There is no one in the house?"
"There was when I came in, my friend. Do you know"--and he looked me in the face--"You have made a mess of things."
"You know already! Belin, I have just been to see you about it. The whole affair was forced on me."
"Partly. It was lucky I was there, and sober enough to think of cutting the cord of the lamp. You vanished, as I thought you would, and I have been attending to your affairs since then; any other man would have been laid by the heels ere this, but the stars fought for you."
"Any other man who had not a friend like you, Lisois. But do you really mean that I am safe from arrest?"
"I think so, from any count under the Edict of Blois; but I had a devil of a dance. First of all, the catchpoles insisted upon turning their attentions towards me, and I only got off on the testimony of M.
le Baron, who after all is but scratched, though spoiling for revenge.
Then I rushed off to de Villeroi; but he, full of his new office as governor of the Hotel, hummed and hawed--would hear of nothing, he said, until you were provided with a lodging in Fort l"Eveque, and talked big of the law and its course. However, I had an argument to persuade him: little birds twitter odd things into the ears of a chamberlain, sometimes, and he agreed to hold over the matter for a few hours until I had seen the King."
"The King!"
"Why not, _mon ami?_ With the first streak of light I went to see a friend who shall be nameless, but is a power in the land. An hour later I was at the Louvre and at his Majesty"s bedside. Henry was in high good humour. He had won nine thousand crowns last night from the invincible Portuguese, de Pimental. Almost as great a victory as Arques, he said. I related the whole of the circ.u.mstances without mentioning your name, and, pledging my word that d"Ayen would be about by this afternoon, begged for a pardon."
"But the King of course asked for my name."
"Of course he did, and, in reply, I said I would bring you in person to the Louvre this afternoon: then by good chance Sully himself came in. His lands of Muret march with mine, and Monseigneur is my very good friend. The King began to put him the case, to which Sully listened without a movement, except an occasional glance at a roll of doc.u.ments in his hand, and when Henry finished said, with a smile--
""A trifle, sire, that may well be left to M. de Villeroi; perhaps, however, sire, your Majesty might agree to de Belin"s pet.i.tion. There is a spice of mystery about it, which even interests me. I have, however, brought these papers on the Gabelle."
""_Diable!_ Salty, but hardly a relish--let it be as you wish, Belin; and now for my salt without any soup." I took the hint, as may be imagined, and went straight back to Villeroi, and the matter being now in the hands of the King, he will of course take no action."
"You have been goodness itself."
"My dear fellow, let that rest! All that you have to do now is to come with me this afternoon, put your case to the King, and I lay a hundred crowns to a tester you hear no more--of the little affair of last night."
As he said this, looking me full in the face, with a peculiar stress on the last words of his speech, a sudden light came upon me. Sully"s lands marched with those of de Belin. They were friends. Sully did not, for reasons of his own, wish it known that he took an interest in my mission, and the rest was easy to guess.
"_Pardieu!_ That little thrust through the sword arm of M. le Baron is, after all, not so unlucky--eh! Belin? At least, for our very good lord of Muret and Villebon."
But Lisois only laughed in reply, as he said: "Add a cat falling on its feet from a church steeple to your scutcheon, d"Auriac. Shall I get Rouge Croix to p.r.i.c.k the new coat of arms?"
"As you will; you have made my heart, which was heavy as lead, light once more--I feel now that I am not playing a hopeless game."
"The proper feeling to have, whatever the hazard be. With all your northern blood, d"Auriac, you should not have so many nerves."
"You forget my mother was of the south."
"True, of the Foix Candale. You will die a Huguenot. But I must be going. Meet me at the Rue de Bourdonnais at one, exactly, and I will take you to the Louvre, and now good-bye!" He rose and gave me his hand.
"But, surely, there is no need for you to go now? Dine with me at my ordinary; I have much to tell you."
_Tap_! _tap_! _tap!_ It was dame Annette"s little knock at my door, and I knew it was something of import that had brought her to my room.
"One moment, Belin!" and, opening the door, I saw Madame Pantin standing there in breathless agitation.
"What is it, madame? Come in, and speak freely; there is only my friend the Compte de Belin here."
"It is nothing, monsieur," she said loudly, and then, dropping her voice to a whisper, "Ravaillac was out last night. Pantin was deceived. I have come up to tell you so at once: be rid of him. I am asked to tell you this by a friend."
"A hundred thanks! I have parted with him, and he will not trouble us more. But who is this friend who takes so great an interest in me?"
"You have company, monsieur," she answered, with a bobbing courtesy, "I will not intrude longer." And, without another word, she turned and went away.
When I looked back, Belin was smoothing the plumes in his hat and laughing. "I heard every word, d"Auriac. So Ravaillac is a mouchard, is he? And you have sent him back to me."
"I have," I answered, and then I told my friend what had happened.
His face was grave enough when I ended.
"So that explains one thing," he muttered to himself, tapping the point of his boot with the end of his sheathed rapier, and then, looking up, said slowly, "You were right, and he shall sleep in Fort l"Eveque to-night. No, I cannot stay. Be punctual--and see here." He came close up to me, and rested his hand on my shoulder.
"Though you do not know it, your game forms part of a bigger game played for higher stakes. There are those who love France, and would have no more madness such as that over poor Gabrielle--we are helping you with heart and soul. Be punctual--and adieu. No, I can go out by myself; do not trouble to come down."
He was gone, and I paced up and down for a quarter of an hour, feeling like a p.a.w.n that some unseen hand was moving hither and thither on the chessboard of intrigue. And then I went to my solitary dinner at the Two Ecus.
CHAPTER XIII
THE LOUVRE
It wanted full ten minutes to the hour when I rode through the gates of the Hotel de Belin, and a moment or so after was with my friend. He was standing in the great hall as I entered, in the midst of a small but brilliantly dressed group of cavaliers. On my being announced, however, he came forward to meet me with outstretched arms.
"_Pardieu!_" he exclaimed, stepping back a half-pace after our greeting, "so you have dropped the Huguenot? We poor devils will have but a bad time of it if you turn courtier."
"Is that likely?" I asked, a little bitterly, and then, in a low tone, "have you made Ravaillac safe?"
"He has made himself safe," he whispered, "he is gone."
"Gone?"
"Yes--vanished. It is, perhaps, best so. We will discuss him later,"
and, raising his voice, "come, let me present you to my friends," and he led me up to his companions, who, gathered in a little knot near the huge fireplace, stood surveying us with a well-bred curiosity.
"Gentlemen, permit me to introduce my old comrade, the Chevalier d"Auriac--the Duc de Bellegarde, whom we all call M. le Grand, the Vicompte de Vitry, the Seigneur de Valryn, and the Chevalier d"Aubusson, who, like you, d"Auriac, is new to the court."
"And who is delighted to meet with an old acquaintance, and trusts that M. de Preaulx is in as good a way."
"As the company from Paradise--eh, chevalier?" I put in.
"Fairly hit," exclaimed the lieutenant, and then he must needs tell the story of our little adventure, at which there was much laughter, and it was easy to see that the Marshal and Zamet had no friends in the Rue de Bourdonnais.
"Come, gentlemen," said de Belin, "if we delay longer we shall miss the cinque-pace--one health round, and let us start."