The Little Ball O' Fire; or, the Life and Adventures of John Marston Hall

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XLI.

  I Left Laura in the hands of her women; and despatching a messengerfor medical aid from Rennes, turned, with a heavy heart, to thelibrary, in which the body of the Duke had been placed. The room wascrowded with servants, gathered together in a semi-circle at the endnearest the door, and gazing forward towards the corpse, while afeeling of reverence and awe kept them from approaching farther, asFather Ferdinand, with a degree of emotion which I had never beforebeheld in him, stood near the head of his dead friend, and wept aloud.Clement de la Marke had crept close up, and wept also; and passing on,I, too, gazed upon the countenance which had beamed so many kindthings upon me, and I joined my tears to theirs.

  It was a sad and sorrowful sight; and in grief and deep mourningpassed over that day, and many that succeeded. Messengers were sentround all the country to every relation and friend of the deceasednobleman; and as there was no necessity for immediate interment, thefuneral was delayed till the old Count de Loris could arrive, as itwas believed that to him had been assigned the temporary guardianshipof Mademoiselle de Villardin, and the execution of the will of thedeceased. Every direction was given, and every measure taken by FatherFerdinand, who seemed to feel himself fully justified, by his longfriendship with Monsieur de Villardin, to take the command of all,till such time as his own will could be ascertained. Laura was, ofcourse, incompetent to make any of the painful arrangements herself;and to me and Father Ferdinand she seemed to cling with redoubledaffection, from the bereavement which she had just undergone. Duringthe ten days which the funeral was delayed, the body of Monsieur deVillardin was embalmed, and in the course of that operation, it wasdiscovered that the ball which he had received in the forest hadlodged close upon one of the large blood vessels of the chest, andalthough it had not wounded the artery at the time, yet that it hadcreated a degree of inflammation round it, which had gradually worn itaway, so that probably the great emotion to which Monsieur deVillardin had subjected himself, in visiting, for the first time, thescene of the Count de Mesnil's death, had caused a rupture of thevessel, which might not otherwise have taken place for months.

  At length Monsieur de Loris arrived; the friends and relations of thedeceased nobleman were all assembled; and the funeral took place. Ishall not pause on so sad a ceremony, which was, perhaps, more painfulto my feelings, from the careless indifference of the many whoattended it, contrasting with the grief of my own heart. As soon as itwas over, the notaries opened the seals which had been placed upon allthe papers of Monsieur de Villardin; and as Laura had refused to bepresent, Monsieur de Loris, on her part, received the large packet offreshly written papers, to which the notary, who had been soconstantly with the Duke for some weeks, guided us at once. The firstthing that appeared was the will of the deceased nobleman, which hadbeen drawn up a few days before his death; and which, though it gavegreat dissatisfaction to his two nearest cousins, was exactly such asthose who knew him best might have anticipated. He appointed threeguardians to his daughter--Father Ferdinand, the Count de Loris, andmyself, at the same time expressing, in the strongest manner, his willthat she should become my wife as soon as a decent space of mourningfor his loss was over. He here, too, pointed out what had been evidentbefore, that he felt his life would not be of long duration; and hestated precisely that it was his intention to see me united to hisdaughter, if he lived long enough; in which case, of course, that willwas to be considered as null and void. He then went on to dispose ofhis property, leaving all his hereditary estates, which, as well asthose of his wife, naturally descended to his daughter, to follow thelegal course; but from the wealth which, in the retired life he hadgenerally led, he had accumulated to a very great extent, and from thelands he had purchased, he made many bequests. All his old servantswere amply provided for; a number of charities and religiousinstitutions were remembered with great liberality; a year's rent wasremitted to all his tenants; and stating it to be a personal mark ofhis affection and gratitude towards me, for many benefits that hecould never sufficiently repay, he left me all the rest of hispurchased lands, forming, together, a fortune superior to that of manyof the first nobles in France.--His relations in general, with whom,as I have before stated, he lived in terms of no great affection, werenot even mentioned; and I could see many a heavy brow knit upon me,with passions which might have found a louder tongue, had it not beenwell known that I was not one to pass over insult or injury insilence. The same persons who had been appointed guardians toMademoiselle de Villardin were required to see the will put inexecution; and to them were added Monsieur de Vins, the governor ofthe province of Brittany, to whom a handsome legacy had also beenassigned.

  The two nearest relatives of the late Duke, after listeningattentively to the document, which was read by the notary, declaredtheir intention of endeavouring to set aside, at least, that part ofit which appointed strangers to be the guardians of the young heiress,citing the custom of Brittany, which bestowed that office upon thenearest of kin. But the notary, with a smile, pointed out thatMonsieur de Villardin had been fully aware of that fact, and had takenthe means provided by the law for effectually barring their claim; andread, at the same time, a note appended to the will, in which the Dukeformally declared, that he had considered their title to theguardianship, and, after mature deliberation, had rejected it,believing them to be unfitted for it by their views of privateinterest. Mortified, disappointed, and affecting great indignation,they quitted the room, and sought their horses, while the notaryproceeded to lay before us the other papers. Of these, several wereaddressed to Monsieur de Loris, several to Father Ferdinand, andseveral to myself. Amongst the last, I found a letter to the Kinghimself, and in the envelope a desire expressed that I would send itto Paris immediately, and afterwards would deliver, in person, to hisMajesty, the baton of field marshal which Monsieur de Villardin had solately received.

  As all the other papers found were of a private nature, we now leftthe library, and, having eaten and drank as if they came on a festiverather than a mournful occasion, those who had been called to thefuneral dropped away one by one, and the house resumed its calm andgloomy solitude. As yet I had scarcely had time to speak with Monsieurde Loris, but I now found the worthy old man as full of affection andregard for me as when last we met. He was overjoyed, he said, thatMonsieur de Villardin had fixed upon one as a husband for hisdaughter, who had already shown that he was capable of protecting herin any circumstances of difficulty or danger. He asked a number ofquestions, however, concerning my family, and although, to avoidhurting my feelings, he did so under the semblance of taking aninterest in my history and affairs, yet I could see that the goodCount was anxious to assure himself that the heiress of the houses ofDe Villardin and Loris was not about to make a _m?salliance_. I answeredhim frankly and candidly, and I was happy to find that my replies gavehim every sort of satisfaction. The Earl of Norwich, he said, of whomI had spoken, was then in France, and, he doubted not, would be happyto see the son of his old friend.

  I was not a little delighted to find that he was so, as it gave me themeans of confirming, at once, to any one interested, all the factswhich I have related connected with my early history. While myconversation took place with the old Count, Father Ferdinand hadretired to his own apartments; and, when I had explained to Monsieurde Loris everything concerning myself, and a number of other eventsconnected with Monsieur de Villardin, we sent up to inquire afterLaura's health, and whether we might be permitted to wait upon her.She replied, however, that she felt too unwell to see even her dearestfriends at that moment, but that she hoped to have recoveredsufficient composure, by the following morning, to receive us both.

  The rest of the evening was principally spent in my own apartments,looking over the papers which Monsieur de Villardin had left addressedto myself; and certainly all the signs of strong affection and regard,which were found in every line, tended to make me feel more deeplythan ever the loss I had sustained. The papers consisted chiefly ofkind admonitions an
d advice concerning my own conduct in the highstation of life which I should be called to fill in France after mymarriage with his daughter, and of directions as to the manner ofobtaining most easily the King's signature to our marriage contract.Amongst others, he gave me a copy of the letter which he had himselfwritten to his Majesty, and which made it his last and dying request,that the monarch would confirm the arrangements he had made. He alsoinformed the King that he had desired me to write to his Majestyimmediately, requesting his consent, in order that Mademoiselle deVillardin might not be longer than necessary without that degree ofprotection which none but a husband or a father could afford.

  Such manifold proofs of confidence, and such minute care for myhappiness and welfare, were far more gratifying to my heart than thesplendid fortune he had left me, or, indeed, than anything he couldbestow, except the hand of that dear girl whose heart already was myown. It was late at night before the reading of all these papers, andthe reflections to which they gave rise, came to an end; and towardstwo o'clock I retired to bed, resolving to consult Monsieur de Lorisand Father Ferdinand the next morning concerning the terms in which Iwas to address the King, a matter wherewith I was very littleacquainted. The next morning, however, I was up early; and, as I wasdescending towards the saloon, I was waylaid by Lise, who informed methat her mistress was anxious to see me, for the first time after herfather's funeral, without any other persons being present; andfeeling, equally with herself, how much better it was that it shouldbe so, I gladly followed to the little boudoir attached to herapartment.

  She was sitting watching for my coming, with her feelings still highlyexcited; and the moment she saw me she rose, threw herself into myarms, and wept long and bitterly. It was as if she had said, "I havenone but you now upon the earth. Forgive me if I mourn for those thatare gone." When the first burst of tears was over, she spoke morecalmly, and, in a long and interesting, though often painful,conversation, frequently interrupted by tears, she suffered me torecapitulate to her all that had been done, and to tell her exactlythe state in which she stood. In the end, as it was necessary that sheshould make an effort to resume her usual occupations, she suffered meto lead her down to the saloon; and, though every now and then someobject, or some association, would agitate her for a time, ourconversation was here renewed, and proceeded more tranquilly, till, inabout half-an-hour after, we were joined by Father Ferdinand and theCount de Loris. Laura received them with less painful emotions than Ihad expected; and the day passed over sadly, indeed, and gloomily, butcalmly, upon the whole. When informed of the nature of her father'sletter to the King, she wished much that it should be delayed for aday or two; but when it was explained to her that to do so might givehigh offence, she yielded at once; and in the evening I applied toMonsieur de Loris and Father Ferdinand for directions as to the formand manner in which I was to couch my application to the King.

  "My dear young friend," replied Monsieur de Loris, "I never was happyenough to be married myself, and consequently cannot exactly tell youwhat are the precise terms you should use in requesting the King'sconsent to your union with my niece."

  "I think I can direct you, my son," replied Father Ferdinand, "thoughI have never been married either;" and, taking up the pen, he wrotedown the copy of a formal letter to the King, with as much ease andaccuracy as if he had been accustomed, throughout his life, to theetiquette and ceremonial of courts, rather than to the shade of thecloister and the retirement of the country. After referring to thedirections which I had received from Monsieur de Villardin to thateffect, he begged to know when I might be permitted to lay at hisMajesty's feet the baton of field-marshal, which I was charged todeliver; and, in requesting the signature of his Majesty to mymarriage contract with Mademoiselle de Villardin, it was obvious that,though he avoided everything which might look like presumption, yet hetook care not to assume that the King would at all hesitate to grantmy request.

  With many thanks, I copied the paper exactly, and the next morning itwas despatched to Paris by a special messenger. The old Count deLoris, who was kindness itself, agreed to remain with us till after mymarriage with Laura had taken place; and, as it was naturallyconcluded that it would be more agreeable to me to remain at the Pr?sVall?e with my future bride, Father Ferdinand undertook to make allthe arrangements at Dumont, rendered necessary by M. de Villardin'sdecease; and he set off the following morning, accompanied by Clementde la Marke, whose eagerness for every change of scene and place putme not a little in mind of my own younger days.--Laura's grief for theloss of her father abated but slowly; yet still, as ever with thehuman heart, the calm hand of time was continually taking somethingfrom the poignancy of her first affliction. We passed almost the wholeof our hours in each other's society; and, though softened by ourmutual sorrow for the dead, those hours still remain among the brightthings on which memory can rest so sweetly, and which she preservesfor after years, as a store of treasured enjoyments for the wintryseason of our age.

  Of course we felt some anxiety for the return of our messenger fromParis; for though we never anticipated for a moment that the Kingwould make any opposition to our marriage, sanctioned as it had beenby Monsieur dc Villardin himself, yet, when that which we ardentlydesire is shadowed by even the smallest doubt, the heart can neverrest satisfied till certainty is substituted in the place of hope. Atthe end of eight days Father Ferdinand returned from Dumont; and twoor three days more passed in hourly expectation of our messenger'sappearance. We were well aware that common couriers, unless on somevery extraordinary occasion, always take their time upon the road; butwhen another day passed, and another, and a whole fortnight elapsedwithout my receiving an answer to my application, we all becameuneasy, and I even thought of setting oft' myself to Paris, toascertain the cause of the delay. At length, late one evening, themessenger was ushered in, just as we were about to proceed to thesupper-room. He instantly presented to me a packet; and, withoutceremony, I cut the silk and opened it, when, within the envelope, Ifound a paper containing the following words, as the only reply whichthe King had vouchsafed to my request:--

  "DE PAR LE ROY."Il est ordonn? au Sieur Baron de Juvigny, Colonel du ---- r?gimentactuellement en Bretagne, de se rendre a la ville de Senlis pour yjoindre son r?giment. Fait ? Fontainebleau, le 9 F?vrier, 1658. LOUIS."

  The paper dropped from my hand, and I believe that I turned deadlypale; for Laura, whose eyes were fixed upon me as I read, clasped herhands, exclaiming, "Good God! De Juvigny, what is the matter?" FatherFerdinand raised the paper, and, giving the messenger a sign towithdraw, read it aloud, while we all gazed upon each other in nosmall grief and consternation. The good Father's brow contractedstrongly, and he said, "This is, indeed, unfavourable,--I might almostadd, ungrateful, after all that has been done in the royal cause, atmoments of its greatest need, by the two men whose best designs anddearest wishes the King appears inclined to thwart."

  "It can only be," said Monsieur de Loris, "that that foreign minion,Mazarine, knowing that our dear girl here is one of the greatestheiresses in France, designs to give her to some of his own creatures;but I will apply to the King myself; and fear not, my dear De Juvigny,for I will leave no means untried to obtain what we all desire, and Ipromise you, as a man of honour and a French nobleman, never toconsent to her marriage with any person but yourself."

  "I promise you the same, my son," added Father Ferdinand; "and, thoughit is long since I have set my foot in Paris, and I had hoped never todo so again, yet I will journey thither, and will make my voice heardin a manner which I do not think can be disregarded. Laura, too, mustbe firm; but I know that she will be so," he added. "Her father'swill, her own affection, her positive promise, all bind her to you, DeJuvigny, morally and religiously, as much as if she were your wife;and I solemnly declare not only that she ought not, but that shecannot, many any other person."

  "Never," said Laura, firmly, "never. Give me a pen and ink, DeJuvigny. Let me make it irrevocable, that I may always have an answerready
to any one who may press me on the subject;" and, sitting downto a table, she wrote, with a rapid and somewhat trembling hand, afar more forcible renewal of the promise which was implied in thepaper which had been given me by her father.

  I had remained in silence, and almost stupified, while all this tookplace: but I now laid down the order to join my regiment on the table,saying, "I will immediately resign my command in his Majesty'sservice. I know that Laura cares not for splendour or station, and Iwill request her to become mine, before any one can separate us. Allthat the utmost tyranny can do is to deprive her of those estates,which others value more than we do; and we have enough, without them,to render us happy and independent, in whatever land we may choose tomake our home."

  "No, no, De Juvigny," cried Father Ferdinand; "you are too hasty, myson. As yet we cannot at all tell what are the real intentions of hisMajesty; and well might he feel himself offended and insulted by suchwant of confidence in his justice, and such precipitate haste. Whenthe will of our late friend is laid before him--when the solicitationsof Monsieur de Loris, and all whom he can interest, have beenheard--when a number of peculiar circumstances, which I have to relate,are made known to the royal ear--there can be very little doubt thathis Majesty will yield his consent; and even should he not, if you areinclined to take Laura portionless, it will always be in your power todo so, after having shown a noble obedience to the commands of theKing, and a due estimation of the duty of a soldier. Perhaps it may behis Majesty's design merely to try you; and, in that case, I would notfor the world you should be found deficient, after havingdistinguished yourself so honourably already in his service. No, no.Take my advice. Obey at once; and, depend upon it, such conduct willmeet its reward."

  I felt convinced in my heart that the line of conduct which FatherFerdinand suggested was that which my duty called upon me to pursue:but passion, of course, led me a contrary way; and I still urged myown plan, arguing that means might be taken to prevent my ever seeingLaura again. This, however, they showed me was impossible; andMonsieur de Loris joined his arguments strongly to those of FatherFerdinand. I found, too, that Laura herself had an invinciblerepugnance to wedding any one so soon after her father's death, as thescheme which I proposed implied. I was obliged to abandon it, then,and nothing remained but to obey immediately the order I had received,without even hesitation or remonstrance.--Father Ferdinand andMonsieur de Loris promised to set out for Paris as soon as possible,and seemed so confident of being able to effect the object that theysought, that they restored some degree of hope to my heart, which hadalmost been given up to despair, when I first beheld what thepacket had contained.

  One day was needed for preparation: but, when once my determinationwas fixed, I felt that the sooner it was executed the better; and, onthe second morning after receiving the royal commands, taking leave ofall that I loved on earth, with pain and apprehension, on which Ishall not dwell, I mounted my horse, and, followed by my little train,rode off to join my regiment at Senlis.