"Well, Monsieur?" said D"Herouville, calmly.
The vicomte was genuinely surprised at the strides toward completeness which D"Herouville had made. An ordinary man would still have been either in bed or in a chair. But none of this surprise appeared on the Vicomte"s face. He had come with a purpose, and he went at it directly.
"Count," he replied, "you and I have been playing hide and seek in the woods, needlessly and purposelessly."
"I scarce comprehend your words or your presence."
"I will explain at once. Madame de Brissac has made sorry fools of us all. She is here in Quebec."
"What?" The pain caused by the sudden intake of breath stooped D"Herouville"s shoulders.
"I have the honor, then, of bringing you the news? Yes," easily, "Madame de Brissac is in Quebec. Why, is as yet unknown to me."
"What is your purpose in bringing me this lie?" asked D"Herouville, recovering. "I have been surrounded by lies ever since I stepped foot in Roch.e.l.le. I shall kill Monsieur de Saumaise a week hence."
"And you do not wish satisfaction from me?" slyly.
A fury leaped into D"Herouville"s eyes, but suddenly died away. "I am living only with that end in view. It was very clever of you to make them think you were taking up the Chevalier"s cause. You hoodwinked them nicely."
The vicomte played with the ends of his mustache, as was his habit.
"You say Madame de Brissac is in Quebec ?"
"Yes. And presently your own eyes shall prove the truth of my statement."
D"Herouville glanced at his sword, which hung upon the wall. "In Quebec," he mused. "A lie in this case would be objectless."
"As you see. And would you believe it, there has been a love intrigue between her and the Chevalier! There"s a woman, now! How cleverly she juggled with us all!"
"The Chevalier?"
"Yes. How you love that man! Droll, is it not? She has been masquerading, and to this day he hasn"t the slightest idea who she is."
"Come, now, Vicomte," with a.s.sumed good nature; "your purpose; out with it."
"I am not a man to waste time, certainly."
"You will give me satisfaction, then?"
"You have but to name the day. The truth is, under the present circ.u.mstances the world has suddenly contracted."
D"Herouville nodded. "That is to say, it is no longer large enough for both of us. I comprehend that perfectly."
"As I knew you would. I am exceedingly chagrined," continued the vicomte, "at seeing you walking above the sod when, by a little more care on my part, you would be resting neatly under it. But at that time I had no other idea than temporarily to disable you. Could we but see into the future sometimes!"
"In your place I should recoil from the gift." The count was shaking with rage. "I shall not lose my temper when next we meet. If you were not careful, I was equally careless."
"Within a week"s time, Monsieur. By that date you will be as strong as a bull. Your vitality is remarkable. But listen. Madame de Brissac shall be my wife. First, I love her for herself; and then because De Brissac left some handsome property."
"Which has Mazarin"s seals of confiscation upon it," mockingly.
"They can be removed," imperturbably. "I tell you frankly that I shall overcome all obstacles to reach my end. You are one of the obstacles which must be removed, and I am here this morning expressly to acquaint you with this fact."
"Perhaps I shall kill you."
"There will be the Chevalier."
"Measure swords with him?" sneeringly. "I believe not."
"There will still remain Monsieur de Saumaise, who, for all his rhymes, handles a pretty blade."
D"Herouville snapped his fingers. "His death I have already determined."
"Besides, if I read the Chevalier rightly he will force you. You laughed too loudly."
"I will laugh again, even more loudly."
"He will strike you . . . even as I did."
D"Herouville spat. "Leave me, Monsieur. My wound may open again, and that would put me back."
"I advise you to take the air to-day."
"I shall do so."
They were very courtly in those old days.
So D"Herouville went forth to take the air that afternoon and incidentally to pay his respects in person to Madame de Brissac.
Fortune favored him, for he met her coming down the path from the upper town. He lifted his hat gravely and barred her path.
"Madame, my delight at seeing you is inexpressible."
Madame"s countenance signified that the delight was his alone; she shared no particle of it. She knew that eventually their paths would cross again, but she had prepared no plans to meet this certainty. Her gaze swerved from his and rested longingly on the Henri IV in the harbor. She had determined to return to France upon it. The amazing episode of the night before convinced her that her safety lay rather in France than in Canada. But she had confided this determination to no one, not even to Anne.
"Have you no welcome, Madame?"
"My husband"s friends," she said, "were not always mine; and I see no reason why you should continue further to address me."
"De Brissac? Bah! I was never his friend."
"So much the more doubt upon your honesty;" and she moved as if to pa.s.s.
"Madame, D"Halluys told me this morning that he is determined that you shall be his wife."
"The vicomte"s confidence is altogether too large." She laughed, and made another ineffectual attempt to pa.s.s. "Monsieur, you are detaining me."
"That is correct. I have much to say to you. In the first place, you played us all for a pack of fools, and all the while you were carrying on an intrigue with that fellow who calls himself the Chevalier du Cevennes."