Historical Romances: Under the Red Robe, Count Hannibal, A Gentleman of France

by Stanley John Weyman

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  THE OFFER OF THE LEAGUE.

  When the last sound of his footsteps died away, I awoke as from anevil dream, and becoming conscious of the presence of M. Francois andthe servants, recollected mechanically that I owed the former anapology for my discourtesy in keeping him standing in the cold. Ibegan to offer it; but my distress and confusion of mind were suchthat in the middle of a set phrase I broke off, and stood lookingfixedly at him, my trouble so plain that he asked me civilly ifanything ailed me.

  'No,' I answered, turning from him impatiently; 'nothing, nothing,sir. Or tell me,' I continued, with an abrupt change of mind, 'who isthat who has just left us?'

  'Father Antoine, do you mean?'

  'Ay, Father Antoine, Father Judas, call him what you like,' I rejoinedbitterly.

  'Then if you leave the choice to me,' M. Francois answered with gravepoliteness, 'I would rather call him something more pleasant, M. deMarsac--James or John, let us say. For there is little said here whichdoes not come back to him. If walls have ears, the walls of Blois arein his pay. But I thought you knew him,' he continued. 'He issecretary, confidant, chaplain, what you will, to Cardinal Retz, andone of those whom--in your ear--greater men court and more powerfulmen lean on. If I had to choose between them, I would rather cross M.de Crillon.'

  'I am obliged to you,' I muttered, checked as much by his manner ashis words.

  'Not at all,' he answered more lightly. 'Any information I have is atyour disposal.'

  However, I saw the imprudence of venturing farther, and hastened totake leave of him, persuading him to allow one of M. de Rambouillet'sservants to accompany him home. He said that he should call on me inthe morning; and forcing myself to answer him in a suitable manner, Isaw him depart one way, and myself, accompanied by Simon Fleix, wentoff another. My feet were frozen with long standing--I think thecorpse we left was scarce colder--but my head was hot with feverishdoubts and fears. The moon had sunk and the streets were dark. Ourtorch had burned out, and we had no light. But where my followers sawonly blackness and vacancy, I saw an evil smile and a lean visagefraught with menace and exultation.

  For the more closely I directed my mind to the position in which Istood, the graver it seemed. Pitted against Bruhl alone, amid strangesurroundings and in an atmosphere of Court intrigue, I had thought mytask sufficiently difficult and the disadvantages under which Ilaboured sufficiently serious before this interview. Conscious of acertain rustiness and a distaste for finesse, with resources soinferior to Bruhl's that even M. de Rosny's liberality had not donemuch to make up the difference, I had accepted the post offered merather readily than sanguinely; with joy, seeing that it held out thehope of high reward, but with no certain expectation of success.Still, matched with a man of violent and headstrong character, I hadseen no reason to despair; nor any why I might not arrange the secretmeeting between the king and mademoiselle with safety, and conduct toits end an intrigue simple and unsuspected, and requiring for itsexecution rather courage and caution than address or experience.

  Now, however, I found that Bruhl was not my only or my most dangerousantagonist. Another was in the field--or, to speak more correctly, waswaiting outside the arena, ready to snatch the prize when we shouldhave disabled one another. From a dream of Bruhl and myself as engagedin a competition for the king's favour, wherein neither could exposethe other nor appeal even in the last resort to the joint-enemies ofhis Majesty and ourselves, I awoke to a very different state ofthings; I awoke to find those enemies the masters of the situation,possessed of the clue to our plans, and permitting them only as longas they seemed to threaten no serious peril to themselves.

  No discovery could be more mortifying or more fraught with terror. Theperspiration stood on my brow as I recalled the warning which M. deRosny had uttered against Cardinal Retz, or noted down the variouspoints of knowledge which were in Father Antoine's possession. He knewevery event of the last month, with one exception, and could tell, Iverily believed, how many crowns I had in my pouch. Conceding this,and the secret sources of information he must possess, what hope had Iof keeping my future movements from him? Mademoiselle's arrival wouldbe known to him before she had well passed the gates; nor was itlikely, or even possible, that I should again succeed in reaching theking's presence untraced and unsuspected. In fine, I saw myself,equally with Bruhl, a puppet in this man's hands, my goings out and mycomings in watched and reported to him, his mercy the only bar betweenmyself and destruction. At any moment I might be arrested as aHuguenot, the enterprise in which I was engaged ruined, andMademoiselle de la Vire exposed to the violence of Bruhl or theequally dangerous intrigues of the League.

  Under these circumstances I fancied sleep impossible; but habit andweariness are strong persuaders, and when I reached my lodging I sleptlong and soundly, as became a man who had looked danger in the facemore than once. The morning light too brought an accession both ofcourage and hope. I reflected on the misery of my condition at St.Jean d'Angely, without friends or resources, and driven to herd withsuch a man as Fresnoy. And telling myself that the gold crowns whichM. de Rosny had lavished upon me were not for nothing, nor the moreprecious friendship with which he had honoured me a gift that calledfor no return, I rose with new spirit and a countenance which threwSimon Fleix--who had seen me lie down the picture of despair--into theutmost astonishment.

  'You have had good dreams,' he said, eyeing me jealously and with adisturbed air.

  'I had a very evil one last night,' I answered lightly, wondering alittle why he looked at me so, and why he seemed to resent my returnto hopefulness and courage. I might have followed this train ofthought farther with advantage, since I possessed a clue to his stateof mind; but at that moment a summons at the door called him away toit, and he presently ushered in M. d'Agen, who, saluting me withpunctilious politeness, had not said fifty words before he introducedthe subject of his toe--no longer, however, in a hostile spirit, butas the happy medium which had led him to recognise the worth andsterling qualities---so he was pleased to say--of his preserver.

  I was delighted to find him in this frame of mind, and told himfrankly that the friendship with which his kinsman, M. de Rambouillet,honoured me would prevent me giving him satisfaction save in the lastresort. He replied that the service I had done him was such as torender this immaterial, unless I had myself cause of offence; which Iwas forward to deny.

  We were paying one another compliments after this fashion, while Iregarded him with the interest which the middle-aged bestow on theyoung and gallant in whom they see their own youth and hopes mirrored,when the door was again opened, and after a moment's pause admitted,equally, I think, to the disgust of M. Francois and myself, the formof Father Antoine.

  Seldom have two men more diverse stood, I believe, in a room together;seldom has any greater contrast been presented to a man's eyes thanthat opened to mine on this occasion. On the one side the gay youngspark, with his short cloak, his fine suit of black-and-silver, histrim limbs and jewelled hilt and chased comfit-box; on the other, thetall, stooping monk, lean-jawed and bright-eyed, whose gown hung abouthim in coarse, ungainly folds. And M. Francois' sentiment on firstseeing the other was certainly dislike. In spite of this, however, hebestowed a greeting on the new-comer which evidenced a secret awe, andin other ways showed so plain a desire to please that I felt my fearsof the priest return in force. I reflected that the talents which insuch a garb could win the respect of M. Francois d'Agen--a brilliantstar among the younger courtiers, and one of a class much given tothinking scorn of their fathers' roughness--must be both great andformidable; and, so considering, I received the monk with a distantcourtesy which I had once little thought to extend to him. I put asidefor the moment the private grudge I bore him with so much justice, andremembered only the burden which lay on me in my contest with him.

  I conjectured without difficulty that he chose to come at this time,when M. Francois was with me, out of a cunning regard
to his ownsafety; and I was not surprised when M. Francois, beginning to makehis adieux, Father Antoine begged him to wait below, adding that hehad something of importance to communicate. He advanced his request interms of politeness bordering on humility; but I could clearly seethat, in assenting to it, M. d'Agen bowed to a will stronger than hisown, and would, had he dared to follow his own bent, have given a verydifferent answer. As it was he retired--nominally to give an order tohis lackey--with a species of impatient self-restraint which it wasnot difficult to construe.

  Left alone with me, and assured that we had no listeners, the monk wasnot slow in coming to the point.

  'You have thought over what I told you last night?' he said brusquely,dropping in a moment the suave manner which he had maintained in M.Francois's presence.

  I replied coldly that I had.

  'And you understand the position?' he continued quickly, looking at mefrom under his brows as he stood before me, with one clenched fist onthe table. 'Or shall I tell you more? Shall I tell you how poor anddespised you were some weeks ago, M. de Marsac--you who now go invelvet, and have three men at your back? Or whose gold it is hasbrought you here, and made you this? Chut! Do not let us trifle. Youare here as the secret agent of the King of Navarre. It is my businessto learn your plans and his intentions, and I propose to do so.'

  'Well?' I said.

  'I am prepared to buy them,' he answered; and his eyes sparkled as hespoke, with a greed which set me yet more on my guard.

  'For whom?' I asked. Having made up my mind that I must use the sameweapons as my adversary, I reflected that to express indignation, suchas might become a young man new to the world, could help me not awhit. 'For whom?' I repeated, seeing that he hesitated.

  'That is my business,' he replied slowly.

  'You want to know too much and tell too little,' I retorted, yawning.

  'And you are playing with me,' he cried, looking at me suddenly, withso piercing a gaze and so dark a countenance that I checked a shudderwith difficulty. 'So much the worse for you, so much the worse foryou!' he continued fiercely. 'I am here to buy the information youhold, but if you will not sell, there is another way. At an hour'snotice I can ruin your plans, and send you to a dungeon! You are likea fish caught in a net not yet drawn. It thrusts its nose this way andthat, and touches the mesh, but is slow to take the alarm until thenet is drawn--and then it is too late. So it is with you, and so itis,' he added, falling into the ecstatic mood which marked him attimes, and left me in doubt whether he were all knave or in partenthusiast, 'with all those who set themselves against St. Peter andhis Church!'

  'I have heard you say much the same of the King of France,' I saidderisively.

  'You trust in him?' he retorted, his eyes gleaming. 'You have been upthere, and seen his crowded chamber, and counted his forty-fivegentlemen and his grey-coated Swiss? I tell you the splendour you sawwas a dream, and will vanish as a dream. The man's strength and hisglory shall go from him, and that soon. Have you no eyes to see thathe is beside the question? There are but two powers in France--theHoly Union, which still prevails, and the accursed Huguenot; andbetween them is the battle.'

  'Now you are telling me more,' I said.

  He grew sober in a moment, looking at me with a vicious anger hard todescribe.

  'Tut tut,' he said, showing his yellow teeth, 'the dead tell no tales.And for Henry of Valois, he so loves a monk that you might betteraccuse his mistress. But for you, I have only to cry "Ho! a Huguenotand a spy!" and though he loved you more than he loved Quelus orMaugiron, he dare not stretch out a finger to save you!'

  I knew that he spoke the truth, and with difficulty maintained the airof indifference with which I had entered on the interview.

  'But what if I leave Blois?' I ventured, merely to see what he wouldsay.

  He laughed. 'You cannot,' he answered. 'The net is round you, M. deMarsac, and there are those at every gate who know you and have theirinstructions. I can destroy you, but I would fain have yourinformation, and for that I will pay you five hundred crowns and letyou go.'

  'To fall into the hands of the King of Navarre?'

  'He will disown you, in any case,' he answered eagerly. 'He had thatin his mind, my friend, when he selected an agent so obscure. He willdisown you. Ah, mon Dieu! had I been an hour quicker I had caughtRosny--Rosny himself!'

  'There is one thing lacking still,' I replied. 'How am I to be surethat, when I have told you what I know, you will pay me the money orlet me go?'

  'I will swear to it!' he answered earnestly, deceived into thinking Iwas about to surrender. 'I will give you my oath, M. de Marsac!'

  'I would as soon have your shoe-lace!' I exclaimed, the indignation Icould not entirely repress finding vent in that phrase. 'A Churchman'svow is worth a candle--or a candle and a half, is it?' I continuedironically. 'I must have some security a great deal more substantialthan that, father.'

  'What?' he asked, looking at me gloomily.

  Seeing an opening, I cudgelled my brains to think of any conditionwhich, being fulfilled, might turn the table on him and place him inmy power. But his position was so strong, or my wits so weak, thatnothing occurred to me at the time, and I sat looking at him, my mindgradually passing from the possibility of escape to the actual dangerin which I stood, and which encompassed also Simon Fleix, and, in adegree, doubtless, M. de Rambouillet. In four or five days, too,Mademoiselle de la Vire would arrive. I wondered if I could send anywarning to her; and then, again, I doubted the wisdom of interferingwith M. de Rosny's plans, the more as Maignan, who had gone to fetchmademoiselle, was of a kind to disregard any orders save his master's.

  'Well!' said the monk, impatiently recalling me to myself, 'whatsecurity do you want?'

  'I am not quite sure at this moment,' I made answer slowly. 'I am in adifficult position. I must have some time to consider.'

  'And to rid yourself of me, if it be possible,' he said with irony. 'Iquite understand. But I warn you that you are watched; and thatwherever you go and whatever you do, eyes which are mine are uponyou.'

  'I, too, understand,' I said coolly.

  He stood awhile uncertain, regarding me with mingled doubt andmalevolence, tortured on the one hand by fear of losing the prize ifhe granted delay, on the other of failing as utterly if he exerted hispower and did not succeed in subduing my resolution. I watched him,too, and gauging his eagerness and the value of the stake for which hewas striving by the strength of his emotions, drew small comfort fromthe sight. More than once it had occurred to me, and now it occurredto me again, to extricate myself by a blow. But a natural reluctanceto strike an unarmed man, however vile and knavish, and the beliefthat he had not trusted himself in my power without taking the fullestprecautions, withheld me. When he grudgingly, and with many darkthreats, proposed to wait three days--and not an hour more--for myanswer, I accepted; for I saw no other alternative open. And on theseterms, but not without some short discussion, we parted, and I heardhis stealthy footstep go sneaking down the stairs.