Chicot now extinguished the light, opened his door softly, and began to creep downstairs on tip-toe.
He went into an antechamber, but he had hardly gone four steps before he kicked against something. This something was D"Aubiac lying on a mat.
"Ah! good-evening, M. d"Aubiac," said Chicot, "but get out of the way a little, I beg; I want to go for a walk."
"Ah! but it is forbidden to walk by night near this castle."
"Why so?"
"Because the king fears robbers, and the queen lovers."
"Diable!"
"None but robbers or lovers want to walk at night, when they ought to be sleeping."
"However, dear M. d"Aubiac," said Chicot, with his most charming smile, "I am neither the one nor the other, but an amba.s.sador, very tired from having talked Latin with the queen and supped with the king; let me go out then, my friend, for I want a walk."
"In the city, M. Chicot?"
"Oh no! in the gardens."
"Peste! that is still more forbidden than in the city."
"My little friend, you are very vigilant for your age. Have you nothing to occupy yourself with?"
"No."
"You neither gamble nor fall in love."
"To gamble one must have money, M. Chicot, and to be in love, one must find a lady."
"a.s.suredly," said Chicot, and feeling in his pocket he drew out ten pistoles and slipped them into the page"s hand, saying, "Seek well in your memory, and I bet you will find some charming woman, to whom I beg you to make some presents with this."
"Oh, M. Chicot!" said the page, "it is easy to see that you come from the court of France; you have manners to which one can refuse nothing: go then, but make no noise."
Chicot went on; glided like a shadow into the corridor, and down the staircase, but at the bottom he found an officer sleeping on a chair, placed right against the door, so that it was impossible to pa.s.s.
"Ah! little wretch of a page," murmured Chicot, "you knew this."
Chicot looked round him to see if he could find no other way by which he could escape with the a.s.sistance of his long legs. At last he saw what he wanted: it was an arched window, of which the gla.s.s was broken.
Chicot climbed up the wall with his accustomed skill, and without making more noise than a dry leaf in the autumn wind; but unluckily, the opening was not big enough, so when he had got his head and one shoulder through, and had taken away his foot from its resting place on the wall, he found himself hanging between heaven and earth, without being able either to advance or retreat.
He began then a series of efforts, of which the first result was to tear his doublet and scratch his skin. What rendered his position more difficult was his sword, of which the handle would not pa.s.s, making a hook by which Chicot hung on to the sash. He exerted all his strength, patience and industry, to unfasten the clasp of his shoulder-belt; but it was just on this clasp that his body leaned, therefore he was obliged to change his maneuver, and at last he succeeded in drawing his sword from its sheath and pushing it through one of the interstices; the sword therefore fell first on the flagstones, and Chicot now managed to get through after it. All this, however, was not done without noise, therefore Chicot, on rising, found himself face to face with a soldier.
[Ill.u.s.tration: CHICOT, ON RISING, FOUND HIMSELF FACE TO FACE WITH A SOLDIER.]
"Ah! mon Dieu! have you hurt yourself, M. Chicot?" said he.
Chicot was surprised, but said, "No, my friend, not at all."
"That is very lucky; there are not many people who could do such a thing."
"But how the devil did you know my name?"
"I saw you to-day at the palace, and asked who was the gentleman that was talking with the king."
"Well! I am in a hurry; allow me to pa.s.s."
"But no one goes out of the palace by night; those are my orders."
"But you see they do come out, since I am here."
"Yes, but--"
"But what?"
"You must go back, M. Chicot."
"Oh! no."--"How! no?"
"Not by that way, at all events; it is too troublesome."
"If I were an officer instead of a soldier, I would ask you why you come out so; but that is not my business, which is only that you should go back again. Go in, therefore, M. Chicot, I beg you."
And the soldier said this in such a persuasive tone, that Chicot was touched. Consequently he put his hand in his pocket and drew out another ten pistoles.
"You must understand, my friend," said he, "that as I have torn my clothes in pa.s.sing through once, I should make them still worse by going back again, and should have to go naked, which would be very indecent in a court where there are so many young and pretty women; let me go then to my tailor." And he put the money in his hand.
"Go quickly then, M. Chicot," said the man.
Chicot was in the street at last. The night was not favorable for flight, being bright and cloudless, and he regretted the foggy nights of Paris, where people might pa.s.s close to each other unseen. The unfortunate fugitive had no sooner turned the corner of the street than he met a patrol. He stopped of himself, thinking it would look suspicious to try and pa.s.s unseen.
"Oh, good-evening, M. Chicot!" said the chief; "shall we reconduct you to the palace? You seem as though you had lost your way."
"It is very strange," murmured Chicot, "every one knows me here." Then aloud, and as carelessly as he could, "No, cornet, I am not going to the palace."
"You are wrong, M. Chicot," replied the officer, gravely.
"Why so, monsieur?"
"Because a very severe edict forbids the inhabitants of Nerac to go out at night without permission and without a lantern."
"Excuse me, monsieur, but this edict cannot apply to me, who do not belong to Nerac."
"But you are at Nerac. Inhabitant means living at; now you cannot deny that you live at Nerac, since I see you here."
"You are logical, monsieur. Unluckily, I am in a hurry; make an exception to your rule, and let me pa.s.s, I beg."
"You will lose yourself, M. Chicot; Nerac is a strange town. Allow three of my men to conduct you to the palace."