Henri d'Estreville lost no time in complying with the request conveyed
in the message which Michel Prevost had brought him. He hastened to
present himself at old Dupré's establishment, where he knocked--in his
eagerness--with unnecessary vigour, rousing old Dupré from a nap as he
lay in bed, still a victim to the stiffness of his joints, brought about
by his practice with the foils in preparation for an imaginary duel.
Marie opened the door.
"_Mon Dieu!_ it is Monsieur le Baron!" she exclaimed, flushing.
"Yes, it is I," replied Henri; "I have found that on my last visit,
Madame, I was disgracefully deceived as to the pretended death of your
sister; I have come to see Mademoiselle Louise, and also to receive an
explanation of the deception to which I was made a victim."
"Monsieur, I will fetch Louise, let her explain," Marie murmured; "there
are circumstances which Louise will explain better than I; Monsieur
will understand and forgive."
"Good; I will see Louise--fetch her quickly."
Henri waited in the salon. He was strangely agitated. He did not half
comprehend all that Michel had said; for Michel's connection with Louise
seemed mysterious and incomprehensible; he professed to love Louise,
yet, he had declared, he did not desire to marry her. "Either the fellow
is mad," Henri reflected, "or he has discovered that Louise already
loves me, in which case she might have chosen another messenger! Soon
I shall know whether Louise indeed loves me. _Mon Dieu_, if she does
not, after all this, I know not what shall happen." Henri strode up and
down the room, scarcely able to contain his excitement, it was most
inconsiderate of Louise to keep him waiting so long--what did it mean?
"She adorns herself; that is what it means!" Henri reflected; "it is
only natural that she should desire to look her best; it is only what
every woman would do."
In this conjecture Henri was not far wrong.
Upstairs in old Dupré's bedroom there had been scarcely less excitement
than below in the salon.
"Well, who was it that knocked so loudly?" cried old Dupré, as Marie
presently appeared after opening the front door to admit the visitor.
"_Mon père_, do not be agitated, it is the Baron d'Estreville," said
Marie, hesitating.
"Ah--ah! I thought it! I knew it! and he has demanded satisfaction of
me, and awaits me below, is it not so?" The old man struggled to get out
of bed, but his daughters restrained him.
"Calm yourself, my father," said Marie; "he has not demanded
satisfaction. He has, however, discovered that Louise is still alive and
desires explanations of the deceit of which he was a victim."
"There! What said I? Was I not right? Let me rise--I _will_ rise, I
say, Marie; I am ready; the necessary explanations I shall give; he
shall have them at the rapier's point. Out of my way--thanks be to the
Seigneur that I shall yet fight another fight before I die!"
"My father, you cannot--you are stiff--it is impossible," Marie
protested; but the irate old man shook her off and sprang out of bed.
But the exertion gave him so agonising a twinge in all his muscles that
he uttered a cry of pain and collapsed in a sitting position upon his
bed.
"_Morbleu!_" he groaned, "it is anguish to move my limbs. What is to
be done? He shall postpone the meeting until I can walk. One week will
suffice. Go down--tell him so, Marie."
The old man almost wept for chagrin and disappointment.
"Nay, I dare not go," said Marie. "It is Louise that he would see, not
me; I fear his anger if I should appear and not Louise."
"Alas, Marie, that I should be the parent of a coward," Dupré groaned.
"Do you not see that it is inadvisable that Louise and this man should
meet? Have you forgotten the foolishness that he uttered concerning
your sister? Louise shall live to be a Marshal of France, yet this
fool would persuade her, if he could, to waste the glory of a career
in silly dreams of love--drag her down to the level of the sex from
which, by her splendid achievement, she has emancipated herself! Speak,
Louise--repudiate this folly--assert yourself!"
"_Mon père_, it may be that Louise, like myself, possesses the instincts
of a woman," said Marie, fighting on her sister's behalf; "be not hard
upon her; maybe----"
"Let me speak, Marie," said Louise. "_Mon père_, it is certain that
this Baron d'Estreville must be very angry with us all, and wishes to
fight. I have an idea. The Baron knows nothing of Michel Prevost, that
he and I are one. He is determined, it seems, to see me. Send me with
a message, that you will have no man but Prevost for a son-in-law, and
that if the Baron would aspire to claim your daughter, he must fight
this Michel Prevost for her. Now the Baron is but a poor fencer, and it
is certain that I, as Michel, would soon better him in a set-to with our
rapiers."
"_Parbleu!_" exclaimed old Dupré, "it is good--it is excellent!
_Sapristi_, my daughter, you are a genius in diplomacy as well as in
arms! Listen to her, Marie, and learn! And you would have set her down
to become this wretched fellow's drudge. _Mort de ma vie_, Louise, I
thank the Almighty that you are not as your sister would believe you to
be! Yes, yes, go down, _chérie_, and arrange this matter--it is good!
But stay, declare first that Marie has spoken nonsense--that you have
forgotten your woman's instincts--that glory and the career come first
in your estimation, that----"
"Father, at any rate I am not yet ready to be a woman; the time may
come, soon or late, I will make no promises. At present let it be as
I have said. The Baron is offended and would fight--_volontiers_! I am
ready; he shall fight Michel for Louise!"
Louise laughed gaily and ran from the room. She hastened to her own
chamber, where she quickly donned her own dress, the fencing costume
of old days when she still acted as her father's assistant. All this
occupied some time, and Henri's patience was almost exhausted when at
last she opened the door and presented herself before him.
D'Estreville caught the girl in his arms and covered her face with
kisses. Louise abandoned herself to his embraces, making no effort to
resist, and conscious of no desire to do so. On the contrary, she felt
in that precious moment that she wished for nothing better in this
world, no greater happiness, no more perfect peace than to belong body
and soul to this man. D'Estreville let her go presently.
"Thanks be to God, you love me then, after all," he murmured.
"Did you then doubt it?" she whispered.
"Louise, there have been doubts and mysteries; tell me, you are
acquainted with one Michel Prevost?"
Louise flushed. "I know Michel very, very, very well," she replied,
smiling.
"Come, explain--there is a mystery, but I think I have a clue! Confess,
you have a brother or a near relation--now that I see you, I am
impressed the more with the likeness between you and this good fellow!
If I am wrong, then who--in Heaven's name--is this Prevost whom you know
so well and who reminds me so strongly of you?"
"Not a brother--a relative, yes; he loves me, Henri--nay, do not
speak--he loves you also, _mon ami_; he would not have us parted,"
Louise laughed hysterically. "Do not fear, he shall never be dearer to
me than now, and that is not so dear as you, not by--oh, oh! so many
miles!"
"I see--I see! Good; I am content. They told me you were dead, my
beloved--imagine my despair. Why was I deceived?"
"My father will have no son-in-law but this Michel."
"_Peste!_ So I must be deceived and sent into the fires of the nether
regions!"
"My Henri, be calm and listen. My father sent me to you with a
suggestion; you are to fight for me with this Michel----" Henri
interrupted with a roar of laughter.
"Oh, oh! poor Michel! he is doomed! I shall fight like a fiend from
hell, if it is for you, _ma mie_; moreover, he is--you say--on our side!
What a foolish fight will this be!"
"Michel is a good fencer, he has few equals. What if he should slay
you, my beloved, for--if I remember rightly--you have not more than a
passable hand with the rapier."
"Bah! in such a cause I would overthrow even Louise herself," Henri
laughed; "but will Michel fight?"
"It--it shall be arranged; he shall slip and you shall disarm
him--neither shall be hurt." Louise blushed and became agitated. "Go
down, _chérie_, to the _salon d'armes_, you know it of old, and there
Michel shall meet you. Adieu, until--until Michel is overthrown."
Henri laughed and embraced the girl. "Adieu, then," he said, "until
then--bid Michel be quick!"
The _salon d'armes_ was empty when Henri entered it. He busied himself
in examining and testing the rapiers upon the walls. A sound presently
attracted his attention and he looked round.
Louise stood in the arena, rapier in hand; she wore her fencing dress;
her face was crimson with blushes; she seemed too agitated to speak.
"What is this, _chérie_, where is Michel Prevost?" asked Henri.
Louise replied, murmuring so softly that he could scarcely catch her
words.
"Michel is here," she whispered. "Oh, my beloved, are you so blind?
Michel is here, but his uniform he will never wear again; oh, Henri be
kind to me for the love of Heaven, for I am ashamed."