CHAPTER XXXI.
"MY BELOVED HUSBAND:--I think you will be glad to hear of me after my leaving you so shortly a few nights since. We have reached Turin in safety, and without accident; but it was a weary journey for me, as every step took me farther from the place where I wished to remain. We are going on to Venice in three days, and there I am to be placed with a Madame de la Cour, a cousin of the Duc de Rohan, and a distant relation, I am told, of my own. I am glad of it, for I cannot love the duchess. I trust this to the care of an Italian gentleman going to Aix. He passes for an astrologer; and Madame de Rohan, who is very superstitious, receives him with great distinction. She would fain have had him draw the horoscope of all the household, and we each had audiences apart. But I could tell him nothing of my own birth,--neither date, nor time, nor place. He, however, contrived to draw from me, before I well knew it, something of my history, and has promised to take this and deliver it to you secretly, if I write it quickly. He knows Lord Montagu, and is to join him at Aix. Perhaps I have been imprudent to tell him any thing; but his questions were so artfully shaped that I knew not how to answer; and I cannot resist the temptation of sending you these few words, to let you know where I am and where a letter will find me. Whenever a change occurs, I will try to find means of letting you know, in order that when our long period of separation is over you may be aware where to find your LUCETTE."
Such were the lines upon which Edward's eyes rested as soon as hereached his room in the abbey; and, though very simple, they gave himmatter for thought during one-half of the night. That thought was allsweet; but on the following morning other considerations suggestedthemselves. He felt certain that Lord Montagu had seen Morini slip thepaper into his hand; and there had been so much and such unusualconfidence between the master and the page that Edward shrank from theidea of its being shaken even by a suspicion. Yet he could not resolveto put the note into Montagu's hands. Lucette's love had somethingsacred in it in his eyes, and, with the shyness of early affection, hecould not bear the idea of even a jest upon the subject. He thought longwhile he was dressing: the servants came and went, and he had almostforgotten to tell them to follow him to the town, when Pierrot himselfbrought the matter to his mind by mentioning Lord Montagu's return as arumor of the abbey.
The youth then set out for the city on foot, without having at allsettled how he should act in regard to Lucette's letter. It isextraordinary how trifles sometimes embarrass us more than matters ofdeep moment. He had faced Richelieu himself, conscious that life hungupon the caprice or the accident of a moment, without half thehesitation he now felt. He did at last what he might as well have doneat first,--left the direction of the matter to chance; for chance,unfriendly on most occasions, generally supplies us with an opportunityof acting rightly in embarrassing circumstances, if we have but the witto take advantage of it.
When Edward entered Lord Montagu's room, he found the learned SignorMorini already there, with some papers, covered with strange characters,on a table between him and the English nobleman. Montagu gathered up thepapers quickly and spoke to his page, without any allusion to thesubject which principally occupied the young man's thoughts. His speechseemed somewhat dry, however, and Edward saw that the Italian gazed athim with meaning looks. A sudden thought struck him as Lord Montaguturned the conversation with Morini to some common topic, and, waitingtill there was a momentary pause, he said, "By-the-way, Signor Morini,where did you leave the lady from whom you brought me a note last night?Had she gone on toward Venice?"
The Italian changed not a muscle, but replied, deliberately, "Yes: shewent in the morning. I set out in the afternoon."
"Ho, ho! Signor Morini!" cried Montagu, laughing: "so you condescend tobe Venus's messenger, do you?"
"Well may your lordship say Venus," replied Morini; "for a morebeautiful little creature never rose from the sea or brightened theland. But your lordship will bear me witness that I betrayed no secrets.It was the young gentleman himself."
"I have betrayed no secret," said Edward, gayly, for he felt relieved."Lord Montagu has never seen the young lady,--does not even know hername; and there is no cause why I should conceal that a lady has writtento me."
"A young lady!" said Montagu, thoughtfully. "Now I have it. The Duchessof Rohan was at Turin; she had with her a cousin or a niece,--as prettya little creature as I ever beheld. Ha, Edward! so you took care onyour long journey to guard yourself against the charms of theinnkeepers' daughters. Now I understand a good deal. And pray, Ned, howmuch of the time you consumed is to be attributed to the attractions ofthis pretty fair one?"
"Not a moment, my lord," replied Edward,--"unless it be that when shewas stricken with the fever of the Marais I stayed with her a few days,rather than leave a lady confided to my care amongst a people almostsavage and in a rude country. I might perhaps have forced my way on morequickly had I been alone; but by that time I had accepted the charge;and I will ask your lordship if I could have refused to see a lady ofhigh rank safely to the Duc de Rohan or the Prince de Soubise, herrelations, when the only alternative was for her to be shut up inRochelle during the horrors of a siege, and when the task was pressedupon me by those who had nursed me tenderly and saved my life by theircare. All we contemplated at first was a journey of a few hours; butwould your lordship have left her when a series of unfortunate mishapshad cast her, sick and in danger, upon the care of perfect strangers?Could you have left any woman?"
"Perhaps not, Master Ned," said Lord Montagu, laughing,--"especially ifshe were as young and as pretty as the lady I saw. The only question iswhy you did not tell me all this before. Concealment between friends isa bad thing, Edward, and in this case might breed a suspicion that youhad been trifling your time away with the pretty girl who is now sendingyou love-letters."
"I did not even imply that the letter was a love-letter," repliedEdward; "and, moreover,----"
"I will return to your lordship in an hour or two," said Morini, risingand approaching the door: "at present I have some business."
"I was going to say," continued Edward, resuming the subject which hehad dropped as Morini spoke, "if your lordship would consider, you wouldsee that I have not yet had time to tell you one-half that has happenedto me."
"Well, well," answered Montagu, good-humoredly, "no need of anyexcuses, Ned. I do not doubt you. Young men are young men, all the worldover; and you have fewer of their faults and more of their bestqualities than any one of your age I ever met with. Besides, yourconduct this day would clear away all suspicions of your frankness, if Ihad any. I saw that crouch-backed Italian give you a billet secretlylast night; and, had you concealed the fact from me, I might havethought it had reference to an intrigue more within my competence than alove-affair. But you spoke of it frankly, and that cleared my mind; for,to say truth, I had some doubts----"
"Not of me, I trust, my lord?" said Edward, somewhat mortified.
"No, not exactly of you," replied Montagu, thoughtfully, "but greatdoubts of that man. Do you know who he is?--or, rather, what he is?"
"I know nothing of him, my lord," replied the youth. "I never saw him orheard of him till last night."
"And yet he knew all about your having been wounded by your own brother.You will make even me believe in occult sciences," answered Montagu.
"That piece of knowledge is easily accounted for," said Edward. "Helearned that from Lucette. She stayed at the abbey with Madame de Rohanas they passed, heard all my story from the good sisters, and, in heranxiety to write to me, suffered him to draw the facts from her."
"Oh, it was from Lucette, was it?" asked Montagu, with a smile. "Well,that explains all, and without any secrecy, if you are sure it is so."
"She speaks of it in her letter," answered Edward, "and blames herselffor indiscretion. But your lordship asked me but now if I knew whatSignor Morini is. What can he be but a well-read quack?"
"He is something more than that," replied Montagu, l
owering his voice."He is a most cunning intriguant. He is more than that. He is an agentof the Cardinal de Richelieu; and I could not be certain that the noteyou received last night did not contain strong inducements for you tobetray me."
"He would be a bold man to offer them to me, my lord," replied Edward,warmly; "but there was nothing of the kind. The possibility of such athing, however, forces me to do what nothing else would have induced meto think of,--namely, to show you the letter. There it is, my lord. Inregard to all that concerns myself and the writer, I must beg you to askme no questions. If there can be found in it any thing that affects yourlordship, interrogate me, if you will; and I will answer all frankly."
Montagu looked at the address of the letter, and, perhaps, had somedesire to see more; for where is the breast without some share of thatsmall vice called curiosity? but he returned it unopened, saying, "I amquite satisfied, Ned. But you must understand: we are living in an ageof intrigue. Each man is playing a game which has no laws. And in caseswhere the strong arm of power cannot reach--where no soldiers or sailorscan be employed--friends, acquaintances, attendants, pages, must begained to obtain this or that advantage for an adverse politician. Youknow not how widely this is practised,--how many devoted confidants ofgreat men are also the confidants of their bitterest enemies,--whathosts of spies surround every man in eminent station. You know little ofall this; but in France and Italy the evil system is carried further,deeper, lower than anywhere else; and it was very natural for me tosuppose that this man, whom I know to be an emissary of Richelieu,should attempt to seduce you, and to find it hardly possible to supposethat when Richelieu had you wholly in his power he did not personallyaim at the same object. The thought never struck me till last night; butthen it flashed across my mind vividly, and would seem to explain how helet you go so easily."
Edward smiled bitterly. "This is somewhat hard!" he said. "And thus, mylord, my good fortune in escaping safe from a most perilous situationhas shaken your trust in my honesty?"
"Not at all," replied Montagu: "he may have attempted you withoutsuccess, or you may have promised him, in order to save your neck, whatyou did not intend to perform. I do not believe that you would reallybetray me for any consideration: on my soul I do not!--no, not for life!But tell me, Ned; in your conversation with that Eminence, did he neverdesire you to write him of my movements, or perchance to send him someof my letters, or copies thereof, or give him intimation of whom Icorrespond with?"
"No, my lord! no!" replied Edward, warmly. "He never did. He neverhinted at or insinuated such a desire. Your name was never mentioned butonce or twice in the last interview I had with him. Then he said, so faras I can recollect his words, 'You may say to Lord Montagu that thecardinal treated you well,--liberally,--and, although he had every rightto stop you, sent you on to Lord Montagu, though he knew your errand andhis. Compliment his lordship for me!' This was the only time that yourname was mentioned, my lord; and till toward the close of that interviewI did not know that his Eminence was aware I was attached to yourhousehold."
"That is strange!" said Montagu, gravely. "He knew your errand and mine,and yet let us both go forward! We form a different estimate of hischaracter in England."
"At the risk of making your lordship still suspect he has gained me,"said Edward, "I must say that I cannot but believe the cardinal has manyhigh and noble qualities. Some evening--perchance the time may comeagain--when I may be permitted to pass a few hours in calm conversationwith your lordship, as in days of yore, I will repeat, as nearly as Ican remember, all that passed between his Eminence and myself. You willthen see why I think so highly of him. But now I cannot conceive why,knowing this man Morini as you seem to know him,--an agent of Richelieu,a spy, and a charlatan,--you suffer him to hang about you, and give himthe opportunity of tampering with your servants or perhaps even stealingyour letters and despatches. I cannot believe that your lordship has anyfaith in his pretended science."
Montagu looked at him for a moment with a somewhat doubtful smile. "Asto my believing in his pretended science, as you call it," he said, "Ineither altogether believe nor disbelieve. There is such a thing in theworld as a state of doubt, Ned,--a state where assent is not given nordissent entertained. But what is this pretended science you speak of?Astrology has a very wide meaning, though circumscribed to its mereetymological sense it seems very narrow. But even in that sense I seenot why it should be rejected altogether. Are not the stars merecreatures of God, obeying his will, following his impulses? Were theycreated for some purpose, or for none? Various men will tell you thattheir functions are this or that. Now, the astrologer says they are thereal handwriting on the wall of heaven, announcing to those who can readthem the fate of nations and of men. Writing in stars! What amagnificent thought! I have heard men object that those goldencharacters are so few and the human race so numerous that the severalfortunes of all men could not be written by them. But such people forgetthat the motions of the stars are infinitely complex, that the relativeposition of every star to every other forms a new combination and mayforeshadow a different event to each one of those born under theirinfluence. Thus, if the human race be protracted to eternity, or thenumbers now existing be multiplied by myriads, the various positions ofthose bright characters to each other in the course of time would bemore than sufficient to indicate the fate of every man that ever can beborn. I say not that they do indicate, but that they may. These thingsmust always remain doubtful till repeated verification gives moreconvincing proof. I hold my mind open to receive or to reject; but, inthe mean time, I do not neglect opportunities of obtaining means forforming a just opinion."
Lord Montagu might be in some degree amusing himself by puzzling hisyoung companion, or he might not; but there can be no doubt that a greatportion of the well-educated and many of the greatest men of his daybelieved at least as much as he seemed to believe of judicial astrology.Indeed, no picture of those times would be correct which did not displaythis peculiar aspect of the human mind. The great reformers of sciencehad not yet appeared, or were little known; and the mind of Bacon itselfwas but beginning to have its influence in leading the minds of othersinto the course of truth and certainty.
But Edward Langdale had a great fondness for the definite, notoriginal,--perhaps, for he was of a somewhat poetical disposition,--butacquired by the rubbing and chafing of the hard world; and he returnedpertinaciously to his point. "However that may be, my lord," he said, "Icannot believe that your desire for opportunities of judging on theseabstract points can be the cause of your giving such opportunities to aman whom you believe to be an enemy and a rascal. You must have someother motives for tolerating the Signor Morini about you, and appointingto meet him here, than a desire to test the science of astrology. Whatthey are I cannot divine."
Montagu laughed. "Thou wilt be satisfied, Ned!" he said. "That man isbetter here than at Turin. Do you understand me? He is better under myeye than intriguing unobserved at the court of Savoy. He may tamper withmy attendants, but I am upon my guard; and I would rather that hetampered with them than with the duke's counsellors. To me he can dolittle harm while I am forewarned and forearmed against him; but hemight do much to the cause of England if he were left with a hesitatingcourt to plant a word here and a purse of gold there as they might beneeded. Yet what I said about astrology is true, and this very man'sfirm belief in it rather tends to make the balance in my mind lean thatway; for he is keen, philosophical, worldly, learned."
"But does he really believe firmly in it?" asked Edward. "Is it not withhim a mere cloak and a pretence?"
"He has suffered it to lure him here," answered Lord Montagu, "when noother inducement would have brought him. He will allow it to keep himhere three days longer, when in truth he is all anxiety to hurry intoFrance and tell the cardinal what he has discovered. I have played himas your skilful angler plays a lively fish. Once his ruling passiondiscovered, I have led him by it where I wished. It was like a ring in abull's nose, which he was forced to follow, with or
against his will."
"Then does your lordship propose to stay three more days in Aix?" askedthe page.
"Ay, or till I receive one more note from Scaglia," answered Montagu."Then all will be settled irrevocably: Signor Morini may bestow himselfwhere he will, and we may do so likewise. You are impatient to hurry on,I see. Impatience is youth's quality, deliberation is man's; and so, myboy, you must keep your wishes tranquil, for I certainly shall not putspurs to mine."
"Of course, my lord, I must only follow where you lead," answeredEdward, gayly. "I dare say your lordship believes I should bear thedelay more patiently in Venice, and I will not deny the fact; but Isuppose there is no time to go thither ere we depart."
"No, no, Ned! no!" replied Montagu. "I will not trust you near thatlittle siren again while we have business in hand,--at least till youlearn the great art of the present day, to let love and policy go handin hand and yet never let the former impede the latter."
"A difficult task," said Edward.
"Ay," answered Montagu; "and those who try it and miss often find abloody pillow. But here comes Morini again."
Edward immediately took his leave, and retired to obtain a chamber forhimself in the inn, where he could meditate over the conversation whichhad just passed. It was satisfactory to him that his connection withLucette had been acknowledged. He had previously shrunk from the thoughtof all mention of the subject to Lord Montagu, with the sensitivetimidity of early love; but now the ice was broken, and he feared nomore. But one point in that conversation was very painful to him. He sawthat, if Montagu did not absolutely suspect him, his lord's confidence,which had hitherto been unbounded, was shaken. It was in vain Edwardsaid to himself, "These great men are bound to be suspicious." There wasa voice within him which always added, "At all events, he ought not tosuspect me."
His musings were not suffered to continue long uninterrupted, however.Pierrot and Jacques Beaupre soon arrived with the horses. The two juniorpages of Lord Montagu--Henry Freeland and George Abbot--came to see him,and he himself had to visit the chamber of Mr. Oakingham, a companion ofLord Montagu's, who was travelling with him in no very well-definedcapacity. Oakingham was still ill from over-fatigue, and Edward satwith him for some time, trying to amuse and soothe him. Thus passed thegreater part of the morning, and the two following days were fullyoccupied by preparations for departure; but the thought that LordMontagu confided in him less still rankled in Edward's mind. He thoughthe perceived evidences of doubt in many things where perhaps no doubtexisted; and he said to himself, more than once, "I cannot bear itlong." The time, however, was rapidly approaching when, according to thecustom of those days, Lord Montagu would feel it incumbent upon him toprovide for his young friend, either in the army or at the court; andEdward resolved to wait and be patient as long as it was possible.
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