The Bright Face of Danger

by Robert Neilson Stephens

  CHAPTER XII.

  THE ROPE LADDER

  The night was starlit, though the moon would come later. We hoped to beaway from the chateau before it rose. There was a gentle breeze, whichwe rather welcomed as likely to cover what little noise we might make.

  Leaving our horses tied in the forest, and taking the cross-bow andother things, we stole along the moat skirting the Western wall, till wewere opposite the great tower. It rose toward the sky, sheer from theblack water that separated us from it by so few yards. We gazed upward,and I pointed out the window which I thought, from its situation, mustbe that of the Countess, if she still occupied her former prison.

  Our first plan depended upon her still occupying that prison, or someother with an unbarred window in that side of the tower; and upon herbeing still accompanied by Mathilde.

  If the man on top of the tower were to look down now, thought I! We hadconsidered that chance. It was not likely he would come to the edge ofthe tower and look straight down. His business apparently was to watchthe road at a distance and in both directions. He could do this bestfrom the Northeastern part of the tower. From what I knew now, I couldguess why the Count had stationed him there: a conspirator never knowswhen he is safe from belated detection and a visit of royal guards. Thisaccounted also, perhaps as much as the Count's jealousy, for hisinhospitality to strangers, and for the half-military character of hishousehold.

  Hugues uttered a bird-call, which had been one of his signals toMathilde in their meetings. We waited, looking up and wishing the nightwere blacker. He repeated the cry.

  Something faintly whitish appeared in the dark slit which I had taken tobe the Countess's window. It was a face.

  "Mathilde," whispered Hugues to me.

  Keeping his gaze upon her, he held up the cross-bow for her notice; thenthe bolt, to which we had attached the slender cord. Next, beforeadjusting the bolt, he aimed the unbent bow at her window: this was toindicate what he was about to do. Then he lowered the bow, and looked ather without further motion, awaiting some sign of understanding fromher. She nodded her head emphatically, and drew it in.

  Hugues fitted the string and the bolt, raised the bow, and stoodmotionless for I know not how many seconds; at last the string twanged;the bolt sang through the air. It did not fall, nor strike stone, andthe cord remained suspended from above: the bolt had gone through thewindow.

  "Good!" I whispered in elation; and truly Hugues deserved praise, for hehad had to allow both for the wind and for the cord fastened to thebolt.

  The cord was soon pulled upward. Our end of it was tied to the ropeladder, which Hugues unfolded as it continued to be drawn up byMathilde. At the junction of cord and ladder was fixed the paper withinstructions. Mathilde could not overlook this nor mistake its purpose.When the ladder was nearly all in the air, its movement ceased. We knewthen that Mathilde had the other end of it. Presently the window becamefaintly alight.

  "They have lighted a candle, to read the note," I whispered.

  Hugues kept a careful hold upon our end of the ladder, to which therewas fastened another cord, shorter and stronger than the first. My notegave instructions to attach the ladder securely to a bed, or some othersuitable object, which, if movable, should then be placed close to thewindow, but not so as to impede my entrance. It announced my intentionof visiting the Countess for a purpose of supreme importance to us both.When the ladder was adjusted, a handkerchief should be waved up and downin the window.

  "The Countess surely will not refuse to let me come and say what I haveto," I whispered, to reassure myself after we had waited some time.

  "Surely not, Monsieur. She does not know yet what it is," repliedHugues.

  At that moment the handkerchief waved in the window.

  Hugues drew the ladder taut and braced himself. I grasped one of therounds, found a lower one with my foot, and began to mount. The ladderformed, of course, an incline over the moat. When I had ascended someway, Hugues, as we had agreed, allowed the ladder to swing graduallyacross the moat and hang against the tower, he retaining hold of thecord by which to draw the lower end back at the fit time. I now climbedperpendicularly, close to the tower. It was a laborious business,requiring great patience. Once I ran my eyes up along the tall tower andsaw the stars in the sky; once I looked down and saw them reflected inthe moat: but as these diversions made my task appear the longer, andhad a qualmish effect upon me, I thereafter studied only each immediateround of the ladder as I came to it. As I got higher, I felt the windmore; but it only refreshed me. Toward the end I had some misgiving lestthe ladder should lie too tight against the bottom of the window for meto grasp the last rounds. But this fear proved groundless. Mathilde hadplaced a pillow at the outer edge of the sill, for the ladder to runover; and I had no sooner thrust my hand into the window than it wascaught in a firm grasp and guided to the proper round. Another stepbrought my head above the sill: at the next, I had two arms inside thelong, shaft-like opening; my body followed, as Mathilde's receded. Icrawled through; lowered myself, hands and knees, to the couch beneath;leaped to the floor, and kneeling before the Countess, kissed her hand.

  She was standing, and her dress was the same blue robe in which I hadseen her in the same room two nights before. The candle was on a smalltable, which held also an illuminated book and an image of the Virgin,and above which a crucifix hung against the wall. Besides the bed at thewindow, there were another bed, a trunk, a chair, and a three-leggedstool.

  The Countess's face was all anxiety and question.

  "Thank God you are still safe!" said I.

  "And you!" she replied. "Brigitte told us you had escaped. I had prayedyour life might be saved. But now you put yourself in peril again. I hadhoped you were far away. Oh, Monsieur, what is it brings you back tothis house of danger?"

  "My going has surely made it a house of greater danger to you. It is amarvel the Count has not already taken revenge upon you for my escape. Ithank God I am here while you still live."

  "My life is in God's hands. Was it to say this that you have riskedyours again, Monsieur? Oh, your coming here but adds to my sorrow."

  "Hear what sorrow you will cause, Madame, if you refuse to be savedwhile there is yet time. I ask you to consider others. Below, waitingfor us, is Hugues, who has enabled me to come here to-night. You knowhow that good brave fellow loves Mathilde. And you know that if you die,Mathilde will share your fate, for the Count will wish to give his ownstory of your death."

  "But Mathilde must not stay to share my fate. She must go away with younow, while there is opportunity."

  "I will not stir from your side, Madame,--they will have to tear me awaywhen they come to kill you," said Mathilde, and then to me, "They havenot sent Madame any food to-day. I think the plan is to starve us."

  "Horrible!" I said. "That, no doubt, is because of my escape. But whoknows when the Count, in one of the rages caused by his fancies, mayturn to some method still more fearful. Madame, how can you endure this?Why, it is to encourage his crime, when you might escape!"

  "Monsieur, you cannot tempt me with sophistries. What God permits--"

  "Has not God permitted me to come here, with the means of escape? Availyourself of them--see if God will not permit that."

  "We know that God permits sin, Monsieur, for his own good reasons. It isfor us to see that we are not they to whom it is permitted."

  "But can you think it a sin to save yourself?"

  "It is always a sin to break vows, Monsieur. And now--to go with you, ofall men--would be doubly a sin." She had lowered her voice, and shelowered her eyes, too, and drew slightly back from me.

  "Then go with Hugues, Madame," said I, my own voice softened almost to awhisper. "Only let me follow at a little distance to see that you aresafe. And when you are safe, finally and surely, I will go away, and weshall be as strangers."

  Tears were in her eyes. But she answered:

  "No, Monsieur; I should still be a truant wife--still a breaker of vowsmade to the Church and
heaven."

  "Then you would rather die, and have poor Mathilde die afteryou--Mathilde, who has no such scruples?"

  "Mathilde must go away with you to-night. I command her--she will notdisobey what may be the last orders I shall ever give her."

  "Madame, I have never disobeyed yet, but I will disobey this time. Iwill not leave you." So said Mathilde, with quiet firmness.

  "Ah, Mathilde, it is unkind, unfair! You will save yourself for Hugues'ssake."

  "I will save myself when you save yourself, Madame; not before."

  The Countess sank upon the chair, and turning to the Virgin's image,said despairingly:

  "Oh, Mother of heaven, save this child from her own fidelity!"

  "It is not Mathilde alone that you doom," I now said, thinking it timeto try my last means. "It is not only that you will darken the life ofpoor Hugues. There is another who will not leave Lavardin if you willnot: one who will stay near, sharing your danger; and who, if you die,will seek his own death in avenging you."

  "Oh, no, Monsieur!" she entreated. "I was so glad to learn you hadescaped. Do not rob me of that consolation. Do not stay at Lavardin.Live!--live and be happy, for my sake. So brave--so tender--the worldneeds you; and you must not die for me--I forbid you!"

  "You will find me as immovable as Mathilde," said I.

  She looked from one to the other of us, and put forth her handspleadingly; then broke down into weeping.

  "Oh, will you make my duty the harder?" she said. "God knows I wouldgladly die to save you."

  "It is not dying that will save us. The only way is to save yourself."

  "Monsieur, you shall not drive me to sin by your temptations! Heavenwill save you both in spite of yourselves. That will be my reward forputting this sin from me."

  "You persist in calling it a sin, Madame: very well. But is it notselfish to go free from sin at the expense of others? If one can saveothers by a sin of one's own, is it not nobler to take that sin uponone's soul? Nay, is it not the greater sin to let others suffer, thatone's own hands may be clean?"

  "Oh, you tempt me with worldly reasoning, Monsieur. Kind mother ofChrist," she said, fixing her eyes upon the image of Mary, "what shall Ido? Be thou my guide--speak to my soul--tell me what to do!"

  After a moment, the Countess again turned to me, still perplexed,agitated, unpersuaded.

  "Madame," said I, "when one considers how soon the Count de Lavardinmust surely suffer for crimes of which you know nothing, your death athis hands seems the more grievous a fate. Do you know that he is atraitor?--that his treason will soon be known to the King's ministers?If his jealousy had only waited a short while, or if my discovery hadoccurred a little earlier, his death would have spared you all this. Butnow, if you are not starved or slain before he is arrested, he willsurely kill you when he finds himself about to be taken.--My God, I hadnot thought of that when I resolved to go to Paris at once! Oh, Madame,fly now while there is chance! I assure you that doom is hovering overthe Count's head; if you stay here, I cannot go to Paris; but Huguesshall go with this paper in my stead."

  "What is the paper, Monsieur? What do you mean by this talk of the Countand treason?" she asked in sheer wonder.

  "It is a proof of the Count's participation in the late conspiracy. Ifound it in the room where I was imprisoned. And come what may, I willsee that it goes to Paris for the inspection of the Duke de Sully. Andthen there will be a short shrift for the Count de Lavardin, I promiseyou."

  "But in that case, it would be you that caused his death, Monsieur!" sheexclaimed.

  "The executioner would cause his death--and the law. I should be but thehumble instrument of heaven to bring it to pass."

  "But you would be the instrument of my husband's death, Monsieur! Thatmust not be. You, of all men! No, no. Why, it would be an eternalbarrier between us--in thought and kind feeling, I mean,--in the nextworld too. Oh, no; you must not use that paper, nor cause it to beused."

  "But, Madame, he is a traitor. What matters it whether I or another--itis only justice--my duty to the King."

  "But you do not understand. I should not dare even pray for you! And Imust not let you denounce him--I must prevent your using that paper. Iam his wife, Monsieur,--I must prevent. Otherwise, I should beconsenting to my husband's death!"

  "He has no scruples about consenting to yours, Madame."

  "The sin is on his part, then, not on mine. Come, Monsieur, you must letme destroy that paper." She advanced toward me.

  "No, Madame; not I. Nay, I will use force to keep it, if need be! It ismy one weapon, my one means of vengeance." I tore my wrist from herhand, and put the paper back into my inner pocket.

  "Then, Monsieur, I have said my last to you. I must put you out of mythoughts, out of my prayers even. And if I find means, I must warn myhusband."

  "Listen, Madame. There is one condition upon which I will destroy thispaper and keep silence."

  She uttered a joyful cry. I knew that what she thought of was not herhusband's fate, but the barrier she had mentioned.

  "It is that you will escape with me at once," I said.

  The joy passed out of her face; but she was silent.

  "Consider," I went on. "Not merely your own life, not merely mine, notmerely Mathilde's, and the happiness of Hugues: it is in your power tosave your husband's life also, and to save his soul from the crime ofyour murder, if there be any degree between act and intent. Is it not asin and a folly to refuse? Think of the blood already shed by reason ofthis matter. Why should there be more?"

  At last she wavered. I turned to Mathilde, to speak of the order inwhich we should descend the ladder.

  At that instant I heard the key begin to grate in the lock.

  "Some one is coming in!" whispered the Countess in alarm.

  Instantly I pushed Mathilde upon the couch beneath the window, in asitting posture, so that her body would conceal the end of the ropeladder. The next moment I had pulled the other bed a little way out fromthe wall, and was crouching behind it.

  The door opened, and I heard the noise of men entering with heavy tread.Then the door closed. There was a sound of swift movement, then a screamfrom Mathilde and a terrified cry from the Countess, both voices beingsuddenly silenced at their height. I raised my head, and saw twopowerful men in black masks, one of whom was grasping the Countess bythe throat with his left hand while, with his right assisted by histeeth, he was endeavouring to pass a looped cord around her neck. Theother man had both hands about the neck of Mathilde, that he mightsufficiently overpower her to apply a similar cord.

  I leaped over the bed, and upon the man who was trying to strangle theCountess. Mad to save and avenge her, I sank my dagger into the back ofhis shoulder, and he fell without having seen who had attacked him. Themurderer who was struggling with Mathilde immediately turned from herand drew sword to attack me, at the same time crying out, "Garoche, tothe rescue!"

  "I LEAPED OVER THE BED, AND UPON THE MAN WHO WAS TRYINGTO STRANGLE THE COUNTESS."]

  As I could not get the dagger out of the other man's shoulder joint intime, I drew my sword, and parried my new antagonist's thrust. The doornow opened, and in came another man with drawn sword, not masked: hewas, I suppose, the man on guard on the landing. Seeing how mattersstood, he joined in the attack upon me. I backed into a corner, knockingover the chair of the Countess, who had run to Mathilde. The two womenstood clasping each other, in terror. Suddenly my first assailant cried,"I leave him to you for a moment, Garoche," and ran and transferred thekey from the outside to the inside of the door, which he then closed, soas to lock us all in. This was doubtless to prevent the exit of theCountess and Mathilde, the purpose being to keep the night's doings inthat room as secret as possible even from the rest of the household.This man then pocketed the key, and, while Garoche continued to keep meoccupied in my corner, ran to a side of the cell and began working withan iron wedge at a stone in the floor. He soon raised this, showing itto be a thin slab, and left exposed a dark hole. He then turned to
theCountess, seized her around the waist, and tried to drag her toward theopening. His instructions had been, no doubt, to slay the women withoutbloodshed and drop the bodies through this secret aperture, but theunexpected turn of affairs had made him decide to precipitate the endand not strangle them first. Wild with horror at the prospect of theirmeeting so hideous a death, I sprang into the air, and ran my swordstraight into the panting mouth of Garoche, so that the point came outat the back of his neck. He dropped, and I disengaged my weapon barelyin time to check the onslaught of the other man, who, seeing Garoche'sfate, had left the Countess and come at me again. I was out of breathafter the violent thrusts I had made, and a mist now clouded my eyes. Iknow not how this last contest would have gone, had not Mathilde,recovering her self-command, drawn the sword of the man who had fallenfirst, and, holding it with both hands, pushed it with all her strengthinto my adversary's back.

  I wiped my weapons on the clothes of the slain murderers. The Countessfell on her knees and thanked heaven for our preservation. I then wentto the opening made by the removal of the stone slab: peering down, Icould see nothing. I took the key of the door from the pocket of itslast holder, and dropped it through the hole, while the Countess andMathilde leaned over me, listening. Some moments passed before we heardanything; then there came the sound of the key striking mud in the blackdepths far below. The secret shaft, then, led to the bottom of thetower.

  The Countess shuddered, and whispered: "Come, let us not lose a moment."

  I first lifted the masks, and recognized the murderers as fellows I hadseen lounging in the court-yard. Then I gave directions for descendingthe ladder. I should have preferred being the last to leave the room butthat I thought it necessary to support the Countess in her descent andMathilde firmly refused to precede us. As the ladder might not hold theweight of three, Mathilde would see us to the ground, and then follow.

  Two could not go out of the window at once, so I backed through first,and waited when my feet were planted on the ladder, my breast being thenagainst the edge of the window sill. Madame followed me. I guided herfeet with one hand, and placed them on the ladder, having descended justsufficiently to make room for her. I then lowered myself another round,and she, holding on to a round in the window shaft with one hand,grasped the first round outside with the other, emerged entirely fromthe opening, and let me guide her foot a step lower. We then proceededdownward in this manner, I holding my head and body well back from theladder so that her feet were usually on a level with my breast: thus ifshe showed any sign of weakness, I could throw an arm around her. I hadfirst thought of having her clasp me around the neck, and so descendingwith her, but once upon the ladder, I saw no safe way for her to getbehind me, or indeed to turn from facing the ladder. So we came down asI say, while I kept as well as I could between her and the possibilityof falling. Frequently I asked in a whisper if all was well with her,and she answered yes.

  When we were near the moat, I felt the ladder move from the wall andknew that Hugues was drawing it toward him. I warned the Countess of ourchange from a vertical to an inclined position, and so we were swungacross, and found ourselves above solid earth, on which we presently setfoot.

  "Best take Madame the Countess to the horses while I wait for Mathilde,"whispered Hugues to me, letting the ladder swing back; but Madame wouldnot go till the maid was safe beside us. Mathilde, who had watched ourdescent, now drew her head in, and speedily we saw her feet emerge inits stead. She came down the ladder with ease and rapidity, such wereher strength and self-possession. As soon as she touched the ground,Hugues swung back the ladder to stay, and took up his cross-bow.

  "Come," I whispered, and we turned our backs to that grim tower andhastened along the moat to the forest, passing on the way the high gablewindow of what had been my prison, the postern which I had such goodreason to remember, and the oak from which I had seen Hugues display thehandkerchief. Scarce a word was spoken till we came to the horses. Iassisted the Countess to mount one of Hugues's two, she making nodifficulty about accommodating herself to a man's saddle. By that timeHugues and Mathilde were on his second horse. I got upon my own, and westarted. Our immediate purpose was to go to Hugues's house by the woodsand lanes, fording the river below Montoire.

  As we came out of the forest, beyond St. Outrille, the moon rose, andagainst the luminous Eastern sky we could see the dark tower we had leftbehind,--tower of blood and death, on which I hoped never to set eyesagain.