The Duchesse de Castellucchio awoke the next morning an hour after
daybreak, which, at this late summer period, took place at about five
o'clock, and, since it was her intention to set out early that day for
Geneva, thence to commence her journey over the St. Bernard, she
called out at once to Jacquette to summon her maid. Then, that being
done, Jacquette herself appeared from the adjoining room enveloped in
her _robe de chamber_ and asked madame how she had slept that night.
"Excellently well," Hortense said, sitting up in her bed, and
presenting a charming sight to the girl--who, however, had seen it
often enough before--since her long hair streamed down over her
lace-adorned night attire until it mingled with the great bear-skin
thrown over the bed. "Excellently. A quieter neighbour than Monsieur
West next door no traveller need wish to have. The young man moves
not, neither does he have the nightmare. A pretty youth is Humphrey,
with soft and gentle manners even in his sleep, it would seem. And
you, child, have you too slept well?"
"Nay, madame, none too well. I was not drowsy and, when I slept at
last, I dreamed. Horrible dreams, madame, of swords and rapiers, and,
oh!--of blood being shed. Yet I know not wherefore I should have
dreamed thus. The house was peaceful, no travellers arrived in the
night, there was no sound to startle sleep; nothing to tease a
would-be sleeper but the noise of that river rushing on and on and
swirling past the crazy wooden bridge in front of us."
"It may be your rest was disturbed by some haunting recollection in
your brain of the journey that lies before us. Well! it has to be
taken; we cannot abide in this gloomy old place for ever. Therefore,
Jacquette, let us prepare for the day. Bid Suzanne go get my chocolate
ready, forgetting not to put a glass of ratafia in it; and knock on
the wall, child, and arouse that slumbering lover of yours. 'Tis time
he awoke and, awaking, should bid La Truaumont also leave his bed,
since he too, in his turn, must awaken those two brigands who ride
with us and of whom, _Dio mio!_ I like the look none too well."
Obedient to Hortense's order Jacquette crossed to the other side of
the room and, feeling under the tapestry for the spot where she knew
the closed and heavily bolted door to be, rapped on it with her
knuckles, while saying, "Humphrey, arise! The clocks have struck
seven. Awake, sluggard!"
But there came no answer to her summons. All was as still as though
she had knocked at, and spoken to, an empty room.
"Knock again," the Duchess said. "_Basta!_ how the young man sleeps."
But Jacquette's second knock was productive of no more response than
the first had been, whereon the girl--though turning somewhat white
with a feeling of apprehension in her mind, while recalling at the
same time her dreams of swords and rapiers and blood--whispered to
herself, "He has discovered all and he is gone. Gone to save one Louis
or the other, as he said. Madame," she cried, turning round to the
Duchess who still sat up in her bed listening intently now for some
sound from Humphrey's room, "he is not there. Or being there sleeps so
soundly that I cannot waken him."
"Doubtless," the Duchess said, "he has awakened before us, and,
knowing of what lies before us, has descended to make preparations for
the journey. That being so, he has done all we would have him do
without being bidden to do it. His is a brave, trustworthy heart. Yet
I do wonder if he has also bethought him of awakening La Truaumont.
The man is, may be, a heavy sleeper: each night he empties his wine
flask to the dregs ere seeking his bed. If Humphrey has not thought to
rouse him, I will dare to say he is still snoring as heavily as a
tired dog."
"It may be so," Jacquette said aloud, with reference to the Duchess's
opinion that Humphrey had already risen; yet to her heart she
whispered, "but not risen as you think. Instead, more like he has not
sought his bed at all but, overhearing much of the plots of those
conspirators, has set out hours ago. By now he has doubtless been long
in France, the frontier being so near. By now, also, 'tis certain he
is riding post-haste either to save De Beaurepaire or to warn the
King. Oh! Humphrey, Humphrey, my lover, may Heaven have and keep you."
"Call Suzanne," the Duchess said at this moment, since, always
self-indulgent in her tastes, she saw no reason why her cup of
chocolate should be longer delayed, no matter whether Humphrey West
still slumbered late or had risen betimes: "Call Suzanne and bid her
bring the morning drink. Likewise tell her to go and beat on La
Truaumont's door. 'Tis time he was out of bed. And, Jacquette," as she
always called the girl, "go out into the passage and beat yourself on
Humphrey's door as loud as may be, while, if he answers not, open it
if 'tis not locked and wake him."
Suzanne was now at hand and, receiving her instructions, set about
obeying them by first going to La Truaumont's room to summon him. At
the same time, and when she had departed on her two missions,
Jacquette going out into the corridor ran to the next room and began
another _tintamarre_ on the other door, calling loudly as she did so,
"Humphrey! Humphrey! Humphrey! Awake! Awake!"
But there was no more answer from within to this second summons than
there had been to the first.
"He has gone," she whispered to herself. "He has gone. He has
overheard more strange matter and has deemed it well to set out on the
instant. What an ending to our projects of a happy ride into that
southern land of sunshine, to all that we had dreamt of being to each
other for some weeks or months! To all our hopes of being so much
together."
Thinking, however, that, ere her lover had set out, as now she felt
sure he must have done, he might by chance have left some carefully
worded line for her, something that she should understand very well,
though, should it chance to fall into the hands of others, it would to
them be unintelligible, she lifted the latch of his door meaning to go
in and see if, on some table or chair, and prominently in view, a
billet might be lying. If that were not so, she would by one glance be
able to discover through the disorder of the room--the absence of his
riding cloak and feathered hat and rapier and pistols--whether he was
definitely gone or only away for some little while.
As she lifted the latch, however, while pressing on the catch under
her thumb thereby to push open the door, she discovered that either
the latter was locked or the bolt on the inside shot.
"Locked or bolted!" the girl whispered, her face pale now and her
breath coming fast and short. "Locked or bolted, and from the inside!
And he there. There and silent--speechless. My God! what has happened
to him? What?"
Faint with fear of some horror she could not express, with some
hideous apprehension of impending evil--nay, of evil that had already
fallen; dreading _what_ might be in that room now, wondering if
Humphrey had been discovered listening to those plotters in that other
room and, in some way, reached, attacked and done to death, the girl
leant helplessly against the door-post endeavouring to think what she
should do next.
Should she alarm the house, already awakened for the work of the day;
cry to some _faquin_ or waiting woman passing up and down the stairs,
or descend those stairs herself and summon the landlord to come and
burst open the door? What--what should she do?
Suddenly, however, another thought whirling in her brain, dispersing
and driving forth those which had possessed that brain a moment
earlier, brought ease to her.
"He has not gone," she whispered to herself, the glow returning to her
bosom that, an instant before, had felt like ice; "he cannot have
gone. He has not discovered or overheard anything to cause him to set
out for France. It must be so. He has descended, as madame supposed,
to take steps for our journey, and, some of his effects being worth
stealing, has locked his door and taken the key with him. Ah! yes. It
must be so. Had he set forth, had he quitted this room for ever, he
would not have locked the door after leaving nothing of his behind."
Eased therefore by these reflections, Jacquette made her way back to
the Duchess and was about to enter the sleeping-room when she paused
at hearing the voice of Hortense raised shrilly, as though in
excitement.
"What!" she heard her say. "La Truaumont makes no reply! You cannot
awaken him and his door is locked inside. _Dio mio_, what does it
mean! Have all failed in their trust! All deserted me!"
"Ah! madame," Jacquette exclaimed, as now she entered the room, "it
must be with the captain as with Humphrey. Both have descended to make
preparations for our departure after leaving their doors locked behind
them for security."
"It may be so," the Duchess exclaimed. "Yet if it is, 'tis strange.
Humphrey sleeps on my left, yet I heard no sound of movement in his
room late or early, nor did you hear any in the room on your right
where the captain slept. 'Tis passing strange."
"Yet easily solved, madame," Jacquette replied, "if all is as you
suspect, and I," to herself, "hope. I will but don my clothes and then
descend myself."
"Instead, send Suzanne. She is dressed and can go down at once."
Whereupon Suzanne, who had by now returned with the chocolate and chip
bread for their early meal, was bidden to go at once below and see
what had become of the absent men.
"And," said the Duchess to her ere she went, "seek out that other, if
they are not about. That _matamore_ who styles himself Fleur de Mai.
If you cannot find them bring him here to my presence."
The girl sped away to do as she was bidden, and, while she was gone,
Hortense, sitting up in her bed, drank her chocolate and seemed more
puzzled at the circumstance that neither she, on one side, had heard a
sound from Humphrey, nor Jacquette, on the other, from La Truaumont,
than at aught else. Then, when five minutes had elapsed, Suzanne,
forgetting in her excitement to knock, and forgetting also all
deference due to her mistress, rushed into the room, exclaiming:--
"Oh! madame, neither the illustrious captain nor monsieur the
Englishman have been seen below this morning. Yet--yet--the horses are
all in their stalls, not one is missing."
"Oh! great heavens," moaned Jacquette at this significant piece of
intelligence.
"And the other," cried the Duchess, "the great truculent one? The
fellow called Fleur de Mai. What of him? Why is he not here as I
commanded?"
"Madame," the maid cried, her voice rising almost to a shriek, "he,
too, is missing. He slept before the fire in the great room wrapped in
his cloak, but at daybreak, when the house was opened, he was no
longer there--and--madame, neither can he be found."
"Not found. Yet there was still another, the meaner one; the one
called Boisfleury," the Duchess cried, springing out of her bed in
beauteous disarray. "What of him? Is he too, missing? And the
landlord, where is he?"
"The landlord, madame, is bewildered. He comes with the pass-keys to
open all the doors of their rooms. As for the man, Boisfleury, he is
outside. He waits on Madame la Duchesse."
"Take him into the salon. And, Jacquette, give me my robe. Quick.
'Twill cover this _négligé_." While, as she spoke, she seized the
masses of long hair that hung down her back and twisted them up into a
huge knot upon her head. After which she thrust her little feet into a
pair of warm, soft slippers and entered the salon followed by
Jacquette.
Before her there stood the man, Boisfleury, white and shaky looking,
so that, as Hortense shrewdly suspected, he had been hastily summoned
from his bed, wherein, she did not doubt, he had been sleeping off the
potency of the draughts in which he and his companion nightly
indulged.
"What know you of these absent men?" she asked now, while her usually
soft, velvety eyes looked anything but softly into those of the man
before her so that, either from their piercing glance, or from the
vision of beauty _en déshabille_ which confronted him--or, perhaps,
from that other cause which the Duchess had suspected--he shivered and
shook before her.
"What know you, I say? Answer, man, and stand not trembling thus.
Speak, fellow."
"Most gracious lady, I know nothing. Last night I sought my bed early,
the better to be ready for our departure this morning and----"
"Got you that wound on your face in your bed? 'Tis a strange place to
encounter such a thing."
"Madame la Duchesse, I fell upon the stairs and hurt myself."
"It resembles not a bruise. More like unto a sharp cut. Yet this is
nought to me. Tell me, I say, what you know of the absence of those
three. Of the young English seigneur, of your leader, the captain, and
your boon companion?"
"Gracious lady," Boisfleury said again, "I know nothing. The young
English seigneur I saw not at all. Madame la Duchesse will remember
that he abode not with us but with madame and mademoiselle," directing
his eyes towards Jacquette. "The noble captain supped alone very early
and then retired at once. As for Fleur de Mai and me, we supped
together; he drank more than was good for him--as--as I warned
him--and then rolled himself in his cloak and slept before the fire.
Whereon I sought my bed."
"I will have the house ransacked to find one at least of them," the
Duchess exclaimed, her eyes ablaze; "nay, I will have the whole of
this heretical, canticle-singing town ransacked, if I can do so, to
find him. For the others I care not, no, not even if they have gone to
their master the devil! While as for you----"
"As for me, most noble dame?" Boisfleury repeated, cringingly, though
with a strange gleam in his eye. "As for me, Madame la Duchesse?"
"I do not believe you. If we were in Paris you should be sent to the
Bastille or La Tournelle----"
"Madame la Duchesse has shaken the dust of Paris off her feet," the
man answered, with an insolent leer. "We shall not meet in Paris when
I return to it."
"Out, dog!" the Duchess cried, advancing towards the fellow, her hot
Italian blood aflame at his insolence and also at the certainty that
he was lying to her. "Out, animal! Or the landlord----"
At this moment, however, the landlord himself appeared at the
door, and, with many bows and genuflexions, announced that he had
opened the doors of the rooms of all the missing men with his
pass-keys--and--and--it was very strange, but all their effects were
there untouched.
Then, ere the Duchess could reply to this ominous statement a cry from
Jacquette startled her, and, a moment later, she had rushed toward the
girl and caught her in her arms ere she swooned.
"Can I lend assistance?" a soft voice asked as this occurred, and
Emérance de Villiers-Bordéville appeared at the open door of the room,
clad, like the Duchess, in a long _robe de chamber_.
"No," the latter said, looking at her with a glance that would have
withered many another woman, a look full of disdain. "No. And, madame,
this is my private room, therefore I desire to possess it in privacy."