The Little Ball O' Fire; or, the Life and Adventures of John Marston Hall

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XX.

  As it is not so much the history of other people that I am writing asmy own, I must now speak for a few minutes of myself, and of all thathad been going on during some years in the little world of my ownbosom. During the last six months, a greater change had taken place inmy mind and my character than I ever remember to have felt at anyother period of my life,--though I suppose that there is no epoch inman's existence, when his feelings and disposition may be consideredas so irrevocably fixed as to be unsusceptible, during the rest of hisdays, of change or modification. The original fabric of the mind, ofcourse, remains the same; but--as education shares with nature in thecharacter of each human being, and as life is but a continualeducation,--I feel convinced that we go on altering from the cradle tothe grave. The tree grows up and spreads, and certainly remains forever the ash, the elm, or the oak that it first sprouted from theground; but its form, and appearance, and size, and strength, andbeauty are changed by winds, and storms, and circumstances, andaccidents, and position, and time; and so, I am convinced, it is withthe human heart. We are all change throughout our being; and were itnot for a few remaining traits, a few slight traces, of earlypredilections and original character, it would be very difficult forthe old man or the man of middle age to prove, even to himself, fromthe state of his own mind, his identity with the young man or the boy.The alterations which had taken place in my own mind and feelings,however, within the last six months, had been so great and rapid, thatthey were even remarkable to myself, and now form, in memory, an epochfrom which I date a new and distinct course of being. My corporealframe, it is true, was also undergoing a change, and rising rapidly,almost prematurely, towards manhood; but my mind was also affected, ina manner totally distinct and apart, by the scenes in which I mingled,by the persons with whom I conversed, and by the deep feelings, strongpassions, and awful events, in all of which I took a part. Scarcely ayear before, scenes of bloodshed and slaughter, energetic attempts anddangerous enterprises, had passed around me as a sort of pageant inwhich I acted my part, without any deep or lasting impression--withoutany great thought or excited passion. It had been all a sort ofyouthful sport to me, which--although I suffered some inconveniences,felt some sorrows, and encountered many dangers--was, upon the whole,more a matter of amusement than of pain. My first deep grief wasoccasioned by the death of my father. My first strongly-roused passionwas the thirst for vengeance upon the man that had slain him. Afterthat came my connexion with Lord Masterton, and certainly the love andaffection that I felt towards him, and the interest I took in his fateand in that of the Lady Emily, prepared the way for what I was nowfeeling: but still it was all very, very different from my intenseparticipation in the passions and the sorrows of Monsieur and Madamede Villardin, and equally so from the sensations of gloom and awe,which the sad events that were passing around me impressed upon mymind. The effect of my conversations with Father Ferdinand I havealready related; and under the influence of the whole together, Ifound my heart losing rapidly its boyish lightness, and becoming, dayby day, susceptible of more deep and powerful sympathies than I everdreamed it was possible to feel. If I may use the expression, duringthe last six months I had been educated in the school of dark andvehement passions, and the lessons that I had received had been atleast so far instructive as to teach me, whatever I felt, to feeldeeply. The boldness and decision of my conduct in former times hadproceeded both from the promptness of determination which my fatherhad inculcated, and from the habit which I had acquired amidst scenesof turbulence and confusion, of valuing human life and all connectedwith it as a mere nothing; but now, although I had learned to estimatealmost everything differently, yet, by having been taught to feel adeep and personal interest in all with whom I became connected, I hadacquired a new and stronger motive for exercising the same promptitudein all circumstances, and employing even more vigorously than beforeall the best energies of my mind.

  Such had become my feelings at the time when Monsieur de Villardinrecovered; and, even in watching by his sick bed, I had experiencedthe greatest difference between the sensations which I then felttowards him, and those which I remembered having undergone inattending upon Lord Masterton under somewhat similar circumstances.For Lord Masterton, indeed, I had felt as much affection and moreesteem; but towards Monsieur de Villardin pity and regret, and manyother mingled sensations, rendered my feelings of interest far moredeep and intense. There were memories and ties between us that couldnever be broken; there was the confidence of dark and secret acts thatcould never be forgotten--there was many a deed of kindness and offeeling, too, which no conduct towards others could cancel as regardedmyself; and even my very suspicions in respect to the last terriblecatastrophe were in themselves a source of mournful, painful, butprofound interest.

  Such, then, as I have said, were my feelings when Monsieur deVillardin recovered; and if I had sympathised with him even under hismadness and his errors, how much more was my affection increasedtowards him by the conduct that he subsequently pursued! The deepgrief, the bitter remorse, the stern self-condemnation which heevidently felt, increased my esteem without diminishing my interest;and his conduct to myself, which I have related in the last chapter,scarcely gratified me so much, I confess, as his contemptuousdismissal of her who had traduced his injured wife.

  The absence of Madame Suzette was most indubitably a relief to thewhole house, with the exception, perhaps, of one person in it. EvenMademoiselle de Villardin, young as she was, seemed to take a part inthe general satisfaction; for she had already, though why I know not,acquired a distaste to the soubrette, which had been strongly apparenteven before her mother's death, as well as a partiality for theDuchess's second woman, Lise, who now became the young lady'sprincipal attendant.

  The departure of Suzette was followed close by that of another person,who, though not so generally disliked in the household, was but littlemore amiable, at least in my eyes, than the soubrette herself. Thiswas Gaspard de Belleville; but it would seem that Monsieur deVillardin had various motives for not dismissing him at once from hisfamily with the same unceremonious decision which he had evincedtowards the woman; and, therefore, waited for an opportunity ofplacing him in a situation, where the road to honour and distinctionwas open to him, if he chose to follow it.

  The first occasion that presented itself also gave rise to a temporaryseparation between Monsieur de Villardin and myself, and may requiresome further explanation than could be afforded by a mere detail ofthe circumstances which took place at the ch?teau. When Monsieur deVillardin had quitted Paris in haste, he had left the Regencytriumphant. The Parliament had become the devoted slave of the Court.The generals had made their peace. The young King, the Queen-mother,and the Cardinal had entered Paris, and regained greater power thanever; and the only shadow of an independent faction that remainedconsisted in the union of the lower classes, led and headed by theCardinal de Retz and the Duke of Beaufort. Mazarin ruled everything;but he soon began to find that a friend, to whose services he owedeverything, might be more difficult to manage than even an enemy. ThePrince de Cond? had restored him to authority, and brought back theCourt in triumph: but, young, vehement, and hasty, he considered hisclaims as inexhaustible, and the slightest opposition he looked uponas an insult. Supported by his brother-in-law, the Duke deLongueville, by his brother, the Prince de Conti, and a number of thefirst nobles of the land, he soon aimed at governing the state,opposed the Court in all its proceedings, dictated to the Regent, andinsulted the minister. The crafty Italian, however, now feelinghimself more secure, determined at once to coalesce with his formerenemies, in order to punish one, who, from his protector, had changedinto his tyrant. To the party of the Fronde, led by the Cardinal deRetz, the great Cond? was, for the time, as much an object of hate andjealousy as he was to Mazarin himself; and, for the purpose ofrevenging upon him the former defeats of the Parisians, De Retzwillingly joined with the minister, for whom he entertained the mostthorough contempt. Taken b
y surprise in the very palace itself, thePrinces of Cond? and Conti, and the Duke de Longueville, were arrestedby the captain of the Queen's guards, and were hurried off as fast aspossible to the castle of Vincennes. Terror immediately seized uponall their partisans, and one half the nobility of France fled fromParis on the day of their arrest. Mary de Bourbon, Duchess ofLongueville, breathing indignation against the enemy of her brothersand her husband, made her escape into Normandy, accompanied by aboutsixty horsemen, and declared that she would once more raise thestandard of civil war. The Duke de Bouillon fled towards the southwith the same purpose; the Mar?chal de Luxembourg took the way toBurgundy; and the celebrated Turenne himself, proceeding intoChampagne, instantly avowed himself the partisan of the Princes, andlevied troops for their deliverance.

  Though such was the general feeling of the principal nobles of theFrench Court, very different, indeed, were the sentiments of thepeople of Paris upon the arrest of the Princes. Led by De Retz andBeaufort, and remembering the insults and defeats which Cond? hadinflicted upon them, the citizens of the capital could hardly findmeans sufficient to express their joy at the indignity offered to thegreatest man of the country. Shouts and songs signalized his downfal.Bonfires blazed at every corner. Even the obnoxious minister himselfwas enthusiastically applauded for his ingratitude to his delivererand protector; and every one declared that after this act, theCardinal himself was no longer a Mazarin.

  Various rumours of these occurrences, which had taken place early inthe year, had reached us in our retirement at Dumont; but I need nottell the reader that we had quite sufficient matter in the events ofour private life to occupy all our thoughts. Even had it not been so,it is more than probable that Monsieur de Villardin would have avoidedtaking any part in the civil dissensions of the time, as he might havefound some difficulty in choosing the party to which he would give hissupport. Bound by ties of intimate regard to the Prince de Cond?, hefelt, of course, anxious for his liberation; and although he hadopposed the Prince himself in the cause of the Parliament, he wasnaturally of a loyal disposition. It is true that, like all the restof the world at that time, he was destined to change his party morethan once, but beyond doubt his own feelings naturally led him towardsthe Court. Under these circumstances, in all probability, he would, asI have said, have remained neuter, notwithstanding that continualdesire for activity which Lord Langleigh had noticed at the time I wasfirst introduced to him: but about the period of which I speak, anapplication was made to him, which--coming as it did at a moment whenany sort of employment offered the prospect of relief from thosebitter and consuming thoughts that preyed upon him,--provedirresistible.

  About three days after the dismissal of Madame Suzette, I was ridingby the side of the Duke in one of the roads leading direct to thech?teau, when we were suddenly encountered by a horseman coming atfull speed, who paused and drew up his horse as soon as he perceivedour party. Singling out Monsieur de Villardin, he at once rode up tohim, and delivered a sealed packet, which was received with that sortof listless air which a combination of sickness and despondency hadleft behind upon the Duke, who demanded carelessly, "From whom?"

  "From the Princess de Cond?, and the Dukes of Bouillon andRochefoucault," replied the courier.

  Three names so friendly to his ears caused Monsieur de Villardin toshow a greater degree of interest than he had done at first; and,turning his horse, he bade the messenger follow, and rode back to thech?teau. After dismounting, he retired to read his letters alone; and,as our proposed ride was thus brought to an end, I proceeded to joinFather Ferdinand, whom I had seen walking in the park as we passed.

  I strolled up and down the different alleys with him for nearly anhour; and though, of course, the deep shadow of the past stilloverhung us both, our conversation was lighter than usual; and thearrival of the messenger from the Princess de Cond? furnished us witha subject, which soon led us to the political events of the day. Withthese Father Ferdinand was much better acquainted than myself; and, inhis brief but perspicuous manner, he gave me a clear view of all thathad been lately passing in the capital. The detail was over, and wewere moralising upon the facts, when a servant approached inbreathless haste, telling me that he and several of his fellows hadbeen seeking me everywhere, as the Duke had demanded to see me sometime before. I followed at once, and found Monsieur de Villardin inhis library with the letters still before him.

  "Here are important tidings, and important requests," he said,pointing to the papers as I entered; "and, among other things to whichthey give rise, there is an expedition for you to perform, if you willundertake it." He looked up as he spoke, for my reply; and I answered,that anything with which he might think fit to charge me, I shouldfeel honoured in performing; and he thus went on:--

  "No, no; you must follow your own judgment, when you have heard whatit is, John Marston. There may be danger in the case, my boy; andcertainly some fatigue and exertion must be expended on the task. Tellme first, what you know of the events which have lately occurred inthe capital. Are you aware that the Prince de Cond? and his brother,as well as Monsieur de Longueville, are both in prison at Vincennes?"

  I replied, that I was well aware of the facts he mentioned, and addedseveral others which I had learned both from general rumour, and fromthe more correct account of Father Ferdinand.

  "Well, then, you know fully sufficient to judge of the risk," repliedMonsieur de Villardin. "You can easily conceive that this notoriouspiece of injustice, committed in the case of three such distinguishedpersons, has set all France in a flame; and almost every man ofhonourable feeling is now putting his foot in the stirrup to compelthe Cardinal to liberate the Princes. Monsieur de Bouillon hereinforms me, that the cause in Guienne is in the most hopeful state;and adjures me, both by my regard for him and by my regard for thePrince de Cond?, to join him immediately with what force I cancollect.

  "At the same time, the Princess de Cond?, while making a similarrequest, does not conceal that, by the influence used in Paris, shetrusts to see her husband at liberty in a few weeks. Now, as the onlymotive which could induce me to join the party of the Princes would betheir continued imprisonment, I much desire, without calling attentionupon myself, to ascertain the real state of the negotiations inParis."

  He then explained to me, that it was his wish I should instantly setout for the capital, and, conferring with Gourville--an attendant ofthe Duke de Rochefoucault, then in Paris, employed in endeavouring toeffect the liberation of the Princes,--that I should make myself fullyacquainted with every particular of their situation. At the same timehe proposed to send Gaspard de Belleville to the Duke de Bouillon andthe Princess de Cond?, charged with a message to the purport that hewould join them at the end of three weeks, if he found that thePrinces were not likely to be liberated within a month.

  Of course, I willingly undertook the task; and I could plainly seealso that Monsieur de Villardin, although he was unwilling to commithimself again with the Court, was secretly delighted with the prospectof once more entering upon an active course of life, which, byconstant employment, would afford the means of withdrawing histhoughts from all the painful subjects on which they now rested.Eagerly and rapidly he drew up a letter to Gourville, bidding himconfide entirely in me; and, having given it to me, he made me remarkthat he had written on the back. "By the hands of Monsieur deJuvigny."

  "You must, on no account," he added, "appear as a foreigner, which, inParis, would instantly call upon you a degree of attention that is tobe avoided by all means. You have now no longer the slightest accent,except, indeed, it be a touch of the _patois_ of Bretagne; which,however, will the more confirm the Parisians in the belief that youare a Frenchman, and you may boldly pass yourself as a Breton evenupon Gourville himself. I must furnish you, however, with plenty ofthat golden oil which makes all doors turn easily upon their hinges;and, remember, spare no expense to reach Paris soon, and to returnquickly; for every hour spent upon the road is lost to betterpurposes. Not so, however, with your inquiries: let th
em be diligentand minute; do not come away without knowing everything that can beknown; and remember, that should fortune, which has been favourable toyou in many instances, put it in your power to aid or serve the Princede Cond?, you have my strongest injunction to do so."

  Whether he suspected that such would, indeed, prove the case, I do notknow; but he three times spoke of the chance of my serving the Princeas not impossible, and reiterated his charge to take advantage of it,if it did occur. He then added a great many cautions and explanationsfor the direction of my conduct, and gave me a larger sum of moneythan ever I had possessed before. To all this he joined a number ofbillets of introduction to different persons of his acquaintance inParis, conceived in the following terms:--

  "_To Monsieur de_----

  "Know and put full confidence in my young friend, Monsieur de Juvigny.

  (Signed) "De Villardin."

  I found that this sort of _letter of credit_ had been common in thetimes of the former war; and as it committed no party to anything,even if seized, was of course very convenient. Everything elseapparently being arranged, I was taking my leave, intending to set outinstantly, and alone, when Monsieur de Villardin, to my surprise, bademe take two of the servants, whom he named, to give me assistance incase of need.

  "No, no, my lord," I said, "for heaven's sake do not inflict suchshackles upon me; I shall be much better by myself; and as toassistance, I shall want none, depend upon it. I have always been ableto make my own eyes find my own way, and my own hand keep my own headsince I was eight years old, and with your permission I will go alone.Besides, if I took any of the servants from this place, I should havemy English birth and education known to every one they came near infive minutes--especially if we bade them keep it secret."

  "Well, well, do as you please," replied the Duke; "but if you goalone, you had a great deal better ride post; for, as I know you arean indefatigable horseman, you will by that means be able to doublethe distance in the same space of time."

  To this I willingly agreed, and it having been arranged that I was atleast to take a servant with me as far as the next relay, in order tobring back my own horse, I left Monsieur de Villardin, and proceededto make my preparations, which, I need not say, were brief enough.