard of Bois-Doré's servants. -</p> -<p> -While Guillaume, with the two adversaries, was seeking a suitable spot -between the road and the boulders, Adamas and Aristandre were engaged in -an animated whispered colloquy. Aristandre was desperate, Adamas was in -a state of feverish excitement; but the idea that his master might fall -a victim to his own generous behavior never entered his head. He was -drunk, as it were, in his confidence in the marquis's strength and -skill. -</p> -<p> -"Why do you tremble like a child?" he asked the coachman. "Don't you -know that monsieur is capable of eating up thirty-six fellows like this -coxcomb of a Spaniard? Nothing but treachery could overcome such a -valiant man as he is; but the knave Sancho is carefully guarded, and -Monsieur Guillaume and I will have an eye to everything. Am I not a -second? Monsieur said so. You heard him. We are two honorable seconds, -and we will not allow a thrust or a parry that isn't within the rules." -</p> -<p> -"But you know no more than I do about the rules of duels between -gentlemen! Look you, I have a mind to climb up yonder without anyone -seeing me, and, if the Spaniard has too much luck, roll one of those big -stones down on him." -</p> -<p> -"As to that, if I could be sure that you wouldn't crush monsieur with -him, I wouldn't advise you not to do it, any more than I would think it -was a crime to put two bullets into his head myself, if I wasn't a -second. But my master is calling me. Don't you be afraid, all will go -well!" -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile the ground was chosen, a clear space of sufficient size, well -lighted by the moon. The swords were measured, Guillaume performing the -functions of second impartially for both champions, who had sworn to -rely upon him; for Adamas's presence could be only a matter of form. -</p> -<p> -The duel began. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon, despite his confidence and his enthusiasm, Adamas felt a cold -shudder run through every limb. He became dumb; with his mouth wide -open, his eyes starting from his head, he was unconscious of the -perspiration and the tears that rolled down his laughable yet touching -face. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume too had done his utmost to persuade himself that the results -of that strange combat could not be serious. But when the swords met, -his confidence vanished, and he blamed himself for not having prevented, -at any price, a meeting which, from the outset, threatened to have -serious consequences. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar had promised to place his adversary at his mercy and to spare -his life; but, in so far as the moonlight enabled him to distinguish his -expression, it seemed to Guillaume that rage and hate were exhibited -therein with increasing intensity, and his sharp, close sword-play gave -no indication of prudence or of generous purpose. Luckily the marquis -was still calm and held his ground with more endurance and elasticity -than could have been expected. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume could say nothing, and contented himself with coughing two or -three times, to warn D'Alvimar to show more moderation, without arousing -the sensibility of the marquis, who might have lost his head altogether, -if he had suspected that he was not taken seriously. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure05"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure05.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS -AND D'ALVIMAR.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>His game was a difficult one to -play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -But the contest was serious enough. D'Alvimar felt that he had an -adversary inferior to himself in theory; but he was himself disturbed -and preoccupied and inferior to himself in practice. His game was a -difficult one to play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally. -</p> -<p> -So he tried to make him run himself through, by acting on the defensive; -and the marquis seemed to detect his stratagem, for he acted cautiously. -</p> -<p> -The duel was prolonged for some time without result. Guillaume relied on -the marquis's fatigue, thinking that D'Alvimar would not strike him -down. D'Alvimar found that the marquis showed no signs of giving way; he -tried to excite him by feints, hoping that a feeling of impatience would -lead him to depart from the surprising prudence of his play. -</p> -<p> -Suddenly the moon was veiled by a dark cloud, and Guillaume tried to -interpose to suspend the combat; he had not time: the two champions were -rolling on the ground. -</p> -<p> -A third champion rushed toward them, at the risk of being spitted; it -was Adamas, who, having lost his head and not knowing which had the -advantage, plunged wildly into the fray. Guillaume threw him back with -violence, and saw the marquis kneeling on D'Alvimar's body. -</p> -<p> -"Mercy, cousin!" he cried; "mercy for him who would have spared you!" -</p> -<p> -"It is too late, cousin," replied the marquis, rising. "Justice is -done!" -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was nailed to the earth by the marquis's long rapier; he had -ceased to live. -</p> -<p> -Adamas had swooned. -</p> -<p> -At the cry of mercy, Bois-Doré's servants had hurried to the spot. The -marquis was leaning against a rock, breathless and exhausted. But he -showed no weakness, and, the moon having emerged from the cloud, he -stood erect again to look at the body, and stooped to touch it. -</p> -<p> -"He is quite dead!" said Guillaume in a reproachful tone. "You have -killed a friend of mine, monsieur, and I am unable to congratulate you -upon it; for your suspicions must be unjust." -</p> -<p> -"I will prove to you that they were not, Guillaume," replied Bois-Doré, -with a dignity which shook his kinsman's confidence anew; "until then, -suspend your displeasure against me and your regrets for this wicked -man. When you know the truth, perhaps you will regret having compelled -me to risk my life in order to take his." -</p> -<p> -"But what shall we do with this unfortunate body now?" said Guillaume, -downcast and dismayed. -</p> -<p> -"I will not leave you in any difficulty on my account," said Bois-Doré. -"My men will carry it to the Carmelite convent of La Châtre, where the -monks will give it such burial as they choose. I have no idea of -concealing from anyone what I have done, especially as I still have to -punish the other assassin. But I cannot perform that distasteful task in -cold blood, and I propose to turn him over to the provost's lieutenant, -so that exemplary punishment may be dealt out to him. You will escort -him thither, Adamas. Why, where is my trusty Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"Alas, monsieur," replied Adamas in a cavernous voice, "here I am at -your knees, and very ill over this affair. For a moment I thought that -you were dead, and I believe that I was dead myself for a good quarter -of an hour. Do not send me anywhere; I have no legs, and I feel as if I -had a millwheel in my head." -</p> -<p> -"Well, my poor fellow, if you are not good for anything more we will -send somebody else. I told you that you were too old to endure -excitement!" -</p> -<p> -The marquis walked back toward the horses, while his servants and -Guillaume's took up the dead body and covered it with a cloak. But when -they looked for the prisoner, they looked in vain. -</p> -<p> -They had not taken the precaution to bind his legs. Taking advantage of -a moment of excitement and confusion, when the servants, disturbed -concerning the result of the duel, had left the horses in charge of two -of their number, who had had much difficulty in holding them, he had -taken flight, or rather had stolen away and hidden somewhere in the -ravine. -</p> -<p> -"Never fear, monsieur le marquis," said Aristandre. "A man with his -hands bound can neither run very fast nor conceal himself very -skilfully; I promise you that I will catch him; I will undertake to do -it. Ride home and rest; you have well earned it!" -</p> -<p> -"No," said the marquis; "I must see that murderer again. Do two of you -search for him, while I and the other two ride with Monsieur d'Ars to -the Carmelite convent." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar's body was laid across his horse, and Guillaume's servants -assisted Bois-Doré's to transport it. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré rode on ahead with Guillaume, to have the gates of the town -opened, if necessary, for it was nearly ten o'clock. -</p> -<p> -On the road, Bois-Doré furnished his young kinsman with such precise -details concerning his brother's death, the recovery of his nephew, the -episode of the Catalan knife, the admission extorted from the culprit by -his indignation, and finally the testimony of the ring, that Guillaume -could not persist in upholding his friend's honor. He admitted that he -really knew very little of him, having become intimate with him on -slight acquaintance, and that at Bourges there had come to his ears some -reports, far from honorable if they were true, concerning the duel which -had forced the Spaniard to disappear. Monsieur Sciarra Martinengo was -said to have been struck by him, contrary to all the laws of honor, at a -moment when he had asked for a suspension of the combat, his sword being -broken. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume had refused to credit that charge; but Bois-Doré's -revelations made him look upon it as more serious, and he promised to go -to Briantes the next morning to inspect the evidence, and make the -acquaintance of the beautiful Mario. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXIII">XXXIII</a></h4> - -<p> -In proportion as conviction entered his mind, Guillaume became expansive -and friendly with the marquis, no less from a sense of natural equity -than from an inborn tendency to be governed absolutely by his latest -impression. -</p> -<p> -"By my soul!" he said, when they were near the town, "you have acted -like a gallant man, and the blow that you dealt him, which nailed him to -the turf, was one of the most beautiful sword thrusts that I have ever -heard of. I have never seen its like, and when you have proved to me -that poor Sciarra was such a vile wretch as you say, I shall not be -sorry to have seen this one. If I had been less pained, I would have -congratulated you upon it. But whatever regret or satisfaction I may -feel because of this death I declare that you are a superb swordsman, -and I would that I were your equal at that sport!" -</p> -<p> -Our two cavaliers were already on the Pont des Scabinats—now des -Cabignats,—riding toward the gate in the fortifications, when Adamas, -who had recovered his courage and had duly reflected, overtook them and -begged them to listen to him. -</p> -<p> -"Do you not think, messires," he said, "that the bringing-in of this -body will cause a great commotion in the town?" -</p> -<p> -"Even so," said the marquis, "do you suppose that I wish to conceal the -fact that I have avenged my honor and my brother's death?" -</p> -<p> -"True, monsieur, you may well boast of it as a noble deed, but not until -the body has been consigned to the earth; for in these small places a -great noise is often made over a small matter, and the spectacle of a -gentleman carried across his horse in this way will make these bourgeois -of La Châtre open their eyes. You have enemies, monsieur, and at the -present moment Monseigneur de Condé is a very devout Catholic. If he -should learn that this Spaniard was covered with strings of beads and -blessed relics, that he had confessed to Monsieur Poulain, whose -housekeeper is lauding him to the skies in the village of Briantes as a -perfect Christian——" -</p> -<p> -"Well, well, what are you coming at with your old woman's gossip, my -dear Adamas?" said the marquis, impatiently. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume interposed. -</p> -<p> -"Cousin," he said, "Adamas is right. The laws against the duello are -respected by nobody; but evil-minded persons can invoke them at any -moment. This D'Alvimar had some powerful friends in Paris; and -unfriendly reports may, at one time or another, cause this to be used -against you and me, especially against you, who are not esteemed a very -ardent Catholic. Take my advice therefore, and let us not go into the -town but decide upon some other means of ridding ourselves of this dead -man. You are sure of your people and I can answer for mine. Let us have -no confidants among the churchmen and bourgeois of a small town, all of -whom, in this province, are very bitter against men who have opposed the -League and served under the late king." -</p> -<p> -"There is much truth in what you say," replied Bois-Doré; "but it is -most distasteful to me to tie a stone around a dead man's neck and toss -him into the river like a dog." -</p> -<p> -"Why, monsieur," said Adamas, "that man was worth less than any dog!" -</p> -<p> -"That is true, my friend; I thought so myself an hour ago; but I have no -hatred for a corpse." -</p> -<p> -"Very good, monsieur," said Adamas, "I have an idea which will make -everything all right; if we retrace our steps, we shall find within a -hundred yards, near the Chambon meadow, the gardener's cottage." -</p> -<p> -"What gardener? Marie la Caille-Bottée?" -</p> -<p> -"She is very devoted to monsieur, and they say that she was not always -pock-marked." -</p> -<p> -"Tush, tush! Adamas, this is no time for jesting!" -</p> -<p> -"I am not jesting, monsieur, and I say that that old woman will keep our -secret faithfully." -</p> -<p> -"And you propose to disturb her peace of mind by carrying a dead man to -her? She will die of fright!" -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, for she is not alone in her little isolated cottage. I -will take my oath that we shall find a good Carmelite there, who will -give the Spanish gentleman Christian burial in a grave somewhere on the -gardener's premises." -</p> -<p> -"You are too much of a Huguenot, Adamas," said Monsieur d'Ars. "The -Carmelites are not such dissolute fellows as you imply." -</p> -<p> -"I say no evil of them, messire; I am speaking of a single one, whom I -know, and who has nothing of the monk except the frock and the -paternosters. It is Jean le Clope, who followed monsieur le marquis to -the war, and for whom monsieur le marquis procured admission to the -convent as a disabled veteran." -</p> -<p> -"On my word, this is excellent advice," said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"Jean le Clope is a reliable man, and he has seen too many bloodless -faces lying on the ground on battlefields to take fright at the task we -propose to entrust to him." -</p> -<p> -"Let us make haste then," said Monsieur d'Ars, "for my steward is dying, -as you know, and I would like to see him if it is not too late." -</p> -<p> -"Go, cousin," said the marquis. "Attend now to your own affairs; this -concerns me and me alone henceforth!" -</p> -<p> -They shook hands. Guillaume joined his escort and rode away with them -toward his château. The marquis and Adamas halted at La -Caille-Bottée's cottage, where they did in fact find Jean le Clope, who -warmly greeted his patron, calling him his captain. -</p> -<p> -As is well known, the convents were compelled to take charge of soldiers -disabled in the service of the king or of the lord of the province. Most -of the religious communities were bound by contract to receive and -support these relics of the calamities of war, who were sometimes too -fond of high living for pious recluses, sometimes much less corrupt than -the monks themselves. However it may have been with the Carmelites of La -Châtre, with whose history we are not here concerned, the secular -brother Jean le Clope was but little hampered by the rules of the -community, and, if he was not missing at meal hours, he was often -missing at curfew. -</p> -<p> -While the marquis was explaining what he expected from his devotion and -discretion, Adamas superintended the bringing of the body into the -lonely house, and, a quarter of an hour later, Bois-Doré and his -attendants rode homeward by way of La Rochaille. -</p> -<p> -They found Aristandre and his comrades profoundly disappointed at their -inability to discover what had become of Sancho. -</p> -<p> -"Well, monsieur," said Adamas, "perhaps God wills it so! That villain -will be very careful never to appear in a neighborhood where he knows -that he is unmasked, and he would have been a source of fresh -embarrassment to you." -</p> -<p> -"I confess that I have little taste for executions when my excitement -has subsided," replied Bois-Doré, "and that I should have avoided -witnessing that one. If I had turned him over to the provost, I should -have been obliged to say what I had done with his master, and, as we -must keep quiet on that point for the moment, it is all for the best. I -consider my dear Florimond's death sufficiently avenged, although the -Moor did not see which of the two, the master or the servant, dealt the -blow that ended his poor life; but in affairs of this sort, Adamas, the -most guilty, perhaps the real culprit, is he who directs it. The servant -sometimes deems it his duty to obey a wicked order, and this fellow -evidently did not act on his own account or profit by my brother's -wealth, since he has remained a servant as before." -</p> -<p> -Adamas did not share the longing to be indulgent which the marquis -experienced after his outburst of energy. He hated Sancho even more -bitterly than D'Alvimar, because of his arrogant manner toward his -equals, and because of his wariness, in which he had been unable to find -any flaw. He considered him quite capable of having advised and executed -the crime, but the thing that he dreaded more than all else was the -possible persecution of the marquis; so he assisted him to deceive -himself concerning the importance of the capture which he was compelled -to renounce. -</p> -<p> -When they reached the gate of the manor of Briantes, they heard the -irregular galloping of a riderless horse. It proved to be Sancho's, -which had returned to its lost stable. He exchanged a plaintive, almost -funereal neigh with D'Alvimar's steed, which a servant was leading by -the rein. -</p> -<p> -"These poor creatures feel the disasters that befall their masters, so -it is said," observed the marquis to Adamas: "they are intelligent -beasts and live in a state of innocence. For that reason I shall not -have these two killed; but as I do not choose to have anything on my -estate that ever belonged to that D'Alvimar, and as the price of his -property would soil our hands, I propose that they shall be taken ten or -twelve leagues away to-morrow night and set at liberty. Whoever will may -reap the benefit." -</p> -<p> -"And in that way," said Adamas, "no one will know where they come from. -You can entrust Aristandre with that mission, monsieur. He will not -yield to the temptation to sell them for his own benefit, and, if you -take my advice, you will let him start at once, and not take them into -the courtyard. It is useless to allow these horses to be seen in your -stable to-morrow." -</p> -<p> -"Do what you choose, Adamas," replied the marquis. "I am reminded that -that miserable wretch must have had money upon him, and that I should -have remembered to take it and give it to the poor." -</p> -<p> -"Let the lay brother have the benefit of it, monsieur," said the shrewd -Adamas; "the more he finds in the dead man's pockets, the better assured -you will be of his silence." -</p> -<p> -It was eleven o'clock when the marquis returned to his salon. Jovelin -rushed forward and threw his arms about him. His face sufficiently -indicated the agonizing anxiety he had felt. -</p> -<p> -"My dear friend," said Bois-Doré, "I deceived you; but rejoice, that -man is no more; and I return with a light heart. Doubtless my child is -asleep at this moment; let us not wake him. I will tell you——" -</p> -<p> -"The child is not asleep," the mute replied with his pencil. "He divined -my apprehensions: he is crying and praying and tossing about in his -bed." -</p> -<p> -"Let us go and comfort the dear heart!" cried Bois-Doré; "but look at -me first, my friend, and see if I have no stain on my clothes made by -that treacherous blood. I do not wish that the child should know fear or -hatred at an age too early for the calmness of conscious strength." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio relieved the marquis of his cloak, his helmet and his arms, and -when they had ascended the stairs they found Mario, barefooted, at the -door of his chamber. -</p> -<p> -"Ah!" cried the child, clinging passionately to his uncle's long legs, -and speaking to him with the familiarity which he did not as yet know to -be contrary to the customs of the nobility, "so you have come back at -last? You are not hurt, my dear uncle? No one has hurt you, eh? I -thought that that wicked man meant to kill you, and I wanted to run -after you! I was very unhappy! Another time, when you go out to fight, -you must take me, since I am your nephew." -</p> -<p> -"My nephew! my nephew! that is not enough," said the marquis taking him -back to his bed. "I mean to be your father. Will that displease you, to -be my son? And, by the way," he added, stooping to receive little -Fleurial's caresses, who seemed to have realized and shared the distress -of Jovelin and Mario, "here is a little friend of mine who no longer -belongs to me. Here, Mario, you were so anxious to have him! I give him -to you to console you for your unhappiness this evening." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Mario, putting Fleurial beside him on his pillow, "I -consent, on condition that he is to belong to us both, and is to love us -both alike. But tell me, father, has the wicked man gone away forever?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my son, forever." -</p> -<p> -"And the king will punish him for killing your brother?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my son, he will be punished." -</p> -<p> -"What will they do to him?" inquired Mario, thoughtfully. -</p> -<p> -"I will tell you later, my son. Think only how happy we are to be -together." -</p> -<p> -"They will never take me away from you?" -</p> -<p> -"Never!" -</p> -<p> -"Master Jovelin," he said, addressing the mute, "is it not a melancholy -thing to think of changing this child's sweet mode of speech, which -strikes so melodiously upon the ear? Nay, we will allow him to use the -familiar form of address to me in private, since in his mouth that -familiarity is a sign of affection." -</p> -<p> -"Must I say <i>vous</i> to you?" queried Mario in amazement. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my child, at least before other people. That is the custom." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! yes, that is how I spoke to Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant! But I love -you more than I loved him." -</p> -<p> -"So you love me already, Mario? I am very glad! But how does it happen? -You do not know me yet." -</p> -<p> -"No matter, I love you." -</p> -<p> -"And you do not know why?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes I do! I love you because I love you." -</p> -<p> -"My friend," said the marquis to Lucilio, "there is nothing so lovely -and so lovable as childhood! It speaks as the angels must speak among -themselves, and its reasons, which are no reasons, are worth more than -all the wisdom of older heads. You must teach this cherub for me. You -must fashion for him a noble brain like your own; for I am only an -ignorant creature and I wish him to know much more than I do. The times -are not so wholly given up to civil war as they were in my youth, and I -think that gentlemen should turn their thoughts toward the enlightenment -of the mind. But try to let him retain the pretty simple ways that he -owes to his life among the shepherds. In truth he is my ideal of the -lovely children who play among the flowers on the enchanted banks of the -Lignon with its transparent waves." -</p> -<p> -The marquis, having received from the hands of Adamas a cordial to -refresh him after the exertions of the evening, went to bed and slept -soundly, the happiest of men. -</p> -<p> -At a time when, in default of regular legal processes, people were -accustomed to take the law into their own hands, and when a suggestion -of pardon would have been considered blameworthy and cowardly weakness, -the marquis, although far more disposed than most of his contemporaries -to display great gentleness in all his dealings, thought that he had -performed the most sacred of duties, and therein he followed the ideas -and usages in vogue when chivalry was in its prime. -</p> -<p> -Certainly in those days it would have been impossible to find one -gentleman in a thousand who would not have deemed himself possessed of -the right to put to death by torture, or at least to order hanged before -his eyes, a guilty wretch like D'Alvimar, and who would not have -censured or ridiculed the excessively romantic sense of honor which -Bois-Doré had displayed in his duel. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was well aware of it and was not disturbed by the knowledge. -He had three reasons for being what he was: first of all his instinct, -next the example of humanity set by Henri IV, who was one of the first -men of his time to express disgust at the shedding of blood without -peril to him who shed it. Henri III, when mortally wounded by Jacques -Clement, was so upborne by rage and thirst for vengeance that he was -able himself to strike his assassin, and to look on with joy when he was -thrown from the window; when Henri IV was wounded in the face by Chastel, -his first impulse was to say: "Let that man go!"—And thirdly, -Bois-Doré's religious code was found in the acts and exploits of the -heroes of <i>Astrée</i>. -</p> -<p> -In that ideal romance, it was without example that an honorable knight -should avenge love, honor or friendship without exposing himself to the -greatest dangers. We must not laugh too much at <i>Astrée</i>; indeed the -popularity of the book is most interesting to observe. Amid the sanguinary -villainies of civil discords, it is a cry of humanity, a song of -innocence, a dream of virtue ascending heavenward. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXIV">XXXIV</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis's first thought on waking was for his heir, whom, to conform -to the title which was finally adopted, we will call his son. -</p> -<p> -He recalled somewhat confusedly the events of that agitated night, but -he recalled perfectly the great questions of dress that had been raised -the day before in connection with his dear Mario. He called him in order -to resume the interview they had begun in the <i>treasure-room</i>. But he -received no reply and was beginning to be anxious, when the child, who -had waked and risen before dawn, came in and threw his arms about his -neck, all redolent with the fresh fragrance of the morning. -</p> -<p> -"Where have you been so early, my young friend?" inquired the old man. -</p> -<p> -"Father," replied Mario, gayly, "I have been to see Adamas, who has -forbidden me to tell you a secret that we have between us. Don't ask me -what it is; we are going to give you a surprise." -</p> -<p> -"Very good, my son; I will ask no questions. I like to be surprised. But -aren't we going to breakfast together on this little table by my bed?" -</p> -<p> -"I haven't time, little father! I must go back to Adamas, who says that -he begs you to go to sleep for another hour unless you want to spoil -everything." -</p> -<p> -The marquis did his best to go to sleep again, but to no purpose. He was -disturbed about many things. Madame de Beuvre was to come early on that -day with her father; Guillaume, too, in case his steward should be -better. Had suitable arrangements been made for the dinner? and could -Mario properly be presented to a lady in the costume of a mountain -shepherd? And, then, the poor child did not even know how to bow, to -kiss a lady's hand, or say a word or two of flattery? Would not all his -beauty, all his fascinating ways be ridiculed and treated with contempt -by those who were not blinded by the voice of blood? -</p> -<p> -Moreover, no adequate preparations had been made for the hunting party. -He had had too much excitement and anxiety to give any thought to that. -</p> -<p> -"If Adamas, who is never at a loss, were only here, he would console -me," thought the marquis. -</p> -<p> -But so great was his consideration for his faithful servant that he -would have pretended to sleep all day, if Adamas had demanded it. -</p> -<p> -He remained in bed until nine o'clock, but no one came to his relief; -and, as hunger and uneasiness began to make a serious impression upon -him, he determined to rise. -</p> -<p> -"What is Adamas thinking about?" he said to himself. "My guests will -soon be here. Does he want them to surprise me in my dressing-gown and -with this sallow face?" -</p> -<p> -At last Adamas entered the room. -</p> -<p> -"Oh! set your mind at rest, monsieur!" he exclaimed. "Do you think me -capable of forgetting you? There is no hurry. You will have no company -until two o'clock this afternoon; Madame de Beuvre has just sent word to -me to that effect." -</p> -<p> -"To you, Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, to me, for I devised the scheme of sending a messenger -to her to say that you had a great surprise in store for her, but that -nothing was ready. I took all the blame on myself, and I humbly -requested her not to arrive before the hour I have mentioned, adding -that you desired to keep her here to-night, with monsieur her father, -and not to offer her the diversion of hunting until to-morrow." -</p> -<p> -"What have you done, villain? She will think me insane or uncivil." -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, she took the thing very well, saying that everything that -you did was certain to prove your wisdom or your gallantry." -</p> -<p> -"In that case, my friend, we must think seriously——" -</p> -<p> -"About nothing, monsieur, nothing at all, I beseech you. You did enough -with your brain and your sword last night; for what purpose can God have -placed poor Adamas on earth if not to spare you all anxiety about the -details of simple matters?" -</p> -<p> -"Alas! my friend, it will not be easy—not possible even—in so -short a time, to make my heir presentable?" -</p> -<p> -"Do you think so, monsieur?" said Adamas, with an indescribable smile of -satisfaction. "I would like to see the thing that you desire that is not -possible! Yes, indeed, I would! I would like to see it! But permit me to -ask you, monsieur, how your heir is to be announced when he enters the -salon?" -</p> -<p> -"That is a very grave question, my friend; I have already been thinking -of the name and title the dear child should bear. Neither his father nor -mine was a man of quality; but as I propose to provide for his -succession to my title by the proper process and by obtaining the king's -consent, if necessary, I think that I can bestow upon him, in -anticipation, the title that my own son would have. Therefore, in my -house he will be called monsieur le comte." -</p> -<p> -"There can be no doubt about the propriety of that, monsieur! But the -name? Do you propose to call him plain Bouron, that poor child who -deserves so well to bear a more illustrious name?" -</p> -<p> -"Understand, Adamas, that I do not blush for my father's name, and that -that name, which was borne by my brother, will always be dear to me. But -as I am much more attached to the name that my king gave me, I propose -that Mario, also, shall bear it, and shall be Bouron de Bois-Doré, -which, by the customary abbreviation, will become plain Bois-Doré." -</p> -<p> -"That is what I intended to suggest! Come, monsieur, dress yourself and -eat your breakfast here in your bedroom with the child, for the hall -below is in the hands of my decorators; then I will make your toilet. -But you must wear to-day the clothes that I ask you to put on." -</p> -<p> -"Do what you please, Adamas, as you are responsible for everything!" -</p> -<p> -While eating and laughing and talking with his heir, honest Sylvain -suddenly fell into profound melancholy. He succeeded in concealing it -from the boy. But when Adamas, declaring that everything was going -satisfactorily, came to make him up for the day, he opened his heart to -him, while the child played about the château. -</p> -<p> -"My poor friend," he said, "I am amazed that the <i>numes célestes</i>, who -have watched over me with such paternal care of late, have allowed me -none the less to become involved in a terrible embarrassment." -</p> -<p> -"What embarrassment, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -"Have you already forgotten, Adamas, that I offered my heart and my life -to a beautiful enchantress on the morning of the very day when I found -Mario? Now, as she did not reject, but simply postponed my offer, the -result is that I run the risk—according to you!—of having other -heirs than this child, to whom I would gladly devote my life and bequeath -my property." -</p> -<p> -"The devil! monsieur, I did not think of that! But do not be disturbed! -As it was I who put the fatal plan into your mind, it is for me to find -you a way out of the dilemma. I will think about it, monsieur, I will -think about it! Don't forget to beautify yourself and to make merry -to-day." -</p> -<p> -"Indeed I will not. But what coat is that you are giving me, my friend!" -</p> -<p> -"Your coat <i>à la paysanne</i>, monsieur; it is one of the handsomest you -have." -</p> -<p> -"In truth, I think it is the very handsomest; and it pains me to make -myself so fine when my poor Mario——" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur, monsieur, let me arrange everything; our Mario will be very -presentable." -</p> -<p> -The marquis's "peasant" coat was white velvet and white satin, with a -profusion of silver lace and magnificent ruffles. White was then the -color of the peasants, who dressed in white linen or coarse fustian at -all seasons; so that whenever a person was dressed all in white, that -person was said to be dressed <i>à la paysanne</i>, and it was one of the -most popular fashions. -</p> -<p> -The marquis was certainly very amusing in that dress; but everybody was -so accustomed to see him disguised as a young man; he was tricked out -from head to foot with such beautiful things and such curious baubles; -his perfumes were so exquisite, and, in spite of everything, there was -so much nobility in his elderly charms, and so much kindly amiability in -his ways, that if people had found him suddenly transformed into the -serious, methodical personage that his years would naturally import, -they would have regretted the pleasure he gave the eyes and the -satisfaction he was able to afford the mind. -</p> -<p> -About two o'clock a scullion, dressed in ancient feudal costume for the -occasion, and stationed at the top of the entrance tower, blew a blast -on an old horn to announce the approach of a cavalcade. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, accompanied by Lucilio, betook himself to that tower to -receive the lady of his thoughts. He would have been glad to take his -heir with him; but Mario was in Adamas's hands, and, moreover, it was -part of a plan finally proposed by the latter, and adopted with some -modifications by his master, that the child's appearance on the scene -should be postponed until the conclusion of an explanation on a delicate -subject with Madame de Beuvre. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXV">XXXV</a></h4> - -<p> -Lauriane arrived, riding a beautiful little white horse which her father -had trained for her, and which she managed with remarkable grace. -</p> -<p> -Thanks to her mourning, which the fashion of that day permitted to be -white, she, too, was dressed <i>à la paysanne</i>, with a habit of fine -white broadcloth, a waist with stripes of silver lace, and a light lace -handkerchief over the inevitable widow's cap. -</p> -<p> -"Well, well!" cried the downright De Beuvre, when he saw the marquis's -costume, "so you have already assumed your lady's colors, my dear -son-in-law?" -</p> -<p> -His daughter succeeded in making him hold his peace before the servants; -but, when they were in the salon, despite the promise he had made her to -refrain from all jesting on the subject, he could not contain himself, -and asked with deep interest when the wedding was to be. -</p> -<p> -Instead of being annoyed or embarrassed, the marquis was exceedingly -pleased at this opening, and requested a secret interview touching a -matter of great gravity. -</p> -<p> -The valets were dismissed, the doors closed, and Bois-Doré, kneeling at -dear little Lauriane's feet, addressed her in these terms: -</p> -<p> -"Queen of youth and beauty, you see at your feet a loyal servant whom a -most momentous event has filled with pleasure and embarrassment, with -joy and grief, with hope and fear. When, two days since, I offered my -heart, my name and my fortune to the most amiable of nymphs, I deemed -myself unfettered by any other duty or attachment. But——" -</p> -<p> -Here the marquis was interrupted. -</p> -<p> -"Gadzooks! monsieur my son-in-law," cried De Beuvre, affecting violent -indignation and rolling his eyes fiercely, "you make sport of us, do -you, and think that I am a man to allow you to retract your word after -you have transfixed my poor child's heart with the deadly shaft of -love?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! hush, pray, my dear father!" said Lauriane, smilingly and sweetly; -"you compromise me. Luckily I can be certain that the marquis will not -believe me to be so capricious that, after I have asked him for seven -years for reflection, I can be already so eager to summon him to keep -his word." -</p> -<p> -"Allow me to speak," said the marquis, taking Lauriane's hand in his. "I -know, my sovereign, that you have no love in your heart, and it is that -which gives me the courage to crave your pardon. And do you, my dear -neighbor, laugh with all your strength, for there is abundant occasion. -And I will laugh with you to-day, although yesterday I shed many tears." -</p> -<p> -"Really, my good neighbor?" said honest De Beuvre, taking his other -hand. "If you are speaking as seriously as you seem to be, I will laugh -no more. Have you any trouble of which we can assist to relieve you?" -</p> -<p> -"Tell us, my dear Celadon," added Lauriane, affectionately, "tell us -your sorrows!" -</p> -<p> -"My sorrows are dispelled, and, if you allow me to retain your -friendship, I am the most fortunate of men. Listen, my friends," he -said, rising with some effort. "The day before yesterday you heard a -prophecy made by people who were not really sorcerers: 'Within three -days, three weeks, or three months, you will be a father?'" -</p> -<p> -"Even so," said De Beuvre, recurring to his jesting humor; "do you -believe that the prophecy will be fulfilled?" -</p> -<p> -"It is fulfilled, my good neighbor. I am a father, and it is no longer -for myself that I ask, from you and the divine Lauriane, seven years of -hope and sincere affection: but for my heir, my only son, -for——" -</p> -<p> -At that moment the folding-doors were thrown open, and Adamas, arrayed -in state, announced in a ringing voice and with an air of triumph: -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le Comte Mario de Bois-Doré!" -</p> -<p> -Everybody was surprised; for the marquis did not expect his son to -appear so soon, and he did not know what sort of costume they would -succeed in arranging for him. -</p> -<p> -What was his joy when he saw that Mario also was dressed <i>à la -paysanne</i>, that is to say in a costume exactly similar in material and -cut to that which he himself wore; the satin doublet with innumerable -little slashes on the arms; the <i>colletin sans ailerons</i>, or shoulder -cape without flowing sleeves, of white velvet slashed with silver; the -full trunk hose, four ells in width, gathered below the knee, fastened -with pearl buttons, and open a little at the side to show the -rose-shaped buckle of the garter; silk-stockings, and shoes <i>à -pont-levis</i>, fastened with buckles in the shape of roses; the ruff <i>à -confusion</i>, that is to say of several rows of unequal size, with tucks -of varied patterns; the plumed hat, diamonds everywhere, a little -baldric all studded with pearls, and a tiny rapier which was a veritable -chef-d'œuvre! -</p> -<p> -Adamas had passed the night selecting, planning, cutting and fitting; -the morning in trying on. The skilful Moor and four other women had -risen before daylight and sewed for their lives. Clindor had ridden ten -leagues to procure the hat and the shoes. Adamas had arranged feathers -and decorations and ornaments; and the costume, which was in most -excellent taste, well cut and substantial enough to last several days -without being made over, was a wonderful success. -</p> -<p> -Mario, beribboned and perfumed like the marquis, with his naturally -curly hair, and over his left ear a rosette of white ribbons with a huge -diamond in the centre and silver lace below, came forward with much -grace. He was no more awkward than if he had been brought up as a -gentleman. He wore his rapier gracefully, and his appealing beauty was -heightened by all that white, which gave him the aspect of an innocent -maiden. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane and her father were so thunderstruck by his face and his -bearing, that they rose spontaneously as if to receive a king's son. -</p> -<p> -But there was more to come. Adamas, while coaching his young lord, had -tried to teach him a complimentary speech, taken from <i>Astrée</i>, for -Lauriane. To learn a few sentences by heart was a small matter to the -intelligent Mario. -</p> -<p> -"Madame," he said, with a fascinating smile, "it is impossible to see -you without loving you, but even more impossible to love you without -loving you beyond words. Allow me to kiss your lovely hands thousands of -times, which number will fall far below the number of deaths which your -denial of this petition will inflict upon me." -</p> -<p> -Mario paused. He had learned very rapidly, without reflecting or -understanding. The meaning of the words he was repeating suddenly struck -him as very comical; for he was in no wise inclined to suffer so -terribly if Lauriane refused to receive the thousands of kisses which he -was not particularly desirous to give her. He was sorely tempted to -laugh, and he glanced at the young lady, who had a similar desire, and -who offered him both hands with a playful and sympathetic air. -</p> -<p> -He cast etiquette to the winds, and following the impulse of his natural -trustfulness, threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on both -cheeks, saying out of his own head: -</p> -<p> -"Bonjour, madame; I beg you to like me, for I think you are a lovely -lady, and I love you dearly already." -</p> -<p> -"Forgive him," said the marquis, "he is a child of nature." -</p> -<p> -"That is why he attracts me," Lauriane replied, "and I waive all -ceremony." -</p> -<p> -"Hoity-toity!" exclaimed De Beuvre, "what does this mean, neighbor, this -pretty boy? If he is yours, I congratulate you: but I would not have -believed——" -</p> -<p> -Guillaume d'Ars was here announced, with Louis de Villemort and one of -the young Chabannes, who had called upon him in the morning, and to whom -he had told the tale of the miraculous recovery of Florimond's son. -</p> -<p> -"Is this he?" cried D'Ars, as he entered the room and gazed at Mario. -"Yes, it is my little gypsy. But how pretty he is now, mon Dieu! and how -happy you should be, my cousin! <i>Tudieu</i>, my gentleman," he said to -the child, "what a fine sword you have there, and what a gallant costume! -You wish to put your friends and neighbors to the blush! You outdo us -entirely, that is clear, and we cut no figure at all beside you. Come, -tell us your pet name, and let us become acquainted; for we are kinsmen, -by your leave, and it may be that I can serve you in some thing, were it -only to teach you to ride!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! I know how," said Mario. "I have ridden <i>Squilindre</i>!" -</p> -<p> -"The big carriage horse? Tell me, my boy, did you find his trot -comfortable?" -</p> -<p> -"Not very," said Mario, laughing. -</p> -<p> -And he began to play and chatter with Guillaume and his friends. -</p> -<p> -"Come," said De Beuvre, leading Bois-Doré aside, "let me into the -secret, for I am wholly in the dark. You are gulling us, my dear -neighbor! you did not engender that noble boy! He is too young for that. -Is he an adopted child?" -</p> -<p> -"He is my own nephew," Bois-Doré replied; "he is the son of my dear -Florimond, whom you also loved, my neighbor!" -</p> -<p> -And he told Mario's story before them all, producing the evidence in -support of its truth, but without mentioning the name of D'Alvimar or -Villareal, and without hinting that he had discovered his brother's -assassins. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXVI">XXXVI</a></h4> - -<p> -In face of the letters, the ring and the seal, it was impossible to -treat this romantic adventure as a fable. -</p> -<p> -Everybody showered attentions on pretty Mario, who, by his ingenuous -nature, his affectionate manner and his fearless glance, won every heart -spontaneously and irresistibly. -</p> -<p> -"So you are no longer betrothed to our old neighbor," said De Beuvre to -his daughter, leading her apart, "but to his brat; for that seems to be -the scheme he has in mind now." -</p> -<p> -"God grant it, father!" replied Lauriane, "and if he recurs to the -subject, I beg you to do as I shall,—pretend to assent to that -arrangement, which the dear man is quite capable of taking seriously." -</p> -<p> -"He took it seriously enough when he sued in his own behalf!" rejoined -De Beuvre. "The difference in age between you and this little fellow is -reckoned by years, whereas, between the marquis and you, it can properly -be reckoned by fourths of a century. No matter! I see that the dear man -has lost all idea of time with respect to other people as well as -himself; but here he comes; I am going to stir him up a little." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, being called upon by De Beuvre to explain, declared most -solemnly that he had but one word, and that, having pledged his liberty -and his faith to Lauriane, he considered himself her slave, unless she -gave him back his promise. -</p> -<p> -"I give it back to you, dear Celadon!" cried Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -But her father interposed. He chose to tease her also. -</p> -<p> -"No, no, my child; this concerns the honor of the family, and your -father is not in the habit of allowing himself to be hoodwinked! I see -plainly enough that your whimsical and imaginative Celadon has conceived -a paternal affection for this handsome nephew, and that he is quite -content to be a father without having to take the trouble to be a -husband. Moreover, I see that he has taken it into his head to bequeath -his property to him, without regard to his future children; that is -something which I will not permit, and which it is your duty to prevent -by calling upon him to redeem his plighted word." -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre spoke with such a serious face that the marquis was -deceived for an instant. -</p> -<p> -"I can but believe," he thought, "that my good fortune rejuvenates me -much, and that my neighbor, who used to gird at me so, does not deem me -so venerable now. Where the devil did Adamas get the idea of suggesting -that step to me?" -</p> -<p> -Lauriane read his perplexity on his face and generously came to his -assistance. -</p> -<p> -"My honored father," she said, "this does not concern you, since our -dear marquis did not ask for my hand without my heart; so that, inasmuch -as my heart has not spoken, the marquis is free." -</p> -<p> -"Ta! ta! ta!" cried De Beuvre, "your heart speaks very loud, my child, -and it is easy to see, by your indulgence to the marquis, that it is of -him that it speaks!" -</p> -<p> -"Can it be true?" said Bois-Doré, faltering in his resolution; "if I -had that good fortune, nephew or no nephew, by my faith!——" -</p> -<p> -"No, marquis, no!" said Lauriane, determined to have done with her old -Celadon's dreamy projects. "My heart has spoken, it is true, but only a -moment ago, since I first saw your charming nephew. Destiny so willed, -because of my very great affection for you, which made it impossible for -me to have eyes except for someone of your family and someone who -resembles you. Therefore I am the one to break the bond between us and -declare myself unfaithful; but I do it without remorse, since he whom I -prefer to you is as dear to you as to myself. Let us say no more about -it then until Mario is old enough to entertain affection for me, if that -blessed day is destined to arrive. Meanwhile, I will try to be patient, -and we will remain friends." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, enchanted by this conclusion, warmly kissed the amiable -Lauriane's hand; but at that moment a terrific fusillade made the -windows rattle and brought all the guests to their feet. They ran to the -windows. It was Adamas, making a terrific uproar with all the falconets, -arquebuses and pistols that his little arsenal contained. -</p> -<p> -At the same time they saw the marquis's vassals and all the people of -the village thronging into the courtyard, shouting as if they would -split their throats, in concert with all the retainers and servants of -the château: -</p> -<p> -"Vive monsieur le marquis! Vive monsieur le comte!" -</p> -<p> -The good people were acting in implicit obedience to an order issued by -Aristandre, having no idea what it was all about; but what they did know -was that they were never summoned to the château without receiving a -banquet or some form of bounty, and they came without urging. -</p> -<p> -The windows of the salon were thrown open that the guests might listen -to the harangue, in the form of a proclamation, which Adamas declaimed -to that numerous audience. -</p> -<p> -Standing on the well, which had been covered by his orders so that he -might indulge without peril in animated pantomime, the radiant Adamas -improvised the most dazzling bit of eloquence that his Gascon ingenuity -had ever produced, that his ringing voice, with its soft southern -inflection, had ever thrown to the echoes. His gesticulation was no less -extraordinary than his diction. -</p> -<p> -It is to be regretted that history has not preserved the exact language -of this masterpiece; it had the fate of all products of inspiration: it -flew away with the breath that had given birth to it. -</p> -<p> -However, it produced a great effect. The result of poor Monsieur -Florimond's tragic death caused many tears to flow; and, as Adamas wept -easily and was ingenuously moved by his own eloquence, he was listened -to with the closest attention, even from the windows of the salon. -</p> -<p> -The guests were amused by the pathetic outburst of joy with which he -proclaimed the recovery of Mario, but the rustic auditory did not -consider it overdone. The peasant understands gestures, not words, which -he does not take the trouble to listen to; that would be labor, and -labor of the mind seems to him contrary to nature. He listens with his -eyes. So they were enchanted with the peroration, and good judges -declared that Monsieur Adamas preached better than the rector of the -parish. -</p> -<p> -The discourse at an end, the marquis went down with his heir and his -guests, and Mario fascinated and won the hearts of the peasants by his -affable manners and his sweet speech. -</p> -<p> -Being instructed by his father to bid the whole village to a grand -festival on the following Sunday, he did it so naturally and in terms -indicating such perfect equality, that Guillaume and his friends, and -even the republican Monsieur de Beuvre, had to remember that the child -himself was fresh from the sheepfold, to avoid being shocked. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, detecting their feeling, deliberated whether he should not -recall Mario, who was going from group to group, allowing himself to be -kissed, and returning the caresses with great heartiness. -</p> -<p> -But an old woman, the patriarch of the village, hobbled to him on her -crutches, and said in a a quavering voice: -</p> -<p> -"Monseigneur, you are blessed by the good Lord for being gentle and kind -to the poor and infirm. You have made us forget your father who was a -harsh man—harsh to you as well as to others. Here is a child who will -be like you and will keep us from forgetting you!" -</p> -<p> -The marquis pressed the old woman's hands and allowed Mario to do the -same by everybody. He asked them to drink his son's health, and himself -toasted the parish, while Adamas continued to wake the echoes with his -artillery. -</p> -<p> -As the multitude departed, the marquis spied Monsieur Poulain, who was -watching the proceedings from a small shed, where he had taken up his -position as in a box at the play. He cut off his retreat by going to him -and inviting him to supper, at the same time reproaching him for the -infrequency of his visits. -</p> -<p> -The rector thanked him with equivocal courtesy, saying with feigned -embarrassment that his principles did not permit him to break bread with -<i>pretenders</i>. -</p> -<p> -In those days men were called <i>reformers</i> or <i>pretended -reformers</i>, according to the supposed earnestness of their religious -opinions. When a person said <i>pretenders</i> simply, he thereby -proclaimed for himself an orthodoxy which refused to admit the bare idea -of a possible reformation. -</p> -<p> -This contemptuous expression wounded the marquis, and, playing upon the -word, he replied that he had no fiancés in his house.<a id="FNanchor_23_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_1" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> -</p> -<p> -"I thought that Monsieur and Madame de Beuvre were affianced to the -errors of Geneva," retorted the rector, with a sneering smile. "Have -they procured a divorce from them, following the example of monsieur le -marquis?" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le recteur," said Bois-Doré, "this is no time to talk -theology, and I admit that I understand nothing about it. Once, twice, -will you join us, with or without heretics?" -</p> -<p> -"As I have told you, monsieur le marquis, with them, it is impossible." -</p> -<p> -"Very well, monsieur," retorted Bois-Doré, with a display of temper -which he could not control, "that is as you choose; but, on those days -when you do not deem me worthy to receive you in my house, you will, -perhaps, do well not to come to my house to tell me so; for, as you are -unwilling to enter, I am wondering why you came here, unless it was to -insult those who do me the honor of being my guests." -</p> -<p> -The rector was seeking what he called persecution; that is to say, he -wished to irritate the marquis so as to put him in the wrong as between -themselves. -</p> -<p> -"As monsieur le marquis admitted all the people of my family to a -merry-making," he replied, "I supposed that I was bidden like the rest. -Indeed, I had imagined that this charming child, whose recovery you are -celebrating, would need my ministry to be received into the bosom of the -Church—a ceremony whereby the rejoicings should have been inaugurated -perhaps." -</p> -<p> -"My child has been brought up by a true Christian and a true priest, -monsieur! He needs no reconciliation with God; and as to the Moorish -woman, concerning whom you esteem yourself so fully informed, let me -tell you that she is a better Christian than many people who pride -themselves on their piety. Let your mind be at rest, therefore, and come -to my house, I beg you, with an open countenance and no mental -reservations, or do not come at all. That is my advice to you." -</p> -<p> -"I propose to deal frankly with you, monsieur le marquis," replied the -rector, raising his voice. "Witness the fact that I ask you plainly -where Monsieur de Villareal is, and how it happens that I do not see him -among your guests." -</p> -<p> -This insidious and abrupt attack nearly unhorsed Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -Luckily Guillaume d'Ars, who approached him at that moment, heard the -question and took it upon himself to answer it. -</p> -<p> -"You ask for Monsieur de Villareal," he said, bowing to Monsieur -Poulain. "He left the château with me last evening." -</p> -<p> -"Pardon me," replied the rector, saluting Guillaume with more courtesy -than he displayed toward Bois-Doré. "Then I can address a letter to him -at your residence, monsieur le comte?" -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur," replied Guillaume, annoyed by this persistence. "He is -not at my house to-day." -</p> -<p> -"But if he has gone temporarily only, you expect him to return this -evening, or to-morrow at latest, I presume?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know what day he will return, monsieur; I am not accustomed to -question my guests. But come, marquis; they are calling for you in the -salon." -</p> -<p> -He led Bois-Doré away toward the De Beuvres, to cut short the -interrogatories of the rector, who withdrew with a strange smile and -threatening humility. -</p> -<p> -"You were speaking of Monsieur de Villareal," said De Beuvre to the -marquis; "I heard you mention his name. How does it happen that we do -not see him here? Is he ill?" -</p> -<p> -"He has gone," said Guillaume, who was much embarrassed and disturbed by -all these questions before numerous witnesses. -</p> -<p> -"Gone not to return?" inquired Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -"Not to return," replied Bois-Doré firmly. -</p> -<p> -"Well," said she, after a brief pause, "I am very glad of it." -</p> -<p> -"Did you not like him?" said the marquis, offering her his arm, while -Guillaume walked by her side. -</p> -<p> -"You will think me very foolish," replied the young woman, "but I will -make my confession none the less. I ask your pardon, Monsieur d'Ars, but -your friend frightened me." -</p> -<p> -"Frightened you?—That is strange; other people have said the same -thing to me about him! How was it that he frightened you, madame?" -</p> -<p> -"He bears a striking resemblance to a portrait at our house, which you -probably have never seen—in our little chapel! Have you seen it?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes!" cried Guillaume, as if struck by a sudden thought; "I know what -you mean. He did resemble it, on my word!" -</p> -<p> -"He <i>did</i> resemble it! You speak of your friend as if he were dead!" -</p> -<p> -Mario interrupted the conversation. Lauriane, who had already conceived -a warm affection for him, chose to take his arm to return in doors. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume and Bois-Doré were left alone for an instant, behind the -others. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! cousin," said the young man, "what an extremely unpleasant thing it -is to have to conceal a man's death, as if one had reason to blush for -some dastardly deed, when, on the contrary——" -</p> -<p> -"For my own part, I should prefer to have no concealment whatsoever," -the marquis replied. "It was you who urged me to this deception; but if -it is burdensome to you——" -</p> -<p> -"No, no! Your rector seems to have some suspicions. My D'Alvimar made a -great show of piety. The cassock would be on his side, and it is too -dangerous a game to play in this neighborhood. Let us continue to hold -our peace until the story of your brother's cowardly murder has -circulated thoroughly, and do you show the proofs of it to everybody, -without naming the culprits. Then, when you do name them, everybody will -be disposed to condemn them. But tell me, marquis, do you know whether -the wretched man's body——" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, Aristandre has inquired. The lay brother did his duty." -</p> -<p> -"But there was something about this D'Alvimar that I cannot understand, -cousin. A man so well-born, and whose manners were so refined!" -</p> -<p> -"The ambition of a courtier and Spanish poverty!" replied Bois-Doré. -"And furthermore, cousin, there is a philosophical paradox that has -often come to my mind: that we are all equal before God, and that he -sets no more store by a nobleman's soul than by a serf's. On that point, -it may be that the Calvinist doctrine is not far out of the way." -</p> -<p> -"By the way," rejoined Guillaume, "speaking of Calvinists, cousin, do -you know that the king's affairs are going badly over yonder, and that -he is having no success at all in taking Montauban? I learned at -Bourges, from some very well-informed persons, that on the first pretext -the siege would be raised, and that may change the whole political -status once more. Perhaps you were a little too hasty about abjuring!" -</p> -<p> -"Abjuring! abjuring!" echoed Bois-Doré, shaking his head; "I never -abjured anything. I reflect, I discuss matters with myself, and I take -one side or the other, according to the arguments that come to my mind. -In reality——" -</p> -<p> -"In reality, you are like me," laughed Guillaume; "you think of nothing -except being an honest man." -</p> -<p> -The supper, although the party was small, was served with extraordinary -magnificence. The hall was decorated with flowers and foliage entwined -with gold and silver ribbons; the most beautiful pieces of silverware -and porcelain were brought forth; the dishes and wines were most -exquisite. -</p> -<p> -Five or six of the most intimate friends and neighbors had arrived at -the last stroke of the bell; their coming was another surprise for the -marquis. Adamas had sent messengers all over the neighborhood. -</p> -<p> -There was no music during the banquet; they preferred to talk, for they -had so much to say to one another! Adamas contented himself with a -flourish of trumpets in the courtyard to announce each course. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was seated opposite the marquis, with Mario at her right. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was of the party; they had no reason to fear the evil intentions -of any guest. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_23_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_1"><span class="label">[23]</span></a>The play upon words consisted in the fact that -<i>prétendus</i>, the word used by Monsieur Poulain, also, means <i>suitors</i>. -(Cf. the colloquial English phrase: his <i>intended</i>.)</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXVII">XXXVII</a></h4> - -<p> -Half an hour after they left the table, Adamas requested his master to -ascend with his guests to the Salle des Verdures, where a fresh surprise -was prepared. -</p> -<p> -It was an entertainment after the fashion then in vogue, carried out as -well as it was possible to do it on such brief notice and in so confined -a space. -</p> -<p> -The end of the room was fitted up as a stage, with rich carpets laid -upon trestles, bearing hangings for a frame, and natural foliage for -wings. -</p> -<p> -When they had taken their places, Lucilio played a beautiful piece by -way of overture, and Clindor the page appeared on the scene, in the -costume of a shepherd of romance. He sang divers pretty rustic couplets, -of Master Jovelin's composition; then he set about watching his flocks, -consisting of real lambs, well-washed and decked in ribbons, who behaved -exceedingly well on the stage. Fleurial the shepherd dog, also played -his part becomingly. -</p> -<p> -Soft, soporific music was played on the <i>sourdeline</i> to which the -shepherd fell asleep. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon a venerable old man came forward and searched the sleeper's -pockets and even the fleeces of the sheep with agonizing suspense. His -beard was so luxuriant, his white hair and eyebrows so bushy, that -nobody recognized him at first; but when he declaimed some lines of his -own composition to set forth the cause of his sorrow, they laughed -heartily as they recognized Adamas's Gascon accent. -</p> -<p> -That despairing old man was in pursuit of Destiny, which had stolen his -young master, his lord's beloved child. -</p> -<p> -The shepherd, suddenly awakened, asked him what he wanted. There was an -animated dialogue between them, wherein they repeated the same thing -many times, which, according to Adamas, had the advantage of forcing the -spectators to grasp what he called the <i>knot of the play</i>. -</p> -<p> -The shepherd assisted the old man in his search, and they were going -forward to attack a small fort among the branches at the back of the -stage, supposed to be in the distance, which was no other than that -formerly brought by the marquis <i>en croupe</i> from the château of -Sarzay, when a terrible giant, dressed in fantastic fashion, opposed their -progress. -</p> -<p> -This giant, enacted by Aristandre, expressed himself at first in an -unknown tongue. As he had declared that he was incapable of remembering -three words, Lucilio, who had consented to assist Adamas in staging his -work, had instructed the charioteer, in his rôle of giant, to use, at -random, any meaningless, incoherent syllables; it was enough that he -should have an awe-inspiring manner and an appalling voice. -</p> -<p> -Aristandre followed these instructions very well, but when Adamas -insulted and irritated him in the most stinging way, calling him -monster, ogre and wizard, the honest giant, not choosing to be outdone, -emitted such horrifying oaths in good Berrichon that they had to make -haste to kill him, to prevent him from shocking the audience. -</p> -<p> -This scene offended Fleurial, who was not brave, and who leaped over the -candle footlights to take refuge between his master's legs. -</p> -<p> -When the monstrous coachman was laid low by Adamas's trusty blade, the -little fort crumbled away as if by magic, and in its place a sibyl -appeared. -</p> -<p> -It was the Moor, to whom they had given some beautiful Oriental fabrics -in which she had arrayed herself with much taste and poetic beauty. -</p> -<p> -She was very lovely so, and was received with loud applause. -</p> -<p> -Poor woman! brought up in bondage and her spirit broken by persecution, -and thereafter happy with a thatched roof and the humblest employment, -under the protection of a poor priest, this was the first time in her -life that she had ever been richly clad, greeted affectionately by -wealthy people, and applauded for her grace and beauty without any -insulting hidden motive. -</p> -<p> -At first she did not understand; she was afraid and would have fled. But -Adamas opportunely made use of the five or six Spanish words he knew, to -encourage her under his breath and make her understand that she gave -pleasure to the audience. -</p> -<p> -Mercedes looked about for the one person who interested her most deeply, -and saw close beside her, in the wings, Lucilio the manager, also -applauding. -</p> -<p> -A flame darted from his black eyes; then, terrified by that gleam of -happiness, which she did not fully appreciate, she lowered her long -lashes until their velvety shadow fell upon her burning cheeks. She -seemed even more beautiful—why, no one could say—and the -applause burst forth anew. -</p> -<p> -When she had recovered her courage, she sang in Arabic; after which she -replied to Adamas's questions in a way that seemed not to satisfy him. -</p> -<p> -After a discussion in pantomime, accompanied by music, she promised the -child he sought, on condition that he should submit to the test of -fighting a horrible monster made of gilt paper, who came upon the stage, -bounding and vomiting flames. -</p> -<p> -The intrepid Adamas, determined to dare anything to bring back his -master's child to the fold, rushed to meet the dragon, and was on the -point of running him through with his invincible blade, when the -creature was rent in twain like an old glove, and the comely Mario -stepped forth, dressed as Cupid, that is to say, in pink and gold satin -embroidered with flowers, with a wreath of roses and feathers on his -head, bow in hand and quiver slung over his shoulder. -</p> -<p> -The transformation of a child into Cupid in a dragon's belly is not -readily discovered in Adamas's manuscript stage-directions; but it seems -that it was accepted as very pleasing, for that episode won the greatest -success. -</p> -<p> -Mario recited some complimentary lines in praise of his uncle and his -friends, and the sibyl predicted the loftiest destiny for him. She -produced from the bushes divers marvellous things: a horn of plenty -filled with flowers and bonbons, which the child tossed to the -spectators; then the portrait of the marquis, which the child kissed -with pious veneration; and, finally, two escutcheons of colored glass, -one with the arms of the Bourons de Noyer, the other with those of -Bois-Doré, united under a coronet from which ascended fireworks on a -small scale, in the shape of a sun. -</p> -<p> -Let us say a word in passing concerning this coat-of-arms of the -marquis. It was very interesting, because it was invented by Henry IV. -himself. -</p> -<p> -In heraldic language, it was thus described: "<i>Gules, a naked arm or, -coming from a cloud, holding a sword uppointed, accompanied, in chief, -by three hens diademed argent</i>;" that is to say, a deep red shield, in -the centre of which a right arm, coming forth from a cloud, held a sword -with the point in the air, pointed toward three hens wearing silver -crowns, placed above the said arm. -</p> -<p> -Around the crest was this motto: <i>All men are thus before me</i>. -</p> -<p> -If we remember how our good Sylvain was created a marquis, we shall -readily understand this emblem, which might have been considered -derisory, except for the corrective afforded by the motto, which might -be thus translated: "Before this arm there is no foe who does not -display the heart of a chicken." -</p> -<p> -The play was enthusiastically applauded. -</p> -<p> -The marquis wept tears of joy to see the charming manners of his son and -the zeal of old Adamas. -</p> -<p> -They ate sweetmeats, they fought for Mario's kisses, and they separated -at eleven o'clock, which was very late, according to the provincial -ideas in those days. -</p> -<p> -The next day there was a bird-hunt. Lauriane insisted that Mario should -be of the party. She lent him her white horse, which was gentle and -docile, while she courageously mounted Rosidor. The marquis did not lack -spare mounts. The sport was mild, as befitted those who were the heroes -of the day. Mario took so much pleasure in it that Lucilio feared that -the sudden excitement would be too much for that youthful brain, and -that it would make him ill or delirious. But the child proved that he -had an excellent mental organization: he was intensely amused by all -those novel experiences, and still he did not become over-excited; at -the slightest appeal to his reason he recovered his composure and obeyed -with angelic sweetness. His nerves were not overwrought, and he entered -into happiness as into a paradise of love and liberty of which he felt -that he was worthy. -</p> -<p> -The supper on this second day of rejoicing gathered other friends at -Briantes; on the following day occurred the fête given to the vassals, -a Pantagruelian banquet and dancing under the old walnut trees in the -enclosure. -</p> -<p> -A competition in arquebus shooting was organized by Guillaume d'Ars. -</p> -<p> -Mario suggested to the village urchins trials of skill in running and -sling-throwing, and obtained permission to resume, for the purposes of -that contest, his mountaineer's costume, in which he felt much more at -ease. -</p> -<p> -He displayed an agility and skill which filled his competitors with -admiration. No one could dream for an instant of disputing the prize -with him; so he modestly withdrew from the competition, in order that -the prize might be awarded equitably to some other. -</p> -<p> -The festivities were brought to a close by a ceremony at once artless -and ostentatious, and at bottom really touching. -</p> -<p> -In the centre of the labyrinth in the garden rose a little -thatch-covered structure in imitation of a cottage. -</p> -<p> -The marquis called it the <i>Palace of Astrée</i>. -</p> -<p> -They carried thither the coarse patched clothes which Mario wore when he -first entered the domain of his ancestors. They fashioned them into a -sort of rustic trophy, with the poor guitar which had been his -breadwinner on his journey, and hung the whole inside the cottage, with -garlands of foliage and a card, whereon were written, under date of that -memorable day, these simple words, selected and executed in his finest -script by Lucilio: "<i>Remember that thou wast poor once on a time</i>." -</p> -<p> -At the same time Mario was presented with a great basket containing -twelve new suits, which he had the pleasure of distributing to twelve -poor little boys grouped on the tiny stoop of the cottage. -</p> -<p> -Lastly, the marquis ordered placed in the chapel of the parish church a -small mausoleum in marble, dedicated to the memory of the kindly and -saintly Abbé Anjorrant. Lucilio made the drawing and composed the -inscription. -</p> -<p> -The guests separated and quiet reigned once more at the château of -Briantes. -</p> -<p> -The marquis thereupon began to think seriously of his son's education. -But if he had been left to himself, amid the preoccupations concerning -dress which filled so much space in his life, his heir might very well -have forgotten what Abbé Anjorrant had taught him, to acquire valuable -notions concerning the art of the tailor, bootmaker, armorer and -decorator. Luckily, Lucilio was there, and he was able to steal a few -hours every day from those trivial pursuits. -</p> -<p> -He too, the loving heart, grew to be ardently attached to his friend's -child, not only because of the friend, but also because of the child -himself, who, by virtue of his affectionate docility and the keenness of -his intellect, made the task of tutor, ordinarily so unpleasant and -wearing, most pleasurable. -</p> -<p> -And yet Lucilio's task was not an easy one. He felt that he had charge -of a soul, and of an infinitely pure and precious soul. He strove, first -of all, to protect that youthful conscience with a fortress of beliefs -and convictions against all the tempests of the future. The times they -lived in were so unsettled! -</p> -<p> -Certainly there was no lack of enlightenment or of most excellent -progressive ideas. It was the age of novelties, people said: detestable -novelties according to some, providential according to others. -Discussion was rife everywhere and among all classes; and then, just as -to-day and yesterday and always, vulgar minds believed that they had -discovered infallible truths. -</p> -<p> -But the world of intellect had lost its unity. Calm and impartial minds -sought justice, sometimes in one camp, sometimes in the other; and as in -both camps intolerance, error and cruelty were of common occurrence, -scepticism found its profit in folding its arms and asserting the -incurable blindness and weakness of the human race. -</p> -<p> -It was a period just subsequent to the bloody conflicts between the -Gomarists and Arminians. Arminius was no more; but Barneveldt had just -mounted the scaffold. Hugo Grotius had been sentenced to imprisonment -for life, and was meditating in prison his noble <i>Theory of the Law of -Nations</i>. The Reformers were widely at variance on the question of -predestination. Calvinism, with its appalling fatalistic doctrine, was -doomed in the consciences of right-minded men. The French Lutherans, -imitating Melancthon's return to the truth, and abandoning Luther's -deplorable doctrines concerning <i>free will</i>, now upheld divine justice -and human liberty. -</p> -<p> -But right-minded men are scarce at all periods. The Calvinist sect and -its fervent ministers protested in a large part of France against what -they called a return to the heresy of Rome. -</p> -<p> -The events that took place in our Southern provinces, the frenzied -meetings determining upon a resistance that had become anti-French, the -republican spirit, ill understood, seconding by obstinacy and ignorance -the deplorable projects of the Austro-Spanish policy, which aimed at -kindling civil war in France; the glorious but regrettable resistance at -Montauban; so much blood shed, so much heroism expended to perpetuate -the struggle which Rome and Austria found to their advantage, proved -plainly enough that the light of intelligence was behind a cloud, and -that no liberal mind could say to itself: "I will go into this church, I -will go into this army, and there I shall find unadulterated the best -social truths of my time." -</p> -<p> -It was not advisable therefore to pay too much heed to facts, and when -one was well-informed and intelligent, to believe in any special truth -above all those which were preached throughout the world, since the -sword, the halter, the stake, murder, rape and pillage were the methods -of conversion used by the opposing parties in dealing with one another. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio Giovellino reflected upon all these things and resolved to -proceed according to the Gospel as expounded by his own heart; for he -saw too clearly that that divine Book, in the hands of certain Catholics -and certain Protestants, might become and was becoming every day a code -of fatalism, a body of doctrine leading to brutalization and frenzy. -</p> -<p> -So he began to instruct Mario in philosophy, history, languages and the -natural sciences all at the same time, trying to deduce from them all -the logic and kindness of God. His method was clear and his explanations -concise. -</p> -<p> -Poor Lucilio had once been eloquent and had detested written speech; and -sometimes even now he suffered from being obliged to compress his -thought in a few words; but misfortune is always of some profit to the -elect. It happened that his disinclination to write long, and his -impatience to disclose his thought, compelled him and accustomed him to -summarize his ideas with marvellous clearness and force, and that the -child was nourished upon facts, without useless details and fatiguing -repetitions. -</p> -<p> -The lessons were surprisingly short, and carried with them to that young -mind a certainty of insight which was exceedingly rare at that time, and -for good reason. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, for his part, albeit he directed his child's attention to -trivial and foolish things, kept him pure and good, by virtue of that -mysterious insufflation which takes place between one noble nature and -another, without volition or knowledge. -</p> -<p> -All children are naturally disposed to resist too precise instruction; -they follow more readily an instinct which leads them, having itself no -knowledge where it is going. -</p> -<p> -When the marquis was disturbed in his puerile occupations, to render a -service or give alms, he never displayed either vexation or weariness. -He would rise, listen, ask questions, encourage and act. -</p> -<p> -Although naturally indolent and easy-going, he was never bored by any -complaint, never lost patience with any poor old woman's loquacity. -Thus, while apparently devoting his life to trifles, he passed very few -moments in that placid, benevolent life without doing good or affording -pleasure to somebody. -</p> -<p> -Thus his day, always begun with fine projects of work for his -son—he gave the name of work to attention to the toilet and -instruction in good manners,—was passed without deciding upon -anything, without undertaking anything, and leaving everything to the -wise decisions of Adamas and the captivating caprices of the child. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXVIII">XXXVIII</a></h4> - -<p> -Meanwhile, after the lapse of a few weeks, they had succeeded in -equipping Mario as a gentleman of quality, thanks to Adamas's untiring -zeal and the Moorish woman's clever wit, and the marquis had succeeded -in giving him some notions of horsemanship and fencing. -</p> -<p> -Moreover the old man and the child held mutually agreeable sessions -every morning for lessons in manners. The marquis would make his pupil -go in and out of the room ten times, to teach him how to enter -gracefully and courteously and how to retire modestly. -</p> -<p> -"You see, my dear count," he would say—that was the hour -at which they were supposed to address each other with graceful -formality,—"when a gentleman has crossed the threshold and -advanced three steps into an apartment, judgment has already been passed -upon him by such persons of merit or of quality as happen to be present. -It is most essential therefore that all of his own merit and quality -must appear in the carriage of his body and the expression of his face. -Until this day, you have been received with caresses and affectionate -familiarity, and have been relieved from the necessity of conforming to -social conventionalities of which you could know nothing; but this -indulgence will speedily cease, and if people see that you retain rustic -manners under such garments as these, they will blame your own -disposition or my indifference. So let us work, my dear count; let us -work seriously: let us repeat that last courtesy, which lacks -brilliancy, and try once more entering the room, which you did languidly -and without dignity." -</p> -<p> -Mario was entertained by this sort of instruction, which gave him an -opportunity to array himself in his finest clothes, look at himself in -the mirrors and stalk proudly across the room. He was so clever and so -graceful, that it cost him little trouble to learn that species of -majestic ballet, in the most minute details of which he was carefully -drilled, and his old father, who was much more of a child than he, knew -how to make the lesson amusing. It was a complete course in pantomime, -wherein the marquis, despite his years, was still an excellent -performer. -</p> -<p> -"Look you, my son," he would say, arranging his hair and his clothes in -a certain way, "this is the <i>matamora</i> style; look carefully at what I -do, in order that you may avoid doing it, unless in sport, and always -abstain from it in good society." -</p> -<p> -Thereupon he would represent a swaggering captain to the life, and Mario -would laugh until he rolled on the floor. For his own amusement he would -be permitted to enact the captain in his turn, and then it was the -marquis's turn to laugh until he fell back upon his chair exhausted; the -little fellow was such a clever, fascinating imp! -</p> -<p> -But we must return to the lesson. -</p> -<p> -Next the marquis would portray a loutish, dull, obtrusive boor, or a -sour, disagreeable pedant, or a sheepish simpleton; and as other actors -were needed to make the scene impressive, he would send for some members -of the household. They were fortunate when they could enlist Adamas and -Mercedes, who entered into the spirit of the thing with much zest and -cleverness. But Adamas was active and the Moor hardworking; they always -asked leave to go back to their work for Mario. -</p> -<p> -Then they would fall back upon Clindor, who was most willing, but was -built like a jumping-jack, and Bellinde, who was delighted to represent -a lady of quality, but who played that part in the most absurd and -laughable way. The marquis rallied her good-humoredly and called -attention to her absurdities, to enforce his precepts upon Mario, who -was much given to mockery and who made merry over the housekeeper's -foibles in a way to mortify her exceedingly. -</p> -<p> -She would go away in a rage, and Mario, laughing uproariously, and -forgetting that it was the hour for stately demeanor, would leap on the -marquis's knees, and kiss and fondle him; nor would the old man have the -courage to forbid him; for he too enjoyed it, nor was anything sweeter -to him than to have his child play with him as with a playmate of his -own age. -</p> -<p> -After dinner, they rode together. The marquis had procured for his heir -several of the prettiest jennets in the world, and he was an excellent -teacher. And so with fencing; but these exercises fatigued the old man -exceedingly, and he substituted other teachers, limiting his efforts to -directing them. -</p> -<p> -There was also a master in heraldry, who came twice each week. He bored -Mario considerably; but he made up his mind, with a resolution very rare -in a child, to object to nothing that his father imposed upon him so -gently. -</p> -<p> -He consoled himself for his studies in heraldry with his beautiful -little horses, his pretty little arquebuses, and Lucilio's lessons, -which attracted and interested him deeply. -</p> -<p> -He entertained for the mute a profound instinctive respect, whether -because his noble mind felt the superiority of so grand an intellect, or -because Mercedes's fervent veneration for Lucilio exerted a magnetic -influence upon him; for he remained in his heart the Moorish woman's -son, and, feeling that there existed a gentle jealousy between the -marquis and her on his account, he had the delicacy and the art to -devote himself equally to both, without arousing the apprehension of -those two childish hearts, at once generous and sensitive. -</p> -<p> -He had already served an apprenticeship in this matter of consideration -for his adopted mother, when they were living with Abbé Anjorrant; it -was not difficult for him to continue. -</p> -<p> -The study in which he took the most pleasure was that of music. -</p> -<p> -In that too, Lucilio was an admirable teacher. His delightful talent -charmed the child and plunged him into blissful reveries. But this task, -which would have absorbed all the rest, was thwarted to some extent by -the marquis, who considered that a gentleman should not study an art to -the point of becoming an artist, but should learn first what was called -the profession of arms, then a little of everything; "the best possible -subjects," he would say, "but not too much of anything; for a man who is -very learned in one subject disdains all others, and ceases to be -attractive." -</p> -<p> -Amid all these employments and amusements Mario grew to be the prettiest -boy imaginable. His complexion, naturally white, assumed a soft tone -like that of the inner petals of a flower, beneath the warm sun of -autumn in our provinces. His little hands, once rough and covered with -scratches, now gloved and cared for, became as soft as Lauriane's. His -magnificent chestnut hair was the pride and admiration of the -ex-wigmaker Adamas. -</p> -<p> -The marquis had wasted his efforts to teach him grace and charm of -manner by rules; he had retained his natural charm, and, as for the -graceful manners of a gentleman, he had acquired them instinctively on -the first day, when he put on the satin doublet. -</p> -<p> -So that the lessons in dancing which he received served only to develop -his physical organization, which was one of those which cannot be -destroyed. -</p> -<p> -As soon as his wardrobe was supplied, the marquis took him to pay visits -to all the neighbors within ten leagues. -</p> -<p> -The actual appearance of the child was a great event in the province, -for the jealous folk and the gossips had sneered about him at first as a -chimera and a shadow; but he assumed substance and reality every day. -</p> -<p> -When people saw him riding rapidly through the streets of La Châtre on -his little horse, escorted by Clindor and Aristandre, they began to -screw up their eyes and say to one another: -</p> -<p> -"So it was really true?" -</p> -<p> -They asked what his name was and what his name was to be. Would the -marquis, a man of quality, be content to have for his heir a petty -country squire? But had he the right to bequeath his title and his -<i>three hens diademed argent</i> to a Bouron? Would the present king -permit it? Was it not contrary to the laws and customs of the nobility? -</p> -<p> -A momentous question! -</p> -<p> -It was discussed for a fortnight, and then people ceased to discuss it; -for one soon wearies of subjects that require deep thought, and when -they saw the old marquis and the little count go out to dine with some -neighbor, both dressed exactly alike, whether in white <i>à la -paysanne</i>, or in sky blue trimmed with silver purl, or in apricot -satin with white feathers, or in <i>light green</i>, or in <i>peach -pink</i>, with ribbons interwoven with gold and silver, and both -reposing gracefully on the crimson cushions of the stately chariot, -drawn by their beautiful great horses as beplumed as themselves, and -followed by an escort of servants whom one might have taken for -noblemen, so well mounted and well armed they were, and resplendent with -gold lace, there was not a noble, bourgeois or villein, in town or -village, who did not jump to his feet, crying: -</p> -<p> -"Up! up! I hear the marquis's carriage coming! Come quickly and let us -see the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré ride by!" -</p> -<p> -While these things were taking place in the fortunate province of Berry, -the effervescence in the South of France was increasing in intensity. -</p> -<p> -About the 15th of November, there came reliable intelligence that the -king had been obliged to raise the siege of Montauban. -</p> -<p> -The young king was brave; he wept when he withdrew his forces. -</p> -<p> -Luynes, who had declared that he would subdue the party by corrupting -its leaders, had failed to seduce Rohan, the commanding-general in the -province and defender of the city. It was proved, unfortunately, that -that high-spirited nobleman was one of the rare exceptions, and that -Luynes's system was successful with the majority of the rebellious -nobles; but that system of <i>purchase</i> ruined France and debased the -nobility. -</p> -<p> -Louis XIII. was conscious of it at times, and found his efforts -neutralized by the incapacity and unworthiness of his favorite. -</p> -<p> -The army was inadequately supplied and poorly paid. The confusion was -scandalous; the king paid the wages of thirty thousand combatants, and -there was not an effective force of twelve thousand to take the field. -The officers were disheartened. Mayenne had been killed. The Spanish -Carmelite Domingo de Jesu-Maria, to whose sanctity and enthusiasm the -German fanatics attributed the victory of Prague, had prophesied in vain -under the walls of Montauban. -</p> -<p> -False miracles find fewer believers in France than elsewhere. The -Calvinists raised their heads, and in the early days of December -Monsieur de Bois-Doré received a visit from Monsieur de Beuvre, who was -in a state of intense excitement and said to him in confidence: -</p> -<p> -"I have come to consult you concerning a most important matter, my dear -neighbor. You know that, being closely allied to the Duc de Thouars, -head of the house of La Trémouille, to which I have the honor to -belong, I thought last spring of joining the people of La Rochelle. You -prevented me, assuring me that the duke would melt away like snow before -the king; and it happened as you predicted. But because my kinsman the -duke committed an error, it does not follow that I was justified in -doing the like, and I reproach myself for abandoning my cause, -especially at the moment when it is recovering strength." -</p> -<p> -"Evidently your tongue betrays you, neighbor," replied Bois-Doré -artlessly; "you mean that the cause is in great need of you; for, if you -hurry to its assistance because it has the upper hand, I do not see -wherein your merit lies." -</p> -<p> -"My dear marquis," replied De Beuvre, "you have always prided yourself -on your chivalrous notions; but I am a plain man, and I speak of things -as they are. You are rich, your fortune is made, your career is -finished; you can afford to philosophize. I, although I am not poor, -have lost much of my property through having played my hand badly in -these last years. I feel active still, and inaction is tedious to me. -And then I cannot endure the airs of superiority that the old Leaguers -assume here in our province. The mischief-making of the Jesuits drives -me frantic. Must I abjure, pray, if I wish to live in peace, like you?" -</p> -<p> -"Like me?" said the marquis, with a smile. -</p> -<p> -"I know that your abjuration did not make a great sensation," replied De -Beuvre; "but, however that may be, it is too early for me to do it; I -prefer to fight, and I have five or six years of activity and good -health to do it." -</p> -<p> -"But you are very stout, neighbor!" -</p> -<p> -"You think that I am growing stout, because you do not see yourself -getting thin, neighbor! It is you who are becoming hollower, not I more -corpulent." -</p> -<p> -"Very well! I understand your reasons for making this campaign. You -think that it will be successful; but you are mistaken. The leaders and -the troops, the bourgeois and the ministers, all fight gallantly on a -certain day; but on the following day, they separate; they abhor one -another, they insult one another and each goes his own way. The game has -been lost ever since Saint Bartholomew, and the King of the Huguenots -won it only by abandoning the cause. He chose to be a Frenchman first of -all; and this that you propose will be of advantage neither to France -nor to yourself." -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre could not endure contradiction. He persisted, and taunted the -marquis with his lack of religious principle, albeit he himself was the -most sceptical of men. -</p> -<p> -As he listened to him, Bois-Doré saw plainly that he was tempted by the -excellent terms which the king was compelled to grant the Calvinist -nobles, whenever the royal cause received a check. De Beuvre was not a -man to sell himself, like so many others, but to fight stubbornly, and, -if victorious, to take advantage without scruple of the opportunity to -be most exacting in his demands. -</p> -<p> -"Since your mind is made up," said the marquis gently, "you ought to -have told me so at once, instead of asking my advice. I have only one -other consideration to urge upon you. You propose to equip yourself and -take the best of your people with you for this campaign. Think of the -annoyance that may be caused your daughter if the Jesuits should take it -into their heads to call Monsieur de Condé's attention to your absence! -And be sure that they will not fail to do it, that the château of La -Motte-Seuilly will be occupied in the king's name by evil-minded men; -that your daughter will be exposed to insult——" -</p> -<p> -"I do not fear that," said De Beuvre. "I shall be supposed to be at -Orléans, where everyone knows that I have a law-suit. I will go thence, -quietly, toward Guyenne, where I will assume some old <i>nom de guerre</i>, -as the custom is, to protect my property and my family during my -absence; I will be Captain Chandelle or Captain La Paille, or -Captain—no matter what." -</p> -<p> -"All that is often done, I know," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but it doesn't -always succeed; I promise to defend your château as effectively as I -and my people can do it; but if I were not afraid of making an -indelicate suggestion, I would offer to take your Lauriane into my -family during your absence." -</p> -<p> -"Offer, offer, neighbor! I accept, nor do I see wherein the indelicacy -consists. There is no impropriety in a woman's being in any place where -her virtue or her good name are not in danger, and I am entirely unable -to see that my daughter runs the risk of losing her heart or her reason, -with you who might be her grandfather, your little one who is only a -school-boy, your philosopher whose tongue cannot offend, and your page -who looks like a monkey. So I will bring her to you to-morrow, and leave -her with you until my return, well-assured that she will be happy and -safe under your roof, and that you will be to her, as to me, the best of -friends and neighbors." -</p> -<p> -"You can rely upon it," replied Bois-Doré. "I will go to fetch her -myself. My chariot is large enough; she can put her most valuable -property in it, without letting the neighbors know too soon that she is -doing anything more than taking one of her ordinary excursions." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXIX">XXXIX</a></h4> - -<p> -On the following morning Lauriane was installed at Briantes, in the -Salle des Verdures, which the ingenious Adamas soon converted into a -luxurious and comfortable apartment. -</p> -<p> -The Moor asked leave to wait upon the young lady, who inspired -confidence and sympathy in her, and Lauriane, who on her side had much -regard and liking for her, asked her to sleep in the closet adjoining -her enormous room. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane parted from her father most courageously. The noble-hearted -child, living herself on faith and enthusiasm, suspected no selfish -calculation on his part. She would have found it difficult to understand -what it meant to be guided in one's reasoning, doubts and decisions by -personal interest. She knew that her father was as brave as a lion and -that his quick temper and the pride of gentle birth made him frank and -outspoken; that was enough for her to make a hero of him. -</p> -<p> -He was conscious of the innocence and the noble instincts of that young -mind, and he would not have dared to lower himself in her esteem by -allowing her to discover how much more truly than she supposed he was the -<i>honest man</i> of his time; that is to say, the man who did as little -harm as possible, while taking care to keep his neck out of the collar. -</p> -<p> -The day of ideal virtues had passed: the world had entered "the brambles -of that shocking 17th century; an imposing desert, wherein moral and -material subsistence becomes more and more inadequate, wherein nature at -last ceases to support man; wherein the exhausted earth fails under -him."<a id="FNanchor_24_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_1" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> Men who had grown old in the struggles of the preceding -century were not the men to rejuvenate the new century. But the children -had courage; they always have when they are left to themselves! -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, moved to enthusiasm by the gallant conduct of the Rohans and -La Forces at Montauban, urged her father to go, believing that his only -thought was to uphold the honor of the cause, and that he, like herself, -had naught in view but to preserve, at the price of fortune, of life, if -need be, the dignity and liberty of conscience granted by Henri IV. -</p> -<p> -She did not shed a tear as she gave him the last kiss; she followed him -with her eyes along the road, as long as she could see him; and, when he -was out of sight, she returned to her room and fell to sobbing. -</p> -<p> -Mercedes, who was working in the closet, heard her and walked to the -door, but dared not approach. She regretted that she did not know her -language so that she could comfort her. -</p> -<p> -The maternal instinct was so strong within her that she could not see a -young heart suffer without suffering herself, and without a feeling that -she must go to its aid. She thought of going in search of Mario; it -seemed to her that no sorrow could hold out against the aspect and the -caresses of her beloved child. -</p> -<p> -Mario came softly in on tiptoe and stood close beside Lauriane without -betraying his presence. Lauriane was already his darling sister. She was -so kind to him, so playful, so anxious to amuse him when he passed the -day with her! -</p> -<p> -Seeing her weep, he was frightened; he believed, with everybody else, -that Monsieur de Beuvre was absent for a few days only. -</p> -<p> -He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she had placed her feet, -and gazed at her speechless. At last he ventured to take her hands. -</p> -<p> -She started, looked up, and saw before her that angelic face, smiling at -her through tear-bedewed eyes. Touched by the child's sensibility, she -pressed him to her heart with the utmost warmth and kissed his lovely -hair. -</p> -<p> -"What is the matter, pray, my Lauriane?" he asked, emboldened by this -outburst. -</p> -<p> -"Why, my poor darling," she replied, "your Lauriane is grieved, as you -would be if your dear father the marquis should go away." -</p> -<p> -"But your papa will return soon; he told you so when he went." -</p> -<p> -"Alas! my Mario, who can say that he will return at all? When one is -travelling, you know——" -</p> -<p> -"Has he gone very far away?" -</p> -<p> -"No, but—Nay, nay, I will not make you unhappy. I must go out and -take the air. Will you come with me and find your dear father?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Mario, "he is in the garden. Let us go. Would you like me to -go and get my white goat to amuse you with her capers?" -</p> -<p> -"We will go together to look for her; come!" -</p> -<p> -She went out leaning on his arm, not like a lady leaning on the arm of a -gallant, but like a mother, with her boy's arm passed through hers. -</p> -<p> -As they descended the stairs they found Mercedes, whose lovely eyes -rested caressingly on them as they passed. Lauriane, who could make -herself understood by signs, needed only to look at her to understand -her. She divined her loving solicitude and held out her hand, which -Mercedes would have kissed. But Lauriane would not permit it, and kissed -her on both cheeks. -</p> -<p> -Never before had a Christian kissed the Moor, although she was herself a -Christian. Bellinde would have considered that she disgraced herself by -bestowing the slightest caress upon her, and, deeming her a heathen, she -even objected to eating in her company. -</p> -<p> -The noble-hearted little dame's fascinating cordiality was therefore one -of the greatest joys in that poor creature's life, and, from that -moment, she almost divided her affection between her and Mario. -</p> -<p> -She had always refused to try to learn a word of French, even striving -to forget the little Spanish that she knew, having an exaggerated fear -of forgetting the language of her fathers, as she had sometimes found -that it was forgotten by Moors isolated from their countrymen in foreign -lands, to whom she had not been able to make herself intelligible. -Hitherto it had been sufficient for her to be able to speak with the -learned Abbé Anjorrant, with Mario, and of late with Lucilio. But the -longing to talk with Lauriane and the kind-hearted marquis caused her to -overcome her repugnance. Indeed, she felt that it was her duty to -acquire the language of those affectionate people, who treated her as a -member of their race and their family. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane undertook to act as her teacher, and in a short time they were -able to understand each other. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane soon found herself very happy at Briantes, and, if it had not -been for the absence of her father, from whom, however, she soon -received good news, she would have been happier than she had ever been -in her life. -</p> -<p> -At La Motte-Seuilly she was almost always alone, as the robust De Beuvre -hunted in all weathers, loving to tire himself out; and, despite his -affection for her, he neglected the innumerable little delicate -attentions, the ingenious indulgences which the marquis placed at the -service of women and children. -</p> -<p> -Brought up somewhat sternly, she had had to resign herself to be a -little stern to herself, especially as the idea of a long widowhood had -presented itself to her mind as a result of the environment and the -circumstances in which her lot was cast. There had been moments when, -although she was not as yet conscious of a desire to lean upon a heart -not far removed in age from her own, she had felt that her own courage -bruised her, like a suit of armor that was too heavy for her slender -limbs. She had hardened herself by outbursts of piety and of resolution; -she had already almost succeeded in forcing herself to laugh when she -longed to weep; but nature resumed its rights. -</p> -<p> -When alone, she often wept in spite of herself, involuntarily yearning -for companionship, affection, a mother, a sister, a brother, a smile, a -pleasant word which would assist her to breathe and bloom in a softer -air than that of the chilling gloom of her old manor-house, the -depressing memory of the Borgias, and the political harangues of her -satirical and discontented father. -</p> -<p> -Thus a rapid transformation took place in her at Briantes. She became -what she longed to be, what she could not have ceased to be except for a -painful straining of her will, and what nature willed that she should be -once more: a child. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, having joyously cast aside the thought of making her his -wife, resolutely treated her as his daughter, taking pleasure in the -idea that she was so young that he could readily, without making himself -out too old, look upon her as Mario's older sister. -</p> -<p> -Moreover it happened that his extraordinary coquetry was even better -served by two children than by a single one. Those youthful companions, -whose delicate colors he loved to wear, and whose innocent amusements he -loved to partake, made him younger in his own opinion, to such a degree -that he sometimes persuaded himself that he was a mere boy. -</p> -<p> -"There are people who grow old, you see," he would say to Adamas; "I am -not one of that sort, for I enjoy myself only with innocent youth. I -tell you, my friend, I have returned to my golden age, and my ideas are -as pure and joyous as those of the little sweetheart and cherub yonder." -</p> -<p> -Thus Lauriane, Mario and the marquis became inseparable, and their days -passed in a constant succession of amusements interspersed with earnest -study and good deeds. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane had had no education at all. She knew nothing. She desired to -attend the lessons Jovelin gave Mario in the large salon. She would -listen, embroidering the marquis's crest upon a piece of tapestry; and -when Mario had read or recited his lesson, he would place Lucilio's -written demonstrations on her lap and read them over with her. Lauriane -was amazed to find how readily she understood things that she had -believed to be beyond a woman's intelligence. -</p> -<p> -She enjoyed the music lesson exceedingly, and sometimes played the -theorbo prettily while the Moor sang her sweet laments. -</p> -<p> -The marquis would lie stretched out in his long chair throughout these -little concerts, gazing at the characters on the <i>Astrée</i> tapestry, -and would doze beatifically, fancying that he saw them move or heard them -sing. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio too had his share in this family happiness, which caused him to -forget to some extent the solitude of his heart and his ghastly future. -</p> -<p> -The stern yet simple-minded philosopher was not yet too old to love; but -he thought that he ought not to aspire to it, and, after having felt its -ardent flames more than once, he feared that he might fall into some -mere sensual connection, in which his heart would not be included. He -resigned himself therefore to live by devotion to others and to abandon -all illusions finally and absolutely. -</p> -<p> -He who had endured imprisonment, exile and poverty, and had undergone -martyrdom, appealed to himself to conquer the craving for happiness as -he had conquered all the rest, and he always emerged tranquillized and -triumphant from these meditations; but triumphant as one is after the -torture: a blending of feverish excitement and prostration, on one side -the heart, on the other the body; a life whose equilibrium is destroyed -and in which the mind can no longer tell in what sort of a world it is. -</p> -<p> -And yet Lucilio exaggerated his misfortune to himself. He was beloved, -not by a mind of rare intelligence—that is what he needed, at least -he thought so, to reconcile himself to his tragic destiny—but by a -heart. -</p> -<p> -Before his learning and his genius, Mercedes was like a rose before the -sun. She drank in its rays without understanding them; but she was -enamored of his gentleness, his courage and his virtue, and her loving -heart was prostrate before him. She did not resist the sentiment, but -cherished it as a religious duty; she said nothing, however, because she -had more fear than hope. -</p> -<p> -We must not forget to mention in its place a little domestic revolution -that occurred at the château of Briantes a few days after Monsieur de -Beuvre's departure; for the importance of this seemingly trivial -incident became grievously manifest later to the too happy inmates of -the château. -</p> -<p> -Although the younger of the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré was not always -the more child-like, Mario sometimes displayed a mischievous tendency, -especially when, as Adamas expressed it, "he and the little madame had -had their heads together." He was too kind-hearted and affectionate ever -to torment animals or human beings; he never had occasion to reproach -himself for pulling Fleurial's ear or addressing an unpleasant word to -Clindor; but inanimate things did not always inspire in him the respect -that certain of them inspired in the marquis. Of this number were the -little statues from the romance of <i>Astrée</i>, which embellished the -gardens of <i>Isaure</i> and the famous labyrinth, and the den of old -Mandrague, by which he had been much entertained at first, but which -gradually began to pall upon him as playthings too utterly devoid of -life. -</p> -<p> -One day, when he was trying a great wooden sabre which Aristandre had -carved for him, he pretended to threaten with it one of the stucco -personages representing the disguised Filandre, that is to say the -<i>pretended</i> Filandre, because, as everyone knows, resembling his -sister Callirée so closely that it was impossible to distinguish them, he -donned female clothes in order to obtain admission to the private -apartments of the nymph he loved. -</p> -<p> -The shepherd was represented in that female disguise, and the artist -employed to mould the figures, trusting to the explicitly alleged -resemblance of the brother and sister, had ventured to spare his -imagination some labor by employing the same model for the two figures -facing each other, with those of Amidor, Daphnis, etc., in the -<i>rond-point</i> of verdure, called the <i>grove of the errors of -love</i>. -</p> -<p> -So, to distinguish the brother from the sister, the marquis had written -on the pedestal of the brother a fragment of the long monologue which -begins thus: "O vainglorious Filandre, who can ever pardon thy fault, -etc.?" -</p> -<p> -That crafty individual's face was so stupid, that Mario, while not -precisely hating him, loved to laugh at him and threaten him. He had -previously dealt him several harmless blows; but on this day, seeing -that the challenge he hurled at him amused Lauriane, he aimed a -sword-thrust at him with more force than he intended, and sent poor -Filandre's nose flying to the ground. -</p> -<p> -The exploit was no sooner performed than the child regretted it. His -father was as fond of Filandre as of the other shepherds. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, after much searching, found the unfortunate nose in the grass, -and Mario, climbing on the pedestal, stuck it on as well as he could -with clay. But it was frosty weather and the next morning the nose was -on the ground. They stuck it on again; but the disguised Filandre was -such an idiot that he could not keep his nose, and at last the marquis -passed by at a time when he was without it. -</p> -<p> -Mario confessed; kind-hearted Sylvain saw his remorse and did not scold -him. But the next day not only was Filandre minus his nose, but his -sister Callirée; and on the next day Filidas and the incomparable Diane -herself were in the same plight. -</p> -<p> -This time Bois-Doré was seriously distressed and sorrowfully reproved -his child, who began to weep bitterly, declaring with evident sincerity -that he had never in his life broken off any other nose than the -vainglorious Filandre's. Lauriane also asserted her young friend's -innocence. -</p> -<p> -"I believe you, my children, I believe you," said the marquis, dismayed -by Mario's tears. "But why this grief, my son, since you are not the -culprit? Come, come, do not weep any more. I blamed you too hastily; do -not punish me for it by your tears." -</p> -<p> -They embraced affectionately, but this massacre of noses was most -surprising, and Lauriane observed to the marquis that some crafty and -evil disposed person must have done it for the purpose of making Mario -guilty in his eyes. -</p> -<p> -"That is certain," replied the marquis, thoughtfully. "It is one of the -vilest deeds imaginable, and I would like right well to find the author -of it and condemn him to lose his own nose! I would give him a good -fright, on my word!" -</p> -<p> -However, they tried to look upon it as nothing more than a piece of -childish folly, and suspicion fell upon the youngest person in the -château next to Mario. But Clindor displayed such righteous indignation -that the marquis had to apologize to him too. -</p> -<p> -On the following day, two or three more noses were missing, and the -indignant Adamas caused a guard to be stationed day and night in the -garden. -</p> -<p> -The vandalism ceased, and honest Lucilio, touched by Bois-Doré's -distress, compounded an Italian paste by means of which, with much -patience, he neatly replaced all the noses. -</p> -<p> -But who could be the perpetrator of the crime? Adamas suspected; but the -marquis, refusing to believe that anyone in his household was capable of -such infamous conduct, attributed it to some agent of Monsieur Poulain. -</p> -<p> -"That hypocrite," he said, "considering us all heathens and idolaters, -probably imagined that we worshipped those statues! And yet, Adamas, -they are all modest and decently dressed, as it is fitting that they -should be in a place where our children go to and fro." -</p> -<p> -"I would say with you that it is some villain who very evidently -entertains the detestable desire to cause monsieur le comte to be -scolded. Now, everybody here would lay down his life for him, they all -love him so, except one detestable creature——" -</p> -<p> -"No, no, Adamas!" rejoined the generous-hearted marquis. "It is -impossible! It would be too hateful on the part of one of the fair sex." -</p> -<p> -They were beginning to forget this momentous affair when something even -more unpleasant occurred. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_24_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_1"><span class="label">[24]</span></a>Michelet, unpublished letter.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) ***</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. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré Vol. 01 (of 2) - The masterpieces of George Sand Vol. 9 - -Author: George Sand - -Translator: G. Burnham Ives - -Illustrator: H. Atalaya - -Release Date: November 12, 2022 [eBook #69331] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Laura Natal Rodrigues (Images generously made available by - Hathi Trust Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE -BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) *** - - - THE MASTERPIECES OF - - GEORGE SAND - - - - - AMANDINE LUCILLE AURORE DUPIN, - BARONESS DUDEVANT - - - - - VOLUME IX - - - - - LES BEAUX - MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - - - - -[Illustration: _MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE -BREUVE._ - -_He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she -had placed her feet, and gazed at her speechless. -At last he ventured to take her hands._] - - - - - The Masterpieces of George Sand - Amandine Lucille Aurore Dupin, Baroness - Dudevant, _NOW FOR THE FIRST - TIME COMPLETELY TRANSLATED - INTO ENGLISH LES - BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - BY G. BURNHAM IVES_ - - - - - _WITH TWELVE PHOTOGRAVURES AFTER PAINTINGS BY - H. ATALAYA._ - - - - - _VOLUME I_ - - - - - _PRINTED ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS BY - GEORGE BARRIE & SON - PHILADELPHIA_ - - - - -CONTENTS -CHAPTER I -CHAPTER II -CHAPTER III -CHAPTER IV -CHAPTER V -CHAPTER VI -CHAPTER VII -CHAPTER VIII -CHAPTER IX -CHAPTER X -CHAPTER XI -CHAPTER XII -CHAPTER XIII -CHAPTER XIV -CHAPTER XV -CHAPTER XVI -CHAPTER XVII -CHAPTER XVIII -CHAPTER XIX -CHAPTER XX -CHAPTER XXI -CHAPTER XXII -CHAPTER XXIII -CHAPTER XXIV -CHAPTER XXV -CHAPTER XXVI -CHAPTER XXVII -CHAPTER XXVIII -CHAPTER XXIX -CHAPTER XXX -CHAPTER XXXI -CHAPTER XXXII -CHAPTER XXXIII -CHAPTER XXXIV -CHAPTER XXXV -CHAPTER XXXVI -CHAPTER XXXVII -CHAPTER XXXVIII -CHAPTER XXXIX - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - -VOLUME I - -MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE BEUVRE - -MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR - -BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS PROTÉGÉ - -MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN THE MARQUIS - -MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY - -THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS AND D'ALVIMAR - - - - -LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ - - - - -I - - -Among the numerous protégés of the favorite Concini, one of the least -remarked, yet one of the most remarkable by reason of his wit, -education, and the distinction of his manners, was Don Antonio -d'Alvimar, a Spaniard of Italian origin, who styled himself Sciarra -d'Alvimar. He was a very pretty cavalier, whose face denoted a man of no -more than twenty years, although at that time he confessed to thirty. -Rather short than tall, muscular without seeming to be so, skilful in -all manly exercises, he was certain to interest the ladies by the gleam -of his bright and penetrating eyes and by the charm of his conversation, -which was as light and agreeable with the fair sex as it was solid and -substantial with serious-minded men. He spoke the principal languages of -Europe almost without accent, and was no less versed in the ancient -languages. - -Despite all these appearances of merit, Sciarra d'Alvimar formed no -scheme for his own advancement amid the constant intriguing at the court -of the Regent; at all events, any that he may have dreamed of came to -nothing. He confessed afterward, in the strictest privacy, that he had -aspired to make himself agreeable to no less a personage than Marie de -Médicis herself, and to replace his own master and patron, Maréchal -d'Ancre, in that queen's good graces. - -But the _balorda_, as Leonora Galigai called her, paid no attention to -the humble Spaniard, and saw in him only a paltry adventurer--a -subaltern without future prospects. Did she even notice Monsieur -d'Alvimar's real or feigned passion? That is something that history does -not divulge and that D'Alvimar himself never knew. - -It is not an unreasonable supposition that he would have been capable of -pleasing the Regent by his wit and the charms of his person, had not her -thoughts been occupied by Concini. The favorite was of even lower -origin, and was not half so intelligent as he. But D'Alvimar had within -himself an obstacle to his attainment of the exalted fortune enjoyed by -the successful courtiers of the day--an obstacle which his ambition -could not overcome. - -He was a bigoted Catholic, and he had all the faults of the intolerant -Catholics of the Spain of Philip II. Suspicious, restless, vindictive, -implacable, he had abundance of faith nevertheless; but faith without -love and without light, faith falsified by the passions and hatreds of a -political system which identified itself with religion, "to the great -displeasure of the merciful and indulgent God, whose kingdom is not so -much of this world as of the other;" that is to say, if we apprehend -aright the thought of the contemporary author to whom we look for -information from time to time, the God whose conquests are supposed to -extend through the moral world by charity, and not through the material -world by the use of violence. - -It is impossible to say that France would not have been subjected in -some degree to the régime of the Inquisition, in the event that -Monsieur d'Alvimar had obtained possession of the Regent's heart and -mind; but such was not the case, and Concini, whose sole crime was that -he was not noble enough by birth to be entitled to rob and pillage as -freely as a genuine great nobleman of those days, remained until his -tragic death the arbiter of the Regents uncertain and venal policy. - -After the murder of the favorite, D'Alvimar, who had compromised himself -seriously in his service in the affair of the _Paris serjean_,[1] was -compelled to disappear to avoid being involved in the prosecution of -Leonora. - -He would have been very glad to insinuate himself into the service of -the new favorite, the king's favorite, Monsieur de Luynes, but he could -not bring it about; and, although he had no more scruples than "most -courtiers of his time, he felt that he could not stoop to the shuffling -of the royal party, whose policy was to yield many points to the -Calvinists, whenever they saw reason to hope that they could purchase -the submission of the princes who made use of the Reformed religion to -forward their ambition." - -When Queen Marie was in open disgrace, Sciarra d'Alvimar considered it -to be for his interest to display his fidelity to her cause. He -reflected that parties are never without resources, and that they all -have their day. Moreover, the queen, even though she were to remain in -exile, might still make the fortunes of her faithful adherents. -Everything is relative, and D'Alvimar was so poor that the gifts of a -royal personage, however nearly ruined she might be, offered an -excellent chance for him. - -He exerted himself, therefore, to assist in planning the escape from the -château of Blois, even as he had been employed, several years before, -in the third or fourth rôles in the various political dramas evolved -sometimes by the diplomatic manœuvres of Philip III., sometimes by -those of Marie de Médicis, their aim being to bring about _the -marriages_.[2] - -This Monsieur d'Alvimar was, generally speaking, sufficiently shrewd in -the interests of others, discreet and ready for work; but he was often -reproached with having a mania for giving his advice "where he should -have been content to follow that of other people," and for exhibiting an -ability of which he should have been content to leave the credit to his -superiors, "being as yet only an unimportant personage." - -Thus, despite his zeal, he did not succeed in drawing upon himself the -queen mothers attention, and, at the time of Marie's retirement to -Angers, he was lost to sight among the subaltern officers, tolerated -rather than popular. - -D'Alvimar was touched by these numerous rebuffs. Nothing seemed to -profit him, neither his comely face nor his fine manners, nor his -respectable birth, nor his learning, his penetration, his courage, his -agreeable and instructive conversation: "people did not like him." He -made a pleasant impression at first, but then--very quickly too--people -were disgusted by a touch of bitterness which he soon displayed; or else -they distrusted a flavor of ambition which he inopportunely allowed to -appear. He was neither Spanish enough nor Italian enough, or, perhaps, -he was too much of both: one day as talkative, persuasive and supple as -a young Venetian; the next day as haughty, obstinate and gloomy as an -old Castilian. - -All his disappointments were intensified by a certain secret remorse -which he did not reveal until his last hour, and which, as the narrative -proceeds, will be forcibly dragged forth from the oblivion in which he -wished to bury it. - -Despite our careful investigations, we lose sight of him more than once -during the years that elapsed between the death of Concini and the last -year of Luynes's life; with the exception of a few words in our -manuscript concerning his presence at Blois and at Angers, we find no -fact worthy of mention in his obscure and unhappy life until the year -1621, when, while the king was carrying on the siege of Montauban with -such ill success, young D'Alvimar was in Paris, still in the suite of -the queen-mother, who had been reconciled with her son after the affair -of the Ponts-de-Cé. - -At that time D'Alvimar had renounced the hope of winning her favor, and -perhaps he, too, in his rancorous heart called her _balorda_, although -for the first time she had given proof of good sense by bestowing her -confidence--and it was said her heart--upon Armand Duplessis. There was -a rival whom D'Alvimar could hardly hope to outshine! Moreover, the -queen, under Richelieu's guidance, adopted the policy of Henry IV. and -Sully. She combated for the moment the Spanish influence in Germany, and -D'Alvimar found himself almost in disgrace, when, to cap the climax of -his misfortunes, he became involved in a most unpleasant affair. - -He fell into a dispute with another Sciarra, a Sciarra Martinengo, whom -Marie de Médicis employed much more freely, and who refused to -acknowledge him as a kinsman. They fought: Sciarra Martinengo was -severely wounded, and it came to Marie's ears that Monsieur Sciarra -d'Alvimar had not scrupulously observed the laws of the duello as -practised in France. - -She summoned him to her presence and reprimanded him most brutally; -whereupon D'Alvimar retorted with the bitterness that had been long -heaping up within him. He succeeded in leaving Paris before measures -were taken for his arrest, and, early in November, arrived at the -château of Ars, in Berry, in the Duchy of Châteauroux. - -It will be well enough to state the reasons which led him to seek that -place of refuge in preference to any other. - -About six weeks before his unfortunate duel, Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar -had been brought into social relations with Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, an -amiable and wealthy young man, descended in a straight line from the -gallant Louis d'Ars, who had effected the honorable retreat from -Venouze, in 1504, and was killed at the battle of Pavia. - -Guillaume d'Ars had been fascinated by D'Alvimar's wit and by the very -great affability of which he was capable when the spirit moved him. He -had not had time to become well enough acquainted with him to conceive -the species of antipathy which the unfortunate young man almost -inevitably inspired, after a few weeks, in those who were much in his -company. - -Moreover, Monsieur d'Ars was a youth with little experience of the -world, and, as may well be believed, without great penetration. He had -been reared in the provinces, and had just made his first appearance in -Parisian society, when he met D'Alvimar, and became infatuated with him -because of the superior skill which he displayed, on occasion, in -horsemanship, hunting and tennis-playing. Generous and lavish, Guillaume -placed his purse and his arm at the Spaniard's service, and warmly urged -him to visit him at his château in Berry, whither he was recalled by -business of some sort. - -D'Alvimar profited discreetly by his new friend's generosity. Although -he had many faults, he could not be accused of showing any lack of pride -in the way of accepting offers of money, and yet God knows that he was -not rich, and that the whole of his slender revenue was none too much to -meet the demands of his wardrobe and his horses. He indulged in no -follies, and, "by the most painstaking economy, succeeded in appearing -as well clad and mounted as many others whose pockets were better lined -than his." - -But when he found that he was threatened with a criminal prosecution, he -remembered the overtures and invitations of the young Berry squire, and -adopted the wise plan of seeking refuge with him. - -He judged from what Guillaume had told him of his district, that it was -at that period the most tranquil province in France. - -Monsieur le Prince de Condé was its governor, and, being thoroughly -content with the fat sum by which he had been bought, he passed his time -partly in his château of Montrond at Saint Amand, partly in his good -city of Bourges, where he was heartily engaged in the king's service, -and even more heartily in that of the Jesuits. - -This so-called tranquillity of Berry would be considered in our day a -state of civil war, for many things were taking place there which we -shall narrate in their proper time and place; but it was a state of -perfect peace and orderliness if we compare it with what was taking -place elsewhere, and especially with what had taken place in the -preceding century. - -Thus Sciarra d'Alvimar was justified in hoping that he would not be -molested in one of the old châteaux of lower Berry, where the -Calvinists had attempted no sudden outbreaks for several years, and -where the royalist nobles, former Leaguers, _politiques_ and others, no -longer had the opportunity or the pretext to revictual their men-at-arms -at the expense of their neighbors, friends or foes. - -D'Alvimar reached the château of Ars one morning in autumn, about eight -o'clock, accompanied by a single servant, an old Spaniard, who claimed -to be of noble birth, but whom want had reduced to the necessity of -taking service, and who seemed in little danger of betraying his -master's secrets, for he spoke very little--sometimes not three words a -week. - -Both were well mounted, and, although their horses were laden with heavy -boxes, they had made the journey from Paris in less than seven days. - -The first person whom they saw in the courtyard of the castle was its -young lord, Guillaume, just mounting for something more than a morning's -ride, for he was attended by several of his retainers, prepared to ride -forth with him--that is to say, with their horses laden with luggage. - -"Ah! you arrive in the nick of time!" he cried, hastening to embrace -D'Alvimar; "I am just setting out to witness the fêtes to be given by -Monsieur le Prince at Bourges, to celebrate the birth of his son, the -Duc d'Enghien.[3] There will be whole days of dancing and play-acting, -target-shooting, fireworks, and a thousand other amusing things. Now you -have come, I will postpone my departure for a few hours so that you can -go with me. Come into my house, and rest and eat. I will see to it that -you are supplied with a fresh horse, for the one you are riding, well as -he looks, can hardly be in condition to do eighteen more leagues -to-day." - -When D'Alvimar was alone with his host, he told him confidentially that -he could not dream of attending any public festivities, and that what he -desired of him was not to be taken to any such function, however -diverting, but to be concealed in his château for a few weeks. Nothing -more was needed in those days to assure oblivion touching an affair so -frequent and so simple as death or wounds inflicted on an enemy, whether -in single combat or otherwise. It was merely a matter of securing a -protector at court, and D'Alvimar was relying upon the speedy arrival at -Paris of the Duke of Lerma, whose kinsman he was or claimed to be. The -duke was a personage of sufficient note to obtain his pardon, and even -to place his fortunes upon a better footing than before. - -Our Spaniard's version of his duel with Sciarra Martinengo--whether he -attempted to explain his having attacked him in violation of the rules, -or claimed to have been slandered in that respect, to Queen Marie as -well as to Monsieur de Luynes--was a matter to which Guillaume d'Ars -paid little heed. Like the loyal gentleman that he was, he had been -fascinated by D'Alvimar, and had no distrust of him. Moreover, he was -much more anxious to start than to remain behind, and it would have been -impossible to surprise him when he was less inclined to discuss any -question whatsoever. - -So he dismissed the serious part of the affair very lightly, and was -disturbed only by the possibility of being detained another day from the -fêtes at the capital of Berry. Doubtless there was, behind his -impatience, some _amourette_ to be carried to a conclusion. - -D'Alvimar, who saw his embarrassment, urged him to make no change in his -plans, but to suggest some village or farm on his domain where he could -safely remain. - -"It is my desire to shelter and conceal you in my own château, and not -in a village or a farm-house," Guillaume replied. "And yet I fear you -will be sadly bored in such seclusion, and, upon reflection, I have -thought of a better plan. Eat and drink; then I will myself escort you -to the abode of a kinsman and friend of my own who lives not more than -an hour's ride from here. There you will be as pleasantly entertained -and in as perfect security as possible in our province of Lower Berry. -In four or five days I will come and take you away again." - -D'Alvimar would have preferred to remain alone, but, as Guillaume -insisted, courtesy compelled him to assent. He refused to eat or drink, -and, remounting at once, he followed Guillaume d'Ars, who took with him -his retinue all equipped for travelling, as the road they were to take -deviated very slightly from the Bourges road. - - -[Footnote 1: Picard the shoemaker, a sergeant in the bourgeois -train-bands, where he possessed great influence. Concini, having -undertaken to disregard an order which Picard compelled him to obey, -caused the sergeant to be cudgelled. The popular wrath was so fierce -that Concini deemed his life in danger and left Paris. Two valets who -had acted for him were hanged.] - -[Footnote 2: Of Louis XIII. to Anne of Austria, and of Elisabeth, the -young king's sister.] - - -[Footnote 3: Who became the great Condé.] - - - - -II - - -They left the château by way of the warren, rode through a by-path to -the Bourges highroad, from which they soon turned to the right, and then -through other by-paths to the Château Meillant road, leaving on their -right the baronial town of La Châtre, and finally, leaving the -last-mentioned road, they descended across the fields to the château -and village of Briantes, which was the goal of their journey. - -As the country was really peaceful, the two gentlemen had ridden on -ahead of their little escort, in order that they might converse without -restraint; and this is how young D'Ars enlightened D'Alvimar: - -"The friend upon whom I propose to quarter you," he said, "is the most -extraordinary personage in Christendom. You must keep a close watch upon -yourself in order to stifle a wild desire to laugh when you are with -him; but you will be well rewarded for such tolerance as you may display -of his mental peculiarities by the great kindness of heart he will -manifest to everybody he meets. He is so kind-hearted that, if you -should happen to forget his name and ask the first passer-by, noble or -serf, where the _kind gentleman_ lives, he will direct you, and never -make a mistake as to the person you mean. But this requires an -explanation, and, as your horse has no great desire to hurry, and as it -is only nine o'clock at the latest, I propose to entertain you with your -host's story. Listen, I begin! _Story of the kind Monsieur de -Bois-Doré_! - -"As you are a foreigner, and have been in France no more than ten years, -you can hardly have met him, because he has been living on his estate -about the same time. Otherwise, you would certainly have remarked, -wherever you might have chanced to see him, the good, mad, gallant, -noble old Marquis de Bois-Doré, to-day lord of Briantes, Guinard, -Validé and other places; also, _abbé fiduciaire_ of Varennes, etc., -etc. - -"Despite all these titles, Bois-Doré does not belong to the great -nobility of the province, and we are related to him by marriage only. He -is a simple gentleman whom the late King Henri IV. made a marquis solely -through friendship, and who made a fortune, no one very well knows how, -in the wars of the Béarnais. We are compelled to believe that he must -have done more or less sacking and pillaging, as the custom was in those -days, and as is the well recognized privilege of partisan warfare. - -"I will not attempt to describe Bois-Doré's campaigns; it would take -too long. Let me tell you his family history simply. His father, -Monsieur de----" - -"Stay," said Monsieur d'Alvimar; "so this Monsieur de Bois-Doré is a -heretic, is he?" - -"Ah! deuce take it," replied his guide, laughing, "I forgot that you are -a zealot--a genuine Spaniard! We fellows hereabout do not care so much -about these religious disputes. The province has suffered too much -because of them, and we long for the time when France shall suffer no -more. We hope that the king will soon bring all those fanatics of the -South to terms at Montauban. We want them to have a sound thrashing, but -not the cord and the stake to which our fathers would have treated them. -Political parties are not what they used to be, and in our day people -don't damn one another so much as they used. But I see that my remarks -displease you, and I hasten to inform you that Monsieur de Bois-Doré is -to-day as good a Catholic as many others who have never ceased to be -Catholics. On the day when the Béarnais concluded that Paris was well -worth a mass, Bois-Doré concluded that the king could not be in error, -and he abjured the doctrine of Geneva, without publicity, but sincerely, -I think." - -"Return to the story of Monsieur de Bois-Doré's family," said -D'Alvimar, who did not choose to let his companion see with what -suspicious contempt he regarded new converts. - -"As you please," replied the young man. "Our marquis's father was the -sturdiest Leaguer in the neighborhood. He was the _âme damnée_ of -Monsieur Claude de la Châtre and the Barbançois; I need say no more. -He had, in the château where he lived, a nice little assortment of -instruments of torture for such Huguenots as he might capture, and did -not hesitate to plant his own vassals on the wooden horse when they -could not pay their dues. - -"He was so feared and detested by everybody, that he was universally -known as the _cheti' monsieur_, and with good reason. - -"His son, now Marquis de Bois-Doré, whose baptismal name is Sylvain, -suffered so heavily from his father's cruel disposition, that he began -at an early age to take an entirely different view of life, and showed -toward his father's prisoners and vassals a gentleness and condescension -that were perhaps too great on the part of a man of war toward rebels -and of a noble toward inferiors; witness the fact that these qualities, -instead of making him popular, caused him to be despised by the -majority, and that the peasants, who are ungrateful and suspicious as a -class, said of him and his father: - -"'One weighs more than he ought to; the other weighs nothing at all.' - -"They considered the father a hard man, but of sound understanding, -fearless, and quite capable, after squeezing and tormenting them, of -protecting them against the exactions of the tax-gatherer and the -pillaging of the brutal soldiery; whereas, in their opinion, young -Monsieur Sylvain would allow them to be devoured and trampled upon for -lack of heart and brain. - -"Now I don't know what it was that passed through Monsieur Sylvain's -brain one fine day, when he was sadly bored at the château; but the -result was that he fled from Briantes, where his good father blushed for -him, and considering him an imbecile, would never permit him to rise -above the station of a page, and joined the moderate Catholics, who were -then called the third party. As you know, that party many a time lent a -hand to the Calvinists; so that, proceeding from one error to another, -Monsieur Sylvain found himself one fine morning a full-fledged Huguenot, -and a close friend and well-beloved servitor of the young king of -Navarre. His father, having learned of it, cursed him, and, to be even -with him, conceived the scheme of marrying in his old age and presenting -him with a brother. - -"That meant a reduction by one-half of Monsieur Sylvain's already -slender inheritance; for, as a Huguenot, he was in danger of losing his -right of primogeniture, and the _cheti' monsieur_ was not very rich, his -estates having been laid waste many times by the Calvinists. - -"But observe the young man's natural goodness of heart! Far from being -angry, or even complaining of his father's marriage and the birth of the -child who bit his future crowns in two, he drew himself up proudly when -he heard the news. - -"'Look you!' he said to his companions. 'Monsieur my father has passed -his sixtieth year, and here he is begetting a fine boy! I tell you -that's good blood, which I trust that I inherit!' - -"He carried his good-humor farther than that; for, seven years later, -his father having left Berry to join Le Balafré against Monsieur -d'Alençon's expedition, and our soft-hearted Sylvain having heard that -his stepmother was dead, which left the child almost unprotected at the -château of Briantes, he returned secretly to the province, to defend -him at need, and, also, he said, for the pleasure of seeing him and -embracing him. - -"He passed the whole winter with the little fellow, playing with him and -carrying him in his arms, as a nurse or governess would have done; the -which made the neighbors laugh and think that he was far too -simple-minded--_innocent_--to use the term they apply to a man deprived -of his reason. - -"When the stern father returned after the Peace of Monsieur, -ill-pleased, as you can imagine, to see the rebels more generously -rewarded than the friends of the true faith, he flew into a furious rage -against the whole world, even against God Himself, who had allowed his -young wife to die of the plague in his absence. Looking about for -somebody to be revenged upon, he declared that his older son had -returned solely for the purpose of destroying the son of his old age by -witchcraft. - -"It was a most villainous charge on the old corsair's part, for the -child had never been in better health nor better cared for, and poor -Sylvain was as incapable of an evil design as the child unborn." - -Guillaume d'Ars had reached this point in his narrative, which had -brought them in sight of Briantes, when a sort of bourgeois maiden, -dressed in black, red and gray, with her dress turned up at the bottom -and cut high at the neck, came toward them, and, approaching young -D'Ars' stirrup, said, with repeated reverences: - -"Alas! monsieur, I fear that you have come to ask my honored master, the -Marquis de Bois-Doré, to entertain you at dinner. But you will not find -him: he is at La Motte-Seuilly for the day, having given us our liberty -until night." - -This intelligence was exceedingly annoying to young D'Ars, but he was -too well-bred to allow his annoyance to appear. He instantly determined -what course to pursue, and said, courteously uncovering: - -"Very well, Demoiselle Bellinde; we will go on to La Motte-Seuilly. A -pleasant walk and _bonjour_!" - -Then, to relieve his vexation, he said to Monsieur d'Alvimar, after -pointing out their new direction: - -"Is she not a most toothsome housekeeper, whose comely aspect gives one -a captivating idea of our dear Bois-Doré's abode?" - -Bellinde, who overhead this query, which was propounded aloud and in a -jovial tone, bridled up, smiled, and, summoning a little groom by whom -she was escorted as by a page, produced from her flowing sleeves two -small white dogs, which she bade him deposit gently on the turf, as if -to give them exercise, but in reality to have an excuse for facing the -cavaliers, and affording them a longer view of her fine new serge gown -and her plump figure. - -She was a damsel of some thirty-five years, high-colored, with hair of a -shade approaching red and by no means unpleasant to the eye; for she had -a great quantity of it, and wore it in curls under her cap, to the great -scandal of the ladies of the province, who reproached her for seeking to -rise above her station. But she had a malicious expression, even when -she strove to be agreeable. - -"Why do you call her Bellinde?" queried D'Alvimar, "Is it a common name -in the province?" - -"Oh! by no means; her name is Guillette Carcot; Monsieur de Bois-Doré -christened her according to his custom. It's a mania of his, which I -will explain to you very soon. I must first tell you the rest of his -story." - -"It is needless," replied D'Alvimar, stopping his horse. "Despite your -courtesy and the good grace with which you endure disappointment, I see -plainly enough that I am a considerable burden to you. Let us go on to -the château of Briantes, and do you leave me there with a letter to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, introducing me to him. As he is to return -to-night, I will wait for him and rest a little meanwhile." - -"No, no!" cried Guillaume, "I should prefer to abandon the pleasures of -Bourges, and I should have done so already, were it not for the promise -I have made to some of my friends to be there this evening. But I -certainly will not leave you until I have myself commended you to the -care of an agreeable and faithful friend. La Motte-Seuilly is not a -league away, and there is no need to tire our horses. Let us take our -time. I shall reach Bourges an hour or two later, but in these holiday -times I am sure to find the gates open." - -And he resumed Bois-Doré's history, to which D'Alvimar hardly listened. -That gentleman was anxious concerning his own safety, and it did not -seem to him that the country through which they were riding was very -well adapted to his plan of lying hidden. - -It was a flat, open country, where, in case of an unpleasant meeting, it -was hardly possible to find the shelter of a wood, or even of a clump of -trees. The tillage land is too rich there ever to have been wasted in -tree-planting. It is a fine reddish soil, which stretches away in vast, -broadly-undulating fields, melancholy to look upon, although bordered by -lovely hills and strewn with picturesque little castles. - -Briantes, however, to which our travellers had drawn very near, had -impressed D'Alvimar much more favorably. - -Within ten minutes' walk of the château, the land suddenly slopes -downward, and leads gradually down into a narrow, well-wooded valley. - -The château itself cannot be seen until one is on top of it, as they -say in the province; and the expression is quite accurate, for the -slated belfry of its highest tower rises very little above the plateau, -and when, from the plain beyond, you see it gleaming in the rays of the -setting sun, you would say that it was a tiny lantern hung on the brink -of the ravine. - -Almost the same may be said of the château of La Motte-Seuilly,[4] -which lies below the plain of Chaumois, but in a less charming location -than Briantes; a dull, flat country, instead of a lovely valley. - -Before reaching the cross-road which leads to the castle, Guillaume had -told his companion in a few words the remaining vicissitudes in the life -of Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré; how his father had attempted to -confine him in his tower, to prevent his returning to the Huguenots; how -the young man had escaped by scaling the walls, and had gone off to join -his dear Henri de Navarre, with whom, after the death of King Henri -III., he had fought nine years; how, finally, having contributed to the -utmost of his ability to place him on the throne, he had returned to -live on his estates, where his tyrant of a father had ceased to live and -drive his neighbors mad. - -"And what became of his young brother?" queried D'Alvimar, making an -effort to become interested in the narrative. - -"The young brother is no more," replied D'Ars. "Bois-Doré knew but -little of him, for his father sent him when he was very young to serve -under the Duc de Savoie, and while in his service he met his death in -a----" - -At this point Guillaume was interrupted once more by an incident which -seemed to annoy D'Alvimar exceedingly, whether because he was beginning -to be interested in his companion's information, or because, being a -Spaniard, he had a marked repugnance for interrupters. - - -[Footnote 4: Now Feuilly; formerly and successively Seuly, Sully and -Seuilly.] - - - - -III - - -It was a band of gypsies, who were lying flat in a ditch, and rose at -the approach of the horsemen like a flock of sparrows, causing Monsieur -d'Alvimar's horse to shy. But they were very well tamed sparrows, for, -instead of flying away, they threw themselves almost under the legs of -the horses, jumping, yelling and holding out their hands in a piteous -and hypocritical way. - -It did not occur to Guillaume to do anything else than laugh at their -strange actions, and he bestowed alms on them very generously; but -D'Alvimar was extraordinarily surly, and said again and again, -threatening them with his whip: - -"Away! away! away from me, canaille!" - -He went so far as to attempt to strike a lad who was clinging to his -boot, with the look, at once mocking and imploring, of children trained -to the trade of begging on the highway. He avoided the whip, and -Guillaume, who was riding behind, saw him pick up a stone, which he -would have hurled at D'Alvimar, if another boy, somewhat older than he, -had not caught his arm, scolding and threatening him. - -But the incident did not end there: a small woman, of not unattractive -appearance, albeit sadly faded and poorly dressed, seized the child, -and, speaking to him as if she were his mother, pushed him toward -Guillaume, then ran after D'Alvimar, holding out her hand, but at the -same time gazing at him as if she wished never to forget his face. - -D'Alvimar, with increasing irritation, urged his horse toward the woman, -and would have ridden her down had she not quickly stepped aside; he -even put his hand to the butt of one of the pistols in his holsters, as -if he would readily have fired on one of those wretched beasts of -idolaters. - -Thereupon the gypsies exchanged glances, and drew together as if to -consult. - -"_Avanti_! _avanti_!" Guillaume shouted to D'Alvimar. - -He loved to use Italian words, to show that he had been to the -queen-mother's court; or perhaps he fancied that an _i_ at the end of a -word was sufficient to make it unintelligible to those gypsies. - -"Why _avanti_?" said D'Alvimar, declining to urge his horse. - -"Because you have irritated yonder blackbirds. See! they are crowding -together like cranes in distress; and, faith! there are a score of them -and only seven of us." - -"How now, my dear Guillaume! Can it be that you have any fear of those -feeble, cowardly animals?" - -"I am not accustomed to fear," replied the young man, slightly piqued, -"but it would be exceedingly distasteful to me to fire on the poor, -ragged wretches; and I am surprised that they have roused your temper -so, when it would have been a very simple matter to rid yourself of them -with a little small change." - -"I never give to such people," said Sciarra D'Alvimar, in a short dry -tone, which surprised the good-humored Guillaume. - -The latter felt that his companion had what we should call to-day an -attack of the nerves, and he abstained from reproving him. But he -insisted on quickening their pace, for the gypsies, running faster than -the horses trotted, followed them, and even went before them, divided -into two bands, one on each side of the road. - -They had not a hostile air, however, and it was difficult to guess what -their purpose was in escorting the horsemen thus. - -They talked among themselves in an unintelligible jargon, and seemed, -one and all, intent upon watching the woman at their head. - -The child whom Monsieur d'Alvimar had tried to strike with his whip -trotted along beside Monsieur d'Ars, as if he relied upon his -protection, and seemed to take great interest in this extraordinary -race. Guillaume noticed that the little fellow was less black and less -dirty than the others, and that his refined and attractive features bore -no racial resemblance to those of the gypsies. - -If he had paid the same attention to the woman whom D'Alvimar had -insulted and threatened, he would have noticed also that, while she did -not resemble the child in the slightest degree, she resembled no more -her other companions in misery. Her bearing was noble and less rough. -She was clearly not of European race, although she wore the costume of a -mountaineer of the Pyrenees. - - -[Illustration: _MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR._ - -_She walked boldly by his side, no longer trying -to beg from him, nor with any appearance of threatening -him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention._] - - -The most surprising fact was that, while she had understood perfectly -the movement which Sciarra made to draw his pistol, and despite the -natural cowardliness of beggars and mountebanks of that species, she -walked boldly by his side, no longer trying to beg from him, nor with -any appearance of threatening him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention. - -Her conduct seemed downright insolent to D'Alvimar, and he was on the -verge of listening to the promptings of his capricious and violent -temper. - -Guillaume saw that such was the case, and, being apprehensive of some -unpleasant outbreak, and of being obliged to take sides with the -overbearing gentleman against the inoffensive canaille, he urged his -horse between Sciarra and the little woman, motioned to her to stop, and -said to her, half-laughing, half-serious: - -"Would you deign to tell us, queen of the genesta and the heather, -whether it is to put shame upon us or to do us honor that you follow us -in this way, and whether we should be pleased or displeased at the -ceremony with which you treat us?" - -The Egyptian--these nomadic hordes of unknown origin were called -Egyptians or Bohemians indifferently in those days--shook her head and -motioned to the boy who had taken the stone from the child's hand. - -He walked toward them, and, pointing to the silent woman, said, with an -impudent manner, but in a wheedling tone, speaking French with no marked -accent: - -"Mercedes doesn't understand your lordships' language. I always speak -for those of our people who can't make themselves understood." - -"Ah! yes," said Guillaume, "you are the orator of the tribe; what is -your name, Master Impertinent?" - -"_La Flèche_, at your service. I have the honor to have been born a -Frenchman, in the town of which I bear the name." - -"The honor is on France's side, assuredly! Now, then, Master La Flèche, -tell your comrades to let us go our way in peace. I have given you -enough for a man who is travelling, and to make us swallow your dust is -not the way to thank me for it. Adieu, and leave us, or, if you have -some further request to make, do it quickly, for we are in a hurry." - -La Flèche rapidly translated Guillaume's words to her whom he called -Mercedes, and who seemed to be treated with peculiar deference by -himself as well as by all the others. - -She replied with a few words in Spanish, whereupon La Flèche said to -D'Ars: - -"This worthy woman humbly requests your lordships' names, so that she -may pray for you." - -Guillaume laughed. - -"That is an amusing request," he said. "Advise this worthy woman, friend -La Flèche, to pray for us without knowing our names. The good Lord -knows us well, and we can tell him nothing about ourselves that he does -not know better than we do." - -La Flèche saluted humbly with his dirty cap, and our travellers, -spurring their steeds, soon left the gypsies behind. - -"By the way," said D'Alvimar to Guillaume, as the bell-tower of La -Motte-Seuilly appeared on the horizon, "you have not told me where you -are going. Does that château belong to another of your friends who -would, doubtless, think me an intruder?" - -"Yonder château is the home of a young and lovely woman, who lives -there with her father, and they will both receive you courteously. They -will keep you until evening, not only in order not to be deprived of the -company of Monsieur de Bois-Doré, whom they esteem very highly, but -also to prove to you that we are not savages in our poor country -province, and that we know how to practise hospitality in the old French -way." - -D'Alvimar replied that he had no manner of doubt of it, and succeeded in -making some other courteous remarks to his companion, for no man was -ever better taught; but his bitter thoughts soon turned to another -subject. - -"According to what you have told me of this Bois-Doré, my host that is -to be," he said, "he is an old mannikin, I should judge, whose vassals -enjoy themselves to their hearts' content?" - -"No," replied Monsieur d'Ars. "Those gypsies interrupted me. I was -about to tell you that, when he returned to the country, wealthy and -bemarquised, people were surprised to find that he was as brave as a -lion, despite his mild aspect, and that, while he had some laughable -foibles, he also had some Christian virtues which are a very comfortable -possession for a man." - -"Do you reckon temperance and chastity among your Christian virtues?" - -"Why not, I pray you?" - -"Because that housekeeper with the glowing mane, whom we saw at the gate -of his domain, seemed to me something lusty for so demure a man." - -"Evil to him who evil thinks!" rejoined Guillaume, with a smile. "I -would not take my oath that our marquis was altogether insensible to the -cajoleries of Queen Catherine's maids of honor; but that was a long -while ago! I am strongly of the opinion that you could tell Bellinde -about it without offending her or causing her pain. But here we are. I -need not tell you that such subjects are not in season here. Our fair -widow, Madame de Beuvre, is no prude, but at her age and in her -position----" - -Our friends rode over the drawbridge, which, in view of the tranquil -state of the province, was lowered all day; the portcullis was closed. - -Thus they rode, without hindrance or ceremony, into the courtyard of the -manor, where they dismounted. - -"One moment!" said Sciarra d'Alvimar to Guillaume, as they were about to -enter the house; "do not, I beg you, mention my name here, on account of -the servants." - -"Neither here nor elsewhere," Monsieur d'Ars replied. "You have almost -no foreign accent; so there is no need to say that you are Spanish. For -which of my friends in Paris do you wish me to pass you off?" - -"I should be sadly embarrassed to play a rôle other than my own. I -prefer to remain almost myself, and simply to assume one of my family -names. I will be a Villareal, if you choose, and as an explanation of my -flight from Paris----" - -"You can talk confidentially with the marquis, and arrange matters as -you choose. There is nothing for me to do but to tell him how dear a -friend of mine you are; that you are running away from some persecution -or other; and that I beg him to take as good care of you as he would of -myself." - - - - -IV - - -The château of La Motte-Seuilly,--that name finally carried the -day,--which is still standing and almost intact to-day, is a small -manor-house consisting of a hexagonal entrance tower, purely feudal in -style, of a main building, very plain, with windows far apart, and of -two wings at right angles thereto, one of which is a donjon. In the left -wing are the stables, with arched ceilings and heavy timbers, the -kitchens and the servants' quarters; in the other, the chapel with its -ogival windows, of the time of Louis XII., spans a short open gallery, -supported by two heavy pillars surrounded by mouldings in relief, like -huge tree-trunks in the embrace of creeping plants. - -This gallery leads to the large tower or donjon, which, like the -entrance tower, dates from the twelfth century. The rooms within are -circular, decorated very simply but very prettily with columns set in -claw-shaped pedestals. The winding staircase, which is in a small tower -built against the larger one, leads to one of those old-fashioned -_charpentes_, cunningly and boldly fashioned, which are to this day -considered objects of art. - -This one bore, at the centre of its radiating spokes, a _chevalet_ or -wooden horse, an instrument of torture, the use of which was regulated -in cold blood by ordinance as late as 1670. This horrible machine dates -from the construction of the building, for it is built into the -_charpente_. - -It was in this poor, cramped, dismal manor that the beautiful Charlotte -d'Albret, wife of the ill-omened Cæsar Borgia, passed fifteen years and -died, still quite young, after a life of sorrow and sanctity. - -Everyone knows that the infamous cardinal, the pope's bastard, the -incestuous, blood-stained debauchee, the lover of his sister Lucretia, -and the murderer of his own brother and rival, divested himself of the -dignities of the church one fine day, to seek fortune and a wife in -France. - -Louis XII. desired to break off his own marriage with Jeanne, daughter -of Louis XI., in order to marry Anne de Bretagne. The pope's assent was -required. He obtained it on condition that he should give the duchy of -Valentinois and the hand of a princess to the bastard--the brigand -cardinal. - -Charlotte d'Albret, a lovely, pure and learned maiden, was sacrificed; a -few months later she was abandoned and looked upon as a widow. - -She purchased this dismal castle and took up her abode there to educate -her daughter.[5] Her only external pleasure was an occasional journey to -Bourges, to see her mysterious companion in misfortune, Jeanne de -France, the cast-off queen, who had become the Duchesse de Berry and the -foundress of the _Annonciade_. - -But Jeanne died, and Charlotte, then twenty-four years old, put on -mourning, which she never laid aside, and did not leave La Motte-Seuilly -again until her own death, which occurred nine years later--in 1514. - -Her body was taken to Bourges and buried beside Jeanne's, to be exhumed, -insulted and burned by the Calvinists half a century later, together -with that of the other poor saint. Her body rested in peace somewhat -longer in the rustic chapel of La Motte-Seuilly, under a pretty monument -which her daughter erected to her. - -But it was written that no earthly trace of that melancholy destiny -should be respected. In 1793 the peasants, venting upon that tomb the -hatred they bore their lord, burned it to the ground, and its débris -lie scattered over the pavement to-day. The statue of Charlotte is -propped against the wall, broken in three pieces. The chapel, utterly -neglected, is crumbling to decay. The victim's heart was in all -probability sealed up in a gold or silver casket: what has become of it? -Sold perhaps at a low price; perhaps simply hidden away or buried, in -consequence of a sudden return of fear or devotion, that poor heart may -be reposing in some village hovel, unknown to its new occupant, under -the hearthstone, or under the briar hedge. - -To-day the castle, restored in some degree, brightens up a little in the -sunlight, which finds its way into the gravelled courtyard through a -great breach in the wall. The water from the ancient moats, fed, I -believe, by a spring near by, flows in a charming little stream through -the newly laid out English garden. - -The enormous yew, which dates from the time of Charlotte d'Albret, rests -its venerable, drooping branches on blocks of stone, arranged with pious -care to support its monumental decrepitude. A few flowers and a solitary -swan cast a sort of melancholy smile about the sorrowful manor-house. - -The outlook is still gloomy; the landscape most depressing; the tower of -sinister aspect--and yet an artistic generation loves these dismal -abodes, these old, desolate nests, solid structures of a stern and -bitter past of which the common people know nothing, which they had -forgotten as early as 1793, since they shattered poor Charlotte's tomb -and left untouched the triumphant wooden horse of La Motte-Seuilly. - -At the time of our narrative, the manor-house, closed on all sides, was -at once more dismal and more comfortable than to-day. People lived in -the cold obscurity of those little fortresses; therefore, they must have -been able to make themselves comfortable in them. - -The huge fireplaces, all sheathed in cast-iron at the back, filled the -vast apartments with an intense heat. The former hangings on the walls -were replaced by felt paper of extraordinary thickness and beauty; -instead of our pretty Persian curtains, which quiver in the draughts -from the windows, were heavy folds of damask, or, in more modest -dwellings, of wadded silk, that lasted fifty years. On the sandstone -floors of corridors and living-rooms were rugs of a new kind, made of -wool, cotton, flax and hemp. - -Very handsome marquetry floors were made in those days, and in the -central provinces people ate from lovely Nevers porcelain, while the -sideboards were resplendent with those curious goblets of colored glass, -used only on grand occasions, and representing fanciful monuments, -plants, vessels or animals. - -Thus, despite the modest appearance of the exterior of the wing set -aside for the apartments of the masters--for the nobles had already -ceased to live near the roofs of their old feudal donjons--Monsieur -d'Alvimar found an attractive interior, neat and not unrefined, which -denoted genuine ease, at least, if not great wealth. - -La Motte-Seuilly had passed, by the marriage of Louis Borgia, into the -family of La Trémouille, to which Monsieur de Beuvre belonged through -his mother. - -He was a rough and gallant gentleman, who never hesitated to promulgate -his opinions and beliefs. His only daughter, Lauriane, had married, at -the age of twelve, her cousin Hélyon de Beuvre, aged sixteen. - -The two children had been kept apart, with the greater ease in that the -province was suddenly stirred by a commotion in which Messieurs de -Beuvre felt that they were in duty bound to take part. They left La -Motte on the very day of the marriage, to go to the succor of the -Duchesse de Nevers, who had declared for the Prince de Condé, and who -was besieged in her good city by Monsieur de Montigny--François de la -Grange. - -While making a bold attempt to force his way into Nevers, under the eyes -of the Catholics, young Hélyon was killed. On his return from that -campaign, therefore, Monsieur de Beuvre had the painful task of -informing his darling daughter that she had passed without transition -from the state of a virgin to that of a widow. - -Lauriane[6] wept bitterly for her young cousin. But can a maiden weep -incessantly at twelve years of age? And then her father gave her such a -lovely doll!--a doll with a dress of cloth of silver, and red velvet -slippers pinked like a crab's tail! And then, when she was fourteen, he -gave her such a pretty little horse, from Monsieur le Prince's own stud! -And then, too, Lauriane, who, at the time of her marriage, was only a -pale, slender chit, became at fifteen a dainty blonde, so graceful and -rosy and lovable, that there was no great danger that she would remain a -widow. - -But she was so happy with her father, and reigned so absolutely in the -little château he had given her by way of dowry, that she felt in no -manner of haste to enter the marriage state a second time. Was she not -called _madame_? And is not the childish desire to be so called one of -the most potent reasons which induce young girls to marry?--that and the -gifts and the fêtes and the wedding trousseau? - -"I have already had all the joys and all the sorrows of married life," -Lauriane would say artlessly. - -And yet, although he had a considerable fortune, managed by him with -great prudence, to which his retired life enabled him to add materially, -Monsieur de Beuvre did not find it a simple matter to arrange a second -marriage for his daughter. - -He had embraced the cause of the Reformed religion at the moment that -that cause, drained of men and of money, had no other alternative in our -provinces than to keep in the shadow and obtain toleration. - -Everybody in his neighborhood was a Catholic, or pretended to be; for, -in Berry, Calvinism had only a single moment of power and a single real -stronghold. But - - _The year fifteen sixty-two_ - -when - - _Bourges lacked priests and beggars too_, - -was already far away, and Sancerre, the _troublesome mountain_, had its -walls razed to the ground. - -The Berrichon character naturally inclines neither to persecution nor -fanaticism; and, after a moment of surprise and agitation, when the -passions of those outside their borders had intoxicated the common -people and the bourgeoisie, they had fallen back under the influence of -that fear of the great, which is the unchanging foundation of the -politics of that province. - -The great men, for their part, had sold their submission, in accordance -with their invariable custom. Condé had become a zealous Catholic. -Monsieur de Beuvre, who had first served the father, then lost his own -son-in-law in the son's cause, was, naturally enough, altogether in -disgrace, and appeared no more at Bourges. Jesuits had been sent to him -by the prince, to urge him to make solemn abjuration. - -De Beuvre was no fanatic in religious matters. He had yielded to -political passions when he embraced the Lutheran faith, and he realized -that he had made a mistake so far as his fortunes were concerned. He was -too recent a convert to make it worth their while to purchase him. They -contented themselves with attempting to intimidate him, and it had been -hinted to him most adroitly that he could not find a husband for his -daughter in the province if he persisted in his heresy. Having held his -head proudly erect before their threats, he had felt somewhat shaken at -the idea of Lauriane remaining a widow and her patrimony falling to -another branch of the family. - -But Lauriane had prevented him from giving way. Reared by him as a very -lukewarm adherent of the Protestant religion, she was only partially -instructed in its doctrines, and freely mingled the ceremonies and -prayers of both forms of worship in her heart. - -She did not go to the meeting-house over the long, wretched roads at -Issoudun or Linières, and when she passed a Catholic church, she did -not leap with indignation at the sound of the bell. But she sometimes -displayed beneath her smiling, childlike sweetness the germs of an -intense pride; and when she saw how her father suffered at the -humiliating thought of public abjuration, she came to his assistance -with surprising energy, saying to the Jesuits from Bourges: - -"It is of no use for you to seek to convert me with the bait of a -handsome Catholic husband, for I have sworn in my heart that I will -rather belong to a detestable husband of my own communion." - - -[Footnote 5: Louise Borgia, afterward married to Louis de Trémouille, -and later to Philippe de Bourbon-Busset.] - -[Footnote 6: Saint Laurian was one of the saints held in highest honor -in Berry.] - - - - -V - - -Only a few weeks had elapsed since the visit of the Jesuits to La -Motte-Seuilly, when Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar appeared there, -introduced by Guillaume d'Ars. They were received by the father and the -daughter, Monsieur de Bois-Doré having gone out to shoot a hare with -Monsieur de Beuvre's keeper. - -This was a fresh disappointment to Guillaume, who found himself delayed -again and again, and was beginning to despair of reaching Bourges that -day. - -Sciarra d'Alvimar conducted himself with much charm of manner, and, from -the first words he uttered, De Beuvre, who was familiar with social -usages, not because he had seen much of Paris, but because he had -frequented the petty provincial courts, where there was as much state -and ceremony as at the king's own court, saw that he had to do with a -man accustomed to the best society. - -As for D'Alvimar, who was deeply impressed by Lauriane's youth and -grace, he took her for a younger daughter of Monsieur de Beuvre, and -still awaited the appearance of the widow of whom D'Ars had spoken. - -Not for some time did he realize that that lovely child was the mistress -of the house. - -In those days dinner was served at ten in the morning, and Guillaume, -having gone out to the fields in quest of the marquis, returned to take -leave. - -"I have told the marquis," he said to Sciarra; "he is coming in; he has -promised solemnly to be your host and your friend until my return. So I -leave you in good company, and I shall do my best to make up for lost -time." - -They tried in vain to keep him to dinner. He departed, having kissed the -fair Lauriane's hand, pressed his good neighbor Monsieur de Beuvre's, -and embraced D'Alvimar, swearing that he would return to Briantes before -the end of the week to take him to his château of Ars, and keep him -there as long as possible. - -"Now," said Monsieur de Beuvre to D'Alvimar, "give the châtelaine your -hand and let us to the table. Do not be surprised if we do not wait for -our friend Bois-Doré. He is accustomed to spend an hour over his -toilet, even when he has hunted less than fifteen minutes; and not for -anything in the world would he appear before a lady--even this lady, who -is like his own child in his eyes, for he saw her at her birth--without -having washed and perfumed, and changed his clothing from head to foot. -That is his whim, and there is no great harm in it. We stand on no -ceremony with him, and we should offend him by delaying our repast to -await his coming." - -"Should I not," said D'Alvimar, when he had been seated at the upper end -of the table, "go and present my respects to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in -his apartments, before taking my place at the table?" - -"No," laughed Lauriane, "you would vex him terribly by surprising him at -his toilet. Do not ask us why; you will understand for yourself as soon -as you see him." - -"Moreover," added Monsieur de Beuvre, "except by reason of your youth, -you owe him no attentions, for in his capacity of _fiduciary_ host he is -called upon to make all the advances. And I will undertake the duty of -presenting you to him, Monsieur d'Ars having requested me to do so." - -In referring to D'Alvimar's youth, Monsieur de Beuvre fell into the -error which his appearance caused at first sight. - -Although he was at this time close upon forty, he seemed less than -thirty, and it may be that Monsieur de Beuvre mentally compared his -temporary guest's comely face with that of his dear Lauriane. It was his -constant thought to find for her some husband, outside the province, who -would not demand a solemn abjuration. - -The worthy gentleman did not know that the Jesuits already reigned -everywhere, and that Berry was one of the provinces which were least -affected by their propaganda. - -Nor did he know that D'Alvimar was in his heart a perfect knight of the -blessed Dame Inquisition. - -Guillaume, wishing to assure his friend a cordial welcome, was very -careful not to describe him as too sensitive in his orthodoxy. Himself a -Catholic, but extremely tolerant in his views and by no means a devout -believer, like most of the young men of fashion, he had not, in -introducing him to the master of the house, or in commending him to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, touched at all upon the religious questions to -which those gentlemen attached little more weight in their ordinary -relations than D'Ars himself. But he had informed Monsieur de Beuvre, -briefly, that Monsieur de Villareal--the name they had agreed upon--was -of good family--that fact was certain--and in a fair way to make his -fortune, which Guillaume believed to be true, for Monsieur D'Alvimar -concealed his poverty with all the pride of which a Spaniard is capable -in that direction. - -The first course was served with the characteristic moderation of -Berrichon servants, and discussed with the premeditated moderation of -well-bred people who do not choose to be considered gluttons. - -This patient deglutition, the long pauses between every mouthful, the -host's anecdotes between the courses, are still esteemed the elements of -good breeding among the old men in Berry. The peasants of our day have -carried the same theory still farther, and, when you break bread with -them, you can be certain of remaining three full hours at the table, -though there be nothing upon it but a bit of cheese and a bottle of sour -wine. - -D'Alvimar, whose active and restless mind could not fall asleep in the -joys of eating, took advantage of Monsieur de Beuvre's stately -mastication to talk with his daughter, who ate quickly and sparingly, -paying more attention to her father and her guest than to herself. - -He was surprised to find so much wit in a country girl who had never -gone beyond the limits of her own domain, save for one or two trips to -Bourges and Nevers. - -Lauriane was not very well cultivated, and it may be that she could not -have written a long letter without making mistakes in grammar; but she -talked well, and, by dint of listening while her father and his -neighbors discussed the affairs of the time, she was familiar with -history, and accurate in her judgment thereof, from the reign of Louis -XII. and the first religious wars. - -However, as she gloried in her descent from Charlotte d'Albret, as that -martyr's memory was in her eyes worthy of reverence and was revered by -her, she had no occasion to let D'Alvimar see that she was a heretic; -moreover, the laws of civility of that period ordained that people -should never discuss their own religious beliefs without adequate cause, -even when they were of the same communion; for the shades of belief were -without number, and controversy was rampant everywhere. - -In addition to her delicate tact and great good sense, there was a -flavor of frankness and mischief in her wit, a purely Berrichon -combination, the result of a blending of two contrary qualities being a -decidedly original way of looking at things and of speaking. She was of -the province where the truth is told with a smile on the lips, and where -everyone knows that he is understood without having to lose his temper. - -D'Alvimar, who was overbearing rather than affable, and more vindictive -than sincere, felt somewhat abashed in presence of that young woman, nor -had he any very clear conception of the cause of that feeling. - -At times it seemed to him that she divined his character, his past life, -or his recent adventure, and that her manner seemed to say to him: - -"For all that, we are none the less hospitable folk, ready to entertain -you." - -At last the time arrived to serve the joint, and, amid a great banging -of doors and clashing of plates, Monsieur de Bois-Doré appeared, -preceded by a diminutive retainer richly costumed, whom under his breath -he called his page, as if to justify this verse, which, however, had not -yet appeared to bring ridicule upon his like: - - _Every marquis must have pages_, - -and in contravention of the royal ordinances, which allowed pages only -to princes and to the very greatest noblemen. - -Despite his habitual dejection and his present discomfort, D'Alvimar had -difficulty in restraining his laughter at the appearance of his -_fiduciary_ host. - -Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré had been one of the handsome men of his -time. Tall, well-made, black hair, white skin, magnificent eyes, fine -features, physically strong and active, he had won the favor of many -ladies, but had never inspired a violent or lasting passion. It was the -fault of his own fickleness and of the sparing use he made of his own -emotions. - -Boundless charity, a loyalty that was most remarkable when we consider -the time and his environment, princely lavishness when fortune chanced -to smile upon him, a stoical philosophy in his hours of ill-luck, with -all the amiable and free-and-easy qualities of the adventurous champions -of the Béarnais, did not suffice to make an impassioned hero of the -type that was popular in his youthful days. - -It was an epoch of excitement and bloodshed, when love-making needed a -little ferocity in order to become romantic attachment; and Bois-Doré, -apart from actual battle, wherein he bore himself valiantly, was -disgustingly kind and gentle. He had never murdered a husband or -brother; he had poniarded no rival in the arms of an unfaithful -mistress; Javotte or Nanette readily consoled him for the treachery of -Diane or Blanche. And so, notwithstanding his taste for romances of -pastoral life and of chivalry, he was considered to have a paltry mind -and a lukewarm heart. - -He was the more readily reconciled to being tricked and cozened by the -ladies, in that he had never noticed it. He knew that he was handsome, -generous and brave; his adventures were brief but numerous; his heart -craved friendship rather than wild passion; and by his discretion and -his gentle manners he had earned the privilege of remaining everybody's -friend. He had been quite happy, therefore, without exerting himself to -be adored, and, to speak frankly, he had loved all the ladies more or -less without adoring any one of them. - -He might have been accused of egotism, had it been possible to reconcile -such an accusation with the other one freely brought against him, of -being too kind and too humane. He was in some measure a caricature of -the good Henri, whom many called an ingrate and a traitor, but whom one -and all loved none the less after they had come in contact with him. - -But time had moved on, and that was a fact which Monsieur de Bois-Doré -had not deigned to perceive. His supple frame had hardened and -stiffened, his shapely legs had withered, the hair had receded from his -noble brow, his great eye was surrounded with wrinkles as the sun is -with rays, and of all his vanished youth he had retained naught save the -teeth, somewhat long, but still white and even, with which he -ostentatiously cracked nuts at dessert in order to draw attention to -them. Indeed it was a common remark among his neighbors that he was much -annoyed if they forgot to place some nuts on the table before him. - -When we say that Monsieur de Bois-Doré had not observed the inroads of -time, it is simply another way of expressing his perfect satisfaction -with himself; for it is certain that he saw that he was growing old, and -that he fought against the effect of advancing years with valiant -determination. I believe that the utmost energy of which he was capable -was put forth in that struggle. - -When he saw that his hair was turning white and falling out, he made the -journey to Paris for the sole purpose of ordering a wig from the best -artist in wigs. Wigmaking was becoming an art; but the investigators of -details have informed us that at least sixty pistoles were required to -obtain one with a white silk parting, and the hairs inserted one by one. - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré was not deterred by that trifling sum, for he was -a rich man, and could well afford to expend twelve to fifteen hundred -francs of our money upon a semi-ceremonious costume, and five or six -thousand upon a full dress-coat. He hastened to provide himself with a -stock of wigs: first he fell in love with a flaxen mane, which was -wonderfully becoming to him, according to the wigmaker. Bois-Doré, who -had never before seen himself as a blond, was beginning to believe it, -when he tried on one of a chestnut hue, which, still according to the -dealer, was no less becoming than the other. The two were of the same -price: but Bois-Doré tried on a third, which cost ten crowns more, and -which caused the dealer's enthusiasm to overflow: that was really the -only one, he said, which brought out Monsieur le marquis's fine points. - -Bois-Doré thought of the time when the ladies used to say that it was -very unusual to see hair as black as his with so white a skin. - -"This wigmaker must be right," he thought. - -But, standing before the mirror a few moments, he was surprised to see -that that dark mane gave him a harsh, savage air. - -"It is astonishing how it changes me," he said to himself. "However, -this is my natural color. In my youth my appearance was as mild as it is -now. My thick black hair never gave me this cutthroat look." - -It did not occur to him that all things harmonize in the operations of -nature, whether it is putting us together or taking us apart, and that -with the gray hair his appearance was as it should be. - -But the wigmaker told him so many times that he looked no more than -thirty years old with that lovely wig, that he purchased it, and at once -ordered another, for economy's sake, as he said, in order to save the -first one. - -However, he changed his mind the next day. He considered that he looked -older than before with that youthful head, and all the friends whom he -consulted shared that opinion. - -The wigmaker explained to him that the hair, eyebrows and beard must be -made to correspond, and he sold him the dye. But thereupon, Bois-Doré -found that his face was so deathly pale amid those blotches of ink, that -it was necessary to explain to him that he would require rouge. - -"It would seem," he said, "that when you begin to resort to artificial -methods, you can never stop?" - -"That is the general rule," replied the rejuvenator; "choose whether you -will be old or appear old?" - -"But am I old, pray?" - -"No, since you can still appear to be young by the use of my receipts." - -From that day Bois-Doré wore a wig; eyebrows, moustaches and beard -painted and waxed; chalk on his nose; rouge on his cheeks; fragrant -powders in every fold of his wrinkles; and, lastly, perfumes and -scent-bags all over his person; so that, when he left his room, you -could smell him in the poultry-yard; and if he simply passed the kennel, -all his coursing dogs sneezed and made wry faces for an hour. - -When he had thoroughly succeeded in making an absurd old automaton out -of the handsome old man he had been, he took measures to spoil his -figure, which had the dignity befitting his years, by having his -doublets and short-clothes lined with double rows of steel, and holding -himself so erect that he went to bed every night with a lame back. - -It would have killed him, had not the fashion changed, luckily for him. - -The stiff, close-fitting doublets of Henry IV. gave way to the light -surtouts of the young favorites of Louis XIII. The hoop-shaped -short-clothes were succeeded by broad, full breeches which yielded to -every movement of the body. - -It cost Bois-Doré a pang to give way to these innovations, and to part -with his rigid _godronné_ ruffs just to be a little more comfortable in -the light _rotondes_. He sorely regretted the stiff lace, but ribbons -and fluffy laces seduced him by slow degrees, and he returned from a -brief visit to Paris dressed in the style affected by young men of -fashion, and imitating their heedless, exhausted airs, sprawling in easy -chairs, striking weary attitudes, rising from his seat in waltz time; in -a word, enacting, with his tall figure and strongly-marked features, the -rôle of insipid little marquis, which Molière, thirty years later, -found complete in its absurdity and ripe for his satire. - -This method enabled Bois-Doré to conceal the real burden of his years -beneath a disguise which transformed him into a sort of absurd ghost. - -To D'Alvimar he seemed an appalling spectacle, at first sight. The -Spaniard could not understand that profusion of ebon curls around the -wrinkled face, those heavy, awe-inspiring eyebrows over the soft, mild -eyes, that brilliant rouge, which seemed like a mask placed in jest upon -a venerable and benevolent face. - -As for the costume, its extreme elegance, the quantity of lace, -embroidery, rosettes and plumes, made it ridiculous beyond words at -midday, in the country; not to mention the fact that the pale, delicate -hues which our marquis affected were horribly out of harmony with the -lion-like aspect of his bristling moustache and his borrowed mane. - -But the old gentleman's greeting neutralized most agreeably the -repellent effect produced upon D'Alvimar by that burlesque figure. - -Monsieur de Beuvre had risen to present Guillaume's friend to the -marquis, and to remind him that he was placed in his care for several -days. - -"It is a pleasure and an honor which I should claim for myself," said -Monsieur de Beuvre, "if I were in my own house; but I must not forget -that I am under my daughter's roof. Moreover, this house is much less -rich and splendid than yours, my dear Sylvain, and we do not wish to -deprive Monsieur Villareal of the pleasures that await him there." - -"I accept your hyperbolical statements," replied Bois-Doré, "if they -will but dazzle Monsieur de Villareal so far as to induce him to remain -a long while under my care." - -Whereupon he extended his arms, swathed in lace to the elbow, and -embraced the pretended Villareal, saying with a frank laugh that showed -his fine white teeth: - -"Were you the devil himself, monsieur, from the moment that you are -entrusted to me, you become as a brother to me." - -He was careful not to say "as a son." He would have been afraid of -revealing the number of his years, which number he believed to be -shrouded in mystery because he had forgotten it himself. - -Villareal d'Alvimar could readily have dispensed with that embrace on -the part of a Catholic of such recent date, especially as the perfumes -with which the marquis was reeking took away the little appetite he had, -and as, after embracing him, he pressed his hands vigorously between his -dry fingers, armed with enormous rings. But D'Alvimar had to consider -his own safety first of all, and he felt sure, from Monsieur Sylvain's -cordial and hearty manner, that he had really been placed in loyal and -trustworthy hands. - -He adopted the plan, therefore, of expressing profound gratitude for the -twofold hospitality of which he was the object, exhibiting himself in a -most favorable light; and when they left the table, the two old noblemen -were delighted with him. - -He would have been glad to take a little rest, but the châtelain -incited him to a game of draughts, then to one of billiards with -Bois-Doré, who allowed himself to be beaten. - -D'Alvimar loved all games, and was by no means averse to winning a few -gold crowns. - -The hours passed away in what might be called a resultless association, -since these diversions led to no conversation sufficiently serious to -place the three gentlemen in a position to know one another. - -Madame de Beuvre, who had retired after dinner, reappeared about four -o'clock, when she saw preparations being made in the courtyard for the -departure of her guests. - -She proposed a walk in the garden before separating. - - - - -VI - - -It was late in October. The days had grown short, but were still mild -and bright, the St. Martin's summer having not yet come to an end. The -trees were quite bare, their graceful tracery outlined against the -bright red sun just sinking behind the black thickets along the horizon. - -They walked over a bed of dry leaves along the paths lined with box-wood -and trimmed yews, which imparted an orderly and dignified stiffness to -the gardens of that period. - -In the moats fine old carp followed the promenaders, looking for the -bread crumbs which Lauriane was accustomed to bring them. - -A little tame wolf also followed her like a dog, but was held in awe and -tyrannized over by Monsieur de Beuvre's favorite spaniel, a playful -young beast, who showed no aversion for his suspicious companion, but -rolled him over and snapped at him with the superb indifference of a -child of noble birth deigning to play with a serf. - -D'Alvimar, on the point of offering his arm to the fair Lauriane, paused -as he saw Monsieur de Bois-Doré approach her, apparently with the same -purpose. - -But the courtly marquis also stepped back. - -"It is your right," he said; "a guest like yourself should take -precedence of friends; but pray appreciate the sacrifice I make to you." - -"I do appreciate it fully," replied D'Alvimar, as Lauriane placed her -little hand lightly on his arm; "and of all your kindnesses to me, I -value this most." - -"I am rejoiced to see," replied Bois-Doré, walking at Madame de -Beuvre's left hand, "that you understand French gallantry as did his -late majesty, our Henri, of blessed memory." - -"I trust that I have a better understanding of it than he, by your -leave." - -"Oh! that is much to claim!" - -"We Spaniards understand it differently, at all events. We believe that -a faithful attachment to a single woman is preferable to unmeaning -gallantry toward all." - -"Oho! in that case, my dear count--you are a count, are you not, or a -duke?--I beg your pardon, but you are a Spanish grandee, I know that, I -can see it.--So you believe in the perfect loyalty of romance? There is -nothing nobler, my dear guest, nothing nobler, on my word!" - -Monsieur de Beuvre called Bois-Doré away, to show him some trees that -he had recently set out, and D'Alvimar took advantage of the -interruption to ask Lauriane if Monsieur de Bois-Doré had intended to -make sport of him. - -"By no means," she replied; "you must know that our dear marquis's -favorite food is D'Urfé's romance, and he almost knows it by heart." - -"How does he reconcile this taste for a noble passion with the tastes of -the old court?" - -"That is a very simple matter. When our friend was young, he loved all -the ladies, so they say. As he grew older, his heart grew cold; but he -thinks that he conceals that fact, as he thinks that he conceals his -wrinkles, by pretending to have been converted to the superior virtue of -noble sentiments by the example of the heroes of _Astrée_. So that, to -excuse himself for not paying court to any fair lady, he boasts that he -is faithful to a single one, whom he never names, whom no one ever has -seen or ever will see, for the excellent reason that she exists only in -his imagination." - -"Is it possible that at his age he still feels bound to pretend to be in -love?" - -"He must do so, since he wishes to pass for a young man. If he were -willing to admit that all women had become equally indifferent to him, -why should he take the trouble to smear his face and to wear false -hair?" - -"So in your opinion it is not possible to be young without being -enamored of some woman?" - -"Oh! I know nothing about it," replied Madame de Beuvre gayly; "I have -had no experience and I know nothing of men's hearts. But I sometimes -hear it said that such is the fact, and Monsieur de Bois-Doré seems to -be convinced of it. What is your own opinion thereon, messire?" - -"It seems to me," said D'Alvimar, who was curious to know the young -woman's ideas, "that one can live a long while on a past love, awaiting -a love to come." - -She made no reply, but looked up at the sky with her lovely blue eyes. - -"Of what are you thinking?" he asked her, with a familiarity that was -perhaps a little too sympathetic. Lauriane seemed surprised at this -impertinent question. She looked him straight in the face with an -expression that seemed to say: "What business is that of yours?" But she -replied with a smile, not seeking to defend herself with unnecessarily -stern words: - -"I was not thinking of anything." - -"That is impossible," rejoined D'Alvimar; "one is always thinking of -something or somebody." - -"But we think vaguely, so vaguely that in a moment we have forgotten." - -Lauriane did not speak truly. She had been thinking of Charlotte -d'Albret, and we will translate all that had passed through her mind in -that brief reverie. - -That poor princess had appeared to her, as it were, to make the reply -which D'Alvimar was seeking, and that reply was as follows: - -"A maiden who has never loved sometimes accepts rashly the first love -that presents itself, because she feels impatient to love, and sometimes -she falls into the arms of a knave who tortures her, wrecks her life and -deserts her." - -D'Alvimar was far from suspecting the curious warning that that young -heart had received; he fancied that she was indulging in a bit of -coquetry, and the game attracted him, although his heart was as cold as -marble. He persisted. - -"I will warrant," he said, "that you have dreamed of a love more real -than that which Monsieur de Bois-Doré parades before you; of such a -love as you could inspire in a man of heart, even if you could not -yourself feel it." - -No sooner had he uttered these commonplace words of challenge, in a tone -to which he was able to give a melting quality and which he deemed most -persuasive, than Lauriane suddenly withdrew her arm from his, turned -pale and stepped back. - -"What is it, in heaven's name?" he exclaimed, trying to recover her arm. - -"Nothing, nothing," she said, trying hard to smile. "I saw a snake among -the rushes and it frightened me; I am going to call my father to kill -it." - -And she hastened toward Monsieur de Beuvre, leaving D'Alvimar beating -the rushes on the sloping bank of the moat with his cane, in search of -the accursed reptile. - -But no reptile, beautiful or ugly, made its appearance, and when he -looked after Madame de Beuvre, he saw her just going from the garden -into the courtyard. - -"There's a sensitive plant," he thought as he watched her! "whether she -really was frightened by a snake, or whether my words caused this sudden -disturbance. Ah! why have not queens and princesses, who hold exalted -destinies in their hands, the amorous sincerity of these little country -dames!" - -While his vanity thus accounted for Lauriane's emotion, she had gone up -to Charlotte d'Albret's chapel, not to pray--she did not often visit -that Catholic oratory, ordinarily closed as the sanctuary of a venerable -memory--but to make sure of a fact which had caused her a violent shock. - -In that little chapel there was a portrait, blackened and discolored by -the lapse of years, which was never shown to any one, but was preserved -there, where it had been found, out of respect for those articles which -had belonged to the saint of the family. - -Lauriane had seen the portrait but twice in her life. Once by chance, -when an old woman employed to clean the chapel had opened the sort of -closet in which it was kept, in order to dust it. - -Lauriane was a child at that time. The portrait had frightened her, -although she could not tell why. - -The second time, not long before, her father had told her the poor -duchess's story, with certain details, furnished by tradition, and had -said to her: - -"And yet our saintly ancestress did not abhor _that monster_. Whether -she had actually loved him for a moment before she knew of the crimes -with which his hands were stained, or whether she made it her duty to -pray for him, impelled solely by Christian charity, she had his portrait -in her chapel." - -Thereupon Lauriane, having learned whose terrifying features were -represented in that old painting, had felt a desire to see it again. She -had scrutinized it carefully, coolly, and had made a mental vow that she -would never marry a man who bore the faintest resemblance to that -terrible face. - -Although she had examined the portrait without the slightest agitation, -the spectre had haunted her eyes for some time, and, whenever they fell -upon a repellent face, she involuntarily compared it with the abhorred -type; but she had eventually forgotten the incident, for she was -naturally cheerful and placid, and as stout-hearted as most of the young -châtelaines of the period of commotion and danger which was hardly at -an end. - -And so, when she met D'Alvimar, it had not once occurred to her to -compare his face with the picture; and even in the garden, as she -chatted merrily with him, her arm in his, and looked him in the face, -she had felt no apprehension. But why had she thought of Charlotte -d'Albret while he was speaking to her? She had no idea; she paid no -great heed to the coincidence at first. - -But D'Alvimar had insisted upon knowing her thoughts; he had almost -spoken to her of love. At all events he had said more to her on that -subject in two words, although she had never seen him before, than any -of the masculine friends, young or old, whom she met frequently, had -ever dared to do. - -Surprised by such excessive audacity, she had looked at him again, but -this time by stealth. She had detected a treacherous smile on that -charming face; and at the same time his profile, outlined against the -ruddy background of the horizon, had extorted a cry of alarm from her. - -That handsome youth, who seemed determined to provoke the first -pulsations of her heart, resembled Cæsar Borgia! - -Whether that was a mere fancy or a certainty, it was impossible for her -to remain an instant longer on his arm. - -She had invented a pretext for her alarm. She had fled, and she had gone -to look at the portrait, in order to banish or confirm her suspicions. - - - - -VII - - -As the daylight was rapidly fading and it was already dark on the -courtyard side of the château, she turned back and went for a light to -her room, which was in the wing adjoining the little gallery under the -chapel. - -The closet containing the portrait was nothing more than a square -cupboard of plain boards, fastened to the wall, like those in village -churches in which are kept the banners used in processions. She hastily -opened it, placed her candle so that its light fell upon the picture, -and gazed at the infamous wretch's features. - -It was a fine painting. Cæsar and Lucretia Borgia were contemporaries -of Raphael and Michelangelo, and this portrait, somewhat dry in -execution, was in Raphael's first manner. It belonged to the same -school. - -The face of the Duc de Valentinois showed no sign of the livid blotches -and hideous pustules which some historians describe, nor the squinting -eyes, "gleaming with an infernal brilliancy which even his comrades and -chosen intimates could not endure." Whether because the artist had -flattered him, or because he had painted him at a period of his life -when vice and crime did not as yet "stand out" on his face, he had not -made him ugly. He had painted the cardinal brigand in profile, and that -one of his eyes which he had copied was looking straight ahead. - -The face was pale, ghastly pale, and thin, the nose sharp and narrow, -the mouth almost lipless, so pale and colorless were the lips, the chin -angular, the outlines pure, the beard and moustache red and carefully -combed, and the general effect distinguished. But seen thus in its most -favorable aspect, that knavish face was perhaps more repulsive than if -it had been eaten by leprosy. It was calm and thoughtful, and it bore no -resemblance to the flat head of the viper. - -No, no, It was much worse; it was a well-shaped man's face, with all the -intellectual faculties admirably developed for evil. The long, half-shut -eye seemed absorbed in blissful meditation of a crime, and the -imperceptible smile on the transparent lips had the drowsy mildness of -sated ferocity. - -It was impossible to say definitely in what the horror of the expression -consisted: it was everywhere. One felt chilled in body and mind as one -questioned that cruel and insolent countenance.[7] - -"I dreamed it!" said Lauriane, scrutinizing the features one by one. -"That is not the Spaniard's brow, nor his eye, nor his mouth. It is of -no use for me to look, I can find nothing of him here." - -She closed her eyes to recall his features without looking at the -portrait. She saw him full face: he was charming, with a proud and -resigned expression of melancholy. She saw him in profile: he was -playful, a little satirical perhaps, he smiled.--But as soon as she -recalled that smile, she saw the profile of the infamous Cæsar, and it -was impossible for her to separate the two impressions, as if they were -glued together. - -She closed the cupboard, and glanced at the pulpit of carved wood, the -little altar, and the black velvet cushion whitened and worn threadbare -by Charlotte's knees. She fell on her knees upon it and prayed, not -pausing to think whether she was in a church or a meeting-house, whether -she was Catholic or Protestant. - -She prayed to the God of the weak and afflicted, the God of Charlotte -d'Albret and Jeanne de France. - -Then, feeling somewhat reassured, and seeing that her guests' horses -were ready, she went down to the salon to receive their adieux. - -She found her father greatly excited. - -"Come here, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand to lead her -to the chair which Bois-Doré and D'Alvimar hastened to bring forward -for her; "you will restore harmony among us. When the ladies leave the -men together, they become bad-tempered, they talk of politics or -religion, and on those points no two men can ever agree. You are most -welcome therefore, who are as mild and gentle as the doves; come and -tell us about your doves, whom, I suppose, you have just been putting to -bed." - -Lauriane confessed that she had forgotten her pets. She felt that -D'Alvimar's keen and piercing eye was fixed upon her. She made bold to -look at him. It was certain that he bore no more resemblance to Borgia -than good Monsieur Sylvain himself. - -"So you have been quarrelling with our neighbor again?" she said to her -father as she kissed him, while she held the old marquis's hand. "Well, -what harm is done, since you confess that you need a little -contradiction to assist your digestion?" - -"_Mordi_! no," rejoined Monsieur de Beuvre, "if it were with him I would -not confess, for I should simply have committed an everyday sin; but I -have allowed myself to fall into a contradictory mood with Monsieur de -Villareal, and that is contrary to all the laws of hospitality and -propriety. Make peace between us, my dear daughter, and tell him, for -you know me, that I am a pig-headed, quarrelsome old Huguenot, but -honest as gold, and entirely at his service none the less." - -Monsieur de Beuvre exaggerated. He was not a very bloodthirsty Huguenot, -and religious ideas were sadly tangled in his brain. But he harbored -some intense political hatreds and animosities, and he could not hear -the names of certain of his adversaries without giving vent to his -uncompromising frankness of speech. - -Now, D'Alvimar had offended him by assuming the defence of the -ex-Governor of Berry, Monsieur le Duc de la Châtre, to whom the -conversation had drifted. - -Lauriane, being informed of the subject of dispute, gently delivered her -verdict. - -"I absolve you both," she said; "you, monsieur my father, for the -thought that the example of the late Monsieur de la Châtre is not -worthy to be followed in any particular save physical bravery and -wit;--you, Monsieur de Villareal, for having pleaded the cause of a man -who is not here to defend himself." - -"Well judged!" cried Bois-Doré; "now let us change the subject." - -"Yes, to be sure, let us say no more of that tyrant!" rejoined the old -Huguenot; "let us say no more of that fanatic!" - -"It pleases you to call him a fanatic," retorted D'Alvimar, who was -incapable of yielding an inch; "for my own part, and I knew him well at -court, if I had ventured to reproach him at all, it would have been for -not being zealous enough in his love for the true religion, and for -looking upon it solely as an instrument with which to crush rebellion." - -"True, true," said Bois-Doré, who abhorred disputes and thought of -nothing but putting an end to one in progress, whereas De Beuvre moved -uneasily in his chair, making it very plain that he had not done with -it. - -"After all," continued D'Alvimar, hoping to make his peace, "did he not -faithfully and zealously serve King Henri, to whose memory you all seem -to be devoted hereabout?" - -"And with reason, monsieur!" cried De Beuvre; "with reason, _mordi_! -Where will you find a wiser and more humane king? But for how long a -time did your frantic Leaguer of a La Châtre fight against him? how -many times did he betray him? how much money had to be paid him to -induce him to remain quiet? You are a young man, and a society man; you -saw only the courtier and the smooth talker; but we old provincials know -our petty provincial tyrants, I tell you! I wish that Monsieur de -Bois-Doré would tell you how that illustrious warrior effected the -glorious conquest of Sancerre by falsehood and treachery!" - -"Bless my soul!" said Bois-Doré, with some temper, "how do you expect -me to remember such things?" - -"Why should it not please you to remember them, I pray to know?" -retorted De Beuvre, paying no heed to the marquis's annoyance; "you were -not at the breast, I fancy?" - -"But I was so young, that I remember nothing about it." - -"Well, I remember," cried De Beuvre, vexed by his friend's defection. -"Now, I am ten years younger than you, my friend, and I was not there; I -was a page to young Condé, the grandfather of the present one, and a -very different man, I promise you." - -"Come, come," said Lauriane, venturing upon a most mischievous step in -order to pacify her father and turn the quarrel aside from its main -subject; "our dear marquis must needs confess that he was at the siege -of Sancerre and bore himself valiantly there, for everybody knows it, -and modesty alone leads him to refuse to remember it." - -"You know very well that I was not there," said Bois-Doré, "since I was -here with you." - -"Oh! I am not speaking of the last siege, which lasted only twenty-four -hours, last May, and which was simply the _coup de grâce_; I refer to -the great, the famous siege of 1572." - -Bois-Doré had a horror of dates. He coughed, moved about, and poked the -fire, which did not need it; but Lauriane was determined to immolate him -under bouquets of praise. - -"I know that you were very young," she said, "but even then you fought -like a lion." - -"It is true that my friends performed wonders," replied Bois-Doré, "and -that it was a very hot struggle; but I could not strike very hard, -however eager I may have been, at that age." - -"_Mordi_! you took two prisoners yourself!" cried De Beuvre, stamping on -the floor. "Look you, it drives me frantic to see a stout-hearted old -fighter like you deny his gallant exploits rather than admit his age!" - -Bois-Doré was deeply wounded, and his face became sad; it was his only -way of manifesting his displeasure to his friends. - -Lauriane saw that she had gone too far; for she was sincerely attached -to her old neighbor, and when he ceased to laugh at her teasing, she no -longer cared to laugh herself. - -"No, monsieur," she said to her father, "permit your daughter to tell -you that you are only jesting. The marquis was much less than twenty, -and his conduct was all the more glorious." - -"What! he was not twenty years old?" cried De Beuvre; "can it be that I -have become, all of a sudden, the older of the two?" - -"One is never older than one appears," replied Lauriane, "and it is only -necessary to look at the marquis----" - -She paused, lacking the courage to tell a downright falsehood even to -console him; but the intention was enough, for Bois-Doré was content -with very little. - -He thanked her with a glance, his brow cleared; De Beuvre began to -laugh, D'Alvimar admired Lauriane's charming delicacy, and the storm was -turned aside. - - -[Footnote 7: I do not know what has become of the portrait here -described. I saw one like it in the possession of the illustrious -General Pepe. It is well known that there is a portrait by Raphael which -is a masterpiece. In it Borgia is almost handsome; at all events there -is so much distinction in his face and refinement in his person that one -hesitates to detest him. But close scrutiny causes a sensation of -genuine terror. The hand, straight, slender and white as a woman's, -tranquilly grasps the hilt of a dagger hanging at his side. It holds it -with remarkable grace; it is ready to strike. The impending movement is -so admirably foreshadowed, that we can see in anticipation how the blow -is to be dealt, downward, into his victim's heart. There is grandeur in -that portrait, in the sense that the great artist has left his stamp -upon it, but without attempting to disguise the moral wickedness of his -model, which he makes to shine forth triumphantly through the appalling -tranquillity of his features.] - - - - -VIII - - -They conversed pleasantly for a few moments. Monsieur de Beuvre urged -D'Alvimar not to take fright at his outbreaks, and to come again on the -second day thereafter with Bois-Doré, who was accustomed to dine at La -Motte every Sunday. Thereupon a servant announced that _la carroche_ of -monsieur le marquis was ready.--Everyone knows that, previous to the -time of Louis XIV., who ordered otherwise, _carrosse_ was of both -genders, and more frequently feminine, after the Italian _carrozza_. - -Now, Monsieur de Bois-Doré's _carroche_ or _carrosse_ was an enormous, -lumbering chariot, which four fine strong Percheron horses drew with -admirable courage; they were somewhat too fat, perhaps, for one and all, -men and beasts alike, were well-fed under worthy Monsieur Sylvain's -roof. - -This venerable equipage, constructed to defy the difficulties of roads -carriageable or not, was stout enough to stand any test, and, if it left -something to be desired in the way of ease, one was assured at all -events of not breaking many bones in case of an upset, because the -interior was so bountifully stuffed. There were six inches of wool and -tow under the damask lining, so that one had a sense of security, if not -all possible comfort. - -For the rest, it was a handsome chariot, all covered with leather, -embellished with gilt nails which formed a decorative border for the -panels. For convenience in entering and alighting, there was a small -ladder, which was placed inside when not in use. - -In the four corners of this citadel on wheels, there was a very arsenal -of swords and pistols, not forgetting the powder and ball; so that, at -need, they could sustain a siege therein. - -Two servants on horseback, carrying torches, headed the procession; two -other torch-bearers rode behind the carriage with D'Alvimar's servant, -who led his master's horse. - -The marquis's young page sat on the box beside the coachman. - -The party clattered noisily under the portcullis of La Motte-Seuilly; -and the rattling of the chains of the drawbridge as it rose behind the -procession, amid the joyous barking of the watch dogs as they were set -loose in the courtyard, combined to make an uproar which could be heard -as far as the hamlet of Champillé, a good fourth of a league away. - -D'Alvimar felt called upon to say a few words to Bois-Doré in praise of -his fine carriage, an article of comfort and luxury still rare in the -country districts, and considered a marvel of magnificence, particularly -in Berry. - -"I did not expect," he said, "to find the luxury of the great cities in -the heart of Berry, and I see, monsieur le marquis, that you lead the -life of a man of quality." - -Nothing could have been more flattering to the marquis than this last -expression. Being a simple gentleman, he was not and could not be, -despite his title, a _man of quality_. His marquisate was a little farm -in the Beauvoisis which he did not even own. On a certain day of fatigue -and peril, Henri IV., arriving with him and a very small escort at that -farm, where the chances of partisan warfare had compelled them to halt, -and which they found entirely abandoned,--Henri IV., we say, was in -great danger of not breakfasting at all, when Monsieur Sylvain, who was -a most resourceful man in adventures of this sort, discovered in a -thicket a number of fowls which had been left behind and had become -wild. The Béarnais had taken part in the hunt with great zest, and -Sylvain had undertaken to cook the game to a turn. - -This unlooked-for repast had put the King of Navarre in excellent humor, -and he had conferred the farm upon his loyal retainer, erecting it into -a marquisate by his good pleasure, to reward him, he said, for having -rescued a king from death by starvation. - -His possession was limited to this sojourn of a few hours on the little -fief he had won without striking a blow. It had been retaken on the -following day by the contrary party; and, after the peace, its lawful -owners had re-entered into possession. - -It mattered little to Bois-Doré, who cared nothing for that hovel but -much for his title, and to whom the King of France afterward laughingly -fulfilled the promise he had made as King of Navarre. The dignity was -not conferred upon the Berrichon squire by any parchment; but, under the -protection of the omnipotent monarch, the title was tolerated, and the -obscure country gentleman admitted to the king's select circle as -Marquis de Bois-Doré. - -As no one made any objection, the king's jest and his sufferance created -a precedent at least, if not a right, and to no purpose did people make -merry at the expense of Monsieur Sylvain Bouron du Noyer--such was his -real name,--he esteemed himself a man of quality despite the scoffers. -After all he had a better claim to the title and bore it more honorably -than many other partisans. - -D'Alvimar was not aware of any of these circumstances. He had paid -little attention to what Guillaume d'Ars had told him hurriedly. It did -not occur to him to scoff at his host's nobility, and our marquis, being -accustomed to be teased upon that point, was infinitely grateful to him -for his courtesy. - -However he felt bound to assume the airs of a man in robust health, in -order to neutralize that troublesome date of the siege of Sancerre. - -"I keep this carriage," he said, "for no other purpose than that I may -be able to offer it to the ladies in my neighborhood when occasion -offers; for, so far as I am concerned, I much prefer the saddle. One -travels faster and with less hindrance." - -"So you treated me like a lady," rejoined D'Alvimar, "by sending for -this carriage during the day. I am overwhelmed, and if I had thought -that you did not fear the cool evening air, I should have begged you to -make no change in your habits." - -"But I thought that, after the long journey you have taken, you had -ridden enough for to-day; and as to the cold, to tell you the truth, I -am a terribly lazy mortal, and indulge myself in many little comforts -which are not at all necessary to my health." - -Bois-Doré attempted to reconcile the slothful nonchalance of young -courtiers with the sturdy vigor of young country gentlemen, and he was -sometimes sorely embarrassed over it. He was, in truth, still hale and -hearty, a good horseman and in good health, despite occasional twinges -of rheumatism which he never mentioned, and a slight deafness which he -did not admit, attributing the mistakes made by his ear to his -absent-mindedness. - -"I must needs apologize to you for the discourtesy of my friend De -Beuvre," he said. "Nothing can be in worse taste than these religious -discussions, which are no longer in fashion. But you will pardon an old -man's obstinacy. In reality De Beuvre worries no more than I do about -these subtleties. It is infatuation for the past which causes now and -then an attack of inveighing against the dead, and thereby making -himself a good deal of a bore to the living. I do not see why old age is -so pedantic over its reminiscences, as if, at any age, one had not seen -enough things and enough people to be as much of a philosopher as is -necessary! Ah! commend me to the good people of Paris, my dear guest, -for ability to talk with refinement and moderation on every subject of -controversy! Commend me to the Hôtel de Rambouillet for example! Of -course you have frequented the _blue salon of Arthenice_?"[8] - -D'Alvimar was able to reply that he was received by the marchioness, -without departing from the truth. His wit and his learning had thrown -open to him the doors of the fashionable Parnassus; but he had acquired -no footing there, his intolerance having made itself manifest too soon -in that sanctuary of French urbanity. - -Moreover he had little taste for the literary sheepfold. The ambition of -the age was consuming him, and the pastoral, which is the ideal of -repose and unostentatious leisure, was not at all in his line. So that -he was overcome with fatigue and drowsiness when Bois-Doré, overjoyed -to have somebody to talk with, began to recite whole pages from -_Astrée_. - -"What can be more beautiful," he cried, "than this letter from the -shepherdess to her lover: - -"'I am suspicious, I am jealous, I am hard to win and easy to lose, and -more easy to offend and most exceeding hard to appease. My desires must -be decrees of fate, my opinions arguments, and my commands inviolable -laws.' - -"What style! and what beautiful character painting! And does not the -sequel contain all the wisdom, all the philosophy and morality that a -man can need? Listen to this, Sylvie's reply to Galatée: - -"'You must not doubt that this shepherd is in love, being so honorable a -man!' - -"Do you understand, monsieur, the deep meaning of that sentiment? -However, Sylvie herself explains it: - -"'The lover desires nothing so much as to be loved; to be loved one must -make oneself lovable; and that which makes one lovable is the same which -makes one an honorable man?'" - -"What? what does that mean?" cried D'Alvimar, awakened with a start by -the remarks of the learned shepherdess, which Bois-Doré roared into his -ear to drown the clattering of the _carrosse_ over the hard pavement of -the old Roman road from La Châtre to Château-Meillant. - -"Yes, monsieur, yes, I would maintain it against all the world!" -rejoined Bois-Doré, not observing his guest's start; "and I tire myself -out repeating it to that old dotard, that old heretic in matters of -sentiment!" - -"Who?" queried D'Alvimar in dismay. - -"I am speaking of my neighbor De Beuvre, a most excellent man, I promise -you, but infatuated with the idea that virtue is found only in -theological works, which he does not read, inasmuch as he could not -understand them; whereas I maintain that it is found in poetic works, in -agreeable and becoming thoughts, which every man, however simple he may -be, may turn to his advantage. For example, when young Lycidas yields to -the mad love of Olympe----" - -At this juncture D'Alvimar resolutely went to sleep again, and -Bois-Doré was still declaiming when the chariot and the escort woke the -echoes on the drawbridge of Briantes, with an uproar equal to that they -had made on leaving La Motte. - -It had grown quite dark; D'Alvimar could see naught of the château but -the interior, which seemed to him very small, and which was so, in fact, -compared with the enormous dwellings common at that period. - -To-day the apartments in the château would seem very large, but in -those days they seemed very diminutive. - -The portion occupied by the marquis, which had been ruined by the bands -of partisans in 1594, was of recent construction. It was a square -pavilion, flanked by a very old tower and by another even more ancient -building, the whole forming a single mass of composite architecture, -graceful in its narrow proportions, and of attractive and picturesque -aspect. - -"Do not be dismayed at the poor appearance of my cottage," said the -marquis, leading the way into the hall, while the page and Bellinde -lighted them; "it is just a hunting-box and bachelor's den. If I should -ever take it into my head to marry, I should have to build; but I have -not thought of it thus far, and I trust that, being yourself a bachelor, -you will not find this hovel too inconvenient." - - -[Footnote 8: Arthenice, an anagram of _Catherine_ Marquise de -Rambouillet; it is said to have been invented by Malherbe.] - - - - -IX - - -In truth the bachelor's den was arranged, carpeted and decorated with a -magnificence of which the low carved door and the narrow vestibule, from -which the spiral staircase rose abruptly, gave no indication. - -On the flagged hall were excellent Berry mats, on the wood floors richer -carpets from the looms of Aubusson, and in the salon and the master's -bedroom Persian rugs of very great value. - -The window-panes were large and of plain glass; that is to say, they -were diamond-shaped, about two inches square and unstained, with -medallions, bearing a coat-of-arms in colors, in relief. The hangings -represented slender, fascinating ladies and dainty little gentlemen, -whom it was very easy to identify as shepherds and shepherdesses by -their satchels and crooks. - -The names of the principal characters of _Astrée_ were embroidered in -the grass under their feet, and their eloquent speeches were issuing -from their mouths, meeting the no less eloquent replies of their -neighbors. - -On a panel in the _salon de compagnie_ the ill-fated Celadon was -represented, plunging with graceful contortions into the blue waters of -the Lignon, which rippled in circles in anticipation of his fall. Behind -him the incomparable Astrée, giving free vent to her tears, ran up too -late to stop him, although his foot was almost in the shepherdess's -hand. Above this pathetic group a tree, more like a sheep than the sheep -themselves in those fantastic fields, reared to the ceiling its fleecy, -curly branches. - -But, in order not to rend the heart by this lamentable spectacle of the -demise of Celadon, the artist had represented him, on the same panel, on -the other side of the Lignon, tossed up by the water, and lying betwixt -life and death among the bushes, but rescued by "three lovely nymphs, -whose unbound hair fell in waves over their shoulders, covered with a -garland of pearls of divers shapes. The sleeves of their gowns were -turned back to the elbow, whence a shirred undersleeve of thin lawn -extended to the wrist, where two large bracelets of pearls secured it. -Each one had at her side the quiver filled with arrows, and carried in -her hand an ivory bow. Their dresses were turned up so that their gilded -buskins could be seen halfway to the knee." - -Beside these lovely creatures stood little Meril guarding their chariot, -shaped like a shell, with a parasol above, and drawn by two horses which -might readily have been mistaken for sheep, their eyes were so mild and -their heads so round. - -The next panel represented the shepherd, saved and supported by the -obliging nymphs, and busily discharging through his mouth all the water -of the Lignon which he had swallowed; which occupation did not prevent -his saying, in words written all along the gushing stream: "If I -survive, how can Astrée's cruelty fail to kill me?" - -During this soliloquy Sylvie said to Galatée: "There is in his manners -and his speech something more noble than the title of shepherd denotes." - -And, above the group, Cupid discharged an arrow larger than himself into -Galatée's heart, although he aimed at her shoulder, through the fault -of a tree which prevented him from taking the proper position. But the -arrows of love are so adroit! - -What shall I say of the third panel, which pictured the terrible combat -between the blond Filandre and the redoubtable Moor, who held his -opponent spitted through the body, while the valiant shepherd, in nowise -disconcerted, skilfully buried the iron-shod point of his crook between -the monster's eyes? - -And of the fourth panel, whereon the fair Mélandre, in the armor of -Chevalier Triste, was led into the presence of the cruel Lypandas? - -But who does not know the marvels of that _fair land of tapestry_, as -one of our poets calls it, a fantastic, smiling land, wherein our -youthful imaginations saw and dreamed of so many wondrous things? - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's hangings were put together with marvellous -skill, in the sense that several adventures were successfully combined -in a single one, by the agency of distant groups scattered over the -landscape, and the honest nobleman had the pleasure of viewing all the -scenes of his favorite poem while making the circuit of his apartment. -But there were the most absurd drawings and the most impossible -combinations of colors that one can imagine, and there could have been -no better exemplification of the wretched taste, false and insipid, -which in those days was found side by side with Rubens's magnificent -work and the bold and lifelike drawings of Callot. - -Every epoch runs thus to extremes; that is why we need never despair of -the one in which we live. - -We must recognize the fact, however, that certain periods of the history -of art are more favored than others, and that there are some periods -whereof the taste is so pure and so fruitful, that the sentiment of the -beautiful finds its way into all the details of everyday life and into -all the strata of society. - -When the Renaissance is at its height everything assumes a character of -refined originality, and one feels, even in the most trivial details, -that the excitements of social life have marvellously quickened the -flight of the imagination. The imaginative instinct descends from the -region of lofty intellects to the humble artisan; from the palace to the -hovel, nothing can accustom the eye and the mind to the sight of the -ugly and the trivial. - -It had already ceased to be so under Louis XIII., and the provincials in -the neighborhood preferred Monsieur de Bois-Doré's modern tapestries -and furniture to the valuable specimens of the style of the last -century, which the _reiters_ had pillaged or broken in his father's -château fifty years before. - -As for the marquis, who considered himself artistic, he did not regret -those antiquities, and whenever he could pick up some landscape-dauber -on the highway, he would bid him sketch before his eyes what he -artlessly called his ideas, in the way of furniture and decorations, and -would then have them manufactured at great expense, for he shrank from -no outlay to gratify his mania for tawdry and eccentric splendor. - -Thus the château was filled to overflowing with buffets with secret -compartments and curious cabinets,--those wonderful cabinets, like great -boxes with drawers, where the pressure of a spring causes an enchanted -palace in miniature to appear, supported by twisted pillars, incrusted -with enormous false precious stones, and occupied by diminutive figures -in lapis-lazuli, ivory or jasper. - -Other cabinets, sheathed in transparent shell over a red ground, with -gleaming copper ornaments in relief, or all inlaid with carved ivory, -contained some marvellous toy, of which the ingenious and mystery-laden -mechanism served to conceal billets-doux, portraits, locks of hair, -rings, flowers and other love-relics dear to the beaux of the period. - -Bois-Doré hinted that those specimens of the cabinet-maker's art were -stuffed with treasures of that sort; some evil-minded scoffers declared -that they were empty. - -Despite all these vagaries of his magnificence, Bois-Doré had -transformed his little manor-house into a luxurious nest, warm and -cheery, which had cost him more than it was worth, but which it would be -most delightful to find intact in one of the little provincial -châteaux, which to-day are neglected, dilapidated, falling in ruins, or -changed into farmhouses. - -It would have taken three days to inspect all the curious trifles which -are described to-day by the new name of _bibelots_, but which would be -more appropriately called _bribelots_.[9] Our inquisitive and -investigating generation is entitled, however, to give whatever name it -chooses to a variety of exploration which is peculiar to it, and we -gladly accept the verb _bibeloter_, although it is only used by the -initiated. - -However, we will not _bibeloter_--catalogue--here the interesting -collection of curios at Briantes; it would take too long; we will say -simply that Monsieur d'Alvimar might well have fancied himself in the -shop of a second-hand dealer, so striking was the contrast between the -profusion of gewgaws heaped upon sideboards and mantels, or piled in -pyramids on the tables, and the chilling bareness of the Spanish palaces -in which he had passed his youth. - -Amid all that glass and porcelain, flagons, candlesticks, chandeliers, -punch-bowls, urns, to say nothing of the ewers, cups and small dishes of -gold, silver, amber or agate; the chairs of all shapes and sizes, -nailed, fringed and covered with Chinese silk; the benches and cupboards -of carved oak, with great clasps of openwork iron over a background of -scarlet cloth; the curtains of satin worked with gold flowers, large and -small, and embellished with gold-fringed lambrequins, etc., etc., there -were certainly some beautiful objects of art and charming products of -industry, mingled with much worthless trash and much inappropriate -elegance. In a word the general effect was brilliant and agreeable, -although there was altogether too much of it, and one hardly dared move -for fear of breaking something. - -When D'Alvimar had expressed his surprise at finding that palace of the -fairy Babiole in the modest valleys of Berry, and Bois-Doré had -obligingly exhibited the principal treasures of his salon, Bellinde the -housekeeper, who went in and out issuing orders in a clear and resonant -voice, announced to her master in an undertone that the supper was -ready, while the page threw the doors wide open, shouting the usual -formula, and the clock of the château struck seven with a burst of -music in the Flemish style. - -D'Alvimar, who had never been able to accustom himself to the abundance -of dishes in France, was surprised to find the table covered, not only -with gold plate and candlesticks adorned with glass flowers of all -colors, but with a quantity of food sufficient to have satisfied a dozen -persons with hearty appetites. - -"Oh! this is not a supper," said Bois-Doré, whom he gently chid for -treating him like a gourmand; "this is simply a little lunch by -candlelight. Make an effort, and if my chief cook has not got tipsy in -my absence, you will see that the rascal knows how to awaken the -sluggish appetite." - -D'Alvimar made no further remonstrance, and found that his appetite did -in fact come to him in spite of himself. - -Never had he tasted such exquisite cheer at the table of the great -noblemen of his own nation, nor anything more exquisite in the most -splendid mansions in Paris. There were none but the daintiest little -dishes, deliciously seasoned, and most scientifically compounded after -the fashion of the time: bisque of crab, fat quail stuffed, pastry light -as air, perfumed creams of several flavors in marchpane shells, biscuits -with saffron and with clove, fine native wines, among which the old wine -of Issoudun could hold its own with the best vintages of Bourgogne; and -at dessert the headiest wines of Greece and Spain. - -They passed two hours tasting a little of everything, Bois-Doré talking -of the cellar and cuisine like a consummate master, and Bellinde -directing the servants with unequalled knowledge and skill. - -The young page played the theorbo very pleasantly during the first two -courses; but simultaneously with the third a new personage appeared and -caused D'Alvimar some uneasiness, although he could not tell why. - - -[Footnote 9: A coined word, derived from _bribes_, scraps or refuse.] - - - - -X - - -He was a man of some forty years, whom the marquis greeted by the name -of Master Jovelin, and who, without speaking, seated himself on a -leather-covered gilt chair in a corner of the room, in such way as not -to interfere with the going to and fro of the servants. He carried a -little red serge bag which he placed on his knees, and he glanced at the -table companions with a pleasant, smiling expression. - -His face was handsome, although the features were without distinction. -His nose and mouth were large, he had a retreating chin and a low -forehead. - -Despite these defects, it was impossible for an honest man to look upon -him without interest; and if one paid the slightest heed to his -beautiful black hair, which was sadly neglected, but of fine texture and -naturally curly, his magnificent white teeth which his melancholy but -cordial smile revealed, and his black eyes, so keen and intelligent, so -kind and sympathetic, that his yellow face was lighted up by them, one -felt as it were compelled to love him, ay, and to respect him. - -He was dressed like a petty bourgeois, but very neatly, in a suit of -bluish-gray, with woollen stockings; the coat long and tightly buttoned, -a wide collar turned down and cut square across the chest, open sleeves -in the Flemish style, and a broad-brimmed felt hat without feathers. - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, having asked politely as to his health and -ordered a servant to give him a glass of Cyprus, which he declined with -a wave of his hand, said no more to him, but bestowed his attention on -his guest exclusively. - -Such was the etiquette of that time, a man of quality being prohibited -from showing much consideration for an inferior, under pain of seeming -to insult his equals. - -But D'Alvimar noticed that their eyes met frequently and that, after -every remark made by the marquis, they exchanged a smile of -intelligence, as if he desired to share all his thoughts with the -new-comer, perhaps to obtain his approbation, perhaps to divert his mind -from some secret trouble. - -Surely, in all this there was no cause for alarm on D'Alvimar's part. -But it may be that he was not on very good terms with his conscience; -for that handsome and honest face, far from being attractive to him, -caused him a great mental perturbation and sudden distrust. - -The marquis, however, did not say a word or ask a question referring to -the reasons of the Spaniard's flight to Berry. He talked entirely of -himself, and therein gave proof of great tact, for D'Alvimar had as yet -shown no inclination to be confidential, and his host found a way to -keep up the conversation without questioning him upon any subject -whatsoever. - -"You find me in comfortable, well-furnished quarters and well-served," -he said; "that is quite true. It is several years"--he did not say how -many--"since I withdrew from society to rest a while and recover from -the fatigues of war, awaiting events. I confess that, since the death of -our great King Henri, I care not at all for the court or the city. I am -not given to complaining, and I take the times as they come; but I have -had three great sorrows in my life: the first was when I lost my mother, -the second when I lost my younger brother, the third when I lost my -great and good king. And there is this peculiarity in my story, that all -three of those persons who were so dear to me died a violent death. My -king was assassinated, my mother fell from her horse, and my -brother--But this is too sad a subject, and I do not choose to tell you -unpleasant tales to prepare you for your first night under my roof. I -will simply tell you what it was that made me slothful and inclined to -domesticity. When I saw my King Henri breathe his last, I reasoned thus -with myself: 'You have lost all those you loved, you have nobody left -but yourself to lose; now then, if you do not wish your turn to come -soon, you will do well to turn your back on these regions of commotion -and intriguing, and go and nurse your poor, afflicted and weary person -in your native province.' You were right therefore to esteem me as -fortunate as a man can be, since I was wise enough to adopt the course -best suited to me, and to save myself from all annoyance; but you would -have made a mistake to think that I lack nothing; for, while I desire -nothing, I cannot say that I regret nobody. But I have regaled you -enough with my sorrows and I am not one of those who feed upon them, -refusing to be comforted or diverted. While we taste this jelly, do you -care to listen to a more skilful musician than our little page?--Do you -listen to him, too, my young friend," he added, addressing the page; "it -will do you no harm." - -As he spoke to D'Alvimar, he had bestowed upon him he called Master -Jovelin one of those affectionate glances which resembled prayers rather -than commands. - -The man in the gray suit unbuttoned the flowing sleeve which covered -another tighter sleeve of a dull red color, and threw it over his -shoulder; then he took from his bag one of those little bag-pipes with a -short, carved bass, which were then called _sourdelines_, and were -employed in chamber music. - -This instrument, the tone of which was as sweet and veiled as the -bag-pipes of our own minstrels of to-day are noisy and shrill, was much -in vogue, and before Master Jovelin had concluded his prelude, he had -taken possession not only of the attention but of the very soul of his -hearers; for he performed marvellously on the _sourdeline_, and made it -sing like a human voice. - -D'Alvimar was a connoisseur, and beautiful music possessed the power of -making his natural melancholy less bitter than usual. He abandoned -himself the more readily to this sort of relief, because his mind was -set at rest when he discovered that this silent and watchful individual, -whom he had taken at first for an insinuating spy, was an accomplished -and harmless musician. - -As for the marquis, he loved the art and the artist, and he always -listened to his _master sourdelinier_ with religious emotion. - -D'Alvimar expressed his admiration in well-chosen terms. Whereupon, the -supper being at an end, he asked leave to retire. - -The marquis rose at once, motioned to Master Jovelin to await his return -and to the page to take a light, and himself escorted his guest to the -room that had been prepared for him; after which he returned to the -table, removed his hat, which, in those days, was a sign that ceremony -was dispensed with, contrary to the usage introduced at a later date, -ordered a sort of punch called _clairette_, compounded of white wine, -honey, musk, saffron and cloves, and invited Master Jovelin to sit -opposite him in the place D'Alvimar had just vacated. - -"Now, Messire Clindor," said the marquis, smiling good-humoredly at the -page, whom, in accordance with his usual custom, he had burdened with a -name taken from _Astrée_, "you may go to sup with Bellinde. Leave us, -and tell her to take care of you.--Stay," he added, as the page was -about to leave the room, "I have been intending all day to reprove you -for your manner of walking. I have noticed, my young friend, that you -have adopted some habits which you may think are military, but which are -simply vulgar. Do not forget, therefore, that, although you are not -noble, you are in a way to become so, and that a well-mannered little -bourgeois in the service of a man of quality is on the road to the -acquisition of a little fief of which he may assume the name. But what -will it avail you that I assist you to rub the dirt off your birth, if -you persist in befouling your manners? Try to be a gentleman, monsieur, -not a peasant. Now then, adopt an easy carriage, try to put your whole -foot on the floor when you walk, and not begin your step with the heel -and end on the great toe; a trick which makes your gait and the clatter -of your shoes resemble the amble of a millers horse. Go now in peace, -eat well and sleep well, or else beware of the stirrup-leathers!" - -Little Clindor, whose real name was Jean Fachot--his father was an -apothecary at Saint-Amand,--received the sermon of his lord and master -with great respect, saluted and left the room on tiptoe, like a -ballet-dancer, to make it perfectly evident that he could not touch his -heels first, since he did not touch them at all. - -The old servant, who always remained to the last, having gone likewise -to his supper, the marquis said to his _sourdelinier_: - -"Come, my dear friend, just take off that great hat, and eat, without -fear of the servants, a good slice of this paté and another of this -ham, as you do every evening when we are alone." - -Master Jovelin uttered some inarticulate sounds by way of thanks, and -began to eat, while the marquis slowly sipped his _clairette_, less from -desire than from courtesy, to bear him company; for it is well to say -that, although the old man had many absurd foibles, he had not a single -vice. - -Then, while the poor mute ate, the good châtelain carried on the -conversation all by himself, which was a very great pleasure to the -musician, for no other person would take the trouble to speak to a man -who could not answer. People had become accustomed to treat him as a -deaf-mute; that is to say, knowing that he could not repeat what he -heard, they indulged without hesitation in lying or slander in his -hearing. The marquis alone talked directly to him, with much deference -for his noble character, his great learning and his misfortunes, of -which the following is a brief narrative: - -Lucilio Giovellino, a native of Florence, was a friend and disciple of -the unfortunate and illustrious Giordano Bruno. Trained in the sublime -ideas and vast learning of his master, he had, in addition, great -aptitude for the fine arts, poetry and languages. Lovable, eloquent and -persuasive, he had propagated with success the bold doctrine of the -plurality of worlds. - -On the day when Giordano died at the stake with the calm dignity of a -martyr, Giovellino was banished from Italy forever. - -This happened at Rome two years before the period of our narrative. - -Under the hand of the tormenters, Giovellino had not chosen to adhere to -all of Giordano's doctrines. Although he was deeply attached to his -master, he had declined to accept certain of his errors, and as they -were able to convict him of only the half of his heresy, they had -inflicted only the half of his punishment: they had cut out his tongue. - -Ruined, banished, exhausted by the torture, Giovellino had come to -France, where he played his sweet-toned bag-pipe from door to door, for -a crust of bread; and, Providence having guided him to the marquis's -door, he was taken in, nursed, cured, entertained by him, and--which was -worth far more to the poor fellow--appreciated and loved. He had told -him of his misfortunes in writing. - -Bois-Doré was neither a scholar nor a philosopher; he had become -interested in him at first as a man who was persecuted, as he himself -had been for a long time, by Catholic intolerance. He would not, -however, have become attached to a savage, violent sectary, of the type -of a goodly number of Huguenots, who were no less addicted to -persecution in those days than their adversaries. He had a vague -knowledge of the blasphemies imputed to Giordano Bruno; he bade -Giovellino explain his doctrines to him. The mute wrote rapidly, and -with that refined lucidity of expression which great minds were -beginning not to disdain, wishing to instruct everybody, even the common -herd, in those great questions which Galileo was already investigating -in the domain of pure science. - -The marquis enjoyed this conversation in writing, in which the essential -points were summarized soberly, and without the inevitable digressions -of speech. Gradually he conceived an enthusiastic, passionate interest -in these new definitions which afforded him repose and relieved him from -tedious disputes. He desired to read an exposition of Giordano's ideas, -also of those of his predecessor Vanini. Lucilio was able to express -them so that he could understand them, pointing out the weak or false -passages, in order to lead him to the only conclusions which human -knowledge asserts with certainty to-day: a creation as infinite as the -Creator, an infinity of stars peopling infinite space, not to serve as -luminaries and objects of interest to our little planet, but as sources -and sustenance of universal life. - -This was very easy to understand, and man had understood it ever since -the first ray of genius had made itself manifest in mankind. But the -doctrines of the Church in the Middle Ages had reduced God and Heaven to -the proportions of our little world, and the marquis thought that he was -dreaming when he learned that the existence of the real universe was -not--as he had always imagined, so he said--a poet's fancy. - -He did not rest until he had procured a telescope, and he expected, the -dear man, to see the inhabitants of the moon distinctly, his ideas were -raised so high. He had to abandon that hope; but he passed all his -evenings reading Giovellino's explanation of the movements of the stars, -and of the wonderful celestial mechanism, which Galileo was destined to -be condemned to abjure as heretical, a few years later, under torture, -on his knees, with a torch in his hand. - - - - -XI - - -"Well," cried the marquis, while his friend ate, hastening as a matter -of course, although his amiable and obliging host urged him to take his -time, "what have you done to-day, my redoubtable scholar? Yes, I -understand, pages of fine writing. Do not lose a line, I pray you! Those -are words of refined gold which will go down to posterity; for these -days of gloom will go hence into the dungeons of the past! Meanwhile, -always conceal your sheets carefully in the secret drawer of the -cupboard I have had placed in your chamber, when you do not write in -mine." - -The mute made a sign that he had been writing in the marquis's study, -and that his sheets were in a certain ebony casket where the marquis -kept them. He made himself understood by gestures with great ease. - -"That is still better," continued Bois-Doré; "they are even safer -there, as no woman enters the room. It is not that I distrust Bellinde, -but she seems to me altogether too devoutly inclined since the arrival -of this new rector whom Monseigneur de Bourges has sent us, and who is -not to be compared, I fear, with our old friend the former curé, whom -we owed to the last archbishop, Jean de Beaune. - -"Ah! if only we had retained that excellent prelate, with his flowing -beard, his gigantic stature, his fat paunch, his Gargantuan appetite, -his handsome face, his great mind and his vast learning! one of the -shrewdest and best men in the kingdom, although, to look at him, one -would have taken him for a _bon vivant_ and nothing more! - -"If you had come in his time, my dear friend, you would not have had to -keep out of sight in this little hunting-box; you would not have been -obliged to translate your name into French, to lock up your learning, to -pass for a poor bagpiper, and to give people hereabout to understand -that you were mutilated by the Huguenots; our excellent primate would -have taken you under his protection, and you would have printed your -noble thoughts at Bourges, to the great honor of your name and of our -province; whereas we now have for archbishops none but Condé's too -zealous servants. - -"Yes, yes, I learned some fine things to-day, at De Beuvre's, concerning -that prince, a renegade to the faith of his fathers and the friendships -of his youth! He inundates us with Jesuits, and, if poor Henri IV. -should return to life, he would see some diverting masquerading! -Monsieur de Sully is falling deeper and deeper into disgrace. Condé is -purchasing from him by threats all his estates in Berry. Fancy! he has -forced him to give up the grand-bailiwick and the command of the great -tower! He is king of our province now, and people say that he dreams of -becoming King of France. So, you see, affairs are going badly -out-of-doors, and there is no safety except in our little fortresses, -and that only on condition that we are prudent and wait patiently for -the end of it all." - - -[Illustration: _BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS -PROTÉGÉ._ - -_Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to -him over the table, and kissed it with the eloquent -warmth which took the place of speech with him._] - - -Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to him over the -table, and kissed it with the eloquent warmth which took the place of -speech with him. At the same time, he made him understand, by pantomime -and by his expression, that he was happy with him, that he did not -regret glory and the tumult of the world, and that he was altogether -disposed to be prudent, lest he should compromise his protector. - -"As to the young gentleman whom I brought home with me and have done my -best to entertain," continued Bois-Doré, "you must know that I know -nothing about him except that he is a friend of Messire Guillaume d'Ars, -that he is threatened with some danger, and that he is to be concealed -and defended at need. But do you not think it odd that this stranger did -not once take me aside to confide his story to me, or that he did not do -it when we were naturally left together on our return hither?" - -Lucilio, who always had a pencil and paper beside him on the table, -wrote to Bois-Doré: - -"Spanish pride." - -"Yes," rejoined the marquis, reading, so to speak, before he had -written, so accustomed had he become, in two years, to divine his words -from the first letters; "'Castilian pride,' that is what I said to -myself. I have known a goodly number of these hidalgos, and I know that -they do not consider it discourteous to show lack of confidence. So I -must needs exercise hospitality here in the old-fashioned way, respect -my guest's secrets and treat him courteously, as an old friend whom one -believes to be the most honorable man on earth. But that does not compel -me to accord him the confidence that he denies me, and that is why, as -you saw, I left you in a corner, like a poor, paid musician, when he was -here. And hereupon, my dear friend, I ask you to forgive me, once for -all, for any apparent lack of affection or courtesy to which I am forced -by regard for your safety, just as I clothe you in these common, -ill-fitting clothes." - -Poor Giovellino, who had never been so well dressed and so tenderly -cared for in his whole life, interrupted the marquis by pressing his -hands, and Bois-Doré was deeply moved to see tears of gratitude fall -upon his friend's long, black moustache. - -"Nay," he said, "you overpay me by loving me so dearly! I must reward -you now by speaking to you of the sweet Lauriane. But must I repeat what -she said to me about you? You will not be too puffed-up by it? No?--Well -then, here goes. In the first place: - -"'How is your druid?' - -"I replied that the said druid was hers much more than mine, and that -she ought to remember that Climante, in _Astrée_, was only a false -druid, as deep in love as every other lover in that beautiful story. - -"'Nay, nay,' she replied, 'you are deceiving me; if your Climante were -as much in love with me as you represent him, he would have come with -you to-day, whereas two whole weeks have passed since we saw him. Will -you tell me that he starts when he hears my name, as in _Astrée_, and -that he utters sighs which seem _to rend his stomach in twain_? I do not -believe a word of it, and look upon him as an inconstant Hylas rather!' - -"You see that the charming Lauriane continues to make sport of -_Astrée_, of you and of me. However, when I took leave of her at -nightfall, she said to me: - -"'I insist upon your bringing the druid and his bag-pipe to us the day -after to-morrow, or I will give you a cool reception, I promise you.'" - -The poor druid listened with a smile to Bois-Doré's story; he knew how -to jest on occasion, that is to say to take others' jesting in good -part. Lauriane was to him nothing more than a lovely child, whose father -he might have been; but he was still young enough to remember that he -had loved, and in the depths of his heart his sense of isolation was -exceedingly bitter to him. - -As he thought of the past he stifled a sigh of regret, and began -instinctively to play an Italian air which the marquis loved above all -others. - -He played it with so much grace and passion that Bois-Doré said to him, -resorting to his favorite oath, borrowed from Monsieur d'Urfé: - -"_Numes célestes_! you need no tongue to talk of love, my dear friend, -and if the object of your passion were here, she must be deaf to avoid -understanding that your heart is pouring itself forth to hers. But come, -will you not let me read those pages of sublime learning?" - -Lucilio signified that his head was a little tired, and Bois-Doré at -once sent him off to bed, after embracing him fraternally. - -Giovellino, in truth, often felt that he was more of an artist and a -creature of sentiment, than a scholar and philosopher. His nature was at -once enthusiastic and meditative. - -Meanwhile Monsieur de Bois-Doré had retired to his "night apartment," -situated above the salon. He had spoken truly when he said to Lucilio -that no woman ever entered that sanctuary of repose or the cabinets -connected therewith; Bellinde herself was forbidden to cross the -threshold under the severest penalties. - -Only old Mathias--dubbed Adamas, for the same reason that Guillette -Carcat was obliged to call herself Bellinde, and Jean Fachot, -Clindor--was privileged to assist in the mysteries of the marquis's -toilet, so perfectly sincere was he in the belief that the secret of his -rouge and his dyes could be revealed only by the arsenal of boxes, -phials and jars spread out upon his tables. - -As usual, therefore, he found Adamas alone, preparing the curl-papers, -powders and perfumed unguents which were to preserve the marquis's -beauty even in his slumber. - - - - -XII - - -Adamas was a pure-blooded Gascon: stout of heart, keen of wit, untiring -of tongue. Bois-Doré artlessly called him his old servant, although he -himself was at least ten years his senior. - -This Adamas, who had accompanied him in his last campaigns, was his -_âme damnée_, and filled his nostrils with the incense of perpetual -admiration, the more injurious to his mental equilibrium in that it was -the result of a sincere infatuation. It was he who persuaded him that he -was still young, that he could not grow old, and that, when he went -forth from his hands, glistening and high-colored like a page from a -missal, he was certain to supplant all the coxcombs and deceive all the -fair. - -No man is great in the eyes of his valet de chambre, witness Sancho -Panza who told his master such sound truths. But Bois-Doré, who was -simply an excellent man, enjoyed the privilege of being a demi-god in -the eyes of his servant; and, while some heroes have been the -laughing-stock of their retainers, this laughable old man was taken -quite seriously by the majority of his. - -So things go in this world. Everyone must have noticed, as I have, that -they sometimes go entirely contrary to logic and common-sense. - -The old nobleman's extraordinary kindliness was responsible for this -state of affairs. Great characters make people too exacting. At the -slightest weakness on their part, people are astonished; at the -slightest impatience they are scandalized. He who has no character at -all never irritates anybody and reaps the advantages of his -never-failing good nature. - -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, kneeling on the floor to remove his -old idol's boots, "I must tell you a very strange occurrence that -happened to-day on your domain." - -"Speak, my friend, speak, since you desire to speak," replied -Bois-Doré, who allowed his dresser to chatter familiarly with him, and -furthermore, when he was half asleep, loved to be soothed by some bit of -harmless gossip. - -"You must know, then, my dear and well-beloved master," said Adamas, -with his Gascon accent, which we will not attempt to reproduce, "that, -about five o'clock this evening, a very extraordinary woman came here, -one of those poor creatures of whom we saw so many on the shores of the -Mediterranean and the Southern provinces; you know, monsieur, not very -dark women, with heavy lips, fine eyes, and black hair--like yours!" - -As he made this comparison, in perfect good faith, Adamas respectfully -placed his master's wig on an ivory block. - -"Do you mean those Egyptian women, who play all kinds of tricks?" said -Bois-Doré, paying no heed to the subject of the comparison. - -"No, monsieur, no! This one is a Spaniard, who swears by Mahomet, I am -sure, when she is all alone." - -"Then you mean that she is a Moor?" - -"That's it exactly, monsieur le marquis; she's a Moor, and she doesn't -know a word of French." - -"But you know a little Spanish?" - -"A little, monsieur. I remember so well what I used to know of it, that -I talked with that woman almost as readily as I am speaking to you." - -"Well, is that the whole story?" - -"Oh! no; but give me time! It seems that this Moorish woman was one of -the great band of a hundred and fifty thousand, who perished, almost all -of them, some half score years ago, some by hunger and murder on the -galleys that were taking them to Africa, others by want and disease on -the shores of Languedoc and Provence." - -"Poor creatures!" said Bois-Doré. "That was the most detestable deed -that ever was done!" - -"Is it true, monsieur, that Spain drove out a million of these Moors, -and that barely a hundred thousand arrived in Tunis?" - -"I couldn't tell you the number; but I can tell you that it was -downright butchery, and that beasts of burden were never treated like -those wretched human beings. You know that our Henri would fain have -made Calvinists of them, which would have saved them by making them -French." - -"I remember very well, monsieur, that the Catholics of the South -wouldn't listen to such a thing, and said that they would murder them -all rather than go to mass with those devils. The Calvinists were not -any more reasonable, and the result was that our good king left the poor -wretches at peace in the Pyrenees, waiting for an opportunity to do -something for them. But after his death the queen regent wanted to rid -Spain of them, so they drove them into the sea, with or without ships. -Some, however, consented to be baptized and became Christians, to escape -that cruel fate, and the woman in question followed that wise course, -although I suspect her of not being perfectly sincere." - -"What difference does that make to you, Adamas? Do you think that the -great Maker of the sun, the moon and the Milky Way----" - -"I beg your pardon, monsieur?" said Adamas, who had not a very clear -understanding of his master's recently acquired knowledge, and indeed -was somewhat disturbed about it; "I don't recognize _milky voice_[10] as -a French expression." - -"I will tell you about that another time," said the marquis yawning, for -he was drowsing in front of the fire that crackled on the hearth. -"Finish your story." - -"Well, monsieur," Adamas continued, "this Moorish woman remained till -last year in the Pyrenees mountains, where she watched the flocks for -poor farmers; so that she continued to speak her Catalan patois, which -people understand well enough on the other side of the mountains." - -"And that explains to me how, with your Gascon patois, which is not very -different from the mountain patois, you were able to talk Spanish with -this woman." - -"That is as monsieur pleases; all the same, I said many Spanish words -which she understood perfectly.--And then I must tell you that she had a -little child with her, who isn't her own child, but of whom she is as -fond as a goat of her kid, and the pretty little lad, whose mind is -bigger than his body, speaks French as well as you and I. Now, monsieur, -this Moorish woman, whose name in French is Mercedes----" - -"Mercedes is a Spanish name!" said the marquis, climbing into his great -bed with Adamas's aid. - -"I meant to say that it was a Christian name," continued the servant. -"Six months ago, Mercedes took it into her head to go and find Monsieur -de Rosny, whom she had heard spoken of as the late king's right arm, and -who, she had been told, although he was in disgrace, was still powerful -because of his wealth and his virtue. So she started for Poitou, where -she was told Monsieur de Sully lived. Aren't you surprised, monsieur, at -the resolution of such a poor, ignorant woman, to travel across half of -France, on foot, with only a little child who is hardly ten years old, -with the idea of calling on such an exalted personage?" - -"But you don't tell me what this woman's reason was for acting thus?" - -"That is the wonderful part of the story, monsieur! What can it be, do -you think?" - -"I could never guess! tell me at once, for it is late." - -"I would tell you if I knew; but I know no more about it than you do, -and, try as hard as I would, I could not induce her to tell." - -"Good-night, then." - -"Wait till I cover the fire, monsieur." - -And, as he covered the fire, Adamas continued, raising his voice: - -"That woman is altogether mysterious, monsieur le marquis, and I would -like to have you see her!" - -"Now?" said the marquis, rousing himself with a start. "You are joking; -it is time to go to sleep." - -"To be sure; but to-morrow morning?" - -"Is she in the house, pray?" - -"Why, yes, monsieur! She asked for a corner to pass the night under -shelter. I gave her some supper, for I know monsieur does not wish us to -refuse bread to the unfortunate, and I sent her to lie on the straw -after talking with her." - -"And you did wrong, monsieur; a woman is always a woman. And--I hope -that there are no other beggars there? I do not want any indecency on my -premises." - -"Nor do I, monsieur! I put her and her child, all alone, in the small -cellar, where they are quite comfortable, I assure you; they do not seem -accustomed to such good quarters, poor things! And yet this Mercedes is -as neat and clean as one can be in such poverty. Moreover, she is not at -all ugly." - -"I trust, Adamas, that you will not impose upon her destitute condition. -Hospitality is a sacred thing!" - -"Monsieur is making fun of a poor old man! It is all very well for -monsieur le marquis to have virtuous principles! For my part, I assure -you that I have little need of them, being no longer tempted by the -devil. Besides, the woman seems very honest, and she does not take a -step without her child clinging to her dress. She must have run other -risks than that of pleasing me too much, for she has been travelling -with gypsies who passed through this region to-day. There was a large -party of them, partly Egyptians, partly picked up here and there, as -their custom is. She says that the vagabonds were not unkind to her, so -true it is that beggars stand by one another. As she did not know the -roads, she followed them, because they said they were going to Poitou; -but she left them to-night, saying that she had no further need of them, -and that she had business in this province. Now, monsieur, that is -another thing that seems very strange to me, for she would not tell me -why she acted so. What do you think of it, monsieur?" - -Bois-Doré did not reply. He was sleeping soundly, despite the noise -that Adamas made, to some extent wilfully, to force him to listen to his -story. - -When the old retainer saw that the marquis had really set out for the -land of dreams, he tucked in the sheets carefully, placed his beautiful -pistols in the morocco bag hanging at the head of his bed; on a table at -his right, his rapier unsheathed and his hunting knife, his folio -edition of _Astrée_, a superb volume with engravings, a large goblet of -hippocras, a bell with its hammer, and a handkerchief of fine Holland -linen saturated with musk. Then he lighted the night lamp, blew out the -multicolored candles, and arranged at the foot of the bed the red -velvet slippers and the dressing-gown of flowered silk serge, -light-green on dark-green. - -Then, as he was about to leave the room, the faithful Adamas gazed at -his master, his friend, his demigod. - -The marquis, with all his cosmetics washed off, was a handsome old man, -and the tranquillity of his conscience imparted a venerable air to his -face as he lay asleep. While his wig reposed on the table, and his -garments, stuffed to conceal the hollows that age had made in his -shoulders and his legs, lay scattered about on chairs, the angular -outlines of his great body, shrunken to half its size, could be traced -under a _lodier_ or coverlet of white satin, with coats-of-arms in -silver purl in relief at the four corners. - -The headboard of the bed, a single panel ten feet high, as well as the -fringed tester connected therewith in the shape of a canopy, was also of -white satin stitched on thick wadding, and with large silver figures in -relief. The inside of the bed-curtains was of similar material; the -outer surface was of pink damask. - -In that comfortable and sumptuous bed, that strongly-marked, venerable -face, martial still with all its gentleness, with its moustache -bristling with curl-papers, and its night-cap of wadded silk in the -shape of half a mortar, embellished with rich lace that stood erect like -a crown, presented a most singular combination of absurdity and -austerity in the bluish light of the night lamp. - -"Monsieur is sleeping quietly," said Adamas to himself; "but he forgot -to say his prayers, and it is my fault. I will do it for him." - -He knelt and prayed very fervently; after which he withdrew to his own -room, which was separated only by a partition from his master's. - -The arsenal that Adamas had arranged around the marquis's bed was only a -matter of habit or luxury. - -Everything was perfectly quiet around the little château; within the -château everybody was sleeping soundly. - - -[Footnote 10: Bois-Doré said _voie_ lactée; Adamas understood him to -say _voix_ lactée.] - - - - -XIII - - -The first to awake was Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, who had also been the -first to fall asleep, being thoroughly tired out. - -He did not like to remain in bed, and the habit born of straitened -circumstances, skilfully concealed, made the attentions of his valet -useless to him. This was the more fortunate, inasmuch as the old -Spaniard who was in attendance upon him would not readily have consented -to perform other functions than those of an esquire. - -And yet that man was as devoted to him as Adamas was to Bois-Doré; but -there was as much difference in their relations as in their characters -and their respective situations. - -They talked but little to each other, perhaps because they were -disinclined, perhaps because they understood each other on all subjects -at a single word. Moreover, the valet considered himself, up to a -certain point, his master's equal, for their families were equally -ancient and equally pure--such at least was their claim--of all -admixture with the Moorish or Jewish races, so solemnly ostracized, and -so solemnly persecuted in Spain. - -Sancho of Cordova--such was the old esquire's name,--had been present at -young D'Alvimar's birth in the castle of the village where he himself -was living, reduced by poverty to the trade of swineherd. The young -châtelain, who was little richer than he, had taken him into his -service on the very day when he had determined to go to seek his fortune -in foreign lands. - -It was said in that Castilian village that Sancho had loved Madame -Isabella, D'Alvimar's mother, and even that she had not been indifferent -to his passion. In this way they explained the attachment of that -taciturn and morose man for a cold and haughty youth, who treated him, -not as a valet properly so-called, but as an unintelligent inferior. - -Thus Sancho, meditative or brutish, passed his life grooming horses and -keeping his master's weapons sharp and bright. The rest of the time he -played, slept or mused, avoiding familiarity with the other servants, -whom he looked upon as his inferiors, and forming no intimacies, for he -was suspicious of everybody, ate little, drank little, and never looked -a person in the face. - -D'Alvimar dressed himself therefore and went out to inspect his -surroundings, although it was hardly daylight. - -The manor house looked upon a small pond, from which a broad moat -issued, to return to it at another point after making the circuit of the -buildings, which consisted, as we have said, of a conglomerate mass of -architecture of several periods. - -1st. An entirely new white pavilion, small in size, covered with -slates--a great luxury in a province where even tiles were rare--and -crowned with a double mansard roof with carved spandrels adorned with -balls.[11] - -2d. Another pavilion, very old but completely restored, with a roof of -oaken tiles, and resembling certain Swiss chalets in shape. This -building, which contained the kitchens, offices and guest chambers, was -arranged after the fashion of the wild old days of unrest. It had no -outer door, and could be entered only through the other buildings; its -windows looked on the courtyard, and its façade, turned toward the -fields, had no other openings than two small square holes in the gable, -like two suspicious little eyes in a silent face. - -3d. A prism-shaped tower with an ogival door of delicate workmanship; -the tower had a slated roof, also pentagonal, and surmounted by a belfry -and a slender weather-vane. This tower contained the only staircase in -the château, and connected the old and new buildings. - -Other low structures attached to the main pile stood on the edge of the -moat, and were occupied by the indoor servants. - -The courtyard, with its well in the centre, was surrounded by the -château, the pond, another building of a single story, with mansards -and stone balls, used for stables, hunting equipments and visitors' -servants; and lastly, by the entrance tower, which was smaller and less -beautiful than that at La Motte-Seuilly, but was flanked by a wall -pierced with loop-holes for falconets, covering the approaches to the -bridge. - -This trivial fortification was sufficient because of the two moats: the -first around the courtyard, wide and deep, with running water; the -second around the poultry-yard, marshy and stagnant, but protected by -stout walls. - -Between the two moats, at the right of the drawbridge, lay the garden; -it was of considerable size and enclosed by high walls and well-kept -ditches; on the left the mall, the kennels, the orchard, the farm and -the meadow, with the seignioral dove-cote, heron yard and falconry; an -immense enclosure reaching to the houses of the village, almost all of -which belonged to the marquis. - -The village was fortified, and in some places the solid foundation of -its low walls was said to date from the time of Cæsar. - -Comparing the small proportions of the manor-house with the extent of -the domain, with the rich furniture heaped up in the apartments, and the -master's luxurious habits, Monsieur d'Alvimar tried to divine the reason -of the contrast; and as he was by no means charitably inclined, he -concluded that the marquis concealed his wealth, not from avarice, but -because the source of that wealth was not altogether pure. - -Therein he was not entirely in error. - -The marquis had this in common with a great number of gentlemen of his -time, that he had lined his pockets somewhat unscrupulously during the -civil commotions, at the expense of the rich abbeys, and by means of the -exactions of the war time, rights of conquest, and the smuggling of -salt. - -Pillage was a sort of recognized right in those days; witness the -petition of Monsieur d'Arquian, who appealed to the courts because his -château was burned by Monsieur de la Châtre, "contrary to all the -usages of war; for he would not have mentioned the destruction and -sacking of his furniture." - -As for the contraband trade in salt, it would have been difficult, at -the beginning of the seventeenth century, to find a nobleman in our -provinces who considered himself insulted by the epithet, _gentilhomme -faux saulnier_.[12] - -So that the wealth of which, by the way, Monsieur de Bois-Doré made an -excellent use by his inexhaustible generosity and charity, was not a -mystery in the region about La Châtre; but he wisely avoided drawing -the attention of the provincial government upon himself, by an enormous -house and a too splendid household. - -He was well aware that the petty tyrants who were dividing among -themselves the wealth of France would not have lacked so-called legal -pretexts for making him disgorge. - -D'Alvimar walked through the gardens, a laughable creation of his host, -of which he was unquestionably more vain than of his most glorious feats -of arms. - -He had undertaken to produce, upon rather a limited space, the gardens -of _Isaure_, as they are described in _Astrée_: "That enchanted spot -was all fountains and flower-beds, avenues and noble trees."--The great -forest which formed such a charming labyrinth was represented by a -labyrinthine thicket wherein he had forgotten neither the square of -hazel-trees, nor the _fountain of the verity of love_, nor the _cavern -of Damon and Fortune_, nor the _den of old Mandrague_. - -All these things seemed exceedingly childish to Monsieur d'Alvimar, but -not so utterly ridiculous as they would seem to us to-day. - -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's monomania was sufficiently prevalent in his day -not to be considered eccentric. Henri IV. and his court devoured -_Astrée_, and in the petty German courts even princes and princesses -assumed the resounding names that the marquis imposed upon his servants -and his animals. The extreme popularity of Monsieur d'Urfé's romance -lasted two centuries; it touched and charmed Jean-Jacques Rousseau; nor -must we forget that, on the eve of the Terror, the skilful engraver -Moreau still introduced in his works ladies named Chloris, and gentlemen -named Hylas and Cidamant. But these illustrious names were borne, in the -engravings and in the romance, by imaginary marquises; while the new -shepherds were called Colin or Colas. Only a short step had been taken -toward the real; the shepherds and shepherdesses were not improved; from -being heroic they had become obscene. - -D'Alvimar, wishing to obtain an idea of the surrounding country, walked -through the hamlet, which consisted of about a hundred hearth-stones and -was literally situated in a hole. It is so with many of those old -places. When they are not powerful enough to perch proudly and -threateningly upon some precipitous height, they seem to cower -designedly in the valleys, as if to avoid the eyes of marauding bands. - -The locality is, however, one of the most charming in Lower Berry. The -gravelled roads leading thither are hard and clean at all seasons. Two -pretty little streams form a natural defence, which may have been turned -to advantage long ago for Cæsar's camp. - -One of these streams fed the moats of the château; the other flowed -through two small ponds below the village. - -The Indre, which is near at hand, receives these streams and hurries -them along a narrow valley, cut by sunken roads, heavily shaded, and -running through unenclosed, untilled land of wild aspect. - -You must expect to find not grandeur but charm, in that little desert, -where virgin fields, thickets, wild grasses, genesta, heather and -chestnut trees encompass you on all sides. - -On the bank of the Indre, which becomes a brook as you ascend toward the -source, wild flowers grow in a profusion most delightful to see.[13] The -placid, transparent stream has torn apart the fields that blocked its -path, and formed islets of verdure whereon trees grow vigorously. -Standing too close together to be imposing, they extend an arch of -foliage over the water. - -The ground is fertile around the village. Magnificent walnuts and a -large number of tall fruit trees make it a very nest of verdure. - -The greater part of the land belonged to Monsieur de Bois-Doré. He -farmed out the best portions; the others were his hunting-grounds. - -Monsieur d'Alvimar, having explored this little bailiwick, which by -reason of its isolation and the absence of communications, led him to -hope for a like absence of unpleasant meetings, returned to the village -and deliberated whether he should pay a visit to the rector. - -Monsieur de Beuvre had happened to say to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in his -presence: - -"How about your new priest? does he still preach sermons after the -pattern of the League?" - -This expression had attracted the Spaniard's attention. - -"If this priest is zealous for the good cause," he thought, "he may be a -useful friend to me; for that De Beuvre is a Huguenot, and Bois-Doré -with his tolerance is little better. Who knows if I shall be able to -live, on friendly terms with such people?" - -He began by inspecting the church, and was scandalized by its -dilapidated and bare condition, which bore witness to the neglect of the -last incumbent, the indifference of the lord of the manor, and the -lukewarmness of the parishioners. - -Bois-Doré, whose abjuration, real or feigned, had caused a sensation, -had not thought of signalizing his return to orthodoxy by gifts to the -village church and alms to the chaplain. His vassals, who hated the -Huguenots, had not hailed his final return, in 1610, with truly -heartfelt rejoicing; but their suspicions had speedily given place to a -deep attachment, since, in place of a steward who drained them dry, they -had found a free-and-easy lord, lavish of benefactions. - -Thus the good people of the village of Briantes were only moderately -devout; and, the peasants having resisted the payment of tithes to some -monastery or other, the archbishop had sent them a man exceedingly well -adapted to lead those stray lambs back to virtuous principles, and to -spy upon the châtelain's opinions. - -The pious Sciarra knelt in the church and murmured some formula of -prayer; but he did not feel inclined to pray with the heart, and he soon -went out and bent his steps toward the rector's house. - -He had not the trouble of going all the way thither; for he saw him in -the village square talking with Bellinde, and had an opportunity to -examine him. - -He was a man still young, with a bilious, wheedling, treacherous face. -Probably his interest in temporal affairs was as keen as D'Alvimar's; -for he had no sooner spied that grave and fashionably dressed stranger -coming from the church, than his only thought was to wonder who he could -be. - -He knew already that a new guest had arrived at the manor-house the -night before, for he had little other occupation than to make inquiries -about the marquis's doings; but how could a man, so devout as this early -visit of D'Alvimar's to the church seemed to indicate, consort with so -problematical a convert as Bois-Doré? - -While he tried to obtain information on that subject from the -housekeeper at the château, he noticed that he could not look up -without finding the stranger's eyes fixed upon him. - -He walked a few steps with Bellinde, in order to avoid his gaze, like -one who did not wish to risk a salutation before he knew with whom he -had to deal. - -D'Alvimar, who understood or guessed his purpose, remained behind and -waited for him in the little cemetery which surrounded the church, fully -determined, after the examination he had made of his face, to address -him and form an alliance with him. - -He stood there, musing upon his destiny, a problem by which he was -constantly beset, and which the sight of the scattered gravestones -seemed to render more irritating to him than usual. - -D'Alvimar believed in the church, but he did not believe in the true -God. The church was to him above all else an institution of discipline -and terror, the instrument of torture of which a ferocious and -implacable God made use to establish his authority. If he had given his -mind to it, he would readily have persuaded himself that the merciful -Jesus was stained with heresy. - -The idea of death was abhorrent to him. He dreaded hell, and--a natural -result of evil beliefs--he could not make his life conform to his rigid -principles. - -He had no ardor except for discussion; when alone with himself, he found -that his heart was dry, his mind overstrained and confused by worldly -ambition. In vain did he reproach himself therefor. The thought of -damnation could not be fruitful of good, and terror is not remorse. - -"So I must die!" he said to himself, gazing at the turf-covered mounds, -like furrows in a field, which covered the graves of those obscure -villagers; "die, it may be, penniless and without power, like the -wretched serfs who have not left even a name to be inscribed on these -little crosses of rotten wood! Neither influence nor renown in this -world! Wrath, disappointment, useless labors, useless efforts--crimes, -perhaps!--and all to reach the threshold of eternity, having never been -able to forward the glory of the church in this life, and having failed -to earn my pardon in the other!" - -By dint of thinking about destiny, he persuaded himself that it was the -influence of the devil that had ruined his. - -He thought for an instant of confessing to this priest, whose eyes had -seemed to him to glow with intelligence; but he was afraid to confide to -any person the secrets which were consuming his life and his repose. - -Engrossed by these black thoughts, he saw Monsieur Poulain enter the -cemetery at last, and, coming toward him, salute him deferentially. - -The acquaintance was soon made. With the first words they exchanged, the -two men felt that they were equally ambitious. - -The rector invited D'Alvimar to breakfast with him. - -"I can offer you only a very scanty repast," he said; "my cuisine does -not resemble that at the château. I have neither vassals nor valets at -my beck and call to serve as purveyors for my table. So that my frugal -fare will enable you to retain sufficient appetite to do honor to the -marquis's, whose bell will not ring for two or three hours to come." - -There was, in this exordium, an undercurrent of jealous resentment -against the château which did not escape the Spaniard. He made haste to -accept the rector's invitation, feeling certain that he should learn -from him all that he had reason to hope or fear from the marquis's -hospitality. - - -[Footnote 11: This ornament, common in the time of Henri IV., may have -come to France with Marie de Médicis, as an allusion to the arms of her -family, which are, as everyone knows, seven little balls, literally -pellets, in memory of the profession of the founder of the family.] - -[Footnote 12: Salt-smuggling nobleman.] - -[Footnote 13: This is one of the few spots where we can still find the -wild balsam with yellow flowers.] - - - - -XIV - - -The rector began by speaking well of the marquis. He was a very good -man; his intentions were excellent; he gave freely to the poor, there -was no denying that; unfortunately he lacked judgment, he distributed -his benefactions helter-skelter, without consulting the _natural -intermediary_ between the château and the cottage, to wit the rector of -the parish. He was a little mad, harmless in himself, dangerous by -reason of his rank, his wealth, and the example of refined sensuality, -of frivolity and indifference in religious matters, which he afforded -those about him. - -And then he had a very suspicious individual in his household: that -bagpipe player, who was not so dumb perhaps as he pretended to be, some -heretic or sham scholar, who dabbled in astronomy, perhaps in astrology! - -Old Adamas was no better: he was a base flatterer and hypocrite; and -that page, so absurdly tricked out as a petty gentleman, who, being a -bourgeois, was not entitled to wear satin, and who came to mass on -Sundays in some sort of damask doublet! - -The servants as a whole were a worthless lot. They were civil, nothing -more, to Monsieur Poulain; no marked attentions; he had not yet received -a special pressing invitation to dinner. They had simply told him once -for all, that a cover was always laid for him. That was too -unceremonious treatment. It was surprising on the part of a man who had -lived a long while at court. To be sure, at the court of the Béarnais, -they did not pride themselves on being over-refined, and nobodies were -petted and spoiled there most shamefully. In short, Bellinde alone of -all the people _at the château_ seemed to him a person of sense. - -D'Alvimar considered Monsieur Poulain's judgment excellent; the bagpiper -especially seemed to him more than ever deserving of suspicion. - -However, he did not dwell long upon these trivial matters. As soon as he -was assured that he would do well to repose no confidence in the old -marquis, he advanced a step in his investigations, and wished to know -what opinion he should hold of the leading men of the province. - -Monsieur Poulain was well posted as to all the little secrets of the -provincial government at Bourges. He understood politics as D'Alvimar -did: to pry into everyone's private life as a step toward acquiring a -predominant influence in public affairs. - -That evil-minded priest saw that he could safely speak; he admitted that -he was mortally bored in that little hamlet, but that he was patient, -because, some day or other, Monsieur de Bois-Doré or his neighbor -Monsieur de Beuvre might well afford him an opportunity for a little -petty persecution, of which he desired to be the victim rather than the -author. - -"You understand me; it is much better to be on the defensive on solid -ground, than on the offensive and in the breach. One is never safe in a -breach; if these Berrichon heathen would only threaten me or even injure -me a little, I would make noise enough about it to obtain my release -from these paltry functions and this deserted province. Do not think me -ambitious; I am ambitious only to serve the Church, and, in order to be -of use, one must bow to the necessity of keeping oneself in view." - -"This little priestling is shrewder than I am," said D'Alvimar to -himself; "he knows enough to wait until he is in a favorable position to -fire on the enemy; I have always been aggressive, that is what has -ruined me. But it is not too late to profit by good advice; I will come -often to this man in search of it." - -In very truth, this priest, who seemed to be engrossed by church-porch -gossip, but who really was not at all interested in it except in so far -as he could make something out of it, was a shrewder man than D'Alvimar; -so much so that in an hour he fathomed him completely, distrustful as he -was, and learned, if not the secrets of his life, at all events those of -his character, and his disappointments, his defeats, his desires and his -needs. - -When he had extorted his confession, seeming all the while to confess -himself, he spoke thus to him, going straight to his goal: - -"You have more chances of success than I, since wealth is the great -element of power. A priest cannot make a fortune as a layman can. He -must be content to progress slowly, by the power of his intellect and -his zeal alone. He must not forget that wealth is not his goal, and he -cannot desire it except as an instrument As for you, you are at liberty -to acquire wealth at any time. You have simply to marry." - -"I do not think it!" said D'Alvimar. "Women in these corrupt days are -more likely to make their lovers' fortunes than their husbands'." - -"So I have heard," rejoined Monsieur Poulain; "but I know the remedy." - -"Indeed! You possess a valuable secret!" - -"Very simple and very easy. You must not aim so high as you have done, -perhaps. You must not marry a woman of the highest rank. You must look -for a substantial dowry and a modest wife in the provinces. Do you -understand me? You must spend your money at the court, and not take your -wife there." - -"What! marry a bourgeoise?" - -"There are young ladies of noble birth who are richer and more modest -than bourgeoises." - -"I know of none such." - -"There is one in this province, not very far away! The little widow of -La Motte-Seuilly." - -"She has a competence at the most." - -"You judge by appearances. People hereabout are not accustomed to -luxurious living. With the exception of this mad marquis, all the -resident nobility live without display; but there is plenty of money -here. Salt smuggling and the spoils of the convents have made the nobles -rich. Whenever you choose, I will convince you that, with Madame de -Beuvre's revenues, you will be able to live very handsomely in Paris. -Moreover she is connected with the best families in France, and none of -them would be sorry to have a Spaniard of the true faith become allied -to them." - -"But isn't she a Calvinist like her father?" - -"You will convert her, unless her Calvinism is simply a pretext for -allowing her to live at peace in her little château." - -"You are far-sighted, monsieur le recteur! But suppose you declare war -upon that family some fine day?" - -"Provided that I do not cause it to be despoiled of its property, such a -was might be of advantage to you under certain circumstances. Pray -observe that I do not advise you to maltreat and desert your wife, but -to insist upon being at liberty to absent yourself from her, to fulfil -the duties of your position. If she becomes bitter or rebellious, you -can checkmate her by her heresy. The freedom of conscience granted to -those people is dependent upon conditions which they often fail to -observe. So that we always have them in our power, witness the fact that -this same little widow finds it impossible to marry again. The young men -of the province, who are weary of the war between châteaux, are afraid -of marrying a war. So you would have no rival at this moment, except -possibly Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, who is a moderate Catholic, and a -constant visitor at La Motte; but they will find a way at Bourges to -impose other bonds on him. He is a young popinjay, easily diverted. -Furthermore, given a widow who must be weary of solitude, such a man as -you are must be very awkward indeed to fail. I see, by your smile, that -you are not doubtful of success." - -"Well, I admit that you speak truly," replied D'Alvimar, to whom there -suddenly came a vivid remembrance of the emotion which the young lady -had not succeeded in concealing from him, and the source of which he -might readily have misunderstood. "I think that, if I chose----" - -"You must choose--Think about it," continued Monsieur Poulain, rising. -"If you have decided, I will write confidentially to certain persons who -can assist you materially." - -He referred to the Jesuits, who had already shaken Monsieur de Beuvre's -resolution by threatening to prevent his daughters marriage. That -gentleman's own tranquillity could be assured, at the price of this -marriage. D'Alvimar understood the hint, promised the rector to consider -the matter seriously and give him an answer two days later, since, as it -happened, he was to pass the following day at Madame de Beuvre's. - -The bell on the château announced the marquis's dinner. Monsieur -d'Alvimar took leave of the priest who had caused him to think more -hopefully of his destiny, and retraced his steps to the manor. - -He felt more at ease and more light-hearted than he had been for several -days, because he felt that he was in communication with a keen mind, -ready to support him at need. His courage returned. This flight into -Berry, this disquieting residence with those who were hostile to his -faith and opinions, and this species of isolation which, two hours -earlier, had assumed the gloomiest colors in his mind, now smiled upon -him as the forerunners of a fortunate event. - -"Yes, yes, that man is right," he thought. "That marriage would be my -salvation. I have only to make up my mind. Let me once turn that little -provincial's head, and I shall be able to confess to her my disgrace at -court. She will consider herself bound in honor to make up to me for it. -And even if I must play the _moderate_ for a few days--well, I will try -it! Courage! my horizon is brightening, and perhaps the star of my -fortune is about to come forth from the clouds at last." - -He raised his hand as he spoke, and saw in front of him, on the bridge -leading to the courtyard, the Moorish woman's child boldly riding one of -the marquis's chariot horses. - -Mercedes had asked leave of Adamas to pass the day at the château, and -the goodman had granted it in his master's name, proposing to present -her to him as soon as he should be visible. - -As he was playing in the courtyard, the child had made a favorable -impression on the coachman--_cocher_; in those days the common term was -_carrossier_ or _carrosseur_; in Berry _carrosseux_--and he had -consented to put him upon _Squilindre_, while he himself, mounted on -_Pimante_, his mate, held the rein and led the team to the brook for its -daily leg-bath. - -D'Alvimar was struck by the face of that child, who, on the preceding -day, had darted among his horse's legs to beg, and had fled from his -whip, and now, perched on the monumental Squilindre, looked down upon -him with an air of kindly triumph. - -It was impossible to imagine a more interesting and touching face than -that little vagrant's. His beauty was of a quiet type, however; he was -pale, sunburned, and seemed not strong. His features were not absolutely -perfect, but there was in the expression of his soft black eyes and in -the sweet, sly smile that played about his delicately-chiselled mouth, a -something absolutely irresistible to all whose hearts were not closed to -the divine charm of childhood. - -Adamas had yielded instinctively to that gentle influence, and the -rudest servants in the barnyard had yielded to it no less. Such rough -natures were oftentimes so kindly! Was it not of such that Madame de -Sévigné wrote that there were "peasants whose hearts were straighter -than straight lines, loving virtue as naturally as horses trot?" - -But D'Alvimar, not being fond of innocence, was not fond of children, -and this one in particular caused in him a sense of discomfort which he -could not understand. - -He had a shuddering, dizzy sensation, as if the portcullis had fallen -upon his head as he was returning to the château of Briantes, more -tranquil and less dejected than when he went forth. - -He had been subject for some years to these sudden attacks of vertigo, -and he readily attributed to the faces that happened to be before him at -such times a phenomenon the cause of which was really in himself. He -believed in mysterious influences, and, to avert them, he denied and -cursed inwardly with great warmth the persons who seemed possessed of -that occult power. - -"May that big horse break your neck!" he muttered, as he raised two -fingers of his left hand, under his cloak, to exorcise the evil eye. - -He repeated that cabalistic gesture when he saw the Moorish woman coming -toward him across the courtyard. - -She stopped for a moment, and, as on the preceding day, gazed at him -with an earnestness which irritated him. - -"What do you want with me?" he demanded abruptly, walking toward her. - -She made no reply, but, courtesying to him, hurried to her child, -alarmed to see him on horseback. - -The marquis came forward with Lucilio Giovellino, to meet his guest. - -"Pray, come and eat," he said to him; "you must be dying of hunger! -Bellinde is in despair because she did not see you go out this morning, -and consequently allowed you to take your walk without breaking your -fast." - -Monsieur d'Alvimar thought it best not to mention his visit to the -vicarage and his breakfast there. He dilated upon the rural beauty of -the neighborhood, and on the soft, bright autumn morning. - -"Yes," said Bois-Doré, "we shall have several days of it, for the -sun----" - -He was interrupted by a piercing shriek outside the enclosure, and ran -as fast as he could to the bridge, whither D'Alvimar had preceded him -and Lucilio instinctively followed him. - -They saw the Moorish woman on the edge of the moat, holding out her arms -in an agony of fear toward her child, whom the huge horse was bearing -down stream, and she was apparently on the point of throwing herself in -from the elevated point where she stood. - - - - -XV - - -This is what had happened. - -The little gypsy, proud and overjoyed to be riding such a big -rocking-horse all by himself, had cajoled the coachman into allowing him -to hold the halter. Honest Squilindre, feeling that he had been turned -over to that tiny hand, and excited by the merry little heels drumming -against his sides, had ventured too far to the right, missed the ford, -and swum under the bridge. The coachman tried to go to his assistance, -but Pimante, being more suspicious than his mate, refused to leave the -solid ground; and the child, clinging to the mane, was delighted with -the adventure. - -His mothers shrieks calmed his excitement, however, and he shouted to -her, in a tone which Lucilio alone understood: - -"Don't be afraid, mother, I am holding on tight." - -But they were fairly in the current of the little river which fed the -moat. The bulky, phlegmatic Squilindre had already had enough of it, and -his nostrils, tremendously dilated, betrayed his discomfort and his -anxiety. - -He had not the wit to turn back. He was heading straight for the pond, -where the impossibility of passing the dam might well exhaust what -little swimming strength he still retained. - -However, the danger was not imminent as yet, and Lucilio strove by -gestures to make the Moor understand that she must not jump into the -water. She paid no heed, and was descending the grassy bank, when the -marquis, realizing the danger that threatened those two poor creatures, -attempted to unbutton his cloak. - -He would have thrown himself into the stream; indeed, he was about to do -it without consulting anybody, and before D'Alvimar had any suspicion of -his purpose, when Lucilio, who did detect it, and who wore nothing to -impede his freedom of movement, leaped from the bridge and swam -vigorously toward the child. - -"Ah! dear, brave Giovellino!" cried the marquis, forgetting in his -emotion the French translation which disguised his friend's name. - -D'Alvimar recorded that name in the archives of his memory, which was -very reliable, and, while the marquis approached the bank to pacify and -restrain the Moor, he remained on the bridge, awaiting with strange -interest the conclusion of the adventure. - -His interest was not of the sort that every kind heart would have felt -at such a time, and yet the Spaniard was conscious of a keen anxiety. - -He did not desire the death of the mute, which was in nowise likely to -result; but he did desire the death of the child, which seemed more than -possible. He did not pray to heaven to abandon that poor creature; he -did not seek the explanation of his cruel instinct; he submitted to it, -in spite of himself, as to a strange, unconquerable disease. He was more -and more conscious that that child inspired him with superstitious -terror. - -"If this that I feel is a revelation of my destiny," he thought, "it is -in the balance and is being decided at this moment. If the child dies, I -am saved; if he is saved, I am lost." - -The child was saved. - -Lucilio overtook the horse, grasped his little rider by the collar of -his jacket, and tossed him to the bank, into the arms of his mother, who -had followed the changing scenes of this little drama, running by the -stream and shrieking. - -Then he calmly returned to the too simple-minded Squilindre, who was -making a desperate assault on the dam at the pond, and, forcing him to -turn back, delivered him safe and sound to the frantic coachman. - -The whole house had been attracted by the Moorish woman's shrieks, and -they were deeply moved to see her, weeping copiously the while, hug -Lucilio's knees and speak earnestly to him in Arabic, greatly surprised -that he did not say a word to her in reply, although he seemed to -understand the language, and did in fact understand it perfectly. - -The marquis embraced Lucilio, saying to him in an undertone: - -"Ah! my poor friend! for a man who has suffered at the hands of the -torturer, even to the very marrow of his bones, you are a sturdy -swimmer! God, who knows that you live only to do good, has deigned to -perform miracles in your person. Now go at once and change everything, -and do you, Adamas, see that yonder little devil is thoroughly dried and -warmed; he seems no more frightened than if he were just out of bed. I -wish you to bring him to me with his mother, after my breakfast; so make -them as clean as you can. Why, where has Monsieur de Villareal gone?" - -The pretended Villareal had returned to the château, and was praying, -alone in his room, to the revengeful God in whom he believed, not to -punish him too severely for the eagerness with which he had, _without -just cause_, longed for the little gypsy's death. - -We give the child this title, following the example of the servants of -the château, by whom he was surrounded at that moment; but when, after -his repast, Monsieur de Bois-Doré betook himself to an ancient -apartment of his castle, which Adamas dignified with the title of _salle -des audiences_, and sometimes of _salle de justice_; when that old -minister of the interior to the marquis introduced the Moorish woman and -her child, the marquis's first words, after a moment of impressive -silence, were these: - -"The more I look at this little fellow, the more certain I feel that he -is neither Egyptian nor Moor, but rather a Spaniard of good family, -perhaps of French blood." - -It was not necessary to be a magician to make that discovery; -nevertheless it was listened to with great respect by Adamas, who, in -his capacity of introducer, remained at the conference. Monsieur -d'Alvimar and Lucilio had been invited by the marquis to be present. - -"See," continued Bois-Doré, with ingenuous pride in his own -penetration, putting aside the child's coarse white shirt, "his face is -sun-burned, but no more than our peasants are in harvest-time; his neck -is as white as snow, and he has feet and hands so small that serf or -villein never could show the like. Come, my little imp, be not ashamed; -and, as I am told that you understand French, answer our questions. What -is your name?" - -"Mario," the child replied without hesitation. - -"Mario? That is an Italian name!" - -"I don't know." - -"From what country are you?" - -"I am French, I think." - -"Where were you born?" - -"I don't remember." - -"I should think not," laughed the marquis; "but ask your mother." - -Mario turned to the Moor, and opened his mouth to speak to her. His face -wore an expression of satisfaction and joy, because he had been welcomed -so like a father by this fine gentleman who held him between his legs, -and whose beautiful silk clothes and pretty little beribboned dog he -stroked timidly with the tips of his little fingers. - -But when he met his mother's eyes, he seemed to read therein a warning -of great importance; for he gently extricated himself from Monsieur de -Bois-Doré's grasp, and went to the Moor, lowering his eyes and not -speaking. - -The marquis asked him divers other questions to which he did not reply, -although he seemed, by the sweet and melting glance he turned upon him, -to apologize furtively for his discourtesy. - -"It is my opinion, friend Adamas, that you exaggerated a trifle when you -declared that this boy spoke our language fluently," said the marquis. -"It is true that his pronunciation is very good, and that he says -several words without much foreign accent; but I fancy that that is all -he knows. As you know Spanish so well--for my part, I confess that I -know very little of it--make him explain himself." - -"Useless, monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, not at all disconcerted, "I -give you my word that the little rascal speaks French like a clerk; but -he is frightened in your presence, that's the whole story." - -"No, indeed!" rejoined the marquis; "he's a little lion and afraid of -nothing. He came out of the water laughing as heartily as when he went -in, and he must see that we are kind-hearted people." - -Mario seemed to understand perfectly; for his affectionate eye said yes, -while the Moorish woman's intelligent and timid eyes, resting upon -D'Alvimar, seemed to say no, so far as she was concerned. - -"Come, come," continued worthy Monsieur Sylvain, taking Mario between -his legs again, "I propose that we shall be good friends. I love -children and this one attracts me. Tell me, Master Jovelin, isn't it -true that that face was not made to deceive, and that that innocent -glance goes straight to the heart? There is some mystery under all this, -and I propose to solve it. Listen, Master Mario, if you answer me -truthfully, I will give you--What would you like me to give you?" - -The child, obeying the artless impulse of his age, pounced upon -Fleurial, the beautiful little white dog which never left its master's -chair when he was seated. - -It seemed that Mario was determined to risk everything to possess the -creature; but another glance from Mercedes warned him to restrain -himself, and he replaced the little dog on the marquis's knees, to the -great satisfaction of the latter, who had feared for a moment that he -had gone too far. - -The child sadly shook his head and made a sign that he wanted nothing. - -Thus far D'Alvimar had said nothing; as he recited his prayer after the -scene at the moat, he had reviewed rapidly, but with unerring accuracy, -all the events of his life. Nothing had come to his memory which could -have any connection, direct or indirect, with a woman and child in the -situation of these two. - -The emotion he had felt therefore must have been purely imaginary; he -had regretted his failure to overcome it at once; he had recovered -possession of his reason. - -During dinner the marquis had not mentioned Adamas's story concerning -Mercedes's mysterious journey. He himself had only listened to it with -one ear, as he was falling asleep the night before. So that D'Alvimar -eyed the two vagrants with calm contempt, and fancied that he had -discovered at last the commonplace explanation of his repugnance for -them. - -He joined in the conversation. - -"Monsieur le marquis," he said, "if you will permit me to retire, I am -sure that with a little money you will make this varlet talk all you -desire. It is possible that he is a Christian child stolen by this Moor, -for I have no question as to her nationality. However, you are much -mistaken, if you think that the color of the skin is a certain sign. -Some of these wretched children are as white as yourself, and if you -wish to make sure, you will do well to raise the hair that covers this -brat's forehead; perhaps you will find there the brand of the red-hot -iron." - -"What!" said the marquis with a smile, "are they so afraid of the water -of baptism that they efface the sign by fire?" - -"The mark I refer to is the brand of slavery," replied D'Alvimar. "The -Spanish law inflicts it upon them. They are branded on the forehead with -an S. and a nail's head, which represents in figurative language the -word _slave_." - -"Yes," said the marquis, "I remember, it is a rebus! Well, for my part, -I consider it very shocking, and if this poor child is branded with it -and is a slave by your laws, I will purchase him and set him free on -good French soil." - -Mercedes had not understood a word of what was being said. But she -watched with intense anxiety D'Alvimar approach Mario, as if to touch -him; but not for anything in the world would D'Alvimar have sullied his -gloved hand by contact with a Moor, and he waited for the marquis to -lift the child's hair; but the marquis did nothing of the kind, from a -feeling of generous compassion for the poor mother, whose humiliation -and anxiety he thought that he could understand. - -As for Mario, he understood what was taking place; but controlled and, -as it were, fascinated by Mercedes's glance, he took refuge in stolid -silence. - -"You see," said D'Alvimar to the marquis, "he hangs his head and -conceals his shame. Well, I know all I wish to know about them, and I -leave you in this respectable society. There is no danger that they will -unclench their teeth before a Spaniard, and they evidently know that I -am one. There is an instinctive aversion between that degraded race and -ours, so unerring that they scent our approach as wild game scents the -approach of the hunter. I met this woman yesterday on the highroad, and -I am sure that she put some spell on my horse, for he is lame this -morning. If I were the master of this house, such vermin would not -remain in it another instant!" - -"You are my guest," rejoined Bois-Doré, blending with his courtesy an -accent of dignity and resolution of which Monsieur d'Alvimar deemed him -incapable, "and, in that capacity, you are entitled to entertain your -opinions without being called upon to defend them, whether they are or -are not identical with my own. If the sight of these unfortunate -creatures is distasteful to you, as I do not wish it to be said that you -were annoyed in any manner under my roof, I will arrange that they shall -not offend your eyes; but you cannot demand that I shall brutally turn a -woman and a child out-of-doors." - -"Surely not, monsieur," said D'Alvimar, recovering his self-possession; -"by so doing I should ill requite your courtesy, and I ask your pardon -for my vehemence. You are aware of the horror with which my nation -regards these infidels, and I know that I should have held it in check -here." - -"What do you mean?" demanded Bois-Doré, somewhat testily; "do you take -us for Mussulmans?" - -"God forbid, monsieur le marquis! I intended to refer to the tolerant -spirit of the French in general; and as it is a law of civility that we -must conform to the customs of the country in which we accept -hospitality, I promise to keep watch upon myself, and to meet without -repugnance whomever it may please you to receive." - -"Very good!" replied the honest marquis, offering him his hand; "in a -few moments, when I have finished here, is it your pleasure to go out -and kill a hare or two?" - -"You are too kind," said D'Alvimar, as he was leaving the room; "but do -not disturb yourself on my account; with your permission I will go to -write some letters, awaiting the supper hour." - -The marquis, having risen to salute him, seated himself again with his -careless grace, and said to Lucilio: - -"Our guest is a very well-bred knight, but he is quick-tempered, and, -all things considered, he has one great drawback, which is that he is -too much of a Spaniard. Those sublime mortals despise everything that is -not Spanish; but I believe that they have crushed out their own life by -martyrizing and exterminating those wretched Moors. They will gnaw their -hands over it some day. The Moors were untiring workers and scrupulously -neat, in a land of sloth and vermin. They were gentle and humane before -they were tormented so cruelly. Well, well, if we have here a poor -remnant of that race which was so great in the past, let us not trample -on it. Let us be merciful! God for us all!" - -Lucilio had listened to the marquis with religious attention, but while -he was saying the last words he was writing. - -"What are you doing?" said Bois-Doré. - -Lucilio handed him the paper, which seemed to the marquis an -undecipherable scrawl. - -"This," said the mute with his pencil, "is a translation in Arabic of -the noble words you just said. See if the child knows how to read, and -if he understands that language." - -Mario glanced at the paper which was handed him, ran to the Moor and -read it to her; she listened with great emotion, kissed the paper and -fell on her knees at the marquis's feet. - -Then she turned to Giovellino and said to him in Arabic: - -"Man of courage and virtue, say to this good man what I am going to say -to you. I did not wish you to speak my language before the Spaniard. I -was not willing that the child should say a word before him. The -Spaniard hates us, and, wherever he meets us, he does us harm. But the -child is a Christian, he is not a slave. You can see on my brow the -brand of the Inquisition; it is still there, although I was very small -when they branded me." - -As she spoke, she untied the kerchief of multicolored sackcloth which -confined her long black hair, and pointed to her forehead on which there -was no sign of the red-hot iron. But she rubbed it with her hand, and -the ghastly _rebus_ stood out in white on the red skin. - -"But look at this youthful brow," she said, lifting Mario's abundant, -silky locks. "If it had been branded like mine, it would not be possible -to mistake the mark. This brow was baptized by a priest of your -religion; the child has been reared in the faith and the language of his -fathers." - -While the Moor was speaking, Lucilio had written a translation of her -words, and the marquis read as he wrote. - -"Ask her for her story," he said to the mute; "make her understand that -we are interested in her misfortunes and that we will take her under our -protection." - -It was not necessary for Lucilio to write Bois-Doré's interruptions. -Mario, who spoke Arabic as readily as French and Catalan, translated it -to his adoptive mother with remarkable fidelity. - -We will continue the interview of those four persons, as if they had all -spoken the same language, and as if Lucilio, quick as he was with his -pencil, had not been incapable of speaking any language. - - - - -XVI - - -The Moorish woman began thus: - -"Mario, my beloved, say to this kind-hearted nobleman that I speak -Spanish very little, and French still less; I will tell my story to his -_scrivener_, and he can read it. - -"I am the daughter of a poor farmer of Catalonia. It was in Catalonia -that the few Moors who were spared by the Inquisition lived at peace, -hoping that they would be allowed to remain there and earn their living -by toil, since we had taken no part in the recent wars which were so -disastrous to our brothers in the other provinces of Spain. - -"My father's name was Yesid in Arabic and Juan in Spanish; I was -baptized by _aspersion_ like the others, my Christian name was Mercedes, -my Moorish name Ssobyha.[14] - -"I am now thirty years old. I was thirteen when we began to receive -secret warnings that we were to be stripped and driven from the country -in our turn. - -"Even before I was born the terrible King Philip II. had ordered that -all Moors must learn the Castilian language within three years, and must -no longer speak, read or write in Arabic, openly or secretly; that all -contracts made in that language should be void; that all our books -should be burned; that we should exchange our national costumes for the -dress worn by Christians; that the Moorish women should go out without -veils, with faces uncovered; that we should have no national festivals -or songs or dances; that we should lay aside our family and individual -names and take Christian names; that no Moor, male or female, should -bathe in the future, and that the baths in the houses should be -destroyed. - -"Thus they insulted us even in the decency of our manners and the health -of our bodies! My parents submitted. When they saw that it availed them -nothing, and that they were persecuted solely because of their money, -they thought only of collecting and concealing all that they could, -intending to fly when they should again be in danger of death. - -"By dint of hard work and patience they amassed a little hoard. It was -to prevent the necessity of my begging, they said, as so many others had -had to do who had allowed themselves to be taken by surprise. But it was -written that I should ask alms like all the rest. - -"We were still happy enough, notwithstanding the humiliation they heaped -upon us. Our Spanish lords did not love us; but, as they realized that -we alone in Spain were able and willing to till their lands, they asked -their king to spare us. - -"When I was seventeen years old, King Philip suddenly issued a new -decree against all the Catalan Moors. We were banished from the kingdom -with such goods and chattels as we could carry on our bodies. We must -leave our houses within three days, under pain of death, and go, under -escort, to the place of embarkation. Every Christian who harbored a Moor -would be sent to the galleys for six years. - -"We were ruined. However, my father and I concealed about our persons -such gold as we could carry, and we left our home without a complaint. -They promised to take us to Africa, the home of our ancestors. Thereupon -we prayed to the God of our fathers to take us once more for his -faithful children. - -"They allowed us on the journey to resume our former costumes, which had -been preserved in our families for a whole century, and to chant our -prayers in our own language, which we had not forgotten; for, in spite -of the decrees, we used no other among ourselves. - -"We were packed on the state galleys like sheep, but were no sooner on -board than they called upon us to pay for our passage. The majority had -nothing. They insisted that the rich should pay for the poor. - -"My father, seeing that they cast into the sea those who could find no -one to help them, paid without regret for all those who were on our -ship; but when they saw that he had nothing left, they tossed him into -the sea with the rest!" - -At this point the Moorish woman stopped. She did not weep, but her -breast was heaving with sobs. - -"Execrable hounds of Spaniards! Poor Moors!" muttered the marquis. -"Alas!" he added, as if warned by a melancholy glance from Lucilio, -"France has done no better; the Regent treated them just the same way!" - -"Finding myself alone in the world," continued Mercedes, "without a sou, -and deprived of all I loved, I tried to follow my poor father; they -prevented me. I was pretty. The commander of the galley wanted me for a -slave. But God unloosed the tempest, and they had to give all their -thought to struggling against it. Several vessels sank, thousands of -Moors perished with their persecutors. The galley upon which we were was -hurled by the storm on the coast of France, and was dashed to pieces -near a place of which I have never learned the name. - -"I was washed upon the shore amid the dead and dying; that was my -salvation. I dragged myself among the rocks, and there, drenched to the -skin and utterly exhausted, having carefully concealed myself, for I had -no strength to go farther, I slept for the first time for many days and -nights. - -"When I awoke the storm was at an end. It was quite warm. I was alone. -The wretched ship lay off the shore, the dead bodies on the beach. I was -hungry, but I had strength enough to walk. - -"I left the shore as quickly as I could, fearing to encounter Spaniards -there, and walked toward the mountains, begging bread, water and -lodging. I was received very coldly; my costume made the peasants -suspicious. - -"At last I met several women of my own race, who were settled in a -certain village, and who gave me other clothes. They advised me to -conceal my birth and my religion, because the people thereabout did not -like foreigners, and detested Moors above all others. Alas! it seems -that they are detested everywhere, for I was told later that, instead of -welcoming as brothers those who succeeded in reaching Africa, the men of -Barbary massacred them or reduced them to a worse slavery than that of -Spain. - -"How could I follow the advice that was given me to conceal my origin? I -did not know the Catalan language well enough for that. At first people -gave me alms; but, when a Spaniard passed, he would say to the people of -the neighborhood: - -"'You have a Moorish woman among you.' - -"And they would turn me away. I wandered from valley to valley. - -"One day I found myself on a highroad--I learned afterward that it was -the Pau road--and there it was that heaven caused me to fall in with a -woman even more unhappy than myself. She was the mother of the child -before you, who has become mine." - -"Go on," said the marquis. - -But Mercedes paused, seemed to reflect, and finally said to Lucilio: - -"I cannot tell the story of the child's parents except to you -alone--you, who saved his life, and who seem to me to be an angel on -earth. If I may remain here a few days, and if I see no danger for -Mario, I swear that I will tell the whole story; but I am afraid of the -Spaniard, and I saw this old gentleman put his hand in his, after -reproving him for his harshness toward us. I understood it all with my -eyes; nobles are nobles, and we poor slaves cannot hope that the -kindest-hearted of them all will take our part against their equals." - -"Equality has nothing to do with it!" cried the marquis as soon as -Lucilio had translated Mercedes's words for him in writing. "I swear, on -my faith as a Christian and my honor as a gentleman, to protect the weak -against the whole world." - -The Moor replied that she would tell the truth, but that she should omit -certain unimportant details. - -Then she resumed her narrative in these words: - -"I was on the Pau road, but at a very lonely spot in the heart of the -mountains. There, as I was taking a little rest, having concealed myself -for fear of the wicked men whom one is likely to meet in all countries, -I saw a man pass with his wife. - -"The woman was walking a little in advance; brigands ran up behind them, -and killed and robbed the man so quickly that his wife did not see it, -and, when she turned to speak to him, found him lying dead across the -road. - -"At that sight she fell in a swoon, and I saw that she was _enceinte_. - -"I did not know how to take her up and comfort her. I was on my knees -beside her, praying and weeping, when a man on horseback, dressed in -black, and with a gray moustache, suddenly appeared and asked me why I -was weeping so. I pointed to the woman lying on her husband's body. He -spoke to her in several languages, for he was a great scholar; but he -very soon saw that she was in no condition to reply. - -"The shock that she had received hastened her labor. - -"Some shepherds passed with their flocks. He called to them, and as they -saw that that good man was a priest of their Christian religion, they -obeyed his orders and carried the woman to their house, where she died -an hour after bringing Mario into the world, and giving the priest the -wedding-ring she wore on her finger, unable to say anything, but -pointing to the child and to heaven! - -"The priest stayed at the shepherd's house until the two unfortunate -creatures were buried, and as he supposed that I had been the lady's -slave, he entrusted the child to me and bade me accompany him. But I did -not choose to deceive him, having seen that he was learned and humane. I -told him my story and how I happened to be a witness of the peddler's -murder." - -"So he was a peddler?" said the marquis. - -"Or a gentleman in disguise," Mercedes replied; "for his wife wore the -clothing of a lady under her cloak, and when we undressed him to lay him -out, we found a shirt of fine linen and silk short clothes under his -coarser garments. His hands were white, and we also found upon him a -seal on which there was a crest." - -"Show me the seal!" cried Bois-Doré deeply moved. - -The Moor shook her head, saying: - -"I haven't it." - -"This woman distrusts us," rejoined the marquis, addressing Lucilio, -"and yet this story interests me more than she thinks! Who knows -that--Come, my dear friend, try to make her tell us at least the precise -date of this adventure she is describing." - -Lucilio motioned to the marquis to question the child, who answered -without hesitation: - -"I was born an hour after my father's death and an hour before the death -of good King Henri the Fourth of France. That is what Monsieur l'Abbé -Anjorrant, who took care of me, told me, bidding me never forget it, and -my mother Mercedes said I might tell you, on condition that the Spaniard -shall not know it." - -"Why?" said Adamas. - -"I do not know," replied Mario. - -"In that case beg your mother to go on with her story," said Monsieur de -Bois-Doré, "and rely upon our keeping her secret, as we have promised -to do." - -The Moor resumed her narrative thus: - -"The good priest, having procured a goat to nourish the child, took us -away, saying: - -"'We will talk about religion later. You are unfortunate, and it is my -duty to have pity upon you.' - -"He lived some distance away, in the heart of the mountain. He placed us -in a little cabin built of blocks of marble and covered with great flat -black stones, and there was nothing in the house but dried grass. That -saint had nothing better to give us than a roof over our heads and the -word of God. He lived in a house little more luxurious than the hut in -which we were. - -"But I had not been there a week before the child was neat and well -cared for, and the house quite comfortable. The shepherds and peasants -did not turn their backs upon me, their priest had so thoroughly imbued -them with gentleness and pity. I soon taught them certain things about -the care of their flocks and the cultivation of their fields which they -did not know, but which are familiar to all Moorish husbandmen. They -listened to me, and, finding that I could help them, they allowed me to -lack nothing that I needed. - -"I should have been very happy at falling in with that man of peace and -that indulgent country, if I could have forgotten my poor father, the -house in which I was born, my kinsmen and my friends, whom I was never -to see again; but I came to love the poor orphan so dearly, that little -by little I was consoled for everything. - -"The priest educated him and taught him French and Spanish, while I -taught him my language, so that I might have one person in the world -with whom I could speak it; but, do not think that, in teaching him -Arabian prayers, I turned him away from the religion the priest was -teaching him. Do not think that I spurn your God. No, no! when I saw -that sincere, compassionate, learned, virtuous man, who talked so -eloquently of his prophet _Issa_[15] and of the beautiful precepts of -the _Engil_,[16] which do not tell us to do what the Koran forbids, it -seemed to me that the best religion must be the one that he practised; -and as I had not received baptism, despite the immersion of the Spanish -priests--for I sheltered myself with my hands so that no drop of -Christian water should fall on my head,--I consented to be baptized anew -by that holy man, and I swore to Allah that I would never again deny in -my heart the worship of Issa and Paraclet."[17] - -This artless declaration gave great satisfaction to the marquis, who, -despite his recent philosophical notions, was, no more than Adamas, an -upholder of the heathen idolatry attributed to the Moors of Spain. - -"So," he said, patting Mario's brown cheeks, "we are not dealing with -devils, but with human beings of our own species. _Numes célestes_! I -am very glad to hear it, for this poor woman interests me and this -orphan touches my heart. And so, my handsome friend Mario, you were -brought up by an excellent and learned curé of the Pyrenees! and you -are a little scholar yourself! I cannot speak Arabic to you; but if your -mother will consent to give you to me, I promise to have you brought up -as a gentleman." - -Mario did not know what being a gentleman was. He was unquestionably -very far advanced for his age, and for the period and the environment in -which he had been reared; but, in every other direction than religion, -morality and languages, he was a genuine little savage, having no -conception of the society which the marquis invited him to enter. - -He saw in the proposal nothing but ribbons, sweetmeats, pet dogs, and -beautiful rooms filled with _bibelots_, which he took for toys. His eyes -shone with ingenuous greed, and Bois-Doré, who was as ingenuous as he -in his way, cried: - -"_Vive Dieu_! Master Jovelin, this child was born to high station. Did -you see how his eyes sparkled at the word gentleman? Come, Mario, ask -Mercedes to remain with us." - -"And me too!" said the child, naturally assuming that the offer was made -first of all to his adopted mother. - -"You and she," replied Bois-Doré; "I know that it would be very cruel -to separate you." - -Mario, overjoyed, hastened to say to the Moorish woman in Arabic, -covering her with kisses: - -"Mother, we are not to travel the highroads any more. This kind lord is -going to keep us here in his fine house!" - -Mercedes expressed her thanks with a sigh. - -"The child is not mine," she said, "he is God's, who has placed him in -my care. I must seek his family until I find it. If his family no longer -exists, or does not want him, I will return here, and on my knees I will -say to you: 'Take him and turn me away if you will. I prefer to weep -alone outside the door of the house where he lives and is happy, than to -make him beg his bread any more." - -"This woman has a noble heart," said the marquis. "We will assist her -with our money and our influence to find the persons she is seeking; but -why does she not tell us what she knows of them? Perhaps we shall be -able to assist her at once when we know the child's family name." - -"I do not know his name," said the Moor. - -"What hope had she then, when she left the mountains?" - -"Tell them what they want to know," said Mercedes to Mario, "but nothing -of that which they must not know yet." - - -[Footnote 14: Aurora.] - -[Footnote 15: Jesus.] - -[Footnote 16: The Gospel.] - -[Footnote 17: The Holy Spirit.] - - - - -XVII - - -Mario, enchanted to have an opportunity to tell his story, but without -imprudence or affectation, with all the charm of his natural candor and -of his limpid glance, began as follows: - -"We were very happy there; there were grottoes, cascades, high peaks and -tall trees; everything was much bigger than it is here, and the water -made much more noise. My mother kept some very good cows, and she dyed -and spun wool and made a very strong cloth. Look at my white cap and her -red cape. She made the material for both of them. I worked too. I made -baskets; oh! I can make very nice ones! If I come back here to be a -gentleman, you shall see! I will make all the baskets for the house! - -"I spent two hours every day learning to read and write French and -Spanish with Monsieur le Curé Anjorrant. He never scolded me, he was -always pleased with me. No one ever saw such a kind-hearted man! He -loved me so much that my mother was jealous sometimes. She used to say -to me: - -"'Come, I will wager that you love the priest better than you do me!' - -"But I would say: - -"'No, indeed! I love you both the same. I love you as much as I can. I -love you as big as the mountains, and more too; as big as the sky!' - -"But when I was ten years old, everything changed. All of a sudden -Monsieur Anjorrant was taken very sick, because he walked too much in -the snow to save some little children who were lost and whom he found, -for we used to have snow in winter, sometimes as high as the top of your -house. And all of a sudden Monsieur Anjorrant died. - -"My mother and I cried so much that I don't see how we have any eyes -left to see with. - -"Then my mother said to me: - -"'We must do what our father, our friend who is dead, wanted us to do. -He has left with us the papers and jewels which may serve to make your -family acknowledge you. He has written to the French minister about you -many times. He never had any answer. Perhaps they did not get his -letters. We will go and see the king, or someone who can speak to him -for us, and if you have a grandmother or aunts or cousins, they will see -to it that you do not remain a slave, because you were born free, and -freedom is the greatest thing in the world.' - -"We started with very little money. Good Monsieur Anjorrant left nothing -for anybody. As soon as he got a piece of money he would give it to -somebody who needed it. We walked and walked; France is so big! For -three months now we have been on the road. My mother, when she saw how -far it was, was afraid we should never get there, and we begged bread -and shelter at every door. People always gave us something, because my -mother is so sweet, and they thought I was a pretty boy. But we did not -know the roads, and we took many steps which delayed us instead of -taking us forward. - -"Then we met some very funny people, who called themselves Egyptians, -and they told us we could go to Poitou with them if we knew how to do -anything. My mother can sing very well in Arabic, and I can play the -_tympanon_ a little, and the guitar of the Pyrenees. I will play for you -all you want. Those people thought that we knew enough. They were not -unkind to us, and there was a little Moorish girl with them named Pilar, -whom I was very fond of, and a bigger boy, La Flèche, who is a -Frenchman and who amused me with his wry faces and his stories. But they -were almost all thieves, and it pained my mother to see how gluttonous -and lazy they were. - -"That is why she said to me every day: - -"'We must leave these people, they are good for nothing.' - -"We finally left them yesterday, because----" - -"Because?" repeated the marquis. - -"That is something my mother Mercedes will tell you later, perhaps, when -she has prayed to God to reveal the truth to her. That is what she told -me, and it is all I know." - -"Taking everything into consideration," said the marquis, rising, "I am -deeply interested in these people, and I propose that they shall be well -treated and cared for under my roof, until it shall please God to point -out to me in what way I can assist them further. But did you not tell -me, my faithful Adamas, that this Mercedes had a letter for Monsieur de -Sully?" - -"Yes, yes!" cried Mario. "That is the name on Monsieur Anjorrant's -letter." - -"Very well, that simplifies matters. I am very much attached to him, and -I will undertake to send you to him without fatigue or discomfort. So -make yourself at home here and ask for whatever you want.--Adamas, both -the mother and the child are very neat and clean, and their mountain -garb is not unbecoming. But have they every thing that they possess on -their bodies?" - -"Yes, monsieur, except the much shabbier clothes that they wore last -night and this morning; they have two shirts each and other things in -proportion. But the woman washes and combs the child and mends his -clothes whenever she is not walking. See how nicely kept his hair is! -She knows all sorts of Arabian secrets for maintaining cleanliness; she -knows how to make powders and elixirs which I intend to learn from her." - -"That is a very good idea; but remember to give her some linen and other -materials, so that she may be well provided. As she is so clever with -her fingers, she will make the most of them. I am going out for a walk; -after which, if she has no objection to singing one of her national -songs to the accompaniment of the little fellow's guitar, I shall be -very glad to hear their outlandish music. Au revoir, Master Mario! As -you have talked very civilly, I intend to give you something soon; be -sure that I shall not forget it." - -The lovely boy kissed the marquis's hand, not without a most expressive -glance at Fleurial, the little dog, whom he would have preferred to all -the treasures in the house. - -To be sure Fleurial was a marvel; of the marquis's three canine pets, he -was justly enough the favorite, and never left his master when he was in -the house. He was as white as snow, woolly as a muff, and, in contrast -to the ways of most spoiled curs, as gentle as a lamb. - -When the marquis had taken his accustomed walk, spoken kindly to those -of his vassals whom he met, and inquired for those who were ill, so that -he could send them what they needed, he returned and sent for Adamas. - -"What shall I give this pretty little Mario?" he said. "We must find -some plaything suited to his years, and there are none such here. Alas! -my friend, there are three of us in this house who are fast turning into -old bachelors: Master Jovelin and you and I." - -"I have been thinking about it, monsieur," said Adamas. - -"About what, my old servant? marriage?" - -"No, monsieur; as that isn't to your taste, it isn't to mine either; but -I have thought of the plaything to give the child." - -"Go to fetch it at once." - -"Here it is, monsieur!" said Adamas, producing the object, which he had -deposited in the window recess. "As I noticed that the child was dying -with longing for Fleurial, and as you could not give him Fleurial, I -remembered seeing in the garret a number of toys that had been lying -there a long while, and, among others, this dog of tow, which is not -very badly worm-eaten, and which resembles Fleurial, except that its -coat is like a black sheep's and it hasn't much tail left." - -"And except a thousand other differences, which result in its not -looking in the least like him! But where did you say this toy came from, -Adamas?" - -"From the garret, monsieur." - -"Very good; and you say that there are others there?" - -"Yes, monsieur; a little horse with only three legs, a broken drum, some -little toy weapons, the remains of a feudal donjon----" - -Adamas paused abruptly as he noticed that the marquis was gazing with an -absorbed expression at the stuffed dog, while a tear made a furrow -through the paint on his cheek. - -"I have done some stupid thing!" said the old servant to himself; "for -God's sake, my dear good master, what makes you weep?" - -"I do not know--a moment's weakness!" said the marquis, wiping his cheek -with his perfumed handkerchief, upon which a considerable portion of the -roses of his complexion remained; "I fancied that I recognized that -plaything, and if I am right, Adamas, it is a relic that must not be -given away! It was my poor brother's!" - -"Really, monsieur? Ah! I am nothing but an old fool! I ought to have -thought of that. I supposed that it was something that you used to play -with when you were a little child." - -"No! when I was a child, I had no playthings. It was a time of war and -sorrow in this country; my father was a terrible man, and to amuse me -showed me fetters and chains, peasants astride the wooden horse, and -prisoners hanging on the elms in the park. Later, much later, he had a -second wife and a second son." - -"I know it, monsieur--young Monsieur Florimond, whom you loved so -dearly! The flower of young gentlemen, most assuredly! And he -disappeared in such a strange way!" - -"I loved him more than I can say, Adamas! not so much for any relations -we had together after he grew to manhood, for then we followed different -banners, and met very seldom, just long enough to embrace and to tell -each other that we were friends and brothers in spite of everything; but -for his sweet, charming ways in his childhood, when, as I have told you, -I had occasion to take care of him and watch over him during one of my -father's absences which lasted about a year. His second wife was dead -and the province very unsettled. I knew that the Calvinists detested my -father, and I thought it my duty to protect that poor child, whom I did -not know, and who grew to love me as if he realized our father's -injustice to me. He was as gentle and beautiful as this little Mario. He -had neither kindred nor friends about him, for in those days some died -of the plague and others of fright. He would have died, too, for lack of -care and cheer, had not I become so attached to him that I played with -him for whole days at a time. It was I who brought him these toys, and I -have good reason to remember them, now I think about it, for they came -within an ace of costing me very dear." - -"Tell me about it, monsieur; it will divert your thoughts." - -"I will gladly do so, Adamas. It was in fifteen hundred--never mind the -date!" - -"Of course not, of course not, monsieur, the date is of no importance." - -"My dear little Florimond was tired of having to stay in the house, but -I dared not take him out-of-doors, because parties of troops of all -factions were constantly passing, who killed everybody and recognized no -friends. I happened to think of a diversion which had tempted me sorely -in my own childhood. At the château of Sarzay I had seen many of those -stuffed animals and other toys with which the young Barbançois used to -play. The lords of Barbançois, who held that fief of Sarzay, from -father to son, for many years, were among the fiercest enemies of the -poor Calvinists, and at that time they were at Issoudun, hanging and -burning as many as they could. In their absence the manor of Sarzay was -not very carefully guarded. The country roundabout being absolutely -devoted to the Catholics and to Monsieur de la Châtre, they had no -suspicion of poor me, for I was too entirely alone and too poor to -undertake anything. - -"It occurred to me to go thither on some pretext, and to lay violent -hands on the toys, unless some servant would sell them to me, for it was -useless to try to find any elsewhere. They were luxuries, and were not -sold in out of the way places. - -"I presented myself, therefore, as coming from my father, and asked to -be admitted to the château to speak to the young folks' nurse, for they -were then old enough to ride, like myself, and were scouring the -country. I went in, explained my errand, and was coldly received by the -nurse. She knew that I had already fought with the Calvinists and that -my father did not love me: but money softened her. She went to a room at -the top of the house and brought down what the children, now full-grown, -had injured least. - -"So away I went with a horse, a dog, a citadel, six cannons, a chariot -and many little iron dishes, the whole in a big basket covered with a -cloth, which I had fastened upon my horse behind me. It came up to my -shoulders, and, as I rode out of the courtyard, I heard the servants -laughing at the window and saying to one another: - -"'He's a great booby, and, if we never have to deal with any Reformers -of a different stamp, we will soon settle their business.' - -"Some were inclined to shoot at me, but I escaped with nothing worse -than a fright. I dug my spurs into my horse, my baggage jingling behind -like a Limousin tinker's bag of old iron. - -"However, all went well, and I rode tranquilly along the crossroad, in -order not to pass through La Châtre with that outfit; but I had to -cross the Couarde, by the bridge on the Aigurande road, and there I -found myself face to face with a party of ten or twelve reiters riding -toward the town. - -"They were simply marauders, but they had with them one of the vilest -partisan troopers of the time, a certain knave whose father or uncle was -in command of the great tower of Bourges, and was known as Captain -Macabre. - -"This fellow, who was about my own age but already old in villainy, -acted as guide to such bands of pillagers, who were very willing to let -him try his hand with them. I had fallen in with him several times, and -he knew that, having fought for the Calvinists, I ought not to be -roughly handled by the Germans. But when he saw the load I was carrying, -he concluded that I was a valuable prize, and, assuming a mighty -swagger, he ordered me to dismount and turn over horse and baggage to -his men, who called themselves for the moment cavalry of the Duc -d'Alençon. - -"As they did not know a word of French, and young Macabre acted as their -interpreter, it would have been utterly useless for me to try to parley -with them. Knowing with whom I had to deal, and that, after I had -submitted and dismounted, I should be soundly beaten and possibly shot, -by way of pastime, as was the habit of the marauding bands, I risked all -to win all. - -"With my boot and stirrup together I kicked Macabre violently in the -stomach--he had already dismounted to unhorse me--and stretched him flat -on his back, swearing like forty devils." - -"And you did well, monsieur!" cried Adamas, enthusiastically. - -"The others," continued Bois-Doré, "were so far from expecting to see a -stripling like me do such a thing under their noses, they being old -troopers one and all, and armed to the teeth, that they began to laugh; -whereof I took advantage to ride away like a shot; but, having recovered -from their amazement, they sent after me a hailstorm of German plums, -which they called in those days Monsieur's plums, because those Germans -used the plans drawn by Monsieur, the king's brother, against the -queen-mother's troops. - -"Fate willed that I should not be hit, and, thanks to my excellent mare, -who carried me swiftly through the tortuous sunken roads of the Couarde, -I returned home safe and sound. Great was the joy of my little brother -as he watched me unpack all those gewgaws. - -"'My dear,' I said to him, as I gave him the citadel, 'it was very lucky -for me that I was so well fortified, for, if it had not been for these -stout walls which I had over my spine, I fancy that you would never have -seen me again.' - -"Indeed, Adamas, I believe that if you should take this stuffed dog to -pieces, you would find some lead inside; and that, if the citadel did -not protect me, the animals protected the citadel at all events." - -"If that is the case, monsieur, I shall keep all the things most -carefully, and place them as a trophy in some room in the château." - -"No, Adamas, people would laugh at us. And here comes that beautiful -boy; we must give him the dog and all the rest, for the things that come -from an angel should go to another angel, and I see in this Mario's eyes -the innocence and affection that were in my young brother's eyes.--Yes, -it is certain," continued the marquis, glancing at Mario and Mercedes, -as they entered the room, escorted by Clindor the page, "that if -Florimond had had a son, he would have been exactly like this boy; and, -if you wish me to tell you why I was attracted to him at first sight, it -was because he recalled to my mind, not so much by his features as by -his bearing, his soft voice and his gentle manners, my brother as he was -at about that age." - -"Monsieur your brother never married," said Adamas, whose mind was even -more romantic than his master's; "but he may have had natural children, -and who knows whether----" - -"No, no, my friend, let us not dream! I had a vision while this Moorish -woman was telling us the story of the murdered gentleman. Would you -believe that I actually fancied that it might have been my brother?" - -"Well, and why should it not have been, monsieur, since no one knows how -he died?" - -"It was not he," replied the marquis, "for this little Mario's father -was killed before the death of our good King Henri, whereas my last -letter from my brother was dated at Genoa on June 16th, that is to say -about a month after that event. It is not possible to reconcile the -two." - - - - -XVIII - - -While the marquis and Adamas exchanged these reflections, the Moorish -woman had made her preparations for singing, and Lucilio had arrived to -listen to her. - -The marquis was so pleased with her manner that he begged Lucilio to -write down the airs she sung. Lucilio was even more captivated by them, -as being, he said, "very old and rare, of great beauty and perfect in -their way." - - -[Illustration: _MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN -THE MARQUIS._ - -_Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged -her, and Mario played her accompaniments very well._] - - -Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged her, and Mario played -her accompaniments very well. - -He was so fascinating with his long guitar, his wise expression, his -lips half-parted and his beautiful hair falling in waves over his -shoulders, that one could never weary of looking at him. His costume, -which consisted of a coarse white shirt, and brown woollen -knee-breeches, with a red girdle and gray stockings with strips of red -cloth wound around the legs, heightened the grace of his movements and -the elegance of his shapely figure. - -He received with joyous bewilderment the toys which were brought from -the garret, and the marquis was gratified to see that, after an admiring -scrutiny of all those marvellous things, he arranged them in a corner -with a sort of respect. - -The fact was that they did not appeal to him very strongly, and that, -when his surprise had passed, his thoughts returned to Fleurial, who was -alive, playful and affectionate, and would have followed him in his -wandering life, whereas the possession of horses, cannon and citadels -was only the dream of an instant in that life of want and constant -motion. - -The rest of the day passed with no new outbreak on the part of Monsieur -d'Alvimar. - -He saw Monsieur Poulain again and told him that he had decided to lay -siege to the fair Lauriane. - -At supper he did his best to avoid having in the person of the marquis -an enemy or an obstacle in his intercourse with her, and he succeeded in -creating a favorable impression. He did not encounter the Moor or the -child, nor did he hear them mentioned, and he retired early to muse upon -his projects. - -The marquis's whole retinue was overjoyed to keep Mario a few days; so -Adamas announced. He had covers laid for the child and his mother at the -second table, at which he himself ate, in the capacity of valet de -chambre, with Master Jovelin, whom Bois-Doré purposely treated as an -inferior, and with Bellinde the housekeeper and Clindor the page. - -The coachman and other servants ate at different hours and in a -different place. Theirs was the third table. - -There was a fourth for the farm hands, wayfarers, poor travellers and -mendicant monks; so that, from dawn until dark, that is to say, until -eight or nine o'clock at night, eating was in progress at the château -of Briantes, and some chimney was always pouring forth a rich, greasy -smoke, which attracted swarms of urchins and beggars from a long way -off. They always received a bountiful supply of broken food at the main -gate, and laid the fifth table on the turf along the avenue, or on the -banks of the ditches. - -Despite this generous hospitality and this numerous retinue, which did -not correspond with the narrow proportions of the château itself, the -marquis's income met all demands, and he always had money to spare for -his innocent whims. - -He lost very little by peculation, although he kept no accounts; as -Adamas and Bellinde detested each other, they watched each other -closely, and although Bellinde was not the woman to abstain altogether -from plunder, the fear of arousing suspicion made her prudent and -necessarily moderate in the matter of profit. Being handsomely paid, and -always magnificently dressed at the expense of the châtelain, who did -not choose to see rags or dirt about him, she certainly had no excuse -for malversation; but she complained none the less, being one of those -who cherish a stolen sou and disdain an honestly acquired louis. - -As for Adamas, if he was not the soul of probity in all his -relations--for he had fought in the civil wars and had acquired the -manners of the partisan troops,--he was so devoted to his master, that -if, in the eminent post of confidential servant which he had attained, -he had dared to pillage other people and hold them to ransom, it would -have been solely to enrich the manor of Briantes. - -Clindor made common cause with him against Bellinde, who hated him and -treated him like a dog dressed in boy's clothes. - -He was an honest little fellow, half clever, half stupid, uncertain as -yet whether he should pose as a man of the third estate, a title which -was assuming more real importance every day, or should assume the airs -of a future gentleman, a species of vanity which was to keep the third -estate for a long time to come in an equivocal attitude and cause it to -play the rôle of dupe between factions, despite its intellectual -superiority. - -The secret of the Moorish woman's nationality was not divulged. In order -not to expose her to the suspicious intolerance of Bellinde, who made a -great show of piety, Adamas represented her as a Spaniard pure and -simple. - -Not a word of her story or of Mario's transpired. - -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas to his master as he undressed him, -"we are children and know nothing at all of the artifices of the toilet. -This Moor, with whom I have been talking upon serious subjects, has -taught me more in an hour than all your Parisian artists know. She has -the most valuable secrets about all sorts of things, and knows how to -extract miraculous juices from plants." - -"Very good, very good, Adamas! Talk about something else. Recite some -verses to me as you shave me; for I feel depressed, and I might truly -say with Monsieur d'Urfé, speaking of Astrée, that the effervescence -of my ennui disturbs the repose of my stomach and the breath of my -life." - -"_Numes célestes_! monsieur," cried the faithful Adamas, who loved to -use his master's favorite expressions; "so you are still thinking of -your brother?" - -"Alas! his memory came back to me yesterday, I don't know why. There are -such days in every man's life, you know, when a slumbering sorrow wakes. -It is like the wounds one brings back from the war. Let me tell you -something of which that orphan's pretty ways made me think just now. It -is that I am growing old, my poor Adamas!" - -"Monsieur is jesting!" - -"No, we are growing old, my friend, and my name will die with me. I have -a few distant cousins, to be sure, for whom I care but little, and who -will perpetuate my father's name, if they can; but I shall be the first -and last of the Bois-Dorés, and my marquisate will descend to no one, -being entirely honorary and determinable at the king's pleasure." - -"I have often thought about it, and I regret that monsieur has always -been too active to consent to put an end to his bachelor life and marry -some beautiful nymph of this neighborhood." - -"To be sure, I have done wrong not to think of it. I have roamed too -much from fair to fair, and although I never met Monsieur d'Urfé, I -would stake my life that, having heard of me somewhere, he intended to -describe me under the features of Hylas the shepherd." - -"And suppose it were so? That shepherd is a very amiable man, -exceedingly clever, and the most entertaining, in my opinion, of all the -heroes of the book." - -"True; but he is young, and I tell you again that I am beginning not to -be young any more and to regret very bitterly my having no family. Do -you know that I have had the idea of adopting a child, or have been -conscious of a longing to do so, at least a score of times?" - -"I know it, monsieur; whenever you see a pretty, attractive little baby, -that idea comes back to you. Well, what prevents you?" - -"The difficulty of finding one with an attractive face and a good -disposition, who has no parents likely to take him away from me when I -have brought him up; for to dote on a child just to have him taken from -you at the age of twenty or twenty-five----" - -"But the interval, monsieur." - -"Oh! time flies so fast! one is not conscious of its flight! You know -that I once thought of taking some young poor relation into my house; -but my family are all old Leaguers, and their children are ugly, or -obstreperous, or dirty." - -"It is certain, monsieur, that the younger branch of the Bourons is not -attractive. You appropriated the stature, all the charm and all the -gallantry of the family, and no one but yourself can give you an heir -worthy of you." - -"Myself!" said Bois-Doré, slightly dazed by this declaration. - -"Yes, monsieur, I am speaking seriously. Since you are tired of your -liberty; since I hear you say, for the tenth time, that you mean to -settle down----" - -"Why, Adamas, you speak of me as if I were an old rake! It seems to me -that, since our Henri's sad death, I have lived as becomes a man -overwhelmed by grief, and a resident nobleman in duty bound to set a -good example." - -"Certainly, certainly, monsieur, you can say all that you please to me -on that subject It is my duty not to contradict you. You are not obliged -to tell me of your delightful adventures in the châteaux or groves of -the neighborhood, eh, monsieur? That is nobody's business but yours. A -faithful servant ought not to spy upon his master, and I do not think -that I have ever asked monsieur any indiscreet questions." - -"I do justice to your delicacy, my dear Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, at -once embarrassed, disturbed and flattered by the chimerical suppositions -of his idolatrous valet. "Let us talk of something else," he added, -afraid to dwell upon so delicate a subject, and trying to believe that -Adamas knew of adventures of his of which he had no knowledge himself. - -The marquis did not boast openly. He was too well bred to tell of the -love-affairs he had had and to invent others that he had never had. But -he was delighted that he should still be accredited with them, and -provided that no particular woman was compromised, he did not contradict -those who said that he was favored of all women. His friends connived at -his modest conceit, and it was the great delight of the younger men, of -Guillaume d'Ars in particular, to tease him on that point, knowing how -agreeable such teasing was to him. - -But Adamas was not so ceremonious. He was not very much of a Gascon on -his own account; having blended his personality with the radiations from -his master's, he was a Gascon for him and in his place. - -So he continued the discussion with much self-possession, declaring that -monsieur was quite right to think of marrying. It was a subject which -was often renewed between them, and of which neither of them wearied, -although it had never had any other result in thirty years than this -reflection from Bois-Doré: - -"To be sure! to be sure! but I am so peaceful and so happy thus! There -is no hurry, we will talk about it again." - -This time, however, he seemed to listen to Adamas's boasting on his -account with more attention than usual. - -"If I thought that there was no danger of my marrying a barren woman," -he said to his confidant, "I would marry, on my word! Perhaps I should -do well to marry a widow with children?" - -"Fie! monsieur," cried Adamas, "do not think of such a thing. Take some -young and lovely demoiselle, who will give you children after your own -image." - -"Adamas!" said the marquis, after a moment's hesitation, "I have some -doubt whether heaven will send me that blessing. But you suggest an -attractive thought, which is to marry a woman so young that I can -imagine that she is my daughter and love her as if I were her father. -What do you say to that?" - -"I say, that if she is young, very young, monsieur can at need imagine -that he has adopted a child. And if that is monsieur's idea, there is no -need to go very far; the little lady of La Motte-Seuilly is exactly -suited to monsieur's wants. She is beautiful, she is good, she is -virtuous, she is merry; those qualities are what we need to brighten up -our manor-house, and I am very sure that her father has thought of it -more than once." - -"Do you think so, Adamas?" - -"To be sure! and so has she! Do you suppose that, when they come here, -she draws no comparison between her old château and yours, which is a -fairy palace? Do you suppose, that, for all she is so young and -innocent, she has never discovered what sort of man you are compared -with all the other suitors whom she has ever seen?" - -Bois-Doré fell asleep thinking of the absence of suitors about the fair -Lauriane, of the enmity that the neighbors bore the rough and outspoken -De Beuvre, and of the annoyance which De Beuvre felt on account of that -state of things, temporary doubtless, but of which he exaggerated the -possible duration. - -The marquis persuaded himself that his proposal would be hailed as one -of fortune's greatest boons. - -The religious question would adjust itself as between them. In any -event, if Lauriane should reproach him for having abjured Calvinism, he -saw no objection to embracing it a second time. - -His self-conceit did not permit him to consider the possibility of an -objection based upon his age. Adamas had the gift of dispelling that -unpleasant memory every night by his flatteries. - -Honest Sylvain therefore fell asleep on that evening more absurd than -ever; but whoever could have read in his heart the purely paternal -feeling that guided his course, the boundless philosophical tolerance -with which he looked forward to the possibility of being made a cuckold, -and the projects of indulgence, of submission and absolute devotion -which he formed with regard to his youthful helpmeet, would certainly -have forgiven him, even while laughing at him. - -When Adamas went into his own room, it seemed to him that he heard the -rustling of a dress in the secret stairway. He rushed into the passage -as quickly as possible, but failed to catch Bellinde, who had time to -disappear, after overhearing, as she had often done before, all the -conversation between the two old fellows. - -Adamas knew her to be quite capable of playing the spy. But he concluded -that he was mistaken, and barricaded all the doors when there was -nothing to be heard save the loud snoring of the marquis and the muffled -yelping of little Fleurial, who lay at the foot of the bed dreaming of a -certain black cat, which was to him what Bellinde was to Adamas. - - - - -XIX - - -They arrived at La Motte-Seuilly about nine o'clock the next morning. -The reader has not forgotten that in those days dinner was served at ten -in the morning, supper at six in the evening. - -On this occasion our marquis, who was fully determined to open his -matrimonial projects, had deemed it best to use some lighter and less -cumbersome means of locomotion than his magnificent lumbering chariot. - -He had mounted, not without a mighty effort, his pretty Andalusian -steed, called _Rosidor_--another name from _Astrée_,--an excellent -beast with an easy gait and placid disposition, a little mischievous, as -it was fitting that he should be in order to give his rider a chance to -shine--that is to say, ready at the slightest sign with leg or hand, to -roll his eyes savagely, curvet, dilate his nostrils like a wicked devil, -rear to a respectable height, and, in a word, assume the airs of a -bad-tempered brute. - - - "For all that, the best fellow in the world." - - -As he dismounted, the marquis ordered Clindor to lead his horse around -the courtyard for a quarter of an hour, on the pretext that he was too -warm to be taken to the stable at once, but in reality so that his hosts -might know that he still rode that restive palfrey. - -Before he entered Lauriane's presence, honest Sylvain went to the room -set aside for him in his neighbor's house, to readjust his clothes, and -perfume and beautify himself in the jauntiest and most refined manner. - -On his side Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, dressed in black velvet and -satin, after the Spanish fashion, with hair cut short and a ruff of rich -lace, had only to change his boots for silk hose and shoes bedecked with -ribbons, to show himself at his best. - -Although his sedate costume, then considered old-fashioned in France, -was better suited to Bois-Doré's age than his own, it gave him an -indefinable air of a diplomat and a priest at once, which emphasized the -more strongly his extraordinarily well-preserved youth and the -self-assured refinement of his person. - -It seemed that old De Beuvre had anticipated a day of offers of -marriage; for he had made himself less like a Huguenot, that is to say -less austere in his dress than usual, and, deeming his daughter's dress -too simple, he had urged her to don a handsomer one. So she made herself -as fine as the widow's weeds, which she was in duty bound to wear until -she married again, would permit. In those days custom was not to be -trifled with. - -She arrayed herself in white taffeta, with a raised skirt over an -underskirt of grayish white, called _rye bread color_. She put on a lace -neckband and wristbands, and as the widow's hood--Mary Stuart's little -cap--relieved her from the necessity of conforming to the fashion of -wearing the ugly powdered wigs which were then in vogue, she was able to -show her lovely fair hair brushed back in a wavy mass which left her -beautiful forehead bare and framed her finely-veined temples. - -In order not to seem too provincial, she sprinkled her hair with Cyprus -powder, which made her more than ever like a child. Although the two -suitors had severally determined to be agreeable, they were somewhat -embarrassed during the dinner, as if they had conceived some suspicion -that they were rivals. - -Indeed, Bellinde had repeated to Monsieur Poulain's housekeeper the -conversation she had overheard. The housekeeper had told the rector, who -had put D'Alvimar on his guard by a note thus conceived: - -"You have, in the person of your host, a rival with whom you can amuse -yourself; make the most of the opportunity." - -D'Alvimar laughed in his sleeve at the idea of rivalry from such a -quarter; his plan was to attack the young lady's heart at once. Little -he cared for her father's approval. He thought that, if he were once in -control of Lauriane's feelings, there would be no difficulty about the -rest. - -Bois-Doré reasoned differently. He could not doubt the esteem and -attachment of both father and daughter for him. He did not hope to take -her imagination by surprise and turn her head; he would have liked to be -alone with them, to set forth in simple terms his advantages in the way -of rank and wealth; after which he hoped, by humble attentions, to make -his purpose manifest ingeniously and honorably. In short, he determined -to act the part of a well-bred youth of good family, while his rival -preferred to carry the place by storm like a hero of romance. - -De Beuvre, who saw that D'Alvimar was becoming sentimental, vexed his -old friend sorely by leading him away along the little stream, to ask -him numerous questions touching his guest's rank and fortune; to which -Bois-Doré could make no other reply than that Monsieur d'Ars had -recommended him to him as a man of quality to whom he was much attached. - -"Guillaume is young," said Monsieur de Beuvre; "but he realizes too well -what he owes us to introduce to us a man unworthy of a cordial reception -at our hands. Still, I am surprised that he told you nothing more; but -Monsieur de Villareal must have confided to you his motive in coming -hither. How does it happen that he did not accompany Guillaume to the -fêtes at Bourges?" - -Bois-Doré could not answer that question; but in his inmost heart De -Beuvre was convinced that this mystery concealed no other design than -that of paying court to his daughter. - -"He must have seen her somewhere, when she did not notice him," he said -to himself; "and although he seems a very earnest Catholic, he also -seems very much in love with her." - -He said to himself further that, in the then state of affairs, a -Catholic Spanish son-in-law might restore the fortunes of his house and -repair the wrong he had done his daughter by joining the ranks of the -Reformers. - -If for no other reason than to give the lie to the Jesuits, who had -threatened him, he would have been glad to learn that the Spaniard was -of sufficiently good family to pretend to the hand of Lauriane, even if -he were only moderately wealthy. - -Monsieur de Beuvre reasoned like a sceptic. He did not talk so loudly of -Montaigne's _Essays_, as Bois-Doré did of _Astrée_, but he fed his -mind upon them assiduously, and he read no other book. - -Bois-Doré, being more straightforward in his politics than his -neighbor, would not have reasoned as he did if he had been a father. He -was no more attached than he to religion; but of the beliefs of the -olden time, he had never laid aside the love of country, and the spirit -of the League would never have induced him to trifle with it. - -He did not suspect the thoughts of his friend, absorbed as he was by his -own, and during a quarter of an hour, as if playing at cross purposes, -they discussed, without understanding each other, the urgent need of a -good marriage for Lauriane. - -At last light was thrown upon the discussion. - -"You!" cried De Beuvre in stupefaction, when the marquis had declared -himself. "Bless my soul! who the devil could have expected that? I -imagined that you were talking in veiled words about your Spaniard, and -it seems that you mean yourself! Look you! neighbor, are you in your -right mind, and don't you mistake yourself for your grandson?" - -Bois-Doré gnawed his moustache; but, being accustomed to his friend's -jesting, he soon recovered himself, and strove to persuade him that -people were mistaken about his age, and that he was not so old as his -own father was when he remarried, at the age of sixty, with most -successful results. - -While he was wasting time thus, D'Alvimar was striving to make the most -of it. - -He had succeeded in bringing Madame de Beuvre to a halt under the great -yew, whose branches, drooping to the ground, formed a sort of apartment -of dark verdure, where one was entirely isolated in the middle of the -garden. - -He began awkwardly enough with extravagant compliments. - -Lauriane was not on her guard against the poison of praise; she knew -little of the refined manners of young men of quality, and was not able -to distinguish the false from the true; but, luckily for her, her heart -had not yet felt the tedium of solitude, and she was much more of a -child than she seemed to be. She considered D'Alvimar's hyperbolical -language highly amusing, and laughed at his gallantry with a heartiness -that disconcerted him. - -He saw that his fine phrases had no luck, so strove to talk of love in a -more natural vein. Perhaps he would have succeeded and would have sown -confusion in that young heart; but Lucilio suddenly appeared, as if sent -by Providence, to interrupt this dangerous interview with the sweet -notes of his _sourdeline_. - -He had been averse to coming with Bois-Doré, knowing that he would be -made to dine in the servants' quarters and would not see Lauriane before -noon. - -Lauriane, as well as her father, was acquainted with the tragic story of -Bruno's disciple, and, following Bois-Doré's example, they -ostentatiously treated him at La Motte-Seuilly as a musician simply, -fearing to compromise him, although they really entertained for him the -high esteem that he deserved. - -Lucilio was the only one who had not thought of making a toilet for the -occasion. He had no hope of attracting attention; indeed, he had no -desire to draw any eye upon himself, knowing that the mysterious -intercourse of minds was the most to which he could aspire. - -So he approached the yew without useless timidity or pretended caution; -and, relying upon the beauty and sincerity of what he had to say in -music, he began to play, to the great displeasure and vexation of -D'Alvimar. - -Lauriane, too, was annoyed for a moment by the interruption, but she -reproached herself when she read on the bagpiper's beautiful face an -ingenuous purpose to gratify her. - -"I do not know why it is," she thought, "that there seems to be on that -face a sort of radiance of genuine affection and of a healthy -conscience, which I do not find on the _other's_ face." - -And she glanced once more at D'Alvimar, now thoroughly irritated, morose -and overbearing, and felt something like a shiver of fear--perhaps of -him, perhaps of herself. - -Again, whether because she was very sensitive to music, or because her -emotions were keyed up to a high pitch, she fancied that she could hear -in her brain the words of the beautiful airs Lucilio was playing to her, -and those imaginary words were: - -"See the bright sun shining in the clear sky, and the swift streams -receiving its rays on their changing surfaces! - -"See the beautiful trees bent in black arches against the pale golden -background of the meadows, and the meadows themselves, as cheery and -bright as in the springtime, under the embroidery of the pink flowers of -autumn; and the graceful swan, that seems to paddle rhythmically at your -feet; and the migratory birds flying across yonder multicolored clouds. - -"All these are the music that I sing to thee: youth, purity, faith, love -and happiness. - -"Listen not to the strange voice which thou dost not understand. It is -soft but deceptive. It would extinguish the sun over your head; it would -dry up the water under your feet; it would wither the flowers in the -fields and shatter the wings of the birds among the clouds; it would -cause cold, fear and death to descend upon thee, and would exhaust -forever the source of the divine harmonies I sing to thee." - -Lauriane no longer saw D'Alvimar. Lost in a delicious reverie, she did -not see Lucilio. She was transported into the past, and, thinking of -Charlotte d'Albret, she said to herself: - -"No, no, I will never listen to the voice of the demon!--My friend," she -said aloud, rising, when the musician stopped, "you have done me an -immense amount of good, and I thank you. I have nothing to give you -which can pay for the noble thoughts which you are able to suggest to -us; that is why I beg you to accept these fragrant violets, which are -the emblem of your modesty." - -She had refused to give D'Alvimar the violets, and she ostentatiously -gave them to the poor musician, before his face. - -D'Alvimar smiled triumphantly, thinking that she meant to incite him by -a challenge more stimulating than an avowal. But such was not Lauriane's -thought, for, making a pretence of fastening the flowers in Lucilio's -hat, she said to him under her breath: - -"Master Giovellino, I ask you to be a father to me, and not to stir from -my side until I tell you to." - -Thanks to his keen Italian penetration, Lucilio grasped her meaning. - -"Yes, yes, I understand, rely on me!" his expressive eyes replied. - -And he seated himself on the huge roots of the yew, at a respectful -distance, like a servant awaiting such orders as may be given him, but -near enough to make it impossible for D'Alvimar to say a word which he -did not hear. - -D'Alvimar divined the whole plan. She was afraid of him; that was still -better! He held the bagpiper in such utter contempt that he began anew -to pay court to his hostess before him as if he were a log of wood. - -But his dangerous magnetism lost all its virtue. - -It seemed to Lauriane that the presence of a calm, virtuous man like -Lucilio was an antidote. She would have blushed to display any vanity -before him. She felt that his eyes were upon her, and that feeling was a -protection. She saw that the Spaniard was piqued, and was gradually -growing angry. She tried her strength by resisting him. - -He wanted her to dismiss that interloper, and he told her so, -designedly, in a tone loud enough to be overheard by him. - -Lauriane flatly refused, saying that she desired more music. - -Lucilio at once began to inflate his bagpipe. - -D'Alvimar put his hand to his breast, drew a very sharp Spanish knife, -and, having removed it from its sheath, began to play with it as if to -keep himself in countenance; sometimes pretending to write with the -point on the old yew, sometimes to hurl it at something as if to show -his dexterity. - -Lauriane did not understand his threat. - -Lucilio was impassive, and yet he was too much of an Italian not to be -familiar with the cold-blooded anger of a Spaniard, and with the -possible destination of a stiletto apparently thrown at random. - -Under any other circumstances he would have been anxious concerning his -instrument, which D'Alvimar's eye seemed to be watching, as if for a -chance to pierce it. But he was complying with Lauriane's wish; he was -fighting in behalf of innocence, as Orpheus fought for love with his -triumphant lyre; and he courageously attacked one of the Moorish airs -which he had heard and written down the day before. - -D'Alvimar felt that he was defied, and the fire of wrath that was -smouldering within him began to burn him. - -Being as dexterous as a Chinaman in throwing the knife, he determined to -frighten the impertinent minstrel, and began to make the gleaming blade -fly all around him, drawing nearer and nearer as he proceeded with his -soft and plaintive song. Lauriane had walked away a few steps, and at -that moment her back was turned to that horrible scene. - -"I have defied tortures and death," said Giovellino to himself. "I will -defy them again, and this Spaniard shall not have the pleasure of seeing -me turn pale." - -He turned his eyes in another direction and played as carefully and -accurately as if he were at Bois-Doré's table. - -Meanwhile D'Alvimar, moving hither and thither, amused himself by -standing in front of him and aiming at him, as if he were tempted to -take him for a target; and by virtue of one of those inexplicable -fascinations which are as it were the punishment of cruel jests, he -began really to feel that horrible temptation. - -The cold perspiration stood out on his body and a film passed over his -eyes. - -Lucilio felt it rather than saw it; but he chose to risk everything -rather than show a moment's fear in the face of the enemy of his native -land, who likewise cast contempt upon his manly dignity. - - - - -XX - - -While this terrible game was in progress, a strange spectator was -looking on within two steps of the heedless Lauriane; it was the young -wolf brought up in the kennels, who had adopted the habits and manners -of a dog, but not his instincts and nature. He fawned upon everybody but -was attached to nobody. - -Lying at Lucilio's feet, he had watched the Spaniard's cruel game with -evident uneasiness, and, the dagger having fallen close beside him -several times, he had risen and sought shelter behind the tree, thinking -of nothing but his own safety. - -However, as the game continued, the animal, who was just beginning to -feel his teeth, showed them several times in silence, and, considering -that he was attacked, felt for the first time in his life the instinct -of hatred of man. - -With his eye on fire, muscles tense, hair erect and quivering, he was -concealed from D'Alvimar by the colossal trunk of the yew, where he -watched for a favorable moment, and suddenly sprang out and tried to -seize him by the throat. - -He would have wounded him at least, if he had not strangled him, had he -not been thrown back by a vigorous kick from Lucilio, which sent him -rolling over and over along the ground. - -The sudden interruption of the music, and the plaintive sound made by -the bagpipe as the artist dropped it, caused Lauriane to turn hastily. -Entirely ignorant of what was taking place, she ran up in time to see -D'Alvimar, frantic with rage, disemboweling the beast with his knife. - -He performed that act of reprisal with all the heat of revenge. It was -easy to read on his pale face and in his bloodshot eye the profound and -incomprehensible joy that he felt in having something to murder. - -Thrice he buried the blade in the throbbing entrails, and at the sight -of blood his lips contracted with an expression of voluptuous pleasure, -while Lauriane, trembling from head to foot, pressed Lucilio's arms with -both hands, saying in a low voice: - -"Look! look! Cæsar Borgia! it is he in person!" - -Lucilio, who had often seen at Rome the portrait painted by Raphael, was -even better able to appreciate the resemblance, and nodded his head to -indicate that he was deeply impressed by it. - -"How now, monsieur?" said the young woman, deeply moved, to the -triumphant Spaniard; "do you think that you are in the heart of the -forest, and do you expect to make yourself agreeable to me by presenting -me with the head or the claws of a creature that I have fed with my own -hands, and that I was caressing before you a moment ago? For shame! you -are not civil; and with that bloody knife in your hand, you look more -like a butcher than a gentleman!" - -Lauriane was angry; she had no other feeling now for the stranger than -one of aversion. - -He, as if emerging from a dream, apologized, saying that the wolf had -tried to devour him; that such creatures were bad company in a house, -and that he was very glad to have rescued _madame_ from an accident -which might as well have happened to her as to him. - -"Do you mean that he attacked you?" she said, and glanced at Lucilio, -who nodded assent.--"Did he bite you?" she added; "where is the wound?" - -And as D'Alvimar had not even a scratch, she was indignant that he had -manifested fear of a beast that was so young and so far from dangerous. - -"The word fear is not very fair to me," he replied in a sort of frenzy; -"I did not suppose that it could be thrown at one who still holds the -instrument of death in his hands." - -"How proud you are of having killed that young wolf! A child could have -done it, and it would have been pardonable in a child, but not in a man, -who could easily have got rid of him with a blow of a whip. I tell you, -messire, you were terribly frightened, and fright is the disease of -those who love to shed blood." - -"I see," said the Spaniard, suddenly downcast, "that I am in disgrace -with you, and I recognize in this, as in everything else, the effect of -my ill luck. It is so persistent that there have been many times when I -have thought of yielding to it as victor in a battle in which I find -naught save discomfort and discomfiture." - -There was much truth in what D'Alvimar had said; and as, after he had -instinctively wiped his dagger, he seemed to hesitate to replace it in -its sheath, Lauriane, impressed by the sinister gleam in his eye, -concluded that he was a little mad, as the result of some great -misfortune, and inclined to take his own life. - -"If I am to forgive you," she said, "I demand that you hand me the -weapon of which you have just made such an unworthy use. I do not like -that treacherous blade, which French gentlemen no longer carry, except -when hunting. The sword is enough for a true knight, and one should take -time for reflection before unsheathing it in a lady's presence. I should -always be afraid of a man who conceals about his person a weapon so easy -to handle and so prompt to kill; and as this one does not seem to be of -great value, I ask you to sacrifice it to me, by way of reparation for -the pain you have caused me." - -D'Alvimar thought that in thus disarming him she intended to caress him. -Nevertheless, it cost him a pang to part with so trusty a weapon, and he -hesitated. - -"I see," said Lauriane, "that it is a gift from some fair dame whom you -are not at liberty to disobey." - -"If you have any such thought as that," he retorted, "I will very -quickly disabuse you of it." - -And, kneeling on one knee, he handed her the poniard. - -"It is well," she said, withdrawing her hand, which he tried to kiss. "I -forgive you, as a guest whom I do not desire to humiliate; but that is -all, I assure you; and as for this wretched blade, if I keep it, I do so -not for love of you, but to prevent the evil that it might do." - -They were then at the foot of the donjon, where they met the marquis and -Monsieur de Beuvre, engaged in earnest conversation. - -Lauriane was about to tell them what had happened, but her father did -not give her time. - -"Look you, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand and putting it -through the marquis's arm; "our friend wishes to tell you a secret, and -while he is telling it, I will do my best to entertain Monsieur de -Villareal. You see," he added, addressing Monsieur de Bois-Doré, "I -entrust my lamb to you without fear of your sharp teeth, and I say -nothing to her to lower you in her estimation! Speak to her therefore as -you choose. If you are burned, I wash my hands of it, it will be of your -own seeking." - -"I see," said Madame de Beuvre to the marquis, "that you have some -request to make." - -And as she supposed that it referred, as usual, to some hunting party on -his estates, she added that, whatever it might be, she granted it -beforehand. - -"Beware, my child!" laughed Monsieur de Beuvre; "you don't know what you -are pledging yourself to!" - -"You do not frighten me," she replied; "he can speak quickly." - -"Indeed! you think so! but you are sadly mistaken," rejoined Monsieur de -Beuvre. "I will wager that his compliments will last more than an hour. -So go, both of you, to some room where you will not be disturbed, and -when you have said all you have to say, you can join us again." - -The marquis was not disconcerted by this jesting. He had not reached the -resolution to prefer his request without stifling some vivid -apprehensions touching the marriage state, into which he had delayed -entering for about forty years. - -If he had decided at last, it was because he wished to make someone else -rich and happy, and, having once adopted that idea, he considered it his -duty not to allow himself to be turned aside from it. - -No sooner had they reached the salon, therefore, than he offered his -heart, his name and his fortune, after the style in vogue in _Astrée_, -with the unbridled passion which knows nothing milder than horrible -torments, sighs that rend the heart, terrors that cause a thousand -deaths, hopes that take away the reason, etc.; and all this with such -chaste and cold propriety that the most timid virtue could not take -alarm. - -When Lauriane realized that he was talking about marriage, she was as -surprised as her father. - -She knew that the marquis was capable of anything, and instead of -laughing at him she felt sorry for him. She had a warm friendship for -him, and respect for his goodness of heart and loyalty. She felt that -the poor old man would lay himself open to interminable taunts, if she -should set the example, and that the friendly and kindly raillery of -which he had hitherto been the object, would become stinging and cruel. - -"No," thought the judicious child, "it shall not be so, I will not -suffer my old friend to be the laughing-stock of his servants.--My dear -marquis," she said, exerting herself to speak after his style, "I have -often reflected upon the possibility and the suitability of the plan -which you propose to me. I had divined your noble and virtuous flame, -and, if I have not reciprocated it, it is only because I am still so -young that mischievous Cupid has paid no attention to me as yet. Allow -me therefore to frolic yet a little while in the enchanted isle of -Ignorance of Love; I can be in no haste to come forth, since I am happy -in your friendship. Of all the men whom I know, you are the best and -most lovable, and, when my heart speaks, it may well be that it will -speak to me of you. But that is written in the book of destinies, and -you must e'en give me time to question mine. If, by some fatality, it -should be my destiny to be ungrateful to you, I would confess it -honestly and sorrowfully, for it would be my loss and my shame; but your -heart is so great and so kind that you would still be my brother and my -friend despite my folly." - -"That would I, I swear it!" cried Bois-Doré with ingenuous warmth. - -"Very well, my loyal friend," continued Lauriane, "let us wait awhile. I -ask you for a seven years' trial as the ancient custom is among knights -without reproach; and do me the favor to allow this agreement to remain -a secret between us two. Seven years hence, if my heart has remained -insensible to love, you will renounce me; and in like manner, if I share -your passion, I will tell you so without mystery. I swear to you -likewise, that if, before the expiration of our agreement, I am moved, -despite myself, by another's attentions, I will humbly and frankly make -confession to you thereof. Of that there seems but little likelihood; -yet do I seek to provide for everything, so earnestly do I desire to -preserve at least your friendship, if I lose your love." - -"I submit to all your conditions," replied the marquis, "and I pledge to -you, adorable Lauriane, the faith of a gentleman and the fidelity of a -perfect lover." - -"I rely thereupon," she said, offering him her hand; "I know that you -are a man of heart and an incomparable lover. And now, let us return to -my father, and let me tell him of that which is agreed between us, so -that our secret may be shared by him alone." - -"I agree," said the marquis; "but shall we not exchange pledges?" - -"What shall they be? I am willing; but let it not be a ring. Remember -that, being a widow, I can wear no other ring than the gift of a second -husband." - -"Permit me to send you to-morrow a present worthy of you." - -"No, no! that would mean admitting others to our confidence. Give me any -trinket that you have about you. See, that little box of ivory and -enamel that you have in your hand!" - -"'Tis well! but what will you give me? I see you have the right -understanding of this exchange. It must be something that we have upon -us when we exchange promises." - -Lauriane looked in her pockets and found there only her gloves, her -handkerchief, her purse and Monsieur Sciarra's dagger. The purse came to -her from her another: she gave him the dagger. - -"Hide it carefully," she said, "and, so long as I allow you to keep it, -hope. In like manner, if I come and ask you for it----" - -"I will pierce my bosom with it!" cried the old Celadon. - -"No! that is something that you will not do," said Lauriane, with the -utmost seriousness, "for I should die of grief; and, moreover, you would -break the promise you have given me to remain my friend whatever -happens." - -"That is true," said Bois-Doré, kneeling to receive the pledge. "I -swear to you that I will not die, even as I swear that I will neither -love nor glance at any other fair, so long as you shall not have torn -from my heart the hope of winning yours." - - - - -XXI - - -They returned to the garden, where Monsieur de Beuvre greeted them with -a bantering air. The grave and tranquil demeanor of Lauriane, the -radiant and tender expression which the marquis could not dissemble, -surprised him so that he could not refrain from questioning them, -covertly though transparently, in D'Alvimar's presence. - -But Lauriane replied that she and the marquis were in perfect accord, -and D'Alvimar, unwilling to believe his ears, took that assertion for a -bit of coquetry aimed at him. - -Thereupon Monsieur de Beuvre's anxiety became very keen, and, leading -his daughter aside, he asked her if she were speaking seriously, and if -she were insane enough or ambitious enough to accept a spark born in the -reign of Henri II. - -Lauriane told him how she had postponed her reply and any definitive -agreement for seven years. - -After laughing as if he would burst, De Beuvre, when Lauriane urged him -to keep her secret, had some difficulty in understanding his daughter's -kindly delicacy. - -He would have enjoyed making merry over the marquis's discomfiture, and -he considered that to have laughed in his face would have been an -excellent way to teach him a lesson. - -"No, father," replied Lauriane; "on the contrary, it would have grieved -him terribly, and nothing more. He is too old to correct his foibles, -and I cannot see what we should gain by insulting so excellent a man, -when it is easy for us to lull him to sleep in his reveries. Believe me, -if coquetry is ever innocent in a woman, it is innocent when practised -upon old men; indeed, it is often an act of kindness to allow them to -enjoy their fantasy. Be assured that, if I should ever tell him that I -am in love with some other man, he would be well pleased; whereas, if I -had told him that I could never love him, he would very probably be ill -at this moment, not so much because of my cruelty as of the cruelty of -his old age, which I should have placed squarely before him without -consideration or compassion." - -Lauriane had some influence over her father. She procured his promise -that he would abstain from teasing the marquis about his love-affair -with her, and D'Alvimar, with all his penetration, suspected nothing of -what had taken place between them. - -It was really a kind action that Lauriane had performed; and, as there -is an open account between us and Providence, she was rewarded for it at -once by that invisible assistance which is the recompense, often -immediate, of every generous impulse of our hearts. - -Lauriane was a good deal of a child, but there was the making of a -strong woman in her; and, even if she was capable, like every daughter -of Eve, of yielding momentarily to a dangerous fascination, she was also -capable of recovering herself and of finding a firm support in her -conscience. - -She passed the rest of the day, therefore, untouched by D'Alvimar's -gallant hints; and it seemed to her that, by giving her dagger to the -marquis as the pledge of a generous affection, she had rid herself of -something that had disturbed her and burned her hands. She took pains -not to be left alone with the Spaniard, and not to encourage any of the -efforts he made to lead the conversation back to the delicate -commonplaces of love. - -Moreover, all private conversation was interrupted and the attention of -the whole party diverted by a strange incident. - -A young gypsy appeared and requested permission to entertain the -illustrious company by his accomplishments; I believe that the rascal -said "his genius." - -He had no sooner made his appearance than D'Alvimar recognized the young -vagabond who had served as interpreter between Monsieur D'Ars and the -Moorish woman on the moor of Champillé, and who had declared that he -was French by birth and that his name was La Flèche. - -He was a young man of some twenty years, with a handsome face, although -it already showed the ravages of debauchery. His eye was keen and -insolent; his lips flat and treacherous; his speech conceited, impudent -and satirical; he was short of stature, but well-formed, as active with -his body as a pantomimist, and with his hands as a thief; intelligent in -everything that is serviceable in evil-doing; stupid in respect to any -useful work or any sound reasoning. - -Like all of his profession, he possessed a few rags in addition to what -he wore, and these he used as a costume in which to perform his tricks. - -He made his appearance dressed in a sort of Genoese cloak lined with -red; on his head one of those hats bristling with cocks' feathers, hats -without name or shape or excuse for being; pretentious yet despairing -ruins, whose gorgeous improbability Callot has immortalized in his -Italian grotesques. - -Short, slashed boots, one much too large, the other much too small for -his foot, disclosed stockings once red, now faded to the hue of wine -lees. An enormous scapulary covered the miscreant's breast, a safeguard -against the charge of paganism and sorcery that was constantly hanging -over his head. Lustreless light hair, of absurd length, fell over his -lean face, aflame with red ochre, and an incipient moustache joined two -patches of downy white hair planted under his smooth and glistening -chin. - -He began in a voice like a cracked trumpet: - -"I beg this illustrious company to deign to excuse the assurance with -which I venture to throw myself at the feet of its indulgence. In truth, -does it befit a varlet of my sort, with his bristling face, his scarred -doublet and hat, which have long been candidates for the post of -scarecrow, to appear before a lady whose eyes put the sunlight to shame, -and to utter a multiplicity of foolish things? She will tell me perhaps, -that I must take heart, that I am not a peasant pack-saddler, nor a -miserable spy, nor a servant to be beaten from morning till night, for -it is said of servants that they are like walnut-trees, the more they -are beaten the more they bear. She will tell me too that I am neither a -sharper, nor a pickpocket, nor a coxcomb, nor a bully, nor an arrogant -cur, nor a puppy, nor a giant-killer, nor a barbarian, nor a snail; that -I am not an evil-looking fellow, despite a slightly vulgar countenance; -but in the face of such qualities as those of the lady I see before -me--it doesn't cripple a goddess to look at her,--and before an -assemblage of noble lords who resemble a party of monarchs more than a -cartload of calves at market, the bravest man in the world loses his -bearings and becomes simply a gutter of ignorance, a sewer of -stupidities, and the cesspool of all sorts of impudence." - -Master La Flèche might have chattered on for two hours in this strain, -with intolerable volubility, had they not interrupted him to ask him -what he could do. - -"Everything!" cried the good-for-naught. "I can dance on my feet, on my -hands, on my head and on my back; on a rope, on a broomstick, on the -point of a steeple or on the point of a lance; on eggs, on bottles, on a -galloping horse, on a hoop, on a cask, and on running water, but this -last only on condition that some one of the company will deign to be my -vis-à-vis on stagnant water. I can sing and rhyme in thirty-seven -languages and a half, provided that some one of the company will deign -to answer me, without an error, in thirty-seven languages and a half. I -can eat rats, hemp, swords, fire----" - -"Enough, enough," said De Beuvre impatiently; "we know your catalogue: -it is the same with all such braggarts as you. You claim to know -everything, and you know but one thing, which is how to tell fortunes." - -"To be quite frank," retorted La Flèche, "that is what I excel in, and -if your radiant highnesses will write your names, I will draw to see -with whom I shall begin; for destiny is an ill-tempered fellow who knows -no distinction of rank or sex." - -"Go on and draw; here is my token," said Monsieur De Beuvre, tossing him -a piece of money. "Your turn, my child." - -Lauriane tossed him a larger coin, the marquis a gold crown, Lucilio -some copper, and D'Alvimar a pebble, saying: - -"I see that you all give money to the conjurer, but in my opinion he -deserves only to be stoned." - -"Beware," said Lauriane, smiling, "he will predict only unpleasant -things for you; everyone knows that, in the matter of horoscopes, you -only get what you pay for." - -"Do not think that; destiny is my master," said La Flèche, putting the -money into a box, and suddenly affecting to speak simply and with a -fatalistic air. - -He turned his indescribable hat, which seemed to threaten heaven like an -insolent castle tower, pulled it over his eyes like an extinguisher, -made several wry faces, pronounced divers unmeaning words supposed to be -cabalistic formulas, and, having turned his back in order to wipe off -the coarse paint unseen, showed his face made pale by prophetic -inspiration. - -Then he traced upon the gravel the great _asphère_ of ignorant -necromancers, with all the symbols of street-corner astrology; he placed -a stone in the centre and threw the box at it, which broke and -distributed the contents over the symbols drawn in the different -compartments. - -Thereupon D'Alvimar stooped to pick up his pebble. - -"No, no!" cried the gypsy, darting into the circle with the agility of a -monkey, and placing his foot on D'Alvimar's token, without effacing any -of the signs that surrounded it; "no, messire, you cannot interfere with -destiny. It is above you as it is above me!" - -"Certainly not," said Lauriane, putting her little cane between -D'Alvimar and La Flèche. "The magician is master in his magic circle, -and by disarranging your destiny, you may disarrange ours too." - -D'Alvimar submitted; but his face betrayed an extraordinary agitation -which he instantly suppressed. - - - - -XXII - - -La Flèche began with the token nearest the central stone, which he -called Sinai. - -It was Lucilio's; the gypsy pretended to measure angles and make -computations, then said in rhyming prose: - - - "Homme sans langue et de grand cœur, - Savoir de misere est vainqueur."[18] - - -"You see," whispered Bois-Doré to D'Alvimar, "the rascal has divined -our musician's melancholy plight." - -"That was not very difficult," rejoined D'Alvimar contemptuously. "For a -quarter of an hour past the mute has been talking to you by signs." - -"So you have no faith at all in divination?" replied Bois-Doré, while -La Flèche continued his calculations with a preoccupied air, but with -his ears open to all that was going on about him. - -"Why, do you believe in it yourself, messire, I would ask?" said -D'Alvimar, pretending to be surprised at the seriousness with which the -marquis asked the question. - -"I? Why--yes, more or less, like everybody else!" - -"No one believes in this nonsense nowadays!" - -"Oh! yes; I believe in it quite seriously," said Lauriane. "I beg you, -sorcerer, if my destiny is unfavorable, either to leave me a little -hope, or to find in your learning some means of averting it." - -"Illustrious queen of hearts," replied La Flèche, "I obey your -commands. You are threatened by a great danger; but if, during three -days from the present moment, - - - 'Vous ne donnez point votre cœur, - Du diable il sera le vainqueur."[19] - - -"Can you invent no other rhymes?" exclaimed D'Alvimar. "Your vocabulary -is not rich!" - -"Everyone is not rich who wishes to be, messire," rejoined the gypsy; -"and yet there are those who wish it very earnestly, so earnestly that -they do everything to obtain wealth, even at the risk of the axe and the -halter!" - -"Do you read such things in this gentleman's destiny?" said Lauriane, -who had been deeply impressed by the conjurer's warning to herself, and -now strove to turn the whole affair into a jest. - -"Perhaps!" said Monsieur d'Alvimar carelessly; "one never knows what may -happen." - -"But one can find out!" cried La Flèche. "Come who wants to know?" - -"No one," said the marquis, "no one, if there is anything unpleasant in -store for any of us." - -"Well, neighbor, you have faith, on my word!" said De Beuvre, who did -not exactly believe in anything. "You are an excellent customer for any -mountebank who chooses to fill your ears with idle tales!" - -"As you please," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but I cannot help it. I have seen -such surprising things! A score of times things that have been predicted -have happened to me." - -"How can you believe that an ignorant idiot like this fellow can look -into the future, of which God alone knows the secrets?" said D'Alvimar. - -"I do not believe in the knowledge of the operator himself," replied -Bois-Doré, "except in so far as, by long practice, he knows how to -compute numbers, and those numbers are to him like letters in a book -whereof the peculiar quality of numbers composes words and phrases." - -De Beuvre laughed at the marquis, and called upon the gypsy to tell all -he knew. - -D'Alvimar would have been glad of a different result of the discussion, -for his incredulity was only feigned; he believed that the devil had a -hand in all evil, and he determined inwardly to commend La Flèche to -the attention of Monsieur Poulain, to be locked up and burned at the -first opportunity. But he was none the less consumed, in spite of -himself, with anxiety to open the book of his destiny, and he was -strongly impelled, moreover, to assume the rôle of a man free from -superstitions, before Madame de Beuvre. - -La Flèche, being called upon to speak, since he had studied his chart -sufficiently, indulged in some serious reflections. He was afraid of the -Spaniard. He knew that he ran no risk with people who believed in -nothing, for they are not the sort who denounce or accuse sorcerers; and -he was too sharp not to understand that, when he tried to withdraw his -token, D'Alvimar's object was to escape the revelations which he -pretended to despise. - -He adopted the course to which he was accustomed to resort when he had -to do with people who were inclined to become over-excited--he began to -make meaningless remarks to everybody. - -He hoped that D'Alvimar would retire, and that he could make some -pleasant prediction for the others, for which they would pay handsomely; -for in the three days that he had been wandering about the neighborhood, -prowling everywhere, listening at doors, or pretending not to understand -French to induce people to talk in his presence, he had learned many -things; and he knew one fact about D'Alvimar which that gentleman would -have been very glad to bury in profound oblivion. - -But D'Alvimar, tranquillized by the trivial nature of the predictions, -did not retire; La Flèche had ceased to entertain any of the party, and -was on the point of making a fiasco, after great preparations to reap a -fine harvest. - -They were about to dismiss him. He drew himself up. - -"Illustrious noble lords," he said, "I am not a sorcerer, I swear it by -the image of my patron saint which I wear upon my breast; I protest -against any compact with the devil. I practise only white magic, -permitted by the ecclesiastical authorities; but----" - -"Well, if you are not pledged to the devil, go to the devil!" laughed -Monsieur de Beuvre; "you bore us!" - -"Very good," said La Flèche insolently; "you want black magic, and you -shall have it, at your own risk and peril! but I will have nothing to do -with it, I wash my hands of it!" - -He turned at once to a basket which he had brought with him, and in -which they supposed that he kept some juggling apparatus or some strange -beast, and took from it a little girl of eight or ten years, who seemed -to be no more than four or five, she was so small and slender; and, with -all the rest, dark-skinned, with a tangled mass of hair; a veritable -imp, dressed all in red, who began, while he held her in his arms, by -striking him again and again, pulling his hair, and tearing his face -with her nails. - -They thought at first that this frantic resistance was part of the -performance, until they saw the blood flowing in a stream down the -gypsy's nose. - -He paid little heed to it, but said, as he wiped his face with his -sleeve: - -"That is nothing; the princess was asleep in her basket, and she is -always cross when she wakes." - -Then he added in Spanish, speaking to the child in an undertone. - -"Never fear! you shall dance for this to-night!" - -The child, whom he had deposited on the stone of Sinai, cowered like a -monkey and glared about her with the eyes of a wild cat. - -In her emaciated ugliness there were such strongly marked indications of -suffering and of fierce temper, of unhappiness and of hatred, that she -was almost beautiful, and indubitably terrifying. - -It made Lauriane's heart ache to see the extreme emaciation of the -wretched creature, who was almost naked under the gaudy, but filthy rags -she wore. She shuddered as she thought of the probable fate of that -child, driven to frenzy doubtless by the tyranny and the blows of a vile -mountebank; and she walked away a few steps, leaning on the arm of her -good Celadon, Bois-Doré, who, although he did not say so, felt almost -as distressed as she. - -But De Beuvre was of tougher fibre, and he urged La Flèche to make the -evil spirit speak. - -"Come, my lovely Pilar," said La Flèche, accompanying each word with a -gesture big with threats, which were readily intelligible to his victim; -"come, queen of the elves and hobgoblins, you must speak. Pick up that -coin which is nearest you." - -Pilar sat motionless for a long time, pretending to be asleep; she was -shivering with fever. - -"Come, come, gallows-bird, tow for the stake!" continued La Flèche, -"pick up that gold piece, and I will tell you where Mario, your beloved -Mario, is." - -"What's that!" said the marquis, turning back; "what does he say about -Mario?" - -"Who is Mario?" asked Lauriane. - -"Silence!" cried De Beuvre; "the devil speaks, and you are interested, -neighbor!" - -The child spoke thus in French, in a shrill voice and with a strongly -marked accent: - - - "Celui de qui depend ce gage, - S'il veut ecouter le presage - Et se bien garer de l'amour--[20] - - -"I have said enough, I won't say any more," she added in Spanish. - -She had forgotten her lesson. Neither prayers nor threats availed to -refresh her memory; but she did not admit that she had been coached; she -was already a sorceress and proud of her profession. She knew the magic -chart much better than La Flèche, and she loved to prophesy. By trying -to teach her poetry, which she called another kind of magic, La Flèche -had irritated her, and the feeling that she should not succeed had -wounded her self-esteem. - -She shook her head, bristling with hair as black as ink, stamped her -foot and gave way to a paroxysm of pythoness-like rage. - -"Good! good!" cried La Flèche, determined to make use of her, in one -way or another. "Now it is coming! the devil is entering her body, she -will speak in a moment!" - -"Yes," said the child in Spanish, darting madly into the circle, "and I -know it all better than you, better than all the others. Come! come! -come! I know; question me!" - -"Let us speak French," said La Flèche. "What will happen to the noble -lord whose token I hold?" - -It was the marquis's. - -"Joy and consolation!" said the child. - -"Very good! but in what form?" - -"Vengeance!" - -"I, vengeance?" said Bois-Doré. "That is not my disposition." - -"No, surely not," said Lauriane, glancing involuntarily at D'Alvimar. -"The devil must have mistaken the token." - -"No! I am not mistaken," replied the elf. - -"Really?" said La Flèche. "If you are quite sure, speak, she-devil! So -you think that this noble lord here present has some insult to avenge?" - -"In blood!" replied Pilar, with the energy of a tragic actress. - -"Alas!" said the marquis to Lauriane under his breath, "that is only too -true, I doubt not! My poor brother, you know!" And he added, aloud: "I -wish to question this little soothsayer myself." - -"Do so, monseigneur," said La Flèche. "Listen, black fly! and speak -truly to a gentleman who is of much more consequence than you!" - -Thereupon, the marquis, turning to Pilar, questioned her gently: - -"Tell me, my poor little girl, what I have lost?" - -"_A son_!" she replied. - -"Don't laugh, neighbor," said the marquis to De Beuvre, "she tells the -truth. He was like a son to me!" - -And to Pilar: - -"When did I lose him?" - -"Eleven years and five months since." - -"And how many days?" - -"Less five days." - -"She is mistaken there," said the marquis to Lucilio; "for I heard from -him after the time she mentions; but let us see if she can read the -rest." - -Again he turned to the child. - -"How did I lose him?" he asked. - -"By a violent death!" she replied; "but you will have consolation." - -"When?" - -"Within three months, three weeks or three days." - -"What sort of consolation?" - -"Three sorts: vengeance, wisdom, a family." - -"A family? Am I to be married, pray?" - -"No; you will be a father!" - -"Really?" cried the marquis, undisturbed by Monsieur de Beuvre's hearty -laughter. "When shall I be a father?" - -"Within three months, three weeks or three days. I have told everything -about you, and I want to rest." - -The sitting was suspended with a deluge of jests showered by Monsieur de -Beuvre on the marquis. - -In order that the predicted advent of an heir should take place within -three months, three weeks or three days, three women must have "received -the order." - -The poor marquis was so well aware of the contrary that all his faith in -magic was destroyed. - -He submitted to be made fun of, protesting his innocence, but not over -desirous that they should believe it to be so absolute as it really was. - -The child asked leave to prepare her conjurations for the last token. - -It was D'Alvimar's pebble. - -But in order that the reader may understand what follows, it is -necessary that he should know what Pilar and her master, La Flèche, had -agreed upon. - -What La Flèche knew and wished to impart to Bois-Doré, he expected to -have the child divulge when D'Alvimar was not present. The child, from -caprice and vanity, refused to adhere to the agreement made between -them. She insisted upon reciting her whole lesson, even though she had -to suffer for it, and though La Flèche might lose his life or his -liberty. - -It may be that these perils, in which, as she well knew, she could -involve him, sharpened her instincts of hate. - -So she spoke as she chose, despite the warning gestures and grimaces of -her master, who could say nothing to her in Spanish which D'Alvimar -would not understand. - -She picked up the stone, examined the signs that surrounded it, -pretended to make a computation, and said in Spanish, threateningly and -with appalling vehemence: - -"Woe and disgrace to him whose token fell on the red star!" - -"Bravo!" said D'Alvimar, with a nervous, forced laugh; "go on, filthy -creature! Go on, go on, progeny of dogs, offscouring of the earth, tell -us the decrees of heaven!" - -Pilar, angered by these insults, became so wild that she terrified all -who saw her, even La Flèche himself. - -"Blood and murder!" she shrieked, jumping up and down with convulsive -gestures; "murder and damnation! blood, blood, blood!" - -"All this for me?" said D'Alvimar, unable to conceal his terror at that -moment. - -"For you! for you!" cried the frenzied creature, "and death and hell! -soon, instantly, within three months, three weeks or three days! damned! -damned! hell!" - -"Enough! enough!" said Bois-Doré, who understood but little Spanish, -but who saw that D'Alvimar was pale and on the verge of swooning; "this -child is possessed of a bad devil, and it may be that it is sinful to -listen to her." - -"Yes, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, "doubtless she is possessed of the -devil, and her threats are vain and beneath contempt, for hell is -powerless against the will of God; but if I were châtelain and -dispenser of justice here, I would throw this brigand and this vile worm -into prison, and I would hand them over to----" - -"La la!" said Monsieur de Beuvre, "there is no reason for being so -angry. I don't know what was said to you, but I am surprised that you -ended by sneering at it. However, I agree that this mad young monkey's -gusts of temper are a disgusting comedy, and I see that my daughter is -disturbed by them. Come, knave," he said to La Flèche, "we have had -enough. Keep the tokens, if all consent, and go and get yourself hanged -elsewhere." - -La Flèche had not awaited this permission to decamp. He was in great -haste to elude the Spaniard's benevolent designs in respect to him. - -Little Pilar was not at all disturbed. On the contrary, she picked up -the gold and silver pieces which had served as tokens, and when she came -to D'Alvimar's stone she threw it disdainfully at his feet. He was so -angered that he would perhaps have treated her as he did the young wolf, -had he still the weapon of which he had made such prompt and deadly use. - -But when he involuntarily felt for it, he found nothing, and Lauriane, -who was watching him, congratulated herself upon having disarmed him. He -met her eyes and made haste to smile; then he tried to change the -conversation, and Bois-Doré asked Lucilio for an air on the bagpipe to -dispel the unpleasant effect of this episode, while La Flèche, carrying -his great basket on his head and his instruments of magic under his arm, -and dragging along with the other hand the little sybil, still quivering -from head to foot, hastily passed the drawbridge and portcullis. - -"Now will you give me something to eat?" she said, when they were in the -open country. - -"No, you did your work too badly." - -"I am hungry." - -"So much the better!" - -"I am hungry, I can't walk any more." - -"Into your cage you go, then!" - -And he put her in the basket, despite her resistance, and ran away with -her at full speed. - -The unfortunate creature's shrieks died away without echo in the vast -plain. - -"Mario! Mario!" she wailed in a voice broken by sobs; "I want to see -Mario. Villain! assassin! You promised that I should see Mario, who used -to give me things to eat and play with me, and his mother, who kept me -from being beaten! Mercedes! Mario! come to help me! Kill him! he is -hurting me, he is shaking me, he is killing me, he is starving me to -death! Damnation on him! death and blood and murder! The lash, the -stake, the wheel, hell itself for the wicked!" - - -[Footnote 18: - Man without tongue and of great heart, - Learning has triumphed over misery.] - -[Footnote 19: - You do not give your heart away, - It will triumph over the devil.] - -[Footnote 20: - He from whom this token comes. - If he but heed to the presage - And hold aloof from love--] - - - - -XXIII - - -While the gypsy fled toward the north, the marquis, with D'Alvimar and -Lucilio, rode in the opposite direction toward Briantes. - -He was most anxious to tell his faithful Adamas of what he regarded as a -happy issue of his enterprise; and, although he thought that he owed it -to his love to indulge in a few stifled sighs of anxiety or impatience, -he was by no means ill-pleased, taking everything into consideration, to -have seven years before him in which to adopt a new matrimonial -resolution. - -D'Alvimar was in a very bad humor, not only because of the predictions -which had stirred his bile and disturbed his brain, but also because of -the tranquil manner in which Madame de Beuvre had taken leave of him, -while she had given both her little hands to the marquis, as she gayly -promised him a visit on the second day following. - -"Can it be possible," he thought, "that she has accepted that old man's -gold pieces, and that I am supplanted by a rival of seventy?" - -He was exceedingly desirous to question his host, to poke fun at him, to -quarrel with him. But it was impossible to enter into conversation with -Bois-Doré on that subject. The marquis bore himself with an air of -discreet and modest triumph, which caused him to outdo himself in -courteous attentions to his guest. - -D'Alvimar was able to avenge himself for his discomfiture in no other -way than by doing his best to splash Master Jovelin, who rode behind the -marquis. - -When they reached the château, as the supper hour had not arrived, he -walked to the rectory to consult with Monsieur Poulain. - -"Well, monsieur," said the trusty Adamas, as he removed his master's -boots--in his capacity of _homme de chambre_ he almost never left the -château of Briantes--"well, monsieur, must we think about preparing the -betrothal banquet?" - -"To be sure, my friend. We must think about it at once." - -"Really, monsieur? Well, I was sure of it, and I am so pleased that I -don't know where I am. Just fancy, monsieur, that that red hackney whom -you call Bellinde, and who would be better named Tisiphone----" - -"Fie! fie, Adamas! You know that I do not like to hear one of the sex -spoken of in a slighting manner. What new trouble is there between you?" - -"Pardon me, my noble master, but the trouble is that that ill-tempered -creature listens at doors, and that she knows of the step monsieur has -taken to-day. Only a little while ago she was laughing about it like a -cackling hen with that stupid housekeeper of the rector." - -"How do you know that, Adamas?" - -"I know it by magic, monsieur; but, at all events, I know it!" - -"By magic? Since when have you been dabbling in the occult sciences?" - -"I will tell you, monsieur. I have nothing to hide from you, but will -you not deign to tell me first how you made your sentiments known to the -peerless lady of your thoughts, and how she replied; for I am sure that -nothing so eloquent was ever said under the heavens since the world was -made, and I would like to be able to write as fast as Master Jovelin, so -that I could put it on paper as monsieur repeats it to me." - -"No, Adamas, no word of it shall ever issue from my mouth, sealed as it -is by the oath of a loyal knight. I swore that I would not divulge the -secret of my felicity. All that I can say to you, my friend, is to -rejoice now with your master, and to hope with him in the future!" - -"Then it is all arranged, is it, monsieur, and----" - -Adamas was interrupted by a soft scratching, as of a cat, at the door. - -"Ah!" he said, after he had looked out, "it is the child; he wants to -bid you good-night.--Go away, my young friend, monseigneur will see you -later; he is busy now." - -"Yes, yes, Adamas, let him come again! I have something to say about -children. Some very strange ideas on the subject of paternity came into -my head yesterday. This freak is worthy of the lowest bourgeois! No! no! -I am no longer the old bachelor who wanted to marry in hot haste, to -have done with it. I am a young man, Adamas, yes, a young lover, a -dandy, on my word, affectionately sentenced to prove his constancy by -the test of time, to sigh and write poetry; in a word, to await, in the -torments and ecstasies of hope, the good pleasure of my sovereign." - -"If I understand rightly," said Adamas, "this jealous divinity mistrusts -my master's fickle humor, and demands that he renounce all love-making!" - -"Yes, yes, that is it, Adamas; that must be it! A little distrust! That -is a fitting punishment for my wild youth; but I shall be so well able -to prove my sincerity--Go to the door; he is still knocking!" - -"What!" said Adamas seriously to Mario, opening the door slightly, "is -it you again, my little imp? Did I not tell you to wait?" - -"I have waited," Mario replied, in his soft voice--soft and caressing -even in his mischief; "you told me to go away and come back. I went to -the end of the next room, and now I have come back." - -"The little rascal!" said the marquis; "let him come in.--_Bonjour_, my -young friend; just come to kiss me, then play quietly with Fleurial. I -have some important business to discuss with good Monsieur Adamas. Come, -Adamas, the day after to-morrow I am to entertain my incomparable -neighbor. We must be preparing for it; a little informal dinner, -fourteen courses at the most." - -"You shall have them, monsieur. Do you wish me to call the master-cook?" - -"No, I do not like to order my repasts, and, however clean and neat the -kitchen people may be, they always smell of the kitchen. Help me to -plan----" - -"What knife is that?" said Mario, very earnestly, as the marquis, always -good-humored and momentarily preoccupied, held him between his legs and -allowed him to ransack his pockets. - -"Nothing, nothing," said the marquis, trying to recover the pledge that -Lauriane had given him. "Give it back to me, my boy; children must not -touch such things. They bite, you see! Give it to me!" - -"Yes, yes, here it is!" said Mario; "but I saw what was written on it, -and I know whose it is." - -"You don't know what you are saying!" - -"Yes, I do; I say that it belongs to the Spanish gentleman you call -Villareal. Did he give it to you?" - -"Come, come, what is this you are muttering? You are dreaming!" - -"No, kind monsieur! I saw the device on the blade. It is in Spanish, and -I know it very well; my mother Mercedes has one just like it, with the -same device." - -"What does the device mean?" - -"_I serve God_.--_S. A._" - -"What does S. A. mean?" - -"They must be the initials of the man who owns the dagger. That is where -they are usually put, in open work, near the hilt." - -"I know that; but why do you say that this dagger belongs to the Spanish -gentleman named Villareal?" - -The child made no reply and seemed embarrassed. He was no longer under -the Moorish woman's watchful and suspicious eye. He had said more than -he ought, and he remembered her injunctions too late. - -"_Mon Dieu_! monsieur," said Adamas, "children talk sometimes for the -sake of talking without knowing what they say. Let us go back to the -important subject. Your keeper, Père Andoche, brought in to-day a -string of birds so fat that----" - -"Yes, yes, you are right, my friend; let us arrange about the dinner. -But, I don't know--I wonder how she had that Spanish dagger in the -pocket of her skirt?" - -"Who, monsieur?" - -"Why, _she_, _parbleu_! Of whom else can I speak henceforth?" - -"To be sure; I beg pardon, monsieur! Let us talk about the dagger. I -supposed that it was a gift from Monsieur de Villareal, or that he had -lent it to you. For it is the truth that it comes from him. Those -letters S. A. are on his other weapons, which are very handsome, and -which I noticed this morning while his servant was polishing them." - -The marquis relapsed into meditation. - -How did Lauriane obtain Villareal's dagger? She must have received it -from him, since she had disposed of it as her own property. - -In vain did he search the genealogical tree of the De Beuvres, he found -there no name to which the initials S. A. could refer. - -"Can it be," he said to himself, "that she made the same agreement with -him that she afterward made with me?" - -He consoled himself, however, by the thought that she apparently cared -but little for the former compact, since she had sacrificed it to him; -but there was none the less something incomprehensible in the episode, -and the honest marquis was not yet foolish enough not to fear that he -was the victim of some practical joke. - -And then, what the child had said complicated the confusion in his mind, -and he could not imagine what intrigue of destiny or mystification -encompassed that dagger. - -He was inclined to go to have an explanation at once with his guest; but -he remembered that Lauriane had urged him to conceal her pledge and to -let no one see it. - -Adamas saw the anxiety on his master's brow and was touched by it. - -"What is it, monsieur," he said, "what can your poor old Adamas do to -relieve your perplexity?" - -"I do not know, my friend. I would like to be able to divine how it -happens that the Moor has a weapon like this, bearing the same device -and the same initials." - -Then, lowering his voice so that Mario could not hear: - -"You told me, and it has seemed to me that that young woman was very -honest. But can she have stolen this dagger from our guest? That is -something that I cannot endure, that there should be thieving in my -house." - -Adamas instantly espoused his master's suspicions, especially as Mario, -feeling that he had spoken heedlessly, was gliding out of the room on -tiptoe, to avoid further questions. Adamas detained him. - -"You have been telling us fairy tales, my pretty boy," said he, "and for -that you deserve to lose my lord and master's favor. It is not true that -your Mercedes has what you say she has, or----" - -The marquis interrupted him, not wishing that the charge should be made -before the child. - -"Has your mother had the dagger a long time, my boy?" he said. - -The child had passed some time with the gypsies, so he knew what -stealing was. He was blest, moreover, with extraordinary shrewdness. He -understood the suspicion he had brought on his adopted mother, and he -preferred to disobey her rather than not justify her. - -"Yes," he replied, "a very long time." - -And, as he had assumed an exceedingly proud and self-assured air, the -marquis and Adamas felt that they had in their hands a means of making -him speak. - -"Then it was Monsieur de Villareal who gave it to her?" said Adamas. - -"Oh! no, he left it behind----" - -"Where?" queried the marquis. "Come, you must tell us, or I shall have -no more confidence in you, boy. Where did he leave it?" - -"In my father's heart!" replied Mario, in whose eyes there shone an -extraordinary light. He longed to pour out his heart; the mystery -weighed heavily upon him; he had said the first word and he could not -keep silent. - -"Adamas," said the marquis, moved by a sudden, indefinable emotion, -"close the doors, and do you, my child, come here and speak out. You are -with friends, have no fear, we will defend you, we will see that you -have justice. Tell me all that you know about your family?" - -"If you love me," said the child, "you must punish Monsieur de -Villareal, because he murdered my father." - -"Murdered him?" - -"Yes, Mercedes saw him!" - -"When was that?" - -"The day I was born, the day my mother died." - -"Why did he murder him?" - -"To get a lot of money and jewels that my father had." - -"Robber and assassin!" said the marquis, looking at Adamas; "a man of -quality! a friend of Guillaume d'Ars! Is it conceivable?" - -"Monsieur," said Adamas, "children often invent stories, and I believe -that this boy is making sport of us." - -The blood rose in Mario's cheeks. - -"I never tell a lie!" he said with touching vehemence. "Monsieur -Anjorrant always said: 'That child is not at all untruthful.' My -Mercedes always told me that I must never lie, but keep silent when I -didn't wish to reply. Since you make me speak, I say what is true." - -"He is right," exclaimed the marquis, "and I see that he has noble blood -in his heart, the beautiful boy!--Say on, I believe you. Tell me what -your father's name was." - -"Ah! that I do not know." - -"On your honor, my boy?" - -"It is the truth," replied the child; "my mother's name was Marie, that -is all I know, and that is why Monsieur Anjorrant gave me the name of -Mario when he baptized me." - -"But I remember that Mercedes said that the lady gave the curé a -wedding ring," said Adamas; "she also spoke of a seal." - -"Yes," said Mario, "the seal belonged to my father, there was a coat of -arms on it: but it was stolen from us not long ago. As for the ring, -neither Monsieur Anjorrant, nor my Mercedes, who is very clever, nor I, -nor anybody has ever been able to open it. But there's something inside. -My mother, who died without saying a word except her name, Marie, -motioned to the curé to open her ring. She had not the strength to do -it; but he could not." - -"Go and get it," said the marquis, "perhaps we can do it." - -"Oh! no," replied Mario in dismay; "my Mercedes won't like it, and, if -she knows that I have spoken, she will be very sorry." - -"But, after all, why does she conceal all this from us, who may be able -to help her to find your family?" - -"Because she thinks that you will listen to the Spaniard, and that he -will kill her if he learns that she has recognized him." - -"But does he not recognize her?" - -"He never saw her, for she was hiding." - -"Has she ever seen him since that terrible business?" - -"No, never." - -"And, after ten years, she feels sure that she can identify him! It is -very doubtful." - -"She says that she is sure of it, that he has grown hardly any older, -that he is dressed in black as he was then; and she is very sure that -his old servant is the same man who was with him then. Oh! she looked -closely at them. When we met them three days ago, near another château -not far from here----" - -"Ah! yes," said the marquis, "tell us how she met him." - -"He was with a kind, handsome young lord, whom I have since heard spoken -of as Guillaume. Monsieur Guillaume had given a lot of money to the -gypsies we were with. And suddenly, when the Spaniard looked very stern -and was going to strike me, Mercedes said: - -"'It is he! look! it is he! and the other, the old valet is the other!' - -"And she ran after them to see them better, until Monsieur Guillaume -told us that we annoyed him. Then Mercedes made some one ask him his -name and his friend's name, so that we could pray for them, she said. -But Monsieur Guillaume laughed at us, and the gypsies went off in -another direction. My Mercedes let them go without us, and said to me: - -"'We have your father's murderers, I promise you. We must find out their -names.' - -"Then we turned back and went to the château of La Motte to beg; and as -they didn't pay much attention to us, Mercedes told me to listen to what -the servants and the peasants said; and in that way we found out that -the Spaniard was going to stay with the _marquis_, because the _marquis_ -had sent for his chariot and ordered his guest chamber to be prepared -for a stranger. And then we talked with a shepherdess in a field near -there. She told us: - -"'The marquis is the kindest of men. You can go to pass the night at his -château; he will treat you well. That's his château yonder.' - -"So then we came here at once, and yesterday morning we saw the murderer -again, the two murderers! And when I saw the letters on the pistols and -the great sword that the servant had, and I said to Mercedes: - -"'Show me the wicked knife that killed my poor papa; I think those are -the same letters that are on it.'" - -"And are you sure of it?" said the marquis. - -"I am very sure; and you will see for yourself if Mercedes will show -them to you." - -"Where is she now?" - -"With Monsieur Jovelin, whom she is very fond of because he jumped into -the water for me." - -"Jovelin absolutely must extort her secret from her," said the marquis -to Adamas; "go, bring him here, that I may speak with him." - - - - -XXIV - - -Adamas went out and soon returned to say that Jovelin would come at -once. He had found him engaged in a very animated conversation with the -Moor, she speaking Arabic, he writing down all that she said, and making -many gestures which she seemed to understand. - -"He motioned to me that he must not be interrupted," said Adamas; "I -think, monsieur, that he is inducing her to tell the truth by gentleness -and persuasion; let us not disturb him. He writes quickly, but she does -not read very well, even in her own language, and it is wonderful to see -how he makes himself understood with his hands. Be patient, monsieur; we -shall soon find out something." - -They waited a quarter of an hour, which to the marquis seemed a century. - -Time was flying; the first bell had rung for supper. It would be -necessary to sit at the table with Villareal, without having obtained -any definite information. - -The marquis was in a state of intense excitement. He kept rising and -sitting down again, muttering to himself unintelligible words which -sorely puzzled Adamas. - -Mario, thinking that he was angry with him, stood apart in a corner, -thoughtful and abashed. Fleurial, seeing his master's perplexity, gazed -steadfastly at him, followed his every step and whined from time to -time, wagging his tail, as if to say: "What is the matter, pray?" - -At last Adamas ventured to put the question in words. - -"Monsieur," he cried, "you have something in your mind which you are -concealing from your servant, and in that way you make your trouble -still more painful to him. Speak, monsieur, speak to old Adamas as you -would to your night-cap; he will no more repeat what you say than your -night-cap would, and it will relieve you so much." - -"Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, "I greatly fear that I am mad; for there -is something about this child and the story he tells us that excites me -more than is natural. You must know that I had my fortune told by a -gypsy to-day, and that she used some very obscure words, which may -however be fully explained by the interest I feel for this poor little -fellow. I was told, among other strange things, that I should be a -father within three months, three weeks or three days. Now, as I swear -to you, Adamas, that I can look forward to no direct paternity within so -short a period, it is evident that I am to become a father by adoption. -But another part of that prediction perplexes me even more: my brother's -death was referred to as having taken place at exactly the same date -that the Moor assigns for the death of this child's father. How can that -be explained? The witch spoke in veiled, symbolical words, but she fixed -that date clearly, computing the years, months and days that have passed -since. And I made the same computation as I was riding home and I found -that it carried me back to the very day of our King Henri's death. Come -here, Mario; didn't you say that was the day?" - -"But, monsieur," observed Adamas, "didn't you say yourself yesterday -that Monsieur Florimond's last letter was dated at Genoa on the -sixteenth of June?" - -"True, my friend; but one may make a mistake in a date and put one month -instead of another; that has happened to everybody." - -"But, monsieur, isn't the city of Genoa, in Italy, very far from the -place where this child puts his father's death?" - -"Undoubtedly, my friend. I twist the probabilities in order to confirm -the fortune-teller's words, and that is a whim for which I give you -leave to rebuke me. But open the cupboard in which my brother's -cherished records are kept, including that last letter which I have read -so many times without fathoming its meaning." - -"_Mon Dieu_! monsieur," said Adamas, opening the drawer and handing his -master the letter, "you divined and understood clearly enough at the -time everything that happened and was likely to happen. You heard from -Monsieur Florimond very seldom, because of the weighty secret -employments he had in the Italian courts, to which his master the Duc de -Savoie sent him. He wrote of his journeys without telling you of their -object, because he was forbidden to do that by the political party with -which he acted, which was not always yours. This last letter tells you -of other journeys to be undertaken after that from which he had just -returned, and this is what he says to you in his very words: 'If you do -not hear of me before autumn, do not be alarmed. My health is good and -my personal affairs are not in bad condition.'--The date is evidently -accurate, for he begins by saying: 'Monsieur and dear brother, doubtless -you received my letter of January last; in the past five months----'" - -"I know all that, Adamas, I know it by heart; and, nevertheless, when I -went to Italy in 1611, to make personal inquiries for that poor brother -of mine, from whom I had never heard again, I was told that he had never -returned from a mission to Rome, on which he had set out fifteen months -before. And, when I went to Rome, he had not been seen there for more -than two years. I travelled all over Italy until late in 1612, without -finding any trace of him, so that I finally concluded that he must have -undertaken some long voyage, to the East or West Indies, on his own -account, and that I should see him again some day; but at last I made up -my mind that he had certainly been murdered by the brigands who infest -Italy, or had perished in a storm at sea. He had not acquired great -wealth in the Savoyard's service, although he never complained; and I -think that he seldom had companions in his journeys. In the end I lost -all hope of finding him, but not of learning his fate and avenging him -if he was slain by treachery." - -While the marquis and Adamas were talking thus, Mario, whose presence -they had forgotten, had glided behind the marquis's chair. - -He listened, and he looked closely at the letter Bois-Doré held in his -hands. He could read very well, as we have said, even manuscript; but he -was in dire perplexity, fearing lest he should make a mistake and should -be accused again of speaking at random. - -At last he felt almost perfectly sure of his facts, not only because of -the handwriting, but because of the expressions used in the letter and -of the peculiar coincidences. - -"What!" he cried. - -And he ran from the room, his heart swelling with determination and joy, -scarcely heeded by the marquis, who was absorbed by his reflections. - -Mario knew Master Jovelin's room, and he found his mother there, just -about to withdraw without exhibiting the articles of which she was so -jealous and distrustful a guardian. - -Lucilio had been as profoundly impressed as the marquis by the -coincidence of the date fixed in the child's mind by Abbé Anjorrant -with that mentioned by the little gypsy as the date of Florimond's -death. He had not the slightest belief in magic; but, as he was also -struck by La Flèche's mention of the name of Mario, he feared that the -marquis was the dupe of some juggling scheme. - -He began to suspect the Moorish woman herself, and his first act, on -returning to the château, was to send for her and question her in -writing, with much conciseness and severity. He insisted that she should -produce the ring and the letter from Monsieur Anjorrant of which she had -spoken; and, although she felt profound respect and sympathy for him, as -his persistence led her to fear the indirect intervention of D'Alvimar -in this examination she was undergoing, she had taken refuge in agonized -silence. - -As soon as Mario appeared, her wounded heart gave vent in the complaint -which it dared not address directly to Lucilio. - -"Come, my poor child," she said, "we must go away from here, for we are -accused of seeking to deceive and of having told a story that is not -true. Come, let us go at once, so that they may know that we seek aid -only from God and ourselves." - -But Mario held her back. - -"We have had enough of distrust," he said to her; "we must do what they -ask, mother. Give me the letter and the ring! They are mine; I want them -this moment!" - -Lucilio was impressed by the child's vehemence, and the Moor, utterly -dumbfounded, said nothing for several moments. - -Never before had Mario spoken so to her; never had she detected in him -the slightest tendency to independence; and now, in the most peremptory -way, he ordered her to do his bidding. - -She was afraid; she thought that some miracle had happened; all her -strength of will vanished before the idea that fate had intervened. She -took from her belt the sheepskin bag in which she had sewn the precious -objects. - -"That is not all, mother," said Mario; "I must have the knife too." - -"You will not dare to touch it, boy! it is the knife that killed----" - -"I know it; I have seen it before now. It is necessary that I should -touch it, and I will touch it. Give it to me!" - -Mercedes handed him the knife, and said, clasping her hands: - -"If it is the evil spirit that guides my son's hand and tongue, we are -lost, Mario!" - -He did not listen to her, but, placing the little bag on Lucilio's -table, hastily ripped it open with the dagger. He took from it the ring, -which he placed on his thumb, and Abbé Anjorrant's letter to Monsieur -Sully, of which he burst the seal and silk thread, to Mercedes's dire -consternation. - - -[Illustration: _MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY._ - -_He darted into the hall, ran back to the marquis's chamber, -snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings_,...] - - -That done, he opened the letter, took out a stained and spotted paper, -kissed it and examined it carefully; then, shouting: "Come, mother! -Come, Monsieur Jovelin!" he darted into the hall, ran back to the -marquis's chamber, snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings, and, -thrusting everything that he held, letters, ring and dagger, into -Adamas's hand, leaped on the marquis's knees, threw his arms about his -neck, and hugged him so tight that the worthy man was almost suffocated -for a moment. - -"Come, come!" said Bois-Doré at last, somewhat annoyed by this -familiarity, which he did not expect, and which had seriously deranged -his wig, "this is not the time for play of this sort, my young friend, -and you are taking liberties which--Whom is this you have brought here -and why?" - -The marquis paused when he saw Mario burst into tears. - -The child had acted in obedience to an inspiration, he had had faith; -but, as the minds of the others did not move so fast or so straight as -his, doubt, fear and shame returned to him. He had disobeyed Mercedes, -who was weeping and trembling. - -Lucilio watched him so closely that he felt intimidated; the marquis -repelled his passionate embrace, and Adamas was dazed, and did not seem -to recognize unhesitatingly the similarity of the handwritings. - -"Come, do not weep, my child," said the perturbed marquis, taking from -Adamas's hands his brother's letter and the worn and crumpled paper that -Mario had brought. "What is the matter, Adamas, and why are you -trembling so? What is that paper, all covered with black spots? _Vrai -Dieu_! those are blood-stains! Bring the candle nearer, Adamas, and let -me look! Why, my friends! O Lord God in Heaven! Jovelin! Adamas! Look at -this! I am not dreaming, am I? It is the handwriting of my darling -brother! every letter is his! And this blood----Ah! my friends! that is -a very cruel thing to see. But--where did you get this, Mario?" - -"Read, read, monsieur," cried Adamas, "make sure that you are right." - -"I cannot," said the marquis, turning deathly pale; "my heart fails me! -Whence comes this paper?" - -"It was found on my father," said Mario, recovering his courage; "look, -see if it is not a letter for you that he intended to send you. Monsieur -Anjorrant made me read it many times; but your name was not on it, and -we never knew to whom to send it." - -"Your father!" repeated the marquis, as if waking from a dream; "your -father!" - -"Pray read it, monsieur!" cried Adamas; "make sure." - -"No! not yet," said the marquis. "If I am dreaming, I do not desire to -be awakened. Let me fancy that this lovely child--Come here, boy, to my -arms.--And do you, Adamas, read it if you can! I could never do it!" - -"I will read it," said Mario; "follow with your eyes." And he read as -follows: - - -"Monsieur and dear brother: - -"Pay no heed to the letter you will receive after this, which I wrote at -Genoa, under date of the sixteenth of next month, in anticipation of a -long and dangerous journey, during which, as I feared that you would be -anxious on my account, I desired to allay your anxiety by a post-dated -letter, and thereby prevent your making inquiries for me in that -country, where I desired that my absence should not be noticed. - -"As I have arrived here, thank God! more quickly and with less trouble -than I dared hope, and am now out of difficulty and danger, I propose to -tell you of my adventures, which I am at last able to do without -concealment or reserve, leaving the details, however, for the -approaching, eagerly anticipated moment when I shall be with you, -accompanied by my beloved and honored wife, and, God willing, by the -child of whom she will make me the father in a few days! - -"It will suffice for you to know to-day, that, having been married -secretly last year, in Spain, to a beautiful lady of noble birth, -against the will of her parents, I was obliged to leave her on my -master's service, and to return to her, with the same secrecy, to rescue -her from the tyranny of her parents and take her to France, where we -have at last arrived to-day, under favor of our precautions and -disguises. - -"We expect to stop at Pau, whence I shall forward this letter to you, to -be followed by another which will announce, if it be God's pleasure, my -wife's safe delivery, and in which I shall have the leisure that I have -not at this moment, to tell you----" - - -At this point the letter had been interrupted by some unexpected -occurrence. It had been folded and carried about in the traveller's -pocket, to be finished and sealed at Pau, in all probability, and there -entrusted to the carriers who, at that time, conducted the mail service, -with more or less despatch, between places of importance. - - - - -XXV - - -Bois-Doré wept copiously as he listened to this letter, which, being -read by Mario, penetrated the more deeply into his heart. - -"Alas!" he said, "I often accused him of neglect, and he thought of me -on the very first day of his happiness and safety! He intended doubtless -to bring his wife and child to me, and place them in my care, and I -should not have passed my life alone, without a family! But rest in -peace in God's bosom, my poor boy! your son shall be my son, and in my -grief at having so cruelly lost you, I have at all events the -consolation of embracing your living image! for it is his very manner -and his charm, my dear Jovelin, and my heart was stirred at the first -glance I cast upon the child. And now, Mario, let us embrace as uncle -and nephew, which we are, or rather as father and son, which we are to -be from this moment." - -The marquis worried little about his wig this time, but embraced his -adopted son with an affectionate warmth which changed to heartfelt joy -the painful memories evoked by the letter. - -Meanwhile Mercedes, heartbroken by Lucilio's suspicions, had resolved to -make known the truth in all its details. - -"Give them the ring," she said to Mario; "perhaps they will be able to -open it, and you will learn your mother's name." - -The marquis took the heavy gold ring and turned it in every direction; -but, versed as he was in mechanical secrets, he could not succeed in -opening it. - -Neither Jovelin nor Adamas was more adroit, and they were obliged to -abandon the project temporarily. - -"Never mind!" said the marquis to Mario, "let us not worry about it. You -are my brother's son, I can entertain no doubt of that. Judging from his -letter, you descend from a family of higher rank than ours; but we have -no need to know your Spanish ancestors to cherish you and rejoice in -you!" - -Meanwhile Mercedes continued to weep. - -"What is the matter with that poor creature?" the marquis asked Adamas. - -"I do not understand what she says to Master Jovelin, monsieur," was the -reply; "but I see plainly enough that she is afraid that she will not be -allowed to remain with her child." - -"Who will prevent her, I wonder? Am I likely to do it, who owe her so -much gratitude and am indebted to her for so much joy? Come hither, my -excellent girl, and ask me whatever you will. If you want a house, -lands, flocks and servants, aye, and a good husband to your taste, you -shall have them all, or may I lose my name!" - -The Moor, to whom Mario translated these words, replied that she desired -nothing except to work for her living, but somewhere where she could see -her dear Mario every day. - -"Granted!" said the marquis, offering her both hands, which she covered -with kisses; "you shall remain in my house, and, if you are willing to -see my son every hour in the day, you will confer a great favor on me; -for, since you love him so dearly, no other woman than you shall take -care of him. And now, my friends, congratulate me on the great -consolation which has come to me, and which, as you know, Jovelin, -confirms in every point the gypsy's prediction." - -Thereupon he embraced Lucilio, and also, for the first time in his life, -the faithful Adamas, who wrote that glorious fact in letters of gold on -his tablets. - -Then the marquis took Mario in his arms, placed him on the table in the -middle of the room, and, walking a few steps away, began to gaze at him -as if he had not seen him at all as yet. He was his own, his heir, his -son, the greatest joy of his whole life. - -He examined him from head to foot, smiling, with a blending of -affection, pride and childish delight, as if he were a superb picture or -piece of furniture; and as he already had the feelings of a father and -did not wish to make that noble child absurdly vain, he forced back his -exclamations and contented himself by rolling his great black eyes, -showing his great white teeth, and moving his head with a self-satisfied -air to the right and left, as if to say to Adamas and Lucilio; "Just -look! what a fine fellow, what a figure, what eyes, what a bearing, what -pretty ways, what a son!" - -His two friends shared his delight, and Mario endured their scrutinizing -with a confident and affectionate air, which seemed to say to them: "You -can look at me, you will find no evil in me." But he seemed to say more -particularly to the old marquis: "You can love me with all your -strength, I will pay you back." - -And when the scrutiny was at an end, they embraced again, as if they -would fain exchange in a kiss all the kisses of which the childhood of -the one and the others old age had been deprived. - -"You see, my dear friend," the marquis in his joy said to Lucilio, "that -we must not make sport of soothsayers, when they predict our future by -the stars. You shake your dear old head? Yet you surely believe that our -planet----" - -The worthy marquis would doubtless have attempted to elucidate some -theory of his own invention, wherein astronomy, to which he was devoted, -was in some measure confirmed by astrology, to which he was even more -devoted, had not Lucilio interrupted him by handing him a note in which -he urged a consultation as to the means of unmasking his brother's -murderer. - -"You are quite right," said Bois-Doré; "and yet, on this day of -incomparable bliss, it hurts me to think of inflicting punishment. But I -must do it, and, if you please, we will discuss the matter -together.--Go, Adamas, and say to this Monsieur D'Alvimar that I beg him -to excuse a slight delay in serving supper; and above all, let us not -divulge a syllable of the great discovery we have made.--Go, my -friend.--What are you doing there?" he added, as he saw Adamas looking -into the great mirror, framed in gilt network, and making strange faces -at himself. - -"Nothing, monsieur," replied Adamas; "I am just studying my smile." - -"For what purpose, I pray to know?" - -"Is it not fitting, monsieur, that I should make up a treacherous -expression to speak to that traitor?" - -"No, my friend; for, before we adjudge him a traitor, we must examine -into the affair more carefully, and that is what we are about to do." - -At that moment Clindor knocked at the door. He announced that Monsieur -de Villareal was indisposed and desired to keep his chamber. - -"That is so much the better," said the marquis; "I will go to pay him a -visit. After which we will have a preliminary hearing in his case among -ourselves." - -"You must not go alone, monsieur," said Adamas. "How can we be sure that -this indisposition is not feigned, and that the knave has not laid some -trap for you, being warned by his conscience?" - -"You are talking nonsense, my dear Adamas. Even if he killed my brother, -he certainly never knew his name, since he remains under my roof without -uneasiness." - -"But look at this dagger, my dear master! You have not yet looked at -this proof." - -"Alas!" said Bois-Doré, "do you think that I can examine it -dispassionately?" - -Lucilio advised the marquis to see his guest before pursuing his -investigations, so that he might be sure of being calm enough to conceal -his suspicions. - -Adamas allowed the marquis to go; but he glided close on his heels to -the door of the Spaniard's apartment. - -D'Alvimar was really ill. He was subject to nervous sick-headaches of -great violence, which were often brought on by paroxysms of anger, and -he had had more than one of the latter in the course of the day. - -He thanked the marquis for his solicitude and begged him not to put -himself out on his account. He needed nothing more than careful diet, -silence and rest until the following day. - -Bois-Doré withdrew, telling Bellinde, without obtruding, to see to it -that his guest lacked nothing; and he took advantage of this visit to -examine the features of old Sancho, to whom he had previously paid no -attention. - -The former swineherd, tall, lean and sallow, but wiry and muscular, was -sitting in a deep window-recess, reading by the last rays of daylight a -religious book from which he never parted, and which he did not -understand. To spell out with his lips the words in that book and to -tell his beads mechanically, such was his principal occupation, and, -apparently, his only pleasure! - -Bois-Doré glanced furtively from the master lying stretched out on the -bed, with an air of utter prostration, to the calm, stern, devout -servant, whose monkish profile was outlined against the window. - -"These are not highwaymen," he thought. "What the devil! this fair, -slender young man, with an eye as soft as a girl's--To be sure, this -morning when he was angry with the gypsies, and yesterday when he -inveighed against the Moors, his expression was less benignant than -usual. But this old esquire with the Capuchin's beard, who is so -profoundly engrossed in his religious book--To be sure, there is nothing -so like an honest man as a knave who knows his business! No, my -penetration is insufficient in this matter, and we must weigh all the -facts." - -He returned to the pavilion, the whole of which was given over to his -suite of apartments, each floor consisting of one large and one small -room: on the ground floor, the dining-room with a serving-room; on the -first floor, the salon and boudoir; on the second, the châtelain's -bedroom and another boudoir; on the third, the large, so-called _Salle -des Verdures_[21] which Adamas sometimes honored with the title of -_Salle de Justice_; on the fourth, an unfinished, vacant room. - -In the later building attached to the side of this pavilion, were the -apartments of Adamas, Clindor and Jovelin, connecting with those in the -_grand'maison_, as the marquis's little pavilion was ingenuously and in -all seriousness called in the village. - -He found his friends assembled in the _Salle des Verdures_, and not -until then did he remember that in the general excitement the Moorish -woman had been admitted to his chamber. He was grateful to Adamas for -having transferred the session to some place other than his sanctuary. -He saw that Jovelin was writing busily, and, not wishing to disturb him, -he sat down and perused the letter written by Abbé Anjorrant to -Monsieur de Sully, with the view of putting him on the track of Mario's -family. - -That letter was written very soon after Florimond's death, before -Monsieur Anjorrant knew of the death of Henri IV. and Sully's fall from -power; it had not reached its destination. This was a copy, which the -abbé had retained and bequeathed to Mario with Florimond's unfinished -letter. The abbé's letter--it was more properly a memorial--contained -most precise details of the murder of the pretended peddler, as the -abbé had received them from Mercedes, and as they had been confirmed by -various incidents. - -In it all there was nothing to fasten the guilt upon d'Alvimar and his -valet. The assassins had not been discovered. Both, it is true, were -minutely described in the Moorish woman's statement contained in the -memorial; but, although she declared now that she recognized them, she -might very well be mistaken, and her accusation was not sufficient to -condemn them. - -The Catalan dagger, the instrument of murder, being placed beside the -one given by Lauriane to the marquis, was more convincing evidence. The -two weapons were, if not identical, so nearly alike that at the first -glance one had difficulty in distinguishing them. The initials and the -device were made with the same instrument, and the blades were of the -same make. - -But Florimond might have been killed with a weapon stolen from Monsieur -de Villareal, or lost by him. - -Nor was there any proof that the one given by Lauriane to the marquis -came from the Spaniard. - -And, lastly, the initials seen by Mario, Mercedes and Adamas on his -other weapons could not be his, for he had been introduced by Guillaume -under the name of Antonio de Villareal. - - -[Footnote 21: The name Verdures d'Auvergne was given to the tapestry -hangings representing trees, foliage and birds, without figures, and -with no definite landscape. They were made, I believe, at Clermont.] - - - - -XXVI - - -The fair-minded Bois-Doré was making these observations aloud to -Adamas, when the mute handed him the sheet upon which he had just been -writing. - -It was a brief narrative of what had taken place at La Motte-Seuilly in -the morning, between Lauriane, the Spaniard and himself: how Villareal -had hurled the knife again and again to frighten him and interrupt his -music, how he had plunged it into the entrails of the wolf, and lastly -how he had given it to Madame de Beuvre as a token of submission and -penitence before Jovelin's eyes. - -"Oho! this is becoming serious!" said the marquis, lost in thought, "and -I see that this Villareal is a very bad man. However, it may be that -none of these weapons were in his possession ten years ago, and that he -has received them since by gift or by inheritance. In that case he must -have been the assassin's kinsman or friend; there are villains and -cowards in the best families. Like yourself, Master Jovelin, I have a -bad opinion of our guest; but I am certain that, like me, you still -hesitate to condemn him on this evidence." - -Lucilio nodded assent and advised the marquis to try to make him confess -the truth by surprise or by stratagem. - -"We will deliberate with care thereupon," replied Bois-Doré, "and you -will assist us, my dear friend. For the moment, we must go to supper, -and since we have no guests, we will give ourselves the pleasure of -eating with our little marquis that is to be, who no more belongs in the -servants' quarters than you do yourself." - -"Still, monsieur, if you take my advice," said Adamas, "you will leave -things as they are for to-day. Bellinde is a wicked creature and a -plague, and to my mind she is on much too friendly terms with the -rectory, which is a sink of slanderous remarks against all of us." - -"Hoity-toity! Adamas, what in God's name is the trouble between you and -the rectory?" - -"The trouble is, monsieur, that I have been consulting a magician too. -You had hardly gone away this morning, when a certain La Flèche, the -same gypsy, doubtless, whom you saw later in the day at La Motte, came -prowling around the château and offered to tell my fortune. I refused; -I am too much afraid of prophecies, and I hold that any harm that is -destined to happen to us happens twice over when we know it beforehand. -I contented myself by asking him who had stolen the key of the wine -closet, and he answered without hesitation: - -"'The one you suspect!' - -"'Tell me her name,' I replied, knowing well enough that it was -Bellinde, but wishing to test the clever rascal's skill. - -"'The stars forbid me,' he said; 'but I can tell what the person is -doing at this moment. She is at the rector's, where she is chattering -about you, saying that you put it into the head of the lord of this -château to marry young Madame----" - -"Hush, hush, Adamas!" cried the marquis modesty; "you should not repeat -such nonsense." - -"No, monsieur, no! I will say nothing; but, as I was determined to know -whether the sorcerer told the truth, I went out as if for a walk, as -soon as he had gone; and as I passed the rectory I saw Bellinde at a -window with the housekeeper, and both of them began to laugh and to mock -at me behind my back." - -Jovelin asked if the gypsy had entered the château. - -"He would have liked to right well," said Adamas, "but Mercedes, who -watched him from the kitchen without letting him see her, begged me not -to admit him, saying that he was likely to steal; so I did not let him -into the courtyard. He gazed at the door with much emotion, and, when I -asked him what he saw there, he answered: - -"'I see great events about to take place in this house; so great and so -surprising that it is my duty to warn your master. Let me speak to him.' - -"'You cannot,' said, 'he is not within.' - -"'I know where he is,' said he; 'he is at La Motte-Seuilly, where I will -try to see him; but if I am not able to speak with him there without -witnesses, I will come back here, and I assure you that if you refuse me -admission again, you will live to regret it, for many destinies are in -my hands.'" - -"All this is very remarkable," said the marquis, artlessly. "It is a -fact that he predicted all that has happened, and I regret now that I -did not question him further. If he returns, Adamas, you must bring him -to me. Did not you say, my dear Mario, that he was an intelligent -fellow?" - -"He is very amusing," replied Mario, "but my Mercedes doesn't like him. -She thinks it was he who stole my father's seal. I don't think so, -because he helped us to look for it and to ask the other gypsies about -it. He seemed to be very fond of us, and he did all we asked him to." - -"And what was there on the seal, my dear boy?" - -"A crest. Wait! Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant looked at it with a glass and -it looked big, for it was so small--so small that you couldn't make it -out; and he said to me: - -"'Remember this: _Argent with a tree sinople_.'" - -"That is right," said the marquis; "that is my father's crest! It would -be mine if King Henri had not composed another for me to suit himself." - -"Both are carved on the courtyard door," wrote Lucilio. "Ask the child -if he did not see them when he came here." - -"How could he have seen them?" said Adamas, who read Lucilio's words -simultaneously with his master. "The masons who were repairing the arch -had their scaffolding in front of them." - -"Could the gypsy see the escutcheons this morning," said Lucilio with -his pencil, "when he looked at the gate?" - -"Yes," replied Adamas, "the stagings had been taken down, and the masons -were at work elsewhere. The escutcheons were made over--But now I think -of it, Master Jovelin, this La Flèche must know something of our dear -child's story, as they had travelled together?" - -"I don't think so," said Mario. "We never mentioned it to anyone." - -"But you and Mercedes talked about it?" wrote Lucilio. "Does La Flèche -understand Arabic?" - -"No, he understands Spanish; but I always talked Arabic with Mercedes." - -"Were there no other Moors in that band of gypsies?" - -"There was little Pilar, who understands Arabic because she is the child -of a Moor and a _gitana_." - -"In that case," wrote Lucilio to the marquis, "abandon your belief in -the supernatural. La Flèche attempted to make money out of what he had -learned. He knew Mario's story down to a certain point; he learned yours -in the neighborhood, and the fact of your brother's having disappeared -ten years ago. He had stolen the seal. He recognized the coat-of-arms on -the door. He remembered the dates. He divined or imagined the whole -truth. He hurried to La Motte to make his prediction, which he taught -the little _gitana_ by heart. To-night or to-morrow he will bring you -the seal, expecting to solve for you the mystery which you have already -solved, and to receive a handsome reward. He is a thief and a schemer; -nothing more." - -It cost the marquis a pang to assent to this reasonable and probable -explanation. However, he did so. - -Adamas still held out. - -"How can you explain what he told me about Bellinde and the rectory?" he -asked Lucilio. - -Lucilio replied that that was very easy. Bellinde had listened at the -door of the marquis's apartment the night before; La Flèche had -listened in the morning at the door or under the windows of the rectory. - -"You state the case very sensibly," cried the marquis, "and I see -plainly enough that there is no other magic in all this than the magic -of Divine Providence, which has brought truth and joy into my house with -this child. Let us go to supper! our minds will be clearer afterward." - -The marquis supped hastily and without enjoyment. He felt that he was -being spied upon by Bellinde, who was no longer able to listen in the -secret passages; for Adamas, while the masons were on the spot, had had -that passage closed; but the prying and malevolent creature had observed -the long interviews of the marquis and Jovelin with Mercedes and the -child, behind closed doors, and, above all, the self-important and -triumphant airs of Adamas, whose every glance seemed to say to her: "You -shall know nothing!" - -She was not intelligent enough to divine anything. She imagined that the -marquis, following up the project of marriage, was arranging an -entertainment for the young widow, with the assistance of the -"Egyptians." - -There was nothing in that which she could use against Adamas, her -personal enemy; but she was consumed with a jealousy of him and of the -Moorish woman which sought only an opportunity for revenge. - -When Bois-Doré was alone with Jovelin, they concerted and agreed upon a -plan of action for the following day with respect to D'Alvimar. - -They reread Monsieur Anjorrant's letter carefully and analyzed it. Then, -honest Sylvain, who was not fond of giving his mind to serious and -depressing subjects, sent for his heir and passed the evening chatting -and playing with him. Therein he showed a marked resemblance to his dear -master, Henri IV., although he did not think of imitating him. He adored -the charms of childhood, and, except for the stiffness of his old bones, -would gladly have played horse for him around the room. - -"Now," he said to Adamas, when he saw Mario's silky eyelashes drooping -with sleep, "we must give him to the Moor, so that she may take care of -him one night more. But to-morrow, when we have settled this Villareal -business, there will be no further occasion to conceal the truth, and I -propose that my heir shall have his bed in the boudoir adjoining my own -bedroom.--See, my child," he said to Mario, "look at this little nest, -all silk and gold, which has long been waiting for a noble fellow like -you! Do you like the pink silk hangings, and this low furniture inlaid -with mother-of-pearl? Doesn't it seem as if it were made for a young man -of your height? We shall have to arrange a bed for him that will be a -genuine chef-d'œuvre, Adamas. What say you to twisted columns of ivory, -with a great bunch of red plumes at each corner?" - -"As soon as our minds are at rest, monsieur," said Adamas, "I will turn -my attention to the question, in order to gratify you, for nothing is -too fine for your heir. We will consider the matter of clothes too, -which must be suited to his rank." - -"I will think about it, I will think about it, Adamas!" cried the -marquis, "and I propose that his wardrobe shall be just like mine. You -will send for the best tailors, linen-drapers, shoemakers, hatters and -plumemakers in the province, and for a whole month, if necessary, they -shall work day and night, under my eye, preparing my nephew's outfit." - -"And my Mercedes," said Mario, leaping for joy, "will you give her -beautiful dresses too, like Bellinde's?" - -"Mercedes shall have beautiful dresses, dresses of gold and silver, if -such is her whim. And that reminds me--Look you, my dear Jovelin, this -woman is lovely, so it seems to me, and still young. Would you not think -it well to allow her to resume the Moorish costume, which is very -pretty, except the veil, which is altogether too Mohammedan? As the -excellent creature is a sincere Christian now, and we live in a -neighborhood where the common people never saw a Moor, that costume will -offend nobody and will gratify our eyes. What is your wisdom's opinion?" - -Lucilio's wisdom had much ado to reconcile the warm affection which the -marquis really deserved with the feelings naturally aroused by his -childishness. But, hopeless of correcting so old a child, reason advised -him to make the best of him and to love him as he was. - -The philosopher would have preferred that Mario should not be -overwhelmed with splendor and finery at the outset of his new career, -but rather that he should be told something of the new duties he had to -fulfil. He found some consolation in the fact that the child was less -intoxicated by the possession of all those things, than overjoyed and -touched by the affection and endearments of which he found himself the -object. - -On the following day D'Alvimar, who had passed a sleepless night, -requested through Bellinde, who obligingly acted as his nurse, -permission to keep his room until afternoon. - -The marquis paid him another brief visit, and was struck by the -alteration of his features. He had had ghastly visions, under the spell -of the sinister prophecies that had been hurled at him. - -Daylight had finally revived hope in his heart, and he slept part of the -day. - - - - -XXVII - - -The marquis took advantage of this respite to recur to the subject of -dress. - -He went up with Mario and Adamas to the vacant room on the fourth floor, -that is to say, immediately over the _Salle des Verdures_. - -That unfinished apartment was strewn with innumerable chests and -cupboards; and Mario, as soon as the padlocks were removed, and the lids -raised and doors thrown open, fancied that he was in fairyland. There -was a bewildering mass of magnificent stuffs, dazzling gold lace, -ribbons, laces, feathers and jewels, rich hangings, cordovan leather, -furniture in parts, all new and ready to be put together, reliquaries -heavy with precious stones, beautiful paintings on glass which needed -only to be assembled, lovely enamelled mosaics, arranged in piles and -numbered, whole pieces of fine linen, enormous guipure curtains, with -gold and silver stripes; in a word, a hoard of plunder, which smelt of -the partisan warrior a league away, and which the marquis considered to -have been legally acquired at the sword's point. - -This receptacle of rich spoil was known in the household as the -store-room, the garret. It was supposed to contain spare articles of -furniture, together with what was broken or discarded. - -Adamas alone was aware of the contents of those wonderful chests, and -under his breath he called that room the _treasure_ or the _abbey_. -There were no fashionable gewgaws, as in the marquis's apartments, but -artistic objects and fabrics of great value and great beauty, some of -great antiquity, and the more valuable on that account: stuffs -manufactured by processes no longer known, weapons of all sizes and of -all nations, many excellent pictures, valuable manuscripts, etc. - -All this rarely saw the light, the marquis fearing lest he might arouse -the cupidity of some of his neighbors, and producing his treasures only -one at a time and in the guise of a recent purchase. - -However, it was very rarely the case that the pillaging heroes of those -days were compelled to make restitution; but it might well happen that -some powerful individual, acting on his own account, but claiming to act -in the name of the Church or the State, would calmly appropriate an -article in dispute. - -It was thus that Catherine de Médicis, to reward Jean de Hangest--called -Capitaine d'Yvoi--for treacherously surrendering Bourges to her, seized -the superb chalice, decorated with precious stones, which he had taken -from the treasure-chest of Sainte-Chapelle in that city, and had put -aside as his share of the plunder. - -From all these marvels the marquis selected what was required for -Mario's outfit, calling upon him to make known his taste with regard to -the colors. - -One would but imperfectly understand the manners of that period, who -should assume that it was necessary, as it is to-day, to go to Paris to -learn the fashions and to find skilled workmen in the art of dress and -decoration. It was not until the reign of Louis XIV. that the -civilization of luxury and fashion made of Paris the school of good -taste and the arbiter of refinement. Richelieu began this work of -centralization by destroying the power of the nobles. Before his time, -the princes held court in the great provincial centres, and the artisans -of the smallest places supplied the needs of the nobility with -traditional skill. A rich châtelain had artisans among his vassals; -and, even in bourgeois houses, furniture, clothes, boots and shoes were -made at home. - -Bois-Doré therefore had only to select the materials and order the -articles that Adamas was to have made under his own eyes. - -In the matter of dress Adamas was beyond praise. He could safely be -trusted, and, at need, he could put his own hand to the work with -success. - -The ivory columns and cornices destined for the child's bed were found -after some searching. - -"I knew that there was something here like that," said the marquis -smiling. "They are of beautiful workmanship; they came from a state -canopy taken from the chapel of the Abbey of Fontgombaud, of which I was -abbot, that is to say, lord by right of conquest, for a whole fortnight. -When I took possession of it, I remember saying to myself: 'If the new -Abbot of Fontgombaud could become a father soon, this would be a fitting -canopy for his first-born son!'--But, alas! my friend, I did not inherit -all the monkish virtues, and in order to have a son, I was obliged to -find one by a miracle long after I came to maturity. Never mind! he will -be none the less dear, and he will none the less sleep his angel's sleep -under the canopy of the Virgin of Fontgombaud." - -The marquis was interrupted in his reminiscences by the arrival of La -Flèche, who asked to speak with him. - -The chests and the door of the treasury were carefully locked, and the -vagabond was received in the barnyard. - -It was beautiful weather, and Jovelin was of opinion that a trickster of -that sort should not be admitted to the house. - -What he had foreseen actually happened. La Flèche brought with him the -seal, which he claimed to have found in little Pilar's possession; he -also assumed to reveal the mystery of Mario's birth and of the murder of -Florimond by Monsieur de Villareal. - -The marquis allowed him to say all that he had to say, then dismissed -him, with a crown, for the trouble he had taken to bring back the seal; -but he pretended not to understand the story he had told, to place no -faith in it, and to be much shocked that he should dare to accuse -Monsieur de Villareal, against whom he had no other proof than the -Moorish woman's excitement and her exclamation when she thought that she -recognized him on the moor of Champillé. - -Herein the marquis, advised by Lucilio, acted wisely. If he had seemed -to credit the accusation, La Flèche would have been quite capable of -giving the Spaniard warning, in order to have two strings to his bow. - -La Flèche, bitterly disappointed by his fiasco, sheepishly withdrew, -and was walking along the outer wall of Galatée's garden, when he -heard a soft voice calling his name. - -It was Mario, whom the marquis had not chosen to admit to the interview, -desiring that all relations between his heir and gypsydom should be -severed irrevocably. But as he had not explained his wishes in that -respect, the child did not know that he was acting in opposition to them -when he glided through the labyrinth and watched for the gypsy to pass, -through a little loophole looking toward the village. - -"Who calls me?" he said, looking about him. - -"I," said Mario. "I want you to tell me about Pilar." - -"What will you give for that?" - -"I can't give you anything. I haven't anything!" - -"Idiot! steal something!" - -"No, never! Will you answer me?" - -"In a minute; answer me first. What do you do in this château?" - -"Play music." - -"What else?--Aha! you don't choose to speak? All right. Adieu!" - -"And you won't tell me where Pilar is?" - -"She is dead," replied the gypsy brutally, and he walked away whistling. - -Mario tried in vain to recall him. When he could no longer hear him, he -began to run about and play in the labyrinth, trying to convince himself -that La Flèche had made sport of him. But the idea of his little -companion's death caused a terrible shock to his vivid imagination. - -"She used to say that La Flèche beat her," he thought; "but I didn't -believe her. He never beat her before us. But perhaps she didn't lie; -perhaps he beat her until he killed her." - -And, as he reflected thus, the child shed a few tears. Pilar was not a -very amiable creature; but there was something of the Bois-Doré in dear -Mario; he was particularly sensitive to pity, and the Abbé Anjorrant -had brought him up to abhor violence and cruelty. But he concealed his -tears, fearing to pain his uncle, whom he already loved passionately. - -D'Alvimar left his room at last. - -The rest that he had taken, a lovely sunset and the joyous song of the -thrushes dispelled the black presentiments by which he had been besieged -for several days. - -Having dressed and perfumed himself, he sought the marquis and thanked -him for the interest he had shown and the care that had been taken of -him. Bois-Doré could not make up his mind to accuse even inwardly a -man, still so young, of a bearing so distinguished, and a countenance -whose habitual melancholy seemed to him genuinely touching; but when -they were seated at the supper table, Lucilio being there, as usual, to -furnish music, Bois-Doré remembered their agreement, and collected what -he called his siege-guns, to make a violent assault upon his guest's -conscience. - -He had seen too much fighting and had had too many perilous adventures -not to be able to arrange his bearing and his features, without having, -like Adamas, to make preparatory studies before a mirror. Although his -life had long been so placid that he had not been obliged to depart from -his natural mildness of manner, he was too much the man of his time not -to be able to make his glance say, twenty times a day if need be: - -"Vive le roi! Vive la Ligue!" - -The sweet notes of the bagpipe relieved him from the necessity of -carrying on a commonplace conversation which would have seemed to him -very tedious. - -The music which helped to produce the tranquillity that he needed, now -caused a feverish excitement in D'Alvimar. - -He really hated Lucilio. He knew his baptismal name, which the marquis -had let fall in his presence, and Monsieur Poulain, who was thoroughly -posted in contemporary heresy, had divined from that circumstance that -_Jovelin_ was a free translation of Giovellino. The fact of his -mutilation confirmed him in that suspicion, and he was already -deliberating upon the means of making perfectly sure, and of stirring up -some new persecution against him. - -D'Alvimar would readily have assisted him, if he had not been forced to -keep out of sight for some time, and the poor philosopher was the more -antipathetic to him because he could take no steps against him at -present. His beautiful music, by which he had been charmed at the first -hearing, seemed to him now intolerable bravado, and the ill-humor which -took possession of him did not dispose him to undergo patiently the -examination that was being prepared for him. - -After the supper the marquis proposed a game of chess in the boudoir -adjoining his salon. - -"I agree," the Spaniard replied, "on condition that we have no music -there. I cannot play with that to distract my attention." - -"Nor I, most certainly," said the marquis.--"Put your sweet voice away -in its box, good Master Jovelin, and come to watch our peaceful battle. -I know that you enjoy a well-fought game." - -They went into the boudoir, and found there a magnificent chess-board of -crystal with gold mountings, comfortable chairs, and many lighted -candles. - -D'Alvimar had not as yet seen that small room, one of the most sumptuous -in the _grand'maison_; he cast a distraught glance at the trinkets with -which it was filled, then sat down, and the game began. - - - - -XXVIII - - -The marquis, exceedingly calm and courteous, seemed to give his whole -attention to his game. Lucilio, standing behind him, was able to watch -the slightest movement, the slightest change of expression on the -Spaniard's face, which was in a bright light. - -D'Alvimar played promptly and with resolution. Bois-Doré, more moderate -in his play, made long pauses, during which the Spaniard gazed with some -impatience at the objects that surrounded him. His eyes naturally rested -more than once on a sort of what-not that stood against the wall at his -left, quite near him. Gradually the object that was most prominent among -the _bibelots_ with which the little piece of furniture was covered, -attracted and monopolized his attention, and Lucilio noticed that he -smiled satirically and angrily every time that his eyes fell upon that -object. - -It was a naked, gleaming dagger, lying on a black velvet cushion with -gold fringe, and protected by a glass globe. - -"What is it?" said the marquis at last. "You seem distraught. You are in -check, messire, and I do not wish to beat you so easily. Something -disturbs or annoys you. Are we too near that piece of furniture, would -you like to move the table away from it?" - -"No," replied D'Alvimar, "I am very comfortable; but I confess that -there is something in that pretty stand which distracts my mind. Will -you answer a single question, if it be not impertinent?" - -"You could ask no question which would be, messire. Speak, I beg you." - -"Very well, I ask you, my dear marquis, how it happens that you have -here reposing triumphantly on a cushion, under glass, your humble -servant's travelling weapon?" - -"Oh! you are mistaken, my guest! I did not obtain that knife from you." - -"I know that I did not give it to you; but I know that it was given to -you by the one to whom I gave it, of which fact, perhaps, you may not be -ignorant. I understand that any gift from a fair hand is precious to -you; but it seems to me very hard upon those less fortunate to exhibit -thus the trophy of your victory before the eyes of a discarded rival." - -"Your words are enigmas to me." - -"What! surely my sight is not failing me! Will you allow me to raise the -glass and obtain a closer view?" - -"Look and touch, messire; after which I will tell you, if you desire, -why this relic of love and sorrow is kept here among other souvenirs of -the past." - -D'Alvimar took up the knife, examined it closely, handled it, and said, -suddenly replacing it on the cushion: - -"I was mistaken, and I beg your pardon. It is not the weapon that I -thought." - -Lucilio, who was watching him attentively, fancied that he saw his -mobile, delicate nostrils dilate with fear or surprise. But that slight -facial contraction was noticeable in him on the slightest pretext, -sometimes even without any pretext at all. - -He resumed his game. - -But Bois-Doré stopped him. - -"Excuse me," he said; "but as you recognize that object it is my duty to -question you; you may be able perhaps to throw some light upon a -mysterious occurrence by which my life has been disturbed and made -wretched for many years. Be kind enough to tell me, Monsieur de -Villareal, if you know the device and initials engraved on this blade. -Do you wish to look at it again?" - -"It is useless, monsieur le marquis, I do not recognize the weapon; it -never belonged to me." - -"Do you feel any repugnance to making sure of that fact?" - -"Repugnance? Why that question, messire?" - -"I will explain. You may, perhaps, have recognized the weapon as having -belonged to someone whose compatriot you blush to be, but whose name you -would tell me none the less if I should appeal to your sense of honor." - -"If you treat this as a serious matter," replied D'Alvimar, "although it -is my turn not to understand you, I will examine it again." - -He took up the dagger, scrutinized it very calmly, and said: - -"This is of Spanish workmanship, a weapon in very common use among us. -There is no man of noble birth--I may say no free man--who does not -carry a similar one in his belt or his sleeve. The device is one of the -most common and most widely used: _I serve God_, or _I serve my master_, -or _I serve honor_. We find something of that sort on the majority of -our arms, whether rapiers, pistols or cutlasses." - -"Very good; but these two letters S. A., which seem to be a private -cipher?" - -"You can find them on my own weapons, as well as this device; they are -the private marks of the Salamanca factory." - -Bois-Doré felt his suspicions fade away in face of such a natural -explanation. - -Lucilio's suspicions, on the contrary, increased in force. He considered -that D'Alvimar was altogether too eager to anticipate the explanation he -might be asked to give concerning his own motto and his own initials, -which they were supposed not to know. - -He touched the marquis's knee while pretending to pat Fleurial, and thus -warned him not to abandon his investigation. - -D'Alvimar seemed desirous to forward it himself, for he asked with an -air of wounded pride the reason of this interrogatory. - -"You might also ask me," Bois-Doré replied, "for what reason an object -which is horrible for me to look upon lies there before my eyes every -hour. Let me tell you, monsieur, that that accursed weapon is the one -that killed my brother, and I have made it a point of not putting it out -of sight solely that I might constantly be reminded that I have to -discover his murderer and avenge his death." - -D'Alvimar's face expressed deep emotion, but it might well be -sympathetic and magnanimous emotion. - -"You do well to call it a relic of sorrow," he said, pushing the dagger -away. "Was it your brother to whom you referred yesterday morning, when -you consulted those gypsies as to the time and manner of some person's -death?" - -"Yes; I asked for something which I knew perfectly well, wishing to test -their knowledge, and, upon my word, that little demon of a girl answered -me so accurately that I had good reason to be astonished. Did you not -notice, messire, that she gave me figures which fixed the date of the -occurrence as the tenth day of May in the year 1610?" - -"I did not follow the calculation. Was that actually the day when your -brother was killed?" - -"That was the day. I see that you are much surprised!" - -"Surprised, I? Why should I be? I fancy that soothsayers reveal only so -much of the past as they know. But tell me, I beg you, how that sad -affair came to pass. Have you never known the authors of the crime?" - -"You are right in saying the authors, for there were two of them--two -men whom I would like right well to find. But you cannot help me, I see, -since that accusing weapon bears no private mark." - -"So there were no witnesses of the deed?" - -"Pardon me, there were." - -"Who could give you no information as to the perpetrators?" - -"They could describe them, but not tell their names. If this painful -story interests you, I can tell it to you in all its details." - -"Most certainly I am interested in your sorrows, and I am pleased to -listen." - -"Very well," said the marquis, pushing the chessboard away and drawing -his chair nearer to the table, "I will tell you all that I learned from -an investigation communicated to me by the curé of Urdoz." - -"Urdoz? Where is Urdoz? I do not remember." - -"It is a place that you must have passed through, if you have ever been -to Pau." - -"No, I came into France by way of Toulouse." - -"In that case you don't know it. I will describe it to you directly. -First let me tell you that my brother, being a simple gentleman and only -moderately rich, but of an honorable name, noble in feature, of an -amiable disposition, and a fine fellow if ever there was one, while -sojourning in some Spanish city, which I cannot name, won the heart of a -lady or maiden of quality, whom he married secretly against the will of -her family." - -"Her name was----?" - -"I do not know. All this was an affair of the heart, as to which I never -received his full confidence, and which I could not afterwards unravel. -I found out simply that he eloped with his wife, and that they made -their way into France by way of the Urdoz road, disguised as poor -people. The lady was near her time. They were travelling in a small -vehicle of shabby aspect, a sort of peddler's cart, drawn by a single -horse, purchased on the road, whose gait hardly kept time with their -impatience. However, they reached without hindrance the last Spanish -settlement, and, after passing the night in a wretched tavern, my -brother was imprudent enough to try to exchange Spanish for French gold, -and to ask a soi-disant nobleman who was in the house, attended by an -old servant, and who offered to assist him, if he could procure French -money for a thousand pistoles. - -"The individual in question was able to offer him only a trifling sum, -and when my brother mounted his wagon again with his cloaked and veiled -companion, the people at the inn noticed that the two strangers, as they -bade him farewell, gazed earnestly at the two boxes which he himself -loaded, one containing his money, the other his wife's jewels, and that -they started off at once on his track, although they had previously -announced their purpose to go in the opposite direction. The villains -were described in such a way as to leave no manner of doubt as to their -identity when a description of my brother's murderers was furnished." - -"Ah!" said D'Alvimar, "so you had a description of them?" - -"Exact. One had a handsome face and was so young that he seemed little -more than a boy. He was of medium height but well proportioned. His hand -was as white and slender as a woman's, he had an incipient beard, very -black, silky hair, a noble bearing, a rich travelling costume, but -little else, for his valise weighed nothing; a good Andalusian horse, -and yonder infernal knife, which he used for eating and killing. The -other----" - -"No matter, messire. Your brother----?" - -"I must describe the other miscreant, as he was described to me. He was -a man in middle life, who had something of the monk and something of the -hired bravo in his appearance. A long nose overhanging a gray moustache, -a shifty eye, a callous hand, and of a taciturn humor; a genuine Spanish -brute----" - -"I beg pardon, messire?" - -"A brute of the sort that we find in all countries where men are taught -that they can save their souls from hell by reciting paternosters. The -brigands followed my poor brother as two fierce, cowardly wolves follow -the victim they dare not attack, and pounced upon him--What is it, -messire? Are you too warm in this small room?" - -"Perhaps so, messire," replied D'Alvimar excitedly. "I feel difficulty -in breathing the air of a house where the name of Spaniard seems to be -held in such contempt as by yourself." - -"Not at all, monsieur. Let me reassure you on that point. I do not hold -your nation responsible for the degradation of a few. There are infamous -villains everywhere. If I speak bitterly of those who robbed me of a -brother, you must pardon me." - -D'Alvimar apologized in his turn for his sensitiveness, and begged the -marquis to continue his narrative. - -"It was about a league from the hamlet of Urdoz that my brother and his -wife found themselves entirely alone on a rocky road skirting a very -deep precipice. The road was winding and the ascent so steep, that the -horse balked for a moment, and my brother, fearing that he would back -into the ravine, hastily alighted and lifted his wife out of the wagon. -It was very warm, so he pointed out a grove of firs ahead of them where -she could find shelter from the sun, and she walked thither slowly while -he gave the horse an opportunity to breathe." - -"Did the lady see her husband killed?" - -"No! she had just turned a little shoulder of the mountain when the -disaster occurred. It was God's will that the child she bore should be -saved; for, if the assassins had seen her they would not have spared -her." - -"In that case who can say how your brother died?" - -"Another woman whom chance had brought thither, who was hidden behind a -rock, and who had no time to call for aid, the horrible crime was -committed so quickly. My brother was trying to urge the horse forward -when the assassins overtook him. The youngest dismounted, saying with -hypocritical courtesy: - -"'Why, your horse is foundered, my poor man! Don't you need help?' - -"The old cutthroat who followed him also dismounted, and they both -approached my brother as if they really intended to put their shoulders -to the wheel; he had no suspicion of them, and at the same instant the -witness whom heaven had placed there saw him totter and fall at full -length between the wheels, without a cry to indicate that he had been -struck. That dagger had been buried in his heart up to the hilt, by a -hand too well skilled in its use." - -"Then you do not know which of the two, whether the master or the -servant, dealt the blow? You say that the master was very young; it is -hardly conceivable that it was he." - -"It matters little, messire. I deem them equally vile; for the gentleman -behaved exactly as the servant did. He jumped into the wagon without -taking time to remove the knife, he was in such frantic haste to steal -the two boxes. He tossed them to his companion, who put them under his -cloak, and they both fled, retracing their steps, spurred on, not by -remorse and shame, human sentiments which they were incapable of -feeling, but by fear of the scourge and the rack, which are the just -reward and the end of such villainy!" - -"You lie, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, springing to his feet, beside -himself and deathly pale with rage. "The scourge and the rack--You lie -in your throat! and you shall give me satisfaction!" - -He fell back upon his chair, suffocated, strangled by the confession -that wrath had extorted from him at last. - - - - -XXIX - - -The marquis was thunderstruck by this outbreak, for which he was -entirely unprepared, the culprit had up to that moment put so bold a -face on the matter, and made his frequent interruptions with so natural -an air. - -He recovered first, as may be imagined, and grasping D'Alvimar's -convulsively twitching wrist with his long, sinewy hand: - -"Miserable wretch!" he exclaimed with crushing contempt, "you should -thank Heaven for making you my guest; for, were it not for the promise I -have given to protect you, a promise which protects you from myself, I -would beat out your brains against the wall of this room!" - -Lucilio, fearing a struggle, had seized the knife which lay on the -table. D'Alvimar saw his movement and was afraid. He threw off the -marquis's hands and grasped the hilt of his sword. - -"Let your mind be at rest, fear nothing in this house," said Bois-Doré, -calmly. "_We_ are not assassins!" - -"Nor am I, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, seemingly overcome by this -dignified procedure, "and since you do not propose to disregard the laws -of honor, I will attempt to justify myself." - -"Justify yourself? Nonsense! you are convicted and doomed by your -contradiction of me, and that is why I disdain to notice it!" - -"Keep your disdain for those who endure insult in silence. If I had done -so, you would not have suspected me! I repelled the insult! I repel it -again!" - -"Ah! you propose to deny the act now, do you?" - -"No! I killed your brother--or somebody else. I do not know the name of -the man I killed--or allowed to be killed! But what do you know of the -reasons that impelled me to that murder? How do you know that I was not -wreaking a just vengeance? How do you know that that woman--whose name -you do not know--was not my sister, and that while avenging the honor of -my family, I did not take back the gold and jewels stolen by a seducer?" - -"Hold your peace, monsieur! do not insult my brother's memory." - -"You have yourself admitted that he was not rich; where did he obtain a -thousand pistoles with which to elope with a woman?" - -Bois-Doré was shaken. His brother, because of the difference in their -political opinions, would never consent to accept from him the smallest -portion of a fortune which he rightly considered as derived from the -despoiling of his own party. He was obliged to fall back on the -allegation that his brother's wife was entitled to carry off what -belonged to her. But D'Alvimar retorted that the family was entitled to -consider that it belonged to it. Therefore he vehemently denied the -charge of robbery. - -"You are a traitor none the less," said the marquis, "for having stabbed -a gentleman like a coward instead of demanding satisfaction from him." - -"Charge it to your brother's disguise," retorted D'Alvimar, warmly. "Say -to yourself that, seeing him in the garb of a serf, I may well have -thought that I had the right to bid my servant kill him like a serf." - -"Why did you not have him detained at that tavern, where you must have -recognized your sister, instead of following and taking him in a trap?" - -"Presumably," replied D'Alvimar, still proud and animated, "because I -did not choose to create a scandal, and compromise my sister before the -populace." - -"And why, instead of hurrying after her to take her back to her family, -did you leave her on that lonely road, where she died in agony an hour -later, no one having come in search of her meanwhile?" - -"How could I run after her, when I did not know that she was there, so -near to me? Your witness could not hear all the questions I put to the -seducer, I had no need to shout them at the top of my voice. How do you -know that he did not tell me that my sister had remained at Urdoz, and -that what the witness took for flight on my part was not simply -eagerness to return to her?" - -"And not finding her at Urdoz, you never learned of her deplorable -death? You did not even try to find the place where she was buried?" - -"How do you know, monsieur, that I am not more familiar than you with -all the details of this painful story? Would you, in my place, being -unable to remedy the evil that was done, have made an outcry in a -country where no one could possibly divine your sister's name or the -dishonor of your family?" - -The marquis, crushed by the reasonableness of these explanations, made -no reply. - -He was so deeply absorbed in his reflections that he hardly heard the -announcement of a visitor. Guillaume D'Ars was ushered into the -adjoining salon. - -Lucilio detected a gleam of joy in D'Alvimar's eyes, caused it may be by -the pleasure of meeting a friend, or by the hope of finding a means of -escape from a perilous situation. - -D'Alvimar rushed from the boudoir, and the heavy folding door was closed -for an instant between him and his host. - -Lucilio, seeing that the marquis was buried in painful thoughts, touched -him as if to question him. - -"Ah! my friend!" cried Bois-Doré, "to think that I cannot make up my -mind what to do, and that I am in all likelihood the dupe of the most -infernal knave that ever lived! I have taken the wrong course. I have -exposed the good Mooress, and perhaps my child as well, to the vengeance -and the snares of a most dangerous foe; I have been clumsy; I have -furnished him with his grounds of defence by admitting that I did not -know the lady's name, and now, whether the murderer's excuse is false or -true, I no longer have the right to take his life. O God, Lord God! is -it possible that honest men are doomed to be gulled by knaves, and that, -in all sorts of war, the wicked are the most adroit and the strongest!" - -As he spoke, the marquis, wroth with himself, struck the table a violent -blow with his fist; then he rose to go to receive Guillaume D'Ars, whose -jovial and untroubled voice he could hear in the next room. - -But the mute hastily seized his arm with an inarticulate exclamation. He -had in his hand an object to which he called the other's attention with -a murmur of surprise and delight. - -It was the ring, which the marquis had placed on his little finger, the -mysterious ring which he had been unable to open, and which, as a result -of the blow he had dealt the table, had separated into two hoops, one -within the other. There was nothing in the way of secret mechanism. The -parts fitted very closely, and a violent blow was necessary to separate -them--that was all. - -To read the names engraved on the two circles was a matter of an -instant. They were the names of Florimond and his wife. Instantly they -realized that they held the key to the situation. - -The marquis rapidly gave Lucilio his orders, and went, with a light -heart and smiling face, to press Guillaume's hand. - -D'Alvimar and D'Ars had had barely time to exchange a few words -concerning the former's agreeable surprise and the latter's pleasant -journey. Guillaume, however, had noticed some alteration in his friend's -face, which the Spaniard attributed to his headache of the preceding -day. - -The marquis, after exchanging greetings with his young kinsman, was -about to order supper for him. - -"No, thanks!" said Guillaume; "I took a mouthful on the road, while my -horses were resting, for I must start again at once. You see I am -returning sooner than I intended. I was advised yesterday at -Saint-Armand, whither I had gone with a party of the young men of the -province, as an honorary escort to Monseigneur de Condé, that my -steward was very ill in my house. Fearing that he was going to die, the -honest fellow sent a messenger to me to urge me to return as soon as -possible, so that he might inform me as to the condition of my most -important affairs, of which I confess that I know nothing at all. I have -come here, however, in the first place, to ascertain if it will be -convenient for Monsieur D'Alvimar to accompany me to-night, or if he is -so attached to your gardens of Astrée, that he desires to pass another -night amid their fascinations." - -"No!" replied D'Alvimar hastily; "I have imposed upon monsieur le -marquis's civility long enough. I am not well, and I might become -ill-humored. I prefer to go with you now, and I will go to order my -horses to be prepared as quickly as possible." - -"That is unnecessary," said the marquis; "I will ring; I shall have the -pleasure of seeing you again soon, Monsieur de Villareal." - -"I shall come to-morrow to learn your wishes, monsieur le marquis, and -to give you whatever satisfaction you desire--touching the game we were -playing just now." - -"What game were you playing?" said Guillaume. - -"A very scientific game of chess," replied the marquis. - -Adamas answered the bell. - -"Monsieur de Villareal's horses and luggage," said Bois-Doré. - -While the order was being executed, the marquis, with a tranquillity -which led D'Alvimar to hope that everything was adjusted between them, -told Guillaume how they had employed their time at Briantes and La -Motte-Seuilly during his absence. Then he questioned him about the -splendid festivities at Bourges. - -The young man asked nothing better than to talk about them: he described -the excitement of the target-shooting, or rather, as they said in those -days, "of the honorable sport of arquebus-shooting." - -The targets had been set up in the Fichaux meadow's, and a great tent -decorated with tapestry and green boughs for the ladies, young and old. -The contestants were stationed on a stand, a hundred and fifty paces -from the tent. Six hundred and fifty-three arquebusiers entered the -competition. Triboudet of Sancerre alone had won the prize: but he w as -obliged to divide it with Boiron of Bourges, because he had taken a -false name in order to be nearer the head of the list; whereat the -people of Sancerre had made a great outcry, for they were bent upon -proving that their marksmen were the best in the kingdom, and they -considered the division of the prize very unfair. The unjust decision -had evidently been made to avoid displeasing the people of Bourges. - -"After all," said Guillaume, telling his story with the fire of youth, -"Triboudet either won or lost. If he won, he is entitled to all the -honor and all the profit of the victory. I agree that he is blameworthy -for having taken a false name. Very good; for that lapse let them punish -him by a fine or a few days in prison, but let him none the less be -declared the winner of the prize; for the honor due to skill is a sacred -thing, and although we were not at all fond of the old Sancerre -sorcerers, there was not a gentleman who did not protest against the -trick played on Triboudet. But what can you expect? the large places -always consume the small ones, and the fat pettifoggers of Bourges -unceremoniously take precedence over all the bourgeoisie of the -province. They would gladly take precedence over the nobility, if they -were allowed! I am only surprised that Issoudun concurred. Argenton -abstained from voting, saying that the prize was awarded beforehand and -that no one except the champions of Bourges had any chance before the -judges of Bourges." - -"And do you not believe that the prince had a hand in this injustice?" -asked the marquis. - -"I would not dare swear that he did not! He is paying assiduous court to -the people of his good city; witness the fact that he has incurred -considerable expense, although he is not at all fond of spending his -money for the entertainment of other people. He is supporting at this -moment two troupes of players, one French, the other Italian, who -perform in the tennis-courts, beautifully decorated for the purpose." - -"What!" said Bois-Doré, "did you see Monsieur de Belleroze's _tragic -actors_? They are as tiresome as forty days of rain!" - -"No, no; this troupe is called Sieur de Lambour's _French Comedians_, -and there are some very clever people in it. But time flies, and here -comes the faithful Adamas to say that the horses are ready, does he not? -So let us be off, my dear Villareal, and as you have promised the -marquis to come to-morrow to thank him, I invite myself to come with -you." - -"I rely upon seeing you," rejoined Bois-Doré. - -"And you can also rely upon my furnishing you with proofs of all that I -have alleged," said D'Alvimar, bowing very low. - -Bois-Doré replied only with a bow. - -Guillaume, who was in great haste to start, did not notice that the -marquis, despite his apparent courtesy, refrained from offering his hand -to the Spaniard, who dared not ask leave to touch his. - - - - -XXX - - -No sooner were they in the saddle than the marquis, turning to Adamas, -said with much excitement: - -"Quickly, my gorget, my helmet, my weapons, my horse and two men!" - -"Everything is ready, monsieur," Adamas replied. "Master Jovelin advised -us to prepare everything, saying that if Monsieur d'Ars went away again -to-night, you would escort him. But for what purpose?" - -"You shall know when I return," said the marquis, going up to his -chamber to don his armor. "Was care taken to saddle the horses in the -small stable, so that only the men who are to accompany me will know of -our departure?" - -"Yes, monsieur, I myself looked to it." - -"Are you going very far?" cried Mario, who had just supped with Mercedes -and was returning to his bedroom. - -"No, my son, I am not going far. I shall return in two short hours. You -must sleep quietly. Come quickly and kiss me!" - -"Oh! how handsome you are!" said Mario, artlessly. "Are you going to La -Motte-Seuilly again?" - -"No, no, I am going to dance at a ball," the marquis replied with a -smile. - -"Take me, so that I can see you dance," said the child. - -"I cannot; but be patient, my little cupid, for after to-morrow I will -not take a step without you." - -When the old nobleman had donned his little cap of yellow leather -striped with silver, with an inner lining of iron, and adorned with long -plumes drooping over his shoulder; when he was arrayed in his short -military cloak, his long sword, and his gorget of shining steel buckled -beneath his lace ruff, Adamas could vow, without flattery, that he had -an air of grandeur, especially as the excitement of the evening had -caused his paint to disappear, so that he wore almost his natural face, -by no means that of a popinjay. - -"Now you are ready, monsieur," said Adamas. "But am I not to go with -you?" - -"No, my friend; you will close all the doors of my pavilion and pass the -evening with my son. If he falls asleep, you will make up a camp-bed for -him with cushions. I desire to find him here when I return; and now, -hold a light for me, I want to talk with Master Jovelin in the salon." - -He kissed Mario several times with deep emotion, and went down to the -lower floor. - -"What have you determined upon and where are you going?" Lucilio's -expressive eyes inquired. - -"I am going to Ars to finish the investigation. And after that, eh? -After that, if there is occasion to do so, I shall concert measures with -Guillaume to prevent the traitor's escape, and return and advise with -you as to our next move. _Au revoir_ for a time, my dear friend." - -Lucilio sighed as he looked after the marquis. He seemed to him to be -intent upon some more serious project than he had admitted in his -programme. - -While the marquis, without haste, was making his preparations for -departure, Guillaume and D'Alvimar, the latter attended by Sancho, the -other by his escort of four men-at-arms, were riding slowly toward the -château of Ars, by the lower road; that is to say, the road that leaves -the plateau of Le Chaumois on the right and passes quite near La -Châtre. - -As the moon had not risen, and Guillaume's horses were very tired, they -could not travel very quickly. - -D'Alvimar took advantage of this circumstance to ride a little in -advance with his squire, as if involuntarily, because their horses were -fresher. Then, slackening his pace, he said: - -"Sancho, you did not leave anything belonging to me at Briantes?" - -"I never forget anything, Antonio." - -"Yes, you do; you forget daggers and leave them in the bodies of the -people you kill." - -"That reproach again?" - -"I have my reasons for making it to-day. My horse no longer goes lame, -but do you think he is in condition to take a long journey to-night?" - -"Yes. What is there new?" - -"Listen carefully and try to understand quickly. The _peddler_ was a -gentleman, the Marquis de Bois-Doré's brother. The knife that you used -is in that old man's possession. He has sworn vengeance, and he accuses -us on the testimony of some witness, I know not whom." - -"The Moorish woman." - -"Why the Moorish woman?" - -"Because those accursed creatures always bring misfortune." - -"If you have no other reason----" - -"I have others; I will tell you what they are." - -"Yes, later. We must consider now how we are to leave this neighborhood -without any further explanation with that old idiot. I told him enough -to induce him to be patient. He expects me to-morrow." - -"For a duel?" - -"No; he is too old!" - -"But he is very cunning; are you anxious to rot in some dungeon in his -château? No matter, I will go there with you, if you go." - -"I shall not go. A certain prophecy makes me very prudent. When we are -within a short distance of that little town of which you see the lights -yonder, leave the escort, disappear, and return a quarter of an hour -later and say that someone in the town handed you a letter for me. I -will go to the château of Ars before reading it, but, as soon as I have -read it, I will say to Monsieur d'Ars that I must go away at once. Do -you understand?" - -"I understand." - -"Let us wait for Monsieur d'Ars then, and display no haste." - -When honest Bois-Doré, armed to the teeth and firmly seated on the -stately Rosidor, had passed the confines of the village of Briantes, he -discovered Adamas, mounted on a little hackney of placid disposition, -ambling at his side. - -"What! is that you, master rebel?" he said, in a tone which did not -succeed in being angry; "did I not forbid you to follow me and order you -to keep watch over my heir?" - -"Your heir is well guarded, monsieur; Master Jovelin gave me his word -not to leave him, and, moreover, I do not see that he incurs any risk in -your château, now that the enemy has left it and we are charging upon -him." - -"I know that we are the ones who are in danger now, Adamas, and that is -why I did not want you here, for you are old and broken, and besides, -you never were a great warrior." - -"It is true, monsieur, that I am not overfond of receiving blows, but I -like to deal them when I can. I am no longer a young man; but if I am -not quick of foot, I have a sharp eye, and I propose to see that you -don't fall into any ambush. That is why I have brought two more men with -me, who will overtake us in three minutes. Besides, I should have gone -mad to have to wait for you, knowing nothing and doing nothing. By the -way, my dear master, where are we going and what are we going to do?" - -"You will soon see, my friend, you will soon see! But let us make haste. -We have no time to lose if we would overtake them half way to Ars." - -They urged their horses to a gallop, and in less than a quarter of an -hour came in sight of Guillaume and his escort, who were still riding -very slowly. - -The moon was rising and shone on the weapons of the horsemen. - -They had reached a spot then and now called La Rochaille, a spot not far -from numerous houses to-day, but in those days completely deserted and -barren. - -The road was on a slope, with a small ravine on one side, and on the -other a hill-top strewn with great gray boulders, with an occasional -stunted chestnut tree growing among them. The place bore a bad name; the -peasants have always had superstitious ideas concerning the boulders, -perhaps because they vaguely attribute their presence to the efforts of -the demons of ancient Gaul, perhaps because they believe that they fell -from heaven to destroy the worship of those wicked demons. - -The marquis ordered his little troop to halt before it had been -discovered by Guillaume and his men, and rode forward alone at full -speed, intending to bar his young kinsman's passage. - -When they heard the noise of the galloping hoofs, Guillaume and -D'Alvimar turned, the former perfectly calm, supposing that it was some -frightened traveller, the latter sorely perturbed, and still dwelling on -the prediction which the events of that evening seemed to confirm and to -hasten to its fulfilment. - -When Bois-Doré passed on the left of the escort, Guillaume did not -recognize him in his military costume; but D'Alvimar recognized him by -the throbbing of his agitated heart; and old Sancho, warned by a similar -sensation, rode nearer to him. - -Their anxiety was dispelled when Bois-Doré rode on without speaking to -them. They concluded then that it was not he. But when he drew rein and -wheeled about with his horse's head almost touching theirs, they glanced -at each other and instinctively drew close together. - -"What does this mean, monsieur?" said Guillaume, taking one of his -pistols from the holster at his saddlebow. "Who are you and what do you -want?" - -But before Bois-Doré had time to reply, a pistol was discharged between -them, and the ball grazed the marquis's cap, as he, seeing Sancho's -movement to murder him, hastily stooped, crying: - -"It is I, Guillaume!" - -"Ten thousand devils!" cried Guillaume in dismay; "who fired on the -marquis? In heaven's name, marquis, are you hit?" - -"Not a scratch," replied Bois-Doré; "but I must say that you have some -vile hounds in your party, to fire on a single man before they know -whether he is friend or foe!" - -"You are right, and I will do justice on them instantly," rejoined the -wrathful young man. "Miserable knaves, which of you fired on the best -man in the realm?" - -"Not I! nor I! nor I! nor I!" cried Monsieur d'Ars's four servants with -one voice. - -"No, no!" said the marquis, "none of these honest fellows would have -done such a thing. I saw the man who fired the shot, and there he is!" - -As he spoke, Bois-Doré, with a dexterity, agility and force worthy of -his best days, struck Sancho across the face with his whip, and, as the -assassin put his hands to his eyes, he seized him by the collar, and, -dragging him from his saddle, threw him to the ground and lashed his -horse, which galloped away and disappeared in the direction of Briantes. - -At the same instant the marquis's four men, disregarding his orders to -await a summons from him, rode up at full speed, with Adamas, in whom -the report of the pistol and the sight of the flying horse had aroused -the keenest anxiety. - -"Ah! here you are," said the marquis. "Very good; pick up yonder -unhorsed cavalier; he belongs to me, as I have the _droit d'épave_[22] -on this road. He is my prisoner. Bind him; there is reason to distrust -his hands." - - -[Footnote 22: That is to say, the right of the lord of the manor to -claim all property found on his domain, to which nobody can prove -title.] - - - - -XXXI - - -While the colossal charioteer, Aristandre, bound Sancho's hands--he was -still dazed by his fall--and stripped him of his arms, D'Alvimar emerged -at last from the stupor caused by this swiftly enacted scene. - -For an instant he had thought of abandoning his ill-omened confederate -to Bois-Doré's wrath; but when he saw him treated so roughly because he -had once more risked his life for him, a remnant of pride and shame -compelled him to remonstrate. - -"I can understand, messire," he said, "that you are angered by the -stupidity of that old man, who was asleep in his saddle, and being -awakened by a sudden shock, thought that he was attacked by a band of -robbers. He certainly deserves punishment, but not to be treated as a -prisoner within your seignioral jurisdiction; for he belongs to me, and -it is my prerogative and mine alone to punish him for the insult he -offered you." - -"Do you call that an insult, Monsieur de Villareal?" retorted the -marquis in a tone of contempt. "But it is not with you that I have to -deal, but with my friend and kinsman Guillaume d'Ars." - -"I will permit no explanation," rejoined D'Alvimar with feigned passion, -"until my servant is restored to me, and if you desire a duel----" - -"Listen to me, Guillaume," said Bois-Doré. - -"No, no one shall listen to you," shouted D'Alvimar, trying to release -his horse, which Guillaume, having taken his stand between him and -Bois-Doré, was holding in order to prevent a conflict. "Monsieur d'Ars, -I am your friend and your guest, you invited me to visit you and made me -welcome; you promised me loyal assistance on every occasion; you will -not allow me to be outraged, even by a member of your family. Under such -circumstances, I am the one to whom you owe support and fair play, even -against your own brother." - -"I am aware of it," replied Guillaume, "and it shall be so. But calm -yourself first of all, and allow Monsieur de Bois-Doré to speak. I know -him well enough to be sure of his courtesy to you and his generous -treatment of your servant. Make due allowance for a moment of anger; it -is the first time I have ever seen him so wrathful, and, although he has -good reason, I am certain that I can pacify him. Come, come, be quiet, -my dear fellow! You are in a passion too; but you are the younger, and -my cousin is the insulted party. I will confess that, if he had received -the slightest scratch, I would have killed your servant on the spot, -though I had to give you satisfaction afterward." - -"But what the devil, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, still hoping to avoid -the impending explanation by a quarrel, and, if necessary, by a scuffle, -"wherein was my servant at fault, I pray to know? What sort of a caprice -was it that induced monsieur le marquis to ride by us without making -himself known, and then to block our road, at the risk of being taken -for a lunatic? Did not you yourself seize your pistol and shout _qui -vive_?" - -"To be sure; but I should not have fired without awaiting a reply, nor -would you, I imagine, and you cannot excuse your servant's stupid or -evil act. Come, be calm. If you wish me to succeed in arranging the -affair to your honor and satisfaction, do not make it impossible by your -violence." - -While D'Alvimar continued to argue vehemently, and the marquis to listen -with entire tranquillity, Adamas, anxious concerning the result of the -affair, had spoken to Guillaume's men upon his own authority. He had -told them all that he knew, and they had sworn that in case Monsieur -d'Ars should feel compelled to order them to defend Monsieur D'Alvimar -against the Bois-Doré party, they would only pretend to fight, and -would leave the field clear for anybody whose right it was, to deal out -justice to the assassins. - -All the men in both parties were relations or friends to one another, -and they were in no wise inclined to exchange blows for love of a -foreigner, whether guilty or under suspicion only. - -Thus the time that D'Alvimar strove to gain by his remonstrances turned -against him; and when Guillaume, annoyed and disgusted by his obstinacy, -turned his back on him to go to talk with the marquis a few steps away, -D'Alvimar was at once surrounded by the servants of the latter, without -the slightest opposition on the part of Guillaume's men. - -Thereupon he became very seriously alarmed and glanced about him, -estimating the slight chance that remained of successful flight, unless -he were resigned to risk the loss of honor or of life in the attempt. - -But hope revived when he heard Guillaume, to whom Bois-Doré had briefly -recounted his grievances, refuse to believe that he was not misled by -deceptive appearances. - -"Monsieur de Villareal?" he said. "That is utterly impossible, and I -should have had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. Now, as you -did not see it, and as you must have been deceived by false reports, -permit me to defend this gentleman's honor, and do not think, monsieur -and dear cousin, that, deeply as I respect you, I will allow a friend -who has placed himself under my protection to be insulted and outraged -without proofs. Moreover, you have not that right, for every gentleman -is subject to the king's justice alone. So calm your excited nerves, I -implore you, and allow me to return home, where you know that I am very -anxious to be." - -"I am not excited," rejoined Bois-Doré, raising his voice and with an -air of dignity that Guillaume had never seen him assume, "and I -anticipated your reply, my good friend and cousin. It is such a reply as -I should make in your place, and I find no fault with it. Having -expected that you would act as you have done, I determined to make my -conduct conform to the consideration which I owe you, and that is why -you see me here, halfway between our respective abodes, on neutral, -public ground. To be sure I have some rights over this road; but three -steps away, among yonder old rocks, I am neither on your property nor -mine. Know therefore that I have determined to fight a duel to the death -with this traitor, who cannot refuse to fight with me, since I have -designedly assaulted and insulted him in the person of his servant, and -since I do at this moment insult and challenge him in his own person, -branding him before God, before you and before the honest fellows who -attend us, as a cowardly and despicable murderer! I do not think that -you can justly take it ill of me that I do what I am doing; for I beg -you to observe that, so long as you and he were in my house, I refrained -from anything approaching insult or bad temper, wherein I kept my -promise to be a loyal host to him; and I beg you to observe also that I -took my measures to meet you in the open fields, in order to avoid doing -violence under your roof, for I would not for anything in the world have -imposed upon you the necessity of bearing aid to this vile creature. -Lastly, my cousin, I beg you to consider this, which is the greatest -sacrifice I can make to you: instead of having him beaten to death by my -servants, as he deserves, I myself, a nobleman, deserving of my rank, -stoop to measure swords with a cutthroat of the vilest sort. Were it not -for the friendship with which you honor me, I would have thrown him into -an underground dungeon; but, desirous to show my respect for you, even -in the error into which you have fallen with regard to him, I renounce -all my honorable privileges, to fight him, a vile, degraded creature, -with the weapons of men of honor.--I have said what I have to say, and -you can make no further objection. Be his second, unworthy as he is of -your kindness; Adamas will be mine. I will content myself with the aid -of that honest man, since in such an affair there can be no question of -a combat between the seconds." - -"Assuredly," cried Guillaume, deeply moved by the old man's greatness of -heart, "conduct more loyal than yours cannot be imagined, my cousin, -and, in view of the suspicions you entertain, you display such -generosity as is rarely seen. But those suspicions being unfounded----" - -"It is no longer a question of suspicions," replied the marquis, "since -you do not choose to listen to them; I insult one of your friends, and I -fancy that you would not consider as a friend a man capable of shrinking -from a combat." - -"Surely not!" cried Guillaume; "but I will not permit this duel, which -does not befit your years, my cousin! I would prefer to fight in your -stead. Come, will you accept my promise? I promise to avenge your -brother's death with my own hand if you succeed in proving incontestably -that Monsieur D'Alvimar was the dastardly and wicked author thereof. -Wait until to-morrow, and I will constitute myself justiciary of my -family, as my duty to you demands." - -Guillaume's impulse was worthy of the marquis's noble heart; but, by -letting slip an allusion to his years, Guillaume had mortified him -exceedingly. - -"My cousin," he said, recurring to that puerility of mind which -contrasted so strongly with the nobility of his instincts, "you take me -for an old _Signor Pantaleone_, with a rusty sword and a trembling hand. -Before consigning me to crutches, remember, I beg, the consideration I -have shown you, which does not deserve the affront you put upon me by -offering to avenge my dearest brother's execrable murder in my stead. -Come, it seems to me that we have had words enough, and my patience is -exhausted. Your Monsieur de Villareal has more than I, for he listens to -all this without finding a word to say." - -Guillaume saw that matters had gone so far that any reconciliation was -impossible; and, as he agreed with the marquis that D'Alvimar had -suddenly become much too patient, he turned to him and said sharply: - -"Come, my dear fellow, why do you not answer, I will not say this -challenge, which has no just foundation, but a charge which you surely -cannot deserve?" - -D'Alvimar had reflected during the discussion. He affected a disdainful -and satirical calmness. - -"I accept the challenge, monsieur," he replied, "and I do not think that -I deserve great credit for so doing, being, as you know, most expert in -the use of all weapons. As for the accusation, it is so absurd and -unjust that I am waiting for you yourself to explain it to me before -disproving it; for I do not know as yet what the marquis has said to you -about me, as he whispered it in your ear, and I desire him to repeat it -aloud." - -"I am quite willing, and it will not take long," retorted Bois-Doré. "I -said that you were a brigand, an assassin and a thief. You desire more, -but I can find nothing worse to say of you than the bare truth." - -"You pay me strange compliments, monsieur le marquis!" said the Spaniard -coolly. "You have already regaled me, under your own roof, with a -lugubrious tale wherein you were pleased to represent me as the slayer -of your brother. Whether I am or not, I do not know, as I told you; I -simply know that I bade my servant kill a man dressed as a peddler, who -was carrying away by force a lady whose defence I took upon myself, as I -told you, and whose honor I avenged." - -"Oho!" cried the marquis, "that is your text now, is it? The lady who -was flying with my brother was abducted against her will, and you don't -remember saying that she was your----" - -"Lower, monsieur, I beg you. If Monsieur d'Ars will kindly listen to me -a few steps away from here, I will tell him who that woman was, unless -you prefer to vilify and besmirch her name before your servants." - -"My servants are better men than you and yours, monsieur! No matter! I -am exceedingly desirous that you should impart your secret to Monsieur -d'Ars, but in my presence, as you have already given me one version of -it." - -The three walked away from the group, and the marquis spoke first. - -"Come," he said, "explain yourself! You allege as your defence that that -woman was your sister!" - -"And do you, monsieur," retorted D'Alvimar, "propose to vent your -factitious rage by giving me the lie again?" - -"By no means, monsieur. I ask you to tell us your sister's name; for it -seems that your own name is not Villareal." - -"Why so, monsieur?" - -"Because I know it now. Dare to contradict me before Monsieur d'Ars, -whom you are also deceiving by an assumed name!" - -"No, no!" said Guillaume; "monsieur is concealing his identity under one -of his family names, and I know perfectly well the name he usually -bears." - -"In that case, cousin, let him say what it is, and I swear that, if it -proves to be the same as my deceased sister-in-law's, I will retire with -apologies to both of you." - -"And I refuse to tell it," said D'Alvimar. "I supposed that between -gentlemen a simple assertion should suffice; but you insult me without -pause or prudence. A duel is what you seek, and your wish shall be -gratified." - -"No! a hundred times no!" cried Guillaume. "Let us have done with this; -and as nothing more is necessary than to tell the marquis your name to -induce him to withdraw in peace, I----" - -"I beg you not to forget," interposed D'Alvimar, "that you expose -me----" - -"No! my cousin is too honorable a man to betray you to your enemies. -Understand, marquis, and I place this information under the safeguard of -your honor, that monsieur's name is Sciarra d'Alvimar." - -"Oho!" rejoined the marquis with a sneer. "So monsieur's initials happen -to be identical with those of the stamp of the Salamanca factory?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Nothing! I am simply nailing another of monsieur's lies as I pass; but -this one is so trifling compared with the others----" - -"What others? Come, come, marquis, you are too persistent!" - -"Hush, Guillaume!" said D'Alvimar, still affecting a disdainful -attitude. "This must end in a sword thrust. We are simply wasting time." - -"Ah! but I am not in so much haste now," rejoined the marquis. "I insist -upon knowing the baptismal name and the family name of the sister of -Monsieur de Villareal, de Sciarra and d'Alvimar. I know that the -Spaniards have many names; but if he will tell me simply that lady's -real name, her family name----" - -"If you know it," retorted D'Alvimar, "your persistence in making me -tell it is an additional insult." - -"Oh! do not take it so, D'Alvimar," cried Guillaume testily. "Give her -your own name, unless you propose that we shall pass the night here!" - -"Nay, cousin," said the marquis; "I myself will supply this mysterious -name. Monsieur de Villareal's alleged sister was called Julie de -Sandoval." - -"Well, why not, monsieur?" said D'Alvimar, seizing eagerly upon what he -believed to be a monstrous blunder on the old man's part. "I did not -wish to mention that name. It was not becoming in me to reveal it, and -I thought that you did not know it. Since you yourself, by asserting -that to be the fact, have been guilty of one of those falsehoods which -you rebuke so sharply in others, let me tell you, monsieur, that Julie -de Sandoval was my mother's daughter, by her first husband." - -"In that case, monsieur," replied Bois-Doré uncovering, "I am ready to -withdraw, and to apologize for my violence, if you will swear to me on -your honor that you recognized your half-sister, Julie de Sandoval, -under her veil, at the tavern of----" - -"I swear it to satisfy you. Indeed, I saw her without her veil in that -tavern." - -"For the third time--pardon my persistence, I owe it to my brother's -memory--for the third time, it was really your sister, Julie de -Sandoval? The ring which she wore on her finger and is now on mine, and -which bears that name in full, can have belonged to no other than her? -You swear it?" - -"I swear it! Are you satisfied?" - -"Stay! there is a crest on the bezel of this ring; _a shield azure with -a head or_. Are those the arms of the Sandovals of your family?" - -"Yes, monsieur, the very same." - -"Then, monsieur," said Bois-Doré, replacing his cap, "I declare once -more that you have lied like the impudent dastard that you are; for I -have been making sport of you: your alleged sister's ring bears the name -of Maria de Merida, and the arms are simple with a cross argent. I can -prove it." - - - - -XXXII - - -Guillaume was shaken; but D'Alvimar reflected rapidly. - -The moon, even though it had been much brighter, would not have enabled -one to see the tiny letters and microscopic crest engraved in a ring, -and in those times people had not, as they have to-day, a light all -ready in the pocket. - -It was necessary therefore to postpone to some other time the -examination of this evidence. The only course for the culprit to adopt -was to seek, not to avoid, a duel. What he dreaded was that they would -deny him that honorable chance of escape, and that he would be made a -prisoner of the marquis or of the provincial authorities. - -He hurriedly led Guillaume aside and said to him, with a forced laugh: - -"I am fairly caught. I attempted to be good-natured, as you requested, -in order to put an end to the discussion and to get rid of this old -lunatic. I said everything that he tried to make me say, and now his -caprice is taking another flight, in which I cannot follow it. It is all -my fault; I ought to have told you, immediately on leaving his house, -that he has been mad for two days; witness the fact that he asked for -Madame de Beuvre's hand yesterday, as others can tell you, and that all -this day he has been inventing the most extraordinary fables concerning -his brother's death, taking sometimes me, sometimes his mute, sometimes -his little dog for the murderer. I was unable to avoid coming to blows -with him except by inventing tales which served as small change for his; -but he did not calm down until you arrived." - -"Why didn't you tell me all this?" exclaimed Guillaume. - -"I did not wish to complain of the vexations I had endured in his -company; you would have thought that I meant to reproach you for leaving -me there. Now, there is only one way to have done with it. Let me fight -With him." - -"With an old man and a madman? I cannot permit it." - -"Come, come, Guillaume," exclaimed Bois-Doré, impatiently, "are you -ready now to let me avenge my wrongs, and must I do Monsieur d'Alvimar -the honor of striking him, in order to rouse him?" - -"We are at your service, monsieur," replied D'Alvimar, shrugging his -shoulders. "Come, my dear fellow," he said in a low tone to Guillaume, -"you see that it must be! Don't be afraid! I will soon bring this old -automaton to reason, and I promise you to strike his sword out of his -hand as many times as you please. I will undertake to tire him out so -effectually that he will want to hurry home and go to bed, and to-morrow -we will laugh over the adventure." - -Guillaume was reassured by his merriment. - -"I am glad to find you in the proper mood," he said in an undertone, -"and I warn you that in putting forth your skill with yonder old man, -you would not act a gallant part, and would cause me great pain. I -believe that he is mad, but that is an additional reason for using your -science with moderation and sending him home with no greater hurt than -lame muscles." - -Guillaume knew, however, that Bois-Doré was very strong in fencing, But -his was an antiquated method which younger men disdained, and he knew, -also, that while the marquis's wrist was still supple, he was not firm -enough on his legs to hold out more than two or three minutes. Moreover, -D'Alvimar was exceedingly expert; so he constantly exhorted him to -magnanimity. - -The champions having dismounted, the servants were left in the road to -watch the horses and the prisoner, Sancho, whom Guillaume ordered them -not to set free until the duel was at an end, in order that the -difficulties of the situation might not be complicated by unexpected -interference from any quarter. - -Sancho was very desirous to be at liberty. He felt that he might be -useful to his master, as he never recoiled from the most difficult -undertaking; but he was too proud to complain and cry out. He remained -silent and stoical under guard of Bois-Doré's servants. - -While Guillaume, with the two adversaries, was seeking a suitable spot -between the road and the boulders, Adamas and Aristandre were engaged in -an animated whispered colloquy. Aristandre was desperate, Adamas was in -a state of feverish excitement; but the idea that his master might fall -a victim to his own generous behavior never entered his head. He was -drunk, as it were, in his confidence in the marquis's strength and -skill. - -"Why do you tremble like a child?" he asked the coachman. "Don't you -know that monsieur is capable of eating up thirty-six fellows like this -coxcomb of a Spaniard? Nothing but treachery could overcome such a -valiant man as he is; but the knave Sancho is carefully guarded, and -Monsieur Guillaume and I will have an eye to everything. Am I not a -second? Monsieur said so. You heard him. We are two honorable seconds, -and we will not allow a thrust or a parry that isn't within the rules." - -"But you know no more than I do about the rules of duels between -gentlemen! Look you, I have a mind to climb up yonder without anyone -seeing me, and, if the Spaniard has too much luck, roll one of those big -stones down on him." - -"As to that, if I could be sure that you wouldn't crush monsieur with -him, I wouldn't advise you not to do it, any more than I would think it -was a crime to put two bullets into his head myself, if I wasn't a -second. But my master is calling me. Don't you be afraid, all will go -well!" - -Meanwhile the ground was chosen, a clear space of sufficient size, well -lighted by the moon. The swords were measured, Guillaume performing the -functions of second impartially for both champions, who had sworn to -rely upon him; for Adamas's presence could be only a matter of form. - -The duel began. - -Thereupon, despite his confidence and his enthusiasm, Adamas felt a cold -shudder run through every limb. He became dumb; with his mouth wide -open, his eyes starting from his head, he was unconscious of the -perspiration and the tears that rolled down his laughable yet touching -face. - -Guillaume too had done his utmost to persuade himself that the results -of that strange combat could not be serious. But when the swords met, -his confidence vanished, and he blamed himself for not having prevented, -at any price, a meeting which, from the outset, threatened to have -serious consequences. - -D'Alvimar had promised to place his adversary at his mercy and to spare -his life; but, in so far as the moonlight enabled him to distinguish his -expression, it seemed to Guillaume that rage and hate were exhibited -therein with increasing intensity, and his sharp, close sword-play gave -no indication of prudence or of generous purpose. Luckily the marquis -was still calm and held his ground with more endurance and elasticity -than could have been expected. - -Guillaume could say nothing, and contented himself with coughing two or -three times, to warn D'Alvimar to show more moderation, without arousing -the sensibility of the marquis, who might have lost his head altogether, -if he had suspected that he was not taken seriously. - - -[Illustration: _THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS -AND D'ALVIMAR._ - -_His game was a difficult one to -play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally._] - - -But the contest was serious enough. D'Alvimar felt that he had an -adversary inferior to himself in theory; but he was himself disturbed -and preoccupied and inferior to himself in practice. His game was a -difficult one to play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally. - -So he tried to make him run himself through, by acting on the defensive; -and the marquis seemed to detect his stratagem, for he acted cautiously. - -The duel was prolonged for some time without result. Guillaume relied on -the marquis's fatigue, thinking that D'Alvimar would not strike him -down. D'Alvimar found that the marquis showed no signs of giving way; he -tried to excite him by feints, hoping that a feeling of impatience would -lead him to depart from the surprising prudence of his play. - -Suddenly the moon was veiled by a dark cloud, and Guillaume tried to -interpose to suspend the combat; he had not time: the two champions were -rolling on the ground. - -A third champion rushed toward them, at the risk of being spitted; it -was Adamas, who, having lost his head and not knowing which had the -advantage, plunged wildly into the fray. Guillaume threw him back with -violence, and saw the marquis kneeling on D'Alvimar's body. - -"Mercy, cousin!" he cried; "mercy for him who would have spared you!" - -"It is too late, cousin," replied the marquis, rising. "Justice is -done!" - -D'Alvimar was nailed to the earth by the marquis's long rapier; he had -ceased to live. - -Adamas had swooned. - -At the cry of mercy, Bois-Doré's servants had hurried to the spot. The -marquis was leaning against a rock, breathless and exhausted. But he -showed no weakness, and, the moon having emerged from the cloud, he -stood erect again to look at the body, and stooped to touch it. - -"He is quite dead!" said Guillaume in a reproachful tone. "You have -killed a friend of mine, monsieur, and I am unable to congratulate you -upon it; for your suspicions must be unjust." - -"I will prove to you that they were not, Guillaume," replied Bois-Doré, -with a dignity which shook his kinsman's confidence anew; "until then, -suspend your displeasure against me and your regrets for this wicked -man. When you know the truth, perhaps you will regret having compelled -me to risk my life in order to take his." - -"But what shall we do with this unfortunate body now?" said Guillaume, -downcast and dismayed. - -"I will not leave you in any difficulty on my account," said Bois-Doré. -"My men will carry it to the Carmelite convent of La Châtre, where the -monks will give it such burial as they choose. I have no idea of -concealing from anyone what I have done, especially as I still have to -punish the other assassin. But I cannot perform that distasteful task in -cold blood, and I propose to turn him over to the provost's lieutenant, -so that exemplary punishment may be dealt out to him. You will escort -him thither, Adamas. Why, where is my trusty Adamas?" - -"Alas, monsieur," replied Adamas in a cavernous voice, "here I am at -your knees, and very ill over this affair. For a moment I thought that -you were dead, and I believe that I was dead myself for a good quarter -of an hour. Do not send me anywhere; I have no legs, and I feel as if I -had a millwheel in my head." - -"Well, my poor fellow, if you are not good for anything more we will -send somebody else. I told you that you were too old to endure -excitement!" - -The marquis walked back toward the horses, while his servants and -Guillaume's took up the dead body and covered it with a cloak. But when -they looked for the prisoner, they looked in vain. - -They had not taken the precaution to bind his legs. Taking advantage of -a moment of excitement and confusion, when the servants, disturbed -concerning the result of the duel, had left the horses in charge of two -of their number, who had had much difficulty in holding them, he had -taken flight, or rather had stolen away and hidden somewhere in the -ravine. - -"Never fear, monsieur le marquis," said Aristandre. "A man with his -hands bound can neither run very fast nor conceal himself very -skilfully; I promise you that I will catch him; I will undertake to do -it. Ride home and rest; you have well earned it!" - -"No," said the marquis; "I must see that murderer again. Do two of you -search for him, while I and the other two ride with Monsieur d'Ars to -the Carmelite convent." - -D'Alvimar's body was laid across his horse, and Guillaume's servants -assisted Bois-Doré's to transport it. - -Bois-Doré rode on ahead with Guillaume, to have the gates of the town -opened, if necessary, for it was nearly ten o'clock. - -On the road, Bois-Doré furnished his young kinsman with such precise -details concerning his brother's death, the recovery of his nephew, the -episode of the Catalan knife, the admission extorted from the culprit by -his indignation, and finally the testimony of the ring, that Guillaume -could not persist in upholding his friend's honor. He admitted that he -really knew very little of him, having become intimate with him on -slight acquaintance, and that at Bourges there had come to his ears some -reports, far from honorable if they were true, concerning the duel which -had forced the Spaniard to disappear. Monsieur Sciarra Martinengo was -said to have been struck by him, contrary to all the laws of honor, at a -moment when he had asked for a suspension of the combat, his sword being -broken. - -Guillaume had refused to credit that charge; but Bois-Doré's -revelations made him look upon it as more serious, and he promised to go -to Briantes the next morning to inspect the evidence, and make the -acquaintance of the beautiful Mario. - - - - -XXXIII - - -In proportion as conviction entered his mind, Guillaume became expansive -and friendly with the marquis, no less from a sense of natural equity -than from an inborn tendency to be governed absolutely by his latest -impression. - -"By my soul!" he said, when they were near the town, "you have acted -like a gallant man, and the blow that you dealt him, which nailed him to -the turf, was one of the most beautiful sword thrusts that I have ever -heard of. I have never seen its like, and when you have proved to me -that poor Sciarra was such a vile wretch as you say, I shall not be -sorry to have seen this one. If I had been less pained, I would have -congratulated you upon it. But whatever regret or satisfaction I may -feel because of this death I declare that you are a superb swordsman, -and I would that I were your equal at that sport!" - -Our two cavaliers were already on the Pont des Scabinats--now des -Cabignats,--riding toward the gate in the fortifications, when Adamas, -who had recovered his courage and had duly reflected, overtook them and -begged them to listen to him. - -"Do you not think, messires," he said, "that the bringing-in of this -body will cause a great commotion in the town?" - -"Even so," said the marquis, "do you suppose that I wish to conceal the -fact that I have avenged my honor and my brother's death?" - -"True, monsieur, you may well boast of it as a noble deed, but not until -the body has been consigned to the earth; for in these small places a -great noise is often made over a small matter, and the spectacle of a -gentleman carried across his horse in this way will make these bourgeois -of La Châtre open their eyes. You have enemies, monsieur, and at the -present moment Monseigneur de Condé is a very devout Catholic. If he -should learn that this Spaniard was covered with strings of beads and -blessed relics, that he had confessed to Monsieur Poulain, whose -housekeeper is lauding him to the skies in the village of Briantes as a -perfect Christian----" - -"Well, well, what are you coming at with your old woman's gossip, my -dear Adamas?" said the marquis, impatiently. - -Guillaume interposed. - -"Cousin," he said, "Adamas is right. The laws against the duello are -respected by nobody; but evil-minded persons can invoke them at any -moment. This D'Alvimar had some powerful friends in Paris; and -unfriendly reports may, at one time or another, cause this to be used -against you and me, especially against you, who are not esteemed a very -ardent Catholic. Take my advice therefore, and let us not go into the -town but decide upon some other means of ridding ourselves of this dead -man. You are sure of your people and I can answer for mine. Let us have -no confidants among the churchmen and bourgeois of a small town, all of -whom, in this province, are very bitter against men who have opposed the -League and served under the late king." - -"There is much truth in what you say," replied Bois-Doré; "but it is -most distasteful to me to tie a stone around a dead man's neck and toss -him into the river like a dog." - -"Why, monsieur," said Adamas, "that man was worth less than any dog!" - -"That is true, my friend; I thought so myself an hour ago; but I have no -hatred for a corpse." - -"Very good, monsieur," said Adamas, "I have an idea which will make -everything all right; if we retrace our steps, we shall find within a -hundred yards, near the Chambon meadow, the gardener's cottage." - -"What gardener? Marie la Caille-Bottée?" - -"She is very devoted to monsieur, and they say that she was not always -pock-marked." - -"Tush, tush! Adamas, this is no time for jesting!" - -"I am not jesting, monsieur, and I say that that old woman will keep our -secret faithfully." - -"And you propose to disturb her peace of mind by carrying a dead man to -her? She will die of fright!" - -"No, monsieur, for she is not alone in her little isolated cottage. I -will take my oath that we shall find a good Carmelite there, who will -give the Spanish gentleman Christian burial in a grave somewhere on the -gardener's premises." - -"You are too much of a Huguenot, Adamas," said Monsieur d'Ars. "The -Carmelites are not such dissolute fellows as you imply." - -"I say no evil of them, messire; I am speaking of a single one, whom I -know, and who has nothing of the monk except the frock and the -paternosters. It is Jean le Clope, who followed monsieur le marquis to -the war, and for whom monsieur le marquis procured admission to the -convent as a disabled veteran." - -"On my word, this is excellent advice," said the marquis. - -"Jean le Clope is a reliable man, and he has seen too many bloodless -faces lying on the ground on battlefields to take fright at the task we -propose to entrust to him." - -"Let us make haste then," said Monsieur d'Ars, "for my steward is dying, -as you know, and I would like to see him if it is not too late." - -"Go, cousin," said the marquis. "Attend now to your own affairs; this -concerns me and me alone henceforth!" - -They shook hands. Guillaume joined his escort and rode away with them -toward his château. The marquis and Adamas halted at La -Caille-Bottée's cottage, where they did in fact find Jean le Clope, who -warmly greeted his patron, calling him his captain. - -As is well known, the convents were compelled to take charge of soldiers -disabled in the service of the king or of the lord of the province. Most -of the religious communities were bound by contract to receive and -support these relics of the calamities of war, who were sometimes too -fond of high living for pious recluses, sometimes much less corrupt than -the monks themselves. However it may have been with the Carmelites of La -Châtre, with whose history we are not here concerned, the secular -brother Jean le Clope was but little hampered by the rules of the -community, and, if he was not missing at meal hours, he was often -missing at curfew. - -While the marquis was explaining what he expected from his devotion and -discretion, Adamas superintended the bringing of the body into the -lonely house, and, a quarter of an hour later, Bois-Doré and his -attendants rode homeward by way of La Rochaille. - -They found Aristandre and his comrades profoundly disappointed at their -inability to discover what had become of Sancho. - -"Well, monsieur," said Adamas, "perhaps God wills it so! That villain -will be very careful never to appear in a neighborhood where he knows -that he is unmasked, and he would have been a source of fresh -embarrassment to you." - -"I confess that I have little taste for executions when my excitement -has subsided," replied Bois-Doré, "and that I should have avoided -witnessing that one. If I had turned him over to the provost, I should -have been obliged to say what I had done with his master, and, as we -must keep quiet on that point for the moment, it is all for the best. I -consider my dear Florimond's death sufficiently avenged, although the -Moor did not see which of the two, the master or the servant, dealt the -blow that ended his poor life; but in affairs of this sort, Adamas, the -most guilty, perhaps the real culprit, is he who directs it. The servant -sometimes deems it his duty to obey a wicked order, and this fellow -evidently did not act on his own account or profit by my brother's -wealth, since he has remained a servant as before." - -Adamas did not share the longing to be indulgent which the marquis -experienced after his outburst of energy. He hated Sancho even more -bitterly than D'Alvimar, because of his arrogant manner toward his -equals, and because of his wariness, in which he had been unable to find -any flaw. He considered him quite capable of having advised and executed -the crime, but the thing that he dreaded more than all else was the -possible persecution of the marquis; so he assisted him to deceive -himself concerning the importance of the capture which he was compelled -to renounce. - -When they reached the gate of the manor of Briantes, they heard the -irregular galloping of a riderless horse. It proved to be Sancho's, -which had returned to its lost stable. He exchanged a plaintive, almost -funereal neigh with D'Alvimar's steed, which a servant was leading by -the rein. - -"These poor creatures feel the disasters that befall their masters, so -it is said," observed the marquis to Adamas: "they are intelligent -beasts and live in a state of innocence. For that reason I shall not -have these two killed; but as I do not choose to have anything on my -estate that ever belonged to that D'Alvimar, and as the price of his -property would soil our hands, I propose that they shall be taken ten or -twelve leagues away to-morrow night and set at liberty. Whoever will may -reap the benefit." - -"And in that way," said Adamas, "no one will know where they come from. -You can entrust Aristandre with that mission, monsieur. He will not -yield to the temptation to sell them for his own benefit, and, if you -take my advice, you will let him start at once, and not take them into -the courtyard. It is useless to allow these horses to be seen in your -stable to-morrow." - -"Do what you choose, Adamas," replied the marquis. "I am reminded that -that miserable wretch must have had money upon him, and that I should -have remembered to take it and give it to the poor." - -"Let the lay brother have the benefit of it, monsieur," said the shrewd -Adamas; "the more he finds in the dead man's pockets, the better assured -you will be of his silence." - -It was eleven o'clock when the marquis returned to his salon. Jovelin -rushed forward and threw his arms about him. His face sufficiently -indicated the agonizing anxiety he had felt. - -"My dear friend," said Bois-Doré, "I deceived you; but rejoice, that -man is no more; and I return with a light heart. Doubtless my child is -asleep at this moment; let us not wake him. I will tell you----" - -"The child is not asleep," the mute replied with his pencil. "He divined -my apprehensions: he is crying and praying and tossing about in his -bed." - -"Let us go and comfort the dear heart!" cried Bois-Doré; "but look at -me first, my friend, and see if I have no stain on my clothes made by -that treacherous blood. I do not wish that the child should know fear or -hatred at an age too early for the calmness of conscious strength." - -Lucilio relieved the marquis of his cloak, his helmet and his arms, and -when they had ascended the stairs they found Mario, barefooted, at the -door of his chamber. - -"Ah!" cried the child, clinging passionately to his uncle's long legs, -and speaking to him with the familiarity which he did not as yet know to -be contrary to the customs of the nobility, "so you have come back at -last? You are not hurt, my dear uncle? No one has hurt you, eh? I -thought that that wicked man meant to kill you, and I wanted to run -after you! I was very unhappy! Another time, when you go out to fight, -you must take me, since I am your nephew." - -"My nephew! my nephew! that is not enough," said the marquis taking him -back to his bed. "I mean to be your father. Will that displease you, to -be my son? And, by the way," he added, stooping to receive little -Fleurial's caresses, who seemed to have realized and shared the distress -of Jovelin and Mario, "here is a little friend of mine who no longer -belongs to me. Here, Mario, you were so anxious to have him! I give him -to you to console you for your unhappiness this evening." - -"Yes," said Mario, putting Fleurial beside him on his pillow, "I -consent, on condition that he is to belong to us both, and is to love us -both alike. But tell me, father, has the wicked man gone away forever?" - -"Yes, my son, forever." - -"And the king will punish him for killing your brother?" - -"Yes, my son, he will be punished." - -"What will they do to him?" inquired Mario, thoughtfully. - -"I will tell you later, my son. Think only how happy we are to be -together." - -"They will never take me away from you?" - -"Never!" - -"Master Jovelin," he said, addressing the mute, "is it not a melancholy -thing to think of changing this child's sweet mode of speech, which -strikes so melodiously upon the ear? Nay, we will allow him to use the -familiar form of address to me in private, since in his mouth that -familiarity is a sign of affection." - -"Must I say _vous_ to you?" queried Mario in amazement. - -"Yes, my child, at least before other people. That is the custom." - -"Ah! yes, that is how I spoke to Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant! But I love -you more than I loved him." - -"So you love me already, Mario? I am very glad! But how does it happen? -You do not know me yet." - -"No matter, I love you." - -"And you do not know why?" - -"Yes I do! I love you because I love you." - -"My friend," said the marquis to Lucilio, "there is nothing so lovely -and so lovable as childhood! It speaks as the angels must speak among -themselves, and its reasons, which are no reasons, are worth more than -all the wisdom of older heads. You must teach this cherub for me. You -must fashion for him a noble brain like your own; for I am only an -ignorant creature and I wish him to know much more than I do. The times -are not so wholly given up to civil war as they were in my youth, and I -think that gentlemen should turn their thoughts toward the enlightenment -of the mind. But try to let him retain the pretty simple ways that he -owes to his life among the shepherds. In truth he is my ideal of the -lovely children who play among the flowers on the enchanted banks of the -Lignon with its transparent waves." - -The marquis, having received from the hands of Adamas a cordial to -refresh him after the exertions of the evening, went to bed and slept -soundly, the happiest of men. - -At a time when, in default of regular legal processes, people were -accustomed to take the law into their own hands, and when a suggestion -of pardon would have been considered blameworthy and cowardly weakness, -the marquis, although far more disposed than most of his contemporaries -to display great gentleness in all his dealings, thought that he had -performed the most sacred of duties, and therein he followed the ideas -and usages in vogue when chivalry was in its prime. - -Certainly in those days it would have been impossible to find one -gentleman in a thousand who would not have deemed himself possessed of -the right to put to death by torture, or at least to order hanged before -his eyes, a guilty wretch like D'Alvimar, and who would not have -censured or ridiculed the excessively romantic sense of honor which -Bois-Doré had displayed in his duel. - -Bois-Doré was well aware of it and was not disturbed by the knowledge. -He had three reasons for being what he was: first of all his instinct, -next the example of humanity set by Henri IV, who was one of the first -men of his time to express disgust at the shedding of blood without -peril to him who shed it. Henri III, when mortally wounded by Jacques -Clement, was so upborne by rage and thirst for vengeance that he was -able himself to strike his assassin, and to look on with joy when he was -thrown from the window; when Henri IV was wounded in the face by -Chastel, his first impulse was to say: "Let that man go!"--And thirdly, -Bois-Doré's religious code was found in the acts and exploits of the -heroes of _Astrée_. - -In that ideal romance, it was without example that an honorable knight -should avenge love, honor or friendship without exposing himself to the -greatest dangers. We must not laugh too much at _Astrée_; indeed the -popularity of the book is most interesting to observe. Amid the sanguinary -villainies of civil discords, it is a cry of humanity, a song of -innocence, a dream of virtue ascending heavenward. - - - - -XXXIV - - -The marquis's first thought on waking was for his heir, whom, to conform -to the title which was finally adopted, we will call his son. - -He recalled somewhat confusedly the events of that agitated night, but -he recalled perfectly the great questions of dress that had been raised -the day before in connection with his dear Mario. He called him in order -to resume the interview they had begun in the _treasure-room_. But he -received no reply and was beginning to be anxious, when the child, who -had waked and risen before dawn, came in and threw his arms about his -neck, all redolent with the fresh fragrance of the morning. - -"Where have you been so early, my young friend?" inquired the old man. - -"Father," replied Mario, gayly, "I have been to see Adamas, who has -forbidden me to tell you a secret that we have between us. Don't ask me -what it is; we are going to give you a surprise." - -"Very good, my son; I will ask no questions. I like to be surprised. But -aren't we going to breakfast together on this little table by my bed?" - -"I haven't time, little father! I must go back to Adamas, who says that -he begs you to go to sleep for another hour unless you want to spoil -everything." - -The marquis did his best to go to sleep again, but to no purpose. He was -disturbed about many things. Madame de Beuvre was to come early on that -day with her father; Guillaume, too, in case his steward should be -better. Had suitable arrangements been made for the dinner? and could -Mario properly be presented to a lady in the costume of a mountain -shepherd? And, then, the poor child did not even know how to bow, to -kiss a lady's hand, or say a word or two of flattery? Would not all his -beauty, all his fascinating ways be ridiculed and treated with contempt -by those who were not blinded by the voice of blood? - -Moreover, no adequate preparations had been made for the hunting party. -He had had too much excitement and anxiety to give any thought to that. - -"If Adamas, who is never at a loss, were only here, he would console -me," thought the marquis. - -But so great was his consideration for his faithful servant that he -would have pretended to sleep all day, if Adamas had demanded it. - -He remained in bed until nine o'clock, but no one came to his relief; -and, as hunger and uneasiness began to make a serious impression upon -him, he determined to rise. - -"What is Adamas thinking about?" he said to himself. "My guests will -soon be here. Does he want them to surprise me in my dressing-gown and -with this sallow face?" - -At last Adamas entered the room. - -"Oh! set your mind at rest, monsieur!" he exclaimed. "Do you think me -capable of forgetting you? There is no hurry. You will have no company -until two o'clock this afternoon; Madame de Beuvre has just sent word to -me to that effect." - -"To you, Adamas?" - -"Yes, monsieur, to me, for I devised the scheme of sending a messenger -to her to say that you had a great surprise in store for her, but that -nothing was ready. I took all the blame on myself, and I humbly -requested her not to arrive before the hour I have mentioned, adding -that you desired to keep her here to-night, with monsieur her father, -and not to offer her the diversion of hunting until to-morrow." - -"What have you done, villain? She will think me insane or uncivil." - -"No, monsieur, she took the thing very well, saying that everything that -you did was certain to prove your wisdom or your gallantry." - -"In that case, my friend, we must think seriously----" - -"About nothing, monsieur, nothing at all, I beseech you. You did enough -with your brain and your sword last night; for what purpose can God have -placed poor Adamas on earth if not to spare you all anxiety about the -details of simple matters?" - -"Alas! my friend, it will not be easy--not possible even--in so short a -time, to make my heir presentable?" - -"Do you think so, monsieur?" said Adamas, with an indescribable smile of -satisfaction. "I would like to see the thing that you desire that is not -possible! Yes, indeed, I would! I would like to see it! But permit me to -ask you, monsieur, how your heir is to be announced when he enters the -salon?" - -"That is a very grave question, my friend; I have already been thinking -of the name and title the dear child should bear. Neither his father nor -mine was a man of quality; but as I propose to provide for his -succession to my title by the proper process and by obtaining the king's -consent, if necessary, I think that I can bestow upon him, in -anticipation, the title that my own son would have. Therefore, in my -house he will be called monsieur le comte." - -"There can be no doubt about the propriety of that, monsieur! But the -name? Do you propose to call him plain Bouron, that poor child who -deserves so well to bear a more illustrious name?" - -"Understand, Adamas, that I do not blush for my father's name, and that -that name, which was borne by my brother, will always be dear to me. But -as I am much more attached to the name that my king gave me, I propose -that Mario, also, shall bear it, and shall be Bouron de Bois-Doré, -which, by the customary abbreviation, will become plain Bois-Doré." - -"That is what I intended to suggest! Come, monsieur, dress yourself and -eat your breakfast here in your bedroom with the child, for the hall -below is in the hands of my decorators; then I will make your toilet. -But you must wear to-day the clothes that I ask you to put on." - -"Do what you please, Adamas, as you are responsible for everything!" - -While eating and laughing and talking with his heir, honest Sylvain -suddenly fell into profound melancholy. He succeeded in concealing it -from the boy. But when Adamas, declaring that everything was going -satisfactorily, came to make him up for the day, he opened his heart to -him, while the child played about the château. - -"My poor friend," he said, "I am amazed that the _numes célestes_, who -have watched over me with such paternal care of late, have allowed me -none the less to become involved in a terrible embarrassment." - -"What embarrassment, monsieur?" - -"Have you already forgotten, Adamas, that I offered my heart and my life -to a beautiful enchantress on the morning of the very day when I found -Mario? Now, as she did not reject, but simply postponed my offer, the -result is that I run the risk--according to you!--of having other heirs -than this child, to whom I would gladly devote my life and bequeath my -property." - -"The devil! monsieur, I did not think of that! But do not be disturbed! -As it was I who put the fatal plan into your mind, it is for me to find -you a way out of the dilemma. I will think about it, monsieur, I will -think about it! Don't forget to beautify yourself and to make merry -to-day." - -"Indeed I will not. But what coat is that you are giving me, my friend!" - -"Your coat _à la paysanne_, monsieur; it is one of the handsomest you -have." - -"In truth, I think it is the very handsomest; and it pains me to make -myself so fine when my poor Mario----" - -"Monsieur, monsieur, let me arrange everything; our Mario will be very -presentable." - -The marquis's "peasant" coat was white velvet and white satin, with a -profusion of silver lace and magnificent ruffles. White was then the -color of the peasants, who dressed in white linen or coarse fustian at -all seasons; so that whenever a person was dressed all in white, that -person was said to be dressed _à la paysanne_, and it was one of the -most popular fashions. - -The marquis was certainly very amusing in that dress; but everybody was -so accustomed to see him disguised as a young man; he was tricked out -from head to foot with such beautiful things and such curious baubles; -his perfumes were so exquisite, and, in spite of everything, there was -so much nobility in his elderly charms, and so much kindly amiability in -his ways, that if people had found him suddenly transformed into the -serious, methodical personage that his years would naturally import, -they would have regretted the pleasure he gave the eyes and the -satisfaction he was able to afford the mind. - -About two o'clock a scullion, dressed in ancient feudal costume for the -occasion, and stationed at the top of the entrance tower, blew a blast -on an old horn to announce the approach of a cavalcade. - -The marquis, accompanied by Lucilio, betook himself to that tower to -receive the lady of his thoughts. He would have been glad to take his -heir with him; but Mario was in Adamas's hands, and, moreover, it was -part of a plan finally proposed by the latter, and adopted with some -modifications by his master, that the child's appearance on the scene -should be postponed until the conclusion of an explanation on a delicate -subject with Madame de Beuvre. - - - - -XXXV - - -Lauriane arrived, riding a beautiful little white horse which her father -had trained for her, and which she managed with remarkable grace. - -Thanks to her mourning, which the fashion of that day permitted to be -white, she, too, was dressed _à la paysanne_, with a habit of fine -white broadcloth, a waist with stripes of silver lace, and a light lace -handkerchief over the inevitable widow's cap. - -"Well, well!" cried the downright De Beuvre, when he saw the marquis's -costume, "so you have already assumed your lady's colors, my dear -son-in-law?" - -His daughter succeeded in making him hold his peace before the servants; -but, when they were in the salon, despite the promise he had made her to -refrain from all jesting on the subject, he could not contain himself, -and asked with deep interest when the wedding was to be. - -Instead of being annoyed or embarrassed, the marquis was exceedingly -pleased at this opening, and requested a secret interview touching a -matter of great gravity. - -The valets were dismissed, the doors closed, and Bois-Doré, kneeling at -dear little Lauriane's feet, addressed her in these terms: - -"Queen of youth and beauty, you see at your feet a loyal servant whom a -most momentous event has filled with pleasure and embarrassment, with -joy and grief, with hope and fear. When, two days since, I offered my -heart, my name and my fortune to the most amiable of nymphs, I deemed -myself unfettered by any other duty or attachment. But----" - -Here the marquis was interrupted. - -"Gadzooks! monsieur my son-in-law," cried De Beuvre, affecting violent -indignation and rolling his eyes fiercely, "you make sport of us, do -you, and think that I am a man to allow you to retract your word after -you have transfixed my poor child's heart with the deadly shaft of -love?" - -"Oh! hush, pray, my dear father!" said Lauriane, smilingly and sweetly; -"you compromise me. Luckily I can be certain that the marquis will not -believe me to be so capricious that, after I have asked him for seven -years for reflection, I can be already so eager to summon him to keep -his word." - -"Allow me to speak," said the marquis, taking Lauriane's hand in his. "I -know, my sovereign, that you have no love in your heart, and it is that -which gives me the courage to crave your pardon. And do you, my dear -neighbor, laugh with all your strength, for there is abundant occasion. -And I will laugh with you to-day, although yesterday I shed many tears." - -"Really, my good neighbor?" said honest De Beuvre, taking his other -hand. "If you are speaking as seriously as you seem to be, I will laugh -no more. Have you any trouble of which we can assist to relieve you?" - -"Tell us, my dear Celadon," added Lauriane, affectionately, "tell us -your sorrows!" - -"My sorrows are dispelled, and, if you allow me to retain your -friendship, I am the most fortunate of men. Listen, my friends," he -said, rising with some effort. "The day before yesterday you heard a -prophecy made by people who were not really sorcerers: 'Within three -days, three weeks, or three months, you will be a father?'" - -"Even so," said De Beuvre, recurring to his jesting humor; "do you -believe that the prophecy will be fulfilled?" - -"It is fulfilled, my good neighbor. I am a father, and it is no longer -for myself that I ask, from you and the divine Lauriane, seven years of -hope and sincere affection: but for my heir, my only son, for----" - -At that moment the folding-doors were thrown open, and Adamas, arrayed -in state, announced in a ringing voice and with an air of triumph: - -"Monsieur le Comte Mario de Bois-Doré!" - -Everybody was surprised; for the marquis did not expect his son to -appear so soon, and he did not know what sort of costume they would -succeed in arranging for him. - -What was his joy when he saw that Mario also was dressed _à la -paysanne_, that is to say in a costume exactly similar in material and -cut to that which he himself wore; the satin doublet with innumerable -little slashes on the arms; the _colletin sans ailerons_, or shoulder -cape without flowing sleeves, of white velvet slashed with silver; the -full trunk hose, four ells in width, gathered below the knee, fastened -with pearl buttons, and open a little at the side to show the -rose-shaped buckle of the garter; silk-stockings, and shoes _à -pont-levis_, fastened with buckles in the shape of roses; the ruff _à -confusion_, that is to say of several rows of unequal size, with tucks -of varied patterns; the plumed hat, diamonds everywhere, a little -baldric all studded with pearls, and a tiny rapier which was a veritable -chef-d'œuvre! - -Adamas had passed the night selecting, planning, cutting and fitting; -the morning in trying on. The skilful Moor and four other women had -risen before daylight and sewed for their lives. Clindor had ridden ten -leagues to procure the hat and the shoes. Adamas had arranged feathers -and decorations and ornaments; and the costume, which was in most -excellent taste, well cut and substantial enough to last several days -without being made over, was a wonderful success. - -Mario, beribboned and perfumed like the marquis, with his naturally -curly hair, and over his left ear a rosette of white ribbons with a huge -diamond in the centre and silver lace below, came forward with much -grace. He was no more awkward than if he had been brought up as a -gentleman. He wore his rapier gracefully, and his appealing beauty was -heightened by all that white, which gave him the aspect of an innocent -maiden. - -Lauriane and her father were so thunderstruck by his face and his -bearing, that they rose spontaneously as if to receive a king's son. - -But there was more to come. Adamas, while coaching his young lord, had -tried to teach him a complimentary speech, taken from _Astrée_, for -Lauriane. To learn a few sentences by heart was a small matter to the -intelligent Mario. - -"Madame," he said, with a fascinating smile, "it is impossible to see -you without loving you, but even more impossible to love you without -loving you beyond words. Allow me to kiss your lovely hands thousands of -times, which number will fall far below the number of deaths which your -denial of this petition will inflict upon me." - -Mario paused. He had learned very rapidly, without reflecting or -understanding. The meaning of the words he was repeating suddenly struck -him as very comical; for he was in no wise inclined to suffer so -terribly if Lauriane refused to receive the thousands of kisses which he -was not particularly desirous to give her. He was sorely tempted to -laugh, and he glanced at the young lady, who had a similar desire, and -who offered him both hands with a playful and sympathetic air. - -He cast etiquette to the winds, and following the impulse of his natural -trustfulness, threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on both -cheeks, saying out of his own head: - -"Bonjour, madame; I beg you to like me, for I think you are a lovely -lady, and I love you dearly already." - -"Forgive him," said the marquis, "he is a child of nature." - -"That is why he attracts me," Lauriane replied, "and I waive all -ceremony." - -"Hoity-toity!" exclaimed De Beuvre, "what does this mean, neighbor, this -pretty boy? If he is yours, I congratulate you: but I would not have -believed----" - -Guillaume d'Ars was here announced, with Louis de Villemort and one of -the young Chabannes, who had called upon him in the morning, and to whom -he had told the tale of the miraculous recovery of Florimond's son. - -"Is this he?" cried D'Ars, as he entered the room and gazed at Mario. -"Yes, it is my little gypsy. But how pretty he is now, mon Dieu! and how -happy you should be, my cousin! _Tudieu_, my gentleman," he said to the -child, "what a fine sword you have there, and what a gallant costume! -You wish to put your friends and neighbors to the blush! You outdo us -entirely, that is clear, and we cut no figure at all beside you. Come, -tell us your pet name, and let us become acquainted; for we are kinsmen, -by your leave, and it may be that I can serve you in some thing, were it -only to teach you to ride!" - -"Oh! I know how," said Mario. "I have ridden _Squilindre_!" - -"The big carriage horse? Tell me, my boy, did you find his trot -comfortable?" - -"Not very," said Mario, laughing. - -And he began to play and chatter with Guillaume and his friends. - -"Come," said De Beuvre, leading Bois-Doré aside, "let me into the -secret, for I am wholly in the dark. You are gulling us, my dear -neighbor! you did not engender that noble boy! He is too young for that. -Is he an adopted child?" - -"He is my own nephew," Bois-Doré replied; "he is the son of my dear -Florimond, whom you also loved, my neighbor!" - -And he told Mario's story before them all, producing the evidence in -support of its truth, but without mentioning the name of D'Alvimar or -Villareal, and without hinting that he had discovered his brother's -assassins. - - - - -XXXVI - - -In face of the letters, the ring and the seal, it was impossible to -treat this romantic adventure as a fable. - -Everybody showered attentions on pretty Mario, who, by his ingenuous -nature, his affectionate manner and his fearless glance, won every heart -spontaneously and irresistibly. - -"So you are no longer betrothed to our old neighbor," said De Beuvre to -his daughter, leading her apart, "but to his brat; for that seems to be -the scheme he has in mind now." - -"God grant it, father!" replied Lauriane, "and if he recurs to the -subject, I beg you to do as I shall,--pretend to assent to that -arrangement, which the dear man is quite capable of taking seriously." - -"He took it seriously enough when he sued in his own behalf!" rejoined -De Beuvre. "The difference in age between you and this little fellow is -reckoned by years, whereas, between the marquis and you, it can properly -be reckoned by fourths of a century. No matter! I see that the dear man -has lost all idea of time with respect to other people as well as -himself; but here he comes; I am going to stir him up a little." - -Bois-Doré, being called upon by De Beuvre to explain, declared most -solemnly that he had but one word, and that, having pledged his liberty -and his faith to Lauriane, he considered himself her slave, unless she -gave him back his promise. - -"I give it back to you, dear Celadon!" cried Lauriane. - -But her father interposed. He chose to tease her also. - -"No, no, my child; this concerns the honor of the family, and your -father is not in the habit of allowing himself to be hoodwinked! I see -plainly enough that your whimsical and imaginative Celadon has conceived -a paternal affection for this handsome nephew, and that he is quite -content to be a father without having to take the trouble to be a -husband. Moreover, I see that he has taken it into his head to bequeath -his property to him, without regard to his future children; that is -something which I will not permit, and which it is your duty to prevent -by calling upon him to redeem his plighted word." - -Monsieur de Beuvre spoke with such a serious face that the marquis was -deceived for an instant. - -"I can but believe," he thought, "that my good fortune rejuvenates me -much, and that my neighbor, who used to gird at me so, does not deem me -so venerable now. Where the devil did Adamas get the idea of suggesting -that step to me?" - -Lauriane read his perplexity on his face and generously came to his -assistance. - -"My honored father," she said, "this does not concern you, since our -dear marquis did not ask for my hand without my heart; so that, inasmuch -as my heart has not spoken, the marquis is free." - -"Ta! ta! ta!" cried De Beuvre, "your heart speaks very loud, my child, -and it is easy to see, by your indulgence to the marquis, that it is of -him that it speaks!" - -"Can it be true?" said Bois-Doré, faltering in his resolution; "if I -had that good fortune, nephew or no nephew, by my faith!----" - -"No, marquis, no!" said Lauriane, determined to have done with her old -Celadon's dreamy projects. "My heart has spoken, it is true, but only a -moment ago, since I first saw your charming nephew. Destiny so willed, -because of my very great affection for you, which made it impossible for -me to have eyes except for someone of your family and someone who -resembles you. Therefore I am the one to break the bond between us and -declare myself unfaithful; but I do it without remorse, since he whom I -prefer to you is as dear to you as to myself. Let us say no more about -it then until Mario is old enough to entertain affection for me, if that -blessed day is destined to arrive. Meanwhile, I will try to be patient, -and we will remain friends." - -Bois-Doré, enchanted by this conclusion, warmly kissed the amiable -Lauriane's hand; but at that moment a terrific fusillade made the -windows rattle and brought all the guests to their feet. They ran to the -windows. It was Adamas, making a terrific uproar with all the falconets, -arquebuses and pistols that his little arsenal contained. - -At the same time they saw the marquis's vassals and all the people of -the village thronging into the courtyard, shouting as if they would -split their throats, in concert with all the retainers and servants of -the château: - -"Vive monsieur le marquis! Vive monsieur le comte!" - -The good people were acting in implicit obedience to an order issued by -Aristandre, having no idea what it was all about; but what they did know -was that they were never summoned to the château without receiving a -banquet or some form of bounty, and they came without urging. - -The windows of the salon were thrown open that the guests might listen -to the harangue, in the form of a proclamation, which Adamas declaimed -to that numerous audience. - -Standing on the well, which had been covered by his orders so that he -might indulge without peril in animated pantomime, the radiant Adamas -improvised the most dazzling bit of eloquence that his Gascon ingenuity -had ever produced, that his ringing voice, with its soft southern -inflection, had ever thrown to the echoes. His gesticulation was no less -extraordinary than his diction. - -It is to be regretted that history has not preserved the exact language -of this masterpiece; it had the fate of all products of inspiration: it -flew away with the breath that had given birth to it. - -However, it produced a great effect. The result of poor Monsieur -Florimond's tragic death caused many tears to flow; and, as Adamas wept -easily and was ingenuously moved by his own eloquence, he was listened -to with the closest attention, even from the windows of the salon. - -The guests were amused by the pathetic outburst of joy with which he -proclaimed the recovery of Mario, but the rustic auditory did not -consider it overdone. The peasant understands gestures, not words, which -he does not take the trouble to listen to; that would be labor, and -labor of the mind seems to him contrary to nature. He listens with his -eyes. So they were enchanted with the peroration, and good judges -declared that Monsieur Adamas preached better than the rector of the -parish. - -The discourse at an end, the marquis went down with his heir and his -guests, and Mario fascinated and won the hearts of the peasants by his -affable manners and his sweet speech. - -Being instructed by his father to bid the whole village to a grand -festival on the following Sunday, he did it so naturally and in terms -indicating such perfect equality, that Guillaume and his friends, and -even the republican Monsieur de Beuvre, had to remember that the child -himself was fresh from the sheepfold, to avoid being shocked. - -The marquis, detecting their feeling, deliberated whether he should not -recall Mario, who was going from group to group, allowing himself to be -kissed, and returning the caresses with great heartiness. - -But an old woman, the patriarch of the village, hobbled to him on her -crutches, and said in a a quavering voice: - -"Monseigneur, you are blessed by the good Lord for being gentle and kind -to the poor and infirm. You have made us forget your father who was a -harsh man--harsh to you as well as to others. Here is a child who will -be like you and will keep us from forgetting you!" - -The marquis pressed the old woman's hands and allowed Mario to do the -same by everybody. He asked them to drink his son's health, and himself -toasted the parish, while Adamas continued to wake the echoes with his -artillery. - -As the multitude departed, the marquis spied Monsieur Poulain, who was -watching the proceedings from a small shed, where he had taken up his -position as in a box at the play. He cut off his retreat by going to him -and inviting him to supper, at the same time reproaching him for the -infrequency of his visits. - -The rector thanked him with equivocal courtesy, saying with feigned -embarrassment that his principles did not permit him to break bread with -_pretenders_. - -In those days men were called _reformers_ or _pretended reformers_, -according to the supposed earnestness of their religious opinions. When -a person said _pretenders_ simply, he thereby proclaimed for himself an -orthodoxy which refused to admit the bare idea of a possible -reformation. - -This contemptuous expression wounded the marquis, and, playing upon the -word, he replied that he had no fiancés in his house.[23] - -"I thought that Monsieur and Madame de Beuvre were affianced to the -errors of Geneva," retorted the rector, with a sneering smile. "Have -they procured a divorce from them, following the example of monsieur le -marquis?" - -"Monsieur le recteur," said Bois-Doré, "this is no time to talk -theology, and I admit that I understand nothing about it. Once, twice, -will you join us, with or without heretics?" - -"As I have told you, monsieur le marquis, with them, it is impossible." - -"Very well, monsieur," retorted Bois-Doré, with a display of temper -which he could not control, "that is as you choose; but, on those days -when you do not deem me worthy to receive you in my house, you will, -perhaps, do well not to come to my house to tell me so; for, as you are -unwilling to enter, I am wondering why you came here, unless it was to -insult those who do me the honor of being my guests." - -The rector was seeking what he called persecution; that is to say, he -wished to irritate the marquis so as to put him in the wrong as between -themselves. - -"As monsieur le marquis admitted all the people of my family to a -merry-making," he replied, "I supposed that I was bidden like the rest. -Indeed, I had imagined that this charming child, whose recovery you are -celebrating, would need my ministry to be received into the bosom of the -Church--a ceremony whereby the rejoicings should have been inaugurated -perhaps." - -"My child has been brought up by a true Christian and a true priest, -monsieur! He needs no reconciliation with God; and as to the Moorish -woman, concerning whom you esteem yourself so fully informed, let me -tell you that she is a better Christian than many people who pride -themselves on their piety. Let your mind be at rest, therefore, and come -to my house, I beg you, with an open countenance and no mental -reservations, or do not come at all. That is my advice to you." - -"I propose to deal frankly with you, monsieur le marquis," replied the -rector, raising his voice. "Witness the fact that I ask you plainly -where Monsieur de Villareal is, and how it happens that I do not see him -among your guests." - -This insidious and abrupt attack nearly unhorsed Bois-Doré. - -Luckily Guillaume d'Ars, who approached him at that moment, heard the -question and took it upon himself to answer it. - -"You ask for Monsieur de Villareal," he said, bowing to Monsieur -Poulain. "He left the château with me last evening." - -"Pardon me," replied the rector, saluting Guillaume with more courtesy -than he displayed toward Bois-Doré. "Then I can address a letter to him -at your residence, monsieur le comte?" - -"No, monsieur," replied Guillaume, annoyed by this persistence. "He is -not at my house to-day." - -"But if he has gone temporarily only, you expect him to return this -evening, or to-morrow at latest, I presume?" - -"I do not know what day he will return, monsieur; I am not accustomed to -question my guests. But come, marquis; they are calling for you in the -salon." - -He led Bois-Doré away toward the De Beuvres, to cut short the -interrogatories of the rector, who withdrew with a strange smile and -threatening humility. - -"You were speaking of Monsieur de Villareal," said De Beuvre to the -marquis; "I heard you mention his name. How does it happen that we do -not see him here? Is he ill?" - -"He has gone," said Guillaume, who was much embarrassed and disturbed by -all these questions before numerous witnesses. - -"Gone not to return?" inquired Lauriane. - -"Not to return," replied Bois-Doré firmly. - -"Well," said she, after a brief pause, "I am very glad of it." - -"Did you not like him?" said the marquis, offering her his arm, while -Guillaume walked by her side. - -"You will think me very foolish," replied the young woman, "but I will -make my confession none the less. I ask your pardon, Monsieur d'Ars, but -your friend frightened me." - -"Frightened you?--That is strange; other people have said the same thing -to me about him! How was it that he frightened you, madame?" - -"He bears a striking resemblance to a portrait at our house, which you -probably have never seen--in our little chapel! Have you seen it?" - -"Yes!" cried Guillaume, as if struck by a sudden thought; "I know what -you mean. He did resemble it, on my word!" - -"He _did_ resemble it! You speak of your friend as if he were dead!" - -Mario interrupted the conversation. Lauriane, who had already conceived -a warm affection for him, chose to take his arm to return in doors. - -Guillaume and Bois-Doré were left alone for an instant, behind the -others. - -"Ah! cousin," said the young man, "what an extremely unpleasant thing it -is to have to conceal a man's death, as if one had reason to blush for -some dastardly deed, when, on the contrary----" - -"For my own part, I should prefer to have no concealment whatsoever," -the marquis replied. "It was you who urged me to this deception; but if -it is burdensome to you----" - -"No, no! Your rector seems to have some suspicions. My D'Alvimar made a -great show of piety. The cassock would be on his side, and it is too -dangerous a game to play in this neighborhood. Let us continue to hold -our peace until the story of your brother's cowardly murder has -circulated thoroughly, and do you show the proofs of it to everybody, -without naming the culprits. Then, when you do name them, everybody will -be disposed to condemn them. But tell me, marquis, do you know whether -the wretched man's body----" - -"Yes, Aristandre has inquired. The lay brother did his duty." - -"But there was something about this D'Alvimar that I cannot understand, -cousin. A man so well-born, and whose manners were so refined!" - -"The ambition of a courtier and Spanish poverty!" replied Bois-Doré. -"And furthermore, cousin, there is a philosophical paradox that has -often come to my mind: that we are all equal before God, and that he -sets no more store by a nobleman's soul than by a serf's. On that point, -it may be that the Calvinist doctrine is not far out of the way." - -"By the way," rejoined Guillaume, "speaking of Calvinists, cousin, do -you know that the king's affairs are going badly over yonder, and that -he is having no success at all in taking Montauban? I learned at -Bourges, from some very well-informed persons, that on the first pretext -the siege would be raised, and that may change the whole political -status once more. Perhaps you were a little too hasty about abjuring!" - -"Abjuring! abjuring!" echoed Bois-Doré, shaking his head; "I never -abjured anything. I reflect, I discuss matters with myself, and I take -one side or the other, according to the arguments that come to my mind. -In reality----" - -"In reality, you are like me," laughed Guillaume; "you think of nothing -except being an honest man." - -The supper, although the party was small, was served with extraordinary -magnificence. The hall was decorated with flowers and foliage entwined -with gold and silver ribbons; the most beautiful pieces of silverware -and porcelain were brought forth; the dishes and wines were most -exquisite. - -Five or six of the most intimate friends and neighbors had arrived at -the last stroke of the bell; their coming was another surprise for the -marquis. Adamas had sent messengers all over the neighborhood. - -There was no music during the banquet; they preferred to talk, for they -had so much to say to one another! Adamas contented himself with a -flourish of trumpets in the courtyard to announce each course. - -Lauriane was seated opposite the marquis, with Mario at her right. - -Lucilio was of the party; they had no reason to fear the evil intentions -of any guest. - - -[Footnote 23: The play upon words consisted in the fact that -_prétendus_, the word used by Monsieur Poulain, also, means _suitors_. -(Cf. the colloquial English phrase: his _intended_.)] - - - - - -XXXVII - - -Half an hour after they left the table, Adamas requested his master to -ascend with his guests to the Salle des Verdures, where a fresh surprise -was prepared. - -It was an entertainment after the fashion then in vogue, carried out as -well as it was possible to do it on such brief notice and in so confined -a space. - -The end of the room was fitted up as a stage, with rich carpets laid -upon trestles, bearing hangings for a frame, and natural foliage for -wings. - -When they had taken their places, Lucilio played a beautiful piece by -way of overture, and Clindor the page appeared on the scene, in the -costume of a shepherd of romance. He sang divers pretty rustic couplets, -of Master Jovelin's composition; then he set about watching his flocks, -consisting of real lambs, well-washed and decked in ribbons, who behaved -exceedingly well on the stage. Fleurial the shepherd dog, also played -his part becomingly. - -Soft, soporific music was played on the _sourdeline_ to which the -shepherd fell asleep. - -Thereupon a venerable old man came forward and searched the sleeper's -pockets and even the fleeces of the sheep with agonizing suspense. His -beard was so luxuriant, his white hair and eyebrows so bushy, that -nobody recognized him at first; but when he declaimed some lines of his -own composition to set forth the cause of his sorrow, they laughed -heartily as they recognized Adamas's Gascon accent. - -That despairing old man was in pursuit of Destiny, which had stolen his -young master, his lord's beloved child. - -The shepherd, suddenly awakened, asked him what he wanted. There was an -animated dialogue between them, wherein they repeated the same thing -many times, which, according to Adamas, had the advantage of forcing the -spectators to grasp what he called the _knot of the play_. - -The shepherd assisted the old man in his search, and they were going -forward to attack a small fort among the branches at the back of the -stage, supposed to be in the distance, which was no other than that -formerly brought by the marquis _en croupe_ from the château of Sarzay, -when a terrible giant, dressed in fantastic fashion, opposed their -progress. - -This giant, enacted by Aristandre, expressed himself at first in an -unknown tongue. As he had declared that he was incapable of remembering -three words, Lucilio, who had consented to assist Adamas in staging his -work, had instructed the charioteer, in his rôle of giant, to use, at -random, any meaningless, incoherent syllables; it was enough that he -should have an awe-inspiring manner and an appalling voice. - -Aristandre followed these instructions very well, but when Adamas -insulted and irritated him in the most stinging way, calling him -monster, ogre and wizard, the honest giant, not choosing to be outdone, -emitted such horrifying oaths in good Berrichon that they had to make -haste to kill him, to prevent him from shocking the audience. - -This scene offended Fleurial, who was not brave, and who leaped over the -candle footlights to take refuge between his master's legs. - -When the monstrous coachman was laid low by Adamas's trusty blade, the -little fort crumbled away as if by magic, and in its place a sibyl -appeared. - -It was the Moor, to whom they had given some beautiful Oriental fabrics -in which she had arrayed herself with much taste and poetic beauty. - -She was very lovely so, and was received with loud applause. - -Poor woman! brought up in bondage and her spirit broken by persecution, -and thereafter happy with a thatched roof and the humblest employment, -under the protection of a poor priest, this was the first time in her -life that she had ever been richly clad, greeted affectionately by -wealthy people, and applauded for her grace and beauty without any -insulting hidden motive. - -At first she did not understand; she was afraid and would have fled. But -Adamas opportunely made use of the five or six Spanish words he knew, to -encourage her under his breath and make her understand that she gave -pleasure to the audience. - -Mercedes looked about for the one person who interested her most deeply, -and saw close beside her, in the wings, Lucilio the manager, also -applauding. - -A flame darted from his black eyes; then, terrified by that gleam of -happiness, which she did not fully appreciate, she lowered her long -lashes until their velvety shadow fell upon her burning cheeks. She -seemed even more beautiful--why, no one could say--and the applause -burst forth anew. - -When she had recovered her courage, she sang in Arabic; after which she -replied to Adamas's questions in a way that seemed not to satisfy him. - -After a discussion in pantomime, accompanied by music, she promised the -child he sought, on condition that he should submit to the test of -fighting a horrible monster made of gilt paper, who came upon the stage, -bounding and vomiting flames. - -The intrepid Adamas, determined to dare anything to bring back his -master's child to the fold, rushed to meet the dragon, and was on the -point of running him through with his invincible blade, when the -creature was rent in twain like an old glove, and the comely Mario -stepped forth, dressed as Cupid, that is to say, in pink and gold satin -embroidered with flowers, with a wreath of roses and feathers on his -head, bow in hand and quiver slung over his shoulder. - -The transformation of a child into Cupid in a dragon's belly is not -readily discovered in Adamas's manuscript stage-directions; but it seems -that it was accepted as very pleasing, for that episode won the greatest -success. - -Mario recited some complimentary lines in praise of his uncle and his -friends, and the sibyl predicted the loftiest destiny for him. She -produced from the bushes divers marvellous things: a horn of plenty -filled with flowers and bonbons, which the child tossed to the -spectators; then the portrait of the marquis, which the child kissed -with pious veneration; and, finally, two escutcheons of colored glass, -one with the arms of the Bourons de Noyer, the other with those of -Bois-Doré, united under a coronet from which ascended fireworks on a -small scale, in the shape of a sun. - -Let us say a word in passing concerning this coat-of-arms of the -marquis. It was very interesting, because it was invented by Henry IV. -himself. - -In heraldic language, it was thus described: "_Gules, a naked arm or, -coming from a cloud, holding a sword uppointed, accompanied, in chief, -by three hens diademed argent_;" that is to say, a deep red shield, in -the centre of which a right arm, coming forth from a cloud, held a sword -with the point in the air, pointed toward three hens wearing silver -crowns, placed above the said arm. - -Around the crest was this motto: _All men are thus before me_. - -If we remember how our good Sylvain was created a marquis, we shall -readily understand this emblem, which might have been considered -derisory, except for the corrective afforded by the motto, which might -be thus translated: "Before this arm there is no foe who does not -display the heart of a chicken." - -The play was enthusiastically applauded. - -The marquis wept tears of joy to see the charming manners of his son and -the zeal of old Adamas. - -They ate sweetmeats, they fought for Mario's kisses, and they separated -at eleven o'clock, which was very late, according to the provincial -ideas in those days. - -The next day there was a bird-hunt. Lauriane insisted that Mario should -be of the party. She lent him her white horse, which was gentle and -docile, while she courageously mounted Rosidor. The marquis did not lack -spare mounts. The sport was mild, as befitted those who were the heroes -of the day. Mario took so much pleasure in it that Lucilio feared that -the sudden excitement would be too much for that youthful brain, and -that it would make him ill or delirious. But the child proved that he -had an excellent mental organization: he was intensely amused by all -those novel experiences, and still he did not become over-excited; at -the slightest appeal to his reason he recovered his composure and obeyed -with angelic sweetness. His nerves were not overwrought, and he entered -into happiness as into a paradise of love and liberty of which he felt -that he was worthy. - -The supper on this second day of rejoicing gathered other friends at -Briantes; on the following day occurred the fête given to the vassals, -a Pantagruelian banquet and dancing under the old walnut trees in the -enclosure. - -A competition in arquebus shooting was organized by Guillaume d'Ars. - -Mario suggested to the village urchins trials of skill in running and -sling-throwing, and obtained permission to resume, for the purposes of -that contest, his mountaineer's costume, in which he felt much more at -ease. - -He displayed an agility and skill which filled his competitors with -admiration. No one could dream for an instant of disputing the prize -with him; so he modestly withdrew from the competition, in order that -the prize might be awarded equitably to some other. - -The festivities were brought to a close by a ceremony at once artless -and ostentatious, and at bottom really touching. - -In the centre of the labyrinth in the garden rose a little -thatch-covered structure in imitation of a cottage. - -The marquis called it the _Palace of Astrée_. - -They carried thither the coarse patched clothes which Mario wore when he -first entered the domain of his ancestors. They fashioned them into a -sort of rustic trophy, with the poor guitar which had been his -breadwinner on his journey, and hung the whole inside the cottage, with -garlands of foliage and a card, whereon were written, under date of that -memorable day, these simple words, selected and executed in his finest -script by Lucilio: "_Remember that thou wast poor once on a time_." - -At the same time Mario was presented with a great basket containing -twelve new suits, which he had the pleasure of distributing to twelve -poor little boys grouped on the tiny stoop of the cottage. - -Lastly, the marquis ordered placed in the chapel of the parish church a -small mausoleum in marble, dedicated to the memory of the kindly and -saintly Abbé Anjorrant. Lucilio made the drawing and composed the -inscription. - -The guests separated and quiet reigned once more at the château of -Briantes. - -The marquis thereupon began to think seriously of his son's education. -But if he had been left to himself, amid the preoccupations concerning -dress which filled so much space in his life, his heir might very well -have forgotten what Abbé Anjorrant had taught him, to acquire valuable -notions concerning the art of the tailor, bootmaker, armorer and -decorator. Luckily, Lucilio was there, and he was able to steal a few -hours every day from those trivial pursuits. - -He too, the loving heart, grew to be ardently attached to his friend's -child, not only because of the friend, but also because of the child -himself, who, by virtue of his affectionate docility and the keenness of -his intellect, made the task of tutor, ordinarily so unpleasant and -wearing, most pleasurable. - -And yet Lucilio's task was not an easy one. He felt that he had charge -of a soul, and of an infinitely pure and precious soul. He strove, first -of all, to protect that youthful conscience with a fortress of beliefs -and convictions against all the tempests of the future. The times they -lived in were so unsettled! - -Certainly there was no lack of enlightenment or of most excellent -progressive ideas. It was the age of novelties, people said: detestable -novelties according to some, providential according to others. -Discussion was rife everywhere and among all classes; and then, just as -to-day and yesterday and always, vulgar minds believed that they had -discovered infallible truths. - -But the world of intellect had lost its unity. Calm and impartial minds -sought justice, sometimes in one camp, sometimes in the other; and as in -both camps intolerance, error and cruelty were of common occurrence, -scepticism found its profit in folding its arms and asserting the -incurable blindness and weakness of the human race. - -It was a period just subsequent to the bloody conflicts between the -Gomarists and Arminians. Arminius was no more; but Barneveldt had just -mounted the scaffold. Hugo Grotius had been sentenced to imprisonment -for life, and was meditating in prison his noble _Theory of the Law of -Nations_. The Reformers were widely at variance on the question of -predestination. Calvinism, with its appalling fatalistic doctrine, was -doomed in the consciences of right-minded men. The French Lutherans, -imitating Melancthon's return to the truth, and abandoning Luther's -deplorable doctrines concerning _free will_, now upheld divine justice -and human liberty. - -But right-minded men are scarce at all periods. The Calvinist sect and -its fervent ministers protested in a large part of France against what -they called a return to the heresy of Rome. - -The events that took place in our Southern provinces, the frenzied -meetings determining upon a resistance that had become anti-French, the -republican spirit, ill understood, seconding by obstinacy and ignorance -the deplorable projects of the Austro-Spanish policy, which aimed at -kindling civil war in France; the glorious but regrettable resistance at -Montauban; so much blood shed, so much heroism expended to perpetuate -the struggle which Rome and Austria found to their advantage, proved -plainly enough that the light of intelligence was behind a cloud, and -that no liberal mind could say to itself: "I will go into this church, I -will go into this army, and there I shall find unadulterated the best -social truths of my time." - -It was not advisable therefore to pay too much heed to facts, and when -one was well-informed and intelligent, to believe in any special truth -above all those which were preached throughout the world, since the -sword, the halter, the stake, murder, rape and pillage were the methods -of conversion used by the opposing parties in dealing with one another. - -Lucilio Giovellino reflected upon all these things and resolved to -proceed according to the Gospel as expounded by his own heart; for he -saw too clearly that that divine Book, in the hands of certain Catholics -and certain Protestants, might become and was becoming every day a code -of fatalism, a body of doctrine leading to brutalization and frenzy. - -So he began to instruct Mario in philosophy, history, languages and the -natural sciences all at the same time, trying to deduce from them all -the logic and kindness of God. His method was clear and his explanations -concise. - -Poor Lucilio had once been eloquent and had detested written speech; and -sometimes even now he suffered from being obliged to compress his -thought in a few words; but misfortune is always of some profit to the -elect. It happened that his disinclination to write long, and his -impatience to disclose his thought, compelled him and accustomed him to -summarize his ideas with marvellous clearness and force, and that the -child was nourished upon facts, without useless details and fatiguing -repetitions. - -The lessons were surprisingly short, and carried with them to that young -mind a certainty of insight which was exceedingly rare at that time, and -for good reason. - -Bois-Doré, for his part, albeit he directed his child's attention to -trivial and foolish things, kept him pure and good, by virtue of that -mysterious insufflation which takes place between one noble nature and -another, without volition or knowledge. - -All children are naturally disposed to resist too precise instruction; -they follow more readily an instinct which leads them, having itself no -knowledge where it is going. - -When the marquis was disturbed in his puerile occupations, to render a -service or give alms, he never displayed either vexation or weariness. -He would rise, listen, ask questions, encourage and act. - -Although naturally indolent and easy-going, he was never bored by any -complaint, never lost patience with any poor old woman's loquacity. -Thus, while apparently devoting his life to trifles, he passed very few -moments in that placid, benevolent life without doing good or affording -pleasure to somebody. - -Thus his day, always begun with fine projects of work for his son--he -gave the name of work to attention to the toilet and instruction in good -manners,--was passed without deciding upon anything, without undertaking -anything, and leaving everything to the wise decisions of Adamas and the -captivating caprices of the child. - - - - -XXXVIII - - -Meanwhile, after the lapse of a few weeks, they had succeeded in -equipping Mario as a gentleman of quality, thanks to Adamas's untiring -zeal and the Moorish woman's clever wit, and the marquis had succeeded -in giving him some notions of horsemanship and fencing. - -Moreover the old man and the child held mutually agreeable sessions -every morning for lessons in manners. The marquis would make his pupil -go in and out of the room ten times, to teach him how to enter -gracefully and courteously and how to retire modestly. - -"You see, my dear count," he would say--that was the hour at which they -were supposed to address each other with graceful formality,--"when a -gentleman has crossed the threshold and advanced three steps into an -apartment, judgment has already been passed upon him by such persons of -merit or of quality as happen to be present. It is most essential -therefore that all of his own merit and quality must appear in the -carriage of his body and the expression of his face. Until this day, you -have been received with caresses and affectionate familiarity, and have -been relieved from the necessity of conforming to social -conventionalities of which you could know nothing; but this indulgence -will speedily cease, and if people see that you retain rustic manners -under such garments as these, they will blame your own disposition or my -indifference. So let us work, my dear count; let us work seriously: let -us repeat that last courtesy, which lacks brilliancy, and try once more -entering the room, which you did languidly and without dignity." - -Mario was entertained by this sort of instruction, which gave him an -opportunity to array himself in his finest clothes, look at himself in -the mirrors and stalk proudly across the room. He was so clever and so -graceful, that it cost him little trouble to learn that species of -majestic ballet, in the most minute details of which he was carefully -drilled, and his old father, who was much more of a child than he, knew -how to make the lesson amusing. It was a complete course in pantomime, -wherein the marquis, despite his years, was still an excellent -performer. - -"Look you, my son," he would say, arranging his hair and his clothes in -a certain way, "this is the _matamora_ style; look carefully at what I -do, in order that you may avoid doing it, unless in sport, and always -abstain from it in good society." - -Thereupon he would represent a swaggering captain to the life, and Mario -would laugh until he rolled on the floor. For his own amusement he would -be permitted to enact the captain in his turn, and then it was the -marquis's turn to laugh until he fell back upon his chair exhausted; the -little fellow was such a clever, fascinating imp! - -But we must return to the lesson. - -Next the marquis would portray a loutish, dull, obtrusive boor, or a -sour, disagreeable pedant, or a sheepish simpleton; and as other actors -were needed to make the scene impressive, he would send for some members -of the household. They were fortunate when they could enlist Adamas and -Mercedes, who entered into the spirit of the thing with much zest and -cleverness. But Adamas was active and the Moor hardworking; they always -asked leave to go back to their work for Mario. - -Then they would fall back upon Clindor, who was most willing, but was -built like a jumping-jack, and Bellinde, who was delighted to represent -a lady of quality, but who played that part in the most absurd and -laughable way. The marquis rallied her good-humoredly and called -attention to her absurdities, to enforce his precepts upon Mario, who -was much given to mockery and who made merry over the housekeeper's -foibles in a way to mortify her exceedingly. - -She would go away in a rage, and Mario, laughing uproariously, and -forgetting that it was the hour for stately demeanor, would leap on the -marquis's knees, and kiss and fondle him; nor would the old man have the -courage to forbid him; for he too enjoyed it, nor was anything sweeter -to him than to have his child play with him as with a playmate of his -own age. - -After dinner, they rode together. The marquis had procured for his heir -several of the prettiest jennets in the world, and he was an excellent -teacher. And so with fencing; but these exercises fatigued the old man -exceedingly, and he substituted other teachers, limiting his efforts to -directing them. - -There was also a master in heraldry, who came twice each week. He bored -Mario considerably; but he made up his mind, with a resolution very rare -in a child, to object to nothing that his father imposed upon him so -gently. - -He consoled himself for his studies in heraldry with his beautiful -little horses, his pretty little arquebuses, and Lucilio's lessons, -which attracted and interested him deeply. - -He entertained for the mute a profound instinctive respect, whether -because his noble mind felt the superiority of so grand an intellect, or -because Mercedes's fervent veneration for Lucilio exerted a magnetic -influence upon him; for he remained in his heart the Moorish woman's -son, and, feeling that there existed a gentle jealousy between the -marquis and her on his account, he had the delicacy and the art to -devote himself equally to both, without arousing the apprehension of -those two childish hearts, at once generous and sensitive. - -He had already served an apprenticeship in this matter of consideration -for his adopted mother, when they were living with Abbé Anjorrant; it -was not difficult for him to continue. - -The study in which he took the most pleasure was that of music. - -In that too, Lucilio was an admirable teacher. His delightful talent -charmed the child and plunged him into blissful reveries. But this task, -which would have absorbed all the rest, was thwarted to some extent by -the marquis, who considered that a gentleman should not study an art to -the point of becoming an artist, but should learn first what was called -the profession of arms, then a little of everything; "the best possible -subjects," he would say, "but not too much of anything; for a man who is -very learned in one subject disdains all others, and ceases to be -attractive." - -Amid all these employments and amusements Mario grew to be the prettiest -boy imaginable. His complexion, naturally white, assumed a soft tone -like that of the inner petals of a flower, beneath the warm sun of -autumn in our provinces. His little hands, once rough and covered with -scratches, now gloved and cared for, became as soft as Lauriane's. His -magnificent chestnut hair was the pride and admiration of the -ex-wigmaker Adamas. - -The marquis had wasted his efforts to teach him grace and charm of -manner by rules; he had retained his natural charm, and, as for the -graceful manners of a gentleman, he had acquired them instinctively on -the first day, when he put on the satin doublet. - -So that the lessons in dancing which he received served only to develop -his physical organization, which was one of those which cannot be -destroyed. - -As soon as his wardrobe was supplied, the marquis took him to pay visits -to all the neighbors within ten leagues. - -The actual appearance of the child was a great event in the province, -for the jealous folk and the gossips had sneered about him at first as a -chimera and a shadow; but he assumed substance and reality every day. - -When people saw him riding rapidly through the streets of La Châtre on -his little horse, escorted by Clindor and Aristandre, they began to -screw up their eyes and say to one another: - -"So it was really true?" - -They asked what his name was and what his name was to be. Would the -marquis, a man of quality, be content to have for his heir a petty -country squire? But had he the right to bequeath his title and his -_three hens diademed argent_ to a Bouron? Would the present king permit -it? Was it not contrary to the laws and customs of the nobility? - -A momentous question! - -It was discussed for a fortnight, and then people ceased to discuss it; -for one soon wearies of subjects that require deep thought, and when -they saw the old marquis and the little count go out to dine with some -neighbor, both dressed exactly alike, whether in white _à la paysanne_, -or in sky blue trimmed with silver purl, or in apricot satin with white -feathers, or in _light green_, or in _peach pink_, with ribbons -interwoven with gold and silver, and both reposing gracefully on the -crimson cushions of the stately chariot, drawn by their beautiful great -horses as beplumed as themselves, and followed by an escort of servants -whom one might have taken for noblemen, so well mounted and well armed -they were, and resplendent with gold lace, there was not a noble, -bourgeois or villein, in town or village, who did not jump to his feet, -crying: - -"Up! up! I hear the marquis's carriage coming! Come quickly and let us -see the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré ride by!" - -While these things were taking place in the fortunate province of Berry, -the effervescence in the South of France was increasing in intensity. - -About the 15th of November, there came reliable intelligence that the -king had been obliged to raise the siege of Montauban. - -The young king was brave; he wept when he withdrew his forces. - -Luynes, who had declared that he would subdue the party by corrupting -its leaders, had failed to seduce Rohan, the commanding-general in the -province and defender of the city. It was proved, unfortunately, that -that high-spirited nobleman was one of the rare exceptions, and that -Luynes's system was successful with the majority of the rebellious -nobles; but that system of _purchase_ ruined France and debased the -nobility. - -Louis XIII. was conscious of it at times, and found his efforts -neutralized by the incapacity and unworthiness of his favorite. - -The army was inadequately supplied and poorly paid. The confusion was -scandalous; the king paid the wages of thirty thousand combatants, and -there was not an effective force of twelve thousand to take the field. -The officers were disheartened. Mayenne had been killed. The Spanish -Carmelite Domingo de Jesu-Maria, to whose sanctity and enthusiasm the -German fanatics attributed the victory of Prague, had prophesied in vain -under the walls of Montauban. - -False miracles find fewer believers in France than elsewhere. The -Calvinists raised their heads, and in the early days of December -Monsieur de Bois-Doré received a visit from Monsieur de Beuvre, who was -in a state of intense excitement and said to him in confidence: - -"I have come to consult you concerning a most important matter, my dear -neighbor. You know that, being closely allied to the Duc de Thouars, -head of the house of La Trémouille, to which I have the honor to -belong, I thought last spring of joining the people of La Rochelle. You -prevented me, assuring me that the duke would melt away like snow before -the king; and it happened as you predicted. But because my kinsman the -duke committed an error, it does not follow that I was justified in -doing the like, and I reproach myself for abandoning my cause, -especially at the moment when it is recovering strength." - -"Evidently your tongue betrays you, neighbor," replied Bois-Doré -artlessly; "you mean that the cause is in great need of you; for, if you -hurry to its assistance because it has the upper hand, I do not see -wherein your merit lies." - -"My dear marquis," replied De Beuvre, "you have always prided yourself -on your chivalrous notions; but I am a plain man, and I speak of things -as they are. You are rich, your fortune is made, your career is -finished; you can afford to philosophize. I, although I am not poor, -have lost much of my property through having played my hand badly in -these last years. I feel active still, and inaction is tedious to me. -And then I cannot endure the airs of superiority that the old Leaguers -assume here in our province. The mischief-making of the Jesuits drives -me frantic. Must I abjure, pray, if I wish to live in peace, like you?" - -"Like me?" said the marquis, with a smile. - -"I know that your abjuration did not make a great sensation," replied De -Beuvre; "but, however that may be, it is too early for me to do it; I -prefer to fight, and I have five or six years of activity and good -health to do it." - -"But you are very stout, neighbor!" - -"You think that I am growing stout, because you do not see yourself -getting thin, neighbor! It is you who are becoming hollower, not I more -corpulent." - -"Very well! I understand your reasons for making this campaign. You -think that it will be successful; but you are mistaken. The leaders and -the troops, the bourgeois and the ministers, all fight gallantly on a -certain day; but on the following day, they separate; they abhor one -another, they insult one another and each goes his own way. The game has -been lost ever since Saint Bartholomew, and the King of the Huguenots -won it only by abandoning the cause. He chose to be a Frenchman first of -all; and this that you propose will be of advantage neither to France -nor to yourself." - -De Beuvre could not endure contradiction. He persisted, and taunted the -marquis with his lack of religious principle, albeit he himself was the -most sceptical of men. - -As he listened to him, Bois-Doré saw plainly that he was tempted by the -excellent terms which the king was compelled to grant the Calvinist -nobles, whenever the royal cause received a check. De Beuvre was not a -man to sell himself, like so many others, but to fight stubbornly, and, -if victorious, to take advantage without scruple of the opportunity to -be most exacting in his demands. - -"Since your mind is made up," said the marquis gently, "you ought to -have told me so at once, instead of asking my advice. I have only one -other consideration to urge upon you. You propose to equip yourself and -take the best of your people with you for this campaign. Think of the -annoyance that may be caused your daughter if the Jesuits should take it -into their heads to call Monsieur de Condé's attention to your absence! -And be sure that they will not fail to do it, that the château of La -Motte-Seuilly will be occupied in the king's name by evil-minded men; -that your daughter will be exposed to insult----" - -"I do not fear that," said De Beuvre. "I shall be supposed to be at -Orléans, where everyone knows that I have a law-suit. I will go thence, -quietly, toward Guyenne, where I will assume some old _nom de guerre_, -as the custom is, to protect my property and my family during my -absence; I will be Captain Chandelle or Captain La Paille, or -Captain--no matter what." - -"All that is often done, I know," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but it doesn't -always succeed; I promise to defend your château as effectively as I -and my people can do it; but if I were not afraid of making an -indelicate suggestion, I would offer to take your Lauriane into my -family during your absence." - -"Offer, offer, neighbor! I accept, nor do I see wherein the indelicacy -consists. There is no impropriety in a woman's being in any place where -her virtue or her good name are not in danger, and I am entirely unable -to see that my daughter runs the risk of losing her heart or her reason, -with you who might be her grandfather, your little one who is only a -school-boy, your philosopher whose tongue cannot offend, and your page -who looks like a monkey. So I will bring her to you to-morrow, and leave -her with you until my return, well-assured that she will be happy and -safe under your roof, and that you will be to her, as to me, the best of -friends and neighbors." - -"You can rely upon it," replied Bois-Doré. "I will go to fetch her -myself. My chariot is large enough; she can put her most valuable -property in it, without letting the neighbors know too soon that she is -doing anything more than taking one of her ordinary excursions." - - - - -XXXIX - - -On the following morning Lauriane was installed at Briantes, in the -Salle des Verdures, which the ingenious Adamas soon converted into a -luxurious and comfortable apartment. - -The Moor asked leave to wait upon the young lady, who inspired -confidence and sympathy in her, and Lauriane, who on her side had much -regard and liking for her, asked her to sleep in the closet adjoining -her enormous room. - -Lauriane parted from her father most courageously. The noble-hearted -child, living herself on faith and enthusiasm, suspected no selfish -calculation on his part. She would have found it difficult to understand -what it meant to be guided in one's reasoning, doubts and decisions by -personal interest. She knew that her father was as brave as a lion and -that his quick temper and the pride of gentle birth made him frank and -outspoken; that was enough for her to make a hero of him. - -He was conscious of the innocence and the noble instincts of that young -mind, and he would not have dared to lower himself in her esteem by -allowing her to discover how much more truly than she supposed he was -the _honest man_ of his time; that is to say, the man who did as little -harm as possible, while taking care to keep his neck out of the collar. - -The day of ideal virtues had passed: the world had entered "the brambles -of that shocking 17th century; an imposing desert, wherein moral and -material subsistence becomes more and more inadequate, wherein nature at -last ceases to support man; wherein the exhausted earth fails under -him."[24] Men who had grown old in the struggles of the preceding -century were not the men to rejuvenate the new century. But the children -had courage; they always have when they are left to themselves! - -Lauriane, moved to enthusiasm by the gallant conduct of the Rohans and -La Forces at Montauban, urged her father to go, believing that his only -thought was to uphold the honor of the cause, and that he, like herself, -had naught in view but to preserve, at the price of fortune, of life, if -need be, the dignity and liberty of conscience granted by Henri IV. - -She did not shed a tear as she gave him the last kiss; she followed him -with her eyes along the road, as long as she could see him; and, when he -was out of sight, she returned to her room and fell to sobbing. - -Mercedes, who was working in the closet, heard her and walked to the -door, but dared not approach. She regretted that she did not know her -language so that she could comfort her. - -The maternal instinct was so strong within her that she could not see a -young heart suffer without suffering herself, and without a feeling that -she must go to its aid. She thought of going in search of Mario; it -seemed to her that no sorrow could hold out against the aspect and the -caresses of her beloved child. - -Mario came softly in on tiptoe and stood close beside Lauriane without -betraying his presence. Lauriane was already his darling sister. She was -so kind to him, so playful, so anxious to amuse him when he passed the -day with her! - -Seeing her weep, he was frightened; he believed, with everybody else, -that Monsieur de Beuvre was absent for a few days only. - -He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she had placed her feet, -and gazed at her speechless. At last he ventured to take her hands. - -She started, looked up, and saw before her that angelic face, smiling at -her through tear-bedewed eyes. Touched by the child's sensibility, she -pressed him to her heart with the utmost warmth and kissed his lovely -hair. - -"What is the matter, pray, my Lauriane?" he asked, emboldened by this -outburst. - -"Why, my poor darling," she replied, "your Lauriane is grieved, as you -would be if your dear father the marquis should go away." - -"But your papa will return soon; he told you so when he went." - -"Alas! my Mario, who can say that he will return at all? When one is -travelling, you know----" - -"Has he gone very far away?" - -"No, but--Nay, nay, I will not make you unhappy. I must go out and take -the air. Will you come with me and find your dear father?" - -"Yes," said Mario, "he is in the garden. Let us go. Would you like me to -go and get my white goat to amuse you with her capers?" - -"We will go together to look for her; come!" - -She went out leaning on his arm, not like a lady leaning on the arm of a -gallant, but like a mother, with her boy's arm passed through hers. - -As they descended the stairs they found Mercedes, whose lovely eyes -rested caressingly on them as they passed. Lauriane, who could make -herself understood by signs, needed only to look at her to understand -her. She divined her loving solicitude and held out her hand, which -Mercedes would have kissed. But Lauriane would not permit it, and kissed -her on both cheeks. - -Never before had a Christian kissed the Moor, although she was herself a -Christian. Bellinde would have considered that she disgraced herself by -bestowing the slightest caress upon her, and, deeming her a heathen, she -even objected to eating in her company. - -The noble-hearted little dame's fascinating cordiality was therefore one -of the greatest joys in that poor creature's life, and, from that -moment, she almost divided her affection between her and Mario. - -She had always refused to try to learn a word of French, even striving -to forget the little Spanish that she knew, having an exaggerated fear -of forgetting the language of her fathers, as she had sometimes found -that it was forgotten by Moors isolated from their countrymen in foreign -lands, to whom she had not been able to make herself intelligible. -Hitherto it had been sufficient for her to be able to speak with the -learned Abbé Anjorrant, with Mario, and of late with Lucilio. But the -longing to talk with Lauriane and the kind-hearted marquis caused her to -overcome her repugnance. Indeed, she felt that it was her duty to -acquire the language of those affectionate people, who treated her as a -member of their race and their family. - -Lauriane undertook to act as her teacher, and in a short time they were -able to understand each other. - -Lauriane soon found herself very happy at Briantes, and, if it had not -been for the absence of her father, from whom, however, she soon -received good news, she would have been happier than she had ever been -in her life. - -At La Motte-Seuilly she was almost always alone, as the robust De Beuvre -hunted in all weathers, loving to tire himself out; and, despite his -affection for her, he neglected the innumerable little delicate -attentions, the ingenious indulgences which the marquis placed at the -service of women and children. - -Brought up somewhat sternly, she had had to resign herself to be a -little stern to herself, especially as the idea of a long widowhood had -presented itself to her mind as a result of the environment and the -circumstances in which her lot was cast. There had been moments when, -although she was not as yet conscious of a desire to lean upon a heart -not far removed in age from her own, she had felt that her own courage -bruised her, like a suit of armor that was too heavy for her slender -limbs. She had hardened herself by outbursts of piety and of resolution; -she had already almost succeeded in forcing herself to laugh when she -longed to weep; but nature resumed its rights. - -When alone, she often wept in spite of herself, involuntarily yearning -for companionship, affection, a mother, a sister, a brother, a smile, a -pleasant word which would assist her to breathe and bloom in a softer -air than that of the chilling gloom of her old manor-house, the -depressing memory of the Borgias, and the political harangues of her -satirical and discontented father. - -Thus a rapid transformation took place in her at Briantes. She became -what she longed to be, what she could not have ceased to be except for a -painful straining of her will, and what nature willed that she should be -once more: a child. - -The marquis, having joyously cast aside the thought of making her his -wife, resolutely treated her as his daughter, taking pleasure in the -idea that she was so young that he could readily, without making himself -out too old, look upon her as Mario's older sister. - -Moreover it happened that his extraordinary coquetry was even better -served by two children than by a single one. Those youthful companions, -whose delicate colors he loved to wear, and whose innocent amusements he -loved to partake, made him younger in his own opinion, to such a degree -that he sometimes persuaded himself that he was a mere boy. - -"There are people who grow old, you see," he would say to Adamas; "I am -not one of that sort, for I enjoy myself only with innocent youth. I -tell you, my friend, I have returned to my golden age, and my ideas are -as pure and joyous as those of the little sweetheart and cherub yonder." - -Thus Lauriane, Mario and the marquis became inseparable, and their days -passed in a constant succession of amusements interspersed with earnest -study and good deeds. - -Lauriane had had no education at all. She knew nothing. She desired to -attend the lessons Jovelin gave Mario in the large salon. She would -listen, embroidering the marquis's crest upon a piece of tapestry; and -when Mario had read or recited his lesson, he would place Lucilio's -written demonstrations on her lap and read them over with her. Lauriane -was amazed to find how readily she understood things that she had -believed to be beyond a woman's intelligence. - -She enjoyed the music lesson exceedingly, and sometimes played the -theorbo prettily while the Moor sang her sweet laments. - -The marquis would lie stretched out in his long chair throughout these -little concerts, gazing at the characters on the _Astrée_ tapestry, and -would doze beatifically, fancying that he saw them move or heard them -sing. - -Lucilio too had his share in this family happiness, which caused him to -forget to some extent the solitude of his heart and his ghastly future. - -The stern yet simple-minded philosopher was not yet too old to love; but -he thought that he ought not to aspire to it, and, after having felt its -ardent flames more than once, he feared that he might fall into some -mere sensual connection, in which his heart would not be included. He -resigned himself therefore to live by devotion to others and to abandon -all illusions finally and absolutely. - -He who had endured imprisonment, exile and poverty, and had undergone -martyrdom, appealed to himself to conquer the craving for happiness as -he had conquered all the rest, and he always emerged tranquillized and -triumphant from these meditations; but triumphant as one is after the -torture: a blending of feverish excitement and prostration, on one side -the heart, on the other the body; a life whose equilibrium is destroyed -and in which the mind can no longer tell in what sort of a world it is. - -And yet Lucilio exaggerated his misfortune to himself. He was beloved, -not by a mind of rare intelligence--that is what he needed, at least he -thought so, to reconcile himself to his tragic destiny--but by a heart. - -Before his learning and his genius, Mercedes was like a rose before the -sun. She drank in its rays without understanding them; but she was -enamored of his gentleness, his courage and his virtue, and her loving -heart was prostrate before him. She did not resist the sentiment, but -cherished it as a religious duty; she said nothing, however, because she -had more fear than hope. - -We must not forget to mention in its place a little domestic revolution -that occurred at the château of Briantes a few days after Monsieur de -Beuvre's departure; for the importance of this seemingly trivial -incident became grievously manifest later to the too happy inmates of -the château. - -Although the younger of the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré was not always -the more child-like, Mario sometimes displayed a mischievous tendency, -especially when, as Adamas expressed it, "he and the little madame had -had their heads together." He was too kind-hearted and affectionate ever -to torment animals or human beings; he never had occasion to reproach -himself for pulling Fleurial's ear or addressing an unpleasant word to -Clindor; but inanimate things did not always inspire in him the respect -that certain of them inspired in the marquis. Of this number were the -little statues from the romance of _Astrée_, which embellished the -gardens of _Isaure_ and the famous labyrinth, and the den of old Mandrague, -by which he had been much entertained at first, but which gradually -began to pall upon him as playthings too utterly devoid of life. - -One day, when he was trying a great wooden sabre which Aristandre had -carved for him, he pretended to threaten with it one of the stucco -personages representing the disguised Filandre, that is to say the -_pretended_ Filandre, because, as everyone knows, resembling his sister -Callirée so closely that it was impossible to distinguish them, he -donned female clothes in order to obtain admission to the private -apartments of the nymph he loved. - -The shepherd was represented in that female disguise, and the artist -employed to mould the figures, trusting to the explicitly alleged -resemblance of the brother and sister, had ventured to spare his -imagination some labor by employing the same model for the two figures -facing each other, with those of Amidor, Daphnis, etc., in the -_rond-point_ of verdure, called the _grove of the errors of love_. - -So, to distinguish the brother from the sister, the marquis had written -on the pedestal of the brother a fragment of the long monologue which -begins thus: "O vainglorious Filandre, who can ever pardon thy fault, -etc.?" - -That crafty individual's face was so stupid, that Mario, while not -precisely hating him, loved to laugh at him and threaten him. He had -previously dealt him several harmless blows; but on this day, seeing -that the challenge he hurled at him amused Lauriane, he aimed a -sword-thrust at him with more force than he intended, and sent poor -Filandre's nose flying to the ground. - -The exploit was no sooner performed than the child regretted it. His -father was as fond of Filandre as of the other shepherds. - -Lauriane, after much searching, found the unfortunate nose in the grass, -and Mario, climbing on the pedestal, stuck it on as well as he could -with clay. But it was frosty weather and the next morning the nose was -on the ground. They stuck it on again; but the disguised Filandre was -such an idiot that he could not keep his nose, and at last the marquis -passed by at a time when he was without it. - -Mario confessed; kind-hearted Sylvain saw his remorse and did not scold -him. But the next day not only was Filandre minus his nose, but his -sister Callirée; and on the next day Filidas and the incomparable Diane -herself were in the same plight. - -This time Bois-Doré was seriously distressed and sorrowfully reproved -his child, who began to weep bitterly, declaring with evident sincerity -that he had never in his life broken off any other nose than the -vainglorious Filandre's. Lauriane also asserted her young friend's -innocence. - -"I believe you, my children, I believe you," said the marquis, dismayed -by Mario's tears. "But why this grief, my son, since you are not the -culprit? Come, come, do not weep any more. I blamed you too hastily; do -not punish me for it by your tears." - -They embraced affectionately, but this massacre of noses was most -surprising, and Lauriane observed to the marquis that some crafty and -evil disposed person must have done it for the purpose of making Mario -guilty in his eyes. - -"That is certain," replied the marquis, thoughtfully. "It is one of the -vilest deeds imaginable, and I would like right well to find the author -of it and condemn him to lose his own nose! I would give him a good -fright, on my word!" - -However, they tried to look upon it as nothing more than a piece of -childish folly, and suspicion fell upon the youngest person in the -château next to Mario. But Clindor displayed such righteous indignation -that the marquis had to apologize to him too. - -On the following day, two or three more noses were missing, and the -indignant Adamas caused a guard to be stationed day and night in the -garden. - -The vandalism ceased, and honest Lucilio, touched by Bois-Doré's -distress, compounded an Italian paste by means of which, with much -patience, he neatly replaced all the noses. - -But who could be the perpetrator of the crime? Adamas suspected; but the -marquis, refusing to believe that anyone in his household was capable of -such infamous conduct, attributed it to some agent of Monsieur Poulain. - -"That hypocrite," he said, "considering us all heathens and idolaters, -probably imagined that we worshipped those statues! And yet, Adamas, -they are all modest and decently dressed, as it is fitting that they -should be in a place where our children go to and fro." - -"I would say with you that it is some villain who very evidently -entertains the detestable desire to cause monsieur le comte to be -scolded. Now, everybody here would lay down his life for him, they all -love him so, except one detestable creature----" - -"No, no, Adamas!" rejoined the generous-hearted marquis. "It is -impossible! It would be too hateful on the part of one of the fair sex." - -They were beginning to forget this momentous affair when something even -more unpleasant occurred. - - -[Footnote 24: Michelet, unpublished letter.] - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE -BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-0.zip b/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 94b6778..0000000 --- a/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-h.zip b/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 62c9d85..0000000 --- a/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-h/69331-h.htm b/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-h/69331-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index d506589..0000000 --- a/old/old/2022-11-12-69331-h/69331-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14047 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html> -<html lang="en"> -<head> -<meta charset="UTF-8"> -<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré -Vol. 01 (of 2), by George Sand.</title> - -<link href="images/cover.jpg" rel="icon" type="image/x-cover"> - -<style> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; - text-indent:4%; -} - -.nind {text-indent:0%;} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - clear: both; -} - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -.blockquote { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -.caption {font-weight: normal; - font-size: 90%; - text-align: right; - padding-bottom: 1em;} - -.caption p -{ - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - margin: 0.25em 0; -} - -.caption p.smaller -{ - font-size: smaller; -} - -.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -.poem { - margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; - text-align: left; -} - -.poem br {display: none;} -.poetry-container { text-align: center; } -.poem { display: inline-block; text-align: left; } -.poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} -.poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 1em; 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 Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré Vol. 01 (of 2), by George Sand</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:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Les beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré Vol. 01 (of 2)</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>The masterpieces of George Sand Vol. 9</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: George Sand</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: G. Burnham Ives</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: H. Atalaya</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 12, 2022 [eBook #69331]</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 LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" alt="500"> -</div> - -<h1>THE MASTERPIECES OF -<br> -GEORGE SAND</h1> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h2>AMANDINE LUCILLE AURORE DUPIN,<br> -BARONESS DUDEVANT</h2> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3>VOLUME IX</h3> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3>LES BEAUX<br> -MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ</h3> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="frontispiece"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/bois01_frontispiece.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE -BREUVE.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"><i>He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she -had placed her feet, and gazed at her speechless. -At last he ventured to take her hands.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h2>The Masterpieces of George Sand<br> -Amandine Lucille Aurore Dupin, Baroness<br> -Dudevant, <i>NOW FOR THE FIRST<br> -TIME COMPLETELY TRANSLATED<br> -INTO ENGLISH LES<br> -BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ<br> -BY G. BURNHAM IVES</i></h2> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3><i>WITH TWELVE PHOTOGRAVURES AFTER PAINTINGS BY<br> -H. ATALAYA.</i></h3> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h3><i>VOLUME I</i></h3> - -<p><br><br></p> - -<h4><i>PRINTED ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS BY<br> -GEORGE BARRIE & SON<br> -PHILADELPHIA</i></h4> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4>CONTENTS</h4> -<p class="nind"> -CHAPTER <a href="#I">I</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#II">II</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#III">III</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#IV">IV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#V">V</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#VI">VI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#VII">VII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#VIII">VIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#IX">IX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#X">X</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XI">XI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XII">XII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XIII">XIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XIV">XIV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XV">XV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XVI">XVI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XVII">XVII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XVIII">XVIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XIX">XIX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XX">XX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXI">XXI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXII">XXII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXIII">XXIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXIV">XXIV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXV">XXV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXVI">XXVI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXVII">XXVII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXVIII">XXVIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXIX">XXIX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXX">XXX</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXI">XXXI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXII">XXXII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXIII">XXXIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXIV">XXXIV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXV">XXXV</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXVI">XXXVI</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXVII">XXXVII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXVIII">XXXVIII</a><br> -CHAPTER <a href="#XXXIX">XXXIX</a></p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -<br> -LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ -<br> -VOLUME I -</h4> - -<p class="nind"> -<a href="#frontispiece">MARIO COMFORTS MADAME DE BEUVRE</a><br> - -<a href="#figure01">MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR</a><br> - -<a href="#figure02">BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS PROTÉGÉ</a><br> - -<a href="#figure03">MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN THE MARQUIS</a><br> - -<a href="#figure04">MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY</a><br> - -<a href="#figure05">THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS AND D'ALVIMAR</a></p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4>LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ</h4> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="I">I</a></h4> - -<p> -Among the numerous protégés of the favorite Concini, one of the least -remarked, yet one of the most remarkable by reason of his wit, -education, and the distinction of his manners, was Don Antonio -d'Alvimar, a Spaniard of Italian origin, who styled himself Sciarra -d'Alvimar. He was a very pretty cavalier, whose face denoted a man of no -more than twenty years, although at that time he confessed to thirty. -Rather short than tall, muscular without seeming to be so, skilful in -all manly exercises, he was certain to interest the ladies by the gleam -of his bright and penetrating eyes and by the charm of his conversation, -which was as light and agreeable with the fair sex as it was solid and -substantial with serious-minded men. He spoke the principal languages of -Europe almost without accent, and was no less versed in the ancient -languages. -</p> -<p> -Despite all these appearances of merit, Sciarra d'Alvimar formed no -scheme for his own advancement amid the constant intriguing at the court -of the Regent; at all events, any that he may have dreamed of came to -nothing. He confessed afterward, in the strictest privacy, that he had -aspired to make himself agreeable to no less a personage than Marie de -Médicis herself, and to replace his own master and patron, Maréchal -d'Ancre, in that queen's good graces. -</p> -<p> -But the <i>balorda</i>, as Leonora Galigai called her, paid no attention to -the humble Spaniard, and saw in him only a paltry adventurer—a -subaltern without future prospects. Did she even notice Monsieur -d'Alvimar's real or feigned passion? That is something that history does -not divulge and that D'Alvimar himself never knew. -</p> -<p> -It is not an unreasonable supposition that he would have been capable of -pleasing the Regent by his wit and the charms of his person, had not her -thoughts been occupied by Concini. The favorite was of even lower -origin, and was not half so intelligent as he. But D'Alvimar had within -himself an obstacle to his attainment of the exalted fortune enjoyed by -the successful courtiers of the day—an obstacle which his ambition -could not overcome. -</p> -<p> -He was a bigoted Catholic, and he had all the faults of the intolerant -Catholics of the Spain of Philip II. Suspicious, restless, vindictive, -implacable, he had abundance of faith nevertheless; but faith without -love and without light, faith falsified by the passions and hatreds of a -political system which identified itself with religion, "to the great -displeasure of the merciful and indulgent God, whose kingdom is not so -much of this world as of the other;" that is to say, if we apprehend -aright the thought of the contemporary author to whom we look for -information from time to time, the God whose conquests are supposed to -extend through the moral world by charity, and not through the material -world by the use of violence. -</p> -<p> -It is impossible to say that France would not have been subjected in -some degree to the régime of the Inquisition, in the event that -Monsieur d'Alvimar had obtained possession of the Regent's heart and -mind; but such was not the case, and Concini, whose sole crime was that -he was not noble enough by birth to be entitled to rob and pillage as -freely as a genuine great nobleman of those days, remained until his -tragic death the arbiter of the Regents uncertain and venal policy. -</p> -<p> -After the murder of the favorite, D'Alvimar, who had compromised himself -seriously in his service in the affair of the <i>Paris serjean</i>,<a id="FNanchor_1_1" href="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> was -compelled to disappear to avoid being involved in the prosecution of -Leonora. -</p> -<p> -He would have been very glad to insinuate himself into the service of -the new favorite, the king's favorite, Monsieur de Luynes, but he could -not bring it about; and, although he had no more scruples than "most -courtiers of his time, he felt that he could not stoop to the shuffling -of the royal party, whose policy was to yield many points to the -Calvinists, whenever they saw reason to hope that they could purchase -the submission of the princes who made use of the Reformed religion to -forward their ambition." -</p> -<p> -When Queen Marie was in open disgrace, Sciarra d'Alvimar considered it -to be for his interest to display his fidelity to her cause. He -reflected that parties are never without resources, and that they all -have their day. Moreover, the queen, even though she were to remain in -exile, might still make the fortunes of her faithful adherents. -Everything is relative, and D'Alvimar was so poor that the gifts of a -royal personage, however nearly ruined she might be, offered an -excellent chance for him. -</p> -<p> -He exerted himself, therefore, to assist in planning the escape from the -château of Blois, even as he had been employed, several years before, -in the third or fourth rôles in the various political dramas evolved -sometimes by the diplomatic manœuvres of Philip III., sometimes by -those of Marie de Médicis, their aim being to bring about <i>the -marriages</i>.<a id="FNanchor_2_1" href="FNanchor_2_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_1" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> -</p> -<p> -This Monsieur d'Alvimar was, generally speaking, sufficiently shrewd in -the interests of others, discreet and ready for work; but he was often -reproached with having a mania for giving his advice "where he should -have been content to follow that of other people," and for exhibiting an -ability of which he should have been content to leave the credit to his -superiors, "being as yet only an unimportant personage." -</p> -<p> -Thus, despite his zeal, he did not succeed in drawing upon himself the -queen mothers attention, and, at the time of Marie's retirement to -Angers, he was lost to sight among the subaltern officers, tolerated -rather than popular. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was touched by these numerous rebuffs. Nothing seemed to -profit him, neither his comely face nor his fine manners, nor his -respectable birth, nor his learning, his penetration, his courage, his -agreeable and instructive conversation: "people did not like him." He -made a pleasant impression at first, but then—very quickly -too—people were disgusted by a touch of bitterness which he soon -displayed; or else they distrusted a flavor of ambition which he -inopportunely allowed to appear. He was neither Spanish enough nor -Italian enough, or, perhaps, he was too much of both: one day as -talkative, persuasive and supple as a young Venetian; the next day as -haughty, obstinate and gloomy as an old Castilian. -</p> -<p> -All his disappointments were intensified by a certain secret remorse -which he did not reveal until his last hour, and which, as the narrative -proceeds, will be forcibly dragged forth from the oblivion in which he -wished to bury it. -</p> -<p> -Despite our careful investigations, we lose sight of him more than once -during the years that elapsed between the death of Concini and the last -year of Luynes's life; with the exception of a few words in our -manuscript concerning his presence at Blois and at Angers, we find no -fact worthy of mention in his obscure and unhappy life until the year -1621, when, while the king was carrying on the siege of Montauban with -such ill success, young D'Alvimar was in Paris, still in the suite of -the queen-mother, who had been reconciled with her son after the affair -of the Ponts-de-Cé. -</p> -<p> -At that time D'Alvimar had renounced the hope of winning her favor, and -perhaps he, too, in his rancorous heart called her <i>balorda</i>, -although for the first time she had given proof of good sense by -bestowing her confidence—and it was said her heart—upon -Armand Duplessis. There was a rival whom D'Alvimar could hardly hope to -outshine! Moreover, the queen, under Richelieu's guidance, adopted the -policy of Henry IV. and Sully. She combated for the moment the Spanish -influence in Germany, and D'Alvimar found himself almost in disgrace, -when, to cap the climax of his misfortunes, he became involved in a most -unpleasant affair. -</p> -<p> -He fell into a dispute with another Sciarra, a Sciarra Martinengo, whom -Marie de Médicis employed much more freely, and who refused to -acknowledge him as a kinsman. They fought: Sciarra Martinengo was -severely wounded, and it came to Marie's ears that Monsieur Sciarra -d'Alvimar had not scrupulously observed the laws of the duello as -practised in France. -</p> -<p> -She summoned him to her presence and reprimanded him most brutally; -whereupon D'Alvimar retorted with the bitterness that had been long -heaping up within him. He succeeded in leaving Paris before measures -were taken for his arrest, and, early in November, arrived at the -château of Ars, in Berry, in the Duchy of Châteauroux. -</p> -<p> -It will be well enough to state the reasons which led him to seek that -place of refuge in preference to any other. -</p> -<p> -About six weeks before his unfortunate duel, Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar -had been brought into social relations with Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, an -amiable and wealthy young man, descended in a straight line from the -gallant Louis d'Ars, who had effected the honorable retreat from -Venouze, in 1504, and was killed at the battle of Pavia. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume d'Ars had been fascinated by D'Alvimar's wit and by the very -great affability of which he was capable when the spirit moved him. He -had not had time to become well enough acquainted with him to conceive -the species of antipathy which the unfortunate young man almost -inevitably inspired, after a few weeks, in those who were much in his -company. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, Monsieur d'Ars was a youth with little experience of the -world, and, as may well be believed, without great penetration. He had -been reared in the provinces, and had just made his first appearance in -Parisian society, when he met D'Alvimar, and became infatuated with him -because of the superior skill which he displayed, on occasion, in -horsemanship, hunting and tennis-playing. Generous and lavish, Guillaume -placed his purse and his arm at the Spaniard's service, and warmly urged -him to visit him at his château in Berry, whither he was recalled by -business of some sort. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar profited discreetly by his new friend's generosity. Although -he had many faults, he could not be accused of showing any lack of pride -in the way of accepting offers of money, and yet God knows that he was -not rich, and that the whole of his slender revenue was none too much to -meet the demands of his wardrobe and his horses. He indulged in no -follies, and, "by the most painstaking economy, succeeded in appearing -as well clad and mounted as many others whose pockets were better lined -than his." -</p> -<p> -But when he found that he was threatened with a criminal prosecution, he -remembered the overtures and invitations of the young Berry squire, and -adopted the wise plan of seeking refuge with him. -</p> -<p> -He judged from what Guillaume had told him of his district, that it was -at that period the most tranquil province in France. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur le Prince de Condé was its governor, and, being thoroughly -content with the fat sum by which he had been bought, he passed his time -partly in his château of Montrond at Saint Amand, partly in his good -city of Bourges, where he was heartily engaged in the king's service, -and even more heartily in that of the Jesuits. -</p> -<p> -This so-called tranquillity of Berry would be considered in our day a -state of civil war, for many things were taking place there which we -shall narrate in their proper time and place; but it was a state of -perfect peace and orderliness if we compare it with what was taking -place elsewhere, and especially with what had taken place in the -preceding century. -</p> -<p> -Thus Sciarra d'Alvimar was justified in hoping that he would not be -molested in one of the old châteaux of lower Berry, where the -Calvinists had attempted no sudden outbreaks for several years, and where -the royalist nobles, former Leaguers, <i>politiques</i> and others, no -longer had the opportunity or the pretext to revictual their men-at-arms -at the expense of their neighbors, friends or foes. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar reached the château of Ars one morning in autumn, about eight -o'clock, accompanied by a single servant, an old Spaniard, who claimed -to be of noble birth, but whom want had reduced to the necessity of -taking service, and who seemed in little danger of betraying his -master's secrets, for he spoke very little—sometimes not three words -a week. -</p> -<p> -Both were well mounted, and, although their horses were laden with heavy -boxes, they had made the journey from Paris in less than seven days. -</p> -<p> -The first person whom they saw in the courtyard of the castle was its -young lord, Guillaume, just mounting for something more than a morning's -ride, for he was attended by several of his retainers, prepared to ride -forth with him—that is to say, with their horses laden with luggage. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! you arrive in the nick of time!" he cried, hastening to embrace -D'Alvimar; "I am just setting out to witness the fêtes to be given by -Monsieur le Prince at Bourges, to celebrate the birth of his son, the -Duc d'Enghien.<a id="FNanchor_3_1" href="FNanchor_3_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_1" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> There will be whole days of dancing and play-acting, -target-shooting, fireworks, and a thousand other amusing things. Now you -have come, I will postpone my departure for a few hours so that you can -go with me. Come into my house, and rest and eat. I will see to it that -you are supplied with a fresh horse, for the one you are riding, well as -he looks, can hardly be in condition to do eighteen more leagues -to-day." -</p> -<p> -When D'Alvimar was alone with his host, he told him confidentially that -he could not dream of attending any public festivities, and that what he -desired of him was not to be taken to any such function, however -diverting, but to be concealed in his château for a few weeks. Nothing -more was needed in those days to assure oblivion touching an affair so -frequent and so simple as death or wounds inflicted on an enemy, whether -in single combat or otherwise. It was merely a matter of securing a -protector at court, and D'Alvimar was relying upon the speedy arrival at -Paris of the Duke of Lerma, whose kinsman he was or claimed to be. The -duke was a personage of sufficient note to obtain his pardon, and even -to place his fortunes upon a better footing than before. -</p> -<p> -Our Spaniard's version of his duel with Sciarra Martinengo—whether he -attempted to explain his having attacked him in violation of the rules, -or claimed to have been slandered in that respect, to Queen Marie as -well as to Monsieur de Luynes—was a matter to which Guillaume d'Ars -paid little heed. Like the loyal gentleman that he was, he had been -fascinated by D'Alvimar, and had no distrust of him. Moreover, he was -much more anxious to start than to remain behind, and it would have been -impossible to surprise him when he was less inclined to discuss any -question whatsoever. -</p> -<p> -So he dismissed the serious part of the affair very lightly, and was -disturbed only by the possibility of being detained another day from the -fêtes at the capital of Berry. Doubtless there was, behind his -impatience, some <i>amourette</i> to be carried to a conclusion. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who saw his embarrassment, urged him to make no change in his -plans, but to suggest some village or farm on his domain where he could -safely remain. -</p> -<p> -"It is my desire to shelter and conceal you in my own château, and not -in a village or a farm-house," Guillaume replied. "And yet I fear you -will be sadly bored in such seclusion, and, upon reflection, I have -thought of a better plan. Eat and drink; then I will myself escort you -to the abode of a kinsman and friend of my own who lives not more than -an hour's ride from here. There you will be as pleasantly entertained -and in as perfect security as possible in our province of Lower Berry. -In four or five days I will come and take you away again." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar would have preferred to remain alone, but, as Guillaume -insisted, courtesy compelled him to assent. He refused to eat or drink, -and, remounting at once, he followed Guillaume d'Ars, who took with him -his retinue all equipped for travelling, as the road they were to take -deviated very slightly from the Bourges road. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_1_1" href="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>Picard the shoemaker, a sergeant in the bourgeois -train-bands, where he possessed great influence. Concini, having -undertaken to disregard an order which Picard compelled him to obey, -caused the sergeant to be cudgelled. The popular wrath was so fierce -that Concini deemed his life in danger and left Paris. Two valets who -had acted for him were hanged.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_2_1" href="Footnote_2_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_1"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>Of Louis XIII. to Anne of Austria, and of Elisabeth, the -young king's sister.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_3_1" href="Footnote_3_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_1"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>Who became the great Condé.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="II">II</a></h4> - -<p> -They left the château by way of the warren, rode through a by-path to -the Bourges highroad, from which they soon turned to the right, and then -through other by-paths to the Château Meillant road, leaving on their -right the baronial town of La Châtre, and finally, leaving the -last-mentioned road, they descended across the fields to the château -and village of Briantes, which was the goal of their journey. -</p> -<p> -As the country was really peaceful, the two gentlemen had ridden on -ahead of their little escort, in order that they might converse without -restraint; and this is how young D'Ars enlightened D'Alvimar: -</p> -<p> -"The friend upon whom I propose to quarter you," he said, "is the most -extraordinary personage in Christendom. You must keep a close watch upon -yourself in order to stifle a wild desire to laugh when you are with -him; but you will be well rewarded for such tolerance as you may display -of his mental peculiarities by the great kindness of heart he will -manifest to everybody he meets. He is so kind-hearted that, if you -should happen to forget his name and ask the first passer-by, noble or -serf, where the <i>kind gentleman</i> lives, he will direct you, and never -make a mistake as to the person you mean. But this requires an -explanation, and, as your horse has no great desire to hurry, and as it -is only nine o'clock at the latest, I propose to entertain you with your -host's story. Listen, I begin! <i>Story of the kind Monsieur de -Bois-Doré</i>! -</p> -<p> -"As you are a foreigner, and have been in France no more than ten years, -you can hardly have met him, because he has been living on his estate -about the same time. Otherwise, you would certainly have remarked, -wherever you might have chanced to see him, the good, mad, gallant, -noble old Marquis de Bois-Doré, to-day lord of Briantes, Guinard, -Validé and other places; also, <i>abbé fiduciaire</i> of Varennes, etc., -etc. -</p> -<p> -"Despite all these titles, Bois-Doré does not belong to the great -nobility of the province, and we are related to him by marriage only. He -is a simple gentleman whom the late King Henri IV. made a marquis solely -through friendship, and who made a fortune, no one very well knows how, -in the wars of the Béarnais. We are compelled to believe that he must -have done more or less sacking and pillaging, as the custom was in those -days, and as is the well recognized privilege of partisan warfare. -</p> -<p> -"I will not attempt to describe Bois-Doré's campaigns; it would take -too long. Let me tell you his family history simply. His father, -Monsieur de——" -</p> -<p> -"Stay," said Monsieur d'Alvimar; "so this Monsieur de Bois-Doré is a -heretic, is he?" -</p> -<p> -"Ah! deuce take it," replied his guide, laughing, "I forgot that you are -a zealot—a genuine Spaniard! We fellows hereabout do not care so much -about these religious disputes. The province has suffered too much -because of them, and we long for the time when France shall suffer no -more. We hope that the king will soon bring all those fanatics of the -South to terms at Montauban. We want them to have a sound thrashing, but -not the cord and the stake to which our fathers would have treated them. -Political parties are not what they used to be, and in our day people -don't damn one another so much as they used. But I see that my remarks -displease you, and I hasten to inform you that Monsieur de Bois-Doré is -to-day as good a Catholic as many others who have never ceased to be -Catholics. On the day when the Béarnais concluded that Paris was well -worth a mass, Bois-Doré concluded that the king could not be in error, -and he abjured the doctrine of Geneva, without publicity, but sincerely, -I think." -</p> -<p> -"Return to the story of Monsieur de Bois-Doré's family," said -D'Alvimar, who did not choose to let his companion see with what -suspicious contempt he regarded new converts. -</p> -<p> -"As you please," replied the young man. "Our marquis's father was the -sturdiest Leaguer in the neighborhood. He was the <i>âme damnée</i> of -Monsieur Claude de la Châtre and the Barbançois; I need say no more. -He had, in the château where he lived, a nice little assortment of -instruments of torture for such Huguenots as he might capture, and did -not hesitate to plant his own vassals on the wooden horse when they -could not pay their dues. -</p> -<p> -"He was so feared and detested by everybody, that he was universally -known as the <i>cheti' monsieur</i>, and with good reason. -</p> -<p> -"His son, now Marquis de Bois-Doré, whose baptismal name is Sylvain, -suffered so heavily from his father's cruel disposition, that he began -at an early age to take an entirely different view of life, and showed -toward his father's prisoners and vassals a gentleness and condescension -that were perhaps too great on the part of a man of war toward rebels -and of a noble toward inferiors; witness the fact that these qualities, -instead of making him popular, caused him to be despised by the -majority, and that the peasants, who are ungrateful and suspicious as a -class, said of him and his father: -</p> -<p> -"'One weighs more than he ought to; the other weighs nothing at all.' -</p> -<p> -"They considered the father a hard man, but of sound understanding, -fearless, and quite capable, after squeezing and tormenting them, of -protecting them against the exactions of the tax-gatherer and the -pillaging of the brutal soldiery; whereas, in their opinion, young -Monsieur Sylvain would allow them to be devoured and trampled upon for -lack of heart and brain. -</p> -<p> -"Now I don't know what it was that passed through Monsieur Sylvain's -brain one fine day, when he was sadly bored at the château; but the -result was that he fled from Briantes, where his good father blushed for -him, and considering him an imbecile, would never permit him to rise -above the station of a page, and joined the moderate Catholics, who were -then called the third party. As you know, that party many a time lent a -hand to the Calvinists; so that, proceeding from one error to another, -Monsieur Sylvain found himself one fine morning a full-fledged Huguenot, -and a close friend and well-beloved servitor of the young king of -Navarre. His father, having learned of it, cursed him, and, to be even -with him, conceived the scheme of marrying in his old age and presenting -him with a brother. -</p> -<p> -"That meant a reduction by one-half of Monsieur Sylvain's already -slender inheritance; for, as a Huguenot, he was in danger of losing his -right of primogeniture, and the <i>cheti' monsieur</i> was not very rich, -his estates having been laid waste many times by the Calvinists. -</p> -<p> -"But observe the young man's natural goodness of heart! Far from being -angry, or even complaining of his father's marriage and the birth of the -child who bit his future crowns in two, he drew himself up proudly when -he heard the news. -</p> -<p> -"'Look you!' he said to his companions. 'Monsieur my father has passed -his sixtieth year, and here he is begetting a fine boy! I tell you -that's good blood, which I trust that I inherit!' -</p> -<p> -"He carried his good-humor farther than that; for, seven years later, -his father having left Berry to join Le Balafré against Monsieur -d'Alençon's expedition, and our soft-hearted Sylvain having heard that -his stepmother was dead, which left the child almost unprotected at the -château of Briantes, he returned secretly to the province, to defend -him at need, and, also, he said, for the pleasure of seeing him and -embracing him. -</p> -<p> -"He passed the whole winter with the little fellow, playing with him and -carrying him in his arms, as a nurse or governess would have done; the -which made the neighbors laugh and think that he was far too -simple-minded—<i>innocent</i>—to use the term they apply to a -man deprived of his reason. -</p> -<p> -"When the stern father returned after the Peace of Monsieur, -ill-pleased, as you can imagine, to see the rebels more generously -rewarded than the friends of the true faith, he flew into a furious rage -against the whole world, even against God Himself, who had allowed his -young wife to die of the plague in his absence. Looking about for -somebody to be revenged upon, he declared that his older son had -returned solely for the purpose of destroying the son of his old age by -witchcraft. -</p> -<p> -"It was a most villainous charge on the old corsair's part, for the -child had never been in better health nor better cared for, and poor -Sylvain was as incapable of an evil design as the child unborn." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume d'Ars had reached this point in his narrative, which had -brought them in sight of Briantes, when a sort of bourgeois maiden, -dressed in black, red and gray, with her dress turned up at the bottom -and cut high at the neck, came toward them, and, approaching young -D'Ars' stirrup, said, with repeated reverences: -</p> -<p> -"Alas! monsieur, I fear that you have come to ask my honored master, the -Marquis de Bois-Doré, to entertain you at dinner. But you will not find -him: he is at La Motte-Seuilly for the day, having given us our liberty -until night." -</p> -<p> -This intelligence was exceedingly annoying to young D'Ars, but he was -too well-bred to allow his annoyance to appear. He instantly determined -what course to pursue, and said, courteously uncovering: -</p> -<p> -"Very well, Demoiselle Bellinde; we will go on to La Motte-Seuilly. A -pleasant walk and <i>bonjour</i>!" -</p> -<p> -Then, to relieve his vexation, he said to Monsieur d'Alvimar, after -pointing out their new direction: -</p> -<p> -"Is she not a most toothsome housekeeper, whose comely aspect gives one -a captivating idea of our dear Bois-Doré's abode?" -</p> -<p> -Bellinde, who overhead this query, which was propounded aloud and in a -jovial tone, bridled up, smiled, and, summoning a little groom by whom -she was escorted as by a page, produced from her flowing sleeves two -small white dogs, which she bade him deposit gently on the turf, as if -to give them exercise, but in reality to have an excuse for facing the -cavaliers, and affording them a longer view of her fine new serge gown -and her plump figure. -</p> -<p> -She was a damsel of some thirty-five years, high-colored, with hair of a -shade approaching red and by no means unpleasant to the eye; for she had -a great quantity of it, and wore it in curls under her cap, to the great -scandal of the ladies of the province, who reproached her for seeking to -rise above her station. But she had a malicious expression, even when -she strove to be agreeable. -</p> -<p> -"Why do you call her Bellinde?" queried D'Alvimar, "Is it a common name -in the province?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! by no means; her name is Guillette Carcot; Monsieur de Bois-Doré -christened her according to his custom. It's a mania of his, which I -will explain to you very soon. I must first tell you the rest of his -story." -</p> -<p> -"It is needless," replied D'Alvimar, stopping his horse. "Despite your -courtesy and the good grace with which you endure disappointment, I see -plainly enough that I am a considerable burden to you. Let us go on to -the château of Briantes, and do you leave me there with a letter to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, introducing me to him. As he is to return -to-night, I will wait for him and rest a little meanwhile." -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" cried Guillaume, "I should prefer to abandon the pleasures of -Bourges, and I should have done so already, were it not for the promise -I have made to some of my friends to be there this evening. But I -certainly will not leave you until I have myself commended you to the -care of an agreeable and faithful friend. La Motte-Seuilly is not a -league away, and there is no need to tire our horses. Let us take our -time. I shall reach Bourges an hour or two later, but in these holiday -times I am sure to find the gates open." -</p> -<p> -And he resumed Bois-Doré's history, to which D'Alvimar hardly listened. -That gentleman was anxious concerning his own safety, and it did not -seem to him that the country through which they were riding was very -well adapted to his plan of lying hidden. -</p> -<p> -It was a flat, open country, where, in case of an unpleasant meeting, it -was hardly possible to find the shelter of a wood, or even of a clump of -trees. The tillage land is too rich there ever to have been wasted in -tree-planting. It is a fine reddish soil, which stretches away in vast, -broadly-undulating fields, melancholy to look upon, although bordered by -lovely hills and strewn with picturesque little castles. -</p> -<p> -Briantes, however, to which our travellers had drawn very near, had -impressed D'Alvimar much more favorably. -</p> -<p> -Within ten minutes' walk of the château, the land suddenly slopes -downward, and leads gradually down into a narrow, well-wooded valley. -</p> -<p> -The château itself cannot be seen until one is on top of it, as they -say in the province; and the expression is quite accurate, for the -slated belfry of its highest tower rises very little above the plateau, -and when, from the plain beyond, you see it gleaming in the rays of the -setting sun, you would say that it was a tiny lantern hung on the brink -of the ravine. -</p> -<p> -Almost the same may be said of the château of La Motte-Seuilly,<a id="FNanchor_4_1" href="FNanchor_4_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_1" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> -which lies below the plain of Chaumois, but in a less charming location -than Briantes; a dull, flat country, instead of a lovely valley. -</p> -<p> -Before reaching the cross-road which leads to the castle, Guillaume had -told his companion in a few words the remaining vicissitudes in the life -of Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré; how his father had attempted to -confine him in his tower, to prevent his returning to the Huguenots; how -the young man had escaped by scaling the walls, and had gone off to join -his dear Henri de Navarre, with whom, after the death of King Henri -III., he had fought nine years; how, finally, having contributed to the -utmost of his ability to place him on the throne, he had returned to -live on his estates, where his tyrant of a father had ceased to live and -drive his neighbors mad. -</p> -<p> -"And what became of his young brother?" queried D'Alvimar, making an -effort to become interested in the narrative. -</p> -<p> -"The young brother is no more," replied D'Ars. "Bois-Doré knew but -little of him, for his father sent him when he was very young to serve -under the Duc de Savoie, and while in his service he met his death in -a——" -</p> -<p> -At this point Guillaume was interrupted once more by an incident which -seemed to annoy D'Alvimar exceedingly, whether because he was beginning -to be interested in his companion's information, or because, being a -Spaniard, he had a marked repugnance for interrupters. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_4_1" href="Footnote_4_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_1"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>Now Feuilly; formerly and successively Seuly, Sully and -Seuilly.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="III">III</a></h4> - -<p> -It was a band of gypsies, who were lying flat in a ditch, and rose at -the approach of the horsemen like a flock of sparrows, causing Monsieur -d'Alvimar's horse to shy. But they were very well tamed sparrows, for, -instead of flying away, they threw themselves almost under the legs of -the horses, jumping, yelling and holding out their hands in a piteous -and hypocritical way. -</p> -<p> -It did not occur to Guillaume to do anything else than laugh at their -strange actions, and he bestowed alms on them very generously; but -D'Alvimar was extraordinarily surly, and said again and again, -threatening them with his whip: -</p> -<p> -"Away! away! away from me, canaille!" -</p> -<p> -He went so far as to attempt to strike a lad who was clinging to his -boot, with the look, at once mocking and imploring, of children trained -to the trade of begging on the highway. He avoided the whip, and -Guillaume, who was riding behind, saw him pick up a stone, which he -would have hurled at D'Alvimar, if another boy, somewhat older than he, -had not caught his arm, scolding and threatening him. -</p> -<p> -But the incident did not end there: a small woman, of not unattractive -appearance, albeit sadly faded and poorly dressed, seized the child, -and, speaking to him as if she were his mother, pushed him toward -Guillaume, then ran after D'Alvimar, holding out her hand, but at the -same time gazing at him as if she wished never to forget his face. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, with increasing irritation, urged his horse toward the woman, -and would have ridden her down had she not quickly stepped aside; he -even put his hand to the butt of one of the pistols in his holsters, as -if he would readily have fired on one of those wretched beasts of -idolaters. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon the gypsies exchanged glances, and drew together as if to -consult. -</p> -<p> -"<i>Avanti</i>! <i>avanti</i>!" Guillaume shouted to D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -He loved to use Italian words, to show that he had been to the -queen-mother's court; or perhaps he fancied that an <i>i</i> at the end of -a word was sufficient to make it unintelligible to those gypsies. -</p> -<p> -"Why <i>avanti</i>?" said D'Alvimar, declining to urge his horse. -</p> -<p> -"Because you have irritated yonder blackbirds. See! they are crowding -together like cranes in distress; and, faith! there are a score of them -and only seven of us." -</p> -<p> -"How now, my dear Guillaume! Can it be that you have any fear of those -feeble, cowardly animals?" -</p> -<p> -"I am not accustomed to fear," replied the young man, slightly piqued, -"but it would be exceedingly distasteful to me to fire on the poor, -ragged wretches; and I am surprised that they have roused your temper -so, when it would have been a very simple matter to rid yourself of them -with a little small change." -</p> -<p> -"I never give to such people," said Sciarra D'Alvimar, in a short dry -tone, which surprised the good-humored Guillaume. -</p> -<p> -The latter felt that his companion had what we should call to-day an -attack of the nerves, and he abstained from reproving him. But he -insisted on quickening their pace, for the gypsies, running faster than -the horses trotted, followed them, and even went before them, divided -into two bands, one on each side of the road. -</p> -<p> -They had not a hostile air, however, and it was difficult to guess what -their purpose was in escorting the horsemen thus. -</p> -<p> -They talked among themselves in an unintelligible jargon, and seemed, -one and all, intent upon watching the woman at their head. -</p> -<p> -The child whom Monsieur d'Alvimar had tried to strike with his whip -trotted along beside Monsieur d'Ars, as if he relied upon his -protection, and seemed to take great interest in this extraordinary -race. Guillaume noticed that the little fellow was less black and less -dirty than the others, and that his refined and attractive features bore -no racial resemblance to those of the gypsies. -</p> -<p> -If he had paid the same attention to the woman whom D'Alvimar had -insulted and threatened, he would have noticed also that, while she did -not resemble the child in the slightest degree, she resembled no more -her other companions in misery. Her bearing was noble and less rough. -She was clearly not of European race, although she wore the costume of a -mountaineer of the Pyrenees. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure01"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure01.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MERCEDES ENCOUNTERS D'ALVIMAR.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>She walked boldly by his side, no longer trying -to beg from him, nor with any appearance of threatening -him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -The most surprising fact was that, while she had understood perfectly -the movement which Sciarra made to draw his pistol, and despite the -natural cowardliness of beggars and mountebanks of that species, she -walked boldly by his side, no longer trying to beg from him, nor with -any appearance of threatening him, but watching him constantly with the -closest attention. -</p> -<p> -Her conduct seemed downright insolent to D'Alvimar, and he was on the -verge of listening to the promptings of his capricious and violent -temper. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume saw that such was the case, and, being apprehensive of some -unpleasant outbreak, and of being obliged to take sides with the -overbearing gentleman against the inoffensive canaille, he urged his -horse between Sciarra and the little woman, motioned to her to stop, and -said to her, half-laughing, half-serious: -</p> -<p> -"Would you deign to tell us, queen of the genesta and the heather, -whether it is to put shame upon us or to do us honor that you follow us -in this way, and whether we should be pleased or displeased at the -ceremony with which you treat us?" -</p> -<p> -The Egyptian—these nomadic hordes of unknown origin were called -Egyptians or Bohemians indifferently in those days—shook her head and -motioned to the boy who had taken the stone from the child's hand. -</p> -<p> -He walked toward them, and, pointing to the silent woman, said, with an -impudent manner, but in a wheedling tone, speaking French with no marked -accent: -</p> -<p> -"Mercedes doesn't understand your lordships' language. I always speak -for those of our people who can't make themselves understood." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! yes," said Guillaume, "you are the orator of the tribe; what is -your name, Master Impertinent?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>La Flèche</i>, at your service. I have the honor to have been born a -Frenchman, in the town of which I bear the name." -</p> -<p> -"The honor is on France's side, assuredly! Now, then, Master La Flèche, -tell your comrades to let us go our way in peace. I have given you -enough for a man who is travelling, and to make us swallow your dust is -not the way to thank me for it. Adieu, and leave us, or, if you have -some further request to make, do it quickly, for we are in a hurry." -</p> -<p> -La Flèche rapidly translated Guillaume's words to her whom he called -Mercedes, and who seemed to be treated with peculiar deference by -himself as well as by all the others. -</p> -<p> -She replied with a few words in Spanish, whereupon La Flèche said to -D'Ars: -</p> -<p> -"This worthy woman humbly requests your lordships' names, so that she -may pray for you." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume laughed. -</p> -<p> -"That is an amusing request," he said. "Advise this worthy woman, friend -La Flèche, to pray for us without knowing our names. The good Lord -knows us well, and we can tell him nothing about ourselves that he does -not know better than we do." -</p> -<p> -La Flèche saluted humbly with his dirty cap, and our travellers, -spurring their steeds, soon left the gypsies behind. -</p> -<p> -"By the way," said D'Alvimar to Guillaume, as the bell-tower of La -Motte-Seuilly appeared on the horizon, "you have not told me where you -are going. Does that château belong to another of your friends who -would, doubtless, think me an intruder?" -</p> -<p> -"Yonder château is the home of a young and lovely woman, who lives -there with her father, and they will both receive you courteously. They -will keep you until evening, not only in order not to be deprived of the -company of Monsieur de Bois-Doré, whom they esteem very highly, but -also to prove to you that we are not savages in our poor country -province, and that we know how to practise hospitality in the old French -way." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar replied that he had no manner of doubt of it, and succeeded in -making some other courteous remarks to his companion, for no man was -ever better taught; but his bitter thoughts soon turned to another -subject. -</p> -<p> -"According to what you have told me of this Bois-Doré, my host that is -to be," he said, "he is an old mannikin, I should judge, whose vassals -enjoy themselves to their hearts' content?" -</p> -<p> -"No," replied Monsieur d'Ars. "Those gypsies interrupted me. I was -about to tell you that, when he returned to the country, wealthy and -bemarquised, people were surprised to find that he was as brave as a -lion, despite his mild aspect, and that, while he had some laughable -foibles, he also had some Christian virtues which are a very comfortable -possession for a man." -</p> -<p> -"Do you reckon temperance and chastity among your Christian virtues?" -</p> -<p> -"Why not, I pray you?" -</p> -<p> -"Because that housekeeper with the glowing mane, whom we saw at the gate -of his domain, seemed to me something lusty for so demure a man." -</p> -<p> -"Evil to him who evil thinks!" rejoined Guillaume, with a smile. "I -would not take my oath that our marquis was altogether insensible to the -cajoleries of Queen Catherine's maids of honor; but that was a long -while ago! I am strongly of the opinion that you could tell Bellinde -about it without offending her or causing her pain. But here we are. I -need not tell you that such subjects are not in season here. Our fair -widow, Madame de Beuvre, is no prude, but at her age and in her -position——" -</p> -<p> -Our friends rode over the drawbridge, which, in view of the tranquil -state of the province, was lowered all day; the portcullis was closed. -</p> -<p> -Thus they rode, without hindrance or ceremony, into the courtyard of the -manor, where they dismounted. -</p> -<p> -"One moment!" said Sciarra d'Alvimar to Guillaume, as they were about to -enter the house; "do not, I beg you, mention my name here, on account of -the servants." -</p> -<p> -"Neither here nor elsewhere," Monsieur d'Ars replied. "You have almost -no foreign accent; so there is no need to say that you are Spanish. For -which of my friends in Paris do you wish me to pass you off?" -</p> -<p> -"I should be sadly embarrassed to play a rôle other than my own. I -prefer to remain almost myself, and simply to assume one of my family -names. I will be a Villareal, if you choose, and as an explanation of my -flight from Paris——" -</p> -<p> -"You can talk confidentially with the marquis, and arrange matters as -you choose. There is nothing for me to do but to tell him how dear a -friend of mine you are; that you are running away from some persecution -or other; and that I beg him to take as good care of you as he would of -myself." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="IV">IV</a></h4> - -<p> -The château of La Motte-Seuilly,—that name finally carried the -day,—which is still standing and almost intact to-day, is a small -manor-house consisting of a hexagonal entrance tower, purely feudal in -style, of a main building, very plain, with windows far apart, and of -two wings at right angles thereto, one of which is a donjon. In the left -wing are the stables, with arched ceilings and heavy timbers, the -kitchens and the servants' quarters; in the other, the chapel with its -ogival windows, of the time of Louis XII., spans a short open gallery, -supported by two heavy pillars surrounded by mouldings in relief, like -huge tree-trunks in the embrace of creeping plants. -</p> -<p> -This gallery leads to the large tower or donjon, which, like the -entrance tower, dates from the twelfth century. The rooms within are -circular, decorated very simply but very prettily with columns set in -claw-shaped pedestals. The winding staircase, which is in a small tower -built against the larger one, leads to one of those old-fashioned -<i>charpentes</i>, cunningly and boldly fashioned, which are to this day -considered objects of art. -</p> -<p> -This one bore, at the centre of its radiating spokes, a <i>chevalet</i> or -wooden horse, an instrument of torture, the use of which was regulated -in cold blood by ordinance as late as 1670. This horrible machine dates -from the construction of the building, for it is built into the -<i>charpente</i>. -</p> -<p> -It was in this poor, cramped, dismal manor that the beautiful Charlotte -d'Albret, wife of the ill-omened Cæsar Borgia, passed fifteen years and -died, still quite young, after a life of sorrow and sanctity. -</p> -<p> -Everyone knows that the infamous cardinal, the pope's bastard, the -incestuous, blood-stained debauchee, the lover of his sister Lucretia, -and the murderer of his own brother and rival, divested himself of the -dignities of the church one fine day, to seek fortune and a wife in -France. -</p> -<p> -Louis XII. desired to break off his own marriage with Jeanne, daughter -of Louis XI., in order to marry Anne de Bretagne. The pope's assent was -required. He obtained it on condition that he should give the duchy of -Valentinois and the hand of a princess to the bastard—the brigand -cardinal. -</p> -<p> -Charlotte d'Albret, a lovely, pure and learned maiden, was sacrificed; a -few months later she was abandoned and looked upon as a widow. -</p> -<p> -She purchased this dismal castle and took up her abode there to educate -her daughter.<a id="FNanchor_5_1" href="FNanchor_5_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_1" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Her only external pleasure was an occasional journey to -Bourges, to see her mysterious companion in misfortune, Jeanne de -France, the cast-off queen, who had become the Duchesse de Berry and the -foundress of the <i>Annonciade</i>. -</p> -<p> -But Jeanne died, and Charlotte, then twenty-four years old, put on -mourning, which she never laid aside, and did not leave La Motte-Seuilly -again until her own death, which occurred nine years later—in 1514. -</p> -<p> -Her body was taken to Bourges and buried beside Jeanne's, to be exhumed, -insulted and burned by the Calvinists half a century later, together -with that of the other poor saint. Her body rested in peace somewhat -longer in the rustic chapel of La Motte-Seuilly, under a pretty monument -which her daughter erected to her. -</p> -<p> -But it was written that no earthly trace of that melancholy destiny -should be respected. In 1793 the peasants, venting upon that tomb the -hatred they bore their lord, burned it to the ground, and its débris -lie scattered over the pavement to-day. The statue of Charlotte is -propped against the wall, broken in three pieces. The chapel, utterly -neglected, is crumbling to decay. The victim's heart was in all -probability sealed up in a gold or silver casket: what has become of it? -Sold perhaps at a low price; perhaps simply hidden away or buried, in -consequence of a sudden return of fear or devotion, that poor heart may -be reposing in some village hovel, unknown to its new occupant, under -the hearthstone, or under the briar hedge. -</p> -<p> -To-day the castle, restored in some degree, brightens up a little in the -sunlight, which finds its way into the gravelled courtyard through a -great breach in the wall. The water from the ancient moats, fed, I -believe, by a spring near by, flows in a charming little stream through -the newly laid out English garden. -</p> -<p> -The enormous yew, which dates from the time of Charlotte d'Albret, rests -its venerable, drooping branches on blocks of stone, arranged with pious -care to support its monumental decrepitude. A few flowers and a solitary -swan cast a sort of melancholy smile about the sorrowful manor-house. -</p> -<p> -The outlook is still gloomy; the landscape most depressing; the tower of -sinister aspect—and yet an artistic generation loves these dismal -abodes, these old, desolate nests, solid structures of a stern and -bitter past of which the common people know nothing, which they had -forgotten as early as 1793, since they shattered poor Charlotte's tomb -and left untouched the triumphant wooden horse of La Motte-Seuilly. -</p> -<p> -At the time of our narrative, the manor-house, closed on all sides, was -at once more dismal and more comfortable than to-day. People lived in -the cold obscurity of those little fortresses; therefore, they must have -been able to make themselves comfortable in them. -</p> -<p> -The huge fireplaces, all sheathed in cast-iron at the back, filled the -vast apartments with an intense heat. The former hangings on the walls -were replaced by felt paper of extraordinary thickness and beauty; -instead of our pretty Persian curtains, which quiver in the draughts -from the windows, were heavy folds of damask, or, in more modest -dwellings, of wadded silk, that lasted fifty years. On the sandstone -floors of corridors and living-rooms were rugs of a new kind, made of -wool, cotton, flax and hemp. -</p> -<p> -Very handsome marquetry floors were made in those days, and in the -central provinces people ate from lovely Nevers porcelain, while the -sideboards were resplendent with those curious goblets of colored glass, -used only on grand occasions, and representing fanciful monuments, -plants, vessels or animals. -</p> -<p> -Thus, despite the modest appearance of the exterior of the wing set -aside for the apartments of the masters—for the nobles had already -ceased to live near the roofs of their old feudal donjons—Monsieur -d'Alvimar found an attractive interior, neat and not unrefined, which -denoted genuine ease, at least, if not great wealth. -</p> -<p> -La Motte-Seuilly had passed, by the marriage of Louis Borgia, into the -family of La Trémouille, to which Monsieur de Beuvre belonged through -his mother. -</p> -<p> -He was a rough and gallant gentleman, who never hesitated to promulgate -his opinions and beliefs. His only daughter, Lauriane, had married, at -the age of twelve, her cousin Hélyon de Beuvre, aged sixteen. -</p> -<p> -The two children had been kept apart, with the greater ease in that the -province was suddenly stirred by a commotion in which Messieurs de -Beuvre felt that they were in duty bound to take part. They left La -Motte on the very day of the marriage, to go to the succor of the -Duchesse de Nevers, who had declared for the Prince de Condé, and who -was besieged in her good city by Monsieur de Montigny—François de la -Grange. -</p> -<p> -While making a bold attempt to force his way into Nevers, under the eyes -of the Catholics, young Hélyon was killed. On his return from that -campaign, therefore, Monsieur de Beuvre had the painful task of -informing his darling daughter that she had passed without transition -from the state of a virgin to that of a widow. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane<a id="FNanchor_6_1" href="FNanchor_6_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_1" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> wept bitterly for her young cousin. But can a maiden weep -incessantly at twelve years of age? And then her father gave her such a -lovely doll!—a doll with a dress of cloth of silver, and red velvet -slippers pinked like a crab's tail! And then, when she was fourteen, he -gave her such a pretty little horse, from Monsieur le Prince's own stud! -And then, too, Lauriane, who, at the time of her marriage, was only a -pale, slender chit, became at fifteen a dainty blonde, so graceful and -rosy and lovable, that there was no great danger that she would remain a -widow. -</p> -<p> -But she was so happy with her father, and reigned so absolutely in the -little château he had given her by way of dowry, that she felt in no -manner of haste to enter the marriage state a second time. Was she not -called <i>madame</i>? And is not the childish desire to be so called one of -the most potent reasons which induce young girls to marry?—that and -the gifts and the fêtes and the wedding trousseau? -</p> -<p> -"I have already had all the joys and all the sorrows of married life," -Lauriane would say artlessly. -</p> -<p> -And yet, although he had a considerable fortune, managed by him with -great prudence, to which his retired life enabled him to add materially, -Monsieur de Beuvre did not find it a simple matter to arrange a second -marriage for his daughter. -</p> -<p> -He had embraced the cause of the Reformed religion at the moment that -that cause, drained of men and of money, had no other alternative in our -provinces than to keep in the shadow and obtain toleration. -</p> -<p> -Everybody in his neighborhood was a Catholic, or pretended to be; for, -in Berry, Calvinism had only a single moment of power and a single real -stronghold. But -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>The year fifteen sixty-two</i></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -when -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>Bourges lacked priests and beggars too</i>,</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -was already far away, and Sancerre, the <i>troublesome mountain</i>, had -its walls razed to the ground. -</p> -<p> -The Berrichon character naturally inclines neither to persecution nor -fanaticism; and, after a moment of surprise and agitation, when the -passions of those outside their borders had intoxicated the common -people and the bourgeoisie, they had fallen back under the influence of -that fear of the great, which is the unchanging foundation of the -politics of that province. -</p> -<p> -The great men, for their part, had sold their submission, in accordance -with their invariable custom. Condé had become a zealous Catholic. -Monsieur de Beuvre, who had first served the father, then lost his own -son-in-law in the son's cause, was, naturally enough, altogether in -disgrace, and appeared no more at Bourges. Jesuits had been sent to him -by the prince, to urge him to make solemn abjuration. -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre was no fanatic in religious matters. He had yielded to -political passions when he embraced the Lutheran faith, and he realized -that he had made a mistake so far as his fortunes were concerned. He was -too recent a convert to make it worth their while to purchase him. They -contented themselves with attempting to intimidate him, and it had been -hinted to him most adroitly that he could not find a husband for his -daughter in the province if he persisted in his heresy. Having held his -head proudly erect before their threats, he had felt somewhat shaken at -the idea of Lauriane remaining a widow and her patrimony falling to -another branch of the family. -</p> -<p> -But Lauriane had prevented him from giving way. Reared by him as a very -lukewarm adherent of the Protestant religion, she was only partially -instructed in its doctrines, and freely mingled the ceremonies and -prayers of both forms of worship in her heart. -</p> -<p> -She did not go to the meeting-house over the long, wretched roads at -Issoudun or Linières, and when she passed a Catholic church, she did -not leap with indignation at the sound of the bell. But she sometimes -displayed beneath her smiling, childlike sweetness the germs of an -intense pride; and when she saw how her father suffered at the -humiliating thought of public abjuration, she came to his assistance -with surprising energy, saying to the Jesuits from Bourges: -</p> -<p> -"It is of no use for you to seek to convert me with the bait of a -handsome Catholic husband, for I have sworn in my heart that I will -rather belong to a detestable husband of my own communion." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_5_1" href="Footnote_5_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_1"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>Louise Borgia, afterward married to Louis de Trémouille, -and later to Philippe de Bourbon-Busset.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_6_1" href="Footnote_6_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_1"><span class="label">[6]</span></a>Saint Laurian was one of the saints held in highest honor -in Berry.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="V">V</a></h4> - -<p> -Only a few weeks had elapsed since the visit of the Jesuits to La -Motte-Seuilly, when Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar appeared there, -introduced by Guillaume d'Ars. They were received by the father and the -daughter, Monsieur de Bois-Doré having gone out to shoot a hare with -Monsieur de Beuvre's keeper. -</p> -<p> -This was a fresh disappointment to Guillaume, who found himself delayed -again and again, and was beginning to despair of reaching Bourges that -day. -</p> -<p> -Sciarra d'Alvimar conducted himself with much charm of manner, and, from -the first words he uttered, De Beuvre, who was familiar with social -usages, not because he had seen much of Paris, but because he had -frequented the petty provincial courts, where there was as much state -and ceremony as at the king's own court, saw that he had to do with a -man accustomed to the best society. -</p> -<p> -As for D'Alvimar, who was deeply impressed by Lauriane's youth and -grace, he took her for a younger daughter of Monsieur de Beuvre, and -still awaited the appearance of the widow of whom D'Ars had spoken. -</p> -<p> -Not for some time did he realize that that lovely child was the mistress -of the house. -</p> -<p> -In those days dinner was served at ten in the morning, and Guillaume, -having gone out to the fields in quest of the marquis, returned to take -leave. -</p> -<p> -"I have told the marquis," he said to Sciarra; "he is coming in; he has -promised solemnly to be your host and your friend until my return. So I -leave you in good company, and I shall do my best to make up for lost -time." -</p> -<p> -They tried in vain to keep him to dinner. He departed, having kissed the -fair Lauriane's hand, pressed his good neighbor Monsieur de Beuvre's, -and embraced D'Alvimar, swearing that he would return to Briantes before -the end of the week to take him to his château of Ars, and keep him -there as long as possible. -</p> -<p> -"Now," said Monsieur de Beuvre to D'Alvimar, "give the châtelaine your -hand and let us to the table. Do not be surprised if we do not wait for -our friend Bois-Doré. He is accustomed to spend an hour over his -toilet, even when he has hunted less than fifteen minutes; and not for -anything in the world would he appear before a lady—even this -lady, who is like his own child in his eyes, for he saw her at her -birth—without having washed and perfumed, and changed his clothing -from head to foot. That is his whim, and there is no great harm in it. -We stand on no ceremony with him, and we should offend him by delaying -our repast to await his coming." -</p> -<p> -"Should I not," said D'Alvimar, when he had been seated at the upper end -of the table, "go and present my respects to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in -his apartments, before taking my place at the table?" -</p> -<p> -"No," laughed Lauriane, "you would vex him terribly by surprising him at -his toilet. Do not ask us why; you will understand for yourself as soon -as you see him." -</p> -<p> -"Moreover," added Monsieur de Beuvre, "except by reason of your youth, -you owe him no attentions, for in his capacity of <i>fiduciary</i> host he -is called upon to make all the advances. And I will undertake the duty of -presenting you to him, Monsieur d'Ars having requested me to do so." -</p> -<p> -In referring to D'Alvimar's youth, Monsieur de Beuvre fell into the -error which his appearance caused at first sight. -</p> -<p> -Although he was at this time close upon forty, he seemed less than -thirty, and it may be that Monsieur de Beuvre mentally compared his -temporary guest's comely face with that of his dear Lauriane. It was his -constant thought to find for her some husband, outside the province, who -would not demand a solemn abjuration. -</p> -<p> -The worthy gentleman did not know that the Jesuits already reigned -everywhere, and that Berry was one of the provinces which were least -affected by their propaganda. -</p> -<p> -Nor did he know that D'Alvimar was in his heart a perfect knight of the -blessed Dame Inquisition. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume, wishing to assure his friend a cordial welcome, was very -careful not to describe him as too sensitive in his orthodoxy. Himself a -Catholic, but extremely tolerant in his views and by no means a devout -believer, like most of the young men of fashion, he had not, in -introducing him to the master of the house, or in commending him to -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, touched at all upon the religious questions to -which those gentlemen attached little more weight in their ordinary -relations than D'Ars himself. But he had informed Monsieur de Beuvre, -briefly, that Monsieur de Villareal—the name they had agreed -upon—was of good family—that fact was certain—and in a -fair way to make his fortune, which Guillaume believed to be true, for -Monsieur D'Alvimar concealed his poverty with all the pride of which a -Spaniard is capable in that direction. -</p> -<p> -The first course was served with the characteristic moderation of -Berrichon servants, and discussed with the premeditated moderation of -well-bred people who do not choose to be considered gluttons. -</p> -<p> -This patient deglutition, the long pauses between every mouthful, the -host's anecdotes between the courses, are still esteemed the elements of -good breeding among the old men in Berry. The peasants of our day have -carried the same theory still farther, and, when you break bread with -them, you can be certain of remaining three full hours at the table, -though there be nothing upon it but a bit of cheese and a bottle of sour -wine. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, whose active and restless mind could not fall asleep in the -joys of eating, took advantage of Monsieur de Beuvre's stately -mastication to talk with his daughter, who ate quickly and sparingly, -paying more attention to her father and her guest than to herself. -</p> -<p> -He was surprised to find so much wit in a country girl who had never -gone beyond the limits of her own domain, save for one or two trips to -Bourges and Nevers. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was not very well cultivated, and it may be that she could not -have written a long letter without making mistakes in grammar; but she -talked well, and, by dint of listening while her father and his -neighbors discussed the affairs of the time, she was familiar with -history, and accurate in her judgment thereof, from the reign of Louis -XII. and the first religious wars. -</p> -<p> -However, as she gloried in her descent from Charlotte d'Albret, as that -martyr's memory was in her eyes worthy of reverence and was revered by -her, she had no occasion to let D'Alvimar see that she was a heretic; -moreover, the laws of civility of that period ordained that people -should never discuss their own religious beliefs without adequate cause, -even when they were of the same communion; for the shades of belief were -without number, and controversy was rampant everywhere. -</p> -<p> -In addition to her delicate tact and great good sense, there was a -flavor of frankness and mischief in her wit, a purely Berrichon -combination, the result of a blending of two contrary qualities being a -decidedly original way of looking at things and of speaking. She was of -the province where the truth is told with a smile on the lips, and where -everyone knows that he is understood without having to lose his temper. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who was overbearing rather than affable, and more vindictive -than sincere, felt somewhat abashed in presence of that young woman, nor -had he any very clear conception of the cause of that feeling. -</p> -<p> -At times it seemed to him that she divined his character, his past life, -or his recent adventure, and that her manner seemed to say to him: -</p> -<p> -"For all that, we are none the less hospitable folk, ready to entertain -you." -</p> -<p> -At last the time arrived to serve the joint, and, amid a great banging -of doors and clashing of plates, Monsieur de Bois-Doré appeared, -preceded by a diminutive retainer richly costumed, whom under his breath -he called his page, as if to justify this verse, which, however, had not -yet appeared to bring ridicule upon his like: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2"><i>Every marquis must have pages</i>,</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -and in contravention of the royal ordinances, which allowed pages only -to princes and to the very greatest noblemen. -</p> -<p> -Despite his habitual dejection and his present discomfort, D'Alvimar had -difficulty in restraining his laughter at the appearance of his -<i>fiduciary</i> host. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur Sylvain de Bois-Doré had been one of the handsome men of his -time. Tall, well-made, black hair, white skin, magnificent eyes, fine -features, physically strong and active, he had won the favor of many -ladies, but had never inspired a violent or lasting passion. It was the -fault of his own fickleness and of the sparing use he made of his own -emotions. -</p> -<p> -Boundless charity, a loyalty that was most remarkable when we consider -the time and his environment, princely lavishness when fortune chanced -to smile upon him, a stoical philosophy in his hours of ill-luck, with -all the amiable and free-and-easy qualities of the adventurous champions -of the Béarnais, did not suffice to make an impassioned hero of the -type that was popular in his youthful days. -</p> -<p> -It was an epoch of excitement and bloodshed, when love-making needed a -little ferocity in order to become romantic attachment; and Bois-Doré, -apart from actual battle, wherein he bore himself valiantly, was -disgustingly kind and gentle. He had never murdered a husband or -brother; he had poniarded no rival in the arms of an unfaithful -mistress; Javotte or Nanette readily consoled him for the treachery of -Diane or Blanche. And so, notwithstanding his taste for romances of -pastoral life and of chivalry, he was considered to have a paltry mind -and a lukewarm heart. -</p> -<p> -He was the more readily reconciled to being tricked and cozened by the -ladies, in that he had never noticed it. He knew that he was handsome, -generous and brave; his adventures were brief but numerous; his heart -craved friendship rather than wild passion; and by his discretion and -his gentle manners he had earned the privilege of remaining everybody's -friend. He had been quite happy, therefore, without exerting himself to -be adored, and, to speak frankly, he had loved all the ladies more or -less without adoring any one of them. -</p> -<p> -He might have been accused of egotism, had it been possible to reconcile -such an accusation with the other one freely brought against him, of -being too kind and too humane. He was in some measure a caricature of -the good Henri, whom many called an ingrate and a traitor, but whom one -and all loved none the less after they had come in contact with him. -</p> -<p> -But time had moved on, and that was a fact which Monsieur de Bois-Doré -had not deigned to perceive. His supple frame had hardened and -stiffened, his shapely legs had withered, the hair had receded from his -noble brow, his great eye was surrounded with wrinkles as the sun is -with rays, and of all his vanished youth he had retained naught save the -teeth, somewhat long, but still white and even, with which he -ostentatiously cracked nuts at dessert in order to draw attention to -them. Indeed it was a common remark among his neighbors that he was much -annoyed if they forgot to place some nuts on the table before him. -</p> -<p> -When we say that Monsieur de Bois-Doré had not observed the inroads of -time, it is simply another way of expressing his perfect satisfaction -with himself; for it is certain that he saw that he was growing old, and -that he fought against the effect of advancing years with valiant -determination. I believe that the utmost energy of which he was capable -was put forth in that struggle. -</p> -<p> -When he saw that his hair was turning white and falling out, he made the -journey to Paris for the sole purpose of ordering a wig from the best -artist in wigs. Wigmaking was becoming an art; but the investigators of -details have informed us that at least sixty pistoles were required to -obtain one with a white silk parting, and the hairs inserted one by one. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré was not deterred by that trifling sum, for he was -a rich man, and could well afford to expend twelve to fifteen hundred -francs of our money upon a semi-ceremonious costume, and five or six -thousand upon a full dress-coat. He hastened to provide himself with a -stock of wigs: first he fell in love with a flaxen mane, which was -wonderfully becoming to him, according to the wigmaker. Bois-Doré, who -had never before seen himself as a blond, was beginning to believe it, -when he tried on one of a chestnut hue, which, still according to the -dealer, was no less becoming than the other. The two were of the same -price: but Bois-Doré tried on a third, which cost ten crowns more, and -which caused the dealer's enthusiasm to overflow: that was really the -only one, he said, which brought out Monsieur le marquis's fine points. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré thought of the time when the ladies used to say that it was -very unusual to see hair as black as his with so white a skin. -</p> -<p> -"This wigmaker must be right," he thought. -</p> -<p> -But, standing before the mirror a few moments, he was surprised to see -that that dark mane gave him a harsh, savage air. -</p> -<p> -"It is astonishing how it changes me," he said to himself. "However, -this is my natural color. In my youth my appearance was as mild as it is -now. My thick black hair never gave me this cutthroat look." -</p> -<p> -It did not occur to him that all things harmonize in the operations of -nature, whether it is putting us together or taking us apart, and that -with the gray hair his appearance was as it should be. -</p> -<p> -But the wigmaker told him so many times that he looked no more than -thirty years old with that lovely wig, that he purchased it, and at once -ordered another, for economy's sake, as he said, in order to save the -first one. -</p> -<p> -However, he changed his mind the next day. He considered that he looked -older than before with that youthful head, and all the friends whom he -consulted shared that opinion. -</p> -<p> -The wigmaker explained to him that the hair, eyebrows and beard must be -made to correspond, and he sold him the dye. But thereupon, Bois-Doré -found that his face was so deathly pale amid those blotches of ink, that -it was necessary to explain to him that he would require rouge. -</p> -<p> -"It would seem," he said, "that when you begin to resort to artificial -methods, you can never stop?" -</p> -<p> -"That is the general rule," replied the rejuvenator; "choose whether you -will be old or appear old?" -</p> -<p> -"But am I old, pray?" -</p> -<p> -"No, since you can still appear to be young by the use of my receipts." -</p> -<p> -From that day Bois-Doré wore a wig; eyebrows, moustaches and beard -painted and waxed; chalk on his nose; rouge on his cheeks; fragrant -powders in every fold of his wrinkles; and, lastly, perfumes and -scent-bags all over his person; so that, when he left his room, you -could smell him in the poultry-yard; and if he simply passed the kennel, -all his coursing dogs sneezed and made wry faces for an hour. -</p> -<p> -When he had thoroughly succeeded in making an absurd old automaton out -of the handsome old man he had been, he took measures to spoil his -figure, which had the dignity befitting his years, by having his -doublets and short-clothes lined with double rows of steel, and holding -himself so erect that he went to bed every night with a lame back. -</p> -<p> -It would have killed him, had not the fashion changed, luckily for him. -</p> -<p> -The stiff, close-fitting doublets of Henry IV. gave way to the light -surtouts of the young favorites of Louis XIII. The hoop-shaped -short-clothes were succeeded by broad, full breeches which yielded to -every movement of the body. -</p> -<p> -It cost Bois-Doré a pang to give way to these innovations, and to part with -his rigid <i>godronné</i> ruffs just to be a little more comfortable in -the light <i>rotondes</i>. He sorely regretted the stiff lace, but ribbons -and fluffy laces seduced him by slow degrees, and he returned from a -brief visit to Paris dressed in the style affected by young men of -fashion, and imitating their heedless, exhausted airs, sprawling in easy -chairs, striking weary attitudes, rising from his seat in waltz time; in -a word, enacting, with his tall figure and strongly-marked features, the -rôle of insipid little marquis, which Molière, thirty years later, -found complete in its absurdity and ripe for his satire. -</p> -<p> -This method enabled Bois-Doré to conceal the real burden of his years -beneath a disguise which transformed him into a sort of absurd ghost. -</p> -<p> -To D'Alvimar he seemed an appalling spectacle, at first sight. The -Spaniard could not understand that profusion of ebon curls around the -wrinkled face, those heavy, awe-inspiring eyebrows over the soft, mild -eyes, that brilliant rouge, which seemed like a mask placed in jest upon -a venerable and benevolent face. -</p> -<p> -As for the costume, its extreme elegance, the quantity of lace, -embroidery, rosettes and plumes, made it ridiculous beyond words at -midday, in the country; not to mention the fact that the pale, delicate -hues which our marquis affected were horribly out of harmony with the -lion-like aspect of his bristling moustache and his borrowed mane. -</p> -<p> -But the old gentleman's greeting neutralized most agreeably the -repellent effect produced upon D'Alvimar by that burlesque figure. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre had risen to present Guillaume's friend to the -marquis, and to remind him that he was placed in his care for several -days. -</p> -<p> -"It is a pleasure and an honor which I should claim for myself," said -Monsieur de Beuvre, "if I were in my own house; but I must not forget -that I am under my daughter's roof. Moreover, this house is much less -rich and splendid than yours, my dear Sylvain, and we do not wish to -deprive Monsieur Villareal of the pleasures that await him there." -</p> -<p> -"I accept your hyperbolical statements," replied Bois-Doré, "if they -will but dazzle Monsieur de Villareal so far as to induce him to remain -a long while under my care." -</p> -<p> -Whereupon he extended his arms, swathed in lace to the elbow, and -embraced the pretended Villareal, saying with a frank laugh that showed -his fine white teeth: -</p> -<p> -"Were you the devil himself, monsieur, from the moment that you are -entrusted to me, you become as a brother to me." -</p> -<p> -He was careful not to say "as a son." He would have been afraid of -revealing the number of his years, which number he believed to be -shrouded in mystery because he had forgotten it himself. -</p> -<p> -Villareal d'Alvimar could readily have dispensed with that embrace on -the part of a Catholic of such recent date, especially as the perfumes -with which the marquis was reeking took away the little appetite he had, -and as, after embracing him, he pressed his hands vigorously between his -dry fingers, armed with enormous rings. But D'Alvimar had to consider -his own safety first of all, and he felt sure, from Monsieur Sylvain's -cordial and hearty manner, that he had really been placed in loyal and -trustworthy hands. -</p> -<p> -He adopted the plan, therefore, of expressing profound gratitude for the -twofold hospitality of which he was the object, exhibiting himself in a -most favorable light; and when they left the table, the two old noblemen -were delighted with him. -</p> -<p> -He would have been glad to take a little rest, but the châtelain -incited him to a game of draughts, then to one of billiards with -Bois-Doré, who allowed himself to be beaten. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar loved all games, and was by no means averse to winning a few -gold crowns. -</p> -<p> -The hours passed away in what might be called a resultless association, -since these diversions led to no conversation sufficiently serious to -place the three gentlemen in a position to know one another. -</p> -<p> -Madame de Beuvre, who had retired after dinner, reappeared about four -o'clock, when she saw preparations being made in the courtyard for the -departure of her guests. -</p> -<p> -She proposed a walk in the garden before separating. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="VI">VI</a></h4> - -<p> -It was late in October. The days had grown short, but were still mild -and bright, the St. Martin's summer having not yet come to an end. The -trees were quite bare, their graceful tracery outlined against the -bright red sun just sinking behind the black thickets along the horizon. -</p> -<p> -They walked over a bed of dry leaves along the paths lined with box-wood -and trimmed yews, which imparted an orderly and dignified stiffness to -the gardens of that period. -</p> -<p> -In the moats fine old carp followed the promenaders, looking for the -bread crumbs which Lauriane was accustomed to bring them. -</p> -<p> -A little tame wolf also followed her like a dog, but was held in awe and -tyrannized over by Monsieur de Beuvre's favorite spaniel, a playful -young beast, who showed no aversion for his suspicious companion, but -rolled him over and snapped at him with the superb indifference of a -child of noble birth deigning to play with a serf. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, on the point of offering his arm to the fair Lauriane, paused -as he saw Monsieur de Bois-Doré approach her, apparently with the same -purpose. -</p> -<p> -But the courtly marquis also stepped back. -</p> -<p> -"It is your right," he said; "a guest like yourself should take -precedence of friends; but pray appreciate the sacrifice I make to you." -</p> -<p> -"I do appreciate it fully," replied D'Alvimar, as Lauriane placed her -little hand lightly on his arm; "and of all your kindnesses to me, I -value this most." -</p> -<p> -"I am rejoiced to see," replied Bois-Doré, walking at Madame de -Beuvre's left hand, "that you understand French gallantry as did his -late majesty, our Henri, of blessed memory." -</p> -<p> -"I trust that I have a better understanding of it than he, by your -leave." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! that is much to claim!" -</p> -<p> -"We Spaniards understand it differently, at all events. We believe that -a faithful attachment to a single woman is preferable to unmeaning -gallantry toward all." -</p> -<p> -"Oho! in that case, my dear count—you are a count, are you not, or -a duke?—I beg your pardon, but you are a Spanish grandee, I know -that, I can see it.—So you believe in the perfect loyalty of -romance? There is nothing nobler, my dear guest, nothing nobler, on my -word!" -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre called Bois-Doré away, to show him some trees that -he had recently set out, and D'Alvimar took advantage of the -interruption to ask Lauriane if Monsieur de Bois-Doré had intended to -make sport of him. -</p> -<p> -"By no means," she replied; "you must know that our dear marquis's -favorite food is D'Urfé's romance, and he almost knows it by heart." -</p> -<p> -"How does he reconcile this taste for a noble passion with the tastes of -the old court?" -</p> -<p> -"That is a very simple matter. When our friend was young, he loved all -the ladies, so they say. As he grew older, his heart grew cold; but he -thinks that he conceals that fact, as he thinks that he conceals his -wrinkles, by pretending to have been converted to the superior virtue of -noble sentiments by the example of the heroes of <i>Astrée</i>. So that, to -excuse himself for not paying court to any fair lady, he boasts that he -is faithful to a single one, whom he never names, whom no one ever has -seen or ever will see, for the excellent reason that she exists only in -his imagination." -</p> -<p> -"Is it possible that at his age he still feels bound to pretend to be in -love?" -</p> -<p> -"He must do so, since he wishes to pass for a young man. If he were -willing to admit that all women had become equally indifferent to him, -why should he take the trouble to smear his face and to wear false -hair?" -</p> -<p> -"So in your opinion it is not possible to be young without being -enamored of some woman?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! I know nothing about it," replied Madame de Beuvre gayly; "I have -had no experience and I know nothing of men's hearts. But I sometimes -hear it said that such is the fact, and Monsieur de Bois-Doré seems to -be convinced of it. What is your own opinion thereon, messire?" -</p> -<p> -"It seems to me," said D'Alvimar, who was curious to know the young -woman's ideas, "that one can live a long while on a past love, awaiting -a love to come." -</p> -<p> -She made no reply, but looked up at the sky with her lovely blue eyes. -</p> -<p> -"Of what are you thinking?" he asked her, with a familiarity that was -perhaps a little too sympathetic. Lauriane seemed surprised at this -impertinent question. She looked him straight in the face with an -expression that seemed to say: "What business is that of yours?" But she -replied with a smile, not seeking to defend herself with unnecessarily -stern words: -</p> -<p> -"I was not thinking of anything." -</p> -<p> -"That is impossible," rejoined D'Alvimar; "one is always thinking of -something or somebody." -</p> -<p> -"But we think vaguely, so vaguely that in a moment we have forgotten." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane did not speak truly. She had been thinking of Charlotte -d'Albret, and we will translate all that had passed through her mind in -that brief reverie. -</p> -<p> -That poor princess had appeared to her, as it were, to make the reply -which D'Alvimar was seeking, and that reply was as follows: -</p> -<p> -"A maiden who has never loved sometimes accepts rashly the first love -that presents itself, because she feels impatient to love, and sometimes -she falls into the arms of a knave who tortures her, wrecks her life and -deserts her." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was far from suspecting the curious warning that that young -heart had received; he fancied that she was indulging in a bit of -coquetry, and the game attracted him, although his heart was as cold as -marble. He persisted. -</p> -<p> -"I will warrant," he said, "that you have dreamed of a love more real -than that which Monsieur de Bois-Doré parades before you; of such a -love as you could inspire in a man of heart, even if you could not -yourself feel it." -</p> -<p> -No sooner had he uttered these commonplace words of challenge, in a tone -to which he was able to give a melting quality and which he deemed most -persuasive, than Lauriane suddenly withdrew her arm from his, turned -pale and stepped back. -</p> -<p> -"What is it, in heaven's name?" he exclaimed, trying to recover her arm. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing, nothing," she said, trying hard to smile. "I saw a snake among -the rushes and it frightened me; I am going to call my father to kill -it." -</p> -<p> -And she hastened toward Monsieur de Beuvre, leaving D'Alvimar beating -the rushes on the sloping bank of the moat with his cane, in search of -the accursed reptile. -</p> -<p> -But no reptile, beautiful or ugly, made its appearance, and when he -looked after Madame de Beuvre, he saw her just going from the garden -into the courtyard. -</p> -<p> -"There's a sensitive plant," he thought as he watched her! "whether she -really was frightened by a snake, or whether my words caused this sudden -disturbance. Ah! why have not queens and princesses, who hold exalted -destinies in their hands, the amorous sincerity of these little country -dames!" -</p> -<p> -While his vanity thus accounted for Lauriane's emotion, she had gone up -to Charlotte d'Albret's chapel, not to pray—she did not often visit -that Catholic oratory, ordinarily closed as the sanctuary of a venerable -memory—but to make sure of a fact which had caused her a violent -shock. -</p> -<p> -In that little chapel there was a portrait, blackened and discolored by -the lapse of years, which was never shown to any one, but was preserved -there, where it had been found, out of respect for those articles which -had belonged to the saint of the family. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane had seen the portrait but twice in her life. Once by chance, -when an old woman employed to clean the chapel had opened the sort of -closet in which it was kept, in order to dust it. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was a child at that time. The portrait had frightened her, -although she could not tell why. -</p> -<p> -The second time, not long before, her father had told her the poor -duchess's story, with certain details, furnished by tradition, and had -said to her: -</p> -<p> -"And yet our saintly ancestress did not abhor <i>that monster</i>. Whether -she had actually loved him for a moment before she knew of the crimes -with which his hands were stained, or whether she made it her duty to -pray for him, impelled solely by Christian charity, she had his portrait -in her chapel." -</p> -<p> -Thereupon Lauriane, having learned whose terrifying features were -represented in that old painting, had felt a desire to see it again. She -had scrutinized it carefully, coolly, and had made a mental vow that she -would never marry a man who bore the faintest resemblance to that -terrible face. -</p> -<p> -Although she had examined the portrait without the slightest agitation, -the spectre had haunted her eyes for some time, and, whenever they fell -upon a repellent face, she involuntarily compared it with the abhorred -type; but she had eventually forgotten the incident, for she was -naturally cheerful and placid, and as stout-hearted as most of the young -châtelaines of the period of commotion and danger which was hardly at -an end. -</p> -<p> -And so, when she met D'Alvimar, it had not once occurred to her to -compare his face with the picture; and even in the garden, as she -chatted merrily with him, her arm in his, and looked him in the face, -she had felt no apprehension. But why had she thought of Charlotte -d'Albret while he was speaking to her? She had no idea; she paid no -great heed to the coincidence at first. -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar had insisted upon knowing her thoughts; he had almost -spoken to her of love. At all events he had said more to her on that -subject in two words, although she had never seen him before, than any -of the masculine friends, young or old, whom she met frequently, had -ever dared to do. -</p> -<p> -Surprised by such excessive audacity, she had looked at him again, but -this time by stealth. She had detected a treacherous smile on that -charming face; and at the same time his profile, outlined against the -ruddy background of the horizon, had extorted a cry of alarm from her. -</p> -<p> -That handsome youth, who seemed determined to provoke the first -pulsations of her heart, resembled Cæsar Borgia! -</p> -<p> -Whether that was a mere fancy or a certainty, it was impossible for her -to remain an instant longer on his arm. -</p> -<p> -She had invented a pretext for her alarm. She had fled, and she had gone -to look at the portrait, in order to banish or confirm her suspicions. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="VII">VII</a></h4> - -<p> -As the daylight was rapidly fading and it was already dark on the -courtyard side of the château, she turned back and went for a light to -her room, which was in the wing adjoining the little gallery under the -chapel. -</p> -<p> -The closet containing the portrait was nothing more than a square -cupboard of plain boards, fastened to the wall, like those in village -churches in which are kept the banners used in processions. She hastily -opened it, placed her candle so that its light fell upon the picture, -and gazed at the infamous wretch's features. -</p> -<p> -It was a fine painting. Cæsar and Lucretia Borgia were contemporaries -of Raphael and Michelangelo, and this portrait, somewhat dry in -execution, was in Raphael's first manner. It belonged to the same -school. -</p> -<p> -The face of the Duc de Valentinois showed no sign of the livid blotches -and hideous pustules which some historians describe, nor the squinting -eyes, "gleaming with an infernal brilliancy which even his comrades and -chosen intimates could not endure." Whether because the artist had -flattered him, or because he had painted him at a period of his life -when vice and crime did not as yet "stand out" on his face, he had not -made him ugly. He had painted the cardinal brigand in profile, and that -one of his eyes which he had copied was looking straight ahead. -</p> -<p> -The face was pale, ghastly pale, and thin, the nose sharp and narrow, -the mouth almost lipless, so pale and colorless were the lips, the chin -angular, the outlines pure, the beard and moustache red and carefully -combed, and the general effect distinguished. But seen thus in its most -favorable aspect, that knavish face was perhaps more repulsive than if -it had been eaten by leprosy. It was calm and thoughtful, and it bore no -resemblance to the flat head of the viper. -</p> -<p> -No, no, It was much worse; it was a well-shaped man's face, with all the -intellectual faculties admirably developed for evil. The long, half-shut -eye seemed absorbed in blissful meditation of a crime, and the -imperceptible smile on the transparent lips had the drowsy mildness of -sated ferocity. -</p> -<p> -It was impossible to say definitely in what the horror of the expression -consisted: it was everywhere. One felt chilled in body and mind as one -questioned that cruel and insolent countenance.<a id="FNanchor_7_1" href="FNanchor_7_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_1" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> -</p> -<p> -"I dreamed it!" said Lauriane, scrutinizing the features one by one. -"That is not the Spaniard's brow, nor his eye, nor his mouth. It is of -no use for me to look, I can find nothing of him here." -</p> -<p> -She closed her eyes to recall his features without looking at the -portrait. She saw him full face: he was charming, with a proud and -resigned expression of melancholy. She saw him in profile: he was -playful, a little satirical perhaps, he smiled.—But as soon as she -recalled that smile, she saw the profile of the infamous Cæsar, and it -was impossible for her to separate the two impressions, as if they were -glued together. -</p> -<p> -She closed the cupboard, and glanced at the pulpit of carved wood, the -little altar, and the black velvet cushion whitened and worn threadbare -by Charlotte's knees. She fell on her knees upon it and prayed, not -pausing to think whether she was in a church or a meeting-house, whether -she was Catholic or Protestant. -</p> -<p> -She prayed to the God of the weak and afflicted, the God of Charlotte -d'Albret and Jeanne de France. -</p> -<p> -Then, feeling somewhat reassured, and seeing that her guests' horses -were ready, she went down to the salon to receive their adieux. -</p> -<p> -She found her father greatly excited. -</p> -<p> -"Come here, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand to lead her -to the chair which Bois-Doré and D'Alvimar hastened to bring forward -for her; "you will restore harmony among us. When the ladies leave the -men together, they become bad-tempered, they talk of politics or -religion, and on those points no two men can ever agree. You are most -welcome therefore, who are as mild and gentle as the doves; come and -tell us about your doves, whom, I suppose, you have just been putting to -bed." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane confessed that she had forgotten her pets. She felt that -D'Alvimar's keen and piercing eye was fixed upon her. She made bold to -look at him. It was certain that he bore no more resemblance to Borgia -than good Monsieur Sylvain himself. -</p> -<p> -"So you have been quarrelling with our neighbor again?" she said to her -father as she kissed him, while she held the old marquis's hand. "Well, -what harm is done, since you confess that you need a little -contradiction to assist your digestion?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mordi</i>! no," rejoined Monsieur de Beuvre, "if it were with him I -would not confess, for I should simply have committed an everyday sin; but -I have allowed myself to fall into a contradictory mood with Monsieur de -Villareal, and that is contrary to all the laws of hospitality and -propriety. Make peace between us, my dear daughter, and tell him, for -you know me, that I am a pig-headed, quarrelsome old Huguenot, but -honest as gold, and entirely at his service none the less." -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre exaggerated. He was not a very bloodthirsty Huguenot, -and religious ideas were sadly tangled in his brain. But he harbored -some intense political hatreds and animosities, and he could not hear -the names of certain of his adversaries without giving vent to his -uncompromising frankness of speech. -</p> -<p> -Now, D'Alvimar had offended him by assuming the defence of the -ex-Governor of Berry, Monsieur le Duc de la Châtre, to whom the -conversation had drifted. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, being informed of the subject of dispute, gently delivered her -verdict. -</p> -<p> -"I absolve you both," she said; "you, monsieur my father, for the -thought that the example of the late Monsieur de la Châtre is not -worthy to be followed in any particular save physical bravery and -wit;—you, Monsieur de Villareal, for having pleaded the cause of a -man who is not here to defend himself." -</p> -<p> -"Well judged!" cried Bois-Doré; "now let us change the subject." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, to be sure, let us say no more of that tyrant!" rejoined the old -Huguenot; "let us say no more of that fanatic!" -</p> -<p> -"It pleases you to call him a fanatic," retorted D'Alvimar, who was -incapable of yielding an inch; "for my own part, and I knew him well at -court, if I had ventured to reproach him at all, it would have been for -not being zealous enough in his love for the true religion, and for -looking upon it solely as an instrument with which to crush rebellion." -</p> -<p> -"True, true," said Bois-Doré, who abhorred disputes and thought of -nothing but putting an end to one in progress, whereas De Beuvre moved -uneasily in his chair, making it very plain that he had not done with -it. -</p> -<p> -"After all," continued D'Alvimar, hoping to make his peace, "did he not -faithfully and zealously serve King Henri, to whose memory you all seem -to be devoted hereabout?" -</p> -<p> -"And with reason, monsieur!" cried De Beuvre; "with reason, <i>mordi</i>! -Where will you find a wiser and more humane king? But for how long a -time did your frantic Leaguer of a La Châtre fight against him? how -many times did he betray him? how much money had to be paid him to -induce him to remain quiet? You are a young man, and a society man; you -saw only the courtier and the smooth talker; but we old provincials know -our petty provincial tyrants, I tell you! I wish that Monsieur de -Bois-Doré would tell you how that illustrious warrior effected the -glorious conquest of Sancerre by falsehood and treachery!" -</p> -<p> -"Bless my soul!" said Bois-Doré, with some temper, "how do you expect -me to remember such things?" -</p> -<p> -"Why should it not please you to remember them, I pray to know?" -retorted De Beuvre, paying no heed to the marquis's annoyance; "you were -not at the breast, I fancy?" -</p> -<p> -"But I was so young, that I remember nothing about it." -</p> -<p> -"Well, I remember," cried De Beuvre, vexed by his friend's defection. -"Now, I am ten years younger than you, my friend, and I was not there; I -was a page to young Condé, the grandfather of the present one, and a -very different man, I promise you." -</p> -<p> -"Come, come," said Lauriane, venturing upon a most mischievous step in -order to pacify her father and turn the quarrel aside from its main -subject; "our dear marquis must needs confess that he was at the siege -of Sancerre and bore himself valiantly there, for everybody knows it, -and modesty alone leads him to refuse to remember it." -</p> -<p> -"You know very well that I was not there," said Bois-Doré, "since I was -here with you." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! I am not speaking of the last siege, which lasted only twenty-four -hours, last May, and which was simply the <i>coup de grâce</i>; I refer to -the great, the famous siege of 1572." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré had a horror of dates. He coughed, moved about, and poked the -fire, which did not need it; but Lauriane was determined to immolate him -under bouquets of praise. -</p> -<p> -"I know that you were very young," she said, "but even then you fought -like a lion." -</p> -<p> -"It is true that my friends performed wonders," replied Bois-Doré, "and -that it was a very hot struggle; but I could not strike very hard, -however eager I may have been, at that age." -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mordi</i>! you took two prisoners yourself!" cried De Beuvre, stamping -on the floor. "Look you, it drives me frantic to see a stout-hearted old -fighter like you deny his gallant exploits rather than admit his age!" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was deeply wounded, and his face became sad; it was his only -way of manifesting his displeasure to his friends. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane saw that she had gone too far; for she was sincerely attached -to her old neighbor, and when he ceased to laugh at her teasing, she no -longer cared to laugh herself. -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur," she said to her father, "permit your daughter to tell -you that you are only jesting. The marquis was much less than twenty, -and his conduct was all the more glorious." -</p> -<p> -"What! he was not twenty years old?" cried De Beuvre; "can it be that I -have become, all of a sudden, the older of the two?" -</p> -<p> -"One is never older than one appears," replied Lauriane, "and it is only -necessary to look at the marquis——" -</p> -<p> -She paused, lacking the courage to tell a downright falsehood even to -console him; but the intention was enough, for Bois-Doré was content -with very little. -</p> -<p> -He thanked her with a glance, his brow cleared; De Beuvre began to -laugh, D'Alvimar admired Lauriane's charming delicacy, and the storm was -turned aside. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_7_1" href="Footnote_7_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_1"><span class="label">[7]</span></a>I do not know what has become of the portrait here -described. I saw one like it in the possession of the illustrious -General Pepe. It is well known that there is a portrait by Raphael which -is a masterpiece. In it Borgia is almost handsome; at all events there -is so much distinction in his face and refinement in his person that one -hesitates to detest him. But close scrutiny causes a sensation of -genuine terror. The hand, straight, slender and white as a woman's, -tranquilly grasps the hilt of a dagger hanging at his side. It holds it -with remarkable grace; it is ready to strike. The impending movement is -so admirably foreshadowed, that we can see in anticipation how the blow -is to be dealt, downward, into his victim's heart. There is grandeur in -that portrait, in the sense that the great artist has left his stamp -upon it, but without attempting to disguise the moral wickedness of his -model, which he makes to shine forth triumphantly through the appalling -tranquillity of his features.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="VIII">VIII</a></h4> - -<p> -They conversed pleasantly for a few moments. Monsieur de Beuvre urged -D'Alvimar not to take fright at his outbreaks, and to come again on the -second day thereafter with Bois-Doré, who was accustomed to dine at La -Motte every Sunday. Thereupon a servant announced that <i>la -carroche</i> of monsieur le marquis was ready.—Everyone knows -that, previous to the time of Louis XIV., who ordered otherwise, -<i>carrosse</i> was of both genders, and more frequently feminine, after -the Italian <i>carrozza</i>. -</p> -<p> -Now, Monsieur de Bois-Doré's <i>carroche</i> or <i>carrosse</i> was an -enormous, lumbering chariot, which four fine strong Percheron horses -drew with admirable courage; they were somewhat too fat, perhaps, for -one and all, men and beasts alike, were well-fed under worthy Monsieur -Sylvain's roof. -</p> -<p> -This venerable equipage, constructed to defy the difficulties of roads -carriageable or not, was stout enough to stand any test, and, if it left -something to be desired in the way of ease, one was assured at all -events of not breaking many bones in case of an upset, because the -interior was so bountifully stuffed. There were six inches of wool and -tow under the damask lining, so that one had a sense of security, if not -all possible comfort. -</p> -<p> -For the rest, it was a handsome chariot, all covered with leather, -embellished with gilt nails which formed a decorative border for the -panels. For convenience in entering and alighting, there was a small -ladder, which was placed inside when not in use. -</p> -<p> -In the four corners of this citadel on wheels, there was a very arsenal -of swords and pistols, not forgetting the powder and ball; so that, at -need, they could sustain a siege therein. -</p> -<p> -Two servants on horseback, carrying torches, headed the procession; two -other torch-bearers rode behind the carriage with D'Alvimar's servant, -who led his master's horse. -</p> -<p> -The marquis's young page sat on the box beside the coachman. -</p> -<p> -The party clattered noisily under the portcullis of La Motte-Seuilly; -and the rattling of the chains of the drawbridge as it rose behind the -procession, amid the joyous barking of the watch dogs as they were set -loose in the courtyard, combined to make an uproar which could be heard -as far as the hamlet of Champillé, a good fourth of a league away. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar felt called upon to say a few words to Bois-Doré in praise of -his fine carriage, an article of comfort and luxury still rare in the -country districts, and considered a marvel of magnificence, particularly -in Berry. -</p> -<p> -"I did not expect," he said, "to find the luxury of the great cities in -the heart of Berry, and I see, monsieur le marquis, that you lead the -life of a man of quality." -</p> -<p> -Nothing could have been more flattering to the marquis than this last -expression. Being a simple gentleman, he was not and could not be, -despite his title, a <i>man of quality</i>. His marquisate was a little -farm in the Beauvoisis which he did not even own. On a certain day of -fatigue and peril, Henri IV., arriving with him and a very small escort -at that farm, where the chances of partisan warfare had compelled them -to halt, and which they found entirely abandoned,—Henri IV., we -say, was in great danger of not breakfasting at all, when Monsieur -Sylvain, who was a most resourceful man in adventures of this sort, -discovered in a thicket a number of fowls which had been left behind and -had become wild. The Béarnais had taken part in the hunt with great -zest, and Sylvain had undertaken to cook the game to a turn. -</p> -<p> -This unlooked-for repast had put the King of Navarre in excellent humor, -and he had conferred the farm upon his loyal retainer, erecting it into -a marquisate by his good pleasure, to reward him, he said, for having -rescued a king from death by starvation. -</p> -<p> -His possession was limited to this sojourn of a few hours on the little -fief he had won without striking a blow. It had been retaken on the -following day by the contrary party; and, after the peace, its lawful -owners had re-entered into possession. -</p> -<p> -It mattered little to Bois-Doré, who cared nothing for that hovel but -much for his title, and to whom the King of France afterward laughingly -fulfilled the promise he had made as King of Navarre. The dignity was -not conferred upon the Berrichon squire by any parchment; but, under the -protection of the omnipotent monarch, the title was tolerated, and the -obscure country gentleman admitted to the king's select circle as -Marquis de Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -As no one made any objection, the king's jest and his sufferance created -a precedent at least, if not a right, and to no purpose did people make -merry at the expense of Monsieur Sylvain Bouron du Noyer—such was his -real name,—he esteemed himself a man of quality despite the scoffers. -After all he had a better claim to the title and bore it more honorably -than many other partisans. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was not aware of any of these circumstances. He had paid -little attention to what Guillaume d'Ars had told him hurriedly. It did -not occur to him to scoff at his host's nobility, and our marquis, being -accustomed to be teased upon that point, was infinitely grateful to him -for his courtesy. -</p> -<p> -However he felt bound to assume the airs of a man in robust health, in -order to neutralize that troublesome date of the siege of Sancerre. -</p> -<p> -"I keep this carriage," he said, "for no other purpose than that I may -be able to offer it to the ladies in my neighborhood when occasion -offers; for, so far as I am concerned, I much prefer the saddle. One -travels faster and with less hindrance." -</p> -<p> -"So you treated me like a lady," rejoined D'Alvimar, "by sending for -this carriage during the day. I am overwhelmed, and if I had thought -that you did not fear the cool evening air, I should have begged you to -make no change in your habits." -</p> -<p> -"But I thought that, after the long journey you have taken, you had -ridden enough for to-day; and as to the cold, to tell you the truth, I -am a terribly lazy mortal, and indulge myself in many little comforts -which are not at all necessary to my health." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré attempted to reconcile the slothful nonchalance of young -courtiers with the sturdy vigor of young country gentlemen, and he was -sometimes sorely embarrassed over it. He was, in truth, still hale and -hearty, a good horseman and in good health, despite occasional twinges -of rheumatism which he never mentioned, and a slight deafness which he -did not admit, attributing the mistakes made by his ear to his -absent-mindedness. -</p> -<p> -"I must needs apologize to you for the discourtesy of my friend De -Beuvre," he said. "Nothing can be in worse taste than these religious -discussions, which are no longer in fashion. But you will pardon an old -man's obstinacy. In reality De Beuvre worries no more than I do about -these subtleties. It is infatuation for the past which causes now and -then an attack of inveighing against the dead, and thereby making -himself a good deal of a bore to the living. I do not see why old age is -so pedantic over its reminiscences, as if, at any age, one had not seen -enough things and enough people to be as much of a philosopher as is -necessary! Ah! commend me to the good people of Paris, my dear guest, -for ability to talk with refinement and moderation on every subject of -controversy! Commend me to the Hôtel de Rambouillet for example! Of -course you have frequented the <i>blue salon of Arthenice</i>?"<a id="FNanchor_8_1" href="FNanchor_8_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_1" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was able to reply that he was received by the marchioness, -without departing from the truth. His wit and his learning had thrown -open to him the doors of the fashionable Parnassus; but he had acquired -no footing there, his intolerance having made itself manifest too soon -in that sanctuary of French urbanity. -</p> -<p> -Moreover he had little taste for the literary sheepfold. The ambition of -the age was consuming him, and the pastoral, which is the ideal of -repose and unostentatious leisure, was not at all in his line. So that -he was overcome with fatigue and drowsiness when Bois-Doré, overjoyed -to have somebody to talk with, began to recite whole pages from -<i>Astrée</i>. -</p> -<p> -"What can be more beautiful," he cried, "than this letter from the -shepherdess to her lover: -</p> -<p> -"'I am suspicious, I am jealous, I am hard to win and easy to lose, and -more easy to offend and most exceeding hard to appease. My desires must -be decrees of fate, my opinions arguments, and my commands inviolable -laws.' -</p> -<p> -"What style! and what beautiful character painting! And does not the -sequel contain all the wisdom, all the philosophy and morality that a -man can need? Listen to this, Sylvie's reply to Galatée: -</p> -<p> -"'You must not doubt that this shepherd is in love, being so honorable a -man!' -</p> -<p> -"Do you understand, monsieur, the deep meaning of that sentiment? -However, Sylvie herself explains it: -</p> -<p> -"'The lover desires nothing so much as to be loved; to be loved one must -make oneself lovable; and that which makes one lovable is the same which -makes one an honorable man?'" -</p> -<p> -"What? what does that mean?" cried D'Alvimar, awakened with a start by -the remarks of the learned shepherdess, which Bois-Doré roared into his -ear to drown the clattering of the <i>carrosse</i> over the hard pavement -of the old Roman road from La Châtre to Château-Meillant. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, yes, I would maintain it against all the world!" -rejoined Bois-Doré, not observing his guest's start; "and I tire myself -out repeating it to that old dotard, that old heretic in matters of -sentiment!" -</p> -<p> -"Who?" queried D'Alvimar in dismay. -</p> -<p> -"I am speaking of my neighbor De Beuvre, a most excellent man, I promise -you, but infatuated with the idea that virtue is found only in -theological works, which he does not read, inasmuch as he could not -understand them; whereas I maintain that it is found in poetic works, in -agreeable and becoming thoughts, which every man, however simple he may -be, may turn to his advantage. For example, when young Lycidas yields to -the mad love of Olympe——" -</p> -<p> -At this juncture D'Alvimar resolutely went to sleep again, and -Bois-Doré was still declaiming when the chariot and the escort woke the -echoes on the drawbridge of Briantes, with an uproar equal to that they -had made on leaving La Motte. -</p> -<p> -It had grown quite dark; D'Alvimar could see naught of the château but -the interior, which seemed to him very small, and which was so, in fact, -compared with the enormous dwellings common at that period. -</p> -<p> -To-day the apartments in the château would seem very large, but in -those days they seemed very diminutive. -</p> -<p> -The portion occupied by the marquis, which had been ruined by the bands -of partisans in 1594, was of recent construction. It was a square -pavilion, flanked by a very old tower and by another even more ancient -building, the whole forming a single mass of composite architecture, -graceful in its narrow proportions, and of attractive and picturesque -aspect. -</p> -<p> -"Do not be dismayed at the poor appearance of my cottage," said the -marquis, leading the way into the hall, while the page and Bellinde -lighted them; "it is just a hunting-box and bachelor's den. If I should -ever take it into my head to marry, I should have to build; but I have -not thought of it thus far, and I trust that, being yourself a bachelor, -you will not find this hovel too inconvenient." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_8_1" href="Footnote_8_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_1"><span class="label">[8]</span></a>Arthenice, an anagram of <i>Catherine</i> Marquise de -Rambouillet; it is said to have been invented by Malherbe.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="IX">IX</a></h4> - -<p> -In truth the bachelor's den was arranged, carpeted and decorated with a -magnificence of which the low carved door and the narrow vestibule, from -which the spiral staircase rose abruptly, gave no indication. -</p> -<p> -On the flagged hall were excellent Berry mats, on the wood floors richer -carpets from the looms of Aubusson, and in the salon and the master's -bedroom Persian rugs of very great value. -</p> -<p> -The window-panes were large and of plain glass; that is to say, they -were diamond-shaped, about two inches square and unstained, with -medallions, bearing a coat-of-arms in colors, in relief. The hangings -represented slender, fascinating ladies and dainty little gentlemen, -whom it was very easy to identify as shepherds and shepherdesses by -their satchels and crooks. -</p> -<p> -The names of the principal characters of <i>Astrée</i> were embroidered in -the grass under their feet, and their eloquent speeches were issuing -from their mouths, meeting the no less eloquent replies of their -neighbors. -</p> -<p> -On a panel in the <i>salon de compagnie</i> the ill-fated Celadon was -represented, plunging with graceful contortions into the blue waters of -the Lignon, which rippled in circles in anticipation of his fall. Behind -him the incomparable Astrée, giving free vent to her tears, ran up too -late to stop him, although his foot was almost in the shepherdess's -hand. Above this pathetic group a tree, more like a sheep than the sheep -themselves in those fantastic fields, reared to the ceiling its fleecy, -curly branches. -</p> -<p> -But, in order not to rend the heart by this lamentable spectacle of the -demise of Celadon, the artist had represented him, on the same panel, on -the other side of the Lignon, tossed up by the water, and lying betwixt -life and death among the bushes, but rescued by "three lovely nymphs, -whose unbound hair fell in waves over their shoulders, covered with a -garland of pearls of divers shapes. The sleeves of their gowns were -turned back to the elbow, whence a shirred undersleeve of thin lawn -extended to the wrist, where two large bracelets of pearls secured it. -Each one had at her side the quiver filled with arrows, and carried in -her hand an ivory bow. Their dresses were turned up so that their gilded -buskins could be seen halfway to the knee." -</p> -<p> -Beside these lovely creatures stood little Meril guarding their chariot, -shaped like a shell, with a parasol above, and drawn by two horses which -might readily have been mistaken for sheep, their eyes were so mild and -their heads so round. -</p> -<p> -The next panel represented the shepherd, saved and supported by the -obliging nymphs, and busily discharging through his mouth all the water -of the Lignon which he had swallowed; which occupation did not prevent -his saying, in words written all along the gushing stream: "If I -survive, how can Astrée's cruelty fail to kill me?" -</p> -<p> -During this soliloquy Sylvie said to Galatée: "There is in his manners -and his speech something more noble than the title of shepherd denotes." -</p> -<p> -And, above the group, Cupid discharged an arrow larger than himself into -Galatée's heart, although he aimed at her shoulder, through the fault -of a tree which prevented him from taking the proper position. But the -arrows of love are so adroit! -</p> -<p> -What shall I say of the third panel, which pictured the terrible combat -between the blond Filandre and the redoubtable Moor, who held his -opponent spitted through the body, while the valiant shepherd, in nowise -disconcerted, skilfully buried the iron-shod point of his crook between -the monster's eyes? -</p> -<p> -And of the fourth panel, whereon the fair Mélandre, in the armor of -Chevalier Triste, was led into the presence of the cruel Lypandas? -</p> -<p> -But who does not know the marvels of that <i>fair land of tapestry</i>, as -one of our poets calls it, a fantastic, smiling land, wherein our -youthful imaginations saw and dreamed of so many wondrous things? -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's hangings were put together with marvellous -skill, in the sense that several adventures were successfully combined -in a single one, by the agency of distant groups scattered over the -landscape, and the honest nobleman had the pleasure of viewing all the -scenes of his favorite poem while making the circuit of his apartment. -But there were the most absurd drawings and the most impossible -combinations of colors that one can imagine, and there could have been -no better exemplification of the wretched taste, false and insipid, -which in those days was found side by side with Rubens's magnificent -work and the bold and lifelike drawings of Callot. -</p> -<p> -Every epoch runs thus to extremes; that is why we need never despair of -the one in which we live. -</p> -<p> -We must recognize the fact, however, that certain periods of the history -of art are more favored than others, and that there are some periods -whereof the taste is so pure and so fruitful, that the sentiment of the -beautiful finds its way into all the details of everyday life and into -all the strata of society. -</p> -<p> -When the Renaissance is at its height everything assumes a character of -refined originality, and one feels, even in the most trivial details, -that the excitements of social life have marvellously quickened the -flight of the imagination. The imaginative instinct descends from the -region of lofty intellects to the humble artisan; from the palace to the -hovel, nothing can accustom the eye and the mind to the sight of the -ugly and the trivial. -</p> -<p> -It had already ceased to be so under Louis XIII., and the provincials in -the neighborhood preferred Monsieur de Bois-Doré's modern tapestries -and furniture to the valuable specimens of the style of the last -century, which the <i>reiters</i> had pillaged or broken in his father's -château fifty years before. -</p> -<p> -As for the marquis, who considered himself artistic, he did not regret -those antiquities, and whenever he could pick up some landscape-dauber -on the highway, he would bid him sketch before his eyes what he -artlessly called his ideas, in the way of furniture and decorations, and -would then have them manufactured at great expense, for he shrank from -no outlay to gratify his mania for tawdry and eccentric splendor. -</p> -<p> -Thus the château was filled to overflowing with buffets with secret -compartments and curious cabinets,—those wonderful cabinets, like -great boxes with drawers, where the pressure of a spring causes an -enchanted palace in miniature to appear, supported by twisted pillars, -incrusted with enormous false precious stones, and occupied by -diminutive figures in lapis-lazuli, ivory or jasper. -</p> -<p> -Other cabinets, sheathed in transparent shell over a red ground, with -gleaming copper ornaments in relief, or all inlaid with carved ivory, -contained some marvellous toy, of which the ingenious and mystery-laden -mechanism served to conceal billets-doux, portraits, locks of hair, -rings, flowers and other love-relics dear to the beaux of the period. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré hinted that those specimens of the cabinet-maker's art were -stuffed with treasures of that sort; some evil-minded scoffers declared -that they were empty. -</p> -<p> -Despite all these vagaries of his magnificence, Bois-Doré had -transformed his little manor-house into a luxurious nest, warm and -cheery, which had cost him more than it was worth, but which it would be -most delightful to find intact in one of the little provincial -châteaux, which to-day are neglected, dilapidated, falling in ruins, or -changed into farmhouses. -</p> -<p> -It would have taken three days to inspect all the curious trifles which -are described to-day by the new name of <i>bibelots</i>, but which would be -more appropriately called <i>bribelots</i>.<a id="FNanchor_9_1" href="FNanchor_9_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_1" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> Our inquisitive and -investigating generation is entitled, however, to give whatever name it -chooses to a variety of exploration which is peculiar to it, and we -gladly accept the verb <i>bibeloter</i>, although it is only used by the -initiated. -</p> -<p> -However, we will not <i>bibeloter</i>—catalogue—here the -interesting collection of curios at Briantes; it would take too long; we -will say simply that Monsieur d'Alvimar might well have fancied himself -in the shop of a second-hand dealer, so striking was the contrast -between the profusion of gewgaws heaped upon sideboards and mantels, or -piled in pyramids on the tables, and the chilling bareness of the -Spanish palaces in which he had passed his youth. -</p> -<p> -Amid all that glass and porcelain, flagons, candlesticks, chandeliers, -punch-bowls, urns, to say nothing of the ewers, cups and small dishes of -gold, silver, amber or agate; the chairs of all shapes and sizes, -nailed, fringed and covered with Chinese silk; the benches and cupboards -of carved oak, with great clasps of openwork iron over a background of -scarlet cloth; the curtains of satin worked with gold flowers, large and -small, and embellished with gold-fringed lambrequins, etc., etc., there -were certainly some beautiful objects of art and charming products of -industry, mingled with much worthless trash and much inappropriate -elegance. In a word the general effect was brilliant and agreeable, -although there was altogether too much of it, and one hardly dared move -for fear of breaking something. -</p> -<p> -When D'Alvimar had expressed his surprise at finding that palace of the -fairy Babiole in the modest valleys of Berry, and Bois-Doré had -obligingly exhibited the principal treasures of his salon, Bellinde the -housekeeper, who went in and out issuing orders in a clear and resonant -voice, announced to her master in an undertone that the supper was -ready, while the page threw the doors wide open, shouting the usual -formula, and the clock of the château struck seven with a burst of -music in the Flemish style. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who had never been able to accustom himself to the abundance -of dishes in France, was surprised to find the table covered, not only -with gold plate and candlesticks adorned with glass flowers of all -colors, but with a quantity of food sufficient to have satisfied a dozen -persons with hearty appetites. -</p> -<p> -"Oh! this is not a supper," said Bois-Doré, whom he gently chid for -treating him like a gourmand; "this is simply a little lunch by -candlelight. Make an effort, and if my chief cook has not got tipsy in -my absence, you will see that the rascal knows how to awaken the -sluggish appetite." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar made no further remonstrance, and found that his appetite did -in fact come to him in spite of himself. -</p> -<p> -Never had he tasted such exquisite cheer at the table of the great -noblemen of his own nation, nor anything more exquisite in the most -splendid mansions in Paris. There were none but the daintiest little -dishes, deliciously seasoned, and most scientifically compounded after -the fashion of the time: bisque of crab, fat quail stuffed, pastry light -as air, perfumed creams of several flavors in marchpane shells, biscuits -with saffron and with clove, fine native wines, among which the old wine -of Issoudun could hold its own with the best vintages of Bourgogne; and -at dessert the headiest wines of Greece and Spain. -</p> -<p> -They passed two hours tasting a little of everything, Bois-Doré talking -of the cellar and cuisine like a consummate master, and Bellinde -directing the servants with unequalled knowledge and skill. -</p> -<p> -The young page played the theorbo very pleasantly during the first two -courses; but simultaneously with the third a new personage appeared and -caused D'Alvimar some uneasiness, although he could not tell why. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_9_1" href="Footnote_9_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_1"><span class="label">[9]</span></a>A coined word, derived from <i>bribes</i>, scraps or refuse.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="X">X</a></h4> - -<p> -He was a man of some forty years, whom the marquis greeted by the name -of Master Jovelin, and who, without speaking, seated himself on a -leather-covered gilt chair in a corner of the room, in such way as not -to interfere with the going to and fro of the servants. He carried a -little red serge bag which he placed on his knees, and he glanced at the -table companions with a pleasant, smiling expression. -</p> -<p> -His face was handsome, although the features were without distinction. -His nose and mouth were large, he had a retreating chin and a low -forehead. -</p> -<p> -Despite these defects, it was impossible for an honest man to look upon -him without interest; and if one paid the slightest heed to his -beautiful black hair, which was sadly neglected, but of fine texture and -naturally curly, his magnificent white teeth which his melancholy but -cordial smile revealed, and his black eyes, so keen and intelligent, so -kind and sympathetic, that his yellow face was lighted up by them, one -felt as it were compelled to love him, ay, and to respect him. -</p> -<p> -He was dressed like a petty bourgeois, but very neatly, in a suit of -bluish-gray, with woollen stockings; the coat long and tightly buttoned, -a wide collar turned down and cut square across the chest, open sleeves -in the Flemish style, and a broad-brimmed felt hat without feathers. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré, having asked politely as to his health and -ordered a servant to give him a glass of Cyprus, which he declined with -a wave of his hand, said no more to him, but bestowed his attention on -his guest exclusively. -</p> -<p> -Such was the etiquette of that time, a man of quality being prohibited -from showing much consideration for an inferior, under pain of seeming -to insult his equals. -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar noticed that their eyes met frequently and that, after -every remark made by the marquis, they exchanged a smile of -intelligence, as if he desired to share all his thoughts with the -new-comer, perhaps to obtain his approbation, perhaps to divert his mind -from some secret trouble. -</p> -<p> -Surely, in all this there was no cause for alarm on D'Alvimar's part. -But it may be that he was not on very good terms with his conscience; -for that handsome and honest face, far from being attractive to him, -caused him a great mental perturbation and sudden distrust. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, however, did not say a word or ask a question referring to -the reasons of the Spaniard's flight to Berry. He talked entirely of -himself, and therein gave proof of great tact, for D'Alvimar had as yet -shown no inclination to be confidential, and his host found a way to -keep up the conversation without questioning him upon any subject -whatsoever. -</p> -<p> -"You find me in comfortable, well-furnished quarters and well-served," -he said; "that is quite true. It is several years"—he did not say how -many—"since I withdrew from society to rest a while and recover from -the fatigues of war, awaiting events. I confess that, since the death of -our great King Henri, I care not at all for the court or the city. I am -not given to complaining, and I take the times as they come; but I have -had three great sorrows in my life: the first was when I lost my mother, -the second when I lost my younger brother, the third when I lost my -great and good king. And there is this peculiarity in my story, that all -three of those persons who were so dear to me died a violent death. My -king was assassinated, my mother fell from her horse, and my -brother—But this is too sad a subject, and I do not choose to tell -you unpleasant tales to prepare you for your first night under my roof. I -will simply tell you what it was that made me slothful and inclined to -domesticity. When I saw my King Henri breathe his last, I reasoned thus -with myself: 'You have lost all those you loved, you have nobody left -but yourself to lose; now then, if you do not wish your turn to come -soon, you will do well to turn your back on these regions of commotion -and intriguing, and go and nurse your poor, afflicted and weary person -in your native province.' You were right therefore to esteem me as -fortunate as a man can be, since I was wise enough to adopt the course -best suited to me, and to save myself from all annoyance; but you would -have made a mistake to think that I lack nothing; for, while I desire -nothing, I cannot say that I regret nobody. But I have regaled you -enough with my sorrows and I am not one of those who feed upon them, -refusing to be comforted or diverted. While we taste this jelly, do you -care to listen to a more skilful musician than our little page?—Do -you listen to him, too, my young friend," he added, addressing the page; -"it will do you no harm." -</p> -<p> -As he spoke to D'Alvimar, he had bestowed upon him he called Master -Jovelin one of those affectionate glances which resembled prayers rather -than commands. -</p> -<p> -The man in the gray suit unbuttoned the flowing sleeve which covered -another tighter sleeve of a dull red color, and threw it over his -shoulder; then he took from his bag one of those little bag-pipes with a -short, carved bass, which were then called <i>sourdelines</i>, and were -employed in chamber music. -</p> -<p> -This instrument, the tone of which was as sweet and veiled as the -bag-pipes of our own minstrels of to-day are noisy and shrill, was much -in vogue, and before Master Jovelin had concluded his prelude, he had -taken possession not only of the attention but of the very soul of his -hearers; for he performed marvellously on the <i>sourdeline</i>, and made -it sing like a human voice. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was a connoisseur, and beautiful music possessed the power of -making his natural melancholy less bitter than usual. He abandoned -himself the more readily to this sort of relief, because his mind was -set at rest when he discovered that this silent and watchful individual, -whom he had taken at first for an insinuating spy, was an accomplished -and harmless musician. -</p> -<p> -As for the marquis, he loved the art and the artist, and he always -listened to his <i>master sourdelinier</i> with religious emotion. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar expressed his admiration in well-chosen terms. Whereupon, the -supper being at an end, he asked leave to retire. -</p> -<p> -The marquis rose at once, motioned to Master Jovelin to await his return -and to the page to take a light, and himself escorted his guest to the -room that had been prepared for him; after which he returned to the -table, removed his hat, which, in those days, was a sign that ceremony -was dispensed with, contrary to the usage introduced at a later date, -ordered a sort of punch called <i>clairette</i>, compounded of white wine, -honey, musk, saffron and cloves, and invited Master Jovelin to sit -opposite him in the place D'Alvimar had just vacated. -</p> -<p> -"Now, Messire Clindor," said the marquis, smiling good-humoredly at the -page, whom, in accordance with his usual custom, he had burdened with a -name taken from <i>Astrée</i>, "you may go to sup with Bellinde. Leave us, -and tell her to take care of you.—Stay," he added, as the page was -about to leave the room, "I have been intending all day to reprove you -for your manner of walking. I have noticed, my young friend, that you -have adopted some habits which you may think are military, but which are -simply vulgar. Do not forget, therefore, that, although you are not -noble, you are in a way to become so, and that a well-mannered little -bourgeois in the service of a man of quality is on the road to the -acquisition of a little fief of which he may assume the name. But what -will it avail you that I assist you to rub the dirt off your birth, if -you persist in befouling your manners? Try to be a gentleman, monsieur, -not a peasant. Now then, adopt an easy carriage, try to put your whole -foot on the floor when you walk, and not begin your step with the heel -and end on the great toe; a trick which makes your gait and the clatter -of your shoes resemble the amble of a millers horse. Go now in peace, -eat well and sleep well, or else beware of the stirrup-leathers!" -</p> -<p> -Little Clindor, whose real name was Jean Fachot—his father was an -apothecary at Saint-Amand,—received the sermon of his lord and master -with great respect, saluted and left the room on tiptoe, like a -ballet-dancer, to make it perfectly evident that he could not touch his -heels first, since he did not touch them at all. -</p> -<p> -The old servant, who always remained to the last, having gone likewise -to his supper, the marquis said to his <i>sourdelinier</i>: -</p> -<p> -"Come, my dear friend, just take off that great hat, and eat, without -fear of the servants, a good slice of this paté and another of this -ham, as you do every evening when we are alone." -</p> -<p> -Master Jovelin uttered some inarticulate sounds by way of thanks, and -began to eat, while the marquis slowly sipped his <i>clairette</i>, less -from desire than from courtesy, to bear him company; for it is well to say -that, although the old man had many absurd foibles, he had not a single -vice. -</p> -<p> -Then, while the poor mute ate, the good châtelain carried on the -conversation all by himself, which was a very great pleasure to the -musician, for no other person would take the trouble to speak to a man -who could not answer. People had become accustomed to treat him as a -deaf-mute; that is to say, knowing that he could not repeat what he -heard, they indulged without hesitation in lying or slander in his -hearing. The marquis alone talked directly to him, with much deference -for his noble character, his great learning and his misfortunes, of -which the following is a brief narrative: -</p> -<p> -Lucilio Giovellino, a native of Florence, was a friend and disciple of -the unfortunate and illustrious Giordano Bruno. Trained in the sublime -ideas and vast learning of his master, he had, in addition, great -aptitude for the fine arts, poetry and languages. Lovable, eloquent and -persuasive, he had propagated with success the bold doctrine of the -plurality of worlds. -</p> -<p> -On the day when Giordano died at the stake with the calm dignity of a -martyr, Giovellino was banished from Italy forever. -</p> -<p> -This happened at Rome two years before the period of our narrative. -</p> -<p> -Under the hand of the tormenters, Giovellino had not chosen to adhere to -all of Giordano's doctrines. Although he was deeply attached to his -master, he had declined to accept certain of his errors, and as they -were able to convict him of only the half of his heresy, they had -inflicted only the half of his punishment: they had cut out his tongue. -</p> -<p> -Ruined, banished, exhausted by the torture, Giovellino had come to -France, where he played his sweet-toned bag-pipe from door to door, for -a crust of bread; and, Providence having guided him to the marquis's door, -he was taken in, nursed, cured, entertained by him, and—which was -worth far more to the poor fellow—appreciated and loved. He had told -him of his misfortunes in writing. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was neither a scholar nor a philosopher; he had become -interested in him at first as a man who was persecuted, as he himself -had been for a long time, by Catholic intolerance. He would not, -however, have become attached to a savage, violent sectary, of the type -of a goodly number of Huguenots, who were no less addicted to -persecution in those days than their adversaries. He had a vague -knowledge of the blasphemies imputed to Giordano Bruno; he bade -Giovellino explain his doctrines to him. The mute wrote rapidly, and -with that refined lucidity of expression which great minds were -beginning not to disdain, wishing to instruct everybody, even the common -herd, in those great questions which Galileo was already investigating -in the domain of pure science. -</p> -<p> -The marquis enjoyed this conversation in writing, in which the essential -points were summarized soberly, and without the inevitable digressions -of speech. Gradually he conceived an enthusiastic, passionate interest -in these new definitions which afforded him repose and relieved him from -tedious disputes. He desired to read an exposition of Giordano's ideas, -also of those of his predecessor Vanini. Lucilio was able to express -them so that he could understand them, pointing out the weak or false -passages, in order to lead him to the only conclusions which human -knowledge asserts with certainty to-day: a creation as infinite as the -Creator, an infinity of stars peopling infinite space, not to serve as -luminaries and objects of interest to our little planet, but as sources -and sustenance of universal life. -</p> -<p> -This was very easy to understand, and man had understood it ever since -the first ray of genius had made itself manifest in mankind. But the -doctrines of the Church in the Middle Ages had reduced God and Heaven to -the proportions of our little world, and the marquis thought that he was -dreaming when he learned that the existence of the real universe was -not—as he had always imagined, so he said—a poet's fancy. -</p> -<p> -He did not rest until he had procured a telescope, and he expected, the -dear man, to see the inhabitants of the moon distinctly, his ideas were -raised so high. He had to abandon that hope; but he passed all his -evenings reading Giovellino's explanation of the movements of the stars, -and of the wonderful celestial mechanism, which Galileo was destined to -be condemned to abjure as heretical, a few years later, under torture, -on his knees, with a torch in his hand. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XI">XI</a></h4> - -<p> -"Well," cried the marquis, while his friend ate, hastening as a matter -of course, although his amiable and obliging host urged him to take his -time, "what have you done to-day, my redoubtable scholar? Yes, I -understand, pages of fine writing. Do not lose a line, I pray you! Those -are words of refined gold which will go down to posterity; for these -days of gloom will go hence into the dungeons of the past! Meanwhile, -always conceal your sheets carefully in the secret drawer of the -cupboard I have had placed in your chamber, when you do not write in -mine." -</p> -<p> -The mute made a sign that he had been writing in the marquis's study, -and that his sheets were in a certain ebony casket where the marquis -kept them. He made himself understood by gestures with great ease. -</p> -<p> -"That is still better," continued Bois-Doré; "they are even safer -there, as no woman enters the room. It is not that I distrust Bellinde, -but she seems to me altogether too devoutly inclined since the arrival -of this new rector whom Monseigneur de Bourges has sent us, and who is -not to be compared, I fear, with our old friend the former curé, whom -we owed to the last archbishop, Jean de Beaune. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! if only we had retained that excellent prelate, with his flowing -beard, his gigantic stature, his fat paunch, his Gargantuan appetite, -his handsome face, his great mind and his vast learning! one of the -shrewdest and best men in the kingdom, although, to look at him, one -would have taken him for a <i>bon vivant</i> and nothing more! -</p> -<p> -"If you had come in his time, my dear friend, you would not have had to -keep out of sight in this little hunting-box; you would not have been -obliged to translate your name into French, to lock up your learning, to -pass for a poor bagpiper, and to give people hereabout to understand -that you were mutilated by the Huguenots; our excellent primate would -have taken you under his protection, and you would have printed your -noble thoughts at Bourges, to the great honor of your name and of our -province; whereas we now have for archbishops none but Condé's too -zealous servants. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, I learned some fine things to-day, at De Beuvre's, concerning -that prince, a renegade to the faith of his fathers and the friendships -of his youth! He inundates us with Jesuits, and, if poor Henri IV. -should return to life, he would see some diverting masquerading! -Monsieur de Sully is falling deeper and deeper into disgrace. Condé is -purchasing from him by threats all his estates in Berry. Fancy! he has -forced him to give up the grand-bailiwick and the command of the great -tower! He is king of our province now, and people say that he dreams of -becoming King of France. So, you see, affairs are going badly -out-of-doors, and there is no safety except in our little fortresses, -and that only on condition that we are prudent and wait patiently for -the end of it all." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure02"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure02.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>BOIS-DORÉ AND JOVELIN, HIS -PROTÉGÉ.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to -him over the table, and kissed it with the eloquent -warmth which took the place of speech with him.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Giovellino took the hand that the marquis held out to him over the -table, and kissed it with the eloquent warmth which took the place of -speech with him. At the same time, he made him understand, by pantomime -and by his expression, that he was happy with him, that he did not -regret glory and the tumult of the world, and that he was altogether -disposed to be prudent, lest he should compromise his protector. -</p> -<p> -"As to the young gentleman whom I brought home with me and have done my -best to entertain," continued Bois-Doré, "you must know that I know -nothing about him except that he is a friend of Messire Guillaume d'Ars, -that he is threatened with some danger, and that he is to be concealed -and defended at need. But do you not think it odd that this stranger did -not once take me aside to confide his story to me, or that he did not do -it when we were naturally left together on our return hither?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, who always had a pencil and paper beside him on the table, -wrote to Bois-Doré: -</p> -<p> -"Spanish pride." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," rejoined the marquis, reading, so to speak, before he had -written, so accustomed had he become, in two years, to divine his words -from the first letters; "'Castilian pride,' that is what I said to -myself. I have known a goodly number of these hidalgos, and I know that -they do not consider it discourteous to show lack of confidence. So I -must needs exercise hospitality here in the old-fashioned way, respect -my guest's secrets and treat him courteously, as an old friend whom one -believes to be the most honorable man on earth. But that does not compel -me to accord him the confidence that he denies me, and that is why, as -you saw, I left you in a corner, like a poor, paid musician, when he was -here. And hereupon, my dear friend, I ask you to forgive me, once for -all, for any apparent lack of affection or courtesy to which I am forced -by regard for your safety, just as I clothe you in these common, -ill-fitting clothes." -</p> -<p> -Poor Giovellino, who had never been so well dressed and so tenderly -cared for in his whole life, interrupted the marquis by pressing his -hands, and Bois-Doré was deeply moved to see tears of gratitude fall -upon his friend's long, black moustache. -</p> -<p> -"Nay," he said, "you overpay me by loving me so dearly! I must reward -you now by speaking to you of the sweet Lauriane. But must I repeat what -she said to me about you? You will not be too puffed-up by it? -No?—Well then, here goes. In the first place: -</p> -<p> -"'How is your druid?' -</p> -<p> -"I replied that the said druid was hers much more than mine, and that -she ought to remember that Climante, in <i>Astrée</i>, was only a false -druid, as deep in love as every other lover in that beautiful story. -</p> -<p> -"'Nay, nay,' she replied, 'you are deceiving me; if your Climante were -as much in love with me as you represent him, he would have come with -you to-day, whereas two whole weeks have passed since we saw him. Will -you tell me that he starts when he hears my name, as in <i>Astrée</i>, and -that he utters sighs which seem <i>to rend his stomach in twain</i>? I do -not believe a word of it, and look upon him as an inconstant Hylas rather!' -</p> -<p> -"You see that the charming Lauriane continues to make sport of -<i>Astrée</i>, of you and of me. However, when I took leave of her at -nightfall, she said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'I insist upon your bringing the druid and his bag-pipe to us the day -after to-morrow, or I will give you a cool reception, I promise you.'" -</p> -<p> -The poor druid listened with a smile to Bois-Doré's story; he knew how -to jest on occasion, that is to say to take others' jesting in good -part. Lauriane was to him nothing more than a lovely child, whose father -he might have been; but he was still young enough to remember that he -had loved, and in the depths of his heart his sense of isolation was -exceedingly bitter to him. -</p> -<p> -As he thought of the past he stifled a sigh of regret, and began -instinctively to play an Italian air which the marquis loved above all -others. -</p> -<p> -He played it with so much grace and passion that Bois-Doré said to him, -resorting to his favorite oath, borrowed from Monsieur d'Urfé: -</p> -<p> -"<i>Numes célestes</i>! you need no tongue to talk of love, my dear friend, -and if the object of your passion were here, she must be deaf to avoid -understanding that your heart is pouring itself forth to hers. But come, -will you not let me read those pages of sublime learning?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio signified that his head was a little tired, and Bois-Doré at -once sent him off to bed, after embracing him fraternally. -</p> -<p> -Giovellino, in truth, often felt that he was more of an artist and a -creature of sentiment, than a scholar and philosopher. His nature was at -once enthusiastic and meditative. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile Monsieur de Bois-Doré had retired to his "night apartment," -situated above the salon. He had spoken truly when he said to Lucilio -that no woman ever entered that sanctuary of repose or the cabinets -connected therewith; Bellinde herself was forbidden to cross the -threshold under the severest penalties. -</p> -<p> -Only old Mathias—dubbed Adamas, for the same reason that Guillette -Carcat was obliged to call herself Bellinde, and Jean Fachot, -Clindor—was privileged to assist in the mysteries of the marquis's -toilet, so perfectly sincere was he in the belief that the secret of his -rouge and his dyes could be revealed only by the arsenal of boxes, -phials and jars spread out upon his tables. -</p> -<p> -As usual, therefore, he found Adamas alone, preparing the curl-papers, -powders and perfumed unguents which were to preserve the marquis's -beauty even in his slumber. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XII">XII</a></h4> - -<p> -Adamas was a pure-blooded Gascon: stout of heart, keen of wit, untiring -of tongue. Bois-Doré artlessly called him his old servant, although he -himself was at least ten years his senior. -</p> -<p> -This Adamas, who had accompanied him in his last campaigns, was his -<i>âme damnée</i>, and filled his nostrils with the incense of perpetual -admiration, the more injurious to his mental equilibrium in that it was -the result of a sincere infatuation. It was he who persuaded him that he -was still young, that he could not grow old, and that, when he went -forth from his hands, glistening and high-colored like a page from a -missal, he was certain to supplant all the coxcombs and deceive all the -fair. -</p> -<p> -No man is great in the eyes of his valet de chambre, witness Sancho -Panza who told his master such sound truths. But Bois-Doré, who was -simply an excellent man, enjoyed the privilege of being a demi-god in -the eyes of his servant; and, while some heroes have been the -laughing-stock of their retainers, this laughable old man was taken -quite seriously by the majority of his. -</p> -<p> -So things go in this world. Everyone must have noticed, as I have, that -they sometimes go entirely contrary to logic and common-sense. -</p> -<p> -The old nobleman's extraordinary kindliness was responsible for this -state of affairs. Great characters make people too exacting. At the -slightest weakness on their part, people are astonished; at the -slightest impatience they are scandalized. He who has no character at -all never irritates anybody and reaps the advantages of his -never-failing good nature. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, kneeling on the floor to remove his -old idol's boots, "I must tell you a very strange occurrence that -happened to-day on your domain." -</p> -<p> -"Speak, my friend, speak, since you desire to speak," replied -Bois-Doré, who allowed his dresser to chatter familiarly with him, and -furthermore, when he was half asleep, loved to be soothed by some bit of -harmless gossip. -</p> -<p> -"You must know, then, my dear and well-beloved master," said Adamas, -with his Gascon accent, which we will not attempt to reproduce, "that, -about five o'clock this evening, a very extraordinary woman came here, -one of those poor creatures of whom we saw so many on the shores of the -Mediterranean and the Southern provinces; you know, monsieur, not very -dark women, with heavy lips, fine eyes, and black hair—like yours!" -</p> -<p> -As he made this comparison, in perfect good faith, Adamas respectfully -placed his master's wig on an ivory block. -</p> -<p> -"Do you mean those Egyptian women, who play all kinds of tricks?" said -Bois-Doré, paying no heed to the subject of the comparison. -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, no! This one is a Spaniard, who swears by Mahomet, I am -sure, when she is all alone." -</p> -<p> -"Then you mean that she is a Moor?" -</p> -<p> -"That's it exactly, monsieur le marquis; she's a Moor, and she doesn't -know a word of French." -</p> -<p> -"But you know a little Spanish?" -</p> -<p> -"A little, monsieur. I remember so well what I used to know of it, that -I talked with that woman almost as readily as I am speaking to you." -</p> -<p> -"Well, is that the whole story?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! no; but give me time! It seems that this Moorish woman was one of -the great band of a hundred and fifty thousand, who perished, almost all -of them, some half score years ago, some by hunger and murder on the -galleys that were taking them to Africa, others by want and disease on -the shores of Languedoc and Provence." -</p> -<p> -"Poor creatures!" said Bois-Doré. "That was the most detestable deed -that ever was done!" -</p> -<p> -"Is it true, monsieur, that Spain drove out a million of these Moors, -and that barely a hundred thousand arrived in Tunis?" -</p> -<p> -"I couldn't tell you the number; but I can tell you that it was -downright butchery, and that beasts of burden were never treated like -those wretched human beings. You know that our Henri would fain have -made Calvinists of them, which would have saved them by making them -French." -</p> -<p> -"I remember very well, monsieur, that the Catholics of the South -wouldn't listen to such a thing, and said that they would murder them -all rather than go to mass with those devils. The Calvinists were not -any more reasonable, and the result was that our good king left the poor -wretches at peace in the Pyrenees, waiting for an opportunity to do -something for them. But after his death the queen regent wanted to rid -Spain of them, so they drove them into the sea, with or without ships. -Some, however, consented to be baptized and became Christians, to escape -that cruel fate, and the woman in question followed that wise course, -although I suspect her of not being perfectly sincere." -</p> -<p> -"What difference does that make to you, Adamas? Do you think that the -great Maker of the sun, the moon and the Milky Way——" -</p> -<p> -"I beg your pardon, monsieur?" said Adamas, who had not a very clear -understanding of his master's recently acquired knowledge, and indeed -was somewhat disturbed about it; "I don't recognize <i>milky voice</i><a id="FNanchor_10_1" href="FNanchor_10_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_1" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> as -a French expression." -</p> -<p> -"I will tell you about that another time," said the marquis yawning, for -he was drowsing in front of the fire that crackled on the hearth. -"Finish your story." -</p> -<p> -"Well, monsieur," Adamas continued, "this Moorish woman remained till -last year in the Pyrenees mountains, where she watched the flocks for -poor farmers; so that she continued to speak her Catalan patois, which -people understand well enough on the other side of the mountains." -</p> -<p> -"And that explains to me how, with your Gascon patois, which is not very -different from the mountain patois, you were able to talk Spanish with -this woman." -</p> -<p> -"That is as monsieur pleases; all the same, I said many Spanish words -which she understood perfectly.—And then I must tell you that she had -a little child with her, who isn't her own child, but of whom she is as -fond as a goat of her kid, and the pretty little lad, whose mind is -bigger than his body, speaks French as well as you and I. Now, monsieur, -this Moorish woman, whose name in French is Mercedes——" -</p> -<p> -"Mercedes is a Spanish name!" said the marquis, climbing into his great -bed with Adamas's aid. -</p> -<p> -"I meant to say that it was a Christian name," continued the servant. -"Six months ago, Mercedes took it into her head to go and find Monsieur -de Rosny, whom she had heard spoken of as the late king's right arm, and -who, she had been told, although he was in disgrace, was still powerful -because of his wealth and his virtue. So she started for Poitou, where -she was told Monsieur de Sully lived. Aren't you surprised, monsieur, at -the resolution of such a poor, ignorant woman, to travel across half of -France, on foot, with only a little child who is hardly ten years old, -with the idea of calling on such an exalted personage?" -</p> -<p> -"But you don't tell me what this woman's reason was for acting thus?" -</p> -<p> -"That is the wonderful part of the story, monsieur! What can it be, do -you think?" -</p> -<p> -"I could never guess! tell me at once, for it is late." -</p> -<p> -"I would tell you if I knew; but I know no more about it than you do, -and, try as hard as I would, I could not induce her to tell." -</p> -<p> -"Good-night, then." -</p> -<p> -"Wait till I cover the fire, monsieur." -</p> -<p> -And, as he covered the fire, Adamas continued, raising his voice: -</p> -<p> -"That woman is altogether mysterious, monsieur le marquis, and I would -like to have you see her!" -</p> -<p> -"Now?" said the marquis, rousing himself with a start. "You are joking; -it is time to go to sleep." -</p> -<p> -"To be sure; but to-morrow morning?" -</p> -<p> -"Is she in the house, pray?" -</p> -<p> -"Why, yes, monsieur! She asked for a corner to pass the night under -shelter. I gave her some supper, for I know monsieur does not wish us to -refuse bread to the unfortunate, and I sent her to lie on the straw -after talking with her." -</p> -<p> -"And you did wrong, monsieur; a woman is always a woman. And—I hope -that there are no other beggars there? I do not want any indecency on my -premises." -</p> -<p> -"Nor do I, monsieur! I put her and her child, all alone, in the small -cellar, where they are quite comfortable, I assure you; they do not seem -accustomed to such good quarters, poor things! And yet this Mercedes is -as neat and clean as one can be in such poverty. Moreover, she is not at -all ugly." -</p> -<p> -"I trust, Adamas, that you will not impose upon her destitute condition. -Hospitality is a sacred thing!" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur is making fun of a poor old man! It is all very well for -monsieur le marquis to have virtuous principles! For my part, I assure -you that I have little need of them, being no longer tempted by the -devil. Besides, the woman seems very honest, and she does not take a -step without her child clinging to her dress. She must have run other -risks than that of pleasing me too much, for she has been travelling -with gypsies who passed through this region to-day. There was a large -party of them, partly Egyptians, partly picked up here and there, as -their custom is. She says that the vagabonds were not unkind to her, so -true it is that beggars stand by one another. As she did not know the -roads, she followed them, because they said they were going to Poitou; -but she left them to-night, saying that she had no further need of them, -and that she had business in this province. Now, monsieur, that is -another thing that seems very strange to me, for she would not tell me -why she acted so. What do you think of it, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré did not reply. He was sleeping soundly, despite the noise -that Adamas made, to some extent wilfully, to force him to listen to his -story. -</p> -<p> -When the old retainer saw that the marquis had really set out for the -land of dreams, he tucked in the sheets carefully, placed his beautiful -pistols in the morocco bag hanging at the head of his bed; on a table at -his right, his rapier unsheathed and his hunting knife, his folio -edition of <i>Astrée</i>, a superb volume with engravings, a large goblet -of hippocras, a bell with its hammer, and a handkerchief of fine Holland -linen saturated with musk. Then he lighted the night lamp, blew out the -multicolored candles, and arranged at the foot of the bed the red -velvet slippers and the dressing-gown of flowered silk serge, -light-green on dark-green. -</p> -<p> -Then, as he was about to leave the room, the faithful Adamas gazed at -his master, his friend, his demigod. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, with all his cosmetics washed off, was a handsome old man, -and the tranquillity of his conscience imparted a venerable air to his -face as he lay asleep. While his wig reposed on the table, and his -garments, stuffed to conceal the hollows that age had made in his -shoulders and his legs, lay scattered about on chairs, the angular -outlines of his great body, shrunken to half its size, could be traced -under a <i>lodier</i> or coverlet of white satin, with coats-of-arms in -silver purl in relief at the four corners. -</p> -<p> -The headboard of the bed, a single panel ten feet high, as well as the -fringed tester connected therewith in the shape of a canopy, was also of -white satin stitched on thick wadding, and with large silver figures in -relief. The inside of the bed-curtains was of similar material; the -outer surface was of pink damask. -</p> -<p> -In that comfortable and sumptuous bed, that strongly-marked, venerable -face, martial still with all its gentleness, with its moustache -bristling with curl-papers, and its night-cap of wadded silk in the -shape of half a mortar, embellished with rich lace that stood erect like -a crown, presented a most singular combination of absurdity and -austerity in the bluish light of the night lamp. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur is sleeping quietly," said Adamas to himself; "but he forgot -to say his prayers, and it is my fault. I will do it for him." -</p> -<p> -He knelt and prayed very fervently; after which he withdrew to his own -room, which was separated only by a partition from his master's. -</p> -<p> -The arsenal that Adamas had arranged around the marquis's bed was only a -matter of habit or luxury. -</p> -<p> -Everything was perfectly quiet around the little château; within the -château everybody was sleeping soundly. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_10_1" href="Footnote_10_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_1"><span class="label">[10]</span></a>Bois-Doré said <i>voie</i> lactée; Adamas understood him to -say <i>voix</i> lactée.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XIII">XIII</a></h4> - -<p> -The first to awake was Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, who had also been the -first to fall asleep, being thoroughly tired out. -</p> -<p> -He did not like to remain in bed, and the habit born of straitened -circumstances, skilfully concealed, made the attentions of his valet -useless to him. This was the more fortunate, inasmuch as the old -Spaniard who was in attendance upon him would not readily have consented -to perform other functions than those of an esquire. -</p> -<p> -And yet that man was as devoted to him as Adamas was to Bois-Doré; but -there was as much difference in their relations as in their characters -and their respective situations. -</p> -<p> -They talked but little to each other, perhaps because they were -disinclined, perhaps because they understood each other on all subjects -at a single word. Moreover, the valet considered himself, up to a -certain point, his master's equal, for their families were equally -ancient and equally pure—such at least was their claim—of all -admixture with the Moorish or Jewish races, so solemnly ostracized, and -so solemnly persecuted in Spain. -</p> -<p> -Sancho of Cordova—such was the old esquire's name,—had been -present at young D'Alvimar's birth in the castle of the village where he -himself was living, reduced by poverty to the trade of swineherd. The -young châtelain, who was little richer than he, had taken him into his -service on the very day when he had determined to go to seek his fortune -in foreign lands. -</p> -<p> -It was said in that Castilian village that Sancho had loved Madame -Isabella, D'Alvimar's mother, and even that she had not been indifferent -to his passion. In this way they explained the attachment of that -taciturn and morose man for a cold and haughty youth, who treated him, -not as a valet properly so-called, but as an unintelligent inferior. -</p> -<p> -Thus Sancho, meditative or brutish, passed his life grooming horses and -keeping his master's weapons sharp and bright. The rest of the time he -played, slept or mused, avoiding familiarity with the other servants, -whom he looked upon as his inferiors, and forming no intimacies, for he -was suspicious of everybody, ate little, drank little, and never looked -a person in the face. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar dressed himself therefore and went out to inspect his -surroundings, although it was hardly daylight. -</p> -<p> -The manor house looked upon a small pond, from which a broad moat -issued, to return to it at another point after making the circuit of the -buildings, which consisted, as we have said, of a conglomerate mass of -architecture of several periods. -</p> -<p> -1st. An entirely new white pavilion, small in size, covered with -slates—a great luxury in a province where even tiles were -rare—and crowned with a double mansard roof with carved spandrels -adorned with balls.<a id="FNanchor_11_1" href="FNanchor_11_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_1" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> -</p> -<p> -2d. Another pavilion, very old but completely restored, with a roof of -oaken tiles, and resembling certain Swiss chalets in shape. This -building, which contained the kitchens, offices and guest chambers, was -arranged after the fashion of the wild old days of unrest. It had no -outer door, and could be entered only through the other buildings; its -windows looked on the courtyard, and its façade, turned toward the -fields, had no other openings than two small square holes in the gable, -like two suspicious little eyes in a silent face. -</p> -<p> -3d. A prism-shaped tower with an ogival door of delicate workmanship; -the tower had a slated roof, also pentagonal, and surmounted by a belfry -and a slender weather-vane. This tower contained the only staircase in -the château, and connected the old and new buildings. -</p> -<p> -Other low structures attached to the main pile stood on the edge of the -moat, and were occupied by the indoor servants. -</p> -<p> -The courtyard, with its well in the centre, was surrounded by the -château, the pond, another building of a single story, with mansards -and stone balls, used for stables, hunting equipments and visitors' -servants; and lastly, by the entrance tower, which was smaller and less -beautiful than that at La Motte-Seuilly, but was flanked by a wall -pierced with loop-holes for falconets, covering the approaches to the -bridge. -</p> -<p> -This trivial fortification was sufficient because of the two moats: the -first around the courtyard, wide and deep, with running water; the -second around the poultry-yard, marshy and stagnant, but protected by -stout walls. -</p> -<p> -Between the two moats, at the right of the drawbridge, lay the garden; -it was of considerable size and enclosed by high walls and well-kept -ditches; on the left the mall, the kennels, the orchard, the farm and -the meadow, with the seignioral dove-cote, heron yard and falconry; an -immense enclosure reaching to the houses of the village, almost all of -which belonged to the marquis. -</p> -<p> -The village was fortified, and in some places the solid foundation of -its low walls was said to date from the time of Cæsar. -</p> -<p> -Comparing the small proportions of the manor-house with the extent of -the domain, with the rich furniture heaped up in the apartments, and the -master's luxurious habits, Monsieur d'Alvimar tried to divine the reason -of the contrast; and as he was by no means charitably inclined, he -concluded that the marquis concealed his wealth, not from avarice, but -because the source of that wealth was not altogether pure. -</p> -<p> -Therein he was not entirely in error. -</p> -<p> -The marquis had this in common with a great number of gentlemen of his -time, that he had lined his pockets somewhat unscrupulously during the -civil commotions, at the expense of the rich abbeys, and by means of the -exactions of the war time, rights of conquest, and the smuggling of -salt. -</p> -<p> -Pillage was a sort of recognized right in those days; witness the -petition of Monsieur d'Arquian, who appealed to the courts because his -château was burned by Monsieur de la Châtre, "contrary to all the -usages of war; for he would not have mentioned the destruction and -sacking of his furniture." -</p> -<p> -As for the contraband trade in salt, it would have been difficult, at -the beginning of the seventeenth century, to find a nobleman in our -provinces who considered himself insulted by the epithet, <i>gentilhomme -faux saulnier</i>.<a id="FNanchor_12_1" href="FNanchor_12_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_1" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> -</p> -<p> -So that the wealth of which, by the way, Monsieur de Bois-Doré made an -excellent use by his inexhaustible generosity and charity, was not a -mystery in the region about La Châtre; but he wisely avoided drawing -the attention of the provincial government upon himself, by an enormous -house and a too splendid household. -</p> -<p> -He was well aware that the petty tyrants who were dividing among -themselves the wealth of France would not have lacked so-called legal -pretexts for making him disgorge. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar walked through the gardens, a laughable creation of his host, -of which he was unquestionably more vain than of his most glorious feats -of arms. -</p> -<p> -He had undertaken to produce, upon rather a limited space, the gardens -of <i>Isaure</i>, as they are described in <i>Astrée</i>: "That -enchanted spot was all fountains and flower-beds, avenues and noble -trees."—The great forest which formed such a charming labyrinth -was represented by a labyrinthine thicket wherein he had forgotten -neither the square of hazel-trees, nor the <i>fountain of the verity of -love</i>, nor the <i>cavern of Damon and Fortune</i>, nor the <i>den of -old Mandrague</i>. -</p> -<p> -All these things seemed exceedingly childish to Monsieur d'Alvimar, but -not so utterly ridiculous as they would seem to us to-day. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Bois-Doré's monomania was sufficiently prevalent in his day -not to be considered eccentric. Henri IV. and his court devoured -<i>Astrée</i>, and in the petty German courts even princes and princesses -assumed the resounding names that the marquis imposed upon his servants -and his animals. The extreme popularity of Monsieur d'Urfé's romance -lasted two centuries; it touched and charmed Jean-Jacques Rousseau; nor -must we forget that, on the eve of the Terror, the skilful engraver -Moreau still introduced in his works ladies named Chloris, and gentlemen -named Hylas and Cidamant. But these illustrious names were borne, in the -engravings and in the romance, by imaginary marquises; while the new -shepherds were called Colin or Colas. Only a short step had been taken -toward the real; the shepherds and shepherdesses were not improved; from -being heroic they had become obscene. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, wishing to obtain an idea of the surrounding country, walked -through the hamlet, which consisted of about a hundred hearth-stones and -was literally situated in a hole. It is so with many of those old -places. When they are not powerful enough to perch proudly and -threateningly upon some precipitous height, they seem to cower -designedly in the valleys, as if to avoid the eyes of marauding bands. -</p> -<p> -The locality is, however, one of the most charming in Lower Berry. The -gravelled roads leading thither are hard and clean at all seasons. Two -pretty little streams form a natural defence, which may have been turned -to advantage long ago for Cæsar's camp. -</p> -<p> -One of these streams fed the moats of the château; the other flowed -through two small ponds below the village. -</p> -<p> -The Indre, which is near at hand, receives these streams and hurries -them along a narrow valley, cut by sunken roads, heavily shaded, and -running through unenclosed, untilled land of wild aspect. -</p> -<p> -You must expect to find not grandeur but charm, in that little desert, -where virgin fields, thickets, wild grasses, genesta, heather and -chestnut trees encompass you on all sides. -</p> -<p> -On the bank of the Indre, which becomes a brook as you ascend toward the -source, wild flowers grow in a profusion most delightful to see.<a id="FNanchor_13_1" href="FNanchor_13_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_1" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> The -placid, transparent stream has torn apart the fields that blocked its -path, and formed islets of verdure whereon trees grow vigorously. -Standing too close together to be imposing, they extend an arch of -foliage over the water. -</p> -<p> -The ground is fertile around the village. Magnificent walnuts and a -large number of tall fruit trees make it a very nest of verdure. -</p> -<p> -The greater part of the land belonged to Monsieur de Bois-Doré. He -farmed out the best portions; the others were his hunting-grounds. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur d'Alvimar, having explored this little bailiwick, which by -reason of its isolation and the absence of communications, led him to -hope for a like absence of unpleasant meetings, returned to the village -and deliberated whether he should pay a visit to the rector. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre had happened to say to Monsieur de Bois-Doré in his -presence: -</p> -<p> -"How about your new priest? does he still preach sermons after the -pattern of the League?" -</p> -<p> -This expression had attracted the Spaniard's attention. -</p> -<p> -"If this priest is zealous for the good cause," he thought, "he may be a -useful friend to me; for that De Beuvre is a Huguenot, and Bois-Doré -with his tolerance is little better. Who knows if I shall be able to -live, on friendly terms with such people?" -</p> -<p> -He began by inspecting the church, and was scandalized by its -dilapidated and bare condition, which bore witness to the neglect of the -last incumbent, the indifference of the lord of the manor, and the -lukewarmness of the parishioners. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, whose abjuration, real or feigned, had caused a sensation, -had not thought of signalizing his return to orthodoxy by gifts to the -village church and alms to the chaplain. His vassals, who hated the -Huguenots, had not hailed his final return, in 1610, with truly -heartfelt rejoicing; but their suspicions had speedily given place to a -deep attachment, since, in place of a steward who drained them dry, they -had found a free-and-easy lord, lavish of benefactions. -</p> -<p> -Thus the good people of the village of Briantes were only moderately -devout; and, the peasants having resisted the payment of tithes to some -monastery or other, the archbishop had sent them a man exceedingly well -adapted to lead those stray lambs back to virtuous principles, and to -spy upon the châtelain's opinions. -</p> -<p> -The pious Sciarra knelt in the church and murmured some formula of -prayer; but he did not feel inclined to pray with the heart, and he soon -went out and bent his steps toward the rector's house. -</p> -<p> -He had not the trouble of going all the way thither; for he saw him in -the village square talking with Bellinde, and had an opportunity to -examine him. -</p> -<p> -He was a man still young, with a bilious, wheedling, treacherous face. -Probably his interest in temporal affairs was as keen as D'Alvimar's; -for he had no sooner spied that grave and fashionably dressed stranger -coming from the church, than his only thought was to wonder who he could -be. -</p> -<p> -He knew already that a new guest had arrived at the manor-house the -night before, for he had little other occupation than to make inquiries -about the marquis's doings; but how could a man, so devout as this early -visit of D'Alvimar's to the church seemed to indicate, consort with so -problematical a convert as Bois-Doré? -</p> -<p> -While he tried to obtain information on that subject from the -housekeeper at the château, he noticed that he could not look up -without finding the stranger's eyes fixed upon him. -</p> -<p> -He walked a few steps with Bellinde, in order to avoid his gaze, like -one who did not wish to risk a salutation before he knew with whom he -had to deal. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar, who understood or guessed his purpose, remained behind and -waited for him in the little cemetery which surrounded the church, fully -determined, after the examination he had made of his face, to address -him and form an alliance with him. -</p> -<p> -He stood there, musing upon his destiny, a problem by which he was -constantly beset, and which the sight of the scattered gravestones -seemed to render more irritating to him than usual. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar believed in the church, but he did not believe in the true -God. The church was to him above all else an institution of discipline -and terror, the instrument of torture of which a ferocious and -implacable God made use to establish his authority. If he had given his -mind to it, he would readily have persuaded himself that the merciful -Jesus was stained with heresy. -</p> -<p> -The idea of death was abhorrent to him. He dreaded hell, and—a -natural result of evil beliefs—he could not make his life conform -to his rigid principles. -</p> -<p> -He had no ardor except for discussion; when alone with himself, he found -that his heart was dry, his mind overstrained and confused by worldly -ambition. In vain did he reproach himself therefor. The thought of -damnation could not be fruitful of good, and terror is not remorse. -</p> -<p> -"So I must die!" he said to himself, gazing at the turf-covered mounds, -like furrows in a field, which covered the graves of those obscure -villagers; "die, it may be, penniless and without power, like the -wretched serfs who have not left even a name to be inscribed on these -little crosses of rotten wood! Neither influence nor renown in this -world! Wrath, disappointment, useless labors, useless efforts—crimes, -perhaps!—and all to reach the threshold of eternity, having never -been able to forward the glory of the church in this life, and having -failed to earn my pardon in the other!" -</p> -<p> -By dint of thinking about destiny, he persuaded himself that it was the -influence of the devil that had ruined his. -</p> -<p> -He thought for an instant of confessing to this priest, whose eyes had -seemed to him to glow with intelligence; but he was afraid to confide to -any person the secrets which were consuming his life and his repose. -</p> -<p> -Engrossed by these black thoughts, he saw Monsieur Poulain enter the -cemetery at last, and, coming toward him, salute him deferentially. -</p> -<p> -The acquaintance was soon made. With the first words they exchanged, the -two men felt that they were equally ambitious. -</p> -<p> -The rector invited D'Alvimar to breakfast with him. -</p> -<p> -"I can offer you only a very scanty repast," he said; "my cuisine does -not resemble that at the château. I have neither vassals nor valets at -my beck and call to serve as purveyors for my table. So that my frugal -fare will enable you to retain sufficient appetite to do honor to the -marquis's, whose bell will not ring for two or three hours to come." -</p> -<p> -There was, in this exordium, an undercurrent of jealous resentment -against the château which did not escape the Spaniard. He made haste to -accept the rector's invitation, feeling certain that he should learn -from him all that he had reason to hope or fear from the marquis's -hospitality. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_11_1" href="Footnote_11_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_1"><span class="label">[11]</span></a>This ornament, common in the time of Henri IV., may have -come to France with Marie de Médicis, as an allusion to the arms of her -family, which are, as everyone knows, seven little balls, literally -pellets, in memory of the profession of the founder of the family.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_12_1" href="Footnote_12_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_1"><span class="label">[12]</span></a>Salt-smuggling nobleman.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_13_1" href="Footnote_13_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_1"><span class="label">[13]</span></a>This is one of the few spots where we can still find the -wild balsam with yellow flowers.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XIV">XIV</a></h4> - -<p> -The rector began by speaking well of the marquis. He was a very good -man; his intentions were excellent; he gave freely to the poor, there -was no denying that; unfortunately he lacked judgment, he distributed -his benefactions helter-skelter, without consulting the <i>natural -intermediary</i> between the château and the cottage, to wit the rector of -the parish. He was a little mad, harmless in himself, dangerous by -reason of his rank, his wealth, and the example of refined sensuality, -of frivolity and indifference in religious matters, which he afforded -those about him. -</p> -<p> -And then he had a very suspicious individual in his household: that -bagpipe player, who was not so dumb perhaps as he pretended to be, some -heretic or sham scholar, who dabbled in astronomy, perhaps in astrology! -</p> -<p> -Old Adamas was no better: he was a base flatterer and hypocrite; and -that page, so absurdly tricked out as a petty gentleman, who, being a -bourgeois, was not entitled to wear satin, and who came to mass on -Sundays in some sort of damask doublet! -</p> -<p> -The servants as a whole were a worthless lot. They were civil, nothing -more, to Monsieur Poulain; no marked attentions; he had not yet received -a special pressing invitation to dinner. They had simply told him once -for all, that a cover was always laid for him. That was too -unceremonious treatment. It was surprising on the part of a man who had -lived a long while at court. To be sure, at the court of the Béarnais, -they did not pride themselves on being over-refined, and nobodies were -petted and spoiled there most shamefully. In short, Bellinde alone of -all the people <i>at the château</i> seemed to him a person of sense. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar considered Monsieur Poulain's judgment excellent; the bagpiper -especially seemed to him more than ever deserving of suspicion. -</p> -<p> -However, he did not dwell long upon these trivial matters. As soon as he -was assured that he would do well to repose no confidence in the old -marquis, he advanced a step in his investigations, and wished to know -what opinion he should hold of the leading men of the province. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur Poulain was well posted as to all the little secrets of the -provincial government at Bourges. He understood politics as D'Alvimar -did: to pry into everyone's private life as a step toward acquiring a -predominant influence in public affairs. -</p> -<p> -That evil-minded priest saw that he could safely speak; he admitted that -he was mortally bored in that little hamlet, but that he was patient, -because, some day or other, Monsieur de Bois-Doré or his neighbor -Monsieur de Beuvre might well afford him an opportunity for a little -petty persecution, of which he desired to be the victim rather than the -author. -</p> -<p> -"You understand me; it is much better to be on the defensive on solid -ground, than on the offensive and in the breach. One is never safe in a -breach; if these Berrichon heathen would only threaten me or even injure -me a little, I would make noise enough about it to obtain my release -from these paltry functions and this deserted province. Do not think me -ambitious; I am ambitious only to serve the Church, and, in order to be -of use, one must bow to the necessity of keeping oneself in view." -</p> -<p> -"This little priestling is shrewder than I am," said D'Alvimar to -himself; "he knows enough to wait until he is in a favorable position to -fire on the enemy; I have always been aggressive, that is what has -ruined me. But it is not too late to profit by good advice; I will come -often to this man in search of it." -</p> -<p> -In very truth, this priest, who seemed to be engrossed by church-porch -gossip, but who really was not at all interested in it except in so far -as he could make something out of it, was a shrewder man than D'Alvimar; -so much so that in an hour he fathomed him completely, distrustful as he -was, and learned, if not the secrets of his life, at all events those of -his character, and his disappointments, his defeats, his desires and his -needs. -</p> -<p> -When he had extorted his confession, seeming all the while to confess -himself, he spoke thus to him, going straight to his goal: -</p> -<p> -"You have more chances of success than I, since wealth is the great -element of power. A priest cannot make a fortune as a layman can. He -must be content to progress slowly, by the power of his intellect and -his zeal alone. He must not forget that wealth is not his goal, and he -cannot desire it except as an instrument As for you, you are at liberty -to acquire wealth at any time. You have simply to marry." -</p> -<p> -"I do not think it!" said D'Alvimar. "Women in these corrupt days are -more likely to make their lovers' fortunes than their husbands'." -</p> -<p> -"So I have heard," rejoined Monsieur Poulain; "but I know the remedy." -</p> -<p> -"Indeed! You possess a valuable secret!" -</p> -<p> -"Very simple and very easy. You must not aim so high as you have done, -perhaps. You must not marry a woman of the highest rank. You must look -for a substantial dowry and a modest wife in the provinces. Do you -understand me? You must spend your money at the court, and not take your -wife there." -</p> -<p> -"What! marry a bourgeoise?" -</p> -<p> -"There are young ladies of noble birth who are richer and more modest -than bourgeoises." -</p> -<p> -"I know of none such." -</p> -<p> -"There is one in this province, not very far away! The little widow of -La Motte-Seuilly." -</p> -<p> -"She has a competence at the most." -</p> -<p> -"You judge by appearances. People hereabout are not accustomed to -luxurious living. With the exception of this mad marquis, all the -resident nobility live without display; but there is plenty of money -here. Salt smuggling and the spoils of the convents have made the nobles -rich. Whenever you choose, I will convince you that, with Madame de -Beuvre's revenues, you will be able to live very handsomely in Paris. -Moreover she is connected with the best families in France, and none of -them would be sorry to have a Spaniard of the true faith become allied -to them." -</p> -<p> -"But isn't she a Calvinist like her father?" -</p> -<p> -"You will convert her, unless her Calvinism is simply a pretext for -allowing her to live at peace in her little château." -</p> -<p> -"You are far-sighted, monsieur le recteur! But suppose you declare war -upon that family some fine day?" -</p> -<p> -"Provided that I do not cause it to be despoiled of its property, such a -was might be of advantage to you under certain circumstances. Pray -observe that I do not advise you to maltreat and desert your wife, but -to insist upon being at liberty to absent yourself from her, to fulfil -the duties of your position. If she becomes bitter or rebellious, you -can checkmate her by her heresy. The freedom of conscience granted to -those people is dependent upon conditions which they often fail to -observe. So that we always have them in our power, witness the fact that -this same little widow finds it impossible to marry again. The young men -of the province, who are weary of the war between châteaux, are afraid -of marrying a war. So you would have no rival at this moment, except -possibly Monsieur Guillaume d'Ars, who is a moderate Catholic, and a -constant visitor at La Motte; but they will find a way at Bourges to -impose other bonds on him. He is a young popinjay, easily diverted. -Furthermore, given a widow who must be weary of solitude, such a man as -you are must be very awkward indeed to fail. I see, by your smile, that -you are not doubtful of success." -</p> -<p> -"Well, I admit that you speak truly," replied D'Alvimar, to whom there -suddenly came a vivid remembrance of the emotion which the young lady -had not succeeded in concealing from him, and the source of which he -might readily have misunderstood. "I think that, if I chose——" -</p> -<p> -"You must choose—Think about it," continued Monsieur Poulain, rising. -"If you have decided, I will write confidentially to certain persons who -can assist you materially." -</p> -<p> -He referred to the Jesuits, who had already shaken Monsieur de Beuvre's -resolution by threatening to prevent his daughters marriage. That -gentleman's own tranquillity could be assured, at the price of this -marriage. D'Alvimar understood the hint, promised the rector to consider -the matter seriously and give him an answer two days later, since, as it -happened, he was to pass the following day at Madame de Beuvre's. -</p> -<p> -The bell on the château announced the marquis's dinner. Monsieur -d'Alvimar took leave of the priest who had caused him to think more -hopefully of his destiny, and retraced his steps to the manor. -</p> -<p> -He felt more at ease and more light-hearted than he had been for several -days, because he felt that he was in communication with a keen mind, -ready to support him at need. His courage returned. This flight into -Berry, this disquieting residence with those who were hostile to his -faith and opinions, and this species of isolation which, two hours -earlier, had assumed the gloomiest colors in his mind, now smiled upon -him as the forerunners of a fortunate event. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, that man is right," he thought. "That marriage would be my -salvation. I have only to make up my mind. Let me once turn that little -provincial's head, and I shall be able to confess to her my disgrace at -court. She will consider herself bound in honor to make up to me for it. -And even if I must play the <i>moderate</i> for a few days—well, I -will try it! Courage! my horizon is brightening, and perhaps the star of -my fortune is about to come forth from the clouds at last." -</p> -<p> -He raised his hand as he spoke, and saw in front of him, on the bridge -leading to the courtyard, the Moorish woman's child boldly riding one of -the marquis's chariot horses. -</p> -<p> -Mercedes had asked leave of Adamas to pass the day at the château, and -the goodman had granted it in his master's name, proposing to present -her to him as soon as he should be visible. -</p> -<p> -As he was playing in the courtyard, the child had made a favorable -impression on the coachman—<i>cocher</i>; in those days the common -term was <i>carrossier</i> or <i>carrosseur</i>; in Berry -<i>carrosseux</i>—and he had consented to put him upon -<i>Squilindre</i>, while he himself, mounted on <i>Pimante</i>, his -mate, held the rein and led the team to the brook for its daily -leg-bath. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was struck by the face of that child, who, on the preceding -day, had darted among his horse's legs to beg, and had fled from his -whip, and now, perched on the monumental Squilindre, looked down upon -him with an air of kindly triumph. -</p> -<p> -It was impossible to imagine a more interesting and touching face than -that little vagrant's. His beauty was of a quiet type, however; he was -pale, sunburned, and seemed not strong. His features were not absolutely -perfect, but there was in the expression of his soft black eyes and in -the sweet, sly smile that played about his delicately-chiselled mouth, a -something absolutely irresistible to all whose hearts were not closed to -the divine charm of childhood. -</p> -<p> -Adamas had yielded instinctively to that gentle influence, and the -rudest servants in the barnyard had yielded to it no less. Such rough -natures were oftentimes so kindly! Was it not of such that Madame de -Sévigné wrote that there were "peasants whose hearts were straighter -than straight lines, loving virtue as naturally as horses trot?" -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar, not being fond of innocence, was not fond of children, -and this one in particular caused in him a sense of discomfort which he -could not understand. -</p> -<p> -He had a shuddering, dizzy sensation, as if the portcullis had fallen -upon his head as he was returning to the château of Briantes, more -tranquil and less dejected than when he went forth. -</p> -<p> -He had been subject for some years to these sudden attacks of vertigo, -and he readily attributed to the faces that happened to be before him at -such times a phenomenon the cause of which was really in himself. He -believed in mysterious influences, and, to avert them, he denied and -cursed inwardly with great warmth the persons who seemed possessed of -that occult power. -</p> -<p> -"May that big horse break your neck!" he muttered, as he raised two -fingers of his left hand, under his cloak, to exorcise the evil eye. -</p> -<p> -He repeated that cabalistic gesture when he saw the Moorish woman coming -toward him across the courtyard. -</p> -<p> -She stopped for a moment, and, as on the preceding day, gazed at him -with an earnestness which irritated him. -</p> -<p> -"What do you want with me?" he demanded abruptly, walking toward her. -</p> -<p> -She made no reply, but, courtesying to him, hurried to her child, -alarmed to see him on horseback. -</p> -<p> -The marquis came forward with Lucilio Giovellino, to meet his guest. -</p> -<p> -"Pray, come and eat," he said to him; "you must be dying of hunger! -Bellinde is in despair because she did not see you go out this morning, -and consequently allowed you to take your walk without breaking your -fast." -</p> -<p> -Monsieur d'Alvimar thought it best not to mention his visit to the -vicarage and his breakfast there. He dilated upon the rural beauty of -the neighborhood, and on the soft, bright autumn morning. -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Bois-Doré, "we shall have several days of it, for the -sun——" -</p> -<p> -He was interrupted by a piercing shriek outside the enclosure, and ran -as fast as he could to the bridge, whither D'Alvimar had preceded him -and Lucilio instinctively followed him. -</p> -<p> -They saw the Moorish woman on the edge of the moat, holding out her arms -in an agony of fear toward her child, whom the huge horse was bearing -down stream, and she was apparently on the point of throwing herself in -from the elevated point where she stood. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XV">XV</a></h4> - -<p> -This is what had happened. -</p> -<p> -The little gypsy, proud and overjoyed to be riding such a big -rocking-horse all by himself, had cajoled the coachman into allowing him -to hold the halter. Honest Squilindre, feeling that he had been turned -over to that tiny hand, and excited by the merry little heels drumming -against his sides, had ventured too far to the right, missed the ford, -and swum under the bridge. The coachman tried to go to his assistance, -but Pimante, being more suspicious than his mate, refused to leave the -solid ground; and the child, clinging to the mane, was delighted with -the adventure. -</p> -<p> -His mothers shrieks calmed his excitement, however, and he shouted to -her, in a tone which Lucilio alone understood: -</p> -<p> -"Don't be afraid, mother, I am holding on tight." -</p> -<p> -But they were fairly in the current of the little river which fed the -moat. The bulky, phlegmatic Squilindre had already had enough of it, and -his nostrils, tremendously dilated, betrayed his discomfort and his -anxiety. -</p> -<p> -He had not the wit to turn back. He was heading straight for the pond, -where the impossibility of passing the dam might well exhaust what -little swimming strength he still retained. -</p> -<p> -However, the danger was not imminent as yet, and Lucilio strove by -gestures to make the Moor understand that she must not jump into the -water. She paid no heed, and was descending the grassy bank, when the -marquis, realizing the danger that threatened those two poor creatures, -attempted to unbutton his cloak. -</p> -<p> -He would have thrown himself into the stream; indeed, he was about to do -it without consulting anybody, and before D'Alvimar had any suspicion of -his purpose, when Lucilio, who did detect it, and who wore nothing to -impede his freedom of movement, leaped from the bridge and swam -vigorously toward the child. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! dear, brave Giovellino!" cried the marquis, forgetting in his -emotion the French translation which disguised his friend's name. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar recorded that name in the archives of his memory, which was -very reliable, and, while the marquis approached the bank to pacify and -restrain the Moor, he remained on the bridge, awaiting with strange -interest the conclusion of the adventure. -</p> -<p> -His interest was not of the sort that every kind heart would have felt -at such a time, and yet the Spaniard was conscious of a keen anxiety. -</p> -<p> -He did not desire the death of the mute, which was in nowise likely to -result; but he did desire the death of the child, which seemed more than -possible. He did not pray to heaven to abandon that poor creature; he -did not seek the explanation of his cruel instinct; he submitted to it, -in spite of himself, as to a strange, unconquerable disease. He was more -and more conscious that that child inspired him with superstitious -terror. -</p> -<p> -"If this that I feel is a revelation of my destiny," he thought, "it is -in the balance and is being decided at this moment. If the child dies, I -am saved; if he is saved, I am lost." -</p> -<p> -The child was saved. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio overtook the horse, grasped his little rider by the collar of -his jacket, and tossed him to the bank, into the arms of his mother, who -had followed the changing scenes of this little drama, running by the -stream and shrieking. -</p> -<p> -Then he calmly returned to the too simple-minded Squilindre, who was -making a desperate assault on the dam at the pond, and, forcing him to -turn back, delivered him safe and sound to the frantic coachman. -</p> -<p> -The whole house had been attracted by the Moorish woman's shrieks, and -they were deeply moved to see her, weeping copiously the while, hug -Lucilio's knees and speak earnestly to him in Arabic, greatly surprised -that he did not say a word to her in reply, although he seemed to -understand the language, and did in fact understand it perfectly. -</p> -<p> -The marquis embraced Lucilio, saying to him in an undertone: -</p> -<p> -"Ah! my poor friend! for a man who has suffered at the hands of the -torturer, even to the very marrow of his bones, you are a sturdy -swimmer! God, who knows that you live only to do good, has deigned to -perform miracles in your person. Now go at once and change everything, -and do you, Adamas, see that yonder little devil is thoroughly dried and -warmed; he seems no more frightened than if he were just out of bed. I -wish you to bring him to me with his mother, after my breakfast; so make -them as clean as you can. Why, where has Monsieur de Villareal gone?" -</p> -<p> -The pretended Villareal had returned to the château, and was praying, -alone in his room, to the revengeful God in whom he believed, not to -punish him too severely for the eagerness with which he had, <i>without -just cause</i>, longed for the little gypsy's death. -</p> -<p> -We give the child this title, following the example of the servants of -the château, by whom he was surrounded at that moment; but when, after -his repast, Monsieur de Bois-Doré betook himself to an ancient -apartment of his castle, which Adamas dignified with the title of <i>salle -des audiences</i>, and sometimes of <i>salle de justice</i>; when that old -minister of the interior to the marquis introduced the Moorish woman and -her child, the marquis's first words, after a moment of impressive -silence, were these: -</p> -<p> -"The more I look at this little fellow, the more certain I feel that he -is neither Egyptian nor Moor, but rather a Spaniard of good family, -perhaps of French blood." -</p> -<p> -It was not necessary to be a magician to make that discovery; -nevertheless it was listened to with great respect by Adamas, who, in -his capacity of introducer, remained at the conference. Monsieur -d'Alvimar and Lucilio had been invited by the marquis to be present. -</p> -<p> -"See," continued Bois-Doré, with ingenuous pride in his own -penetration, putting aside the child's coarse white shirt, "his face is -sun-burned, but no more than our peasants are in harvest-time; his neck -is as white as snow, and he has feet and hands so small that serf or -villein never could show the like. Come, my little imp, be not ashamed; -and, as I am told that you understand French, answer our questions. What -is your name?" -</p> -<p> -"Mario," the child replied without hesitation. -</p> -<p> -"Mario? That is an Italian name!" -</p> -<p> -"I don't know." -</p> -<p> -"From what country are you?" -</p> -<p> -"I am French, I think." -</p> -<p> -"Where were you born?" -</p> -<p> -"I don't remember." -</p> -<p> -"I should think not," laughed the marquis; "but ask your mother." -</p> -<p> -Mario turned to the Moor, and opened his mouth to speak to her. His face -wore an expression of satisfaction and joy, because he had been welcomed -so like a father by this fine gentleman who held him between his legs, -and whose beautiful silk clothes and pretty little beribboned dog he -stroked timidly with the tips of his little fingers. -</p> -<p> -But when he met his mother's eyes, he seemed to read therein a warning -of great importance; for he gently extricated himself from Monsieur de -Bois-Doré's grasp, and went to the Moor, lowering his eyes and not -speaking. -</p> -<p> -The marquis asked him divers other questions to which he did not reply, -although he seemed, by the sweet and melting glance he turned upon him, -to apologize furtively for his discourtesy. -</p> -<p> -"It is my opinion, friend Adamas, that you exaggerated a trifle when you -declared that this boy spoke our language fluently," said the marquis. -"It is true that his pronunciation is very good, and that he says -several words without much foreign accent; but I fancy that that is all -he knows. As you know Spanish so well—for my part, I confess that I -know very little of it—make him explain himself." -</p> -<p> -"Useless, monsieur le marquis," said Adamas, not at all disconcerted, "I -give you my word that the little rascal speaks French like a clerk; but -he is frightened in your presence, that's the whole story." -</p> -<p> -"No, indeed!" rejoined the marquis; "he's a little lion and afraid of -nothing. He came out of the water laughing as heartily as when he went -in, and he must see that we are kind-hearted people." -</p> -<p> -Mario seemed to understand perfectly; for his affectionate eye said yes, -while the Moorish woman's intelligent and timid eyes, resting upon -D'Alvimar, seemed to say no, so far as she was concerned. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come," continued worthy Monsieur Sylvain, taking Mario between -his legs again, "I propose that we shall be good friends. I love -children and this one attracts me. Tell me, Master Jovelin, isn't it -true that that face was not made to deceive, and that that innocent -glance goes straight to the heart? There is some mystery under all this, -and I propose to solve it. Listen, Master Mario, if you answer me -truthfully, I will give you—What would you like me to give you?" -</p> -<p> -The child, obeying the artless impulse of his age, pounced upon -Fleurial, the beautiful little white dog which never left its master's -chair when he was seated. -</p> -<p> -It seemed that Mario was determined to risk everything to possess the -creature; but another glance from Mercedes warned him to restrain -himself, and he replaced the little dog on the marquis's knees, to the -great satisfaction of the latter, who had feared for a moment that he -had gone too far. -</p> -<p> -The child sadly shook his head and made a sign that he wanted nothing. -</p> -<p> -Thus far D'Alvimar had said nothing; as he recited his prayer after the -scene at the moat, he had reviewed rapidly, but with unerring accuracy, -all the events of his life. Nothing had come to his memory which could -have any connection, direct or indirect, with a woman and child in the -situation of these two. -</p> -<p> -The emotion he had felt therefore must have been purely imaginary; he -had regretted his failure to overcome it at once; he had recovered -possession of his reason. -</p> -<p> -During dinner the marquis had not mentioned Adamas's story concerning -Mercedes's mysterious journey. He himself had only listened to it with -one ear, as he was falling asleep the night before. So that D'Alvimar -eyed the two vagrants with calm contempt, and fancied that he had -discovered at last the commonplace explanation of his repugnance for -them. -</p> -<p> -He joined in the conversation. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le marquis," he said, "if you will permit me to retire, I am -sure that with a little money you will make this varlet talk all you -desire. It is possible that he is a Christian child stolen by this Moor, -for I have no question as to her nationality. However, you are much -mistaken, if you think that the color of the skin is a certain sign. -Some of these wretched children are as white as yourself, and if you -wish to make sure, you will do well to raise the hair that covers this -brat's forehead; perhaps you will find there the brand of the red-hot -iron." -</p> -<p> -"What!" said the marquis with a smile, "are they so afraid of the water -of baptism that they efface the sign by fire?" -</p> -<p> -"The mark I refer to is the brand of slavery," replied D'Alvimar. "The -Spanish law inflicts it upon them. They are branded on the forehead with -an S. and a nail's head, which represents in figurative language the -word <i>slave</i>." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said the marquis, "I remember, it is a rebus! Well, for my part, -I consider it very shocking, and if this poor child is branded with it -and is a slave by your laws, I will purchase him and set him free on -good French soil." -</p> -<p> -Mercedes had not understood a word of what was being said. But she -watched with intense anxiety D'Alvimar approach Mario, as if to touch -him; but not for anything in the world would D'Alvimar have sullied his -gloved hand by contact with a Moor, and he waited for the marquis to -lift the child's hair; but the marquis did nothing of the kind, from a -feeling of generous compassion for the poor mother, whose humiliation -and anxiety he thought that he could understand. -</p> -<p> -As for Mario, he understood what was taking place; but controlled and, -as it were, fascinated by Mercedes's glance, he took refuge in stolid -silence. -</p> -<p> -"You see," said D'Alvimar to the marquis, "he hangs his head and -conceals his shame. Well, I know all I wish to know about them, and I -leave you in this respectable society. There is no danger that they will -unclench their teeth before a Spaniard, and they evidently know that I -am one. There is an instinctive aversion between that degraded race and -ours, so unerring that they scent our approach as wild game scents the -approach of the hunter. I met this woman yesterday on the highroad, and -I am sure that she put some spell on my horse, for he is lame this -morning. If I were the master of this house, such vermin would not -remain in it another instant!" -</p> -<p> -"You are my guest," rejoined Bois-Doré, blending with his courtesy an -accent of dignity and resolution of which Monsieur d'Alvimar deemed him -incapable, "and, in that capacity, you are entitled to entertain your -opinions without being called upon to defend them, whether they are or -are not identical with my own. If the sight of these unfortunate -creatures is distasteful to you, as I do not wish it to be said that you -were annoyed in any manner under my roof, I will arrange that they shall -not offend your eyes; but you cannot demand that I shall brutally turn a -woman and a child out-of-doors." -</p> -<p> -"Surely not, monsieur," said D'Alvimar, recovering his self-possession; -"by so doing I should ill requite your courtesy, and I ask your pardon -for my vehemence. You are aware of the horror with which my nation -regards these infidels, and I know that I should have held it in check -here." -</p> -<p> -"What do you mean?" demanded Bois-Doré, somewhat testily; "do you take -us for Mussulmans?" -</p> -<p> -"God forbid, monsieur le marquis! I intended to refer to the tolerant -spirit of the French in general; and as it is a law of civility that we -must conform to the customs of the country in which we accept -hospitality, I promise to keep watch upon myself, and to meet without -repugnance whomever it may please you to receive." -</p> -<p> -"Very good!" replied the honest marquis, offering him his hand; "in a -few moments, when I have finished here, is it your pleasure to go out -and kill a hare or two?" -</p> -<p> -"You are too kind," said D'Alvimar, as he was leaving the room; "but do -not disturb yourself on my account; with your permission I will go to -write some letters, awaiting the supper hour." -</p> -<p> -The marquis, having risen to salute him, seated himself again with his -careless grace, and said to Lucilio: -</p> -<p> -"Our guest is a very well-bred knight, but he is quick-tempered, and, -all things considered, he has one great drawback, which is that he is -too much of a Spaniard. Those sublime mortals despise everything that is -not Spanish; but I believe that they have crushed out their own life by -martyrizing and exterminating those wretched Moors. They will gnaw their -hands over it some day. The Moors were untiring workers and scrupulously -neat, in a land of sloth and vermin. They were gentle and humane before -they were tormented so cruelly. Well, well, if we have here a poor -remnant of that race which was so great in the past, let us not trample -on it. Let us be merciful! God for us all!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio had listened to the marquis with religious attention, but while -he was saying the last words he was writing. -</p> -<p> -"What are you doing?" said Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio handed him the paper, which seemed to the marquis an -undecipherable scrawl. -</p> -<p> -"This," said the mute with his pencil, "is a translation in Arabic of -the noble words you just said. See if the child knows how to read, and -if he understands that language." -</p> -<p> -Mario glanced at the paper which was handed him, ran to the Moor and -read it to her; she listened with great emotion, kissed the paper and -fell on her knees at the marquis's feet. -</p> -<p> -Then she turned to Giovellino and said to him in Arabic: -</p> -<p> -"Man of courage and virtue, say to this good man what I am going to say -to you. I did not wish you to speak my language before the Spaniard. I -was not willing that the child should say a word before him. The -Spaniard hates us, and, wherever he meets us, he does us harm. But the -child is a Christian, he is not a slave. You can see on my brow the -brand of the Inquisition; it is still there, although I was very small -when they branded me." -</p> -<p> -As she spoke, she untied the kerchief of multicolored sackcloth which -confined her long black hair, and pointed to her forehead on which there -was no sign of the red-hot iron. But she rubbed it with her hand, and -the ghastly <i>rebus</i> stood out in white on the red skin. -</p> -<p> -"But look at this youthful brow," she said, lifting Mario's abundant, -silky locks. "If it had been branded like mine, it would not be possible -to mistake the mark. This brow was baptized by a priest of your -religion; the child has been reared in the faith and the language of his -fathers." -</p> -<p> -While the Moor was speaking, Lucilio had written a translation of her -words, and the marquis read as he wrote. -</p> -<p> -"Ask her for her story," he said to the mute; "make her understand that -we are interested in her misfortunes and that we will take her under our -protection." -</p> -<p> -It was not necessary for Lucilio to write Bois-Doré's interruptions. -Mario, who spoke Arabic as readily as French and Catalan, translated it -to his adoptive mother with remarkable fidelity. -</p> -<p> -We will continue the interview of those four persons, as if they had all -spoken the same language, and as if Lucilio, quick as he was with his -pencil, had not been incapable of speaking any language. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XVI">XVI</a></h4> - -<p> -The Moorish woman began thus: -</p> -<p> -"Mario, my beloved, say to this kind-hearted nobleman that I speak -Spanish very little, and French still less; I will tell my story to his -<i>scrivener</i>, and he can read it. -</p> -<p> -"I am the daughter of a poor farmer of Catalonia. It was in Catalonia -that the few Moors who were spared by the Inquisition lived at peace, -hoping that they would be allowed to remain there and earn their living -by toil, since we had taken no part in the recent wars which were so -disastrous to our brothers in the other provinces of Spain. -</p> -<p> -"My father's name was Yesid in Arabic and Juan in Spanish; I was baptized -by <i>aspersion</i> like the others, my Christian name was Mercedes, -my Moorish name Ssobyha.<a id="FNanchor_14_1" href="FNanchor_14_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_1" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> -</p> -<p> -"I am now thirty years old. I was thirteen when we began to receive -secret warnings that we were to be stripped and driven from the country -in our turn. -</p> -<p> -"Even before I was born the terrible King Philip II. had ordered that -all Moors must learn the Castilian language within three years, and must -no longer speak, read or write in Arabic, openly or secretly; that all -contracts made in that language should be void; that all our books -should be burned; that we should exchange our national costumes for the -dress worn by Christians; that the Moorish women should go out without -veils, with faces uncovered; that we should have no national festivals -or songs or dances; that we should lay aside our family and individual -names and take Christian names; that no Moor, male or female, should -bathe in the future, and that the baths in the houses should be -destroyed. -</p> -<p> -"Thus they insulted us even in the decency of our manners and the health -of our bodies! My parents submitted. When they saw that it availed them -nothing, and that they were persecuted solely because of their money, -they thought only of collecting and concealing all that they could, -intending to fly when they should again be in danger of death. -</p> -<p> -"By dint of hard work and patience they amassed a little hoard. It was -to prevent the necessity of my begging, they said, as so many others had -had to do who had allowed themselves to be taken by surprise. But it was -written that I should ask alms like all the rest. -</p> -<p> -"We were still happy enough, notwithstanding the humiliation they heaped -upon us. Our Spanish lords did not love us; but, as they realized that -we alone in Spain were able and willing to till their lands, they asked -their king to spare us. -</p> -<p> -"When I was seventeen years old, King Philip suddenly issued a new -decree against all the Catalan Moors. We were banished from the kingdom -with such goods and chattels as we could carry on our bodies. We must -leave our houses within three days, under pain of death, and go, under -escort, to the place of embarkation. Every Christian who harbored a Moor -would be sent to the galleys for six years. -</p> -<p> -"We were ruined. However, my father and I concealed about our persons -such gold as we could carry, and we left our home without a complaint. -They promised to take us to Africa, the home of our ancestors. Thereupon -we prayed to the God of our fathers to take us once more for his -faithful children. -</p> -<p> -"They allowed us on the journey to resume our former costumes, which had -been preserved in our families for a whole century, and to chant our -prayers in our own language, which we had not forgotten; for, in spite -of the decrees, we used no other among ourselves. -</p> -<p> -"We were packed on the state galleys like sheep, but were no sooner on -board than they called upon us to pay for our passage. The majority had -nothing. They insisted that the rich should pay for the poor. -</p> -<p> -"My father, seeing that they cast into the sea those who could find no -one to help them, paid without regret for all those who were on our -ship; but when they saw that he had nothing left, they tossed him into -the sea with the rest!" -</p> -<p> -At this point the Moorish woman stopped. She did not weep, but her -breast was heaving with sobs. -</p> -<p> -"Execrable hounds of Spaniards! Poor Moors!" muttered the marquis. -"Alas!" he added, as if warned by a melancholy glance from Lucilio, -"France has done no better; the Regent treated them just the same way!" -</p> -<p> -"Finding myself alone in the world," continued Mercedes, "without a sou, -and deprived of all I loved, I tried to follow my poor father; they -prevented me. I was pretty. The commander of the galley wanted me for a -slave. But God unloosed the tempest, and they had to give all their -thought to struggling against it. Several vessels sank, thousands of -Moors perished with their persecutors. The galley upon which we were was -hurled by the storm on the coast of France, and was dashed to pieces -near a place of which I have never learned the name. -</p> -<p> -"I was washed upon the shore amid the dead and dying; that was my -salvation. I dragged myself among the rocks, and there, drenched to the -skin and utterly exhausted, having carefully concealed myself, for I had -no strength to go farther, I slept for the first time for many days and -nights. -</p> -<p> -"When I awoke the storm was at an end. It was quite warm. I was alone. -The wretched ship lay off the shore, the dead bodies on the beach. I was -hungry, but I had strength enough to walk. -</p> -<p> -"I left the shore as quickly as I could, fearing to encounter Spaniards -there, and walked toward the mountains, begging bread, water and -lodging. I was received very coldly; my costume made the peasants -suspicious. -</p> -<p> -"At last I met several women of my own race, who were settled in a -certain village, and who gave me other clothes. They advised me to -conceal my birth and my religion, because the people thereabout did not -like foreigners, and detested Moors above all others. Alas! it seems -that they are detested everywhere, for I was told later that, instead of -welcoming as brothers those who succeeded in reaching Africa, the men of -Barbary massacred them or reduced them to a worse slavery than that of -Spain. -</p> -<p> -"How could I follow the advice that was given me to conceal my origin? I -did not know the Catalan language well enough for that. At first people -gave me alms; but, when a Spaniard passed, he would say to the people of -the neighborhood: -</p> -<p> -"'You have a Moorish woman among you.' -</p> -<p> -"And they would turn me away. I wandered from valley to valley. -</p> -<p> -"One day I found myself on a highroad—I learned afterward that it was -the Pau road—and there it was that heaven caused me to fall in with a -woman even more unhappy than myself. She was the mother of the child -before you, who has become mine." -</p> -<p> -"Go on," said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -But Mercedes paused, seemed to reflect, and finally said to Lucilio: -</p> -<p> -"I cannot tell the story of the child's parents except to you -alone—you, who saved his life, and who seem to me to be an angel on -earth. If I may remain here a few days, and if I see no danger for -Mario, I swear that I will tell the whole story; but I am afraid of the -Spaniard, and I saw this old gentleman put his hand in his, after -reproving him for his harshness toward us. I understood it all with my -eyes; nobles are nobles, and we poor slaves cannot hope that the -kindest-hearted of them all will take our part against their equals." -</p> -<p> -"Equality has nothing to do with it!" cried the marquis as soon as -Lucilio had translated Mercedes's words for him in writing. "I swear, on -my faith as a Christian and my honor as a gentleman, to protect the weak -against the whole world." -</p> -<p> -The Moor replied that she would tell the truth, but that she should omit -certain unimportant details. -</p> -<p> -Then she resumed her narrative in these words: -</p> -<p> -"I was on the Pau road, but at a very lonely spot in the heart of the -mountains. There, as I was taking a little rest, having concealed myself -for fear of the wicked men whom one is likely to meet in all countries, -I saw a man pass with his wife. -</p> -<p> -"The woman was walking a little in advance; brigands ran up behind them, -and killed and robbed the man so quickly that his wife did not see it, -and, when she turned to speak to him, found him lying dead across the -road. -</p> -<p> -"At that sight she fell in a swoon, and I saw that she was <i>enceinte</i>. -</p> -<p> -"I did not know how to take her up and comfort her. I was on my knees -beside her, praying and weeping, when a man on horseback, dressed in -black, and with a gray moustache, suddenly appeared and asked me why I -was weeping so. I pointed to the woman lying on her husband's body. He -spoke to her in several languages, for he was a great scholar; but he -very soon saw that she was in no condition to reply. -</p> -<p> -"The shock that she had received hastened her labor. -</p> -<p> -"Some shepherds passed with their flocks. He called to them, and as they -saw that that good man was a priest of their Christian religion, they -obeyed his orders and carried the woman to their house, where she died -an hour after bringing Mario into the world, and giving the priest the -wedding-ring she wore on her finger, unable to say anything, but -pointing to the child and to heaven! -</p> -<p> -"The priest stayed at the shepherd's house until the two unfortunate -creatures were buried, and as he supposed that I had been the lady's -slave, he entrusted the child to me and bade me accompany him. But I did -not choose to deceive him, having seen that he was learned and humane. I -told him my story and how I happened to be a witness of the peddler's -murder." -</p> -<p> -"So he was a peddler?" said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"Or a gentleman in disguise," Mercedes replied; "for his wife wore the -clothing of a lady under her cloak, and when we undressed him to lay him -out, we found a shirt of fine linen and silk short clothes under his -coarser garments. His hands were white, and we also found upon him a -seal on which there was a crest." -</p> -<p> -"Show me the seal!" cried Bois-Doré deeply moved. -</p> -<p> -The Moor shook her head, saying: -</p> -<p> -"I haven't it." -</p> -<p> -"This woman distrusts us," rejoined the marquis, addressing Lucilio, -"and yet this story interests me more than she thinks! Who knows -that—Come, my dear friend, try to make her tell us at least the -precise date of this adventure she is describing." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio motioned to the marquis to question the child, who answered -without hesitation: -</p> -<p> -"I was born an hour after my father's death and an hour before the death -of good King Henri the Fourth of France. That is what Monsieur l'Abbé -Anjorrant, who took care of me, told me, bidding me never forget it, and -my mother Mercedes said I might tell you, on condition that the Spaniard -shall not know it." -</p> -<p> -"Why?" said Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"I do not know," replied Mario. -</p> -<p> -"In that case beg your mother to go on with her story," said Monsieur de -Bois-Doré, "and rely upon our keeping her secret, as we have promised -to do." -</p> -<p> -The Moor resumed her narrative thus: -</p> -<p> -"The good priest, having procured a goat to nourish the child, took us -away, saying: -</p> -<p> -"'We will talk about religion later. You are unfortunate, and it is my -duty to have pity upon you.' -</p> -<p> -"He lived some distance away, in the heart of the mountain. He placed us -in a little cabin built of blocks of marble and covered with great flat -black stones, and there was nothing in the house but dried grass. That -saint had nothing better to give us than a roof over our heads and the -word of God. He lived in a house little more luxurious than the hut in -which we were. -</p> -<p> -"But I had not been there a week before the child was neat and well -cared for, and the house quite comfortable. The shepherds and peasants -did not turn their backs upon me, their priest had so thoroughly imbued -them with gentleness and pity. I soon taught them certain things about -the care of their flocks and the cultivation of their fields which they -did not know, but which are familiar to all Moorish husbandmen. They -listened to me, and, finding that I could help them, they allowed me to -lack nothing that I needed. -</p> -<p> -"I should have been very happy at falling in with that man of peace and -that indulgent country, if I could have forgotten my poor father, the -house in which I was born, my kinsmen and my friends, whom I was never -to see again; but I came to love the poor orphan so dearly, that little -by little I was consoled for everything. -</p> -<p> -"The priest educated him and taught him French and Spanish, while I -taught him my language, so that I might have one person in the world -with whom I could speak it; but, do not think that, in teaching him -Arabian prayers, I turned him away from the religion the priest was -teaching him. Do not think that I spurn your God. No, no! when I saw -that sincere, compassionate, learned, virtuous man, who talked so -eloquently of his prophet <i>Issa</i><a id="FNanchor_15_1" href="FNanchor_15_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_1" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> and of the beautiful precepts of -the <i>Engil</i>,<a id="FNanchor_16_1" href="FNanchor_16_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_1" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> which do not tell us to do what the Koran forbids, it -seemed to me that the best religion must be the one that he practised; -and as I had not received baptism, despite the immersion of the Spanish -priests—for I sheltered myself with my hands so that no drop of -Christian water should fall on my head,—I consented to be baptized -anew by that holy man, and I swore to Allah that I would never again deny -in my heart the worship of Issa and Paraclet."<a id="FNanchor_17_1" href="FNanchor_17_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_1" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> -</p> -<p> -This artless declaration gave great satisfaction to the marquis, who, -despite his recent philosophical notions, was, no more than Adamas, an -upholder of the heathen idolatry attributed to the Moors of Spain. -</p> -<p> -"So," he said, patting Mario's brown cheeks, "we are not dealing with -devils, but with human beings of our own species. <i>Numes célestes</i>! I -am very glad to hear it, for this poor woman interests me and this -orphan touches my heart. And so, my handsome friend Mario, you were -brought up by an excellent and learned curé of the Pyrenees! and you -are a little scholar yourself! I cannot speak Arabic to you; but if your -mother will consent to give you to me, I promise to have you brought up -as a gentleman." -</p> -<p> -Mario did not know what being a gentleman was. He was unquestionably -very far advanced for his age, and for the period and the environment in -which he had been reared; but, in every other direction than religion, -morality and languages, he was a genuine little savage, having no -conception of the society which the marquis invited him to enter. -</p> -<p> -He saw in the proposal nothing but ribbons, sweetmeats, pet dogs, and -beautiful rooms filled with <i>bibelots</i>, which he took for toys. His -eyes shone with ingenuous greed, and Bois-Doré, who was as ingenuous as he -in his way, cried: -</p> -<p> -"<i>Vive Dieu</i>! Master Jovelin, this child was born to high station. Did -you see how his eyes sparkled at the word gentleman? Come, Mario, ask -Mercedes to remain with us." -</p> -<p> -"And me too!" said the child, naturally assuming that the offer was made -first of all to his adopted mother. -</p> -<p> -"You and she," replied Bois-Doré; "I know that it would be very cruel -to separate you." -</p> -<p> -Mario, overjoyed, hastened to say to the Moorish woman in Arabic, -covering her with kisses: -</p> -<p> -"Mother, we are not to travel the highroads any more. This kind lord is -going to keep us here in his fine house!" -</p> -<p> -Mercedes expressed her thanks with a sigh. -</p> -<p> -"The child is not mine," she said, "he is God's, who has placed him in -my care. I must seek his family until I find it. If his family no longer -exists, or does not want him, I will return here, and on my knees I will -say to you: 'Take him and turn me away if you will. I prefer to weep -alone outside the door of the house where he lives and is happy, than to -make him beg his bread any more." -</p> -<p> -"This woman has a noble heart," said the marquis. "We will assist her -with our money and our influence to find the persons she is seeking; but -why does she not tell us what she knows of them? Perhaps we shall be -able to assist her at once when we know the child's family name." -</p> -<p> -"I do not know his name," said the Moor. -</p> -<p> -"What hope had she then, when she left the mountains?" -</p> -<p> -"Tell them what they want to know," said Mercedes to Mario, "but nothing -of that which they must not know yet." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_14_1" href="Footnote_14_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_1"><span class="label">[14]</span></a>Aurora.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_15_1" href="Footnote_15_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_1"><span class="label">[15]</span></a>Jesus.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_16_1" href="Footnote_16_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_1"><span class="label">[16]</span></a>The Gospel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_17_1" href="Footnote_17_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_1"><span class="label">[17]</span></a>The Holy Spirit.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XVII">XVII</a></h4> - -<p> -Mario, enchanted to have an opportunity to tell his story, but without -imprudence or affectation, with all the charm of his natural candor and -of his limpid glance, began as follows: -</p> -<p> -"We were very happy there; there were grottoes, cascades, high peaks and -tall trees; everything was much bigger than it is here, and the water -made much more noise. My mother kept some very good cows, and she dyed -and spun wool and made a very strong cloth. Look at my white cap and her -red cape. She made the material for both of them. I worked too. I made -baskets; oh! I can make very nice ones! If I come back here to be a -gentleman, you shall see! I will make all the baskets for the house! -</p> -<p> -"I spent two hours every day learning to read and write French and -Spanish with Monsieur le Curé Anjorrant. He never scolded me, he was -always pleased with me. No one ever saw such a kind-hearted man! He -loved me so much that my mother was jealous sometimes. She used to say -to me: -</p> -<p> -"'Come, I will wager that you love the priest better than you do me!' -</p> -<p> -"But I would say: -</p> -<p> -"'No, indeed! I love you both the same. I love you as much as I can. I -love you as big as the mountains, and more too; as big as the sky!' -</p> -<p> -"But when I was ten years old, everything changed. All of a sudden -Monsieur Anjorrant was taken very sick, because he walked too much in -the snow to save some little children who were lost and whom he found, -for we used to have snow in winter, sometimes as high as the top of your -house. And all of a sudden Monsieur Anjorrant died. -</p> -<p> -"My mother and I cried so much that I don't see how we have any eyes -left to see with. -</p> -<p> -"Then my mother said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'We must do what our father, our friend who is dead, wanted us to do. -He has left with us the papers and jewels which may serve to make your -family acknowledge you. He has written to the French minister about you -many times. He never had any answer. Perhaps they did not get his -letters. We will go and see the king, or someone who can speak to him -for us, and if you have a grandmother or aunts or cousins, they will see -to it that you do not remain a slave, because you were born free, and -freedom is the greatest thing in the world.' -</p> -<p> -"We started with very little money. Good Monsieur Anjorrant left nothing -for anybody. As soon as he got a piece of money he would give it to -somebody who needed it. We walked and walked; France is so big! For -three months now we have been on the road. My mother, when she saw how -far it was, was afraid we should never get there, and we begged bread -and shelter at every door. People always gave us something, because my -mother is so sweet, and they thought I was a pretty boy. But we did not -know the roads, and we took many steps which delayed us instead of -taking us forward. -</p> -<p> -"Then we met some very funny people, who called themselves Egyptians, -and they told us we could go to Poitou with them if we knew how to do -anything. My mother can sing very well in Arabic, and I can play the -<i>tympanon</i> a little, and the guitar of the Pyrenees. I will play for -you all you want. Those people thought that we knew enough. They were not -unkind to us, and there was a little Moorish girl with them named Pilar, -whom I was very fond of, and a bigger boy, La Flèche, who is a -Frenchman and who amused me with his wry faces and his stories. But they -were almost all thieves, and it pained my mother to see how gluttonous -and lazy they were. -</p> -<p> -"That is why she said to me every day: -</p> -<p> -"'We must leave these people, they are good for nothing.' -</p> -<p> -"We finally left them yesterday, because——" -</p> -<p> -"Because?" repeated the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"That is something my mother Mercedes will tell you later, perhaps, when -she has prayed to God to reveal the truth to her. That is what she told -me, and it is all I know." -</p> -<p> -"Taking everything into consideration," said the marquis, rising, "I am -deeply interested in these people, and I propose that they shall be well -treated and cared for under my roof, until it shall please God to point -out to me in what way I can assist them further. But did you not tell -me, my faithful Adamas, that this Mercedes had a letter for Monsieur de -Sully?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes!" cried Mario. "That is the name on Monsieur Anjorrant's -letter." -</p> -<p> -"Very well, that simplifies matters. I am very much attached to him, and -I will undertake to send you to him without fatigue or discomfort. So -make yourself at home here and ask for whatever you want.—Adamas, -both the mother and the child are very neat and clean, and their mountain -garb is not unbecoming. But have they every thing that they possess on -their bodies?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, except the much shabbier clothes that they wore last -night and this morning; they have two shirts each and other things in -proportion. But the woman washes and combs the child and mends his -clothes whenever she is not walking. See how nicely kept his hair is! -She knows all sorts of Arabian secrets for maintaining cleanliness; she -knows how to make powders and elixirs which I intend to learn from her." -</p> -<p> -"That is a very good idea; but remember to give her some linen and other -materials, so that she may be well provided. As she is so clever with -her fingers, she will make the most of them. I am going out for a walk; -after which, if she has no objection to singing one of her national -songs to the accompaniment of the little fellow's guitar, I shall be -very glad to hear their outlandish music. Au revoir, Master Mario! As -you have talked very civilly, I intend to give you something soon; be -sure that I shall not forget it." -</p> -<p> -The lovely boy kissed the marquis's hand, not without a most expressive -glance at Fleurial, the little dog, whom he would have preferred to all -the treasures in the house. -</p> -<p> -To be sure Fleurial was a marvel; of the marquis's three canine pets, he -was justly enough the favorite, and never left his master when he was in -the house. He was as white as snow, woolly as a muff, and, in contrast -to the ways of most spoiled curs, as gentle as a lamb. -</p> -<p> -When the marquis had taken his accustomed walk, spoken kindly to those -of his vassals whom he met, and inquired for those who were ill, so that -he could send them what they needed, he returned and sent for Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"What shall I give this pretty little Mario?" he said. "We must find -some plaything suited to his years, and there are none such here. Alas! -my friend, there are three of us in this house who are fast turning into -old bachelors: Master Jovelin and you and I." -</p> -<p> -"I have been thinking about it, monsieur," said Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"About what, my old servant? marriage?" -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur; as that isn't to your taste, it isn't to mine either; but -I have thought of the plaything to give the child." -</p> -<p> -"Go to fetch it at once." -</p> -<p> -"Here it is, monsieur!" said Adamas, producing the object, which he had -deposited in the window recess. "As I noticed that the child was dying -with longing for Fleurial, and as you could not give him Fleurial, I -remembered seeing in the garret a number of toys that had been lying -there a long while, and, among others, this dog of tow, which is not -very badly worm-eaten, and which resembles Fleurial, except that its -coat is like a black sheep's and it hasn't much tail left." -</p> -<p> -"And except a thousand other differences, which result in its not -looking in the least like him! But where did you say this toy came from, -Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"From the garret, monsieur." -</p> -<p> -"Very good; and you say that there are others there?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur; a little horse with only three legs, a broken drum, some -little toy weapons, the remains of a feudal donjon——" -</p> -<p> -Adamas paused abruptly as he noticed that the marquis was gazing with an -absorbed expression at the stuffed dog, while a tear made a furrow -through the paint on his cheek. -</p> -<p> -"I have done some stupid thing!" said the old servant to himself; "for -God's sake, my dear good master, what makes you weep?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know—a moment's weakness!" said the marquis, wiping his -cheek with his perfumed handkerchief, upon which a considerable portion -of the roses of his complexion remained; "I fancied that I recognized -that plaything, and if I am right, Adamas, it is a relic that must not -be given away! It was my poor brother's!" -</p> -<p> -"Really, monsieur? Ah! I am nothing but an old fool! I ought to have -thought of that. I supposed that it was something that you used to play -with when you were a little child." -</p> -<p> -"No! when I was a child, I had no playthings. It was a time of war and -sorrow in this country; my father was a terrible man, and to amuse me -showed me fetters and chains, peasants astride the wooden horse, and -prisoners hanging on the elms in the park. Later, much later, he had a -second wife and a second son." -</p> -<p> -"I know it, monsieur—young Monsieur Florimond, whom you loved so -dearly! The flower of young gentlemen, most assuredly! And he -disappeared in such a strange way!" -</p> -<p> -"I loved him more than I can say, Adamas! not so much for any relations -we had together after he grew to manhood, for then we followed different -banners, and met very seldom, just long enough to embrace and to tell -each other that we were friends and brothers in spite of everything; but -for his sweet, charming ways in his childhood, when, as I have told you, -I had occasion to take care of him and watch over him during one of my -father's absences which lasted about a year. His second wife was dead -and the province very unsettled. I knew that the Calvinists detested my -father, and I thought it my duty to protect that poor child, whom I did -not know, and who grew to love me as if he realized our father's -injustice to me. He was as gentle and beautiful as this little Mario. He -had neither kindred nor friends about him, for in those days some died -of the plague and others of fright. He would have died, too, for lack of -care and cheer, had not I become so attached to him that I played with -him for whole days at a time. It was I who brought him these toys, and I -have good reason to remember them, now I think about it, for they came -within an ace of costing me very dear." -</p> -<p> -"Tell me about it, monsieur; it will divert your thoughts." -</p> -<p> -"I will gladly do so, Adamas. It was in fifteen hundred—never mind -the date!" -</p> -<p> -"Of course not, of course not, monsieur, the date is of no importance." -</p> -<p> -"My dear little Florimond was tired of having to stay in the house, but -I dared not take him out-of-doors, because parties of troops of all -factions were constantly passing, who killed everybody and recognized no -friends. I happened to think of a diversion which had tempted me sorely -in my own childhood. At the château of Sarzay I had seen many of those -stuffed animals and other toys with which the young Barbançois used to -play. The lords of Barbançois, who held that fief of Sarzay, from -father to son, for many years, were among the fiercest enemies of the -poor Calvinists, and at that time they were at Issoudun, hanging and -burning as many as they could. In their absence the manor of Sarzay was -not very carefully guarded. The country roundabout being absolutely -devoted to the Catholics and to Monsieur de la Châtre, they had no -suspicion of poor me, for I was too entirely alone and too poor to -undertake anything. -</p> -<p> -"It occurred to me to go thither on some pretext, and to lay violent -hands on the toys, unless some servant would sell them to me, for it was -useless to try to find any elsewhere. They were luxuries, and were not -sold in out of the way places. -</p> -<p> -"I presented myself, therefore, as coming from my father, and asked to -be admitted to the château to speak to the young folks' nurse, for they -were then old enough to ride, like myself, and were scouring the -country. I went in, explained my errand, and was coldly received by the -nurse. She knew that I had already fought with the Calvinists and that -my father did not love me: but money softened her. She went to a room at -the top of the house and brought down what the children, now full-grown, -had injured least. -</p> -<p> -"So away I went with a horse, a dog, a citadel, six cannons, a chariot -and many little iron dishes, the whole in a big basket covered with a -cloth, which I had fastened upon my horse behind me. It came up to my -shoulders, and, as I rode out of the courtyard, I heard the servants -laughing at the window and saying to one another: -</p> -<p> -"'He's a great booby, and, if we never have to deal with any Reformers -of a different stamp, we will soon settle their business.' -</p> -<p> -"Some were inclined to shoot at me, but I escaped with nothing worse -than a fright. I dug my spurs into my horse, my baggage jingling behind -like a Limousin tinker's bag of old iron. -</p> -<p> -"However, all went well, and I rode tranquilly along the crossroad, in -order not to pass through La Châtre with that outfit; but I had to -cross the Couarde, by the bridge on the Aigurande road, and there I -found myself face to face with a party of ten or twelve reiters riding -toward the town. -</p> -<p> -"They were simply marauders, but they had with them one of the vilest -partisan troopers of the time, a certain knave whose father or uncle was -in command of the great tower of Bourges, and was known as Captain -Macabre. -</p> -<p> -"This fellow, who was about my own age but already old in villainy, -acted as guide to such bands of pillagers, who were very willing to let -him try his hand with them. I had fallen in with him several times, and -he knew that, having fought for the Calvinists, I ought not to be -roughly handled by the Germans. But when he saw the load I was carrying, -he concluded that I was a valuable prize, and, assuming a mighty -swagger, he ordered me to dismount and turn over horse and baggage to -his men, who called themselves for the moment cavalry of the Duc -d'Alençon. -</p> -<p> -"As they did not know a word of French, and young Macabre acted as their -interpreter, it would have been utterly useless for me to try to parley -with them. Knowing with whom I had to deal, and that, after I had -submitted and dismounted, I should be soundly beaten and possibly shot, -by way of pastime, as was the habit of the marauding bands, I risked all -to win all. -</p> -<p> -"With my boot and stirrup together I kicked Macabre violently in the -stomach—he had already dismounted to unhorse me—and stretched -him flat on his back, swearing like forty devils." -</p> -<p> -"And you did well, monsieur!" cried Adamas, enthusiastically. -</p> -<p> -"The others," continued Bois-Doré, "were so far from expecting to see a -stripling like me do such a thing under their noses, they being old -troopers one and all, and armed to the teeth, that they began to laugh; -whereof I took advantage to ride away like a shot; but, having recovered -from their amazement, they sent after me a hailstorm of German plums, -which they called in those days Monsieur's plums, because those Germans -used the plans drawn by Monsieur, the king's brother, against the -queen-mother's troops. -</p> -<p> -"Fate willed that I should not be hit, and, thanks to my excellent mare, -who carried me swiftly through the tortuous sunken roads of the Couarde, -I returned home safe and sound. Great was the joy of my little brother -as he watched me unpack all those gewgaws. -</p> -<p> -"'My dear,' I said to him, as I gave him the citadel, 'it was very lucky -for me that I was so well fortified, for, if it had not been for these -stout walls which I had over my spine, I fancy that you would never have -seen me again.' -</p> -<p> -"Indeed, Adamas, I believe that if you should take this stuffed dog to -pieces, you would find some lead inside; and that, if the citadel did -not protect me, the animals protected the citadel at all events." -</p> -<p> -"If that is the case, monsieur, I shall keep all the things most -carefully, and place them as a trophy in some room in the château." -</p> -<p> -"No, Adamas, people would laugh at us. And here comes that beautiful -boy; we must give him the dog and all the rest, for the things that come -from an angel should go to another angel, and I see in this Mario's eyes -the innocence and affection that were in my young brother's -eyes.—Yes, it is certain," continued the marquis, glancing at -Mario and Mercedes, as they entered the room, escorted by Clindor the -page, "that if Florimond had had a son, he would have been exactly like -this boy; and, if you wish me to tell you why I was attracted to him at -first sight, it was because he recalled to my mind, not so much by his -features as by his bearing, his soft voice and his gentle manners, my -brother as he was at about that age." -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur your brother never married," said Adamas, whose mind was even -more romantic than his master's; "but he may have had natural children, -and who knows whether——" -</p> -<p> -"No, no, my friend, let us not dream! I had a vision while this Moorish -woman was telling us the story of the murdered gentleman. Would you -believe that I actually fancied that it might have been my brother?" -</p> -<p> -"Well, and why should it not have been, monsieur, since no one knows how -he died?" -</p> -<p> -"It was not he," replied the marquis, "for this little Mario's father -was killed before the death of our good King Henri, whereas my last -letter from my brother was dated at Genoa on June 16th, that is to say -about a month after that event. It is not possible to reconcile the -two." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XVIII">XVIII</a></h4> - -<p> -While the marquis and Adamas exchanged these reflections, the Moorish -woman had made her preparations for singing, and Lucilio had arrived to -listen to her. -</p> -<p> -The marquis was so pleased with her manner that he begged Lucilio to -write down the airs she sung. Lucilio was even more captivated by them, -as being, he said, "very old and rare, of great beauty and perfect in -their way." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure03"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure03.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MERCEDES AND MARIO ENTERTAIN -THE MARQUIS.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged -her, and Mario played her accompaniments very well.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -Mercedes sang better and better as they encouraged her, and Mario played -her accompaniments very well. -</p> -<p> -He was so fascinating with his long guitar, his wise expression, his -lips half-parted and his beautiful hair falling in waves over his -shoulders, that one could never weary of looking at him. His costume, -which consisted of a coarse white shirt, and brown woollen -knee-breeches, with a red girdle and gray stockings with strips of red -cloth wound around the legs, heightened the grace of his movements and -the elegance of his shapely figure. -</p> -<p> -He received with joyous bewilderment the toys which were brought from -the garret, and the marquis was gratified to see that, after an admiring -scrutiny of all those marvellous things, he arranged them in a corner -with a sort of respect. -</p> -<p> -The fact was that they did not appeal to him very strongly, and that, -when his surprise had passed, his thoughts returned to Fleurial, who was -alive, playful and affectionate, and would have followed him in his -wandering life, whereas the possession of horses, cannon and citadels -was only the dream of an instant in that life of want and constant -motion. -</p> -<p> -The rest of the day passed with no new outbreak on the part of Monsieur -d'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -He saw Monsieur Poulain again and told him that he had decided to lay -siege to the fair Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -At supper he did his best to avoid having in the person of the marquis -an enemy or an obstacle in his intercourse with her, and he succeeded in -creating a favorable impression. He did not encounter the Moor or the -child, nor did he hear them mentioned, and he retired early to muse upon -his projects. -</p> -<p> -The marquis's whole retinue was overjoyed to keep Mario a few days; so -Adamas announced. He had covers laid for the child and his mother at the -second table, at which he himself ate, in the capacity of valet de -chambre, with Master Jovelin, whom Bois-Doré purposely treated as an -inferior, and with Bellinde the housekeeper and Clindor the page. -</p> -<p> -The coachman and other servants ate at different hours and in a -different place. Theirs was the third table. -</p> -<p> -There was a fourth for the farm hands, wayfarers, poor travellers and -mendicant monks; so that, from dawn until dark, that is to say, until -eight or nine o'clock at night, eating was in progress at the château -of Briantes, and some chimney was always pouring forth a rich, greasy -smoke, which attracted swarms of urchins and beggars from a long way -off. They always received a bountiful supply of broken food at the main -gate, and laid the fifth table on the turf along the avenue, or on the -banks of the ditches. -</p> -<p> -Despite this generous hospitality and this numerous retinue, which did -not correspond with the narrow proportions of the château itself, the -marquis's income met all demands, and he always had money to spare for -his innocent whims. -</p> -<p> -He lost very little by peculation, although he kept no accounts; as -Adamas and Bellinde detested each other, they watched each other -closely, and although Bellinde was not the woman to abstain altogether -from plunder, the fear of arousing suspicion made her prudent and -necessarily moderate in the matter of profit. Being handsomely paid, and -always magnificently dressed at the expense of the châtelain, who did -not choose to see rags or dirt about him, she certainly had no excuse -for malversation; but she complained none the less, being one of those -who cherish a stolen sou and disdain an honestly acquired louis. -</p> -<p> -As for Adamas, if he was not the soul of probity in all his -relations—for he had fought in the civil wars and had acquired the -manners of the partisan troops,—he was so devoted to his master, that -if, in the eminent post of confidential servant which he had attained, -he had dared to pillage other people and hold them to ransom, it would -have been solely to enrich the manor of Briantes. -</p> -<p> -Clindor made common cause with him against Bellinde, who hated him and -treated him like a dog dressed in boy's clothes. -</p> -<p> -He was an honest little fellow, half clever, half stupid, uncertain as -yet whether he should pose as a man of the third estate, a title which -was assuming more real importance every day, or should assume the airs -of a future gentleman, a species of vanity which was to keep the third -estate for a long time to come in an equivocal attitude and cause it to -play the rôle of dupe between factions, despite its intellectual -superiority. -</p> -<p> -The secret of the Moorish woman's nationality was not divulged. In order -not to expose her to the suspicious intolerance of Bellinde, who made a -great show of piety, Adamas represented her as a Spaniard pure and -simple. -</p> -<p> -Not a word of her story or of Mario's transpired. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le marquis," said Adamas to his master as he undressed him, -"we are children and know nothing at all of the artifices of the toilet. -This Moor, with whom I have been talking upon serious subjects, has -taught me more in an hour than all your Parisian artists know. She has -the most valuable secrets about all sorts of things, and knows how to -extract miraculous juices from plants." -</p> -<p> -"Very good, very good, Adamas! Talk about something else. Recite some -verses to me as you shave me; for I feel depressed, and I might truly -say with Monsieur d'Urfé, speaking of Astrée, that the effervescence -of my ennui disturbs the repose of my stomach and the breath of my -life." -</p> -<p> -"<i>Numes célestes</i>! monsieur," cried the faithful Adamas, who loved to -use his master's favorite expressions; "so you are still thinking of -your brother?" -</p> -<p> -"Alas! his memory came back to me yesterday, I don't know why. There are -such days in every man's life, you know, when a slumbering sorrow wakes. -It is like the wounds one brings back from the war. Let me tell you -something of which that orphan's pretty ways made me think just now. It -is that I am growing old, my poor Adamas!" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur is jesting!" -</p> -<p> -"No, we are growing old, my friend, and my name will die with me. I have -a few distant cousins, to be sure, for whom I care but little, and who -will perpetuate my father's name, if they can; but I shall be the first -and last of the Bois-Dorés, and my marquisate will descend to no one, -being entirely honorary and determinable at the king's pleasure." -</p> -<p> -"I have often thought about it, and I regret that monsieur has always -been too active to consent to put an end to his bachelor life and marry -some beautiful nymph of this neighborhood." -</p> -<p> -"To be sure, I have done wrong not to think of it. I have roamed too -much from fair to fair, and although I never met Monsieur d'Urfé, I -would stake my life that, having heard of me somewhere, he intended to -describe me under the features of Hylas the shepherd." -</p> -<p> -"And suppose it were so? That shepherd is a very amiable man, -exceedingly clever, and the most entertaining, in my opinion, of all the -heroes of the book." -</p> -<p> -"True; but he is young, and I tell you again that I am beginning not to -be young any more and to regret very bitterly my having no family. Do -you know that I have had the idea of adopting a child, or have been -conscious of a longing to do so, at least a score of times?" -</p> -<p> -"I know it, monsieur; whenever you see a pretty, attractive little baby, -that idea comes back to you. Well, what prevents you?" -</p> -<p> -"The difficulty of finding one with an attractive face and a good -disposition, who has no parents likely to take him away from me when I -have brought him up; for to dote on a child just to have him taken from -you at the age of twenty or twenty-five——" -</p> -<p> -"But the interval, monsieur." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! time flies so fast! one is not conscious of its flight! You know -that I once thought of taking some young poor relation into my house; -but my family are all old Leaguers, and their children are ugly, or -obstreperous, or dirty." -</p> -<p> -"It is certain, monsieur, that the younger branch of the Bourons is not -attractive. You appropriated the stature, all the charm and all the -gallantry of the family, and no one but yourself can give you an heir -worthy of you." -</p> -<p> -"Myself!" said Bois-Doré, slightly dazed by this declaration. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I am speaking seriously. Since you are tired of your -liberty; since I hear you say, for the tenth time, that you mean to -settle down——" -</p> -<p> -"Why, Adamas, you speak of me as if I were an old rake! It seems to me -that, since our Henri's sad death, I have lived as becomes a man -overwhelmed by grief, and a resident nobleman in duty bound to set a -good example." -</p> -<p> -"Certainly, certainly, monsieur, you can say all that you please to me -on that subject It is my duty not to contradict you. You are not obliged -to tell me of your delightful adventures in the châteaux or groves of -the neighborhood, eh, monsieur? That is nobody's business but yours. A -faithful servant ought not to spy upon his master, and I do not think -that I have ever asked monsieur any indiscreet questions." -</p> -<p> -"I do justice to your delicacy, my dear Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, at -once embarrassed, disturbed and flattered by the chimerical suppositions -of his idolatrous valet. "Let us talk of something else," he added, -afraid to dwell upon so delicate a subject, and trying to believe that -Adamas knew of adventures of his of which he had no knowledge himself. -</p> -<p> -The marquis did not boast openly. He was too well bred to tell of the -love-affairs he had had and to invent others that he had never had. But -he was delighted that he should still be accredited with them, and -provided that no particular woman was compromised, he did not contradict -those who said that he was favored of all women. His friends connived at -his modest conceit, and it was the great delight of the younger men, of -Guillaume d'Ars in particular, to tease him on that point, knowing how -agreeable such teasing was to him. -</p> -<p> -But Adamas was not so ceremonious. He was not very much of a Gascon on -his own account; having blended his personality with the radiations from -his master's, he was a Gascon for him and in his place. -</p> -<p> -So he continued the discussion with much self-possession, declaring that -monsieur was quite right to think of marrying. It was a subject which -was often renewed between them, and of which neither of them wearied, -although it had never had any other result in thirty years than this -reflection from Bois-Doré: -</p> -<p> -"To be sure! to be sure! but I am so peaceful and so happy thus! There -is no hurry, we will talk about it again." -</p> -<p> -This time, however, he seemed to listen to Adamas's boasting on his -account with more attention than usual. -</p> -<p> -"If I thought that there was no danger of my marrying a barren woman," -he said to his confidant, "I would marry, on my word! Perhaps I should -do well to marry a widow with children?" -</p> -<p> -"Fie! monsieur," cried Adamas, "do not think of such a thing. Take some -young and lovely demoiselle, who will give you children after your own -image." -</p> -<p> -"Adamas!" said the marquis, after a moment's hesitation, "I have some -doubt whether heaven will send me that blessing. But you suggest an -attractive thought, which is to marry a woman so young that I can -imagine that she is my daughter and love her as if I were her father. -What do you say to that?" -</p> -<p> -"I say, that if she is young, very young, monsieur can at need imagine -that he has adopted a child. And if that is monsieur's idea, there is no -need to go very far; the little lady of La Motte-Seuilly is exactly -suited to monsieur's wants. She is beautiful, she is good, she is -virtuous, she is merry; those qualities are what we need to brighten up -our manor-house, and I am very sure that her father has thought of it -more than once." -</p> -<p> -"Do you think so, Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure! and so has she! Do you suppose that, when they come here, -she draws no comparison between her old château and yours, which is a -fairy palace? Do you suppose, that, for all she is so young and -innocent, she has never discovered what sort of man you are compared -with all the other suitors whom she has ever seen?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré fell asleep thinking of the absence of suitors about the fair -Lauriane, of the enmity that the neighbors bore the rough and outspoken -De Beuvre, and of the annoyance which De Beuvre felt on account of that -state of things, temporary doubtless, but of which he exaggerated the -possible duration. -</p> -<p> -The marquis persuaded himself that his proposal would be hailed as one -of fortune's greatest boons. -</p> -<p> -The religious question would adjust itself as between them. In any -event, if Lauriane should reproach him for having abjured Calvinism, he -saw no objection to embracing it a second time. -</p> -<p> -His self-conceit did not permit him to consider the possibility of an -objection based upon his age. Adamas had the gift of dispelling that -unpleasant memory every night by his flatteries. -</p> -<p> -Honest Sylvain therefore fell asleep on that evening more absurd than -ever; but whoever could have read in his heart the purely paternal -feeling that guided his course, the boundless philosophical tolerance -with which he looked forward to the possibility of being made a cuckold, -and the projects of indulgence, of submission and absolute devotion -which he formed with regard to his youthful helpmeet, would certainly -have forgiven him, even while laughing at him. -</p> -<p> -When Adamas went into his own room, it seemed to him that he heard the -rustling of a dress in the secret stairway. He rushed into the passage -as quickly as possible, but failed to catch Bellinde, who had time to -disappear, after overhearing, as she had often done before, all the -conversation between the two old fellows. -</p> -<p> -Adamas knew her to be quite capable of playing the spy. But he concluded -that he was mistaken, and barricaded all the doors when there was -nothing to be heard save the loud snoring of the marquis and the muffled -yelping of little Fleurial, who lay at the foot of the bed dreaming of a -certain black cat, which was to him what Bellinde was to Adamas. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XIX">XIX</a></h4> - -<p> -They arrived at La Motte-Seuilly about nine o'clock the next morning. -The reader has not forgotten that in those days dinner was served at ten -in the morning, supper at six in the evening. -</p> -<p> -On this occasion our marquis, who was fully determined to open his -matrimonial projects, had deemed it best to use some lighter and less -cumbersome means of locomotion than his magnificent lumbering chariot. -</p> -<p> -He had mounted, not without a mighty effort, his pretty Andalusian -steed, called <i>Rosidor</i>—another name from -<i>Astrée</i>,—an excellent beast with an easy gait and placid -disposition, a little mischievous, as it was fitting that he should be -in order to give his rider a chance to shine—that is to say, ready -at the slightest sign with leg or hand, to roll his eyes savagely, -curvet, dilate his nostrils like a wicked devil, rear to a respectable -height, and, in a word, assume the airs of a bad-tempered brute. -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"For all that, the best fellow in the world."</span> -</div></div> - -<p> -As he dismounted, the marquis ordered Clindor to lead his horse around -the courtyard for a quarter of an hour, on the pretext that he was too -warm to be taken to the stable at once, but in reality so that his hosts -might know that he still rode that restive palfrey. -</p> -<p> -Before he entered Lauriane's presence, honest Sylvain went to the room -set aside for him in his neighbor's house, to readjust his clothes, and -perfume and beautify himself in the jauntiest and most refined manner. -</p> -<p> -On his side Monsieur Sciarra d'Alvimar, dressed in black velvet and -satin, after the Spanish fashion, with hair cut short and a ruff of rich -lace, had only to change his boots for silk hose and shoes bedecked with -ribbons, to show himself at his best. -</p> -<p> -Although his sedate costume, then considered old-fashioned in France, -was better suited to Bois-Doré's age than his own, it gave him an -indefinable air of a diplomat and a priest at once, which emphasized the -more strongly his extraordinarily well-preserved youth and the -self-assured refinement of his person. -</p> -<p> -It seemed that old De Beuvre had anticipated a day of offers of -marriage; for he had made himself less like a Huguenot, that is to say -less austere in his dress than usual, and, deeming his daughter's dress -too simple, he had urged her to don a handsomer one. So she made herself -as fine as the widow's weeds, which she was in duty bound to wear until -she married again, would permit. In those days custom was not to be -trifled with. -</p> -<p> -She arrayed herself in white taffeta, with a raised skirt over an -underskirt of grayish white, called <i>rye bread color</i>. She put on a -lace neckband and wristbands, and as the widow's hood—Mary -Stuart's little cap—relieved her from the necessity of conforming -to the fashion of wearing the ugly powdered wigs which were then in -vogue, she was able to show her lovely fair hair brushed back in a wavy -mass which left her beautiful forehead bare and framed her finely-veined -temples. -</p> -<p> -In order not to seem too provincial, she sprinkled her hair with Cyprus -powder, which made her more than ever like a child. Although the two -suitors had severally determined to be agreeable, they were somewhat -embarrassed during the dinner, as if they had conceived some suspicion -that they were rivals. -</p> -<p> -Indeed, Bellinde had repeated to Monsieur Poulain's housekeeper the -conversation she had overheard. The housekeeper had told the rector, who -had put D'Alvimar on his guard by a note thus conceived: -</p> -<p> -"You have, in the person of your host, a rival with whom you can amuse -yourself; make the most of the opportunity." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar laughed in his sleeve at the idea of rivalry from such a -quarter; his plan was to attack the young lady's heart at once. Little -he cared for her father's approval. He thought that, if he were once in -control of Lauriane's feelings, there would be no difficulty about the -rest. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré reasoned differently. He could not doubt the esteem and -attachment of both father and daughter for him. He did not hope to take -her imagination by surprise and turn her head; he would have liked to be -alone with them, to set forth in simple terms his advantages in the way -of rank and wealth; after which he hoped, by humble attentions, to make -his purpose manifest ingeniously and honorably. In short, he determined -to act the part of a well-bred youth of good family, while his rival -preferred to carry the place by storm like a hero of romance. -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre, who saw that D'Alvimar was becoming sentimental, vexed his -old friend sorely by leading him away along the little stream, to ask -him numerous questions touching his guest's rank and fortune; to which -Bois-Doré could make no other reply than that Monsieur d'Ars had -recommended him to him as a man of quality to whom he was much attached. -</p> -<p> -"Guillaume is young," said Monsieur de Beuvre; "but he realizes too well -what he owes us to introduce to us a man unworthy of a cordial reception -at our hands. Still, I am surprised that he told you nothing more; but -Monsieur de Villareal must have confided to you his motive in coming -hither. How does it happen that he did not accompany Guillaume to the -fêtes at Bourges?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré could not answer that question; but in his inmost heart De -Beuvre was convinced that this mystery concealed no other design than -that of paying court to his daughter. -</p> -<p> -"He must have seen her somewhere, when she did not notice him," he said -to himself; "and although he seems a very earnest Catholic, he also -seems very much in love with her." -</p> -<p> -He said to himself further that, in the then state of affairs, a -Catholic Spanish son-in-law might restore the fortunes of his house and -repair the wrong he had done his daughter by joining the ranks of the -Reformers. -</p> -<p> -If for no other reason than to give the lie to the Jesuits, who had -threatened him, he would have been glad to learn that the Spaniard was -of sufficiently good family to pretend to the hand of Lauriane, even if -he were only moderately wealthy. -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre reasoned like a sceptic. He did not talk so loudly of -Montaigne's <i>Essays</i>, as Bois-Doré did of <i>Astrée</i>, but he fed -his mind upon them assiduously, and he read no other book. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, being more straightforward in his politics than his -neighbor, would not have reasoned as he did if he had been a father. He -was no more attached than he to religion; but of the beliefs of the -olden time, he had never laid aside the love of country, and the spirit -of the League would never have induced him to trifle with it. -</p> -<p> -He did not suspect the thoughts of his friend, absorbed as he was by his -own, and during a quarter of an hour, as if playing at cross purposes, -they discussed, without understanding each other, the urgent need of a -good marriage for Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -At last light was thrown upon the discussion. -</p> -<p> -"You!" cried De Beuvre in stupefaction, when the marquis had declared -himself. "Bless my soul! who the devil could have expected that? I -imagined that you were talking in veiled words about your Spaniard, and -it seems that you mean yourself! Look you! neighbor, are you in your -right mind, and don't you mistake yourself for your grandson?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré gnawed his moustache; but, being accustomed to his friend's -jesting, he soon recovered himself, and strove to persuade him that -people were mistaken about his age, and that he was not so old as his -own father was when he remarried, at the age of sixty, with most -successful results. -</p> -<p> -While he was wasting time thus, D'Alvimar was striving to make the most -of it. -</p> -<p> -He had succeeded in bringing Madame de Beuvre to a halt under the great -yew, whose branches, drooping to the ground, formed a sort of apartment -of dark verdure, where one was entirely isolated in the middle of the -garden. -</p> -<p> -He began awkwardly enough with extravagant compliments. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was not on her guard against the poison of praise; she knew -little of the refined manners of young men of quality, and was not able -to distinguish the false from the true; but, luckily for her, her heart -had not yet felt the tedium of solitude, and she was much more of a -child than she seemed to be. She considered D'Alvimar's hyperbolical -language highly amusing, and laughed at his gallantry with a heartiness -that disconcerted him. -</p> -<p> -He saw that his fine phrases had no luck, so strove to talk of love in a -more natural vein. Perhaps he would have succeeded and would have sown -confusion in that young heart; but Lucilio suddenly appeared, as if sent -by Providence, to interrupt this dangerous interview with the sweet -notes of his <i>sourdeline</i>. -</p> -<p> -He had been averse to coming with Bois-Doré, knowing that he would be -made to dine in the servants' quarters and would not see Lauriane before -noon. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, as well as her father, was acquainted with the tragic story of -Bruno's disciple, and, following Bois-Doré's example, they -ostentatiously treated him at La Motte-Seuilly as a musician simply, -fearing to compromise him, although they really entertained for him the -high esteem that he deserved. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was the only one who had not thought of making a toilet for the -occasion. He had no hope of attracting attention; indeed, he had no -desire to draw any eye upon himself, knowing that the mysterious -intercourse of minds was the most to which he could aspire. -</p> -<p> -So he approached the yew without useless timidity or pretended caution; -and, relying upon the beauty and sincerity of what he had to say in -music, he began to play, to the great displeasure and vexation of -D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, too, was annoyed for a moment by the interruption, but she -reproached herself when she read on the bagpiper's beautiful face an -ingenuous purpose to gratify her. -</p> -<p> -"I do not know why it is," she thought, "that there seems to be on that -face a sort of radiance of genuine affection and of a healthy -conscience, which I do not find on the <i>other's</i> face." -</p> -<p> -And she glanced once more at D'Alvimar, now thoroughly irritated, morose -and overbearing, and felt something like a shiver of fear—perhaps of -him, perhaps of herself. -</p> -<p> -Again, whether because she was very sensitive to music, or because her -emotions were keyed up to a high pitch, she fancied that she could hear -in her brain the words of the beautiful airs Lucilio was playing to her, -and those imaginary words were: -</p> -<p> -"See the bright sun shining in the clear sky, and the swift streams -receiving its rays on their changing surfaces! -</p> -<p> -"See the beautiful trees bent in black arches against the pale golden -background of the meadows, and the meadows themselves, as cheery and -bright as in the springtime, under the embroidery of the pink flowers of -autumn; and the graceful swan, that seems to paddle rhythmically at your -feet; and the migratory birds flying across yonder multicolored clouds. -</p> -<p> -"All these are the music that I sing to thee: youth, purity, faith, love -and happiness. -</p> -<p> -"Listen not to the strange voice which thou dost not understand. It is -soft but deceptive. It would extinguish the sun over your head; it would -dry up the water under your feet; it would wither the flowers in the -fields and shatter the wings of the birds among the clouds; it would -cause cold, fear and death to descend upon thee, and would exhaust -forever the source of the divine harmonies I sing to thee." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane no longer saw D'Alvimar. Lost in a delicious reverie, she did -not see Lucilio. She was transported into the past, and, thinking of -Charlotte d'Albret, she said to herself: -</p> -<p> -"No, no, I will never listen to the voice of the demon!—My friend," -she said aloud, rising, when the musician stopped, "you have done me an -immense amount of good, and I thank you. I have nothing to give you -which can pay for the noble thoughts which you are able to suggest to -us; that is why I beg you to accept these fragrant violets, which are -the emblem of your modesty." -</p> -<p> -She had refused to give D'Alvimar the violets, and she ostentatiously -gave them to the poor musician, before his face. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar smiled triumphantly, thinking that she meant to incite him by -a challenge more stimulating than an avowal. But such was not Lauriane's -thought, for, making a pretence of fastening the flowers in Lucilio's -hat, she said to him under her breath: -</p> -<p> -"Master Giovellino, I ask you to be a father to me, and not to stir from -my side until I tell you to." -</p> -<p> -Thanks to his keen Italian penetration, Lucilio grasped her meaning. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, I understand, rely on me!" his expressive eyes replied. -</p> -<p> -And he seated himself on the huge roots of the yew, at a respectful -distance, like a servant awaiting such orders as may be given him, but -near enough to make it impossible for D'Alvimar to say a word which he -did not hear. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar divined the whole plan. She was afraid of him; that was still -better! He held the bagpiper in such utter contempt that he began anew -to pay court to his hostess before him as if he were a log of wood. -</p> -<p> -But his dangerous magnetism lost all its virtue. -</p> -<p> -It seemed to Lauriane that the presence of a calm, virtuous man like -Lucilio was an antidote. She would have blushed to display any vanity -before him. She felt that his eyes were upon her, and that feeling was a -protection. She saw that the Spaniard was piqued, and was gradually -growing angry. She tried her strength by resisting him. -</p> -<p> -He wanted her to dismiss that interloper, and he told her so, -designedly, in a tone loud enough to be overheard by him. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane flatly refused, saying that she desired more music. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio at once began to inflate his bagpipe. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar put his hand to his breast, drew a very sharp Spanish knife, -and, having removed it from its sheath, began to play with it as if to -keep himself in countenance; sometimes pretending to write with the -point on the old yew, sometimes to hurl it at something as if to show -his dexterity. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane did not understand his threat. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was impassive, and yet he was too much of an Italian not to be -familiar with the cold-blooded anger of a Spaniard, and with the -possible destination of a stiletto apparently thrown at random. -</p> -<p> -Under any other circumstances he would have been anxious concerning his -instrument, which D'Alvimar's eye seemed to be watching, as if for a -chance to pierce it. But he was complying with Lauriane's wish; he was -fighting in behalf of innocence, as Orpheus fought for love with his -triumphant lyre; and he courageously attacked one of the Moorish airs -which he had heard and written down the day before. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar felt that he was defied, and the fire of wrath that was -smouldering within him began to burn him. -</p> -<p> -Being as dexterous as a Chinaman in throwing the knife, he determined to -frighten the impertinent minstrel, and began to make the gleaming blade -fly all around him, drawing nearer and nearer as he proceeded with his -soft and plaintive song. Lauriane had walked away a few steps, and at -that moment her back was turned to that horrible scene. -</p> -<p> -"I have defied tortures and death," said Giovellino to himself. "I will -defy them again, and this Spaniard shall not have the pleasure of seeing -me turn pale." -</p> -<p> -He turned his eyes in another direction and played as carefully and -accurately as if he were at Bois-Doré's table. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile D'Alvimar, moving hither and thither, amused himself by -standing in front of him and aiming at him, as if he were tempted to -take him for a target; and by virtue of one of those inexplicable -fascinations which are as it were the punishment of cruel jests, he -began really to feel that horrible temptation. -</p> -<p> -The cold perspiration stood out on his body and a film passed over his -eyes. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio felt it rather than saw it; but he chose to risk everything -rather than show a moment's fear in the face of the enemy of his native -land, who likewise cast contempt upon his manly dignity. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XX">XX</a></h4> - -<p> -While this terrible game was in progress, a strange spectator was -looking on within two steps of the heedless Lauriane; it was the young -wolf brought up in the kennels, who had adopted the habits and manners -of a dog, but not his instincts and nature. He fawned upon everybody but -was attached to nobody. -</p> -<p> -Lying at Lucilio's feet, he had watched the Spaniard's cruel game with -evident uneasiness, and, the dagger having fallen close beside him -several times, he had risen and sought shelter behind the tree, thinking -of nothing but his own safety. -</p> -<p> -However, as the game continued, the animal, who was just beginning to -feel his teeth, showed them several times in silence, and, considering -that he was attacked, felt for the first time in his life the instinct -of hatred of man. -</p> -<p> -With his eye on fire, muscles tense, hair erect and quivering, he was -concealed from D'Alvimar by the colossal trunk of the yew, where he -watched for a favorable moment, and suddenly sprang out and tried to -seize him by the throat. -</p> -<p> -He would have wounded him at least, if he had not strangled him, had he -not been thrown back by a vigorous kick from Lucilio, which sent him -rolling over and over along the ground. -</p> -<p> -The sudden interruption of the music, and the plaintive sound made by -the bagpipe as the artist dropped it, caused Lauriane to turn hastily. -Entirely ignorant of what was taking place, she ran up in time to see -D'Alvimar, frantic with rage, disemboweling the beast with his knife. -</p> -<p> -He performed that act of reprisal with all the heat of revenge. It was -easy to read on his pale face and in his bloodshot eye the profound and -incomprehensible joy that he felt in having something to murder. -</p> -<p> -Thrice he buried the blade in the throbbing entrails, and at the sight -of blood his lips contracted with an expression of voluptuous pleasure, -while Lauriane, trembling from head to foot, pressed Lucilio's arms with -both hands, saying in a low voice: -</p> -<p> -"Look! look! Cæsar Borgia! it is he in person!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, who had often seen at Rome the portrait painted by Raphael, was -even better able to appreciate the resemblance, and nodded his head to -indicate that he was deeply impressed by it. -</p> -<p> -"How now, monsieur?" said the young woman, deeply moved, to the -triumphant Spaniard; "do you think that you are in the heart of the -forest, and do you expect to make yourself agreeable to me by presenting -me with the head or the claws of a creature that I have fed with my own -hands, and that I was caressing before you a moment ago? For shame! you -are not civil; and with that bloody knife in your hand, you look more -like a butcher than a gentleman!" -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was angry; she had no other feeling now for the stranger than -one of aversion. -</p> -<p> -He, as if emerging from a dream, apologized, saying that the wolf had -tried to devour him; that such creatures were bad company in a house, -and that he was very glad to have rescued <i>madame</i> from an accident -which might as well have happened to her as to him. -</p> -<p> -"Do you mean that he attacked you?" she said, and glanced at Lucilio, -who nodded assent.—"Did he bite you?" she added; "where is the -wound?" -</p> -<p> -And as D'Alvimar had not even a scratch, she was indignant that he had -manifested fear of a beast that was so young and so far from dangerous. -</p> -<p> -"The word fear is not very fair to me," he replied in a sort of frenzy; -"I did not suppose that it could be thrown at one who still holds the -instrument of death in his hands." -</p> -<p> -"How proud you are of having killed that young wolf! A child could have -done it, and it would have been pardonable in a child, but not in a man, -who could easily have got rid of him with a blow of a whip. I tell you, -messire, you were terribly frightened, and fright is the disease of -those who love to shed blood." -</p> -<p> -"I see," said the Spaniard, suddenly downcast, "that I am in disgrace -with you, and I recognize in this, as in everything else, the effect of -my ill luck. It is so persistent that there have been many times when I -have thought of yielding to it as victor in a battle in which I find -naught save discomfort and discomfiture." -</p> -<p> -There was much truth in what D'Alvimar had said; and as, after he had -instinctively wiped his dagger, he seemed to hesitate to replace it in -its sheath, Lauriane, impressed by the sinister gleam in his eye, -concluded that he was a little mad, as the result of some great -misfortune, and inclined to take his own life. -</p> -<p> -"If I am to forgive you," she said, "I demand that you hand me the -weapon of which you have just made such an unworthy use. I do not like -that treacherous blade, which French gentlemen no longer carry, except -when hunting. The sword is enough for a true knight, and one should take -time for reflection before unsheathing it in a lady's presence. I should -always be afraid of a man who conceals about his person a weapon so easy -to handle and so prompt to kill; and as this one does not seem to be of -great value, I ask you to sacrifice it to me, by way of reparation for -the pain you have caused me." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar thought that in thus disarming him she intended to caress him. -Nevertheless, it cost him a pang to part with so trusty a weapon, and he -hesitated. -</p> -<p> -"I see," said Lauriane, "that it is a gift from some fair dame whom you -are not at liberty to disobey." -</p> -<p> -"If you have any such thought as that," he retorted, "I will very -quickly disabuse you of it." -</p> -<p> -And, kneeling on one knee, he handed her the poniard. -</p> -<p> -"It is well," she said, withdrawing her hand, which he tried to kiss. "I -forgive you, as a guest whom I do not desire to humiliate; but that is -all, I assure you; and as for this wretched blade, if I keep it, I do so -not for love of you, but to prevent the evil that it might do." -</p> -<p> -They were then at the foot of the donjon, where they met the marquis and -Monsieur de Beuvre, engaged in earnest conversation. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was about to tell them what had happened, but her father did -not give her time. -</p> -<p> -"Look you, my dearest daughter," he said, taking her hand and putting it -through the marquis's arm; "our friend wishes to tell you a secret, and -while he is telling it, I will do my best to entertain Monsieur de -Villareal. You see," he added, addressing Monsieur de Bois-Doré, "I -entrust my lamb to you without fear of your sharp teeth, and I say -nothing to her to lower you in her estimation! Speak to her therefore as -you choose. If you are burned, I wash my hands of it, it will be of your -own seeking." -</p> -<p> -"I see," said Madame de Beuvre to the marquis, "that you have some -request to make." -</p> -<p> -And as she supposed that it referred, as usual, to some hunting party on -his estates, she added that, whatever it might be, she granted it -beforehand. -</p> -<p> -"Beware, my child!" laughed Monsieur de Beuvre; "you don't know what you -are pledging yourself to!" -</p> -<p> -"You do not frighten me," she replied; "he can speak quickly." -</p> -<p> -"Indeed! you think so! but you are sadly mistaken," rejoined Monsieur de -Beuvre. "I will wager that his compliments will last more than an hour. -So go, both of you, to some room where you will not be disturbed, and -when you have said all you have to say, you can join us again." -</p> -<p> -The marquis was not disconcerted by this jesting. He had not reached the -resolution to prefer his request without stifling some vivid -apprehensions touching the marriage state, into which he had delayed -entering for about forty years. -</p> -<p> -If he had decided at last, it was because he wished to make someone else -rich and happy, and, having once adopted that idea, he considered it his -duty not to allow himself to be turned aside from it. -</p> -<p> -No sooner had they reached the salon, therefore, than he offered his -heart, his name and his fortune, after the style in vogue in <i>Astrée</i>, -with the unbridled passion which knows nothing milder than horrible -torments, sighs that rend the heart, terrors that cause a thousand -deaths, hopes that take away the reason, etc.; and all this with such -chaste and cold propriety that the most timid virtue could not take -alarm. -</p> -<p> -When Lauriane realized that he was talking about marriage, she was as -surprised as her father. -</p> -<p> -She knew that the marquis was capable of anything, and instead of -laughing at him she felt sorry for him. She had a warm friendship for -him, and respect for his goodness of heart and loyalty. She felt that -the poor old man would lay himself open to interminable taunts, if she -should set the example, and that the friendly and kindly raillery of -which he had hitherto been the object, would become stinging and cruel. -</p> -<p> -"No," thought the judicious child, "it shall not be so, I will not suffer -my old friend to be the laughing-stock of his servants.—My dear -marquis," she said, exerting herself to speak after his style, "I have -often reflected upon the possibility and the suitability of the plan -which you propose to me. I had divined your noble and virtuous flame, -and, if I have not reciprocated it, it is only because I am still so -young that mischievous Cupid has paid no attention to me as yet. Allow -me therefore to frolic yet a little while in the enchanted isle of -Ignorance of Love; I can be in no haste to come forth, since I am happy -in your friendship. Of all the men whom I know, you are the best and -most lovable, and, when my heart speaks, it may well be that it will -speak to me of you. But that is written in the book of destinies, and -you must e'en give me time to question mine. If, by some fatality, it -should be my destiny to be ungrateful to you, I would confess it -honestly and sorrowfully, for it would be my loss and my shame; but your -heart is so great and so kind that you would still be my brother and my -friend despite my folly." -</p> -<p> -"That would I, I swear it!" cried Bois-Doré with ingenuous warmth. -</p> -<p> -"Very well, my loyal friend," continued Lauriane, "let us wait awhile. I -ask you for a seven years' trial as the ancient custom is among knights -without reproach; and do me the favor to allow this agreement to remain -a secret between us two. Seven years hence, if my heart has remained -insensible to love, you will renounce me; and in like manner, if I share -your passion, I will tell you so without mystery. I swear to you -likewise, that if, before the expiration of our agreement, I am moved, -despite myself, by another's attentions, I will humbly and frankly make -confession to you thereof. Of that there seems but little likelihood; -yet do I seek to provide for everything, so earnestly do I desire to -preserve at least your friendship, if I lose your love." -</p> -<p> -"I submit to all your conditions," replied the marquis, "and I pledge to -you, adorable Lauriane, the faith of a gentleman and the fidelity of a -perfect lover." -</p> -<p> -"I rely thereupon," she said, offering him her hand; "I know that you -are a man of heart and an incomparable lover. And now, let us return to -my father, and let me tell him of that which is agreed between us, so -that our secret may be shared by him alone." -</p> -<p> -"I agree," said the marquis; "but shall we not exchange pledges?" -</p> -<p> -"What shall they be? I am willing; but let it not be a ring. Remember -that, being a widow, I can wear no other ring than the gift of a second -husband." -</p> -<p> -"Permit me to send you to-morrow a present worthy of you." -</p> -<p> -"No, no! that would mean admitting others to our confidence. Give me any -trinket that you have about you. See, that little box of ivory and -enamel that you have in your hand!" -</p> -<p> -"'Tis well! but what will you give me? I see you have the right -understanding of this exchange. It must be something that we have upon -us when we exchange promises." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane looked in her pockets and found there only her gloves, her -handkerchief, her purse and Monsieur Sciarra's dagger. The purse came to -her from her another: she gave him the dagger. -</p> -<p> -"Hide it carefully," she said, "and, so long as I allow you to keep it, -hope. In like manner, if I come and ask you for it——" -</p> -<p> -"I will pierce my bosom with it!" cried the old Celadon. -</p> -<p> -"No! that is something that you will not do," said Lauriane, with the -utmost seriousness, "for I should die of grief; and, moreover, you would -break the promise you have given me to remain my friend whatever -happens." -</p> -<p> -"That is true," said Bois-Doré, kneeling to receive the pledge. "I -swear to you that I will not die, even as I swear that I will neither -love nor glance at any other fair, so long as you shall not have torn -from my heart the hope of winning yours." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXI">XXI</a></h4> - -<p> -They returned to the garden, where Monsieur de Beuvre greeted them with -a bantering air. The grave and tranquil demeanor of Lauriane, the -radiant and tender expression which the marquis could not dissemble, -surprised him so that he could not refrain from questioning them, -covertly though transparently, in D'Alvimar's presence. -</p> -<p> -But Lauriane replied that she and the marquis were in perfect accord, -and D'Alvimar, unwilling to believe his ears, took that assertion for a -bit of coquetry aimed at him. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon Monsieur de Beuvre's anxiety became very keen, and, leading -his daughter aside, he asked her if she were speaking seriously, and if -she were insane enough or ambitious enough to accept a spark born in the -reign of Henri II. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane told him how she had postponed her reply and any definitive -agreement for seven years. -</p> -<p> -After laughing as if he would burst, De Beuvre, when Lauriane urged him -to keep her secret, had some difficulty in understanding his daughter's -kindly delicacy. -</p> -<p> -He would have enjoyed making merry over the marquis's discomfiture, and -he considered that to have laughed in his face would have been an -excellent way to teach him a lesson. -</p> -<p> -"No, father," replied Lauriane; "on the contrary, it would have grieved -him terribly, and nothing more. He is too old to correct his foibles, -and I cannot see what we should gain by insulting so excellent a man, -when it is easy for us to lull him to sleep in his reveries. Believe me, -if coquetry is ever innocent in a woman, it is innocent when practised -upon old men; indeed, it is often an act of kindness to allow them to -enjoy their fantasy. Be assured that, if I should ever tell him that I -am in love with some other man, he would be well pleased; whereas, if I -had told him that I could never love him, he would very probably be ill -at this moment, not so much because of my cruelty as of the cruelty of -his old age, which I should have placed squarely before him without -consideration or compassion." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane had some influence over her father. She procured his promise -that he would abstain from teasing the marquis about his love-affair -with her, and D'Alvimar, with all his penetration, suspected nothing of -what had taken place between them. -</p> -<p> -It was really a kind action that Lauriane had performed; and, as there -is an open account between us and Providence, she was rewarded for it at -once by that invisible assistance which is the recompense, often -immediate, of every generous impulse of our hearts. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was a good deal of a child, but there was the making of a -strong woman in her; and, even if she was capable, like every daughter -of Eve, of yielding momentarily to a dangerous fascination, she was also -capable of recovering herself and of finding a firm support in her -conscience. -</p> -<p> -She passed the rest of the day, therefore, untouched by D'Alvimar's -gallant hints; and it seemed to her that, by giving her dagger to the -marquis as the pledge of a generous affection, she had rid herself of -something that had disturbed her and burned her hands. She took pains -not to be left alone with the Spaniard, and not to encourage any of the -efforts he made to lead the conversation back to the delicate -commonplaces of love. -</p> -<p> -Moreover, all private conversation was interrupted and the attention of -the whole party diverted by a strange incident. -</p> -<p> -A young gypsy appeared and requested permission to entertain the -illustrious company by his accomplishments; I believe that the rascal -said "his genius." -</p> -<p> -He had no sooner made his appearance than D'Alvimar recognized the young -vagabond who had served as interpreter between Monsieur D'Ars and the -Moorish woman on the moor of Champillé, and who had declared that he -was French by birth and that his name was La Flèche. -</p> -<p> -He was a young man of some twenty years, with a handsome face, although -it already showed the ravages of debauchery. His eye was keen and -insolent; his lips flat and treacherous; his speech conceited, impudent -and satirical; he was short of stature, but well-formed, as active with -his body as a pantomimist, and with his hands as a thief; intelligent in -everything that is serviceable in evil-doing; stupid in respect to any -useful work or any sound reasoning. -</p> -<p> -Like all of his profession, he possessed a few rags in addition to what -he wore, and these he used as a costume in which to perform his tricks. -</p> -<p> -He made his appearance dressed in a sort of Genoese cloak lined with -red; on his head one of those hats bristling with cocks' feathers, hats -without name or shape or excuse for being; pretentious yet despairing -ruins, whose gorgeous improbability Callot has immortalized in his -Italian grotesques. -</p> -<p> -Short, slashed boots, one much too large, the other much too small for -his foot, disclosed stockings once red, now faded to the hue of wine -lees. An enormous scapulary covered the miscreant's breast, a safeguard -against the charge of paganism and sorcery that was constantly hanging -over his head. Lustreless light hair, of absurd length, fell over his -lean face, aflame with red ochre, and an incipient moustache joined two -patches of downy white hair planted under his smooth and glistening -chin. -</p> -<p> -He began in a voice like a cracked trumpet: -</p> -<p> -"I beg this illustrious company to deign to excuse the assurance with -which I venture to throw myself at the feet of its indulgence. In truth, -does it befit a varlet of my sort, with his bristling face, his scarred -doublet and hat, which have long been candidates for the post of -scarecrow, to appear before a lady whose eyes put the sunlight to shame, -and to utter a multiplicity of foolish things? She will tell me perhaps, -that I must take heart, that I am not a peasant pack-saddler, nor a -miserable spy, nor a servant to be beaten from morning till night, for -it is said of servants that they are like walnut-trees, the more they -are beaten the more they bear. She will tell me too that I am neither a -sharper, nor a pickpocket, nor a coxcomb, nor a bully, nor an arrogant -cur, nor a puppy, nor a giant-killer, nor a barbarian, nor a snail; that -I am not an evil-looking fellow, despite a slightly vulgar countenance; -but in the face of such qualities as those of the lady I see before -me—it doesn't cripple a goddess to look at her,—and before an -assemblage of noble lords who resemble a party of monarchs more than a -cartload of calves at market, the bravest man in the world loses his -bearings and becomes simply a gutter of ignorance, a sewer of -stupidities, and the cesspool of all sorts of impudence." -</p> -<p> -Master La Flèche might have chattered on for two hours in this strain, -with intolerable volubility, had they not interrupted him to ask him -what he could do. -</p> -<p> -"Everything!" cried the good-for-naught. "I can dance on my feet, on my -hands, on my head and on my back; on a rope, on a broomstick, on the -point of a steeple or on the point of a lance; on eggs, on bottles, on a -galloping horse, on a hoop, on a cask, and on running water, but this -last only on condition that some one of the company will deign to be my -vis-à-vis on stagnant water. I can sing and rhyme in thirty-seven -languages and a half, provided that some one of the company will deign -to answer me, without an error, in thirty-seven languages and a half. I -can eat rats, hemp, swords, fire——" -</p> -<p> -"Enough, enough," said De Beuvre impatiently; "we know your catalogue: -it is the same with all such braggarts as you. You claim to know -everything, and you know but one thing, which is how to tell fortunes." -</p> -<p> -"To be quite frank," retorted La Flèche, "that is what I excel in, and -if your radiant highnesses will write your names, I will draw to see -with whom I shall begin; for destiny is an ill-tempered fellow who knows -no distinction of rank or sex." -</p> -<p> -"Go on and draw; here is my token," said Monsieur De Beuvre, tossing him -a piece of money. "Your turn, my child." -</p> -<p> -Lauriane tossed him a larger coin, the marquis a gold crown, Lucilio -some copper, and D'Alvimar a pebble, saying: -</p> -<p> -"I see that you all give money to the conjurer, but in my opinion he -deserves only to be stoned." -</p> -<p> -"Beware," said Lauriane, smiling, "he will predict only unpleasant -things for you; everyone knows that, in the matter of horoscopes, you -only get what you pay for." -</p> -<p> -"Do not think that; destiny is my master," said La Flèche, putting the -money into a box, and suddenly affecting to speak simply and with a -fatalistic air. -</p> -<p> -He turned his indescribable hat, which seemed to threaten heaven like an -insolent castle tower, pulled it over his eyes like an extinguisher, -made several wry faces, pronounced divers unmeaning words supposed to be -cabalistic formulas, and, having turned his back in order to wipe off -the coarse paint unseen, showed his face made pale by prophetic -inspiration. -</p> -<p> -Then he traced upon the gravel the great <i>asphère</i> of ignorant -necromancers, with all the symbols of street-corner astrology; he placed -a stone in the centre and threw the box at it, which broke and -distributed the contents over the symbols drawn in the different -compartments. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon D'Alvimar stooped to pick up his pebble. -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" cried the gypsy, darting into the circle with the agility of a -monkey, and placing his foot on D'Alvimar's token, without effacing any -of the signs that surrounded it; "no, messire, you cannot interfere with -destiny. It is above you as it is above me!" -</p> -<p> -"Certainly not," said Lauriane, putting her little cane between -D'Alvimar and La Flèche. "The magician is master in his magic circle, -and by disarranging your destiny, you may disarrange ours too." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar submitted; but his face betrayed an extraordinary agitation -which he instantly suppressed. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXII">XXII</a></h4> - -<p> -La Flèche began with the token nearest the central stone, which he -called Sinai. -</p> -<p> -It was Lucilio's; the gypsy pretended to measure angles and make -computations, then said in rhyming prose: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Homme sans langue et de grand cœur,</span><br> -<span class="i2">Savoir de misere est vainqueur."<a id="FNanchor_18_1" href="FNanchor_18_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_1" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"You see," whispered Bois-Doré to D'Alvimar, "the rascal has divined -our musician's melancholy plight." -</p> -<p> -"That was not very difficult," rejoined D'Alvimar contemptuously. "For a -quarter of an hour past the mute has been talking to you by signs." -</p> -<p> -"So you have no faith at all in divination?" replied Bois-Doré, while -La Flèche continued his calculations with a preoccupied air, but with -his ears open to all that was going on about him. -</p> -<p> -"Why, do you believe in it yourself, messire, I would ask?" said -D'Alvimar, pretending to be surprised at the seriousness with which the -marquis asked the question. -</p> -<p> -"I? Why—yes, more or less, like everybody else!" -</p> -<p> -"No one believes in this nonsense nowadays!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! yes; I believe in it quite seriously," said Lauriane. "I beg you, -sorcerer, if my destiny is unfavorable, either to leave me a little -hope, or to find in your learning some means of averting it." -</p> -<p> -"Illustrious queen of hearts," replied La Flèche, "I obey your -commands. You are threatened by a great danger; but if, during three -days from the present moment, -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">'Vous ne donnez point votre cœur,</span><br> -<span class="i2">Du diable il sera le vainqueur."<a id="FNanchor_19_1" href="FNanchor_19_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_1" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"Can you invent no other rhymes?" exclaimed D'Alvimar. "Your vocabulary -is not rich!" -</p> -<p> -"Everyone is not rich who wishes to be, messire," rejoined the gypsy; -"and yet there are those who wish it very earnestly, so earnestly that -they do everything to obtain wealth, even at the risk of the axe and the -halter!" -</p> -<p> -"Do you read such things in this gentleman's destiny?" said Lauriane, -who had been deeply impressed by the conjurer's warning to herself, and -now strove to turn the whole affair into a jest. -</p> -<p> -"Perhaps!" said Monsieur d'Alvimar carelessly; "one never knows what may -happen." -</p> -<p> -"But one can find out!" cried La Flèche. "Come who wants to know?" -</p> -<p> -"No one," said the marquis, "no one, if there is anything unpleasant in -store for any of us." -</p> -<p> -"Well, neighbor, you have faith, on my word!" said De Beuvre, who did -not exactly believe in anything. "You are an excellent customer for any -mountebank who chooses to fill your ears with idle tales!" -</p> -<p> -"As you please," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but I cannot help it. I have seen -such surprising things! A score of times things that have been predicted -have happened to me." -</p> -<p> -"How can you believe that an ignorant idiot like this fellow can look -into the future, of which God alone knows the secrets?" said D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -"I do not believe in the knowledge of the operator himself," replied -Bois-Doré, "except in so far as, by long practice, he knows how to -compute numbers, and those numbers are to him like letters in a book -whereof the peculiar quality of numbers composes words and phrases." -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre laughed at the marquis, and called upon the gypsy to tell all -he knew. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar would have been glad of a different result of the discussion, -for his incredulity was only feigned; he believed that the devil had a -hand in all evil, and he determined inwardly to commend La Flèche to -the attention of Monsieur Poulain, to be locked up and burned at the -first opportunity. But he was none the less consumed, in spite of -himself, with anxiety to open the book of his destiny, and he was -strongly impelled, moreover, to assume the rôle of a man free from -superstitions, before Madame de Beuvre. -</p> -<p> -La Flèche, being called upon to speak, since he had studied his chart -sufficiently, indulged in some serious reflections. He was afraid of the -Spaniard. He knew that he ran no risk with people who believed in -nothing, for they are not the sort who denounce or accuse sorcerers; and -he was too sharp not to understand that, when he tried to withdraw his -token, D'Alvimar's object was to escape the revelations which he -pretended to despise. -</p> -<p> -He adopted the course to which he was accustomed to resort when he had -to do with people who were inclined to become over-excited—he began -to make meaningless remarks to everybody. -</p> -<p> -He hoped that D'Alvimar would retire, and that he could make some -pleasant prediction for the others, for which they would pay handsomely; -for in the three days that he had been wandering about the neighborhood, -prowling everywhere, listening at doors, or pretending not to understand -French to induce people to talk in his presence, he had learned many -things; and he knew one fact about D'Alvimar which that gentleman would -have been very glad to bury in profound oblivion. -</p> -<p> -But D'Alvimar, tranquillized by the trivial nature of the predictions, -did not retire; La Flèche had ceased to entertain any of the party, and -was on the point of making a fiasco, after great preparations to reap a -fine harvest. -</p> -<p> -They were about to dismiss him. He drew himself up. -</p> -<p> -"Illustrious noble lords," he said, "I am not a sorcerer, I swear it by -the image of my patron saint which I wear upon my breast; I protest -against any compact with the devil. I practise only white magic, -permitted by the ecclesiastical authorities; but——" -</p> -<p> -"Well, if you are not pledged to the devil, go to the devil!" laughed -Monsieur de Beuvre; "you bore us!" -</p> -<p> -"Very good," said La Flèche insolently; "you want black magic, and you -shall have it, at your own risk and peril! but I will have nothing to do -with it, I wash my hands of it!" -</p> -<p> -He turned at once to a basket which he had brought with him, and in -which they supposed that he kept some juggling apparatus or some strange -beast, and took from it a little girl of eight or ten years, who seemed -to be no more than four or five, she was so small and slender; and, with -all the rest, dark-skinned, with a tangled mass of hair; a veritable -imp, dressed all in red, who began, while he held her in his arms, by -striking him again and again, pulling his hair, and tearing his face -with her nails. -</p> -<p> -They thought at first that this frantic resistance was part of the -performance, until they saw the blood flowing in a stream down the -gypsy's nose. -</p> -<p> -He paid little heed to it, but said, as he wiped his face with his -sleeve: -</p> -<p> -"That is nothing; the princess was asleep in her basket, and she is -always cross when she wakes." -</p> -<p> -Then he added in Spanish, speaking to the child in an undertone. -</p> -<p> -"Never fear! you shall dance for this to-night!" -</p> -<p> -The child, whom he had deposited on the stone of Sinai, cowered like a -monkey and glared about her with the eyes of a wild cat. -</p> -<p> -In her emaciated ugliness there were such strongly marked indications of -suffering and of fierce temper, of unhappiness and of hatred, that she -was almost beautiful, and indubitably terrifying. -</p> -<p> -It made Lauriane's heart ache to see the extreme emaciation of the -wretched creature, who was almost naked under the gaudy, but filthy rags -she wore. She shuddered as she thought of the probable fate of that -child, driven to frenzy doubtless by the tyranny and the blows of a vile -mountebank; and she walked away a few steps, leaning on the arm of her -good Celadon, Bois-Doré, who, although he did not say so, felt almost -as distressed as she. -</p> -<p> -But De Beuvre was of tougher fibre, and he urged La Flèche to make the -evil spirit speak. -</p> -<p> -"Come, my lovely Pilar," said La Flèche, accompanying each word with a -gesture big with threats, which were readily intelligible to his victim; -"come, queen of the elves and hobgoblins, you must speak. Pick up that -coin which is nearest you." -</p> -<p> -Pilar sat motionless for a long time, pretending to be asleep; she was -shivering with fever. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come, gallows-bird, tow for the stake!" continued La Flèche, -"pick up that gold piece, and I will tell you where Mario, your beloved -Mario, is." -</p> -<p> -"What's that!" said the marquis, turning back; "what does he say about -Mario?" -</p> -<p> -"Who is Mario?" asked Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -"Silence!" cried De Beuvre; "the devil speaks, and you are interested, -neighbor!" -</p> -<p> -The child spoke thus in French, in a shrill voice and with a strongly -marked accent: -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">"Celui de qui depend ce gage,</span><br> -<span class="i2">S'il veut ecouter le presage</span><br> -<span class="i2">Et se bien garer de l'amour—<a id="FNanchor_20_1" href="FNanchor_20_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_1" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></span> -</div></div> - -<p> -"I have said enough, I won't say any more," she added in Spanish. -</p> -<p> -She had forgotten her lesson. Neither prayers nor threats availed to -refresh her memory; but she did not admit that she had been coached; she -was already a sorceress and proud of her profession. She knew the magic -chart much better than La Flèche, and she loved to prophesy. By trying -to teach her poetry, which she called another kind of magic, La Flèche -had irritated her, and the feeling that she should not succeed had -wounded her self-esteem. -</p> -<p> -She shook her head, bristling with hair as black as ink, stamped her -foot and gave way to a paroxysm of pythoness-like rage. -</p> -<p> -"Good! good!" cried La Flèche, determined to make use of her, in one -way or another. "Now it is coming! the devil is entering her body, she -will speak in a moment!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said the child in Spanish, darting madly into the circle, "and I -know it all better than you, better than all the others. Come! come! -come! I know; question me!" -</p> -<p> -"Let us speak French," said La Flèche. "What will happen to the noble -lord whose token I hold?" -</p> -<p> -It was the marquis's. -</p> -<p> -"Joy and consolation!" said the child. -</p> -<p> -"Very good! but in what form?" -</p> -<p> -"Vengeance!" -</p> -<p> -"I, vengeance?" said Bois-Doré. "That is not my disposition." -</p> -<p> -"No, surely not," said Lauriane, glancing involuntarily at D'Alvimar. -"The devil must have mistaken the token." -</p> -<p> -"No! I am not mistaken," replied the elf. -</p> -<p> -"Really?" said La Flèche. "If you are quite sure, speak, she-devil! So -you think that this noble lord here present has some insult to avenge?" -</p> -<p> -"In blood!" replied Pilar, with the energy of a tragic actress. -</p> -<p> -"Alas!" said the marquis to Lauriane under his breath, "that is only too -true, I doubt not! My poor brother, you know!" And he added, aloud: "I -wish to question this little soothsayer myself." -</p> -<p> -"Do so, monseigneur," said La Flèche. "Listen, black fly! and speak -truly to a gentleman who is of much more consequence than you!" -</p> -<p> -Thereupon, the marquis, turning to Pilar, questioned her gently: -</p> -<p> -"Tell me, my poor little girl, what I have lost?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>A son</i>!" she replied. -</p> -<p> -"Don't laugh, neighbor," said the marquis to De Beuvre, "she tells the -truth. He was like a son to me!" -</p> -<p> -And to Pilar: -</p> -<p> -"When did I lose him?" -</p> -<p> -"Eleven years and five months since." -</p> -<p> -"And how many days?" -</p> -<p> -"Less five days." -</p> -<p> -"She is mistaken there," said the marquis to Lucilio; "for I heard from -him after the time she mentions; but let us see if she can read the -rest." -</p> -<p> -Again he turned to the child. -</p> -<p> -"How did I lose him?" he asked. -</p> -<p> -"By a violent death!" she replied; "but you will have consolation." -</p> -<p> -"When?" -</p> -<p> -"Within three months, three weeks or three days." -</p> -<p> -"What sort of consolation?" -</p> -<p> -"Three sorts: vengeance, wisdom, a family." -</p> -<p> -"A family? Am I to be married, pray?" -</p> -<p> -"No; you will be a father!" -</p> -<p> -"Really?" cried the marquis, undisturbed by Monsieur de Beuvre's hearty -laughter. "When shall I be a father?" -</p> -<p> -"Within three months, three weeks or three days. I have told everything -about you, and I want to rest." -</p> -<p> -The sitting was suspended with a deluge of jests showered by Monsieur de -Beuvre on the marquis. -</p> -<p> -In order that the predicted advent of an heir should take place within -three months, three weeks or three days, three women must have "received -the order." -</p> -<p> -The poor marquis was so well aware of the contrary that all his faith in -magic was destroyed. -</p> -<p> -He submitted to be made fun of, protesting his innocence, but not over -desirous that they should believe it to be so absolute as it really was. -</p> -<p> -The child asked leave to prepare her conjurations for the last token. -</p> -<p> -It was D'Alvimar's pebble. -</p> -<p> -But in order that the reader may understand what follows, it is -necessary that he should know what Pilar and her master, La Flèche, had -agreed upon. -</p> -<p> -What La Flèche knew and wished to impart to Bois-Doré, he expected to -have the child divulge when D'Alvimar was not present. The child, from -caprice and vanity, refused to adhere to the agreement made between -them. She insisted upon reciting her whole lesson, even though she had -to suffer for it, and though La Flèche might lose his life or his -liberty. -</p> -<p> -It may be that these perils, in which, as she well knew, she could -involve him, sharpened her instincts of hate. -</p> -<p> -So she spoke as she chose, despite the warning gestures and grimaces of -her master, who could say nothing to her in Spanish which D'Alvimar -would not understand. -</p> -<p> -She picked up the stone, examined the signs that surrounded it, -pretended to make a computation, and said in Spanish, threateningly and -with appalling vehemence: -</p> -<p> -"Woe and disgrace to him whose token fell on the red star!" -</p> -<p> -"Bravo!" said D'Alvimar, with a nervous, forced laugh; "go on, filthy -creature! Go on, go on, progeny of dogs, offscouring of the earth, tell -us the decrees of heaven!" -</p> -<p> -Pilar, angered by these insults, became so wild that she terrified all -who saw her, even La Flèche himself. -</p> -<p> -"Blood and murder!" she shrieked, jumping up and down with convulsive -gestures; "murder and damnation! blood, blood, blood!" -</p> -<p> -"All this for me?" said D'Alvimar, unable to conceal his terror at that -moment. -</p> -<p> -"For you! for you!" cried the frenzied creature, "and death and hell! -soon, instantly, within three months, three weeks or three days! damned! -damned! hell!" -</p> -<p> -"Enough! enough!" said Bois-Doré, who understood but little Spanish, -but who saw that D'Alvimar was pale and on the verge of swooning; "this -child is possessed of a bad devil, and it may be that it is sinful to -listen to her." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, "doubtless she is possessed of the -devil, and her threats are vain and beneath contempt, for hell is -powerless against the will of God; but if I were châtelain and -dispenser of justice here, I would throw this brigand and this vile worm -into prison, and I would hand them over to——" -</p> -<p> -"La la!" said Monsieur de Beuvre, "there is no reason for being so -angry. I don't know what was said to you, but I am surprised that you -ended by sneering at it. However, I agree that this mad young monkey's -gusts of temper are a disgusting comedy, and I see that my daughter is -disturbed by them. Come, knave," he said to La Flèche, "we have had -enough. Keep the tokens, if all consent, and go and get yourself hanged -elsewhere." -</p> -<p> -La Flèche had not awaited this permission to decamp. He was in great -haste to elude the Spaniard's benevolent designs in respect to him. -</p> -<p> -Little Pilar was not at all disturbed. On the contrary, she picked up -the gold and silver pieces which had served as tokens, and when she came -to D'Alvimar's stone she threw it disdainfully at his feet. He was so -angered that he would perhaps have treated her as he did the young wolf, -had he still the weapon of which he had made such prompt and deadly use. -</p> -<p> -But when he involuntarily felt for it, he found nothing, and Lauriane, -who was watching him, congratulated herself upon having disarmed him. He -met her eyes and made haste to smile; then he tried to change the -conversation, and Bois-Doré asked Lucilio for an air on the bagpipe to -dispel the unpleasant effect of this episode, while La Flèche, carrying -his great basket on his head and his instruments of magic under his arm, -and dragging along with the other hand the little sybil, still quivering -from head to foot, hastily passed the drawbridge and portcullis. -</p> -<p> -"Now will you give me something to eat?" she said, when they were in the -open country. -</p> -<p> -"No, you did your work too badly." -</p> -<p> -"I am hungry." -</p> -<p> -"So much the better!" -</p> -<p> -"I am hungry, I can't walk any more." -</p> -<p> -"Into your cage you go, then!" -</p> -<p> -And he put her in the basket, despite her resistance, and ran away with -her at full speed. -</p> -<p> -The unfortunate creature's shrieks died away without echo in the vast -plain. -</p> -<p> -"Mario! Mario!" she wailed in a voice broken by sobs; "I want to see -Mario. Villain! assassin! You promised that I should see Mario, who used -to give me things to eat and play with me, and his mother, who kept me -from being beaten! Mercedes! Mario! come to help me! Kill him! he is -hurting me, he is shaking me, he is killing me, he is starving me to -death! Damnation on him! death and blood and murder! The lash, the -stake, the wheel, hell itself for the wicked!" -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_18_1" href="Footnote_18_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_1"><span class="label">[18]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Man without tongue and of great heart,</span><br> -<span class="i0">Learning has triumphed over misery.</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_19_1" href="Footnote_19_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_1"><span class="label">[19]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">You do not give your heart away,</span><br> -<span class="i0">It will triumph over the devil.</span> -</div></div></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_20_1" href="Footnote_20_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_1"><span class="label">[20]</span></a></p> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">He from whom this token comes.</span><br> -<span class="i0">If he but heed to the presage</span><br> -<span class="i0">And hold aloof from love—</span> -</div></div></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXIII">XXIII</a></h4> - -<p> -While the gypsy fled toward the north, the marquis, with D'Alvimar and -Lucilio, rode in the opposite direction toward Briantes. - -He was most anxious to tell his faithful Adamas of what he regarded as a -happy issue of his enterprise; and, although he thought that he owed it -to his love to indulge in a few stifled sighs of anxiety or impatience, -he was by no means ill-pleased, taking everything into consideration, to -have seven years before him in which to adopt a new matrimonial -resolution. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was in a very bad humor, not only because of the predictions -which had stirred his bile and disturbed his brain, but also because of -the tranquil manner in which Madame de Beuvre had taken leave of him, -while she had given both her little hands to the marquis, as she gayly -promised him a visit on the second day following. -</p> -<p> -"Can it be possible," he thought, "that she has accepted that old man's -gold pieces, and that I am supplanted by a rival of seventy?" -</p> -<p> -He was exceedingly desirous to question his host, to poke fun at him, to -quarrel with him. But it was impossible to enter into conversation with -Bois-Doré on that subject. The marquis bore himself with an air of -discreet and modest triumph, which caused him to outdo himself in -courteous attentions to his guest. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was able to avenge himself for his discomfiture in no other -way than by doing his best to splash Master Jovelin, who rode behind the -marquis. -</p> -<p> -When they reached the château, as the supper hour had not arrived, he -walked to the rectory to consult with Monsieur Poulain. -</p> -<p> -"Well, monsieur," said the trusty Adamas, as he removed his master's -boots—in his capacity of <i>homme de chambre</i> he almost never -left the château of Briantes—"well, monsieur, must we think about -preparing the betrothal banquet?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure, my friend. We must think about it at once." -</p> -<p> -"Really, monsieur? Well, I was sure of it, and I am so pleased that I -don't know where I am. Just fancy, monsieur, that that red hackney whom -you call Bellinde, and who would be better named Tisiphone——" -</p> -<p> -"Fie! fie, Adamas! You know that I do not like to hear one of the sex -spoken of in a slighting manner. What new trouble is there between you?" -</p> -<p> -"Pardon me, my noble master, but the trouble is that that ill-tempered -creature listens at doors, and that she knows of the step monsieur has -taken to-day. Only a little while ago she was laughing about it like a -cackling hen with that stupid housekeeper of the rector." -</p> -<p> -"How do you know that, Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"I know it by magic, monsieur; but, at all events, I know it!" -</p> -<p> -"By magic? Since when have you been dabbling in the occult sciences?" -</p> -<p> -"I will tell you, monsieur. I have nothing to hide from you, but will -you not deign to tell me first how you made your sentiments known to the -peerless lady of your thoughts, and how she replied; for I am sure that -nothing so eloquent was ever said under the heavens since the world was -made, and I would like to be able to write as fast as Master Jovelin, so -that I could put it on paper as monsieur repeats it to me." -</p> -<p> -"No, Adamas, no word of it shall ever issue from my mouth, sealed as it -is by the oath of a loyal knight. I swore that I would not divulge the -secret of my felicity. All that I can say to you, my friend, is to -rejoice now with your master, and to hope with him in the future!" -</p> -<p> -"Then it is all arranged, is it, monsieur, and——" -</p> -<p> -Adamas was interrupted by a soft scratching, as of a cat, at the door. -</p> -<p> -"Ah!" he said, after he had looked out, "it is the child; he wants to -bid you good-night.—Go away, my young friend, monseigneur will see -you later; he is busy now." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, Adamas, let him come again! I have something to say about -children. Some very strange ideas on the subject of paternity came into -my head yesterday. This freak is worthy of the lowest bourgeois! No! no! -I am no longer the old bachelor who wanted to marry in hot haste, to -have done with it. I am a young man, Adamas, yes, a young lover, a -dandy, on my word, affectionately sentenced to prove his constancy by -the test of time, to sigh and write poetry; in a word, to await, in the -torments and ecstasies of hope, the good pleasure of my sovereign." -</p> -<p> -"If I understand rightly," said Adamas, "this jealous divinity mistrusts -my master's fickle humor, and demands that he renounce all love-making!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, that is it, Adamas; that must be it! A little distrust! That -is a fitting punishment for my wild youth; but I shall be so well able -to prove my sincerity—Go to the door; he is still knocking!" -</p> -<p> -"What!" said Adamas seriously to Mario, opening the door slightly, "is -it you again, my little imp? Did I not tell you to wait?" -</p> -<p> -"I have waited," Mario replied, in his soft voice—soft and caressing -even in his mischief; "you told me to go away and come back. I went to -the end of the next room, and now I have come back." -</p> -<p> -"The little rascal!" said the marquis; "let him come -in.—<i>Bonjour</i>, my young friend; just come to kiss me, then -play quietly with Fleurial. I have some important business to discuss -with good Monsieur Adamas. Come, Adamas, the day after to-morrow I am to -entertain my incomparable neighbor. We must be preparing for it; a -little informal dinner, fourteen courses at the most." -</p> -<p> -"You shall have them, monsieur. Do you wish me to call the master-cook?" -</p> -<p> -"No, I do not like to order my repasts, and, however clean and neat the -kitchen people may be, they always smell of the kitchen. Help me to -plan——" -</p> -<p> -"What knife is that?" said Mario, very earnestly, as the marquis, always -good-humored and momentarily preoccupied, held him between his legs and -allowed him to ransack his pockets. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing, nothing," said the marquis, trying to recover the pledge that -Lauriane had given him. "Give it back to me, my boy; children must not -touch such things. They bite, you see! Give it to me!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, here it is!" said Mario; "but I saw what was written on it, -and I know whose it is." -</p> -<p> -"You don't know what you are saying!" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, I do; I say that it belongs to the Spanish gentleman you call -Villareal. Did he give it to you?" -</p> -<p> -"Come, come, what is this you are muttering? You are dreaming!" -</p> -<p> -"No, kind monsieur! I saw the device on the blade. It is in Spanish, and -I know it very well; my mother Mercedes has one just like it, with the -same device." -</p> -<p> -"What does the device mean?" -</p> -<p> -"<i>I serve God</i>.—<i>S. A.</i>" -</p> -<p> -"What does S. A. mean?" -</p> -<p> -"They must be the initials of the man who owns the dagger. That is where -they are usually put, in open work, near the hilt." -</p> -<p> -"I know that; but why do you say that this dagger belongs to the Spanish -gentleman named Villareal?" -</p> -<p> -The child made no reply and seemed embarrassed. He was no longer under -the Moorish woman's watchful and suspicious eye. He had said more than -he ought, and he remembered her injunctions too late. -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>! monsieur," said Adamas, "children talk sometimes for the -sake of talking without knowing what they say. Let us go back to the -important subject. Your keeper, Père Andoche, brought in to-day a -string of birds so fat that——" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, yes, you are right, my friend; let us arrange about the dinner. -But, I don't know—I wonder how she had that Spanish dagger in the -pocket of her skirt?" -</p> -<p> -"Who, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -"Why, <i>she</i>, <i>parbleu</i>! Of whom else can I speak henceforth?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure; I beg pardon, monsieur! Let us talk about the dagger. I -supposed that it was a gift from Monsieur de Villareal, or that he had -lent it to you. For it is the truth that it comes from him. Those -letters S. A. are on his other weapons, which are very handsome, and -which I noticed this morning while his servant was polishing them." -</p> -<p> -The marquis relapsed into meditation. -</p> -<p> -How did Lauriane obtain Villareal's dagger? She must have received it -from him, since she had disposed of it as her own property. -</p> -<p> -In vain did he search the genealogical tree of the De Beuvres, he found -there no name to which the initials S. A. could refer. -</p> -<p> -"Can it be," he said to himself, "that she made the same agreement with -him that she afterward made with me?" -</p> -<p> -He consoled himself, however, by the thought that she apparently cared -but little for the former compact, since she had sacrificed it to him; -but there was none the less something incomprehensible in the episode, -and the honest marquis was not yet foolish enough not to fear that he -was the victim of some practical joke. -</p> -<p> -And then, what the child had said complicated the confusion in his mind, -and he could not imagine what intrigue of destiny or mystification -encompassed that dagger. -</p> -<p> -He was inclined to go to have an explanation at once with his guest; but -he remembered that Lauriane had urged him to conceal her pledge and to -let no one see it. -</p> -<p> -Adamas saw the anxiety on his master's brow and was touched by it. -</p> -<p> -"What is it, monsieur," he said, "what can your poor old Adamas do to -relieve your perplexity?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know, my friend. I would like to be able to divine how it -happens that the Moor has a weapon like this, bearing the same device -and the same initials." -</p> -<p> -Then, lowering his voice so that Mario could not hear: -</p> -<p> -"You told me, and it has seemed to me that that young woman was very -honest. But can she have stolen this dagger from our guest? That is -something that I cannot endure, that there should be thieving in my -house." -</p> -<p> -Adamas instantly espoused his master's suspicions, especially as Mario, -feeling that he had spoken heedlessly, was gliding out of the room on -tiptoe, to avoid further questions. Adamas detained him. -</p> -<p> -"You have been telling us fairy tales, my pretty boy," said he, "and for -that you deserve to lose my lord and master's favor. It is not true that -your Mercedes has what you say she has, or——" -</p> -<p> -The marquis interrupted him, not wishing that the charge should be made -before the child. -</p> -<p> -"Has your mother had the dagger a long time, my boy?" he said. -</p> -<p> -The child had passed some time with the gypsies, so he knew what -stealing was. He was blest, moreover, with extraordinary shrewdness. He -understood the suspicion he had brought on his adopted mother, and he -preferred to disobey her rather than not justify her. -</p> -<p> -"Yes," he replied, "a very long time." -</p> -<p> -And, as he had assumed an exceedingly proud and self-assured air, the -marquis and Adamas felt that they had in their hands a means of making -him speak. -</p> -<p> -"Then it was Monsieur de Villareal who gave it to her?" said Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"Oh! no, he left it behind——" -</p> -<p> -"Where?" queried the marquis. "Come, you must tell us, or I shall have -no more confidence in you, boy. Where did he leave it?" -</p> -<p> -"In my father's heart!" replied Mario, in whose eyes there shone an -extraordinary light. He longed to pour out his heart; the mystery -weighed heavily upon him; he had said the first word and he could not -keep silent. -</p> -<p> -"Adamas," said the marquis, moved by a sudden, indefinable emotion, -"close the doors, and do you, my child, come here and speak out. You are -with friends, have no fear, we will defend you, we will see that you -have justice. Tell me all that you know about your family?" -</p> -<p> -"If you love me," said the child, "you must punish Monsieur de -Villareal, because he murdered my father." -</p> -<p> -"Murdered him?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, Mercedes saw him!" -</p> -<p> -"When was that?" -</p> -<p> -"The day I was born, the day my mother died." -</p> -<p> -"Why did he murder him?" -</p> -<p> -"To get a lot of money and jewels that my father had." -</p> -<p> -"Robber and assassin!" said the marquis, looking at Adamas; "a man of -quality! a friend of Guillaume d'Ars! Is it conceivable?" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur," said Adamas, "children often invent stories, and I believe -that this boy is making sport of us." -</p> -<p> -The blood rose in Mario's cheeks. -</p> -<p> -"I never tell a lie!" he said with touching vehemence. "Monsieur -Anjorrant always said: 'That child is not at all untruthful.' My -Mercedes always told me that I must never lie, but keep silent when I -didn't wish to reply. Since you make me speak, I say what is true." -</p> -<p> -"He is right," exclaimed the marquis, "and I see that he has noble blood -in his heart, the beautiful boy!—Say on, I believe you. Tell me what -your father's name was." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! that I do not know." -</p> -<p> -"On your honor, my boy?" -</p> -<p> -"It is the truth," replied the child; "my mother's name was Marie, that -is all I know, and that is why Monsieur Anjorrant gave me the name of -Mario when he baptized me." -</p> -<p> -"But I remember that Mercedes said that the lady gave the curé a -wedding ring," said Adamas; "she also spoke of a seal." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Mario, "the seal belonged to my father, there was a coat of -arms on it: but it was stolen from us not long ago. As for the ring, -neither Monsieur Anjorrant, nor my Mercedes, who is very clever, nor I, -nor anybody has ever been able to open it. But there's something inside. -My mother, who died without saying a word except her name, Marie, -motioned to the curé to open her ring. She had not the strength to do -it; but he could not." -</p> -<p> -"Go and get it," said the marquis, "perhaps we can do it." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! no," replied Mario in dismay; "my Mercedes won't like it, and, if -she knows that I have spoken, she will be very sorry." -</p> -<p> -"But, after all, why does she conceal all this from us, who may be able -to help her to find your family?" -</p> -<p> -"Because she thinks that you will listen to the Spaniard, and that he -will kill her if he learns that she has recognized him." -</p> -<p> -"But does he not recognize her?" -</p> -<p> -"He never saw her, for she was hiding." -</p> -<p> -"Has she ever seen him since that terrible business?" -</p> -<p> -"No, never." -</p> -<p> -"And, after ten years, she feels sure that she can identify him! It is -very doubtful." -</p> -<p> -"She says that she is sure of it, that he has grown hardly any older, -that he is dressed in black as he was then; and she is very sure that -his old servant is the same man who was with him then. Oh! she looked -closely at them. When we met them three days ago, near another château -not far from here——" -</p> -<p> -"Ah! yes," said the marquis, "tell us how she met him." -</p> -<p> -"He was with a kind, handsome young lord, whom I have since heard spoken -of as Guillaume. Monsieur Guillaume had given a lot of money to the -gypsies we were with. And suddenly, when the Spaniard looked very stern -and was going to strike me, Mercedes said: -</p> -<p> -"'It is he! look! it is he! and the other, the old valet is the other!' -</p> -<p> -"And she ran after them to see them better, until Monsieur Guillaume -told us that we annoyed him. Then Mercedes made some one ask him his -name and his friend's name, so that we could pray for them, she said. -But Monsieur Guillaume laughed at us, and the gypsies went off in -another direction. My Mercedes let them go without us, and said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'We have your father's murderers, I promise you. We must find out their -names.' -</p> -<p> -"Then we turned back and went to the château of La Motte to beg; and as -they didn't pay much attention to us, Mercedes told me to listen to what -the servants and the peasants said; and in that way we found out that -the Spaniard was going to stay with the <i>marquis</i>, because the -<i>marquis</i> had sent for his chariot and ordered his guest chamber to -be prepared for a stranger. And then we talked with a shepherdess in a -field near there. She told us: -</p> -<p> -"'The marquis is the kindest of men. You can go to pass the night at his -château; he will treat you well. That's his château yonder.' -</p> -<p> -"So then we came here at once, and yesterday morning we saw the murderer -again, the two murderers! And when I saw the letters on the pistols and -the great sword that the servant had, and I said to Mercedes: -</p> -<p> -"'Show me the wicked knife that killed my poor papa; I think those are -the same letters that are on it.'" -</p> -<p> -"And are you sure of it?" said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"I am very sure; and you will see for yourself if Mercedes will show -them to you." -</p> -<p> -"Where is she now?" -</p> -<p> -"With Monsieur Jovelin, whom she is very fond of because he jumped into -the water for me." -</p> -<p> -"Jovelin absolutely must extort her secret from her," said the marquis -to Adamas; "go, bring him here, that I may speak with him." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXIV">XXIV</a></h4> - -<p> -Adamas went out and soon returned to say that Jovelin would come at -once. He had found him engaged in a very animated conversation with the -Moor, she speaking Arabic, he writing down all that she said, and making -many gestures which she seemed to understand. -</p> -<p> -"He motioned to me that he must not be interrupted," said Adamas; "I -think, monsieur, that he is inducing her to tell the truth by gentleness -and persuasion; let us not disturb him. He writes quickly, but she does -not read very well, even in her own language, and it is wonderful to see -how he makes himself understood with his hands. Be patient, monsieur; we -shall soon find out something." -</p> -<p> -They waited a quarter of an hour, which to the marquis seemed a century. -</p> -<p> -Time was flying; the first bell had rung for supper. It would be -necessary to sit at the table with Villareal, without having obtained -any definite information. -</p> -<p> -The marquis was in a state of intense excitement. He kept rising and -sitting down again, muttering to himself unintelligible words which -sorely puzzled Adamas. -</p> -<p> -Mario, thinking that he was angry with him, stood apart in a corner, -thoughtful and abashed. Fleurial, seeing his master's perplexity, gazed -steadfastly at him, followed his every step and whined from time to -time, wagging his tail, as if to say: "What is the matter, pray?" -</p> -<p> -At last Adamas ventured to put the question in words. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur," he cried, "you have something in your mind which you are -concealing from your servant, and in that way you make your trouble -still more painful to him. Speak, monsieur, speak to old Adamas as you -would to your night-cap; he will no more repeat what you say than your -night-cap would, and it will relieve you so much." -</p> -<p> -"Adamas," replied Bois-Doré, "I greatly fear that I am mad; for there -is something about this child and the story he tells us that excites me -more than is natural. You must know that I had my fortune told by a -gypsy to-day, and that she used some very obscure words, which may -however be fully explained by the interest I feel for this poor little -fellow. I was told, among other strange things, that I should be a -father within three months, three weeks or three days. Now, as I swear -to you, Adamas, that I can look forward to no direct paternity within so -short a period, it is evident that I am to become a father by adoption. -But another part of that prediction perplexes me even more: my brother's -death was referred to as having taken place at exactly the same date -that the Moor assigns for the death of this child's father. How can that -be explained? The witch spoke in veiled, symbolical words, but she fixed -that date clearly, computing the years, months and days that have passed -since. And I made the same computation as I was riding home and I found -that it carried me back to the very day of our King Henri's death. Come -here, Mario; didn't you say that was the day?" -</p> -<p> -"But, monsieur," observed Adamas, "didn't you say yourself yesterday -that Monsieur Florimond's last letter was dated at Genoa on the -sixteenth of June?" -</p> -<p> -"True, my friend; but one may make a mistake in a date and put one month -instead of another; that has happened to everybody." -</p> -<p> -"But, monsieur, isn't the city of Genoa, in Italy, very far from the -place where this child puts his father's death?" -</p> -<p> -"Undoubtedly, my friend. I twist the probabilities in order to confirm -the fortune-teller's words, and that is a whim for which I give you -leave to rebuke me. But open the cupboard in which my brother's -cherished records are kept, including that last letter which I have read -so many times without fathoming its meaning." -</p> -<p> -"<i>Mon Dieu</i>! monsieur," said Adamas, opening the drawer and handing -his master the letter, "you divined and understood clearly enough at the -time everything that happened and was likely to happen. You heard from -Monsieur Florimond very seldom, because of the weighty secret -employments he had in the Italian courts, to which his master the Duc de -Savoie sent him. He wrote of his journeys without telling you of their -object, because he was forbidden to do that by the political party with -which he acted, which was not always yours. This last letter tells you -of other journeys to be undertaken after that from which he had just -returned, and this is what he says to you in his very words: 'If you do -not hear of me before autumn, do not be alarmed. My health is good and -my personal affairs are not in bad condition.'—The date is -evidently accurate, for he begins by saying: 'Monsieur and dear brother, -doubtless you received my letter of January last; in the past five -months——'" -</p> -<p> -"I know all that, Adamas, I know it by heart; and, nevertheless, when I -went to Italy in 1611, to make personal inquiries for that poor brother -of mine, from whom I had never heard again, I was told that he had never -returned from a mission to Rome, on which he had set out fifteen months -before. And, when I went to Rome, he had not been seen there for more -than two years. I travelled all over Italy until late in 1612, without -finding any trace of him, so that I finally concluded that he must have -undertaken some long voyage, to the East or West Indies, on his own -account, and that I should see him again some day; but at last I made up -my mind that he had certainly been murdered by the brigands who infest -Italy, or had perished in a storm at sea. He had not acquired great -wealth in the Savoyard's service, although he never complained; and I -think that he seldom had companions in his journeys. In the end I lost -all hope of finding him, but not of learning his fate and avenging him -if he was slain by treachery." -</p> -<p> -While the marquis and Adamas were talking thus, Mario, whose presence -they had forgotten, had glided behind the marquis's chair. -</p> -<p> -He listened, and he looked closely at the letter Bois-Doré held in his -hands. He could read very well, as we have said, even manuscript; but he -was in dire perplexity, fearing lest he should make a mistake and should -be accused again of speaking at random. -</p> -<p> -At last he felt almost perfectly sure of his facts, not only because of -the handwriting, but because of the expressions used in the letter and -of the peculiar coincidences. -</p> -<p> -"What!" he cried. -</p> -<p> -And he ran from the room, his heart swelling with determination and joy, -scarcely heeded by the marquis, who was absorbed by his reflections. -</p> -<p> -Mario knew Master Jovelin's room, and he found his mother there, just -about to withdraw without exhibiting the articles of which she was so -jealous and distrustful a guardian. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio had been as profoundly impressed as the marquis by the -coincidence of the date fixed in the child's mind by Abbé Anjorrant -with that mentioned by the little gypsy as the date of Florimond's -death. He had not the slightest belief in magic; but, as he was also -struck by La Flèche's mention of the name of Mario, he feared that the -marquis was the dupe of some juggling scheme. -</p> -<p> -He began to suspect the Moorish woman herself, and his first act, on -returning to the château, was to send for her and question her in -writing, with much conciseness and severity. He insisted that she should -produce the ring and the letter from Monsieur Anjorrant of which she had -spoken; and, although she felt profound respect and sympathy for him, as -his persistence led her to fear the indirect intervention of D'Alvimar -in this examination she was undergoing, she had taken refuge in agonized -silence. -</p> -<p> -As soon as Mario appeared, her wounded heart gave vent in the complaint -which it dared not address directly to Lucilio. -</p> -<p> -"Come, my poor child," she said, "we must go away from here, for we are -accused of seeking to deceive and of having told a story that is not -true. Come, let us go at once, so that they may know that we seek aid -only from God and ourselves." -</p> -<p> -But Mario held her back. -</p> -<p> -"We have had enough of distrust," he said to her; "we must do what they -ask, mother. Give me the letter and the ring! They are mine; I want them -this moment!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was impressed by the child's vehemence, and the Moor, utterly -dumbfounded, said nothing for several moments. -</p> -<p> -Never before had Mario spoken so to her; never had she detected in him -the slightest tendency to independence; and now, in the most peremptory -way, he ordered her to do his bidding. -</p> -<p> -She was afraid; she thought that some miracle had happened; all her -strength of will vanished before the idea that fate had intervened. She -took from her belt the sheepskin bag in which she had sewn the precious -objects. -</p> -<p> -"That is not all, mother," said Mario; "I must have the knife too." -</p> -<p> -"You will not dare to touch it, boy! it is the knife that -killed——" -</p> -<p> -"I know it; I have seen it before now. It is necessary that I should -touch it, and I will touch it. Give it to me!" -</p> -<p> -Mercedes handed him the knife, and said, clasping her hands: -</p> -<p> -"If it is the evil spirit that guides my son's hand and tongue, we are -lost, Mario!" -</p> -<p> -He did not listen to her, but, placing the little bag on Lucilio's -table, hastily ripped it open with the dagger. He took from it the ring, -which he placed on his thumb, and Abbé Anjorrant's letter to Monsieur -Sully, of which he burst the seal and silk thread, to Mercedes's dire -consternation. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure04"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure04.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>MARIO ESTABLISHES HIS IDENTITY.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>He darted into the hall, ran back to the marquis's chamber, -snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings</i>,...</p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -That done, he opened the letter, took out a stained and spotted paper, -kissed it and examined it carefully; then, shouting: "Come, mother! -Come, Monsieur Jovelin!" he darted into the hall, ran back to the -marquis's chamber, snatched unceremoniously from his hands the letter -over which he was still meditating, compared the handwritings, and, -thrusting everything that he held, letters, ring and dagger, into -Adamas's hand, leaped on the marquis's knees, threw his arms about his -neck, and hugged him so tight that the worthy man was almost suffocated -for a moment. -</p> -<p> -"Come, come!" said Bois-Doré at last, somewhat annoyed by this -familiarity, which he did not expect, and which had seriously deranged -his wig, "this is not the time for play of this sort, my young friend, -and you are taking liberties which—Whom is this you have brought here -and why?" -</p> -<p> -The marquis paused when he saw Mario burst into tears. -</p> -<p> -The child had acted in obedience to an inspiration, he had had faith; -but, as the minds of the others did not move so fast or so straight as -his, doubt, fear and shame returned to him. He had disobeyed Mercedes, -who was weeping and trembling. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio watched him so closely that he felt intimidated; the marquis -repelled his passionate embrace, and Adamas was dazed, and did not seem -to recognize unhesitatingly the similarity of the handwritings. -</p> -<p> -"Come, do not weep, my child," said the perturbed marquis, taking from -Adamas's hands his brother's letter and the worn and crumpled paper that -Mario had brought. "What is the matter, Adamas, and why are you -trembling so? What is that paper, all covered with black spots? <i>Vrai -Dieu</i>! those are blood-stains! Bring the candle nearer, Adamas, and let -me look! Why, my friends! O Lord God in Heaven! Jovelin! Adamas! Look at -this! I am not dreaming, am I? It is the handwriting of my darling -brother! every letter is his! And this blood——Ah! my friends! -that is a very cruel thing to see. But—where did you get this, -Mario?" -</p> -<p> -"Read, read, monsieur," cried Adamas, "make sure that you are right." -</p> -<p> -"I cannot," said the marquis, turning deathly pale; "my heart fails me! -Whence comes this paper?" -</p> -<p> -"It was found on my father," said Mario, recovering his courage; "look, -see if it is not a letter for you that he intended to send you. Monsieur -Anjorrant made me read it many times; but your name was not on it, and -we never knew to whom to send it." -</p> -<p> -"Your father!" repeated the marquis, as if waking from a dream; "your -father!" -</p> -<p> -"Pray read it, monsieur!" cried Adamas; "make sure." -</p> -<p> -"No! not yet," said the marquis. "If I am dreaming, I do not desire to be -awakened. Let me fancy that this lovely child—Come here, boy, to my -arms.—And do you, Adamas, read it if you can! I could never do it!" -</p> -<p> -"I will read it," said Mario; "follow with your eyes." And he read as -follows: -</p> - -<blockquote><p> -"Monsieur and dear brother: -</p> -<p> -"Pay no heed to the letter you will receive after this, which I wrote at -Genoa, under date of the sixteenth of next month, in anticipation of a -long and dangerous journey, during which, as I feared that you would be -anxious on my account, I desired to allay your anxiety by a post-dated -letter, and thereby prevent your making inquiries for me in that -country, where I desired that my absence should not be noticed. -</p> -<p> -"As I have arrived here, thank God! more quickly and with less trouble -than I dared hope, and am now out of difficulty and danger, I propose to -tell you of my adventures, which I am at last able to do without -concealment or reserve, leaving the details, however, for the -approaching, eagerly anticipated moment when I shall be with you, -accompanied by my beloved and honored wife, and, God willing, by the -child of whom she will make me the father in a few days! -</p> -<p> -"It will suffice for you to know to-day, that, having been married -secretly last year, in Spain, to a beautiful lady of noble birth, -against the will of her parents, I was obliged to leave her on my -master's service, and to return to her, with the same secrecy, to rescue -her from the tyranny of her parents and take her to France, where we -have at last arrived to-day, under favor of our precautions and -disguises. -</p> -<p> -"We expect to stop at Pau, whence I shall forward this letter to you, to -be followed by another which will announce, if it be God's pleasure, my -wife's safe delivery, and in which I shall have the leisure that I have -not at this moment, to tell you——" -</p></blockquote> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -At this point the letter had been interrupted by some unexpected -occurrence. It had been folded and carried about in the traveller's -pocket, to be finished and sealed at Pau, in all probability, and there -entrusted to the carriers who, at that time, conducted the mail service, -with more or less despatch, between places of importance. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXV">XXV</a></h4> - -<p> -Bois-Doré wept copiously as he listened to this letter, which, being -read by Mario, penetrated the more deeply into his heart. -</p> -<p> -"Alas!" he said, "I often accused him of neglect, and he thought of me -on the very first day of his happiness and safety! He intended doubtless -to bring his wife and child to me, and place them in my care, and I -should not have passed my life alone, without a family! But rest in -peace in God's bosom, my poor boy! your son shall be my son, and in my -grief at having so cruelly lost you, I have at all events the -consolation of embracing your living image! for it is his very manner -and his charm, my dear Jovelin, and my heart was stirred at the first -glance I cast upon the child. And now, Mario, let us embrace as uncle -and nephew, which we are, or rather as father and son, which we are to -be from this moment." -</p> -<p> -The marquis worried little about his wig this time, but embraced his -adopted son with an affectionate warmth which changed to heartfelt joy -the painful memories evoked by the letter. -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile Mercedes, heartbroken by Lucilio's suspicions, had resolved to -make known the truth in all its details. -</p> -<p> -"Give them the ring," she said to Mario; "perhaps they will be able to -open it, and you will learn your mother's name." -</p> -<p> -The marquis took the heavy gold ring and turned it in every direction; -but, versed as he was in mechanical secrets, he could not succeed in -opening it. -</p> -<p> -Neither Jovelin nor Adamas was more adroit, and they were obliged to -abandon the project temporarily. -</p> -<p> -"Never mind!" said the marquis to Mario, "let us not worry about it. You -are my brother's son, I can entertain no doubt of that. Judging from his -letter, you descend from a family of higher rank than ours; but we have -no need to know your Spanish ancestors to cherish you and rejoice in -you!" -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile Mercedes continued to weep. -</p> -<p> -"What is the matter with that poor creature?" the marquis asked Adamas. -</p> -<p> -"I do not understand what she says to Master Jovelin, monsieur," was the -reply; "but I see plainly enough that she is afraid that she will not be -allowed to remain with her child." -</p> -<p> -"Who will prevent her, I wonder? Am I likely to do it, who owe her so -much gratitude and am indebted to her for so much joy? Come hither, my -excellent girl, and ask me whatever you will. If you want a house, -lands, flocks and servants, aye, and a good husband to your taste, you -shall have them all, or may I lose my name!" -</p> -<p> -The Moor, to whom Mario translated these words, replied that she desired -nothing except to work for her living, but somewhere where she could see -her dear Mario every day. -</p> -<p> -"Granted!" said the marquis, offering her both hands, which she covered -with kisses; "you shall remain in my house, and, if you are willing to -see my son every hour in the day, you will confer a great favor on me; -for, since you love him so dearly, no other woman than you shall take -care of him. And now, my friends, congratulate me on the great -consolation which has come to me, and which, as you know, Jovelin, -confirms in every point the gypsy's prediction." -</p> -<p> -Thereupon he embraced Lucilio, and also, for the first time in his life, -the faithful Adamas, who wrote that glorious fact in letters of gold on -his tablets. -</p> -<p> -Then the marquis took Mario in his arms, placed him on the table in the -middle of the room, and, walking a few steps away, began to gaze at him -as if he had not seen him at all as yet. He was his own, his heir, his -son, the greatest joy of his whole life. -</p> -<p> -He examined him from head to foot, smiling, with a blending of -affection, pride and childish delight, as if he were a superb picture or -piece of furniture; and as he already had the feelings of a father and -did not wish to make that noble child absurdly vain, he forced back his -exclamations and contented himself by rolling his great black eyes, -showing his great white teeth, and moving his head with a self-satisfied -air to the right and left, as if to say to Adamas and Lucilio; "Just -look! what a fine fellow, what a figure, what eyes, what a bearing, what -pretty ways, what a son!" -</p> -<p> -His two friends shared his delight, and Mario endured their scrutinizing -with a confident and affectionate air, which seemed to say to them: "You -can look at me, you will find no evil in me." But he seemed to say more -particularly to the old marquis: "You can love me with all your -strength, I will pay you back." -</p> -<p> -And when the scrutiny was at an end, they embraced again, as if they -would fain exchange in a kiss all the kisses of which the childhood of -the one and the others old age had been deprived. -</p> -<p> -"You see, my dear friend," the marquis in his joy said to Lucilio, "that -we must not make sport of soothsayers, when they predict our future by -the stars. You shake your dear old head? Yet you surely believe that our -planet——" -</p> -<p> -The worthy marquis would doubtless have attempted to elucidate some -theory of his own invention, wherein astronomy, to which he was devoted, -was in some measure confirmed by astrology, to which he was even more -devoted, had not Lucilio interrupted him by handing him a note in which -he urged a consultation as to the means of unmasking his brother's -murderer. -</p> -<p> -"You are quite right," said Bois-Doré; "and yet, on this day of -incomparable bliss, it hurts me to think of inflicting punishment. But I -must do it, and, if you please, we will discuss the matter -together.—Go, Adamas, and say to this Monsieur D'Alvimar that I beg -him to excuse a slight delay in serving supper; and above all, let us not -divulge a syllable of the great discovery we have made.—Go, my -friend.—What are you doing there?" he added, as he saw Adamas looking -into the great mirror, framed in gilt network, and making strange faces -at himself. -</p> -<p> -"Nothing, monsieur," replied Adamas; "I am just studying my smile." -</p> -<p> -"For what purpose, I pray to know?" -</p> -<p> -"Is it not fitting, monsieur, that I should make up a treacherous -expression to speak to that traitor?" -</p> -<p> -"No, my friend; for, before we adjudge him a traitor, we must examine -into the affair more carefully, and that is what we are about to do." -</p> -<p> -At that moment Clindor knocked at the door. He announced that Monsieur -de Villareal was indisposed and desired to keep his chamber. -</p> -<p> -"That is so much the better," said the marquis; "I will go to pay him a -visit. After which we will have a preliminary hearing in his case among -ourselves." -</p> -<p> -"You must not go alone, monsieur," said Adamas. "How can we be sure that -this indisposition is not feigned, and that the knave has not laid some -trap for you, being warned by his conscience?" -</p> -<p> -"You are talking nonsense, my dear Adamas. Even if he killed my brother, -he certainly never knew his name, since he remains under my roof without -uneasiness." -</p> -<p> -"But look at this dagger, my dear master! You have not yet looked at -this proof." -</p> -<p> -"Alas!" said Bois-Doré, "do you think that I can examine it -dispassionately?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio advised the marquis to see his guest before pursuing his -investigations, so that he might be sure of being calm enough to conceal -his suspicions. -</p> -<p> -Adamas allowed the marquis to go; but he glided close on his heels to -the door of the Spaniard's apartment. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was really ill. He was subject to nervous sick-headaches of -great violence, which were often brought on by paroxysms of anger, and -he had had more than one of the latter in the course of the day. -</p> -<p> -He thanked the marquis for his solicitude and begged him not to put -himself out on his account. He needed nothing more than careful diet, -silence and rest until the following day. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré withdrew, telling Bellinde, without obtruding, to see to it -that his guest lacked nothing; and he took advantage of this visit to -examine the features of old Sancho, to whom he had previously paid no -attention. -</p> -<p> -The former swineherd, tall, lean and sallow, but wiry and muscular, was -sitting in a deep window-recess, reading by the last rays of daylight a -religious book from which he never parted, and which he did not -understand. To spell out with his lips the words in that book and to -tell his beads mechanically, such was his principal occupation, and, -apparently, his only pleasure! -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré glanced furtively from the master lying stretched out on the -bed, with an air of utter prostration, to the calm, stern, devout -servant, whose monkish profile was outlined against the window. -</p> -<p> -"These are not highwaymen," he thought. "What the devil! this fair, -slender young man, with an eye as soft as a girl's—To be sure, this -morning when he was angry with the gypsies, and yesterday when he -inveighed against the Moors, his expression was less benignant than -usual. But this old esquire with the Capuchin's beard, who is so -profoundly engrossed in his religious book—To be sure, there is -nothing so like an honest man as a knave who knows his business! No, my -penetration is insufficient in this matter, and we must weigh all the -facts." -</p> -<p> -He returned to the pavilion, the whole of which was given over to his -suite of apartments, each floor consisting of one large and one small -room: on the ground floor, the dining-room with a serving-room; on the -first floor, the salon and boudoir; on the second, the châtelain's -bedroom and another boudoir; on the third, the large, so-called <i>Salle -des Verdures</i><a id="FNanchor_21_1" href="FNanchor_21_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_1" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> which Adamas sometimes honored with the title of -<i>Salle de Justice</i>; on the fourth, an unfinished, vacant room. -</p> -<p> -In the later building attached to the side of this pavilion, were the -apartments of Adamas, Clindor and Jovelin, connecting with those in the -<i>grand'maison</i>, as the marquis's little pavilion was ingenuously and -in all seriousness called in the village. -</p> -<p> -He found his friends assembled in the <i>Salle des Verdures</i>, and not -until then did he remember that in the general excitement the Moorish -woman had been admitted to his chamber. He was grateful to Adamas for -having transferred the session to some place other than his sanctuary. -He saw that Jovelin was writing busily, and, not wishing to disturb him, -he sat down and perused the letter written by Abbé Anjorrant to -Monsieur de Sully, with the view of putting him on the track of Mario's -family. -</p> -<p> -That letter was written very soon after Florimond's death, before -Monsieur Anjorrant knew of the death of Henri IV. and Sully's fall from -power; it had not reached its destination. This was a copy, which the -abbé had retained and bequeathed to Mario with Florimond's unfinished -letter. The abbé's letter—it was more properly a -memorial—contained most precise details of the murder of the -pretended peddler, as the abbé had received them from Mercedes, and as -they had been confirmed by various incidents. -</p> -<p> -In it all there was nothing to fasten the guilt upon d'Alvimar and his -valet. The assassins had not been discovered. Both, it is true, were -minutely described in the Moorish woman's statement contained in the -memorial; but, although she declared now that she recognized them, she -might very well be mistaken, and her accusation was not sufficient to -condemn them. -</p> -<p> -The Catalan dagger, the instrument of murder, being placed beside the -one given by Lauriane to the marquis, was more convincing evidence. The -two weapons were, if not identical, so nearly alike that at the first -glance one had difficulty in distinguishing them. The initials and the -device were made with the same instrument, and the blades were of the -same make. -</p> -<p> -But Florimond might have been killed with a weapon stolen from Monsieur -de Villareal, or lost by him. -</p> -<p> -Nor was there any proof that the one given by Lauriane to the marquis -came from the Spaniard. -</p> -<p> -And, lastly, the initials seen by Mario, Mercedes and Adamas on his -other weapons could not be his, for he had been introduced by Guillaume -under the name of Antonio de Villareal. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_21_1" href="Footnote_21_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_1"><span class="label">[21]</span></a>The name Verdures d'Auvergne was given to the tapestry -hangings representing trees, foliage and birds, without figures, and -with no definite landscape. They were made, I believe, at Clermont.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXVI">XXVI</a></h4> - -<p> -The fair-minded Bois-Doré was making these observations aloud to -Adamas, when the mute handed him the sheet upon which he had just been -writing. -</p> -<p> -It was a brief narrative of what had taken place at La Motte-Seuilly in -the morning, between Lauriane, the Spaniard and himself: how Villareal -had hurled the knife again and again to frighten him and interrupt his -music, how he had plunged it into the entrails of the wolf, and lastly -how he had given it to Madame de Beuvre as a token of submission and -penitence before Jovelin's eyes. -</p> -<p> -"Oho! this is becoming serious!" said the marquis, lost in thought, "and -I see that this Villareal is a very bad man. However, it may be that -none of these weapons were in his possession ten years ago, and that he -has received them since by gift or by inheritance. In that case he must -have been the assassin's kinsman or friend; there are villains and -cowards in the best families. Like yourself, Master Jovelin, I have a -bad opinion of our guest; but I am certain that, like me, you still -hesitate to condemn him on this evidence." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio nodded assent and advised the marquis to try to make him confess -the truth by surprise or by stratagem. -</p> -<p> -"We will deliberate with care thereupon," replied Bois-Doré, "and you -will assist us, my dear friend. For the moment, we must go to supper, -and since we have no guests, we will give ourselves the pleasure of -eating with our little marquis that is to be, who no more belongs in the -servants' quarters than you do yourself." -</p> -<p> -"Still, monsieur, if you take my advice," said Adamas, "you will leave -things as they are for to-day. Bellinde is a wicked creature and a -plague, and to my mind she is on much too friendly terms with the -rectory, which is a sink of slanderous remarks against all of us." -</p> -<p> -"Hoity-toity! Adamas, what in God's name is the trouble between you and -the rectory?" -</p> -<p> -"The trouble is, monsieur, that I have been consulting a magician too. -You had hardly gone away this morning, when a certain La Flèche, the -same gypsy, doubtless, whom you saw later in the day at La Motte, came -prowling around the château and offered to tell my fortune. I refused; -I am too much afraid of prophecies, and I hold that any harm that is -destined to happen to us happens twice over when we know it beforehand. -I contented myself by asking him who had stolen the key of the wine -closet, and he answered without hesitation: -</p> -<p> -"'The one you suspect!' -</p> -<p> -"'Tell me her name,' I replied, knowing well enough that it was -Bellinde, but wishing to test the clever rascal's skill. -</p> -<p> -"'The stars forbid me,' he said; 'but I can tell what the person is -doing at this moment. She is at the rector's, where she is chattering -about you, saying that you put it into the head of the lord of this -château to marry young Madame——" -</p> -<p> -"Hush, hush, Adamas!" cried the marquis modesty; "you should not repeat -such nonsense." -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, no! I will say nothing; but, as I was determined to know -whether the sorcerer told the truth, I went out as if for a walk, as -soon as he had gone; and as I passed the rectory I saw Bellinde at a -window with the housekeeper, and both of them began to laugh and to mock -at me behind my back." -</p> -<p> -Jovelin asked if the gypsy had entered the château. -</p> -<p> -"He would have liked to right well," said Adamas, "but Mercedes, who -watched him from the kitchen without letting him see her, begged me not -to admit him, saying that he was likely to steal; so I did not let him -into the courtyard. He gazed at the door with much emotion, and, when I -asked him what he saw there, he answered: -</p> -<p> -"'I see great events about to take place in this house; so great and so -surprising that it is my duty to warn your master. Let me speak to him.' -</p> -<p> -"'You cannot,' said, 'he is not within.' -</p> -<p> -"'I know where he is,' said he; 'he is at La Motte-Seuilly, where I will -try to see him; but if I am not able to speak with him there without -witnesses, I will come back here, and I assure you that if you refuse me -admission again, you will live to regret it, for many destinies are in -my hands.'" -</p> -<p> -"All this is very remarkable," said the marquis, artlessly. "It is a -fact that he predicted all that has happened, and I regret now that I -did not question him further. If he returns, Adamas, you must bring him -to me. Did not you say, my dear Mario, that he was an intelligent -fellow?" -</p> -<p> -"He is very amusing," replied Mario, "but my Mercedes doesn't like him. -She thinks it was he who stole my father's seal. I don't think so, -because he helped us to look for it and to ask the other gypsies about -it. He seemed to be very fond of us, and he did all we asked him to." -</p> -<p> -"And what was there on the seal, my dear boy?" -</p> -<p> -"A crest. Wait! Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant looked at it with a glass and -it looked big, for it was so small—so small that you couldn't make it -out; and he said to me: -</p> -<p> -"'Remember this: <i>Argent with a tree sinople</i>.'" -</p> -<p> -"That is right," said the marquis; "that is my father's crest! It would -be mine if King Henri had not composed another for me to suit himself." -</p> -<p> -"Both are carved on the courtyard door," wrote Lucilio. "Ask the child -if he did not see them when he came here." -</p> -<p> -"How could he have seen them?" said Adamas, who read Lucilio's words -simultaneously with his master. "The masons who were repairing the arch -had their scaffolding in front of them." -</p> -<p> -"Could the gypsy see the escutcheons this morning," said Lucilio with -his pencil, "when he looked at the gate?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes," replied Adamas, "the stagings had been taken down, and the masons -were at work elsewhere. The escutcheons were made over—But now I -think of it, Master Jovelin, this La Flèche must know something of our dear -child's story, as they had travelled together?" -</p> -<p> -"I don't think so," said Mario. "We never mentioned it to anyone." -</p> -<p> -"But you and Mercedes talked about it?" wrote Lucilio. "Does La Flèche -understand Arabic?" -</p> -<p> -"No, he understands Spanish; but I always talked Arabic with Mercedes." -</p> -<p> -"Were there no other Moors in that band of gypsies?" -</p> -<p> -"There was little Pilar, who understands Arabic because she is the child -of a Moor and a <i>gitana</i>." -</p> -<p> -"In that case," wrote Lucilio to the marquis, "abandon your belief in -the supernatural. La Flèche attempted to make money out of what he had -learned. He knew Mario's story down to a certain point; he learned yours -in the neighborhood, and the fact of your brother's having disappeared -ten years ago. He had stolen the seal. He recognized the coat-of-arms on -the door. He remembered the dates. He divined or imagined the whole -truth. He hurried to La Motte to make his prediction, which he taught -the little <i>gitana</i> by heart. To-night or to-morrow he will bring you -the seal, expecting to solve for you the mystery which you have already -solved, and to receive a handsome reward. He is a thief and a schemer; -nothing more." -</p> -<p> -It cost the marquis a pang to assent to this reasonable and probable -explanation. However, he did so. -</p> -<p> -Adamas still held out. -</p> -<p> -"How can you explain what he told me about Bellinde and the rectory?" he -asked Lucilio. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio replied that that was very easy. Bellinde had listened at the -door of the marquis's apartment the night before; La Flèche had -listened in the morning at the door or under the windows of the rectory. -</p> -<p> -"You state the case very sensibly," cried the marquis, "and I see -plainly enough that there is no other magic in all this than the magic -of Divine Providence, which has brought truth and joy into my house with -this child. Let us go to supper! our minds will be clearer afterward." -</p> -<p> -The marquis supped hastily and without enjoyment. He felt that he was -being spied upon by Bellinde, who was no longer able to listen in the -secret passages; for Adamas, while the masons were on the spot, had had -that passage closed; but the prying and malevolent creature had observed -the long interviews of the marquis and Jovelin with Mercedes and the -child, behind closed doors, and, above all, the self-important and -triumphant airs of Adamas, whose every glance seemed to say to her: "You -shall know nothing!" -</p> -<p> -She was not intelligent enough to divine anything. She imagined that the -marquis, following up the project of marriage, was arranging an -entertainment for the young widow, with the assistance of the -"Egyptians." -</p> -<p> -There was nothing in that which she could use against Adamas, her -personal enemy; but she was consumed with a jealousy of him and of the -Moorish woman which sought only an opportunity for revenge. -</p> -<p> -When Bois-Doré was alone with Jovelin, they concerted and agreed upon a -plan of action for the following day with respect to D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -They reread Monsieur Anjorrant's letter carefully and analyzed it. Then, -honest Sylvain, who was not fond of giving his mind to serious and -depressing subjects, sent for his heir and passed the evening chatting -and playing with him. Therein he showed a marked resemblance to his dear -master, Henri IV., although he did not think of imitating him. He adored -the charms of childhood, and, except for the stiffness of his old bones, -would gladly have played horse for him around the room. -</p> -<p> -"Now," he said to Adamas, when he saw Mario's silky eyelashes drooping -with sleep, "we must give him to the Moor, so that she may take care of -him one night more. But to-morrow, when we have settled this Villareal -business, there will be no further occasion to conceal the truth, and I -propose that my heir shall have his bed in the boudoir adjoining my own -bedroom.—See, my child," he said to Mario, "look at this little nest, -all silk and gold, which has long been waiting for a noble fellow like -you! Do you like the pink silk hangings, and this low furniture inlaid -with mother-of-pearl? Doesn't it seem as if it were made for a young man -of your height? We shall have to arrange a bed for him that will be a -genuine chef-d'œuvre, Adamas. What say you to twisted columns of ivory, -with a great bunch of red plumes at each corner?" -</p> -<p> -"As soon as our minds are at rest, monsieur," said Adamas, "I will turn -my attention to the question, in order to gratify you, for nothing is -too fine for your heir. We will consider the matter of clothes too, -which must be suited to his rank." -</p> -<p> -"I will think about it, I will think about it, Adamas!" cried the -marquis, "and I propose that his wardrobe shall be just like mine. You -will send for the best tailors, linen-drapers, shoemakers, hatters and -plumemakers in the province, and for a whole month, if necessary, they -shall work day and night, under my eye, preparing my nephew's outfit." -</p> -<p> -"And my Mercedes," said Mario, leaping for joy, "will you give her -beautiful dresses too, like Bellinde's?" -</p> -<p> -"Mercedes shall have beautiful dresses, dresses of gold and silver, if -such is her whim. And that reminds me—Look you, my dear Jovelin, this -woman is lovely, so it seems to me, and still young. Would you not think -it well to allow her to resume the Moorish costume, which is very -pretty, except the veil, which is altogether too Mohammedan? As the -excellent creature is a sincere Christian now, and we live in a -neighborhood where the common people never saw a Moor, that costume will -offend nobody and will gratify our eyes. What is your wisdom's opinion?" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio's wisdom had much ado to reconcile the warm affection which the -marquis really deserved with the feelings naturally aroused by his -childishness. But, hopeless of correcting so old a child, reason advised -him to make the best of him and to love him as he was. -</p> -<p> -The philosopher would have preferred that Mario should not be -overwhelmed with splendor and finery at the outset of his new career, -but rather that he should be told something of the new duties he had to -fulfil. He found some consolation in the fact that the child was less -intoxicated by the possession of all those things, than overjoyed and -touched by the affection and endearments of which he found himself the -object. -</p> -<p> -On the following day D'Alvimar, who had passed a sleepless night, -requested through Bellinde, who obligingly acted as his nurse, -permission to keep his room until afternoon. -</p> -<p> -The marquis paid him another brief visit, and was struck by the -alteration of his features. He had had ghastly visions, under the spell -of the sinister prophecies that had been hurled at him. -</p> -<p> -Daylight had finally revived hope in his heart, and he slept part of the -day. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXVII">XXVII</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis took advantage of this respite to recur to the subject of -dress. -</p> -<p> -He went up with Mario and Adamas to the vacant room on the fourth floor, -that is to say, immediately over the <i>Salle des Verdures</i>. -</p> -<p> -That unfinished apartment was strewn with innumerable chests and -cupboards; and Mario, as soon as the padlocks were removed, and the lids -raised and doors thrown open, fancied that he was in fairyland. There -was a bewildering mass of magnificent stuffs, dazzling gold lace, -ribbons, laces, feathers and jewels, rich hangings, cordovan leather, -furniture in parts, all new and ready to be put together, reliquaries -heavy with precious stones, beautiful paintings on glass which needed -only to be assembled, lovely enamelled mosaics, arranged in piles and -numbered, whole pieces of fine linen, enormous guipure curtains, with -gold and silver stripes; in a word, a hoard of plunder, which smelt of -the partisan warrior a league away, and which the marquis considered to -have been legally acquired at the sword's point. -</p> -<p> -This receptacle of rich spoil was known in the household as the -store-room, the garret. It was supposed to contain spare articles of -furniture, together with what was broken or discarded. -</p> -<p> -Adamas alone was aware of the contents of those wonderful chests, and -under his breath he called that room the <i>treasure</i> or the -<i>abbey</i>. There were no fashionable gewgaws, as in the marquis's -apartments, but artistic objects and fabrics of great value and great -beauty, some of great antiquity, and the more valuable on that account: -stuffs manufactured by processes no longer known, weapons of all sizes -and of all nations, many excellent pictures, valuable manuscripts, etc. -</p> -<p> -All this rarely saw the light, the marquis fearing lest he might arouse -the cupidity of some of his neighbors, and producing his treasures only -one at a time and in the guise of a recent purchase. -</p> -<p> -However, it was very rarely the case that the pillaging heroes of those -days were compelled to make restitution; but it might well happen that -some powerful individual, acting on his own account, but claiming to act -in the name of the Church or the State, would calmly appropriate an -article in dispute. -</p> -<p> -It was thus that Catherine de Médicis, to reward Jean de -Hangest—called Capitaine d'Yvoi—for treacherously -surrendering Bourges to her, seized the superb chalice, decorated with -precious stones, which he had taken from the treasure-chest of -Sainte-Chapelle in that city, and had put aside as his share of the -plunder. -</p> -<p> -From all these marvels the marquis selected what was required for -Mario's outfit, calling upon him to make known his taste with regard to -the colors. -</p> -<p> -One would but imperfectly understand the manners of that period, who -should assume that it was necessary, as it is to-day, to go to Paris to -learn the fashions and to find skilled workmen in the art of dress and -decoration. It was not until the reign of Louis XIV. that the -civilization of luxury and fashion made of Paris the school of good -taste and the arbiter of refinement. Richelieu began this work of -centralization by destroying the power of the nobles. Before his time, -the princes held court in the great provincial centres, and the artisans -of the smallest places supplied the needs of the nobility with -traditional skill. A rich châtelain had artisans among his vassals; -and, even in bourgeois houses, furniture, clothes, boots and shoes were -made at home. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré therefore had only to select the materials and order the -articles that Adamas was to have made under his own eyes. -</p> -<p> -In the matter of dress Adamas was beyond praise. He could safely be -trusted, and, at need, he could put his own hand to the work with -success. -</p> -<p> -The ivory columns and cornices destined for the child's bed were found -after some searching. -</p> -<p> -"I knew that there was something here like that," said the marquis -smiling. "They are of beautiful workmanship; they came from a state -canopy taken from the chapel of the Abbey of Fontgombaud, of which I was -abbot, that is to say, lord by right of conquest, for a whole fortnight. -When I took possession of it, I remember saying to myself: 'If the new -Abbot of Fontgombaud could become a father soon, this would be a fitting -canopy for his first-born son!'—But, alas! my friend, I did not -inherit all the monkish virtues, and in order to have a son, I was -obliged to find one by a miracle long after I came to maturity. Never -mind! he will be none the less dear, and he will none the less sleep his -angel's sleep under the canopy of the Virgin of Fontgombaud." -</p> -<p> -The marquis was interrupted in his reminiscences by the arrival of La -Flèche, who asked to speak with him. -</p> -<p> -The chests and the door of the treasury were carefully locked, and the -vagabond was received in the barnyard. -</p> -<p> -It was beautiful weather, and Jovelin was of opinion that a trickster of -that sort should not be admitted to the house. -</p> -<p> -What he had foreseen actually happened. La Flèche brought with him the -seal, which he claimed to have found in little Pilar's possession; he -also assumed to reveal the mystery of Mario's birth and of the murder of -Florimond by Monsieur de Villareal. -</p> -<p> -The marquis allowed him to say all that he had to say, then dismissed -him, with a crown, for the trouble he had taken to bring back the seal; -but he pretended not to understand the story he had told, to place no -faith in it, and to be much shocked that he should dare to accuse -Monsieur de Villareal, against whom he had no other proof than the -Moorish woman's excitement and her exclamation when she thought that she -recognized him on the moor of Champillé. -</p> -<p> -Herein the marquis, advised by Lucilio, acted wisely. If he had seemed -to credit the accusation, La Flèche would have been quite capable of -giving the Spaniard warning, in order to have two strings to his bow. -</p> -<p> -La Flèche, bitterly disappointed by his fiasco, sheepishly withdrew, -and was walking along the outer wall of Galatée's garden, when he -heard a soft voice calling his name. -</p> -<p> -It was Mario, whom the marquis had not chosen to admit to the interview, -desiring that all relations between his heir and gypsydom should be -severed irrevocably. But as he had not explained his wishes in that -respect, the child did not know that he was acting in opposition to them -when he glided through the labyrinth and watched for the gypsy to pass, -through a little loophole looking toward the village. -</p> -<p> -"Who calls me?" he said, looking about him. -</p> -<p> -"I," said Mario. "I want you to tell me about Pilar." -</p> -<p> -"What will you give for that?" -</p> -<p> -"I can't give you anything. I haven't anything!" -</p> -<p> -"Idiot! steal something!" -</p> -<p> -"No, never! Will you answer me?" -</p> -<p> -"In a minute; answer me first. What do you do in this château?" -</p> -<p> -"Play music." -</p> -<p> -"What else?—Aha! you don't choose to speak? All right. Adieu!" -</p> -<p> -"And you won't tell me where Pilar is?" -</p> -<p> -"She is dead," replied the gypsy brutally, and he walked away whistling. -</p> -<p> -Mario tried in vain to recall him. When he could no longer hear him, he -began to run about and play in the labyrinth, trying to convince himself -that La Flèche had made sport of him. But the idea of his little -companion's death caused a terrible shock to his vivid imagination. -</p> -<p> -"She used to say that La Flèche beat her," he thought; "but I didn't -believe her. He never beat her before us. But perhaps she didn't lie; -perhaps he beat her until he killed her." -</p> -<p> -And, as he reflected thus, the child shed a few tears. Pilar was not a -very amiable creature; but there was something of the Bois-Doré in dear -Mario; he was particularly sensitive to pity, and the Abbé Anjorrant -had brought him up to abhor violence and cruelty. But he concealed his -tears, fearing to pain his uncle, whom he already loved passionately. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar left his room at last. -</p> -<p> -The rest that he had taken, a lovely sunset and the joyous song of the -thrushes dispelled the black presentiments by which he had been besieged -for several days. -</p> -<p> -Having dressed and perfumed himself, he sought the marquis and thanked -him for the interest he had shown and the care that had been taken of -him. Bois-Doré could not make up his mind to accuse even inwardly a -man, still so young, of a bearing so distinguished, and a countenance -whose habitual melancholy seemed to him genuinely touching; but when -they were seated at the supper table, Lucilio being there, as usual, to -furnish music, Bois-Doré remembered their agreement, and collected what -he called his siege-guns, to make a violent assault upon his guest's -conscience. -</p> -<p> -He had seen too much fighting and had had too many perilous adventures -not to be able to arrange his bearing and his features, without having, -like Adamas, to make preparatory studies before a mirror. Although his -life had long been so placid that he had not been obliged to depart from -his natural mildness of manner, he was too much the man of his time not -to be able to make his glance say, twenty times a day if need be: -</p> -<p> -"Vive le roi! Vive la Ligue!" -</p> -<p> -The sweet notes of the bagpipe relieved him from the necessity of -carrying on a commonplace conversation which would have seemed to him -very tedious. -</p> -<p> -The music which helped to produce the tranquillity that he needed, now -caused a feverish excitement in D'Alvimar. -</p> -<p> -He really hated Lucilio. He knew his baptismal name, which the marquis -had let fall in his presence, and Monsieur Poulain, who was thoroughly -posted in contemporary heresy, had divined from that circumstance that -<i>Jovelin</i> was a free translation of Giovellino. The fact of his -mutilation confirmed him in that suspicion, and he was already -deliberating upon the means of making perfectly sure, and of stirring up -some new persecution against him. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar would readily have assisted him, if he had not been forced to -keep out of sight for some time, and the poor philosopher was the more -antipathetic to him because he could take no steps against him at -present. His beautiful music, by which he had been charmed at the first -hearing, seemed to him now intolerable bravado, and the ill-humor which -took possession of him did not dispose him to undergo patiently the -examination that was being prepared for him. -</p> -<p> -After the supper the marquis proposed a game of chess in the boudoir -adjoining his salon. -</p> -<p> -"I agree," the Spaniard replied, "on condition that we have no music -there. I cannot play with that to distract my attention." -</p> -<p> -"Nor I, most certainly," said the marquis.—"Put your sweet voice away -in its box, good Master Jovelin, and come to watch our peaceful battle. -I know that you enjoy a well-fought game." -</p> -<p> -They went into the boudoir, and found there a magnificent chess-board of -crystal with gold mountings, comfortable chairs, and many lighted -candles. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar had not as yet seen that small room, one of the most sumptuous -in the <i>grand'maison</i>; he cast a distraught glance at the trinkets -with which it was filled, then sat down, and the game began. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXVIII">XXVIII</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis, exceedingly calm and courteous, seemed to give his whole -attention to his game. Lucilio, standing behind him, was able to watch -the slightest movement, the slightest change of expression on the -Spaniard's face, which was in a bright light. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar played promptly and with resolution. Bois-Doré, more moderate -in his play, made long pauses, during which the Spaniard gazed with some -impatience at the objects that surrounded him. His eyes naturally rested -more than once on a sort of what-not that stood against the wall at his -left, quite near him. Gradually the object that was most prominent among -the <i>bibelots</i> with which the little piece of furniture was covered, -attracted and monopolized his attention, and Lucilio noticed that he -smiled satirically and angrily every time that his eyes fell upon that -object. -</p> -<p> -It was a naked, gleaming dagger, lying on a black velvet cushion with -gold fringe, and protected by a glass globe. -</p> -<p> -"What is it?" said the marquis at last. "You seem distraught. You are in -check, messire, and I do not wish to beat you so easily. Something -disturbs or annoys you. Are we too near that piece of furniture, would -you like to move the table away from it?" -</p> -<p> -"No," replied D'Alvimar, "I am very comfortable; but I confess that -there is something in that pretty stand which distracts my mind. Will -you answer a single question, if it be not impertinent?" -</p> -<p> -"You could ask no question which would be, messire. Speak, I beg you." -</p> -<p> -"Very well, I ask you, my dear marquis, how it happens that you have -here reposing triumphantly on a cushion, under glass, your humble -servant's travelling weapon?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! you are mistaken, my guest! I did not obtain that knife from you." -</p> -<p> -"I know that I did not give it to you; but I know that it was given to -you by the one to whom I gave it, of which fact, perhaps, you may not be -ignorant. I understand that any gift from a fair hand is precious to -you; but it seems to me very hard upon those less fortunate to exhibit -thus the trophy of your victory before the eyes of a discarded rival." -</p> -<p> -"Your words are enigmas to me." -</p> -<p> -"What! surely my sight is not failing me! Will you allow me to raise the -glass and obtain a closer view?" -</p> -<p> -"Look and touch, messire; after which I will tell you, if you desire, -why this relic of love and sorrow is kept here among other souvenirs of -the past." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar took up the knife, examined it closely, handled it, and said, -suddenly replacing it on the cushion: -</p> -<p> -"I was mistaken, and I beg your pardon. It is not the weapon that I -thought." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, who was watching him attentively, fancied that he saw his -mobile, delicate nostrils dilate with fear or surprise. But that slight -facial contraction was noticeable in him on the slightest pretext, -sometimes even without any pretext at all. -</p> -<p> -He resumed his game. -</p> -<p> -But Bois-Doré stopped him. -</p> -<p> -"Excuse me," he said; "but as you recognize that object it is my duty to -question you; you may be able perhaps to throw some light upon a -mysterious occurrence by which my life has been disturbed and made -wretched for many years. Be kind enough to tell me, Monsieur de -Villareal, if you know the device and initials engraved on this blade. -Do you wish to look at it again?" -</p> -<p> -"It is useless, monsieur le marquis, I do not recognize the weapon; it -never belonged to me." -</p> -<p> -"Do you feel any repugnance to making sure of that fact?" -</p> -<p> -"Repugnance? Why that question, messire?" -</p> -<p> -"I will explain. You may, perhaps, have recognized the weapon as having -belonged to someone whose compatriot you blush to be, but whose name you -would tell me none the less if I should appeal to your sense of honor." -</p> -<p> -"If you treat this as a serious matter," replied D'Alvimar, "although it -is my turn not to understand you, I will examine it again." -</p> -<p> -He took up the dagger, scrutinized it very calmly, and said: -</p> -<p> -"This is of Spanish workmanship, a weapon in very common use among us. -There is no man of noble birth—I may say no free man—who -does not carry a similar one in his belt or his sleeve. The device is -one of the most common and most widely used: <i>I serve God</i>, or <i>I -serve my master</i>, or <i>I serve honor</i>. We find something of that -sort on the majority of our arms, whether rapiers, pistols or -cutlasses." -</p> -<p> -"Very good; but these two letters S. A., which seem to be a private -cipher?" -</p> -<p> -"You can find them on my own weapons, as well as this device; they are -the private marks of the Salamanca factory." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré felt his suspicions fade away in face of such a natural -explanation. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio's suspicions, on the contrary, increased in force. He considered -that D'Alvimar was altogether too eager to anticipate the explanation he -might be asked to give concerning his own motto and his own initials, -which they were supposed not to know. -</p> -<p> -He touched the marquis's knee while pretending to pat Fleurial, and thus -warned him not to abandon his investigation. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar seemed desirous to forward it himself, for he asked with an -air of wounded pride the reason of this interrogatory. -</p> -<p> -"You might also ask me," Bois-Doré replied, "for what reason an object -which is horrible for me to look upon lies there before my eyes every -hour. Let me tell you, monsieur, that that accursed weapon is the one -that killed my brother, and I have made it a point of not putting it out -of sight solely that I might constantly be reminded that I have to -discover his murderer and avenge his death." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar's face expressed deep emotion, but it might well be -sympathetic and magnanimous emotion. -</p> -<p> -"You do well to call it a relic of sorrow," he said, pushing the dagger -away. "Was it your brother to whom you referred yesterday morning, when -you consulted those gypsies as to the time and manner of some person's -death?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes; I asked for something which I knew perfectly well, wishing to test -their knowledge, and, upon my word, that little demon of a girl answered -me so accurately that I had good reason to be astonished. Did you not -notice, messire, that she gave me figures which fixed the date of the -occurrence as the tenth day of May in the year 1610?" -</p> -<p> -"I did not follow the calculation. Was that actually the day when your -brother was killed?" -</p> -<p> -"That was the day. I see that you are much surprised!" -</p> -<p> -"Surprised, I? Why should I be? I fancy that soothsayers reveal only so -much of the past as they know. But tell me, I beg you, how that sad -affair came to pass. Have you never known the authors of the crime?" -</p> -<p> -"You are right in saying the authors, for there were two of them—two -men whom I would like right well to find. But you cannot help me, I see, -since that accusing weapon bears no private mark." -</p> -<p> -"So there were no witnesses of the deed?" -</p> -<p> -"Pardon me, there were." -</p> -<p> -"Who could give you no information as to the perpetrators?" -</p> -<p> -"They could describe them, but not tell their names. If this painful -story interests you, I can tell it to you in all its details." -</p> -<p> -"Most certainly I am interested in your sorrows, and I am pleased to -listen." -</p> -<p> -"Very well," said the marquis, pushing the chessboard away and drawing -his chair nearer to the table, "I will tell you all that I learned from -an investigation communicated to me by the curé of Urdoz." -</p> -<p> -"Urdoz? Where is Urdoz? I do not remember." -</p> -<p> -"It is a place that you must have passed through, if you have ever been -to Pau." -</p> -<p> -"No, I came into France by way of Toulouse." -</p> -<p> -"In that case you don't know it. I will describe it to you directly. -First let me tell you that my brother, being a simple gentleman and only -moderately rich, but of an honorable name, noble in feature, of an -amiable disposition, and a fine fellow if ever there was one, while -sojourning in some Spanish city, which I cannot name, won the heart of a -lady or maiden of quality, whom he married secretly against the will of -her family." -</p> -<p> -"Her name was——?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know. All this was an affair of the heart, as to which I never -received his full confidence, and which I could not afterwards unravel. -I found out simply that he eloped with his wife, and that they made -their way into France by way of the Urdoz road, disguised as poor -people. The lady was near her time. They were travelling in a small -vehicle of shabby aspect, a sort of peddler's cart, drawn by a single -horse, purchased on the road, whose gait hardly kept time with their -impatience. However, they reached without hindrance the last Spanish -settlement, and, after passing the night in a wretched tavern, my -brother was imprudent enough to try to exchange Spanish for French gold, -and to ask a soi-disant nobleman who was in the house, attended by an -old servant, and who offered to assist him, if he could procure French -money for a thousand pistoles. -</p> -<p> -"The individual in question was able to offer him only a trifling sum, -and when my brother mounted his wagon again with his cloaked and veiled -companion, the people at the inn noticed that the two strangers, as they -bade him farewell, gazed earnestly at the two boxes which he himself -loaded, one containing his money, the other his wife's jewels, and that -they started off at once on his track, although they had previously -announced their purpose to go in the opposite direction. The villains -were described in such a way as to leave no manner of doubt as to their -identity when a description of my brother's murderers was furnished." -</p> -<p> -"Ah!" said D'Alvimar, "so you had a description of them?" -</p> -<p> -"Exact. One had a handsome face and was so young that he seemed little -more than a boy. He was of medium height but well proportioned. His hand -was as white and slender as a woman's, he had an incipient beard, very -black, silky hair, a noble bearing, a rich travelling costume, but -little else, for his valise weighed nothing; a good Andalusian horse, -and yonder infernal knife, which he used for eating and killing. The -other——" -</p> -<p> -"No matter, messire. Your brother——?" -</p> -<p> -"I must describe the other miscreant, as he was described to me. He was -a man in middle life, who had something of the monk and something of the -hired bravo in his appearance. A long nose overhanging a gray moustache, -a shifty eye, a callous hand, and of a taciturn humor; a genuine Spanish -brute——" -</p> -<p> -"I beg pardon, messire?" -</p> -<p> -"A brute of the sort that we find in all countries where men are taught -that they can save their souls from hell by reciting paternosters. The -brigands followed my poor brother as two fierce, cowardly wolves follow -the victim they dare not attack, and pounced upon him—What is it, -messire? Are you too warm in this small room?" -</p> -<p> -"Perhaps so, messire," replied D'Alvimar excitedly. "I feel difficulty -in breathing the air of a house where the name of Spaniard seems to be -held in such contempt as by yourself." -</p> -<p> -"Not at all, monsieur. Let me reassure you on that point. I do not hold -your nation responsible for the degradation of a few. There are infamous -villains everywhere. If I speak bitterly of those who robbed me of a -brother, you must pardon me." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar apologized in his turn for his sensitiveness, and begged the -marquis to continue his narrative. -</p> -<p> -"It was about a league from the hamlet of Urdoz that my brother and his -wife found themselves entirely alone on a rocky road skirting a very -deep precipice. The road was winding and the ascent so steep, that the -horse balked for a moment, and my brother, fearing that he would back -into the ravine, hastily alighted and lifted his wife out of the wagon. -It was very warm, so he pointed out a grove of firs ahead of them where -she could find shelter from the sun, and she walked thither slowly while -he gave the horse an opportunity to breathe." -</p> -<p> -"Did the lady see her husband killed?" -</p> -<p> -"No! she had just turned a little shoulder of the mountain when the -disaster occurred. It was God's will that the child she bore should be -saved; for, if the assassins had seen her they would not have spared -her." -</p> -<p> -"In that case who can say how your brother died?" -</p> -<p> -"Another woman whom chance had brought thither, who was hidden behind a -rock, and who had no time to call for aid, the horrible crime was -committed so quickly. My brother was trying to urge the horse forward -when the assassins overtook him. The youngest dismounted, saying with -hypocritical courtesy: -</p> -<p> -"'Why, your horse is foundered, my poor man! Don't you need help?' -</p> -<p> -"The old cutthroat who followed him also dismounted, and they both -approached my brother as if they really intended to put their shoulders -to the wheel; he had no suspicion of them, and at the same instant the -witness whom heaven had placed there saw him totter and fall at full -length between the wheels, without a cry to indicate that he had been -struck. That dagger had been buried in his heart up to the hilt, by a -hand too well skilled in its use." -</p> -<p> -"Then you do not know which of the two, whether the master or the -servant, dealt the blow? You say that the master was very young; it is -hardly conceivable that it was he." -</p> -<p> -"It matters little, messire. I deem them equally vile; for the gentleman -behaved exactly as the servant did. He jumped into the wagon without -taking time to remove the knife, he was in such frantic haste to steal -the two boxes. He tossed them to his companion, who put them under his -cloak, and they both fled, retracing their steps, spurred on, not by -remorse and shame, human sentiments which they were incapable of -feeling, but by fear of the scourge and the rack, which are the just -reward and the end of such villainy!" -</p> -<p> -"You lie, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, springing to his feet, beside -himself and deathly pale with rage. "The scourge and the rack—You lie -in your throat! and you shall give me satisfaction!" -</p> -<p> -He fell back upon his chair, suffocated, strangled by the confession -that wrath had extorted from him at last. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXIX">XXIX</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis was thunderstruck by this outbreak, for which he was -entirely unprepared, the culprit had up to that moment put so bold a -face on the matter, and made his frequent interruptions with so natural -an air. -</p> -<p> -He recovered first, as may be imagined, and grasping D'Alvimar's -convulsively twitching wrist with his long, sinewy hand: -</p> -<p> -"Miserable wretch!" he exclaimed with crushing contempt, "you should -thank Heaven for making you my guest; for, were it not for the promise I -have given to protect you, a promise which protects you from myself, I -would beat out your brains against the wall of this room!" -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, fearing a struggle, had seized the knife which lay on the -table. D'Alvimar saw his movement and was afraid. He threw off the -marquis's hands and grasped the hilt of his sword. -</p> -<p> -"Let your mind be at rest, fear nothing in this house," said Bois-Doré, -calmly. "<i>We</i> are not assassins!" -</p> -<p> -"Nor am I, monsieur," rejoined D'Alvimar, seemingly overcome by this -dignified procedure, "and since you do not propose to disregard the laws -of honor, I will attempt to justify myself." -</p> -<p> -"Justify yourself? Nonsense! you are convicted and doomed by your -contradiction of me, and that is why I disdain to notice it!" -</p> -<p> -"Keep your disdain for those who endure insult in silence. If I had done -so, you would not have suspected me! I repelled the insult! I repel it -again!" -</p> -<p> -"Ah! you propose to deny the act now, do you?" -</p> -<p> -"No! I killed your brother—or somebody else. I do not know the -name of the man I killed—or allowed to be killed! But what do you -know of the reasons that impelled me to that murder? How do you know -that I was not wreaking a just vengeance? How do you know that that -woman—whose name you do not know—was not my sister, and that -while avenging the honor of my family, I did not take back the gold and -jewels stolen by a seducer?" -</p> -<p> -"Hold your peace, monsieur! do not insult my brother's memory." -</p> -<p> -"You have yourself admitted that he was not rich; where did he obtain a -thousand pistoles with which to elope with a woman?" -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was shaken. His brother, because of the difference in their -political opinions, would never consent to accept from him the smallest -portion of a fortune which he rightly considered as derived from the -despoiling of his own party. He was obliged to fall back on the -allegation that his brother's wife was entitled to carry off what -belonged to her. But D'Alvimar retorted that the family was entitled to -consider that it belonged to it. Therefore he vehemently denied the -charge of robbery. -</p> -<p> -"You are a traitor none the less," said the marquis, "for having stabbed -a gentleman like a coward instead of demanding satisfaction from him." -</p> -<p> -"Charge it to your brother's disguise," retorted D'Alvimar, warmly. "Say -to yourself that, seeing him in the garb of a serf, I may well have -thought that I had the right to bid my servant kill him like a serf." -</p> -<p> -"Why did you not have him detained at that tavern, where you must have -recognized your sister, instead of following and taking him in a trap?" -</p> -<p> -"Presumably," replied D'Alvimar, still proud and animated, "because I -did not choose to create a scandal, and compromise my sister before the -populace." -</p> -<p> -"And why, instead of hurrying after her to take her back to her family, -did you leave her on that lonely road, where she died in agony an hour -later, no one having come in search of her meanwhile?" -</p> -<p> -"How could I run after her, when I did not know that she was there, so -near to me? Your witness could not hear all the questions I put to the -seducer, I had no need to shout them at the top of my voice. How do you -know that he did not tell me that my sister had remained at Urdoz, and -that what the witness took for flight on my part was not simply -eagerness to return to her?" -</p> -<p> -"And not finding her at Urdoz, you never learned of her deplorable -death? You did not even try to find the place where she was buried?" -</p> -<p> -"How do you know, monsieur, that I am not more familiar than you with -all the details of this painful story? Would you, in my place, being -unable to remedy the evil that was done, have made an outcry in a -country where no one could possibly divine your sister's name or the -dishonor of your family?" -</p> -<p> -The marquis, crushed by the reasonableness of these explanations, made -no reply. -</p> -<p> -He was so deeply absorbed in his reflections that he hardly heard the -announcement of a visitor. Guillaume D'Ars was ushered into the -adjoining salon. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio detected a gleam of joy in D'Alvimar's eyes, caused it may be by -the pleasure of meeting a friend, or by the hope of finding a means of -escape from a perilous situation. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar rushed from the boudoir, and the heavy folding door was closed -for an instant between him and his host. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio, seeing that the marquis was buried in painful thoughts, touched -him as if to question him. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! my friend!" cried Bois-Doré, "to think that I cannot make up my -mind what to do, and that I am in all likelihood the dupe of the most -infernal knave that ever lived! I have taken the wrong course. I have -exposed the good Mooress, and perhaps my child as well, to the vengeance -and the snares of a most dangerous foe; I have been clumsy; I have -furnished him with his grounds of defence by admitting that I did not -know the lady's name, and now, whether the murderer's excuse is false or -true, I no longer have the right to take his life. O God, Lord God! is -it possible that honest men are doomed to be gulled by knaves, and that, -in all sorts of war, the wicked are the most adroit and the strongest!" -</p> -<p> -As he spoke, the marquis, wroth with himself, struck the table a violent -blow with his fist; then he rose to go to receive Guillaume D'Ars, whose -jovial and untroubled voice he could hear in the next room. -</p> -<p> -But the mute hastily seized his arm with an inarticulate exclamation. He -had in his hand an object to which he called the other's attention with -a murmur of surprise and delight. -</p> -<p> -It was the ring, which the marquis had placed on his little finger, the -mysterious ring which he had been unable to open, and which, as a result -of the blow he had dealt the table, had separated into two hoops, one -within the other. There was nothing in the way of secret mechanism. The -parts fitted very closely, and a violent blow was necessary to separate -them—that was all. -</p> -<p> -To read the names engraved on the two circles was a matter of an -instant. They were the names of Florimond and his wife. Instantly they -realized that they held the key to the situation. -</p> -<p> -The marquis rapidly gave Lucilio his orders, and went, with a light -heart and smiling face, to press Guillaume's hand. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar and D'Ars had had barely time to exchange a few words -concerning the former's agreeable surprise and the latter's pleasant -journey. Guillaume, however, had noticed some alteration in his friend's -face, which the Spaniard attributed to his headache of the preceding -day. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, after exchanging greetings with his young kinsman, was -about to order supper for him. -</p> -<p> -"No, thanks!" said Guillaume; "I took a mouthful on the road, while my -horses were resting, for I must start again at once. You see I am -returning sooner than I intended. I was advised yesterday at -Saint-Armand, whither I had gone with a party of the young men of the -province, as an honorary escort to Monseigneur de Condé, that my -steward was very ill in my house. Fearing that he was going to die, the -honest fellow sent a messenger to me to urge me to return as soon as -possible, so that he might inform me as to the condition of my most -important affairs, of which I confess that I know nothing at all. I have -come here, however, in the first place, to ascertain if it will be -convenient for Monsieur D'Alvimar to accompany me to-night, or if he is -so attached to your gardens of Astrée, that he desires to pass another -night amid their fascinations." -</p> -<p> -"No!" replied D'Alvimar hastily; "I have imposed upon monsieur le -marquis's civility long enough. I am not well, and I might become -ill-humored. I prefer to go with you now, and I will go to order my -horses to be prepared as quickly as possible." -</p> -<p> -"That is unnecessary," said the marquis; "I will ring; I shall have the -pleasure of seeing you again soon, Monsieur de Villareal." -</p> -<p> -"I shall come to-morrow to learn your wishes, monsieur le marquis, and -to give you whatever satisfaction you desire—touching the game we -were playing just now." -</p> -<p> -"What game were you playing?" said Guillaume. -</p> -<p> -"A very scientific game of chess," replied the marquis. -</p> -<p> -Adamas answered the bell. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur de Villareal's horses and luggage," said Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -While the order was being executed, the marquis, with a tranquillity -which led D'Alvimar to hope that everything was adjusted between them, -told Guillaume how they had employed their time at Briantes and La -Motte-Seuilly during his absence. Then he questioned him about the -splendid festivities at Bourges. -</p> -<p> -The young man asked nothing better than to talk about them: he described -the excitement of the target-shooting, or rather, as they said in those -days, "of the honorable sport of arquebus-shooting." -</p> -<p> -The targets had been set up in the Fichaux meadow's, and a great tent -decorated with tapestry and green boughs for the ladies, young and old. -The contestants were stationed on a stand, a hundred and fifty paces -from the tent. Six hundred and fifty-three arquebusiers entered the -competition. Triboudet of Sancerre alone had won the prize: but he w as -obliged to divide it with Boiron of Bourges, because he had taken a -false name in order to be nearer the head of the list; whereat the -people of Sancerre had made a great outcry, for they were bent upon -proving that their marksmen were the best in the kingdom, and they -considered the division of the prize very unfair. The unjust decision -had evidently been made to avoid displeasing the people of Bourges. -</p> -<p> -"After all," said Guillaume, telling his story with the fire of youth, -"Triboudet either won or lost. If he won, he is entitled to all the -honor and all the profit of the victory. I agree that he is blameworthy -for having taken a false name. Very good; for that lapse let them punish -him by a fine or a few days in prison, but let him none the less be -declared the winner of the prize; for the honor due to skill is a sacred -thing, and although we were not at all fond of the old Sancerre -sorcerers, there was not a gentleman who did not protest against the -trick played on Triboudet. But what can you expect? the large places -always consume the small ones, and the fat pettifoggers of Bourges -unceremoniously take precedence over all the bourgeoisie of the -province. They would gladly take precedence over the nobility, if they -were allowed! I am only surprised that Issoudun concurred. Argenton -abstained from voting, saying that the prize was awarded beforehand and -that no one except the champions of Bourges had any chance before the -judges of Bourges." -</p> -<p> -"And do you not believe that the prince had a hand in this injustice?" -asked the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"I would not dare swear that he did not! He is paying assiduous court to -the people of his good city; witness the fact that he has incurred -considerable expense, although he is not at all fond of spending his -money for the entertainment of other people. He is supporting at this -moment two troupes of players, one French, the other Italian, who -perform in the tennis-courts, beautifully decorated for the purpose." -</p> -<p> -"What!" said Bois-Doré, "did you see Monsieur de Belleroze's <i>tragic -actors</i>? They are as tiresome as forty days of rain!" -</p> -<p> -"No, no; this troupe is called Sieur de Lambour's <i>French Comedians</i>, -and there are some very clever people in it. But time flies, and here -comes the faithful Adamas to say that the horses are ready, does he not? -So let us be off, my dear Villareal, and as you have promised the -marquis to come to-morrow to thank him, I invite myself to come with -you." -</p> -<p> -"I rely upon seeing you," rejoined Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -"And you can also rely upon my furnishing you with proofs of all that I -have alleged," said D'Alvimar, bowing very low. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré replied only with a bow. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume, who was in great haste to start, did not notice that the -marquis, despite his apparent courtesy, refrained from offering his hand -to the Spaniard, who dared not ask leave to touch his. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXX">XXX</a></h4> - -<p> -No sooner were they in the saddle than the marquis, turning to Adamas, -said with much excitement: -</p> -<p> -"Quickly, my gorget, my helmet, my weapons, my horse and two men!" -</p> -<p> -"Everything is ready, monsieur," Adamas replied. "Master Jovelin advised -us to prepare everything, saying that if Monsieur d'Ars went away again -to-night, you would escort him. But for what purpose?" -</p> -<p> -"You shall know when I return," said the marquis, going up to his -chamber to don his armor. "Was care taken to saddle the horses in the -small stable, so that only the men who are to accompany me will know of -our departure?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, I myself looked to it." -</p> -<p> -"Are you going very far?" cried Mario, who had just supped with Mercedes -and was returning to his bedroom. -</p> -<p> -"No, my son, I am not going far. I shall return in two short hours. You -must sleep quietly. Come quickly and kiss me!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! how handsome you are!" said Mario, artlessly. "Are you going to La -Motte-Seuilly again?" -</p> -<p> -"No, no, I am going to dance at a ball," the marquis replied with a -smile. -</p> -<p> -"Take me, so that I can see you dance," said the child. -</p> -<p> -"I cannot; but be patient, my little cupid, for after to-morrow I will -not take a step without you." -</p> -<p> -When the old nobleman had donned his little cap of yellow leather -striped with silver, with an inner lining of iron, and adorned with long -plumes drooping over his shoulder; when he was arrayed in his short -military cloak, his long sword, and his gorget of shining steel buckled -beneath his lace ruff, Adamas could vow, without flattery, that he had -an air of grandeur, especially as the excitement of the evening had -caused his paint to disappear, so that he wore almost his natural face, -by no means that of a popinjay. -</p> -<p> -"Now you are ready, monsieur," said Adamas. "But am I not to go with -you?" -</p> -<p> -"No, my friend; you will close all the doors of my pavilion and pass the -evening with my son. If he falls asleep, you will make up a camp-bed for -him with cushions. I desire to find him here when I return; and now, -hold a light for me, I want to talk with Master Jovelin in the salon." -</p> -<p> -He kissed Mario several times with deep emotion, and went down to the -lower floor. -</p> -<p> -"What have you determined upon and where are you going?" Lucilio's -expressive eyes inquired. -</p> -<p> -"I am going to Ars to finish the investigation. And after that, eh? -After that, if there is occasion to do so, I shall concert measures with -Guillaume to prevent the traitor's escape, and return and advise with -you as to our next move. <i>Au revoir</i> for a time, my dear friend." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio sighed as he looked after the marquis. He seemed to him to be -intent upon some more serious project than he had admitted in his -programme. -</p> -<p> -While the marquis, without haste, was making his preparations for -departure, Guillaume and D'Alvimar, the latter attended by Sancho, the -other by his escort of four men-at-arms, were riding slowly toward the -château of Ars, by the lower road; that is to say, the road that leaves -the plateau of Le Chaumois on the right and passes quite near La -Châtre. -</p> -<p> -As the moon had not risen, and Guillaume's horses were very tired, they -could not travel very quickly. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar took advantage of this circumstance to ride a little in -advance with his squire, as if involuntarily, because their horses were -fresher. Then, slackening his pace, he said: -</p> -<p> -"Sancho, you did not leave anything belonging to me at Briantes?" -</p> -<p> -"I never forget anything, Antonio." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, you do; you forget daggers and leave them in the bodies of the -people you kill." -</p> -<p> -"That reproach again?" -</p> -<p> -"I have my reasons for making it to-day. My horse no longer goes lame, -but do you think he is in condition to take a long journey to-night?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes. What is there new?" -</p> -<p> -"Listen carefully and try to understand quickly. The <i>peddler</i> was a -gentleman, the Marquis de Bois-Doré's brother. The knife that you used -is in that old man's possession. He has sworn vengeance, and he accuses -us on the testimony of some witness, I know not whom." -</p> -<p> -"The Moorish woman." -</p> -<p> -"Why the Moorish woman?" -</p> -<p> -"Because those accursed creatures always bring misfortune." -</p> -<p> -"If you have no other reason——" -</p> -<p> -"I have others; I will tell you what they are." -</p> -<p> -"Yes, later. We must consider now how we are to leave this neighborhood -without any further explanation with that old idiot. I told him enough -to induce him to be patient. He expects me to-morrow." -</p> -<p> -"For a duel?" -</p> -<p> -"No; he is too old!" -</p> -<p> -"But he is very cunning; are you anxious to rot in some dungeon in his -château? No matter, I will go there with you, if you go." -</p> -<p> -"I shall not go. A certain prophecy makes me very prudent. When we are -within a short distance of that little town of which you see the lights -yonder, leave the escort, disappear, and return a quarter of an hour -later and say that someone in the town handed you a letter for me. I -will go to the château of Ars before reading it, but, as soon as I have -read it, I will say to Monsieur d'Ars that I must go away at once. Do -you understand?" -</p> -<p> -"I understand." -</p> -<p> -"Let us wait for Monsieur d'Ars then, and display no haste." -</p> -<p> -When honest Bois-Doré, armed to the teeth and firmly seated on the -stately Rosidor, had passed the confines of the village of Briantes, he -discovered Adamas, mounted on a little hackney of placid disposition, -ambling at his side. -</p> -<p> -"What! is that you, master rebel?" he said, in a tone which did not -succeed in being angry; "did I not forbid you to follow me and order you -to keep watch over my heir?" -</p> -<p> -"Your heir is well guarded, monsieur; Master Jovelin gave me his word -not to leave him, and, moreover, I do not see that he incurs any risk in -your château, now that the enemy has left it and we are charging upon -him." -</p> -<p> -"I know that we are the ones who are in danger now, Adamas, and that is -why I did not want you here, for you are old and broken, and besides, -you never were a great warrior." -</p> -<p> -"It is true, monsieur, that I am not overfond of receiving blows, but I -like to deal them when I can. I am no longer a young man; but if I am -not quick of foot, I have a sharp eye, and I propose to see that you -don't fall into any ambush. That is why I have brought two more men with -me, who will overtake us in three minutes. Besides, I should have gone -mad to have to wait for you, knowing nothing and doing nothing. By the -way, my dear master, where are we going and what are we going to do?" -</p> -<p> -"You will soon see, my friend, you will soon see! But let us make haste. -We have no time to lose if we would overtake them half way to Ars." -</p> -<p> -They urged their horses to a gallop, and in less than a quarter of an -hour came in sight of Guillaume and his escort, who were still riding -very slowly. -</p> -<p> -The moon was rising and shone on the weapons of the horsemen. -</p> -<p> -They had reached a spot then and now called La Rochaille, a spot not far -from numerous houses to-day, but in those days completely deserted and -barren. -</p> -<p> -The road was on a slope, with a small ravine on one side, and on the -other a hill-top strewn with great gray boulders, with an occasional -stunted chestnut tree growing among them. The place bore a bad name; the -peasants have always had superstitious ideas concerning the boulders, -perhaps because they vaguely attribute their presence to the efforts of -the demons of ancient Gaul, perhaps because they believe that they fell -from heaven to destroy the worship of those wicked demons. -</p> -<p> -The marquis ordered his little troop to halt before it had been -discovered by Guillaume and his men, and rode forward alone at full -speed, intending to bar his young kinsman's passage. -</p> -<p> -When they heard the noise of the galloping hoofs, Guillaume and -D'Alvimar turned, the former perfectly calm, supposing that it was some -frightened traveller, the latter sorely perturbed, and still dwelling on -the prediction which the events of that evening seemed to confirm and to -hasten to its fulfilment. -</p> -<p> -When Bois-Doré passed on the left of the escort, Guillaume did not -recognize him in his military costume; but D'Alvimar recognized him by -the throbbing of his agitated heart; and old Sancho, warned by a similar -sensation, rode nearer to him. -</p> -<p> -Their anxiety was dispelled when Bois-Doré rode on without speaking to -them. They concluded then that it was not he. But when he drew rein and -wheeled about with his horse's head almost touching theirs, they glanced -at each other and instinctively drew close together. -</p> -<p> -"What does this mean, monsieur?" said Guillaume, taking one of his -pistols from the holster at his saddlebow. "Who are you and what do you -want?" -</p> -<p> -But before Bois-Doré had time to reply, a pistol was discharged between -them, and the ball grazed the marquis's cap, as he, seeing Sancho's -movement to murder him, hastily stooped, crying: -</p> -<p> -"It is I, Guillaume!" -</p> -<p> -"Ten thousand devils!" cried Guillaume in dismay; "who fired on the -marquis? In heaven's name, marquis, are you hit?" -</p> -<p> -"Not a scratch," replied Bois-Doré; "but I must say that you have some -vile hounds in your party, to fire on a single man before they know -whether he is friend or foe!" -</p> -<p> -"You are right, and I will do justice on them instantly," rejoined the -wrathful young man. "Miserable knaves, which of you fired on the best -man in the realm?" -</p> -<p> -"Not I! nor I! nor I! nor I!" cried Monsieur d'Ars's four servants with -one voice. -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" said the marquis, "none of these honest fellows would have -done such a thing. I saw the man who fired the shot, and there he is!" -</p> -<p> -As he spoke, Bois-Doré, with a dexterity, agility and force worthy of -his best days, struck Sancho across the face with his whip, and, as the -assassin put his hands to his eyes, he seized him by the collar, and, -dragging him from his saddle, threw him to the ground and lashed his -horse, which galloped away and disappeared in the direction of Briantes. -</p> -<p> -At the same instant the marquis's four men, disregarding his orders to -await a summons from him, rode up at full speed, with Adamas, in whom -the report of the pistol and the sight of the flying horse had aroused -the keenest anxiety. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! here you are," said the marquis. "Very good; pick up yonder -unhorsed cavalier; he belongs to me, as I have the <i>droit d'épave</i><a id="FNanchor_22_1" href="FNanchor_22_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_1" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> -on this road. He is my prisoner. Bind him; there is reason to distrust -his hands." -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_22_1" href="Footnote_22_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_1"><span class="label">[22]</span></a>That is to say, the right of the lord of the manor to -claim all property found on his domain, to which nobody can prove -title.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXI">XXXI</a></h4> - -<p> -While the colossal charioteer, Aristandre, bound Sancho's hands—he -was still dazed by his fall—and stripped him of his arms, -D'Alvimar emerged at last from the stupor caused by this swiftly enacted -scene. -</p> -<p> -For an instant he had thought of abandoning his ill-omened confederate -to Bois-Doré's wrath; but when he saw him treated so roughly because he -had once more risked his life for him, a remnant of pride and shame -compelled him to remonstrate. -</p> -<p> -"I can understand, messire," he said, "that you are angered by the -stupidity of that old man, who was asleep in his saddle, and being -awakened by a sudden shock, thought that he was attacked by a band of -robbers. He certainly deserves punishment, but not to be treated as a -prisoner within your seignioral jurisdiction; for he belongs to me, and -it is my prerogative and mine alone to punish him for the insult he -offered you." -</p> -<p> -"Do you call that an insult, Monsieur de Villareal?" retorted the -marquis in a tone of contempt. "But it is not with you that I have to -deal, but with my friend and kinsman Guillaume d'Ars." -</p> -<p> -"I will permit no explanation," rejoined D'Alvimar with feigned passion, -"until my servant is restored to me, and if you desire a -duel——" -</p> -<p> -"Listen to me, Guillaume," said Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -"No, no one shall listen to you," shouted D'Alvimar, trying to release -his horse, which Guillaume, having taken his stand between him and -Bois-Doré, was holding in order to prevent a conflict. "Monsieur d'Ars, -I am your friend and your guest, you invited me to visit you and made me -welcome; you promised me loyal assistance on every occasion; you will -not allow me to be outraged, even by a member of your family. Under such -circumstances, I am the one to whom you owe support and fair play, even -against your own brother." -</p> -<p> -"I am aware of it," replied Guillaume, "and it shall be so. But calm -yourself first of all, and allow Monsieur de Bois-Doré to speak. I know -him well enough to be sure of his courtesy to you and his generous -treatment of your servant. Make due allowance for a moment of anger; it -is the first time I have ever seen him so wrathful, and, although he has -good reason, I am certain that I can pacify him. Come, come, be quiet, -my dear fellow! You are in a passion too; but you are the younger, and -my cousin is the insulted party. I will confess that, if he had received -the slightest scratch, I would have killed your servant on the spot, -though I had to give you satisfaction afterward." -</p> -<p> -"But what the devil, monsieur!" cried D'Alvimar, still hoping to avoid -the impending explanation by a quarrel, and, if necessary, by a scuffle, -"wherein was my servant at fault, I pray to know? What sort of a caprice -was it that induced monsieur le marquis to ride by us without making -himself known, and then to block our road, at the risk of being taken -for a lunatic? Did not you yourself seize your pistol and shout <i>qui -vive</i>?" -</p> -<p> -"To be sure; but I should not have fired without awaiting a reply, nor -would you, I imagine, and you cannot excuse your servant's stupid or -evil act. Come, be calm. If you wish me to succeed in arranging the -affair to your honor and satisfaction, do not make it impossible by your -violence." -</p> -<p> -While D'Alvimar continued to argue vehemently, and the marquis to listen -with entire tranquillity, Adamas, anxious concerning the result of the -affair, had spoken to Guillaume's men upon his own authority. He had -told them all that he knew, and they had sworn that in case Monsieur -d'Ars should feel compelled to order them to defend Monsieur D'Alvimar -against the Bois-Doré party, they would only pretend to fight, and -would leave the field clear for anybody whose right it was, to deal out -justice to the assassins. -</p> -<p> -All the men in both parties were relations or friends to one another, -and they were in no wise inclined to exchange blows for love of a -foreigner, whether guilty or under suspicion only. -</p> -<p> -Thus the time that D'Alvimar strove to gain by his remonstrances turned -against him; and when Guillaume, annoyed and disgusted by his obstinacy, -turned his back on him to go to talk with the marquis a few steps away, -D'Alvimar was at once surrounded by the servants of the latter, without -the slightest opposition on the part of Guillaume's men. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon he became very seriously alarmed and glanced about him, -estimating the slight chance that remained of successful flight, unless -he were resigned to risk the loss of honor or of life in the attempt. -</p> -<p> -But hope revived when he heard Guillaume, to whom Bois-Doré had briefly -recounted his grievances, refuse to believe that he was not misled by -deceptive appearances. -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur de Villareal?" he said. "That is utterly impossible, and I -should have had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. Now, as you -did not see it, and as you must have been deceived by false reports, -permit me to defend this gentleman's honor, and do not think, monsieur -and dear cousin, that, deeply as I respect you, I will allow a friend -who has placed himself under my protection to be insulted and outraged -without proofs. Moreover, you have not that right, for every gentleman -is subject to the king's justice alone. So calm your excited nerves, I -implore you, and allow me to return home, where you know that I am very -anxious to be." -</p> -<p> -"I am not excited," rejoined Bois-Doré, raising his voice and with an -air of dignity that Guillaume had never seen him assume, "and I -anticipated your reply, my good friend and cousin. It is such a reply as -I should make in your place, and I find no fault with it. Having -expected that you would act as you have done, I determined to make my -conduct conform to the consideration which I owe you, and that is why -you see me here, halfway between our respective abodes, on neutral, -public ground. To be sure I have some rights over this road; but three -steps away, among yonder old rocks, I am neither on your property nor -mine. Know therefore that I have determined to fight a duel to the death -with this traitor, who cannot refuse to fight with me, since I have -designedly assaulted and insulted him in the person of his servant, and -since I do at this moment insult and challenge him in his own person, -branding him before God, before you and before the honest fellows who -attend us, as a cowardly and despicable murderer! I do not think that -you can justly take it ill of me that I do what I am doing; for I beg -you to observe that, so long as you and he were in my house, I refrained -from anything approaching insult or bad temper, wherein I kept my -promise to be a loyal host to him; and I beg you to observe also that I -took my measures to meet you in the open fields, in order to avoid doing -violence under your roof, for I would not for anything in the world have -imposed upon you the necessity of bearing aid to this vile creature. -Lastly, my cousin, I beg you to consider this, which is the greatest -sacrifice I can make to you: instead of having him beaten to death by my -servants, as he deserves, I myself, a nobleman, deserving of my rank, -stoop to measure swords with a cutthroat of the vilest sort. Were it not -for the friendship with which you honor me, I would have thrown him into -an underground dungeon; but, desirous to show my respect for you, even -in the error into which you have fallen with regard to him, I renounce -all my honorable privileges, to fight him, a vile, degraded creature, -with the weapons of men of honor.—I have said what I have to say, and -you can make no further objection. Be his second, unworthy as he is of -your kindness; Adamas will be mine. I will content myself with the aid -of that honest man, since in such an affair there can be no question of -a combat between the seconds." -</p> -<p> -"Assuredly," cried Guillaume, deeply moved by the old man's greatness of -heart, "conduct more loyal than yours cannot be imagined, my cousin, -and, in view of the suspicions you entertain, you display such -generosity as is rarely seen. But those suspicions being -unfounded——" -</p> -<p> -"It is no longer a question of suspicions," replied the marquis, "since -you do not choose to listen to them; I insult one of your friends, and I -fancy that you would not consider as a friend a man capable of shrinking -from a combat." -</p> -<p> -"Surely not!" cried Guillaume; "but I will not permit this duel, which -does not befit your years, my cousin! I would prefer to fight in your -stead. Come, will you accept my promise? I promise to avenge your -brother's death with my own hand if you succeed in proving incontestably -that Monsieur D'Alvimar was the dastardly and wicked author thereof. -Wait until to-morrow, and I will constitute myself justiciary of my -family, as my duty to you demands." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume's impulse was worthy of the marquis's noble heart; but, by -letting slip an allusion to his years, Guillaume had mortified him -exceedingly. -</p> -<p> -"My cousin," he said, recurring to that puerility of mind which -contrasted so strongly with the nobility of his instincts, "you take me -for an old <i>Signor Pantaleone</i>, with a rusty sword and a trembling -hand. Before consigning me to crutches, remember, I beg, the -consideration I have shown you, which does not deserve the affront you -put upon me by offering to avenge my dearest brother's execrable murder -in my stead. Come, it seems to me that we have had words enough, and my -patience is exhausted. Your Monsieur de Villareal has more than I, for -he listens to all this without finding a word to say." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume saw that matters had gone so far that any reconciliation was -impossible; and, as he agreed with the marquis that D'Alvimar had -suddenly become much too patient, he turned to him and said sharply: -</p> -<p> -"Come, my dear fellow, why do you not answer, I will not say this -challenge, which has no just foundation, but a charge which you surely -cannot deserve?" -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar had reflected during the discussion. He affected a disdainful -and satirical calmness. -</p> -<p> -"I accept the challenge, monsieur," he replied, "and I do not think that -I deserve great credit for so doing, being, as you know, most expert in -the use of all weapons. As for the accusation, it is so absurd and -unjust that I am waiting for you yourself to explain it to me before -disproving it; for I do not know as yet what the marquis has said to you -about me, as he whispered it in your ear, and I desire him to repeat it -aloud." -</p> -<p> -"I am quite willing, and it will not take long," retorted Bois-Doré. "I -said that you were a brigand, an assassin and a thief. You desire more, -but I can find nothing worse to say of you than the bare truth." -</p> -<p> -"You pay me strange compliments, monsieur le marquis!" said the Spaniard -coolly. "You have already regaled me, under your own roof, with a -lugubrious tale wherein you were pleased to represent me as the slayer -of your brother. Whether I am or not, I do not know, as I told you; I -simply know that I bade my servant kill a man dressed as a peddler, who -was carrying away by force a lady whose defence I took upon myself, as I -told you, and whose honor I avenged." -</p> -<p> -"Oho!" cried the marquis, "that is your text now, is it? The lady who -was flying with my brother was abducted against her will, and you don't -remember saying that she was your——" -</p> -<p> -"Lower, monsieur, I beg you. If Monsieur d'Ars will kindly listen to me -a few steps away from here, I will tell him who that woman was, unless -you prefer to vilify and besmirch her name before your servants." -</p> -<p> -"My servants are better men than you and yours, monsieur! No matter! I -am exceedingly desirous that you should impart your secret to Monsieur -d'Ars, but in my presence, as you have already given me one version of -it." -</p> -<p> -The three walked away from the group, and the marquis spoke first. -</p> -<p> -"Come," he said, "explain yourself! You allege as your defence that that -woman was your sister!" -</p> -<p> -"And do you, monsieur," retorted D'Alvimar, "propose to vent your -factitious rage by giving me the lie again?" -</p> -<p> -"By no means, monsieur. I ask you to tell us your sister's name; for it -seems that your own name is not Villareal." -</p> -<p> -"Why so, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -"Because I know it now. Dare to contradict me before Monsieur d'Ars, -whom you are also deceiving by an assumed name!" -</p> -<p> -"No, no!" said Guillaume; "monsieur is concealing his identity under one -of his family names, and I know perfectly well the name he usually -bears." -</p> -<p> -"In that case, cousin, let him say what it is, and I swear that, if it -proves to be the same as my deceased sister-in-law's, I will retire with -apologies to both of you." -</p> -<p> -"And I refuse to tell it," said D'Alvimar. "I supposed that between -gentlemen a simple assertion should suffice; but you insult me without -pause or prudence. A duel is what you seek, and your wish shall be -gratified." -</p> -<p> -"No! a hundred times no!" cried Guillaume. "Let us have done with this; -and as nothing more is necessary than to tell the marquis your name to -induce him to withdraw in peace, I——" -</p> -<p> -"I beg you not to forget," interposed D'Alvimar, "that you expose -me——" -</p> -<p> -"No! my cousin is too honorable a man to betray you to your enemies. -Understand, marquis, and I place this information under the safeguard of -your honor, that monsieur's name is Sciarra d'Alvimar." -</p> -<p> -"Oho!" rejoined the marquis with a sneer. "So monsieur's initials happen -to be identical with those of the stamp of the Salamanca factory?" -</p> -<p> -"What do you mean?" -</p> -<p> -"Nothing! I am simply nailing another of monsieur's lies as I pass; but -this one is so trifling compared with the others——" -</p> -<p> -"What others? Come, come, marquis, you are too persistent!" -</p> -<p> -"Hush, Guillaume!" said D'Alvimar, still affecting a disdainful -attitude. "This must end in a sword thrust. We are simply wasting time." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! but I am not in so much haste now," rejoined the marquis. "I insist -upon knowing the baptismal name and the family name of the sister of -Monsieur de Villareal, de Sciarra and d'Alvimar. I know that the -Spaniards have many names; but if he will tell me simply that lady's -real name, her family name——" -</p> -<p> -"If you know it," retorted D'Alvimar, "your persistence in making me -tell it is an additional insult." -</p> -<p> -"Oh! do not take it so, D'Alvimar," cried Guillaume testily. "Give her -your own name, unless you propose that we shall pass the night here!" -</p> -<p> -"Nay, cousin," said the marquis; "I myself will supply this mysterious -name. Monsieur de Villareal's alleged sister was called Julie de -Sandoval." -</p> -<p> -"Well, why not, monsieur?" said D'Alvimar, seizing eagerly upon what he -believed to be a monstrous blunder on the old man's part. "I did not -wish to mention that name. It was not becoming in me to reveal it, and -I thought that you did not know it. Since you yourself, by asserting -that to be the fact, have been guilty of one of those falsehoods which -you rebuke so sharply in others, let me tell you, monsieur, that Julie -de Sandoval was my mother's daughter, by her first husband." -</p> -<p> -"In that case, monsieur," replied Bois-Doré uncovering, "I am ready to -withdraw, and to apologize for my violence, if you will swear to me on -your honor that you recognized your half-sister, Julie de Sandoval, -under her veil, at the tavern of——" -</p> -<p> -"I swear it to satisfy you. Indeed, I saw her without her veil in that -tavern." -</p> -<p> -"For the third time—pardon my persistence, I owe it to my brother's -memory—for the third time, it was really your sister, Julie de -Sandoval? The ring which she wore on her finger and is now on mine, and -which bears that name in full, can have belonged to no other than her? -You swear it?" -</p> -<p> -"I swear it! Are you satisfied?" -</p> -<p> -"Stay! there is a crest on the bezel of this ring; <i>a shield azure with -a head or</i>. Are those the arms of the Sandovals of your family?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, the very same." -</p> -<p> -"Then, monsieur," said Bois-Doré, replacing his cap, "I declare once -more that you have lied like the impudent dastard that you are; for I -have been making sport of you: your alleged sister's ring bears the name -of Maria de Merida, and the arms are simple with a cross argent. I can -prove it." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXII">XXXII</a></h4> - -<p> -Guillaume was shaken; but D'Alvimar reflected rapidly. -</p> -<p> -The moon, even though it had been much brighter, would not have enabled -one to see the tiny letters and microscopic crest engraved in a ring, -and in those times people had not, as they have to-day, a light all -ready in the pocket. -</p> -<p> -It was necessary therefore to postpone to some other time the -examination of this evidence. The only course for the culprit to adopt -was to seek, not to avoid, a duel. What he dreaded was that they would -deny him that honorable chance of escape, and that he would be made a -prisoner of the marquis or of the provincial authorities. -</p> -<p> -He hurriedly led Guillaume aside and said to him, with a forced laugh: -</p> -<p> -"I am fairly caught. I attempted to be good-natured, as you requested, -in order to put an end to the discussion and to get rid of this old -lunatic. I said everything that he tried to make me say, and now his -caprice is taking another flight, in which I cannot follow it. It is all -my fault; I ought to have told you, immediately on leaving his house, -that he has been mad for two days; witness the fact that he asked for -Madame de Beuvre's hand yesterday, as others can tell you, and that all -this day he has been inventing the most extraordinary fables concerning -his brother's death, taking sometimes me, sometimes his mute, sometimes -his little dog for the murderer. I was unable to avoid coming to blows -with him except by inventing tales which served as small change for his; -but he did not calm down until you arrived." -</p> -<p> -"Why didn't you tell me all this?" exclaimed Guillaume. -</p> -<p> -"I did not wish to complain of the vexations I had endured in his -company; you would have thought that I meant to reproach you for leaving -me there. Now, there is only one way to have done with it. Let me fight -With him." -</p> -<p> -"With an old man and a madman? I cannot permit it." -</p> -<p> -"Come, come, Guillaume," exclaimed Bois-Doré, impatiently, "are you -ready now to let me avenge my wrongs, and must I do Monsieur d'Alvimar -the honor of striking him, in order to rouse him?" -</p> -<p> -"We are at your service, monsieur," replied D'Alvimar, shrugging his -shoulders. "Come, my dear fellow," he said in a low tone to Guillaume, -"you see that it must be! Don't be afraid! I will soon bring this old -automaton to reason, and I promise you to strike his sword out of his -hand as many times as you please. I will undertake to tire him out so -effectually that he will want to hurry home and go to bed, and to-morrow -we will laugh over the adventure." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume was reassured by his merriment. -</p> -<p> -"I am glad to find you in the proper mood," he said in an undertone, -"and I warn you that in putting forth your skill with yonder old man, -you would not act a gallant part, and would cause me great pain. I -believe that he is mad, but that is an additional reason for using your -science with moderation and sending him home with no greater hurt than -lame muscles." -</p> -<p> -Guillaume knew, however, that Bois-Doré was very strong in fencing, But -his was an antiquated method which younger men disdained, and he knew, -also, that while the marquis's wrist was still supple, he was not firm -enough on his legs to hold out more than two or three minutes. Moreover, -D'Alvimar was exceedingly expert; so he constantly exhorted him to -magnanimity. -</p> -<p> -The champions having dismounted, the servants were left in the road to -watch the horses and the prisoner, Sancho, whom Guillaume ordered them -not to set free until the duel was at an end, in order that the -difficulties of the situation might not be complicated by unexpected -interference from any quarter. -</p> -<p> -Sancho was very desirous to be at liberty. He felt that he might be -useful to his master, as he never recoiled from the most difficult -undertaking; but he was too proud to complain and cry out. He remained -silent and stoical under guard of Bois-Doré's servants. -</p> -<p> -While Guillaume, with the two adversaries, was seeking a suitable spot -between the road and the boulders, Adamas and Aristandre were engaged in -an animated whispered colloquy. Aristandre was desperate, Adamas was in -a state of feverish excitement; but the idea that his master might fall -a victim to his own generous behavior never entered his head. He was -drunk, as it were, in his confidence in the marquis's strength and -skill. -</p> -<p> -"Why do you tremble like a child?" he asked the coachman. "Don't you -know that monsieur is capable of eating up thirty-six fellows like this -coxcomb of a Spaniard? Nothing but treachery could overcome such a -valiant man as he is; but the knave Sancho is carefully guarded, and -Monsieur Guillaume and I will have an eye to everything. Am I not a -second? Monsieur said so. You heard him. We are two honorable seconds, -and we will not allow a thrust or a parry that isn't within the rules." -</p> -<p> -"But you know no more than I do about the rules of duels between -gentlemen! Look you, I have a mind to climb up yonder without anyone -seeing me, and, if the Spaniard has too much luck, roll one of those big -stones down on him." -</p> -<p> -"As to that, if I could be sure that you wouldn't crush monsieur with -him, I wouldn't advise you not to do it, any more than I would think it -was a crime to put two bullets into his head myself, if I wasn't a -second. But my master is calling me. Don't you be afraid, all will go -well!" -</p> -<p> -Meanwhile the ground was chosen, a clear space of sufficient size, well -lighted by the moon. The swords were measured, Guillaume performing the -functions of second impartially for both champions, who had sworn to -rely upon him; for Adamas's presence could be only a matter of form. -</p> -<p> -The duel began. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon, despite his confidence and his enthusiasm, Adamas felt a cold -shudder run through every limb. He became dumb; with his mouth wide -open, his eyes starting from his head, he was unconscious of the -perspiration and the tears that rolled down his laughable yet touching -face. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume too had done his utmost to persuade himself that the results -of that strange combat could not be serious. But when the swords met, -his confidence vanished, and he blamed himself for not having prevented, -at any price, a meeting which, from the outset, threatened to have -serious consequences. -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar had promised to place his adversary at his mercy and to spare -his life; but, in so far as the moonlight enabled him to distinguish his -expression, it seemed to Guillaume that rage and hate were exhibited -therein with increasing intensity, and his sharp, close sword-play gave -no indication of prudence or of generous purpose. Luckily the marquis -was still calm and held his ground with more endurance and elasticity -than could have been expected. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume could say nothing, and contented himself with coughing two or -three times, to warn D'Alvimar to show more moderation, without arousing -the sensibility of the marquis, who might have lost his head altogether, -if he had suspected that he was not taken seriously. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> -<a id="figure05"></a> -<br> -<img src="images/figure05.jpg" width="400" alt="400"> -<div class="caption"> -<p><i>THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS -AND D'ALVIMAR.</i></p> -<p class="smaller"> -<i>His game was a difficult one to -play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><br></p> - -<p> -But the contest was serious enough. D'Alvimar felt that he had an -adversary inferior to himself in theory; but he was himself disturbed -and preoccupied and inferior to himself in practice. His game was a -difficult one to play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill -him unintentionally. -</p> -<p> -So he tried to make him run himself through, by acting on the defensive; -and the marquis seemed to detect his stratagem, for he acted cautiously. -</p> -<p> -The duel was prolonged for some time without result. Guillaume relied on -the marquis's fatigue, thinking that D'Alvimar would not strike him -down. D'Alvimar found that the marquis showed no signs of giving way; he -tried to excite him by feints, hoping that a feeling of impatience would -lead him to depart from the surprising prudence of his play. -</p> -<p> -Suddenly the moon was veiled by a dark cloud, and Guillaume tried to -interpose to suspend the combat; he had not time: the two champions were -rolling on the ground. -</p> -<p> -A third champion rushed toward them, at the risk of being spitted; it -was Adamas, who, having lost his head and not knowing which had the -advantage, plunged wildly into the fray. Guillaume threw him back with -violence, and saw the marquis kneeling on D'Alvimar's body. -</p> -<p> -"Mercy, cousin!" he cried; "mercy for him who would have spared you!" -</p> -<p> -"It is too late, cousin," replied the marquis, rising. "Justice is -done!" -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar was nailed to the earth by the marquis's long rapier; he had -ceased to live. -</p> -<p> -Adamas had swooned. -</p> -<p> -At the cry of mercy, Bois-Doré's servants had hurried to the spot. The -marquis was leaning against a rock, breathless and exhausted. But he -showed no weakness, and, the moon having emerged from the cloud, he -stood erect again to look at the body, and stooped to touch it. -</p> -<p> -"He is quite dead!" said Guillaume in a reproachful tone. "You have -killed a friend of mine, monsieur, and I am unable to congratulate you -upon it; for your suspicions must be unjust." -</p> -<p> -"I will prove to you that they were not, Guillaume," replied Bois-Doré, -with a dignity which shook his kinsman's confidence anew; "until then, -suspend your displeasure against me and your regrets for this wicked -man. When you know the truth, perhaps you will regret having compelled -me to risk my life in order to take his." -</p> -<p> -"But what shall we do with this unfortunate body now?" said Guillaume, -downcast and dismayed. -</p> -<p> -"I will not leave you in any difficulty on my account," said Bois-Doré. -"My men will carry it to the Carmelite convent of La Châtre, where the -monks will give it such burial as they choose. I have no idea of -concealing from anyone what I have done, especially as I still have to -punish the other assassin. But I cannot perform that distasteful task in -cold blood, and I propose to turn him over to the provost's lieutenant, -so that exemplary punishment may be dealt out to him. You will escort -him thither, Adamas. Why, where is my trusty Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"Alas, monsieur," replied Adamas in a cavernous voice, "here I am at -your knees, and very ill over this affair. For a moment I thought that -you were dead, and I believe that I was dead myself for a good quarter -of an hour. Do not send me anywhere; I have no legs, and I feel as if I -had a millwheel in my head." -</p> -<p> -"Well, my poor fellow, if you are not good for anything more we will -send somebody else. I told you that you were too old to endure -excitement!" -</p> -<p> -The marquis walked back toward the horses, while his servants and -Guillaume's took up the dead body and covered it with a cloak. But when -they looked for the prisoner, they looked in vain. -</p> -<p> -They had not taken the precaution to bind his legs. Taking advantage of -a moment of excitement and confusion, when the servants, disturbed -concerning the result of the duel, had left the horses in charge of two -of their number, who had had much difficulty in holding them, he had -taken flight, or rather had stolen away and hidden somewhere in the -ravine. -</p> -<p> -"Never fear, monsieur le marquis," said Aristandre. "A man with his -hands bound can neither run very fast nor conceal himself very -skilfully; I promise you that I will catch him; I will undertake to do -it. Ride home and rest; you have well earned it!" -</p> -<p> -"No," said the marquis; "I must see that murderer again. Do two of you -search for him, while I and the other two ride with Monsieur d'Ars to -the Carmelite convent." -</p> -<p> -D'Alvimar's body was laid across his horse, and Guillaume's servants -assisted Bois-Doré's to transport it. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré rode on ahead with Guillaume, to have the gates of the town -opened, if necessary, for it was nearly ten o'clock. -</p> -<p> -On the road, Bois-Doré furnished his young kinsman with such precise -details concerning his brother's death, the recovery of his nephew, the -episode of the Catalan knife, the admission extorted from the culprit by -his indignation, and finally the testimony of the ring, that Guillaume -could not persist in upholding his friend's honor. He admitted that he -really knew very little of him, having become intimate with him on -slight acquaintance, and that at Bourges there had come to his ears some -reports, far from honorable if they were true, concerning the duel which -had forced the Spaniard to disappear. Monsieur Sciarra Martinengo was -said to have been struck by him, contrary to all the laws of honor, at a -moment when he had asked for a suspension of the combat, his sword being -broken. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume had refused to credit that charge; but Bois-Doré's -revelations made him look upon it as more serious, and he promised to go -to Briantes the next morning to inspect the evidence, and make the -acquaintance of the beautiful Mario. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXIII">XXXIII</a></h4> - -<p> -In proportion as conviction entered his mind, Guillaume became expansive -and friendly with the marquis, no less from a sense of natural equity -than from an inborn tendency to be governed absolutely by his latest -impression. -</p> -<p> -"By my soul!" he said, when they were near the town, "you have acted -like a gallant man, and the blow that you dealt him, which nailed him to -the turf, was one of the most beautiful sword thrusts that I have ever -heard of. I have never seen its like, and when you have proved to me -that poor Sciarra was such a vile wretch as you say, I shall not be -sorry to have seen this one. If I had been less pained, I would have -congratulated you upon it. But whatever regret or satisfaction I may -feel because of this death I declare that you are a superb swordsman, -and I would that I were your equal at that sport!" -</p> -<p> -Our two cavaliers were already on the Pont des Scabinats—now des -Cabignats,—riding toward the gate in the fortifications, when Adamas, -who had recovered his courage and had duly reflected, overtook them and -begged them to listen to him. -</p> -<p> -"Do you not think, messires," he said, "that the bringing-in of this -body will cause a great commotion in the town?" -</p> -<p> -"Even so," said the marquis, "do you suppose that I wish to conceal the -fact that I have avenged my honor and my brother's death?" -</p> -<p> -"True, monsieur, you may well boast of it as a noble deed, but not until -the body has been consigned to the earth; for in these small places a -great noise is often made over a small matter, and the spectacle of a -gentleman carried across his horse in this way will make these bourgeois -of La Châtre open their eyes. You have enemies, monsieur, and at the -present moment Monseigneur de Condé is a very devout Catholic. If he -should learn that this Spaniard was covered with strings of beads and -blessed relics, that he had confessed to Monsieur Poulain, whose -housekeeper is lauding him to the skies in the village of Briantes as a -perfect Christian——" -</p> -<p> -"Well, well, what are you coming at with your old woman's gossip, my -dear Adamas?" said the marquis, impatiently. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume interposed. -</p> -<p> -"Cousin," he said, "Adamas is right. The laws against the duello are -respected by nobody; but evil-minded persons can invoke them at any -moment. This D'Alvimar had some powerful friends in Paris; and -unfriendly reports may, at one time or another, cause this to be used -against you and me, especially against you, who are not esteemed a very -ardent Catholic. Take my advice therefore, and let us not go into the -town but decide upon some other means of ridding ourselves of this dead -man. You are sure of your people and I can answer for mine. Let us have -no confidants among the churchmen and bourgeois of a small town, all of -whom, in this province, are very bitter against men who have opposed the -League and served under the late king." -</p> -<p> -"There is much truth in what you say," replied Bois-Doré; "but it is -most distasteful to me to tie a stone around a dead man's neck and toss -him into the river like a dog." -</p> -<p> -"Why, monsieur," said Adamas, "that man was worth less than any dog!" -</p> -<p> -"That is true, my friend; I thought so myself an hour ago; but I have no -hatred for a corpse." -</p> -<p> -"Very good, monsieur," said Adamas, "I have an idea which will make -everything all right; if we retrace our steps, we shall find within a -hundred yards, near the Chambon meadow, the gardener's cottage." -</p> -<p> -"What gardener? Marie la Caille-Bottée?" -</p> -<p> -"She is very devoted to monsieur, and they say that she was not always -pock-marked." -</p> -<p> -"Tush, tush! Adamas, this is no time for jesting!" -</p> -<p> -"I am not jesting, monsieur, and I say that that old woman will keep our -secret faithfully." -</p> -<p> -"And you propose to disturb her peace of mind by carrying a dead man to -her? She will die of fright!" -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, for she is not alone in her little isolated cottage. I -will take my oath that we shall find a good Carmelite there, who will -give the Spanish gentleman Christian burial in a grave somewhere on the -gardener's premises." -</p> -<p> -"You are too much of a Huguenot, Adamas," said Monsieur d'Ars. "The -Carmelites are not such dissolute fellows as you imply." -</p> -<p> -"I say no evil of them, messire; I am speaking of a single one, whom I -know, and who has nothing of the monk except the frock and the -paternosters. It is Jean le Clope, who followed monsieur le marquis to -the war, and for whom monsieur le marquis procured admission to the -convent as a disabled veteran." -</p> -<p> -"On my word, this is excellent advice," said the marquis. -</p> -<p> -"Jean le Clope is a reliable man, and he has seen too many bloodless -faces lying on the ground on battlefields to take fright at the task we -propose to entrust to him." -</p> -<p> -"Let us make haste then," said Monsieur d'Ars, "for my steward is dying, -as you know, and I would like to see him if it is not too late." -</p> -<p> -"Go, cousin," said the marquis. "Attend now to your own affairs; this -concerns me and me alone henceforth!" -</p> -<p> -They shook hands. Guillaume joined his escort and rode away with them -toward his château. The marquis and Adamas halted at La -Caille-Bottée's cottage, where they did in fact find Jean le Clope, who -warmly greeted his patron, calling him his captain. -</p> -<p> -As is well known, the convents were compelled to take charge of soldiers -disabled in the service of the king or of the lord of the province. Most -of the religious communities were bound by contract to receive and -support these relics of the calamities of war, who were sometimes too -fond of high living for pious recluses, sometimes much less corrupt than -the monks themselves. However it may have been with the Carmelites of La -Châtre, with whose history we are not here concerned, the secular -brother Jean le Clope was but little hampered by the rules of the -community, and, if he was not missing at meal hours, he was often -missing at curfew. -</p> -<p> -While the marquis was explaining what he expected from his devotion and -discretion, Adamas superintended the bringing of the body into the -lonely house, and, a quarter of an hour later, Bois-Doré and his -attendants rode homeward by way of La Rochaille. -</p> -<p> -They found Aristandre and his comrades profoundly disappointed at their -inability to discover what had become of Sancho. -</p> -<p> -"Well, monsieur," said Adamas, "perhaps God wills it so! That villain -will be very careful never to appear in a neighborhood where he knows -that he is unmasked, and he would have been a source of fresh -embarrassment to you." -</p> -<p> -"I confess that I have little taste for executions when my excitement -has subsided," replied Bois-Doré, "and that I should have avoided -witnessing that one. If I had turned him over to the provost, I should -have been obliged to say what I had done with his master, and, as we -must keep quiet on that point for the moment, it is all for the best. I -consider my dear Florimond's death sufficiently avenged, although the -Moor did not see which of the two, the master or the servant, dealt the -blow that ended his poor life; but in affairs of this sort, Adamas, the -most guilty, perhaps the real culprit, is he who directs it. The servant -sometimes deems it his duty to obey a wicked order, and this fellow -evidently did not act on his own account or profit by my brother's -wealth, since he has remained a servant as before." -</p> -<p> -Adamas did not share the longing to be indulgent which the marquis -experienced after his outburst of energy. He hated Sancho even more -bitterly than D'Alvimar, because of his arrogant manner toward his -equals, and because of his wariness, in which he had been unable to find -any flaw. He considered him quite capable of having advised and executed -the crime, but the thing that he dreaded more than all else was the -possible persecution of the marquis; so he assisted him to deceive -himself concerning the importance of the capture which he was compelled -to renounce. -</p> -<p> -When they reached the gate of the manor of Briantes, they heard the -irregular galloping of a riderless horse. It proved to be Sancho's, -which had returned to its lost stable. He exchanged a plaintive, almost -funereal neigh with D'Alvimar's steed, which a servant was leading by -the rein. -</p> -<p> -"These poor creatures feel the disasters that befall their masters, so -it is said," observed the marquis to Adamas: "they are intelligent -beasts and live in a state of innocence. For that reason I shall not -have these two killed; but as I do not choose to have anything on my -estate that ever belonged to that D'Alvimar, and as the price of his -property would soil our hands, I propose that they shall be taken ten or -twelve leagues away to-morrow night and set at liberty. Whoever will may -reap the benefit." -</p> -<p> -"And in that way," said Adamas, "no one will know where they come from. -You can entrust Aristandre with that mission, monsieur. He will not -yield to the temptation to sell them for his own benefit, and, if you -take my advice, you will let him start at once, and not take them into -the courtyard. It is useless to allow these horses to be seen in your -stable to-morrow." -</p> -<p> -"Do what you choose, Adamas," replied the marquis. "I am reminded that -that miserable wretch must have had money upon him, and that I should -have remembered to take it and give it to the poor." -</p> -<p> -"Let the lay brother have the benefit of it, monsieur," said the shrewd -Adamas; "the more he finds in the dead man's pockets, the better assured -you will be of his silence." -</p> -<p> -It was eleven o'clock when the marquis returned to his salon. Jovelin -rushed forward and threw his arms about him. His face sufficiently -indicated the agonizing anxiety he had felt. -</p> -<p> -"My dear friend," said Bois-Doré, "I deceived you; but rejoice, that -man is no more; and I return with a light heart. Doubtless my child is -asleep at this moment; let us not wake him. I will tell you——" -</p> -<p> -"The child is not asleep," the mute replied with his pencil. "He divined -my apprehensions: he is crying and praying and tossing about in his -bed." -</p> -<p> -"Let us go and comfort the dear heart!" cried Bois-Doré; "but look at -me first, my friend, and see if I have no stain on my clothes made by -that treacherous blood. I do not wish that the child should know fear or -hatred at an age too early for the calmness of conscious strength." -</p> -<p> -Lucilio relieved the marquis of his cloak, his helmet and his arms, and -when they had ascended the stairs they found Mario, barefooted, at the -door of his chamber. -</p> -<p> -"Ah!" cried the child, clinging passionately to his uncle's long legs, -and speaking to him with the familiarity which he did not as yet know to -be contrary to the customs of the nobility, "so you have come back at -last? You are not hurt, my dear uncle? No one has hurt you, eh? I -thought that that wicked man meant to kill you, and I wanted to run -after you! I was very unhappy! Another time, when you go out to fight, -you must take me, since I am your nephew." -</p> -<p> -"My nephew! my nephew! that is not enough," said the marquis taking him -back to his bed. "I mean to be your father. Will that displease you, to -be my son? And, by the way," he added, stooping to receive little -Fleurial's caresses, who seemed to have realized and shared the distress -of Jovelin and Mario, "here is a little friend of mine who no longer -belongs to me. Here, Mario, you were so anxious to have him! I give him -to you to console you for your unhappiness this evening." -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Mario, putting Fleurial beside him on his pillow, "I -consent, on condition that he is to belong to us both, and is to love us -both alike. But tell me, father, has the wicked man gone away forever?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my son, forever." -</p> -<p> -"And the king will punish him for killing your brother?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my son, he will be punished." -</p> -<p> -"What will they do to him?" inquired Mario, thoughtfully. -</p> -<p> -"I will tell you later, my son. Think only how happy we are to be -together." -</p> -<p> -"They will never take me away from you?" -</p> -<p> -"Never!" -</p> -<p> -"Master Jovelin," he said, addressing the mute, "is it not a melancholy -thing to think of changing this child's sweet mode of speech, which -strikes so melodiously upon the ear? Nay, we will allow him to use the -familiar form of address to me in private, since in his mouth that -familiarity is a sign of affection." -</p> -<p> -"Must I say <i>vous</i> to you?" queried Mario in amazement. -</p> -<p> -"Yes, my child, at least before other people. That is the custom." -</p> -<p> -"Ah! yes, that is how I spoke to Monsieur l'Abbé Anjorrant! But I love -you more than I loved him." -</p> -<p> -"So you love me already, Mario? I am very glad! But how does it happen? -You do not know me yet." -</p> -<p> -"No matter, I love you." -</p> -<p> -"And you do not know why?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes I do! I love you because I love you." -</p> -<p> -"My friend," said the marquis to Lucilio, "there is nothing so lovely -and so lovable as childhood! It speaks as the angels must speak among -themselves, and its reasons, which are no reasons, are worth more than -all the wisdom of older heads. You must teach this cherub for me. You -must fashion for him a noble brain like your own; for I am only an -ignorant creature and I wish him to know much more than I do. The times -are not so wholly given up to civil war as they were in my youth, and I -think that gentlemen should turn their thoughts toward the enlightenment -of the mind. But try to let him retain the pretty simple ways that he -owes to his life among the shepherds. In truth he is my ideal of the -lovely children who play among the flowers on the enchanted banks of the -Lignon with its transparent waves." -</p> -<p> -The marquis, having received from the hands of Adamas a cordial to -refresh him after the exertions of the evening, went to bed and slept -soundly, the happiest of men. -</p> -<p> -At a time when, in default of regular legal processes, people were -accustomed to take the law into their own hands, and when a suggestion -of pardon would have been considered blameworthy and cowardly weakness, -the marquis, although far more disposed than most of his contemporaries -to display great gentleness in all his dealings, thought that he had -performed the most sacred of duties, and therein he followed the ideas -and usages in vogue when chivalry was in its prime. -</p> -<p> -Certainly in those days it would have been impossible to find one -gentleman in a thousand who would not have deemed himself possessed of -the right to put to death by torture, or at least to order hanged before -his eyes, a guilty wretch like D'Alvimar, and who would not have -censured or ridiculed the excessively romantic sense of honor which -Bois-Doré had displayed in his duel. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré was well aware of it and was not disturbed by the knowledge. -He had three reasons for being what he was: first of all his instinct, -next the example of humanity set by Henri IV, who was one of the first -men of his time to express disgust at the shedding of blood without -peril to him who shed it. Henri III, when mortally wounded by Jacques -Clement, was so upborne by rage and thirst for vengeance that he was -able himself to strike his assassin, and to look on with joy when he was -thrown from the window; when Henri IV was wounded in the face by Chastel, -his first impulse was to say: "Let that man go!"—And thirdly, -Bois-Doré's religious code was found in the acts and exploits of the -heroes of <i>Astrée</i>. -</p> -<p> -In that ideal romance, it was without example that an honorable knight -should avenge love, honor or friendship without exposing himself to the -greatest dangers. We must not laugh too much at <i>Astrée</i>; indeed the -popularity of the book is most interesting to observe. Amid the sanguinary -villainies of civil discords, it is a cry of humanity, a song of -innocence, a dream of virtue ascending heavenward. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXIV">XXXIV</a></h4> - -<p> -The marquis's first thought on waking was for his heir, whom, to conform -to the title which was finally adopted, we will call his son. -</p> -<p> -He recalled somewhat confusedly the events of that agitated night, but -he recalled perfectly the great questions of dress that had been raised -the day before in connection with his dear Mario. He called him in order -to resume the interview they had begun in the <i>treasure-room</i>. But he -received no reply and was beginning to be anxious, when the child, who -had waked and risen before dawn, came in and threw his arms about his -neck, all redolent with the fresh fragrance of the morning. -</p> -<p> -"Where have you been so early, my young friend?" inquired the old man. -</p> -<p> -"Father," replied Mario, gayly, "I have been to see Adamas, who has -forbidden me to tell you a secret that we have between us. Don't ask me -what it is; we are going to give you a surprise." -</p> -<p> -"Very good, my son; I will ask no questions. I like to be surprised. But -aren't we going to breakfast together on this little table by my bed?" -</p> -<p> -"I haven't time, little father! I must go back to Adamas, who says that -he begs you to go to sleep for another hour unless you want to spoil -everything." -</p> -<p> -The marquis did his best to go to sleep again, but to no purpose. He was -disturbed about many things. Madame de Beuvre was to come early on that -day with her father; Guillaume, too, in case his steward should be -better. Had suitable arrangements been made for the dinner? and could -Mario properly be presented to a lady in the costume of a mountain -shepherd? And, then, the poor child did not even know how to bow, to -kiss a lady's hand, or say a word or two of flattery? Would not all his -beauty, all his fascinating ways be ridiculed and treated with contempt -by those who were not blinded by the voice of blood? -</p> -<p> -Moreover, no adequate preparations had been made for the hunting party. -He had had too much excitement and anxiety to give any thought to that. -</p> -<p> -"If Adamas, who is never at a loss, were only here, he would console -me," thought the marquis. -</p> -<p> -But so great was his consideration for his faithful servant that he -would have pretended to sleep all day, if Adamas had demanded it. -</p> -<p> -He remained in bed until nine o'clock, but no one came to his relief; -and, as hunger and uneasiness began to make a serious impression upon -him, he determined to rise. -</p> -<p> -"What is Adamas thinking about?" he said to himself. "My guests will -soon be here. Does he want them to surprise me in my dressing-gown and -with this sallow face?" -</p> -<p> -At last Adamas entered the room. -</p> -<p> -"Oh! set your mind at rest, monsieur!" he exclaimed. "Do you think me -capable of forgetting you? There is no hurry. You will have no company -until two o'clock this afternoon; Madame de Beuvre has just sent word to -me to that effect." -</p> -<p> -"To you, Adamas?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, monsieur, to me, for I devised the scheme of sending a messenger -to her to say that you had a great surprise in store for her, but that -nothing was ready. I took all the blame on myself, and I humbly -requested her not to arrive before the hour I have mentioned, adding -that you desired to keep her here to-night, with monsieur her father, -and not to offer her the diversion of hunting until to-morrow." -</p> -<p> -"What have you done, villain? She will think me insane or uncivil." -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur, she took the thing very well, saying that everything that -you did was certain to prove your wisdom or your gallantry." -</p> -<p> -"In that case, my friend, we must think seriously——" -</p> -<p> -"About nothing, monsieur, nothing at all, I beseech you. You did enough -with your brain and your sword last night; for what purpose can God have -placed poor Adamas on earth if not to spare you all anxiety about the -details of simple matters?" -</p> -<p> -"Alas! my friend, it will not be easy—not possible even—in so -short a time, to make my heir presentable?" -</p> -<p> -"Do you think so, monsieur?" said Adamas, with an indescribable smile of -satisfaction. "I would like to see the thing that you desire that is not -possible! Yes, indeed, I would! I would like to see it! But permit me to -ask you, monsieur, how your heir is to be announced when he enters the -salon?" -</p> -<p> -"That is a very grave question, my friend; I have already been thinking -of the name and title the dear child should bear. Neither his father nor -mine was a man of quality; but as I propose to provide for his -succession to my title by the proper process and by obtaining the king's -consent, if necessary, I think that I can bestow upon him, in -anticipation, the title that my own son would have. Therefore, in my -house he will be called monsieur le comte." -</p> -<p> -"There can be no doubt about the propriety of that, monsieur! But the -name? Do you propose to call him plain Bouron, that poor child who -deserves so well to bear a more illustrious name?" -</p> -<p> -"Understand, Adamas, that I do not blush for my father's name, and that -that name, which was borne by my brother, will always be dear to me. But -as I am much more attached to the name that my king gave me, I propose -that Mario, also, shall bear it, and shall be Bouron de Bois-Doré, -which, by the customary abbreviation, will become plain Bois-Doré." -</p> -<p> -"That is what I intended to suggest! Come, monsieur, dress yourself and -eat your breakfast here in your bedroom with the child, for the hall -below is in the hands of my decorators; then I will make your toilet. -But you must wear to-day the clothes that I ask you to put on." -</p> -<p> -"Do what you please, Adamas, as you are responsible for everything!" -</p> -<p> -While eating and laughing and talking with his heir, honest Sylvain -suddenly fell into profound melancholy. He succeeded in concealing it -from the boy. But when Adamas, declaring that everything was going -satisfactorily, came to make him up for the day, he opened his heart to -him, while the child played about the château. -</p> -<p> -"My poor friend," he said, "I am amazed that the <i>numes célestes</i>, who -have watched over me with such paternal care of late, have allowed me -none the less to become involved in a terrible embarrassment." -</p> -<p> -"What embarrassment, monsieur?" -</p> -<p> -"Have you already forgotten, Adamas, that I offered my heart and my life -to a beautiful enchantress on the morning of the very day when I found -Mario? Now, as she did not reject, but simply postponed my offer, the -result is that I run the risk—according to you!—of having other -heirs than this child, to whom I would gladly devote my life and bequeath -my property." -</p> -<p> -"The devil! monsieur, I did not think of that! But do not be disturbed! -As it was I who put the fatal plan into your mind, it is for me to find -you a way out of the dilemma. I will think about it, monsieur, I will -think about it! Don't forget to beautify yourself and to make merry -to-day." -</p> -<p> -"Indeed I will not. But what coat is that you are giving me, my friend!" -</p> -<p> -"Your coat <i>à la paysanne</i>, monsieur; it is one of the handsomest you -have." -</p> -<p> -"In truth, I think it is the very handsomest; and it pains me to make -myself so fine when my poor Mario——" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur, monsieur, let me arrange everything; our Mario will be very -presentable." -</p> -<p> -The marquis's "peasant" coat was white velvet and white satin, with a -profusion of silver lace and magnificent ruffles. White was then the -color of the peasants, who dressed in white linen or coarse fustian at -all seasons; so that whenever a person was dressed all in white, that -person was said to be dressed <i>à la paysanne</i>, and it was one of the -most popular fashions. -</p> -<p> -The marquis was certainly very amusing in that dress; but everybody was -so accustomed to see him disguised as a young man; he was tricked out -from head to foot with such beautiful things and such curious baubles; -his perfumes were so exquisite, and, in spite of everything, there was -so much nobility in his elderly charms, and so much kindly amiability in -his ways, that if people had found him suddenly transformed into the -serious, methodical personage that his years would naturally import, -they would have regretted the pleasure he gave the eyes and the -satisfaction he was able to afford the mind. -</p> -<p> -About two o'clock a scullion, dressed in ancient feudal costume for the -occasion, and stationed at the top of the entrance tower, blew a blast -on an old horn to announce the approach of a cavalcade. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, accompanied by Lucilio, betook himself to that tower to -receive the lady of his thoughts. He would have been glad to take his -heir with him; but Mario was in Adamas's hands, and, moreover, it was -part of a plan finally proposed by the latter, and adopted with some -modifications by his master, that the child's appearance on the scene -should be postponed until the conclusion of an explanation on a delicate -subject with Madame de Beuvre. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXV">XXXV</a></h4> - -<p> -Lauriane arrived, riding a beautiful little white horse which her father -had trained for her, and which she managed with remarkable grace. -</p> -<p> -Thanks to her mourning, which the fashion of that day permitted to be -white, she, too, was dressed <i>à la paysanne</i>, with a habit of fine -white broadcloth, a waist with stripes of silver lace, and a light lace -handkerchief over the inevitable widow's cap. -</p> -<p> -"Well, well!" cried the downright De Beuvre, when he saw the marquis's -costume, "so you have already assumed your lady's colors, my dear -son-in-law?" -</p> -<p> -His daughter succeeded in making him hold his peace before the servants; -but, when they were in the salon, despite the promise he had made her to -refrain from all jesting on the subject, he could not contain himself, -and asked with deep interest when the wedding was to be. -</p> -<p> -Instead of being annoyed or embarrassed, the marquis was exceedingly -pleased at this opening, and requested a secret interview touching a -matter of great gravity. -</p> -<p> -The valets were dismissed, the doors closed, and Bois-Doré, kneeling at -dear little Lauriane's feet, addressed her in these terms: -</p> -<p> -"Queen of youth and beauty, you see at your feet a loyal servant whom a -most momentous event has filled with pleasure and embarrassment, with -joy and grief, with hope and fear. When, two days since, I offered my -heart, my name and my fortune to the most amiable of nymphs, I deemed -myself unfettered by any other duty or attachment. But——" -</p> -<p> -Here the marquis was interrupted. -</p> -<p> -"Gadzooks! monsieur my son-in-law," cried De Beuvre, affecting violent -indignation and rolling his eyes fiercely, "you make sport of us, do -you, and think that I am a man to allow you to retract your word after -you have transfixed my poor child's heart with the deadly shaft of -love?" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! hush, pray, my dear father!" said Lauriane, smilingly and sweetly; -"you compromise me. Luckily I can be certain that the marquis will not -believe me to be so capricious that, after I have asked him for seven -years for reflection, I can be already so eager to summon him to keep -his word." -</p> -<p> -"Allow me to speak," said the marquis, taking Lauriane's hand in his. "I -know, my sovereign, that you have no love in your heart, and it is that -which gives me the courage to crave your pardon. And do you, my dear -neighbor, laugh with all your strength, for there is abundant occasion. -And I will laugh with you to-day, although yesterday I shed many tears." -</p> -<p> -"Really, my good neighbor?" said honest De Beuvre, taking his other -hand. "If you are speaking as seriously as you seem to be, I will laugh -no more. Have you any trouble of which we can assist to relieve you?" -</p> -<p> -"Tell us, my dear Celadon," added Lauriane, affectionately, "tell us -your sorrows!" -</p> -<p> -"My sorrows are dispelled, and, if you allow me to retain your -friendship, I am the most fortunate of men. Listen, my friends," he -said, rising with some effort. "The day before yesterday you heard a -prophecy made by people who were not really sorcerers: 'Within three -days, three weeks, or three months, you will be a father?'" -</p> -<p> -"Even so," said De Beuvre, recurring to his jesting humor; "do you -believe that the prophecy will be fulfilled?" -</p> -<p> -"It is fulfilled, my good neighbor. I am a father, and it is no longer -for myself that I ask, from you and the divine Lauriane, seven years of -hope and sincere affection: but for my heir, my only son, -for——" -</p> -<p> -At that moment the folding-doors were thrown open, and Adamas, arrayed -in state, announced in a ringing voice and with an air of triumph: -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le Comte Mario de Bois-Doré!" -</p> -<p> -Everybody was surprised; for the marquis did not expect his son to -appear so soon, and he did not know what sort of costume they would -succeed in arranging for him. -</p> -<p> -What was his joy when he saw that Mario also was dressed <i>à la -paysanne</i>, that is to say in a costume exactly similar in material and -cut to that which he himself wore; the satin doublet with innumerable -little slashes on the arms; the <i>colletin sans ailerons</i>, or shoulder -cape without flowing sleeves, of white velvet slashed with silver; the -full trunk hose, four ells in width, gathered below the knee, fastened -with pearl buttons, and open a little at the side to show the -rose-shaped buckle of the garter; silk-stockings, and shoes <i>à -pont-levis</i>, fastened with buckles in the shape of roses; the ruff <i>à -confusion</i>, that is to say of several rows of unequal size, with tucks -of varied patterns; the plumed hat, diamonds everywhere, a little -baldric all studded with pearls, and a tiny rapier which was a veritable -chef-d'œuvre! -</p> -<p> -Adamas had passed the night selecting, planning, cutting and fitting; -the morning in trying on. The skilful Moor and four other women had -risen before daylight and sewed for their lives. Clindor had ridden ten -leagues to procure the hat and the shoes. Adamas had arranged feathers -and decorations and ornaments; and the costume, which was in most -excellent taste, well cut and substantial enough to last several days -without being made over, was a wonderful success. -</p> -<p> -Mario, beribboned and perfumed like the marquis, with his naturally -curly hair, and over his left ear a rosette of white ribbons with a huge -diamond in the centre and silver lace below, came forward with much -grace. He was no more awkward than if he had been brought up as a -gentleman. He wore his rapier gracefully, and his appealing beauty was -heightened by all that white, which gave him the aspect of an innocent -maiden. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane and her father were so thunderstruck by his face and his -bearing, that they rose spontaneously as if to receive a king's son. -</p> -<p> -But there was more to come. Adamas, while coaching his young lord, had -tried to teach him a complimentary speech, taken from <i>Astrée</i>, for -Lauriane. To learn a few sentences by heart was a small matter to the -intelligent Mario. -</p> -<p> -"Madame," he said, with a fascinating smile, "it is impossible to see -you without loving you, but even more impossible to love you without -loving you beyond words. Allow me to kiss your lovely hands thousands of -times, which number will fall far below the number of deaths which your -denial of this petition will inflict upon me." -</p> -<p> -Mario paused. He had learned very rapidly, without reflecting or -understanding. The meaning of the words he was repeating suddenly struck -him as very comical; for he was in no wise inclined to suffer so -terribly if Lauriane refused to receive the thousands of kisses which he -was not particularly desirous to give her. He was sorely tempted to -laugh, and he glanced at the young lady, who had a similar desire, and -who offered him both hands with a playful and sympathetic air. -</p> -<p> -He cast etiquette to the winds, and following the impulse of his natural -trustfulness, threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on both -cheeks, saying out of his own head: -</p> -<p> -"Bonjour, madame; I beg you to like me, for I think you are a lovely -lady, and I love you dearly already." -</p> -<p> -"Forgive him," said the marquis, "he is a child of nature." -</p> -<p> -"That is why he attracts me," Lauriane replied, "and I waive all -ceremony." -</p> -<p> -"Hoity-toity!" exclaimed De Beuvre, "what does this mean, neighbor, this -pretty boy? If he is yours, I congratulate you: but I would not have -believed——" -</p> -<p> -Guillaume d'Ars was here announced, with Louis de Villemort and one of -the young Chabannes, who had called upon him in the morning, and to whom -he had told the tale of the miraculous recovery of Florimond's son. -</p> -<p> -"Is this he?" cried D'Ars, as he entered the room and gazed at Mario. -"Yes, it is my little gypsy. But how pretty he is now, mon Dieu! and how -happy you should be, my cousin! <i>Tudieu</i>, my gentleman," he said to -the child, "what a fine sword you have there, and what a gallant costume! -You wish to put your friends and neighbors to the blush! You outdo us -entirely, that is clear, and we cut no figure at all beside you. Come, -tell us your pet name, and let us become acquainted; for we are kinsmen, -by your leave, and it may be that I can serve you in some thing, were it -only to teach you to ride!" -</p> -<p> -"Oh! I know how," said Mario. "I have ridden <i>Squilindre</i>!" -</p> -<p> -"The big carriage horse? Tell me, my boy, did you find his trot -comfortable?" -</p> -<p> -"Not very," said Mario, laughing. -</p> -<p> -And he began to play and chatter with Guillaume and his friends. -</p> -<p> -"Come," said De Beuvre, leading Bois-Doré aside, "let me into the -secret, for I am wholly in the dark. You are gulling us, my dear -neighbor! you did not engender that noble boy! He is too young for that. -Is he an adopted child?" -</p> -<p> -"He is my own nephew," Bois-Doré replied; "he is the son of my dear -Florimond, whom you also loved, my neighbor!" -</p> -<p> -And he told Mario's story before them all, producing the evidence in -support of its truth, but without mentioning the name of D'Alvimar or -Villareal, and without hinting that he had discovered his brother's -assassins. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXVI">XXXVI</a></h4> - -<p> -In face of the letters, the ring and the seal, it was impossible to -treat this romantic adventure as a fable. -</p> -<p> -Everybody showered attentions on pretty Mario, who, by his ingenuous -nature, his affectionate manner and his fearless glance, won every heart -spontaneously and irresistibly. -</p> -<p> -"So you are no longer betrothed to our old neighbor," said De Beuvre to -his daughter, leading her apart, "but to his brat; for that seems to be -the scheme he has in mind now." -</p> -<p> -"God grant it, father!" replied Lauriane, "and if he recurs to the -subject, I beg you to do as I shall,—pretend to assent to that -arrangement, which the dear man is quite capable of taking seriously." -</p> -<p> -"He took it seriously enough when he sued in his own behalf!" rejoined -De Beuvre. "The difference in age between you and this little fellow is -reckoned by years, whereas, between the marquis and you, it can properly -be reckoned by fourths of a century. No matter! I see that the dear man -has lost all idea of time with respect to other people as well as -himself; but here he comes; I am going to stir him up a little." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, being called upon by De Beuvre to explain, declared most -solemnly that he had but one word, and that, having pledged his liberty -and his faith to Lauriane, he considered himself her slave, unless she -gave him back his promise. -</p> -<p> -"I give it back to you, dear Celadon!" cried Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -But her father interposed. He chose to tease her also. -</p> -<p> -"No, no, my child; this concerns the honor of the family, and your -father is not in the habit of allowing himself to be hoodwinked! I see -plainly enough that your whimsical and imaginative Celadon has conceived -a paternal affection for this handsome nephew, and that he is quite -content to be a father without having to take the trouble to be a -husband. Moreover, I see that he has taken it into his head to bequeath -his property to him, without regard to his future children; that is -something which I will not permit, and which it is your duty to prevent -by calling upon him to redeem his plighted word." -</p> -<p> -Monsieur de Beuvre spoke with such a serious face that the marquis was -deceived for an instant. -</p> -<p> -"I can but believe," he thought, "that my good fortune rejuvenates me -much, and that my neighbor, who used to gird at me so, does not deem me -so venerable now. Where the devil did Adamas get the idea of suggesting -that step to me?" -</p> -<p> -Lauriane read his perplexity on his face and generously came to his -assistance. -</p> -<p> -"My honored father," she said, "this does not concern you, since our -dear marquis did not ask for my hand without my heart; so that, inasmuch -as my heart has not spoken, the marquis is free." -</p> -<p> -"Ta! ta! ta!" cried De Beuvre, "your heart speaks very loud, my child, -and it is easy to see, by your indulgence to the marquis, that it is of -him that it speaks!" -</p> -<p> -"Can it be true?" said Bois-Doré, faltering in his resolution; "if I -had that good fortune, nephew or no nephew, by my faith!——" -</p> -<p> -"No, marquis, no!" said Lauriane, determined to have done with her old -Celadon's dreamy projects. "My heart has spoken, it is true, but only a -moment ago, since I first saw your charming nephew. Destiny so willed, -because of my very great affection for you, which made it impossible for -me to have eyes except for someone of your family and someone who -resembles you. Therefore I am the one to break the bond between us and -declare myself unfaithful; but I do it without remorse, since he whom I -prefer to you is as dear to you as to myself. Let us say no more about -it then until Mario is old enough to entertain affection for me, if that -blessed day is destined to arrive. Meanwhile, I will try to be patient, -and we will remain friends." -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, enchanted by this conclusion, warmly kissed the amiable -Lauriane's hand; but at that moment a terrific fusillade made the -windows rattle and brought all the guests to their feet. They ran to the -windows. It was Adamas, making a terrific uproar with all the falconets, -arquebuses and pistols that his little arsenal contained. -</p> -<p> -At the same time they saw the marquis's vassals and all the people of -the village thronging into the courtyard, shouting as if they would -split their throats, in concert with all the retainers and servants of -the château: -</p> -<p> -"Vive monsieur le marquis! Vive monsieur le comte!" -</p> -<p> -The good people were acting in implicit obedience to an order issued by -Aristandre, having no idea what it was all about; but what they did know -was that they were never summoned to the château without receiving a -banquet or some form of bounty, and they came without urging. -</p> -<p> -The windows of the salon were thrown open that the guests might listen -to the harangue, in the form of a proclamation, which Adamas declaimed -to that numerous audience. -</p> -<p> -Standing on the well, which had been covered by his orders so that he -might indulge without peril in animated pantomime, the radiant Adamas -improvised the most dazzling bit of eloquence that his Gascon ingenuity -had ever produced, that his ringing voice, with its soft southern -inflection, had ever thrown to the echoes. His gesticulation was no less -extraordinary than his diction. -</p> -<p> -It is to be regretted that history has not preserved the exact language -of this masterpiece; it had the fate of all products of inspiration: it -flew away with the breath that had given birth to it. -</p> -<p> -However, it produced a great effect. The result of poor Monsieur -Florimond's tragic death caused many tears to flow; and, as Adamas wept -easily and was ingenuously moved by his own eloquence, he was listened -to with the closest attention, even from the windows of the salon. -</p> -<p> -The guests were amused by the pathetic outburst of joy with which he -proclaimed the recovery of Mario, but the rustic auditory did not -consider it overdone. The peasant understands gestures, not words, which -he does not take the trouble to listen to; that would be labor, and -labor of the mind seems to him contrary to nature. He listens with his -eyes. So they were enchanted with the peroration, and good judges -declared that Monsieur Adamas preached better than the rector of the -parish. -</p> -<p> -The discourse at an end, the marquis went down with his heir and his -guests, and Mario fascinated and won the hearts of the peasants by his -affable manners and his sweet speech. -</p> -<p> -Being instructed by his father to bid the whole village to a grand -festival on the following Sunday, he did it so naturally and in terms -indicating such perfect equality, that Guillaume and his friends, and -even the republican Monsieur de Beuvre, had to remember that the child -himself was fresh from the sheepfold, to avoid being shocked. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, detecting their feeling, deliberated whether he should not -recall Mario, who was going from group to group, allowing himself to be -kissed, and returning the caresses with great heartiness. -</p> -<p> -But an old woman, the patriarch of the village, hobbled to him on her -crutches, and said in a a quavering voice: -</p> -<p> -"Monseigneur, you are blessed by the good Lord for being gentle and kind -to the poor and infirm. You have made us forget your father who was a -harsh man—harsh to you as well as to others. Here is a child who will -be like you and will keep us from forgetting you!" -</p> -<p> -The marquis pressed the old woman's hands and allowed Mario to do the -same by everybody. He asked them to drink his son's health, and himself -toasted the parish, while Adamas continued to wake the echoes with his -artillery. -</p> -<p> -As the multitude departed, the marquis spied Monsieur Poulain, who was -watching the proceedings from a small shed, where he had taken up his -position as in a box at the play. He cut off his retreat by going to him -and inviting him to supper, at the same time reproaching him for the -infrequency of his visits. -</p> -<p> -The rector thanked him with equivocal courtesy, saying with feigned -embarrassment that his principles did not permit him to break bread with -<i>pretenders</i>. -</p> -<p> -In those days men were called <i>reformers</i> or <i>pretended -reformers</i>, according to the supposed earnestness of their religious -opinions. When a person said <i>pretenders</i> simply, he thereby -proclaimed for himself an orthodoxy which refused to admit the bare idea -of a possible reformation. -</p> -<p> -This contemptuous expression wounded the marquis, and, playing upon the -word, he replied that he had no fiancés in his house.<a id="FNanchor_23_1" href="FNanchor_23_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_1" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> -</p> -<p> -"I thought that Monsieur and Madame de Beuvre were affianced to the -errors of Geneva," retorted the rector, with a sneering smile. "Have -they procured a divorce from them, following the example of monsieur le -marquis?" -</p> -<p> -"Monsieur le recteur," said Bois-Doré, "this is no time to talk -theology, and I admit that I understand nothing about it. Once, twice, -will you join us, with or without heretics?" -</p> -<p> -"As I have told you, monsieur le marquis, with them, it is impossible." -</p> -<p> -"Very well, monsieur," retorted Bois-Doré, with a display of temper -which he could not control, "that is as you choose; but, on those days -when you do not deem me worthy to receive you in my house, you will, -perhaps, do well not to come to my house to tell me so; for, as you are -unwilling to enter, I am wondering why you came here, unless it was to -insult those who do me the honor of being my guests." -</p> -<p> -The rector was seeking what he called persecution; that is to say, he -wished to irritate the marquis so as to put him in the wrong as between -themselves. -</p> -<p> -"As monsieur le marquis admitted all the people of my family to a -merry-making," he replied, "I supposed that I was bidden like the rest. -Indeed, I had imagined that this charming child, whose recovery you are -celebrating, would need my ministry to be received into the bosom of the -Church—a ceremony whereby the rejoicings should have been inaugurated -perhaps." -</p> -<p> -"My child has been brought up by a true Christian and a true priest, -monsieur! He needs no reconciliation with God; and as to the Moorish -woman, concerning whom you esteem yourself so fully informed, let me -tell you that she is a better Christian than many people who pride -themselves on their piety. Let your mind be at rest, therefore, and come -to my house, I beg you, with an open countenance and no mental -reservations, or do not come at all. That is my advice to you." -</p> -<p> -"I propose to deal frankly with you, monsieur le marquis," replied the -rector, raising his voice. "Witness the fact that I ask you plainly -where Monsieur de Villareal is, and how it happens that I do not see him -among your guests." -</p> -<p> -This insidious and abrupt attack nearly unhorsed Bois-Doré. -</p> -<p> -Luckily Guillaume d'Ars, who approached him at that moment, heard the -question and took it upon himself to answer it. -</p> -<p> -"You ask for Monsieur de Villareal," he said, bowing to Monsieur -Poulain. "He left the château with me last evening." -</p> -<p> -"Pardon me," replied the rector, saluting Guillaume with more courtesy -than he displayed toward Bois-Doré. "Then I can address a letter to him -at your residence, monsieur le comte?" -</p> -<p> -"No, monsieur," replied Guillaume, annoyed by this persistence. "He is -not at my house to-day." -</p> -<p> -"But if he has gone temporarily only, you expect him to return this -evening, or to-morrow at latest, I presume?" -</p> -<p> -"I do not know what day he will return, monsieur; I am not accustomed to -question my guests. But come, marquis; they are calling for you in the -salon." -</p> -<p> -He led Bois-Doré away toward the De Beuvres, to cut short the -interrogatories of the rector, who withdrew with a strange smile and -threatening humility. -</p> -<p> -"You were speaking of Monsieur de Villareal," said De Beuvre to the -marquis; "I heard you mention his name. How does it happen that we do -not see him here? Is he ill?" -</p> -<p> -"He has gone," said Guillaume, who was much embarrassed and disturbed by -all these questions before numerous witnesses. -</p> -<p> -"Gone not to return?" inquired Lauriane. -</p> -<p> -"Not to return," replied Bois-Doré firmly. -</p> -<p> -"Well," said she, after a brief pause, "I am very glad of it." -</p> -<p> -"Did you not like him?" said the marquis, offering her his arm, while -Guillaume walked by her side. -</p> -<p> -"You will think me very foolish," replied the young woman, "but I will -make my confession none the less. I ask your pardon, Monsieur d'Ars, but -your friend frightened me." -</p> -<p> -"Frightened you?—That is strange; other people have said the same -thing to me about him! How was it that he frightened you, madame?" -</p> -<p> -"He bears a striking resemblance to a portrait at our house, which you -probably have never seen—in our little chapel! Have you seen it?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes!" cried Guillaume, as if struck by a sudden thought; "I know what -you mean. He did resemble it, on my word!" -</p> -<p> -"He <i>did</i> resemble it! You speak of your friend as if he were dead!" -</p> -<p> -Mario interrupted the conversation. Lauriane, who had already conceived -a warm affection for him, chose to take his arm to return in doors. -</p> -<p> -Guillaume and Bois-Doré were left alone for an instant, behind the -others. -</p> -<p> -"Ah! cousin," said the young man, "what an extremely unpleasant thing it -is to have to conceal a man's death, as if one had reason to blush for -some dastardly deed, when, on the contrary——" -</p> -<p> -"For my own part, I should prefer to have no concealment whatsoever," -the marquis replied. "It was you who urged me to this deception; but if -it is burdensome to you——" -</p> -<p> -"No, no! Your rector seems to have some suspicions. My D'Alvimar made a -great show of piety. The cassock would be on his side, and it is too -dangerous a game to play in this neighborhood. Let us continue to hold -our peace until the story of your brother's cowardly murder has -circulated thoroughly, and do you show the proofs of it to everybody, -without naming the culprits. Then, when you do name them, everybody will -be disposed to condemn them. But tell me, marquis, do you know whether -the wretched man's body——" -</p> -<p> -"Yes, Aristandre has inquired. The lay brother did his duty." -</p> -<p> -"But there was something about this D'Alvimar that I cannot understand, -cousin. A man so well-born, and whose manners were so refined!" -</p> -<p> -"The ambition of a courtier and Spanish poverty!" replied Bois-Doré. -"And furthermore, cousin, there is a philosophical paradox that has -often come to my mind: that we are all equal before God, and that he -sets no more store by a nobleman's soul than by a serf's. On that point, -it may be that the Calvinist doctrine is not far out of the way." -</p> -<p> -"By the way," rejoined Guillaume, "speaking of Calvinists, cousin, do -you know that the king's affairs are going badly over yonder, and that -he is having no success at all in taking Montauban? I learned at -Bourges, from some very well-informed persons, that on the first pretext -the siege would be raised, and that may change the whole political -status once more. Perhaps you were a little too hasty about abjuring!" -</p> -<p> -"Abjuring! abjuring!" echoed Bois-Doré, shaking his head; "I never -abjured anything. I reflect, I discuss matters with myself, and I take -one side or the other, according to the arguments that come to my mind. -In reality——" -</p> -<p> -"In reality, you are like me," laughed Guillaume; "you think of nothing -except being an honest man." -</p> -<p> -The supper, although the party was small, was served with extraordinary -magnificence. The hall was decorated with flowers and foliage entwined -with gold and silver ribbons; the most beautiful pieces of silverware -and porcelain were brought forth; the dishes and wines were most -exquisite. -</p> -<p> -Five or six of the most intimate friends and neighbors had arrived at -the last stroke of the bell; their coming was another surprise for the -marquis. Adamas had sent messengers all over the neighborhood. -</p> -<p> -There was no music during the banquet; they preferred to talk, for they -had so much to say to one another! Adamas contented himself with a -flourish of trumpets in the courtyard to announce each course. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane was seated opposite the marquis, with Mario at her right. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio was of the party; they had no reason to fear the evil intentions -of any guest. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_23_1" href="Footnote_23_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_1"><span class="label">[23]</span></a>The play upon words consisted in the fact that -<i>prétendus</i>, the word used by Monsieur Poulain, also, means <i>suitors</i>. -(Cf. the colloquial English phrase: his <i>intended</i>.)</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXVII">XXXVII</a></h4> - -<p> -Half an hour after they left the table, Adamas requested his master to -ascend with his guests to the Salle des Verdures, where a fresh surprise -was prepared. -</p> -<p> -It was an entertainment after the fashion then in vogue, carried out as -well as it was possible to do it on such brief notice and in so confined -a space. -</p> -<p> -The end of the room was fitted up as a stage, with rich carpets laid -upon trestles, bearing hangings for a frame, and natural foliage for -wings. -</p> -<p> -When they had taken their places, Lucilio played a beautiful piece by -way of overture, and Clindor the page appeared on the scene, in the -costume of a shepherd of romance. He sang divers pretty rustic couplets, -of Master Jovelin's composition; then he set about watching his flocks, -consisting of real lambs, well-washed and decked in ribbons, who behaved -exceedingly well on the stage. Fleurial the shepherd dog, also played -his part becomingly. -</p> -<p> -Soft, soporific music was played on the <i>sourdeline</i> to which the -shepherd fell asleep. -</p> -<p> -Thereupon a venerable old man came forward and searched the sleeper's -pockets and even the fleeces of the sheep with agonizing suspense. His -beard was so luxuriant, his white hair and eyebrows so bushy, that -nobody recognized him at first; but when he declaimed some lines of his -own composition to set forth the cause of his sorrow, they laughed -heartily as they recognized Adamas's Gascon accent. -</p> -<p> -That despairing old man was in pursuit of Destiny, which had stolen his -young master, his lord's beloved child. -</p> -<p> -The shepherd, suddenly awakened, asked him what he wanted. There was an -animated dialogue between them, wherein they repeated the same thing -many times, which, according to Adamas, had the advantage of forcing the -spectators to grasp what he called the <i>knot of the play</i>. -</p> -<p> -The shepherd assisted the old man in his search, and they were going -forward to attack a small fort among the branches at the back of the -stage, supposed to be in the distance, which was no other than that -formerly brought by the marquis <i>en croupe</i> from the château of -Sarzay, when a terrible giant, dressed in fantastic fashion, opposed their -progress. -</p> -<p> -This giant, enacted by Aristandre, expressed himself at first in an -unknown tongue. As he had declared that he was incapable of remembering -three words, Lucilio, who had consented to assist Adamas in staging his -work, had instructed the charioteer, in his rôle of giant, to use, at -random, any meaningless, incoherent syllables; it was enough that he -should have an awe-inspiring manner and an appalling voice. -</p> -<p> -Aristandre followed these instructions very well, but when Adamas -insulted and irritated him in the most stinging way, calling him -monster, ogre and wizard, the honest giant, not choosing to be outdone, -emitted such horrifying oaths in good Berrichon that they had to make -haste to kill him, to prevent him from shocking the audience. -</p> -<p> -This scene offended Fleurial, who was not brave, and who leaped over the -candle footlights to take refuge between his master's legs. -</p> -<p> -When the monstrous coachman was laid low by Adamas's trusty blade, the -little fort crumbled away as if by magic, and in its place a sibyl -appeared. -</p> -<p> -It was the Moor, to whom they had given some beautiful Oriental fabrics -in which she had arrayed herself with much taste and poetic beauty. -</p> -<p> -She was very lovely so, and was received with loud applause. -</p> -<p> -Poor woman! brought up in bondage and her spirit broken by persecution, -and thereafter happy with a thatched roof and the humblest employment, -under the protection of a poor priest, this was the first time in her -life that she had ever been richly clad, greeted affectionately by -wealthy people, and applauded for her grace and beauty without any -insulting hidden motive. -</p> -<p> -At first she did not understand; she was afraid and would have fled. But -Adamas opportunely made use of the five or six Spanish words he knew, to -encourage her under his breath and make her understand that she gave -pleasure to the audience. -</p> -<p> -Mercedes looked about for the one person who interested her most deeply, -and saw close beside her, in the wings, Lucilio the manager, also -applauding. -</p> -<p> -A flame darted from his black eyes; then, terrified by that gleam of -happiness, which she did not fully appreciate, she lowered her long -lashes until their velvety shadow fell upon her burning cheeks. She -seemed even more beautiful—why, no one could say—and the -applause burst forth anew. -</p> -<p> -When she had recovered her courage, she sang in Arabic; after which she -replied to Adamas's questions in a way that seemed not to satisfy him. -</p> -<p> -After a discussion in pantomime, accompanied by music, she promised the -child he sought, on condition that he should submit to the test of -fighting a horrible monster made of gilt paper, who came upon the stage, -bounding and vomiting flames. -</p> -<p> -The intrepid Adamas, determined to dare anything to bring back his -master's child to the fold, rushed to meet the dragon, and was on the -point of running him through with his invincible blade, when the -creature was rent in twain like an old glove, and the comely Mario -stepped forth, dressed as Cupid, that is to say, in pink and gold satin -embroidered with flowers, with a wreath of roses and feathers on his -head, bow in hand and quiver slung over his shoulder. -</p> -<p> -The transformation of a child into Cupid in a dragon's belly is not -readily discovered in Adamas's manuscript stage-directions; but it seems -that it was accepted as very pleasing, for that episode won the greatest -success. -</p> -<p> -Mario recited some complimentary lines in praise of his uncle and his -friends, and the sibyl predicted the loftiest destiny for him. She -produced from the bushes divers marvellous things: a horn of plenty -filled with flowers and bonbons, which the child tossed to the -spectators; then the portrait of the marquis, which the child kissed -with pious veneration; and, finally, two escutcheons of colored glass, -one with the arms of the Bourons de Noyer, the other with those of -Bois-Doré, united under a coronet from which ascended fireworks on a -small scale, in the shape of a sun. -</p> -<p> -Let us say a word in passing concerning this coat-of-arms of the -marquis. It was very interesting, because it was invented by Henry IV. -himself. -</p> -<p> -In heraldic language, it was thus described: "<i>Gules, a naked arm or, -coming from a cloud, holding a sword uppointed, accompanied, in chief, -by three hens diademed argent</i>;" that is to say, a deep red shield, in -the centre of which a right arm, coming forth from a cloud, held a sword -with the point in the air, pointed toward three hens wearing silver -crowns, placed above the said arm. -</p> -<p> -Around the crest was this motto: <i>All men are thus before me</i>. -</p> -<p> -If we remember how our good Sylvain was created a marquis, we shall -readily understand this emblem, which might have been considered -derisory, except for the corrective afforded by the motto, which might -be thus translated: "Before this arm there is no foe who does not -display the heart of a chicken." -</p> -<p> -The play was enthusiastically applauded. -</p> -<p> -The marquis wept tears of joy to see the charming manners of his son and -the zeal of old Adamas. -</p> -<p> -They ate sweetmeats, they fought for Mario's kisses, and they separated -at eleven o'clock, which was very late, according to the provincial -ideas in those days. -</p> -<p> -The next day there was a bird-hunt. Lauriane insisted that Mario should -be of the party. She lent him her white horse, which was gentle and -docile, while she courageously mounted Rosidor. The marquis did not lack -spare mounts. The sport was mild, as befitted those who were the heroes -of the day. Mario took so much pleasure in it that Lucilio feared that -the sudden excitement would be too much for that youthful brain, and -that it would make him ill or delirious. But the child proved that he -had an excellent mental organization: he was intensely amused by all -those novel experiences, and still he did not become over-excited; at -the slightest appeal to his reason he recovered his composure and obeyed -with angelic sweetness. His nerves were not overwrought, and he entered -into happiness as into a paradise of love and liberty of which he felt -that he was worthy. -</p> -<p> -The supper on this second day of rejoicing gathered other friends at -Briantes; on the following day occurred the fête given to the vassals, -a Pantagruelian banquet and dancing under the old walnut trees in the -enclosure. -</p> -<p> -A competition in arquebus shooting was organized by Guillaume d'Ars. -</p> -<p> -Mario suggested to the village urchins trials of skill in running and -sling-throwing, and obtained permission to resume, for the purposes of -that contest, his mountaineer's costume, in which he felt much more at -ease. -</p> -<p> -He displayed an agility and skill which filled his competitors with -admiration. No one could dream for an instant of disputing the prize -with him; so he modestly withdrew from the competition, in order that -the prize might be awarded equitably to some other. -</p> -<p> -The festivities were brought to a close by a ceremony at once artless -and ostentatious, and at bottom really touching. -</p> -<p> -In the centre of the labyrinth in the garden rose a little -thatch-covered structure in imitation of a cottage. -</p> -<p> -The marquis called it the <i>Palace of Astrée</i>. -</p> -<p> -They carried thither the coarse patched clothes which Mario wore when he -first entered the domain of his ancestors. They fashioned them into a -sort of rustic trophy, with the poor guitar which had been his -breadwinner on his journey, and hung the whole inside the cottage, with -garlands of foliage and a card, whereon were written, under date of that -memorable day, these simple words, selected and executed in his finest -script by Lucilio: "<i>Remember that thou wast poor once on a time</i>." -</p> -<p> -At the same time Mario was presented with a great basket containing -twelve new suits, which he had the pleasure of distributing to twelve -poor little boys grouped on the tiny stoop of the cottage. -</p> -<p> -Lastly, the marquis ordered placed in the chapel of the parish church a -small mausoleum in marble, dedicated to the memory of the kindly and -saintly Abbé Anjorrant. Lucilio made the drawing and composed the -inscription. -</p> -<p> -The guests separated and quiet reigned once more at the château of -Briantes. -</p> -<p> -The marquis thereupon began to think seriously of his son's education. -But if he had been left to himself, amid the preoccupations concerning -dress which filled so much space in his life, his heir might very well -have forgotten what Abbé Anjorrant had taught him, to acquire valuable -notions concerning the art of the tailor, bootmaker, armorer and -decorator. Luckily, Lucilio was there, and he was able to steal a few -hours every day from those trivial pursuits. -</p> -<p> -He too, the loving heart, grew to be ardently attached to his friend's -child, not only because of the friend, but also because of the child -himself, who, by virtue of his affectionate docility and the keenness of -his intellect, made the task of tutor, ordinarily so unpleasant and -wearing, most pleasurable. -</p> -<p> -And yet Lucilio's task was not an easy one. He felt that he had charge -of a soul, and of an infinitely pure and precious soul. He strove, first -of all, to protect that youthful conscience with a fortress of beliefs -and convictions against all the tempests of the future. The times they -lived in were so unsettled! -</p> -<p> -Certainly there was no lack of enlightenment or of most excellent -progressive ideas. It was the age of novelties, people said: detestable -novelties according to some, providential according to others. -Discussion was rife everywhere and among all classes; and then, just as -to-day and yesterday and always, vulgar minds believed that they had -discovered infallible truths. -</p> -<p> -But the world of intellect had lost its unity. Calm and impartial minds -sought justice, sometimes in one camp, sometimes in the other; and as in -both camps intolerance, error and cruelty were of common occurrence, -scepticism found its profit in folding its arms and asserting the -incurable blindness and weakness of the human race. -</p> -<p> -It was a period just subsequent to the bloody conflicts between the -Gomarists and Arminians. Arminius was no more; but Barneveldt had just -mounted the scaffold. Hugo Grotius had been sentenced to imprisonment -for life, and was meditating in prison his noble <i>Theory of the Law of -Nations</i>. The Reformers were widely at variance on the question of -predestination. Calvinism, with its appalling fatalistic doctrine, was -doomed in the consciences of right-minded men. The French Lutherans, -imitating Melancthon's return to the truth, and abandoning Luther's -deplorable doctrines concerning <i>free will</i>, now upheld divine justice -and human liberty. -</p> -<p> -But right-minded men are scarce at all periods. The Calvinist sect and -its fervent ministers protested in a large part of France against what -they called a return to the heresy of Rome. -</p> -<p> -The events that took place in our Southern provinces, the frenzied -meetings determining upon a resistance that had become anti-French, the -republican spirit, ill understood, seconding by obstinacy and ignorance -the deplorable projects of the Austro-Spanish policy, which aimed at -kindling civil war in France; the glorious but regrettable resistance at -Montauban; so much blood shed, so much heroism expended to perpetuate -the struggle which Rome and Austria found to their advantage, proved -plainly enough that the light of intelligence was behind a cloud, and -that no liberal mind could say to itself: "I will go into this church, I -will go into this army, and there I shall find unadulterated the best -social truths of my time." -</p> -<p> -It was not advisable therefore to pay too much heed to facts, and when -one was well-informed and intelligent, to believe in any special truth -above all those which were preached throughout the world, since the -sword, the halter, the stake, murder, rape and pillage were the methods -of conversion used by the opposing parties in dealing with one another. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio Giovellino reflected upon all these things and resolved to -proceed according to the Gospel as expounded by his own heart; for he -saw too clearly that that divine Book, in the hands of certain Catholics -and certain Protestants, might become and was becoming every day a code -of fatalism, a body of doctrine leading to brutalization and frenzy. -</p> -<p> -So he began to instruct Mario in philosophy, history, languages and the -natural sciences all at the same time, trying to deduce from them all -the logic and kindness of God. His method was clear and his explanations -concise. -</p> -<p> -Poor Lucilio had once been eloquent and had detested written speech; and -sometimes even now he suffered from being obliged to compress his -thought in a few words; but misfortune is always of some profit to the -elect. It happened that his disinclination to write long, and his -impatience to disclose his thought, compelled him and accustomed him to -summarize his ideas with marvellous clearness and force, and that the -child was nourished upon facts, without useless details and fatiguing -repetitions. -</p> -<p> -The lessons were surprisingly short, and carried with them to that young -mind a certainty of insight which was exceedingly rare at that time, and -for good reason. -</p> -<p> -Bois-Doré, for his part, albeit he directed his child's attention to -trivial and foolish things, kept him pure and good, by virtue of that -mysterious insufflation which takes place between one noble nature and -another, without volition or knowledge. -</p> -<p> -All children are naturally disposed to resist too precise instruction; -they follow more readily an instinct which leads them, having itself no -knowledge where it is going. -</p> -<p> -When the marquis was disturbed in his puerile occupations, to render a -service or give alms, he never displayed either vexation or weariness. -He would rise, listen, ask questions, encourage and act. -</p> -<p> -Although naturally indolent and easy-going, he was never bored by any -complaint, never lost patience with any poor old woman's loquacity. -Thus, while apparently devoting his life to trifles, he passed very few -moments in that placid, benevolent life without doing good or affording -pleasure to somebody. -</p> -<p> -Thus his day, always begun with fine projects of work for his -son—he gave the name of work to attention to the toilet and -instruction in good manners,—was passed without deciding upon -anything, without undertaking anything, and leaving everything to the -wise decisions of Adamas and the captivating caprices of the child. -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXVIII">XXXVIII</a></h4> - -<p> -Meanwhile, after the lapse of a few weeks, they had succeeded in -equipping Mario as a gentleman of quality, thanks to Adamas's untiring -zeal and the Moorish woman's clever wit, and the marquis had succeeded -in giving him some notions of horsemanship and fencing. -</p> -<p> -Moreover the old man and the child held mutually agreeable sessions -every morning for lessons in manners. The marquis would make his pupil -go in and out of the room ten times, to teach him how to enter -gracefully and courteously and how to retire modestly. -</p> -<p> -"You see, my dear count," he would say—that was the hour -at which they were supposed to address each other with graceful -formality,—"when a gentleman has crossed the threshold and -advanced three steps into an apartment, judgment has already been passed -upon him by such persons of merit or of quality as happen to be present. -It is most essential therefore that all of his own merit and quality -must appear in the carriage of his body and the expression of his face. -Until this day, you have been received with caresses and affectionate -familiarity, and have been relieved from the necessity of conforming to -social conventionalities of which you could know nothing; but this -indulgence will speedily cease, and if people see that you retain rustic -manners under such garments as these, they will blame your own -disposition or my indifference. So let us work, my dear count; let us -work seriously: let us repeat that last courtesy, which lacks -brilliancy, and try once more entering the room, which you did languidly -and without dignity." -</p> -<p> -Mario was entertained by this sort of instruction, which gave him an -opportunity to array himself in his finest clothes, look at himself in -the mirrors and stalk proudly across the room. He was so clever and so -graceful, that it cost him little trouble to learn that species of -majestic ballet, in the most minute details of which he was carefully -drilled, and his old father, who was much more of a child than he, knew -how to make the lesson amusing. It was a complete course in pantomime, -wherein the marquis, despite his years, was still an excellent -performer. -</p> -<p> -"Look you, my son," he would say, arranging his hair and his clothes in -a certain way, "this is the <i>matamora</i> style; look carefully at what I -do, in order that you may avoid doing it, unless in sport, and always -abstain from it in good society." -</p> -<p> -Thereupon he would represent a swaggering captain to the life, and Mario -would laugh until he rolled on the floor. For his own amusement he would -be permitted to enact the captain in his turn, and then it was the -marquis's turn to laugh until he fell back upon his chair exhausted; the -little fellow was such a clever, fascinating imp! -</p> -<p> -But we must return to the lesson. -</p> -<p> -Next the marquis would portray a loutish, dull, obtrusive boor, or a -sour, disagreeable pedant, or a sheepish simpleton; and as other actors -were needed to make the scene impressive, he would send for some members -of the household. They were fortunate when they could enlist Adamas and -Mercedes, who entered into the spirit of the thing with much zest and -cleverness. But Adamas was active and the Moor hardworking; they always -asked leave to go back to their work for Mario. -</p> -<p> -Then they would fall back upon Clindor, who was most willing, but was -built like a jumping-jack, and Bellinde, who was delighted to represent -a lady of quality, but who played that part in the most absurd and -laughable way. The marquis rallied her good-humoredly and called -attention to her absurdities, to enforce his precepts upon Mario, who -was much given to mockery and who made merry over the housekeeper's -foibles in a way to mortify her exceedingly. -</p> -<p> -She would go away in a rage, and Mario, laughing uproariously, and -forgetting that it was the hour for stately demeanor, would leap on the -marquis's knees, and kiss and fondle him; nor would the old man have the -courage to forbid him; for he too enjoyed it, nor was anything sweeter -to him than to have his child play with him as with a playmate of his -own age. -</p> -<p> -After dinner, they rode together. The marquis had procured for his heir -several of the prettiest jennets in the world, and he was an excellent -teacher. And so with fencing; but these exercises fatigued the old man -exceedingly, and he substituted other teachers, limiting his efforts to -directing them. -</p> -<p> -There was also a master in heraldry, who came twice each week. He bored -Mario considerably; but he made up his mind, with a resolution very rare -in a child, to object to nothing that his father imposed upon him so -gently. -</p> -<p> -He consoled himself for his studies in heraldry with his beautiful -little horses, his pretty little arquebuses, and Lucilio's lessons, -which attracted and interested him deeply. -</p> -<p> -He entertained for the mute a profound instinctive respect, whether -because his noble mind felt the superiority of so grand an intellect, or -because Mercedes's fervent veneration for Lucilio exerted a magnetic -influence upon him; for he remained in his heart the Moorish woman's -son, and, feeling that there existed a gentle jealousy between the -marquis and her on his account, he had the delicacy and the art to -devote himself equally to both, without arousing the apprehension of -those two childish hearts, at once generous and sensitive. -</p> -<p> -He had already served an apprenticeship in this matter of consideration -for his adopted mother, when they were living with Abbé Anjorrant; it -was not difficult for him to continue. -</p> -<p> -The study in which he took the most pleasure was that of music. -</p> -<p> -In that too, Lucilio was an admirable teacher. His delightful talent -charmed the child and plunged him into blissful reveries. But this task, -which would have absorbed all the rest, was thwarted to some extent by -the marquis, who considered that a gentleman should not study an art to -the point of becoming an artist, but should learn first what was called -the profession of arms, then a little of everything; "the best possible -subjects," he would say, "but not too much of anything; for a man who is -very learned in one subject disdains all others, and ceases to be -attractive." -</p> -<p> -Amid all these employments and amusements Mario grew to be the prettiest -boy imaginable. His complexion, naturally white, assumed a soft tone -like that of the inner petals of a flower, beneath the warm sun of -autumn in our provinces. His little hands, once rough and covered with -scratches, now gloved and cared for, became as soft as Lauriane's. His -magnificent chestnut hair was the pride and admiration of the -ex-wigmaker Adamas. -</p> -<p> -The marquis had wasted his efforts to teach him grace and charm of -manner by rules; he had retained his natural charm, and, as for the -graceful manners of a gentleman, he had acquired them instinctively on -the first day, when he put on the satin doublet. -</p> -<p> -So that the lessons in dancing which he received served only to develop -his physical organization, which was one of those which cannot be -destroyed. -</p> -<p> -As soon as his wardrobe was supplied, the marquis took him to pay visits -to all the neighbors within ten leagues. -</p> -<p> -The actual appearance of the child was a great event in the province, -for the jealous folk and the gossips had sneered about him at first as a -chimera and a shadow; but he assumed substance and reality every day. -</p> -<p> -When people saw him riding rapidly through the streets of La Châtre on -his little horse, escorted by Clindor and Aristandre, they began to -screw up their eyes and say to one another: -</p> -<p> -"So it was really true?" -</p> -<p> -They asked what his name was and what his name was to be. Would the -marquis, a man of quality, be content to have for his heir a petty -country squire? But had he the right to bequeath his title and his -<i>three hens diademed argent</i> to a Bouron? Would the present king -permit it? Was it not contrary to the laws and customs of the nobility? -</p> -<p> -A momentous question! -</p> -<p> -It was discussed for a fortnight, and then people ceased to discuss it; -for one soon wearies of subjects that require deep thought, and when -they saw the old marquis and the little count go out to dine with some -neighbor, both dressed exactly alike, whether in white <i>à la -paysanne</i>, or in sky blue trimmed with silver purl, or in apricot -satin with white feathers, or in <i>light green</i>, or in <i>peach -pink</i>, with ribbons interwoven with gold and silver, and both -reposing gracefully on the crimson cushions of the stately chariot, -drawn by their beautiful great horses as beplumed as themselves, and -followed by an escort of servants whom one might have taken for -noblemen, so well mounted and well armed they were, and resplendent with -gold lace, there was not a noble, bourgeois or villein, in town or -village, who did not jump to his feet, crying: -</p> -<p> -"Up! up! I hear the marquis's carriage coming! Come quickly and let us -see the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré ride by!" -</p> -<p> -While these things were taking place in the fortunate province of Berry, -the effervescence in the South of France was increasing in intensity. -</p> -<p> -About the 15th of November, there came reliable intelligence that the -king had been obliged to raise the siege of Montauban. -</p> -<p> -The young king was brave; he wept when he withdrew his forces. -</p> -<p> -Luynes, who had declared that he would subdue the party by corrupting -its leaders, had failed to seduce Rohan, the commanding-general in the -province and defender of the city. It was proved, unfortunately, that -that high-spirited nobleman was one of the rare exceptions, and that -Luynes's system was successful with the majority of the rebellious -nobles; but that system of <i>purchase</i> ruined France and debased the -nobility. -</p> -<p> -Louis XIII. was conscious of it at times, and found his efforts -neutralized by the incapacity and unworthiness of his favorite. -</p> -<p> -The army was inadequately supplied and poorly paid. The confusion was -scandalous; the king paid the wages of thirty thousand combatants, and -there was not an effective force of twelve thousand to take the field. -The officers were disheartened. Mayenne had been killed. The Spanish -Carmelite Domingo de Jesu-Maria, to whose sanctity and enthusiasm the -German fanatics attributed the victory of Prague, had prophesied in vain -under the walls of Montauban. -</p> -<p> -False miracles find fewer believers in France than elsewhere. The -Calvinists raised their heads, and in the early days of December -Monsieur de Bois-Doré received a visit from Monsieur de Beuvre, who was -in a state of intense excitement and said to him in confidence: -</p> -<p> -"I have come to consult you concerning a most important matter, my dear -neighbor. You know that, being closely allied to the Duc de Thouars, -head of the house of La Trémouille, to which I have the honor to -belong, I thought last spring of joining the people of La Rochelle. You -prevented me, assuring me that the duke would melt away like snow before -the king; and it happened as you predicted. But because my kinsman the -duke committed an error, it does not follow that I was justified in -doing the like, and I reproach myself for abandoning my cause, -especially at the moment when it is recovering strength." -</p> -<p> -"Evidently your tongue betrays you, neighbor," replied Bois-Doré -artlessly; "you mean that the cause is in great need of you; for, if you -hurry to its assistance because it has the upper hand, I do not see -wherein your merit lies." -</p> -<p> -"My dear marquis," replied De Beuvre, "you have always prided yourself -on your chivalrous notions; but I am a plain man, and I speak of things -as they are. You are rich, your fortune is made, your career is -finished; you can afford to philosophize. I, although I am not poor, -have lost much of my property through having played my hand badly in -these last years. I feel active still, and inaction is tedious to me. -And then I cannot endure the airs of superiority that the old Leaguers -assume here in our province. The mischief-making of the Jesuits drives -me frantic. Must I abjure, pray, if I wish to live in peace, like you?" -</p> -<p> -"Like me?" said the marquis, with a smile. -</p> -<p> -"I know that your abjuration did not make a great sensation," replied De -Beuvre; "but, however that may be, it is too early for me to do it; I -prefer to fight, and I have five or six years of activity and good -health to do it." -</p> -<p> -"But you are very stout, neighbor!" -</p> -<p> -"You think that I am growing stout, because you do not see yourself -getting thin, neighbor! It is you who are becoming hollower, not I more -corpulent." -</p> -<p> -"Very well! I understand your reasons for making this campaign. You -think that it will be successful; but you are mistaken. The leaders and -the troops, the bourgeois and the ministers, all fight gallantly on a -certain day; but on the following day, they separate; they abhor one -another, they insult one another and each goes his own way. The game has -been lost ever since Saint Bartholomew, and the King of the Huguenots -won it only by abandoning the cause. He chose to be a Frenchman first of -all; and this that you propose will be of advantage neither to France -nor to yourself." -</p> -<p> -De Beuvre could not endure contradiction. He persisted, and taunted the -marquis with his lack of religious principle, albeit he himself was the -most sceptical of men. -</p> -<p> -As he listened to him, Bois-Doré saw plainly that he was tempted by the -excellent terms which the king was compelled to grant the Calvinist -nobles, whenever the royal cause received a check. De Beuvre was not a -man to sell himself, like so many others, but to fight stubbornly, and, -if victorious, to take advantage without scruple of the opportunity to -be most exacting in his demands. -</p> -<p> -"Since your mind is made up," said the marquis gently, "you ought to -have told me so at once, instead of asking my advice. I have only one -other consideration to urge upon you. You propose to equip yourself and -take the best of your people with you for this campaign. Think of the -annoyance that may be caused your daughter if the Jesuits should take it -into their heads to call Monsieur de Condé's attention to your absence! -And be sure that they will not fail to do it, that the château of La -Motte-Seuilly will be occupied in the king's name by evil-minded men; -that your daughter will be exposed to insult——" -</p> -<p> -"I do not fear that," said De Beuvre. "I shall be supposed to be at -Orléans, where everyone knows that I have a law-suit. I will go thence, -quietly, toward Guyenne, where I will assume some old <i>nom de guerre</i>, -as the custom is, to protect my property and my family during my -absence; I will be Captain Chandelle or Captain La Paille, or -Captain—no matter what." -</p> -<p> -"All that is often done, I know," rejoined Bois-Doré, "but it doesn't -always succeed; I promise to defend your château as effectively as I -and my people can do it; but if I were not afraid of making an -indelicate suggestion, I would offer to take your Lauriane into my -family during your absence." -</p> -<p> -"Offer, offer, neighbor! I accept, nor do I see wherein the indelicacy -consists. There is no impropriety in a woman's being in any place where -her virtue or her good name are not in danger, and I am entirely unable -to see that my daughter runs the risk of losing her heart or her reason, -with you who might be her grandfather, your little one who is only a -school-boy, your philosopher whose tongue cannot offend, and your page -who looks like a monkey. So I will bring her to you to-morrow, and leave -her with you until my return, well-assured that she will be happy and -safe under your roof, and that you will be to her, as to me, the best of -friends and neighbors." -</p> -<p> -"You can rely upon it," replied Bois-Doré. "I will go to fetch her -myself. My chariot is large enough; she can put her most valuable -property in it, without letting the neighbors know too soon that she is -doing anything more than taking one of her ordinary excursions." -</p> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<h4><a id="XXXIX">XXXIX</a></h4> - -<p> -On the following morning Lauriane was installed at Briantes, in the -Salle des Verdures, which the ingenious Adamas soon converted into a -luxurious and comfortable apartment. -</p> -<p> -The Moor asked leave to wait upon the young lady, who inspired -confidence and sympathy in her, and Lauriane, who on her side had much -regard and liking for her, asked her to sleep in the closet adjoining -her enormous room. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane parted from her father most courageously. The noble-hearted -child, living herself on faith and enthusiasm, suspected no selfish -calculation on his part. She would have found it difficult to understand -what it meant to be guided in one's reasoning, doubts and decisions by -personal interest. She knew that her father was as brave as a lion and -that his quick temper and the pride of gentle birth made him frank and -outspoken; that was enough for her to make a hero of him. -</p> -<p> -He was conscious of the innocence and the noble instincts of that young -mind, and he would not have dared to lower himself in her esteem by -allowing her to discover how much more truly than she supposed he was the -<i>honest man</i> of his time; that is to say, the man who did as little -harm as possible, while taking care to keep his neck out of the collar. -</p> -<p> -The day of ideal virtues had passed: the world had entered "the brambles -of that shocking 17th century; an imposing desert, wherein moral and -material subsistence becomes more and more inadequate, wherein nature at -last ceases to support man; wherein the exhausted earth fails under -him."<a id="FNanchor_24_1" href="FNanchor_24_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_1" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> Men who had grown old in the struggles of the preceding -century were not the men to rejuvenate the new century. But the children -had courage; they always have when they are left to themselves! -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, moved to enthusiasm by the gallant conduct of the Rohans and -La Forces at Montauban, urged her father to go, believing that his only -thought was to uphold the honor of the cause, and that he, like herself, -had naught in view but to preserve, at the price of fortune, of life, if -need be, the dignity and liberty of conscience granted by Henri IV. -</p> -<p> -She did not shed a tear as she gave him the last kiss; she followed him -with her eyes along the road, as long as she could see him; and, when he -was out of sight, she returned to her room and fell to sobbing. -</p> -<p> -Mercedes, who was working in the closet, heard her and walked to the -door, but dared not approach. She regretted that she did not know her -language so that she could comfort her. -</p> -<p> -The maternal instinct was so strong within her that she could not see a -young heart suffer without suffering herself, and without a feeling that -she must go to its aid. She thought of going in search of Mario; it -seemed to her that no sorrow could hold out against the aspect and the -caresses of her beloved child. -</p> -<p> -Mario came softly in on tiptoe and stood close beside Lauriane without -betraying his presence. Lauriane was already his darling sister. She was -so kind to him, so playful, so anxious to amuse him when he passed the -day with her! -</p> -<p> -Seeing her weep, he was frightened; he believed, with everybody else, -that Monsieur de Beuvre was absent for a few days only. -</p> -<p> -He knelt on the edge of the cushion on which she had placed her feet, -and gazed at her speechless. At last he ventured to take her hands. -</p> -<p> -She started, looked up, and saw before her that angelic face, smiling at -her through tear-bedewed eyes. Touched by the child's sensibility, she -pressed him to her heart with the utmost warmth and kissed his lovely -hair. -</p> -<p> -"What is the matter, pray, my Lauriane?" he asked, emboldened by this -outburst. -</p> -<p> -"Why, my poor darling," she replied, "your Lauriane is grieved, as you -would be if your dear father the marquis should go away." -</p> -<p> -"But your papa will return soon; he told you so when he went." -</p> -<p> -"Alas! my Mario, who can say that he will return at all? When one is -travelling, you know——" -</p> -<p> -"Has he gone very far away?" -</p> -<p> -"No, but—Nay, nay, I will not make you unhappy. I must go out and -take the air. Will you come with me and find your dear father?" -</p> -<p> -"Yes," said Mario, "he is in the garden. Let us go. Would you like me to -go and get my white goat to amuse you with her capers?" -</p> -<p> -"We will go together to look for her; come!" -</p> -<p> -She went out leaning on his arm, not like a lady leaning on the arm of a -gallant, but like a mother, with her boy's arm passed through hers. -</p> -<p> -As they descended the stairs they found Mercedes, whose lovely eyes -rested caressingly on them as they passed. Lauriane, who could make -herself understood by signs, needed only to look at her to understand -her. She divined her loving solicitude and held out her hand, which -Mercedes would have kissed. But Lauriane would not permit it, and kissed -her on both cheeks. -</p> -<p> -Never before had a Christian kissed the Moor, although she was herself a -Christian. Bellinde would have considered that she disgraced herself by -bestowing the slightest caress upon her, and, deeming her a heathen, she -even objected to eating in her company. -</p> -<p> -The noble-hearted little dame's fascinating cordiality was therefore one -of the greatest joys in that poor creature's life, and, from that -moment, she almost divided her affection between her and Mario. -</p> -<p> -She had always refused to try to learn a word of French, even striving -to forget the little Spanish that she knew, having an exaggerated fear -of forgetting the language of her fathers, as she had sometimes found -that it was forgotten by Moors isolated from their countrymen in foreign -lands, to whom she had not been able to make herself intelligible. -Hitherto it had been sufficient for her to be able to speak with the -learned Abbé Anjorrant, with Mario, and of late with Lucilio. But the -longing to talk with Lauriane and the kind-hearted marquis caused her to -overcome her repugnance. Indeed, she felt that it was her duty to -acquire the language of those affectionate people, who treated her as a -member of their race and their family. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane undertook to act as her teacher, and in a short time they were -able to understand each other. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane soon found herself very happy at Briantes, and, if it had not -been for the absence of her father, from whom, however, she soon -received good news, she would have been happier than she had ever been -in her life. -</p> -<p> -At La Motte-Seuilly she was almost always alone, as the robust De Beuvre -hunted in all weathers, loving to tire himself out; and, despite his -affection for her, he neglected the innumerable little delicate -attentions, the ingenious indulgences which the marquis placed at the -service of women and children. -</p> -<p> -Brought up somewhat sternly, she had had to resign herself to be a -little stern to herself, especially as the idea of a long widowhood had -presented itself to her mind as a result of the environment and the -circumstances in which her lot was cast. There had been moments when, -although she was not as yet conscious of a desire to lean upon a heart -not far removed in age from her own, she had felt that her own courage -bruised her, like a suit of armor that was too heavy for her slender -limbs. She had hardened herself by outbursts of piety and of resolution; -she had already almost succeeded in forcing herself to laugh when she -longed to weep; but nature resumed its rights. -</p> -<p> -When alone, she often wept in spite of herself, involuntarily yearning -for companionship, affection, a mother, a sister, a brother, a smile, a -pleasant word which would assist her to breathe and bloom in a softer -air than that of the chilling gloom of her old manor-house, the -depressing memory of the Borgias, and the political harangues of her -satirical and discontented father. -</p> -<p> -Thus a rapid transformation took place in her at Briantes. She became -what she longed to be, what she could not have ceased to be except for a -painful straining of her will, and what nature willed that she should be -once more: a child. -</p> -<p> -The marquis, having joyously cast aside the thought of making her his -wife, resolutely treated her as his daughter, taking pleasure in the -idea that she was so young that he could readily, without making himself -out too old, look upon her as Mario's older sister. -</p> -<p> -Moreover it happened that his extraordinary coquetry was even better -served by two children than by a single one. Those youthful companions, -whose delicate colors he loved to wear, and whose innocent amusements he -loved to partake, made him younger in his own opinion, to such a degree -that he sometimes persuaded himself that he was a mere boy. -</p> -<p> -"There are people who grow old, you see," he would say to Adamas; "I am -not one of that sort, for I enjoy myself only with innocent youth. I -tell you, my friend, I have returned to my golden age, and my ideas are -as pure and joyous as those of the little sweetheart and cherub yonder." -</p> -<p> -Thus Lauriane, Mario and the marquis became inseparable, and their days -passed in a constant succession of amusements interspersed with earnest -study and good deeds. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane had had no education at all. She knew nothing. She desired to -attend the lessons Jovelin gave Mario in the large salon. She would -listen, embroidering the marquis's crest upon a piece of tapestry; and -when Mario had read or recited his lesson, he would place Lucilio's -written demonstrations on her lap and read them over with her. Lauriane -was amazed to find how readily she understood things that she had -believed to be beyond a woman's intelligence. -</p> -<p> -She enjoyed the music lesson exceedingly, and sometimes played the -theorbo prettily while the Moor sang her sweet laments. -</p> -<p> -The marquis would lie stretched out in his long chair throughout these -little concerts, gazing at the characters on the <i>Astrée</i> tapestry, -and would doze beatifically, fancying that he saw them move or heard them -sing. -</p> -<p> -Lucilio too had his share in this family happiness, which caused him to -forget to some extent the solitude of his heart and his ghastly future. -</p> -<p> -The stern yet simple-minded philosopher was not yet too old to love; but -he thought that he ought not to aspire to it, and, after having felt its -ardent flames more than once, he feared that he might fall into some -mere sensual connection, in which his heart would not be included. He -resigned himself therefore to live by devotion to others and to abandon -all illusions finally and absolutely. -</p> -<p> -He who had endured imprisonment, exile and poverty, and had undergone -martyrdom, appealed to himself to conquer the craving for happiness as -he had conquered all the rest, and he always emerged tranquillized and -triumphant from these meditations; but triumphant as one is after the -torture: a blending of feverish excitement and prostration, on one side -the heart, on the other the body; a life whose equilibrium is destroyed -and in which the mind can no longer tell in what sort of a world it is. -</p> -<p> -And yet Lucilio exaggerated his misfortune to himself. He was beloved, -not by a mind of rare intelligence—that is what he needed, at least -he thought so, to reconcile himself to his tragic destiny—but by a -heart. -</p> -<p> -Before his learning and his genius, Mercedes was like a rose before the -sun. She drank in its rays without understanding them; but she was -enamored of his gentleness, his courage and his virtue, and her loving -heart was prostrate before him. She did not resist the sentiment, but -cherished it as a religious duty; she said nothing, however, because she -had more fear than hope. -</p> -<p> -We must not forget to mention in its place a little domestic revolution -that occurred at the château of Briantes a few days after Monsieur de -Beuvre's departure; for the importance of this seemingly trivial -incident became grievously manifest later to the too happy inmates of -the château. -</p> -<p> -Although the younger of the beaux messieurs de Bois-Doré was not always -the more child-like, Mario sometimes displayed a mischievous tendency, -especially when, as Adamas expressed it, "he and the little madame had -had their heads together." He was too kind-hearted and affectionate ever -to torment animals or human beings; he never had occasion to reproach -himself for pulling Fleurial's ear or addressing an unpleasant word to -Clindor; but inanimate things did not always inspire in him the respect -that certain of them inspired in the marquis. Of this number were the -little statues from the romance of <i>Astrée</i>, which embellished the -gardens of <i>Isaure</i> and the famous labyrinth, and the den of old -Mandrague, by which he had been much entertained at first, but which -gradually began to pall upon him as playthings too utterly devoid of -life. -</p> -<p> -One day, when he was trying a great wooden sabre which Aristandre had -carved for him, he pretended to threaten with it one of the stucco -personages representing the disguised Filandre, that is to say the -<i>pretended</i> Filandre, because, as everyone knows, resembling his -sister Callirée so closely that it was impossible to distinguish them, he -donned female clothes in order to obtain admission to the private -apartments of the nymph he loved. -</p> -<p> -The shepherd was represented in that female disguise, and the artist -employed to mould the figures, trusting to the explicitly alleged -resemblance of the brother and sister, had ventured to spare his -imagination some labor by employing the same model for the two figures -facing each other, with those of Amidor, Daphnis, etc., in the -<i>rond-point</i> of verdure, called the <i>grove of the errors of -love</i>. -</p> -<p> -So, to distinguish the brother from the sister, the marquis had written -on the pedestal of the brother a fragment of the long monologue which -begins thus: "O vainglorious Filandre, who can ever pardon thy fault, -etc.?" -</p> -<p> -That crafty individual's face was so stupid, that Mario, while not -precisely hating him, loved to laugh at him and threaten him. He had -previously dealt him several harmless blows; but on this day, seeing -that the challenge he hurled at him amused Lauriane, he aimed a -sword-thrust at him with more force than he intended, and sent poor -Filandre's nose flying to the ground. -</p> -<p> -The exploit was no sooner performed than the child regretted it. His -father was as fond of Filandre as of the other shepherds. -</p> -<p> -Lauriane, after much searching, found the unfortunate nose in the grass, -and Mario, climbing on the pedestal, stuck it on as well as he could -with clay. But it was frosty weather and the next morning the nose was -on the ground. They stuck it on again; but the disguised Filandre was -such an idiot that he could not keep his nose, and at last the marquis -passed by at a time when he was without it. -</p> -<p> -Mario confessed; kind-hearted Sylvain saw his remorse and did not scold -him. But the next day not only was Filandre minus his nose, but his -sister Callirée; and on the next day Filidas and the incomparable Diane -herself were in the same plight. -</p> -<p> -This time Bois-Doré was seriously distressed and sorrowfully reproved -his child, who began to weep bitterly, declaring with evident sincerity -that he had never in his life broken off any other nose than the -vainglorious Filandre's. Lauriane also asserted her young friend's -innocence. -</p> -<p> -"I believe you, my children, I believe you," said the marquis, dismayed -by Mario's tears. "But why this grief, my son, since you are not the -culprit? Come, come, do not weep any more. I blamed you too hastily; do -not punish me for it by your tears." -</p> -<p> -They embraced affectionately, but this massacre of noses was most -surprising, and Lauriane observed to the marquis that some crafty and -evil disposed person must have done it for the purpose of making Mario -guilty in his eyes. -</p> -<p> -"That is certain," replied the marquis, thoughtfully. "It is one of the -vilest deeds imaginable, and I would like right well to find the author -of it and condemn him to lose his own nose! I would give him a good -fright, on my word!" -</p> -<p> -However, they tried to look upon it as nothing more than a piece of -childish folly, and suspicion fell upon the youngest person in the -château next to Mario. But Clindor displayed such righteous indignation -that the marquis had to apologize to him too. -</p> -<p> -On the following day, two or three more noses were missing, and the -indignant Adamas caused a guard to be stationed day and night in the -garden. -</p> -<p> -The vandalism ceased, and honest Lucilio, touched by Bois-Doré's -distress, compounded an Italian paste by means of which, with much -patience, he neatly replaced all the noses. -</p> -<p> -But who could be the perpetrator of the crime? Adamas suspected; but the -marquis, refusing to believe that anyone in his household was capable of -such infamous conduct, attributed it to some agent of Monsieur Poulain. -</p> -<p> -"That hypocrite," he said, "considering us all heathens and idolaters, -probably imagined that we worshipped those statues! And yet, Adamas, -they are all modest and decently dressed, as it is fitting that they -should be in a place where our children go to and fro." -</p> -<p> -"I would say with you that it is some villain who very evidently -entertains the detestable desire to cause monsieur le comte to be -scolded. Now, everybody here would lay down his life for him, they all -love him so, except one detestable creature——" -</p> -<p> -"No, no, Adamas!" rejoined the generous-hearted marquis. "It is -impossible! It would be too hateful on the part of one of the fair sex." -</p> -<p> -They were beginning to forget this momentous affair when something even -more unpleasant occurred. -</p> - -<p><br></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="nind"><a id="Footnote_24_1" href="Footnote_24_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_1"><span class="label">[24]</span></a>Michelet, unpublished letter.</p></div> - -<p><br><br><br></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LES BEAUX MESSIEURS DE BOIS-DORÉ VOL. 01 (OF 2) ***</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. 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