loyal subject, will surely have no other will than his king's. In the
second place, Ascanio is not nameless; he is a Gaddo Gaddi, and one of
his ancestors was Podesta of Florence. He is a goldsmith, it is true,
but in Italy it is no disgrace to belong to that guild. Furthermore,
even if he could boast of no ancient nobility, as I am at liberty to
insert his name in the letters patent which have been forwarded to me by
your Majesty's directions, he will be a nobleman of recent creation. Oh,
think not that it requires any sacrifice on my part to resign in his
favor. To reward my Ascanio is to reward myself twice over. So it is
settled, Sire, that he is Seigneur de Nesle, and I will not let him want
for money. He may, if he will, lay aside his profession, and buy a
company of lances, or an appointment at court. I will provide the
funds."
"And we shall look to it, you may be sure, that your generosity does not
lighten your purse too much."
"Then I may consider, Sire--"
"Ascanio Gaddo Gaddi, Seigneur de Nesle, let it be!" cried the king,
laughing heartily: the certainty that Madame d'Etampes was faithful to
him had put him in a joyous humor.
"Madame," said Cellini, in an undertone, "you cannot in conscience leave
the Seigneur de Nesle at the Châtelet; it was well enough for Ascanio."
Madame d'Etampes called an officer of the guards, and whispered a few
words, the concluding ones being these:--
"In the king's name!"
"What are you doing, madame?" demanded François.
"Madame d'Etampes is simply sending a messenger for the bridegroom that
is to be, Sire," interposed Cellini.
"Where?"
"Where Madame d'Etampes, who knew the king's kindness of heart, bade him
await your Majesty's pleasure."
Fifteen minutes later, the door of the apartment opened, in which were
assembled Colombe, the provost, D'Orbec, the Spanish ambassador, and
almost the whole court, except Marmagne, who was still confined to his
bed. An usher cried,--
"The king!"
François I. entered, leading Diane de Poitiers, and followed by
Benvenuto, upon one of whose arms was leaning the Duchesse d'Etampes,
and on the other Ascanio, each of them being as pale as the other.
At the announcement made by the usher, all the courtiers turned, and all
were paralyzed for a moment when they saw this strange group.
Their astonishment redoubled when the king, stepping aside to allow the
sculptor to pass in front of him, said in a loud voice:--
"Master Benvenuto, take our place for the moment, and our authority;
speak as if you were the king, and be obeyed as a king should be."
"Beware, Sire," replied the goldsmith: "in order to fill your place
fittingly, I propose to be magnificent."
"Go on, Benvenuto," said François laughingly; "every magnificent stroke
will be a bit of flattery for me."
"Very good, Sire; that puts me at my ease, and I will praise you as much
as I can. Do not forget," he continued, "all you who hear me, that the
king is speaking by my mouth. Messieurs les Notaires, you have prepared
the contract which his Majesty deigns to sign? Insert the names of the
contracting parties."
The two notaries seized their pens and made ready to write the names in
the two copies of the contract, one of which was to remain in the
archives and the other in their office.
"Of the one part," continued Cellini, "the noble and puissant
demoiselle, Colombe d'Estourville."
"Colombe d'Estourville," repeated the notaries, mechanically, while the
auditors listened in open-mouthed astonishment.
"Of the other part," continued Cellini, "the most noble and puissant
Ascanio Gaddi, Seigneur de Nesle."
"Ascanio Gaddi!" cried the provost and D'Orbec in the same breath.
"A mere artisan!" added the provost bitterly, turning toward the king.
"Ascanio Gaddi, Seigneur de Nesle," repeated Benvenuto, unmoved, "upon
whom his Majesty bestows letters of naturalization and the office of
Superintendent of the Royal Châteaux."
"If his Majesty so commands, I will obey," said the provost; "but--"
"Ascanio Gaddi," continued Benvenuto, "out of regard for whom his
Majesty grants to Messire Robert d'Estourville, Provost of Paris, the
title of Chamberlain."
"Sire, I am ready to sign," said D'Estourville, vanquished at last.
"Mon Dieu! mon Dieu!" murmured Colombe, falling back into her chair, "is
not all this a dream?"
"And what of me?" cried D'Orbec.
"As for you," rejoined Cellini, continuing his royal functions; "as for
you, Comte d'Orbec, I spare you the inquiry which I should be justified
in ordering into your conduct. Clemency is a kingly virtue, no less than
generosity, is it not, Sire? But here are the contracts, all prepared;
let us sign, messieurs, let us sign!"
"He plays the king to perfection," cried François, as happy as a
monarch on a vacation.
He passed the pen to Ascanio, who signed with a trembling hand; Ascanio
then passed the pen to Colombe, to whose assistance Madame Diane had
gone in pure kindness of heart. The hands of the lovers met, and they
almost swooned.
Next came Madame Diane, who passed the pen to the Duchesse d'Etampes,
who passed it to the provost, the provost to D'Orbec, and D'Orbec to the
Spanish ambassador.
Below all these great names Cellini wrote his own in a firm, distinct
hand. And yet he was not the one who had made the least painful
sacrifice.
After writing his name, the Spanish ambassador drew nigh the duchess.
"Our plans still hold, madame?" he asked.
"Mon Dieu!" she replied, "do what you choose: what matters France or the
world to me?"
The duke bowed. As he resumed his place, his nephew, a young and
inexperienced diplomat, remarked:--
"So it is the Emperor's purpose that not the King of France, but his
son, shall be Duke of Milan?"
"Neither the one nor the other will be," replied the ambassador.
Meanwhile other signatures were being affixed.
When every one had written his name as a subscriber to the happiness of
Colombe and Ascanio, Benvenuto walked up to the king, and knelt upon one
knee before him.
"Sire," said he, "having issued commands as king I now prefer a request
as your Majesty's humble and grateful servant. Will your Majesty deign
to grant me one last favor?"
"Say on, Benvenuto, say on!" returned François, who was in a granting
mood, and who discovered anew that it was the prerogative of royalty
wherein, take it for all in all, a king finds the most pleasure; "what
do you desire?"
"To return to Italy, sire," said Benvenuto.
"What does this mean?" cried the king; "you wish to leave me when you
have so many masterpieces still in hand for me? I'll not have it."
"Sire," replied Benvenuto, "I will return, I give you my word. But let
me go, let me see my country once more, for I feel the need of it just
now. I do not talk of my suffering," he continued, lowering his voice
and shaking his head sadly, "but I have many causes of sorrow which I
could not describe, and nothing but the air of my native land can heal
my wounded heart. You are a great and generous king, to whom I am deeply
attached. I will return, Sire, but let me go now and be cured in the
bright sunlight of the South. I leave with you Ascanio, my brain, and
Pagolo, my hand; they will suffice to carry out your artistic dreams
until my return; and when I have received the soft kisses of the breezes
of Florence, my mother, I will return to you, my king, and death alone
shall part us."
"Go if you will," said François, sadly; "it is fitting that art should
be free as the swallows: go!"
He gave Benvenuto his hand, which the artist kissed with all the fervor
of heartfelt gratitude.
As they withdrew, Benvenuto found himself by the duchess's side.
"Are you very angry with me, madame?" said he, slipping into her hand
the fatal letter which, like a magic talisman, had accomplished
impossibilities.
"No," said the duchess, overjoyed to have it in her possession at last;
"and yet you defeated me by means--"
"Go to!" said Benvenuto; "I threatened you with them, but do you think I
would have used them?"
"God in heaven!" cried the duchess, as if the light had suddenly come to
her; "that is what it is to have thought that you were like myself!"
The next day, Ascanio and Colombe were married in the chapel at the
Louvre, and, notwithstanding the rules of etiquette, the young people
obtained permission for Jacques Aubry and his wife to be present.
It was a signal favor, but we must agree that the poor student had well
merited it.
XXIII
MARIAGE DE CONVENANCE
A week later, Hermann solemnly espoused Dame Perrine, who brought him as
her marriage portion twenty thousand Tours livres, and the assurance
that he would soon be a father.
We hasten to say that this assurance had much more to do with the honest
German's determination than the twenty thousand Tours livres.
On the evening following the marriage of Colombe and Ascanio, Benvenuto
set out for Florence, despite the entreaties of the young husband and
wife.
During his stay in Italy, he cast the statue of Perseus, which still
adorns the square of the Old Palace, and which was his most beautiful
work,--for no other reason, perhaps, than that he executed it at the
period of his greatest sorrow.
THE END.