La Dame de Monsoreau (25 page)

" We remained quite still. Who was the person that had entered, and how had he got in 9

" I leaned for support on Gertrude ; we spoke not a word, but waited.

" Soon we heard steps in the alley ; then they drew near the stairs, and a man appeared, who tottered, threw up his arms, and fell, with a hollow groan, on the first step of the staircase.

" It was evident this man was not followed, that he had placed the door, which had so fortunately been left open by the Due d'Anjou, between himself and his enemies, and that, though dangerously, perhaps mortally wounded, he had fallen down at the foot of the stairs.

" In any case we had nothing to fear, while, on the other hand, this man had urgent need of our help.

" « The lamp !' I said to Gertrude. She ran out and returned with the light.

" We were not mistaken ; you had swooned. We recognized you as the brave gentleman who had so valiantly defended himself; and we decided, without any hesitation, to aid you.

" In a moment you were borne into my room and laid on the bed.

" You remained unconscious; evidently a surgeon was

needed. Gertrude remembered having heard of a marvellous

cure effected some days before by a young doctor in the Rue

— Rue Beautrellis. She knew his address, and offered to go

for him.

" t But,' said I, ' this young man may betray us.'

" l Do not be alarmed,' she answered, ' I '11 see to that.'

" She is at once a courageous and prudent girl," continued Diane ; " so I trusted her entirely. She took some money, a key, and my poniard, and I was alone by your side, — praying for you."

" Alas, madame," said Bussy, " I was unconscious of my happiness."

" A quarter of an hour later, Gertrude returned with the young doctor; he had consented to everything, and followed her with his eyes bandaged.

u I stayed in the drawing-room while he was being conducted into the chamber. There he was allowed to remove the bandage from his eyes."

" Yes," said Bussy, " it was just then 1 came to myself ; my eyes opened on your portrait, and I think I saw you entering."

" You are right: T entered; my anxiety got the better of my prudence ; I exchanged a few questions with the young doctor ; he examined your wound, answered for your recovery, and I felt relieved."

" All that remained in my mind," said Bussy, " but it was like the recollection of a dream ; and yet something told me here," added the young man, laying his hand on his heart, "that I had not dreamed."

" When the surgeon had dressed your wound, he drew a little flask from his pocket; it contained a red liquid, and he let a few drops fall on your lips. It was, he told me, an elixir which would send you to sleep and counteract the fever.

" And in fact, the instant after you swallowed the drops, you closed your eyes again and fell back into the same sort of swoon you were in a moment before.

" I was frightened, but the doctor reassured me.

"Everything, he said, was going on in the best possible manner, and all that could be done now was to let you sleep.

" Gertrude again covered his eyes with a handkerchief, and led him back to the Rue Beautrellis.

"She fancied, however, she noticed him counting the steps."

"It was true, madame," said Bussy, "he did count them."

" This intelligence alarmed me. The young man might betray us. We decided to get rid of every trace of the hospitality we had afforded you ; but the important point was first to get rid of you.

" I summoned up all my courage. It was two in the morning ; the streets were deserted. Gertrude declared she could lift you up, and she proved the truth of the assertion, and, between us, we succeeded in carrying you to the embankment of the Temple. Then we returned, frightened at our daring in venturing into the streets at an hour when even men do not go abroad except in company.

" However, God watched over us. We met no one and no one noticed us.

"But after I entered the house, my emotion overpowered me and I fainted."

" Ah, madame ! madame ! " cried Bussy, clasping his hands, " how can I ever repay you for what you have done for me ? ''

There was a moment's silence, during which Bussy gazed ardently on Diane. The young woman leaned her elbow on the table and let her head rest on her hand.

In the midst of the silence, the clock of Sainte-Catherine's church struck the hour.

" Two ! " exclaimed Diane, starting up. " Two, and you here !"

" Oh, madame !" entreated Bussy, " do not send me away until you have told me all. Do not send me away until you have shown me how I can be useful to you. Suppose that God has given you a brother, and now tell this brother what he can do for his sister." • ^

", Alas, nothing," said the young woman ; " it is too late."

" What happened next day ? " asked Bussy ; " what did you do on the day I was thinking only of you, although I was not sure you were not a delirious dream, a feverish vision ? "

" During that day," resumed Diane, " Gertrude went out and met Aurilly, who was more urgent than ever; he did not say a word of what took place the evening before ; but he requested an interview in his master's name.

" Gertrude pretended to yield, but said the matter must be deferred until the following Wednesday — that is to say, to-day — to give her time to influence me in the prince's favor.

" Aurilly promised his master would curb his passion until then. .

" We had, therefore, a respite of three days.

" M. de Monsoreau returned in the evening.

" We related everything to him, except what concerned you. We told him how, on the night before, the duke had opened the door with a false key, but that, at that very moment, he had been attacked by five gentlemen, among whom were MM. d'Epernon and de Quelus. I had heard these two names mentioned and I repeated them.

" ' Yes, yes,' he answered, ' I heard of that. So he has a false key. I suspected it.'

" < Could not the lock be changed ? ' I asked.

" ' He would have another one made,' said the count.

" ' Suppose we got bolts for the door ? '

" ' He will come with half a score of men and break through bolts and bars.'

" ' What about the affair that was to place the prince in your power, as 3^011 mentioned ? '

" < Delayed, perhaps delayed indefinitely.'

" I was struck dumb and drops of perspiration stood on my forehead ; I could .no longer hide from myself that the

only means of escaping the Due d'Anjou was to wed the count.

" ' Monsieur/ said I, ' the duke has promised, through his confidant, to wait till Wednesday night ; I ask you to wait till Tuesday.'

. " ' Then on Tuesday night, at the same hour, I will be here, madame,' said the count.

" And, without another word, he rose and withdrew.

" I followed him with my eyes; but instead of going away, he took his station at the same dark corner of the wall of Les Tournelles and seemed resolved to watch over me all night.

" Every fresh proof of his devotion was a stab in my heart.

" The two days slipped by rapidly, and nothing disturbed my solitude. But what I suffered during these two days, as hour sped swiftly after hour, it would be impossible for me to describe.

" When the night of the second day arrived, I was utterly spiritless ; all feeling seemed to have died away in me. I was like a statue — cold, dumb, and, apparently, insensible ; my heart alone beat; the rest of my body gave no signs of life.

" Gertrude kept at the window. As to myself, I sat where I sit now, doing nothing except occasionally wiping away the perspiration that bedewed my forehead.

" Suddenly Gertrude pointed in the direction opposite me ; but this gesture, which lately would have made me spring to my feet, left me unmoved.

" ' Madame ! ' said she.

" < Well ? ' I asked.

" ' Four men — I see four men — they are coming this way — they are opening the door — they are entering.'

" ' These four men must be the Due d'Anjou, Aurilly, and their attendants.'

" I drew my poniard and laid it beside me on the table.

" ' Oh, let me see, at least,' cried Gertrude, running to the door.

" < Yes, go and see,' I answered.

" Gertrude was back in a moment.

" * Mademoiselle,' said she, ( it is the count.'

" I replaced the poniard in my dress without a word. Then I turned my face to the count.

" He was evidently terrified at my paleness.

" ' What is this Gertrude tells me.? ' he cried ; ' that you

took me for the duke, and, if I had been the duke you would have killed yourself ? '

" It was the first time I saw him moved. Was his emotion real or artificial ?

"' It was wrong of Gertrude to tell you that, monsieur,' I answered; 'now that it is not the duke, all is well.'

" There was a moment's silence.

" ( You know that I have not come alone,' said the count.

" ( Gertrude saw four men.'

" ' Do you suspect who they are ? '

" ' I presume one is a priest and two of the others witnesses.'

" ' Then you are ready to become my wife ? '

" ' Was it not so agreed ? But I remember the treaty; it was also stipulated that unless I acknowledged the case to be urgent, I was not to marry you except in my father's presence.'

" ' I remember the condition perfectly, mademoiselle; do you believe the case is urgent at present ? '

" ' Yes, I believe so.'

« « Well ? '

"'Well, I am ready to marry you, monsieur. But — you recollect, do you not ? — I will be your wife only in name until I have seen rny father.'

" The count frowned and bit his lips.

" i Mademoiselle,' said he, < it is not my intention to coerce you ; though you have pledged me your word, I return it — you are free ; but ' -

" He approached the window and glanced into the street.

" < But,' said he, < look ! '

" I rose, impelled by that powerful attraction which forces the unfortunate to make sure of their misfortunes, and, beneath the window, I perceived a man, wrapped in a cloak, who was seemingly attempting to get into the house."

" Good heavens ! " exclaimed Bussy ; " and you say that it was yesterday ? "

" Yes, count, yesterday, about nine in the evening."

" Continue," said Bussy.

" A moment later another man, with a lantern in his hand, joined the first.

" ' What do you think of those two men ? ' asked M. de Monsoreau.

" ( I suppose it is the duke and his follower/ I answered.

Bussy groaned.

" ' Now,' continued the count, k give jour orders : shall I remain or shall I withdraw ? '

" I hesitated for a moment; yes, in spite of my father's letter, in spite of my pledged word, in spite of the present peril that was so palpable and so menacing, I hesitated ; and had not those two men been yonder "

" Oh, wretch that I am ! " cried Bussy ; " the man in the cloak was myself, and the man with the lantern was Remy le Haudouin, the young doctor you sent for."

" It was you !" exclaimed Diane, stupefied.

" Yes, it was I. Becoming more and more convinced of the reality of my recollections, I was trying to discover the house into which I had been taken, the room to which I was carried, and the woman, or rather angel, who had appeared to me. Ah ! had I not good reason to call myself a wretch ? "

And Bussy was utterly crushed under the weight of that fatality which had induced Diane to give her hand to the count.

" And so," said he, after a moment, " you are his wife ? "

" Since yesterday," answered Diane.

There was renewed silence, broken only by their hurried breathing.

" But," asked Diane suddenly, " how did you come to enter this house ? How is it you are here ? "

Bussy, without a word, showed her the key.

" A key!" cried Diane ; " from whom did you get this key ? "

" Did not Gertrude promise the prince to introduce him to the house this evening ? He had seen both myself and M. de Monsoreau, just as we had seen him ; he feared a trap and has sent me in his place."

" And you accepted this mission ? " said Diane, reproachfully.

" It was the only way of reaching you. Surely you are not so unjust as to be angry with me for coining in search of one of the greatest joys and sorrows of my life ? "

" Yes, I am angry," said Diane. " It would have been better if you had not seen me ; and now it would be better to see me no more and forget me."

" No, madame," answered Bussy, " you are mistaken. On the contrary, it was God who led me hither in order to fathom

to its very depths this plot of which you are the victim. Listen : on the very instant I saw you I devoted to you my life. The mission I have courted is about to begin. You have asked for news of your father ? "

" Oh, yes ! " cried Diane, " for, in very truth, I do not know what has become of him."

" Well, then," said Bussy, " I undertake to bring you news of him. Only cherish a kindly remembrance of one who, from this hour, will live by yon and for you."

" But that key ? " said Diane anxiously.

"'The key ? " returned Bussy; " I restore it to you, for I will receive it only from your hand; but I pledge you my honor as a gentleman that never did sister confide the key of her apartment to a brother more devoted or respectful."

" I trust to the word of the brave Bussy," said Diane. " Here, monsieur."

And she gave back the key to the young man.

" Madame," said he, " in a fortnight we shall know who and what M. de Monsoreau is."