La Dame de Monsoreau (15 page)

" A woman's ! " cried Bussy.

" Oh, don't jump at conclusions, if you please, monsieur ; although I am but a rustic, I am sure it was the voice of a servant. I ought to know what 's what in that regard, for I am a good deal more familiar with the voices of the maids than of their mistresses."

" And what did you do next ? "

" I rose and opened, the door, but scarcely was I on the landing when two little hands, not very soft, and not very hard, either, tied a bandage over my eyes."

" Without saying anything ? " inquired Bussy.

" Well, no ; she said:' Come along ; do not try to see where you are going; be discreet; here is your fee.' "

" And this fee was "

A purse filled with pistoles which she thrust into my hand."

" Ha ! and what was your answer ? "

" That I was ready to follow my charming guide. I did not know whether she was charming or not, but I thought the epithet, though it might be a little exaggerated, could do no harm."

" And you followed without making any observation or requiring any guarantee ? "

" I have often read of this sort of thing in books, and noticed that it always produced agreeable results for the physician. I followed on, therefore, as I have had the honor of telling you ; the path by which I was conducted was very hard ; it was freezing, and, I counted four hundred, four hundred and fifty, five hundred, and, finally, five hundred and two steps."

"You did well," said Bussy; "it was prudent; you must have been then at the door ? "

" I cannot have been far from it, since I have now counted up to four hundred and ninety-nine paces ; unless that artful jade, and I suspect her of the foul deed, made me take a roundabout course."

" Yes, but even though she were shrewd enough to think of such a thing," said Bussy, " she must, or else the very devil ? s in it, have given some indication — uttered some name ? "

" She did not."

" But you must have noticed something yourself."

" I noticed all that a person can notice who is forced to substitute his fingers for his eyes ; that is to say, a door with nails ; behind the door, an alley ; at the end of the alley, a staircase."

"On the left?"

" Yes. I even counted the steps."

" How many ? "

"Twelve."

" And then ? "

" A corridor, I believe ; for three doors were opened by some one or other."

" Go on."

" Next I heard a voice. Ah, there was no doubt this time ! — it was the voice of a lady, soft and sweet."

" Yes, yes, it was hers."

" Undoubtedly, it was hers."

" I a'm sure of it."

" Well, it ? s something gained to be sure of something. Then I was shoved into the room where you were lying, and I was told to take off the bandage from my eyes."

" I remember."

" Then I noticed you."

"Where was I?"

" Lying on a bed."

" A bed of white damask, embroidered with flowers in gold?"

" Yes."

" In a room hung with tapestry ? "

" Exactly."

"With a painted ceiling?"

" You 're right again; in addition, there was .between two windows " —

" A portrait ? "

" Why, your accuracy surprises me."

" Representing a young woman of about eighteen or twenty ? "

" Yes."

" Blonde ? "

" Quite correct."

" Beautiful as an angel ? "

"Far more so."

" Bravo ! What did you do next ? "

" I dressed your wound."

" And very well you dressed it, too, by my faith."

" As well as I could."

" Oh, you did it admirably, my dear monsieur, admirably. This morning the wound was quite healthy-looking, nearly healed."

" That is due to a salve I have composed, which is, in my opinion, marvellously effective, for, as I have not been able to try experiments on others, I have often tried them on myself; I have made holes in several places in my skin, and, I give you my good word, these wounds always healed in a couple of days."

" My dear Monsieur Remy, you are delightful, and I have already got to like you very much. But tell us what occurred after."

" Occurred after ? You fainted again. The voice asked about you."

" Where was she when she did so ? "

" In the room next yours."

" So that you did not see her ? ?;

" No, I did not see her."

" But you answered ? "

" That the wound was not dangerous, and would disappear in twenty-four hours."

" Did she seem pleased ? "

" Delighted ; since she exclaimed, t Oh, thank God. How happy it makes me ! ' :

" She said, < How happy it makes me ' ? My dear M. Remy, I will make your fortune. What next ? "

" Next, all was ended. I had dressed your wound and had nothing further to do there ; then the voice said to me:

" The voice knew your name ? "

" Apparently ; I suppose some report of the stab I had treated previously, and which I have told you about, had reached there."

" Of course. So the voice said : t M. Remy J " —

" ' Be a man of honor to the end ; do not compromise a poor woman who has yielded to a sentiment of humanity : replace your bandage, without attempting to practise any trickery on your guide on your return.' r '

" You promised ? "

" I pledged my word."

" And you kept it ? "

"Why, that is evident," said the young man, naively, " since I am searching for the door."

" Well," said Bussy, " your behavior is splendid, chivalrous ; and, although I am sorry for it at bottom, shake hands, Monsieur Remy."

And Bussy, full of enthusiasm, tendered his hand to the young doctor.

" Monsieur ! " said Remy, embarrassed.

" Shake hands, I say ; you deserve to be a gentleman."

" Monsieur," said Remy, " it would redound to my eternal glory to shake hands with the 'valiant Bussy d'Amboise, but meanwhile I have a scruple."

« What is it ? "

" There are ten pistoles in the purse."

« Well ? "

" It is too much for a man who is glad to get a fee of five sous for a visit, when he gets anything at all ; and I was searching for the house "

" To return the purse ? "

"Of course."

" Too much delicacy, my dear Monsieur Remy, I assure you ; you have earned this money honorably, and it belongs to you."

" You think so ? " said Remy, much relieved.

" I am as certain as any one could be; besides, it is not the lady who is in your debt, for I am not acquainted with her, nor is she with me."

" There! you see well that I am bound to restore it for a better reason still."

" Oh, I meant only that I, too, was in your debt."

" You in my debt ? "

" Yes, and I will discharge it. What are you doing in Paris ? Come, now, make a clean breast of it, my dear Monsieur Remy, — give me your confidence."

" What am I doing at Paris ? Nothing at all, M. le Comte ; but I could do something if I had patients."

" Well, as good luck would have it, you have come just in time. What would you say to me for a patient ? You can never meet with a better one. Not a day passes that I do not cripple the finest handiwork of the Creator or that the finest handiwork of the Creator does not cripple me. Come, now, will you undertake the task of mending the holes I make in others and that others make in me ? "

" Ah, M. le Comte, I am too insignificant to " —

" Quite the contrary. Devil take me if you are n't the very man I want! You have a hand as light as a woman's, and that, with your salve " —

" Monsieur!"

" You must live with me ; you will have your own apartments and your own servants. I pledge you my word, if you do not accept you will break my heart. Besides, your task is not ended. My wound requires a little more tending, my dear Monsieur Remy."

" M. le Comte," replied the young doctor, " I am so enchanted that I do not know how to express my delight. I will work ; I shall have patients ! "

" Why, no ; don't I tell you I want you for myself alone ? — including my friends, of course. And now, do you remember anything else ? "

" Nothing."

"Then, help me to find my way,.that is, if you possibly can."

" But how ? "

" Let us see — you are observant: you count steps, feel along walls, notice voices. Now, how is it that, after I had

gone through your hands, I suddenly found myself carried from this house and dumped on one of the slopes of the ditches of the Temple ? " .

« You ? "

" Yes — I — Had you anything to do with that transportation ? "

" No; on the pontrary I should have opposed it, had I been consulted. The cold might have done you serious injury."

" Then I am completely at sea," said Bussy. " Would you mind -searching a little longer with me." •

" Whatever you wish, monsieur, I wish ; but I am afraid it would be very useless; all those houses are alike."

" As you like," returned Bussy. " We must only hope to have better luck during the daytime."

" Yes, but then we shall be seen."

" Well, then, we must make inquiries."

" We shall do so, monsieur."

" And we '11 succeed. Believe me, Remy, now that we have something real to go upon and that there are two of us at work, we '11 succeed."

CHAPTER XI.

THE KIND OF MAN M. BRYAN DE MONSOREAU, THE GRAND HUNTSMAN, WAS.

IT was not joy, it was almost delirium that agitated Bussy, when he had acquired the certainty that the woman of his dream was a reality, and that this same woman had bestowed on him the generous hospitality the vague remembrance of which was kept by him deep down in his heart.

Consequently he would not release the young doctor, whom he had just elevated to the position of his physician in ordinary. Dirty as he was, Remy had to get into Bussy's litter. The count was afraid, if he lost sight of him for a moment, the young doctor might disappear like another vision; he determined to bring him to the Hotel de Bussy, put him under lock and key for the night, and see on the next day whether he should restore him to liberty or not.

During the entire journey he bombarded him with question after question j but the answers turned in tlte same limited

circle we have just traced. Remy le Haudouin knew very little more than Bussy, except that, having .been awake all the time, he was quite certain he had not dreamed.

But for the man who is beginning to fall in love — and that such was the case with Bussy was apparent at a glance — it is even a pleasure to have some one near with whom he can talk of the object of his affections. Remy, it is true, had not seen the woman ; but that was really a merit in Bussy's eyes, as he had the better chance of convincing him how superior she was to h*r portrait.

Bussy would have liked to talk the whole night about this unknown lady, but Remy entered on his functions as doctor at once and insisted on the wounded man sleeping, or, at least, going to bed; fatigue and pain gave the same counsel to our tine gentleman, and these three forces together carried the day.

But before he did so, he took care to install his new guest in the three rooms on the third story of the Hotel Bussy which had formerly been occupied by himself. Then, being quite confident that the young physician, satisfied with his new lodgings and with the good fortune bestowed on him by Providence, would not slip away clandestinely from the mansion, he descended to the splendid apartment he slept in himself on the first floor.

When he awoke the next morning he found Remy standing by his bedside. The young doctor had passed the whole night in doubting of the reality of the good fortune that had dropped on him from the skies, and he longed for Bussy to awake, to find out whether he, like the count, had not dreamed, too.

« Well," asked Remy, « how do you feel ? "

" Could n't feel better, my dear JEsculapius ; and I hope you find yourself comfortable, also."

" So comfortable, my worthy protector, that I would not change places with King Henri, though he must have got over a good deal of ground yesterday on the road to heaven. But that is not the question. Will you let me see the wound ? "

" Here it is."

And Bussy turned on his side to allow the young man to take off the bandage.

The wound was progressing most favorably ; in fact, was nearly healed. • Bussy was happy, had slept well, and, sleep

and happiness having come to the aid of the surgeon, the latter had almost nothing to do further.

k - \Vell," asked Bussy, "what do you say now, Master Am-broise Pare ? "

"I say that I hardly venture to confess you are nearly cured, for fear you might send me back to the Rue Beautreillis, five hundred and two paces from the famous house."

" Which we are sure to find again, are we not, Remy ? "

" I have no doubt of it."

"Well, my dear fellow," said Bussy, warmly shaking his hand, " we '11 go there together."

" Monsieur," returned Remy, with tears in his eyes, " you treat me as your equal."

" I do so because I love you. Does that annoy you ? "

" On the contrary," cried the young man, seizing Bussy's hand and kissing it; " on the contrary, I was afraid I had not heard aright. Oh, Monseigiieur de Bussy, you will make me go wild with joy !"

" Why, not at all. All I ask is that you love me a little in your turn, regard this house as your home, and allow me to go with the court and witness the presentation of the estortuaire l by the grand huntsman."

" Ah," said Remy, " so now we are ready for fresh follies."