For a time, the change produced on the domestic affairs of Monsieur de
Villardin, by his retirement from Paris, was a great improvement. The
Duke seemed to feel himself more at ease in the country than the
description of good Jerome Laborde permitted me to believe he had been
in the town; and Madame de Villardin, like a wise woman, making up her
mind to what she could not avoid, seemed determined to dedicate
herself wholly to rural occupations and to the wife's first task of
making his home comfortable and tranquil to her husband. Matters thus
soon assumed a new aspect. Monsieur de Villardin, who was naturally of
a warm and affectionate disposition, gave way fully to all the better
feelings of his heart; and I have never seen a more happy household
than that which, for the month that followed, was presented by the
château of the Prés Vallée, although Madame de Villardin herself had
become far more grave and matronly than she had appeared in Paris. The
Duke, with the natural eagerness and activity of his disposition, was,
of course, obliged to find himself constant employment; but to a man
so fond of field sports as he was, the country around us presented an
unfailing source of amusement. Now it was a fishing party, now it was
an expedition against the stags, the boars, or the wolves; now it was
a walk to bring home a chevreuil, which furnished us with the day's
entertainment; and, on most of these occasions, I was glad to find
that Madame de Villardin, at her own request, accompanied her husband.
For my part, the whole was joy and satisfaction to me; for it was
evident, that all those whose affections I coveted were daily growing
more fond of me: the Duke was never tired of praising my method of
conducting their sports; Madame de Villardin seemed to take a delight
in seeing me play with her little girl; the servants, who were sure to
meet all good offices and no evil ones from my hands, found a great
difference between myself and such pages as they were accustomed to
encounter, with whom the ordinary domestics of a house are generally
in a state of open warfare. The two younger pages themselves were my
pets and my protégés; and the only one who hated me, with a tolerable
degree of malevolence, was my first enemy, Master Gaspard de
Belleville, whose fear was the only restraint upon his animosity.
Certain it is, that his dislike was not particularly diminished during
our stay at the Prés Vallée. The increasing regard and confidence of
our mutual lord towards myself, the frequent rebukes and
mortifications that his awkwardness and inactivity in all our field
sports called upon himself, as well as the total disregard with which
I treated him, all served to increase and cultivate his original
distaste towards me. It is true he never dared to show his hatred in
such a manner as to give me an excuse for resenting it; but it peeped
out in a thousand little words and actions, amongst which, one of the
pettiest, but one which first showed his feelings, was a habit which
he had of never calling me by my name when speaking of me to others,
but always designating me--l'Anglais--l'Etranger,--the Englishman--the
Foreigner. For all this I was very easily consoled, and indeed
scarcely noticed it at all. Monsieur de Villardin, however, himself
took notice of the latter circumstance I have mentioned, and one day
sharply reproved him for not speaking of me by my name. "Call him,
sir," he said, "by his proper appellation,--Monsieur Hall; and
remember that he is better born, as well as better educated, than
yourself."
Of another, and far more serious trait of his ill will towards myself,
I received, about this time, proofs quite sufficient to satisfy
myself, though perhaps they were not quite irrefragable.
Shortly after the arrival of the family at the Prés Vallée, the Duke
took me out with him alone; and causing me to walk by his side, made
me give him a far more full and detailed account of all my adventures
on the road than I had been able to do by letter. When I had done, he
asked me if I had been imprudent enough, before quitting Paris, to
acknowledge to any one but himself the share I had had in the
liberation of Jacques Marlot.
"To no one, I assure you, my lord," I replied; "even to his own uncle,
Jerome Laborde, I never mentioned the facts; merely telling him--to
quiet the old man's mind--that I had heard his nephew had been
liberated, without adding one word which could induce him to believe
that I had any share in the transaction."
"It is very extraordinary, indeed," said the Duke in reply; "but it is
an undoubted fact, that between the time of your aiding to rescue the
prisoner and my visit to the Hotel de Bouillon that night, the police
had obtained the most perfect account of your person, appearance,
dress, and situation. Can you remember," he added, "whether there was
any one present when you related the circumstances to me?"
"No one, my lord," I replied, "as you may remember, but Gaspard de
Belleville."
Monsieur de Villardin shook his head. "Indeed!" he said; "Indeed! Yet
I cannot believe the boy would be either so base or so foolish as to
betray such a conversation. However," he added, changing the subject
abruptly, "of course, as you have suffered robbery while engaged in my
service, I shall not allow you to lose by anything of the kind. The
sum which was taken from you shall be repaid to you as soon as we
return home; and, in the meantime, do not let any suspicion of Gaspard
appear in your behaviour towards him."
"There exists so very little communication between us, my lord," I
replied, "on any subject, that there is no fear of my betraying any
such feeling; and certainly, more than ever, I shall take care to
conceal it, since you desire me to do so."
The same evening, the Duke gave me an order upon his intendant for the
full sum which I had lost; and, as a still greater proof of his
regard, ordered an apartment in the immediate vicinity of his own,
consisting of two very comfortable chambers, to be prepared for my
sole use.
This state of things had continued about a month, when a rumour became
prevalent in our little world that the Duchess was again pregnant;
and, about the same time, after a deep and fearful fit of gloom, of
which no one understood the cause, Monsieur de Villardin shut himself
up almost entirely in his library and his bedchamber, and was hardly
seen by anybody for several days. Madame de Villardin, too, was
observed several times in tears, and everything appeared once more to
be going wrong in the family. At the end of a few days, however, a
change was wrought in the Duke himself, apparently by the exhortations
of his confessor, who was frequently with him for several hours at a
time. Of this excellent man I shall have occasion to speak more
hereafter; and here it is only necessary to say, that the influence he
possessed over the mind of Monsieur de Villardin was at all times
extraordinary. His usual residence was at Rennes, and consequently he
had not seen the Duke for more than two years: but his authority did
not seem to have been at all shaken, nor the bold tone of his reproof
at all softened by absence; for I remember once, on passing the
library door, which was ajar, having unwillingly overheard him myself
tax his penitent with absolute madness. However that might be, the
Duke very soon resumed his usual habits; and it appeared to me that he
endeavoured, by increased kindness, to efface from the mind of the
Duchess whatever effect any harshness he had shown her might have
produced. Most gladly did she seem to catch at every renewed proof of
his affection; and the happiness of the family was again apparently
restored for the time, when one morning, as we were about to set out
to hunt in the neighbourhood, the young Count de Mesnil, who had
rescued the Duke out of the hands of the butchers in Paris, and who
had since been a frequent visiter at his house, rode up to the gates,
and was received with a joyous welcome by both the Duke and his lady.
He, like Monsieur de Villardin, had come into Brittany to spend some
time on his estates; and as his dwelling was within seven miles of the
Prés Vallée, his visits soon became very nearly as frequent as they
had been in Paris.
At first the natural bent of Madame de Villardin's disposition led her
into some of those little acts of gaiety and display from which a
habitual love of admiration rendered it almost impossible for her to
refrain; but very soon, and somewhat suddenly, her manner towards the
young Count assumed an air of great coldness; and I easily divined the
cause both of this change and of the great affection which Monsieur de
Mesnil appeared to feel for the lord and family of the Prés Vallée.
Strange to say, Monsieur de Villardin, awake to the slightest word in
other instances, and suspicious where there was no cause, was in the
present case totally blind, long after Madame de Villardin herself had
become aware of the designs of their visiter. He had known the Count
de Mesnil as a mere boy, and he still looked upon him as such. This
might be one cause of his blindness; but, in truth, I believe, there
is also a sort of fatality in such cases, or rather a madness, which,
to a suspicious mind, makes truth look like falsehood, and falsehood
appear to be truth. I felt very much for Madame de Villardin, whose
situation appeared to be painful in the extreme; and whose conduct
towards the Count de Mesnil, as far, at least, as I could see, was now
faultless; but, of course, I dared not say a word to open the eyes of
my lord upon such a subject, without having some decided fact to
warrant my interference.
In this state of affairs, nearly two months more passed over our
heads, without any circumstance occurring to change my own situation
or that of the other parties; Monsieur de Villardin continuing
extremely partial to the society of his young neighbour, and the
Duchess, on the contrary, treating him with a degree of cold
haughtiness which approached towards rudeness. At length, one morning,
shortly after the Count de Mesnil, who had been upon a visit at the
Prés Vallée, had left the house, in order, as it seemed, to return
home, Monsieur de Villardin set out on horseback, intending to proceed
to Rennes, accompanied by myself, Gaspard de Belleville, and one or
two grooms. When we were about a mile and a half from the château,
however, he suddenly remembered that a packet, referring to the
business which called him to the city, had been left on the table of
his library; and, as it was of some importance, he directed me to ride
back and bring it to him at Rennes. I accordingly lost no time in
returning to the Prés Vallée; but was somewhat surprised, when about
half a mile from the house, to remark a horse, which I very well
recognised as that of the Count de Mesnil, tied to one of the old
trees which I have before described. I had taken a short cut across
the meadows, which deviation from the high road had led me through a
part of the grounds that, lying at a distance from any of the ordinary
paths, was generally very lonely: but, in truth, when I beheld this
sight, I wished that I had pursued any other way; for I apprehended,
and not without cause, that I might soon be placed in one of the most
painful situations that it is possible to conceive. I had, however,
but one task to perform--to do the errand on which I was sent; but, in
order to see as little as possible, I rode to the back of the château,
and, entering from the offices, went up by one of the back staircases
into the library. That room, however, opened again into the small
saloon, and the door by which I entered fronted the other, which was
unclosed, and exactly opposite to which, on the wall of the saloon,
was hung a large Venetian mirror in a silver frame. The moment I
entered, I heard voices, and my eye involuntarily rested on the
mirror, in which I beheld the reflection of two figures; that of the
Duchess with her back to the glass, so that I could not see the
expression of her countenance, and that of Monsieur de Mesnil,
kneeling at her feet, and holding her hand with some degree of force
in his own, while he pressed his lips upon it.
Although, as I have said, I could not see the face of the Duchess, her
words, and the tone in which they were pronounced, were quite
sufficient to show me that she was repelling indignantly the grossest
insult that woman can receive from man.
"If you do not instantly quit me, sir," she exclaimed in a loud and
vehement voice, "I will call those who can and will protect me against
your daring insolence. Rise, sir, rise: I do not know which is the
most to be despised, your affectation of love for a woman you insult,
or your hypocrisy in pretending friendship for the man you endeavour
to wrong."
The Count was not without all those ordinary arguments on the subject,
by which men furnish women, who are already inclined to degrade
themselves, with excuses for so doing; I did not allow him time,
however, to make much use of his oratory; but by oversetting one of
the tables in the library, gave him intimation that some one was near.
Immediate and not very dignified flight was his resource, and taking
his way through another door, he left the Duchess without any great
ceremony in bidding her adieu. As I saw her approaching the library, I
also made my escape by the back staircase as rapidly as if I had been
upon some furtive expedition. The truth is, that my mind, for the
first time in my life, I believe, was not made up how to act; and I
did not wish to encounter Madame de Villardin until I had formed my
determination. I had also obtained the packet for which I was sent, so
that I had no cause to stay longer; and, mounting again in the back
court, I rode forward towards Rennes.
Although I knew that Monsieur de Villardin waited for the papers, my
pace was slow I confess; for I was embarrassed with meditations, which
were not easily brought to an end. Had I been sure that the Duchess
would have told her own story to her husband, I might have held my
peace, and suffered the matter to take its course; but I clearly saw
that the causeless jealousy of Monsieur de Villardin himself had so
greatly alarmed his wife, that it was very doubtful whether she would
open his eyes to the perfidy of his friend, not knowing what strange
and violent effect the communication might produce. At the same time I
remembered the promise I had made, never to see him wronged, without
making him aware of the fact; but though this promise was decided, yet
I felt afraid to perform it, and was long in considering how I might
do so in such a manner as to fulfil my duty, and yet to guard against
the slightest suspicion falling upon his innocent wife. It may be
thought, indeed, that for this purpose, I had nothing to do but to
tell all that I had seen, precisely as I had seen it; but Monsieur de
Villardin was not famous for hearing any one to an end, and I
therefore knew that the effect of the first part of my tale would,
probably, be to prevent his attending to one word of its conclusion.
Eventually, however, I both made up my mind to tell him what I had
witnessed, and fixed upon the means of making him hear me out; and as
soon as this was settled, I put my horse into a gallop, and never
stopped till I was in Rennes.
The business which had taken him to the provincial capital detained
him for several hours, but was ultimately settled to his satisfaction,
and he returned homeward in a happier mood than any I had lately
witnessed. He was more calm and placid than he had been for months,
and met his wife with that confiding and affectionate air, which I
hoped might induce her to open her whole heart to her husband at once.
Had she done so, what misery she would have saved him! but she was too
much afraid of him to act in the only manner that could have rebuked
suspicion for ever. As I was almost constantly, on some excuse or
another, in the saloon or library, I had sufficient opportunity of
watching my lord's countenance, and I scanned it eagerly during the
evening, to see whether the tale had been told. He was so cheerful and
so gay, that his face, like a summer sky, would, in a moment, have
betrayed the slightest cloud that came over him; but the day closed
without any appearing, and it was clear that the Duchess, most weakly,
had determined to conceal the insult offered to her by the Count de
Mesnil from her husband.
The task then lay with me; and when Madame de Villardin had retired
for the night, I entreated the Duke to grant me a few minute's
audience. He first heard my request with a smile, and asked whether
to-morrow would not do as well; but the next moment his demon woke
suddenly up, a cloud came over his brow, and I could see that
suspicion and distrust were once more alive. Starting up, he took one
of the tapers, and beckoning me into the library, which was more
retired and secure than the saloon, he shut the door, and casting
himself into an arm chair, exclaimed, almost fiercely, "Now! boy! Now!
What is it you have to say?"
I saw that he was dreadfully agitated, even by his own imaginations,
for as yet I had not said one word to cause the slightest emotion: but
still, as I have said, he was moved in an extraordinary degree; and I
knew, that unless I took the means on which I had before resolved to
gain an uninterrupted hearing, my story would be cut short in the
midst. Advancing, therefore, as near as I well could, I knelt down
before him, and said, "My lord, I have something to tell you; but you
are so quick, that I am afraid of your not hearing it all. If you will
give me your word of honour that you will hear every word I have to
say without interrupting me, I will go on; but if you will not, I will
hold my tongue, and, on my life, nothing shall ever make me open my
lips."
He repaid me with a fierce glance for the conditions that I made; but
as he knew that I was one to keep my word, he promised most solemnly
to hear me to an end.
"Well then, my lord," I said, "I shall only farther claim, that as you
give credit to one part of my story, so you shall give credit to the
other; for every word that I am about to speak is equally true."
I then proceeded to recount all that I had seen in the morning after
he had sent me back for the papers; and never did I see a more
terrific struggle take place in a human being than that which agitated
him during the recital. When I first spoke of Monsieur de Mesnil's
horse tied to the tree, he had nearly broke forth; and when I came to
relate the scene that first met my eye in the library, he started up
from off his chair with every muscle of his face working under
excessive emotion. He remembered his promise, however; and sitting
down again, covered his eyes with his hand while I proceeded; but as I
concluded with the words which his wife had uttered, he caught me by
the arm, and gazed eagerly in my face, exclaiming--"Ha! did she say
that?"
"On my honour! On my soul, she did," I replied; "as I hope in heaven!"
"Boy, you have saved me!" he exclaimed, sinking back in the chair; and
to my astonishment, I saw a tear rise up in his eye and roll over his
cheek. He brushed it hastily away, and then laying his hand kindly
upon my shoulder, said, "John Marston, you have done your duty well
and nobly, and by taking the means you have to make me hear you out,
you have conferred an obligation on your lord that must never be
forgotten. To a boy of your age I cannot speak as I might to others,
of the vice and evil that reigns amongst our highest dames in Paris;
but let it suffice, that a woman who so degrades herself becomes, to
my mind, a thing of loathing and abhorrence; and if you can conceive
what it is to love with the deepest intensity, you may understand what
it would be to behold the beloved object suddenly change from the
dearest jewel of your heart to the foulest object that earth can
present to your eyes. It is worse, a thousand times, than to see the
blighting change from life to death, but you have saved me; for the
very suspicion of such a thing would be madness.--But you have saved
me; and, after that noble speech, I shall never henceforth entertain a
doubt or a fear."
How deeply, how sadly, he deceived himself, may easily be divined; for
where was there yet a suspicious man that--ever laid aside his
suspicions?
"As to the Count de Mesnil," he added, his lip curling both with scorn
and anger, "I look upon him but as a worm: he is one of the many who
think it honourable, and gay, and brilliant, to act, as she justly
said, the hypocrite and the villain; and is contemptible.
Nevertheless, he must not go unpunished, and must be cared for. On his
account I will speak with you to-morrow; but in the meantime repeat
once more what your lady replied."
I did as he bade me, and he marked every syllable attentively.
"You vary not a word," he said; "and I well know that your honour and
your memory never fail. You have saved me from torments not to be
told, and perhaps from deeds that might have brought greater torments
still; you have acted wisely and nobly, and henceforth I treat you as
my son. Now, leave me, my good boy, and to-morrow by six of the clock
be here in the library, when we will speak of what farther steps are
to be taken in this affair."
I left him without reply, and went to bed, satisfied with my own
conduct, and gratified by the result. The next morning I was in the
library as the clock struck the hour that he had named; but Monsieur
de Villardin was down before me, and had probably been so some time,
as there were several sheets of parchment before him, and he had just
concluded the writing of a paper of some length as I entered. He
looked up with a smile when he perceived me, and said, "General St.
Maur, or, as I believe I ought to call him, Lord Langleigh, informed
me that he and Lord Masterton had, in recompence for the services you
had rendered them, assigned you a sufficient revenue from one of their
farms to maintain you at ease in the station which you are destined to
fill. Pray how much did they thus grant you?"
"A thousand crowns per annum, my lord," replied I; "and, indeed, in
your house I do not know what to do with it."
"Oh, time will teach you plenty of uses for it," answered the Duke;
"and for the service you have rendered me, I am about to add nearly
double what you already possess. There is a small farm, which I bought
lately, near my estates at Dumont, which produces about eighteen
hundred crowns; and besides the farm-house, there is upon it the
dwelling of the former proprietor, whose family is now extinct. It is
called Juvigny. I give it to you for ever, holding only the right of
guardianship over you and it, till you are of age by law to use it
yourself. There are the papers, together with my directions to a
notary in regard to the cession. Bid a groom take them to Rennes, and
bring back the deed drawn up this evening, when I will sign it."
Warmly, most warmly, did I express my gratitude, fancying myself now
richer than princes; for the sum of three thousand crowns per annum
went far beyond any dreams which I yet had of expense. Monsieur de
Villardin smiled at the enthusiasm with which I poured forth the
thanks, and at the ideas I seemed to entertain of the boundlessness of
my wealth.
"Well, well," he said, "you will learn to appreciate it more justly in
time. Go now and give the groom the papers, with particular orders to
bring back the deed to-night, for no one can tell what to-morrow may
bring forth. Return to me as soon as you have given him your
directions."
I immediately obeyed, and choosing one of the grooms who was my more
especial favourite in the family, I gave him the papers, with
injunctions to use all speed and diligence. I then returned to the
library, and found that the Duke had just concluded a billet, on which
he wrote the address of the Count de Mesnil; and after drawing a small
cord of floss silk across the folds, he sealed the ligature at both
ends, and put the note into my hands:--"You will take that," he said,
with a calm smile, "to our good friend the Count de Mesnil; but do not
go till after breakfast, nor let it seem by your manner that there is
anything extraordinary in your mission; for, to my taste, things of
this kind had better always be conducted as quietly as possible.
Deliver it into the Count's own hand, when you have reached his
dwelling, and bring me back his reply."
Of course I very well understood that I was charged with one of those
cartels of mortal defiance which were then so common in every country
of Europe. The matter certainly was nothing new to me, for many a very
trifling dispute had I seen brought to the arbitrement of the sword
when I followed the camp of the Cavaliers; but it did seem strange to
me that the Duke so far departed from the general customs of the day
as to send his defiance by a page, instead of by some man equal in
rank and station to the person for whom it was intended. I found
afterwards, however, that his irritable fear of ridicule, which was
the next prominent characteristic of his mind to its susceptibility of
the slightest suspicion, was the cause of anything that appeared
irregular in his method of proceeding. However that might be, of
course I did not object to the task, though it seemed to me doubtful
how Monsieur de Mesnil would receive such a cartel from a page, and
what might be his treatment of the bearer. Personal risk seldom
entered into my calculation in these matters, and I ordered my horse
to be ready after breakfast, and a groom to be prepared to accompany
me, as gaily as if I had been going upon an errand of pleasure. Before
setting out, however, I had an opportunity of seeing the behaviour of
the Duke towards his wife, and it, I confess, was the first thing that
gave me any pain in the business. It was so gentle, so affectionate,
so different from what it had been on former occasions, that, as the
thought flashed across my mind, that the first day of such tenderness
might be the last of his life, I would have given more than all I had
in the world to have prevented the proposed encounter from taking
place. To do so was, of course, impossible; and accordingly after
breakfast I mounted my horse, and rode away for Mesnil Moray, the
dwelling of Monsieur de Villardin's adversary.
Though I was a little gloomy when I set out, old habits soon got the
better of new feelings, and I readily brought myself to look upon the
affair altogether as one of those matters which every man must
undertake, at least, a hundred times in the course of his life.
"Monsieur de Villardin," I thought, "will fight fifty more, I hope,
before he has done with the sword," and with this consolatory
reflection, I cantered on as fast as I could. Somewhat less than an
hour brought me to the gates of the château; and, on demanding to see
Monsieur de Mesnil, I was instantly admitted to his presence. I
thought he turned rather pale when he saw me, but it might be merely
imaginary; and certainly, throughout the whole, he behaved like a man
of honour and courage. He took the billet, and, cutting the silk, read
it attentively, with a slight frown knitting his brows. He then asked
me in a calm tone, "Do you know the contents of this note, young man?"
The question puzzled me a little, for though I strongly suspected the
general nature of what the billet contained, yet I knew none of the
particulars, and could not even be sure of that which I imagined. I
answered, therefore, that "I did not;" and the Count rejoined,
throwing the note into the fire, "Well, then, as Monsieur de Villardin
has been kind enough to send me an unceremonious request, I will send
him an unceremonious reply. Tell him I will accept his invitation,
with all its particulars, and that I am his very obedient servant. You
may add, I would have written, but that I have a great deal to do
between this and night."
Charged with this ambiguous message, I returned to the Prés Vallée,
and found Monsieur de Villardin playing with his little girl, while
Madame de Villardin was in her own chamber, preparing to go out with
him for a walk.
"Have you brought any note?" he asked me immediately, taking advantage
of his wife's absence, to inquire the result of my embassy in private.
I replied that I had only received a verbal answer: upon which he
formed a pretext to send away the little girl, and made me give him a
detailed account of all that had occurred.
"Well, well," he said, as I concluded, "it is all well. Be prepared to
go out with me at six o'clock to-night, and get a spade and pick-axe
privately from the garden."
I did not well know what to anticipate from these directions, for it
was then in the early part of spring, and at six o'clock the evening
was too far advanced to afford anything like sufficient light for a
fair single combat. Nevertheless, I had, of course, nothing but to
obey; and, slipping out about half past five, I got the tools from the
garden; and after placing them in a spot where they were not likely to
be observed, I returned to the library, where I was very soon joined
by Monsieur de Villardin. His hat and cloak were already there, and I
was just aiding him to put them on, when the groom, who had been
despatched to Rennes, returned with a notary and the papers prepared
for signature. By the calm way with which Monsieur de Villardin took
this interruption, called for lights, heard the papers read, and went
through all the necessary formalities for investing me with the
property which he had bestowed upon me, I easily divined that he had
no fixed appointment for that hour, and began to suspect the real
object of his expedition. When all was concluded, and the notary sent
back under a safe escort, he bade me follow him. We thus issued forth
in the dusk; and having furnished ourselves with the spade and
pick-axe, proceeded a short distance on the road towards Rennes.
"Now, my young friend," he said, at length, "I must trust to your
guidance. I have heard that you never forgot spot, person, or thing,
that you once have seen. Do you think you can now lead me to the tree,
under which Monsieur de Mesnil's horse was tied, when you passed
yesterday morning?"
"I think I can," I replied, "and, certainly, if not to the precise
tree, I can lead you to the next one to it; for there were but two or
three together, and I know the clump well."
When we reached the neighbourhood of the spot, the various objects
around at once recalled to my remembrance which was the tree I sought;
and, having approached it, Monsieur de Villardin measured out a space
of ground beneath its branches about six feet by three, and, causing
me to remove the turf in one piece, we both set vigorously to work,
and, with pick-axe and spade, soon hollowed out a sufficient trench
to contain the body of a man. "If I fall," he said, when we had
concluded our work, "let it be remembered, that I wish this to be
my grave. If I survive I will direct you what to do."
Before leaving the spot, he caused me to carry about a dozen
shovelfuls of the earth away, and cast them into the river, which
flowed at the distance of three or four hundred yards. We then placed
the tools in the grave, and returned to the château, Monsieur de
Villardin directing me previously, to be up by five the next morning,
to saddle his horse with my own hands, and, leaving it prepared in the
stable, to go on to the spot where he had been working, and wait there
for his coming.
The coolness with which he set about all his proceedings, and my
knowledge of his skill as a swordsman, made me feel very confident
that the issue of the combat would be in his favour, although his
adversary was his junior by near twenty years. I had seen so much of
such affairs, too, that I could generally form a very good guess in
regard to the result; and, from all I had observed of Monsieur de
Villardin's conduct during the day, I went to bed with very little
fear for his safety the next morning. I was up at the time prescribed,
saddled the horse as well as I could in utter darkness, and then
walked away to the tree, which I reached just as the first faint gray
of the morning began to mingle with the blackness of night.
When I had waited there about a quarter of an hour, I heard the sound
of a horse's feet, and, a moment after, perceived Monsieur de
Villardin, who sprang to the ground, and, giving me his rein to hold,
only remarked that it was darker than he had expected; although, by
this time, the dawn had made considerable progress. In about five
minutes after, which he spent in selecting a piece of firm dry turf
unencumbered by trees, and fitted, as far as possible, for the sort of
morning's amusement in which he was going to exercise himself, the
sound of another horse's feet was heard, and we were soon joined by
the Count de Mesnil. He was quite alone; and, dismounting at a little
distance, he bowed coldly to Monsieur de Villardin, saying, "As you
requested, sir, I have come alone. You, I see, have brought your
page."
"I did so, sir," replied the Duke, "in the first place, that he might
hold our horses; in the next, that he might aid the survivor in
filling up yon trench," and he pointed to the grave. "He is a boy of
honour and of birth," he added, "and you may trust him fully; but, if
you desire it, I will order him to withdraw."
"Not on my account," replied Monsieur de Mesnil; "I am just as well
pleased that he should be present; though, I must say, that I should
have thought the Duke de Villardin might have found some fitter person
than a page to carry his cartel to the Count de Mesnil."
"I have chosen the method of proceeding I have followed, Monsieur de
Mesnil, not only because I think these things between brave men had
better always be done as quietly as possible, but also, because I
judged it unnecessary that many witnesses should hear me tell you, as
I now do, that I look upon you as a villain, a hypocrite, and a
traitor, devoid of every good feeling but the brute quality of
courage!"
"Enough, enough, sir," cried the Count de Mesnil: "the fewer of such
words as well as the fewer witnesses the better. Where do you take
your ground?"
He then gave me his horse's rein, and Monsieur de Villardin led him to
the spot which he had chosen, made him examine it accurately, to see
that there was no inequality or artifice, and then, drawing his sword,
caused his adversary to measure it with the blade of his own,--which
proved to be nearly an inch longer. On perceiving this difference, the
Count declared that he was perfectly willing to wait, if Monsieur de
Villardin thought fit to send to the castle for a more equal weapon;
but the Duke replied, that he was quite contented with the sword that
he had; and, throwing away his cloak, hat, and coat, took his ground,
and put himself in a posture of defence.
The Count de Mesnil prepared for the combat more slowly. He certainly
evinced no fear; but there were two or three slight traits that I
remarked in his conduct, which induced me to believe that, either from
the consciousness of having wronged his friend, or from feeling
himself inferior in skill and dexterity, he advanced not to the
encounter with the same confidence as that which appeared in the whole
demeanour of Monsieur de Villardin. When the Duke had first referred
to the grave which he had dug the night before, and pointed it out
with his hand, the eye of the young Count strained eagerly upon it for
a moment, and it was evident that the anticipations the sight
naturally called up were felt bitterly. He was pale, too, and though
he spoke firmly and calmly, I perceived that there was a difficulty in
unfastening his cloak, and all the other little preparations, which
spoke a mind intensely occupied with other thoughts. I observed, also,
and it seemed somewhat strange, that he in no degree referred to the
cause of his present hostile opposition to a man who had been so
lately his friend; and indeed it seemed that the few short lines which
Monsieur de Villardin had written had been quite sufficient to explain
all, and to make him feel that amity was changed for ever into
unquenchable hate between them.
At length all was prepared, and the swords of the two combatants
crossed. After a few parades on either part, which served no purpose
but to let each know the skill and peculiar mode of fencing of his
adversary, the assault assumed a more serious character; but still it
appeared that both wished to maintain the defensive, and I plainly saw
that, more than once, the Duke could have wounded or disarmed his
opponent, had he thought fit. In a short time, however, the Count de
Mesnil, who was of a hasty and passionate disposition, and not so old
a soldier as Monsieur de Villardin, became heated in the encounter,
and pressed his antagonist hard, still keeping a wary hand and eye,
but evidently becoming more and more vehement at each pass. At length,
in a furious lunge, by not keeping his right foot quite straight, and
probably more accustomed to the salle d'armes than the green sward, he
slipped, and came upon his knee, perfectly at the mercy of his
adversary. But Monsieur de Villardin, to my surprise, dropped the
point of his sword, bidding him rise.
"I do not take advantage of an accident, sir," he said. The Count
rose, with downcast eyes and a burning cheek, and replied, after a
moment's pause, "I cannot, of course, after this act of generosity,
think----"
"If, sir," said Monsieur de Villardin, cutting him short, "you are
contented to go forth into the world again, as one who bears the name
of villain, and hypocrite, and scoundrel--and, I shall then add,
coward--mount your horse and begone:--if not, resume your place."
The Count's eyes flashed, and the combat was instantly renewed, but
this time with a different result. At the end of four or five passes,
with a movement so rapid that I could scarcely see how it was
effected, though it may be believed I was an eager spectator, Monsieur
de Villardin parried a lunge of his adversary in such a manner as to
leave the whole of the Count's person open. He then lunged in return,
and the next moment the Count de Mesnil was lying prostrate on the
turf. At a sign from the Duke, I threw the bridles of the horses over
a low bough, and ran up to the spot. The fallen man by that time had
raised himself upon one arm, and with the other hand seemed grasping
at the blades of grass; but he spoke not, and his head, drooping
forward, concealed his countenance. "Shall I bring water?" I said;
but, ere time was given for an answer, the strength which had enabled
him to raise himself so far passed away, and with a single groan he
fell back upon the ground and expired.
We stood and gazed upon his still, pale countenance for several
minutes; but it was very evident, from the first look, that his career
was at an end; and, after a pause, the Duke bent over him and opened
his vest. Scarcely a drop of blood had flowed from the wound which
caused his death, although, from the direction it had taken, it seemed
to me that it must have pierced his heart.
"It is over!" said Monsieur de Villardin,--"it is over! yet, put your
hand upon his heart, my boy: see if it beats."
As I opened his shirt to do so, there dropped out a locket, which was
suspended from his neck by a blue riband, and which contained a single
lock of dark hair. As soon as he saw it, the Duke caught it up, and
unfastening the riband, gazed upon the hair for a moment or two with
an eager look. It was certainly the colour to a very shade, of that of
Madame de Villardin; and I instantly saw that the demon had taken
possession of her husband once more. After gazing at the locket for
several minutes, he put it by, and then asked me, sternly, if the man
were dead.
I replied that he certainly was, as far as I could discover. "Then now
to our next task," said the Duke: "bring me yon mantle and coat."
I immediately obeyed, and bringing forward the clothes of the unhappy
Count, I aided in wrapping the body therein; and then, taking the
feet, while the Duke raised the head, we bore the corpse to the grave
that we had dug, and laid it there, without prayer or benediction. We
next placed the hat and sword of the deceased in the earth along with
him; and then, as fast as possible, filled up the pit with mould.
Notwithstanding the quantity of earth I had removed the night before,
there was still more than enough to fill up the grave to the level of
the other ground, and I had four or five shovelfuls more to carry down
and cast into the river. When that was done, however, and the last
spadeful had been disposed of, we laid the turf down again over the
spot; and so carefully had it been removed, that, though the ground
was a little raised, it required some examination to discover where
the aperture had been made.
"A few showers of rain," said the Duke, as he gazed upon the grave,
"will remove every trace."
I replied nothing, but I thought that the rain of many years would
never remove the traces of that morning's work from his heart or from
my memory. In regard to the ground, however, I entertained no
apprehension of its ever being discovered. The young Count himself, in
tying his horse to that tree when he came on his furtive and evil
visit to the dwelling of his friend, had of course selected one of the
most retired spots that he could find; and it was only the accidental
circumstance of my cutting across from the particular point of the
high road where I had left Monsieur de Villardin on the way to Rennes,
that had caused me to discover the charger in that situation. In that
spot, too, the turf was short, and the grass any thing but luxuriant;
so that the shepherds were not likely to lead their flocks thither, at
least till the year was more advanced, by which time all traces of the
grave would be effaced. The only thing now to dispose of was the
horse; and after examining the ground carefully, in order to ascertain
that nothing of any kind had been dropped or forgotten, the Duke
directed me to lead the animal some distance in the way to the Count's
own dwelling, and then turn him loose.
I did as he bade me, leaving Monsieur de Villardin to return to the
castle alone; and, taking the horse by the bridle, I brought it to the
vicinity of the road which led to Mesnil Moray, at a spot about half a
mile from the bridge which crosses the Vilaine. There I gave it the
rein; and, though it had followed as quietly as possible up to that
moment, no sooner did it find itself free, than it darted away as if
it had suddenly become mad. It sprang at once over a fence, and
crossed the high road, taking the direction of its lord's dwelling,
without any regard to path. I climbed up a neighbouring bank to watch
its course for an instant; and, to my surprise, saw it plunge into the
river, and, after sinking down from the force with which it darted in,
rise up again, swim the stream, spring up the bank, and gallop away
across the fields.
There was something awful in the sight; and I could not help thinking,
as the noble horse bounded away, that there was a living witness of
the bloody scene in which I had just taken part, that, could he have
found voice, would have soon called the friends of his fallen lord to
avenge his death.