The King's Esquires; Or, The Jewel of France

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  THE DOCTOR'S EYES.

  For some moments the trio remained kneeling and staring up at the Kingin absolute wonderment; for in a few brief words he had swept away, asby the touch of a magician's wand, the gathering feeling of jealousannoyance which was forming in each breast. Leoni was the first to findthe use of his tongue; but it was in a hesitating way quite foreign tohis usual speech that he faltered out:

  "You go, Sire?"

  "Yes, I said so," said the King sharply.

  "But it is impossible, Sire. You could not stoop to do such a thing asthis."

  "Then what's the use of being a king," cried Francis, "if one cannot dowhat one likes?"

  Leoni slowly rose to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.

  "That is a question I cannot answer, Sire. It forms part of the schemeof life. I have lived fifty years in the world, thirty of which havebeen spent in thinking and in study of my fellows. I never met one manyet who could do exactly as he liked."

  "Well, if you come to that," said the King, "I don't think that I everdid; but I mean to do this all the same."

  "But how could you, Sire? If the King of England chose to play youfalse he might throw you into prison."

  "What!" cried Francis hotly.

  "And hold you to ransom, Sire."

  "Ah! I didn't think of that; but if he did it would give young Denis achance to come and rescue me. You would, wouldn't you, boy?"

  "Yes, Sire, or die in the attempt."

  "Don't you be so fond of talking about dying," cried the King. "Whowants to die? Here, with all France at my feet, one wants to live andenjoy oneself. But let's see, Leoni; that wouldn't do at all. What'sto be done?"

  "Your Majesty will have to stay at Fontainebleau and let your servant dothis duty, as he has said."

  "No!" shouted the King. "I told you I would go myself."

  "With a powerful following, Sire," cried Saint Simon, giving Leoni atriumphant look. "Let me choose and lead your bodyguard."

  Denis frowned and set his teeth hard in his annoyance at being passed inthe race by his companion; but he brightened directly on hearing theKing's next impatient words:

  "Hang your bodyguard! Leoni is right."

  "Yes, Sire," said that individual, just loud enough for the young man tohear.

  "This must be done with guile."

  Denis's eyes flashed.

  "Pardon, Sire," he cried eagerly. "You might go in disguise." And thenext moment the boy's heart swelled within his breast, for the Kingslapped him heartily on the shoulder.

  "Good!" he cried. "That's it! Do you hear, Leoni? That's the idea:I'll go in disguise."

  "Sire! It is impossible!" cried the doctor.

  "Quite," said the King, laughing; "but I like doing impossible things.Let me see, what's the proper way to go to work? I have it! As alearned doctor like you. H'm, no. They'd want me to cure somebody, andI should be killing him perhaps. Here, Saint Simon, how should Idisguise myself?"

  "Well, Sire, if I were going to undertake the task I should dress myselflike a--like a--like a--"

  "Minstrel, Sire," cried Denis excitedly, "like the English King Alfred."

  "Or Richard Coeur de Lion," shouted Saint Simon, striving not to bebeaten in the race.

  "Here, hallo!" cried the King, "that won't do! I do know better thanthat. It was Richard's minstrel who went in disguise."

  "Yes, Sire," cried Denis eagerly, while Leoni, with his eyelids nearlyclosed, glanced from one to the other with a look of contempt.

  "That will not do," said the King gruffly. "There is no instrument thatI could play; but I must go as something."

  "Is your Majesty seriously determined to go in disguise?" said thedoctor.

  "Yes, old Wisdom. Now then, what do you propose?"

  "I can only think of one way, Sire, and that is that I should go as whatI am--a doctor--a part, I believe, that I could worthily play."

  "Of course," said the King. "There is not a better doctor in theworld."

  Leoni's eyes flashed, as he bowed his head gravely.

  "But you are not going," said the King decisively.

  "No, Sire, unless your Majesty thought it wise that I should go, andtake you as my servant."

  "What!" shouted the King.

  "In disguise, of course, Sire."

  "That I won't!" cried the King. "Either in disguise or out of it. Bah!Pish! The idea is absurd. Go as your servant! Are you growing intoyour dotage, man?"

  The two young men exchanged glances, brothers once again in combinationagainst their rival for the King's favour, who seemed to be coming tothe front and leaving them behind.

  "Pardon me, Sire," said the doctor humbly. "I proposed that, as itseemed an easy way to achieve your ends."

  "I would sooner give up the project, Master Leoni," said the Kinghaughtily. "Propose something else."

  The doctor spread his hands apart in the most self-abasing way, but theKing was not appeased.

  "Picture me, the eldest son of Holy Church, His Most Christian Majesty,masquerading as the servant of a leech! Have a care, Master Leoni. Youhave a way of handling a lancet and letting your patients' blood.Recollect that kings have a way too of treating patients so that theynever bleed again."

  "I am your Majesty's humble slave," said Leoni, in low, deprecatingtones; but Denis noticed that there was no humility in the half veiledeyes as they were lowered to the ground; "You are forgiven," said theKing. "But have a care. By the Faith! It brought the blood hotly tomy eyes! Now then, speak again. In what habit shall I go?"

  There was silence in the chamber, broken the next moment by theimpatient trampling of the monarch's feet as he paced up and down, whilefor a time nobody ventured to speak. And then in his excitement lest heshould be supplanted, it was Denis who sprang into the gap.

  "I have a plan, Sire," he cried. "Go as a powerful French noble,travelling to see the Courts of Europe, and--and--"

  "Yes, go on, boy. That notion likes me well."

  "Your Majesty might take me as your esquire, or page," added the boy,trembling lest he should have brought his master's wrath down burningupon his head.

  "Hah!" shouted the King, and for a moment the boy's heart sank, for theKing's hand came down upon his shoulder in a painful grip; but the nextmoment the sinking heart rose with a bound, his eyes flashed withexcitement, and for the life of him he could not keep from dartingtriumphant glances at his fellow-courtiers. "There, Master Leoni!There, Saint Simon! Who dares tell me we haven't got a young Solomon ofwisdom in our Court? Hear him! That's the very idea I had in my ownbreast, only I couldn't think it then. Yes, Denis, that's the plan, andwe will go at once."

  "But your Majesty will want other followers," cried Saint Simonexcitedly. "I could--"

  "Select a score of quarrelsome, fiery young blades like yourself, topick quarrels with the English courtiers and spoil our plans? No, sir;that will never do."

  "Oh!" groaned the young man, so despairingly that the King laughedmerrily.

  "Well, you're not a bad fellow, Saint Simon, and I might get into sometrouble and want the help of your sword as well as my own. Denis, boy,shall we take him with us?"

  The lad flushed deeply at the "shall we?"

  It was his moment of triumph. He was called upon to say yes or no, andhe turned his eyes, which flashed with pride, upon his elder companion,who gazed at him imploringly, and generosity prevailed.

  "Oh yes, Sire," he cried. "He will be a splendid follower to have withus at such a time."

  "Then he shall come," cried the King; and Saint Simon sprang forward tokiss his sovereign's hand, while as he rose he turned his eyes uponDenis, and the boy react in them, as it were, the extinction of rivalry,for they seemed to say, I shall never forget this.

  "Then that's about all," cried the King, with a sigh of mingled reliefand content.

  "Sire, may your servant speak?" said Leoni humbly.

  "Yes. What is it?" was the
impatient reply.

  "You are going into a strange country to encounter many perils."

  "Pooh! Adventures."

  "And adventures," said Leoni--"and may meet with injuries, suffer inyour health. Would it not be wise to have the leech in your train?"

  "My faith, no!" cried the monarch. "I know you of old, my plotting,scheming friend. You would be having me ill, stretched upon a pallet,within a week, and then it is the doctor who becomes the King. I thinkwe three can manage without your help; but I won't be forgetful of oldservices, and I'll trust you in this. There is no such scribe about theCourt as you, so you shall keep a chronicle of everything that happenshere while the cat's away, and read the record of the sporting of mymice to me on my return. I can trust you to see twice as much as anyother man about the Court, in your double-sighted way."

  "Double-sighted suggests duplicity, Sire," said the doctor.

  "No, no; I don't mean that," cried the King, "and you know it. If Ithought that you were guilty of duplicity, Leoni, do you think that Ishould trust you as I do? There," he continued impatiently, "don't lookat me like that, man. It worries me."

  "It is my misfortune, Sire, not my intention."

  "Of course. I know; I know. But you look sometimes as if you werekeeping me in conversation with one eye, while the other was seeking howto take me at a disadvantage."

  "That's what people about the Court say, Sire," said the doctor, with agrim smile.

  "Yes, I know," replied the King. "I have heard Saint Simon say so. Ishouldn't have thought of it myself. But it is quite right, all thesame."

  "In appearance, Sire; but it is not true."

  The King laughed.

  "My dear doctor, yes, of course; I know that. Do you know what I layand thought once when I was ill?"

  "No, Sire; but something wise, no doubt."

  "Bah! None of your subtle flattery. No one knows better than I do,Leoni, that I am not a clever man. What I lay and thought was that youhad studied your two crafts so well that one eye was the window fromwhich the clever doctor's brain looked out, the other that of the calm,quiet, thoughtful statesman. I should long to have two such eyes asyours, Leoni, only that there are the ladies, you know. I don't thinkthat they would approve, eh, doctor? What is your experience?"

  "That your Majesty is quite right," replied the other, with his cynicalsmile. "I have never been a ladies' man."