CHAPTER V.
OF THE LOUVRE IN PARTICULAR, AND OF VIRTUE IN GENERAL.
The two young men, directed by the first person they met, went down theRue d'Averon, the Rue Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, and soon foundthemselves before the Louvre, the towers of which were beginning to belost in the early shades of the gloaming.
"What is the matter with you?" asked Coconnas of La Mole, who, as theycame in sight of the old chateau, stopped and gazed, not without awe, onthe drawbridges, the narrow windows, and the pointed belfries, whichsuddenly rose before his vision.
"I scarcely know," said La Mole; "my heart beats strangely. I am nottimid, but somehow this old palace seems so gloomy and terrible."
"Well, as for me, I don't know any reason for it," replied Coconnas,"but I feel in excellent spirits. My dress is somewhat disordered," hewent on to say, glancing at his travelling costume, "but never mind, itlooks as if I had been riding. Besides, my instructions commandedpromptness and I shall be welcome because I shall have obeyedpunctually."
The two young men continued their way, each under the influence of thefeelings he had expressed.
There was a strong guard at the Louvre and the sentinels were doubled.Our two cavaliers were somewhat embarrassed, therefore, but Coconnas,who had noticed that the Duc de Guise's name acted like a talisman onthe Parisians, approached a sentinel, and making use of theall-powerful name, asked if by means of it he might not be allowed toenter.
The name seemed to produce its ordinary effect upon the soldier;nevertheless he asked Coconnas if he had the countersign.
Coconnas was forced to confess he had not.
"Stand back, then," said the soldier.
At this moment a person who was talking with the officer of the guardand who had overheard Coconnas ask leave to enter, broke off hisconversation and came to him.
"Vat do you vant with Monsieur dee Gouise?" asked he.
"I wish to see him," said Coconnas, smiling.
"Imbossible! the duke is mit the King."
"But I have a letter for him."
"Ah, you haf a ledder for him?"
"Yes, and I have come a long distance."
"Ah! you haf gome a long tistance?"
"I have come from Piedmont."
"Vell, vell! dat iss anodder ting. And vat iss your name?"
"The Comte Annibal de Coconnas."
"Goot! goot! kif me the ledder, Monsieur Annibal, kif it to me!"
"On my word," said La Mole to himself, "a very civil man. I hope I mayfind one like him to conduct me to the King of Navarre."
"But kif me the ledder," said the German gentleman, holding out his handtoward Coconnas, who hesitated.
"By Heaven!" replied the Piedmontese, distrustful like a half-Italian,"I scarcely know whether I ought, as I have not the honor of knowingyou."
"I am Pesme; I'm addached to Monsir le Douque de Gouise."
"Pesme," murmured Coconnas; "I am not acquainted with that name."
"It is Monsieur de Besme, my dear sir," said the sentinel. "Hispronunciation misled you, that is all; you may safely give him yourletter, I'll answer for it."
"Ah! Monsieur de Besme!" cried Coconnas; "of course I know you! with thegreatest pleasure. Here is the letter. Pardon my hesitation; butfidelity requires one to be careful."
"Goot, goot! dere iss no need of any egscuse," said Besme.
"Perhaps, sir," said La Mole, "you will be so kind as to the same for myletter that you have done for my friend?"
"And vat iss your name, monsir?"
"The Comte Lerac de la Mole."
"Gount Lerag dee la Mole?"
"Yes."
"I don't know de name."
"It is not strange that I have not the honor of being known to you, sir,for like the Comte de Coconnas I am only just arrived in Paris."
"Where do you gome from?"
"From Provence."
"Vit a ledder?"
"Yes."
"For Monsir dee Gouise?"
"No; for his majesty the King of Navarre."
"I do not pelong to de King of Navarre," said De Besme coldly, "andderefore I gannot dake your ledder."
And turning on his heel, he entered the Louvre, bidding Coconnas followhim.
La Mole was left alone.
At this moment a troop of cavaliers, about a hundred in number, came outfrom the Louvre by a gate alongside that of which Besme and Coconnas hadentered.
"Aha!" said the sentinel to his comrade, "there are De Mouy and hisHuguenots! See how joyous they all are! The King has probably promisedthem to put to death the assassin of the admiral; and as it was he whomurdered De Mouy's father, the son will kill two birds with one stone."
"Excuse me, my good fellow," interrupted La Mole, "did you not say thatofficer is M. de Mouy?"
"Yes, sir."
"And that those with him are"--
"Are heretics--I said so."
"Thank you," said La Mole, affecting not to notice the scornful word_parpaillots_, employed by the sentinel. "That was all I wished toknow;" and advancing to the chief of the cavaliers:
"Sir," said he, "I am told you are M. de Mouy."
"Yes, sir," returned the officer, courteously.
"Your name, well known among those of our faith, emboldens me to addressyou, sir, to ask a special favor."
"What may that be, sir,--but first whom have I the honor of addressing?"
"The Comte Lerac de la Mole."
The young men bowed to each other.
"What can I do for you, sir?" asked De Mouy.
"Sir, I am just arrived from Aix, and bring a letter from M. d'Auriac,Governor of Provence. This letter is directed to the King of Navarre andcontains important and pressing news. How can I give it to him? How canI enter the Louvre?"
"Nothing is easier than to enter the Louvre, sir," replied De Mouy; "butI fear the King of Navarre will be too busy to see you at this hour.However, if you please, I will take you to his apartments, and then youmust manage for yourself."
"A thousand thanks!"
"Come, then," said De Mouy.
De Mouy dismounted, threw the reins to his lackey, stepped toward thewicket, passed the sentinel, conducted La Mole into the chateau, and,opening the door leading to the king's apartments:
"Enter, and inquire for yourself, sir," said he.
And saluting La Mole, he retired.
La Mole, left alone, looked round.
The ante-room was vacant. One of the inner doors was open. He advanceda few paces and found himself in a passage.
He knocked and spoke, but no one answered. The profoundest silencereigned in this part of the Louvre.
"What was told me about the stern etiquette of this place?" said he tohimself. "One may come and go in this palace as if it were a publicplace."
Then he called again, but without obtaining any better result thanbefore.
"Well, let us walk straight on," thought he, "I must meet some one," andhe proceeded down the corridor, which grew darker and darker.
Suddenly the door opposite that by which he had entered opened, and twopages appeared, lighting a lady of noble bearing and exquisite beauty.
The glare of the torches fell full on La Mole, who stood motionless.
The lady stopped also.
"What do you want, sir?" said she, in a voice which fell upon his earslike exquisite music.
"Oh, madame," said La Mole, casting down his eyes, "pardon me; I havejust parted from M. de Mouy, who was so good as to conduct me here, andI wish to see the King of Navarre."
"His majesty is not here, sir; he is with his brother-in-law. But, inhis absence, could you not say to the queen"--
"Oh, yes, madame," returned La Mole, "if I could obtain audience ofher."
"You have it already, sir."
"What?" cried La Mole.
"I am the Queen of Navarre."
La Mole made such a hasty movement of surprise and alarm that it causedthe queen to smile.
"Speak, sir," said Marguerite
, "but speak quickly, for the queen motheris waiting for me."
"Oh, madame, if the queen mother is waiting for you," said La Mole,"suffer me to leave you, for just now it would be impossible for me tospeak to you. I am incapable of collecting my ideas. The sight of youhas dazzled me. I no longer think, I can only admire."
Marguerite advanced graciously toward the handsome young man, who,without knowing it, was acting like a finished courtier.
"Recover yourself, sir," said she; "I will wait and they will wait forme."
"Pardon me, madame," said La Mole, "if I did not salute your majesty atfirst with all the respect which you have a right to expect from one ofyour humblest servants, but"--
"You took me for one of my ladies?" said Marguerite.
"No, madame; but for the shade of the beautiful Diane de Poitiers, whois said to haunt the Louvre."
"Come, sir," said Marguerite, "I see you will make your fortune atcourt; you said you had a letter for the king, it was not needed, but nomatter! Where is it? I will give it to him--only make haste, I beg ofyou."
In a twinkling La Mole threw open his doublet, and drew from his breasta letter enveloped in silk.
Marguerite took the letter, and glanced at the writing.
"Are you not Monsieur de la Mole?" asked she.
"Yes, madame. Oh, _mon Dieu_! Can I hope my name is known to yourmajesty?"
"I have heard the king, my husband, and the Duc d'Alencon, my brother,speak of you. I know they expect you."
And in her corsage, glittering with embroidery and diamonds, she slippedthe letter which had just come from the young man's doublet and wasstill warm from the vital heat of his body. La Mole eagerly watchedMarguerite's every movement.
"Now, sir," said she, "descend to the gallery below, and wait until someone comes to you from the King of Navarre or the Duc d'Alencon. One ofmy pages will show you the way."
And Marguerite, as she said these words, went on her way. La Mole drewhimself up close to the wall. But the passage was so narrow and theQueen of Navarre's farthingale was so voluminous that her silken gownbrushed against the young man's clothes, while a penetrating perfumehovered where she passed.
La Mole trembled all over and, feeling that he was in danger of falling,he tried to find a support against the wall.
Marguerite disappeared like a vision.
"Are you coming, sir?" asked the page who was to conduct La Mole to thelower gallery.
"Oh, yes--yes!" cried La Mole, joyfully; for as the page led him thesame way by which Marguerite had gone, he hoped that by making haste hemight see her again.
And in truth, as he reached the top of the staircase, he perceived herbelow; and whether she heard his step or looked round by chance,Marguerite raised her head, and La Mole saw her a second time.
"Oh," said he, as he followed the page, "she is not a mortal--she is agoddess, and as Vergilius Maro says: '_Et vera incessu patuit dea._'"
"Well?" asked the page.
"Here I am," replied La Mole, "excuse me, here I am."
The page, preceding La Mole, descended a story lower, opened one door,then another, and stopping,
"You are to wait here," said he.
La Mole entered the gallery, the door of which closed after him.
The gallery was vacant except for one gentleman, who was sauntering upand down, and seemed also waiting for some one.
The evening was by this time beginning to scatter monstrous shadows fromthe depths of the vaulted ceiling, and though the two gentlemen were nottwenty paces apart, it was impossible for either to recognize theother's face.
La Mole drew nearer.
"By Heaven!" muttered he as soon as he was within a few feet of theother, "here is Monsieur le Comte de Coconnas again!"
At the sound of footsteps Coconnas had already turned, and was staringat La Mole with no less astonishment than the other showed.
"By Heaven!" cried he. "The devil take me but here is Monsieur de laMole! What am I doing? Swearing in the King's palace? Well, never mind;it seems the King swears in a different way from mine, and even inchurches. Here we are at last, then, in the Louvre!"
"Yes; I suppose Monsieur de Besme introduced you?"
"Oh, he is a charming German. Who brought you in?"
"M. de Mouy--I told you the Huguenots had some interest at court. Haveyou seen Monsieur de Guise?"
"No, not yet. Have you obtained your audience with the King of Navarre?"
"No, but I soon shall. I was brought here and told to wait."
"Ah, you will see there is some great supper under way and we shall beplaced side by side. What a strange chance! For two hours fortune hasjoined us! But what is the matter? You seem ill at ease."
"I?" exclaimed La Mole, shivering, for in truth he was still dazzled bythe vision which had been vouchsafed him. "Oh, no, but the place inwhich we are brings into my mind a throng of reflections."
"Philosophical ones, I suppose. Just the same as it is with me. When youcame in I was just going over in my mind all my tutor's recommendations.Monsieur le Comte, are you acquainted with Plutarch?"
"Certainly I am!" exclaimed La Mole, smiling, "he is one of my favoriteauthors."
"Very well," Coconnas went on gravely, "this great man does not seem tome so far wrong when he compares the gifts of nature to brilliant butephemeral flowers, while he regards virtue as a balsamic plant ofimperishable perfume and sovereign efficacy for the healing of wounds."
"Do you know Greek, Monsieur de Coconnas?" said La Mole, gazing keenlyat his companion.
"No, I do not; but my tutor did, and he strongly advised me when Ishould be at court to talk about virtue. 'That looks well,' he said. SoI assure you I am well fortified with it. By the way, are you hungry?"
"No."
"And yet you seemed anxious to taste the broiled fowl of _La BelleEtoile_. As for me, I am dying of starvation!"
"Well, Monsieur de Coconnas, here is a fine chance for you to make useof your arguments on virtue and to put your admiration for Plutarch tothe proof, for that great writer says somewhere: 'It is good to accustomthe soul to pain and the stomach to hunger'--'_Prepon esti ten menpsvchen odune, ton de gastera semo askein._'"
"Ah, indeed! So you know Greek?" exclaimed Coconnas in surprise.
"Faith, yes," replied La Mole, "my tutor taught me."
"By Heaven! count, your fortune is made if that is so; you will composepoetry with Charles IX. and you will talk Greek with Queen Marguerite!"
"Not to reckon that I can still talk Gascon with the King of Navarre!"added La Mole, laughing.
At this moment the door communicating with the King's apartment opened,a step was heard, and a shade was seen approaching in the darkness. Thisshade materialized into a body. This body belonged to Monsieur de Besme.
He scrutinized both gentlemen, so as to pick out the one he wanted, andthen motioned Coconnas to follow him.
Coconnas waved his hand to La Mole.
De Besme conducted Coconnas to the end of the gallery, opened a door,and stood at the head of a staircase.
He looked cautiously round, then up and down.
"Monsir de Gogonnas," said he, "vere are you staying?"
"At _La Belle Etoile_, Rue de l'Arbre Sec."
"Goot, goot! dat is glose by. Go pack to your hodel gwick andto-nide"--
He looked around him again.
"Well, to-night?"
"Vell, gome here mit a vite gross in your hat. De bassvord is 'Gouise.'Hush! nod a vord."
"What time am I to come?"
"Ven you hear de dogsin."
"What's the dogsin?" asked Coconnas.
"Ja! de dogsin--pum! pum!"
"Oh! the tocsin!"
"Ja, vot elus tid I zay?"
"Good--I shall be here," said Coconnas.
And, saluting De Besme, he took his departure, asking himself:
"What the devil does he mean and why should the tocsin be rung? Nomatter! I persist in my opinion: Monsieur de Besme is a charmingTedesco--Why not wa
it for the Comte de la Mole? Ah faith, no! he willprobably be invited to supper with the King of Navarre."
And Coconnas set forth for the Rue de l'Arbre Sec, where the sign of _LaBelle Etoile_ like a lodestone attracted him.
Meantime a gallery door which led to the King of Navarre's apartmentopened, and a page approached Monsieur de la Mole.
"You are the Comte de la Mole?" said he.
"That is my name."
"Where do you lodge?"
"At _La Belle Etoile_, Rue de l'Arbre Sec."
"Good, that is close to the Louvre. Listen--his majesty the King ofNavarre has desired me to inform you that he cannot at present receiveyou; perhaps he may send for you to-night; but if to-morrow morning youhave received no word, come to the Louvre."
"But supposing the sentinel refuse me admission."
"True: the countersign is 'Navarre;' that word will open all doors toyou."
"Thanks."
"Wait, my dear sir, I am ordered to escort you to the wicket gate forfear you should get lost in the Louvre."
"By the way, how about Coconnas?" said La Mole to himself as soon as hewas fairly in the street. "Oh, he will remain to supper with the Duc deGuise."
But as soon as he entered Maitre la Huriere's the first thing La Molesaw was Coconnas seated before a gigantic omelet.
"Oho!" cried Coconnas, laughing heartily, "I see you have no more dinedwith the King of Navarre than I have supped with the Duc de Guise."
"Faith, no."
"Are you hungry now?"
"I believe I am."
"In spite of Plutarch?"
"Count," said La Mole, laughing, "Plutarch says in another place: 'Lethim that hath, share with him that hath not.' Are you willing for thelove of Plutarch to share your omelet with me? Then while we eat we willconverse on virtue!"
"Oh, faith, not on that subject," cried Coconnas. "It is all right whenone is at the Louvre and there is danger of eavesdroppers and one'sstomach is empty. Sit down and have something to eat with me."
"There, now I see that fate has decidedly made us inseparable. Are yougoing to sleep here?"
"I have not the least idea."
"Nor I either."
"At any rate, I know where I shall spend the night."
"Where?"
"Wherever you do: that is settled."
And both burst out laughing and then set to work to do honor to Maitrela Huriere's omelet.