'GREEN AS A JADE CUP'
We passed the lacework of trees that bordered the skirts of the
forest, Nicholas and I. On our left we could hear the drumming of a
horse's hoofs growing fainter and more faint, as Jacques rode through
the night to Rouvres. Marie's wailing came to us from behind, and
Nicholas, who was walking doggedly along by the neck of my horse,
stopped short suddenly and looked back. Turning in my saddle I looked
back too, and there she was, in shadowy outline, at the ruined gates
of the inn, and again her sobbing cry came to us.
'_Morbleu!_' I muttered to myself as I saw Nicholas' face twitch in
the moonlight; 'I must end this at once,' and then sharply to my
companion, 'What stays you? Pick your heart up, man! One would think
you go into the bottomless pit, you walk with so tender a foot!'
'I don't know what is in the bottomless pit, monsieur, and, like other
fools, would probably go there on the run; but I do know the mercy of
M. de Gomeron, and--I am not wont to be so, but my heart is as heavy
as lead.'
'Very well; then let us go back. It is like to be a fool's errand with
such a guide.'
My words, and the tone they were uttered in, touched him on the raw,
and he swung round.
'I will go, monsieur; this way--to the right.'
We turned sharply behind the silently waving arms of a hedge of
hornbeam, and it was a relief to find that this cut away all further
chance of seeing the pitiful figure at the gates of the inn. Nicholas
drew the folds of his frayed cloak over his head, as if to shut out
all sound, and hurried onwards--a tall figure, lank and dark, that
flitted before me within the shadow of the hedgerow. My horse's knees
were hidden by the undergrowth on either side of the winding track,
that twined and twisted like a snake under the tangle of grass and
weed. This waste over which we passed, grey-green in the moonlight,
and swaying in the wind, rolled like a heaving, sighing sea to where
it was brought up abruptly by the dark mass of the forest, standing up
solidly against the sky as though it were a high coast line. As we
forced our way onwards, the swish of the grass was as the churning of
water at the bows of a boat, and one could well imagine that the long,
shaking plashes of white, mottling the moving surface before us, was
caused by the breaking of uneasy water into foam. Of a truth these
white plashes were but marguerites.
From the warm, dark depths at our feet myriads of grasshoppers
shrilled to each other to be of good cheer, and ever and again we
heard the sudden plunge and bustle of a startled hare, as it scuttered
away in a mad fear at nothing.
'You count your toises long here, Nicholas,' I remarked, for something
to say, as we spattered in and out of a shallow pool; and the gnats,
asleep on its surface, rose in a brown cloud, and hummed their anger
about our ears.
'They are as we reckon them, monsieur. But a few steps further and we
will get my horse; and after that there is no difficulty, for I know
each track and byepath of these woods.'
'And I wager that many a fat buck has dropped here to your arquebus on
moonlight nights such as this.'
'One does not learn the forest for nothing, M. le Chevalier; but the
bucks fell lawfully enough. My grandfather came here as huntsman to
Madame Diane; my father succeeded him, and I had followed my father;
but for the war----'
'And a smart soldier you made. I remember that when I cut you down
from a nasty position I had not time then to hear how you came in such
plight. How was it? Tell me the truth.'
'I have almost forgotten how to do so. I will try, however, and make
it short. When M. le Marquis bore you off after the duel and the
escape of the prisoners, the Captain de Gomeron turned on me, and,
damning me from head to toe, swore he would flay me to ribbons.
Feeling sure he would do so, and careless of the consequences, I
answered back--with the result you know. Marked as I was, it was
useless to seek employment anywhere, and then I became what I am, and
will end on the wheel.'
'I don't think so,' I said; but he interrupted,
'At any rate not before I have paid my debt, and the bill presses.'
I had purposely worked up to this.
'See here, sergeant,' I said, 'no nonsense. Brush off that bee you
have on your head. You are here to-day to attend to my business, not
your own. You say you are sick of your present life. Well, I have
means to give you another chance, and I will do so; but I repeat again
"no nonsense." You understand?'
He stood silently for a moment, looking this way and that. We were
within a yard or so of the forest, and its shadow covered him, all but
his face, which was turned to me, drawn and white. He was struggling
against old habits of absolute obedience, and they won.
'I understand, M. le Chevalier.'
'Very well, then, go on, and remember what I have said.'
He turned and stepped forwards; 'This way, and mind the branches
overhead,' and we entered the forest, my horse leaping a shallow ditch
that separated it from the grass land. We took a soft turf-covered
path, overhung by branches, and went on for about fifty paces before
coming to a halt, which we did in a small irregular patch of trees
that lay in the full flood of the moonlight. In the darkness beyond I
heard the gentle murmur of a small spring, and then the distinct
movement of a heavy body and the clink of iron. My hand reached to my
holster in a flash, but Nicholas saw the gesture, and said, 'It is the
horse. A moment, monsieur,' and lifting up the curtain of leaves
beside him, from which, as he did so, the dew fell in a soft shower,
he dived into the thicket, to reappear again leading the long black
length of his horse. It struck me at once that the beast was of
uncommon size, and this, and the white star on its forehead, brought
to my mind the recollection of de Rone's great English charger,
Couronne.
'_Harnibleu!_' I burst out; 'you seem to be in the lowest water, and
here you have a horse worth a hundred pistoles at the least!'
'Did you see her by daylight, monsieur, you would know that twice a
hundred pistoles would not purchase her. Do you not know her, M. le
Chevalier? This is Couronne, M. de Rone's charger!'
'Couronne! I thought so. And how the devil do you come by her?'
'Her reins were in the wind when I caught her; a fair prize of war,
and M. de Rone will never need her more. Since I got her she has saved
me twice, and if I can help it we shall never part.'
He stroked the mare's sleek neck, wet and glistening with the dew,
and, quickly mounting, swung her round to the bit and laid her beside
me. It was not the time for talk, and we drew out of the clearing in
single file, and, after forcing our way through the wet and shining
leaves around us, found a bridle path. Along this my guide went at a
trot. On either side of us the silent tree trunks stretched to an
infinite distance in gloomy colonnades. Overhead, the boughs swayed
and shook sadly; below, the dry leaves hissed and crackled. Once, when
we had slackened pace for a moment, the sullen groaning of an old and
very savage boar came to us, and we heard him grinding his tusks in
his lair of juniper. At another time we surprised a number of deer in
an open glade, and, startled by our sudden appearance, they dashed off
with a wild rush into the forest, and then all was still. Beyond the
glade the roadway widened, so that two might keep abreast, and down
this we went at a gallop, to find ourselves once more in the endless
aisles of the forest, passing through a ghostly light that barely
enabled the horses to pick their way in and out amongst the huge
moss-grown trees standing in measureless numbers around us, and where
each pace took them fetlock-deep into the carpet of wet and withered
leaves. Amidst the creaking of the boughs overhead, and the churn of
the leaves at our feet, we rode on, nose to tail, Nicholas leading the
way with unerring certainty. What his thoughts were, I knew not; but
as I looked at the square outlines of the figure before me I could not
but feel pity for this man, reduced to such a condition. True, the
life of a common soldier was not such as to make a man squeamish about
many things, but the ex-sergeant had always struck me as being a man
of a different stamp to the generality of his fellows, and it was a
thousand pities to see him forced to be a rogue; de Gomeron had truly
much to answer for. But if I could I would mend this matter.
I had done too little good in the world to neglect the opportunity
that seemed to present itself to me, so as we went on I weaved a
little plan to give the man another start in life. I had already a
rough idea when I parted with those gold pieces to Marie, but pulled
all the threads together as we rode along, fully resolving to give my
plan effect as soon as the business I had in hand was done. And of
this business I could not hope much. We were going straight into the
lion's mouth, as it were, for, whether de Gomeron held the King's
commission or not, he had twenty lances at his back at Anet; and who
on earth would question him if a crop-eared thief and his companion
were slain. Besides, even if we were not discovered, I could see no
way of laying hold of the tail of the conspiracy by floundering
through a measureless forest at night, and finally skulking round the
castle like a homeless cat. I half began to repent me of the whole
affair, and to wish that I had tossed the venture up and down a trifle
more in my mind before I embarked upon it. At the worst, however,
perhaps it meant nothing more than a night in the forest, and, the
next day, a tired horse and man. On the other hand, there was, or
rather is, such a thing as luck in the world, and did I make a
discovery of any consequence my hand would be much stronger.
Perchance, indeed, I might be assured of success, and then--other
things might happen. Whilst I was thus ruminating, Nicholas suddenly
pulled up, and held out a warning hand.
'What is it?' I asked in a low tone.
'_Hist!_' he said, and then in a rapid whisper, 'another fifty yards
and we come to the open. Anet lies before us, and the rest of the way
must be done on foot.'
'And the horses?'
'Fasten them here. You have a picketing rope?'
'Yes--round the neck of the horse.'
'Good; I had not noticed it before, and was half afraid you had none,
monsieur.'
The horses were soon securely fastened, and, when this was done,
Nicholas spoke low and earnestly: 'Should we be discovered, monsieur,
there is no use making a standing fight. The odds are too many. When
we come to the open I will show you a withered oak. This is exactly
opposite where the horses are--in this direction. If we are pursued,
make for the forest, and lie down. The chances are they will pass us
by. Then to the horses and follow me. If I go down--ride northwards
for your life.'
'How the devil am I to find my way through the trees?'
Nicholas shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'That was my affair.'
We had gone too far to go back, however, and placing my pistols in my
belt, and loosening my sword in its sheath, I followed Nicholas with
cautious footsteps. As he said, in about fifty yards we came to the
open, and halted close to a huge oak, bald of all leaves, with its
gnarled trunk riven and scarred by lightning. Before us a level
stretch of turf sloped gently down towards what was once an ornamental
lake, but now overgrown with the rankest weeds. In the centre of the
lake was a small island, on which was set a summerhouse, fashioned
like a Moorish kiosque, and beyond this arose, huge and square, the
enormous facade of the chateau. It was in darkness except for an oriel
window above a long terrace on the east wing, which was bright with
light, and in the courtyard below there was evidently a fire. Men were
singing around it, and a lilting chorus came to our ears.
Nicholas pointed to the window, then looked at the priming of his
wheel lock pistol and whispered hoarsely, 'We must keep in the shadow,
monsieur. Stay--this is the tree; you cannot mistake it, and now come
on. Be careful not to trip or stumble, and, above all, do not cough.'
No worse warning than the latter could have been given to me, and I
all but choked myself in my efforts to restrain an almost
uncontrollable desire either to sneeze or cough. Luckily, I managed to
hold myself in. Inch by inch we crept onwards, keeping well in the
shadow, and edging our way round the frills of the forest. I could
hear Nicholas breathing hard, and from time to time he stopped to
rest; but I was a glad man to find I was not winded, and that
therefore I must be truly as strong again as ever I was. At last, by
dint of creeping, crawling, and wriggling along, we worked our way to
within twenty paces of the terrace, above which the stained glass of
the oriel window glowed with light. Here we came to a stop and
watched. Sometimes we saw a shadow moving backwards and forwards in
the light of the window, then the shadow was joined by another, and
both stopped, as if the two men to whom they belonged were in earnest
converse. The merriment from the courtyard was unceasing, and whatever
may have been the dark plots weaving upstairs, below there was nothing
but the can and the catch.
'We must get to the window,' I whispered with an inquiring look.
'By the terrace,' said Nicholas in answer, and as he spoke there came
to us the faint but distinct sound of a horn, apparently from the very
depths of the forest, and the notes roused a brace of hounds in the
courtyard, who bayed into the night. Nicholas gripped my arm, and I
turned to him in surprise. His face was pale, he was shaking all over
like an aspen, and his black eyes were dilated with fear.
'Did you hear that, monsieur?' he said thickly.
'_Diable!_ What? I hear three different things--dogs, men, and someone
blowing a horn.'
'Then you did hear it--the horn?'
'Yes. What of it? No doubt a post on its way to Anet.'
'No post ever rang that blast, monsieur. That is the Wild Huntsman,
and the blast means death.'
As he spoke it came again, wild and shrill with an eerie flourish, the
like of which I had never heard before. The dogs seemed to go mad with
the sound, there was a hubbub in the courtyard, and someone in the
chamber above the terrace threw open the sash and peered out into the
night. I thought at first it was de Gomeron; but the voice was not
his, for, after looking for a moment, he gave a quick order to the men
below and stepped in again. As for Nicholas, he seemed beside himself,
and I had to hold him by main force by my side, or he would have
broken and fled.
'_Diable!_' I said, 'sit still, fool--see, there are a couple of
horsemen gone in search of your Wild Huntsman, who has been so nearly
spoiling our soup. They will occupy him at any rate--sit still.'
The men rode by us slowly, one of them carrying a torch, and, turning
to the right, trotted off into the forest, cursing the orders they had
received to go forth after the horn-winder. As they passed, I began to
breathe more freely, for had they gone to the left it was an even
chance that they would have discovered our horses, owing to one of the
beasts neighing, a danger always to be guarded against in an
ambuscade. In a minute or so Nicholas, too, began to get more
composed, and seeing this I determined to prick him into anger, for
then he would fear nothing.
'Pull up, man,' I said; 'your ears lie beyond that pane of glass. Do
you not want them back?'
He put his hand up to the side of his head with a muttered curse, to
which de Gomeron's name was linked, and I saw that he was better.
'Now,' I whispered, 'for the window.'
'We must get to the terrace,' he answered. 'From there it might be
done.' And with a hurried look behind him, at which I began to laugh
in a low tone of mockery, he crawled forward rapidly. I followed with
equal speed and caution, and in a half minute we had gained the shadow
of the terrace, and, working along its ivy-covered wall, got to the
main building. Here we cast about for some means to get up. It was not
possible to do this by holding on to the ivy, as if it came away there
would be a fall and all our fat would be in the fire. The ascent had
to be made noiselessly, and, as I looked at the high wall before us, I
began to think it was impossible. Running my eye on the lichen-grey
face of the main building, however, I noticed something that looked
like a series of huge monograms, with a crescent above each, cut in
high relief on the stones, beginning about ten feet from the ground.
'We might get up that way,' I whispered.
Nicholas nodded, with a pale face. In his excitement he had forgotten
the Wild Huntsman, much to my satisfaction.
'Bend then, and I will ascend from your back.'
He leaned forwards against the wall, and climbing on to his shoulders,
I found that I might possibly raise myself by the monograms, which I
discovered to be the letters H. D. interlaced in one another, the
initials of the second Henry and Diane de Poitiers; and the crescent
was, as is well-known, Madame Diane's crest. Taking a long breath, I
lifted myself slowly--there was but an inch or so to hold on to--and
at last found a crevice in which I could just put the point of my
boot. This was enough for me to change my hold to the next higher
monogram, and finally I came to a level with the parapet of the
terrace. Here there was a difficulty. Every time I stretched my hand
out to grasp the parapet I found that I could not reach over, and that
my fingers slipped off from the slime and moss on the stones. Three
times I made the attempt, and swung back three times, until I began to
feel that the effort was beyond me. There was, however, one chance,
and quietly thrusting my boot forward, I began to feel amidst the ivy
for a possible foothold, and, to my delight, found it rest at once on
a small projecting ledge that ran round the terrace. The remainder of
my task was easy, and the next moment I found myself lying flat on my
face beneath the oriel window.
Here I paused to recover myself, peering down at Nicholas, who was
making an attempt to raise himself by his hands to reach the monograms
and climb to me. 'Steady,' I whispered, 'and catch this.' Rapidly
unwinding a silken sash I wore round my waist, in the fashion I had
learned when serving in Spain, I dropped one end towards him, and
after an effort or two he managed to seize it. Then I looped a fold of
the silk round a buttress of the parapet, and, holding on to the other
end, told Nicholas to climb, and as the sash tightened suddenly, I
cast up a prayer that it might not break. It was, however, of Eastern
make, and one may have hung a bombard to it with safety. I heard
Nicholas breathing hard, and once or twice the ivy rustled more than
it ought to have, but at last his head appeared over the parapet and
he too was beside me. A moment after we saw the flash of a torch in
the forest and heard the voices of the men who had gone forth
returning, and then three instead of two horsemen appeared, riding
towards the main entrance.
'There, Nicholas, is your Wild Huntsman. Are you satisfied now?'
And he hung his head like a great dog that has been detected in
something wrong.
'Now for the window,' I said. 'I will rise slowly and find out what I
can. You keep your pistol ready and your eyes open. Do not rise, and
remember my orders.'
'There is a broken pane to the left; it is half-hidden by the curtain.
You can hear and see from there.'
As he said this I rose softly to my feet, and finding the broken pane
without any difficulty, peered in.
The room was bright with the light of candles, and at a table covered
with papers were seated two men, whilst a third was standing and
pointing with his fingers at a scroll. In the man with his back to me
I had no difficulty in recognising de Gomeron. The one looking towards
me was assuredly Biron, for his was a face that once seen could never
be forgotten. As for the man who was standing beside him, I knew him
not, though subsequently--but I anticipate.
Biron was evidently in a high state of excitement. He was biting at
the end of his dark moustache, and the fingers of his hand were
playing nervously with the star on his breast, whilst his shifty,
treacherous eyes were turning now on de Gomeron, now on the figure
standing at his elbow. He seemed to be hesitating, and I heard de
Gomeron say:
'This is my price--not money, not land, not a title, but only a few
words. You have each one, my lord, your share of the spoils, set down
in writing. I do not want so much even. All I ask is your word of
honour to favour my suit with the King. For me the word of Biron is
enough, and I know his Majesty can refuse you nothing.'
'My God!' exclaimed Biron, and writhed in his chair.
'The Marshal might give me the promise I seek, Lafin,' and de Gomeron
turned to the man who was standing at Biron's elbow. 'The word will
give me a wife--not much of a reward.'
'And the lands of Bidache and Pelouse, eh?'
I almost fell forwards in my eagerness to hear, and only checked
myself in time.
'Exactly,' sneered de Gomeron. 'Do you think I have risked my life for
the good of my health? See here, Chevalier,' and he bent forward and
whispered a word or so that made the other pale, and then de Gomeron
leaned back in his chair and smiled. Biron did not apparently see or
hear. His forehead was resting on his clasped hand, and he seemed to
be revolving the hazard of some great step. As for me, I thought I
caught the words, 'your instant help,' followed by 'lances' and
'power,' and guessed--I was not wrong--that the captain had forced
Lafin's hand.
'My dear de Gomeron,' he said, 'the Marshal is willing enough, but you
know the common talk, that the King has other views for Madame, and
that M. d'Ayen----' But Biron interposed:
'M. de Gomeron, you ask too much. Madame de la Bidache is of the first
nobility. Tremouille was my friend. It is too much.'
'And I give Monseigneur a crown.'
'_Peste!_ My lord, after all M. de Gomeron has deserved his price, and
a good sword and a better head must not be thrown away. Remember,
monseigneur, an open hand makes faithful hearts,' said Lafin.
'But the King would never consent,' began Biron.
'Give me your word to help me, monseigneur. I will do the rest for
myself.'
'Give it, my lord.'
Biron hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly threw up his hands.
'Very well, let it be as you wish. I promise, M. de Gomeron.'
'Enough, my lord; I thank you. The Chevalier Lafin has laid before you
in detail all our resources. Let me now show you this.' He unrolled a
parchment that was before him, and handed it to the Marshal. 'Here,'
he added, 'are the signatures of all. It only needs that of Biron; now
sign.'
I could hear the beating of my heart in the silence that followed, and
then Biron said hoarsely, 'No! no! I will never put my name to paper.'
'_Morbleu!_ Marshal,' burst out Lafin, 'This is no time for nibbling
at a cherry. Tremouille and Epernon have signed. Put your seal to the
scroll, and the day it reaches M. de Savoye, thirty thousand troops
are across the frontier, and you will change the cabbage gardens of
Biron for the coronet of Burgundy and La Breese.'
'And see your head on a crown piece, Marshal,' added de Gomeron.
'But we have not heard, Lafin--' began the Marshal.
'We will hear to-night, monseigneur--that horn meant news, and Zamet
never fails. Curse the low-bred Italian! _Pardieu!_ he is here,' and
as he spoke, I heard what seemed to be three distinct knocks at a
carved door, and, Lafin opening it, a man booted and spurred entered
the room. He was splashed with mud as one who had ridden fast and far.
'Zamet!' exclaimed the Marshal and de Gomeron, both rising, and the
face of the former was pale as death.
'Good evening, gentlemen! _Maledetto!_ But I have had a devil of a
ride, and some fool kept winding a will-o'-the-wisp kind of horn that
led me a fine dance. It was lucky I met your men.'
'Then that blast we heard was not yours?'
'_Corpo di Bacco!_ No, Chevalier.'
I was a glad man to think that Nicholas, who was crouching at my feet,
did not hear this, or there might have been a catastrophe, but that
indeed was not long delayed.
'Well, friends, you all seem to have pale faces--would you not like to
hear the news? I have ridden post to tell you.'
There was no answer, and the Italian continued: 'I suppose I must give
it, make your minds easy. It is all over--she died last night. We are
free at any rate from the enmity of Gabrielle--she knew too much.'
'Did it hurt her?' asked Biron nervously.
'I don't know,' answered Zamet brutally, 'I have never tasted the
Borgia citron myself.'
'_Mon Dieu!_' exclaimed the Marshal, springing to his feet, 'this is
too terrible,' and he began to pace up and down, whilst the other
three remained in whispered converse, their eyes now and again turning
to Biron, who walked the room like a caged beast. Nicholas had risen
slowly to his feet despite my orders, and was looking over my
shoulders with a white face and blazing eyes. I dared not tell him to
go back; but, with a warning look at him, strained my ears to catch
what was being said, but could hear nothing, until at length Zamet
raised his voice: 'Have done with it, Marshal, and sign. After all,
Madame de Beaufort was no more than a----,' and he used a foul word.
'The King is prostrate now; but in a week Gabrielle will be forgotten,
and then anything might happen. He is beginning to recover. He already
writes verses on the lost one,' he went on with a grin, '_charmante_
Gabrielle--_diavolo!_ but you should have seen her as she lay
dead--she was green as a jade cup.'
'Be still, dog,' and Biron turned fiercely on him. The Italian stepped
back, his hand on his dagger; but in a moment he recovered himself.
His black eyebrows lifted, and his upper lip drew back over his teeth
in a sneer.
'I did not know Monseigneur would be so affected; but time presses and
we need the name of Biron to that scroll. Hand the Marshal the pen,
Lafin.'
'It is here,' and de Gomeron, dipping a pen in a silver ink-stand,
held it out in his hand.
Biron made a half step forward to take it, when a thing happened. I
felt myself suddenly thrust aside, and there was a blinding flash, a
loud report, and a shout from Nicholas, 'Missed, by God!'
There was absolutely no time to do anything but make for the horses.
Nicholas had fired at de Gomeron in his mad thirst for revenge, and
had practically given our lives away. In the uproar and din that
followed we slid down the sash like apes, and dashed towards the
horses. Some one shouted 'Traitor--traitor,' and let fly at us twice
as we ran across the open space. From the courtyard we could hear the
hurry and bustle of men suddenly aroused, and as we reached the oak we
heard the bay of the bloodhounds, and the thunder of hoofs in pursuit.