A SPY
Lignières, as he entered the room, cast a look of cold distrust upon
Démocharès, and after he had saluted Monsieur de Braguelonne, remained
cautiously silent and motionless, waiting to be questioned.
"I am delighted to see you, Monsieur Lignières," was Monsieur de
Braguelonne's greeting. "You may speak with perfect freedom before
Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur de la Foi en France."
"Oh, to be sure!" Lignières made haste to exclaim; "and if I had had
any idea that I was in the presence of the illustrious Démocharès,
pray believe, Monseigneur, that I should not have hesitated as I have."
"Very well!" said De Mouchy, nodding his head approvingly, and evidently
much flattered by the spy's respectful deference.
"Come, speak, Monsieur Lignières!--waste no time," said the lieutenant
of police.
"But it may be," suggested Lignières, "that Monsieur is not thoroughly
conversant with what took place at the last meeting but one held by the
Protestants at La Ferté?"
"In fact, I know very little about it," replied Démocharès.
"Then if I may," added Lignières, "I will briefly recount the serious
facts which I have gathered recently; that course will be better, and
make what comes after more readily understood."
Monsieur de Braguelonne gave the signal of assent, for which Lignières
was waiting. This little delay was doubtless annoying to the impatient
lieutenant; but it also flattered his pride by affording an opportunity
of showing off to the grand inquisitor the superior capacity and
extraordinary eloquence of the agent he had chosen.
It is certain that Démocharès was not only surprised, but that he felt
the delight of a skilful connoisseur who recognizes a more
unexceptionable and perfect instrument than he has himself previously
possessed.
Lignières, much excited by this appreciation in such a high quarter,
tried to show himself worthy of it, and his performance was really very
fine.
"That first assemblage at La Ferté was really not of very much
importance," he began. "There was nothing done or said that was not very
insipid; and it was to no purpose that I proposed overthrowing his
Majesty, and establishing in France a constitution like that in vogue
among the Swiss cantons; my suggestions found no echo but insulting
remarks. It was only provisionally determined to present a petition to
the king, praying that there might be an end to the persecutions of the
Reformers, and that the Guises should be dismissed, a ministry formed,
headed by the princes of the blood, and the States-General be convoked
forthwith. Simply a petition!--a very meagre result that. However, they
made an accurate computation of their numbers and effected an
organization; that is something tangible. Then the matter of choosing
leaders came up. So long as it was only a question of the subordinate
leaders in the different districts there was no trouble; but the
commander-in-chief, the head and front of the conspiracy,--that is where
the difficulty began. Monsieur de Coligny and the Prince de Condé
declined through their respective mouthpieces the dangerous honor which
it was proposed to confer upon one or the other of them. It would be
much better, so we were told in their behalf, to select some Huguenot
who occupied a less lofty position, so that the movement might bear a
more unmistakable stamp of its popular character,--a fine excuse for the
simpletons! However, they were content with it; and after much debate
they finally elected Godefroid de Barry, Seigneur de la Renaudie."
"La Renaudie!" Démocharès repeated the name. "Yes, he is in fact one
of the ardent ringleaders of these scoundrels. I know him to be an
energetic and resolute man."
"You will soon know him for a Catiline!" said Lignières.
"Oh, ho!" said the lieutenant of police; "I think that is going a little
too far."
"You will see," returned the spy,--"you will see if I am going too far!
I come now to our second convocation, which met at Nantes the 5th of
this month of February."
"Aha!" cried Démocharès and Braguelonne together.
Both moved closer to Master Lignières, with eager curiosity.
"That was the time," said Lignières, bursting with importance, "when
they no longer confined themselves to mere talk. Listen! Shall I give
your Lordships at length all the details and the proofs, or shall I
hasten at once to the results?" added the villain, as if he wished to
continue to hold their two hearts dependent on his words as long as
possible.
"Give us the facts--the facts!" cried the lieutenant, impatiently.
"Very well, then, and you will shudder when you hear them. After some
unimportant preliminary speechmaking, La Renaudie took the floor; and
this, in substance, is what he said: 'Last year, when the Queen of
Scotland desired to try the ministers at Stirling, all their
parishioners determined to follow them to that place; and although they
were unarmed, this extensive movement was quite sufficient to frighten
the regent and induce her to forego the violent measures she had
meditated. I propose that here in France we begin in like manner,--that
a great multitude of those of our belief should make their way to Blois,
where the king is living for the moment, and should present themselves
without arms before his Majesty, and hand him a petition wherein he will
be implored to recall the edicts of persecution, and allow the Reformers
the free exercise of their religion; and since their secret meetings in
the night-time have been falsely slandered, he will be asked to permit
them to assemble in their places of worship under the eyes of the
constituted authorities.'"
"Well, well, always the same thing!" Démocharès interrupted, in a tone
of disappointment. "Peaceful and respectful demonstrations, which amount
to nothing! Petitions! protests! supplications! Is this the
awe-inspiring news you had to give us, Master Lignières?"
"Oh, wait,--just wait!" replied Lignières. "You can understand that I
cried down this innocent proposition of La Renaudie's just as you
do,--nay, even more than you. To what, I asked, had such purposeless
steps led before, or to what could they be expected to lead? Others of
the Protestants spoke in the same strain. Thereupon La Renaudie, with
much satisfaction, disclosed the true inwardness of his heart, and
betrayed the audacious scheme which lay hidden beneath his innocent
words."
"Let us hear this audacious scheme," said Démocharès, with the air of
a man not easily to be astonished.
"It is well worth the trouble of frustrating, I think," continued
Lignières. "While men's minds are occupied with the mob of timid,
unarmed petitioners, who approach the throne as suppliants, five hundred
horsemen and a thousand foot,--you understand, Messieurs, fifteen
hundred men,--selected from among the noblemen who are most determined
and most devoted to the Reformation and to the princes, are to come
together from the various provinces, under thirty chosen leaders, to
advance quietly upon Blois by different roads, enter the town, with or
without force,--with or without force, I say,--carry off the king, the
queen-mother, and Monsieur de Guise, and bring them to trial, and fill
their places with the princes of the blood, leaving it for the
States-General to decide upon the form of government which shall finally
be adopted. There, Messieurs, is the plot. What do you say to it? Is it
a childish one? Should it be passed by without being noticed? In short,
am I good for nothing, or am I useful to some extent?"
He came to an end with an expression of triumph. The grand inquisitor
and the lieutenant exchanged glances of surprise, not unmixed with
alarm. There was a long pause, during which their minds were busy with
reflections of various descriptions.
"By the Mass, but this is admirable, I declare!" cried Démocharès, at
last.
"Say rather that it is terrible," observed Monsieur de Braguelonne.
"We shall see; we shall see!" continued the grand inquisitor, shaking
his head very knowingly.
"Why," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "we only know the schemes which
this La Renaudie avows; but it is very easy to guess that nothing will
come of them; that Messieurs de Guise will be on their guard; that they
will all be cut in pieces; and that if his Majesty intrusts the power to
the Prince de Condé, it will only be by force."
"But we are forewarned!" returned Démocharès. "All that these poor
fools mean to do against us will turn against themselves, and they will
fall into their own trap. I promise you that Monsieur le Cardinal will
be delighted, and would have paid a high price for such an opportunity
of making an end of his enemies."
"God grant that he may continue to be delighted to the end!" said
Monsieur de Braguelonne.
Addressing Lignières, who had now become a man to be treated well, an
invaluable ally, and of great consequence, he said,--
"As for you, Monsieur le Marquis," (the rascal was really a marquis)
"you have rendered a most valuable service to his Majesty and to the
State. You shall be worthily rewarded for it, never fear!"
"Yes, my word for it!" added Démocharès; "you deserve a handsome
reward, Monsieur, and you possess all my esteem! To you, also, Monsieur
de Braguelonne, my sincere congratulations upon your choice of agents.
Ah, Monsieur de Lignières has a claim to my highest consideration, in
truth!"
"That is a very generous recompense for what little I have been able to
do," said Lignières, bowing modestly.
"You know that we are not ungrateful, Monsieur de Lignières," continued
the lieutenant. "But come, you have not told us everything, have you?
Did they fix a time, or a place of rendezvous?"
"They are to meet in the neighborhood of Blois on the 15th of March,"
replied Lignières.
"The 15th of March! Well, well!" exclaimed Monsieur de Braguelonne. "We
have only twenty days before us, and Monsieur le Cardinal de Lorraine is
at Blois! It will take about two days to notify him and receive his
orders. What a responsibility!"
"But what a triumph at the end!" said Démocharès.
"Have you the names of the leaders, dear Monsieur de Lignières?" asked
the lieutenant.
"Yes, I have them written down," was the reply.
"What a jewel of a man!" exclaimed Démocharès, admiringly. "He helps
to reconcile me to human nature."
Lignières unbuttoned an inner pocket in his doublet, and drew from it a
scrap of paper, and having unfolded it, he read aloud as follows:--
"List of the leaders, with the names of the provinces which
they respectively command:--
"Castelnau de Chalosses,--Gascogne.
"Mazères,--Béarn.
"Du Mesnil,--Périgord.
"Maillé de Brézé,--Poitou.
"La Chesnaye,--Maine.
"Sainte-Marie,--Normandie.
"Cocqueville,--Picardie.
"De Ferrières-Maligny,--Île de France and Champagne.
"Châteauvieux,--Provence, etc.
"You can read that list and make your comments upon it at your leisure,
Monsieur," said Lignières, handing the treacherous paper to the
lieutenant.
"This is nought but organized civil war!" exclaimed Monsieur de
Braguelonne.
"Take notice too," added Lignières, "that while these detachments are
making their way toward Blois, other leaders in each province are to
hold themselves in readiness to put down any movement that may be
attempted in behalf of Messieurs de Guise."
"Good! We will have them all as in a great net!" said Démocharès,
rubbing his hands. "Why, you seem overwhelmed, Monsieur de Braguelonne!
After the first feeling of surprise, I declare that, for my own part, I
should be very sorry if all this had not taken place."
"But just see how little time we have left!" observed the lieutenant.
"In truth, my good Lignières, while I would not for the world reproach,
I must say that since the 5th of February you have had time enough to
notify me."
"How could I?" asked Lignières. "I was intrusted by La Renaudie with
more than twenty commissions between Nantes and Paris. And not only have
I succeeded in gleaning some valuable information, but to have neglected
or postponed his commissions would have been to arouse suspicion, while
to write you a letter or send a messenger would have been to compromise
our secrets."
"Very true," said Monsieur de Braguelonne, "you are always right. Let us
say no more about what is done, but consider what there remains to do.
You have told us nothing of the Prince de Condé. Was he not with you at
Nantes?"
"He was there," Lignières replied. "But before taking any decided step
he wished to consult Chaudieu and the English ambassador, and so he said
that he would accompany La Renaudie to Paris for that purpose."
"Is he coming to Paris, then? And is La Renaudie also coming?"
"Better than that; they ought both to be here ere this." said
Lignières.
"And where do they lodge?" asked Monsieur de Braguelonne, eagerly.
"That I can't tell you. I took pains to ask, in a careless way, where I
might find our leader if I had any communication to make; but they only
gave me an indirect channel of correspondence. La Renaudie probably does
not wish to compromise the prince."
"That is a great pity, I must admit," reflected the lieutenant. "We
shall have difficulty in finding traces of them."
At this moment Master Arpion entered once more with his soft and
mysterious tread.
"Well, what is it, Arpion?" asked Monsieur de Braguelonne, sharply. "You
knew very well that we were engaged with important business, and why the
devil do you interrupt us?"
"I should not have ventured to enter unless for something of equal
importance," replied Arpion.
"Well, what is it? Tell me quickly, and aloud; for we are all friends
here."
"A man named Pierre des Avenelles--" began Arpion.
De Braguelonne, Démocharès, and Lignières exclaimed simultaneously,--
"Pierre des Avenelles!"
"That's the advocate of the Rue des Marmousets, who ordinarily
entertains the Protestants at Paris," said Démocharès.
"And upon whose house I have long had my eye," added De Braguelonne.
"But the good man is very sly and careful, and has always eluded my
surveillance. What does he want, Arpion?"
"To speak with Monseigneur at once," replied the secretary. "He seems to
me to be in a state of great alarm."
"He cannot know anything," said Lignières, quickly and jealously.
"Besides," he added, with lofty scorn, "he is an honest man."
"We shall see; we shall see!" observed the grand inquisitor. (That was
his favorite expression.)
"Arpion," Monsieur de Braguelonne said to the secretary, "show this man
in immediately."
"I will, Monseigneur," said Arpion, leaving the room.
"Pardon me, my dear Marquis," continued De Braguelonne, addressing
Lignières, "this Des Avenelles knows you, and the unexpected sight of
you might disturb him. And then, too, neither you nor I would care to
have him know you were one of us. Be good enough to step into Arpion's
closet while this interview is in progress; it is there at the end of
the passage. I will recall you as soon as we have done with him. You
might remain, if you will, Monsieur le Grand Inquisiteur, for your
imposing presence cannot fail to be useful."
"Very well; I will remain to please you," said Démocharès, well
content.
"And I will withdraw," said Lignières; "but remember what I say,
Monsieur le Lieutenant. You will not learn anything of importance from
this fellow Des Avenelles. A poor fool! A timid but upright soul! But of
no particular account,--of no account at all."
"We will do the best we can. But go, go, my dear Lignières! here is our
man."
In fact, Lignières had but just time to make his escape when a man
entered, pale and trembling with nervous excitement, escorted, indeed,
almost carried, by Master Arpion.
It was Pierre des Avenelles, the advocate, whom we first-met with Sieur
Lignières, at the meeting in the Place Maubert, where he made the
success of the evening, if our readers remember, with his courageously
timid speech.