CHAPTER X.
Now, Edward Langdale was a very acute and intelligent lad before hetouched the shores of France on that journey. He had learned more of theworld and mankind in the few years he had been page to Lord Montagu thanmany another youth does in a dozen. His previous education had fittedhim for such acquisition; and the circumstances in which he hadafterward been placed--circumstances which required the exercise ofevery faculty--had acuminated every faculty. But, strange to say, eachsense seemed to acquire more acuteness after he left Lucette. He had nonotion in the world how it was so. He thought of those valuable leathernbags of his, and of the letters which were in them, and of the chancethere was of their falling into an enemy's hands. He believed that wasall; but still, as the reader has a right to be let into all secrets, avague, indefinite, misty idea of danger to Lucette mingled with allother considerations and sharpened every perception.
With Pierrot by his side, and taking advantage of every thing whichcould screen his approach, he advanced as close to the king's lines ashe could without being perceived. He then rode along, seeing groups ofsoldiers and sappers lying on the ground by their watch-fires, withoutone man seemingly wakeful enough to have killed a rat had it invaded hisquarters. The end of the line on the right was soon reached; but nowthere were evident signs of completed trenches and a more strict guard;and, retreating a little to get under cover of the trees, which hadbecome both taller and closer in that quarter, he turned his coursetoward the left, where the lines tended toward the Sevre Niortaise.Still, nothing stirred; and at length Edward, to his great satisfaction,perceived the spot where the rapidly-progressing works had beenabandoned at the set of sun, and where shovels and pickaxes and hatchetswere piled up after the labors of the day. Beyond was a wide extent ofmoor and brushwood; and, after having gazed for a minute or two, hedetermined to push his horse far enough round to make sure that thepassage was free before he went back for Lucette. His course was throughsome marshy ground broken by brushes. The last fire of the French lineswas at a full quarter of a mile's distance, and every moment Edwardbecame more and more convinced that the way was quite open and thepassage safe. Suddenly, however, he checked his horse, making a sign toPierrot to stop, and saying, "Hark!"
"Horse, on my life!" cried Pierrot.
"Coming up from the left," replied Master Ned. "Down, down! and amongstthe bushes! Let the beasts take their own course. It may mislead them."
Each sprang to the ground in a moment. The horses, cast loose with asharp blow in the flank, scampered across the moor, and the youth andPierrot kneeled down amongst the shrubs. But the manoeuvre was invain. The moon was still shining brightly: they had been marked; and thepursuers but too plainly perceived that the two horses which scamperedoff were now without riders. There was a momentary search amongst thebushes, and then a hard hand was laid upon Master Ned's shoulder. Itmight have been a dangerous experiment at another moment; but there wereso many soldiers round as to render resistance hopeless; and Master Nedrose quietly without uttering a word.
It was a somewhat lawless age; and in lawless ages some men's fingershave a strange affection for other men's pockets. The worthy trooper,whose right hand still retained its grasp of Edward's shoulder, felt hisleft impelled by irresistible powers toward the spot where purses inthose days were generally carried; but he suddenly found his wristgrasped with a strength which he had no idea lay in the slight-lookinglimbs of his prisoner, who at the same time raised his voice aloud,shouting, in the French tongue, "Officer! officer!"
The trooper had either miscalculated his distance from his companions,or Master Ned's powers of endurance; for, while he struggled to free hiswrist from the clinging fingers which grasped it, half a dozen moresoldiers came up, with a gentleman in a handsome buff coat, or buffle,laced with gold, who was evidently the leader of the band.
"How now, young man? how now?" cried the officer, regarding him by themoonlight. "What! resisting the king's authority?"
"By no means, seigneur," replied Edward, who still held the soldier fastby the wrist. "I am merely resisting plunder, which I know is not by theking's authority. This man's hand was in my pocket. His intention mightbe to take my purse,--which I should care little about, as there is notmuch in it, and I can get more; but it might be to take my safe-conduct,which I will not part with, but for proper examination, to any one."
"Ho, ho! a safe-conduct!" said the officer. "How dare you try to robhim, Guillaume Bheel? Let him go, this instant."
"I can't," answered the man, with a good-humored roar of laughter: "theyoung devil has got my wrist as tight as if every finger was a vice. Myhand was not in his pocket; for, by St. Ann, he did not let me get itfairly in. I was only going to search him."
"Let the man's hand go, young gentleman," said the officer. "You mentiona safe-conduct. Let me see it."
"It is here," said Edward Langdale, drawing forth a handsome giltleather case. "I beg you to promise that it shall be returned to me whenyou have examined it."
"It shall, if I find it all in proper form," replied the other; "but, inthe mean time, you will have to go to the lines, for I cannot examinepasses by moonlight. Some one see and catch the two horses. Have youfound the other man? Ah, there he is. Catch the horses, I say."
In the mean time he had opened the case and taken out the passport,which, when spread out in the pale light, showed all the appearance ofan ordinary safe-conduct; and Edward, anxious to prevent any search forLucette and her guard, observed, in a quiet tone, "You will remark thatthe paper covers more than myself and my servant; but, hearing thatthere was danger on the road to Niort, we left the others behind."
"Then tell me, sir," said the officer, gravely, "how came it, when youwere furnished with such a safe-conduct as this, you attempted to passthe lines without showing it, and tried to hide yourself when you saw myparty?"
"Oh, in Rochelle they tell very bloody tales of you gentlemen up here,"replied Edward, laughing; "and I thought that at Niort I could show itwith less trouble."
"Then you come from Rochelle, do you?" said the officer. "Probably youcame over in Lord Denbigh's fleet?"
"No," answered the young man, boldly. "I came over before, in amerchant-vessel; but I was obliged to stay some days in Rochelle to hireservants and to get well; for I was ill there."
"Indeed," said the officer,--not in any tone of interest, but merely asone of those insignificant ejaculations which men employ to stop a gapwhen they have nothing else to say; and he continued humming some of theParisian airs which are now technically known as _Pont neufs_, till thehorses were caught,--which was not till after half an hour's ineffectualeffort; for they had some spirit and some skittishness. Indeed, it mighthave been as well--under fear of the critics--to tell the reader thatthe part of the country which we are now treading is rather famous forthe sale of horses, which, though not so good as the Limousin, are ofthe same race, very hardy and sometimes very fleet.
At length the beasts were inveigled by some of the many methods ofdeceit which men use to entrap bipeds or quadrupeds; and, mounted onthat which he indicated as his own, Master Ned, between two soldiers,was led to the end of the trench, followed by Pierrot, as well guarded,who had the good sense to keep his tongue under a rigorous rein. The twowere civilly inducted into a small building constructed of unplanedboards, and, with a sentinel at the door, were left together while theofficer went to examine the safe-conduct: at least, so he said. Intruth, he went to show it to a superior officer.
Edward Langdale, however, took the opportunity, in a hurried manner, ofindoctrinating Pierrot in regard to what he was to say and what not tosay. He could have done it quite at leisure, it is true, for the officerwas full two hours absent; but the time was occupied with variouscomments and discussions which might, under most circumstances, havebeen of great use. Man almost always makes calculations in vain. Hestands upon a small point, unable to see an inch before his nose, whileFate is working in the background beyond his sight, weaving round him aweb of fine threads,
through which he cannot break, let him flutter ashard as he will.
At length the officer reappeared, with the passport in its case. Hereturned it to the young gentleman with a polite bow, saying, "Sir, yoursafe-conduct seems in good form, and signed by the cardinal himself."
There he paused for a moment, and Edward replied, "Then I suppose I amat liberty to proceed. Now you see, sir, how much better it would havebeen for me to ride on straight to Niort, where in half an hour I couldhave had a good supper and a bottle of wine."
"Your pardon, sir," said the other. "We can give you the bottle of winehere,--though all you can have for supper, I am afraid, will be somesardines, d'Olonne, and bread. But, as to proceeding, you will have tomake a little turn out of your way and go to Nantes. You will have foursoldiers out of my troop for protection,--merely for protection."
"As a prisoner, in short," said Edward, gravely. "I had thought thecardinal's name was more potent in France."
"It is very potent," replied the officer, with a smile. "But he knowshis signature better than we do; and the truth is, although the seal iscertainly official, we had an intimation yesterday, about three o'clock,that a young English gentleman, with three attendants, would endeavor topass the lines, and that it was necessary to stop him, as he was anagent of the enemy. You have but one attendant; but your pass saysthree, and you have yourself acknowledged that you have left twobehind."
"This is the work of some private enemy," said Master Ned, gravely; forthe situation was not at all pleasant. "The intimation, of course, camefrom Rochelle?"
The officer nodded. "Then," continued the youth, "you put faith in yourenemies rather than in the signature of your own prime minister."
"Jargeau," whispered Pierrot. But the officer cut discussion short,saying, "I act under orders, gentlemen, and can only say further thatyou do not exactly go as prisoners, and may regulate your marches as youplease. You can set out at once if you please, or you can wait tilldaybreak."
"At once," said Edward, somewhat sternly: "the end of my journey isGeneva or Savoy, and I am anxious to get out of a country as soon aspossible where even a regular passport does not protect one fromdetention."
"But the wine and the sardines?" said Pierrot.
"They can be brought while the men are making ready," replied theofficer; and, with a polite bow, he left them still under guard.
The wine and the sardines d'Olonne were brought and rapidly consumed.Their horses' feet were heard before the door, and, mounting, Pierrotand Master Ned, with four soldiers accompanying them, rode away in thedirection of Nantes. It is a long and rather dreary ride at all times,and to Edward it was particularly unpleasant, for he had to remember afact which the reader has probably forgotten, namely, that people whotook advantage without right of other people's safe-conducts were inthose days very frequently hanged. Now, Master Ned had a mortal aversionto hemp. All depends upon the application of things. An old saw wellapplied is excellent, detestable when wrongly introduced. ABurgundy-pitch plaster on the chest is a capital remedy for incipientbronchitis, but has quite a contrary effect when applied to the mouthand nose. It is all the same with hemp. Used in rigging a ship, it isall very well; in the abstract it is a soft though somewhat tenaciousfibre, which would not much hurt a fly; but when twisted into severalstrands and used as a tight cravat it is unpleasant, and oftendangerous. In this light it was viewed by Edward Langdale; but he hadrun a good many hair's-breadth risks since he had been Lord Montagu'spage, and the idea of the hemp did not exclude from his mind the idea ofLucette. (There are two "ideas" in the last sentence, which the verbalcritics may call tautologous; but I will let them both stand, for itwere well if there were as many ideas in most people's noddles.)
However, as it is a very dreary road from Mauze toward Nantes, and asthe reflections of poor Edward Langdale were drearier still, I will notpause upon the details, but merely say that thought after thoughtfollowed each other through his head,--sometimes of the danger which hehimself ran, sometimes of the dangers which surrounded Lucette, andsometimes of the chances of making his escape. This continued for somethree hours, during which time the body was suffering hardly less thanthe mind. Barely recovered from severe illness, he had quitted Rochelletoo early: he had since undergone the fatigues of a storm at sea, a longanxious ride, a short imprisonment, and now a three hours' journey, withlittle food and only one hour's sleep out of thirty-six, upon the banksof the Sevre Niortaise. As day began faintly to dawn, fatigue anddrowsiness overpowered him; and twice he swung to the side of his horseas if he were about to fall.
The soldier who rode by his side, and who was well aware that hissuperiors had considerable doubt as to whether they were right or wrongin sending the young gentleman to Nantes at all, seeing his state,addressed him civilly, telling him that two miles in advance there wasthe village of Le Breuil Bertin, where he would find a good cleancabaret and could both have an excellent breakfast and repose for a fewhours in comfort.
"I thought we were to go to Nantes as fast as we could," said MasterNed.
"Monsieur is the master," replied the man. "I was only told to see yousafe to Nantes and show you all attention on the road. So I shallcertainly take your orders as to where we shall stop, and how long. Atall events, we must feed the horses at Le Breuil."
"Well, then, I will stay and rest there," said Edward, very glad toobtain time for somewhat clearer and more composed reflection than thestate of his brain had heretofore permitted; and at Le Breuil theyaccordingly paused.
In the two hundred and odd revolutions of the great humming-top whichhave since taken place, Le Breuil Bertin, which was then a veryflourishing village, with a pretty church, a very tolerable inn, and, ata little distance, a royal abbey, has become a mere hamlet; but then thecabaret appeared a blessed haven of repose to Edward Langdale: everything had a clean and smiling air, and the very sight was a refreshment.He ordered breakfast, which was in those days always accompanied bywine, and, though he ate little, he felt stronger for the meal. Then,after calling Pierrot apart and admonishing him in regard to brandy, hesaid he should like to rest for a few hours, and was shown to a chamberwhere was a bed of wool as soft as down. It is true that there was butone staircase leading to the room assigned him, and that, Le Breuilbeing built upon a gentle hill, and the inn upon the edge of the hill,the window had a fall of thirty feet below it,--quite as good, under allordinary circumstances, as iron bars. But Edward did not meditate escapejust then, and all he expected was thought and repose.
Weariness and wakefulness are sometimes strangely combined. "Too tiredto sleep," say people very often; and they say rightly; but it generallyhappens--at least in my own case--that fatigue of mind has been added tofatigue of body when we cannot woo to our pillow "tired nature's sweetrestorer." We have in short been spurring both horses so hard that theirsides are sore. So it was with Edward Langdale. He could not close aneye: he could not think,--at least collectedly. His mind went ramblingabout, first to one subject of consideration, then to another, withoutresting upon any. This continued for about two hours; but when thesergeant, corporal, lunce prisade, or whatever he was, looked in to seewhether he would like to go to mass, the young gentleman was as soundasleep as he could be, and did not hear the opening or closing door.
Now, the soldier was a native of Le Breuil Bertin, and, moreover, he hadbeen brought up a Protestant,--born a Protestant, I had better havesaid; for I fear me much that, both in regard to religion and politics,birth has a good deal to do with the matter. However, being but anindifferent controversialist, and meeting with a wise Catholic priest,and having some interest in the army, and the greater part of thepopulation being of the Romish Church, he had four good reasons forbeing converted; and he was so. But the worthy man was mild in hisapostasy, and, as a native of Le Breuil, did not care how long agentleman, whether Huguenot or Papist, kept him there, nor whether hewent to mass or conventicle.
Thus Edward was suffered to slumber undisturbed from nine till one, whenhe turned on his ot
her side without waking, and then from one till six,when a little noise about the inn made some impression on his senses.
The sun by this time was so far down as to have left an eye of gray inthe sky; but it was not yet dark; and Edward had just swung his feetover the edge of the bed, and was rubbing his eyes with a certaindoubtfulness whether he would lie down again or not, when his dooropened, and the soldier appeared, supporting a boy dressed in a looseblack velvet overcoat, and asking, "Pray, sir, is this your page?"
Edward started forward at once and took her hand, answering, "Certainly.How came he here?"
The man was about to reply; but as he uttered the first words Lucettebegan to sink, and the color quite forsook her lips. Edward caught herin his arms before she fell and laid her gently on the bed from which hehad just risen, saying, "Send Pierrot here, good sir,--my servant, Imean."
The man smiled slightly, but departed; and, before Pierrot appeared,Lucette somewhat revived, saying, in a low, faint voice, "I am so tired,Edward, and have been so frightened. I fear I may have betrayed you bymy weakness."
"Get some wine, Pierrot!" exclaimed the lad, as the man entered. "Orstay you here, and I will see for it myself. Fear not, dear Lucette. Allwill go well."
They were vague words of comfort enough,--such as a man speaks when hisonly trust is in Providence; yet they comforted Lucette. And some waterwhich Pierrot held to her lips did her good also; but, to tell thetruth, that which revived her most was the reappearance of EdwardLangdale. He brought wine with him,--the first he could find; but hecould hardly pour out a glassful when the good mistress of the houseentered and stayed his hand, saying, "Leave her to me, young gentleman.Do not be foolish. Your secret shall be safe with me, upon my honor,--ifit be a secret; but all the world can see this is no boy. I have girlsmyself, and will treat her like a daughter." And, gently putting the twomen out, she shut and locked the door.
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