As Bevill dismounted in the great courtyard, and, addressing a man who
was evidently the innkeeper, told him that he desired accommodation
for the night, he recognised that, whatever might be the inferiority
of this house to its rival, "L'Ours," it had at least some traveller,
or travellers, of importance staying in it.
In one corner of the yard, round which ran a railed platform level
with the ground floor and having four openings with steps leading up
to that floor, there stood, horseless now, a large travelling coach,
of the kind which, later, came to be called a _berline_. This
construction was a massive one, since inside it were to be seen not
only the front and back seats--the latter so deep and vast that one
person might have made a bed of it by lying crosswise--but also a
small table, which was firmly fixed into the floor in the middle of
the vehicle. The body of the coach was slung on to huge leathern
braces, which also served as springs, and was a considerable height
from the ground--so high, indeed, that the steps outside the doors
were four in number, though, when the vehicle was in progress, they
were folded into one. On the panels were a count's coronet, a
coat-of-arms beneath it, and above it the word and letter "De V." On
the roof, and fitted into the grooves constructed for them, were some
travelling boxes of black leather, with others piled on top of them.
For the rest, there were on each side of the coach, in front, and at
the back, long receptacles for musketoons as well as another for a
horn, the weapons and instrument being visible.
"A fine carriage," Bevill said to the landlord, who seemed equally as
surly and ungracious, if not more so, than the man at Antwerp had been
while he supposed that the traveller was a Frenchman. "Some great
personage, I should suppose."
"A compatriot of yours," the man said. "_Mein Gott!_ Who travels thus
in our land but your countrymen--and women? Yet," he added still more
morosely, "it may not be ever thus."
Ignoring this remark, which naturally did not arouse Bevill's ire,
since he imagined that the state of things the man suggested might
most probably come to pass, he exclaimed:
"And women, you say? _Pardie!_ Are ladies travelling about during such
times as these, when war is in the air?"
"Aye, war is in the air," the landlord said, ignoring the first part
of the other's remark. "In the air, and more than in the air. Soon it
will be in the land and on the sea." After which, a waiting woman
having arrived to conduct Bevill to his room, and a stableman having
led the horse to a stall, the man turned away. Yet, as he went, he
muttered, "Then we shall see. England and Holland are stronger than
France on the sea, and on the land they are as good as France."
It was no part of Bevill's to assume indignation, even if he could
have done so successfully, at these contemptuous remarks about his
supposed country and countrymen; therefore he followed the woman to
the room to which she led him. On this occasion, doubtless because he
possessed a horse, and that horse was at the present moment in the
landlord's custody, no demand was made for payment in advance.
"And now," he said to himself, "a supper, the purchase of a few
necessaries in this town, and to bed. To-morrow I must be off and away
again. The sooner I am in Liége the better."
In the old streets of that old city, Bevill found a shop in which he
was able to provide himself with the few requisites that travellers
carried with them in such distracted times. Amongst the accoutrements
of the late Captain Le Blond's charger was his wallet-haversack for
fastening behind the cantle, or in front of the pommel; but it
required filling, and this was soon done. A change of linen was easily
procured, which, with a comb, generally completed a horseman's outfit,
and then Bevill set out on his return to "Le Duc de Brabant." But as
he passed along the street he came across an armourer's shop, and,
glancing into it, was thereby reminded that he was without pistols.
"And," he thought to himself, "good as my blade is, a firearm is no
bad accessory to a sword. It may chance, and well it may, that ere I
reach Liége, as in God's grace I hope to do, I may have need of such a
thing. So be it. Cousin Mordaunt has well replenished my purse; I will
enter and see if the armourer has any such toys."
Suiting the action to the thought, Bevill entered the shop, and,
seeing an elderly man engaged on polishing up a breastplate, asked him
if he had any pistols to dispose of.
"_Ja!_" the man replied. "And some good ones, too. Only they are dear.
Also the mynheer may not like them. Most of them were taken from the
French after Namur, and sold to me by an English soldier."
"Bah! What matters how I come by them so that 'tis honestly, and that
they will serve their purpose? Produce them."
Upon this the armourer dragged forth a drawer in which were several
weapons of the kind, some lying loose and some folded in the leather
or buckskin wrappings in which the man had enveloped them. At first,
those which met Bevill's eyes did not commend themselves much to him;
some were too old, some too clumsy, and some too rusty.
"Mynheer is difficult to please," the armourer remarked with a grunt;
"perhaps these will suit him better. Only they are dear," while, as he
spoke, he unfolded two of the buckskin wrappers and exhibited a pair
of pistols of a totally different nature from the others. These
weapons were indeed handsome ones, well mounted on ivory and with
long, unbrowned barrels worked with filigree. The triggers sprang
easily back and fell equally as easily to the light touch of a finger,
the flints flashing sparks bravely as they did so. On one was engraved
"_Dernier espoir_," on the other "_Mon meilleur ami_."
"How much for these?" Bevill asked, looking at the armourer.
"Two pistoles, with powder flask and bullet-box. Also the flask well
filled and two score balls."
"So be it. They are mine." And Bevill dropped one into each of the
great pockets of his riding-coat. "Now for the flask and bullets."
"With these," he said to himself, as he walked back to the inn, "my
sword, and the swift heels of the mare, I can give a good account of
myself if danger threatens."
The supper for the guests was prepared when he reached "Le Duc de
Brabant," and Bevill, taking his place at the table, glanced round to
see who his fellow-travellers might be, yet soon observed that, for
the present at least, there were none.
"So," he thought to himself, "the fellow at the gate spoke truly. 'Tis
very apparent that 'The Duke' is not in such high favour as his rival,
'The Bear.' However, the eating proves the pudding and the drinking
proves the wine. Let us see to it."
Whereupon he bade the drawer bring him a flask of good
Coindrieux--the list of wines hanging on a wall so that all the guests
might see and read. Then, ere the wine came, Bevill commenced to
attack the course set before him, though before he had eaten two
mouthfuls an interruption occurred.
Preceded by a servitor, whom Bevill supposed--and supposed truly, as
he eventually knew--to be a private servant and not one attached to
the inn, a lady came down the room towards the table at which the
Englishman sat: a lady still young, of about thirty years of age,
tall, and delicate-looking. Also she was extremely well favoured, her
blue-grey eyes being shielded by long dark lashes, and her features
refined and well cut. As for her hair, Bevill, who on her approach had
risen from his seat and bowed gravely, and then remained standing till
she was seated, could form no opinion, since it was disguised by her
wig. But he observed that she was clad all in black, even to her lace;
while, thrown over her wig, was the small coif, or hood, which widows
wore. Therefore he understood the solemnity of her attire--a solemnity
still more enhanced and typified by the look of sadness which her face
wore.
[Illustration: "He had hastened to the door to hold it open for
her."--_p_. 122.]
This lady, who had returned Bevill's courtesy by a slight inclination
of her head, was now served by the elderly manservant, who took the
dishes from the ordinary inn server, and, placing each before her who
was undoubtedly his mistress, then retired behind her chair until the
next dish was ready. But, as would indeed have been contrary to all
etiquette, neither Bevill nor the lady addressed a word to the other.
When, however, the drawer returned with the flask of Coindrieux, and
Bevill spoke some word to the man on the subject of not filling his
glass too full, he observed for one moment that the lady lifted her
eyes and looked at him somewhat curiously, and as though some tone or
intonation of his had attracted her attention. A moment later her eyes
were dropped to her plate again, though more than once during the
serving of the next dish he observed that she was again regarding him.
"Has my accent betrayed me?" Bevill mused. "When I spoke to the man,
did she recognise that I am no Frenchman? Has my tongue grown rusty?"
Yet, even as he so pondered, he told himself that there was no reason
that such should be the case. The lady might herself be no
Frenchwoman, but, instead, one belonging to this war-worn land.
"She may not be capable of judging who or what I am," he reflected.
Yet in another moment he had learnt that her powers of judging whether
he was a Frenchman or not were undoubtedly sufficient.
In a voice, an accent, which no other than a Frenchman or Frenchwoman
ever possessed, an intonation which none but those who had learnt to
lisp that language at their mother's knee could have acquired, the
lady spoke now to her elderly servant, saying:
"Ambroise, retire, and bid Jeanne prepare the valises. I have resolved
to go forward an hour after dawn."
The manservant bowed, then said:
"But the supper, Madame la Comtesse? Who shall serve, madame? The
remainder is not----"
"The server will do very well. Go and commence to assist Jeanne."
"Madame la Comtesse," Bevill thought to himself when the man had
departed. "So this is doubtless the owner of the grand coach. And she
is a Frenchwoman. It may well be that she understands I am no
countryman of hers, though I know not, in solemn truth, why she should
suppose I pretend to be one--unless the landlord or servants have told
her, or she has looked in the register of guests." For here, as
everywhere, all travellers had to give their names to the landlords,
and Bevill was now registered as "Le Capitaine Le Blond, of the
Mousquetaires Gris."
The supper went on still in silence, however, and the server attended
both to the lady who had been styled "La Comtesse" and to Bevill. But
he was nothing more than a raw Flemish boor, little accustomed to
waiting on ladies and gentlemen, and gave Bevill the idea that he was
not occupied in his usual vocations. Once he dropped a dish with such a
clatter that the lady started, and once he handed another to Bevill
before offering it to the countess.
"Serve madame!" Bevill said sternly, looking at the hobbledehoy and
covering him with confusion, while, as he did so, the lady lifted her
eyes to him and bowed stiffly, though graciously. Then, as if feeling
it necessary that some word of acknowledgment, some small token of his
civility, should be testified, the lady said:
"Monsieur is extremely polite. He is doubtless not native here?"
"No, madame. I am a stranger passing through the land on my way
towards the Rhine," while, as Bevill spoke, he was glad that, in this
case, there was no need for deception, since Liége was truly on the
road towards the Rhine.
"As am I. I set out to-morrow for Liége."
"For Liége? Madame will scarcely find that town a pleasant place of
sojourn. Yet I do forget--madame is French."
"As is monsieur," the Countess said, with a swift glance at her
companion, speaking more as though stating a fact than asking a
question.
Bevill shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly, but as much as good
breeding would allow. Then he said:
"Monsieur de Boufflers commands there. Madame will be at perfect
ease."
"Doubtless," the other said, with a slight shrug on her part now.
"Doubtless. Yet," and again she shrugged her shoulders, "war is
declared. The English and the Dutch will soon be near these barrier
towns. They say that the Earl of Marlborough will come himself in
person, that he will command all the armies directed against us. Would
it be possible that monsieur should know--that he might by chance have
heard--when the Earl will be in this neighbourhood?"
"I know nothing, madame," Bevill replied, while as he did so two
thoughts forced themselves into his mind. One was that this lady had
discovered easily enough that he was no Frenchman; the other, that she
was endeavouring to extract some of the forthcoming movements of the
enemy--the enemy of France--from him.
"What is she?" he mused to himself when the conversation had ceased,
or, at least, come to a pause. "What? Some spy passing through the
land and endeavouring to discover what the English plans may be; some
woman who, under an appearance of calm and haughty dignity, seeks for
information which she may convey to de Boufflers or Tallard. Yet--how
to believe it! Spies look not as she looks; their eyes do not glance
into the eyes of those they seek to entrap as hers look into mine when
she speaks. It is hard to credit that she should be one, and yet--she
is on her road to Liége--Liége that, at present, is in the grasp of
France, as so much of all Flanders is now."
Suddenly, however, as still these reflections held the mind of Bevill
Bracton, there came another, which seemed to furnish the solution of
who and what this self-contained, well-bred woman might chance to be.
"There are," he reflected, "there must be, innumerable officers of
high rank at Liége under Marshal de Boufflers; it may be that it is to
one of these she goes. Not a husband, since she is widowed; nor a son,
since, at her age, that is impossible; but a father, a brother. Heaven
only grant that, if she and I both reach that city safely, she may not
unfold her doubts of what I am. For doubt me she does, though it may
be that she does not suppose I am an Englishman. If she should do so,
'twill be bad for Sylvia Thorne and doubly bad for me."
As Bevill reached this stage in his musings, the Countess rose from
the table, and, when he had risen also and hastened o the door to hold
it open for her, passed through, after acknowledging his attention and
also his politely expressed hope that her journey to Liége would be
easily made.
After which, as he still stood at the door until she should have
passed the turn made by the great stone staircase, Bevill observed
this lady look round at him, though not doing so either curiously or
coquettishly. Instead, it appeared to the young man standing there
deferentially that the look on her face seemed to testify more of
bewilderment, of doubt, than aught else.
"So be it," he said to himself, as now he returned to the room in
which they had dined, and proceeded to adjust his sword-sash, which,
with the sword itself, had been removed before the meal, and would, in
any case, have been at once removed by him from his side on a lady
taking her seat at the table. "So be it. Forewarned is forearmed. She
misdoubts and mistrusts me. If we should meet again--as meet we surely
shall, since we travel the same road and go to the same place--I must
be on my guard. Yet, pity 'tis, if she should be a spy. Aye! if she
should be. If she should be! Almost it is beyond belief."
He went now towards the stables, to which he had seen the mare led
when he arrived. For Bevill had been a good soldier once, and hoped
that the day was not far off when he would be so again, and, above all
else, travellers such as he was at this time looked to the care and
comfort of their beasts. Also, in his ride from Antwerp, he had come
to like this tetchy, wayward creature, which, when her tantrums were
over, had borne him so well and swiftly on his road. Therefore he went
towards her stall now, and noticed that she looked at him over the
board of the division and whinnied as she recognised him, while
rubbing her soft muzzle against his arm as he stroked and petted her,
and, in doing this, he forgot the woman over whom, but a moment
before, his mind had been so much exercised.
The woman who, as she had passed up the great stone-carved staircase,
had said to herself:
"Who--what is he? Not a countryman of mine, well as he speaks our
tongue--aye, marvellously well--and courteous as he is. And neither a
Flemish nor a German boor. Is he an Englishman--is he--is he? Ah! if
he were only that! Oh! if he were--he who will be in Liége as soon as
I--he who will be there when the English forces draw near, as they
will surely do."