CHAPTER XVIII._The Story of Viteau

BARRAN was much delayed in his endeavors to obtain the money necessary

for the ransoms, and he found a great deal of difficulty in collecting

it at all at such short notice. And wearied with his unpleasant and

annoying task, and with his mind full of doubts and anxieties regarding

the obstacles and complications that might yet arise from the probable

refusal of Sir Charles to surrender Jasto, he rode into his castle the

day after the arrival of the Countess.

His astonishment and delight upon finding the Countess and her family

safe within his walls, and on hearing that Viteau was free from every

robber and in the possession of its rightful owner, and that for all

this no ransom or price of any kind was to be paid, can well be

imagined. And when he and the Countess talked the matter over, it became

evident to the lady that to repay the Count the sums he intended to

advance—which payment she most certainly would have made—would have

impoverished her for years.

All was now happiness and satisfaction at the castle, but no one was

happier or better satisfied than the ex-robber, Jasto. Now that his

enemy, Michol, was dead, he felt that his own life was safe; for it

would be no longer necessary to sacrifice him for the good of others. He

sat down in a corner of the court-yard, and thought the matter over.

"As to that ransom," he said to himself, "which was due me for returning

the boy Louis to his sorrowing mother, I must make some proper

settlement about it. Half of it I remitted when the boy saved me from

the hands of the bloody-minded _brabancois_, and one-half of what was

left I took off when these good people gave back to me again my brave

and noble master, Sir Charles. And now that that great knight, Sir Hugo

de Lannes, has killed Michol and saved my life, I do remit what is left,

which is only a quarter of the whole sum—after all, hardly equal to the

benefit received; for when a man's life is in danger as much from his

friends as his enemies, it is a very great benefit, indeed, to have it

saved. But, as I have no money with which to make up the balance, I will

e'en call the account settled, and so it is."

As Jasto took so much credit to himself for this generous determination,

it was not to be expected he should keep the matter secret, and he

therefore communicated it to Louis the first time he saw the boy, giving

him in careful detail his reasons for what he had intended to do, and

what he had done.

All this Louis very soon told to his mother; and the Countess,

remembering that she had promised Jasto a reward, and feeling a little

ashamed that it had passed out of her mind, took the hint which Jasto

had undoubtedly intended to throw out, and sent him a sum of money

which, if used with ordinary economy, would make it unnecessary for him

ever again to wear a suit of clothes resembling a map of a country with

the counties and departments marked out with borderlines of red silk.

A week afterward, when Jasto left the castle with Sir Charles, his

education had progressed sufficiently to enable him, with the assistance

of his alphabet and his little manuscript book, to write a short and

simple message so that it could be read. But he intended to persevere in

his studies until he had become as good a scribe as his master formerly

supposed him to be.

By the aid of some deserters from the band of _cotereaux_, who came over

to him when they found out his object, Count Hugo soon discovered the

encampment of the robbers, which he utterly destroyed, and then,

following them to their several retreats, succeeded in breaking up their

organization and in driving them from that part of the country.

He then returned to the castle of Barran, where he was most warmly

welcomed by everybody, and where his little daughter Agnes was prouder

of her brave father than she had ever been before.

In a few weeks, the Count de Lannes found himself obliged to return to

his own castle, which lay several days' journey to the west; and he and

Agnes took a regretful leave of all their dear friends, the little girl

shedding tears of heartfelt sorrow as she shook her handkerchief for the

last time to the boys and their mother, who stood watching her departure

from the battlements.

"I wonder," said Louis, "if we shall ever see them again."

Nothing was said for a moment, and then his mother remarked: "I

think—that is, I have reason to believe—that we shall soon see the Count

and his daughter again."

"Why do you think so, mother?" asked Raymond.

The Countess did not answer him immediately, and just then they were

joined by the Count de Barran, and no more was said on the subject.

The Countess did not remain much longer at the castle. As soon as the

squire Bernard had restored her chateau to its former orderly condition,

she bade good-bye to her kind entertainer and friend, and departed with

her boys for her own home.

Nothing had been heard of the priests who were to be sent from Paris,

but there might be many good reasons for their delay; and arrangements

were made for a courier to be sent to Viteau as soon as they should

arrive at the castle. The Countess would have been happy to have had her

suspense in regard to this unfortunate affair set permanently at rest,

but she knew the Inquisitorial party had gone back to Toulouse as soon

as their leader was able to accomplish the journey; and having been

assured of the protection of her King, she felt safe from unjust

prosecution.

On the morning after their arrival at Viteau, Louis, who was gladly

wandering all about the house and grounds, went into a little room on

the lower floor which was opposite the sleeping apartment of the squire

Bernard. Here, by the light of a small window near the ceiling, he saw,

upon a perch in one corner of the room, a falcon, secured by a string

which was tied to its leg. Louis threw the door wide open in order to

get a better light, and narrowly examined the bird.

"Why, Bernard!" he cried to the squire, who just then entered the room,

"this looks exactly like the falcon I took from this very perch the

morning of the day I first went to De Barran's castle."

"Of course it looks like it," said the squire, "for it is the same

falcon."

"The same falcon!" exclaimed Louis. "And on the same perch! Why, that is

a miracle!"

"It is no miracle at all," answered Bernard; "it is a very simple thing

when you come to know all about it. After the rascally _cotereaux_ had

been driven out of this place, I found the falcon fastened to this

perch, and, by marks I had filed upon his beak, I knew him for the same

bird I had trained for your brother Raymond. Of course, I was

astonished; but, on thinking the matter over, I supposed that this must

be the bird which the robbers had stolen from you, and that, bringing it

with them when they came here to live,—the rascally scoundrels!—they

naturally put it in this room, which they could see had been planned and

fitted for the keeping of falcons. Looking into the matter still

further, I asked Orion, the chief falconer of Count Hugo, who was one of

the men he had brought here with him, what kind of bird it was he had

given to you when the Count desired that you should have one. Orion then

told me it was a falcon which had come to him only the day before. He

had been out hawking with his master, and was bringing down to him by

means of a lure a falcon that had made an unsuccessful flight, when a

strange hawk made its appearance and also answered his call, and came

down to the lure. Knowing it to be a falcon which had been lost by some

hunter, and to be a well-trained bird, he seized and hooded it and took

it home with him. The next day, when he was ordered to give a bird to a

boy, he much preferred to part with this one, which he had just found,

to giving away any of the falcons he had reared and trained himself. And

this is the whole of the matter."

"You may think it a very simple story," said Louis, "but I think it is

wonderful. I am ever so glad to have the falcon back again; and just

think, Bernard, if it had not been for my losing that bird, ever so many

troubles would not have happened, and those wicked thieves would never

have come to this chateau!"

The squire agreed that this was true, but he thought more than he said.

He thought that if Louis's kind heart had not been anxious to repair the

injury done his brother, he would not have been captured by the

_cotereaux_; and that, if he had not been captured by the _cotereaux_,

no ransom would have been demanded for him; and if no ransom had been

demanded, the robbers never would have seized upon Viteau to enforce

their claims; and if they had not been at Viteau, there would have been

no place of refuge for the Countess when flying from the Inquisitors;

and that, instead of the happiness which was now so general at the

chateau, all might have been misery. But he said nothing of this to

Louis, for he thought it not right that boys should take to themselves

too much credit for what they might do.

But although contentment seemed to reign at Viteau, this was not really

the case. True, the chateau had been completely renovated, and all

traces of its occupation by the _cotereaux_ had been removed; but the

Countess could not forget that it had been the abode of thieves, and

that bloody and violent deeds had so lately taken place before its gates

and within its very court-yard. Then, too, she felt that she must soon

be separated from her boys. Raymond must go to school at Paris, and

Louis must return to his duties as the page of the Count de Barran. And

this separation seemed a very different thing to her now from what it

did before these troubles came upon her.

Louis was particularly discontented. "I do not want to go back to

Barran," he said to his brother. "I do not believe he is a true knight."

"What!" cried Raymond, in surprise. "You should not speak thus, Louis.

No man has ever said such a thing of the Count de Barran."

"I suppose not," said Louis, "but I am a boy, and I can say it. He stood

still and did nothing when our mother had to fly for her life from his

castle; and he wanted to buy us away from the thieves, instead of coming

and taking us boldly, as a true knight should. Count Hugo is a different

kind of a knight."

"But you should not forget," said Raymond, "how kind and generous the

Count de Barran has always been to us. He worked in his own way for our

mother's good."

"Oh, yes," said Louis, "I shall not forget that; but I do not want to go

back to him."

Matters were in this condition when, one beautiful day in autumn, Count

Hugo came again to Viteau. This time he did not clamber over the wall,

but rode in bravely at the front gate. He was not followed by a body of

steel-clad soldiers, but he brought his daughter Agnes, with her

attendants, and a company of followers in gay and bright array. He did

not come to conquer, but he came because he had been conquered. He came

to ask the lovely Countess of Viteau to be his wife.

A few weeks after this, when the days were becoming clear and frosty,

there was a wedding at Viteau. There were many guests; there was

feasting, and music, and great joy. Little Agnes had now a mother, and

Raymond and Louis a brave and noble father.

And when the wedding was over, the Countess rode away with her husband

to his castle of De Lannes, and her two boys went with her—Raymond,

because it was on his road to Paris, and Louis, because he was to be

taught to be a knight by Count Hugo, who had admired and loved the boy

almost from the first time he had seen him.

The priests from Paris never came to catechise the Countess. The truth

was, that the young King was not so much of a king as he had supposed

himself to be; for his mother, Queen Blanche, was not willing that the

crown should interfere in any way with the operations of the

Inquisition, and had not consented that the priests should be sent to

the castle of Barran. But as it became known that the King had taken an

interest in the matter, and as it was probably considered unwise to

bring a religious prosecution against the wife of the Count de

Lannes,—who was not only a powerful nobleman, but a warm supporter of

both Church and state, and who was also known to have punished and

exterminated the band of _cotereaux_ who had attacked the Inquisitorial

party,—the matter was suffered to drop, and nothing more was ever heard

of it.

Viteau was left in charge of Bernard, who would faithfully administer

its affairs until Raymond should be of age to come and take possession

of the establishment and the estates.

And now, as our friends have left the chateau, with whose varying

fortunes we have, for a time, been interested, we will leave it also;

and the story of Viteau is told.

THE END.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW AND STANDARD

BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

------------------------------------

=MR. SETON'S FAMOUS ANIMAL BOOKS=

------------------

=ANIMAL HEROES=

With 200 or more Illustrations by the author. Square 12mo, $1.75 _net_

(postage extra).

This new book of animal stories is a companion volume in appearance and

spirit to "Wild Animals I Have Known" and "Lives of the Hunted," but it

differs from these two books in a few important particulars. Domestic

animals are the heroes of four or five of the stories, and the end of

most of these heroes is not a tragic but a happy one. Written and

illustrated with all the charm and expert knowledge of Mr. Seton, these

more cheerful adventures give a happier and more vivid idea than his

former works of the life and adventures of the domestic animals we know,

as well as of the unknown wild ones.

=WILD ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN=

With 200 Illustrations by the author. Square l2mo, $2.00.

"It should be put with Kipling and Hans Christian Andersen as a

classic."—_Athenæum._

=LIVES OF THE HUNTED=

With over 200 Illustrations by the author. Square 12mo, $1.75 _net_.

"The breadth of his sympathy is the finest charm of his work."—AGNES

REPPLIER.

=MONARCH, THE BIG BEAR OF TALLAC=

With numerous Drawings by the author. 12mo, $1.25 _net_ (postage, 12

cents).

"A fascinating account of a bear family."—_Providence Journal._

=THE TRAIL OF THE SANDHILL STAG=

With numerous Drawings by the author. Square 12mo, $1.50.

------------------------------------

=A NEW BOOK BY MRS. BURNETT=

------------------

A LITTLE PRINCESS

Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe now told for the First Time.

Handsomely illustrated in colors by ETHEL FRANKLIN BETTS. Royal 8vo,

$2.00.

Miss Betts's illustrations, title-page and cover-design, will give great

distinction and beauty to this story by Mrs. Burnett, and will make "A

Little Princess" the leading holiday-book of the season for young

readers. The last paragraph of Mrs. Burnett's preface explains the

origin and scope of her new book: "After the play of 'A Little Princess'

was produced in New York, and so many children went to see it and liked

Becky and Lottie and Melchisidec, my publishers asked me if I could not

write Sara's story over again and put into it all the things and people

who had been left out before, and so I have done it, and when I began I

found there were actually pages and pages of things which had happened

that had never been put even into the play, so in this new 'Little

Princess' I have put in all that I have been able to discover."

------------------------------------

=W. A. FRASER'S ANIMAL STORIES=

------------------

=SA-ZADA TALES=

Illustrated by ARTHUR HEMING. 12mo, $1.50 _net_ (postage extra).

Since Mr. Fraser wrote his Mooswa Tales no such good stories of animals

have been published as in this new book. The tales of life and adventure

that the Tiger, the Panther, the Elephant, the Birds, and other Animals

tell each other arouse a vivid and absorbing interest in the mind of

either child or grown-up and make them unforgetable. The forty-eight

full-page illustrations by Mr. Heming, whose pictures have placed him at

the head of illustrators of his class, will make this a sumptuous and

extraordinarily attractive book.

=MOOSWA=

and Others of the Boundaries

Illustrated by ARTHUR HEMING. Crown 8vo, $2.00.

"Takes its place at once beside the Jungle Book. A group of stories,

capitally told, of the lives and doings of the animals."—_Boston

Herald._

=THE OUTCASTS=

Illustrated by ARTHUR HEMING. Crown 8vo, $1.25 _net_.

"It has the freedom and mystery of that great unknown country up toward

the Arctic circle, and the fascination of animal existence."—_Chicago

Tribune._

------------------------------------

BOOKS BY HOWARD PYLE

THE STORY OF THE CHAMPIONS OF THE ROUND TABLE

Royal 8vo, $2.50 _net_ (postage extra). With many full-page drawings and

decorations by the author.

Mr. Pyle's new book is similar in scope, style, scheme of illustrations,

etc., to his "Story of King Arthur and His Knights," which had a great

success two years ago. It deals with the adventures of Launcelot,

Tristram, Percival, and the other chiefs of the various groups in King

Arthur's court in a manner at once spirited and poetic. As in the

earlier volume, the illustrations, both the full pages and the

decorative embellishments, with the author's cover-design and

title-page, lift the book into the class of holiday art works.

THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS

Illustrated by the author. Royal 8vo, $2.50 _net_.

THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD

Of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire. Illustrated by the author. Royal

8vo, $3.00.

------------------------------------

BOOKS ILLUSTRATED IN COLORS

------------------

A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES

By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

With 12 full-page illustrations and ornamental cover in colors. By

JESSIE WILLCOX SMITH. Royal 8vo, $2.50.

This is the most important work which Miss Smith has ever accomplished,

a work which she has long been anxious to do and into which she has put

the highest expression of her great and charming talent for drawing

children. There are twelve pages in color, and a colored title-page and

cover, and innumerable pen and ink drawings. No more perfect and

individual interpretation of Stevenson's inimitable verses could be

imagined.

POEMS OF CHILDHOOD

By EUGENE FIELD

With 8 full-page illustrations and ornamental cover in colors. By

MAXFIELD PARRISH. Royal 8vo, $2.50.

"His poems of childhood have gone home, not only to the hearts of

children, but to the heart of the country as well, and he is one of the

few contributors to that genuine literature of childhood which expresses

ideas from the standpoint of a child."—_The Outlook._

------------------------------------

THE AMERICAN NATURAL HISTORY

By WILLIAM T. HORNADAY

343 illustrations, 427 pages. $3.50 _net_ (carriage extra)

"Here are the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fishes of

the deep, described in clear, simple language, with no ambiguity, and

pictured in many cases by photographs from life, in others by drawings

of well-known animal painters. We suspect that Mr. Hornaday's book will

be the popular natural history for a long time to come."—_New York Sun._

------------------------------------

STORIES OF FAMOUS SEA FIGHTS

------------------

By JESSIE PEABODY FROTHINGHAM

SEA WOLVES OF SEVEN SHORES

Illustrated. 12mo, $1.20 _net_ (postage extra)

"Every boy that loves a pirate will want to read 'Sea Wolves of Seven

Shores,' by Jessie Peabody Frothingham, for all the famous pirates will

be found here, besides some not so well known."—_New York Sun._

SEA FIGHTERS FROM DRAKE TO FARRAGUT

Illustrated. 12mo, $1.20 _net_.

"Exactly the present to give a clever boy who has the boy's love for a

brave adventure and likes to read of gallant actions on sea and

land."—_The Congregationalist._

------------------

By MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL

TWELVE NAVAL CAPTAINS

Illustrated. 12mo, $1.25.

"A capital collection of yarns.... She tells the story of her heroes in

an admirable tone of impartiality."—_The Academy._

------------------------------------

THE BEARD BOOKS FOR BOYS

By DANIEL C. BEARD

Each profusely Illustrated by the author. Square 8vo, $2.00.

"To make a good book for boys, and more particularly a good book about

boys' sports, one needs to be a good deal of a boy himself. Mr. Beard

has just this qualification. He gets the boy's point of view, the boy's

sense of fun, the boy's love for what is new, ingenious, or queer."—_The

Outlook._

THE JACK OF ALL TRADES

Or, New Ideas for American Boys

THE OUT-DOOR HANDY BOOK

For Playground, Field, and Forest

THE AMERICAN BOY'S HANDY BOOK

Or, What to Do and How to Do It

------------------------------------

THE BEARD BOOKS FOR GIRLS

By LINA and ADELIA B. BEARD

With many Illustrations.

HANDICRAFT AND RECREATION FOR GIRLS

8vo, $1.60 _net_ (postage, 16 cents).

"It teaches how to make serviceable and useful things of all kinds out

of every kind of material. It also tells how to play and how to make

things to play with. The girl who gets this book will not lack for

occupation and pleasure."—_Chicago Evening Post._

WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE AND DO

New Ideas for Work and Play

8vo, $1.60 _net_.

"It would be a dull girl who could not make herself busy and happy

following its precepts.... A most inspiring book for an active-minded

girl."—_Chicago Record-Herald._

THE AMERICAN GIRL'S HANDY BOOK

Or, How to Amuse Yourself and Others

8vo, $2.00.

"It is a treasure which, once possessed, no practical girl would

willingly part with. It is an invaluable aid in making a home

attractive, comfortable, and refined."—GRACE GREENWOOD.

------------------------------------

MRS. BURNETT'S FAMOUS BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

New and Uniform Edition. Illustrated by REGINALD B. BIRCH. Five volumes,

12mo, each $1.25.

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY

"Another charming child to add to our gallery of juvenile heroes and

heroines."—LOUISA M. ALCOTT.

TWO LITTLE PILGRIMS' PROGRESS

"A strong, sweet, true book."—MRS. MARGARET E. SANGSTER.

SARAH CREWE

Or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's, and Little Saint Elizabeth, and