My Lady Rotha: A Romance

by Stanley John Weyman

  CHAPTER XIV.

  THE OPENING OF A DUEL.

  I never knew where the Waldgrave spent that night, but I think it musthave been with the fairies. For when he showed himself early nextmorning, before my lady appeared, I noticed at once a change in him;and though at first I was at a loss to explain it, I presently sawthat that had happened which might have been expected. The appearanceof a rival had laid the spark to his heart, and while the love-lightwas in his eyes, a new gravity, a new gentleness added grace to hisbearing. The temper and pettiness of yesterday were gone. Otherthings, too, I saw--that his face flushed when my lady's voice washeard at the door, that his eyes shone when she entered. He had anosegay of flowers for her--wild flowers he had gathered in the earlymorning, with the dew upon them--which he offered her with a littletouch of humility.

  Doubtless the fret and passion of yesterday had not been thrown awayon him. He had learned in the night both that he loved, and thelowliness that comes of love. It wanted but that, it seemed to me, tomake him perfect in a woman's eyes; and I saw my lady's dwell verykindly on him as he turned away. A little, I think, she wondered; histone was so different, his desire to please so transparent, hisavoidance of everything that might offend so ready. But such servicewins its way; and my lady's own kindness and gaiety disposing her tomeet his advances, she seemed in a few moments to have forgottenwhatever cause of complaint he had given her.

  The general's band came early, to play while she ate, but I noticedwith satisfaction that the music moved her little this morning, eitherbecause she was taken up with talking to her companion, or because theromantic circumstances of the evening, darkness and vaguesurroundings, and the lassitude of fatigue, were lacking. With thesunshine and fresh air pouring in through the open windows, thestrains which yesterday awoke a hundred associations and stirredmysterious impulses fell almost flat.

  The Waldgrave made no attempt to resume the conversation he had heldwith me by the fallen tree. Either love, or respect for his mistress,made him reticent, or he was practising self-control. And I saidnothing. But I understood, and set myself keenly to watch this duelbetween the two men. If I read the general's intentions aright, theyoung lord's influence with the Countess could scarcely grow except atthe general's expense; his suit, if successful, must oust that whichthe elder man, I was sure, meditated. And this being so, all my wisheswere on one side. My fear of the general had so grown in the night,that I suspected him of a hundred things; and could only think of himas an antagonist to be defeated--a foe from whom we must expect theworst that force or fraud could effect.

  He came soon after breakfast to pay his respects to my lady, andalighted at the door with great attendance and endless jingling ofbits and spurs. He brought with him several of his officers, and thesehe presented to the Countess with so much respect and politeness thateven I could find no fault with the action. One or two of the men,rough Silesians, were uncouth enough; but he covered their mistakes socleverly that they served only to set off his own good breeding.

  He had not been in the room five minutes, however, before I saw thathe remarked the change which had come over the Waldgrave, and perhapssome corresponding change in my lady's manner; and I saw that itchafed him. He did not lose his air of composure, but he grew lesstalkative and more watchful. Presently he let drop something aimed atthe young man; a light word, inoffensive, yet likely to draw the otherinto a debate. But the Waldgrave refrained, and the general soonafterwards rose to take leave.

  He had come, it seemed, to invite my lady's presence at ashooting-match which was to take place outside the camp at noon. Hespoke of the match as a thing arranged before our arrival, but I haveno doubt that the plan had its origin in a desire to please my ladyand fill the day. He spoke, besides, of a hunting-party to take placenext morning, with a banquet at his quarters to follow; of a reviewfixed for the day after that; and, in the still remoter distance, ofraces and a trip to a neighboring waterfall, with other diversions.

  I heard the arrangements made, and my lady's frank acceptance, with asinking heart; for under the perfect courtesy of his manner, behindthe frank desire to give her pleasure which he professed, I felt hispower. While he spoke, though I could find no fault with him, I feltthe steel hand inside the silk glove. And these plans? Even my lady,though her eyes sparkled with anticipation--she loved pleasure with ahealthy, honest love--looked a little startled.

  'But I thought that you were marching southwards, General Tzerclas,'she said. 'At once I mean?'

  'I am,' he answered, bowing easily--he had already risen. 'But anarmy, Countess, marches more slowly than a travelling party. And I amexpecting despatches which may vary my route.'

  'From the King of Sweden?'

  'Yes,' he answered. 'The King has arrived at Nuremberg, and expectsshortly to be attacked by Wallenstein, who is on the march from Egra.'

  'But shall you be in time for the battle?' she asked, her eyesshining.

  'I hope so,' he replied, smiling. 'Or my part may be less glorious--tocut off the enemy's convoys.'

  'I should not like that!' she exclaimed.

  'Nevertheless, it is a very necessary function,' he said. 'As theWaldgrave Rupert will tell your excellency.'

  The young lord agreed, and a moment later the general with hisjingling attendants took his leave and clattered out and mountedbefore the door. My lady went to the window and waved adieu to him,and he lowered his great plumed hat to his stirrup.

  'At noon?' he cried, making his horse curvet in the roadway.

  'Without fail!' my lady answered gaily, and she stood at the windowlooking out until the last gleam of steel sank in a cloud of dust andthe beggars closed in before the door.

  The Waldgrave leaned against the wall behind her with his lips set anda grave face. But he said nothing, and when she turned he had a smilefor her. It seemed to me that these two had changed places; theWaldgrave had grown older and my lady younger.

  A few minutes before noon, Captain Ludwig and a sub-officer of thesame rank, a Pole with long hair, came to conduct my lady to the sceneof the match. They were arrayed in all their finery, and made a showof such etiquette as they knew. For our part we did not keep themwaiting; five minutes saw us mounted and riding through the camp. Thiswore, to-day, a more martial and less disorderly appearance. The partwe traversed was clear of women and gamesters, while sentriesstationed at the gate, and a guard of honour which fell in behind usat the same spot, proved that the eye of the master could even hereturn chaos into order. I do not know that the change pleased me much,for if it lessened my dread of the cutthroats by whom we weresurrounded, it increased the awe in which I held their chief.

  The shooting was fixed to take place in a narrow valley divergingfrom the river, a mile or more from the camp. It was a green,gently-sloping place, such as sheep love; but the sheep had long agobeen driven into quarters, and the shepherd to the listing-sergeant orthe pike. A few ruined huts told the tale; the hills which rose oneither side were silent and untrodden.

  Not so the valley itself, which lay bathed in sunshine. It roared withthe babel of a great multitude. A straight course, two hundred yardsin length, had been roped off for the shooting, and round this thecrowd thronged and pushed, or, breaking here or there into fragments,wandered up and down outside the lines, talking and gesticulating, sothat the place seemed to swarm with life and movement and colour.

  I had seen such a spectacle and as large a crowd at Heritzburg--once ayear, it may be. But there the gathering had not the wild and savageelements which here caught the eye; the hairy, swarthy faces andblack, gleaming eyes, the wild garb, and brandished weapons and fiercegestures, that made this crowd at once curious and formidable. Thebabel of unknown tongues rose on every side. Poland and Lithuania,Scotland and the Rhine, equally with Hungary, Italy, and Bohemia, hadtheir representatives in this strange army.

  General Tzerclas and his staff occupied a mound near the lower end ofthe valley. On seeing our party appro
ach, he rode down to meet us,followed by thirty or forty officers, whose dress and equipments, evenmore than those of their men, fixed the attention; for while somewore steel caps and clumsy cuirasses, with silk sashes and greasytrunk-hose, others, better acquainted with the mode, affected hugeflapped hats and velvet doublets, with falling collars of lace, anduntanned boots reaching to the middle of the thigh. One or two worealmost complete armour; others, gay silks, stained with wine andweather. Their horses, too, were of all sizes, from tall Flemings tosmall, wiry Hungarians, and their arms were as various. One huge fatman, whose flesh swayed as he moved, carried a steel mace at hissaddle-bow. Another swept along with a lance, raking the sky behindhim. Great horse-pistols were common, and swords with blades so longthat they ploughed the ground.

  Varying in everything else, in one thing these warlike gentry agreed.As they came prancing towards us, I did not see a face among them thatdid not repel me, nor one that I could look at with respect or liking.Where dissipation had not set its seal so plainly as to oust allothers, or some old wound did not disfigure, cruelty, greed, andrecklessness were written large. The glare of the bully shone alikeunder flapped hat and iron cap. One might show a swollen visage,flushed with excess, and another a thin, white, cruel face; but thatwas all the odds.

  The sight of such a crew should have opened my lady's eyes andenlightened her as to the position in which we stood. But women seedifferently from men. Too often they take swagger for courage, andrecklessness for manhood. And, besides, the very defects of these men,their swashbuckling manners and banditti guise, only set off the morethe perfect dress and quiet bearing of their leader, who, riding intheir midst, seemed, with his cold, calm face and air of pride, likenothing so much as the fairy prince among the swine.

  He wore a suit of black velvet, with a falling collar of Utrecht lace,and a white sash. A feather adorned his hat, and his furniture andsword-hilt were of steel. This, I afterwards learned, was a favouritecostume with him. At odd times he relapsed into finery, but commonlyhe affected a simplicity which suited his air and features, and lostnothing by comparison with the tawdriness of his attendants.

  He sprang from his horse at the foot of the slope, and, resigning itto a groom, took my lady's rein and, bareheaded, led her to the summitof the mound. The Waldgrave with Fraulein Anna followed, and the restof us as closely as we could. The officers crowded thick upon us andwould have edged us out, but I had primed my men, and though theyquailed before the others' scowls and curses, they kept together, sothat we not only had the advantage of watching the sport from aposition immediately behind the Countess, but heard all that passed.

  At the end of the open space I have mentioned stood three targets in aline. These were peculiar, for they consisted of dummies cased inleather, shaped so exactly to the form of men, that, at a distance oftwo hundred yards, it was only by the face I could tell that they werenot men. Where the features should have been was a whitened circle,and on, the breast of each a heart in chalk. They were so life-likethat they gave an air of savagery to the sport, and made me shudder.When I had scanned them, I turned and found Captain Ludwig at myelbow.

  'What is it?' he said, grinning. 'Our targets? Fine practice, comrade.They are the general's own invention, and I have known them put togood use.'

  'How?' I asked. He spoke under his breath. I adopted the same tone.

  'You will know by, and by,' he answered, with a wink. 'Sometimes wefind a traitor in the camp; or we catch a spy. Then--but you need notfear. Drawing-room practice to-day. There is no one in them.'

  'In them?' I muttered, unable to take my eyes from his face.

  He nodded. 'Ay, in them,' he answered, smiling at my look ofconsternation. 'Time has been I have known one in each, and cross-bowpractice. That makes them squeal! With powder and a flint-lock--pouf!It is all over. Unless you put the butter-fingers first; then there issport, perhaps.'

  Little wonder that after that I paid no attention to the shooting,which had begun; nor to the brawling and disagreement which from thefirst accompanied it, and which it needed all the general's authorityto quell. I thought only of our position among these wretches. If Ihad felt any doubt of General Tzerclas' character before, the doubttroubled me no more.

  But it did occur to me that Ludwig might be practising on me, and Iturned to him sharply. 'I see!' I said, pretending that I had foundhim out. 'A good joke, captain!'

  He grinned again. 'You would not call it one,' he said dryly, 'if youwere once in the leather. But have it your own way. Come, there is agood shot, now. He is a Swiss, that fellow.'

  But I could take no interest in the shooting, with that ghastly talein my head. I felt for the moment the veriest coward. We were ten inthe midst of two thousand--ten men and four helpless women! Our ownstrength could not avail us, and we had nothing else under heaven todepend upon, except the scruples, or interest, or fears of a mercenarycaptain; a man whose hardness the thin veil of politeness barely hid,who might be scrupulous, gentle, merciful--might be, in a word, allthat was honourable. But whence, then, this story? Why this tale ofcruelty, passing the bounds of discipline?

  It so disheartened me that for some time I scarcely noticed what waspassing before me; and I might have continued longer in this dullstate if the Waldgrave's voice, civilly declining some proposition,had not caught my ear.

  I gathered then what the offer was. Among the matches was one forofficers, and in this the general was politely inviting his guest tocompete. But the Waldgrave continued firm. 'You are very good,' heanswered with perfect frankness and good temper. 'But I think I willnot expose myself. I shoot badly with a strange gun.'

  It was so unlike him to miss a chance of distinction, or underrate hismerits, that I stared. He was changed, indeed, to-day; or he thoughtthe position very critical, the need of caution very great.

  The general continued to urge him; and so strongly that I began tothink that our host had his own interests to serve.

  'Oh, come,' he said, in a light, gibing tone which just stoppedshort of the offensive. 'You must not decline. There are fivecompetitors--two Bohemians, a Scot, a Pole, and a Walloon; but noGerman. You cannot refuse to shoot for Germany, Waldgrave?'

  The Waldgrave shook his head, however. 'I should do Germany smallhonour, I am afraid,' he said.

  The general smiled unpleasantly. 'You are too modest,' he said.

  'It is not a national failing,' the Waldgrave answered, smiling also.

  'I fancy it must be,' the general retorted. 'And that is the reason wesee so little of Germans in the war!'

  The words were almost an insult, though a dull man, deceived by thecivility of the speaker's tone, might have overlooked it. TheWaldgrave understood, however. I saw him redden and his brow growdark. But he restrained himself, and even found a good answer.

  'Germany will find her champions,' he said, 'when she seriously needsthem.'

  'Abroad!' the general replied, speaking in a flash, as it were. Theinstant the word was said, I saw that he repented it. He had gonefarther than he intended, and changed his tone. 'Well, if you willnot, you will not,' he continued smoothly. 'Unless our fair cousin cansucceed where I have failed, and persuade you.'

  'I?' my lady said--she had not been attending very closely. 'I will dowhat I can. Why will you not enter, Rupert? You are a good shot.'

  'You wish me to shoot?' the Waldgrave said slowly.

  'Of course!' she answered. 'I think it is a shame General Tzerclas hasso few German officers. If I could shoot, I would shoot for the honourof Germany myself.'

  The Waldgrave bowed. 'I will shoot,' he said coldly.

  'Good!' General Tzerclas answered, with a show of _bonhomie_. 'That isexcellent. Will you descend with me? Each competitor is to fire twoshots at the figure at eighty paces. Those who lodge both shots in thetarget, to fire one shot at the head only.'

  The young lord bowed and prepared to follow him.

  'Comrade,' Ludwig said in my ear, as I watched them go, 'your masterhad better have stood by his firs
t word.'

  'Why?'

  'He will do no good.'

  'Why not?' I asked.

  'The Bohemian yonder--the fat man--will shoot round him. His littlepig's eyes see farther than others. Besides, the devil has blessed hisgun. He cannot miss.'

  'What! That tun of flesh?' I cried, for he was pointing to the gross,unwieldy man, at whose saddle-bow I had marked the iron mace. 'Is he aBohemian?'

  Ludwig nodded. 'Count Waska, they call him. There is no man in thecamp can shoot with him or drink with him.'

  'We shall see,' I said grimly.

  I had little hope, however. The Waldgrave was a good shot; but a manwas not likely to have a reputation for shooting in such a camp asthis, where every one handled pistol or petronel, unless his aim wassomething out of the common. And listening to the talk round me, Ifound that Count Waska's comrades took his victory for granted.

  Their confidence explained General Tzerclas' anxiety to trap theWaldgrave into shooting. The jealous feeling which had been all on theWaldgrave's side yesterday, had spread to him to-day. He wished to seehis rival beaten in my lady's presence.

  I longed to disappoint him; I felt sore besides for the honour ofGermany. I could not leave my lady, or I would have gone down to seethat the Waldgrave had fair play, and a clean pan, and silence when hefired. But I watched with as much excitement as any in the field, allthat passed; I doubt if I ever took part in a match myself withgreater keenness and interest than I felt as a spectator of this one.

  From our elevated position we could see everything, and the sight wasa curious one. The rabble of spectators--soldiers and women, sutlersand horse-boys--stretched away in two dark lines, ten deep, being keptoff the range by a dozen men armed with whips. The clamour of theirhoarse shouting went up continuously, and sometimes almost deafenedus. Immediately below us, at the foot of the mound, the champions andtheir friends were gathered, settling rests, keying up the wheels oftheir locks, and trying the flints. Owing to the Waldgrave's presence,which somewhat imposed upon the other officers both by reason of hisrank and strangeness, the contest seemed likely to be conducted moredecently than those which had preceded it. He was invited to shootfirst, and when he excused himself on the ground that he was not yetfamiliar with his gun, Count Waska good-humouredly consented to openthe match.

  His weapon, I remarked--and I treasured up the knowledge and havesince made use of it--was smaller in the bore than the others. He cameforward and fired very carelessly, scarcely stooping to the rest; buthe hit the figure fairly in the breast with both bullets and retired,a stolid smile on his large countenance.

  The Waldgrave was the next to advance, and if he felt one half of theanxiety I felt myself, it was a wonder he let off his gun at all.General Tzerclas had returned to the Countess's side, and was speakingto her; but he paused at the critical moment, and both stood gazing,my lady with her lips parted and her eyes bright. The desire to seethe stranger shoot was so general that something like silenceprevailed while he aimed. I had time to conjure up half a dozenmiseries--the gun might not be true, the powder weak; and then, bang!I saw the figure rock. He had hit it fairly in the breast, and Ibreathed again.

  My lady cried, 'Vivat! good shot!' and he looked up at her before heprimed his pan for a second trial. This time I felt less fear, thecrowd less interest. The babel began afresh. His second bullet strucksomewhat lower, but struck; and he stood back, his face flushed withpleasure. Honour, at any rate, was safe.

  The Scot hit with both balls, the Pole with one only. Last of all theWalloon, a grim dark officer in a stained buff coat, who seemed to beunpopular with the soldiery, fired in the midst of such a storm ofgibes and hisses that I wondered he could aim at all. He did, however,and hit with his second bullet. Even so he and the Pole stood out,leaving the Waldgrave, Count Waska, and the Scot to fire at the head.

  Huge was the clamour which followed on this, half the companybellowing out offers to stake all that they had on the Count--money,chains, armour. Meanwhile I looked at the general to see how he tookit. He had fallen silent, and my lady also. They stood gazing down onthe competitors and their preparations, as if they were aware thatmore hung on the issue than a simple match at arms.

  Count Waska advanced for the final shot, and this time he made ampleuse of the rest, aiming long and carefully over it. He fired, and Ilooked eagerly at the target. A roar of applause greeted the shot. Thebullet had pierced the whitened face a little to the left, high up.

  It was the Waldgrave's turn now. He came forward, with an air of quietconfidence, and set his weapon on the crutch. This time two or threevoice's were raised, gibing him; the crowd was growing jealous of itschampion's reputation. I longed to be down among them, and I saw mylady's eyes flash and her colour rise. She looked indignantly atTzerclas. But the general's face was set. He did not seem to hear.

  Flash! Plop! In a moment I was shouting with the rest, shoutinglustily for the honour of the house! The Waldgrave had lodged his ballin the upper part of the face towards the right-hand side. If Waskahad put in the one eye, he had put in the other.

  We shouted. But the camp hung silent, gloomily wondering whether thiswere luck or skill. And the general stood silent too. It was not untilmy lady had cried, 'Vivat! Vivat Weimar!' in her frank, brave voice,that he spoke and echoed the compliment.

  When he had spoken, sullen silence fell upon the crowd again. I sawmen look at us--not pleasantly; until the Scot by taking his place atthe crutch diverted their attention. It seemed to me that he was anhour arranging the rest and his weapon, scraping his priming this wayand that, and putting in a fresh flint at the last moment. At lengthhe fired. A roar of laughter followed. He had missed the targetaltogether.

  How it was arranged I do not know, but we saw at once that Waska andthe Waldgrave were about to take another shot. The Bohemian, as helevelled his weapon with care, looked up at us.

  'We have put in his eyes,' he said in his guttural tones. 'I proposeto put in his nose. If his excellency can better that, I give him thebone.'

  He aimed very diligently, amid such a silence you could have heard afeather drop, and fired. He did as he had promised. His ball piercedthe very middle of the face, a little below and between the two shots.

  A wild roar of applause greeted the achievement. Even we who felt ourhonour at stake shouted with the rest and threw up our caps; while mylady took off in her admiration a slender gold chain which she woreround her neck and flung it to the champion, crying 'Vivat Bohemia!Vivat Waska!'

  He bowed with grotesque gallantry, and one of the bystanders picked upthe chain and gave it to him. We smiled; for, too fat to kneel orstoop, he could no more have recovered the gift himself than he couldhave taken wings and flown. Fraulein Anna muttered something aboutTantalus and water, but I did not understand her, and in a moment theWaldgrave gave me something else to think about.

  He stepped forward when the noise and cheering had somewhat subsided,and like his antagonist he looked up also.

  'I do not see what there is left for me to do,' he said, with agallant air. 'I could give him a mouth, but I fear I may set it onawry.'

  Thrice he took aim, and, dissatisfied, forbore to fire. The crowd,silent at first, and confident of their champion's victory, began tojeer. At length he pulled. Plop! The smoke cleared away. An inch belowWaska's last shot appeared another orifice. The Waldgrave had put inthe mouth.

  We waved our caps and shouted until we were hoarse; and the crowdshouted. But it soon became evident, amid the universal clamour anduproar, that there were two parties: one acclaiming the Waldgrave'ssuccess, and another and larger one crying fiercely that he wasbeaten--that he was beaten! that his shot was not so near the centreof the target as Count Waska's. The Waldgrave's promise to make themouth had been heard by a few only, mainly his friends; and whilethese, headed by the Bohemian, who showed that his clumsy carcasestill contained some sparks of chivalry, tried to explain the matterto others, the camp with one voice bellowed against him, the moreexcited brandishing fist
s and weapons in the air, while the lessmoved kept up a stubborn and monotonous chant of 'Waska! Waska!Waska!'

  The only person unaffected by the tumult appeared to be the Waldgravehimself; who stood looking up at us in silence, a smile on his face.Presently, the noise still continuing, I saw him clap Count Waska onthe shoulder, and the two shook hands. The Count seemed by hisgestures--for the uproar and tumult were so great that all was done indumb show--to be deprecating his retreat. But the younger manpersisted, and by-and-by, after saluting the other competitors, heturned away, and began to force his way up the mound. It was time hedid; the crowd had burst its bounds and flooded the range. The scenebelow was now a sea of wild confusion.

  Such an ending seemed stupid in the extreme; in any place whereordinary discipline prevailed, it would have been easy to procuresilence and restore order. And my lady, her face flushed withindignation, turned impatiently to the general, to see if he would notinterfere. But he was, or he affected to be, powerless. He shruggedhis shoulders with an indulgent smile, and a moment later, seeing theWaldgrave on his way to join us and the crowd still persistent, hegave the word to retire. The officers, who in the last hour hadpressed on us inconveniently, fell back, and waiting only for theWaldgrave to reach his horse, we rode down the mound, and turned ourfaces towards the camp.

  For a space, and while the uproar still rang in my ears, I couldscarcely speak for indignation. Then came a reaction. I saw my lady'sface as she rode alongside the Waldgrave and talked to him. And myspirits rose. General Tzerclas had the place on her other hand, butshe had not a word for him. It was not so much that the young lord haddistinguished himself and done well, but that in an awkward positionhe had borne himself with dignity and self-control. That pleased her.

  I saw her eyes shine as she looked at him, and her mouth grow tender;and I told myself with exultation that the Waldgrave had donesomething more than rival Waska--he had scored the first hit in thefight, and that no light one. The general would be wise, if he lookedto his guard; fortunate, if he did not look too late.