La Dame de Monsoreau (45 page)

But Chicot was concealed behind a rock, from whence he shot forth his signals and his threats.

Such excess of wariness convinced the monk that something of moment was at hand. He looked before him and there perceived, about five hundred paces from him, three men quietly jogging along on their mules.

At the first glance he 'recognized the travellers who had ridden in the morning from Paris through the Porte Bordelle, the same travellers that Chicot had watched so eagerly from behind his tree.

Chicot remained in the same posture until the three travellers were out of sight. Then and then only did he rejoin his comrade, who was still seated on the spot where he had fallen and was still holding the halter of Panurge with both his hands.

" Hang it, M. Chicot," cried Gorenflot, who was beginning to be out of patience, " you must explain to me what business is this we 're engaged in ; a moment ago it was, Devil take the hindmost! and now it's, Don't budge an inch from, where you are !"

" My good friend," said Chicot, " I only wanted to find out whether or not your donkey was a thoroughbred, or if I had not been swindled in paying twenty-two livres for it. Now that the experiment is made, I am more than satisfied."

The monk, as, of course, is understood, was not duped by any such answer, and was about to make the fact clear to his companion, but his natural laziness warned him not to get into an argument, and was, as usual, victorious.

He contented himself, then, with answering, ill-humoredly enough :

"'Well, I suppose it doesn't matter, but I am very tired, and very hungry also."

" Oh, don't let that trouble you," replied Chicot, with a jolly thump on the monk's shoulder ; " I am as tired and hungry as you are, and at the first hostelry we meet"

" And then ?" asked Gorenflot, a little inclined to doubt the Gascon's words after his late experience.

" And then ! " said Chicot, " we '11 have a pair of fricasseed chickens with broiled ham and a jug of their best wine."

" The honest truth, now ? " inquired Gorenflot; " you 're in real earnest, this time ? "

" In good and sober earnest, comrade."

" Then," said the monk, rising, " let us make for this blessed hostelry as fast as we can. Come, Panurge, you '11 have your bran."'

The ass's answer was a joyous bray.

Chicot got on horseback; Gorenflot led his ass by the halter.

The longed-for inn speedily heaved in sight of the travellers, just between Corbeil and Melun ; but, to the great surprise of Gorenflot, who admired from afar its alluring aspect, Chicot ordered the monk to mount his ass, and faced about to the left so as to get to the rear of the house. For that matter, a single glance was enough to bring home to Gorenflot, whose wits were brightening up wonderfully, the reason of this strange behavior: the travellers' three mules, whose tracks Chicot was observing so intently, had stopped before the door.

" And so the events of our journey and the hours for our meals are all to be regulated by these infernal travellers ?" thought Gorenflot. " It 's heartbreaking."

And he heaved a profound sigh.

Panurge, on his side, saw they were swerving from the direct line which all the world, including even asses, knows is

the shortest, so came to a standstill and planted himself as stiffly on his four feet as if he had determined to take root in the ground where he happened to be.

" Look ! " said Gorenflot, piteously, " even my ass refuses to advance."

" Ah, he refuses to advance," answered Chicot; " wait and we'll see!"

He approached a cornel hedge and selected a rod five feet long and an inch thick; it was at once solid and flexible.

Panurge was not one of those stupid animals that pay no attention to what is passing around them, and only foresee certain events when such events are rapping them on the pate 5 he had watched the manoeuvre of Chicot, for whom he was doubtless beginning to feel all the respect that eminent man deserved, and, as soon as he was sure of the jester's intentions, he shook himself and put his best leg foremost.

" He 's going! " cried the monk to Chicot.

" No matter," said the Gascon, " when you 're travelling with a monk and a donkey, a stick always comes in handy."

And Chicot finished cutting his rod.

CHAPTER XXIX.

HOW BROTHER GORENFLOT TRADED HIS ASS FOR A MULE, AND HIS MULE FOR A HORSE.

HOWEVER, the tribulations of Gorenflot were nearing their end, for this day, at least; after their roundabout course, the pair took to the highway again and stopped at a rival inn about two miles further on. Chicot hired an apartment that overlooked the road, and ordered supper to be served in his chamber; but it was easily seen that supper held but second place in the thoughts of Chicot. He gave only scanty employment to his teeth while he looked with all his eyes and listened with all his ears. He remained thus in a brown study until ten; but as he had neither seen nor heard anything, he raised the siege at ten, and directed his own horse and the monk's ass to be ready at daybreak, after they had recuperated on double rations of oats and bran.

At this order, Gorenflot, who for an hour had been appar-

ently sleeping but really only dozing, plunged in that delectable ecstasy which follows a good repast watered by a sufficient quantity of generous wine, heaved a sigh.

" At daybreak? " said he.

" Well ? venire de biche ! man," retorted Chicot, " you ought to have got accustomed by this time to rising at that hour ! "

" And pray why ? " inquired Gorenflot.

" For matins."

" I had an exemption from my superior," answered the monk.

Chicot shrugged his shoulders, and the word " sluggard " died away on his lips.

" Well, yes, sluggard, if you like ; why not ? " said Gorenflot.

" Man was born for work," answered Chicot, sententiously.

" And the monk for repose; the monk is an exception."

And, satisfied with this reply, which seemed to touch even Chicot himself, the monk made an exit that was full of dignity, and gained his bed, which Chicot, doubtless fearing some imprudence, had ordered to be placed in his own room.

On the morning, at daybreak, if Brother Gorenflot had not been sleeping the sleep of the just, he would have seen Chicot rise, approach the window and take his stand behind the curtain.

Soon, although the hangings concealed him, Chicot drew back rapidly; if Gorenflot, instead of continuing to slumber, had been wide awake, he would have heard the tramping of three mules on the pavement.

Chicot ran up to Gorenflot and shook him by the arm until the latter opened his eyes.

" Am I never to have any rest ? " he stammered, having slept a full ten hours.

" Up! up ! " said the Gascon, " dress yourself, we start at once."

" But my breakfast ? " asked the monk.

" You '11 find it on the road to Montereau."

" What do you mean by — Montereau ? " inquired the monk, who was not strong in geography.

" Montereau is the town where we 're to breakfast j is not that enough for you ? " answered the Gascon.

" Yes," returned Gorenflot, laconically.

" Then, comrade, I 'm going down to pay the bill for ourselves

and our beasts. If you are not ready in five minutes, I 'm off without you."

A monk does not take long to make his toilet; but Gorenflot spent six minutes at it. Consequently, when he reached the door, he saw that Chicot, who was as punctual as a Swiss, had already started.

The monk, thereupon, mounted Panurge, who, excited by his double ration of oats and bran just provided for him by Chicot's orders, galloped of his own accord and quickly placed his rider by the side of the Gascon.

Chicot was standing on his stirrups ; he saw the three mules and the three travellers on the horizon; they were descending a little hill.

The monk groaned at the thought that an influence utterly foreign to him should affect his fate in this fashion.

But, this time, Chicot kept his word, and they breakfasted at Montereau.

The day was much like the one before, and the next was attended by pretty much the same succession of incidents. We shall, therefore, pass rapidly over details ; and, indeed, Gorenflot was growing accustomed to his checkered existence, when, towards evening, he perceived that Chicot was gradually losing all his gayety ever since noon: the latter had failed to get a glimpse of the travellers he was pursuing; so he was very ill-tempered at supper and slept badly.

Gorenflot ate and drank enough for two, sang his best songs ; it was all in vain. Chicot was. as dull as ever.

Hardly had the day come into existence when he was on his feet and shaking his companion ; the monk dressed, and the trot with which they started soon changed to a wild gallop. But they might as well have taken it easy ; no travellers in sight.

Toward noon, horse and ass were ready to drop.

Chicot went straight to the turnpike office built on the Pont Villeneuve-le-Roi for the accommodation of cloven-footed animals.

" Did you see three travellers, mounted on mules, pass this morning ? " he inquired.

" This morning, monsieur," replied the turnpike keeper, " no; yesterday, no doubt I did."

« Yesterday ? "

" Yes, yesterday evening, at seven."

" Did you notice them ? "

" Bless my heart, monsieur ! does any one ever notice travellers ? "

" I only ask if you have any idea of the rank of these men."

" To my idea, they were a master and two servants."

"That's what I wanted," said Chicot; and he gave the man two crowns.

" Yesterday evening, at seven," he murmured ; " venire de biche ! they are twelve hours ahead of me. Courage, comrade, let us push on ! "

" Listen, M. Chicot," said the monk, " courage is all very well. I have a little for my own use, but none to spare for Panurge."

And, in fact, the poor animal, tired out for two whole days, was trembling in every limb, and Gorenflot was in a tremble, too, caused by the quivering.of his beast's poor body.

" And look at your horse, also," continued Gorenflot; " see what a state he 's in ! "

It was easy enough seeing his condition ; the noble animal, notwithstanding his ardor, or rather, because of his ardor, was streaming with foam, and a hot vapor issued from his nostrils, while the blood seemed ready to spurt from his eyes.

After a rapid examination of the two beasts, Chicot seemed inclined to favor his companion's opinion.

Gorenflot drew a long breath of relief.

Then Chicot said suddenly: " Can't be helped, brother collector. We must take a decisive step on the spot."

" Why, we have been doing nothing else for some days," cried Gorenflot, whose features showed his agitation, although the nature of the new proposal was utterly unknown to him.

" We must part," said Chicot, taking at once, as the phrase goes, the bull by the horns.

" Oh, nonsense," returned Gorenflot, " always the same joke. We part ! and why ? "

" You ride too slowly, comrade."

" Vertudieu! " exclaimed Gorenflot ; " while I ride like the wind! We galloped five hours without stopping, this morning."

" It is n't enough."

" Then let us start again ; the quicker we go, the sooner we '11 arrive ; for I suppose we '11 arrive some time."

" My horse won't go, and your ass is n't fit for work, either."

"Then what is to be done ? "

" We '11 leave them here, and pick them up when we return."

" But what about ourselves ? Do you intend going the rest of the way on foot ? "

" No; we '11 get mules."

« How ? "

" Buy them."

"Well, well!" said Gorenftot, with a sigh, "another sacrifice."

" So then ? "

" All right, bring on your mule.

" Bravo, comrade ; why, you 're getting on. Commend Boy-ard and Panurge to the care of the innkeeper, and I leave you and go to buy the mules."

Gorenflot fulfilled conscientiously the mission wherewith he was charged ; during his four days' connection with Panurge he had gained a keener appreciation of his faults than of his virtues, and had noticed that his three predominant faults were the faults to which he himself inclined : sloth, gluttony, luxury. Their kindred failings were, however, a bond of sympathy, and Gorenflot parted from his ass with regret; but Gorenflot was not only slothful, gluttonous, and luxurious, he was also selfish, and he preferred parting from Panurge to parting from Chicot, for, as we have already indicated, Chicot carried the purse.

Chicot returned with two mules, on which they made twenty leagues that day ; and so, on that very evening, Chicot had the satisfaction of seeing the three mules standing before a farrier's door.

" Ah!" he exclaimed, for the first time drawing a breath of relief.

" Ah ! " sighed the monk, in turn.

But the Gascon's trained eye could distinguish neither the harness of the mules nor the owner and his servants; the mules were reduced to their natural ornament, by which we mean they were completely naked; as for the master and his servants, they had vanished.

Still more ; about these animals were people unknown to Chicot, who were evidently examining and appraising them: a horsedealer, the farrier, and two Franciscans; they turned the mules round and round, looked at their teeth, eyes, ears j in a word, they were testing them.

Chicot trembled in every one of his members.

"You go forward," said he to Gorenflot, "join the Franciscans, draw them aside, and question them; you monks keep, I imagine, no secrets from one another; get them to tell you who were the owners of the mules, their price, and what has become of their former masters; then return with your information."

Gorenflot, uneasy at his friend's uneasiness, trotted off and soon returned.