The Bright Face of Danger

by Robert Neilson Stephens

  CHAPTER XI.

  THE RAT-HOLE AND THE WATER-JUG

  I had not been back in the little room a minute, when it occurred to meto reach through the window and displace the obstruction. I was in timeto see the Countess escorted back across the court-yard by her husband.This could mean only that she was again to occupy her prison in thetower. I was glad at least to know where she was, that I might imagineher in her surroundings, of which I had obtained so brief a glimpse.

  Presently my door opened slightly, that my breakfast might be passed inon a trencher; and again an hour later, that the trencher might be takenout. Soon after that, the door was thrown wide, and a man of someauthority, whom I had already taken to be the seneschal of the chateau,courteously requested me to step forth. When I did so, he told me mylodging was ready and bade me follow. At my elbows were two powerfularmed servitors of this strange half-military household, to escort me.

  I had a moment's hope that I might be taken to some chamber in the greattower; I should thus be nearer the Countess. But such was not theCount's will. I was conducted to the hall staircase, and up two flights,thence along the corridor past my former sleeping chamber, and finallyby a small stairway to a sort of loft at that very corner of the chateauagainst which the great tower was built.

  It was a small chamber with one window and an unceiled roof that slopedvery low at the sides. I suppose it had been used as a store-room forrubbish. Two worm-eaten chests were its only furniture. On one of thesewere a basin, a jug of water, and a towel. On the other were a blanket,a sheet, and a pillow. Here then were my bed and wash-stand. There wasstill space left on the first chest to serve me as dining-table.

  Before I could find anything to say upon these meagre accommodations fora gentleman's last lodging in this world, the seneschal bade megood-day, the door was closed and locked, and I was left to myreflections. The room not having been designed as a prison, there was nogrilled opening in the door, and I was not exposed to the guard's view.

  The Count might have kept me in my former chamber, thought I, the timebeing so short. Perhaps he feared my making a rope of bed clothes anddropping to the terrace. As for the little room off the hall, it had noreal lock, and the guards might become sleepy at night. But why did hemake this respite of two days? Was it to give himself time for devisingsome peculiarly humiliating and atrocious form of death? Or was it mereironical pretence of mercy in his justice, and might I be surprised withthe fatal summons as soon as he was in the humour for it? To this day, Ido not clearly know,--or whether he had other matters for his immediatecare; or indeed whether, at the instant of pronouncing my sentence inorder to discover the Countess's feelings, he actually intended carryingit out.

  In any case, now that her heart had betrayed itself, I had little hopeof mercy. What came nearest to daunting me was the thought that, if Idied, my people might never know for certain what had been my fate, forthe Count would probably keep my death a secret, his own dependentsbeing silenced by interest and fear. Yet I felt I had no right tocomplain of Fate. I had come from home to see danger, and here it was,though my present adventure was something different from cutting off themoustaches of Brignan de Brignan. And still my emotions were sweetenedby the sense of what the Countess had disclosed, fatal though thatdisclosure might be to her also.

  Such were the materials of my thoughts for the first hour or so, while Isat on the chest that was to be my bed. But suddenly there came asharper consciousness of what death meant, and how closely it threatenedme. I sprang up, to bestir myself in seeking if there might be somemeans of escape. The situation had changed since I had willinglylingered at the chateau in order to be near the Countess. The reluctanceto betake myself from the place where she was, had not diminished; but Ihad awakened to the knowledge that my only hope of ever seeing her againlay in present flight, if that were possible. I could serve her betterliving than dead, better free than a prisoner.

  I went to the window, which was wide enough for me to put my head out.My room was at the top of the building, and only the great tower, partlyvisible at my right, rose higher toward the sky. Below me was a narrowpaved space between the house and the outer wall: it ran from the baseof the tower at my right, to the garden, far at the left. Beyond thewall was the moat: beyond that, the country toward Montoire. If I couldlet myself down to the earth by any means, I should still be on thewrong side of the wall. But I might find the postern key, buried underthe rose bush near the postern itself.

  I looked around the room, but there was nothing that would serve as ameans of descent, except the bedding on the larger chest. This Iexamined: it was the scantiest, being merely a strip of blanket and astrip of sheet, together just sufficient to cover the top of the chest.With the pillow cover and towel, they would not reach half-way to theground.

  Perhaps the chests might contain old clothes, or other materials thatwould serve to eke out. I tried the lids, but both were strongly locked.The larger chest looked very ancient and rotten: its hinges might beloose. I pulled one end of it out from against the wall, to examine theback. The hinges were immovable. Despondent, I ran my hand further downthe back at random, and, to my surprise, felt a small irregular hole,through which I could thrust two fingers. It was evidently a rat hole,for I saw now that when close to the wall, it must have corresponded toa chink between the stones thereof.

  My fingers inside the chest came in contact with nothing but rat-bittenpapers, to my sad disappointment. But, having gone so far, I was movedto continue until I had patiently twisted a few documents out throughthe hole. I straightened and glanced at them. The edges were fretted bythe rats. One writing was an account of moneys expended for variouswines; another was a list of remedies for the diseases of horses; butthe third, when I caught its meaning and saw the name signed at the end,made my heart jump. It was the last page of a letter, and ran thus:

  "One thing is certain, by our careful exclusion of fools and weaklings, our plot is less liable to premature discovery than any of those which have hitherto been attempted, and, as you say, if we fail we have but to lock ourselves up in our chateaux till all blows over, the K. being so busy at present with the Dutch. In that event, my dear Count, the Chateau de Lavardin is a residence that some of the rest of us will envy you. Your servant ever,

  "COLLOT D'ARNIOL."

  The name was that of the chief mover of the late conspiracy, who hadpaid the penalty of his treason without betraying his accomplices. Ifthis was indeed his signature, with which the authorities were certainlyacquainted, the scrap of paper, were I free to carry it to Paris, wouldput the life of the Count de Lavardin in my hands.

  To be possessed of such a weapon--such a means of rescuing the Countessfrom her fearful situation--and yet lack freedom wherein to use it, wastoo vexing for endurance. I resolved, rather than wait inactively fordeath with that weapon useless, to employ the most reckless means ofescape. Meanwhile I pocketed the fragment of letter, and thrust theother papers back into the chest, which I then pushed to its formerplace.

  After thinking awhile, I poured the water from the heavy earthen juginto the basin. I then sat down on the large chest, leaning forward,elbows upon knees, my head upon my hands, the empty jug beside me as ifI had lazily left it there after drinking from it. In this attitude Iwaited through a great part of the afternoon, until I began to wonder ifthe Count was not going to send me any more food that day.

  At last, when the sun was low, I heard my lock turned, the door openedinto the room, and one of my new guards entered with a trencher of breadand cold meat. With the corner of my eye, I saw that nobody wasimmediately outside my door; so I assumed that my other guard, if therewere still two, was stationed at the foot of the short flight of stairsleading to my room. The man with the food, having cast a look at me as Isat in my listless attitude, passed me in order to put the trencher onthe other chest, which was further from the door.

  The instant his back was toward me, I silently grasped the earthen jug,sprang after him,
and brought the jug down upon the back of his headwith all my strength while he was leaning forward to place the trencher.He staggered forward. I gave him a second blow, and he sprawled upon thechest, which stopped his fall.

  I ran to the open door, pushed it almost shut, and waited behind it, thejug raised in both hands. My blows and the guard's fall had not beenwithout noise.

  "Hola! what's that?" cried somebody outside and a little below. I gaveno answer, and presently I heard steps rapidly mounting to my door. Thenthe door was lightly pushed, but I stopped it; whereupon the head of myother guard was thrust in through the narrow opening. Down came my jug,and the man dropped to his hands and knees, in the very act of drawinghis weapons. I struck him again, laying him prostrate. Then I draggedhim into the room, and tried to wrest his dagger from his grasp. Findingthis difficult, I ran back to the first guard, took his dagger from itssheath as he was beginning to come to, wielded my jug once more to delayhis awakening, and, stepping over the second man's body, passed out ofthe room. The man with the trencher had left the key in the lock. Iclosed the door and turned the key, which I put in my pocket. I thenhastened down the stairs, fled along the deserted passage, descended themain stairway to the story below, traversed without a moment's pause therooms leading to the picture gallery, crossed that and found the door atthe end unlocked, ran down the stairs of the Countess's formerapartments, unlocked the door to the garden, and sped along the walktoward the postern. In all this, I had not seen a soul: I was carriedforward by a bracing resolve to accomplish my escape or die inattempting it, as well as by an inspiriting faith in the saying of theLatin poet that fortune favours the bold, and by a feeling that for meeverything depended on one swift, uninterrupted flight.

  I gained the postern; fell on my knees by the nearest rose bush, and,choosing a spot where the soil swelled a little, dug rapidly with thedagger, throwing the earth aside with my hand. In my impatience, muchtime seemed to go: I feared that here at last I was stayed: great dropsfell from my brow upon my busy hands: I trembled and could have wept forvexation. But suddenly my dagger struck something hard, and in a momentI grasped the key. It opened the lock. I stood upon the ledge outside,and re-locked the door; then dashed across the plank over the moat, andmade for the forest.

  I had no time to spare. My guards might be already returned toconsciousness and doing their best to alarm the house from within theirprison. Bloodhounds might soon be on my track. I ran along the edge ofthe forest, therefore, which covered my movements till I was past thevillage of St. Outrille, close to Montoire. I then altered my pace to awalk, lest a running figure in the fields might attract the notice ofthe Count's watchman on the tower; and, going in the lurching manner ofa rustic, came to a road by which I crossed the river and gained thetown. I entered the inn, sought the host, and called for my bill,baggage, and horse.

  The innkeeper did not recognize me at first, and, when he did, showedgreat wonder and curiosity at my absence. He was inclined to befriendly, though, and, when he perceived I was in haste, did not delaymy departure with inquisitive talk. I saw that my horse had beenproperly cared for in my absence, and was glad to be on its back again,the more because I should thus leave no further scent for bloodhounds tofollow.

  I rode out of the archway and turned my horse toward the road for LesRoches and Paris. As I crossed the square, I could not help glancingover my right shoulder toward the Lavardin road. In doing so, I happenedto see a young man coming out of the church, whose face I knew. Ithought a moment, then reined my horse around to intercept him, and, ashe was about to pass, said in a low voice:

  "Good evening, Hugues."

  He stopped in surprise, recalling my features but not my identity. Ileaned over my horse's neck, and spoke in an undertone:

  "You will remember I met you on your way back from Sable, whither youhad carried a certain lady's message. I have since heard of you fromthat lady. She is in a most unhappy plight, and so is her maidMathilde."

  The young miller turned pale at this.

  "I have just escaped from the chateau," I continued, "where the Countmeant to kill me. I am going as fast as possible to Paris, where I canuse means to render him powerless. But that will take time, andmeanwhile the worst may befall the Countess--and no doubt her faithfulMathilde also. They are imprisoned in the tower. I thank God I have metyou, for now there is one friend here to whose solicitude I may leavethat unfortunate lady and her devoted maid while I am away."

  "Monsieur," said he, with deep feeling, "I know no reason why you shouldplay a trick on me, and you don't look as if you were doing so. I willtrust you, therefore. But can you not come to my house, where we cantalk fully?"

  "Where is your house?"

  "About a quarter of a league down that road." He pointed toward the roadthat ran northward from the square, as my road ran northeastward. "Whenyou are ready to go on, you can get the Paris road by a lane, withoutcoming back to the town."

  There were good reasons against my losing any time before starting forParis. But it was well, on the other hand, for Hugues to know exactlyhow matters stood at the chateau. I put my reasons hastily to him, andhe said he could promise me a safe hiding-place at his mill. And I couldtravel the faster in the end for a rest now, which I looked as if Ineeded,--in truth, I had slept little and badly in the hall the previousnight, and the day's business had told upon me. So, perhaps most becauseit was pleasant to be with a trusty companion who shared my cause ofanxiety, I agreed to go to his house for supper, and to set out afternight-fall.

  "Good!" said Hugues. "Then you had best ride ahead, Monsieur, so we arenot seen together. You can leave me now as if you had been merely askingyour way. If you ride slowly when you are out of the town, I shall catchup."

  I did as he suggested, and he soon overtook me on the road. His houseproved to be a cottage of good size built against a mill, with a smallbarn at one side of the yard and a stable at the other. When I haddismounted at his door, we unsaddled and unbridled my horse, so that itmight pass for a new horse of his own if pursuers looked into hisstable. He then called his boy and his woman-servant, and told them whatto say if anybody came inquiring. We carried my saddle, bridle, andportmanteau through the cottage to the mill, and thence to a smallcellar which was reached by means of a well-concealed trap-door in themill-floor. This cellar should be my refuge in case the Count's men camethere seeking me.

  "I made this hiding-place," said Hugues, moving his candle about to showhow well floored and walled it was, "because one could never say whenMathilde, living in that fearful chateau, might want a place to fly to.She would not leave her mistress, you know, though the Countess's otherwomen went gladly enough when the Count sent them off. Nobody knowsthere is anything between Mathilde and me, Monsieur,--except theCountess. It is safer so. We have been waiting for the Count to die, sothat all might be well with the Countess, for Mathilde could marry methen with easy mind."

  "I hope that God will send that time soon," said I.

  "But meanwhile, this present danger?" said Hugues.

  We returned to the living-room of the cottage, and talked of the matterwhile we had supper. I told Hugues everything, misrepresenting only sofar as to make it appear that the Count's jealousy was still entirelyunfounded, and that he had mistaken the Countess's feelings at ourconfrontation. Whatever Hugues may have thought upon this last point, hemade no comment thereon; but he showed the liveliest sense of theincreased danger in which the Countess stood. He feared that my escapewould make her position still worse, and that her hours might be alreadynumbered. He considered there was not time for me to go to Paris andreturn: the Countess's rescue ought to be attempted promptly, or theattempt would be too late.

  In all this, he but echoed the feeling that had come back to me withdouble force while I told him the situation. But there was theCountess's determination not to flee. Hugues said that as thisdetermination must be overcome for the Countess's own sake, any pressurethat could be brought to bear upon her feelings would be justifiable.Let it be ur
ged upon her that if she persisted in waiting for death,Mathilde's life also would doubtless be sacrificed; let every argument,every persuasion be employed; let me beseech, let me reproach, let meeven use imperative means if need be. Suddenly, as he talked, I saw away by which I thought she might be moved. It was one chance, but enoughto commit me to the effort.

  The question now was, how to communicate with the Countess, and toaccomplish the rescue. This Hugues and I settled ere we went to bed. Islept that night in the mill, by the trap-door. Hugues lay awake,listening for any alarm. None came, and in the morning we agreed thateither the Count had elected not to seek me at all, or had traced me tothe inn, and, learning I had taken horse, supposed I was far out of theneighbourhood. I stayed indoors all that day, while Hugues was absent infurtherance of our project, the woman and boy being under strict ordersas to their conduct in the event of inquiries. In the evening Huguesreturned with various acquisitions, among them being a sword for me, anda long rope ladder, both obtained at Troo.

  We awaited the fall of night, then set out. I upon my horse, Huguesriding one of his and leading the other. We went by obscure lanes,crossed the river, gained the forest, and lingered in its shades tillthe church clock of Montoire struck eleven. We then proceeded throughthe forest, near the edge, till we were behind the Chateau de Lavardin.

  Besides the rope-ladder, we had with us a cross-bow that Hugues owned, along slender cord, and a paper on which I had written some briefinstructions during the afternoon.