CHAPTER XXIV.
Captain Courcy Outwitted.
After securing the door I loaded my pistol, undressed, and stepped intobed, quite intending to remain awake all night. However, my eyes wereheavy, I was tired out, and in spite of danger I soon fell asleep, notto waken again till a servant, hammering at the door, inquired if I wasnearly ready for breakfast. Jumping up hastily, I took a glance roundthe room, and found to my relief that nothing had been disturbed.
"Pillot was right," I muttered, "the rascals are waiting till I ambeyond the town. I wish Captain Courcy had introduced his two friends."
After making my toilet I went to the stables, where my horse, quiterecovered from his fatigue, was looking in fine condition. Then,returning to the inn, I ate a substantial breakfast, and, obeyingPillot's injunctions, made no attempt to start till ten o'clock. Howshrewdly the little man had judged my enemies' plans was made plainalmost at the instant of my passing through the gate.
"I trust monsieur is better," exclaimed a voice in my ear, and therewas Captain Courcy mounted on a powerful horse close by my side.
And here I must stop to mention that the old soldier performed his partvery cleverly. He exhibited such surprise at seeing me, that, but forPillot's warning, I should have believed we met by accident. As itwas, he found me on my guard.
"I owe you an apology, captain," said I pleasantly; "I fear that lastnight you must have considered me very ill-mannered."
"No, no, the fault was mine. You were tired and I worried youthoughtlessly. Ah, now I see you are not my old friend, De Lalande."
"Yet I am a De Lalande," I laughed, telling him what he already knew;"Henri de Lalande was my cousin. He is dead now, poor fellow; you willnot see him again."
"Dead?" he exclaimed in a tone of surprise; "Henri dead? No; it isimpossible."
"Yet it is true! I was with him when he died."
It was vastly entertaining to watch the old rogue's antics as heexpressed his astonishment, though knowing as well as I that my cousinwas dead and buried, but I kept a grave face.
"Well, well," said he, "I shall miss him sorely. We were excellentfriends, though there were twenty years between us. Do you know----But there, I am wasting your time and my own. I have an errand inMezieres. I suppose you are not riding in that direction?"
"As it happens it is precisely where I am going."
"How odd," he cried. "Why, if you do not object we can traveltogether. The roads are not over safe, and in case of danger one canhelp the other."
"A good plan, captain, though these highway robbers are not much to befeared! I always keep my sword sharp and my pistols loaded."
"And I warrant you can use both at a pinch. Henri, now, was a famousswordsman. Poor fellow; he would not leave that wretched Abbe, thoughI often begged him to come over to our side."
The easy, natural way in which the fellow foisted himself on me as atravelling-companion was really wonderful. There was no sign of anyplan or arrangement; we were, it seemed, chance travellers proceedingto the same place, and having a subject to discuss which interested usboth.
As for me, I endeavoured not to betray my suspicion, but you may besure I did not sleep on the journey. Courcy himself, especially if hecaught me at a disadvantage, was more than my match, while his twocompanions might appear at any moment. So I rode warily, keeping thecaptain on my left and taking care that he did not lag behind.Fortunately, perhaps, there were numerous people on the highroad, andonce we overtook a body of troops wearing the King's colours. Theirofficer stopped and questioned us, but our answers being satisfactoryhe allowed us to proceed.
"Conde evidently has few friends in these parts," remarked the captain.
"And fewer still the farther we go, which is a lucky thing for us. Isuppose your regiment is at Mezieres?"
"Why, no," he answered carelessly, and lowering his voice, he added,"the truth is I am despatched on a special service. I cannot very wellsay more but----"
"No, no, keep your secret," I interrupted hastily; "it is enough for methat you are on the King's side," at which the rascal smiledpleasantly, thinking how easy it would be to pluck such a simple goose.
About four o'clock we approached the village of Verdu, when, oddlyenough, my horse began to show signs of distress, and I was compelledto slacken pace. The captain expressed his sorrow, and would not hearof riding on alone.
"No," said he, "it is not my custom to leave a comrade in the lurch.We will push on together, and perhaps in the village you may be able topurchase or hire another animal which will carry you as far asMezieres. Besides, the night bids fair to be stormy, and we may aswell lie snug at the inn."
For some time I had noticed the sky was becoming overcast; dark cloudswere hurrying up, and, as we dismounted, the storm burst.
"_Corbleu!_" cried the captain, "only just in time! The inn will befull to-night," and as he spoke two other horsemen dashed up to obtainshelter.
The innkeeper bade us welcome, the servants led away our horses, and weall entered the house together. The last two comers sat at a distancefrom us, as if not wishing for company, but I did not for an instantdoubt that they were the crafty captain's missing friends.
"Landlord," exclaimed one of them, "my friend and I will stay hereto-night; so put your two best rooms in order."
"There are but two, monsieur," replied the innkeeper.
"We require only two, stupid, but see to it that the linen is clean andwholesome."
"Wait a moment, monsieur," cried the captain gaily, "this gentleman andI intend to stay here while the storm lasts, and we shall require oneof these same rooms."
"Oh," said I, "pray leave me out of the question; I can sleep here inmy cloak," but the captain blustered loudly, vowing that I should donothing of the kind, and at last it was decided that he and I shouldshare one of the rooms between us.
This point being finally settled, after much wrangling, we sat down toour meal, and the two strangers gradually became more friendly. Itappeared they were on their way to Vouziers, but, foreseeing the storm,had turned back to seek shelter.
Thus far I had seen nothing of Pillot, but, remembering his advice, Iasked the innkeeper if he had a horse for sale or hire, explaining thatI wished to leave early in the morning for Mezieres.
"I have none of my own, monsieur; horses are scarce in these partssince the troubles began; but there is one in the stables which belongsto a poor traveller who might sell it."
"Is it a good one?"
"Monsieur can judge for himself, but I do not think monsieur will careto ride it."
"Captain," said I, "will you come with me? You know more about a horsethan I."
"Certainly," he exclaimed, jumping up. "Bring a lantern, landlord; wewill go at once."
There were five horses in the stables--those of the captain and the twostrangers, my own which was in a state of prostration, and a thinlong-legged beast whose body was composed of skin and ribs.
On seeing this uncouth animal, the captain said with a laugh, "_Mafoi_, M. de Lalande, you would make a pretty picture riding intoMezieres on this brute. _Peste!_ Let us return to the fire."
I asked where the owner was, and the innkeeper replied, "Somewhere inthe village, monsieur, endeavouring to sell his goods."
"Is it not possible to obtain a decent animal anywhere?" I inquired.
"I will do my best," he answered, holding up the lantern to guide oursteps as Courcy and I returned to the inn.
"It is a nuisance," exclaimed the captain, warming his hands at thefire, "but I fear you will have to stay here over to-morrow. If mybusiness were not so urgent----"
"Oh, the landlord may find an animal by the morning, especially as I amprepared to pay a good price."
"Monsieur makes a thrust there," remarked one of the strangers; "onecan do most things with a full purse. After all, it will only be adelay of a few hours or so."
We sat a long time listening to the storm, which, after a lull, hadbroken out with
redoubled fury, and once or twice I detected a stealthyexchange of glances between Captain Courcy and the two travellers.Thus far their plans had worked out beautifully; I was, to allappearance, entirely in their power, and it would be easy for themduring the night to abstract the note. The one point in my favour wasthat they believed I knew nothing of the plot, and I took pains not toundeceive them. I laughed at the captain's jokes, and applauded hisstories, though half expecting every moment to hear him say, "And now,M. de Lalande, I will trouble you for that slip of paper."
However, the evening wore on, the storm stopped, the servants fastenedthe doors and went to bed, leaving their master to attend to us. Andall the while, whether laughing or talking, I was listening anxiouslyfor Pillot's signal. At last there came a tremendous knocking at theoutside door, and we heard the innkeeper stump along the passage.
"A late guest," laughed Courcy; "he will find but scant accommodation.Oh, after all, it is only one of the villagers. What does he want, Iwonder?"
"Monsieur!" exclaimed the innkeeper, putting his head into the room;"it is a man who has a horse for sale."
"I hope it isn't brother to the one in the stable!" exclaimed CaptainCourcy with a laugh. "However, we may as well look at it, De Lalande,and then we will go to bed."
He was rising from his comfortable seat, when the landlord said, "Thehorse is not here; the man has only just heard in the village thatmonsieur required one."
"Still, he may bring it round soon enough in the morning! At what timedo you intend to start, captain?"
"Not a moment later than six."
"Well, I will ask him," and without the least appearance of hurry,though my heart was thumping like a big hammer, I left the room.
This was the one critical moment. Would Courcy scent mischief andfollow? I purposely left the door ajar so that they might listen tothe conversation while they could see my hat and cloak in the room.
"Now, my man," I began brusquely, "about this horse? Can you bring ithere by five o'clock in the morning?"
"Certainly, monsieur."
"If it suits me, there will be no haggling over the price, but unlessthe animal is thoroughly sound you will have your trouble for nothing."
"Monsieur will be satisfied, I know. It is as good a horse as onewould wish to meet with."
"Well, we shall see. Be here at five o'clock sharp, or even a littleearlier."
"Yes, monsieur," then the door slammed, and I was on the outside of theinn with Pillot.
"This way, monsieur, quick. Here is the captain's horse for you; I canmanage the others. Here, Alphonse," and I saw a man at the animals'heads, "help me to mount, and then vanish. Unless you talk no one willsuspect you. Ready, monsieur? Away then. Ah, they have discoveredpart of the trick and are running to the stables. Ho, ho! CaptainCourcy! Captain Courcy!"
There was a shout from the inn; then a pistol shot, and my latecompanions ran this way and that in confusion.
"Not a moment later than six, captain," I cried. "Shall I carry amessage to your friends in Mezieres?" and then, with a triumphantlaugh, we clattered off in the darkness.
"We have scored the trick and the game," said Pillot, "though I thoughtwe were beaten when the captain talked of coming out. However, theycannot catch us now, before reaching Mezieres, and beyond that theywill not venture."
Nothing more was said for a long time; we rode hard side by side,Pillot leading the third horse. It was still dark and a high wind hadsprung up, but the rain had ceased. Occasionally we stopped to listen,but there was no sound of galloping hoofs in the rear, and, indeed, wehardly expected that the captain and his friends would follow very far.Pillot reckoned the distance from Verdu to Mezieres at thirty miles,and with several hours' start it seemed ridiculous to think of pursuit.Presently we slackened pace, and I asked Pillot if he was sure of theroad.
"I think so; I have been making inquiries. By the way, monsieur mustbe very cold without a hat."
"It is not pleasant; but better lose a hat than a head!" I replied witha laugh.
Pillot proved a good guide, and Mezieres was still half asleep when werode into the town and pulled up at the principal inn.
"We can give ourselves two hours' rest," said the dwarf, "and then, incase of accidents, we had better proceed. After breakfast, monsieurcan provide himself with a fresh hat and cloak."
"I will send for them, which will save time. We must leave nothing tochance, Pillot. I am much mistaken if this Captain Courcy is the manto confess himself beaten."
"He is beaten this time, confession or no confession," answered thedwarf, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Still, it is always well not tobe too confident."
While we waited for breakfast he proceeded to give a brief account ofhis doings. Before leaving the inn at Rheims he had slipped into myhorse's feed a powder, which, after a few hours' exercise, wouldproduce a temporary weakness. Then, directly the gates were open, hehad started for Verdu on the sorry beast which the innkeeper had showedme. On the plea of being a poor man he had obtained permission tosleep in an outhouse, and then his only difficulty was to discover someone who would help him in bringing out the horses. All this he relatedin high glee, laughing merrily at the idea of having tricked thegallant captain.
I inquired if he was sure the others were in the plot, to which hereplied, "Perfectly, monsieur; they are both in Conde's pay, but justat present they will not have much to show for their wages!" and helaughed again.
"Thanks to you," I said warmly. "But for your cleverness, I shouldhave fallen into the pit."
As soon as the horses were rested and I had provided myself with a newhat and cloak, we made a fresh start, riding fast till Mezieres was atleast a dozen miles in our rear.
I do not propose to linger over the remainder of the journey; if theaccount were a tithe as tedious as the actual ride I should lose all myreaders. As far as Captain Courcy and his friends were concerned thepaper was safe; they were not in the least likely to catch us, and ifthey did, Mazarin had as many friends as foes in that part of thecountry. Our chief danger now came from the highwaymen who prowledabout the roads, and twice we were attacked by these worthies, who,however, upon finding us well-armed and resolute to defend ourselves,quickly moved off.
It was, I think, on the fifth morning from leaving Mezieres that werode into Bruhl, and being directed to the Cardinal's residence,encountered Roland Belloc, who at first did not recognise me.
"Have you quite forgotten me?" said I.
"De Lalande? Is it possible? I understood you were still in Paris."
"I was there until a few days ago. But where is the Cardinal? I havea letter for him, and as soon as it is delivered I want to go to bed."
"You shall see him at once, follow me."
"Put the horses up somewhere, Pillot," I said, and throwing the reinsto him, followed Belloc.
Several French gentlemen wearing Mazarin's colours lounged about; thecourtyard was filled with soldiers, and sentries were stationed at theentrance. As for the Cardinal himself he looked very little like abeaten man.
"M. de Lalande," he purred in his silkiest tones, as Belloc showed meinto the room. "You have been a long time doing my errand!"
"A sword-thrust in the side kept me in bed some weeks," I replied, "andon my return to the city I found that your Eminence was no longerthere."
"Paris had grown unhealthy," said he smiling, "so I sought the purerair of the country. You, I believe, preferred the quiet seclusion ofthe Bastille."
"The choice was none of mine, my Lord."
"No? And so you have come to share my fortunes again?"
"I have brought your Eminence a letter from Le Tellier," and I handedhim the document, which I had previously taken from its hiding-place.
Opening the note, he read the communication quickly, and, turning to mewith a smile, exclaimed: "De Lalande, I certainly must keep you by myside! Positively, you always bring me good-luck. I am deeply in yourdebt, but my secretary shall settle
our account. You must don thegreen scarf and join my body-guard."
This was a great honour, and I thanked him warmly, but he interruptedme with a laugh, saying, "It is well, in these troublous times, to havea skilful sword to rely on, and I have proved the worth of yours. Youwill find your comrades brave youths and all anxious to distinguishthemselves. _Pardieu!_ Conde has made a huge blunder and played intomy hands nicely. Request M. Belloc to find you quarters--and now Imust deal immediately with my correspondence."
Thus it was that I came to take service again with Mazarin, and to wearthe green scarf in many a hot encounter.
Sturdy old Belloc was delighted to have me under his charge, and, asthere was no room at Mazarin's residence, he arranged that I shouldstay at the inn where Pillot had stationed the horses.
"And now," he said, "get some breakfast and go straight to bed. I willcome over during the evening for a chat. I am curious to learn how youfared in Paris."
"The story will surprise you, but I am too tired to tell it now."
"Yes," said he, kindly, "you evidently need a long rest."
It was strange to get into bed without feeling any cause for alarm.From sheer force of habit I placed my weapons handy, but there was nobarricading of the door, or listening for the sound of stealthyfootsteps, and almost before my head touched the pillow I was fastasleep. Pillot, whose powers of endurance were marvellous, wakened meearly in the evening, and when M. Belloc paid his promised visit, alltraces of my recent fatigue had vanished.
The old soldier displayed intense interest in my story, especially tothose parts relating to the plot against Conde and my cousin's death.
"I am sorry for Henri," he said, "he was a bit of a rascal, but a bravefellow for all that, and he stood by the Abbe from the beginning.However, things have altered now, and before six months have passedMazarin will be in Paris again. Conde will make a stiff fight, but weare bound to win, and if you live your fortune is made."
"Unless Mazarin suffers from a lapse of memory," I remarked. "So farhis payments have been made mostly in promises, which do little towardskeeping a full purse."
At this M. Belloc laughed, but he assured me that when the day ofreckoning came I should have no cause to complain.