CHAPTER X.
MORE THAN MERE PITY
What I stayed to do was something the Countess herself could do, andprobably would do one way or another, if indeed mere circumstances wouldnot do it of themselves: though I felt that none could as I could. Butto tell the truth, even if I could not have brought myself to turn myback on that place while she was in such unhappy plight there.
After I had sat awhile in the hall, I went to my room, lighted a candle,and cleansed myself and my weapons, and my clothes as well as I could,of blood. Having put myself to rights, though the rents in my doubletwere still gaping, I went back to the bench in the hall, and passed therest of the night there, sleeping and awake by turns.
At dawn I heard steps and voices in the court-yard as of early risendependents starting the day. Silence returned for a few minutes, andthen came the noise of hurrying feet, and of shouts. There was rapidtalk between somebody in the court-yard and somebody at an upper window.I knew it meant that the bodies of the two guards had been discovered,doubtless by the men who had gone to relieve them. In a short time, downthe stairs came the Count de Lavardin, his doublet still unfastened,followed by two body-servants. He came in haste toward the front door,but I rose and stood in his path.
"A moment, Monsieur Count. There's no need of haste. You'll find yourprisoner safe enough."
"What do you mean?" he asked, having stopped in sheer wonder at myaudacity.
"Madame the Countess has not flown, though it is true her guards areslain--I slew them. And Madame the Countess will not fly, though it istrue her prison door is unlocked--I unlocked it--with this key, which Iborrowed from you last night."
He took the key I handed him, and stared at it in amazement. He thenthrust his hand into his doublet pocket and drew out another key, whichhe held up beside the first, looking from one to the other.
"Yes," said I, "that is a different key, which I left in place of theright one so that you might not discover the loan too soon."
He gazed at me with a mixture of fury and surprise, as at an antagonistwhose capacity he must have previously underrated.
"By the horns of Satan," he exclaimed, "you are the boldest of meddlingimps."
"I have meddled to good purpose," said I, "though my meddling has notturned out as I planned. But it has turned out so as to bring you peaceof mind, at least in one respect."
"What are you talking of?"
"You see that I possessed myself of that key; that I fought my way tothe prison of the Countess; that I threw open her prison door."
"And believe me, you shall pay for your ingenuity and daring, my braveyouth."
"All that was but the beginning of what I was resolved and able to do. Ihad prepared our way of escape from the chateau."
"I am not sure of that."
"You may laugh with your lips, Count, but I laugh at you in my heart.Don't think Monsieur de Pepicot is the only man who can get out of theChateau de Lavardin."
The reminder somewhat sobered the Count.
"I had the means, too," I went on, "to fly with Madame far from thisplace. We might indeed have been a half-day's ride away by this time. Iassure you it is true. Let what I have done convince you of what more Icould have done. You don't think I should have gone so far as I have,unless I was sure of going further, do you?"
The Count shrugged his shoulders, pretending derision, but he waited forme.
"And why did I not go further?" I continued. "Because the Countess wouldnot. Because she is the truest of wives. Because, when I opened herdoor, she met me with a stern rebuke for supposing her capable of flyingfrom your roof. Ah, Monsieur, it would have set your mind at rest, ifyou had heard her. She bows to your will, though it may crush her,because you are her husband. Never was such pious fidelity to marriagevows. Her only hope is that your mind may be cleared of its false doubtsof her."
The Count looked impressed. He had become thoughtful, and a kind ofgrateful ease seemed to show itself upon his brow. I was pleasing myselfwith the belief that I had thus, in an unexpected way, convinced him ofthe Countess's virtue, when a voice at my side broke in upon mysatisfaction. I had so closely kept my attention upon the Count that Ihad not observed Captain Ferragant come down the stairs. It was he thatnow spoke, in his cool, quiet, scoffing tone:
"Perhaps the Countess had less faith in this gentleman's power to conveyher safely away than he seems to have had himself. Perhaps she saw aless promising future for a renegade wife than he could picture to her.Perhaps she, too, perceived the value of her refusal to run away, asevidence of virtue in the eyes of a credulous husband."
The Count's forehead clouded again. I turned indignantly upon theCaptain, but addressed my words to the Count, saying:
"Monsieur, you will pardon me, but it seems to a stranger that you allowthis gentleman great liberties of speech. Men of honour do not, as arule, even permit their friends to defame their wives."
"This gentleman is in my confidence," said the Count, his grey facereddening for a moment. "It is you, a stranger as you say, who havetaken great liberties in speaking of my domestic affairs. But you shallpay for them, young gentleman. Your youth makes your presumption all thegreater, and shall not make your punishment the less. I will troubleyou, Captain, to see that he stays here till I return."
At this the Count, motioning his attendants to follow, who had stood outof earshot of our lowered voices, passed on to the court-yard, andthence, of course, to the prison of the Countess.
The Captain stood looking at me with that expression of antipathy andridicule which I always found it so hard to brook. I had some thought ofdefying the Count's last words and walking away to see what the Captainwould do. But I reflected that this course must end in my taking down,unless I made good a sudden flight from the chateau by the gate; and ifI made that I should be fleeing from the Countess. So the best thing wasto be submissive, and not bring matters, as between the Count and me, toa crisis. Perhaps a way to help the Countess might yet occur, if Istayed upon the scene to avail myself of it. And in any case bycontinuing there in as much freedom as the Count might choose to allowme, I might have at least the chance of another sight of her.
So, while we waited half an hour or so in the hall, I gave the Captainno trouble, not even that of speech, which he disdained to take on hisown initiative.
The Count returned, looking agitated, as if he had been in a storm ofanger which had scarce had time to subside. His glance at me was morecharged with hate and menace than ever before. He beckoned the Captainto the other end of the hall, and there they talked for awhile inundertones, the Count often shaking his head quickly, and taking shortwalks to and fro; sometimes he clenched his fists, or breathed heavysighs of irritation, or darted at me a swift look of malevolence andthreat. I could only assume that something had passed between theCountess and him during his visit to her prison--perhaps she had shownanxiety as to whether I had fled--which had suddenly quickened andincreased his jealousy of me.
At last the Count seemed to accept some course advised by his friend. Hecame towards me, the Captain following with slower steps. In a dryvoice, well under control, the Count said to me:
"Permit me to relieve you, Monsieur, of the burden of those weapons youcarry. I am annoyed that you should think it desirable to wear them inmy house, as if it were the road."
Startled, I put my hands on the hilts of my sword and dagger, and took astep backward.
"Your annoyance is somewhat strange, Monsieur," said I, "consideringthat you and the Captain wear your swords indoors as well as out. Ithought it was the custom of this house."
"If so," replied the Count, with his ghastly smile, "it is a custom thata guest forfeits the benefit of by killing two of my dependents. Come,young gentleman. Don't be so rude as to make me ask twice."
The Captain now stepped forward more briskly, his hand on his own sword.Taking his motion as a threatening one, and scarce knowing what to do, Idrew my weapons upon impulse and presented, not the handles, but thepoints. But ere I
could think, the Captain's long rapier flashed out, itmoved so swiftly I could not see it, and my own sword was torn from mygrip and sent whirring across the hall. In the next instant, the guardof the Captain's sword was locked against the guard of my dagger, andhis left hand gripped my wrist. It was such a trick as a fencing mastermight have played on a new pupil, or as I had heard attributed to myfather but had never seen him perform. It showed me what a swordsmanthat red Captain was, and how much I had yet to learn ere I daredventure against such an adversary. And there was his bold red-splashedface close to mine, smiling in derision of my surprise and discomfiture.He was beginning to exert his strength upon my wrist--that strengthwhich had choked and flung away the great hound. To save my arm, I letgo my dagger. The Captain put his foot on it till an attendant, whom theCount had summoned, stooped for it. My sword was picked up by anotherman, whereupon, at the Count's command, it was hung upon a peg in thewall, and the dagger attached to the handle of the sword. The two menwere then ordered to guard me, one at each side. They were burlyfellows, armed with daggers.
"Well, Monsieur, what next?" said I in as scornful a tone as I couldcommand.
"Patience, Monsieur; you will see."
There was a low, narrow door in the side of the hall, near the front. Atthe Count's bidding, an attendant opened this, and I was marched into avery small, bare room, the ceiling of which was scarce higher than myhead. This apartment had evidently been designed as a doorkeeper's box.It's only furniture was a bench. A mere eyehole of a window in thecorner looked upon the court-yard.
"Remember," I called back to the Count, "you cannot put injuries upon mewith impunity. An account will be exacted in due time."
"Remember, you," he replied with a laugh, "that you have murdered twomen here, and are subject to my sentence."
My guards left me in the room, and stationed themselves outside thedoor, which was then closed upon me. There was no lock to the door, butit was possible to fasten the latch on the outside, and this was done,as I presently discovered by trial.
I sat on the bench, and gazed out upon as much of the court-yard as thewindow showed. Suddenly the window was darkened by something placedagainst it outside,--a man's doublet propped up by a pike, or some suchdevice. I could not guess why they should cut off my light, unless as amere addition to the tediousness of my restraint. I disdained to showannoyance, though I might have thrust my arm through the window anddisplaced the obstruction. Later I saw the reason: it was to prevent myseeing who passed through the court-yard.
It seemed an hour until suddenly my door was flung open. In the doorwayappeared the Captain, beckoning me to come forth. I did so.
Half-way up the hall, a little at one side, stood the Count. Near him,and looking straight toward me, sat the Countess in a great arm-chair.Besides the Captain and myself, those two were the only persons in thehall. Even my guards had disappeared, and all doors leading from thehall were shut.
The Countess, as I have said, was looking straight toward me. Her eyeshad followed the Captain to my door, she wondering what was to come outof it. For assuredly she had not expected me to come out of it. She hadstill trusted that I had gone away in the night--the Count had not toldher otherwise. Her surprise at seeing me was manifest in her startledlook, which was followed by a low cry of compassionate regret.
The Count had been watching her with a painful intentness. He had noteven turned his eyes to see me enter, having trusted to his ears toapprise him. At her display of concern, the skin of his face tightened;though that display was no more than any compassionate lady might havegiven in a similar case. Even the Count, after a moment, appeared tothink more reasonably of her demeanour.
I bowed to her, and stood waiting for what might follow, the Captainnear me.
The Count, turning toward me for an instant to show it was I headdressed, but fixing his gaze again upon his wife and keeping it therewhile he continued speaking to me, delivered himself thus, with mockingirony:
"Monsieur, I will not be so trifling or so churlish as to keep you indoubt regarding your fate. In this chateau, where the right of doom liesin me, you have been, by plain evidence and your own confession, guiltyof the murder of two men. As to what other and worse crimes you haveintended, I say nothing. What you have done is already too much. Thereis only one sufficient punishment. You may thank me for granting youtime of preparation. I will give you two days--a liberal allowance, youwill admit--during which you shall be lodged in a secure place, where insolitude and quiet you may put yourself in readiness for death."
The Countess rose with a cry, "No, no!" Her face and voice were chargedwith something so much more than mere compassion, that I forgot my doomin a wild sweet exultation. At what he perceived, the Count uttered afierce, dismayed ejaculation. The Captain looked at once triumphant andresentful.
"It is enough!" cried the Count hoarsely. "The truth is clear!"
He motioned me away, and the Captain pushed me back into the littleroom, quickly fastening the door. But my feeling was still one ofecstasy rather than horror, for still I saw the Countess's tender eyesin grief for me, still saw her arms reaching out toward me, still heardher voice full of wild protest at my sentence. It was to surprise herreal feelings that she had been brought to hear, in my presence, my doompronounced; and my window had been obstructed that our confrontationmight be as sudden to me as to her, lest by a prepared look I might puther on her guard. This it was that the Captain had suggested, andexcellently it had served. That moment's revelation of her heart, thoughit brought such sweetness into my soul, could only make her fate worseand my sentence irrevocable.
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