CHAPTER X
THE CLOISTER IN THE AIR
Irrespective of environment, the cloister of the Mount would have beena delight to the eye, but, upheld in mid air, with the sky so near andthe sands so far below, it seemed more an inspiration of fancy than awork of hand. Dainty, delicate, its rose-colored columns of graniteappeared too thin for tangible weight; the tympan's sculptured designs,fanciful as the carvings in some palace of a poet's dreams. Despite,however, this first impression of evanescence, it carried a charmagainst the ravages of time, and ethereal though it was, had restedlike a crown on the grim head of the rock through the ages.
Once a place for quiet meditation, the cloister had, through awhirligig of change, become the favorite resort of the Governor, for_dejeuner_, or after-dinner dram, and, on occasions, for thetransaction of much profane though necessary labor pertaining to hisoffice and private concerns. He busied himself there now; or had beenbusying himself, but paused to look up from the large book before him,whose pages were inscribed with items and figures. His finger,following the mental computation, remained stationary. _Fouage_--taxupon fires; _banvin_--duties on wine; _vingtain_--the lord's right tohis share of the produce; _minage_--his due from each _mine_ or half_setier_ of coin--consideration of these usually all-important mattersseemed for the moment to have been forgotten.
He leaned back, and as he sat thus, the light and shadow playing onhim, the dark, steely eyes looked the more sunken, the hard, cynicallips beneath the white mustache, the more cruel, the spare figure themore alert and ready, as if to grapple with some hidden danger.
"_J'arrive en ce pays De Basse Normandie--_"
At one of the apertures looking out to the barren waste of sand stoodthe Lady Elise; the words of the old Norman chant she was singing indesultory fashion rang softly, oddly, in that spot, where black-cladbrethren for centuries had been wont to tread. Mechanically theGovernor listened, but the voice soon ceased abruptly and again, afterthe manner of one of orderly habits, he bent over the big book; oncemore the curving finger slid up and down, and parsimony, the vice ofthe aged, had begun to shine from his pinched features, when a footsteprang on the marble pavement.
"Your Excellency sent for me?" The commandant stood respectfully near.
The Governor closed the book with deliberation; lifted his eyes. "Theprisoners that were taken last night are safely housed?"
"Housed? Yes, your Excellency! But we have little room. The uppercells are all occupied; the dungeons, fairly full! Even the _In-pace_and _Les Deux Jumeaux_ have been pressed into service."
"Hum!" The long hand tapped restlessly a moment; the cold eyesgleamed, then shot an inquiring look. "There are no new particularsabout last night's encounter with this--Black Seigneur?"
"None, your Excellency, except," the commandant drew a paper from hisbreast pocket, "I have here in writing the detailed account of theofficer in charge of your Excellency's boat, who was wounded himself inthe encounter."
"Read it."
The commandant obeyed. "'Our schooner, belonging to his Excellency,the Governor, was returning last night to the Mount withtroops--reinforcements for the garrison from St. Dalard--when ithappened quite by accident near a ship, maneuvering at a respectfuldistance from the island of Casque. The night was dark and cloudy, butour men got a look at her and suspecting who she was and knowing herarmament, against our will, we felt obliged to bear away. She, havingno reason to think us other than a fishing schooner, or that we werefreighted with troops instead of cod, did not follow and we had passedout of sight, and were rounding the island when we ran into two smallsail-boats that had just set out from there.'"
"To join the ship of this outlaw!" interposed the Governor. "Go on!"shortly.
"'We hailed; their answer was unsatisfactory; we ordered them to halt,whereupon they tried to sail away. We followed and overtaking them,commanded them to surrender. Their leader, who was the Black Seigneurhimself, refused, and we attacked'--"
"_Bien_! 'We attacked!' But what then? Eh, what then?"
"'With fury they responded; in spite of their inferiority of numberstried to board us. Bravely our men repulsed them; yet still theypersisted; led by their captain, the Black Seigneur, had gained thedeck when a chance shot struck him. As he fell back, the others triedto escape; one boat was sunk'--"
"And the other, bearing their leader, got away!" interrupted theGovernor harshly.
"In the confusion--yes, your Excellency."
The Governor waved his hand impatiently.
"'By this time the ship of the Black Seigneur had drawn nearer and ourmen put about and made for the Mount with a number of prisoners.Several shots were sent after us, but we managed to reach port.'"
"The officer in charge of the troops thinks this fellow, their leader,was wounded severely--fatally perhaps?"
"He thinks it most probable, your Excellency."
For some time the Governor, with frowning brows, sipped silently from aglass of liquor at his elbow, and, stiff, motionless, the commandantwaited; close at hand, a dove plumed itself on the roof of the cloisterwalk; beyond, the girl again began to sing fitfully.
Out of the corner of his eye the commandant dared look at her, leaningnow against the wall, the clear-cut, white features outlined against anillimitable blue background.
"_Les amours--_"
Involuntarily he started to raise a hand to his warlike mustache, whenabruptly was his wandering attention recalled. "The man ashore I spoketo you about, has been taken into custody?"
"Yes, your Excellency; and is now at the barracks."
"Send him here. One moment--" The commandant paused, vaguelyconscious the girl had moved away from the wall. "You spoke of therebeing a lack of room--these new prisoners must be confined in thedungeons; if necessary, crowd more of the others in the upper cells,and--there is still the Devil's Cage."
"The Devil's Cage?" Through the rose-tinted columns, above theGovernor's head, the commandant could discern the figure of the LadyElise, who had approached and now was gazing inquiringly at them."Your Excellency would use that? One can neither lie down in it, norsit in it, upright?"
"Well," the cold eyes flashed, "it is not intended for upright people!But the man you were ordered to arrest!" with sudden sharpness; "theman from the shore! Send him to me!"
"At once, your Excellency!" And responding promptly to his superior'smood, the commandant saluted briskly, and retired.
"What man?" The drapery of her gown drawn back, the Lady Elise stoodpoised on the court's low coping between the fairy-like pillars.
"No one you know, my dear."
"Which means--it is none of my concern?"
"Not at all." His voice was now perfunctory; and his expression, as hesurveyed her, slightly questioning. "You are looking somewhat paleto-day?"
"Am I?" carelessly. "I--I feel very well." As she spoke, she went tohim and leaned over the back of his chair. "_Mon pere_, won't you dosomething for me?"
"What?"
"Promise first." With her hand on his shoulder.
He reached up; the long, cold fingers stroked the shapely, warm ones."One should never leap into the dark with a promise," he answered."Especially to a woman."
"Not even when that woman is one's own daughter?" she asked, sliding tothe arm of the chair.
He regarded the bright face now thoughtful; the lips, usually laughing,set sensitively. "Is it another trip to the court, or do you wish toturn this stern old Mount again into a palace of pleasure? To inviteonce more the Paris lords and ladies--the King, himself, perhaps? Itwould not be the first time a monarch has been entertained at theMount--or a Marquis, either, eh? Shall we ask the Marquis?"
She made an impatient movement. "I want you to promise to break up theterrible iron cage, and--"
"Tut!" Jocosely he pinched the fair cheek. "A girl's thoughts shouldbe of the court and the cavaliers."
She turned away her head. "You treat me like a child," she said wit
h aflash in her eyes.
"No, no! Like a woman," he laughed. "But the Marquis--perhaps hecould not come here; perhaps he is too much concerned with the gaietiesof Paris!" Her figure straightened; she was about to walk away, when--
"You ride this afternoon?" he asked.
"I had not thought of it."
"If you do I desire that some one accompany you." Her face changed;she looked at him quickly, and half turned. "Remember Saladin as well,and--keep closer to the Mount in the future."
"Poor Saladin!" she breathed, with averted glance.
"He got his deserts!" answered the Governor harshly. "An ugly trickthat of his--to bolt and leave you stranded at the extreme point of themainland where the bay swings around!"
"The 'grand' tide--it came in so fast--and made so much noise--"
"It frightened him! Well, fortunate it was, indeed, you were not onhis back; that you had already reached the point, and had had time todismount! An unpleasant experience, nevertheless--with the waterseparating you from the Mount, and a great curve of land to be walkedbefore you could arrive at a human habitation!"
"I--it wasn't a very comfortable feeling," she acknowledged, flushing.
"And if the fisherman hadn't subsequently seen you and taken you acrossin his little boat, you would have been more uncomfortable later. Yourewarded him well, I trust?"
"He--wouldn't take anything."
"And you neglected to inquire his name?"
"I--did not think."
"You were so glad to get back?" remarked the Governor, regarding herclosely. "What sort of man was he?" abruptly.
"Old."
"And--"
"That--is all I remember."
"Hum! Not very lucid. No doubt you were too overwrought, my dear, tobe in an observant mood." His voice sank absently; his fingers soughtamong the papers, and, as his glance fell, the girl walked away. Againshe leaned on the parapet, and once more regarded the barren wastebelow--the figures of the cockle-seekers, mere specks, the shadow ofthe Mount, stamped on the sand, with the saint, a shapeless form,holding up a tapering black line--a sword--at the apex.
"She is keeping back something. What?" Above an official-lookingdocument the Governor watched her, his lips compressed, his eyes keen;then shrugged his shoulders and resumed his occupation. The death-likehush of an aerial region surrounded them; the halcyon peace of aseemingly chimerical cloister; until suddenly broken by an indubitableclangor--harsh, hard!--of a door, opening; shutting. The Governorlifted his head in annoyance; the dove on the roof of the cloister-walkflew away, and a short, fat man, breathing hard, appeared.
"Pardon, your Excellency! But the drafts! They seem sometimes tosweep up from the very dungeons themselves, and--"
"Well?"
Beppo cut short excuse, or explanation. "A prisoner is waitingwithout. The man, Sanchez, from the shore! Monsieur le Commandant,who brought him, told me to inform you."
The Governor considered a moment with down-bent brows. "You may showhim in, but first," he glanced up with a frown, "I have a question toput to you."
"Your Excellency?"
"This morning you thought fit to apprise me," Beppo lookeduncomfortable, "in view of the events of last night--that you sawyesterday this fellow, Sanchez, setting out in a sail-boat, accompaniedby a priest--a fact that might have been of great service to me, had Ibeen aware of it in season!" The Governor paused to allow the fullweight of his disapproval to be felt. "At what hour did you see themstart out?"
"About dusk, the time of the 'grand' tide," was the crestfallen answer."I was following the shore, feeling anxious on account of the LadyElise, who, I knew, had gone in the direction of the forest, when I sawthem, some distance out, but not too far to recognize this fellow'sboat and in it two men, one of them in the black robes of a priest. Iattached no importance to the incident until--"
The Governor interrupted. "You may send the prisoner in," he saidshortly. "No--wait!" Toward the spot where the girl had been standingthe Governor glanced quickly, but that post of observation was nowvacant, and his Excellency more deliberately looked around; caught nosight of her. "You may send him in here," he said, "alone. I willspeak with the prisoner in private."
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