CHAPTER XXV.
It may be easily conceived, that every word I had just heard hadinterested me deeply, and Suzette might certainly have continued herhistory without agitating me more than my own thoughts did while shewas absent. I counted every moment till her return; and when at lengthshe reappeared, I eagerly besought her to proceed with herexplanation, which she did at once, in a brief--even abrupt style,that led me to imagine that she was under the constant apprehension ofinterruption.
"As I had anticipated," she continued, "the Count de Mesnil was notlong in following us into Brittany; and, having seen how easily themind of Monsieur de Villardin was to be worked upon, Gaspard andmyself determined, as we could not render the Duchess guilty, torender her husband jealous. Nor did we now seek to do so incompletely,by raising vague suspicions, but we proposed to give him such evidenceof the conduct of Madame de Villardin, and of your connivance in theviews of the Count de Mesnil, that we should rid ourselves of you forever, place the Duke entirely in our power, and gain the highest placein the confidence of our lord.
"Monsieur de Mesnil was not at all unaware of the influence of themaid in such pursuits as that in which he was then engaged, and, onhis first visit to the Pr?s Vall?e, he found an opportunity of holdinga long conference with me, the result of which was no small increaseof hope on his part, and considerable profits on mine. Although hewas, it is true, one of those men who call themselves men of pleasure,and who make intrigue not only a business, but a toilsome one, in thepresent instance I found that he had been drawn beyond all coldcalculations, and that he was certainly in love as deeply andpassionately as any boy. He besought me, eagerly and anxiously, toobtain for him but a lock of my mistress's hair; and of course thiswas no very difficult undertaking. The lock was easily cut awayunperceived, while I was superintending her toilet; and, havingenclosed it in the locket which the Count had given me for thepurpose, I took the liberty of adding thereto part of a broad blueriband which my mistress had bought just before we quitted Paris,trusting that the ingenuity of Gaspard and myself would easily findsome means of bringing these objects under the notice of Monsieur deVillardin. The next thing was, if possible, to make you the bearer ofthe packet to Monsieur de Mesnil; and Gaspard caused one of theyounger pages to give the locket itself, carefully wrapped in numerousenvelopes, into your hands, begging you, the first time you passed inhunting near the ch?teau of the Count, to deliver it to his intendant.The outer paper was addressed to the intendant, the inner bore thesuperscription of Monsieur de Mesnil, written in a hand as nearlysimilar to that of the Duchess as I could make it. The boy who gave itto you was told, in case of after-inquiry on the part of Monsieur deVillardin, to say boldly that Gaspard gave it him; Gaspard was to putit upon me, and I was at once to avow, that I had received the packetfrom Madame de Villardin, each declaring our ignorance of thecontents, but Gaspard vowing that he had heard the Duchess direct meto place it carefully in your hands, as you would know what to do withit. In addition to this, I was to excuse my not having given it to youmyself, on the score of my dislike to you; and Gaspard was to make thesame apology, adding, that he had seen too much of your cogging withMonsieur de Mesnil to have anything to do with the business. The nextpart of our plan was to have you so well watched, that we shouldobtain information of when you were likely to deliver the packet,which we well knew you would do boldly and without concealment; andthen to excite the suspicions of the Duke, who, we doubted not, wouldinstantly stop the packet and examine its contents.
"Such was the scheme we formed, adding thereto a thousand minortouches, in order to make every part tell against you and the Duchess;but the impatience of the Count de Mesnil ruined all. He returned tothe Pr?s Vall?e the very day after you had received the commission,and, taking me off my guard, led me foolishly to acknowledge that Ihad obtained the lock of hair he sought. Under those circumstances,there was nothing farther to be done than to get the packet out ofyour hands, which was effected by means of the boy who had given it toyou; and the Count--who on that occasion stayed three days at thech?teau,--received it with both delight and gratitude, of which lastaffection I received golden proofs. On the very day of his departure,Gaspard discovered that the Duke was called to Rennes on businesswhich would detain him in that city many hours; and, of course,through my intervention, this piece of news was communicated toMonsieur de Mesnil before he took his leave. He did not inform me whatuse he intended to make of these tidings, but I took good care to seethat all doors were open, and the two younger pages out of the way.About half-an-hour after the Duke's departure for Rennes, I saw theCount approaching on foot; and, turning from the window to myembroidery, I left the rest to take its course.
"In less than ten minutes, the Duchess entered her chamber, with hercheek flushed and her eye flashing, and I easily discovered, from herwhole appearance, that Monsieur de Mesnil had received a rebuff, forwhich I determined to console him by calling to his mind all thatperseverance can do with woman. In this purpose, however, I wasdisappointed, for I never saw the Count again. I suspect," she added,gazing on me steadily, "that you could tell more in regard to thataffair!--but no matter; I am making a confession, not receivingone.--Shortly after the disappearance of the Count de Mesnil, Monsieurde Villardin sent for me one evening, and directed me to obtain forhim, without appearing to do so, a lock of his lady's hair; butconscience making me think he suspected what I had done, I cried,'Lord, sir! it is impossible without her discovering me!' Nothing Icould have said would have tended more to aggravate his suspicions inregard to his wife, and he bade me, sharply, do as he directed,whether she discovered me or not. His orders were obeyed withoutdifficulty, and the same night I gave him a small portion of theDuchess's hair, which I assured him was all that I could obtainwithout being found out. He took it eagerly, and forgetting, in hisjealous vehemence, that I was in the room, he drew forth a locket anda riband, which showed me plainly enough that he at least must haveseen Monsieur de Mesnil since I had set eyes upon him. He caught megazing at the locket as he compared the hair within it with that heheld in his hand, and angrily bade me quit the room; but the discoverydid no harm to our plans, for once having suffered his feelings toappear before me, he was less scrupulous afterwards in questioning meupon the subject. Gaspard was the agent by whom I was generally calledto his presence, and while we left his suspicions against our lady inthe same state as we found them, we endeavoured, as far as we could,to inculpate you, and to make him believe that you had been aconfidant and a favourite of the Count de Mesnil. In this, however, wewere always frustrated; and seeing that there were facts within hisown knowledge which rendered our most artful insinuations in regard toyou ineffectual, we were, of course, obliged to proceed carefully.
"After our change of residence, however, and the fresh degree offavour you acquired at Dumont, we determined upon laying some newscheme for your destruction. Madame de Villardin, I thought, had beenpunished enough, and I began almost to be sorry that I had done as Ihad done; for I believe a woman is never altogether without compassionfor the sorrows of a woman, unless she be jealous of her. I saw peaceand a certain degree of happiness restored between the Duke and hiswife after the arrival of Father Ferdinand, with more satisfactionthan I had imagined I could have done a month before; but Gaspard feltdifferently, and was continually urging me to proceed with our formerplans, and still endeavour to rouse the suspicions of the Duke againstyou in regard to the Count de Mesnil, asking whether I could not placesome of the riband which had been attached to the locket in yourapartments, and suggesting many another scheme of the kind. Iresisted, however, till at length one unfortunate evening we were seentogether, walking after dark in the park, with my arm clasped in his,and his arm round my waist. The next day, the Duchess again spoke tome in even more severe terms than before, and told me that I mustprepare to leave her service at the expiration of a month. Myresolution was now taken. I soothed, flattered, lamented, expressed mycontrition, and promised a different conduct; but
still she adhered toher determination, though, at the same time, she assured me that shewould take care to place me well in Paris. Affecting to forget all herseverity, I the next day engaged her in the examination of herwardrobe, and taking care to fix her attention particularly on thatfatal blue riband, which had been curtailed by my hands in order toattach a part of it to the locket, I made a sudden pretext to leaveher, ran to Monsieur de Villardin, and told him that I felt it my dutyto acknowledge that I had just seen in the hands of my lady a part ofthe very same riband which I had once beheld in his own, fixed to alocket that seemed to give him great uneasiness. He scarcely heardhalf that I said, but, flying to his wife's dressing-room, gave way toa fit of passion which was fearful even to me. The result you wellknow, and probably are better acquainted with many of the particularsthan I am. All I will say on that score," she added, somewhat sternly,"is, that it was a strange thing a bridge which had borne horses threeor four days before, should give way under the weight of two people onfoot.--Do you think, young gentleman, that the weight of Monsieur deVillardin's suspicions, and of the Duchess's sorrows, was sufficientto break it down?--However, if you had any hand in that deed too, myconfession may make you feel some part of the remorse that I have feltsince."
"In regard to the matter you speak of," I replied, "I know no morethan you do. It was extraordinary that the bridge should break; butyet such circumstances have happened before, and will again, withoutany one being able to tell why the structure that was firm at onemoment should give way the next."
She shook her head, doubtingly, and then went on:--"I have now toldyou all that matters much for you to hear, and you must promise me torepeat the whole to Monsieur de Villardin, word for word, as far asyou can recollect it."
"I do not well see," I replied, "what object is to be gained by doingso. The Duchess is dead; his suspicions were unjust; and I see noreason why I should wring his heart by recalling events to his memory,of which time itself has scarcely been able to soften theremembrance."
"If you do not tell him," she cried, vehemently, "you shall not returnto him for years. But stay," she added, perhaps recollecting that Iwas not easily moved by threats, "have you so little the feelings ofhonour, so small a portion of chivalrous spirit, as not to think itworth while to clear the reputation of an injured lady, even thoughshe be dead?"
"I should certainly think it worth while," I replied, "did herreputation require any defence, even to her husband: but such is notthe case; and at this moment, Monsieur de Villardin is as completelyconvinced of his wife's innocence as you have ever been."
"Indeed!" she replied--"indeed!" and gazing on my countenance for amoment or two, with a look in which surprise was mingled in somedegree with disappointment, she repeated more than once the word,"indeed!" The instant after, she added, however, "Still you must tellhim what I have said, for the mind of a suspicious man can never havetoo conclusive an evidence to remove his doubts; and if there be onepoint left uncleared, suspicion will hang round it still, and haunthim to his very last day."
I knew what she said to be true; but her eagerness in the business,joined with the traits of art and deceit which she had just beforeacknowledged, made me also suspicious of her motives; and as I did notwish, without cause, to be the instrument of inflicting deep pain onMonsieur de Villardin, I resolved not to undertake the commission,till she had explained the anxiety she manifested to induce me to doso. "If you will tell me," I replied, "what are your real motives, andwhy you cannot make this confession by letter as well as by myintervention, I will undertake what you desire, should I find yourexplanation satisfy mc; but I will undertake it on no other terms; andshould you wish to communicate farther with Monsieur de Villardin, youmust do so in writing."
"My heart is better than you think it, young gentleman," she answered,somewhat bitterly; "but I forgive your doubts, for my conduct was evilenough when you knew me, and I fear is not over good even now.However, my motives for desiring you to bear this confession toMonsieur de Villardin, and for not trusting it to a common letter, areeasily explained. You can choose the moment and the manner of makingthe communication, and I do not seek to pain, any more than necessary,one I have already pained too much. In the next place, my letter mightnever reach him; for though I seem to command all here, in some thingsI am watched as closely as a prisoner. The letter, too, might, andprobably would, fall into the hands of one, who would inflict upon mea bitter enough punishment for the crime of having written it--andtherefore it is that I choose this means rather than another. As towhy I make the confession at all, if you still need other motives, Ican give you many; but you are too fatigued to hear them."
I assured her that such was not the case, and begged her, if she werereally sincere, to assign the true causes for her conduct, in whichcase I promised to do exactly as she would have me.
"Well, then," she said, "you must hear out my story, and it shall notbe a long one. When I was dismissed from Dumont in disgrace, I retiredto the little neighbouring town of St. Etienne, whence I wroteimmediately to Gaspard de Belleville, who came to see me that night,and desired me to remain tranquilly where I was, as, beyond doubt,Monsieur de Villardin would soon obtain for him a commission, which hehad long been of an age to hold. From him I learned that theinformation which had first caused my disgrace with my mistress, andhad afterwards ruined me with the Duke, had not been given by you, aswe had suspected, but by Jerome, the old major-domo. I found, however,that Gaspard had luckily escaped his lord's indignation; and, as aconsequence of all this, I remained at St. Etienne in some degree ofconcealment, it is true, but in great tranquillity regarding theresult, as I saw that no separation was likely to take place betweenmyself and Gaspard, which could diminish his passion, or thwart myschemes respecting him. Suddenly, however, about four days after mydismissal, Gaspard himself appeared on horseback, and in a hurriedmanner informed me that he was about to set off instantly forBordeaux, bearing letters from Monsieur de Villardin to the Duc deBouillon, in whose regiment he was immediately to have a commission.He offered, at the same time, to take me with him, if I would consent,and to endeavour to obtain his father's permission to marry me, afterwe had arrived at Guienne. Hitherto, I had always wisely avoidedputting myself in any degree in his power, but now the fear of seeingall my plans overturned by his removal from my influence, joined tohis entreaties and persuasions, induced me weakly to consent, and thatvery night we set out together for Bordeaux. Monsieur de Villardin hadliberally supplied my lover with the money necessary both to performthe journey to Bordeaux, and to meet all the first expenses of twoyears' service in the regiment of Monsieur de Bouillon, withouttrusting at all to his pay. I myself also had accumulated no small sumduring the five or six years I had remained with the Duchess; so that,on our arrival, we found ourselves enabled to live, not only incomfort, but in profusion. Splendour, dress, and admiration became mypassion; but the arrival of Monsieur de Villardin and yourself, abouta month afterwards, soon obliged me to seek retirement once more.Although I felt the necessity, for the sake of Gaspard's interests, ofconcealing my connexion with him from his former lord, yet my meetingwith you in the streets of Bordeaux was not displeasing to me, as Ifelt a degree of amusement in fancying that I had dazzled you with thesplendour of my appearance. As soon as the gates of the city wereopened, after the conclusion of the siege, Gaspard, who was leftbehind by Monsieur de Bouillon, to make a great number of arrangementswhich the Duke himself had not time to complete, received intelligenceof his father's death, and I instantly pressed him to perform hispromise, and legitimate our union by marriage. Gaspard, however, bythis time, had acquired new ideas from his commune with the world, andhe evaded my request in such a manner as to leave very little doubtupon my mind in regard to his determination of breaking his promise.This opened my eyes to my weakness, and a fit of illness followed,which, though but of short duration, yet had the good effect of makingme think very bitterly of many things that I had done. A good priestof the city took advantage of my state of mind to d
irect my repentancearight, and made me promise, ere he would grant me absolution, that onthe very first opportunity I would clear the character of Madame deVillardin in the eyes of her husband. I forgot this promise, it istrue, in after-events, but I remember it now, and seek to fulfil it.In the meantime, Gaspard became alarmed at my situation, and all hisformer tenderness returned; but still, I am sure that he would haveevaded the fulfilment of his promise, had not a circumstancefortunately occurred to change my situation in regard to him.
"After your departure from Bordeaux it became no longer necessary forme to use any concealment, and my loup was very generally laid aside.Thus it happened that I was walking with Gaspard, without any coveringto my face, one day shortly after my recovery, when to my surprise,upon the bank of the river I was suddenly met by my brother, whom Ihad not seen for several years, nor heard of at all since I returnedto Brittany. I was recognised by him instantly, notwithstanding myfine apparel; though, to say the truth, the splendour of his ownappearance had almost made me doubt his identity. He embraced metenderly; and the questions he asked concerning myself and Madame deVillardin, as well as the brief account he gave of his late adventureat sea, and of his having been driven by stress of weather into theGironde, where he had little expected to find me, soon disclosed ourrelationship to Gaspard, who had often heard me tell tales of mybrother's fierceness and prowess, which did not render the rencontrevery palatable to him. It was even, I confess, somewhat terrific tomyself; and when my brother asked who that gentleman was on whose armI was leaning, and boldly concluded that it was my husband, I thoughtI should have fainted. Our silence and our confusion soon made himaware of our relative situation; and, the moment that he became so, hetouched the hilt of his sword slightly with the forefinger of hisright hand, saying, in a tone that was not to be mistaken,' Be so goodas to follow me, sir; that lady will be able to find her way home byherself; nor shall I have any difficulty in discovering her abode,after I have done with you.' Gaspard looked down and hesitated,although his honour as a soldier was concerned; and my brother wasbeginning to speak more loudly, and in a tone which might have calledgeneral attention upon us, when my lover replied, 'Have but a moment'spatience, sir, and I think I can give you such an explanation of thisbusiness as will prove satisfactory to you.' He then bade me returnhome, whispering that no harm would happen, and left me, while hewalked on with my brother towards the Chartreux.
"I returned immediately to our lodgings, where I remained in verygreat anxiety for nearly two hours; but, at the end of that time mylover and my brother returned, accompanied by a priest, who asked me anumber of questions in regard to my own and Gaspard's freedom from allties; and at length being satisfied, accompanied us to a neighbouringchurch, and pronounced the nuptial benediction.
"What might have been the consequences had we remained unmarried, Icannot tell; but, since the ceremony, a rapid, though gradual,decrease of all sorts of kindness has taken place on the part of myhusband. Rude and brutal usage is now all that I receive from him;and, though Heaven knows he is in no degree jealous, yet I one daysaid a few words, which have made him, during the whole of the lastcampaign, drag me about with him from place to place; and never tillthe last affair at Virmont, has he suffered me to be out of his sightfor a day together. The fact is, that, wearied with his ill usage, andseeing that patience and forbearance did nothing to remove it, Idetermined to try if I could not influence his fears, and took asolemn vow in his presence, that, if he did not change his conduct, Iwould reveal all I knew to Monsieur de Villardin, of whom he stillstands in great dread. The threat had the effect for some time; but,not being able to conquer his morose and vindictive temper, he soonrelapsed into greater unkindness than ever; and, to prevent me puttingin execution what I menaced, he will not suffer any of the servantseven to deliver to the couriers a letter, the contents of which he hasnot seen. Ever since he has kept me in his sight, treating me withcruelty and rudeness on all occasions; and even when, by order of thePrince de Cond?, every sort of encumbrance was sent away from the armyat Montargis and Ch?teau Renard, he gave me in charge to a party fromhis company, with strict orders not to suffer me to pause, or quit thedirect road, till I reached this place, which is the dwelling heinherited from his father. He it was who prompted me first toretaliate upon others any pain that was inflicted upon myself; and,though I certainly should not accuse him, did not other motivescombine to make me reveal all to Monsieur de Villardin, yet in doingso I but make him reap the fruits of that which he himself has taught.
"You have now three motives assigned you in explanation of myconduct:--in the first place, my promise to the priest at Bordeaux; inthe next place, the sincere desire of clearing every shadow away fromthe character of a virtuous lady, whom I wronged and traduced; and, inthe third place, my determination to punish a man who ill treats me,and whom," she added, with set teeth and a flashing eye, "and whom Ihate from the bottom of my heart. I have another motive," sheproceeded, after giving way to this burst of passion--"I have anothermotive, too, but it I will not tell to any one. This, however, Isolemnly declare, as I hope for salvation, that very motive involvesmore than any other thing the desire of truly serving Monsieur deVillardin, and of doing that for which he himself hereafter may blessme. Now are you satisfied?"
"I am," I replied, "and will certainly undertake the task, if ever Irecover; but, to put the matter beyond all doubt in the mind ofMonsieur de Villardin, to-morrow you must give me a note to him, underyour own hand, desiring him to believe fully all that I shall tell himin regard to your conduct towards Madame de Villardin."
"Not to-morrow!" she said, "not to-morrow! This very night, or it willbe too late. I will write it in a moment:" and she left me abruptly toexecute what she proposed.
The Little Ball O' Fire; or, the Life and Adventures of John Marston Hall Page 25