La Dame de Monsoreau (21 page)

" < If these windows had no gratings ' - - I interrupted.

<(f Yes, and if madame had courage ' —

" < Courage !' I cried; ( oh, rest easy, I '11 have plenty of it, my child.'

" It was now Gertrude's turn to warn me to be silent.

" ' Yes, yes, I understand,' said I.

" Gertrude made me a sign to stay where I was, and returned to the bed-chamber with the cadelabrum.

" I had known already her meaning, and I went to the window and felt for the fastenings of the shutters.

« I found them, or rather Gertrude did, and the shutters opened.

" I uttered an exclamation of joy; the window was not grated.

" But Gertrude had already noticed the cause of this seeming negligence of our jailers ; a large pond bathed the foot of the wall; we were much better guarded by ten feet of water than we certainly could have been by grating on our windows.

" However, on raising my eyes from the pond to the bank that enclosed it, I recognized a landscape that was familiar to me: we were prisoners in the Castle of Beauge, where, as I have said before, I had often come with my father, and where I had been carried the day of my poor Daphne's death.

" The Castle of Beauge belonged to the Due d'Anjou.

" Then, as if a lightning flash had illumined my mind, I understood everything.

" I gazed down into the water with gloomy satisfaction : it would be a last resource against violence, a last refuge from dishonor.

" Twenty times during that night did I start up, a prey to unspeakable terrors ; but nothing justified these terrors except the situation in which I was placed; nothing indicated that any one intended me harm; on the contrary, the whole castle seemed sunk in sleep, and only the cries of the birds in the marshes disturbed the silence of the night.

" Daylight appeared, but though it dispelled the menacing aspect which darkness lends to the landscape, it but confirmed me in my fears during the night; flight was impossible without external aid, and where could such aid come from ?

" About nine there was a knock at our door; I passed into the room of Gertrude, telling her she might allow the persons who knocked to enter.

" Those who knocked, as I could see from the closet, were the servants of the night before ; they removed the supper, which we had not touched, and brought in breakfast.

" Gertrude asked a few questions, but they passed out leaving them unanswered.

" Then I returned. The reason of my presence in the Castle of Beauge and of the pretended respect by which I was surrounded was explained. The Due d'Anjou had seen me at the

festival given by M. de Monsoreau; the Due d'Anjou had fallen in love with me ; my father, on learning of it, wished to save me from the pursuit of which I was doubtless to be the object. He had removed me from Meridor ; but, betrayed by a treacherous servant, or by an unfortunate accident, he had failed, and I had fallen into the hands of the man from whom he had vainly tried to deliver me.

" I dwelt upon this explanation, the only one that was probable, and, in fact, the only one that was true.

" Yielding to the entreaties of Gertrude, I drank a cup of milk and ate a bit of bread.

" The morning passed in the discussion of wild plans of escape. About a hundred yards from us we could see a boat among the reeds with its oars ; assuredly, if that boat had been within reach of us, my strength, intensified by my terror, would have sufficed, along with the natural strength of Gertrude, to extricate us from our captivity.

" During this morning nothing occurred to alarm us. Dinner was served just as breakfast had been ; I could hardly stand, I felt so weak. I sat down at table, waited on only by Gertrude, for our guardians retired as soon as they had placed the food on the table. But, just when I broke my loaf, I found a note inside of it. I opened it hurriedly ; it contained but these few words :

" ( A friend is watching over you ; you shall have news of him to-morrow, and of your father.'

" You can understand my joy; my heart beat as if it would burst through my breast. I showed Gertrude the note. The rest of the day was spent in waiting and hoping.

" The second night slipped by as quietly as the first; then came the hour of breakfast, for which we had watched so impatiently ; for I was sure I should find another note in my loaf.

" I was not mistaken. The note was in these terms :

" ' The person who carried you off is coming to the Castle of Beauge at ten o'clock to-night; but at nine, the friend who is watching over you will be under your window with a letter from your father, which will inspire you with that confidence in him which, perhaps, you might not otherwise feel.

" ' Burn this note.'

"I read this letter a second time and then threw it into the fire as I had been warned to do. The writing was completely

unknown to me, and I confess I was ignorant where it came from.

" Gertrude and I were lost in conjectures ; we went to the window during the morning at least a hundred times in hope of seeing some one on the shore of the pond or in the depths of the forest; but we saw nothing.

" An hour after dinner some (hie knocked at the door; it was the first time any one had attempted to come into our room except at meal-time; however, as we had no means of locking ourselves in, we were forced to tell the person he might enter.

" It was the same man who had spoken to us at the litter and in the courtyard of the castle. I could not recognize him by his face, for he was masked at the time; but, at the first words he uttered, I recognized him by his voice.

>t( He presented a letter.

" < Whom do you come from, monsieur ? ' I asked.

" ( Have the goodness to read this letter, mademoiselle/ said he, ' and you will see.'

" l But I will not read the letter until I know from whom it comes.'

" ( Mademoiselle, you are your own mistress. My orders were to hand you this letter. I shall lay it at your feet, and, if you deign to pick it up, you can do so.'

" And the servant, who was apparently an equerry, to make good his words, placed the letter on the cushion upon which I rested my feet, and passed out.

" ' What is to be done ? ' I asked Gertrude.

" ' The advice I should take the liberty of offering, mademoiselle, would be to open this letter. It may warn us against some peril, and we may be the better prepared to escape it.'

" The advice was reasonable ; I abandoned my first intention, and opened the letter."

At this point Diane paused, rose up, opened a little piece of furniture to which we still give its Italian name of stippo, and took a letter from a portfolio.

Bussy looked hastily at the address.

" To the beautiful Diane de Meridor," he read.

Then, looking at the young woman :

" This address," said he, " is in the Due d'Anjou's hand."

" Ah ! " she answered, with a sigh, " then he did not deceive me."

As Bussy was hesitating about opening the letter :

" Read," said she; " chance has connected you with the most particular events of my life, and I can no longer keep anything secret from you."

Bussy obeyed and read :

" An unhappy prince, stricken to the heart by your divine beauty, will visit you to-night at ten to excuse himself for his conduct in your regard, conduct which he well knows can have no other excuse except the invincible love he feels for you.

" Francois."

" So ,this letter was undoubtedly written by the Due d'Anjou ? " asked Diane.

" Alas ! yes," answered Bussy, " it is his hand and seal."

Diane sighed.

" What if he were less guilty than I believed ? " she murmured.

" Who, the prince ?" inquired Bussy.

" No, the Comte de Monsoreau."

It was now Bussy's turn to sigh.

" Continue, madame," said he, " and then we can form a judgment of the prince and the count."

" This letter, which I had no reason at the time for believing not genuine, since it tallied so well with my apprehensions, proved, as Gertrude had foreseen, the dangers to which I was exposed, and rendered all the more precious the intervention of the unknown friend who offered his aid in my father's name. My sole trust was, therefore, now in him.

" We watched at the window more eagerly than ever. Gertrude and I hardly ever took our eye away from the pond and the part of the forest opposite our apartments. But, as far as our vision could reach, we saw nothing that was likely to befriend or aid our hopes.

" Night came at last ; however, we were in January, when night comes early, and four or five hours still separated us from the decisive moment ; we waited it anxiously.

" It was one of those beautiful, frosty nights during which, were it not for the cold, you would believe it was the end of spring or the beginning *of autumn ; the sky gleamed with thousands of stars, and the crescent moon lit up the landscape with her silvery beams ; we opened the window in Gertrude's room, knowing that it was likely to be less carefully watched than mine.

" About seven, a slight mist arose from the pond; but this

mist resembled a veil of transparent gauze, and did not hinder us from seeing, or rather our eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness and were able to pierce the mist.

" As we had no way of measuring the time, we could not well tell the hour. At last, we thought we saw through this transparent obscurity shadows moving among the trees on the outskirts of the wood. These shadows seemed to be advancing cautiously, keeping under the trees, as if they felt safest where the darkness was thickest. We might, perhaps, have come to the conclusion that these shadows were but illusions created by our wearied eyes, when the neighing of a horse came to our ears.

"' They are our friends,' murmured Gertrude.

" ' Or the prince,' I answered.

" ' Oh, the prince,' said she, * the prince would not hide.'

" This simple reflection banished my suspicions and reassured us.

" We now fixed all our thoughts on the scene before us.

" A man came forward ; he was alone, having, as far as I could see, separated from a group of men sheltered under a clump of trees. He walked straight to the boat, unmoored it, and, getting in, rowed silently toward us.

" The nearer he was to us, the greater were my efforts to pierce the obscurity.

" From the first, there was something about the man that led me to think of the tall figure, the gloomy countenance, and the strongly marked features of the Comte de Monsoreau ; when he was within ten paces of us doubt was no longer possible. •>

" I had now almost as much dread of my rescuer as of my persecutor.

" I stood mute and still, in a corner of the window, so that he might not see me. When he reached the foot of the wall, he fastened the boat to a ring and rose until his head was on a level with the casement.

" I could not restrain a slight cry.

"'Ah, forgive me! ' said the Comte de Monsoreau, 'but I thought you were expecting me.'

"'I was expecting some one, monsieur,' said I, 'but I did not know the person I expected would be you.'

" A bitter smile passed over the count's face.

" 'Who, pray, except myself and your father, watches over the honor of Diane de Meridor ?'

" * You told me, monsieur, in the letter you wrote me, that you came in the name of my father/

" ' Yes, mademoiselle, and as I foresaw you were likely to have doubts about the mission I received, here is a letter from the baron.'

" And the count presented me a paper.

" We had not lit the candles, so that we might observe what was likely to occur beyond the walls with more security. I passed from Gertrude's room into mine, and, kneeling in front of the fire, I read these words by the light of the flame :

"' My dear Diane, the Comte de Monsoreau alone can rescue you from the danger you run, and this danger is immense. Trust him, then, entirely as the best friend Heaven could send you.

'"Later on, I will tell you what I desire from the very depths of my heart you should do to discharge the debt we shall contract toward him.

"' Your father, who entreats you to believe him and have pity on yourself and on him,

" ' Baron de Meridor.'

" I had no positive basis for my dislike of M. de Monsoreau ; the repugnance I felt for him sprang from instinct rather than reason. I might reproach him with the killing 'of a doe, but that was a very small crime, for a hunter.

" I went to him, then.

" ' Well ?' he asked.

" 'Monsieur, I have read my father's letter; he tells me you are ready to get me out of this place ; but he does not say where you are to lead me.'

" ' I will bring you to the place where the baron is, mademoiselle.'

" < But where is he ? '

"' In the Castle of Meridor.'

" ' Then I shall see my father ?'

" 'In two hours.'

" ' Oh, monsieur, if you are speaking the truth'—

" I paused ; the count was evidently waiting for the end of the sentence.

" ' You may rely on my entire gratitude,' I added, in a weak and trembling voice, for I guessed what it was he expected from that gratitude which I had not strength enough to express.

" ' Then, mademoiselle/ said the count, e you are ready to follow me ? '

" I looked anxiously at Gertrude ; it was easy seeing the count's gloomy face inspired her with as little confidence as it did me.

" * Reflect! ' said he; ' every one of the minutes that are flying has a value for you beyond anything you can imagine. I am half an hour late, nearly. It will soon be ten, and were you not warned that at ten the prince will be in the Castle of Beauge ? '

" l Alas ! yes/ I answered.

"' The prince once here, I can do nothing for you, except risk my life uselessly; I am risking it now, but it is with the certainty of saving you.'

" ' Why has not my father come ? '

" ' Do you think your father is not watched ? Do you think he can take a step without it being known where he is going ? '

« < But you ? ' I asked.

" ' With me it is a different thing ; I am the prince's friend and confidant.'

"' But, monsieur/' I exclaimed, < if you are the prince's friend and confidant, then' -

" * Then I betray him for your sake ; yes, that is the meaning of it. Did I not say just now that I risked my life to save your honor ?'

" There was such a tone of sincerity in the count's answer, and it harmonized so visibly with the truth, that, though my unwillingness to trust him was not entirely banished, I did not know how to express it.

" f I am waiting,' said the count.

" I turned to Gertrude, who was as undecided as I was.

" f See,' said M. de Monsoreau; ( if you are still in doubt, look yonder.'

" And from the direction opposite that by which he had come, he showed me a troop of horsemen advancing to the castle, on the other side of the pond.

" ' Who are those men ? ' I asked.

" < The Due d'Anjou and his suite,' answered the count.

" ' Mademoiselle, mademoiselle/ cried Gertrude, ' there 's no time to be lost.'

" * There has been too much lost already/ said the count; < in Heaven's name, decide at once.'

" I fell on a chair; my strength failed me.

" ' O God ! 0 God ! what ought I to do ? ' I murmured.

" ' Listen,' said the count ; < listen, they are knocking at the gate.'

" And, in fact, we heard a loud knocking made by two men, who, as we had seen, had separated from the others for this purpose.

" e In five minutes,' said the count, i there will be no longer time.'

" I tried to rise; my limbs gave way under me.

" ' Help ! Gertrude, help !' I stammered.

" < Mademoiselle,' said the poor girl, t do you not hear the door opening ? Do you not hear the tramping of the horses in the courtyard ? '

" ' Yes, yes,' I answered, making an effort, l but all my strength is gone.'

" e Oh, is it only that ? ' said she, and she took me in her arms, lifted me as if I had been a child, and placed me in the arms of the count.

"As soon as I felt the touch of this man, I shuddered so violently that I was near escaping from him and falling into the lake.

" But he held me close to his breast, and laid me down in the boat.

" Gertrude followed me and entered the boat, unaided.

" Then I noticed that my veil had been unfastened, and was floating on the water.

" The idea occurred to me that it might enable our enemies to trace us.

" t My veil, my veil!' said I to the count; f try to recover my veil.'

" The count glanced at the object I pointed out.

" ' No,' said he, < better leave it as it is.'

" And, seizing the oars, he gave such a violent impetus to the boat that, after a few strokes, we were almost at the edge of the pond.

"At that moment we perceived that the windows of my room were illuminated, and servants were hurrying into it with lights.

" ' Have I deceived you ?' said M. de Monsoreau ; ' and were we not just in time ? '

"' Oh, yes, yes, monsieur/ I answered, ' you are, in very truth, my savior.'

" Meanwhile the lights seemed to be scurrying about in a very agitated fashion, moving, now into Gertrude's room, now into mine. Then there were cries; a man entered, before whom all the others fell back. He approached the open window, leaned outside, perceived the veil floating on the water, and uttered a cry.

" ' You see now I have acted wisely in leaving the veil where it was. The prince will believe that you threw yourself into the lake to escape him, and, while he is searching for you, we will escape.'

" It was then the first time I really trembled in presence of a mind so crafty and subtle — a mind that had wrought out such a plan beforehand.

" At this moment we landed."

CHAPTER XIV.

THE TREATY.

THERE was again a moment's silence. Diane, almost as moved by the recollection of these events as she had been by the reality, felt her voice failing. Bussy was listening with all the energies of his soul and was already vowing vengeance 011 her enemies, whoever they might be.

At length, after inhaling the contents of a little vial which she took from her pocket, Diane was able to continue :

" We had hardly landed when seven or eight men ran up to us. They were the count's people, and I thought I recognized among them the two servants who escorted our litter when we had been attacked by the persons who led me to the Castle of Beauge. A groom held two horses : one, the black charger of M. de Monsoreau; the other, a white nag intended for myself. The count helped me to mount and then jumped on his own horse as soon as I was in the saddle.

" Gertrude was taken up behind one of the count's men, and when all these arrangements were made we dashed into a gallop.

" I noticed that the count held the bridle of my horse, and I remarked that I was good enough horsewoman to be able to