Oh entering the cabinet of the Duke of Mayenne, Madame de Montpensier
and her companion found him still engaged in listening to the reports
of several military men. He instantly made a sign, however, for the
purpose of enjoining silence as his sister approached; and turning to
St. Real, he pointed to a seat. "The Marquis de St. Real, I presume?"
he said, with an air of plain and unaffected dignity. "Your mourning
habit, sir, reminds me that I should condole with you on the death of
one of the noblest gentlemen that France has ever known. He would not,
it is true, take part with those who wished him well; but, even had he
drawn his sword against us, I should have lamented his death as a star
gone out that may never be lighted again."
There was a brief pause--for St. Real would not trust his voice with a
reply--and the Duke, after having dismissed the officers by whom he
had been surrounded, proceeded: "I trust, Monsieur de St. Real, that
you know enough of him who speaks to you to believe, even without my
saying it, that Charles of Mayenne is utterly incapable of such an act
as that by which my safe-conduct was violated in your instance. For my
own part, the persons who captured you allege, in their excuse, some
dispositions of your troops, which gave cause to suspect an
inclination to support our adversary, the young Duke of Longueville;
but I--judging your sentiments by my own--absolve you from all such
suspicion."
"You do me justice, my lord," replied St. Real; "I am incapable of
taking advantage of your pass in order to injure you; and, though in
the first heat of anger at my arrest, I might cast the blame on you, I
have since learned to judge better, and to know that it was the
purpose of those who detained me to keep you in ignorance of my
imprisonment. At least, I conclude so from the fact that, on my
desiring one of the lookers-on, as I was carried through the streets,
to bear the tidings to you, the commander, as he seemed, of the
reitters threatened to cut the man's ears off if he obeyed. How the
news was at length brought to you I know not, and would willingly
hear."
"'Twas a little misshapen dwarf," replied Mayenne, "whom I remember
well about the court some years ago, that brought the tidings, and
bellowed them forth just as I was mounting my horse to ride out this
morning."
"'Tis one of my own pages, doubtless," replied St. Real. "I fancied
that the little pigmy could ill bear the fatigues of our long march,
and I sent him on hither in a chariot, with another young lad, to
prepare a lodging for me while in Paris."
"I knew not, sir Marquis," replied Mayenne, "that you, who affect so
much retirement in the provinces, took such pains to follow the modes
of the court. What! you have dwarfs for pages, too, have you? And
doubtless, in such a household as yours, you equal this Henry of
Valois, and have the _tailleur aux nains_, as well as the dwarf's
valet."
A fear crossed the mind of Madame de Montpensier, lest her brother
should be pressing St. Real somewhat too hard for his own interests;
and she accordingly joined in the conversation at once. "No, no!" she
exclaimed; "depend upon it, Charles, Monsieur de St. Real has obtained
this dwarf through some accident. I am a better judge of nature than
you, Mayenne; and I will answer for it that St. Real is not one to ape
the follies of a vicious court, and have his dozen or two of dwarfs
and buffoons."
"You are quite right, madam," replied St. Real, who could not but feel
pleased to hear himself so boldly defended by such lovely lips. "This
dwarf was given me, when I needed a page, by my cousin of Aubin, who
prophesied that one day he would serve me at my need--a prophecy which
you see has been happily fulfilled, by the unexpected service he has
rendered me to-day; and I only trust that his Highness of Mayenne will
punish as severely those who have abused his authority, as I will
reward largely the activity of my little page."
Mayenne's brow darkened a little: for, of course, the contrivers of
the scheme by which St. Real had been brought to Paris he could not
punish; and the executors of that scheme were too necessary to his own
purposes to admit of any severity being exercised towards them, even
had a sense of justice not pointed out that they were mere instruments
in the hands of his sister. He was embarrassed therefore; for he felt
that the mind of the young Marquis of St. Real was too clear and too
straightforward not to detect and appreciate any evasive reply: but
Madame de Montpensier came to his aid.
"Nay, nay, Monsieur de St. Real," she said, half playfully, half
sadly, "let us not talk of punishments to-day. The miseries and the
pangs which are inflicted by either party on the other are sufficient,
Heaven knows, without requiring us to be very severe upon our own. But
you talked," she added, changing the subject abruptly, "of your page
seeking you a lodging in Paris. Now, this is the Hotel de Guise; and
I, as a daughter of that house, will take upon me to bid you make it
your dwelling while you stay; though my brother, here present, might
have had the courtesy to do so before now."
"Nay, Catherine," answered Mayenne, "I wished to put no restraint upon
Monsieur de St. Real. He came to the capital to act and to judge for
himself; to examine our cause, to mark the demeanour of those who
support it; and, though anxious--most anxious--to have so noble a name
joined to all those who already uphold the Catholic faith against the
apostate and excommunicated tyrant who would destroy it, yet on no
account would I bias for a moment the judgment of our noble friend,
which, indeed, he might think I wished to do if I pressed him to dwell
here."
There was a dignified simplicity in the demeanour of the Duke of
Mayenne which pleased St. Real much; but still he wished in no degree
to commit himself with the League, till he had ascertained that there
was some strong and imperative cause for quitting the path which
loyalty and his allegiance pointed out for him to follow. "I thank
you, my lord, for your consideration," he replied; "but it was my
purpose, after this interview, and having obtained one boon at your
hands, to take my leave for the time, in order to proceed to St.
Cloud, as I at first intended."
A cloud came over the brow of the Duke; but Madame de Montpensier
again interfered. "Monsieur de St. Real," she said, laughing, with
something of a double meaning, "you are strongly inclined to spoil all
my best plans in your favour; but I do not intend to let you do so.
Positively, for this day at least, you shall make your habitation in
the Hotel de Guise. The morning you shall spend as you please--see all
our faults and failings, and spy out the nakedness of the land. At
night you sup with me, to which supper I also bid my lord Duke, here;
and I will take care, that in the course of the evening, you shall
have an opportunity of urging your cousin's suit upon the ear of
Mademoiselle de Menancourt, as long and as privately as you please."
Mayenne cast an inquiring glance upon his sister; but she only
replied, "Ay, Charles, even so: your fair ward, Eugenie de Menancourt,
with whom Monsieur de St. Real desires to speak in favour of the Count
d'Aubin. However, to this plan I will have no objections, my lord
Marquis; so, on your gallantry, I call you to obey without murmuring,
remembering that, as it is impossible for a young, gay, handsome
cavalier like yourself to have a private interview with a beautiful
girl like Eugenie de Menancourt at her own dwelling without notorious
scandal, this is your only chance. No reply!" she added, with an air
of playful imperiousness; "no reply! but obedience! Herbert!" she
continued, raising her voice loud enough to be heard in the ante-room,
"command the _maître d'hôtel_ to conduct this gentleman to such a
suite of rooms as may be sufficient for himself and his attendants,
and suited to his high quality."
It would have needed a heart very stern and stoical to disobey
commands so pleasantly given, and coupled with such temptations. St.
Real, therefore, signified his assent, and, following the officer who
had come to Madame de Montpensier's call, was conducted to an
apartment in the Hotel de Guise, where he was soon joined by his own
attendants, bearing the various articles of baggage which he had
brought with him on quitting his little camp near Senlis, and which,
to their singular honour be it spoken, the reitters had left with no
very important abstractions, though plunder was no uncommon part of
their military avocations.
Madame de Montpensier, although she had in reality neither boon nor
question to demand of her brother, lingered for a moment after St.
Real was gone, looking archly in the grave face of the Duke of
Mayenne. "Well, Charles," she exclaimed, "do you not thank me for my
assistance? have I not got you nicely out of a scrape?"
"After having wildly got me into one," replied the Duke. "But tell me,
Kate, what is this business about Mademoiselle de Menancourt? I will
not suffer you to trouble the course of events there."
"Nor do I purpose to do so," replied Madame de Montpensier; "but I see
farther than you do, Charles, and, at all events, for this day will
have my own way. So, you look to your plans, and I will look to mine,
and may come to help you again when you get into difficulty." Thus
speaking, and without waiting for any farther questions, she turned
away, leaving the Duke to pursue the military arrangements in which he
had been previously occupied.