There is a theory that everything has its counterpart; if true, Denys it would seem had found the mind his consigne fitted.
While he was roaring with laughter at its unexpected success and Gerard"s amazement, a little hand pulled his jerkin and a little face peeped round his waist. Curiosity was now the dominant pa.s.sion in that small but vivid countenance.
"Est-ce toi qui l"a tue, beau soldat?"
"Oui, ma mie," said Denys, as gruffly as ever he could, rightly deeming this would smack of supernatural puissance to owners of bell-like trebles. "C"est moi. ca vaut une pet.i.te embra.s.sade--pas?"
"Je crois ben. Aie! aie!"
"Qu"as-tu?"
"ca pique! ca pique!"
"Quel dommage! je vais la couper."
"Nenni, ce n"est rien; et pisque t"as tue ce mechant. T"es fierement beau, tout d" meme, toi; t"es ben miex que ma grande sur."
"Will you not kiss me too, ma mie?" said Gerard.
"Je ne demande par miex. Tiens, tiens, tiens! c"est doulce celle-ci. Ah, que j"aimons les hommes! Des fames, ca ne m"aurait jamais donne l"arjan blanc, plutot ca m"aurait ri au nez. C"est si peu de chose, les fames.
Serviteur, beaulx sires! Bon voiage; et n"oubliez point la Jeanneton!"
"Adieu, pet.i.t cur," said Gerard, and on they marched: but presently looking back they saw the contemner of women in the middle of the road, making them a reverence, and blowing them kisses with little May morning face.
"Come on," cried Gerard l.u.s.tily. "I shall win to Rome yet. Holy St.
Bavon, what a sunbeam of innocence hath shot across our bloodthirsty road! Forget thee, little Jeanneton? not likely, amidst all this s...o...b..ring, and gibbeting, and decanting. Come on, thou laggard!
forward!"
"Dost call this marching?" remonstrated Denys: "why we shall walk o"er Christmas-day and never see it."
At the next town they came to, suddenly an arbalestrier ran out of a tavern after them, and in a moment his beard and Denys"s were like two brushes stuck together. It was a comrade. He insisted on their coming into the tavern with him, and breaking a bottle of wine. In course of conversation, he told Denys there was an insurrection in the duke"s Flemish provinces, and soldiers were ordered thither from all parts of Burgundy. "Indeed I marvelled to see thy face turned this way."
"I go to embrace my folk that I have not seen these three years. Ye can quell a bit of a rising without me I trow."
Suddenly Denys gave a start. "Dost hear, Gerard? this comrade is bound for Holland."
"What then? ah, a letter! a letter to Margaret! but will he be so good, so kind?"
The soldier with a torrent of blasphemy informed him he would not only take it, but go a league or two out of his way to do it.
In an instant out came inkhorn and paper from Gerard"s wallet; and he wrote a long letter to Margaret, and told her briefly what I fear I have spun too tediously; dwelt most on the bear, and the plunge in the Rhine, and the character of Denys, whom he painted to the life. And with many endearing expressions bade her be of good cheer; some trouble and peril there had been, but all that was over now, and his only grief left was that he could not hope to have a word from her hand till he should reach Rome. He ended with comforting her again as hard as he could. And so absorbed was he in his love and his work, that he did not see all the people in the room were standing peeping, to watch the nimble and true finger execute such rare penmanship.
Denys, proud of his friend"s skill, let him alone, till presently the writer"s face worked, and soon the scalding tears began to run down his young cheeks, one after another, on the paper where he was then writing comfort, comfort. Then Denys rudely repulsed the curious, and asked his comrade with a faltering voice whether he had the heart to let so sweet a love letter miscarry? The other swore by the face of St. Luke he would lose the forefinger of his right hand sooner.
Seeing him so ready, Gerard charged him also with a short, cold letter to his parents; and in it he drew hastily with his pen two hands grasping each other, to signify farewell. By-the-by, one drop of bitterness found its way into his letter to Margaret. "I write to thee alone, and to those who love thee. If my flesh and blood care to hear news of me, they must be kind to thee and then thou mayst read my letter to them. But not else, and even then let this not out of thy hand or thou lovest me not. I know what I ask of thee, and why I ask it. Thou knowest not. I am older now by many years than thou art, and I was a month agone. Therefore obey me in this one thing, dear heart, or thou wilt make me a worse wife than I hope to make thee a husband, G.o.d willing."
On second thoughts I believe there was something more than bitterness in this. For his mind, young but intense, had been bent many hours in every day upon Sevenbergen and Tergou, and speculated on every change of feeling and circ.u.mstance that his exile might bring about.
Gerard now offered money to the soldier. He hesitated, but declined it.
"No, no! art comrade of my comrade; and may"----(etc.)----"but thy love for the wench touches me. I"ll break another bottle at thy charge an thou wilt, and so cry quits."
"Well said, comrade," cried Denys. "Hadst taken money, I had invited thee to walk in the court-yard and cross swords with me."
"Whereupon I had cut thy comb for thee," retorted the other.
"Hadst done thy endeavour, drole, I doubt not."
They drank the new bottle, shook hands, adhered to custom, and parted on opposite routes.
This delay however somewhat put out Denys"s calculations, and evening surprised them ere they reached a little town he was making for, where was a famous hotel. However, they fell in with a roadside auberge, and Denys, seeing a buxom girl at the door, said, "This seems a decent inn,"
and led the way into the kitchen. They ordered supper, to which no objection was raised, only the landlord requested them to pay for it beforehand. It was not an uncommon proposal in any part of the world.
Still it was not universal, and Denys was nettled, and dashed his hand somewhat ostentatiously into his purse and pulled out a gold angel.
"Count me the change, and speedily," said he. "You tavern-keepers are more likely to rob me than I you."
While the supper was preparing, Denys disappeared, and was eventually found by Gerard in the yard, helping Manon, his plump but not bright decoy duck, to draw water, and pouring extravagant compliments into her dullish ear. Gerard grunted and returned to table, but Denys did not come in for a good quarter of an hour.
"Up-hill work at the end of a march," said he shrugging his shoulders.
"What matters that to you?" said Gerard, drily. "The mad dog bites all the world."
"Exaggerator. You know I bite but the fairer half. Well, here comes supper; that is better worth biting."
During supper the girl kept constantly coming in and out, and looking point-blank at them, especially at Denys; and at last in leaning over him to remove a dish, dropped a word in his ear; and he replied with a nod.
As soon as supper was cleared away, Denys rose and strolled to the door, telling Gerard the sullen fair had relented, and given him a little rendezvous in the stable yard.
Gerard suggested that the cow-house would have been a more appropriate locality. "I shall go to bed, then," said he, a little crossly. "Where is the landlord? out at this time of night? no matter. I know our room.
Shall you be long, pray?"
"Not I. I grudge leaving the fire and thee. But what can I do? There are two sorts of invitations a Burgundian never declines."
Denys found a figure seated by the well. It was Manon; but instead of receiving him as he thought he had a right to expect, coming by invitation, all she did was to sob. He asked her what ailed her? She sobbed. Could he do anything for her? She sobbed.
The good-natured Denys, driven to his wits" end, which was no great distance, proffered the custom of the country by way of consolation. She repulsed him roughly, "Is it a time for fooling?" said she, and sobbed.
"You seem to think so," said Denys, waxing wroth. But the next moment he added, tenderly, "and I who could never bear to see beauty in distress."
"It is not for myself."
"Who then? your sweetheart?"
"Oh, que nenni. My sweetheart is not on earth now: and to think I have not an ecu to buy ma.s.ses for his soul;" and in this shallow nature the grief seemed now to be all turned in another direction.
"Come, come," said Denys, "shalt have money to buy ma.s.ses for thy dead lad; I swear it. Meantime tell me why you weep."
"For you."
"For me? Art mad?"