"Sent the message?" I said. "No, but the Queen, I suppose."
On this he gave me to understand, in the sly, secretive manner such men
affect, that it was so. I asked him then what all this ferment was
about. "Has Mademoiselle D'Oyley disappeared?" I said, peevishly.
"Yes, your excellency. She was with the Queen at eight o'clock. At
noon her Majesty desired her services, and she was not to be found."
"What?" I exclaimed. "A maid of honour is missing for three hours in
the morning, and there is all this travelling! Why, in my young days,
three nights might have--"
But discerning that he was little more than a youth, and could not;
restrain a smile, I broke off discreetly, and contented myself with
asking if there was reason to suppose that there was more than appeared
in the girl's absence.
"Her Majesty thinks so," he answered.
"Well, in any case, I know nothing about it," I replied. "I am not
hiding her. You may tell his Majesty that, with my service. Or I will
write it."
He answered me, eagerly, that that was not necessary, and that the King
had desired merely a word from me; and with that and many other
expressions of regret, he went away and left me at leisure to go to the
riding-school, where at this time of the year it was my wont to see the
young men practise those manly arts, which, so far as I can judge, are
at a lower ebb in these modern days of quips and quodlibets than in the
stirring times of my youth. Then, thank God, it was held more
necessary for a page to know his seven points of horsemanship than how
to tie a ribbon, or prank a gown, or read a primer.
But the first day of this year was destined to be a day of vexation. I
had scarcely entered the school, when M. de Varennes was announced.
Instead of going to meet him I bade them bring him to me, and, on
seeing him, bade him welcome to the sports. "Though," I said, politely
overlooking his past history and his origin, "we did better in our
times; yet the young fellows should be encouraged."
"Very true," he answered, suavely. "And I wish I could stay with you.
But it was not for pleasure I came. The King sent me. He desires to
know--"
"What?" I said.
"If you know anything of Mademoiselle D'Oyley. Between ourselves, M.
le Duc--"
I looked at him in amazement. "Why," I said, "what on earth has the
girl done now?"
"Disappeared," he answered.
"But she had done that before."
"Yes," he said, "and the King had your message. But--"
"But what?" I said sternly.
"He thought that you might wish to supplement it for his private use."
"To supplement it?"
"Yes. The truth is," Varennes continued, looking at me doubtfully,
"the King has information which leads him to suppose that she may be
here."
"She may be anywhere," I answered in a tone that closed his mouth, "but
she is not here. And you may tell the King so from me!"
Though he had begun life as a cook, few could be more arrogant than
Varennes on occasion; but he possessed the valuable knack of knowing
with whom he could presume, and never attempted to impose on me.
Apologising with the easy grace of a man who had risen in life by
pleasing, he sat with me awhile, recalling old days and feats, and then
left, giving me to understand that I might depend on him to disabuse
the King's mind.
As a fact, Henry visited me that evening without raising the subject;
nor had I any reason to complain of his generosity, albeit he took care
to exact from the Superintendent of the Finances more than he gave his
servant, and for one gift to Peter got two Pauls satisfied. To obtain
the money he needed in the most commodious manner, I spent the greater
part of two days in accounts, and had not yet settled the warrants to
my liking, when La Trape coming in with candles on the second evening
disturbed my secretaries. The men yawned discreetly; and reflecting
that we had had a long day I dismissed them, and stayed myself only for
the purpose of securing one or two papers of a private nature. Then I
bade La Trape light me to my closet.
Instead, he stood and craved leave to speak to me. "About what,
sirrah?" I said.
"I have received an offer, your excellency," he answered with a crafty
look.
"What! To leave my service?" I exclaimed, in surprise.
"No, your excellency," he answered. "To do a service for another--M.
Pimentel. The Portuguese gentleman stopped me in the street to-day,
and offered me fifty crowns."
"To do what?" I asked.
"To tell him where the young lady with Madame lies; and lend him the
key of the garden gate to-night."