CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
CONCLUSION.
As the supper was at a comparatively early hour, we retired to the drawing-room, where the young lady played and sang, with much spirit, several lively airs, which her brother selected. She then chose one for herself of a more plaintive character, which had, as she intended it should have, a strange effect upon me. I listened in raptures, for her voice was sweet and melodious.
"I am indeed glad that you understand French so well," she said. "When I heard that an Englishman was coming some day, I thought that we should have had to carry on a conversation by signs, and that would have been very stupid."
"I fear that I do not speak it very correctly, but I must try to improve myself," I remarked.
"You do make a few mistakes now and then, but I shall be delighted to instruct you, and to correct your errors, if you will allow me to do so."
That night, although somewhat tired from the exertions I had gone through in the morning, it was some time before I felt inclined to turn in; and when I did at length go to bed, I remained awake far longer than usual, thinking of the beautiful Sophie, her sweet voice still sounding in my ears.
I was awakened next morning by Larry, who accompanied one of the servants to my room.
"I did not see you last night, Mr Terence, and I couldn"t tell what had become of your honour," he exclaimed. "Faith, I tried to tell the people of the house that I wanted to find you, but not a word of my best French did they understand."
I told Larry how well I had been treated, and that he need not have any apprehensions about me. The servant had brought a cup of coffee, which I found was the custom of the French to take in the morning, and he told me that breakfast would not be ready for an hour or more. As soon, therefore, as I had dressed I descended to the garden, which was of considerable extent, with lawns, fish-ponds, fountains, statues, and labyrinths. I had not gone far, when I saw a small figure tripping on lightly before me. I was tempted to hasten my steps. She turned--it was Sophie.
"I will show you the garden," she said, "and my favourite spots. You might lose yourself without my guidance, and perhaps you will accept it."
I of course had but one answer to give. We walked on in the fresh morning air. I thought her lovely in the evening, but she appeared still more so now, looking as fresh and bright as the gay flowers which adorned the parterres. I felt that I had entered into a new existence; it was no wonder, for we were both young, and she had lived a secluded life, she told me, since her father"s death. We very naturally forgot all about breakfast, and when we arrived at the house Madame La Touche chided her for her thoughtlessness in allowing me to starve.
Such was the commencement of my stay. My friend insisted that I should go out with him to shoot, believing that such was the only amus.e.m.e.nt I was likely to care for; but the preserves were full of game, and we had to do little more than stand still and shoot the birds as they were put up by the dogs. We returned to dinner, and as La Touche gave me the choice, I preferred a stroll in the garden with him and his sister to a more extended excursion.
The following days were spent in the same delightful manner. Every hour I became more and more attached to Sophie. I could not but feel a desire that she should return my affection. I forgot my poverty, and that until I could obtain my promotion, I should have nothing on which to support a wife, as the Ballinahone property had been entailed on my brother. I ought, I knew, to have a.s.sumed an indifference to the young lady, and speedily taken my departure, and I was in consequence much to blame. Still La Touche should not have invited me to the chateau; but in throwing me into the society of so charming a being as his sister, he did no perhaps think of the consequences, or, if he did, fancied that I was possessed of wealth, or at least a competency.
We were living all the time a peaceful secluded life, for we never went beyond the walled grounds of the chateau, and few visitors came to the house. We heard occasionally, however, what was going forward both in Paris and other parts of the country. Matters were growing more and more serious. Risings had occurred in various places, and lives had been lost. An army of fishwives, and other women of the lowest orders, had marched to Versailles, and threatened the King and Marie Antoinette, if food was not given them.
We were one evening seated at supper when a servant rushed into the room, with terror depicted in his countenance.
"Oh, monsieur! oh, madame!" he exclaimed, "I have just received notice that a vast array of people are marching this way, threatening to destroy all the chateaux in the neighbourhood, and the Chateau La Touche in particular. They declare that you are an aristocrat."
"Are you certain that this is true?" exclaimed La Touche, starting from his seat.
"If monsieur will come to the northern tower, he will hear the voices of the people in the distance," replied the servant.
"Do not be alarmed, my mother and sister," said La Touche. "The report may be exaggerated, but it is as well to be prepared. We will close all the lower doors and windows, and set the ruffians at defiance if they come. Will you accompany me, Finnahan, and as we go give me your advice as to the best way of defending the house?"
I would willingly have stopped to try and tranquillise the alarm of Madame La Touche and Sophie, but I could not refuse my friend"s request.
I set off with him, and we soon reached the tower. We looked out from a narrow window towards the north, but at first could see no one approaching, though on listening attentively we fancied that we could distinguish the murmur of voices far off.
Presently a bright light appeared on the left, rising, it seemed, out of the midst of a forest at some distance from the banks of the Seine. The light rapidly increased in size, and flames began to ascend, while clouds of smoke darkened the sky.
"Ah! that must come from the Chateau l"Estrange!" exclaimed La Touche.
"The rabble have attacked the house, and set it on fire. Fortunately, none of the family are at home except the old domestics, and they, poor people, will too probably be sacrificed. The villains would like to treat my chateau in the same way, and will before long make the attempt."
"But we will defend it, and drive them back," I exclaimed. "Have you a sufficient supply of arms and ammunition for its defence? We must barricade all the doors and windows; and, unless they have cannon, they will not succeed in getting in, I trust."
"We have plenty of arms, and I obtained a supply of ammunition a short time since," said La Touche. "I doubt, however, the courage of some of my domestics; they would rather yield to the rabble than risk their lives in the defence of my property."
"Larry and I will try to make up, as far as we can, for their want of bravery," I said.
"Thank you, my friends; you will be a host in yourselves. Now let us see about preparing to give the insurgents a warm reception should they attack the chateau."
On descending from the tower, La Touche entered the supper room singing and laughing.
"There is not much to be afraid of, so you need not be anxious, _ma chere mere_; or you either, Sophie," he said in a cheerful tone of voice. "We are going to shut the doors and windows in case any of the rabble may try to creep in at them. You can retire to your rooms or stay here, as you think best. You will oblige me, however, by keeping the women quiet, or they may be running about and interfering with our proceedings."
"We will do more than keep them quiet," exclaimed Sophie; "we will make them useful by setting them an example; only tell us what you want us to do."
"The best thing you can do is to close all the shutters and windows looking to the front in the upper storey, and to place chests of drawers and bedding against them, so that if bullets are fired they will do no harm."
"That we will do, my son," said Madame La Touche, rising from her seat; and she hurried off, accompanied by Sophie.
La Touche at once summoned his _maitre d"hotel_ and the other servants.
"My friends," he said, "I have no intention of letting the insurgents destroy my chateau, as they have done those of other persons, and I will trust to you to defend it to the last."
A party of Englishmen would have cheered. They, however, merely said, "_Oui! oui! monsieur_; we are ready to do what you tell us."
Among the servants came Larry. I told him what we expected would happen, and what he was to do.
"Shure we"ll be after driving the "spalpeens" back again," he answered.
"I was little thinking that we should have this sort of fun to amuse us when we came to France."
We lost no more time in talking, but immediately set to work to shut all the doors on the ground floor, and to nail pieces of timber and strong planks against them. The windows were closed with such materials as could be obtained. There were more forthcoming than I expected; and La Touche acknowledged that he had laid in a store some time before.
He then summoned the _maitre d"hotel_ and two other servants, and led the way--accompanied by Larry and me--down a steep flight of stone steps to a vault beneath the house. Opening the door of what was supposed to be a wine cellar, he showed us a stand of twenty muskets, with pistols and pikes, several casks of powder and cases of bullets. Larry, at once fastening a belt round his waist, and tucking a couple of muskets under each arm, hurried off, the servants following his example. La Touche and I each took as many more, and returned to the hall.
His first care was to place his men two and two at each of the parts of the building likely to be attacked.
"These countrymen of mine fight better together than singly," he observed. "And now let us go round and examine our defences, to ascertain that no part is left insecure."
Some time was spent in making these various arrangements. Every now and then La Touche ran in to see his mother and sister, and to a.s.sure them that they need not be alarmed.
"I have no fears," said Sophie, on one of these occasions, when I accompanied him. "With the help of this brave Englishman and his follower, I am sure that you will drive back the insurgents."
"_Ma foi_! I hope so," said La Touche to me, as we left the room. "But they are the same sort of ruffians as those who destroyed the Bastile."
The news of that event had a short time before reached us.
"Now let us return to the watch-tower, and try to make out what the _canaille_ are about."
The mob, as far as we could observe, were not as yet approaching. They were probably dancing and singing round the burning chateau, the flames from which were ascending in all directions, its towers forming four pyramids of fire.
"They are waiting to see the result of their handiwork," said La Touche.
"When the roof has fallen in and the towers come to the ground, they will be satisfied, and will probably make their way in this direction.