The Helmet of Navarre

by Bertha Runkle

  XI

  _Vigo._

  I knew of old that it was easier to catch a weasel asleep than Vigoabsent where he was needed; yet I did not expect to meet him in thealley. Monsieur, then, had changed his mind.

  "Well caught!" cried Vigo, winding his arms round Lucas, who wasstruggling furiously for liberty. "Here, Maurice, Jules, I have numberone. Ah, you young sinner! with your crew again? I thought as much. Tiethe knots hard, boys. Better be quiet, you snake; you can't get away."

  Lucas seemed to make up his mind to this, for he quieted down directly.

  "So the game is up," he said pleasantly. "I had hoped to be gone beforeyou arrived, dear Vigo."

  We had both been deprived promptly of our swords and Lucas's wrists wereroped together, but my only bond was Vigo's hand on my arm.

  "Where are the others?" he demanded. "No tricks, now."

  "Here," I said, and led the way down the passage. Maurice and Jules,with their prisoner, pressed after us, and half a dozen of the duke'sguard after them. The rest stayed without to mind the horses and keepoff the gathering crowd.

  One of the men had a torch which lighted the red pavement. Vigo saw thisfirst.

  "Morbleu! is it a shambles?"

  "That is wine," I said.

  "They spilled wine for effect, they spilled so little blood!" ThusLucas, speaking with as cool devilry as if he still commanded thesituation. Vigo could not know what he meant but he asked no questions;instead, bade Lucas hold his tongue.

  "I am dumb," Lucas rejoined, with a mock meekness more insolent thaninsolence. But we paid it no heed for M. le Comte came forward out ofthe shadows. He held his head well up but his face was white above hiscrimsoned doublet.

  "M. Etienne! Are you hurt?" shouted Vigo.

  "No, but he is." M. le Comte stepped aside to show us Grammont leaningagainst the wall.

  "Ah!" cried Vigo, triumphantly. He and two of the men rushed at Gervais.

  "You would not take me so easily but for a cursed knife in my back,"Grammont muttered thickly. "For the love of Heaven, Vigo, draw it out."

  With amazement Vigo perceived the knife.

  "Who did it?"

  "I."

  "You, Felix? In the back?" Vigo looked at me as if to demand again whichside I was on.

  "He lay on me, throttling me," I explained. "I stabbed any way Icould."

  "I trow you are a dead man," Vigo told Grammont. "Natheless, here comesthe knife."

  It came, with a great cry from the victim. He fell back against Vigo'sman, clapping his hand to his side.

  "I am done for," he gasped faintly.

  "That is well," said Vigo, carefully wiping off the knife.

  "Yon is the scoundrel," Grammont gasped, pointing to Lucas.

  "He will die a worse death than you," said Vigo.

  Grammont looked from the one to the other of us, the sullen rage in hisface fading to a puzzled helplessness. He said fretfully:

  "Which--which is Etienne?"

  He could no longer see us plain. M. le Comte came forward silently.Grammont struggled for breath in a way pitiable to see. I put my armabout him and helped the guardsman to hold him straighter. He reachedout his hand and caught at M. le Comte's sleeve.

  "Etienne--Etienne--pardon. It was wrong toward you--but I never had thepistoles. He called me thief--the duke. I beseech--your--pardon."

  M. le Comte was silent.

  "It was all Lucas--Lucas did it," Grammont muttered with stiffeninglips. "I am sorry for--it. I am dying--I cannot die--without a chance.Say you--for--give--"

  Still M. le Comte held back, silent. Treachery was no less treacherythough Grammont was dying. All the more that they were cousins,bedfellows, was the injury great to forgive. M. le Comte said nothing.

  How Grammont found the strength only God knows, who haply in hisgoodness gave him a last chance of mercy. Suddenly he straightened hissinking body, started from our hold, and tottered toward his cousin,both hands outstretched in appeal.

  M. le Comte's face was set like a flint. The dying man faltered forward.Then M. Etienne, never changing his countenance, slowly, halfreluctantly, like a man in a dream, held out his hand.

  But the old comrades, estranged by traitory, were never to clasp again.As he reached M. le Comte, Grammont fell at his feet.

  "He was a strong man," said Vigo. He turned Grammont's face up and addedthe word, "Dead." Vigo adored the Duke of St. Quentin. Otherwise he hadno emotions.

  But I was not case-hardened. And I--I myself--had slain this man, whohad died slowly and in great pain. Vigo's voice sounded to me far off ashe said bluntly:

  "M. le Comte, I make you my prisoner."

  "No, by Heaven!" cried M. Etienne, in a vibrating voice that brought meback to reality; "no, Vigo! I am no murderer. Things may look blackagainst me but I am innocent. You have one villain at your feet and onea prisoner, but I am not a third! I am a St. Quentin; I do not plotagainst my father. I was to aid Grammont to set on Lucas, who would notanswer a challenge. I have been tricked. Gervais asked myforgiveness--you heard him. Their dupe, yes--accomplice I was not.Never have I lifted my hand against my father, nor would I, whatevercame. That I swear. Never have I laid eyes on Lucas since I leftMonsieur's presence, till now when he came out of that door side by sidewith Grammont. Whatever the plot, I knew naught of it. I am a St.Quentin--no parricide!"

  The ringing voice ceased and M. le Comte stood silent, with haggard eyeson Vigo. Had he been prisoner at the bar of judgment he could not havewaited in greater anxiety. For Vigo, the yeoman and servant, neverminced words to any man nor swerved from the stark truth.

  I burned to seize Vigo's arm, to spur him on to speech. Of course hebelieved M. Etienne; how dared he make his master wait for theassurance? On his knees he should be, imploring M. le Comte's pardon.

  But no thought of humbling himself troubled Vigo. Nor did he pronouncejudgment, but merely said:

  "M. le Comte will go home with me now. To-morrow he can tell his storyto my master."

  "I will tell it before this hour is out!"

  "No. M. le Duc has left Paris. But it matters not, M. Etienne. Monsieursuspects nothing against you. Felix kept your name from him. And by thetime I had screwed it out of Martin, Monsieur was gone."

  "Gone out of Paris?" M. Etienne echoed blankly. To his eagerness it wasas if M. le Duc were out of France.

  "Aye. He meant to go to-night--Monsieur, Lucas, and I. But when Monsieurlearned of this plot, he swore he'd go in open day. 'If the League mustkill me,' says he, 'they can do it in daylight, with all Pariswatching.' That's Monsieur!"

  At this I understood how Vigo came to be in the Rue Coupejarrets.Monsieur, in his distress and anxiety to be gone from that unhappyhouse, had forgotten the spy. Left to his own devices, the equery,struck with suspicion at Lucas's absence, laid instant hands on Martinthe clerk, with whom Lucas, disliked in the household, had had someintimacy. It had not occurred to Vigo that M. le Comte, if guilty,should be spared. At once he had sounded boots and saddles.

  "I will return with you, Vigo," M. le Comte said. "Does the meanestlackey in my father's house call me parricide, I must meet the charge.My father and I have differed but if we are no longer friends we arestill noblemen. I could never plot his murder, nor could he for onemoment believe it of me."

  I, guilty wretch, quailed. To take a flogging were easier than toconfess to him the truth. But I conceived I must.

  "Monsieur," I said, "I told M. le Duc you were guilty. I went back asecond time and told him."

  "And he?" cried M. Etienne.

  "Yes, monsieur, he did believe it."

  "Morbleu! that cannot be true," Vigo cried, "for when I saw him he gaveno sign."

  "It is true. But he would not have M. le Comte touched. He said he couldnot move in the matter; he could not punish his own kin."

  M. le Comte's face blazed as he cried out:

  "Vastly magnanimous! I thank him not. I'll none of his mercy. I expectedhis faith."

  "You had no claim to
it, M. le Comte."

  "Vigo!" cried the young noble, "you are insolent, sirrah!"

  "I cry monsieur's pardon."

  He was quite respectful and quite unabashed. He had meant no insolence.But M. Etienne had dared criticise the duke and that Vigo did not allow.

  M. Etienne glared at him in speechless wrath. It would have liked himwell to bring this contumelious varlet to his knees. But how? It was abyword that Vigo minded no man's ire but the duke's. The King of Francecould not dash him.

  Vigo went on:

  "It seems I have exceeded my duty, monsieur, in coming here. Yet itturns out for the best, since Lucas is caught and M. de Grammont deadand you cleared of suspicion."

  "What!" Yeux-gris cried. "What! you call me cleared!"

  Vigo looked at him in surprise.

  "You said you were innocent, M. le Comte."

  M. le Comte stared, without a word to answer. The equery, all unaware ofhaving said anything unexpected, turned to the guardsman Maurice:

  "Well, is Lucas trussed? Have you searched him?"

  Maurice displayed a poniard and a handful of small coins for sole booty,but Jules made haste to announce: "He has something else, though--apaper sewed up in his doublet. Shall I rip it out, M. Vigo?"

  With Lucas's own knife the grinning Jules slashed his doublet fromthroat to thigh, to extract a folded paper the size of your palm. Vigopondered the superscription slowly, not much at home with the work of aquill, save those that winged arrows. M. Etienne, coming forward, with asharp exclamation snatched the packet.

  "How came you by my letter?" he demanded of Lucas.

  "M. le Comte was pleased to consign it for delivery to Martin."

  "What purpose had you with it?"

  "Rest assured, dear monsieur, I had a purpose."

  The questions were stormily vehement, the answers so gentle as to befairly caressing. It was waste of time and dignity to parley with thescoundrel till one could back one's queries with the boot. But M.Etienne's passion knew no waiting. Thrusting the letter into his breastere I, who had edged up to him, could catch a glimpse of its address, hecried upon Lucas:

  "Speak! You were ready enough to jeer at me for a dupe. Tell me what youwould do with your dupe. You dared not open the plot to me--you did methe honour to know I would not kill my father. Then why use meblindfold? An awkward game, Lucas."

  Lucas disagreed as politely as if exchanging pleasantries in a salon.

  "A dexterous game, M. le Comte. Your best friends deemed you guilty.What would your enemies have said?"

  "Ah-h," breathed M. Etienne.

  "It dawns on you, monsieur? You are marvellous thick-witted, yet surelyyou must perceive. We had a dozen fellows ready to swear that your handkilled Monsieur."

  "You would kill me for my father's murder?"

  "Ma foi, no!" cried Lucas, airily. "Never in the world! We should havelet you live, in the knowledge that whenever you displeased us we couldsend you to the gallows."

  M. le Comte, silent, stared at him with wild eyes, like one who looksinto the open roof of hell. Lucas fell to laughing.

  "What! hang you and let our cousin Valere succeed? Mon dieu, no! M. deValere is a man!"

  With a blow the guardsman struck the words and the laughter from hislips. But I, who no more than Lucas knew how to hold my tongue, thoughtI saw a better way to punish this brazen knave. I cried out:

  "You are the dupe, Lucas! Aye, and coward to boot, fleeing herefrom--nothing. I knew naught against you--you saw that. To slip out andwarn Martin before Vigo got a chance at him--that was all you had to do.Yet you never thought of that but rushed away here, leaving Martin tobetray you. Had you stuck to your post you had been now on the road toSt. Denis, instead of the road to the Greve! Fool! fool! fool!"

  He winced. He had not been ashamed to betray his benefactor, to bite thehand that fed him, to desert a wounded comrade; but he was ashamed toconfront his own blunder. I had the satisfaction of pricking, not hisconscience, for he had none, but his pride.

  "I had to warn Grammont off," he retorted. "Could I believe St. Quentinsuch a lack-wit as to forgive these two because they were his kin? Youdid better than you knew when you shut the door on me. You tracked me,you marplot, you sneak! How came you into the coil?"

  "By God's grace," M. le Comte answered. He laid a hand on my shoulderand leaned there heavily. Lucas grinned.

  "Ah, waxing pious, is he? The prodigal prepares to return."

  M. Etienne's hand clinched on my shoulder. Vigo commanded a gag forLucas, saying, with the only touch of anger I ever knew him to show:

  "He shall hang when the king comes in. And now to horse, lads, and outof the quarter; we have wasted too much time palavering. King Henry isnot in Paris yet. We shall do well not to rouse Belin, though we canmake him trouble if he troubles us. Come, monsieur. Men, guard yourprisoner. I misjudge if he is not cropful of the devil still."

  He did not look it. His figure was drooping; his face purple andcontorted, for one of the troopers had crammed his scarf into the man'smouth, half strangling him. As he was led past us, with a sudden franticeffort, fit to dislocate his jaw, he disgorged the gag to cry outwildly:

  "Oh, M. l'Ecuyer, have mercy! Have pity upon me! For Christ's sake,pity!"

  "IN A FLASH HE WAS OUT OF THEIR GRASP, FLYING DOWN THEALLEY."]

  His bravado had broken down at last. He tried to fling himself at Vigo'sfeet. The guards relaxed their hold to see him grovel.

  That was what he had hoped for. In a flash he was out of their grasp,flying down the alley.

  "To Vigo! Vigo is attacked," we heard him shout.

  It was so quick, we stood dumfounded. And then we dashed after,pell-mell, tumbling over one another in our stampede. In the alley weran against three or four of the guard answering Lucas's cry. We lostprecious seconds disentangling ourselves and shouting that it was a ruseand our prisoner escaped. When they comprehended, we all rushed togetherout of the passage, emerging among frightened horses and a great pressof excited men.