*V*
In the interim between our departure from Cadiz and our arrival atCalais, Raoul's hairs grew again both on his face and on his head,albeit I observed with sorrow a many flecks of grey among them. Besidesthose and sundry scars and callosities, there was no other enduring markupon him of his long torture in the galleys when he came ashore with me.We stayed in Calais only so long as that he might provide himself withdecent apparel, and then we rode on hired horses, Stubbs following, toDieppe. There we betook ourselves to Jean Prevost, to learn what hadhappened during the two months of my absence. He welcomed Raoul withboisterous demonstrations of delight, and having heard our story, criedout in a fury that he would drive his sword through the carcass of theCount de Sarney, and so rid the world of a villain. But I prevailedupon him to leave us to our own courses with the Count, whereupon hetold us that the Count had but lately sold his own little domain, thewhich we took to be an evident sign of his perfect security.
Next day we rode all four to Torcy, and never did I see pleasure soadmirably pictured on a man's countenance as it was when the oldfaithful servitor opened to us and beheld his true master. He lifted uphis old cracked voice and called to his fellows, and they came pell-mellfrom the kitchen and offices, and leapt and laughed in the right Gallicmanner, which we sober Englishmen are apt to find ridiculous. Theirclamour drew the Count from his cabinet, and he stood at the head of thestairs as still as a stone, his countenance taking the colour of waxwhen he beheld Raoul at my side, and Stubbs capering (sore against hiswill) in the arms of a buxom buttery maid. The miserable wretchwreathed his lips to a smile, and said, mumbling in dreadful sort--
"Welcome, my dear nephew; I had given you up for dead."
"You have kept my house warm for me, monsieur," said Raoul, with a fineself-mastery; but Jean Prevost sprang up the stairs, and taking theCount by the collar, bundled him down and out at the door withoutceremony. Raoul dispatched a man after him with his hat and cloak, andhe went away and sought shelter, as we afterward learnt, in the house ofone of his old retainers.
We made diligent search in the cabinet for evidence of his villainy,finding nought save a book of accounts wherein were set down the sums hehad paid to Don Ygnacio de Acosta, the addition of which mounted to amonstrous figure. Raoul bade his servants gather up all the Count'schattels ready to be conveyed to him, and having put all things in orderfor his own occupancy he returned with us to Dieppe, where we spent amerry night at Jean Prevost's house.
We did not delay to seek the king's commissary, before whom we laid thewhole matter. He took down our depositions, and examined theaccount-book, and delivered his opinion at great length, the which was,in brief, that we had nothing to convict the Count of the felony ofkidnapping, though we might reasonably presume it; but that Raoul mightbring a suit against him in the king's court for restitution of themoneys he had disbursed. This he did, and I had word, many monthsafter, that the slow-footed law upheld his claim, and that the Count,being unable to acquit himself of so heavy a debt, was reduced tobeggary and thrown into prison, there to remain at the king's pleasure.With great magnanimity Raoul relented towards him for the sake of hisson Armand, whom he sought out in Paris, and, being perfectly assured ofhis innocency, endowed him with a pension sufficient to keep his fatherin a decent penury.
As for me, long ere this was accomplished I had returned with Stubbs(rejoicing in Raoul's liberal largess, and bound to my service for ever)to my own land. I was not wholly at ease in my mind, for I had absentedmyself from my duty in the Queen's Guard without her august leave, andhad no expectation but that she would visit my fault upon me somewhatgrievously. I betook me to the Palace on the day after my return, andlearnt from my comrades that the Queen had been highly incensed againstme, and had sworn to show me bitter marks of her anger.
I took up my post in the corridor at the proper hour, and had been therebut a brief while, when her Highness herself issued from her cabinetunattended. She halted at sight of me, and, frowning heavily, cried inshrill and shrewish accents (and it went to my heart that she was nowmost apparently an old woman)--
"How now, sirrah? Dost dare show thy ugly face to me?"
"As for my ugliness, madam," said I, "that is as God pleases."
"It does not please me that thou hast hog's bristles on thy countenance"(my beard and mustachio, in truth, were as yet somewhat like a field ofstubble). "Where hast thou been, monkey?"
I told her Grace that I had come from working some mischief among thegalleys of her brother of Spain, whereupon she let forth a round oath,exceeding disparaging to the said brother, and bid me go with her intoher chamber and inform her more particularly on that matter. I relatedthe incidents in their due order, and when I came to that part where Ihad made the Captain-General swallow my vile admixture, she burst forthin a fit of laughter so immoderate that I feared lest, tight-laced asshe was, she should do herself a hurt.
"Well, well, I pardon thee, my sweet Chris," she said, when I had madean end; "but I must e'en have my moiety of the spoils."
And 'tis sober truth that her Grace made me tell over into her royalpalm a half of the French crowns that I had brought back with me. Iconfess 'twas not an exact reckoning, for knowing her Grace'spropensity, I had been careful to make a subtraction from the full sumbefore I named it, a fault which I trust will be held to be venial, andnot laid against me by honest men.
Her Grace's anger being thus mollified, I made bold to proffer apetition whereon I set much store, to wit, that she would suffer me tojoin myself to Sir Walter Raleigh for his voyage, the ships being atthat time, as I had already learnt, on the point of sailing fromPlymouth.
"Ods my bodikins!" cried the Queen; "hast thou lost thy silly heart tosome Spanish slut, that thou art burning to return among thegarlic-eaters?"
"I assure your Highness' Grace," said I, "that in all my wanderings Ihave never beheld a damsel whose eyes could lure me from devotion to myQueen."
At this her Grace showed as much pleasure as she were a girl of sixteen,and I looked for her to consent to my petition; but in this I wasdeceived.
"Well, well," she said, "thou'rt a proper bold rascal, but I can't haveall my lovers running about the wicked world, in danger of falling intodivers snares and temptations. No; ods my life, thou shan't go," shecried in a passion, "and if I see any mumping and glooming, to the Towerwith thee!"
I smiled as amiably as I could, and vowed that I had no pleasure saveher Highness' will; but I own that I nourish to this day a remnantgrudge against my old mistress, for that she hindered me from servingwith Sir Walter in that world-renowned enterprise.
tailpiece to Fourth Part]