by G. A. Henty
Chapter 5: A New Friend.
The baron sent a servant to request his daughter to come down.
"I am going now, with Monsieur Kennedy, to the palace, Anne," hesaid, as she entered. "I do not suppose that we shall be absentvery long. I have been talking matters over with him, and I thinkthat he agrees with my view of them."
"But I have hardly spoken to him, yet, father!"
"You will have an opportunity of doing so, when we return.Monsieur Kennedy will, of course, dine with us. After the servicethat he has rendered to us, we have a right to consider him asbelonging to us."
"Had I had an idea of this," Desmond said, as they walked up thehill towards the palace gate, "I should have put on my fulluniform. This undress is scarcely the attire in which one wouldappear before the King of France, who is, as I have heard, mostparticular in matters of etiquette."
"He is so," the baron said. "He will know that you could not beprepared for an audience, and doubtless he will receive you in hisprivate closet."
On ascending the grand staircase, the baron gave his name to oneof the court chamberlains.
"I have orders," the latter said, "to take you at once, on yourpresenting yourself, to His Majesty's closet, instead of enteringthe audience chamber."
They were conducted along a private passage, of considerablelength. On arriving at a door, the chamberlain asked them to wait,while he went inside to ascertain whether His Majesty wasdisengaged.
"His Majesty will see you in a few minutes, Baron," he said, whenhe came out. "The Duc d'Orleans is with him, but, hearing yourname announced for a private audience, he is taking his leave."
In two or three minutes a handbell sounded in the room, and thechamberlain, who at once entered, returned in a moment, andconducted the baron and Desmond into the king's private apartment.
"Allow me to present, to Your Majesty," the former said, "MonsieurDesmond Kennedy, an officer in O'Brien's regiment, and an Irishgentleman of good family."
The king, who was now far advanced in life, looked at the youngman with some surprise.
"I had expected to see an older man," he said.
"Though you told me, Baron, he was but an ensign, I looked to seea man of the same type as so many of my gallant Irish officers,ready for any desperate service.
"So, young sir, you have begun early, indeed, to play havoc amongmy liege subjects, for I hear that you, and a soldier with you,slew four of them."
"Hardly your liege subjects, Your Majesty, if I may venture to sayso; for, assuredly, they were not engaged in lawful proceedings,when I came upon them."
A slight smile crossed the king's face. He was accustomed toadulation, and the simple frankness with which this young soldierventured to discuss the propriety of the word he used surprisedand amused him.
"You are right, sir. These fellows, who are ready to undertake anyservice, however criminal, for which they are paid, certainly donot deserve to be called liege subjects. Now, I would hear from,your own lips, how it was that you thrust yourself into a matterwith which you had no concern; being wholly ignorant, Iunderstand, that the lady whose voice you heard was MademoisellePointdexter."
"The matter was very simple, Sire. Having joined the regiment buta few months, and being naturally anxious to perfect myself inexercises in arms, I have but little time to stir out, during theday, and of an evening I frequently go for long rambles, takingwith me my soldier servant. I had, that evening, gone farther thanusual, the night being fair and the weather balmy, and naturally,when I heard the cry of a woman in distress, I determined to seewhat had happened, as it might well be that murder was beingdone."
He then related all the circumstances of his obtaining an entranceinto the gardens, of the attack upon him by the guard, and how hefinally brought Mademoiselle Pointdexter to Versailles. The kinglistened attentively.
"It was an exploit I should have loved to perform, when I was yourage, Monsieur Kennedy. You behaved in the matter with singulardiscretion and gallantry; but, if you intend always to interfere,when you hear a woman cry out, it is like that your time will bepretty well occupied; and that, before long, there will be avacancy in the ranks of your regiment. Truly, Monsieur le Baronand his daughter have reason for gratitude that you happened to bepassing at the time; and I, as King of France, am glad that thisoutrage on a lady of the court has failed.
"I am, perhaps, not altogether without blame in the matter. Ashort time ago, the Vicomte de Tulle told me that he hoped tobetter his fortune by a rich marriage. He named no names, nor saidaught of the measures he intended to adopt. But I said it would bewell that he should do so, for rumours had reached me that hisfinances were in disorder. Whether he took this as a permission touse any means that he thought fit I cannot tell; and I certainlydid not suspect, when I heard of the disappearance of Mademoisellede Pointdexter, that he had any hand in it, and was shocked whenthe baron came here and denounced him to me. I am glad, indeed,that his enterprise was thwarted, for it was a most unworthy one.
"You are too young, yet, for me to grant you military promotion,but this will be a proof of my approbation of your conduct, andthat the King of France is determined to suppress all irregularitiesat his court."
And, taking a diamond ring from his finger, he handed it toDesmond, who went on one knee to receive it.
"You will please inform your colonel that, when he comes toVersailles, I request he will always bring you with him."
The audience was evidently finished, and the baron and Desmond,bowing deeply, left the king's cabinet. The baron did not speak,till they left the palace.
"Louis has his faults," the baron then said, "but no one couldplay the part of a great monarch more nobly than he does. I haveno doubt, whatever, that de Tulle relied implicitly upon obtaininghis forgiveness, had he succeeded in forcing Anne into marryinghim; though, doubtless, he would have feigned displeasure for atime. He has extricated himself most gracefully. I can quitebelieve that he did not imagine his favourite intended to adopt socriminal a course, to accomplish the matter of which he spoke tohim, but he could not fail to have his suspicions, when he heardof Anne's disappearance. However, we can consider the affair ashappily ended, except for the matter of Monsieur de la Vallee, ofwhom I spoke to you.
"And now, sir, that the king has expressed his gratitude to you,for saving his court from a grave scandal, how can I fitly expressmy own, at the inestimable service that you have rendered us?"
"I should say, Baron, that it will be most welcomely expressed, ifyou will abstain from saying more of the matter. It is a simpleone. I went to the assistance of a woman in distress; andsucceeded, at the expense of this trifling wound, in accomplishingher rescue. The lady happened to be your daughter, but had shebeen but the daughter of some little bourgeois of Paris, carriedoff by a reckless noble, it would have been the same. Much morehas been made of the matter than there was any occasion for. Ithas gained for me the approbation and thanks of the king, to saynothing of this ring, which, although I am no judge of suchmatters, must be a very valuable one, or he would not have wornit; and I have had the pleasure of rendering a service to you, andMademoiselle de Pointdexter. Therefore, I feel far more than dulyrewarded, for a service somewhat recklessly undertaken on the spurof the moment."
"That may be very well, as far as it interests yourself, MonsieurKennedy; but not so far as I am concerned, and I fear I shall haveto remain your debtor till the end of my life. All I can say atpresent is that I hope that, as soon as you can obtain leave, youwill come as a most honoured guest to my chateau. There you willsee me under happier circumstances. The life of a country seigneuris but a poor preparation for existence in this court, where,although there is no longer the open licentiousness that prevailedin the king's younger days, there is yet, I believe, an equalamount of profligacy, though it has been sternly discountenancedsince Madame Maintenon obtained an absolute, and I may say awell-used, influence over His Majesty."
"I shall be happy, indeed, to pay you a visit, Baron, if mymilitary dut
ies will permit my absenting myself, for a time, fromParis. All I know of France is its capital, and nothing would giveme greater pleasure than to have the opportunity of seeing itscountry life, in so pleasant a manner."
"Our pleasure would be no less than your own, Monsieur Kennedy.
"There is one thing I must warn you about, and that is, you mustbe careful for a time not to go out after dark. De Tulle has anevil reputation, and is vindictive as well as unscrupulous.Doubtless, he has agents here who will, by this time, havediscovered who it was that brought his daring scheme to naught;and it is, to my mind, more than probable that he will endeavourto be revenged."
"I shall be on my guard," Desmond said quietly.
"You must be careful, indeed," the baron said. "Against openviolence you can well defend yourself, but against a blow frombehind with a dagger, skill and courage are of little avail. Whenyou go out after dark, I pray you let your army servant followclosely behind you, and see that his sword is loose in itsscabbard."
Desmond nodded.
"Believe me, I will take every precaution. It is not likely thatthere will long be need for it, for none can doubt that militaryoperations will soon begin on a large scale, and we are notlikely, if that is the case, to be kept in garrison in Paris."
When Desmond arrived that evening at the barracks, he found thatthe story of the rescue of Mademoiselle de Pointdexter was alreadyknown, and also that the Vicomte de Tulle had been the abductor,and had, in consequence, been banished from court. The baron hadindeed related the circumstances to some of his intimate friends,but the story had varied greatly as it spread, and it had come tobe reported that an officer had brought a strong body of soldiers,who had assaulted the house where she was confined, and, after adesperate conflict, had annihilated the guard that had been placedover her.
Desmond laughed, as this story was told to him, when he enteredthe room where the officers were gathered. The narrator concluded:
"As you have been to Versailles, Kennedy, doubtless you will haveheard all the latest particulars. Have you learnt who was theofficer, what regiment he belonged to, and how came he to have abody of soldiers with him, outside the town? For they say that thehouse where she was confined was a mile and a half beyond thewalls."
There was no longer any reason for concealment. The matter hadbecome public. The baron would certainly mention his name, andindeed his visit to the palace, and the private audience given tohim and the baron, would assuredly have been noted.
"Your story is quite new to me," he said, "and is swollen, in thetelling, to undue proportions. The real facts of the case are byno means so romantic. The truth of the story, by this time, isgenerally known, as Mademoiselle Pointdexter and her father havemany friends at court. The affair happened to myself."
"To you, Kennedy?" was exclaimed, in astonishment, by all thosepresent.
"Exactly so," he said. "Nothing could have been more simple. Theevening before last I was, as usual, taking a walk and, the nightbeing fine, I passed beyond the gate. Presently, I heard a screamand a woman's cry for help. None of you, gentlemen, could havebeen insensible to such an appeal. Callaghan and I climbed over apretty high gate. Not knowing what force there might be in theplace, we occupied ourselves, at first, by unbarring and shootingthe lock of the gate. The bolts were stiff, and we made some noiseover it, which brought out five men. These we disposed of, after ashort fight, in which I got this graze on the cheek, and Callaghanhis sword wound in the shoulder."
"How did you dispose of them, Kennedy?" the colonel asked.
"I ran two of them through. Callaghan cut down one, and shotanother. The fifth man cried for mercy, and we simply tied him up.
"We then found Mademoiselle Pointdexter, and, learning from herthat the carriage in which she had been brought there was, withits horses, still in the stable, we got it out, harnessed thehorses, and put an old woman who was mademoiselle's attendant inthe carriage with her. Mike took the reins, I mounted a saddlehorse, and we drove her to her father's house at Versailles, sawher fairly inside, and then, as you know, got back here just asthe regiment was forming up on parade."
"A very pretty adventure, indeed," the colonel said warmly, andloud expressions of approbation rose from the other listeners.
"And why did you not tell us, when you came in?" the colonel wenton.
"I had not seen Baron Pointdexter, and did not know what course hewould take--whether he would think it best to hush the matter upaltogether, or to lay a complaint before the king; and, until Iknew what he was going to do, it seemed to me best that I shouldhold my tongue, altogether.
"When I went to Versailles, today, I found that he had laid hiscomplaint before the king, and that the Vicomte de Tulle, who wasthe author of the outrage, had been ordered to his estates. I maysay that I had the honour of a private interview with His Majesty,who graciously approved of my conduct, and gave me this ring," andhe held out his hand, "as a token of his approval."
"Well, gentlemen, you will agree with me," the colonel said, "thatour young ensign has made an admirable debut, and I am sure thatwe are all proud of the manner in which he has behaved; and ouranticipations, that he would prove a credit to the regiment, havebeen verified sooner than it seemed possible."
"They have, indeed, Colonel," the major said. "It was, in everyway, a risky thing for him to have attempted. I do not meanbecause of the odds that he might have to face, but because of thetrouble that he might have got into, by forcing his way into aprivate house. The scream might have come from a mad woman, orfrom a serving wench receiving a whipping for misconduct."
"I never thought anything about it, Major. A woman screamed forhelp, and it seemed to me that help should be given. I did notthink of the risk, either from armed men inside--for I had noreason to believe that there were such--or of civil indictment forbreaking in. We heard the cry, made straight for the house, and,as it turned out, all went well."
"Well, indeed," the colonel said. "You have rescued a wealthyheiress from a pitiable fate. You have fleshed your maiden swordin the bodies of two villains. You have earned the gratitude ofthe young lady and her father, and have received the approval ofHis Majesty--a very good night's work, altogether. Now, tell us alittle more about it."
Desmond was compelled to tell the story in much further detailthan before. The colonel ordered in a dozen of champagne, and itwas late before the party broke up.
"You see, we were pretty nearly right in our guess," O'Neil said,as he and O'Sullivan walked across with Desmond to their quarters."We said that we thought it likely she might have been carried offby one of the court gallants, who felt tolerably confident that,if successful, the king would overlook the offence. This fellow,thanks to your interference, did not succeed; and the king has lethim off, lightly enough, by only banishing him from court. If ithad been anyone but one of his favourites, he would, by this time,have been a tenant of the Bastille.
"I do not think, myself, that his punishment was adequate; butthen, I am not a courtier, and should be rather glad than not, tobe sent away to any estates I might have."
"But," Desmond remarked, "I suppose the punishment is a severe oneto these men, accustomed to a round of pleasure and dissipation,and who consider it the highest of earthly honours to be in favourwith the king. However, no one could be kinder than His Majestyhas been, on the subject. At the reception last night, at which heordered the baron and his daughter to appear, he showed her themost marked favour, and particularly put a stop to all scandals,by saying loudly that de Tulle had never seen her, after the firstmorning of her capture."
Six days later, when Desmond was engaged in the fencing room,Callaghan came in, and told him that a gentleman was at hisquarters, wishing particularly to see him.
"What is his name?"
"Sure, and I don't know, your honour. He did not mention it, andit was not for the likes of me to ask him."
"Ridiculous, Mike! In future, when anyone comes and wishes to seeme, you will say, 'What name shall I tell Mr. Kennedy?'"
He put on his uniform coat reluctantly, for he was engaged in aninteresting bout with a professor, who was an old friend of themaitre d'armes. As he entered his room, a young man, who had beenstaring out of the window, and drumming impatiently with hisfingers, turned. He was a stranger to Desmond.
"I am Desmond Kennedy, sir," the young officer said. "To what do Iowe the honour of this visit?"
The other did not reply, but stood looking at him, in so strangeand earnest a way, that Desmond felt almost uneasy.
"Sir," his visitor said at last, advancing to him and holding outboth hands, "when I tell you that my name is Philip de la Vallee,you will understand what must strike you as my singular behaviour.I arrived last night at Versailles, and heard all that hadhappened. You can imagine, therefore, that my heart is almost toofull for words, with gratitude and thankfulness."
Desmond was moved by the emotion of his visitor, and their handsmet in a hearty clasp. Monsieur de la Vallee was a young man, offour or five and twenty, well proportioned, and active and sinewyfrom his devotion to field sports. He was about the same height asDesmond himself, but the latter, who had not yet finished growing,was larger boned, and would broaden into a much bigger and morepowerful man.
"Henceforth, Monsieur Kennedy," de la Vallee went on, "I hope thatwe shall be as brothers, and more. Had it not been for you, mylife would have been a ruined one. What agony have I been saved!It makes me mad, to think that I was idling at home, ignorant thatmy beloved had been carried away. I do not blame the baron for notinforming me, and I acknowledge that the reasons he gave me weregood ones. I could have done nothing, and should but have added tohis troubles by my anxiety and anger. Still, he told me that, inanother day or two, he would have felt that I ought no longer tobe kept in the dark, and would have summoned me to Paris. I amthankful now that he did not do so, for I believe that myimpotence to do anything would have driven me almost todistraction."
"I agree with you that the baron acted wisely," Kennedy said. "Hadnot chance, or Providence, taken me past the house where she wasimprisoned, at the very moment when Mademoiselle Pointdexter criedfor help, she might, for aught I can say, have remained a captivethere for months, or even years."
"It was Providence, indeed, Monsieur Kennedy. Providence, not onlythat she should have cried at that moment, but that her criesshould have reached the ears of one so ready and able to save her.And now, I pray you, call me Philip, and allow me to call youDesmond, as a pledge of our close friendship."
"With pleasure," Kennedy replied; and the compact was sealed withanother close grasp of the hand.
"It is strange, Desmond, that while the king, who had but littleinterest in the matter, could present you, as I am told he did,with a diamond ring, the baron and I, who owe you so much, can donothing to show our gratitude."
Desmond smiled.
"I can assure you that I need no such tokens," he said. "Thethanks that I have received, from you both, are infinitely moregrateful to me than any amount of rings and jewels."
"And now, my friend," Philip de la Vallee went on, "my own burningdesire is to go to de Tulle, as soon as I have accompanied thebaron and Anne to their home; first, to publicly chastise thisvillain noble; and then, of course, to fight him. Naturally, Ihave said nothing of this to the baron, but I feel, after what hashappened, that in you I shall find an adviser, and a sympathizer."
"I sympathize with you, most heartily, Philip, and in your placeshould feel the same impulse; and yet, it would not be wise togive way to it. I say this on the ground that he is a notoriouslygood swordsman, and that, instead of your taking vengeance uponhim, he might kill you.
"I feel that that argument would not have any influence with youpersonally, but, taking your position with regard to Mademoisellede Pointdexter, it should have great weight. You can judge, fromwhat you would have felt yourself, had you been aware of herdisappearance, what she would feel, did she hear of your death inthis quarrel. Were you her brother, I should say that you would beright--nay, that it would be your duty to endeavour to punish theoutrage against the honour of your family. Were you openlybetrothed to her, you would again have the right to punish herabductor; but, not being either her brother or her betrothed,neither reason nor public opinion would justify your doing so.Moreover, did you fight with him and kill him, you would incur thegravest resentment of the king; for, in fact, you would beimpugning his justice, which has considered banishment from courtto be a sufficient punishment for his offence. Not only was he afavourite of the king's, but he belongs, I understand, to apowerful family; who would, you may be sure, use their influencewith the king to bring about your punishment, for the breach ofthe decree against duelling, and you would be fortunate if youescaped a long imprisonment."
The other was silent.
"I feel that you are right," he said, at last, "but, indeed, it ishard that I should not be able to avenge this outrage upon thelady who is to be my wife. I may tell you that, as soon as wereturn home, our formal betrothal is to take place, and ere longour marriage will be celebrated; but I shall feel lowered, in myown esteem, if I sit down quietly under this injury."
"I do not see that," Desmond said. "If you abstain fromchallenging de Tulle, it is from no fear of the consequences, butit is, as I have shown you, because, whatever the issue of thecontest, it would be bad both for you and her. If you were killed,her life would be spoilt. If you killed him, you might languishfor years in one of the royal prisons. The king prides himself onhis justice, and, by all accounts, rightly so; and I am sure thathe would feel the deepest resentment, were you or anyone to show,by your actions, that you considered he has favoured thetransgressor."
"You are right, Desmond; and, at any rate for the present, I willput my intention aside; but should he ever cross my path,assuredly I will have a reckoning with him.
"But how is it that you, who are at least eight years younger thanI am, should argue as an old counsellor rather than a youngensign?"
"I suppose, in the first place, it is from my bringing up. I livedwith and was educated by a good priest, one not wanting inmanliness and energy, but who often deplored the system ofduelling, which is as strong with us as it is here, and denouncedit as a relic of barbarism, and, at any rate, never to be put inuse on account of a heated quarrel over wine, but only if somedeadly injury had been inflicted, and even then better left alone.Of course, as an officer in one of His Majesty's regiments, Ishould be obliged to conform to the general usage; for, did Idecline, I should be regarded as having brought dishonour on thecorps. But my case differs altogether from yours.
"In the next place, knowing you were coming to Versailles, Ithought over what course you would be likely to pursue, andconsidered it was probable you would lose no time in challengingde Tulle. I have thought the matter over, in every light, and madeup my mind to endeavour to dissuade you from doing so, if theopportunity offered.
"So you see," he added with a smile, "I had prepared my array ofarguments against it; and I cannot but think that the opinion ofone interested, but not vitally so, on a point, is rather to betaken than that of a person smarting under an injury."
"And now, to turn to other matters. In three days we start for thesouth. The baron accompanied me here, and went to see yourcolonel, while I came to your quarters. His object was to ask himto grant you a month's leave of absence, with the provision, ofcourse, that you should return at once, if the regiment wasordered on service."
"It is kind, indeed, of him," Desmond said, "but I doubt whetherthe colonel will assent. It is not a month since I was dismissedfrom drill, and took my place with my company, and I doubt whetherhe will consider that I am sufficiently versed in my duties, orthat, after being so short a time in the regiment, I have anyright to leave."
"What you say is right enough, under ordinary circumstances, butthese are altogether extraordinary. Then, after what you havedone, he will feel it but natural that we should wish to have youwith us for a time. Moreover, I do not consider that our journeywill be altoget
her unattended by danger. From what I have heard ofde Tulle, he is a man who never forgives, and will pursue hisobject with the pertinacity of a bloodhound. He has failed in hisfirst attempt, but there is no reason why he should not renew it,confident, perhaps, that if successful the king, though he mayfeel it necessary to feign much anger for a time, will finallyforgive him and take him into favour again, especially as hisfamily would bring all their influence to bear to bring thisabout. Doubtless, he will be kept perfectly informed of what isgoing on here. There are several forests to be traversed on theway, and these are, for the most part, the haunts of robber bands;and, should the carriage be found overturned, and the baron andhis daughter missing, it would be put down as their work. Havingthe baron as well as his daughter in his power, de Tulle wouldfind it easier than before to compel Anne to purchase her father'sfreedom, as well as her own, by consenting to his terms.
"Therefore, you see, the aid of a sword like yours would bevaluable, and no doubt your servant, who is also a sturdy fighter,will accompany us."
"I can hardly think that de Tulle would venture upon so bold astroke as that, and yet he might do so. Men of that kind are notaccustomed to be thwarted, and it would be a satisfaction to hisresentment at his former failure, as well as the attainment of thewide estates of which Anne is heiress."
At this moment there was a knock at the door, and the baronentered.
"My dear Monsieur Kennedy," he said, "I have succeeded. ColonelO'Brien has been pleased to say that you have been so assiduous,in learning your duties, that he considers you as capable ofperforming them as any of his subalterns; and that you have justbrought so much credit on the regiment, that he is pleased to beable to grant the favour I asked. Here is your furlough, dulysigned. Now it only rests with yourself, to accept or refuse myinvitation."
"I accept it most gladly, Baron. It will give me the greatestpleasure to accompany you, and mademoiselle, and Monsieur de laVallee, whom I now regard as a dear friend, to your home."
"That is settled, then," the baron said. "We start early onThursday morning. It would be well, therefore, if you were to rideover on Wednesday evening, and occupy one of the many sparechambers there are in the house."
"I will do so willingly; and I shall ask the colonel to allow myservant to accompany me."
"That is already settled. I told Colonel O'Brien that I owed muchto him also, and he at once acceded to my request, saying that,although the wound is healing, the surgeon said that it would be afortnight, yet, before he will be fit for service; and, moreover,that it was a custom when an officer went on leave that he should,if he wished it, take his soldier servant with him."
"Thank you again, Baron. Mike is a faithful fellow, and a shrewdone. I am so accustomed now to his services that I should missthem, and his talk, very much."
"Have you heard, Mike," Desmond asked, when his servant came up tohis room, after the baron and Philip de la Vallee had left, "thatyou are to go with me, to stay for a month, at Pointdexter?"
"I have, your honour. Sure, I was sent for to the colonel'squarters, and there I found a tall gentleman, whom I had neverseen before, as far as I knew.
"'This is Mike Callaghan, Mr. Kennedy's servant,' the colonelsaid, and the baron stepped forward, and shook hands with me, forall the world as if I had been a noble like himself; and he said:
"'My brave fellow, I have to thank you for the aid you gave yourmaster in rescuing my daughter, in which service you received thewound which still keeps your arm in a sling. Here is a token thatwe are not ungrateful for the service. If you will take my advice,you will hand it to an agent of mine here in Paris, who will keepit for you, and you may find it useful when the time comes for youto take your discharge.'
"So saying, he put a heavy purse into my hand, and said:
"'You will find my agent's name and address on a card inside thepurse. I shall go round to him, now, and tell him that you arecoming, and that he is to use the money to your advantage, and tohand it over to you whenever you choose to ask for it. Your masteris coming down to stay for a month with me, and Colonel O'Brienhas granted leave for you to accompany him.'
"I thanked him heartily, as you may believe, sir; though, as Isaid, I wanted no reward for obeying your orders, and for theshare I took in that little skirmish. After I came out, I lookedinto the purse, which was mighty heavy, expecting to find ahandful of crowns; and it fairly staggered me when I found that itwas full of gold pieces, and on counting them, found that therewere a hundred louis. Never did I dream that I should be so rich.Why, your honour, when I lave the regiment, which will not be formany a long year, I hope, I shall be able to settle downcomfortably, for the rest of my life, in a snug little shebeen, oron a bit of land with a cottage and some pigs, and maybe a cow ortwo; and it is all to your honour I owe it, for if you hadn'tgiven the word, it would never have entered my head to attack agentleman's house, merely because I heard a woman scream."
"Well, I am heartily glad, Mike; and I hope that you will take itstraight to the agent's, and not break in upon it, by treatinghalf the regiment to drink."
"I will, your honour. It was given me to stow away for the timewhen I might want it, and though I don't say that my owninclinations would not lead me to trate a few of the boys, I feelthat I ought to do what the gentleman told me."
"Certainly you should, Mike. If you once began to spend it in thatway, it is not one louis, but five or more, that would disappearin a few hours. I am heartily glad that the baron has sohandsomely rewarded you for the service, and if you like, I willgo round with you this afternoon to his agent, and see the moneysafely deposited."
"Thank you, your honour. I sha'n't feel easy, as long as I havegot it in my pouch. I should suspict everyone who came near me,and should never dare take my hand off it, lest someone else mightput his in."
"You are a lucky fellow, Kennedy," O'Neil said, when Desmond toldhis two comrades of the arrangements that had been made. "And, ifyou go on like this, the regiment will believe that any goodfortune that may fall to its lot is the result of your luck."
"I really do not like having leave given to me, when I have beensuch a short time in the regiment. It does not seem fair uponothers."
"No one will grudge you that," O'Sullivan said. "It is not as ifwe were at home. Then, of course, everyone would like his turn.But here, although we are soldiers of France, we are as strangersin the land. Here in Paris we have many acquaintances, and awelcome at most of the receptions; but that is the end of it. Itis seldom, indeed, that we are invited into the country houses ofthose we know. That sort of hospitality is not the fashion inFrance. Here, nobles may throw open their houses to all gentlemenby birth who happen to be presented to them, but at home they arerigidly exclusive; and, moreover, I am inclined to think theyregard us Irishmen as detrimental and dangerous. Many Irishmenmake exceedingly good matches, and we are regarded as having a waywith us, with the girls, that is likely to interfere with thearrangements their parents have made for their marriages. Now, itseems to me that your baron must be a very confiding oldgentleman, or he would never take you to stay in the society ofthe young lady who owes so much to you. Faith, it seems to me thatyou have the ball at your feet, and that you have only to go inand win. From what I hear, Mademoiselle Pointdexter is no olderthan you are yourself, and it is a glorious chance for you."
Desmond broke into a laugh.
"My dear O'Sullivan," he said, "it seems to me that it is thefavourite dream of Irish soldiers of fortune, that they mayimprove their circumstances by marriage."
"Well, there is no easier or more pleasant way," his friend said,stoutly.
"Possibly I may come to think so, in another ten years," Desmondwent on, "but, at present, I have no more thought of marrying thanI have of becoming king of France. The idea is altogether absurd,and it happens to be particularly so, in the present case, sinceone of the objects of my going down to Pointdexter is that I maybe present at the formal betrothal of this young lady, to Monsieurde la Vallee, a neighbour of theirs
, whom I had the pleasure ofmeeting this afternoon, and to whom she is tenderly attached."
"By the powers, but that is unlucky, Kennedy!" O'Neil said; "and Ihave been thinking that your fortune was made, and that theregiment would soon lose you, as you would, of course, settle downas a magnate in Languedoc; and now, it seems that what we thoughtthe proper sequence of your adventure, is not to come off, afterall. Well, lad, I congratulate you on putting a good face on it,and hiding your disappointment."
"What nonsense you talk!" Desmond said, laughing. "It is you whohave been building castles, not I, and it is your disappointmentthat they have fallen to pieces."